title: Fast spectrometer for ground-based observations of OH rotational temperature.
abstract: A sensitive spectrometer has been developed for observing the hydroxyl airglow in the polar region. This spectrometer is designed to acquire spectra of the Meinel OH 8-4 band, which has the advantage of being relatively free of contamination from auroral emissions. The spectrometer consists of a fast optical system, a transmission plane grating, and a cooled CCD image sensor. The spectrometer can acquire spectra between 900 and 987 nm, from which the OH rotational temperature can be derived with an accuracy of ± 1.9 to 2.5 K for a 1 min? exposure. The spectrometer specifications and initial measurement results for the OH rotational temperature and intensity at Syowa Station (69.0 °S, 39.6 °E) in Antarctica are presented.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan. hsuzuki@nipr.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Norihide
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeyama