The first step towards building Worldwide ELF Radiolocation Array

The first measurement station built as a part of the Polish Worldwide ELF Radiolocation Array project, has recently become operational. The station was designed and built by a research team consisting of specialists in the area of Extremely Low Frequencies (ELF) from the JU Astronomical Observatory and the Department of Electronics of the AGH University. The station was installed in Colorado (USA) in collaboration with experts led by Dr. Marek Golkowski from the University of Colorado Denver.

Hugo Station, located in the Hugo Wildlife Area in Colorado (USA), will be used together with the Hylaty Station, built in 2005 in the Bieszczady Mountains, to measure extremely low frequency (0.03–300 Hz) electromagnetic waves. Such measurements allow for interesting research on the Earth-ionosphere cavity and geophysical and meteorological inquiries, such as mapping global storm activity, monitoring the state of ionosphere, investigating solar x-ray bursts, as well as evaluating various electrical phenomena. Both stations will also send data to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in the i USA and the Virgo Interferometer in Italy.

Installation of the ELF station in Colorado was the first step towards creating a worldwide network of such stations, which will allow for real-time online monitoring of the entire planet. The next station is scheduled to be built in Patagonia.

The station was installed in cooperation with the Jagiellonian University's American partner institutions – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Colorado – within the framework of the Harmonia programme.

The Polish-American team during the installation. The entire apparatus (magnetic antenna and an electronic receiver) is located beneath the surface.

The first five-minute measurements - power spectrum (top) and signal measured in two antennas (bottom). In the spectrum can be seen Schumann resonance peaks and a strong signal from the power supply network at 60 Hz.