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At least 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

The kinematics and morphology of NGC 520: One, two, or three galaxies

The peculiar galaxy NGC 520 (Arp 157) is often interpreted as an interacting pair of galaxies. The identification of the two bulges and overall morphology of the two galaxies has long been a puzzle which the authors attempt to solve here. New longslit optical spectroscopy and near-infrared images of NGC 520 are presented. These data suggest that the northwest peak is the bulge of one of two galaxies in the system. The other larger bulge is clearly evident in the K band image in the middle of the dust lane. The stellar radial velocity profile in the central 10 seconds of the larger bulge is consistent with counterrotation seen in the molecular gas component. This kinematic subsystem could be the remains of a merged gas-rich irregular.

Stanford, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evaluating some computer enhancement algorithms that improve the visibility of cometary morphology

The observed morphology of cometary comae is determined by ejection circumstances and the interaction of the ejected material with the local environment. Anisotropic emission can provide useful information on such things as orientation of the nucleus, location of active areas on the nucleus, and the formation of ion structure near the nucleus. However, discrete coma features are usually diffuse, of low amplitude, and superimposed on a steep intensity gradient radial to the nucleus. To improve the visibility of these features, a variety of digital enhancement algorithms were employed with varying degrees of success. They usually produce some degree of spatial filtering, and are chosen to optimize visibility of certain detail. Since information in the image is altered, it is important to understand the effects of parameter selection and processing artifacts can have on subsequent interpretation. Using the criteria that the ideal algorithm must enhance low contrast features while not introducing misleading artifacts (or features that cannot be seen in the stretched, unprocessed image), the suitability of various algorithms that aid cometary studies were assessed. The strong and weak points of each are identified in the context of maintaining positional integrity of features at the expense of photometric information.

Larson, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spectral synthesis in the ultraviolet. III - The spectral morphology of normal stars in the mid-ultraviolet

The morphology of 218 mid-UV spectra of stars ranging from O through K in spectral type is examined. Several new line and continuum indices are defined and their usefulness as temperature, luminosity, and metallicity discriminants is discussed. Mid-UV stellar continua are found to be markedly affected by abundance. A UV excess, delta(2600-V), is computed which is more sensitive by a factor of 10 to (Fe/H) than is delta(U-B). The relative strength of spectral lines in the mid-UV is not as strongly affected by abundance. Mid-UV spectra are much more sensitive to the temperature of the stellar population than to either metallicity or the dwarf/giant ratio. Mg II 2800 shows unexpected behavior, displaying no sensitivity to abundance for cool stars and a reversed sensitivity in FG dwarfs such that metal-poor stars have stronger Mg II strengths at the same temperature than more metal-rich stars.

Fanelli, Michael N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The effect of an electric field on the morphological stability of the crystal-melt interface of a binary alloy. III - Weakly nonlinear theory

The effect of a constant electric current on the crystal-melt interface morphology during directional solidification at constant velocity of a binary alloy is considered. A linear temperature field is assumed, and thermoelectric effects and Joule heating are neglected; electromigration and differing electrical conductivities of crystal and melt are taken into account. A two-dimensional weakly nonlinear analysis is carried out to third order in the interface amplitude, resulting in a cubic amplitude equation that describes whether the bifurcation from the planar state is supercritical or subcritical. For wavelengths corresponding to the most dangerous mode of linear theory, the demarcation between supercritical and subcritical behavior is calculated as a function of processing conditions and material parameters. The bifurcation behavior is a sensitive function of the magnitude and direction of the electric current and of the electrical conductivity ratio.

Wheeler, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of anisotropic thermal conductivity on the morphological stability of a binary alloy

A linear morphological stability analysis is presented for a planar interface during unidirectional solidification of a binary alloy, in the case of a crystal having an anisotropic thermal conductivity. A dispersion relation shows that the onset of instability depends on the orientation of the growth direction with respect to principal crystallographic axes and on the orientation of the wavevector of the perturbation. The onset of instability can be either oscillatory (traveling waves) or nonoscillatory in time. For growth along a principal axis of the crystal there is an exchange of stabilities, and the onset of instability is nonoscillatory.

Coriell, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Cumulus cloud field morphology and spatial patterns derived from high spatial resolution Landsat imagery

Using high-spatial-resolution Landsat MSS imagery, the cumulus cloud morphology, cloud nearest-neighbor distributions, and cloud clumping scales were investigated. It is shown that the cloud-size distribution can be represented by a mixture of two power laws; clouds of diameters less than 1 km have power-law slope range of 1.4-2.3, while larger clouds have slopes from 2.1 to 4.75. The break in power-law slope occurs at the cloud size that makes the largest contribution to cloud cover. Results suggest that larger clouds grow at the expense of smaller clouds. It was also found that the cloud inhomogeneities have significant impact on radiative fluxes.

Sengupta, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Peculiar morphologies of four IRAS galaxies

Optical and radio data that reveal the peculiar morphologies of four IRAS galaxies are discussed. NGC 1620 is shown to have an off-center arclike structure of 3 kpc radius that may be the largest supernova-blown bubble known. UGC 2982 is an ongoing merger of two gas-rich galaxies. It is shown that the UGC 3004/3005 pair is not interacting despite the proximity of its components. UGC 3004 is a regular barred spiral galaxy. A second nucleus in the edge-on system UGC 3005 suggests a recent merger. Finally, IRAS 23385 + 0300 is one of the most infrared-luminous galaxies known.

Chaboyer, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1991

Population studies in groups and clusters of galaxies. IV - Comparison of the luminosity functions and morphological-type distributions in seven nearby groups

Published observational data on the Leo, Dorado, NGC 1400, NGC 5044, Antlia, Fornax, and Virgo groups of galaxies are analyzed in terms of the luminosity functions and morphological types of their members. The data sets employed are characterized, and the results are presented in extensive tables and graphs and discussed in detail. While the fractions of early and late galaxies in the groups are similar, the ratio of dwarfs to giants (D/G) in the early galaxies varies monotonically with the richness of the cluster, leading to artificial flattening at the faint end of the total luminosity function in environments with low D/G. The luminosity function for dwarfs in all environments is found to have a slope of about -1.3.

Ferguson, Henry C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An experimental study of high Tc superconducting microstrip transmission lines at 35 GHz and the effect of film morphology

Microstrip transmission lines in the form of ring resonators were fabricated from a number of in-situ grown laser ablated films and post-annealed co-sputtered YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films. The properties of these resonators were measured at 35 GHz and the observed performance is examined in light of the critical temperature (Tc) and film thickness, and also the film morphology, which is different for the two deposition techniques. It is found that Tc is a major indicator of the film performance for each growth type, with film thickness becoming important as it decreases towards 1000 A. It is also found that the films with a mixed grain orientation (both a-axis and c-axis oriented grains) have poorer microwave properties as compared with the primarily c-axis oriented material. This is probably due to the significant number of grain boundaries between the different crystallites, which may act as superconducting weak links and contribute to the surface resistance.

Chorey, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The far-infrared morphology of the double-ringed galaxy NGC 4736 (M94) - A ring surrounding an extended nucleus

High spatial resolution 100-micron observations of the central region of the double-ringed spiral galaxy NGC 4736 (M94) were obtained using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The data show a strong central peak with secondary peaks at the radius of the inner ring (50 arcsec = 1.6 kpc). The nuclear emission is extended at 100 microns, with a radius of 15 arcsec (500 pc). The far-infrared morphology is similar to that of the molecular gas, while the H I distribution shows a pronounced central depression. Since most of the hydrogen gas in the inner regions of NGC 4736 is in molecular form, it is concluded that the far-infrared emission from NGC 4736 arises mainly from dust associated with molecular gas. The H-alpha distribution differs dramatically from the far-infrared and molecular gas distributions. The ring dominates the H-alpha emission, while the total 100-micron ring emission is only slightly larger than that of the nucleus, yielding an L(FIR)/L(H-alpha) for the nucleus about 100 times that of the ring. The bolometric luminosity of the stars in the inner 1 kpc of NGC 4736 is sufficient to power the far-infrared from this region, which suggests that a significant fraction of the far-infrared emission in the nuclear region of NGC 4736 is powered by non-OB stars rather than by star formation.

Smith, Beverly J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effects of brush seal morphology on leakage and pressure drops

Research on brush seals which was undertaken earlier by Braun et al. (1990) is continued. Particular attention is given to the effects of brush positioning, design, and morphology on sealing surfaces, fluid leakage, and associated pressure drops. It is found that both the structure and the design of the brush are important to its performance. High resistance to the flow of the brush/fence combination can result in catastrophic failure of the brush, while at lower flow resistances, the failure is more gradual.

Braun, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The X-ray morphology of the relaxed cluster of galaxies A2256. I - Evidence for a merger event

The rich cluster of galaxies A2256 are studied by utilizing the imaging proportional counter on board the X-ray observatory ROSAT. A2256 is considered to be a relaxed Coma-like cluster which is dynamically well evolved. Cleara evidence, however, is found for substructure in A2256. The X-ray surface brightness distribution reveals two separate maxima in the center; one of which is coincident with the central cD galaxy while the morphology of the other shows indications that it is merging with the main cluster body. The X-ray temperatures of the two maxima are different; the probable merging object being about a factor of five cooler than the cluster. The previously measured broad velocity distribution supports the idea that a merger is occurring in this cluster.

Briel, U. G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Optical-Input, Optical-Output Morphological Processor

Some advantages of optical and electronic processing combined. Proposed optical-input/optical-output morphological processor is optoelectronic assembly performing some binary operations on picture elements of binary input image, yielding processed binary output image. Number of such processors cascaded to form more complicated image-processing system. Use of optics as connection medium makes rate of processing faster than in all-electronic system designed to perform same overall processing functions. At the same time, use of electronics as processing medium provides flexibility of reconfiguration not available in all-optical system.

Yu, Jeffrey W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Morphology and evolution of coronae and ovoids on Venus

Coronae and ovoids on Venus were first identified in Venera 15/16 data. They are distinctive and apparently unique to the planet, and may be important indicators of processes operating in the Venusian mantle. Magellan images have provided the first high resolution views of coronae and ovoid morphology. Herein, the general geologic character is described of coronae and ovoids, and some inferences are drawn about their geologic evolution. Coronae are circular to elongate features surrounded by an annulus of deformational features, with a relatively raised or indistinct topographic signature and, commonly, a peripheral trough or moat. Ovoids are circular to elongate features other than coronae with either positive or negative topographic signatures, associated with tectonic deformation and volcanism. The relationship of these two geologic features to each other and to Venusian geology is briefly discussed.

Squyres, Steven W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The x ray morphology of the relaxed cluster of galaxies A2256. 1: Evidence for a merger event

The rich cluster of galaxies A2256 was studied utilizing the imaging proportional counter (PSPC (Position Sensitive Proportional Counters)) on board the x-ray observatory ROSAT. A2256 is considered to be a relaxed, Comalike cluster which is dynamically well evolved. However, clear evidence for substructure in A2256 was found. The x-ray surface brightness distribution reveals two separate maxima in the center, one of which is coincident with the central cD galaxy while the morphology of the other shows indications that it is merging with the main cluster body. The x-ray temperatures of the two maxima are different; the probable merging object being about a factor of five cooler than the cluster. The previously measured broad velocity distribution supports the idea that a merger in this cluster is being observed.

Briel, U. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of structure and morphology on thermal and electrical properties of polycarbonate film capacitors

Research is reported to identify polycarbonate (PC) film characteristics and fabrication procedures which extend the reliable performance range of PC capacitors to 125 C without derating, and establish quality control techniques and transfer technology to US PC film manufacturers. The approach chosen to solve these problems was to develop techniques for fabricating biaxially oriented (BX) 2 microns or thinner PC film with a low dissipation factor up to 140 C; isotropic dimensional stability; high crystallinity; and high voltage breakdown strength. The PC film structure and morphology was then correlated to thermal and electrical capacitor behavior. Analytical techniques were developed to monitor film quality during capacitor fabrication, and as a result, excellent performance was demonstrated during initial capacitor testing.

Yen, S. P. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Image masking using polygon fills and morphological transformations

Polygon-fill operations and morphological transformations are effective computational tools for the land-masking and coastline-correction preprocessing operations often applied to AVHRR data prior to oceanographic applications. These masking operations, in conjunction with cloud-screening techniques, can be used on such other oceanographically significant remote-sensing data as those of the Coastal Zone Color Scanner, GOES, and Landsat. The sensitivity of the methods to regional variations in atmospheric conditions and land-ocean temperature gradients is assessed for tropical, midlatitude, and high latitude regions.

Simpson, James J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Surface morphologies and photoluminescence of diamond films deposited in a hot filament reactor

A diamond film made of (100)-oriented diamond crystallites has relatively flat surfaces in parallel with the silicon surface. This is desirable because it provides a smoother surface of the diamond film. The difficulty in retaining the (100)-oriented diamond crystallites is strongly influenced by the growth temperature. This paper reports the results from a study on the surface morphologies of diamond films deposited in a hot filament reactor at reduced substrate temperature compared to that deposited at higher temperature.

Srivinyunon, T.↗