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

该项目支持4台Fabry-Perot多普勒成像仪的运行和维护，其中两台在马萨诸塞州的Millstone Hill天文台，另外两台在波多黎各的Arecibo天文台。这些仪器提供了地球中性成分行为的数据。并有助于研究地球之间的相互作用。美国电离层和热层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层层的分布。数据和操作将通过允许远程操作、数据收集和自动分析的客户机-服务器架构进行集中。数据将继续发布到网站和牧歌数据库每天，在数小时内观察。该项目将通过合作为本科生提供教育机会。SSI正在寻求非传统的教育机会，向公众普及空间科学和光学知识。ASTRA团队将使用Millstone Hill和Arecibo的数据来研究午夜最高温度（MTM）的大小、发生率和变动性，以及上层热层的年度和半年度变动性。这些结果将与TIMEGCM模型输出进行比较。热层垂直风将在每个地点使用两种不同的技术进行测量，一种是直接视线技术，另一种是伯恩赛德技术，从水平风梯度推断垂直风。在可用的情况下，这些垂直风将与每个地点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验证不同测量技术的准确性，最终可以更好地理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.