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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Electron Density Images of the Middle and High Latitude Magnetosphere in Response to the Solar Wind

Electron density images and plasma dynamics in the middle and high latitude dayside magnetosphere are studied with the IMAGE/RPI remote measurements of the electron densities along magnetic field lines, measured before and during a magnetic storm when the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) impinging on the magnetopause varied considerably. Several regions of different density distribution characteristics, including plasmasphere, plasma trough, sub-auroral/auroral density depletion, density enhancements in the aurora/cusp, and polar cap, are identified in 'two dimensional images', i.e., along the satellite orbit and field lines. The plasma dynamics, such as the plasma refilling in the outer plasmasphere and the plasma acceleration in the aurora/cusp region are inferred from density gradients along the field lines. It is shown that the densities and locations of the plasma regions vary in accordance with the solar wind, particularly with the IMF variations for the case examined. The changes in these regions reflect the way the magnetosphere reconfigures in response to changes in the solar wind.

Tu, Jiannan↗
NASA NTRS1977

Effect of hypovolemia, infusion, and oral rehydration on plasma electrolytes, ADH, renin activity, and +G/z/ tolerance

Effects on plasma volume, electrolyte shifts, and +G(z) tolerance induced by: (1) blood withdrawal; (2) blood infusion; and (3) oral fluid intake, were determined at 0.5 G/min in centrifugation tests of six ambulatory male patients, aged 21 to 27 yrs. Hypovolemia induced by withdrawal of 400 ml blood, blood infusion followed by repeated centrifugation, effects of consuming an isotonic drink (0.9% NaCl) to achieve oral rehydration, and donning of red adaptation goggles were studied for effects on acceleration tolerance, pre-acceleration and post-acceleration plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma vasopressin levels. No significant changes in post-acceleration PRA compared to pre-acceleration PRA were found, and administration of oral rehydration is found as effective as blood replacement in counteracting hypovolemic effects.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The design and development of a space laboratory to conduct magnetospheric and plasma research

A design study was conducted concerning a proposed shuttle-borne space laboratory for research on magnetospheric and plasma physics. A worldwide survey found two broad research disciplines of interest: geophysical studies of the dynamics and structure of the magnetosphere (including wave characteristics, wave-particle interactions, magnetospheric modifications, beam-plasma interactions, and energetic particles and tracers) and plasma physics studies (plasma physics in space, wake and sheath studies, and propulsion and devices). The Plasma Physics and Environmental Perturbation Laboratory (PPEPL) designed to perform experiments in these areas will include two 50-m booms and two maneuverable subsatellites, a photometer array, standardized proton, electron, and plasma accelerators, a high-powered transmitter for frequencies above 100 kHz, a low-power transmitter for VLF and below, and complete diagnostic packages. Problem areas in the design of a space plasma physics laboratory are indicated.

Rosen, A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster Model with Time-Evolution of Energy and State Properties

A model for pulsed inductive plasma acceleration is presented that consists of a set of circuit equations coupled to both a one-dimensional equation of motion and an equation governing the partitioning of energy. The latter two equations are obtained for the plasma current sheet by treating it as a single element of finite volume and integrating the governing equations over that volume. The integrated terms are replaced where necessary by physically-equivalent quantities that are calculated through the solution of other parts of the governing equation set. The model improves upon previous one-dimensional performance models by permitting the time-evolution of the energy and state properties of the plasma, the latter allowing for the tailoring of the model to different gases that may be chosen as propellants. The time evolution of the various energy modes in the system and the associated plasma properties, calculated for argon propellant, are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the model. The model produces a result where efficiency is maximized at a given value of the electrodynamic scaling term known as the dynamic impedance parameter. Qualitatively and quantitatively, the model compares favorably with performance measured for two separate inductive pulsed plasma thrusters, with disagreements attributable to simplifying assumptions employed in the generation of the model solution.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

ISEE observations of the plasma sheet boundary, plasma sheet, and neutral sheet. I - Electric field, magnetic field, plasma, and ion composition

The first simultaneous study of dc and ac electric and magnetic fields, E x B velocity, plasma flows, ratio of plasma to magnetic field pressure, total energy density, energetic particles, and ion composition from the ISEE satellites and ground and interplanetary magnetic fields has been made to determine (1) the relationship of the previously observed electric fields at the plasma sheet boundary and at the neutral sheet to plasma parameters, and (2) whether the phenomena occurring during quiet and active times were consistent with the formation of a near-earth neutral line during substorms or with the boundary layer model. Five observations made during the study of two substorms were seen to be in agreement with the neutral-line model. The observations are consistent with the satellite being located at varying distances from the neutral line and diffusion region where reconnection and plasma acceleration were occurring. Although the z component (into or out of the ecliptic plane) of E x B convection was generally toward the neutral sheet, there were examples when it was consistent with the inferred motion of the plasma sheet past the satellite. A synthesis of previous reports on large electric fields at the plasma sheet boundary and variable fields at the neutral sheet including the associated plasma flows is also described.

Cattell, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Magnetic insulation for plasma propulsion

The design parameters of effective magnetic insulation for plasma engines are discussed. An experimental model used to demonstrate the process of plasma acceleration and magnetic insulation is considered which consists of a copper strap that is wound around a glass tube and connected to a capacitor. In order to adequately model the magnetic insulation mechanisms, a computer algorithm is developed. Plasma engines, with their efficient utilization of the propellant mass, are expected to provide the next-generation advanced propulsion systems.

Gonzalez, Dora E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Incorporation of an Energy Equation into a Pulsed Inductive Thruster Performance Model

A model for pulsed inductive plasma acceleration containing an energy equation to account for the various sources and sinks in such devices is presented. The model consists of a set of circuit equations coupled to an equation of motion and energy equation for the plasma. The latter two equations are obtained for the plasma current sheet by treating it as a one-element finite volume, integrating the equations over that volume, and then matching known terms or quantities already calculated in the model to the resulting current sheet-averaged terms in the equations. Calculations showing the time-evolution of the various sources and sinks in the system are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the model, with two separate resistivity models employed to show an example of how the plasma transport properties can affect the calculation. While neither resistivity model is fully accurate, the demonstration shows that it is possible within this modeling framework to time-accurately update various plasma parameters.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Ion-ion waves in the auroral region - Wave excitation and ion heating

The properties of the ion-ion mode which is excited in plasmas when two or more cold ion beams are streaming relative to one another are investigated assuming a warm electron distribution at rest (the model consistent with particle distributions observed in auroral plasma cavities). Numerical solutions are derived for the generalized electrostatic dispersion equation for parallel propagation and for oblique propagation of ion waves. It is shown that the relative ion temperature and concentration have significant effects on the stability of the accelerated plasma and the expected ion heating. Finally, a relationship between ion drift and thermal speed is derived using the marginal stability of ion-ion waves for nonzero ion temperature; the relationship was found to compare favorably with DE-1 ion observations at the high-altitude boundary of the auroral cavity.

Dusenbery, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Operational Characteristics of a Low-Energy FARAD Thruster

Data from a 100 J per pulse electrodeless accelerator employing pulsed RF-preionization are presented to gain insight into the accelerator's operating characteristics. The data suggest that the propellant distribution is highly unoptimized, with most of the gas inaccessible to the discharge and the remainder mostly concentrated at the inner radius of the coil. The pulsed RF-preionization discharge produces a visible plasma, but like the gas distribution it mostly appears concentrated at the inner radius of the thruster. Magnetic field probes in the discharge point to a current sheet that is not magnetically impermeable. These data also exhibit signs of nonrepeatability, and time-integrated discharge photography shows signs of spatial nonuniformity in both the radial and azimuthal directions. Terminal voltage measurements on the two capacitor banks of the thruster do not exhibit the asymmetric nature (in time) typically associated with an efficient pulsed plasma accelerator. Based on the experimental evidence, the poor performance of the thruster is thought to be due to insufficient preionization, which at these low discharge energy levels severely limits the ability of the main current pulse to couple with and effectively accelerate the propellant.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The International Heliophysical Year

It is now widely recognized that evolution in the solar system proceeds through a set of Universal Processes, i.e. reconnection, particle acceleration, plasma wave generation and propagation, etc. By studying these Universal Processes together, in diverse environments, and in a comparative way, new scientific insights will be gained. This is perhaps best understood by citing a few examples: (I) Shocks are observed in situ in the interplanetary medium, shocks are believed to play a role in the acceleration of particles in the solar corona, and standing bow shocks and termination shocks separate the major regions in the heliosphere. Shock formation, and particle acceleration are universal processes. (2) Aurorae are observed on Earth, Saturn, and Jupiter, and Jovian auroral "footprints" have been observed on 10, Ganymede and Europa. The formation of aurorae is observed to be the universal response of a magnetized body in the solar wind. The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) specifically highlights the cross-disciplinary study of universal physical processes in the solar system, observed in a variety of settings. The study of these processes will provide new insights that will lead to a better understanding of the universal processes in the solar system that affect the interplanetary and planetary environments, and pave the way for safe human space travel to the Moon and planets in the future, and it will serve to inspire the next generation of space physicists.

Davila, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Observation of a slow-mode shock in the dayside magnetopause reconnection layer

Plasma and magnetic field data from the International Sun Earth Explorer (ISEE) 2 spacecraft recorded on 29 Oct 1979 provide evidence for a slow shock (SS) in the reconnection layer of the dayside magnetopause. This layer is bounded on the magnetosheath side by the SS and on the magnetospheric side by a rotational discontinuity (RD). The direction of the accelerated plasma flow, the earthward sense of the normal magnetic field across both discontinuities, and the relative orientation of the SS and the RD all indicate that the reconnection site was located south of the spacecraft. Examination of the substantial pressure anisotropy downstream of the SS explains two unusual properties of the shock: (1) the slow-mode and intermediate-mode phase speeds are inverted downstream of the SS such that the RD propagates behind the SS rather than ahead of it; (2) the magnetic wave polarization reserves such that the SS initially displays a left-handed polarization and then switches to a right-handed polarization inside the shock structure.

Walthour, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Study plasma interactions in the auroral ionosphere

Analyzed data from rocket flight, 29.007UE is presented. In a discrete electron arc the measured upward moving electrons are well accounted for by secondaries produced in collisional scattering of the measured downcoming electrons. No collective mechanisms need to invoke. The low energy downcoming electrons are accounted for by thermal plasma accelerated through a potential drop of a few kV that specularly reflects upward-moving lower energy electrons. No low altitude collective effects need to invoke in the arc. Simultaneous measurements of electric field by double probes on 29.007 and the Chatanika Radar allow one to infer that there are upward drifting ions above the discrete electron arc, and there is a westward neutral wind in the discrete arc. Two rocket payloads were built to investigate plasma effects in the pulsating aurora.

Anderson, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Inter-Agency Consultative Group for Space Science (IACG): Handbook of Missions and Payloads

The ACE spacecraft design is based on the Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) built by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the Applied Physics Lab (APL) for the AMPTE program. ACE is designed as a spinning spacecraft with its spin axis aligned to the Earth-Sun axis. The ACE launch weight will be approx. 633 kg, including 105 kg of scientific instruments and 184 kg of propellant. Using a Delta-class expendable launch vehicle, ACE will be launched into an L1 libration point (240 R(sub e)) orbit. Telemetry will be 6.7 kbps average, using tape recorder storage with daily readout to DSN. The experiment power requirement is approximately 76 W nominal and 96 W peak. The prime objective of the ACE mission is: (1) to determine accurate elemental and isotropic abundances including solar matter, local interstellar matter and local galactic matter; (2) to study the origin of elements and evolutionary processing in galactic nucleosynthesis, galactic evolution, origin and evolution of the solar system; (3) to study coronal formation and solar-wind acceleration processes; and (4) to study particle acceleration and transport, including coronal shock acceleration, stochastic flare acceleration, interplanetary shock acceleration, and interstellar acceleration and propagation. To accomplish this objective, ACE will perform comprehensive and coordinated determinations of the elemental and isotopic composition of energetic nuclei accelerated on the Sun, in interplanetary space, and from galactic sources. These observations will span five decades in energy, from solar wind to galactic cosmic ray energies, and will cover the element range from H-1 to Zr-40. Comparison of these samples of matter will be used to study the origin and subsequent evolution of both solar system and galactic material by isolating the effects of fundamental processes that include nucleosynthesis, charged and neutral particle separation, bulk plasma acceleration, and the acceleration of suprathermal and high-energy particles.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Observation of anomalous slow-mode shock and reconnection layer in the dayside magnetospause

Plasma and magnetic field data from the International Sun-Earth Explorer ISEE 2 spacecraft recorded during an outbound crossing of the dayside, northern hemisphere magnetopause in October 29, 1979, provide evidence for a slow shock (SS) in the observed reconnection layer. This layer is found to be bounded on the magnetosheath side by the SS; near the magnetospheric side of the layer, a second current sheet is found that may have been rotational discontinuity (RD). The direction of the accelerated plasma flow, the earthward sense of the normal magnetic filed across the SS and RD, and the relative orientation of the SS and the RD all indicate that the reconection site was located south of the spacecraft. Quantitative tests show that, allowing for experiemental uncertanties, data taken upstream and downstream of the SS are consistent with coplanarity and other Rankine-Hugoniot (RH) conditions. Examiniations of the flow parameters indicates two anomalous properties of the SS: the upstream flow, viewed in the deHoffmann-Teller frame, is superalfvenic and the downstream plasma is firehose unstable. In comparison to the long-wavelength slow-mode phase speed, however, the flow in the upstream region is super slow, while in the downstream region it is subslow, as requeired for a slow-mode shock. Further properties of the shock include a large decrease in total enthalpy across it, indicating the escape of a sizable heat flux from the shock structure, and the occurrence of a polarization reversal of the tangential magnetic field within the shock layer, a feature that is predicted by linear double-polytropic Hall-MHD and results from a large increase in pressure anistropy from the upstream region, where p(sub parallel) approximately equal to p(sub perp), to the downstream region, where p(sub parrallel) greater than p(sub perp). Quantitative tests of the RD-like discontinuity show that it satisfies the necessary RH conditions within experimental uncertainties and indicate that the flow across it is earthward, that is, it is the same as for the SS. Thus the RD is propagating behind the SS in the direction away from the Earth. The reversal in the order of the discontinuities is attributed to the reversal of the slow and intermediate phase speeds produced by the pressure anistropy in the region between the RD and the SS. The linear dispersion relation and polarization properties of dispersive MHD waves in an anisotropic plasma are examined in the appendix.

Walthour, D. W↗
NASA NTRS2011

Crater Flux Transfer Events: Highroad to the X Line?

We examine Cluster observations of a so-called magnetosphere crater FTE, employing data from five instruments (FGM, CIS, EDI, EFW, and WHISPER), some at the highest resolution. The aim of doing this is to deepen our understanding of the reconnection nature of these events by applying recent advances in the theory of collisionless reconnection and in detailed observational work. Our data support the hypothesis of a stratified structure with regions which we show to be spatial structures. We support the bulge-like topology of the core region (R3) made up of plasma jetting transverse to reconnected field lines. We document encounters with a magnetic separatrix as a thin layer embedded in the region (R2) just outside the bulge, where the speed of the protons flowing approximately parallel to the field maximizes: (1) short (fraction of a sec) bursts of enhanced electric field strengths (up to approximately 30 mV/m) and (2) electrons flowing against the field toward the X line at approximately the same time as the bursts of intense electric fields. R2 also contains a density decrease concomitant with an enhanced magnetic field strength. At its interface with the core region, R3, electric field activity ceases abruptly. The accelerated plasma flow profile has a catenary shape consisting of beams parallel to the field in R2 close to the R2/R3 boundary and slower jets moving across the magnetic field within the bulge region. We detail commonalities our observations of crater FTEs have with reconnection structures in other scenarios. We suggest that in view of these properties and their frequency of occurrence, crater FTEs are ideal places to study processes at the separatrices, key regions in magnetic reconnection. This is a good preparation for the MMS mission.

Farrugia, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Solar flares and solar wind helium enrichments - July 1965-July 1967.

It has previously been suggested that the very high relative abundances of helium occasionally observed in the solar wind mark the plasma accelerated by major solar flares. To confirm this hypothesis, we have studied the 43 spectra with He/H greater than 15% that were observed among 10,300 spectra collected by Vela 3 between July 1965-July 1967. Six new flare-enhancement events are discussed in this paper. It is concluded that the association of helium enhancements with major flares is real, nonrandom, and very strong. With this study, there are 12 cases of reliable associations between helium enhancements and flares reported in the literature. The general characteristics of these events are discussed. It is found that the flares are typically large and bright (2B or 3B), often they produce cosmic ray protons, and they are widely distributed in solar longitude. A qualitative discussion of some of the possibilities for the source of helium enhanced plasma is presented. It is suggested that the helium enriched plasma may be the piston producing the shock causing the Type II radio emission.

Hirshberg, J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Core magnetic field enhancement in single X line, multiple X line and patchy reconnection

Magnetic flux transfer events often show a significant increase of the magnetic field strength at the center of the events. Similar magnetic field observations have been reported for structures in or near the plasma sheet of the magnetotail at about 20 R(sub E). We have carried out two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) and simulations of single X line reconnection (SXR), multiple X line reconnection (MXR), and patchy reconnection to determine and compare the amplification of the magnetic field in the center of the developing flux tubes. The various processes are achieved by appropriate choices of 2D or 3D resistivity models. The simulations show that the increase in magnetic field strength depends on both the property of the initial configuration and the particular reconnection geometry. For the chosen initial conditions the MXR process leads to a larger increase in the core magnetic field than the patchy reconnection and SXR caused by larger magnetic tensions in the MXR process. The 3D processes always lead to a larger amplification than the corresponding 2D processes. In the 3D cases, force imbalance in the y direction will accelerate plasma out of the flux tube. This process reduces the thermal pressure and leads to a further compression of the flux rope, which yields an additional increase in the interior magnetic field strength.

Ma, Z. W.↗
NASA NTRS1966

Large capacitor performs as a distributed parameter pulse line

Capacitor of extended foil construction performs as a distributed parameter pulse line in which current, amplitude, and period are readily controlled. The capacitor is used as the energy storage element in a pulsed plasma accelerator.

Gooding, T. J.↗