Applications of spatial heterodyne spectroscopy for remote sensing of diffuse UV-Visible emission line sources in the solar system

Full text: Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopic (SHS) instruments fill an important technical niche that combines very high spectral resolution and large etendue (aperture x field of view) in a physically small format. Their data collecting characteristics make SHS particularly useful for observations of extended diffuse emission line sources that require either the resolution of multiple, closely packed lines or velocity structure in individual lines, while their small size permits their use from a variety of platforms ranging from ground-based observatories to satellites. Continuing improvements optical and detector capabilities have expanded scientific opportunities in the ultraviolet and visible bands for SHS, where its combination of sensitivity, size, and spectral resolution has not previously been available. In this presentation we describe the SHS technique in the UV and discuss how such instruments can be used to study several different types of emission line sources in the solar system including the heliospheric neutral population, planetary aurorae and coronae, and the thin atmospheres of comets and planet satellites