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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Three dimensional nonlinear analysis of a single-grating rectangular waveguide Cerenkov maser

A three dimensional (3-D) nonlinear model for illustrating the beam-wave interaction in a single-grating rectangular waveguide sheet-beam Cerenkov maser is presented. The dynamical equations and the equations of motion are solved self-consistently to predict the device performance. Space-charge effects and Ohmic losses are considered in the model. A 1.03 THz backward wave oscillator and a 0.65 THz traveling wave tube are discussed as two illustrative examples.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Injection locking of an electronic maser in the hard excitation mode

The phenomenon of hard excitation is natural for many electronic oscillators. In particular, in a gyrotron, a maximal efficiency is often attained in the hard excitation regime. In this paper, we study the injection-locking phenomena using two models of an electronic maser in the hard excitation mode. First, bifurcation analysis is performed for the quasilinear model described by ordinary differential equations for the slow amplitude and phase. Two main scenarios of transition to the injection-locked mode are described, which are generalizations of the well-known phase-locking and suppression mechanisms. The results obtained for the quasilinear model are confirmed by numerical simulations of a gyrotron with fixed Gaussian structure of the RF field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

The effect of electron beams on cyclotron maser emission excited by lower-energy cutoffs

Electron-cyclotron maser (ECM) is one of the most important emission mechanisms in astrophysics and can be excited efficiently by lower-energy cutoffs of power-law electrons. These non-thermal electrons probably propagate as a directed collimated beam along ambient magnetic fields. This paper investigates the ECM, in which the effect of electron beams is emphasized. Results show the dependence of emission properties of the ECM on the beam feature. The maximum growth rate of the extraordinary mode (X2) rapidly decreases as the beam momentum increases, while the growth rate of the ordinary mode (O1) changes slightly. In particular, the ordinary mode can overcome the extraordinary mode and becomes the fastest growth mode once the beam momentum is large enough. This research presents an extension of the conventional studies on ECM driven by lower-energy cutoffs and may be helpful to understand better the emission process of solar type I radio bursts, which are dominated by the ordinary mode emission.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

ELECTRON CYCLOTRON MASER INSTABILITY IN SPACE PLASMAS WITH KAPPA LOSS-CONE DISTRIBUTION

It is well known that non-thermal electrons, often modeled by the kappa distribution, are ubiquitously observed in space. Kappa-type distributions have been widely discussed in various plasma environments. On the other hand, when these non-thermal electrons are trapped by magnetic fields in space they frequently have a loss-cone distribution in velocity space. In this paper, we investigated the growth rates of electron cyclotron maser (ECM) instability in space plasmas by using a kappa loss-cone distribution. Based on the cold plasma assumption and weakly relativistic approximation, the results show that non-thermal electrons with such a distribution can excite ECM emission efficiently. The growth rates of O1 and X2 modes both increase with the kappa spectral index ({kappa}) but the growth rate of X2 mode increases slightly more rapidly than that of O1 mode. The present analysis also shows that the growth rates increase rapidly with the loss-cone index {sigma} for {sigma} < 10 but increase comparatively slowly for larger {sigma} values.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Electron cyclotron maser emission in coronal arches and solar radio type V bursts

Solar radio type V bursts were classified as a special spectral class based on their moderately long duration, wide bandwidth, and sense of polarization opposite of associated type III bursts. However, type V bursts are also closely related to the preceding type III bursts. They have an approximately equal source height and the same dispersion of position with frequency. Electron cyclotron maser (ECM) instability driven by beam electrons has been used to explain type III bursts in recent years. We propose ECM emission as the physical process of type V solar radio bursts. According to the observed properties of type V and III bursts, we propose that energetic electrons in excited type V continuum are trapped in coronal loops, which are adjacent to the open field lines traced by type III electrons. With the proposed magnetic field configuration and the ECM emission mechanism, the observed properties of type V bursts, such as long duration, wide bandwidth, and opposite sense of polarization can be reasonably explained by our model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Weak maser emission of methyl formate toward Sagittarius B2(N) in the green bank telescope PRIMOS survey

A non-LTE radiative transfer treatment of cis-methyl formate (HCOOCH{sub 3}) rotational lines is presented for the first time using a set of theoretical collisional rate coefficients. These coefficients have been computed in the temperature range 5-30 K by combining coupled-channel scattering calculations with a high accuracy potential energy surface for HCOOCH{sub 3}-He. The results are compared to observations toward the Sagittarius B2(N) molecular cloud using the publicly available PRIMOS survey from the Green Bank Telescope. A total of 49 low-lying transitions of methyl formate, with upper levels below 25 K, are identified. These lines are found to probe a presumably cold (∼30 K), moderately dense (∼10{sup 4} cm{sup –3}), and extended region surrounding Sgr B2(N). The derived column density of ∼4 × 10{sup 14} cm{sup –2} is only a factor of ∼10 larger than the column density of the trans conformer in the same source. Provided that the two conformers have the same spatial distribution, this result suggests that strongly non-equilibrium processes must be involved in their synthesis. Finally, our calculations show that all detected emission lines with a frequency below 30 GHz are (collisionally pumped) weak masers amplifying the continuum of Sgr B2(N). This result demonstrates the importance and generality of non-LTE effects in the rotational spectra of complex organic molecules at centimeter wavelengths.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

INTERSTELLAR CARBODIIMIDE (HNCNH): A NEW ASTRONOMICAL DETECTION FROM THE GBT PRIMOS SURVEY VIA MASER EMISSION FEATURES

In this work, we identify carbodiimide (HNCNH), which is an isomer of the well-known interstellar species cyanamide (NH{sub 2}CN), in weak maser emission, using data from the Green Bank Telescope PRIMOS survey toward Sgr B2(N). All spectral lines observed are in emission and have energy levels in excess of 170 K, indicating that the molecule likely resides in relatively hot gas that characterizes the denser regions of this star-forming region. The anticipated abundance of this molecule from ice mantle experiments is {approx}10% of the abundance of NH{sub 2}CN, which in Sgr B2(N) corresponds to {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13} cm{sup -2}. Such an abundance results in transition intensities well below the detection limit of any current astronomical facility and, as such, HNCNH could only be detected by those transitions which are amplified by masing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The synchrotron maser emission from relativistic shocks in Fast Radio Bursts: 1D PIC simulations of cold pair plasmas

The emission process of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) remains unknown. We look into whether the synchrotron maser emission from relativistic shocks in a magnetar wind can explain the observed FRB properties. We perform particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of perpendicular shocks in cold pair plasmas, checking our results for consistency among three PIC codes. We confirm that a linearly polarized X-mode wave is self-consistently generated by the shock and propagates back upstream as a precursor wave. We find that at magnetizations σ ≳ 1 (i.e. ratio of Poynting flux to particle energy flux of the pre-shock flow) the shock converts a fraction $f_\xi ^{\prime } \approx 7 \times 10^{-4}/\sigma ^2$ of the total incoming energy into the precursor wave, as measured in the shock frame. The wave spectrum is narrow-band (fractional width ≲1-3), with apparent but not dominant line-like features as many resonances concurrently contribute. The peak frequency in the pre-shock (observer) frame is $\omega ^{\prime \prime }_{\rm peak} \approx 3 \gamma _{\rm s | u} \omega _{\rm p}$, where γs|u is the shock Lorentz factor in the upstream frame and ωp the plasma frequency. At σ ≳ 1, where our estimated $\omega ^{\prime \prime }_{\rm peak}$ differs from previous works, the shock structure presents two solitons separated by a cavity, and the peak frequency corresponds to an eigenmode of the cavity. Our results provide physically grounded inputs for FRB emission models within the magnetar scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Bragg Deflectors of Wave Fluxes for High-Power Relativistic Masers

Quasi-optical Bragg structures that represent sections of planar waveguides with tilted (with respect to the beam propagation direction) corrugation are studied. It is shown that such structures may serve as efficient deflectors for high-power wave fluxes and, hence, can be used for separation of microwave radiation and electron beam in relativistic masers. The corrugation configuration is optimized to increase the efficiency of transformation of wave fluxes to the transverse direction and improve uniformity of the spatial distribution of scattered radiation. The simulated results are verified using cold electrodynamic tests.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

3-cm fine structure masers: A unique signature of supermassive black hole formation via direct collapse in the early universe

The direct collapse black hole (DCBH) scenario describes the isothermal collapse of a pristine gas cloud directly into a massive, M{sub BH} = 10{sup 4}–10{sup 6}M{sub ⊙} black hole. In this paper we show that large H i column densities of primordial gas at T∼10{sup 4} K with low molecular abundance—which represent key aspects of the DCBH scenario—provide optimal conditions for the pumping of the 2p-level of atomic hydrogen by trapped Lyα photons. This Lyα pumping mechanism gives rise to an inverted level population of the 2s{sub 1/2}−2p{sub 3/2} transition, and therefore also gives rise to stimulated fine structure emission at λ=3.04 cm (rest-frame). We show that simplified models of the DCBH scenario amplify the CMB by up to a factor of ∼10{sup 5}, above which the maser saturates. Hyperfine splitting of the 3 cm transition gives rise to a characteristic broad (FWHM ∼ tens of MHz in the observers frame) asymmetric line profile. This signal subtends an angular scale of ∼1–10 mas, which translates to a flux of ∼0.3–3 μJy, which is detectable with ultra-deep surveys being planned with SKA1-MID. While challenging, as the signal is visible for a fraction of the collapse time of the cloud, the matching required physical conditions imply that a detection of the redshifted 3-cm emission line could provide direct evidence for the DCBH scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

CYCLOTRON MASER EMISSION FROM POWER-LAW ELECTRONS WITH STRONG PITCH-ANGLE ANISOTROPY

Energetic electrons with power-law spectra are commonly observed in astrophysics. This paper investigates electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME) from the power-law electrons, in which strong pitch-angle anisotropy is emphasized. The electron distribution function proposed in this paper can describe various types of pitch-angle anisotropy. Results show that the emission properties of ECME, including radiation growth, propagation, and frequency properties, depend considerably on the types of electron pitch-angle anisotropy, and different wave modes show different dependences on the pitch angle of electrons. In particular, the maximum growth rate of the X2 mode rapidly decreases with respect to the electron pitch-angle cosine μ {sub 0} at which the electron distribution peaks, while the growth rates for other modes (X1, O1, O2) initially increase before decreasing as μ {sub 0} increases. Moreover, the O mode, as well as the X mode, can be the fastest growth mode, in terms of not only the plasma parameter but also the type of electron pitch-angle distribution. This result presents a significant extension of the recent researches on ECME driven by the lower energy cutoff of power-law electrons, in which the X mode is generally the fastest growth mode.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ELECTRON CYCLOTRON MASER EMISSIONS FROM EVOLVING FAST ELECTRON BEAMS

Fast electron beams (FEBs) are common products of solar active phenomena. Solar radio bursts are an important diagnostic tool for understanding FEBs and the solar plasma environment in which they propagate along solar magnetic fields. In particular, the evolution of the energy spectrum and velocity distribution of FEBs due to the interaction with the ambient plasma and field during propagation can significantly influence the efficiency and properties of their emissions. In this paper, we discuss the possible evolution of the energy spectrum and velocity distribution of FEBs due to energy loss processes and the pitch-angle effect caused by magnetic field inhomogeneity, and we analyze the effects of the evolution on electron-cyclotron maser (ECM) emission, which is one of the most important mechanisms for producing solar radio bursts by FEBs. Our results show that the growth rates all decrease with the energy loss factor Q , but increase with the magnetic mirror ratio σ as well as with the steepness index δ . Moreover, the evolution of FEBs can also significantly influence the fastest growing mode and the fastest growing phase angle. This leads to the change of the polarization sense of the ECM emission. In particular, our results also reveal that an FEB that undergoes different evolution processes will generate different types of ECM emission. We believe the present results to be very helpful for a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamic spectra of solar radio bursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗