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The feasibility of studying the solar wind magnetosphere interaction by active electromagnetic sounding from outside the magnetosphere
Author(s) -
Doudkin F. L.,
Gough M. P.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/1999rs900032
Subject(s) - bow shock (aerodynamics) , magnetosphere , magnetopause , solar wind , physics , depth sounding , magnetosphere of jupiter , shock (circulatory) , magnetosheath , antenna (radio) , space weather , meteorology , geophysics , remote sensing , shock wave , aerospace engineering , geology , mechanics , electrical engineering , plasma , engineering , medicine , oceanography , quantum mechanics
A space experiment is proposed to make continuous remote electromagnetic soundings of the solar wind bow shock interaction with the magnetosphere of the Earth. We discuss the feasibility of construction of a system that will allow us to carry out the bow shock sounding and study solar wind local obstacles tens of minutes before their interaction with the bow shock. The sounding system, placed at a distance about 26 R E from the bow shock, with average transmitter active power of 20 W at a maximum antenna length of 3 km and antenna weight of about 100 kg, would provide bow shock‐solar wind monitoring with spatial resolution of 0.25–1 R E in the frequency range 9–225 kHz and a 10% electron density resolution. Such a system, located at the Lagrange point L 1 , could provide continuous monitoring of the solar wind interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere.