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Comparison of Surface Pressure Fluctuations from Flight and Wind Tunnel Tests on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

Transonic and supersonic wind-tunnel test of scaled-models are used to predict the surface pressure fluctuations on aerospace vehicles. An outstanding question is how good are such tests? The present paper attempts to answer this question for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle by comparing data from the Ascent Abort-2 (AA2) flight test with those measured in two different scaled-model wind tunnel tests (WTT) 51AS and 134AS. A sensor by sensor and a Mach by Mach comparisons of spectra of surface pressure fluctuations are presented for nominal ascent part of flight. Spectra measured over a large part of the vehicle surface were found to be dominated by the wake vortices shed from the four Abort Motor nozzles situated on the upper part of the Launch Abort System. It was found that the shapes of the scaled-up spectra from WTTs were very close to those measured in the flight, but the levels, for the most part, were found to be lower than the flight data. The highest differences were from the regions of complex flows where wakes from the adjacent nozzles interacted with the free-stream flow. There the WTT predicted levels were consistently 2dB to 6dB lower than the flight data, across all spectral bands. Another region of significant under-prediction was the local separated flow region at the Fillet-Ogive junction. The accuracy of the sharp spectral peaks from regions along a nozzle axis was found to be dependent on the fidelity of the model. The model in the 51AS WTT used a simplified contour, which resulted in a large under prediction of the spectral peak by 1dB to 10dB. A limited number of data from 134AS, where the model accurately captured all features of the nozzles of the flight vehicle, however; showed that the under prediction was lower: 1-2dB. The fluctuation spectra on the large protuberance of the Umbilical Cover was found to be reasonably well-predicted by 134AS WTT, which meticulously reproduced a scaled-down shape of this protuberance. Such information will help to determine the margins to be applied to wind-tunnel data to create flight environments.

MPCV↗

NASA NTRS2012

Analyses of Cometary Silicate Crystals: DDA Spectral Modeling of Forsterite

Comets are the Solar System's deep freezers of gases, ices, and particulates that were present in the outer protoplanetary disk. Where comet nuclei accreted was so cold that CO ice (approximately 50K) and other supervolatile ices like ethane (C2H2) were preserved. However, comets also accreted high temperature minerals: silicate crystals that either condensed (greater than or equal to 1400 K) or that were annealed from amorphous (glassy) silicates (greater than 850-1000 K). By their rarity in the interstellar medium, cometary crystalline silicates are thought to be grains that formed in the inner disk and were then radially transported out to the cold and ice-rich regimes near Neptune. The questions that comets can potentially address are: How fast, how far, and over what duration were crystals that formed in the inner disk transported out to the comet-forming region(s)? In comets, the mass fractions of silicates that are crystalline, f_cryst, translate to benchmarks for protoplanetary disk radial transport models. The infamous comet Hale-Bopp has crystalline fractions of over 55%. The values for cometary crystalline mass fractions, however, are derived assuming that the mineralogy assessed for the submicron to micron-sized portion of the size distribution represents the compositional makeup of all larger grains in the coma. Models for fitting cometary SEDs make this assumption because models can only fit the observed features with submicron to micron-sized discrete crystals. On the other hand, larger (0.1-100 micrometer radii) porous grains composed of amorphous silicates and amorphous carbon can be easily computed with mixed medium theory wherein vacuum mixed into a spherical particle mimics a porous aggregate. If crystalline silicates are mixed in, the models completely fail to match the observations. Moreover, models for a size distribution of discrete crystalline forsterite grains commonly employs the CDE computational method for ellipsoidal platelets (c:a:b=8.14x8.14xl in shape with geometrical factors of x:y:z=1:1:10, Fabian et al. 2001; Harker et al. 2007). Alternatively, models for forsterite employ statistical methods like the Distribution of Hollow Spheres (Min et al. 2008; Oliveira et al. 2011) or Gaussian Random Spheres (GRS) or RGF (Gielen et al. 200S). Pancakes, hollow spheres, or GRS shapes similar to wheat sheaf crystal habit (e.g., Volten et al. 2001; Veihelmann et al. 2006), however, do not have the sharp edges, flat faces, and vertices seen in images of cometary crystals in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) or in Stardust samples. Cometary forsterite crystals often have equant or tabular crystal habit (J. Bradley). To simulate cometary crystals, we have computed absorption efficiencies of forsterite using the Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) DDSCAT code on NAS supercomputers. We compute thermal models that employ a size distribution of discrete irregularly shaped forsterite crystals (nonspherical shapes with faces and vertices) to explore how crystal shape affects the shape and wavelength positions of the forsterite spectral features and to explore whether cometary crystal shapes support either condensation or annealing scenarios (Lindsay et al. 2012a, b). We find forsterite crystal shapes that best-fit comet Hale-Bopp are tetrahedron, bricks or brick platelets, essentially equant or tabular (Lindsay et al. 2012a,b), commensurate with high temperature condensation experiments (Kobatake et al. 2008). We also have computed porous aggregates with crystal monomers and find that the crystal resonances are amplified. i.e., the crystalline fraction is lower in the aggregate than is derived by fitting a linear mix of spectral features from discrete subcomponents, and the crystal resonances 'appear' to be from larger crystals (Wooden et al. 2012). These results may indicate that the crystalline mass fraction in comets with comae dominated by aggregates may be lower than deduced by popular methods that only emoy ensembles of discrete crystals.

Wooden, Diane↗

DOE OSTI2013

Infrared spectra of silica polymorphs and the conditions of their formation

The existence of silica within several debris disks has been suggested. Data on both the spectroscopy and annealing conditions of the various polymorphs of silica need to be investigated, as these data are lacking and incomplete in the literature. We investigate the annealing conditions of silica and prepare various types of silica, including α-cristobalite, α-quartz, coesite, stishovite, and fused quartz, which are natural, synthetic, or commercial samples. This paper presents a new study of both the spectroscopy of relevant silica polymorphs and the conditions under which they form. We compare the results to previous studies and find that there are discrepancies. The interesting result of features similar to those of forsterite should be highlighted, where α-cristobalite and coesite showed similar peaks at 16, 33, and 69 μm as forsterite. The 69 μm band for α-cristobalite is especially very broad and strong and shifts largely to a shorter wavelengths under cooling to low temperatures. The band for coesite, however, is very sharp and shifts only a small amount to longer wavelengths under cooling to low temperatures. We discuss the possibility of silica detection around debris disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

An Efficient, Globally Convergent Method for Optimization Under Uncertainty Using Adaptive Model Reduction and Sparse Grids

We present a new approach to efficiently solve optimization problems constrained by partial differential equations (PDEs) with uncertain coefficients. The method leverages two sources of inexactness that trade accuracy for speed: (1) stochastic collocation based on dimension-adaptive sparse grids (SGs), which approximates the stochastic objective function with a limited number of quadrature nodes, and (2) projection-based reduced-order models (ROMs), which generate efficient approximations to PDE solutions. These two sources of inexactness lead to inexact objective function and gradient evaluations, which are managed by a trust-region method that guarantees global convergence by adaptively refining the SG and ROM until a proposed error indicator drops below a tolerance specified by trust-region convergence theory. A key feature of the proposed method is that the error indicator---which accounts for errors incurred by both the SG and ROM---must be only an asymptotic error bound, i.e., a bound that holds up to an arbitrary constant that need not be computed. This allows the approach to be applicable to a wide range of problems, including those where sharp, computable error bounds are not available; this distinguishes the proposed method from previous works. Numerical experiments performed on a model problem from optimal flow control under uncertainty verify global convergence of the method and demonstrate the method's ability to outperform previously proposed alternatives.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1992

Sudbury project (University of Muenster-Ontario Geological Survey): Origin of the polymict, allochthonous breccias of the Onaping Formation

The Sudbury structure has been interpreted as a deeply eroded remnant of a peak-ring basin. The polymict, allochthonous breccias of the Onaping Formation (OF) occur in the central part of the Sudbury structure, which is surrounded by the 1.85-Ga-old 'Sudbury Igneous Complex' (SIC). From bottom to top the OF can be divided into Basal, Gray, Green, and lower and upper Black members. The breccias were mapped in detail in the east range of the structure. The SIC and the lower part of the OF (Basal Member) are interpreted as the impact melt system. The overlying Gray Member is a breccia unit with a clastic matrix and has a sharp contact to the Basal Member. The Green Member is considered as a continuous uniform breccia layer on top of the Gray Member and comprises the former 'chlorite shard horizon'. The uppermost unit of the OF (Black Member) can be subdivided into a lower and an upper Black Member unit. The lower part (100-150 m thick) still shows petrographic features of suevitic breccias, small fragments of basement rocks, melt particles, chloritized particles, and breccia fragments in a dark, clastic matrix.

Avermann, M. E.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Pressure-Sensitive Paint Investigation of Double-Delta Wing Vortex Flow Manipulation

A pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique was applied in a wind tunnel experiment in the NASA Langley Research Center 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel to quantify the effect of wing fillets on the global vortex-induced surface static pressure field about a sharp leading-edge 76 deg/40 deg double delta wing, or strake-wing, model at subsonic and transonic speeds. Global calibrations of the PSP were obtained at M = 0.50, 0.70, 0.85, 0.95, and 1.20, a Reynolds number per unit length of 2.0 million, and angles of attack from 10 degrees to 30 degrees using an in-situ method featuring the simultaneous acquisition of electronically-scanned pressures (ESP) at discrete locations on the model. The mean error in the PSP measurements relative to the ESP data was approximately 2 percent or less at M = 0.50 to 0.85 but increased to several percent at M = 0.95 and 1.20. The PSP pressure distributions and pseudo-colored planform view pressure maps clearly revealed the vortex-induced pressure signatures at all Mach numbers and angles of attack. Small fillets having a parabolic or diamond planform situated at the strake-wing intersection were designed to manipulate the vortical flows by, respectively, removing the leading-edge discontinuity or introducing additional discontinuities. The fillets caused global changes in the vortex-dominated surface pressure field that were effectively captured in the PSP measurements. The vortex surface pressure signatures were compared to available off-surface vortex cross-flow structures obtained using a laser vapor screen (LVS) flow visualization technique. The fillet effects on the PSP pressure distributions and the observed leading-edge vortex flow characteristics were consistent with the trends in the measured lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients.

Erickson, Gary E.↗

DOE OSTI2013

THERMODYNAMICS OF THE COMA CLUSTER OUTSKIRTS

We present results from a large mosaic of Suzaku observations of the Coma Cluster, the nearest and X-ray brightest hot ({approx}8 keV), dynamically active, non-cool core system, focusing on the thermodynamic properties of the intracluster medium on large scales. For azimuths not aligned with an infalling subcluster toward the southwest, our measured temperature and X-ray brightness profiles exhibit broadly consistent radial trends, with the temperature decreasing from about 8.5 keV at the cluster center to about 2 keV at a radius of 2 Mpc, which is the edge of our detection limit. The southwest merger significantly boosts the surface brightness, allowing us to detect X-ray emission out to {approx}2.2 Mpc along this direction. Apart from the southwestern infalling subcluster, the surface brightness profiles show multiple edges around radii of 30-40 arcmin. The azimuthally averaged temperature profile, as well as the deprojected density and pressure profiles, all show a sharp drop consistent with an outwardly-propagating shock front located at 40 arcmin, corresponding to the outermost edge of the giant radio halo observed at 352 MHz with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. The shock front may be powering this radio emission. A clear entropy excess inside of r{sub 500} reflects the violent merging events linked with these morphological features. Beyond r{sub 500}, the entropy profiles of the Coma Cluster along the relatively relaxed directions are consistent with the power-law behavior expected from simple models of gravitational large-scale structure formation. The pressure is also in agreement at these radii with the expected values measured from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich data from the Planck satellite. However, due to the large uncertainties associated with the Coma Cluster measurements, we cannot yet exclude an entropy flattening in this system consistent with that seen in more relaxed cool core clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Tuning of strong nonlinearity in radio-frequency superconducting-quantum-interference-device meta-atoms

Strong nonlinearity of a self-resonant radio-frequency (rf) superconducting-quantum-interference-device (SQUID) meta-atom is explored via intermodulation (IM) measurements. Previous work in zero dc magnetic flux showed a sharp onset of IM response as the frequency sweeps through the resonance. A second onset at higher frequency was also observed, creating a prominent gap in the IM response. By extending those measurements to nonzero dc flux, different dynamics are revealed, including dc flux tunability of the aforementioned gaps and enhanced IM response near geometric resonance of the rf SQUID. These features observed experimentally are understood and analyzed theoretically through a combination of a steady-state analytical modeling and a full numerical treatment of the rf SQUID dynamics. The latter in addition predicts the presence of chaos in narrow parameter regimes. Here, the understanding of intermodulation in rf SQUID metamaterials is important for producing low-noise amplification of microwave signals and tunable filters.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS2006

Wind Tunnel Application of a Pressure-Sensitive Paint Technique to a Double Delta Wing Model at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds

A pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique was applied in a wind tunnel experiment in the NASA Langley Research Center 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel to study the effect of wing fillets on the global vortex induced surface static pressure field about a sharp leading-edge 76 deg./40 deg. double delta wing, or strake-wing, model at subsonic and transonic speeds. Global calibrations of the PSP were obtained at M(sub infinity) = 0.50, 0.70, 0.85, 0.95, and 1.20, a Reynolds number per unit length of 2.0 million, and angles of attack from 10 degrees to 20 degrees using an insitu method featuring the simultaneous acquisition of electronically scanned pressures (ESP) at discrete locations on the model. The mean error in the PSP measurements relative to the ESP data was approximately 2 percent or less at M(sub infinity) = 0.50 to 0.85 but increased to several percent at M(sub infinity) =0.95 and 1.20. The PSP pressure distributions and pseudo-colored, planform-view pressure maps clearly revealed the vortex-induced pressure signatures at all Mach numbers and angles of attack. Small fillets having parabolic or diamond planforms situated at the strake-wing intersection were respectively designed to manipulate the vortical flows by removing the leading-edge discontinuity or introducing additional discontinuities. The fillets caused global changes in the vortex-dominated surface pressure field that were effectively captured in the PSP measurements. The vortex surface pressure signatures were compared to available off-surface vortex cross-flow structures obtained using a laser vapor screen (LVS) flow visualization technique. The fillet effects on the PSP pressure distributions and the observed leading-edge vortex flow characteristics were consistent with the trends in the measured lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients.

Erickson, Gary E.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Understanding intercalation chemistry for sustainable aqueous zinc–manganese dioxide batteries

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-MnO 2 technology combines one of the oldest battery chemistries with favourable sustainability characteristics, including safety, cost and environmental compatibility. However, the ambiguous charge storage mechanism presents a challenge to fulfil the great potential of this energy technology. In this work, we leverage on advanced electron microscopy, electrochemical analysis and theoretical calculations to look into the intercalation chemistry within the cathode material, or α-MnO 2 more specifically. We show that Zn 2+ insertion into the cathode is unlikely in the aqueous system; rather, the charge storage process is dominated by proton intercalation to form α-H x MnO 2 . We further reveal anisotropic lattice change as a result of entering protons proceeding from the surface into the bulk of α-MnO 2 , which accounts for the structural failure and capacity decay of the electrode upon cycling. Our work not only advances the fundamental understanding of rechargeable zinc batteries but also suggests the possibility to optimize proton intercalation kinetics for better-performing cell designs. A rechargeable aqueous Zn-MnO 2 battery features a combination of favourable sustainability characteristics from safety to cost. The authors deploy advanced characterizations and theoretical calculations to provide fresh insight into the charge storage mechanism, which not only closes an ongoing debate but suggests ways forward.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1994

A quick look method of detecting water of hydration in small solar system bodies

The action of aqueous alteration of the near-subsurface material on asteroids and probably some satellites in the Solar System constitutes part of the formation history of the Solar System. The C-class asteroids (and subclasses B, G, and F) were initially believed to have undergone aqueous alteration based on their low albedos and neutral broadband visible and near-infrared colors. These spectra exhibit a sharp drop at wavelengths shorter than 0.55 microns due to a strong ferric oxide intervalence change transfer transition. This IVCT comprises multiple absorptions that are not uniquely indicative of phyllosilicates, but rather are present in the spectrum of any object containing Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) in its surface material. A definitive indication of aqueous alteration came when the broad IR absorption feature having a minimum near 3.0 microns indicative of structural hydroxyl (OH) and interlayer and and absorbed water in phyllosilicates was identified in the IR photometry of many C-class asteroids. Additional mineralogical compositional evidence of aqueously-altered asteroids has come as the result of high SNR narrowband spectrophotometry in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions taken using a CCD/spectrograph combination. An absorption feature centered at 0.7 microns indicative of an Fe(2+) - Fe(3+) charge transfer transition in oxidized iron in phyllosilicates in spectra of some low-albedo asteroids, especially C and G class, and CM2 carbonaceous chondrite meteorites was identified in the CCD spectra. The correlation and covariance of the 0.7-micron and 3.0-micron features were examined by comparing observations of asteroids common to both the CCD reflectance spectra and the 3.0-micron multicolor photometry data sets. Thirty-one pairs of observations were included in this training group. The results of the statistical study indicate that with a 95% confidence level, 84% of the objects observed either having or not having the 0.7-micron feature will correspondingly have the 3.0-micron water of hydration feature.

Vilas, F.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Using Satellite Imagery to Identify Tornado Damage Tracks and Recovery from the April 27, 2011 Severe Weather Outbreak

Emergency response to natural disasters requires coordination between multiple local, state, and federal agencies. Single, relatively weak tornado events may require comparatively simple response efforts; but larger "outbreak" events with multiple strong, long-track tornadoes can benefit from additional tools to help expedite these efforts. Meteorologists from NOAA's National Weather Service conduct field surveys to map tornado tracks, assess damage, and determine the tornado intensity following each event. Moderate and high resolution satellite imagery can support these surveys by providing a high-level view of the affected areas. Satellite imagery could then be used to target areas for immediate survey or to corroborate the results of the survey after it is completed. In this study, the feasibility of using satellite imagery to identify tornado damage tracks was determined by comparing the characteristics of tracks observed from low-earth orbit to tracks assessed during the official NWS storm survey process. Of the 68 NWS confirmed centerlines, 24 tracks (35.3%) could be distinguished from other surface features using satellite imagery. Within each EF category, 0% of EF-0, 3% of EF-1, 50% of EF-2, 77.7% of EF-3, 87.5% of EF-4 and 100% of EF-5 tornadoes were detected. It was shown that satellite data can be used to identify tornado damage tracks in MODIS and ASTER NDVI imagery, where damage to vegetation creates a sharp drop in values though the minimum EF-category which can be detected is dependent upon the type of sensor used and underlying vegetation. Near-real time data from moderate resolution sensors compare favorably to field surveys after the event and suggest that the data can provide some value in the assessment process.

Cole, Tony A.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Using Satellite Imagery to Identify Tornado Damage Tracks and Recovery from the April 27, 2011 Severe Weather Outbreak

Molthan, Andrew L.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Breccia Formation at a Complex Impact Crater: Slate Islands, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

The Slate Islands impact structure is the eroded remnant of a approximately 30-32 km-diameter complex impact structure located in northern Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada. Target rocks are Archean supracrustal and igneous rocks and Proterozoic metavolcanics, metasediments, and diabase. A wide variety of breccias occurs on the islands, many of which contain fragments exhibiting shock metamorphic features. Aphanitic, narrow and inclusion-poor pseudotachylite veins, commonly with more or less parallel boundaries and apophyses branching off them, represent the earliest breccias formed during the compression stage of the impact process. Coarse-grained, polymictic elastic matrix breccias form small to very large, inclusion-rich dikes and irregularly shaped bodies that may contain altered glass fragments. These breccias have sharp contacts with their host rocks and include a wide range of fragment types some of which were transported over minimum distances of approximately 2 km away from the center of the structure. They cut across pseudotachylite veins and contain inclusions of them. Field and petrographic evidence indicate that these polymictic breccias formed predominantly during the excavation and central uplift stages of the impact process. Monomictic breccias, characterized by angular fragments and transitional contacts with their host rocks, occur in parautochthonous target rocks, mainly on the outlying islands of the Slate Islands archipelago. A few contain fragmented and disrupted, coarse-grained, polymictic clastic matrix breccia dikes. This is an indication that at least some of these monomictic breccias formed late in the impact process and that they are probably related to a late crater modification stage. A small number of relatively large occurrences of glass-poor, suevitic breccias occur at the flanks of the central uplift and along the inner flank of the outer ring of the Slate Islands complex crater. A coarse, glass-free, allogenic breccia, containing shatter-coned fragments derived from Proterozoic target rocks (upper target strata), observed at two locations may be analogous to the 'Bunt Breccia' of the Ries crater in Germany. At one of these locations this breccia lies close to a crater suevite deposit. At the other, it overlies parautochthonous, monomictic breccia. The State Islands impact breccias are superbly exposed, much better than breccias in most other terrestrial impact structures. Observations, including those indicative of multiple and and sequential processes, provide insight on how impact breccias form and how they relate to the various phases of the impact process. Eventually they will lead to an improved understanding of planetary impact processes.

Dressler, B. O.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Dynamic shear localization of a titanium alloy under high-rate tension characterized by x-ray digital image correlation

Highlights: • First systematic error analyses for XDIC • First XDIC study of Ti-6Al-4V under dynamic tension • Deformation mode transition induces dynamic ductility decrease. • Dynamic shear localization due to rate-dependent microvoid coalescence process. - Abstract: Dynamic and quasi-static tension experiments are conducted on Ti-6Al-4V alloys, with in situ, synchrotron-based, high-speed, x-ray phase contrast imaging implemented to characterize the dynamic deformation and fracture process of Ti alloys at the Advanced Photon Source. X-ray digital imaging correlation (XDIC) is applied for strain field mapping. The size distribution of x-ray speckles are quantified via a morphological analysis, with a mean of ∼20 μm. Systematic error analyses of displacement and strain field measurements are firstly conducted for XDIC, and demonstrate that the displacement and strain errors can be controlled below 0.01 pixel and 0.1%, respectively. Mesoscale strain characteristics measured via XDIC are consistent with and reveal mechanisms for the bulk-scale stress–strain responses. Under dynamic tension, a sharp transition to strain softening occurs when the bulk strain exceeds about 0.04, which leads to a lower dynamic fracture strain (0.08) than the quasi-static one (0.1). The corresponding strain filed mapping demonstrates that shear deformation localizations grow and coalesce rapidly into a narrow shear deformation band under dynamic loading, while tensile deformation and necking progresses gradually under quasi-static loading. Scanning electron microscopy shows that void nucleation occurs mainly at the interface of α and β phases for both quasi-static and dynamic tension. However, microvoids coalesce preferentially along colony boundaries or the boundary α phase under quasi-static tension, but along the maximum shear stress direction (across colonies) under dynamic tension. Fractography of recovered samples also shows consistent features.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Decadal Variability of Southeast US Rainfall in an Eddying Global Coupled Model

Abstract Ocean variability is a dominant source of remote rainfall predictability, but in many cases the physical mechanisms driving this predictability are not fully understood. This study examines how ocean mesoscales (i.e., the Gulf Stream SST front) affect decadal Southeast US (SEUS) rainfall, arguing that the local imprint of large‐scale teleconnections is sensitive to resolved mesoscale features. Based on global coupled model experiments with eddying and eddy‐parameterizing ocean, we find that a resolved Gulf Stream improves localized rainfall and remote circulation response in the SEUS. The eddying model generally improves the air‐sea interactions in the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Subtropical High that modulate SEUS rainfall over decadal timescales. The eddy‐parameterizing simulation fails to capture the sharp SST gradient associated with the Gulf Stream and overestimates the role of tropical Pacific SST anomalies in the SEUS rainfall.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Amplification of primordial perturbations from the rise or fall of the inflaton

The next generation of cosmic microwave background, gravitational wave, and large scale structure, experiments will provide an unprecedented opportunity to probe the primordial power spectrum on small scales. An exciting possibility for what lurks on small scales is a sharp rise in the primordial power spectrum: this can lead to the formation of primordial black holes, providing a dark matter candidate or the black holes observed by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration. In this study we develop a mechanism for the amplification of the small-scale primordial power spectrum, in the context of single-field inflation with a step-like feature in the inflaton potential. Specifically, we consider both the upward and the downward step in the potential. We also discuss the possibility of the strong coupling between perturbations because the rapid changes of the potential derivatives with the time-dependent field value, caused by the step-like feature, could make the coupling stronger. As a result, we find that the perturbations can remain weakly coupled yet sufficiently enhanced if the step realizes the rapid changes of the potential derivatives in some fraction of an e-fold, Script O(P R 1/2) ≲ ΔN < 1, where P R is the power spectrum of the curvature perturbation at that time. We also discuss the PBH formation rate from the inflaton trapping at the local minimum, which can occur in the potential with an upward step.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1972

Polarized absorption spectra of single crystals of lunar pyroxenes and olivines.

Measurements have been made of the polarized absorption spectra (360-2200 nm) of compositionally zoned pyroxene minerals in rocks 10045, 10047 and 10058 and olivines in rocks 10020 and 10022. The Apollo 11 pyroxenes with relatively high Ti/Fe ratios were chosen initially to investigate the presence of crystal field spectra of Fe(2+) and Ti(3+) ions in the minerals. Broad intense bands at about 1000 and 2100 nm arise from spin-allowed, polarization-dependent transitions in Fe(2+) ions in pyroxenes. Several weak sharp peaks occur in the visible region. Peaks at 402, 425, 505, 550, and 585 nm represent spin-forbidden transitions in Fe(2+) ions, while broader bands at 460-470 nm and 650-660 nm are attributed to Ti(3+) ions. Charge transfer bands, which in terrestrial pyroxenes often extend into the visible region, are displaced to shorter wavelengths in lunar pyroxenes. This feature correlates with the absence of Ti(3+) ions in these minerals.

Burns, R. G.↗