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NASA NTRS1972

Spectral absorption coefficients of argon and silicon and spectral reflectivity of aluminum

A theoretical investigation was conducted to estimate the spectral properties of argon as a function of pressure, temperature, and wave number. The spectral characteristics of the argon buffer gas exert a strong influence on radiative energy transfer in the in-reactor test configuration of the nuclear light bulb engine. An existing computer program was modified and used to calculate the spectral absorption coefficients of argon at total pressures of 50, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 atm in the temperature interval between 1000 and 30,000 K. At each pressure and temperature, spectral properties were calculated for forty-seven wave numbers in the interval between 1000 and 1,000,000 cm/1. Estimates of the spectral absorption coefficients of silicon were made as part of an evaluation of silicon vapor as a possible buffer-gas seeding agent for the reference nuclear light bulb engine. Existing cross-section data were used to calculate the spectral characteristics of silicon at twenty-four temperatures in the interval between 2000 and 10,000 K.

Krascella, N. L.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Physisorption of argon on pyrex at low pressures.

Equilibrium pressures, numbers of argon atoms adsorbed per unit area and the DR parameters are given for argon adsorption on Pyrex for pressures ranging from 0.625 nanotorr to 12.7 microtorr at 77, 81.4, 87.8 and 90 K. Physical adsorption isotherms, Dubinin-Radushkevich plots, and isosteric heat curves are also given for argon on Pyrex.

Jen, J. S.-C.↗

NASA NTRS1974

The effects of argon in the bioenergetics of the hamster and the rat

Oxygen consumption was examined in hamsters and rats exposed to normoxic mixtures of argon at 1 atm. In fasted and nonfasted animals, no marked change in O2 utilization was detectable at 22 C. However, at 7 C a significant decrease in oxygen consumption was observed where the animals were exposed in argon. The data are interpreted in terms of the greater thermal conductivity of nitrogen. The study was prompted by conflicting reports on the metabolic effects of argon and helium.

Tempel, G. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Composition of the atmosphere at the surface of Mars - Detection of argon-36 and preliminary analysis

The composition of the Martian atmosphere was determined by the mass spectrometer in the molecular analysis experiment. The presence of argon and nitrogen was confirmed and a value of 1 to 2750 plus or minus 500 for the ratio of argon-36 to argon-40 was established. A preliminary interpretation of these results suggests that Mars had a slightly more massive atmosphere in the past, but that much less total outgassing has occurred on Mars than on earth.

Owen, T.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Departures from hydrostatic equilibrium in the global distribution of thermospheric argon

This report describes the application of a three-dimensional two-component model to the distribution of argon in the upper atmosphere of the earth. The Cira (1972) model is used to specify the background gas density and the temperature as functions of altitude, latitude, local time, and day of the year. Emphasis is placed on examining the effects of departures from hydrostatic equilibrium on the argon density distribution. Such effects are found to be significant, producing a strong summer argon bulge. Comparisons of the model results with observational data are discussed.

Straus, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Performance of a magnetic multipole line-cusp argon ion thruster

The performance of a 17-cm diameter line-cusp ion thruster, using argon and xenon propellants, is investigated. Basic optimization of the thruster was accomplished without ion extraction and tests were conducted with small vacuum facilities and power supplies. The evaluation of the sensitivity of the performance to changes in discharge electrode configurations and the magnetic circuit is discussed. Final optimization results show that an argon propellant utilization efficiency of 0.9, at 260 W of discharge power per beam ampere, was obtained with a thruster having 20 rows of magnets and 10 tubular anodes. The average ion beam current densities were as high as 13 mA/sq cm. The results are considered to be the highest yet achieved with argon propellant.

Sovey, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Calculation of radiation from argon shock layers

The accuracy of calculations of the radiation emissions from argon plasmas produced by the shock layers over blunt bodies is assessed. The existing theoretical and experimental spectroscopic data on argon are collated. A set of such data is selected for use in the radiative transfer calculations. Calculations are performed for the stagnation regions of the shock layers over laboratory-sized models using these data, and the results are compared with the existing experimental results obtained in a shock-tube. Through this comparison and a parametric study it is shown that radiative heat fluxes at the stagnation point in an argon environment can be calculated within an uncertainty of about 15%. It is shown also that radiative heat fluxes of the order of 100 kW/sq cm can be produced in the existing laboratory facilities.

Park, C.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A new ozone standard - The vapor pressure of ozone at liquid argon temperatures

The vapor pressure of ozone has been measured at liquid argon temperatures. At the normal boiling point of argon (-185.9 C) an ozone pressure of 0.0405 torr was obtained with an accuracy of + or - 1.5 percent. Increases and decreases in liquid argon temperatures raised and lowered the ozone vapor pressure, respectively. During the vapor pressure measurements the purity of ozone was monitored with a mass spectrometer. The proposed ozone standard will considerably improve the calibration of experiments for atmospheric research, the determination of absorption cross sections and other laboratory ozone studies.

Mauersberger, K.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Use of propane as a quench gas in argon-filled proportional counters and comparison with other quench gases

An experimental investigation of propane and six other quench gases was carried out in argon-filled proportional counters. The objective of the study was to find the best gas mixture for optimizing the gas gain and the energy resolution as well as to understand the role of the ionization potential of quench gases in determining these parameters. It was found that the best gas gains and energy resolutions are obtained with propane, ethane, and isobutane in that order. The ionization potentials of these three lie below the argon metastable potentials and have the lowest value of resonance defect compared to the other quench gases. The better results obtained with these mixtures can be explained by an increased ionization yield resulting from the Penning effect. Propylene and trans-2-butene give inferior performance compared to the above three gases. Methane and carbon dioxide, the most commonly used quench gases in the argon-filled detectors, provide the worst results.

Agrawal, P. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Flight qualified solid argon cooler for the BBXRT instrument

A solid argon cooler (SAC) for attached Shuttle payloads has been developed and qualified to meet the need for low cost cooling of flight instruments to the temperature range of 60-120 K. The SACs have been designed and tested with the intent of flying them up to five times. Two coolers, as part of the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT) instrument on the ASTRO-1 payload, are awaiting launch on Space Shuttle mission STS-35. This paper describes the design, testing and performance of the SAC and its vacuum maintenance system (VMS), used to maintain the argon as a solid during launch delays of up to 5 days. BBXRT cryogen system design features used to satisfy Shuttle safety requirements are discussed, along with SAC ground servicing equipment (GSE) and procedures used to fill, freeze and subcool the argon.

Cygnarowicz, Thomas A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Waves generated in the vicinity of an argon plasma gun in the ionosphere

Wave and particle observations were made in the close vicinity of an argon plasma gun carned to over 600 km altitude on a sounding rocket. The gun was carned on a subpayload, separated from the main payload early in the flight. Twelve-second argon ion ejections were energized alternately with a peak energy of 100 or 200 eV. They produced waves, with multiple harmonics, in the range of ion cyclotron waves, 10 to 1000 Hz at rocket altitudes. Many of these waves could not be identified as corresponding to the cyclotron frequencies of any of the ions, argon or ambient, known to be present. In addition, the wave frequencies were observed to rise and fall and to change abruptly during a 12-s gun operation. The wave amplitudes, near a few hundred Hertz, were of the order of O. 1 V/m. Some of the waves may be ion-ion hybrid waves. Changes in ion populations were observed at the main payload and at the subpayload during gun operations. A gun-related, field-aligned, electron population also appeared.

Cahill, L. J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Infrared spectrum of the complex of formaldehyde with carbon dioxide in argon and nitrogen matrices

The complex of formaldehyde with carbon dioxide has been studied by infrared spectroscopy in argon and nitrogen matrices. The shifts relative to the free species show that the complex is weak and similar in argon and nitrogen. The results give evidence for T-shaped complexes, which are isolated in several configurations. Some evidence is also presented which indicates that, in addition to the two well-known sites in argon, carbon dioxide can be trapped in a third site.

Van Der Zwet, G. P.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Laboratory Infrared Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles: Quinoline, and Phenanthridine in Solid Argon and H2O

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common throughout the universe. Their detection and identification are based on telescopic infrared (IR) spectra compared with laboratory data. Polycyclic Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles (PANHs) are heterocyclic aromatics i.e., PAHs with carbon atoms replaced by a nitrogen atom. These molecules should be present in the interstellar medium, but have received relatively little attention. We present mid-IR spectra of two PANHs, quinoline (C9H7N), and phenanthridine (C13H9N) isolated in solid argon and frozen in solid H2O at 12 K, conditions yielding data directly comparable to astronomical observations. In contrast to simple PAHs, that do not interact strongly with solid H2O, the nitrogen atoms in PANHs are potentially capable of hydrogen bonding with H2O. Whereas the IR spectrum of phenanthridine in H2O is similar to that of the same compound isolated in an argon matrix, quinoline absorptions shift up to 16 cm(sup -1) (0.072 mm) between argon and H2O. Thus, astronomers will not always be able to rely on IR band positions of matrix isolated PANHs to correctly interpret the absorptions of PANHs frozen in H2O ice grains. Furthermore, our data suggest that relative band areas also vary, so determining column densities to better than a factor of 3 will require knowledge of the matrix in which the PANH is embedded and laboratory studies of relevant samples.

Bernstein, M. P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Distribution and Abundance of Mars' Atmospheric Argon

One and one half Mars years (MY 26 and 27) of atmospheric Argon measurements are described and studied in the context of understanding how Argon, a minor constituent of Mars atmosphere that does not condense at Mars temperatures, can be used to study martian circulation and dynamics. Argon data are from the 2001 Mars Odyssey Gamma Subsystem (GS) of the suite of three instruments comprising the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS). A comprehensive data analysis including gamma-ray production and attenuation by the atmosphere is included. Of particular interest is the enhanced abundance of Ar over the observed Ar abundance at lower latitudes at south (up to a factor of 10) and north (up to a factor of 4) polar regions during winter. Calibration of the measurements to actual Ar abundance is possible because GS measurements cover the same latitude and season as measurements made by the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) on Viking Landers 1 and 2 (VL1 and VL2). [2].

Sprague, A. L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Argon Geochronology Experiment (AGE)

This viewgraph presentation reviews the Argon Geochronology Experiment (AGE). Potassium-Argon dating is shown along with cosmic ray dating exposure. The contents include a flow diagram of the Argon Geochronology Experiment, and schematic diagrams of the mass spectrometer vacuum system, sample manipulation mechanism, mineral heater oven, and the quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Operation with elemental abundances is also described.

age dating↗

DOE OSTI2026

Neutrino-argon cross-section measurements from the MicroBooNE experiment

MicroBooNE is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector located along the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam and 8 degrees off-axis to the Neutrinos at the Main Injector beam. MicroBooNE collected data from both beams accumulating a large neutrino-argon scattering dataset containing hundreds of thousands of events. Understanding neutrino-argon interactions is crucial for the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiments including DUNE. MicroBooNE has developed pioneering methodologies and novel reconstruction tools in order to benchmark models at very high sensitivity across the interaction phase space, including for ultra-rare channels. This proceeding presents an overview of the most recent MicroBooNE neutrino interaction results. These measurements span inclusive, CC0$Ï$, and rare channels including $Î$, $K^+$ and $Î·$ production, providing invaluable datasets for constraining backgrounds and improving the modeling of neutrino scattering critical for the broader LArTPC neutrino physics program.

Liu, Liang [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000026753925X)↗

DOE OSTI2025

First Measurement of Charged Current Muon Neutrino-Induced Kaon Production on Argon

The Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector with an 85-ton active volume, located on-axis to the Booster Neutrino Beamline (BNB) at Fermilab. The detector is exposed to a neutrino flux with average energy of 800 MeV and was designed to study neutrino interactions on argon, particularly in the 1 GeV energy range. Among its main goals is the investigation of neutrino-induced strange particle production at final-state, with a specific interest on charged kaons ($K^{+}$). The understanding of this neutrino interaction is crucial for refining background models in future nucleon decay searches on others LArTPCs experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Additionally, the techniques developed for the identification of neutrino-induced $K^{+}$ will contribute to improving particle identification methods in LArTPC-based detectors. This thesis is reporting the first-ever measurement of the flux-integrated cross section for charged-current muon neutrino-induced $K^{+}$ production on argon, determined to be $7.93 \pm 3.27(\text{stat.}) \pm 2.92(\text{syst.}) \times 10^{-42}$ cm$^2$/nucleon, based on the MicroBooNE dataset corresponding to $6.88 \times 10^{20}$ Protons on Target (POT).

Rodriguez Rondon, Jairo H. [South Dakota Sch. Mine↗

DOE OSTI2026

First Measurement of Sub-GeV $ν_μ$ Charged-Current Coherent Pion Production on Argon in MicroBooNE

We report a measurement of the charged-current coherent pion production cross section on argon using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber exposed to the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. The measurement uses the MicroBooNE data set corresponding to $1.26 \times 10^{21}$ protons on target with a mean neutrino energy of $0.8$~GeV. The flux-averaged cross section is measured to be $(9.1 \pm 1.2_{\text{stat}} \pm 1.2_\text{syst}) \times 10^{-40}\,\text{cm}^2/\text{Ar}$. This result represents the first measurement of charged-current coherent pion production on argon at sub-GeV neutrino energies. Due to its clean two-body kinematics, where the neutrino interacts coherently with the entire nucleus producing a forward muon and pion with no nuclear breakup, this process provides a useful tool for constraining neutrino flux uncertainties in current and future oscillation experiments such as DUNE.

Abratenko, P. [Tufts U.] (ORCID:0000000169455941)↗