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Temporal, energy and spatial characteristics of energetic auroral zone electron precipitation
Numerical solutions to the transport equation of galactic cosmic rays in the interplanetary medium have been used to investigate the applicability of commonly used approximate analytic solutions for electrons (10 MeV to 10 GeV). We find that for a given cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient the force-field approximation is in reasonable agreement with the numerical solution at energies above 200 MeV, but deviates significantly at lower energies, depending on the shape of the interstellar electron spectrum. The diffusion-convection approximation agrees generally with the numerical solution within a factor of 2 over the entire energy range.
A discussion concerning the architecture of transmit/receive (T/R) modules in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems is presented. Module requirements are discussed in the context of the following: requirements traceability; antenna configuration; and typical module specifications/requirements. Finally, module technology development in the L-, C-, and X-bands is discussed.
Extremely tight thermal control property degradation allowances on the vapor-deposited, gold-coated IEC baffle surface, made necessary by the cryogenic JWST Observatory operations, dictate tight contamination requirements on adjacent surfaces. Theoretical degradation in emittance with contaminant thickness was calculated. Maximum allowable source outgassing rates were calculated using worst case view factors from source to baffle surface. Tight requirements pushed the team to change the design of the adjacent surfaces to minimize the outgassing sources
The JWST IEC conformal shields are mounted onto a composite frame structure that must undergo qualification testing to satisfy mission assurance requirements. The composite frame segments are bonded together at the joints using epoxy, EA 9394. The development of a test method to verify the integrity of the bonded structure at its operating environment introduces challenges in terms of requirements definition and the attainment of success criteria. Even though protoflight thermal requirements were not achieved, the first attempt in exposing the structure to cryogenic operating conditions in a thermal vacuum environment resulted in approximately 1 bonded joints failure during mechanical pull tests performed at 1.25 times the flight loads. Failure analysis concluded that the failure mode was due to adhesive cracks that formed and propagated along stress concentrated fillets as a result of poor bond squeeze-out control during fabrication. Bond repairs were made and the structures successfully re-tested with an improved LN2 immersion test method to achieve protoflight thermal requirements.
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Initial modulation in Coherent electron cooling (CeC) scheme relies on ion charge screening by electrons. In a CeC system with bunched electron beam, the long-range longitudinal space charge force is inevitably induced. For a relatively dense electron beam, it can be comparable or even greater than the attractive force from the ion. Hence, space-charge field influence to the modulation process could be important. If the longitudinal Debye length is much smaller than the electron bunch length, the modulation induced by the ion happens locally. In this case, the long-range longitudinal space charge field can be approximated as a uniform electric field across the region. In this paper we developed an analytical model to study the dynamics of ion shielding in the presence of a uniform electric field. We are solving the coupled Vlasov-Poisson equation system for infinite anisotropic electron plasma and estimate the influences of the longitudinal space charge field to the modulation process. We present numerical estimates for a case of the proof of CeC principle experiment at RHIC.
Direct laser acceleration of electrons is an important energy deposition mechanism for laser-irradiated plasmas that is particularly effective at relativistic laser intensities in the presence of quasi-static laser-driven plasma electric and magnetic fields. These radial electric and azimuthal magnetic fields provide transverse electron confinement by inducing betatron oscillations of forward-moving electrons undergoing laser acceleration. Electrons are said to experience a betatron resonance when the frequency of betatron oscillations matches the average frequency of the laser field oscillations at the electron position. In this paper, we show that the modulation of the laser frequency as seen by an electron performing betatron oscillations can be another important mechanism for net energy gain that is qualitatively different from the betatron resonance. Specifically, we show that the frequency modulation experienced by the electron can lead to net energy gain in the regime where the laser field performs three oscillations per betatron oscillation. There is no net energy gain in this regime without the modulation because the energy gain is fully compensated by the energy loss. The modulation slows down the laser oscillation near transverse stopping points, increasing the time interval during which the electron gains energy and making it possible to achieve net energy gain.
The electron density n{sub e} of stationary plasma can be easily obtained on the basis of the resonance frequency f of a curling probe (CP) measured by a network analyzer (NWA). However, in pulsed plasma with discharge period T, the n{sub e} and f values periodically change with time. This study extends the conventional CP technique to a time-resolved measurement of the pulse-modulated electron density. The condition necessary for the measurement is revealed to be synchronization of NWA with the pulse modulation, which is expressed as (n − 1)T/T{sub SWP} = integer (1, 2, …) for a number n of data point and sweep time T{sub SWP}.
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Modulation of electron density localization on periodic crystal solids through electron transfer from interstitial cations can directly influence the bonding configurations of small-molecule intermediates at the catalyst binding site. This study presents the microwave-assisted solid-state synthesis of four heterointercalant Chevrel-phase (CP) sulfides with varying metal cation intercalants with compositional and electronic structure investigations of the electron density redistribution as a result of intercalation. The heterointercalant CP sulfides, with the general formula Cu x M y Mo 6 S 8 (where M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni; x, y = 1.5−2.5), are presented here for the probe reaction of electrochemical CO 2 reduction. A change in product selectivity is observed toward the production of methanol at low overpotentials of −0.5 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), as a result of the intercalant combination present within the CP interstitial cavity. Structural confirmation of all materials was examined through Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). Electron transfer from the intercalated metal cations to the Mo 6 S 8 cluster was investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the intercalated metal cations and the chalcogenide cluster. Electron transfer was further confirmed through X-ray absorption analysis (XAS) of the K-edges of Mo and intercalants. Intermediate studies of electrochemical reduction of formaldehyde to methanol resulted in a faradaic efficiency of ∼78% methanol production on Cu x Ni y Mo 6 S 8 . The results presented herein identify distinct principles for materials design that can be utilized in other compositional spaces within the broad families of periodic crystal solids.
The modulation of galactic cosmic-ray electrons is studied using an ab initio three-dimensional steady state cosmic-ray modulation code in which the effects of turbulence on both the diffusion and drift of these cosmic-rays are treated as self-consistently as possible. A significant refinement is that a recent two-component turbulence transport model is used. This model yields results in reasonable agreement with observations of turbulence quantities throughout the heliosphere. The sensitivity of computed galactic electron intensities to choices of various turbulence parameters pertaining to the dissipation range of the slab turbulence spectrum, and to the choice of model of dynamical turbulence, is demonstrated using diffusion coefficients derived from the quasi-linear and extended nonlinear guiding center theories. Computed electron intensities and latitude gradients are also compared with spacecraft observations.
Purpose: This work evaluates Varian’s electron phase–space sources for Monte Carlo simulation of the TrueBeam for modulated electron radiation therapy (MERT) and combined, modulated photon and electron radiation therapy (MPERT) where fields are shaped by the photon multileaf collimator (MLC) and delivered at 70 cm SSD. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations performed with EGSnrc-based BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc and PENELOPE-based PRIMO are compared against diode measurements for 5 × 5, 10 × 10, and 20 × 20 cm{sup 2} MLC-shaped fields delivered with 6, 12, and 20 MeV electrons at 70 cm SSD (jaws set to 40 × 40 cm{sup 2}). Depth dose curves and profiles are examined. In addition, EGSnrc-based simulations of relative output as a function of MLC-field size and jaw-position are compared against ion chamber measurements for MLC-shaped fields between 3 × 3 and 25 × 25 cm{sup 2} and jaw positions that range from the MLC-field size to 40 × 40 cm{sup 2}. Results: Percent depth dose curves generated by BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc and PRIMO agree with measurement within 2%, 2 mm except for PRIMO’s 12 MeV, 20 × 20 cm{sup 2} field where 90% of dose points agree within 2%, 2 mm. Without the distance to agreement, differences between measurement and simulation are as large as 7.3%. Characterization of simulated dose parameters such as FWHM, penumbra width and depths of 90%, 80%, 50%, and 20% dose agree within 2 mm of measurement for all fields except for the FWHM of the 6 MeV, 20 × 20 cm{sup 2} field which falls within 2 mm distance to agreement. Differences between simulation and measurement exist in the profile shoulders and penumbra tails, in particular for 10 × 10 and 20 × 20 cm{sup 2} fields of 20 MeV electrons, where both sets of simulated data fall short of measurement by as much as 3.5%. BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc simulated outputs agree with measurement within 2.3% except for 6 MeV MLC-shaped fields. Discrepancies here are as great as 5.5%. Conclusions: TrueBeam electron phase–spaces available from Varian have been implemented in two distinct Monte Carlo simulation packages to produce dose distributions and outputs that largely reflect measurement. Differences exist in the profile shoulders and penumbra tails for the 20 MeV phase–space off-axis and in the outputs for the 6 MeV phase–space.
Theoretical work, computation, and results from TCV [J. Decker “Effect of density fluctuations on ECCD in ITER and TCV,” EPJ Web of Conf. 32, 01016 (2012)] suggest that density fluctuations in the edge region of a tokamak plasma can cause broadening of the ECH deposition profile. In this paper, a GUI tool is presented which is used for analysis of ECH deposition as a first step towards looking for this broadening, which could explain effects seen in previous DIII-D ECH transport studies [K.W. Gentle “Electron energy transport inferences from modulated electron cyclotron heating in DIII-D,” Phys. Plasmas 13, 012311 (2006)]. By applying an FFT to the T{sub e} measurements from the University of Texas’s 40-channel ECE Radiometer, and using a simplified thermal transport equation, the flux surface extent of ECH deposition is determined. The Fourier method analysis is compared with a Break-In-Slope (BIS) analysis and predictions from the ray-tracing code TORAY. Examination of multiple Fourier harmonics and BIS fitting methods allow an estimation of modulated transport coefficients and thereby the true ECH deposition profile. Correlations between edge fluctuations and ECH deposition in legacy data are also explored as a step towards establishing a link between fluctuations and deposition broadening in DIII-D.