Comet plasma densities deduced from refraction of occulted radio sources

Abstract

Eighty MHz observations of the occultation of the radio source Culgoora-1 0300 + 16 by the plasma tail of Comet Kohoutek (1973f) were made in February/March 1974 with the Culgoora radioheliograph. No detectable source broadening or change in flux density was observed, but the results showed a 2' arc anomaly in the observed position. This is greater than can be attributed to ionospheric refraction or experimental error. We suggest that it arose from refraction in the plasma tail of the comet. Similar observations of the occulation of the radio source Culgoora-1 2313-14 by the plasma tail of Comet West (1975n) were made at Culgoora in February 1976. These results were inconclusive but did suggest that the cometary plasma may have had some influence on the observed source position. The results are used to derive, from simple models, the distribution of electron density in comet tails. Peak electron densities of approximately 2 to 5 × 10 4 cm −3 and density gradients of ∼0.05 cm −3 km −1 are indicated.