Optical Instruments for Solar Eclipse Measurements
During a solar eclipse, the brightness and polarization of skylight is altered dramatically. Clear-sky radiance should be reduced by at least four orders of magnitude, while the polarization pattern should become azimuthally symmetric, centered at the zenith. Before and after the eclipse, skylight polarization is maximum in an arc located 90 degrees from the sun.
Students on this project will help design, build, calibrate, and test optical, electronic, and meteorological instruments for use during an upcoming total solar eclipse in 2017. These students also will have an opportunity to work with modeling and measuring atmospheric optical radiation, including direct solar irradiance, with optical remote sensing instruments. Classroom or laboratory experience with optics, electronics, and/or computer programming is desirable.
