AbstractThis paper summarizes how multi-wavelength measurements will be aggregated to determine Galactic structure in the interstellar medium (ISM) and produce the next-generation electron density model. Fluctuations in density and magnetic field from parsec scales down to about 1000 km cause a number of propagation effects in both radio waves and cosmic rays. Density microstructure appears to include Kolmogorov-like turbulence. The next generation electron-density model, NE2012, will include about double the number of lines of sight with dispersion and scattering measurements and it will be anchored with a much larger number of pulsar parallax distances. The foreground Galactic model is crucial for inferring similar ionized structures in the intergalactic medium (IGM) from scattering measurements on high-z objects. Intergalactic scattering is discussed with reference to distant sources of radio bursts. In particular, the cosmological radio scattering horizon is defined along with its analog for the ISM.
Magnetospheric electron density model inferred from Polar plasma wave data