Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “neutral model”

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.

At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Effects of thermospheric motions on the polar wind - A time-dependent numerical study

This paper presents the results of a numerical study investigating the effects of low-altitude short-duration plasma heating episodes (such as horizontal frictional heating) on transient heavy ion outflows from the polar ionosphere using a time-dependent model. In a previous set of calculations, where the effects of high-altitude transient heat sources were investigated, the low-altitude neutral atmosphere (z less than 800 km) acted as a very efficient heat sink, absorbing most of the energy conducted to this region and thus preventing large differences between the ion and neutral temperatures. One purpose of the present study was to investigate whether realistic, specified low-altitude frictional heating rates, based on published experimental data, can result in elevated ion temperatures and lift a part of the heavy ion population over the gravitational barrier before the extra energy is lost to the neutral atmosphere. In these model calculations the specified heating generated an upflowing O(+) disturbance (with a normalized peak flux of about 100 million/sq cm per sec) moving upward along the open magnetic field line with a velocity of about 2 km/s. The spatial extent of the disturbance was approximately equal to the disturbance velocity times the duration of the heat source. The model results provide a possible mechanism to explain recent European Incoherent Scatter observations of high-latitude O(+) upwellings.

Gombosi, T. I.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Modeling magnetospheric plasma; Proceedings of the First Huntsville Workshop on Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Plasma Models, Guntersville, AL, Oct. 14-16, 1987

The conference presents papers on the global modeling of magnetospheric plasma processes, the modeling of the midlatitude ionosphere and plasmasphere, the modeling of the auroral zone and boundary layer, the modeling of the polar magnetosphere and ionosphere, and the modeling of the plasma sheet and ring current. Particular attention is given to the kinetic approach in magnetospheric plasma transport modeling, self-consistent neutral point current and fields from single particle dynamics, preliminary statistical survey of plasmaspheric ion properties from observations by DE 1/RIMS, and a model of auroral potential structures based on dynamics explorer plasma data. Other topics include internal shear layers in auroral dynamics, quantitative parameterization of energetic ionospheric ion outflow, and open flux merging in an expanding polarcap model.

Moore, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Radial Variations in the Io Plasma Torus during the Cassini Era

A radial scan through the midnight sector of the Io plasma torus was made by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph on 14 January 2001, shortly after closest approach to Jupiter. From these data, Steffl et al. (2004a) derived electron temperature, plasma composition (ion mixing ratios), and electron column density as a function of radius from L = 6 to 0 as well as the total luminosity. We have advanced our homogeneous model of torus physical chemistry (Delamere and Bagenal, 2003) to include latitudinal and radial variations in a manner similar to the two-dimensional model by Schreier et al. (1998). The model variables include: (1) neutral source rate, (2) radial transport coefficient, (3) the hot electron fraction, (4) hot electron temperature, and (5) the neutral O/S ratio. The radial variation of parameters 1-4 are described by simple power laws, making a total of nine parameters. We have explored the sensitivity of the model results to variations in these parameters and compared the best fit with previous Voyager era models (schreier et al., 1998), galileo data (Crary et al., 1998), and Cassini observations (steffl et al., 2004a). We find that radial variations during the Cassini era are consistent with a neutral source rate of 700-1200 kg/s, an integrated transport time from L = 6 to 9 of 100-200 days, and that the core electron temperature is largely determined by a spatially and temporally varying superthermal electron population.

Delamere, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar wind latitudinal variations deduced from Mariner 10 interplanetary H /1216 A/ observations

The Mariner 10 H (1216-A) interplanetary observations are examined by using models that consider anisotropies in the solar fluxes. It is verified that the dominant contribution to asymmetric structure in the Mariner 10 H (1216-A) data is a latitudinal variation of the solar-wind flux and of the solar wind velocity, leading to a hydrogen atom lifetime that is latitude dependent. The average lifetime at 1 AU is found to increase from the solar equator to the solar poles by about 25%. This allows interstellar hydrogen to penetrate closer to the solar poles than to the equator. A general analytic model is constructed for evaluating the neutral hydrogen density distribution in interplanetary space. This model takes into account the latitude-dependent ionization rate. When this model is applied to the Mariner 10 H (1216-A) data, it is shown to be capable of matching the observations with a statistical accuracy of 5%. The effect of this latitudinal variation on H (1216-A) sky background maps is to produce a latitudinal shift in the maximum toward the north ecliptic pole.

Witt, N.↗
NASA NTRS1979

An electrodynamic model of the solar wind interaction with the ionospheres of Mars and Venus

The electrodynamic model for the solar wind interaction with nonmagnetic planets modified to include the effects of nonohmic currents in the upper ionosphere is examined. The model is used to calculate convection patterns induced by the solar wind in the ionospheres of Mars and Venus, with the observations of the neutral mass spectrometer of Vikings 1 and 2 providing the neutral atmosphere for Mars. Model calculations reproduced the retarding potential analyzer data and indicate that the ionosphere above 200 km is probably controlled by convection rather than chemistry or diffusion. The resulting model calculations were compared to radio occultation data from Mariners 5 and 10 and Venera 9 which represent extremes in the variability of the upper Cytherean ionosphere, and the calculations fell within this variation.

Cloutier, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Barium cloud evolution and striation formation in the magnetospheric release on September 21, 1971

The joint NASA-Max Planck Institute Barium Ion Cloud (BIC) Experiment on September 21, 1971 involved the release of 1.7 kg of neutral barium at an altitude of 31,500 km at a latitude of 6.93 deg N. and a longitude of 74.40 deg W. A theoretical model describing the barium neutral cloud expansion and the ion cloud formation is developed. The mechanism of formation of the striational features observed in the release is also discussed. Two candidate instabilities, which may contribute to striation formation, are examined. The drift instability stemming from the outwardly directed drag force exerted on the ions by the outstreaming neutrals is rejected on the grounds that the ion density is too low during the collision-dominated phase of the cloud expansion to support this kind of instability. The joint action of Rayleigh-Taylor and flute instabilities plausibly accounts for the observed striational structure. This same mechanism may well be operative at times of sudden injection of plasma into the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms and may thus contribute to the formation of field-alined inhomogeneities which serve as whistler ducts.

Adamson, D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The effects of a hot outer atmosphere on acoustic-gravity waves

We examine the effects of a hot chromosphere and corona on acoustic-gravity waves in the Sun. We use a simple solar model consisting of a neutrally stable polytrope smoothly matched to an isothermal chromosphere or corona. The temperature of the isothermal region is higher than the minimum temperature of the model. We ignore sphericity, magnetic fields, changes in the gravitational potential, and nonadiabatic effects. We find a family of atmospheric g-modes whose cavity is formed by the extremum in the buoyancy frequency at the transition region. The f-mode is the zero-order member of this family. For large values of the harmonic degree l, f-mode frequencies are below the classic f-mode frequency, mu=(gk)(exp 1/2), whereas at small values of l, the f-mode is identical to the classical f-mode solution. We also find a family of g-modes residing in the low chromosphere. Frequency shifts of p-modes can be positive or negative. When the frequency is less than the acoustic cutoff frequency of the upper isothermal atmsophere, the frequency of the upper isothermal atmosphere, the frequency shift is negative, but when the frequency is above this cutoff, the shifts can be positive. High-frequency acoustic waves which are not reflected by the photospheric cutoff are reflected at the corona by the high sound speed for moderate values of l and v. This result is independent of the solar model as long as the corona is very hot. The data are inconsistent with this result, and reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

Hindman, Bradley W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Combining computational modeling and experimental library screening to affinity-mature VEEV-neutralizing antibody F5

Engineered monoclonal antibodies have proven to be highly effective therapeutics in recent viral outbreaks. However, despite technical advancements, an ability to rapidly adapt or increase antibody affinity and by extension, therapeutic efficacy, has yet to be fully realized. We endeavored to stand-up such a pipeline using molecular modeling combined with experimental library screening to increase the affinity of F5, a monoclonal antibody with potent neutralizing activity against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV), to recombinant VEEV (IAB) E1E2 antigen. We modeled the F5/E1E2 binding interface and generated predictions for mutations to improve binding using a Rosetta-based approach and dTERMen, an informatics approach. The modeling was complicated by the fact that a high-resolution structure of F5 is not available and the H3 loop of F5 exceeds the length for which current modeling approaches can determine a unique structure. A subset of the predicted mutations from both methods were incorporated into a phage display library of scFvs. This library and a library generated by error-prone PCR were screened for binding affinity to the recombinant antigen. Results from the screens identified favorable mutations which were incorporated into 12 human-IgG1 variants. The best variant, containing eight mutations, improved KD from 0.63 nM (parental) to 0.01 nM. While this did not improve neutralization or therapeutic potency of F5 against IAB, it did increase cross-reactivity to other closely related VEEV epizootic and enzootic strains, demonstrating the potential of this method to rapidly adapt existing therapeutics to emerging viral strains.

affinity-maturation↗
DOE OSTI2021

(Invited) Understanding Multi-Component Transport and Reaction Phenomena in Bipolar Membranes Used for Electrosynthesis

Bipolar membranes (BPMs), which have long seen usage in electrodialysis reactors for the generation of acid and base, have recently demonstrated potential to become critical components in electrochemical synthesis devices. Because they can operate under large pH gradients, BPMs enable favorable environments for electrocatalysis at the individual electrodes. Critical to the implementation of BPMs in these devices is understanding the kinetics of water dissociation that occurs within the BPM junction as well as the co- and counter-ion crossover through the BPM, which both present significant obstacles to developing efficient and stable BPM-devices for electrosynthesis applications. Prior work has modeled ion transport in bipolar membranes in neutral salt solutions for electrodialysis. However, no model exists for the BPM under the harsh applied pH gradients that would be present in electrosynthesis, and there is significant need to explore the effects of the internal hydration on the lifetime and performance of BPMs in such environments. Additionally, a mechanistic understanding of water dissociation catalysis will be required to develop interfacial catalysts that enable the high current density operation required for scalable electrosynthesis of fuels. In this talk, we discuss modeling methodologies and physics inherent in BPMs and present our recent model of ion transport and water dissociation catalysis in BPMs across the pH scale. Specifically, we simulate multi-ion transport for a BPM with various electrolyte combinations on each side of the membrane, demonstrating the significance of co- and counter-ion crossover in BPMs operating under harsh pH gradients. We then investigate effects caused by hydration gradients that occur due to internal ion-exchange and examine potential methods for improving performance and mitigating crossover. Finally, we examine the impact of the interfacial water dissociation catalyst and perform sensitivity analysis on the key properties (catalyst point of zero charge and pKa) that dictate catalyst performance. These results provide information that is critical to developing a comprehensive understanding of multi-component phenomena in BPMs and to informing the design and implementation of BPMs in next-generation devices for the numerous electrosynthesis chemistries that benefit from operation under an applied pH gradient.

Bui, Justin C↗
NASA NTRS1977

A semiempirical atmosphere for alpha Tauri from neutral iron lines

A semiempirical model photosphere is constructed for the K5 III star Alpha Tau. The technique employed is based on measurements of the central fluxes in a series of lines in multiplets. Observations of four multiplets having a range in excitation potential yield the excitation temperature as a function of the optical depth in a reference line. If the temperature structure of an assumed starting model is changed to force agreement between the observed and predicted line source functions under the assumption that excitation and electron kinetic temperatures are equal, the final semiempirical model is cooler by 150 K in the outer layers and warmer by 150 K in deeper layers than the theoretical model with the parameters adopted for Alpha Tau.

Ramsey, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Flow Characteristics of UHV Nitrogen Arcjet

Flow characteristics in the nozzle of a nitrogen arcjet have been simulated by a model. Electrons, ions, and neutral atoms and molecules are represented as separate species. Dissociation, ionization, and recombination are treated as separate reactions. Thermal non-equilibrium is represented by a two-temperature model. Energy input to plasma from the arc is modeled as a source determined by local current and electrical conductivity. Momentum and energy losses and recombinations at the nozzle wall are included as source/sink determined by fluxes to the wall. The results show essentially frozen gas-phase reactions and thermal nonequilibrium due to Joule heating of electrons and in the expansion part of the nozzle. Wall interactions have strong effects on the results, indicating that they play important roles in the flow due to very high surface area relative to the volume of the plasma. For example, plasma velocity decreases from 6000 m per s without wall interactions to 3000 m per s with modest amount of wall interactions. These results also show reasonable agreement with optical emission measurements, which confirms that the arcjet plasma is far from LTE. The spectra suggest nitrogen dissociation levels of 0.3% - 9%, depending on nitrogen flow rate and arc plasma current, which also determine the relative amounts of excited atomic and molecular nitrogen. Langmuir probe studies of the source show that electron and ion fluxes increase with increasing power, and that the ion energy distribution shifts to lower energies. Typical ion fluxes were on the order of 4E-9 A/cm**2 with a maximum ion kinetic energy of 3.5eV. The median electron energy was 1eV, with a maximum of less than 4eV.

Chang, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS2009

MESSENGER Observations of Mercury's Dynamic Magnetosphere

MESSENGER's 14 January and 6 October 2008 encounters with Mercury have provided new measurements dynamic variations in the coupled atmosphere magnetosphere system. The two flybys took place under very different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. The northward IMF during the first encounter produced a very quiet, stable magnetosphere. Neutral sodium atoms and photo-ions were observed to high altitudes ; > 2000 km, even in the subsolar region demonstrating the important role played by more energetic neutral atom production processes such as sputtering. Consistent with predictions of magnetospheric models for northward IMF, the neutral atmosphere was observed to have its strongest sources in the high latitude northern hemisphere for the first flyby. The southward IMF for the second encounter revealed a highly dynamic magnetosphere. Reconnection between the interplanetary and planetary magnetic fields is known to control the rate of energy transfer from the solar wind and to drive magnetospheric convection. The MESSENGER magnetic field measurements revealed that the rate at which interplanetary magnetic fields were reconnecting to planetary fields was a factor of 10 greater than is usually observed at Earth. This extremely high reconnection results in a large magnetic field component normal to the magnetopause and the formation of flux transfer events that are much larger relative to the size of the forward magnetosphere than is observed at Earth. The resulting magnetospheric configuration allows the solar wind access to much of the dayside surface of the Mercury. This widespread impingement of the solar wind on Mercury's surface is a likely source of the less structured sodium exosphere imaged during the second flyby and quite possibly the high degree of exospheric temporal variability observed by ground-based telescopes.

Slavin, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Constraining Global Coronal Models with Multiple Independent Observables

Global coronal models seek to produce an accurate physical representation of the Sun's atmosphere that can be used, for example, to drive space-weather models. Assessing their accuracy is a complex task, and there are multiple observational pathways to provide constraints and tune model parameters. Here, we combine several such independent constraints, defining a model-agnostic framework for standardized comparison. We require models to predict the distribution of coronal holes at the photosphere, and neutral line topology at the model's outer boundary. We compare these predictions to extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations of coronal hole locations, white-light Carrington maps of the streamer belt, and the magnetic sector structure measured in situ by Parker Solar Probe and 1 au spacecraft. We study these metrics for potential field source surface (PFSS) models as a function of source surface height and magnetogram choice, as well as comparing to the more physical Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) and the Magnetohydrodynamic Algorithm outside a Sphere (MAS) models. We find that simultaneous optimization of PFSS models to all three metrics is not currently possible, implying a trade-off between the quality of representation of coronal holes and streamer belt topology. WSA and MAS results show the additional physics that they include address this by flattening the streamer belt while maintaining coronal hole sizes, with MAS also improving coronal hole representation relative to WSA. We conclude that this framework is highly useful for inter- and intra-model comparisons. Integral to the framework is the standardization of observables required of each model, evaluating different model aspects.

S. T. Badman↗
NASA NTRS1982

Feedback stabilization and control of linear neutral systems

The first problem treated here is the realization and stabilization of linear neutral systems with discrete delays. It is shown that any autonomous linear neutral system with discrete delays is zero-state equivalent to an abstract linear system over a local ring of operators. Using the abstract model, the basic existence question for neutral realization is then settled. For general infinite dimensional linear systems, there is no precise analog of the finite dimensional state space isomorphism theorem. Because of this, the notion of spectral minimality must be introduced. For the case of single input-single output systems, realizations are obtained that are both minimal and spectrally minimal. Using the Cruz-Hale theory of stable D-operators, conditions are given that ensure that any poles introduced into the realization are strictly contained in the left half plane and indeed are characterized as characteristic values of the D-operator. The problem of the feedback stabilization of neutral systems is then considered using the abstract model. It is shown that, for neutral systems with commensurable delays and a stable D-operator in the sense of Cruz and Hale, Morses theorem (1976) on pole assignment over a PID implies stabilizability in the reachable case.

Tarn, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interaction of the solar wind with the neutral component of the interstellar gas.

A model is constructed to represent the interaction between the solar wind and the neutral component of the interstellar gas. It is found that the neutral gas has several important effects on the solar-wind expansion beyond the orbit of the earth and that it should be possible to infer the presence of the neutral gas from observations of the solar wind made by a space probe traveling into the outer solar system. The effects include a deceleration and heating of the supersonic solar wind, a cooling of and pressure reduction in the subsonic solar wind, and a tightening of the spiral magnetic field in the supersonic solar wind.

Holzer, T. E.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Leveraging the Higgs to Discover Physics Beyond the Standard Model (Final Technical Report)

The discovery of an apparently Standard Model-like Higgs at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) heralds the start of a new era in particle physics. While the Higgs marks the completion of the Standard Model framework, it offers far more opportunities in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model. The Higgs boson raises a pressing theoretical problem known as the hierarchy problem: why is an elementary scalar particle so light when quantum corrections tie its mass to the highest energy scales? The Higgs also provides an unprecedented experimental opportunity as a bellwether of new physics: it may be merely the first of several states in the electroweak symmetry breaking sector, while its production and decays may provide unique evidence for additional particles. Research supported by this award leveraged the Higgs boson to explore new physics from both directions, developing novel approaches to solving the hierarchy problem posed by the Higgs boson and directly employing the Higgs as a new tool for discovery. Given that null results at the LHC and other experiments have begun to endanger conventional approaches to the hierarchy problem, research supported by the award identified original solutions to the hierarchy problem wherein the lightest degrees of freedom protecting the Higgs boson carry no Standard Model quantum numbers and thus evade existing searches. The PI's approach combined standard tools of quantum field theory with novel applications of the orbifold reduction of continuous symmetries to define the framework of "neutral naturalness'' and explore its experimental consequences across the energy, intensity, and cosmic frontiers. In employing the Higgs directly as a tool for discovery, research supported by this award articulated a systematic approach to searching for extensions of the Higgs sector at the LHC and pursued four key avenues through which the Higgs can be used to uncover new physics across a range of experiments: (1) as a direct final state probe; (2) as an indirect probe through its couplings; (3) as a portal to states neutral under the Standard Model; and (4) as a source of exotic processes in displaced decays.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1995

The simulation of complete 11 and 12 year modulation cycles for cosmic rays in the heliosphere using a drift model with global merged interaction regions

Two-dimensional, time-dependent drift models have done exceptionally well in explaining major modulation features, especially during the A less than 0 magnetic polarity cycle of the heliospheric magnetic field when positively charge particles are drifting in along the heliospheric neutral sheet (HNS). These models were found to do well when the heliospheric 'tilt angles' alpha less than approximately 30 deg (le Roux & Potgeiter). However, they seem to do less well when alpha greater than approximately 30 deg during A less than 0 cycles seem to fail when this happens in A greater than 0 cycles. Progress was made in understanding these phases of the modulation cycle when merged interaction regions (MIRs) were incorporated in time-dependent drift models (Potgieter et al.). It was also explicitly shown that in obtaining large step decreases in cosmic rays, the MIRs had to be global, i.e., having a latitudinal extent of more than approximately 60 deg. Other classes of MIRs, such as local MIRs and co-rotating MIRs were found to be of secondary importance for establishing long-term modulation. In a previous paper we studied the effects of two consecutive, identical global MIRs, together with a changing wavy HNS, on long-term modulation (Potegieter & le Roux). This approach gave a very natural and convincing explanation for the observed step decreases in cosmic-ray modulation. Emphasis was placed in the declining and recovery phases of the 11 yr modulation cycle. In this paper, four consecutive, nonidentical global MIRs, in combination with a varying wavy HNS, were included in our time-dependent drift model in order to do simulations closer to what was observed between 1977 and 1987. By doing this we could model, for the first time, complete 11 and 22 yr cycles in the heliospheric modulation of galactic cosmic-rays, including the solar magnetic polarity reversals.

Le Roux, J. A.↗