DESCRIPTION |
Instrument Overview
===================
The instrument is a photometer-polarimeter which views along the spin-
axis of the spacecraft. Unlike most other instruments on Giotto which
view in the ram direction, OPE views in the anti-ram direction, i.e. in
the direction from which the spacecraft has come. It thus measures the
integral brightness along the track as a function of position along the
track. The derivative of this signal is, therefore, the polarized
emissivity at each point of the track.
The instrument has no moving parts. An f/1.7 objective of 18-mm
diameter images the 'sky' onto a field stop with an effective field of
view of 3 degrees. The seven interference filters to isolate various
spectral regions are deposited in a mosaic directly on the front
element of the objective and the linearly polarized foil is sandwiched
between the elements of the objective. Immediately behind the field
stop, a field lens reimages the objective and its mosaic of filters
onto a micro-channel plate. The micro-channel plate provides anodes
for each of the seven filters. The mosaic of filters is laid out in
such a way as to provide approximately equal output signals in each
bandpass and to partially correct for aberrations of the optical
system. Polarization is measured by the rotation of the spacecraft
(which rotates the linearly polarized foil together with the whole
instrument) at 15 RPM. This allows determination of the first three
Stokes parameters once every 2 seconds (once every half rotation).
The data are sampled every 0.5 seconds, i.e., every 45 degrees of
spacecraft (polaroid) rotation.
The instrument is mounted on the top platform of the Giotto spacecraft,
near the periphery of the spacecraft where it is in the shadow of the
solar panels and can see past the de-spun high-gain antenna. The
instrument is baffled against stray light from the coma outside the
field of view and against light reflected from the high-gain antenna
or the tripod. The baffle is 270 mm long with 7 vanes. A
self-luminescent white source is mounted on the back of the baffle
cover for testing and calibration during the cruise phase. This
baffle cover was ejected by a pyrotechnic device in October 1985.
Instrument Manufacturer : Service d'Aeronomie du CNRS, Verrieres le
Buisson, France
Instrument Mass : 1.32
Science Objectives
==================
- Determine the changes in both number density (including inhomogen-
eities) and the grain-size distribution as a function of Giotto's
position inside the coma.
- Determine the spatial distribution along the trajectory of emissions
due to OH, CN, C2, and CO+, in order to derive the production rates
of the parent species, as well as their nature, and to obtain
information on the physical processes leading to the formation of
the observed radicals by means of the study of the polarization of
their emission as a function of distance from the nucleus.
- Investigate the dynamical coupling of gas and dust by determining
the gas-to-dust mass production ratio as a function of distance from
the nucleus and the possible correlation with grain size.
- Compare the optical properties of cometary dust with those of
interplanetary and interstellar grains in an effort to understand the
histories and mutual interactions of all three dust complexes.
Calibration Description
=======================
The pre-flight calibration was carried out primarily at the Max-Planck-
Insitut-fuer-Astronomie in Heidelberg. The linearity of each of the
seven channels was calibrated by a boot-strap method, starting with two
incident light signals, C1 and C2, of comparable intensity and
comparing the output of the sum of the two signals, C3, with the sum of
the outputs for the two separate signals. The Intensity-Linearity-Ratio
(ILR) for the counting level (C1+C2)/2 is then given by C3/(C1+C2).
The results of a series of measurements on each channel were fitted by
least squares and the resultant curves were used to calibrate the data.
Cross-talk between the channels, which could arise either from optical
scattering within the filters or misalignment of the optics with the
detector or electronic cross-talk, was measured with a beam from a
monochromator having a spectral width of approximately 0.1nm. The
response of each channel of the instrument was recorded at a variety
of wavelengths. The results were integrated across each bandpass and
compared with the integrated signal received in the out-of-bandpass
channels. The out-of-band and in-band counts were corrected by
applying a preliminary ILR derived as a composite of all channels. The
signals determined in this way were used to determine the preliminary
crosstalk. This procedure was iterated until it converged. The final
cross-talk was found to be less than 3%.
A final calibration was obtained on the background sky, zodiacal light
plus diffuse starlight, immediately prior to the encounter.
General steps in going from raw counts to flux include the following:
0. Correct for non-linearity (this correction is completely
negligible for Halley far from the encounter). It is small for
Halley at closest approach (where signals are strongest) compared
to other uncertainties.
1. Take dark current from same clock-sector reading and multiply by
ratios of areas (obs channel/dark channel) on the MCP and subtract
2. Estimate scattered light, as a function of clock-sector, from the
observations before and after encounter.
3. Correct for cross-talk between channels using matrix in Giovane et
al., 1991.
4. For CO+ channel, multiply by absolute inverse responsivity.
5. For other channels, either add clock sectors separated by 90
degrees or multiply by two (very approximate), to go from the
polarized intensity to total intensity.
Operational Considerations
==========================
During the flythrough of Halley's coma, the instrument was pointed in
the direction opposite the direction of motion. Direct differentiation
of the signal, with a full measurement every two seconds, should
lead to the mean polarized emissivity in a cylinder of length about
137 km (2 seconds of travel) and diameter 6 km (2.62 deg field of
view at a distance of 137 km). During the entire encounter with
Halley, the scattering angle was 107.2 degrees.
Although the instrument was not damaged during the encounter, the
viewing direction after a dust particle impacted Giotto was not anymore
parallel to the direction of motion, and not well determined, and thus
the data could not be analyzed.
Measurements were performed every 45 degrees in rotational phase.
Only five phases gave a usable signal; these phases can readily be
identified in the data tables by the chronology of the cometocentric
distance: each geometrical configuration repeats itself every 4 sec
or every 274 km along the spacecraft track.
Due to the strength of the underlying continuum signal in the CO+
filter, the weak CO+ emission was not truly detected and that channel
can be considred as another continuum channel.
Detectors
=========
Detector ID : OPE
Detector type : Micro-Channel Plate
Filters (see Giovane etal, 1991)
===============================================
Continuum 1 Filter
------------------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.4423 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0047 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0090 microns. Peak transmission of
0.46.
Continuum 2 Filter
------------------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.5771 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0098 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0090 microns. Peak transmission of
0.73.
Continuum 3 Filter
------------------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.7175 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0034 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0075 microns. Peak transmission of
0.39.
OH Filter
---------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.3113 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0054 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0100 microns.Peak transmission of
0.23.
CN Filter
---------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.3875 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0037 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0100 microns. Peak transmission of
0.37.
CO+ Filter
----------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.4249 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0036 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0080 microns. Peak transmission of
0.51.
C2 Filter
---------
Center Filter Wavelength : 0.5145 micron
Interference filter with bandwidth at 50% of peak = 0.0036 microns
and bandwidth at 1% of peak = 0.0060 microns.Peak transmission of
0.70.
Optics
======
Telescope Focal Length : 0.0306 m
Telescope Diameter : 0.018 m
Telescope F Number : 1.7
Platform Mounting Description
=============================
The instrument is mounted on the top platform of the Giotto spacecraft,
near the periphery of the spacecraft where it is in the shadow of the
solar panels and can see past the de-spun high-gain antenna. It views
parallel to the spin axis. At the encounter with P/Halley, this is the
direction opposite the ram direction.
Instrument Section Description
==============================
Section ID : OPE
Data Rate : 723 bits/sec
FOV Shape : CIRCULAR
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REFERENCES |
Giovane, F., G. Eichorn, J. McKisson, J.L. Weinberg, A. Weisenberger, P. Lamy,
A. Llebaria, M. Detaille, A.C. Levasseur_Regourd, and J.M. LeBlanc,
Photomultiplier for optically probing Comet Halley, Applied Optics 30,
2579-2591, 1991.
Levasseur-Regourd, A. C., J. L. Bertaux, R. Dumont, M. Festou, R. H. Giese, F.
Giovane, P. Lamy, A. Llebaria, and J. L. Weinberg (1986). 'The Giotto Optical
Probe Experiment'. In 'The Giotto Mission - Its Scientific Investigations' (R.
Reinhard and B. Battrick, Eds.) ESA SP-1077, pp. 129-148. ESA Publications
Division, ESTEC, Noordwijk.
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