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Methods for predicting the path edges and reducing observations of total solar eclipses for determining variations of the solar radius are described. Analyzed observations of the 1925 January eclipse show a 0.7 (arc second) decrease in the solar radius during the past fifty years.
Negative ions (anions) were identified in the coma of comet 1P/Halley from in-situ measurements performed by the Giotto spacecraft in 1986. These anions were detected with masses in the range 7-110 amu, but with insufficient mass resolution to permit unambiguous identification. We present details of a new chemical-hydrodynamic model for the coma of comet Halley that includes - for the first time - atomic and molecular anions, in addition to a comprehensive hydrocarbon chemistry. Anion number densities arc calculated as a function of radius in the coma, and compared with the Giotto results. Important anion production mechanisms arc found to include radiative electron attachment, polar photodissociation, dissociative electron attachment, and proton transfer. The polyyne anions C4H(-) and C6H(-) arc found to be likely candidates to explain the Giotto anion mass spectrum in the range 49-73 amu. Thc CN(-) anion probably makes a significant contribution to the mass spectrum at 26 amu. Larger carbon-chain anions such as C8H(1) can explain the peak near 100 amu provided there is a source of large carbon-chain-bearing molecules from the cometary nucleus.
The discovery of two clusters of galaxies that contain new gravitationally lensed images (arcs) of high-redshift background galaxies is reported. Both clusters, MS1621.5+2640 and MS2053.7-0449, were selected from the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey based on their high X-ray luminosity. V-band CCD images of the clusters taken in 0.5 arcsec seeing are presented, and it is shown that the arcs in both clusters are thin; they remain unresolved in width, but are fragmented along their length. The arc in MS1621.5+2640 has a small radius of curvature (about 7 arcsec), and spans about 70 deg centered near a 2.6 mJy radio galaxy that is not the brightest cluster galaxy. The arc in MS2053.7-0449 spans 40 deg at a radius of about 16 arcsec with a center slightly offset from the optically dominant cluster galaxy. The arc fragments into two clumps that appear to be stretched images of background galaxies.
We present the first near-infrared scattered-light detection of the transitional disk around V1247 Ori, which was obtained using high-resolution polarimetric differential imaging observations with Subaru/HiCIAO. Our imaging in the H band reveals the disk morphology at separations of approx.0.14-0.86 (54-330 au) from the central star. The polarized intensity image shows a remarkable arc-like structure toward the southeast of the star, whereas the fainter northwest region does not exhibit any notable features. The shape of the arm is consistent with an arc of 0.28 +/- 0.09 in radius (108 au from the star), although the possibility of a spiral arm with a small pitch angle cannot be excluded. V1247 Ori features an exceptionally large azimuthal contrast in scattered, polarized light; the radial peak of the southeastern arc is about three times brighter than the northwestern disk measured at the same distance from the star. Combined with the previous indication of an inhomogeneous density distribution in the gap at 46 au, the notable asymmetry in the outer disk suggests the presence of unseen companions and/or planet-forming processes ongoing in the arc.
Diffraction model fits to the light curves obtained during April 18, 1984 and August 20, 1985 stellar occultations that revealed incomplete rings, or 'arcs' around Neptune, are found to indicate arc radial widths of 8-26 km, and normal optical depths of 0.07-0.14. On the basis of the Neptune pole direction ascertained from Voyager navigation analyses, it is confirmed that the arc observed on August 20, 1985, together with the Hubbard et al. (1986) and Covault et al. (1986) arcs, seem to match the radius of the outermost ring found in Voyager images analyzed by Smith et al. (1989).
The structure of the older-than-3.2-Ga Archean basement and Archean-to-Precambrian sedimentary/volcanic rocks (3.07 to ca. 2.2 Ga) in the center of the Witwatersrand Basin to the southwest of Johannesburg (South Africa) is dominated by the ca. 2.0-Ga megascopic Vredefort 'Dome' structure. The effect of the 'Vredefort event' is demonstrably large and is evident within a northerly arc of about 100 km radius around the granitic core of the structure. Northerly asymmetric overturning of the strata is observed within the first 17 km (strata is horizontal in the south), followed by a 40-km-wide rim synclinorium. Fold and fault structures (normal, reverse, and strike-slip) are locally as well as regionally concentrically arranged with respect to the northern and western sides of the structure. The unusual category of brittle deformation, the so-called 'shock deformation', observed in the collar strata has attracted worldwide attention over the past two decades. These deformation phenomena include the presence of coesite and stishovite, mylonites, and pseudotachylites, cataclasis at a microscopic scale, and the ubiquitous development of multiply striated joint surfaces (which include shatter cones, orthogonal, curviplanar, and conjugate fractures). The macroscopic to microscopic deformation features have led to the formulation of various hypotheses to account for the origin of the Vredefort structure: (1) tectonic hypotheses--deep crustal shear model, doming and N-directed thrust fault model, fold interference model, and diapir model; (2) the exogenous bolide impact hypothesis; and (3) the endogenous cryptoexplosion model.
A controlled, laser-generated, freestream perturbation was created in the freestream of the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel (BAM6QT). The freestream perturbation convected downstream in the Mach-6 wind tunnel to interact with a flared cone model. The geometry of the flared cone is a body of revolution bounded by a circular arc with a 3-meter radius. Fourteen PCB 132A31 pressure transducers were used to measure a wave packet generated in the cone boundary layer by the freestream perturbation. This wave packet grew large and became nonlinear before experiencing natural transition in quiet flow. Breakdown of this wave packet occurred when the amplitude of the pressure fluctuations was approximately 10% of the surface pressure for a nominally sharp nosetip. The initial amplitude of the second mode instability on the blunt flared cone is estimated to be on the order of 10 −6 times the freestream static pressure. The freestream laser-generated perturbation was positioned upstream of the model in three different configurations: on the centerline, offset from the centerline by 1.5 mm, and offset from the centerline by 3.0 mm. When the perturbation was offset from the centerline of a blunt flared cone, a larger wave packet was generated on the side toward which the perturbation was offset. The offset perturbation did not show as much of an effect on the wave packet on a sharp flared cone as it did on a blunt flared cone.
To study the azimuthal development of boundary-layer instabilities, a controlled, laser-generated perturbation was created in the freestream of the Boeing/U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel. The freestream perturbation convected downstream in the wind tunnel to interact with a flared-cone model. The flared cone is a body of revolution bounded by a circular arc with a 3 m radius. Pressure transducers were used to measure a wave packet generated in the cone boundary layer by the freestream perturbation. Nine of these sensors formed three stations of azimuthal arrays and were used to determine the azimuthal variation of the wave packets in the boundary layer. The freestream laser-generated perturbation was positioned upstream of the model in three different configurations: along the centerline axis, offset from the centerline axis by 1.5 mm, and offset from the centerline axis by 3.0 mm. When the freestream perturbation was offset from the centerline of a flared cone with a 1.0 mm nose radius, a larger wave packet was generated on the side toward which the perturbation was offset. As a result, transition occurred earlier on that side. The offset perturbation did not have as large of an effect on the boundary layer of a nominally sharp flared cone.
A decrease in the solar radius is determined using the technique of Dunham and Dunham (1973), in which timed observations are made just inside the path edges. When the method is applied to the solar eclipses of 1715, 1976, and 1979, the solar radius for 1715 is 0.34 + or - 0.2 arc second larger than the recent values, with no significant change between 1976 and 1979. The duration of totality is examined as a function of distance from the edges of the path. Corrections to the radius of the sun derived from observations of the 1976 and 1979 eclipses by the International Occultation Timing Association are also presented.
Results are reported from acoustic transmission-loss measurements on 13 curved Al and composite aircraft-type panels (height 0.81 m, arc length 1.32 m, and curvature radius 2.29 m) without and with integral damping of various types. The fabrication of the panels and the test procedures are described and illustrated with photographs, and the results are presented in graphs. It is found that the loss of a curved panel exceeds the mass-law-predicted loss for a flat panel of the same material and thickness at frequencies below the ring frequency. At higher frequencies, the curved-panel loss is lower than the mass-law loss, being proportional to 20 time the log of thickness. Integral damping is found to be effective both below and above the ring frequency, but different mechanisms are responsible in each case.
The question of how the Coriolis and gravity gradient forces during high-gravity maneuvers compare to that for common centrifuges is addressed. Microstructural examination of samples solidified during high-gravity arcs reveals no evidence of convection dampening. As a first approximation, the high-gravity arc is modeled as a centrifuge with a radius of 20,480 ft and angular speed of 0.318 rpm. Scaling analysis indicates that the Coriolis and gravity gradient expected on the aircraft high gravity arc are less than that for the centrifuges by a factor of 100. Detailed Navier-Stokes analysis of the fluid flow and thermal fields during solidification of aluminum and Cd-Te during KC-135 high gravity show that convective flows of about 1 mm/s are induced. The thermal field is only slightly modified by the convection. Coriolis and gravity gradient during solidification in KC-135 high-gravity arcs, even at accelerations that have been shown to produce significant convective flow dampening in the centrifuge systems, are found to have no significant influence on the melt thermal and flowfields.
Directional solidification data for metal samples in KC-135 parabolic maneuvers are examined to determine evidence for Coriolis dampening of convection. Microstructural and materials properties data are examined for iron carbon, immiscible, and superalloy systems. By comparison of low-g data and high-g data with those of one-g control samples, it is determined that there is no evidence that Coriolis dampening of convective flow is effective during the 1.8 g KC-135 high-g maneuvers. A first approximation model for the high-g arc is proposed. The model yields a centrifugal radius of 20,480 ft and an angular speed of 0.397 RPM. Comparison to centrifugal solidification experiments (for an equal acceleration) where Coriolis melt growth stabilization is significant indicates that the KC-135 high-g arc is less effective in dampening convection by a factor of 100. This large difference in Coriolis dampening of convection might be taken advantage of for experiments where separation of centrifugal acceeration and Coriolis acceleration is desirable.
Climatically significant variation of the solar constant (the energy output of the sun) implies measurable change in the solar radius. The available data limit variations of the solar radius between 1850 and 1937 to about 0.25 arc second; modeling of the sun indicates that the solar constant did not vary by more than 0.3 percent during that time.
Air plasma radiation in Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) within cylindrical geometries is studied with an application towards modeling the radiative transfer inside arc-constrictors, a central component of constricted-arc arc jets. A detailed database of spectral absorption coefficients for LTE air is formulated using the NEQAIR code developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The database stores calculated absorption coefficients for 1,051,755 wavelengths between 0.04 μm and 200 μm over a wide temperature (500K to 15 000K) and pressure (0.1 atm to 10.0 atm) range. The multi-group method for spectral reduction is studied by generating a range of reductions including pure binning and banding reductions from the detailed absorption coefficient database. The accuracy of each reduction is compared to line-by-line calculations for cylindrical temperature profiles resembling typical profiles found in arc-constrictors. It is found that a reduction of only 1000 groups is sufficient to accurately model the LTE air radiation over a large temperature and pressure range. In addition to the reduction comparison, the cylindrical-slab formulation is compared with the finite-volume method for the numerical integration of the radiative flux inside cylinders with varying length. It is determined that cylindrical-slabs can be used to accurately model most arc-constrictors due to their high length to radius ratios.
A prototype gamma-ray telescope employing the coded aperture mask technique has been constructed and its response to a point source of 20 MeV gamma-rays has been measured. The point spread function is approximately a Gaussian with a standard deviation of 12 arc minutes. This resolution is consistent with the cell size of the mask used and the spatial resolution of the detector. In the context of the present experiment, the error radius of the source position (90 percent confidence level) is 6.1 arc minutes.
Shaped charge barium release data and high-speed auroral image data show the likely existence of anomalously large (about 1 V/m referred to the 100-km level) electric fields at distances the order of one earth radius above the earth. A model of the electrostatic field above an auroral arc is proposed in which the magnetic field lines are not all equipotentials. Use is made of recent theoretical work on oblique current-driven electrostatic shocks to demonstrate the plausibility of nonequipotential field lines. The model is addressed to the structure of inverted-V electron spectra, current continuity between magnetosphere and ionosphere, and the results of recent shaped charge barium experiments. The model is used to identify specific gaps in our understanding of auroral phenomena.
The core mass of galaxy clusters is both an important anchor of the radial mass distribution profile and probe of structure formation. With thousands of strong lensing galaxy clusters being discovered by current and upcoming surveys, timely, efficient, and accurate core mass estimates are needed. Here, we assess the results of two efficient methods to estimate the core mass of strong lensing clusters: the mass enclosed by the Einstein radius (M(<θ E ) where θ E is approximated from arc positions; Remolina González et al. 2020), and single-halo lens model (M SHM ; Remolina González et al. 2021), against measurements from publicly available detailed lens models (M DLM ) of the same clusters. We use data from the Sloan Giant Arc Survey, the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey, the Hubble Frontier Fields, and the Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble. We find a scatter of 18.2% (8.2%) with a bias of -7.1% (1.0%) between M corr (<θ arcs ) (M SHM ) and M DLM . Last, we compare the statistical uncertainties measured in this work to those from simulations. This work demonstrates the successful application of these methods to observational data. As the effort to efficiently model the mass distribution of strong lensing galaxy clusters continues, we need fast, reliable methods to advance the field.
Theoretical development and computer implementation of three guidance algorithms are presented. From a small set of input parameters the algorithms generate the ground track, altitude profile, and speed profile required to implement an experimental 4-D guidance system. Given a sequence of waypoints that define a nominal flight path, the first algorithm generates a realistic, flyable ground track consisting of a sequence of straight line segments and circular arcs. Each circular turn is constrained by the minimum turning radius of the aircraft. The ground track and the specified waypoint altitudes are used as inputs to the second algorithm which generates the altitude profile. The altitude profile consists of piecewise constant flight path angle segments, each segment lying within specified upper and lower bounds. The third algorithm generates a feasible speed profile subject to constraints on the rate of change in speed, permissible speed ranges, and effects of wind. Flight path parameters are then combined into a chronological sequence to form the 4-D guidance vectors. These vectors can be used to drive the autopilot/autothrottle of the aircraft so that a 4-D flight path could be tracked completely automatically; or these vectors may be used to drive the flight director and other cockpit displays, thereby enabling the pilot to track a 4-D flight path manually.