Aachen 2019 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 85: Astroteilchenphysik: Methoden IV

T 85.6: Talk

Thursday, March 28, 2019, 17:15–17:30, S12

Radar measurements in glacial ice — Pia Friend, Alexander Kyriacou, Klaus Helbing, Uwe Naumann, and •Sebastian Wiercinski — Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Fachbereich Physik

Some of the icy moons in the outer solar system are most promising potential hosts of extraterrestrial life. To access their water reservoirs, and test it for possible signs of life, a melting probe must navigate through their icy crusts. Therefore, as a part of the DLR funded Enceladus Explorer initiative (EnEx), we aim to develop a radar based positioning system working in ice. Essential for this is the knowledge of the permittivity and the attenuation of radio waves in ice. To evaluate these principles, measurements of radio wave propagation will be performed on an alpine glacier in february 2019. We will melt several boreholes up to 15 m in the glacier and will take radar measurements at different depths, at different distances and at frequencies between 500 MHz and 2 GHz. In this way, we can study dependences of the permitivity on the density of the ice and air mixture at different depths within the glacier. Additionally, from the attenuation, we will further evaluate the frequency range to provide optimal range and distance resolution for in-ice radar sounding. First results will be provided.