Observation of night-time emissions of the Earth in the near UV range from the International Space Station with the Mini-EUSO detector

Casolino, M.; Barghini, D.; Battisti, Matteo; Blaksley, C.; Белов, А. А.; Bertaina, M.; Bianciotto, Marta; Bisconti, Francesca; Blin, Sylvie; Bolmgren, Karl; Cambiè, G.; Capel, Francesca; Churilo, I.; Crisconio, M.; Taille, C. De La; Ebisuzaki, Toshikazu; Eser, Johannes; Fenu, Francesco; Franceschi, A.; Fuglesang, C.; Golzio, Alessio; Gorodetzky, P.; Kasuga, Hiroshi; Kajino, F.; Климов, П. А.; Кузнецов, В. Н.; Manfrin, M.; Marcelli, L.; Mascetti, Gabriele; Marszał, W.; Miyamoto, H.; Murashov, A.; Napolitano, T.; Ohmori, Hitoshi; Olinto, Angela V.; Parizot, E.; Picozza, P.; Piotrowski, L. W.; Plebaniak, Z.; Prévôt, G.; Reali, E.; Romoli, Giulia; Ricci, M.; Sakaki, N.; Shinozaki, K.; Szabelski, J.; Takizawa, Y.; Valentini, G.; Vrabel, M.; Wiencke, L.

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2022.113336

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…where = 6.3 km, = 0.55 km, = 0.05 m 2 , = 4.5 m 2 , = 0.080 ± 0.015 (according to the preliminary results discussed in [18]) and = 0.085. This implies that the expected average background value for JEM-EUSO is (0.9 ± 0.2) counts/pixel/GTU, indicating that the average value of ∼1.1 counts/pixel/GTU assumed for JEM-EUSO [11] is well within the current estimation and confirms the robustness of the assumptions employed in those estimates.…”

Section: Pos(ecrs)082mentioning

confidence: 77%

“…The D3 data taken by Mini-EUSO allow a first comparison with the assumed background levels in JEM-EUSO, K-EUSO and POEMMA to verify that the estimated performance is based on justified assumptions. Table 1 shows Mini-EUSO results on the average UV emissions in different conditions: clear and cloudy conditions, sea and land, various lunar phases as reported in [18]. Assuming no-moon conditions and typical land/ocean and clear/cloudy atmosphere ratios equal to 30/70, the average background level is ∼1.3 counts/pixel/GTU.…”

Section: Pos(ecrs)082mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For conditions with multi-modal distributions, the mode closest to the average is displayed. Table adapted from [18].…”

Section: Counts/pixel/gtu Clear Sea Clear Land Cloudy Sea Cloudy Land...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Mini-EUSO telescope on board the International Space Station: first results in view of UHECR measurements from space

Bertaina¹,

Barghini²,

Battisti³

et al. 2023

Proceedings of 27th European Cosmic Ray Symposium — PoS(ECRS)

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Mini-EUSO is a telescope launched on board the International Space Station in 2019 and currently located in the Russian section of the station and viewing our planet from a nadir-facing UVtransparent window in the Zvezda module. The instrument is based on an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses and a focal surface composed of 36 Multi-Anode Photomultiplier tubes, 64 channels each, with single photon counting sensitivity and an overall field of view of 44 • . Main scientific objectives of the mission are the search for nuclearites and Strange Quark Matter, the study of atmospheric phenomena such as Transient Luminous Events, meteors and meteoroids, and the observation of sea bioluminescence. Mini-EUSO can map the night-time Earth in the near UV range (predominantly between 290 -430 nm), with a spatial resolution of about 6.3 km and different temporal resolutions of 2.5 s, 320 s and 41 ms. Mini-EUSO observations are extremely important to assess the potential of a space-based detector of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) such as K-EUSO and POEMMA. In this contribution we describe the detector and show preliminary results in the context of UHECR observations from space. In particular, it is shown that the typical UV nightglow background level is comparable to what was originally estimated for a space-based detector looking down to Earth. The adaptive trigger logic successfully keeps the spurious trigger rate at the designed level of ∼1 Hz in nominal conditions and in presence of quasi-static bright sources such as city lights. The logic triggers on UV transients in the s time scale due to anthropogenic light sources, such as flashers. These signals can clearly be distinguished from Extensive Air Shower (EAS) events by comparing them with simulated EASs. In addition, they demonstrate the capability of a large space-based detector such as K-EUSO or POEMMA to detect UHECRs above a few times 10 19 eV. The presence of clouds can be clearly recognized by the UV camera in many situations, which is helpful for the calculation of the exposure and for the determination of the atmospheric conditions in case of detection of an EAS. *** 27th European Cosmic Ray Symposium -ECRS *** *** 25-29 July 2022 *** *** Nĳmegen, the Netherlands ***

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Section: Pos(ecrs)082mentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Pos(ecrs)082mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Mini-EUSO telescope on board the International Space Station: first results in view of UHECR measurements from space

Bertaina¹,

Barghini²,

Battisti³

et al. 2023

Proceedings of 27th European Cosmic Ray Symposium — PoS(ECRS)

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“…In this framework, Mini-EUSO has proved to be an invaluable instrument to address the detection capability of a future, larger space-based detector, like the future POEMMA [3]. Mini-EUSO has measured the terrestrial UV background with unparalleled precision [10] and its data have been used to estimate the exposure of a future space-based UHECR detector [11]. The detection of events resembling the duration and the intensities of EAS-induced signals is one of the last missing pieces of the puzzle to prove that a future large-scale space-based detector can significantly contribute to the advancement of the UHECR field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of EAS-like events detected by the Mini-EUSO telescope

Battisti,

Bertaina,

Arnone

et al. 2023

Proceedings of 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2023)

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The Mini-EUSO telescope is the first space-based detector of the JEM-EUSO program. It was launched for the International Space Station on August 22 𝑛𝑑 , 2019 to observe from the ISS orbit (∼420 km altitude) various phenomena occurring in the Earth's atmosphere through a UVtransparent window located in the Russian Zvezda Module. The dimension of the window defines and constrains the dimension of the optics, based on a set of two Fresnel lenses of 25 cm diameter each, almost two orders of magnitude smaller than the system foreseen for a larger space-based detector, like the original JEM-EUSO detector or the future POEMMA. As a consequence, the energy threshold of Mini-EUSO is very high, above 10 21 eV. Nevertheless, a series of events that resemble the shape and the time duration of EAS-induced events have been detected in Mini-EUSO data. This contribution presents the most interesting cases, showing that the vast majority of the EAS-like events can be traced back to ground sources repeatedly flashing and triggered many times by Mini-EUSO. Some non-repeated EAS-like events are also present. In these cases, it is possible to exclude their cosmic origin through the comparison with simulated events. Since it is clear that those events can not be originated by a UHECR, we decided to rename them "Short Light Transients" or SLTs. Finally, it was possible to associate some of the SLTs with atmospheric activity. This analysis confirms the validity of the JEM-EUSO detection principle and shows that it is possible for a space-based detector to distinguish between events induced by UHECRs and events with a different origin.

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“…The telescope observes both natural and artificial terrestrial ultraviolet emissions, including clouds, marine bioluminescence, and nocturnal city lights. In this context, it provided the first UV nighttime maps of the Earth [3]. Additionally, the telescope is involved in the study of atmospheric phenomena, such as Transient Luminous Events, as well as in the detection of meteors, meteorites, and space debris.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of multiple ring ELVES with the Mini-EUSO telescope on-board the International Space Station

Romoli¹

2023

Proceedings of 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2023)

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Mini-EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) is a telescope observing the Earth in the ultraviolet band (290-430 nm) from the Russian Zvezda module of the International Space Station since 2019. The telescope is capable of observing UV emissions of cosmic, atmospheric, and terrestrial origin on different time scales. Among the atmospheric phenomena that can be studied, ELVES (Emission of Light and Very low-frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic pulse Sources) have been photographed by Mini-EUSO with a time resolution of 2.5 µs. ELVES are rapidly expanding rings of optical and ultraviolet emissions, 75-95 km in height, resulting from the de-excitation of molecular nitrogen and oxygen in the lower ionosphere following a lightning-associated ElectroMagnetic wave Pulse (EMP). A detailed study of their characteristics, such as radius, speed, and energy, is required for the understanding of these phenomena. In this work, results from the observation of about 30 ELVES with Mini-EUSO will be presented. Using dedicated algorithms, their electro-optical dynamics and morphological characteristics have been thoroughly investigated.

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Observation of night-time emissions of the Earth in the near UV range from the International Space Station with the Mini-EUSO detector

Cited by 22 publications

References 36 publications

The Mini-EUSO telescope on board the International Space Station: first results in view of UHECR measurements from space

The Mini-EUSO telescope on board the International Space Station: first results in view of UHECR measurements from space

Analysis of EAS-like events detected by the Mini-EUSO telescope

Study of multiple ring ELVES with the Mini-EUSO telescope on-board the International Space Station

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