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At least 829 records · Page 46
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Narrow-band radio flares from red dwarf stars

VLA observations of narrow-band behavior in 20 cm flares from two red dwarf stars, L726 - 8A and AD Leo, are reported. The flare on L726 - 8A was observed at 1415 and 1515 MHz; the flux and the evolution differed significantly at the two frequencies. The flare on AD Leo lasted for 2 hr at 1415 MHz but did not appear at 1515 MHz. The AD Leo flare appears to rule out a source drifting through the stellar corona and is unlikely to be due to plasma emission. In the cyclotron maser model the narrow-band behavior reflects the range of magnetic fields present within the source. The apparent constancy of this field for 2 hr is difficult to understand if magnetic reconnection is the source of energy for the flare. The consistent polarization exhibited by red dwarf flares at 20 cm may be related to stellar activity cycles, and changes in this polarization will permit measuring the length of these cycles.

White, Stephen M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurements of the cosmic background radiation

Data on the cosmic microwave background radiation obtained with a maser at 12 mm and a Schottky diode mixer at 3 mm are presented. The dipole anisotropy, apparently due to our motion, has been measured sufficiently well to determine our direction of motion within two degrees. The results show that the Galaxy is moving in a direction that is about 44 deg from the center of the Virgo cluster.

Lubin, P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Infrared spectroscopy of IRC + 10420

High resolution 1.6, 3.3 and 4.6 micron spectra were obtained on the F8 supergiant star IRC + 10420 on June 9-11, 1984, using the 4 m Mayall telescope and Fourier Transform Spectrometer at Kitt Peak. IRC + 10420 is distinguished by its hydrogen maser, unusual for stars of this type. The measured column densities of CO led to an estimated isotopic carbon ratio of 7-11, supporting a model of the object as a highly evolved star. The redshift is interpreted as due to scattering by outward-moving circumstellar dust grains. The IR spectrum of IRC + 10420 suggests that the object is a post-asymptotic branch star still surrounded by the thick dust shell it produced while it was much cooler.

Fix, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

High-resolution 18 cm spectra of OH/IR stars

High-velocity-resolution, high-signal-to-noise spectra have been obtained for the 18 cm maser emission lines from a number of optically visible OH/IR stars. The spectra have been interpreted in terms of a recent model by Alcock and Ross (1986), in which OH/IR stars lose mass in discrete elements rather than by a continuous wind. Comparison of the observed spectra with synthetic spectra shows that the lines are the composite emission from thousands or tens of thousands of individual elements.

Fix, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

First dynamic spectra of stellar microwave flares

The VLA has been used in the spectral-line mode at 1.4 GHz to obtain the first dynamic spectra of stellar sources other than the sun. Two very intense, highly circularly polarized, microwave outbursts were observed on the dMe flare star UV Cet, in addition to a slowly varying, unpolarized component. One outburst was purely left circularly polarized and showed no variations as a function of frequency across the 41 MHz band, whereas the other was as much as 70 percent right-circularly polarized and showed distinct variations with frequency. Although the slowly varying emission is probably due to incoherent gyrosynchrotron emission, the two flaring events are the result of coherent mechanisms. The coherent emission is interpreted in terms of plasma radiation and the cyclotron maser instability.

Bastian, T. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Stellar activity at radio wavelengths

Hundreds of stars have now been detected at radio wavelengths. At least four processes are believed to cause the radio emission: thermal bremsstrahlung, gyrosynchrotron, cyclotron maser, and plasma radiation. Here the characteristics of the various classes of detected stars are reviewed, along with the putative reasons for the radio emission. The classes of stars described include: single stars, binaries containing two main sequences and/or giant stars, binaries containing one white dwarf, and binaries containing one neutron star or black hole.

Dulk, George A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A Southern Hemisphere ammonia survey

A spectral line survey for interstellar NH3 is being carried out using the 64-m telescopes at Parkes and Tidbinbilla. Both telescopes are equipped with K-band maser receivers yielding system temperatures below 100 K. The preliminary survey is being made with the Parkes antenna (beam = 1.35 arcmin), with follow-up mapping of the more interesting sources at Tidbinbilla (beam = 0.9 arcmin). The selected sources have in general been H II regions from the H2CO surveys made at Parkes. Statistical results from initial observations of the (1,1), (2,2), and (3,3) lines in the preliminary survey are presented.

Peters, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

SiO cooling instability in the envelopes of cool giant stars

In the outer atmospheres of oxygen-rich giant and supergiant stars, the formation of the silicon monoxide molecule not only represents a first step toward the production of dust but may also produce an efficient radiative cooling agent. Molecular cooling occurs as a thermal instability in many cases with an onset at 2000 to 3500 K, rapidly reducing the temperature by as much as 1000 K. This process may occur in the upper photosphere-lower chromosphere of such stars and can have profound dynamical consequences. The process occurs far from LTE, on a time scale controlled by the reaction rates for SiO formation. SiO masers may be indicative of this process. The molecule CS which may play a similar role in carbon stars and serve as the basis for carbonaceous dust production.

Muchmore, David O.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Circumstellar radio molecular lines

Radio molecular lines appear to be useful probes into the stellar environment. Silicon oxide masers provide information on the physical conditions in the immediate vicinity of the stellar photosphere. Valuable information on the physics operating in the envelope of IRC + 10216 was recently obtained by high sensitivity observations and detailed theoretical analyses. Infrared speckle interferometry in the molecular lines and in the continuum is helpful in the investigation of the inner region of the envelope. These techniques are discussed in terms of late-type star mass loss.

NGUYEN-QUANG-RIEU↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mass loss

Observational evidence for mass loss from cool stars is reviewed. Spectra line profiles are used for the derivation of mass-loss rates with the aid of the equation of continuity. This equation implies steady mass loss with spherical symmetry. Data from binary stars, Mira variables, and red giants in globular clusters are examined. Silicate emission is discussed as a useful indicator of mass loss in the middle infrared spectra. The use of thermal millimeter-wave radiation, Very Large Array (VLA) measurement of radio emission, and OH/IR masers are discussed as a tool for mass loss measurement. Evidence for nonsteady mass loss is also reviewed.

Goldberg, Leo↗
NASA NTRS1987

Atomic frequency standards for ultra-high-frequency stability

The general features of the Hg-199(+) trapped-ion frequency standard are outlined and compared to other atomic frequency standards, especially the hydrogen maser. The points discussed are those which make the trapped Hg-199(+) standard attractive: high line Q, reduced sensitivity to external magnetic fields, and simplicity of state selection, among others.

Maleki, L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A 2.3-GHz cryogenically cooled HEMT amplifier for DSS 13

A prototype 2.3 GHz (S band) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifier/closed cycle refrigerator (CCR) system was installed in the DDS-13 feedcone, replacing the 2.3 GHz maser. The amplifier is cryogenically cooled to a physical temperature of 12 K and provides 31.5 K antenna system noise temperature and 29 dB of gain. The HEMT device used in the amplifier is a prototype.

Tanida, L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The JPL trapped mercury ion frequency standard

In order to provide frequency standards for the Deep Space Network (DSN) which are more stable than present-day hydrogen masers, a research task was established under the Advanced Systems Program of the TDA to develop a Hg-199(+) trapped ion frequency standard. The first closed-loop operation of this kind is described. Mercury-199 ions are confined in an RF trap and are state-selected through the use of optical pumping with 194 nm UV light from a Hg-202 discharge lamp. Absorption of microwave radiation at the hyperfine frequency (40.5 GHz) is signaled by atomic fluorescence of the UV light. The frequency of a 40.5 GHz oscillator is locked to a 1.6 Hz wide atomic absorption line of the trapped ions. The measured Allan variance of this locked oscillator is currently gamma sub y (pi) = 4.4 x 10 to the minus 12th/square root of pi for 20 is less than pi is less than 320 seconds, which is better stability than the best commercial cesium standards by almost a factor of 2. This initial result was achieved without magnetic shielding and without regulation of ion number.

Prestage, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Phase calibration generator

A phase calibration system was developed for the Deep Space Stations to generate reference microwave comb tones which are mixed in with signals received by the antenna. These reference tones are used to remove drifts of the station's receiving system from the detected data. This phase calibration system includes a cable stabilizer which transfers a 20 MHz reference signal from the control room to the antenna cone. The cable stabilizer compensates for delay changes in the long cable which connects its control room subassembly to its antenna cone subassembly in such a way that the 20 MHz is transferred to the cone with no significant degradation of the hydrogen maser atomic clock stability. The 20 MHz reference is used by the comb generator and is also available for use as a reference for receiver LO's in the cone.

Sigman, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

DSS 14 64-meter antenna S- and X-band efficiency and system noise temperature calibrations, September 1987

The efficiency and noise temperature characteristics of the DSN 64 m antenna network prior to its upgrading to 70 m configuration are documented. The DSS 14 (Goldstone, California) is the last of the three large antennas to be upgraded, and the test results presented document its performance just prior to its downtime during the end of 1987. Antenna area efficiency was found to be somewhat higher at DSS 14 than at DSS 43 (Australia) and DSS 63 (Spain). The peak X-band efficiency was determined to be 49.8 percent (without atmosphere), compared with 45.4 and 45.1 percent for DSS 43 and DSS 63, respectively. The X-band zenith system noise temperature was found to be 1 to 3 Kelvins higher than at the other two stations, depending on which maser was chosen for the measurements. Ascribing efficiency differences to small-scale antenna surface roughness, DSS 14 may be regarded as having a 1.5 to 1.6 mm rms surface as compared to the other two antennas with 1.7 to 1.8 mm rms surfaces.

Slobin, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Heat exchanger demonstration expert system

A real-time expert system intended for detecting and diagnosing faults in a 20 kW microwave transmitter heat exchanger is described. The expert system was developed on a LISP machine, Incorporated (LMI), Lambda Plus computer using Process Intelligent Control (PICON) software. The Heat Exhanger Expert System was tested and debugged. Future applications and extensions of the expert system to transmitters, masers, and antenna subassemblies are discussed.

Bagby, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A 2.3-GHz low-noise cryo-FET amplifier

A cryogenic cooled, low-noise Field Effect Transistor (FET) amplifier assembly for use at 2.2 to 2.3 GHz was developed for the DSN to meet the requirements of a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) upgrade. An amplifier assembly was developed at JPL that uses a commercial closed-cycle helium refrigerator (CCR) to cool a FET amplifier to an operating temperature of 15 K. A cooled probe waveguide-to-coaxial transition similar to that used in the research and development Ultra-Low-Noise S-band Traveling Wave Maser (TWM) is used to minimize input line losses. Typical performance includes an input flange equivalent noise contribution of 14.5 K, a gain slope of less than 0.05 dB/MHz across a bandwidth of 2.2 to 2.3 GHz, an input VSWR of 1.5:1 at 2.25 GHz, and an insertion gain of 45 + or - 1 dB across the bandwidth of 2.2 to 2.3 GHz. Three 2.3 GHz FET/CCR assemblies were delivered to the DSN in the spring of 1987.

Loreman, J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Radio propagation experiments in the outer solar system with Voyager

The outer solar system's planetary atmospheres, ionospheres, rings, and magnetic fields are under study in light of microwave telecommunications from the two Voyager spacecraft. The use of the hydrogen maser frequency standards on the ground, in conjunction with thermally controlled quartz oscillators aboard the spacecraft, ensures long coherence intervals and allows the application of novel signal processing methods. On this basis, studies of atmospheric structure and scintillation parameters, planetary ring structure, and magnetic control of small ionospheric irregularities have been undertaken; information concerning planetary evolution, composition, and dynamics is thereby obtained.

Tyler, G. Leonard↗