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A quasi-continuous record of atmospheric opacity at λ = 1.1 mm over 34 days at Mauna Kea observatory

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References

  1. A. Parrish, R.L. deZafra, P.M. Solomon, J.W. Barrett, and E.R. Carlson, Science221, 1158 (1981).

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  2. The brightness temperature of the sky is related to emitted power per unit wavelength interval via the Rayleigh-Jeans law, which is valid in the mm-wave frequency range, and justifies a linear relationship between emission intensity and temperature, even when dealing with a “grey body” like the atmosphere, rather than a black-body.

  3. J.A. Westphal, Infrared Sky Noise Survey, Final Report on NASA Grant NGR 05-002-185, California Inst. of Technology, 1974 (unpublished).

  4. C.C. Zammit and P.A.R. Ade, Nature293, 550 (1981).

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  5. E.K. Smith, Radio Science17, 1455 (1982).

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  6. Both S and R outputs contain a (generally large) constant contribution from internal mixer and amplifier noise in the receiver. For sensitivity to small variations in (S-R) this noise contribution must be as small as possible. In the present case, a cryogenically cooled mixer and preamplifier system was employed, with an overall single sideband noise tmperature of 1100 K and Δτz≃0.005 could be detected. The receiver noise contribution to apparent sky brightness temperature is omitted in Eq.'s A.2 and A.3, since it cancels in the difference equation A.4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of New York, 11794, Stony Brook, New York

    R. L. de Zafra, A. Parrish, P. M. Solomon & J. W. Barrett

  2. Dept. of Physics, S.U.N.Y., New York, USA

    R. L. de Zafra

  3. c/o Millitek, Inc., Amherst, Mass.

    A. Parrish

  4. Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, S.U.N.Y., New York, USA

    P. M. Solomon & J. W. Barrett

Authors
  1. R. L. de Zafra
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  2. A. Parrish
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  3. P. M. Solomon
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  4. J. W. Barrett
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de Zafra, R.L., Parrish, A., Solomon, P.M. et al. A quasi-continuous record of atmospheric opacity at λ = 1.1 mm over 34 days at Mauna Kea observatory. Int J Infrared Milli Waves 4, 757–765 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01009694

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01009694

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