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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 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Hydroelastic response of a floating runway to cnoidal waves

The hydroelastic response of mat-type Very Large Floating Structures (VLFSs) to severe sea conditions, such as tsunamis and hurricanes, must be assessed for safety and survivability. An efficient and robust nonlinear hydroelastic model is required to predict accurately the motion of and the dynamic loads on a VLFS due to such large waves. We develop a nonlinear theory to predict the hydroelastic response of a VLFS in the presence of cnoidal waves and compare the predictions with the linear theory that is also developed here. This hydroelastic problem is formulated by directly coupling the structure with the fluid, by use of the Level I Green-Naghdi theory for the fluid motion and the Kirchhoff thin plate theory for the runway. The coupled fluid structure system, together with the appropriate jump conditions are solved in two-dimensions by the finite-difference method. The numerical model is used to study the nonlinear response of a VLFS to storm waves which are modeled by use of the cnoidal-wave theory. Parametric studies show that the nonlinearity of the waves is very important in accurately predicting the dynamic bending moment and wave run-up on a VLFS in high seas.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Measurement of sheath thickness at a floating potential

In a cylindrical Langmuir probe measurement, ion current is collected from the surface of the sheath surrounded at probe tip, not at the surface of the probe tip. By using this, the sheath thickness can be obtained, if we know some unknown parameters, such as ion current, plasma density, and electron temperature. In this paper, we present a method to measure sheath thickness by using a wave cutoff method and a floating harmonic method. The measured result is in a good agreement with Allen-Boyd-Reynolds theory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Anomalous output characteristic shift for the n-type lateral diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor with floating P-top layer

Anomalous output characteristic shift of the n-type lateral diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor with floating P-top layer is investigated. It shows that the linear drain current has obvious decrease when the output characteristic of fresh device is measured for two consecutive times. The charge pumping experiments demonstrate that the decrease is not from hot-carrier degradation. The reduction of cross section area for the current flowing, which results from the squeezing of the depletion region surrounding the P-top layer, is responsible for the shift. Consequently, the current capability of this special device should be evaluated by the second measured output characteristic.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

On the use of the double floating probe method to infer the difference between the electron and the heavy particles temperatures in an atmospheric pressure, vortex-stabilized nitrogen plasma jet

Sweeping double probe measurements in an atmospheric pressure direct current vortex-stabilized plasma jet are reported (plasma conditions: 100 A discharge current, N{sub 2} gas flow rate of 25 Nl/min, thoriated tungsten rod-type cathode, copper anode with 5 mm inner diameter). The interpretation of the double probe characteristic was based on a generalization of the standard double floating probe formulae for non-uniform plasmas coupled to a non-equilibrium plasma composition model. Perturbations caused by the current to the probe together with collisional and thermal processes inside the probe perturbed region were taken into account. Radial values of the average electron and heavy particle temperatures as well as the electron density were obtained. The calculation of the temperature values did not require any specific assumption about a temperature relationship between different particle species. An electron temperature of 10 900 ± 900 K, a heavy particle temperature of 9300 ± 900 K, and an electron density of about 3.5 × 10{sup 22} m{sup −3} were found at the jet centre at 3.5 mm downstream from the torch exit. Large deviations from kinetic equilibrium were found toward the outer border of the plasma jet. These results showed good agreement with those previously reported by the authors by using a single probe technique. The calculations have shown that this method is particularly useful for studying spraying-type plasma torches operated at power levels of about 15 kW.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

A comparative study of spin coated and floating film transfer method coated poly (3-hexylthiophene)/poly (3-hexylthiophene)-nanofibers based field effect transistors

A comparative study on electrical performance, optical properties, and surface morphology of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and P3HT-nanofibers based “normally on” type p-channel field effect transistors (FETs), fabricated by two different coating techniques has been reported here. Nanofibers are prepared in the laboratory with the approach of self-assembly of P3HT molecules into nanofibers in an appropriate solvent. P3HT (0.3 wt. %) and P3HT-nanofibers (∼0.25 wt. %) are used as semiconductor transport materials for deposition over FETs channel through spin coating as well as through our recently developed floating film transfer method (FTM). FETs fabricated using FTM show superior performance compared to spin coated devices; however, the mobility of FTM films based FETs is comparable to the mobility of spin coated one. The devices based on P3HT-nanofibers (using both the techniques) show much better performance in comparison to P3HT FETs. The best performance among all the fabricated organic field effect transistors are observed for FTM coated P3HT-nanofibers FETs. This improved performance of nanofiber-FETs is due to ordering of fibers and also due to the fact that fibers offer excellent charge transport facility because of point to point transmission. The optical properties and structural morphologies (P3HT and P3HT-nanofibers) are studied using UV-visible absorption spectrophotometer and atomic force microscopy , respectively. Coating techniques and effect of fiber formation for organic conductors give information for fabrication of organic devices with improved performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Vibrations of a floating beam on marine waves

Vertical vibrations of a floating pipe-concrete beam caused by a harmonic waves excitation are studied. The apparent additional mass of water, resisting force and the velocity of towing are considered. The vibration amplitude and the maximum deformations of concrete, caused by these fluctuations, are calculated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fluid model of the sheath in front of a floating electrode immersed in a magnetized plasma with oblique magnetic field: Some comments on ion source terms and ion temperature effects

A one-dimensional fluid model of the magnetized plasma-wall transition region in front of a floating electrode immersed in a magnetized plasma with oblique magnetic field is presented. The Boltzmann relation is assumed for the electrons, while the positive ions obey the ion continuity and momentum exchange equation. The ions are assumed to be isothermal. By comparison with a two-fluid model, it is shown that assuming the Boltzmann relation for the electrons implies that there is no creation or annihilation of the electrons. Consequently, there should not be any creation and annihilation of the positive ions either. The models that assume the Boltzmann relation for the electrons and a non-zero ion source term at the same time are therefore inconsistent, but such models have nevertheless been used extensively by many authors. So, in this work, an extensive comparison of the results obtained using the zero source term on one hand and three different non-zero source terms on the other hand is made. Four different ion source terms are considered in total: the zero source term and three different non-zero ion source terms. When the zero source term is used, the model becomes very sensitive to the boundary conditions, and in some cases, the solutions exhibit large amplitude oscillations. If any of the three non-zero ion source terms is used, those problems are eliminated, but also the consistency of the model is broken. The model equations are solved numerically in the entire magnetized plasma-wall transition region. For zero ion temperature, the model can be solved even if a very small ion velocity is selected as a boundary condition. For finite ion temperature, the system of equations becomes stiff, unless the ion velocity at the boundary is increased slightly above the ion thermal velocity. A simple method how to find a solution with a very small ion velocity at the boundary also for finite ion temperature in the entire magnetized plasma-wall transition region is proposed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Growth of Nd{sub 2}TiO{sub 5} single crystal using optical floating zone technique

Single crystals of Nd{sub 2}TiO{sub 5} were grown using Optical Floating zone technique in oxygen atmosphere by spontaneous nucleation. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the grown single crystal is of homogeneous composition. Laue diffraction was recorded in both transmission and backscattering geometries to check the crystal quality. Vibrational properties were analyzed using Raman measurements.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Memristive operation mode of a site-controlled quantum dot floating gate transistor

We have realized a floating gate transistor based on a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure with site-controlled InAs quantum dots. By short-circuiting the source contact with the lateral gates and performing closed voltage sweep cycles, we observe a memristive operation mode with pinched hysteresis loops and two clearly distinguishable conductive states. The conductance depends on the quantum dot charge which can be altered in a controllable manner by the voltage value and time interval spent in the charging region. The quantum dot memristor has the potential to realize artificial synapses in a state-of-the-art opto-electronic semiconductor platform by charge localization and Coulomb coupling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Single crystal growth of Sr{sub 2}TiMnO{sub 6} by optical floating zone technique

Single crystals of Sr{sub 2}TiMnO{sub 6} were grown by optical floating zone technique. Powder X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the single phase nature of the grown crystal. Laue diffraction studies proved the quality of the grown crystal. Neutron diffraction showed no magnetic ordering down to 6 K. Impedance studies showed temperature dependant relaxation which is due to the presence of oxygen vacancies in the grown crystal.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Modifications produced on a large magnetized plasma column by a floating end-plate that is partially emissive: Experiment and theory

An experiment is performed on a large plasma device operated by the Basic Plasma Science Facility at the University of California, Los Angeles, in which an electrically floating structure is placed near the end of the 18-m magnetized plasma column. The structure consists of a flat carbon plate that acts as a mask for a smaller, ring-shaped LaB6 emissive surface whose temperature can be externally controlled. This configuration has been previously used to study electron heat transport and pressure-driven avalanches [B. Van Compernolle and G. J. Morales, Phys. Plasmas 24, 112302 (2017)] by biasing the LaB6 ring-cathode with respect to a distant anode in a cold afterglow plasma. In contrast, the present study is performed during the active portion of the steady-state discharge in which the nominal plasma parameters are determined by the injection of an electron beam from a BaO cathode at the opposite end. It is found that, even without an applied bias on the LaB6 cathode, the self-consistent potential and current profiles are modified near the end plate as the LaB6 temperature is increased, resulting in density increases on the field lines in contact with the ring-cathode. In the absence of enhanced ionization, at the largest cathode temperatures, the ambient density can be doubled. A theoretical model is presented that provides a quantitative explanation for the experimental observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental demonstration of transient CHI start-up using a floating biased electrode configuration

Transient coaxial helicity injection (CHI) current start-up in a spherical tokamak (ST) has been demonstrated for the first time using a reactor-relevant floating single biased (FSB) electrode configuration on QUEST. Unlike previous applications of CHI on HIT-II and on NSTX in which the entire ST vessel was split in two using two toroidal ceramic rings as vacuum breaks, in the FSB electrode configuration on QUEST, only the lower outer divertor plate is electrically insulated from the rest of the vessel. This is the CHI injector region. A CHI discharge is generated by driving current, using an external power supply, along magnetic field lines that connect the inner and outer divertor plates in the CHI injector region. The CHI plasma evolution and closed flux formation on QUEST are very similar to those on NSTX and have generated toroidal currents of 150 kA with 100 kA of current flowing on closed flux surfaces. An alternate, force-free model approach has been used to derive the CHI scaling relations. The resulting CHI scaling relations from the model are consistent with the conventional CHI scaling relations, which state that the CHI generated toroidal current is proportional to the CHI injector flux and the CHI injector current is inversely proportional to the toroidal field. These results from QUEST bode well for the application of CHI in a new generation of compact high field STs and low aspect ratio tokamaks in which the space for the central solenoid is very restricted.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

ON THE ORIGIN OF PLANETS AT VERY WIDE ORBITS FROM THE RECAPTURE OF FREE FLOATING PLANETS

In recent years, several planets have been discovered at wide orbits (>100 AU) around their host stars. Theoretical studies encounter difficulties in explaining their formation and origin. Here we propose a novel scenario for the production of planetary systems at such orbits, through the dynamical recapture of free floating planets (FFPs) in dispersing stellar clusters and stellar associations. This process is a natural extension of the recently suggested scenario for the formation of wide stellar binaries. We use N-body simulations of dispersing clusters with 10-1000 stars and comparable numbers of FFPs to study this process. We find that planets are captured into wide orbits in the typical range {approx}few Multiplication-Sign 100-10{sup 6} AU and have a wide range of eccentricities (thermal distribution). Typically, 3-6 Multiplication-Sign (f{sub FFP}/1)% of all stars capture a planetary companion with such properties (where f{sub FFP} is the number of FFP per star in the birth clusters). The planetary capture efficiency is comparable to that of capture-formed stellar binaries, and shows a similar dependence on the cluster size and structure. It is almost independent of the specific planetary mass; planets as well as substellar companions of any mass can be captured. The capture efficiency decreases with increasing cluster size, and for a given cluster size it increases with the host/primary mass. We also find that more than one planet can be captured around the same host through independent consecutive captures; similarly, planets can be captured into binary systems, both in circumstellar and circumbinary orbits. We also expect planets to be captured into pre-existing planetary (and protoplanetary systems) as well as into orbits around black holes and massive white dwarfs, if these formed early enough before the cluster dispersal. In particular, stellar black holes have a high capture efficiency (>50% and 5-10 Multiplication-Sign (f{sub FFP}/1)% for capture of stars and planetary companions, respectively) due to their large mass. Finally, although rare, two FFPs or brown dwarfs can become bound and form an FFP-binary system with no stellar host.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE COLDEST BROWN DWARF (OR FREE-FLOATING PLANET)?: THE Y DWARF WISE 1828+2650

We have monitored the position of the cool Y dwarf WISEPA J182831.08+265037.8 using a combination of ground- and space-based telescopes and have determined its distance to be 11.2{sup +1.3} {sub -1.0} pc. Its absolute H magnitude, M{sub H} = 22.21{sup +0.25} {sub -0.22} mag, suggests a mass in the range 0.5-20 M {sub Jup} for ages of 0.1-10 Gyr with an effective temperature in the range 250-400 K. The broad range in mass is due primarily to the unknown age of the object. Since the high tangential velocity of the object, 51 {+-} 5 km s{sup -1}, is characteristic of an old disk population, a plausible age range of 2-4 Gyr leads to a mass range of 3-6 M {sub Jup} based on fits to the (highly uncertain) COND evolutionary models. The range in temperature is due to the fact that no single model adequately represents the 1-5 {mu}m spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source, failing by factors of up to five at either the short or long wavelength portions of the SED. The appearance of this very cold object may be affected by non-equilibrium chemistry or low temperature condensates forming clouds, two atmospheric processes that are known to be important in brown dwarf atmospheres but have proven difficult to model. Finally, we argue that there would have to be a very steep upturn in the number density of late-type Y-dwarfs to account for the putative population of objects suggested by recent microlensing observations. Whether WISE 1828+2650 sits at the low-mass end of the brown dwarf population or is the first example of a large number of 'free-floating' planets is not yet known.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MICROLENS TERRESTRIAL PARALLAX MASS MEASUREMENTS: A RARE PROBE OF ISOLATED BROWN DWARFS AND FREE-FLOATING PLANETS

Terrestrial microlens parallax is one of the very few methods that can measure the mass and number density of isolated dark low-mass objects, such as old free-floating planets and brown dwarfs. Terrestrial microlens parallax can be measured whenever a microlensing event differs substantially as observed from two or more well-separated sites. If the lens also transits the source during the event, then its mass can be measured. We derive an analytic expression for the expected rate of such events and then use this to derive two important conclusions. First, the rate is directly proportional to the number density of a given population, greatly favoring low-mass populations relative to their contribution to the general microlensing rate, which further scales as M {sup 1/2} where M is the lens mass. Second, the rate rises sharply as one probes smaller source stars, despite the fact that the probability of transit falls directly with source size. We propose modifications to current observing strategies that could yield a factor of 100 increase in sensitivity to these rare events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CONFIGURATIONS OF BOUNDED AND FREE-FLOATING PLANETS IN VERY YOUNG OPEN CLUSTERS

Open clusters (OCs) are usually young and suitable for studying the formation and evolution of planetary systems. So far, only four planets have been found with radial velocity measurements in OCs. Meanwhile, a lot of free-floating planets (FFPs) have been detected. We utilize N-body simulations to investigate the evolution and final configurations of multi-planetary systems in very young open clusters with an age <10 Myr. After an evolution of 10 Myr, 61%-72% of the planets remain bounded and more than 55% of the planetary systems will maintain their initial orbital configurations. For systems with one planet ejected, more than 25% of them have the surviving planets in misaligned orbits. In the clusters, the fraction of planetary systems with misalignment is >6%, and only 1% have planets in retrograde orbits. We also obtain a positive correlation between the survival planet number and the distance from the cluster center r: planetary systems with a larger r tend to be more stable. Moreover, stars with a mass >2.5 M{sub Sun} are likely unstable and lose their planets. These results are roughly consistent with current observations. Planetary systems in binaries are less stable and we achieve a rough criterion: most of the binary systems with a{sub b}(1-e{sub b}{sup 2})>100 AU can retain all the initial planets. Finally, 80% of the FFPs are ejected out of the clusters, while the rest ({approx}20%) still stay in host clusters and most of them are concentrated in the center (<2 pc)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SHORT-DURATION LENSING EVENTS. I. WIDE-ORBIT PLANETS? FREE-FLOATING LOW-MASS OBJECTS? OR HIGH-VELOCITY STARS?

Short-duration lensing events tend to be generated by low-mass lenses or by lenses with high transverse velocities. Furthermore, for any given lens mass and speed, events of short duration are preferentially caused by nearby lenses (mesolenses) that can be studied in detail, or else by lenses so close to the source star that finite-source-size effects may be detected, yielding information about both the Einstein ring radius and the surface of the lensed star. Planets causing short-duration events may be in orbits with any orientation, and may have semimajor axes smaller than 1 AU, or they may reach the outer limits of their planetary systems, in the region corresponding to the solar system's Oort Cloud. They can have masses larger than Jupiter's or smaller than Pluto's. Lensing therefore has a unique potential to expand our understanding of planetary systems. A particular advantage of lensing is that it can provide precision measurements of system parameters, including the masses of and projected separation between star and planet. We demonstrate how the parameters can be extracted and show that a great deal can be learned. For example, it is remarkable that the gravitational mass of nearby free-floating planet-mass lenses can be measured by complementing observations of a photometric event with deep images that detect the planet itself. A fraction of short events may be caused by high-velocity stars located within a kiloparsec. Many high-velocity lenses are likely to be neutron stars that received large natal kicks. Other high-speed stars may be members of the halo population. Still others may be hypervelocity stars that have been ejected from the Galactic center, or runaway stars escaped from close binaries, possibly including the progenitor binaries of Type Ia supernovae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗