A monitoring campaign (2013-2020) of ESA's Mars Express to study interplanetary plasma scintillation
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2023

The radio signal transmitted by the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft was observed regularly between the years 2013-2020 at X-band (8.42 GHz) using the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry (EVN) network and University of Tasmania's telescopes. We present a method to describe the solar wind parameters by quantifying the effects of plasma on our radio signal. In doing so, we identify all the uncompensated effects on the radio signal and see which coronal processes drive them. From a technical standpoint, quantifying the effect of the plasma on the radio signal helps phase referencing for precision spacecraft tracking. The phase fluctuation of the signal was determined for Mars' orbit for solar elongation angles from 0 to 180 deg. The calculated phase residuals allow determination of the phase power spectrum. The total electron content of the solar plasma along the line of sight is calculated by removing effects from mechanical and ionospheric noises. The spectral index was determined as which is in agreement with Kolmogorov's turbulence. The theoretical models are consistent with observations at lower solar elongations however at higher solar elongation ($ ]]>160 deg) we see the observed values to be higher. This can be caused when the uplink and downlink signals are positively correlated as a result of passing through identical plasma sheets.

interferometry

spacecraft tracking

space weather

solar wind

plasma

Författare

P. Kummamuru

University of Tasmania

G. M. Calves

University of Tasmania

G. Cimo

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

Sergei Pogrebenko

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

T. M. B. Bahamon

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Dmitry Duev

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

M. D. Md Said

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

J. Edwards

University of Tasmania

M. Ma

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

J. Quick

Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

Alexander Neidhardt

Technische Universität München

P. de Vicente

Observatorio de Yebes (IGN)

Rüdiger Haas

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Onsala rymdobservatorium

J. Kallunki

Aalto-Yliopisto

G. Maccaferri

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

G. Colucci

Agenzia Spaziale Italiana

W. J. Yang

Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory

L. F. Hao

Yunnan Observatories

S. Weston

Auckland University of Technology

M. A. Kharinov

Russian Academy of Sciences

A. G. Mikhailov

Russian Academy of Sciences

T. Jung

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Publications Astronomical Society of Australia

1323-3580 (ISSN) 1448-6083 (eISSN)

Vol. 40 e013

Ämneskategorier

Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi

Signalbehandling

Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik

DOI

10.1017/pasa.2023.12

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2023-05-05