Latitudinal variation of solar wind velocity

Abstract

Single station solar wind velocity measurements using the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) in India (operating at 327 MHz) are reported for the period August 1992 to August 1993. Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations on a large number of compact radio sources covering a latitudinal range of ±80° were used to derive solar wind velocities using the method of fitting a power law model to the observed IPS spectra. The data shows a velocity versus heliographic latitude pattern which is similar to that reported by Rickett and Coles (1991) for the 1981-1982 period. However, the average of the measured equatorial velocities are higher, being about 470 km s^-1 compared to their value of 400 km s^-1. The distribution of electron density variations (ΔN _e ) between 50R_ࣻ and 90R_ࣻ was also determined and it was found that ΔN _e was about 30% less at the poles as compared to the equator.