Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Lawler, J. E..
A Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer with broad spectral coverage across the VUV - UV region and with a high (> 500,000 ) spectral resolving power is being built for laboratory measurements of spectroscopic data including emission branching fractions, improved level energies, and hyperfine/isotopic parameters.
We report accurate experimental absorption oscillator strengths (f-values) for transitions out of the ground level of Fe II to the Z(sup 4)D(sup 0 sub 7/2) and z(sup 4)F(sup 0 sub 9/2) levels at 224.918 and 226.008 nm (air wavelengths) to be 0.00182(14) and 0.00244(19), respectively. The number in parenthesis is the uncertainty in the last digits. These two lines are important for studying Fe abundances and grain depletions in the interstellar medium. These f-values are determined by combining emission branching fractions with radiative lifetimes. Branching fractions are measured using classical spectroradiometry on an optically thin source. Radiative lifetimes are from the literature.
We report Si II experimental log (gf)-values of -2.38(4) for the 180.801 nm line, of -2.18(4) for the 181.693 nm line, and of -3.29(5) for the 181.745 nm line, where the number in parentheses is the uncertainty in the last digit. The overall uncertainties (about 10 percent) include the 1 sigma random uncertainty (about 6 percent) and an estimate of the systematic uncertainty. The oscillator strengths are determined by combining branching fractions and radiative lifetimes. The branching fractions are measured using standard spectroradiometry on an optically thin source; the radiative lifetimes are measured using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence.
New absolute atomic transition probability measurements are reported for 12 transitions in Cr II and two transitions in Zn II. These transition probabilities are determined by combining branching ratios measured by classical techniques and radiative lifetimes measured by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence. The measurements are compared with branching fractions, radiative lifetimes, and transition probabilities in the literature. The 206 nm resonance multiplets in Cr II and Zn II are included in this work. These multiplets are very useful in determining the distribution of the elements in the gas versus grain phases in the interstellar medium.
Radiative lifetimes of the eight lowest even parity levels in the doublet system of B I are measured using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence in the UV and VUV on an atomic beam of boron. The accurate lifetimes provide a base for improved determination of absolute transition probabilities in B I. The techniques described are broadly applicable to measurement of lifetimes of levels with transitions in the visible, UV, and VUV in almost any element.
A broadly applicable vacuum ultraviolet experiment is described for measuring radiative lifetimes of neutral and singly-ionized atoms in a beam environment to 5-percent accuracy using laser induced fluorescence. First results for neutral Si are reported.
A shuttle-borne lidar system is described, which will provide basic data about aerosol distributions for developing climatological models. Topics discussed include: (1) present knowledge of the physical characteristics of desert aerosols and the absorption characteristics of atmospheric gas, (2) radiative heating computations, and (3) general circulation models. The characteristics of a shuttle-borne radar are presented along with some laboratory studies which identify schemes that permit the implementation of a high spectral resolution lidar system.