Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Detection of a radio emission at 3 kHz in the outer heliosphere

Nature volume 312, pages 27–31 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

A radio source in the outer heliosphere has been detected by the plasma wave receivers on Voyagers 1 and 2. The radio emission is observed in the frequency range 2–3 kHz, and is above the local solar wind electron plasma frequency whenever supporting plasma density data are available. The maximum spectral density of the emission recorded is ∼10−14 V2 m−2 Hz−1. The bandwidth of the radio noise is ∼1 kHz. Possible sources include continuum radiation from Jupiter's distant magnetotail and radiation at the second harmonic of the plasma frequency at the heliopause. If the latter interpretation is correct, these data represent the first remote observations of the heliopause.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Scarf, F. L. & Gurnett, D. A. Space Sci. Rev. 21, 289–308 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bridge, H. S. et al. Space Sci. Rev. 21, 259–287 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hoang, S. et al. J. geophys. Res. 85, 3419–3430 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kurth, W. S., Gurnett, D. A., Scarf, F. L., Poynter, R. L. & Sullivan, J. D. J. geophys. Res. 86, 8402–8412 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kurth, W. S., Scarf, F. L., Sullivan, J. D. & Gurnett, D. A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 9, 889–892 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kurth, W. S. et al. J. geophys. Res. 87, 10,373–10,383 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gurnett, D. A. & Shaw, R. R. J. geophys. Res. 78, 8136–8149 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kurth, W. S., Gurnett, D. A. & Anderson, R. R. J. geophys. Res. 86, 5519–5531 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Gurnett, D. A., Kurth, W. S. & Scarf, F. L. Nature 302, 385–388 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Pacini, F. in The Crab Nebula (eds Davies, R. D. & Smith, F. G.) 394–406 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1971).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Dunckel, N. thesis, Stanford Univ., California (1974).

  12. Gurnett, D. A. J. geophys. Res. 80, 2751–2763 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hoang, S., Fainberg, J., Steinberg, J. L., Stone, R. G. & Zwickl, R. H. J. geophys. Res. 86, 4531–4536 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fung, S. F., Papadopoulos, K. & Wu, C. S. J. geophys. Res. 87, 8077–8080 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Cairns, I. H. & Melrose, D. B. J. geophys. Res. (submitted).

  16. Webber, W. R. & Lockwood, J. A. J. geophys. Res. 86, 11,458–11,462 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, USA

    W. S. Kurth & D. A. Gurnett

  2. TRW Space and Technology Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, California, 90278, USA

    F. L. Scarf

  3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109, USA

    R. L. Poynter

Authors
  1. W. S. Kurth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. A. Gurnett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. L. Scarf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. L. Poynter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kurth, W., Gurnett, D., Scarf, F. et al. Detection of a radio emission at 3 kHz in the outer heliosphere. Nature 312, 27–31 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/312027a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/312027a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing