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Abstract:

The Clouds, Hazards, and Aerosols Survey for Earth Researchers (CHASER) satellite mission concept responds to the IPCC and Decadal Survey concerns by studying the activation of CCN and their interactions with clouds and storms. The CHASER satellite mission was developed to remotely sense quantities necessary for determining the interactions of aerosols with clouds and storms. CHASER will make the first global survey of Na, the activated CCN spectrum, and the vertical profiles of cloud properties directly affecting climate. CHASER will complement and transcend current National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Missions studying aerosols, clouds, and thunderstorms. CHASER will determine vertical profiles of cloud parameters and lightning flashes pointing 30° off track toward sun-illuminated cloud surfaces, which minimizes shadowing. CHASER will use a high-heritage Cloud Profiler Suite (CPS) consisting of two instruments pointing 30° off nadir across track toward sun-illuminated surfaces on the east.

Abstract:

Spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets have provided the first indications of their atmospheric structure and composition. Optimal estimation retrievals have been successfully applied to solar system planets to determine the temperature, composition and aerosol properties of their atmospheres, and have recently been applied to exoplanets. We show the effectiveness of the technique when combined with simulated observations from the proposed space telescope EChO, and also discuss the difficulty of constraining a complex system with sparse data and large uncertainties, using the super-Earth GJ 1214b as an example. Copyright © 2013, International Astronomical Union.

Abstract:

SWIFT is a visible light (650-1000nm) integral field spectorgaph fed by the Palomar extreme adaptive optics system PALM3K. With a subaperture spacing of 8cm, PALM3K is capable of delivering diffraction limited performance even in the visible. With SWIFT providing spatially resolved spectroscopy at R=4000, this provides a truly unique facility for high resolution science in three dimensions. We present here some results from the first year of PALM3K+SWIFT science. We also report on our experience of operating a small field of view instrument (1"x0.5") with a high performance AO system, and hope the lessons learned will provide valuable input to designing successful and productive AO plus Instrument combinations for ELTs.