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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.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
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NASA NTRS1980

Discovery of a longitudinal asymmetry in the H Lyman-alpha brightness of Jupiter

A strong longitude variation in the midlatitude Lyman-alpha brightness of Jupiter has been discovered using data from the Voyager ultraviolet spectrometers. A minimum brightness of 14.4 kR was observed in the System III (1965) west longitude range 200-300 deg. The intensity rises to a broad peak of 19.6 kR near a longitude of 110 deg, a 36% increase over the minimum. This intensity 'bulge' was observed to rotate with the planet and appeared at the same longitude during both Voyager encounters, four months apart. This is a surprising discovery; no other planet studied to date has such a characteristic and the upper levels of the Jovian atmosphere were expected to be uniform in longitude. It is likely that a longitudinal asymmetry in charged particle precipitation leads to selective heating of the upper atmosphere and increased dissociation of H2, increasing the hydrogen column abundance. The resulting increase in resonant scattering could produce the observed intensity bulge.

Sandel, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations of interstellar helium with a gas absorption cell - Implications for the structure of the local interstellar medium

A photometer sensitive at the 584 A line of He 1, incorporating a helium gas resonance absorption cell, was flown on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in July 1975. The instrument observed much of the night-time sky, and returned 42 min of usable data. The data were analyzed by fitting to a model of resonant scattering of solar 584 A flux from nearby interstellar helium. Good model fits were obtained for an interstellar gas bulk velocity vector pointing toward alpha = 72 deg, delta = +15 deg, with speed 20 km/s, with interstellar medium temperatures from 5000 to 20,000 K and with neutral interstellar helium density (8.9 plus or minus 10 to the -3rd/cu cm). In the context of theoretical studies of the interstellar medium by McKee and Ostriker (1977), the results may indicate that the sun lies in the warm, partially ionized periphery of a cold interstellar cloud, surrounded by a high-temperature gas heated by old supernova remnants.

Freeman, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The distribution of singly ionized ionospheric helium from 304 A backscatter observations

The theoretical distribution of helium ions in the ionosphere is studied as a function of such ionospheric parameters as the remaining ion composition and distribution, temperature, magnetic field topology, and ionospheric dynamics. An attempt is made to verify the theoretical predictions of the H(+) distribution in the ionosphere on the basis of observations of 304 A radiation resonantly scattered from He(+).

Chakrabarti, S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Measurements of coronal kinetic temperatures from 1.5 to 3 solar radii

A rocket-borne Lyman-alpha coronagraph has been used to make the first measurements of the spectral line profile of resonantly scattered hydrogen Lyman-alpha coronal radiation between 1.5 and 3 solar radii. These data provide, for the first time, direct measurements of coronal temperatures above 1.5 solar radii. Data were obtained in a coronal hole, quiet region, and streamer. The widths of the profiles from the quiet region decrease with height and correspond to a steady decrease in hydrogen kinetic temperature, with increasing radius, from about 2.5 million K at r = 2 solar radii to about 1 million K at r = 9 solar radii. In the coronal hole the measured line widths indicate a kinetic temperature of 1.8 million K at r = 2.5 solar radii.

Kohl, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Voyager U.V. spectrometer observations of He 584 A dayglow at Jupiter

The intensity of Jupiter's He 584 A airglow has been measured by the Voyager UV spectrometers. The disk-averaged brightness is about 4 Rs and limb darkening is present. The intensity probably varies with longitude, the variation being out of phase with the H Lyman-alpha intensity bulge. Modelling of resonance scattering of the solar He 584 A line by Jupiter's atmosphere has shown that the hydrogen and helium emissions can be explained about equally well by at least two self-consistent scenarios involving the structure (temperature and eddy diffusion coefficient) and excitation of the atmosphere. All evidence points to a dramatic change of conditions in the Jovian atmosphere in the time between Pioneer and Voyager encounters.

Mcconnell, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Mechanisms for intense relativistic electron precipitation

An analysis of data gathered over a period of 14 months by the S3-3 satellite has revealed the detection of 313 relativistic electron precipitation events with isotropic flux over the upward-looking hemisphere, of which the majority occur at night in a narrow latitudinal zone which is embedded within a broader region of intense energetic ion precipitation. Three classes of precipitation are found to be associated with strong, diffusion resonant scattering due to known magnetospheric plasma waves. It is also found that intense electron energy deposition is a major source of middle-atmospheric, odd-hydrogen and odd-nitrogen molecules at sub-auroral latitudes, leading to an observable catalytic destruction of mesospheric ozone.

Thorne, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Analysis of coronal H I Lyman alpha measurements from a rocket flight on 1979 April 13

It is noted that measurements of the profiles of resonantly scattered hydrogen Lyman-alpha coronal radiation have been used in determining hydrogen kinetic temperatures from 1.5 to 4 solar radii from sun center in a quiet region of the corona. Proton temperatures derived using the line widths decrease with height from 2.6 x 10 to the 6th K at 1.5 solar radii to 1.2 x 10 to the 6th K at 4 solar radii. These measurements, together with temperatures for lower heights determined from earlier Skylab and eclipse data, suggest that there is a maximum in the quiet coronal proton temperature at about 1.5 solar radii. Comparison of measured Lyman-alpha intensities with those calculated using a representative model for the radial variation of the coronal electron density yields information on the magnitude of the electron temperature gradient and suggests that the solar wind flow was subsonic for distances less than 4 solar radii.

Withbroe, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Skylab observations of H I Lyman-alpha

The H I Lyman-alpha profiles obtained with the Skylab SO82-B spectrograph at spectral and spatial resolutions of 60 mA and 2 arcsec x 60 arcsec are presented. Profile variations are illustrated from center to limb, at different heights above the limb, and over a cell and network boundary. The Lyman-alpha core exhibits weak or no limb darkening, whereas the line wings show weak limb darkening. Above the limb, the Lyman-alpha core integrated intensity and line width remain in essence constant up to plus 12 arcsec and may result from resonance scattering of chromospheric radiation by coronal neutral hydrogen or from spicules. On the disk, intensities in the line core are seen as correlating well with the H-alpha network; however, the Lyman-alpha wing intensities are found to correlate better with the transition region lines. The average of profiles acquired over the cell and network region is found to be similar to profiles obtained in the cell.

Roussel-Dupre, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Non-LTE calculation of HCL earthlimb emission and implication for detection of HCl in the atmosphere

Calculation results are presented for the contribution of the non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium process of resonant scattering of sunlight in the 1-0 band of HCl to the earthlimb radiance, for the case of tangent altitudes from 20 to 90 km. It is established that the mechanism in question is a significant contributor to radiance at altitudes as low as 20 km, and that it becomes greater than the Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium contribution above 40 km. Attention is given to the prospects for detection of HCl at altitudes approaching 80 km, by means of the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer scheduled for deployment by the NASA Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite.

Kumer, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Intense Ly-alpha emission from Uranus

The existence of intense atomic hydrogen Ly-alpha emission from Uranus is demonstrated here by utilizing the monochromatic imaging capabilities of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectrograph. Observations show increased emission in the vicinity of Uranus superimposed on the geocoronal/interplanetary background. If resonant scattering of solar Ly-alpha is the source of the 1.6 + or - 0.4 kR disk averaged brightness, then very high column densities of atomic H above the absorbing methane are required. Precipitation of trapped charged particles, i.e., aurora, could explain the emissions. This would imply a planetary magnetic field.

Durrance, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1982

X-ray nebular models

Theoretical models are presented for the temperature and ionization structure of spherically symmetric, constant density, gaseous nebulae surrounding compact X-ray sources and for the optical, UV, and X-ray spectra emerging from the nebulae. The structure is determined by assuming a local balance between heating and cooling in the gas, and the radiation field is found by solving a simplified equation of transfer. The calculations include an accurate and comprehensive treatment of the atomic processes affecting the state of the gas and the radiation field. The destruction of line radiation during resonance scattering causes models to be significantly hotter and more highly ionized than previous models of the same type. Model results are presented for a wide variety of gas densities and X-ray source spectra, scaling laws which allow these results to be generalized to a wide variety of astrophysical solutions are discussed, and column densities of multiply charged species are tabulated.

Kallman, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Atomic carbon in the atmosphere of Venus

The densities of atomic carbon in the Venusian thermosphere are computed for a model which includes both chemistry and transport. The maximum density of C is 2.8 x 10 to the 7th per cu cm near 150 km for an assumed O2 mixing ratio of 0.0001. Photoionization of atomic carbon is found to be the major source of C(+) above 200 km, and resonance scattering of sunlight by atomic carbon may be the major source of the C I emissions at 1561 A, 1657 A, and 1931 A. The computed C(+) densities are found to be in substantial agreement with those measured by Pioneer Venus.

Fox, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Detection of auroral hydrogen Lyman-alpha emission from Uranus

A series of observations of Uranus obtained with the short-wavelength spectrograph of the International Ultraviolet Explorer Observatory in 1982 April and June have revealed unexpectedly strong H Lyman-alpha emission which varied between 430 and 850 rayleighs in observed disk-averaged brightness over the course of these observations. The variability of the emission alone indicates that much of the emission must be produced by charged particle excitation of H in Uranus's upper atmosphere. In addition, comparison of these data with a model for resonant scattering of solar H Lyman-alpha emission indicates that, over a wide range of model conditions, an emission brightness of even 430 rayleighs (which was the lowest observed value) corresponds to an H column density on the order of 10 to the 17th/sq cm in Uranus's upper atmosphere. These data offer the first strong evidence for the presence of aurorae and therefore a magnetic field on Uranus.

Clarke, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Io's sodium cloud - Explanation of the east-west asymmetries. II

A three- dimensional model for Io's sodium cloud incorporating the full effects of solar radiation acceleration associated with solar resonance scattering of atoms in the D-1 and D-2 lines is developed and applied to interpret two different but related east-west asymmetries exhibited in the cloud, using data obtained from ground-based telescopes. The physical changes produced in the cloud by the solar radiation acceleration as a function of satellite phase angle are documented, and how these changes explain the asymmetries is clarified. The model results suggest an east-west phase lag asymmetry of 10-15 degrees; results for the observed east-west intensity asymmetry of Bergstrahl (1977) are also presented. The east-west shape and intensity asymmetries are found to follow directly from the lack of circular symmetry about Jupiter of the forces acting on the cloud atoms.

Smyth, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A non-spherically symmetric model for absorption regions near quasars

An approximate analytic solution of the radiative-transfer equation is used to estimate upper limits on the fraction of sky covered (Omega/4pi) by absorption regions near broad absorption-line quasars. The resonance scattering of line radiation tends to 'fill in' absorption troughs, and regions with large Omega/4pi produce troughs that are severely 'filled in'. PHL 5200 and several other broad absorption line quasars have absorption troughs that are flat-bottomed and deep. It is noted that these quasars probably have small Omega/4pi. Simple solutions are obtained for the case of large optical depth and a point central source using a two-stream model for the radiation field. It is shown that the scattered radiation can produce flat-bottomed absorption troughs if the logarithmic velocity derivative in the outflow is constant. For a large class of models, Omega/4pi is approximately less than the residual intensity (the fraction left after absorption) in a deep flat-bottomed absorption trough.

Junkkarinen, V. T.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Spectrophotometric studies of the Io Torus

A toroidal volume near Io's orbit is made luminous by multiple optical and ultraviolet line emissions excited by resonant scattering of sunlight and by electron collisions. These emitting atoms and ions have been lost from Io. The spectrophotometric measurements of these emissions and their physical interpretation are considered. It is now known that the flow of material from Io dominates the particle and energy budgets of the Jovian magnetosphere. The observed emitting species in the Io torus are examined, and the atomic clouds are discussed, taking into account morphology and kinematics, atomic cloud supply rates, ion-atom collisions, and charge-exchange collisions. Observations and studies concerning the plasma torus are reported, giving attention to the forbidden lines, the extreme ultraviolet lines, and aspects of ion temperature and spatial distribution. Two types of radial transport in the Io torus include the ballistic motion of neutrals escaping from Io and the cross-L transport of ions.

Brown, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Tentative confirmation of an aurora on Uranus

There have been three recent reports of the detection of Lyman-alpha radiation (due to atomic hydrogen, H, at wavelength 1,216 A) from Uranus by means of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite. The interpretations of these results differ. Two reports conclude that there is a strong aurora on Uranus, but the third concludes that the source is resonance scattering of solar Lyman-alpha. This paper reports the detection of emission features due to molecular hydrogen, H2, near 1,600 A. This detection is near the limit of the IUE sensitivity. If it is real, the detection of H2 emission strongly supports the conclusion that Uranus has an aurora comparable in strength with those of the inner two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. The first published IUE spectra of the Saturn aurora are also presented.

Caldwell, J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

New absolute spectroscopic measurement of the solar equatorial rotation rate

An atomic-beam resonance-scattering technique applied to the 7699 A solar potassium absorption line is used to make an absolute spectroscopic determination of the solar equatorial rotation rate. This is believed to be a new method which has not previously been used for studying solar rotation. The measurements were made during 1979-82, initially with a permanent apparatus at Oberlin College and more recently with a portable apparatus installed at the Snow Telescope on Mt. Wilson. After carefully allowing for possible systematic errors, it is concluded that the solar sidereal equatorial rotation rate is 13.8 + or - 0.3 deg/day and that it has not varied significantly over the period of these observations.

Snider, J. L.↗