First mesospheric wind images using the Michelson interferometer for airglow dynamics imaging

The Michelson interferometer for airglow dynamics imaging (MIADI) is a ground-based instrument that combines an imaging capability with the Doppler Michelson interferometry in order to remotely detect motions in the mesopause region using spectrally isolated airglow emissions: the O (1S) emission at 557.73 nm and the OH (6, 2) P1 (2) at 839.918 nm. A measurement and analysis approach has been developed that allows simultaneous images of the line-of-sight Doppler wind field and irradiance field to be obtained. A working field instrument was installed and tested at a field site outside Fredericton, NB (45.96 N, 66.65 W) during the summer of 2014. Successful measurements over a 6 h period were obtained on 31 July 2014. This paper describes the MIADI measurement and analysis approach and presents the work that has been done to extract images of the line-of-sight Doppler wind field and irradiances from these observations. The imaging capability is validated by identifying the presence of large-scale and small-scale geophysical perturbations in the images. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America