MicroRADIBAL: balloon-borne experiments, atmospheric particles (aerosol) measurements, flight of 18 August 2009

The MicroRADIBAL (RADIometre BALlon) instrument is a radiometer that can be flown on a stratospheric platform to study the stratospheric aerosols. It measures, in the near infra-red range, the radiance and polarization of the sunlight scattered by the atmosphere, gas and aerosols, in a horizontal plane. It is an upgraded version of the RADIBAL infrared polarimeter developed by LOA during 1998/1999 and used to observe aerosols and other particles in the atmosphere.
The instrument has been miniaturized, to allow an easier launch without an auxiliary balloon. The measurements are performed in 5 channels (instead of 2 in RADIBAL) centered in the near infrared at 730 nm, 865 nm, 1000 nm, 1270 nm and 1620 nm. The three first channels are equiped with silicium detectors while the two others are InGaAs detectors cooled by a one stage Peltier module.
This flight is involved in the STRAPOLETE campaign.