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Numerical simulation of solar wind density fluctuations and their effects on VLF radio interferometry
Author(s) -
Williamson Robert S.,
Jones Dayton L.
Publication year - 1990
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/rs025i005p00743
Subject(s) - interferometry , solar wind , physics , ionosphere , radio wave , unobservable , radio frequency , remote sensing , computational physics , meteorology , optics , astronomy , plasma , geology , computer science , telecommunications , philosophy , epistemology , quantum mechanics
A mission consisting of an array of small satellites has been proposed to investigate radio sources at frequencies from approximately 2 to 20 MHz, a range unobservable from the ground because of ionospheric absorption and aberrations. Such a mission seems feasible and relatively inexpensive, but further investigation is still necessary. The solar wind is a major concern because it contains turbulence‐induced random density variations that cause a fluctuating phase shift in any electromagnetic signal passing through, sometimes making radio source imaging by interferometry impossible. A numerical simulation has been developed which attempts to accurately characterize solar wind density fluctuations. Results have allowed more concrete conclusions to be drawn about observing constraints and have shown that interferometric imaging at radio frequencies below 10 MHz with baselines up to 100 km is possible at solar elongation angles of about 90° or more.