Intercalibration of SUMER and CDS on SOHO. II. SUMER Detectors A and B and CDS NIS

Results of an intercalibration between the extreme-ultraviolet spectrometers Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) and Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) are reported. The results of the joint observing program Intercal_01 are described, and intercalibration results up to July 2000 of both SUMER detectors A and B and of the CDS Normal Incidence Spectrometer (NIS) are presented. The instruments simultaneously observed radiance of emission lines at the center of the Sun, and three lines have been chosen for intercomparison: He i 584 A, Mg x 609 A, and Mg x 624 A. Initially the same area was observed by both instruments, but, after restrictions were imposed by the scanning mechanism of SUMER in November 1996, the instruments viewed areas of different sizes. Nevertheless, the temporal correlation between the two instruments remained good through June 1998, when contact with the SOHO spacecraft was lost. Until then the CDS instrument measured (33 ? 5)% and (38 ? 7)% (?1varsigma) higher intensity than SUMER in the He i 584-A line on average for detectors A and B, respectively. Data from SUMER detector B agreed well for Mg x 609 A and Mg x 624 A with the CDS intensities, showing offsets of (2 ? 10)% and (9 ? 15)%, much less than the data of detector A with offsets of (7 ? 8)% and (16 ? 7)% for the two lines, respectively, relative to CDS. Finally, the intercalibration measurements after the loss and recovery of the SOHO spacecraft are analyzed. The data for observations from November 1998 to July 2000 are compared, and it is shown that, although the responses of the instruments have changed, the CDS and the SUMER still perform well, and their temporal correlation is good.     

Intercalibration of SUMER and CDS on SOHO. I. SUMER detector A and CDS NIS

The results of an intercalibration between the extreme ultraviolet spectrometers Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) and Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) are presented. During the joint observing program Intercal_01, CDS and SUMER were pointed at the same locations in quiet Sun areas and observed in the same wavelength bands located around the spectral lines He i 584 A, Mg x 609 A, and Mg x 624 A. The data sets analyzed here consist of raster images recorded by the CDS normal-incidence spectrometer and SUMER detector A and span the time from March 1996 to August 1996. Effects of the different spatial and spectral resolutions of both instruments have been investigated and taken into account in the analysis. We find that CDS measures generally a 30% higher intensity than SUMER in the He i 584-A line, while it measures 9% and 17% higher intensities in Mg x 609 A and Mg x 624 A, respectively. Both instruments show very good temporal correlation and stability, indicating that solar variations dominate over changes in instrumental sensitivity. Our analysis also provides in-flight estimates of the CDS spatial point-spread functions.     

Radiometric Calibration Tracking of the Vacuum-Ultraviolet Spectrometer SUMER During the First Year of the SOHO Mission

Detailed radiometric calibration tracking of the vacuum-ultravioletspectrometer SUMER (from solar ultraviolet measurements of emittedradiation) was performed during the first year of the Solar andHeliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission and will continue. Inview of the flight history of many previous solar UV instruments, thestability of calibration of the extreme-ultraviolet instruments on SOHOhas been a major concern. Results obtained during the first year ofoperation show that excellent radiometric stability has been achievedwith SUMER. These results were accomplished by stringentcleanliness and contamination-control procedures during all phases ofthe project. We describe the strategy and results of the in-flightcalibration tracking program performed with SUMER.     

Radiometric calibration of SUMER: refinement of the laboratory results under operational conditions on SOHO

The radiometric calibration of the solar telescope and spectrometer SUMER was carried out in the laboratory before delivery of the instrument for integration into the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. Although this effort led to a reasonable coverage of the wavelength range from 53.70 to 146.96 nm, uncalibrated portions of the sensitivity curves remained before SUMER became operational in early 1996. Thereafter it was possible to perform extrapolations and interpolations of the calibration curves of detector A to shorter, longer, and intermediate wavelengths by using emission line pairs with known intensity ratios. The spectra of the stars alpha and rho Leonis were also observed on the KBr (potassium bromide) photocathode and the bare microchannel plate (MCP) in the range from 120 to 158 nm. In addition, the sensitivity ratios of the KBr photocathode to the bare MCP were determined for many solar lines as well as the H i Lyman and the thermal continua. The results have been found to be consistent with published laboratory data. The uncertainty is +/-15% (1 varsigma) in the wavelength range from 54 to 125 nm.     

Radiometric calibration of the vacuum-ultraviolet spectrograph SUMER on the SOHO spacecraft with the B detector

The Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) vacuum-ultraviolet spectrograph was calibrated in the laboratory before the integration of the instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft in 1995. During the scientific operation of the SOHO it has been possible to track the radiometric calibration of the SUMER spectrograph since March 1996 by a strategy that employs various methods to update the calibration status and improve the coverage of the spectral calibration curve. The results for the A Detector were published previously [Appl. Opt. 36, 6416 (1997)]. During three years of operation in space, the B detector was used for two and one-half years. We describe the characteristics of the B detector and present results of the tracking and refinement of the spectral calibration curves with it. Observations of the spectra of the stars alpha and rho Leonis permit an extrapolation of the calibration curves in the range from 125 to 149.0 nm. Using a solar coronal spectrum observed above the solar disk, we can extrapolate the calibration curves by measuring emission line pairs with well-known intensity ratios. The sensitivity ratio of the two photocathode areas can be obtained by registration of many emission lines in the entire spectral range on both KBr-coated and bare parts of the detector's active surface. The results are found to be consistent with the published calibration performed in the laboratory in the wavelength range from 53 to 124 nm. We can extrapolate the calibration outside this range to 147 nm with a relative uncertainty of ?30% (1varsigma) for wavelengths longer than 125 nm and to 46.5 nm with 50% uncertainty for the short-wavelength range below 53 nm.     

Radiometric calibration of the telescope and ultraviolet spectrometer SUMER on SOHO

The prelaunch spectral-sensitivity calibration of the solar spectrometer SUMER (Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation) is described. SUMER is part of the payload of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), which begins its scientific mission in 1996. The instrument consists of a telescope and a spectrometer capable of taking spatially and spectrally highly resolved images of the Sun in a spectral range from 50 to 161 nm. The pointing capabilities, the dynamic range, and the sensitivity of the instrument allow measurements both on the solar disk and above the limb as great as two solar radii. To determine plasma temperatures and densities in the solar atmosphere, the instrument needs an absolute spectral-sensitivity calibration. Here we describe the prelaunch calibration of the full instrument, which utilizes a radiometric transfer-standard source. The transfer standard was based on a high-current hollow-cathode discharge source. It had been calibrated in the laboratory for vacuum UV radiometry of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt by use of the calculable spectral photon flux of the Berlin electron storage ring for synchrotron radiation (BESSY)-a primary radiometric source standard.     

Polarization sensitivity of the SUMER instrument on SOHO

The Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite is sensitive to the state of linear polarization of the incident radiation primarily owing to two optical elements, the holographic grating and the wavelength scan mirror. The large angle of incidence of light striking the scan mirror, which varies from roughly 73.3 degrees to 81.6 degrees (with respect to the mirror normal), causes the mirror to act as a linear polarizer. Similarly, the spectrometer grating operates at incidence angles between 16.7 degrees and 35.0 degrees , adding to the polarization effect at some wavelengths. Measurement and characterization of this polarization sensitivity as a function of wavelength were performed with the engineering model optics (scan mirror and grating) and synchrotron radiation, which is nearly 100% linearly polarized, from the Super Anneau de Collisions d'Orsay (SUPERACO) positron storage ring in Orsay. The polarization sensitivity or modulation factor of the SUMER instrument was found to be between 0.4 and 0.6, depending on the wavelength and the angle of incidence of light striking the scan mirror; this agrees with the calculated polarization properties based on the measured optical constants for the silicon carbide mirror and grating.     

Exposure of aircraft crew to cosmic radiation: on-board intercomparison of various dosemeters

Owing to their professional activity, flight crews may receive a dose of some millisieverts within a year; airline passengers may also be concerned. The effective dose is to be estimated using various experimental and calculation tools. The European project DOSMAX (Dosimetry of Aircrew Exposure during Solar Maximum) was initiated in 2000 extending to 2004 to complete studies over the current solar cycle during the solar maximum phase. To compare various dosemeters in real conditions simultaneously in the same radiation field, an intercomparison was organised aboard a Paris-Tokyo round-trip flight. Both passive and active detectors were used. Good agreement was observed for instruments determining the different components of the radiation field; the mean ambient dose equivalent for the round trip was 129 +/- 10 microSv. The agreement of values obtained for the total dose obtained by measurements and by calculations is very satisfying.     

Effect of ambient temperature on Robertson-Berger-type erythemal dosimeters

To quantify the effect of ambient temperature on the voltage signal of Solar Light UV-Biometers, spectral response functions of two instruments were determined in the laboratory under various external temperature conditions. Despite the biometer's internal temperature stabilization, a temperature increase of 20 degrees C at the outside of an instrument's housing resulted in a reduction of the instrument's spectral response by as much as 10% in the UVB range and by as much as a factor of 2 in the UVA range, depending on the individual instrument and on its internal relative humidity. The significance of this effect for outdoor measurements is demonstrated by data from an intercomparison campaign of erythemal radiometers in Thessaloniki, Greece, organized by the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), the Cooperation in Science and Technology (European Commission), and the World Meteorological Organization. On 16 September 1999, 12 of 16 Solar Light Biometers showed significant diurnal variation in their sensitivity (as much as 10% for some individual instruments), which can be explained through a heating of the instruments' housings due to direct solar radiation.     

SeaWiFS long-term solar diffuser reflectance and sensor noise analyses

The NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group's Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) team has undertaken an analysis of the mission-long Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) solar calibration time series to assess the long-term degradation of the solar diffuser reflectance over 9 years on orbit. The SeaWiFS diffuser is an aluminum plate coated with YB71 paint. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function of the diffuser was not fully characterized before launch, so the Cal/Val team has implemented a regression of the solar incidence angles and the drift in the node of the satellite's orbit against the diffuser time series to correct for solar incidence angle effects. An exponential function with a time constant of 200 days yields the best fit to the diffuser time series. The decrease in diffuser reflectance over the mission is wavelength dependent, ranging from 9% in the blue (412 nm) to 5% in the red and near infrared (670-865 nm). The Cal/Val team has developed a methodology for computing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for SeaWiFS on orbit from the diffuser time series corrected for both the varying solar incidence angles and the diffuser reflectance degradation. A sensor noise model is used to compare on-orbit SNRs computed for radiances reflected from the diffuser with prelaunch SNRs measured at typical radiances specified for the instrument. To within the uncertainties in the measurements, the SNRs for SeaWiFS have not changed over the mission. The on-orbit performance of the SeaWiFS solar diffuser should offer insight into the long-term on-orbit performance of solar diffusers on other instruments, such as the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer [currently flying on the Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra and Aqua satellites], the Visible and Infrared Radiometer Suite [scheduled to fly on the NASA National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellites] and the Advanced Baseline Imager [scheduled to fly on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellite Series R (GOES-R) satellites].     

The advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflectance radiometer (Aster)

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER) is the only high-spatial-resolution multispectral imager scheduled to fly in Earth orbit on the first platform of NASA's Earth Observation System (EOS-A). The instrument will nave three bands in the visible near infrared with 15-m spatial resolution, six bands in the short-wave infrared with 30-m spatial resolution and five bands in the thermal infrared with 90-m spatial resolution. There will be an additional band in the near infrared with 15-m spatial resolution that will provide same-orbit stereo data when combined with the corresponding nadir viewing band. The ASTER instrument is being built by the Japanese Government based on the scientific requirements of the ASTER science team. This team consists of Japanese and American scientists, who will also be responsible for the development of algorithms for data reduction and analysis. The ASTER will be able to address a variety of science objectives identified by the EOS global change program. ASTER will provide surface temperatures and emissivity estimates, surface reflected radiances and digital elevation models at a spatial scale that will allow detailed process studies for MODIS and other global monitoring instruments at the subpixel level. Existing aircraft instruments can be used to simulate data that will be provided by ASTER. Examples are shown here of surface temperature mapping, surface compositional mapping, and digital elevation models derived from the NASA Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner, the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, and aerial photography.     

Retrieval of CO from nadir remote-sensing measurements in the infrared by use of four different inversion algorithms

Four inversion schemes based on various retrieval approaches (digital gas correlation, nonlinear least squares, global fit adjustment, and neural networks) developed to retrieve CO from nadir radiances measured by such downward-looking satelliteborne instruments as the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT), the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instruments were compared both for simulated cases and for atmospheric spectra recorded by the Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases (IMG). The sensitivity of the retrieved CO total column amount to properties that may affect the inversion accuracy (noise, ancillary temperature profile, and water-vapor content) was investigated. The CO column amounts for the simulated radiance spectra agreed within 4%, whereas larger discrepancies were obtained when atmospheric spectra recorded by the IMG instrument were analyzed. The assumed vertical temperature profile is shown to be a critical parameter for accurate CO retrieval. The instrument's line shape was also identified as a possible cause of disagreement among the result provided by the groups of scientist who are participating in this study.     

Performance of ion-figured silicon carbide SUMER telescope mirror in the vacuum ultraviolet

Measured and theoretical encircled energy and small-angle scatter of the telescope mirror (SST) of the solar ultraviolet measurements of emitted radiation (SUMER) instrument are compared at the wavelength of 123.6 nm. Mirror performance modeling was accomplished with the Optical Surface Analysis Code software package. The modeling is based on measured mirror-surface figure error data and roughness characteristics covering all important spatial frequencies that affect imaging in the vacuum ultraviolet wavelength region. Mirror-surface errors were measured with a Zygo Mark IV interferometer, Bauer Model 200 Profiler, and WYKO Topo 2-D (two-dimensional) interferometer. Performance of the SST mirror, including encircled energy and small-angle scatter, was also directly measured. A good agreement is found between measured and theoretical encircled energy within 6 arcsec and small-angle scatter up to ~50 arcmin from the peak. The 80% encircled energy diameter of the SST mirror is ~1.9 arcsec, and the amount of scattered light drops to approximately 1.0 × 10(-10) of peak irradiance (normalized to 1 arcsec(2) in the focal plane) 50 arcmin from the peak. Vacuum ultraviolet performance of the mirror is degraded primarily by midfrequency errors.     

Undersampling correction for array detector-based satellite spectrometers

Array detector-based instruments are now fundamental to measurements of ozone and other atmospheric trace gases from space in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared. The present generation of such instruments suffers, to a greater or lesser degree, from undersampling of the spectra, leading to difficulties in the analysis of atmospheric radiances. We provide extended analysis of the undersampling suffered by modern satellite spectrometers, which include the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment, Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography, Ozone Monitoring Instrument, and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite. The analysis includes basic undersampling, the effects of binning into separate detector pixels, and the application of high-resolution Fraunhofer spectral data to correct for undersampling in many useful cases.     

The 1996 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers

Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. To assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks, the third North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held June 17–25, 1996 at Table Mountain outside Boulder, Colorado, USA. This Intercomparison was coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; the Department of Agriculture; and the Atmospheric Environment Service, Canada. The spectral irradiances of participants’ calibrated standard lamps were measured at NIST prior to the Intercomparison. The spectral irradiance scales used by the participants agreed with the NIST scale within the combined uncertainties, and for all lamps the spectral irradiance in the horizontal position was lower than that in the vertical position. Instruments were characterized for wavelength uncertainty, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity, the latter with NIST standard lamps operating in specially designed field calibration units. The spectral irradiance responsivity demonstrated instabilities for some instruments. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST standard lamps, the measured solar irradiances had some unexplained systematic differences between instruments.     

Simulated performance of a single pixel PIN spectrometer SCXM equipped with a concentrator optics in Solar coronal X-ray observations

In this paper we present simulated solar coronal X-ray observations to verify the sensitivity of a new hypothetical instrument design. These simulations are folded through this X-ray spectrometer having a moderate size circular field of view (FoV) of 1.6°. This SCXM (Solar Coronal X-ray Mapper) is designed to compose of a single pixel silicon PIN detector equipped with a single reflection double frustum X-ray optics. A moderate FoV would enable a morphological study of the expanded X-ray emission from the solar corona during a high activity of the Sun. The main scientific task of SCXM would be the mapping of the coronal X-ray emission, i.e. to resolve the radial distribution of the X-ray surface brightness around the Sun. These kinds of off-limb observations would help to interpret the coronal plasma diagnostics as a function of the elongation angle.Direct solar full disc observations could be also performed with SCXM. In this work we have applied real solar coronal X-ray data obtained by the SMART-1 XSM (X-ray Solar Monitor) [3] to simulate on-solar observations at different flux levels to derive full disc sensitivity and performance of SCXM.A challenging attempt for SCXM would also be to distinguish the X-ray spectrum of the decaying axions around the Sun. These axions are assumed to be created as side products of fusion reactions in the core of the Sun. These axions are predicted to be gravitationally trapped to orbit the Sun forming a halo-like X-ray emitting object. No signature of an axion X-ray emission around the Sun has been observed to this day.This simple X-ray spectrometer with an optical concentrator would be an inexpensive instrument with low mass and telemetry budgets compared with more accurate X-ray instruments of imaging capability. Hence SCXM would be an advanced choice as an auxiliary instrument for solar coronal X-ray observations.     

The 1995 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers

Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. To assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks, the second North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held June 12 to 23, 1995 at Table Mountain outside Boulder, Colorado, USA. This Intercomparison was coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; the Department of Agriculture; and the Atmospheric Environment Service, Canada. Instruments were characterized for wavelength uncertainty, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity, the latter with a NIST standard lamp operating in a specially designed field calibration unit. The spectral irradiance responsivity, determined once indoors and twice outdoors, demonstrated that while the responsivities changed upon moving the instruments, they were relatively stable when the instruments remained outdoors. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST standard lamp and three different convolution functions to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiances generally agreed to within 3 %.     

Radiative transfer model for aerosols in infrared wavelengths for passive remote sensing applications

A comprehensive analytical radiative transfer model for isothermal aerosols and vapors for passive infrared remote sensing applications (ground-based and airborne sensors) has been developed. The theoretical model illustrates the qualitative difference between an aerosol cloud and a chemical vapor cloud. The model is based on two and two/four stream approximations and includes thermal emission-absorption by the aerosols; scattering of diffused sky radiances incident from all sides on the aerosols (downwelling, upwelling, left, and right); and scattering of aerosol thermal emission. The model uses moderate resolution transmittance ambient atmospheric radiances as boundary conditions and provides analytical expressions for the information on the aerosol cloud that is contained in remote sensing measurements by using thermal contrasts between the aerosols and diffused sky radiances. Simulated measurements of a ground-based sensor viewing Bacillus subtilis var. niger bioaerosols and kaolin aerosols are given and discussed to illustrate the differences between a vapor-only model (i.e., only emission-absorption effects) and a complete model that adds aerosol scattering effects.     

The 1997 North American Interagency Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Spectroradiometers Including Narrowband Filter Radiometers

The fourth North American Intercomparison of Ultraviolet Monitoring Spectroradiometers was held September 15 to 25, 1997 at Table Mountain outside of Boulder, Colorado, USA. Concern over stratospheric ozone depletion has prompted several government agencies in North America to establish networks of spectroradiometers for monitoring solar ultraviolet irradiance at the surface of the Earth. The main purpose of the Intercomparison was to assess the ability of spectroradiometers to accurately measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, and to compare the results between instruments of different monitoring networks. This Intercomparison was coordinated by NIST and NOAA, and included participants from the ASRC, EPA, NIST, NSF, SERC, USDA, and YES. The UV measuring instruments included scanning spectroradiometers, spectrographs, narrow band multi-filter radiometers, and broadband radiometers. Instruments were characterized for wavelength accuracy, bandwidth, stray-light rejection, and spectral irradiance responsivity. The spectral irradiance responsivity was determined two to three times outdoors to assess temporal stability. Synchronized spectral scans of the solar irradiance were performed over several days. Using the spectral irradiance responsivities determined with the NIST traceable standard lamp, and a simple convolution technique with a Gaussian slit-scattering function to account for the different bandwidths of the instruments, the measured solar irradiance from the spectroradiometers excluding the filter radiometers at 16.5 h UTC had a relative standard deviation of ±4 % for wavelengths greater than 305 nm. The relative standard deviation for the solar irradiance at 16.5 h UTC including the filter radiometer was ±4 % for filter functions above 300 nm.