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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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Demonstration of cathode emittance dominated high bunch charge beams in a DC gun-based photoinjector

We present the results of transverse emittance and longitudinal current profile measurements of high bunch charge (≥100 pC) beams produced in the DC gun-based Cornell energy recovery linac photoinjector. In particular, we show that the cathode thermal and core beam emittances dominate the final 95% and core emittances measured at 9–9.5 MeV. Additionally, we demonstrate excellent agreement between optimized 3D space charge simulations and measurement, and show that the quality of the transverse laser distribution limits the optimal simulated and measured emittances. These results, previously thought achievable only with RF guns, demonstrate that DC gun based photoinjectors are capable of delivering beams with sufficient single bunch charge and beam quality suitable for many current and next generation accelerator projects such as Energy Recovery Linacs and Free Electron Lasers.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The impact of low-Z and high-Z metal implants in IMRT: A Monte Carlo study of dose inaccuracies in commercial dose algorithms

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the dosimetric impact of low-Z and high-Z metallic implants on IMRT plans. Methods: Computed tomography (CT) scans of three patients were analyzed to study effects due to the presence of Titanium (low-Z), Platinum and Gold (high-Z) inserts. To eliminate artifacts in CT images, a sinogram-based metal artifact reduction algorithm was applied. IMRT dose calculations were performed on both the uncorrected and corrected images using a commercial planning system (convolution/superposition algorithm) and an in-house Monte Carlo platform. Dose differences between uncorrected and corrected datasets were computed and analyzed using gamma index (Pγ{sub <1}) and setting 2 mm and 2% as distance to agreement and dose difference criteria, respectively. Beam specific depth dose profiles across the metal were also examined. Results: Dose discrepancies between corrected and uncorrected datasets were not significant for low-Z material. High-Z materials caused under-dosage of 20%–25% in the region surrounding the metal and over dosage of 10%–15% downstream of the hardware. Gamma index test yielded Pγ{sub <1}>99% for all low-Z cases; while for high-Z cases it returned 91% < Pγ{sub <1}< 99%. Analysis of the depth dose curve of a single beam for low-Z cases revealed that, although the dose attenuation is altered inside the metal, it does not differ downstream of the insert. However, for high-Z metal implants the dose is increased up to 10%–12% around the insert. In addition, Monte Carlo method was more sensitive to the presence of metal inserts than superposition/convolution algorithm. Conclusions: The reduction in terms of dose of metal artifacts in CT images is relevant for high-Z implants. In this case, dose distribution should be calculated using Monte Carlo algorithms, given their superior accuracy in dose modeling in and around the metal. In addition, the knowledge of the composition of metal inserts improves the accuracy of the Monte Carlo dose calculation significantly.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Photocathode Laser Shaping for High Transformer Ratio Collinear Wakefield Acceleration

Beam-driven wakefield acceleration is one of the most promising advanced accelerator concepts. With this approach, the main beam is accelerated by absorbing the energy from a drive beam, which has a lower kinetic energy, but a much higher current. For efficient acceleration, it is important to shape the drive beam axially, to increase the so-called transformer ratio: the energy gain by the main beam over the energy loss of the drive beam. In most cases, the drive beam shaping is done with the help of beam phase space manipulations, along with removing portions of the beam with a scraper. Such shaping is complicated by itself, causing charge loss and thermal heating, but can also lead to beam instabilities, due to the alteration of the beam phase space. How the problem is being addressed: In this project, Euclid Techlabs proposes to reduce the complexity of this process by shaping the laser beam incident on the photocathode instead of the electron beam itself. This approach yields an additional “tuning knob” for shaping the electron beam. The photocathode laser pulse can be modified to have the desired longitudinal profile, which will result in the desired profile of the electron beam after acceleration in the photoinjector. Laser shaping is, in fact, analogous to previous electron beam shaping approaches. A chirped beam is passed through a dispersive element (spatial light modulator), and masked to achieve the desired shape.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Low-Energy State of an Electron Beam in a Coaxial Diode with a Homogeneous Anode and Inhomogeneous Magnetic Field Profile

The possible formation of an extended low-energy state of electron beam in a coaxial diode with homogeneous cylindrical anode and moderate magnetic field with inhomogeneous profile is demonstrated for the first time. It is established that, depending on the magnetic field configuration, virtual cathodes (VCs) of two types can be formed: (i) a stationary VC with a localized reflection plane and (ii) a moving VC with a two-stream low-energy state of the electron beam.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

On compensating tune spread induced by space charge in bunched beams

Space charge effects play significant role in modern-day accelerators. These effects frequently constrain attainable beam parameters in an accelerator, or, in an accelerator chain. They also could limit the luminosity of hadron colliders operating either at low energies or with a sub-TeV high brightness hadron beams. The latter is applied for strongly cooled proton and ion beams in eRHIC – the proposed future electron-ion collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A number of schemes for compensating space charge effects in a coasting (e.g. continuous) hadron beam were proposed and some of them had been tested. Using a proper transverse profile of the electron beam (or plasma column) for a coasting beam would compensate both the tune shift and the tune spread in the hadron beam. But all of these methods do not address the issue of tune spread compensation of a bunched hadron beam, e.g. the tune shift dependence on the longitudinal position inside the bunch. In this paper we propose and evaluate a novel idea of using a co-propagating electron bunch with miss-matched longitudinal velocity to compensate the space charge induced tune-shift and tune spread. We present a number of practical examples of such system.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metrology of a Focusing Capillary Using Optical Ptychography

The focusing property of an ellipsoidal monocapillary has been characterized using the ptychography method with a 405 nm laser beam. The recovered wavefront gives a 12.5×10.4μm 2 focus. The reconstructed phase profile of the focused beam can be used to estimate the height error of the capillary surface. The obtained height error shows a Gaussian distribution with a standard deviation of 1.3 μm. This approach can be used as a quantitative tool for evaluating the inner functional surfaces of reflective optics, complementary to conventional metrology methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2016

Inland and Near Shore Water Profiles Derived from the High Altitude Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL)

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) mission is a six beam, low energy, high repetition rate, 532 nm laser transmitter with photon counting detectors. Although designed primarily for detecting height changes in icecaps, sea ice and vegetation, the polar-orbital satellite will observe global surface water during its designed three year life span, including inland water bodies, coasts, and open oceans. In preparation for the mission, an ICESat-2 prototype or the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), was built and flown on high altitude aircraft experiments over a range of inland and near-shore targets. The purpose was to test the ATLAS concept and to provide a database for developing an algorithm that detects along track surface water height and light penetration under a range of atmospheric and water conditions. The current analysis examines the datasets of three MABEL transects observed from 20 km above ground of coastal and inland waters conducted in 2012 and 2013. Transects ranged from about 2 to 12 km in length and included the middle Chesapeake Bay, the near shore Atlantic coast at Virginia Beach, and Lake Mead. Results indicate MABEL's high capability for retrieving surface water height statistics with a mean height precision of approximately 5-7 cm per 100m segment length. Profiles of attenuated subsurface backscatter, characterized using a Signal to Background Ratio written in Log10 base, or LSBR0, were observed over a range of 1.3 to 9.3 meters depending on water clarity and atmospheric background. Results indicate that observable penetration depth, although primarily dependent on water properties, was greatest when solar background rate was low. Near shore bottom reflectance was detected only at the Lake Mead site down to maximum of 10 m under a clear night sky and low turbidity of approximately 1.6 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The overall results suggest that the feasibility of retrieving operational surface water height statistics from space-based photon counting systems such as ATLAS is very high for resolutions down to about 100m, even in partly cloudy conditions. The capability to observe subsurface backscatter profiles is achievable but requires much longer transects of several hundreds of meters.

Topographic↗
NASA NTRS2020

Beam Propagation Through Atmospheric Turbulence Using an Altitude-Dependent Structure Profile with Non-Uniformly Distributed Phase Screens

Modeling the effects of atmospheric turbulence on optical beam propagation is a key element in the design and analysis of free-space optical communication systems. Numerical wave optics simulations provide a particularly useful technique for understanding the degradation of the optical field in the receiver plane when the analytical theory is insufficient for characterizing the atmospheric channel. Motivated by such an application, we use a split-step method modeling the turbulence along the propagation path as a series of thin random phase screens with modified von Karman refractive index statistics using the Hufnagel-Valley turbulence profile to determine the effective structure constant for each screen. In this work, we employ a space-to-ground case study to examine the irradiance and phase statistics for both uniformly and non-uniformly spaced screens along the propagation path and compare to analytical results. We find that better agreement with the analytical theory is obtained using a non-uniform spacing with the effective structure constant for each screen chosen to minimize its contribution to the scintillation in the receiver plane. We evaluate this method as a flexible alternative to other standard layered models used in astronomical imaging applications.

Chahine, Yousef K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Beam controlled nano-robotic device

A system and method (referred to as a method) to fabricate nanorobots. The method generates a pixel map of an atomic object and identifies portions of the atomic object that form a nanorobot. The method stores those identifications in a memory. The method adjusts an electron beam to a noninvasive operating level and images the portions of the atomic object that form the nanorobot. The method executes a plurality of scanning profiles by the electron beam to form the nanorobot and detects nanorobot characteristics and their surroundings via the electron beam in response to executing the plurality of scanning profiles.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2013

Issues and Strategies in Solving Multidisciplinary Optimization Problems

Optimization research at NASA Glenn Research Center has addressed the design of structures, aircraft and airbreathing propulsion engines. The accumulated multidisciplinary design activity is collected under a testbed entitled COMETBOARDS. Several issues were encountered during the solution of the problems. Four issues and the strategies adapted for their resolution are discussed. This is followed by a discussion on analytical methods that is limited to structural design application. An optimization process can lead to an inefficient local solution. This deficiency was encountered during design of an engine component. The limitation was overcome through an augmentation of animation into optimization. Optimum solutions obtained were infeasible for aircraft and airbreathing propulsion engine problems. Alleviation of this deficiency required a cascading of multiple algorithms. Profile optimization of a beam produced an irregular shape. Engineering intuition restored the regular shape for the beam. The solution obtained for a cylindrical shell by a subproblem strategy converged to a design that can be difficult to manufacture. Resolution of this issue remains a challenge. The issues and resolutions are illustrated through a set of problems: Design of an engine component, Synthesis of a subsonic aircraft, Operation optimization of a supersonic engine, Design of a wave-rotor-topping device, Profile optimization of a cantilever beam, and Design of a cylindrical shell. This chapter provides a cursory account of the issues. Cited references provide detailed discussion on the topics. Design of a structure can also be generated by traditional method and the stochastic design concept. Merits and limitations of the three methods (traditional method, optimization method and stochastic concept) are illustrated. In the traditional method, the constraints are manipulated to obtain the design and weight is back calculated. In design optimization, the weight of a structure becomes the merit function with constraints imposed on failure modes and an optimization algorithm is used to generate the solution. Stochastic design concept accounts for uncertainties in loads, material properties, and other parameters and solution is obtained by solving a design optimization problem for a specified reliability. Acceptable solutions can be produced by all the three methods. The variation in the weight calculated by the methods was found to be modest. Some variation was noticed in designs calculated by the methods. The variation may be attributed to structural indeterminacy. It is prudent to develop design by all three methods prior to its fabrication. The traditional design method can be improved when the simplified sensitivities of the behavior constraint is used. Such sensitivity can reduce design calculations and may have a potential to unify the traditional and optimization methods. Weight versus reliability traced out an inverted-S-shaped graph. The center of the graph corresponded to mean valued design. A heavy design with weight approaching infinity could be produced for a near-zero rate of failure. Weight can be reduced to a small value for a most failure-prone design. Probabilistic modeling of load and material properties remained a challenge.

Patnaik, Surya↗
DOE OSTI2014

Untangling the contributions of image charge and laser profile for optimal photoemission of high-brightness electron beams

Using our model for the simulation of photoemission of high brightness electron beams, we investigate the virtual cathode physics and the limits to spatio-temporal and spectroscopic resolution originating from the image charge on the surface and from the profile of the exciting laser pulse. By contrasting the effect of varying surface properties (leading to expanding or pinned image charge), laser profiles (Gaussian, uniform, and elliptical), and aspect ratios (pancake- and cigar-like) under different extraction field strengths and numbers of generated electrons, we quantify the effect of these experimental parameters on macroscopic pulse properties such as emittance, brightness (4D and 6D), coherence length, and energy spread. Based on our results, we outline optimal conditions of pulse generation for ultrafast electron microscope systems that take into account constraints on the number of generated electrons and on the required time resolution.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2000

Lessons Learned During Solutions of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Problems

Optimization research at NASA Glenn Research Center has addressed the design of structures, aircraft and airbreathing propulsion engines. During solution of the multidisciplinary problems several issues were encountered. This paper lists four issues and discusses the strategies adapted for their resolution: (1) The optimization process can lead to an inefficient local solution. This deficiency was encountered during design of an engine component. The limitation was overcome through an augmentation of animation into optimization. (2) Optimum solutions obtained were infeasible for aircraft and air-breathing propulsion engine problems. Alleviation of this deficiency required a cascading of multiple algorithms. (3) Profile optimization of a beam produced an irregular shape. Engineering intuition restored the regular shape for the beam. (4) The solution obtained for a cylindrical shell by a subproblem strategy converged to a design that can be difficult to manufacture. Resolution of this issue remains a challenge. The issues and resolutions are illustrated through six problems: (1) design of an engine component, (2) synthesis of a subsonic aircraft, (3) operation optimization of a supersonic engine, (4) design of a wave-rotor-topping device, (5) profile optimization of a cantilever beam, and (6) design of a cvlindrical shell. The combined effort of designers and researchers can bring the optimization method from academia to industry.

Patnaik, Suna N.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid simulations of sub-cyclotron compressional and global Alfvén eigenmode stability in spherical tokamaks

A comprehensive numerical study has been conducted in order to investigate the stability of beam-driven, sub-cyclotron-frequency compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAEs) and global Alfvén eigenmodes (GAEs) in low-aspect-ratio plasmas for a wide range of beam parameters. The presence of CAEs and GAEs has previously been linked to anomalous electron temperature profile flattening at high beam powers in NSTX experiments, prompting a further examination of the conditions necessary for their excitation. Linear simulations have been performed with the hybrid MHD–kinetic initial value code HYM in order to capture the general Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance that drives the modes. Additionally, three distinct types of modes were found in the simulations—co-CAEs, cntr-GAEs, and co-GAEs—with differing spectral and stability properties. The simulations revealed that unstable GAEs are more ubiquitous than unstable CAEs, which is consistent with experimental observations, as they are excited at lower beam energies and generally have larger growth rates. Local analytic theory is used to explain key features of the simulation results, including the preferential excitation of different modes based on beam injection geometry and the growth rate dependence on the beam injection velocity, critical velocity, and degree of velocity space anisotropy. The background damping rate is inferred from the simulations and analytically estimated for relevant sources absent from the simulation model, indicating that co-CAEs are closer to marginal stability than modes driven by the cyclotron resonances.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid simulations of sub-cyclotron compressional and global Alfven Eigenmode stability in spherical tokamaks

A comprehensive numerical study has been conducted in order to investigate the stability of beam-driven, sub-cyclotron frequency compressional (CAE) and global (GAE) Alfven Eigenmodes in low aspect ratio plasmas for a wide range of beam parameters. The presence of CAEs and GAEs has previously been linked to anomalous electron temperature profile flattening at high beam power in NSTX experiments, prompting further examination of the conditions for their excitation. Linear simulations are performed with the hybrid MHD-kinetic initial value code HYM in order to capture the general Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance that drives the modes. Three distinct types of modes are found in simulations -- co-CAEs, cntr-GAEs, and co-GAEs -- with differing spectral and stability properties. The simulations reveal that unstable GAEs are more ubiquitous than unstable CAEs, consistent with experimental observations, as they are excited at lower beam energies and generally have larger growth rates. Local analytic theory is used to explain key features of the simulation results, including the preferential excitation of different modes based on beam injection geometry and the growth rate dependence on the beam injection velocity, critical velocity, and degree of velocity space anisotropy. The background damping rate is inferred from simulations and estimated analytically for relevant sources not present in the simulation model, indicating that co-CAEs are closer to marginal stability than modes driven by the cyclotron resonances.

Compressional Alfven Eigenmodes↗
NASA NTRS2013

Implementation of a Novel Low-Cost Low-Profile Ku-Band Antenna Array for Single Beam Steering from Space

Phased array antennas afford many advantages over traditional reflector antennas due to their conformality, high aperture efficiency, and unfettered beam steering capability at the price of increased cost and complexity. This paper eliminates the complex and costly array backend via the implementation of a series fed array employing a propagation constant reconfigurable transmission line connecting each element in series. Scanning can then be accomplished through one small (less than or equal to 100mil) linear motion that controls propagation constant. Specifically, each element is fed via a reconfigurable coplanar stripline transmission line with a tapered dielectric insert positioned between the transmission line traces. The dielectric insert is allowed to move up and down to control propagation constant and therefore induce scanning. We present a 20 element patch array design, scanning from -25 deg. less than or equal to theta less than or equal to 21 deg. at 13GHz. Measurements achieve only10.5 deg. less than or equal to theta less than or equal to 22 deg. scanning due to a faulty, yet correctable, manufacturing process. Beam squint is measured to be plus or minus 3 deg. for a 600MHz bandwidth. This prototype was improved to give scanning of 3.5 deg. less than or equal to theta less than or equal to 22 deg. Cross-pol patterns were shown to be -15dB below the main beam. Simulations accounting for fabrication errors match measured patterns, thus validating the designs.

Reconfigurable Transmission Lines↗
DOE OSTI2014

MULTI-SCALE COHERENT TURBULENCE AT TIDAL ENERGY SITES

Turbulence is known to affect the performance and survivability of tidal turbines, yet characterization of turbulence in the field remains limited. Here, we refine and demonstrate a new approach to turbulence measurements, in which an array of multiple Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADV) is suspended above the seabed at the hub height of a tidal turbine. These measurements provide information on the intensity, structure, and coherence of turbulence across the scale of a turbine rotor (< 10 m). Deployment of multiple moorings expands the analysis to array scales (> 10 m). Motion correction of the moored ADV data is essential to this approach and is verified using the turbulent kinetic energy spectra. Additional measurements include a bottommounted 5-beam Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, from which scales can be assessed using the velocities a separation distances along a given beam. These methods are demonstrated with data collected at the site of the Snohomish PUD pilot project in Admiralty Inlet, Puget Sound, WA (USA). Coherent motion is found to be largely isotropic, such that coherence is high only at scales less than the advective length scale or the water depth, whichever is less.

ADV↗
DOE OSTI2023

Extending the low-recycling, flat temperature profile regime in the lithium tokamak experiment-β (LTX-β) with ohmic and neutral beam heating

Abstract Recent experiments in the lithium tokamak experiment- β (LTX- β ) have extended the duration, performance, operating conditions, and diagnosis of the flat-temperature profile, low-recycling regime first observed in LTX. As expected, Li retains hydrogen and suppresses edge neutral cooling, allowing increased edge electron temperature, roughly equal to the core T e . Flat temperature profiles had been obtained transiently in LTX, as the plasma density decayed following the cessation of edge gas puffing. Careful control over the fueling in LTX- β has now been shown to sustain the flat T e profile and hot edge unique to the low-recycling regime for multiple confinement times in high performance discharges with decaying or steady density. With low density, the flat T e profile is also seen to extend into the scrape-off layer. Neutral beam heating is observed in target discharges with relatively flat electron temperature profiles ( T edge ∼ T core /2), though beam heating is stronger in discharges with higher fueling, higher density, and depressed edge T e . Beam heating produces additional peaking of the T e profile, without degradation of the energy confinement time. Neutral beam heating of target discharges with relatively flat electron temperature profiles similarly results in broad beam heated temperature profiles. Energy confinement in LTX- β generally compares favorably to ohmic and H-mode scalings, frequently exceeding them by factors of 2–4. New and improved diagnostics in LTX- β enable better characterization of this unique regime, including measurements of ion temperature and high field side Thomson scattering profiles. As an initial step toward characterizing turbulence with no T e gradient and roughly equal density and pressure gradient, core fluctuation spectra have been measured in peaked T e discharges using far-forward scattering and fluctuation reflectometry.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗