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At least 703 records · Page 39

Sector Tests of a Low-NO(sub x), Lean, Direct- Injection, Multipoint Integrated Module Combustor Concept Conducted

The low-emissions combustor development described is directed toward advanced high pressure aircraft gas-turbine applications. The emphasis of this research is to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) at high-power conditions and to maintain carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons at their current low levels at low power conditions. Low-NOx combustors can be classified into rich-burn and lean-burn concepts. Lean-burn combustors can be further classified into lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP) and lean direct injection (LDI) concepts. In both concepts, all the combustor air, except for liner cooling flow, enters through the combustor dome so that the combustion occurs at the lowest possible flame temperature. The LPP concept has been shown to have the lowest NOx emissions, but for advanced high-pressure-ratio engines, the possibility of autoignition or flashback precludes its use. LDI differs from LPP in that the fuel is injected directly into the flame zone, and thus, it does not have the potential for autoignition or flashback and should have greater stability. However, since it is not premixed and prevaporized, good atomization is necessary and the fuel must be mixed quickly and uniformly so that flame temperatures are low and NOx formation levels are comparable to those of LPP. The LDI concept described is a multipoint fuel injection/multiburning zone concept. Each of the multiple fuel injectors has an air swirler associated with it to provide quick mixing and a small recirculation zone for burning. The multipoint fuel injection provides quick, uniform mixing and the small multiburning zones provide for reduced burning residence time, resulting in low NOx formation. An integrated-module approach was used for the construction where chemically etched laminates, diffusion bonded together, combine the fuel injectors, air swirlers, and fuel manifold into a single element. The multipoint concept combustor was demonstrated in a 15 sector test. The configuration tested had 36 fuel injectors and fuel-air mixers that replaced two fuel injectors in a conventional dual-annular combustor. During tests, inlet temperatures were up to 870 K and inlet pressures were up to 5400 kPa. A correlation was developed that related the NOx emissions with the inlet temperature, inlet pressure, fuel-air ratio, and pressure drop. At low-power conditions, fuel staging was used so that high combustion efficiency was obtained with only one-fourth of the fuel injectors flowing. The test facility had optical access, and visual images showed the flame to be very short, approximately 25 mm long.

Tacina, Robert R.↗

An Overview of the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

Accurate observations of ocean surface vector winds (OSVW) with high spatial and temporal resolution are critically important to improve both our understanding and predictability of tropical cyclones. As the successful NASA QuikSCAT satellite continues to age beyond its planned life span, many members of the tropical cyclone research and operational community recognize the need to develop new observational technologies and strategies to meet the essential need for OSVW information. This concern has been expressed in both the "Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond" developed by the National Research Council Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space and the "Interagency Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclone The Way Ahead" developed by the Joint Action Group for Tropical Cyclone Research (JAG-TCR) sponsored by the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology. One innovative technology development which offers the potential for new, unique remotely sensed observations of tropical cyclone OSVW and precipitation is the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD). This new instrument is passive microwave synthetic thinned aperture radiometer under development at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center that will operate at the C-Band frequencies of 4, 5, 6, and 7 GHz. These frequencies have been successfully demonstrated by the NOAA nadir-staring Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) as useful for monitoring tropical cyclone ocean surface wind speeds and rain rates from low altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The HIRAD design incorporates a unique antenna design as well as several technologies that have been successfully demonstrated by the University of Michigan Lightweight Rain Radiometer sponsored by NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program. HIRAD will be a compact, lightweight, low-power instrument with no moving parts that will produce imagery of ocean wind surface wind parameters and rain rate during the strong wind and heavy rain hurricane conditions that hamper the observational capabilities of higher frequency passive microwave radiometers or scatterometers. It will also produce imagery of sea surface temperature under cloudy and lightly precipitating skies eliminating the need for additional thermal infrared imagers. The strategic plan for HIRAD includes a roadmap for ocean surface wind speed and OSVW technology development using flight demonstrations on piloted aircraft, uninhabited aerial vehicle systems, and satellite platforms. The roadmap will include exit opportunities for technology transfer from research to operations based on satisfactory demonstrations. The first aircraft version of HIRAD will be singular polarization sensor designed to observe ocean surface wind speed and rainfall. The second aircraft version of HIRAD will be dual polarization sensor designed to observe OSVW as a prototype for a future satellite sensor.

Source record↗

Modeling Global Indices for Estimating Non-Photosynthetic Vegetation Cover

Non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) includes plant litter, senesced leaves, and crop residues. NPV plays an essential role in terrestrial ecosystem processes, and is an important indicator of drought severity, ecosystem disturbance, agricultural resilience, and wildfire danger. Current moderate spatial resolution multispectral satellite systems (e.g., Landsat and Sentinel-2) have only a single band in the 2000–2500 nm shortwave infrared “SWIR2” range where non-pigment biochemical constituents of NPV, including cellulose and lignin, have important spectral absorption features. Thus, these current systems have suboptimal capabilities for characterizing NPV cover. This research used simulated spectral mixtures accounting for variability among NPV and soils to evaluate globally-appropriate hyperspectral and multispectral indices for estimation of fractional NPV cover. The Continuum Interpolated NPV Depth Index (CINDI), a weighted ratio index measuring lignocellulose absorption near 2100 nm, was found to produce the lowest error in estimating NPV cover. CINDI was less sensitive to variability in soil spectra and green vegetation cover than competing indices. While CINDI was sensitive to the relative water content of soil and NPV, this sensitivity allowed for correcting error in estimated NPV cover as water content increased. CINDI bands were less capable than Dual Absorption NPV Index (DANI) bands for maintaining continuity with the heritage Landsat SWIR2 band, but combining multiple CINDI bands demonstrated adequate continuity. Three SWIR2 bands with band centers at 2038, 2108, and 2211 nm can provide superior capabilities for future moderate resolution multispectral/superspectral systems targeting NPV monitoring, including the next generation Landsat mission (Landsat Next). These bands and the associated CINDI index provide potential for global NPV monitoring using a constellation of future superspectral sensors and imaging spectrometers, with applications including improving soil management, preventing land degradation, evaluating impacts of drought, mapping ecosystem disturbance, and assessing wildfire danger.

Index optimization↗

The cyclotron energization through auroral wave experiments (CENTAUR 2B)

The CENTAUR 2B mission, a dual payload program, is in many aspects the same as the previous missions from Cape Perry and Norway in 1985. It was planned that these payloads would be launched from Andoya, Norway, Nov. 1989 from the Universal II launcher. The payloads are identical, but would have been launched at different azimuths as far north and as far west as possible. Particle experiments include the angular resolving energy analyzer (AREA), the fast ion mass spectrometer (FIMS), the spectrographic particle images (SPI), and finally, the differential ion flux probe (DIFP). SwRI was responsible for the scientific payload, which includes the power supplies, the power supply interfacing, the manipulating of the data from the instruments to format it for the telemetry system, all mechanical structure and restraint mechanisms, and the payload subskin. The status of the various components of this program is given.

Winningham, J. D.↗

Earth Science Engagement Through Art and Astronaut Photography

For over five decades of manned spaceflight missions, NASA astronauts have taken extraordinary photographs of Earth's surface and dynamic processes. Humans on board the International Space Station (ISS) have a unique platform to perform Earth observations at various viewing angles, seasons, and times of day. Astronaut photos taken from the ISS comprise a true‐color (RGB) dataset taken with multiple handheld digital cameras and lens types (prior to 2004, film cameras were in use). Earth observations through astronaut photography are an important and unique remote sensing method when monitoring natural disasters, urban growth, and environmental changes. While astronaut imagery can be used for earth science research, there is also an artistic aspect to the photography that fascinates a wide global population. A broader public audience can be introduced to earth science through high resolution, Earth art photos taken from the perspective of an astronaut. The Crew Earth Observations (CEO) Facility within the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA's Johnson Space Center supports the acquisition, analysis, and curation of astronaut photography of Earth's surface and atmosphere. CEO's website, the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth (eol.jsc.nasa.gov), provides free public access to view, search, and download over three million images taken by astronauts throughout all of NASA's crewed spaceflight history, with an emphasis on current ISS imagery. The CEO Facility actively curates a digital collection of exceptional Earth art astronaut photos used for public engagement. Our new Downloadable Earth Art page focuses on broad earth science topics including: mountains, water, clouds, agriculture, as well as an "abstract" category. This continuously‐updated collection is comprised of freely accessible and high‐quality downloadable materials, such as single‐ and dual‐screen digital wallpapers. All Earth Art materials are presented with science‐based information that complements the artistic qualities of the imagery, and facilitate connections between general audiences and earth science from the International Space Station.

Meado, Andrea L.↗

3D Deep Learning Joint Inversion of Active Seismic Full Waveform and Passive Seismic Traveltime Data for Reservoir Imaging and Uncertainty Quantification

Here, we present deep learning (DL) networks for three-dimensional (3D) joint inversion of active seismic full waveform and passive seismic traveltime data to image reservoirs and their properties and quantify imaging uncertainties. Active seismic full-waveform data can provide high-resolution monitoring images but are collected only intermittently because of their high acquisition cost. In contrast, passive seismic data can be gathered at relatively low cost between regular active surveys, although their imaging quality can be compromised by factors such as low signal-to-noise ratios and limited ray coverage of the target. Although these datasets are routinely acquired together at CO 2 storage sites, their combined inversion within a 3D DL framework has not been previously demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address this gap, combining the strength of both data types. For efficient data storage and DL training with large 3D seismic datasets, we use a 3D data matrix in which a random number of passive seismic traveltime data are stored as parabolic envelopes using one-hot encoding and a 3D full-waveform data matrix in which multiple shot gathers are summed. Two network architectures are evaluated: a single-encoder U-Net for single-data type inversion and a dual-encoder U-Net for joint inversion of active and passive seismic data. We also evaluate the single-encoder U-Net for joint inversion by concatenating full-waveform data and traveltime data. We propose a systematic approach for selecting an optimal dropout rate that balances regularization during training and Monte Carlo dropout-based uncertainty quantification during prediction by examining the correlation coefficient between standard deviation and prediction error, along with the training misfit, across a range of dropout rates. 3D DL inversion experiments include five different network configurations, with evaluations under ideal, noisy and dropout-enabled conditions. Both model and data uncertainties are assessed, as well as their combined effects. Across all conditions, the networks consistently predict accurate CO 2 saturation models with low prediction errors, such as a structural similarity index of 0.993 and CO 2 difference of 1.1%. Uncertainty estimates show strong spatial correlation with prediction errors, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed dropout selection approach. The results demonstrate that our DL approach, utilizing compact data representations and appropriate uncertainty quantification, yields accurate subsurface images under various inversion conditions and provides valuable insights into the reliability of predictions.

Um, Evan Schankee [Lawrence Berkeley National Labo↗

Version 8 of the SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture Data Assimilation Product

The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission Level-4 Soil Moisture (L4_SM) product provides global, 9-km resolution, 3-hourly surface (0-5 cm) and root-zone (0-100 cm) soil moisture from April 2015 to present with a mean latency of 2.5 days from the time of observation. The product is based on the assimilation of SMAP L-band (1.4 GHz) brightness temperature (Tb) observations into the NASA Catchment land surface model as the model is driven with observations-based precipitation forcing. This presentation discusses the improvements in the forthcoming Version 8 of L4_SM, including updates in the precipitation forcing, the Catchment model parameters, and the L-band microwave radiative transfer model (mwRTM). The precipitation observations used in L4_SM Version 8 outside of North America and the high latitudes are from the latest (Version 7) NASA Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG) products. Moreover, occasionally excessive precipitation rates in earlier versions of L4_SM along certain longitudes in North America were eliminated by a bug fix in the precipitation corrections algorithm. The Catchment model in L4_SM Version 8 uses climatological snow albedo values based on observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, replacing the look-up table parameterization of earlier versions. Additionally, corrected soil parameters were implemented for a small region in Argentina that had erroneously been classified as peat because of an error in the ancillary soil data. Finally, the mwRTM in L4_SM Version 8 uses the Mironov soil mixing approach and updated values of the L-band scattering albedo, soil roughness, and vegetation opacity climatology obtained from the latest (Release 19) SMAP Level-2 dual-channel soil moisture retrieval product. During the development of L4_SM Version 8, the change in the mwRTM parameterization resulted in a reduced unbiased RMSE of surface soil moisture when verified against in situ measurements. It also reduced the standard deviation of the Tb observation-minus-forecast residuals by ~0.15 K, highlighting the importance of the mwRTM for successful data assimilation. The bug fixes in the precipitation corrections algorithm and the Catchment model soil parameters in the Argentina region result in locally large improvements of the simulated land surface states. In summary, the ongoing refinements of the L4_SM product continue to improve its science quality and performance for global soil moisture monitoring

Rolf Reichle↗

Feasibility Study of Radiometry for Airborne Detection of Aviation Hazards

Radiometric sensors for aviation hazards have the potential for widespread and inexpensive deployment on aircraft. This report contains discussions of three aviation hazards - icing, turbulence, and volcanic ash - as well as candidate radiometric detection techniques for each hazard. Dual-polarization microwave radiometry is the only viable radiometric technique for detection of icing conditions, but more research will be required to assess its usefulness to the aviation community. Passive infrared techniques are being developed for detection of turbulence and volcanic ash by researchers in this country and also in Australia. Further investigation of the infrared airborne radiometric hazard detection approaches will also be required in order to develop reliable detection/discrimination techniques. This report includes a description of a commercial hyperspectral imager for investigating the infrared detection techniques for turbulence and volcanic ash.

Gimmestad, Gary G.↗

Software for a GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System

A special-purpose software Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver designed for remote sensing with reflected GPS signals is described in Delay/Doppler-Mapping GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System (NPO-30385), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. The input accepted by this program comprises raw (open-loop) digitized GPS signals sampled at a rate of about 20 MHz. The program processes the data samples to perform the following functions: detection of signals; tracking of phases and delays; mapping of delay, Doppler, and delay/Doppler waveforms; dual-frequency processing; coherent integrations as short as 125 s; decoding of navigation messages; and precise time tagging of observable quantities. The software can perform these functions on all detectable satellite signals without dead time. Open-loop data collected over water, land, or ice and processed by this software can be further processed to extract geophysical information. Possible examples include mean sea height, wind speed and direction, and significant wave height (for observations over the ocean); bistatic-radar terrain images and measures of soil moisture and biomass (for observations over land); and estimates of ice age, thickness, and surface density (for observations over ice).

Lowe, Stephen↗

Characterizing The Internal Morphology of Transition Regions in Large-Scale Extrusion Deposition Additive Manufacturing

A dual-hopper feed system that was developed for the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system allows for transitioning between different materials while maintaining continuous deposition. This technique creates a step-change in material feedstock by switching the pellet feeding system to alternate which hopper is currently supplying material, allowing for multi-material construction. The step-change in feedstock material produces a transition region that is characterized by a compositional gradient and blended internal morphology. Initial cross-sectional imaging of the transition region revealed a non-homogenous blend of materials with distinct domains of each material, likely due to incomplete mixing within the screw. This study used a carbon fiber reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (CF-ABS) and an unfilled ABS to characterize the internal structure and to correlate it to mechanical performance by tracking microhardness across cross-sections of the transition region.

Brackett, James↗

Characterization of microgravity effects on bone structure and strength using fractal analysis

The effect of micro-gravity on the musculoskeletal system has been well studied. Significant changes in bone and muscle have been shown after long term space flight. Similar changes have been demonstrated due to bed rest. Bone demineralization is particularly profound in weight bearing bones. Much of the current techniques to monitor bone condition use bone mass measurements. However, bone mass measurements are not reliable to distinguish Osteoporotic and Normal subjects. It has been shown that the overlap between normals and osteoporosis is found for all of the bone mass measurement technologies: single and dual photon absorptiometry, quantitative computed tomography and direct measurement of bone area/volume on biopsy as well as radiogrammetry. A similar discordance is noted in the fact that it has not been regularly possible to find the expected correlation between severity of osteoporosis and degree of bone loss. Structural parameters such as trabecular connectivity have been proposed as features for assessing bone conditions. In this report, we use fractal analysis to characterize bone structure. We show that the fractal dimension computed with MRI images and X-Ray images of the patella are the same. Preliminary experimental results show that the fractal dimension computed from MRI images of vertebrae of human subjects before bedrest is higher than during bedrest.

Acharya, Raj S.↗

Inner Magnetosphere Imager Mission: A New Window on the Plasma Universe

The proposed Inner Magnetosphere Imager mission will obtain the first simultaneous images of the component regions of the inner magnetosphere and will enable scientists to relate these global images to internal and external influences, as well as local observations. We are performing at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center a concept definition study of the proposed mission. The baseline mission calls for an instrument complement of approximately seven imagers to fly in an elliptical Earth orbit with an apogee of seven Earth radii (Re) and a perigee of approximately 4800 km. Several spacecraft concepts are being considered for the mission. The first concept utilizes a spinning spacecraft with a despun platform. The second concept splits the instruments onto two smaller satellites-a spinning spacecraft and a complementary three-axis stabilized spacecraft. Launch options being assessed for the spacecraft range from a Delta-2, for the single- and dual-spacecraft concepts, to dual Taurus launches, for the two smaller spacecraft. An additional option, that of downsizing the mission to fit within the guidelines of the Space Physics Division's new class of solar terrestrial probes, is also being considered.

Johnson, Charles L.↗

Concurrent evaluation of autophagy induction and Burkholderia infection at the single cell level

Autophagy is a natural, regulated cellular process that "cleans up" cellular debris by degrading and recycling dysfunctional proteins. There is a high potential impact of exploiting the benefits of autophagy to complement existing treatments, but little has been done to date on bacterial pathogens of defense concern such as Burkholderia pseudomallei, a highly virulent Select Agent pathogen that is intrinsically resistant to most classes of antibiotics. Assessment of autophagy in the context of infection typically requires use of multiple technologies in combination (e.g., Western analysis paired with microscopy or flow cytometry) as applied to heterogeneous populations of cells. To address this, we have developed a dual target reporter cell line (RAW264.7 LC3-BFP:mPlum, GFP-RelA) that enables concurrent visualization of infection and autophagy induction. We assessed the effect of clinically approved small molecule inducers of autophagy on infection by Burkholderia thailendensis, a closely related but less virulent surrogate for B. pseudomallei. The reporter cells were first infected with a B. thailendensis strain that constitutively expresses GFP, then treated with one of four known autophagy inducers (rapamycin, niclosamide, bromhexine HC1, or flubendazole) for 4 hours. Confocal fluorescence imaging was used to quantify autophagy stimulation at the single cell level. Autophagy maturation was observed as a decrease in BFP LC3 puncta with a concurrent increase in mPlum LC3 puncta. B. thailendensis infection was assessed by monitoring translocation of GFP-RelA (an NFkB subunit) into the nucleus and through quantitating the intracellular bacterial presence in single cells. Preliminary results indicate that bromhexine HC1 and niclosamide may hinder B. thailendensis' ability to replicate intracellularly and reduce overall bacterial survival.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Simultaneous dual baseline differential VLBI

Attention is drawn to the benefits of simultaneous dual baseline radio interferometric measurements for low altitude planetary orbiter navigation. The radio interferometric data types constitute a valuable addition to conventional tracking data in the establishment of orbit-plane orientation, thanks to their measurement of inertial reference cross-track velocity. The present results show that only a few Delta-VLBI measurements, taken at either end of a conventional tracking arc, suffice for the realization of a positional accuracy of better than 1 km for the case of a Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar-type planetary orbiter. This is comparable to Deep Space Net accuracies, despite the use of a shorter baseline.

Mohan, S. N.↗

Slotted waveguide array antennas for spaceborne SAR applications

Starting with mission definitions and constraints for the NASA proposed Shuttle Active Microwave Experiments (SAMEX) and Free Flying Imaging Radar Experiment (FIREX), Hughes Aircraft Company has compiled and studied the technology available for slotted waveguide planar array antennas suitable for spaceborne SAR application. Antenna performance is derived, and fabrication techniques are discussed. Mission requirements will always lead to an aperture subdivided into waveguide modules, thereby validating a module definition for other mission building blocks. Finally, a specific design is proposed for a SAMEX mission using the modules as RF aperture building blocks, resulting in a (nominal) 15.1 meter by 5.5 meter extensile dual polarized L-, C-, and X-band planar array with an associated extensile graphite/epoxy support structure. Antenna development begin with a fabrication method development study involving a representative portion of an antenna module.

Bostrom, D. E.↗

Biomechanical Modeling Analysis of Loads Configuration for Squat Exercise

INTRODUCTION: Long duration space travel will expose astronauts to extended periods of reduced gravity. Since gravity is not present to assist loading, astronauts will use resistive and aerobic exercise regimes for the duration of the space flight to minimize loss of bone density, muscle mass and aerobic capacity that occurs during exposure to a reduced gravity environment. Unlike the International Space Station (ISS), the area available for an exercise device in the next generation of spacecraft for travel to the Moon or to Mars is limited and therefore compact resistance exercise device prototypes are being developed. The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) currently on the ISS is being used as a benchmark for the functional performance of these new devices. Biomechanical data collection and computational modeling aid the device design process by quantifying the joint torques and the musculoskeletal forces that occur during exercises performed on the prototype devices. METHODS The computational models currently under development utilize the OpenSim [1] software platform, consisting of open source code for musculoskeletal modeling, using biomechanical input data from test subjects for estimation of muscle and joint loads. The OpenSim Full Body Model [2] is used for all analyses. The model incorporates simplified wrap surfaces, a new knee model and updated lower body muscle parameters derived from cadaver measurements and magnetic resonance imaging of young adults. The upper body uses torque actuators at the lumbar and extremity joints. The test subjects who volunteer for this study are instrumented with reflective markers for motion capture data collection while performing squat exercising on the Hybrid Ultimate Lifting Kit (HULK) prototype device (ZIN Technologies, Middleburg Heights, OH). Ground reaction force data is collected with force plates under the feet, and device loading is recorded through load cells internal to the HULK. Test variables include the applied device load and the dual cable long bar or single cable T-bar interface between the test subject and the device. Data is also obtained using free weights with the identical loading for a comparison to the resistively loaded exercise device trials. The data drives the OpenSim biomechanical model, which has been scaled to match the anthropometrics of the test subject, to calculate the body loads. RESULTS Lower body kinematics, joint moments, joint forces and muscle forces are obtained from the OpenSim biomechanical analysis of the squat exercises under different loading conditions. Preliminary results from the model for the loading conditions will be presented as will hypotheses developed for follow on work.

Human Factors Engineering↗

Modified microstructures in proton irradiated dual phase 308L weldment filler material

In this study, the effect of proton irradiation on the microstructure of δ ferrite—γ austenite mixed phase 308L filler material in a 508–304 dissimilar metal weldment was investigated over a depth of 0 to 10 µm. Ni–Si–Mn G-phase precipitates were observed with SEM and TEM in δ ferrite but not in γ austenite. Our density functional theory based calculations show that the G/Fe interface energy in δ-Fe is significantly lower than that in γ-Fe (0.35 versus 1.25 J/m 2 ), which provides a thermodynamics-based explanation for our experimental observations of preferential formation of G-phase in δ ferrite. STEM-EDS, TEM dark field imaging, and diffraction patterns confirmed the Ni–Si–Mn enriched precipitates were G-phase precipitates with a stoichiometry of Mn 6 Ni 16 Si 7 . Intragranular voids and Ni–Si enriched clusters were observed in irradiated γ austenite. Additionally, Ni and Si segregation was observed along the void interfaces. In both cases, Ni–Si clusters and segregation to voids, selected area diffraction patterns did not reveal the existence of a second phase. Proton irradiation induced Cr depletion and Si and Ni enrichment at γ-γ austenite grain boundaries that was characterized with STEM/EDS.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Dual cathode system for electron beam instruments

An electron beam source having a single electron optical axis is provided with two coplanar cathodes equally spaced on opposite sides from the electron optical axis. A switch permits selecting either cathode, and a deflection system comprised of electromagnets, each with separate pole pieces equally spaced from the plane of the cathodes and electron optical axis, first deflects the electron beam from a selected cathode toward the electron optical axis, and then in an opposite direction into convergence with the electron optical axis. The result is that the electron beam from one selected cathode undergoes a sigmoid deflection in two opposite directions, like the letter S, with the sigmoid deflection of each being a mirror image of the other.

Bradley, James G.↗