Numerical simulation of solar wind density fluctuations and their effects on VLF radio interferometry

A mission consisting of an array of small satellites has been proposed to investigate radio sources at frequencies from approximately 2 to 20 MHz, a range unobservable from the ground because of ionospheric absorption and aberrations. Such a mission seems feasible and relatively inexpensive, but further investigation is still necessary. The solar wind is a major concern because it contains turbulence-induced random density variations that cause a fluctuating phase shift in any electromagnetic signal passing through, sometimes making radio source imaging by interferometry impossible. A numerical simulation has been developed which attempts to accurately characterize solar wind density fluctuations. Results have allowed more concrete conclusions to be drawn about observing constraints and have shown that interferometric imaging at radio frequencies below 10 MHz with baselines up to 100 km is possible at solar elongation angles of about 90 deg or more.