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NASA NTRS1984

The formation of massive stars along the W5 ionization front

Far-infrared, near-infrared, millimeter-wave, and optical data are presented for two of the large molecular clouds which border the W5 (IC 1848) giant H II region. These data are combined to identify three B0-B2 zero-age main-sequence stars which are forming in these clouds and to study the density distribution and kinematic structure of their surrounding molecular gas. This investigation into the environment in which massive stars have formed in these clouds, when considered alongside similar studies of the W5A/S201 molecular cloud, leads to the conclusion that the expanding W5 H II region has played an important role in initiating the formation of these massive stars.

Wilking, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

NGC 2024 - Far-infrared and radio molecular observations

New far-infrared continuum and millimeter-wave molecular observations of NGC 2024 are presented. The measurements were obtained at relatively high angular resolution making it possible to describe the source energetics and mass distribution in greater detail than previously reported. The object appears to be dominated by a dense ridge of material, extended in the north-south direction and centered on the dark lane that is seen in visual photographs. The maps of the source using the 'high-density' molecules CS and HCN confirm this picture and makes it possible to describe the core structure and molecular abundances. The radio molecular and infrared observations support the idea that an important exciting star in NGC 2024 has yet to be identified and is centered on the dense ridge about 1 arcmin south of the bright mid-infrared source IRS 2. The data presented here, along with other observations, make it possible to describe a model for the source.

Thronson, H. A., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1984

An aperture synthesis map of HCN emission close to W3 IRS 4

W3 has been observed in the J = 1-0 transition of HCN with the millimeter-wave interferometer at the Hat Creek Observatory with a resolution of 11.5 by 11.1 arcsec. The HCN emission is detected in an isolated cloud with a diameter of 40 arcsec. The cloud is located to the south of IRS 4 and the compact H II region C and coincides with the western far-IR cloud mapped at 400 microns by Jaffe (1983). The total mass of the cloud is estimated to be in the range 250-2500 solar masses. No HCN emission was detected around IRS 5, the location of the other 400 micron peak. Also, no evidence for a new (heretofore undetected at other wavelengths), young main-sequence star earlier than B0 was found in the new continuum map at 3 mm.

Wright, M. C. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Coupled orbiting inertial reference systems and Geopotential Research Mission (GRM) geodesy

Two spacecraft, one following the other with a separation of a few hundred kilometers and orbiting at an altitude of 160 km in a 90-degree polar orbit, are used to detect the minute variations in the earth's gravitational field. Housed in a capacitive cavity located at the centroid of the spacecraft is a free-floating metallic spherical proof-mass, which is the sensor controlling the thrusters that nullify all nongravitational forces on the spacecraft. The proof-mass in each spacecraft is the inertial-guidance reference for its host spacecraft, and the proof-masses are coupled together by a millimeter-wave link. This coupled system detects minute changes in the spacecraft's orbital positions and thus measures the anomalies present in the gravitational field of the earth. To derive a global geodetic model of the gravitational field with an amplitude resolution of 1 milligal and a spatial resolution of 100 km requires that the relative velocity between the proof-mass references be determined to within 1 micron/s.

Keating, T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Dual-Mode Horn Antenna for Millimeter Wavelengths

Millimeter-wave feed horn exhibits nearly equal beam-intensity patterns in E- and H-planes as well as low side-lobe levels. Horn includes circular waveguide step transition, and conical section. Design simplified version of Potter feed-horn design. New feed horn easier to construct, in part because of simpler shape. Reduction in phase change between step transition and aperture increases bandwidth, thereby reducing precision required to manufacture phase-sensitive dimensions of horn.

Pickett, H. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

MMIC devices for active phased array antennas

The study of printed circuit discontinuities is necessary in order to design, for example, transitions between rectangular waveguides and printed circuits. New developments with respect to the analytical approaches to this problem are discussed. A summary of the progress in the experimental approach is presented. The accurate solution for the modes in various millimeter-wave waveguides is essential in the analysis of many integrated circuit components, such as filters and impedance transformers. Problems associated with the numerical computation of these modes in two frequently used waveguide forms, namely, the finline and microstrip, are presented. The spectral domain method of formulation, with a moment method solution, is considered. This approach can be readily extended to analyze an arbitrary configuration of dielectric and metallized regions in a shielded enclosure. Galerkin's method is used, where the testing and basic functions are the same. It is shown that the mode functions, or eigenfunctions, are more sensitive to errors than the phase constants, or eigenvalues. The approximate mode functions do not satisfy the orthogonality relationship well, resulting in difficulties when these modal solutions are used to form an approximate Green's function or are used in a mode matching analysis.

Mittra, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Constraints on the galactic distribution of cosmic rays from the COS-B gamma-ray data

The diffuse component of the galactic high energy gamma rays results mainly from the interaction of CR nuclei and electrons with the nuclei of the interstellar gas. An additional contribution is obtained from the interaction of CR electrons with the interstellar photons through the inverse-Compton (IC) process. Gamma ray astronomy therefore offers an excellent means to study the distribution of CR particles throughout the Galaxy, but it is essential to know the distribution of the target interstellar gas particles, the major constituents being atomic and molecular hydrogen. Large scale millimeter wave surveys of the CO molecule covering more than half of the Milky Way, obtained with the Columbia 1.2 m telescopes, are currently available and are used to trace the H2; the COS-B observations have sufficient resolution and sensitivity to constrain the relation between the integrated CO line intensity and the molecular hydrogen column density.

Bloemen, J. B. G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Far-infrared emission lines of CO and OH in the Orion-KL molecular shock

Observations of far infrared rotational emission lines which arise in the shocked gas associated with Orion-Kl are presented, including detections of the CO J = 34 yields 33, J = 31 yields 30, J = 26 yields 25, and OH sup 2 PI sub (3/2) J sup P = 7/2(-) yields 5/2(+) emission lines, as well as improved measurements of the CO J = 22 yields 21 and OH sup 2 PI sub (3/2) J = 5/2 yields 3/2 lines. These lines are observed to have velocity widths of Del V approx. 20 to 30 km/sec, somewhat less than either the 2 micro H sub 2 lines or the high velocity plateau component of the millimeter wave CO lines seen in this object. An H sub 2 column density of approx. 3 x 10 to the 21st power, a total mass of approx. 1 solar mass and characteristic temperature and density T approx. 750 K and approx. 2 x 10 to the 6th power per cu cm can be derived from the CO intensities. The density is too low by at least an order of magnitude for the observed infrared H sub 2 and far infrared CO emission to be accounted for by a purely hydrodynamic shock, and support is lent to hydromagnetic shock models. From the present measurements, the relative abundance of CO is estimated to be CO H sub 2 = 1.2 x .0001, corresponding to 20% of the cosmic abundance of C existing in the form of CO. The average relative abundance of OH in the shocked gas is O/H sub 2 or = 5 x 10 to the -7th power. An upper limit to the intensity of the HD J = 1 yields 0 line is used to derive an upper limit of tau or = 3 for the D/H relative abundance in the Orion cloud core.

Watson, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Hydrogen cyanide in comets - Excitation conditions and radio observations of comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock 1983d

The HCN emission of the pure rotation and rotation/vibration lines in comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock 1983d is examined. The prevailing excitation mechanism for the emissions was the excitation of the nu-2, 2 nu-2, and nu-3 vibrational bands by the solar infrared field. For the description of inner coma, a dynamical excitation model is presented which includes collisions. It is predicted on the basis of the model that HCN molecules in rotation and rotation vibration lines of IRAS-Araki-Alcock 1983d would be detectable with a large-millimeter wave telescope, and that the strongest infrared lines would be observable from space observatories. Subsequent searches for the J = 1-0 HCN radio lines in comet 1983d with the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) proved unsuccessful. An extremely low upper limit was found for HCN production which suggests that HCN might not be the only parent of planetary cometary CN.

Bockelee-Morvan, D.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Performance of an airborne imaging 92/183 GHz radiometer during the Bering Sea Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX-WEST)

An airborne imaging 92/183 GHz radiometer was recently flown onboard NASA's Convair 990 research aircraft during the February 1983 Bering Sea Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX-WEST). The 92 GHz portion of the radiometer was used to gather ice signature data and to generate real-time millimeter wave images of the marginal ice zone. Dry atmospheric conditions in the Arctic resulted in good surface ice signature data for the 183 GHz double sideband (DSB) channel situated + or - 8.75 GHz away from the water vapor absorption line. The radiometer's beam scanner imaged the marginal ice zone over a + or - 45 degrees swath angle about the aircraft nadir position. The aircraft altitude was 30,000 feet (9.20 km) maximum and 3,000 feet (0.92 km) minimum during the various data runs. Calculations of the minimum detectable target (ice) size for the radiometer as a function of aircraft altitude were performed. In addition, the change in the atmospheric attenuation at 92 GHz under varying weather conditions was incorporated into the target size calculations. A radiometric image of surface ice at 92 GHz in the marginal ice zone is included.

Gagliano, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A general numerical analysis of the superconducting quasiparticle mixer

For very low noise millimeter-wave receivers, the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) quasiparticle mixer is now competitive with conventional Schottky mixers. Tucker (1979, 1980) has developed a quantum theory of mixing which has provided a basis for the rapid improvement in SIS mixer performance. The present paper is concerned with a general method of numerical analysis for SIS mixers which allows arbitrary terminating impedances for all the harmonic frequencies. This analysis provides an approach for an examination of the range of validity of the three-frequency results of the quantum mixer theory. The new method has been implemented with the aid of a Fortran computer program.

Hicks, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Multifrequency observations of blazars. I - The shape of the 1 micron to 2 millimeter continuum

Near-simultaneous measurements in 11 wavebands between 1 micron and 2 mm of a sample of 13 'blazars' are presented. These measurements represent the first comprehensive attempt to determine the infrared-to-millimeter-wave properties of this class of object, which emit the bulk of their luminosity in the far-infrared region. Most of the sources have very flat millimeter/submillimeter spectra up to the highest observed frequency. However, 3C 279 and 3C 446 show evidence of turnovers in their submillimeter spectra. The 1-4 micron spectra can be characterized by simple power laws, all steeper than -0.9; several sources, however, show evidence of spectral beaks in the 10-20 micron region, suggestive of energy losses. It is shown that the spectral properties are consistent with synchrotron emission from relativistic jets aligned close to the line of sight and the observations are discussed in relation to such models.

Gear, W. K.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Astronomical identification of the C3H radical

The C3H radical has been identified in the millimeter-wave spectra of IRC +10216 and TMC-1. In IRC +10216, four rotational transitions have been observed, three in the lower fine-structure ladder (2Pi1/2) and one in the upper (2Pi3/2), each a resolved or partially resolved lambda-doublet. In TMC-1, both lambda components of the lowest lying 3/2-1/2 transition of the 2Pi1/2 ladder have been observed, each with well-resolved hfs. In IRC +10216, the excitation of C3H is similar to that of SiCC: the rotational temperature Trot within the 2Pi1/2 ladder is low (8.5 K), because of rapid radiative decay, while Trot across the ladders is high (about 52 K), because interconnecting far-IR radiative transitions are only weakly permitted. The column density of C3H in IRC +10216 averaged over the estimated source diameter of 84 arcsec is 2.8 x 10 to the 13th/sq cm, an order of magnitude less than that of C2H and C4H.

Thaddeus, P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Laboratory detection of the C3H radical

Millimeter-wave lines of the C3H radical, including six of the lines observed in space, were detected in a laboratory glow discharge through a flowing mixture of C2H2, He, and CO. Each of the 10 rotational transitions measured, five between 98 and 185 GHz in the 2Pi1/2 ladder and five between 80 and 194 GHz in the 2Pi3/2 ladder, is split by lambda-type doubling, and all but three possess resolved hyperfine structure. The excellent agreement between the fine-structure, rotation, lambda-doubling, and hyperfine constants derived from the laboratory data and from the astronomical observations conclusively confirms the identifications in IRC +10216 and TMC-1 by Thaddeus and colleagues (1985). An accurate set of spectroscopic constants, which allow calculation of the entire radio spectrum of C3H to a radial velocity of 0.1 km/s, was derived from a simulataneous fit to the laboratory frequencies and to the well-resolved hfs observed in the narrow-line astronomical source TMC-1.

Gottlieb, C. A.↗

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 NTRS1985

Model Experiments with Slot Antenna Arrays for Imaging

A prototype imaging system at 31 GHz was developed, which employs a two-dimensional (5x5) array of tapered slot antennas, and integrated detector or mixer elements, in the focal plane of a prime-focus paraboloid reflector, with an f/D=1. The system can be scaled to shorter millimeter waves and submillimeter waves. The array spacing corresponds to a beam spacing of approximately one Rayleigh distance and a two-point resolution experiment showed that two point-sources at the Rayleigh distance are well resolved.

Johansson, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Multidisciplinary research in the space sciences

Research activities were carried out in the following areas during this reporting period: (1) astrophysics; (2) climate and atmospheric modeling; and (3) climate applications of earth observations & geological studies. An ultra-low-noise 115 GHz receiver based upon a superconducting tunnel diode mixer has been designed and constructed. The first laboratory tests have yielded spectacular results: a single-sideband noise temperature of 75 K considerably more sensitive than any other receiver at this frequency. The receiver will replace that currently in use on the Columbia-GISS CO Sky Survey telescope. The 1.2 meter millimeter-wave telescope at Columbia University has been used to complete two large-scale surveys of molecular matter in the part of the inner galaxy which is visible from the Northern hemisphere (the first galactic quadrant); one of the distant galaxy and one of the solar neighborhood. The research conducted during the past year in the climate and atmospheric modeling programs has been focused on the development of appropriate atmospheric and upper ocean models, and preliminary applications of these models. Principal models are a one-dimensional radiative-convective model, a three-dimensional global climate model, and an upper ocean model. During the past year this project has focused on development of 2-channel satellite analysis methods and radiative transfer studies in support of multichannel analysis techniques.

Broecker, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Hardware test program for evaluation of baseline range/range rate sensor concept

The test program Phase II effort provides additional design information in terms of range and range rate (R/R) sensor performance when observing and tracking a typical spacecraft target. The target used in the test program was a one-third scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) available at the MSFC test site where the tests were performed. A modified Bendix millimeter wave radar served as the R/R sensor test bed for evaluation of range and range rate tracking performance, and generation of radar signature characteristics of the spacecraft target. A summary of program test results and conclusions are presented along with detailed description of the Bendix test bed radar with accompaning instrumentation. The MSFC test site and facilities are described. The test procedures used to establish background levels, and the calibration procedures used in the range accuracy tests and RCS (radar cross section) signature measurements, are presented and a condensed version of the daily log kept during the 5 September through 17 September test period is also presented. The test program results are given starting with the RCS signature measurements, then continuing with range measurement accuracy test results and finally the range and range rate tracking accuracy test results.

Pernic, E.↗