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... > Instruments > Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Passive Remote Sensing > Spectrometers/Radiometers > Spectrometers > SOFIE

Preferred term

SOFIE  

Definition

  • SOFIE is one of three instruments onboard the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite. The objective of AIM is to study polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) and the environment in which they form. SOFIE uses the technique of solar occultation to measure solar energy passing through the limb of the earth's atmosphere as the sun rises or sets relative to the spacecraft. These measurements are accomplished using differential absorption radiometry with eight band pairs covering wavelengths from 0.29 to 5.26 microns. Six SOFIE channels are designed to measure gaseous signals, and two are dedicated to PMC measurements. Measurements in two carbon dioxide bands will be used to simultaneously retrieve profiles of temperature and carbon dioxide mixing ratio. Each SOFIE channel uses two detectors, one that samples a spectral region where the target gas is strongly absorbing, and one that samples a weakly absorbing region. Measuring the difference of these signals allows precise isolation of the target gas signal and reduces common-mode noise. The measurements allow PMC extinction retrievals using the gas channel weak bands, so that PMCs will be measured at a total of 11 wavelengths. [Text Source: GATS Inc. SOFIE Instrument Home Page, http://gwest.gats-inc.com/sofie/SOFIE_Home_Page.html] Group: Instrument_Details Entry_ID: SOFIE Group: Instrument_Identification Instrument_Category: Earth Remote Sensing Instruments Instrument_Class: Passive Remote Sensing Instrument_Type: Spectrometers/Radiometers Instrument_Subtype: Spectrometers Short_Name: SOFIE Long_Name: Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment End_Group Group: Associated_Platforms Short_Name: AIM End_Group Group: Spectral_Frequency_Information Wavelength_Keyword: Microwave Number_Channels: 8 Spectral_Frequency_Coverage_Range: 0.292 to 5.316 micrometers End_Group Online_Resource: http://gwest.gats-inc.com/sofie/SOFIE_Home_Page.html Online_Resource: http://sofie.gats-inc.com/sofie/index.php Online_Resource: http://aim.hamptonu.edu/instrmt/sofie.html Sample_Image: http://aim.hamptonu.edu/graphics/gallery/lg/instruments/sofie/sofie_sat.png Creation_Date: 2008-01-22 Group: Instrument_Logistics Instrument_Owner: NASA End_Group End_Group (en)

Broader concept

URI

https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/5057855a-7e45-47d8-ae4b-92b9c63a3deb

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