SUBMILLIMETER FOURIER-TRANSFORM SPECTROMETER MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC OPACITY ABOVE MAUNA-KEA

Citation
E. Serabyn et al., SUBMILLIMETER FOURIER-TRANSFORM SPECTROMETER MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC OPACITY ABOVE MAUNA-KEA, Applied optics, 37(12), 1998, pp. 2185-2198
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Optics
Journal title
ISSN journal
00036935
Volume
37
Issue
12
Year of publication
1998
Pages
2185 - 2198
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-6935(1998)37:12<2185:SFSMOA>2.0.ZU;2-5
Abstract
We present accurately calibrated submillimeter atmospheric transmissio n spectra obtained with a Fourier-transform spectrometer at the Caltec h Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. These measurements c over the 0.9-0.3-mm wavelength range and are the first in a series aim ed at defining the terrestrial long-wave atmospheric transmission curv e. The 4.1-km altitude of the Mauna Kea site provides access to extrem ely low zenith water-vapor columns, permitting atmospheric observation s at frequencies well above those possible from sea level. We describe the calibration procedures, present our first well-calibrated transmi ssion spectra, and compare our results with those of a singlelayer atm ospheric transmission model, AT. With an empirical best-fit continuum opacity term included, this simple single-layer model provides a remar kably good fit to the opacity data for H2O line profiles described by either van Vleck-Weisskopf or kinetic shapes. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.