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NASA NTRS1988

Laser agile illumination for object tracking and classification - Feasibility study

The 'agile illumination' concept for discrimination between ICBM warheads and decoys involves a two-aperture illumination with coherent light, diffraction of light by propagation, and a resulting interference pattern on the object surface. A scanning two-beam interference pattern illuminates one object at a time; depending on the shape, momentum, spinning, and tumbling characteristics of the interrogated object, different temporal signals will be obtained for different classes of objects.

Scholl, Marija S.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Measurement of velocity fields in fluid dynamics experiments

A microcomputer-video system was used to measure both spatial and temporal variations of two dimensional fluid flow velocity fields. The system utilizes two methods: the first method is the traditional one in which tracers are introduced into the fluid and their position compared at two closely spaced times; and the second method involves scattering coherent light in the fluid and obtaining motion by analyzing the multiple exposed speckle pattern recorded on photographic film.

Fitzjarrald, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

'Self-consistent' production of ion conics on return current region auroral field lines - A time-dependent, semi-kinetic model

We describe initial results from a time-dependent, semi-kinetic model of plasma outflow incorporating wave-particle interactions along current-carrying auroral field lines. Electrostatic waves are generated by the current driven ion cyclotron instability (CDICI), causing perpendicular velocity diffusion of ions plus electron heating via anomalous resistivity when and where the relative drift between electrons and ions exceeds certain critical velocities. Using the local bulk parameters we calculate these critical velocities, and so are able to self-consistently switch on and off the heating of the various particle species. Due to the dependence of these critical velocities on the bulk parameters of the species the heating effects exhibit quite complex spatial and temporal variations. A wide range of ion distribution functions are observed in these simulations, including conics with energies of a few electron volts and 'ring' distributions. The rings are seen to be a natural result of transverse heating and velocity filter effects and do not require coherent acceleration processes. We also observe the formation of a density depletion in hydrogen and enhanced oxygen densities at high altitudes.

Brown, David G.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Coherent mesoscale convection patterns during northward interplanetary magnetic field

Coincident DE 2 satellite plasma-drift and particle measurements and all-sky imaging photometer data were used to construct two-dimensional convection patterns in a study of polar ionospheric convection in the presence of subvisual-intensity soft-particle excited 6300-A sun-aligned polar cap arcs. Results show a highly anisotropic temporally stable convection with greater order than has previously been suspected.

Carlson, H. C.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Providing hydrogen maser timing stability to orbiting VLBI radio telescope observations by post-measurement compensation of linked frequency standard imperfections

Orbiting VLBI (OVLBI) astronomical observations are based upon measurements acquired simultaneously from ground-based and earth-orbiting radio telescopes. By the mid-1990s, two orbiting VLBI observatories, Russia's Radioastron and Japan's VSOP, will augment the worldwide VLBI network, providing baselines to earth radio telescopes as large as 80,000 km. The challenge for OVLBI is to effectuate space to ground radio telescope data cross-correlation (the observation) to a level of integrity currently achieved between ground radio telescopes. VLBI radio telescopes require ultrastable frequency and timing references in order that long term observations may be made without serious cross-correlation loss due to frequency source drift and phase noise. For this reason, such instruments make use of hydrogen maser frequency standards. Unfortunately, space-qualified hydrogen maser oscillators are currently not available for use on OVLBI satellites. Thus, the necessary long-term stability needed by the orbiting radio telescope may only be obtained by microwave uplinking a ground-based hydrogen maser derived frequency to the satellite. Although the idea of uplinking the frequency standard intrinsically seems simple, there are many 'contaminations' which degrade both the long and short term stability of the transmitted reference. Factors which corrupt frequency and timing accuracy include additive radio and electronic circuit thermal noise, slow or systematic phase migration due to changes of electronic circuit temporal operating conditions (especially temperature), ionosphere and troposphere induced scintillations, residual Doppler-incited components, and microwave signal multipath propagation. What is important, though, is to realize that ultimate stability does not have to be achieved in real-time. Instead, information needed to produce a high degree of coherence in the subsequent cross-correlation operation may be derived from a two-way coherent radio link, recorded and later introduced as compensations adjunct to the VLBI correlation process. Accordingly, this paper examines the technique for stable frequency/time transfer within the OVLBI system, together with a critique of the types of link degradation components which must be compensated, and the figures of merit known as coherence factors.

Springett, James C.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Flare stars and solar bursts - High resolution in time and frequency

Coronal loops on the sun and nearby stars are studied using observations at 20-cm wavelength with high resolution in time and frequency. Observations of the dwarf M star AD Leonis with high time resolution led to the discovery of a quasi-periodic train of circularly polarized spikes with a mean periodicity of 32 + or - 5 ms and a total duration of 150 ms. Observations at closely spaced wavelengths using the VLA revealed a narrow-band structure in solar bursts and in the slowly varying radiation of the dwarf M star YZ Canis Minoris. This narrow-band emission may be attributed to electron-cyclotron maser radiation. Maser action at the second or first harmonic of the gyrofrequency implies magnetic field strengths of 250 and 500 G, respectively. Hence, observations with high resolution in time and frequency suggest coherent processs in the coronas of the sun and dwarf M stars. It is noted that the scientific potential suggested by the present data can be realized by the development of a solar-stellar synthesis radiotelescope. This instrument would be dedicated to solar and stellar observations with high angular, temporal, and frequency resolution.

Lang, K. R.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Aerosol Backscatter from Airborne Continuous Wave CO2 Lidars Over Western North America and the Pacific Ocean

Atmospheric aerosol backscatter, beta, variability gives a direct indication of aerosol loading. Since aerosol variability is governed by regional sources and sinks as well as affected by its transport due to meteorological conditions, it is important to characterize this loading at different locations and times. Lidars are sensitive instruments that can effectively provide high-resolution, large-scale sampling of the atmosphere remotely by measuring aerosol beta, thereby capturing detailed temporal and spatial variability of aerosol loading, Although vertical beta profiles are usually obtained by pulsed lidars, airborne-focused CW lidars, with high sensitivity and short time integration, can provide higher resolution sampling in the vertical, thereby revealing detailed structure of aerosol layers. During the 1995 NASA Multicenter Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) mission, NASA MSFC airborne-focused CW CO2 Doppler lidars, operating at 9.1 and 10.6-micrometers wavelength, obtained high resolution in situ aerosol beta measurements to characterize aerosol variability. The observed variability in beta at 9.1-micrometers wavelength with altitude is presented as well as comparison with some pulsed lidar profiles.

Jarzembski, Maurice A.↗

NASA NTRS2010

315mJ, 2-micrometers Double-Pulsed Coherent Differential Absorption Lidar Transmitter for Atmospheric CO2 Sensing

The design of a double pulsed, injection seeded, 2-micrometer compact coherent Differential absorption Lidar (DIAL) transmitter for CO2 sensing is presented. This system is hardened for ground and airborne applications. The design architecture includes three continuous wave lasers which provide controlled on and off line seeding, injection seeded power oscillator and a single amplifier operating in double pass configuration. As the derivative a coherent Doppler wind lidar, this instrument has the added benefit of providing wind information. The active laser material used for this application is a Ho: Tm:YLF crystal operates at the eye-safe wavelength. The 3-meter long folded ring resonator produces energy of 130-mJ (90/40) with a temporal pulse length around 220 nanoseconds and 530 nanosecond pulses for on and off lines respectively. The separation between the two pulses is on the order of 200 microseconds. The line width is in the order of 2.5MHz and the beam quality has an M(sup 2) of 1.1 times diffraction limited beam. A final output energy for a pair of both on and off pulses as high as 315 mJ (190/125) at a repetition rate of 10 Hz is achieved. The operating temperature is set around 20 C for the pump diode lasers and 10 C for the rod. Since the laser design has to meet high-energy as well as high beam quality requirements, close attention is paid to the laser head design to avoid thermal distortion in the rod. A side-pumped configuration is used and heat is removed uniformly by passing coolant through a tube slightly larger than the rod to reduce thermal gradient. This paper also discusses the advantage of using a long upper laser level life time laser crystal for DIAL application. In addition issues related to injection seeding with two different frequencies to achieve a transform limited line width will be presented.

Yu, Jirong↗

NASA NTRS2020

Regional Tropical Aboveground Biomass Mapping with L-Band Repeat-Pass Interferometric Radar, Sparse Lidar, and Multiscale Superpixels

We introduce a multiscale superpixel approach that leverages repeat-pass interferometric coherence and sparse AGB estimates from a simulated spaceborne lidar in order to extend the NISAR mission’s applicable range of aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests. Airborne and spaceborne L-band radar and full-waveform airborne lidar data are used to simulate the NISAR and GEDI mission, respectively. In addition to UAVSAR data, we use spaceborneALOS-2/PALSAR-2 imagery with 14-day temporal baseline, which is comparable to NISAR’s 12-daybaseline. Our reference AGB maps are derived from the airborne LVIS data during the AfriSAR campaign for three sites (Mondah, Ogooue, and Lope). Each tropical site has mean AGB of at least 125 Mg/ha in addition to areas with AGB exceeding 700 Mg/ha. Spatially sampling from these LVIS-derived AGB reference maps, we approximate GEDI AGB estimates. To evaluate our methodology, we perform several different analyses. First, we partition each study site into low(≤100 Mg/ha) and high (>100 Mg/ha) AGB areas, in conformity with the NISAR mission requirement to provide AGB estimates for forests between 0 and 100 Mg/ha with a RMSE below 20 Mg/ha. In the low AGB areas, this RMSE requirement is satisfied in Lope and Mondah and it fell short of the requirement in Ogooue by less 3 Mg/ha with UAVSAR and 6 Mg/ha with PALSAR-2. We note that our maps have finer spatial resolution (50 m) than NISAR requires (1 hectare). In the high AGB areas, the normalized RMSE increases to 51% (i.e.,<90 Mg/ha), but with negligible bias for all three sites. Second, we train a single model to estimate AGB across both high and low AGB regimes simultaneously and obtain a normalized RMSE that is<60% (or<100 Mg/ha). Lastly, we show the use of both (a) multiscale superpixels and (b) interferometric coherence significantly improves the accuracy of the AGB estimates. The InSAR coherence improved the RMSE by approximately 8% at Mondah with both sensors, lowering the RMSE from 59 Mg/ha to 47.4 Mg/h with UAVSAR and from 57.1 Mg/ha to 46 Mg/ha. This work illustrates one of the numerous synergistic relationships between the spaceborne lidars, such as GEDI, with L-band SAR, such as PALSAR-2 and NISAR, in order to produce robust regional AGB in high biomass tropical regions.

NISAR↗

NASA NTRS2005

Overview of Biomineralization and Nanobacteria

Biomineralization is a frequently used term in nanotechnology, astrobiology, geology, and medicine. In the process of biomineralization, a living organism provides a chemical environment that controls the nucleation and growth of unique mineral phases. Often these materials exhibit hierarchical structural order, leading to superior physical properties, not found either in their inorganic counterparts or in synthetic materials. Biomineralization is widespread in the biosphere and hundreds of different minerals are produced or assisted by a variety of organisms from bacteria to humans. Teeth, bones, kidney stones, and skeletons of algae, mussels, and magnetotactic bacteria are all examples of biomineralization. We do not fully understand the control mechanism of biomineralization either in primitive or in developed organisms. The presence of organic molecules, among other characteristics, can influence the coherence length for X-ray scattering in biogenic crystals. Control over biomineral properties can be accomplished at a myriad of levels, including the regulation of particle size, shape, crystal orientation, polymorphic structure, defect texture, and particle assembly. In the latter case, cellular processes enable control in both the spatial and temporal domain in such a way that hierarchical composite structures can be built which increase the toughness and durability of the material, which is invaluable for load-bearing materials such as bones, teeth, mollusk shells, etc. Durability of biominerals produces remarkably preserved bacterial and cyanobacterial microfossils from billions of years-old samples. The differentiation between microfossils and nonbiogenic artifacts has been a lively discussion subject in astrobiology especially in the last decade. Clearly, more detailed information on the mechanism of biomineralization, and the effect of organic matter on crystal formation/fossilization would help focus such discussions.

Ciftcioglu, N.↗

NASA NTRS1994

A unifying comparison of nearly scatter free transport models

Gombosi et al. (1993) recently derived a modified telegrapher's equation for charged particle transport under the influence of isotropic scattering. This equation obeys causality and disallows upstream diffusion for particles with random velocities smaller than the bulk flow velocity. The acausal diffusion equation was obtained to lowest order in the expansion of smallness prameters. The paper by Gombosi et al. (1993) prompted responses from Pauls et al. (1993) and Earl (1993). This paper is written to explain the differences between the methods, assumptions, and results of Gombosi et al. (1993), Pauls et al. (1993), and Earl (1993) and presents a new method of obtaining approximate solutions. It is shown that the assumptions used by Gombosi et al. (1993) and Pauls et al. (1993) are physically equivalent. In our solution method, the solution of the modified telegrapher's equation is obtained as the casual limit of solutions accurate to second order in the smallness parameter expansion. In order to investigate the coherent velocity, we have also developed `wavenumber eigenfunctions' which account for all the pitch angle dependence in our Boltzmann equation. Using truncation, Earl (1993) obtains approximations for the wavenumber dependence of the lowest two frequency modes, which correspond to two of the wavenumber eigenmodes. We find that a consequence of including only two wavenumber eigenmodes is that one obtains solutions which disobey causality at sufficiently short times. Furthermore, the coherent velocity of the two eigenmodes is strongly dependent on wavenumber and approaches the particle velocity in the limit of large wavenumber for both isotropic and anisotropic scattering processes. We conclude that Earl's (1993) solutions and solutions obtained using the new solution method implicitly assume weak acausality and reasonable behavior in the temporal regime, t less than 4 tau. The solutions are not strictly consistent with the behavior of the lowest two frequency modes but have similar behavior in the regime of low wavenumber.

Schwadron, N. A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

The global heliosphere: A parametric study

As the Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft continue their penetration into the outer heliosphere, more attention has been focused on the nature of the solar wind interaction with the Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM). Since the initial pioneering concepts of Davis in 1955 and Parker in the early 1960's both in situ and remote measurements have led to various constraints that do not fit well into a coherent picture. To provide a context for these various observable constraints, we have adapted an explicitly time-dependent, explicitly three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code to simulate the dependence of the heliospheric configuration and interaction with the VLISM on the properties of the external medium. The code also allows us to study temporal variations brought about by both short- and long-term changes in the solar wind and/or VLISM properties. We will discuss some of the initial results from this new effort and implications for the distances inferred to the termination shock and heliopause boundary. In particular, we will consider the effect of the Very Local Interstellar Magnetic Field (VLIMF) on the configuration and compare it with inferences from observations of outer heliosphere cosmic rays and the Very Low Frequency (VLF) outer heliospheric radio emissions.

McNutt, R. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Simulation of Ground Winds Time Series for the NASA Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV)

Simulation of wind time series based on power spectrum density (PSD) and spectral coherence models for ground wind turbulence is described. The wind models, originally developed for the Shuttle program, are based on wind measurements at the NASA 150-m meteorological tower at Cape Canaveral, FL. The current application is for the design and/or protection of the CLV from wind effects during on-pad exposure during periods from as long as days prior to launch, to seconds or minutes just prior to launch and seconds after launch. The evaluation of vehicle response to wind will influence the design and operation of constraint systems for support of the on-pad vehicle. Longitudinal and lateral wind component time series are simulated at critical vehicle locations. The PSD model for wind turbulence is a function of mean wind speed, elevation and temporal frequency. Integration of the PSD equation over a selected frequency range yields the variance of the time series to be simulated. The square root of the PSD defines a low-pass filter that is applied to adjust the components of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of Gaussian white noise. The first simulated time series near the top of the launch vehicle is the inverse transform of the adjusted FFT. Simulation of the wind component time series at the nearest adjacent location (and all other succeeding next nearest locations) is based on a model for the coherence between winds at two locations as a function of frequency and separation distance, where the adjacent locations are separated vertically and/or horizontally. The coherence function is used to calculate a coherence weighted FFT of the wind at the next nearest location, given the FFT of the simulated time series at the previous location and the essentially incoherent FFT of the wind at the selected location derived a priori from the PSD model. The simulated time series at each adjacent location is the inverse Fourier transform of the coherence weighted FFT. For a selected design case, the equations, the process and the simulated time series at multiple vehicle stations are presented.

Adelfang, Stanley I.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The Kinematics of Turbulent Boundary Layer Structure

The long history of research into the internal structure of turbulent boundary layers has not provided a unified picture of the physics responsible for turbulence production and dissipation. The goals of the present research are to: (1) define the current state of boundary layer structure knowledge; and (2) utilize direct numerical simulation results to help close the unresolved issues identified in part A and to unify the fragmented knowledge of various coherent motions into a consistent kinematic model of boundary layer structure. The results of the current study show that all classes of coherent motion in the low Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer may be related to vortical structures, but that no single form of vortex is representative of the wide variety of vortical structures observed. In particular, ejection and sweep motions, as well as entrainment from the free-streem are shown to have strong spatial and temporal relationships with vortical structures. Disturbances of vortex size, location, and intensity show that quasi-streamwise vortices dominate the buffer region, while transverse vortices and vortical arches dominate the wake region. Both types of vortical structure are common in the log region. The interrelationships between the various structures and the population distributions of vortices are combined into a conceptual kinematic model for the boundary layer. Aspects of vortical structure dynamics are also postulated, based on time-sequence animations of the numerically simulated flow.

Robinson, Stephen Kern↗

NASA NTRS1998

Efficient Encoding and Rendering of Time-Varying Volume Data

Visualization of time-varying volumetric data sets, which may be obtained from numerical simulations or sensing instruments, provides scientists insights into the detailed dynamics of the phenomenon under study. This paper describes a coherent solution based on quantization, coupled with octree and difference encoding for visualizing time-varying volumetric data. Quantization is used to attain voxel-level compression and may have a significant influence on the performance of the subsequent encoding and visualization steps. Octree encoding is used for spatial domain compression, and difference encoding for temporal domain compression. In essence, neighboring voxels may be fused into macro voxels if they have similar values, and subtrees at consecutive time steps may be merged if they are identical. The software rendering process is tailored according to the tree structures and the volume visualization process. With the tree representation, selective rendering may be performed very efficiently. Additionally, the I/O costs are reduced. With these combined savings, a higher level of user interactivity is achieved. We have studied a variety of time-varying volume datasets, performed encoding based on data statistics, and optimized the rendering calculations wherever possible. Preliminary tests on workstations have shown in many cases tremendous reduction by as high as 90% in both storage space and inter-frame delay.

CODING↗

NASA NTRS2006

Imaging Spectroscopy of Sunspots using IBIS

We use the Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) of the INAF/Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory and installed at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) Dunn Solar Telescope, to understand the structure of sunspots. These high resolution observations were acquired on 2004 July 30-31, of active region NOAA 10654, using the high order NSO adaptive optics system. We map the spatio-temporal variation of the penumbral Doppler signatures in three spectral lines, FeI 6301.5\AA, FeII 7224.4\AA, and CaII 8542.6\AA, from the photosphere to the chromosphere. From a 70-minute temporal average of individual 32-second cadence Doppler observations we find that the averaged velocities decrease with height, about 3.5 times larger in the deeper photosphere (FeII 7224.4\AA; height-of-formation $\approx$\50 km) than in the upper photosphere FeI 6301.5\AA; height-of-formation $\approx$\350 km), There is a remarkable coherence of Doppler signals over the height difference of 300 km. From a highspeed animation of the Doppler sequence we find evidence for what appears to be ejection of high speed gas concentrations from edges of penumbral filaments into the surrounding granular photosphere. The Evershed flow persists a few arcseconds beyond the traditionally demarcated penumbra-granulation boundary. We present these and other results and discuss the implications of these measurements for sunspot models

Balasubramaniam, K. S.↗

NASA NTRS2006

3-D Structure of Sunspots using Imaging Spectroscopy

We use the Interferometric BIdimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) of the INAF/Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory and installed at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) Dunn Solar Telescope, to understand the structure of sunspots. Using the spectral lines FeI 6301.5 A, FeII 7224.4 A, and CaII 8542.6 A, we examine the spectroscopic variation of sunspot penumbral and umbral structures at the heights of formation of these lines. These high resolution observations were acquired on 2004 July 30-31, of active region NOAA 10654, using the high order NSO adaptive optics system. We map the spatio-temporal variation of Doppler signatures in these spectral lines, from the photosphere to the chromosphere. From a 70-minute temporal average of individual 32-second cadence Doppler observations we find that the averaged velocities decrease with height, about 3.5 times larger in the deeper photosphere (FeII 7224.4 A; height-of-formation approx. 50 km) than in the upper photosphere FeI 6301.5 A; height-of-formation approx. 350 km), There is a remarkable coherence of Doppler signals over the height difference of 300 km. From a high-speed animation of the Doppler sequence we find evidence for what appears to be ejection of high speed gas concentrations from edges of penumbral filaments into the surrounding granular photosphere. The Evershed flow persists a few arcseconds beyond the traditionally demarcated penumbra-granulation boundary. We present these and other results and discuss the implications of these measurements for sunspot models.

Balasubramaniam, K. S.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Tracking Climate Effects on Plant-Pollinator Interaction Phenology with Satellites and Honey Bee Hives

Background/Question/Methods: The complexity of plant-pollinator interactions, the large number of species involved, and the lack of species response functions present challenges to understanding how these critical interactions may be impacted by climate and land cover change on large scales. Given the importance of this interaction for terrestrial ecosystems, it is desirable to develop new approaches. We monitor the daily weight change of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies to record the phenology of the Honey Bee Nectar Flow (HBNF) in a volunteer network (honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov). The records document the successful interaction of a generalist pollinator with a variety of plant resources. We extract useful HBNF phenology metrics for three seasons. Sites currently exist in 35 states/provinces in North America, with a concentration in the Mid-Atlantic region. HBNF metrics are compared to standard phenology metrics derived from remotely sensed vegetation indices from NASA's MODIS sensor and published results from NOAA's A VHRR. At any given time the percentage of plants producing nectar is usually a sma11 fraction of the total satellite sensor signal. We are interested in determining how well the 'bulk' satellite vegetation parameters relate to the phenology of the HBNF, and how it varies spatially on landscape to continental scales. Results/Conclusions: We found the median and peak seasonal HBNF dates to be robust, with variation between replicate scale hives of only a few days. We developed quality assessment protocols to identify abnormal colony artifacts. Temporally, the peak and median of the HBNF in the Mid-Atlantic show a significant advance of 0.58 d/y beginning about 1970, very similar to that observed by the A VHRR since 1982 (0.57 d/y). Spatially, the HBNF metrics are highly correlated with elevation and winter minimum temperature distribution, and exhibit significant but regionally coherent inter-annual variation. The relationship between median of the spring HBNF with the "Green-up" metric from the 500 meter MODIS NDVI phenology product, for sites throughout the Eastern US 2000-2009, is well described by a single linear fit (r(exp 2) = 0.72). We conclude.that for the tree-dominated areas of the Eastern US at least the spring HBNF can be tracked very well by MODIS phenology. Analysis of other regions and seasons is presently underway but with more limited data. Spatial patterns in the eastern US and management implications will be presented and discussed.

Esaias, Wayne E.↗