HR: 0800h
AN: SA11A-0218    [Abstracts]
TI: An EUV Photometer for tomographic observations of the ionosphere
AU: * Salmon, J
EM: jlsalmon@cc.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, 4120 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Swenson, C M
EM: charles.swenson@engineering.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, 4120 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Moon, T
EM: todd.moon@usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, 4120 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AB: A relatively simple far ultraviolet (FUV) scanning photometer named TOROID (TOmographic Reconstruction Of Ionospheric Disturbances), is being developed to observe the night glow of the ionosphere. The nightglow, which correlates with ionospheric density, is dynamic with disturbances depending on the geomagnetic field topography, neutral thermospheric winds and ultimately the solar activity. The goal is to develop an instrument which is optimized to produce data for tomographic reconstruction with approximately a 20 km cubic volume pixel from a 600 km orbit altitude. The instrument will be sensitive to two wavelengths: 91.1 and 135.6 nm, both resulting from the recombination of atomic oxygen and electrons. These wavelengths were selected because they are optically thin and to provide information on interference signals due to positive and negative oxygen ion recombination and hydrogen emissions. Night side radiation at the selected wavelengths is measured within the plane of the spacecraft's orbit continuously by way of an external rotating scanning mirror. Data from these measurements allows the application of a tomographic reconstruction algorithm to characterize the plasma densities below, and potentially above, the spacecraft's orbit altitude. This windowless instrument makes use of multiple spectrally selective mirrors for high radiometric sensitivity. The detectors and corresponding instrument mechanisms are selected for high reliability and compatibility with both potential spacecraft and sounding rocket missions.
DE: 7833 Mathematical and numerical techniques (0500, 3200)
DE: 7847 Radiation processes
DE: 7863 Turbulence (4490)
DE: 7894 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005