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At least 55 records · Page 3

Polar Plate Theory for Orthogonal Anisotropy

Laminated fiber-reinforced (or filamentary) composites are used today for their high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. However, because of the anisotropic behavior of composites, determining the response on a macroscopic scale is challenging. This is particularly evident in the evaluation of the governing differential equations of a circular disk with the fibers of the lamina oriented with rectilinear orthogonality. This includes any situation involving a composite plate of circular geometry in which out-of-plane displacements due to load are desired, such as fastener pull through loading of a composite plate. Current analysis techniques use numerical methods with rectilinear coordinate systems to solve problems with circular geometry. These analyses over predict plate stiffness by 20% and underpredict failure by 70%. Consequently, there is a need to transform classical composite plate theory to a polar coordinate system. In order to better analyze structures with circular geometries the classical composite plate equations are transformed into the plate equations for a rectilinearly anisotropic composite in polar coordinates. A composite plate is typically a laminate of fibers in rectilinear directions. Subsequent to the lay-tip the necessary geometry is cut out of a rectangular plate. In a similar manner, the derivation of the plate equation starts with the fundamental definitions of strain, displacement and curvature and incorporates the material property angular dependence into the equilibrium equations for a differential polar element. In the transformed state, the stiffness coefficients are no longer constant, adding to the complexity of the governing differential equations. This paper discusses the new derivation and evaluation of the plate equations for a circular composite disk with orthogonal rectilinear anisotropy. The resultant new three partial differential equations, which describe the circular anisotropic plate, can be used to evaluate out-of-plane displacements for given load conditions in design of composite Structures. Without the formation of these unique plate equations, design of such structures is not a precise engineering accomplishment due to the lack of precise design tools. Such structures are over designed to compensate and costly tests need to be performed after production to validate safety. Though impossible to present the mathematical solution within the limits of this paper, the application of the newly derived plate equation in its orthotropic form for a balanced symmetric laminate compared favorably with test results and surpassed the results of standard numerical methods. Within the limitations of the problem foundation the predictive model provides a mechanism for establishing out-of-plane deflection levels for a circular composite plate. Future work in this area should include incorporating the circular composite plate equations in Finite Element Models. The new anisotropic polar plate equations call be utilized as a design tool so that the design more accurately meets the requirements, thus taking full advantage of the weight savings of composites. These accomplishments have not previously been presented to the engineering community nor ever proposed to the IAF. Should the proposed paper be accepted for presentation, attendance is assured.

Bailey, Michelle D.↗

The polarization and directivity of solar-flare hard X-ray bremsstrahlung from a thermal source

The polarization and directivity of hard X-ray bremsstrahlung from a thermal source consisting of a region in which a thermal flux drives a pair of steel collisionless conduction fronts were evaluated. The conduction fronts are symmetrically driven from a central region, heated by the flare energy dissipation process. By comparing results with similar calculations based on a nonthermal thick-target electron beam model of the source, it was aimed to determine the degree to which the observed polarization and directivity of solar flare hard X-rays favor either model. Results which exhibit significant polarization and directivity of the hard X-ray radiation emitted by the source are produced by using Maxwellian electron-phase-space distribution functions modified to take into account a directional heat flux and a steady direct current in the X-ray source, and a fully relativistic treatment of the bremsstrahlung emission process. The results are consistent with solar hard X-ray anisotropy and polarization observations to date, although these observations are too crude to be conclusive.

Emslie, A. G.↗

Cosmic ray north-south anisotropy 1961 - 1983

Measurements from neutron monitors in Thule (Greenland) and McMurdo (Antarctica) were used to determine yearly values of the cosmic ray north-south anisotropy over the period 1961-1983. The results strongly suggest that superposed upon the mean anisotropy of 0.05% is a solar cycle variation of amplitude 0.03%. No evidence for a dependence of the anisotropy upon polarity of the solar poloidal magnetic field is found.

Bieber, J. W.↗

Bolometric detectors for the Planck surveyor

The High Frequency Instrument on the NASA/ESA Planck Surveyor, scheduled for launch in 2007, will map the entire sky in 6 frequency bands ranging from 100 GHz to 857 GHz to probe Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy and polarization with angular resolution ranging from 9' to 5'. The HFI focal plane will contain 48 silicon nitride micromesh bolometers operating from a 100 mK heat sink. Four detectors in each of the 6 bands will detect unpolarized radiation. An additional 4 pairs of detectors will provide sensitivity to linear polarization of emission at 143, 217 and 353 GHz. We report on the development and characterization of these detectors before delivery to the European HFI consortium.

bolometers millimeter-wave Planck↗

Process of changing the refractive index of a composite containing a polymer and a compound having large dipole moment and polarizability and applications thereof

Fused ring bridge, ring locked dyes that form thermally stable photorfractive compositions. The fused ring bridge structures are .pi.-conjugated bonds in benzene-, naphthalene- or anthracene-derived fused ring systems that connect donor and acceptor groups. The donor and acceptor groups contribute to a high molecular dipole moment and linear polarizability anisotropy. The polarization characteristics of the dye molecules are stabilized since the bonds in the fused ring bridge are not susceptible to rotation, reducing the opportunity for photoisomerization. The dyes are compatible with polymeric compositions, including thermoplastics. The dyes are electrically neutral but have charge transport, electronic and orientational properties such that upon illumination of a composition containing the dye, the dye facilitates refractive index modulation and a photorefractive effect that can be utilized advantageously in numerous applications such as in optical quality devices and biological imaging.

Marder, Seth R.↗

Thermally stable molecules with large dipole moments and polarizabilities and applications thereof

Disclosed are fused ring bridge, ring-locked dyes that form thermally stable photorefractive compositions. The fused ring bridge structures are .pi.-conjugated bonds in benzene-, naphthalene- or anthracene-derived fused ring systems that connect donor and acceptor groups. The donor and acceptor groups contribute to a high molecular dipole moment and linear polarizability anisotropy. The polarization characteristics of the dye molecules are stabilized since the bonds in the fused ring bridge are not susceptible to rotation, reducing the opportunity for photoisomerization. The dyes are compatible with polymeric compositions, including thermoplastics. The dyes are electrically neutral but have charge transport, electronic and orientational properties such that upon illumination of a composition containing the dye, the dye facilitates refractive index modulation and a photorefractive effect that can be utilized advantageously in numerous applications such as in optical quality devices and biological imaging.

Marder, Seth R.↗

3D Radiative Transfer Effects in Multi-Angle/Multi-Spectral Radio-Polarimetric Signals from a Mixture of Clouds and Aerosols Viewed by a Non-Imaging Sensor

When observing a spatially complex mix of aerosols and clouds in a single relatively large field-of-view, nature entangles their signals non-linearly through polarized radiation transport processes that unfold in the 3D position and direction spaces. In contrast, any practical forward model in a retrieval algorithm will use only 1D vector radiative transfer (vRT) in a linear mixing technique. We assess the difference between the observed and predicted signals using synthetic data from a high-fidelity 3D vRT model with clouds generated using a Large Eddy Simulation model and an aerosol climatology. We find that this difference is signal--not noise--for the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS), an instrument developed by NASA. Moreover, the worst case scenario is also the most interesting case, namely, when the aerosol burden is large, hence hase the most impact on the cloud microphysics and dynamics. Based on our findings, we formulate a mitigation strategy for these unresolved cloud adjacency effects assuming that some spatial information is available about the structure of the clouds at higher resolution from "context" cameras, as was planned for NASA's ill-fated Glory mission that was to carry the APS but failed to reach orbit. Application to POLDER (POLarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectances) data from the period when PARASOL (Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar) was in the A-train is briefly discussed.

APS↗

Reducing Multisensor Satellite Monthly Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Uncertainty: 1. Objective Assessment of Current AERONET Locations

Various space-based sensors have been designed and corresponding algorithms developed to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD), the very basic aerosol optical property, yet considerable disagreement still exists across these different satellite data sets. Surface-based observations aim to provide ground truth for validating satellite data; hence, their deployment locations should preferably contain as much spatial information as possible, i.e., high spatial representativeness. Using a novel Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF)- based approach, we objectively evaluate the spatial representativeness of current Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites. Multisensor monthly mean AOD data sets from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer, Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor, Ozone Monitoring Instrument, and Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar are combined into a 605-member ensemble, and AERONET data are considered as the observations to be assimilated into this ensemble using the EnKF. The assessment is made by comparing the analysis error variance (that has been constrained by ground-based measurements), with the background error variance (based on satellite data alone). Results show that the total uncertainty is reduced by approximately 27% on average and could reach above 50% over certain places. The uncertainty reduction pattern also has distinct seasonal patterns, corresponding to the spatial distribution of seasonally varying aerosol types, such as dust in the spring for Northern Hemisphere and biomass burning in the fall for Southern Hemisphere. Dust and biomass burning sites have the highest spatial representativeness, rural and oceanic sites can also represent moderate spatial information, whereas the representativeness of urban sites is relatively localized. A spatial score ranging from 1 to 3 is assigned to each AERONET site based on the uncertainty reduction, indicating its representativeness level.

aerosol optical depth↗

Effect of molecular anisotropy on the intensity and degree of polarization of light scattered from model atmospheres

Computations of the properties of sunlight scattered from models of the earth-atmosphere system are presented to show the effect of molecular anisotropy on the intensity, flux, and degree of polarization of the scattered light. The values of these parameters change significantly when the anisotropy factor is neglected in the molecular optical thickness and scattering phase matrix. However, if the Rayleigh scattering optical thickness is kept constant and the molecular anisotropy factor is included only in the Rayleigh phase matrix, the flux does not change, the intensity changes by a small amount, but the changes in the degree of polarization are still significant.

Bahethi, O. P.↗

Effect of molecular anisotropy on the intensity and degree of polarization of light scattered from model atmospheres

Computations of the intensity, flux, degree of polarization, and the positions of neutral points are presented for models of the terrestrial gaseous and hazy atmospheres by incorporating the molecular anisotropy due to air in the Rayleigh scattering optical thickness and phase matrix. Molecular anisotropy causes significant changes in the intensity, flux and the degree of polarization of the scattered light. The positions of neutral points do not change significantly. When the Rayleigh scattering optical thickness is kept constant and the molecular anisotropy factor is included only in the Rayleigh phase matrix, the flux does not change and the intensity and positions of neutron points change by a small amount. The changes in the degree of polarization are still significant.

Bahethi, O. P.↗

Temperature anisotropies in the terrestrial ionosphere and plasmasphere

Theoretical work in which the solution of closed sets of transport equations has predicted the existence of temperature anisotropies in the terrestrial ionosphere-plasmasphere system is discussed, considering only thermal (less than 1 eV) particle populations. Various models used to predict ion and electron temperature anisotropies, including kinetic, semikinetic, hydromagnetic, and generalized transport models, predict temperature anisotropies in the polar wind, along plasmapause field lines, during the refilling of the outer plasmasphere after depletion by a magnetic storm, and at F region altitudes in regions of rapid plasma convection. However, only some of the theoretical predictions agree with experimental evidence. Other models predict isotropic temperature distributions in regions where observations indicated the presence of temperature anisotropies.

Demars, H. G.↗

Behavior of ionized plasma in the high latitude topside ionosphere - The polar wind

A numerical model is used to investigate the steady-state behavior of a fully ionized plasma encompassing the geomagnetic field lines from 1500 km to 10 earth radii, and solutions of the 16 moment system of transport equations for the polar wind are obtained. For the present cases studied, results of the 13 and 16 moment simulations are found to be similar, although the temperature anisotropy is quite high. Polar wind studies reveal an electron temperature anisotropy developing around 2500 km, with the collisions keeping the electron temperature isotropic below 2500 km. Good agreement is found between the present polar wind simulations and recent observations.

Ganguli, Supriya B.↗

Explorer 33 entry layer observations

Low fluxes of stagnant or irregularly flowing plasma along the inside of the magnetopause labeled as the entry layer by Haerendel and Paschmann, are observed on Explorer 33 orbits which cross the dayside magnetopause and on one orbit which skims the dawn flank. The data indicate that the entry layer is a permanent magnetospheric feature which extends across the dayside and along the flanks to large distances down the tail on dipolelike field lines between extensions of the northern and southern polar cusps. Pressure anisotropies are present in the entry layer but are often weaker and less frequent than those in the adjacent magnetosheath. These anisotropies give clues about the process of entry layer formation. The sense of anisotropy when it is present on both sides of the magnetopause is the same for magnetosheath fields with a southward component and opposite for fields with a northward component. These correlations are consistent with entry layer filling by bulk flow along field lines opened by magnetic merging in the one case and by diffusion onto closed field lines in the other.

Crooker, N. U.↗

Integrated optical components in thin films of polymers

The results will be reported on the study of integrated optical components based on nonlinear optical polymeric films. Polymers poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyimide (PI) doped with organic laser dyes 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-p dimethylaminostyryl-4H pyran (DCM) and 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 - pentamethyl-2,6 -diethyl-pyrromethene -BF2-complex (Pyrommethene 567, PM-567) were selected as materials for light guiding films. Additionally, UV polymerized polydiacetylene (PDA) on glass substrate was used as a waveguide material. Optical waveguides were fabricated using spin coating of preoxidized silicon wafers (1.5 micrometer silicon oxide layer) with organic dye/polymer solution followed by soft baking. the modes in slab waveguides were studied using prism coupling techniques. Measured values of mode coupling angles in multimode waveguides were used to calculate film thickness and refractive index for different polarizations. Refractive index anisotropy was found in PDA waveguide. The optimal conditions of spin coating for single mode waveguide fabrication were estimated. Propagation losses were measured by collecting the light scattered from the trace of a propagating mode either by scanning photo detector or by CCD camera. Different types of light coupling techniques were used including end-dire coupling, prism and grating coupling. Mechanical printing technique was developed for coupling grating fabrication resulting in gratings with 4% diffraction efficiency. The gratings demonstrated good stability with diffraction efficiency relaxation rate 2.4 dB/hour at a temperature approximately 15-20 C below glass transition point. Dye doped waveguides were transversally pumped with frequency doubled Nd:YAG Q-switched laser producing intensive light emission with apparent 6 kW/sq cm pump threshold and spectrum narrowing near 617 nm peak in the case of DCM doped waveguide. PM-567 doped waveguide pumped with CW Ar(+) laser (514 nm wavelength) far below threshold (0.1 W/sq.cm pump power) demonstrated emission spectrum narrowing near 616 nm peak with 18% power conversion slope efficiency. In this case emission spectrum modification was caused by the enhanced light absorption along the direction of propagating waveguide modes. Changing length, thickness, and other morphlogical waveguide parameters one can modify emission spectrum in predictable direction. The results show that polymeric waveguides, especially based on high temperature polymers such as Pl, can be used to produce a varietiy of active and passive silicon compatible integrated optical components for aerospace applications.

Sarkisov, Sergey↗

A Degree-Scale Measurement of the Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background

We report the detection of anisotropy in the microwave sky at 3O GHz and at l deg angular scales. The most economical interpretation of the data is that the fluctuations are intrinsic to the cosmic microwave background. However, galactic free-free emission is ruled out with only 90% confidence. The most likely root-mean-squared amplitude of the fluctuations, assuming they are described by a Gaussian auto-correlation function with a coherence angle of 1.2 deg, is 41(+16/-13) (mu)K. We also present limits on the anisotropy of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background.

Wollack, Ed↗

Bidirectional electron anisotropies in the distant tail - ISEE 3 observations of polar rain

A detailed observational treatment of bidirectional electrons (50 approx. 500 eV) in the distant magnetotail (or greater than or equal to 100 R sub E) is presented. It is found that electrons in this energy range commonly exhibit strong, field aligned anisotropies in the tail lobes. Because of large tail motions, the ISEE-3 data provide extensive sampling of both the north and south lobes in rapid succession, demonstrating directly the strong asymetries that exist between the north and south lobes at any one time. The bidirectional fluxes are found to occur predominantly in the lobe directy connected to the sunward IMF in the open magnetosphere model (north lobe for away sectors and south lobe for toward sectors). Electron anisotropy and magnetic field data are presented which show the transition from unidirectional (sheath) electron populations to bidirectional (lobe) populations. Taken together, the present evidence suggests that the bidirectional electrons that we observe in the distant tail are closely related to the Polar rain electrons observed previously at lower altitudes. Furthermore, these data provide strong evidence that the distant tail is comprised largely of open magnetic field lines in contra distinction to some recently advanced models.

Baker, D. N.↗

Strong electron bidirectional anisotropies in the distant tail - ISEE 3 observations of polar rain

A detailed observational treatment of bidirectional electrons (about 50 to 500 eV) in the distant magnetotail (r not below 100 earth radii) is presented. It is found that electrons in this energy range commonly exhibit strong, field-aligned anisotropies in the tail lobes. Because of large tail motions, the ISEE 3 data provide extensive sampling of both the north and south lobes in rapid succession. These data directly demonstrate the strong asymmetries that exist between the north and south lobes at any one time. The bidirectional fluxes are found to occur predominantly in the lobe directly connected to the sunward interplanetary magnetic field in the open magnetosphere model (north lobe for away sectors and south lobe for toward sectors). Electron anisotropy and magnetic field data are presented which show the transition from unidirectional (sheath) electron populations to bidirectional (lobe) populations. The open nature of the distant magnetopause is demonstrated and it is shown that the source of the higher-energy, bidirectional lobe electrons is the tailward directed electron heat flux population in the distant magnetosheath. Taken together, the present evidence suggests that the bidirectional electrons that were observed in the distant tail are closely related to the polar rain electrons observed previously at lower altitudes. Furthermore, these data provide strong evidence that the distant tail is composed largely of open magnetic field lines in contradistinction to some recently advanced models.

Baker, D. N.↗

Anisotropy and Alfvenicity of hourly fluctuations in the fast polar solar wind

Ulysses magnetic and plasma data obtained in the fast polar solar wind are used to study the nature of fluctuations in the frequency range between the turbulent inertial range and the lower-frequency range dominated by quasi-static structures originating at the Sun. For daily variations of hourly averages of the magnetic field components the anisotropy of the fluctuations is less than in the higher-frequency range, and the minimum varianced direction loses its alignment with the magnetic field in favor of a more radial direction as the solar distance increases.

Solar wind Alfvenicity waves anisotropy Ulysses↗