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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Four space application material coatings on the long-duration exposure flight (LDEF)

Four material coatings of different thickness were flown on the LDEF to determine their ability to perform in the harsh space environment. The coatings, located in the ram direction of the spacecraft, were exposed for 10 months to the low-Earth orbit (LEO) environment experienced by the LDEF at an orbit of 260 nautical miles. They consisted of indium oxide (In2O3), silicon oxide (SiO(x)), clear RTV silicone, and silicone with silicate-treated zinc oxide (ZnO). These coatings were flown to assess their behavior when exposed to atomic oxygen and to confirm their good radiative properties, stability, electrical conductivity, and resistance to UV exposure. The flown samples were checked and compared with the reference unflown samples using high-magnification optical inspection, ESCA analysis, weight changes and dimensional changes. These comparisons indicated the following: The 1000 A SiO(x) coating eroded uniformly, with minor changes in its radiative properties. The 100 A of In2O3 coating eroded completely down to the Kapton backing, with resultant losses of reflectance. The RTV-615 showed erosion, with carbon (C) content losses, while the Si remained constant, with a doubling of the oxygen (O) concentration. The RTV-615 silicone with K2SiO3-treated ZnO changed from flat to glossy white in appearance. It lost C, was etched, and increased its O content. The upper layers showed no remaining Zn or K. Losses of reflectance occurred within certain wavelength bands. It was not possible to evaluate the experimental oxygen reaction rate using the calculated atomic oxygen fluence of 2.6 x 10(exp 20) atoms/cm(exp 2) for the exposure of these coatings during the flight. The bakeout of the coatings was not carried out prior to the flight. Hence, the coating weight and dimensional losses included losses by outgassing products.

Scialdone, John J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Four space application material coatings on the Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)

Four material coatings of different thicknesses were flown on the LDEF to determine their ability to perform in the harsh space environment. The coatings, located in the ram direction of the spacecraft, were exposed for 10 months to the low-Earth orbit (LEO) environments experienced by the LDEF at an orbit of 260 nautical miles. They consisted of indium oxide (In2O3), silicon oxide (SiO(x)), clear RTV silicone, and silicone with silicate-treated zinc oxide (ZnO). These coatings were flown to assess their behavior when exposed to atomic oxygen and to confirm their good radiative properties, stability, electrical conductivity, and resistance to UV exposure. The flown samples were checked and compared with the reference unflown samples using high-magnification optical inspection, ESCA analysis, weight changes, and dimensional changes. These comparisons indicated the following. The 1000 A SiO(x) coating eroded uniformly, with minor changes in its radiative properties. The 100 A In2O3 coating eroded completely down to the Kapton backing, with resultant losses of reflectance. The RTV-615 showed erosion, with carbon (C) content losses, while the Si remained constant, with a doubling of the oxygen (O) concentration. The RTV-615 silicone with K2SiO3-treated ZnO changed from flat to glossy white in appearance. It lost C, was etched, and increased its O content. The upper layers showed no remaining Zn or K. Losses of reflectance occurred within certain wavelength bands. It was not possible to evaluate the experimental oxygen reaction rate using the calculated atomic oxygen fluence of 2.6 x 10(exp 20) atoms/cm(exp 2) for the exposure of these coatings during the flight. The bakeout of the coatings was not carried out prior to the flight. Hence, the coating weight and dimensional losses included losses by outgassing products.

Scialdone, John J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Platform for probing radiation transport properties of hydrogen at conditions found in the deep interiors of red dwarfs

We describe an experimental concept at the National Ignition Facility for specifically tailored spherical implosions to compress hydrogen to extreme densities (up to ∼800× solid density, electron number density ne∼4×1025 cm−3) at moderate temperatures (T∼200 eV), i.e., to conditions, which are relevant to the interiors of red dwarf stars. The dense plasma will be probed by laser-generated x-ray radiation of different photon energy to determine the plasma opacity due to collisional (free–free) absorption and Thomson scattering. The obtained results will benchmark radiation transport models, which in the case for free–free absorption show strong deviations at conditions relevant to red dwarfs. This very first experimental test of free–free opacity models at these extreme states will help to constrain where inside those celestial objects energy transport is dominated by radiation or convection. Moreover, our study will inform models for other important processes in dense plasmas, which are based on electron–ion collisions, e.g., stopping of swift ions or electron–ion temperature relaxation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

The influence of continental sources of aerosols on the marine stratocumulus during FIRE IFO-1

The effects of aerosols on the microphysical characteristics of marine stratocumulus clouds can have a significant impact on climate processes through modification of cloud radiative properties. The effect of aerosols on clouds and the impact on climate processes have recently been discussed by several authors (Twomey et al., 1984; Coakley et al., 1987; Charlson et al., 1987). Of particular concern is the potential for observing variations of cloud characteristics that might be related to variations of available aerosols. The results of comparisons between aircraft-measured microphysical characteristics and satellite-detected radiative properties of marine stratocumulus clouds are presented. These results are extracted from Mineart (1988) and Durkee and Mineart (1989) where the analysis procedures and a full discussion of the observations are presented. Due to the space available, only a brief description of the results is presented. The satellite data used here are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) collected at the Scripps Satellite Oceanography Facility. The AVHRR channel 1 (0.63 microns), channel 2 (0.86 microns), channel 3 (3.7 microns), and channel 4 (11 microns) data were used in the analysis. Cloud microphysical data were obtained by instruments on the NCAR Electra during cloud-penetrating missions in support of the field operations from 29 June to 19 July 1988.

Durkee, Philip A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Geometrically Tunable Beamed Light Emission from a Quantum‐Dot Ensemble Near a Gradient Metasurface

Abstract Optical metasurfaces have been widely investigated in recent years as a means to tailor the wavefronts of externally incident light for passive device applications. At the same time, their use in active optoelectronic devices such as light emitters is far less established. This work explores their ability to control the radiation properties of a nearby continuous ensemble of randomly oriented incoherent dipole sources via near‐field interactions. Specifically, a film of colloidal quantum dots is deposited on a plasmonic metasurface consisting of a 1D array of metallic nanoantennas on a metal film. The array is designed to introduce a linear phase profile upon reflection, and a bi‐periodic nanoparticle arrangement is introduced to ensure adequate sampling of the desired phase gradient. Highly directional radiation patterns are correspondingly obtained from the quantum dots at an enhanced emission rate. The underlying radiation mechanism involves the near‐field excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the metal film, and their selective diffractive scattering by the metasurface into well‐collimated beams along predetermined geometrically tunable directions. These results underscore the distinctive ability of metasurfaces to control radiation properties directly at the source level, which is technologically significant for the continued miniaturization and large‐scale integration of optoelectronic devices.

Wang, Xiaowei↗
DOE OSTI2022

The High-Frequency Signature of Slow and Fast Laboratory Earthquakes

Tectonic faults fail through a spectrum of slip modes, ranging from slow aseismic creep to rapid slip during earthquakes. Understanding the seismic radiation emitted during these slip modes is key for advancing earthquake science and earthquake hazard assessment. In this work, we use laboratory friction experiments instrumented with ultrasonic sensors to document the seismic radiation properties of slow and fast laboratory earthquakes. Stick-slip experiments were conducted at a constant loading rate of 8 μm/s and the normal stress was systematically increased from 7 to 15 MPa. We produced a full spectrum of slip modes by modulating the loading stiffness in tandem with the fault zone normal stress. Acoustic emission data were recorded continuously at 5 MHz. We demonstrate that the full continuum of slip modes radiate measurable high-frequency energy between 100 and 500 kHz, including the slowest events that have peak fault slip rates <100 μm/s. The peak amplitude of the high-frequency time-domain signals scales systematically with fault slip velocity. Stable sliding experiments further support the connection between fault slip rate and high-frequency radiation. Experiments demonstrate that the origin of the high-frequency energy is fundamentally linked to changes in fault slip rate, shear strain, and breaking of contact junctions within the fault gouge. Our results suggest that having measurements close to the fault zone may be key for documenting seismic radiation properties and fully understanding the connection between different slip modes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2001

Radiation Transmission Properties of In-Situ Materials

The development of a permanent human presence in space is a key element of NASA's strategic plan for the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS). The habitation of the International Space Station (ISS) is one near-term HEDS objective; the exploration and settlement of the moon and Mars are long-term goals of that plan. Achieving these goals requires maintaining the health and safety of personnel involved in such space operations at a high level, while at the same time reducing the cost of those operations to a reasonable level. Among the limiting factors to prolonged human space operations are the health risks from exposure to the space ionizing radiation environment. In order to keep the risk of radiation induced cancer at acceptable levels, it is necessary to provide adequate shielding from the ionizing radiation environment. The research presented here is theoretical and ground-based experimental study of the neutron production from interactions of GCR-like particles in various shielding components. An emphasis is placed here on research that will aid in the development of in-situ resource utilization. The primary goal of the program is to develop an accurate neutron-production model that is relevant to the NASA HEDS program of designing technologies that will be used in the development of effective shielding countermeasures. A secondary goal of the program is the development of an experimental data base of neutron production cross sections and thick-target yields which will aid model development.

Heilbronn, L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Microphysical modeling of cirrus. 2: Sensitivity studies

The one-dimensional cirrus model described in part 1 of this issue has been used to study the sensitivity of simulated cirrus microphysical and radiative properties to poorly known model parameters, poorly understood physical processes, and environmental conditions. Model parameters and physical processes investigated include nucleation rate, mode of nucleation (e.g., homogeneous freezing of aerosols and liquid droplets or heterogeneous deposition), ice crystal shape, and coagulation. These studies suggest that the leading sources of uncertainty in the model are the phase change (liquid-solid) energy barrier and the ice-water surface energy which dominate the homogeneous freezing nucleation rate and the coagulation sticking efficiency at low temperatures which controls the production of large ice crystals (radii greater than 100 mcirons). Environmental conditions considered in sensitivity tests were CN size distribution, vertical wind speed, and cloud height. We found that (unlike stratus clouds) variations in the total number of condensation nuclei (NC) have little effect on cirrus microphysical and radiative properties, since nucleation occurs only on the largest CN at the tail of the size distribution. The total number of ice crystals which nucleate has little or no relationship to the number of CN present and depends primarily on the temperature and the cooling rate. Stronger updrafts (more rapid cooling) generate higher ice number densities, ice water content, cloud optical depth, and net radiative forcing. Increasing the height of the clouds in the model leads to an increase in ice number density, a decrease in effective radius, and a decrease in ice water content. The most prominent effect of increasing cloud height was a rapid increase in the net cloud radiative forcing which can be attributed to the change in cloud temperature as well as change in cloud ice size distributions. It has long been recognized that changes in cloud height or cloud area have the greatest potential for causing feedbacks on climate change. Our results suggest that variations in vertical velocity or cloud microphysical changes associatd with cloud height changes may also be important.

Jensen, Eric J.↗
NASA NTRS2013

An Overview of Regional Experiments on Biomass Burning Aerosols and Related Pollutants in Southeast Asia: From BASE-ASIA and the Dongsha Experiment to 7-SEAS

By modulating the Earth-atmosphere energy, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and affecting regional-to-global weather and climate, biomass burning is recognized as one of the major factors affecting the global carbon cycle. However, few comprehensive and wide-ranging experiments have been conducted to characterize biomass-burning pollutants in Southeast Asia (SEA) or assess their regional impact on meteorology, the hydrological cycle, the radiative budget, or climate change. Recently, BASEASIA (Biomass-burning Aerosols in South-East Asia: Smoke Impact Assessment) and the 7-SEAS (7- South-East Asian Studies) Dongsha Experiment were conducted during the spring seasons of 2006 and 2010 in northern SEA, respectively, to characterize the chemical, physical, and radiative properties of biomass-burning emissions near the source regions, and assess their effects. This paper provides an overview of results from these two campaigns and related studies collected in this special issue, entitled Observation, modeling and impact studies of biomass burning and pollution in the SE Asian Environment. This volume includes 28 papers, which provide a synopsis of the experiments, regional weatherclimate, chemical characterization of biomass-burning aerosols and related pollutants in source and sink regions, the spatial distribution of air toxics (atmospheric mercury and dioxins) in source and remote areas, a characterization of aerosol physical, optical, and radiative properties, as well as modeling and impact studies. These studies, taken together, provide the first relatively complete dataset of aerosol chemistry and physical observations conducted in the sourcesink region in the northern SEA, with particular emphasis on the marine boundary layer and lower free troposphere (LFT). The data, analysis and modeling included in these papers advance our present knowledge of source characterization of biomass-burning pollutants near the source regions as well as the physical and chemical processes along transport pathways. In addition, we raise key questions to be addressed by a coming deployment during springtime 2013 in northern SEA, named 7-SEASBASELInE (Biomass-burning Aerosols Stratocumulus Environment: Lifecycles and Interactions Experiment). This campaign will include a synergistic approach for further exploring many key atmospheric processes (e.g., complex aerosol-cloud interactions) and impacts of biomass burning on the surface-atmosphere energy budgets during the lifecycles of biomass burning emissions.

aerosol/biomass burning↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Melting Layer Model for Passive/Active Microwave Remote Sensing Applications: Model Formulation and Comparison with Observations - Part 1

In this study, a 1-D steady-state microphysical model which describes the vertical distribution of melting precipitation particles is developed. The model is driven by the ice-phase precipitation distributions just above the freezing level at applicable gridpoints of "parent" 3-D cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations. It extends these simulations by providing the number density and meltwater fraction of each particle in finely separated size categories through the melting layer. The depth of the modeled melting layer is primarily determined by the initial material density of the ice-phase precipitation. The radiative properties of melting precipitation at microwave frequencies are calculated based upon different methods for describing the dielectric properties of mixed phase particles. Particle absorption and scattering efficiencies at the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager frequencies (10.65 to 85.5 GHz) are enhanced greatly for relatively small (approx. 0.1) meltwater fractions. The relatively large number of partially-melted particles just below the freezing level in stratiform regions leads to significant microwave absorption, well-exceeding the absorption by rain at the base of the melting layer. Calculated precipitation backscatter efficiencies at the Precipitation Radar frequency (13.8 GHz) increase in proportion to the particle meltwater fraction, leading to a "bright-band" of enhanced radar reflectivities in agreement with previous studies. The radiative properties of the melting layer are determined by the choice of dielectric models and the initial water contents and material densities of the "seeding" ice-phase precipitation particles. Simulated melting layer profiles based upon snow described by the Fabry-Szyrmer core-shell dielectric model and graupel described by the Maxwell-Garnett water matrix dielectric model lead to reasonable agreement with radar-derived melting layer optical depth distributions. Moreover, control profiles that do not contain mixed-phase precipitation particles yield optical depths that are systematically lower than those observed. Therefore, the use of the melting layer model to extend 3-D CRM simulations appears justified, at least until more realistic spectral methods for describing melting precipitation in high-resolution, 3-D CRM's are implemented.

Olson, William S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reconciling Contrasting Relationships Between Relative Dispersion and Volume-Mean Radius of Cloud Droplet Size Distributions

Cloud droplet spectral relative dispersion is critical to parameterizations of cloud radiative properties, warm-rain initiation, and aerosol-cloud interactions in models; however, there is no consistent relationship between relative dispersion and volume-mean radius in literature, which hinders improving relative dispersion parameterization and calls for physical explanation. Here we show, by analyzing aircraft observations of cumulus clouds during Routine AAF [Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations, that the correlation between relative dispersion and volume-mean radius changes from positive to negative as volume-mean radius increases. With the new observation, we postulate that the sign of the correlation is determined by whether or not condensation (evaporation) occurs simultaneously with significant new activation (deactivation). The hypothesis is validated by simulations of both an adiabatic cloud parcel model and a parcel model accounting for entrainment-mixing. A new quantity, first bin strength, is introduced to quantify this new observation. Theoretical analysis of truncated gamma and modified gamma size distributions further supports the hypothesis and reconciles the contrasting relationships between relative dispersion and volume-mean radius, including the results in polluted fog observations. The results could shed new light on the so-called “twilight zone” between cloudy and cloud-free air, which in turn affects evaluation of aerosol-cloud interactions and retrieval of aerosol optical depth.

Lu, Chunsong↗
NASA NTRS2004

Clouds and Aerosols in the Climate System

Remote sensing of cloud and aerosol properties from space is reviewed for present and planned international satellite sensors. Techniques that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of cloud and aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers that rely on visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared channels, sometimes including polarization as well. The availability of thermal channels to aid in cloud screening for aerosol properties is an important additional piece of information that has not always been incorporated into sensor designs. In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud effective radius), and highlight the global and regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. In addition, we will frustrate the radiative and microphysical properties of aerosol particles that are currently available from space-based observations, as well as enhancements to aerosol remote sensing over bright-reflecting surfaces that is anticipated in the next couple of years. Finally, we will describe the aerosol optical and radiative properties available from the globally distributed AERONET network of ground-based sun-sky radiometers.

King, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Viking Lander image analysis of Martian atmospheric dust

We have reanalyzed three sets of Viking Lander 1 and 2 (VL1 and VL2) images of the Martian atmosphere to better evaluate the radiative properties of the atmospheric dust particles. The properties of interest are the first two moments of the size distribution, the single-scattering albedo, the dust single-scattering phase function, and the imaginary index of refraction. These properties provide a good definition of the influence that the atmospheric dust has on heating of the atmosphere. Our analysis represents a significant improvement over past analyses (Pollack et al. 1977,1979) by deriving more accurate brightnesses closer to the sun, by carrying out more precise analyses of the data to acquire the quantities of interest, and by using a better representation of scattering by nonspherical particles. The improvements allow us to better define the diffraction peak and hence the size distribution of the particles. For a lognormal particle size distribution, the first two moments of the size distribution, weighted by the geometric cross section, are found. The geometric cross-section weighted mean radius (r(sub eff)) is found to be 1.85 +/- 0.3 microns at VL2 during northern summer when dust loading was low and 1.52 +/- 0.3 microns at VL1 during the first dust storm. In both cases the best cross-section weighted mean variance (nu(eff)) of the size distribution is equal to 0.5 +/- 0.2 microns. The changes in size distribution, and thus radiative properties, do not represent a substantial change in solar energy deposition in the atmosphere over the Pollack et al. (1977,1979) estimates.

Pollack, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Viking Lander image analysis of Martian atmospheric dust

We have reanalyzed three sets of Viking Lander 1 and 2 (VL1 and VL2) images of the Martian atmosphere to better evaluate the radiative properties of the atmospheric dust particles. The properties of interest are the first two moments of the size distribution, the single-scattering albedo, the dust single-scattering phase function, and the imaginary index of refraction. These properties provide a good definition of the influence that the atmospheric dust has on heating of the atmosphere. Our analysis represents a significant improvement over past analyses (Pollack et al. 1977, 1979) by deriving more accurate brightness closer to the sun, by carrying out more precise analyses of the data to acquire the quantities of interest, and by using a better representation of scattering by nonspherical particles. The improvements allow us to better define the diffraction peak and hence the size distribution of the particles. For a lognormal particle size distribution, the first two moments of the size distribution, weighted by the geometric cross section, are found. The geometric cross-section weighted mean radius r(sub eff) is found to be 1.85 +/- 0.3 micrometers at VL2 during northern summer when dust loading was low and 1.52 +/- 0.3 micrometers at VL1 during the first dust storm. In both cases the best cross-section weighted mean variance nu(sub eff) of the size distribution is equal to 0.5 +/- 0.2 micrometers. The changes in size distribution, and thus radiative properties, do not represent a substantial change in solar energy deposition in the atmosphere over the Pollak et al. (1977, 1979) estimates.

Pollack, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Low cloud investigations for project FIRE: Island studies of cloud properties, surface radiation, and boundary layer dynamics. A simulation of the reflectivity over a stratocumulus cloud deck by the Monte Carlo method

The radiation field over a broken stratocumulus cloud deck is simulated by the Monte Carlo method. We conducted four experiments to investigate the main factor for the observed shortwave reflectively over the FIRE flight 2 leg 5, in which reflectivity decreases almost linearly from the cloud center to cloud edge while the cloud top height and the brightness temperature remain almost constant through out the clouds. From our results, the geometry effect, however, did not contribute significantly to what has been observed. We found that the variation of the volume extinction coefficient as a function of its relative position in the cloud affects the reflectivity efficiently. Additional check of the brightness temperature of each experiment also confirms this conclusion. The cloud microphysical data showed some interesting features. We found that the cloud droplet spectrum is nearly log-normal distributed when the clouds were solid. However, whether the shift of cloud droplet spectrum toward the larger end is not certain. The decrease of number density from cloud center to cloud edges seems to have more significant effects on the optical properties.

Ackerman, Thomas P.↗
DOE OSTI2025

The diurnal susceptibility of subtropical clouds to aerosols

The diurnal susceptibility of clouds and their radiative properties to aerosols is examined during their Lagrangian transition from subtropical stratocumulus to shallow cumulus regimes. Using large-eddy simulations, we analyze the six-day evolution of an air mass along a 3800 km observed trajectory from the coast of Peru toward the equator. Pristine and polluted scenarios are simulated with forcing imposed from weather reanalysis. The polluted scenario exhibits stronger diurnal variations in cloud water, cloud fraction, and albedo, with enhanced nighttime entrainment and suppressed precipitation. The overall response of cloud properties and outgoing shortwave radiation to droplet number concentration follows a distinct diurnal pattern: strong positive cloud adjustments dominate at night and in the morning, while weak negative adjustments prevail in the afternoon. This cycle is driven by the competition between precipitation suppression, which enhances cloud water and coverage, and entrainment drying, which depletes them. In polluted conditions, enhanced entrainment leads to a deeper and more decoupled boundary layer that cannot be sustained by surface fluxes in the afternoon, resulting in negative cloud adjustments. The enhanced entrainment rate under polluted conditions is caused by the reduced sedimentation of cloud and precipitation water from the entrainment zone. While the Twomey effect dominates the diurnal average albedo response, the diurnal variation in the competing cloud adjustments lead to a near-neutral net susceptibility in the afternoon, highlighting the critical role of diurnally varying processes in aerosol-cloud interactions.

Geosciences↗