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.
A method is presented whereby the infinite ground plane analytical model for the self-admittance and mutual admittance of waveguide-fed apertures can be supplemented (using the geometrical theory of diffraction) to include the edge effects of a rectangular ground plane. The H-plane coupling between two TE-11 mode excited circular apertures is calculated and compared with measurements.
Coupling from the EH(11) fundamental mode of a square, hollow bore waveguide laser to a square electrooptic modulator is treated. The misalignment loss that results from coupling of the laser fundamental mode into higher order modulator modes is calculated. Results are presented for loss from transverse displacement, angular tilt, and axial separation of the two elements. From these results, the alignment tolerances required to minimize loss for an intracavity modulator are found.
The focal properties of uncorrected geodesic lenses in ion-exchanged glass waveguides are reported. A 13.8-mm-focal-length lens resolved beams with an angular separation of 27.6 mrad, while a 28-mm-focal-length lens resolved beams with an angular separation of only 3.3 mrad. Intensity profiles of the focal region of the former lens revealed a 40-micron spot size when the input aperture was 5 mm, and a spot size of 7.7 microns when the aperture was reduced to 1 mm. This value is close to the diffraction-limited spot size of 5.7 microns.
A closed-form asymptotic expression for the mutual admittance between two circular waveguide-fed apertures is developed for large element spacings. A comparison with calculations obtained by a numerical integration method indicated that the present analysis gives good results for spacings greater than two wavelengths.
Ozone spectral measurements were conducted with a waveguide CO2 laser, which was continuously tunable over a + or - 450-MHz region, about several lines in the P-branch of the band near the 9.5-micron wavelength region. A passively stabilized low-pressure CO2 laser was also used to provide reference CO2 frequencies. The frequencies of several ozone lines were determined in the nu-3 band, which are near CO2 laser line frequencies in the 9.5-micron wavelength region. The absolute measurement accuracy is estimated to be + or - 6 MHz, and the measurements indicate that the ozone line frequencies listed in currently available spectral compilations are 0.003-0.006 per cm too high. The size of this error is small by conventional IR standards, but extremely important when CO2 laser instruments are used to monitor stratospheric ozone, where line widths in this spectral region are typically 0.001/cm. Empirically determined absorption curves must be constructed in order to calibrate laser differential absorption instrument properly when low-altitude ozone measurements are conducted.
The geometrical design parameters of coherently pumped far infrared waveguide laser cavities are analyzed with respect to minimization of pump power losses. The advantages of highly degenerate cavities and off axis displacement of the injection hole are outlined. Relations between the cavity parameters are given which simplify the design of cavities with high pumping efficiency.
The design and performance of a simple two-stage reflection maser for use between 9 and 10 GHz are described. The maser is used to improve the sensitivity of a transmission electron spin resonance spectrometer. A ruby-filled waveguide structure permits broad tunability and straightforward construction. All microwave components except the ruby section are at room temperature.
The arc protection subsystems that are implemented in the DSN high power transmitters are discussed. The status of present knowledge about waveguide arcs is reviewed in terms of a simple engineering model. A fairly general arc detection scheme is also discussed. Areas where further studies are needed are pointed out along with proposed approaches to the solutions of these problems.
A dielectric model of waveguide arcs is presented to relate measurable electromagnetic quantities to the physical parameters characterizing the breakdown process.
Research on waveguide arcs is presented as well as an evaluation on an arc detector. Ways of improving the radio frequency arc generation include methods of generating RF arcs inside the resonator. Dc nitrogen arcs were used to study a spectroradiometer. The spectral strucutres obtained provide a general sketch of spectral distribution and their relative magnitude. The upgrading of a transmitter test light and the simulation of an LED array are reported.
The influence of a mean vortical flow on the connection between the standing wave pattern in a rectangular three dimensional waveguide and the corresponding duct axial impedance was determined analytically. The solution was derived using a perturbation scheme valid for low mean flow Mach numbers and plane wave sound frequencies. The results show that deviations of the standing wave pattern due to refraction by the mean flow gradients are small.
A description of a test program evaluating the performance of an optical waveguide connector system is presented. Both quality and effectiveness of connections made in an optical fiber, performance of the equipment used and applicability of equipment and components to field conditions are reviewed.
The linear acoustic propagation in finite rigid three-dimensional waveguides is determined analytically using an eigenfunction expansion of the Helmholtz equation. The geometry considered consists of straight and circular bends of rectangular cross section with continuous interfaces (branches and sharp corners are excluded). The phenomena of resonance shift and relocation are explained for a bend-straight duct combination.
A method for the precision forming of thin walled, slotted waveguide arrays was devised. Models were constructed with temporary tools and evaluated. The application of the method to the solar power satellite requirements was investigated.
A model is presented which quantifies the electromagnetic modes (field configurations) in the immediate vicinity of the rectenna element. Specifically, the waveguide model characterizes the electromagnetic modes generated by planar waves normal to the array. The model applies only to incidence normal to the array.
Multicomponent, homogeneous, noncrystalline oxide gels can be prepared by the sol-gel process and these gels are promising starting materials for melting glasses in the space environment. The sol-gel process referred to here is based on the polymerization reaction of alkoxysilane with other metal alkoxy compounds or suitable metal salts. Many of the alkoxysilanes or other metal alkoxides are liquids and thus can be purified by distillation. The use of gels offers several advantages such as high purity and lower melting times and temperatures. The sol-gel process is studied for utilization in the preparation of multicomponent ultrapure glass batches for subsequent containerless melting of the batches in space to prepare glass blanks for optical waveguides.
A method for the precision-forming of thin-walled, slotted-waveguide arrays was devised. Models were constructed with temporary tools and evaluated. The application of the method to the SPS requirements is discussed.
Surface layers capable of supporting optical modes at 10.6 microns have been produced in n-type GaAs wafers through 300 keV proton implantation. The dominant mechanism for this effect appears to be free carrier compensation. Characterization of the implanted layers by analysis of infrared reflectivity spectra and synchronous coupling at 10.6 microns produced results in good agreement with elementary models. These results of sample characterization by infrared reflectivity and by CO2 laser waveguiding as implanted are presented and evaluated.