Atmospheric Research

Ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy of sodium atoms of Earth’s mesosphere can help to investigate changes in Earth’s magnetic field, air mass movements in the upper atmosphere and solar winds. Investigations of air mass movements let expect new insights into mechanisms of climatic changes.

OpticalSpaceLink excites the sodium atoms with a single frequency laser line width of less than 5 MHz. The laser is tunable over the entire range of sodium atoms’ velocity classes. Intensity-modulated, the laser can be used to excite Larmor oscillations to make the sodium atoms a sensor for the magnetic field strength.