Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Hanner, M. S..
An absorption feature at 2.9-3.0 microns has been detected for the first time in comet Cernis 19831 at 3.3 AU. The feature is interpreted as scattering by ice grains in the comet's coma. The thermal emission spectrum indicates that hot, micron-sized absorbing grains are also present in the coma.
Infrared observations of six comets ranging in heliocentric distance from 1 to 5 AU are reported. Data consist of wide and intermediate bandpass filter photometry, 1-20 microns, for periodic comets Stephan-Oterma, Swift-Gehrels, Kearns-Kwee, Gunn, and Grigg-Skjellerup and for parabolic Comet Elias (1981 XV). All of the comets show infrared temperatures hotter than a theoretical black body, indicating small absorbing grains. No emission feature at 10 microns was observed within the accuracy of the filter photometry. The photometric system is discussed in detail, and temperature-dependent corrections to monochromatic magnitudes are presented.
Consideration is given to: the mass loading of planetary magnetospheres by rocky satellites; the effects of electrostatic forces on the vertical structure of planetary rings; and dust motion in Jupiter's tilted magnetic field. Other topics include: IRAS observations of cometary dust; dust environment models for Comet P/Halley; plasma processes and solar wind interaction; and cometary interplanetary field enhancements in the solar wind. Consideration is also given to: the impact of dust grains on fast fly-by spacecraft; EUV observations of Comet Halley; and the thermal model and thermo-mechanical stresses in cometary nuclei.
Measurements of the thermal emission from the cometary dust coma can be used to derive the rate of dust production from the nucleus as well as the size distribution of absorbing grains. More than ten short-period comets have now been observed in the infrared over a wide range in heliocentric distance. Dust production rates are derived for these comets based on theoretical models of the thermal emission from small absorbing grains and calculations of dust grain velocities. The mean size and albedo of the dust grains is similar in these comets, with the exception of Comet Crommelin, which seems to have had larger, darker grains.
Observational data on the thermal emission from cometary dust grains and theoretical models constructed to explain them are reviewed. Consideration is given to grain temperature, the size distribution of the grains, thermal-emission models, the silicate component, dust-grain albedo, and icy grains; model predictions and observations are compared in graphs. It is pointed out that no unambiguous detection of icy grains has been achieved, probably because these grains are vaporized within a few hundred km of the nucleus when the comet is within 2.5 AU of the sun.
The characteristics of the thermal emission from cometary dust are discussed and the observations compared with models for absorbing and silicate grains. The observed JHK colors are discussed and suggested observations of future comets are outlined. The observed 4.8 microns/3.5 microns flux ratio can be fit with absorbing grains, with a variation in particle size less than a factor of 2 for all comets observed. The relative number of silicate grains necessary to produce an observable feature at 10 microns is a strong function of their temperature. If they are cold (no absorption at visual wavelengths), a considerable number could be present without producing a detectable feature above the thermal continuum from the hot absorbing grains.
The various definitions of albedo used in planetary astronomy are reviewed. In particular, the Bond albedo, which refers only to the reflected and refracted components, is not applicable to small particles or highly irregular particles, where diffraction is not restricted to a well-defined lobe at small scattering angles. Measured scattering functions for irregular particles are presented in a normalized form and are applied to the case of zodiacal light.
The IR thermal emission from cometary dust is analyzed by two size distribution functions, Sekanina A and a modified Sekanina Miller distribution. The resulting thermal emission spectra are illustrated for heliocentric distances 0.15 to 1.6 AU. The Sekania A distribution does not predict the observed heliocentric variation in the flux ratio I (4.8 micron) I (3.5 micron) for bright comets. A size distribution intermediate between the two presented is a better representation of the dust in recently observed comets.
While there is no direct evidence for the presence of icy grains in cometary comae, they are assumed in order to explain observed phenomena. The evaporation of icy grains over the distance scale of the visible cometary coma sets specific limits on their temperature. Unless the grains are pure water ice, maximum icy grain halo size will be limited to a few hundred km at heliocentric distances not greater than about 2.5 AU. While it is unlikely that the 1.5- or 2.0-micron ice band could be detected in the scattering by icy grains, detection of the 3.0-micron ice band may be possible in comets displaying a coma at large heliocentric distances.
Broadband IR photometry in the 1-20 micron range of the comets P/Stephan-Oterma and Bowell shows JHK colors similar to P/Meier and P/Tuttle, which are compatible with the scattering of sunlight by micron-sized grains. In addition, the P/Stephan-Oterma thermal emission was found to have an effective temperature higher than that expected from a blackbody in equilibrium. It is demonstrated that the thermal emission can be fit by models of the dust coma consisting of micron-sized grains, and that most of the flux at all observed wavelengths comes from the dust grains rather than the nucleus.
The zodiacal light brightness and measured spatial density of the interplanetary dust lead to a mean geometric albedo of 0.24 for the dust particles near 1 AU; whereas the composition of collected micrometeroids suggests a geometric albedo of less than or approximately equal to 0.1. The data do not support the very low albedo (0.01 or less) proposed by Cook (1978). The evidence is against a change in the mean particle albedo between 0.1 and 2 AU. Beyond 2 AU, the data are unclear and a change in albedo is not ruled out.
Observations of the sunlight scattered and thermal emission from cometary dust, which may be used to infer the physical properties of the dust grains, are reviewed. Consideration is given to the observed wavelength dependence of the scattered light from cometary coma and tails, the average scattering function of the dust grains, the average grain Bond albedo, the polarization of the scattered light, and grain temperatures deduced from thermal infrared emission. The thermal properties of dust grains are illustrated for models based on magnetite or olivine grain materials, with consideration given to the variation of thermal properties with particle radius and heliocentric distance. Comparison of the models with observations indicates that a disordered or amorphous olivine composition can give a reasonable fit to the data for appropriate grain sizes and temperatures. The observations acquired are noted to indicate an optically important particle size of 1 micron, with silicate particles not larger than a few microns usually present although pure silicate grains can not be responsible for the thermal emission, and the cometary dust grains are most likely not spherical. Further observations needed in the infrared are indicated.
Orbiter infrared measurements of the Venus atmosphere in the 60to 140-kilometer region show very small diurnal temperature differences near the cloud tops, increasing somewhat at higher levels. The seasonal (that is, equator to pole) contrasts are an order of magnitude larger, and the temperatures unexpectedly increase with increasing latitude below 80 kilometers. An isothermal layer at least two scale heights in vertical extent is found near the 100-kilometer altitude, where the temperature is about 175 K. Structure is present in the cloud temperature maps on a range of spatial scales. The most striking is at high latitude, where contrasts of nearly 50 K are observed between a cold circumpolar band and the region near the pole itself.
The following general picture of the interplanetary dust is presented: (1) size distribution; (2) spatial distribution; (3) composition; (4) dynamics; and (5) origin. The solar probe mission provides a unique opportunity to study the evolution of the interplanetary dust and its eventual destruction near the sun. Two destructive processes (fragmentation and vaporization) of interplanetary dust are discussed.
Measurements of interplanetary dust via zodiacal light observations and direct detection are discussed for an out-of-ecliptic space probe. Particle fluxes and zodiacal light brightnesses were predicted for three models of the dust distribution. These models predict that most of the information will be obtained at space probe distances less than 1 A.U. from the ecliptic plane. Joint interpretation of the direct particle measurements and the zodiacal light data can yield the best knowledge of the three-dimensional particle dynamics, spatial distribution, and physical characteristics of the interplanetary dust. Such measurements are important for an understanding of the origin and role of the dust in relation to meteoroids, asteroids, and comets, as well as the interaction of the dust with solar forces.
Sky maps made by the Pioneer 10 Imaging Photopolarimeter (IPP) at sun-spacecraft distances from 1 to 3 AU have been analyzed to derive the brightness of the zodiacal light near the ecliptic at elongations greater than 90 degrees. The change in zodiacal light brightness with heliocentric distance is compared with models of the spatial distribution of the dust. Use of background starlight brightnesses derived from IPP measurements beyond the asteroid belt, where the zodiacal light is not detected, and, especially, use of a corrected calibration lead to considerably lower values for zodiacal light than those reported by us previously.
To evaluate possible effects of solar flares on the brightness of the inner zodiacal light, it is necessary to consider the brightness contribution along the line of sight and as a function of sun-particle distance. For this purpose, models of the brightness contribution along the line of sight are presented for both dielectric and metallic particles with a spatial distribution of the form 1, 1/r, and 1/r-squared. These models are discussed in terms of the geometry of shock front interaction. A reported zodiacal light enhancement following a solar flare (Blackwell and Ingham, 1961) is analyzed on the basis of the shock front geometry.
The results of background starlight observations are reviewed that were obtained by the Pioneer 10 asteroid-Jupiter probe when, after passage beyond the asteroid belt, its imaging photopolarimeter observed integrated starlight and diffuse galactic light for the first time in the absence of zodiacal light. Brightnesses in the blue are presented with and without individually resolved stars for regions of the sky observed when Pioneer 10 was 4.64 astronomical units from the sun.