Interplanetary scintillation at large elongation angles - Response to solar wind density structure

Abstract

Synoptic interplanetary scintillation (IPS) index measurements at 34.3 MHz were obtained during May-December 1974 by means of the University of Iowa Cocoa Cross radiotelescope on a 'grid' of 150 selected radio sources covering solar elongation angles up to 180 deg. Over 80 of these sources displayed definite IPS, and the solar elongation dependence of the 34.3-MHz IPS index is consistent with the elongation of angle dependence measured at higher frequencies. Large enhancements of the IPS index are found to coincide with solar wind (proton) density increases greater than 10/cu cm. Correlation analysis confirms the IPS response to solar wind density and indicates that the events are due primarily to the corotating solar wind turbulent plasma structures which dominated the interplanetary medium during 1974.