Effect of X-Rays from Scorpio-XR-1 upon the Lower Ionosphere

Abstract

It has been recently reported that X-rays coming from the constellation Scorpio at a distance of nearly 250 light years produce detectable effect on the propagation of skywave signal in the long-wave range. There is apparent experimental confirmation to this effect from some workers and contradictions from rigorous theoretical calculations by others.

In this paper, the author has analysed one year's data of the received field strength at Delhi of long-wave transmissions of Radio Tashkent (164 kHz). An attempt has been made to correlate the transit times of Sco-XR-1 with changes in the field intensity in the received long-wave field. Various statistical computations have also been made to obtain clear effect, if any, of the X-rays from Sco-XR-1 upon such long-wave propagation. In addition, the effect of some of the X-ray flares from this source observed through high altitude balloon experiments and OSO satellites has been studied with a view to finding out any correlation between these flares and the corresponding long-wave field.

It is concluded from the various analyses presented in this paper that the X- rays from Sco-XR-1 do not appear to have any effect on the propagation of a longwave transmission through the earth's lower ionosphere.