Abstract
We have performed spectral processing of the data of experiments on radio sounding of circumsolar plasma by coherent S- and X-band signals from the spacecraft Ulysses, Mars Express, Rosetta, and Venus Express carried out from 1991 to 2009. The experiments were realized in the mode of coherent response, when a signal stabilized by the hydrogen standard is transmitted from the ground station to a spacecraft, received by the onboard systems, and retransmitted to the Earth with conserved coherence. Thus, the signal sounding the coronal plasma passes twice through the medium: on the propagation path ground station — spacecraft and on the same path in the opposite direction. The spectra of frequency fluctuations in both the bands are obtained and, using them, the radial dependences of fluctuation intensities are found, which can be approximated by a power law. It is shown that the ratio of intensities of frequency fluctuations in the S- and X-bands is comparable with the theoretical value and characterizes the degree of correlation of irregularities of the electron density along the propagation path ground station — spacecraft and back. Analysis of the correlation of frequency fluctuations on the two paths allows one to get a lower estimate of the outer scale of the circumsolar plasma turbulence. For heliocentric distances R = 10 solar radii (R S ) the outer scale is larger than 0.25R S .
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Yakovlev, O.I., Trusov, B.P., Vinogradov, V.A., Efimov, A.I., et al., A Study of Propagation of Decimetric Radio Waves in Circumsolar Plasma Using the Mars-2 Spacecraft, Kosm. Issled., 1974, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 600.
Yakovlev, O.I., Molotov, E.P., Kruglov, Yu.M., et al., Specific Features of Propagation of Radio Waves through Circumsolar Plasma according to the Data of Mars-2 and Mars-7 Missions, Radiotekh. Elektron., 1977, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 260.
Efimov, A.I., Yakovlev, O.I., Razmanov, V.M., et al., Power Spectrum of Radio Waves Emitted by the Venera-10 Spacecraft during Radio Occultation of Circumsolar Medium and Determination of Characteristics of Plasma Turbulence, Kosm. Issled., 1978, vol. 16, no. 3, p. 419.
Kolosov, M.A., Yakovlev, O.I., Efimov, A.I., et al., Decimeter Radio Wave Propagation in the Turbulent Plasma Near the Sun Using Venera-10 Spacecraft, Radio Sci., 1982, vol. 17, no. 3, p. 664.
Yakovlev, O.I., Efimov, A.I., and Rubtsov, S.N., Dynamics and Turbulence of the Solar Wind in the Region of Its Formation according to Data of Radio Occultation Made with Using Venera-15 and Venera-16 Spacecraft, Kosm. Issled., 1987, vol. 25, no. 2, p. 251.
Hollweg, J.V. and Harrington, J.V., Properties of Solar Wind Turbulence Deduced from Radio Astronomical Measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 1968, vol. 73, no. 12, p. 7221.
Goldstein, R.M., Superior Conjunction of Pioneer 6, Science, 1969, vol. 166, no. 3905, p. 598.
Woo, R., Radial Dependence of Solar Wind Properties Deduced from Helios 1/2 and Pioneer 10/11 Radio Scattering Observations, Astrophys. J., 1978, vol. 219, no. 2, p. 727.
Woo, R., Yang, F-C., and Ishimaru, A., Structure of Density Fluctuations Near the Sun Deduced from Pioneer-6 Spectral Broadening Measurements, Astrophys. J., 1976, vol. 210, no. 12, p. 593.
Efimov, A.I., Lukanina, L.A., Samoznaev, L.N., et al., Analysis of Radio Wave Frequency Fluctuations in the Circumsolar Plasma: Galileo Coronal Sounding Data, J. Communic. Techn. Electr., 2009, vol. 54, no. 7, p. 733.
Yakovlev, O.I., Kosmicheskaya radiofizika (Cosmic Radio Physics), Moscow: RFBR, 1998.
Bird, M.K., Coronal Investigations with Occulted Spacecraft Signals, Space Sci. Rev., 1982, vol. 33, p. 99.
Yakubov, V.P., Yakovlev, O.I., Efimov, A.I., and Erofeev, A.L., Solar Wind Velocity Deduced from Frequency Data of Twofold Radio Occultation of the Solar Wind, Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Radiofiz., 1991, vol. 34, no. 6, p. 615.
Anderson, J.D., Krisher, T.P., Borutzki, S.E., et al., Radio Range Measurements of Coronal Electron Densities at 13 and 3.6 Centimeter Wavelengths during the 1985 Solar Conjunction of Voyager-2, Astrophys. J., 1987, vol. 323, pt. 2, p. L141.
Muhleman, D.O., Esposito, P.B., and Anderson, J.D., The Electron Density Profile of the Outer Corona and the Interplanetary Medium from Mariner-7 Time Delay Measurements, Astrophys. J., 1977, vol. 211, no. 2, p. 943.
Kolosov, M.A., Savich, N.A., Vasil’ev, M.B., et al., Investigation of Circumsolar Plasma Using the Method of Dispersion Interferometer during Flights of Venera-9 and Venera-10 Spacecraft, Usp. Fiz. Nauk, 1977, vol. 123, no. 4, p. 700.
Efimov, A.I., Andreev, V.E., Samoznaev, L.N., and Nabatov, A.S., Observations of Field-aligned Density Microstructure in the Region of the Main Solar Wind Acceleration, in Proceed. of the Fifth SOHO Workshop “The Corona and Solar Wind near Minimum Activity”, Oslo, Norway, June 17–20, 1997 (ESA SP-404, September 1997), p. 341.
Woo, R. and Armstrong, J.W., Spectral Radio Scattering Observations of the Power Spectrum of Electron Density Fluctuations in the Solar Wind, J. Geophys. Res., 1979, vol. 84, no. A12, p. 7288.
Wohlmuth, R., Plettemeier, D., Edenhofer, P., et al., Measurements of the Propagation Speed of Plasma Inhomogeneities in the Solar Corona Using an Uplink/Downlink Cross-Correlation Method, Radio Sci., 1997, vol. 32, no. 2, p. 617.
Tyler, G.L., Vesecky, J.F., Plume, M.A., and Howard, H.T., Radio Wave Scattering Observations of the Solar Corona: First-Order Measurements of Expansion Velocity and Turbulence Spectrum Using Viking and Mariner-10 Spacecraft, Astrophys. J., 1981, vol. 249, no. 10, p. 318.
Wohlmuth, R., Plettemeier, D., Edenhofer, P., et al., Radio Frequency Fluctuation Spectra during the Solar Conjunctions of the Ulysses and Galileo Spacecraft, Space Sci. Rev., 2001, vol. 97, nos. 1/4, p. 9.
Kravtsov, Yu.A. and Saichev, A.I., Effects of Twofold Propagation of Waves in Randomly Inhomogeneous Media, Usp. Fiz. Nauk, 1982, vol. 137, no. 3, p. 501.
Efimov, A.I. and Samoznaev, L.N., Amplification of Fluctuations of Radio Waves during Twofold Propagation in Circumsolar Plasma, Radiotekhnika, 2003, no. 11, p. 25.
Squires, G.L., Practical Physics, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. Translated under the title Prakticheskaya fizika, Moscow: Mir, 1971.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © A.I. Efimov, L.A. Lukanina, V.K. Rudash, L.N. Samoznaev, I.V. Chashei, M.K. Bird, M. Pätzold, 2013, published in Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, 2013, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 17–27.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Efimov, A.I., Lukanina, L.A., Rudash, V.K. et al. Frequency fluctuations of coherent signals from spacecraft observed during dual-frequency radio sounding of the circumsolar plasma in 2004–2008. Cosmic Res 51, 13–22 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952513010036
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952513010036