Magnetospheric radio tomographic imaging with IMAGE and Wind

Recent theoretical studies have shown the feasibility and potential scientific value of radio tomographic imaging of Earth's magnetosphere by measuring Faraday rotation and phase difference (or group delay) of coherent radio wave signals. On 15 August 2000, a 6W linearly polarized 828kHz signal transmitted by the Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on the IMAGE spacecraft was clearly detected by WAVES X and Z antennas on Wind spacecraft. Following our previous analysis of the path-integrated product change of the magnetic field and plasma density based on the spin rate measurement, we report here Faraday rotation measured from absolute antenna orientation using the phase difference between the spin-phase modeled RPI signal and the WAVES X-and Z-antenna received RPI signals. The new approach gives Faraday rotation without the mod (π) ambiguity. The average electron density extracted along a typical signal propagation path over a 1 hour measurement window agrees well with empirical models of the northern polar region derived from years of measurements. Finally, we demonstrate preliminary 2-D radio tomographic imaging of magnetospheric plasma density using the Faraday rotation measurement. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Duke Scholars

Author Steven A. Cummer Electrical and Computer Engineering