Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Equipment is requested that will support the development of two state-of-the-art instruments. One is a satellite instrument, Spatial Heterodyne Observations of Water (SHOW) which will fly on a Canadian atmospheric satellite, the High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC), to measure water vapour in the upper troposphere and stratosphere. The other is a ground based instrument which images winds using Doppler shifts in natural light called airglow emitted from heights around 90 km. Both use the interference of light as the means to make their measurements. The water vapour observations are vital for examining the transport of water and its role in climate. The wind observations are key for understanding how the lower and upper atmosphere/ionosphere influence each other. For these instruments to function properly and their measurements interpreted correctly, detailed knowledge of their characteristics is needed. Equipment whose behaviour is well known is needed for this. The integrating sphere, the scanning diode laser and the two scientific imaging detectors play this role. The integrating sphere provides a beam of very uniform light as input into the instruments. Variations in the detected light provide a map of their sensitivity to light. The wavelength of the scanning diode laser can be controlled to the picometer scale. It is used to probe how the instruments respond to different wavelengths. The new imaging detectors are devices similar to those used in cell phones but with very low noise and a high sensitivity. Further instrument development and field work are not possible until they replace the current aging and failing detectors. In combination, this equipment provides the means to determine how these instruments respond to the wavelength and intensity of the observed light. This information helps optimize the instruments, supports their operation and provides a standard so that changes in the instrument behaviour can be determined. This is especially important for SHOW once it is in space, as direct interaction with it is no longer possible. This testing will start in late 2024 so is important to have the equipment purchased and operating before then. This equipment supports projects which have academic and industrial aspects. The building of the SHOW instrument will be undertaken by industry and the instrument concept and the analysis and interpretation of the data by the academic community. Similarly, wind imager observations and their interpretation will be tackled by the university community and optimizing these instruments for commercial sale will involve industry. These projects provide essential training for future HQP as a result of the many opportunities for students at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level to be involved in projects appropriate to their skills. EDI strategies have been developed for the HAWC mission and these will be implemented in the activities associated with this project.