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| 2. |
- Lambert, A., et al.
(författare)
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Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder middle atmosphere water vapor and nitrous oxide measurements
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 112:D24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The quality of the version 2.2 (v2.2) middle atmosphere water vapor and nitrous oxide measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite is assessed. The impacts of the various sources of systematic error are estimated by a comprehensive set of retrieval simulations. Comparisons with correlative data sets from ground-based, balloon and satellite platforms operating in the UV/ visible, infrared and microwave regions of the spectrum are performed. Precision estimates are also validated, and recommendations are given on the data usage. The v2.2 H 2 O data have been improved over v1.5 by providing higher vertical resolution in the lower stratosphere and better precision above the stratopause. The single-profile precision is ∼0.2-0.3 ppmv (4-9%), and the vertical resolution is ∼3-4 km in the stratosphere. The precision and vertical resolution become worse with increasing height above the stratopause. Over the pressure range 0.1-0.01 hPa the precision degrades from 0.4 to 1.1 ppmv (6-34%), and the vertical resolution degrades to ∼12-16 km. The accuracy is estimated to be 0.2-0.5 ppmv (4-11%) for the pressure range 68-0.01 hPa. The scientifically useful range of the H 2 O data is from 316 to 0.002 hPa, although only the 82-0.002 hPa pressure range is validated here. Substantial improvement has been achieved in the v2.2 N 2 O data over v1.5 by reducing a significant low bias in the stratosphere and eliminating unrealistically high biased mixing ratios in the polar regions. The single-profile precision is ∼13-25 ppbv (7-38%), the vertical resolution is ∼4-6 km and the accuracy is estimated to be 3-70 ppbv (9-25%) for the pressure range 100-4.6 hPa. The scientifically useful range of the N 2 O data is from 100 to 1 hPa. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
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| 3. |
- Barret, B., et al.
(författare)
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Intercomparisons of trace gases profiles from the Odin/SMR and Aura/MLS limb sounders
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 111:D21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents the intercomparison of O(3), HNO(3), ClO, N(2)O and CO profiles measured by the two spaceborne microwave instruments MLS ( Microwave Limb Sounder) and SMR ( Submillimetre Radiometer) on board the Aura and Odin satellites, respectively. We compared version 1.5 level 2 data from MLS with level 2 data produced by the French data processor version 222 and 225 and by the Swedish data processor version 2.0 for several days in September 2004 and in March 2005. For the five gases studied, an overall good agreement is found between both instruments. Most of the observed discrepancies between SMR and MLS are consistent with results from other intercomparison studies involving MLS or SMR. O(3) profiles retrieved from the SMR 501.8 GHz band are noisier than MLS profiles but mean biases between both instruments do not exceed 10%. SMR HNO(3) profiles are biased low relative to MLS's by similar to 30% above the profile peak. In the lower stratosphere, MLS ClO profiles are biased low by up to 0.3 ppbv relative to coincident SMR profiles, except in the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex in the presence of chlorine activation. N(2)O profiles from both instruments are in very good agreement with mean biases not exceeding 15%. Finally, the intercomparison between SMR and MLS CO profiles has shown a good agreement from the middle stratosphere to the middle mesosphere in spite of strong oscillations in the MLS profiles. In the upper mesosphere, MLS CO concentrations are biased high relative to SMR while negative values in the MLS retrievals are responsible for a negative bias in the tropics around 30 hPa.
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| 4. |
- Chiavassa, A., et al.
(författare)
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The extended atmosphere and circumstellar environment of the cool evolved star VX Sagittarii as seen by MATISSE star
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 658
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. VX Sgr is a cool, evolved, and luminous red star whose stellar parameters are difficult to determine, which affects its classification.Aims. We aim to spatially resolve the photospheric extent as well as the circumstellar environment.Methods. We used interferometric observations obtained with the MATISSE instrument in the L (3-4 mu m), M (4.5-5 mu m), and N (8-13 mu m) bands. We reconstructed monochromatic images using the MIRA software. We used 3D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations carried out with (COBOLD)-B-5 and a uniform disc model to estimate the apparent diameter and interpret the stellar surface structures. Moreover, we employed the radiative transfer codes OPTIM3D and RADMC3D to compute the spectral energy distribution for the L, M, and N bands, respectively.Results. MATISSE observations unveil, for the first time, the morphology of VX Sgr across the L, M, and N bands. The reconstructed images show a complex morphology with brighter areas whose characteristics depend on the wavelength probed. We measured the angular diameter as a function of the wavelength and showed that the photospheric extent in the L and M bands depends on the opacity through the atmosphere. In addition to this, we also concluded that the observed photospheric inhomogeneities can be interpreted as convection-related surface structures. The comparison in the N band yielded a qualitative agreement between the N-band spectrum and simple dust radiative transfer simulations. However, it is not possible to firmly conclude on the interpretation of the current data because of the difficulty in constraing the model parameters using the limited accuracy of our absolute flux calibration.Conclusions. MATISSE observations and the derived reconstructed images unveil the appearance of VX Sgr's stellar surface and circumstellar environment across a very large spectral domain for the first time.
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| 5. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
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The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT)
- 2012
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Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 34:2, s. 415-444
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-time-resolution X-ray observations of compact objects provide direct access to strong-field gravity, to the equation of state of ultradense matter and to black hole masses and spins. A 10 m(2)-class instrument in combination with good spectral resolution is required to exploit the relevant diagnostics and answer two of the fundamental questions of the European Space Agency (ESA) Cosmic Vision Theme "Matter under extreme conditions", namely: does matter orbiting close to the event horizon follow the predictions of general relativity? What is the equation of state of matter in neutron stars? The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT), selected by ESA as one of the four Cosmic Vision M3 candidate missions to undergo an assessment phase, will revolutionise the study of collapsed objects in our galaxy and of the brightest supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. Thanks to an innovative design and the development of large-area monolithic silicon drift detectors, the Large Area Detector (LAD) on board LOFT will achieve an effective area of similar to 12 m(2) (more than an order of magnitude larger than any spaceborne predecessor) in the 2-30 keV range (up to 50 keV in expanded mode), yet still fits a conventional platform and small/medium-class launcher. With this large area and a spectral resolution of < 260 eV, LOFT will yield unprecedented information on strongly curved spacetimes and matter under extreme conditions of pressure and magnetic field strength.
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| 6. |
- Santee, M.L., et al.
(författare)
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Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder ClO Measurements
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:D15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We assess the quality of the version 2.2 (v2.2) ClO measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Earth Observing System Aura satellite. The MLS v2.2 ClO data are scientifically useful over the range 100 to 1 hPa, with a single- profile precision of similar to 0.1 ppbv throughout most of the vertical domain. Vertical resolution is similar to 3-4 km. Comparisons with climatology and correlative measurements from a variety of different platforms indicate that both the amplitude and the altitude of the peak in the ClO profile in the upper stratosphere are well determined by MLS. The latitudinal and seasonal variations in the ClO distribution in the lower stratosphere are also well determined, but a substantial negative bias is present in both daytime and nighttime mixing ratios at retrieval levels below (i. e., pressures larger than) 22 hPa. Outside of the winter polar vortices, this negative bias can be eliminated by subtracting gridded or zonal mean nighttime values from the individual daytime measurements. In studies for which knowledge of lower stratospheric ClO mixing ratios inside the winter polar vortices to better than a few tenths of a ppbv is needed, however, day - night differences are not recommended and the negative bias must be corrected for by subtracting the estimated value of the bias from the individual measurements at each affected retrieval level.
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| 7. |
- Santee, M.L., et al.
(författare)
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Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder HNO3 Measurements
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 112:D24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- [1] We assess the quality of the version 2.2 (v2.2) HNO(3) measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Earth Observing System Aura satellite. The MLS HNO(3) product has been greatly improved over that in the previous version (v1.5), with smoother profiles, much more realistic behavior at the lowest retrieval levels, and correction of a high bias caused by an error in one of the spectroscopy files used in v1.5 processing. The v2.2 HNO(3) data are scientifically useful over the range 215 to 3.2 hPa, with single-profile precision of similar to 0.7 ppbv throughout. Vertical resolution is 3-4 km in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, degrading to similar to 5 km in the middle and upper stratosphere. The impact of various sources of systematic uncertainty has been quantified through a comprehensive set of retrieval simulations. In aggregate, systematic uncertainties are estimated to induce in the v2.2 HNO(3) measurements biases that vary with altitude between +/- 0.5 and +/- 2 ppbv and multiplicative errors of +/- 5-15% throughout the stratosphere, rising to similar to +/- 30% at 215 hPa. Consistent with this uncertainty analysis, comparisons with correlative data sets show that relative to HNO(3) measurements from ground- based, balloon- borne, and satellite instruments operating in both the infrared and microwave regions of the spectrum, MLS v2.2 HNO(3) mixing ratios are uniformly low by 10-30% throughout most of the stratosphere. Comparisons with in situ measurements made from the DC-8 and WB-57 aircraft in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere indicate that the MLS HNO(3) values are low in this region as well, but are useful for scientific studies (with appropriate averaging).
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| 8. |
- Weigelt, G., et al.
(författare)
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VLTI-MATISSE chromatic aperture-synthesis imaging of eta Carinae's stellar wind across the Br alpha line Periastron passage observations in February 2020
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 652
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Eta Carinae is a highly eccentric, massive binary system (semimajor axis similar to 15.5 au) with powerful stellar winds and a phase-dependent wind-wind collision (WWC) zone. The primary star, eta Car A, is a luminous blue variable (LBV); the secondary, eta Car B, is a Wolf-Rayet or O star with a faster but less dense wind. Aperture-synthesis imaging allows us to study the mass loss from the enigmatic LBV eta Car. Understanding LBVs is a crucial step toward improving our knowledge about massive stars and their evolution. Aims. Our aim is to study the intensity distribution and kinematics of eta Car's WWC zone. Methods. Using the VLTI-MATISSE mid-infrared interferometry instrument, we perform Br alpha imaging of eta Car's distorted wind. Results. We present the first VLTI-MATISSE aperture-synthesis images of eta Car A's stellar windin several spectral channels distributed across the Br alpha 4.052 mu m line (spectral resolving power R similar to 960). Our observations were performed close to periastron passage in February 2020 (orbital phase similar to 14.0022). The reconstructed iso-velocity images show the dependence of the primary stellar wind on wavelength or line-of-sight (LOS) velocity with a spatial resolution of 6 mas (similar to 14 au). The radius of the faintest outer wind regions is similar to 26 mas (similar to 60 au). At several negative LOS velocities, the primary stellar wind is less extended to the northwest than in other directions. This asymmetry is most likely caused by the WWC. Therefore, we see both the velocity field of the undisturbed primary wind and the WWC cavity. In continuum spectral channels, the primary star wind is more compact than in line channels. A fit of the observed continuum visibilities with the visibilities of a stellar wind CMFGEN model (CMFGEN is an atmosphere code developed to model the spectra of a variety of objects) provides a full width at half maximum fit diameter of the primary stellar wind of 2.84 +/- 0.06 mas (6.54 +/- 0.14 au). We comparethe derived intensity distributions with the CMFGEN stellar wind model and hydrodynamic WWC models.
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| 9. |
- Wells, M., et al.
(författare)
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The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, VI: The Medium Resolution Spectrometer
- 2015
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Ingår i: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. - : IOP Publishing. - 0004-6280 .- 1538-3873. ; 127:953, s. 646-664
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe the design and performance of the Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) for the JWST-MIRI instrument. The MRS incorporates four coaxial spectral channels in a compact opto-mechanical layout that generates spectral images over fields of view up to 7.7 x 7.7 '' in extent and at spectral resolving powers ranging from 1300 to 3700. Each channel includes an all-reflective integral field unit (IFU): an "image slicer" that reformats the input field for presentation to a grating spectrometer. Two 1024 x 1024 focal plane detector arrays record the output spectral images with an instantaneous spectral coverage of approximately one third of the full wavelength range of each channel. The full 5-28.5 mu m spectrum is then obtained by making three exposures using gratings and pass-band-determining filters that are selected using just two three-position mechanisms. The expected on-orbit optical performance is presented, based on testing of the MIRI Flight Model and including spectral and spatial coverage and resolution. The point spread function of the reconstructed images is shown to be diffraction limited and the optical transmission is shown to be consistent with the design expectations.
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