THE HYDROGEN ION EFFECT IN WHISTLER DISPERSION

Abstract

Four low-altitude whistlers have been carefully analyzed by a specially developed filtering technique. In each case the low-frequency portions of the resulting dispersion curves show similar departures from the simple [Formula: see text] law developed by Eckersley. The departures are found to be of the form and magnitude predicted by Storey on the assumption that the propagation is partly supported by the light hydrogen ions of the exosphere. If it is assumed that the observed deviations are due only to hydrogen ions, and that above some transitional level the positive ions are mostly hydrogen, an estimate of 1000 km for the height of the transitional level is obtained.