Results for “Charged-particles” — Page 11

NASA NTRS1987

Nuclear processes and accelerated particles in solar flares

Nuclear processes and particle acceleration in solar flares are reviewed. The theory of gamma-ray and neutron production is discussed and results of calculations are compared to gamma-ray, neutron, and charged-particle observations from solar flares. The implications of these comparisons on particle energy spectra, total numbers, anisotropies, electron-to-proton ratios, as well as on acceleration mechanisms and the interaction site, are presented. The information on elemental and isotopic abundances derived from gamma-ray observations is compared to abundances obtained from escaping accelerated particles and other sources.

Ramaty, R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Effects of charged particles on the surfaces of the satellites of Uranus

Measurements of the ion and electron fluxes in the Uranian magnetosphere made by the low-energy charged-particle (LECP) instrument on the Voyager 2 spacecraft are used to discuss possible particle-induced modifications of the moons and rings of Uranus. The energy spectra of the orbit-integrated particle dosages expected on the major moons are derived from the LECP measurements of particle intensities and pitch-angle distributions. Laboratory-derived results on charged-particle-induced chemical and physical modifications of H2O, CH4, CO, and CO2 ions are used. The erosion rates of water ice and the darkening of organic ices on the surfaces of the moons are estimated from the orbit-integrated fluxes. Significant darkening of fresh organic ices to depths of the order of 1 micron is expected to occur for times as short as a few thousand years. Darkening at deeper depths will occur at increasingly longer times. The implications of these results for the interpretation of remote-sensing data are discussed.

Lanzerotti, L. J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Solid hydrocarbon aerosols produced in simulated Uranian and Neptunian stratospheres

Solid hydrocarbon films were deposited in an RF plasma discharge of various CH4/H2/He mixtures under conditions simulating the formation of solid aerosols by magnetospheric charged particles in the stratospheres of Uranus and Neptune. The percentage of CH4 ranged from 0.0002 to 100 percent; the pressure in the discharge chamber was either 130 or 660 microbar; and the films produced were yellow to deep red-brown in color and 2-25 microns thick. The real and imaginary parts of the refractive index at wavelengths from 350 nm to 2.5 microns were determined for all the films, and the results are compared with observational data and the predictions of theoretical models in extensive tables and graphs. Good agreement is demonstrated, suggesting that aerosol production by this mechanism may be competitive with UV or charged-particle irradiation of hydrocarbon condensates.

Khare, B. N.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Energy spectra of plasma sheet ions and electrons from about 50 eV/e to about 1 MeV during plamsa temperature transitions

ISEE-1 charged-particle measurements obtained during eight plasma temperature transitions (PTTs) in 1978-1979 are compiled in tables and graphs and analyzed in detail, comparing the ion and electron differential energy spectra with the predictions of theoretical models. PTTs are defined as approximately 1-h periods of low bulk plasma velocity and steadily increasing or decreasing thermal energy. A Maxwellian distribution is found to be inadequate in describing the PTT energy spectra, but velocity-exponential and kappa distributions are both successful, the latter especially at higher energies. The power-law index kappa varies from PTT to PTT, but the high-energy spectral index and overall shape of the distribution remain constant during a PTT; both spatial and temporal effects are observed.

Christon, S. P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Nuclear processes and accelerated particles in solar flares

Nuclear processes and particle acceleration in solar flares are discussed and the theory of gamma-ray and neutron production is reviewed. Gamma-ray, neutron, and charged-particle observations of solar flares are compared with predictions, and the implications of these comparisons for particle energy spectra, total numbers, anisotropies, electron-to-proton ratios, and acceleration mechanisms are considered. Elemental and isotopic abundances of the ambient gas derived from gamma-ray observations have also been compared to abundances obtained from observations of escaping accelerated particles and other sources.

Ramaty, R.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The effect of dispersion upon charged particle transport in random magnetic fields

Shortly after a strongly anisotropic beam is injected along a guiding magnetic field on which is superposed a small random component, the charged-particle density can be represented by a Gaussian profile whose center moves with the coherent velocity and whose width increases with time at a rate controlled by the coefficient of dispersion. Both parameters of this coherent mode of propagation depend upon the mean free path, which characterizes scattering by the random fields, and the focusing length, which characterizes spatial variations of the guiding field. These dependences are known explicitly for the coherent velocity, but expressions for the coefficient of dispersion are available only in the limits of very weak and very strong focusing. To span this gap, a more comprehensive analytic description of focused transport has been developed. This description includes dispersion and is valid for arbitrary spatial dependences of both the scattering mean free path and the focusing length.

Earl, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Measurement realities of current collection in dynamic space plasma environments

Theories which describe currents collected by conducting and non-conducting bodies immersed in plasmas have many of their concepts based upon the fundamentals of sheath-potential distributions and charged-particle behavior in superimposed electric and magnetic fields. Those current-collecting bodies (or electrodes) may be Langmuir probes, electric field detectors, aperture plates on ion mass spectrometers and retarding potential analyzers, or spacecraft and their rigid and tethered appendages. Often the models are incomplete in representing the conditions under which the current-voltage characteristics of the electrode and its system are to be measured. In such cases, the experimenter must carefully take into account magnetic field effects and particle anisotropies, perturbations caused by the current collection process itself and contamination on electrode surfaces, the complexities of non-Maxwellian plasma distributions, and the temporal variability of the local plasma density, temperature, composition and fields. This set of variables is by no means all-inclusive, but it represents a collection of circumstances guaranteed to accompany experiments involving energetic particle beams, plasma discharges, chemical releases, wave injection and various events of controlled and uncontrolled spacecraft charging. Here, an attempt is made to synopsize these diagnostic challenges and frame them within a perspective that focuses on the physics under investigation and the requirements on the parameters to be measured. Examples include laboratory and spaceborne applications, with specific interest in dynamic and unstable plasma environments.

Szuszczewicz, Edward P.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Proton-induced radiation damage in germanium detectors

High-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors will be used in future space missions for gamma-ray measurements and will be subject to interactions with energetic particles. To simulate this process, several large-volume n-type HPGe detectors were incrementally exposed to a particle fluence of up to 10 to the 8th protons/sq cm (proton energy: 1.5 GeV) at different operating temperatures (90 to 120 K) to induce radiation damage. Basic scientific and engineering data on detector performance were collected. During the incremental irradiation, the peak shape produced by the detectors showed a significant change from a Gaussian shape to a broad complex structure. After the irradiation, all detectors were thoroughly characterized by measuring many parameters. To remove the accumulated radiation damage, the detectors were stepwise-annealed at temperatures below 110 C, while kept in their specially designed cryostats. This study shows that n-type HPGe detectors can be used in charged-particle environments as high-energy resolution devices until a certain level of radiation damage is accumulated and that the damage can be removed at moderate annealing temperatures and the detector returned to operating condition.

Brueckner, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Energetic particles at Uranus

The energetic particle measurements by the low-energy charged-particle and cosmic-ray instruments on the Voyager 2 spacecraft in the magnetosphere of Uranus are reviewed. Upstream events were observed outside the Uranian bow shock, probably produced by ion escape from the magnetosphere. Evidence of earthlike substorm activity was discovered within the Uranian magnetosphere. A proton injection event was observed within the orbit of Umbriel and proton events were observed in the magnetotail plasma-sheet boundary layer that are diagnostic of earthlike substorms. The magnetospheric composition is totally dominated by protons, with only a trace abundance of H(2+) and no evidence for He or heavy ions; the Uranian atmophere is argued to be the principal plasma source. Phase-space densities of medium energy protons show inward radial diffusion and are quantitatively similar to those observed at the earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. These findings and plasma wave data suggest the existence of structures analogous to the earth's plasmasphere and plasmapause.

Cheng, Andrew F.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Cosmic rays in the heliosphere - Present status and future opportunities

The general theory of charged-particle transport and acceleration is reviewed and application to the heliosphere discussed in detail. The present status of understanding is briefly surveyed, with emphasis on large-scale processes. Opportunities for increasing understanding through the confrontation of theory, modeling and observations are outlined. It is concluded that the largest advances in this understanding in the next few years will come from coordinated theoretical and observations studies of large-scale phenomena requiring energetic-particle, magnetic-field, and plasma data from several spacecraft. Fundamental studies of the interactions between cosmic rays and turbulent plasma to study transport coefficients, details of interactions with shocks, etc, are also important in the longer term.

Jokipii, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The Ulysses mission - In-ecliptic phase

Coordinated data analyses from the initial in-ecliptic phase of the Ulysses mission are presented with special attention given to measurements of particles and fields in interplanetary space. The collection of papers presents the results of observations of large solar flares and effects related to solar wind, and some results are synopsized. The charged-particle instrumentation on the spacecraft is shown to have good dynamic range and energy coverage as demonstrated by a sample proton-energy spectrum.

Wenzel, K.-P.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Magellan star scanner experiences - What a long, stange trip it's been

Since its launch to Venus in 1989, the Magellan spacecraft has encountered a variety of interesting phenomena - several related to its star scanner. After much concentration, it was determined that the scanner events were due to environmental effects on the instrument - in particular, its response to solar protons and an unanticipated amount of thermal blanket dust (this dust is, in turn, generated and moved by other environmental forces). In short, while those phenomena were originally an operational nuisance, our scanner has unexpectedly shown new use as a particle and fields detector. Since its simple design makes Magellan's star scanner a good proton detector, a brief description of the charged-particle environment (particularly proton propagation) is also included. Short- and long-term trends in sensor behavior are presented, as are their correlations to the local environment. A summary of results to date is provided in the hope that these may be of help to future operations teams diagnosing similar phenomena. A summary is also given of methods found to reduce the operational impact of these phenomena.

Seale, Eric H.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Mercury

Prior to the flight of the Mariner 10 spacecraft, Mercury was the least investigated and most poorly known terrestrial planet (Kuiper 1970, Devine 1972). Observational difficulties caused by its proximity to the Sun as viewed from Earth caused the planet to remain a small, vague disk exhibiting little surface contrast or details, an object for which only three major facts were known: 1. its bulk density is similar to that of Venus and Earth, much greater than that of Mars and the Moon; 2. its surface reflects electromagnetic radiation at all wavelengths in the same manner as the Moon (taking into account differences in their solar distances); and 3. its rotation period is in 2/3 resonance with its orbital period. Images obtained during the flyby by Mariner 10 on 29 March 1974 (and the two subsequent flybys on 21 September 1974 and 16 March 1975) revealed Mercury's surface in detail equivalent to that available for the Moon during the early 1960's from Earth-based telescopic views. Additionally, however, information was obtained on the planet's mass and size, atmospheric composition and density, charged-particle environment, and infrared thermal radiation from the surface, and most significantly of all, the existence of a planetary magnetic field that is probably intrinsic to Mercury was established. In the following, this new information is summarized together with results from theoretical studies and ground-based observations. In the quantum jumps of knowledge that have been characteristic of "space-age" exploration, the previously obscure body of Mercury has suddenly come into sharp focus. It is very likely a differentiated body, probably contains a large Earth-like iron-rich core, and displays a surface remarkably similar to that of the Moon, which suggests a similar evolutionary history.

Gault, D. E.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ARCTRON: A Rapid Experimental Proving Ground for TPS Experiments and Arcjet Technology Development

Innovation in high-enthalpy facilities is fundamentally limited by the cost and risk of experimentation. New concepts for plasma control, diagnostics, facility components, and plasma-material interaction often require repeated iterations that are impractical to perform in production arcjets. As a result, promising ideas may remain unexplored or reach operational facilities only after significant development effort. ARCTRON is being developed as a rapid experimental proving ground where new ideas in plasma science, arcjet engineering, diagnostics, and material response can be conceived, tested, and quantitatively evaluated before transition to large-scale facilities. The platform combines radio-frequency (RF) and DC arc plasma generation, externally applied magnetic fields, configurable gas composition, reduced-pressure operation, laser heating, electrical biasing, and modular diagnostic access. These capabilities permit the plasma source, applied forcing, test article, and measurement configuration to be modified independently, allowing individual physical mechanisms to be isolated more readily than in a traditional test environment. One class of investigations addresses fundamental plasma-surface interaction physics. Conventional material tests often expose a specimen simultaneously to convective heating, reactive species, pressure, shear, radiation, and surface-current effects. The resulting material response may be measured accurately, while the contribution of each mechanism remains difficult to identify. ARCTRON is designed to vary these effects selectively. Plasma chemistry can be changed independently through configurable gas mixtures; magnetic fields and electrical biasing can modify charged-particle transport; laser heating can provide a non-plasma thermal input; and pressure, flow, and discharge mode can be varied over a broad operating space. This enables controlled tests of hypotheses involving surface catalycity, reactive-species transport, plasma-assisted oxidation, electromagnetic effects, shear, and the relative contributions of thermal and chemical loading. A second class of investigations enabled by this approach concerns the engineering of high-enthalpy facilities themselves. Arc-heated facilities are limited by electrode erosion, unstable arc attachment, localized heating, and damage to nozzles and other plasma-facing components. ARCTRON provides a lower-cost environment for testing concepts intended to mitigate these limitations. Candidate investigations include the use of applied magnetic fields to alter current paths and reduce plasma interaction with nozzle walls, ExB forcing to introduce controlled plasma rotation, magnetic or geometric approaches for distributing arc attachment, and alternative electrode or discharge configurations intended to reduce erosion and improve stability. Because the platform is reconfigurable, these concepts can be evaluated through repeated design--build--test cycles before they are considered for implementation in operational facilities. The platform also supports the development and validation of diagnostics that may be difficult to introduce initially into a large arcjet. Current and planned measurements include spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy, electrostatic probes, fast imaging, pyrometry, calorimetry, laser-induced fluorescence, and absorption spectroscopy. These diagnostics are intended not merely to document a nominal operating condition, but to constrain the local plasma state and its relationship to component or material response. The modular facility geometry allows diagnostic concepts to be tested, calibrated, and compared under repeatable conditions before deployment in more demanding environments. ARCTRON is also supported by an integrated software suite. Automated control and data acquisition allow discharge parameters, gas composition, magnetic fields, diagnostic timing, and test configuration to be recorded as part of each experiment (STARDAC - Software for Testing, Analysis, Research Data, and Control). The Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability (BEAST) is a database that provides the infrastructure needed to associate heterogeneous measurements with facility configuration, specimen identity, calibration state, geometry, and analysis provenance. This backend is particularly important for exploratory campaigns, in which many related configurations may be tested, and the value of an individual experiment depends on its connection to earlier and subsequent iterations. Complementary analysis capabilities, including computer-vision-based transient response measurements (arcjetCV), three-dimensional surface reconstruction (STARSCAN), and model-based Bayesian inference (SHIELD), and tomography data analysis (TOMATO, PuMA) can be incorporated when required by a specific hypothesis without becoming the focus of every campaign. The central objective of ARCTRON is therefore not to maximize heat flux or reproduce a complete flight environment. Its purpose is to reduce the cost and time required to ask consequential questions about plasma behavior, plasma-facing materials, diagnostics, and arcjet technology. By providing a controlled environment for rapid reconfiguration, mechanism isolation, quantitative measurement, and iterative engineering, ARCTRON can help mature concepts that would otherwise remain too speculative or too risky for evaluation in production facilities. The resulting knowledge can then guide the design of material models, focus test objectives in larger arcjets, reduce facility-development risk, and improve the physical basis of high-enthalpy ground testing. This work will present the ARCTRON architecture, operating modes, diagnostic suite, and digital experimental workflow. Initial experimental results from the first integrated operation of the facility will be presented, including flow characterization, power limitations, and deployment of the initial diagnostic suite. Ongoing development efforts aimed at catalycity characterization, magnetic plasma control, and advanced optical diagnostics will also be discussed, illustrating how the platform supports rapid iteration from concept to experiment.

experimental diagnostics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ARCTRON: A Rapid Experimental Proving Ground for TPS Experiments and Arcjet Technology Development

Innovation in high-enthalpy facilities is fundamentally limited by the cost and risk of experimentation. New concepts for plasma control, diagnostics, facility components, and plasma-material interaction often require repeated iterations that are impractical to perform in production arcjets. As a result, promising ideas may remain unexplored or reach operational facilities only after significant development effort. ARCTRON is being developed as a rapid experimental proving ground where new ideas in plasma science, arcjet engineering, diagnostics, and material response can be conceived, tested, and quantitatively evaluated before transition to large-scale facilities. The platform combines radio-frequency (RF) and DC arc plasma generation, externally applied magnetic fields, configurable gas composition, reduced-pressure operation, laser heating, electrical biasing, and modular diagnostic access. These capabilities permit the plasma source, applied forcing, test article, and measurement configuration to be modified independently, allowing individual physical mechanisms to be isolated more readily than in a traditional test environment. One class of investigations addresses fundamental plasma-surface interaction physics. Conventional material tests often expose a specimen simultaneously to convective heating, reactive species, pressure, shear, radiation, and surface-current effects. The resulting material response may be measured accurately, while the contribution of each mechanism remains difficult to identify. ARCTRON is designed to vary these effects selectively. Plasma chemistry can be changed independently through configurable gas mixtures; magnetic fields and electrical biasing can modify charged-particle transport; laser heating can provide a non-plasma thermal input; and pressure, flow, and discharge mode can be varied over a broad operating space. This enables controlled tests of hypotheses involving surface catalycity, reactive-species transport, plasma-assisted oxidation, electromagnetic effects, shear, and the relative contributions of thermal and chemical loading. A second class of investigations enabled by this approach concerns the engineering of high-enthalpy facilities themselves. Arc-heated facilities are limited by electrode erosion, unstable arc attachment, localized heating, and damage to nozzles and other plasma-facing components. ARCTRON provides a lower-cost environment for testing concepts intended to mitigate these limitations. Candidate investigations include the use of applied magnetic fields to alter current paths and reduce plasma interaction with nozzle walls, ExB forcing to introduce controlled plasma rotation, magnetic or geometric approaches for distributing arc attachment, and alternative electrode or discharge configurations intended to reduce erosion and improve stability. Because the platform is reconfigurable, these concepts can be evaluated through repeated design--build--test cycles before they are considered for implementation in operational facilities. The platform also supports the development and validation of diagnostics that may be difficult to introduce initially into a large arcjet. Current and planned measurements include spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy, electrostatic probes, fast imaging, pyrometry, calorimetry, laser-induced fluorescence, and absorption spectroscopy. These diagnostics are intended not merely to document a nominal operating condition, but to constrain the local plasma state and its relationship to component or material response. The modular facility geometry allows diagnostic concepts to be tested, calibrated, and compared under repeatable conditions before deployment in more demanding environments. ARCTRON is also supported by an integrated software suite. Automated control and data acquisition allow discharge parameters, gas composition, magnetic fields, diagnostic timing, and test configuration to be recorded as part of each experiment (STARDAC - Software for Testing, Analysis, Research Data, and Control). The Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability (BEAST) is a database that provides the infrastructure needed to associate heterogeneous measurements with facility configuration, specimen identity, calibration state, geometry, and analysis provenance. This backend is particularly important for exploratory campaigns, in which many related configurations may be tested, and the value of an individual experiment depends on its connection to earlier and subsequent iterations. Complementary analysis capabilities, including computer-vision-based transient response measurements (arcjetCV), three-dimensional surface reconstruction (STARSCAN), and model-based Bayesian inference (SHIELD), and tomography data analysis (TOMATO, PuMA) can be incorporated when required by a specific hypothesis without becoming the focus of every campaign. The central objective of ARCTRON is therefore not to maximize heat flux or reproduce a complete flight environment. Its purpose is to reduce the cost and time required to ask consequential questions about plasma behavior, plasma-facing materials, diagnostics, and arcjet technology. By providing a controlled environment for rapid reconfiguration, mechanism isolation, quantitative measurement, and iterative engineering, ARCTRON can help mature concepts that would otherwise remain too speculative or too risky for evaluation in production facilities. The resulting knowledge can then guide the design of material models, focus test objectives in larger arcjets, reduce facility-development risk, and improve the physical basis of high-enthalpy ground testing. This work will present the ARCTRON architecture, operating modes, diagnostic suite, and digital experimental workflow. Initial experimental results from the first integrated operation of the facility will be presented, including flow characterization, power limitations, and deployment of the initial diagnostic suite. Ongoing development efforts aimed at catalycity characterization, magnetic plasma control, and advanced optical diagnostics will also be discussed, illustrating how the platform supports rapid iteration from concept to experiment.

experimental diagnostics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Sensor Co-design for $\textit{smartpixels}$

Pixel tracking detectors at upcoming collider experiments will see unprecedented charged-particle densities. Real-time data reduction on the detector will enable higher granularity and faster readout, possibly enabling the use of the pixel detector in the first level of the trigger for a hadron collider. This data reduction can be accomplished with a neural network (NN) in the readout chip bonded with the sensor that recognizes and rejects tracks with low transverse momentum (p$_T$) based on the geometrical shape of the charge deposition (``cluster''). To design a viable detector for deployment at an experiment, the dependence of the NN as a function of the sensor geometry, external magnetic field, and irradiation must be understood. In this paper, we present first studies of the efficiency and data reduction for planar pixel sensors exploring these parameters. A smaller sensor pitch in the bending direction improves the p$_T$ discrimination, but a larger pitch can be partially compensated with detector depth. An external magnetic field parallel to the sensor plane induces Lorentz drift of the electron-hole pairs produced by the charged particle, broadening the cluster and improving the network performance. The absence of the external field diminishes the background rejection compared to the baseline by $\mathcal{O}$(10%). Any accumulated radiation damage also changes the cluster shape, reducing the signal efficiency compared to the baseline by $\sim$ 30 - 60%, but nearly all of the performance can be recovered through retraining of the network and updating the weights. Finally, the impact of noise was investigated, and retraining the network on noise-injected datasets was found to maintain performance within 6% of the baseline network trained and evaluated on noiseless data.

Shekar, Danush [Illinois U., Chicago]↗

DOE OSTI2025

Source characterization of a detector for heavy and superheavy nuclei

A new focal plane detector system for the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS) was designed, constructed, and tested offline with various α-decay and conversion-electron sources. The SuperHeavy RECoils (SHREC) detector comprises sets of double-sided silicon strip detectors arranged in an open-faced cuboid geometry. Alongside the detector upgrade new digital data acquisition electronics have been commissioned offline. This setup aims to detect separated recoiling heavy and superheavy nuclei as well as their correlated radioactive decay paths with improved energy resolution and overall sensitivity.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2026

CHICOX, a heavy-ion detection system for GRETA

The CHICOX detection system is an array of position sensitive parallel plate avalanche counters used for heavy ion detection in in-beam particle-gamma coincidence experiments. CHICOX, an upgrade of the CHICO2 array, is geometrically compatible with the GRETINA and GRETA gamma-ray arrays and provides an angular resolution sufficient to utilize the excellent position resolution of GRETINA/GRETA. CHICOX was successfully commissioned and fielded as an auxiliary detector to GRETINA in a campaign of stable-beam Coulomb excitation experiments at the ATLAS facility of Argonne National Laboratory. We report here on the design and in-beam performance of the CHICOX array.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗