A New Era in Ground-Based Optical Aeronomy at Millstone Hill

研究人员将在马萨诸塞州的米尔斯通山天文台使用先进的光学仪器研究中间层和热层的动力学。这是一项涉及波士顿大学(BU)、国家大气研究中心(NCAR)、科学解决方案公司(SSI)和米尔斯通山麻省理工学院工作人员的多机构合作努力。对成像、强度、温度和风的联合测量将在以下几个领域产生重要的新见解：重力波传播特征如何支配该区域的能量和动量沉积速率；在电离层/热层系统内观测到的大尺度密度梯度和移动大气扰动的形成机制和行为；以及它们与地磁暴和空间天气的关系。此外，负责中间层和热层之间能量和动量输送的向上耦合过程和机制将是研究的中心领域。将首次在夜间和白天测量大约95-300公里区域三个不同高度区域的几个热层排放，以提供连续的24小时系列测量。这些测量值将通过波士顿大学设计和建造的新的多波长日间梯形光谱仪获得。连续测量将提供中间层和热层整个高度范围内几个大尺度动力学过程的不间断时间历史，如重力波活动、潮汐、行星波、旅行大气扰动、稳定的极光红弧和极光。新的光谱仪是未来白天成像法布里-珀罗涉仪(FPI)的前奏，它将产生24小时的中性温度和风的覆盖。此外，对现有的两台法布里-珀罗涉仪进行了重大翻修，将提供中间层和热层三个高度区域(87公里、96公里和250公里)的光学风和温度测量。从这项工作中获得的数据集将以快速浏览图像、电影和温度数据的形式在www.buImaging.com上提供。它们还将提交给雪松和Madrigal数据库。为了让更广泛的空气学社区参与进来，研究人员将在每个季节在米尔斯通主持客座观测和/或仪器项目，并将为感兴趣的用户提供帮助。作为波士顿大学屋顶天文台公众观察之夜计划的一部分，研究人员将就地球上层大气、其组成、动力学、日变化和季节变化以及地球与太阳系其他行星之间的关系进行几次演讲。

The investigators will study the dynamics of the mesosphere and thermosphere using advanced optical instrumentation at the Millstone Hill Observatory in Massachusetts. This is a multi-institution collaborative effort involving Boston University (BU), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Scientific Solutions Incorporated (SSI), and the MIT staff at Millstone Hill. The combined imaging, intensity, temperature and wind measurements will yield important new insights in several areas: how gravity wave propagation characteristics governs energy and momentum deposition rates in the region, the formation mechanisms and behavior of the large-scale density gradients and traveling atmospheric disturbances observed within the ionosphere/thermosphere system, and their relationship to geomagnetic storms and space weather. In addition, the upward coupling processes and mechanisms responsible for energy and momentum transport between the mesosphere and thermosphere will be a central area of study. Several thermospheric emissions at three different height regimes in the ~95-300 km region will, for the first time, be measured during both the night and daytime to provide a continuous 24-hour series of measurements. The measurements will be obtained with a new multi-wavelength daytime echelle spectrograph designed and built at Boston University. The continuous measurements will provide uninterrupted time histories of several large-scale dynamical processes, such as gravity wave activity, tides, planetary waves, traveling atmospheric disturbances, Stable Auroral Red arcs, and aurora, over the entire altitude range of the mesosphere and thermosphere. The new spectrograph is a prelude to a future daytime imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) which will yield 24-hour coverage of neutral temperatures and winds. In addition, a major refurbishment of the two existing Fabry-Perot Interferometers, will provide optical wind and temperature measurements from three altitude regions (87 km, 96 km, and 250 km) in the mesosphere and thermosphere. The datasets obtained from this work will be made available at www.buimaging.com in the form of quick-look images, movies, and temperature data. They will also be submitted to the CEDAR and MADRIGAL databases. In an effort to involve the wider aeronomy community, the investigators will host guest observing and/or instrument programs at Millstone during each season and will provide assistance to interested users. As part of the public observing nights program at the Boston University roof observatory, the investigators will present several talks on the Earth's upper atmosphere, its composition, dynamics, and daily and seasonal variations, and how the Earth relates to the other planets in the solar system.