The experimental study of natural very low-frequency (VLF) radio emissions at SHICRA (at the IGY station in the settlement of Tixie ) was started by E.A. Ponomarev and E.F. Vershinin in 1961. In 1970 the laboratory for radiophysical research of the upper atmosphere was formed at the Institute, which included a  staff  for carrying out research into VLF emissions. On the basis of the formed laboratory due to the expansion of research tasks, two independent laboratories were organized in 1979. VLF emissions became the main research object for  the laboratory of radio emissions of the ionosphere and magnetosphere under the leadership of E.F. Vershinin. In 1988 V.A. Mullayarov was elected as the laboratory head.

Research directions:

Very low frequency emission

*Study of magnetospheric VLF radio emissions, their propagation in the magnetosphere and exit to the earth’s surface;

*Study of the relationship of VLF radio emissions to the solar activity variations , parameters of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field;

* Study of manifestations of the seismic processes and thunderstorm activity in the VLF emission;

* Study of problems of the propagation of VLF emissions in the “earth-ionosphere” waveguide and the use of signals from VLF radio stations as well as electromagnetic radiations of lightning discharges for remote monitoring of disturbances in the lower ionosphere

Thunderstorm activity

*Study of regional (in the east of Siberia) and global lightning activity

 *Relationship of the thunderstorm activity to solar and cosmophysical parameters

The main observations are carried out at the Oybenkyol radiophysical laboratory station located at a distance of 25 km from the city of Yakutsk and also at the EAS array in the settlement of Oktemtsy,

Very low frequency emission

VLF radio emissions of magnetospheric-ionospheric origin.

 Morphology of VLF radio emission noise background variations

 Relationship of VLF radio noise background variations to solar activity variations

 Manifestations in the VLF radiation of seismic processes and thunderstorm activity.

 Variations of electromagnetic signals from the VLF radio stations

 Lightning activity

Relevance of the study of lightning activity

Origin of lightning activity

Single-point thunderstorm pelengator-range finders

Monitoring of lightning activity in the east of Siberia

Lightning discharge parameters

Characteristics of thunderstorm cells

Atmospheric electric field

 Origin of  the  atmospheric electric field

Electrostatic fluxmeters

Electric field variations

Electric field and cosmic ray variations