Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “attenuator”

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 919 records · Page 51

CATS Version 2 Aerosol Feature Detection and Applications for Data Assimilation

Using GEOS-5, we are developing a 1D ENS approach for assimilating CATS near real time observations of total attenuated backscatter at 1064 nm: a) After performing a 1-ENS assimilation of a cloud-free profile, the GEOS-5 analysis closely followed observed total attenuated backscatter. b) Vertical localization length scales were varied for the well-mixed PBL and the free troposphere After assimilating a cloud free segment of a CATS granule, the fine detail of a dust event was obtained in the GEOS-5 analysis for both total attenuated backscatter and extinction. Future Work: a) Explore horizontal localization and test within a cloudy aerosol layer. b) Address noisy analysis increments in the free troposphere where both CATS and GEOS-5 aerosol loadings are low. c) Develop a technique to screen CATS ground return from profiles. d) "Dynamic" lidar ratio that will evolve in conjunction with simulated aerosol mixtures.

Cloud Aerosol Transport↗

A Ground Validation Network for the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission

A prototype Validation Network (VN) is currently operating as part of the Ground Validation System for NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The VN supports precipitation retrieval algorithm development in the GPM prelaunch era. Postlaunch, the VN will be used to validate GPM spacecraft instrument measurements and retrieved precipitation data products. The period of record for the VN prototype starts on 8 August 2006 and runs to the present day. The VN database includes spacecraft data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) and coincident ground radar (GR) data from operational meteorological networks in the United States, Australia, Korea, and the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Satellite and ground radar data products are collected whenever the PR satellite track crosses within 200 km of a VN ground radar, and these data are stored permanently in the VN database. VN products are generated from coincident PR and GR observations when a significant rain event occurs. The VN algorithm matches PR and GR radar data (including retrieved precipitation data in the case of the PR) by calculating averages of PR reflectivity (both raw and attenuation corrected) and rain rate, and GR reflectivity at the geometric intersection of the PR rays with the individual GR elevation sweeps. The algorithm thus averages the minimum PR and GR sample volumes needed to "matchup" the spatially coincident PR and GR data types. The result of this technique is a set of vertical profiles for a given rainfall event, with coincident PR and GR samples matched at specified heights throughout the profile. VN data can be used to validate satellite measurements and to track ground radar calibration over time. A comparison of matched TRMM PR and GR radar reflectivity factor data found a remarkably small difference between the PR and GR radar reflectivity factor averaged over this period of record in stratiform and convective rain cases when samples were taken from high in the atmosphere. A significant difference in PR and GR reflectivity was found in convective cases, particularly in convective samples from the lower part of the atmosphere. In this case, the mean difference between PR and corrected GR reflectivity was −1.88 dBZ. The PR-GR bias was found to increase with the amount of PR attenuation correction applied, with the PR-GR bias reaching −3.07 dBZ in cases where the attenuation correction applied is greater than 6 dBZ. Additional analysis indicated that the version 6 TRMM PR retrieval algorithm underestimates rainfall in case of convective rain in the lower part of the atmosphere by 30%-40%.

Schwaller, Mathew R.↗

A Ground Validation Network for the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission

A prototype Validation Network (VN) is currently operating as part of the Ground Validation System for NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The VN supports precipitation retrieval algorithm development in the GPM prelaunch era. Postlaunch, the VN will be used to validate GPM spacecraft instrument measurements and retrieved precipitation data products. The period of record for the VN prototype starts on 8 August 2006 and runs to the present day. The VN database includes spacecraft data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) and coincident ground radar (GR) data from operational meteorological networks in the United States, Australia, Korea, and the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Satellite and ground radar data products are collected whenever the PR satellite track crosses within 200 km of a VN ground radar, and these data are stored permanently in the VN database. VN products are generated from coincident PR and GR observations when a significant rain event occurs. The VN algorithm matches PR and GR radar data (including retrieved precipitation data in the case of the PR) by calculating averages of PR reflectivity (both raw and attenuation corrected) and rain rate, and GR reflectivity at the geometric intersection of the PR rays with the individual GR elevation sweeps. The algorithm thus averages the minimum PR and GR sample volumes needed to "matchup" the spatially coincident PR and GR data types. The result of this technique is a set of vertical profiles for a given rainfall event, with coincident PR and GR samples matched at specified heights throughout the profile. VN data can be used to validate satellite measurements and to track ground radar calibration over time. A comparison of matched TRMM PR and GR radar reflectivity factor data found a remarkably small difference between the PR and GR radar reflectivity factor averaged over this period of record in stratiform and convective rain cases when samples were taken from high in the atmosphere. A significant difference in PR and GR reflectivity was found in convective cases, particularly in convective samples from the lower part of the atmosphere. In this case, the mean difference between PR and corrected GR reflectivity was -1.88 dBZ. The PR-GR bias was found to increase with the amount of PR attenuation correction applied, with the PR-GR bias reaching -3.07 dBZ in cases where the attenuation correction applied is greater than 6 dBZ. Additional analysis indicated that the version 6 TRMM PR retrieval algorithm underestimates rainfall in case of convective rain in the lower part of the atmosphere by 30%-40%.

Schwaller, Mathew R.↗

The Effect of Redox Conditions on Seismic Waves in Iron-Bearing Olivine: Implications for Understanding Planetary Interiros Through Seismilogy

Seismic data, inclusive of velocities and attenuation, can be utilized to elucidate the physical state of planetary interiors]. However, numerous micromechanical factors have been either experimentally demonstrated, or theoretically considered, to affect the propagation and dissipation of seismic energy within crystalline solids - including, but not limited to, changes in grain size, temperature, melt fraction, pressure and dislocation density. Thus, observed variations in seismic wave speeds and attenuation may be used to ultimately ‘map’ variations in physical properties, such as those listed above, within planetary bodies. But, in order to complete a successful inversion of seismic data into representations of physical properties, a first requirement is to obtain a fundamental laboratory based understanding of how each of these possible factors individually influences seismic waves. Here we conduct an experimental study with the initial objective to further understand one of the most commonly invoked, yet least studied, mechanisms that could alter intrinsic seismic wave attenuation: water content (occurring as chemically-bound hydroxyl). The historical basis for determining the effect of water on seismic properties was established predominantly through analogy with large-strain creep experiments conducted on olivine under water-saturated conditions. While these deformation experiments routinely demonstrate a weakening of olivine in the presence of water, they represent a fundamentally different deformation regime in comparison to the microstrains experienced due to a passing seismic wave. Thus, in order to directly assess the effects of water on seismic properties, small-strain experiments are required. Substantially modified seismic properties in the presence of water have been observed previously at low strains and low frequencies, but only in a single exploratory study conducted under water-saturated conditions. Thus, to properly test the theoretical predictions we conducted a systematic study of the seismic properties of olivine using low-frequency torsional oscillation on aggregates containing varying concentrations of bound hydroxyl, for the first time at under saturated conditions.

Cline, C. J., II↗

Assessing Dual-Polarization Radar Estimates of Extreme Rainfall During Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a major hurricane on August 25, 2017 before exiting the state as a tropical storm on August 29, 2017. Left in its wake was historic flooding, with some locations measuring more than 60 inches of rain over a five-day period. The WSR-88D radar (KHGX) maintained operations for the entirety of the event. Rain gauge data from the Harris County Flood Warning System (HCFWS) was used for validation with the full radar data set to retrieve daily and event-total precipitation estimates for the period August 25-29, 2017. The KHGX precipitation estimates were then compared to the HCFWS gauges. Three different hybrid polarimetric rainfall retrievals were used, along with attenuation-based retrieval that employs the radar-observed differential propagation. An advantage of using a attenuation-based retrieval is its immunity to partial beam blockage and calibration errors in reflectivity and differential reflectivity. All of the retrievals are susceptible to changes in the observed Drop Size Distribution (DSD). No in situ DSD data were available over the study area, so changes in the DSD were interpreted by examining the observed radar data. We examined the parameter space of two key values in the attenuation retrieval to test the sensitivity of the rain retrieval. Selecting a value of α=0.015 and β=0.600 and β=0.625 provided the best overall results, relative to the gauges, but more work needs to be done to develop an automated technique to account for changes in the ambient DSD.

David B Wolff↗

Crashworthiness of a Lift Plus Cruise eVTOL Vehicle Design within Dynamic Loading Environments

To aid in the development of electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has undertaken research initiatives to evaluate and optimize design features of eVTOL aircraft. One such initiative has been to develop energy attenuating design mechanisms to improve eVTOL vehicle crashworthiness. In this study, crashworthiness design mechanisms, implemented within a six-passenger lift plus cruise (LPC) eVTOL concept vehicle, were evaluated under multi-axis dynamic loading conditions. This work builds upon crashworthiness design concepts previously optimized within a simplified vehicle-loading environment. The results of this study found the effectiveness of energy attenuating design mechanisms to be dependent on the complexity of load environment in which they were employed. An increase in off-axis loading resulted in a decrease in occupant protective capability. These results indicate the necessity for evaluating vehicle design across the range of possible dynamic impact conditions to characterize crashworthiness. This work provides preliminary methodology for implementing energy attenuating design mechanisms and evaluating crashworthiness for future UAM markets.

Jacob Putnam↗

ANC of Radiated Sound from a Small UAS Rotor using Virtual Error Sensors

Small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are becoming increasingly common for private, military, and commercial use, increasing community noise exposure. Reducing the noise produced by UAS could help improve community acceptance. Active noise control (ANC) might be used to attenuate noise produced by UAS, however, traditional ANC systems require a physical sensor in the far-field, which is not feasible. This paper assesses a virtual error sensing (VES) method that eliminates the need for a far-field sensor. This paper describes the proposed VES strategy, and presents numerical simulations and experimental results that highlight the benefits and limitations of the approach. Results for the VES system alone and with an ANC approach are presented and discussed. Experimental testing focused on attenuating the tonal noise produced by one 2-bladed rotor with a tip radius of 11.9 cm. Pressure variations caused by blade rotation were measured in the near and far-field using electret microphones and externally polarized condenser microphones, respectively. The filtered-x least mean squares algorithm was used in conjunction with the VES system to attenuate the far-field response. Experimental results show reductions between 6-13 dB at varying far-field locations and rotation rates.

virtual error sensor↗

SNPP VIIRS RSB on-orbit radiometric calibration algorithms Version 2.0 and the performances. Part I: The algorithms

The first VIIRS instrument is aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. The instrument has 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs) to passively collect photons reflected from the Earth surface in the design wavelengths from 412 to 2250 nm. The instrument uses a solar diffuser (SD) to radiometrically calibrate its RSBs. When lit by the Sun through an attenuation screen (the SD screen), the SD diffusely reflects off the incident sunlight to act as a radiance source for the calibration. An onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) yields the on-orbit change of the SD bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) by comparing the signal strength from the SD with that from the Sun attenuated by another attenuation screen (the SDSM screen). Complications arise due to the discovery that the on-orbit change of the BRDF is angle dependent. Additionally, the SDSM does not cover the wavelengths for the short-wave infrared bands in the RSBs. Furthermore, satellite yaw maneuvers were performed in the early mission to yield data for refining the prelaunch SDSM screen relative effective transmittance and the relative product of the SD screen transmittance and the BRDF at the mission start. But the yaw maneuver data are coarse in the solar azimuth angles and thus are unable to yield accurate values between the measurement angles. Over the years of performing on-orbit radiometric calibration through the SD for the VIIRSRSBs, we have developed several highly effective calibration algorithms to address the issues mentioned above. This paper reviews these algorithms.

on-orbit cailbration↗

SNPP VIIRS RSB on-orbit radiometric calibration algorithms Version 2.0 and the performances. Part I: The algorithms

The first VIIRS instrument is aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. The instrument has 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs) to passively collect photons reflected from the Earth surface in the design wavelengths from 412 to 2250 nm. The instrument uses a solar diffuser (SD) to radiometrically calibrate its RSBs. When lit by the Sun through an attenuation screen (the SD screen), the SD diffusely reflects off the incident sunlight to act as a radiance source for the calibration. An onboard solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) yields the on-orbit change of the SD bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) by comparing the signal strength from the SD with that from the Sun attenuated by another attenuation screen (the SDSM screen). Complications arise due to the discovery that the on-orbit change of the BRDF is angle dependent. Additionally, the SDSM does not cover the wavelengths for the short-wave infrared bands in the RSBs. Furthermore, satellite yaw maneuvers were performed in the early mission to yield data for refining the prelaunch SDSM screen relative effective transmittance and the relative product of the SD screen transmittance and the BRDF at the mission start. But the yaw maneuver data are coarse in the solar azimuth angles and thus are unable to yield accurate values between the measurement angles. Over the years of performing on-orbit radiometric calibration through the SD for the VIIRSRSBs, we have developed several highly effective calibration algorithms to address the issues mentioned above. This paper reviews these algorithms.

Ning Lei↗

Retrieving DSD Moments from GPM-DPR: A Simulation Study Based on the Full DSD Spectra Characterized by the Generalized Gamma Model

Recently, a method to retrieve rain drop size distribution (DSD) moments from X-band dual polarization radar measurements has been developed using copolar reflectivity, differential reflectivity and specific attenuation. Two reference moments are retrieved first, followed by reconstructing the DSDs and calculating other moments using a generalized gamma model to represent the underlying shape, h(x), corresponding to the pair of chosen reference moments. Here we explore a similar approach but the retrieval method in this study uses dual-frequency radar measurements. In the case of GPM-DPR, the two frequencies are 13.8and 35 GHz, and their products include attenuation corrected reflecivities at both frequencies (Z and Z) and the specific attenuation (k, k, if available). Our approach is to use these products to determine two reference moments, namely M3 andM6 representing the third and the sixth moments respectively. Then, as with the polarimetric radar retrievals, we use the most probable h(x) to reconstruct the full DSD spectra, from which other moments are calculated. The best two DPR products for estimating M3 and M6 appear to be A and Z. Figure 1 shows the retrievals versus the ‘true’ moments. 2930 three-minute DSDs were used for the (T-matrix) scattering calculations at Ku and Ka bands but only cases with A > 0.5 dB/km were chosen. For the retrieved moments, the integration was performed only up to 6 mm drop diameter. The [1:1] line is included in Fig. 1. Even with just two DPR products as input the results seem promising, although the lower order moments show somewhat more scatter, especially the zeroth moment, M0. We will quantify the retrieval errors, and additionally examine the stability of h(x). For the latter, data from (i) Greeley, Colorado, (ii) Huntsville, Alabama, and (iii)Wallops, Virginia, will be used. Finally, a GPM overpass case over Huntsville, during a widespread rain event on 11 April 2016, will be considered as an initial test case.

precipitation↗

Improvements in CALIOP Smoke Optical Depth over Clouds

Smoke over marine stratocumulus is ubiquitous off the southwest coast of Africa during biomass burning season. Past studies have shown that CALIOP overestimates the base altitudes of strongly attenuating smoke layers. This is because CALIOP layer detection operates on the 532 nm attenuated backscatter signal. Smoke strongly attenuates light at this wavelength, so CALIOP feature detection at times assigns a base altitude that is higher than the true layer base for optically thick layers. In order to improve the AOD for smoke over clouds, a new algorithm has been implemented in for an upcoming CALIOP level 2 data release that will extend the base altitudes of smoke layers over clouds. This poster summarizes the new smoke base extension algorithm and its performance.

Jason L. Tackett↗

Acoustic space occupancy: Combining ecoacoustics and lidar to model biodiversity variation and detection bias across heterogeneous landscapes

There is global interest in quantifying changing biodiversity in human-modified landscapes. Ecoacoustics may offer a promising pathway for supporting multi-taxa monitoring, but its scalability has been hampered by the sonic complexity of biodiverse ecosystems and the imperfect detectability of animal-generated sounds. The acoustic signature of a habitat, or soundscape, contains information about multiple taxa and may circumvent species identification, but robust statistical technology for characterizing community-level attributes is lacking. Here, we present the Acoustic Space Occupancy Model, a flexible hierarchical framework designed to account for detection artifacts from acoustic surveys in order to model biologically relevant variation in acoustic space use among community assemblages. We illustrate its utility in a biologically and structurally diverse Amazon frontier forest landscape, a valuable test case for modeling biodiversity variation and acoustic attenuation from vegetation density. We use complementary airborne lidar data to capture aspects of 3D forest structure hypothesized to influence community composition and acoustic signal detection. Our novel analytic framework permitted us to model both the assembly and detectability of soundscapes using lidar-derived estimates of forest structure. Our empirical predictions were consistent with physical models of frequency-dependent attenuation, and we estimated that the probability of observing animal activity in the frequency channel most vulnerable to acoustic attenuation varied by over 60%, depending on vegetation density. There were also large differences in the biotic use of acoustic space predicted for intact and degraded forest habitats, with notable differences in the soundscape channels predominantly occupied by insects. This study advances the utility of ecoacoustics by providing a robust modeling framework for addressing detection bias from remote audio surveys while preserving the rich dimensionality of soundscape data, which may be critical for inferring biological patterns pertinent to multiple taxonomic groups in the tropics. Our methodology paves the way for greater integration of remotely sensed observations with high-throughput biodiversity data to help bring routine, multi-taxa monitoring to scale in dynamic and diverse landscapes.

Airborne lidar↗

Assessing Dual-Polarization Radar Estimates of Extreme Rainfall During Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a major hurricane on 25 August 2017 before exiting the state as a tropical storm on 29 August 2017. Left in its wake was historic flooding, with some locations measuring more than 60 in. (150 cm) of rain over a 5-day period. The WSR-88D radar (KHGX) maintained operations for the entirety of the event. Rain gauge data from the Harris County Flood Warning System (HCFWS) was used for validation with the full radar dataset to retrieve daily and event-total precipitation estimates for the period 25–29 August2017. The KHGX precipitation estimates were then compared with the HCFWS gauges. Three different hybrid polarimetric rainfall retrievals were used, along with attenuation-based retrieval that employs the radar-observed differential propagation. An advantage of using a attenuation-based retrieval is its immunity to partial beam blockage and calibration errors in reflectivity and differential reflectivity. All of the retrievals are susceptible to changes in the observed drop size distribution (DSD). No in situ DSD data were available over the study area, so changes in the DSD were interpreted by examining the observed radar data. We examined the parameter space of two key values in the attenuation retrieval to test the sensitivity of the rain retrieval. Selecting a value ofa50.015 andb50.600 provided the best overall results, relative to the gauges, but more work needs to be done to develop an automated technique to account for changes in the ambient DSD.

David Billings Wolff↗

Evolution of Drop Size Distributions during Hurricane Harvey and Their Effects on Rain Intensity

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a major hurricane on August 25, 2017, before exiting the state as a tropical storm on August 29, 2017. Left in its wake was historic flooding over southeast Texas with some locations measuring more than 60 inches of rain. The Houston NEXRAD radar (KHGX) maintained operations for the entirety of the event and is utilized in this study to better understand the evolution of the drop size distribution (DSD) in the lower (liquid) portions of the storm and how changes in the DSD were tied to observed and measured changes in rain intensities. From the KHGX dual-polarimetric radar data several DSD parameters were retrieved, including three different rain rate retrievals, as well as the mass-weighted mean-drop diameter Dm, and the normalized intercept parameter NW of the gamma distribution. Two of the rain retrievals are popular hybrid approaches, where reflectivity, differential and specific differential phase are used. The other is an attenuation-based retrieval. In a previous study, it was found that both hybrid retrievals significantly underestimated the rainfall during the heaviest rain periods, while the attenuation-based retrieval, with proper adjustment, agreed quite well with a large network of gauges from the Harris County Flood Warning System. Using Dm and NW as proxies for drop size and concentration, respectively, we will show that the heaviest rain intensities were associated in areas of the storm where there was a large concentration of large drops present. It is envisaged that results of this study can be used to develop a near-real-time tuning of the attenuation-based retrieval, thus providing timely, and possibly life-saving warnings during inundating rainfall.

David B. Wolff↗

A Generalized Dual-Frequency Ratio (DFR) Approach for Rain Retrievals

The dual-frequency ratio of radar reflectivity factors (DFR) has been shown to be a useful quantity as it is independent of the number concentration of the particle size distribution and primarily a function of the mass-weighted particle diameter, Dm. A drawback of DFR-related methods for rain estimation, however, is the non-unique relationship between Dm and DFR. At Ku- and Ka-band frequencies, two solutions for Dm exist when DFR is less than zero. This ambiguity generates multiple solutions for the range profiles of the particle size parameters. We investigate characteristics of these solutions for both the initial-value (forward) and final-value (backward) forms of the equations. To choose one of among many possible range profiles of Dm, number concentration and rain rate, R, independently measured path attenuations are used. For the backward approach the possibility exists of dispensing with externally measured path attenuations by achieving consistency between the input and output path attenuations. The methods are tested by means of a simulation based on disdrometer-measured raindrop size distributions and the results are compared with a simplified version of the operational R-Dm method.

Robert Meneghini↗

Stability of the Dual-Frequency Radar Equations and a New Method Applied to the GPM’s Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) Data

A new algorithm is proposed that estimates two parameters of the particle size distribution (PSD) at each range bin from the Global Precipitation Measurement’s (GPM’s) Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar data. The equation that expresses the relationship of the PSD parameters between adjacent range bins is derived. By including the attenuation effect within the bin in the discretized equation, the new algorithm alleviates the double-solution problem when attenuation within the bin is sufficiently large. The stability of the solutions to the equation depends on the value of the mean diameter D(sub m) and its gradient with respect to range in the case of liquid precipitation. If the critical diameter above which the dual-frequency ratio (DFR) of radar reflectivity factors becomes a monotonically increasing function of D(sub m), the backward processing of the equation provides a stable or moderately diverging solution, unlike the forward processing that often gives unstable solutions. To provide a set of initial conditions without using the surface reference technique (SRT) in the backward processing, an initialization method using the Hitschfeld-Bordan attenuation correction method is proposed and tested. The proposed algorithm may provide a tool for investigating the assumptions used in various algorithms.

GPM↗

A Summary of Test Results from a NASA Lift + Cruise eVTOL Crash Test

On November 9, 2022, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a full-scale crash test of the NASA Lift+Cruise (LPC) reference vehicle at the NASA Langley Research Center Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) under combined vertical and horizontal impact conditions to simulate a severe but survivable crash. The LPC test article is a carbon-composite skin/frame structure design, developed and fabricated for the cabin section only. The test utilized various configurations of seats and Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs, a.k.a. crash test dummies) intended to encompass a variety of occupant conditions. In addition, an in-house developed energy absorbing subfloor was utilized for the evaluation of load attenuation. Overhead mass was simulated using attached lifting hardware and other systems were simulated using ballast mass. The test article impacted the ground with velocities of 38.1 ft/s horizontal and 31.4 ft/s vertical. During the first approximately 38 milliseconds (ms), the cabin section experienced a large amount of acceleration on the belly which was attenuated by the subfloor structures and seats. Over the next approximately 160 ms, the test article experienced failure in the a-, b- and c-pillars, leading to a partial collapse of the overhead structure. Test data was collected on the belly, floors, seats, overhead mass, and tail. In addition, there was high speed full-field digital image correlation analysis data collected on the port side skin surface. Collected ATD data showed that the ATDs seated in the energy absorbing seats experienced loads at limits below the those in current regulations. Even without an energy absorbing seat, the energy absorbing subfloors crushed as intended, and limited the load on the large 95 th percentile ATD to 10% over suggested limits. The collapse of the roof did affect the 95 th percentile ATD, which showed high neck loading values due to head contact, whereas survivable volume was maintained for the other ATDs. While the energy absorbing subfloor and energy absorbing seats both contributed to occupant load attenuation, further optimization is suggested to increase their robustness.

evtol↗

Testing Lyα Emission-line Reconstruction Routines at Multiple Velocities in One System

The 1215.67 Å H ו Lyα emission line dominates the ultraviolet flux of low-mass stars, including the majority of known exoplanet hosts. Unfortunately, strong attenuation by the interstellar medium (ISM) obscures the line core in most stars, requiring the intrinsic Lyα flux to be reconstructed based on fits to the line wings. We present a test of the widely used Lyα emission-line reconstruction code ւʏᴀᴘʏ using phase-resolved, medium-resolution STIS G140M observations of the close white dwarf–M dwarf binary EG UMa. The Doppler shifts induced by the binary orbital motion move the Lyα emission line in and out of the region of strong ISM attenuation. Reconstructions of each spectrum should produce the same Lyα profile regardless of phase, under the well-justified assumption that there is no intrinsic line variability between observations. Instead, we find that the reconstructions underestimate the Lyα flux by almost a factor of 2 for the lowest velocity, most attenuated spectrum, due to a degeneracy between the intrinsic Lyα and ISM profiles. Our results imply that many stellar Lyα fluxes derived from G140M spectra reported in the literature may be underestimated, with potential consequences for, for example, estimates of extreme-ultraviolet stellar spectra and ultraviolet inputs into simulations of exoplanet atmospheres.

M dwarf stars↗