Infrared spectroscopy of the lower stratosphere with a balloon-borne cryogenic Fourier spectrometer

Date

1987

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Virgil G. Kunde, J. C. Brasunas, B. J. Conrath, R. A. Hanel, J. R. Herman, D. E. Jennings, W. C. Maguire, D. W. Walser, J. N. Annen, M. J. Silverstein, M. M. Abbas, L. W. Herath, H. L. Buijs, J. N. Berube, and J. McKinnon, "Infrared spectroscopy of the lower stratosphere with a balloon-borne cryogenic Fourier spectrometer," Appl. Opt. 26, 545-553 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.26.000545.

Rights

This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
Public Domain Mark 1.0

Subjects

Abstract

The IR limb emission of the lower stratosphere has been measured using a balloon-borne liquid nitrogen-cooled Michelson interferometer with liquid helium-cooled Si:Ga detectors. Portions of the thermal emission spectrum have been recorded between 650 and 2000 cm⁻¹ with an unapodized spectral resolution of 0.03 cm⁻¹. This is the highest spectral resolution limb emission thus far obtained. A preliminary description is given of these data along with a discussion of the significant features. Species identified to date include CO₂, O₃, CFCl₃, CF₂Cl₂, H₂O, CH₄, HNO₃, N₂O, NO₂, and ClONO₂. A tentative identification is made for NO, representing the first direct spectroscopic detection of NO in emission.