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At least 109 records · Page 6

Visual System for Browsing, Analysis, and Retrieval of Data (ViSBARD)

ViSBARD software provides a way of visualizing multiple vector and scalar quantities as measured by many spacecraft at once. The data are displayed three-dimensionally along the orbits that may be shown either as connected lines or as points. The data display allows the rapid determination of vector configurations, correlations among many measurements at multiple points, and global relationships. Things such as vector field rotations and dozens of simultaneous variables are very difficult to see in (complementary) panel plot representations. The current and next generations of space physics missions require a means to display from tens to hundreds of time series of data in such a way that the mind can comprehend them for the purposes of browsing data, retrieving them in directly useful form, and analyzing them in a global context. Sets of many spacecraft, each carrying many instruments yielding nearly continuous data at high time resolution, have become one of the most effective ways to make progress in understanding the extended, ionized (plasma) atmosphere of the Earth and the Sun. For large collections of data to be effective, they must be extremely readily accessible, with simple, comprehensible overviews of what is available. ViSBARD provides a means to answer these concerns. The ViSBARD package also acts as a remote repository browser; an interface to a Virtual Observatory. Therefore, data can be pulled directly into the application, as opposed to searching for it and downloading separately.

Roberts, Aaron↗

Application of the trap-plus-precipitation hard X-ray burst model to the flare of August 4, 1972

The theory of Melrose and Brown (1976) concerning the X-ray spectrum resulting from combined precipitation and in-trap acceleration of nonthermal electrons is applied to a large solar flare on the basis of high-time-resolution hard X-ray data. The time behavior of the electron source function is inferred as a function of energy and mean ambient trap density. The results are interpreted in the context of a purely thick-target model, a static trap with continuous injection of fresh electrons, and a dynamic trap with continuous redistribution of electron energies. It is concluded that: (1) a minimum trap density exists below which the static-trap description cannot be valid; (2) a mean ambient trap density less than the cited minimum is possible if a dynamic trap is invoked; and (3) the electron source function at a given instant in such low-density dynamic traps may bear little or no resemblance to a power-law spectrum despite its production, via nonthermal bremsstrahlung, of a power-law X-ray spectrum.

Emslie, A. G.↗

Diurnal Variations of Stratospheric Ozone Measured by Ground-Based Microwave Remote Sensing at the Mauna Loa NDACC Site: Measurement Validation and GEOSCCM Model Comparison

There is presently renewed interest in diurnal variations of stratospheric and mesospheric ozone for the purpose of supporting homogenization of records of various ozone measurements that are limited by the technique employed to being made at certain times of day. We have made such measurements for 19 years using a passive microwave remote sensing technique at the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) in Hawaii, which is a primary station in the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). We have recently reprocessed these data with hourly time resolution to study diurnal variations. We inspected differences between pairs of the ozone spectra (e.g., day and night) from which the ozone profiles are derived to determine the extent to which they may be contaminated by diurnally varying systematic instrumental or measurement effects. These are small, and we have reduced them further by selecting data that meet certain criteria that we established. We have calculated differences between profiles measured at different times: morning-night, afternoon-night, and morning-afternoon and have intercompared these with like profiles derived from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura-MLS), the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (UARS-MLS),t he Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES), and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet version 2 (SBUV2) measurements. Differences between averages of coincident profiles are typically less than 1.5 percent of typical nighttime values over most of the covered altitude range with some exceptions. We calculated averages of ozone values for each hour from the Mauna Loa microwave data, and normalized these to the average for the first hour after midnight for comparison with corresponding values calculated with the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOSCCM). We found that the measurements and model output mostly agree to better than 1.5 percent of the midnight value, with one noteworthy exception: The measured morning-night values are significantly (2-3 percent) higher than the modeled ones from 3.2 to 1.8 hPa (approximately 39-43 km), and there is evidence that the measured values are increasing compared to the modeled values before sunrise in this region.

GEOSCCM model comparison↗

Using Buoy and Radar Data to Study Sudden Wind Gusts Over Coastal Regions

Significant sudden wind gusts can pose a threat to aviation near the coastline, as well as small (sailing) boats and commercial ships approaching the ports. Such cases can result in wind speed changes of more than an order of magnitude within 5 minutes, which can then last up to 20 minutes or more. Although the constellation of scatterometers is a good means of studying maritime convection, those sudden gusts are not easily captured because of the low time resolution. The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) provides continuous measurements of wind speed and direction along the US coastal regions every 6 minutes. Buoys are platforms placed at specific places on the seas, especially along coastlines, providing data for atmospheric and oceanic studies. Next Generation Radars (NEXRADs), after the recent upgrade of the network to dual-pol systems, offer enhanced capabilities to study atmospheric phenomena. NEXRADs provide continuous full-volume scans approximately every 5 minutes and therefore are close to the time resolution of the buoy measurements. Use of single- Doppler retrievals might also provide a means of further validation.

Winds↗

UWB Tracking System Design for Free-Flyers

This paper discusses an ultra-wideband (UWB) tracking system design effort for Mini-AERCam (Autonomous Extra-vehicular Robotic Camera), a free-flying video camera system under development at NASA Johnson Space Center for aid in surveillance around the International Space Station (ISS). UWB technology is exploited to implement the tracking system due to its properties, such as high data rate, fine time resolution, and low power spectral density. A system design using commercially available UWB products is proposed. A tracking algorithm TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) that operates cooperatively with the UWB system is developed in this research effort. Matlab simulations show that the tracking algorithm can achieve fine tracking resolution with low noise TDOA data. Lab experiments demonstrate the UWB tracking capability with fine resolution.

Ni, Jianjun↗

MESSENGER Magnetic Field Observations of Upstream Ultra-Low Frequency Waves at Mercury

The region upstream from a planetary bow shock is a natural plasma laboratory containing a variety of wave particle phenomena. The study of foreshocks other than the Earth's is important for extending our understanding of collisionless shocks and foreshock physics since the bow shock strength varies with heliocentric distance from the Sun, and the sizes of the bow shocks are different at different planets. The Mercury's bow shock is unique in our solar system as it is produced by low Mach number solar wind blowing over a small magnetized body with a predominately radial interplanetary magnetic field. Previous observations of Mercury upstream ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves came exclusively from two Mercury flybys of Mariner 10. The MESSENGER orbiter data enable us to study of upstream waves in the Mercury's foreshock in depth. This paper reports an overview of upstream ULF waves in the Mercury's foreshock using high-time resolution magnetic field data, 20 samples per second, from the MESSENGER spacecraft. The most common foreshock waves have frequencies near 2 Hz, with properties similar to the I-Hz waves in the Earth's foreshock. They are present in both the flyby data and in every orbit of the orbital data we have surveyed. The most common wave phenomenon in the Earth's foreshock is the large-amplitude 30-s waves, but similar waves at Mercury have frequencies at near 0.1 Hz and occur only sporadically with short durations (a few wave cycles). Superposed on the "30-s" waves, there are spectral peaks at near 0.6 Hz, not reported previously in Mariner 10 data. We will discuss wave properties and their occurrence characteristics in this paper.

Le, G.↗

MESSENGER Observations of ULF Waves in Mercury's Foreshock Region

The region upstream from a planetary bow shock is a natural plasma laboratory containing a variety of wave particle phenomena. The study of foreshocks other than the Earth s is important for extending our understanding of collisionless shocks and foreshock physics since the bow shock strength varies with heliocentric distance from the Sun, and the sizes of the bow shocks are different at different planets. The Mercury s bow shock is unique in our solar system as it is produced by low Mach number solar wind blowing over a small magnetized body with a predominately radial interplanetary magnetic field. Previous observations of Mercury upstream ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves came exclusively from two Mercury flybys of Mariner 10. The MESSENGER orbiter data enable us to study of upstream waves in the Mercury s foreshock in depth. This paper reports an overview of upstream ULF waves in the Mercury s foreshock using high-time resolution magnetic field data, 20 samples per second, from the MESSENGER spacecraft. The most common foreshock waves have frequencies near 2 Hz, with properties similar to the 1-Hz waves in the Earth s foreshock. They are present in both the flyby data and in every orbit of the orbital data we have surveyed. The most common wave phenomenon in the Earth s foreshock is the large-amplitude 30-s waves, but similar waves at Mercury have frequencies at ~ 0.1 Hz and occur only sporadically with short durations (a few wave cycles). Superposed on the "30-s" waves, there are spectral peaks at ~ 0.6 Hz, not reported previously in Mariner 10 data. We will discuss wave properties and their occurrence characteristics in this paper.

Le, Guan↗

Calibration of the sub-aperture backscatter system on OMEGA EP

The sub-aperture backscatter (SABS) diagnostic on the OMEGA EP Laser System is a diagnostic that is used to measure the backscattered and sidescattered light during laser–plasma interaction experiments that are relevant to high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion. The diagnostic collects stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) UV light at around 351 nm and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in the visible-light regime in the 420–720-nm-wavelength range and provides spectrally and temporally resolved information. Five 1-in. light collectors, composed of a lens, ground glass diffuser, and coupling into a 300-μm fiber, are positioned behind the last steering mirror on one of the four beamlines to catch a portion of the beam cross section (~1.5%) of the emission that is scattered into the beamline. The SRS light is collected in two light collectors, combined, and transported via graded index fibers to a streaked spectrometer. The SABS-SRS streak spectrometer has a temporal and spectral resolution of 100 ps and 1 nm, respectively. Three other light collectors collect, combine, and transport the SBS signal to a Hamamatsu high-voltage photodiode, where an oscilloscope digitizes the data, providing a time resolution of better than 1 ns. To obtain an absolute energy calibration of SRS measurements, light signals of known energy and wavelength were injected into the light collectors one at a time. The resulting counts on the streak camera charge-coupled device for SRS are then correlated with the incident fluence of scattered light at the light collector in order to allow a quantitative assessment of streak camera sensitivity to determine the energy of the scattered light during experiments. The measurements were performed in situ from the light collectors to the detectors. Other offline measurements provided the transmission of the optics between the target chamber center and the light collectors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A Search for Short-Period Accreting Pulsars with BATSE

Accreting X-ray pulsar systems can be detected and monitored by the BATSE Pulsar Monitor at full sensitivity only above the Nyquist period of 2.048 s, since it uses the DISCLA data type. Systems with shorter periods than 2 s can be observed, but with a reduced sensitivity, since only the aliased power is measured. While persistent sources in the period range below that have been found by earlier spacecraft, transient systems may still be undiscovered, due to limited time coverage of the galactic plane with all-sky instruments. BATSE data with a time resolution of 31 ms (PSR single-sweep mode) has been collected for four energy channels spanning 20-50 keV , at scheduled times for particular detectors and detector combinations which view the galactic plane. The data spans Nov 1993 to present, with a typical exposure of 15000 s per day to approximately 1/8 of the plane. An accelerated FFT-based search is in progress on these data. Data are segmented into approximately 300 second intervals, barycentered for 3 possible source directions spaced by 30 degrees about the detector normal, with the time series accelerated for each of 15 steps, each spaced by 5 x 10(exp -5). To avoid loss of coherence due to system orbital velocities, FFTs are averaged over each 1/4 day interval separately. Results of this search are presented, including examples of detection of Her X-1, Cen X-3, and other pulsars.

Wilson, R. B.↗

Persistent time intervals between features in solar flare hard X-ray emission

Several solar hard X-ray events (greater than 100 keV) were observed simultaneously with identical instruments on the Venera 11, 12, 13, 14, and Prognoz spacecraft. High time resolution (= 2 ms) data were stored in memory when a trigger occurred. The observations of modulation are presented with a period of 1.6 s for the event on December 3, 1978. Evidence is also presented for fast time fluctuations from an event on November 6, 1979, observed from Venera 12 and another on September 6, 1981, observed from the Solar Maximum Mission. Power spectrum analysis, epoch folding, and Monte Carlo simulation were used to evaluate the statistical significance of persistent time delays between features. The results are discussed in light of the MHD model proposed by Zaitsev and Stepanov.

Desai, Upendra D.↗

Time-Resolved Grazing Incidence X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy for the In Situ Investigation of the Initial Stages of Sputter-Deposited Copper Thin Films

The sputter deposition and the growth of thin copper films on float glass substrates are in situ studied using grazing incidence, reflection mode X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy with subsecond time resolution. The experimental data are compared with model calculations, assuming the presence of crystalline, face-centered cubic metallic Cu nanostructures. From a detailed analysis of the measured spectra, the film thickness as well as the surface roughness is determined, leading to a detailed understanding of the films growth as a function of the sputter deposition time. In particular, different stages of film growth can clearly be distinguished from the fits of the experimental data. The results suggest the formation of isolated, approximately nm-sized copper clusters in the initial phase of the film deposition for the first few seconds, a coalescence phase with a nominal thickness of ≈1.5–2.8 nm, constant roughness of about 1.4 nm for the subsequent ≈5 s, and finally 3D growth of the Cu crystallites in the film for later stages of film growth. Further prospects of the methodology are given.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

ML Classifier Fusion for Three Data Streams with Quality Inversely Proportional to Time Resolution

We consider a monitoring scenario of phenomenon using three different streams of measurements whose quality is proportional to their constant inter-arrival times. Each measurement of a stream needs to be binary-classified to reflect the state of interest of the phenomenon. A set of classifiers is separately trained and fused for each stream at its time resolution using measurements collected under known states. We present a machine learning method to fuse the outputs of these fusers to provide a final classification at the finest time resolution. We show that this fused-fusers method provides decisions with likely superior classification probability compared to the best individual classifiers and fused-classifiers. We derive generalization equations that guarantee a superior classification probability of fused-fusers with a confidence probability specified by the classifiers’ generalization equations. We apply these results to study a practical problem of classifying Pu/Np target dissolution events at a radiochemical processing facility using gamma spectral measurements of effluent flows.

Rao, Nageswara↗

UWB Tracking System Design for Lunar/Mars Exploration

This paper describes a design effort for a prototype ultra-wideband (UWB) tracking system that is currently under development at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). The system is being studied for use in tracking of lunar/Mars rovers during early exploration missions when satellite navigation systems are not available. The UWB technology is exploited to implement the tracking system due to its properties such as high data rate, fine time resolution, low power spectral density, and multipath immunity. A two-cluster prototype design using commercially available UWB products is proposed to implement the Angle Of Arrival (AOA) tracking methodology in this research effort. An AOA technique using the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) information is utilized for location estimation in the prototype system, not only to exploit the precise time resolution possible with UWB signals, but also to eliminate the need for synchronization between the transmitter and the receiver. After the UWB radio at each cluster is used to obtain the TDOA estimates from the UWB signal sent from the target, the TDOA data is converted to AOA data to find the angle of arrival, assuming this is a far field application. Since the distance between two clusters is known, the target position is computed by a simple triangulation. Simulations show that the average tracking error at a range of 610 meters is 2.7595 meters, less than 0.5% of the tracking range. Outdoor tests to track the SCOUT vehicle (The Science Crew Operations and Utility Testbed) near the Meteor Crater, Flagstaff, Arizona were performed on September 12-13, 2005. The tracking performance was obtained with less than 1% tracking error at ranges up to 2000 feet. No RF interference with on-board GPS, video, voice and telemetry systems was detected. Outdoor tests demonstrated the UWB tracking capability.

Ni, Jianjun↗

Decimetric type III radio bursts and associated hard X-ray spikes

For a relatively weak solar flare on August 6, 1981, at 10:32 UT, a detailed comparison is made between hard X-ray spikes and decimetric type III radio bursts. The hard X-ray observations are made at energies above 30 keV, and the radio data are obtained in the frequency range from 100 to 1000 MHz. The time resolution for all the data sets is approximately 0.1 s or better. The dynamic radio spectrum exhibits many fast drift type III radio bursts with both normal and reverse slope, whereas the X-ray time profile contains many well resolved short spikes with durations less than or equal to 1 s. Some of the X-ray spikes are seen to be associated in time with reverse-slope bursts, indicating either that the electron beams producing the radio burst contain two or three orders of magnitude more fast electrons than has previously been assumed or that the electron beams can induce the acceleration of additional electrons or occur in coincidence with this acceleration. A case is presented in which a normal slope radio burst at approximately 600 MHz occurs in coincidence with the peak of an X-ray spike to within 0.1 s.

Dennis, B. R.↗

An Improved Magnetic Field Model for Jupiter's Inner Magnetosphere Using a Microsignature of Amalthea

Observation of a particle absorption microsignature of the Jovian satellite Amalthea during the Pioneer II close flyby of Jupiter on December 3, 1974, has been described by McKibben et al. The microsignature was also observed by the University of Iowa/Pioneer II instrument in the distribution of protons in the kinetic energy range 0.61 less than T(sub p) less than 3.41 MeV but has not been previously reported. The finer time resolution and superior data quality of the latter observations provide a fresh basis for assessing the accuracy with which various published magnetic field models of Jupiter's magnetic field models describe Jupiter's magnetic field for radial distances of the order of or less than several planetary radii. The expected time of occurrence of the minimum of Amalthea's microsignature was calculated for each model and compared to the time of the observed minimum. The discrepancy between these two times was significant for each of the published models, but it could be reduced to zero by interpolating between two of the closely related models. The spherical harmonic coefficients of this combination model are tabulated. Also included is a novel method for calculating the intensity-time profile of the microsignature. In a later paper, the improved model is utilized to analyze the energetic particle measurements in Jupiter's innermost magnetosphere by the Galileo entry probe in December 1995.

Randall, Bruce A.↗

How the Open Data Policy of the Landsat Program Has Advanced Our Understanding of Environmental Change

A time series is a sequence of observations of a phenomenon taken sequentially in time. A crucial characteristic of a time series is the dependence among adjacent observations – techniques for analyzing this dependence are referred to as time series analysis. This analytical approach enables us to predict or forecast future values of a time series, study the impact of various inputs on the observed phenomenon, and examine interrelationships among related time series variables. Within the geographical sciences, time series analysis has historically been limited to coarse-resolution satellite data, as constructing time series of data suitable for studying land cover and land use dynamics, such as Landsat data, were prohibitively costly. A transformative shift occurred in 2008 when the U.S. Government decided to make free and open all past and future data collected by the Landsat satellite program. The decision brought about a paradigm shift away from analyzing individual images or observations to continuous monitoring in time. Of particular relevance to environmental remote sensing is the ability to forecast observations – if we can predict how future observations should behave, we can infer information about how the land surface is changing. In this presentation, we will examine literature examples that showcase scientific gains enabled by time series analysis of satellite data. We will delve into how the analysis of dense time series of satellite data revealed that overall rate of forest disturbance in the Amazon has increased despite a reduction in deforestation; how different types of forest degradation, previously unquantified, are now being accurately assessed in the Caucasus region; and how we now can study the highly dynamic and intricate patterns of shifting cultivation in Southeast Asia.

Pontus Olofsson↗

Acceleration of protons at 32 Jovian radii in the outer magnetosphere of jupiter

During the inbound pass of Pioneer 10, a rapid ten-fold increase of the 0.2 to MeV proton flux was observed at 32 Jovian radii (R sub J). The total event lasted for 30 minutes and was made up of a number of superimposed individual events. At the time, the spacecraft was in the outer magnetosphere about 7 R sub J below the magnetic equator. Before and after the event, the proton flux was characteristic of the low flux level normally encountered between crossings of the magnetic equator. Flux changes at different energies were coherent within 1 minute; a time comparable to the time resolution of the data. The angular distributions were highly anisotropic with protons streaming towards Jupiter. A field-aligned dumbbell distribution was observed initially, and a pancake distribution just before the flux decayed to its pre-event value. The alpha particle flux changed as rapidly as the proton flux but peaked at different times. The energetic electron flux behaved differently; it increased gradually throughout the period.

Schardt, A. W.↗

Initial ISEE magnetometer results - Shock observation

A selection of early measurements is used to illustrate the three advantages brought by ISEE to the study of natural collisionless shocks. These advantages are the ability to resolve most space/time ambiguity by means of simultaneous two-point measurements, instrumentation to make comprehensive field and particle observations covering all important quantities, and the capacity to record data at high time resolution. Magnetic-field records from shocks of various types are presented; the types of shock include laminar, supercritical, quasi-perpendicular, high-beta, and quasi-parallel. The spacing of the two spacecraft and the resolution of the system are employed to develop numerous kinematic descriptions of the shocks and the waves that compose and surround them. Data from a single particle experiment are correlated with field data for three cases to demonstrate the important role of comprehensive instrumentation.

Russell, C. T.↗