Instruments

• Introduction
• Riometers
• Magnetometers
• Searchcoil Magnetometer
• Fluxgate Magnetometer
• Optical Instruments

Optical Instruments

A variety of optical instruments operate at South Pole Station during the austral winter season. Instruments which examine natural phenomena in the D- and E-region ionosphere include photometers and all-sky cameras operated by the University of Maryland, Lockheed/Martin's Advanced Technology Center (formerly Palo Alto Research Laboratory), and Utah State University. The optical instruments are located on the top floor of the Skylab Building at South Pole Station, and operate through domes projecting through the roof of the building. Other optical experiments include interferometers and lidars, which examine phenomena in the neutral atmosphere as well as the ionosphere. The Science Program Plan published by USAP describes these projects briefly. Since the riometer program is directed toward ionospheric phenomena associated with the precipitation of auroral electrons into the atmosphere, the principal optical instruments that provide complementary measurements are the photometers and all-sky cameras.

At both South Pole and McMurdo Stations, photometers measure ionospheric optical emissions at 630 nm and 427.8 nm. The field of view of the photometers (60 degrees) was designed to match that of the broadbeam riometers, in order to make useful comparisons between data from the different instruments.