E. Serabyn et al., SUBMILLIMETER FOURIER-TRANSFORM SPECTROMETER MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC OPACITY ABOVE MAUNA-KEA, Applied optics, 37(12), 1998, pp. 2185-2198
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.