Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

First observations of low latitude whistlers using WHU ELF/VLF receiver system

  • Article
  • Published:
Science China Technological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The recently developed high-quality WHU ELF/VLF receiver system has been deployed in Suizhou, China (geomagnetic latitude 21.81°N, longitude 174.44°E, L=1.16) to detect low latitude extremely-low-frequency (ELF: 0.3‒3 kHz) and very-low-frequency (VLF: 3‒30 kHz) emissions originating from either natural or artificial sources since February 2016. During the first-month operation of the receiver system, a total of 3039 clear whistlers have been recorded at this low latitude station with the majority (97.0%) occurring on 28 February and 1 March 2016. Observed whistlers manifest various types including single one-hop, echo train, multi-flash, and multi-path. They tend to intensify after local midnight, reach the peak around 04‒05 LT, and then weaken quickly. Both features of lower cutoff frequencies of most whistlers below ∼1.6 kHz and almost uniform dispersion for many successive multi-flash whistlers suggest that these whistlers propagate along the geomagnetic field lines in the duct mode. The computed dispersion varies between ∼15 s1/2 and 23 s1/2 for observed one-hop whistlers and is greater than 50 s1/2 for three-hop echo train whistlers, indicating that the whistlers observed at the Suizhou station are low latitude whistlers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Helliwell R A. Whistlers and Related Ionospheric Phenomena. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1965

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hayakawa M, Tanaka Y. On the propagation of low-latitude whistlers. Rev Geophys, 1978, 16: 111–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Holzworth R H, McCarthy M P, Pfaff R F, et al. Lightning-generated whistler waves observed by probes on the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System satellite at low latitudes. J Geophys Res-Space, 2011, 116: A06306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Pandey U, Chauhan V, Singh B. Magnetospherically reflected (MR) whistlers observed in DEMETER satellite and on the ground observation of normal whistlers at low latitudes. Indian J Radio Space, 2013, 42: 97–104

    Google Scholar 

  5. Zheng H, Holzworth R H, Brundell J B, et al. A statistical study of whistler waves observed by Van Allen Probes (RBSP) and lightning detected by WWLLN. J Geophys Res-Space, 2016, 121: 2067–2079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Singh A K, Singh S B, Singh R, et al. Whistlers detected and analyzed by Automatic Whistler Detector (AWD) at low latitude Indian stations. J Atmos Sol-Terr Phys, 2014, 121: 221–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lichtenberger J. A new whistler inversion method. J Geophys Res-Space, 2009, 114: A07222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Storey L R O. An investigation of whistling atmospherics. Philos T Roy Soc A, 1953, 246: 113–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hayakawa M, Ohtsu J. Ducted propagation of low-latitude whistlers deduced from simultaneous observations at multi-stations. J Atmos Sol-Terr Phys, 1973, 35: 1685–1697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Xu J S, Tian M, Tang C C, et al. Direction finding of night-time whistlers at very low latitudes in China: Preliminary results. Planet Space Sci, 1989, 37: 1047–1052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Singh R, Cohen M B, Maurya A K, et al. Very low latitude (L=1.08) whistlers. Geophys Res Lett, 2012, 39: L23102

    Google Scholar 

  12. Smith R L. Propagation characteristics of whistlers trapped in fieldaligned columns of enhanced ionization. J Geophys Res, 1961, 66: 3699–3707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Smith R L, Angerami J J. Magnetospheric properties deduced from OGO 1 observations of ducted and nonducted whistlers. J Geophys Res, 1968, 73: 1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Morgan M G. Some features of pararesonance (PR) whistlers. J Geophys Res-Space, 1980, 85: 130–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Cohen M B, Inan U S, Paschal E W. Sensitive broadband ELF/VLF radio reception with the AWESOME instrument. IEEE T Geosci Remote, 2010, 48: 3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Carpenter D L. The history of very low frequency (VLF) radio research at Stanford, years of discovery, innovation, and analysis, supported by field work extending from Antarctica to Alaska. Technical Report. Stanford, 2014

    Google Scholar 

  17. Wang T Z, Liu Z H, Yan C H. The preliminary analysis on whistlers observation over Zhanjiang region, China (in Chinese). Chin J Geophys, 1982, 25: 391–397

    Google Scholar 

  18. Wang Y S, Zhu L, Wang S, et al. A preliminary analysis on whistler observations at Sanya, Hainan, China (in Chinese). Chin J Space Sci, 1984, 4: 245–252

    Google Scholar 

  19. Dowden R L, Brundell J B, Rodger C J. VLF lightning location by time of group arrival (TOGA) at multiple sites. J Atmos Sol-Terr Phys, 2002, 64: 817–830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen Y, Yang G, Ni B, et al. Development of ground-based ELF/VLF receiver system in Wuhan and its first results. Adv Space Res, 2016, 57: 1871–1880

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Paschal E W. The Design of Broad-band VLF Receivers with Aircore Loop Antennas. Stanford: STARLab, Stanford Univercity, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  22. McRae W M, Thomson N R. VLF phase and amplitude: Daytime ionospheric parameters. J Atmos Sol-Terr Phys, 2000, 62: 609–618

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Thomson N R, Clilverd M A, McRae W M. Nighttime ionospheric D region parameters from VLF phase and amplitude. J Geophys Res-Space, 2007, 112: A07304

    Google Scholar 

  24. Thomson N R, Rodger C J, Clilverd M A. Daytime D region parameters from long-path VLF phase and amplitude. J Geophys Res-Space, 2011, 116: A11305

    Google Scholar 

  25. Hayakawa M, Tanaka Y. Properties of low-latitude whistler ducts inferred from a comparison of ground whistler dispersion and magnetospheric electron density profile. Report of Ionosphere and Space Research in Japan, 1973, 27: 213–217

    Google Scholar 

  26. Yamashita M. Propagation of tweek atmospherics. J Atmos Terr Phys, 1978, 40: 151–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Maurya A K, Veenadhari B, Singh R, et al. Nighttime D region electron density measurements from ELF-VLF tweek radio atmospherics recorded at low latitudes. J Geophys Res-Space, 2012, 117: A11308

    Google Scholar 

  28. Singh A K, Singh K K, Singh S B, et al. Multiflash whistlers in ELF-band observed at low latitude. Ann Geophys, 2011, 29: 91–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Srivastava P R, Gokani S A, Maurya A K, et al. One-to-one relationship between low latitude whistlers and conjugate source lightning discharges and their propagation characteristics. Adv Space Res, 2013, 52: 1966–1973

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Hayakawa M, Ohtsu J, IWAI A. Characteristics of dispersion and occurrence rate of whistlers at low latitudes during one solar cycle. J Geophys Res, 1971, 23: 187–204

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ohta K, Hayakawa M. The correlation of whistler occurrence rate at a low latitude with thunderstorm activity at its conjugate region and with solar activity. Pure Appl Geophys, 1990, 133: 167–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Hoffman W C. The current-jet hypothesis of whistler generation. J Geophys Res, 1960, 65: 2047–2054

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Clarence N D, O’Brien P A. Dispersions of multiple-stroke whistlers. Nature, 1961, 190: 1096–1097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ondoh T, Kotaki M, Murakami T, et al. Propagation characteristics of low-latitude whistlers. J Geophys Res-Space, 1979, 84: 2097–2104

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Space Physics, School of Electronic Information, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    YanPing Chen, BinBin Ni, XuDong Gu, ZhengYu Zhao, GuoBin Yang, Chen Zhou & YuanNong Zhang

Authors
  1. YanPing Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. BinBin Ni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. XuDong Gu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. ZhengYu Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. GuoBin Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chen Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. YuanNong Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to BinBin Ni.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, Y., Ni, B., Gu, X. et al. First observations of low latitude whistlers using WHU ELF/VLF receiver system. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 60, 166–174 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-016-6103-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-016-6103-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation