The Solar-Terrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)


STEREO Waves (SWAVES) Home Page
Antennas
Solar Type III Radio Bursts
 

The objective of the STEREO mission is to significantly advance the understanding of the three-dimensional (3-D) structure and evolution of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their interaction with the interplanetary medium and terrestrial magnetosphere using combined imaging, radio, and in situ measurements from two identical, stereoscopically-spaced spacecraft. The two-platform vantage will allow the reconstruction of CME genesis, 3-D structure, and propagation, particularly for Earth-directed CMEs. Using these observations, and a concerted modeling effort, STEREO will elucidate the role of ejected mass and magnetic flux and helicity in the physics of solar activity and dynamo action.

Major eruptive events on the sun, such as flares or CMEs, can have a profound influence on the terrestrial environment. CMEs can interact with Earth's magnetosphere to generate major geomagnetic storms and substorms, sometimes affecting communication and power grid systems and accelerating energetic particles that have been known to damage communications satellites and may harm astronauts working in space. Identifying and understanding the physical processes involved and forecasting large Sun-Earth Connection (SEC) events is a major goal of the STEREO mission.

The proposed STEREO/WAVES (SWAVES) instrument provides unique and critical observations for all primary science objectives of the STEREO mission, the generation of CMEs, their evolution, and their interaction with Earth?s magnetosphere. SWAVES can probe a CME from lift-off to Earth by detecting the coronal and interplanetary (IP) shock of the most powerful CMEs, providing a radial profile through spectral imaging, determining the radial velocity from ~2 RS (from center of sun) to Earth, measuring the density of the volume of the heliosphere between the sun and Earth, and measuring important in situ properties of the IP shock, magnetic cloud, and density compression in the fast solar wind stream that follows.

LASP involvement includes antenna design and analog to digital interface with the low-frequency signals. Prof. Robert Ergun will lead the LASP effort.


 

STEREO Waves Antenna Design

Antenna Configuration
 
 
 

Antenna Response
 
 

Solar Type III Radio Bursts

WIND spacecraft observations of solar impulsive electron events associated with solar type III radio bursts, R. E. Ergun, D. Larson, R. P. Lin, J. McFadden, C. W. Carlson, K. A. Anderson, L. Muschietti, M. McCarthy, G. K. Parks, H. Rème, J. M. Bosqued, C. d?Uston, T. R. Sanderson, K. -P. Wenzel, M. Kaiser, R. P. Lepping, S. D. Bale, P. Kellogg, and J. -L. Bougeret, Astrophys. J., 503, 435, 1998.
 
 

Bob Ergun's Home Page