Far-ultraviolet airglow remote sensing measurements on Feng Yun 3-D meteorological satellite

Abstract

The Ionospheric Photometer (IPM) is carried on the Feng Yun 3-D (FY3D) meteorological satellite, which allows for the measurement of far-ultraviolet (FUV) airglow radiation in the thermosphere. IPM is a compact and high-sensitivity nadir-viewing FUV remote sensing instrument. It monitors 135.6g nm emission in the nightside thermosphere and 135.6g nm and N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) emissions in the dayside thermosphere that can be used to invert the peak electron density of the F2 layer (NmF2) at night and the O/N2 ratio in the daytime, respectively. Preliminary observations show that the IPM could monitor the global structure of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) structure around 02:00g LT using atomic oxygen (OI) 135.6g nm nightglow. It could also identify the reduction of O/N2 in the high-latitude region during the geomagnetic storm of 26 August 2018. The IPM-derived NmF2 agrees well with that observed by four ionosonde stations along 120® E with a standard deviation of 26.67g %. Initial results demonstrate that the performance of IPM meets the design requirements and therefore can be used to study the thermosphere and ionosphere in the future.