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At least 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Use of a Multiwavelength Pyrometer in Several Elevated Temperature Aerospace Applications

A multiwavelength pyrometer was developed for applications unique to aerospace environments. It was shown to be a useful and versatile technique for measuring temperature, even when the emissivity is unknown. It has also been used to measure the surface temperatures of ceramic zircomia thermal barrier coatings and alumina. The close agreement between pyrometer and thin film thermocouple temperatures provided an independent check. Other applications of the multiwavelength pyrometer are simultaneous surface and bulk temperature measurements of a transparent material, and combustion gas temperature measurement using a special probe interfaced to the multiwavelength pyrometer via an optical fiber. The multiwavelength pyrometer determined temperature by transforming the radiation spectrum in a broad wavelength region to produce a straight line (in a certain spectral region), whose intercept in the vertical axis gives the temperature. Implicit in a two-color pyrometer is the assumption of wavelength independent emissivity. Though the two data points of a two-color pyrometer similarly processed would result immediately in a similar straight line to give the unknown temperature, the two-color pyrometer lacks the greater data redundancy of the multiwavelength pyrometer, which enables it to do so with improved accuracy. It also confirms that emissivity is indeed wavelength independent, as evidenced by a multitude of the data lying on a simple straight line. The multiwavelength pyrometer was also used to study the optical transmission properties of a nanostructured material from which a quadratic exponential functional frequency dependence of its spectral transmission was determined. Finally, by operating the multiwavelength pyrometer in a very wide field of view mode, the surface temperature distribution of a large hot surface was obtained through measurement of just a single radiation spectrum.

Ng, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurements and computational analysis of the natural decay of 176 Lu

Background: Mainly because of its long half-life and despite its scientific relevance, spectroscopic measurements of 176 Lu forbidden β decays are very limited and lack formulation of shape factors. A direct precise measurement of its Q value is also presently unreported. In addition, the description of forbidden decays provides interesting challenges for nuclear theory. The comparison of precise experimental results with theoretical calculations for these decays can help to test underlying models and can aid the interpretation of data from other experiments. Purpose: Perform the first precision measurements of 176 Lu β-decay spectra and attempt the observation of its electron capture decays, as well as perform the first precision direct measurement of the 176 Lu β-decay Q value. Compare the shape of the precisely determined experimental β spectra to theoretical calculations, and compare the end point energy to that obtained from an independent Q value measurement. Method: Here, the 176 Lu β-decay spectra measurements and the search for electron capture decays were performed with an experimental setup that employed lutetium-containing scintillator crystals and a NaI(Tl) spectrometer for coincidence counting. The β decay Q value was determined via high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS) with the LEBIT facility at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The β-spectrum calculations were performed within the Fermi theory formalism with nuclear structure effects calculated using a shell model approach. Results: Both β transitions of 176 Lu were experimentally observed and corresponding shape factors formulated in their entire energy ranges. The search for electron capture decay branches led to an experimental upper limit of 6.3×10 –6 relative to its β decays. The 176 Lu β-decay and electron capture Q values were measured using PTMS to be 1193.0(6) and 108.9(8) keV, respectively. This enabled precise β end point energies of 596.2(6) and 195.3(6) keV to be determined for the primary and secondary β decays, respectively. The conserved vector current hypothesis was applied to calculate the relativistic vector matrix elements. The β-spectrum shape was shown to significantly depend on the Coulomb displacement energy and on the value of the axial vector coupling constant gA, which was extracted according to different assumptions. Conclusion: The implemented self-scintillation method has provided unmatched observations of 176 Lu, independently validated by the first direct measurements of its β-decay Q value by Penning trap mass spectrometry. Theoretical study of the main β transition led to the extraction of very different effective gA and log10f values, showing that a high-precision description of this transition would require a realistic nuclear structure with nucleus deformation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2015

Understanding the Atmosphere of 51 Eri b: Do Photochemical Hazes Cloud the Planets Spectrum?

The first young giant planet to be discovered by the Gemini Planet Imager was the (is) approximately 2MJ planet 51 Eri b. This approximately 20 Myr old young Jupiter is the first directly imaged planet to show unmistakable methane in H band. To constrain the planet's mass, atmospheric temperature, and composition, the GPI J and H band spectra as well as some limited photometric points were compared to the predictions of substellar atmosphere models. The best fitting models reported in the discovery paper (Macintosh et al. 2015) relied upon a combination of clear and cloudy atmospheric columns to reproduce the data. However for an object as cool as 700 K, the origin of the cloud coverage is somewhat puzzling, as the global silicate and iron clouds would be expected to have sunk well below the photosphere by this effective temperature. While strong vertical mixing in these low gravity atmospheres remains a plausible explanation, we have explored whether atmospheric photochemistry, driven by the UV flux from the primary star, may yield hazes that also influence the observed spectrum of the planet. To explore this possibility we have modeled the atmospheric photochemistry of 51 Eri b using two state-of-the-art photochemical models, both capable of predicting yields of complex hydrocarbons under various atmospheric conditions. In our presentation we will summarize the modeling approach employed to characterize 51 Eri b, explaining constraints on the planet's effective temperature, gravity, and atmospheric composition and also present results of our studies of atmospheric photochemistry. We will discuss whether photochemical hazes could indeed be responsible for the particulate opacity that apparently sculpts the spectrum of the planet.

GPI - Gemini Planet Imager↗
NASA NTRS1974

Proton tissue dose for the blood forming organ in human geometry: Isotropic radiation

A computer program is described which calculates doses averaged within five major segments of the blood forming organ in the human body taking into account selfshielding of the detailed body geometry and nuclear star effects for proton radiation of arbitrary energy spectrum (energy less than 1 GeV) and isotropic angular distribution. The dose calculation includes the first term of an asymptotic series expansion of transport theory which is known to converge rapidly for most points in the human body. The result is always a conservative estimate of dose and is given as physical dose (rad) and dose equivalent (rem).

Khandelwal, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

First-order reactant in homogeneous turbulence before the final period of decay

A method is described for studying theoretically the concentration fluctuations of a dilute contaminate undergoing a first-order chemical reaction. The method is based on Deissler's (1958) theory for homogeneous turbulence for times before the final period, and it follows the approach used by Loeffler and Deissler (1961) to study temperature fluctuations in homogeneous turbulence. Four-point correlation equations are obtained; it is assumed that terms containing fifth-order correlation are very small in comparison with those containing fourth-order correlations, and can therefore be neglected. A spectrum equation is obtained in a form which can be solved numerically, yielding the decay law for the concentration fluctuations in homogeneous turbulence for the period much before the final period of decay.

Kumar, P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The discovery of 38.22 second X-ray pulsations from the vicinity of OAO 1653-40

A 38.22-s X-ray pulsator has been discovered during an 8-hour HEAO 1 pointed observation of the area of sky containing OAO 1653-40. It is found that this pulsing source is not associated with V861 Sco, the proposed optical identification for OAO 1653-40. The spectrum is very hard, the spectral index being about 1.4, with about a 500-eV equivalent width of iron-line emission. No high-energy cutoff is observed.

White, N. E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Estimations of ABL fluxes and other turbulence parameters from Doppler lidar data

Techniques for extracting boundary layer parameters from measurements of a short pulse CO2 Doppler Lidar are described. The radial velocity measurements have a range resolution of 150 m. With a pulse repetition rate of 20 Hz, it is possible to perform scannings in two perpendicular vertical planes in approx. 72 s. By continuously operating the Lidar for about an hour, one can extract stable statistics of the radial velocities. Assuming that the turbulence is horizontally homogeneous, the mean wind, its standard deviations, and the momentum fluxes were estimated. From the vertically pointing beam, the first, second, and third moments of the vertical velocity were also estimated. Spectral analysis of the radial velocities is also performed from which, by examining the amplitude of the power spectrum at the inertial range, the kinetic energy dissipation was deduced. Finally, using the statistical form of the Navier-Stokes equations, the surface heat flux is derived as the residual balance between the vertical gradient of the third moment of the vertical velocity and the kinetic energy dissipation.

Tzvi, Gal-Chen↗
NASA NTRS1992

Efficient Two-Dimensional-FFT Program

Program computes 64 X 64-point fast Fourier transform in less than 17 microseconds. Optimized 64 X 64 Point Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform combines performance of real- and complex-valued one-dimensional fast Fourier transforms (FFT's) to execute two-dimensional FFT and coefficients of power spectrum. Coefficients used in many applications, including analyzing spectra, convolution, digital filtering, processing images, and compressing data. Source code written in C, 8086 Assembly, and Texas Instruments TMS320C30 Assembly languages.

Miko, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A hydrodynamic treatment of the cold dark matter cosmological scenario

The evolution of structure in a postrecombination Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe containing both gaseous baryons and cold dark matter (CDM) is studied by means of an Eulerian code coupled with a standard particle-mesh code. Ionization state and radiative opacity are calculated in detail, and the hydrodynamic simulations make it possible to compute properties of gas distribution on scales larger than three cell sizes. The model yields a soft X-ray background consistent with the latest cosmic nucleosynthesis values, and can accurately reproduce the galaxy-galaxy two-point correlation. The rate of galaxy formation peaks at a relatively late epoch. With regard to mass function, the smallest objects are stabilized against collapse by thermal energy: the mass-weighted mass spectrum peaks in the vicinity of m(b) = 10 exp 9.2 solar masses with a reasonable fit to the Schecter luminosity function if the baryon mass to blue light ratio is approximately 4. Overall, the simulations provide strong support for the CMD scenario. Of particular interest is that, while the baryons are not biased on scales greater than 1/h Mpc, the galaxies are, and that the 'galaxies' have a correlation function of the required slope and the correct amplitude.

Cen, Renyue↗
NASA NTRS1995

Basic principles and recent observations of rotationally sampled wind

The concept of rotationally sampled wind speed is described. The unusual wind characteristics that result from rotationally sampling the wind are shown first for early measurements made using an 8-point ring of anemometers on a vertical plane array of meteorological towers. Quantitative characterization of the rotationally sampled wind is made in terms of the power spectral density function of the wind speed. Verification of the importance of the new concept is demonstrated with spectral analyses of the response of the MOD-OA blade flapwise root bending moment and the corresponding rotational analysis of the wind measured immediately upwind of the MOD-OA using a 12-point ring of anemometers on a 7-tower vertical plane array. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) theory of the rotationally sampled wind speed power spectral density function is tested successfully against the wind spectrum measured at the MOD-OA vertical plane array. A single-tower empirical model of the rotationally sampled wind speed is also successfully tested against the measurements from the full vertical plane array. Rotational measurements of the wind velocity with hotfilm anemometers attached to rotating blades are shown to be accurate and practical for research on winds at the blades of wind turbines. Some measurements at the rotor blade of a MOD-2 turbine using the hotfilm technique in a pilot research program are shown. They are compared and contrasted to the expectations based upon application of the PNL theory of rotationally sampled wind to the MOD-2 size and rotation rate but without teeter, blade bending, or rotor induction accounted for. Finally, the importance of temperature layering and of wind modifications due to flow over complex terrain is demonstrated by the use of hotfilm anemometer data, and meteorological tower and acoustic doppler sounder data from the MOD-2 site at Goodnoe Hills, Washington.

Connell, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Discovery of a candidate old, isolated neutron star in the field of a galactic cirrus cloud

New x-ray optical, and radio observations of the bright, unidentified x-ray source MS 0317.7-6647 are presented suggesting that this source is a likely compact stellar remnant. As part of the Einstein Extended Medium Sensivity Survey, this source was discovered serendipitously in the Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter pointing towards the nearby (4.5 Mpc) spiral galaxy NGC 1313. The very high x-ray to optical flux ratio, pointlike ROSAT HRI detection, and extremely soft component in the x-ray spectrum of MS 0317.7-6647 eliminate all the usual classes of optical counterparts to faint x-ray sources except for a very massive x-ray binary (and black hole candidate) in NGC 1313, a nearby, companionless pulsar similar to Geminga, or a very nearby ( approximately 100 pc) isolated, old neutron star slowly accreting interstellar matter onto its magnetic poles. The presence of an IR cirrus cloud which shadows the approximately 0.25 keV x-ray background in this direction supports the latter possibilty.

Stocke, John T.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Calibration of the NEAR XRS Solar Monitor

The NEAR-Shoemaker X-ray spectrometer measured elemental abundance ratios for six elements (Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Fe) on the surface of 433 Eros by remote-sensing x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (1,2). The fluorescent x-rays are excited by x-rays from the solar corona. Therefore, accurate knowledge of the incident solar spectrum was critically important to interpreting the fluorescence spectra received by the NEAR detectors in terms of elemental ratios on the asteroid's surface. NEAR, therefore, carried two additional X-ray spectrometers dedicated to monitoring the solar spectrum between 1 and 10 keV. One of these, a Si PIN photodiode, failed prior to orbit insertion. The second consisted of a gas-filled proportional counter similar to the asteroid-pointing detectors, but covered by a graded filter (3) intended to attenuate the incoming solar flux and increase the dynamic range of the detector. Unfortunately, the response of this filter as a function of solar incidence angle was not adequately determined in the laboratory prior to launch. The response function had to be calculated from the assumed properties of the graded filter.

Lim, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Slit Function Measurement of An Imaging Spectrograph Using Fourier Transform Techniques

Knowledge of a spectrograph slit function is necessary to interpret the unresolved lines in an observed spectrum. A theoretical slit function can be calculated from the sizes of the entrance slit, the detector aperture when it functions as an exit slit, the dispersion characteristic of the disperser, and the point spread function of the spectrograph. A measured slit function is preferred to the theoretical one for the correct interpretation of the spectral data. In a scanning spectrometer with a single exit slit, the slit function is easily measured. In a fixed grating/or disperser spectrograph, illuminating the entrance slit with a near monochromatic light from a pre-monochrmator or a tunable laser and varying the wavelength of the incident light can measure the slit function. Even though the latter technique had been used successfully for the slit function measurements, it had been very laborious and it would be prohibitive to an imaging spectrograph or a multi-object spectrograph that has a large field of view. We explore an alternative technique that is manageable for the measurements. In the proposed technique, the imaging spectrograph is used as a detector of a Fourier transform spectrometer. This method can be applied not only to an IR spectrograph but also has a potential to a visible/UV spectrograph including a wedge filter spectrograph. This technique will require a blackbody source of known temperature and a bolometer to characterize the interferometer part of the Fourier Transform spectrometer. This pa?er will describe the alternative slit function measurement technique using a Fourier transform spectrometer.

Park, Hongwoo↗
NASA NTRS2006

Low-gravity Orbiting Research Laboratory Environment Potential Impact on Space Biology Research

One of the major objectives of any orbital space research platform is to provide a quiescent low gravity, preferably a zero gravity environment, to perform fundamental as well as applied research. However, small disturbances exist onboard any low earth orbital research platform. The impact of these disturbances must be taken into account by space research scientists during their research planning, design and data analysis in order to avoid confounding factors in their science results. The reduced gravity environment of an orbiting research platform in low earth orbit is a complex phenomenon. Many factors, among others, such as experiment operations, equipment operation, life support systems and crew activity (if it is a crewed platform), aerodynamic drag, gravity gradient, rotational effects as well as the vehicle structural resonance frequencies (structural modes) contribute to form the overall reduced gravity environment in which space research is performed. The contribution of these small disturbances or accelerations is precisely why the environment is NOT a zero gravity environment, but a reduced acceleration environment. This paper does not discuss other factors such as radiation, electromagnetic interference, thermal and pressure gradient changes, acoustic and CO2 build-up to name a few that affect the space research environment as well, but it focuses solely on the magnitude of the acceleration level found on orbiting research laboratory used by research scientists to conduct space research. For ease of analysis this paper divides the frequency spectrum relevant to most of the space research disciplines into three regimes: a) quasi-steady, b) vibratory and c) transient. The International Space Station is used as an example to illustrate the point. The paper discusses the impact of these three regimes on space biology research and results from space flown experiments are used to illustrate the potential negative impact of these disturbances (accelerations) on space biology research.

Jules, Kenol↗
NASA NTRS2012

GRB 120422A: a Low-Luminosity Gamma-Ray Burst Driven by a Central Engine

GRB 120422A is a low-luminosity gamma-ray burst (GRB) associated with a bright supernova, which distinguishesitself by its relatively short T(sub 90) (approximately 5 s) and an energetic and steep-decaying X-ray tail. We analyze the Swift BurstAlert Telescope and X-ray Telescope data and discuss the physical implications. We show that the steep declineearly in the X-ray light curve can be interpreted as the curvature tail of a late emission episode around 58-86 s,with a curved instantaneous spectrum at the end of the emission episode. Together with the main activity in thefirst 20 s and the weak emission from 40 s to 60 s, the prompt emission is variable, which points to a centralengine origin in contrast to a shock-breakout origin, which is used to interpret some other nearby low-luminosity supernova GRBs. Both the curvature effect model and interpreting the early shallow decay as the coasting externalforward shock emission in a wind medium provide a constraint on the bulk Lorentz factor to be around several.Comparing the properties ofGRB 120422A and other supernova GRBs,we find that themain criterion to distinguish engine-driven GRBs from shock-breakout GRBs is the time-averaged -ray luminosity. Engine-driven GRBs likelyhave a luminosity above approximately 10(sup 48) erg s(sup -1).

engine↗
NASA NTRS2018

Hydrodynamic Modeling of Solar Acoustic Wave Propagation

Acoustic waves in the sun are separated into two categories: global and local. Global oscillations are excited through convection, and resonate in the solar interior. As with all resonant media, propagation of these acoustic waves is limited to specific frequencies for a given wavenumber. These modes are easily distinguished in 1-v diagrams, such as in figure 1. Global modes dominate the spectrum in the 2-5 mHz range. Local oscillations, so-called "sunquakes", are usually excited by particularly strong flares and can be observed as ring-shaped waves propagating away from the point of impact. The propagation is best displayed in a time-distance diagram, where a slit passing from the source to some distance away. Distance is displayed on the x-axis, and the time-series is plotted along the y-axis; an example is shown in figure 1, showing the sunquake induced by the Sept 2017 X-class flare.

Hydrodynamic↗
NASA NTRS1995

Dissecting the EUV spectrum of Capella

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of Capella, obtained at various orbital phases over the past two years by the EUVE satellite, show strong emission lines from a continuous distribution of temperatures (approximately 10(exp 5 -10(exp 7.3) K). In addition to the strong He II lambda 303.8, the spectra are dominated by emission lines of highly ionized iron. Strong lines of Fe IX, XV, XVI, and XVIII-XXIV are used to construct emission measure distributions for the individual pointings, which show several striking features, including a minimum near 10(exp 6) K and a local maximum at 10(exp 6.8) K. Furthermore, intensities of the highest temperature lines (Te is greater than 10(exp 7) K) show variations (factors of 2-3) at different orbital phases, while the lower temperature Fe lines show variations of about 30% or less. The low variability of most of the strong low temperature features motivates a detailed analysis of the summed spectrum. With approximately 280 ksec of total exposure time, we have measured over 200 emission features with S/N greater than or equal to 3.0 in the summed spectrum. We report here initial results from the analysis of this spectrum. We can now identify lines of Fe VIII and X-XIV, as well as a number of electron density and abundance diagnostic lines. We also report here the first direct measurement of the continuum flux around approximately 100 A in a cool star atmosphere with EUVE. The continuum flux can be predicted from the emission measure model based on Fe line emission, and demonstrates that the Fe/H abundance ratio is dose to the solar photospheric value.

Brickhouse, Nancy S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

X Persei: The X-Ray Halo and Spectrum of a High-Latitude X-Ray Binary

The observations were completed on February 25,2003. Although the source was in the FOV for 31.4 ksec, only 18.2 ksec of data were usable due to a strong flare in the first part of the observations. We have extracted the X-ray halo from the good portion of the data, and were then faced with the problem of calibrating the far-off-axis point spread function, which is needed only for X-ray halo analysis; the same problem affected Chandra halo observations. We used data from 3C273, MCG 6-30-15, LMC X-1, and Her X-1 to measure the PSF, and found that it is reasonably well fit with a power law of the form PSF(theta) = A theta^-G, where A = 0.0034 arcmin^-2, and G = 3.05 for energies between 1-4 keV. This suggests there are fewer large dust grains along the When fitting the spectrum of X Persei, we found NH = 3e21 cm^-2, as expected. However, the X-ray halo (using a Mathis, Rumpl, Nordsieck 1977 dust model) required at most a column density of 1.4+/-0.1 e21 cm^-2; other models required sightline to X Per than would have been expected. In addition, a smoothly distributed dust model fit the observations better than a single cloud model, also against our expectations. We are in the process of writing a paper to be submitted to ApJ with these results, and will also present them at the 2004 HEAD meeting in New Orleans.

Mushotzky, Richard↗