Correcciones de retardos ionosféricos en radio señales de objetos celestes: generación de un mapa del contenido total de electrones (TEC) de la ionosfera sobre Ecuador.

Abstract

The effect of the ionosphere on radio signals is manifested through changes in its speed, direction and trajectory, inducing a temporary delay in it known as ionospheric delay, which is directly related to the total electron content (TEC). Thanks to the use of GPS dual-frequency radio signals, it is possible to quantify the TEC along the signal path from the satellite to the receiver. So far, no study has been carried out on the variation of the TEC throughout the ecuadorian territory. Although research has been conducted in other equatorial geographic locations on the implications of TEC, qualitative research is required to predict the behavior of this parameter in the ionosphere. The main objective of this study is to represent the evolution of the TEC intensity by means of color maps, using data obtained from 14 GPS receivers located in different points of Ecuador. For this purpose, observables collected from the stations, such as the pseudorange and the carrier phase, were used to present a calculation method for the TEC and its evolution during January 2022. The results revealed an oscillatory behavior in the evolution of the TEC, with intensity peaks that, on some occasions, approach and even exceed 100 TECU (TEC units), while its local minimums never reach zero values.