Radio range measurements of coronal electron densities at 13 and 3.6 centimeter wavelengths during the 1985 solar conjunction of Voyager 2

Abstract

Radio range measurements were generated by the Deep Space Network at two wavelengths (3.6 and 13 cm) during the solar conjunction of the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1985 December. The difference in range at the two wavelengths provides a direct measurement of the integrated electron density along the ray path between Earth stations and the spacecraft. Derived electron density profiles on ingress and egress between 7 and 40 solar radii revealed a surprising asymmetry in the radial power-law dependence of the coronal electron density.