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Design, construction, and testing of a microprocessor controlled tracking and scanning solar spectroradiometer

A versatile solar spectroradiometer has been designed which is capable of measuring direct solar radiation, the solar aureole, and sky radiance far from the sun. An active tracker consisting of a quadrant detector, telescope and stepper-motor driven alt-azimuth mount is used to position the spectroradiometer by computer control for solar tracking and almucantur scans. An internally baffled telescope designed to suppress stray light is employed as the optical receiver, and a photodiode serves to convert the collected flux to an electrical signal. A digitally controlled gain-switching transimpedance amplifier is used to scale the photodiode output to accommodate the large signal range encountered between measuring direct solar radiation and sky radiance well away from the sun. Example measurements are presented which demonstrate the system's capabilities.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/276567
Date January 1987
CreatorsBuchhauser, David, 1950-
ContributorsReagan, John A.
PublisherThe University of Arizona.
Source SetsUniversity of Arizona
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic)
RightsCopyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

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