Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Observer Mode”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11

On the identification of normal modes of oscillation from observations of the solar periphery

The decomposition of solar oscillations into their constituent normal modes requires a knowledge of both the spatial and temporal variation of the perturbation to the Sun's surface. The task is especially difficult when only limited spatial information is available. Observations of the limb darkening function, for example, are probably sensitive to too large a number of modes to permit most of the modes to be identified in a power spectrum of measurements at only a few points on the limb, unless the results are combined with other data. A procedure was considered by which the contributions from quite small groups of modes to spatially well resolved data obtained at any instant can be extracted from the remaining modes. Combining these results with frequency information then permits the modes to be identified, at least if their frequencies are low enough to ensure that modes of high degree do not contribute substantially to the signal.

Gough, D. D.↗

On the identification of normal modes of oscillation from observations of the solar periphery

The decomposition of solar oscillations into their constituent normal modes requires a knowledge of both the spatial and temporal variation of the perturbation to the sun's surface. The task can be especially difficult when only limited spatial information is available. Observations of the limb-darkening function, for example, are probably sensitive to too large a number of modes to permit most of the modes to be identified in a power spectrum of measurements at only a few points on the limb, unless the results are combined with other data. In this paper a procedure is considered by which the contributions from quite small groups of modes to spatially well resolved data obtained at any instant can be extracted from the remaining modes. Combining these results with frequency information then permits the modes to be identified, at least if their frequencies are low enough to ensure that modes of high degree do not contribute substantially to the signal.

Gough, D. O.↗

A search for p-mode oscillations of Jupiter - Serendipitous observations of nonacoustic thermal wave structure

Frequencies for the p-mode oscillations of Jupiter have been determined, and infrared brightness temperature fluctuations are used to search for the modes. Measurements of the infrared intensity of the Jovian disk were obtained in a broad bandwidth using a 20-element linear array. No p-mode oscillations were observed at the 0.07-K level in the 8-13-micron brightness temperature. The results suggest that Jovian p modes are not likely to have observable amplitudes. A prominent nonacoustic wave-like structure in the 8-13-micron brightness temperature is found both at 20 deg N and at the equator.

Deming, Drake↗

Implications of Observed Frequencies of Solar P Modes

A preliminary comparison is made of the observed frequencies of 5 min P modes with theoretical frequencies for a traditional solar model. The differences between observations and theory can be understood qualitatively in terms of two separate sources of error in the frequency calculation, one near the solar surface and the other at the base of the convection zone. There is no indication of errors in the deep interior of the model.

Christensen-Dalsgaard, J.↗

The Resonant Count Diagram and Solar g Mode Oscillations

Evidence is provided to support the hypothesis that, because of the particular frequency separations of the solar g modes, resonant three-wave interactions stimulate only a selected few g modes. A resonant count diagram was obtained by plotting the total number of possible resonant three-wave interactions or a given beat frequency against the inverse of the beat frequency (the beat period), within a given frequency tolerance. The 1 = 1, 2, 3, 4 g modes calculated by Christensen-Dalsgaard, Gough and Morgan (1979) for a standard model of the Sun were used. The diagram has a significant peak at 160 minutes as well as other peaks at longer periods. The g modes that Delache and Scherrer (1983) tentatively identified from the Crimea-Stanford data were also plotted. These modes were found to correspond with the other peaks in the diagram. This coincidence between the observed g modes and the peaks in the resonant count diagram suggest that the observed g modes do owe their observability to resonant three-wave interactions.

Guenther, D. B.↗

Transpolar Pc1 Wave Ducting: Swarm, DMSP, and Ground Observations

Alfvén mode Pc1 waves undergo mode conversion to the fast mode due to induced Hall current in the ionosphere. The fast mode Pc1 waves are trapped and propagate across the magnetic field through the ionospheric waveguide. This process is called Pc1 wave ducting (PWD). Ducting is expected to be in any direction, but most of the existing literature investigated only PWDs toward the equator. In this paper, we report the rare observations of PWD propagating from sub-auroral latitudes and pervading the polar cap using Swarm satellites, ground magnetometers, and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites. We first identify the injection region of Pc1 wave where localized broadband transverse waves, isolated aurora, and energetic proton precipitations are concurrently observed. Then, we compare ducting characteristics in the ionosphere between the two hemispheres. For the three events investigated here, PWDs in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) pervaded the polar cap while Pc1 waves in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) did not. This hemispheric asymmetry is attributed to the plasma density in the SH sufficient to form the Pc1 waveguide. However, a sharp plasma density gradient on the propagation path still interrupts the ducting even in higher plasma density (> 10 5 cm -3 ) regions. The observation of two intersecting Swarm satellites indicates the PWD is not only elongated meridionally, but also can have a significant zonal extent beyond that of the injection region.

Hyangpyo Kim↗

A theoretical model study of observed correlations between whistler mode waves and energetic electron precipitation events in the magnetosphere

A recently extended test particle computer model of the gyroresonance wave-particle interaction in the magnetosphere is applied to previously reported cases of observed correlations between whistler mode waves and ionospheric responses to particle precipitation. Three different ionospheric effects, namely, X-ray bursts, photoemissions, and D region perturbations, all correlated with VLF waves and believed to be caused by precipitated particles, are considered. The precipitation flux level, the pulse shape, and the associated time delays are computed for the parameters relevant to each case and are compared with values deduced from the data. The results demonstrate that the existing theoretical model can be useful for interpreting experimental results of this kind. Furthermore, the model results and observations, used together, provide a basis for additional diagnostics of the various parameters of the cold and energetic particle distributions in the magnetosphere. For example, when applied to the observed photoemission case (Helliwell et al., 1980) the model results imply that the trapped energetic particle distribution function at the time could be modeled as proportional to E exp -n/2 with n about 3.5 to 6, where E is the particle energy.

Chang, H. C.↗

Unusual satellite-electron signature within the Uranian magnetosphere and its implications regarding whistler electron loss processes

It has been reported that during the outbound (nightside) portion of the Voyager 2 encounter with the Uranian magnetosphere, intense whistler mode emissions were observed near the magnetic equator (lambda(sub m) approx. 16 deg) and at L shell values between approx. 5.5 and approx. 9 R(sub U). Comprehensive calculations of whistler-driven pitch angle diffusion, in previous work, have yielded strong diffusion electron lifetimes of approx. 1 hour for 20 to 40 keV electrons. In this paper we report on an unusual and sharply defined charged particle feature that: (1) involved electrons between 22 and 35 keV, (2) was observed during the time period of the intense whistler mode observations, (3) was aligned very accurately and sharply with the minimum L shell position (L approx. 7.5) of the satellite Ariel, and (4) has an appearance that suggests that electrons were removed only at and beyond Ariel's minimum-L. On the basis of our conclusion that the signature was caused by electron interactions with either Ariel or materials distributed along Ariel's orbit, the signature could not have been generated for at least 10 hours prior to its observation. Thus the calculated whistler loss times are in apparent conflict with the signature observation. A scenario of events is proposed to explain the data that involves substormlike electron acceleration on the Uranian nightside and a subsequent sculpting of the electron spatial distributions via interactions with Ariel or materials distributed along Ariel's orbit. The possibility exists that the accurate alignment of the sharp electron feature with Ariel's minimum-L, and the absorptionlike character of the feature, are accidental, and that the feature is caused by dynamical processes (e.g., substorms). In this case the dynamical processes must be quite dissimilar to those occurring in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Mauk, B. H.↗

An Experimental Investigation of Silicone-to-Metal Bond Strength in Composite Space Docking System Seals

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently developing a new universal docking mechanism for future space exploration missions called the Low Impact Docking System (LIDS). A candidate LIDS main interface seal design is a composite assembly of silicone elastomer seals vacuum molded into grooves in an electroless nickel plated aluminum retainer. The strength of the silicone-tometal bond is a critical consideration for the new system, especially due to the presence of small areas of disbond created during the molding process. In the work presented herein, seal-to-retainer bonds of subscale seal specimens with different sizes of intentional disbond were destructively tensile tested. Nominal specimens without intentional disbonds were also tested. Tension was applied either uniformly on the entire seal circumference or locally in one short circumferential length. Bond failure due to uniform tension produced a wide scatter of observable failure modes and measured load-displacement behaviors. Although the preferable failure mode for the seal-to-retainer bond is cohesive failure of the elastomer material, the dominant observed failure mode under the uniform loading condition was found to be the less desirable adhesive failure of the bond in question. The uniform tension case results did not show a correlation between disbond size and bond strength. Localized tension was found to produce failure either as immediate tearing of the elastomer material outside the bond region or as complete peel-out of the seal in one piece. The obtained results represent a valuable benchmark for comparison in the future between adhesion loads under various separation conditions and composite seal bond strength.

Gaier, James R.↗

Cyclotron maser emission of auroral Z mode radiation

Results are presented suggesting that loss cone driven cyclotron maser emission by upgoing electrons, closely analogous to auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), may be the mechanism behind the observed Z mode radiation. With this hypothesis, the lack of a strong correlation between the Z mode radiation and AKR is not surprising; the ray paths for the X mode and the Z mode are markedly different, with the former directed upward and the latter downward. In addition, it is expected that the generation of the Z mode will be favored only in regions where the ratio of the plasma frequency to the electron cyclotron frequency is greater than or approximately equal to 0.3, that is, where the X mode radiation is suppressed. If the fraction of the radiation generated that crosses the cyclotron layer is large, then the argument in favor of the loss cone driven cyclotron maser as the source of the observed Z mode radiation is a strong one. The spatial growth rates are fairly large in comparison with those for the X mode, and there seems to be little doubt that Z mode radiation should be generated under conditions that differ only slightly from those for the generation of X mode radiation in AKR.

Melrose, D. B.↗

Ordinary mode auroral kilometric radiation, with harmonics, observed by ISIS 1

Topside-sounder receiver observations by ISIS 1 that reveal examples of o-mode auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) are presented. They correspond to locations outside of the low density source region of intense AKR x-mode emission. The propagation modes are identified by comparing the natural radiation wave cutoffs with the local resonant and wave cutoff phenomena stimulated by the sounder transmitter. The o-mode AKR is the dominant emission in these regions of relatively high electron density, but it is considerably weaker than the intense x-mode AKR observed to emanate from low density cavities above the auroral regions. In addition to the fundamental o-mode, 2nd and 3rd harmonic bands of radiation have also been detected. Harmonics associated with these o-mode AKR are less intense than the harmonics associated with x-mode AKR. It is difficult to explain the variety of harmonic AKR observations (x as well as o-mode) based on present AKR theories.

Benson, R. F.↗

Ordinary mode auroral kilometric radiation, with harmonics, observed by ISIS 1

Topside-sounder receiver observations by ISIS 1 that reveal examples of o-mode auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) are presented. They correspond to locations outside of the low density source region of intense AKR x-mode emission. The propagation modes are identified by comparing the natural radiation wave cutoffs with the local resonant and wave cutoff phenomena stimulated by the sounder transmitter. The o-mode AKR is the dominant emission in these regions of relatively high electron density, but it is considerably weaker than the intense x-mode AKR observed to emanate from low density cavities above the auroral regions. In addition to the fundamental o-mode, 2nd and 3rd harmonic bands of radiation have also been detected. Harmonics associated with these o-mode AKR are less intense than the harmonics associated with x-mode AKR. It is difficult to explain the variety of harmonic AKR observations (x as well as o-mode) based on present AKR theories. Previously announced in STAR as N83-27517

Benson, R. F.↗

Satellite observations of whistler-mode signals in the conjugate region of a 200-kilohertz station.

Study of the signals recorded by a narrow-band (about 200 Hz) receiver at a broadcast station operating at 200 kHz and in the conjugate region of Ashkhabad. The latitude of the station is nearly low enough for propagation of a 200-kHz signal in the ducted whistler mode to the conjugate hemisphere along field lines terminating at the station. In the dawn-dusk orbital plane signals are indeed relatively often observed in the conjugate region, but the source of the signals and their path of propagation is not completely clear. The pattern of observations is consistent with propagation over the long magnetospheric path in field-aligned ducts spread in longitude near 22 deg invariant latitude, but an interpretation involving nonducted propagation is preferred, in which the occasionally high electric-field intensities encountered (greater than 10 microvolts/m) result from focusing effects or from propagation near the resonance angle.

Laaspere, T.↗

Fatigue crack growth in fiber reinforced plastics

Fatigue crack growth in fiber composites occurs by such complex modes as to frustrate efforts at developing comprehensive theories and models. Under certain loading conditions and with certain types of reinforcement, simpler modes of fatigue crack growth are observed. These modes are more amenable to modeling efforts, and the fatigue crack growth rate can be predicted in some cases. Thus, a formula for prediction of ligamented mode fatigue crack growth rate is available.

Mandell, J. F.↗

Shallow and Deep Latent Heating Modes Over Tropical Oceans Observed with TRMM PR Spectral Latent Heating Data

The global hydrological cycle is central to the Earth's climate system, with rainfall and the physics of its formation acting as the key links in the cycle. Two-thirds of global rainfall occurs in the Tropics. Associated with this rainfall is a vast amount of heat, which is known as latent heat. It arises mainly due to the phase change of water vapor condensing into liquid droplets; three-fourths of the total heat energy available to the Earth's atmosphere comes from tropical rainfall. In addition, fresh water provided by tropical rainfall and its variability exerts a large impact upon the structure and motions of the upper ocean layer. Three-dimensional distributions of latent heating estimated from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM PR)utilizing the Spectral Latent Heating (SLH) algorithm are analyzed. Mass-weighted and vertically integrated latent heating averaged over the tropical oceans is estimated as approx.72.6 J/s (approx.2.51 mm/day), and that over tropical land is approx.73.7 J/s (approx.2.55 mm/day), for 30degN-30degS. It is shown that non-drizzle precipitation over tropical and subtropical oceans consists of two dominant modes of rainfall systems, deep systems and congestus. A rough estimate of shallow mode contribution against the total heating is about 46.7 % for the average tropical oceans, which is substantially larger than 23.7 % over tropical land. While cumulus congestus heating linearly correlates with the SST, deep mode is dynamically bounded by large-scale subsidence. It is notable that substantial amount of rain, as large as 2.38 mm day-1 in average, is brought from congestus clouds under the large-scale subsiding circulation. It is also notable that even in the region with SST warmer than 28 oC, large-scale subsidence effectively suppresses the deep convection, remaining the heating by congestus clouds. Our results support that the entrainment of mid-to-lower-tropospheric dry air, which accompanies the large-scale subsidence is the major factor suppressing the deep convection. Therefore, representation of the realistic entrainment is very important for proper reproduction of precipitation distribution and resultant large-scale circulation.

Takayabu, Yukari N.↗

The silicon vidicon: Integration, storage and slow scan capability - Experimental observation of a secondary mode of operation.

Description of the performance of the silicon diode array vidicon - an imaging sensor which possesses wide spectral response, high quantum efficiency, and linear response. These characteristics, in addition to its inherent ruggedness, simplicity, and long-term stability and operating life make this device potentially of great usefulness for ground-base and spaceborne planetary and stellar imaging applications. However, integration and charged storage for periods greater than approximately five seconds are not possible at room temperature because of diode saturation from dark current buildup. Since dark current can be reduced by cooling, measurements were made in the range from -65 to 25 C. Results are presented on the extension of integration, storage, and slow scan capabilities achievable by cooling. Integration times in excess of 20 minutes were achieved at the lowest temperatures. The measured results are compared with results obtained with other types of sensors and the advantages of the silicon diode array vidicon for imaging applications are discussed.

Ando, K. J.↗

Synchronously pumped mode-locked Ti:Al2O3 lasers

Synchronously pumped mode-locked laser operation in a Ti:Al2O3 ring laser is demonstrated. The laser pump source was a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser-amplifier system producing a 60-micron-long macropulse that comprised a wavetrain of mode-locked 70-ps micropulses with a 10-ns spacing (100 MHz). The Ti:Al2O3 laser consisted of a 1-cm-long crystal with faces cut at the Brewster angle and placed in a ring laser cavity configuration with a 2 percent output coupling mirror. The cavity was adjusted for a 5-ns round trip transit time, which was close to half the temporal spacing of the pump pulse. When the crystal was pumped synchronously at 532 nm with a 30-mJ macropulse, which was approximately an order of magnitude above the laser threshold, mode-locked lasing at approximately 200 MHz was obtained. This macropulse pump energy corresponds to an average micropulse pump energy of about 5 microJ at the Ti:Al2O3 crystal face. The mode-locked operation of the Ti:Al2O3 was observed only after several microseconds into the macropulse, indicating a long build-up process over many cavity trips. During this time, relaxation oscillations were observed. When mode locking started, the relaxation oscillation frequency increased by an order of magnitude. Synchronous pumping has been limited to operation with dye lasers and used either a CW or pulsed mode-locked pump source. Recent work has demonstrated CW mode-locked operation of a Ti:Al2O3 laser. The result raises the possibility that pulsed synchronous pumping may be used to obtain significantly narrowed laser pulses in Ti:Al2O3.

Source record↗