SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “high photon flux”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2001

Preliminary Photon Pressure Measurements Using a Solar Simulator

Initial proof of concept photon momentum measurements reported verifying photon pressure on a simulated sail material can be measured under high vacuum conditions using a full spectrum solar simulator and a vacuum compatible force measurement system. Second order effects such as sample reflectivity, beam uniformity, radiometric flux measurement accuracy, and the optical system have been accounted for in evaluating these measurements.

Gray, Perry A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Synchrotron Self-Compton Emission from the Crab and Other Pulsars

Results of a simulation of synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) emission from a rotation-powered pulsar are presented. The radiating particles are assumed to be both accelerated primary electrons and a spectrum of electron-positron pairs produced in cascades near the polar cap. They follow trajectories in a slot gap using 3D force-free magnetic field geometry, gaining pitch angles through resonant cyclotron absorption of radio photons, radiating and scattering synchrotron emission at high altitudes out to and beyond the light cylinder. Full angular dependence of the synchrotron photon density is simulated in the scattering and all processes are treated in the inertial observer frame. Spectra for the Crab and Vela pulsars as well as two energetic millisecond pulsars, B1821-24 and B1937+21 are simulated using this model. The simulation of the Crab pulsar radiation can reproduce both the flux level and the shape of the observed optical to hard X-ray emission assuming a pair multiplicity of M+ = 3x10(exp 5), as well as the very-high- energy emission above 50 GeV detected by MAGIC and VERITAS, with both the synchrotron and SSC components reflecting the shape of the pair spectrum. Simulations of Vela, B1821-24 and B1937+21, for M+ up to 10(exp 5), do not produce pair SSC emission that is detectable by current telescopes, indicating that only Crab-like pulsars produce significant SSC components. The pair synchrotron emission matches the observed X-ray spectrum of the millisecond pulsars and the predicted peak of this emission at 1-10 MeV would be detectable with planned Compton telescopes.

Self-Compton↗

NASA NTRS2002

Serendipitous Detections of XTE J1906+09 with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer

The 89 s X-ray pulsar XTE J1906+09 was discovered during Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of SGR 1900+14 in 1996. Because of monitoring campaigns of SGR 1900+14, XTE J1906+09 was also monitored regularly in 1996 September, 1998 May-June, 1998 August-1999 July, and 2000 March-2001 January. A search for pulsations resulted in detections of only the two previously reported outbursts in 1996 September and 1998 August-September. Pulsed flux upper limits for the rest of the observations show that XTE J1906+09 is a transient X-ray pulsar and likely has a Be star companion. The RXTE all-sky monitor did not reveal XTE J1906+09. Pulse-timing analysis of the second outburst discovered a sinusoidal signature in the pulse frequencies that is likely produced by an orbital periastron passage. Fits to pulse phases using an orbital model and quadratic phase model have chi(exp 2) minima at orbital periods of 26-30 days for fixed mass functions of 5, 10, 15, and 20 solar masses. The pulse shape showed energy- and intensity-dependent variations. Pulse-phase spectroscopy quantified the energy-dependent variations. The phase-averaged spectrum used the pulse minimum spectrum as the background spectrum to eliminate effects from SGR 1900+14 and the Galactic ridge and was well fitted by an absorbed power law with a high-energy cutoff with column density N(sub H) = 6 +/- 1 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm, a photon index of 1.01 +/- 0.08, cutoff energy E(sub cut) = 11 +/- 1 keV, and e-folding energy E(sub fold) = 19 +/- 4 keV. Estimated 2-10 keV peak fluxes, corrected for contributions from the Galactic ridge and SGR 1900+14, are 6 x l0(exp -12) and 1.1 x 10(exp -10) ergs/sq cm/s for the 1996 and 1998 outbursts, respectively. XTE J1906+09 may be part of an unusual class of Be/X-ray binaries that do not lie on the general spin period versus orbital period correlation with the majority of Be/X-ray binaries.

Wilson, Colleen A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Detection of cosmic ray electrons above 10 to 14th eV using gamma ray observatories

A quantitative evaluation of high energy gamma ray observatories for the study of cosmic ray electrons is made. This is based on the principle that the synchrotron photons emitted by the electrons in the earth's magnetic field is collinear in the detector. It is shown that the size and the gamma ray detection efficiency of the SAS II instrument is so small, that no useful information can be derived from it. On the other hand, one may be able to set useful upper limits to the flux of electrons by making use of the high energy gamma ray detector in the GRO.

Stephens, S. A.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing molecular light absorption in the strong coupling regime for solar energy harvesting

The strong coupling of optical absorbers (e.g., molecules or semiconductors) to confined photonic modes fundamentally alters the physical properties of the coupled system via the formation of hybrid light-matter states. One potential application of strong light-matter coupling relies on exploiting it to localize light-induced charge excitation processes to small volumes of material. Applications that would benefit from this localization include thin-film photovoltaics, photodetection, photocatalysis, and others, where the overall performance depends on the ability of a material to amplify light absorption (i.e., the formation of electron-hole pairs) within specific locations in space. This contribution investigates how strong light-matter coupling affects light absorption rates in molecular absorbers coupled to photonic nanostructures. Here, our results show that the molecular light absorption efficiencies are highest in configurations where the strongly coupled molecules interact directly with the incoming photon flux. We also identify a nonlinear dependence in the molecular absorption as a function of concentration, unique to the strongly coupled systems. Based on these results, we propose design principles for engineering nanostructured systems that allow for high efficiencies of charge carrier localization into strongly coupled absorbers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Photon detector response function methodology using MCNP and shift hybrid radiation transport code for wide-area contamination assay applications

Here, radiation transport modeling using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) radiation transport code and Monte Carlo code, Shift, were employed to model detector responses for a variety of wide-area photon contamination scenarios. In this study, 2" × 2" and 3" × 3" cylindrical NaI(Tl) scintillation detector configurations at source detector-distances of 0.5 cm, 1 cm, 2.54 cm, 10 cm, and 30 cm were modeled. Media of soil, concrete, and steel were evaluated for contamination depths ranging from surface to a depth of an infinite thickness in each medium for photon energies ranging from 20 keV to 3 MeV, which correspond to the energies that current detectors can discern. Monoenergetic photon surface contamination detector responses for each of the media, source–detector distances, and detectors were estimated using MCNP v6.2. Shift was harnessed for improved variance reduction of particle transport in highly attenuating media to obtain average cell fluxes in the two MCNP NaI(Tl) scintillation detector configurations. Average cell flux values in Shift were coupled with detector responses from MCNP to convert average cell flux in a void to energy distribution of pulses in the NaI(Tl) scintillation detector crystal of interest. An optimized detector response function methodology was developed by coupling the MCNP radiation transport method with the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) hybrid radiation transport method built into Shift to significantly decrease the runtime of thousands of MCNP pulse height simulations. The methodology may be utilized to quickly and accurately facilitate the assessment of a broad range of wide-area environmental contamination assay and decommissioning cleanup applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

NASA NTRS1989

Carbon balance and productivity of Lemna gibba, a candidate plant for CELSS

The photosynthesis and productivity of Lemna gibba is analyzed for CELSS based plant growth. Net photosynthesis of Lemna gibba is determined as a function of incident photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), with the light coming from above, below, or from both directions. Light from below is about 75 percent as effective as from above when the stand is sparse, but much less so with dense stands. High rates of photosynthesis are measured at 750 micromol / sq m per sec PPF and 1500 micromol/ mol CO2 at densities up to 660 g fresh weight (FW)/ sq m with young cultures. The analysis includes diagrams illustrating the net photosynthesis response to bilateral lighting of a sparse stand of low assimilate Lemna gibba; the effect of stand density on the net photosynthesis response to bilateral lighting of high assimilate Lemna gibba; the net photosynthesis response to ambient CO2 of sparse stands of Lemna gibba; and the time course of net photosynthesis and respiration per unit chamber and per unit dry weight of Lemna gibba.

Gale, J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Photo Doppler Velocimetry and Gamma/Neutron Yield Measurements of Godiva-IV Critical Assembly

The purpose of this experiment was to collect data for a dynamic benchmark of the Godiva-IV burst assembly. Data were taken using two different measurement systems. The gamma & neutron flux was measured using a calibrated, high-dynamic-range scintillator detector, the MHD-240. The measurement will be used to determine the total fission yield and alpha throughout the burst and shutdown sequence of Godiva-IV. The Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) measurement detected the surface motion of the burst assembly as a function of time. The combined data will be used in a multi-physics simulation of the Godiva-IV burst assembly.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

NASA NTRS2012

Constraining the High-Energy Emission from Gamma-Ray Bursts with Fermi

We examine 288 GRBs detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) that fell within the field-of-view of Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) during the first 2.5 years of observations, which showed no evidence for emission above 100 MeV. We report the photon flux upper limits in the 0.1-10 GeV range during the prompt emission phase as well as for fixed 30 s and 100 s integrations starting from the trigger time for each burst. We compare these limits with the fluxes that would be expected from extrapolations of spectral fits presented in the first GBM spectral catalog and infer that roughly half of the GBM-detected bursts either require spectral breaks between the GBM and LAT energy bands or have intrinsically steeper spectra above the peak of the nuF(sub v) spectra (E(sub pk)). In order to distinguish between these two scenarios, we perform joint GBM and LAT spectral fits to the 30 brightest GBM-detected bursts and find that a majority of these bursts are indeed softer above E(sub pk) than would be inferred from fitting the GBM data alone. Approximately 20% of this spectroscopic subsample show statistically significant evidence for a cut-off in their high-energy spectra, which if assumed to be due to gamma gamma attenuation, places limits on the maximum Lorentz factor associated with the relativistic outflow producing this emission. All of these latter bursts have maximum Lorentz factor estimates that are well below the minimum Lorentz factors calculated for LAT-detected GRBs, revealing a wide distribution in the bulk Lorentz factor of GRB outflows and indicating that LAT-detected bursts may represent the high end of this distribution.

Gehrels, Neil↗

DOE OSTI2025

Quantifying trapped magnetic vortex losses in niobium resonators at mK temperatures

Trapped magnetic vortices in niobium introduce microwave losses that degrade the performance of superconducting resonators. While such losses have been extensively studied above 1 K, we report here their direct quantification in the millikelvin and low-photon regime relevant to quantum devices. Using a high-quality factor 3D niobium cavity cooled through its superconducting transition in controlled magnetic fields, we isolate vortex-induced losses and find the resistive component of the sensitivity to trapped flux S to be approximately 2 n Ω/mG at 10 mK and 6 GHz. The decay rate is initially dominated by two-level system (TLS) losses from the native niobium pentoxide, with vortex-induced degradation of T 1 occurring above B trap ∼ 50 mG. In the absence of the oxide, even 10 mG of trapped flux limits performance, Q 0 ∼ 10 10 , or T 1 ∼ 350 ms, underscoring the need for stringent magnetic shielding. The resistive sensitivity, S, decreases with temperature and remains largely field-independent, whereas the reactive component, S′, exhibits a maximum near 0.8 K. These behaviors are well modeled within the Coffey–Clem framework in the zero-creep limit, under the assumption that vortex pinning is enhanced by thermally activated processes. Our results suggest that niobium-based transmon qubits can tolerate vortex-induced dissipation at trapped field levels up to several hundred mG, but achieving long coherence times still requires careful magnetic shielding to suppress lower-field losses from other mechanisms.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2020

Artificial Photosynthesis with Next Generation Molecular Catalysts

The objective of this project was to develop a new class of molecular photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction that will enable breakthrough advances in artificial photosynthesis. A major limitation of existing photocatalytic assemblies is that only a small fraction of absorbed photons are converted into fuel due to inefficiencies in electron transport between the different system components. In the case of molecular catalysts for reduction of CO 2 , highly reducing electron equivalents are required for catalysis. As a result, the electron flux between the photosensitizer and CO 2 reduction catalyst is heavily biased towards the photosensitizer. One method to direct the electron flux towards productive photocatalysis is to design molecular catalysts for CO 2 reduction that operate at more favorable potentials than existing catalysts. The conventional approach is to tune the potential of the catalyst through selection of the supporting ligands, however, this only leads to incremental improvements due to the existence of an unfavorable scaling relationship between the rate and potential of catalysis. Our hypothesis is that the catalytic rate and potential can be simultaneously enhanced using bimetallic catalysts in which one metal improves the potential of catalysis and the second metal increases the rate of catalysis. During the course of this project, a few studies reported some success in improving photocatalytic CO 2 reduction with heterobimetallic complexes, demonstrating the potential of this approach to catalyst design.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2025

Quantifying Trapped Magnetic Vortex Losses in Niobium Resonators at mK Temperatures

Trapped magnetic vortices in niobium introduce microwave losses that degrade the performance of superconducting resonators. While such losses have been extensively studied above 1 K, we report here their direct quantification in the millikelvin and low-photon regime relevant to quantum devices. Using a high-quality factor 3D niobium cavity cooled through its superconducting transition in controlled magnetic fields, we isolate vortex-induced losses and find the resistive component of the sensitivity to trapped flux S to be approximately 2 nOhm/mG at 10 mK and 6 GHz. The decay rate is initially dominated by two-level system (TLS) losses from the native niobium pentoxide, with vortex-induced degradation of T1 occurring above Btrap~50 mG. In the absence of the oxide, even 10 mG of trapped flux limits performance, Q0 ~ 1010, or T1 ~350 ms, underscoring the need for stringent magnetic shielding. The resistive sensitivity, S, decreases with temperature and remains largely field-independent, whereas the reactive component, S , exhibits a maximum near 0.8 K. These behaviors are well modeled within the Coffey Clem framework in the zero-creep limit, under the assumption that vortex pinning is enhanced by thermally activated processes. Our results suggest that niobium-based transmon qubits can tolerate vortex-induced dissipation at trapped field levels up to several hundred mG, but achieving long coherence times still requires careful magnetic shielding to suppress lower-field losses from other mechanisms

Bafia, Daniel P. [Fermilab]↗

NASA NTRS1983

Stimulation of lettuce productivity by manipulation of diurnal temperature and light

Salad Bowl and Waldmann's Green leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were exposed to photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFDs) of 444 or 889 micromol/s per sq m for 20 hrs/day under a diurnal temperature regime of 25-C days/15-C nights or 20-C days/15-C nights. Leaf dry weight of both cultivars was highest under the high PPFD/warm temperature regime and lowest under the low PPFD/cool temperature regime. Waldmann's Green yielded more than did Salad Bowl at 889 micromol/s per sq m and 25-C days/20-C nights. Under high PPFD, both cultivars yielded better with 25-C days/25-C nights than with 25-C days/20-C nights, although relative growth rates were the same under both temperature regimes.

Knight, Sharon L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Timepix4 analog front-end design: Lessons learnt on fundamental limits to noise and time resolution in highly segmented hybrid pixel detectors

This manuscript describes the optimization of the front-end readout electronics for high granularity hybrid pixel detectors. The theoretical study aims at minimizing the noise and jitter. The model presented here is validated with both circuit post layout simulations and measurements on the Timepix4 Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The analog front-end circuit and the procedure to optimize the dimensions of the main transistors are described with detail. The Timepix4 is the most recent ASIC designed in the framework of the Medipix4 Collaboration. It was manufactured in 65nm CMOS process, and consists of a four side buttable matrix of 448 × 512 pixels with 55µm pitch. The analog front-end has a gain of ~36mV/ke - when configured in High Gain Mode, and ~20mV/ke - when configured in Low Gain Mode. The Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC) is ~68e - rms and ~80e - rms in High Gain Mode and in Low Gain Mode respectively. In event driven mode the incoming hits can be time stamped within a ~ 200ps time bin and the chip can deal with a maximum flux of ~ 3.6MHzmm –2 s –1 . In photon counting mode, the chip can deal with up to ~ 5GHzmm –2 s –1 . The routine designed to optimize the Timepix4 front-end is then used to analyze the performance limits in terms of jitter and noise for Charge Sensitive Amplifiers in pixel detectors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

First detection of VHE gamma-ray emission from TXS 1515–273, study of its X-ray variability and spectral energy distribution

ABSTRACT We report here on the first multiwavelength (MWL) campaign on the blazar TXS 1515–273, undertaken in 2019 and extending from radio to very-high-energy gamma-rays (VHE). Up until now, this blazar had not been the subject of any detailed MWL observations. It has a rather hard photon index at GeV energies and was considered a candidate extreme high-synchrotron-peaked source. MAGIC observations resulted in the first-time detection of the source in VHE with a statistical significance of 7.6σ. The average integral VHE flux of the source is 6 ± 1 per cent of the Crab nebula flux above 400 GeV. X-ray coverage was provided by Swift-XRT, XMM–Newton, and NuSTAR. The long continuous X-ray observations were separated by ∼9 h, both showing clear hour scale flares. In the XMM–Newton data, both the rise and decay time-scales are longer in the soft X-ray than in the hard X-ray band, indicating the presence of a particle cooling regime. The X-ray variability time-scales were used to constrain the size of the emission region and the strength of the magnetic field. The data allowed us to determine the synchrotron peak frequency and classify the source as a flaring high, but not extreme synchrotron-peaked object. Considering the constraints and variability patterns from the X-ray data, we model the broad-band spectral energy distribution. We applied a simple one-zone model, which could not reproduce the radio emission and the shape of the optical emission, and a two-component leptonic model with two interacting components, enabling us to reproduce the emission from radio to VHE band.

Acciari, V. A.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Neutral hydrogen in the direction of the Small Magellatic Cloud and the limits of an extragalactic soft X-ray flux

Previously reported X-ray data from the vicinity of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) have been reanalyzed using H I data from a more detailed and sensitive 21-cm survey of this region. The results support the previous conclusion: assuming that the interstellar material absorbs according to the cross sections of Brown and Gould (1970), at least 75 per cent of the observed 0.25-keV X-ray flux is of local origin. The corollary problem of placing a cosmologically useful upper limit on the extragalactic flux will be difficult to solve until the behavior of the local component is better understood; but if the local flux is isotropic, a 3-sigma upper limit of 240 photons per (sq cm s sr keV) at 0.25 keV may be placed on a flux originating beyond the SMC. Tables of H I column density are given for an area 30 deg by 30 deg about the SMC. The high-velocity component, presumably associated with the Magellanic Cloud system, and the galactic disk component are tabulated separately.

Mccammon, D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The DQ Herculis stars

We review the properties of the DQ Herculis stars: cataclysmic variables containing an accreting, magnetic, rapidly rotating white dwarf. These stars are characterized by strong X-ray emission, high-excitation spectra, and very stable optical and X-ray pulsations in their light curves. There is considerable resemblance to their more famous cousins, the AM Herculis stars, but the latter class is additionally characterized by spin-orbit synchronism and the presence of strong circular polarization. We list eighteen stars passing muster as certain or very likely DQ Her stars. The rotational periods range from 33 s to 2.0 hr. Additional periods can result when the rotating searchlight illuminates other structures in the binary. A single hypothesis explains most of the observed properties: magnetically channeled accretion within a truncated disk. Some accretion flow still seems to proceed directly to the magnetosphere, however. The white dwarfs' magnetic moments are in the range 10(sup 32) - 10(sup 34) G cc, slightly weaker than in AM Her stars but with some probable overlap. The more important reason why DQ Hers have broken synchronism is probably their greater accretion rate and orbital separation. The observed L(sub x)/L(sub V) values are surprisingly low for a radially accreting white dwarf, suggesting that most of the accretion energy is not radiated in a strong shock above the magnetic pole. The fluxes can be more satisfactorily explained if most of the radial infall energy manages to bypass the shock and deposit itse lf directly in the white dwarf photosphere, where it should emerge as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. This also provides an adequate source of ionizing photons to power the high-excitation optical and UV emission lines. This is probably the DQ Her analog to the famous 'soft X-ray excess' in AM Her stars. However, unlike the AM Her case, this radiation has not been directly observed, so the analogy must not (yet) be embraced too firmly. There is some conventional wisdom today which segregates the short-period from the long-period DQ Her stars. But the observational grounds for this distinction are slim, except in one respect: X-ray emission from short-period systems appears to be weaker and softer. This must be due to the shallower depth of the potential well, and/or the greater difficulty the fast rotators have in enforcing radial accretion flow.

Patterson, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS1995

Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission from the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

The starburst galaxy NGC 253 was observed with the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) satellite. We obtain a 2 sigma upper limit to the gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV of 8 x 10(exp -8) photons/sq cm/s. Because of their large gas column densities and supernova rates, nearby starburst galaxies were predicted to have gamma-ray fluxes detectable by EGRET. Our nondetection of gamma-rays from NGC 253 motivates us to reexamine in detail the premise of supernova acceleration of cosmic rays and the effect of enhanced cloud densities, photon densities, and magnetic fields on the high-energy spectra of galaxies. By modeling the expected gamma-ray and synchrotron spectra from NGC 253, we find that up to 20% of the energy from supernovae is transferred to cosmic rays in the starburst, which is consistent with supernova acceleration models. Our calculations match the EGRET and radio data well with a supernova rate of 0.08/yr, a magnetic field B greater than or approximately equal to 5 x 10(exp -5) G, a density n approximately 300/cu cm, a photon density U(sub ph) approximately 200 eV/cu cm, and an escape timescale tau(sub o) less than or approximately equal to 10 Myr.

Bertsch, David L.↗