Theory of the circular planar /guardring/ Langmuir probe
Computer methods for calculating particle trajectories and current collected by circular planar Langmuir probe mounted in satellite skin
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Computer methods for calculating particle trajectories and current collected by circular planar Langmuir probe mounted in satellite skin
Utilization of elastically scattered recoil ions to measure solid state track detector registration characteristics and particle trajectory analysis
Charged particle trajectory under dipole magnetic field, deriving Stoermer orbit existence and uniqueness proof
The design of charged particle beam transport systems at lower energies is discussed. Topics discussed include: index of refraction, photometry, phase space, matrices, lenses and imaging, charged particle trajectories in crossed electric and magnetic fields, design parameters for the Wien filter, and electrostatic energy analyzer design, an annotated bibliography is presented.
Charge and particle trajectory measurements during a balloon-borne experiment observing the composition of cosmic rays, are interpreted by plotting differential intensities of various nuclei of both primary and secondary origin above 3 GeV/nucleon. The large spectral difference between carbon plus oxygen and iron is confirmed in the difference between their secondary products. This large difference cannot be explained as being solely due to propagation effects and it is concluded that preferential acceleration of heavy nuclei due to a source effect is present.
A 6500 sq cm-ster cosmic ray detector consisting of twelve gas counter trays sandwiched between two large area circular scintillation counters was flown from Palestine, Texas in November of 1972 to study the composition of primary particles 1.5 GeV/nucleon in the charge range 3 to 30. For each analyzed event, a recording was made of (1) the particle trajectory using four 20 wire proportional counter trays, (2) the energy loss in each of the solid counters, and (3) the dE/dx losses in each of the twelve gas counters. The large dynamic range of the detector is established by operating six of the gas counters in the ionization mode. A description of the instrument and some preliminary results are given.
An analytic function respresenting the quiet time magnetospheric electric field has been constructed with which it is possible to compute complete particle trajectories in a fraction of a second. The function was determined by a trial-and-error procedure such that it provides reasonable explanations for the characteristics of the plasma observed by the geosynchronous satellite ATS 5. It is believed that the model field is usefully accurate within the region of 5 to 7 earth radii on the dawn side of the magnetosphere and 5 to 10 earth radii on the dusk side. At a fixed distance of 6.7 earth radii the model field peaks at a value of 1.2 mV/m near local midnight and is at a minimum of 0.04 mV/m near 1900 LT.
A 6500 sq cm-ster cosmic-ray detector consisting of 12 gas counter trays sandwiched between two large-area circular scintillation counters was flown from Palestine, Texas in November 1972 to study the composition of primary particles greater than 1.5 GeV/nucleon in the charge range from 3 to 30. For each analyzed event, the particle trajectory was recorded, using four 20-wire proportional counter trays. Also recorded were the energy loss in each of the solid counters and the dE/dx losses in each of the 12 gas counters. The large dynamic range of the detector is established by operating six of the gas counters in the ionization mode. A description of the instrument and some preliminary results are given.
A plasma strong turbulence, weak coupling, theory is applied to the problem of cosmic ray pitch angle scattering in magnetostatic turbulence. The theory used is a rigorous generalization of Weinstock's resonance-broadening theory and contains no ad hoc approximations. A detailed calculation is presented for a model of slab turbulence with an exponential correlation function. The results agree well with numerical simulations. The rigidity dependence of the pitch angle scattering coefficient differs from that found by previous researchers. The differences result from an inadequate treatment of particle trajectories near 90 deg pitch angle in earlier work.
A nuclear emulsion detector known as the Apollo Light Flash Moving Emulsion Detector (ALFMED) was designed: (1) to record tracks of primary cosmic rays; (2) to provide time-of-passage information via a relative plate translation technique; (3) to provide particle trajectory information; and (4) to fit into a masklike device that could be located about the head and eyes of an astronaut. An ALFMED device was worn by an astronaut observing light flashes for 60 minutes on each of the last two Apollo missions. During the Apollo 17 experiment seventeen separate flashes were reported by the observer. With one-third of the total plate area completely analyzed, two definite correlations have been found between Z greater than 8 cosmic ray nuclei traversing an eye and the reports of visual sensations.
A plasma strong turbulence, weak coupling, theory is applied to the problem of cosmic-ray pitch-angle scattering in magnetostatic turbulence. The theory used is a rigorous generalization of Weinstock's 'resonance broadening' theory and contains no ad hoc approximations. A detailed calculation is presented for a model of 'slab' turbulence with an exponential correlation function. The results agree well with numerical simulations. The rigidity dependence of the pitch-angle scattering coefficient differs from that found by previous researchers. The differences result from an inadequate treatment of particle trajectories near 90 deg pitch angle in earlier work.
Theoretical mass flow rate and the particle trajectory equations of motion of granular material in saltation are used to correlate experimental data for the rate of erosion in the wake regions of wind-tunnel-model Martian craters. Vertical geometric distortion is inherent in the simulation because of the equivalent roughness height characteristic of a turbulent boundary layer, which is affected by material in saltation. It is thus necessary to distort topographic model geometry in the vertical direction. A systematic similitude which is based on erosion rate and equivalent roughness in saltation is shown to correlate time-dependent model data as long as the model Reynolds number is higher than a critical value.
Electromagnetic delay simplifies electronics for sensing particle-trajectory data. Lumped-element delay line is used.
A model is presented for an unconfined flow, such as a free jet, impinging on a screen which incorporates the influence of liquid deflection by the screen. The boundary layer blockage coefficient is introduced. This coefficient depends on the screen weave geometry and the jet impingement angle, and essentially accounts for the increase in fluid particle trajectory length through the screen resulting from the flow deflection. Comparisons were made with previous experimental studies to determine empirical values of the blockage coefficient. It is concluded that the new model reliably predicts the bulk flow and penetration characteristics of an impinging liquid jet interacting with a screen.
Results of high-speed impact cratering in quartz sand targets are reported. Dissection of the ejecta plumes of the craters revealed that they are relatively thin conical sheets. Further dissection showed the relationship between individual particle trajectories and the ejecta plume. A model of cratering, based on the experiments, was used to explain the inverted stratigraphy previously described in laboratory impact craters and in meteorite craters. Mantling of secondary craters in peripheral parts of the continuous deposits of Tycho Crater and in the downrange parts of certain Tycho secondary crater clusters is accounted for by the model. Model results indicate extensive mixing by secondary cratering when basin ejecta is emplaced. The study reveals certain areas on the lunar uplands that have been relatively uncratered by basin secondaries and unmantled by secondary crater debris surges and that may represent in situ ancient lunar materials.
The NASCAP (NASA Charging Analyzer Program) code simulates the charging process for a complex object in either tenuous plasma or ground test environment. Detailed specifications needed to run the code are presented. The object definition section, OBJDEF, allows the test object to be easily defined in the cubic mesh. The test object is composed of conducting sections which may be wholly or partially covered with thin dielectric coatings. The potential section, POTENT, obtains the electrostatic potential in the space surrounding the object. It uses the conjugate gradient method to solve the finite element formulation of Poisson's equation. The CHARGE section of NASCAP treats charge redistribution among the surface cells of the object as well as charging through radiation bombardment. NASCAP has facilities for extensive graphical output, including several types of object display plots, potential contour plots, space charge density contour plots, current density plots, and particle trajectory plots.
The NASA Charging Analyzer Program (NASCAP), an engineering tool capable of analyzing the impact of the charged particle environment on spacecraft surfaces and systems, is described. NASCAP is a quasi-static computational program which analyzes the charging of a 3-dimensional complex body as a function of time and system-generated voltages for given space environmental conditions. The material properties of the surfaces are taken into account; the surface potentials, low energy sheath, potential distribution in space and particle trajectories are calculated. An application of NASCAP to a simple space solar power station consisting of two 6 m by 18 m solar array wings surrounding a central body is presented. Each solar array wing is considered to be divided into three regions operating at 2000 volts. Results of NASCAP analysis of the system for a normal environment and a moderate geomagnetic substorm environment are discussed.
Ballistic and aerodynamic models are proposed to explain the dynamics of the volcanic plumes on Io. A ballistic model, which assumes that eruptive gas and solid-particle flows become completely and permanently decoupled over a small distance as compared with the maximum particle height, is shown to be unable to account for the observed shape of Plume 3. An aerodynamic model which assumes the entrainment and transportation of solid particles by the gas flow into the central portion of the top of the plume, with ballistic particle trajectories only after passage through the first part of their descent, is then developed. The model accounts for plume shape by the formation of a weak decompression shock near the edge of the plume stalk, which constrains horizontal expansion until a sufficient altitude is reached. Calculated plume dimensions are then compared with observations of Ionian Plumes 1 and 3.