Brightness distribution of midlatitude E region echoes detected at the Chung‐Li VHF radar

A three‐sensor interferometry method is employed to parameterize the brightness distribution of VHF radar returns from midlatitude E region plasma irregularities monitored by the Chung‐Li radar in Taiwan. The angular half‐width of the brightness distribution in the direction parallel to the geomagnetic field is estimated as ∼0.2°. In the orthogonal direction the angular half‐width is measured as ∼0.5°‐1°. The results suggest that meter scale field‐aligned plasma irregularities responsible for the observed echoes were organized in localized patches with 2 to 4 km cross‐field scales.