HR: 09:15h
AN: SH31B-05    [Abstracts]
TI: An Imaging Spectrograph for Ground Based, Round-the-Clock Optical Aeronomy Studies
AU: * Chakrabarti, S
EM: supc@bu.edu
AF: Boston University, Center for Space Physics 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Pallamraju, D
EM: dpraju@bu.edu
AF: Boston University, Center for Space Physics 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AB: In recent years we have developed a high resolution imaging spectrograph at Boston University that is capable of unambiguously measuring faint airglow/auroral emissions buried in the bright solar background continuum of the daytime (solar zenith angle $<$ 90 deg) sky. Two versions of this instrument have been developed. A multi-wavelength implementation, called High Throughput Imaging Echelle Spectrograph (HiTIES), has been used to simultaneously measure several twilighttime/nighttime optical emissions located anywhere in the visible range at moderate (0.03 nm) resolution, while the High Resolution Imaging Spectrograph using Echelle grating (HIRISE) has been used to study daytime airglow and auroral emissions at higher (0.01 nm) resolution. Both of these rugged instruments have been deployed at Boston University as well as other sites (Sondre Stromfjord, Carmen Alto and Svaalbard) without any technical difficulties. They have been used to investigate such wide-ranging aeronomy problems as 630.0nm dayglow, forecasting of Equatorial Spread F development, sunlit cusp as well as the daytime aurora over Boston on October 30, 2003. These proof-of-concept experiments have demonstrated the value of this new tool for future studies of the dynamical processes in space physics and aeronomy. We are presently incorporating improved capabilities and have plans to deploy more than one spectrograph simultaneously for tomographic applications. In this paper we will review the scientific contributions we have made with these two instruments, our future plans and outline their possible role in the International Heliophysical Year.
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting