Physical Effects Arising from the Motion of Plasma Flows in the Ionosphere

Abstract—The occurrence and evolution of plasma fluxes in the ionosphere is one of the factors that have a significant impact on the dynamics and state of the geophysical environment. The study of plasma and magnetohydrodynamic effects arising from the motion of plasma jets in real space is complicated by the scale of the phenomenon and the complex nature of the background environment, which is a non-stationary system of interacting neutral and partially or completely magnetized charged particles. The creation of theoretical models of this phenomenon is also completely unsolved scientific task. Under these conditions, controlled ionospheric plasma experiments are of great importance. The results of active rocket experiments obtained over the past few decades have made it possible to study the processes of magnetohydrodynamic interaction between a high-velocity plasma and the geomagnetic field, the generation of electromagnetic and MHD waves, optical radiation in the visible, UV and IR ranges, background gas ionization, the emergence of complex systems of electric fields and currents, the acceleration of charged particles, and other phenomena. The article discusses the current physical concepts developed from the analysis of the available experimental data, as well as the tasks and possibilities of new active experiments.