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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

A broadband fiber-optic nonlinear interferometer

In this paper, we describe an all-fiber nonlinear interferometer based on four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber. Our configuration realizes phase-sensitive interference with 97% peak visibility and >90% visibility over a broad 554 GHz optical band. By comparing the output noise power to the shot-noise level, we confirm noise cancellation at dark interference fringes, as required for quantum-enhanced sensitivity. Finally, our device extends nonlinear interferometry to the important platform of highly nonlinear optical fiber and could find applications in a variety of fiber-based sensors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Three-channel polaro-interferometer for laser-produced plasma diagnostics with femtosecond time resolution

We describe an upgraded version of a three-channel polaro-interferometer, which enables laser-produced plasma probing with femtosecond time resolution. Test experiments are performed with the use of a 50-fs probe pulse and an air spark produced by a driving nanosecond laser pulse. High-contrast interference plasma images are recorded, making it possible to reconstruct the electron density plasma profile with femtosecond time resolution in a wide range of probing pulse delays relative to the driving pulse. (laser plasma)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nonlinear interferometer for increasing the contrast ratio of intense laser pulses

The possibility is shown for increasing the contrast ratio of intense (TW cm{sup –2}) femtosecond laser pulses by using a nonlinear Mach – Zehnder interferometer, and also under the conditions of cascade quadratic nonlinearity in two tandem uniaxial crystals detuned from the matching direction to opposite sides. In both the cases, the peak intensity slightly falls (by ∼10 %) and with additional chirp mirrors may even exceed the initial intensity. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

MODELING CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS OF B-TYPE STARS WITH OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PALOMAR TESTBED INTERFEROMETER

Geometrical (uniform disk) and numerical models were calculated for a set of B-emission (Be) stars observed with the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI). Physical extents have been estimated for the disks of a total of 15 stars via uniform disk models. Our numerical non-LTE models used parameters for the B0, B2, B5, and B8 spectral classes and following the framework laid by previous studies, we have compared them to infrared K-band interferometric observations taken at PTI. This is the first time such an extensive set of Be stars observed with long-baseline interferometry has been analyzed with self-consistent non-LTE numerical disk models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY/PLATEAU DE BURE INTERFEROMETER MULTIPLE LINE OBSERVATIONS OF THE NEARBY SEYFERT 2 GALAXY NGC 1068: SHOCK-RELATED GAS KINEMATICS AND HEATING IN THE CENTRAL 100 pc?

We present high angular resolution (0.''5-2.''0) observations of the millimeter continuum and the {sup 12}CO(J = 3-2), {sup 13}CO(J = 3-2), {sup 13}CO(J = 2-1), C{sup 18}O(J = 2-1), HCN(J = 3-2), HCO{sup +}(J = 4-3), and HCO{sup +}(J = 3-2) line emission in the circumnuclear disk (r {approx}< 100 pc) of the prototypical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, carried out with the Submillimeter Array. We also include in our analysis new {sup 13}CO(J = 1-0) and improved {sup 12}CO(J = 2-1) observations of NGC 1068 at high angular resolution (1.''0-2.''0) and sensitivity, conducted with the Institute de Radioastronomie Millimetrique Plateau de Bure Interferometer. Based on the complex dynamics of the molecular gas emission indicating non-circular motions in the central {approx}100 pc, we propose a scenario in which part of the molecular gas in the circumnuclear disk of NGC 1068 is blown radially outward as a result of shocks. This shock scenario is further supported by quite warm (T{sub kin} {>=} 200 K) and dense (n(H{sub 2}) {approx_equal} 10{sup 4} cm{sup -3}) gas constrained from observed molecular line ratios. The HCN abundance in the circumnuclear disk is found to be [HCN]/[{sup 12}CO] {approx} 10{sup -3.5}. This is slightly higher than the abundances derived for Galactic and extragalactic star-forming/starbursting regions. This result lends further support to X-ray-enhanced HCN formation in the circumnuclear disk of NGC 1068 as suggested by earlier studies. The HCO{sup +} abundance ([HCO{sup +}]/[{sup 12}CO] {approx} 10{sup -5}) appears to be somewhat lower than that of Galactic and extragalactic star-forming/starbursting regions. When trying to fit the centimeter-to-millimeter continuum emission by different thermal and non-thermal processes, it appears that electron-scattered synchrotron emission yields the best results while thermal free-free emission seems to overpredict the millimeter continuum emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CONFIRMING FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF THE EXOPLANET HOST STAR {epsilon} ERIDANI USING THE NAVY OPTICAL INTERFEROMETER

We measured the angular diameter of the exoplanet host star {epsilon} Eridani using the Navy Optical Interferometer. We determined its physical radius, effective temperature, and mass by combining our measurement with the star's parallax, photometry from the literature, and the Yonsei-Yale isochrones, respectively. We used the resulting stellar mass of 0.82 {+-} 0.05 M{sub Sun} plus the mass function from Benedict et al. to calculate the planet's mass, which is 1.53 {+-} 0.22 M{sub Jupiter}. Using our new effective temperature, we also estimated the extent of the habitable zone for the system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

IMAGING THE ALGOL TRIPLE SYSTEM IN THE H BAND WITH THE CHARA INTERFEROMETER

Algol ({beta} Per) is an extensively studied hierarchical triple system whose inner pair is a prototype semi-detached binary with mass transfer occurring from the sub-giant secondary to the main-sequence primary. We present here the results of our Algol observations made between 2006 and 2010 at the CHARA interferometer with the Michigan Infrared Combiner in the H-band. The use of four telescopes with long baselines allows us to achieve better than 0.5 mas resolution and to unambiguously resolve the three stars. The inner and outer orbital elements, as well as the angular sizes and mass ratios for the three components, are determined independently from previous studies. We report a significantly improved orbit for the inner stellar pair with the consequence of a 15% change in the primary mass compared with previous studies. We also determine the mutual inclination of the orbits to be much closer to perpendicularity than previously established. State-of-the-art image reconstruction algorithms are used to image the full triple system. In particular an image sequence of 55 distinct phases of the inner pair orbit is reconstructed, clearly showing the Roche-lobe-filling secondary revolving around the primary, with several epochs corresponding to the primary and secondary eclipses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Navy precision optical interferometer measurements of 10 stellar oscillators

Using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, we measured the angular diameters of 10 stars that have previously measured solar-like oscillations. Our sample covered a range of evolutionary stages but focused on evolved subgiant and giant stars. We combined our angular diameters with Hipparcos parallaxes to determine the stars' physical radii, and used photometry from the literature to calculate their bolometric fluxes, luminosities, and effective temperatures. We then used our results to test the scaling relations used by asteroseismology groups to calculate radii and found good agreement between the radii measured here and the radii predicted by stellar oscillation studies. The precision of the relations is not as well constrained for giant stars as it is for less evolved stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

TWO EFFICIENT, NEW TECHNIQUES FOR DETECTING DISPERSED RADIO PULSES WITH INTERFEROMETERS: THE CHIRPOLATOR AND THE CHIMAGEATOR

Searching for dispersed radio pulses in interferometric data is of great scientific interest, but poses a formidable computational burden. Here, we present two efficient, new antenna-coherent solutions: The Chirpolator and The Chimageator. We describe the equations governing both techniques and propose a number of novel optimizations. We compare the implementation costs of our techniques with classical methods using three criteria: the operation rates (1) before and (2) after the integrate-and-dump stage, and (3) the data rate directly after the integrate-and-dump stage. When compared with classical methods, our techniques excel in the regime of sparse arrays, where they both require substantially lower data rates, and The Chirpolator requires a much lower post-integrator operation rate. In general, our techniques require more pre-integrator operations than the classical ones. We argue that the data and operation rates required by our techniques are better matched to future supercomputer architectures, where the arithmetic capability is outstripping the bandwidth capability. Our techniques are, therefore, viable candidates for deploying on future interferometers such as the Square Kilometer Array.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

EXO-ZODI MODELING FOR THE LARGE BINOCULAR TELESCOPE INTERFEROMETER

Habitable zone dust levels are a key unknown that must be understood to ensure the success of future space missions to image Earth analogs around nearby stars. Current detection limits are several orders of magnitude above the level of the solar system's zodiacal cloud, so characterization of the brightness distribution of exo-zodi down to much fainter levels is needed. To this end, the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) will detect thermal emission from habitable zone exo-zodi a few times brighter than solar system levels. Here we present a modeling framework for interpreting LBTI observations, which yields dust levels from detections and upper limits that are then converted into predictions and upper limits for the scattered light surface brightness. We apply this model to the HOSTS survey sample of nearby stars; assuming a null depth uncertainty of 10{sup –4} the LBTI will be sensitive to dust a few times above the solar system level around Sun-like stars, and to even lower dust levels for more massive stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Gravitational waves at interferometer scales and primordial black holes in axion inflation

We study the prospects of detection at terrestrial and space interferometers, as well as at pulsar timing array experiments, of a stochastic gravitational wave background which can be produced in models of axion inflation. This potential signal, and the development of these experiments, open a new window on inflation on scales much smaller than those currently probed with Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure measurements. The sourced signal generated in axion inflation is an ideal candidate for such searches, since it naturally grows at small scales, and it has specific properties (chirality and non-gaussianity) that can distinguish it from an astrophysical background. We study under which conditions such a signal can be produced at an observable level, without the simultaneous overproduction of scalar perturbations in excess of what is allowed by the primordial black hole limits. We also explore the possibility that scalar perturbations generated in a modified version of this model may provide a distribution of primordial black holes compatible with the current bounds, that can act as a seeds of the present black holes in the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Detection prospects for the Cosmic Neutrino Background using laser interferometers

The cosmic neutrino background is a key prediction of Big Bang cosmology which has not been observed yet. The movement of the earth through this neutrino bath creates a force on a pendulum, as if it were exposed to a cosmic wind. We revise here estimates for the resulting pendulum acceleration and compare it to the theoretical sensitivity of an experimental setup where the pendulum position is measured using current laser interferometer technology as employed in gravitational wave detectors. We discuss how a significant improvement of this setup can be envisaged in a micro gravity environment. The proposed setup could also function as a dark matter detector in the sub-MeV range, which currently eludes direct detection constraints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

NAVY PRECISION OPTICAL INTERFEROMETER OBSERVATIONS OF THE EXOPLANET HOST {kappa} CORONAE BOREALIS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STAR'S AND PLANET'S MASSES AND AGES

We used the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer to measure the limb-darkened angular diameter of the exoplanet host star {kappa} CrB and obtained a value of 1.543 {+-} 0.009 mas. We calculated its physical radius (5.06 {+-} 0.04 R{sub Sun }) and used photometric measurements from the literature with our diameter to determine {kappa} CrB's effective temperature (4788 {+-} 17 K) and luminosity (12.13 {+-} 0.09 L{sub Sun }). We then placed the star on an Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to ascertain the star's age (3.42{sup +0.32}{sub -0.25} Gyr) and mass (1.47 {+-} 0.04 M{sub Sun }) using a metallicity of [Fe/H] = +0.15. With this mass, we calculated the system's mass function with the orbital elements from a variety of sources, which produced a range of planetary masses: m{sub p}sin i = 1.61-1.88 M{sub Jup}. We also updated the extent of the habitable zone for the system using our new temperature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

PLANETARY TRANSITS WITH THE ATACAMA LARGE MILLIMETER/SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY RADIO INTERFEROMETER

Planetary transits are commonly observed at visible wavelengths. Here we investigate the shape of a planetary transit observed at radio wavelengths. Solar maps at 17 GHz are used as a proxy for the stellar eclipse by several sizes of planets from super-Earths to hot Jupiters. The relative depth at mid-transit is the same as observed at visible wavelengths, but the limb brightening of the stellar disk at 17 GHz is clearly seen in the shape of the transit light curve. Moreover, when the planet occults an active region the depth of the transit decreases even further, depending on the brightness of the active region relative to the surrounding disk. For intense active region, with 50 times the brightness temperature of the surrounding disk, the decrease can supercede the unperturbed transit depth depending on the size of the eclipsing planet. For a super-Earth (R{sub p} = 0.02 R{sub s} ) crossing, the decrease in intensity is 0.04%, increasing to 0.86% in the case when a strong active region is present. On the other hand, for a hot Jupiter with R{sub p} = 0.17R{sub s} , the unperturbed transit depth is 3% increasing to 4.7% when covering this strong active region. This kind of behavior can be verified with observation of planetary transits with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array radio interferometer.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Tianlai dish pathfinder array: design, operation, and performance of a prototype transit radio interferometer

ABSTRACT The Tianlai Dish Pathfinder Array is a radio interferometer designed to test techniques for 21 cm intensity mapping in the post-reionization universe as a means for measuring large-scale cosmic structure. It performs drift scans of the sky at constant declination. We describe the design, calibration, noise level, and stability of this instrument based on the analysis of about 5% of 6200 h of on-sky observations through 2019 October. Beam pattern determinations using drones and the transit of bright sources are in good agreement, and compatible with electromagnetic simulations. Combining all the baselines, we make maps around bright sources and show that the array behaves as expected. A few hundred hours of observations at different declinations have been used to study the array geometry and pointing imperfections, as well as the instrument noise behaviour. We show that the system temperature is below 80 K for most feed antennas and that noise fluctuations decrease as expected with integration time, at least up to a few hundred seconds. Analysis of long integrations, from 10 nights of observations of the North Celestial Pole (NCP), yielded visibilities with amplitudes of 20–30 mK, consistent with the expected signal from the NCP radio sky with ${\lt}10\,$ mK precision for 1 MHz × 1 min binning. Hi-pass filtering the spectra to remove smooth spectrum signal yields a residual consistent with zero signal at the $0.5\,$ mK level.

(cosmology:) large-scale structure of the Universe↗
DOE OSTI2011

Measurement of the surface profile of an axicon lens with a polarization phase-shifting shearing interferometer

We present a Twyman-Green interferometer (TGI)-based polarization phase-shifting shearing interferometric technique for testing the conical surface of an axicon (AX) lens. In this technique, the annular beam generated due to the passing of an expanded collimated laser beam traveling along the axis of revolution of the transparent glass AX element is split up into its reflected and transmitted components, having the plane of polarization in the orthogonal planes, by the polarization beam splitter (PBS) cube of the TGI-based optical setup. The split-up components are made to travel unequal paths along the two arms of the TGI and are recombined by the PBS. Because of the difference in path lengths traveled by the annular conical beams, a linear shear is introduced along the radial direction between the interfering components. Thus, the resulting interference pattern gives a map of the optical path difference (OPD) between two successive close points along a radial direction on the conical surface of the AX lens. The OPD map along radial directions, and hence the slopes/profiles of the conical surface, are obtained by applying polarization phase-shifting interferometry. Results obtained for an AX lens are presented.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer Optimal Estimation (AERIoe) Value-Added Product Report

The Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) Optimal Estimation (AERIoe) algorithm (Turner and Löhnert 2014, Turner and Blumberg 2019) retrieves boundary-layer profiles of temperature and water vapor mixing ratio, together with cloud properties for a single-layer cloud (i.e., LWP, effective radius), from AERI-observed infrared radiance spectra and other measurements. The current AERIoe Value-Added Product (VAP) uses version 2.8 of David Turner's code, which uses additional inputs to constrain the retrieval including surface meteorology, microwave radiometer brightness temperatures at any number of frequencies (the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM] user facility typically used observations at 23.8 and 30.0 GHz), and Rapid Refresh numerical weather prediction model output. The method is a physical iterative retrieval that uses the optimal estimation framework (Rodgers 2000), so a full error covariance of the solution and the information content (in the form of degrees of freedom for signal) is provided for each retrieval.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗