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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Measurement of pressure ridges in SAR images of sea ice - Preliminary results on scattering theory

Sea ice ridges and keels (hummocks and bummocks) are important in sea ice research for both scientific and practical reasons. A long-term objective is to make quantitative measurements of sea ice ridges using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The preliminary results of a scattering model for sea ice ridge are reported. The approach is through the ridge height variance spectrum Psi(K), where K is the spatial wavenumber, and the two-scale scattering model. The height spectrum model is constructed to mimic height statistics observed with an airborne optical laser. The spectrum model is used to drive a two-scale scattering model. Model results for ridges observed at C- and X-band yield normalized radar cross sections that are 10 to 15 dB larger than the observed cross sections of multiyear ice over the range of angles of incidence from 10 to 70 deg.

Vesecky, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Observation of pressure ridges in SAR images of sea ice: Scattering theory and comparison with observations

Ridges and keels (hummocks and bummocks) in sea ice flows are important in sea ice research for both scientific and practical reasons. Sea ice movement and deformation is driven by internal and external stresses on the ice. Ridges and keels play important roles in both cases because they determine the external wind and current stresses via drag coefficients. For example, the drag coefficient over sea ice can vary by a factor of several depending on the fluid mechanical roughness length of the surface. This roughness length is thought to be strongly dependent on the ridge structures present. Thus, variations in ridge and keel structure can cause gradients in external stresses which must be balanced by internal stresses and possibly fracture of the ice. Ridging in sea ice is also a sign of fracture. In a practical sense, large ridges form the biggest impediment to surface travel over the ice or penetration through sea ice by ice-strengthened ships. Ridges also play an important role in the damage caused by sea ice to off-shore structures. Hence, observation and measurement of sea ice ridges is an important component of sea ice remote sensing. The research reported here builds on previous work, estimating the characteristics of ridges and leads in sea ice from SAR images. Our objective is to develop methods for quantitative measurement of sea ice ridges from SAR images. To make further progress, in particular, to estimate ridge height, a scattering model for ridges is needed. Our research approach for a ridge scattering model begins with a survey of the geometrical properties of ridges and a comparison with the characteristics of the surrounding ice. For this purpose we have used airborne optical laser (AOL) data collected during the 1987 Greenland Sea Experiment. These data were used to generate a spatial wavenumber spectrum for height variance for a typical ridge - the typical ridge is the average over 10 large ridges. Our first-order model radar scattering includes both the quasi-specular and Bragg resonant scatter mechanisms. This model is extended to include contributions from volume scatter and scatter from discrete objects. Geometrical characteristics from the AOL survey and model calculations imply that for radar wavelengths and observation geometries that are dominated by the quasi-specular scattering mechanism radar backscatter from a ridge is a measure of peak ridge height. We present scattering model results and compare them with ridges observed during the LEADEX experiment of March-April 1992 when both X, C, and L-band aircraft SAR and the ERS-1 satellite SAR observed a region in the Beaufort Sea near 86 deg N, 10 deg W. Data were also collected documenting ridge characteristics on the surface. The surface data are used to generate a SAR signature via the scattering model described above. The predicted SAR signatures compare well with the SAR observations.

Vesecky, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Stability of matrix equations arising in electromagnetics

Many problems in electromagnetics can be formulated as a Fredholm equation of the first kind. In these problems it is desired to determine some function f(x) from its integral transform g(y). Except for special cases for which an explicit inverse operator is known, the equation is usually discretized by the method of moments into a matrix equation Af = g, which is then solved on a computer. A method of calculating the sensitivity of the solution of Af = g due to errors in either the vector g or the matrix A is developed. The usefulness of this method is demonstrated with problems from antenna theory, scattering theory, and remote sensing.

Klein, C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Harmonic oscillator representation in the theory of scattering and nuclear reactions

The following questions, concerning the application of the harmonic oscillator representation (HOR) in the theory of scattering and reactions, are discussed: the formulation of the scattering theory in HOR; exact solutions of the free motion Schroedinger equation in HOR; separable expansion of the short range potentials and the calculation of the phase shifts; 'isolated states' as generalization of the Wigner-von Neumann bound states embedded in continuum; a nuclear coupled channel problem in HOR; and the description of true three body scattering in HOR. As an illustration the soft dipole mode in the (11)Li nucleus is considered in a frame of the (9)Li+n+n cluster model taking into account of three body continuum effects.

Smirnov, Yuri F.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Theoretical Light Scattering Model of Nanoparticle Laser Tweezers

Accomplishments this reporting period include: 1. derived, programmed, checked, and tested the Mie light scattering theory formulas for the radiation trapping force for both the on-axis and off-axis geometry of the trapping beam plus trapped spherical particle; 2. verified that the computed radiation trapping force for a freely propagating focused Gaussian laser beam incident on a spherical particle agrees with previous published calculations; 3. compared the small particle size and large particle size limits of the Mie calculation with the results of Rayleigh scattering theory and ray scattering theory, respectively and verified that the comparison is correct for Rayleigh scattering theory but found that ray theory omits an important light scattering effect included in the Mie theory treatment; 4. generalized the calculation of the radiation trapping force on a spherical particle in the on-axis geometry from a freely propagating focused Gaussian laser beam to the realistic situation of a Gaussian beam truncated and focused by a high numerical aperture oil-immersion microscope objective lens and aberrated by the interface between the microscope cover slip and the liquid-filled sample volume; and 5. compared the calculated radiation trapping force for this geometry with the results of previously published experiments and found that the agreement is better than when using previously developed theories.

Lock, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Microwave backscattering theory and active remote sensing of the ocean surface

The status is reviewed of electromagnetic scattering theory relative to the interpretation of microwave remote sensing data acquired from spaceborne platforms over the ocean surface. Particular emphasis is given to the assumptions which are either implicit or explicit in the theory. The multiple scale scattering theory developed during this investigation is extended to non-Gaussian surface statistics. It is shown that the important statistic for the case is the probability density function of the small scale heights conditioned on the large scale slopes; this dependence may explain the anisotropic scattering measurements recently obtained with the AAFE Radscat. It is noted that present surface measurements are inadequate to verify or reject the existing scattering theories. Surface measurements are recommended for qualifying sensor data from radar altimeters and scatterometers. Additional scattering investigations are suggested for imaging type radars employing synthetically generated apertures.

Brown, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Complex space multipole theory for scattering and diffraction problems

Classical multipole theory can be extended to multipoles located in complex space and applied in scattering and diffraction problems with the advantage that, if the point of the multipole is correctly chosen, the first term may give an order of magnitude better approximation to the source than when the multipole is in real space. The basic theory, given elsewhere, is presented here in a more straightforward manner and the improvement in radiation pattern is demonstrated for sources of constant polarization. Applications on scattering by spheroidal dielectric bodies and diffraction by a dielectric half-space are discussed.

Lindell, Ismo V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A theory for scattering by density fluctuations based on three-wave interaction

The theory of scattering by charged particle fluctuations of a plasma is developed for the case of zero magnetic field. The source current is derived on the basis of: (1) a three wave interaction between the incident and scattered electromagnetic waves and one electrostatic plasma wave (either Langmuir or ion acoustic), and (2) a synchronous interaction between the same two electromagnetic waves and the discrete components of the charged particle fluctuations. Previous work is generalized by no longer making the assumption that the frequency of the electromagnetic waves in large compared to the plasma frequency. The general result is then applied to incoherent scatter, and to scatter by strongly driven plasma waves. An expansion is carried out for each of those cases to determine the lower order corrections to the usual high frequency scattering formulas.

Harker, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bayesian inference of nuclear-matter density from proton scattering

Background: Proton elastic scattering at intermediate energy is widely employed as a tool for determining the matter radius of atomic nuclei. Here, the sensitivity of the approach relies on high-resolution measurements at small scattering angles and low-momentum transfer. Under these conditions, the Glauber multiple scattering theory accurately describes the proton-nucleus elastic cross section. Purpose: Investigate the sensitivity of the Glauber multiple scattering theory to uncertainties associated with input parameters such as the nuclear-matter density distribution and nucleon-nucleon data. Method: A joint Bayesian inference was performed using 12 angular distributions of elastic scattering at different energies on 58 Ni, 90 Zr, and 208 Pb targets. A Metropolis-Hastings algorithm was implemented to make an uncertainty quantification analysis for the input parameters used in the Glauber multiple scattering theory. Results: The experimental cross sections were fitted simultaneously using a joint Bayesian inference approach. Posterior probability density distributions of 42 input parameters were obtained from the analysis. A moderate correlation between the nuclear density parameters and the nucleon-nucleon cross sections was found. This correlation impacts the extraction of the nuclear-matter radius. Conclusions: The present analysis provided a consistent method for extracting the nuclear-matter density distribution of 58 Ni, 90 Zr, and 208 Pb from data across different incident energies. Due to the correlation of the nucleon-nucleon cross sections with the other input parameters, a constrained Bayesian inference using free nucleon-nucleon cross section data was performed. The nuclear-matter radii obtained from the analysis are in good agreement with multiple results reported in the literature.

190 ≤ A ≤ 219↗
NASA NTRS1983

Spectral properties of mixtures of montmorillonite and dark grains - Implications for remote sensing minerals containing chemically and physically adsorbed water

The spectral properties from 0.4 to 3 microns of montmorillonite plus dark carbon grains (called opaques) of various sizes are studied as a function of the weight fraction of opaques present. The reflectance level and band depths of the 1.4-, 1.9-, 2.2-, and 2.8-micron water and/or OH absorption features are analyzed using derived empirical relationships and scattering theory. It is found that the absorption band depths and reflectance level are a very nonlinear function of the weight fraction of opaques present but can be predicted in many cases by simple scattering theory. The 2.8-micron bound water fundamental band is the most difficult absorption feature to suppress. The overtone absorptions are suppressed a greater amount than the fundamental but are still apparent even when 10-20 wt pct opaques are present. The relationships observed and the simple scattering theory presented show that quantitative compositional remote sensing studies are feasible for surfaces containing complex mineral mixtures.

Clark, R. N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Strong fluctuation theory for scattering, attenuation, and transmission of microwaves through snowfall

The strong fluctuation theory is applied to the study of the atmospheric snowfall which is modeled as a layer of random discrete-scatterers medium. As functions of size distribution, fractional volume, and radius of scatterers, the relationship is illustrated between the reflectivity factor and precipitation rate, the attenuation of the centimeter and millimeter waves, and the line-of-sight transmission of coherent and incoherent wave components. The theoretical results are shown to match favorably with experimental data.

Jin, Y.-Q.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Application of strong fluctuation random medium theory to scattering of electromagnetic waves from a half-space of dielectric mixture

The strong fluctuation random medium theory is applied to calculate scattering from a half-space of dielectric mixture. The first and second moments of the fields are calculated, respectively, by using the bilocal and the distorted Born approximations, and the low frequency limit is taken. The singularity of the dyadic Green's function is taken into account. Expressions for the effective permittivity for the full space case are derived. It is shown that the derived result of the effect permittivity is identical to that of the Polder and van Santern mixing formula. The correlation function of the random medium is obtained by using simple physical arguments and is expressed in terms of the fractional volumes and particle sizes of the constituents of the mixture. Backscattering coefficients of a half-space dielectric mixture are also calculated. Numerical results of the effective permittivity and backscattering coefficients are illustrated using typical parameters encountered in microwave remote sensing of dry and wet snow. It is also shown that experimental data can be matched with the theory by using physical parameters of the medium as obtained from ground truth measurements.

Tsang, L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Transition operators in acoustic-wave diffraction theory. I - General theory. II - Short-wavelength behavior, dominant singularities of Zk0 and Zk0 exp -1

A formal theory of the scattering of time-harmonic acoustic scalar waves from impenetrable, immobile obstacles is established. The time-independent formal scattering theory of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, in particular the theory of the complete Green's function and the transition (T) operator, provides the model. The quantum-mechanical approach is modified to allow the treatment of acoustic-wave scattering with imposed boundary conditions of impedance type on the surface (delta-Omega) of an impenetrable obstacle. With k0 as the free-space wavenumber of the signal, a simplified expression is obtained for the k0-dependent T operator for a general case of homogeneous impedance boundary conditions for the acoustic wave on delta-Omega. All the nonelementary operators entering the expression for the T operator are formally simple rational algebraic functions of a certain invertible linear radiation impedance operator which maps any sufficiently well-behaved complex-valued function on delta-Omega into another such function on delta-Omega. In the subsequent study, the short-wavelength and the long-wavelength behavior of the radiation impedance operator and its inverse (the 'radiation admittance' operator) as two-point kernels on a smooth delta-Omega are studied for pairs of points that are close together.

Hahne, G. E.↗