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Results for “FLUORESCENT EMISSION”

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At least 19 records

The role of reabsorption in the spectral distribution of phytoplankton fluorescence emission

A theoretical model has been developed to describe an experimentally observed spectral shift in the fluorescence emission from phytoplankton as a result of the internal reabsorption of that emission. This model accounts for both the absorption of the primary excitation and the modification of the fluorescence through the reabsorption of the emitted light by the chloroplast and by the surrounding medium. Comparisons are made between the results of the theoretical model and data derived from experiments using a number of different phytoplankton species, each adapted to varying light conditions. The details of the model are discussed, and the consequences of its interpretation on the spectral distribution of the fluorescence emission from phytoplankton are examined.

Collins, D. J.

Detection of the Orbital Modulation of Fe Kα Fluorescence Emission in Centaurus X-3 Using the High-resolution Spectrometer Resolve on board XRISM

Abstract The Fe K α fluorescence line emission in X-ray spectra is a powerful diagnostic tool for various astrophysical objects to reveal the distribution of cold matter around photoionizing sources. The advent of the X-ray microcalorimeter on board the XRISM satellite will bring new constraints on the emission line. We present one of the first such results for the high-mass X-ray binary Centaurus X-3, which is composed of an O-type star and a neutron star (NS). We conducted a 155 ks observation covering an entire binary orbit. A weak Fe K α line was detected in all orbital phases at an equivalent width (EW) of 10–20 eV. We found for the first time that its radial velocity (RV) is sinusoidally modulated by the orbital phase. The RV amplitude is 248 ± 13 km s −1 , which is significantly smaller than the value (391 km s −1 ) expected if the emission is from the NS surface, but is consistent if the emission takes place at the O star surface. We discuss several possibilities of the line production site, including the NS surface, O star surface, O star wind, and accretion stream from the O star to the NS. We ran radiative transfer calculation for some of them assuming spherically symmetric density and velocity profiles and an isotropic distribution of X-ray emission from the NS. None of them explains the observed EW and velocity dispersion dependence on the orbital phase, suggesting that more elaborated modeling is needed. In other words, the present observational results have the capability to constrain deviations from these assumptions.

High energy astrophysics

Feasibility of airborne detection of laser-induced fluorescence emissions from green terrestrial plants

The present investigation provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the airborne detection of the laser-induced fluorescence spectral emissions from living terrestrial grasses, shrubs, and trees using existing levels of lidar technology. Airborne studies were performed to ascertain system requirements necessary to detect laser-induced fluorescence from living terrestrial plants, to assess the practical acquisition of useful single-shot laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) waveforms over vegetative canopies, and to determine the comparative suitability of laser system, airborne platform, and terrestrial environmental parameters. The field experiment was conducted on May 3, 1982, over the northern portion of Wallops Island, VA. Attention is given to airborne lidar results and the description of laboratory investigations.

Hoge, F. E.

Ultraviolet continuum and H2 fluorescent emission in Herbig-Haro objects 43 and 47

IUE short wavelength spectra are presented for the low excitation Herbig-Haro objects HH 43 and HH 47. In the former, several emission lines in the Lyman band of H2 from an excited state are observed which are due to fluorescence from the H Ly-alpha line pumping a lower state (that is in turn excited by a low-velocity shock wave). No evidence of highly ionized gas emission is found in the UV spectra, and both objects exhibit a UV continuum which peaks in the vicinity of 1500 A and is probably caused by H two-photon emission enhanced by low velocity shock collisional excitation.

Schwartz, R. D.

In situ phytoplankton absorption, fluorescence emission, and particulate backscattering spectra determined from reflectance

An inverse model was developed to extract the absortion and scattering (elastic and inelastic) properties of oceanic constituents from surface spectral reflectance measurements. In particular, phytoplankton spectral absorption coefficients, solar-stimulated chlorophyll a fluorescence spectra, and particle backscattering spectra were modeled. The model was tested on 35 reflectance spectra obtained from irradiance measurements in optically diverse ocean waters (0.07 to 25.35 mg/cu m range in surface chlorophyll a concentrations). The universality of the model was demonstrated by the accurate estimation of the spectral phytoplankton absorption coefficents over a range of 3 orders of magnitude (rho = 0.94 at 500 nm). Under most oceanic conditions (chlorophyll a less than 3 mg/cu m) the percent difference between measured and modeled phytoplankton absorption coefficents was less than 35%. Spectral variations in measured phytoplankton absorption spectra were well predicted by the inverse model. Modeled volume fluorescence was weakly correlated with measured chl a; fluorescence quantum yield varied from 0.008 to 0.09 as a function of environment and incident irradiance. Modeled particle backscattering coefficients were linearly related to total particle cross section over a twentyfold range in backscattering coefficents (rho = 0.996, n = 12).

Roesler, Collin S.

The Spatial Distribution of Fluorescent H2 Emission Near T Tauri

New subarcsecond far-UV observations of T Tau with Hubble Space Telescope STIS show spatially resolved structure in the 2in. x 2in. area around the star. The structures are apparent in multiline emission of fluorescent H2 pumped by Ly(alpha). One emission structure follows the cavity walls observed around T Tau N in scattered light in the optical. A temperature of greater than or = l000 K is required to have a high enough population in the H2 to produce the observed fluorescent lines; in the cool environment of the T Tau system, shock heating is required to achieve this temperature at distances of a few tens of AU. Fluorescent H2 along the cavity wall represent the best evidence to date for the action of low-density, wide opening angle outflows driving cavities into the molecular medium at scales less than or = 100 AU. A southern region of emission consists of two arcs, with shape and orientation similar to the arcs of H2 2.12 microns and forbidden-line emission crossing the outflow associated with the embedded system T Tau S. This region is located near the centroid of forbidden-line emission at the blueshifted lobe of the north-south outflow.

Saucedo, Jose

Squeezing in phase-conjugated resonance fluorescence

Emission of resonance fluorescence by an atom near the surface of a four-wave mixing phase conjugator is considered. The dipole radiation field, regarded as a Heisenberg-operator field, is decomposed into plane waves with the aid of Weyl's representation of the Green's function for the wave equation. Each plane-wave component which is incident on the surface of the nonlinear medium, is reflected as its phase-conjugate image. Summation of all reflected plane waves then yields the phase conjugate replica of the incident dipole radiation. This field adds to the radiation which is emitted by the atom into the direction away from the medium. The condition under which squeezing occurs in the emitted resonance fluorescence is investigated.

Arnoldus, Henk F.

Red Fluorescent Line Emission from Hydrogen Molecules in Diffuse Molecular Clouds

We have modeled the fluorescent pumping of electronic and vibrational emissions of molecular hydrogen (H2) within diffuse molecular clouds that are illuminated by ultraviolet continuum radiation. Fluorescent line intensities are predicted for transitions at ultraviolet, infrared, and red visible wavelengths as functions of the gas density, the visual extinction through the cloud, and the intensity of the incident UV continuum radiation. The observed intensity in each fluorescent transition is roughly proportional to the integrated rate of H2 photodissociation along the line of sight. Although the most luminous fluorescent emissions detectable from ground-based observatories lie at near-infrared wavelengths, we argue that the lower sky brightness at visible wavelengths makes the red fluorescent transitions a particularly sensitive probe. Fabry-Perot spectrographs of the type that have been designed to observe very faint diffuse Ha emissions are soon expected to yield sensitivities that will be adequate to detect H2 vibrational emissions from molecular clouds that are exposed to ultraviolet radiation no stronger than the mean radiation field within the Galaxy. Observations of red H2 fluorescent emission together with cospatial 21 cm H I observations could serve as a valuable probe of the gas density in diffuse molecular clouds.

Neufeld, David A.

Fluorescence detection of organic molecules in the Jovian atmosphere

A search for fluorescent emission due to the presence of possible organic molecules in the Jovian atmosphere is described. We first consider natural Jovian fluorescent emission excited by precipitating auroral particles. Due to our lack of knowledge of the Jovian precipitating particle energies and fluxes we next consider fluorescent emission excited by a laser system aboard a Jupiter spacecraft. Laser-induced fluorescence is routinely used to monitor trace constituents and pollutants in the terrestrial atmosphere. Several spacecraft laser systems are currently under development. Our calculations indicate that laser-induced fluorescent detection is approximately two orders of magnitude more sensitive than rocket ultraviolet measurements of possible Jovian absorption features at 2600 A that have been attributed to the presence of adenine or benzene.

Levine, J. S.

Nitric oxide gamma band emission rate factor

Molecular fluorescence emission rate factors for the strong bands of the nitric oxide gamma system have been calculated using recent branching ratios and different temperatures. For the 1-0 gamma band the effects of self-absorption by NO have been taken into account, and effective emission rate factors were calculated for a range of NO column densities at several different temperatures. For column densities near 10 to the 16th/sq cm self-absorption corrections to the emission rate factor can be significant. The emission rate factor for the 1-0 gamma band is 7.19 or 7.68 x 10 to the -6th photons/molecule/sec depending upon the use of experimental or theoretical branching ratios.

Cravens, T. E.

Method for determining surface coverage by materials exhibiting different fluorescent properties

An improved method for detecting, measuring, and distinguishing crop residue, live vegetation, and mineral soil is presented. By measuring fluorescence in multiple bands, live and dead vegetation are distinguished. The surface of the ground is illuminated with ultraviolet radiation, inducing fluorescence in certain molecules. The emitted fluorescent emission induced by the ultraviolet radiation is measured by means of a fluorescence detector, consisting of a photodetector or video camera and filters. The spectral content of the emitted fluorescent emission is characterized at each point sampled, and the proportion of the sampled area covered by residue or vegetation is calculated.

Chappelle, Emmett W.

Dayglow emissions of the O2 Herzberg bands and the Rayleigh backscattered spectrum of the earth

It is pointed out that numerous fluorescent emissions from the Herzberg bands of molecular oxygen lie in the spectral region 242-300 nm. This coincides with the wavelength range used by orbiting spectrometers that observe the Rayleigh backscattered spectrum of the earth for the purpose of monitoring the vertical distribution of stratospheric ozone. Model calculations suggest that Herzberg band emissions in the dayglow could provide significant contamination of the ozone measurements if the quenching rate of O2(A3Sigma) is sufficiently small. It is noted that this is especially true near 255 nm, where the most intense fluorescent emissions relative to the Rayleigh scattered signal are located and where past satellite measurements have shown a persistent excess radiance above that expected for a pure ozone absorbing and molecular scattering atmosphere. Very small quenching rates, however, are adequate to reduce the dayglow emission to negligible levels. Noting that available laboratory data have not definitely established the quenching on the rate of O2(A3Sigma) as a function of vibration level, it is emphasized that such information is required before the Herzberg band contributions can be evaluated with confidence.

Frederick, J. E.

Optical Reflectance and Fluorescence for Detecting Nitrogen Needs in Zea mays L.

Nitrogen (N) status in field grown corn (Zea mays L.) was assessed using spectral techniques. Passive reflectance remote sensing and, both passive and active fluorescence sensing methods were investigated. Reflectance and fluorescence methods are reported to detect changes in the primary plant pigments (chlorophylls a and b; carotenoids) in higher plant species. As a general rule, foliar chlorophyll a (Chl a) and chlorophyll b (Chl b) usually exist in approx.3:l ratio. In plants under stress, Chl b content is affected before Chl a reductions occur. For reflectance, a version of the chlorophyll absorption in reflectance index (CARI) method was tested with narrow bands from the Airborne Imaging Spectroradiometer for Applications (ASIA). CARI minimizes the effects of soil background on the signal from green canopies. A modified CARI (MCARI) was used to track total Chl a levels in the red dip of the spectrum from the corn canopy. A second MCARI was used to track the auxiliary plant pigments (Chl b and the carotenoids) in the yellow/orange/red edge part of the reflectance spectrum. The difference between these two MCARI indices detected variations in N levels across the field plot canopies using ASIA data. At the leaf level, ratios of fluorescence emissions in the blue, green, red and far-red wavelengths sensed responses that were associated with the plant pigments, and were indicative of energy transfer in the photosynthetic process. N stressed corn stands could be distinguish from those with optimally applied N with fluorescence emission spectra obtained from individual corn leaves. Both reflectance and fluorescence methods are sensitive in detecting corn N needs and may be especially powerful in monitoring crop conditions if both types of information can be combined.

McMurtrey, J. E.

Flouorescence measurements of the thermal control coatings on LDEF experiments S0069 and A0114

Strong fluorescence emissions were observed, during post flight ultraviolet light inspection of experiments S0069 and A0114, from some of the surfaces exposed to the space environment. Subsequent wavelength measurements of the fluorescence emission characteristics, indicated large changes occurred between controls and exposed materials. Black urethane based coatings, especially ones having a silicone atomic oxygen protective overcoat, appear bright yellow under ultraviolet exposure. Measurements showed that the urethane based coatings had their emission spectra shifted into the visible wavelength range. In contrast, zinc oxide pigment type coatings showed a different effect, which was a quenching or reduction of their fluorescence versus exposure time. Silver Teflon bonded to aluminum with acrylic adhesive also showed a slight measurable fluorescence, which was found to originate in the acrylic adhesive.

Zwiener, James M.

Development of a laser fluorosensor for airborne surveying of the aquatic environment

A field based laser fluorosensor, employing a pulsed nitrogen laser and telescope photomultiplier detector system, has been successfully tested at night from a cliff top site overlooking Lake Ontario providing target ranges greater than 274 meters. Remotely sensed spectra and amplitude changes in the fluorescence emission of natural waters have shown potential as a water quality indicator. In this connection, a convenient internal reference standard with which to gauge the amplitude of the fluorescence signal is realized in the form of the concurrent water Raman emission. Remote measurements of oil fluorescence emission spectra suggest that airborne laser fluorosensors are capable of detecting and characterizing the oil in a given slick and that environmental aging of these slicks does not significantly alter their fluorescence emission signature.

Bristow, M. P. F.