PHOTO-OPTICAL MEASUREMENTS ON HIGH-ALTITUDE BARIUM RELEASES

Radiometrically calibrated photographs of the growth of neutral and ionized species resulting from the explosive release of barium at latitudes between 156 and 226 km were taken, reduced, and analyzed. Inventories of ions and atoms were calculated from the integrated spectral surface brightnesses of the sunlight scattering from the particles, and the data prepared for measurement of the transverse and longitudinal (to the magnetic field) diffusion coefficients of the ions. The phenomena accompanying exposure releases of barium at speeds comparable to the escape velocity have been considered theoretically; it was found that measurable numbers of ions will become trapped in the geomagnetic field. Other program tasks included microphotometric analysis of photographs of faint shocks, calibration of camera controls and interframe timing, development of a digital computer program for calculating horizontal wind shears, and setup and operation of photometric equipment for the field measurements. (Author)