Abstract
Aims: The phase scintillation of the European Space Agency's
Venus Express (VEX) spacecraft telemetry signal was observed at X-band
(λ = 3.6 cm) with a number of radio telescopes of the European
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network in the period
2009-2013. Methods: We found a phase fluctuation spectrum along
the Venus orbit with a nearly constant spectral index of -2.42 ±
0.25 over the full range of solar elongation angles from 0° to
45°, which is consistent with Kolmogorov turbulence. Radio
astronomical observations of spacecraft signals within the solar system
give a unique opportunity to study the temporal behaviour of the
signal's phase fluctuations caused by its propagation through the
interplanetary plasma and the Earth's ionosphere. This gives
complementary data to the classical interplanetary scintillation (IPS)
study based on observations of the flux variability of distant natural
radio sources. Results: We present here our technique and the
results on IPS. We compare these with the total electron content for the
line of sight through the solar wind. Finally, we evaluate the
applicability of the presented technique to phase-referencing VLBI and
Doppler observations of currently operational and prospective space
missions.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Astronomy and Astrophysics |
Volume | 564 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- astrometry
- interplanetary medium
- plasmas
- scattering
- Sun: heliosphere
- techniques: interferometric
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Metsähovi Radio Observatory
Joni Tammi (Manager)
School of Electrical EngineeringFacility/equipment: Facility