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At least 163 records · Page 9

The structure of boron in boron fibres

The structure of noncrystalline, chemically vapour-deposited boron fibres was investigated by computer modelling the experimentally obtained X-ray diffraction patterns. The diffraction patterns from the models were computed using the Debye scattering equation. The modelling was done utilizing the minimum nearest-neighbour distance, the density of the model, and the broadening and relative intensity of the various peaks as boundary conditions. The results suggest that the fibres consist of a continuous network of randomly oriented regions of local atomic order, about 2 nm in diameter, containing boron atoms arranged in icosahedra. Approximately half of these regions have a tetragonal structure and the remaining half a distorted rhombohedral structure. The model also indicates the presence of many partial icosahedra and loose atoms not associated with any icosahedra. The partial icosahedra and loose atoms indicated in the present model are in agreement with the relaxing sub-units which have been suggested to explain the anelastic behavior of fibre boron and the loosely bound boron atoms which have been postulated to explain the strengthening mechanism in boron fibres during thermal treatment.

Bhardwaj, J.↗

Analyzing Microchips With Dark-Field Negative Photomicrography

Inverse development process yields fine details. Photomicrographic technique produces images of integrated-circuit chips. Technique based on dark-field illumination: (chip lit with bright central spot of light and photographed by light scattered or diffracted from spot. Reveals more about microstructure patterns related to photoresist masking than more conventional bright-field method.

Suszko, S. F.↗

Elastic scattering of alpha particles and the phase of the nucleon-nucleon scattering amplitude

Glauber theory can describe elastic scattering of alpha particles by He-4, He-3, H-2, and H-1 at 7 GeV/c if the phase of the nucleon-nucleon elastic-scattering amplitude varies with momentum transfer. The phase variation leads to diffraction patterns differing markedly from those typical of constant-phase calculations and greatly affects the magnitudes of the intensities. These changes are mainly due to changes in the interference between amplitudes for different orders of multiple scattering and to a decrease in their moduli.

Franco, V.↗

Observation and analysis for the bidirectional reflectance of stratus clouds at near-infrared wavelengths

Results are presented from observations of the spectral reflectance of marine stratocumulus clouds acquired during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment in June and July, 1987. The data were obtained with aircraft-mounted cross track scanning radiometers. The radiance data show persistent and significant scattering features. The characteristics of the observed NIR reflectance patterns are examined and compared with model calculations based on in situ particle measurements.

Spinhirne, J. D.↗

Interferometer Control of Optical Tweezers

This paper discusses progress in using spatial light modulators and interferometry to control the beam profile of an optical tweezers. The approach being developed is to use a spatial light modulator (SLM) to control the phase profile of the tweezers beam and to use a combination of the SLM and interferometry to control the intensity profile. The objective is to perform fine and calculable control of the moments and forces on a tip or tool to be used to manipulate and interrogate nanostructures. The performance of the SLM in generating multiple and independently controllable tweezers beams is also reported. Concurrent supporting research projects are mentioned and include tweezers beam scattering and neural-net processing of the interference patterns for control of the tweezers beams.

Decker, Arthur J.↗

Scattering effects of Space Station structure on Assembly/Contingency Subsystem (ACS) antenna performance

ACS antenna patterns were computed using the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) modeling technique in which the multipath interference from the Space Station structures was included. The accuracy of the numerical results obtained is verified by comparing them against a series of RF anechoic chamber measurements. Less than 1 dB degradation is expected if a +/- 15 deg cone is used to protect the ACS high gain antenna boresight pattern; a +/- 20 deg cone is required if no more than 0.5 dB gain degradation is desired.

Hwu, Shian U.↗

Probing hot-carrier transport and elastic scattering using ballistic-electron-emission microscopy

Ballistic-electron-emission microscopy (BEEM) has been used to characterize electron transport and scattering in metal/semiconductor structures. A SiO2 layer at the Au/Si interface was patterned to form transmitting and nontransmitting regions. By analyzing the BEEM current profiles at the boundaries of these regions, information on the spatial distribution of electrons after transport through the Au layer can be derived. A detailed comparison is made between the results presented here and models which involve modification of the electron distribution by scattering.

Milliken, A. M.↗

Detecting Nanophase Weathering Products with CheMin: Reference Intensity Ratios of Allophane, Aluminosilicate Gel, and Ferrihydrite

X-ray diffraction (XRD) data collected of the Rocknest samples by the CheMin instrument on Mars Science Laboratory suggest the presence of poorly crystalline or amorphous materials [1], such as nanophase weathering products or volcanic and impact glasses. The identification of the type(s) of X-ray amorphous material at Rocknest is important because it can elucidate past aqueous weathering processes. The presence of volcanic and impact glasses would indicate that little chemical weathering has occurred because glass is highly susceptible to aqueous alteration. The presence of nanophase weathering products, such as allophane, nanophase iron-oxides, and/or palagonite, would indicate incipient chemical weathering. Furthermore, the types of weathering products present could help constrain pH conditions and identify which primary phases altered to form the weathering products. Quantitative analysis of phases from CheMin data is achieved through Reference Intensity Ratios (RIRs) and Rietveld refinement. The RIR of a mineral (or mineraloid) that relates the scattering power of that mineral (typically the most intense diffraction line) to the scattering power of a separate mineral standard such as corundum [2]. RIRs can be calculated from XRD patterns measured in the laboratory by mixing a mineral with a standard in known abundances and comparing diffraction line intensities of the mineral to the standard. X-ray amorphous phases (e.g., nanophase weathering products) have broad scattering signatures rather than sharp diffraction lines. Thus, RIRs of X-ray amorphous materials are calculated by comparing the area under one of these broad scattering signals with the area under a diffraction line in the standard. Here, we measured XRD patterns of nanophase weathering products (allophane, aluminosilicate gel, and ferrihydrite) mixed with a mineral standard (beryl) in the CheMinIV laboratory instrument and calculated their RIRs to help constrain the abundances of these phases in the Rocknest samples.

Rampe, E. B.↗

Interactive Soil Dust Aerosol Model in the GISS GCM: Sensitivity of the Soil Dust Cycle to Radiative Properties of Soil Dust Aerosols - Part 1

The sensitivity of the soil dust aerosol cycle to the radiative forcing by soil dust aerosols is studied. Four experiments with the NASA/GISS atmospheric general circulation model, which includes a soil dust aerosol model, are compared, all using a prescribed climatological sea surface temperature as lower boundary condition. In one experiment, dust is included as dynamic tracer only (without interacting with radiation), whereas dust interacts with radiation in the other simulations. Although the single scattering albedo of dust particles is prescribed to be globally uniform in the experiments with radiatively active dust, a different single scattering albedo is used in those experiments to estimate whether regional variations in dust optical properties, corresponding to variations in mineralogical composition among different source regions, are important for the soil dust cycle and the climate state. On a global scale, the radiative forcing by dust generally causes a reduction in the atmospheric dust load corresponding to a decreased dust source flux. That is, there is a negative feedback in the climate system due to the radiative effect of dust. The dust source flux and its changes were analyzed in more detail for the main dust source regions. This analysis shows that the reduction varies both with the season and with the single scattering albedo of the dust particles. By examining the correlation with the surface wind, it was found that the dust emission from the Saharan/Sahelian source region and from the Arabian peninsula, along with the sensitivity of the emission to the single scattering albedo of dust particles, are related to large scale circulation patterns, in particular to the trade winds during Northern Hemisphere winter and to the Indian monsoon circulation during summer. In the other regions, such relations to the large scale circulation were not found. There, the dependence of dust deflation to radiative forcing by dust particles is probably dominated by physical processes with short time scales. The experiments show that dust radiative forcing can lead to significant changes both in the soil dust cycle and in the climate state. To estimate dust concentration and radiative forcing by dust more accurately, dust size distributions and dust single scattering albedo in the model should be a function of the source region, because dust concentration and climate response to dust radiative forcing are sensitive to dust radiative parameters.

Perlwitz, Jan↗

Method and apparatus for fiber optic multiple scattering suppression

The instant invention provides a method and apparatus for use in laser induced dynamic light scattering which attenuates the multiple scattering component in favor of the single scattering component. The preferred apparatus utilizes two light detectors that are spatially and/or angularly separated and which simultaneously record the speckle pattern from a single sample. The recorded patterns from the two detectors are then cross correlated in time to produce one point on a composite single/multiple scattering function curve. By collecting and analyzing cross correlation measurements that have been taken at a plurality of different spatial/angular positions, the signal representative of single scattering may be differentiated from the signal representative of multiple scattering, and a near optimum detector separation angle for use in taking future measurements may be determined.

Ackerson, Bruce J.↗

Computer discrimination procedures applicable to aerial and ERTS multispectral data

Two statistical models are compared in the classification of crops recorded on color aerial photographs. A theory of error ellipses is applied to the pattern recognition problem. An elliptical boundary condition classification model (EBC), useful for recognition of candidate patterns, evolves out of error ellipse theory. The EBC model is compared with the minimum distance to the mean (MDM) classification model in terms of pattern recognition ability. The pattern recognition results of both models are interpreted graphically using scatter diagrams to represent measurement space. Measurement space, for this report, is determined by optical density measurements collected from Kodak Ektachrome Infrared Aero Film 8443 (EIR). The EBC model is shown to be a significant improvement over the MDM model.

Richardson, A. J.↗

Computer identification of ground pattern from aerial photographs.

Two statistical models are comapared in the classification of crops recorded on color aerial photographs. A theory of error ellipses is applied to the pattern recognition problem. An elliptical boundary condition classification model (EBC), useful for recognition of candidate patterns, evolves out of error ellipse theory. The EBC model is compared with the minimum distance to the mean (MDM) classification model in terms of pattern recognition ability. The pattern recognition results of both models are interpreted graphically using scatter diagrams to represent measurement space. Measurement space, for this report, is determined by optical density measurements collected from Kodak Ektachrome Infrared Aero Film 8443 (EIR). The EBC model is shown to be a significant improvement over the MDM model.

Richardson, A. J.↗

Forest biomass, canopy structure, and species composition relationships with multipolarization L-band synthetic aperture radar data

The effect of forest biomass, canopy structure, and species composition on L-band synthetic aperature radar data at 44 southern Mississippi bottomland hardwood and pine-hardwood forest sites was investigated. Cross-polarization mean digital values for pine forests were significantly correlated with green weight biomass and stand structure. Multiple linear regression with five forest structure variables provided a better integrated measure of canopy roughness and produced highly significant correlation coefficients for hardwood forests using HV/VV ratio only. Differences in biomass levels and canopy structure, including branching patterns and vertical canopy stratification, were important sources of volume scatter affecting multipolarization radar data. Standardized correction techniques and calibration of aircraft data, in addition to development of canopy models, are recommended for future investigations of forest biomass and structure using synthetic aperture radar.

Sader, Steven A.↗

Variations in effective compensation depth across Aphrodite Terra, Venus

Topography and gravity data obtained by Pioneer Venus Orbiter have been used to estimate an effective depth of Airy compensation for each of 75 orbital arcs that provide fairly uniform areal coverage of Aphrodite Terra. A general increase in compensation depth is noted to the east, with the most rapid change occurring near 135 deg. Five distinctive regional patterns, four well defined peaks, and one interval of widely scattered and poorly constrained depths are found to be superimposed on this larger trend. It is noted that the maxima in compensation depth correlate well with regional topographic highs.

Herrick, Robert R.↗

A study of land mobile satellite service multipath effects using SATLAB software

A software package is proposed that uses the known properties of signals received in multipath environments along with the mathematical relationships between signal characteristics to explore the effects of antenna pattern, vehicle velocity, shadowing of the direct wave, distributions of scatters around the moving vehicle and levels of scattered signals on the received complex envelope, fade rates and fade duration, Doppler spectrum, signal arrival angle spectrum, and spatial correlation. The data base may be either actual measured received signals entered as ASCII flat files or data synthesized using a built in model. An example illustrates the effect of using different antennas to receive signals in the same environment.

Campbell, Richard L.↗

Magnetic Fluctuations in the Jovian Magnetosphere

The engine that drives the jovian magnetosphere is the mass added to the Io ion torus, accelerated to corotational velocities by field-aligned currents that couple the Io torus to the jovian ionosphere. The mass of the torus builds up to an amount that the magnetic forces cannot contain and the plasma, first slowly and then more rapidly, drifts outward. Numerous authors have treated this problem based first on the observations of the Pioneer 10 and 11 flybys; then on Voyager 1 and 2, and Ulysses; and finally most recently the Galileo orbiter. The initial observations revealed the now familiar magnetodisk, in which the field above and below the magnetic equator became quite radial in orientation and much less dipolar. The Galileo observations show this transformation to occur on average at 24 R(sub J) and to often be quite abrupt. These observations are consistent with outward transport of magnetized plasma that moves ever faster radially until about 50 R(sub J) on the nightside where the field lines stretch to the breaking point, reconnection occurs, and plasma and field islands are transported down the tail ultimately removing the mass from the magnetosphere that Io had deposited deep in the inner torus. The reconnection process creates empty flux tubes connected to Jupiter that are buoyant and thought to float inward and replace the flux carried out with the torus plasma. As described above, the jovian magnetosphere could very well be in a state of steady laminar circulation, but indeed it is not. The process is very unsteady and the wave levels can be very intense. The existence of these waves in turn can lead to processes that compete with the radial circulation pattern in removing plasma from the system. These waves can scatter particles so that they precipitate into the ionosphere. This process should be important in the Io torus where the atmospheric loss cone is relatively large and becomes less important as the loss cone decreases in size with radial distance. However, the Io torus is relatively quiet compared to the region outside the torus and it is not obvious without studying this scattering carefully whether the loss in the torus or out of the torus is greater and whether it can act rapidly enough to compete with the radial transport of ions to the tail in the life cycle of the mass added at Io. Closer to Io the ion cyclotron waves are most intense and possibly are associated with the losses in the Io flux tube. The waves are also diagnostic of both the Io atmospheric composition and the size and strength of the massloading process.

Russell, Christopher T.↗

Diffractive Optic Fluid Shear Stress Sensor

Light scattering off particles flowing through a two-slit inteference pattern can be used to measure the shear stress of the fluid. We have designed and fabricated a miniature diffractive optic sensor based on this principle.

fluid shear stress micro sensor non-invasive senso↗