Electron density measurements with impedance and Langmuir probes in the DEOS campaign Original Research Article

The DEOS campaign comprises three sounding rockets that are launched from southern India to study the diurnal variation of the dynamics of the E- and F-layers at the edge of the equatorial electrojet under equinox conditions. Langmuir and impedance probes are employed for in-situ measurements of plasma densities, temperatures and density fluctuations. The improved impedance probe uses digital frequency synthesis and, due to the fast sweep time of the instrument, allows for a good spatial resolution (130 m) together with high accuracy (1.5%). Of the two Langmuir probes, one is operated in sweep mode for electron temperature measurements, the other in electron saturation mode for density fluctuations (f = 5 Hz − 1.5 kHz). Preliminary results from the first flight (F05) on April 19, 1998 at 19:21 local time are presented.