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Datlowe, D. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Datlowe, D. W..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Magnetospheric Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (MAXIE)

This report summarizes the activities sponsored by the Office of Naval Research for the Magnetospheric Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (MAXIE). The MAXIE instrument was developed as a joint activity of Lockheed, The Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Bergen, Norway. Lockheed was responsible for the overall management of the program, interfacing with the appropriate government agencies, the overall electrical and mechanical design, flight software, environmental testing, spacecraft integration activities, on orbit checkout, and data processing activities. The Magnetospheric Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (MAXIE), the ONR 401 experiment, is the first in a new class of satellite-borne remote sensing instruments. The primary innovation is the ability to obtain rapid, sequential, images with high sensitivity of the earth's X ray aurora from a low altitude polar orbiting satellite. These images can be used to identify dynamic temporal variations in the three-dimensional (energy and position) distribution of electron precipitation into the atmosphere. MAXIE was launched on the TIROS NOAA-13 satellite on 9 August 1993. The experiment performed well during its turn-on sequence; however, the spacecraft bus failed on 21 August 1993. New spacebased technologies successfully used in MAXIE were mixed-mode ASIC microcircuits, a zero torque scanning system with associated viscoelastic damping, a paraffin stow release mechanism, a parallel integrating PHA processor, a low noise Si(Li) sensor telescope, and an advanced thermal cooling system. MAXIE's on orbit operation, control of penetrating particle backgrounds, and scientific data indicated good overall performance.

Imhof, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Atmospheric energy input and ionization by energetic electrons during the geomagnetic storm of 8-9 November 1991

The Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (AXIS) of the Particle Environment Monitor investigation aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite monitors energy input to the upper atmosphere due to energetic electrons. Analysis of the AXIS data from the major geomagnetic storm of 8-9 November 1991 is presented. During the November storm, electrons above a few keV flowing into a substantially expanded auroral zone provided the bulk of the ionizing power to the upper atmosphere. At the peak of the disturbance the total AXIS-observed power reached 40 GW. On 9 November the whole day average atmospheric ionization rate in the auroral zone at 80 km altitude exceeded the rate due to solar UV and solar X-rays by a factor of over 10 to 100.

Chenette, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Global atmospheric energy deposition by energetic electrons - Quantitative spatial and temporal characteristics inferred from the Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (PEM/AXIS) on UARS

The primary purpose of PEM/AXIS is to provide a global monitor of the energy input to the upper atmosphere due to energetic electrons. The design, development, and calibration of AXIS are described and an assessment of its excellent on-orbit performance is presented. The unique capabilities of X-ray imaging spectrometers to monitor the global patterns of electron energy deposition in the atmosphere are shown through an analysis of some specific cases during the first year of the UARS mission.

Chenette, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Global spectroscopy and imaging of atmospheric X-ray bremsstrahlung - Instrumentation and initial results from the PEM/AXIS instrument aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

The Atmospheric X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (PEM/AXIS) aboard NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite provides continuous horizon to horizon images, both day and night, of the 3- to 100-keV X-ray flux emitted from the top of the atmosphere. AXIS achieves a spatial resolution to better than 100 km using a one-dimensional array of 16 passively cooled silicon detectors. The primary purpose of this instrument is to provide a global monitor of electron energy input to the upper atmosphere. We describe the design, development, and calibration of AXIS and provide an assessment of its excellent on-orbit performance. The unique capabilities of X-ray imaging spectrometers are demonstrated through an analysis of specific examples from October and November 1991. Important new developments for follow-on instruments also will be described.

Chenette, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Relativistic electron enhancements - Simultaneous measurements from synchronous and low altitude satellites

This paper presents, for the first time, simultaneous measurements of trapped relativistic electron enhancements at synchronous altitude and precipitating electrons in the bounce loss cone at low altitudes. The measurements show that the daily variations in the precipitation flux for L greater than 5 correlated well with the daily variations in the total flux at high altitude, both with respect to sudden enhancements as well as flux depletions. The daily averaged precipitating flux (E greater than 1 MeV) at L = 6.1 to 7.1 was about 0.3 percent of the daily averaged directional flux (E not less than 1.5 MeV) observed at synchronous altitude, whereas within narrow spikes the precipitating directional fluxes were often within a factor of 10 of the daily averaged trapped fluxes. Strong depletions in the synchronous altitude not less than 1.5 MeV electron intensities are shown to be associated with low-altitude measurements of the equatorward movement of precipitating spikes to lower L shells.

Imhof, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The Lockheed OSO-8 program. Analysis of data from the mapping X-ray heliometer experiment

The final report describes the extent of the analysis effort, and other activities associated with the preservation and documentation of the data set are described. The main scientific results, which are related to the behavior of individual solar activity regions in the energy band 1.5 - 15 keV, are summarized, and a complete bibliography of publications and presentations is given. Copies of key articles are also provided.

Acton, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Does the emission measure decrease during the start of a soft X-ray flare

It is suggested that the apparent emission dip found in soft X-ray flare observations, interpreted as the emission from a single temperature plasma, is an artifact. According to this hypothesis, the flare phenomenon represents a combination of flare plus a stable active region plasma. A small amount of hot flare plasma will dominate the total emission, and the calculated isothermal plasma parameters will trend towards those of the hot flare plasma, so that a decrease in emission measure will be inferred. It is claimed that observed data fit the model of a stable plasma plus a flare plasma better than it does the model of a single plasma, in accordance with a chi square statistic. The model of stable plasma plus flare plasma is also supported by the observation that the plasma parameters in the postflare condition are indistinguishable from those during preflare.

Wolfson, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

High resolution stereoscopic X-ray imaging of coronal features during a solar probe flyby

The possible role of solar probe mission in answering fundamental questions about the structure and heating of coronal loops is examined. The experimental technique consists of imaging 1-10 keV X-rays to give accurate temperature profiles of hot active regions and post-flare loops. A limitation on the interpretation of such pictures is that steroscopic reconstruction of the three dimensional arches requires many lines of sight. This kind of information can be provided only by a rapid solar flyby. In addition, the proximity to the sun will provide useful spatial resolution with compact instrumentation. The pictures thus obtained will provide crucial tests of theoretical models of coronal arches.

Datlowe, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Pulse pile-up in hard X-ray detector systems

When pulse-height spectra are measured by a nuclear detection system at high counting rates, the probability that two or more pulses will arrive within the resolving time of the system is significant. This phenomenon, pulse pile-up, distorts the pulse-height spectrum and must be considered in the interpretation of spectra taken at high counting rates. A computational technique for the simulation of pile-up is developed. The model is examined in the three regimes where (1) the time between pulses is long compared to the detector-system resolving time, (2) the time between pulses is comparable to the resolving time, and (3) many pulses occur within the resolving time. The technique is used to model the solar hard X-ray experiment on the OSO-7 satellite; comparison of the model with data taken during three large flares shows excellent agreement. The paper also describes rule-of-thumb tests for pile-up and identifies the important detector design factors for minimizing pile-up, i.e., thick entrance windows and short resolving times in the system electronics.

Datlowe, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Heating and cooling of the thermal X-ray plasma in solar flares

Characteristic times for the heating and cooling of thermal plasma in X-ray flares are estimated from the time profile of the flare and from the temperature, emission measure and length scale of the flare-heated plasma. It is implied from the empirical values for the characteristic times that flares are produced by magnetic field reconnection; that conductive cooling of the plasma dominates radiative cooling; and that reconnection heating and conductive cooling are approximately in balance at thermal X-ray maximum.

Moore, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

X-ray bursts from solar flares behind the limb

X-ray bursts are identified from the UCSD OSO-7 X-ray experiment data. X-ray spectroheliograms of OSO-5, H alpha activity at the limb, and the emergence and disappearance of sunspot groups at the limb were studied and 17 active centers were found as likely seats of the X-ray bursts beyond the limb. The analysis of 37 X-ray bursts and their physical parameters is presented. Results show that (1) the distributions of maximum temperature, maximum emission measure, and characteristic cooling time of the over-the-limb events do not significantly differ from those of disk events; (2) that radiation is the dominant cooling mechanism for the hot flare plasma; and (3) that the scale height for X-ray emission in the 5-10 keV range is large. Observations show that the fraction of soft X-ray bursts which have a nonthermal component is the same on and off of the disk. Hard X-ray emission over extended regions is indicated.

Roy, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

X-ray bursts from solar flares behind the limb

Data from the OSO-7 X-ray experiment were used in a search for behind-the-limb solar X-ray bursts. Seventeen active centers were found as likely seats of such bursts. The spectra of 37 over-the-limb X-ray bursts were analyzed. The distributions of maximum temperature, maximum emission measure, and characteristic cooling time do not differ in a statistically significant way from the distributions for center events. The observations support the view that the dominant cooling mechanism is conduction, for the cooling times derived from the temperature histories are too small to be explained by radiative cooling. The fraction of over-the-limb bursts which have an nonthermal component is 2/3, exactly the same as found for the 122 X-ray bursts studied in Datlowe et al. (1974b). Thick-target models of X-ray emission would suggest that hard X-ray sources would be rapidly occulted with increasing longitude of the burst location, yet just the contrary was observed.

Roy, J.-R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The relationship between hard and soft X-ray bursts observed by OSO 7

The paper reviews the observations of solar X-rays in the range 1-100 keV made by the solar X-ray instrument on board the OSO-7 satellite and explores the relationship between the hard and soft X-ray components in order to glean some information on the physics of solar flares. Some of the results are as follows: The growth of the soft X-ray emission in a burst must be due to the addition of new hot material to the flare plasma. The anticorrelation between cooling time and maximum plasma temperature gives new evidence to support conduction as the principal cooling mechanism of the hot flare plasma. Observations of hard X-ray emission from bursts which occurred behind the limb indicate that hard X-ray emission comes at least in part from considerable heights in the corona.

Datlowe, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

OSO-7 observations of solar X-rays in the energy range 10-100 keV

Data on 123 hard X-ray bursts observed by the satellite OSO-7 between Oct. 10, 1971 and June 6, 1972 are described and evaluated. Typical duration of a burst is 100 sec. Average spectral indices lie between 3.5 and 5.5 for two-thirds of the 123 bursts, with a median of 4.6. In some events a soft-hard-soft pattern is observed, but there are numerous examples in which the spectrum softens continuously throughout the burst. The mean shape of the hard X-ray time profile as measured by the full width at half maximum does not depend on burst amplitude; nor does the spectral hardness correlate with the flux. The distribution of burst peak fluxes and the observation of large soft X-ray bursts without accompanying hard X rays suggest the existence of a distinct class of solar flares which emit only soft X rays. No center-to-limb variation was found in the frequency of occurrence of bursts or in the fraction with a nonthermal component. Estimates of the energy in the form of nonthermal electrons and in the flare plasma derived from these data indicate that the total amounts in each are comparable.

Datlowe, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Observations of solar X-ray bursts in the energy range 5-15 keV

Bursts of solar X-rays in the energy range 5-15 keV are associated with flares and are due to thermal emission from a hot coronal plasma. The results of the first study of a large sample of separate bursts, 197 events associated with subflares, and of a few events of importance 1 are presented. The observations were made by a proportional counter on the satellite OSO-7 from October, 1971 to June, 1972. In most cases, the temperature characterizing the X-ray spectrum rises impulsively at the onset of the burst and then declines slowly throughout the remainder of the burst. The emission measure rises exponentially with a time scale of 30-100 sec and then declines slowly on a time scale of the order of 1,000 sec. It is shown that the growth of the thermal energy in the flare plasma throughout the burst can be due to the heating of new cool material.

Datlowe, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The direction and spectral variability of a cosmic gamma-ray burst

Description of the simultaneous observations of a gamma-ray event by five different satellites on May 14, 1972 in widely differing geomagnetic environments. The direction of the source was unambiguously determined, and it is concluded that the event was real and not caused by some unexplained spurious or instrumental effects. Since the obtained direction is far from the earth and the sun, the conclusion is that this gamma-ray event was almost certainly of cosmic origin. The total energy at the earth in this event was about .0005 ergs/sq cm from 11 to 1500 keV.

Wheaton, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Spectral development of a solar X-ray burst observed on OSO-7.

The UCSD solar X-ray instrument on the OSO-7 satellite observes X-ray bursts in the 2- to 300-keV range with 10.24-sec time resolution. Spectra obtained from the proportional counter and scintillation counter are analyzed for the event of Nov. 16, 1971, at 0519 UT in terms of thermal (exponential spectrum) and nonthermal (power law) components. The energy content of the approximately 20,000,000 K thermal plasma increased with the 60-sec duration hard X-ray burst, which entirely preceded the 5-keV soft X-ray maximum. If the hard X-rays arise by thick target bremsstrahlung, the nonthermal electrons above 10 keV have sufficient energy to heat the thermally emitting plasma. In the thin target case the collisional energy transfer from nonthermal electrons suffices if the power law electron spectrum is extrapolated below 10 keV, or if the ambient plasma density exceeds 4 x 10 to the 10th power per cu cm.

Mckenzie, D. L.↗