The HIPAS (HIgh Power Auroral Stimulation) Observatory was a research facility, built to study the
ionosphere and its influence on
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
communications. It was located 25 miles east of
Fairbanks,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
in the
Fairbanks North Star Borough area.
It was operated by the
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
laboratory from 1986 through 2007. A unique capability at that time, it could radiate 70 MW
ERP at either 2.85 MHz or 4.53 MHz. These frequencies are close to a multiple of 2 and 3 of the electron gyro-frequency at ionospheric altitudes. Sending a pulse of HF-radio waves upward could accelerate the electrons in the ionosphere. Somewhat like waves on the ocean, the character of the ionosphere could be inferred from the
backscatter
In physics, backscatter (or backscattering) is the reflection of waves, particles, or signals back to the direction from which they came. It is usually a diffuse reflection due to scattering, as opposed to specular reflection as from a mirror, a ...
signal. Other experiments attempted to combine RF and visible excitation where the latter probed metal ions such as
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...
.
The HIPAS facility also used a
LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) instrument. Other projects included:
* A
plasma torch
A plasma torch (also known as a plasma arc, plasma gun, plasma cutter, or plasmatron) is a device for generating a directed flow of plasma.
The plasma jet can be used for applications including plasma cutting, plasma arc welding, plasma spra ...
, used for experiments in
hazardous waste disposal
* A 2.8-meter
liquid-mirror telescope
Liquid-mirror telescopes are telescopes with mirrors made with a reflective liquid. The most common liquid used is mercury, but other liquids will work as well (for example, low-melting alloys of gallium). The liquid and its container are rotate ...
, which uses a spinning bowl of
mercury to form the mirror, used for
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fi ...
experiments.
* An array of
antennae, which are used for exciting the ionosphere.
The
High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a similar facility funded jointly by the
US Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...
and
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
The HIPAS facility was shut down and much of the equipment sold as surplus in the Spring of 2010.
See also
* ''Other Alaskan astronomical research stations:''
HAARP,
Poker Flat Research Range
*
List of observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
References
External links
UCLA HIPAS Observatory UCLA Department of Physics & Astronomy
Astronomical observatories in Alaska
Buildings and structures in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska
Science and technology in Alaska
2010 disestablishments in Alaska
{{US-observatory-stub