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Estabrook, F. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Estabrook, F. B..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

The LISA sensitivity

We present a procedure for computing LISA's sensitivity to gravitational radiation.

gravitational waves laser interferometers↗
NASA NTRS1997

The Galileo/Mars Observer/Ulysses Coincidence Experiment

From March 21 to April 11, 1993 the Galileo, Mars Observer and Ulysses spacecraft were tracked in a coincidence experiment, searching for low-frequency (milihertz gravitational radiation.

Doppler Tracking Galileo Mars Observer Ulysses↗
NASA NTRS1996

4-Dimensional Special Orthonormal Frames for Vacuum Gravity

By adopting Nester's 4-dimensional special orthonormal frames, the tetrad equations for vacum gravity are put into explicitly causal and symmetric hyperbolic form, independent of any time slicing or other gauge or coordinate specialization.

differential systems vacuum vacuum gravity vacuum ↗
NASA NTRS1992

Gravitation and celestial mechanics investigations with Galileo

The gravitation and celestial mechanics investigations that are to be conducted during the cruise and Orbiter phases of the Galileo Mission cover four investigation categories: (1) the gravity fields of Jupiter and its four major satellites; (2) a search for gravitational radiation; (3) mathematical modeling of general relativistic effects on Doppler ranging data; and (4) improvements of the Jupiter ephemeris via Orbiter ranging. Also noted are two secondary objectives, involving a range fix during Venus flyby and the determination of the earth's mass on the bases of the two earth gravity assists used by the mission.

Anderson, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A search for sinusoidal gravitational radiation in the period range 30-2000 seconds

Since condensed massive objects in binary systems should generate observable periodic gravitational radiation, a large fraction of which may appear in one harmonic of the orbital frequency, monochromatic Doppler frequency perturbations were searched for at about 9000 discrete frequencies in the 0.0005-0.0333-Hz band using predetection data taken with the Pioneer 11 spacecraft. The results of the search are presented, and formal sensitivities for the possible signals are discussed. The results are interpreted as observational thresholds for possible incident gravitational wave trains having polarization states and propagation directions that are a priori unknown.

Armstrong, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Gravitational wave searches with ground tracking networks

Long-term experiments designed to search for gravitational waves (GW) have been performed with the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft, and are planned for NASA's Galileo and ESA's Ulysses spacecraft. The result of a passing monochromatic GW is a sinusoidal modulation of the Doppler series that depends on the round-trip light time (RTLT) to a spacecraft and on the angle between the radiation propagation direction and the spacecraft link. Thus, an ideal experiment must have coverage and monitoring of interplanetary spacecraft during cruise that must be continuous as the earth turns to permit observation of complete three-pulse responses over the RTLT. To achieve this goal, an international 40-day Joint Tracking Experiment (JTE) is planned for the fall of 1987 for continuous tracking of the two spacecraft, when both will be near solar opposition. A diagram of the tracking geometry during the JTE and diagrams illustrating theoretical GW properties are included.

Estabrook, F. B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Response functions of free mass gravitational wave antennas

The work of Gursel, Linsay, Spero, Saulson, Whitcomb and Weiss (1984) on the response of a free-mass interferometric antenna is extended. Starting from first principles, the earlier work derived the response of a 2-arm gravitational wave antenna to plane polarized gravitational waves. Equivalent formulas (generalized slightly to allow for arbitrary elliptical polarization) are obtained by a simple differencing of the '3-pulse' Doppler response functions of two 1-arm antennas. A '4-pulse' response function is found, with quite complicated angular dependences for arbitrary incident polarization. The differencing method can as readily be used to write exact response functions ('3n+1 pulse') for antennas having multiple passes or more arms.

Estabrook, F. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

IUE observations of high-redshift quasars

Attention is given to the spectral energy distributions of nine high-redshift quasars between 1250 and 10,000 A. The distributions steepen shortward of about 1200 A in all but one object. The steepening's lack of correlation with QSO luminosity suggests that it arises from absorption by intervening material along the line of sight. Reddening may contribute to the steepening of the QSO continua, if dust lies along the line of sight to the continuum source, and is difficult to assess quantitatively. In QSOs with redshift sufficiently high for Lyman-alpha to be observed at high resolution, it is possible to account for the observed continuum steepening by the Lyman continuum absorption corresponding to the narrow Lyman-alpha absorption lines seen.

Bechtold, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Pioneer 10 search for gravitational waves - No evidence for coherent radiation from Geminga

Attempts to identify a periodic gravitational wave signal from the binary Geminga in the reduced Doppler data from the Pioneer 10 spacecraft are reported. The study was performed to examine the possibility that the observed 160 min solar oscillation is driven by a gravitational wave from the binary, which has a period exactly one cycle different from the solar oscillation. Three 12 hr passes of Doppler data from Pioneer 10, now beyond the orbit of Neptune, were subjected to FFT analysis to detect a spectral gravitational wave signature. None was found. Least squares analysis of all low noise data from 1981 to characterize the amplitude and phase of a signal from Geminga also produced a null result. Finally, an upper bound was calculated for the polarization component of the potentially observable gravitational strain.

Anderson, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Moving frames and prolongation algebras

Differential ideals generated by sets of 2-forms which can be written with constant coefficients in a canonical basis of 1-forms are considered. By setting up a Cartan-Ehresmann connection, in a fiber bundle over a base space in which the 2-forms live, one finds an incomplete Lie algebra of vector fields in the fields in the fibers. Conversely, given this algebra (a prolongation algebra), one can derive the differential ideal. The two constructs are thus dual, and analysis of either derives properties of both. Such systems arise in the classical differential geometry of moving frames. Examples of this are discussed, together with examples arising more recently: the Korteweg-de Vries and Harrison-Ernst systems.

Estabrook, F. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The implications of precise timekeeping of Doppler gravitational wave observations

Gravitational radiation from galactic and extragalactic astrophysical sources will induce spatial strains in the solar system, strains which can be measured directly by the Doppler radio link to distant spacecraft. Current noise sources in Pioneer and Voyager Doppler data are delineated and a comparison is made with expected signal levels from gravitational wave sources. The main conclusion is that it is possible to detect gravitational radiation with current DSN hydrogen maser systems stable in fractional frequency + or - 2 x 10 to the minus 14th power over 1000 sec. In the future, however, a serious Doppler observational program in gravitational wave astronomy will require frequency systems stable to at least 10 to the minus 16th power, but at the same time the current single frequency S-band uplink transmission will have to be replaced by a dual frequency capability.

Anderson, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations of quasars with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite

The paper deals with the spectra of six quasars, ranging in redshift from 0.23 to 2.04, obtained with the 45-cm telescope mounted on the IUE satellite. The average emission-line intensity ratio for L-alpha to H beta and the detection of higher-order Lyman emission lines in two objects are found to be inconsistent with a simple optically thick recombination model. The Lyman and Balmer line velocity profiles are identical. The emission lines in 3C 351 can be decomposed into sharp and broad components, with the sharp lines consistent with the recombination model.

Green, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1979

IUE observations of the quasar 3C 273

IUE observations indicate that the spectrum of 3C 273 is similar to that of other large-redshift quasars. There is a large excess of flux in the range 2400 A to 5300 A, which encompasses the Balmer jump region but which does not appear to be explainable by Balmer emission. The intensity ratio of Lyman-alpha to H-beta is 5.5, in agreement with other measures and a factor 6 smaller than the recombination value. The only absorption lines in the spectrum are due to our Galaxy. There is marginal evidence for a depression of the continuum shortward of the Lyman-alpha emission line, but the errors are too large to warrant any conclusion that 3C 273 has a rich absorption-line spectrum such as that seen in large-redshift quasars. The absence of emission and absorption lines of Fe II leads to the conclusion that resonance fluorescence probably produces the visual Fe II emission lines.

Boggess, A.↗