Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “opacity”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Evolution of a steam atmosphere during earth's accretion

The evolution of an impact-generated steam atmosphere around an accreting earth is presently modeled under the assumption of Safronov (1978) accretion, in a scheme that encompasses the degassing of planetesimals on impact, thermal blanketing by the steam atmosphere, surface-to-interior water exchange, the shock heating and convective cooling of the earth's interior, and hydrogen escape due both to solar EUV-powered planetary wind and impact erosion. The model yields four distinct classes of impact-generated atmospheres: the first, on which emphasis is placed, has as its salient feature a molten surface that is maintained by the opacity of a massive water vapor atmosphere; the second occurs when the EUV-limited escape exceeds the impact degassing rate, while the third is dominated by impact erosion and the fourth is characterized by an atmosphere more massive than any thus far encountered.

Zahnle, Kevin J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The structure of circumstellar shells

Speckle-interferometric measurements are reported for the brightness distributions of the OH/IR stars OH 26.5 + 0.6 and IRC + 10420 at wavelengths which are near the center of and just outside the 10-micron absorption/emission feature produced by circumstellar dust. For OH 26.5 + 0.6, the angular size within the absorption feature is 0.50 + or - 0.02 arcsec, while the angular size outside the feature is less than 0.2 arcsec. For IRC + 10420, the angular sizes inside and outside the emission feature are both 0.42 + or - 0.02 arcsec. Simple models of the circumstellar shells are calculated which can account for the measured angular sizes and flux distributions of the objects. The models give the wavelength dependence of the opacity of the circumstellar material, which is quite different for the two objects.

Fix, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Detection of C-13O radio emission from C-13-rich carbon stars

A high ratio of C-13O radio emission in the J = 1-0 rotational line has been detected from three mass-losing carbon stars which optical data indicate have high C-13/C12 ratios. Since chemical fractionation, isotope-dependent photodissociation and opacity in the rotational and vibrational lines may not raise significantly the C-13O ratio above the actual C-13/C-12 ratio in these circumstellar envelopes, the relative abundance of C-13 in these stars might be even greater by perhaps a factor of two than previously believed. About 15 percent of all luminous carbon stars are C-13-rich, and these stars may play a significant role in the enhancement in the C-13/C12 ratio that has occurred during the past 4.6 billion years since the formation of the sun.

Jura, M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Infrared limb brightening in the Barnard 5 cloud

IRAS and (C-13)O data are presented for the dark cloud Barnard 5. The 100-micron and (C-13)O emission are well correlated and suggest that the 100-micron emission traces the dust and gas column density through the cloud. The 12-micron emission, on the other hand, is anticorrelated with the overall opacity in the cloud, which is interpreted as limb brightening in the context of a model in which small dust grains, probably PAHs, are transiently excited by the absorption of UV photons in a thin shell around the denser parts of the cloud.

Beichman, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

On the size and composition of particles in polar stratospheric clouds

Attenuation measurements of the solar radiation between 1.5 and 15 micron wavelengths were performed with the airborne (DC-8) JPL MARK 4 interferometer during the 1987 Antarctic Expedition. The opacities not only provide information about the abundance of stratospheric gases but also about the optical depths of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) at wavelengths of negligible gas absorption (windows). The optical depth of PSCs can be determined for each window once the background attenuation, due to air-molecules and aerosol has been filtered out with a simple extinction law. The ratio of optical thicknesses at different wavelengths reveals information about particle size and particle composition. Among the almost 700 measured spectra only a few PSC cases exist. PSC events are identified by sudden reductions in the spectrally integrated intensity value and are also verified with backscattering data from an upward directed lidar instrument, that was mounted on the DC-8. For the selected case on September 21st at 14.40 GMT, lidar data indicate an optically thin cloud at 18k and later an additional optically thick cloud at 15 km altitude. All results still suffer from: (1) often arbitrary definitions of a clear case, that often already may have contained PSC particles and (2) noise problems that restrict the calculations of optical depths to values larger than 0.001. Once these problems are handled, this instrument may become a valuable tool towards a better understanding of the role PSCs play in the Antarctic stratosphere.

Kinne, Stefan↗
NASA NTRS1989

Temperature and circulation in the stratospheres of the outer planets

A zonally symmetric, linear radiative-dynamical model is compared with observations of the upper tropospheres and stratospheres of the outer planets. Seasonal variation is included in the model. Friction is parameterized by linear drag (Rayleigh friction). Gas opacities are accounted for but aerosols are omitted. Horizontal temperature gradients are small on all the planets. Seasonal effects are strongest on Saturn and Neptune but are weak even in these cases, because the latitudinal gradient of radiative heating is weak. Seasonal effects on Uranus are extremely weak because the radiative time constant is longer that the orbital period. One free parameter in the model is the frictional time constant. Comparison with observed temperature perturbations over zonal currents in the troposphere shows that the frictional time constant is on the same order as the radiative time constant for all these objects. Vertical motions predicted by the model are extremely weak. They are much smaller than one scale height per orbital period, except in the immediate neighborhood of tropospheric and zonal currents.

Conrath, Barney J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Seasonal and diurnal variability of Mars water-ice clouds

The diurnal and seasonal behavior of cloud opacity and frequency of occurrence was studied using an atlas of cloud occurrences compiled from the Viking IRTM (Infrared Thermal Mapper) data set. It was found that in some areas the behavior of water appeared to repeat in the zonal mean. However, this interpretation is complicated by both poor coverage and the variability of dust and clouds. As a result, the extent and nature of interannual variability remains unclear.

Christensen, Philip R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A catalog of small, optically selected molecular clouds - Optical, infrared, and millimeter properties

A catalog of small, optically selected molecular clouds is presented. The relevant selection criteria were small angular size, large central opacity, and freedom from connecting opaque material. The mean ellipticity of the clouds in the catalog is 2.0, with a maximum ellipticity of 7. The position angle of the clouds is uncorrelated with the direction of the Galactic plane. About 60 percent of the cataloged clouds have associated IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC) sources in their cores or envelopes. The likelihood of a detection of a PSC source is some 6.1 times higher for the core regions of the clouds than for the envelopes, indicating a strong association of FIR sources and Bok globules. Of a sample of 97 of the clouds observed in the J = 2-1 line of (C-12)O, 70 percent have cold gas kinetic temperatures and approximately sonic line widths. The remaining 30 percent are about equally divided between those clouds likely to be radiatively heated by nearby stars and those undergoing active protostellar collapse or outflows with no bulk gas heating.

Clemens, Dan P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Upper limits to the high-energy gamma-ray and hard X-ray flux from SN 1987A on day 55

A balloon-borne experiment was carried out on April 19, 1987 from Alice Springs, Australia to detect high-energy gamma-rays and hard X-rays from the supernova SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. An optical spark chamber for measuring the high-energy gamma-rays and a multiwire proportional counter for measuring the hard X-rays shared a common balloon platform. No positive emission was observed by either detector. The gamma-ray upper limit obtained indicates that either the expanding supernova shell was opaque to gamma-rays at the time of the flight, or that the supernova cosmic ray luminosity was less than about 10 to the 40th erg/s. The X-ray upper limit obtained confirms the opacity of the shell to Comptonized hard X-rays.

Sood, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Monte Carlo modeling of the net effects of coma scattering and thermal reradiation on the energy input to cometary nucleus

A Monte Carlo simulation method is presented that can, to an accuracy of a few percent, calculate the effects of a dusty coma on the total energy input to the cometary nucleus. This method treats nonconservative nonisotropic scattering, as well as the reflection from the nucleus surface. Results are presented as a function of the optical thickness of the dust column in the sun-comet axis. The total energy input to the nucleus appears to be only weakly dependent on the opacity of the coma, the radial distribution of the dust, or the details of the extinction processes.

Salo, H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Using far-infrared limb brightening to probe isolated dark globules

The problem of radiation transport in dark globules with or without internal heat source, immersed in an isotropic incident interstellar radiation field, is solved. The phenomenon of infrared limb brightening, its dependence on cloud properties, and its observational implications are addressed. Numerical results regarding the dependence of limb brightening on total cloud opacity, luminosity of internal heat source, grain type, dust density distribution, and wavelength of emitted radiation are discussed. Observational implications concerning the use of limb brightening to place an upper limit on the luminosity of an embedded protostar and to determine the grain emissivity law in the far-infrared are examined. For sufficiently large optical depth, the limb-brightening ratio (LBR) is found to be related to the optical depth by a power-law relation in the 140-300 micron wavelength range, where thermal emission from grains peaks. By observing the LBR in this range, this power-law relationship can be exploited to determine the emissivity law of the dust grain in the far-infrared. Both the LBR and the longest wavelength for which limb brightening still occurs are related linearly to the luminosity of the central source.

Leung, Chun Ming↗
NASA NTRS1988

Signatures of particle acceleration at SN1987a

Young SNRs may be bright sources of energetic photons and neutrinos generated by the collisions of particles accelerated within the remnant. Due to the large opacity of the shell at these early times, a photon signal may be suppressed; at later times, due to adiabatic losses of the magnetically-trapped particles in the expanding envelope, both neutron and neutrino signals will begin to decrease. There is therefore a window during which the secondary photon signal will be at its maximum. It is presently noted that if the observed decline of the optical light curve of SN1987a is due to Ni-56, Co-56 decay, this may place upper limits on such other sources of light as a central pulsar.

Gaisser, T. K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Accurate galactic N(H) values towards quasars and AGN

Integrated Galactic 21-cm column densities toward about 174 quasars and AGN are presented. The data are corrected for stray radiation, using the technique of Lockman et al. (1986). Because of the 21-arcmin beam size of the 140-ft telescope used in the study, the uncertainty in N(H) due to angular variations in the H I of the Galaxy at high latitudes is minimized. The column densities are accurate to about 1 X 10 to the 19th atoms/sq cm, or 5 percent, whichever is larger. Errors above N(H) of about 4 X 10 to the 20th atoms/sq cm are dominated by opacity uncertainties.

Elvis, Martin↗
NASA NTRS1989

Images of the 10-micron source in the Cygnus 'Egg'

Mid-IR images of AFGL 2688, the Egg nebula, obtained with a 16 x 16 pixel array camera (field of view 12.5 x 12.5 arcsec) resolve the central source. It appears as a centrally peaked ellipsoid with major axis of symmetry parallel to the axis of the visible nebulosity. This is contrary to the expected extension perpendicular to this axis implied by proposed dust-toroid models of the IR source. Maps of the spatial distribution of 8-13 micron color temperature and warm dust opacity derived from the multiwavelength images further characterize the IR emission. The remarkable flatness of the color temperature conflicts with the radial temperature gradient expected across a thick shell of material with a single heat source at its center. The new data suggest instead that the source consists of a central star surrounded by a dust shell that is too thin to provide a detectable temperature gradient and too small to permit the resolution of limb brightening.

Jaye, D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Radiative forcing of the Venus mesosphere. II - Thermal fluxes, cooling rates, and radiative equilibrium temperatures

A radiative heat-transfer model is presently used to ascertain the way in which radiative forcing contributes to the up to 20 K higher temperature of the Venus polar regions, by comparison with the tropics, in the 60-100 km mesospheric levels. Model global-mean radiative equilibrium temperatures for 55-100 km are compared with observations to show how each opacity source contributes to the thermal structure. The results obtained from latitude-dependent radiative equilibrium experiments indicate that meridional variations in radiative forcing obliterate observed mesospheric temperature gradients and yield polar temperatures up to 40 K cooler than the tropics.

Crisp, David↗
NASA NTRS1989

Voyager radio occultation by Uranus' rings. I - Observational results

The January 24, 1986 radio occultation of Voyager 2 by the Uranian rings yielded fine-resolution, 50- and 200-m optical depth profiles at a 3.6 cm wavelength for the nine pre-Voyager rings; these are found to be opaque, reaching optical depths as great as 6-8 in rings gamma and epsilon, which are the only two rings possessing extremely sharp inner and outer edges. Rings 6, 5, 4, and delta share a morphology characterized by a sharp outer-edge transition and a quasi-exponential inner edge one. In ring eta, this behavior is reversed, and ring beta exhibits both diffuse edges and the smallest of the observed opacities.

Gresh, Donna L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Climate and the Earth's Radiation Budget

Data from NASA's Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) Experiment instruments carried by the ERB Satellite and by NOAA-9 and -10 are presently evaluated, with a view to the role played by clouds in the global radiation energy balance. While an individual water droplet scatters 85 percent of incident energy in the forward direction, a cloud of such drops can scatter 75 percent or more of the energy backward. The resulting enhancement of surface-atmosphere albedo reduces the solar radiation absorbed by the atmospheric column. Clouds also significantly enhance the long-wave opacity of the atmosphere; like gaseous absorption, this reduces the radiation emitted to space.

Ramanathan, V.↗