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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 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Optical fiber spectroscopy: A study of the luminescent properties of the europium ion for thermal sensors

Recently, there has been interest in developing a distributed temperature sensor integrated into an optical fiber. Such a system would allow embedding of the optical fiber within or on a structural material to provide for continuous monitoring of the material's temperature. Work has already begun on the development of a temperature sensor using the temperature dependent emission spectra from the lanthanide rare earths doped into crystalline hosts. The lifetime, the linewidth and the integrated intensity of this emission are each sensitive to changes in the temperature and can provide a basis for thermometry. One concept for incorporating this phenomena into an optical fiber based sensor involves bonding the optically active material to the cladding of an optical fiber and allowing the luminescent light to couple into the the fiber by the evanescent wave. Experimental work developing this concept has already been reported. Measurements of the linewidth of Eu3+:Y2O3, diffused into a fiber, made by Albin clearly show a strong and regular dependence on temperature over the range of 300 to 1000 K. We report here on a study of the temperature dependence of the lineshape of the emission at 611 nm using the data in references. We focus attention on understanding the general behavior of the Eu3+:Y2O3 system. Building upon understanding of this system we will be able to establish the physical criterial for a good optical fiber based temperature sensor and then to examine available data on other lanthanide rare earths and transition metal ions to determine the best luminescent system for temperature sensing in an optical fiber.

Buoncristiani, A. Martin↗
NASA NTRS1998

Emission Lines and the High Energy Continuum

Quasars show many striking relationships between line and continuum radiation whose origins remain a mystery. FeII, [OIII], Hbeta, and HeII emission line properties correlate with high energy continuum properties such as the relative strength of X-ray emission, and X-ray continuum slope. At the same time, the shape of the high energy continuum may vary with luminosity. An important tool for studying global properties of Quasi Stellar Objects (QSOs) is the co-addition of data for samples of QSOS. We use this to show that X-ray bright (XB) QSOs show stronger emission lines in general, but particularly from the narrow line region. The difference in the [OIII]/Hbeta ratio is particularly striking, and even more so when blended FeII emission is properly subtracted. Weaker narrow forbidden lines ([OII] and NeV) are enhanced by factors of 2 to 3 in both UV and optical XB composite spectra. The physical origin of these diverse and interrelated correlations has yet to be determined. Unfortunately, many physically informative trends intrinsic to QSOs may be masked by dispersion in the data due to either low signal-to-noise or variability. An important tool for studying global properties of QSOs is the co-addition of data for samples of QSOS. We use this to show that X-ray bright (XB) QSOs show stronger emission lines in general, but particularly from the narrow line region. The difference in the [OIII]/Hbeta ratio is particularly striking, and even more so when blended Fell emission is properly subtracted. Weaker narrow forbidden lines ([OII] and NeV) are enhanced by factors of 2 to 3 in both UV and optical XB composite spectra. We describe a large-scale effort now underway to probe these effects in large samples, using both data and analysis as homogeneous as possible. Using an HST FOS Atlas of QSO spectra, with primary comparison to ROSAT PSPC spectral constraints, we will model the Big Blue Bump, its relationship to luminosity and QSO type, and we will analyze and contrast line emission and UV/X-ray continuum properties. Absorption of the continuum near the broad emission line region may play a profound role, which we will be able to constrain by direct analysis of observed UV/X-ray spectral absorption.

Green, Paul↗
NASA NTRS1995

The physics of massive OB stars in different parent galaxies. 1: Ultraviolet and optical spectral morphology in the Magellanic Clouds

Hubble Space Telescope/Faint Object Spectrograph (HST/FOS) and European Space Observatory (ESO) 3.6-m/CASPEC observations have been made of 18 stars ranging in spectral type from O3 through B0.5 Ia, half of them in each of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, in order to investigate massive stellar winds and evolution as a function of metallicity. The spectroscopic data are initially presented and described here in an atlas format. The relative weakness of the stellar-wind features in the SMC early O V spectra, due to their metal deficiency, is remarkable. Because of their unsaturated profiles, discrete absorption components can be detected in many of them, which is generally not possible in LMC and Galactic counterparts at such early types, or even in SMC giants and supergiants. On the other hand, an O3 III spectrum in the SMC has a weak C IV but strong N V wind profile, possibly indicating the presence of processed material. Wind terminal velocities are also given and intercompared between similar spectral types in the two galaxies. In general, the terminal velocities of the SMC stars are smaller, in qualitative agreement with the predictions of radiation-driven wind theory. Further analyses in progress will provide atmospheric and wind parameters for these stars, which will be relevant to evolutionary models and the interpretation of composite starburst spectra.

Walborn, Nolan R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Novel Diffusivity Measurement Technique

A common-path interferometer (CPI) system was developed to measure the diffusivity of liquid pairs. The CPI is an optical technique that can be used to measure changes in the gradient of the refraction index of transparent materials. This system uses a shearing interferometer that shares the same optical path from a laser light source to the final imaging plane. Hence, the molecular diffusion coefficient of liquids can be determined using the physical relations between changes in the optical path length and the liquid phase properties. The data obtained with this interferometer were compared with similar results from other techniques and demonstrated that the instrument is superior in measuring the diffusivity of miscible liquids while keeping the system very compact and robust. CPI can also be used for studies in interface dynamics and other diffusion-dominated-process applications.

Rashidnia, Nasser↗
NASA NTRS2017

A COTS RF/Optical Software Defined Radio for the Integrated Radio and Optical Communications Test Bed

The Integrated Radio and Optical Communications (iROC) project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is investigating the merits of a hybrid radio frequency (RF) and optical communication system for deep space missions. In an effort to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of a hybrid RF/Optical software defined radio (SDR), a laboratory prototype was assembled from primarily commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware components. This COTS platform has been used to demonstrate simultaneous transmission of the radio and optical communications waveforms through to the physical layer (telescope and antenna). This paper details the hardware and software used in the platform and various measures of its performance. A laboratory optical receiver platform has also been assembled in order to demonstrate hybrid free space links in combination with the transmitter.

waveforms↗
NASA NTRS2016

A COTS RF Optical Software Defined Radio for the Integrated Radio and Optical Communications Test Bed

The Integrated Radio and Optical Communications (iROC) project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is investigating the merits of a hybrid radio frequency (RF) and optical communication system for deep space missions. In an effort to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of a hybrid RFOptical software defined radio (SDR), a laboratory prototype was assembled from primarily commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware components. This COTS platform has been used to demonstrate simultaneous transmission of the radio and optical communications waveforms through to the physical layer (telescope and antenna). This paper details the hardware and software used in the platform and various measures of its performance. A laboratory optical receiver platform has also been assembled in order to demonstrate hybrid free space links in combination with the transmitter.

waveforms↗
NASA NTRS1998

Design and Operational Characteristics of the Shuttle Coherent Wind Lidar

NOAA has identified the measurement of atmospheric wind velocities as one of the key unmet data sets for its next generation of sensing platforms. The merits of coherent lidars for the measurement of atmospheric winds from space platforms have been widely recognized; however, it is only recently that several key technologies have advanced to a point where a compact, high fidelity system could be created. Advances have been made in the areas of the diode-pumped, eye-safe, solid state lasers and room temperature, wide bandwidth, semiconductor detectors operating in the near-infrared region. These new lasers can be integrated into efficient and compact optical systems creating new possibilities for the development of low-cost, reliable, and compact coherent lidar systems for wind measurements. Over the past five years, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has been working toward further advancing the solid state coherent lidar technology for the measurement of atmospheric winds from space. As part of this effort, UAH had established the design characteristics and defined the expected performance for three different proposed space-based instruments: a technology demonstrator, an operational prototype, and a 7-year lifetime operational instrument. SPARCLE is an ambitious project that is intended to evaluate the suitability of coherent lidar for wind measurements, demonstrate the maturity of the technology for space application, and provide a useable data set for model development and validation. This paper describes the SPARCLE instrument's major physical and environmental design constraints, optical and mechanical designs, and its operational characteristics.

Amzajerdian, Farzin↗
NASA NTRS1998

Constitutive Modeling of the Mechanical Properties of Optical Fibers

Micromechanical modeling of the composite mechanical properties of optical fibers was conducted. Good agreement was obtained between the values of Young's modulus obtained by micromechanics modeling and those determined experimentally for a single mode optical fiber where the wave guide and the jacket are physically coupled. The modeling was also attempted on a polarization-maintaining optical fiber (PANDA) where the wave guide and the jacket are physically decoupled, and found not to applicable since the modeling required perfect bonding at the interface. The modeling utilized constituent physical properties such as the Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and shear modulus to establish bounds on the macroscopic behavior of the fiber.

Moeti, L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fabrication, Metrology and Modeling of the Space-Based Lidar Telescope for SPARCLE

Over the past 7 years, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) through the Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC) has been working; in collaboration with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Center for Applied Optics (CAO), and others; towards demonstrating a solid state coherent Doppler lidar instrument for space-based global measurement of atmospheric winds. The Space Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE) was selected by NASA's New Millennium Program to demonstrate the feasibility and technology readiness of space-based coherent wind lidar. The CAO was responsible for the design, development, integration, and testing of the SPARCLE optical system. Operating at 2-micron wavelength, SPARCLE system performance is dominated by the optical quality of the transmitter/receiver optical system. The stringent optical performance requirements coupled with the demanding physical and environmental constraints of a space-based instrument necessitate extensive characterization of the telescope optical performance that is critical to predicting the lidar system efficiency and operation in space. Individual components have been measured prior to assembly and compared to the designed specifications. Based on the individual components, the telescope design was optimized to produce a suitable telescope. Once the telescope is completed, it will be tested and evaluated and the data shall be used to anchor computer based models of the optical system. Commercial optical modeling codes were used to evaluate the performance of the telescope under a variety of anticipated on-orbit environments and will eventually be compared to environmental tests conducted in the course of qualifying the telescope for flight. Detailed analysis using the "as built" data will help to reduce uncertainties within the lidar system model and will increase the accuracy of the lidar performance predictions.

Peters, Bruce R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

VLA observations of an unbiased sample of extragalactic X-ray sources

Results are presented of a Very Large Array survey at 6 cm of an unbiased sample of extragalactic X-ray sources serendipitously discovered with the Einstein X-ray Observatory. Fourteen of 42 X-ray sources are detected in the radio down to a limiting sensitivity of 1-2 mJy. Detections include eight of 31 examined active galactic nuclei (AGN-quasars or Seyferts), five of eight clusters of galaxies and one BL Lac object. The radio detection rate of X-ray selected AGNs is higher than that of optically selected AGNs, suggesting that a physical link between radio and X-ray emission is present. The radio properties of the X-ray selected clusters are similar to those of optically selected Abell clusters.

Feigelson, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS1966

Emissivity physics

Space environment effects on emissivity and optical absorption of thermal control surfaces

THERMOPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

The solar optical telescope

Objectives of the Solar Optical Telescope are to study the physics of the Sun on the scale at which many of the important physical processes occur and to attain a resolution of 73km on the Sun or 0.1 arc seconds of angular resolution. Topics discussed in this overview of the Solar Optical Telescope include: why is the Solar Optical Telescope needed; current picture of the Sun's atmosphere and convection zone; scientific problems for the Solar Optical Telescope; a description of the telescope; the facility - science management, contamination control, and accessibility to the instruments; the scientific instruments - a coordinated instrument package for unlocking the Sun's secrets; parameters of the coordinated instrument package; science operations from the Space Shuttle; and the dynamic solar atmosphere.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1974

Boundaries of ERTS and aircraft data within which useful water quality information can be obtained

Calibration procedures have been devised and applied to ERTS-1, multispectral, true color, and false color imagery. The results indicate that the ERTS and multispectral imagery are correlated with optical in situ measurements of the harbor water. Correlation is extended to true and false color imagery through in situ optical measurements of the harbor water. The best photometric accuracy is achieved with multispectral aerial imagery and the use of bulk MSS tape. The aircraft green photographic and ERTS-1 MSS-4 bands have been found most suitable for monitoring the scattered light levels under the conditions of this investigation. The application of satellite or aircraft for optical remote sensing depends upon the physical scale and frequency of sensing since both sensor systems generally have sufficient photometric sensitivity. The chemical parameters of the harbor water were found to be correlated to the optical properties for two stations investigated in detail.

Egan, W. G.↗
NASA NTRS1967

Origin of cosmic X rays.

X-ray astronomy emphasizing interpretation of observational results and relationship to radio and optical astronomy and cosmic ray physics

RADIO ASTRONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1978

Measurement techniques and instruments suitable for life-prediction testing of photovoltaic arrays

Array failure modes, relevant materials property changes, and primary degradation mechanisms are discussed as a prerequisite to identifying suitable measurement techniques and instruments. Candidate techniques and instruments are identified on the basis of extensive reviews of published and unpublished information. These methods are organized in six measurement categories - chemical, electrical, optical, thermal, mechanical, and other physicals. Using specified evaluation criteria, the most promising techniques and instruments for use in life prediction tests of arrays were selected.

Noel, G. T.↗