1. Using muon rings for the optical throughput calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope ArrayMarkus Gaug, Christopher Eckner, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Gabrijela Zaharijas, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Muon ring images observed with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) provide a powerful means to calibrate the optical throughput of IACTs and monitor their optical point spread function. We investigate whether muons ring images can be used as the primary optical throughput calibration method for the telescopes of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) and find several additional systematic effects in comparison to previous works. To ensure that the method achieves the accuracy required by CTA, these systematic effects need to be taken into account and minor modifications to the hardware and analysis are necessary. We derive analytic estimates for the expected muon data rates to be used for optical throughput calibration, monitoring of the optical point spread function, with achievable statistical and systematic uncertainties, and explore the potential of muon ring images as a secondary method of camera pixel flat-fielding.
Keywords: very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory, Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, IACT optical throughput calibration, IACT camera pixel flat-fielding, IACT optical point spread function (PSF), muon ring images
Published in RUNG: 13.11.2024; Views: 275; Downloads: 5
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6. Field evaluation of low-cost PM sensors (Purple Air PA-II) under variable urban air quality conditions, in GreeceIasonas Stavroulas, Georgios Grivas, Panagiotis Michalopoulos, Eleni Liakakou, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Panayiotis Kalkavouras, Kyriaki Maria Fameli, Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Evangelos Gerasopoulos, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Recent advances in particle sensor technologies have led to an increased development and utilization of low-cost, compact, particulate matter (PM) monitors. These devices can be deployed in dense monitoring networks, enabling an improved characterization of the spatiotemporal variability in ambient levels and exposure. However, the reliability of their measurements is an important prerequisite, necessitating rigorous performance evaluation and calibration in comparison to reference-grade instrumentation. In this study, field evaluation of Purple Air PA-II devices (low-cost PM sensors) is performed in two urban environments and across three seasons in Greece, in comparison to different types of reference instruments. Measurements were conducted in Athens (the largest city in Greece with nearly four-million inhabitants) for five months spanning over the summer of 2019 and winter/spring of 2020 and in Ioannina, a medium-sized city in northwestern Greece (100,000 inhabitants) during winter/spring 2019–2020. The PM2.5 sensor output correlates strongly with reference measurements (R2 = 0.87 against a beta attenuation monitor and R2 = 0.98 against an optical reference-grade monitor). Deviations in the sensor-reference agreement are identified as mainly related to elevated coarse particle concentrations and high ambient relative humidity. Simple and multiple regression models are tested to compensate for these biases, drastically improving the sensor’s response. Large decreases in sensor error are observed after implementation of models, leading to mean absolute percentage errors of 0.18 and 0.12 for the Athens and Ioannina datasets, respectively. Overall, a quality-controlled and robustly evaluated low-cost network can be an integral component for air quality monitoring in a smart city. Case studies are presented along this line, where a network of PA-II devices is used to monitor the air quality deterioration during a peri-urban forest fire event affecting the area of Athens and during extreme wintertime smog events in Ioannina, related to wood burning for residential heating.
Keywords: particulate matter, PM2.5, air quality, low-cost sensors, optical particle counter
Published in RUNG: 10.05.2024; Views: 832; Downloads: 6
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7. Performance analysis of high-spectral-resolution lidar with/without laser seeding technique for measuring aerosol optical propertiesFengjia Gao, Fei Gao, Gaipan Li, Fan Yang, Li Wang, Song Yuehui, Dengxin Hua, Samo Stanič, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: High-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) is a powerful tool for aerosol measurements. With/without laser seeding technique in the transmitted laser, the HSRL can be distinguished as the single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) HSRL or the multi-longitudinal-mode (MLM) HSRL, and the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with periodic transmittance function can be used as the spectral discriminator in both the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL. To in-depth knowledge of the respective advantages of the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL for measuring aerosol optical properties, the working principle, optimal parameter setting, and detection performance of the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL are analyzed and discussed in detail, respectively. The working principle of the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL indicate that the effective transmittance of MZI is the important parameter of data retrieval, the main source of retrieval uncertainties, and the key factor of MZI optical path difference (OPD) settings. To ensure that the MZI can achieve the preferable separation for aerosol Mie scattering signals and molecular Rayleigh scattering signals, the optimal OPDs of MZI are set at 165 mm and 1000 mm in the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL from the aspects of the effective transmittance of MZI and the spectral discrimination ratio (SDR). Besides, to analyze the influence of frequency difference and divergence angle for the detection performance of HSRL, the effective transmittance of MZI and SDR are simulated and the results show that the MLM HSRL has higher requirements for the environmental parameters and the echo beam collimation than the SLM HSRL. Moreover, the HSRLs with SLM and MLM transmitted lasers are constructed in Xi'an for measuring aerosol optical properties. The preliminary measurement results show that the range square corrected signal (RSCS) of Rayleigh channel is smaller than that of Mie channel in both the SLM HSRL and MLM HSRL, while the difference between RSCS of Rayleigh channel and RSCS of Mie channel in the SLM HSRL is larger than that in the MLM HSRL, and the detection range of the SLM HSRL is lower than that of the MLM HSRL.
Keywords: aerosol optical properties, high-spectral-resolution lidar, single-longitudinal-mode, multi-longitudinal-mode, spectral discrimination ratio
Published in RUNG: 28.02.2024; Views: 1468; Downloads: 3
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8. Optical properties and simple forcing efficiency of the organic aerosols and black carbon emitted by residential wood burning in rural Central EuropeAndrea Cuesta-Mosquera, Kristina Glojek, Griša Močnik, Luka Drinovec, Asta Gregorič, Martin Rigler, Matej Ogrin, Baseerat Romshoo, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Abstract. Recent years have seen an increase in the use of wood for energy production of over 30 %, and this trend is expected to continue due to the current energy crisis and geopolitical instability. At present, residential wood burning (RWB) is one of the most important sources of organic aerosols (OA) and black carbon (BC). While BC is recognized for its large light absorption cross-section, the role of OA in light absorption is still under evaluation due to their heterogeneous composition and source-dependent optical properties. Studies that characterize wood-burning aerosol emissions in Europe typically focus on urban and background sites and only cover BC properties. However, RWB is more prevalent in rural areas, and the present scenario indicates that an improved understanding of the RWB aerosol optical properties and their subsequent connection to climate impacts is necessary for rural areas. We have characterized atmospheric aerosol particles from a central European rural site during wintertime in the village of Retje in Loški Potok, Slovenia, from 01.12.2017 to 07.03.2018. The village experienced extremely high aerosol concentrations produced by RWB and near-ground temperature inversion. The isolated location of the site and the substantial local emissions made it an ideal laboratory-like place for characterizing RWB aerosols with low influence from non-RWB sources under ambient conditions. The mean mass concentrations of OA and BC were 34.8 µg m-3 (max = 271.8 µg m-3) and 3.1 µg m-3 (max = 24.3 µg m-3), respectively. The mean total particle number concentration (10–600 nm) was 9.9 x 103 particles cm-3 (max = 53.5 x 103 particles cm-3). The mean total light absorption coefficient at 370 nm and 880 nm measured by an Aethalometer AE33 were 122.8 Mm-1 and 15.3 Mm-1 and had maximum values of 1103.9 Mm-1 and 179.1 Mm-1, respectively. The aerosol concentrations and absorption coefficients measured during the campaign in Loški Potok were significantly larger than those reported values for several urban areas in the region with larger populations and extent of aerosol sources. Here, considerable contributions from brown carbon (BrC) to the total light absorption were identified, reaching up to 60 % and 48 % in the near UV (370 nm) and blue (470 nm) wavelengths. These contributions are up to three times higher than values reported for other sites impacted by wood-burning emissions. The calculated mass absorption cross-section and the absorption Ångström exponent for RWB OA were MACOA, 370 nm= 2.4 m2 g-1, and AAEBrC, 370–590 nm= 3.9, respectively. Simple forcing efficiency (SFE) calculations were performed as a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the climate impact of the RWB aerosols produced at the study site by integrating the optical properties measured during the campaign. The SFE results show a considerable forcing capacity from the local RWB aerosols, with a high sensitivity to OA absorption properties and a more substantial impact over bright surfaces like snow, typical during the coldest season with higher OA emissions from RWB. Our study's results are highly significant regarding air pollution, optical properties, and climate impact. The findings suggest that there may be an underestimation of RWB emissions in rural Europe and that further investigation is necessary.
Keywords: wood-burning aerosols, optical characterization, black carbon, rural areas
Published in RUNG: 10.01.2024; Views: 1832; Downloads: 11
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9. Aerosol complex refractive index retrieval in the Paris urban area and its forested surroundings during the ACROSS field campaign : variability and constraint for direct radiative effect estimation in regional modelsLudovico Di Antonio, Griša Močnik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: The complex refractive index (CRI) is one of the key parameter driving aerosol spectral optical properties and direct radiative effects (DRE). Its value and spectral variation under different conditions, such as anthropogenic− and biogenic−dominated environments and anthropogenic−biogenic mixing situations, remains not fully understood. As a consequence, oversimplified representations of aerosol optical properties are generally used in climate models. Therefore, measurements of aerosol CRI in different environments and their inclusion in models are needed. The field observations from the ACROSS campaign, performed in June-July 2022 in the Ile de France region, are used in this study to deepen the knowledge of aerosol optical properties, aiming to improve the aerosol representation in the CHIMERE model and provide the best constraint for DRE simulations. Measurements obtained both at the Paris city center and the Rambouilllet rural forest sites during ACROSS are considered, in order to explore the CRI variability from anthropogenic−dominated to biogenic−dominated environments, including anthropogenic−biogenic mixing situations. The CRI retrievals at seven different wavelengths, performed by combining the Mie theory with optical and size distribution measurements, are representative of different atmospheric conditions, aerosol loadings as well as type and chemical compositions. In fact, the June-July 2022 period was characterized by highly diversified weather conditions: 1) two strong heatwaves, promoting SOA build-up and favoring the export of the Paris pollution plume towards the forest site; 2) Saharan dust events transported from the upper atmosphere to the ground; 3) biomass burning episode; 4) periods with reduced anthropogenic influence. The CRI retrievals under these different conditions and their link to particulate chemical composition is investigated. Hence, the CRI dataset presented here constitutes a unique dataset from which models can benefit to validate and constrain simulations and DRE estimations, under both urban and biogenic emissions influence. These data, in conjunction with those from the aircraft observations during ACROSS, are used to initialize and perform sensitivity studies on the aerosol DRE, using the CHIMERE−WRF coupled model, the OPTSIM model for the aerosol optical properties and the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for GCMs (RRTMG).Keywords: Complex refractive index, direct radiative effect, aerosol mixing, urban, forest
Keywords: aerosol optical properties, refractive index
Published in RUNG: 21.12.2023; Views: 1492; Downloads: 3
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10. An improved low-input resistance folded-cascode transimpedance amplifier for giga-bit per second optical communication front-endsSoorena Zohoori, Ahmad Hosseini, Mehrdad Amirkhan Amirkhan Dehkordi, Seyed Mehdi Mirsanei, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The present study is devoted to articulating a modified folded‐cascode circuit, to make folded‐cascode structures an attractive configuration as a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for being employed in Giga‐bit per second optical communication receiver systems. Giga‐bps communication receivers are highly necessitating circuits to isolate the input parasitic capacitance of the photodiode. The present modification makes folded cascodes comparable to the famous regulated cascode (RGC) structures by isolating this parasitic capacitor almost by the same quantity. The system is shown to be capable of operating at 2.5 Gbps up to 8 Gbps data rate with a fixed bandwidth. The paper analyzes and evaluates the designed circuit mathematically, and the obtained simulated results from Cadence using TSMC 65 nm CMOS validate the suitability of the modified circuit as a TIA.
Keywords: improved folded-cascode, low input resistance, low noise, optical receiver, transimepdance amplifier
Published in RUNG: 08.12.2023; Views: 1935; Downloads: 4
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