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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 793 records · Page 44

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NASA NTRS1979

HEAO 1 observations of the X-ray pulsar 4U1626-67

Results of an observation of the 7-s pulsar 4U1626-67 with the A2 experiments on HEAO 1 are reported. The phase-averaged X-ray spectra which change radically as a function of pulse phase. Included in this spectral change is the sudden appearance and subsequent decay of a continuum or emission feature with a mean energy of 19 keV which contains about 1/2 the power in this spectral range. Pulse timing results include a new determination of the pulse period and a factor 8 reduction in the upper limit for the light travel time for orbital periods between 1 and 7 hours. The findings for this system are discussed and compared with the general nature of pulsar spectra.

Pravdo, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Portable-Beacon Landing System for Helicopters

Prototype beacon landing system (BLS) allows helicopters to make precise landings in all weather. BLS easily added to existing helicopter avionic equipment and readily deployed at remote sites. Small and light, system employs X-band radar and digital processing. Variety of beams pulsed sequentially by ground station after initial interrogation by weather radar of approaching helicopter. Airborne microprocessor processes pulses to determine glide slope, course deviation, and range.

Davis, Thomas J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Real-time optical image processing techniques

Nonlinear real-time optical processing on spatial pulse frequency modulation has been pursued through the analysis, design, and fabrication of pulse frequency modulated halftone screens and the modification of micro-channel spatial light modulators (MSLMs). Micro-channel spatial light modulators are modified via the Fabry-Perot method to achieve the high gamma operation required for non-linear operation. Real-time nonlinear processing was performed using the halftone screen and MSLM. The experiments showed the effectiveness of the thresholding and also showed the needs of higher SBP for image processing. The Hughes LCLV has been characterized and found to yield high gamma (about 1.7) when operated in low frequency and low bias mode. Cascading of two LCLVs should also provide enough gamma for nonlinear processing. In this case, the SBP of the LCLV is sufficient but the uniformity of the LCLV needs improvement. These include image correlation, computer generation of holograms, pseudo-color image encoding for image enhancement, and associative-retrieval in neural processing. The discovery of the only known optical method for dynamic range compression of an input image in real-time by using GaAs photorefractive crystals is reported. Finally, a new architecture for non-linear multiple sensory, neural processing has been suggested.

Liu, Hua-Kuang↗

NASA NTRS1992

Measuring Hydrogen Plumes With Raman Lidar

Prototype Raman lidar system measures concentration of hydrogen gas in atmosphere as function of position, with range resolution of 3 ft over 3,000 ft. Sensitive to concentrations smaller than 0.5 percent, 10 times below minimum flammable concentration. Pulsed ultraviolet laser beam excites Raman emissions from molecules to be detected. Backscattered light collected by telescope, filtered at appropriate wavelengths, and sent to photodetectors. Developed for use as safety monitor, and to study dispersion of hydrogen gas leaking into atmosphere.

Caputo, Bernard↗

NASA NTRS1993

Rapid oscillations in cataclysmic variables. IX - BG Canis Minoris (=3A 0729+103)

Results of a 10-yr photometric program on BG Canis Minoris, a novalike variable distinguished by the presence of a strictly coherent 913-s wave in its light curve, are presented. Long-term ephemerides for the orbital clock, which manifests itself through a 3.2-h light modulation, and the 913-s clock, are presented. The light curve exhibits a persistent 0.3 mag modulation at a period consistent with the 3.2-h spectroscopic period. Well-distributed timings of the orbital minima prove that the period is 0.1347486 day. It is inferred from the shape of the waveform and from the existence of X-ray dips with a sharp energy dependence that the modulation is caused by absorption. Power spectra of the nightly light curves show variable secondary features, in addition to the regular 913-s pulse. The 913-s period, presumably the first harmonic of the true white-dwarf spin period, is decreasing by 0.0022 s/yr.

Patterson, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS1997

Improved Optical Techniques for Studying Sonic and Supersonic Injection into MACH-3 Flow. Video Supplement E-10853-V

This video supplements a report examining optical techniques for studying sonic and supersonic injection into MACH-3 flow The study used an injection-seeded, frequency doubled ND:YAG pulsed laser to illuminate a transverse section of the injectant plume. Rayleigh scattered light was passed through an iodine absorption cell to suppress stray laser light and was imaged onto a cooled CCD camera. The scattering was based on condensation of water vapor in the injectant flow. High speed shadowgraph flow visualization images were obtained with several video camera systems. Roof and floor static pressure data are presented several ways for the three configurations of injection designs with and without helium and/or air injection into Mach 3 flow.

Buggele, A. E.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of liquid

Chemical composition of liquid phase samples is determined based on laser induced ablation spectroscopy of droplets. An aerosol jet comprising a carrier gas and liquid phase sample droplets, less than about 10 microns in diameter, is formed. An emissive plasma plume is generated from the sample droplets using a pulsed laser to deposit energy at a focal point in the aerosol jet. Light from the plasma plume is gathered with a concave mirror and focused into one end of a fiber optic lightguide. The lightguide can transmit spectral emissions from the plume to a spectrometer/detector which can send wavelength and intensity values to a computer. The computer is operable to determine a liquid sample composition based on the wavelength and intensity values.

Bol'shakov, Alexander A.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Mid-infrared Pulsed Upconversion Imaging in a Rotating Detonation Combustor

To meet the challenges associated with performing mid-InfraRed (IR) imaging in Rotating Detonation Combustors (RDCs), a novel pulsed mid-IR UpConversion Imaging (UCI) diagnostic has been implemented. UCI is an alternative to direct mid-IR detection that uses nonlinear optical frequency mixing to shift mid-IR wavelengths carrying a target image to shorter wavelengths that can be imaged with high-performance silicon-based CCD/CMOS cameras. This approach offers several favorable properties including high spectral selectivity, high temporal resolution, and superior low-light detectivity. A hydrogen-air research RDC was operated with carbon dioxide addition to allow pulsed UCI imaging of mid-IR luminosity within the combustion channel from spontaneous thermal emissions. The resulting measurements demonstrate high spatiotemporal resolution capable of imaging small structures near the supersonically propagating detonation wave front. The results show how this technique can be used to observe sharp gradients and millimeter-scale structures in the high-temperature, high-pressure zones RDC flow fields.

White, Logan W.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A photon-counting photodiode array detector for far ultraviolet (FUV) astronomy

A compact, stable, single-stage intensified photodiode array detector designed for photon-counting, far ultraviolet astronomy applications employs a saturable, 'C'-type MCP (Galileo S. MCP 25-25) to produce high gain pulses with a narrowly peaked pulse height distribution. The P-20 output phosphor exhibits a very short decay time, due to the high current density of the electron pulses. This intensifier is being coupled to a self-scanning linear photodiode array which has a fiber optic input window which allows direct, rigid mechanical coupling with minimal light loss. The array was scanned at a 250 KHz pixel rate. The detector exhibits more than adequate signal-to-noise ratio for pulse counting and event location.

Hartig, G. F.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Photon counting photodiode array detector for far ultraviolet (FUV) astronomy

Hartig, G. F.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Reducing Methane Emissions with an Engine Fuel Reformer

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) designed and demonstrated a compact, plasma-based fuel reformer designed to reduce methane leaks from natural-gas engines used in pipeline compression and industrial power applications. The system uses pulsed electrical discharges to convert a small portion of methane (CH4) into hydrogen (H2) and light hydrocarbons, promoting more complete combustion and reducing unburned methane in the exhaust. The reformer was evaluated through bench-scale testing, high-flow facility testing, and engine-integration testing on representative low-speed and high-speed natural-gas engines. Measured methane-leak reductions ranged from 1 to 27 percent, depending on engine type and operating condition, while reformer energy consumption remained below one percent of total engine output. Design refinements addressed thermal and electrical challenges, resulting in reliable operation with minimal impact on engine control systems. The project achieved all performance objectives within budget and schedule, produced a patentable pulsed-power system design, and established a scalable, energy-efficient pathway for mitigating methane leaks from existing natural-gas engine infrastructure.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Pulse Radiolysis Investigation of Radicals Derived from Water-Soluble Cyanine Dyes: Implications for Super-resolution Microscopy

Light-induced blinking, an inherent feature of many forms of super-resolution microscopy, has been linked to transient reduction of the fluorescent cyanine dye used as an imaging agent. There is, however, only scant literature information related to one-electron reduced cyanine dyes, especially in an aqueous environment. Here, we examine a small series of cyanine dyes, possessing disparate π-conjugation lengths, under selective reducing or oxidizing conditions. The experiment allows recording of both differential absorption spectra and decay kinetics of the resultant one-electron reduced or oxidized transient species in water. Relative to the ground state, absorption transitions for the various radicals are weak and somewhat broadened but do allow correlation with the π-conjugation length. In all cases, absorption maxima lie to the blue of the main ground-state transition. Under anaerobic conditions, the transient species decay on the microsecond to millisecond time scale, with the mean lifetime depending on molecular structure, radiation dose, and dye concentration. The experimental absorption spectra recorded for the one-electron reduced radicals and the presumed dimer cation radical compare well to spectra obtained from time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, the results allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the plausibility of the reduced species being responsible for light-induced blinking in direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1996

Laser-Induced Incandescence: Detection Issues

Experimental LII (laser-induced incandescence) measurements were performed in a laminar gasjet flame to test the sensitivity of different LII signal collection strategies to particle size. To prevent introducing a particle size dependent bias in the LII signal, signal integration beginning with the excitation laser pulse is necessary . Signal integration times extending to 25 or 100 nsec after the laser pulse do not produce significant differences in radial profiles of the LII signal due to particle size effects with longer signal integration times revealing a decreased sensitivity to smaller primary particles. Long wavelength detection reduces the sensitivity of the LII signal to primary particle size. Excitation of LII using 1064 nm light is recommended to avoid creating photochemical interferences thus allowing LII signal collection to occur during the excitation pulse without spectral interferences.

VanderWal, Randall L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Megahertz pulse trains enable multi-hit serial femtosecond crystallography experiments at X-ray free electron lasers

The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) II are extremely intense sources of X-rays capable of generating Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SFX) data at megahertz (MHz) repetition rates. Previous work has shown that it is possible to use consecutive X-ray pulses to collect diffraction patterns from individual crystals. Here, we exploit the MHz pulse structure of the European XFEL to obtain two complete datasets from the same lysozyme crystal, first hit and the second hit, before it exits the beam. The two datasets, separated by <1 µs, yield up to 2.1 Å resolution structures. Comparisons between the two structures reveal no indications of radiation damage or significant changes within the active site, consistent with the calculated dose estimates. This demonstrates MHz SFX can be used as a tool for tracking sub-microsecond structural changes in individual single crystals, a technique we refer to as multi-hit SFX.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2021

Pulse Energy and Pulse Duration Effects in the Ionization and Fragmentation of Iodomethane by Ultraintense Hard X Rays

The interaction of intense femtosecond x-ray pulses with molecules sensitively depends on the interplay between multiple photoabsorptions, Auger decay, charge rearrangement, and nuclear motion. Here, we report on a combined experimental and theoretical study of the ionization and fragmentation of iodomethane (CH 3 I) by ultraintense (~10 19 W/cm 2 ) x-ray pulses at 8.3 keV, demonstrating how these dynamics depend on the x-ray pulse energy and duration. We show that the timing of multiple ionization steps leading to a particular reaction product and, thus, the product’s final kinetic energy, is determined by the pulse duration rather than the pulse energy or intensity. While the overall degree of ionization is mainly defined by the pulse energy, our measurement reveals that the yield of the fragments with the highest charge states is enhanced for short pulse durations, in contrast to earlier observations for atoms and small molecules in the soft x-ray domain. Finally, we attribute this effect to a decreased charge transfer efficiency at larger internuclear separations, which are reached during longer pulses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Enhanced quantum radiation with flying-focus laser pulses

The emission of a photon by an electron in an intense laser field is one of the most fundamental processes in electrodynamics and underlies the many applications that utilize high-energy photon beams. This process is typically studied for electrons colliding head-on with a stationary-focus laser pulse. Here, we show that the energy lost by electrons in the quantum regime and the yield of emitted photons can be substantially increased by replacing a stationary-focus pulse with an equal-energy flying-focus pulse whose focus co-propagates with the electrons. Furthermore, these advantages of the flying focus result from the energy loss and the photon yield scaling more favorably with the interaction time than the laser intensity in the quantum regime, with the latter also holding in the classical regime. Monte Carlo simulations of electrons colliding with equal-energy stationary and flying-focus laser pulses demonstrate these advantages.

Compton scattering↗

DOE OSTI2023

Calibration of a compact ASIC-based data acquisition system for neutron/$γ$ discrimination and spectroscopy with organic scintillators

Segmented neutron detectors that use silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are receiving significant attention in nuclear security applications. Some of these detectors employ hundreds of channels and would therefore benefit from the use of high-channel-density and low-cost-per-channel data acquisition (DAQ) systems. Candidate DAQ systems that meet these requirements exist, but few perform full waveform digitization, which permits neutron and gamma-ray interaction discrimination via pulse shape. In this work, we study the performance of the TOFPET2 (PETsys Electronics), an ASIC-based DAQ designed for positron emission tomography, which has been adapted to provide sensitivity to pulse shape by the use of variable-period charge integration. We use a light-emitting diode to calibrate a combination of an ON Semiconductor (SensL) 60035-64P J-Series SiPM and TOPFET2 DAQ and evaluate the linearity of their response and dynamic range. Here, the calibration curve was obtained by comparing the DAQ response to that measured with a photodiode interfaced with a traditional waveform digitizer. This calibration process was used for rudimentary spectroscopy of various neutron and sources.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2023

Intrinsic 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ phase induced in atomically thin 2 H -MoTe 2 by a single terahertz pulse

The polymorphic transition from 2H to 1${T}^{{\prime} }$-MoTe 2 , which was thought to be induced by high-energy photon irradiation among many other means, has been intensely studied for its technological relevance in nanoscale transistors due to the remarkable improvement in electrical performance. However, it remains controversial whether a crystalline 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ phase is produced because optical signatures of this putative transition are found to be associated with the formation of tellurium clusters instead. Here we demonstrate the creation of an intrinsic 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ lattice after irradiating a mono- or few-layer 2H-MoTe 2 with a single field-enhanced terahertz pulse. Unlike optical pulses, the low terahertz photon energy limits possible structural damages. We further develop a single-shot terahertz-pump-second-harmonic-probe technique and reveal a transition out of the 2H-phase within 10 ns after photoexcitation. Our results not only provide important insights to resolve the long-standing debate over the light-induced polymorphic transition in MoTe 2 but also highlight the unique capability of strong-field terahertz pulses in manipulating quantum materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗