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Torr, D. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Torr, D. G..

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

A factor of 2 reduction in theoretical F2 peak electron density due to enhanced vibrational excitation of N2 in summer at solar maximum

The degree to which the O(+) + N2 reaction rate is increased as a result of enhanced vibrational excitation of the N2 molecule in the thermosphere was investigated. It is found that the reaction rate may be sufficiently elevated in summer at solar maximum to decrease the peak O(+) density by a factor of 2, but there is only a small reduction in the winter peak density. Therefore the vibrational excitation of N2 acts to increase the magnitude of the seasonal anomaly. This work emphasizes the need for more laboratory work to clear up uncertainties in some of the key parameters.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Intensified-CCD focal plane detector for space applications A second generation

An intensified-CCD detector system developed for space applications from commercially available components is described. This detector uses components which are readily available and are mechanically, thermally, and optically coupled to produce the final compact system. The CCD is cooled using a Peltier-effect thermoelectric cooler to reduce thermal noise. The image is formed on the photocathode of a proximity-focused image intensifier and is transferred fiber-optically from the intensifier to the CDD. Various photocathode and window materials are used to optimize the system for use within the wavelength range extending from the far UV to the near IR. The basic design, including the image intensifier, intensifier-CCD interface, CCD array, cooling, electronics, and mounting, and the detector performance are described in detail.

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Thermal coupling of conjugate ionospheres and the tilt of the earth's magnetic field

The effect of thermal coupling and the tilt of the earth's magnetic field on interhemispheric coupling is investigated, and, due to a longitudinal displacement in the conjugate points, it is found that the tilt significantly effects the upward flow of H(+) flux such that the maximum upward flux can occur several hours before local sunrise. Heating from the conjugate atmosphere, which accompanies solar illumination in one hemisphere, produces electron temperatures 1000 K higher in the dark than in the sunlit hemisphere, and the morning upward H(+) fluxes in the dark ionosphere are as large as the daytime fluxes. A strong symmetry is also noted in the overall behavior of the H(+) fluxes due to the differing day lengths at the conjugate points, which are separated by 15 deg in latitude. Electron temperatures in the conjugate hemispheres are found to be strongly coupled above the F region peaks, though in the vicinity of the peaks near 250 km, the coupling is weak during the day and strong during the night.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A method for extracting meridonal winds from ionosonde measurements by using ionospheric models

There has been great progress in modelling and measuring the dynamics of the neutral upper atmosphere in recent years. However, future progress will depend on the availability of global measurements of neutral winds. Attention is drawn to a relatively cheap means of supplementing the data base of neutral winds provided by radar and optical measurements with data obtained by ionosondes. Rishbeth in his review of F-region dynamics, derived the relationship between the height of the F2 layer and the component of the neutral wind parallel to the magnetic field of the Earth. The sensitivity is examined of the height and density of the F2 layer over Boulder, Colorado on 30 July 1982 to changes in meridional wind speed using a comprehensive interhemispheric numerical model that solves the continuity and momentum equations for H+ and O+, the energy equations for Te and Ti, and the 2-stream photoelectron equations to obtain electron heating rates. For the neutral atmosphere temperature and densities, the mass spectrometer incoherent scatter radar model of Hedin was used.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The role of energetic O(+) precipitation in a mid-latitude aurora

It is shown that fluxes of precipitating energetic O(+) that have been observed by satellites in the topside ionosphere can explain the magnitude of the N2+(1 N) (first negative) 3914-angstroms and N2(2 P) (second positive) 3371-angstroms emission rate observed during a mid-latitude aurora over Logan, Utah (41 degrees N, 111 degrees W), on 21-22 September 1982. Heavy particle precipitation has previously been invoked to explain the anomalously high populations in the upper vibrational levels of the N2+(1 N) system that are evident in the observed emissions. An improved model is used to investigate the impact of precipitating heavy ions on the atmosphere. The nocturnal thermospheric heating rate and ionization rate during one of these events can be equivalent to the daytime EUV heating and ionization rates. The observed spectrum can be explained by energetic O(+) precipitation to within the uncertainties of the inputs to the model.

Ishimoto, M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The O2 atmospheric dayglow in the thermosphere

Spectral measurements (Delta lambda = 8A) from Spacelab 1 of the O2 atmospheric bands in the dayglow at thermospheric altitudes are reported for a tangent ray height of 150 km. Vibrational levels up to nu-prime = 4 are found in the data, requiring a source in addition to the energy transfer from O(1D) to O2. It is suggested that this source is the collisional deactivation of N(2D) by O2.

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Effects of vibrational enhancement of N2 on the cooling rate of ionospheric thermal electrons

It is shown that the cooling rate of ionospheric thermal electrons by molecular nitrogen may be reduced by more than a factor of 3 as a result of the enhanced vibrational excitation of N2 from a number of chemical sources. Furthermore, under conditions of enhanced F region electron densities (greater than 10 to the 6 per cubic centimeter), N2 may act as a small net source rather than as a sink of electron thermal energy. The object of the study is to use results of the Atmospheric Explorer program and improved laboratory reaction rate measurements to evaluate the impact of N2 vibrational on the transfer of energy between N2 and thermal electrons.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Models of the plasmaspheric thermal plasma distribution

Current understanding of the thermal plasma in the atmosphere and its coupling to the ionosphere is reviewed. Existing models appear adequate to explain the gross behavior of the cold thermal plasma, but there remain some vexing problems. Notably, (1) why does the density in flux tubes appear to saturate at lower values than are predicted theoretically, (2) what causes the sunset peak in measured Te, and (3) why does the equatorial plasmapause signature differ in latitude from the ionosphere signatures. The more difficult problem of what happens during the early stages of refilling after a magnetic storm, when the high altitude plasma is likely to be supersonic and collisionless, has received much attention, but the results are not definite. A number of papers have dealt with the interaction of supersonic counterstreaming fluxes and there are now models that can handle the transition from supersonic to subsonic flows although the transition from a collisionless to a collision-dominated plasma remains difficult to deal with.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

On the production of N(+) by energetic electrons

Calculations of the ratio of N(+) to total N2 ion production for auroral electrons which give a value of 0.16 compared to the value of 0.22 that has been assumed in a recent publication is presented. The corresponding ratio for photoelectron production is 0.05, which makes photoelectron production of N(+) negligible compared to photodissociative production. The ratio of 3914-A to total ion production is found to be 0.07 for auroral electrons and a similar 0.06 for photoelectrons. The 3371-A ratio to total N2 ion production is 0.09. This calculation also reveals that the secondary electrons in auroras, with energies less than 100 eV, produce only about one third of the total number of ions produced. Only one quarter of the N(+) ions are created by secondary electrons.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The Imaging Spectrometric Observatory

Design and performance features of the Imaging Spectrometric Observatory (ISO) first flown on Spacelab 1 for atmospheric, earth surface and stellar monitoring are outlined. The ISO has five grating spectrometers fitted with CCD arrays for simultaneously gathering spectral and spatial data. The instrument covered the 300-12,700 A range on the Spacelab 1 flight, when it was mounted on a pallet and used for atmospheric scans at high solar zenith angles. A future mission is planned which will include limb-viewing of OH, NO, ClO and NO2 radicals in the middle atmosphere to complement the data collected in the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite program. Technical details are presented of the instrument components and ground- and balloon-borne test results.

Torr, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The O2 atmospheric 0-0 band and related emissions at night from Spacelab 1

A comparison of theoretically determined and measured O2 atmospheric (0-0) band intensities is presented. In view of suggestions that the O2 atmospheric emission and the atomic oxygen O(1S) emission both arise from the same intermediate state of O2, the measured 5577 A emission is also compared with theory; a similar comparison is made for the Herzberg bands of O2. It is concluded that the theories explaining these emissions do not yet provide a consistent picture.

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Enhanced N(+) Sub 2 in the Shuttle Environment

Observations were made of the N2 first negative and Meinel emission bands with the Imaging Spectrometric Observatory (ISO) on Spacelab 1. These observations have revealed the presence of N2 emissions which exceed those expected on the basis of current ionospheric models by up to a factor of 10. If the emission is of terrestrial origin, large unidentified ionospheric sources of N2 ions must exist. On the other hand, if the source is local to the shuttle environment, a mechanism must be found which is capable of generating emissions of such unexpectedly large intensity. Charge exchange of ambient ionospheric O+ ions with shuttle environmental N2, followed by resonance scattering of sunlight, as a candidate were suggested. However, this model implies that a cloud of N2 gases must surround the vehicle in concentrations in excess of 10 to the 11 c.c. cm with a scale length of tens of meters. In addition, the N2 residence time must be of the order of 10 sec.

Torr, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A mechanism for the local concentration enhancement of the shuttle atmosphere

Preliminary calculations suggest that collisions between instreaming atmospheric constituents and secondary backscattered molecules can generate unexpectedly large enhancements in neutral gas concentrations in the vicinity of the shuttle. This effect is a result of a rapid decrease in the mean free path length of the scattered components following the initial expected concentration enhancement. A study will be outlined for the theoretical investigation of this mechanism. The shape dependence of associated glow halos on vehicle configuration will be discussed.

Rantanen, R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Ionization frequencies for solar cycle 21 - Revised

Detailed spectra of the extreme ultraviolet solar flux at the earth were provided by instruments on the Atmosphere Explorer satellites. These data have been used for aeronomical purposes in a large number of studies. An important parameter for such studies is the rate of production of various ions through the photoionization process. This parameter, known as an ionization frequency, is the integral over wavelength of the product of the solar flux and the cross section for the ionization of the particular constituent. Thus, the determination of the ionization rate is dependent on a good knowledge of the solar EUV intensities for the solar period in question. Over the past few years the EUV solar spectra that have been developed for use by aeronomers as reference spectra for such photochemical and ionospheric studies have been improved. The results of a redetermination of the most important ionization frequencies using the revised solar fluxes are reported. The impact is found to be more significant at solar maximum, amounting to a reduction of 12-21 percent in the ionization frequencies of the major terrestrial thermospheric constituents for solar-minimum conditions and 21-33 percent for solar-maximum conditions. The corrections are apart from the ongoing debate concerning the absolute intensity of EUV solar-flux measurements for the solar-cycle 21 maximum period.

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The N II 2143-A dayglow from Spacelab 1

During the Spacelab 1 Shuttle mission (November 28 to December 7, 1983) spectral measurements were made in the ultraviolet which resolve the N(+)(S-5) doublet at 2143 A from the NO(1-0) gamma band at 2148 A in the upper thermosphere. The measured slant-path surface-brightness profile of the N(+) feature is well explained by photodissociative ionization of N2 with a yield of 0.2. The intensity of the N(+) feature relative to the NO(1-0) gamma band is dependent on the conditions prevailing at the time and location of the measurement. For the near-twilight mid-latitude measurements made in the upper thermosphere the N(+)(S-5) feature would contribute 20 to 75 percent of a low spectral resolution NO measurement.

Torr, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Seasonal, diurnal, and solar cyclical variations of the limiting H(+) flux in the earth's topside ionosphere

Seasonal and solar cyclical variations in the limiting H(+) flux are compared over the solar minimum-to-maximum interval 1974-80. The comparisons are made on the bases of values derived with the MSIS-83 and -77 models, which in turn are based on Atmospheric Explorer-E O(+) and H(+) data from the ionosphere. The H(+) flux is obtained by integration of the H(+) continuity equation along magnetic flux tubes. The seasonal and cyclical variations are dominated by the neutral hydrogen density, although the O(+) boundary density, scale height and O(+)-H reaction somewhat ameliorate the changes caused by the density variations. Finally, the plasmasphere experienced an order of magnitude decrease in H(+) in going from solar minimum to maximum, which could have been caused by longer limiting flux escapes through more, longer-lived, shorter flux tubes.

Richards, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A spectral search for Lyman-Birge-Hopfield band nightglow from Spacelab 1

Huffman et al. (1980) have reported the observation of significant intensities of the N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) bands at midlatitudes at night. During the course of the 10-day Spacelab 1 mission, spectral observations were made of the atmosphere on both the dayside and nightside of the earth with the vehicle in various attitudes. The present investigation is concerned with an examination of selected data for evidence of the LBH nightglow. The considered data include far ultraviolet observations which were made on the nocturnal atmosphere at low latitudes and midlatitudes. The investigation confirms that the earlier reported LBH nightglow does appear to be generally present at the time of the Spacelab 1 mission.

Torr, M. R.↗