Truth-deciphering journey : My Ph.D. research experience

My fascination with the tumult of deciphering truth through rigorous scientific research has been further emboldened after my Ph.D. research experience as it revealed to me the complexity of the processes and contours in scientific investigation. It is through these investigations the knowledge-fields are advanced to benefit the society at large and it is a great joy to participate in this truth-deciphering journey. During my Ph.D. research, I have been involved in observational and modeling research in space physics vis-a-vis equatorial ionospheric dynamics. I am working under the supervision of Dr. Keith Groves at the Institute for Scientific Research (ISR), Boston College towards my Ph.D. dissertation titled “Artificial and Natural Disturbances in the Equatorial Ionosphere: Results from the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) Experiment and the Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite mission”. I analyzed ground- and space-based data to understand geophysical signatures and processes in the equatorial ionosphere associated with natural and man-made disturbances. The emergence of novel research tools and techniques has allowed us to approach the problems in sciences with more rigor to seek unambiguous understanding of the physical processes involved. It is this experience in my Ph.D. research which encourages me to be open-minded to seek research positions in fields which utilize the general problem-solving, critical-thinking and analytic skills I have acquired.

During my Ph.D. research, I worked on High Frequency (HF) propagation effects caused by an artificial plasma cloud injected from a sounding rocket in the MOSC experiment. I successfully modeled the effects of the artificial plasma cloud on HF waves using 3D ray-tracing techniques and published the results in a 2017 Radio Science article. Similarly, I worked with C/NOFS satellite data to understand the dependence of equatorial plasma bubble characteristics on solar flux. My analyses combined observations from the C/NOFS Planar Langmuir Probe (PLP) sensor and modeling results from the Physics-Based Model (PBMOD) to understand what controls the occurrence and altitude distribution of equatorial electron density irregularities. The results from the work are the first observational confirmation of bubble altitude as a function of solar flux and are valuable to the development of improved scintillation mapping models for both real-time and post-processing applications.

In my Ph.D. work, we modeled the tailored ambient propagation environment generated through artificial ionospheric modification in the MOSC experiment by taking a spherical cloud of constant size. In the future, we can include the temporal and the spatial changes of a dynamic plasma cloud in the modeling work to better understand the change in the ambient propagation environment. The various sensor observations made on-board C/NOFS satellite, spanning half a solar cycle ranging from low solar activity to high solar activity years (2008 – 2014), present an unprecedented opportunity to investigate a repertoire of science questions vis-a-vis the equatorial ionosphere; for example, with regard to the formation of a variety of plasma structures and enhancements. We found a linear relationship between the apex altitude of ionospheric irregularities and the F10.7 index in the longitude sector 280° E (-80°) to 30°E with a positive slope. This investigation can be extended to more clearly defined longitude sectors to check if similar relationships exist between the apex altitude of ionospheric irregularities and the F10.7 index. The in-situ satellite observations can also be studied to analyze the spectral slopes of the ionospheric irregularities. It has been hypothesized that there is less scintillation at the magnetic equator because the slope of the irregularity spectrum is steeper there. The implication is that the spectra are steep at low apex-altitudes and increasingly shallow as one goes to higher apex altitudes. A study on the spectral slopes of equatorial plasma bubbles and their dependence on apex altitude can demonstrate the validity of the hypothesis and improve our ability to model and predict low-latitude scintillation.

Albert Einstein, the great scientist of last century, observed in his book ‘Ideas and Opinions’ that the goal of education should be to ennoble a human being. I think this objective is best achieved through the pursuits of scientific research and it serves to inform the foundation of my research philosophy. As it is through scientific research one acquires great life skills such as perseverance, tenacity, fortitude and prudence. I will continue to build and expand upon my Ph.D. research experience. This will mean continuing to pursue questions that have arisen from my Ph.D. dissertation. But this will also mean broadening my interests to related fields which will utilize my research skills and experience to work upon interesting problems. This will also be consistent with my philosophy of pursuing research endeavors to decipher truth through scientific investigations to contribute to society at large.