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The tidal signature in the middle atmospheric thermal structure is investigated using more than 140 hours of nighttime lidar measurements at Table Mountain (34.4 degrees north) during January 1997 and February 1998.
Temperature measurements in the middle atmosphere using Rayleigh lidars have been performed for several decades now.
This paper presents analyses of measured proton and electron temperatures in the high-speed solar wind that are used to calculate the separate rates of heat deposition for protons and electrons. It was found that the protons receive about 60% of the total plasma heating in the inner heliosphere, and that this fraction increases to approximately 80% by the orbit of Jupiter. The empirically derived partitioning of heat between protons and electrons is in rough agreement with theoretical predictions from a model of linear Vlasov wave damping. For a modeled power spectrum consisting only of Alfvenic fluctuations, the best agreement was found for a distribution of wavenumber vectors that evolves toward isotropy as distance increases.
In situ measurements of ionospheric D-region characteristics are somewhat scarce and rely mostly on sounding rockets. Remote sensing techniques employing Very Low Frequency (VLF) transmitters can provide electron density estimates from subionospheric wave propagation modeling. Here we discuss how lightning waveform measurements, namely sferics and tweeks, can be used for monitoring the D-region variability and day-night transition, and for local electron density estimates. A brief comparison among D-region aeronomy models is also presented.
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for radio phase retrieval. A system practicing the method gathers first data from radio waves associated with an object observed via a first aperture, gathers second data from radio waves associated with the object observed via an introduced second aperture associated with the first aperture, generates reduced noise data by incoherently subtracting the second data from the first data, and performs phase retrieval for the radio waves by modeling the reduced noise data using a single Fourier transform. The first and second apertures are at different positions, such as side by side. This approach can include determining a value Q which represents a ratio of wavelength times a focal ratio divided by pixel spacing. This information can be used to accurately measure and correct alignment errors or other optical system flaws in the apertures.
Between late autumn through early spring,middle and high latitudes onMars exhibit strong equator-to-polemean temperature contrasts (i.e., "baroclinicity"). Data collected during the Viking era and observations from both the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate that such strong baroclinicity supports vigorous, large-scale eastward traveling weather systems (i.e., transient synoptic period waves) [1, 2]. For a rapidly rotating, differentially heated, shallow atmosphere such as on Earth and Mars, these large-scale, extratropical weather disturbances are critical components of the global circulation. The wave-like disturbances serve as agents in the transport of heat and momentum between low and high latitudes of the planet. Through cyclonic/anticyclonic winds, intense shear deformations, contractions-dilatations in temperature and density, and sharp perturbations amongst atmospheric tracers (i.e., dust, volatiles (e.g., water vapor) and condensates (e.g., water-ice cloud particles)), Mars' extratropical weather systems have significant sub-synoptic scale ramifications by supporting atmospheric frontal waves (Fig. 1).
Ultrasound-based nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is a common technique for damage detection in composite materials. There is a need for advanced NDE that goes beyond damage detection to damage quantification and characterization in order to enable data driven prognostics. The damage types that exist in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites include microcracking and delaminations, and can be initiated and grown via impact forces (due to ground vehicles, tool drops, bird strikes, etc), fatigue, and extreme environmental changes. X-ray microfocus computed tomography data, among other methods, have shown that these damage types often result in voids/discontinuities of a complex volumetric shape. The specific damage geometry and location within ply layers affect damage growth. Realistic threedimensional NDE and structural health monitoring (SHM) simulations can aid in the development and optimization of damage quantification and characterization techniques. This paper is an overview of ongoing work towards realistic NDE and SHM simulation tools for composites, and also discusses NASA's need for such simulation tools in aeronautics and spaceflight. The paper describes the development and implementation of a custom ultrasound simulation tool that is used to model ultrasonic wave interaction with realistic 3-dimensional damage in CFRP composites. The custom code uses elastodynamic finite integration technique and is parallelized to run efficiently on computing cluster or multicore machines.
The increased use of composites in aerospace components is expected to continue into the future. The large scale use of composites in aerospace necessitates the development of composite-appropriate nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods to quantitatively characterize defects in as-manufactured parts and damage incurred during or post manufacturing. Ultrasonic techniques are one of the most common approaches for defect/damage detection in composite materials. One key technical challenge area included in NASA's Advanced Composite's Project is to develop optimized rapid inspection methods for composite materials. Common manufacturing defects in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites include fiber waviness (in-plane and out-of-plane), porosity, and disbonds; among others. This paper is an overview of ongoing work to develop ultrasonic wavefield based methods for characterizing manufacturing waviness defects. The paper describes the development and implementation of a custom ultrasound simulation tool that is used to model ultrasonic wave interaction with in-plane fiber waviness (also known as marcelling). Wavefield data processing methods are applied to the simulation data to explore possible routes for quantitative defect characterization.
We analyze a wave event that occurred near noon between 07:03 and 07:08 UT on 23 February 2014 detected by the Van Allen Probes B spacecraft, where waves in the lower hybrid frequency range (LHFR) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are observed to be highly correlated, with Pearson correlation coefficient of approximately 0.86. We assume that the correlation is the result of LHFR wave generation by the ions polarization drift in the electric field of the EMIC waves. To check this assumption the drift velocities of electrons and H+, He+, and O+ ions in the measured EMIC wave electric field were modeled. Then the LHFR wave linear instantaneous growth rates for plasma with these changing drift velocities and different plasma compositions were calculated. The time distribution of these growth rates, their frequency distribution, and the frequency dependence of the ratio of the LHFR wave power spectral density (PSD)parallel and perpendicular to the ambient magnetic eld to the total PSD were found. These characteristics of the growth rates were compared with the corresponding characteristics of the observed LHFR activity. Reasonable agreement between these features and the strong correlation between EMIC and LHFR energy densities support the assumption that the LHFR wave generation can be caused by the ions polarization drift in the electric field of an EMIC wave.
A multi-beam beacon was transmitted from the Optical Communication Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) located at Table Mountain, CA to the Lunar Laser Space Terminal (LLST), on-board the Lunar Atmospheric Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft, during NASA’s recent Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD). The laser beacon (1568?0.1 nm) was square wave modulated and sensed by a LLST quadrant sensor to enable link acquisition and tracking. LLST computed the mean received beacon power and returned 5 kHz sampled power time series over the downlink. Post-processing of the decoded downlink received at OCTL retrieved the uplink power recorded at LLST. The predicted mean irradiance delivered to LLST consistently agreed with the variable beam divergence transmitted from OCTL to within < 1 decibel (dB). Irradiance fluctuations detected at LLST were reconciled with an uplink wave-propagation model derived using independently monitored atmospheric parameters. We report good agreement of the scintillation index and atmospheric coherence time.
This paper investigates the broadband noise reduction properties of a distributed (variable) facesheet liner. Candidate uniform samples are selected using the Wave Propagation Model and Two-Parameter Model developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. Three uniform and one distributed facesheet samples are tested in the Normal Incidence Tube (NIT) at NASA Langley. Initial results show that the distributed facesheet sample possesses broadband noise reduction properties. Acoustic impedances educed from these NIT tests are used as inputs into the Convected Helmholtz Equation (CHE) propagation code developed at NASA Langley to synthesize the acoustic pressure field in the Grazing Flow Impedance Tube (GFIT) with no flow. Three uniform, one distributed, as well as one three-zone liner, oriented in two different directions, are investigated. Preliminary results showed the distributed facesheet and three-zone liners exhibit broadband noise reduction properties.
IceCube was a technology demonstration of an 883 GHz heterodyne radiometer on a 3U CubeSat for ice cloud characterization. The project was a collaboration between Goddard Space Flight Center, Virginia Diodes Inc., and Wallops Flight Facility. IceCube was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2017, and was deployed to the orbit in May 2017. The radiometer measured ice cloud emissions from an ISS orbit for over 15 months. IceCube generated the first 883 GHz cloud map over a large operation temperature range of (5 ºC—37 ºC). Cloud ice plays a major role in the cloud precipitation process and Earth’s energy budget. Ice clouds are used in global circulation models as tuning parameters to achieve model agreement with observation at the top of the atmosphere in the radiation budget and at the bottom for precipitation, however, due to a lack of accurate ice cloud measurements large uncertainties exist in these models. Submillimeter wave remote sensing is capable of addressing this issue by measuring cloud ice mass and microphysical properties in the middle-to-upper troposphere. This fills the sensitivity gap not covered by the visible/infrared and microwave sensors [1]. The goal of IceCube was to increase the TRL of a heterodyne 883 GHz radiometer (using commercial parts) from 5 to 7 by validating the performance in a relevant spaceflight environment. The design of the radiometer was driven by frequency of operation, bandwidth, calibration, available power, and thermal environment requirements. The design included a 15 mm aperture off-axis parabolic reflector with a Potter feed horn, an 883 GHz 2nd-harmonic mixer that is fed by a local oscillator chain with a 24.3 GHz dielectric resonator (MLA), followed by a 6 GHz bandwidth centered at 9 GHz intermediate frequency assembly (IFA), receiver interface card, and power distribution unit. The IFA included an internal noise diode calibration to separate the MLA performance from the rest of the system. For this the radiometer had four operational states: antenna, antenna + noise, reference, and reference + noise; each state’s duration was 10 ms. The total power dissipation of the instrument was 5.6 W. The spacecraft had spinning capabilities to provide a cold sky view for calibration. We present the instrument design, ground test results, challenges, and highlight some of the flight measurements.
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A two-dimensional cloud-resolving model is used to examine the possible role of gravity waves generated by a simulated tropical squall line in forcing the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the zonal winds in the equatorial stratosphere. A simulation with constant background stratospheric winds is compared to simulations with background winds characteristic of the westerly and easterly QBO phases, respectively. In all three cases a broad spectrum of both eastward and westward propagating gravity waves is excited. In the constant background wind case the vertical momentum flux is nearly constant with height in the stratosphere, after correction for waves leaving the model domain. In the easterly and westerly shear cases, however, westward and eastward propagating waves, respectively, are strongly damped as they approach their critical levels, owing to the strongly scale-dependent vertical diffusion in the model. The profiles of zonal forcing induced by this wave damping are similar to profiles given by critical level absorption, but displaced slightly downward. The magnitude of the zonal forcing is of order 5 m/s/day. It is estimated that if 2% of the area of the Tropics were occupied by storms of similar magnitude, mesoscale gravity waves could provide nearly 1/4 of the zonal forcing required for the QBO.
In the investigation of gravity waves using mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radar data, model gravity-wave spectra have been used. In these model spectra, one usually assumes azimuthal symmetry. The effect of spectral anisotropy on the observed spectrum is studied here. It is shown that for a general Garrett-Munk-type spectrum, the anisotropy does not affect the frequency spectrum observed by the vertically beamed radar. For the oblique beam, however, the observed frequency spectrum is changed. A general gravity wave spectrum including azimuthal anisotropy is considered.
A global quasi-geostrophic barotropic model, including orography, zonal forcing, and frictional dissipation, is compared to two hemispheric models, one with antisymmetric equatorial boundary conditions and one with symmetric boundary conditions. The stationary solutions in the global model and the hemispheric models are found to be different, because the hemispheric models lack either the symmetric or antisymmetric waves, and because the nonlinear feedbacks are much larger in the hemispheric models. Time-dependent calculations show that the hemispheric models can excite anomalous Rossby waves and can produce erroneous short-range forecasts in middle latitudes. It is concluded that global models are preferred for making both short-range and long-range forecasts for middle latitudes.
The project objectives are to develop process models to investigate the interaction of planetary and synoptic-scale waves including the effects of latent heat release (precipitation), nonlinear dynamics, physical and boundary-layer processes, and large-scale topography; to determine the importance of latent heat release for temporal variability and time-mean behavior of planetary and synoptic-scale waves; to compare the model results with available observations of planetary and synoptic wave variability; and to assess the implications of the results for monitoring precipitation in oceanic-storm tracks by satellite observing systems. Researchers have utilized two different models for this project: a two-level quasi-geostrophic model to study intraseasonal variability, anomalous circulations and the seasonal cycle, and a 10-level, multi-wave primitive equation model to validate the two-level Q-G model and examine effects of convection, surface processes, and spherical geometry. It explicitly resolves several planetary and synoptic waves and includes specific humidity (as a predicted variable), moist convection, and large-scale precipitation. In the past year researchers have concentrated on experiments with the multi-level primitive equation model. The dynamical part of that model is similar to the spectral model used by the National Meteorological Center for medium-range forecasts. The model includes parameterizations of large-scale condensation and moist convection. To test the validity of results regarding the influence of convective precipitation, researchers can use either one of two different convective schemes in the model, a Kuo convective scheme or a modified Arakawa-Schubert scheme which includes downdrafts. By choosing one or the other scheme, they can evaluate the impact of the convective parameterization on the circulation. In the past year researchers performed a variety of initial-value experiments with the primitive-equation model. Using initial conditions typical of climatological winter conditions, they examined the behavior of synoptic and planetary waves growing in moist and dry environments. Surface conditions were representative of a zonally averaged ocean. They found that moist convection associated with baroclinic wave development was confined to the subtropics.
SUMMARY We present a new methodology of the finite-difference (FD) modelling of seismic wave propagation in a strongly heterogeneous medium composed of poroelastic (P) and (strictly) elastic (E) parts. The medium can include P/P, P/E and E/E material interfaces of arbitrary shapes. The poroelastic part can be with (i) zero resistive friction, (ii) non-zero constant resistive friction or (iii) JKD model of the frequency-dependent permeability and resistive friction. Our FD scheme is capable of subcell resolution: a material interface can have an arbitrary position in the spatial grid. The scheme keeps computational efficiency of the scheme for a smoothly and weakly heterogeneous medium (medium without material interfaces). Numerical tests against independent analytical, semi-analytical and spectral-element methods prove the efficiency and accuracy of our FD modelling. In numerical examples, we indicate effect of the P/E interfaces for the poroelastic medium with a constant resistive friction and medium with the JKD model of the frequency-dependent permeability and resistive friction. We address the 2-D P-SV problem. The approach can be readily extended to the 3-D problem.