NASA’s Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) mission, under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is designed to study the adverse health effects of different types of particulate air pollution. Planned for launch in late 2022 for a 3-year mission, the MAIA satellite instrument will focus on a selected set of metropolitan target areas, where air quality monitors and health data are available. Aerosol concentration and speciation are inferred from multi-angle measurements of backscattered sunlight in 14 spectral bands from 350-2200 nm, with bands near 442, 645 and 1040 nm measuring the degree (DoLP) and angle of linear polarization (AoLP) in addition to radiance. The pushbroom camera has a ~240-km cross-track field of view with a nadir resolution of ~200 m, and is mounted onto a biaxial gimbal to provide along-track view angles within ±60°, to extend the field of regard to ±48°, and to view the instrument’s onboard calibrator (OBC) and dark target. The OBC consists of a sunlit transmissive diffuser, followed by 12 polarizers at different orientations. MAIA’s polarimetry is implemented using miniature wiregrid polarizers on the focal plane array, and dual photoelastic modulators (PEMs) and achromatic quarter-wave plates to rapidly rotate the polarization. The resulting ~26-Hz intensity modulation encodes the linearly polarized and total radiance in each pixel, leaving the DoLP and AoLP insensitive to gain calibration. We report on the polarimetric calibration of the MAIA camera using a vacuum-compatible polarization state generator, consisting of a 1600W Xenon lamp, 12-inch integrating sphere, and rotating high-extinction polarizer. Mueller-matrix-based calibration coefficients for each detector pixel are derived from measurements at multiple polarizer angles, and are used to correct the measurements for instrumental polarization aberrations. Prior to flight, the calibrated MAIA camera is panned across the OBC to characterize its output, using uniform illumination with an irradiance similar to the Sun.
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) was launched in 1999 as part of NASA’s Terra satellite suite of instruments. Still operational, it makes use of observations from multiple view angles to retrieve aerosol abundance and particle properties. The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) instrument improves on this heritage by incorporating polarimetry and an expanded spectral range. Combining these data with surface measurements, the relationship between pollution and human health will be explored. MAIA has just completed camera testing, building on the experience from MISR. Spectral calibration now makes use of a double subtractive monochromator, built with the intent to allow the exit slit output to be uniform in spectral content. For radiometric testing, hardware upgrades have included adding UV lamps to the 1.65 cm (65") integrating sphere, use of a NIST-traceable sphere to establish absolute radiances, and the addition of a UV transfer spectrometer to support characterization of the sphere output from 300 to 2500 nm. During camera build, Newton’s rings were observed in the detector Quantum Efficiency (QE) measurements. This is due to etaloning within the detector itself. Etaloning was also evident in the spectral and radiometric characterizations performed on the completed camera. Spectral metrics, including center wavelength and width, are presented here using a moment’s analysis. This better represents the band properties, particularly in bands where fringing is observed, as compared to a full-width at halfmaximum determination. The MAIA camera has been carefully characterized, and meets its spectral and radiometric requirements.
The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) instrument is currently scheduled for launch into polar Earth orbit in 2023. MAIA uses a single camera on a 2-axis gimbal for multi-angle viewing of Earth scenes, with the objective of making radiometric and polarimetric measurements. The data will then be used to determine aerosol size, type, and density. Health records will be collected in parallel as part of the MAIA investigation to enable correlation of adverse health effects with the aerosol data. The MAIA camera includes one visible and one SWIR detector, comprising a total of 14 wavelength bands from the UV to SWIR. Three of the bands are polarimetric. The MAIA telescope is a four-mirror anastigmat and has significant distortion of the field-of-view. Each channel in the camera comprises one or two rows of pixels, and each row has a total of 1216 pixels dedicated to imaging. Different channels must be co-registered to each other and each pixel must be geolocated to a fraction of the pixel size prior to determination of polarimetry and subsequent derivation of aerosol data. This requires, among other items, an accurate model of the camera internal geometry. This paper summarizes the geometric calibration performed during pre-flight testing to measure the transformation from pixel positions in the focal plane to angles in object space, i.e., the pointing angle of each pixel, and vice-versa.
We present SPEX, the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration, which is a compact, robust and low-mass spectropolarimeter designed to operate from an orbiting or in situ platform. Its purpose is to simultaneously measure the radiance and the state (degree and angle) of linear polarization of sunlight that has been scattered in a planetary atmosphere and/or reflected by a planetary surface with high accuracy. The degree of linear polarization is extremely sensitive to the microphysical properties of atmospheric or surface particles (such as size, shape, and composition), and to the vertical distribution of atmospheric particles, such as cloud top altitudes. Measurements as those performed by SPEX are therefore crucial and often the only tool for disentangling the many parameters that describe planetary atmospheres and surfaces. SPEX uses a novel, passive method for its radiance and polarization observations that is based on a carefully selected combination of polarization optics. This method, called spectral modulation, is the modulation of the radiance spectrum in both amplitude and phase by the degree and angle of linear polarization, respectively. The polarization optics consists of an achromatic quarter-wave retarder, an athermal multiple-order retarder, and a polarizing beam splitter. We will show first results obtained with the recently developed prototype of the SPEX instrument, and present a performance analysis based on a dedicated vector radiative transport model together with a recently developed SPEX instrument simulator.
Aerosols affect Earth’s energy level by scattering and absorbing radiation and by changing the properties of clouds. Such effects influence the precipitation patterns and lead to modifications of the global circulation systems that constitute Earth’s climate. The aerosol effects on our climate cannot be at full scale estimated due to the insufficient knowledge of their properties at a global scale. Achieving global measurement coverage requires an instrument with a large instantaneous field of view that can perform polarization measurements with high accuracy, typically better than 0.1%. Developing such an instrument can be considered as the most important challenge in polarimetric aerosol remote sensing.
Using a novel technique to measure polarization, we have designed an instrument for a low-Earth orbit, e.g. International Space Station, that can simultaneously characterize the intensity and state of linear polarization of scattered sunlight, from 400 to 800 nm and 1200 to 1600 nm, for 30 viewing directions, each with a 30° viewing angle. In this article we present the instrument’s optical design concept.
Global characterization of atmospheric aerosol in terms of the microphysical properties of the particles is essential for understanding the role aerosols in Earth climate [1]. For more accurate predictions of future climate the uncertainties of the net radiative forcing of aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere must be reduced [2]. Essential parameters that are needed as input in climate models are not only the aerosol optical thickness (AOT), but also particle specific properties such as the aerosol mean size, the single scattering albedo (SSA) and the complex refractive index. The latter can be used to discriminate between absorbing and non-absorbing aerosol types, and between natural and anthropogenic aerosol. Classification of aerosol types is also very important for air-quality and health-related issues [3].
Remote sensing from an orbiting satellite platform is the only way to globally characterize atmospheric aerosol at a relevant timescale of ∼ 1 day [4]. One of the few methods that can be employed for measuring the microphysical properties of aerosols is to observe both radiance and degree of linear polarization of sunlight scattered in the Earth atmosphere under different viewing directions [5][6][7]. The requirement on the absolute accuracy of the degree of linear polarization PL is very stringent: the absolute error in PL must be smaller then 0.001+0.005⋅PL in order to retrieve aerosol parameters with sufficient accuracy to advance climate modelling and to enable discrimination of aerosol types based on their refractive index for air-quality studies [6][7].
In this paper we present the SPEX instrument, which is a multi-angle spectropolarimeter that can comply with the polarimetric accuracy needed for characterizing aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere. We describe the implementation of spectral polarization modulation in a prototype instrument of SPEX and show results of ground based measurements from which aerosol microphysical properties are retrieved.
We outline polarization fringe predictions derived from an application of the Berreman calculus for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) retarder optics. The DKIST retarder baseline design used six crystals, single-layer antireflection coatings, thick cover windows, and oil between all optical interfaces. This tool estimates polarization fringes and optic Mueller matrices as functions of all optical design choices. The amplitude and period of polarized fringes under design changes, manufacturing errors, tolerances, and several physical factors can now be estimated. This tool compares well with observations of fringes for data collected with the spectropolarimeter for infrared and optical regions at the Dunn Solar Telescope using bicrystalline achromatic retarders as well as laboratory tests. With this tool, we show impacts of design decisions on polarization fringes as impacted by antireflection coatings, oil refractive indices, cover window presence, and part thicknesses. This tool helped DKIST decide to remove retarder cover windows and also recommends reconsideration of coating strategies for DKIST. We anticipate this tool to be essential in designing future retarders for mitigation of polarization and intensity fringe errors in other high spectral resolution astronomical systems.
We outline polarization fringe predictions derived from a new application of the Berreman calculus for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) retarder optics. The DKIST retarder baseline design used 6 crystals, singlelayer anti-reflection coatings, thick cover windows and oil between all optical interfaces. This new tool estimates polarization fringes and optic Mueller matrices as functions of all optical design choices. The amplitude and period of polarized fringes under design changes, manufacturing errors, tolerances and several physical factors can now be estimated. This tool compares well with observations of fringes for data collected with the SPINOR spectropolarimeter at the Dunn Solar Telescope using bi-crystalline achromatic retarders as well as laboratory tests. With this new tool, we show impacts of design decisions on polarization fringes as impacted by anti-reflection coatings, oil refractive indices, cover window presence and part thicknesses. This tool helped DKIST decide to remove retarder cover windows and also recommends reconsideration of coating strategies for DKIST. We anticipate this tool to be essential in designing future retarders for mitigation of polarization and intensity fringe errors in other high spectral resolution astronomical systems.
We present the design and prototyping results for an ultra-wideband rotating polarization modulator that consists of a stack of quartz plates. The plate thicknesses and orientations were optimized such that after rotation of the modulator to 6 different angles before a polarization analyzer, the full Stokes vector can be optimally determined at all wavelengths from 300 to 2500 nm. Additional optimization parameters include minimal variation of the retardance with incidence angle and temperature, and the suppression of polarized spectral fringes for a spectral resolution of 10,000. The prototype modulator's design was re-optimized after the production and measurement of each individual quartz plate. We present the performance of the as-built prototype. To eliminate aliasing with inherent temporal variations of the source, the modulator can be used together with a polarizing beam-splitter (dual-beam" approach). Because of the large sinusoidal spectral variations of the polarization modulation, this modulator can also be considered a "spectral modulator for channeled spectropolarimetry". Therefore, at each modulation state, spectrally resolved polarization information can also be extracted directly, although at limited spectral resolution. We use this modulator as an example of a "multi-domain polarization modulator", and outline a general approach for optimally storing polarization information in all available measurement dimensions (temporal, spatial, spectral), and rendering the overall polarization measurement independent from systematic effects in any of these dimensions.
Highly accurate multi-angle polarimeters are essential for taking the next step in global characterization of atmospheric aerosol. Spectral polarization modulation enables highly accurate snapshot polarimetry and is very suitable for ground-, air- and space-based instrumentation. In this paper we present two instruments that employ this technology, the SPEX prototype and groundSPEX. We have performed ground-based measurements at the CESAR Observatory in the Netherlands with these two instruments. We compare the measured degree of linear polarization of co-located measurements, which show an rms difference of 0.005. Aerosol microphysical properties that have been retrieved from these measurements agree well with similar retrievals from AERONET measurements. Finally, we discuss the current efforts to upgrade the SPEX prototype to an autonomous instrument suitable for flying on NASA’s ER-2 high altitude aircraft.
UVMag is a project of a space mission equipped with a high-resolution spectropolarimeter working in the UV and visible range. This M-size mission will be proposed to ESA at its M4 call. The main goal of UVMag is to measure the magnetic fields, winds and environment of all types of stars to reach a better understanding of stellar formation and evolution and of the impact of stellar environment on the surrounding planets. The groundbreaking combination of UV and visible spectropolarimetric observations will allow the scientists to study the stellar surface and its environment simultaneously. The instrumental challenge for this mission is to design a high-resolution space spectropolarimeter measuring the full- Stokes vector of the observed star in a huge spectral domain from 117 nm to 870 nm. This spectral range is the main difficulty because of the dispersion of the optical elements and of birefringence issues in the FUV. As the instrument will be launched into space, the polarimetric module has to be robust and therefore use if possible only static elements. This article presents the different design possibilities for the polarimeter at this point of the project.
We present implementations of optical instrumentation that records five dimensions of light: polarization state as a function of wavelength, two spatial dimensions, and time. We focus on the optimal integration of polarimetry within microlens-based integral-field spectroscopy. The polarimetric analyzer (or beam-splitter) and dispersing element could be implemented separately, but also amalgamated in the form of a polarization grating. We present optimizations for stacking the polarization-split spectra on a 2D detector. The polarimetric modulation can be performed in the temporal, the spatial or the spectral domain. Temporal modulation could be set up with achromatic optics conform the Stokes definition scheme, but a wide wavelength range generally demands a “polychromatic” modulation approach for which the modulation efficiency for all or some of the Stokes parameters is optimized at every wavelength. Spectral modulation (full-Stokes or optimized for linear polarization) yields instruments without any moving parts, for which all polarization information is obtained in one shot. We present first results from two polarimetric IFU instruments; the ExPo pIFU and LOUPE. The first is based on a rapid polychromatic modulator consisting of two FLCs and two fixed retarders, while the latter is based on spectral modulation for linear polarization. In addition to applications within astronomy and planetary science, we discuss remote-sensing applications for such instruments.
X-shooter is one of the most popular instruments at the VLT, offering instantaneous spectroscopy from 300 to 2500 nm. We present the design of a single polarimetric unit at the polarization-free Cassegrain focus that serves all three spectrograph arms of X-shooter. It consists of a calcite Savart plate as a polarizing beam-splitter and a rotatable crystal retarder stack as a "polychromatic modulator". Since even “superachromatic" wave plates have a wavelength range that is too limited for X-shooter, this novel modulator is designed to offer close-to-optimal polarimetric efficiencies for all Stokes parameters at all wavelengths. We analyze the modulator design in terms of its polarimetric performance, its temperature sensitivity, and its polarized fringes. Furthermore, we present the optical design of the polarimetric unit. The X-shooter polarimeter will furnish a myriad of science cases: from measuring stellar magnetic fields (e.g., Ap stars, white dwarfs, massive stars) to determining asymmetric structures around young stars and in supernova explosions.
SPEX (Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration) was developed in close cooperation between scientific institutes
and space technological industries in the Netherlands. It is used for measuring microphysical properties of aerosols and
cloud particles in planetary atmospheres. SPEX utilizes a number of novel ideas. The key feature is that full linear
spectropolarimetry can be performed without the use of moving parts, using an instrument of approximately 1 liter in
volume. This is done by encoding the degree and angle of linear polarization (DoLP and AoLP) of the incoming light in
a sinusoidal modulation of the intensity spectrum.
Based on this principle, and after gaining experience from breadboard measurements using the same principle, a fully
functional prototype was constructed. The functionality and the performance of the prototype were shown by extensive
testing. The simulated results and the laboratory measurements show striking agreement.
SPEX would be a valuable addition to any mission that aims to study the composition and structure of planetary
atmospheres, for example, missions to Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Titan. In addition, on an Earth-orbiting satellite,
SPEX could give unique information on particles in our own atmosphere.
We present the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration (SPEX), a high-accuracy linear spectropolarimeter
measuring from 400 to 800 nm (with 2 nm intensity resolution), that is compact (~ 1 liter), robust and
lightweight. This is achieved by employing the unconventional spectral polarization modulation technique, optimized
for linear polarimetry. The polarization modulator consists of an achromatic quarter-wave retarder and
a multiple-order retarder, followed by a polarizing beamsplitter, such that the incoming polarization state is
encoded as a sinusoidal modulation in the intensity spectrum, where the amplitude scales with the degree of
linear polarization, and the phase is determined by the angle of linear polarization. An optimized combination
of birefringent crystals creates an athermal multiple-order retarder, with a uniform retardance across the field
of view. Based on these specifications, SPEX is an ideal, passive remote sensing instrument for characterizing
planetary atmospheres from an orbiting, air-borne or ground-based platform. By measuring the intensity and
polarization spectra of sunlight that is scattered in the planetary atmosphere as a function of the single scattering
angle, aerosol microphysical properties (size, shape, composition), vertical distribution and optical thickness can
be derived. Such information is essential to fully understand the climate of a planet. A functional SPEX prototype
has been developed and calibrated, showing excellent agreement with end-to-end performance simulations.
Calibration tests show that the precision of the polarization measurements is at least 2 • 10-4. We performed
multi-angle spectropolarimetric measurements of the Earth's atmosphere from the ground in conjunction with
one of AERONET's sun photometers. Several applications exist for SPEX throughout the solar system, a.o. in
orbit around Mars, Jupiter and the Earth, and SPEX can also be part of a ground-based aerosol monitoring
network.
SPEX (Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration) is an innovative, compact instrument for spectropolarimetry,
and in particular for detecting and characterizing aerosols in planetary atmospheres. With its ~1-liter volume
it is capable of full linear spectropolarimetry, without moving parts. The degree and angle of linear polarization
of the incoming light is encoded in a sinusoidal modulation of the intensity spectrum by an achromatic
quarter-wave retarder, an athermal multiple-order retarder and a polarizing beam-splitter in the entrance pupil.
A single intensity spectrum thus provides the spectral dependence of the degree and angle of linear polarization.
Polarimetry has proven to be an excellent tool to study microphysical properties (size, shape, composition) of
atmospheric particles. Such information is essential to better understand the weather and climate of a planet.
The current design of SPEX is tailored to study Martian dust and ice clouds from an orbiting platform: a compact
module with 9 entrance pupils to simultaneously measure intensity spectra from 400 to 800 nm, in different
directions along the flight direction (including two limb viewing directions). This way, both the intensity and
polarization scattering phase functions of dust and cloud particles within a ground pixel are sampled while flying
over it. We describe the optical and mechanical design of SPEX, and present performance simulations and initial
breadboard measurements. Several flight opportunities exist for SPEX throughout the solar system: in orbit
around Mars, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and Titan, and the Earth.
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