35 research outputs found
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A measurement concept for hot-spot BRDFs from space
Several concepts for canopy hot-spot measurements from space have been investigated. The most promising involves active illumination and bistatic detection that would allow hot-spot angular distribution (BRDF) measurements from space in a search-light mode. The concept includes a pointable illumination source, such as a laser operating at an atmospheric window wavelength, coupled with a number of high spatial-resolution detectors that are clustered around the illumination source in space, receiving photons nearly coaxial with the reto-reflection direction. Microwave control and command among the satellite cluster would allow orienting the direction of the laser beam as well as the focusing detectors simultaneously so that the coupled system can function like a search light with almost unlimited pointing capabilities. The concept is called the Hot-Spot Search-Light (HSSL) satellite. A nominal satellite altitude of 600 km will allow hot-spot BRDF measurements out to about 18 degrees phase angle. The distributed are taking radiometric measurements of the intensity wings of the hot-spot angular distribution without the need for complex imaging detectors. The system can be operated at night for increased signal-to-noise ratio. This way the hot-spot angular signatures can be quantified and parameterized in sufficient detail to extract the biophysical information content of plant architectures
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Hydrodynamics of evaporating aerosols irradiated by intense laser beams
An analysis is presented describing the interactions of atmospheric aerosols with a high-intensity laser beam propagating along an atmospheric path. For the case of moderate beam irradiances, diffusive mass transport and conductive energy transport dominate the aerosol-beam interactions. In this regime, the coupled aerosol-beam equations are solved numerically to obtain the spatic-temporal behavior of the propagating beam, and of the irradiated aerosols. For higher beam irradiances, convective transport of mass, energy and momentum away from the irradiated aerosols must be considered. The hydrodynamic equations are solved in the surrounding medium for this regime subject to appropriate ''jump conditions'' at the surface of the irradiated aerosol. Numerical examples illustrative of both regimes are given for the case of irradiated water aerosol droplets. 11 refs., 6 figs
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Smoke clearing by high energy laser beams
We describe the clearing phenomenon that occurs when a continuous wave (CW) high energy laser beam, incident upon a cloud of hygroscopic droplets, vaporizes these droplets. We consider the case when the incident wavelength is greater than the average droplet radius. Williams' model is used to describe the vaporization of a single droplet. The propagation of the laser beam is described by the radiative transfer equation in a slab geometry. The radiative transfer equation is solved using the method of successive orders of scattering
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Minimum-thickness blanket/shield with optimum tritium breeding and shielding effectiveness
A blanket/shield assembly for a fusion reactor has been designed through extensive optimization studies. The design was optimized under the following constraints: (a) minimum overall thickness, (b) tritium breeding ratio of 1.10, (c) thermal energy recovery of 90%, (d) acceptably flat temperature distribution, and (e) excluding all ''exotic'' or problematic materials. The optimized blanket/shield has an overall thickness of 36 cm and conforms with all the above requirements. All tritium breeding is accomplished in a 24-cm-thick breeding zone using stagnant enriched lithium-6, and lead as a neutron multiplier. The energy recovery in this breeding zone is 71% which, together with an additional energy extraction of 19% in a 12-cm-thick laminated stainless steel/boron carbide shield zone, results in the desired overall thermal efficiency of 0.90 which is considered adequate if normal-conducting magnets are used for plasma confinement
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The angular reflectance signature of the canopy hot spot in the optical regime
When any three-dimensional surface, e.g. a plant canopy is illuminated by a directional light source such as the sun, an angular reflectance distribution results that shows a narrow intensity peak in the direction of retro-reflection. This is called the Heiligenschein or hot spot (HS) of vegetation canopies and is caused by the absence of mutual shading of leaves when the observation direction coincides with the illumination direction. The angular intensity distribution of this hot spot, its brightness and contrast against the background, are therefore indicators of the plant's geometry. We show from experimental data and by modeling that the hot spot angular reflectance signature carries information about plant stand architecture that is often more distinctive for different plant species than their spectral signatures. 8 refs., 11 figs
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Application of the adjoint method in atmospheric radiative transfer calculations
The transfer of solar radiation through a standard mid-latitude summer atmosphere including different amounts of aerosols (from clear to hazy) has been computed. The discrete-ordinates (S/sub N/) method, which has been developed to a high degree of computational efficiency and accuracy primarily for nuclear radiation shielding applications, is employed in a forward as well as adjoint mode. In the adjoint mode the result of a transfer calculation is an importance function (adjoint intensity) which allows the calculation of transmitted fluxes, or other radiative responses, for any arbitrary source distribution. The theory of the adjoint method is outlined in detail and physical interpretations are developed for the adjoint intensity. If, for example, the downward directed solar flux at ground level, F/sub lambda/ (z = 0), is desired for N different solar zenith angles, a regular (forward) radiative transfer calculation must be repeated for each solar zenith angle. In contrast, only 1 adjoint transfer calculation gives F/sub lambda/ (z = 0) for all solar zenith angles in a hazy aerosol atmosphere, for 1 wavelength interval, in 2.3 seconds on a CDC-7600 computer. A total of 155 altitude zones were employed between 0 and 70 km, and the convergence criterion for the ratio of fluxes from successive iterations was set at 2 x 10/sup -3/. Our results demonstrate not only the applicability of the highly efficient modern S/sub N/ codes, but indicate also conceptual and computational advantages when the adjoint formulation of the radiative transfer equation is used
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Angular signatures, and a space-borne measurement concept
The nature and value of angular signatures in remote sensing are reviewed with emphasis on the canopy hot-spot as a directionally localized angular signature and an important special case of a BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function). A new concept is presented that allows hot spot measurements from space by using active (laser) illumination and bistatic detection. The detectors are proposed as imaging array sensors that are circulating the illumination source (or vice versa) and are connected with it through tethers in space which also provide the directional controls needed so that the entire system becomes pointable like a search light. Near infrared or IR operation in an atmospheric transmission winodw is envisioned with night-time data acquistion. Detailed feasibility and systems analyses have yet to be performed
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Off-nadir optical remote sensing from satellites for vegetation identification
Today's satellite remote sensing systems rely heavily on spectral signatures for scene identification from nadir observations. We propose to use angular signatures as complementary scene identifiers when off-nadir sensing is possible. Specifically, the hot spot (Heiligenschein) of plant canopies is recognized as an atmosphere-invariant angular reflectance signature that carries information about the plant stand architecture which may be useful for instant crop identification from off-nadir satellite measurements
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Application of biasing techniques to the contributon Monte Carlo method
Recently, a new Monte Carlo Method called the Contribution Monte Carlo Method was developed. The method is based on the theory of contributions, and uses a new receipe for estimating target responses by a volume integral over the contribution current. The analog features of the new method were discussed in previous publications. The application of some biasing methods to the new contribution scheme is examined here. A theoretical model is developed that enables an analytic prediction of the benefit to be expected when these biasing schemes are applied to both the contribution method and regular Monte Carlo. This model is verified by a variety of numerical experiments and is shown to yield satisfying results, especially for deep-penetration problems. Other considerations regarding the efficient use of the new method are also discussed, and remarks are made as to the application of other biasing methods. 14 figures, 1 tables