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R. A. Perley (NRAO), C. K. Lacey (NRL/NRC), D. L. Jones (JPL), K. W. Weiler (NRL), M. L. Kaiser (GSFC), R. J. Allen (STScI)
The low frequency window from ~30 kHz (just above the local plasma frequency of the IPM) to ~30 MHz (where high resolution observations from the ground become possible most of the time) spans three orders of magnitude in frequency, wider than the infrared window opened by IRAS and ISO or the ultraviolet window opened by IUE and EUVE. It is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum which is accessible from the vicinity of the Earth and still largely unexplored. Many important astrophysical questions concerning the solar system, Galaxy, and distant universe, such as CMEs, the distribution and turbulence properties of the interplanetary and interstellar plasmas, the lifetimes and evolution of extended radio sources, and the origin of cosmic rays can be answered with observations at frequencies of a few MHz and angular resolutions near an arcminute. From the Earth's surface, high angular resolution observations in this region of the spectrum are blocked by the obscuring veil of the ionosphere, so that exploring this last frontier of astrophysics requires going to space.
If the author provided an email address or URL for general inquiries, it is a
s follows:
http://rsd-www.nrl.navy.mil/7214/weiler/lfraspce.html