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Hinteregger, H. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Hinteregger, H. E..

18 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Temporal variations of solar EUV, UV, and 10,830-A radiations

The temporal characteristics of the full-disk chromospheric EUV fluxes agree well with those of the ground-based measurements of the chromospheric He I absorption line at 10,830 A and differ systematically from those of the coronal EUV and 10.7-cm flux. The ratio of the flux increase during the rise of solar cycle 21 to that during solar rotation variations is uniformly high for the chromospheric EUV and corroborating 10,830-A fluxes, highest for the transition region and 'cool' coronal EUV fluxes (T less than 2 x 10 to the 6th K), and lowest for the 'hot' coronal EUV and 10.7-cm flux. The rise and decay rates of episodes of major activity progress from those for the hot coronal EUV lines and the 10.7-cm flux to slower values for the chromospheric H Lyman alpha line, 10,830-A line, and photospheric 2050-A UV flux. It is suggested that active region remnants contribute significantly to the solar cycle increase and during the decay of episodes of major activity. The ratio of power in 13-day periodicity to that for 27 days in high (1/3) for the photospheric UV flux, medium (1/6) for the chromospheric EUV and 10,830-A fluxes, and small to negligible for the hot coronal EUV fluxes. These ratios are used to estimate the dependence of active region emission on the solar central meridian distance for chromospheric and coronal EUV flux.

Donnelly, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Observational, reference and model data on solar EUV, from measurements on AE-E

Information on solar irradiance at wavelengths below 185 nm, observed by the EUVS experiment on the AE-E satellite over the entire development of the present sunspot cycle 21, is important to a variety of investigations of planetary thermospheres and ionospheres. Since strictly observational information is generally lacking in both the completeness and the spectral detail required by the more advanced programs, it has been necessary to develop computer models in connection with fully detailed compilations of an appropriate reference spectrum. The period of July 13-18, 1976, is selected as an observationally reliable AE-E data reference period reflecting solar conditions of minimum activity for solar cycle 21. It is pointed out that the assignments of absolute irradiance-reference values have been drawn for all available sources of information other than that provided by AE-E.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The solar ultraviolet source for the ionosphere and its variation

Ion production in the ionospheric E and F regions is primarily due to solar EUV fluxes at wavelengths below 102.7 nm, where the flux ratios of maximum/minium for the present solar cycle were found to range from values around 3 for the dominant chromospheric emissions to much higher values for coronal emissions, resulting in a factor of about 4 in the integrated flux of the range 14-102.7 nm. The vertical distribution of ion production depends not only on the incident solar EUV fluxes but also on the structure of the absorbing neutral atmosphere (thermosphere). As the latter is strongly affected by solar EUV fluxes above 130 nm (production of atomic oxygen and heating), the observed increase, with ratios ranging from about 1.2 around 175-185 nm to about 2.3 around 140 nm, is at least indirectly important in the solar cycle variation of the ionosphere. The EUV variability models of the ionosphere using non EUV indices such as F sub 10.7, R sub Z or Ca2 plage indices are valuable as a crude guide only, but not for quantitative representations.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Representations of solar EUV fluxes for aeronomical applications

Pilot studies performed on Atmosphere Explorer-E satellite data on solar EUV fluxes for the rising part of the sunspot cycle 21 have demonstrated the feasibility of expressing the variability of solar EUV fluxes in aeronomically attractive terms involving a relatively small total number of date-dependent variables supported by the relatively large number of wavelength-peculiar parameters. Attention is given to the distribution of solar EUV sources and their variability, observations of solar cycle variations, and a model representation of EUV variability.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Ionization frequencies for major thermospheric constituents as a function of solar cycle 21

Increases in the solar ultraviolet flux (wavelengths shorter than 1250A) over the past five years of rising solar activity have been larger than anticipated. This increase in UV flux dramatically affects the production of ionization of the various constituents in the thermosphere. Measurements of the solar UV flux by the Atmosphere Explorer satellites are used to determine ionization frequencies for the major thermospheric species for various dates exhibiting notably different levels of solar activity. For the convenience of users of such data, a reduced set of cross-section and flux data is presented for the wavelength range below 1027A, consisting of 37 wavelength intervals

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Development of solar cycle 21 observed in EUV spectrum and atmospheric absorption

The results of AE-C and AE-E satellite observations of solar EUV irradiance and atmospheric absorption at wavelengths from 140 to 1850 A, which reflect unexpectedly large differences between the past solar cycle (20) and the present one (21), are discussed. While observations of the oxygen-dissociating solar UV flux above 1230 A show at most a 10% change between the two periods, the EUV minimum at other wavelengths was found to occur 14 months before the sunspot minimum, with a magnitude considerably greater in cycle 21 than in developing cycle 20. During the period of cycle transition, observed irradiance values did not correlate with conventional activity indices. Measurements of UV attenuation reveal no increase of optical depths around 300 km, indicating no corresponding rises in atmospheric density or temperature. The results are considered to present a major challenge to aeronomical models.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Discrepancy between electron heating and cooling rates derived from Atmosphere Explorer-C measurements

The present theory of electron temperature in the daytime mid-latitude ionosphere is tested by using Atmosphere Explorer-C measurements. In the region below 300 km, where a balance is expected between electron heating by photoelectron impact and electron cooling to ions and neutrals, we find an imbalance in which the cooling rate is consistently higher than the heating rate. The shapes of the altitude profiles also differ substantially. The cooling rate has a sharp peak at about 220 km, while the heating rate exhibits a broad peak about 30 km lower. Improved agreement is achieved at higher altitudes by using an oxygen fine structure loss rate smaller by a factor of 2, based on more recent collision strength calculations. Although this improves the overall agreement of the heating and cooling rates, the shape discrepancy remains, and the new cooling rate falls consistently below the heating rate below 200 km.

Brace, L. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

EUV fluxes in the solar spectrum below 2000 A

The list of EUV fluxes presented at the 1969 IAGA review in Madrid (Hinteregger, 1970) has served as a useful reference in many aeronomical studies, leading to a wide range of opinions regarding both the absolute values in that reference list and the question of estimating EUV fluxes from the only routinely obtained data, i.e., the solar 10.7 cm flux. Advances made since 1969 will be reviewed including previously unpublished observations of the variability of solar EUV for the period from January 1974 to May 1975 which were obtained from the EUV spectrophotometer experiment on the AE-C satellite. The review is concluded by a discussion of current and future needs of solar EUV flux measurements for aeronomical applications.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

EUV flux variations with solar rotation observed during 1974-1976 from AE satellites C, D, and E

Solar EUV fluxes in the spectral range from 140 to 1850 A have been observed by spectrophotometers on the satellites AE-C, D, and E. Variations over the long period of one or two years cannot be verified quantitatively, as the observed small variations are of the same magnitude as possible variations of instrumental sensitivities and estimated uncertainties of absolute values from the rocket experiment which established the calibration of the AE-C instrument. Fortunately, no similar difficulty exists for the interpretation of observed EUV variations within smaller time periods up to that of a full solar rotation. Results from AE-C observations for many different wavelength groups for the year 1974 are shown by some detail and compared with some recent observations made by the AE-D and AE-E instruments.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

EUV absorption analysis of thermospheric structure from AE-satellite observations of 1974-1976

Atmospheric absorption characteristics at various selected wavelengths of solar EUV emission have been observed by spectrophotometers on the Atmosphere Explorer satellites. Two levels of results are defined as (A) results independent of any cross section values and involving no specific atmospheric model assumptions, and (B) results expressed in terms of particle concentrations, mass density, and other aeronomical parameters. The present report will mostly deal with results of type B, with emphasis on molecular oxygen. Studies of EUV-derived results in correlation with results of other simultaneous experiments on the same satellite are expected soon to improve the assessment of technique-peculiar errors, possible errors in the various EUV cross sections or accommodation coefficients, and lead to the design of a 'correlative approach' based on the use of mixed inputs of the most reliable aspects of one and the other types of observations, respectively.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The EUV spectrophotometer on Atmosphere Explorer.

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrophotometer for measurements of solar radiation at wavelengths ranging from 140 to 1850 A will be included in the payload of each of the three Atmosphere-Explorer (AE) missions, AE-C, -D, and -E. The instrument consists of 24 grating monochromators, 12 of which can be telecommanded either to execute 128-step scans each covering a relatively small section of the total spectrophotometer wavelength range or to maintain fixed (command-selected) wavelength positions. The remaining 12 nonscan monochromators operate at permanently fixed wavelengths and view only a small fraction of the solar disk except for one viewing the whole sun in H Lyman alpha. Ten of the 12 scan-capable monochromators also view the entire solar disk since their primary function is to measure the total fluxes independent of the distribution of sources across the solar disk.

Hinteregger, H. E.↗