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At least 415 records · Page 23
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NASA NTRS1985

The San Fernando Observatory video Stokes polarimeter

A study was conducted to determine the suitability of the San Fernando Observatory's 61 cm (24 inch) aperture vacuum solar telescope and 3 m (118 inch) focal length vacuum spectroheliograph for Stokes Polarimetry measurements. The polarization characteristics of these two instruments was measured by determining their Mueller matrices as a function of telescope orientation, field angle, wavelength, grating type, and position of the measuring beam in the telescope entrance window. In general, the polarizing and depolarizing properties are small so that inversion of the system Mueller matrix will permit the accurate measurement of Stokes profiles for vector magnetic field determination. A proposed polarimeter design based on the use of a TV camera system to simultaneously scan six different polarization components of a given line profile is described. This design, which uses no rotating optics or electronic modulators and makes efficient use of the available irradiance, promises to yield high quality vector magnetograms.

Richter, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Diagnostics of vector magnetic fields

It is shown that the vector magnetic fields derived from observations with a filter magnetograph will be severely distorted if the spatially unresolved magnetic structure is not properly accounted for. Thus the apparent vector field will appear much more horizontal than it really is, but this distortion is strongly dependent on the area factor and the temperature line weakenings. As the available fluxtube models are not sufficiently well determined, it is not possible to correct the filter magnetograph observations for these effects in a reliable way, although a crude correction is of course much better than no correction at all. The solution to this diagnostic problem is to observe simultaneously in suitable combinations of spectral lines, and/or use Stokes line profiles recorded with very high spectral resolution. The diagnostic power of using a Fourier transform spectrometer for polarimetry is shown and some results from I and V spectra are illustrated. The line asymmetries caused by mass motions inside the fluxtubes adds an extra complication to the diagnostic problem, in particular as there are indications that the motions are nonstationary in nature. The temperature structure appears to be a function of fluxtube diameter, as a clear difference between plage and network fluxtubes was revealed. The divergence of the magnetic field with height plays an essential role in the explanation of the Stokes V asymmetries (in combination with the mass motions). A self consistent treatment of the subarcsec field geometry may be required to allow an accurate derivation of the spatially averaged vector magnetic field from spectrally resolved data.

Stenflo, J. O.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The international Halley Watch

The schedule of ground-based and extraterrestrial observations planned for comet Halley during the International Halley Watch (IHW) program is briefly described. A schematic diagram is presented in order to illustrate the lines of communication between the administrators, discipline specialists, and amateur observers participating in IHW. The specific observational activities schedule for the IHW in early late 1985 and early 1986 include: infrared spectroscopic and radiometric observations; photometry and polarimetry, and near nucleus studies. The satellite observation platforms of the IHW will include, the Giotto, VEGA, ISEE-3, and Plant A satellites.

West, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Models of cometary emission in the 18-cm OH transitions - The predicted behavior of Comet Halley

The return of Halley's comet to the inner solar system in 1985-1986 presents an excellent opportunity to study the behavior of a bright comet, since observations may be planned ahead of time to yield the maximum scientific return. Observations of the OH radical in the 18-cm wavelength Alpha-doublet transitions can be expected to yield significant results to cometary science in a number of areas from the measurement of the production rate of OH parent molecules (water) to the elucidation of the kinematics in the coma. Therefore, models of the OH emission from the comae of comets are presented together with predictions of brightness and spectra of Halley's Comet during the current apparition as an aid to prospective observers. The desirability of certain observational programs, including monitoring, mapping, polarimetry, and occultation experiments, are also discussed.

Schloerb, F. P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Photometric properties of zodiacal light particles

A number of optical and physical parameters are derived on the basis of ground-based, spacecraft, and rocket photometry and polarimetry, under the assumption that number density, mean particle size, and albedo, vary with heliocentric distance. It is noted that average individual interplanetary particles have a small but definite opposition effect, involving a single scattering albedo in the V-band and a zero-phase geometric albedo; modeled by a power law, both decrease with increasing heliocentric distance as r to the -0.54 power. The color of dust particles and the color's variation with solar phase angle, closely resemble those of C asteroids. These findings are consistent with the zodiacal cloud's origin in collisions among asteroids.

Lumme, K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The 1982-1984 Eclipse of Epsilon Aurigae

A workshop proceedings concerned with the new data collected during the 1982-1984 eclipse period of the 27-year system Epsilon Aurigae is presented. This binary star has been a classic problem in astrophysics because the opaque eclipsing object is nonstellar, and probably disk shaped. Invited papers concerning the history of the system, optical, infrared and ultraviolet photometry, optical polarimetry and ultraviolet spectroscopy are included. An invited paper concerning comprehensive theoretical interpretation in the context of stellar evolution also is included. The information collected herein is unparalleled in scope and will remain a standard reference until the next eclipse cycle in the year 2009 A.D., in all probability.

Stencel, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Multifrequency observations of dwarf novae outbursts

Studies using EXOSAT and IUE data combined with ground-based optical and IR photometry, spectroscopy and polarimetry of the transition timescales and physical properties of the high accretion rate states of the disks in cataclysmic variables are discussed. Implications for dwarf novae stem from comparison of the timing and amplitude of the optical and IR rise with that of the UV and X-ray; the development of the optical and UV line profile changes as the outburst develops; and the similarity of the outburst flux distributions in different systems and different types of outbursts (standstills and supermaxima). These features of dwarf novae outbursts present interesting comparisons with the outbursts of systems like TV Col and GK Per.

Szkody, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Optical, radio, and infrared observations of compact H II regions. V - The Hourglass in M8

Multiwavelength observations of the inner core of the M8 Hourglass region are presented, including VLA interferometric maps, 2-4 micron and 8-13 micron spectroscopy, photometric mapping in the K (2.2 micron) and L (3.45 micron) bands and in the 3.28 micron dust-emission feature, optical CCD imaging, and optical and infrared polarimetry. The compact H II region is excited by the O7 V star Herschel 36, and its apparent bipolar structure at optical wavelengths may be due to variable line-of-sight extinction and scattered light. Standard reddening laws are not applicable in the Hourglass region. A power law extinction lambda exp -0.78 yields consistent agreement between ultraviolet, optical, and infrared extinction estimates and suggests that one component of the total grain distribution is on the average larger than that found in the interstellar medium. The spatial distribution of the 3.28 micron dust-emission feature shows that the feature emission is associated with the boundary layer in the H II region/molecular cloud interface. The observations favor models in which feature emission comes from small refractory grains rather than from fluorescence or thermal emission from volatile mantles.

Woodward, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Photometry from Voyager 2 - Initial results from the Uranian atmosphere, satellites, and rings

The results of Voyager 2 photopolarimetry (PPS) surveys of Uranus, the ring system, occultation experiments and observations of the Uranian moons are reported. Dual-channel photometry and polarimetry data obtained of the atmosphere at various emission and phase angles are delineated and compared with characteristics of the Saturn and Jupiter atmospheres. The results of temperature, UV absorption and density profile calculations are also discussed. Extensive ring dimensional data, based on two occultation experiments, are provided in tabular form noting that the rings contain no dust. Finally, the geometric albedos of the five major moons and the phase curve of the moon Titania are presented. The latter data indicate that Titanian surface features are not the result of recent events such as volcanism or ice slurry outflows.

Lane, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Spectroscopic observations of cool degenerate star candidates

Spectroscopic observations are reported for 23 Luyten Half-Second degenerate star candidates and for 13 Luyten-Palomar common proper-motion pairs containing possible degenerate star components. Twenty-five degenerate stars are identified, 20 of which lack previous spectroscopy. Most of these stars are cool - Luyten color class g or later. One star, LP 77-57, shows broad continuum depressions similar to those in LHS 1126, which Liebert and Dahn attributed to pressure-shifted C2. A second degenerate star, LHS 290, exhibits apparent strong Swan bands which are blueshifted about 75 A. Further observations, including polarimetry and photometry, are required to appraise the spectroscopic peculiarities of these stars. Finally, five cool, sharp-lined DA white dwarfs have been observed to detect lines of metals and to determine line strengths. None of these DAs show signs of Mg b or the G band, and four show no evidence of Ca II K. The attempt to detect Ca MI in the fifth star, G199-71, was inconclusive.

Hintzen, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Planetary optical and infrared imaging

Images were acquired of a circumstellar disk of orbiting material around the nearby star beta Pictoris. This material is believed to be associated with the formation of planets and provides a first look at a planetary system much younger than our own. Preliminary work was also done to acquire multicolor photometric data and polarimetry on the beta Pictoris disk as well. A coronagraphic search for other proto-planetary systems is also underway. Coronagraphic imaging provided the first clear images and a determination of the geometric albedo of the rings of Uranus. A search for material around the asteroid Amphitrite showed that the region around the asteroid was free of particles larger than 500 meters in radius or diffuse material with an optical depth larger than .000001. NASA IRTF infrared images of Jupiter and Saturn are providing information on the relative heights and cloud top temperatures of atmospheric features.

Terrile, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Infrared reflection nebulae in Orion molecular cloud 2

New obervations of Orion Molecular Cloud-2 have been made from 1-100 microns using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. An extensive program of polarimetry, photometry and spectrophotometry has shown that the extended emission regions associated with two of the previously known near infrared sources, IRS1 and IRS4, are infrared reflection nebulae, and that the compact sources IRS1 and IRS4 are the main luminosity sources in the cloud. The constraints from the far infrared observations and an analysis of the scattered light from the IRS1 nebula show that OMC-2/IRS1 can be characterized by L less than or equal to 500 Solar luminosities and T approx. 1000 K. The near infrared (1-5) micron albedo of the grains in the IRS1 nebula is greater than 0.08.

Pendleton, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The clumpy circumstellar medium around young supernova remnants

Each of the youngest supernova remnants known in the Milky Way, Cas A, Kepler's SNR, and Tycho's SNR, shows a different morphological structure caused by different conditions in the progenitor stars and their surroundings. In all three cases, however, the observed shells have a thickness of about 1/4 the radius, a sharp outer edge, and significant brightness irregularities. These features require that the circumstellar medium be highly clumped. To investigate the phenomenon, models of the expansion have been constructed using a one-dimensional spherical hydrodynamic code. As a supernova shock moves down the external density gradient of the star, material behind the shock begins to go into free expansion. Then as surrounding material is encountered a reverse shock moving back into the ejectum will be formed. Until the expansion has swept up about eight times the ejected mass when the situation can be considered as a point explosion in its surroundings, the dynamics are controlled by conditions between the shocks. The region is also where the synchrotron radio emission from relativistic electrons trapped in magnetic fields arises. Initial particles and fields are accelerated and amplified by eddy motion at the interface between the ejected and swept-up material and at the boundaries of clumps. Polarimetry shows that these SNR have a net radial orientation of their magnetic fields apparently from stretching by Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities at the contact surfaces. Without clumps the observed shell is much too narrow and steep on the inside.

Dickel, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The vertical structure of Jupiter's equatorial and tropical regions

The equatorial and tropical regions of Jupiter are presently treated in light of an inhomogeneous atmospheric model that encompasses both polarizing aerosols and methane gas, in keeping with Pioneer polarimetry and photometry data as well as the methane band data obtained by West (1979). The relative strengths of weak and strong methane bands are addressed by a two-cloud model with overlying stratospheric haze. For all the regions considered, the best fit for polarization measurements is a negatively polarizing ammonia cloud beneath a positively polarizing haze. Unlike the nearby features, the equatorial region and the Great Red Spot have a negative polarization at 80-deg phase angle, implying less gas above the clouds in these regions.

Smith, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The infrared astronomical satellite asteroid database

The creation, maintenance, and distribution of the set of ground-based observational data being used to help calculate the diameters and albedos of asteroids observed by IRAS during the sky survey of February-November 1983 are discussed in a status report. The database comprises orbital elements, absolute magnitudes, UBV colors, thermal radiometry, light-curve parameters, and taxonomic classifications; supplementary files include eight-color photometry, spectrophotometry, polarimetry, JHK observations, proper elements, discovery data, occultation diameters, radar characteristics, and references. Distribution in machine-readable and hard-copy formats and maintenance of the database by incorporating new data as they are published are planned.

Tedesco, E. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Infrared reflection nebulae in Orion Molecular Cloud 2

New observations of Orion Molecular Cloud 2 have been made from 1 to 100 microns using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. An extensive program of polarimetry, photometry, and spectrophotometry has shown that the extended emission regions associated with two of the previously known near-infrared sources, IRS 1 and IRS 4, are infrared reflection nebulae, and that the compact sources IRS 1 and IRS 4 are the main luminosity sources in the cloud. The constraints from the far-infrared observations and an analysis of the scattered light from the IRS 1 nebula show that OMC-2/IRS 1 can be characterized by L of 500 solar luminosities or less and T of roughly 1000 K. The near-infrared albedo of the grains in the IRS 1 nebula is greater than 0.08.

Pendleton, Yvonne↗
NASA NTRS1987

Multipeaked X-ray bursts from 4U/MXB 1636-53 - Evidence for burst-induced accretion disk coronae

The specific features of multipeaked X-ray bursts from 4U/MXB 1636-53, which are relatively weak and show no correlated photospheric radius expansion or contraction near the burst maximum, are explained using a model in which the observed luminosity is the sum of the direct component from the central source attenuated through an accretion disk corona and a component due to diffuse scattering by the corona. According to this model, the central peak in the triple-peaked burst results from an enhanced scattering emissivity of the direct component. At large inclination angles, the direct component may be unobservable; a burst detected via the scattered component only would be relatively short, weak, and would have similar rise and decay times. The direct and scattered components can be distinguished by X-ray polarimetry.

Melia, Fulvio↗
NASA NTRS1987

Polarization of light scattered from the winds of early-type stars

There is evidence from visible wavelength polarimetry that the matter in the winds of early-type stars is not distributed uniformly about the stars. In this paper equations for the observable polarization from an axisymmetric distribution of electrons are derived first from the basic point source model of Brown and McLean (1977) and then from extended atmosphere radiative transfer theory. A factor is derived which corrects the Brown and McLean model for the finite size of stars. This finite disk factor is found to reduce the magnitude of the predicted polarization to less than half of the point source prediction. The effects of having the mass outflow concentrated in a plume are considered. The effects of absorption in an unocculted plume are shown to give rise to a wavelength-dependent polarization that is described using a 'polarization color' parameter. A continuum opacity index is defined that allows for a straightforward interpretation of the polarization of stars of differing effective temperatures.

Cassinelli, J. P.↗