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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.

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At least 361 records · Page 20

Analytical study of twin-jet shielding

The development of an analytical model, an aircraft noise prediction computer program, to estimate the shielding of one jet by an adjacent jet in a twin jet configuration, is discussed. Noise estimations included consideration not only of noise sources on the aircraft, but also of the propagation path between source and receiver. A three-dimensional case is considered in which noise source is a discrete frequency point source at rest with respect to the jet axis. The shielding jet is assumed to be a cylinder of heated flow in which the temperature and flow velocity profiles are constant across the jet. The effect on shielding of the orientation of the emitting jet with respect to the shielding jet was investigated. Forward and backward scattering phenomena as well as the influence of jet flow speed were also investigated.

Gerhold, C. H.↗

Sputtering of Al2O3 and LiNbO3 in the electronic stopping region

Because of recent interest in the role played by the thermal properties of materials that exhibit high energy sputtering, Al2O3 and LiNbO3 were sputtered with chlorine ions at energies between 3 MeV and 25 MeV. To detect the sputtered Al and Nb we employ thin carbon catcher foils, which are analyzed with Rutherford scattering in the forward direction. Al surface densities of 10 to the 14th/sq cm and Nb surface densities of 10 to the 13th/sq cm are easily measured. The sputtering yields for both Al2O3 and LiNbO3 increase rapidly with increasing chlorine energy, and the Al and Nb yields are both approximately 0.2 at 20 MeV. Tests for dose, beam current, and contamination effects will be discussed.

Qiu, Y.↗

Interpretation of integrated-disk photometry of Callisto and Ganymede

The Lumme-Bowell (1981) theory has been used to interpret the integrated phase curves of Callisto and Ganymede, and it is noted that while the theory explains the brightness angles of these satellites up to about 80 deg solar phase angle, the observed brightness drops off at larger angles more rapidly than predicted. It is suggested that this discrepancy is due to the fact that single regolith particles must have phase functions which are much more elongated in the forward or backward scattering directions than is allowed for by the Lumme-Bowell theory. The hemispheric asymmetry in Callisto's surface texture can be explained by invoking the formation of an ice film on the trailing side, consistent with Voyager detailed photometry and thermometry of Callisto.

Pang, K.↗

Heat transfer studies on the liquid droplet radiator

This paper examines radiation transfer in the droplet sheet of a liquid droplet radiator including non-isotropic scattering by the droplets. Non-isotropic scattering becomes significant for small droplets (diameter less than 0.1 mm) and for low emissivity liquids. For droplets with an emittance of 0.1 and for a droplet sheet optical depth or 5, the radiated power varies by about 12 percent, depending on whether scattering is predominantly forward or backward. An experimental measurement of the power emitted by a cylindrical cloud of heated droplets of silicone fluid is also reported. The measured cloud emissivity correlates, within experimental error, with the analytical model.

Mattick, A. T.↗

Probing the microscopic corrugation of liquid surfaces with gas-liquid collisions

We have measured the directions and velocities of Ne, Ar, and Xe atoms scattering from perfluorinated ether and hydrocarbon liquids to probe the relationship between the microscopic roughness of liquid surfaces and gas-liquid collision dynamics. Impulsive energy transfer is governed by the angle of deflection: head-on encounters deposit more energy than grazing collisions. Many atoms scatter in the forward direction, particularly at glancing incidence. These results imply that the incoming atoms recoil locally from protruding C-H and C-F groups in hard spherelike collisions.

King, Mackenzie E.↗

A three-dimensional orthogonal laser velocimeter for the NASA Ames 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel

A three-component dual-beam laser-velocimeter system has been designed, fabricated, and implemented in the 7-by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The instrument utilizes optical access from both sides and the top of the test section, and is configured for uncoupled orthogonal measurements of the three Cartesian coordinates of velocity. Bragg cell optics are used to provide fringe velocity bias. Modular system design provides great flexibility in the location of sending and receiving optics to adapt to specific experimental requirements. Near-focus Schmidt-Cassegrain optic modules may be positioned for collection of forward or backward scattered light over a large solid angle, and may be clustered to further increase collection solid angle. Multimode fiber optics transmit collected light to the photomultiplier tubes for processing. Counters are used to process the photomultiplier signals and transfer the processed data digitally via buffered interface controller to the host MS-DOS computer. Considerable data reduction and graphical display programming permit on-line control of data acquisition and evaluation of the incoming data. This paper describes this system in detail and presents sample data illustrating the system's capability.

Dunagan, Stephen E.↗

Aerosol Properties From Combined Oxygen A Band Radiances and Lidar

We have developed a new aerosol retrieval technique based on combing high-resolution A band spectra with lidar profiles. Our goal is the development of a technique to retrieve aerosol absorption, one of the critical parameters affecting the global radiation budget and one which is currently poorly constrained by satellite measurements. Our approach relies on two key factors: 1) the use of high spectral resolution (17,000:1) measurements which resolve the A-band line structure, and 2) the use of co-located lidar profile measurements to constrain the vertical distribution of scatterers in the forward model. The algorithm has been developed to be applied to observations from the CALIPSO and OCO-2 satellites, flying in formation as part of the A-train constellation. We describe the approach and present simulated retrievals to illustrate performance potential.

Winker, Dave↗

The Effect of UV and Solar Wind Exposure on the Reflectance of Two Black Diffuse Materials

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Total Hemispherical Reflectance (THR) of two candidate black diffuse materials for the dim calibration targets of the NASA GSFC PACE Ocean Color Instrument (OCI)were reported in the SPIE conference last year. In this paper, we present new BRDF and THR results of the two black diffuse materials following additional UV exposure and solar wind tests. The BRDF measurements for five samples of each two black diffuse material were made at incident angles of 0° and 45° and at the wavelengths of 360 nm, 600 nm, and 1600 usi ng the Table-top Goniometer (TTG) located in the Diffuser Calibration Laboratory (DCL) at NASA GSFC. The THR of the samples, 15 mm in diameter, was measured using a commercial UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer from 200 nm to 2500 nm. The spectral THR results of the two black diffuse materials exposed to UV and solar wind show an approximate 10 % higher reflectivity than the unexposed samples. The spectral profiles of the THR of the exposed and unexposed samples are relatively similar. The BRDF results at the incident angle of 45° show different trends in the forward and backward scattering regions, while those at normal incident angle are consistent with the THR results. We will also present the details of the samples’ surface features and the comparison of the 0°/45° BRDF and THR results, demonstrate the significance of background subtraction in the THR measurements for small, low reflectance samples, and discuss validation of BRDF scale, measurement repeatability, and major contributions of uncertainty.

Jinan Zeng↗

Scattering properties of woven fibrous insulations - Effects of interference for normal incidence

This paper examines the scattering properties of woven fibrous materials in order to model the interactions between the scattered radiation from individual fibers. A normally incident plane electromagnetic wave is considered and different representative geometries are analyzed theoretically. Experimental results are presented for specific woven thermal insulation fabrics. Previous studies in the literature have mostly ignored the effect of constructive or destructive addition of scattered waves from individual fibers with the exception of the case of parallel fibers. Whereas the light-scattering characteristics of a single long fiber depend only on the size parameter and on the material optical constants, the additional mechanism of interference between the scattered waves from fibers of parallel or perpendicular orientation introduces an additional dependence on fiber locations. In this study, analytical models are developed for obtaining the radiative scattering characteristics of woven fibrous media taking into account the mechanism of interference. Experimental measurements of forward- and backward-scattered light from a woven silica cloth over a broad range of wavelengths in the infrared are obtained and compared with the predicted results for a system of two orthogonal families of infinite parallel fibers.

Kumar, Sunil↗

Effect of an electron scattering cloud on X-ray oscillations produced by beaming

The effect of a scattering cloud on the amplitude of oscillations produced by a rotating beam of X-rays is investigated using analytical and Monte Carlo methods. The scattering cloud was modeled as a uniform density sphere, and the source was represented as an anistropic distribution of radiation emerging from a point at the center of the scattering cloud. The intensity distribution produced by the source beam is examined as a function of optical depth. The relation between electron scattering optical depth and the forward-backward ratio is studied. It is observed that the scattering in a central corona of various optical depths reduces the amplitude of the oscillation. The data suggest that the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in the X-ray intensities of some luminous low-mass X-ray binaries are caused by oscillations in the luminosity of the X-ray star.

Brainerd, J.↗

Trochoidal analysis of scattered electrons in a merged electron-ion beam geometry

The method and apparatus of this invention provides a plurality of measurements indicative of the absolute cross section for excitation of an ion beam. The ion beam is merged for excitation by specific energies of electrons in an electron beam. Both beams are merged in an evacuated enclosure having a longitudinal magnetic field and a crossed uniform electric field. The ions and electrons interact over a known merged longitudinal length in a merged beam area. After collision, the electron and ion beams are demerged. Forward and backward-scattered electrons are collected and position-detected by a pair of microchannel plate arrays located at opposite ends of said longitudinal beam-merging area. A series of electron and ion primary current measurements are taken at full ion and electron beam strength. Measurements are also taken at greatly reduced beam strength to obtain a beam overlap profile.

Ara Chutjian↗

Enhancing Radiative Transfer Models for Optimized Assimilation of Microwave and Radar Observations

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

Optimizing Assimilation of Microwave and Radar Observations in the NWP Models

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

Assimilation of Spaceborne Microwave and Radar Observations

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

Multistream and Monte Carlo calculations of the sun's aureole

The scattered UV intensities in the sun's aureole are calculated using both a multi-stream scattering method and a Monte Carlo approach. Angular distributions for both Rayleigh and aerosol scatterings are obtained with a realistic atmospheric model. Moderate- and sharply-forward-peaked phase functions of aerosol scattering, corresponding to realistic analytic size distributions, are incorporated. Results from the two independent calculations are in reasonable agreement for a realistic atmospheric model. The results indicate that the scattered UV intensity in the sun's aureole is about four orders smaller than the transmitted intensity while the scattered intensity for pure Rayleigh scattering is only 1-10 millionths times that of the transmitted sun. Based on these intensity ratios, we estimate that the integrated scattered contributions from the aureole to a well-collimated sun photometer of acceptance aperture 2-3 deg are below about 1% of the direct contribution.

Furman, D. R.↗

Near-infrared observations of IRAS sources in and near dense cores

We report 0.4 to 20 micron photometry of 27 Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) point sources associated with dense cores in nearby dark clouds. It is found that these objects have a bimodal distribution of spectral slopes. The objects in the group with steep spectral slopes are typically within one half power radius of the core peak and are not visible on the POSS. The remainder of the objects are typically further from their cores, are optically visible and have shallow spectral slopes (s is approximately 0.6). Most of the sources in this group which have been previously identified are T Tauri stars. Both the groups of objects have essentially the same luminosity function with median luminosity of 1 to 2 L(solar), which is similiar to the luminosity function for T Tauri stars. The near-infrared (J,H,K,L) colors of the objects have been used to estimate the visual extinction to the stars. This indicates that the typical steep spectrum source has extinction A(upsilon) of approximately 30 magnitudes, which is larger by a factor of 3 to 4 than a uniform core can provide, thus the density must rise steeply in the vicinity of the star. For those objects where optical estimates of the extinction are available the optical estimates are typically smaller than our IR estimates by a factor of 1.6. For multiple scattering by grains that scatter primarily in the forward direction, this implies a grain albedo of 0.4 at V, consistent with theoretical predictions for bare grains. Using this derived extinction, the FIR emission from a spherical shell with an inverse power law density which contributes the correct amount of extinction has been modelled. It is shown that to be consistent with both the observations of the density of the core at a scale of 1.5 x 10(17) cm and the extinction derived from the near-IR colors there must be a circumstellar hole of radius 10-100 A.U. for all density laws with exponents greater than 1.2. It is also shown that a component in addition to the star and circumstellar shell is necessary to match the observed spectrum of steep spectrum sources.

Fuller, G. A.↗

Climate and the Earth's Radiation Budget

Data from NASA's Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) Experiment instruments carried by the ERB Satellite and by NOAA-9 and -10 are presently evaluated, with a view to the role played by clouds in the global radiation energy balance. While an individual water droplet scatters 85 percent of incident energy in the forward direction, a cloud of such drops can scatter 75 percent or more of the energy backward. The resulting enhancement of surface-atmosphere albedo reduces the solar radiation absorbed by the atmospheric column. Clouds also significantly enhance the long-wave opacity of the atmosphere; like gaseous absorption, this reduces the radiation emitted to space.

Ramanathan, V.↗