On the coronal source regions of U bursts

The projected source positions at 43, 80, and 160 MHz and the sense and degree of circular polarization in the range 24 to 220 MHz, as observed with the Culgoora radioheliograph and spectropolarimeter respectively, are used:

1. To substantiate the hypothesis that metric U bursts originate in high coronal, magnetic loops.
2. To strengthen the hypothesis that U-burst radiation is in the ordinary magneto-ionic mode.

The occasional observation of different senses of circular polarization on either side of the turning point of a U burst suggests that U-burst radiation in these cases reaches its limiting polarization at or near the source. This observation raises the same difficulties as those discussed by Melrose (1973) in connection with the bi-polar nature of type-I storm sources.