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arXiv · 2412.07034

Constraining solar emission radius at 42 MHz during the 2024 total solar eclipse using a student-commissioned radio telescope

Olivia R. Young·Timothy E. Dolch·Joseph F. Helmboldt·Christopher Mentrek·Louis P. Dartez·Michael T. Lam·Sophia V. Sosa Fiscella·Evan Bretl·Colin Joyce·Johannes Loock·Grace Meyer·Annabel Peltzer·Joseph Petullo·Parker Reed·Emerson Sigtryggsson·Benjamin Bassett·Andrew B. Hawken·Alejandro Z. Heredia·Paige Lettow·Whit Lewis·Mikayla Manna·Nicholas Mirochnikoff·Michael Zemcov
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Abstract

Low-frequency solar radio emission is sourced in the solar corona, with sub-100 MHz radio emission largely originating from the $\sim$10$^{5}$\,$\mathrm{K}$ plasma around 2 optical radii. However, the region of emission has yet to be constrained at 35--45\,MHz due to both instrumentation limitations and the rarity of astronomical events, such as total solar eclipses, which allow for direct observational approaches. In this work, we present the results from a student-led project to commission a low-frequency radio telescope array situated in the path of totality of the 2024 total solar eclipse in an effort to probe the middle corona. The Deployable Low-Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (DLITE) is a low-frequency radio array comprised of four dipole antennas, optimized to observe at 35--45\,MHz, and capable of resolving the brightest radio sources in the sky. We constructed a DLITE station in Observatory Park, a dark sky park in Montville, Ohio. Results of observations during the total solar eclipse demonstrate that DLITE stations can be quickly deployed for observations and provide constraints on the radius of solar emission at our center observing frequency of 42\,MHz. In this work, we outline the construction of DLITE Ohio and the solar observation results from the total solar eclipse that transversed North America in April 2024.

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Olivia R. Young, Timothy E. Dolch, Joseph F. Helmboldt, Christopher Mentrek, Louis P. Dartez, Michael T. Lam, Sophia V. Sosa Fiscella, Evan Bretl, Colin Joyce, Johannes Loock, Grace Meyer, Annabel Peltzer, Joseph Petullo, Parker Reed, Emerson Sigtryggsson, Benjamin Bassett, Andrew B. Hawken, Alejandro Z. Heredia, Paige Lettow, Whit Lewis, Mikayla Manna, Nicholas Mirochnikoff, Michael Zemcov. 2024-12-09. Constraining solar emission radius at 42 MHz during the 2024 total solar eclipse using a student-commissioned radio telescope. https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.07034

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