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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Two classes of solar energetic particle events associated with impulsive and long duration soft X-ray flares

Solar energetic particle events observed in space have different properties depending on the class of associated flare. Impulsive flares, which occur low in the corona in regions of high energy density, are associated with particle events which are deficient in protons. These events are rarely associated with coronal mass ejections and interplanetary shocks. The vast majority of large, high energy proton events are associated with long duration flares, many of which are also associated with fast coronal mass ejections and strong interplanetary shocks. Such flare events originate relatively high in the corona.

Cane, H. V.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The collection and analysis of extraterrestrial dust particles

Techniques used for the collection of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) from the earth's surface, upper atmosphere, and space and for the particles' curation and examination are discussed together with the properties of the collected IDPs and the information available on the interplanetary and interstellar dust from astronomical observations. Consideration is given to the physical and spectral properties of chondritic IDPs as well as of nonchondritic Al- and Ca-rich particles of extraterrestrial origin. Special attention is given to the determination of the sources of the extraterrestrial particles by spectral comparisons with meteorites, asteroids, and comets and by examination of the solar flare track densities within mineral grains in the IDPs. A spectral comparison with interstellar spectra revealed common features supporting the belief that some of the collected IDPs contain 'primitive' components that date back to the origin of the solar system and perhaps beyond.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Inference of Ice Cloud Properties from High-spectral Resolution Infrared Observations

The theoretical basis is explored for inferring the microphysical properties of ice crystal from high-spectral resolution infrared observations. A radiative transfer model is employed to simulate spectral radiances to address relevant issues. The extinction and absorption efficiencies of individual ice crystals, assumed as hexagonal columns for large particles and droxtals for small particles, are computed from a combination of the finite- difference time-domain (FDTD) technique and a composite method. The corresponding phase functions are computed from a combination of FDTD and an improved geometric optics method (IGOM). Bulk scattering properties are derived by averaging the single- scattering properties of individual particles for 30 particle size distributions developed from in situ measurements and for additional four analytical Gamma size distributions for small particles. The non-sphericity of ice crystals is shown to have a significant impact on the radiative signatures in the infrared (IR) spectrum; the spherical particle approximation for inferring ice cloud properties may result in an overest&ation of the optical thickness and an inaccurate retrieval of effective particle size. Furthermore, we show that the error associated with the use of the Henyey-Greenstein phase function can be as larger as 1 K in terms of brightness temperature for larger particle effective size at some strong scattering wavenumbers. For small particles, the difference between the two phase functions is much less, with brightness temperatures generally differing by less than 0.4 K. The simulations undertaken in this study show that the slope of the IR brightness temperature spectrum between 790-960/cm is sensitive to the effective particle size. Furthermore, a strong sensitivity of IR brightness temperature to cloud optical thickness is noted within the l050-1250/cm region. Based on this spectral feature, a technique is presented for the simultaneous retrieval of the visible optical thickness and effective particle size from high spectral resolution infrared data under ice cloudy con&tion. The error analysis shows that the uncertainty of the retrieved optical thickness and effective particle size has a small range of variation. The error for retrieving particle size in conjunction with an uncertainty of 5 K in cloud'temperature, or a surface temperature uncertainty of 2.5 K, is less than 15%. The corresponding e m r in the uncertainty of optical thickness is within 5-2096, depending on the value of cloud optical thickness. The applicability of the technique is demonstrated using the aircraft-based High- resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS) data from the Subsonic Aircraft: Contrail and Cloud Effects Special Study (SUCCESS) in 1996 and the First ISCCP Regional Experiment - Arctic Clouds Experiment (FIRE-ACE) in 1998.

Huang, Hung-Lung↗
NASA NTRS1989

What if chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles are not the real McCoy

To select a target comet for a Comet Nucleus Sample Return Mission (CNSRM) it is necessary to have an experimental data base to evaluate the extent of diversity and similarity of comets. For example, the physical properties (e.g., low density) of chondritic porous (CP) interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are believed to resemble these properties of cometary dust although it is yet to be demonstrated that the porous structure of CP IDPs is inherent to presolar dust particles stored in comet nuclei. Porous structures of IDPs could conceivably form during sublimation at the surface of active comet nuclei. Porous structures are also obtained during annealing of amorphous Mg-SiO smokes which initially forms porous aggregates of olivine + platey tridymite and which, upon continued annealing, react to fluffy enstatite aggregates. It is therefore uncertain that CP IDPs are entirely composed of unmetamorphosed presolar dust. Conceivably, new minerals and textures may form in situ in nuclei of active comets as a function of their individual thermal history. Unmetamorphosed comet dust is probably structurally amorphous. Thermal annealing of this dust can produce ultra fine-grained minerals and this ultrafine grain size of CP IDPs should be considered in assessments of aqueous alterations that could affect presolar dust in comet nuclei between 200 and 400 K. Devitrification and hydration may occur in situ in ice-dust mixtures and the mantle of active comet nuclei. Devitrification, or uncontrolled crystallization, of amorphous precursor dust can produce a range of chemical compositions of ultrafine-grained minerals and (non-equilibrium) mineral assemblages and textures in dust contained in comet nuclei as a function of period and trajectory of orbit and number of perihelion passages (not considering internal heating). Thus, experimental data on relevant processes and reaction rates between 200 and 400 K are needed in order to evaluate comet selection, penetration depth for sampling device and curation of samples for CNSRM.

Rietmeijer, Frans J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Medium-energy electrons and heavy ions in Jupiter's magnetosphere - Effects of lower hybrid wave-particle interactions

A theory of medium-energy (about keV) electrons and heavy ions in Jupiter's magnetosphere is presented. Lower hybrid waves are generated by the combined effects of a ring instability of neutral wind pickup ions and the modified two-stream instability associated with transport of cool Iogenic plasma. The quasi-linear energy diffusion coefficient for lower hybrid wave-particle interactions is evaluated, and several solutions to the diffusion equation are given. Calculations based on measured wave properties show that the noise substantially modifies the particle distribution functions. The effects are to accelerate superthermal ions and electrons to keV energies and to thermalize the pickup ions on time scales comparable to the particle residence time. The S(2+)/S(+) ratio at medium energies is a measure of the relative contribution from Iogenic thermal plasma and neutral wind ions, and this important quantity should be determined from future measurements. The theory also predicts a preferential acceleration of heavy ions with an accleration time that scales inversely with the root of the ion mass. Electrons accelerated by the process contribute to further reionization of the neutral wind by electron impact, thus providing a possible confirmation of Alfven's critical velocity effect in the Jovian magnetosphere.

Barbosa, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Improvement of Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieval from MODIS Spectral Reflectance over the Global Ocean Using New Aerosol Models Archived from AERONET Inversion Data and Tri-axial Ellipsoidal Dust Database

New over-ocean aerosol models are developed by integrating the inversion data from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun/sky radiometers with a database for the optical properties of tri-axial ellipsoid particles. The new aerosol models allow more accurate retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in the case of high AOD (AOD greater than 0.3). The aerosol models are categorized by using the fine-mode fraction (FMF) at 550 nm and the singlescattering albedo (SSA) at 440 nm from the AERONET inversion data to include a variety of aerosol types found around the globe. For each aerosol model, the changes in the aerosol optical properties (AOPs) as functions of AOD are considered to better represent aerosol characteristics. Comparisons of AODs between AERONET and MODIS for the period from 2003 to 2010 show that the use of the new aerosol models enhances the AOD accuracy with a Pearson coefficient of 0.93 and a regression slope of 0.99 compared to 0.92 and 0.85 calculated using the MODIS Collection 5 data. Moreover, the percentage of data within an expected error of +/-(0.03 + 0.05xAOD) is increased from 62 percent to 64 percent for overall data and from 39 percent to 51 percent for AOD greater than 0.3. Errors in the retrieved AOD are further characterized with respect to the Angstrom exponent (AE), scattering angle, SSA, and air mass factor (AMF). Due to more realistic AOPs assumptions, the new algorithm generally reduces systematic errors in the retrieved AODs compared with the current operational algorithm. In particular, the underestimation of fine-dominated AOD and the scattering angle dependence of dust-dominated AOD are significantly mitigated as results of the new algorithm's improved treatment of aerosol size distribution and dust particle nonsphericity.

aerosol optical depth↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Use of Satellite-Measured Aerosol Optical Depth to Constrain Biomass Burning Emissions Source Strength in a Global Model GOCART

Small particles in the atmosphere, called "atmospheric aerosol" have a direct effect on Earth climate through scattering and absorbing sunlight, and also an indirect effect by changing the properties of clouds, as they interact with solar radiation as well. Aerosol typically stays in the atmosphere for several days, and can be transported long distances, affecting air quality, visibility, and human health not only near the source, but also far downwind. Smoke from vegetation fires is one of the main sources of atmospheric aerosol; other sources include anthropogenic pollution, dust, and sea salt. Chemistry transport models (CTMs) are among the major tools for studying the atmospheric and climate effects of aerosol. Due to the considerable variation of aerosol concentrations and properties on many temporal and spatial scales, and the complexity of the processes involved, the uncertainties in aerosol effects on climate are large, as is featured in the latest report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. Reducing this uncertainty in the models is very important both for predicting future climate scenarios and for regional air quality forecasting and mitigation. During vegetation fires, also called biomass burning (BB) events, complex mixture of gases and particles is emitted. The amount of BB emissions is usually estimated taking into account the intensity and size of the fire and the properties of burning vegetation. These estimates are input into CTMs to simulate BB aerosol. Unfortunately, due to large variability of fire and vegetation properties, the quantity of BB emissions is very difficult to estimate and BB emission inventories provide numbers that can differ by up to the order of magnitude in some regions. Larger uncertainties in data input make uncertainties in model output larger as well. A powerful way to narrow the range of possible model estimates is to compare model output to observations. We use satellite observations of aerosol properties, specifically aerosol optical depth, which is directly proportional to the amount of aerosol in the atmosphere, and compare it to the model output. Assuming the model represents aerosol transport and particle properties correctly, the amount of BB emissions determines the simulated aerosol optical depth. In this study, we explore the regional performance of 13 commonly used emission estimates. These are each input to global Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model. We then evaluate how well each emission estimate reproduces the smoke aerosol optical depth measured by the MODIS instrument. We compared GOCART-simulate aerosol optical depth with that measured from the satellite for 124 fire cases around the world during 2006 and 2007. We summarize the regional performance of each emission inventory and discuss reasons for their differences by considering the assumptions made during their development. We also show that because stronger wind disperses smoke plumes more readily, in cases with stronger wind, a larger increase in emission amount is needed to increase aerosol optical depth. In quiet, low-wind-speed environments, BB emissions produce a more significant increase in aerosol optical depth, other things being equal. Using the region-specific, quantitative relationships derived in our paper, together with the wind speed obtained from another source for a given fire case, we can constrain the amount of emission required in the model to reproduce the observations. The results of this paper are useful to the developers of BB emission inventories, as they show the strengths and weaknesses of individual emission inventories in different regions of the globe, and also for modelers who use these inventories and wish to improve their model results.

Petrenko, Mariya↗
NASA NTRS2019

A Multi-Physics Study on High-Specific Power Li-O2 Batteries for Electric Aircraft

Commercialization of lithium-air batteries faces many challenges, such as electrolyte decomposition, short cycle life, low energy and power density, etc. However, commercialization of Li-O2 batteries for aeronautics is much more challenging due to additional safety constraints on cyclability and performance (high specific power and specific energy). For this presentation, we will discuss inter-related aspects of physics-based modeling of a pack: cell and battery model calibration. In addition, we will evaluate and present optimal battery designs for high discharge current density, high discharge time, and low battery mass using simulation-based optimization.The Finite Element Model (FEM) used to simulate a Li-O2 cell is based on the work of Bevara [1]. The different aspects of the model are based on: porous electrode theory and concentrated electrolyte theory; quantum tunneling model for the resistance of conformal layer of discharge product (Li2O2) [1]; Butler-Volmer kinetics for electrochemical reaction; Fick's diffusion for oxygen transport; and an oxygen dissolution model is applied at the air/electrolyte interface [2]. The electrolyte properties such as ion conductivity, ion diffusion, oxygen diffusion, and mass density of the electrolyte were taken from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations [3]; while the other model parameters, which includes mass of cell components, were calibrated to match experiments at high discharge current densities. The cell mass includes the anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, and other components (such as current collector). This calibrated model is used to perform parametric studies on cathode thickness, porosity, tortuosity, carbon particle size, electrolyte transport and material properties, partial pressure of oxygen, discharge time, and discharge current density to study optimal designs for high specific power and energy. References:1. Bevara, V. & Andrei, P. (2014), J. Electrochem. Soc. 161 (14), A2068-A2079.2.Mehta, M. & Andrei, P. (2015), J. Power Sources. 286, 299-308.3.Liyana-Arachchi, T.; Haskins, J.; Burke, C.; Diederichsen, K.; McCloskey, B.; & Lawson, J. (2018), J. Phys. Chem. B. 122 (36), 8548 - 8559.4.Choi, W.; Kikumoto, H.; Choudhary, R. & Ooka, R. (2018), Applied Energy, 209, 306-321.

Mehta, Mohit↗
NASA NTRS2002

Laboratory Studies of the Optical Properties and Condensation Processes of Cosmic Dust Grains

A laboratory facility for conducting a variety of experiments on single isolated dust particles of astrophysical interest levitated in an electrodynamics balance has been developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The objective of the research is to employ this experimental technique for studies of the physical and optical properties of individual cosmic dust grains of 0.1-100 micron size in controlled pressure/temperatures environments simulating astrophysical conditions. The physical and optical properties of the analogs of interstellar and interplanetary dust grains of known composition and size distribution will be investigated by this facility. In particular, we will carry out three classes of experiments to study the micro-physics of cosmic dust grains. (1) Charge characteristics of micron size single dust grains to determine the photoelectric efficiencies, yields, and equilibrium potentials when exposed to UV radiation. (2) Infrared optical properties of dust particles (extinction coefficients and scattering phase functions) in the 1-30 micron region using infrared diode lasers and measuring the scattered radiation. (3) Condensation experiments to investigate the condensation of volatile gases on colder nucleated particles in dense interstellar clouds and lower planetary atmospheres. The condensation experiments will involve levitated nucleus dust grains of known composition and initial mass (or m/q ratio), cooled to a temperature and pressure (or scaled pressure) simulating the astrophysical conditions, and injection of a volatile gas at a higher temperature from a controlled port. The increase in the mass due to condensation on the particle will be monitored as a function of the dust particle temperature and the partial pressure of the injected volatile gas. The measured data will permit determination of the sticking coefficients of volatile gases and growth rates of dust particles of astrophysical interest. Some preliminary results based on measurements of photoelectric emission and radiation pressure on single isolated 0.2 to 6.6 micron size silica particles exposed to UV radiation at 120-200 nm and green laser light at 532 nm are presented.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Heat conduction in metal-filled polymers - The role of particle size, shape, and orientation

This paper presents a new type of analysis for predicting the thermal conductivity of disperse composites from the properties of the component phases and elementary characterizations of particle shapes and orientation. This analysis successfully predicted the sensitivity to particle shape which was confirmed by experiments also reported in this paper. These results suggest that highly elongated particles may be used to achieve dramatic modifications of thermal conductivity and the analysis presented here may be a useful tool in the design or development of disperse composites of specific thermal conductivity. The analysis may also apply to other properties such as electrical conductivity or magnetic permeability.

Hansen, D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The effect of the near earth micrometeoroid environment on a mirror surface after 20 years in space

The effect of micrometeoroid impact on the optical properties of polished metals and thin film coatings has been simulated by accelerating micron-sized particles to hypervelocities in a shock tube. The degradation of these properties after exposure to simulated meteoroids was determined as a function of impacting kinetic energy/area of the particles. A calibrated sensor, 2000-A Al/stainless steel, was developed to detect the micrometeoroid environment and to evaluate the degradation of the optical properties of thin aluminum films in space. No changes in the optical properties of the highly reflective surface sensor on SERT II, launched in 1970, were measured during 19 years in space. These results are found to be in agreement with the 1969 Micrometeoroid Flux Model. It is concluded that a highly reflective surface should lose less than 1 percent of its specular reflectance in near-earth orbit during 19 years.

Mirtich, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Grain size analysis and high frequency electrical properties of Apollo 15 and 16 samples

The particle size distribution of eleven surface fines samples collected by Apollo 15 and 16 was determined by the method of measuring the sedimentation rate in a column of water. The fact that the grain size distribution in the core samples shows significant differences within a few centimeters variation of depth is important for the understanding of the surface transportation processes which are responsible for the deposition of thin layers of different physical and/or chemical origin. The variation with density of the absorption length is plotted, and results would indicate that for the case of meter wavelength radar waves, reflections from depths of more than 100 meters generally contribute significantly to the radar echoes obtained.

Gold, T.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Viking magnetic properties investigation - Further results

The amounts of magnetic particles held on the reference test chart and backhoe magnets on lander 2 and lander 1 are comparable, indicating the presence of an estimated 3 to 7 percent by weight of relatively pure, strongly magnetic particles in the soil at the lander 2 sampling site. Preliminary spectrophotometric analysis of the material held on the backhoe magnets on lander 1 indicates that its reflectance characteristics are indistinguishable from material within a sampling trench with which it has been compared. The material on the RTC magnet shows a different spectrum, but it is suspected that the difference is the result of a reflectance contribution from the magnesium metal covering on the magnet. It is argued that the results indicate the presence, now or originally, of magnetite, which may be titaniferous.

Hargraves, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS2016

First Transmitted Hyperspectral Light Measurements and Cloud Properties from Recent Field Campaign Sampling Clouds Under Biomass Burning Aerosol

We present a first view of data collected during a recent field campaign aimed at measuring biomass burning aerosol above clouds from airborne platforms. The NASA ObseRvations of CLouds above Aerosols and their intEractionS (ORACLES) field campaign recently concluded its first deployment sampling clouds and overlying aerosol layer from the airborne platform NASA P3. We present results from the Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR), in conjunction with the Solar Spectral Flux Radiometers (SSFR). During this deployment, 4STAR sampled transmitted solar light either via direct solar beam measurements and scattered light measurements, enabling the measurement of aerosol optical thickness and the retrieval of information on aerosol particles in addition to overlying cloud properties. We focus on the zenith-viewing scattered light measurements, which are used to retrieve cloud optical thickness, effective radius, and thermodynamic phase of clouds under a biomass burning layer. The biomass burning aerosol layer present above the clouds is the cause of potential bias in retrieved cloud optical depth and effective radius from satellites. We contrast the typical reflection based approach used by satellites to the transmission based approach used by 4STAR during ORACLES for retrieving cloud properties. It is suspected that these differing approaches will yield a change in retrieved properties since light transmitted through clouds is sensitive to a different cloud volume than reflected light at cloud top. We offer a preliminary view of the implications of these differences in sampling volumes to the calculation of cloud radiative effects (CRE).

airborne↗
NASA NTRS2014

Intercomparison and Evaluation of Global Aerosol Microphysical Properties Among Aerocom Models of a Range of Complexity

Many of the next generation of global climate models will include aerosol schemes which explicitly simulate the microphysical processes that determine the particle size distribution. These models enable aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations to be determined by fundamental aerosol processes, which should lead to a more physically based simulation of aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcings. This study examines the global variation in particle size distribution simulated by 12 global aerosol microphysics models to quantify model diversity and to identify any common biases against observations. Evaluation against size distribution measurements from a new European network of aerosol supersites shows that the mean model agrees quite well with the observations at many sites on the annual mean, but there are some seasonal biases common to many sites. In particular, at many of these European sites, the accumulation mode number concentration is biased low during winter and Aitken mode concentrations tend to be overestimated in winter and underestimated in summer. At high northern latitudes, the models strongly underpredict Aitken and accumulation particle concentrations compared to the measurements, consistent with previous studies that have highlighted the poor performance of global aerosol models in the Arctic. In the marine boundary layer, the models capture the observed meridional variation in the size distribution, which is dominated by the Aitken mode at high latitudes, with an increasing concentration of accumulation particles with decreasing latitude. Considering vertical profiles, the models reproduce the observed peak in total particle concentrations in the upper troposphere due to new particle formation, although modelled peak concentrations tend to be biased high over Europe. Overall, the multimodel- mean data set simulates the global variation of the particle size distribution with a good degree of skill, suggesting that most of the individual global aerosol microphysics models are performing well, although the large model diversity indicates that some models are in poor agreement with the observations. Further work is required to better constrain size-resolved primary and secondary particle number sources, and an improved understanding of nucleation an growth (e.g. the role of nitrate and secondary organics) will improve the fidelity of simulated particle size distributions.

Cloud physics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The PACE-MAPP Polarized Ocean Bio-optical Model

The MAPP polarimeter retrieval algorithm, originally developed for the airborne NASA GISS Research Scanning Polarimeter, is being adapted to the PACE observing system to allow for a simultaneous retrieval of aerosol, thin cirrus, and ocean products using both PACE polarimeters and the OCI shortwave infrared channels. Here, we describe the polarized ocean bio-optical model we have developed for PACE-MAPP, which is designed to use a combination of homogenous and coated spheres to more accurately model the absorption and backscattering properties of algal and non-algal particles, and which also includes absorption by colored dissolved organic matter. We first use Lorenz-Mie computations to create lookup tables to accurately and efficiently characterize the optical properties of homogeneous and coated spheres embedded in water for PACE. We then use these lookup tables to develop a bio-optical model that consists of an external mixture of homogeneous (non-algal) and coated (algal) spheres. Lastly, we use the bio-optical model in forward radiative transfer computations to perform inversions of MODIS remote sensing reflectance for a variety of ocean regions. We explore the sensitivity of these inversions to ocean constituent inherent optical properties.

James Allen↗
NASA NTRS1991

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a single crystal NiAl alloy with Zr or Hf rich G-phase precipitates

The possibility of producing NiAl reinforced with the G-phase (Ni16X6Si7), where X is Zr or Hf, has been investigated. The microstructure of these NiAl alloys have been characterized in the as-cast and annealed conditions. The G-phases are present as fine cuboidal precipitates (10 to 40 nm) and have lattice parameters almost four times that of NiAl. They are coherent with the matrix and fairly resistant to coarsening during annealing heat treatments. Segregation and nonuniform precipitate distribution observed in as-cast materials were eliminated by homogenization at temperatures near 1600 K. Slow cooling from these temperatures resulted in large plate shaped precipitates, denuded zones, and a loss of coherency in some of the large particles. Faster cooling produced a homogeneous fine distribution of cuboidal G-phase particles in the matrix. Preliminary mechanical properties for the Zr-doped alloy are presented and compared to binary single crystal NiAl. The presence of these precipitates appears to have an important strengthening effect at temperatures not less than 1000 K compared to binary NiAl single crystals.

Locci, I. E.↗