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NASA NTRS2006

Consistency of Global Modis Aerosol Optical Depths over Ocean on Terra and Aqua Ceres SSF Datasets

Aerosol retrievals over ocean from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Terra and Aqua platforms are available from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) datasets generated at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). Two aerosol products are reported side-by-side. The primary M product is generated by sub-setting and remapping the multi-spectral (0.47-2.1 micrometer) MODIS produced oceanic aerosol (MOD04/MYD04 for Terra/Aqua) onto CERES footprints. M*D04 processing uses cloud screening and aerosol algorithms developed by the MODIS science team. The secondary AVHRR-like A product is generated in only two MODIS bands 1 and 6 (on Aqua, bands 1 and 7). The A processing uses the CERES cloud screening algorithm, and NOAA/NESDIS glint identification, and single-channel aerosol retrieval algorithms. The M and A products have been documented elsewhere and preliminarily compared using 2 weeks of global Terra CERES SSF Edition 1A data in which the M product was based on MOD04 collection 3. In this study, the comparisons between the M and A aerosol optical depths (AOD) in MODIS band 1 (0.64 micrometers), tau(sub 1M) and tau(sub 1A) are re-examined using 9 days of global CERES SSF Terra Edition 2A and Aqua Edition 1B data from 13 - 21 October 2002, and extended to include cross-platform comparisons. The M and A products on the new CERES SSF release are generated using the same aerosol algorithms as before, but with different preprocessing and sampling procedures, lending themselves to a simple sensitivity check to non-aerosol factors. Both tau(sub 1M) and tau(sub 1A) generally compare well across platforms. However, the M product shows some differences, which increase with ambient cloud amount and towards the solar side of the orbit. Three types of comparisons conducted in this study - cross-platform, cross-product, and cross-release confirm the previously made observation that the major area for improvement in the current aerosol processing lies in a more formalized and standardized sampling (and most importantly, cloud screening) whereas optimization of the aerosol algorithm is deemed to be an important yet less critical element.

Ignatov, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS2008

Microwave Soil Moisture Retrieval Under Trees

Soil moisture is recognized as an important component of the water, energy, and carbon cycles at the interface between the Earth's surface and atmosphere. Current baseline soil moisture retrieval algorithms for microwave space missions have been developed and validated only over grasslands, agricultural crops, and generally light to moderate vegetation. Tree areas have commonly been excluded from operational soil moisture retrieval plans due to the large expected impact of trees on masking the microwave response to the underlying soil moisture. Our understanding of the microwave properties of trees of various sizes and their effect on soil moisture retrieval algorithms at L band is presently limited, although research efforts are ongoing in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere to remedy this situation. As part of this research, a coordinated sequence of field measurements involving the ComRAD (for Combined Radar/Radiometer) active/passive microwave truck instrument system has been undertaken. Jointly developed and operated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and George Washington University, ComRAD consists of dual-polarized 1.4 GHz total-power radiometers (LH, LV) and a quad-polarized 1.25 GHz L band radar sharing a single parabolic dish antenna with a novel broadband stacked patch dual-polarized feed, a quad-polarized 4.75 GHz C band radar, and a single channel 10 GHz XHH radar. The instruments are deployed on a mobile truck with an 19-m hydraulic boom and share common control software; real-time calibrated signals, and the capability for automated data collection for unattended operation. Most microwave soil moisture retrieval algorithms developed for use at L band frequencies are based on the tau-omega model, a simplified zero-order radiative transfer approach where scattering is largely ignored and vegetation canopies are generally treated as a bulk attenuating layer. In this approach, vegetation effects are parameterized by tau and omega, the microwave vegetation opacity and single scattering albedo. One goal of our current research is to determine whether the tau-omega model can work for tree canopies given the increased scatter from trees compared to grasses and crops, and. if so, what are effective values for tau and omega for trees.

O'Neill, P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Improving Mars-GRAM: Increasing the Accuracy of Sensitivity Studies at Large Optical Depths

Extensively utilized for numerous mission applications, the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is an engineering-level atmospheric model. In a Monte-Carlo mode, Mars-GRAM's perturbation modeling capability is used to perform high fidelity engineering end-to-end simulations for entry, descent, and landing (EDL). Mars-GRAM has been found to be inexact when used during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) site selection process for sensitivity studies for MapYear=0 and large optical depth values such as tau=3. Mars-GRAM is based on the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) from the surface to 80 km altitude. Mars-GRAM with the MapYear parameter set to 0 utilizes results from a MGCM run with a fixed value of tau=3 at all locations for the entire year. Imprecise atmospheric density and pressure at all altitudes is a consequence of this use of MGCM with tau=3. Density factor values have been determined for tau=0.3, 1 and 3 as a preliminary fix to this pressure-density problem. These factors adjust the input values of MGCM MapYear 0 pressure and density to achieve a better match of Mars-GRAM MapYear 0 with Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) observations for MapYears 1 and 2 at comparable dust loading. These density factors are fixed values for all latitudes and Ls and are included in Mars-GRAM Release 1.3. Work currently being done, to derive better multipliers by including variations with latitude and/or Ls by comparison of MapYear 0 output directly against TES limb data, will be highlighted in the presentation. The TES limb data utilized in this process has been validated by a comparison study between Mars atmospheric density estimates from Mars-GRAM and measurements by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). This comparison study was undertaken for locations on Mars of varying latitudes, Ls, and LTST. The more precise density factors will be included in Mars-GRAM 2005 Release 1.4 and thus improve the results of future sensitivity studies done for large optical depths.

Justh, Hilary L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Effective Tree Scattering at L-Band

For routine microwave Soil Moisture (SM) retrieval through vegetation, the tau-omega [1] model [zero-order Radiative Transfer (RT) solution] is attractive due to its simplicity and eases of inversion and implementation. It is the model used in baseline retrieval algorithms for several planned microwave space missions, such as ESA's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission (launched November 2009) and NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission (to be launched 2014/2015) [2 and 3]. These approaches are adapted for vegetated landscapes with effective vegetation parameters tau and omega by fitting experimental data or simulation outputs of a multiple scattering model [4-7]. The model has been validated over grasslands, agricultural crops, and generally light to moderate vegetation. As the density of vegetation increases, sensitivity to the underlying SM begins to degrade significantly and errors in the retrieved SM increase accordingly. The zero-order model also loses its validity when dense vegetation (i.e. forest, mature corn, etc.) includes scatterers, such as branches and trunks (or stalks in the case of corn), which are large with respect to the wavelength. The tau-omega model (when applied over moderately to densely vegetated landscapes) will need modification (in terms of form or effective parameterization) to enable accurate characterization of vegetation parameters with respect to specific tree types, anisotropic canopy structure, presence of leaves and/or understory. More scattering terms (at least up to first-order at L-band) should be included in the RT solutions for forest canopies [8]. Although not really suitable to forests, a zero-order tau-omega model might be applied to such vegetation canopies with large scatterers, but that equivalent or effective parameters would have to be used [4]. This requires that the effective values (vegetation opacity and single scattering albedo) need to be evaluated (compared) with theoretical definitions of these parameters. In a recent study [9], effective vegetation opacity of coniferous trees was compared with two independent estimates of the same parameter. First, a zero-order RT model was fitted to multiangular microwave emissivity data in a least-square sense to provide effective vegetation optical depth as done in spaceborne retrieval algorithms. Second, a ratio between radar backscatter measurements with a corner reflector under trees and in an open area was calculated to obtain measured tree propagation characteristics. Finally, the theoretical propagation constant was determined by forward scattering theorem using detailed measurements of size/angle distributions and dielectric constants of the tree constituents (trunk, branches, and needles). Results indicated that the effective attenuation values are smaller than but of similar magnitude to both the theoretical and measured values. This study will complement the previous work [9] and will focus on characterization of effective scattering albedo by assuming that effective vegetation opacity is same as theoretical opacity. The resultant effective albedo will not be the albedo of single forest canopy element anymore, but it becomes a global parameter, which depends on all the processes taking place within the canopy including multiple scattering as described.

Kurum, Mehmet↗
NASA NTRS2012

SRT Evaluation of AIRS Version-6.02 and Version-6.02 AIRS Only (6.02 AO) Products

Version-6 contains a number of significant improvements over Version-5. This report compares Version-6 products resulting from the advances listed below to those from Version-5. 1. Improved methodology to determine skin temperature (T(sub s)) and spectral emissivity (Epsilon(sub v)). 2. Use of Neural-net start-up state. 3. Improvements which decrease the spurious negative Version-5 trend in tropospheric temperatures. 4. Improved QC methodology. Version-6 uses separate QC thresholds optimized for Data Assimilation (QC=0) and Climate applications (QC=0,1) respectively. 5. Channel-by-channel clear-column radiances R-hat(sub tau) QC flags. 6. Improved cloud parameter retrieval algorithm. 7. Improved OLR RTA. Our evaluation compared V6.02 and V6.02 AIRS Only (V6.02 AO) Quality Controlled products with those of Version-5.0. In particular we evaluated surface skin temperature T(sub s), surface spectral emissivity Epsilon(sub v), temperature profile T(p), water vapor profile q(p), OLR, OLR(sub CLR), effective cloud fraction alpha-Epsilon, and cloud cleared radiances R-hat(sub tau) . We conducted two types of evaluations. The first compared results on 7 focus days to collocated ECMWF truth. The seven focus days are: September 6, 2002; January 25, 2003; September 29, 2004; August 5, 2005; February 24, 2007; August 10, 2007; and May 30, 2010. In these evaluations, we show results for T(sub s), Epsilon(sub v), T(p), and q(p) in terms of yields, and RMS differences and biases with regard to ECMWF. We also show yield trends as well as bias trends of these quantities relative to ECMWF truth. We also show yields and accuracy of channel by channel QC d values of R-hat(sub tau) for V6.02 and V6.02 AO. Version-5 did not contain channel by channel QC d values of R-hat(sub tau). In the second type of evaluation, we compared V6.03 monthly mean Level-3 products to those of Version-5.0, for four different months: January, April, July, and October; in 3 different years 2003, 2007, and 2011. In particular, we compared V6.03 and V5.0 trends of T(p), q(p), alpha-Epsilon, OLR, and OLR(sub CLR) computed based on results for these 12 time periods

Susskind, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ultra-Sensitive Transition-Edge Sensors for the Background Limited Infrared/Sub-mm Spectrograph (BLISS)

We report progress in fabricating ultra-sensitive superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) for BLISS. BLISS is a suite of grating spectrometers covering 35-433 micron with R approx. 700 cooled to 50 mK that is proposed to fly on the Japanese space telescope SPICA. The detector arrays for BLISS are TES bolometers readout with a time domain SQUID multiplexer. The required noise equivalent power (NEP) for BLISS is NEP = 10(exp -19) W/Hz(exp 1/2) with an ultimate goal of NEP= 5 x 10(exp -20) W/Hz(exp 1/2) to achieve background limited noise performance. The required and goal response times are tau = 150 ms and tau = 50ms respectively to achieve the NEP at the required and goal optical chop frequency 1-5 Hz. We measured prototype BLISS arrays and have achieved NEP = 6 x 10(exp -18) W/Hz(exp 1/2) and tau = 1.4 ms with a Ti TES (T(sub C) = 565 mK) and NEP approx. 2.5 x 10(exp -19) W/Hz(exp 1/2) and tau approximates 4.5 ms with an Ir TES (T(sub C) = 130 mK). Dark power for these tests is estimated at 1-5 fW.

transition-edge sensors (TESs)↗
NASA NTRS2013

Luminosity Correlations for Gamma-Ray Bursts and Implications for Their Prompt and Afterglow Emission Mechanisms

We present the relation between the (z- and k-corrected) spectral lags, tau, for the standard Swift energy bands 50 - 100 keV and 100 - 200 keV and the peak isotropic luminosity, L(sub iso) (a relation reported first by Norris et al.), for a subset of 12 long Swift GRBs taken from a recent study of this relation by Ukwatta et al. The chosen GRBs are also a subset of the Dainotti et al. sample, a set of Swift GRBs of known redshift, employed in establishing a relation between the (GRB frame) luminosity, L(sub x), of the shallow (or constant) flux portion of the typical XRT GRB-afterglow light curve and the (GRB frame) time of transition to the normal decay rate, T(sub brk). We also present the L(sub x) - T(sub brk) relation using only the bursts common in the two samples. The two relations exhibit a significant degree of correlation (rho = -0.65 for the L(sub iso) - tao and rho = -0.88 for the L(sub x) -T(sub brk) relation) and have surprisingly similar best-fit power law indices (-1.19 +/- 0.17 for L(sub iso) - tau and -1.10 +/- 0.03 for L(sub x) - T(sub brk)). Even more surprisingly, we noted that although tau and T(sub brk) represent different GRB time variables, it appears that the first relation (L(sub iso) - tao) extrapolates into the second one for timescales tau similar to T(sub brk) This fact suggests that these two relations have a common origin, which we conjecture to be kinematic. This relation adds to the recently discovered relations between properties of the prompt and afterglow GRB phases, indicating a much more intimate relation between these two phases than hitherto considered.

Sultana, J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Radiative damping of trapped gravity waves in the solar atmosphere.

The radiative damping of trapped gravity waves in an optically thin atmosphere is studied for a stratified Boussinesq fluid. The character of the atmospheric eigenmodes depends on the distribution of the Brunt-Vaisala frequency N and the radiative relaxation time tau. The calculations for simple layer models show that if N x tau is large over some finite fraction of the trapping region, then modes of long lifetime can exist. In order to suppress gravity waves entirely, it is necessary that N x tau be less than or equal to 1 over the entire trapping region. Qualitative application of the results to the solar atmosphere leads to the conclusion that gravity wave eigenmodes of the solar atmosphere, although damped, are by no means eliminated by radiative effects.

Clark, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Measurement of surface stay times for physical adsorption of gases

A molecular beam time-of-flight technique is studied as a means of determining surface stay times for physical adsorption. The experimental approach consists of pulsing a molecular beam, allowing the pulse to strike an adsorbing surface and detecting the molecular pulse after it has subsequently desorbed. The technique is also found to be useful for general studies of adsorption under nonequilibrium conditions including the study of adsorbate-adsorbate interactions. The shape of the detected pulse is analyzed in detail for a first-order desorption process. For mean stay times, tau, less than the mean molecular transit times involved, the peak of the detected pulse is delayed by an amount approximately equal to tau. For tau much greater than these transit times, the detected pulse should decay as exp(-t/tau). However, for stay times of the order of the transit times, both the molecular speed distributions and the incident pulse duration time must be taken into account.

Wilmoth, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A dynamic model for the time evolution of the modulated cosmic ray spectrum

A recently developed model predicts an energy dependent phase lag in the modulated cosmic ray density U(t) given by U(t) approximately equal to US (t - tau) where US is the solution to the Fokker-Planck equation under time independent conditions and tau is the average time spent by particles inside the modulating region. The delay times tau are functions of modulating parameters R (the radius of the modulating cavity), V (the solar wind velocity), and K (the effective average diffusion-coefficient which is a function of energy). This model is applied to predict the time evolution of the modulated cosmic ray proton spectrum over a simulated solar cycle. A modulation produced mostly by varying R over the solar cycle is less consistent with the observations.

Ogallagher, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Numerical techniques for the linear, nonadiabatic stellar pulsation problem

The linear, nonadiabatic eigenvalue problem is formulated using Castor's method for calculating radial pulsations of stellar models. Both left and right eigenvectors are calculated. Initial eigenvalues for the linear, nonadiabatic solutions are obtained from the adiabatic eigenvalues and left and right eigenvectors. The orthogonality relation is obtained. Simple formulas for the Newton method are given. The iteration procedure is constrained to improve convergence. The Newton method is less satisfactory than the secant method for difficult cases. The linear, nonadiabatic solutions are shown to be sensitive to the number of zones with tau smaller than 2/3, and the value of (P/P sub r) surface or tau (surface). Optimum values can be determined for the number of zones and tau (surface). Application of the method to Population II Cepheids is briefly presented.

Bednarek, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Frequency stability requirements for two way range rate tracking

Accuracy limitations to two way range rate Doppler tracking due to master (reference) oscillator frequency instabilities are discussed. Theory is developed to treat both the effects of random and nonrandom oscillator instabilities. The nonrandom instabilities treated are drift, environmental effects, and coherent phase modulation. The effects of random instabilities on range rate accuracy are shown to be describable in terms of sigma y (2, T, tau). For the typical noise processes encountered in precision oscillators, range rate error is related to the more familiar sigma y (tau) and script L (f). Three examples are discussed to show how to determine range rate error from given sigma y (tau) or script L (f) curves, and approximations are developed to simplify the treatment of complex systems. An error analysis of range determined from rate data is also given.

Reinhardt, V.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Transformation from proper time on earth to coordinate time in solar system barycentric space-time frame of reference

An expression was derived for the time transformation t - tau, where t is coordinate time in the solar system barycentric space-time frame of reference and tau is proper time obtained from a fixed atomic clock on earth. This transformation is suitable for use in the computation of high-precision earth-based range and Doppler observables of a spacecraft or celestial body located anywhere in the solar system; it can also be used in obtaining computed values of very long baseline interferometry data types. The formulation for computing range and Doppler observables, which is an explicit function of the transformation t - tau, is described briefly.

Moyer, T. D.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Apparent wavelength dependence of v sin i for Zeta Tauri

It was previously reported that the derived projected rotational velocity (v sin i) of the B shell star, Zeta Tau, appeared to depend on the wavelength of the line used in the analysis. This letter documents the apparent wavelength dependence of v sin i for Zeta Tau in order to provide an observational basis against which quantitative explanations can be tested. A value of 300 km/s is adopted for v sin i on the basis of an examination of the visual line spectrum, particularly the lines of He I at 4026 and 4471 A and Mg II at 4481 A. Analysis of the far-UV resonance lines of Si III at 1206 A and Si IV at 1393 and 1463 A in Copernicus spectrograms of Zeta Tau yields a representative value of no more than 150 km/s for v sin i. Gravity darkening of the star's atmosphere and distention of the atmosphere by rapid differential rotation are considered as possible explanations for the discrepancy between the v sin i values determined from the UV and visual lines.

Heap, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

On the origin of a very close similarity between the spectra of the supernova type 1 in NGC 3198 and the absorption of DQ HeR

The type 1 supernova discovered late in 1966 in NGC 3198 has broad minima in its spectrum break down into a number of significantly narrower absorption bands. The broad minima of tau, sigma and mu, which usually show no details in the spectra of type supernovas, contain a number of narrow absorption bands. The reality of most of these absorption bands is demonstrated by comparison of recordings of spectra of the supernova presented for two moments in time. These minima (particularly of tau and mu,) are a result of blending of several broad absorption bands. The minimum of tau should be a blend of intensive and very broad Fe absorption lines, in which the lower level is metastable. The wavelengths of these line are: 5169, 5198, 5235, 5276, 5317, 5363A.

Mustel, E. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Spread spectrum acquisition and tracking performance for Shuttle communication links

The spread spectrum acquisition and tracking performance for the Shuttle S-band and Ku-band communication links are analyzed and compared to test results. The S-band link requirements are more severe than those of the Ku-band links, hence, different despreader designs were developed for the two systems. The S-band despreader acquires pseudonoise code lock by examining all possible code phases in half chip steps while the Ku-band despreader acquires pseudonoise code lock by continuously sweeping a tau-jitter loop. Both despreaders employ a tau-jitter loop for code tracking. The code tracking performance is computed for the tau-jitter loop and compared to that of the more complex delay lock loop.

Alem, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Acoustic resonances and sound scattering by a shear layer

The energy reflection coefficient is evaluated numerically for plane waves incident on a plane shear layer having a linear velocity profile. The shear layer is found to exhibit no resonances and no Brewster angles. The behavior of the reflection coefficient depends crucially on the parameter tau, a nondimensional measure of the disturbance Strouhal number with respect to the disturbance Mach number in the mean flow direction. For moderate values of tau, the amplified reflection regime degenerates into the total reflection one, whereas in the ordinary reflection regime the variation of the reflection coefficient with tau depends on whether or not the corresponding vortex sheet has a Brewster angle. The results indicate that caution should be exercised in uncritically modeling a finite thickness shear layer by a corresponding vortex sheet.

Koutsoyannis, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Measurements of reactive gaseous rocket injector admittances

The paper describes the results of an experimental study of the quantitative determination of the capabilities of the combustion processes associated with coaxial gaseous propellant rocket injectors to drive combustor pressure oscillations. The data, obtained by employing the modified impedance tube technique with compressed air as the oxidizer and acetylene gas as the fuel, describe the frequency dependence of the admittance of the combined injector-combustion process. The measured data are compared with the predictions of the Feiler and Heidmann analytical model utilizing different values for the characteristic combustion time tau sub b. The values of tau sub b which result in a best fit between the measured and predicted data are indicated for different equivalence ratios. It is shown that for the coaxial injector investigated in this study the tau sub b varies between 0.7 and 1.2 msec for equivalence ratios in the range of 0.57 to 1.31. In addition, the experimental data indicate that the tested injector system could drive combustion instabilities over a frequency range that is in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the Feiler and Heidmann model.

Janardan, B. A.↗