Jonathan S. Friedman

e-mail address: jonathan@naic.edu

Tel. (787) 878 - 2612 ext. 256

Fax (787) 878 - 1861

Joined Arecibo Observatory scientific staff on April 1992 as a Post-doc.
• Became a staff member on 1993.

Educational Background

• BA from Cornell University in Physics on 1984
• Ph.D. from Colorado State University in Physics on 1992.
  • Thesis title: Stimulated Rayleigh-Brillouin Spectroscopy for Studying Low Frequency Dynamics in Simple Liquids

Research interests:

• The study of the mesopause region thermal structure and atomic metals layer using the doppler-resonance lidar technique.
• The development of novel techniques for optical remote sensing of the atmosphere.

My research interests envelope two aspects of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Both involve the use of the resonance lidar techniques developed at the Arecibo Observatory together with the global middle-atmosphere lidar community. First, I am carrying out measurements of temperatures in the metal layer (83-103 km) in order to enhance our understanding of the diurnal and seasonal structure and dynamics of this transition region between the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere. Second, I am working with experts on meteors to make optical measurements of meteoric input into the atmosphere. This is divided into two areas: 1. direct detection of meteor trails; and 2. the topside extent of the metal layer above 110 km (sometimes extending to 150 km), which seems to have a direct relationship to meteoric input.

Professional Membership

• American Geophysical Union
• Optical Society of America
• Federation of American Scientists

List of Publications