Direction-finding measurements of type III radio bursts out of the ecliptic plane

A series of two-dimensional direction-finding measurements for three type III solar radio bursts is presented which is based on spin-modulation measurements from two satellites (IMP 8 and Hawkeye I) whose spin axes were nearly perpendicular to each other. The two-dimensional direction-finding technique is combined with a model of the solar-wind plasma density in order to provide determinations of type III source locations out of the ecliptic plane as well as information on the three-dimensional structure of the solar magnetic field at radial distances of 0.2 to 1.0 AU from the sun. The direction-finding technique is described in detail, characteristics of the bursts observed by the two satellites are summarized, and the solar-wind model is outlined. The results show that the source locations follow an Archimedean spiral when projected onto the ecliptic plane but usually follow a constant heliocentric latitude perpendicular to that plane. It is also found that measured source sizes are a factor of two larger than the angular sizes of previously reported solar-flare electron emissions, that the spin-modulation factor tends to be largest near the beginning of a type III event, and that the arrival direction of the radiation varies systematically during an event.