Rocket-Borne Cryogenic Interferometer Spectrometer Used For An Artificial Auroral Measurement

John C. Kemp; Ronald J. Huppi

doi:10.1117/12.959330

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3 November 1980 Rocket-Borne Cryogenic Interferometer Spectrometer Used For An Artificial Auroral Measurement

John C. Kemp, Ronald J. Huppi

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Proceedings Volume 0245, Cryogenically Cooled Sensor Technology; (1980) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.959330
Event: 24th Annual Technical Symposium, 1980, San Diego, United States

Abstract

A unique flexural pivot mirror translation system was used in the fabrication of a cryogenic Michelson interferometer spectrometer. Uniform cooling was obtained by placing the interferometer inside a convective atmosphere within a liquid nitrogen dewar. The interferometer was flown as part of the EXCEDE SPECTRAL rocket payload which also included electron accelerators to produce artificial auroras. The interferometer successfully measured infrared upper-atmospheric emissions within the spectral range 2.0 to 5.6 μm as induced by the pulsed electron accelerators. Observed emissions include the N2 Wu Benesch infrared system, the N₂ McFarlane infrared system and CO₂. In addition, H2O outgassing from the payload was observed. The 2 cm^-1 spectral resolution of the interferometer clearly assisted in the unique identification of the dominant emissions based on their characteristic molecular band profiles.

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John C. Kemp and Ronald J. Huppi "Rocket-Borne Cryogenic Interferometer Spectrometer Used For An Artificial Auroral Measurement", Proc. SPIE 0245, Cryogenically Cooled Sensor Technology, (3 November 1980); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.959330

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