ALOFT Optical Instruments
Overview of the FEGS optical instrument.
Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Simulator (FEGS)
The Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) is an airborne array of multi-spectral radiometers optimized to measure the optical emission from lightning. These radiometers observe spectral emission from a variety of temperature regimes over a nominal spatial footprint of 10 x 10 km2 and with a spatial resolution of 2 x 2 km2. With a temporal resolution of 10 microseconds, FEGS adds the capability to investigate sub-millisecond lightning energetics to the NASA Airborne Earth Science program. Recent upgrades have improved FEGS sensitivity and radiometric precision as well as expanded spectral observations into the ultraviolet and shortwave infrared. When flown with its complementary suite of instruments (the ALOFT package), including a two-channel electric field change meter (EFCM) and high-energy scintillator packages, ALOFT observes lightning radiation signatures that span from radio frequencies to gamma-ray emission.
PI: Mason Quick (external link)
340 nm detector (CWL)
Emission: 337.1 nm
FWHM: 10 nm
Species: N2
500 nm detector (CWL)
Emission: 500.5 nm
FWHM: 10 nm
Species: NII
700 nm detector (CWL)
Emission: Broadband
FWHM: 800 nm
Species: multiple
780 nm detector (CWL)
Emission: 777.4 nm
FWHM: 10 nm
Species: OI
1570 nm detector (CWL)
Emission: multiple
FWHM: 130 nm
Species: NI
YouTube video about the FEGS instrument.