Engineering topics

Levedahl, W. K.

Publications and source records attributed to Levedahl, W. K..

4 records

NASA NTRS1987

A long-duration balloon payload for hard X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the sun

A balloon payload designed to study the processes of energy release, particle acceleration, and heating of the active corona in hard X-ray microflares and normal flares is described. An array of liquid nitrogen-cooled germanium detectors together with large area phoswich scintillation detectors provide the highest sensitivity (about 500 sq cm) and energy resolution (not greater than 0.7 keV) ever achieved for solar hard X-ray (about 15-600 keV) measurements. These detectors were flown in February 1987 from Australia on a long duration radiation controlled balloon flight (LDBF) which provided 12 days of observations before cutdown in Brazil. The payload includes solar cells for power, pointing, and navigation sensors, a microprocessor controlled data system with VCR tape storage, and transmitters for GOES and ARGOS spacecraft. This successful flight illustrates the potential of LDBFs for solar flare studies.

Lin, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Evidence for nonlinear wave-wave interactions in solar type III radio bursts

Evidence is presented that nonlinear wave-wave interactions occur in type III solar radio bursts. Intense, spiky Langmuir waves are observed to be driven by electron beams associated with type III solar radio bursts in the interplanetary medium. Bursts of 30-300 Hz (in the spacecraft frame) waves are often observed coincident in time with the most intense spikes of the Langmuir waves. These low-frequency waves appear to be long-wavelength ion acoustic waves, with wavenumber approximately equal to the beam resonant Langmuir wavenumber. Three possible interpretations of these observations are considered: modulational instability, parametric decay of the parent Langmuir waves to daughter ion acoustic and Langmuir waves, and decay to daughter electromagnetic waves and ion acoustic waves.

Lin, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Photometric and spectroscopic gamma-ray observations of solar transient phenomena using long duration balloons

A program currently in progress to conduct extended duration spectroscopic and photometric observation of solar X-ray phenomena from balloons is described. High photometric sensitivity to weak hard X-ray bursts is attained using a 600 sq cm array of phoswich scintillators. High spectral resolution for stronger bursts is available from an array of planar germanium detectors. These instruments are carried in a novel balloon gondola dssigned for the 15 to 20 day float durations available through using conventional zero pressure balloons in the radiation controlled (RACOON) mode.

Pelling, M. R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

High time resolution studies of upstream ions

The influence of phi, the angle between the interplanetary magnetic field and the earth-sun vector on ions and electrons in the earth's bow shock, was investigated in terms of ISEE 2 data. A small phi was associated with intermediate energy upstream ions and reduced populations of low energy, about 1.6 keV, ion fluxes. The magnitude of phi was closely related to particular, constant energy levels, e.g., a phi of 40 deg and an energy of 30 keV and a phi of 75 deg and an energy of 6 keV. Ion fluxes are high in the angles form 60-80 deg and feature energies of 55-280 keV. The acceleration process up to the high energy levels in the 1-3 min interval from upstream to downstream occurs more rapidly than could be accounted for by a first-order Fermi process.

Anderson, K. A.↗