Thermospheric Neutral Wind Observation from the Antarctic Peninsula

Fabry-Perot Doppler Imager (FPI) observes wind speed and temperature at optical emission height by measuring Doppler shift and Doppler width of the auroral oxygen atom emission line. An FPI will be installed by NCAR in 2010 at Palmer Station. The FPI will observe O 630 nm, O 557.7 nm, OH 892. nm and O+ 732. nm emissions. The FPI consists of a sky scanner,collimating lens, filter wheel, focus lens with Fabry-Perot interferometer, and CCD camera. A computer controls the filter, shutter, sky scanner, obtains instrument status, and records data to hard disk. The instrument has an EMCCD camera which will have higher sensitivity and allow higher temporal resolution.

There are five scientific objectives for this project:
1.Thermospheric neutral wind effect on the Weddell Sea Anomaly
2.Nonmigrating tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere.
3.Lower thermospheric meridional wind circulation and mesosphere wind shear
4.High latitude geomagnetic effect on the mid-latitude thermosphere
5.Conjugacy studies (including TADs) with the Millstone Hill ISR and FPI.