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The NOMAD ("Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery") spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has been designed to investigate the comThis paper is dedicated to the memory of M. Allen, V. Formisano, and J. McConnell. position of Mars' atmosphere, with a particular focus on trace gases, clouds and dust. The detection sensitivity for trace gases is considerably improved compared to previous Mars missions, compliant with the science objectives of the TGO mission. This will allow for a major leap in our knowledge and understanding of the Martian atmospheric composition and the related physical and chemical processes. The instrument is a combination of three spectrometers, covering a spectral range from the UV to the mid-IR, and can perform solar occultation, nadir and limb observations. In this paper, we present the science objectives of the instrument and explain the technical principles of the three spectrometers. We also discuss the expected performance of the instrument in terms of spatial and temporal coverage and detection sensitivity.
We present ∼1.5 Mars Years (MY) of ozone vertical profiles, covering L S = 163° in MY34 to L S = 320° in MY35, a period which includes the 2018 global dust storm. Since April 2018, the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer channel of the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery (NOMAD) instrument aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has observed the vertical, latitudinal and seasonal distributions of ozone. Around perihelion, the relative abundance of both ozone and water (from coincident NOMAD measurements) increases with decreasing altitude below ∼40 km. Around aphelion, localized decreases in ozone abundance exist between 25 and 35 km coincident with the location of modeled peak water abundances. High-latitude (>±55°), high altitude (40-55 km) equinoctial ozone enhancements are observed in both hemispheres (L S ∼350°-40°) and discussed in the companion article to this work (Khayat et al., 2021). The descending branch of the main Hadley cell shapes the observed ozone distribution at L S = 40°-60°, with the possible signature of a northern hemisphere thermally indirect cell identifiable from L S = 40°-80°. Morning terminator observations show elevated ozone abundances with respect to evening observations, with average ozone abundances between 20 and 40 km an order of magnitude higher at sunrise compared to sunset, attributed to diurnal photochemical partitioning along the line of sight between ozone and O or fluctuations in water abundance. The ozone retrievals presented here provide the most complete global description of Mars ozone vertical distributions to date as a function of season and latitude. Plain Language SummaryWe present over two years of new observations of the vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere of Mars. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft has been recording observations of the Martian atmosphere since 2018 to map the presence and changes in abundance of gases such as ozone by using the "Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery (NOMAD)" instrument. NOMAD continually observes the change in ozone abundance (among other gases) at different heights across much of the planet. These abundance profiles have revealed the presence of distinct layers of ozone enhancement at high altitudes in the atmosphere of Mars toward the polar regions and between spring and autumn in the southern hemisphere of Mars, discussed in detail in the companion article. We observe broad periods where often the abundance of ozone follows the abundance of water from ∼10 km altitude up to ∼50 km altitude, and other times when the two appear to be opposite in their variation with height. Our retrievals of ozone from NOMAD data provide the first coincident observations of ozone and water and provide previously unavailable information on the photochemistry of Mars.
The oxygen emission at 557.7 nm is a ubiquitous component of the spectrum of the terrestrial polar aurora and the reason for its usual green colour 1 . It is also observed as a thin layer of glow surrounding the Earth near 90 km altitude in the dayside atmosphere 2,3 but it has so far eluded detection in other planets. Here we report dayglow observations of the green line outside the Earth. They have been performed with the Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery ultraviolet and visible spectrometer instrument on board the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Using a special observation mode, scans of the dayside limb provide the altitude distribution of the intensity of the 557.7 nm line and its variability. Two intensity peaks are observed near 80 and 120 km altitude, corresponding to photodissociation of CO 2 by solar Lyman α and extreme ultraviolet radiation, respectively. A weaker emission, originating from the same upper level of the oxygen atom, is observed in the near ultraviolet at 297.2 nm. These simultaneous measurements of both oxygen lines make it possible to directly derive a ratio of 16.5 between the visible and ultraviolet emissions, and thereby clarify a controversy between discordant ab initio calculations and atmospheric measurements that has persisted despite multiple efforts. This ratio is considered a standard for measurements connecting the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions. This result has consequences for the study of auroral and airglow processes and for spectral calibration.The presence of the Martian green line dayglow emission was predicted about 40 years ago 4 . However, observations dedicated to the Martian dayglow have so far been sensitive to radiation beyond 340 nm, and thus focused on the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum [5][6][7][8] , including the Oi 297.2 nm emission. The [Oi] 557.7 and 297.2 nm forbidden emissions have the same 1 S upper state, so their intensity ratio is equal to that of their transition probability. The two transition probabilities and their ratio R = I(557.7 nm)/I(297.2 nm) have been obtained from ab initio calculations. The value recommended by NIST 1 is R = 16.7. However, atmospheric observations of the two emissions have led to lower values: R = 9.8 ± 1.0 in the terrestrial nightglow 9 and 9.3 ± 0.5 in the aurora 10 . These values depend on the instrumental calibration of two spectral windows bridged with the O 2 Herzberg i transition. As this ratio is invariant at low pressure, it is a useful standard for measurements connecting the UV and the visible regions.
NOMAD is a spectrometer suite on board the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which launched in March 2016. NOMAD consists of two infrared channels and one ultraviolet and visible channel, allowing the instrument to perform observations quasi-constantly, by taking nadir measurements at the day- and night-side, and during solar occultations. Here, in part 2 of a linked study, we describe the design, manufacturing, and testing of the ultraviolet and visible spectrometer channel called UVIS. We focus upon the optical design and working principle where two telescopes are coupled to a single grating spectrometer using a selector mechanism.
NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery) is one of the four instruments on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, scheduled for launch in March 2016. It consists of a suite of three high-resolution spectrometers - SO (Solar Occultation), LNO (Limb, Nadir and Occultation) and UVIS (Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer). Based upon the characteristics of the channels and the values of Signal-to-Noise Ratio obtained from radiometric models discussed in (Vandaele et al., 2015a, 2015b; Thomas et al., 2016), the expected performances of the instrument in terms of sensitivity to detection have been investigated. The analysis led to the determination of detection limits for 18 molecules, namely CO, H2O, HDO, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, H2CO, CH4, SO2, H2S, HCl, HCN, HO2, NH3, N2O, NO2, OCS, O3. NOMAD should have the ability to measure methane concentrations < 25 parts per trillion (ppt) in solar occultation mode, and 11 parts per billion in nadir mode. Occultation detections as low as 10 ppt could be made if spectra are averaged (Drummond et al., 2011). Results have been obtained for all three channels in nadir and in solar occultation
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