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At least 91 records · Page 5

A hydrogen bulge over the springtime pole.

Hydrogen bulge above springtime pole indicated by Lyman alpha radiation in earth geocorona, discussing hydrogen horizontal transport and hydrogen compounds dissociation as causes

Donahue, T. M.↗

Rocket measurements of ion and electron densities in the D- and lower E-regions near sunrise

Positive-ion and electron densities were measured in the 75 to 110 km altitude range with the aid of two rockets launched from White Sands near sunrise. The solar zenith angles were 91 and 79 deg respectively. The densities were derived from measurements made by an ion collector and from data obtained with a Faraday rotation technique capable of detecting electrons in the D-region. It has been found that in the 80-95 km altitude range, electron detachment from negative ions takes place mainly at zenith angles of less than 91 deg. The source of the high positive-ion density (N(+) approximately 700/cu cm) at an altitude of 75 km just before sunrise is presumed to be scattered Lyman alpha radiation which is ionizing nitric oxide.

Pedersen, A.↗

An investigation of the ionospheric D region at sunrise

The growth over sunrise of the C and D layers of the ionosphere is investigated. The model which is analyzed includes the negative ion species O(-), O2(-), O3(-), O4(-), NO3(-), CO3(-), and CO4(-). Ionization sources due to galactic cosmic rays, precipitated electrons, ionization of NO by scattered Lyman alpha radiation, and the direct solar radiation ionization are also included. The photodetachment of most of the negative ions is discussed, as well as the time variation of these parameters. The time variations of the electron, negative ion, and positive ion densities are calculated over sunrise. From these data, the mesospheric C and D layer development is plotted. Several model parameters are varied until the best agreement with experimentally determined electron densities is obtained. The results are discussed in light of several atmospheric parameters including the O and NO concentrations and the electron-ion recombination coefficient.

Turco, R. P.↗

Equatorial ionospheric absorption during half a solar cycle (1964-1970)

An extensive series of vertical incidence absorption measurements made at an equatorial station is analyzed in detail for a better understanding of the lower ionosphere. A quantitive empirical relationship is derived between absorption and 1 to 8 A solar flux for moderate levels of solar activity. It is shown that the threshold flux for D region modification, at a solar zenith angle of 10 deg, is approximately 0.0005 erg/sq/cm/sec. Attention is drawn to the incidence of days of high absorption even in the absence of solar X-ray activity. Available evidence points to variability of the order of 10 to 40% in the intensity of the solar Lyman alpha radiation as the most likely cause of these unusual, though infrequent, enhancements in absorption.

Gnanalingam, S.↗

Studies of positive-ion composition in the equatorial D-region ionosphere.

Evaluation of two daytime D-region positive-ion composition measurements performed at Thumba, India, for solar zenith angles of 53.2 and 27.8 deg. Comparison of upleg ram with downleg wake data shows a large increase in the concentration of heavy ions 48(+), NO(+) . H2O; 55(+), H3O(+) . (H2O)2; and M(+) greater than 65(+) for the downleg reduced shock condition. Peak concentrations of 48(+) and 55(+) occur at unit optical depth for Lyman alpha radiation. The ion 37(+), H3O(+) . H2O, is dominant for chi = 27.8 deg, but not for chi = 53.2 deg, consistent above 80 km with an origin from the X-ray production of O2(+). Laboratory measurements have shown that the ion, NO(+), can be transferred to heavy hydrates 48(+), 55(+), and M(+) greater than 65(+) by a reaction chain starting with NO(+) + X + M = NO(+) . X + M, where X can be O2, N2, CO2 or a combination of all three, depending on the rate of reaction. This chain, together with a similar reaction scheme starting with O2(+) and ending in 19(+), 37(+), and heavier clusters, is used to provide a consistent explanation for the hydrated ions observed in the D region.

Goldberg, R. A.↗

Glauber calculations of polarization of Lyman-alpha resulting from e/-/-H/1s/ collisions.

We have calculated the polarization fraction of the Lyman-alpha radiation emitted in e/-/-H/1s/ collisions using the Glauber, Born, and various Vainshtein approximations, and have compared these predictions with observation. We find that the Born, Glauber and all forms of the Vainshtein yield results which are very close to each other and to the data in the energy range from 30 to 700 eV. The comparatively small differences between the various approximations are detailed in the text; also, the reason for the close agreement of the predicted polarization fractions - although the computed 1s-2p total and differential cross sections are not so close - is explained. With respect to the Glauber approximation, the importance of computing the phase integral along a direction perpendicular to the momentum transfer q at each value of q, is stressed.

Gerjuoy, E.↗

Lyman-alpha measurements of neutral hydrogen in the outer geocorona and in interplanetary space.

Results of hydrogen Lyman-alpha (1216 A) measurements made on a continuous basis by a two-channel photometer on Ogo 5 from March 1968 to June 1971. The highly elliptical orbit provided measurements of both the outer geocorona and of the 1216-A sky background emission, since geocoronal scattering is minimal at the apogee distance of 150,000 km. Selected data (through 1970) are presented, as well as an interpretation of the three principal discoveries to date - namely, (1) a pronounced antisolar enhancement of the geocoronal scattering beyond 70,000 km, which is regarded as evidence for a hydrogen 'geotail' produced by solar Lyman-alpha radiation pressure; (2) a clear correlation of periodic variations in the sky background emission with solar activity associated with solar rotation; and (3) an annual variation of the 1216-A sky background emission, caused by the earth's orbital motion within the cavity created by the solar wind in the nearby interstellar hydrogen.

Thomas, G. E.↗

The solar wind H and He/+/ content.

Computation of the expected fluxes of He(+) ions and neutral H atoms in the solar wind. A simple model is used to compute the intensity of resonantly backscattered solar He II (304 A) and Lyman alpha radiation.

Gregory, C. T.↗

Safety monitoring system for radioisotope thermoelectric generators

System alerts personnel of hazards which may develop while they are performing tests on radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). Remedial action is initiated to minimize damage. Five operating conditions are monitored: hot junction temperature, cold junction temperature, thermal shroud coolant flow, vacuum in test chamber, and alpha radiation.

Zoltan, A.↗

K alpha line emission during solar X-ray bursts

Calculations of K alpha line emission from S, Ar, Ca and Fe are presented. It is reported that on the basis of data for hard X-ray bursts, the flux during most impulsive, non-thermal events is likely to be weak, though for a few strong bursts, a flux of approximately 100 photons/cm/s may be expected. The amount of S K alpha emission particularly is sensitively dependent on the value of the lower energy bound of the non-thermal electron distribution, offering a possible means of determining this. Thermal K alpha emission is only significant for Fe ions. The calculated thermal K alpha radiation is much less than that observed during an intense soft X-ray burst. It is concluded that a detailed temperature structure for the emission source is required in order to explain the discrepancy.

Phillips, K. J. H.↗

Remarks on the heating of solar-wind protons.

The heating of solar-wind protons cannot be explained by the thermalization of those protons arising from the ionization of neutral hydrogen atoms traveling in the general direction of the sun. By requiring the heating to satisfy the experimental results of the T sub p versus V sub sw correlation, an efficiency function of thermalization of these incoming protons is obtained, and a value of the 'hot component' of the hydrogen population is about 0.05 per cu cm near 1 AU. This hot component hydrogen density is too high compared to recent estimates by satellite experiments of Lyman alpha radiation and other experiments, and therefore the suggested solar-wind heating mechanism is unimportant in explaining the T sub p versus V sub sw correlation.

Chao, J.-K.↗

Equatorial ionospheric absorption during half a solar cycle /1964-1970/

An extensive series of vertical incidence absorption measurements made at an equatorial station is analyzed in detail to provide information which will lead to a better understanding of the lower ionosphere. A quantitative empirical relationship is derived between absorption and 1-8 A solar flux for moderate levels of solar activity. It is shown that the threshold flux for D-region modification, at a solar zenith angle of 10 deg, is approximately 0.0005 erg per sq cm per sec. Attention is drawn to the incidence of days of high absorption even in the absence of solar X-ray activity. Available evidence points to variability of the order of 10-40 per cent in the intensity of the solar Lyman-alpha radiation as the most likely cause of these unusual, though infrequent, enhancements in absorption.

Gnanalingam, S.↗

Determination of nitric oxide concentrations from sunrise E-region electron density measurements

Midlatitude sunrise electron density profiles have been analyzed in order to determine nitric oxide concentrations in the range 100-160 km. In general, the determinations are restricted to heights for which the ionization of nitric oxide by direct solar Lyman-alpha radiation is the main contribution to the growth of the E region. The concentrations obtained are larger, by factors of approximately 3 to 4, than those obtained from the midlatitude airglow measurements of other workers. Concentrations have been obtained from one sunset measurement and these are significantly lower than the sunrise values. The results also give a clear indication of increasing nitric oxide concentrations above 120 km with increasing solar activity.

Monro, P. E.↗

Effect of additions of coarse grains and fibers on the densification of a sinterable SiC

This note reports the effects on densification of independent additions of coarse equiaxed SiC grains and fibrous SiC that were mixed with fine beta-SiC to develop a duplex microstructure with improved toughness. The fine-matrix SiC did not contain excess boron and carbon. The equiaxed CVD beta-SiC was introduced in the fine beta-SiC matrix material in amounts of 5 and 10 wt%. Results indicate that the CVD beta-SiC, which is quite coarse, exhibits little indication of sinterability. The effect of these coarse-grained and fibrous additions on the sinterability of fine beta-SiC may result from a geometric type of interaction. This interpretation is reinforced by X-ray diffraction of the powders and sintered pellets via monochromatic CuK-alpha radiation; the diffraction patterns of the sintered composite structures are virtually a combination of those of the components. The addition of nonsinterable SiC to the sinterable material slightly reduces sinterability, the larger particles interacting geometrically with the fine matrix material to prevent complete densification.

Abe, H.↗