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At least 163 records · Page 9

A new concept for solar pumped lasers

A new approach is proposed in which an intermediate body heated by sunlight is used as the pumping source for IR systems, i.e., concentration solar radiation is absorbed and reradiated via an intermediate blackbody. This body is heated by focused sunlight to a high temperature and its heat losses are engineered to be small. The cooled laser tube (or tubes) is placed within the cavity and is pumped by it. The advantage is that the radiation spectrum is like a blackbody at the intermediate temperature and the laser medium selectively absorbs this light. Focusing requirements, heat losses, and absorption bandwidths of laser media are examined, along with energy balance and potential efficiency. The results indicate that for lasers pumped through an IR absorption spectrum, the use of an intermediate blackbody offers substantial and important advantages. The loss in radiative intensity for optical pumping by a lower-temperature body is partly compensated by the increased solid angle of exposure to the radiative environment.

Christiansen, W. H.↗

Spectroscopy of an unusual emission line M star

Moderate-resolution spectroscopy of an unusual late-type faint emission-line star, PC 0025 + 0047, is reported. A very strong (greater than 250 A equivalent width) an H-alpha emission line was detected by the present automated line search algorithm. The spectrum was found to have two unresolved emission lines (H-alpha and H-beta) near zero velocity, superposed on the absorption spectrum of a very red M dwarf which has strong K I, and relatively weak bands of TiO. From the weakness of the subordinate lines of Na I (8192 A) and other spectral features, it is inferred that it is definitely a cooler, and probably fainter, analog of LHS 2924. The strength of the emission lines indicates that PC 0025 + 0447 is very young and may be a fading predecessor brown drawf at an estimated M(bol) approaching 14m at a distance of about 60 pc.

Schneider, Donald P.↗

Far infrared absorption of N2-H2 gaseous mixtures

The rototranslational absorption spectrum of N2-H2 gaseous mixtures has been measured at five different temperatures from 298 to 90 K in the frequency range 80-850/cm. The absorption spectra due to N2-H2 interactions have been analyzed considering only the quadrupolar induction mechanism. With this assumption, the experimental data are fairly well accounted for, thereby providing a procedure for predicting the N2-H2 spectrum over a wide temperature range.

Codastefano, P.↗

Laser Radar Study Using Resonance Absorption for Remote Detection Of Air Pollutants

A laser radar using resonance absorption has an advantage of increased detection range and sensitivity compared with that achieved by Raman or resonance back scattering. In this paper, new laser radar system using resonance absorption is proposed and results obtained from this laser radar system are discussed. NO2, SO2 gas has an absorption spectrum at 4500 A and 3000 A respectively as shown in Fig. 1. A laser light including at least a set of an absorption peak (lambda)1 and a valley (lambda)2 is emitted into a pollutant atmosphere. The light reflected with a topographical reflector or an atmospheric Mie scattering as distributed reflectors is received and divided into two wavelength components (lambda)1 and (lambda)2. The laser radar system used in the investigation is shown in Fig', 2 and consists of a dye laser transmitter, an optical receiver with a special monochrometer and a digital processer. Table 1 shows the molecular constants of NO2, and SO2 and the dye laser used in this experiment. In this system, the absolute concentration of the pollutant gas can be measured in comparison with a standard gas cell. The concentration of NO2, SO2 as low as 0.1 ppm have been measured at 100 m depth resolution. For a 1 mJ laser output, the observable range of this system achieved up to 300 m using the distributed Mie reflector. The capability and technical limitation of the system will be discussed in detail.

Igarashi, Takashi↗

The remarkable spectrum of the RV Tauri star R Scuti at deep minimum

In September 1981 R Sct H-alpha declined in brightness to V about 8.5, an exceptionally faint minimum. A 15 A/mm spectrogram of the H-alpha region of R Sct two days past minimum brightness, when the visual magnitude was about 8.3, was obtained. This is apparently the first spectral observation of R Sct close to such a deep minimum. Contrary to spectroscopic observations during 'ordinary' minima of V about 6-7, at this deep minimum the expected G-K Ia absorption spectrum is not seen. Instead, a fantastic array of dozens of strong, narrow emission features and strong TiO absorption bands are present. The emission lines are due to neutral metals, and closely resemble a reversed photospheric spectrum. The deep minimum spectrum is apparently purely chromospheric, and is not produced in a stellar wind or extended atmosphere. The spectroscopic behavior of R Sct at deep minimum, as well as a number of other kinematic and photometric properties, is surprisingly similar to that of the R Coronae Borealis variables.

Howell, S. B.↗

Spectral effects on direct-insolation absorptance of five collector coatings

Absorptances for direct insolation of black chrome, black nickel, copper oxide, and two black zinc conversion selective coatings were calculated for a number of typical solar spectrums. Measured spectral reflectances were used while the effects of atmospheric ozone density, turbidity, and air mass were incorporated in calculated direct solar spectrums. Absorptance variation for direct insolation was found to be of the order of 1 percent for a typical range of clear-sky atmospheric conditions.

Hotchkiss, G. B.↗

Application of interferential correlation of spectrum to the detection of atmospheric pollutants

The general correlation principles for spectra and spectra derivatives are studied by using the Fourier transform of the spectral distribution of energy from a source illuminating a double beam interferometer with transverse splitting by dividing luminance. In this correlation technique, the use of such an interferometer has the advantage of greater luminosity as compared with a slit spectrometer. However, the correlation example indicates that it is necessary to adapt the correlator to the particular case considered, in order to obtain the best gain in the signal to noise ratio. In the case of sulfur dioxide detection, a very simple mounting which could be used in some interesting industrial applications was developed. This mounting can be used each time that the substance to be analyzed has a quasi-periodic absorption spectrum: in particular this is often the case with absorption spectra of gases, and a mounting identical to the one described for sulfur dioxide proved to be effective in the detection of nitrogen oxides.

Fortunato, G.↗

The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915 + 105

We report on a 120 kiloseconds Chandra/HETG spectrum of the black hole GRS 1915+105. The observation was made during an extended and bright soft state in 2015 June. An extremely rich disk wind absorption spectrum is detected, similar to that observed at lower sensitivity in 2007. The very high resolution of the third-order spectrum reveals four components to the disk wind in the Fe K band alone; the fastest has a blueshift of v = 0.03 c (velocity equals 0.03 the speed of light). Broadened reemission from the wind is also detected in the first-order spectrum, giving rise to clear accretion disk P Cygni profiles. Dynamical modeling of the re-emission spectrum gives wind launching radii of r approximately equal to 10 (sup 2-4) GM (Gravitational constant times Mass) divided by c (sup 2) (the speed of light squared). Wind density values of n approximately equal to 10 (sup 13-16) per cubic centimeter are then required by the ionization parameter formalism. The small launching radii, high density values, and inferred high mass outflow rates signal a role for magnetic driving. With simple, reasonable assumptions, the wind properties constrain the magnitude of the emergent magnetic field to be B approximately equal to 10 (sup 3-4) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure from within the disk and B approximately equal to 10 (sup 4-5) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven by magnetocentrifugal acceleration. The MHD estimates are below upper limits predicted by the canonical alpha-disk model. We discuss these results in terms of fundamental disk physics and black hole accretion modes.

accretion↗

BE Ursae Majoris /PG 1155 + 492/ - A unique cataclysmic-variable-like object

The variable spectrum of BE Ursae Majoris, which is similar to that of the cataclysmic variables (CVs), shows (1) an emission-line spectrum with the high-excitation CN 4650 A blend as the strongest optical feature, weaker H and He lines, and a strong Balmer jump, and (2) an absorption spectrum dominated by He. Although the object shows no evidence of photometric variability on either short or long time-scales, it has been shown by Kurochkin (1964, 1971) to have a 2.29-day, sinusoidal, 1.5-mag variation. The luminosity is dominated by a UV power-law component, though the 4000-10000 A continuum is flat. The hypothesis that this object is an active mass transfer binary is not supported by its photometric behavior, energy distribution and long period, despite the spectroscopic variability. Nevertheless, three components whose nature is not understood remain: (1) an ultraviolet source whose energy distribution is explainable neither by a uniform temperature primary star nor by an accretion disk; (2) a reprocessed component powered by the UV star; and (3) a component similar to a CV disk, producing the optically thick Balmer lines.

Ferguson, D. H.↗

New laboratory measurements on ammonia's inversion spectrum, with implications for planetary atmospheres

Microwave spectral measurements have been performed on pure room-temperature gaseous ammonia at frequencies from 1.75 to 18 GHz (1.7-17 cm), at 50-, 100-, and 300-torr pressures. These measurements are part of a laboratory program to measure the microwave absorption spectrum of ammonia, under conditions applicable to giant planet atmospheres, now in progress at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pure ammonia data reported here agree well with previous data by Bleaney and Loubser (1950) at 100 and 300 torrs, and with predictions of the absorptivity formalism published by Berge and Gulkis. Success with pure ammonia but failure with mixtures of ammonia in hydrogen and helium (Spilker, 1990) indicates that the Berge and Gulkis formalism does not correctly handle foreign-gas effects on ammonia inversion lines. This may require modifying conclusions of radio astronomical and radio occultation studies that used this formalism. Notably, a suggested depletion of ammonia and superabundance of hydrogen sulfide may have been exaggerated as a result of inaccuracies in the Berge and Gulkis formalism.

Spilker, Thomas R.↗

Gated photochemical hole burning in photoadducts of polyacenes

A photoadduct of anthracene and tetracene (A-T) in a polymer matrix at 1.5 K generates an absorption spectrum which exhibits two-color, photon-gated photochemical hole burning (PHB) when irradiated with narrowband exciting light into the 0-0 band of the S1-S0 absorption. The efficiency of this PHB process is found to be enhanced by simultaneous irradiation near the maximum of the Tn-T1 absorption of A-T; hole widths of less than 0.07/cm have been observed for this photochemical cleavage of A-T.

Iannone, Mark↗

Third Order Optical Nonlinearity of Colloidal Metal Nanoclusters Formed by MeV Ion Implantation

We report the results of characterization of nonlinear refractive index of the composite material produced by MeV Ag ion implantation of LiNbO(sub 3) crystal (z-cut). The material after implantation exhibited a linear optical absorption spectrum with the surface plasmon peak near 430 nm attributed to the colloidal silver nanoclusters. Heat treatment of the material at 500 deg C caused a shift of the absorption peak to 550 nm. The nonlinear refractive index of the sample after heat treatment was measured in the region of the absorption peak with the Z-scan technique using a tunable picosecond laser source (4.5 ps pulse width).The experimental data were compared against the reference sample made of MeV Cu implanted silica with the absorption peak in the same region. The nonlinear index of the Ag implanted LiNbO(sub 3) sample produced at five times less fluence is on average two times greater than that of the reference.

Sarkisov, S. S.↗

Atmospheric Pre-Corrected Differential Absorption Techniques to Retrieve Columnar Water Vapor: Application to AVIRIS 91/95 Data

Water vapor is one of the main forces for weather development as well as for mesoscale air transport processes. The monitoring of water vapor is therefore an important aim in remote sensing of the atmosphere. Current operational systems for water vapor detection use primarily the emission in the thermal infrared (AVHRR, GOES, ATSR, Meteosat) or in the microwave radiation bands (DMSP). The disadvantage of current satellite systems is either a coarse spatial (horizontal) resolution ranging from one to tens of kilometers or a limited insight into the lower atmosphere. Imaging spectrometry on the other hand measures total column water vapor contents at a high spatial horizontal resolution and has therefore the potential of filling these gaps. The sensors of the AVIRIS instrument are capable of acquiring hyperspectral data in 224 bands located in the visible and near infrared at 10 nm resolution. This data includes the information on constituents of the earth's surface as well as of the atmosphere. The optical measurement of water vapor can be performed using sensor channels located in bands or lines of the absorption spectrum. The AVIRIS sensor has been used to retrieve water vapor and with less accuracy carbon dioxide, oxygen and ozone. To retrieve the water vapor amount, the so called differential absorption technique has been applied. The goal of this technique is to eliminate background factors by taking a ratio between channels within the absorption band and others besides the band. Various ratioing methods on the basis of different channels and calculation techniques were developed. The influence of a trace gas of interest on the radiance at the sensor level is usually simulated by using radiative transfer codes. In this study, the spectral transmittance and radiance are calculated by MODTRAN3 simulations with the new DISORT option. The objective of this work is to test the best performing differential absorption techniques for imaging spectrometry of tropospheric water vapor.

Schlaepfer, Daniel↗

Variability of the broad absorption lines in the QSO UM 232

Low-resolution spectra of UM 232 taken in 1978, 1979, and 1988 at Lick Observatory are presented. Large changes in the Si IV lambda 1397, CIV lambda 1549, and Al III lambda 1857 broad absorption lines are apparent. The decrease in column density in all three ions and an observed brightening of the QSO suggests that these changes are due to an increase in the ionization level driven by an increase in the central source luminosity. This mechanism has been proposed by Smith and Penston to explain small changes in the absorption spectrum of the QSO 1246-057. The spectra of UM 232 show that the fractional decrease in optical depth is smaller at higher outflow velocies. The structure of the broad absorption-line region (BALR) is investigted by estimating an ionization parameter for each ion species as a function of velocity.

Barlow, Thomas A.↗

Feige 7 - A hot, rotating magnetic white dwarf

Results are reported for image-tube-scanner and digicon observations of Feige 7, a faint blue star identified as a probable white dwarf. It is found that this star is a magnetic white dwarf showing a very rich spectrum with Zeeman subcomponents of both hydrogen and neutral helium as well as periodic spectrum and circular-polarization variations. A polarization period of 2.2 hr is computed, and a surface magnetic-field strength of about 18 MG is determined by matching features of the absorption spectrum to Zeeman components. It is suggested that the only reasonable explanation for the periodic variations in circular polarization is an oblique rotator with the spin axis approximately in the plane of the sky and tilted by about 24 deg to the magnetic axis. An effective temperature in the range from 20,000 to 25,000 K is estimated, an absolute magnitude of about 10.5 is derived, and the atmosphere is shown to be helium-dominated. The evolution of Feige 7 is discussed in terms of possible magnetic-field effects on atmospheric composition, rotation velocity (5.5 km/s for a radius of 7000 km), and the origin of white-dwarf magnetic fields.

Liebert, J.↗

On the nitrogen-induced far-infrared absorption spectra

The rototranslational absorption spectrum of gaseous N2 is analyzed, considering quadrupolar and hexadecapolar induction mechanisms. The available experimental data are accounted for by using a line-shape analysis in which empirical profiles describe the single-line translational profiles. Thus, a simple procedure is derived that allows the prediction of the N2 spectrum at any temperature. On the basis of the results obtained for the pure gas, a procedure to compute the far-infrared spectrum of the N2-Ar gaseous mixture is also proposed. The good agreement between computed and experimental N2-Ar data indicates that it is possible to predict the far-infrared absorption induced by N2 on the isotropic polarizability of any interacting partner.

Dore, P.↗

The ultraviolet spectrum of the high redshift BL lac object 0215+015

The highly variable object 0215+015 is studied. It has a range in the optical band of more than 4 magnitudes, and exhibits radidly variable polarization. At optical wavelengths it shows no emission lines but has a rich absorption spectrum with at least six, separate redshift systems. Combined are 3 LWP low-dispersion images of the object to produce a high signal-to-noise spectrum between 2400 - 3200 A which is use to study the hydrogen Lyman lines of the various redshift systems.

Blades, J. C.↗

Circumstellar matter in the binary V Puppis

Results are reported for Copernicus observations of the double-lined binary V Puppis in the wavelength region from 1155 to 1310 A with a resolution of 0.2 A. The sharp-lined UV absorption spectrum is found to provide a line of sight dominated by an apparently 'textbook' H II region in a Stromgren sphere surrounding the stars. Several characteristics of this H II region are deduced by analyzing absorption features arising from excited fine-structure states of N II and Si II. Evidence is given for the presence of a normal interstellar H I region containing H2 and a separate H I region which could be the transition zone of the H II region. A possible blueshifted N V feature is noted in absorption. It is suggested that the H(+) emission measure and a characteristic size and shape for the H II region can probably be determined by optical observations of Balmer recombination lines within about 1 deg of V Puppis.

York, D. G.↗