Induced scattering of short radio pulses

TL;DR

This paper investigates how induced Compton and Raman scattering affect the propagation of short, bright radio pulses, revealing conditions under which scattering hinders pulse transmission and constrains source properties.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of induced scattering effects on short radio pulses and applies the findings to recent extragalactic radio observations.

Findings

Induced scattering depends on pulse duration, not medium scale.

Propagation hindered only near dense plasma close to the source.

Constraints on source Lorentz factor derived from scattering effects.

Abstract

Effect of the induced Compton and Raman scattering on short, bright radio pulses is investigated. It is shown that when a single pulse propagates through the scattering medium, the effective optical depth is determined by the duration of the pulse but not by the scale of the medium. The induced scattering could hinder propagation of the radio pulse only if close enough to the source a dense enough plasma is presented. The induced scattering within the relativistically moving source places lower limits on the Lorentz factor of the source. The results are applied to the recently discovered short extragalactic radio pulse.