Predicting the polarization of the microwave background from the WMAP temperature maps

In this paper, we study how to predict the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) using knowledge of only the temperature (intensity) and the cross-correlation between temperature and polarization. We derive a “Wiener prediction” method and apply it to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) all-sky CMB temperature maps and to the MAXIMA field.     

MAXIPOL: a balloon-borne experiment for measuring the polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

We discuss MAXIPOL, a bolometric balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the E-mode polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) on angular scales of 10^′ to 2°. MAXIPOL is the first CMB experiment to collect data with a polarimeter that utilizes a rotating half-wave plate and fixed wire-grid polarizer. We present the instrument design, elaborate on the polarimeter strategy and show the instrument performance during flight with some time domain data. Our primary dataset was collected during a 26 h turnaround flight that was launched from the National Scientific Ballooning Facility in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico in May 2003. During this flight five regions of the sky were mapped. Data analysis is in progress.     

Reservoirs of atmospheric chlorine: Prospects for HOCl revisted

We have re-examined the prospects of HOCl as an inert reservoir for atmospheric chlorine in the light of new theoretical calculations and available experimental measurements of its photodissociation cross-sections. The theoretical calculations and most recent laboratory studies imply that the broad maxima 3200 Å observed in two other experimental spectra may not belong to HOCl. On the basis of this implication HOCl could have a long lifetime against photodissociation in the stratosphere, and could, thereby, become a reservoir for atmospheric chlorine comparable to ClONO₂ or even HCl. In this capacity HOCl could reduce the predicted ozone destruction due to any given level of total chlorine burden. We have also examined the difficulties in laboratory measurements of the HOCl absorption spectrum with particular emphasis on identifying the impurities which may be present in the experimental system. It appears that specialized new experiments are needed to clearly establish the nature and strength of HOCl absorption in the neighbourhood of 3200 Å. Some refinements in the theoretical calculations also seem desirable. In view of the difficulties involved in the laboratory determination of HOCl photodissociation cross-sections, it is suggested that a search for possible stratospheric HOCl by atmospheric spectroscopists would be worthwhile.     

Reactive Nitrogen Compounds at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic

Simultaneousindependent measurements of NO_y and NO_x(NO_x= NO + NO₂) by high-sensitivitychemiluminescence systems and of PAN (peroxyacetylnitrate) and PPN (peroxypropionyl nitrate) by GC-ECDwere made at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arcticduring the first half year of 1994. The average mixingratio of the sum of PAN and PPN (denoted PANs)increased from around 150 pptv in early winter to amaximum of around 500 pptv in late March, whereasepisodic peak values reached 800 pptv. This occurredsimultaneously with a maximum in ozone which increasedto 45–50 ppbv in March–April. The average NO_xmixing ratio was 27 pptv and did not show any cyclethrough the period. The NO_y mixing ratio showeda maximum in late March, while the difference betweenNO_y and PAN decreased during spring. This is anindication of the dominance of PAN in the NO_ybudget in the Arctic, but possible changes in theefficiency of the NO_y converter could alsocontribute to this. Although most PAN in theArctic is believed to be due to long range transport,the observations indicate local loss and formationrates of up to 1–2 pptv h^-1 in April–May.Measurements of carbonyl compounds suggest thatacetaldehyde was the dominant, local precursor ofPAN.Now at 1.     

Physical criteria for distinguishing sandy tsunami and storm deposits using modern examples

Modern subaerial sand beds deposited by major tsunamis and hurricanes were compared at trench, transect, and sub-regional spatial scales to evaluate which attributes are most useful for distinguishing the two types of deposits. Physical criteria that may be diagnostic include: sediment composition, textures and grading, types and organization of stratification, thickness, geometry, and landscape conformity.

Published reports of Pacific Ocean tsunami impacts and our field observations suggest that sandy tsunami deposits are generally < 25 cm thick, extend hundreds of meters inland from the beach, and fill microtopography but generally conform to the antecedent landscape. They commonly are a single homogeneous bed that is normally graded overall, or that consists of only a few thin layers. Mud intraclasts and mud laminae within the deposit are strong evidence of tsunami deposition. Twig orientation or other indicators of return flow during bed aggradation are also diagnostic of tsunami deposits. Sandy storm deposits tend to be > 30 cm thick, generally extend < 300 m from the beach, and will not advance beyond the antecedent macrotopography they are able to fill. They typically are composed of numerous subhorizontal planar laminae organized into multiple laminasets that are normally or inversely graded, they do not contain internal mud laminae and rarely contain mud intraclasts. Application of these distinguishing characteristics depends on their preservation potential and any deposit modifications that accompany burial.

The distinctions between tsunami and storm deposits are related to differences in the hydrodynamics and sediment-sorting processes during transport. Tsunami deposition results from a few high-velocity, long-period waves that entrain sediment from the shoreface, beach, and landward erosion zone. Tsunamis can have flow depths greater than 10 m, transport sediment primarily in suspension, and distribute the load over a broad region where sediment falls out of suspension when flow decelerates. In contrast, storm inundation generally is gradual and prolonged, consisting of many waves that erode beaches and dunes with no significant overland return flow until after the main flooding. Storm flow depths are commonly < 3 m, sediment is transported primarily as bed load by traction, and the load is deposited within a zone relatively close to the beach.     

Equilibrium coexistence of three amphiboles

Electron probe and wet chemical analyses of amphibole pairs from the sillimanite zone of central Massachusetts and adjacent New Hampshire indicated that for a particular metamorphic grade there should be a restricted composition range in which three amphiboles can coexist stably. An unequivocal example of such an equilibrium three amphibole rock has been found in the sillimanite-orthoclase zone. It contains a colorless primitive clinoamphibole, space group P2₁/m, optically and chemically like cummingtonite with blue-green hornblende exsolution lamellae on (100) and (¯101) of the host; blue-green hornblende, space group C2/m, with primitive cummingtonite exsolution lamellae on (100) and (¯101) of the host; and pale pinkish tan anthophyllite, space group Pnma, that is free of visible exsolution lamellae but is a submicroscopic intergrowth of two orthorhombic amphiboles. Mutual contacts and coarse, oriented intergrowths of two and three host amphiboles indicate the three grew as an equilibrium assemblage prior to exsolution. Electron probe analyses at mutual three-amphibole contacts showed little variation in the composition of each amphibole. Analyses believed to represent most closely the primary amphibole compositions gave atomic proportions on the basis of 23 oxygens per formula unit as follows: for primitive cummingtonite (Na_0.02Ca_0.21 ^– Mn_0.06Fe²⁺ _2.28Mg_4.12Al_0.28) (Al_0.17Si_7.83), for hornblende (Na_0.35Ca_1.56Mn_0.02Fe_1.71Mg_2.85Al_0.92) (Al_1.37Si_6.63), and for anthophyllite (Na_0.10Ca_0.06Mn_0.06Fe_2.25Mg_4.11Al_0.47) (Al_0.47Si_7.53). The reflections violating C-symmetry, on X-ray single crystal photographs of the primitive cummingtonite, are weak and diffuse, and suggest a partial inversion from a C-centered to a primitive clinoamphibole. Single crystal photographs of the anthophyllite show split reflections indicating it is an intergrowth of about 80% anthophyllite and about 20% gedrite which differ in their b crystallographic dimensions. Split reflections are characteristic of all analyzed orthorhombic amphiboles so far examined from Massachusetts and New Hampshire except the most aluminous gedrites, and the relative intensity of the gedrite reflections is roughly proportional to the degree of Na and Al substitution. Thin sections of a few of these anthophyllite specimens show lamellae parallel to (010) that are just resolved with a high power objective.Publication approved by the Director, U.S. Geological Survey.     

Shear strength of lunar soil from oceanus procellarum

Soil from the scoop of Surveyor 3, returned to Earth by Apollo 12 astronauts, has been tested in a miniature shear box at five bulk densities, from 0.99 to 1.87 g cm^–3. Cohesion increased with bulk density from 3 × 10^–2 to 3 × 10^–1 N cm^–2; internal friction angle increased from 13° to 56°. Shear stress vs normal stress data fit a logarithmic relationship better than a linear one, at normal stresses of 3 × 10^–3 to 3 x 10⁰ N cm^–2. Results of these tests, in air, show no systematic differences from those for tests made elsewhere in vacuum and nitrogen. Results agree with those obtained in remotely controlled lunar surface operations with Surveyor 3 and other spacecraft provided that the bulk density was slightly underestimated for the on-surface measurements.Paper dedicated to Prof. Harold C. Urey on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 29 April 1973.This work represents one phase of research conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, under Contract NAS 7-100.     

Science aspects of a mission beyond the planets

A mission out of the planetary system, launched about the year 2000, could provide valuable data concerning characteristics of the heliopause, the interstellar medium, stellar distances (by parallax measurements), low-energy cosmic rays, interplanetary gas distribution, and mass of the solar system. Secondary objectives include investigation of Pluto. Candidate science measurements, instruments, and instrument development needs are discussed. The mission should extend from 400 to 1000 AU from the Sun. A heliocentric hyperbolic escape velocity of 50–100 km/sec or more is needed to attain this distance within a reasonable mission duration (20–50 years). The trajectory should be toward the incoming interstellar gas. For a year 2000 launch, a Pluto encounter and orbiter can be included. A second mission targeted parallel to the solar axis would also be worthwhile.     

No Higher Criticism of the Bianchi-corrected Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data

Higher Criticism (HC) has been proposed by Donoho & Jin as an effective statistic to detect deviations from Gaussianity. Motivated by the success of the Bianchi VII_h model in addressing many of the anomalies observed in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP ) data (Jaffe et al.), we present calculations in real and in wavelet space of the HC statistic of the Bianchi-corrected WMAP first-year data. At the wavelet scale of 5°, the HC of the WMAP map drops from a value above the 99 per cent confidence level (c.l.) to a value below the 68 per cent CL when corrected by the Bianchi template. An important property of the HC statistic is its ability to locate the pixels that account for the deviation from Gaussianity. The analysis of the uncorrected WMAP data pointed to a cold spot in the Southern hemisphere, centred at   l ∼ 209°, b ∼−57°  . The HC of the Bianchi-corrected map indicates that this spot remains prominent, albeit at a level completely consistent with Gaussian statistics. Consequently, it is debatable how much emphasis should be placed on this residual feature, but we consider the effect of modestly increasing the scaling of the template. A factor of only 1.2 renders the spot indistinguishable from the background level, with no noticeable impact on the results published in Jaffe et al. for the low- l anomalies, large-scale power asymmetry or wavelet kurtosis. A trivial interpretation would be that the Bianchi template may require a small enhancement of power on scales corresponding to the wavelet scale of 5°.     

Computer modeling and the design of optimal underwater imagingsystems

A computer model to simulate the formation of underwater images has been developed. The model incorporates the inherent and apparent properties of the propagation of light in water. An image is approximated as a linear superposition of several image components. The model has been used to simulate the relative advantages of different camera/light configurations. The results indicate that extremely large gains in image contrast can be obtained by careful design of beam patterns and the manipulation of camera and light locations. The performance of range-gated systems is explored, and it is demonstrated that these systems are presently power limited. In order to obtain better quality images at larger distances, an imaging configuration which consists of scanning an incoherent light beam across the field of view of a camera is proposed. The incoherent light-scanning system is shown to have advantages over both conventional imaging techniques and range-gated methods