Abstract
Dispersion, distance and scattering measurements of pulsars and other radio sources are now sufficiently numerous to allow modelling of the entire galactic distribution of free electrons. A two-component axisymmetric model of local electron density, fitted on all scales from 100 km to a few parsecs, accounts for most of the data; a population of dense, discrete clouds is also needed, and there is some evidence for spiral structure.
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Cordes, J., Weisberg, J., Frail, D. et al. The galactic distribution of free electrons. Nature 354, 121–124 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/354121a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/354121a0
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