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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Tearing at the dayside magnetopause

Initial observations of the dayside magnetopause thickness using magnetometers on board ISEE 1 (International Sun-Earth Explorer) and ISEE 2 indicate that this boundary may only be a few ion gyro-radii thick during periods of observed southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Such a thin current layer can destabilize the collisionless tearing mode, a probable first step in the reconnection sequence. The linear growth rate is calculated assuming typical magnetopause parameters and it is found that it is a sensitive function of IMF orientation, magnetopause thickness, and electron number density. It is also shown that the finite size of the dayside magnetopause necessitates the existence of a two-dimensional tearing mode wave vector spectrum, a consequence of the inability of a thermal electron to maintain Landau resonance with the wave for a growth period. Implications regarding reconnection are discussed.

Quest, K. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Hypervelocity atmospheric flight: Real gas flow fields

Flight in the atmosphere is examined from the viewpoint of including real gas phenomena in the flow field about a vehicle flying at hypervelocity. That is to say, the flow field is subject not only to compressible phenomena, but is dominated by energetic phenomena. There are several significant features of such a flow field. Spatially, its composition can vary by both chemical and elemental species. The equations which describe the flow field include equations of state and mass, species, elemental, and electric charge continuity; momentum; and energy equations. These are nonlinear, coupled, partial differential equations that have been reduced to a relatively compact set of equations in a self-consistent manner (which allows mass addition at the surface at a rate comparable to the free-stream mass flux). The equations and their inputs allow for transport of these quantities relative to the mass-average behavior of the flow field. Thus transport of mass by chemical, thermal, pressure, and forced diffusion; transport of momentum by viscosity; and transport of energy by conduction, chemical considerations, viscosity, and radiative transfer are included. The last of these complicate the set of equations by making the energy equations a partial integrodifferential equation. Each phenomenon is considered and represented mathematically by one or more developments. The coefficients which pertain are both thermodynamically and chemically dependent. Solutions of the equations are presented and discussed in considerable detail, with emphasis on severe energetic flow fields. Hypervelocity flight in low-density environments where gaseous reactions proceed at finite rates chemical nonequilibrium is considered, and some illustrations are presented. Finally, flight where the flow field may be out of equilibrium, both chemically and thermodynamically, is presented briefly.

Howe, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Hypervelocity atmospheric flight: Real gas flow fields

Flight in the atmosphere is examined from the viewpoint of including real gas phenomena in the flow field about a vehicle flying at hypervelocity. That is to say, the flow field is subject not only to compressible phenomena, but is dominated by energetic phenomena. There are several significant features of such a flow field. Spatially, its composition can vary by both chemical and elemental species. The equations which describe the flow field include equations of state and mass, species, elemental, and electric charge continuity; momentum; and energy equations. These are nonlinear, coupled, partial differential equations that were reduced to a relatively compact set of equations of a self-consistent manner (which allows mass addition at the surface at a rate comparable to the free-stream mass flux). The equations and their inputs allow for transport of these quantities relative to the mass-averaged behavior of the flow field. Thus transport of mass by chemical, thermal, pressure, and forced diffusion; transport of momentum by viscosity; and transport of energy by conduction, chemical considerations, viscosity, and radiative transfer are included. The last of these complicate the set of equations by making the energy equation a partial integrodifferential equation. Each phenomenon is considered and represented mathematically by one or more developments. The coefficients which pertain are both thermodynamically and chemically dependent. Solutions of the equations are presented and discussed in considerable detail, with emphasis on severe energetic flow fields. For hypervelocity flight in low-density environments where gaseous reactions proceed at finite rates, chemical nonequilibrium is considered and some illustrations are presented. Finally, flight where the flow field may be out of equilibrium, both chemically and thermodynamically, is presented briefly.

Howe, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Constructing An Image From Nonuniform-Scan Data

Algorithm performs maximum-likelihood construction of image of scene scanned nonuniformly by linear array of photodetectors, responses of which unequal. Developed to postprocess data acquired by scanning telescope aboard Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), also adaptable to generation of high-resolution imagery from data acquired in other nonuniform-scanning applications. Achievable resolution not limited by finite size of detectors, and increases with density of scans. With sufficiently dense scans, one obtains resolution beyond diffraction limit of imaging optics.

Aumann, Hartmut H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Crustal structure of Mars from gravity and topography

Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography and gravity models from 5 years of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft tracking provide a window into the structure of the Martian crust and upper mantle. We apply a finite-amplitude terrain correction assuming uniform crustal density and additional corrections for the anomalous densities of the polar caps, the major volcanos, and the hydrostatic flattening of the core. A nonlinear inversion for Moho relief yields a crustal thickness model that obeys a plausible power law and resolves features as small as 300 km wavelength. On the basis of petrological and geophysical constraints, we invoke a mantle density contrast of 600 kg m-3; with this assumption, the Isidis and Hellas gravity anomalies constrain the global mean crustal thickness to be >45 km. The crust is characterized by a degree 1 structure that is several times larger than any higher degree harmonic component, representing the geophysical manifestation of the planet's hemispheric dichotomy. It corresponds to a distinction between modal crustal thicknesses of 32 km and 58 km in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. The Tharsis rise and Hellas annulus represent the strongest components in the degree 2 crustal thickness structure. A uniform highland crustal thickness suggests a single mechanism for its formation, with subsequent modification by the Hellas impact, erosion, and the volcanic construction of Tharsis. The largest surviving lowland impact, Utopia, post-dated formation of the crustal dichotomy. Its crustal structure is preserved, making it unlikely that the northern crust was subsequently thinned by internal processes.

Neumann, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

3D Simulations of Ion Thruster Accelerator Grid Erosion Accounting for Charge Exchange Ion Space Charge

Accelerator (accel) grid sputtering by ions formed through charge-exchange (CEX) reactions between beam ions and residual neutral gas is a critical life-limiting mechanism for gridded ion thrusters. The three-dimensional ion optics code CEX3D is designed to simulate this grid erosion for a single beamlet, with a particular emphasis on non-axisymmetric features such as the "pits and grooves" erosion commonly observed on the accel grid downstream face in two-grid thrusters. The treatment of CEX ions in the code was recently upgraded with a new particle-in-cell (PIC) module to account for the influence of these ions' space charge on the electrostatic potential downstream of the grids. In order to achieve reasonable computation times while resolving the Debye length near the grids and avoiding gross violations of the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) condition, macroparticle velocities in the PIC calculation are limited through a rescaling procedure that preserves ion trajectories and space charge density. The code accounts for beam divergence, finite momentum transfer in CEX collisions, and radial losses of CEX ions from the beam; these effects are important for determining the CEX ion flux to the accel grid because the calculated potential downstream of the grids can become very flat. The upgraded code has been used to simulate operation of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) during the 51 kHr Long Duration Test - a selection of results is presented and compared with experimental data.

Chaplin, Vernon H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A hybrid simulation of contact discontinuity

Contact discontinuities in a collisionless plasma are studied by hybrid simulations, in which ions are treated as particles and electrons are considered as a fluid. It is demonstrated that contact discontinuity with a stable density ramp can exist in cases with a finite electron temperature. An electron pressure gradient is present across the contact discontinuity, leading to the presence of a parallel electric field and hence field-aligned potential increase (Delta Phi (sub parallel)) in the transition region. By reflecting ions at the discontinuity, this parallel electric potential peak reduces the interpenetration between hot and cold ions and maintains a stable density ramp across the contact discontinuity. The ratio of the field-aligned electric potential energy to ion thermal energy, e(Delta) Phi(sub parallel)/kT(sub i), is found to be an increasing function of T(sub e)/T(sub i), where T(sub e) and T(sub i) are respectively the electron and ion temperature.

Wu, B. H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamics and nonmonotonic drag for individually driven skyrmions

Here, we examine the motion of an individual skyrmion driven through an assembly of other skyrmions in the absence of quenched disorder. The skyrmion behavior is determined by the ratio of the damping and Magnus terms, known as the intrinsic skyrmion Hall angle. For fixed drive in the damping dominated regime, the effective viscosity decreases monotonically with increasing skyrmion density. In contrast, in the Magnus dominated regime, the velocity varies nonmonotonically with density, and there is a regime in which the skyrmion moves faster with increasing density, as well as a pronounced speed-up effect in which a skyrmion traveling through a dense medium moves more rapidly than for low densities or the single-particle limit. The velocity-force curves in the Magnus-dominated regime exhibit an overshoot effect and other differences from the damping-dominated regime. We find a finite threshold force for skyrmion motion which increases with density as well as a drive-dependent skyrmion Hall angle. We map dynamic phase diagrams showing the threshold for motion, nonlinear flow, speed-up, and saturation regimes. In some cases, increasing the density can reduce the skyrmion Hall angle while producing a velocity boost, which could be valuable for applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multi-phase Wireless Power Transfer with High Power Density Inductive Coils for Electric Drone Charging

Wireless charging of unmanned ground vehi-cles and aircraft has been proposed to increase charging reliability and security, allow for autonomous functionality, and either reduce battery size or increase continuous flight time. This paper proposes a three-phase Litz wire primary and a two-phase PCB secondary for high secondary-side power density considering misalignment tolerances, surface and volumetric power density, and coil sizing. Elec-tromagnetic 3D finite element analysis (FEA) simulations are conducted to study variation in mutual inductance and coupling coefficient with different secondary coil sizes and number of turns, horizontal and vertical misalignment between the primary and secondary, and a combination of both for a set of designs with the same rated power. Results indicate that receiver coils of reduced size relative to the primary can deliver rated power for increased power density and higher tolerance to misalignment.

Gastineau, Lucas [University of Kentucky]↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spontaneous and explicit parity-time-symmetry breaking in drift-wave instabilities

A method of parity-time- (PT) symmetry analysis is introduced to study the high-dimensional, complicated parameter space of drift-wave instabilities. Here, we show that spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking leads to the ion temperature gradient instability of drift waves, and the collisional instability is the result of explicit PT-symmetry breaking. A new unstable drift wave induced by finite collisionality is identified. It is also found that gradients of ion temperature and density can destabilize the ion cyclotron waves when PT symmetry is explicitly broken by a finite collisionality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

An extension of the localized artificial diffusivity method for immiscible and high density ratio flows

The localized artificial diffusivity (LAD) method is widely regarded as the preferred multi-material regularization scheme for the compact finite difference method, because it is conservative, easy to implement, and generally robust for a wide range of multi-material problems. However, traditional LAD methods face significant challenges when applied to flows with large density ratios and when maintaining thermodynamic equilibrium across material interfaces. These limitations arise from the formulation of the artificial diffusivity flux and the reliance on enthalpy diffusion for interface regularization. Additionally, traditional LAD methods struggle to ensure stability under large density ratio conditions, fail to maintain a finite interface thickness, and are therefore unsuitable for modeling immiscible interfaces. Here, in this work, we discuss the origins of these issues in traditional LAD methods and propose modifications which enable the simulation of large density ratio and immiscible flows. The proposed method targets the artificial diffusion fluxes at gradients and ringing in the volume fraction, rather than the mass fraction in traditional methods, to consistently regularize large density ratio interfaces. Furthermore, the proposed method introduces an artificial bulk density diffusion term to enforce equilibrium conditions across interfaces. To address the challenge of modeling immiscible flows, a conservative diffuse interface term is incorporated into the formulation to ensure a finite interface thickness. Specific consideration is taken in the design of the method to ensure that these crucial properties are maintained for N -material flows. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through a series of canonical test cases, and its accuracy is validated by comparison with experimental data on micro-bubble collapse in water. These results highlight the method’s robustness and its ability to overcome the limitations of traditional LAD approaches.

Artificial diffusivity↗
NASA NTRS1988

Interstellar scattering of the radio source 2013+370

Results are reported from a six-station 1663-MHz VLBI observation of the radio source 2013+370. The image of this source is dominated by interstellar scattering and is observed to be elliptical, with a major axis (FWHM) of 17 marcsec and an axial ratio of of 0.70. A fit of the observations to a model visibility function yields a value for alpha, the spectral index of the power-law density irregularity spectrum, of alpha=3.79 + or - 0.05. Corrections for the finite angular size of the source would probably produce a downward revision of alpha. The present observations are consistent with the interstellar density spectrum being close to Kolmogoroff for those scales which determine the angular broadening.

Spangler, Steven R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spatiotemporal quenches for efficient critical ground state preparation in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model

Quantum simulators have the potential to shed light on the study of quantum many-body systems and materials, offering unique insights into various quantum phenomena. Although adiabatic evolution has been conventionally employed for state preparation, it faces challenges when the system evolves too quickly or the coherence time is limited. In such cases, shortcuts to adiabaticity, such as spatiotemporal quenches, provide a promising alternative. This paper numerically investigates the application of spatiotemporal quenches in the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model with ferromagnetic interactions, focusing on the emergence of the ground state and its correlation properties at criticality when the gap vanishes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these quenches in rapidly preparing ground states in critical systems. Our simulations reveal the existence of an optimal quench front velocity at the emergent speed of light, leading to minimal excitation energy density and correlation lengths of the order of finite system sizes we can simulate. These findings emphasize the potential of spatiotemporal quenches for efficient ground state preparation in quantum systems, with implications for the exploration of strongly correlated phases and programmable quantum computing.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic Response of an Electron Gas: Towards the Exact Exchange-Correlation Kernel

Precise calculations of dynamics in the homogeneous electron gas (jellium model) are of fundamental importance for design and characterization of new materials. In this work, we introduce a diagrammatic Monte Carlo technique based on algorithmic Matsubara integration that allows us to compute frequency and momentum resolved finite temperature response directly in the real frequency domain using series of connected Feynman diagrams. The data for charge response at moderate electron density are used to extract the frequency dependence of the exchange-correlation kernel at finite momenta and temperature. These results are as important for development of the time-dependent density functional theory for materials dynamics as ground state energies are for the density functional theory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Imaging interfacial topography with coherent x-ray reflectivity

The use of coherent x-ray reflectivity to image interfaces is illustrated using model calculations for three cases: a thin film, a semi-infinite substrate, and a coherently strained epitaxial thin film. The intensities and phases of the coherent scattering signals are calculated based on a fully atomistic model (where the phases are assumed to have been recovered by a phasing algorithm). Here, we describe the characteristics of the effective density that are obtained by direct inverse Fourier transformation of the complex structure factors, using a window function to define the data range. These effective densities include significant artifacts like oscillations and negative values derived from the finite vertical momentum transfer of the window function. Two approaches are described to extract the surface topography from the effective densities for three-dimensional visualization: (i) multiplying the effective density by a phase factor and (ii) analyzing the data as a hybrid structure factor F(x, Q z ). The explicit surface sensitivity and specificity of measurements is illustrated when the film or substrate Bragg peaks are excluded. These considerations show that images of interfacial topography can be obtained using currently available experimental capabilities with parameters corresponding to epitaxial thin films.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bayesian refinement of covariant energy density functionals

The last five years have seen remarkable progress in our quest to determine the equation of state of neutron rich matter. Here, recent advances across the theoretical, experimental, and observational landscape have been incorporated in a Bayesian framework to refine existing covariant energy density functionals previously calibrated by the properties of finite nuclei. In particular, constraints on the maximum neutron star mass from pulsar timing, on stellar radii from the NICER mission, on tidal deformabilities from the LIGO-Virgo collaboration, and on the dynamics of pure neutron matter as predicted from chiral effective field theories have resulted in significant refinements to the models, particularly to those predicting a stiff symmetry energy. Still, even after these improvements, we find it challenging to reproduce simultaneously the neutron skin thickness of both 208 Pb and 48 Ca recently reported by the PREX/CREX collaboration.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electrically controlled two-dimensional electron-hole fluids

We study the electronic properties of dual-gated electron-hole bilayers in which the two layers are separated by a perfectly opaque tunnel barrier. Combining an electrostatic and thermodynamic analysis with mean-field theory estimates of interacting system chemical potentials, we explain the dependence of the electron and hole densities on the two gate voltages. Because chemical potential jumps occur for both electrons and holes at neutrality, there is a finite area in gate voltage parameter space over which electron and hole densities are equal. In that regime the electron-hole pair density depends only on the sum of the two gate voltages. As a result, we are able to explain a recent experimental study of electrically controlled bilayers by allowing for interlayer tunneling and using a nonequilibrium steady-state transport picture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

From noise to information: The transfer function formalism for uncertainty quantification in reconstructing the nuclear density

The neutron distribution of neutron-rich nuclei provides critical information on the structure of finite nuclei and neutron stars. Parity violating experiments—such as PREX and CREX—provide a clean and largely model-independent determination of neutron densities. Such experiments, however, are challenging and expensive, which is why sound statistical arguments are required to maximize the information gained. We introduce a new framework, the “transfer function formalism,” aimed at uncertainty quantification, model selection, and experimental design in the context of neutron densities. The transfer functions (TFs) are built analytically by expressing the linear response of the objective function (e.g., χ2) to small perturbations of the data. Using the TF formalism, we are able to analyze the expected overall uncertainty—quantified in terms of bias and variance—of the mean square radius and interior density of 48 Ca and 208 Pb. Using relativistic mean field models as a proxy for the weak-charge density—and assuming that a total of five measurements could be performed on the weak form factor of 48 Ca and 208 Pb—we identify the optimal models and experimental locations that minimize the uncertainty in the extraction of the radius and interior density. We also explore the use of the TF formalism to understand the influence of prior distributions for the model parameters, as well as the optimization of model hyperparameters not constrained by the data. Here,we establish how the choice of experimental locations and the model that is used can have a significant impact on the final uncertainties of the extracted quantities of interest. For challenging experiments such as CREX and PREX, a proper quantification of such uncertainties is critical. We have demonstrated how the TF formalism provides several advantages for this type of analysis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗