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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 127 records · Page 7

Use of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer to calibrate the optical sensor on board the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1

We describe an experiment to calibrate the optical sensor (OPS) on board the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 with data acquired by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). On 27 Aug. 1992 both the OPS and AVIRIS acquired data concurrently over a calibration target on the surface of Rogers Dry Lake, California. The high spectral resolution measurements of AVIRIS have been convolved to the spectral response curves of the OPS. These data in conjunction with the corresponding OPS digitized numbers have been used to generate the radiometric calibration coefficients for the eight OPS bands. This experiment establishes the suitability of AVIRIS for the calibration of spaceborne sensors in the 400 to 2500 nm spectral region.

Green, Robert O.↗

Optical Design and Performance of the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer

We present the optical design and performance of the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer (UCIS) currently under development at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The new instrument demonstrates a low optical bench mass of less than 0.5 kg and compact size that enables Mars Rover or other in situ planetary applications. UCIS is a F/4, wide field (30deg) design, covering the spectral range 500-2600 nm and is enabled by a simple all aluminum two-mirror telescope and Offner spectrometer. We discuss here the optical design and alignment method that enables this compact and low mass imaging spectrometer and demonstrate successful spectrometer alignment with smile and keystone levels at 2-3% of a pixel width.

Imaging spectroscopy↗

Electro-optical detector for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer

An electro-optical detector is disclosed for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer (MS), in the latter the focal plane is at or very near the exit end of the magnetic analyzer, so that a strong magnetic field of the order of 1000G or more is present at the focal plane location. The novel detector includes a microchannel electron multiplier array (MCA) which is positioned at the focal plane to convert ion beams which are focused by the MS at the focal plane into corresponding electron beams which are then accelerated to form visual images on a conductive phosphored surface. These visual images are then converted into images on the target of a vidicon camera or the like for electronic processing. Due to the strong magnetic field at the focal plane, in one embodiment of the invention, the MCA with front and back parallel ends is placed so that its front end forms an angle of not less than several degrees, preferably on the order of 10.degree.-20.degree., with respect to the focal plane, with the center line of the front end preferably located in the focal plane. In another embodiment the MCA is wedge-shaped, with its back end at an angle of about 10.degree.-20.degree. with respect to the front end. In this embodiment the MCA is placed so that its front end is located at the focal plane.

Giffin, Charles E.↗

The University of Colorado OSO-8 spectrometer experiment. I - Introduction and optical design considerations

The optical design of the high-resolution ultraviolet spectrometer prepared for the OSO-8 spacecraft is discussed. The instrument is a conventional 1 m Ebert-Fastie spectrometer fed by a Cassegrainian telescope. The instrument operates in the spectral range 1200-2000 A with spectral resolution of order 0.02 A. Spatial resolution is about 2.5 arcsec normal to the direction of the slit and is selectable from about 3 arcsec to 15 arcmin along the direction of the slit. Time resolution for the single spectrometer channel is selectable according to the needs of an individual observation and is limited to a maximum sampling rate of 40 ms per data point. The instrument is controlled by an internal general purpose computer.

Bruner, E. C., Jr.↗

Optical calibrator for TDL spectrometers

Two etalons and monochromator mode selector help calibrate spectrometer in selected laser mode. Technique accurately determines free spectral range of etalon. By establishing number of fringes between two modes, both of which have been calibrated with molecular line standards, one finds free spectral range with error inversely proportional to spectral interval between calibration points. Procedure establishes free spectral range of etalon without prior knowledge of its length or refractive index.

Jennings, D. E.↗

Acousto-optic tunable filter field spectrometer for validation of airborne and spaceborne imaging spectrometers

A new concept for a field portable spectrometer designed to meet the needs of the remote sensing community is presented. This instrument uses acoustooptic tunable filters (AOTFs) as wavelength sorters, allowing the design of a rugged, compact, light-weight tool that provides broad spectral coverage, great versatility, and ease of utilization. The spectrometer provides continuous spectral coverage from 0.4 to 2.5 microns with two channels defined by detector technology, while a visible channel covering the 0.4 to 1.0 micron spectral range uses silicon PV photodiodes. The short-wavelength IR channel covers the 0.9 to 2.5 micron special range with thermoelectrically cooled lead sulfide PC detectors.

Rider, David M.↗

Acousto-optic tunable filter imaging spectrometers

A remote sensing multispectral imaging instrument is being developed that uses a high resolution, fast programmable acoustooptic tunable filter (AOTF) as the spectral bandpass filter. A compact and fully computer controllable AOTF-based imaging spectrometer that operates in the visible wavelength range (0.5-0.8 microns) has been built and tested with success. A second imaging spectrometer operating in the near-infrared wavelength range (1.2-2.4 microns) is also under experimental investigation. The design criteria meeting various system issues, such as imaging quality, spectral response, and field of view (FOV), are discussed. An experiment using this AOTF imaging spectrometer breadboard is described.

Chao, Tien-Hsin↗

Dual purpose optical instrument capable of simultaneously acting as spectrometer and diffractometer

A dual purpose optical instrument is described capable of simultaneously acting as a spectrometer and diffractometer to respectively perform elemental and structural analysis of an unknown sample. The diffractometer portion of the instrument employs a modified form of Seeman-Bohlin focusing which involves providing a line source of X-rays, a sample, and a detector, all on the same focal circle. The spectrometer portion of the instrument employs a fixedly mounted X-ray energy detector mounted outside of the plane of the focal circle.

Dasgupta, K.↗

Use of a Fourier transform spectrometer on a balloon-borne telescope and at the multiple mirror telescope (MMT)

The design and use of an infrared Fourier transform spectrometer which has been used for observations of laboratory, stratospheric, and astronomical spectra are described. The spectrometer has a spectral resolution of 0.032/cm and has operated in the mid-infrared (12 to 13 microns) as well as the far-infrared (40 to 140 microns), using both bolometer and photoconductor cryogenic detectors. The spectrometer is optically sized to accept an f/9 beam from the multi-mirror telescope (MMT). The optical and electronic design are discussed, including remote operation of the spectrometer on a balloon-borne 102-cm telescope. The performance of the laser-controlled, screw-driven moving cat's-eye mirror is discussed. Segments of typical far-infrared balloon flight spectra, lab spectra, and mid-infrared MMT spectra are presented. Data reduction, interferogram processing, artifact removal, wavelength calibration, and intensity calibration methods are discussed. Future use of the spectrometer is outlined.

Traub, W. A.↗

Miniature Incandescent Lamps as Fiber-Optic Light Sources

Miniature incandescent lamps of a special type have been invented to satisfy a need for compact, rapid-response, rugged, broadband, power-efficient, fiber-optic-coupled light sources for diverse purposes that could include calibrating spectrometers, interrogating optical sensors, spot illumination, and spot heating.

Tuma, Margaret↗

Fabrication of optical components for the ultraviolet spectrometer and polarimeter on the Solar Maximum Mission

The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite was launched in February 1980 into a 573 km high circular orbit. It contains X-ray, UV, and optical instruments for the simultaneous observation of solar flares. The ultraviolet spectrometer and polarimeter (UVSP) is one of these instruments. The objectives of the UVSP require the employment of a raster scanning telescope to study the spatial dynamics of flares, the use of a high resolution spectrometer to select and scan spectral lines for temperature and velocity diagnostics, and the utilization of a polarimeter to measure magnetic fields in the solar transition zone. The present paper has the objective to provide a description of the optical fabrication techniques developed for the instrument. Attention is given to telescope mirrors, metering rods, the Ebert mirror, grating blanks, a four-mirror polarizer, beam splitter assemblies, beam splitter fabrication, deflector mirrors, and shipping containers.

Spencer, R. S.↗

Use of aerosol microphysical measurements to model IR backscatter in support of GLOBE

Data on the concentration and composition of free tropospheric aerosol over the Pacific Ocean, collected during the GAMETAG program in 1977-1978 (Davis, 1980 and Patterson et al., 1980) are used to model values of aerosol optical extinction coefficients (sigma) at two wavelengths (0.55 and 1 micron) and values of volume backscatter coefficients (beta) at four wavelengths (1 micron, 9.11 microns, 9.25 microns, and 10.6 microns) and to investigate the relationship between these parameters. The mass concentrations inferred from the GAMETAG measurements with optical particle spectrometers agreed with the results of simultaneous chemical measurements. The study of the relationships among the optical parameters indicates that visible and near-visible values of beta and sigma may be useful in predicting 9.11- and 10.6-micron backscatter.

Patterson, Edward M.↗

Beam Shape Effects on Grating Spectrometer Resolution

The collimated optical beam in a grating spectrometer may be circular or elliptical in cross section, so that different parts of the beam illuminate different numbers of grooves on the grating. Here we estimate the consequent loss in spectral resolution relative to that obtained with a beam which illuminates a fixed number of grooves. For representative diffraction resolution functions, the effect is to reduce the intrinsic resolving power of the spectrometer by about 13%, exclusive of other contributions such as finite entrance slit width.

Erickson, Edwin F.↗

Design and Performance of a Spectrometer for Deployment on MISSE 7

A spectrometer for reflectance and transmission measurements of samples exposed to the space environment has been developed for deployment on the Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 7. The instrument incorporates a miniature commercial fiber optic coupled spectrometer with a computer control system for detector operation, sample motion and illumination. A set of three spectrometers were recently integrated on the MISSE7 platform with launch and deployment on the International Space Station scheduled for summer of this year. The instrument is one of many active experiments on the platform. The performance of the instrument prior to launch will be discussed. Data from samples measured in the laboratory will be compared to those from the instrument prior to launch. These comparisons will illustrate the capabilities of the current design. The space environment challenges many materials. When in operation on the MISSE 7 platform, the new spectrometer will provide real time data on the how the space environment affects the optical properties of thermal control paints and optical coatings. Data obtained from comparison of pre and post flight measurements on hundreds of samples exposed on previous MISSE platforms have been reported at these meetings. With the new spectrometer and the ability to correlate measured changes with time on orbit and the occurrence of both natural events and human activities, a better understanding of the processes responsible for degradation of materials in space will be possible.

Pippin, Gary↗

Characterization facility for magneto-optic media and systems

Objectives of this research are: (1) to measure the hysteresis loop, Kerr rotation angle, anisotropy energy profile, Hall voltage, and magnetoresistance of thin-film magneto-optic media using our loop-tracer; (2) measure the wavelength-dependence of the Kerr rotation angle, Theta(sub k), and ellipticity, epsilon(sub k), for thin-film media using our magneto-optic Kerr spectrometer (MOKS); (3) measure the dielectric tensor of thin-film and multilayer samples using our variable-angle magneto-optic ellipsometer (VAMOE); (4) measure the hysteresis loop, coercivity, remanent magnetization, saturation magnetization, and anisotropy energy constant for thin film magnetic media using vibrating sample magnetometry; (5) observe small magnetic domains and investigate their interaction with defects using magnetic force microscopy; (6) perform static read/write/erase experiments on thin-film magneto-optic media using our static test station; (7) integrate the existing models of magnetization, magneto-optic effects, coercivity, and anisotropy in an interactive and user-friendly environment, and analyze the characterization data obtained in the various experiments, using this modeling package; (8) measure focusing- and tracking-error signals on a static testbed, determine the 'feedthrough' for various focusing schemes, investigate the effects of polarization and birefringence, and compare the results with diffraction-based calculations; and (9) measure the birefringence of optical disk substrates using two variable angle ellipsometers.

Mansuripur, M.↗

Diurnal and Seasonal Solar Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Photosynthesis in a Boreal Scots Pine Canopy

Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence has been shown to be increasingly an useful proxy for the estimation of gross primary productivity (GPP), at a range of spatial scales. Here, we explore the seasonality in a continuous time series of canopy solar induced fluorescence (hereafter SiF) and its relation to canopy gross primary production (GPP), canopy light use efficiency (LUE), and direct estimates of leaf level photochemical efficiency in an evergreen canopy. SiF was calculated using infilling in two bands from the incoming and reflected radiance using a pair of Ocean Optics USB2000+ spectrometers operated in a dual field of view mode, sampling at a 30 min time step using custom written automated software, from early spring through until autumn in 2011. The optical system was mounted on a tower of 18 m height adjacent to an eddy covariance system, to observe a boreal forest ecosystem dominated by Scots pine. (Pinus sylvestris) A Walz MONITORING-PAM, multi fluorimeter system, was simultaneously mounted within the canopy adjacent to the footprint sampled by the optical system. Following correction of the SiF data for O2 and structural effects, SiF, SiF yield, LUE, the photochemicsl reflectance index (PRI), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) exhibited a seasonal pattern that followed GPP sampled by the eddy covariance system. Due to the complexities of solar azimuth and zenith angle (SZA) over the season on the SiF signal, correlations between SiF, SiF yield, GPP, and LUE were assessed on SZA <50° and under strictly clear sky conditions. Correlations found, even under these screened scenarios, resulted around ~r2 = 0.3. The diurnal responses of SiF, SiF yield, PAM estimates of effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm′), and meteorological parameters demonstrated some agreement over the diurnal cycle. The challenges inherent in SiF retrievals in boreal evergreen ecosystems are discussed.

photosynthetic↗