Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ELECTROMAGNETISM”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 595 records · Page 33

Magnetic tweezers with high permeability electromagnets for fast actuation of magnetic beads

As a powerful and versatile scientific instrument, magnetic tweezers have been widely used in biophysical research areas, such as mechanical cell properties and single molecule manipulation. If one wants to steer bead position, the nonlinearity of magnetic properties and the strong position dependence of the magnetic field in most magnetic tweezers lead to quite a challenge in their control. In this article, we report multi-pole electromagnetic tweezers with high permeability cores yielding high force output, good maneuverability, and flexible design. For modeling, we adopted a piece-wise linear dependence of magnetization on field to characterize the magnetic beads. We implemented a bi-linear interpolation of magnetic field in the work space, based on a lookup table obtained from finite element simulation. The electronics and software were custom-made to achieve high performance. In addition, the effects of dimension and defect on structure of magnetic tips also were inspected. In a workspace with size of 0.1 × 0.1 mm{sup 2}, a force of up to 400 pN can be applied on a 2.8 μm superparamagnetic bead in any direction within the plane. Because the magnetic particle is always pulled towards a tip, the pulling forces from the pole tips have to be well balanced in order to achieve control of the particle’s position. Active video tracking based feedback control is implemented, which is able to work at a speed of up to 1 kHz, yielding good maneuverability of the magnetic beads.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermal conductivity prediction of magnetic composite sheet for near-field electromagnetic absorption

The magnetic composite sheets were designed by using core-shell structured magnetic fillers instead of uncoated magnetic fillers to resolve concurrently the electromagnetic interference and thermal radiation problems. To predict the thermal conductivity of composite sheet, we calculated the thermal conductivity of the uncoated magnetic fillers and core-shell structured fillers. And then, the thermal conductivity of the magnetic composites sheet filled with core-shell structured magnetic fillers was calculated and compared with that of the uncoated magnetic fillers filled in composite sheet. The magnetic core and shell material are employed the typical Fe-Al-Si flake (60 μm × 60 μm × 1 μm) and 250 nm-thick AlN with high thermal conductivity, respectively. The longitudinal thermal conductivity of the core-shell structured magnetic composite sheet (2.45 W/m·K) enhanced about 33.4% in comparison with that of uncoated magnetic fillers (1.83 W/m·K) for the 50 vol. % magnetic filler in polymer matrix.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Beyond the electric-dipole approximation: A formulation and implementation of molecular response theory for the description of absorption of electromagnetic field radiation

We present a formulation of molecular response theory for the description of a quantum mechanical molecular system in the presence of a weak, monochromatic, linearly polarized electromagnetic field without introducing truncated multipolar expansions. The presentation focuses on a description of linear absorption by adopting the energy-loss approach in combination with the complex polarization propagator formulation of response theory. Going beyond the electric-dipole approximation is essential whenever studying electric-dipole-forbidden transitions, and in general, non-dipolar effects become increasingly important when addressing spectroscopies involving higher-energy photons. These two aspects are examined by our study of the near K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure of the alkaline earth metals (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra) as well as the trans-polyenes. In following the series of alkaline earth metals, the sizes of non-dipolar effects are probed with respect to increasing photon energies and a detailed assessment of results is made in terms of studying the pertinent transition electron densities and in particular their spatial extension in comparison with the photon wavelength. Along the series of trans-polyenes, the sizes of non-dipolar effects are probed for X-ray spectroscopies on organic molecules with respect to the spatial extension of the chromophore.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Pitch-angle diffusion of electrons through growing and propagating along a magnetic field electromagnetic wave in Earth's radiation belts

The diffusion of electrons via a linearly polarized, growing electromagnetic (EM) wave propagating along a uniform magnetic field is investigated. The diffusion of electrons that interact with the growing EM wave is investigated through the autocorrelation function of the parallel electron acceleration in several tens of electron gyration timescales, which is a relatively short time compared with the bounce time of electrons between two mirror points in Earth's radiation belts. Furthermore, the pitch-angle diffusion coefficient is derived for the resonant and non-resonant electrons, and the effect of the wave growth on the electron diffusion is discussed. The results can be applied to other problems related to local acceleration or the heating of electrons in space plasmas, such as in the radiation belts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Theory of hysteresis during electron heating of electromagnetic wave scattering by self-organized dust structures in complex plasmas

Dust structuring is a natural and universal process in complex plasmas. The scattering of electromagnetic waves by dust structures is governed by the factor of coherency, i.e., the total number of coherent electrons in a single structure. In the present paper, we consider how the factor of coherency changes due to additional pulse electron heating and show that it obeys a hysteresis. After the end of the pulse heating, the scattering intensity differs substantially from that before heating. There are three necessary conditions for scattering hysteresis: first, the radiation wavelength should be larger than the pattern (structure) size; second, the total number of coherent electrons confined by the structure should be large; and third, the heating pulse duration should be shorter than the characteristic time of dust structure formation. We present the results of numerical calculations using existing models of self-consistent dust structures with either positively or negatively charged dust grains. It is shown that, depending on the grain charge and the ionization rate, two types of hysteresis are possible: one with a final increase of the scattering and the other with a final decrease of the scattering. It is suggested that the hysteresis of coherent scattering can be used as a tool in laboratory experiments and that it can be a basic mechanism explaining the observed hysteresis in radar scattering by noctilucent clouds during active experiments on electron heating in mesosphere.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Self-consistent evolution of plasma discharge and electromagnetic fields in a microwave pulse compressor

Nanosecond-scale evolution of plasma and RF electromagnetic fields during the release of energy from a microwave pulse compressor with a plasma interference switch was investigated numerically using the code MAGIC. The plasma was simulated in the scope of the gas conductivity model in MAGIC. The compressor embodied an S-band cavity and H-plane waveguide tee with a shorted side arm filled with pressurized gas. In a simplified approach, the gas discharge was initiated by setting an external ionization rate in a layer crossing the side arm waveguide in the location of the electric field antinode. It was found that with increasing ionization rate, the microwave energy absorbed by the plasma in the first few nanoseconds increases, but the absorption for the whole duration of energy release, on the contrary, decreases. In a hybrid approach modeling laser ignition of the discharge, seed electrons were set around the electric field antinode. In this case, the plasma extends along the field forming a filament and the plasma density increases up to the level at which the electric field within the plasma decreases due to the skin effect. Then, the avalanche rate decreases but the density still rises until the microwave energy release begins and the electric field becomes insufficient to support the avalanche process. The extraction of the microwave pulse limits its own power by terminating the rise of the plasma density and filament length. For efficient extraction, a sufficiently long filament of dense plasma must have sufficient time to be formed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A maximally informative version of inelastic scattering of electromagnetic waves by Langmuir waves

The concept of informativeness of nonlinear plasma physics scenarios is explained. Natural ideas of developing highly informative models of plasma kinetics are spelled out. A maximally informative version of inelastic scattering of electromagnetic waves by Langmuir waves in a weakly turbulent inhomogeneous plasma is developed with consideration of possible changes in wave polarization. In addition, a new formula for wave drift in spatial positions and wave vectors is derived. New scenarios of the respective wave drift and inelastic scattering are compared with the previous visions. The results indicate the need for further revision of the traditional understanding of nonlinear plasma phenomena.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves through plasma in the near-field region of low-frequency loop antenna

A high-speed vehicle flying through the atmosphere between 100 and 20 km may suffer from a “communication blackout.” In this paper, a low frequency system with an on-board loop antenna to receive signals is presented as a potential blackout mitigation method. Because the plasma sheath is in the near-field region of the loop antenna, the traditional scattering matrix method that is developed for the far-field region may overestimate the electromagnetic (EM) wave's attenuation. To estimate the EM wave's attenuation in the near-field region, EM interference (EMI) shielding theory is introduced. Experiments are conducted, and the results verify the EMI shielding theory's effectiveness. Simulations are also conducted with different plasma parameters, and the results obtained show that the EM wave's attenuation in the near-field region is far below than that in the far-field region. The EM wave's attenuation increases with the increase in electron density and decreases with the increase in collision frequency. The higher the frequency, the larger is the EM wave's attenuation. During the entire re-entry phase of a RAM-C module, the EM wave's attenuations are below 10 dB for EM waves with a frequency of 1 MHz and below 1 dB for EM waves with a frequency of 100 kHz. Therefore, the low frequency systems (e.g., Loran-C) may provide a way to transmit some key information to high-speed vehicles even during the communication “blackout” period.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Mechanisms of amplification of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses in gyrotron traveling wave tube with helically corrugated waveguide

A time-domain self consistent theory of a gyrotron traveling wave tube with a helically corrugated operating waveguide has been developed. Based on this model, the process of short pulse amplification was studied in regimes of grazing and intersection of the dispersion curves of the electromagnetic wave and the electron beam. In the first case, the possibility of amplification without pulse form distortion was demonstrated for the pulse spectrum width of the order of the gain bandwidth. In the second case, when the electrons' axial velocity was smaller than the wave's group velocity, it was shown that the slippage of the incident signal with respect to the electron beam provides feeding of the signal by “fresh” electrons without initial modulation. As a result, the amplitude of the output pulse can exceed the amplitude of its saturated value for the case of the grazing regime, and, for optimal parameters, the peak output power can be even larger than the kinetic power of the electron beam.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Bandwidth enhancement of electromagnetic coupled nonuniform H-shaped microstrip patch antenna for higher band of Wi-MAX applications

The bandwidth enhancement of a stacked non-uniform electromagnetically coupled H-shaped Microstrip Antenna (SNHMA) with tapered edges is analyzed and simulated using the IE3D simulator. The proposed antenna prototype is drafted on FR-4 material and stacked further with an air discontinuity of 0.3 mm to the next layer. The various parameters optimized to achieve the best performance from the modified SNHMA primarily include a)length b)width of the patch c)air gap thickness. The redesigned antenna serves at two distinct frequencies with an elevated bandwidth of 30.85 % at the central frequency 5.762 GHz, approximately four times the bandwidth of the standard patch having the same dimensions. The simulated radiation patterns (E-plane and H-plane) are exhibited within the range of frequencies where the broadband response is observed. The specifications of the proposed structure make it promising for the higher band of Wi-MAX applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Stimulated quantum phase slips from weak electromagnetic radiations in superconducting nanowires

We study the rate of quantum phase slips in an ultranarrow superconducting nanowire exposed to weak electromagnetic radiations. The superconductor is in the dirty limit close to the superconducting-insulating transition, where fluxoids move in strong dissipation. We use a semiclassical approach and show that external radiation stimulates a significant enhancement in the probability of quantum phase slips.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weak collisional and fully ionized dusty plasma

The propagation properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in fully ionized dusty plasmas is the subject of this study. The dielectric relationships for EM waves propagating in a fully ionized dusty plasma was derived from the Boltzmann distribution law, taking into consideration the collision and charging effects of the dust grains. The propagation properties of the EM waves in a dusty plasma were numerically calculated and studied. The study results indicated that the dusty grains with an increased radius and charge were more likely to impede the penetration of EM waves. Dust grains with large radii and high charge cause the attenuation of the EM wave in the dusty plasma. The different density of the dust in the plasma appeared to have no obvious effect on the transmission of the EM waves. The propagation of the EM waves in a weakly ionized dusty plasma varies from that in a fully ionized dusty plasma. The results are helpful to analyze the effects of dust in dusty plasmas and also provide a theoretical basis for future studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Self-localized and self-constricted electromagnetic field in plasma and atmosphere

A possibility of creation of a super-high-frequency electromagnetic-field clot in the plasma is shown. Two cases of the field self-localization in the plasma are considered. In the first case, a super-high-frequency electric field creates an annular channel by displacing the plasma and induces a curl-like magnetic field inside. In the second case, the electric field creates a toroidal channel where different field structures are possible. For example, the magnetic lines of the force are aligned along the big circle of the torus, while the curl-like electric lines are aligned along the small circle. Otherwise, the magnetic field is curl-like and the electric-field lines are aligned along the big circle. We evaluate the electric field energy that is required for a curl-like structure of about 3 cm in size to exist during 10 s in the atmospheric air. This energy sustains plasma in the vicinity of the curl-like area.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Weakly relativistic electromagnetic solitons in warm plasmas

For slowly propagating electromagnetic solitons, validity of the cold plasma model is addressed using a more realistic model involving effects arising due to temperature as well as ion dynamics. Small amplitude single peak structures which are quasineutral are studied, and different regions of existence of bright and dark classes of solitons are delineated. Influence of temperature on spectral characteristics of the solitary structures is presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Elliptically polarized electromagnetic waves in a magnetized quantum electron-positron plasma with effects of exchange-correlation

The dispersion properties of elliptically polarized electromagnetic waves in a magnetized electron-positron-pair (EP-pair) plasma are studied with the effects of particle dispersion associated with the Bohm potential, the Fermi degenerate pressure, and the exchange-correlation force. Two possible modes of the extraordinary or X wave, modified by these quantum effects, are identified and their propagation characteristics are investigated numerically. It is shown that the upper-hybrid frequency and the cutoff and resonance frequencies are no longer constants but are dispersive due to these quantum effects. It is found that the particle dispersion and the exchange-correlation force can have different dominating roles on each other depending on whether the X waves are of short or long wavelengths (in comparison with the Fermi Debye length). The present investigation should be useful for understanding the collective behaviors of EP plasma oscillations and the propagation of extraordinary waves in magnetized dense EP-pair plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A mathematical model of extremely low frequency ocean induced electromagnetic noise

Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) system uses the principle that ferromagnetic objects disturb the magnetic lines of force of the earth. These lines of force are able to pass through both water and air in similar manners. A MAD system, usually mounted on an aerial vehicle, is thus often employed to confirm the detection and accomplish localization of large ferromagnetic objects submerged in a sea-water environment. However, the total magnetic signal encountered by a MAD system includes contributions from a myriad of low to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) sources. The goal of the MAD system is to detect small anomaly signals in the midst of these low-frequency interfering signals. Both the Range of Detection (R{sub d}) and the Probability of Detection (P{sub d}) are limited by the ratio of anomaly signal strength to the interfering magnetic noise. In this paper, we report a generic mathematical model to estimate the signal-to-noise ratio or SNR. Since time-variant electro-magnetic signals are affected by conduction losses due to sea-water conductivity and the presence of air-water interface, we employ the general formulation of dipole induced electromagnetic field propagation in stratified media [1]. As a first step we employ a volumetric distribution of isolated elementary magnetic dipoles, each having its own dipole strength and orientation, to estimate the magnetic noise observed by a MAD system. Numerical results are presented for a few realizations out of an ensemble of possible realizations of elementary dipole source distributions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Different roles of electron beam in two stream instability in an elliptical waveguide for generation and amplification of THz electromagnetic waves

In this work, two stream instability in a metallic waveguide with elliptical cross-section and with a hollow annular dielectric layer is studied for generation and amplification of THz electromagnetic waves. Dispersion relation of waves and their dependents to geometric dimensions and characteristics of the electron beam are analyzed. In continuation, the diagrams of growth rate for some operating frequencies are presented, so that effective factors on the growth rates, such as geometrical dimensions, dielectric constant of dielectric layer, accelerating voltage, and applied current intensity are analyzed. It is shown that while an electron beam is responsible for instability, another electron beam plays a stabilizing role.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The method of impedance transformation for electromagnetic waves propagating in one-dimension plasma photonic crystal

This study focuses on the transmission of normal-incidence electromagnetic waves in one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals. Using the Maxwell's equations in a medium, a method that is based on the concept of impendence is employed to perform the simulation. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by simulating a one-layer plasma and conventional photonic crystal. In frequency-domain, the transmission and reflection coefficients in the unmagnetized plasma photonic crystal were calculated, and the influence factors on plasma photonic crystals including dielectric constants of dielectric, spatial period, filling factor, plasma frequency, and collision frequency were studied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗