09/19/2025
By Amanda Vozzo
Physics Colloquium
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025
Time: 4– 5 p.m.
Location: Olsen 503
Supriya Chakrabarti, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Director, Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology will give a talk on “Probing the Earth’s Upper Atmospheric Processes using Visible Light – Current Activities at University of Massachusetts Lowell”
Abstract: There is a long history of inferring various photochemical and dynamic processes in the upper atmosphere through ground-based optical remote sensing. A dramatic example is aurora, which is produced by the interaction of charged particles from the Sun with the atmospheric gases. Discounting weather impediments, these observations are typically restricted to two weeks centered around the New Moon times, when the background signal from the sky is low enough to allow statistically significant measurements. We have developed tools and techniques to overcome this last obstacle to round-the-clock observations of aurora and airglow, emissions from the sky due to various photochemical process driven by the Sun. Unlike aurorae, which are highly variable emissions usually seen near the polar regions and are produced by energetic charged particles, airglow is omnipresent and far less episodic.
We have developed a series of long-slit imaging spectrographs to observe key signatures of airglow and auroral emissions from the upper atmosphere – O I 5577Å, O I 6300Å, Hα 6563Å and Hβ 4861Å. The latest implementation of such a spectrograph called, HiT&MIS, was recently used to observe airglow emissions during the total solar eclipse of April 08, 2024 from North Hero, Vermont. Subsequently, HiT&MIS was deployed in Kiruna, Sweden, in support of a sounding rocket experiment to study OH emissions. The instrument has been observing the northern sky continuously till the observatory was shut down for the summer holidays. HIRISE, an earlier version of this family of instrument, observed an aurora at 3 PM from in late October, under the Boston Sun. Along with pursuing these ground-based observational campaigns, we have developed new tools and technologies to study upper atmospheric phenomena from high-altitude balloons. These are small experiment packages designed for upper atmospheric studies. In addition to providing important scientific insights, they demonstrate their suitability for space-based applications. Each of these experiments involve students and young professionals in meaningful, hands-on roles. In this talk, I will provide an overview of our activities on solar-terrestrial interactions.
Bio: A world-renowned expert in space science and technology, Dr. Chakrabarti joined UML’s Physics and Applied Physics Department in 2012 after two decades at Boston University. Since then, he has averaged more than $1.5 million in annual research funding, authored more than 340 peer-reviewed publications and spoken at scores of prestigious forums around the world. Chakrabarti is the founding director of the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology (LoCSST), which has launched several student-driven space missions, including the SPACE HAUC satellite and the PICTURE-C planet-finding telescope. Professor Chakrabarti earned his B.E. from the University of Calcutta and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
A year after obtaining his Ph.D., Professor Chakrabarti joined the Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley as a Senior Fellow and initiated a research program in terrestrial and planetary atmospheric studies. In 1992, Professor Chakrabarti joined Boston University where his group developed and launched a small satellite for upper atmospheric research. From 1997 to 2009 Professor Chakrabarti served as the Director of the Center for Space Physics, a most productive research enterprise at Boston University. During this period, the Center established itself as a national leader in space research following a deliberate and carefully planned strategy.
In Fall 2012, Professor Chakrabarti’s research group moved to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He is also director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Space Technology and Sciences (MASTS), a multimillion-dollar, state-funded facility for spacecraft testing that was launched on campus earlier this year. He was previously director of Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Collaborations (UROC). Supriya was named UMass Lowell’s 2024 Distinguished University Professor and is the 17th UML professor to receive the distinction since it was established in 2008, and the fourth from the Kennedy College. In 2025, Supriya was also selected as a Member of the 2025 Class of Optica Fellows.