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At least 379 records · Page 21

Transverse Mode Dynamics of VCSELs Undergoing Current Modulation

Transverse mode dynamics of a 20-micron-diameter vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) undergoing gain switching by deep current modulation is studied numerically. The direct current (dc) level is set slightly below threshold and is modulated by a large alternating current (ac). The resulting optical pulse train and transverse-mode patterns are obtained numerically. The ac frequency is varied from 2.5 GHz to 10 GHz, and the ac amplitude is varied from one-half to four times that of the dc level. At high modulation frequencies, a regular pulse train is not generated unless the ac amplitude is large enough. At all modulation frequencies, the transverse spatial profile switches from single-mode to multiple-mode pattern as the ac pumping level is increased. Optical pulse widths vary in the range 5-30 ps. with the pulse width decreasing when either the frequency is increased or the ac amplitude is decreased. The numerical modeling uses an approximation form of the semiconductor Maxwell-Bloch equations. Temporal evolution of the spatial profiles of the laser (and of carrier density) is determined without any assumptions about the type or number of modes. Keywords: VCSELs, current modulation, gain switching, transverse mode dynamics, computational modeling

Goorjian, Peter M.↗

Quantitative molecular characterization of bovine vitreous and lens with non-invasive dynamic light scattering

The non-invasive technique of dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to quantitatively characterize vitreous and lens structure on a molecular level by measuring the sizes of the predominant particles and mapping the three-dimensional topographic distribution of these structural macromolecules in three spatial dimensions. The results of DLS measurements in five fresh adult bovine eyes were compared to DLS measurements in model solutions of hyaluronan (HA) and collagen (Coll). In the bovine eyes DLS measurements were obtained from excised samples of gel and liquid vitreous and compared to the model solutions. Measurements in whole vitreous were obtained at multiple points posterior to the lens to generate a three-dimensional 'map' of molecular structure. The macromolecule distribution in bovine lens was similarly characterized.In each bovine vitreous (Bo Vit) specimen, DLS predominantly detected two distinct particles, which differed in diffusion properties and hence size. Comparisons with model vitreous solutions demonstrated that these most likely corresponded to the Coll and HA components of vitreous. Three-dimensional mapping of Bo Vit found heterogeneity throughout the vitreous body, with different particle size distributions for Coll and HA at different loci. In contrast, the three-dimensional distribution of lens macromolecules was more homogeneous. Thus, the non-invasive DLS technique can quantitate the average sizes of vitreous and lens macromolecules and map their three-dimensional distribution. This method to assess quantitatively the macromolecular structure of vitreous and lens should be useful for clinical as well as experimental applications in health and disease. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Models, Molecular↗

Tools for Performing SBG hyperspectral Observing System Simulation Experiment

One of NASA’s Decadal Survey mission, Surface Biology and Geology (SBG), will include a hyperspectral remote sensing imager, which has a very high spatial resolution and a wide spectral coverage (from UV to Near IR). Unprecedented large data volumes will be generated by the SBG hyperspectral instrument. Before the launch of the new satellite, an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) can be used to study different designs of the new satellite system. One of the key components in an OSSE study is a radiative transfer model (RTM) or forward model. In this presentation, we will describe a Principal Component-based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) which is capable of simulating atmospheric (TOA) radiance or reflectance spectra from far IR to visible and UV spectral regions (50 wavenumber to 30000 wavenumber) quickly and accurately. Multiple scattering from multiple layers of clouds/aerosols are included in the model. The PCRTM has a very good accuracy relative to reference line-by-line radiative transfer models (LBLRTM), and it saves 3-4 orders of magnitude computational time relative to LBLRTM or MODTRAN. The PCRTM model has been successfully used to analyze large volumes of data from hyperspectral sensors such as AIRS, CrIS, and IASI. It has also been used to perform OSSE studies for the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) mission. Another useful tool for the OSSE is surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) database. It is very crucial for the SBG OSSE to include realistic BRDF spectra. Currently, most of the surface reflectance spectra such as those in the ECOSIS and ECOSTRESS are measured at specific observation geometries. We have developed a hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance (HSBR) model which combines Ross-Li BRDF model with the existing reflectance spectral libraries using a principal component analysis. This HSBR model can provide realistic BRDF spectra under various observation conditions. It can also be used to generate realistic BRDF spectra using measurements from multi-band imagers or spectrometers such as MODIS or VIIRS.

Xu Liu↗

Introduction to Big Earth Data Applications

Climate and weather modeling generate enormous volumes that make iterative analysis challenging, spurring the development of new ways to work with the data. At the same time in the Earth Observation area, technology advances are enabling new sensors and satellites that will increase data volume, velocity and application variety. Scaling up can also be seen when operational applications expand from small, local studies to larger spatial scales with more analysis targets.

Christopher Lynnes↗

FLEET and PLIF Velocimetry Within A Mach 10 Hypersonic Air Flow

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) velocity measurements utilizing molecular tagging velocity (MTV) methods from three recent test campaigns conducted at the 31-in Mach 10 Air Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center are highlighted within. The FLEET measurements reported here include the first direct measurement of freestream velocity at this hypersonic wind tunnel facility. Measurement challenges were exasperated by the low gas density of the Mach 10 air freestream (~0.4% of standard temperature and pressure conditions) and even lower gas densities within the hypersonic wake of a 70-degree sphere-cone model. In addition, the hypersonic freestream and very low speed velocities in the wake also tested the measurement dynamic range. To complement the FLEET measurements in the wake of the sphere-cone model, PLIF velocimetry using seeded nitric oxide was also performed. While NO-PLIF velocimetry has been performed at this facility several times by previous researchers, the use of a 1D diffractive optical element for NO-PLIF velocimetry is reported here for the first time. The 1D DOE enabled the generation of up to 75 laser lines simultaneously and improved the spatial extent of the measurement three times compared to previous work. This enabled a wide velocity measurement plane of approximately 130 mm x 130 mm. The velocimetry methods demonstrated here are expected to improve wind tunnel characterization, provide critical data to validate CFD codes, and improve the design of flight vehicles for planetary entry.

FLEET↗

FLEET and PLIF Velocimetry Within A Mach 10 Hypersonic Air Flow

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) velocity measurements utilizing molecular tagging velocity (MTV) methods from three recent test campaigns conducted at the 31-in Mach 10 Air Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center are highlighted within. The FLEET measurements reported here include the first direct measurement of freestream velocity at this hypersonic wind tunnel facility. Measurement challenges were exasperated by the low gas density of the Mach 10 air freestream (~0.4% of standard temperature and pressure conditions) and even lower gas densities within the hypersonic wake of a 70-degree sphere-cone model. In addition, the hypersonic freestream and very low speed velocities in the wake also tested the measurement dynamic range. To complement the FLEET measurements in the wake of the sphere-cone model, PLIF velocimetry using seeded nitric oxide was also performed. While NO-PLIF velocimetry has been performed at this facility several times by previous researchers, the use of a 1D diffractive optical element for NO-PLIF velocimetry is reported here for the first time. The 1D DOE enabled the generation of up to 75 laser lines simultaneously and improved the spatial extent of the measurement three times compared to previous work. This enabled a wide velocity measurement plane of approximately 130 mm x 130 mm. The velocimetry methods demonstrated here are expected to improve wind tunnel characterization, provide critical data to validate CFD codes, and improve the design of flight vehicles for planetary entry.

FLEET↗

Detection of the SO2 atmosphere on Io with the Hubble Space Telescope

Observations of the trailing hemisphere of Io made with the Faint Object Spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in March 1992 have resulted in the first detection of atmospheric SO2 absorption bands in the ultraviolet. These observations represent only the third positive means of detection of what is widely believed to be Io's primary atmospheric constituent. Below approximately 2130 A the geometric albedo of the satellite is dominated by SO2 gas absorption band signatures, which have been analyzed using models that include the effects of optical thickness, temperature, and spatial distribution. The disk-intergrated HST data cannot resolve the spatial distribution, but it is possible to define basic properties and set constraints on the atmosphere at the time of the observations. Hemispheric atmospheres with average column density N = 6 - 10 x 10(exp 15)/sq sm and T(gas) = 110 - 500 K fit the data, with preference for temperatures of approximately 200 - 250 K. Better fits are found as the atmosphere is spatially confined, with a limit of approximately 8% hemispheric areal coverage and N approximately equal to 3 x 10(exp 17)/sq cm with colder 110 - 250 K temepratures. A dense (N greater than or equal to 10(exp 16)/sq cm), localized component of SO2 gas, such as that possibly associated with active volcanoes, can generate the observed spectral constrast only when the atmosphere is cold (110 K) and an extended component such as Pele is included. The combination of a dense, localized atmosphere with a tenuous component (N less than 10(exp 16)/sq cm, either patchy or extended) also fits the data. In all cases the best fit models imply a disk-averaged column density larger than exospheric but approximately 10 - 30 times less than the previous upper limit from near-UV observations.

Ballester, G. E.↗

Anisotropic Solar Wind Sputtering of the Lunar Surface Induced by Crustal Magnetic Anomalies

The lunar exosphere is generated by several processes each of which generates neutral distributions with different spatial and temporal variability. Solar wind sputtering of the lunar surface is a major process for many regolith-derived species and typically generates neutral distributions with a cosine dependence on solar zenith angle. Complicating this picture are remanent crustal magnetic anomalies on the lunar surface, which decelerate and partially reflect the solar wind before it strikes the surface. We use Kaguya maps of solar wind reflection efficiencies, Lunar Prospector maps of crustal field strengths, and published neutral sputtering yields to calculate anisotropic solar wind sputtering maps. We feed these maps to a Monte Carlo neutral exospheric model to explore three-dimensional exospheric anisotropies and find that significant anisotropies should be present in the neutral exosphere depending on selenographic location and solar wind conditions. Better understanding of solar wind/crustal anomaly interactions could potentially improve our results.

exosphere↗

Generating Accurate Urban Area Maps from Nighttime Satellite (DMSP/OLS) Data

There has been an increasing interest by the international research community to use the nighttime acquired "city-lights" data sets collected by the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan system to study issues relative to urbanization. Many researchers are interested in using these data to estimate human demographic parameters over large areas and then characterize the interactions between urban development , natural ecosystems, and other aspects of the human enterprise. Many of these attempts rely on an ability to accurately identify urbanized area. However, beyond the simple determination of the loci of human activity, using these data to generate accurate estimates of urbanized area can be problematic. Sensor blooming and registration error can cause large overestimates of urban land based on a simple measure of lit area from the raw data. We discuss these issues, show results of an attempt to do a historical urban growth model in Egypt, and then describe a few basic processing techniques that use geo-spatial analysis to threshold the DMSP data to accurately estimate urbanized areas. Algorithm results are shown for the United States and an application to use the data to estimate the impact of urban sprawl on sustainable agriculture in the US and China is described.

Imhoff, Marc↗

NREPS Applications for Water Supply and Management in California and Tennessee

Management of water resources is a balancing act between temporally and spatially limited sources and competitive needs which can often exceed the supply. In order to manage water resources over a region such as the San Joaquin Valley or the Tennessee River Valley, it is pertinent to know the amount of water that has fallen in the watershed and where the water is going within it. Since rain gauge networks are typically sparsely spaced, it is typical that the majority of rainfall on the region may not be measured. To mitigate this under-sampling of rainfall, weather radar has long been employed to provide areal rainfall estimates. The Next-Generation Weather Radars (NEXRAD) make it possible to estimate rainfall over the majority of the conterminous United States. The NEXRAD Rainfall Estimation Processing System (NREPS) was developed specifically for the purpose of using weather radar to estimate rainfall for water resources management. The NREPS is tailored to meet customer needs on spatial and temporal scales relevant to the hydrologic or land-surface models of the end-user. It utilizes several techniques to mitigate artifacts in the NEXRAD data from contaminating the rainfall field. These techniques include clutter filtering, correction for occultation by topography as well as accounting for the vertical profile of reflectivity. This presentation will focus on improvements made to the NREPS system to map rainfall in the San Joaquin Valley for NASA s Water Supply and Management Project in California, but also ongoing rainfall mapping work in the Tennessee River watershed for the Tennessee Valley Authority and possible future applications in other areas of the continent.

Gatlin, P.↗

Accuracy and performance of LACIE yield estimates in major wheat producing regions of the world

The LACIE yield models developed, implemented, and tested during the three phases of the experiment represent the first generation of models designed for the large-scale prediction of wheat production. The models are capable of supporting the stated project goal of being within 10 percent of the actual wheat production 90 percent of the time. The limitations of the models are inherent in their nature. The temporal resolution limits their ability to handle the erratic weather occurring in critical situations. The relatively large spatial resolution of the individual models limits the capture of localized but important episodic events.

Phinney, D. E.↗

Large-scale stationary and turbulent flow over topography

The contributions made to the formation of stationary features of flow over topography by linear and nonlinear dynamics were examined with an integrated quasi-geostrophic model with idealized topographic forcing. The simulation was run out to several months and generated time-averaged values which were compared with those obtained with linear theory. Linear predictions were converted to turbulent features through the addition of stationary, nonlinear thermodynamic and transient vorticity fluxes. The turbulence features matched atmospheric data on energy spectra, the direction and magnitude of energy transfers, and the spatial magnitudes involved. Transient flow transferred the majority of energy absorbed by the upscale flow and, by absorbing energy, reduced the energy of stationary flow while retaining resonance signatures. Instability was a pervasive feature of the topographically forced flow except at high wavenumbers. The results confirm that transient eddies are interactive with both asymmetric and zonal flow and cannot be adequately described by linear theory.

Vallis, G. K.↗

Ring current and radiation belts

Studies performed during 1983-1986 on the ring current, the injection boundary model, and the radiation belts are discussed. The results of these studies yielded the first observations on the composition and charge state of the ring current throughout the ring-current energy range, and strong observational support for an injection-boundary model accounting for the origins of radiation-belt particles, the ring current, and substorm particles observed at R less than about 7 earth radii. In addition, the results have demonstrated that the detection of energetic neutral atoms generated by charge-exchange interactions between the ring current and the hydrogen geocorona can provide global images of the earth's ring current and its spatial and temporal evolution.

Williams, D. J.↗

The compositional structure and the effects of exothermicity in an unpremixed planar jet flame

Results are presented of direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a randomly perturbed compressible, spatially developing planar jet under the influence of a finite rate Arrhenius chemical reaction of the type F + O yields Product + Heat. The objectives of the simulations are to assess the compositional structure of the flame and to determine the influence of reaction exothermicity by means of statistical sampling of the data generated by DNS. It is shown that even with this idealized kinetics model, the simulated results exhibit features in accordance with experimental data. These results indicate that the Damkoehler number is an important parameter in determining the statistical composition of the reacting field, and that the results are insensitive to the mechanism by which this parameter is varied. It is demonstrated that as the intensity of mixing is increased and the effect of finite rate chemistry is more pronounced, the magnitudes of the ensemble mean and rms of the product mass fraction decrease, and those of the reactants mass fraction increase. Also, at higher mixing rates the joint probability density functions of the reactants' mass fractions shift towards higher values within the composition domain indicating a lower reactedness. These trends are consistent with those observed experimentally and are very useful in portraying the statistical structure of non-equilibrium diffusion flames. The DNS generated data are also utilized to examine the applicability of the 'laminar diffusion flamelet model' in predicting the rate of the reactant conversion with finite rate chemistry. This examination indicates that the bounds of the product formation scale reasonably well with those obtained by the flamelet model. However, in the range of the relatively low values of the Damkoehler numbers considered, the scatter of the results is substantially more than that to be completely determined by the closure.

Steinberger, C. J.↗

The compositional structure and the effects of exothermicity in a nonpremixed planar jet flame

Results are presented of direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a randomly perturbed compressible, spatially developing two-dimensional planar jet under the influence of a finite rate chemical reaction of the type F + O yields product. The objectives of the simulations are to assess the compositional structure of the flame and to determine the influence of reaction exothermicity by means of statistical sampling of the DNS generated data. It is shown that even with this idealized kinetics model the simulated results exhibit features in accord with experimental data. These results indicate that the Damkohler number is an important parameter in determining the statistical composition of the reacting field and that the results are not very sensitive to the mechanism by which this parameter is varied. It is demonstrated that as the intensity of mixing is increased and the effect of finite rate chemistry is more pronounced, the magnitudes of the ensemble mean and variance of the product mass fraction decrease and those of the reactants' mass fraction increase. Also, at higher mixing rates the joint probability density functions of the reactants' mass fractions shift towards higher values within the composition domain, indicating a lower reactedness.

Steinberger, C. J.↗

A two-dimensional model with coupled dynamics, radiation, and photochemistry. 1: Simulation of the middle atmosphere

Spatial and seasonal distribution of ozone and other trace gases are simulated using a interactive two-dimensional model of the stratosphere updated to include full gas phase chemistry. The model consists of a primitive equation dynamics module, a full radiative transfer scheme, and a comprehensive gas phase chemistry module. The circulation is derived from heating rates in the stratosphere that are calculated using model-generated ozone. In the troposphere, parameterized heating rates are adopted. The eddy momentum flux divergence in the zonal mean momentum equation is given by the eddy fluxes of potential vorticity. Eddy fluxes of potential vorticity and tracers are parameterized using a set of predetermined diffusion coefficients. The adopted values for K(sub yy), show a hemispherical asymmetry in that the values in the lower stratosphere are consistently smaller in the southern hemisphere. The asymmetry in K(sub yy) and in the parameterization of the tropospheric heating rate results in an asymmetry in the circulation giving rise to unique signatures in the trace gas distributions. The model successfully simulates the observed asymmetry in the column abundance of the springtime ozone maxima between northern and southern hemisphere. Results for other trace gases are in agreement with the gross observed features although specific differences exist.

Ko, Malcolm K. W.↗

Argentina Food Security & Agriculture: Crop Monitoring and Forecasting for Argentina using NASA Satellite Observations

Early harvest information helps guide agricultural commodity assessments in Argentina, providing valuable planning information to identify potentially food-insecure regions, anticipate transportation and storage demands, predict price fluctuations, and project commodity trends. However, crop yield estimates are currently subjective, based on interviews with qualified informants (i.e., farmers, agribusiness actors). In partnership with the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, we leveraged Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), and Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM IMERG) NASA Earth observations to develop a Google Earth Engine (GEE) toolset to monitor vegetation growth. The first component of the toolset produces spatial and temporal maps of temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), allowing users to visualize the influence of the region’s climate and weather. Next, we developed an autoregressive model to predict NDVI several months in advance. Lastly, we created a linear regression model of crop yield and NDVI for soybeans, corn, and wheat, and input the forecasted NDVI to generate a predicted crop yield output. The NDVI forecasting model produced accurate predictions at two, four, and six months when examining the most recent growing season. In the crop yield model, soybeans exhibited moderately strong correlation, wheat had consistent weak correlation, and corn varied from weak to strong correlation depending on zone. This information is vital for vegetation growth monitoring by identifying areas of high growth and allocating resources to areas of lower growth to efficiently maximize crop yields.

DEVELOP Tech Paper↗

Spectrocopic measurements of water vapor plasmas at high resolution: The optical transition probabilities for OH (A 2 Sigma - X 2 Pi)

Emission and absorption spectra of water vapor plasmas generated in a wall-stabilized arc at atmospheric pressure and 4 current, and at 0.03 atm and 15 to 50 A, were measured at high spatial and spectral resolution. The gas temperature was determined from the shape of Doppler-broadened rotational lines of OH. The observed nonequilibrium population distributions over the energy levels of atoms are interpreted in terms of a theoretical state model for diffusion-controlled arc plasmas. Excellent correlation is achieved between measured and predicted occupation of hydrogen energy levels. It is shown that the population distribution over the nonpredissociating rotational-vibrational levels of the A 2 Sigma state of OH is close to an equilibrium distribution at the gas temperature, although the total density of this state is much higher than its equilibrium density. The reduced intensities of the rotational lines originating in these levels yielded Boltzmann plots that were strictly linear.

Klein, L.↗