Abstract
Pulsars provide probably the best probes of electron density in the plane of the Galaxy. The dispersion measure, the path integral of electron density along the line of sight from the pulsar to Earth, ∫ neds, is directly measurable from multi-frequency pulse-timing observations. The distance to a pulsar, d, can be estimated from its HI absorption and emission spectra. The mean electron density along the line of sight is then just <ne> = ∫ neds/d.
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References
Abies, J.G., and Manchester, R.N.: 1976, Astron. Astrophys. 50, pp. 177–184
Weisberg, J.M., Rankin, J., and Boriakoff, V.: 1980, Astron. Astrophys. 88, pp. 84–93
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© 1985 IAU
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Weisberg, J.M., Rankin, J.M., Boriakoff, V. (1985). The Electron Density in the Plane of the Galaxy. In: Van Woerden, H., Allen, R.J., Burton, W.B. (eds) The Milky Way Galaxy. International Astronomical Union, vol 106. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5291-1_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5291-1_33
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