Stratospheric fluctuations in the FIR

The fluctuations in the stratospheric emission in the 800–2000 μm wavelength range have been studied by means of a special correlator operating at 0.3 K. The observed noise is about three times larger than expected from a grey body at a temperature of 250 K and an emissivity of 5 × 10−4. This fact has been interpreted as proof that about 2% of the stratospheric lines were saturated.