We present an actively developing ground-based method for studies of the neutral and the ionized atmosphere based on a creation of the artificial periodic irregularities of the ionospheric plasma (API) using SURA heating facility (56, 1 N; 46,1 E). API are generated by action of the standing electromagnetic wave formed due to interference of the powerful HF radio waves vertically transmitted and reflected from the ionosphere. The API studies based on observation of the Bragg backscattering of the sounding radio waves from the artificial periodic structure. The API technique makes it possible to obtain many main parameters of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere including profiles of the electron density from the lower D-region up to the F-layer maximum, vertical plasma velocities in the D- and E-regions and parameters of the atmosphere turbulence – turbulent velocity and the turbopause height, masses and densities of the predominant metallic ions in the sporadic-Es layer, the neutral temperature and density in the E-region and other parameters.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. The work is supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research under Grants No 13-05-00511 and No 13-02-97067.