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At least 523 records · Page 29

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NASA NTRS1977

Molecular cluster theory of CO chemisorption on a nickel /100/ surface

Self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Slater molecular cluster models for the chemisorption of carbon monoxide on a (100) transition metal surface are presented. Energy levels and charge distribution for the CO:Ni5 cluster in C sub 4v symmetry are obtained, and the variation of binding energies with height of the CO molecule above the surface of nickel is studied in detail. Comparison is made with experimental binding energy spectra and with the multiple-scattering results of Batra and Bagus. The redistribution in energy of free-atom valence levels is studied by means of local-densities-of-states diagrams.

Ellis, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Hybrid methods are helpful

Multiple scattering problems in a plane layer often permit the convenient use of different methods joined together. Sample numerical results to illustrate this point refer to X- and Y-functions, asymptotic fitting, the small-loss approximations, polarization in high orders, and photon path distribution.

Vandehulst, H. C.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Inversion methods in temperature and aerosol remote sounding: Their commonality and differences, and some unexplored approaches

The two remote sensing problems of temperature profiling and aerosol characterization (complex refractive index, size distribution) are considered. These problems differ only in the explicit form of the source function which, for aerosols, includes contributions from both single and multiple scattering processes. When the observables are the spectral extinction or the single scattering of the source radiation, the associated problem is completely analogous to the linearized temperature inversion problem. Methods for obtaining the solution of the linear problem are classified following three main categories: (1) derivation of properties that all solutions satisfy, which must then be properties of the actual solution; (2) regularization of the ill-posed problem; and (3) data changes within their domain of uncertainty in order to avoid the basic instability. A number of unexplored methods are indicated.

Fymat, A. L.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Energy spectrum of medium energy gamma-rays from the galactic center region

A balloon-borne magnetic core digitized spark chamber with two assemblies of spark-chambers above and below the scintillation counters was used to measure the medium energy gamma ray flux from the galactic center region. Gamma ray calculations are based on the multiple scattering of the pair electrons in 15 aluminum plates interleaved in the spark chamber modules. Counting rates determined during ascent and at ceiling indicate the presence of diffuse component in this energy range. Preliminary results give an integral flux between 15 and 70 MeV compared to the differential points in other results.

Palmeira, R. A. R.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Properties of aerosols in the Martian atmosphere, as inferred from Viking Lander imaging data

Three types of aerosol were detected from observations of the Martian sky, Phobos, and the sun with the Viking imaging cameras. Atmospheric optical depths were derived from observations of the objects' brightness. Data on the absorption coefficient, mean size, and shape of aerosols were obtained from studies of the sky brightness, using a multiple-scattering computer code. The aerosol types were water ice ground fog, a higher-level ice cloud (polar hood), and soil particles suspended at heights up to 30 km. The properties of each type of aerosol are discussed. The data are subjected to thorough analysis, and the results are summarized.

Pollack, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The Comptonization of iron X-ray features in compact X-ray sources

The formation of X-ray spectral features due to iron in a relatively cool cloud of gas with a Thomson depth greater than 1 surrounding a compact source of continuum X-rays is described. Coupled equations are solved for the ionization structure of the cloud and for the radiative transfer of the X-rays. Photoionization suppresses the strength of emission lines and absorption edges. Comptonization of the radiation broadens emission lines, fills in absorption edges, and produces a high-energy cutoff. In order to describe multiple scattering, a Fokker-Planck equation is derived which includes an important modification of the Kompaneets equation. Narrow resonance lines are treated with an escape probability formalism.

Ross, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Path- and area-integrated rainfall measurement by microwave attenuation in the 1-3 cm band

At a wavelength of about 0.9 cm, microwave attenuation is demonstrated to be linearly related to rainfall rate and independent of drop size distribution and temperature. In addition, practical methods for measuring path- and area-averaged rainfall rate are reviewed. A compromise between maximum path-averaged rainfall rate sensitivity and minimum sensing errors may be achieved by the use of one-way methods between the transmitter and the receiver, with a wavelength of 1.5 to 2.0 cm. Corrections for nonspherical drops and for multiple scattering are also discussed.

Atlas, D.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Circular polarization of sunlight reflected by planetary atmospheres

Multiple scattering calculations are performed in order to investigate the nature of the circular polarization of sunlight reflected by planetary atmospheres. Contour diagrams as a function of size parameter and phase angle are made for the integrated light from a spherical but locally plane-parallel atmosphere of spherical particles. To investigate the origin of the circular polarization, results are also computed for second-order scattering and for a simpler semiquantitative model of scattering by two particles. Observations of the circular polarization of the planets are presently too meager for accurate deduction of cloud particle properties. However, certain very broad constraints can be placed on the properties of the dominant cloud particles on Jupiter and Saturn. The cloud particle size and refractive index deduced for the Jupiter clouds by Loskutov, Morozhenko, and Yanovitskii from analyses of the linear polarization are not consistent with the circular polarization. The few available circular polarization observations of Venus are also examined.

Kawata, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Five-color photometry of Saturn and its rings

Analysis of 206 high-quality plates from three recent apparitions taken in five colors has yielded several photometric parameters for Saturn and its A and B rings. Phase curves and geometric albedos are derived for two regions on Saturn and for each ring. The phase coefficients of the rings are found to be independent of the ring-plane inclination angle. A comparison of the phase curves shows that the particles of ring A exhibit a larger phase coefficient than do those of ring B. When examined with a multiple-scattering model using Henyey-Greenstein phase functions, the observations of the ring tilt effect indicate that the particles of ring A may also have lower single-scattering and geometric albedos. The color dependence of the geometric albedo of the particles in ring B is shown to be very similar to that of Europa (J II). Optical thicknesses of 0.50 for ring A and 0.018 for the Cassini division are found.

Lumme, K.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Properties of the clouds of Venus, as inferred from airborne observations of its near-infrared reflectivity spectrum

The shape and absolute value of Venus' reflectivity spectrum is measured in the 1.2- to 4.0 micrometer spectral region with a circular variable filter wheel spectrometer having a spectral resolution of 1.5%. Comparing these spectra with synthetic spectra generated with a multiple-scattering computer code, a number of properties of the Venus clouds are inferred. Evidence is obtained indicating that the clouds are made of a water solution of sulfuric acid in their top unit optical depth, and that the clouds are made of this material down to an optical depth of at least 25. In addition, the acid concentration is 84 plus or minus 2% H2SO4 by weight in the top unit optical depth, the total optical depth of the clouds is 37.5 plus or minus 12.5, and the cross-sectional weighted mean particle radius lies between 0.5 and 1.4 micrometers in the top unit optical depth of the clouds. It is found that the average volume mixing ratio of H2SO4 and H2O contained in the cloud material both equal approximately 2 x 10 to the -6. Employing vapor pressure arguments, the acid concentration is shown to equal 84 plus or minus 6% at the cloud bottom and the water vapor mixing ratio beneath the clouds lies between 6 x 10 to the -4 and 10 to the -2.

Pollack, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The investigation of advanced remote sensing techniques for the measurement of aerosol characteristics

Advanced remote sensing techniques and inversion methods for the measurement of characteristics of aerosol and gaseous species in the atmosphere were investigated. Of particular interest were the physical and chemical properties of aerosols, such as their size distribution, number concentration, and complex refractive index, and the vertical distribution of these properties on a local as well as global scale. Remote sensing techniques for monitoring of tropospheric aerosols were developed as well as satellite monitoring of upper tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols. Computer programs were developed for solving multiple scattering and radiative transfer problems, as well as inversion/retrieval problems. A necessary aspect of these efforts was to develop models of aerosol properties.

Deepak, A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

A coupled radiative-convective-photochemical model of the stratosphere

A one-dimensional atmospheric model is described. The neutral photochemical processes of the troposphere and stratosphere are presented by a reaction set of 87 kinetic processes and 28 photolytic reactions, with vertical transport being taken into account by an eddy diffusion parameter. The vertical temperature profiles are coupled with the chemical calculations by means of a radiative-convective code. The model has the capability of including effects of multiple scattering and diurnal variations in species concentrations. The numerical solution methodology is described in detail, and current input data are given along with results obtained in a sample calculation.

Boughner, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Some aspects of the interaction of radiation with the thermal and mass budgets of cloud droplets

It is shown that the effects of radiative heating or cooling can have a substantial influence on the mass budget of a cloud droplet and thus on the microphysical properties of a cloud as a whole. The radiative transfer equation, including all orders of multiple scattering, is solved for spectral windows of earth's atmosphere by adopting the Eddington approximation and assuming that the cloud is isothermal and illuminated by fluxes from both the ground and the sky. The results obtained for the 8-12-micron window indicate that radiative cooling can increase a droplet's growth rate and may also make the droplet cooler than the surrounding gas while water vapor is diffusing in, which would cause diffusiophoreisis and thermophoreisis to combine and increase the efficiency with which droplets would scavenge aerosols.

Barkstrom, B. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Extensions to the classical calculation of the effect of mutual shadowing in diffuse reflection

The classical method for accounting for the mutual shadowing among closely packed particles in multiple scattering calculations is extended in the following ways. (1) By modeling the particle distribution by a Poisson process with a varying density parameter, a 'Van der Waals' type approximation allows extension to a greater fractional volume density, D. In this case it is only required that D squared be much less than 1 instead of D being much less than 1. (2) In the case that the particle distribution is not uniform the classical calculation may be weighted by the pair correlation function of the distribution. (3) The use of the Markov chain formalism for radiative transfer allows inclusion of the effect of shadowing for two orders of scattering. For conditions such as might apply in Saturn's rings, the inclusion of this effect makes less than a 0.1% difference in the calculated phase curves, compared to previous calculations which have included shadowing only in the first scattering. The latter are thus shown to be quite accurate.

Esposito, L. W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Jupiter's atmospheric composition and cloud structure deduced from absorption bands in reflected sunlight

The spectrum of sunlight reflected by Jupiter is analyzed by comparing observations of Woodman (1979) with multiple-scattering computations. The analysis yields information on the vertical cloud structure at several latitudes and on the abundance of CH4 and NH3 in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The abundances of CH4 and NH3 suggest that all ices and rocks are overabundant on Jupiter by a factor of 2 or more, providing an important constraint on models for the formation of Jupiter from the primitive solar nebula. The pressure level of the clouds, the gaseous NH3 abundance, the mean temperature profile, and the Clausius-Clapeyron relation suggest that these clouds are predominantly ammonia crystals with the cloud bottom at 600-700 mb. A diffuse distribution of aerosols exists between 150 and 500 mb, and the spectral variation of albedo reflects a changing bulk absorption coefficient of the material composing the aerosols and is diagnostic of the aerosol composition.

Sato, M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

International planetary patrol observations of Saturn's rings. II - Four color phase curves and their analysis

New phase curves for Saturn's rings at an intermediate tilt angle B of about 17 deg are presented. Quantitative results for each of the A and B rings are reported in terms of the opposition effect, phase coefficient, and best logarithmic fit to the phase curve. There was no significant difference between the shape of the phase curves for the two rings in each of the four colors, and a four-parameter multiple scattering model of the rings was consistent with the observations. In this model, the difference in the phase curves for different colors can be explained by a variation in the single scattering albedo with wavelength. The observations allow the particles to have the same composition in the A and B rings, so that their different photometric behavior is explained by differences in optical depth and volume density in the two rings.

Esposito, L. W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Tropospheric UV flux calculations and photolysis rates for use with zonally and diurnally averaged models

A computationally fast and efficient method for calculating solar UV fluxes in the troposphere is developed. Calculated fluxes compare favorably with more rigorous multiple scattering results, and qualitatively correct behavior of the direct and diffuse flux components is maintained. In view of the relatively large uncertainties in other aspects of tropospheric photochemical models, the use of approximate UV flux calculations appears warranted. The technique is applied to the calculation of photolysis rates for twelve significant photolytic reactions of nine species.

Matloff, G. L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

A history of Mars atmospheric opacity in the southern hemisphere during the Viking extended mission

A history of developing opacity in the Mars southern hemisphere during the Viking extended mission has been compiled using orbiter images obtained at high altitude. Observations of changing contrasts under similar viewing conditions have been modeled by multiple-scattering intensity transfer equations that have produced a temporal description of changes in optical depth and particle-scattering properties within a network of control points. The results are presented in the form of Mercator and perspective plots for various dates.

Thorpe, T. E.↗