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At least 73 records · Page 4

Electron microscopic determination of the metastable dissociation region in the system Li sub 2SiO3-SiO sub 2

Seven glasses with an alkali oxide content in the range 9.57 to 29.53 mole percent were investigated. The temperature at which the transition of microheterogeneous mixing to the condition of mutual solubility occurs on heating is found. It is found that the altered constituent composition results in the alteration in the percentage amount of the coexisting phases.

Marinov, M.↗

Distribution of nitrogen and defects in SiO(x)N(y)/Si structures formed by the thermal nitridation of SiO2/Si

Previously reported nitrogen distributions in SiO2 films on Si which have been thermally nitrided at 1000 C have been explained by a kinetic model of the nitridation process which rests upon the effects of interfacial strain. A critical test of this kinetic model is the validity of the predictions regarding nitrogen distributions obtained at other nitridation temperatures. In this work, nitrogen distributions determined via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are reported for samples nitrided at 800 and 1150 C, and are shown to be consistent with the kinetic model. In addition, the intensity of a fluorine marker is found to correlate with the nitrogen distribution, and is postulated to be related to kinetically generated defects in the dielectric film, consistent with the strain-dependent energy of formation of defects proposed recently to explain electrical data.

Vasquez, R. P.↗

Atomic oxygen effects on SiO(x) coated Kapton for photovoltaic arrays in low earth orbit

Commercially applied SiOx was evaluated as a protective coating for the polyimide Kapton solar array blankets for Space Station Freedom. Three different rolls of coated material were tested in a plasma asher to determine their durability to attack by atomic oxygen. Mass loss data indicated that all of the coatings tested would structurally survive for 15 years in LEO (low earth orbit), except for one which had several uncoated lines across the sample which were caused by ridgelanes in the Kapton. It appears that the size rather than number of defects alone effects the mass loss the most. Careful handling of the material after coating and during processing may be critical for array survival.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗

Evaluation of Kapton pyrolysis, arc tracking, and flashover on SiO(x)-coated polyimide insulated samples of flat flexible current carriers for Space Station Freedom

Kapton polyimide wiring insulation was found to be vulnerable to pyrolization, arc tracking, and flashover when momentary short-circuit arcs have occurred on aircraft power systems. Short-circuit arcs between wire pairs can pyrolize the polyimide resulting in a conductive char between conductors that may sustain the arc (arc tracking). Furthermore, the arc tracking may spread (flashover) to other wire pairs within a wire bundle. Polyimide Kapton will also be used as the insulating material for the flexible current carrier (FCC) of Space Station Freedom (SSF). The FCC, with conductors in a planar type geometric layout as opposed to bundles, is known to sustain arc tracking at proposed SSF power levels. Tests were conducted in a vacuum bell jar that was designed to conduct polyimide pyrolysis, arc tracking, and flashover studies on samples of SSF's FCC. Test results will be reported concerning the minimal power level needed to sustain arc tracking and the FCC susceptibility to flashover. Results of the FCC arc tracking tests indicate that only 22 volt amps were necessary to sustain arc tracking (proposed SSF power level is 400 watts). FCC flashover studies indicate that the flashover event is highly unlikely.

Stueber, Thomas J.↗

Data Assimilation as it Relates to the Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) and Prospects for Improvement

Improved seasonal forecasts of Arctic sea ice are important for regional stakeholders, but also for obtaining a better understanding of the Arctic climate system. An important part of the forecasts is the initial sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere initial conditions. I briefly give an overview of the initial conditions currently being used in seasonal sea ice predictions. I also identify available sources of observational data and prospects for coupled atmosphere/ocean reanalyses.

Cullather, Richard↗

IRAS 16293-2422: Evidence for Infall onto a Counter-Rotating Protostellar Accretion Disk

We report high spatial resolution VLA observations of the low-mass star-forming region IRAS 16293-2422 using four molecular probes: ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN)) methyl formate (CH3OCHO), formic acid (HCOOH), and the ground vibrational state of silicon monoxide (SiO). Ethyl cyanide emission has a spatial scale of approx. 20" and encompasses binary cores A and B as determined by continuum emission peaks. Surrounded by formic acid emission, methyl formate emission has a spatial scale of approx. 6" and is confined to core B. SiO emission shows two velocity components with spatial scales less than 2" that map approx. 2" northeast of the A and B symmetry axis. The redshifted SiO is approx. 2" northwest of blueshifted SiO along a position angle of approx. 135deg which is approximately parallel to the A and B symmetry axis. We interpret the spatial position offset in red and blueshifted SiO emission as due to rotation of a protostellar accretion disk and we derive approx. 1.4 Solar Mass, interior to the SiO emission. In the same vicinity, Mundy et al. (1986) also concluded rotation of a nearly edge-on disk from OVRO observations of much stronger and ubiquitous CO-13 emission but the direction of rotation is opposite to the SiO emission findings. Taken together, SiO and CO-13 data suggest evidence for a counter-rotating disk. Moreover, archival BIMA array CO-12C data show an inverse P Cygni profile with the strongest absorption in close proximity to the SiO emission, indicating unambiguous material infall toward the counter-rotating protostellar disk at a new source location within the IRAS 16293-2422 complex. The details of these observations and our interpretations are discussed.

Remijan, Anthony J.↗

SiO2 Activity Measurements in the Gd2O3-SiO2 System Via Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry (KEMS)

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are required for the use of silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in gas turbine engines, as they protect the SiO 2 thermally grown oxide (TGO) formed at the CMC/coating interface from volatilization in a combustion environment. Current-generation EBCs consist of a silicon bond coat and a rare earth (RE) silicate topcoat. The RE silicate topcoat is exposed to high-velocity steam during engine operation, and SiO 2 within the coating can preferentially volatilize to form Si(OH) 4 gas species, albeit at a lesser degree than SiO 2 alone. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the stability of these materials in steam as a function of their RE. In this study, SiO 2 activity, which can be related to the partial pressure of Si(OH) 4 , was measured across the Gd 2 O 3 -SiO 2 phase diagram, which includes Gd 2 SiO 5 , Gd 9.33 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 , and Gd 2 Si 2 O 7 as line compounds, via Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry (KEMS). Values obtained for the Gd 2 O 3 -SiO 2 system were compared to those of other RE2O3-SiO2 systems and contextualized in terms of EBC viability.

EBCs↗

Silicon chemistry in interstellar clouds

Interstellar SiO was discovered shortly after CO but it has been detected mainly in high density and high temperature regions associated with outflow sources. A new model of interstellar silicon chemistry that explains the lack of SiO detections in cold clouds is presented which contains an exponential temperature dependence for the SiO abundance. A key aspect of the model is the sensitivity of SiO production by neutral silicon reactions to density and temperature, which arises from the dependence of the rate coefficients on the population of the excited fine structure levels of the silicon atom. This effect was originally pointed out in the context of neutral reactions of carbon and oxygen by Graff, who noted that the leading term in neutral atom-molecule interactions involves the quadrupole moment of the atom. Similar to the case of carbon, the requirement that Si has a quadrupole moment requires population of the J = 1 level, which lies 111K above the J = 0 ground state and has a critical density n(cr) equal to or greater than 10(6)/cu cm. The SiO abundance then has a temperature dependence proportional to exp(-111/T) and a quadratic density dependence for n less than n(cr). As part of the explanation of the lack of SiO detections at low temperatures and densities, this model also emphasizes the small efficiencies of the production routes and the correspondingly long times needed to reach equilibrium. Measurements of the abundance of SiO, in conjunction with theory, can provide information on the physical properties of interstellar clouds such as the abundances of oxygen bearing molecules and the depletion of interstellar silicon.

Langer, William D.↗

Determination of an Infrared Reference Frame

The mission of the European Space Agency's Hipparcos satellite was to provide high precision astrometric and photometric data for over 100,000 stars and somewhat lower precision data on over a million additional stars. These observations were made in the optical band (340 - 850 nm) and resulted in median precisions of better than 1 milli-arcsec (mas) in position and parallax and I mas/yr in proper motion. The Hipparcos frame is inertial within an estimated uncertainty of +/- 0.25 mas/yr. The other important wavelength band for astrometry has been the radio band. A reference frame has been defined based on absolute Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) positions of several hundreds of radio sources. There have been a number of projects to refine the link between the optical and radio reference frames. In recent years there has been increasing interest in the astrometry of infrared sources. For example, stars with circumstellar shells can be observed in both the optical and radio (e.g. SiO maser emission). The infrared emission from such sources is dominated by thermal dust emission. The spatial distribution of radiation in the three bands is expected to be quite different. In 1982 we proposed a number of infrared-selected sources (S(sub 10 micron) greater than or approx. equal to 100 J(sub y)) for inclusion in the Hipparcos Input Catalog. Most of those sources were observed, and in Sutton (1997) we report the optical astrometric results (position, proper motion, and parallax) for 87 such sources. These sources were selected to have reasonable agreement between infrared and optical positions, and so may be used as primary standards for future infrared astrometry. They are well distributed across the sky, but exhibit some bias towards the galactic plane and the northern hemisphere. We have also obtained a set of 1480 secondary standards (unpublished) A comparison between optical positions and 86 GHz SiO maser positions for 10 sources indicates coincidence at the 0.15 arcsec level, consistent with current uncertainties in the SiO positions. Improved measurements of the SiO maser positions are needed. VLBI data show that SiO maser spots can be distributed in broken rings of radii 10 - 30 mas, presumably centered on the stellar position. However the SiO flux may be distributed asymmetrically, in which case the flux-weighted center of the SiO emission can be different from the stellar position. We have also published a related paper on phase fluctuations in millimeter interferometry (Sutton and Hueckstaedt 1996). Radiometric monitoring of emission from atmospheric water vapor may be a method for correcting for such fluctuations. This is relevant to positional determinations at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths. The integration of visible, infrared, and radio astrometry is one of our principal goals.

Sutton, Edmund C.↗

Earth Remote Sensing Center of Excellence at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

We developed advanced communications and networking capability and satellite reception systems for Earth science to improve the ability of scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) to conduct interdisciplinary research. With matching funds from the SIO Director's office we implemented a "virtual center" utilizing modern networking hardware and software to enhance access for researchers and students to unique satellite and in situ data sets. The center provides facilities and data access to graduate students as well as research scientists at SIO, and outside SIO. Our private sector partners installed and testes and advanced X-band data acquisition system for satellite data capture relevant for Earth science research and applications. Some of the commercial applications of these partners have been developed (or are under development) with NASA SBIR resources. The X-band system collected RADARSAT, ERS-2 and MODIS imagery. Perhaps most importantly, this COE brought together - for the first time - an interdisciplinary team of SIO scientists with interests in Earth remote sensing. The collaboration extended beyond our infrastructure and research accomplishments leading to a dialog that resulted in a report with strong recommendations to the SIO community for enhancing satellite remote sensing at SIO.

Mitchell, B. Greg↗

Silicon chemistry in interstellar clouds

A new model of interstellar silicon chemistry is presented that explains the lack of SiO detections in cold clouds and contains an exponential temperature dependence for the SiO abundance. A key aspect of the model is the sensitivity of SiO production by neutral silicon reactions to density and temperature, which arises from the dependence of the rate coefficients on the population of the excited fine-structure levels of the silicon atom. As part of the explanation of the lack of SiO detections at low temperatures and densities, the model also emphasizes the small efficiencies of the production routes and the correspondingly long times needed to reach equilibrium. Measurements of the abundance of SiO, in conjunction with theory, can provide information on the physical properties of interstellar clouds such as the abundance of oxygen bearing molecules and the depletion of interstellar silicon.

Langer, William D.↗