| 1. |
- Eberhart, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Atomic oxygen number densities in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region measured by solid electrolyte sensors on WADIS-2
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1867-1381 .- 1867-8548. ; 12:4, s. 2445-2461
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Absolute profiles of atomic oxygen number densities with high vertical resolution have been determined in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) region from in situ measurements by several rocket-borne solid electrolyte sensors. The amperometric sensors were operated in both controlled and uncontrolled modes and with various orientations on the foredeck and aft deck of the payload. Calibration was based on mass spectrometry in a molecular beam containing atomic oxygen produced in a microwave discharge. The sensor signal is proportional to the number flux onto the electrodes, and the mass flow rate in the molecular beam was additionally measured to derive this quantity from the spectrometer reading. Numerical simulations provided aerodynamic correction factors to derive the atmospheric number density of atomic oxygen from the sensor data. The flight results indicate a preferable orientation of the electrode surface perpendicular to the rocket axis. While unstable during the upleg, the density profiles measured by these sensors show an excellent agreement with the atmospheric models and photometer results during the downleg of the trajectory. The high spatial resolution of the measurements allows for the identification of small-scale variations in the atomic oxygen concentration.
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| 2. |
- Giono, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
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Photocurrent modelling and experimental confirmation for meteoric smoke particle detectors on board atmospheric sounding rockets
- 2018
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. - : COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH. - 1867-1381 .- 1867-8548. ; 11:9, s. 5299-5314
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Characterising the photoelectron current induced by the Sun's UV radiation is crucial to ensure accurate daylight measurements from particle detectors. This article lays out the methodology used to address this problem in the case of the meteoric smoke particle detectors (MSPDs), developed by the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kuhlungsborn (IAP) and flown on board the PMWEs (Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes) sounding rockets in April 2018. The methodology focuses on two complementary aspects: modelling and experimental measurements. A detailed model of the MSPD photocurrent was created based on the expected solar UV flux, the atmospheric UV absorption as a function of height by molecular oxygen and ozone, the photoelectric yield of the material coating the MSPD as a function of wavelength, the index of refraction of these materials as a function of wavelength and the angle of incidence of the illumination onto the MSPD. Due to its complex structure, composed of a central electrode shielded by two concentric grids, extensive ray-tracing calculations were conducted to obtain the incidence angles of the illumination on the central electrode, and this was done for various orientations of the MSPD in respect to the Sun. Results of the modelled photocurrent at different heights and for different materials, as well as for different orientations of the detector, are presented. As a pre-flight confirmation, the model was used to reproduce the experimental measurements conducted by Robertson et al. (2014) and agrees within an order of magnitude. An experimental setup for the calibration of the MSPD photocurrent is also presented. The photocurrent induced by the Lyman-alpha line from a deuterium lamp was recorded inside a vacuum chamber using a narrowband filter, while a UV-sensitive photodiode was used to monitor the UV flux. These measurements were compared with the model prediction, and also matched within an order of magnitude. Although precisely modelling the photocurrent is a challenging task, this article quantitatively improved the understanding of the photocurrent on the MSPD and discusses possible strategies to untangle the meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) current from the photocurrent recorded in-flight.
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| 3. |
- Grygalashvyly, Mykhaylo, et al.
(författare)
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Atmospheric band fitting coefficients derived from a self-consistent rocket-borne experiment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 19:2, s. 1207-1220
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on self-consistent rocket-borne measurements of temperature, the densities of atomic oxygen and neutral air, and the volume emission of the atmospheric band (762 nm), we examined the one-step and two-step excitation mechanism of O-2 (b(1)Sigma(+)(g)) for nighttime conditions. Following McDade et al. (1986), we derived the empirical fitting coefficients, which parameterize the atmospheric band emission O-2 (b(1)Sigma(+)(g) - X-3 Sigma(-)(g)) (0, 0). This allows us to derive the atomic oxygen concentration from nighttime observations of atmospheric band emission O-2 (b(1)Sigma(+)(g) - X-3 Sigma(-)(g)) (0, 0). The derived empirical parameters can also be utilized for atmospheric band modeling. Additionally, we derived the fit function and corresponding coefficients for the combined (one-and two-step) mechanism. The simultaneous common volume measurements of all the parameters involved in the theoretical calculation of the observed O-2 (b(1)Sigma(+)(g) - X-3 Sigma(-)(g)) (0, 0) emission, i.e., temperature and density of the background air, atomic oxygen density, and volume emission rate, is the novelty and the advantage of this work.
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| 4. |
- Grygalashvyly, Mykhaylo, et al.
(författare)
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Nighttime O(1D) and corresponding Atmospheric Band emission (762 nm) derived from rocket-borne experiment
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on common volume rocket-borne measurements of temperature, densities of atomic oxygen and neutral air, we derived O(D-1) nighttime concentrations and corresponding Atmospheric band emission (762 nm). This is one of the first retrievals of the nighttime O(D-1) concentration. Recently, Kalogerakis, Sharma and co-workers have suggested a new production path of O(D-1) based on the reaction of vibrationally excited OH and O. We calculate Atmospheric band volume emission related to the population of O-2(b(1)Sigma(+)(g)) from O(D-1) and compare with total Atmospheric band emissions observed during the same rocket launch. This allows an estimation of the relative contribution of the new Kalogerakis-Sharma mechanism (KSM) to the total Atmospheric band emission. The concentration of O(D-1) due to KSM amounts to several tens cm(-3) with a peak around 95 km. The KSM gives an essential contribution to the total Atmospheric band volume emission (762 nm). Additionally, we illustrate analytically that the expressions for volume emission by the new KSM and the traditional two-step mechanism have similar functional dependences on the atmospheric concentrations of O and O-2. This causes an ambiguity, when interpreting Atmospheric band observations in terms of the one mechanism or the other.
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| 5. |
- Rapp, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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Rocket-borne in situ measurements of meteor smoke : Charging properties and implications for seasonal variation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 115, s. D00I16-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rocket-borne observations of meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) are presented from three campaigns at polar latitudes (69 degrees N) in September 2006, and in the summers of 2007 and 2008. MSPs are detected using a novel technique based on photoelectron emission from the particles after stimulation by UV photons emitted by a xenon flashlamp. Resulting photoelectron currents are shown to be proportional to particle volume density. September results match model predictions qualitatively at altitudes from 65 to 85 km while measurements at higher altitudes are contaminated by photoelectrons from NO and O-2((1)Delta(g)). Contamination below this altitude can be excluded based on concurrent satellite observations. The observations show a large variability from flight to flight. Part of this variability can be attributed to differences in the charging of MSPs during day and night. Finally we find that MSP volume density in summer can exceed that during September. Analyzing model simulations of the global transport and microphysics of these particles, we show that our observations are in agreement with the model predictions, even though number densities of particles with radii >1 nm, which have long been thought to be suitable condensation nuclei for mesospheric ice particles, show the opposite behavior. It is shown that this discrepancy is caused by the fact that even larger particles (similar to 3 nm) dominate the volume density and that transport affects these different particle sizes in different ways. These results reinforce previous model findings according to which seasonal MSP variability is mainly driven by the global circulation and corresponding transport.
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| 6. |
- Strelnikov, Boris, et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous in situ measurements of small-scale structures in neutral, plasma, and atomic oxygen densities during the WADIS sounding rocket project
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 19:17, s. 11443-11460
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper we present an overview of measurements conducted during the WADIS-2 rocket campaign. We investigate the effect of small-scale processes like gravity waves and turbulence on the distribution of atomic oxygen and other species in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) region. Our analysis suggests that density fluctuations of atomic oxygen are coupled to fluctuations of other constituents, i.e., plasma and neutrals. Our measurements show that all measured quantities, including winds, densities, and temperatures, reveal signatures of both waves and turbulence. We show observations of gravity wave saturation and breakdown together with simultaneous measurements of generated turbulence. Atomic oxygen inside turbulence layers shows two different spectral behaviors, which might imply a change in its diffusion properties.
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| 7. |
- Strelnikov, Boris, et al.
(författare)
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Sounding rocket project PMWE for investigation of polar mesosphere winter echoes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A first sounding rocket campaign dedicated to investigate the creation mechanism of Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes (PMWE) was conducted in April 2018 from the north Norwegian Andøya Space Center (69 °N, 16 °E). Two instrumented sounding rockets were launched on 13th and 18th of April under PMWE and non-PMWE conditions, respectively. In this paper we give an overview of the PMWE sounding rocket mission. We describe and discuss some results of combined in situ and ground-based measurements which allow to verify existing PMWE theories. Our measurements ultimately show that: a) polar winter mesosphere is abounded with meteor smoke particles (MSP) and intermittent turbulent layers, b) all PMWE observed during this campaign can be explained by neutral air turbulence, c) turbulence creates small-scale structures in all D-region constituents, including free electrons; d) MSP ultimately influence the radar volume reflectivity by distorting the turbulence spectrum of electrons, e) the influence of MSP and of background electron density is just to increase SNR.
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| 8. |
- Strelnikov, Boris, et al.
(författare)
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Spatial and temporal variability in MLT turbulence inferred from in situ and ground-based observations during the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 35:3, s. 547-565
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In summer 2013 the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign was conducted at the Andoya Space Center (ACS) in northern Norway (69 degrees N, 16 degrees E). Among other things, it addressed the question of the variability in mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) turbulence, both in time and space. A unique feature of the WADIS project was multi-point turbulence sounding applying different measurement techniques including rocket-borne ionization gauges, VHF MAARSY radar, and VHF EISCAT radar near Tromso. This allowed for horizontal variability to be observed in the turbulence field in the MLT at scales from a few to 100 km. We found that the turbulence dissipation rate, epsilon varied in space in a wavelike manner both horizontally and in the vertical direction. This wavelike modulation reveals the same vertical wavelengths as those seen in gravity waves. We also found that the vertical mean value of radar observations of epsilon agrees reasonably with rocket-borne measurements. In this way defined value reveals clear tidal modulation and results in variation by up to 2 orders of magnitude with periods of 24 h. The value also shows 12 h and shorter (1 to a few hours) modulations resulting in one decade of variation in magnitude. The 24 h modulation appeared to be in phase with tidal change of horizontal wind observed by SAURA-MF radar. Such wavelike and, in particular, tidal modulation of the turbulence dissipation field in the MLT region inferred from our analysis is a new finding of this work.
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| 9. |
- Strelnikova, Irina, et al.
(författare)
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Measurements of meteor smoke particles during the ECOMA-2006 campaign. 2 : Results
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 71:3-4, s. 486-496
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first sounding rocket of the European ECOMA-project (ECOMA, Existence and Charge state Of Meteoric smoke particles in the middle Atmosphere) was launched on 8 September 2006. Measurements with a new particle detector described in the companion paper by Rapp and Strelnikova [2008. Measurements of meteor smoke particles during the ECOMA-2006 campaign: 1. Particle detection by active photoionization. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, this issue, doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2008.06.002] clearly showed meteor smoke particle (MSP) signatures in both data channels. The data channels measure particles directly impacting on the detector electrode and photoelectrons from the particles actively created using ionization by the UV-photons of a xenon-flashlamp. Measured photoelectron currents resemble model expectations of the shape of the MSP layer almost perfectly, whereas derived number densities in the altitude range 60–90 km are larger than model results by about a factor of 5. Given the large uncertainties inherent to both model and the analysis of our measurements (e.g., the composition of the particles is not known and must be assumed) we consider this a satisfactory agreement and proof that MSPs do extend throughout the entire mesosphere as predicted by models. The measurements of direct particle impacts revealed a confined layer of negative charge between 80 and 90 km. This limited altitude range, however, is quantitatively shown to be the consequence of the aerodynamics of the rocket flight and does not have any geophysical origin. Measured charge signatures are consistent with expectations of particle charging given our own measurements of the background ionization. Unfortunately, however, a contamination of these measurements from triboelectric charging cannot be excluded at this stage
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