Cryogenics research
Analysis of torques exerted on spherical superconductor from trapped flux in axially symmetric magnetic field
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Analysis of torques exerted on spherical superconductor from trapped flux in axially symmetric magnetic field
A study of persistent, trapped magnetic field has been pursued with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials. The main effort is to study the feasibility of utilization of HTS to fabricate magnets for various devices. The trapped field, when not in saturation, is proportional to the applied field. Thus, it should be possible to replicate complicated field configurations with melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 (MT-Y123) material, bypassing the need for HTS wires. Presently, materials have been developed from which magnets of 1.5 T, at 77 K, can be fabricated. Much higher field is available at lower operating temperature. Stability of a few percent per year is readily attainable. Results of studies on prototype motors and minimagnets are reported.
The large offset of Neptune's magnetic field in an offset tilted dipole (OTD) approximation allows some fraction of magnetospheric field lines to have monotonically increasing field magnitude over their entire length in the magnetosphere. The usual magnetic trapping is impossible on such field lines, meaning that all charged particles on these field lines will precipitate after mirroring at most once. These field lines can be thought of as the part of the global magnetic anomaly where no particles on the corresponding drift shells remain trapped for an entire rotation of the planet. In this paper we examine both the morphology and size of the affected surface area in the OTD2 and O8 magnetic field models. For regions where there are indications that part of the aurora could be due to monotonic field line precipitation we analyze whether these field lines could be sufficiently populated to produce auroral signatures by considering photoelectron production rates and radial diffusion. We conclude that monotonic field line precipitation may contribute to the observed Neptune aurora but does not explain the global phenomenon.
Average atmosphere for particles trapped in earth magnetic field - Fortran program
The NASA/Marshall Space Flight Centers (NASA/MSFC) Propulsion Research Center (PRC) is evaluating an antiproton storage system, referred to as the High Performance Antiproton Trap (HiPAT). This interest stems from the sheer energy represented by matter/antimatter annihilation process with has an energy density approximately 10 order of magnitude above that of chemical propellants. In other terms, one gram of antiprotons contains the equivalent energy of approximately 23 space shuttle external tanks or ET's (each ET contains roughly 740,000 kgs of fuel and oxidizer). This incredible source of stored energy, if harnessed, would be an enabling technology for deep space mission where both spacecraft weight and propulsion performance are key to satisfying aggressive mission requirements. The HiPAT hardware consists of a 4 Tesla superconductor system, an ultra high vacuum test section (vacuum approaching 10(exp -12) torr), and a high voltage confinement electrode system (up to 20 kvolts operation). The current laboratory layout is illustrated. The HiPAT designed objectives included storage of up to 1 trillion antiprotons with corresponding lifetimes approaching 18 days. To date, testing has centered on the storage of positive hydrogen ions produced in situ by a stream of high-energy electrons that passes through the trapping region. However, due to space charge issues and electron beam compression as it passes through the HiPAT central field, current ion production is limited to less then 50,000 ions. Ion lifetime was determined by counting particle populations at the end of various storage time intervals. Particle detection was accomplished by destructively expelling the ions against a micro-channel plate located just outside the traps magnetic field. The effect of radio frequency (RF) stabilization on the lifetime of trapped particles was also examined. This technique, referred to as a rotating wall, made use of a segmented electrode located near the center of the trap on which various phases of a particular frequency were applied. Various experiments were performed illustrating the ability of an RF drive to both prolong and reduced the lifetimes of various ion species depending on the selected frequency. HiPAT is now being reconfigured for testing with an ion source that will provide both positive and negative hydrogen ions from an external source. This ion system shall provide higher fill capacity (order of million of ions per shot), stacking of multiple shots, and injection schemes typical of a realistic antiproton delivery system.
A magnetic field trapped in a superconducting sphere was examined at temperatures from 4.6 K to 5.5 K. The sphere was the rotor of a precision gyroscope and was made of fused quartz and coated with a sputtered niobium film. The rotor diameter was 3.8 cm. The film thickness was 2.5 microns. The tests were carried out at an ambient magnetic field of about 1 mG. Unexpected instability of the trapped field was observed. The experimental results and possible explanations are presented.
Measurements of low field magnetization, trapped flux magnetization and 5 K flux creep in single crystal of CaKFe 4 As 4 under pressure up to 7.5 GPa in a diamond pressure cell are presented. Further, the observed evolution of the temperature dependence of the self-field critical current and slowing down of the base temperature flux creep rate are explained within the two sources of pinning hypothesis involving presence of CaFe 2 As 2 intergrowths suggested in the literature. Above the half collapsed tetragonal structural transition under pressure, where superconductivity is non-bulk or absent, critically diminished or no diamagnetism and flux trapped magnetization were observed.
The London-moment readout has been observed in flight quality gyroscopes and it has been demonstrated that it is possible to reduce magnetic field trapped in these gyroscopes to levels as low as 1.5 x 10 exp -11 T. A preliminary analysis shows that the horizontal component of the London-moment signal is 60 percent of the total expected London-moment signal and is proportional to the gyro spin speed. Experiments were carried out in a unique ground test facility which was designed to provide the conditions necessary to observe the London moment of the spinning gyroscope.
The hydrogen atom is a touchstone for the foundations, evolution and frontiers of quantum theory. Key spectral lines of this atom have been determined to remarkable precision. Our research focuses on the study of antihydrogen, the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. We test fundamental symmetries of nature (such as simultaneous charge conjugation, parity inversion, and time reversal or CPT symmetry) through precision comparisons of these atomic systems. Recent 1S–2S spectroscopic measurements on trapped antihydrogen have achieved relative precisions of parts per trillion. However, the ground-state hyperfine splitting, which is sensitive to the internal structure of the antiproton, has only been measured to 400 parts per million (ppm). Here we report a 4 ppm measurement of the antihydrogen ground-state hyperfine splitting energy a 1S , advancing the state-of-the-art precision by two orders of magnitude. From microwave spectroscopy experiments with roughly 24,000 anti-atoms, we determine ${a}_{1{\rm{S}}}/h=\mathrm{1,420,404.8}\pm 1.1(\mathrm{stat.})\pm 5.6\,(\mathrm{sys.})\,\text{kHz}$ in a 1-T magnetic field, consistent with expectations for hydrogen. At this level, our measurement is sensitive to the internal structure of the antiproton, which contributes at about 40 ppm and is approaching the limit of existing theoretical analyses. The gains we report are the product of marked advances in magnetic trap field control, stabilization and characterization; anti-atom spin-state manipulation; and improved antihydrogen accumulation rate.
We have previously reported results using a high precision gravimeter to probe local gravity changes in the neighborhood of large bulk-processed high-temperature superconductors. It have been indicated three essential components to achieve anomalous gravity effects, namely large, two-layer high-temperature YBCO superconductors, magnetic levitation and AC input in the form of radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. We report experiments on RF-illuminated (1-15 MHz) superconducting disks with corresponding gravity readings indicating an apparent increase in observed gravity of approximately 3-5 x l0(exp -5)cm/sq s, above and to the side of the superconductor. In this preliminary study, RF- illumination is achieved using a series of large radius (15 cm) spiral antenna with RF power inputs equal to or greater than 90 W. The observed gravitational modification range is significantly lower than the 2.1% gravity modification. The error analyses of thermal and electromagnetic interference in a magnetically shielded gravimeter with vacuum enclosures, Faraday cages and shielded instrument leads, are outlined both experimentally and theoretically. The nearly exact correspondence between the peak gravity effects reported and the well-known peak in AC resistance in superconductors (2-7 MHz, owing to reverse Josephson quantum effects) suggests that electrical resistance will arise in this frequency range and subsequently any trapped magnetic fields in the superconductor may disperse partially into the measuring instrument's local environment. Implications for propulsion initiatives and RF-heating in superconductors will be discussed.
Laboratory tests of the spherical electrostatically levitated cryogenically cooled coated gyroscope being developed for the Gravity Probe B (GP-B) spacecraft (Bardas et al., 1986) are reported. Spin speed and the dc components of the trapped magnetic field are measured with three orthogonal pickup loops attached to SQUID detectors as the levitated gyro is brought up to speed by an He gas jet. Data on the spin-vector time history, mass unbalance, higher rotor-shape harmonics, and spin-vector position are presented in extensive graphs and characterized in detail, and a mathematical model of the electrostatic suspension torques is derived. Prototype gyro 86-4 is found to have mass unbalance within the range required for the GP-B mission (to detect the geodetic and motional effects predicted by general relativity theory).
The long term exposure of astronauts on the developing International Space Station (ISS) requires an accurate knowledge of the internal exposure environment for human risk assessment and other onboard processes. The natural environment is moderated by the solar wind, which varies over the solar cycle. The HZETRN high charge and energy transport code developed at NASA Langley Research Center can be used to evaluate the neutron environment on ISS. A time dependent model for the ambient environment in low earth orbit is used. This model includes GCR radiation moderated by the Earth's magnetic field, trapped protons, and a recently completed model of the albedo neutron environment formed through the interaction of galactic cosmic rays with the Earth's atmosphere. Using this code, the neutron environments for space shuttle missions were calculated and comparisons were made to measurements by the Johnson Space Center with onboard detectors. The models discussed herein are being developed to evaluate the natural and induced environment data for the Intelligence Synthesis Environment Project and eventual use in spacecraft optimization.
Satellite data used for simultaneous trapped electron and geomagnetic tail field studies
Cyclotron and bounce resonance scattering of electrons trapped in earth magnetic field
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Drift rate for trapped particles in meridional magnetic mirror field subjected to time dependent electric fields
Satellite observation of alpha particles trapped geomagnetically in radiation belts, including Injun 5 results
Nonadiabatic charged particle losses in axisymmetric and multipolar magnetic fields