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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

A space stable optical bench structure for the space telescope wide field and planetary camera

The design, fabrication, and verification tests of two optical bench structures fabricated under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are discussed. It is noted that graphite-epoxy and invar have been selected as the structural materials for the bench. The ability to manufacture a precise graphite-epoxy optical system platform has been demonstrated. It is noted that the 19 channel laser interferometer was used to measure the CTE of the bench structure graphite-epoxy components and the two invar bulkheads.

Smith, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Optical and structural characterization of InAs/GaAs quantum wells

Three InAs/GaAs single quantum wells of two-, three-, and four-monolayer thickness were characterized using optical and structural techniques. The results of high-resolution transmission electron (HRTEM) microscopy and optical studies which combine absorption, photoluminescence (PL), photoreflectance, and cathodoluminescence are presented. Using the polarization modulated absorptance technique, we observed two absorption features in our samples at 77 K. On the basis of their polarization properties and comparison with an envelope function calculation, these structures are assigned to transitions between the confined heavy-hole and confined and unconfined electron levels. Photoreflectance spectra of the three-monolayer sample in 77-300 K range show only the fundamental quantum well transition. The temperature dependence of this transition is approximately linear with a slope of 2.2 x 10 exp -4 eV/K, which is significantly lower than in both constituent materials. Comparison to the absorption data reveals that the PL spectra are affected by the carrier diffusion and therefore do not provide direct measure of the exciton density of states. The HRTEM images indicate that, while the interfaces of the two-monolayer sample are smooth and the well thickness is uniform, the four-monolayer sample has uneven interfaces and contains domains of two, three, and four monolayers.

Ksendzov, A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) Model Development and Analysis of a Field-widened Michelson Interferometer

An integrated Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) model was developed for a field-widened Michelson interferometer which is being built and tested for the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) project at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The performance of the interferometer is highly sensitive to thermal expansion, changes in refractive index with temperature, temperature gradients, and deformation due to mounting stresses. Hand calculations can only predict system performance for uniform temperature changes, under the assumption that coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch effects are negligible. An integrated STOP model was developed to investigate the effects of design modifications on the performance of the interferometer in detail, including CTE mismatch, and other three- dimensional effects. The model will be used to improve the design for a future spaceflight version of the interferometer. The STOP model was developed using the Comet SimApp'TM' Authoring Workspace which performs automated integration between Pro-Engineer®, Thermal Desktop®, MSC Nastran'TM', SigFit'TM', Code V'TM', and MATLAB®. This is the first flight project for which LaRC has utilized Comet, and it allows a larger trade space to be studied in a shorter time than would be possible in a traditional STOP analysis. This paper describes the development of the STOP model, presents a comparison of STOP results for simple cases with hand calculations, and presents results of the correlation effort to bench-top testing of the interferometer. A trade study conducted with the STOP model which demonstrates a few simple design changes that can improve the performance seen in the lab is also presented.

Scola, Salvatore J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Propagation characteristics of optical fiber structures with arbitrary shape and index variation

The application of the scalar wave-fast Fourier transform (SW-FFT) technique to the computation of the propagation characteristics of some complex optical fiber structures is presented. The SW-FFT technique is based on the numerical solution of the scalar wave equation by a forward-marching fast Fourier transform method. This solution yields the spatial configuration of the fields as well as its modal characteristics in and around the guiding structure. The following are treated by the SW-FFT method: analysis of coupled optical fibers and computation of their odd and even modes and coupling length; the solution of tapered optical waveguides (transitions) and the study of the effect of the slope of the taper on mode conversion; and the analysis of branching optical fibers and demonstration of their mode-filtering and/or power-dividing properties.

Manshadi, F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The electron temperature and optical emission structure of the central component of CTB 80

Optical spectra on the central component of the galactic supernova remnant CTB 80 are presented. Long slit CCD spectra reveal relative line-intensity variations among individual filaments, the presence of Balmer-dominated emission in the core's east and west optical lobes, and no radial velocities in excess of 300 km/s. Aperture spectrophotometry of the temperature-sensitive forbiddden O III lines suggests Te = 25,000 K, thus favoring a shock-heated interpretation for the remnant's optical core emission. These results indicate that fundamental differences exist betweem the optical emission of CTB 80's central core component and the Crab Nebula, despite similarities in these remnants' radio and X-ray properties. The optical emission from CTB 80's core is likely to be a direct result of the interaction of an active pulsar with its adjacent partially neutral interstellar medium. The size of CTB 80's outer structure and the absence of either high velocity or enhanced abundances in the region local to CTB 80's pulsar argue for a considerably larger age for CTB 80 than the Crab Nebula's 1000 yr. A qualitative picture for CTB 80 that can plausibly explain many of the core's properties is proposed.

Blair, William P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Integration of Design, Thermal, Structural, and Optical Analysis, Including Thermal Animation

In many industries there has recently been a concerted movement toward 'quality management' and the issue of how to accomplish work more efficiently. Part of this effort is focused on concurrent engineering; the idea of integrating the design and analysis processes so that they are not separate, sequential processes (often involving design rework due to analytical findings) but instead form an integrated system with smooth transfers of information. Presented herein are several specific examples of concurrent engineering methods being carried out at Langley Research Center (LaRC): integration of thermal, structural and optical analyses to predict changes in optical performance based on thermal and structural effects; integration of the CAD design process with thermal and structural analyses; and integration of analysis and presentation by animating the thermal response of a system as an active color map -- a highly effective visual indication of heat flow.

Amundsen, Ruth M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) Analysis

The presentation will be given at the 26th Annual Thermal Fluids Analysis Workshop (TFAWS 2015) hosted by the Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC) Thermal Engineering Branch (Code 545). A STOP analysis is a multidiscipline analysis, consisting of Structural, Thermal and Optical Performance Analyses, that is performed for all space flight instruments and satellites. This course will explain the different parts of performing this analysis. The student will learn how to effectively interact with each discipline in order to accurately obtain the system analysis results.

Optical↗
NASA NTRS2014

Tunable Laser Development for In-flight Fiber Optic Based Structural Health Monitoring Systems

The objective of this task is to investigate, develop, and demonstrate a low-cost swept lasing light source for NASA DFRC's fiber optics sensing system (FOSS) to perform structural health monitoring on current and future aerospace vehicles. This is the regular update of the Tunable Laser Development for In-flight Fiber Optic Based Structural Health Monitoring Systems website.

Composite Materials↗
NASA NTRS2004

Integrated Modeling Activities for the James Webb Space Telescope: Structural-Thermal-Optical Analysis

The James Web Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope scheduled for launch in 2011. This is a continuation of a series of papers on modeling activities for JWST. The structural-thermal-optical, often referred to as STOP, analysis process is used to predict the effect of thermal distortion on optical performance. The benchmark STOP analysis for JWST assesses the effect of an observatory slew on wavefront error. Temperatures predicted using geometric and thermal math models are mapped to a structural finite element model in order to predict thermally induced deformations. Motions and deformations at optical surfaces are then input to optical models, and optical performance is predicted using either an optical ray trace or a linear optical analysis tool. In addition to baseline performance predictions, a process for performing sensitivity studies to assess modeling uncertainties is described.

Johnston, John D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Precision Galactic Structure

Optical and IR surveys in progress or in the planning stages will lead to substantial improvements in our picture of the Milky Way as a consequence of their providing large volumes of data with much improved photometric and positional measurements compared with existing datasets.

Kent, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Structural and optical properties for typical solid mirror shapes

A method is developed to determine the weight, center of gravity, areal properties, and mass inertial properties for typical mirrors. A number of support conditions were considered to examine optical surface deflections, surface quality, and fundamental natural frequency for single- and double-arch mirror shapes. Structural performance estimates were made with the NASTRAN program, and optical performances were evaluated with the FRINGE program, using an SXA 40-in mirror. To show the behavior of element types from the NASTRAN program, finite element validity and sensitivity studies were performed in optical model applications. Material parameters, contoured back shapes, and support locations are shown to have significant effects on structural and optical performances. Optimal support locations and support points are given. Fundamental natural frequencies for some shapes are found with the closed-form solution. The plate models results may not be acceptable for determining real mirror optical performances.

Cho, Myung K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Temperature-plant pigment-optical relations in a recurrent offshore mesoscale eddy near Point Conception, California

The temperature-plant pigment-optical structure of a mesoscale anticyclonic eddy consistently found in shipboard surveys and satellite-sensed data several hundred kilometers southwest of Point Conception, CA, is described on three different time scales (100-day mesoscale, annual, and several-year). The satellite coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) ocean color imagery detected the near-surface chlorophyll structure of the eddy, but in situ optical and plant pigment data suggest that such imagery does not provide a good estimate of the integrated chlorophyll field of the eddy. The temperature and plant pigment boundaries of the eddy, as determined from two-dimensional gradients of advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and CZCS imagery, do not coincide spatially. This and in situ temperature, plant pigment, and optical structure provide additional evidence that some eddy systems in the California Current are not isolated vortex systems but rather continuously entrain waters of nonlocal origin laterally into their upper layers. Within the California Current a ratio of AVHRR/CZCS data is useful for separating inshore from oceanic water masses and following their surface entrainment by offshore vortices. The historical 28-year California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations data for the Point Conception region of the California Current and remotely sensed data over this region show that the Point Conception eddy is a recurrent feature in the offshore California Current. Moreover, the available data provide evidence that a large number of warm-core mesoscale eddies occur simultaneously in a transition zone between coastal and oceanic regimes, that these features recur at preferred locations within the transition zone, and that this family of eddies should impose a significant offshore boundary condition on the flow of the California Current.

Simpson, James J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

High Precision Thermal, Structural and Optical Analysis of an External Occulter Using a Common Model and the General Purpose Multi-Physics Analysis Tool Cielo

The efficient simulation of multidisciplinary thermo-opto-mechanical effects in precision deployable systems has for years been limited by numerical toolsets that do not necessarily share the same finite element basis, level of mesh discretization, data formats, or compute platforms. Cielo, a general purpose integrated modeling tool funded by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Exoplanet Exploration Program, addresses shortcomings in the current state of the art via features that enable the use of a single, common model for thermal, structural and optical aberration analysis, producing results of greater accuracy, without the need for results interpolation or mapping. This paper will highlight some of these advances, and will demonstrate them within the context of detailed external occulter analyses, focusing on in-plane deformations of the petal edges for both steady-state and transient conditions, with subsequent optical performance metrics including intensity distributions at the pupil and image plane.

integrated modeling↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fiber optic smart structures and skins V; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Sept. 8, 9, 1992

The present conference discusses the materials used in applications of fiber-optics (F-O) to smart structures, extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric F-O sensors, sapphire F-O sensors, two-mode F-O sensors with photoinduced refractive index, an F-O accelerometer using two-mode fibers, and embedded F-O acoustic sensors for flaw detection. Also discussed are an optoelectronic smart structure interface, F-O sensors for simultaneous detection of strain and temperature, an optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer for smart skins, a split-cavity cross-coupled extrinsic fiber interferometer, and an embedded Bragg grating F-O sensor for composite flexbeams, an Er-doped ring-laser strain sensor.

Claus, Richard O.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Deep levels in as-grown and Si-implanted In(0.2)Ga(0.8)As-GaAs strained-layer superlattice optical guiding structures

Trap levels in about 2-micron In(0.2)Ga(0.8)As(94 A)/GaAs(25 A) strained-layer superlattices, suitable for optical waveguides, have been identified and characterized by deep-level transient spectroscopy and optical deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements. Several dominant electron and hole traps with concentrations of approximately 10 to the 14th/cu cm, and thermal ionization energies Delta-E(T) varying from 0.20 to 0.75 eV have been detected. Except for a 0.20-eV electron trap, which might be present in the In(0.2)Ga(0.8)As well regions, all the other traps have characteristics similar to those identified in molecular-beam epitaxial GaAs. Of these, a 0.42-eV hole trap is believed to originate from Cu impurities, and the others are probably related to native defects. Upon Si implantation and halogen lamp annealing, new deep centers are created. These are electron traps with Delta-E(T) = 0.81 eV and hole traps with Delta-E(T) = 0.46 eV. Traps occurring at room temperature may present limitations for optical devices.

Dhar, S.↗