Abstract
Abstract Faraday rotation (FR) of MESSENGER spacecraft X-band transcoronal radio transmissions were studied to evaluate the mid-coronal magnetic field strength, with the line-of-sight closest solar approach at heliocentric altitudes ranging 1.647–1.817 R ⊙. A Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) CORHEL-MAS 3D coronal field map revealed this region to contain closed magnetic fields. By FR analysis we found a field strength of 118,000 nT at r = 1.647 R ⊙, with fall-off to 40,000 nT by r = 1.817 R ⊙. These values straddle estimates provided by the CCMC model. The mean value of 79,000 nT at r = 1.732 R ⊙ is comparable to the value provided by an established empirical model for average coronal magnetic field strength. FR can be used to evaluate middle coronal magnetic fields, but improved methods to constrain concurrent electron column density will be needed to produce the most accurate results.
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