Recognizing that the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance is an important driver of space weather, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has added an Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor (EUVS) to its
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program, starting with the recently launched GOES-N, now
designated GOES-13. For the GOES-R series (slated for launch starting in 2015) , the EUVS measurement concept has
been redesigned. Instead of measuring broad bands spanning the EUV, the GOES-R EUVS will measure specific solar
emissions representative of coronal, transition region, and chromospheric variability. From these measurements, the
geo-effective EUV wavelength range from 5 to 127 nm can be reconstructed using models based on spectrally resolved
measurements gathered over the full range of solar variability. An overview of the GOES-R EUVS design is presented.
A description of the in-flight degradation tracking utilizing similar measurement and modeling techniques used to
generate the EUV irradiance is also provided.
The X-Ray Sensor (XRS) has been making observations of the solar soft X-ray irradiance for over thirty years onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). The XRS provides critical information about the solar activity for space weather operations, and the standard X-ray classification of the solar flares is based on its measurements. The GOES-R series of XRSs, with the first in the
series to launch in 2014, has a completely new instrument design. The XRS spectral bands remain the same as before by providing the solar X-ray irradiance in the 0.05-0.4 nm and 0.1-0.8 nm bands. The changes include using Si photodiodes instead of ionization cells to improve performance, using multiple channels to allow wider dynamic range, providing quadrant photodiodes for real-time flare location measurements, and providing accurate radiometric calibrations using
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The EUV and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) on the upcoming GOES-R mission will include a spectrograph
to measure the Magnesium II doublet at 280 nm (channel C). The ratio of the core of this spectral feature to
the line wings is the well-known Mg II index. This ratio is often used as a proxy for chromospheric activity,
since changes in the index are highly correlated with changes in other chromospheric emission lines. As a ratio
measurement, the Mg II index is relatively insensitive to instrumental effects. The A and B channels of the
Extreme UltraViolet Sensor (EUVS) will make use of this fact and use the Mg II index measured by channel C
in their degradation correction. EUVS C channel has sufficient spectral resolution and sampling to measure the
Mg II index with high precision and will make this measurement at better than 30 s time cadence. This paper
describes the design and measurement requirements of the C channel.
The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), scheduled for launch in 2009, incorporates a suite of instruments
including the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE). The EVE instrument package contains grating spectrographs that will
measure the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance from 0.1 to 105 nm. The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrograph
(MEGS) channels use concave reflection gratings to image solar spectra onto CCDs. MEGS will provide 0.1nm
spectral resolution between 5-105nm every 10 seconds with an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the SDO 5-
year mission. MEGS-A utilizes a unique grazing-incidence, off-Rowland circle (RC) design to minimize angle of
incidence at the detector while providing ≥ 0.1nm resolution between 5-37 nm. MEGS-B utilizes a double-pass, cross-dispersed
double-Rowland circle design while providing ≥ 0.1nm resolution between 35-105 nm. We present the as-built
performance of the MEGS optical design, including spectral resolution, wavelength shift, focus and alignment.
The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), scheduled for launch in 2009, incorporates a suite of instruments
including the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE). The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrograph (MEGS) channels use
concave reflection gratings to image solar spectra onto CCDs that are operated at -100°C. MEGS provides 0.1nm
spectral resolution between 5-105nm every 10 seconds with an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the SDO 5-
year mission. Characterizations and selection testing of the CCDs and the thin foil filters for SDO EVE have been
performed with both in-band and visible illumination. CCD selection was based on results from testing in LASP facility
Calibration and Test Equipment (CTE3) as well as results from at testingMIT. All CCDs meet the requirements for
electronics gain, flat field, Quantum Efficiency (QE), dark current, reverse clock, CTE, bad pixels and the -120°C
survival test. The thin foil filters selection was based on tests performed at LASP facilities and NIST. All filters provide
>106 attenuation of visible light with the proper EUV transmission needed for order sorting capabilities and are free of
critical pinholes.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Extreme ultraviolet Spectro-Photometer (ESP), as a part of the Extreme
ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) suite of instruments, was calibrated at the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) on the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) Beam Line 2
in February 2007. Precise ESP alignment to the SURF beam was achieved through successive scans in X, Y,
Pitch and Yaw, using a comparison of the four channels of the ESP quad photodiode as a measure of alignment.
The observed alignment between the ESP and the other instruments in the EVE package was found to be in
very good agreement with that measured at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the
University of Colorado during ESP/EVE integration. The radiometric calibration of the ESP photometers in
the spectral range around 4.4 nm (central zeroth order), and the four first order channels centered at about
18.9, 25.4, 29.8, and 36.1 nm was performed with SURF synchrotron radiation. The co-alignment of the SURF
beam and the ESP optical axis for each energy and injected current was determined based on quad diode (QD)
photometer responses (photodiode count-rate data). This determined beam position was later used to obtain
exact energy-wavelength-flux profiles for each of the calibration energies and to calculate the quantum efficiency
of the ESP channels. The results of this calibration (quantum efficiencies) are compared to the previous ESP
NIST calibration results at SURF Beam Line 9 and to SOHO/SEM efficiencies.
The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), scheduled for launch in early 2009, incorporates a suite of instruments
including the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE). Two channels of EVE, the Multiple EUV Grating Spectrograph
(MEGS) A and B channels use concave reflection gratings to image solar spectra onto CCDs to measure the solar
extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance from 5 to 105 nm. MEGS provides these spectra at 0.1nm spectral resolution every
10 seconds with an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the SDO 5-year mission. The calibration of the MEGS
channels in order to convert the instrument counts in to physical units of W/m2/nm was performed at the National
Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility III (SURF III) located in
Gaithersburg, Maryland. Although the final post-environmental calibrations have yet to be performed, preliminary
results from the pre-environmental calibrations show very good agreement with the theoretical optical design given by
Crotser et al. Further analysis is still needed in regards to the higher order contributions to determine the final first
order QT for all channels, but two techniques are currently being analyzed and show promising results.
The rocket Extreme Ultraviolet Grating Spectrograph (EGS) instrument is flown onboard a sounding rocket as an underflight calibration for the Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Experiment (SEE) onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite. The first calibration flight took place from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on February 8, 2002. Both preflight and postflight calibrations are performed in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range from 26.5 to 117.2 nm and the far ultraviolet (FUV) range from 120 to 196 nm to determine an accurate quantum throughput (QT) for the EGS instrument. These calibrations are performed using Beam Line 2 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility III. This QT determination has an uncertainty of about 10% for the EUV region and around 4.2% for the FUV region. Once the QT for the instrument is found from the calibrations, it is applied to the solar spectrum obtained during the flight in order to get the absolute spectral irradiance with an uncertainty of approximately 12%. The rocket EGS is planned for an annual calibration flight to track the long-term changes of SEE EGS.
The highly variable solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is the major energy input into the Earth’s upper atmosphere and thus impacts the geospace environment that affects satellite operations and communications. The Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) aboard the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO, to be launched in 2008) will measure the solar EUV spectral irradiance from 0.1 to 105 nm with unprecedented spectral resolution (0.1 nm), temporal cadence (10-sec), and accuracy (10%). The EVE program will provide solar EUV irradiance data for the Living With the Star (LWS) program, including near real-time data products to be used in operational atmospheric models that specify the space environment and to assist in forecasting for space weather operations. The EVE includes several instruments to cover the full EUV range. The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrographs (MEGS) has two grating spectrographs. The MEGS-A is a grazing-incidence spectrograph to measure the solar EUV irradiance in the 5 to 37 nm range with 0.1 nm resolution, and the MEGS-B is a normal-incidence, dual-pass spectrograph to measure the solar EUV irradiance in the 35 to 105 nm range with 0.1 nm resolution. The MEGS channels have filter wheel mechanisms, holographic gratings, and cooled CCD detectors. For in-flight calibration of the MEGS, the EUV SpectroPhotometer (ESP) measures the solar EUV irradiance in broad bands between 0.1 and 39 nm, and a MEGS-Photometer to measure the bright hydrogen emission at 121.5 nm. In addition, underflight rocket experiments are planned on about an annual basis to assure that the EVE measurements have an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the five-year SDO mission. This paper will describe the optical design of the EVE instrumentation and the plans for pre-flight and in-flight calibrations.
Understanding both the absolute value and time variability of the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral irradiance is necessary for understanding the structure and variability of the Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere. Long-term measurement of the solar EUV irradiance requires a calibration scheme that addresses the following issues: (1) the calibration must be referenced to repeatable radiometric standards; (2) changes in calibration throughout the duration of the measurements must be tracked; and (3) the measurements must be validated with independent instruments and models. The calibration and performance of the TIMED Solar EUV Experiment (SEE), which has been measuring the solar EUV irradiance since early 2002, will be discussed in relation to these calibration objectives. The pre-flight calibrations of SEE are based on calibrated synchrotron sources at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF). The in-flight calibrations for SEE are based on redundant channels used weekly and annual suborbital rocket flights with the prototype SEE instruments that are calibrated before and after each launch at NIST SURF.
The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), scheduled for launch in 2008, incorporates a suite of instruments including the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE). The EVE instrument package contains grating spectrographs used to measure the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance from 0.1 to 105 nm. The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrograph (MEGS) channels use concave reflection gratings to image solar spectra onto CCDs that are operated at -100°C. MEGS provides 0.1nm spectral resolution between 5-105nm every 10 seconds with an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the SDO 5-year mission. MEGS-A utilizes a unique grazing-incidence, off-Rowland circle (RC) design to minimize angle of incidence at the detector while meeting high resolution requirements. MEGS-B utilizes a double-pass, cross-dispersed double-Rowland circle design. MEGS-P, a Ly-α monitor, will provide a proxy model calibration in the 60-105 nm range. Finally, the Solar Aspect Monitor (SAM) channel will provide continual pointing information for EVE as well as low-resolution X-ray images of the sun. In-flight calibrations for MEGS will be provided by the on-board EUV Spectrophotometer (ESP) in the 0.1-7nm and 17-37nm ranges, as well as from annual under-flight rocket experiments. We present the methodology used to develop the MEGS optical design.
The rocket Extreme ultraviolet Grating Spectrograph (EGS) instrument is flown onboard a sounding rocket as an underflight calibration for the Solar Extreme ultraviolet Experiment, or SEE, onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. The first calibration flight took place from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on February 8, 2002. Both pre-flight and post-flight calibrations are performed in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range from 26.5 nm to 117.2 nm and the far ultraviolet (FUV) range from 120 nm to 196 nm in order to determine an accurate quantum throughput (QT) for the EGS instrument. These calibrations are performed using Beam Line 2 (BL2) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility III (SURF-III). This QT determination has an uncertainty of about 6% for the EUV region and around 3.5% for the FUV region. Once the QT for the instrument is found from the calibrations, it is applied to the solar spectrum obtained during the flight in order to get the absolute spectral irradiance with an uncertainty of approximately 10%. This rocket spectrum is then applied to the SEE EGS to obtain absolute irradiance values for the satellite instrument and to calibrate it for changes, such as degradation, that have occurred since its own pre-flight calibrations. This calibration transfer is done by scaling the SEE EGS solar spectrum at the time of the rocket flight to the rocket spectrum to get the same irradiance values, which produces a scaling factor that can be applied to other SEE EGS measurements. The rocket EGS is planned for an annual calibration flight to track the long-term changes of SEE EGS.
The Solar EUV Experiment (SEE) on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite will make measurements of the spectral irradiance of the Sun in the soft x-ray, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and far ultraviolet (FUV) wavelength range. The EUV Grating Spectrograph (EGS) component of SEE is a 1/4 meter Rowland circle spectrograph with a mechanically-ruled concave grating and a microchannel plate detector with a two-dimensional 1024 x 64 coded anode (CODACON) readout. The EGS covers the wavelength range from approximately 26 to 197 nm. The primary calibration of the instrument was done at the NIST Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) III on their beam line #2. We will detail the calibration methods and results for the EGS, paying attention to the quantification of sensitivity variations over the instrument's large field of view (12.5 degree(s) x 5.3 degree(s)), plus scattered light, second-order, and linearity corrections.
The Solar EUV Experiment (SEE) on the NASA Thermosphere, Ionosphere, and Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission will measure the solar vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectral irradiance from 0.1 to 200 nm. To cover this wide spectral range two different types of instruments are used: a grating spectrograph for spectra between 25 and 200 nm with a spectral resolution of 0.4 nm and a set of silicon soft x-ray (XUV) photodiodes with thin film filters as broadband photometers between 0.1 and 35 nm with individual bandpasses of about 5 nm. The grating spectrograph is called the EUV Grating Spectrograph (EGS), and it consists of a normal- incidence, concave diffraction grating used in a Rowland spectrograph configuration with a 64 X 1024 array CODACON detector. The primary calibrations for the EGS are done using the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF-III) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In addition, detector sensitivity and image quality, the grating scattered light, the grating higher order contributions, and the sun sensor field of view are characterized in the LASP calibration laboratory. The XUV photodiodes are called the XUV Photometer System (XPS), and the XPS includes 12 photodiodes with thin film filters deposited directly on the silicon photodiodes' top surface. The sensitivities of the XUV photodiodes are calibrated at both the NIST SURF-III and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) electron storage ring called BESSY. The other XPS calibrations, namely the electronics linearity and field of view maps, are performed in the LASP calibration laboratory. The XPS and solar sensor pre-flight calibration results are primarily discussed as the EGS calibrations at SURF-III have not yet been performed.
The EUV grating spectrograph (EGS) as part of the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) solar EUV experiment (SEE) presents a number of performance challenges for its microchannel plate (MCP)- based detector. The EGS measures the solar spectral irradiance from 25 to 200 nm. The intensities of the line and continuum emissions over this spectral range vary by up to five orders of magnitude. While a variety of transmission filters are strategically used to bring the signal over the entire spectrum into the dynamic range of a single chevron pair of MCPs, a number of concerns regarding the characteristic behavior of MCPs remain. The nominal TIMED mission is two years while the extended mission potentially doubles to four years. Over this period, the MCP response is expected to change to some extent. Detailed changes in MCP performance are notoriously application dependent,however. In order to better anticipate and accommodate these changes over the duration of the mission as well as to potentially enhance detector performance, we are performing a series of life-tests on a variety of MCPs. In these tests we characterize MCP gain, pulse height distribution, quantum detection efficiency, and linearity as function of accumulated charge and exposure to atmosphere. Here we report on the result of these test.s
The solar EUV experiment (SEE) selected for the NASA Thermosphere, Ionosphere, and Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics mission will measure the solar vacuum UV (VUV) spectral irradiance from 0.1 to 200 nm. To cover this wide spectral range two different types of instruments are used: grating spectrograph for spectra above 25 nm and a set of silicon soft x-ray (XUV) photodiodes with thin film filters for below 30 nm. Redundant channels of the spectrograph and XUV photodiodes provide in-flight calibration checks on the time scale of a week, and annual rocket underflight measurements provide absolute calibration checks traceable to radiometric standards. Both types of instrument have been developed and flight proven as part of a NASA solar EUV irradiance rocket experiment.
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