Status of the Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

The Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (TGRS) was launched aboard the GGS/WIND spacecraft on November 1, 1994. After several deep space orbits (2 yrs) WIND will eventually be injected into a halo orbit around the Sun-EarthL ₁ point. TGRS consists of a 215 cm³ high purityn-type Ge crystal which is kept at cryogenic temperatures by a passive radiative cooler. The energy range covered by the instrument is 25–8000 keV with an energy resolution of 2–3 keV. The primary task of TGRS is to perform high resolution spectroscopy of gamma-ray bursts and solar flares. Additional objectives are the study of transient x-ray pulsars and, using an on-board passive occulter, the long-term monitoring of sources such as the Crab and the Galactic Center. Since launch, TGRS has been performing exceedingly well, and all the important experiment parameters such as background levels, gain, and resolution have proven to be very stable. To date, TGRS has detected 27 GRBs and three solar flares. Preliminary analysis of our data also indicates that TGRS is indeed sensitive to sources such as the Crab and the Galactic Center.     

A powerful new infrared array camera for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

We have just finished building a 1.0–5.5 m infrared array camera for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility based upon the SBRC 256×256 InSb array. After a brief overview of the capabilities of the camera (named NSFCAM), we present some of the first images obtained with this new camera, including results obtained with our realtime shift & add speckle imaging mode.     

Refractive optical systems for astronomical instruments using infrared arrays in the 0.8 to 2.5 micron bands

As modern infrared arrays evolve towards larger formats and smaller pixel sizes, their use in instruments requires optics of increasingly higher performance. Refractive systems are attractive for many applications because they can accommodate wide fields of view or fast focal ratios while permitting a compact, unobscured layout. We examine design considerations for lenses which can address the entire near-infrared spectral region of 0.8 to 2.5 m. Achromatization over this broad range is a particular challenge. We discuss a systematic study of candidate materials and combinations of materials having useful chromatic properties, with particular emphasis on alkaline earth halides and metallic oxides. We present an example of a practical design being incorporated into an instrument currently under construction.     

Astronomy with a mid-infrared echelle spectrograph

Irshell, a mid-infrared echelle spectrograph developed through a collaboration between the University of Texas, the University of California Space Sciences Laboratory, and Hughes Aircraft, has been in regular use for astronomical observations for about five years. It is optimized for high spectral resolution (R10,000) observations of narrow spectral regions (/1/300) and compact sources (a few arcsec), and is sensitive in the 5–25 m region. A wide variety of astronomical objects have been studied. Observing techniques have been developed to achieve maximum sensitivity in those observations for which Irshell is best suited and to allow observations of wide spectral regions and extended objects. We discuss the observing techniques and show some of the data obtained.     

The CWSI variations of a cotton crop in a semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil

A field experiment was conducted with a cotton crop during the growing season of August 1993 to January 1994, in a semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. The objective of this research is to evaluate the diurnal and seasonal variations of Crop Water Stress Index—CWSI, based on the canopy energy balance. Canopy temperature, air temperature, net radiation, wind speed and psychrometric measurements were made regularly at 10 and 14 h, and several diurnal cycles were also obtained. It was concluded that the irrigation should be initiated when the CWSI approaches 0.3. After a second stress event the crop took 3 days to resume transpiring at normal rate. The CWSI of NSP at 14 h presented more negative values than those obtained at 10 h. The response of CWSI with respect to T_c, r_c/r_a and R_n is evident and probably the most important source of error in CWSI determination.     

Water diffusion in synthetic iron-free forsterite

The kinetics of hydrogenation of dry synthetic forsterite single crystals was determined by performing experiments under hydrothermal conditions. The experiments were performed at 1.5 GPa, 1000 °C for 3 h in a piston-cylinder apparatus, or at 0.2 GPa, 900–1110 °C, for 3–20 h in TZM cold-seal vessels. The oxygen fugacity was buffered using Fe–FeO or Ni–NiO powders. Polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to quantify the hydroxyl distributions in the samples after the experiments. Hydrogenation rates were measured parallel to the three crystallographic axes from profiles of water content as a function of position in the samples. The chemical diffusion coefficients are marginally slower than in natural iron-bearing olivine for the same diffusion process, but the anisotropy of diffusion is the same, with the [001] axis the fastest direction of diffusion and [100] the slowest. Fits of the diffusion data to an Arrhenius law yield similar activation energies for each of the crystallographic axes; a global fit to all the diffusion data gave 211 ± 18 kJ mol^–1, in reasonable agreement with the previous results for natural olivine. Thus hydrogenation most likely occurs by coupled diffusion of protons and octahedrally coordinated metal vacancies. The diffusion rates are fast enough to modify water contents within xenoliths ascending from the mantle, but probably too slow to permit a total equilibration of forsterite or olivine crystals.     

锆石微区喇曼光谱研究及成因标型意义

通过对岩浆和变质成因锆石的微区喇曼光谱研究,揭示出岩浆和变质成因锆石从晶体核部至边缘在喇曼光谱峰强度上存在不同的变化趋势,即岩浆成因锆石由晶体核部至边缘喇曼峰强度逐渐减弱,而变质成因锆石则相反或不变化。这是由于它们形成时晶体中的U、Th分带趋势不同造成,具有重要的成因标型意。     

黄河下游春季一次MαCS暴雨过程的综合分析

20 0 3年 4月 17日 ,山东省济南地区出现罕见的春季大暴雨过程。卫星云图表明它是由α中尺度对流系统(MαCS)两次连续发展造成的。天气分析结果显示 ,4月中旬这次黄河流域MαCS的发生条件和MCC多发期的盛夏 ( 7,8月份 )相同 ,也产生在大尺度的暖脊中 ,并且有西南风低空急流向MαCS发生区输送暖湿空气。这种条件的出现是和该年春季西太平洋副热带高压异常偏北相关联的。雷达回波分析表明 ,和强对流型风暴相似 ,在MαCS的前沿也存在一条狭窄的对流性强降水带。红外云图黑体辐射温度 (TBB)分析表明 ,这条对流性回波带是和冷云盖的TBB强梯度带或TBB≤ -72℃的特别高耸的云顶相配合。进一步分析还表明 ,MαCS的第 2次发展与来自东面黄、渤海海区强大的低层冷空气回流有关 ,行星边界层风场明显的偏北风、偏南风和偏东风 3股气流结构使得济南附近的辐合特别强 ,导致第 2阶段的雨强更大。低层冷空气的侵入 ,可能是春季MαCS发生条件和流场结构上有别于夏季MCC的独特性。     

红外成像无损检测技术基本原理及其应用范围

红外检测技术是一门应用范围极广的技术,它不仅在军事上应用广泛，近年来在民用工程技术也得到了进一步发展，文章着重介绍红外成像无损检测的基本原理、应用范围及检测技术。     

镁铝榴石中的结构水的研究

通过对34个取自金伯利岩管中的粗晶镁铝榴石及碱性玄武岩中镁铝榴石巨晶样品的红外光谱分析发现,金伯利岩中部分镁铝榴石粗晶含有结构水,但不同颗粒之间含量差异很大,含量较高者约0.07wt%,而所研究的碱性玄武岩中的镁铝榴石不含结构水。分析发现,结构水在同一样品内分布基本均匀。在红外光谱3800—3500cm~(-1)波长范围内,分别记录到三峰谱和单峰谱两种类型,其中位于3570cm~(-1)±的吸收峰峰位明显受镁铝榴石结构中八配位阳离子(Mg~(2+)、Fe~(2+))影响,而六配位阳离子(Cr~(3+)、Al~(3+))的影响不明显。结构水在镁铝榴石晶格中的存在形式是多样的。