Prospects for Scientific Research Based on Transit Observations of Earth by the Solar Polar-orbit Observatory
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摘要: 夸父二号科学卫星在利用木星引力改变轨道倾角飞出黄道面之前, 将在黄道面环日飞行, 有望在可见光和极紫外多个波段完整观测地球凌日过程. 本文主要围绕夸父二号未来将开展的地球凌日观测, 预先分析其可开展的相关科学研究内容. 一方面, 利用极紫外波段地球大气遮掩太阳的观测, 可反演地球热层氧原子数密度及其垂直分布. 基于地球经验大气模型, 对极紫外波段地球大气吸收进行了正演模拟, 反演测试表明, 可有效反演地球热层250~600 km范围内的氧原子数密度分布;另一方面, 基于地球凌日过程中在极紫外与可见光波段表现出的光变曲线特征, 可预估未来极紫外波段开展系外行星凌星探测的典型光变信号. 模拟分析了行星凌星过程中极紫外波段的光变曲线特征. 由于行星大气对极紫外辐射具有显著吸收作用, 光变曲线将呈现出不同于可见光波段的变化特征. 上述结果不仅对理解地球大气热层的性质具有重要意义, 而且能为探测系外行星高层大气的特性提供重要启示.Abstract: The Solar Polar-orbit Observatory (SPO) mission will employ a gravity assist of Jupiter to change its orbital inclination, enabling the spacecraft to leave the ecliptic plane and conduct direct imaging observations of the Sun’s poles. Before performing the gravity assist maneuver at Jupiter, SPO will orbit the Sun near the ecliptic plane, during which it will have the opportunity to observe the transit of the Earth across the solar disk in visible and Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) bands. This paper focuses on the prospective Earth’s transit observations by SPO in the future and presents a preliminary assessment of the potential scientific investigations that could be carried out. First, the absorption of EUV radiation by the Earth’s atmosphere during transit can be used to retrieve the atomic oxygen number density in the thermosphere and its variation with altitude, thereby obtaining the vertical distribution of oxygen atoms. Using an empirical atmospheric model of Earth, we perform forward modeling of the absorption of EUV radiation by the Earth’s atmosphere. Inversion tests demonstrate that the absorption in these EUV wavelengths can be used to infer the distribution of atomic oxygen number density in the thermosphere within an altitude range of 250-600 km. Second, based on the characteristics of light curves in both the EUV and visible bands, obtained during the Earth’s transit, we can investigate the typical transit photometric signatures that may arise in future exoplanet transit detections in EUV bands. We simulate the light-curve characteristics during planetary transits in the EUV band. Due to the significant absorption of EUV radiation by planetary atmospheres, the resulting light curves exhibit characteristics that differ from those observed in the visible band. These results will provide important guidance and theoretical support for future EUV-based exoplanet detection missions.
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Key words:
- Planetary Atmosphere /
- Transit /
- Occultation /
- Extreme ultraviolet
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图 3 NRLMSIS2.1经验大气模型在赤道附近冬季06:00 LT条件下的垂直廓线. (a)(c)为氧分子、氮分子、氧原子、氢原子、氦原子以及一氧化氮分子的数密度随高度的变化廓线, (b)(d)给出了这些原子和分子的数混合比随高度的分布, (a)(b)对应F10.7 = 80 sfu的情况, (c)(d)对应F10.7 = 200 sfu的情况
Figure 3. Vertical profiles from the NRLMSIS2.1 empirical atmosphere model for equatorial regions at 06:00 LT in winter. (a)(c) show the number-density profiles of atomic oxygen, molecular nitrogen, molecular oxygen, atomic hydrogen, atomic helium, and nitric oxide. (b)(d) present the corresponding number mixing ratios. (a)(b) correspond to low solar activity (F10.7 = 80 sfu), while (c)(d) correspond to high solar activity (F10.7 = 200 sfu)
图 4 地球大气对极紫外辐射的正演透过率与反演柱密度. (a)(b)在F10.7 = 80 sfu和200 sfu的条件下, 正演计算得到的极紫外171, 193, 304 Å三个波段的辐射透过率, (c)(d)基于上述透过率反演得到的氧原子柱密度随高度的分布
Figure 4. Forward modeling of EUV transmittance of the Earth’s atmosphere and the retrieved column densities of atomic oxygen. (a)(b) show the synthesized transmittance at 171 Å, 193 Å, and 304 Å for the cases of F10.7 = 80 sfu and 200 sfu, respectively. (c)(d) present the inverted column densities of atomic oxygen derived from the synthesized transmittance
图 6 夸父二号观测地球凌日过程的模拟结果. (a)根据卫星轨道计算得到的地球凌日过程中投影到太阳表面的位置及投影半径, (b)凌日过程中极紫外171, 193 和 304 Å及可见光波段的光变曲线, (c)曝光时间提高至50 min时得到的光变曲线
Figure 6. Simulation of the Earth’s transit observed by SPO. (a) Projected position and radius of Earth on the solar disk during the transit, calculated based on the orbit of SPO. (b) Light curves in the EUV 171, 193 and 304 Å and visible bands. (c) Light curves obtained by increasing the exposure time to 50 minutes
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李昊 男, 1986年10月出生于吉林省长春市, 中国科学院国家空间科学中心研究员, 主要从事原子谱线偏振、太阳大气磁场反演等方面的研究. E-mail:
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