Faraday Rotation (FR) and Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) Case Studies Using the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR)

Mario Mark Bisi1, Richard Andrew Fallows2, C Sobey3, T Eftekhari3,4, Elizabeth A Jensen5, Bernard V Jackson6, Hsiu-Shan Yu7, Daniel J Gershman8,9, Jim M Raines10 and Dusan Odstrcil11,12, (1)United Kingdom Research and Innovation - Science & Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, RAL Space, Didcot, United Kingdom, (2)ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Dwingeloo, Netherlands, (3)ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Dwingeloo, Netherlands, (4)University of New Mexico Main Campus, Albuquerque, NM, United States, (5)Planetary Science Institute Tucson, Tucson, United States, (6)University of California, San Diego, Astronomy and Astrophysics, La Jolla, CA, United States, (7)University of California San Diego, Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, La Jolla, CA, United States, (8)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, United States, (9)University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, (10)University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, (11)George Mason University Fairfax, Fairfax, VA, United States, (12)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Science Division, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
We present an update on the progress made using the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) next-generation radio telescope for space-weather related activities – namely observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) and the first tests of observing heliospheric Faraday rotation (FR). The former has been used for half a century for heliospheric science and much progress has been made in recent years for using IPS in space weather science and forecasting. The latter, typically an astrophysical technique that uses pulsars and extragalactic radio sources to study the Galactic magnetic field, is now being investigated for heliospheric studies. The determination of heliospheric FR, combined with observations of IPS, can provide essential information on the Sun’s extended magnetic-field structure out into the inner heliosphere, especially when also combined with other forms of remote-sensing/heliospheric imaging data, and in-situ measurements. Here, we will present recent observations of IPS using LOFAR, including preliminary highlights from the first LOFAR joint IPS and heliospheric FR science campaign and investigate pathways for determining Bzfrom, and an overview of the potential of, such observations. LOFAR is an interferometric phased-array radio telescope that can be used to observe between 10 MHz (depending on ionospheric conditions) and 240 MHz, and consists of many relatively-low-cost antennas. These antennas are organised into ‘stations’ located in an area of ~100km diameter in the Netherlands, with additional international stations spread across central and western Europe with several more in the planning stages.
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