Studies of Solar Wind and Coronal Turbulence via Radioastronomical Observations

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This project utilizes observations of extragalactic radio sources whose lines of sight pass close to the Sun, and thus probe the solar corona and solar wind at distances between 5 and 35 solar radii. These observations consist of Faraday rotation and phase fluctuations recorded at radio wavelengths with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The objectives of the analysis include, (i) determination of the anisotropy of the solar wind turbulence, (ii) specification of its intensity as a function of distance from the Sun, (iii) measurement of the speed at which these irregularities propagate, and (iv) assessment of the small spatial scale variations in the coronal magnetic field and density. The overarching goal of this investigation is to better understand the role this turbulence plays in coronal and solar wind dynamics, which in turn affects the near-Earth space environment.