Space Weather: LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) Design Study for Space Weather

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The capabilities of the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) for the observation of solar transient events such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and for mapping of density and velocity structures in the inner heliosphere will be ascertained. The necessary requirements for LOFAR to contribute to space weather studies will subsequently be determined. An exploration of the feasibility of determining the magnetic field within a CME, by Faraday rotation of the polarization of cosmic sources, will be conducted. This would provide a novel and extremely important input to the determination of the geo-effectiveness of CMEs impacting the magnetosphere. These activities will contribute to the development of advanced remote sensing instrumentation for improved detection and understanding of key space weather phenomena.