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At least 145 records · Page 8

A method of analyzing holographic interferograms of ballistic models in hypersonic free-flight

The objective of this research was to develop a method to extract integrated flowfield density information from finite-fringe interferograms produced with a laser holographic interferometer. This method was applied to two sets of holograms. An aeroassist flight experiment model flown in a mixture of 50 percent air - 50 percent argon and a blunt slender cone flown in air were flown at Mach 14.5 into freestream static pressures of 0.04 and 0.08 atm, respectively. The method of analysis can be separated into two main divisions. The first step is to identify fringes inside the wake in terms of the fringes in the freestream. This is important because refraction effects have obscured the region near the shock such that fringes cannot be followed into the wake region. The second step is to extrapolate the freestream fringes into the wake to determine the location of disturbance-related fringe shifts. Coupled with assumptions about the shape of the wake region, the locations of the disturbance-related fringe shifts can be related to the integrated density.

Kieffer, Douglas L.↗

Measurement of the Specific Refractivities of CF4 and C2F6

In order to relate the measured fringe shift of an interferometer to density, the relation between density rho and refractive index n must be known. For gases where the refractive index is close to unity, this relation between density and refractive index is very closely approximated by (n - 1) = K rho where K is the specific refractivity, or the Gladstone-Dale constant. The specific refractivity, which is weakly dependent on wavelength and temperature, is readily available for a number of common test gases such as N2 and air. For more unique test gases such as CF4 and C2F6 for which refractive index data at optical wavelengths is not readily available, the constants can be estimated from the atomic refractivities of carbon and fluorine. In order to verify this estimation, a two-beam interferometer was used to experimentally determine the specific refractivities of CF4 and C2F6. This data was required for holographic interferometric measurements made at the Langley Hypersonic CF4 Tunnel. A Twyman-Green interferometer with a He-Ne laser light source of vacuum wavelength lambda equal to 633 nm was used to measure the constants. One beam of the two-beam interferometer passed through an optical cell of known inside length l which could be evacuated and slowly filled with the test gas to a density of 7.2 kg/cu m for CF4 or 5.7 kg/cu m for C2F6. If the refractive index (and hence density) is constant along the optical path through the cell, the fringe shift M and density change Delta rho are related M = 2Kl Delta rho/lambda for the double pass interferometer. Thus K can be determined by measuring the fringe shift as the density is changed. The output of a photodiode used to detect the fringe shift was recorded on a strip chart recorder. The rate of pressure increase of the test gas in the cell was controlled such that the fringes shifted at a rate of 0.5 to 1 fringe per sec. The pressure in the test cell was measured with a high accuracy quartz crystal pressure transducer and recorded approximately every 20 fringe peaks. The temperature of the cell was measured with a thermocouple and recorded at the start, midpoint, and end of each test.

Burner, A. W.↗

Reestablishing larval connectivity in an estuarine landscape: the importance of shoreline and subtidal oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) in a comprehensive oyster restoration program

The decline of oyster reefs in estuaries has resulted from a combination of chronic and acute disturbances. The loss has resulted in decreased yield for the oyster fishery as well as a decline in ecological benefits that has led to increased efforts to restore oyster reefs. The need for scientific guidance in accomplishing these restoration goals has become even more pressing in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico in the wake of injury to oyster reefs resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Restoration of both the shallow, marsh-fringing oyster aggregations and the deeper subtidal oyster reefs is necessary. Historically, fringing oysters have been overlooked in the oyster habitat landscape because of their limited commercial value. Here, we use a biophysical transport model to examine the transport and settlement of oyster larvae in known oyster reefs along the coast of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. The modeling demonstrated that the majority of oyster larvae settle within the embayment (>98%) or sub-basin (>65%) of their origin. Additionally, the model demonstrated the importance of fringing oysters as a source of larvae to re-seed other fringing oysters along marsh edges as well as subtidal oyster reefs. We conclude that networks of reefs, including both fringing oyster habitat and subtidal oyster reefs within sub-basins, are necessary to provide resilience to the population at the sub-basin level. Finally, we conclude that fringing oyster habitat may serve as an archipelago-like network to enhance larval supply and connectivity for oysters throughout the mesosaline portions of estuaries.

ADCIRC↗

Apparatus and Method for Measuring Strain in Bragg Gratings

An apparatus and method for measuring strain of gratings written into an optical fiber is disclosed. Optical radiation is transmitted over a plurality of contiguous predetermined wavelength ranges into a reference optical fiber network and an optical fiber network under test to produce a plurality of reference interference fringes and measurement interference fringes. respectively. The reference and measurement fringes are detected and sampled such that each sampled value of the reference and measurement fringes is associated with a corresponding sample number. The wavelength change of the reference optical fiber, for each sample number, due to the wavelength of the optical radiation is determined. Each determined wavelength change is matched with a corresponding sampled value of each measurement fringe. Each sampled measurement fringe of each wavelength sweep is transformed into a spatial domain waveform. The spatial domain waveforms are summed to form a summation spatial domain waveform that is used to determine location of each grating with respect to a reference reflector. A portion of each spatial domain waveform that corresponds to a particular grating is determined and transformed into a corresponding frequency spectrum representation. The strain on the grating at each wavelength of optical radiation is determined by determining the difference between the current wavelength and an earlier, zero-strain wavelength measurement.

Froggatt, Mark E.↗

The Least-Squares Calibration on the Micro-Arcsecond Metrology Test Bed

The Space Interferometry Mission (S1M) will measure optical path differences (OPDs) with an accuracy of tens of picometers, requiring precise calibration of the instrument. In this article, we present a calibration approach based on fitting star light interference fringes in the interferometer using a least-squares algorithm. The algorithm is first analyzed for the case of a monochromatic light source with a monochromatic fringe model. Using fringe data measured on the Micro-Arcsecond Metrology (MAM) testbed with a laser source, the error in the determination of the wavelength is shown to be less than 10pm. By using a quasi-monochromatic fringe model, the algorithm can be extended to the case of a white light source with a narrow detection bandwidth. In SIM, because of the finite bandwidth of each CCD pixel, the effect of the fringe envelope can not be neglected, especially for the larger optical path difference range favored for the wavelength calibration.

interferometer calibrations↗

X-ray Irradiance Distribution for an Interferometer with a Curved Biprism Array

The development of interferometry-based X-ray phase contrast imaging systems that provide highly resolved X-rays with spatially-modulated intensity is enabling the full potential of X-ray optics to image phase, attenuation, and small angle scatter properties of soft tissue. In this work we present analytical formulations of a new hardware concept for X-ray phase contrast imaging wherein the phase grating is replaced with an array of Fresnel biprisms. We derive expressions for the irradiance distribution pattern of a biprism interferometer composed of a curved biprism array with multiple biprisms and multiple point sources. These expressions are used to plot fringe patterns for X-ray design parameters, including 1) size, number, and period of X-ray point sources; 2) biprism parameters of material composition, angle, number, and period; and 3) biprism array to X-ray source and detector distances. Analytical results show that the biprism interferometer provides a longitudinally-nonperiodic pattern of spatially modulated intensity different from the Talbot longitudinally-periodic pattern common in grating interferometry. The curvature of the biprism array brings a sharper longitudinal fringe pattern. Experiments are being performed to verify the analytical calculations for a biprism plastic material of SU-8 using a synchrotron source. X-ray biprism material has widely varied indexes of refraction relative to wavelength and thus the separation of the virtual sources and resulting interference fringe period also varies with X-ray wavelength. Our aim is to develop biprism interferometry imaging systems with excellent polychromatic performance that produce high-contrast fringes with spatially incoherent X-ray illumination. Biprism interferometry will potentially provide higher fringe visibility with better image quality to that of diffraction grating interferometry.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

An orbiting infrared interferometer to search for nonsolar planets

This paper proposes an orbiting infrared interferometer with its fringe null centered on a nearby star at a distance of say 10 parsecs. A large planet ('Jupiter') would have an angular separation from the star of about 0.5 arcsec. To have a fringe crest on the planet, a fringe period of 1.0 arcsec is needed and at 40 microns the required baseline is 8 m. Spinning the interferometer about the line of sight to the star results, even with pointing errors, in a relatively slowly varying but strongly suppressed stellar output and a more rapidly varying fringe-like planetary signal rich in higher harmonics. For pointing errors up to .050 arcsec the planet's fourth harmonic greatly exceeds that from the star, thereby relaxing interferometer pointing tolerances. Indeed, it appears that the limiting factor is zodiacal infrared background radiation and not the intense localized stellar flux which can effectively be eliminated by the fringe null of the spinning infrared interferometer.

Macphie, R. H.↗

Characterization of CNRS Fizeau wedge laser tuner

A fringe detection and measurement system was constructed for use with the CNRS Fizeau wedge laser tuner, consisting of three circuit boards. The first board is a standard Reticon RC-100 B motherboard which is used to provide the timing, video processing, and housekeeping functions required by the Reticon RL-512 G photodiode array used in the system. The sampled and held video signal from the motherboard is processed by a second, custom fabricated circuit board which contains a high speed fringe detection and locating circuit. This board includes a dc level discriminator type fringe detector, a counter circuit to determine fringe center, a pulsed laser triggering circuit, and a control circuit to operate the shutter for the He-Ne reference laser beam. The fringe center information is supplied to the third board, a commercial single board computer, which governs the data collection process and interprets the results.

Source record↗

Automated reduction of instantaneous flow field images

An automated data reduction system for the analysis of interference fringe patterns obtained using the particle image velocimetry technique is described. This system is based on digital image processing techniques that have provided the flexibility and speed needed to obtain more complete automation of the data reduction process. As approached here, this process includes scanning/searching for data on the photographic record, recognition of fringe patterns of sufficient quality, and, finally, analysis of these fringes to determine a local measure of the velocity magnitude and direction. The fringe analysis as well as the fringe image recognition are based on full frame autocorrelation techniques using parallel processing capabilities.

Reynolds, G. A.↗

Experimental Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement in Microgravity in the Presence of Electric Fields

In boiling high heat fluxes are possible driven by relatively small temperature differences, which make its use increasingly attractive in aerospace applications. The objective of the research is to develop ways to overcome specific problems associated with boiling in the low gravity environment by substituting the buoyancy force with the electric force to enhance bubble removal from the heated surface. Previous studies indicate that in terrestrial applications nucleate boiling heat transfer can be increased by a factor of 50, as compared to values obtained for the same system without electric fields. The goal of our research is to experimentally explore the mechanisms responsible for EHD heat transfer enhancement in boiling in low gravity conditions, by visualizing the temperature distributions in the vicinity of the heated surface and around the bubble during boiling using real-time holographic interferometry (HI) combined with high-speed cinematography. In the first phase of the project the influence of the electric field on a single bubble is investigated. Pool boiling is simulated by injecting a single bubble through a nozzle into the subcooled liquid or into the thermal boundary layer developed along the flat heater surface. Since the exact location of bubble formation is known, the optical equipment can be aligned and focused accurately, which is an essential requirement for precision measurements of bubble shape, size and deformation, as well as the visualization of temperature fields by HI. The size of the bubble and the frequency of bubble departure can be controlled by suitable selection of nozzle diameter and mass flow rate of vapor. In this approach effects due to the presence of the electric field can be separated from effects caused by the temperature gradients in the thermal boundary layer. The influence of the thermal boundary layer can be investigated after activating the heater at a later stage of the research. For the visualization experiments a test cell was developed. All four vertical walls of the test cell are transparent, and they allow transillumination with laser light for visualization experiments by HI. The bottom electrode is a copper cylinder, which is electrically grounded. The copper block is heated with a resistive heater and it is equipped with 6 thermocouples that provide reference temperatures for the measurements with HI. The top electrode is a mesh electrode. Bubbles are injected with a syringe into the test cell through the bottom electrode. The working fluids presently used in the interferometric visualization experiments, water and PF 5052, satisfy requirements regarding thermophysical, optical and electrical properties. A 30kV power supply equipped with a voltmeter allows to apply the electric field to the electrodes during the experiments. The magnitude of the applied voltage can be adjusted either manually or through the LabVIEW data acquisition and control system connected to a PC. Temperatures of the heated block are recorded using type-T thermocouples, whose output is read by a data acquisition system. Images of the bubbles are recorded with 35mm photographic and 16mm high-speed cameras, scanned and analyzed using various software packages. Visualized temperature fields HI allows the visualization of temperature fields in the vicinity of bubbles during boiling in the form of fringes. Typical visualized temperature distributions around the air bubbles injected into the thermal boundary layer in PF5052 are shown. The temperature of the heated surface is 35 C. The temperature difference for a pair of fringes is approximately 0.05 C. The heat flux applied to the bottom surface is moderate, and the fringe patterns are regular. In the image a bubble penetrating the thermal boundary layer is visible. Because of the axial symmetry of the problem, simplified reconstruction techniques can be applied to recover the temperature field. The thermal plume developing above the heated surface for more intensive heating is shown. The temperature distribution in the liquid is clearly 3D, and tomographic techniques have to be applied to recover the temperature distribution in such a physical situation. A sequence of interferometric images showing the temperature distribution around the rising bubble, recorded with a high-speed camera is shown. Again, the temperature distribution is 3D, and a more complex approach to the evaluation, the tomographic reconstruction has to be taken. Measurement of the temperature distribution from the fringe pattern temperature distributions that yield important information regarding heat transfer are determined. Two algorithms that allow the quantitative evaluation of interferometric fringe patterns and the reconstruction of temperature fields during boiling have been developed at the Heat Transfer Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University. In the first algorithm the bubble is assumed to be axially symmetrical, which significantly reduces the computational effort for quantifying the temperature distribution around the bubble. For this purpose the thermal boundary layer around the bubble is divided into equidistant concentric shells, and the refractive index is assumed to be constant in each of the shells. Since large temperature gradients are expected in the vicinity of the bubble during boiling, the deflection of the light beam cannot be neglected in boiling experiments. Since the exit angle of the light beam is known, this allows to account for the deflections and phase shifts outside the boundary layer (in the bulk fluid and in the windows of the test cell). Three dimensional temperature distributions in the vicinity of the bubble are reconstructed using tomographic techniques. In tomography, the measurement volume is sliced into 2D planes. In the present study these planes are parallel to the heated surface. The objective is to determine the values of the field parameter of interest in form of the field function in these 2D planes. The field parameter is the change of the refractive index of the liquid in the measurement volume caused by temperature changes. By superimposing data for many 2D planes recorded at the same time instant, the 3D temperature distribution in the measurement volume is recovered.

Herman, Cila↗

A Holographic Interferometer System for Measuring Density Profiles in High-Velocity Flows

This paper describes a holographic interferometric technique for obtaining density measurements across a test gas that is traveling at a velocity of over 5500 meters per second in an expansion tube facility. Interferometric data describing the flow in the test section are obtained using a long coherence length cw argon laser in a holographic system and a rotating drum camera recorder. The object beam, which passes through the test section, intersects the reference beam at a small angle (5 degrees) to form an interference pattern of about 170 lines per millimeter, and is recorded as a hologram. Before a test, this hologram is placed in its original position and rotated slightly so that an interference pattern is generated by the intersection of the reconstructed and real-time object beams. This interference pattern is adjusted to a series of bright, horizontal fringes having a spatial frequency of about 5 fringes per centimeter. During the few milliseconds it takes the test gas to pass through the test section, variations in the gas density across the 8.4-centimeter test section produce phase variations in the object beam and result in a varying interference pattern. A rotating drum camera with a 0.15-millimeter slit aligned perpendicular to the fringes is used to record the varying fringe shifts with a time resolution of about 3 microseconds. The average gas density across the test section is determined by measuring these fringe shifts.

Burner, Alpheus W.↗

Measuring Extended Structure in Stars Using the Keck Interferometer Nuller

The Keck Interferometer Nuller is designed to detect faint off-axis mid-infrared light a few tens to a few hundreds of milliarcseconds from a bright central star. The starlight is suppressed by destructive combination along the long (85 m) baseline, which produces a fringe spacing of 25 mas at a wavelength of 10 m, with the central null crossing the position of the star. The strong, variable mid-infrared background is subtracted using interferometric phase chopping along the short (5 m) baseline. This paper presents an overview of the observing and data reduction strategies used to produce a calibrated measurement of the off-axis light. During the observations, the instrument cycles rapidly through several calibration and measurement steps, in order to monitor and stabilize the phases of the fringes produced by the various baselines, and to derive the fringe intensity at the constructive peak and destructive null along the long baseline. The data analysis involves removing biases and coherently demodulating the short-baseline fringe with the long-baseline fringe tuned to alternate between constructive and destructive phases, combining the results of many measurements to improve the sensitivity, and estimating the part of the null leakage signal which is associated with the finite angular size of the central star. Comparison of the results of null measurements on science target and calibrator stars permits the instrumental leakage - the "system null leakage" - to be removed and the off-axis light to be measured.

nulling interferometry↗

High-Resolution N-Band Observations of the Nova RS Ophiuchi with the Keck Interferometer Nuller

We report new observations of the nova RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) using the Keck Interferometer Nulling Instrument, approximately 3.8 days following the most recent outburst that occurred on 2006 February 12. The Keck Interferometer Nuller (KIN) operates in K-band from 8 to 12.5 pm in a nulling mode, which means that the central broad-band interference fringe is a dark fringe - with an angular width of 25 mas at mid band - rather than the bright fringe used ill a conventional optical interferometer. In this mode the stellar light itself is suppressed by the destructive fringe, effectively enhancing the contrast of the circumstellar material located near the star. By subsequently shifting the neighboring bright fringe onto the center of the source brightness distribution and integrating, a second spatial regime dominated by light from the central portion of the source is almost simultaneously sampled. The nulling technique is the sparse aperture equivalent of the conventional corongraphic technique used in filled aperture telescopes. By fitting the unique KIK inner and outer spatial regime data, we have obtained an angular size of the mid-infrared continuum of 6.2, 4.0. or 5.4 mas for a disk profile, gaussian profile (fwhm), and shell profile respectively. The data show evidence of enhanced neutral atomic hydrogen emission located in the inner spatial regime relative to the outer regime. There is also evidence of a 9.7 micron silicate feature seen outside of this region. Importantly, we see spectral lines excited by the nova flash in the outer region before the blast wave reaches these regions. These lines are from neutral, weakly excited atoms which support the following interpretation. We discuss the present results in terms of a unifying model of the system that includes an increase in density in the plane of the orbit of the two stars created by a spiral shock wave caused by the motion of the stars through the cool wind of the red giant star. These data show the power and potential of the nulling technique which has been developed for the detection of Earth-like planets around nearby stars for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Mission and Darwin missions.

Barry, R. K.↗

Dynamic Pupil Masking for Phasing Telescope Mirror Segments

A method that would notably include dynamic pupil masking has been proposed as an enhanced version of a prior method of phasing the segments of a primary telescope mirror. The method would apply, more specifically, to a primary telescope mirror that comprises multiple segments mounted on actuators that can be used to tilt the segments and translate them along the nominal optical axis to affect wavefront control in increments as fine as a fraction of a wavelength of light. An apparatus (see figure) for implementing the proposed method would be denoted a dispersed-fringe-sensor phasing camera system (DPCS). The prior method involves the use of a dispersed-fringe sensor (DFS). The prior method was reported as part of a more comprehensive method in Coarse Alignment of a Segmented Telescope Mirror (NPO-20770), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 25, No. 4 (April 2001), page 15a. The pertinent parts of the prior method are the following: The telescope would be aimed at a bright distant point source of light (e.g., a star) and form a broadband image on an imaging detector array placed at the telescope focal plane. The construction and use of a dispersed-fringe sensor would begin with insertion of a grism (a right-angle prism with a transmission grating on the hypotenuse face) into the optical path. With other segments tilted away from the investigating region of the detector, a dispersed-fringe image would be formed by use of a designated reference segment and a selected mirror segment. The modulation period and orientation of the fringe would be analyzed to determine the magnitude and sign of the piston error (displacement along the nominal optical axis) between the two segments. The error would be used to perform a coarse-phase piston adjustment of the affected mirror segment. This determination and removing of piston error is what is meant by phasing as used above. The procedure as described thus far would be repeated until all segments had been phased.

Shi, Fang↗

SIM testbed 3 real-time control software

SIM System Testbed 3 (STB3) features three optical interferometers sharing a common baseline, as a dynamic representation of the SIM instrument. An artificial star feeding the interferometers is installed on a separate optics bench. All three interferometers use photons captured by avalanche photo diodes (APDs) to measure the position and quality of fringes, and additional pointing precision is achieved by fast steering mirrors (FSMs) that keep the star images centered on the beam combining optics using a CCD camera. Each interferometer uses internal metrology to measure changes in its optical pathlength. External metrology beams measure changes in the baseline vector. This system acquires and tracks white light fringes with one interferometer, while the other two acquire and track laser light fringes representing the bright guide stars that will be used by SIM. The white light source represents a dim star that cannot supply enough photons for the Science interferometer to lock onto fringes in closed-loop mode; instead it operates open-loop, using pathlength corrections fed to it from the two guide interferometers and the external metrology subsystem to reject disturbances and maintain the fringes. This tracking mode is known as Pathlength Feed Forward (PFF). The precise real-time behavior required to achieve this result is implemented by a complex set of interacting software control loops. This paper describes how these loops take advantage of the benefits of the RTC Core architecture, and how they work together to accomplish STB3's objectives.

interferometry↗

Decameter storm radiation. II

The height, size, directivity, and lifetime of decametric storm sources are investigated. The height of the continuum sources is determined from the rotation rate, and the gradient of electron density for the regions of storm origin is computed by assuming that the radiation originates at the plasma frequency. The mean angular size of the sources is found to be quite large (increasing with decreasing frequency), the storm continuum is strongly directive toward the disk center, and east-west asymmetry is observed at decameter wavelengths. Two distinct classes of type III bursts are observed during storms: 'off-fringe' (displaced in position from the continuum source) and 'on-fringe' (coinciding in position with the continuum). A model of the storm region is proposed in which the 'on-fringe' bursts originate in regions of diverging field lines above closed magnetic loops and the 'off-fringe' bursts are excited by energetic electron streams having access to open field lines at the base of the loops.

Gergely, T. E.↗

Fabry-Perot-interferometer imaging system for thermospheric temperature and wind measurements

Doppler-broadened Fabry-Perot fringes of weak (less than 1-kR) auroral forbidden O I 5577- and 6300-A emissions have been detected in real time (1/60 sec) with the aid of a low-light level image-orthicon TV camera coupled to a two-stage image intensifier. The imaging scheme permits static-mode operation of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. For maximum use of all the information contained in every TV frame, each circular fringe may be sectioned into several annuli, and the corresponding annuli from all rings are summed to yield an intensity value. This procedure for deriving a fringe profile requires a video digitizer coupled to a digital processing system and should provide fast real-time (1/60 sec) measurements of E- and F-region temperatures and winds. With forbidden O I 5577-A intensity of 750 R, visually prominent TV images of the Fabry-Perot fringes were recorded in 0.5 sec, and the temperature of the emitting region was determined from two percent of the total information in the TV image.

Sivjee, G. G.↗

Measurements of displacement around holes in composite plates subjected to quasi-static compression

Attempts to develop a whole-field, high sensitivity optical technque for measurement of load induced changes of thickness of composite plates are described. Graphite-epoxy plates of quasi-isotropic layup were used as test specimens. Changes of thickness of three plates, each with a central hole of different size, were measured as a function of applied compressive loads. The first test specimen showed localized zones where no holographic fringes were present, surrounded by zones of low fringe contrast. This was thought to be a result of localized motion or creep. Subsequent tests with an increased time interval between specimen loading and holographic exposure demonstrated no localized zones of absent fringes. No plausible explanation for radical differences in the quality of fringe patterns was found, although the use of specimens having a high quality mirrorized surface provided superior change of thickness patterns. Recommendations for further investigations and changes in test procedure are presented.

Duke, J. C., Jr.↗