S. K. Alurkar

Scattering of pulsar radiation and electron density turbulence in the interstellar medium

We report measurements, using the Culgoora circular array at 80 and 160 MHz and the Parkes 64 m telescope at 410 MHz, of the pulse broadening due to interstellar scattering on 33 pulsars. These results are added to published data on 52 other pulsars in order to investigate the interstellar turbulence levels over 85 paths in the Galaxy. We find a significant relation between the turbulence level C~ and dispersion measure, heliocentric distance, galactocentric distance, galactic latitude and galactic longitude. Our results are consistent with a distribution of turbulence that peaks near the galactic centre and extends out to past the solar circle, with the scale height perpendicular to the plane at least equal to that of the pulsars. The magnitude of the fluctuations in electron density responsible for the scattering is not proportional to the average electron density, but increases much more rapidly than the latter as the galactic centre is approached. The apparent dependence of C~ on heliocentric distance is preferentially interpreted as due to the presence of a highly clumped distribution of turbulence along all lines of sight.

Flux densities, spectra and variability of pulsars at metre wavelengths

We present the results of two-frequency flux density measurements of 74 pulsars with the Culgoora circular array. We show that the spectral index of a typical pulsar steepens markedly from 80 to 1400 MHz, but we found no significant relationship between the metre-wave spectral index and the published pulsar parameters

Power spectral analysis of enhanced scintillation of Quasar 3C459 due to Comet Halley

The radio source 2314+038 (3C459) showed enhanced scintillations on three days at a solar elongation of about 90° as the plasma tail of Halleys Comet swept across it on six days during 16-21 December 1985. If we assume that the plasma velocities in the tail were not constant everywhere, but increased linearly from about 50 kms-1 at the tail axis to the normal average solar wind velocity of 400 kms-1 at the edges where the tail merged with the solar wind, a power spectral analysis of the scintillations shows two ranges of the rms electron density variation t:..N and scale size a. In particular, these are a fine scale zone near the axis where a is in the range 9 to 27 km and t:..N in the range 2 to 5 cm -3 and a zone near the edges with a and t:..N in the ranges 100 to 265 km and 0·4 to 0·8 cm-3 respectively. The assumption of a single velocity of 100 kms-1 throughout the tail shows similar fine scales near the tail axis and large scales near the edges. The scale sizes in that case range from about 18 km at the axis to about 70 km at the edges, corresponding to t:..N of 3·3 and 0·85 cm-3 respectively. A comparison with the results obtained by Slee et al. (1987) shows that there is no radial variation of t:..N. The tail-lag is seen to playa crucial role in determining the correct occulting geometry and the path of the source through the tail.

Enhanced radio source scintillation due to Comet Austin (1989c1)

Enhanced scintillations in the direction of the quasar 2204+29 (3C441) were observed on 13 May 1990 when the tail of Comet Austin passed in front of it. Comparison with previous observations at 103, 327 and 408 MHz of Comet Halley and at 408 MHz of Comet Wilson show that proper occultation geometry is essential for observing enhanced scintillations. It has been shown that the solar elongation ? during such observations should be large, typically greater than 60· and in no case less than 30· at 103 MHz. At the time of the occultation the scintillation index (r.m.s./mean source flux) was greater than that expected for this source by a factor of 3. The r.m.s. electron density variation /IN, at a distance of 0·9 A.U. from the sun and 7·3· downstream of the nucleus, was found to be 6 cm-3 as compared with 1 cm-3 for the normal solar wind at 1 A.U. The corresponding scale sizes of the turbulence were found to be much finer than normally found in interplanetary scintillation (IPS) caused by the solar wind.

Microscopic spectral features in solar decametric bursts and coronal irregularities

A crossed Yagi antenna array at 35 MHz was employed in conjunction with a polarization switch so as to enable spectral observations of solar noise storm activity in R and L polarizations. Intense decametric solar noise storms were recorded during the third week of November 1975 and fourth week of March 1976 with the help of a high resolution spectroscope operating near 35 MHz.The paper describes some of the new microscopic spectral features observed during these two noise storms. Three sets of high resolution dynamic spectra of decametric solar bursts, two of which are explained in terms of induced scattering of Langmuir waves by thermal ions and the third in terms of additional propagation effects through dense coronal irregularities, are presented. The microscopic bursts, classified as ‘inverted U’ ‘U’ and ‘dots’, represent small-scale (∼104 km) phenomena with durations of less than a second.Some burst spectra appear as chain of ‘dots’ with individual bandwidths ∼40 kHz and durations ∼ 0.3 sec. It is suggested that the bandwidth of such ‘dot’ emissions (∼40 kHz) provides an evidence that they might indeed be generated by the process of induced scattering of plasma waves which predicts emission bandwidth ∼f × 10−3, where f is the center frequency.Some bursts are observed as a chain of ‘striations’ showing curvature along the frequency axis which is attributed to dispersion in propagation delays through the dense coronal irregularities.

Comparison of single-site interplanetary scintillation solar wind speed structure with coronal features

Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) Observations were made during the period 1984–1990 using a single radio telescope at 103 MHz situated at Thaltej (Ahmedabad), India. Solar wind speeds were estimated using a recently developed method based on matching the observed IPS spectra with model solar wind spectra for Kolmogorov turbulence. The best-fit speeds derived are traced back to a source surface, and average velocity maps are made for each year, averaging over a number of Carrington rotations. It is found that the resulting single-site, large-scale IPS speed structure agrees well with that derived from 3-site observations from earlier workers. The IPS speed structure during this period was compared with other coronal features. Nearly 85% of the observed high-speed regions were associated with coronal holes. At solar minimum, in 1986, a quasi-sinusoidal, narrow belt of slow solar wind was observed which matched well with the neutral line structure of the solar magnetic field and the belt of active centers. Near solar maximum, in 1990, the speed structure was chaotic, similar to that of the neutral line, with low speed regions appearing all over the source surface.

Ground-based solar radio observations of the August 1972 events

Ground-based observations of the variable solar radio emission ranging from few millimetres to decametres have been used here as a diagnostic tool to gain coherent phenomenological understanding of the great 2, 4 and 7 August, 1972 solar events in terms of dominant physical processes like generation and propagation of shock waves in the solar atmosphere, particle acceleration and trapping.The basic data used in this review have been collected by many workers throughout the world utilizing a variety of instruments such as fixed frequency radiometers, multi-element interferometers, dynamic spectrum analysers and polarimeters. Four major flares are selected for detailed analysis on the basis of their ability to produce energetic protons, shock waves, polar cap absorptions (PCA) and sudden commencement (SC) geomagnetic storms. A comparative study of their radio characteristics is made. Evidence is seen for the pulsations during microwave bursts by the mechanism similar to that proposed by McLean et al. (1971), to explain the pulsations in the metre wavelength continuum radiation. It is suggested that the multiple peaks observed in some microwave bursts may be attributable to individual flares occurring sequentially due to a single initiating flare. Attempts have been made to establish identification of Type II bursts with the interplanetary shock waves and SC geomagnetic storms. Furthermore, it is suggested that it is the mass behind the shock front which is the deciding factor for the detection of shock waves in the interplanetary space. It appears to us that more work is necessary in order to identify which of the three moving Type IV bursts (Wild and Smerd, 1972), namely, advancing shock front, expanding magnetic arch and ejected plasma blob serves as the piston-driver behind the interplanetary shocks. The existing criteria for proton flare prediction have been summarized and two new criteria have been proposed. Observational limitations of the current ground-based experimental techniques have been pointed out and a suggestion has been made to evolve appropriate observational facilities for solar work before the next Solar Maximum Year (SMY).

Estimation of shock thickness from dynamic spectra of type-II bursts

Twenty type II solar radio bursts were observed during the period 1968 to 1972 by a solar radio spectroscope (240–40 MHz) at Ahmadebad. Intensity variations in type II bursts as a function of frequency and time are sometimes observed in their dynamic spectra. This fine structure enables determination of the shock thickness of the order of a few hundred to a few thousand kilometers. In a few cases, an interaction between streams of fast electrons and propagating shocks is clearly evidenced by simultaneous observations of short duration narrow band structures in type III bursts and type II bursts.

Exploration of Heliosphere by Interplanetary Scintillation

The Physical Research Laboratory has been engaged in setting up a three station radio observatory operating at a frequency of 103 MHz in Western India for exploration of the heliosphere by interplanetary scintillation (IPS) technique. The three radio telescopes are situated at Thaltej (Ahmedabad), Rajkot and Surat and are separated by about 200 km from each other. These are being operated as “transit” telescopes in correlation interferometer mode with excellent relative time accuracy for interplanetary scintillation observations of compact radio sources.

Detection of large scale electron density irregularities duringips observations at 103 MHz

Angular displacements in the positions of the quasar 3C 298 were observed during its interplanetary scintillation (ips) observations made using a correlation interferometer at 103 MHz at Thaltej near Ahmedabad. These changes in the apparent positions of the source could be seen as variations in the declination of 3C 298. Two possibilities which might cause such effects are considered; refraction of the radio waves either in the earth’s ionosphere or in the interplanetary medium (ipm) by large scale plasma density inhomogeneities. Order of magnitude calculations for both are presented. Further studies using two-site observations are suggested to decide between the two mechanisms.