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Hosokawa Lab
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The lab investigates variations in the upper atmosphere using light and radio waves.
AboutAbout the lab
Remote sensing of the space communication environment using light and radio waves
Hosokawa Lab studies variations in the ionosphere, a region of Earth's upper atmosphere, using light and radio waves.
The ionosphere is the region where the International Space Station and many polar-orbiting satellites fly.
Because it also strongly affects the radio waves used for satellite communication and satellite positioning, the lab considers it important to understand its behavior in detail.
The lab investigates variations in the ionosphere and aurora through radio wave observations and high-speed camera imaging of aurora.
Observations are carried out in Japan as well as in places such as Northern Europe and Alaska.
Key terms
- Ionosphere
- A layer of ionized atmosphere extending at altitudes of 80 to 500 km.
- HF Doppler observation
- An observation that investigates the vertical motion of ionospheric plasma from changes in the frequency of radio waves reflected by the ionosphere.
- Sporadic E
- An ionospheric phenomenon that occurs in summer. It is known to cause anomalous long-distance propagation of VHF radio waves.
- Pulsating aurora
- Aurora that flickers with a period of several seconds to several tens of seconds.
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Excellent Presentation Award at the final master's thesis presentation
A master's student received the "Aurora Medal" and an Excellent Presentation Award at the Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences
An undergraduate student won the Excellent Presentation Award at the final graduation thesis presentation
ResearchResearch themes
This lab aims to clarify the physical processes that govern variations in Earth's upper atmosphere. It investigates variations in the ionosphere and aurora through radio and camera observations.
*Illustrative imageProbing the ionosphere with HF Doppler observations
The lab transmits HF-band radio waves within Japan and investigates the vertical motion of ionospheric plasma from the Doppler shift of the waves reflected by the ionosphere. It can observe phenomena ranging from large-scale disturbances associated with solar flares and magnetic storms to atmospheric waves associated with typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.
*Illustrative imageStudying sporadic E with VHF radio waves
The lab monitors, within Japan, anomalous long-distance propagation of VHF radio waves, which are used for aeronautical navigation radio and broadcasting. This anomalous propagation is known to be caused by sporadic E, which occurs in summer, and the aim is to use this property to image its wide-area structure.
*Illustrative imageExploring the origin of pulsating aurora
The lab images pulsating aurora, which flickers with a period of several seconds to several tens of seconds, at 100 frames per second with cameras in Northern Europe and Alaska. It combines these ground-based observations with data from the Arase satellite, the European Incoherent Scatter radar EISCAT, and rocket experiments to clarify the origin of the flickering.
MembersFaculty
The members of Hosokawa Lab are faculty, a secretary, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKeisuke Hosokawa
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Aurora in Abisko near Torneträsk” Pavel.shyshkouski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Probing the ionosphere with HF Doppler observations: “Ionospheric layers from night to day” Carlos Molina / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Studying sporadic E with VHF radio waves: “Sailor RT144C VHF radio” https://www.flickr.com/photos/ansik/ / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Exploring the origin of pulsating aurora: “Aurora australis dancing over an LED illuminated igloo” Ross Burgener / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Xiao Lab): “Large Drive-In EMC Test Chamber” Binarysequence / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (Li Lab): “RF Fully Anechoic Room 1” Mihaelawojcik / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hobara Lab): “Lightning Pritzerbe 01 (MK)” Mathias Krumbholz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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