Exospheric Science & High-Throughput Interference Spectroscopy
When
Where
Dr. Edwin Mierkiewicz
Assistant Professor of Physics
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
In the tenuous uppermost reaches of an atmosphere, often referred to as a corona or exosphere, important interactions take place in which mass, momentum, and energy are exchanged between the atmosphere and its interplanetary environment. In this talk I will discuss the application of ground-based high-throughput interference spectroscopy to the study of two such regions: the Earth’s hydrogen corona and Moon’s surface bounded exosphere. Moderate- and high-resolution observations of each are yielding important new information on the velocity and density structure of these near space environments, contributing to a renaissance in the exploration of exospheric structure. Unique observatories in Wisconsin, Arizona and Chile are playing important roles in this work. I will review the terrestrial and lunar exospheres, highlight recent results, and future directions.
Host: Dr. Walter Harris