Observations of shadow bands at the total solar eclipse of 16 February 1980

Photoelectric observations of short term light variations (shadow bands) at the 16 Feb. 1980 total solar eclipse have been made using a set of spatially separated PIN diodes. Light variations in a bandpass of 1-500 Hz were detected during the half-minutes preceding and following the total phase. Fourier analysis of the noise spectrum of the variations reveals a sharp drop-off for frequencies above 50 Hz and an overall spectrum quite similar to previously reported power spectra of stellar scintillation. This is consistent with an atmospheric origin for the shadow bands. Cross-correlations between the detector outputs are low, suggesting a short persistence time for the turbulent elements causing the patterns.     

A technique for the determination of 18O/16O and 17O/16O isotopic ratios in water from small liquid and solid samples

We have developed a new technique in which a solid reagent, cobalt(III) fluoride, is used to prepare oxygen gas for isotope ratio measurement from water derived either from direct injection or from the pyrolysis of solid samples. The technique uses continuous flow, isotope ratio monitoring, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (irmGC/MS) to measure the delta18O and delta17O of the oxygen gas. Water from appropriate samples is evolved by a procedure of stepped pyrolysis (0-1000 degrees C, typically in 50 degrees C increments) under a flowing stream of helium carrier gas. The method has considerable advantages over others used for water analysis in that it is quick; requires only small samples, typically 1-50 mg of whole rock samples (corresponding to approximately 0.2 micromol of H2O); and the reagent is easy and safe to handle. Reproducibility in isotope ratio measurement obtained from pyrolysis of samples of a terrestrial solid standard are delta18O +/- 0.54, delta17O +/- 0.33, and delta17O +/- 0.10/1000, 1sigma in all cases. The technique was developed primarily for the analysis of meteorites, and the efficiency of the method is illustrated herein by results from water standards, solid reference materials, and a sample of the Murchison CM2 meteorite.     

The origin of infrared bands in nitrogen-doped Si

Journal of Materials Science - This work reports Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) investigations on electron irradiated, nitrogen-doped Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz–Si). The...     

High-precision laser spectroscopy D/H and 18O/16O measurements of microliter natural water samples

Newly available gas analyzers based on off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) lasers have been advocated as an alternative to conventional isotope-ratio mass spectrometers (IRMS) for the stable isotopic analysis of water samples. In the case of H2O, OA-ICOS is attractive because it has comparatively low capital and maintenance costs, the instrument is small and field laboratory portable, and provides simultaneous D/H and 16O/18O ratio measurements directly on H2O molecules with no conversion of H2O to H2, CO, or H2/CO2-water equilibration required. Here we present a detailed assessment of the performance of a liquid-water isotope analyzer, including instrument precision, estimates of sample memory and sample mass effects, and instrumental drift. We provide a recommended analysis procedure to achieve optimum results using OA-ICOS. Our results show that, by using a systematic sample analysis and data normalization procedure routine, measurement accuracies of +/-0.8 per thousand for deltaD and +/-0.1 per thousand delta18O are achievable on nanoliter water samples. This is equivalent or better than current IRMS-based methods and at a comparable sample throughput rate.     

Isotope (18)O/(16)O Ratio Measurements of Water Vapor by use of Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

We applied a photoacoustic spectroscopy technique to isotope ratio measurements of (16)O and (18)O in water-vapor samples, using a pulsed tunable dye laser pumped by a Nd:YAG laser. The fourth overtone bands (4nu(OH)) of water molecules near 720 nm were investigated. We identified the absorption lines of H(2)(16)O and H(2)(18)O in the photoacoustic spectra that we measured by using an (18)O-enriched water sample and the HITRAN database. We measured the difference in the (18)O/(16)O isotope ratios for normal distilled water and Antarctic ice, using the photoacoustic method. The value obtained for the difference between the two samples is delta(18)O = -32 ? 16 per thousand, where the indicated deviation was a 1varsigma value among 240-s measurements, whereas the value measured with a conventional isotope mass spectrometer was delta(18)O = -28 ? 2 per thousand. This method is demonstrated to have the potential of a transportable system for in situ and quick measurements of the H(2)(18)O/H(2)(16)O ratio in the environment.     

Use of laser spectroscopy to measure the 13C/12C and 18O/16O compositions of carbonate minerals

The stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of carbonate minerals are utilized throughout the earth and environmental sciences for various purposes. Here, we demonstrate the first application of a prototype instrument, based on off-axis integrated cavity output laser spectroscopy, to measure the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of CO(2) gas evolved from the acidification of carbonate minerals. The carbon and oxygen isotope ratios were recorded from absorption spectra of (12)C(16)O(16)O, (13)C(16)O(16)O, and (12)C(16)O(18)O in the near-infrared wavelength region. The instrument was calibrated using CaCO(3) minerals with known δ(13)C(VPDB) and δ(18)O(VSMOW) values, which had been previously calibrated by isotope ratio mass spectrometry relative to the international isotopic standards NBS 18 and NBS 19. Individual analyses are demonstrated to have internal precision (1 SE) of better than 0.15‰ for δ(13)C and 0.6‰ for δ(18)O. Analysis of four carbonate standards of known isotopic composition over 2 months, determined using the original instrumental calibration, indicates that analyses are accurate to better than 0.5‰ for both δ(13)C and δ(18)O without application of standard-sample-standard corrections.     

Minimizing back exchange in 18O/16O quantitative proteomics experiments by incorporation of immobilized trypsin into the initial digestion step

Differential labeling of peptides via the use of the 18O-water proteolytic labeling method has been widely adopted for quantitative shotgun proteomics studies due to its simplicity and low reagent costs. In this report, the use of immobilized trypsin in the initial digestion step, in addition to the initial digestion step, is explored as a means to minimize postlabeling back exchange of 18O-labeled peptides into the 16O form when multidimensional peptide separation methods (here, isoelectric focusing of peptides) are incorporated into the sample workflow. Examples are shown with a mixture of standard proteins and a sample from an ongoing clinical proteomics study.     

Isotope 18O/16O ratio measurements of water vapor by use of the 950-nm wavelength region with cavity ring-down and photoacoustic spectroscopic techniques

Two optical methods, cavity ring-down spectroscopy and photoacoustic spectroscopy, are applied to the measurement of the isotope ratio 18O/16O in water-vapor samples with a Nd3+:YAG pumped-dye laser. The combination band of (2v1 + v3) in the 960-nm region of water molecules is investigated for two standard water samples, the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water and the Standard Light Antarctic Precipitation. The results demonstrate that the two methods have the potential of compact systems for in-situ measurements of H2O isotope ratio in the environment.     

The infrared spectra of CdO-P2O5 and CdO-ZnO-P2O5 glasses

The infrared absorption spectra of cadmium phosphate and cadmium zinc phosphate glasses were measured. The structure of cadmium phosphate glasses was found analogous to cadmium zinc phosphate glasses at 30% of ZnO but a further decrease in ZnO content causes a 30 to 40 cm^–1 change towards higher wave number of the absorption band at the stretching frequency. Annealing at different temperatures does not show a prominent change in absorption band positions.     

Synthesis,crystal structure refinement,electrical and magnetic properties of BaV13O18 and SrV13O18

Polycrystalline samples of BaV₁₃O₁₈ and SrV₁₃O₁₈ were prepared by solid-state reaction of BaCO₃, SrCO₃, V₂O₅ and V at 1773–2073 K in flowing Ar. The crystal structures of BaV₁₃O₁₈ (R-3, a_h=12.6293(10) Å, c_h=7.0121(4) Å) and SrV₁₃O₁₈ (a_h=12.5491(7) Å, c_h=6.9878(3) Å) were refined by the Rietveld method using X-ray diffraction data. BaV₁₃O₁₈ exhibited semiconducting behavior with electrical resistivity from 5.8×10⁻³ to 2.7×10⁻³ Ω cm at 100–300 K. Electrical resistivity of SrV₁₃O₁₈ ranged from 1.5×10⁻³ to 1.8×10⁻³ Ω cm, and it increased slightly up to around 250 K and decreased above 250 K with increasing temperature. Negative Seebeck coefficients of both compounds at 100–300 K indicated that electron was the dominant carrier. BaV₁₃O₁₈ and SrV₁₃O₁₈ showed paramagnetism with the effective magnetic moment of 0.11μ_B and 0.15μ_B, respectively, at 10–100 K.     

Observations of the moon by the global ozone monitoring experiment: radiometric calibration and lunar albedo

The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) is a new instrument, which was launched aboard the second European Remoting Sensing satellite ESA-ERS2 in 1995. For its long-term radiometric and spectral calibration the GOME observes the sun and less frequently the moon on a regular basis. These measurements of the lunar radiance and solar irradiance have been used in a study to determine, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, the geometric lunar albedo from 240 to 800 nm at high spectral resolution from space. For a waning moon there is good agreement with ground-based measurements in the visible region and with recent space-based measurements in the ultraviolet region. In addition, the use of these measurements for the characterization of in-orbit degradation of instruments operating in this spectral region has been adequately demonstrated.     

Retrieval of atmospheric ozone profiles from an infrared quantum cascade laser heterodyne radiometer: results and analysis

Following the recent development of a ground-based prototype quantum cascade laser heterodyne radiometer operating in the midinfrared, atmospheric ozone profile retrievals from a solar occultation measurement campaign performed at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory on 21 September 2006 are presented. Retrieval is based on the optimal estimation method. High resolution (0.0073 cm(-1)) atmospheric spectra recorded by the laser heterodyne radiometer and covering a microwindow (1033.8-1034.5 cm(-1)) optimized for atmospheric ozone measurements were used as measurement vectors. As part of the evaluation of this novel instrument, a comprehensive analysis of the retrievals is presented, demonstrating the high potential of quantum cascade laser heterodyne radiometry for atmospheric sounding. Vertical resolutions of 2 km near the ground and about 3 km in the stratosphere were obtained. The information content of the retrieval was found to be up to 48 bits, which is much higher than any other passive ground-based instrument. Frequency mismatches of several absorption peaks between the forward model and experimental spectra have been observed and significantly contribute to the retrieval noise error in the upper-troposphere lower-stratosphere region. Retrieved ozone vertical profiles were compared to ozonesonde data recorded at similar latitudes. The agreement is generally excellent except for the 20 to 25 km peak in ozone concentration, where ozonesonde data were found to be 20% lower than the amount retrieved from the laser heterodyne radiometer spectra. Quantum cascade laser based heterodyne radiometry in the midinfrared has been demonstrated to provide high spectral resolution and unprecedented vertical resolution for a passive sounder in a highly compact and mechanically simple package.     

KMn8O16纳米棒的制备及其性能表征

以KMnO4和MnSO4*H2O为原料, 采用氧化还原沉淀法制备了KMn8O16粉体,运用XRD、ICP、SEM、TEM、IR、XPS等分析手段对其结构、大小、形貌及相关性质进行了表征.结果表明,所获粉体由大小均匀、平均尺寸约为230nm×25nm的棒状粒子组成;粉体中Mn主要存在形式是+4价,并含有一定数量的表面氧缺位,其较高的H2O2分解活性与它的表面微结构有关.     

W18O49纳米棒的制备及电致变色性能研究

采用溶剂热法合成单斜相氧化钨W18 O49纳米棒,通过改变反应物六氯化钨(WCl6)的质量浓度对纳米棒的形貌进行调节,利用X射线衍射仪、透射电子显微镜、场发射扫描电子显微镜等分析手段对纳米棒的物相、结构以及形貌进行表征.结果 表明,当WCl6质量浓度为0.3mg/mL时,W18 O49纳米棒表现出优异的电致变色性能.当...     

Multispectral decomposition for the removal of out-of-band effects of visible/infrared imaging radiometer suite visible and near-infrared bands

The visible/infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) is now onboard the first satellite platform managed by the Joint Polar Satellite System of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. It collects scientific data from an altitude of approximately 830 km in 22 narrow bands located in the 0.4-12.5 μm range. The seven visible and near-infrared (VisNIR) bands in the wavelength interval between 0.4-0.9 μm are known to suffer from the out-of-band (OOB) responses--a small amount of radiances far away from the center of a given band that can pass through the filter and reach detectors in the focal plane. A proper treatment of the OOB effects is necessary in order to obtain calibrated at-sensor radiance data [referred to as the Sensor Data Records (SDRs)] from measurements with these bands and subsequently to derive higher-level data products [referred to as the Environmental Data Records (EDRs)]. We have recently developed a new technique, called multispectral decomposition transform (MDT), which can be used to correct/remove the OOB effects of VIIRS VisNIR bands and to recover the true narrow band radiances from the measured radiances containing OOB effects. An MDT matrix is derived from the laboratory-measured filter transmittance functions. The recovery of the narrow band signals is performed through a matrix multiplication--the production between the MDT matrix and a multispectral vector. Hyperspectral imaging data measured from high altitude aircraft and satellite platforms, the complete VIIRS filter functions, and the truncated VIIRS filter functions to narrower spectral intervals, are used to simulate the VIIRS data with and without OOB effects. Our experimental results using the proposed MDT method have demonstrated that the average errors after decomposition are reduced by more than one order of magnitude.