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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
NASA NTRS2007

Optically Transparent Split-Ring Antennas for 1 to 10 GHz

Split-ring antennas made from optically transparent, electrically conductive films have been invented for applications in which there are requirements for compact antennas capable of operation over much or all of the frequency band from 1 to 10 GHz. Primary examples of such applications include wireless local-area networks and industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) applications. These antennas can be conveniently located on such surfaces as those of automobile windows and display screens of diverse hand-held electronic units. They are fabricated by conventional printed-circuit techniques and can easily be integrated with solid-state amplifier circuits to enhance gain. The structure of an antenna of this type includes an antenna/feed layer supported on the top or outer face of a dielectric (e.g., glass) and, optionally, a ground layer on the bottom or inner face of the substrate. The ring can be in the form of either a conductive strip or a slot in the antenna/feed layer. The ring can be of rectangular, square, circular, elliptical, or other suitable shape and can be excited by means of a microstrip, slot line, or coplanar waveguide. For example, the antenna shown in the figure features a square conductive-strip split ring with a microstrip feed. In general, an antenna fed at its external boundary in the manner of this invention presents very high impedance, thereby creating an impedance-matching problem. Splitting the ring . that is, cutting a notch through the ring . offers a solution to the problem in that the notch fixes the location of maximum electric field, which location is directly related to the impedance. Thus, an excellent impedance match can be achieved through proper choice of the location of the notch. In geometric layout, such a ring antenna structure is typically between 1.4 and 1.3 the size of a patch antenna capable of operating in the same frequency range. This miniaturization of the antenna is desirable, not only because it contributes to overall miniaturization of equipment, but also because minimization of the extent of the optically transparent, electrically conductive film helps to minimize the electrical loss associated with the surface resistance ( 5 ohms per square) of the transparent, electrically conductive film material. Incidentally, even at 5 ohms per square, this surface resistance is significantly less than that of indium tin oxide film (typically > 25 ohms per square), which, heretofore has been the transparent, electrically conductive film material of choice. At the time of writing this article, information on the composition of the lower-resistance film used in the antennas of this invention was not available.

Lee, Richard Q.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optical fiber system employing topological guidance of light

An optical fiber system exploits a principle of topological confinement for guided higher-order modes, in contrast to more conventional total-internal-reflection (TIR) confinement. The optical fiber has a geometry and index profile defining a cutoff wavelength for a predetermined L-mode of optical signal propagation in the optical fiber, where L is azimuthal mode index. An optical source subsystem is coupled to the optical fiber to establish an optical signal propagating in the optical fiber, wherein the optical signal has the predetermined L-mode and a wavelength being either (1) at least 15% above the cutoff wavelength such that the optical beam propagates as a topologically confined mode, or (2) sufficiently above the cutoff wavelength that, based on the L-mode of the optical beam, the optical beam propagates as a topologically confined mode having propagation loss less than 3 dB/meter.

Ramachandran, Siddharth↗
DOE OSTI2024

Bifacial Photovoltaic Module Degradation Dynamics

In a comprehensive study conducted at NREL's 75 kW bifacial single-axis-tracked field, accelerated degradation was observed in four out of five bifacial silicon photovoltaic (PV) module technologies when compared to their monofacial counterparts. Root cause analysis of accelerated bifacial degradation involved various analytical tools and techniques. This included employing RdTools to identify rates of power loss, conducting measurements on fielded and control modules using infrared imaging, electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL), quantum efficiency (QE) analysis, IV-curves assessment, as well as utilizing handheld Raman and reflectance measurement targeted at anti-reflective coating. Most cases pointed to carrier lifetime degradation causing Voc loss and simultaneous Isc loss. In some cases, Isc further decreases likely due to optical effects from encapsulant degradation. The outcomes and methodologies employed in this investigation are documented in this publication. This study's significance is further emphasized by placing the findings within the broader context of the performance and degradation of various bifacial systems, as identified in the PV Fleets data.

bifacial↗
NASA NTRS1988

Monolithic nonplanar ring lasers - Resistance to optical feedback

The sensitivity of a monolithic unidirectional nonplanar ring laser to optical feedback depends on the polarization eigenmodes of the resonator, which are complicated functions of the resonator geometry. Resonator geometries that increase the loss difference between the two directions of propagation around the ring improve the resistance of the lasers to optical feedback. Here, measurements on Nd:YAG nonplanar ring lasers having two different ring geometries are discussed. Currently, 1 percent optical feedback produces a 10 percent reduction in useful output power for the more feedback-resistant oscillator, a tenfold improvement over previous designs.

Nilsson, Alan C.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of Dielectric Loss in Silicon Nitride at Centimeter and Millimeter Wavelengths

This work presents a suite of measurement techniques for characterizing the dielectric loss tangent across a wide frequency range from similar to 1 GHz to 150 GHz using the same test chip. In the first method, we fit data from a microwave resonator at different temperatures to a model that captures the two-level system (TLS) response to extract and characterize both the real and imaginary components of the dielectric loss. The inverse of the internal quality factor is a second measure of the overall loss of the resonator, where TLS loss through the dielectric material is typically the dominant source. The third technique is a differential optical measurement at 150 GHz. The same antenna feeds two microstrip lines with different lengths that terminate in two microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). The difference in the detector response is used to estimate the loss per unit length of the microstrip line. Our results suggest a larger loss for SiNx at 150 GHz of tan delta similar to 4 x 10(-3) compared to 2.0 x 10(-3) and greater than or similar to 1 x 10(-3) measured at similar to 1 GHz using the other two methods. These measurement techniques can be applied to other dielectrics by adjusting the microstrip lengths to provide enough optical efficiency contrast and other mm/sub-mm frequency ranges by tuning the antenna and feedhorn accordingly.

Dielectrics loss↗
NASA NTRS2002

Heading perception in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa

PURPOSE: We investigated whether retinis pigmentosa (RP) patients with residual visual field of < 100 degrees could perceive heading from optic flow. METHODS: Four RP patients and four age-matched normally sighted control subjects viewed displays simulating an observer walking over a ground. In experiment 1, subjects viewed either the entire display with free fixation (full-field condition) or through an aperture with a fixation point at the center (aperture condition). In experiment 2, patients viewed displays of different durations. RESULTS: RP patients' performance was comparable to that of the age-matched control subjects: heading judgment was better in the full-field condition than in the aperture condition. Increasing display duration from 0.5 s to 1 s improved patients' heading performance, but giving them more time (3 s) to gather more visual information did not consistently further improve their performance. CONCLUSIONS: RP patients use active scanning eye movements to compensate for their visual field loss in heading perception; they might be able to gather sufficient optic flow information for heading perception in about 1 s.

Visual Perception↗
NASA NTRS1998

Broadband Infrared Antireflection Structured Silicon Surfaces

Silicon and germanium are materials often used for IR windows and optical elements. However they have a very high index of refraction, in the order of three to four, which causes large reflection losses on each surface. These losses are especially high under large angles of incidence which are often desirable if signals are faint and fast optics are to be used. Solid antireflection coatings are either not available because materials with appropriate index of refraction do not exist, or their use is limited to a small wavelength range and small angles of incidence. We will present the status of our work to calculate, create, and test the performance of graded structures in Si to reduce its surface reflection. The structures are expected to work over the very broad wavelength range of 10 microns to 1000 microns and a wide range of angle of incidence. We have identified several high aspect ratio MEMS process techniques to create the structures and have done 3D electromagnetic modeling, which predicts significant effects. Measurements on different samples have validated our modeling.

Stewart, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS1999

Broadband Infrared Antireflection Structured Silicon Surfaces

Silicon and germanium are materials often used for IR windows and optical elements. However they have a very high index of refraction, in the order of three to four, which causes large reflection losses on each surface. These losses are especially high under large angles of incidence which are often desirable if signals are faint and fast optics are to be used. Solid antireflection coatings are either not available because materials with appropriate index of refraction do not exist, or their use is limited to a small wavelength range and small angles of incidence. We will present the status of our work to calculate, create, and test the performance of graded structures in Si to reduce its surface reflection. The structures are expected to work over the very broad wavelength range of 10 to 1000 micrometers and a wide range of angle of incidence. We have identified several high aspect ratio MEMS process techniques to Create the structures and have done 3D electromagnetic modeling, which predicts significant effects. Measurements on different samples have validated our modeling.

Stewart, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS1999

Broadband Infrared Antireflection Structured Silicon Surfaces

Silicon and germanium are materials often used for infrared (IR) windows and optical elements. However they have a very high index of refraction, in the order of three to four, which causes large reflection losses on each surface. These losses are especially high under large angles of incidence which are often desirable if signals are faint and fast optics are to be used. Solid antireflection coatings are either not available because materials with appropriate index of refraction do not exist, or their use is limited to a small wavelength range and small angles of incidence. We will present the status of our work to calculate, create, and test the performance of graded structures in Si to reduce its surface reflection. The structures are expected to work over the very broad wavelength range of 10 micron to 1000 micron and a wide range of angle of incidence. We.have identified several high aspect ratio MEMS process techniques to create the structures and have done 3D electromagnetic modeling, which predicts significant effects. Measurements on different samples have validated our modeling.

Stewart, Kenneth↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-Strength, High-Ductility, High Entropy Alloys with High-Efficiency Native Oxide Solar Absorbers for Concentrating Solar Power Systems

This EPSCoR Project has been investigating the synergy between the excellent high-temperature mechanical behavior of FeMnNiAlCr high entropy alloys (HEA) and the high solar absorptance of their native oxides for high efficiency concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) systems working at >700°C. While HEAs have attracted substantial interest in recent years, most investigations have focused on their applications as structural materials rather than functional materials. This EPSCoR project discovered that FeMnNiAlCr HEAs can potentially be applied synergistically as both a structural and functional material for high-efficiency concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) systems working at >700°C. The HEA itself would be used in high-temperature tubing to carry molten salts or supercritical CO 2 , while its surface oxide would act as a high-efficiency solar thermal absorber. With Fe and Mn being the major components in these HEAs (adding up to ~70 at.% of the alloy), these materials are much more cost-effective than the Ni-based superalloys currently being investigated for high-temperature CSP systems. Through this research, these Fe-Mn based HEAs have demonstrated yield strengths 2-3x greater than that of stainless steel at 700°C and a creep lifetime >800 h at 700ºC under a typical CSP tubing mechanical load of 35 MPa. Their Mn-rich surface oxides maintain a high optical-to-thermal conversion efficiency of ~87% under 1000x solar concentration ratio for 20 simulated day-night thermal cycles between 750ºC and room temperature. In preliminary corrosion studies, these HEAs have sustained immersion in unpurified bromide molten salts for 14 days at 750°C with <2% weight loss, in contrast to 70% weight loss from a 316 stainless steel reference. The simultaneous achievement of promising mechanical, optical, and thermochemical properties in this FeMnNiAlCr system opens the door to new applications of HEAs in solar energy harvesting. Partnerships with Ames Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) also advanced our understanding of the fundamental structure-property relationships through atomic scale material characterization and first-principles computational modeling. The key research results in this project can potentially be extended to other HEAs and their native oxides. In terms of applications, the proposed FeMnNiAlCr HEA/native oxide system could potentially exceed the mechanical and the optical performance of existing tubing and solar coating materials under EERE’s CSP program at lower cost, which also aligns well with the EPSCoR Science and Technology strategies of New Hampshire in boosting the deployment of renewable energy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2004

Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements by Airborne Sun Photometer in SOLVE II: Comparisons to SAGE III, POAM III and Airborne Spectrometer Measurements

The 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) measured solar-beam transmission on the NASA DC-8 during the Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II). This paper presents AATS-14 results for multiwavelength aerosol optical depth (AOD), including its spatial structure and comparisons to results from two satellite sensors and another DC-8 instrument. These are the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III), the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM III) and the Direct beam Irradiance Airborne Spectrometer (DIAS).

Russell, P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unprecedented Fluorophore Photostability Enabled by Low‐Loss Organic Hyperbolic Materials

Abstract The dynamics of photons in fluorescent molecules plays a key role in fluorescence imaging, optical sensing, organic photovoltaics, and displays. Photobleaching is an irreversible photodegradation process of fluorophores, representing a fundamental limitation in relevant optical applications. Chemical reagents are used to suppress the photobleaching rate but with exceptionally high specificity for each type of fluorophore. Here, using organic hyperbolic materials (OHMs), an optical platform to achieve unprecedented fluorophore photostability without any chemical specificity is demonstrated. A more than 500‐fold lengthening of the photobleaching lifetime and a 230‐fold increase in the total emitted photon counts are observed simultaneously. These exceptional improvements solely come from the low‐loss hyperbolic dispersion of OHM films and the large resultant Purcell effect in the visible spectral range. The demonstrated OHM platform may open up a new paradigm in nanophotonics and organic plasmonics for super‐resolution imaging and the engineering of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale.

Lee, Yeon Ui↗
DOE OSTI2021

Integrated Silicon Fourier Transform Spectrometer with Broad Bandwidth and Ultra‐High Resolution

An ultra-high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) realized in silicon photonic platform that can operate with broad band, narrow band as well as a combination of broad band and narrow band signals is reported. The ultra-high resolution of the spectrometer is achieved by exploiting multiple techniques: a Michelson interferometer (MI) structure to increase the optical path delay (OPD), a hybrid waveguide design to reduce insertion loss, an optimized heater and air trenches to achieve higher thermal efficiency. Here, to further increase the OPD of the spectrometer to increase its resolution, a novel multiple interferometers approach is employed which combines balanced MI with N statically imbalanced MIs, thereby increasing the OPD of a single MI by factor of N + 1. An FTS spectrometer consisting of N = 2 such MIs is fabricated and experimentally characterized using unknown broad bandwidth input signal spectra of about 180 nm centered around 1550 nm, a narrow line laser input signal, and a combination of broad and narrow band signals demonstrating spectral resolution of about 0.16 nm.

Li, Ang↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Role of Optical Phonon Confinement in the Infrared Dielectric Response of III–V Superlattices

Polar dielectrics are key materials of interest for infrared (IR) nanophotonic applications due to their ability to host phonon-polaritons that allow for low-loss, subdiffractional control of light. The properties of phonon-polaritons are limited by the characteristics of optical phonons, which are nominally fixed for most “bulk” materials. Superlattices composed of alternating atomically thin materials offer control over crystal anisotropy through changes in composition, optical phonon confinement, and the emergence of new modes. In particular, the modified optical phonons in superlattices offer the potential for so-called crystalline hybrids whose IR properties cannot be described as a simple mixture of the bulk constituents. To date, however, studies have primarily focused on identifying the presence of new or modified optical phonon modes rather than assessing their impact on the IR response. Here, this study focuses on assessing the impact of confined optical phonon modes on the hybrid IR dielectric function in superlattices of GaSb and AlSb. Using a combination of first principles theory, Raman, FTIR, and spectroscopic ellipsometry, the hybrid dielectric function is found to track the confinement of optical phonons, leading to optical phonon spectral shifts of up to 20 cm -1 . These results provide an alternative pathway toward designer IR optical materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Exploring Causes of Beam Loss at CEBAF

At Jefferson Lab, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator (CEBAF) features a unique design with two linear accelerators and two arc sections allowing for multiple turns of the electron beam, as well as four experimental end stations. This topology leads to increased beam losses, especially in the spreader and recombiner regions connecting the arcs to the linacs and in the extraction regions connecting the experimental end stations to the accelerator. These losses result in equipment activation and operational interruptions. Recent upgrades to the facility’s diagnostic systems, including the addition of xenon ion chambers, have provided higher-resolution data regarding these loss events. Building on this improved observational capability, we are developing a simulation framework using optics codes and the Geant4-based BDSIM to model beam extinction and halo formation in these regions. This work aims to correlate simulation results with experimental data to isolate the causes of beam loss and inform future machine tuning strategies. We present a summary of conclusions drawn from recent operational studies and outline a plan to model the beam loss and validate the simulations.

Matthews, C. [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (Uni↗
DOE OSTI2021

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF NONLINEAR INTEGRABLE OPTICS

State-of-the-art accelerators at energy and intensity frontiers require increasingly bright and powerful particle beams. In conventional linear lattices, intense beams suffer from collective instabilities, resulting in beam losses and maximum beam intensity limits. This thesis presents experimental studies of a novel lattice design concept, the nonlinear integrable optics (NIO), aimed at enhancing beam stability limits with little to no beam dynamics degradation. Single-particle beam dynamics measurements of two NIO devices, the quasi-integrable octupole system and the fully integrable Danilov-Nagaitsev system, were carried out at the purpose-built Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab. Their simulation, hardware design, and commissioning process are presented. Extensive model and analysis algorithm development and benchmarking is described. Electron beam data from two scientific runs is analyzed, yielding frequency and phase space dynamics consisten t with m odels. These results demonstrate viability and advantages of the NIO design, providing the groundwork for proton studies in the strong space-charge regime and future integrable accelerators.

Kuklev, Nikita↗
NASA NTRS1989

Interstellar extinction at 10-20 microns

The IRAS low-resolution spectra (LRS) spectra of 117 stars of excellent signal/noise with optically thin silicate dust shells were analyzed. The stellar continua (assumed to be a cool black body) were subtracted, and the resulting dust shell spectra were fit with simple models F(sub lambda) assuming uniform mass loss and dust temperature as a function of distance from the star, calculated using the optical constants for silcates of Draine (1985). From the comparison of the spectra and the models, functions for the emissivity, kappa(sub lambda), were derived.

Simpson, Janet P.↗