Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ENERGY RANGE”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 829 records · Page 46

Scientific objectives and first results from COMPTEL

The imaging Compton telescope (COMPTEL) is the first imaging telescope in space to explore the MeV gamma ray range. At present it is performing a complete sky survey. In later phases of the mission, selected celestial objects will be studied in more detail. Targets of special interest in the COMPTEL energy range are radio pulsars, X-ray binaries, novae, supernova remnants, molecular clouds, and the interstellar medium within the Milky Way, as well as the nuclei of active galaxies, supernovae, and the diffuse cosmic background radiation in extragalactic space. The first four months of operation demonstrated that COMPTEL basically performs as expected. The Crab is clearly seen at its proper position in the first images of the anticenter region of the Galaxy. The Crab pulsar lightcurve was measured with unprecedented accuracy. The quasar 3C273 was seen for the first time at MeV-energies. Several cosmic bursts within the COMPTEL field of view could be located to an accuracy of about 1 degree. On June 9, 11, and 15, 1991 COMPTEL observed gamma ray (continuum and line) emission from three solar flares. Neutrons were also detected from the June 9 flare. At the present state of analysis, COMPTEL achieves the prelaunch predictions of its sensitivity within a factor of 2. Based on the present performance of COMPTEL, the team is confident that COMPTEL will fulfill its primary mission of surveying and exploring the MeV sky.

Schoenfelder, V.↗

Detailed Studies of Pixelated CZT Detectors Grown with the Modified Horizontal Bridgman Method

The detector material Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) achieves excellent spatial resolution and good energy resolution over a broad energy range, several keV up to some MeV. Presently, there are two main methods to grow CZT crystals, the Modified High-Pressure Bridgman (MHB) and the High-Pressure Bridgman (HPB) process. The study presented in this paper is based on MHB CZT substrates from the company Orbotech Medical Solutions Ltd. [Orbotech Medical Solutions Ltd., 10 Plaut St., Park Rabin, P.O. Box 2489, Rehovot, Israel, 76124]. Former studies have shown that high-work-function materials on the cathode side reduce the leakage current and, therefore, improve the energy resolution at lower energies. None of the studies have emphasized on the anode contact material. Therefore, we present in this paper the result of a detailed study in which for the first time the cathode material was kept constant and the anode material was varied. We used four different anode materials: Indium, Titanium, Chromium and Gold, metals with work-functions between 4.1 eV and 5.1 eV. The detector size was 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.5 cu cm with 8 x 8 pixels and a pitch of 2.46 mm. The best performance was achieved with the low-work-function materials Indium and Titanium with energy resolutions of 2.0 keV (at 59 keV) and 1.9 keV (at 122 keV) for Titanium and 2.1 keV (at 59 keV) and 2.9 keV (at 122 keV) for Indium. Taking into account the large pixel pitch of 2.46 mm, these resolutions are very competitive in comparison to those achieved with detectors made of material produced with the more expensive conventional HPB method. We present a detailed comparison of our detector response with 3D simulations. The latter comparisons allow us to determine the mobility-lifetime-products (mu tau-products) for electrons and holes. Finally, we evaluated the temperature dependency of the detector performance and ls-products. For many applications temperature dependence is important, therefore, we extended the scope of our study to temperatures as low as -30 C. There are two important results. The breakdown voltage increases with decreasing temperature, and electron mobility-lifetime-product decreases by about 30% over a range from 20 C to -30 C. The latter effect causes the energy resolution to deteriorate, but the concomitantly increasing breakdown voltage makes it possible to increase the applied bias voltage and restore the full performance

Jung, I.↗

Controlled Shifts of X-ray Emission Lines Measured with Transition Edge Sensors at the Advanced Photon Source

The measurement of shifts in the energy of X-ray emission lines is important for understanding the electronic structure and physical properties of materials. In this study, we demonstrate a method using a synchrotron source to introduce controlled eV-scale shifts of a narrow line in between fixed-energy fluorescence lines. We use this to characterize the ability of a hard X-ray superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) array to measure line shifts. Fixed fluorescence lines excited by higher harmonics of the monochromatic X-ray beam are used for online energy calibration, while elastic scattering from the primary harmonic acts as the variable energy emission line under study. We use this method to demonstrate the ability to track shifts in the energy of the elastic scattering line of magnitude smaller than the TES energy resolution, and find we are ultimately limited by our calibration procedure. The method can be applied over a wide X-ray energy range and provides a robust approach for the characterization of the ability of high-resolution detectors to detect X-ray emission line shifts, and the quantitative comparison of energy calibration procedures.

Guruswamy, Tejas (ORCID:0000000241656765)↗

Second Target Station Project (CHESS Technical Report)

CHESS is a direct geometry neutron spectrometer designed to detect and analyze weak signals intrinsic to small cross-sections (e.g., small mass, small magnetic moments or neutron absorbing materials). This instrument is optimized to enable unprecedented characterization of quantum materials, spin liquids, thermoelectric and battery materials, liquids, and soft matter. The ability to simultaneously measure dynamic processes over a wide energy range for very small samples will make CHESS the spectrometer of choice for the initial exploration of new materials. The broad dynamic range will also be well matched to measurements of relaxation processes and excitations in soft and biological matter. The 15 Hz repetition rate of STS enables use of multiple incident energies within a single source pulse, greatly expanding the information gained in a single experiment. An essential feature of CHESS is the capability for polarization analysis to separate nuclear from magnetic scattering or coherent from incoherent scattering in hydrogenous materials, and better understanding spin-anisotropic correlations. This instrument will employ advanced sample environments such as high-pressure cells, dilution refrigerators, high field cryo-magnets and polarization devices, as well as combinations of these, to solve problems at the forefront of materials research. CHESS will be one of the flagship spectrometers of the Second Target Station (STS), providing world leading capabilities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Three-dimensional plasma measurements within the earth's magnetosphere

Magnetospheric measurements of three-dimensional velocity distributions for positive ions and electrons in the energy range from 1 eV to 45 keV are reported which were obtained with quadrispherical Lepedeas on ISEE 1 and 2. The instrumentation is briefly described, and an extension of energy-time spectrograms to three-dimensional summaries via the use of ancillary energy-spin phase spectrograms for multiple analyzers is outlined. Macroscopic plasma parameters for two crossings of the dayside magnetopause are presented, along with a preliminary evaluation of the kinematical motions of low-energy charged particles within the terrestrial ring current. Nonmonotonic electron velocity distributions presumably related to the generation of electron cyclotron harmonic instabilities are examined. The possible signature of diffusion driven by electrostatic waves is considered, and velocity distributions of positive ions in the dawn magnetotail are investigated.

Frank, L. A.↗

Measured electron contribution to Shuttle plasma environment: Abbreviated update

The differential energy spectra of electrons between 1 and 100 eV were measured by an electron spectrometer flown on an early shuttle. This energy range was scanned in 64 incremental steps with a resolution of 7%. The most striking feature that was observed throughout these spectra was a relatively flat distribution of the higher energy electrons out to 100 eV. This is in contrast to normal ambient spectra which consistently show a rapid decline in quantitative flux beyond 50 to 55 eV. The lower energy (1 to 2 eV) end of these spectra showed steep thermal trails comparable to normal ambient spectral structure. In general, daytime fluxes were significantly higher than those obtained during nighttime measurements. Quantitative flux excursions which may possibly be associated with thruster firing were frequently observed. Spectral structure suggestive of the N2 vibrational excitation energy loss mechanism was also seen in the data from some measurement periods. Examples of these spectra are shown and possible correlations are discussed.

Mcmahon, W.↗

Measurement of low energy cosmic rays aboard Spacelab-1

In December 1983 the first Spacelab mission was launched for a duration of 10 days. Aboard was the Kiel experiment Isotopic Stack designed for measurement of heavy cosmic ray nuclei with nuclear charge equal to or greater than 3 and energies up to some 100MeV/nuc. One part of the stack was rotated in well defined steps registered by an angle encoder to receive information on impact times of the nuclei. Using this time resolving system geomagnetically forbidden particles can be detected. The chemical composition and energy spectra of mainly CNO particles are examined using a rotated 300 microns m thick CR-39 foil beneath a fixed 100 microns m thick Kodak-Cellulose Nitrate foil. About 600 sq cm have been scanned yielding nearly 100 nuclear tracks within an energy range of approximately 8 to 30 MeV/nuc. The calibration is done by means of a postflight irradiation with 410 MeV/nuc Fe-56 at Berkeley Laboratory, California, USA. Relative abundances and energy spectra are presented.

Beaujean, R.↗

SPIKE: Application for ASTRO-D mission planning

SPIKE is a mission planning software system developed by a team of programmers at the STScI for use with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). SPIKE has been developed for the purpose of automating observatory scheduling to increase the effective utilization and ultimately, scientific return from orbiting telescopes. High-level scheduling strategies using both rule-based and neural network approaches have been incorporated. Graphical displays of activities, constraints, and schedules are an important feature of the system. Although SPIKE was originally developed for the HST, it can be used for other astronomy missions including ground-based observatories. One of the missions that has decided to use SPIKE is ASTRO-D, a Japanese X-ray satellite for which the U.S. is providing a part of the scientific payload. Scheduled to fly in Feb. 1993, its four telescopes will focus X-rays over a wide energy range onto CCD's and imaging gas proportional counters. ASTRO-D will be the first X-ray imaging mission operating over the 0.5-12 keV band with high energy resolution. This combination of capabilities will enable a varied and exciting program of astronomical research to be carried out. ASTRO-D is expected to observe 5 to 20 objects per day and a total of several thousands per year. This requires the implementation of an efficient planning and scheduling system which SPIKE can provide. Although the version of SPIKE that will be used for ASTRO-D mission is almost identical to that used for the HST, there are a few differences. For example, ASTRO-D will use two ground stations for data downlinks, instead of the TDRSS system for data transmission. As a consequence ASTRO-D is constrained by limited on-board data storage capacity to schedule high data-rate observations during periods of frequent high bit rate observations accordingly. We will demonstrate the ASTRO-D version of SPIKE to show what SPIKE can provide and how efficiently it creates an observational schedule.

Isobe, T.↗

Probabilistic Model for Low Altitude Trapped Proton Fluxes

A new approach is developed for the assessment of low altitude trapped proton fluxes for future space missions. Low altitude fluxes are dependent on solar activity levels due to the resulting heating and cooling of the upper atmosphere. However, solar activity levels cannot be accurately predicted far enough into the future to accommodate typical spacecraft mission planning. Thus, the approach suggested here is to evaluate the trapped proton flux as a function of confidence level for a given mission time period. This is possible because of a recent advance in trapped proton modeling that uses the solar 10.7 cm radio flux, a measure of solar cycle activity, to calculate trapped proton fluxes as a continuous function of time throughout the solar cycle. This trapped proton model is combined with a new statistical description of the 10.7 cm flux to obtain the probabilistic model for low altitude trapped proton fluxes. Results for proton energies ranging from 1.5 to 81.3 MeV are examined as a function of time throughout solar cycle 22 for various orbits. For altitudes below 1000 km, fluxes are significantly higher and energy spectra are significantly harder than those predicted by the AP8 model.

Xapsos, M. A.↗

Electron Heat Fluxes Generated by Intense Whistler Waves at the Upper Ionospheric Altitudes

Magnetospheric whistler waves, chorus and hiss, can't provide the resonance heating of the core electron plasma population. However, these whistler-mode branches, can implicitly participate in the heating processes of the core plasma thermal electron population by triggering the electron precipitation over a broad energy range from the magnetosphere and subsequent atmospheric ionization processes leading to the production of superthermal electron population. These superthermal electrons play a large role in the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere energy interplay with participation of both magnetically conjugate hemispheres, and their Coulomb interaction with background magnetospheric thermal electrons. Using strong hiss and chorus wave events measured by the Van Allen Probes and SuperThermal Electron Transport code, we evaluate the formation of electron heat fluxes at the upper ionospheric altitudes and discuss their consequences on the formation of electron temperature. It is found that chorus and hiss waves that initiate the precipitation of magnetospheric electrons with energies below 30 keV and the follow-up production of secondary electrons play an important role in the energy balance of ionosphere-magnetosphere system.

Magnetospheric whistler waves as an implicit sourc↗

Continuing Analysis of Charge Current Interactions in ANNIE

The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a gadolinium-loaded water Cherenkov detector on the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB).Using νμ in the energy range of 500 to 1000 MeV, ANNIE is designed to measure final-state neutrons.In this poster we will cover the ongoing analysis work exploring Charged-Current neutrino interactions. Charged-Current (CC) νμ interactions in this regime have uncertainties in the relative contributions of quasielastic and res- onance production. Together with intranuclear final-state interactions (FSI) and missing hadronic energy, these interactions drive important biases in neutrino energy reconstruction. ANNIE mit- igates these effects by combining muon kinematics from the downstream Muon Range Detector (MRD) with neutron identification via delayed gamma cascades from thermal captures on gadolin- ium. We characterize CC0π and Δ samples by measuring neutron multiplicity versus event topology and reconstructed kinematics, comparing neutron-tagged data to interaction-model predictions to probe resonance production and pion FSI/absorption

Fleming, Dylon [UC, Davis; Fermilab] (ORCID:000000↗

Benchmarking Monte Carlo codes for the modelling of low-energy neutron production target reactions

The increasing adoption of accelerator-based neutron sources (ABNS) for applications including neutron capture therapy (NCT) research has highlighted the need for accurate simulation tools. Precise modelling of the neutron production target is crucial to ensure that simulated predictions of neutron beam characteristics used for subsequent beam shaping assembly design are reliable. This work presents a comprehensive benchmarking of four widely-used Monte Carlo codes - Geant4, PHITS, FLUKA (CERN), and MCNP - for modelling low-energy neutron production target reactions. Using their recommended physics models and cross-section libraries, we evaluate each code’s performance in simulating four beam-target reactions: 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be, 9 Be(p,n) 9 B, 9 Be(d,n) 10 B, and C(d,n)N. Predictions of neutron yield, angular distributions, and energy spectra are compared against available thick target experimental data. Results show varying levels of agreement between the codes depending on the reaction type, energy range, and beam characteristics. Geant4, MCNP and PHITS are the overall best performing codes for the simulation of total neutron yield and yield in the forward direction across most reactions. Across energies where experimental benchmarks exist, inter-code discrepancies in total and forward-directed yield are typically 10 to 30%, with larger deviations at near-threshold incident ion energies. PHITS provides the best overall reproduction of experimental spectra, particularly for the 9 Be(p,n) 9 B reaction. Additionally, PHITS demonstrates superior computational performance for most reactions. These findings provide valuable guidance for ABNS design, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each code for the simulation of low-energy neutron production reactions.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

A Search for IceCube Sub-TeV Neutrinos Correlated with Gravitational-wave Events Detected By LIGO/Virgo

The LIGO/Virgo collaboration published the catalogs GWTC-1, GWTC-2.1, and GWTC-3 containing candidate gravitational-wave (GW) events detected during its runs O1, O2, and O3. These GW events can be possible sites of neutrino emission. In this paper, we present a search for neutrino counterparts of 90 GW candidates using IceCube DeepCore, the low-energy infill array of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The search is conducted using an unbinned maximum likelihood method, within a time window of 1000 s, and uses the spatial and timing information from the GW events. The neutrinos used for the search have energies ranging from a few GeV to several tens of TeV. We do not find any significant emission of neutrinos, and place upper limits on the flux and the isotropic-equivalent energy emitted in low-energy neutrinos. We also conduct a binomial test to search for source populations potentially contributing to neutrino emission. We report a nondetection of a significant neutrino-source population with this test.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Ion and Electron Acceleration in Fully Kinetic Plasma Turbulence

Turbulence is often invoked to explain the origin of nonthermal particles in space and astrophysical plasmas. By means of 3D fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate that turbulence in low-β plasmas (β is the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure) accelerates ions and electrons into a nonthermal energy distribution with a power-law energy range. The ion spectrum is harder than the electron one, and both distributions get steeper for higher β. We show that the energization of electrons is accompanied by a significant energy-dependent pitch-angle anisotropy, with most electrons moving parallel to the local magnetic field, while ions stay roughly isotropic. We demonstrate that particle injection from the thermal pool occurs in regions of high current density. Parallel electric fields associated with magnetic reconnection are responsible for the initial energy gain of electrons, whereas perpendicular electric fields control the overall energization of ions. Our findings have important implications for the origin of nonthermal particles in space and astrophysical plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Observations of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in the low energy cosmic rays

The isotopic composition of low-energy nitrogen and oxygen cosmic rays was measured with an electron/isotope spectrometer aboard the IMP-7 satellite to determine the possible source of the particles. Instrument calibration showed the standard range-energy tables to be inadequate to calculate the isotope response, and corrections were obtained. The low-energy nitrogen and oxygen cosmic rays were found to be primarily 14N and 16O. Upper limits were obtained for the abundances of the other stable nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. The nitrogen composition differs from higher energy measurements which indicate that 15N, which is thought to be secondary, is the dominant isotope.

Vidor, S. B.↗

The 1964-1972 quiet-time spectra of protons and helium at 2-20 MeV per nucleon

Instruments on the IMP 4 and 5 satellites are used to observe quiet-time proton and helium fluxes in the energy range from 2 to 30 MeV/nucleon and to extend the total observation period through the solar maximum to about the solar minimum (1964-1972). The nature of quiet time at low energies is discussed, selection of quiet-time periods is described, and data are presented on the fluxes during recovery from the solar maximum. The long-term time-dependence of the proton and helium spectra over solar cycle 20 is determined. The fluxes are found to vary by a factor of approximately 7, the variation is shown to be similar to the modulation of medium-energy cosmic rays, and the observed relative abundance of protons and helium is found to be closer to the medium-energy galactic rather than the average solar-flare relative abundance. A galactic origin is suggested for the low-energy quiet-time turnup, although a solar or heliospheric acceleration mechanism is not ruled out.

Zamow, R.↗

Evidence for detection of 1-10 MeV emission from the Taurus region in 1971 August

Results are reported for three observations of the Crab Nebula with a balloon-borne actively collimated NaI detector over the energy range from 0.2 to 10 MeV. Possible changes in instrument performance and environmental background levels during the balloon flights are investigated, and fits for source strength are made over four broad energy channels. X-ray power-law spectra and pulsed-flux fractions are determined for both the Crab Nebula and its pulsar, NP 0532. A statistically significant flux greatly in excess of the power law was detected above 1 MeV during one flight; this flux, which has declined by at least a factor of 4 or 5 at the times of more recent observations, is assumed to be real and is attributed to the nebula.

Gruber, D. E.↗

Some initial ISEE-1 results on the ring current composition and dynamics during the magnetics storm of December 11, 1977

On December 11, 1977 the ISEE-1 spacecraft traversed the equatorial magnetosphere in the prenoon and dawn sectors during the early recovery phase of a magnetic storm with peak DST of -125 gamma. Along the dayside leg O(+) was comparable to or exceeded H(+) in number density in the energy range 0.1-17 keV. The velocity distribution of O(+) showed a characteristic dispersion, consistent with the ions being transported to the dayside from the dusk to midnight sector. The high-energy slope of the H(+) and O(+) distribution functions showed different radial dependence, with the slope of H(+) being consistent with a harder component carrying most of the energy density.

Lennartsson, W.↗