Recent cosmological observations indicate that the reionized universe may have started at around z = 6, where a significant suppression around Lyα has been observed from the neutral intergalactic medium. The associated neutral hydrogen column density is expected to exceed 1021 cm−2, where it is very important to use the accurate scattering cross section known as the Kramers-Heisenberg formula that is obtained from the fully quantum mechanical time-dependent second order perturbation theory. We present the Kramers-Heisenberg formula and compare it with the formula introduced in a heuristic way by Peebles (1993) considering the hydrogen atom as a two-level atom, from which we find a deviation by a factor of two in the red wing region far from the line center. Adopting a representative set of cosmological parameters, we compute the Gunn-Peterson optical depths and absorption profiles. Our results are quantitatively compared with previous work by Madau & Rees (2000), who adopted the Peebles approximation in their radiative transfer problems. We find deviations up to 5 per cent in the Gunn-Peterson transmission coefficient for an accelerated expanding universe in the red off-resonance wing part with the rest wavelength Δλ ∼ 10 °A.

중위도 기압골과 태풍 이동속도와의 상호작용에 대한 예측에서 한국기상청 전구자료동화예측시스템(GDAPS) 모델 바이어스 경향을 알아보기 위해 태풍 산바 사례가 선정되었다. 이 연구는 태풍 분석 및 예측 시스템(TAPS) 및 기상정보시스템-3(COMIS-3)에 저장된 태풍자료로부터 2012년 9월 15일 00UTC로 초기화 된 한국 기상청 GDAPS 분석장과 예측장을 사용하였다. 먼저 해면기압장은 500 hPa 제트구역과 연관하여 중위도 하층 저기압이 발생됨을 보여주었다. 이후 태풍 산바가 중위도 지역으로 들어온 후, 태풍의 이동속도가 증가될 것이라 예측되었다. 특히, 태풍 산바가 9월 17일 00UTC와 06UTC에 전향을 할 시점에 태풍 산바는 중위도 기압골 전면에서 중위도 서풍대와 상호작용을 하였다. 반면, 기상청 GDAPS 해면기압 예측장은 하층 중위도 저기압의 강도를 분석장보다 약하게 예측하였다. 결국 태풍 산바의 이동속도에 영향을 주는 중위도 순환은 분석장보다 느리게 나타났다. 이 순환은 500 hPa에서 제트가 약화됨으로서 증명되었다. 이런 이유로, 기상청 GDAPS 예측장은 태풍 산바가 중위도 기압골과 상호작용함으로써 느린 이동속도의 바이어스를 나타내었다.

The ionospheric mid-latitude trough (IMT) is the electron density depletion phenomenon in the F region during nighttime. It has been suggested that the IMT is the result of complex plasma processes coupled to the magnetosphere. In order to statistically investigate the characteristics of the IMT, we analyze topside sounding data from Alouette and ISIS satellites in 1960s and 1970s. The IMT position is almost constant for seasons and solar activities whereas the IMT depth ratio and the IMT feature are stronger and clearer in the winter hemisphere under solar minimum condition. We also calculated transition heights at which the densities of oxygen ions and hydrogen/helium ions are equal. Transition heights are generally higher in daytime and lower in nighttime, but the opposite aspects are seen in the IMT region. Utilizing the Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) electron temperature measurements, we find that the electron temperature in the IMT region is enhanced at night during winter. The increase of electron temperature may cause fast transport of the ionospheric plasma to the magnetosphere via ambipolar diffusion, resulting in the IMT depletion. This mechanism of the IMT may work in addition to the simply prolonged recombination of ions proposed by the traditional stagnation model.

The equatorial region of the Earth’s ionosphere exhibits large temporal variations in electron density that have significant implications on satellite signal transmissions. In this paper, the first observation results of the variations in the trough of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly at the permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) site in Chuuk (Geographic: 7.5° N, 151.9° E; Geomagnetic: 0.4° N) are presented. It was found that the daytime Global Positioning System (GPS) total electron content (TEC) values vary according to the 27 day period of solar rotation , and that these trends show sharp contrast with those of summer. The amplitudes of the semi-annual anomaly were 12.4 TECU (33 %) on 19th of March and 8.8 TECU (23 %) on 25th of October respectively, with a yearly averaged value of 38.0 TECU. The equinoctial asymmetry at the March equinox was higher than that at the October equinox rather than the November equinox. Daily mean TEC values were higher in December than in June, which could be interpreted as annual or winter anomalies. The nighttime GPS TEC enhancements during 20:00-24:00 LT also exhibited the semi-annual variation. The pre-midnight TEC enhancement could be explained with the slow loss process of electron density that is largely produced during the daytime of equinox. However, the significant peaks around 22:00-23:00 LT at the spring equinox require other mechanisms other than the slow loss process of the electron density.