Abstract We report the first LiDAR observations of continuous quasi‐periodic (QP) metal density structures in mid‐latitude E‐region meteoric Ca + layers using an all‐solid‐state LiDAR system in Beijing (40.4°N, 116.0°E). These QP Ca + structures, with periods of 2–30 min and vertical wavelengths of ∼2–15 km, were primarily observed above 100 km. They were spatiotemporally correlated with spread sporadic E (Es) echoes and enhanced plasma density gradients detected by ionosondes. Two primary morphological types of QP Ca + structures were observed: quasi‐sinusoidal forms and striated structures. The characteristics of QP Ca + structures, coupled with concurrent Es observations, suggest a possible association between these QP features and radar QP echoes associated with E‐region field‐aligned irregularities. This study demonstrates the potential of metal ion layers as high‐sensitivity tracers for investigating E‐region plasma irregularities and suggests a possible association between radar QP echoes and the underlying plasma structures.
Guo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.