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At least 667 records · Page 37

Design considerations for beamwaveguide in the NASA Deep Space Network

A generalized solution is found for retrofitting a large dual-shaped reflector antenna for a beamwaveguide. The design is termed as a bypass beamwaveguide. Both highpass design feed imaging and bandpass design feed imaging are considered. Each design was studied using geometrical optics, Gaussian wave analysis, and both low-frequency and high-frequency diffraction analysis. An important extension of the Mizusawa-Kitsuregawa criteria was discovered (Zusama and Kitsuregawa, 1973). The principle revealed shows how a two-reflector cell, although in itself distorting, may be combined with a second cell which compensates for the first and delivers an output beam which is a good image of the input beam.

Veruttipong, Thavath↗

Stability of a spherical shell distribution of pickup ions

The stability of a spherical shell (complete or incomplete) is investigated. The study is motivated by the research of cometary pickup ions. The present discussion is restricted to low-frequency electromagnetic waves propagating along the ambient magnetic field. It is found that a complete shell is stable, whereas an incomplete shell can be unstable. The numerical results are reported and discussed.

Freund, H. P.↗

Nonlinear evolution of high frequency R-mode waves excited by water group ions near comets - Computer experiments

An ion beam resonates with R-mode waves at a high-frequency RH mode and a low-frequency RL mode. The nonlinear evolution of ion beam-generated RH waves is studied here by one-dimensional hybrid computer experiments. Both wave-particle and subsequent wave-wave interactions are examined. The competing process among coexisting RH and RL mode beam instabilities and repeated decay instabilities triggered by the beam-excited RH mode waves is clarified. It is found that the quenching of the RH instability is not caused by a thermal spreading of the ion beam, but by the nonlinear wave-wave coupling process. The growing RH waves become unstable against the decay instability. This instability involves a backward-traveling RH electromagnetic wave and a forward-traveling longitudinal sound wave. The inverse cascading process is found to occur faster than the growth of the RL mode. Wave spectra decaying from the RH waves weaken as time elapses and the RL mode waves become dominant at the end of the computer experiment.

Kojima, H.↗

Raman spectra of shocked minerals. I - Olivine

The Raman spectra of olivine contained in a chip of the Twin Sisters Peak (Washington) dunite shocked to 22.2 GPa is shown to be identical to that of unshocked olivine in the same rock. The Raman spectra of powder of the rock shocked to 20.1 GPa and of chips shocked to 59.5 GPa and 60.7 GPa display strong and broad low-frequency features with crests at 475/cm, 556/cm, and 572/cm, and broad high-frequency features near 1100/cm. It is suggested that these features are due to the formation of olivine glass with a considerable degree of three-dimensional Si-O-Si linkage having scattered domains of greatly variable grain size, internal structure, and chemical composition.

Heymann, D.↗

Discrete wave packets upstream from the earth and comets

Discrete wave packets are nearly monochromatic waves lasting several wave cycles which are frequently found on the leading edge of steepened low-frequency waves or shocklets upstream from the earth's bow shock. Similarly appearing waves are present at comet Giacobini-Zinner. To determine if these waves are the same as those observed at earth a detailed comparison of the properties of the two sets of waves is presented. The waves have very similar amplitudes, durations, and directions of propagation. Thus it is concluded that the source mechanism for the two phenomena must be the same, i.e., wave steepening.

Le, G.↗

On some numerical schemes for transonic flow problems

New second-order-accurate finite-difference approximations for a class of nonlinear PDEs of mixed type, which includes the two-dimensional low-frequency transonic small-disturbance equation (TSD) and full-potential equation (FP), are presented. For the TSD equation, the scheme is implemented via a time-splitting algorithm; the inclusion of flux limiters keeps the total variation nonincreasing and eliminates spurious oscillations near shocks. Global-linear-stability, TVD, and entropy-stability results are proved. Numerical results for the flow over a thin airfoil are presented. Current techniques used to solve the TSD equation may easily be extended to second-order accuracy by this method. For the FP equation, the new scheme requires no subsonic/supersonic switching and no numerical flux biasing. Global linear stability for all values of the Mach number is proved.

Mostrel, Marco Mosche↗

Planetary scaling laws and predictions for Neptune

This paper offers a prediction concerning Neptune's low-frequency radio emission based on the radiometric Bode's law in combination with a recent prediction for Neptune's global magnetic field strength. The latter is based on a dynamo scaling relation derived from the magnetospheric balance condition within planetary cores. The radio emission frequency range is predicted to extend from approximately 100 to 1000 kHz, with a spectral peak between 350 and 500 kHz. A crude estimate of the emission spectral shape, based on Saturn and earth-like models, is shown. If radiation is beamed approximately in the sunward direction, Neptune should be detectable by the Planetary Radio Astronomy experiment onboard the Voyager spacecraft sometime between 45 and 60 days before closest approach.

Desch, Michael D.↗

Middle and high latitude Southern Hemispheric oscillations on the 35-60 day time scale

The low-frequency geopotential height fluctuations in the Southern Hemisphere were examined on the basis of one-point correlation maps. Results indicate that the 35-60 day fluctuations in the Southern-Hemisphere geopotential heights exhibit wavetrainlike characteristics. Correlations between a midlatitude reference point and tropical microwave temperature data were found to be weak, suggesting that the midlatitude wavetrain is not strongly coupled to the Madden and Julian (1971) 40-50 day oscillation.

Graves, Charles E.↗

Discrete wave packets upstream from the earth and comets

Discrete wave packets are nearly monochromatic waves lasting several wave cycles which are frequently found on the leading edge of steepened low-frequency waves or shocklets upstream from the earth's bow shock. They apparently are whistler-mode waves which are generated as the shocklets steepen. These shocklets are blown back across the spacecraft so that the structure is observed in reverse order. Similarly appearing waves are present at comet Giacobini-Zinner. To determine if these waves are the same as those observed at earth a detailed comparison of the properties of the two sets of waves was undertaken. The waves have very similar amplitudes, durations, and directions of propagation.

Le, G.↗

High-resolution microwave spectra of solar bursts

A phenomenological and statistical study of flares observed in total power with the frequency-agile interferometer at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory during several months of high solar activity in 1981 is reported. Roughly 80 percent of the events have a complex spectrum consisting of more than one spectral component, implying that the microwave radiation of a burst usually does not come from a single homogeneous source. The presence of more than one component can lead to significant errors when data with low spectral resolution are used to determine the low-side spectral index. The low-frequency slope of a single spectra component is often steeper than expected, and the peak frequency stays nearly constant throughout a microwave event.

Stahli, M.↗

NDE of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor field joint

One of the most critical areas for inspection in the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors is the bond between the steel case and rubber insulation in the region of the field joints. The tang-and-clevis geometry of the field joints is sufficiently complex to prohibit the use of resonance-based techniques. One approach we are investigating is to interrogate the steel-insulation bondline in the tang and clevis regions using surface-travelling waves. A low-frequency contact surface wave transmitting array transducer is under development at our laboratory for this purpose. The array is placed in acoustic contact with the steel and surface waves are launched on the inside surface or the clevis leg which propagate along the steel-insulation interface. As these surface waves propagate along the bonded surface, the magnitude of the ultrasonic energy leaking into the steel is monitored on the outer surface of the case. Our working hypothesis is that the magnitude of energy received at the outer surface of the case is dependent upon the integrity of the case-insulation bond, with less attenuation for propagation along a disbond due to imperfect acoustic coupling between the steel and rubber. Measurements on test specimens indicate a linear relationship between received signal amplitude and the length of good bend between the transmitter and receiver, suggesting the validity of this working hypothesis.

Patrick H. Johnston↗

Improved fabrication techniques for infrared bolometers

Techniques are described for producing improved infrared bolometers from doped germanium. Ion implantation and sputter metalization have been used to make ohmic electrical contacts to Ge:Ga chips. This method results in a high yield of small monolithic bolometers with very little low-frequency noise. When one of these chips is used as the thermometric element of a composite bolometer, it must be bonded to a dielectric substrate. The thermal resistance of the conventional epoxy bond has been measured and found to be undesirably large. A procedure for soldering the chip to a metalized portion of the substrate is described which reduced this resistance. The contribution of the metal film absorber to the heat capacity of a composite bolometer has been measured. The heat capacity of a NiCr absorber at 1.3 K can dominate the bolometer performance. A Bi absorber has significantly lower heat capacity. A low temperature blackbody calibrator has been built to measure the optical responsivity of bolometers. A composite bolometer system with a throughput of approx. 0.1 sr sq cm was constructed using the new techniques. In negligible background it has an optical NEP of 3.6 10((exp -15) W/sq root of Hz at 1.0 K with a time constant of 20 ms. The noise in this bolometer is white above 2.5 Hz and is somewhat below the value predicted by thermodynamic equilibrium theory. It is in agreement with calculations based on a recent nonequilibrium theory.

Lange, A. E.↗

Transonic-flutter Investigation of Wings Attached to Two Low-acceleration Rocket-propelled Vehicles

Two low-acceleration transonic-flutter vehicles were launched and flown. The first carried two test wings, one of which fluttered at M = 0.92 at a frequency of 61.4 cycles per second. The reference flutter speed determined from two-dimensional theory for an unswept wing in incompressible flow is conservative when compared to the experimental flutter speed. The second vehicle carried two test wings, one of which failed at M = 0.71 because of low-frequency divergent oscillation. Since this failure was not caused by conventional flexure-torsion flutter, no comparison with a reference flutter speed can be made.

MISSILES, SPECIFIC TYPES↗

Balancing Vanguard Satellites

The Vanguard satellites and component parts were balanced within the specified limits by using a Gisholt Type-S balancer in combination with a portable International Research and Development vibration analyzer and filter, with low-frequency pickups. Equipment and procedures used for balancing are described; and the determination of residual imbalance is accomplished by two methods: calculation, and graphical interpretation. Between-the-bearings balancing is recommended for future balancing of payloads.

Simkovich, A.↗

Analysis of of Injection-Velocity Effects on Rocket Motor Dynamics and Stability

A concept of combustion time lag that includes dependency on injection velocity is introduced. The concept is used in the formulation of chamber transfer functions and in an analysis of low-frequency combustion instability. Theoretical frequency responses and stability boundaries are compared with those obtained when the injection-velocity effect on the time lag to be an important consideration, in the theory of chamber dynamics and combustion instability

Hurrell, Herbert G.↗

Near-Field and Far-Field Noise Measurements for a Blowdown-Wind-Tunnel Supersonic Exhaust Jet having about 475,000 Pounds of Thrust

Near-field and far-field noise surveys were made of the supersonic The exhaust jet of the Langley 9- by 6-foot thermal structures tunnel. The jet had a thrust rating of approximately 475,000 pounds. The sound power radiated was found to be about 3.6 x 10(exp 6) watts, and on an acoustical-mechanical efficiency basis this value is in reasonable agreement with data for smaller supersonic jets and for rocket engines of other investigations. Octave-band analyses of the near-field noise show that the maximum sound pressure levels in the low-frequency bands are greatest downstream, whereas maximum sound pressure levels in the high-frequency bands were greatest near the jet exit. A comparison of near-field noise measurements is made with data previously obtained for rocket engines. Noise survey measurements of the original jet are compared with similar data obtained after the addition of a 97-foot-long exit diffuser section, and an example of the application of this facility to the problem of acoustic environmental testing of a large space capsule is cited.

Mayes, William H.↗

Fermilab PIP II machine protection system digitized data noise elimination scheme and its FPGA implementation

In Fermilab's PIP-II machine protection system, beam loss signals from various detectors are digitized at 125 MS/s. Noise from both high-frequency sources and low-frequency 60 Hz AC power equipment can contaminate the data. To suppress noise across these ranges especially 60 Hz and its harmonics, which overlap with beam loss signal frequencies advanced digital processing beyond standard filtering is required. Several real-time functional blocks were simulated and tested on an FPGA: (1) a dual time-constant discharging integrator filter, (2) a de-ripple baseline extraction and storage block, and (3) a fast-recovery discharging integrator. The nonlinear IIR integrator filter removes high-frequency noise and feeds into the baseline extractor. Upon detecting abrupt beam loss, it switches to a longer time constant to prevent baseline distortion. The de-ripple block calculates a valid baseline by averaging over multiple 60 Hz periods, storing results in a 4096-word FPGA RAM. This baseline is subtracted from raw data before integration by the fast-recovery block, which resets quickly after use. All blocks achieved expected performance.

Wu, J. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000344329521)↗

A stable potential-based time-domain method for wideband elec- tromagnetic analysis

In previous research, the frequency-domain A-ϕ formulation has been validated using the finite element method for electromagnetic simulations of low-frequency and multi- scale problems, demonstrating excellent numerical accuracy, good matrix condition, and high computational efficiency. Time- domain simulations provide significant advantages for modeling wideband problems and are crucial for multiphysics applications. In this paper, the frequency-domain A-ϕ formulation is extended to the time domain. The central difference scheme is employed for temporal discretization to ensure both accuracy and stability. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the capability of the proposed time-domain method in wideband electromagnetic analysis.

Mekonnen, Minyichil↗