Air Force Technology Tracks “Sporadic E”

Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in New Mexico have discovered a new way to track and characterize a phenomenon called “Sporadic E” that naturally occurs in the upper atmosphere where large structures of dense plasma form. These plasma structures, which occur at midlatitude locations around the world, disrupt radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves (or simply “radio waves”) and impact both DoD and civilian radio systems in positive and negative ways, depending on the application.