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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

Seasonal Assessment and Classification of Aerosols Transported to Lahore Using AERONET and MODIS Deep Blue Retrievals

Daily measurements of aerosol optical depth (𝜏) and Ångstrom wavelength exponent (𝛼) acquired from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) are analysed over Lahore - an urban city of Pakistan (period: 2010-2014) to investigate contribution of different types of aerosols originating from both local and regional source locations. The obtained annual averages (mean+/-standard deviation) for AERONET retrievals of 𝜏 (500 nm) and 𝛼 (440-870 nm) are 0.68+/-0.37 (0.08-2.91) and 0.99+/-0.33 (0-1.8), respectively. Of all the sources, 61% are found within Pakistan, 11% in India, 19% in Afghanistan, 6% in Iran and 2% in Saudi Arabia with seasonal contributions of 35, 25, 23 and 17% in pre-monsoon, monsoon, winter and post-monsoon, respectively. The bimodal distributions of 𝛼 show dominance of coarse-mode particles during pre-monsoon, fine-mode particles during post-monsoon and presence of both coarse-mode and fine-mode particles during winter and monsoon with winter showing more fine-mode particles. Two broad classes of aerosols namely desert dust (DD) and biomass burning/urban industrial (BU) are identified with criteria, e.g. 𝜏 ≥0.3 and 𝛼 ≤0.75 indicating presence of DD while 𝜏 ≥0.2 and 𝛼 ≥1.15 indicating BU. The frequency of occurrence (FOO) of DD and BU aerosols is further identified by applying classification criteria over Aqua-MODIS deep blue retrievals. The FOO identifies anthropogenic activity on-going throughout the year, disrupted with DD aerosols only during pre-monsoon and monsoon. The maximum dust activity is seen over Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) (localized maxima: 35-45%) and the Arabian peninsula (>55%) during pre-monsoon, while maximum BU aerosols are found over IGP, central and south-eastern plains of India and the state of Gujarat (localized maxima: >70%) in winter and post-monsoon.

Zafar, Qudsia↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neural network-based classification and regression of magnetohydrodynamic modes in tokamaks

We present a machine learning-based magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) classifier and regressor that utilizes real or complex-valued 3D magnetic sensor array data to determine neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) onset times in tokamaks with millisecond accuracy. The input dataset consists of poloidal profiles of complex Fourier amplitudes with an n = 1 toroidal mode number from 144 human-labeled ITER Baseline Scenario discharges in the DIII-D tokamak, spanning both tearing-dominated and sawtooth-dominated regimes. Since m, n = 2,1 NTMs frequently emerge alongside sawteeth at the same frequency in this scenario, the focus is on isolating the m = 1 and m = 2 components of the n = 1 MHD mode near the tearing onset. To improve model regularization and prediction stability, singular value decomposition was applied to balance the sawtooth and tearing datasets. The enriched datasets facilitated training neural networks that learn the key distinguishing features of sawtooth and tearing modes in the poloidal profiles of their magnetic amplitude and phase. When the modes occur independently, the networks achieve perfect classification due to the modes’ distinct characteristics and low measurement noise. In the more experimentally relevant case where both modes coexist, the networks maintain exceptional performance across key metrics. Tests on synthetic data with known ground truth demonstrate the superior accuracy of the neural network trained on complex-valued input compared to models using real amplitude, phase, or pseudo-complex data, achieving both a mean time delay and standard deviation below 1 ms. Notably, standard linear regression methods fitting the dominant singular modes to the data closely match the neural network’s performance. Applying these methods across a broad range of H-mode scenarios will enable future studies to systematically identify dominant NTM triggers as scenario-specific variables, paving the way for more effective tearing mode avoidance strategies in future fusion reactor designs.

machine learning↗
NASA NTRS1986

Mesoscale waves as a probe of Jupiter's deep atmosphere

Search of the Voyager images of Jupiter reveals a class of mesoscale waves occurring near the extrema of the zonal velocity profile between latitudes 30 deg S and 30 deg N. The average horizontal wavelength is 300 km, compared to an atmospheric scale height of 20 km; the standard deviation about the mean is only 20 percent. The alignment of most wave trains is nearly zonal, i.e., wave crests are north-south. A typical wave packet is 20 wave crests in length and 1300 km wide. Modeling shows that the waves propagate in a duct below the ammonia condensation level (the visible clouds). For selection of one dominant mode, the Richardson number in the duct must be of order unity; this is the first quantitative determination that has ever been made of the stability of Jupiter's atmosphere below its clouds. The duct is topped by a trapping layer, the ammonia clouds, where the Richardson number is less than 0.25. Meridional trapping of the wave packets is due to the shear in the zonal wind. It is speculated that the period of the waves is diurnal and that they do not propagate poleward of latitudes + or - 30 deg because the Coriolis frequency exceeds the duct Brunt frequency. The waves might be excited by diurnal variations of moist convective activity in the ammonia clouds.

Flasar, F. M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and characterization of a single-channel microwave interferometer for the Helicon Physics Prototype eXperiment

A heterodyne interferometer for measuring the plasma electron density in Helicon Physics Prototype eXperiment (HPPX) has been developed and characterized in the laboratory. The heterodyne-type interferometer uses a probing beam of 85 GHz and a reference beam of 85.7 GHz by using two Gunn oscillators for facilitating frequency modulation. The cutoff density for this frequency is 8.96 x 10 19 m –3 that is much higher than the nominal electron density of the HPPX plasmas. The maximum deflection angle due to the refraction effect is estimated to be 0.63° assuming a parabolic electron density profile, and the impact on the measurement is negligible for the plasmas with a size of 100 mm. Two identical HDPE lenses act as the vacuum windows, and the lenses working together with the transmitter and receiver horns, form a beam with the beam waist of about 20 mm located at the plasma center. The characterization results of the lens and the critical microwave components show good performance. The plasma electron density measurement results are in line with the expectation. Furthermore, the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the measurement is defined as SNR = 20lg($\bar{n}_{e}$/S), where $\bar{n}_{e}$ and S are respectively the average electron density and the standard deviation of the signal, and the SNR is 80 dB. Finally, this demonstrates the system's capability of providing a clear and detailed density resolution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Overview of interpretive modelling of fusion performance in JET DTE2 discharges with TRANSP

In the paper we present an overview of interpretive modelling of a database of JET-ILW 2021 D-T discharges using the TRANSP code. The main aim is to assess our capability of computationally reproducing the fusion performance of various D-T plasma scenarios using different external heating and D-T mixtures, and to understand the performance driving mechanisms. We find that interpretive simulations confirm a general power-law relationship between increasing external heating power and fusion output, which is supported by absolutely calibrated neutron yield measurements. A comparison of measured and computed D-T neutron rates shows that the calculations' discrepancy depends on the absolute neutron yield. The calculations are found to agree well with measurements for higher performing discharges with external heating power above ~20 MW, while low-neutron shots display an average discrepancy of around +40% compared to measured neutron yields. A similar trend is found for the ratio between thermal and beam-target fusion, where larger discrepancies are seen in shots with dominant beam-driven performance. We compare the observations to studies of JET-ILW D discharges, to find that on average the fusion performance is well modelled over a range of heating power, although an increased unsystematic deviation for lower-performing shots is observed. The ratio between thermal and beam-induced D-T fusion is found to be increasing weakly with growing external heating power, with a maximum value of ≳1 achieved in a baseline scenario experiment. An evaluation of the fusion power computational uncertainty shows a strong dependence on the plasma scenario type and fusion drive characteristics, varying between ±25% and 35%. D-T fusion alpha simulations show that the ratio between volume-integrated electron and ion heating from alphas is ≲10 for the majority of analysed discharges. Alphas are computed to contribute between ~15% and 40% to the total electron heating in the core of highest performing D-T discharges. An alternative workflow to TRANSP was employed to model JET D-T plasmas with the highest fusion yield and dominant non-thermal fusion component because of the use of fundamental radio-frequency heating of a large minority in the scenario, which is calculated to have provided ~10% to the total fusion power.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2008

Compact, Highly Stable Ion Atomic Clock

A mercury-ion clock now at the breadboard stage of development (see figure) has a stability comparable to that of a hydrogen-maser clock: In tests, the clock exhibited an Allan deviation of between 2 x 10(exp -13) and 3 x 10(exp -13) at a measurement time of 1 second, averaging to about 10(exp -15) at 1 day. However, the clock occupies a volume of only about 2 liters . about a hundredth of the volume of a hydrogen-maser clock. The ion-handling parts of the apparatus are housed in a sealed vacuum tube, wherein only a getter pump is used to maintain the vacuum. Hence, this apparatus is a prototype of a generation of small, potentially portable high-precision clocks for diverse ground- and space-based navigation and radio science applications. Furthermore, this new ion-clock technology is about 100 times more stable and precise than the rubidium atomic clocks currently in use in the NAV STAR GPS Earth-orbiting satellites. In this clock, mercury ions are shuttled between a quadrupole and a 16-pole linear radio-frequency trap. In the quadrupole trap, the ions are tightly confined and optical state selection from a Hg-202 radio-frequency-discharge ultraviolet lamp is carried out. In the 16-pole trap, the ions are more loosely confined and atomic transitions resonant at frequency of about 40.507 GHz are interrogated by use of a microwave beam at that frequency. The trapping of ions effectively eliminates the frequency pulling caused by wall collisions inherent to gas-cell clocks. The shuttling of the ions between the two traps enables separation of the state-selection process from the clock microwave- resonance process, so that each of these processes can be optimized independently of the other. The basic ion-shuttling, two-trap scheme as described thus far is not new: it has been the basis of designs of prior larger clocks. The novelty of the present development lies in major redesigns of its physics package (the ion traps and the vacuum and optical subsystems) to effect the desired reduction of size to a volume of no more than a couple of liters. The redesign effort has included selection of materials for the vacuum tube, ion trap, and ultraviolet windows that withstand bakeout at a temperature of approx.450 C in preparation for sealing the tube to contain the vacuum. This part of the redesign effort follows the approach taken in the development of such other vacuum-tube electronic components as flight traveling- wave-tube amplifiers having operational and shelf lives as long as 15 years. The redesign effort has also included a thorough study of residual-gas-induced shifts of the ion-clock frequency and a study of alternative gases as candidates for use as a buffer gas within the sealed tube. It has been found that neon is more suitable than is helium, which has been traditionally used for this purpose, in that the pressure-induced frequency pulling by neon is between a third and a half of that of helium. In addition, because neon diffuses through solids much more slowly than does helium, the loss of neon by diffusion over the operational lifetime is expected to be negligible.

Prestage, John↗
NASA NTRS1979

T and F comparisons via broadcasting satellite and navigation technology satellite

The preliminary time/frequency dissemination experiments were made using the BSE. In order to establish the technique of the doppler shift canceling, the phase control servo including the satellite link and the precompensating frequency control using the measured values or using the orbital data of the satellite are tested. The amount of the residual doppler shift at the control station can be reduced to the order of 1 part in 10 to the 12th power or less by use of the first and the second methods. The method using the orbit data is expected to give a control capability of a few parts in 10 to 11th power. Thus, the maximum value of the doppler shift at the farther most place of the country is estimated to be + or - 2 x 10 to the -10 power without any correction. The experiment of the international time comparison via the NTS 1 was made for about one year since October 1978. The data of time difference between UTC(USNO) and UTC(RRL) are in good agreement with those via the portable clock of the USNO. By applying the correction for ionospheric delay the standard deviation of the data can be reduced to about one-half.

Saburi, Y.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Characterizing DSN System Frequency Stability with Spacecraft Tracking Data

This paper describes a recent effort in characterizing frequency stability performance of the ground system in the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN). Unlike the traditional approach where performance is obtained from special calibration sessions that are both time consuming and require manual setup, the new method taps into the daily spacecraft tracking data. This method significantly increases the amount of data available for analysis, roughly by two orders of magnitude; making it possible to conduct trend analysis with reasonable confidence. Since the system is monitored daily, any significant variation in performance can be detected timely. This helps the DSN maintain its performance commitment to customers.

performance analysis↗
DOE OSTI2026

Characterizing core and edge turbulence regimes with fluctuation imaging diagnostics in Wendelstein 7-X

Two density fluctuation imaging systems, phase contrast imaging (PCI) and gas puff imaging (GPI) measure spatially resolved density fluctuations with high time resolution throughout the core plasma (PCI) and in the scrape-off layer (GPI) of the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. Both systems combined give a comprehensive overview of overall fluctuation levels, spectral properties such as their distribution in frequency and wavenumber space as well as their spatial distribution. These tools are used to assess changes in density turbulence in three representative discharges that transition into stable divertor detachment by different strategies (impurity seeding, density ramping and power starvation). Several general trends are identified when the radiated power fraction is systematically increased: In the plasma edge, the line emission observed by GPI shifts radially inward with a drop in electron temperature, and normalized intensity fluctuation profiles follow this inward shift. Skewness and kurtosis of these edge fluctuations are reduced, indicating a reduction of large intermittent transport events, and poloidal phase velocities decrease in magnitude. These observations are consistent with a reduced power input into the plasma edge and a general reduction of turbulent activity. Core density fluctuation levels remain nearly constant in the impurity seeding scenario, indicating that detachment does not significantly impact turbulence there. However, a strong reduction in the dominant outboard fluctuation phase velocity is observed that deviates from the previous interpretation of neoclassical radial electric field changes, showing that the core plasma is not completely unaffected. In the density ramp and power starvation scenarios, undesirable and irregular large-scale events arise clearly in both diagnostic systems as the radiative fraction is increased. Impurity seeding therefore seems to be a promising strategy on W7-X to achieve detachment without significantly altering core turbulence, especially when targeting a specific operating point in core density and heating power.

Wendelstein 7-X↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mitigation of ICRF—edge plasma interaction in Alcator C-Mod

The parasitic interaction between ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) waves and the edge plasma has long limited high-power ICRF utilization in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. In this paper, we report on the successful mitigation of this interaction by power tapering a four-strap field-aligned (FA) antenna in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. With the antenna operated in dipole phasing ($0\pi0\pi$), the ratio of the power coupled by the central two straps ($P_\mathrm {cent}$) to the power coupled by the outer two straps was varied at fixed total coupled ICRF power ($P_\mathrm {tot}$). With $P_\mathrm {cent}$/$P_\mathrm {tot} \approx 0.8-0.9$, no enhancement of the plasma potential was measured despite 1 MW of coupled ICRF power. When the antenna is powered, energy deposition increases on its four corners and on neighboring limiter tiles magnetically connected to some of those corners. The energy deposited on the antenna and limiter is minimized together with near-field plasma potentials. Additionally, we show that deviation from $P_\mathrm {cent}$/$P_\mathrm {tot} \approx 0.8$ enhances wave-plasma interactions in places not magnetically connected to the antenna. These far-field effects are correlated with changes in the antenna spectrum. Hence, on C-Mod, near-field and far-field interactions were minimized for about the same range of $P_\mathrm {cent}$/$P_\mathrm {tot}$. Optimal power tapering was also found to improve ICRF heating efficiency and facilitate H-mode access. Finally, we show that the heat flux pattern on the toroidally aligned antennas reverses with the direction of the RF-induced E×B flow in front of the antenna, a correlation not observed for the FA antenna. We argue that the RF-induced E×B flow, which carries high-density plasma from the near-SOL, is aligned with the FA antenna and does not intercept its corners, where the plasma potential is large. This could explain the previously reported smaller impurity generation by the FA antenna (Wukitch et al 2013 Phys. Plasmas 20 056117).

Alcator C-Mod↗
NASA NTRS2001

Interaction of the body, head, and eyes during walking and turning

Body, head, and eye movements were measured in five subjects during straight walking and while turning corners. The purpose was to determine how well the head and eyes followed the linear trajectory of the body in space and whether head orientation followed changes in the gravito-inertial acceleration vector (GIA). Head and body movements were measured with a video-based motion analysis system and horizontal, vertical, and torsional eye movements with video-oculography. During straight walking, there was lateral body motion at the stride frequency, which was at half the frequency of stepping. The GIA oscillated about the direction of heading, according to the acceleration and deceleration associated with heel strike and toe flexion, and the body yawed in concert with stepping. Despite the linear and rotatory motions of the head and body, the head pointed along the forward motion of the body during straight walking. The head pitch/roll component appeared to compensate for vertical and horizontal acceleration of the head rather than orienting to the tilt of the GIA or anticipating it. When turning corners, subjects walked on a 50-cm radius over two steps or on a 200-cm radius in five to seven steps. Maximum centripetal accelerations in sharp turns were ca.0.4 g, which tilted the GIA ca.21 degrees with regard to the heading. This was anticipated by a roll tilt of the head of up to 8 degrees. The eyes rolled 1-1.5 degrees and moved down into the direction of linear acceleration during the tilts of the GIA. Yaw head deviations moved smoothly through the turn, anticipating the shift in lateral body trajectory by as much as 25 degrees. The trunk did not anticipate the change in trajectory. Thus, in contrast to straight walking, the tilt axes of the head and the GIA tended to align during turns. Gaze was stable in space during the slow phases and jumped forward in saccades along the trajectory, leading it by larger angles when the angular velocity of turning was greater. The anticipatory roll head movements during turning are likely to be utilized to overcome inertial forces that would destabilize balance during turning. The data show that compensatory eye, head, and body movements stabilize gaze during straight walking, while orienting mechanisms direct the eyes, head, and body to tilts of the GIA in space during turning.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental studies of 1.5 – 1.6 μm high-power single-frequency semiconductor lasers

High-power semiconductor laser systems based on 1.5 – 1.6 μm single-frequency distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with a sidewall Bragg diffraction grating are developed and their current – voltage, light – current, and spectral characteristics are experimentally studied. The characteristics of conventional lasers with a Fabry – Perot cavity and DFB lasers fabricated from one and the same heterostructure are compared. At a pump current not exceeding 700 mA, a conventional laser with a cavity length of 1.6 mm and a mesa-stripe width of 3 μm emits a power no lower than 200 mW versus 150 mW of the DFB laser; both lasers are mounted in a housing 11 mm in diameter. The DFB laser mounted in a butterfly housing emits a power no lower than 100 mW at the exit of the single-mode cable at a pump current not exceeding 500 mA, which, at a 60 % coupling efficiency, corresponds to a power no lower than 165 mW; the side-mode suppression ratio in this case is no lower than 53 dB. It is shown that the wavelength deviation with changing pump current and temperature is almost an order of magnitude lower for the DFB laser than for the conventional laser. (paper)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2003

Deviation of Long-Period Tides from Equilibrium: Kinematics and Geostrophy

New empirical estimates of the long-period fortnightly (Mf) tide obtained from TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter data confirm significant basin-scale deviations from equilibrium. Elevations in the low-latitude Pacific have reduced amplitude and lag those in the Atlantic by 30 deg or more. These interbasin amplitude and phase variations are robust features that are reproduced by numerical solutions of the shallow-water equations, even for a constant-depth ocean with schematic interconnected rectangular basins. A simplified analytical model for cooscillating connected basins also reproduces the principal features observed in the empirical solutions. This simple model is largely kinematic. Zonally averaged elevations within a simple closed basin would be nearly in equilibrium with the gravitational potential, except for a constant offset required to conserve mass. With connected basins these offsets are mostly eliminated by interbasin mass flux. Because of rotation, this flux occurs mostly in a narrow boundary layer across the mouth and at the western edge of each basin, and geostrophic balance in this zone supports small residual offsets (and phase shifts) between basins. The simple model predicts that this effect should decrease roughly linearly with frequency, a result that is confirmed by numerical modeling and empirical T/P estimates of the monthly (Mm) tidal constituent. This model also explains some aspects of the anomalous nonisostatic response of the ocean to atmospheric pressure forcing at periods of around 5 days.

Egbert, Gary D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Probabilistic Aeroelastic Analysis Developed for Turbomachinery Components

Aeroelastic analyses for advanced turbomachines are being developed for use at the NASA Glenn Research Center and industry. However, these analyses at present are used for turbomachinery design with uncertainties accounted for by using safety factors. This approach may lead to overly conservative designs, thereby reducing the potential of designing higher efficiency engines. An integration of the deterministic aeroelastic analysis methods with probabilistic analysis methods offers the potential to design efficient engines with fewer aeroelastic problems and to make a quantum leap toward designing safe reliable engines. In this research, probabilistic analysis is integrated with aeroelastic analysis: (1) to determine the parameters that most affect the aeroelastic characteristics (forced response and stability) of a turbomachine component such as a fan, compressor, or turbine and (2) to give the acceptable standard deviation on the design parameters for an aeroelastically stable system. The approach taken is to combine the aeroelastic analysis of the MISER (MIStuned Engine Response) code with the FPI (fast probability integration) code. The role of MISER is to provide the functional relationships that tie the structural and aerodynamic parameters (the primitive variables) to the forced response amplitudes and stability eigenvalues (the response properties). The role of FPI is to perform probabilistic analyses by utilizing the response properties generated by MISER. The results are a probability density function for the response properties. The probabilistic sensitivities of the response variables to uncertainty in primitive variables are obtained as a byproduct of the FPI technique. The combined analysis of aeroelastic and probabilistic analysis is applied to a 12-bladed cascade vibrating in bending and torsion. Out of the total 11 design parameters, 6 are considered as having probabilistic variation. The six parameters are space-to-chord ratio (SBYC), stagger angle (GAMA), elastic axis (ELAXS), Mach number (MACH), mass ratio (MASSR), and frequency ratio (WHWB). The cascade is considered to be in subsonic flow with Mach 0.7. The results of the probabilistic aeroelastic analysis are the probability density function of predicted aerodynamic damping and frequency for flutter and the response amplitudes for forced response.

Reddy, T. S. R.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hybrid time–frequency domain dual-probe coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering for simultaneous temperature and pressure measurements in compressible flows via spectral fitting

We demonstrate a hybrid time–frequency spectroscopic method for simultaneous temperature/pressure measurements in nonreacting compressible flows with known gas composition. Hybrid femtosecond–picosecond, pure-rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), with two independent, time-delayed probe pulses, is deployed for single-laser-shot measurements of temperature and pressure profiles along an ∼ <#comment/> 5 -mm line. The theory of dual-probe CARS is presented, along with a discussion of the iterative fitting of experimental spectra. Temperature is obtained from spectra acquired with an early, near-collision-free probe time delay ( τ <#comment/> 1 = 0 p s ) and pressure from spectra obtained at probe delays of τ <#comment/> 2 = 150 − <#comment/> 1000 p s , where collisions significantly impact the spectral profile. Unique solutions for temperature and pressure are obtained by iteratively fitting the two spectra to account for small collisional effects observed for the near zero probe delay spectrum. A dual-probe pure-rotational CARS system, in a 1D line-imaging configuration, is developed to demonstrate effectively the simultaneous temperature and pressure profiles recorded along the axial centerline of a highly underexpanded jet. The underexpanded air jet permits evaluation of this hybrid time–frequency domain approach for temperature and pressure measurements across a wide range of low-temperature–low-pressure conditions of interest in supersonic ground-test facilities. Single-laser-shot measurement precisions in both quantities and pressure measurement accuracy are systematically evaluated in the quiet zone upstream of the Mach disk. Precise thermometry approaching 1%−2% is observed in regions of high CARS signal-to-noise ratios. Pressure measurements are optimized at probe time delays where the ratio of the late probe delay to the Raman lifetime exceeds four ( τ <#comment/> 2 / τ <#comment/> R > <#comment/> 4 ). The impact of low-temperature Raman linewidths on CARS pressure measurements is evaluated, and comparisons of CARS pressures obtained with our recent low-temperature pure-rotational Raman linewidth data and extrapolated high-temperature Q -branch linewidths are presented. Considering all measurements with τ <#comment/> 2 / τ <#comment/> R ≥ <#comment/> 4.0 , measured pressures were on average 7.9% of the computed isentropic values with average shot-to-shot deviations representing a combination of instrument noise and fluid fluctuations of 5.0%.

Retter, Jonathan E.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Prior biosphere model impact on global terrestrial CO2 fluxes estimated from OCO-2 retrievals

This study assesses the impact of different state of the art global biospheric CO2 flux models, when applied as prior information, on inverse model “top-down” estimates of terrestrial CO2 fluxes obtained when assimilating Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) observations. This is done with a series of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) using synthetic CO2 column-average dry air mole fraction (XCO2) retrievals sampled at the OCO-2 satellite spatiotemporal frequency. The OSSEs utilized a 4-D variational (4D-Var) assimilation system with the GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model (CTM) to estimate CO2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE) fluxes using synthetic OCO-2 observations. The impact of biosphere models in inverse model estimates of NEE is quantified by conducting OSSEs using the NASA-CASA, CASA-GFED, SiB-4, and LPJ models as prior estimates and using NEE from the multi-model ensemble mean of the Multiscale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project as the “truth”. Results show that the assimilation of simulated XCO2 retrievals at OCO-2 observing modes over land results in posterior NEE estimates which generally reproduce “true” NEE globally and over terrestrial TransCom-3 regions that are well-sampled. However, we find larger spread among posterior NEE estimates, when using different prior NEE fluxes, in regions and seasons that have limited OCO-2 observational coverage and a large range in “bottom-up” NEE fluxes. Seasonally averaged posterior NEE estimates had standard deviations (SD) of ∼10 % to ∼50 % of the multi-model-mean NEE for different TransCom-3 land regions with significant NEE fluxes (regions/seasons with a NEE flux ≥0.5 PgC/yr). On a global average, the seasonally averaged residual impact of the prior model NEE assumption on the posterior NEE spread is ∼10 %–20 % of the posterior NEE mean. Additional OCO-2 OSSE simulations demonstrate that posterior NEE estimates are also sensitive to the assumed prior NEE flux uncertainty statistics, with spread in posterior NEE estimates similar to those when using variable prior model NEE fluxes. In fact, the sensitivity of posterior NEE estimates to prior error statistics was larger than prior flux values in some regions/times in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere where sufficient OCO-2 data were available and large differences between the prior and truth were evident. Overall, even with the availability of spatiotemporally dense OCO-2 data, noticeable residual differences (up to ∼20 %–30 % globally and 50 % regionally) in posterior NEE flux estimates remain that were caused by the choice of prior model flux values and the specification of prior flux uncertainties.

Sajeev Philip↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modelling the Alfvén eigenmode induced fast-ion flow measured by an imaging neutral particle analyzer

An imaging neutral particle analyzer (INPA) provides energy and radially resolved measurements of the confined fast-ion population ranging from the high-field side to the edge on the midplane of the DIII-D tokamak. In recent experiments, it was used to diagnose fast-ion flow in the INPA-interrogated phase-space driven by multiple, marginally unstable Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs). Here, the key features of this measured fast-ion flow are: (I) a fast-ion flow from q min and the injection energy (81 keV) towards lower energies and plasma periphery.(II) A flow from the same location towards higher energies and the plasma core, (III) a phase-space 'hole' at the injected energy and plasma core and (IV) a pile-up at the plasma core at lower energies (~60 keV). Ad hoc energetic particle diffusivity modelling of TRANSP significantly deviates from the observation. Comparably, a reduced modelling, i.e. a combination of NOVA-K and ASCOT5 code with the measured mode structure and amplitude, generally reproduce some key features of the observed phase-space flow, but largely failed to interpret fast ion depletion near the plasma axis. At last, self-consistent, first-principle multi-phase hybrid simulations that include realistic neutral beam injection and collisions are able to reproduce most features of the time-resolved phase-space flow. During consecutive hybrid phases, an RSAE consistent with the experiment grows and saturates, redistributing the injected fast ions. The resulting synthetic INPA images are in good agreement with the measurement near the injection energy. The simulations track the fast-ion redistribution within the INPA range, confirming that the measured fast-ion flow follows streamlines defined by the intersection of phase-space surfaces of constant magnetic moment μ and constant E' = nE + ωP φ , where n and ω are the instability toroidal mode number and frequency, and E and P φ the ion energy and toroidal canonical momentum. Nonperturbative effects are required to reproduce the depletion of fast ions near the magnetic axis at the injection energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2011

An Overview of the Total Lightning Jump Algorithm: Past, Present and Future Work

Rapid increases in total lightning prior to the onset of severe and hazardous weather have been observed for several decades. These rapid increases are known as lightning jumps and can precede the occurrence of severe weather by tens of minutes. Over the past decade, a significant effort has been made to quantify lightning jump behavior in relation to its utility as a predictor of severe and hazardous weather. Based on a study of 34 thunderstorms that occurred in the Tennessee Valley, early work conducted in our group at Huntsville determined that it was indeed possible to create a reasonable operational lightning jump algorithm (LJA) based on a statistical framework relying on the variance behavior of the lightning trending signal. We the expanded this framework and tested several variance-related LJA configurations on a much larger sample of 87 severe and non severe thunderstorms. This study determined that a configuration named the "2(sigma)" algorithm had the most promise in development of the operational LJA with a probability of detection (POD) of 87%, a false alarm rate (FAR) of 33%, a Heidke Skill Score (HSS) of 0.75. The 2(sigma) algorithm was then tested on an even larger sample of 711 thunderstorms of all types from four regions of the country where total lightning measurement capability existed. The result was very encouraging.Despite the larger number of storms and the inclusion of different regions of the country, the POD remained high (79%), the FAR was low (36%) and HSS was solid (0.71). Average lead time from jump to severe weather occurrence was 20.65 minutes, with a standard deviation of +/- 15 minutes. Also, trends in total lightning were compared to cloud to ground (CG) lightning trends, and it was determined that total lightning trends had a higher POD (79% vs 66%), lower FAR (36% vs 54 %) and a better HSS (0.71 vs 0.55). From the 711-storm case study it was determined that a majority of missed events were due to severe weather producing thunderstorms in low flashing environments. The latest efforts have been geared toward examining these low flashing storms in order to adjust the algorithm for such storms, thus enhancing the capability of the LJA. Future work will test the algorithm in real time using current satellite and radar based cell tracking methods, as well as, comparing total lightning jump occurrence to both satellite based and ground base observations of thunderstorms to create correlations between lightning jumps and the observed structures within thunderstorms. Finally this algorithm will need to be tested using Geostationary Lightning Mapper proxy data to transition the algorithm from VHF ground based lightning measurements to lower frequency space-based lightning measurements.

Schultz, Christopher J.↗