Observations of the Sun with the 32 Element Murchison Widefield Array Prototype
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Low-frequency radio observations of the quiet Sun provide information about the stratification of the electron temperature in the solar corona. This in turn helps distinguish between localized versus distributed coronal heating processes. We present flux calibrated brightness temperature maps of the Sun from a prototype of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) at 5 frequencies between 85 and 235 MHz, corresponding to heights above the photosphere between approximately 0.1 and 1 solar radii. Consisting of 32 electronically pointed tiles, each a phased array of 16 dual polarization dipole antennae and operating between 80 and 300 MHz, the 32 element MWA prototype (32T) provides a test bed for the novel design of the full 512 element array. One objective of the MWA is to advance solar and heliospheric science with fast cadence, high fidelity images of the Sun. In this work we compare integrated flux densities of the quiet Sun produced by the MWA 32T with theoretical expectations and established results. We additionally examine radial brightness temperature profiles and provide a discussion of their possible connections with the large scale electron temperature and density distributions in the solar corona.Type
textElectronic Thesis
Degree Name
B.S.Degree Level
bachelorsDegree Program
Honors CollegeAstronomy