On determining the electron density distribution of the solar corona from K-coronameter data

The electron density distribution of the inner solar corona (r ⩽ 2 R⊙) as a function of latitude, longitude, and radial distance is determined from K-coronameter polarization-brightness (pB) data. A Legendre polynomial is assumed for the electron density distribution, and the coefficients of the polynomial are determined by a least-mean-square regression analysis of several days of pB-data. The calculated electron density distribution is then mapped as a function of latitude and longitude. The method is particularly useful in determining the longitudinal extent of coronal streamers and enhancements and in resolving coronal features whose projections on the plane of the sky overlap.

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