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At least 91 records · Page 5

Monitoring spacecraft atmosphere contaminants by laser absorption spectroscopy

Data were obtained which will provide a test of the accuracy of the differential absorption method for trace contaminant detection in many-component gas mixtures. The necessary accurate absorption coefficient determinations were carried out for several gases; acetonitrile, 1,2-dichloroethane, Freon-113, furan, methyl ethyl ketone, and t-butyl alcohol. The absorption coefficients are displayed graphically. An opto-acoustic method was tested for measuring absorbance, similar to the system described by Dewey.

Steinfeld, J. I.↗

H + O3 Fourier-transform infrared emission and laser absorption studies of OH(X2Pi) radical - An experimental dipole moment function and state-to-state Einstein A coefficients

FTIR emission/absorption spectroscopy is used to measure the relative intensities of 88 pairs of rovibrational transitions of OH(X2Pi) distributed over 16 vibrational bands. The experimental technique used to obtain the Einstein A ratios is discussed. The dipole moment function which follows from the intensity ratios along with Einstein A coefficients calculated from mu(r) is presented.

Nelson, David D., Jr.↗

Infrared laser absorption spectroscopy of the nu4 (sigma u) fundamental and associated nu11(pi u) hot band of C7 - Evidence for alternating rigidity in linear carbon clusters

The first characterization of the bending potential of the C7 cluster is reported via the observation of the v = 1(1) and v = 2 deg levels of the nu11 (pi u) bend as hot bands associated with the nu4 (sigma u) antisymmetric stretch fundamental. The lower state hot band rotational constants are measured to be 1004.4(1.3) and 1123.6(9.0) MHz, constituting a 9.3 and 22 percent increase over the ground state rotational constant, 918.89 (41) MHz. These large increases are strong quartic and sextic centrifugal distortion constants determined for the ground and nu 4 = 1 states are found to be anomalously large and negative, evidencing strong perturbations between stretching and bending modes.

Heath, J. R.↗

Measurement of HCl absorption coefficients with a DF laser

Absorption coefficients in the fundamental P-branch of HCl at several DF laser transitions from 2439.02/cm to 2862.87/cm have been measured experimentally. The 2-1 P(3) DF laser transition has been shown to overlap the P(6) HCl-37 absorption line within the halfwidth of an atmospherically broadened line. The absorption coefficient k was measured to be 5.64 plus or minus 0.28/(atm-cm) for a 0.27% mixture of HCl in N2 at a total pressure of 760 torr. A theoretical and experimental comparison of the pressure dependence of k showed that the 2-1 P(3) DF transition lies 1.32 plus or minus 0.15 GHz from the center of the P(6) HCl absorption line. Applications of these results to differential absorption lidar and to heterodyne detection are discussed.

Bair, C. H.↗

Trace gas absorption spectroscopy using laser difference-frequency spectrometer for environmental application

A widely tunable infrared spectrometer based on difference frequency generation (DFG) has been developed for organic trace gas detection by laser absorption spectroscopy. On-line measurements of concentration of various hydrocarbons, such as acetylene, benzene, and ethylene, were investigated using high-resolution DFG trace gas spectroscopy for highly sensitive detection.

Non-NASA Center↗

Absorption measurements of OH using a CW tunable laser

Absorption of OH was measured using a CW tunable laser. Results indicate that this technique, when combined with frequency modulation, promises a sensitivity of 100,000 molecules/cu cm for OH monitoring in the atmosphere.

Killinger, D. K.↗

Stability of absorption phenomena in laser-thermal propulsion

The mean flow and stability characteristics of laser absorption phenomena in a choked converging-diverging nozzle are considered. Calculations are presented for a given nozzle geometry and a series of laser intensities. Gas absorptivities corresponding to a hydrogen-cesium mixture are used with different initial temperatures being selected to investigate the effects of changes in the shape of the k-T curve. Both stability and mean flow calculations are limited to the one-dimensional case. The mean flow results show a decrease in mass flow as laser power is increased, along with increasingly steep temperature profiles. Calculations span regions of partial and complete absorption. One region is found where multiple solutions exist. Local stability results indicate the u-c characteristic is the only unstable mode in the unheated case. Laser heat addition makes this mode more unstable and also destabilizes the u-characteristic. Numerical calculations of disturbance propagation show that the instability of the u-c disturbances is counteracted by their reflection to u + c disturbances at the upstream end. The growth of the u-disturbances is localized in regions where the temperature profile is steep and they are damped in other regions. The increasing destabilization that is observed with increased laser power is probably the reason for difficulty in obtaining converged mean flow solutions at high laser intensities.

Merkle, C. L.↗

Stark effect applicable to optically pumped far-infrared laser

Absorption measurements at CO2 laser frequencies were carried out as a function of Stark fields and CH3OH gas pressures to assess the effect of low electric field Stark tuning on methanol absorption at the P(12) 9.4 micron CO2 laser line, in a continuing search for coherent emitters at submillimeter wavelengths (far infrared). The line center absorption coefficient is found to increase five-fold with a 2.3 kV/cm Stark field at the 220 mtorr methanol pressure optimal for methanol far infrared lasing. The low electric field Stark tuning encourages efforts to enhance the pumping efficiency of a methanol far infrared laser at its normal optimum operating pressure, and suggests that significant Stark field induced frequency modulation of the far IR laser output is feasible.

Claspy, P. C.↗

Data processing and calibration for tunable diode laser harmonic absorption spectrometers

Data processing and calibration methods are described for tunable diode laser absorption spectrometers which produce harmonic absorption spectra as raw data for measuring gas mixing ratios down to parts-per-trillion levels at a variety of pressures. The methods, which take advantage of modern computer speed, memory, and data storage capabilities, are applicable to the detection of weakly absorbing gases in quantitative industrial monitoring, in addition to aircraft and balloon atmospheric measurements for which they were designed. Algorithms for calibration and data analysis, including rejection of erroneous spectra, variation of effective integration time, spectral alignment prior to averaging, and plotting and archiving of results, have been tested on actual stratospheric laser spectra recorded by the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS) spectrometer in numerous flights of NASA's ER-2 aircraft.

May, Randy D.↗

Absorption of laser radiation in a H-He plasma. I - Theoretical calculation of the absorption coefficient

The theory for calculating the absorption of laser radiation by hydrogen is outlined for the temperatures and pressures of common laboratory plasmas. Nonhydrogenic corrections for determining the absorption by helium are also included. The coefficients for the absorption of He-Ne laser radiation at the wavelengths of 0.633, 1.15, and 3.39 microns in a H plasma is presented for temperatures in the range from 10,000 to 40,000 K and electron number densities in the range from 10 to the 15th power to 10 to the 18th power per cu cm. The total absorption of a H-He plasma calculated from this theory is compared with the measured absorption. The theoretical composition of the H-He absorption is analyzed with respect to the significant absorption processes, inverse bremsstrahlung, photoionization, resonance excitation, and photodetachment.

Stallcop, J. R.↗