VHF DOUBLE-PEAKED SPECTRA AT NEGATIVE DOPPLER SHIFTS IN THE MORNING SECTOR OF RADIO AURORA

This paper presents a new Doppler spectral type of VHP (42 MHz) radio auroral backscatter. This spectrum, which has a double-peaked structure, was observed repeatedly during the morning sector of an exceptionally strong event (Ap = 48) and is due to irregularities moving northwards with quite different velocities. The stronger spectral component, which has a smaller Doppler shift, is centred in frequency at ∼-130 Hz, corresponding to the ion-acoustic velocity range in the medium; the weak component, which has a greater frequency shift, usually is centred at about -300 Hz (∼ 1050 m s-1). Evidence based on spectral analysis of sequential short time sequences shows that the spectral power alternates in time between the two distinct frequency bands where the peaks are located, suggesting that the double-peaked spectrum may result from two competing processes which cannot operate simultaneously. The possibility exists that the theoretical model proposed by Sato (1977), which predicts two different quasi-linear stabilization mechanisms for the two-stream instability, could explain the observed double-peaked spectral type. © 1979.