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Results for “BACKSCATTERING”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,459 records · Page 81
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

915rwpwindmomentlow (a0)

The radar wind profiler/radio acoustic sounding system (RWP/RASS), available in 915-MHz (for U.S. deployments) and 1290-MHz (for foreign deployments), measures wind profiles and backscattered signal strength between (nominally) 0.1 km and 5 km and virtual temperature profiles between 0.1 km and 2.5 km. However, ARM no longer operates the RASS portion. The RWP transmits electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere in as many as five directions (four tilted in opposing vertical planes and on vertical) and measures the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Calculation of the Doppler shift of the returned signal allows calculation of the atmospheric wind profile.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

1290rwpprecipcon (a1)

The radar wind profiler/radio acoustic sounding system (RWP/RASS), available in 915-MHz (for U.S. deployments) and 1290-MHz (for foreign deployments), measures wind profiles and backscattered signal strength between (nominally) 0.1 km and 5 km and virtual temperature profiles between 0.1 km and 2.5 km. However, ARM no longer operates the RASS portion. The RWP transmits electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere in as many as five directions (four tilted in opposing vertical planes and on vertical) and measures the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Calculation of the Doppler shift of the returned signal allows calculation of the atmospheric wind profile.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

1290rwpprecipspec (a0)

The radar wind profiler/radio acoustic sounding system (RWP/RASS), available in 915-MHz (for U.S. deployments) and 1290-MHz (for foreign deployments), measures wind profiles and backscattered signal strength between (nominally) 0.1 km and 5 km and virtual temperature profiles between 0.1 km and 2.5 km. However, ARM no longer operates the RASS portion. The RWP transmits electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere in as many as five directions (four tilted in opposing vertical planes and on vertical) and measures the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Calculation of the Doppler shift of the returned signal allows calculation of the atmospheric wind profile.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

1290rwpprecipmom (a0)

The radar wind profiler/radio acoustic sounding system (RWP/RASS), available in 915-MHz (for U.S. deployments) and 1290-MHz (for foreign deployments), measures wind profiles and backscattered signal strength between (nominally) 0.1 km and 5 km and virtual temperature profiles between 0.1 km and 2.5 km. However, ARM no longer operates the RASS portion. The RWP transmits electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere in as many as five directions (four tilted in opposing vertical planes and on vertical) and measures the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Calculation of the Doppler shift of the returned signal allows calculation of the atmospheric wind profile.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1984

The radar cross section of dielectric disks

A solution is presented for the backscatter (monostatic) radar cross section of dielectric disks of arbitrary shape, thickness, and dielectric constant. The result is obtained by employing a Kirchhoff-type approximation to obtain the fields inside the disk. The internal fields induce polarization and conduction currents from which the scattered fields and the radar cross section can be computed. The solution for the radar cross section obtained in this manner will be shown to agree with known results in the special cases of normal incidence, thin disks, and perfect conductivity. It will also be shown that the solution can be written as a product of the reflection coefficient of an identically oriented slab times the physical optics solution for the backscatter cross section of a perfectly conducting disk of the same shape. This result follows directly from the Kirchhoff-type approximation without additional assumptions.

Radar cross section↗
NASA NTRS1994

(abstract) Monitoring the Freeze/Thaw Transitions in Taiga Forests Using ERS-1 SAR

Automated recording stations have been installed at the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest, a Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site located near Fairbanks, Alaska, in a forest stand of the Tanana River floodplain underlain by discontinuous permafrost. These stations provide a continuous record of dielectric constant and temperature of tree trunks, and soil moisture and temperature profiles down to the root zone. Along with the weather stations deployed at the same location, these measurements provide a continuous record of the environmental and phenologic conditions of the forest during a complete seasonal cycle. At the same time, ERS-1 SAR imaged the study site repeatedly from space to provide radar backscatter measurements of the forest approximately three times a month. Here, we examine the temporal dynamic of ERS-1 SAR measurements in relation with the changing environmental and phenologic state of the forest canopy and of the forest ground layers during the winter/spring and fall/winter transitions of 1992 and 1993. During these transitions, we examine whether changes in radar backscatter observed by ERS-1 may be related to freezing or thawing of the soil and vegetation in order to determine the start and end of the growing season for the forest. The results of this analysis are used in turn to determine whether similar changes are observed over larger regions. Mosaics of SAR data generated along three different North-South Alaskan ERS-1 transects that intercept with our study site are used in combination with hourly air temperature and daily precipitation rates gathered at airport weather stations by the National Weather Service. Results obtained using ERS-1 data collected from January 1992 to mid-1993 will be discussed.

permafrost temporal dynamics Alaska ecology radar ↗
NASA NTRS1993

(abstract) Monitoring Seasonal Change in Taiga Forests Using ERS-1 SAR Data

Sensitivity of radar backscatter to the dielectric and geometric character of forested regions suggests significant changes in backscatter are expected with season due to freezing temperatures, snow, wind, leaf fall, and drought. The first European Remote Sensing Satellite, ERS-1, offers a unique opportunity to monitor a complete seasonal cycle for the Alaskan taiga forest ecosystem with synthetic aperture radar. During the 3-day repeat Commissioning Phase of ERS-1, from August 1991to December 1991, ERS-1 SAR data were collected in the region of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska, along the Tanana River, west of Fairbanks. In parallel with the SAR data collection, meteorological data from three weather stations positioned in three forest stands were collected continuously along with in situ measurements of the dielectric and moisture properties of the canopy and of ground cover which were collected during each overflight. The in situ data were collected in floodplain forest stands dominated by balsam poplar, white spruce, and black spruce. These results from the Commissioning Phase as well as preliminary results from the 35-day Repeat Phase will be presented.

characteristics geometric characteristics moisture↗
NASA NTRS1993

(abstract) Examining Sea Ice SAR Signatures in the Arctic

This research examines the seasonal changes of the sea ice cover in the Arctic Basin as it responds to atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Monitoring this process provides a means of determining the onset and extent of the annual seasonal stages, which is thought to be an indicator for detecting climate change in the polar regions. Much of the response of sea ice to seasonal conditions results in changes in the phase of water (both in the ice and snow cover), surface roughness, and internal properties such as air bubbles. Imagery from SAR has proven to be an important tool for revealing these changes since radar backscatter is affected by both surface roughness and dielectric properties of water and salt. The major ice types and ice features may have unique SAR backscatter signatures because of the inherent variations in surface roughness, salinity, and internal properties in each category.

change surface roughness dielectric properties↗
NASA NTRS2009

SAR Imagery Applied to the Monitoring of Hyper-Saline Deposits: Death Valley Example (CA)

The present study aims at understanding the influence of salinity on the dielectric constant of soils and then on the backscattering coeff cients recorded by airborne/spaceborne SAR systems. Based on dielectric measurements performed over hyper-saline deposits in Death Valley (CA), as well as laboratory electromagnetic characterization of salts and water mixtures, we used the dielectric constants as input parameters of analytical IEM simulations to model both the amplitude and phase behaviors of SAR signal at C, and L-bands. Our analytical simulations allow to reproduce specif c copolar signatures recorded in SAR data, corresponding to the Cottonball Basin saltpan. We also propose the copolar backscattering ratio and phase difference as indicators of moistened and salt-affected soils. More precisely, we show that these copolar indicators should allow to monitor the seasonal variations of the dielectric properties of saline deposits.

evaporites↗
NASA NTRS2001

April 1998 Asian dust event: A southern California perspective

In late April 1998 an extreme Asian dust episode reached the U.S. western seaboard. This event was observed by several in situ and remote sensing atmospheric measurement stations. Dramatic reductions in boundary layer visibility were recorded and the resultant peak backscatter coefficients exceeded prevailing upper tropospheric background conditions by at least 2 orders of magnitude. An analysis of this event is given using lidar vertical backscatter profilometry, concurrent Sun photometer opacity data, and transport modeling.

aerosol↗
DOE OSTI2014

Characterizing the convective boundary layer turbulence with a High Spectral Resolution Lidar

Abstract High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) aerosol backscatter coefficient observations collected in Norman, Oklahoma, USA, between April and July 2012 were analyzed to characterize the turbulent fluctuations in the convective boundary layer (CBL). Seventeen cloud‐free 2 h periods, during which the CBL was quasi‐stationary in the late afternoon, were selected. Autocovariance techniques were applied to each 2 h period to derive vertical profiles of statistical moments and integral scale. The low random noise level in the HSRL allowed meaningful estimates of the variance, skewness ( S ), and kurtosis ( K ) of the aerosol backscatter field to be computed. The S profiles showed a transition from negative to positive just below the top of the CBL ( z i ); this suggests that there are relatively few narrow plumes of aerosol‐laden air being lofted from the CBL into the free troposphere (yielding positive S above z i ) and similarly that there are some plumes of cleaner air descending from the free troposphere into the CBL (negative S below z i ). Vertical profiles of K indicated that the distribution of aerosols transitioned from leptokurtic to platykurtic just above z i . However, the profile of K is not symmetric around z i ; the turbulence is more intermittent above z i and below 0.8 z i , but the turbulent motions are relatively constant between 0.8 z i and z i . The relationship between S and K in the upper portion of the CBL and through the interfacial layer indicated that the distribution of turbulence is not Gaussian (i.e., S is 0 and K is 3) at any height.

McNicholas, Callie↗
DOE OSTI2017

Seven years of aerosol scattering hygroscopic growth measurements from SGP: Factors influencing water uptake: Aerosol Scattering Hygroscopic Growth

Long-term measurements of changes in the aerosol scattering coefficient hygroscopic growth at the U.S. Department of Energy Southern Great Plains site provide information on the seasonal as well as size and chemical dependence of aerosol hygroscopic growth. Annual average sub 10 um fRH values (the ratio of aerosol scattering at 85%/40% RH) were 1.75 and 1.87 for the gamma and kappa fit algorithms, respectively. The study found higher growth rates in the winter and spring seasons that correlated with high aerosol nitrate mass fraction. FRH, exhibited strong, but differing correlations with the scattering Ångström exponent and backscatter fraction, two optical size-dependent parameters. The aerosol organic fraction had a strong influence, with fRH decreasing with increases in the organic mass fraction and absorption Ångström exponent and increasing with the aerosol single scatter albedo. Uncertainty analysis if the fit algorithms revealed high uncertainty at low scattering coefficients and slight increases in uncertainty at high RH and fit parameters values.

Jefferson, A.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Raman study of amorphization in nanocrystalline 3C-SiC irradiated with C+ and He+ ions

This study examines C+ and He+ ion irradiation induced amorphization processes in 3C-SiC nanograins embedded in an amorphous SiC matrix. Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry are used for damage characterization. SiC grains with an average size of either ~6 or ~20 nm were observed to be fully amorphized to a lower dose at room temperature compared to their monocrystalline counterpart under the identical irradiation condition. In addition to damage accumulation induced amorphization in the grains, preferential amorphization at the crystalline/amorphous interfaces could play a significant role. This interface-driven amorphization proceeds at comparable rates for C+ and He+ ion irradiations. The results may have an important implication for nanocrystalline SiC to be applied in advanced nuclear reactors.

Amorphization, Ion irradiation, Silicon carbide, N↗
DOE OSTI2020

Relating Texture and Thermomechanical Processing Variables in Mg–Zn–Ca Alloys

It is well known that the strong basal texture commonly produced in magnesium alloy sheets leads to poor formability at room temperature. A sizable body of work has explored how changing the alloy composition and rolling conditions can yield more desirable textures; however important thermomechanical variables, such as the feed rate during rolling, are often not included in the literature, making it difficult to correlate how changes in processing affect the final crystallographic texture. This work explores the texture evolution and grain refinement in Mg-Zn-Ca alloys during plane strain compression (PSC) using a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator. This instrument allows for precise control and capture of the thermomechanical history of the sample. The texture and grain morphology of the compressed samples were characterized using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The texture results will be used to identify which alloys and processing conditions should be scaled up for future rolling studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Importance of Martensite Spatial Distribution at Large Volume Fractions in Imparting Ductility in High-Strength Dual-Phase Steel

Controlled austenite decomposition in a cold-rolled steel was carried out in a hot-dip process simulator with different inter-critical annealing process parameters to produce dual-phase steel consisting of martensite phase fraction above 50%. The evolving microstructure was characterized by using scanning electron microscope and electron backscattered diffraction techniques. Macro- and micro-texture was characterized by using x-ray diffraction and electron backscattered diffraction techniques, respectively. Uniaxial tensile deformation showed a very good combination of ultra-high strength above 900 MPa with uniform elongation of above 7%. An anomalous increase in ductility was observed for steel with high martensite volume fraction of 62.2% compared to that of lower fraction of 52.3%, indicating the influence of size and spatial distribution arrangement of ferrite and martensite phases. The enhancement in the ductility with high strength was attributed to the improved plastic deformability of hard fine martensite phase along with fine ferrite surrounding it. The nature of micro- and macro-texture was also found to affect strain partitioning compatibility between ferrite and martensite in this study.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Damage evolution of ion irradiated defected-fluorite La 2 Zr 2 O 7 epitaxial thin films

Pyrochlore-structure oxides, A2B2O7, may exhibit remarkable radiation tolerance due to the ease with which they can accommodate disorder by transitioning to a defected fluorite structure. The mechanism of defect formation was explored by evaluating the radiation damage behavior of high quality epitaxial La2Zr2O7 thin films with the defected fluorite structure, irradiated with 1 MeV Zr+ at doses up to 10 displacements per atom (dpa). The level of film damage was evaluated as a function of dose by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in the channeling geometry (RBS/c) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). At lower doses, the surface of the La2Zr2O7 film amorphized, and the amorphous fraction as a function of dose fit well to a stimulated amorphization model. As the dose increased, the surface amorphization slowed, and amorphization appeared at the interface. Even at a dose of 10 dpa, the core of the film remained crystalline, despite the prediction of amorphization from the model. To inform future ab initio simulations of La2Zr2O7, the bandgap of a thick La2Zr2O7 film was measured to be indirect at 4.96 eV, with a direct transition at 5.60 eV.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗