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NASA NTRS1994

Contemplating the plasmalemmal control center model

An abundant epidermal mechanosensory calcium-selective ion channel appears able not only to detect mechanical stimuli such as those that initiate gravitropism but also to detect thermal, electrical, and various chemical stimuli. Because it responds to multimodal input with a second messenger output, this channel system seems likely to be an integrator that can engage in feedbacks with many other systems of the cell--and feedback is the hallmark of regulation. In general, the mechanical tension required for channel activation is likely transmitted from the relatively rigid cell wall to the plasma membrane system via linkage or adhesion sites that display antigenicities recognized by antibodies to animal beta-1 integrin, vitronectin, and fibronectin and which have mechanical connections to the cytoskeleton. Thus, functionally, leverage exerted against any given adhesion site will tend to control channels within a surrounding domain. Reactions initiated by passage of calcium ions through the channels could presumably be more effectively regulated if channels within the domains were somewhat clustered and if appropriate receptors, kinases, porters, pumps, and some key cytoskeletal anchoring sites were in turn clustered about them. Accumulating evidence suggests not only that activity of clusters of channels may contribute to control of cytoskeletal architecture and of regulatory protein function within their domain, but also that both a variety of regulatory proteins and components of the cortical cytoskeleton may contribute to control of channel activity. The emerging capabilities of electronic optical microscopy are well suited for resolving the spatial distributions of many of these cytoskeletal and regulatory molecules in living cells, and for following some of their behaviors as channels are stimulated to open and cytosolic calcium builds in their vicinity. Such microscopy, coupled with biochemical and physiological probing, should help to establish the nature of the feedback loops putatively controlled by the linkage sites and their channel domains.

Review↗
NASA NTRS1988

Infrared imaging of comets

Thermal infrared imaging of comets provides fundamental information about the distribution of dust in their comae and tails. The imaging program at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) uses a unique 20-pixel bolometer array that was developed to image comets at 8 to 30 micrometer. These images provide the basis for: (1) characterizing the composition and size distribution of particles, (2) determining the mass-loss rates from cometary nuclei, and (3) describing the dynamics of the interaction between the dust and the solar radiation. Since the array became operational in 1985, researchers have produced a unique series of IR images of comets Giacobini-Zinner (GZ), Halley, and Wilson. That of GZ was the first groundbased thermal image ever made of a comet and was used to construct, with visible observations, an albedo map. Those data and dynamical analyses showed that GZ contained a population of large (approximately 300 micrometer), fluffy dust grains that formed a distinict inner tail. The accumulating body of images of various comets has also provided a basis for fruitfully intercomparing comet properties. Researchers also took advantage of the unique capabilities of the camera to resolve the inner, possible protoplanetary, disk of the star Beta Pictoris, while not a comet research program, that study is a fruitful additional application of the array to solar system astronomy.

Telesco, Charles M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

An Icy Kuiper Belt Around the Young Solar-type Star HD 181327

Context. HD 181327 is a young main sequence F5/F6 V star belonging to the Beta Pictoris moving group (age approx.. 12 Myr). It harbors an optically thin belt of circumstellar material at radius approx.. 90 AU, presumed to result from collisions in a population of unseen planetesimals. Aims. We aim to study the dust properties in the belt in details, and to constrain the gas-to-dust ratio. Methods. We obtained far-infrared photometric observations of HD 181327 with the PACS instrument onboard the Herschel Space Observatory, complemented by new 3.2 mm observations carried with the ATCA array. The geometry of the belt is constrained with newly reduced HST/NICMOS scattered light images that allow the degeneracy between the disk geometry and the dust properties to be broken. We then use the radiative transfer code GRaTeR to compute a large grid of models, and we identify the grain models that best reproduce the spectral energy distribution (SED) through a Bayesian analysis. We attempt to detect the oxygen and ionized carbon fine-structure lines with Herschel/PACS spectroscopy, providing observables to our photochemical code ProDiMo. Results. The HST observations confirm that the dust is confined in a narrow belt. The continuum is detected with Herschel/PACS completing nicely the SED in the far-infrared. The disk is marginally resolved with both PACS and ATCA. A medium integration of the gas spectral lines only provides upper limits on the [OI] and [CII] line fluxes.We show that the HD 181327 dust disk consists of micron-sized grains of porous amorphous silicates and carbonaceous material surrounded by an important layer of ice, for a total dust mass of approx.. 0.05 Solar Mass (in grains up to 1 mm). We discuss evidences that the grains consists of fluffy aggregates. The upper limits on the gas atomic lines do not provide unambiguous constraints: only if the PAH abundance is high, the gas mass must be lower than approx. 17 Solar Mass. Conclusions. Despite the weak constraints on the gas disk, the age of HD 181327 and the properties of the dust disk suggest that it has passed the stage of gaseous planets formation. The dust reveals a population of icy planetesimals, similar to the primitive Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, that may be a source for the future delivery of water and volatiles onto forming terrestrial planets.

HD 181327↗
NASA NTRS2000

Protein Crystal Growth Dynamics and Impurity Incorporation

The general concepts and theories of crystal growth are proven to work for biomolecular crystallization. This allowed us to extract basic parameters controlling growth kinetics - free surface energy, alpha, and kinetic coefficient, beta, for steps. Surface energy per molecular site in thermal units, alpha(omega)(sup 2/3)/kT approx. = 1, is close to the one for inorganic crystals in solution (omega is the specific molecular volume, T is the temperature). Entropic restrictions on incorporation of biomolecules into the lattice reduce the incorporation rate, beta, by a factor of 10(exp 2) - 10(exp 3) relative to inorganic crystals. A dehydration barrier of approx. 18kcal/mol may explain approx. 10(exp -6) times difference between frequencies of adding a molecule to the lattice and Brownian attempts to do so. The latter was obtained from AFM measurements of step and kink growth rates on orthorhombic lysozyme. Protein and many inorganic crystals typically do not belong to the Kossel type, thus requiring a theory to account for inequivalent molecular positions within its unit cell. Orthorhombic lysozyme will serve as an example of how to develop such a theory. Factors deteriorating crystal quality - stress and strain, mosaicity, molecular disorder - will be reviewed with emphasis on impurities. Dimers in ferritin and lysozyme and acetylated lysozyme, are microheterogeneous i.e. nearly isomorphic impurities that are shown to be preferentially trapped by tetragonal lysozyme and ferritin crystals, respectively. The distribution coefficient, K defined as a ratio of the (impurity/protein) ratios in crystal and in solution is a measure of trapping. For acetylated lysoyzme, K = 2.15 or, 3.42 for differently acetylated forms, is independent of both the impurity and the crystallizing protein concentration. The reason is that impurity flux to the surface is constant while the growth rate rises with supersaturation. About 3 times lower dimer concentration in space grown ferritin and lysozyme crystals might be examples explaining higher quality of the space grown protein crystal. Depletion of solution with respect to isomorphic impurities around a growing crystal may be K times deeper than with respect to the crystallizing protein.

Chernov, Alex A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Characteristics of ion flow in the quiet state of the inner plasma sheet

We use AMPTE/IRM and ISEE 2 data to study the properties of the high beta plasma sheet, the inner plasma sheet (IPS). Bursty bulk flows (BBFs) are excised from the two databases, and the average flow pattern in the non-BBF (quiet) IPS is constructed. At local midnight this ensemble-average flow is predominantly duskward; closer to the flanks it is mostly earthward. The flow pattern agrees qualitatively with calculations based on the Tsyganenko (1987) model (T87), where the earthward flow is due to the ensemble-average cross tail electric field and the duskward flow is the diamagnetic drift due to an inward pressure gradient. The IPS is on the average in pressure equilibrium with the lobes. Because of its large variance the average flow does not represent the instantaneous flow field. Case studies also show that the non-BBF flow is highly irregular and inherently unsteady, a reason why earthward convection can avoid a pressure balance inconsistency with the lobes. The ensemble distribution of velocities is a fundamental observable of the quiet plasma sheet flow field.

Angelopoulos, V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Projecting the Local Impacts of Climate Change on a Central American Montane Avian Community

Significant changes in the climates of Central America are expected over the next century. Lowland rainforests harbor high alpha diversity on local scales (<1 km2), yet montane landscapes often support higher beta diversity on 10-100 km2 scales. Climate change will likely disrupt the altitudinal zonation of montane communities that produces such landscape diversity. Projections of biotic response to climate change have often used broad-scale modelling of geographical ranges, but understanding likely impacts on population viability is also necessary for anticipating local and global extinctions. We model species abundances and estimate range shifts for birds in the Tilaran Mountains of Costa Rica, asking whether projected changes in temperature and rainfall could be sufficient to imperil high-elevation endemics and whether these variables will likely impact communities similarly. We find that nearly half of 77 forest bird species can be expected to decline in the next century. Almost half of species projected to decline are endemic to Central America, and seven of eight species projected to become locally extinct are endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panam . Logistic-regression modelling of distributions and similarity in projections produced by temperature and rainfall models suggest that changes in both variables will be important. Although these projections are probably conservative because they do not explicitly incorporate biological or climate variable interactions, they provide a starting point for incorporating more realistic biological complexity into community-change models. Prudent conservation planning for tropical mountains should focus on regions with room for altitudinal reorganization of communities comprised of ecological specialists.

Gasner, Matthew R.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Defect Structure of Beta NiAl Using the BFS Method for Alloys

The semiempirical BFS method for alloys is generalized by replacing experimental input with first-principles results thus allowing for the study of complex systems. In order to examine trends and behavior of a system in the vicinity of a given point of the phase diagram a search procedure based on a sampling of selected configurations is employed. This new approach is applied to the study of the beta phase of the Ni-Al system, which exists over a range of composition from 45-60 at.% Ni. This methodology results in a straightforward and economical way of reproducing and understanding the basic features of this system. At the stoichiometric composition, NiAl should exist in a perfectly ordered B2 structure. Ni-rich alloys are characterized by antisite point defects (with Ni atoms in the Al sites) with a decrease in lattice parameters. On the Al-rich side of stoichiometry there is a steep decrease in lattice parameter and density with increasing Al content. The presence of vacancies in Ni sites would explain such behavior. Recent X-ray diffraction experiments suggest a richer structure: the evidence, while strongly favoring the presence of vacancies in Ni sites, also suggests the possibility of some vacancies in Al sites in a 3:1 ratio. Moreover, local ordering of vacant sites may be preferred over a random distribution of individual point defects.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1994

Investigation of the structure and dynamics of the ozone layer in the Eastern Arctic region during EASOE Campaign

Balloon measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone and aerosol were made at Dickson Island (73 deg N, 81 deg E), Kiruna (68 deg N, 20 deg E) and Heiss Island (81 deg N, 58 deg E) from December 1991 to March 1992. To acquire data on the seasonal variability of the vertical ozone distribution, electrochemical ozonesondes ECC-4A were flown three times a week. With ozonesondes on the same balloons, backscattersondes were flown on the average of two or three times per month. Using these instruments, altitude profiles of backscatter ratio were measured at two wavelengths centered at 490 nm and 940 nm. Additionally, at Heiss Island, Dickson, and Yakutsk (63 deg N, 130 deg E) regular total ozone measurements were obtained using Brewer spectrophotometers. Based on measurements of backscatter ratio it was found that after the Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 significant amount of stratospheric aerosols were formed and transported to the Arctic before the polar vortex was well developed. Analysis of ozone data has shown a deep decrease of ozone concentration in the lower stratosphere in times of intensive transportation of air masses from low latitudes to the polar region in the second half of January and also for some periods in February and March of 1992. When the values of backscatter ratio beta were more than 8-10 at a wavelength of 940 nm strong anticorrelation occurred between aerosol loading and ozone concentration in the lower stratosphere. At 50-70 deg N, the mean monthly values of total ozone in winter-spring 1992 proved to be much lower than the climatic mean values.

Khattatov, V.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The gaseous component of the disk around Beta Pictoris

Optical spectra of alpha Lyr, alpha PsA, and beta Pic have been obtained at a velocity resolution of 3 km/s. No circumstellar absorption lines of Ca II or Na I are detected toward alpha Lyr or alpha PsA at sensitive limits. In the favorable case of beta Pic, where the circumstellar disk imaged by Smith and Terrile (1984) is seen nearly edge-on, a strong, narrow, circumstellar Ca II K absorption line previously reported by Slettebak (1982) and weaker, still narrower circumstellar Na I D lines are detected. Negative results of high sensitivity also are obtained for the Ca I 4226 A and CH(+) 4232 A lines, along with upper limits on the Zn II 2026, 2062 A doublet from archival IUE spectra. Under assumptions which agree with other well-established observations of the gaseous abundances of calcium and zinc, the total gaseous column density of hydrogen along a radius of the circumstellar disk is between 10 to the 18th and 4 x 10 to the 20th/sq cm. Within the boundaries of the dust disk detected by Smith and Terrile (1984) the total gaseous mass then is less than about 2, or less than 1 percent of the mass of the planetary system. A simplified model of the density distribution in the gaseous disk yields a characteristic total density n(H) of about 100,000/cu cm, which exceeds that of all interplanetary gas at earth's position by a factor of about 10,000.

Hobbs, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

HST observations of the ring around SN 1987A

Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN 1987A show that the circumstellar material near the supernova forms a clumpy elliptical ring. We analyze six epochs of images made with the Faint Object Camera (FOC) imaging the lines of (O III) and H beta over the interval 1990 August-1993 October, and three epochs of observations with the Planetary Camera in the continuum and (N II) line over the interval 1992 April-1993 May. The elliptical ring in the (O III) images has a semimajor axis of 858 +/- 11 milliarcsec and a semiminor axis of 621 +/- 11 milliarsce (6.4 x 10(exp 17) and 4.6 x 10(exp 17) +/- 8.1 x 10(exp 15) cm, respectively, for a distance of 50 kpc), which implies an inclination angle of 44 +/- 1, if the ring is a circle inclined to our line of sight. The apparent width of the ring in (O III) is 121 +/- 22 milliarcsec (9.0 x 10(exp 16) +/- 1.6 x 10(exp 16) cm) based on our deconvolved image, which represents an upper limit to the width of the of the ring. The position angle of the major axis on the sky is 89 deg +/- 3 deg. One of the 'clumps' on the ring is a superposed star, whose energy distribution is consistent with an A-type dwarf (V = 20.2 mag) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) The radial profile of the ring is not symmetric, with the inner boundary sharper than the outer. Based on the radial profiles and the flux interior to the ring, we conclude that the ring is indeed a tilted ring, and not a spheroidal shell. While the observed width of the ring is approximately 10(exp 17) cm, we find that the average path length through the emitting gas is approximately 4 x 10(exp 15) cm, so the filling factor is small. The ring has faded by a factor of approximately equals 3.7 in (O III) from 1990 August to 1993 October. The characteristic electron density from the (O III) lambda 5007 emission line averages 1.2 x 10exp 4)/cu cm, based on recombination models of the emission. Because the fading rate is uncorrelated with the surface brightness, the density appears to be independent of the brightness, which implies significant path length differences through the ring. By assuming the current structure observed in optical lines applies to the early structure in ultraviolet lines, we construct light curve models to compare with early IUE observations. The clumpy structure of the ring has relatively little effect on the light curves. The (O III) images show faint arclike nebulosity probably associated with the bipolar nebula around SN 1987A and projected inside the ring, which may have affected previous observations of the ring. Finally, we find that the fading rate provides evidence, though weak, favoring an expanding ring over a contracting one.

Plait, Philip C.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Radiation-Driven Warping: Nonisothermal Disks - 2

Recent work by Pringle and by Maloney, Begelman, & Pringle has shown that geometrically thin, optically thick, accretion disks are unstable to warping driven by radiation torque from the central source. This work was confined to isothermal (i.e., surface density Sigma varies as R(sup -3/2) disks. In this paper we generalize the study of radiation-driven warping to include general power-law surface density distributions, Sigma varies as R(sup -delta).We consider the range from Delta = 3/2 (the isothermal case) to Delta = -3/2, which corresponds to a radiation-pressure-supported disk; this spans the range of surface density distributions likely to be found in real astrophysical disks. In all cases there are an infinite number of zero-crossing solutions (i.e., solutions that cross the equator), which are the physically relevant modes if the outer boundary of the disk is required to lie in a specified plane. However, unlike the isothermal disk, which is the degenerate case, the frequency eigenvalues for Delta does not equal 3/2 are all distinct. In all cases the location of the zero moves outward from the steady state (pure precession) value with increasing growth rate; thus, there is a critical minimum size for unstable disks. Modes with zeros at smaller radii are damped. The critical radius and the steady state precession rate depend only weakly on Delta. An additional analytic solution has been found for Delta = 1. The case Delta = 1 divides the solutions into two qualitatively different regimes. For Delta greater than or equal to 1, the fastest growing modes have maximum warp amplitude, close to the disk outer edge, and the ratio of Beta(sub max) to the warp amplitude at the disk inner edge, Beta(sub o), is much greater than 1. For Delta less than 1, Beta(sub max/Beta(sub o) approximately equals 1, and the warp maximum steadily approaches the origin as Delta decreases. This implies that nonlinear effects must be important if the warp extends to the disk inner edge for Delta greater than or equal to 1, but for Delta less than 1 nonlinearity will be important only if the warp amplitude is large at the origin. Because of this qualitative difference in the shapes of the warps, the effects of shadowing of the central source by the warp will also be very different in the two regimes of Delta. This has important implications for radiation-driven warping in X-ray binaries, for which the value of Delta characterizing the disk is likely to be less than unity. In real accretion disks the outer boundary condition is likely to be different from the zero-crossing condition that we have assumed. In accretion disks around massive black holes in active galactic nuclei, the disk will probably become optically thin before the outer disk boundary is reached, whereas in X-ray binaries there will be an outer disk region (outside the circularization radius) in which the inflow velocity is zero but angular momentum is still transported. We show that in both these cases the solutions are similar to the zero-crossing eigenfunctions.

Maloney, Philip R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Is there uniformitarian or catastrophic tectonics on Venus?

The distribution and modification of craters on Venus favors a near global, volcanic resurfacing event about 500 Myrs ago. Such an event indicates that the tectonic evolution of Venus was catastrophic rather than uniformitarian. The creation of a global, single-plate lithosphere on Venus about 500 Myrs ago can explain a variety of tectonic features on Venus that are not consistent with the thin lithosphere required by a uniformitarian hypothesis. A lithosphere on Venus that has thickened for 500 Myrs has a present thickness of about 300 km whereas steady-state heat loss from Venus requires a mean lithospheric thickness near 40 km. A thick lithosphere on Venus can support the high plateaus (elevations of 3-4 km) and mountain belts (up to 9 km) using the same isostatic compensation concepts applicable to the earth. If a thick lithosphere is thinned by a mantle plume, elevation is caused by thermal isostasy. The elevation due to the thinning of a 300 km thick lithosphere is about 3 km. Thus the domal elevation of Beta Regio can be explained by the same mechanism responsible for the elevation of the Hawaiian Swell. While the broad highland plateaus on Venus may be associated with thermal isostasy, the mountain belts in Ishtar Terra clearly cannot be. The high topography of Freyja Montes is almost certainly associated with underthrusting and the likely compensation mechanism is Airy isostasy associated with a thickened crust. With a density contrast delta, of 500 kg m(exp -3) an elevation of 9 km requires a crustal thickening of about 70 km. With a thick lithosphere there is no difficulty in supporting such a thick crust.

Turcotte, Donald L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Radiative transfer in a clumpy universe: The colors of high-redshift galaxies

We assess the effects of the stochastic attenuation produced by intervening QSO absorption systems on the broadband colors of galaxies at cosmological distances. We compute the H I opacity of a clumpy universe as a function of redshift, including scattering in resonant lines, such as Lyman alpha, Lyman beta, Lyman gamma, and higher order members, and Lyman-continuum absorption. Both the numerous, optically thin Lyman-alpha forest clouds and the rarer, optically thick Lyman limit systems are found to contribute to the obscuration of background sources. We study the mean properties of primeval galaxies at high redshift in four broad optical passbands, U(sub n), B, G, and R. Even if young galaxies radiated a significant amount of ionizing photons, the attenuation due to the accumulated photoelectric opacity along the path is so severe that sources beyond z approximately 3 will drop out of the U(sub n) image together. We also show that the observed B-R color of distant galaxies can be much redder than expected from a stellar population. At z approximately 3.5, the blanketing by discrete absorption lines in the Lyman series is so effective that background galaxies appear, on average, 1 mag fainter in B. By z approximately 4, the observed B magnitude increment due to intergalactic absorption exceeds 2 mag. By modeling the intrinsic UV spectral energy distribution of star-forming galaxies with a stellar population synthesis code, we show that the (B-R)(sub AB) approximately 0 criterion for identifying 'flat-spectrum,' metal-producing galaxies is biased against objects at z greater than 3. The continuum blanketing from the Lyman series produces a characteristic staircase profile in the transmitted power. We suggest that this cosmic Lyman decrement might be used as a tool to identify high-z galaxies.

Madau, Piero↗
NASA NTRS1998

Issues in the reconstruction of environmental doses on the basis of thermoluminescence measurements in the Techa riverside

The potential of thermoluminescence measurements of bricks from the contaminated area of the Techa river valley, Southern Urals, Russia, for reconstructing external exposures of affected population groups has been studied. Thermoluminescence dating of background samples was used to evaluate the age of old buildings available on the river banks. The anthropogenic gamma dose accrued in exposed samples is determined by subtracting the natural radiation background dose for the corresponding age from the accumulated dose measured by thermoluminescence. For a site in the upper Techa river region, where the levels of external exposures were extremely high, the depth-dose distribution in bricks and the dependence of accidental dose on the height of the sampling position were determined. For the same site, Monte Carlo simulations of radiation transport were performed for different source configurations corresponding to the situation before and after the construction of a reservoir on the river and evacuation of the population in 1956. A comparison of the results provides an understanding of the features of the measured depth-dose distributions and height dependencies in terms of the source configurations and shows that bricks from the higher sampling positions are likely to have accrued a larger fraction of anthropogenic dose from the time before the construction of the reservoir. The applicability of the thermoluminescent dosimetry method to environmental dose reconstruction in the middle Techa region, where the external exposure was relatively low, was also investigated.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS1994

Compressional ULF waves in the outer magnetosphere. 2: A case study of Pc 5 type wave activity

In previously published work (Zhu and Kivelson, 1991) the spatial distribution of compressional magnetic pulsations of period 2 - 20 min in the outer magnetosphere was described. In this companion paper, we study some specific compressional events within our data set, seeking to determine the structure of the waves and identifying the wave generation mechanism. We use both the magnetic field and three-dimensional plasma data observed by the International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE) 1 and/or 2 spacecraft to characterize eight compressional ultra low frequency (ULF) wave events with frequencies below 8 mHz in the outer magnetosphere. High time resolution plasma data for the event of July 24, 1978, made possible a detailed analysis of the waves. Wave properties specific to the event of July 24, 1978, can be summarized as follows: (1) Partial plasma pressures in the different energy ranges responded to the magnetic field pressure differently. In the low-energy range they oscillated in phase with the magnetic pressure, while oscillations in higher-energy ranges were out-of-phase; (2) Perpendicular wavelengths for the event were determined to be 60,000 and 30,000 km in the radial and azimuthal directions, respectively. Wave properties common to all events can be summarized as follows: (1) Compressional Pc 5 wave activity is correlated with Beta, the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic pressure; the absolute magnitude of the plasma pressure plays a minor role for the wave activity; (2) The magnetic equator is a node of the compressional perturbation of the magnetic field; (3) The criterion for the mirror mode instability is often satisfied near the equator in the outer magnetosphere when the compressional waves are present. We believe these waves are generated by internal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities.

Zhu, Xiaoming↗
NASA NTRS1985

Abscisic acid, xanthoxin and violaxanthin in the caps of gravistimulated maize roots

The occurrence and distribution of abscisic acid (ABA), xanthoxin (Xa) and the carotenoid violaxanthin (Va) were investigated in root tips of maize (Zea mays L. cv. Merit). In roots grown in the dark, Va and ABA were present in relatively high amounts in the root cap and in low amounts in the adjacent terminal 1.5 mm of the root. Xanthoxin was present in equal concentrations in both regions. In roots exposed to light, the ABA distribution was reversed, with relatively low levels in the root cap and high levels in the adjacent 1.5-mm segment. Light also caused a decrease in Va in both regions of the root and an increase in Xa, especially in the cap. In the maize cultivar used for this work, light is necessary for gravitropic curving. This response occurs within the same time frame as the light-induced ABA redistribution as well as the changes in the levels of Va and Xa. These data are consistent with a role for ABA in root gravitropism and support the proposal that Xa may arise from the turnover of Va.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
NASA NTRS1992

Investigation of the structure of the electromagnetic field and related phenomena, generated by the active satellite

A short review is given for the general frequency and angle distribution of the electric field radiated by an electric dipole E = E(sub 0)cos(omega)t, in a magnetoplasma. Detailed results of numerical calculations of (E) were made in the Very Low Frequency (VLF) and the Low Frequency (LF) bands 0.02f(sub b) is less than or equal to F is less than or equal to 0.5f(sub b) (F is approximately (4-500) kHz) in the ionosphere and magnetosphere in the altitude region Z = (800-6000) km; f(sub b) is the electron gyro-frequency of the plasmas in the discussed region f(sub b) is approximately equal to (1.1 to 0.2) MHz. The amplitudes of the electric field have large maxima in four regions: close to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field line (B(sub 0)), it is the so called Axis field (E(sub 0)) and in the Storey (E(sub St)), Reversed Storey (E(sub RevSt)), and Resonance (E(sub Res)) Cones. The maximal values of E(sub 0), E(sub Res), and E(sub RevSt) are very pronounced close to the low hybrid frequency, F approximately F(sub L). The flux of the electric field is concentrated in very narrow regions, the apex angles of the cones delta(beta) is approximately equal to (0.1 - 1) degree. The enhancement and focusing of the electric field is growing up, especially quickly at Z greater than 800 km. At Z is greater than 1000 up to 6000 km, the relative value of (E), in comparison with its value at Z = 800 km is about (10(exp 2) to 10(exp 4)) times larger. Thus, the flux of VLF and LF electromagnetic waves in the Earth magnetoplasma produces and is guided by very narrow pencil beams, similar, let us say, to laser beams.

Alpert, Yakov L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

GRB 091127: The Cooling Break Race on Magnetic Fuel

Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091127, we investigate the validity of the synchrotron fireball model for gamma-ray bursts, and infer physical parameters of the ultra-relativistic outflow. Methods. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with GROND simultaneously in the g' r' t' i' z' JH filters and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite in the 0.3 to 10 keY energy range. The resulting afterglow light curve is of excellent accuracy with relative photometric errors as low as 1 %, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) is well-sampled over 5 decades in energy. These data present one of the most comprehensive observing campaigns for a single GRB afterglow and allow us to test several proposed emission models and outflow characteristics in unprecedented detail. Results. Both the multi-color light curve and the broad-band SED of the afterglow of GRB 091127 show evidence of a cooling break moving from high to lower energies. The early light curve is well described by a broken power-law, where the initial decay in the optical/NlR wavelength range is considerably flatter than at X-rays. Detailed fitting of the time-resolved SED shows that the break is very smooth with a sharpness index of 2.2 +/- 0.2, and evolves towards lower frequencies as a power-law with index -1.23 +/- 0.06. These are the first accurate and contemporaneous measurements of both the sharpness of the spectral break and its time evolution. Conclusions. The measured evolution of the cooling break (V(sub c) varies as t(sup -1.2) is not consistent with the predictions of the standard model, wherein V(sub c) varies as t(sup -05) is expected. A possible explanation for the observed behavior is a time dependence of the microphysical parameters, in particular the fraction of the total energy in the magnetic field epsilon(sub Beta). This conclusion provides further evidence that the standard fireball model is too simplistic, and time-dependent micro-physical parameters may be required to model the growing number of well-sampled afterglow light curves.

Filgas, R.↗