High Resolution Spectroscopy of Rotating Planets

Abstract

A method for the high resolution spectroscopy of rotating planets is discussed which in principle (1) uses all the light from the planet, (2) is not limited in its resolution by the rotation of the planet, (3) can produce spectra in which the only sharp lines present must be of planetary origin, (4) retains spatial resolution in latitude, and (5) uses only conventional coudé spectrograph equipment. Although it is not possible to take full advantage of all these gains with presently available gratings, a significant improvement over present techniques is still possible.

Origins and Reduction of Line Broadening in the Spectra of Fast Ion Beams

“…We have demonstrated that the entrance slit may then be opened wide with little loss in resolution [17] . Analogous techniques have been used in astronomical applications [18,19] . The condition that must be satisfied for the desired cancellation to occur at wavelength A is that the wavelength must vary across the slit so that the angle of diffraction (r) from the grating is independent of the angle of incidence (i) upon the grating .…”