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At least 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Search for partial systemic Lyman edges in nearby quasars

IUE archival spectra of nearby quasars with redshifts in the range 0.4-2.3 were searched for changes in the continuum at the systemic Lyman edge positions. Thirty-nine percent of the sample do not show any discontinuities. Twenty-nine percent of the sample show complete Lyman edges at redshifts less than the quasar redshift. These objects have associated narrow absorption lines; hence the intervening gas responsible for the absorption is extrinsic to the quasar and its environment. Twenty-two percent of the sample show Lyman edges at the quasar redshift with associated narrow absorption lines. In these objects the gas is associated with the AGN or its host galaxy. Ten percent of the sample have Lyman edges with no known associated absorption lines. If Lyman edge discontinuities are due to optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disks, which are randomly oriented to the line of sight, these results indicate that the Lyman edge discontinuity, either in emission or absorption, has to be not more than 15 percent in most quasars.

Koratkar, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Modeled Aerosol Optical Properties From Measurement-Based Mixtures of Chemical Species: Assessing the Impacts of Particle Morphology and Absorption

This report serves as the final report for the Colorado State University portion of this grant. The original grant was awarded to CSU under the direction of co-Principal Investigators Kirk Fuller and Sonia Kreidenweis. Upon Dr. Fuller's relocation to the University of Alabama - Huntsville, the major portion of the award was also relocated. The following summarizes only that work completed by Prof. Kreidenweis under her remaining award.

Kreidenweis, Sonia↗
NASA NTRS1999

Multi-Gas Sensor

A multi-gas sensor is provided which modulates a polarized light beam over a broadband of wavelengths between two alternating orthogonal polarization components. The two orthogonal polarization components of the polarization modulated beam are directed along two distinct optical paths. At least one optical path contains one or more spectral discrimination element, with each spectral discrimination element having spectral absorption features of one or more gases of interest being measured. The two optical paths then intersect, and one orthogonal component of the intersected components is transmitted and the other orthogonal component is reflected. The combined polarization modulated beam is partitioned into one or more smaller spectral regions of interest where one or more gases of interest has an absorption band. The difference in intensity between the two orthogonal polarization components is then determined in each partitioned spectral region of interest as an indication of the spectral emission/absorption of the light beam by the gases of interest in the measurement path. The spectral emission/absorption is indicative of the concentration of the one or more gases of interest in the measurement path. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is a gas filter correlation radiometer which comprises a polarizer, a polarization modulator, a polarization beam splitter, a beam combiner, wavelength partitioning element, and detection element. The gases of interest are measured simultaneously and, further, can be measured independently or non-independently. Furthermore, optical or electronic element are provided to balance optical intensities between the two optical paths.

Sachse, Glenn W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Method for Balancing Detector Output to a Desired Level of Balance at a Frequency

A multi-gas sensor is provided which modulates a polarized light beam over a broadband of wavelengths between two alternating orthogonal polarization components. The two orthogonal polarization components of the polarization modulated beam are directed along two distinct optical paths. At least one optical path contains one or more spectral discrimination elements, with each spectral discrimination element having spectral absorption features of one or more gases of interest being measured. The two optical paths then intersect, and one orthogonal component of the intersected components is transmitted and the other orthogonal component is reflected. The combined polarization modulated beam is partitioned into one or more smaller spectral regions of interest where one or more gases of interest has an absorption band. The difference in intensity between the two orthogonal polarization components is then determined in each partitioned spectral region of interest as an indication of the spectral emission/absorption of the light beam by the gases of interest in the measurement path. The spectral emission/absorption is indicative of the concentration of the one or more gases of interest in the measurement path. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is a gas filter correlation radiometer which comprises a polarizer, a polarization modulator, a polarization beam splitter, a beam combiner, wavelength partitioning element, and detection element. The gases of interest are measured simultaneously and, further, can be measured independently or non-independently. Furthermore, optical or electronic element are provided to balance optical intensities between the two optical paths.

Sachse, Glenn W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Desert Dust Layers Over Polluted Marine Boundary Layers: ACE-2 Measurements and ACE-Asia Plans

Aerosols in ACE-Asia are expected to have some commonalties with those in ACE-2, along with important differences. Among the commonalities are occurrences of desert dust layers over polluted marine boundary layers. Differences include the nature of the dust (yellowish in the East Asia desert outflow, vs. reddish-brown in the Sahara Outflow measured in ACE-2) and the composition of boundary-layer aerosols (e.g., more absorbing, soot and organic aerosol in-the Asian plume, caused by coal and biomass burning, with limited controls). In this paper we present ACE-2 measurements and analyses as a guide to our plans for ACE-2 Asia. The measurements include: (1) Vertical profiles of aerosol optical depth and extinction (380-1558 nm), and of water vapor column and concentration, from the surface through the elevated desert dust, measured by the 14-channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14); (2) Comparisons of airborne and shipborne sunphotometer optical depths to satellite-retrieved values, with and without desert dust; (3) Comparisons between airborne Sunphotometer optical depth and extinction spectra and those derived from coincident airborne in situ measurements of aerosol size distribution, scattering and absorption; (4) Comparisons between size distributions measured in situ and retrieved from sunphotometer optical depth spectra; (5) Comparisons between aerosol single scattering albedo values obtained by several techniques, using various combinations of measurements of backscatter, extinction, size distribution, scattering, absorption, and radiative flux. We show how analyses of these data can be used to address questions important to ACE-Asia, such as: (1) How do dust and other absorbing aerosols affect the accuracy of satellite optical depth retrievals? How important are asphericity effects? (2) How important are supermicron dust and seasalt aerosols to overall aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing? How well are these aerosols sampled by aircraft inlets and instruments? (3) How consistent are suborbital in situ and remote measurements of aerosols, among themselves and with satellite retrievals? What are the main reasons for observed inconsistencies?

Russell, Philip B.↗
NASA NTRS1976

III-V photocathode with nitrogen doping for increased quantum efficiency

An increase in the quantum efficiency of a 3-5 photocathode is achieved by doping its semiconductor material with an acceptor and nitrogen, a column-5 isoelectronic element, that introduces a spatially localized energy level just below the conduction band similar to a donor level to which optical transitions can occur. This increases the absorption coefficient, alpha without compensation of the acceptor dopant. A layer of a suitable 1-5, 1-6 or 1-7 compound is included as an activation layer on the electron emission side to lower the work function of the photocathode.

James, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Instrument measures many optical properties in visible and IR

Electro-optical system measures reflectance, reflectance ratio, transmission, absorption, refractive index, and absorption coefficient in both visible and infrared (IR) spectral regions. System effectively combining capabilities of ellisometer, reflectometer, and spectrophotometer is expected to find application in environmental and material composition testing fields.

Batten, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Advanced smoke meter development survey and analysis

Ideal smoke meter characteristics are determined to provide a basis for evaluation of candidate systems. Five promising techniques are analyzed in detail to evaluate compilance with the practical smoke meter requirements. Four of the smoke measurement concepts are optical methods: Modulated Transmission (MODTRAN), Cross Beam Absorption Counter (CBAC), Laser Induced Incandescence (LIN), and Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS). A rapid response filter instrument called a Taper Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) is also evaluated. For each technique, the theoretical principles are described, the expected performance is determined, and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed The expected performance is evaluated against each of the smoke meter specifications, and the key questions for further study are given. The most promising smoke meter technique analyzed was MODTRAN, which is a variation on a direct transmission measurement. The soot-laden gas is passed through a transmission cell, and the gas pressure is modulated by a speaker.

Pitz, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Field experiment to measure the radiative characteristics of a hazy atmosphere

Preliminary results are presented of a field experiment to measure the effect of atmospheric aerosols on the upward radiance at aircraft and satellite altitudes. These measurements, made over Chesapeake Bay, were conducted simultaneously with measurements of aerosol optical characteristics, profile, and spatial distribution. The aerosol vertical optical thickness and the scattering phase function were determined along with profiles of the scattering coefficient, temperatures, and humidity. The results are used to quantify the atmospheric effect on the surface reflectivity as detected from space, including the adjacency effect, and to test theoretical radiative transfer models. The experimental results are also used to test procedures to measure the aerosol optical thickness, the scale height, and the absorption from satellite imagery, and to use the results to correct satellite imagery of the surface. Ground measurements of surface reflectivity and the scattering coefficient at the surface are compared with airborne results.

Kaufman, Y. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and optical characterization of a-C-H and BN films

The amorphous dielectrics a-C:H and BN were deposited on III-V semiconductors. Optical band gaps as high as 3 eV were measured for a-C:H generated by C4H10 plasmas; a comparison was made with bad gaps obtained from films prepared by CH4 glow discharges. The ion beam deposited BN films exhibited amorphous behavior with band gaps on the order of 5 eV. Film compositions were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The optical properties were characterized by ellipsometry, UV/VIS absorption, and IR reflection and transmission. Etching rates of a-C:H subjected to O2 dicharges were determined.

Pouch, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The color of meteoritic hibonite - An indicator of oxygen fugacity

Hibonites similar in composition to those found in Ca-Al-rich inclusions change color from blue, to green, to orange, to nearly colorless as oxygen fugacity is increased at high temperature from below the iron-wustite buffer up to air. The development of the blue color is correlated with the growth of an absorption band at 715 nm in the optical spectra of the hibonites as the oxygen fugacity is reduced. The growth of this band is attributed to the increasing concentration of Ti(3+) in these hibonites with decreasing oxygen fugacity. The blue hibonites in meteorites reflect equilibration under reducing conditions based on the intensity of 715 nm band, it is estimated that the hibonite in the Blue Angel inclusion indicates an oxygen fugacity four to five orders of magnitude more oxidizing than that expected in the early solar nebula. This may be due to formation in an anomalously oxidizing region of the nebula or to oxidation during cooling or later alteration. The orange hibonites in Allende reflect oxygen fugacities approximately ten or more orders of magnitude more oxidizing than the expected primitive nebula; this color probably indicates alteration of initially more reduced (blue?) hibonites. The colorless hibonite in the HAL inclusion reflects highly oxidizing conditions and/or its low Ti content.

Ihinger, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The Low Frequency Space Array

The Low Frequency Space Array (LFSA) is a conceptual mission to survey the entire sky and to image individual sources at frequencies between 1.5 and 26 MHz, a frequency range over which the earth's ionosphere transmits poorly or not at all. With high resolution, high sensitivity observations, a new window will be opened in the electromagnetic spectrum for astronomical investigation. Also, extending observations down to such low frequencies will bring astronomy to the fundamental limit below which the galaxy becomes optically thick due to free-free absorption. A number of major scientific goals can be pursued with such a mission, including mapping galactic emission and absorption, studies of individual source spectra in a frequency range where a number of important processes may play a role, high resolution imaging of extended sources, localization of the impulsive emission from Jupiter, and a search for coherent emission processes.

Dennison, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1989

Optical properties of sputtered aluminum on graphite/epoxy composite material

Solar absorptance, emittance, and coating thickness were measured for a range of coating thicknesses from about 400 A to 2500 A. The coatings were sputtered from an aluminum target onto 1-inch-diameter substrates of T300/5209 graphite/epoxy composite material with two different surface textures. Solar absorptance and emittance values for the specimens with the smooth surface finish were lower than those for the specimens with the rough surface finish. The ratio of solar absorptance to emittance was higher for the smooth specimens, increasing from 2 to 4 over the coating thickness range, than for the rough ones, which had a constant ratio of about 1. The solar absorptance and emittance values were dependent on the thickness of the sputtered coating.

Witte, William G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Some optical properties of KTP, LiIO3, and LiNbO3

Measurements of the absorption coefficient for KTP, LiIO3, and LiNbO3 are discussed. The variation of the refractive index with temperature has been measured for KTP and LiIO3. It is necessary to know both the absorption coefficient beta and the variation in the indexes of refraction with temperature change dn/dT to determine the average power limit of a nonlinear interaction. With the dn/dT information, it is also possible to estimate the temperature half width of any nonlinear interaction by calculating the variation of the phase-matching condition with temperature.

Gettemy, Donald J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ellipsometric study of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) laser ablated and co-evaporated films

High temperature superconducting films of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (YBCO were grown on SrTiO3, LaA1O3, and YSZ substrates using two techniques: excimer laser ablation with in situ annealing and co-evaporation of Y, Cu, and BaF2 with ex-situ annealing. Film thicknesses were typically 5000 A, with predominant c-axis alignment perpendicular to the substrate. Critical temperatures up to Tc(R=O)=90 K were achieved by both techniques. Ellipsometric measurements were taken in the range 1.6 to 4.3 eV using a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer. The complex dielectric function of the laser ablated films was reproducible from run to run, and was found to be within 10 percent of that previously reported for (001) oriented single crystals. A dielectric overlayer was observed in these films, with an index of refraction of approximately 1.55 and nearly zero absorption. For the laser ablated films the optical properties were essentially independent of substrate material. The magnitude of the dielectric function obtained for the co-evaported films was much lower than the value reported for single crystals, and was sample dependent.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗