The heliosphere neutrals composition: from Voyager UVS to IMAPS

Abstract:

For the last 35 years, the Voyagers (V) 1 and 2 ultraviolet spectrometers (UVS) data harvest has covered heliosphere sky-background in-situ measurements, stellar spectrophotometry, and outer planets encounters. Their long and ongoing operation period overlaps with many current and past ultraviolet missions, offering unique opportunities for cross-calibration with other spectrometers. Here we revisit the Voyager UVS calibration to assess the intriguing 243% (V1) and 156% (V2) sensitivity enhancements recently proposed. Using the Saturn Lyman-α airglow, observed in-situ by both Voyagers, and remotely by IUE, we match the Voyager values to IUE, taking into account the shape of the Saturn and sky-background Lyman-α lines observed with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. For all known ranges of the interplanetary H I density, we show that the V1 and V2 UVS sensitivities at the Lyman-α channels cannot be enhanced by the amounts thus far proposed. Our prescription is to keep the original calibration of the Voyager UVS with an uncertainty that should not exceed 30%, making both instruments some of the most stable EUV/FUV spectrographs of the history of space exploration.

This rich heritage from past and current space missions confirms that UV observations of the sky-background are a powerful lever for constraining the neutral composition and large structure of the heliosphere. It also points to the need in the future for fine Doppler-shift measurements and faint emissions detection in order to directly access the microphysical processes that drive the instant shape and composition of the heliosphere that is forced by the magnetized plasmas from solar wind and the local interstellar medium. Future deep space missions should thus include UV capabilities that make use of sensitive, high-resolution technology that allows achieving the highest throughput for extended light sources.