A SEARCH FOR CORONAL STREAMERS NEAR 1-AU USING INTERPLANETARY SCINTILLATION

A search was made for enhanced interplanetary scintillation in coronal streamers near 1 AU during August 1978-September, 1979. Within this p eriod spacecraft data indicated three occasions when scintillation cau sed by streamers would not have been confused with compressive density enhancements associated with interplanetary shocks or corotating stre ams. Simulated g-maps computed for models based on spacecraft data and the estimated shape of the heliospheric current sheet were compared w ith observed g-maps. Enhanced scintillation in rough agreement with th e simulations indicate the marginal detection of extended coronal stre amers, but some significant differences suggested that densities obser ved near the ecliptic plane are not necessarily representative of the current sheet away from the ecliptic. Enhanced scintillation due to co ronal streamers was of minor significance compared to the larger and m ore numerous enhancements associated with interplanetary shocks and co rotating interaction regions.