Understanding Space Physics and Atmospheric Electricity with VLF/ELF Signals

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Upper Atmosphere".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 893

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Hayakawa Institute of Seismo Electromagnetics, Co., Ltd. (Hi-SEM), UEC Alliance Center #521, 1-1-1 Kojima-cho, Chofu 182-0026, Tokyo, Japan
2. Advanced Wireless & Communication Research Center (AWCC), The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
Interests: atmospheric electricity; space physics; ionosphere monitoring; VLF/ELF wave propagation; lithosphere-atmosphere-lithosphere coupling; remote sensing
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Guest Editor
Usikov Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Ukraine), Kharkov, Ukraine
Interests: ionosphere; electromagnetic manifestations of earthquakes; schumann resonance; atmospherics; elf radio propagation

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Guest Editor
1. Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
2. Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
3. Research Center for Realizing Sustainable Societies, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
Interests: total lightning; space plasma; ionospheric perturbations; seismic activity; satellite observation; GLIMS; space weather; wind gust; extreme weather; VLF/ELF; whistler; ionosphere; DEMETER; lightning charge moment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Atmosphere aims to gather high-quality original research articles and reviews on the topic of “Understanding space physics and atmospheric electricity with VLF/ELF signals”, with an emphasis on the essential importance of VLF(very low frequency, 3-30kHz)/ELF (extremely low frequency, 1Hz-3kHz) wave phenomena in a wide range of scientific fields from astrophysics, space physics, ionospheric physics, atmospheric electricity, and seismo-electromagnetics.

We would like to invite very active scientists working on VLF/ELF waves to submit their papers (either original or review) to show the readers what kinds of perspectives are going on in different science fields. Astrophysical events such as gamma ray bursts can be monitored with the use of VLF/LF subionospheric propagation date. In space physics, VLF/ELF emissions are one of the most essential aspects in magnetospheric physics, studying wave-particle interactions, and their ionospheric consequence of particle precipitations (Trimpi effects) can be investigated with subionospheric VLF/LF signals. Ionospheric dynamics and perturbations can be monitored only with use of VLF/LF subionospheric signals and ELF/VLF/LF sferics. Next, there are various kinds of wave phenomena associated with atmospheric electricity or atmospheric science. ELF sferics (ELF transients) are the consequence of transient luminous events (TLEs) in the mesosphere suggesting the coupling between the atmosphere and ionosphere. Another Schumann resonance (SR) is the global resonance in the Earth-ionosphere cavity due to the excitation of global lightning activities, so SR can be used effectively to investigate the global lightning activity as well as the lower ionospheric condition. Finaly, a recent subject is the wave phenomena related with earthquakes (EQs); so-called seismo-electromagnetics. In this particular field, there have been observed seismogenic VLF/LF and ELF emissions as a precursor to EQs as an indicator of the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling. Any other papers on VLF/ELF signals are welcome.

The above whole study area is multifaceted and involves several types of measurements (ground- and satellite-based) and analysis methods. For the above reasons, we would like to invite you to submit your recent articles, experimental and theoretical research papers, and case and statistical studies, with respect to the topics described above.

Prof. Dr. Masashi Hayakawa
Prof. Alexander P. Nickolaenko
Prof. Dr. Xuemin Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yasuhide Hobara
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • atmospheric electricity
  • VLF (very-low-frequency, 3–30 kHz)/ELF (extremely low-frequency, 1 Hz–3 kHz) wave
  • space physics
  • ionosphere
  • astrophysics
  • sesismo-electromagnetics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2985 KiB  
Article
Impact of Solar Activity on Schumann Resonance: Model and Experiment
by Alexander Pavlovich Nickolaenko, Masashi Hayakawa and Oleksandr Koloskov
Atmosphere 2025, 16(6), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16060648 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 656
Abstract
Using Schumann resonance (SR) records from the Antarctic, we evaluate the impact of the solar activity on the global ionosphere over the period from 2002 to 2024. The updated vertical profile of the middle atmosphere conductivity is applied. The pivoted upper part of [...] Read more.
Using Schumann resonance (SR) records from the Antarctic, we evaluate the impact of the solar activity on the global ionosphere over the period from 2002 to 2024. The updated vertical profile of the middle atmosphere conductivity is applied. The pivoted upper part of profiles above the knee altitude is adjusted to represent different levels of solar activity. The electric (lower) hC and the magnetic (upper) hL characteristic heights, the propagation constant ν(f) of the extremely low frequency (ELF) radio waves, and the basic resonance frequency f1 are computed for the profiles corresponding to the solar maximum, moderate, and minimum activity conditions by using the full-wave solution in the form of the Riccati differential equation. Model data are compared with experimental observations at the Ukrainian Antarctic Station of “Akademik Vernadsky” (geographic coordinates: 65.25° S and 64.25° W). The following results are discussed: (i) Solar activity modifies the upper characteristic height hL of the ionosphere by ±1 km over the 11-year cycle; (ii) Equations were obtained linking the current level of solar activity with the basic SR frequency, with the magnetic characteristic height, and with the ELF propagation constant; (iii) Based on SR monitoring within two complete solar cycles, a practical rule is proposed: an increase in the index of solar activity I10.7 by ~150 units raises the first SR frequency by ~0.1 Hz and elevates the magnetic characteristic height by ~2.5 km. Full article
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