Lynzee Hoegger is from a small town near Seattle, Washington. She is an Astrophysics major and is currently a rising senior at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She is also completing her certificate in Earth and Planetary Exploration Technology and has interests in both space exploration and exoplanet research. Over the last year she has done research relating to black holes and dark energy. After graduating from UH Manoa, she plans to continue her education in Astrophysics. In her spare time, Lynzee likes to play piano, as well as do photography, snorkeling, and hiking.
Home Island: O’ahu
Institution when accepted: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Akamai Project: Modelling Atmospheric Transmission for DKIST
Project Site: Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (NSO/DKIST) – Makawao, Maui
Mentors: David Harrington, Andre Fehlmann, Tom Schad, Lucas Tarr
Project Abstract:
DKIST’s (Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope) scientific goals include making observations of the Sun at wavelengths in which the Earth’s atmosphere is highly variable. Because the resolution of DKIST’s instruments is so high, these variations in sunlight caused by the atmosphere can be problematic for data collection. MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission) was used to simulate the changes in atmospheric transmittance and scattering depending on different variables, such as humidity, aerosols, and air mass. Using these simulations, a database was built and interpolated onto the wavelengths most commonly used for DKIST instrumentation. These data were used to analyze the 60 m optical path between the calibration optics box near the top of the DKIST facility and the instrumentation. The database was additionally used to analyze the variations and atmospheric effects on the transmittance and scattering at the 1430 nm wavelength. This wavelength is highly variable, the central wavelength for one of the CryoNIRSP (Cryogenic Near Infra-Red Spectro-Polarimeter) filters, and a critical wavelength for solar coronal measurements. The MODTRAN simulations and further analyses found that the transmittance of light to DKIST at the 1430 nm wavelength is highly dependent on these variables. It was also found that MODTRAN was able to resolve variations even in an optical path length of 60 meters. This database will be useful to future DKIST scientists as it saves time and provides a detailed breakdown of the atmospheric effects on the transmittances for many of the scenarios they may encounter.