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At least 1,171 records · Page 65
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NASA NTRS1985

Antiparticles in the extragalactic cosmic radiation

It may be possible to account for a previously puzzling feature - a bump in the energy range 10 to the 14th power eV to 10 to the 15th power - of the cosmic ray spectrum by hypothesizing a primary extragalactic origin for the bulk of the observed cosmic ray antiprotons, although such an explanation is not unique. In this model, most of the cosmic rays above 10 to the 15th power eV are extragalactic. A method is described of testing this hypothesis experimentally.

Stecker, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A dominant role for protons at the onset of solar flares

It is suggested that recent observations have cast considerable doubt on the generally accepted explanation that non-thermal electron beams transfer most of the flare energy during the onset of solar flares. It is argued that non-thermal protons in the energy region 100 to 1000 keV are a more probable energy transfer mechanism. An important consequence of this hypothesis is that the hard X-ray burst must be thermal.

Simnett, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evidence for regions of negligible cosmic-ray modulation in the inner heliosphere ( 10 AU)

Gold and Venkatesan report observations of periods during 1974-1976 when extended regions of heliolongitude that emitted lower than average solar wind velocities at 1 AU also exhibited higher than average cosmic ray intensities as measured by the E 35 MeV CPME anti-coincidence scintillator (28 sq cm omnidirectional geometric factor) on IMP-8. Their observations reproduced by a simple model, based on the observed steady solar wind structure, wherein there is little modulation of cosmic rays in the inner heliosphere until they reach the shocked plasma beyond the stream interactions in the outer heliosphere (similar to 5 to 10 AU). Beyond the interaction boundary, the intensity exhibits a constant radial gradient (similar to 2%/AU). The model also offers an explanation for the irregular behavior of the rotation averaged radial gradients observed by inside 10 AU, as well as the significant, but often ephemeral, latitude gradients observed by Voyagers 1 and 2 and IMP-8.

Roelof, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cosmic-ray transport in the galactic magnetosphere

It is advantageous to regard cosmic rays as the constitutent particles of the Galactic radiation belts and cosmic ray energization as a consequence of inward radial diffusion in the quasi-dipolar Galactic magnetosphere. This process occurs in addition to Fermi acceleration. The purpose of this work is to explore a magnetospheric explanation for the elevation of Galactic charged particles to cosmic ray energies. The magnetosphere that is of interest in this context is not a planetary magnetosphere but a galactic magnetosphere entirely analogous to those inferred from radio observations of distant galaxies. It is the magnetosphere of the Milky Way. Cosmic rays are (by this interpretation) the charged particles that constitute the radiation belts of the Galactic magnetosphere. Thus, the mechanism by which charged particles attain cosmic-ray energies is presumable the mechanism by which radiation-belt particles attain high energies in more familiar magnetosphere, i.e., the radial diffusion associated with magnetic disturbances that contain spectral power resonant with the azimuthal drift of the particles.

Schulz, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Influence of the source distribution on the age distribution of galactic cosmic rays

The age distribution of galactic cosmic rays in the diffusion approximation is calculated. The influence of the scale height of the spatial source distribution on the mean age of particles arriving at the solar system is discussed. The broader the source distribution with respect to the galactic plane, the longer the mean age. This result provides a natural explanation for the shorter mean age of secondary cosmic rays compared to primary cosmic rays necessary for the understanding of the observed secondary/primary ratio.

Lerche, I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observation of direct hadronic pairs in nucleus-nucleus collisions in JACEE emulsion chambers

In a number of high energy ( or = 1 TeV/amu) nucleus-nucleus collisions observed in Japanese-American Cooperative Emulsion Experiment (JACEE) emulsion chambers, nonrandom spatial association of produced charged particles, mostly hadronic pairs, are observed. Similar narrow pairs are observed in about 100 events at much low energy (20 to 60 GeV/amu). Analysis shows that 30 to 50% of Pair abundances are understood by the Hambury-Brown-Twiss effect, and the remainder seems to require other explanations.

Burnett, T. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Exotic interactions among C-jets and Pb-jets

The C-jets and Pb-jets were surveyed on the part of Chacaltaya emulsion chamber No.19 amounting to an exposure of 28.8 sq m yr. It is shown that the adopted events make up an unbiased sample of C-jets for sigma sub E gamma TeV. Mini-Centauro interaction gives the most natural explanation for the eight pinaught-less C-jets with three or more constituent shower core. Out of the eight double-cored pinaught-less events, three are found to have visible invariant masses 1.8 GeV/c. Three Pb-jets-lower are composed of double cores whose respective visible transverse momenta are greater than 0.5 GeV/c, suggesting that they are of Geminion origin or chiron origin. The energies of the parent particles are estimated to be 100 to 200 TeV for all three kinds of events. The implications of this energy estimate and the frequency of observed exotic events are discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

On the production mechanism of radio-pulses from large extensive air showers

None of the theories put forward so far to explain the radio emission from cosmic ray showers, has been successful in giving a satisfactory explanation for all the experimental data obtained from various laboratories over the globe. It is apprehended that emission mechanism at low and high frequencies may be quite different. This calls for new theoretical look into the phenomenon. Theoretical as well as the experimental results indicate that the frequency spectrum is rather flat in the frequency range (40 to 60 MHz. Above 80 MHz, the radio emission can be explained with the help of geomagnetic mechanism. But at very low frequency ( 10 MHz), mechanisms other than geomagnetic are involved.

Datta, P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A reexamination of soil textural effects on microwave emission and backscattering

Microwave frequency measurements of moist soil dielectric properties are noted to challenge the validity of percent-of-field-capacity as a moisture indicator that is independent of soil texture in terms of microwave sensitivity. In arriving at this view, gravimetric, volumetric, and percent-of-field-capacity were tested for their ability to reduce dielectric behavior divergence between soil textures at 1.4 and 5.0 GHz. The most congruent dielectric behavior between soil textures is found to occur when soil moisture is expressed on a volumetric basis that is proportional to the number of water dipoles/unit volume. An inadequate characterization of soil bulk density in the field, combined with the dependency of bulk density on water retention at field capacity, offers the most plausible explanation for the earlier conclusions.

Dobson, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Energetic ion mass composition as observed at near-geosynchronous and low altitudes during the storm period of February 21 and 22, 1979

Mass composition data acquired during the storm period of February 21 and 22, 1979 are presented and analyzed. Near-geosynchronous data from the SCATHA spacecraft are described, giving the data in spectrogram format. Low-altitude data from the S3-3 spacecraft are presented, and it is shown that they raise questions concerning the evolution of the low-altitude, 0.5-16 keV/q plasma population after the main phase of magnetic storms. The importance of convection as an explanation of the signatures found in the low-altitude S3-3 data is considered. Some work concerning steady state convection models is summarized, pointing out those aspects of the theory relevant to the S3-3 data. Results from the theory are applied to those data, which are also displayed in spectrogram format. The results are discussed, using the geosynchronous composition data as a monitor of the source of the injected plasma.

Strangeway, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The H flux peak and the hydrogen abundance in N type carbon stars

For galactic N and late R type irregularly variable carbon stars, a comparison is made of airborne infrared spectrophotometry to spectral flux distributions derived from model atmospheres. Although the agreement is good in several respects, the H(-) emission peak at 1.6 microns, so prominent in the models, is significantly weakened in the stellar spectrophotometry. It seems unlikely that molecular bands in the stars can completely obliterate this peak. A plausible explanation is that hydrogen is deficient in these stars, most probably from an episode of mass loss. The resultant cold shells surrounding these stars should be amenable to observation by IRAS, or other far-infrared observatories.

Goebel, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Unusual structures of high-latitude stratospheric electric fields

A possible explanation is given for three unusual stratospheric electric field structures reported by Madsen et al. (1983). It is suggested that stratospheric vertical electric-current structures may arise as extensions into the stratosphere of tropospheric currents generated by convective charge transport. A convective tropospheric current generator is presented which is capable of producing, at altitudes of about 30 km, the vertical electric field intensities of several volts per meter that are sometimes (although very rarely) observed by balloon-borne sensors (Madsen et al., 1983).

Dangelo, N.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Production of ammonia-depleted surface layers on the Saturnian satellites by ion sputtering

On the basis of laboratory-derived data on the ion erosion of water and ammonia ices, it is suggested that the surfaces of the Saturnian satellites Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, and Rhea could have become enriched with water ice over a reasonable geological time period owing to the preferential erosion of the ammonia by magnetosphere ion bombardment. This mechanism serves as an alternative explanation to other processes invoked for the absence of ammonia spectral features in these satellites.

Lanzerotti, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Be-10 and Cl-36 depth profiles in an Apollo 15 drill core

The present study of galactic cosmic ray production profiles by means of tandem accelerator mass spectrometry has measured cosmic ray-produced Be-10 and Cl-36, whose half-attenuation lengths are respectively calculated to be 120 and 132 g/sq cm. The measured half-attenuation lengths for Be-10 are noted to be slightly longer than predicted by the Reedy-Arnold (1972) theoretical model. Secondary thermal neutron production from Cl-35 is invoked as an explanation for the flatter and deeper maximum seen in the Cl-36 profile.

Nishiizumi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A high performance magnetoplasmadynamic thruster

A flared-anode MPD thruster has been modified to permit injection of propellant through the backplate near the anode wall. At 6 g/sec argon, this thruster displays an onset current of 41.4 kA, almost double the value observed for propellant injection at the cathode and intermediate radial positions. A magnetic field survey of the interelectrode region shows current density is highest at the upstream and downstream ends of the chamber. The operating efficiency at onset current inferred from magnetic field data exceeds 50 percent, but swinging-gate thrust stand measurements reveal a progressive divergence between inferred and actual thrust with increasing power. Near onset, the measured thrust is approximately 20 percent lower than that inferred from magnetic probing. Explanations for this behavior have been explored with viscous drag emerging as the most probable cause of performance degradation.

Wolff, M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Effects of thermal cycling on magnetic properties of lunar analogs

An experimental study has been performed to determine whether stresses associated with thermal cycling cracks can affect the coercivity of remanence carried by iron in lunar samples. Initially, samples were cycled up to 100 times in a refrigerator over a period of about 30 min per cycle. In a second set of experiments, samples were dipped directly into liquid nitrogen up to 100 times at about 1 min per cycle. Comparison of AF demagnetization curves of weak field anhysteretic remanent magnetization before and after cycling revealed no systematic differences. Calculations based on a model of spherical iron grains within olivine or troilite indicate that it is unlikely that the iron will crack under thermal stress. Thus, thermal cycling does not appear to provide an explanation for increasing the stability of remanence in samples from the lunar surface.

Barron, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The rotation of the Uranian system

The rotation of Uranus is examined for clues as to the origin of the Solar System. Both theories based on the formation of planets through the accretion of small planetesimals, and theories based on the formation of giant gaseous protoplanets through a gravitational instability in the primitive solar nebula allow for qualitative explanations of the large tilt of Uranus's equator to the orbital plane, and the fact that its satellites lie in the equatorial plane. Models of the planetary interior show that the mass ratio of ice-forming materials to rock in Uranus's interior must be more than about three if the rotation period is about 16 h. Such a large ratio seems to exclude those accretional theories that require most of the nebular gas to be heated to relatively high temperatures before being accreted into the planet.

Podolak, M.↗