Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “SPECTROMETERS”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

Recovery of Atmospheric Water Vapor Total Column Abundance from Imaging Spectrometer Data Around 940 nm - Sensitivity Analysis and Application to Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRI

Twosimple techniques to retrieve path precipitable water fromthe Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) high spectral resolution radiance data (Continuum Interpolated Band Ratio, CIBR, and Narrow/Wide Ratio, N/W), using the 940 nm water absorption band, are compared.

water present surface reflectance atmospheric catt↗

APES: Acute Precipitating Electron Spectrometer - A High Time Resolution Monodirectional Magnetic Deflection Electron Spectrometer

We present a description of the Acute Precipitating Electron Spectrometer (APES) that was designed and built for the Ground-to-Rocket Electron Electrodynamics Correlative Experiment (GREECE) auroral sounding rocket mission. The purpose was to measure the precipitating electron spectrum with high time resolution, on the order of milliseconds. The trade-off made in order to achieve high time resolution was to limit the aperture to only one look direction. The energy selection was done by using a permanent magnet to separate the incoming electrons, such that the different energies would fall onto different regions of the microchannel plate and therefore be detected by different anodes. A rectangular microchannel plate (MCP) was used (15 mm x 100 mm), and there was a total of 50 discrete anodes under the MCP, each one 15 mm x 1.5 mm, with a 0.5 mm spacing between anodes. The target energy range of APES was 200 eV to 30 keV.

Michell, R. G.↗

Photodissociation Dynamics of Astrophysically Relevant Propyl Derivatives (C 3 H 7 X; X = CN, OH, HCO) at 157 nm Exploiting an Ultracompact Velocity Map Imaging Spectrometer: The (Iso)Propyl Channel

The photodissociation dynamics of astrophysically relevant propyl derivatives (C 3 H 7 X; X = CN, OH, HCO) at 157 nm exploiting an ultracompact velocity map imaging (UVMIS) setup has been reported. The successful operation of UVMIS allowed the exploration of the 157 nm photo dissociation of six (iso)propyl systems - n/i-propyl cyanide (C 3 H 7 CN), n/i-propyl alcohol (C 3 H 7 OH), and (iso)butanal (C 3 H 7 CHO) – to explore the C 3 H 7 loss channel. The distinct center-of-mass translational energy distributions for the i-C 3 H 7 X (X= CN, OH, HCO) could be explained through preferential excitation of the low frequency C-H bending modes of the formyl moiety compared to the higher frequency stretchings of the cyano and hydroxy moieties. Although the ionization energy of the n-C 3 H 7 radical exceeds the energy of a 157 nm photon, C 3 H 7 + was observed in the n-C 3 H 7 X (X= CN, OH, HCO) systems as a result of photoionization of vibrationally "hot" n-C 3 H 7 fragments, photoionization of i-C 3 H 7 after a hydrogen shift in vibrationally "hot" n-C 3 H 7 radicals, and/or two-photon ionization. Our experiments reveal that at least the isopropyl radical (i-C 3 H 7 ) and possibly the normal propyl radical (n-C 3 H 7 ) should be present in the interstellar medium and hence searched for by radio telescopes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Recovery of atmospheric water vapor total column abundance from imaging spectrometer data around 940 nm - Sensitivity analysis and application to Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data

Two simple techniques (Continuum Interpolated Band Ratio, CIBR, and Narrow/Wide ratio, N/W) to retrieve path precipitable water from AVIRIS high spectral resolution radiance data using the 940 nm water absorption band are compared. A sensitivity analysis was performed using the radiative transfer code LOWTRAN 7 to determine which one of these two approaches will provide a better estimate over land and water areas. The CIBR proved to be the technique less sensitive to perturbing effects, except for errors in visibility estimate. Both techniques were applied to AVIRIS radiance data acquired over Salton Sea, California. Resulting images confirmed that the use of a constant gray reflectance in the model led to a higher overestimation of the amount of water retrieved for N/W over vegetated areas. Validation was performed through comparison between an independent estimate of water vapor from concurrent Reagan sunphotometer measurements and AVIRIS estimates. Amounts retrieved using the N/W approach match more closely in situ measurements, even after adjusting model parameters for background reflectance, viewing geometry, and type of aerosol at the site.

Carrere, Veronique↗

Comprehensive Analyses of Data Collected from TEREK (Solar EUV Telescope) RES-C (Solar X-Ray Spectrometer) and SORS (Solar Radio Spectrometer) on board CORONAS-1 Using Magnetohydrodynamic Models

By using the observed magnetic field data obtained from the Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University as the inputs to a two-dimensional plane-of-sky magnetohydrodynamic model, via numerical relaxation method, we have deduced the plasma and magnetic field parameters for the observed coronal hole by CORONAS-1. The method for this self-consistent MHD analysis will be discussed in detail. Numerical results for the magnetic field configuration, velocity distribution, density and temperature distributions will be presented. We have converted the computed density to polarization brightness in order to directly compare the MHD outputs with observations. Also included is a summary of achievements made during the grant period. This section is summarized into three categories: 1) Visit of Co-Investigators; 2) Presentations; and 3) Papers published, accepted and submitted for publication in journals.

Wu, S. T.↗

Pseudoslit Spectrometer

The pseudoslit spectrometer is a conceptual optoelectronic instrument that would offer some of the advantages, without the disadvantages, of prior linear-variable etalon (LVE) spectrometers and prior slit spectrometers. The pseudoslit spectrometer is so named because it would not include a slit, but the combined effects of its optical components would include a spatial filtering effect approximately equivalent to that of a slit. Like a prior LVE spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer would include an LVE (essentially, a wedge-like narrowband- pass filter, the pass wavelength of which varies linearly with position in one dimension) in a focal plane covering an imaging planar array of photodetectors. However, the pseudoslit spectrometer would be more efficient because unlike a prior LVE spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer would not have to be scanned across an entire field of view to obtain the spectrum of an object of interest that may occupy only a small portion of the field of view. Like a prior slit spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer could acquire the entire spectrum of such a small object without need for scanning. However, the pseudoslit spectrometer would be optically and mechanically simpler: it would have fewer components and, hence, would pose less of a problem of alignment of components and would be less vulnerable to misalignment.

Reuter, Dennis C.↗

High Resolution, Non-Dispersive X-Ray Calorimeter Spectrometers on EBITs and Orbiting Observatories

X-ray spectroscopy is the primary tool for performing atomic physics with Electron beam ion trap (EBITs). X-ray instruments have generally fallen into two general categories, 1) dispersive instruments with very high spectral resolving powers but limited spectral range, limited count rates, and require an entrance slit, generally, for EBITs, defined by the electron beam itself, and 2) non-dispersive solid-state detectors with much lower spectral resolving powers but that have a broad dynamic range, high count rate ability and do not require a slit. Both of these approaches have compromises that limit the type and efficiency of measurements that can be performed. In 1984 NASA initiated a program to produce a non-dispersive instrument with high spectral resolving power for x-ray astrophysics based on the cryogenic x-ray calorimeter. This program produced the XRS non-dispersive spectrometers on the Astro-E, Astro-E2 (Suzaku) orbiting observatories, the SXS instrument on the Astro-H observatory, and the planned XMS instrument on the International X-ray Observatory. Complimenting these spaceflight programs, a permanent high-resolution x-ray calorimeter spectrometer, the XRS/EBIT, was installed on the LLNL EBIT in 2000. This unique instrument was upgraded to a spectral resolving power of 1000 at 6 keV in 2003 and replaced by a nearly autonomous production-class spectrometer, the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), in 2007. The ECS spectrometer has a simultaneous bandpass from 0.07 to over 100 keV with a spectral resolving power of 1300 at 6 keV with unit quantum efficiency, and 1900 at 60 keV with a quantum efficiency of 30%. X-ray calorimeters are event based, single photon spectrometers with event time tagging to better than 10 us. We are currently developing a follow-on instrument based on a newer generation of x-ray calorimeters with a spectral resolving power of 3000 at 6 keV, and improved timing and measurement cadence. The unique capabilities of the x-ray calorimeter spectrometer, coupled with higher spectral resolution dispersive spectrometers to resolve line blends, has enabled many science investigations, to date mostly in our x-ray laboratory astrophysics program. These include measurements of absolute cross sections for Land K shell emission from Fe and Ni, charge exchange measurements in many astrophysically abundant elements, lifetime measurements, line ratios, and wavelength measurements. In addition, we have performed many additional measurements in nuclear physics, and in support of diagnostics for laser fusion, for example. In this presentation we will give a detailed overview of x-ray calorimeter instruments in general and in our EBIT laboratory astrophysics program in particular. We will also discuss the science yield of our measurements at EBIT over the last decade) prospects for future science enabled by the current generation of spectrometers and that will be expanded in the near future by the next generation of spectrometers starting in 2611.

Porter, Frederick S.↗

u-Spec Spectrometers for the EXCLAIM Instrument

The EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) is a cryogenic balloon-borne instrument that will map carbon monoxide and singly-ionized carbon emission lines across redshifts from 0to 3.5, using an intensity mapping approach. EXCLAIM will broaden our understanding of these elemental and molecular gases, and the role they play in star formation processes across cosmic time scales. The focal plane of EXCLAIM’s cryogenic telescope features sixμ-Spec spectrometers.μ-Spec is a compact, integrated grating-analog spectrometer, which uses meandered superconducting niobium microstrip transmission lines on a single-crystal silicon dielectric to synthesize the grating. It features superconducting aluminum microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), also in a microstrip architecture. The spectrometers for EXCLAIM couple to the telescope optics via a hybrid planar antenna coupled to a silicon lenslet. The spectrometers operate from420−540 GHz with a resolving power R=λ/∆λ= 512, and employ an array of 355 MKIDs on each spectrometer. The spectrometer design targets a noise equivalent power (NEP) of 2×10−18W/√Hz (defined at the input to the main lobe of the spectrometer lenslet beam, within a 9◦half width), enabled by the cryogenic telescope environment, the sensitive MKID detectors, and the low dielectric loss of single-crystal silicon. We report on these spectrometers under development for EXCLAIM, providing an overview of the spectrometer and component designs, the spectrometer fabrication process, fabrication developments since previous prototype demonstrations, and the current status of their development for the EXCLAIM mission.

EXCLAIM Instrument↗

Developing a New Generation of Integrated Micro-Spec Far Infrared Spectrometers for the EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM)

The current state of far-infrared astronomy drives the need to develop compact, sensitive spectrometers for future space and ground-based instruments. Here we present details of the µ-Spec spectrometers currently in development for the far-infrared balloon mission EXCLAIM. The spectrometers are designed to cover the 555 – 714 µm range with a resolution of R = λ/∆λ = 512 at the 638 µm band center. The spectrometer design incorporates a Rowland grating spectrometer implemented in a parallel plate waveguide on a low-loss single-crystal Si chip, employing Nb microstrip planar transmission lines and thin-film Al kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). The EXCLAIM µ-Spec design is an advancement upon a successful R = 64 µ-Spec prototype, and can be considered a sub-mm superconducting photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that combines spectral dispersion and detection. The design operates in a single M=2 grating order, allowing one spectrometer to cover the full EXCLAIM band without requiring a multi-order focal plane. The EXCLAIM instrument will fly six spectrometers, which are fabricated on a single 150 mm diameter Si wafer. Fabrication involves a flip-wafer-bonding process with patterning of the superconducting layers on both sides of the Si dielectric. The spectrometers are designed to operate at 100 mK, and will include 355 Al KID detectors targeting a goal of NEP ∼8 × 10−19 W/√( Hz). We summarize the design, fabrication, and ongoing development of these µ-Spec spectrometers for EXCLAIM.

Carolyn G. Volpert↗

Comparison of laboratory calibrations of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) at the beginning and end of the first flight season

Spectral and radiometric calibrations of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) were performed in the laboratory in June and November, 1987, at the beginning and end of the first flight season. Those calibrations are described along with changes in instrument characteristics that occurred during the flight season as a result of factors such as detachment of the optical fibers to two of the four AVIRIS spectrometers, degradation in the optical alignment of the spectrometers due to thermally-induced and mechanical warpage, and breakage of a thermal blocking filter in one of the spectrometers. These factors caused loss of signal in three spectrometers, loss of spectral resolution in two spectrometers, and added uncertainty in the radiometry of AVIRIS. Results from in-flight assessment of the laboratory calibrations are presented. A discussion is presented of improvements made to the instrument since the end of the first flight season and plans for the future. Improvements include: (1) a new thermal control system for stabilizing spectrometer temperatures, (2) kinematic mounting of the spectrometers to the instrument rack, and (3) new epoxy for attaching the optical fibers inside their mounting tubes.

Vane, Gregg↗

Ultra-Wideband Optical Modulation Spectrometer (OMS) Development

The optical modulation spectrometer (OMS) is a novel, highly efficient, low mass backend for heterodyne receiver systems. Current and future heterodyne receiver systems operating at frequencies up to a few THz require broadband spectrometer backends to achieve spectral resolutions of R approximately 10(exp 5) to 10(exp 6) to carry out many important astronomical investigations. Among these are observations of broad emission and absorption lines from extra-galactic objects at high redshifts, spectral line surveys, and observations of planetary atmospheres. Many of these lines are pressure or velocity broadened with either large half-widths or line wings extending over several GHz. Current backend systems can cover the needed bandwidth only by combining the output of several spectrometers, each with typically up to 1 GHz bandwidth, or by combining several frequency-shifted spectra taken with a single spectrometer. An ultra-wideband optical modulation spectrometer with 10 - 40 GHz bandwidth will enable broadband ob- servations without the limitations and disadvantages of hybrid spectrometers. Spectrometers like the OMS will be important for both ground-based observatories and future space missions like the Single Aperture Far-Infrared Telescope (SAFIR) which might carry IR/submm array heterodyne receiver systems requiring a spectrometer for each array pixel. Small size, low mass and small power consumption are extremely important for space missions. This report summarizes the specifications developed for the OMS and lists already identified commercial parts. The report starts with a review of the principle of operation, then describes the most important components and their specifications which were derived from theory, and finishes with a conclusion and outlook.

Gardner, Jonathan↗

The EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer: A New, Permanent User Facility at the LLNL EBIT

The EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS) has recently been completed and is currently being installed at the EBIT facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The ECS will replace the smaller XRS/EBIT spectrometer that has been in almost continuous operation since 2000. The XRS/EBIT was based on a spare laboratory cryostat and an engineering model detector system from the Suzaku/XRS observatory. The new ECS spectrometer was built from the ground up to be a low maintenance, high performance microcalorimeter spectrometer with 4 eV resolution at 6 keV, 32 detector channels, 10 us event timing, and capable of uninterrupted acquisition sessions of over 70 hours at 50 mK. The XRSIEBIT program has been extremely successful, producing over two-dozen refereed publications on topics such as laboratory astrophysics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and calibration of the spectrometers for the National Ignition Facility, with many more publications in preparation. The ECS spectrometer will continue this work into the future with improved spectral resolution, integration times, and ease-of-use. We designed the ECS instrument with TES detectors in mind by using the same highly successful magnetic shielding as our laboratory TES cryostats. This design will lead to a future TES instrument at the LLNL EBIT. This proposed future instrument would include a hybrid detector system with 0.8 eV resolution in the band from 0.1-1.0 keV, 2 eV from 0.1-10 keV, and 30 eV from 0.5-100 keV, with high quantum efficiency in each band. Here we discuss the legacy of the XRS/EBIT program, the performance of the new ECS spectrometer, and plans for a future TES spectrometer.

Porter, S.↗