Imaging the solar corona in the EUV

The SOHO (SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory) satellite was launched on December 2nd 1995. After arriving at the Earth-Sun (L1) Lagrangian point on February 14th 1996, it began to continuously observe the Sun. As one of the instruments onboard SOHO, the EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) images the Sun's corona in 4 EUV wavelengths. The He II filter at 304 Å images the chromosphere and the base of the transition region at a temperature of 5 − 8 × 10⁴ K; the Fe IX–X filter at 171 Å images the corona at a temperature of 1.3 × 10⁶ K; the Fe XII filter at 195 Å images the quiet corona outside coronal holes at a temperature of 1.6 × 10⁶ K; and the Fe XV filter at 284 Å images active regions with a temperature of 2.0 × 10⁶ K. About 5000 images have been obtained up to the present. In this paper, we describe also some aspects of the telescope and the detector performance for application in the observations. Images and movies of all the wavelengths allow a look at different phenomena present in the Sun's corona, and in particular, magnetic field reconnection.     

Neutral Atmospheres

This paper summarizes the understanding of aeronomy of neutral atmospheres in the solar system, discussing most planets as well as Saturn’s moon Titan and comets. The thermal structure and energy balance is compared, highlighting the principal reasons for discrepancies amongst the atmospheres, a combination of atmospheric composition, heliocentric distance and other external energy sources not common to all. The composition of atmospheres is discussed in terms of vertical structure, chemistry and evolution. The final section compares dynamics in the upper atmospheres of most planets and highlights the importance of vertical dynamical coupling as well as magnetospheric forcing in auroral regions, where present. It is shown that a first order understanding of neutral atmospheres has emerged over the past decades, thanks to the combined effects of spacecraft and Earth-based observations as well as advances in theoretical modeling capabilities. Key gaps in our understanding are highlighted which ultimately call for a more comprehensive programme of observation and laboratory measurements.     

Polar format algorithm for bistatic SAR

Matched filtering (MF) of phase history data is a mathematically ideal but computationally expensive approach to bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image formation. Fast backprojection algorithms (BPAs) for image formation have recently been shown to give improved O(N/sup 2/ log/sub 2/N) performance. An O(N/sup 2/ log/sub 2/N) bistatic polar format algorithm (PFA) based on a bistatic far-field assumption is derived. This algorithm is a generalization of the popular PFA for monostatic SAR image formation and is highly amenable to implementation with existing monostatic image formation processors. Limits on the size of an imaged scene, analogous to those in monostatic systems, are derived for the bistatic PFA.     

Radar target identification using the bispectrum: a comparativestudy

Radar target identification is performed using time-domain bispectral features. The classification performance is compared with the performance of other classifiers that use either the impulse response or frequency domain response of the unknown target. The classification algorithms developed here are based on the spectral or the bispectral energy of the received backscatter signal. Classification results are obtained using simulated radar returns derived from measured scattering data from real radar targets. The performance of classifiers in the presence of additive Gaussian (colored or white), exponential noise, and Weibull noise are considered, along with cases where the azimuth position of the target is unknown. Finally, the effect on classification performance of responses horn extraneous point scatterers is investigated     

The coronal context of transition region explosive events

Transition region explosive events are observed throughout the quiet Sun and represent an interesting local heating phenomenon. The coronal counterparts of these events, if they exist, were not observed in a sounding rocket campaign dedicated to this objective. The coronal instrument complement on the SOHO spacecraft provides an opportunity to extend this search for the coronal counterparts of the transition region explosive events, as well as to explore the correspondence of explosive events with large scale coronal structures, such as with coronal dark lanes.     

High resolution exponential modeling of fully polarized radarreturns

A method for modeling full polarization radar target is considered. The approach taken is to estimate a set of target features which describes the target as a set of attributed scattering centers. Each scattering center is characterized by its range, amplitude, and a polarization ellipse. An exponential model for the fully polarized radar return is described, and an algorithm for estimating the parameters in this model is developed. The modeling procedure is applied to compact range measurements of model aircraft     

Sun earth connection coronal and heliospheric investigation (SECCHI)

The Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) on the NASA Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission is a suite of remote sensing instruments consisting of an extreme ultraviolet imager, two white light coronagraphs, and a heliospheric imager. Two spacecraft with identical instrumentation will obtain simultaneous observations from viewpoints of increasing separation in the ecliptic plane. In support of the STEREO mission objectives, SECCHI will observe coronal mass ejections from their birth at the Sun, through the outer corona, to their impact at Earth. The SECCHI program includes a coordinated effort to develope magneto-hydrodynamic models and visualization tools to interpret the images that will be obtained from the two spacecraft viewpoints. The resulting three-dimensional analysis of CMEs will help to resolve some of the fundamental outstanding questions in solar physics.     

Solar System Ionospheres

This article reviews our understanding of the ionospheres in the solar system. It provides some basic information on the sources and sinks of the ionospheric plasma, its dynamics, the energetics and the coupling to the neutral atmosphere. Ionospheres in the solar system are reviewed and comparative ionospheric topics are discussed.     

Taylor expansion of the differential range for monostatic SAR

The polar format algorithm (PFA) for spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is based on a linear approximation for the differential range to a scatterer. We derive a second-order Taylor series approximation of the differential range. We provide a simple and concise derivation of both the far-field linear approximation of the differential range, which forms the basis of the PFA, and the corresponding approximation limits based on the second-order terms of the approximation.     

Cross Sections and Reaction Rates for Comparative Planetary Aeronomy

In this chapter we describe the current knowledge of a selection of collision processes and chemical reactions of importance to planetary aeronomy. Emphasis is placed on critical evaluation of what we know and what we wish we knew about fundamental processes required for interpretation, explanation, and modeling of atmospheric observations.