PDI-contributed paper wins second prize in Best Paper Award from ESRE

11/30/2024

Camera image and orientational data during flight. Left panel: onboard camera picture with local time, flight altitude, and azimuth information. The cross illustrates the pointing of the spectrometer. Upper right panel: map with actual position, camera field of view (red) and line of sight of the spectrometer (green). Lower right panel: acquired OI spectrum along the line of sight shown in the upper panel, local time of the measurement and elevation angle. Image: IEEE

A paper co-authored by PDI scientists Xiang Lü, Lutz Schrottke, and Klaus Biermann has won second prize in the Best Paper Award from the Association of European Space Research Establishments. The paper, entitled OSAS-B: A Balloon-Borne Terahertz Spectrometer for Atomic Oxygen in the Upper Atmosphere was a collaboration between PDI, the German Aerospace Center, and the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie.

The research team developed an Oxygen Spectrometer for Atmospheric Science on a Balloon (OSAS-B) to study the 4.7-THz emission of neutral atomic oxygen in Earth's atmosphere. The team from PDI was responsible for the quantum cascade laser (QCL) which played a critical role as the local oscillator in the OSAS-B. By using a QCL, the researchers could take advantage of its high output power, narrow linewidth, and tunability, which are essential for the high-resolution and high-sensitivity detection of the 4.7-THz transition of atomic oxygen. This approach provided significant advantages over previous methods, enabling daytime measurements, operation at low elevation angles, and minimal interference from water absorption bands in the atmosphere.

Publication

Title: OSAS-B: A Balloon-Borne Terahertz Spectrometer for Atomic Oxygen in the Upper Atmosphere
Authors: Martin Wienold; Alexej D. Semenov; Enrico Dietz; Sven Frohmann; Patrick Dern; Xiang Lü, Lutz Schrottke, Klaus Biermann, Bernd Klein, Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers
DOI: 10.1109/TTHZ.2024.3363135