this is a proposal to search for particles in the outer solar system, either small dust particles of the sort seen around nearby main sequence stars (e.g. vega) and young stellar objects or larger bodies such as comets and meteorites within and beyond the kuiper belt. such particles are commonly seen around nearby stars, the principle difficulty in detecting distant particles is foreground emission by the zodiacal light, although background emission from interstellar cirrus could also be a difficulty if its angular distribution is well-correlated with the ecliptic plane. the proposed observations include six wavelength bands chosen to provide maximum sensitivity to foreground and background radiation and to allow these to be subtracted from the emission in bands most sensitive to distant particles. we use two complementary methods to conduct this search. the first is to observe 15 positions perpendicular to the ecliptic plane at 6 wavelengths, starting at 0 deg latitude and progressing upwards to 32 deg in logarithmically spaced intervals. the 3 shortest bands will be used to model the zodiacal light, the longest to detect cold background emission, and the 2 intermediate wavelengths to detect distant particles in the solar system. the second method is to map small areas at three different latitudes to look for fluctuations caused by clumping of the distant emission caused by, for example, clusters of large bodies such as comets. because we cannot determine apriori which method is likely to be the most successful, the observing time is split equally between the two. this second part of the proposal describes the mapping of three regions to search for fluctuations.
Instrument
PHT03 , PHT05 , PHT22 , PHT25
Temporal Coverage
1997-06-20T15:17:25Z/1997-12-17T21:43:31Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
European Space Agency, 1999, Search For Dust Debris In The Outer Solar System Mapping And Fluctuation Search, 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-iifx1tj
