Collaborative Research: Maintenance, Operations and Data Analysis of Arecibo and Millstone Hill Interferometers

该项目支持操作和维护四台法布里-佩罗多普勒成像仪，其中两台在马萨诸塞州的米尔斯通山天文台，两台在波多黎各的阿雷西博天文台。这些仪器提供了关于地球中性成分S热层行为的数据，并有助于研究地球、S电离层和热层之间的相互作用，以响应太阳强迫作为一个系统。这将解决能量和动量在不同纬度和大气各层之间的分布问题。数据和业务将通过允许远程操作、数据收集和自动化分析的客户端-服务器架构进行集中。数据将继续每天在观测后数小时内发布到网络和Madrigal数据库。该项目将通过合作为本科生提供教育机会。空间科学研究所正在寻求非传统的教育机会，教育公众有关空间科学和光学的一般知识。ASTRA团队将利用米尔斯通山和阿雷西博的数据来调查午夜最高温度(MTM)的规模、出现频率和变化，以及高层热层的年和半年变化。这些结果将与TIMEGCM模型的输出进行比较。将在每个位置使用两种不同的技术来测量热层垂直风，一种是直接视线技术，另一种是根据水平风梯度推断垂直风的伯恩赛德技术。如果可以，这些垂直风将与每个位置的非相干散射雷达测量的垂直运动进行比较。这些观测可以相互比较和核实不同测量技术的准确性，最终将有助于更好地了解热层的三维动力学。

This project supports the operation and maintenance of four Fabry-Perot Doppler Imagers, two at the Millstone Hill Observatory in Massachusetts and two at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. These instruments provide data on the behavior of the neutral components of the Earth?s thermosphere, and contribute to studies of interactions among the Earth?s ionosphere and thermosphere in response to solar forcing as a system. This will address the distribution of energy and momentum throughout different latitudes and layers of the atmosphere. Data and operation will be centralized through a client-server architecture that allows for remote operation, data collection and automated analysis. Data will continue to be published to the web and Madrigal database daily, within hours of observation. The project will provide educational opportunities for undergraduate students through collaborations. SSI is pursuing non-traditional educational opportunities to educate the public about space science and optics in general. The ASTRA team will use the Millstone Hill and Arecibo data to investigate the magnitude, occurrence rate and variability of the midnight temperature maximum (MTM), and the annual and semiannual variability of the upper thermosphere. These results will be compared with TIMEGCM model output. Thermospheric vertical winds will be measured at each location using two different techniques, a direct line-of-sight technique and the Burnside technique where vertical winds are inferred from the horizontal wind gradient. When available these vertical winds will be compared to vertical motion measured by the incoherent scatter radars at each location. These observations allow for the inter-comparison and verification of the veracity of different measurement techniques and will ultimately allow for a better understanding of the 3-d dynamics of the thermosphere.