A new ionospheric tomography algorithm based on LEO beacon measurement

作者：Ou Ming^*; Zhen Wei Min; Liu Yi Wen; Deng Zhong Xin; Xiong Wen; Xu Ji Sheng

来源：Chinese Journal of Geophysics, 2015, 58(10): 3469-3480.

DOI：10.6038/cjg20151003

• LEO beacon
• Ionospheric tomography
• Electron density
• Function-based model
• Voxel-based model

Low earth orbit (LEO) beacon is one of the most important means for ionospheric monitoring and it can be used to reconstruct the regional distribution of ionospheric electron density by ionospheric tomography method. A new algorithm has been proposed in this article which combines function-based model and voxel-based model according to the characteristics of LEO beacon. Differential relative total electron content (TEC) is considered as data source for ionospheric tomography. The initial distribution of the ionospheric electron density which derives from function-based model will be used in a secondary iterative reconstruction process according to voxel-based model to obtain the distribution of ionospheric electron density.
The advantages of function-based model and voxel-based model are combined in this new algorithm which will effectively reduce the dependence of the ionospheric tomography on the background ionosphere and reconstruct ionospheric disturbance structure of small scale as well. The absolute mean error, RMS and relative error of NmF2 derived from simulation is 0. 89 X 10(11) el . m(-3), 1. 00 X 10(11) el . m(-3) and 7.8% respectively compared with 1. 6 X 10(11) el . m(-3), 2. 3 X 10(11) el . m(-3) and 16. 2% derived from CT result of Low-latitude Ionospheric Tomography Network (LITN) observations. The inversion results of numerical simulation and actual LEO beacon observations from LITN validate the feasibility and reliability of this new algorithm.

• 出版日期2015-10
• 单位武汉大学