Measurements of the scattering of pulsar radio emission

Measurements of the broadening of pulsar pulses by scattering in the interstellar medium are presented for a complete sample of 100 pulsars with Galactic longitudes from 6 degrees to 311 degrees and distances to three kiloparsec. The dependences of the scattering on the dispersion measure (tau(sc)(DM)alpha DM alpha), frequency (tau(sc)(nu)alpha nu(-gamma)), Galactic longitude, and distance to the pulsar are analyzed. The dependence of the scattering on the dispersion measure in the near-solar neighbourhood can be represented by the power law tau(sc)(DM)alpha DM2.2 +/- 0.1. Measurements at the low frequencies 111, 60, and 40 MHz and literature data are used to derive the frequency dependence of the scattering (tau(sc)(nu)alpha nu(-gamma)) over a wide frequency interval ( covering a range of less than 10 : 1) with no fewer than five frequencies. The index for the frequency dependence, gamma = 4.1 +/- 0.3, corresponds to a normal distribution for inhomogeneities in the turbulence in the scattering medium. Based on an analysis of the dependence of the scattering on the distance to the pulsar and on Galactic longitude, on average, the turbulence level C-n(2) is the same in all directions and at all distances out to about three kpc, testifying to the statistical homogeneity of the turbulence of the scattering medium in the near-solar region of the Galaxy.