Signature of white bubbles in the equatorial ionosphere
Abstract From airglow OI 630 nm observations in the low-latitude ionosphere, we identified an enhancement in the emission rate inside Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) on certain occasions after local midnight during equinox seasons. On the night of 7–8 October 2021, an all-sky imager, operated at Bom Jesus da Lapa (BJL) (13.3°S, 43.5°W, dip 14.1°S), observed a dark plasma bubble transitioning into a bright one owing to an enhancement of the OI 630 nm emission rate, a phenomenon we refer to as a “White Bubble” (WhB). Prior to the appearance of the WhB, the imager detected a Midnight Brightness Wave (MBW) rapidly moving southward from the equator. Concurrently, a downward movement of the F-layer’s height was observed at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45.0°W, dip 18.1°S). The WhB extended equatorward when the EPB’s eastward drift speed increased. Similar WhBs were observed on seven nights during 2021–2022. These observations suggest that the MBW interacted with the EPB, causing plasma depletion within the EPB to be filled, ultimately generating a WhB. Graphical Abstract
Authors
- Fábio Egito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6849-9894)
- Diego Barros (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0144-6584)
- Antônio Hélder Rodrigues Sampaio
- Igo Paulino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9560-1842)
- C. A. O. B. Figueiredo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4423-5111)
- A. J. Carrasco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-8077)
- C. S. Carmo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6321-1663)
- R. A. Buriti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0027-3565)
- Geraldo Marco Rosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1787-3396)
- C. M. Wrasse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8026-3625)
- Luiz Fillip Rodrigues Vital (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2363-2352)
- H. Takahashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8844-8920)
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Universidad de Los Andes (VE)
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Baiano (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (BR)
- National Space Science Center (CN)
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Earth Planets and Space
- Published
- 2025-09-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-025-02286-7
- Primary Topic
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado da Paraíba
- Agência Espacial Brasileira