Experiments

Overview of EISCAT experiments

Brief description of some of the design and running issues of EISCAT experiments.

Mainland Experiments

Description of the currently available mainland (UHF and VHF) experiment modulation schemes.

ESR experiments

Description of the currently available ESR experiment modulation schemes.

Common Programmes

Approximately half of EISCAT operations consist of Common Programmes. The Common Programme (or CP) experiments currently comprise six generic modes, each of which should be run a few times per year. The purpose of the Common Programme is to enable EISCAT to obtain, over a period of years, a high-quality synoptic database of homogeneous observations, suitable for statistical studies and for the identification of seasonal, annual and solar cycle effects.

Special Programmes

Approximately half of EISCAT operations are devoted to Special Programmes. These are experiments carried out by individual scientists or collaborating groups, usually in connection with highly specialised research topics. Data from Special Programmes are reserved for the proposing experimenters for the first year after the data have been taken. Thereafter, their status becomes the same as Common Programme data. Because Special Programmes are intended for the specialised study of certain events or phenomena, the experiments tend to comprise non-standard modes, different from the normal Common Programmes, though this is not always the case.

Unusual Programmes

Unusual Programmes are somewhat similar to Common Programmes, in that the data from these experiments are available to scientists from all member countries of the EISCAT Scientific Association. The difference is that such experiments often do not form part of the normal schedule of operations. The existence of Unusual Programmes is intended to provide a mechanism whereby EISCAT can respond quickly to events of geophysical interest (proton events, earthward-directed CMEs etc.). Under these conditions, the EISCAT Director or his designated deputy can instigate an experiment at short notice, with the mode being chosen according to the prevailing conditions.