Observation of a coronal mass ejection in January 1997 using radio sounding of the near-solar plasma with the GALILEO spacecraft

Abstract

Measurements of frequency fluctuations in radio signals generated by the GALILEO spacecraft from January 6 to 11, 1997 are presented and analyzed. The passage of a coronal mass ejection observed by the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph on January 6, 1997 through the radio-communication path between the spacecraft and a ground station was recorded. Radio sounding was carried out at a carrier frequency of 2295 MHz at a heliocentric distance of about 32 solar radii, with the signal being received at three ground stations. As the mass ejection intersected the propagation path, the mean frequency of the signal increased and several-hour-long frequency fluctuations were enhanced. A spectral analysis of the frequency fluctuations shows that the regime and level of plasma turbulence are substantially different in different sections of the quiet solar wind and the disturbed plasmoid. A correlation between the intensity and temporal spectrum of the frequency fluctuations is found. The plasma density in the leading part of the coronal mass ejection exceeds the mean background value by more than an order of magnitude. Our correlation analysis of the frequency fluctuations recorded simultaneously at two widely separated measuring points shows that two flow components with different velocities—the quiet solar wind and a perturbed stream—crossed the communication path. The radio-sounding data are compared with observations of the coronal mass ejection by the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph and plasma measurements near the Earth’s orbit using the WIND satellite. A pronounced correlation is found between the variations in the mean frequency of the sounding signal and the plasma density in near-Earth space.