Search NASASearch

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “spectrogram”

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 217 records · Page 12

Upwelling O(+) ion source characteristics

The characteristics of an upwelling ion source are discussed. A typical upwelling event is analyzed using Dynamic Explorer 1 satellite retarding ion mass spectrometer (RIMS) observations of the low-energy plasma, and energetic ion and local electromagnetic field observations. The RIMS spectrograms of the O(+) ion species, radial and axial head data for O(+), and spin plan O(+) distribution functions are examined. The features of the upwelling observed include: (1) transverse ion heating to temperature of 100,000 K, (2) large outward flows of O(+), (3) enhanced flow of H(+) and He (+), (4) moderately strong field-aligned current sheets, (5) an associated intense eastward convection channel, and (6) strong wave emissions in the range near and below the proton gyrofrequency. The association between the upwelling O(+) signature and auroral current is investigated. Plasma wave and electric field environments are studied and plasma flows and densities are derived. It is noted that the mechanism for ion heating which defines the source region for these polar ion outflows is related to field-aligned currents and an associated auroral convection channel or jet.

Moore, T. E.

Alfven-wave dissipation: A support mechanism for quiescent prominences

High resolution filtergrams or spectrograms of the main body of quiescent prominences often show a very vivid dynamical picture that cannot be reconciled with static models. Even if large differences exist between individual prominences in this respect, at least parts of the prominence are usually found to be in a 'choppy', turbulent state. Evidence for systematic flows are found in local regions in the prominence and also in the transition zone in the surroundings. These two regions are probably decoupled magnetically. Alfven waves are generally believed to be responsible for the heating in the upper chromosphere and corona (Hollweg 1986). Since evidence for the presence of Alfven-waves has also been found in the solar wind field, it is highly probable that such waves are generated in the convection zone of the sun and propagated outwards in the solar atmosphere wherever a proper magnetic field is present to carry the waves. The most basic magnetic formations in the solar atmosphere are simple loops. They occur all over the solar surface and cover a large range of magnetic field strengths. Loops with the strongest magnetic fields are found in active regions. It is to be expected that the Alfven-wave flux which is channelled into the loops from below, could show considerable variation both with heliocentric latitude, with time and locally between neighbouring loops. What happens when a magnetic loop is exposed to the appropriate Alfven-wave flux required to heat the upper solar atmosphere is examined.

Jensen, Eberhart

Comet P/Giacobini-Zinner electron and H2O column densities from ICE and ground-based observations

An H2O(+) emission profile extracted from an optical CCD spectrogram obtained during the ICE/Giacobini-Zinner encounter is compared to the electron density profile deduced from in-situ measurements by the ratio experiment aboard ICE. It is concluded that the electrons and the H2O(+) ions are distributed similarly 9600 km tailward from the cometary nucleus; that the ratio of number densities of H2O(+) ions to electrons is 1/4 at this point; and that the width of the plasma sheet is 16,000 km.

Meyer-Vernet, N.

The ionospheric extent of P/Halley from ground based operations during the 1985-1986 apparition

Spatial profiles of H2O(+) emission in the inner coma of P/Halley on 8 dates during the 1985 to 1986 apparition are presented. The profiles are derived from two dimensional CCD spectrograms taken with the spectrograph slit oriented along the cometary radius vector. The observations cover the range from 16 Oct. 1985 (r = 2.14 AU preperihelion) to 6 June 1986 (r = 2.14 AU postperihelion). The surface brightness profile of the 6198A H2O(+) emission line is calibrated in terms of the column density of H2O(+) ions. The profile from 14.4 Mar. 1986 is compared with the Giotto Ion Composition Experiment measurement of the shape of the H2O(+) space density profile. The ionosphere becomes larger and steeper in the sunward direction with an increasing water production rate.

Mccarthy, Patrick J.

Kitt Peak spectroscopy of P/Halley: October 1983-March 1985

Four low-resolution optical spectra of P/Halley obtained at heliocentric distances between 8.78 ad 4.83 AU using the cryogenic camera and R-C spectrograph on the 4 m Mayall reflector of Kitt Peak National Observatory are discussed. The resulting spectrogram shows a lack of the emission bands commonly seen in nearby cometary spectra. The optical color of Halley indicates that the comet is redder than the sun at less than 6000 A and slightly bluer above 6500 A. The substantial extent of the Halley dust coma is discussed, and an oxygen production rate of 3 x 10 to the 26th atoms/s at r = 4.83 AU is derived. These results are compared with those for other comets and those found for Halley by other authors.

Spinrad, H.

Far-ultraviolet fluorescence of carbon monoxide in the red giant Arcturus. II - Analysis of high-dispersion IUE spectra

Faint, diffuse emissions near 1380 A in deeply exposed IUE spectrograms of the red giant Arcturus very likely are associated with bands of the A-X fourth-positive system of carbon monoxide, fluoresced by multiplet UV2 of neutral oxygen near 1305 A. Numerical simulations indicate that the strength of the CO bands is exceedingly sensitive, in the best available one-dimensional model of the chromosphere of Arcturus, to a delicate balance between the rapid inward attenuation of the oxygen radiation field and the rapid outward decline of the molecular absorptivity. The fortuitous character of the overlap region in the single-component model argues that one should also consider the possibility that the pumping occurs in a highly inhomogeneous chromosphere, of the type proposed in previous studies of Arcturus based on observations of the infrared absorption bands of CO.

Ayres, T. R.

High-dispersion observations of alpha Bootis (K1 III) with the International Ultraviolet Explorer

Echelle spectrograms were obtained of the early-K red giant Arcturus in the far UV 1150-2000 A and middle-UV 2000-3200 A regions. Faint emission from forbidden Si II at 1892.0 A was detected. A surface flux of C IV was measured that was less than 1 percent of the solar surface flux. An observed faint spectral structure near 1380 A is believed due to the bands of the A-X fourth positive system of CO fluoresced by strong chromospheric emissions of the O I triplet. Constraints on the chromospheric structure, as evidenced by the fluorescent emissions and density-sensitive line ratios from multiplet UV lines of forbidden C II, are discussed.

Ayres, T. R.

The moderately interacting Algol-type eclipsing binary RY Geminorum

Ultraviolet spectra of the Algol-type semidetached system RY Geminorum, whose components can be described as A0 V and K0 IV, have been matched to the ultraviolet spectrum by Kurucz (1979) model atmospheres, and a best fit is found for T(eff) = 9150 K. Comparison with standard star spectra requires that this value be raised to 9400 K. The color excess of the system is determined to be no more than E(B-V) = 0.03 mag; the distance to the system is about 360 pc. The masses are approximately 2.36 and 0.38 solar masses, and the radii are 2.5 and 5.8 solar radii, respectively. The separation of the two centers is 26 solar radii. Evidence for a circumstellar line absorption is found in optical and ultraviolet spectrograms, and evidence is found in IUE spectra taken in partial eclipse for circumstellar emission lines of the type detected previously in the WS Serpentis stars and in several semidetected systems of the Algol type.

Plavec, Mirek J.

Comet P/Giacobini-Zinner electron and H2O(+) column densities from ICE and ground-based observations

An H2O(+) spatial mission profile, extracted from an optical CCD spectrogram obtained during the ICE/Giacobini-Zinner encounter, is compared to the electron-density profile that was deduced from in situ measurements by the radio experiment aboard ICE. The electron column density along a line of sight has two components, one from the spherically symmetric coma, and the second from a thin plasma sheet, whenever it is along the line of sight. The deduced electron column-density profile agrees well with the observed H2O(+) emission profile. It is concluded that the electrons and the H2O(+) ions are distributed similarly 9600 km tailward from the cometary nucleus, that the ratio of number densities of H2O(+) ions to electrons is about 1/4 at this point, and that the width of the plasma sheet is about 16,000 km.

Meyer-Vernet, N.

Optical region elemental abundance analyses of B and A stars. VII - The metallic-lined star 32 Aquarii

An abundance analysis using photographic region spectrograms and fully line-blanketed model atmospheres has been performed for the metallic-lined (Am) star 32 Aquarii consistent with previous papers of this series. Its pattern of abundance anomalies is not identical with those of the hot Am stars although there are definite similarities. Changes of up to order 1 dex are foundly by comparison with the previous analysis by Smith. Slightly better agreement is found with the recent analyses of singly-ionized rare earth lines by Magazzu and Cowley. Results are also presented for a model selected on the basis of photometric indices according to the formula of Moon and Dworetsky.

Kocer, D.

Spatial extent of the plasma injection region in the cusp-magnetosheath interface

Using data from the high-altitude plasma instrument onboard the DE 1 spacecraft, the perpendicular (to the magnetic field) extent of the region of ion injection into the cusp has been estimated by measuring the energy dispersion of the ion V-shaped signatures seen on energy-time spectrograms. Three different passes were chosen based on the clarity of the V-shaped ion signatures. These studies indicate that the injection region has a dimension perpendicular to the magnetic field in the range D = 1000-6000 km at a radial distance of about 10 earth radii, in good agreement with reported diameters of flux transfer events (FTEs). Similar measurement of the energy dispersion of an electron V-shaped signature observed on one pass has yielded a parallel extent of the plasma injection region in the range D(parallel) = 100-350 km. The results lead to the suggestion that the plasma within an FTE travels down the field line as the field line convects antisunward, and may subsequently be observed in the polar cusp as a V-shaped signature.

Menietti, J. D.

Striated spectral activity in Jovian and Saturnian radio emission

Examination of high time resolution frequency-time spectrograms of radio emission measured near the Voyager 1 and 2 encounters with Jupiter reveals occasional striation patterns within the normally diffuse hectometric radiation. The patterns are characterized by distinctive banded structures of enhanced intensity meandering in frequency over time scales of minutes to tens of minutes. This banded form of striated spectral activity (SSA) has an occurrence probability of the order of 5 percent during the three weeks before and after Jupiter encounters. Plots of single 6-s frequency sweeps often exhibit a slow rise in intensity followed by a sharp drop-off in each band as frequency decreases. Banded SSA is often preceded or followed by chaotic SSA in which banding of the emission becomes discontinuous or unrecognizable, although the intensity modulation is still evident. Although SSA normally occurs in the frequency range of roughly 0.2-1.0 MHz, similar but longer-lasting patterns have been found occasionally in decametric emission above 10 MHz. Analogous modulation has also been observed in the Saturnian radio emission, suggesting that SSA may be a common feature intrinsic to the radio emission at both planets.

Thieman, James R.

The vertical structure of arch filament systems in solar emerging flux regions

The paper studies the vertical velocity of arch filaments in emerging flux regions by measuring their proper motion near the limb in H-alpha filtergrams and their radial velocity near the disk center in H-alpha spectrograms. Both show that arch filaments rise at a velocity between 10 and 15 km/s. The possible mechanisms producing this high velocity are discussed. None of them is satifactory, but it appears that the unloading of the arches by outflow must play a role. From the strength of H-alpha emission and D3 absorption, the temperature of arch filaments is estimated at 6000-15,000 K and the density at 10 to the 11th-12th/cu cm.

Chou, Dean-Yi

Absorption spectra of Fe I in the 1550-3215-A region

The high-dispersion absorption spectrum of Fe I is reported in the 1550-3215-A region. Included are wavelengths of about 3000 observed spectral features, improved spectral assignments, 248 new energy levels, and a value for the ionization potential of 63 737/cm obtained from extrapolation of Rydberg series. Improved wavelengths for several hundred V I and Ti I spectral lines determined on the same spectrograms as the iron data also are presented.

Brown, C. M.

Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud; Proceedings of the Fourth George Mason Astrophysics Workshop, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Oct. 12-14, 1987

Papers concerning SN 1987A are presented, covering topics such as images and spectrograms of the SN 1987A progenitor, a linear polarimetric study of SN 1987A, the energetics, nature, and uniqueness of the supernova, comparison of the SN 1987A light curve with other type II supernovae, P-Cygni features and photospheric velocities, the neutrino burst from SN 1987A, mass determination of neutrinos, neutrino transport, energetics, and oscillations. Additional papers discuss supernovae light echoes, the UV interstellar spectrum of SN 1987A, theoretical models of SN 1987A, circumstellar and interstellar interaction, the supernova as a stripped asymptotic-branch giant in a binary system, pulsar formation and the fall back mass fraction, the signals of particle acceleration at SN 1987A, the effects of the mixing of the ejecta on the hard X-ray emissions from the supernova, possible s-process gamma-ray lines in supernovae, detectability of early thermal radiation from a neutron star in SN 1987A, NASA studies of the supernova, and information exchange for SN 1987A. Observational studies presented include optical, IR, radio, and UV observations, IR speckle-interferometry, coded mask X-ray observations, broad band X-ray imaging spectrophotometry, gamma-ray and thermal X-ray observations, and reports from several observatories.

Kafatos, Minas

Type III radio bursts in a fibrous corona

It is shown that the effects of density variations in the solar corona may be comparable to or greater than other effects in producing the time and frequency profiles of Type III bursts. A quantitative treatment of the density inhomogeneity effect is presented and a simple mathematical theory that incorporates a log-normal distribution for density variations in nonradial diverging flux tubes is presented. This theory successfully simulates dynamic spectrograms of Type III bursts from 50 to 400 MHz.

Roelof, E. C.

TH28 (Krautter's star) and its string of Herbig-Haro objects

A high-quality spectrogram of the unusual T Tauri-like star Th28 and its string of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects has been obtained. New velocities and line intensities for the star and the gaseous knots are reported, and data are given for a third HH object located 87 arcsec to the SE along the same collimation axis as defined by the other features. Th28 has a heliocentric velocity of +5 km/s which is close to the velocity of the CO in the area. The star's spectral type is probably in the G8-K2 range.

Graham, J. A.