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At least 217 records · Page 12

Excited state absorption of pump radiation as a loss mechanism in solid-state lasers

The characteristics of optical pumping dynamics in laser-pumped, rare-earth-doped, solid-state laser materials are investigated by using a tunable alexandrite laser to pump Y3Al5O12:Nd(3+) in an optical cavity. It is found that the slope efficiency of the Nd laser operation depends strongly on the wavelength of the pump laser. For pump wavelengths resulting in low slope efficiencies, intense fluorescence emission is observed from the sample in the blue-green spectral region. This is attributed to the excited-state absorption of pump photons which occurs during radiationless relaxation from the pump band to the metastable state. This type of process is an important loss mechanism for monochromatic pumping of laser systems at specific pump wavelengths.

Kliewer, Michael L.↗

Determination of the spectral absorption of solar radiation by marine stratocumulus clouds from airborne measurements within clouds

Results of the first experimental application of the diffusion domain method to the determination of the spectral similarity parameter, and hence the single scattering albedo, of clouds are presented. The angular distribution of scattered radiation deep within a cloud layer at discrete wavelengths between 0.5 and 2.3 microns was measured by a multiwavelength scanning radiometer. The relative angular distribution of the intensity field at each wavelength was used to determine the similarity parameter of the cloud at that wavelength utilizing the diffusion domain method. Results of the analysis are presented for a 50 km section of clean marine stratocumulus clouds over the coast of California on July 10, 1987. It is concluded that the measured absorption is close to, but persistently larger than, theoretical predictions.

King, Michael D.↗

Spectral Absorption of Solar Radiation by Aerosols during ACE-Asia

As part of the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia), the upward and downward spectral solar radiant fluxes were measured with the Spectral Solar Flux Radiometer (SSFR), and the aerosol optical depth was measured with the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) aboard the Center for INterdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter aircraft. IN this paper, we examine the data obtained for two cases: a moderately thick aerosol layer, 12 April, and a relatively thin aerosol case, 16 April 2001. ON both days, the Twin Otter flew vertical profiles in the Korean Strait southeast of Gosan Island. For both days we determine the aerosol spectral absorption of the layer and estimate the spectral aerosol absorption optical depth and single-scattering albedo. The results for 12 April show that the single-scattering albedo increases with wavelength from 0.8 at 400 nm to 0.95 at 900 nm and remains essentially constant from 950 to 1700 nm. On 16 April the amount of aerosol absorption was very low; however, the aerosol single-scattering albedo appears to decrease slightly with wavelength in the visible region. We interpret these results in light of the two absorbing aerosol species observed during the ACE-asia study: mineral dust and black carbon. The results for 12 April are indicative of a mineral dust-black carbon mixture. The 16 April results are possibly caused by black carbon mixed with nonabsorbing pollution aerosols. For the 12 April case we attempt to estimate the relative contributions of the black carbon particles and the mineral dust particles. We compare our results with other estimates of the aerosol properties from a Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) satellite analysis and aerosol measurements made aboard the Twin Otter, aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ronald H Brown ship, and at ground sites in Gosan and Japan. The results indicate a relatively complicated aerosol mixture of both industrial pollution (including black carbon) and mineral dust. This underscores the need for careful measurements and analysis to separate out the absorption effects of mineral dust and black carbon in the east Asia region.

Bergstrom, R. W.↗

Gamma-radiation-induced negative nonlinear absorption in quartz glass

The effect of ionizing radiation on the nonlinear optical properties of materials needs to be considered for applications that employ high-power laser pulses in extreme radiation environments. The Heraeus Infrasil302 optical quartz glass was irradiated by gamma rays, and its nonlinear absorption was measured using the open-aperture Z-scan technique with nanosecond laser pulses. Irradiation results in a negative nonlinear absorption coefficient whose magnitude increases with irradiation dose. Nonlinear absorption coefficients of -0.78, -1.14, -1.29, and -1.88~ × ~10 -13 m/W are measured for gamma doses of 600 krad, 1.2 Mrad, 3.6 Mrad, and 10 Mrad, respectively. Thermal annealing restores the optical properties of quartz-glass to their unirradiated values. It is suggested that metallic impurities introduced by the manufacturing process have a role in inducing saturated absorption in irradiated quartz glass, which manifests as negative nonlinear absorption coefficient, and is demonstrated by comparing Infrasil302 quartz results to equivalent irradiated measurements for Spectrosil2000 quartz.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Re-Evaluation of Dust Radiative Forcing Using Remote Measurements of Dust Absorption

Spectral remote observations of dust properties from space and from the ground creates a powerful tool for determination of dust absorption of solar radiation with an unprecedented accuracy. Absorption is a key component in understanding dust impact on climate. We use Landsat spaceborne measurements at 0.47 to 2.2 microns over Senegal with ground based sunphotometers to find that Saharan dust absorption of solar radiation is two to four times smaller than in models. Though dust absorbs in the blue, almost no absorption was found for wavelengths greater 0.6 microns. The new finding increases by 50% recent estimated solar radiative forcing by dust and decreases the estimated dust heating of the lower troposphere. Dust transported from Asia shows slightly higher absorption probably due to the presence of black carbon from populated regions. Large scale application of this method to satellite data from the Earth Observing System can reduce significantly the uncertainty in the dust radiative effects.

Kaufman, Yoram J.↗

X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements of radiatively ionized argon gas

X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a diagnostic tool that can characterize the temperature and ionization state of a plasma. This technique requires experiments to characterize the platform, careful data calibration, and comparison with atomic models to understand the plasma parameters. We performed ionizing radiation wave experiments at the OMEGA Laser Facility that used an ∼ 80 eV X-ray source to heat an Argon (Ar) gas cell at fill pressures of 3 atm. To diagnose the Ar plasma, we used a capsule backlighter offset 10 mm from the gas cell, to produce X-rays that were absorbed by the ionized Ar gas. The absorption analysis was calibrated using the significant line structure in the backlighter spectrum, which served as independent energy fiducials enabling definitive measurements of a 50-eV shift in the energy of the Ar K-edge due to ionization. We compare the measured absorption spectra to two independent atomic models, PrismSPECT and SCRAM, and show that the observed K-edge shift in the heated gas is consistent with ionization up to Ar 4+ and temperatures of 10 eV.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Absorption of visible radiation in atmosphere containing mixtures of absorbing and nonabsorbing particles

The presence of a strongly absorbing material, tentatively identified as graphitic carbon, or 'soot', is indicated by measurements of single-scattering albedo of tropospheric aerosols. Although theoretical calculations based on models of the ways in which soot may mix with other aerosol materials yield the single-scattering albedo values of 0.6, accounted for by a minimum 20% soot by volume, in urban regions and 0.8, yielded by 1-5% soot by volume, in rural settings, it is found that these same values can be produced by similar amounts of the iron oxide magnetite. Magnetite is shown to be indistinguishable from soot by optical measurements performed on bulk samples, and calculation of various mixtures of soot indicate the difficulty of determining aerosol composition by optical scattering techniques.

Ackerman, T. P.↗

Phase function, backscatter, extinction, and absorption for standard radiation atmosphere and El Chichon aerosol models at visible and near-infrared wavelengths

Tabular values of phase function, Legendre polynominal coefficients, 180 deg backscatter, and extinction cross section are given for eight wavelengths in the atmospheric windows between 0.4 and 2.2 microns. Also included are single scattering albedo, asymmetry factor, and refractive indices. These values are based on Mie theory calculations for the standard rediation atmospheres (continental, maritime, urban, unperturbed stratospheric, volcanic, upper atmospheric, soot, oceanic, dust, and water-soluble) assest measured volcanic aerosols at several time intervals following the El Chichon eruption. Comparisons of extinction to 180 deg backscatter for different aerosol models are presented and related to lidar data.

Whitlock, C. H.↗

An evaluation of the rate of absorption of solar radiation in the O2(X3Sigma-g - b1Sigma-g) transition

The rate at which molecular oxygen absorbs radiation in the O2(X3Sigma-g - b1Sigma-g) transition is calculated using a line-by-line radiative transfer model. This rate is critical to the determination of the population of the O2(b1Sigma-g) state required for studies of the O2(b1Sigma-g - X3Sigma-g) dayglow, the O2(a1Delta-g - X3Sigma-g) dayglow, and possibly the rates of oxidation of H2 and N2O. Previous evaluations of this rate (which is sometimes called the g-factor) have significantly overestimated its value. The rate is tabulated as a function of altitude, pressure, and solar zenith angle.

Mlynczak, Martin G.↗