Engineering topics

Henry, Ross M.

Publications and source records attributed to Henry, Ross M..

4 records

NASA NTRS2013

Investigation of Truncated Waveguides

The design, fabrication, and performance of truncated circular and square waveguide cross-sections are presented. An emphasis is placed upon numerical and experimental validation of simple analytical formulae that describe the propagation properties of these structures. A test component, a 90-degree phase shifter, was fabricated and tested at 30 GHz. The concepts explored can be directly applied in the design, synthesis and optimization of components in the microwave to sub-millimeter wavebands.

Lourie, Nathan P.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Compact Radiative Control Structures for Millimeter Astronomy

We have designed, fabricated, and tested compact radiative control structures, including antireflection coatings and resonant absorbers, for millimeter through submillimeter wave astronomy. The antireflection coatings consist of micromachined single crystal silicon dielectric sub-wavelength honeycombs. The effective dielectric constant of the structures is set by the honeycomb cell geometry. The resonant absorbers consist of pieces of solid single crystal silicon substrate and thin phosphorus implanted regions whose sheet resistance is tailored to maximize absorption by the structure. We present an implantation model that can be used to predict the ion energy and dose required for obtaining a target implant layer sheet resistance. A neutral density filter, a hybrid of a silicon dielectric honeycomb with an implanted region, has also been fabricated with this basic approach. These radiative control structures are scalable and compatible for use large focal plane detector arrays.

Brown, Ari D.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Optical Properties of Astronomical Silicates in the Far-infrared

Correct interpretation of a vast array of astronomical data relies heavily on understanding the properties of silicate dust as a function of wavelength, temperature, and crystallinity. We introduce the QPASI-T (Optical Properties of Astronomical Silicates with Infrared Techniques) project to address the need for high fidelity optical characterization data on the various forms of astronomical dust. We use two spectrometers to provide extinction data for silicate samples across a wide wavelength range (from the near infrared to the millimeter). New experiments are in development that will provide complementary information on the emissivity of our samples, allowing us to complete the optical characterization of these dust materials. In this paper, we present initial results from several materials including amorphous iron silicate, magnesium silicate and silica smokes, over a wide range of temperatures, and discuss the design and operation of our new experiments.

Rinehart, Stephen A,↗

NASA NTRS2004

Cryo-Infrared Optical Characterization at NASA GSFC

The development of large space infrared optical systems, such as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), has increased requirements for measurement accuracy in the optical properties of materials. Many materials used as optical components in infrared optical systems, have strong temperature dependence in their optical properties. Unfortunately, data on the temperature dependence of most of these materials is sparse. In this paper, we provide a description of the capabilities existing in the Optics Branch at the Goddard Space Flight Center that enable the characterization of the refractive index and absorption coefficient changes and other optical properties in infrared materials at cryogenic temperatures. Details of the experimental apparatus, which include continuous flow liquid helium optical cryostat, and a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer are discussed.

Boucarut, Ray↗