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A ballast circuit employing a constant current diode and a vacuum tube that can provide a constant current over a voltage range of 1000 volts. The simple circuit can prove useful in studying voltage breakdown characteristics.
Rate constants for the reaction O + NO + M yields NO2 + M have been obtained at temperatures from 217-500 K in four different rare gases by a method combining flash photolysis with time resolved detection of O(3-P) by resonance fluorescence. The measured rate constants in Arrhenius form are (10.8 plus or minus 1.2) x 10 to the -33rd exp(1040 plus or minus 60/1.987 T) for helium; (9.01 plus or minus 1.16) x 10 to the -33rd exp(1180 plus or minus 70/1.987 T) for argon; (9.33 plus or minus 1.10) x 10 to the -33rd exp(1030 plus or minus 60/1.987 T) for neon; and (9.52 plus or minus 1.10) x 10 to the -33rd exp(1140 plus or minus 70/1.987 T) for krypton in units of cm to the 6th/sq molecule/s.
Experiments were conducted in a conventional fast flow apparatus to study the rate constant and the activation energy for the reaction O(3P) + ClONO2. The air-afterglow technique was used for the detection of oxygen atoms under pseudo first order conditions. A value of (3.4 plus or minus 0.6) x 10 to the -12th exp/(-840 plus or minus 60)T/cu cm/molecule/s was obtained for the rate constant. The observed rate is sufficiently slow so that oxygen atom attack is of minor importance in the stratosphere compared to photolysis.
The pseudo-first-order decay of ClO in a large excess of NO2 was monitored in a discharge flow/mass-spectrometer apparatus in order to measure the rate constant of the reaction ClO + NO2 + M yields ClONO2 + M for M = He, Ar, and N2 over the temperature range from 248 to 417 K. Numerical results are given for He at 248, 299, 360, and 417 K (1 to 9 torr); for Ar at 298 K (1 to 4 torr); and for N2 at 299, 360, and 417 K (1 to 6 torr). Systematic errors are estimated, and identification of the reaction product is discussed. The results obtained are shown to be in excellent agreement with other recent measurements of the same rate constant.
A procedure is derived for stabilizing linear constant discrete systems which is a discrete analog to the extended Bass algorithm for stabilizing linear constant continuous systems. The procedure offers a method for constructing a stabilizing feedback without the computational difficulty of raising the unstable open-loop response matrix to powers thus making the method attractive for high order or poorly conditioned systems.
The structure of the expressions usually employed in calculating the effects of precession is examined, and a method is outlined for revising the expressions to account for changes in the fundamental astronomical constants. It is shown that the basic set of parameters, upon which depend the lengthy polynomials for computing the mean obliquity of data and the elements of the precession matrix, consists of the mean obliquity, the speed of general precession in longitude at a fixed epoch, and the system of planetary masses. Special attention is given to the motion of the ecliptic pole, formulations for a basic epoch as well as an arbitrary epoch, and ecliptic motion relative to the basic epoch. Numerical precession quantities at epoch J2000.0 (JED 2451545.0) are presented which result from the revision of astronomical constants adopted at the XVI General Assembly of the IAU.
The letter reports resolved measurements of the quadrupole hyperfine structure of HNC (hydrogen isocyanide). These measurements were made in the direction of the cool interstellar dust cloud L134, and were used to make an experimental determination of a fundamental spectroscopic constant of HNC, its quadrupole coupling constant.
Classical trajectory calculations are presented for the reaction ClO + O yields Cl + O2, a reaction which is an important step in the chlorine-catalyzed destruction of ozone which is thought to occur in the 220 and 1000 K. The calculated rate constant is 4.36 x 10 to the minus 11th power exp (-191/T)cu cm molecule (-1)s(-1) and its value at 300 K is 2.3 plus or minus 10 to the 11th power cu cm molecule (-1)s(-1), about a factor of 2 lower than recent experimental data. The empirical potential energy surface used in the calculations was constructed to fit experimental data for ClO, O2 and ClOO molecules. Other important features of this potential surface, such as the barrier to reaction, were varied systematically and calculations were performed for a range of conditions to determine the best theoretical rate constants. Results demonstrate the utility of classical trajectory methods for determining activation energies and other kinetic data for important atmospheric reactions.
The state space, the controllability, and the observability concepts are discussed in connection with the proposed stability analysis which permits drastic dimensional reductions for a vector feedback problem. Any constant gain system's stability can thus be analyzed in the frequency domain with a single Nyquist plot. The analysis considers the total system with all loops closed, a disturbance vector as input, and the feedback vector as output. All constant gain systems are shown to be decomposable into stable subsystems where the degree of the decomposition determines the dimensions. The maximum decomposition results in the state-space approach which is the limit case. The method is demonstrated with the stability analysis of the pogo phenomenon, an oscillatory interaction between the propulsion and the structure of a space vehicle. This problem, with eigenvalues over a hundred, was drastically but rigorously reduced to a stability analysis of a 4x4 matrix.
The dielectric constants of several soil samples were measured at frequencies of 5 and 19 GHz using the infinite transmission line method. The results of these measurements are presented and discussed with respect to soil types and texture structures. A comparison is made with other measurements at 1.4 GHz. At all three frequencies, the dependence of dielectric constant on soil moisture can be approximated by two straight lines. At low moisture, the slope is less than at high moisture level. The intersection of the two lines is believed to be a function of soil texture.
A sounding rocket experiment was performed in June 1976, in which the solar constant was observed simultaneously outside the earth's atmosphere by three types of absolute cavity radiometers (the Primary Absolute Cavity Radiometer and two Active Cavity Radiometers, Type IV) and duplicates of Nimbus 6 ERB/ESP (Earth Radiation Budget/Eclectic Satellite Pyrheliometer) solar channels. The preliminary average solar constant result from the cavity radiometers is 1367 W/sq m with an uncertainty of less than plus or minus 0.5% in SI units. The duplicate ERB channel 3 on the rocket gave a value of 1389 W/sq m, which agreed exactly with the Nimbus 6 ERB channel 3 measurement made simultaneously with the rocket flight.
D. R. Long (1976) and others have speculated that the gravitational force between point masses in the Newtonian regime might not be exactly proportional to 1/r squared. Distance-dependent deviations from the 1/r squared law can be represented by a distance-dependent gravitational 'constant', G(r). Long has summarized the experimental evidence which constrains G(r) to be very nearly constant for 5 cm less than r less than 1 m. This paper presents observational evidence for constancy in the range 1000 km less than r less than 10 to the eighth km, and points out that the value of G(r) identical to Gc in this range has not been experimentally determined. Constraints on G(r) in the intermediate distance range 10 m less than r less than 1 km are so poor that one cannot rule out the possibility that Gc differs greatly from the laboratory value Go. Models of the earth and sun are used to argue that Gc differs from Go by not more than approximately 40%. Methods of improving the determination of Gc are suggested.
On the assumption of a constant value for the gravitational constant G, the lunar and solar tidal couples and the rate of change of angular velocity of the earth are recalculated on the basis of the improved values for the apparent accelerations of the moon and sun arrived at by Muller and Stephenson (1977). These new values are then used to derive general dynamical equations with a changing moment of inertia and changing G connecting the apparent accelerations to the lunar and solar couples. The effect of a changing G is considered, and a value of (dG/dt)/G = -3 times 10 to the -11th power per yr can be reconciled only weakly with the improved accelerations, especially for the case of linear friction. For quadratic friction the situation is more favorable. The new accelerations, however, are best reconciled with a nonchanging G, and certainly cannot be reconciled with a value of (dG/dt)/G = -6 times 10 to the -11th power per yr.
Total solar irradiance was observed outside the earth's atmosphere by three types of absolute cavity pyrheliometer in a June 1976 sounding-rocket experiment. The 1367-W/sq m average solar 'constant' result is uncertain by less than + or - 0.5%, the most accurate determination to date. Nearly simultaneous observations by the Nimbus 6 earth-radiation-budget total-irradiance detector of 1389-W/sq m exceeded the rocket result by 1.6%. These recent results are discussed in the context of a summary of solar-constant determinations made above the troposphere by cavity pyrheliometers.
The rate constants for the deactivation of O(1D) by Xe, Kr, and Ar were measured over the range 110-330 K. Only Xe had a significant temperature dependence. Its Arrhenius expression is (8.5 + or - 1.7) times 10 to the -11th power exp(-103 + or - 52)/RT cu cm/molecule-sec. The rate constants for Kr and Ar are (6.4 + or - 1.3) times 10 to the -12th power and (5.0 + or - 1.5) times 10 to the -13th power cu cm/molecule-sec, respectively. The observed trend in deactivation efficiency, Xe (greatest), Kr, Ar (least), and the observed temperature effects support the results and the spin-orbit interaction mechanism for deactivation given by Husain and co-workers.
Nakagawa's (1973) general formulation of constant-alpha global force-free magnetic fields is used to examine the topological characteristics of axisymmetric constant-alpha fields with specific reference to solar EUV, XUV, and X-ray structures observed from Skylab. The theoretical formulation is briefly summarized, and topological characteristics of the field lines are analyzed. The results are compared with X-ray observations of a large coronal arch and white-light observations of a coronal transient. It is concluded that global-scale force-free magnetic fields are present in the solar atmosphere and that their topological characteristics differ significantly from those of potential fields.
Current knowledge of the total solar flux (the solar constant) and its spectral distribution at the top of the earth's atmosphere is reviewed. The development of pyrheliometers and radiation scales is traced, noting that active cavity pyrheliometers have been developed to reduce measurement uncertainty to within 0.1/%. The weighted mean solar constant from ground-based, aircraft, balloon, spacecraft and sounding rocket observations has been calculated to be 1369 W/sq m. Future observations are planned in order to reduce uncertainty to the 0.1% level required for climatological studies. A comparison of the measurement and models of solar spectral irradiance obtained by Thekaekara (1969, 1974), Arvesen (1969) and Labs and Neckel (1968, 1975) shows that the spectrum of Labs and Neckel is most accurate in the 0.4 to 1.25 micron range, that of Arvesen is best in the 0.3 to 0.4 abd 1.25 to 2.5 micron ranges and the model of Labs and Neckel is best at wavelengths greater than 2.5 microns.
Rate constants for the reaction of atomic hydrogen with ketene have been measured at room temperature by two techniques, flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence and discharge flow-resonance fluorescence. The measured values are (6.19 + or - 1.68) x 10 to the -14th and (7.3 + or - 1.3) x 10 to the -14th cu cm/molecule/s, respectively. In addition, rate constants as a function of temperature have been measured over the range 298-500 K using the FP-RF technique. The results are best represented by the Arrhenius expression k = (1.88 + or - 1.12) x 10 to the -11th exp(-1725 + or - 190/T) cu cm/molecule/s, where the indicated errors are at the two standard deviation level.