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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 397 records · Page 22
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NASA NTRS1977

Evaluation of energetic particle effects on BUV data and atmospheric ozone

To aid investigations of energetic particle effects on the backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) instrumentation aboard Nimbus 4, solar proton events characterized as polar cap absorption events occurring in the period April 1970 to April 1976 were summarized. Energetic particle effects on total ozone above the 4 mb pressure level measured by Nimbus 4 were analyzed. Proceedings of a workshop meeting of operation aurorozone are included as background material for possible effects of bremsstrahlung on atmospheric ozone.

Herman, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Hard X-ray spectra of cosmic gamma-ray bursts

Hard X-ray measurements of six gamma-ray bursts observed during the period from October 1969 to April 1971 are presented. The measurements were made with detectors on the OGO-5 and OSO-6 satellites. Spectra for five of the six bursts have been determined using measurements from both satellites in order to reduce ambiguities due to uncertain source locations. A significant fraction, about 20-60%, of the energy of the bursts falls in the hard X-ray range (20-130 keV). The time-integrated spectra have been fitted by power-law, exponential, and thermal-bremsstrahlung functions. They are consistent with power laws which steepen at energies of at least 150 keV, as reported earlier for two other bursts. Evidence for spectral variability from event to event in the hard X-ray region is presented. For a power-law representation, the power-law index has values ranging from approximately unity to 2.5. The hard X-ray spectra of the gamma-ray bursts differ significantly from those of the recently discovered 1-15-keV X-ray bursts.

Kane, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

X-ray clusters of galaxies - Correlations with optical morphology and galaxy density

The entire sample of 37 X-ray clusters of galaxies detected by the Ariel 5 satellite at high latitudes is analyzed optically. Morphological types (for all clusters) and central galaxy densities (for all clusters with measured redshifts) are determined, and the positions, redshifts, and richness groups of the set of Southern Hemisphere X-ray clusters are estimated. The X-ray luminosity is found to be correlated with both cluster morphology and central galaxy density. The observed correlations are consistent with a thermal-bremsstrahlung model in which the hot intracluster gas density is proportional to the galaxy density, and the temperature is proportional to the galaxy velocity dispersion.

Bahcall, N. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Magnetic fields greater than 10 to the 20th power gauss

Zaumen (1976) found that spontaneous pair production in a uniform magnetic field should be a feasible process for field strengths at least of the order of 10 to the 20th power gauss. This note points out that a magnetic field of this order of magnitude is most unlikely to occur in realistic astrophysical situations because of the large dynamical and quantum-mechanical effects such a field would produce. It is suggested that Zaumen's calculation would probably have little bearing on the suspected evolution of astrophysical systems since other processes (either dynamical or quantum-mechanical) apparently limit the field strength before such high magnetic fields would be reached. An upper limit of about 10 to the 16th power gauss is obtained by considering the isotropy of the 3-K blackbody radiation, the formation of collapsed objects in very high magnetic fields, and magnetic bremsstrahlung processes in quantum electrodynamics.

Lerche, I.↗
NASA NTRS1977

OSO-8 X-ray polarimeter and Bragg crystal spectrometer observations

Results are discussed for observations of the Crab Nebula, Cyg X-1, and Cyg X-2 with the focusing mosaic graphite crystal X-ray polarimeter aboard OSO-8 as well as for observations of A0620-00 with the Bragg crystal spectrometer aboard the same satellite. The observed X-ray polarization of the Crab Nebula is shown to be in agreement with a previous measurement of the optical polarization and to confirm with very high confidence the earlier conclusion that the X-ray emission occurs by the synchrotron process. No evidence is found for polarization of X-rays from Cyg X-1, but a preliminary result of 4.8% + or 1.0% polarization at an energy of 2.6 keV and a position angle of 141.7 + or - 6.6 deg is reported for Cyg X-2. It is noted that this value is within the range expected for accretion disks. The spectrometry of A0620-00 yielded a continuous spectrum that can be accurately fitted with a thermal bremsstrahlung spectrum at a temperature of 15 million K.

Novick, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Hot gas in clusters of galaxies

Radio and X-ray observations are discussed which seem to favor the presence of a hot intracluster gas in rich clusters of galaxies. On the assumption that the X-rays are produced by thermal bremsstrahlung, a temperature of the order of 100 million K and a density of a few thousandths per cu cm are computed for the intracluster gas. Theories on the origin and dynamics of this gas are reviewed, and the discovery of an iron line in the spectrum of the Perseus cluster is taken as strong evidence for thermal emission from a hot intracluster gas. Effects of and on the intracluster gas are considered, particularly the formation of radio-tail galaxies due to ram pressure on the galaxies in rich clusters, stripping of interstellar gas from the galaxies, and heating of the intracluster gas by the galaxies. It is concluded that the intracluster gas: (1) originated partially in primordial matter that collapsed into the clusters and partially in gas lost from the galaxies, (2) is in static or almost static equilibrium in the clusters, and (3) either is tightly bound or has an equation of state corresponding to a gamma value of less than 5/3.

Lea, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

X-ray clusters of galaxies - Correlation of X-ray luminosity with galactic content

All 14 X-ray clusters of galaxies detected by the Ariel 5 satellite at high galactic latitudes with redshifts of less than 0.05 are analyzed optically for galaxy content. A strong correlation is found between cluster X-ray luminosity and galaxy type: the fraction of spiral galaxies in a cluster decreases rapidly with increasing X-ray luminosity. The observed correlation is consistent with a combined model of thermal bremsstrahlung emission from a hot intracluster gas and stripping of the spiral galaxies caused by the ram pressure of the same intracluster gas.

Bahcall, N. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The structure and spectrum of a colliding-cloud system and its possible relationship to QSOs

A collision between two gas clouds with initial densities of approximately 10 million per cu cm, velocities of about 1000 km/s, and radii of approximately 1 pc is investigated quantitatively by coupling a calculation of the radiation spectrum resulting from the anticipated shock fronts with a computation for the conversion of this high-energy radiation into optical emission in adjacent photoionized regions. The detailed structure of the colliding clouds is discussed, and the effects of an ambient magnetic field are considered. The combined emission-line spectrum is presented along with continuum emission estimates for thermal, synchrotron, and very-high-energy bremsstrahlung mechanisms. It is shown that significant continua can be produced over the range from 300 microns to 3 keV, including a blackbody contribution from a high-density neutral region between the shock fronts, free-free and free-bound radiation from the cooling zones directly behind the shocks, and free-free, free-bound, and two-photon radiation from the photoionized regions immediately ahead of and behind the cooling zones. The theoretical spectrum of the structure resulting from the collision is found to be similar in general and in some details to those observed for typical quasars.

Daltabuit, E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The case for a burst from 3U 0614+09

A single flare event with a rise time of about 7 s and a decay time of approximately 40 s was observed by the Goddard cosmic X-ray spectroscopy experiment on OSO-8 during observations of 3U 0614+09 in September 1975. The possibility is discussed that the source was 3U 0614+09, which has been compared with the low-mass binary Sco X-1. The spectra during the event could be fitted with blackbody (kT = 0.8-1.1 keV) or thermal bremsstrahlung (kT = 1.1-2.5 keV) models with absorption by cool material. In the blackbody model the source was of the order of 1 million cm in size.

Swank, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Evidence for X-ray emission from superclusters of galaxies determined from Uhuru

X-ray emission from three class 2 clusters of rich clusters of galaxies has been detected. A definition for these objects based in part on Abell's (1961) description is used, and 12 candidate superclusters of distance class 5 and six clusters are found within the area of sky covered by the 4U catalog. The probability that these three X-ray sources accidentally coincide with the superclusters is less than 0.003. Equally low probabilities are found that the X-ray emission is due to either a single luminous cluster or to the combined emission of all members of the supercluster. A possible explanation of these sources is thermal bremsstrahlung emission from a hot tenuous gas pervading the supercluster. The mass of the gas can be as much as 10 times the mass of the galaxies in the supercluster and comparable to the virial mass necessary to bind the supercluster gravitationally. Should such regions of enhanced gas density be found to be associated with all groups of clusters (multiplicity of at least 2), this gas may provide a significant fraction of the mass required to close the universe.

Murray, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Origin and evolution of the radio emission from immediate postoutburst supernovae

Several models for the radio emission from immediate postoutburst supernovae are examined under the assumption that the expanding remnant consists of a homogeneously mixed distribution of relativistic particles, magnetic field, and thermal plasma. The evolutionary models are: (1) an adiabatic expansion model; (2) a model incorporating the existence of a central pulsar; and (3) variations on the first two models in which relativistic electrons are accelerated either instantaneously or over an extended period of time and in which ionization, bremsstrahlung, synchrotron, Compton, and expansion losses are explicitly included. The character of the radio emission expected from these models is quite dissimilar. Whereas in adiabatic expansion models the emission is expected to increase slowly and become most intense at high frequencies, in models involving a central pulsar the emission should increase rapidly with a maximum flux density that is the same at all frequencies. The theoretical evolution of the radio emission for each model is compared with observations of SN 1970g.

Marscher, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Some problems with the interpretation of recent microwave background observations in the direction of galaxy clusters, or, beware of negative antenna temperatures

Recently reported observations of the 3-K microwave background in the direction of rich clusters of galaxies should be viewed as placing stringent limits on the mass of cooler ionized gas within the clusters, rather than as a verification of thermal bremsstrahlung models for cluster X-ray sources. At the high radio frequencies employed in the observations, there is a positive contribution to the observed source-brightness distributions from free-free emission by any cooler gas. This can overwhelm the anticipated inverse Compton diminution of the background radiation, even when the total mass in cooler gas is significantly less than the mass of hot plasma required to explain the X-ray source. Future experiments of this type should be conducted only when atmospheric stability is sufficient to permit lengthy drift scans across the clusters. Extreme care must be taken to remove the contributions from any discrete sources.

Tarter, j. C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Imaging of X-ray aurorae from Spacelab

The Atmospheric X-ray Emission Telescope (AXET) is designed to image and measure the spatial, temporal, and spectral distributions of X-ray aurorae produced in the upper atmosphere by precipitating energetic electrons. The bremsstrahlung-produced X radiation penetrates to stratospheric depths where it can modify ozone, conductivity, and other critical atmospheric parameters. Remote sensing of this radiation from topside will provide vital data on solar-terrestrial relationships and mechanisms that could help trigger tropospheric response to solar activity. The X rays also provide direct information concerning the dynamics of radiation-belt processes within the magnetosphere. AXET is designed to detect sources up to 50 keV and to image them below 25 keV by means of directionally sensitive proportional counters with passive collimators. It will be mounted in the Space Shuttle on a single fixed platform designed to optimize viewing conditions for the anticipated orbits and aspects of early Spacelab missions.

Goldberg, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Energetic secondary electrons and the nonthermal galactic radio background - A probe of the magnetic field in interstellar clouds

A previous analysis of the manifestations of charged-pion-decay secondary electrons in interstellar cloud material is extended to include those contributions to the Galactic radio and soft gamma-ray backgrounds that are directly attributable to energetic secondaries. The equilibrium distribution of secondary electrons in dense interstellar clouds is calculated, synchrotron emissivity from isolated interstellar clouds is examined, and it is shown how the value of the magnetic field in these clouds may be determined by observing the radio emission in their directions. The contribution that such clouds make to the integrated radio background is evaluated, and the Galactic distribution of bremsstrahlung gamma rays that arise from interactions of secondary electrons with thermal material in dense clouds is computed. The results indicate that a magnetic field of no more than 80 microgauss is characteristic of dense clouds and that the integrated synchrotron radiation from secondary electrons in interstellar clouds will contribute a significant fraction of the nonthermal brightness along the Galactic equator even if the mean cloud field is as low as 35 microgauss.

Marscher, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Trajectories of high energy electrons in a plasma focus

Measurements are made of high-energy electron trajectories in a plasma focus as functions of position, time, energy, and angle of emission. The spatial resolution of the X-ray emission shows that low-energy X-rays are emitted from the anode surface. It is also suggested that the highest energy X-rays originate from a small region on the axis. The so-called shadow technique shows that the electron beam is perpendicular to the anode surface. Polar diagrams of medium and high-energy X-rays agree with the bremsstrahlung emission from a relativistic electron beam, the current of which is several 100 A.

Harries, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The association of nonthermal electrons with non-flaring coronal transients

A close temporal and spatial association has been found between erupting filaments/coronal transients and radio noise storm continua. The three transients studied occurred away from active regions and are members of a class not usually accompanied by chromospheric emission. The data analyzed were from the S-054 soft X-ray telescope on Skylab and from one- and two-dimensional interferometers at meter and decameter wavelengths at Nancay and Clark Lake observatories. Calculations confirmed that observed microwave radiation from the transients is due to thermal bremsstrahlung. The results are consistent with an interpretation of heating of an increased amount of coronal plasma by nonthermal, 10-100 keV electrons. Three possibilities for the source of the material are described: (1) the filament material; (2) evaporation from the chromosphere or transition region; and (3) via a long-lived reconnection process.

Webb, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Adiabatic heating in impulsive solar flares

A study is made of adiabatic heating in two impulsive solar flares on the basis of dynamic X-ray spectra in the 28-254 keV range, H-alpha, microwave, and meter-wave radio observations. It is found that the X-ray spectra of the events are like those of thermal bremsstrahlung from single-temperature plasmas in the 10-60 keV range if photospheric albedo is taken into account. The temperature-emission correlation indicates adiabatic compression followed by adiabatic expansion and that the electron distribution remains isotropic. H-alpha data suggest compressive energy transfer. The projected areas and volumes of the flares are estimated assuming that X-ray and microwave emissions are produced in a single thermal plasma. Electron densities of about 10 to the 9th/cu cm are found for homogeneous, spherically symmetric sources. It is noted that the strong self-absorption of hot-plasma gyrosynchrotron radiation reveals low magnetic field strengths.

Maetzler, C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Ionization equilibrium and radiative energy loss rates for C, N, and O ions in low-density plasmas

The results of calculations of the ionization equilibrium and radiative energy loss rates for C, N and O ions in low-density plasmas are presented for electron temperatures in the range 10,000-10,000,000 K. The ionization structure is determined by using the steady-state corona model, in which electron impact ionization from the ground states is balanced by direct radiative and dielectronic recombination. With an improved theory, detailed calculations are carried out for the dielectronic recombination rates in which account is taken of all radiative and autoionization processes involving a single-electron electric-dipole transition of the recombining ion. The radiative energy loss processes considered are electron-impact excitation of resonance line emission, direct radiative recombination, dielectronic recombination, and electron-ion bremsstrahlung. For all three elements, resonance line emission resulting from 2s-2p transitions produces a broad maximum in the energy loss rate near 100,000 K.

Jacobs, V. L.↗