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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Airborne infrared polarimetry.

An airborne remote sensing study of cloud particle sizes and shapes, performed with an IR polarimeter is described. Linear polarization for a given wavelength was measured as a function of the phase angle. Liquid water clouds are found to exhibit considerable detail in their polarization curves, including a positive cloudbow near 40-degrees phase angle, and negative polarization at phase angles of less than 20 degrees and greater than (roughly) 100 degrees. A polarization vs phase angle curve obtained for thick tropical cirrus clouds showed negative polarization at large and small phase angles, and positive polarization at angles between 20 and 145 degrees. There is no indication of a cloudbow or other detailed structure.

Coffeen, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Noctilucent cloud sampling by a multi-experiment payload.

Two multi-experiment payloads were launched into noctilucent cloud displays above Kiruna, Sweden, on the nights of July 31 and Aug. 1, 1971. The payloads were part of the continuing Pandora II cosmic dust collection series and included: (1) Pandora 2 dust collection with in-flight shadowing photoelectric polarimeters to measure scattered light at 4100 and 5400 A, a plasma detector and an ion probe, and piezoelectric microphones. These payloads attempted to investigate noctilucent clouds by four simultaneous and independent techniques. The photometric data indicate that the first payload passed through a cloud, while the second payload did not. These results are confirmed by the particle collection experiment which indicates a higher collection on the first payload. Analysis of the chemical composition of the collected particles indicates an unusual amount of high atomic number elements.

Hallgren, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Charged particles

Calibrations compensating for the effects of charged particles in the ionosphere and in the interplanetary medium were applied to the Doppler tracking data acquired during Mariner 9 missions on a demonstration basis. The combined effects of the space plasma and the ionosphere were measured by a comparison of the range and Doppler observables (Differenced Range Versus Integrated Doppler (DRVID). Independent measurements of the ionospheric effects were obtained from polarimeter devices located at the Goldstone, California, tracking complex.

Madrid, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

High-energy solar X-ray polarimetry

The evidence for the existence of a highly energetic nonthermal electron distribution in the solar atmosphere during energetic flares is presented. Relationships are discussed between the proposed X-ray emission processes, electron distribution, and possible X-ray polarization. A description of various techniques of measuring X-ray polarization is given, and the applicability of these methods to the problem of solar X-ray measurements is considered. An idealized polarimeter capable of obtaining the most useful data related to the energetics of solar flares is proposed, and current and projected polarization experiments are discussed.

Wolff, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Astronomical Fourier spectropolarimetry

Spectra of the Stokes polarization parameters of Venus (resolution 0.5 per cm) are presented. They were obtained at the Cassegrain focus of the 154-cm telescope of the National Mexican Observatory, Baja California, Mexico, July 12 and 13, 1972, with the Fourier Interferometer Polarimeter (FIP). A preliminary, limited analysis of four spectral features and of the CO2 rotational band structures at 6080 and 6200 per cm has demonstrated that spectral polarization is indeed present. These experimental results, confirmed by two series of observations, provide substantiation for this theoretically predicted phenomenon. They also tend to show that the FIP represents a novel astronomical tool for variable spectral resolution studies of both the intensity and the state of polarization of astronomical light sources.

Forbes, F. F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The GSFC EUV and X-ray spectroheliograph on OSO-7

The Goddard Space Flight Center instrument carried on the pointed section of the OSO-7 satellite is described. This instrument contains: an extreme-ultraviolet spectroheliograph using glancing incidence optics of Wolter's Type II to focus the sun's light on the entrance slit of a concave grating spectrometer; an auxiliary H-alpha system; two X-ray spectroheliographs using mechanical collimators for spatial resolution and Ross filters to isolate spectral bands of interest; and a flare polarimeter operating in the 15-40 keV X-ray region. The subsystems may be operated in a number of modes which, when combined with the spacecraft modes, give the instrument great flexibility for making solar observations. Representative results from each of the subsystems are presented.

Underwood, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Particulate sizes from polarization measurements

An experiment with a ground-based polarimeter is described. It is shown that the optical properties of particles in the atmosphere can be inferred on the basis of the measured data of the radiation field. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the turbid atmosphere can be continually monitored with the aid of remote measurements of polarization and intensity.

Kuriyan, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Particulate sizes from polarization measurements

Radiation measurements from a ground based polarimeter were used to infer the optical properties of atmospheric particles. The inherent nonunigueness in model calculations is discussed. The inverse problem in atmospheric optics is described, along with incident and emergent beams. Emergent radiation was calculated for all possible particulate distributions, and results were catalogued.

Kuriyan, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A digital algorithm for spectral deconvolution with noise filtering and peak picking: NOFIPP-DECON

Noise-filtering, peak-picking deconvolution software incorporates multiple convoluted convolute integers and multiparameter optimization pattern search. The two theories are described and three aspects of the software package are discussed in detail. Noise-filtering deconvolution was applied to a number of experimental cases ranging from noisy, nondispersive X-ray analyzer data to very noisy photoelectric polarimeter data. Comparisons were made with published infrared data, and a man-machine interactive language has evolved for assisting in very difficult cases. A modified version of the program is being used for routine preprocessing of mass spectral and gas chromatographic data.

Edwards, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A photometric study of Saturn and its rings

A 72-in. telescope and a polarimeter of the Wollaston type with a focal-plane scanning mechanism were used in the investigations reported. On a few occasions observations were made with a 42-in. reflector. The polarization data obtained are presented as vectors superimposed on a drawing of the planet. It is concluded that in the ultraviolet and close to opposition the vectors are consistently radial and decrease to nearly zero near the center of the disk. The polarization is essentially the same at all limbs. It is pointed out that under good seeing conditions Saturn presents a consistent though somewhat complicated, photometric pattern.

Hall, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The last OSO satellite

Missions planned for OSO-8 are outlined. Instruments to be included on the satellite comprise a multichannel UV spectrometer, a high-resolution UV spectrometer, an X-ray crystal spectrometer and polarimeter, a hard X-ray telescope, a celestial X-ray spectrometer, a mapping X-ray heliometer, an extrasolar extreme UV monitor, and a soft X-ray telescope. The instruments make up a scientific payload that is larger, transmits data at a greater rate, can be pointed with higher accuracy, and has much better spatial and spectral resolution over a wider range of wavelengths than any payload carried by previous OSO satellites.

Maran, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Stellar and solar X-ray polarimetry

The scientific motivation for X-ray polarimetry is discussed with particular emphasis on the information that might be obtained on binary X-ray pulsars and a number of other classes of objects, including solar flares. Detailed discussions are given for Thomson-scattering and Bragg-crystal polarimeters with numerical estimates for the sensitivity of various existing and proposed instruments.

Novick, R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Linear polarization variations modulo 5.6 days in HDE 226868

Results are reported for observations of variations in the linear polarization in HDE 226868 (the optical counterpart of Cyg X-1) made with a photoelastic polarimeter and a U-filter. The UV linear-polarization variations, as folded on the 5.6-day orbital period, are found to have amplitudes of 0.25% and position-angle changes of 2.7 deg. These results are shown to be consistent with the geometry and phasing required by the model of the binary system.

Nolt, I. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Analysis of cloud polarization measurements

The polarization of sunlight reflected by various cloud types was measured in the near-infrared with a polarimeter flown aboard the NASA Convair 990. The data reduction has been completed and detailed comparisons have been made between the observations and theoretical computations. The analysis presented shows that the polarization in the near-infrared can be used on a routine basis to reliably yield the cloud particle phase (water or ice) and the average particle size in the top part of water clouds (usually within + or - 25%). In some cases the polarization also yields the cloud optical thickness (or a lower limit) and a measure of the width of the particle size distribution in the top of the water clouds.

Hansen, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Remote measurement of aerosol particle characteristics and their significance to meteorology

Theoretical models for the calculation of the radiative effects of atmospheric aerosols require the inference of such parameters as optical depth, the complex index of refraction and the equivalent size distribution. A polarimeter and a multispectral radiometer are used for local monitoring of aerosols via ground stations, or global monitoring via spacecraft occultation experiments. It is shown that measurements of optical depth at one wavelength as has been the custom, are insufficient to provide useful information for meteorological calculations, and new experiments and instruments must be devised to take advantage of new theoretical developments.

Kuriyan, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Measurement of the X-ray polarization of the Crab Nebula

The graphite crystal X-ray polarimeters aboard the OSO-8 satellite were used to observe the Crab Nebula for six days from March 11 through March 17, 1976 (UT). Analysis of 15 orbits of quick-look data shows that the polarization and position angles at 2.6 and 5.2 keV are 15.7%(+ or - 1.5%) at 161.1(+ or - 2.8) deg and 18.3%(+ or - 4.2%) at 155.5(+ or - 6.6) deg, respectively. These results confirm the previous measurement and the hypothesis of synchrotron X-ray emission.

Weisskopf, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Skylab experiment SO73: Gegenschein/zodiacal light

A 10 color photoelectric polarimeter was used to measure the surface brightness and polarization associated with zodiacal light, background starlight, and spacecraft corona during each of the Skylab missions. Fixed position and sky scanning observations were obtained during Skylab missions SL-2 and SL-3 at 10 wavelenghts between 4000A and 8200A. Initial results from the fixed-position data are presented on the spacecraft corona and on the polarized brightness of the zodiacal light. Included among the fixed position regions that were observed are the north celestial pole, south ecliptic pole, two regions near the north galactic pole, and 90 deg from the sun in the ecliptic. The polarized brightness of the zodiacal light was found to have the color of the sun at each of these positions. Because previous observations found the total brightness to have the color of the sun from the near ultraviolet out to 2.4 micrometers, the degree of polarization of the zodiacal light is independent of wavelength from 4000A to 8200A.

Weinberg, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Multicolor photometry of low-light-level phenomena from Skylab

A 10-color photoelectric polarimeter was used during Skylab missions SL-2 and SL-3 to measure sky brightness and polarization associated with zodiacal light, background starlight, and the spacecraft corona. A brief description is given of the instrument and observing routines, together with a listing of observations from Skylab and of coordinated observations from Pioneers 10 and 11 and from the ground. Initial results are presented on the spacecraft corona and on the distribution of brightness and polarization at 7100 A over the antisolar hemisphere.

Weinberg, J. L.↗