A comparison of Gravity Wave Parameters derived from the Analysis of a Three-Field Photometer with Imagers

Abstract

A method for preprocessing and analysing a few select fields in airglow intensity images from an all-sky imager was developed and utilized. Waves detected with a three-field analysis were compared with those waves visually detected in the images to evaluate the option of replacing or supplementing expensive imager systems with lower cost three-field photometers. The smallfield analysis developed and utilized in this work yields accurate estimates of wave period, given data with a sufficienty high sampling frequency. The quality of wavelength and propagation direction estimates depends strongly on the field configuration, but overall, these wave parameters are estimated with less accuracy than the period. By comparison, event analyses are well suited for deriving the wavelength of short-period waves, but the periods are more uncertain. The method of analysis developed in this work demonstrates that the utilization of small-field observation systems like photometer-systems or telescopes, when optimized, has great potential to supplement and extend imager observations.