Proposed reference irradiance spectra for solar energy systems testing

The measurements of the solar ultraviolet spectral irradiance made by the two Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) solar instruments, Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) and SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE), are compared with same-day measurements by two solar instruments on the shuttle ATmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) missions, ATLAS SUSIM and Shuttle Solar Backscatter UltraViolet (SSBUV) experiment. These measurements from the four instruments agree to within the 2σ uncertainty of any one instrument, which is 5 to 10% for all wavelengths above 160 nm and for strong emission features below 160 nm. Additionally, the long-term relative accuracy of the two UARS data sets is better than the original 2% goal, especially at wavelengths greater than 160 nm. This level of agreement is credited to accurate preflight calibrations coupled with comprehensive inflight calibrations to track instrument degradation. Two solar irradiance spectra, 119 to 410 nm, are presented; the first combines observations from UARS SUSIM and UARS SOLSTICE taken on March 29, 1992, during the ATLAS 1 mission, and the second combines spectra for April 15, 1993, during the ATLAS 2 mission. The ATLAS 1 mission coincided with the initial decline from the maximum of solar cycle 22 when solar activity was relatively high. The ATLAS 2 mission occurred somewhat later during the declining phase of the solar cycle 22 when solar activity was more moderate.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/96JD00225%4010.1002/%28ISSN%292169-8996.UARS1

Validation of the UARS solar ultraviolet irradiances: Comparison with the ATLAS 1 and 2 measurements

The reflection properties of pressed polytetrafluoroethylene powder have been under investigation by the Radiometric Physics Division at the National Bureau of Standards for the past five years. This material has a great potential use, both as a standard of diffuse reflectance and as a coating for integrating spheres for applications in reflectance spectrophotometry and other signal-averaging devices. It possesses certain physical and optical properties that make it ideal for use in these applications. Techniques are given for preparing reflection standards and coating integrating spheres with the pressed powder. The effects of powder density and thickness on its reflectance are reported, and observations of possible problems with fluorescence that are due to the presence of contaminants in the powder are discussed. The absolute reflectance (6°/hemispherical reflectance factor relative to a perfect diffuser) is reported for the spectral range of 200–2500 nm. The directional/hemispherical reflectance factor relative to 6°/hemispherical reflectance is given for several wavelengths in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum and for angles of incidence between 5 and 75°. The bidirectional reflectance factor is reported for 300, 600, and 1500 nm at angles of incidence of −10, −30, −50, and −70° and at viewing angles at 10° intervals from −80 to +80°.

http://hep.ucsb.edu/people/hnn/n/nbspfte.pdf

Reflection properties of pressed polytetrafluoroethylene powder

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were functionalized with polystyrene (PSt) by grafting to and grafting from methods. PSt-N3 with designed molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene (St) followed by end group transformation and then added to SWNT. The grafting from functionalization was achieved by ATRP of St using 2-bromopropionate groups immobilized SWNT as initiator. Methyl 2-bromopropionate (MBP) was added as free initiator to control the chain propagation on SWNT during the polymerization. Raman and near-IR spectra show that PSt was covalently attached to the sidewalls of SWNT by the grafting to approach, and the degree of functionalization was about 1 in 48 SWNT carbon atoms as determined by thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). In the grafting from approach, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) results show that the molecular weight of free St increased linearly with St conversion, and the PSt cleaved from the ...

Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene via Grafting to and Grafting from Methods

Despite the geophysical importance of solar ultraviolet radiation, specific aspects of its temporal variations have not yet been adequately determined experimentally, nor are the mechanisms for the variability completely understood. Satellite observations have verified the reality of solar ultraviolet irradiance variations over time scales of days and months, and model calculations have confirmed the association of these short-term variations with the evolution and rotation of regions of enhanced magnetic activity on the solar disc. However, neither rocket nor satellite measurements have yet been made with sufficient accuracy and regularity to establish unequivocally the nature of the variability over the longer time of the 11-year solar cycle. The comparative importance for the long-term variations of local regions of enhanced magnetic activity and global scale activity perturbations is still being investigated. Solar ultraviolet irradiance variations over both short and long time scales are reviewed, with emphasis on their connection to solar magnetic activity. Correlations with ground-based measures of solar variability are examined because of the importance of the ground-based observations as historical proxies of ultraviolet irradiance variations. Current problems in understanding solar ultraviolet irradiance variations are discussed, and the measurements planned for solar cycle 22, which may resolve these problems, are briefly described.

Solar ultraviolet irradiance variations: A review

Spectral irradiance calibrations

Spectral radiance calibrations

In radiometry, photometry and radiation thermometry, accurate measurements of the radiance, luminance or the radiance temperatures of sources requires a knowledge of the contribution from the surroundings to the measured signal from the target area. The dependence of the radiometer or the radiation thermometer on the area surrounding the target area is described as the size-of-source effect (SSE), and minimizing the radiometer's sensitivity to SSE is critical in the lowest-uncertainty optical measurements. We describe the dominant effects that influence the SSE, and show that the SSE can be reduced to <5 ? 10?5 as measured using a 50?mm diameter radiance source with a 2?mm diameter, central obscuration. The SSE is found to be dependent on the internal scatter and the optical design of the radiometer. For testing the contributions to SSE, a radiometer is constructed with a 50.8?mm diameter lens in f/12 geometry with a 1?mm diameter target size. If the internal radiometer scatter is reduced, then the SSE is found to be primarily dependent on the scatter from the objective lens such as surface finish, internal lens scatter and the particulate contamination of the lens. Various combinations of objective lenses are measured for SSE, and the relative merits of increasing optical performance at the expense of additional optical elements are also discussed.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0026-1394/42/2/003/pdf

Methods to reduce the size-of-source effect in radiometers

A set of deuterium lamps is calibrated as spectral irradiance standards in the 200-350-nm spectral region utilizing both a high accuracy tungsten spectral irradiance standard and a newly developed argon mini-arc spectral radiance standard. The method which enables a transfer from a spectral radiance to a spectral irradiance standard is described. The following characteristics of the deuterium lamp irradiance standard are determined: sensitivity to alignment; dependence on input power and solid angle; reproducibility; and stability. The absolute spectral radiance is also measured in the 167-330-nm region. Based upon these measurements, values of the spectral irradiance below 200 nm are obtained through extrapolation.

Spectral irradiance standard for the ultraviolet: The deuterium lamp

A technique is presented for realizing spectral irradiance using a large-area, high temperature, uniform, black-body source and filter-radiometers that are calibrated using a High Accuracy Cryogenic Radiometer. The method will be studied by calibrating irradiance lamps with this new technique and comparing the results with those obtained by the method currently employed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Progress to date and preliminary results are presented. The ultimate goal of the programme is to reduce the measurement uncertainties in the spectral irradiance scales that are made available to industry by calibrating deuterium and tungsten-halogen irradiance lamps.

Robert D. Saunders

Papers

Spectral irradiance calibrations

Spectral radiance calibrations

Methods to reduce the size-of-source effect in radiometers

Spectral irradiance standard for the ultraviolet: The deuterium lamp

A Method of Realizing Spectral Irradiance Based on an Absolute Cryogenic Radiometer