HR: 0800h
AN: SA31A-10    [Abstracts]
TI: First Light for the Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer to Detect Thermospheric Neutral Oxygen Density via Bowen Fluorescence at 844.6 nm
AU: * Watchorn, S
EM: steve@sci-sol.com
AF: Scientific Solutions, Inc., 55 Middlesex St. Unit 210, North Chelmsford, MA 01863-1561, United States
AU: Noto, J
EM: noto@sci-sol.com
AF: Scientific Solutions, Inc., 55 Middlesex St. Unit 210, North Chelmsford, MA 01863-1561, United States
AU: Migliozzi, M
EM: migliozzi@sci-sol.com
AF: Scientific Solutions, Inc., 55 Middlesex St. Unit 210, North Chelmsford, MA 01863-1561, United States
AU: Waldrop, L
EM: lwaldrop@express.cites.uiuc.edu
AF: College of Engineering University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, 306 Engineering Hall, MC 266 1308 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
AB: This project involves the spectroscopic observation of neutral oxygen via Bowen fluorescence at 844.0 nm using the Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer. This will allow for the determination of neutral oxygen densities in the thermopshere, and for improved forward modeling of the dynamics of that important region between 250 and 500 km (where neutral oxygen is the dominant species). The values for the neutral oxygen density will be derived from the observations following the technique developed by Dr. Redgie Lancaster. The specific relations between O and O+ in the thermosphere and ionosphere -- involving charge exchange equilibrium and ion energy balance -- will be constrained with this data. The data will also probe the inferred discrepancy between the neutral oxygen density values calculated from O I airglow observations at 6300 Angstroms and those calculated from MSIS theory. The Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) is a novel kind of interferometer, capable of high-resolution spectroscopy without internal scanning mechanisms. It thus combines the etendue and compactness advantages conventional interferometers (such as the Michelson and Fabry-Perot) enjoy over slit spectrometers with a greatly increased robustness that makes it particularly suited to studies from space platforms or in harsh environments on Earth. Such applications in astronomy and atmospheric science are now being developed. The SHS developed for this project will make ground-based observations of Bowen fluorescence at the Millstone Hill Observatory beginning in March 2007. The expected signal strength is in the range of a few to tens of Rayleighs, observed around sunset, and the SHS will observe it with a signal-to-noise ratio of 600, including a 3- Angstrom narrowband filter.
DE: 0355 Thermosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly