Secondary phenomena during the reflection of shock waves in argon
Ionization processes in argon behind reflected shock waves
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Ionization processes in argon behind reflected shock waves
Photoionization source with a vacuum UV monochromator is used in ion reaction kinetics. Monochromator passes only the photon energies near the threshold of the selected ionization process. Absence of electron impact alleviates creation of different type ions that result in ion fragmentation.
Shock structure during ionization of a hydrogen-helium mixture was studied using hydrogen line and continuum emission measurements. A reaction scheme is proposed which includes hydrogen dissociation and a two-step excitation-ionization mechanism for hydrogen ionization by atom-atom and atom-electron collisions. Agreement was achieved between numerical calculations and measurements of emission intensity as a function of time for shock velocities from 13 to 20 km/sec in a 0.208 H2 - 0.792 He mixture. The electron temperature was found to be significantly different from the heavy particle temperature during much of the ionization process. Similar time histories for H beta and continuum emission indicate upper level populations of hydrogen in equilibrium with the electron concentration during the relaxation process.
Photoions produced in methanol and formaldehyde by radiation in the spectral region 450-1150 A were analyzed mass spectrometrically, and their relative yields were determined as a function of wavelength. First ionization potentials were determined, and the ion yield curves were interpreted in terms of ionization processes in conjunction with other data. Fragment ions were detected on mass numbers of 31, 30, 29, 15, and 14 for methanol, and 29, 2, and 1 for formaldehyde. The associated appearance potentials were determined and were used to calculate heats of formation of the ions CH2OH(+) and HCO(+), and the radicals CH3, CH2, and HCO.
Use of low-elevation sounding rocket (Polar 1) in the exploration of the F region morphology in and north of the auroral zone over northern Norway. The rocket which moved over a horizontal distance of some 400 km inside the F region, monitored low-energy electron precipitation and various upper-atmosphere excitation and ionization processes. The latitudinal variations of the less than 1 keV energy electron fluxes showed excellent agreement with corresponding variations in the F-region electron density and the O I (6300 A) emission below the rocket, indicating that the low-energy electrons are the main sources for these phenomena at these high latitudes. An N2(+) (4278 A) arc was located near the decrease in the 40-keV electron fluxes. This arc was produced by a nearly monoenergetic influx of some 3-keV electrons. The expected luminosity profile derived from this energy spectrum differs significantly from the observed one, and possible explanations for the discrepancy are discussed.
For a sufficiently rapid relative motion of the solar system and the nearby interstellar gas, neutral atoms may be expected to penetrate the heliosphere before becoming ionized. Recent satellite measurements of the Lyman alpha emission above the geocorona indicate such an interstellar wind of neutral hydrogen emerging from the direction of Sagittarius and reaching to within a few astronomical units of the sun. A detailed model of the scattering of solar Lyman alpha from the spatial distribution of neutral hydrogen in interplanetary space is presented. This asymmetric distribution is established by solar wind and solar ultraviolet ionization processes along the trajectories of the incoming hydrogen atoms. The values of the interstellar density, the relative velocity, and the gas temperature are adjusted to agree with the Lyman alpha measurements. The results may be interpreted in terms of two models, the cold model and the hot model of the interstellar gas, depending on whether galactic Lyman alpha emission is present at its maximum allowable value or negligibly small.
Shock structure during ionization of a hydrogen-helium mixture has been followed using hydrogen line and continuum emission measurements. A reaction scheme is proposed which includes hydrogen dissociation and a two-step excitation-ionization mechanism for hydrogen ionization by atom-atom and atom-electron collisions. Agreement has been achieved between numerical calculations and measurements of emission intensity as a function of time for shock velocities from 13 to 20 km/sec in a 0.208 H2-0.792 He mixture. The electron temperature was found to be significantly different from the heavy particle temperature during much of the ionization process. Similar time histories for H beta and continuum emission indicate upper level populations of hydrogen in equilibrium with the electron concentration during the relaxation process.
The chemistry and physics of the gaseous OH free radical as it applies to interstellar space, planetary atmospheres, and the sun is presented. Topics considered are: (1) rotational-vibrational transitions; (2) dissociation and ionization processes; (3) spectral characteristics.
Photoelectron escape fluxes and ambient electron heating from the Jovian ionosphere are computed as a function of local time and latitude. Several differences for the fluxes expected from a hydrogen atmosphere, rather than a terrestrial type of atmosphere, are described, including an increase in structure in the energy spectra due to the paucity of ionic states entering the photo-ionization processes and lower escape fluxes above 10 eV than were expected from a simple scaling of earth fluxes.
Two stars behind the Vela supernova remnant and two stars offset from the remnant have been observed with the UV spectrometer aboard the Copernicus satellite. Over 200 interstellar atomic and molecular absorption features between 1000 and 1400 A have been identified and measured for radial velocity and equivalent width. In many cases, additional information was obtained by studying the detailed shapes of the recorded profiles. Most of the stars show several absorption components, with clouds of the highest radial velocity appearing in the spectra of stars behind the remnant. For each component, column densities were derived using velocity dispersion parameters which yielded the most self-consistent results. Qualitatively, the gas toward the remnant exhibits a number of unusual properties, when compared with normal interstellar material. First, abnormally high radial velocities were evident. Second, the degree of ionization of some elements suggested the existence of ionizing processes significantly more potent than those found in general regions of space. Finally, an investigation of electron densities shows that much of the gas, especially that at high velocity, must exist in the form of relatively thin sheets or filaments. If cosmic abundances prevail, the column densities of high-velocity excited material suggest that H-alpha emission measures could be as large as 100 sq cm/cu pc.
A method is developed to include the nonequilibrium ionization process in the MHD generator duct design equations, and these equations are coupled to the thermodynamic conditions of the closed cycle system. This is used to relate MHD generator size, configuration and gas conditions to the overall thermodynamic efficiency of the system. The system studied consists of an MHD loop (Ar + Cs or He + Cs) topping a steam bottoming plant.
The important roles of comets as natural probes of the solar wind, particularly at high heliographic latitudes and small heliocentric distances, unattained thus far by artificial space probes, is stressed. It is becoming clear the solar wind is not merely responsible for shaping and maintaining the cometary plasma tail, but is also indirectly responsible for the rapid ionization processes in the coma. Despite this, however, the detailed interaction of the solar wind with comets, which is underlined by the complex and time-varying morphology observed in the cometary head and the tail, constitutes a formidable problem, and is only very imperfectly understood at present. The current views are critically reviewed and an attempt is made to identify the dominant physical mechanisms that are involved.
Results show that Amalthea is likely to form a tightly-bound partial toroidal-shaped hydrogen cloud about its planet, while Ganymede, Callisto and Titan may have rather large, complete and nearly symmetric toroidal-shaped clouds. The toroidal cloud for Amalthea compares favorably with spacecraft data of Pioneer 10 for a satellite escape flux of order 10 to the 11th power atoms/sq cm/sec. Model results for Ganymede, Callisto and Titan suggest that these extended hydrogen atmospheres are likely to be detected by the Voyager spacecrafts and that Titan's cloud might also be detected by the Pioneer 11 spacecraft. Ions created because of atoms lost through ionization processes from these four extended hydrogen atmospheres and from the sodium cloud of Io are discussed.
The ionization balance in diffusion dominated discharges which depends on both one and two step ionization processes is considered. The Spenke diffusion equation (D sq delta n + neutrino n + sq kn =0) describing such conditions is solved by the Rayleigh-Ritz variational method. Simple analytic approximations to the density profile, and the similarity relation between neutrino,k,D and the discharge dimensions, are derived for planar and cylindrical geometry, and compared with exact computations for certain limiting cases.
The molecular photoionization, dissociative photoionization and double photoionization cross sections for CO2 were measured from their onsets down to 90 A by using various combinations of mass spectrometers (a coincidence time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a magnetic mass spectrometer) and light sources (synchrotron radiation, and glow and spark discharge). It is concluded that the one broad peak and the three shoulders in the total adsorption cross section curve between 640 and 90 A are caused completely by dissociative ionization processes. Several peaks observed in the cross section curve for the total fragmentation CO(+)3, O(+) and C(+) are compared with those in the photoelectron spectrum reported for CO2.
The results of multilevel, depth-dependent, fully interlocked radiative transfer calculations for hydrogen emission line strengths in a single QSO emission line cloud (ELC) are summarized. The hydrogen-line forming region of the ELC is found to be quite thick (tau sub el between 1,000 and 100,000), which is consistent with heating of a pure hydrogen cloud by photoionization. Results indicate that the volume-averaged escape probability approach introduces large errors by assuming, in effect, that a single point in the ELC is representative of the emergent radiation; that the influence of frequency redistribution on the photon escape probability in resonance and subordinate lines must be explicitly recognized, and that full consistency between excitation and ionization processes must be maintained.
The ionization balance in diffusion-dominated discharges may depend on both one- and two-step ionization processes. The Spenke diffusion equation describing such conditions is solved in this paper by the Rayleigh-Ritz variational method. Simple analytic approximations to the density profile, and the similarity relation between the equation parameter, and the discharge dimensions, are derived for planar and cylindrical geometry and compared with exact computations for certain limiting cases.
Partial cross sections for molecular photoionization (CO(+)), dissociative photoionization (C(+) and O(+)), and dissociative double photoionization (C(2+)) in CO have been measured from their thresholds to 90 A using techniques of mass spectrometry. The results are compared with data reported previously. Several peaks observed in the cross section curves for dissociated fragments are tentatively assigned by comparing with those in the photoelectron spectra reported for CO. It is concluded that the shoulder in the total absorption cross section curve between 400 and 90 A results solely from the dissociative ionization processes.