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At least 253 records · Page 14

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NASA NTRS1983

Range gate dependence of specular echoes

Some controversy has surrounded the interpretation of the enhancement of VHF radar echoes at vertical incidence (also known as partial reflections, specular reflections and Fresnel scattering) since they were reported by the Sunset and the SOUSY radars. There is little doubt as to the observational fact of this enhancement since it was observed by experimenters using at least eleven MST or ST radars. In addition to the Sunset and SOUSY radars, this result was obtained in the lower atmosphere at the Platteville, Poker Flat, Jicamarca Arecibo radars as well as the three radars of the ALPEX experiments. In the upper atmosphere, specular or partial reflections were observed. These vertical enhancements were associated with increases in the static stability of the atmosphere, with a temperature gradient in the stratosphere, were used to monitor the height of the tropopause, and were associated with the passage of fronts.

Green, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Velocity-changing collisional effects in nonlinear atomic spectroscopy and photon echo decay in gases

A general theory of atomic dipole coherence under the influence of collisional phase changes, inelastic effects and optically active atom velocity changes, including those due to anisotropic interactions is presented. Velocity change effects are obtained in closed form. Line shapes appear as convolutions of standard pressure broadening contours with velocity-change contours. Width and shift parameters for the He-broadened Na D lines at 2 m bar pressure, 380 K are calculated, as are He-induced photon echo decay rates for these lines. Overall agreement with xperiment is reasonably good.

Herman, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Acoustooptic pulse-echo transducer system

A pulse-echo transducer system which uses an ultrasonic generating element and an optical detection technique is described. The transmitting transducer consists of a concentric ring electrode pattern deposited on a circular, X-cut quartz substrate with a circular hole in the center. The rings are independently pulsed with a sequence high voltage signals phased in such a way that the ultrasonic waves generated by the separate rings superimpose to produce a composite field which is focused at a controllable distance below the surface of the specimen. The amplitude of the field reflected from this focus position is determined by the local reflection coefficient of the medium at the effective focal point. By processing the signals received for a range of ultrasonic transducer array focal lengths, the system can be used to locate and size anomalies within solids and liquids. Applications in both nondestructive evaluation and biomedical scanning are suggested.

Claus, R. O.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Anisotropy of the permittivity field inferred from aspect-sensitive radar echoes

An attempt is made to draw some quantitative conclusions regarding the anisotropy of the clear-air back-scattering mechanism based on the measured variation of echo power with zenith angle. The measurements were made by the SOUSY group of the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy at Lindau, FRG. They installed their 47-MHz transmitter and antenna feed in the 300-meter diameter reflector at Arecibo. The resulting 1.7-degree beam was stepped successively through seven 1.7-degree intervals from 1.7 to 11.7 degrees in zenith angle, obtaining about four minutes of data at each setting. This procedure was carried out in an eastward pointing azimuth and in a northward pointing azimuth, the entire set of measurements consuming an hour and twenty minutes. Range resolution was 150 meters.

Waterman, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Ultra high energy events in ECHOS series and primary energy spectrum

The compilation of ultra high energy jets suggests at present the existence of a bump in primary energy spectrum (with the standard concept of high energy collisions). The pseudo-rapidity distribution exhibits some typical anomalies, more than the (P sub t) behavior, which are (may be) the fingerprints of quark gluon plasma transition. The next results of Emulsion Chamber on Supersonic (ECHOS) will be in both cases determinant to confirm those tendancies, as well as an important effort of the cosmic ray community to develop in that sense a flying emulsion chamber experiment.

Capdevielle, J. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Comparison of mesospheric VHF radar echoes and rocket probe electron concentration measurements

Refractive index irregularities in the equatorial mesosphere have been investigated using both the Jicamarca VHF radar and a rocket-borne Langmuir probe launched from Punta Lobos, Peru. On February 27, 1983, a single layer of turbulence was observed in the upper mesosphere by both experiments. There is very good agreement between the observed radar echo power and the radar scattering cross section calculated from the rocket data when these are interpreted in the context of isotropic turbulence. The inner and outer scales of turbulence have been calculated from both the radar and the rocket data, and good agreement is found. The radar data show indications of large-scale vortices in the layer of irregularities. Rocket data show that the inner scale of turbulence in the upper mesosphere is a few tens of meters and that the Jicamarca radar Bragg wavelength (3 m) is well within the viscous subrange of turbulence in this altitude range. The spectral index in the inertial subrange is close to -5/3, changing to about - 7 at higher wave numbers. Energy dissipation rate in the layer was calculated to be 0.05 W/kg, in good agreement with previous estimates.

Royrvik, O.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The scattered light echo of a supernova

A theoretical model of the scattering of SN radiation by a dusty circumstellar envelope is constructed and applied to observational data on SN 1979c and SN 1980k. The scattered-light curves are predicted by Monte Carlo simulation, and it is shown that the blue continuum of SN 1980k could be a scattered-light echo. The need for detailed late SN observations (especially UV observations of the type planned for the Space Telescope) is indicated.

Chevalier, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

ELF electric turbulence near an electron beam-emitting rocket in the auroral ionosphere - Echo 6

Orthogonal double-probes on the Echo 6 free-lying plasma diagnostic payload were used to study ELF turbulent electric fields during 36-keV beam injections. The observed characteristics of the ELF fields can best be explained by the current systems set up around the entire system rather than by a direct beam-plasma interaction. Frequency-power spectra were calculated for two different polarizations as a function of the probe-gun payload distance, and measurements were obtained of the lower hybrid waves near 8.5 kHz and whistler mode waves near 125 kHz. The dispersion of a current instability was calculated in order to investigate the generation mechanism of the observed ELF electric turbulence.

Abe, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1988

A real light echo - Nova Persei 1901

Observations of Nova Persei 1901, a light echo from SN 1987A, are reviewed. The large broken outer ring and bright inner ring of the nova are examined. The outer ring has been shown to increase its radius at a speed of about 11 arcmin/year. Since the distance to Nova Persei 1901 is about 400-600 pc, the apparent projected velocity of expansion is about 4-5 c, making the nova the first observed superluminal cosmic source.

Felten, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Echo asymmetry and its impact on NEXRAD storm identification

The effects of echo shape and radar viewing angle on the detections of cells are investigated. A chart representing the probability of detection of a storm is derived. Case studies from Florida and Alabama are analyzed in order to assess the performance of NEXRAD. It is noted that the current thresholds for storm identification for NEXRAD are inadequate for identifying small lightning-producing storms. Time-history and radar-reflectivity charts for the storms are provided.

Buechler, Dennis E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Using SN 1987A light echoes to determine mass loss from the progenitor

The hypothesis that the blue progenitor of SN 1987A passed through a blue supergiant phase ending with the expulsion of the outer envelope is tested. The many light echoes seen near SN 1987A were used to search for a mass flow from the progenitor and for abrupt density changes at the limits of this smooth mass flow. The progenitor needed roughly a million yr to create these structures, assuming a constant mass loss at 15 km/s. The dust in the region is small-grained and isotropically scattering. Interaction between the progenitor blue supergiant and red supergiant winds is probably contained within a roughly spherical structure 1.5 pc in diameter.

Crotts, Arlin P. S.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Acoustic echo cancellation for full-duplex voice transmission on fading channels

This paper discusses the implementation of an adaptive acoustic echo canceler for a hands-free cellular phone operating on a fading channel. The adaptive lattice structure, which is particularly known for faster convergence relative to the conventional tapped-delay-line (TDL) structure, is used in the initialization stage. After convergence, the lattice coefficients are converted into the coefficients for the TDL structure which can accommodate a larger number of taps in real-time operation due to its computational simplicity. The conversion method of the TDL coefficients from the lattice coefficients is derived and the DSP56001 assembly code for the lattice and TDL structure is included, as well as simulation results and the schematic diagram for the hardware implementation.

Park, Sangil↗

NASA NTRS1993

First radar echoes from cumulus clouds

In attempting to use centimeter-wavelength radars to investigate the early stage of precipitation formation in clouds, 'mantle echoes' are rediscovered and shown to come mostly from scattering by small-scale variations in refractive index, a Bragg kind of scattering mechanism. This limits the usefulness of single-wavelength radar for studies of hydrometeor growth, according to data on summer cumulus clouds in North Dakota, Hawaii, and Florida, to values of reflectivity factor above about 10 dBZe with 10-cm radar, 0 dBZe with 5-cm radar, and -10 dBZe with 3-cm radar. These are limits at or above which the backscattered radar signal from the kinds of clouds observed can be assumed to be almost entirely from hydrometeors or (rarely) other particulate material such as insects. Dual-wavelength radar data can provide the desired information about hydrometeors at very low reflectivity levels if assumptions can be made about the inhomogeneities responsible for the Bragg scattering. The Bragg scattering signal itself probably will be a useful way to probe inhomogeneities one-half the radar wavelength in scale for studying cloud entrainment and mixing processes. However, this use is possible only before scattering from hydrometeors dominates the radar return.

Knight, Charles A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The first satellite laser echoes recorded on the streak camera

The application of the streak camera with the circular sweep for the satellite laser ranging is described. The Modular Streak Camera system employing the circular sweep option was integrated into the conventional Satellite Laser System. The experimental satellite tracking and ranging has been performed. The first satellite laser echo streak camera records are presented.

Hamal, Karel↗

NASA NTRS1993

On the analysis of clear air radar echoes severely contaminated by clutter

Many radar systems work in environments where clutter return overwhelm the atmospheric echoes. Sometimes by as much as 50 dB. At the Arecibo Observatory (AO), for example, clutter levels are conspicuously high. This situation greatly reduces its usefulness for lower atmospheric studies. It is not possible in general, to observe height profiles of the vertical component of the wind velocity. This parameter is important to understand planetary scale circulation, mountain and lee waves, turbulence, troprospheric and stratorspheric interactions and vertical transport of horizontal momentum. The topics discussed include the following: clutter propagation characteristics, knowledge-based spectral analysis system, and signal analysis system.

Ierkic, H. Mario↗

NASA NTRS1993

Unusual radar echoes from the Greenland ice sheet

In June 1991, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory airborne synthetic-aperture radar (AIRSAR) instrument collected the first calibrated data set of multifrequency, polarimetric, radar observations of the Greenland ice sheet. At the time of the AIRSAR overflight, ground teams recorded the snow and firn (old snow) stratigraphy, grain size, density, and temperature at ice camps in three of the four snow zones identified by glaciologists to characterize four different degrees of summer melting of the Greenland ice sheet. The four snow zones are: (1) the dry-snow zone, at high elevation, where melting rarely occurs; (2) the percolation zone, where summer melting generates water that percolates down through the cold, porous, dry snow and then refreezes in place to form massive layers and pipes of solid ice; (3) the soaked-snow zone where melting saturates the snow with liquid water and forms standing lakes; and (4) the ablation zone, at the lowest elevations, where melting is vigorous enough to remove the seasonal snow cover and ablate the glacier ice. There is interest in mapping the spatial extent and temporal variability of these different snow zones repeatedly by using remote sensing techniques. The objectives of the 1991 experiment were to study changes in radar scattering properties across the different melting zones of the Greenland ice sheet, and relate the radar properties of the ice sheet to the snow and firn physical properties via relevant scattering mechanisms. Here, we present an analysis of the unusual radar echoes measured from the percolation zone.

Rignot, E. J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Null Result in gamma-ray burst lensed echo search

We have searched for gravitational-lens-induced echoes between gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) data. The search was conducted in two phases. In the first phase we compared all GRBs in a brightness-complete sample of the first 260 GRBs with recorded angular positions having at least a 5% chance of being coincident from their combined positional error. In the second phase, we compared all GRB light curves of the first 611 GRBs with recorded angular positions having at least a 55% chance of being coincident from their combined positional error. No unambiguous gravitational lens candidate pairs were found in either phase, although a 'library of close calls' was accumulated for future reference. This result neither excludes nor significantly constrains a cosmological origin for GRBs.

Nemiroff, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

'Glitches' in soft X-ray transients: Echoes of the main burst?

Several soft X-ray transients exhibit one or more intensity jumps ('glitches') that interrupt the decay of the initial 'main' burst. We interpret these glitches as due to enhanced mass flow from the companion star which is responding, essentially linearly, to heating by X-rays from the primary. The process goes on continuously, triggered by ('echoing') the initial burst. A time delay T of a few months occurs in the similarly linear flow of matter from the companion surface to the X-ray-emitting inner disk. The time scale in the inner disk is a few days. If this model is correct there is evidence that the main burst, that has been observed to decay over a time approximately less than T, is caused by a burst of mass flow from the companion.

Augusteijn, T.↗