LANDSAT Range Resource Information System

A series of test products were developed from LANDSAT data sets for North Central Texas that paralleled the needs of ranchers, technical personnel, and the media. The products and evaluation questionnaires were mailed to approximately 150 ranchers who had reported an interest in evaluating the information systems. In addition to the rancher group, fourteen media people and a thirty-three member group in the agri business/technical community was also chosen to receive test products. The group responses are analyzed. Examples of the test products and associated questionnaires are included

Rangeland biomass estimation demonstration

Because of their sensitivity to chlorophyll density, green leaf density, and leaf water density, two hand-held radiometers which have sensor bands coinciding with thematic mapper bands 3, 4, and 5 were used to calibrate green biomass to LANDSAT spectral ratios as a step towards using portable radiometers to speed up ground data acquisition. Two field reflectance panels monitored incoming radiation concurrently with sampling. Software routines were developed and used to extract data from uncorrected tapes of MSS data provided in NASA LANDSAT universal format. A LANDSAT biomass calibration curve estimated the range biomass over a four scene area and displayed this information spatially as a product in a format of use to ranchers. The regional biomass contour map is discussed

Two-peaked and flat-top perfect bright solitons in epsilon-near-zero nonlinear metamaterials: novel Kerr self-trapping mechanisms

We analytically investigate transverse magnetic (TM) spatial bright solitons, as exact solutions of Maxwell's equations, propagating through nonlinear metamaterials whose linear dielectric permittivity is very close to zero and whose effective nonlinear Kerr parameters can be tailored to achieve values not available in standard materials. Exploiting the fact that, in the considered medium, linear and nonlinear polarization can be comparable at feasible and realistic optical intensities, we identify two novel self-trapping mechanisms able to support two-peaked and flat-top solitons, respectively. Specifically, these two novel mechanisms are based on the occurrence of critical points at which the effective nonlinear permittivity vanishes, the two mechanisms differing in the way the compensation between linear and nonlinear polarization is achieved through the non-standard values of the nonlinear parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Variational analysis of self-focusing of intense ultrashort pulses in gases

By using perturbation theory we derive an expression for the electrical field of a Gaussian laser pulse propagating in a gas medium. This expression is used as a trial solution in a variational method to get quasianalytical solutions for the width, intensity and self-focusing distance of ultrashort pulse. The approximation gives an improved agreement with results of numerical simulations for a broad range of values of the input power of the pulse than previous analytical results available in the literature.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

LANDSAT range resource information system project, volume 1

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Study of tooling concepts for manufacturing operations in space Final report

Mechanical linkage device for manufacturing operations with orbital workshop

Zitterbewegung of optical pulses in nonlinear frequency conversion

Pulse walk-off in the process of sum frequency generation in a nonlinear $\chi^{(2)}$ crystal is shown to be responsible for pulse jittering which is reminiscent to the Zitterbewegung (trembling motion) of a relativistic freely moving Dirac particle. An analytical expression for the pulse center of mass trajectory is derived in the no-pump-depletion limit, and numerical examples of Zitterbewegung are presented for sum frequency generation in periodically-poled lithium niobate. The proposed quantum-optical analogy indicates that frequency conversion in nonlinear optics could provide an experimentally accessible simulator of the Dirac equation.Comment: to be published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physic

The Action of Certain Organic Silver Compounds on the Potato Root Eelworm, Heterodera schachtii, Schmidt, With Notes on the Biology of the Parasite, and Additional Papers

Abstract Not Provided

A data acquisition and handling system for the measurement of radial plasma transport rates

A system which allows the transfer of experimental data from one or more transient recorders to a digital computer, the entry of calibration data and the entry of archival data is described. The overall approach is discussed and illustrated in detail