Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
GI
Articles | Volume 4, issue 1
Articles | Volume 4, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-4-89-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-4-89-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 4, issue 1
Research article
 | 
08 May 2015
Research article |  | 08 May 2015

A high dynamic radiation measurement instrument: the Bolometric Oscillation Sensor (BOS)

P. Zhu, M. van Ruymbeke, Ö. Karatekin, J.-P. Noël, G. Thuillier, S. Dewitte, A. Chevalier, C. Conscience, E. Janssen, M. Meftah, and A. Irbah

Abstract. The Bolometric Oscillation Sensor (BOS) is a broadband radiation measurement instrument onboard the PICARD satellite that was active between 2010 and 2014. The main detector is a thermistor attached black coated surface, which was permanently exposed to space without any optical and aperture accessories. The temperature measurements are used within a transfer function to determine variations in incoming solar irradiance as well as the terrestrial radiation. In the present article, the measurement principle of the BOS and its transfer function are presented. The performance of the instrument is discussed based on laboratory experiments and space observations from the PICARD satellite. The comparison of the short-term variation of total solar irradiance (TSI) with absolute radiometers such as VIRGO/SOHO and TIM/SORCE over the same period of time suggests that the BOS is a relatively much simpler but very effective sensor for monitoring electromagnetic radiation variations from visible to infrared wavelengths.

How to cite. Zhu, P., van Ruymbeke, M., Karatekin, Ö., Noël, J.-P., Thuillier, G., Dewitte, S., Chevalier, A., Conscience, C., Janssen, E., Meftah, M., and Irbah, A.: A high dynamic radiation measurement instrument: the Bolometric Oscillation Sensor (BOS), Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 4, 89–98, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-4-89-2015, 2015.
Received: 05 Aug 2014 – Discussion started: 03 Dec 2014 – Revised: 01 Apr 2015 – Accepted: 24 Apr 2015 – Published: 08 May 2015
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Short summary
The PICARD Bolometric Oscillation Sensor experiment was the first experiment to simultaneously measure the solar and terrestrial radiation with a single detector. It is a powerful tool for exploring thermal properties of a planetary body. The sensor has high repeatability due to its simplified design. Thus, it has the potential to payload on several microsatellites or even CubeSats and form a consultation array to track small energy exchange of the planet.
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