Brian Moyna

MARSCHALS: development of an airborne millimeter-wave limb sounder

MARSCHALS (Millimeter-wave Airborne Receivers for Spectroscopic CHaracterization in Atmospheric Limb Sounding) is being developed with funding from the European Space Agency as a simulator of MASTER (Millimeter-wave Acquisitions for Stratosphere Troposphere Exchange Research), a limb sounding instrument in a proposed future ESA Earth Explorer Core Mission. The principal and most innovative objective of MARSCHALS is to simulate MASTERs capability for sounding O3, H2O and CO at high vertical resolution in the upper troposphere (UT) using millimeter wave receivers at 300, 325, and 345 GHz. Spectra are recorded in these bands with 200 MHz resolution. As such, MARSCHALs is the first limb-sounder to be explicitly designed and built for the purpose of sounding the composition of the UT, in addition to the Lower Stratosphere (LS) where HNO3, N2O and additional trace gases will also be measured. A particular attribute of millimeter-wave measurements is their comparative insensitivity to ice clouds. However, to assess the impact on the measurements of cirrus in the UT, MARSCHALs has a near-IR digital video camera aligned in azimuth with the 235 mm limb-scanning antenna. In addition to UT and LS aircraft measurements, MARSCHALs is capable of making mid-stratospheric measurements from a balloon platform when fitted with a 400 mm antenna. Provision has been made to add further receiver channels and a high resolution spectrometer.

A sub-millimetre wave airborne demonstrator for the observation of precipitation and ice clouds

Sub-millimetre remote sensing instruments can provide critical information on cirrus clouds and an alternative way of measuring precipitation with a much smaller antenna than those which microwave sensors currently use. Two satellite concepts CIWSIR and GOMAS were proposed as ESA Earth Explorer missions; these were not funded, however they were recommended for an aircraft demonstrator. ESA studies have been performed to identify the optimum instrument and platform to demonstrate these satellite concepts. This paper reports on one of these preparatory activities; the design of a sub-millimetre wave airborne demonstrator for both ice cloud and precipitation observations which will be able to prove the feasibility of the scientific principles of both satellite missions. The paper will describe the derivation of the demonstrator requirements, consideration of the available platform and instrument options, the design of the selected concept, performance prediction and the outline of a proof of concept flight campaign. It will present the outcome of the study which describes a demonstrator design based upon the new Met Office International Sub-Millimetre Airborne Radiometer (ISMAR).

An introduction to ISMAR

ISMAR (International SubMillimetre Airborne Radiometer) is currently under development by the Met Office. This instrument can carry a range of receivers in a scanning instrument platform designed and certified for airborne use. It will be used for scientific atmopsheric research, as a satellite demonstrator and for validation/calibration of ICI (Ice Cloud Imager).

MARSCHALS: airborne simulator of a future space instrument to observe millimeter-wave limb emission from the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

MARSCHALS is the airborne simulator of a proposed future satellite instrument to measure millimetre-wave limb emission from O3, H2O, CO and other trace gases in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. To achieve comparatively high vertical resolution and pointing stability, MARSCHALS scans the atmospheric limb in 1km vertical steps using a 235mm diameter antenna controlled by a dedicated inertial measurement unit. A quasi-optical network directs radiation from the antenna or an ambient (~300K) or cold (~90K) calibration target into three front-end receivers and suppresses each unwanted side-band by >30dB using multi-layer frequency selective surfaces. Each receiver comprises a waveguide mixer pumped subharmonically by a phase-locked LO and a wideband IF preamplifier. The IF outputs are directed to channeliser spectrometers of 200MHz resolution which instantaneously and contiguously cover 12GHz wide (RF) frequency bands centred near 300, 325 and 345GHz. To identify clouds, images of near-IR sunlight scattered into the limb direction are recorded concurrently by an 850nm wavelength camera. MARSCHALS has been built under ESA contract by a consortium led by Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK, and had its first flights on the Russian Geophysica (M55) aircraft during 2005, culminating in a deployment during the SCOUT-O3 campaign based in Darwin, Australia. This paper describes the MARSCHALS instrument and an initial assessment of its performance, determined on ground and during flight.

Measurements of the sideband conversion gain ratio of a millimeter-wave heterodyne sub-harmonic mixer using a fourier transform spectrometer

A Fourier transform spectrometer, based on a Martin-Puplett polarisation rotation interferometer and using broad-band blackbody noise sources, has been used to study the sideband response i.e., conversion gain, of a room temperature Schottky diode sub-harmonic mixer operating at 300 GHz. The technique enables the response of the mixer to be characterised and preferentially tuned to one sideband, thereby improving the rejection of unwanted spectral components which can be present in the mixer image sideband.

The cloud and precipitation airborne radiometer - Populating the international sub-millimetre airborne radiometer

An upgrade funded by the European Space Agency to the Met Office ISMAR instrument as a risk reduction for potential future spaceborne radiometers is described. This adds four channels between 118GHz and 664GHz, to measure cloud, precipitation, and cirrus cloud. The receivers are all heterodyne based, with multiplied local oscillators and sub-harmonic mixers. The manufacturing of the receivers is underway and testing of the overall channels is starting. This will be followed by integration of all the channels onto ISMAR. The integrated instrument is to have its test flight on the FAAM aircraft in November 2012 and the project is to conclude in early 2013.

Design of a sub-millimetre wave airborne demonstrator for observations of precipitation and ice clouds

The design of a sub-millimetre wave airborne demonstrator for the measurement of ice clouds and precipitation has been presented. Based upon the use of existing microwave instruments together with a new sub-millimetre wave instrument being developed by the UK Met Office, this new instrument suite will be used to verify the feasibility of the CIWSIR and GOMAS missions.

Trends in Schottky receiver technology for the terahertz region

Most parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are well understood and exploited, but the terahertz region between the microwave and infrared is still relatively under developed. Potential receiver applications are wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary, spanning the physical, biological, and medical sciences. In this spectral region, Schottky diode technology is uniquely important. InP MMIC amplifiers are generally limited to frequencies less than ~200 GHz, above which their noise performance rapidly deteriorates. Superconducting circuits, which require cooling, may not always be practical. Either as varistor diodes (heterodyne mixing), or varactor diodes (sub-millimetre power generation), Schottky technology underpins terahertz receiver development.