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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

The kinetic effects of Alfven wave pressure in the solar wind

The results of a kinetic model for the radial evolution of the proton component of the solar wind in the presence of Alfven waves are presented. The calculation is based on general quasi-linear equations developed to describe the temporal and spatial evolution of the ion distribution functions of a multispecies plasma in presence of waves, using a short wavelength expansion. These equations include new wave-particle interaction terms arising from temporal and spatial inhomogeneities in the plasma. Numerical solutions are obtained of these equations specialized to the case of Alfven waves in a spherically symmetric solar wind. The Alfven wave effects on the proton distribution function vary strongly in velocity space. Protons with small transverse velocities are primarily decelerated with respect to the wave rest frame. This deceleration becomes less important with increasing transverse velocity, as wave induced diffusion to larger transverse velocity becomes the dominant effect. The competition of these effects results in interesting distortions of evolving proton distribution functions which give rise the wave acceleration well known from fluid theory.

Goodrich, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

System noise analysis of the dumbbell tethered satellite for gravity-gradient measurements

An analysis of the dumbbell gravity gradiometer concept for measuring short wavelength variations in the earth's gravity gradient is presented. Variations in the gradient are recorded by measuring tension variations in a vertically stabilized satellite consisting of heavy masses connected by a long wire or rod. Tension noise arises from the excitation of various mechanical oscillations of the system. The principal noise sources that were identified are fluctuations in atmospheric drag heating and drag force resulting from density variations and winds. Approximate analytical expressions are presented for the tension noise as a function of the system design parameters for various possible configurations. Computer simulations using numerical integration were performed to study the tension noise for several sample cases. Three designs consistent with Shuttle launch capabilities are discussed.

Colombo, G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Metastable states and mass loss in Be stars

Three strong asymmetric absorption features with short-wavelength wings extending 350 km/s from their respective line centers at 2061.6, 2068.2, and 2079.0 A appear in high-resolution UV spectral data (0.1 A) for the Be star Phi Per (B2 Ve4) obtained with the Balloon-borne Ultraviolet Stellar Spectrometer (BUSS) on the evening of September 16, 1976. These transitions are not resonance lines and have been identified as transitions of Fe III (UV 48) originating from a metastable state with an excitation of 5.01 eV. The relative populations of the metastable and ground states are independent of the dilution factor, allowing calculation of the mass-outflow rate for a generalized model. Thus, a mass-outflow rate of 5 hundred-billionths of a solar mass per year is obtained. These transitions are observable with IUE and represent an important tool for studying mass outflow in Be and shell stars.

Bruhweiler, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Viking Orbiter observations of the Mars opposition effect

Viking television photography of two dust storms that occurred during the Viking extended mission are used to show that the enhancement of the opposition effect at short wavelengths reported during the 1967 and 1969 oppositions does not appear to be an atmospheric effect, as previously suggested. The brightness changes near 0 deg phase as seen by the Viking Orbiters during the June 15, 1977, dust storm are modeled, yielding first-order aerosol parameters that tend to suppress the opposition effect in violet light. It is proposed that the opposition-effect phenomenon, if real, might be characterized by assuming a surface covered with a particle microstructure of the same single-scattering albedo found for the June dust-storm aerosols, combined with a lunar phase function (macrostructure).

Thorpe, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Detection of acetylene in the Saturnian atmosphere, using the IUE satellite

Direct evidence for the presence of acetylene in the upper part of the Saturnian atmosphere is reported. This evidence consists of two spectra of Saturn obtained by using the low-dispersion mode of the short-wavelength spectrograph on the IUE satellite. A series of distinct absorption bands in the reflected solar radiation at 1750 A is attributed to acetylene. The reciprocal of the acetylene cross section at 1750 A is shown to imply 7 x 10 to the 17th molecules/sq cm in the reflecting layer. It is concluded that the radiation at 1750 A originates from less than 2.3 km-amagat within the atmosphere.

Moos, H. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

On geoid heights derived from GEOS 3 altimeter data along the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain

The geoid heights derived from preliminary GEOS 3 satellite radar altimeter data over the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain are examined. Two objectives are pursued: (1) to evaluate the contribution of the topography of the seamount chain and its compensation to the marine geoid; and (2) to determine whether geoid heights derived from GEOS 3 altimeter data can be used to provide information on isostasy at geological features such as the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain which formed as relatively young loads on the oceanic lithosphere. Short-wavelength geoid highs of 5-12 m over the crest of the seamount chain and geoid lows over flanking regions are observed. The geological undulations can be explained by a simple model in which the seamount-chain load is supported by a strong rigid lithospheric plate. The elastic thickness estimates agree with values based on surface ship gravity and bathymetry observations, and provide further support to the hypothesis that the elastic thickness acquired at a surface load depends on the temperature gradient of the lithosphere at the time of loading.

Watts, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Oceanic geoid and tides derived from GEOS 3 satellite data in the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Two sets of GEOS 3 altimeter data which fall within about a 2.5-deg width are analyzed for ocean geoid and tides. One set covers a path from Newfoundland to Cuba, and the other a path from Puerto Rico to the North Carolina coast. Forty different analyses using various parameters are performed in order to investigate convergence. Profiles of the geoid and four tides, M2, O1, S2, and K1, are derived along the two strips. While the analyses produced convergent solutions for all 40 cases, the uncertainty caused by the linear orbital bias error of the satellite is too large to claim that the solutions represent the true ocean tides in the area. A spot check of the result with the Mode deep-sea tide gauge data shows poor agreement. A positive conclusion of this study is that despite the uncertain orbital error the oceanic geoid obtained through this analysis can improve significantly the short-wavelength structure over existing spherical harmonic geoid models.

Won, I. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Baroclinic instability with variable gravity: A perturbation analysis

Solutions for a quasigeostrophic baroclinic stability problem in which gravity is a function of height were obtained. Curvature and horizontal shear of the basic state flow were omitted and the vertical and horizontal temperature gradients of the basic state were taken as constant. The effect of a variable dielectric body force, analogous to gravity, on baroclinic instability for the design of a spherical, baroclinic model for Spacelab was determined. Such modeling could not be performed in a laboratory on the Earth's surface because the body force could not be made strong enough to dominate terrestrial gravity. A consequence of the body force variation and the preceding assumptions was that the potential vorticity gradient of the basic state vanished. The problem was solved using a perturbation method. The solution gives results which are qualitatively similar to Eady's results for constant gravity; a short wavelength cutoff and a wavelength of maximum growth rate were observed. The averaged values of the basic state indicate that both the wavelength range of the instability and the growth rate at maximum instability are increased. Results indicate that the presence of the variable body force will not significantly alter the dynamics of the Spacelab experiment. The solutions are also relevant to other geophysical fluid flows where gravity is constant but the static stability or Brunt-Vaisala frequency is a function of height.

Giere, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

IUE observations of a luminous M supergiant that exhibits intense continuum in the far ultraviolet

Observations of the late type M supergiant TV Gem (M1Iab) reveal strong UV continuum between 1200 A and 3200 A. The continuum is essentially featureless with the exception of a number of broad absorption features in the short wavelength spectra range. An absorption feature centered around 1400 A could be due to Si IV absorption found typically in spectra of middle B type stars. UV emission from this star is unexpected because earlier ground-based observations give no indication of a possible association with an early companion or circumstellar ionized nebulosity. A B9 or A1 III - IV type star approximately 2to 3 magnitudes fainter than the M star could explain the level of UV continuum observed, but a fully self consistent explanation that includes the B-V color index of TV Gem is not as yet possible. The continuum flux dependence with wavelength in the UV spectral range could be attributed to a high energy source such as an accretion disc. It is suggested TV Gem is a good candidate for HEAO-2 (Einstein) satellite observations because a high energy object in close proximity to the M star would likely be a source of soft X-ray emission.

Michalitsianos, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Phosphine absorption in the 5-micron window of Jupiter

Since the original suggestion by Gillett et al. (1969) it has generally been assumed that the region of partial transparency near 5 micron in Jupiter's atmosphere (the 5-micron window) is bounded by the nu sub 4 NH3 at 6.1 micron and the nu sub 3 CH4 band at 3.3 micron. New measurements of Jupiter and of laboratory phosphine (PH3) samples show that PH3 is a significant contributor to the continuum opacity in the window and in fact defines its short-wavelength limit. This has important implications for the use of 5-micron observations as a means to probe the deep atmospheric structure of Jupiter. The abundance of PH3 which results from a comparison of Jovian and laboratory spectra is about 3 to 5 cm-am. This is five to eight times less than that found by Larson et al. (1977) in the same spectral region, but is in good agreement with the result of Tokunaga et al. (1979) from 10-micron observations.

Beer, R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Chromospheres and coronae of late-type stars

IUE short wavelength (1150-2000 A) spectra of late-type dwarfs, giant, and supergiant stars show a variety of emission features varying in excitation from about 10,000 K to about 3 x 10 to the 5th K. High excitation species are found most strongly in main sequence stars. Dwarf stars with active chromospheres (e.g., Xi Boo) and flare stars (EQ Peg) show enhancement of surface flux as compared to the quiet sun; binary systems of W UMa and RS CVn types show even larger surface fluxes. The enhancement increases with temperature of formation much like a solar active region. The presence of high excitation species in the giant and supergiant stars suggests that parameters other than effective temperature and luminosity are important in establishing a transition region and corona.

Dupree, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Nonlinear stability of solar type III radio bursts. II - Application to observations near 1 AU

A set of rate equations including strong turbulence effects and anomalous resistivity are solved using parameters which model several solar type III bursts. Analysis of these bursts has led to quantitative comparisons between several of the observed phenomena and the theory. Through use of an analytic model for the time evolution of the energetic electron exciter, it is found that the exciter distributions observed at 1 AU are unstable to the excitation of the linear bump-in-tail instability, amplifying Langmuir waves above the threshold for the oscillating two-stream instability (OTSI). The OTSI and the attendant anomalous resistivity produce a rapid spectral transfer of Langmuir waves to short wavelengths, out of resonance with the electron exciter. In addition, the various parameters needed to model the bursts are extrapolated inside 1 AU with similar results. Finally, reabsorption of the Langmuir waves by the beam is shown to be unimportant in all cases, even at 0.1 AU.

Goldstein, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An overview of the solar maximum mission

The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), devoted to the study of active solar phenomena is expected to be launched in February 1980 and operate throughout the peak of the current maximum of solar activity. The SMM observatory consists of two main sections: the instrument module which houses the solar payload instruments and the Fine Pointing Sun Sensor System, and the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) which carries the spacecraft subsystem modules. The entire observatory is 4m long and 2.3m in diameter. The SMM will carry a payload of six instruments specifically selected to study the short wavelength and coronal manifestations of flares. These include: gamma ray spectrometer, hard X-ray burst spectrometer, hard-X-ray imaging spectrometer, soft X-ray polychromator, UV spectrometer and polarimeter, coronagraph/polarimeter and solar constant monitoring package which will measure the total solar irradiance to an accuracy of 0.1 percent. Specific scientific objectives will include: chromospheric evaporation, thermalization, electron acceleration and flare build-up. Complementary studies will be made as part of an SMM Guest Investigator Program. The SMM observation program will be operated on a 24 hour cycle.

Chipman, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Ultraviolet observations of interstellar molecules and grains from Spacelab

The paper presents observational results obtained on interstellar grains and molecules and suggests promising areas for Spacelab research. Regarding grains, useful data can be expected on the shape of the ultraviolet extinction curve for new interstellar regions, on the nature of UV extinction at short wavelengths, the presence of structure in the UV extinction curve comparable to the visible-wavelength diffuse bands, and the polarization properties of grains in UV wavelengths. The advances in observations of molecules will include the ability to prove more heavily-obscured regions, coverage of wavelength regions inadequately studied with previous instruments, and the capability of observing in optical absorption species detected in the same line of sight in radio emission.

Snow, T. P., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Low-pass interference filters for submillimeter astronomy

Low-pass (long-wave transmitting) interference filters, suitable for broadband photometric observations, previously have been constructed from series of capacitive grids stretched on thin Mylar. These filters have the desired optical properties of high transmission, sharp cut-ons, and good blocking at short wavelengths. Their designs, however, do not scale from one wavelength to another and their performance can deteriorate at low temperatures due to differential contraction of the dielectric backing and the supporting structure. The deviation of these early filters from the predicted scaling was due primarily to the difference in refractive index between the backing material and the medium between the grids. In the present paper, filters are described in which dielectric spacers are used, instead of air, as the medium between the grids. This technique has improved the scaling and has reduced the distortion from differential contraction.

Whitcomb, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Variations on a spherically symmetrical accretion flow

Spherically symmetrical accretion onto a compact gravitating object is considered from a purely hydrodynamical viewpoint while disregarding heating and cooling processes. The study derives the radial perturbation equation, expresses it in a Eulerian form which is simpler than the Lagrangian form considered, for example, by Balazs (1972), and discusses the relation between the two formulations. This perturbation equation is used for the stability analysis of standing waves as well as for the study of short wavelength traveling waves which are a generalization of Parker's (1966) traveling wave solutions in the sense that they are not restricted to isothermal flows. These traveling waves can cause fluctuations in the mass accretion rate to grow large, but will not drive the unperturbed solution away from its assumed stationary profile. The waves conserve the total energy contained in the perturbation.

Petterson, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Cataloged infrared sources in NIPSS data. I - The RSO 1 catalog

A small number of selected near-infrared and visual photographic pairs from the Steward Observatory Near Infrared Photographic Sky Survey have been examined for content of stars more red than (V-I) of about 2.5 magnitudes. A simple manual extraction of these objects was carried out as a part of a preliminary evaluation of survey data and techniques for reducing it; the resulting list has been compiled as the first installment of a Catalog of Red Stellar Objects (Craine et al. 1979). Results of a cross correlation of this catalog with the IRC, AFGL, and EIC infrared catalogs are here presented. The results indicate that these photographs may be particularly useful for purposes of optical identification of short-wavelength infrared sources to limits much fainter than represented by presently existing infrared catalogs.

Horner, V. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A compensation mechanism for central Pacific

Geos 3 derived geoid heights and sea floor topography were averaged into 256 square areas (203 km on a side) for a region in the central Pacific containing a large portion of the Hawaiian Island chain. The whole region is about 500 m shallower than normal sea floor of the same age. The major portion of the depth anomaly is the Hawaiian swell. Data were analyzed using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform. A transfer function was computed to determine the part of the observed geoid height that is coherent and in phase with the topography. Two models were introduced, one compensating short-wavelength topography at a shallow depth (14 km) and the other compensating the longer wavelengths by a deep mechanism. Using the transition wavelength between the two models (1100 km), an estimate is made of the amplitude and shape of the heat anomaly needed to uplift the Hawaiian swell. The peak of the anomaly has an amplitude of 530 mW/sq m and is located 275 km east of Hawaii.

Sandwell, D. T.↗