Ultraviolet And Visible Spectrometer Research Articles

The Ultraviolet Martian Dayglow Observed With NOMAD/UVIS on ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

AbstractThe Trace Gas Orbiter has been orbiting Mars since 2016 with the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) UltraViolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVIS) instrument on board. Focusing on limb observations recorded in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the NOMAD/UVIS spectra, we describe here the CO Cameron bands, UV doublet and Fox‐Duffendach‐Barker (FDB) bands and [OI] UV emissions. Averaged limb profiles are presented, showing that the strongest brightness and the highest peak altitudes are reached near perihelion. Ratios between the UV emissions are also estimated and compared with previous observations from Mariner and Mars Express. NOMAD/UVIS is the first instrument able to simultaneously acquire data both in the UV and the visible in the Mars atmosphere so that the oxygen green line at 557.7 nm and its UV counterpart at 297.2 nm, both originating from the same O(1S) upper state level, may be directly compared. A mean ratio of 15.8 is derived, in close agreement with ab initio calculations. The spectral composition of the FDB system that has not been observed entirely since the Mariner missions in the 1970s is analyzed. According to the spectral composition of the FDB bands, we show that this emission is produced at ∼70% by photoionization of CO2 (which populates the shorter wavelengths of the spectrum) and ∼30% by resonance scattering of solar radiation (which populates longer wavelengths). No evidence of a change with altitude in the FDB spectral composition is observed in the NOMAD/UVIS spectra.

Removal of straylight from ExoMars NOMAD-UVIS observations

We present an in-flight straylight removal method for the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVIS) channel of the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery (NOMAD) instrument aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). The presence of a ‘red-leak’ straylight signal in the UVIS instrument was discovered post-launch in ground calibration measurements of spectral lamps; UVIS observations of lamps with negligible UV light emission (RS12) showed a significant signal at UV wavelengths. Subsequent analyses of nadir observations of the martian atmosphere revealed that at UV wavelengths the red-leak straylight was in excess of 300% of the true UV signal, jeopardising the primary science observations of the instrument (retrievals of atmospheric ozone). By modifying the UVIS readout method to obtain a region of interest around the illuminated region on the Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detector, instead of a binned one-dimensional spectrum, and utilising straylight profiles derived from measurements of the RS12 calibration lamp we show that the majority of the straylight at UV wavelengths can be successfully removed for the nadir channel in a self-consistent manner. The corrected UVIS radiances are compared to coincident Mars Color Imager (MARCI) instrument observations with residuals between the two instruments generally remaining within 15%. • Retaining the full CCD array can be a powerful tool for the removal of straylight. • Essential to measure straylight profiles using different light sources and filters. • Accurate removal of straylight and recovery of measured ultraviolet radiances.

Calibration of the NOMAD-UVIS data

The Ultraviolet and VIsible Spectrometer (UVIS), covering the 200–650 ​nm range, is one of three spectrometers that comprise the NOMAD instrument on the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). UVIS can operate in solar occultation, nadir and limb viewing mode and was designed to monitor ozone and aerosols in the Martian atmosphere. Here, we describe the calibration procedure to convert the UVIS raw data into a calibrated data product ready for scientific exploitation. The calibration includes the CCD offset and dark current subtraction, the wavelength assignment, the noise identification and removal, the smearing removal, and the radiance or transmittance conversion. A straylight correction, critical for some parts of the UVIS spectral range, is also applied during the data reduction process, which is described in more detail in two companion papers [Mason et al., 2022; Depiesse et al., In prep] corresponding to two different and independent methods giving consistent results. The solar occultation observations are converted into transmittance and are therefore self-calibrating, while nadir and limb measurements require an absolute radiometric calibration. A comparison with coincident nadir MRO/MARCI measurements is provided as a final validation and generally shows a ±10% agreement on the radiances measured by both instruments. • Description of the calibration of UVIS measurements to produce level 1 data from raw data • CCD non-linearity correction, offset removal, dark current removal, Bad pixel removal, Smearing removal. • A straylight correction is also applied but described in companion papers. • Conversions: Pixel-wavelength assignment, Radiance (nadir) or Transmittance (occultation) conversion. • Radiometric comparison with coincident MRO/MARCI measurements, serving as validation for the radiance calibrated data.

ExoMars TGO/NOMAD‐UVIS Vertical Profiles of Ozone: 2. The High‐Altitude Layers of Atmospheric Ozone

AbstractSolar occultations performed by the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) ultraviolet and visible spectrometer (UVIS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) have provided a comprehensive mapping of atmospheric ozone density. The observations here extend over a full Mars year (MY) between April 21, 2018 at the beginning of the TGO science operations during late northern summer on Mars (MY 34, Ls = 163°) and March 9, 2020 (MY 35). UVIS provided transmittance spectra of the Martian atmosphere allowing measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone density using its Hartley absorption band (200–300 nm). The overall comparison to water vapor is found in the companion paper to this work (Patel et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006837). Our findings indicate the presence of (a) a high‐altitude peak of ozone between 40 and 60 km in altitude over the north polar latitudes for at least 45% of the Martian year during midnorthern spring, late northern summer‐early southern spring, and late southern summer, and (b) a second, but more prominent, high‐altitude ozone peak in the south polar latitudes, lasting for at least 60% of the year including the southern autumn and winter seasons. When present, both high‐altitude peaks are observed in the sunrise and sunset occultations, suggesting that the layers could persist during the day. Results from the Mars general circulation models predict the general behavior of these peaks of ozone and are used in an attempt to further our understanding of the chemical processes controlling high‐altitude ozone on Mars.

Detection of Large Exospheric Enhancements at Mercury due to Meteoroid Impacts

Abstract The Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft observed three large transient events in Mercury’s nightside “tail” in which the exospheric brightness increased by an order of magnitude. Meteoroid impacts are the best explanation given that the events are brief, can be simulated with instantaneous injections of vapor, and were not associated with unusual solar wind conditions. Data–model comparisons suggest that the impactors are 10–20 cm in diameter and produce vapor temperatures of ∼104 K, much warmer than usually assumed for impact vapor. We estimate the impact frequency to be on the order of once per Earth day for meteoroids 10 cm diameter and larger, consistent with a pre-MESSENGER prediction. UVVS observed three atomic species during one event: sodium, magnesium, and calcium. Na and Mg brightened simultaneously, and their modeled ejection ratio roughly matches Mercury’s surface abundance. Ca showed no sign of an enhancement, consistent with earlier predictions that Ca in impact vapor is bound in a molecule that is undetectable to UVVS. This event provides an unprecedented opportunity to see three species respond (or not) to a single source and has implications for our understanding of Mercury’s exosphere.

A Reanalysis of the UVES M Dwarf Planet Search Program*

Abstract The UVES (Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer) M Dwarf Planet Search program surveyed 40 M dwarfs and 1 M giant from 2000 through 2007 March. Two of the M dwarfs were double-lined spectroscopic binaries. The 38 single-lined M dwarfs in this survey are among the nearest and brightest M dwarfs. Starting with the reduced 1D spectra provided by the UVES team, we reanalyzed the UVES velocities of Proxima Cen as part of the “Pale Red Dot” program. The velocity rms decreased from 3.6 to 2.3 m s−1. Motivated by this result, we have harvested all of the raw data from the UVES M Dwarf Planet Search from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) archives and have written custom packages to generate 1D spectra from the raw data, and velocities from the 1D spectra. The median improvement in the velocity rms from the new analysis is 1.8 m s−1. Six of the 38 M dwarfs from the original study had a velocity rms < 4 m s−1. In the reanalysis presented here, 22 of these stars have a velocity rms < 4 m s−1. We improve the upper limits on possible planets orbiting these stars by a factor of typically two to three. For many of these M dwarfs, these observations represent the first epoch of high-precision velocity measurements.

Absence of a detectable lunar nanodust exosphere during a search with LRO's LAMP UV imaging spectrograph

AbstractThe Lyman‐Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) UV spectrograph on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) performed a campaign to observe the Moon's nanodust exosphere, evidence for which was provided by the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVS) during the 2014 Quadrantid meteoroid stream. These LADEE/UVS observations were consistent with a nanodust exosphere modulated by meteoroid impacts. LRO performed off‐nadir maneuvers around the peak of the 2016 Quadrantids, in order to reproduce, as closely as possible, the active meteoroid environment and observing geometry of LADEE/UVS. We analyzed LAMP spectra to search for sunlight backscattering from nanodust. No brightness enhancement attributable to dust, of any size, was observed. We determine an upper limit for dust column concentration of ~105 cm−2 for grains of radius ~25 nm, and an upper limit for dust column mass of ~10−11 g cm−2, nearly independent of grain size for radii <100 nm.

Proton radiation damage assessment of a CCD for use in a Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer

This paper describes the radiation environment and radiation damage analysis performed for the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVIS) channel launched onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) in 2016. The aim of the instrument is to map the temporal and spatial variation of trace gases such as ozone and dust/cloud aerosols in the atmosphere of Mars. The instrument consists of a set of two miniature telescope viewing optics which allow for selective input onto the optical bench, where an e2v technologies CCD30-11 will be used as the detector. A Geometry Description Markup Language model of the spacecraft and instrument box was created and through the use of ESA's SPace ENVironment Information System (SPENVIS) an estimate of the 10 MeV equivalent proton fluence was made at a number of radiation sensitive regions within NOMAD, including that of the CCD30-11 which is the focus of this paper. The end of life 10 MeV equivalent proton fluence at the charge coupled device was estimated to be 4.7 × 109 protons.cm−2; three devices were irradiated at different levels up a 10 MeV equivalent fluence of 9.4 × 109 protons.cm−2. The dark current, charge transfer inefficiency, charge storage, and cosmetic quality of the devices was investigated pre- and post-irradiation, determining that the devices will continue to provide excellent science throughout the mission.

A Cold-Pole Enhancement in Mercury's Sodium Exosphere.

The Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) component of the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft characterized the local-time distribution of the sodium exosphere over the course of its orbital mission. The observations show that the sodium exosphere is enhanced above Mercury's cold-pole longitudes. Based on previously published sodium exosphere models we infer that these regions act as nightside surface reservoirs, temporary sinks to the exosphere that collect sodium atoms transported anti-sunward. The reservoirs are revealed as exospheric enhancements when they are exposed to sunlight. As in the models the reservoir is depleted as the cold poles rotate from dawn to dusk, but unlike the models the depletion is only partial. The persistence of the reservoir means that it could, over the course of geologically long periods of time, contribute to an increase in the bulk concentration of sodium near the cold-pole longitudes.

Expected performances of the NOMAD/ExoMars instrument

NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery) is one of the four instruments on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, scheduled for launch in March 2016. It consists of a suite of three high-resolution spectrometers – SO (Solar Occultation), LNO (Limb, Nadir and Occultation) and UVIS (Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer). Based upon the characteristics of the channels and the values of Signal-to-Noise Ratio obtained from radiometric models discussed in (Vandaele et al., 2015a, 2015b; Thomas et al., 2016), the expected performances of the instrument in terms of sensitivity to detection have been investigated. The analysis led to the determination of detection limits for 18 molecules, namely CO, H2O, HDO, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, H2CO, CH4, SO2, H2S, HCl, HCN, HO2, NH3, N2O, NO2, OCS, O3. NOMAD should have the ability to measure methane concentrations <25 parts per trillion (ppt) in solar occultation mode, and 11 parts per billion in nadir mode. Occultation detections as low as 10 ppt could be made if spectra are averaged (Drummond et al., 2011). Results have been obtained for all three channels in nadir and in solar occultation.

Lunar atmosphere. How surface composition and meteoroid impacts mediate sodium and potassium in the lunar exosphere.

Despite being trace constituents of the lunar exosphere, sodium and potassium are the most readily observed species due to their bright line emission. Measurements of these species by the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVS) on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) have revealed unambiguous temporal and spatial variations indicative of a strong role for meteoroid bombardment and surface composition in determining the composition and local time dependence of the Moon's exosphere. Observations show distinct lunar day (monthly) cycles for both species as well as an annual cycle for sodium. The first continuous measurements for potassium show a more repeatable variation across lunations and an enhancement over KREEP (Potassium Rare Earth Elements and Phosphorus) surface regions, revealing a strong dependence on surface composition.

Mercury’s seasonal sodium exosphere: MESSENGER orbital observations

The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft now orbiting Mercury provides the first close-up look at the planet’s sodium exosphere. UVVS has observed the exosphere from orbit almost daily for over 10 Mercury years. In this paper we describe and analyze a subset of these data: altitude profiles taken above the low-latitude dayside and south pole. The observations show spatial and temporal variation but there is little or no year-to-year variation; we do not see the episodic variability reported by ground-based observers. We used these altitude profiles to make estimates of sodium density and temperature. The bulk of the exosphere is about 1200K, much warmer than Mercury’s surface. This value is consistent with some ground-based measurements and suggests that photon-stimulated desorption is the primary ejection process. We also observe a tenuous energetic component but do not see evidence of the predicted thermalized (or partially thermalized) sodium near Mercury’s surface temperature. Overall we do not see the variable mixture of temperatures predicted by most Monte Carlo models of the exosphere.

Hydrogen atoms in the inner heliosphere: SWAN‐SOHO and MASCS‐MESSENGER observations

AbstractWe present here a study made by two instruments, Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) on MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) and Solar Wind Anisotropy (SWAN) on SOHO that observed the interplanetary background in 2010. The combination of these two data sets allows us to perform the first study of the distribution of hydrogen atoms inside the Earth's orbit. Triangulation of the position of the maximum emissivity region (MER) was performed for the data of the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) channel of the MASCS‐MESSENGER instrument. We find that the ecliptic longitude of the MER is 253.2°±2.0°. This is the same value that was found from the analysis of the SWAN‐SOHO H cell data obtained in 1996. This strongly suggests that the direction of the interstellar hydrogen wind has not changed between 1996 and 2010. We have also determined the distance of the MER to the Sun. We find that the volume emission rate peaks at 2.37 AU ± 0.2 AU from the Sun. This value is a good test for the solar parameters for total H ionization and radiation pressure used in models. Comparison between the two data sets obtained by the UVVS‐MASCS channel and SWAN on SOHO allow to derive the intensity between the two spacecraft at peak emission. Based on the SWAN‐SOHO calibration, we find an intensity of 80 R ± 36 R. This corresponds to a column density of 1540 m−3 AU × 2.3 ×1014m−2. When divided by the distance between the two spacecraft, we find an average number density of 2300 m−3.

MESSENGER at Mercury: Early orbital operations

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, launched in August 2004 under NASA's Discovery Program, was inserted into orbit about the planet Mercury in March 2011. MESSENGER's three flybys of Mercury in 2008–2009 marked the first spacecraft visits to the innermost planet since the Mariner 10 flybys in 1974–1975. The unprecedented orbital operations are yielding new insights into the nature and evolution of Mercury. The scientific questions that frame the MESSENGER mission led to the mission measurement objectives to be achieved by the seven payload instruments and the radio science experiment. Interweaving the full set of required orbital observations in a manner that maximizes the opportunity to satisfy all mission objectives and yet meet stringent spacecraft pointing and thermal constraints was a complex optimization problem that was solved with a software tool that simulates science observations and tracks progress toward meeting each objective. The final orbital observation plan, the outcome of that optimization process, meets all mission objectives. MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System is acquiring a global monochromatic image mosaic at better than 90% coverage and at least 250m average resolution, a global color image mosaic at better than 90% coverage and at least 1km average resolution, and global stereo imaging at better than 80% coverage and at least 250m average resolution. Higher-resolution images are also being acquired of targeted areas. The elemental remote sensing instruments, including the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer and the X-Ray Spectrometer, are being operated nearly continuously and will establish the average surface abundances of most major elements. The Visible and Infrared Spectrograph channel of MESSENGER's Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer is acquiring a global map of spectral reflectance from 300 to 1450nm wavelength at a range of incidence and emission angles. Targeted areas have been selected for spectral coverage into the ultraviolet with the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS). MESSENGER's Mercury Laser Altimeter is acquiring topographic profiles when the slant range to Mercury's surface is less than 1800km, encompassing latitudes from 20°S to the north pole. Topography over the remainder of the southern hemisphere will be derived from stereo imaging, radio occultations, and limb profiles. MESSENGER's radio science experiment is determining Mercury's gravity field from Doppler signals acquired during frequent downlinks. MESSENGER's Magnetometer is measuring the vector magnetic field both within Mercury's magnetosphere and in Mercury's solar wind environment at an instrument sampling rate of up to 20 samples/s. The UVVS is determining the three-dimensional, time-dependent distribution of Mercury's exospheric neutral and ionic species via their emission lines. During each spacecraft orbit, the Energetic Particle Spectrometer measures energetic electrons and ions, and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer measures the energies and mass per charge of thermal plasma components, both within Mercury's magnetosphere and in Mercury's solar-wind environment. The primary mission observation sequence will continue for one Earth year, until March 2012. An extended mission, currently under discussion with NASA, would add a second year of orbital observations targeting a set of focused follow-on questions that build on observations to date and take advantage of the more active Sun expected during 2012–2013. MESSENGER's total primary mission cost, projected at $446M in real-year dollars, is comparable to that of Mariner 10 after adjustment for inflation.

Constraints on Mercury’s Na exosphere: Combined MESSENGER and ground-based data

We have used observations of sodium emission obtained with the McMath–Pierce solar telescope and MESSENGER’s Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) to constrain models of Mercury’s sodium exosphere. The distribution of sodium in Mercury’s exosphere during the period January 12–15, 2008, was mapped using the McMath–Pierce solar telescope with the 5″ × 5″ image slicer to observe the D-line emission. On January 14, 2008, the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) channel on MASCS sampled the sodium in Mercury’s anti-sunward tail region. We find that the bound exosphere has an equivalent temperature of 900–1200 K, and that this temperature can be achieved if the sodium is ejected either by photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) with a 1200 K Maxwellian velocity distribution, or by thermal accommodation of a hotter source. We were not able to discriminate between the two assumed velocity distributions of the ejected particles for the PSD, but the velocity distributions require different values of the thermal accommodation coefficient and result in different upper limits on impact vaporization. We were able to place a strong constraint on the impact vaporization rate that results in the release of neutral Na atoms with an upper limit of 2.1 × 10 6 cm −2 s −1. The variability of the week-long ground-based observations can be explained by variations in the sources, including both PSD and ion-enhanced PSD, as well as possible temporal enhancements in meteoroid vaporization. Knowledge of both dayside and anti-sunward tail morphologies and radiances are necessary to correctly deduce the exospheric source rates, processes, velocity distribution, and surface interaction.

The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer for the MESSENGER Mission

The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) is one of seven science instruments onboard the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft en route to the planet Mercury. MASCS consists of a small Cassegrain telescope with 257-mm effective focal length and a 50-mm aperture that simultaneously feeds an UltraViolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) and a Visible and InfraRed Spectrograph (VIRS). UVVS is a 125-mm focal length, scanning grating, Ebert-Fastie monochromator equipped with three photomultiplier tube detectors that cover far ultraviolet (115-180 nm), middle ultraviolet (160-320 nm), and visible (250-600 nm) wavelengths with an average 0.6-nm spectral resolution. It will measure altitude profiles of known species in order to determine the composition and structure of Mercury’s exosphere and its variability and will search for previously undetected exospheric species. VIRS is a 210-mm focal length, fixed concave grating spectrograph equipped with a beam splitter that simultaneously disperses the spectrum onto a 512-element silicon visible photodiode array (300-1050 nm) and a 256-element indium-gallium-arsenide infrared photodiode array 850-1,450 nm. It will obtain maps of surface reflectance spectra with a 5-nm resolution in the 300-1,450 nm wavelength range that will be used to investigate mineralogical composition on spatial scales of 5 km. UVVS will also observe the surface in the far and middle ultraviolet at a 10-km or smaller spatial scale. This paper summarizes the science rationale and measurement objectives for MASCS, discusses its detailed design and its calibration requirements, and briefly outlines observation strategies for its use during MESSENGER orbital operations around Mercury.