Feasibility Study to Develop a Large Aperture Lidar/Optical Facility for Observations of the Upper Atmosphere from 30-1000km

开发用于 30-1000 公里高层大气观测的大口径激光雷达/光学设施的可行性研究

• 批准号: 1162271
• 负责人: Chester Gardner
• 金额: $ 14.81万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-15 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1162271&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Feasibility; Study; Develop; Large; Aperture

The investigators will examine the broad scientific rationale and develop detailed design requirements for a major new lidar/optical facility to study the chemistry and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere from the middle stratosphere (~30 km) to well into the thermosphere (~1000 km). The objectives are to identify the key scientific problems currently challenging the middle and upper atmospheric sciences communities and determine what new observational capabilities, especially large aperture lidar systems, could facilitate significant progress in addressing those problems. It is envisioned that the centerpiece of the new lidar/optical facility would be a ~100 square meter collecting aperture that would consist of a 3-4 meter diameter fully steerable telescope in combination with a large array of smaller fix-pointed telescopes. In addition the facility would include important correlative instruments such as radars, imagers, spectrometers and perhaps in situ measurement capabilities using balloon and rocket probes. The specific project objectives are: 1. To determine the key scientific problems currently challenging the middle and upper atmosphere communities (with emphasis on those problems that could potentially benefit from the measurements achievable by a large aperture lidar/optical facility), 2. To determine what new observational capabilities could facilitate significant progress in addressing those problems, 3. To develop the top level design and operational requirements for the large optical telescope that would serve as the centerpiece of the new observatory, 4. To determine the design and operational requirements for the lidar systems that would utilize the large telescope, 5. To determine the key correlative instrumentation that would be essential to realize the full potential of the new observatory, and 6. To determine where the facility should be located to make the greatest contribution to science and to insure maximum operating productivity. The outstanding challenge in terrestrial upper atmosphere research is specifying the state of the space-atmosphere interaction region. There is growing recognition that meteorological sources of wave energy from the lower atmosphere are responsible for producing significant variability in the upper atmosphere. Furthermore, energetic particles and fields originating from the magnetosphere regularly alter the state of the ionosphere. These influences converge through close coupling between the ionosphere plasma and neutral thermosphere gas to produce emergent behavior in the space-atmosphere interaction region (SAIR). To fully explore neutral-ion coupling in the critical region above 100 km requires measurements of the neutral atmosphere to complement radar observations of the plasma. Lidar measurements of neutral thermospheric winds, temperatures and species can enable these explorations, an objective of highest priority for the upper atmosphere science community.

研究人员将研究广泛的科学原理，并为一个新的激光雷达/光学设施制定详细的设计要求，以研究地球大气从中部平流层（约30公里）到热层（约1000 km）的化学和动力学。这些目标是确定目前挑战中大气科学社区和上层大气科学社区的关键科学问题，并确定哪些新的观察能力，尤其是大型孔径激光雷达系统，可以促进在解决这些问题方面的重大进展。可以预见的是，新的激光雷达/光学设施的核心将是一个约100平方米的收集光圈，该孔由直径为3-4米的完全可伸出的望远镜组成，并结合大量较小的固定点望远镜。此外，该设施将包括重要的相关仪器，例如雷达，成像仪，光谱仪以及可能使用气球和火箭探针的原位测量能力。具体的项目目标是：1。确定当前挑战中高层氛围社区的关键科学问题（强调那些可能受益于通过大型孔径/光圈/光学设施来实现的测量的问题，2。新天文台，4。为了确定利用大型望远镜的激光雷达系统的设计和操作要求，5。确定关键的相关仪器，这对于确定新天文台的全部潜力至关重要，以及6。确定该设施应在哪里为科学和最大程度的贡献提供最大的贡献，以确保最大的作用生产能力。地面上层大气研究中的杰出挑战是指定空间 - 大气相互作用区域的状态。 人们越来越认识到，低大气中的波能量来源负责在上层大气中产生显着变化。此外，源自磁层的能量颗粒和田地会定期改变电离层的状态。这些影响通过电离层等离子体和中性热层气体之间的紧密耦合而融合，从而在空间 - 大气相互作用区域（SAIR）中产生新兴行为。为了完全探索100公里以上关键区域中的中性离子耦合，需要测量中性气氛以补充血浆的雷达观测。中性热层风，温度和物种的激光雷达测量可以实现这些探索，这是高层大气科学界最高优先级的目标。