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At least 343 records · Page 19

Infrared spectra of molecules and materials of astrophysical interest

The Raman spectra of gaseous, liquid and solid, and infrared spectra of gaseous and solid isopropylamine-d sub 0 and -d sub 2 was investigated between 4000 and 50 cm superscript -1. Differences between the spectrum of the solid phase and that of the fluid phases were interpreted in terms of an equilibrium between low energy s-trans and high energy gauche conformers, and a complete vibrational assignment was proposed for the s-trans conformer. The far infrared spectra of the gaseous compounds contained bands due to the asymmetric amino and coupled methyl torsions; the assignment of these bands was aided by observation of a number of two quantum transitions for each vibrational mode. The asymmetric potential functions were calculated, which resulted in values for the enthalpy differences between conformers in the gaseous phase of 446 and 523 callmole for the sub 0 -d and -d sub 2 compounds, respectively. The methyl torsional potential function of isopropylamine-d sub 0 was calculated which led to a value for the barrier height to internal rotation of the methyl rotors of 4.23 + or - 0.06 kcal/mole. Values for the ideal gas thermodynamic functions were calculated over a range of temperatures.

Durig, J. R.↗

Systems for measuring response statistics of gigahertz bandwidth photomultipliers

New systems have been developed for measuring the average impulse response, the pulse-height spectrum, the transit-time statistics as a function of signal level, and the dark-count spectrum of gigahertz bandwidth photomultipliers. Measurements showed that the 0.53 microns pulse used as an optical test source had a 30 picoseconds and less than 70 ps pulse width. Calibration data showed the system resolution to be less than 20 ps for root mean square transit-time measurements. Test data for a static crossed-field photomultiplier showed 2-photoelectron resolution and less than 30-ps time jitter over the 1- to 100-photoelectron range.

Abshire, J. B.↗

Observations and models of inertial waves in the deep ocean

A study of the structure of the inertial peak in deep ocean kinetic energy is presented, based on records taken from Polymode arrays deployed in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Results are interpreted in terms of both local sources and turning point effects on internal waves generated at lower latitudes, and it is found that three classes of environment and their corresponding spectra emerge from peak height variations: (1) the 1500-m level near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with the greatest peak height of 18 dB; (2) the upper and deep ocean over rough topography and the deep ocean underneath the Gulf Stream, with the intermediate peak height of 11.5 dB; and (3) the deep ocean over smooth topography, with the lowest peak height of 7.5 dB. Using the globally valid wave functions obtained by Munk and Phillips (1968), frequency spectra near f are calculated numerically. The model is latitudinally dependent, with the frequency shift and bandwidth of the inertial peak decreasing with latitude.

Fu, L.-L.↗

Capillary rise, wetting layers, and critical phenomena in confined geometry

Interferometric procedures have been used to measure the thickness of the wetting layers of liquid SF6 which intrude between SF6 vapor and the walls of an interferometer. Close to the critical temperature the measurements show that the layers become thicker as the height at which they are observed approaches the height of the bulk liquid-vapor meniscus. The functional form of the thickness increase agrees with the dependence expected from models in which the layers' thicknesses are governed by a competition between gravitational and van der Waals forces. The layers are a factor of three thicker than a simple estimate based on such models. No evidence is found of a transition from three-dimensional critical behavior towards two-dimensional critical behavior in the available temperature and size ranges. This contrasts with the interpretation of experiments in binary liquid mixtures carried out with comparable size and temperature resolution.

Moldover, M. R.↗

Acoustic propagation in a thermally stratified atmosphere

This report describes the activities during the fifth six month period of the investigation of acoustic propagation in the atmosphere with a realistic temperature profile. Progress has been achieved in two major directions: comparisons between the lapse model and experimental data taken by NASA during the second tower experiment, and development of a model propagation in an inversion. Data from the second tower experiment became available near the end of 1984 and some comparisons have been carried out, but this work is not complete. Problems with the temperature profiler during the experiment have produced temperature profiles that are difficult to fit the assumed variation of temperature with height, but in cases where reasonable fits have been obtained agreement between the model and the experiments are close. The major weaknesses in the model appear to be the presence of discontinuities in some regions, the low sound levels predicted near the source height, and difficulties with the argument of the Hankel function being outside the allowable range. Work on the inversion model has progressed slowly, and the rays for that case are discussed along with a simple energy conservation model of sound level enhancement in the inversion case.

Vanmoorhem, W. K.↗

New aspects of the equilibrium pole tide

A new spherical harmonic algorithm is developed for the calculation of the loading and self-gravitating equilibrium pole tide. Based on a suggestion of Dahlen (1976), this approach minimizes the distortions in tide height caused by an incomplete representation of the ocean function. With slight modification this approach easily could be used to compute self-gravitating and loading lunisolar tides as well. Using the algorithm, the static pole tide is compared with tide observations at a variety of locations around the world, and statistically significant evidence for pole tide enhancements is found in midocean as well as the shallow seas. Also included is a reinvestigation of the effect of the static tide on the Chandler-wobble period. The difference between the wobble period of an oceanless elastic earth with a fluid core (Smith and Dahlen, 1981) and the period of an earth minus static oceans yields a 7.4-day discrepancy. It is concluded from tide observations that much of the discrepancy can probably be accounted for by nonequilibrium pole-tide behavior in the deep oceans.

Dickman, S. R.↗

Summary of an experimental investigation on the ground vortex

The results of an experimental investigation into the position and characteristics of the ground vortex are summarized. A 48-inch wind tunnel was modified to create a testing environment suitable for the ground vortex study. Flow visualization was used to document the jet-crossflow interaction and a two-component Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) was used to survey the flowfield in detail. Measurements of the ground vortex characteristics and location as a function of freestream-to-jet velocity ratio, jet height, pressure gradient and upstream boundary layer thickness were obtained.

Billet, Michael L.↗

The effect of higher than double excitations on the F + H2 to FH + H barrier

The averaged coupled-pair functional (ACPF) method is used to calculate the barrier height and saddle-point geometry for the reaction F + H2 yields FH + H. The theoretical basis of the calculation method is outlined, and results for both 7-electron and 9-electron correlations are presented in tables and shown to be consistent with a barrier of 1.65 kcal/mol. The ACPF results are found to be in good agreement with the Davidson-corrected multireference CI computations of Bauschlicher et al. (1988) and with the results obtained by Scuseria and Schaefer (1988) using a CI method which accounts for all single, double, triple, and quadruple excitations.

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.↗

Surface characterization and testing II; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, Aug. 10, 11, 1989

Various papers on surface characterization and testing are presented. Individual topics addressed include: simple Hartmann test data interpretation, optimum configuration of the Offner null corrector, system for phase-shifting interferometry in the presence of vibration, fringe variation and visibility in speckle-shearing interferometry, functional integral representation of rough surfaces, calibration of surface heights in an interferometric optical profiler, image formation in common path differential profilometers, SEM of optical surfaces, measuring surface profiles with scanning tunneling microscopes, surface profile measurements of curved parts, high-resolution optical profiler, scanning heterodyne interferometer with immunity from microphonics, real-time crystal axis measurements of semiconductor materials, radial metrology with a panoramic annular lens, surface analysis for the characterization of defects in thin-film processes, Spacelab Optical Viewport glass assembly optical test program for the Starlab mission, scanning differential intensity and phase system for optical metrology.

Greivenkamp, John E.↗

Performance of low resistance microchannel plate stacks

Results are presented from an evaluation of three sets of low resistance microchannel plate (MCP) stacks; the tests encompassed gain, pulse-height distribution, background rate, event rate capacity as a function of illuminated area, and performance changes due to high temperature bakeout and high flux UV scrub. The MCPs are found to heat up, requiring from minutes to hours to reach stabilization. The event rate is strongly dependent on the size of the area being illuminated, with larger areas experiencing a gain drop onset at lower rates than smaller areas.

Siegmund, O. H. W.↗

The Vertical Distribution of Thin Features Over the Arctic Analysed from CALIPSO Observations: Aerosols - Part 2

Influx of aerosols from the mid-latitudes has a wide range of impacts on the Arctic atmosphere. In this study, the capability of the CALIPSO-CALIOP instrument to provide accurate observations of aerosol layers is exploited to characterize their vertical distribution, probability density functions (PDFs) of aerosol layer thickness, base and top heights, and optical depths over the Arctic for the 4-yr period from June 2006 to May 2010. It is shown that the bulk of aerosols, from about 65% in winter to 45% in summer, are confined below the lowermost kilometer of the troposphere. In the middle troposphere (3-5 km), spring and autumn seasons show slightly higher aerosol amounts compared to other two seasons. The relative vertical distribution of aerosols shows that clean continental aerosol is the largest contributor in all seasons except in summer, when layers of polluted continental aerosols are almost as large. In winter and spring, polluted continental aerosols are the second largest contributor to the total number of observed aerosol layers, whereas clean marine aerosol is the second largest contributor in summer and autumn. The PDFs of the geometrical thickness of the observed aerosol layers peak about 400-700 m. Polluted continental and smoke aerosols, which are associated with the intrusions from mid-latitudes, have much broader distributions of optical and geometrical thicknesses, suggesting that they appear more often optically thicker and higher up in the troposphere.

Devasthale, Abhya↗

The East Atlantic - West Russia Teleconnection in the North Atlantic: Climate Impact and Relation to Rossby Wave Propagation

Large-scale winter teleconnection of the East Atlantic - West Russia (EA-WR) over the Atlantic and surrounding regions is examined in order to quantify its impacts on temperature and precipitation and identify the physical mechanisms responsible for its existence. A rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF) analysis of the upper-tropospheric monthly height field captures successfully the EA-WR pattern and its interannual variation, with the North Atlantic Oscillation as the first mode. EA-WRs climate impact extends from eastern North America to Eurasia. The positive (negative) EA-WR produces positive (negative) temperature anomalies over the eastern US, western Europe and Russia east of Caspian Sea, with negative (positive) anomalies over eastern Canada, eastern Europe including Ural Mountains and the Middle East. These anomalies are largely explained by lower-tropospheric temperature advections. Positive (negative) precipitation anomalies are found over the mid-latitude Atlantic and central Russia around 60E, where lower-level cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulation anomaly is dominant. The eastern Canada and the western Europe are characterized by negative (positive) precipitation anomalies.The EA-WR is found to be closely associated with Rossby wave propagation. Wave activity fluxes show that it is strongly tied to large-scale stationary waves. Furthermore, a stationary wave model (SWM) forced with vorticity transients in the mid-latitude Atlantic (approximately 40N) or diabatic heat source over the subtropical Atlantic near the Caribbean Sea produces well-organized EA-WR-like wave patterns, respectively. Sensitivity tests with the SWM indicate improvement in the simulation of the EA-WR when the mean state is modified to have a positive NAO component that enhances upper-level westerlies between 40-60N.

EA/WR↗

Simultaneous Observations of Atmospheric Tides from Combined in Situ and Remote Observations at Mars from the MAVEN Spacecraft

We report the observations of longitudinal variations in the Martian thermosphere associated with nonmigrating tides. Using the Neutral Gas Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) and the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft, this study presents the first combined analysis of in situ and remote observations of atmospheric tides at Mars for overlapping volumes, local times, and overlapping date ranges. From the IUVS observations, we determine the altitude and latitudinal variation of the amplitude of the nonmigrating tidal signatures, which is combined with the NGIMS, providing information on the compositional impact of these waves. Both the observations of airglow from IUVS and the CO2 density observations from NGIMS reveal a strong wave number 2 signature in a fixed local time frame. The IUVS observations reveal a strong latitudinal dependence in the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature. Combining this with the accurate CO2 density observations from NGIMS, this would suggest that the CO2 density variation is as high as 27% at 0-10 deg latitude. The IUVS observations reveal little altitudinal dependence in the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature, varying by only 20% from 160 to 200 km. Observations of five different species with NGIMS show that the amplitude of the wave number 2 signature varies in proportion to the inverse of the species scale height, giving rise to variation in composition as a function of longitude. The analysis and discussion here provide a roadmap for further analysis as additional coincident data from these two instruments become available.

atmospheric tides↗

Global distribution of total ozone derived from Nimbus 3 satellite during April July, 1969 and its implication to upper tropospheric circulation

Utilizing a stepwise multiple regression scheme, monthly mean global maps of total ozone are produced from the spectral intensity measurements made by the infrared interferometer spectrometer (IRIS) onboard the Nimbus 3 satellite for the period April 18 to July 22, 1969. These maps show that over the equatorial regions total ozone increases steadily from April to July. Further, latitudinal variation of total ozone derived from these maps shows that the ozone increases at all latitudes over the Southern Hemisphere uniformly from April to July while over the Northern Hemisphere the monthly decrease at all latitudes is nonuniform. In general, these maps bear a close resemblance to the upper tropospheric circulation. It is observed that the total ozone is best correlated with the 200 mb geopotential heights. This relationship enables the utilization of total ozone as a quasi-stream function to determine geostrophic winds at 200 mb level. Further, even at low latitudes where the total ozone does not bear simple relationship to the geopotential heights the course of the easterly jet stream with the help of the ozone measurements can be identified.

Prabhakara, C.↗

Cloud top structure of a tornadic thunderstorm from 3 min interval stereo satellite images compared with radar and other observations

Cloud heights from 3 min interval GOES EAST/GOES WEST stereo pairs are shown to provide an important new tool for studying severe convective storms with potential for the detection of severe local storms. It is possible to use these data for observing cloud top structure as a function of time on a size scale of few kilometers with quantitative height measurements with relative and absolute accuracies on the order of + or - 0.5 km. It is noted that stereo height measurements detect cirrus anvil cloud decks at two altitudes corresponding to a lower stable layer and the main tropopause.

Hasler, A. F.↗

A compensation mechanism for central Pacific

Geos 3 derived geoid heights and sea floor topography were averaged into 256 square areas (203 km on a side) for a region in the central Pacific containing a large portion of the Hawaiian Island chain. The whole region is about 500 m shallower than normal sea floor of the same age. The major portion of the depth anomaly is the Hawaiian swell. Data were analyzed using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform. A transfer function was computed to determine the part of the observed geoid height that is coherent and in phase with the topography. Two models were introduced, one compensating short-wavelength topography at a shallow depth (14 km) and the other compensating the longer wavelengths by a deep mechanism. Using the transition wavelength between the two models (1100 km), an estimate is made of the amplitude and shape of the heat anomaly needed to uplift the Hawaiian swell. The peak of the anomaly has an amplitude of 530 mW/sq m and is located 275 km east of Hawaii.

Sandwell, D. T.↗

A comparison between general circulation model simulations using two sea surface temperature datasets for January 1979

Simulations with the UCLA atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) using two different global sea surface temperature (SST) datasets for January 1979 are compared. One of these datasets is based on Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) (SSTs) at locations where there are ship reports, and climatology elsewhere; the other is derived from measurements by instruments onboard NOAA satellites. In the former dataset (COADS SST), data are concentrated along shipping routes in the Northern Hemisphere; in the latter dataset High Resolution Infrared Sounder (HIRS SST), data cover the global domain. Ensembles of five 30-day mean fields are obtained from integrations performed in the perpetual-January mode. The results are presented as anomalies, that is, departures of each ensemble mean from that produced in a control simulation with climatological SSTs. Large differences are found between the anomalies obtained using COADS and HIRS SSTs, even in the Northern Hemisphere where the datasets are most similar to each other. The internal variability of the circulation in the control simulation and the simulated atmospheric response to anomalous forcings appear to be linked in that the pattern of geopotential height anomalies obtained using COADS SSTs resembles the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF 1) in the control simulation. The corresponding pattern obtained using HIRS SSTs is substantially different and somewhat resembles EOF 2 in the sector from central North America to central Asia. To gain insight into the reasons for these results, three additional simulations are carried out with SST anomalies confined to regions where COADS SSTs are substantially warmer than HIRS SSTs. The regions correspond to warm pools in the northwest and northeast Pacific, and the northwest Atlantic. These warm pools tend to produce positive geopotential height anomalies in the northeastern part of the corresponding oceans. Both warm pools in the Pacific produce large-scale circulation anomalies with a pattern that resembles that obtained using COADS SSTs as well as EOF 1 of the control simulation; the warm pool in the Atlantic does not. These results suggest that the differences obtained with COADS SSTs and HIRS SSTs are mostly due to the differences in the datasets over the northern Pacific. There was a blocking episode near Greenland in late January 1979. Both simulations with warm SST anomalies over the northwest and northeast Pacific show a tendency toward increased incidence of North Atlantic blocking; the simulation with warm SST anomalies over the northwest Atlantic shows a tendency toward decreased incidence. These results suggest that features in both SST datasets that do not have a counterpart in the other dataset contribute signficantly to the differences between the simulated and observed fields. The results of this study imply that uncertainties in current SST distributions for the world oceans can be as important as the SST anomalies themselves in terms of their impact on the atmospheric circulation. Caution should be exercised, therefore, when linking anomalous circulation and SST patterns, especially in long-range prediction.

Ose, Tomoaki↗

Effect of small ionospheric irregularities on radio wave absorption

The ionospheric absorption of a radio wave caused by small-scale irregularities with a gaussian autocorrelation function is calculated for various values of the linear scale height, the radio frequency, the scale size of the irregularities, and the mean-square fractional electron density fluctuations. The absorption is due to scattering of the radio wave into plasma oscillations by the irregularities. It is concluded that the absorption due to such irregularities with a mean-square fractional electron density deviation greater than about 0.000001 exceeds the normal collisional height-integrated absorption. Absorption of this type could play a significant part in heating experiments or in an ionosphere containing naturally occurring irregularities.

Chen, H. C.↗