Ionospheric modification using photochemically reactive vapors is studied with a one‐dimensional, multi‐ion, fluid model of plasma flow along magnetic field lines. The magnitudes of ion and electron density changes are determined by considering both chemical processes (i.e., photoionization, ion‐molecule reactions, dissociative recombination, electron attachment) and transport processes (i.e., multispecies diffusion, electric currents, ambipolar electric fields). The numerical treatment in the model is not specific to any type of release or any interaction chemistry. It has been used to simulate releases of Ba, CO 2 , and CF 3 Br in the ionosphere, but generalization to other species may be easily accomplished. The results of the calculations are found to be in good agreement with experimental observations. The feasibility of modifying the parallel current paths in the auroral F region is examined.
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Bernhardt et al. (1991) studied this question.