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NASA NTRS1987

Phase closure with a rotational shear interferometer

A simple and efficient way is proposed for achieving phase closure in an optical telescope (to enable recovering Fourier transform phases that would otherwise be corrupted by atmospheric and instrumental errors), by means of rotational shear interferometry. In a rotational shear interferometer, one images the telescope aperture onto the interferometer and then interferes the aperture with itself in a rotated orientation. To achieve the maximum frequency content permitted by the telescope, the shear has to be 180 deg, but better dynamic range and SNR are possible for lower frequencies. Drawbacks of the proposed method compared to radio astronomy are noted, and different approaches are indicated as to how to collect and use the phase closure data. Phase closure can be realized on existing telescopes and existing interferometers with special modifications. Although not all base lines are possible, the extra constraints provided by the closure phases greatly reduce the ambiguity now existing in phaseless image reconstruction.

Ribak, Erez↗

NASA NTRS1988

Speckle interferometry of asteroids

This final report for NASA Contract NAGw-867 consists of abstracts of the first three papers in a series of four appearing in Icarus that were funded by the preceding contract NAGw-224: (1) Speckle Interferometry of Asteroids I. 433 Eros; (2) Speckle Interferometry of Asteroids II. 532 Herculina; (3) Speckle Interferometry of Asteroids III. 511 Davida and its Photometry; and the fourth abstract attributed to NAGw-867, (4) Speckle Interferometry of Asteroids IV. Reconstructed images of 4 Vesta; and a review of the results from the asteroid interferometry program at Steward Observatory prepared for the Asteroids II book, (5) Speckle Interferometry of Asteroids. Two papers on asteroids, indirectly related to speckle interferometry, were written in part under NAGw-867. One is in press and its abstract is included here: Photometric Geodesy of Main-Belt Asteroids. II. Analysis of Lightcurves for Poles, Periods and Shapes; and the other paper, Triaxial Ellipsoid Dimensions and Rotational Pole of 2 Pallas from Two Stellar Occultations, is included in full.

Drummond, Jack↗

NASA NTRS1988

Wiener restoration of sampled image data - End-to-end analysis

The Wiener filter is formulated as a function of the basic image-gathering and image-reconstruction constraints, thereby providing a method for minimizing the mean-squared error between the (continuous-input) radiance field and its restored (continuous-output) representation. This formulation of the Wiener filter is further extended to the Wiener-characteristic filter, which provides a method for explicitly specifying the desired representation. Two specific examples of Wiener filters are presented.

Fales, Carl L.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Signal-to-noise limitations in white light holography

A simple derivation is given for the SNR in images reconstructed from incoherent holograms. Dependence is shown to be on the hologram SNR, object complexity, and the number of pixels in the detector. Reconstruction of involved objects becomes possible with high-dynamic-range detectors such as CCDs. White-light holograms have been produced by means of a rotational shear interferometer combined with a chromatic corrector. A digital inverse transform recreated the object.

Ribak, Erez↗

NASA NTRS1987

The electronically steered thinned array radiometer

An L-band radiometer which allows global imaging of soil moisture from LEO is discussed. The system consists of an array of antennas with amplifiers, a device to cross-correlate the signals from the antennas, and a process to translate the resulting data into an image of brightness temperature over the field of view. The process is based on a Fourier transform relation that exists between the incident electric field strength as a function of incidence angle and electric fields across the aperture plane of the antenna. The system's image reconstruction technique and signal-to-noise performance are examined.

Ruf, C. S.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Variation of the quiet sun at 21 cm - 1981-1987

The sun was imaged at a wavelength of about 21 cm during 1981-1987 using the VLA, the Green Bank 91-m telescope, the Arecibo 305 m telescope, and powerful maximum entropy image reconstruction techniques. There was a systematic decrease in the quiet sun's brightness temperature at 21 cm as the sun declined from sunspot maximum to sunspot minimum; this was accompanied by a systematic decrease in the sun's radius. The two-fold decrease in the electron number density in the solar transition region and low corona could have been the cause of these variations.

Bastian, T. S.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Numerical experience with a class of algorithms for nonlinear optimization using inexact function and gradient information

For optimization problems associated with engineering design, parameter estimation, image reconstruction, and other optimization/simulation applications, low accuracy function and gradient values are frequently much less expensive to obtain than high accuracy values. Here, researchers investigate the computational performance of trust region methods for nonlinear optimization when high accuracy evaluations are unavailable or prohibitively expensive, and confirm earlier theoretical predictions when the algorithm is convergent even with relative gradient errors of 0.5 or more. The proper choice of the amount of accuracy to use in function and gradient evaluations can result in orders-of-magnitude savings in computational cost.

Carter, Richard G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Domain identification in impedance computed tomography by spline collocation method

A method for estimating an unknown domain in elliptic boundary value problems is considered. The problem is formulated as an inverse problem of integral equations of the second kind. A computational method is developed using a splice collocation scheme. The results can be applied to the inverse problem of impedance computed tomography (ICT) for image reconstruction.

Kojima, Fumio↗

NASA NTRS1992

Albedo maps of Pluto and Charon - Initial mutual event results

By applying the technique of maximum entropy image reconstruction to invert observed lightcurves, surface maps of single-scattering albedo are obtained for the surfaces of Pluto and Charon from 1954 to 1986. The albedo features of the surface of Pluto are similar to those of the Buie and Tholen (1989) spot model maps; a south polar cap is evident. The map of Charon is somewhat darker, with single-scattering albedos as low as 0.03.

Buie, Marc W.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Feed-forward volume rendering algorithm for moderately parallel MIMD machines

Algorithms for direct volume rendering on parallel and vector processors are investigated. Volumes are transformed efficiently on parallel processors by dividing the data into slices and beams of voxels. Equal sized sets of slices along one axis are distributed to processors. Parallelism is achieved at two levels. Because each slice can be transformed independently of others, processors transform their assigned slices with no communication, thus providing maximum possible parallelism at the first level. Within each slice, consecutive beams are incrementally transformed using coherency in the transformation computation. Also, coherency across slices can be exploited to further enhance performance. This coherency yields the second level of parallelism through the use of the vector processing or pipelining. Other ongoing efforts include investigations into image reconstruction techniques, load balancing strategies, and improving performance.

Yagel, Roni↗

NASA NTRS1992

High-resolution land/ice imaging using Seasat scatterometer measurements

A new method for obtaining high-resolution images (to 4 km) of the land backscatter from low-resolution Seasat-A scatterometer (SASS) measurements is introduced. The method utilizes the measurement cell overlap in multiple spacecraft passes over the region of interest and signal processing techniques to generate high-resolution images of the radar backscatter. The overlap is exploited to estimate the underlying high-resolution surface radar backscatter characteristics using a robust multivariate image reconstruction algorithm. The algorithm has been designed to operate in the high-noise environment typical of scatterometer measurements. The ultimate resolution obtainable is a function of the number of measurements and the measurement overlap. Sample results based on SASS data are provided.

Long, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1993

LIF measurements of scalar mixing in turbulent shear layers

The structure of shear layer flows at high Reynolds numbers remains a very interesting problem. Straight mixing layers have been studied and yielded information on the probability density function (pdf) of a passive scalar across the layer. Konrad and Koochesfahani & Dimotakis measured the pdf of the mixture fraction for mixing layers of moderate Reynolds numbers, each about 25,000 (Re based on velocity difference and visual thickness). Their measurements showed a 'non-marching' pdf (central hump which is invariant from edge to edge across the layer), a result which is linked to the visualizations of the spanwise Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability mode, which is the primary instability for plane shear layer flows. A secondary instability mode, the Taylor-Gortler (T-G) instability, which is associated with streamwise vortical structures, has also been observed in shear layers. Image reconstruction by Jimenez et al. and volume renderings by Karasso & Mungal at low Re numbers have demonstrated that the K-H and the T-G instability modes occur simultaneously in a non-mutually destructive way, evidence that supports the quasi two-dimensional aspect of these flows and the non-marching character of the pdf at low Reynolds numbers. At higher Re numbers though, the interaction of these two instability modes is still unclear and may affect the mixing process. In this study, we perform measurements of the concentration pdf of plane mixing layers for different operating conditions. At a speed ratio of r = U(sub 1)/U(sub 2) = 4:1, we examine three Reynolds number cases: Re = 14,000, Re = 31,000, and Re = 62,000. Some other Re number cases' results, not presented in detail, are invoked to explain the behavior of the pdf of the concentration field. A case of r = 2.6:1 at Re = 20,000 is also considered. The planar laser-induced fluorescence technique is used to yield quantitative measurements. The different Re are obtained by changing the velocity magnitudes of the two streams. The question of resolution of these measurements is addressed. In order to investigate the effects of the initial conditions on the development and the structure of the mixing layer, the boundary layer on the high-speed side of the splitter plate is tripped. The average concentration and the average mixed fluid concentration are also calculated to further understand the changes in the shear layer for the different cases examined.

Karasso, Paris S.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Science with High Spatial Resolution Far-Infrared Data

The goal of this workshop was to discuss new science and techniques relevant to high spatial resolution processing of far-infrared data, with particular focus on high resolution processing of IRAS data. Users of the maximum correlation method, maximum entropy, and other resolution enhancement algorithms applicable to far-infrared data gathered at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) for two days in June 1993 to compare techniques and discuss new results. During a special session on the third day, interested astronomers were introduced to IRAS HIRES processing, which is IPAC's implementation of the maximum correlation method to the IRAS data. Topics discussed during the workshop included: (1) image reconstruction; (2) random noise; (3) imagery; (4) interacting galaxies; (5) spiral galaxies; (6) galactic dust and elliptical galaxies; (7) star formation in Seyfert galaxies; (8) wavelet analysis; and (9) supernova remnants.

Terebey, Susan↗

NASA NTRS1994

A violent interaction between the dwarf galaxy UGC 7636 and the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472

We present new U, B, R, and H I imagery of the Virgo Cluster giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472 and its interacting dwarf companion galaxy UGC 7636. Using a composite image reconstruction technique, we show that a trail of debris approx. 5 arcmin in length and approx. 1 arcmin in width (30x6 kpc for a Virgo cluster distance of 20 Mpc) is projected northward from the dwarf galaxy. A cloud of H I is projected along the northwest edge of the debris between the dwarf and gE. The dwarf's nuclear morphology is irregular and bow-shaped on what appears to be its leading edge. Apart from a number of isolated blue regions, most of of the trailing debris is similar in color to the dwarf's nucleus. Only a modest enhancement of star formation appears to have been induced by the interaction. Although separated by 15 kpc, the H I and stellar morphologies are remarkably similar. The stars and H I appear to have been tidally distorted in situ, prior to the cloud's removal by ram pressure. If the H I has maintained its shape by magnetic support, a magnetic field strength an order of magnitude larger than the galaxy's is required. Ram pressure deceleration due to the cloud's motion through NGC 4472's x-ray-emitting interstellar medium shold be sufficient for the cloud to become gravitationally bound to NGC 4472. The H I cloud is not self-gravitating and may fragment and be destroyed in the interaction. UGC 7636 will probably be disrupted by NGC 4472's strong tidal forces; the stellar debris will disperse into the Virgo cluster or become bound to NGC 4472's halo on eccentric orbits. The debris captured in the collision will have a negligible impact on NGC 4472's stellar and gaseous content. On the other hand, if similar interactions are common in giant elliptical galaxies, they could alter or deplete surrounding dwarf galaxy populations, fuel bursts of nuclear activity, and perhaps provide a source of magnetic energy to their interstellar media.

Mcnamara, Brian R.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Real-Time Compression Of Digital Video

Enhanced DPCM video compression algorithm utilizes non-uniform quantizer, non-adaptive predictor, and multi-level Huffman coder to substantially reduce data rate below that achievable with conventional DPCM. Images reconstructed without noticeable degradation.

Bizon, Thomas P.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Planetesimals Around V536 AQL

The pre-main sequence star V536 Aql, classified as a K7 classical T Tauri star by Cohen & Kuhi has been resolved, by high angular resolution near-infrared speckle observations, as a close binary (0.52 sec separation at 17 deg) surrounded by extended structures. These structures seen, both in the July 1993 and April 1994 observations, are not at the same position in the reconstructed image and do not present exactly the same shape at both times. Although it is unlikely that the presence of these structures is due to seeing calibration problems, the exact shape might be affected by it. We cannot presently make a final interpretation of the observations but can formulate different possibilities: the 'circumstellar' material seen in our images can be an independent cloud, or simply gas or dust, in front of the system on our line of sight, but close enough to still be illuminated by the binary; this material may be 'by chance' there or be a remnant of the material in which the star was born. We propose a model to explain the position variation of the extended structures. New observations are under reduction and should help to determine the exact value of this motion. At their distance from the star, motions of the extended matter would correspond to velocities much higher than the Kepler velocities. To explain this, we have developed a model based on a 'torch-light' effect. The possibility that the observed elongated structures belong to a circumstellar or circumbinary disk are discussed.

Ageorges, N.↗

NASA NTRS1997

From Top to Bottom - the Multiwavelength Campaign of V824 Ara (HD 155555)

A great deal of progress has been made in recent years in decomposing the 2-D structure in the atmospheres of late-type stars. Doppler images of many photospheres single stars, T Tauri stars, Algols, RS CV(sub n) binaries to name a few - are regularly published (Strassmeier 1996; Richards and Albright 1996; Rice and Strassmeier 1996; Kuerster et al. 1994). Ultraviolet spectral images of chromospheres appear in the literature (e.g., Walter et al. 1987; Neff et al. 1989) but are less common owing to the difficult nature of obtaining complete phase coverage. Zeeman doppler images of magnetic fields are now feasible (e.g., Donati et al. 1992). Performing Doppler imaging of the same targets over many seasons has also been accomplished (e.g, Vogt et al. 1997). Even when a true image reconstruction is not possible due to poor spectral resolution, we can still infer a great deal about spatial structure if enough phases are observed. However, it is increasingly apparent that to make sense of recent results, many different spectral features spanning a range of formation temperature and density must be observed simultaneously for a coherent picture to emerge. Here we report on one such campaign. In 1996, we observed the southern hemisphere RS CV(sub n) binary V824 Ara (P=1(sup d).68, G5IV+K0V-IV-IV) over one complete stellar rotation with the Hubble Space Telescope and EUVE. In conjunction, radio and optical photometry and spectroscopy were obtained from the ground. Unique to this campaign is the complete phase coverage of a number of activity proxy indicators that cover source temperatures ranging from the photosphere to the corona.

Dempsey, Robert↗

NASA NTRS1999

The Effect of Spaceflight on Bone Cell Cultures

Understanding the response of bone to mechanical loading (unloading) is extremely important in defining the means of adaptation of the body to a variety of environmental conditions such as during heightened physical activity or in extended explorations of space or the sea floor. The mechanisms of the adaptive response of bone are not well defined, but undoubtedly they involve changes occurring at the cellular level of bone structure. This proposal has intended to examine the hypothesis that the loading (unloading) response of bone is mediated by specific cells through modifications of their activity cytoskeletal elements, and/or elaboration of their extracellular matrices. For this purpose, this laboratory has utilized the results of a number of previous studies defining molecular biological, biochemical, morphological, and ultrastructural events of the reproducible mineralization of a primary bone cell (osteoblast) culture system under normal loading (1G gravity level). These data and the culture system then were examined following the use of the cultures in two NASA shuttle flights, STS-59 and STS-63. The cells collected from each of the flights were compared to respective synchronous ground (1G) control cells examined as the flight samples were simultaneously analyzed and to other control cells maintained at 1G until the time of shuttle launch, at which point they were terminated and studied (defined as basal cells). Each of the cell cultures was assayed in terms of metabolic markers- gene expression; synthesis and secretion of collagen and non-collagenous proteins, including certain cytoskeletal components; assembly of collagen into macrostructural arrays- formation of mineral; and interaction of collagen and mineral crystals during calcification of the cultures. The work has utilized a combination of biochemical techniques (radiolabeling, electrophoresis, fluorography, Western and Northern Blotting, and light microscopic immunofluorescence) and structural methods (conventional and high voltage electron microscopy, inununocytochemistry, stereomicroscopy, and 3D image reconstruction). The studies have provided new knowledge of aspects of bone cell development and structural regulation, extracellular matrix assembly, and mineralization during spaceflight and under normal gravity. The information has contributed to insights into the means in general by which cells respond and adapt to different conditions of gravity (loading). The data may as well have suggested an underlying basis for the observed loss of bone by vertebrates, including man, in microgravity; and these scientific results may have implications for understanding bone loss following fracture healing and extended periods of inactivity such as during long-term bedrest.

Landis, William J.↗