Stevens Michael H, Englert Christoph R, Harlander John M, England Scott L, Marr Kenneth D, Brown Charles M, Immel Thomas J
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC 20275.
Space Systems Research Corporation, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Space Sci Rev. 2018 Feb;214(1). doi: 10.1007/s11214-017-0434-9. Epub 2017 Nov 30.
The Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) is a satellite experiment scheduled to launch on NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) in 2017. MIGHTI is designed to measure horizontal neutral winds and neutral temperatures in the terrestrial thermosphere. Temperatures will be inferred by imaging the molecular oxygen Atmospheric band (A band) on the limb in the lower thermosphere. MIGHTI will measure the spectral shape of the A band using discrete wavelength channels to infer the ambient temperature from the rotational envelope of the band. Here we present simulated temperature retrievals based on the as-built characteristics of the instrument and the expected emission rate profile of the A band for typical daytime and nighttime conditions. We find that for a spherically symmetric atmosphere, the measurement precision is 1 K between 90-105 km during the daytime whereas during the nighttime it increases from 1 K at 90 km to 3 K at 105 km. We also find that the accuracy is 2 K to 11 K for the same altitudes. The expected MIGHTI temperature precision is within the measurement requirements for the ICON mission.
用于全球高分辨率热层成像的迈克尔逊干涉仪（MIGHTI）是一项计划于2017年搭载在美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的电离层连接探测器（ICON）上的卫星实验。MIGHTI旨在测量地球热层中的水平中性风及中性温度。温度将通过对低热层边缘的分子氧大气带（A带）进行成像来推断。MIGHTI将使用离散波长通道测量A带的光谱形状，以便从该带的转动包络线推断环境温度。在此，我们基于仪器的建成特性以及典型白天和夜间条件下A带的预期发射率剖面，给出了模拟温度反演结果。我们发现，对于球对称大气，白天在90 - 105千米高度范围内测量精度为1K，而夜间精度从90千米处的1K增加到105千米处的3K。我们还发现，相同高度下精度为2K至11K。MIGHTI预期的温度精度在ICON任务的测量要求范围内。
