Characteristic Evaluation of an Intensifier Detector for SMILE UVI

Area of Science:

• Space Physics
• Instrument Science

Background:

• The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission utilizes an Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) to observe aurora.
• The UVI instrument is designed to capture N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) emissions in the far ultraviolet (FUV) range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance characteristics of the intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) detector for the UVI instrument.
• To ensure the ICCD meets stringent requirements for quantitative aurora measurements.

Main Methods:

• The study details the testing procedures for the ICCD detector.
• Key performance metrics evaluated include quantum efficiency, radiant gain, background noise, excess noise factor, image quality, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Main Results:

• The ICCD detector demonstrated good comprehensive performance across all evaluated parameters.
• Testing confirmed the detector's suitability for the demanding conditions of space observation.

Conclusions:

• The evaluated ICCD detector meets the performance requirements for the SMILE UVI instrument.
• These findings provide critical technical support for the quantitative analysis of aurora data captured by SMILE.