dispersion measure


dispersion measure

(DM) The number of electrons per unit volume, n e, integrated along the line of sight to a source: DM = n e dl

where dl is an element of the path. It is the factor that determines, for example, the time delay (i.e. dispersion) between the arrival of radio pulses from a pulsar at two different frequencies. The value of n e in the plane of our Galaxy is typically 0.03 cm–3.

dispersion measure

[də′spər·zhən ‚mezh·ər] (astronomy) A quantity that describes the dispersion of a radio signal, proportional to the product of the density of interstellar electrons and the distance to the source.