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NASA NTRS1974

The occultation of beta Scorpii by Jupiter. I - The structure of the Jovian upper atmosphere

The light curves of beta Scorpii AB and C were recorded during occultation by Jupiter with a time resolution of 0.01 sec. The spikes on the curves, correlated with flashes observed through the eyepiece, are shown to be due to density fluctuations in Jupiter's atmosphere. Using the delays in spike arrival times, the ratio of the refractivities at 3934 and 6201 A is found to be 0.9713 + or - 0.0015. Temperature profiles for three different assumed atmospheric compositions are generated from the light curves. Assuming the terrestrial value for the eddy diffusion coefficient, the turbopause is calculated to occur at the 10 to the 13th power per cu cm level, below which a positive temperature gradient of about 1 K/km is indicated.

Veverka, J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

A review of the compatibility of structural materials with oxygen

Consideration of the problem of ignition and combustion of structural materials, particularly metals, which may come in contact with oxygen during its production, transport, and use. Following a review of the historical development of compatibility problems and research, a detailed account is given of compatibility testing methods aimed at detecting probable ignition sources, such as mechanical impact, electric sparks or flashes, heat, sound waves, abrasion, and surface fractures. A summary is presented of the ignition and combustion research reported in the literature, dwelling particularly on papers concerning oxygen-related accidents and the compatibility of metals with high-pressure oxygen. The relative oxygen compatibility of a number of common materials is discussed, including that of nickel and copper alloys, stainless steels, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys. Finally, an effort is made to pinpoint research areas which would enhance understanding of the compatibility of bulk materials.

Clark, A. F.↗

NASA NTRS1974

On the charge state of low energy Fe nuclei accelerated by solar flares

Using sounding rockets, the differential energy spectra of Fe in three solar flares between 0.3 and 50 MeV/nuc were measured. In one of these flares, the geomagnetic field was undisturbed, and the Fe spectrum showed a peak at approximately 2 MeV/nuc. Interpreting this observation with the established quiet time geomagnetic cutoffs, it was calculated that the charge of 2 MeV/nuc Fe is 22 plus or minus 1 instead of the equilibrium value of about 16 for Fe in neutral matter. This nonequilibrium state of ionization imposes a constraint on the flare mechanism and suggests the importance of the flash-phase flare plasma for ionizing heavy nuclei prior to acceleration.

Sullivan, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Computer simulation of the Pioneer 10 microwave occultation experiment

As Pioneer 10 approaches the planet Jupiter, its trajectory will carry it behind the planet, as seen from the earth. The microwave telemetry signal from the spacecraft will then pass through the Jovian atmosphere on its way to the earth, and analysis of the effects of the atmosphere on the signal should yield information on the atmospheric structure. To help define the capabilities of this experiment and to aid the analysis of the real data, we have simulated the occultation experiment on a computer by using model Jovian atmospheres and a predicted trajectory. The results indicate that the useful depth of penetration of the microwave signal will be governed by ammonia absorption rather than superrefractivity. The experiment is apparently far more sensitive to variations in cloud-top temperature than to variations in the hydrogen-helium ratio. Characteristic 'flashes' in the attenuation record of the signal may yield information on the location of the top of the Jovian convective zone.

Ungar, S. G.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Hard solar flare X-ray bursts on 8 December 1970

Hard X-ray bursts have been observed from two 1B flares located in the same sunspot region and separated in time by about 70 minutes on Dec. 8, 1970. The bursts are composed by many 'flashes' of 2 to 20 seconds duration. Power spectrum analysis reveals no strong periodicities although a significant peak appears at 7.5 sec. The characteristic times of 2 to 20 sec do not seem likely to be electron transit times since the flare size is so small. These times are evidently connected with the acceleration of the electrons. Fitting Takakura's model of the radio noise region to the observations, this region is found to be small, but the density of electrons above 100 keV is high, on the order of 10 million per cu cm.

Anderson, K. A.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Non-relativistic solar electrons

Summary of both the direct spacecraft observations of nonrelativistic solar electrons, and observations of the X-ray and radio emission generated by these particles at the sun and in the interplanetary medium. These observations bear on three physical processes basic to energetic particle phenomena: (1) the acceleration of particles in tenuous plasmas; (2) the propagation of energetic charged particles in a disordered magnetic field, and (3) the interaction of energetic charged particles with tenuous plasmas to produce electromagnetic radiation. Because these electrons are frequently accelerated and emitted by the sun, mostly in small and relatively simple flares, it is possible to define a detailed physical picture of these processes. In many small solar flares nonrelativistic electrons accelerated during flash phase constitute the bulk of the total flare energy. Thus the basic flare mechanism in these flares essentially converts the available flare energy into fast electrons. Nonrelativistic electrons exhibit a wide variety of propagation modes in the interplanetary medium, ranging from diffusive to essentially scatter-free. This variability in the propagation may be explained in terms of the distribution of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations.

Lin, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

A mass spectrometric system for analyzing thermal desorption spectra of ion-implanted argon and cesium in tungsten

A mass spectrometric system for determining the characteristics of materials used in instrumental development and aerospace applications was developed. The desorption spectra of cesium that was ion-implanted into polycrystalline tungsten and the effects on the spectra of bombardment of the tungsten by low energy (70 eV) electrons were investigated. Work function changes were measured by the retarding potential diode method. Flash desorption characteristics were observed and gas-reaction mechanisms of the surface of heated metal filaments were studied. Desorption spectra were measured by linearly increasing the sample temperature at a selected rate, the temperature cycling being generated from a ramp-driven dc power supply, with the mass spectrometer tuned to a mass number of interest. Results of the study indicate an anomolous desorption mechanism following an electron bombardment of the sample surface. The enhanced spectra are a function of the post-bombardment time and energy and are suggestive of an increased concentration of cesium atoms, up to 10 or more angstroms below the surface.

Wood, G. M., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Overview of Reclamation's geothermal program in Imperial Valley, California

The Bureau of Reclamation is presently involved in a unique Geothermal Resource Development Program in Imperial Valley, California. The main purpose of the investigations is to determine the feasibility of providing a source of fresh water through desalting geothermal fluids stored in the aquifers underlying the valley. Significant progress in this research and development stage to date includes extensive geophysical investigations and the drilling of five geothermal wells on the Mesa anomaly. Four of the wells are for production and monitoring the anomaly, and one will be used for reinjection of waste brines from the desalting units. Two desalting units, a multistage flash unit and a vertical tube evaporator unit, have been erected at the East Mesa test site. The units have been operated on shakedown and continuous runs and have produced substantial quantities of high-quality water.

Fulcher, M. K.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Geothermal reservoir engineering research

The Stanford University research program on the study of stimulation and reservoir engineering of geothermal resources commenced as an interdisciplinary program in September, 1972. The broad objectives of this program have been: (1) the development of experimental and computational data to evaluate the optimum performance of fracture-stimulated geothermal reservoirs; (2) the development of a geothermal reservoir model to evaluate important thermophysical, hydrodynamic, and chemical parameters based on fluid-energy-volume balances as part of standard reservoir engineering practice; and (3) the construction of a laboratory model of an explosion-produced chimney to obtain experimental data on the processes of in-place boiling, moving flash fronts, and two-phase flow in porous and fractured hydrothermal reservoirs.

Ramey, H. J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Lightning effects on the NASA F-8 digital-fly-by-wire airplane

The effects of lightning on a Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW)aircraft control system were investigated. The aircraft was a NASA operated F-8 fitted with a modified Apollo guidance computer. Current pulses similar in waveshape to natural lightning, but lower in amplitude, were injected into the aircraft. Measurements were made of the voltages induced on the DFBW circuits, the total current induced on the bundles of wires, the magnetic field intensity inside the aircraft, and the current density on the skin of the aircraft. Voltage measurements were made in both the line-to-ground and line-to-line modes. Voltages measured at the non-destructive test level were then scaled upward to determine how much would be produced by actual lightning. A 200,000 ampere severe lightning flash would produce between 40 and 2000 volts in DFBW circuits. Some system components are expected to be vulnerable to these voltages.

Plumer, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Stimulus novelty, task relevance and the visual evoked potential in man

The effect of task relevance on P3 (waveform of human evoked potential) waves and the methodologies used to deal with them are outlined. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded from normal adult subjects performing in a visual discrimination task. Subjects counted the number of presentations of the numeral 4 which was interposed rarely and randomly within a sequence of tachistoscopically flashed background stimuli. Intrusive, task-irrelevant (not counted) stimuli were also interspersed rarely and randomly in the sequence of 2s; these stimuli were of two types: simples, which were easily recognizable, and novels, which were completely unrecognizable. It was found that the simples and the counted 4s evoked posteriorly distributed P3 waves while the irrelevant novels evoked large, frontally distributed P3 waves. These large, frontal P3 waves to novels were also found to be preceded by large N2 waves. These findings indicate that the P3 wave is not a unitary phenomenon but should be considered in terms of a family of waves, differing in their brain generators and in their psychological correlates.

Courchesne, E.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Studies of K line filtergrams

The paper describes the material obtained on a Lyot filter for K at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. This material is compared with simultaneous H-alpha observations. K-line filtergrams are used to interpret K-line double reversal. The structure of the general chromosphere is discussed. It is found that the absorption of the cool clouds of the chromosphere, covering about one third of the area inside the cells, oscillating rapidly, and having a vertical extent around 3000 km, is not clearly seen in K3. In active regions K is close to H-alpha. Here all plagettes and plages are bounded by systems of strongly inclined bright and dark fibrils. Umbral flashes are found to be less visible in H-alpha, except that the running penumbral waves are bright in K and dark in H-alpha.

Zirin, H.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Absolute rate parameters for the reaction of ground state atomic oxygen with carbonyl sulfide

The rate parameters for the reaction of O(3P) with carbonyl sulfide, O(3P) + OCS yields CO + SO, have been determined directly by monitoring O(3P) using the flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. The value for reaction rate was measured over a temperature range of 263-502 K and the data were fitted to an Arrhenius expression with good linearity. A comparison of the present results with those from previous studies of this reaction is also presented.

Klemm, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Theoretical studies of massive stars. I - Evolution of a 15-solar-mass star from the zero-age main sequence to neon ignition

The evolution of a star with mass 15 times that of the sun from the zero-age main sequence to neon ignition has been computed by the Henyey method. The hydrogen-rich envelope and all shell sources were explicitly included in the models. An algorithm has been developed for approximating the results of carbon burning, including the branching ratio for the C-12 + C-12 reaction and taking some secondary reactions into account. Penetration of the convective envelope into the core is found to be unimportant during the stages covered by the models. Energy transfer from the carbon-burning shell to the core by degenerate electron conduction becomes important after the core carbon-burning stage. Neon ignition will occur in a semidegenerate core and will lead to a mild 'flash.' Detailed numerical results are given in an appendix. Continuation of the calculations into later stages and variations with the total mass of the star will be discussed in later papers.

Endal, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Impulsive solar flare X-rays greater than 10 keV and some characteristics of cosmic gamma-ray bursts

Observations of impulsive solar flare X-rays greater than 10 keV are summarized and their interpretation in terms of nonthermal and thermal electron spectra is discussed. This is followed by a brief consideration of models of the hard X-ray source and the requirements of the electron acceleration process during the flash phase of solar flares. Finally, the characteristics of the recently discovered cosmic gamma-ray bursts are compared with those of the impulsive solar X-ray bursts. If both types of emissions are interpreted as bremsstrahlung from energetic electrons, then the electron spectra must be widely different in the two cases. For example, in case of solar flares, most of the energy is carried by electrons with energies of about 5 keV. On the other hand, electrons with kinetic energy of about 300 keV carry most of the energy in the cosmic source.

Kane, S. R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Solar emissions associated with impulsive solar flare X-rays

The major characteristics of some of the flare emissions are identified. The time-intensity profile of solar flare emissions is presented, where impulsive X-rays, impulsive microwave, optical and EUV emissions are emitted during the impulsive (flash) phase of a solar flare. The energy emitted in various electromagnetic emissions during flares with an impulsive phase is reported along with estimates of the kinetic energy of the energetic electrons and the energy of the hot plasma. Although the magnitudes of the various flare emissions vary from one flare to another, the total kinetic energy of the nonthermal particles produced during the impulsive phase is a significant fraction of the total flare energy (thermal and nonthermal). The process responsible for particle acceleration in some flares is shown to have a relatively high efficiency.

Kane, S. R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Extensions to the spectrum of singly ionized barium /Ba II/

The spectrum of singly ionized barium has been studied in absorption by flash pyrolysis. Corrected wavelengths and energy levels have been obtained. Fifteen new levels have been established and 24 new lines have been observed. Photoionization is shown to be the dominant ionization mechanism in this technique.

Roig, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Particle acceleration in solar flares

A review of observational data supports the proposal that there are two distinct phases of particle acceleration in solar flares. 'Phase 1' is associated with the flash phase and is here interpreted as acceleration during field-line reconnection. 'Phase 2' is associated with type II and type IV radio bursts, and is ascribed to stochastic acceleration in the turbulent plasma behind a magnetohydrodynamic shock formed ahead of an ejected plasmoid.

Sturrock, P. A.↗