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At least 253 records · Page 14

Seasat SMMR observations of ocean surface temperature and wind speed in the North Pacific

The Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), aboard both the SEASAT and Nimbus-7 satellites, was designed primarily to determine global sea surface temperatures and wind speeds over an extended range of atmospheric conditions. The Seasat mission lasted approximately three months from July to October 1978, during which time sufficient data was acquired to enable an assessment of SMMR measurement capabilities under a variety of conditions. This paper reports some results of initial Seasat SMMR assessments in the North Pacific area. A brief description is given of retrieval techniques used to derive the geophysical parameters. SMMR-derived sea surface temperatures and winds are compared with surface truth point measurements from XBT's and buoys, and with surface truth fields derived from point measurements. Accuracies of approximately 1.5 C and 2.5 m/s rms are obtained in these comparisons.

Njoku, E. G.↗

Diffusion length measurement in bulk and epitaxially grown III-V semiconductors using charge collection microscopy

Diffusion lengths and surface recombination velocities were measured in GaAs diodes and InP finished solar cells. The basic technique used was charge collection microscopy, also known as electron beam induced current (EBIC). The normalized currents and distances from the pn junction were read directly from the calibrated curves obtained while using the line-scan mode in an SEM. These values were then equated to integral and infinite series expressions resulting from the solution of the diffusion equation with both extended-generation and point-generation functions. This expands previous work by examining both thin and thick samples. The surface recombination velocity was either treated as an unknown in a system of two equations or measured directly using low e(-) beam accelerating voltages. These techniques give accurate results by accounting for the effects of surface recombination and the finite size of the generation volume.

Leon, R. P.↗

Cometary Dust Characteristics: Comparison of Stardust Craters with Laboratory Impacts

Aluminium foils exposed to impact during the passage of the Stardust spacecraft through the coma of comet Wild 2 have preserved a record of a wide range of dust particle sizes. The encounter velocity and dust incidence direction are well constrained and can be simulated by laboratory shots. A crater size calibration programme based upon buckshot firings of tightly constrained sizes (monodispersive) of glass, polymer and metal beads has yielded a suite of scaling factors for interpretation of the original impacting grain dimensions. We have now extended our study to include recognition of particle density for better matching of crater to impactor diameter. A novel application of stereometric crater shape measurement, using paired scanning electron microscope (SEM) images has shown that impactors of differing density yield different crater depth/diameter ratios. Comparison of the three-dimensional gross morphology of our experimental craters with those from Stardust reveals that most of the larger Stardust impacts were produced by grains of low internal porosity.

Kearsley, A. T.↗

Functional Form of the Radiometric Equation for the SNPP VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands: An Initial Study

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite is a passive scanning radiometer and an imager, observing radiative energy from the Earth in 22 spectral bands from 0.41 to 12 microns which include 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs). Extending the formula used by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instruments, currently the VIIRS determines the sensor aperture spectral radiance through a quadratic polynomial of its detector digital count. It has been known that for the RSBs the quadratic polynomial is not adequate in the design specified spectral radiance region and using a quadratic polynomial could drastically increase the errors in the polynomial coefficients, leading to possible large errors in the determined aperture spectral radiance. In addition, it is very desirable to be able to extend the radiance calculation formula to correctly retrieve the aperture spectral radiance with the level beyond the design specified range. In order to more accurately determine the aperture spectral radiance from the observed digital count, we examine a few polynomials of the detector digital count to calculate the sensor aperture spectral radiance.

Lei, Ning↗

Earth horizon modeling and application to static Earth sensors on TRMM spacecraft

Data from Earth sensor assemblies (ESA's) often are used in the attitude determination (AD) for both spinning and Earth-pointing spacecraft. The ESA's on previous such spacecraft for which the ground-based AD operation was performed by the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) used the Earth scanning method. AD on such spacecraft requires a model of the shape of the Earth disk as seen from the spacecraft. AD accuracy requirements often are too severe to permit Earth oblateness to be ignored when modeling disk shape. Section 2 of this paper reexamines and extends the methods for Earth disk shape modeling employed in AD work at FDD for the past decade. A new formulation, based on a more convenient Earth flatness parameter, is introduced, and the geometric concepts are examined in detail. It is shown that the Earth disk can be approximated as an ellipse in AD computations. Algorithms for introducing Earth oblateness into the AD process for spacecraft carrying scanning ESA's have been developed at FDD and implemented into the support systems. The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) will be the first spacecraft with AD operation performed at FDD that uses a different type of ESA - namely, a static one - containing four fixed detectors D(sub i) (i = 1 to 4). Section 3 of this paper considers the effect of Earth oblateness on AD accuracy for TRMM. This effect ideally will not induce AD errors on TRMM when data from all four D(sub i) are present. When data from only two or three D(sub i) are available, however, a spherical Earth approximation can introduce errors of 0.05 to 0.30 deg on TRMM. These oblateness-induced errors are eliminated by a new algorithm that uses the results of Section 2 to model the Earth disk as an ellipse.

Keat, J.↗

Decoding the shift-invariant data: applications for band-excitation scanning probe microscopy *

A shift-invariant variational autoencoder (shift-VAE) is developed as an unsupervised method for the analysis of spectral data in the presence of shifts along the parameter axis, disentangling the physically-relevant shifts from other latent variables. Using synthetic data sets, we show that the shift-VAE latent variables closely match the ground truth parameters. The shift VAE is extended towards the analysis of band-excitation piezoresponse force microscopy data, disentangling the resonance frequency shifts from the peak shape parameters in a model-free unsupervised manner. The extensions of this approach towards denoising of data and model-free dimensionality reduction in imaging and spectroscopic data are further demonstrated. This approach is universal and can also be extended to analysis of x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, Raman spectra, and other data sets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Viewing Optical Processes at the Nanoscale: Combining Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Optical Spectroscopy

The combination of optical spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy techniques has the potential to yield the unambiguous single-molecule level insight required to fully understand the complex structure–property relationship of emerging material systems. In this Perspective, we highlight the recent progress of single-molecule absorption detected by scanning tunneling microscopy (SMA-STM) to investigate light–matter interactions of supported (nano)particles, quantum dots, and molecular and thin films at the nanoscale. We further show how the SMA-STM technique has been recently extended to expand the classes of materials that can be investigated as well as recent design modifications that enable both time-resolved imaging and tomography. Finally, we hypothesize how these modifications can be further leveraged to advance our current knowledge of light–matter interactions and how the resulting nanoscale insight can be implemented for future material applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Density functionals combined with van der Waals corrections for graphene adsorbed on layered materials

Standard density functionals like Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) or Strongly Constrained and Appropriately Normed (SCAN) need a correction to account for long-range van der Waals (vdW) interaction. The damped Zaremba-Kohn model (dZK) starts from a formula for the vdW interaction of a distant atom with a solid surface, both with known dielectric properties, damps this formula at short range, and then treats an adsorbed molecule or atomic layer as a collection of renormalized atoms. Here, we extend this model to graphene adsorbed on semiconducting layered materials [bulk graphite and hBN, and multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD)] by including the C 4 asymptotic term and multiple electrostatic image effects due to the two surfaces of the substrate slabs in the vdW calculations. The resulting SCAN-vdW-dZK and PBE-vdW-dZK give approximately the same results for the systems considered here, in agreement with available reference values. The predicted binding energies are roughly 25% lower than those from SCAN+rVV10 (revised Vydrov and Van Voorhis 2010), and ~15% lower than those from PBE+rVV10. Since SCAN+rVV10 usually overbinds, the predicted binding energies by SCAN-vdW-dZK and PBE-vdW-dZK are expected to be closer to the true values. The predicted equilibrium binding distances from SCAN-vdW-dZK and PBE-vdW-dZK are slightly larger (~ 0.1 Å) than those from SCAN+rVV10, and close to those from SCAN. The binding energy depends upon the number of substrate layers more strongly in vdW-dZK than in rVV10. The C 4 -term contributions can be 40% of the total vdW interactions, and the C 5 term contributes about 10%. The effects of images and the back surfaces of slabs can contribute about 4–10%. The vdW interaction energy power laws from the vdW-dZK model for graphene adsorbed on multilayer MoS 2 show slowly varying decay to the pairwise exponent –4 with increasing separation $\textit{D}$, very similar to those obtained from the random-phase approximation and renormalization group approaches by Ambrosetti et al. Both the PBE-vdW-dZK and SCAN-vdW-dZK give a greater increase in interlayer binding energy when the TMD substrate changes from monolayer to four-layer for the graphene/TMD adsorption systems. This is consistent with the relevant electron-energy-loss spectroscopy experimental results showing increased dielectric response from the substrate with increasing substrate layer number.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Two-Dimensional Siloxene Nanosheets: Impact of Morphology and Purity on Electrochemistry

Two-dimensional (2D) siloxene (Si 6 O 3 H 6 ) has shown promise as a negative electrode material for Li-ion batteries due to its high gravimetric capacity and superior mechanical properties under (de)lithiation compared to bulk Si. Here, in this work, we prepare purified siloxene nanosheets through the removal of bulk Si contaminants, use ultrasonication to control the lateral size and thickness of the nanosheets, and probe the effects of the resulting morphology and purity on the electrochemistry. The thin siloxene nanosheets formed after 4 h of ultrasonication deliver an average capacity of 810 mA h/g under a 1000 mA/g rate over 200 cycles with a capacity retention of 76%. Interestingly, the purified siloxene shows lower initial capacity but superior capacity retention over extended cycling. The 2D morphology benefit is illustrated where the parent siloxene nanosheet morphology and structure were largely maintained based on operando optoelectrochemistry, in situ Raman, ex situ scanning electron microscopy, and ex situ transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the purified siloxene-based electrode free from crystalline Si impurity experiences the least expansion upon (de)lithiation as visualized by cross-section electron microscopy of samples recovered post-cycling.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Observations of faint comets at McDonald Observatory: 1978-1980

Modern observational techniques, developed for spectroscopy and photometry of faint galaxies and quasars, successfully applied to faint comets on the 2.7 m telescope. The periodic comets Van Biesbrock, Ashbrook-Jackson, Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, Tempel 2, Encke, Forbes, Brooks 2, Stephan-Oterma and the new comets Bradfield (19791), Bowell (1980b), Chernis-Petrauskas (1980k) were observed. The comets ranged in magnitude from 10th to 20th magnitude. For comets fainter than 19th magnitude, reflectance spectra at 100A resolution and area photometry were obtained. On comets of 17th or 18th magnitude, spectrometric scans (6A resolution) of the nucleus or inner coma region. On those comets which are brighter than 16th magnitude spatial spectrophotometric (6A resolution) studies of the inner and extended comae were done. An extensive spatial study of the comae of P/Encke and P/Stephen-Oterma, correlated with heliocentric distance is taking place. The observing process used is described and examples of the results obtained to date are discussed.

Barker, E. S.↗

Interactive graphics for geometry modeling

An interactive vector capability to create geometry and a raster color shaded rendering capability to sample and verify interim geometric design steps through color snapshots is described. The development is outlined of the underlying methodology which facilitates computer aided engineering and design. At present, raster systems cannot match the interactivity and line-drawing capability of refresh vector systems. Consequently, an intermediate step in mechanical design is used to create objects interactively on the vector display and then scan convert the wireframe model to render it as a color shaded object on a raster display. Several algorithms are presented for rendering such objects. Superquadric solid primitive extend the class of primitives normally used in solid modelers.

Wozny, M. J.↗

IRAS surface brightness maps of reflection nebulae in the Pleiades

Surface brightness maps at 12, 25, 60, and 100 microns were made of a 2.5 deg x 2.5 deg area of the reflection nebulae in the Pleiades by coadding IRAS scans of this region. Emission is seen surrounding 17 Tau, 20 Tau, 23 Tau, and 25 Tau in all four bands, coextensive with the visible reflection nebulosity, and extending as far as 30 arcminutes from the illuminating stars. The infrared energy distributions of the nebulae peak in the 100 micron band, but up to 40 percent of the total infrared power lies in the 12 and 25 micron bands. The brightness of the 12 and 25 micron emission and the absence of temperature gradients at these wavelengths are inconsistent with the predictions of equilibrium thermal emission models. The emission at these wavelengths appears to be the result of micron nonequilibrium emission from very small grains, or from molecules consisting of 10-100 carbon atoms, which have been excited by ultraviolet radiation from the illuminating stars.

Castelaz, Michael W.↗

Image construction from the IRAS survey and data fusion

The IRAS survey data can be used successfully to produce images of extended objects. The major difficulty, viz. non-uniform sampling, different response functions for each detector, and varying signal-to-noise levels for each detector for each scan, were resolved. The results of three different image construction techniques are compared: co-addition, constrained least squares, and maximum entropy. The maximum entropy result is superior. An image of the galaxy M51 with an average spatial resolution of 45 arc seconds, is presented using 60 micron survey data. This exceeds the telescope diffraction limit of 1 minute of arc, at this wavelength. Data fusion is a proposed method for combining data from different instruments, with different spatial resolutions, at different wavelengths. Direct estimates of the physical parameters, temperature, density and composition, can be made from the data without prior images (re-)construction. An increase in the accuracy of these parameters is expected as the result of this more systematic approach.

Bontekoe, Tj. R.↗

Small craters on the meteoroid and space debris impact experiment

Examination of 9.34 m(exp 2) of thick aluminum plates from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) using a 25X microscope revealed 4341 craters that were 0.1 mm in diameter or larger. The largest was 3 mm in diameter. Most were roughly hemispherical with lips that were raised above the original plate surface. The crater diameter measured was the diameter at the top of the raised lips. There was a large variation in the number density of craters around the three-axis gravity-gradient stabilized spacecraft. A model of the near-Earth meteoroid environment is presented which uses a meteoroid size distribution based on the crater size distribution on the space end of the LDEF. An argument is made that nearly all the craters on the space end must have been caused by meteoroids and that very few could have been caused by man-made orbital debris. However, no chemical analysis of impactor residue that will distinguish between meteoroids and man-made debris is yet available. A small area (0.0447 m(exp 2)) of one of the plates on the space end was scanned with a 200X microscope revealing 155 craters between 10 micron and 100 micron in diameter and 3 craters smaller than 10 micron. This data was used to extend the size distribution of meteoroids down to approximately 1 micron. New penetration equations developed by Alan Watts were used to relate crater dimensions to meteoroid size. The equations suggest that meteoroids must have a density near 2.5 g/cm(exp 3) to produce craters of the shape found on the LDEF. The near-Earth meteoroid model suggests that about 80 to 85 percent of the 100 micron to 1 mm diameter craters on the twelve peripheral rows of the LDEF were caused by meteoroids, leaving 15 to 20 percent to be caused by man-made orbital debris.

Humes, Donald H.↗

Frequency-scanning particle size spectrometer

A particle size spectrometer having a fixed field of view within the forward light scattering cone at an angle .theta..sub.s between approximately 100 and 200 minutes of arc (preferably at 150 minutes), a spectral range extending approximately from 0.2 to 4.0 inverse micrometers (.mu.m.sup.-1), and a spectral resolution between about 0.1 and 0.2 .mu.m.sup.-1 (preferably toward the lower end of this range of spectral resolution), is employed to determine the distribution of particle sizes, independently of the chemical composition of the particles, from measurements of incident light, I.sub.o, at each frequency, .sigma. (=1/.lambda.), and scattered light, I(.sigma.), according to the equation: ##EQU1## where l=2.pi.sin.theta., .theta. being the fixed viewing angle .theta..sub.s at which scattered light is measured, r is particle size, .sigma. is the reciprocal of wavelength, J.sub.1 is a Bessel function of first kind and order unity, Y.sub.1 is a Bessel function of second kind and order unity. The quantity, I.sub..sigma., is the ratio of scattered light to incident light at each frequency interval. The apparatus is a passive remote sensor that can be used in laboratories, field stations, flying aircrafts and airships, and on board an orbiting satellite.

Fymat, Alain L.↗

Aerodynamic Modeling of Transonic Aircraft Using Vortex Lattice Coupled with Transonic Small Disturbance for Conceptual Design

The need to rapidly scan large design spaces during conceptual design calls for computationally inexpensive tools such as the vortex lattice method (VLM). Although some VLM tools, such as Vorview have been extended to model fully-supersonic flow, VLM solutions are typically limited to inviscid, subcritical flow regimes. Many transport aircraft operate at transonic speeds, which limits the applicability of VLM for such applications. This paper presents a novel approach to correct three-dimensional VLM through coupling of two-dimensional transonic small disturbance (TSD) solutions along the span of an aircraft wing in order to accurately predict transonic aerodynamic loading and wave drag for transport aircraft. The approach is extended to predict flow separation and capture the attenuation of aerodynamic forces due to boundary layer viscosity by coupling the TSD solver with an integral boundary layer (IBL) model. The modeling framework is applied to the NASA General Transport Model (GTM) integrated with a novel control surface known as the Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF).

Transonic Small Disturbance↗

Atomic-Scale Characterization of Dilute Dopants in Topological Insulators via STEM–EDS Using Registration and Cell Averaging Techniques

Magnetic dopants in three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) offer a promising avenue for realizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) without the necessity for an external magnetic field. Understanding the relationship between site occupancy of magnetic dopant elements and their effect on macroscopic property is crucial for controlling the QAHE. By combining atomic-scale energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) maps obtained by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM) and novel data processing methodologies, including semi-automatic lattice averaging and frame registration, we have determined the substitutional sites of Mn atoms within the 1.2% Mn-doped Sb 2 Te 3 crystal. More importantly, the methodology developed in this study extends beyond Mn-doped Sb 2 Te 3 to other quantum materials, traditional semiconductors, and even electron irradiation sensitive materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Probing the local electronic structure of isovalent Bi atoms in InP

Cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (X-STM) is used to experimentally study the influence of isovalent Bi atoms on the electronic structure of InP. In this work, we map the spatial pattern of the Bi impurity state, which originates from Bi atoms down to the sixth layer below the surface, in topographic, filled-state X-STM images on the natural {110} cleavage planes. The Bi impurity state has a highly anisotropic bowtielike structure and extends over several lattice sites. These Bi-induced charge redistributions extend along the $\langle$110$\rangle$ directions, which define the bowtielike structures we observe. Local tight-binding calculations reproduce the experimentally observed spatial structure of the Bi impurity state. In addition, the influence of the Bi atoms on the electronic structure is investigated in scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements. These measurements show that Bi induces a resonant state in the valence band, which shifts the band edge toward higher energies. Furthermore, we show that the energetic position of the Bi-induced resonance and its influence on the onset of the valence band edge depend crucially on the position of the Bi atoms relative to the cleavage plane.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗