Infrastructure

The ReACT group of IAASARS has developed “WALL-E” lidar, a novel polarization lidar system capable of monitoring possible dust orientation and microphysical properties. WALL-E emits linearly- and elliptically-polarized light and detects the linear and circular polarization of the backscattered light from the dust particles in the atmosphere. It also employs scanning capabilities so as to provide more information on the dust orientation and microphysical properties. The system is designed based on the high quality standards of the European lidar network EARLINET, in the framework of ERC-COG program D-TECT.

A prototype solar polarimeter, kindly conferred by the University of Hertfordshire, is designed to operate with direct sun tracking capabilities and measures the degree of linearly and/or circularly polarized sunlight due to forward scattering from atmospheric aerosols. Measurements are centered on 550nm, due to light detector current limitations, while the instrument’s precision and accuracy are of order of the 1ppm and 1%, respectively. SolPol is a robust instrument capable of manual operation per demand, especially under heavy Saharan dust loads and with low maintenance requirements. It is hosted within a medium sized astronomical dome for the optimum protection-to-applicability relation.

A compact and robust instrument for continuous long term measurements of the ambient electric field, adverse environmental conditions. It is particularly suitable for continuous monitoring of atmospheric electric field conditions, associated with varying weather conditions and electric content, such as during thunderstorms or extreme volcanic activity. The output signal is proportionate to the electric field strength and currently operates at a range of 2kV/m with a precision better than 1%. The instrument is mounted on a 3m mast in order to avoid ground distortions. The FM is ideal for remote site installation due to its low power consumption and straightforward data collection system.