A Low-Frequency Radio Spectrograph for Capturing Jovian Radio Bursts in Tropical and Equatorial Regions

Abstract

It is well known that the planet Jupiter produces strong radio bursts in VHF band (decametric wavelengths) from regions of temporary radio emission in its magnetosphere. These are of interest to scientists and engineers for studying the effects of the emission on the Earth’s environment. Till now, most of the Jovian burst detectors were more or less complicated to build. We show here a simple but effective instrument built by us for capturing these bursts and recording them for further analysis. It uses a moderately wide band antenna, a spectrum analyzer and a data recording system. The data recording is done on a PC, interfaced to the spectrum analyzer using a GPIB setup. The antenna primarily focuses on a bandwidth between 18 to 25 MHz, which is the best possible interference-free frequency band, and which contains major information from the planet Jupiter, at decametric wavelengths. The mathematical analysis has been included. Some Jovian radio bursts, captured using this instrument, is presented with possible scientific outcomes.