Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “RADIANT FLUX DENSITY”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Simulation study of a geometric shape factor technique for estimating earth-emitted radiant flux densities from wide-field-of-view radiation measurements

Geometric shape factors were computed and applied to satellite simulated irradiance measurements to estimate Earth emitted flux densities for global and zonal scales and for areas smaller than the detector field of view (FOV). Wide field of view flat plate detectors were emphasized, but spherical detectors were also studied. The radiation field was modeled after data from the Nimbus 2 and 3 satellites. At a satellite altitude of 600 km, zonal estimates were in error 1.0 to 1.2 percent and global estimates were in error less than 0.2 percent. Estimates with unrestricted field of view (UFOV) detectors were about the same for Lambertian and limb darkening radiation models. The opposite was found for restricted field of view detectors. The UFOV detectors are found to be poor estimators of flux density from the total FOV and are shown to be much better as estimators of flux density from a circle centered at the FOV with an area significantly smaller than that for the total FOV.

Weaver, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Mapping surface energy balance components by combining Landsat Thematic Mapper and ground-based meteorological data

Surface energy balance components were evaluated by combining satellite-based spectral data with on-site measurements of solar irradiance, air temperature, wind speed, and vapor pressure. Maps of latent heat flux density and net radiant flux density were produced using Landsat TM data for three dates. The TM-based estimates differed from Bowen-ratio and aircraft-based estimates by less than 12 percent over mature fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa.

Moran, M. Susan↗
DOE OSTI2011

TIME DISTRIBUTIONS OF LARGE AND SMALL SUNSPOT GROUPS OVER FOUR SOLAR CYCLES

Here we analyze solar activity by focusing on time variations of the number of sunspot groups (SGs) as a function of their modified Zurich class. We analyzed data for solar cycles 20-23 by using Rome (cycles 20 and 21) and Learmonth Solar Observatory (cycles 22 and 23) SG numbers. All SGs recorded during these time intervals were separated into two groups. The first group includes small SGs (A, B, C, H, and J classes by Zurich classification), and the second group consists of large SGs (D, E, F, and G classes). We then calculated small and large SG numbers from their daily mean numbers as observed on the solar disk during a given month. We report that the time variations of small and large SG numbers are asymmetric except for solar cycle 22. In general, large SG numbers appear to reach their maximum in the middle of the solar cycle (phases 0.45-0.5), while the international sunspot numbers and the small SG numbers generally peak much earlier (solar cycle phases 0.29-0.35). Moreover, the 10.7 cm solar radio flux, the facular area, and the maximum coronal mass ejection speed show better agreement with the large SG numbers than they do with the small SG numbers. Our results suggest that the large SG numbers are more likely to shed light on solar activity and its geophysical implications. Our findings may also influence our understanding of long-term variations of the total solar irradiance, which is thought to be an important factor in the Sun-Earth climate relationship.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

NEW SOLAR EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIANCE OBSERVATIONS DURING FLARES

New solar extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance observations from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) EUV Variability Experiment provide full coverage in the EUV range from 0.1 to 106 nm and continuously at a cadence of 10 s for spectra at 0.1 nm resolution and even faster, 0.25 s, for six EUV bands. These observations can be decomposed into four distinct characteristics during flares. First, the emissions that dominate during the flare's impulsive phase are the transition region emissions, such as the He II 30.4 nm. Second, the hot coronal emissions above 5 MK dominate during the gradual phase and are highly correlated with the GOES X-ray. A third flare characteristic in the EUV is coronal dimming, seen best in the cool corona, such as the Fe IX 17.1 nm. As the post-flare loops reconnect and cool, many of the EUV coronal emissions peak a few minutes after the GOES X-ray peak. One interesting variation of the post-eruptive loop reconnection is that warm coronal emissions (e.g., Fe XVI 33.5 nm) sometimes exhibit a second large peak separated from the primary flare event by many minutes to hours, with EUV emission originating not from the original flare site and its immediate vicinity, but rather from a volume of higher loops. We refer to this second peak as the EUV late phase. The characterization of many flares during the SDO mission is provided, including quantification of the spectral irradiance from the EUV late phase that cannot be inferred from GOES X-ray diagnostics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

FIVE YEARS OF SYNTHESIS OF SOLAR SPECTRAL IRRADIANCE FROM SDID/SISA AND SDO /AIA IMAGES

In this paper we describe the synthetic solar spectral irradiance (SSI) calculated from 2010 to 2015 using data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument, on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. We used the algorithms for solar disk image decomposition (SDID) and the spectral irradiance synthesis algorithm (SISA) that we had developed over several years. The SDID algorithm decomposes the images of the solar disk into areas occupied by nine types of chromospheric and 5 types of coronal physical structures. With this decomposition and a set of pre-computed angle-dependent spectra for each of the features, the SISA algorithm is used to calculate the SSI. We discuss the application of the basic SDID/SISA algorithm to a subset of the AIA images and the observed variation occurring in the 2010–2015 period of the relative areas of the solar disk covered by the various solar surface features. Our results consist of the SSI and total solar irradiance variations over the 2010–2015 period. The SSI results include soft X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared observations and can be used for studies of the solar radiative forcing of the Earth’s atmosphere. These SSI estimates were used to drive a thermosphere–ionosphere physical simulation model. Predictions of neutral mass density at low Earth orbit altitudes in the thermosphere and peak plasma densities at mid-latitudes are in reasonable agreement with the observations. The correlation between the simulation results and the observations was consistently better when fluxes computed by SDID/SISA procedures were used.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EFFECTS OF UNRESOLVED MAGNETIC FIELD ON Fe I 617.3 AND 630.2 nm LINE SHAPES

The contribution of the quiet Sun to solar irradiance variability, either due to changes of the solar effective temperature or to the presence of unresolved magnetic field, is still poorly understood. In this study we investigate spectral line diagnostics that are sensitive to both temperature variations and the presence of small-scale unresolved magnetic features in these areas of the solar atmosphere. Specifically, we study the dependence on the magnetic flux density of three parameters describing the shape of two magnetically sensitive Fe I lines, at 630.2 nm and 617.3 nm, namely the line core intensity (IC), the FWHM, and the equivalent width (EQW). To this end we analyze observations of active region NOAA 11172, acquired with Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer at the Dunn Solar Telescope, as well as results from numerical synthesis. Our results show that IC is sensitive to both temperature and magnetic flux density variations, FWHM is mostly affected by magnetic field changes, and EQW is mostly sensitive to temperature. Variations of a few percent of the measured line parameters are found in observational data that were spatially degraded to represent quiet-Sun, disk-center, medium-resolution observations. It is therefore possible to disentangle magnetic from pure thermodynamic effects by the comparison of temporal variations of the EQW and the FWHM of either of the two Fe I lines.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE NATURE OF CME-FLARE-ASSOCIATED CORONAL DIMMING

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are often accompanied by coronal dimming that is evident in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray observations. The locations of dimming are sometimes considered to map footpoints of the erupting flux rope. As the emitting material expands in the corona, the decreased plasma density leads to reduced emission observed in spectral and irradiance measurements. Therefore, signatures of dimming may reflect the properties of CMEs in the early phase of their eruption. In this study, we analyze the event of flare, CME, and coronal dimming on 2011 December 26. We use the data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on the Solar Dynamics Observatory for disk observations of the dimming, and analyze images taken by EUVI, COR1, and COR2 on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory to obtain the height and velocity of the associated CMEs observed at the limb. We also measure the magnetic reconnection rate from flare observations. Dimming occurs in a few locations next to the flare ribbons, and it is observed in multiple EUV passbands. Rapid dimming starts after the onset of fast reconnection and CME acceleration, and its evolution tracks the CME height and flare reconnection. The spatial distribution of dimming exhibits cores of deep dimming with a rapid growth, and their light curves are approximately linearly scaled with the CME height profile. From the dimming analysis we infer the process of the CME expansion, and estimate properties of the CME.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

SPECTRAL IRRADIANCE CALIBRATION IN THE INFRARED. XVII. ZERO-MAGNITUDE BROADBAND FLUX REFERENCE FOR VISIBLE-TO-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY

The absolutely calibrated infrared (IR) stellar spectra of standard stars described by Engelke et al. are being extended into the visible and will span a continuous wavelength range from {approx}0.35 {mu}m to 35.0 {mu}m. This paper, which is a continuation of the series on calibration initiated with Cohen et al., presents the foundation of this extension. We find that due to various irregularities Vega ({alpha} Lyr) is not suitable for its traditional role as the primary visible or near-infrared standard star. We therefore define a new zero-point flux that is independent of Vega and, as far as is feasible, uses measured spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and fluxes derived from photometry. The calibrated primary stars now underpinning this zero-point definition are 109 Vir in the visible and Sirius ({alpha} CMa) in the infrared. The resulting zero-point SED tests well against solar analog data presented by Rieke et al. while also maintaining an unambiguous link to specific calibration stars, thus providing a pragmatic range of options for any researcher wishing to tie it to a given set of photometry.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Improving the Ni I atomic model for solar and stellar atmospheric models

Neutral nickel (Ni I) is abundant in the solar atmosphere and is one of the important elements that contribute to the emission and absorption of radiation in the spectral range between 1900 and 3900 Å. Previously, the Solar Radiation Physical Modeling (SRPM) models of the solar atmosphere only considered a few levels of this species. Here, we improve the Ni I atomic model by taking into account 61 levels and 490 spectral lines. We compute the populations of these levels in full NLTE using the SRPM code and compare the resulting emerging spectrum with observations. The present atomic model significantly improves the calculation of the solar spectral irradiance at near-UV wavelengths, which is important for Earth atmospheric studies, and particularly for ozone chemistry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Comparison of physical properties of quiet and active regions through the analysis of magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar photosphere

Recent observations have shown that the photometric and dynamic properties of granulation and small-scale magnetic features depend on the amount of magnetic flux of the region they are embedded in. We analyze results from numerical hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations characterized by different amounts of average magnetic flux and find qualitatively the same differences as those reported from observations. We show that these different physical properties result from the inhibition of convection induced by the presence of the magnetic field, which changes the temperature stratification of both quiet and magnetic regions. Our results are relevant for solar irradiance variations studies, as such differences are still not properly taken into account in irradiance reconstruction models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interpretation of solar irradiance monitor measurements through analysis of 3D MHD simulations

Measurements from the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) on board the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment mission indicate that solar spectral irradiance at visible and IR wavelengths varies in counter phase with the solar activity cycle. The sign of these variations is not reproduced by most of the irradiance reconstruction techniques based on variations of surface magnetism employed so far, and it is not yet clear whether SIM calibration procedures need to be improved or if instead new physical mechanisms must be invoked to explain such variations. We employ three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar photosphere to investigate the dependence of solar radiance in SIM visible and IR spectral ranges on variations of the filling factor of surface magnetic fields. We find that the contribution of magnetic features to solar radiance is strongly dependent on the location on the disk of the features, which are negative close to disk center and positive toward the limb. If features are homogeneously distributed over a region around the equator (activity belt), then their contribution to irradiance is positive with respect to the contribution of HD snapshots, but decreases with the increase of their magnetic flux for average magnetic flux larger than 50 G in at least two of the visible and IR spectral bands monitored by SIM. Under the assumption that the 50 G snapshots are representative of quiet-Sun regions, we thus find that the Spectral Irradiance can be in counter-phase with the solar magnetic activity cycle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SOLAR SPECTRAL IRRADIANCE, SOLAR ACTIVITY, AND THE NEAR-ULTRA-VIOLET

The previous calculations of the Solar Spectral Irradiance (SSI) by the Solar Radiation Physical Modeling, version 2 system, are updated in this work by including new molecular photodissociation cross-sections of important species, and many more levels and lines in its treatment of non-LTE radiative transfer. The current calculations including the new molecular photodissociation opacities produce a reduced over-ionizaton of heavy elements in the lower chromosphere and solve the problems with prior studies of the UV SSI in the wavelength range 160–400 nm and now reproduce the available observations with much greater accuracy. Calculations and observations of the near-UV at 0.1 nm resolution and higher are compared. The current set of physical models includes four quiet-Sun and five active-region components, from which radiance is computed for ten observing angles. These radiances are combined with images of the solar disk to obtain the SSI and Total Solar Irradiance and their variations. The computed SSI is compared with measurements from space at several nm resolution and agreement is found within the accuracy level of these measurements. An important result is that the near-UV SSI increase with solar activity is significant for the photodissociation of ozone in the terrestrial atmosphere because a number of highly variable upper chromospheric lines overlap the ozone Hartley band.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Development of a high spectral resolution surface albedo product for the ARM Southern Great Plains Central Facility

We present a method for identifying dominant surface type and estimating high spectral resolution surface albedo at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) facility at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma for use in radiative transfer calculations. Given a set of 6-channel narrowband visible and near-infrared irradiance measurements from upward and downward looking multi-filter radiometers (MFRs), four different surface types (snow-covered, green vegetation, partial vegetation, non-vegetated) can be identified. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is used to distinguish between vegetated and non-vegetated surfaces, and a scaled NDVI index is used to estimate the percentage of green vegetation in partially vegetated surfaces. Based on libraries of spectral albedo measurements, a piecewise continuous function is developed to estimate the high spectral resolution surface albedo for each surface type given the MFR albedo values as input. For partially vegetated surfaces, the albedo is estimated as a linear combination of the green vegetation and non-vegetated surface albedo values. The estimated albedo values are evaluated through comparison to high spectral resolution albedo measurements taken during several Intensive Observational Periods (IOPs) and through comparison of the integrated spectral albedo values to observed broadband albedo measurements. The estimated spectral albedo values agree well with observations for the visible wavelengths constrained by the MFR measurements, but have larger biases and variability at longer wavelengths. Additional MFR channels at 1100 nm and/or 1600 nm would help constrain the high resolution spectral albedo in the near infrared region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1977

Determination and error analysis of emittance and spectral emittance measurements by remote sensing

Theoretical and experimental determinations of the emittance of soils and leaves are reviewed, and an error analysis of emittance and spectral emittance measurements is developed as an aid to remote sensing applications. In particular, an equation for the upper bound of the absolute error in an emittance determination is derived. The absolute error is found to decrease with an increase in contact temperature and to increase with an increase in environmental integrated radiant flux density. The difference between temperature and band radiance temperature is plotted as a function of emittance for the wavelength intervals 4.5 to 5.5 microns, 8 to 13.5 microns and 10.2 to 12.5 microns.

Kumar, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Determination and error analysis of emittance and spectral emittance measurements by remote sensing

The author has identified the following significant results. From the theory of remote sensing of surface temperatures, an equation of the upper bound of absolute error of emittance was determined. It showed that the absolute error decreased with an increase in contact temperature, whereas, it increased with an increase in environmental integrated radiant flux density. Change in emittance had little effect on the absolute error. A plot of the difference between temperature and band radiance temperature vs. emittance was provided for the wavelength intervals: 4.5 to 5.5 microns, 8 to 13.5 microns, and 10.2 to 12.5 microns.

Dejesusparada, N.↗