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Do completely new research

One of a kind probe for stereo imaging of single cloud particles and simultaneous measurement of the angular light scattering function.

Applications&Benefits
Research Applications
  • Cloud microphysics

  • Cloud phase discrimination

  • Ice particle light scattering studies

Benefits
  • Stereoscopic imaging
    More detailed microphysical information of cloud particles is accessible when single particles are imaged from two viewing angles 120° apart.

  • Correlated single particle light scattering
    Single particle light scattering correlated with stereoscopic imaging gives access to the fundamental physics of cloud particle optics.

Specifications
Specifications
General

Power Requirements


Type of Power


Weight


Dimensions

 

 


Data System

990 W @ 110 VAC, 9 A (max., split to three lines)


110 - 230 VAC, 60 Hz or 400 Hz


13 kg


Overall length:1059 mm
Maximum diameter: 204 mm + Outlet extension: 50 mm
Length of instrument head: 460 mm 


Integrated PC-104 with Intel i7 Quad Core processor, 2.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 6x 1GB LAN, and 500 GB SSD for autonomous instrument control and data acquisition 

Polar Nephelometer

Optics

Detection Optics

 


Angular Range

 


Scattering Lase

20 channels, each consisting of a 10 mm off-axis parabola mirror and a 1.25 mm PMMA fibre bundle


18° to 170° with a resolution of 8°
solid angle per channel:  0.01 sr, 5.5 mm field of view diameter


cw, 532 nm, 150 mW, 45° polarized, 50:1 polarization ratio

Electronics

Bandwidth


Detector


Signal Conditioning


Acquisition Rate


Dead Time


Signal Resolution


Size Range
 

48 MHz (= 21 ns resolution)


Multi-anode photomultiplier array with 32 channels


Four 8 x 12bit ADC boards


13 kHz maximum


12 µs (= minimum detectable particle interarrival time)


11 bit


Adjustable between 5 µm to 500 µm depending on the detector gain settings

Stereo Imager

Illumination Laser 

 


Microscopes

 

 


Cameras

 

 

 


Size Range

incoherent, 690 nm pulsed laser diode, 10 ns pulse length, 400 W peak power, equipped with 1 mm PMMA fibre Y-split and collimating optics

 
Two 9x zoom objectives for 120° stereo observation, magnification adjustable between 1.4x to 9.0x, 92 mm working distance, 2.35 µm maximum optical resolution


Two 1360x1024 pixel CCD, pixel size 6.45 µm*, 8 bit grey scale, field of view range between 6.27x4.72 mm and 0.98x0.73 mm (depending on the zoom settings of the microscopes), 15 Hz maximum frame rate, ethernet connection 


3 µm to 3 mm depending on the zoom settings

* in conjunction with the zoom objective specs, the resolution is optically (lens) limited

Trigger System

Optics

 


Sensing Area


Coincidence Probability

 


Detector

 


Detection Threshold

25/40 mm (focal length) two lens system equipped with 0.75 mm PMMA fibre bundle, located a 90° scattering angle


0.18 mm^2 (mapped with droplet injector)


Less than 1% for ambient particle number concentrations
up to 1000 per cc


Channel 1 of the multi-anode photomultiplier array (see Polar Nephelometer)


Minimum 5 µm, adjustable for larger sizes depending on the detector gain and threshold settings

Examples
Examples of Stereo Images
Platform
Platforms

PHIPS has been certified for the following platforms

NSF/NCAR GV HIAPER

AWI Polar 5/6

NSF/NCAR C-130

DLR HALO

References
References

“The additional information from the PHIPS-HALO of phase function coupled with the image of the particle promises to open a new avenue of research into the optical properties of clouds.”

Darrel Baumgardner, Co-Founder of Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT)

In: Baumgardner, D., S.J. Abel, D. Axisa, R. Cotton, J. Crosier, P. Field, C. Gurganus, A. Heymsfield, A. Korolev, M. Krämer, P. Lawson, G. McFarquhar, Z. Ulanowski, and J. Um, 2017: "Cloud Ice Properties: In Situ Measurement Challenges". Meteorological Monographs, 58, 9.1–9.23, https://doi.org/10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-16-0011.1 

Schnaiter, M., Järvinen, E., Abdelmonem, A., Leisner, T., "PHIPS-HALO: The airborne particle habit imaging and polar scattering probe - Part 2: Characterization and first results.", Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 11, 341-357, 2018, doi:105194/amt-11-341-2018.

Abdelmonem, A., Järvinen, E., Duft, D., Hirst, E., Vogt, S., Leisner, T., Schnaiter, M., "PHIPS-HALO: The airborne particle habit imaging and polar scattering probe - Part 1: Design and operation.", Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9, 3131-3144, 2016, doi:105194/amt-9-3131-2016.

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