Determination of D‐Region Electron Densities From Multifrequency Absorption Measurements

The use of a cubic approximation to the electron density determined by means of multifrequency absorption measurements does not always yield satisfactory results. An alternate method of determining the electron density is presented. A family of proton spectra is used, and the electron density profile resulting from each spectrum is determined. It is found that each profile produces absorption which varies as ƒ−n with the exponent n characteristic of the particular profile. These profiles are then varied in magnitude to produce the measured absorption. The result is an electron density profile that gives a more realistic representation of the D region during a proton event than does a cubic approximation.