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At least 631 records · Page 35

The derivation of vector magnetic fields from Stokes profiles - Integral versus least squares fitting techniques

The results of two methods for deriving photospheric vector magnetic fields from the Zeeman effect, as observed in the Fe I line at 6302.5 A at high spectral resolution (45 mA), are compared. The first method does not take magnetooptical effects into account, but determines the vector magnetic field from the integral properties of the Stokes profiles. The second method is an iterative least-squares fitting technique which fits the observed Stokes profiles to the profiles predicted by the Unno-Rachkovsky solution to the radiative transfer equation. For sunspot fields above about 1500 gauss, the two methods are found to agree in derived azimuthal and inclination angles to within about + or - 20 deg.

Ronan, R. S.↗

Fe II emission line profiles in the ultraviolet spectrum of cool, luminous stars

The differences between the outer atmospheres of the coronal and noncoronal cool stars and the importance of massive stellar winds to the latter group are summarized. The utility of Fe II as a probe of such winds is indicated and a brief review of previous observations of Fe II in these stars is given. The early results of a current IUE program to study the chromospheres and winds of the noncoronal, late-type stars are presented, including evidence of a strong dependence of the mid-UV Fe II profiles on stellar luminosity. In addition, the dependence of the Fe II profiles on intrinsic line strength in spectra of Alpha Ori and the discovery of a variation of the Fe II profiles with time in spectra of Gamma Cru are discussed.

Carpenter, Kenneth G.↗

Retrieval of water vapor profiles from microwave radiometric measurements at 183 and 92 GHz

Microwave radiometric measurements made from an aircraft altitude of 20 km at 183.3 + or - 2, 183.3 + or - 5, and 183.3 + or - GHz, and at 92 GHz were used to retrieve the atmospheric water vapor profiles. Retrieval techniques shown to function properly in cloudfree conditions, were improved and extended to profile water vapor under moderate cloud cover conditions. The retrieved water vapor profiles compare favorably with those of rawinsonde observations at times nearly concurrent with the radiometric measurements.

Wang, J. R.↗

Dynamical models of highly flattened oblate elliptical galaxies with De Vaucouleurs' surface-brightness profiles

Two surveys of dynamical models of E6 elliptical galaxies were constructed with de Vaucouleurs'surface-brightness distributions. One set of models has a constant mass-to-light ratio. The other set consists of models embedded in oblate isothermal gravitational potentials. In both sets, the observed axis ratio of the models is 0.55 when viewed edge-on. When viewed edge-on, it is possible to construct models in either potential that have velocity-dispersion profiles that increase or decrease with radius along either or both principal axes. The observational data seem to indicate that dispersion profiles decrease or remain constant as function of radius. The most surprising result of this work is that in order for a model to have velocity-dispersion profiles that decrease with radius out to 1.5 r(e) along both principal axes, it must be dominated by fairly thin-walled tube orbits at large radii. This is very different from the spherical case, where radial orbits dominate at large radii.

Fillmore, James A.↗

SAGE II aerosol correlative observations - Profile measurements

Profiles of the aerosol extinction measurements from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II are compared with profiles from five correlative experiments between November 1984 and July 1986. The correlative profiles were derived from six-channel dustsonde measurements and two-wavelength lidar backscatter data. The correlation between the dustsonde- and lidar-derived measurements and the SAGE II data is good, validating the SAGE II lower stratospheric aerosol extinction measurements.

Osborn, M. T.↗

The winds of O-stars. I - An analysis of the UV line profiles with the SEI method

The theoretical UV P Cygni profiles of the UV resonance lines for C IV, N V, Si IV, C III, and N IV of 26 O-type stars and one B star were calculated using the SEI method described by Lamers et al. (1987), taking into account the effects of turbulence in the wind, limb darkening, photospheric lines, and interstellar Ly alpha. The results were compared with profiles observed with the IUE satellite. The profile fits were found to be very accurate, showing significant improvement over previously obtained fits with the Sobolev (1958) method. The SEI method and the line fitting analysis are described and the results are presented in terms of the column densities and distributions of absorbing atoms, and the velocity laws.

Groenewegen, M. A. T.↗

Airborne and spaceborne lidar measurements of water vapor profiles - A sensitivity analysis

This paper presents an evaluation of the random and systematic error sources associated with differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurements of tropospheric water vapor profiles from airborne and spaceborne platforms. The results of this analysis are used in the development and performance evaluation of the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) H2O DIAL system presently under development at the NASA Langley Research Center for operation on a high altitude ER-2 aircraft. The analysis shows that a less than 10-percent H2O profile measurement accuracy is possible for the LASE system with a vertical and horizontal resolution of 200 m and 10 km, respectively, at night and 300 m and 20 km during the day. Global measurements of H2O profiles from spaceborne DIAL systems can be made to a similar accuracy with a vertical resolution of 500 m and a horizontal resolution of 100 km.

Ismail, Syed↗

An electronic pressure profile display system for aeronautic test facilities

The NASA Lewis Research Center has installed an Electronic Pressure Profile Display system. This system provides for the real-time display of pressure readings on high resolution graphics monitors. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system will replace manometer banks currently used in aeronautic test facilities. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system consists of an industrial type Digital Pressure Transmitter (DPT) unit which interfaces with a host computer. The host computer collects the pressure data from the DPT unit, converts it into engineering units, and displays the readings on a high resolution graphics monitor in bar graph format. Software was developed to accomplish the above tasks and also draw facility diagrams as background information on the displays. Data transfer between host computer and DPT unit is done with serial communications. Up to 64 channels are displayed with one second update time. This paper describes the system configuration, its features, and its advantages over existing systems.

Woike, Mark R.↗

Temperature profiles in high gradient furnaces

Accurate temperature measurement of the furnace environment is very important in both the science and technology of crystal growth as well as many other materials processing operations. A high degree of both accuracy and precision is acutely needed in the directional solidification of compound semiconductors in which the temperature profiles control the freezing isotherm which, in turn, affects the composition of the growth with a concomitant feedback perturbation on the temperature profile. Directional solidification requires a furnace configuration that will transport heat through the sample being grown. A common growth procedure is the Bridgman Stockbarger technique which basically consists of a hot zone and a cold zone separated by an insulator. In a normal growth procedure the material, contained in an ampoule, is melted in the hot zone and is then moved relative to the furnace toward the cold zone and solidification occurs in the insulated region. Since the primary path of heat between the hot and cold zones is through the sample, both axial and radial temperature gradients exist in the region of the growth interface. There is a need to know the temperature profile of the growth furnace with the crystal that is to be grown as the thermal load. However it is usually not feasible to insert thermocouples inside an ampoule and thermocouples attached to the outside wall of the ampoule have both a thermal and a mechanical contact problem as well as a view angle problem. The objective is to present a technique of calibrating a furnace with a thermal load that closely matches the sample to be grown and to describe procedures that circumvent both the thermal and mechanical contact problems.

Fripp, A. L.↗

N(h) profile data at World Data Centers

The data base for ionospheric electron density profiles at the World Data Centers is assessed. Past and future N(h) profiling from ionograms and profiles from incoherent scatter radar measurements are considered.

Allen, J. H.↗

SAM II and lidar aerosol profile comparisons during AASE

The NASA Langley Research Center aerosol lidar system was one of several instruments that flew aboard a DC-8 during the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition. Several of the Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement II (SAM II) altitude profiles of aerosol extinction were close enough in time and space to allow for intercomparison with the lidar measurements of aerosol backscatter. Comparisons between three SAM II 1.0 micron aerosol extinction profiles and analogous profiles inferred from nearly simultaneous airborne lidar measurements are discussed. The other two comparisons show the first near-simultaneous SAM II/lidar measurements of a polar stratospheric cloud (PSC). The comparison made well within the edge of a relatively homogeneous PSC layer was also good, especially using an extinction-to-backscatter model derived from in situ PSC particle size measurements.

Osborn, M. T.↗

Comparison of rainfall profiles retrieved from dual-frequency radar and from combined radar and passive microwave radiometric measurements

Precipitation profiles retrieved from a dual frequency X- and Ka-band radar and from an X-band radiometer are analyzed. Profiles from combined radar and microwave radiometer measurements are compared to those from dual frequency radar measurements to study the performance of the combined radar-radiometer retrievals. A method for the retrieval of rainfall rate profiles from attenuated radar returns and passive radiometric data is presented. The results suggest that the operation of a single frequency radar with multifrequency passive radiometers may provide cost-effective spaceborne measurements of global tropical rainfall distributions. The possible use of this methodology for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is considered.

Weinman, J. A.↗

Comparison of stratospheric ozone profiles and their seasonal variations as measured by lidar and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment during 1988

A ground-based, high power, laser remote sensing system for measurements of stratospheric ozone concentration profiles has been in operation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Table Mountain Facility located in southern California, since January 1988. The seasonal variations observed in the ozone profiles, during 1988 and as a function of altitude, are described here. These profiles are compared with those from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment satellite instrument made within a radius of 1000 km from the lidar and also with the zonal mean measurements made in the band 34.4 +/- 5 deg. Comparison with the proposed new CIRA ozone reference model has also been carried out. The seasonal variations, between 25 and 50 km, observed by the two instruments and indicated by the reference model are in good agreement.

Mcdermid, I. Stuart↗

A high resolution atlas of Mg II profiles

An atlas of high dispersion Mg II profiles for standard stars of spectral types B0 through G9 is presented. The atlas contains plots of the Mg II profiles for approximately 65 stars and associated equivalent width measurements for both absorption and emission components, and the subordinate lines. The atlas is used to investigate systematic behavior of the Mg II profiles and correlation of the behavior with spectral classification.

Ewald, R.↗

Fully automatic guidance and control for rotorcraft nap-of-the-Earth flight following planned profiles. Volume 1: Real-time piloted simulation

Developing a single-pilot, all-weather nap-of-the-earth (NOE) capability requires fully automatic NOE (ANOE) navigation and flight control. Innovative guidance and control concepts are investigated in a four-fold research effort that: (1) organizes the on-board computer-based storage and real-time updating of NOE terrain profiles and obstacles in course-oriented coordinates indexed to the mission flight plan; (2) defines a class of automatic anticipative pursuit guidance algorithms and necessary data preview requirements to follow the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal guidance commands dictated by the updated flight profiles; (3) automates a decision-making process for unexpected obstacle avoidance; and (4) provides several rapid response maneuvers. Acquired knowledge from the sensed environment is correlated with the forehand knowledge of the recorded environment (terrain, cultural features, threats, and targets), which is then used to determine an appropriate evasive maneuver if a nonconformity of the sensed and recorded environments is observed. This four-fold research effort was evaluated in both fixed-based and moving-based real-time piloted simulations, thereby, providing a practical demonstration for evaluating pilot acceptance of the automated concepts, supervisory override, manual operation, and re-engagement of the automatic system. Volume one describes the major components of the guidance and control laws as well as the results of the piloted simulations. Volume two describes the complete mathematical model of the fully automatic guidance system for rotorcraft NOE flight following planned flight profiles.

Clement, Warren F.↗

Fully Automatic Guidance and Control for Rotorcraft Nap-of-the-earth Flight Following Planned Profiles. Volume 2: Mathematical Model

Developing a single-pilot, all-weather nap-of-the-earth (NOE) capability requires fully automatic NOE (ANOE) navigation and flight control. Innovative guidance and control concepts are investigated in a four-fold research effort that: (1) organizes the on-board computer-based storage and real-time updating of NOE terrain profiles and obstacles in course-oriented coordinates indexed to the mission flight plan; (2) defines a class of automatic anticipative pursuit guidance algorithms and necessary data preview requirements to follow the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal guidance commands dictated by the updated flight profiles; (3) automates a decision-making process for unexpected obstacle avoidance; and (4) provides several rapid response maneuvers. Acquired knowledge from the sensed environment is correlated with the forehand knowledge of the recorded environment (terrain, cultural features, threats, and targets), which is then used to determine an appropriate evasive maneuver if a nonconformity of the sensed and recorded environments is observed. This four-fold research effort was evaluated in both fixed-base and moving-base real-time piloted simulations; thereby, providing a practical demonstration for evaluating pilot acceptance of the automated concepts, supervisory override, manual operation, and re-engagement of the automatic system. Volume one describes the major components of the guidance and control laws as well as the results of the piloted simulations. Volume two describes the complete mathematical model of the fully automatic guidance system for rotorcraft NOE flight following planned flight profiles.

Clement, Warren F.↗

Retrieval of precipitation profiles from airborne radar and passive radiometer measurements - Comparison with dual-frequency radar measurements

Precipitation-rate profiles derived from a single-frequency radar and a radiometer are compared with profiles derived from a dual-frequency radar, using data obtained during the 1985-1986 Communication Research Laboratory/NASA rain measuring experiment over the Atlantic Ocean from a dual-frequency X- and Ka-band radars and an X-band passive radiometer. Profiles were retrieved using a modification of the Hitschfeld-Bordan (1954) algorithm constrained by a measurement of the path integrated extinction derived from passive radiometry. It was found that the two techniques under comparison yielded average rainfall rates that agreed within about 25 percent. It is suggested that, while a single-frequency radar operating in conjunction with multifrequency passive radiometers might provide cost-effective spaceborne measurements of tropical rainfall distributions, a dual-frequency radar might be able to remove some ambiguities that were encountered in this study.

Weinman, J. A.↗

Stratospheric profiles of heavy water vapor isotopes and CH3D from analysis of the ATMOS Spacelab 3 infrared solar spectra

The isotopic composition of stratospheric water vapor and methane was investigated. Stratospheric profiles of HDO, (H-18)2O, (H-17)2O, and CH3D were derived from solar occultation spectra recorded on April 30 - May 1, 1985 by the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy Fourier transform spectrometer aboard Spacelab 3. The profiles of the three water-vapor isotopes showed an increase in the volume mixing ratio with altitude. The measured profiles of D/H in water vapor showed a large depletion in the lower stratosphere (about 63 percent relative to standard mean ocean water, SMOW, at 20 km) and a small increase in D/H with altitude at higher altitudes, up to 34 km. The D/H ratio in stratospheric methane was close to the corresponding isotopic ratio in SMOW.

Rinsland, C. P.↗