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At least 19 records

Differential energy spectra of low energy (less than 8.5 MeV per nucleon) heavy cosmic rays during solar quiet times

Explorer 47 satellite observations of carbon, oxygen, and heavier nuclei differential energy spectra below 8.5 MeV/nucleon are presented for solar quiet time periods. A dE/dx vs E method for particle identification and energy determination was used. The instrumentation telescope included an isobutane proportional counter, a surface barrier Si detector, and a cylindrical plastic scintillator anticoincidence shield. The observations were performed outside the bow-shock and in the ecliptic plane. Results show an anisotropy of about 25% at 22 degrees west of the sun with a C/O ratio of 0.5 supporting a solar origin. The low energy portions of the C and O spectra have steep negative slopes, and the corresponding power law is given. Peculiarities in the O spectrum are discussed.

Hovestadt, D.

Analysis of individual biological particles by mass spectrometry

A method is developed for the detection and identification of biological particles introduced in aerosol form into a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The bacterial aerosol is generated by nebulizing an ethanol suspension. The particles are introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer in the form of a beam, where they are individually volatilized on a V-type rhenium filament and ionized by electron impaction. It is shown that the average intensity of a mass peak is obtained from the pulse height distribution of about a thousand ion pulses from different particles. Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus cereus are used in the studies. Differences between the relative intensities of mass peaks in the spectra from P. putida and B. subtilis are found and may provide a method for differentiation of microorganisms. The results for the two species agree reasonably well with those reported by Kistemaker et al. (1975) and Schulten et al. (1973). However, there exist some differences between the two spectra in the high mass range due to the difference in the pyrolysis conditions.

Sinha, M. P.

Crystallography of decahedral and icosahedral particles. II - High symmetry orientations

Based on the exact crystal structure of decahedral and icosahedral particles, high energy electron diffraction patterns and image profiles have been derived for various high symmetry orientations of the particles with respect to the incident beam. These results form a basis for the identification of small metal particle structures with advanced methods of transmission electron microscopy.

Yang, C. Y.

Chemistry and particle track studies of Apollo 14 glasses.

The abundance and the composition of Apollo 14 glasses have been studied. Glass particles were analyzed for Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, Na, and K by electron microprobe analysis. The refractive indices of 26 particles were determined by the oil immersion method. Track analyses have been carried out in order to determine the uranium content and the radiation history of glass particles. The proper identification of galactic and solar flare nuclei tracks makes it possible to estimated residence times of the glass particles in the top layer of the lunar soil.

Glass, B. P.

Air pollution source identification

The techniques available for source identification are reviewed: remote sensing, injected tracers, and pollutants themselves as tracers. The use of the large number of trace elements in the ambient airborne particulate matter as a practical means of identifying sources is discussed. Trace constituents are determined by sensitive, inexpensive, nondestructive, multielement analytical methods such as instrumental neutron activation and charged particle X-ray fluorescence. The application to a large data set of pairwise correlation, the more advanced pattern recognition-cluster analysis approach with and without training sets, enrichment factors, and pollutant concentration rose displays for each element is described. It is shown that elemental constituents are related to specific source types: earth crustal, automotive, metallurgical, and more specific industries. A field-ready source identification system based on time and wind direction resolved sampling is described.

Fordyce, J. S.

Identification of comet nucleus from comet coma.

The study of comets is of important scientific value as part of the exploration of the solar system. This paper proposes a method, called 'stationary target identification,' to detect the nucleus within the coma. The method makes use of the fact that the coma is ever expanding about the nucleus. Therefore, when a radar beam is used for detection, the coma particles will produce a return signal that is Doppler shifted. The effects of the spatial extent of the coma and Doppler bandwidth of the coma returns upon the required data processing are considered. Also different methods of implementation are considered.-

Brock, H. I.

X-ray diffraction identification of minerals in lunar regolith returned by Luna 16 automatic station

The methods of powder and monocrystal X-ray diffraction served in identifying the mineral composition of gross samples of regolith from different levels of the drill core and about 80 individual regolith particles returned by the Luna 16 station. It was established that the Sea of Fertility regolith includes pyroxenes of the augite-pigeonite series, anorthites, ilmenite, olivines, spinels, alpha cristobalite, iron particles, glass, and several as yet unidentified particles. Crystallographic and roentgenometric data are given for all the lunar minerals found.

Makarov, Y. S.

A thermoluminescent method for aerosol characterization

A thermoluminescent method has been used to study the interactions of aerosols with ozone. The preliminary results show that ozone reacts with many compounds found in aerosols, and that the thermoluminescence curves obtained from ozonated aerosols are characteristic of the aerosol. The results suggest several important applications of the thermoluminescent method: development of a detector for identification of effluent sources; a sensitive experimental tool for study of heterogeneous chemistry; evaluation of importance of aerosols in atmospheric chemistry; and study of formation of toxic, electronically excited species in airborne particles.

Long, E. R., Jr.

Extraction of cloud cover parameters from multispectral satellite measurements

An approach to the extraction of cloud cover parameters from multispectral satellite measurements is proposed which combines the best features of the threshold method and of the cluster approach. The approach proposed here utilizes radiative transfer equations, as in the threshold method, along with the identification of clusters in the two-dimensional histogram formed by the visible and 11-micron infrared channels. Information from a third channel, at 3.7 microns, is used to determine the microphysical model of the cloud particles. Examples of applications of the proposed approach are presented.

Arking, A.

Contamination Control in Hybrid Microelectronic Modules. Part 1: Identification of Critical Process and Contaminants

Various hybrid processing steps, handling procedures, and materials are examined in an attempt to identify sources of contamination and to propose methods for the control of these contaminants. It is found that package sealing, assembly, and rework are especially susceptible to contamination. Moisture and loose particles are identified as the worst contaminants. The points at which contaminants are most likely to enter the hybrid package are also identified, and both general and specific methods for their detection and control are developed. In general, the most effective controls for contaminants are: clean working areas, visual inspection at each step of the process, and effective cleaning at critical process steps. Specific methods suggested include the detection of loose particles by a precap visual inspection, by preseal and post-seal electrical testing, and by a particle impact noise test. Moisture is best controlled by sealing all packages in a clean, dry, inert atmosphere after a thorough bake-out of all parts.

Himmel, R. P.

Ion-beam analysis of meteoritic and lunar samples

Charged particle-induced nuclear reactions were used in the following problems: the determination of elemental abundances of boron and fluorine in carbonaceous chondritic meteorites; the identification of products of lunar vulcanism; and the study of solar wind-implanted atoms in lunar materials. The technique was seen as an important supplement to other methods of elemental and isotopic analysis. This was especially true for cases involving light elements at very low concentrations or where high resolution depth distribution information was needed in non-destructive analysis.

Tombrello, T. A.

Particle sizes in Comet Bennett /1970 II/

The particle size distribution in the coma and tail of Comet Bennett has been determined by several methods, each sensitive to a particular size range. It is confirmed that a minimum value of the particle density, size, and radiation pressure efficiency function exists at about .00003 to .00010 g/sq cm. The existence of such a cutoff is probably due to the decreasing radiation pressure efficiency for particles smaller than the wavelength of the light being scattered. An exact determination of this cutoff may allow identification of the particle type.

O'Dell, C. R.

Phosphate Textural Diversity in CI Chondrites and C-Type Asteroids

Introduction: Apatite, Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (CL/F/OH-), is a ubiquitous phosphate found throughout the solar system, including the most primitive solids, CI-chondrites [1,2] and related samples of carbonaceous asteroids Ryugu [3] and Bennu [4], returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 and NASA’s OSIRIS-REx missions, respectively. Apatite in these primitive solids is found as individual grains or mineral clusters and has been inferred to form from the hydrothermal sequence during cooling of their respective parent body or bodies. To better understand the formation history and reworking of these early phosphates we have undertaken a highly coordinated study of phosphate microstructures, geochemistry and U/Pb geochronology from a suite of CI meteorites and carbonaceous asteroid samples. These data have identified novel phosphate microstructures and complex relationships across a suite of apatite grains from the early solar system, indicating multiple episodes of growth and modification on the CI parent body(ies). Methods: Samples of CI chondrites, Alais, Ivuna, Orgueil, Oued Chebeika 002, Yamato (Y) 82162, Y980115, Y980134, and two chips of Hayabusa2 Ryugu particles (A0262 and C0263) have been acquired for analysis. The bulk texture of the samples were first scanned by X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) using the Nikon XT H 320 within the XFACT facility at NASA JSC or the Xradia 620 Versa at the UTCT facility. Based on the identification of petrofabrics or features of interest from the XCT data, samples were chipped, oriented, potted in epoxy and thick sections were prepared. After anhydrously polishing the samples with silicon carbide and dry diamond powder down to 1 µm, the samples were ion polished using a Hitachi ArBlade. Energy dispersive Xray spectrometry (EDS) maps were collected to ID phosphates of interest using a JEOL 7900F SEM. The internal microstructures of identified phosphates were then mapped by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) using the JEOL 7900F. Based on the EDS and EBSD data, domains of interest were targeted for quantitative chemical analyses using a JEOL 8530 EPMA. Subsequently, in situ U-Pb and 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages will be collected using a Cameca ims1290 secondary ion mass spectrometer at UCLA across a range of microstructures. Results: Apatite grains are ubiquitous throughout the CI chondrites and carbonaceous asteroid materials, found as individual grains, disseminated clusters or grain aggregates. Apatite grains are associated with serpentine, magnet-ite, and/or carbonate. Of particular interest, we have identified individual and aggregate polycrystalline grains ex-hibiting an internal ‘honeycomb’ texture (Fig. 1). Some of these grains appear overprinted by subsequent alteration while others remain unaltered. Apatite halogen sites are dominated by the missing component, assumed to be OH, and F, comparable to published values from Bennu, Ryugu and CM-chondrites [3-5]. However, the Yamato CI-like meteorites show a broader range of Cl values, and one grain from Alais is dominated by CL. Summary: Apatite growth features indicate a protracted and complex growth history, consistent with precipitation from an evolving fluid system. The ‘honeycomb’ texture identified in some CI meteorites is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of such a microstructure in meteoritic phosphate. The microtextures and zoning will guide subsequent age analyses, to better constrain the formation and reworking of phosphate in CI(-like) materials. Acknowledgments: We thank the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan for samples of Y82162, 980115 and 980134 meteorites, ASU’s Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies for samples of Ivuna and Alais meteorites, and JAXA curation for chips of Ryugu material. This work was funded by NASA ROSES LARS grant 24-LARS24-0014. References: [1] Morlok et al., 2016, GCA 70:5371-5394. [2] Alfin g et al., 2019, Geochemistry 79:125532. [3] Nakamura et al. (2022) Science 379:1-15. [4] Seifert et al. (2026) MAPS 61:504-521. [5] Piralla et al. (2021) MAPS 56:809-828.

CI chondrites

On particle track detectors

Aqueous sodium hydroxide is widely used to develop charged particle tracks in polycarbonate film, particularly Lexan. The chemical nature of the etching process for this system has been determined. A method employing ultra-violet absorbance was developed for monitoring the concentration of the etch products in solution. Using this method it was possible to study the formation of the etching solution saturated in etch products. It was found that the system super-saturates to a significant extent before precipitation occurs. It was also learned that the system approaches its equilibrium state rather slowly. It is felt that both these phenomena may be due to the presence of surfactant in the solution. In light of these findings, suggestions are given regarding the preparation and maintenance of the saturated etch solution. Two additional research projects, involving automated techniques for particle track analysis and particle identification using AgCl crystals, are briefly summarized.

Benton, E. V.

Optimization of confinement in a toroidal plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

The toroidal ring of plasma contained in the NASA Lewis Bumpy Torus facility may be biased to positive or negative potentials approaching 50 kV by applying dc voltages of the respective polarity to 12 or fewer midplane electrode rings. The radial electric fields, which are responsible for raising the ions to high energies by E x B/B-squared drift, then point out of or into the plasma. A preliminary report is given on the identification and optimization of independent variables which affect the ion density and confinement time in the Bumpy Torus plasma. The independent variables include the polarity, position, and number of the midplane electrode rings, the method of gas injection, and the polarity and strength of a weak vertical magnetic field. Some characteristic data taken under conditions where most of the independent variables were optimized are presented. The highest value of the electron number density on the plasma axis is 3.2 trillion per cu cm, the highest ion heating efficiency is 47%, and the longest particle containment time is 2.0 msec.

Roth, J. R.

The asteroid albedo scale. I - Laboratory polarimetry of meteorites

Laboratory reflection polarimetry is presented for crushed rocks, lunar soils, and 24 meteoritic samples. The polarization-phase curves found for the meteorites closely resemble telescopic results for minor planets, but only if the samples are crushed finely enough to coat the larger particles with dust. The results generally confirm the identifications previously made from reflection spectroscopy for the meteoritic analogues of various types of asteroids; the more metal-rich ordinary chondrites, for example, match telescopic observations of the S-type minor planets well enough, as do the basaltic achondrites for Vesta. No meteorite measured, however, has a geometric albedo less than 0.05 as required for many of the C asteroids. A calibration of the polarimetric slope-albedo law, now determined strictly for meteoritic samples, confirms the asteroid albedo and diameter scale derived by the independent method of thermal radiometry.

Zellner, B.

Optimization of confinement in a toroidal plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

A preliminary report on the identification and optimization of independent variables which affect the ion density and confinement time in a bumpy torus plasma is presented. The independent variables include the polarity, position, and number of the midplane electrode rings, the method of gas injection, and the polarity and strength of a weak vertical magnetic field. Some characteristic data taken under condition when most of the independent variables were optimized are presented. The highest value of the electron number density on the plasma axis is 3.2 x 10 to the 12th power/cc, the highest ion heating efficiency is 47 percent, and the longest particle containment time is 2.0 milliseconds.

Roth, J. R.

Chemistry of cometary meteoroids from video-tape records of meteor spectra

The chemistry of the cometary meteoroids was studied by closed circuit television observing systems. Vidicon cameras produce basic data on standard video tape and enable the recording of the spectra of faint shower meteors, consequently the chemical study is extended to smaller particles and we have a larger data bank than is available from the more conventional method of recording meteor spectra by photography. The two main problems in using video tape meteor spectrum records are: (1) the video tape recording has a much lower resolution than the photographic technique; (2) video tape is relatively new type of data storage in astronomy and the methods of quantitative photometry have not yet been fully developed in the various fields where video tape is used. The use of the most detailed photographic meteor spectra to calibrate the video tape records and to make positive identification of the more prominent chemical elements appearing in the spectra may solve the low resolution problem. Progress in the development of standard photometric techniques for the analysis of video tape records of meteor spectra is reported.

Millman, P. M.