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At least 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

How the choice of exchange–correlation functional affects DFT-based simulations of the hydrated electron

Hydrated electrons are anionic species that are formed when an excess electron is introduced into liquid water. Building an understanding of how hydrated electrons behave in solution has been a long-standing effort of simulation methods, of which density functional theory (DFT) has come to the fore in recent years. The ability of DFT to model the reactive chemistry of hydrated electrons is an attractive advantage over semi-classical methodologies; however, relatively few density functional approximations (DFAs) have been used for the hydrated electron simulations presented in the literature. Here, we simulate hydrated electron systems using a series of exchange–correlation (XC) functionals spanning Jacob’s ladder. We calculate a variety of experimental and other observables of the hydrated electron and compare the XC functional dependence for each quantity. We find that the formation of a stable localized hydrated electron is not necessarily limited to hybrid XC functionals and that some hybrid functionals produce delocalized hydrated electrons or electrons that react with the surrounding water at an unphysically fast rate. Here, we further characterize how different DFAs impact the solvent structure and predicted spectroscopy of the hydrated electron, considering several methods for calculating the hydrated electron’s absorption spectrum for the best comparison between structures generated using different density functionals. None of the dozen or so DFAs that we investigated are able to correctly predict the hydrated electron’s spectroscopy, vertical detachment energy, or molar solvation volume.

Ab-initio molecular dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Studies of surface adsorbate electronic structure and femtochemistry at the fundamental length and time scales. Final report

The electronic structure and ultrafast (10-15 s-femtosecond timescale) electron dynamics were investigated for clean and atom/molecule covered metal surfaces. The studies were performed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to measure the structure of adsorbed atoms and molecules on metal surfaces, and to investigate their electronic properties. The electronic structure of the observed molecular networks was calculated by electronic structure theory in collaboration with Prof. Jin Zhao, who is a long-time collaborator, a Professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, and holds an Adjunct Professorship at the University of Pittsburgh. We also investigated the electronic properties of C60 molecules when they are templated by corrugated black phosphorous surfaces. We found unexpected charge delocalization that is enabled by the templating. This research was done in collaboration with Professor Min Feng at the Wuhan University, and who also holds an Adjunct Professorship at the University of Pittsburgh. Moreover, the electronic structure and electron dynamics in metal surfaces were investigated by time-resolved photoemission electron spectroscopy. The focus of ultrafast spectroscopy has been on the plasmonic response of silver surfaces. One direction has been to develop multidimensional (energy, momentum, and time) photoelectron spectroscopy of the coherent response of solid surfaces. This method was applied to study the collective electron excitations known generally as plasmons, which screen optical fields from penetration into metals. Although this collective response has been known for more than 60 years and is used extensively to deposit optical energy into metals, how this happens is poorly known. We investigated the plasmonic response of silver at the point where the dielectric response passes through zero and bulk plasmon is excited by light. We discovered that the plasmon excitation decays by exciting electrons from the Fermi level of a metal, which is contrary to what is believed in the plasmonic science community. This research has been performed in collaboration with Dr. Marcel Reutzel, who was a postdoctoral fellow working on this research at the University of Pittsburgh, and now has a faculty position at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Prof. Branko Gumhalter from the Institute of Physics in Zagreb contributed on the theory of plasmonic decay processes. Furthermore, we investigated the Floquet engineering of electronic bands in metals leading to multiphoton photoemission and above threshold photoemission. Finally, we demonstrated that it is possible to change the electronic structure of metals by application of optical fields. Our studies indicated that this happens on subfemtosecond time scale and could potentially be used in ultrafast information processing and quantum computation. Related document information

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electron-scale Magnetic Holes Generation Driven by Whistler-to-Bernstein Mode Conversion in Fully Kinetic Plasma Turbulence

Magnetic holes (MHs) are coherent structures characterized by a strong and localized magnetic field amplitude dip, commonly observed in the heliosphere. These structures come in different sizes, from magnetohydrodynamic to kinetic scales. Subion-scale MHs are usually sustained by an electron current vortex and exhibit a strong electron temperature anisotropy, with higher temperatures perpendicular to the background magnetic field. Magnetospheric multiscale observations (MMSs) have revealed electron-scale MHs to be ubiquitous in the turbulent Earth’s magnetosheath and the solar wind, potentially playing an important role in the energy cascade and dissipation. Despite abundant observations, the origin of electron-scale MHs is still unclear and debated. In this work, we use fully kinetic simulations to investigate the role of plasma turbulence in generating electron-scale MHs. We find that the turbulence spontaneously produces electron-scale MHs via the following mechanism: first, large-scale turbulent velocity shears produce regions with high electron temperature anisotropy; these localized regions become unstable, generating oblique electron-scale whistler waves; as they propagate over the inhomogeneous turbulent background, whistler fluctuations develop an electrostatic component, turning into Bernstein-like modes; the strong electrostatic fluctuations produce current filaments that merge into an electron-scale current vortex; the resulting electron vortex locally reduces the magnetic field amplitude, finally evolving into an electron-scale MH. We show that MHs generated by this mechanism have properties consistent with MMSs and nontrivial kinetic features with a “mushroom”-shaped electron velocity distribution function. Our results have potential implications for understanding the formation and occurrence of electron-scale MHs in astrophysical turbulent and space environments, such as the Earth’s magnetosheath and the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2004

Materials Characterization at Utah State University: Facilities and Knowledge-base of Electronic Properties of Materials Applicable to Spacecraft Charging

In an effort to improve the reliability and versatility of spacecraft charging models designed to assist spacecraft designers in accommodating and mitigating the harmful effects of charging on spacecraft, the NASA Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program has funded development of facilities at Utah State University for the measurement of the electronic properties of both conducting and insulating spacecraft materials. We present here an overview of our instrumentation and capabilities, which are particularly well suited to study electron emission as related to spacecraft charging. These measurements include electron-induced secondary and backscattered yields, spectra, and angular resolved measurements as a function of incident energy, species and angle, plus investigations of ion-induced electron yields, photoelectron yields, sample charging and dielectric breakdown. Extensive surface science characterization capabilities are also available to fully characterize the samples in situ. Our measurements for a wide array of conducting and insulating spacecraft materials have been incorporated into the SEE Charge Collector Knowledge-base as a Database of Electronic Properties of Materials Applicable to Spacecraft Charging. This Database provides an extensive compilation of electronic properties, together with parameterization of these properties in a format that can be easily used with existing spacecraft charging engineering tools and with next generation plasma, charging, and radiation models. Tabulated properties in the Database include: electron-induced secondary electron yield, backscattered yield and emitted electron spectra; He, Ar and Xe ion-induced electron yields and emitted electron spectra; photoyield and solar emittance spectra; and materials characterization including reflectivity, dielectric constant, resistivity, arcing, optical microscopy images, scanning electron micrographs, scanning tunneling microscopy images, and Auger electron spectra. Further details of the instrumentation used for insulator measurements and representative measurements of insulating spacecraft materials are provided in other Spacecraft Charging Conference presentations. The NASA Space Environments and Effects Program, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Boeing Corporation, NASA Graduate Research Fellowships, and the NASA Rocky Mountain Space Grant Consortium have provided support.

Dennison, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Electron Emission Properties of Insulator Materials Pertinent to the International Space Station

We present the results of our measurements of the electron emission properties of selected insulating and conducting materials used on the International Space Station (ISS). Utah State University (USU) has performed measurements of the electron-, ion-, and photon-induced electron emission properties of conductors for a few years, and has recently extended our capabilities to measure electron yields of insulators, allowing us to significantly expand current spacecraft material charging databases. These ISS materials data are used here to illustrate our various insulator measurement techniques that include: i) Studies of electron-induced secondary and backscattered electron yield curves using pulsed, low current electron beams to minimize deleterious affects of insulator charging. ii) Comparison of several methods used to determine the insulator 1st and 2nd crossover energies. These incident electron energies induce unity total yield at the transition between yields greater than and less than one with either negative or positive charging, respectively. The crossover energies are very important in determining both the polarity and magnitude of spacecraft surface potentials. iii) Evolution of electron emission energy spectra as a function of insulator charging used to determine the surface potential of insulators. iv) Surface potential evolution as a function of pulsed-electron fluence to determine how quickly insulators charge, and how this can affect subsequent electron yields. v) Critical incident electron energies resulting in electrical breakdown of insulator materials and the effect of breakdown on subsequent emission, charging and conduction. vi) Charge-neutralization techniques such as low-energy electron flooding and UV light irradiation to dissipate both positive and negative surface potentials during yield measurements. Specific ISS materials being tested at USU include chromic and sulfuric anodized aluminum, RTV-silicone solar array adhesives, solar cell cover glasses, Kapton, and gold. Further details of the USU testing facilities, the instrumentation used for insulator measurements, and the NASA/SEE Charge Collector materials database are provided in other Spacecraft Charging Conference presentations (Dennison, 2003b). The work presented was supported in part by the NASA Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program, the Boeing Corporation, and a NASA Graduate Fellowship. Samples were supplied by Boeing, the Environmental Effects Group at Marshall Space Flight Center, and Sheldahl, Inc.

Thomson, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Electron Velocity Distribution Function in Magnetic Clouds in the Solar Wind

We present a study of the kinetic properties of the electron velocity distribution functions within magnetic clouds, since they are the dominant thermal component. The study is based on high time resolution data from the GSFC WIND/SWE electron spectrometer and the Berkeley 3DP electron plasma instruments. Recent studies on magnetic clouds have shown observational evidence of anti-correlation between the total electron density and electron temperature, which suggest a polytrope law P(sub e) = alpha(Nu(sub e) (sup gamma)) for electrons with the constant gamma approximates 0.5 < 1. This anti-correlation and small polytropic gamma-values is interpreted in the context of the presence of highly non-Maxwellian electron distributions (i.e. non-thermal) within magnetic clouds. These works suggested that the non-thermal electrons can contribute as much as 50% of the total electron pressure within magnetic clouds. We have revisited some of the magnetic cloud events previously studied and attempted to quantify the nature of the non-thermal electrons by modeling the electron velocity distribution function using a kappa distribution function to characterize the kinetic non-thermal effects. If non-thermal tail effects are the source for the anti-correlation between the moment electron temperature and density and if the kappa distribution is a reasonable representative model of non-thermal effects, then the electron velocity distribution within magnetic clouds should show indication for small K-values when gamma < 1.

Nieves-Chinchil, Teresa↗
NASA NTRS2010

Martian Dust Devil Electron Avalanche Process and Associated Electrochemistry

Mars' dynamic atmosphere displays localized dust devils and larger, global dust storms. Based on terrestrial analog studies, electrostatic modeling, and laboratory work these features will contain large electrostatic fields formed via triboelectric processes. In the low-pressure Martian atmosphere, these fields may create an electron avalanche and collisional plasma due to an increase in electron density driven by the internal electrical forces. To test the hypothesis that an electron avalanche is sustained under these conditions, a self-consistent atmospheric process model is created including electron impact ionization sources and electron losses via dust absorption, electron dissociation attachment, and electron/ion recombination. This new model is called the Dust Devil Electron Avalanche Model (DDEAM). This model solves simultaneously nine continuity equations describing the evolution of the primary gaseous chemical species involved in the electrochemistry. DDEAM monitors the evolution of the electrons and primary gas constituents, including electron/water interactions. We especially focus on electron dynamics and follow the electrons as they evolve in the E field driven collisional gas. When sources and losses are self-consistently included in the electron continuity equation, the electron density grows exponentially with increasing electric field, reaching an equilibrium that forms a sustained time-stable collisional plasma. However, the character of this plasma differs depending upon the assumed growth rate saturation process (chemical saturation versus space charge). DDEAM also shows the possibility of the loss of atmospheric methane as a function of electric field due to electron dissociative attachment of the hydrocarbon. The methane destruction rates are presented and can be included in other larger atmospheric models.

Jackson, Telana L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electron Transfer Theory Elucidates the Hidden Role Played by Triethylamine and Triethanolamine during Photocatalysis

Triethylamine (TEA) and triethanolamine (TEOA) are renowned, in part, for their ability to reductively quench excited states by outer-sphere electron transfer with vast and still growing applications as sacrificial electron donors for photocatalytic systems. Upon amine oxidation, the resulting TEA •+ and TEOA •+ radical cations undergo proton transfer (or hydrogen atom transfer), resulting in the formation of a chemical reductant that has an α-carbon centered radical adjacent to the nitrogen center (TEA • and TEOA • ). In this contribution, we have electrochemically and spectroscopically characterized a set of electron acceptors which, upon accepting an electron, are a series of photocatalysts, [ReCl(R 1 R 2 -bpy)(CO) 3 ] •– , where R 1 and R 2 are electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups in the 4,4′- and 5,5′-positions on the bipyridyl ligand. Here, we substantiated the formation of the electron donors, TE(O)A • , by spin trapping electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, where TE(O)A • reacts with 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylnitrosobenzene to generate N-centered and O-centered radical adducts. Having established the chemical behaviors of the electron acceptors and donors individually, the electron transfer rate constants were determined across a 1.43 V range in driving force. The redox potential of TEA • was benchmarked to within ±80 mV on an absolute scale in V vs Fc + /Fc in CH 3 CN by using an empirical rate vs free-energy correlation, electron transfer theory, and density functional theory calculations. The equilibrium potentials for TEA • and TEOA • were determined to be −1.98 V and −1.76 V, respectively. Based on the kinetic and thermochemical analysis presented for TEA • and TEOA • , these transient radicals can be broadly considered strong homogeneous chemical reductants within the wider context of photoredox potentials. Thus, this work clarifies a frequently unnoticed secondary function for these sacrificial electron donors during photocatalysis and rationalizes the possibility of a one-photon/two-electron conversion process that is dependent on the free-energy exchange between TE(O)A • and photocatalysts.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Monte Carlo Simulation of Electron Interactions in an MeV-STEM for Thick Frozen Biological Sample Imaging

A variety of volume electron microscopy techniques have been developed to visualize thick biological samples. However, the resolution is limited by the sliced section thickness (>30–60 nm). To preserve biological samples in a hydrated state, cryo-focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy has been developed, providing nm resolutions. However, this method is time-consuming, requiring 15–20 h to image a 10 μm thick sample with an 8 nm slice thickness. There is a pressing need for a method that allows the rapid and efficient study of thick biological samples while maintaining nanoscale resolution. The remarkable ability of mega-electron-volt (MeV) electrons to penetrate thick biological samples, even exceeding 10 μm in thickness, while maintaining nanoscale resolution, positions MeV-STEM as a suitable microscopy tool for such applications. Our research delves into understanding the interactions between MeV electrons and frozen biological specimens through Monte Carlo simulations. Single elastic scattering, plural elastic scattering, single inelastic scattering, and plural inelastic scattering events have been simulated. The electron trajectories, the beam profile, and the intensity change of electrons in each category have been investigated. Additionally, the effects of the detector collection angle and the focal position of the electron beam were investigated. As electrons penetrated deeper into the specimen, single and plural elastic scattered electrons diminished, and plural inelastic scattered electrons became dominant, and the beam profile became wider. Even after 10 μm of the specimen, 42% of the MeV electrons were collected within 10 mrad. This confirms that MeV-STEM can be employed to study thick biological samples.

electron specimen interaction↗
NASA NTRS2016

Nongyrotropic Electrons in Guide Field Reconnection

We apply a scalar measure of nongyrotropy to the electron pressure tensor in a 2D particle-in-cell simulation of guide field reconnection and assess the corresponding electron distributions and the forces that account for the nongyrotropy. The scalar measure reveals that the nongyrotropy lies in bands that straddle the electron diffusion region and the separatrices, in the same regions where there are parallel electric fields. Analysis of electron distributions and fields shows that the nongyrotropy along the inflow and outflow separatrices emerges as a result of multiple populations of electrons influenced differently by large and small-scale parallel electric fields and by gradients in the electric field. The relevant parallel electric fields include large-scale potential ramps emanating from the x-line and sub-ion inertial scale bipolar electron holes. Gradients in the perpendicular electric field modify electrons differently depending on their phase, thus producing nongyrotropy. Magnetic flux violation occurs along portions of the separatrices that coincide with the parallel electric fields. An inductive electric field in the electron EB drift frame thus develops, which has the effect of enhancing nongyrotropies already produced by other mechanisms and under certain conditions producing their own nongyrotropy. Particle tracing of electrons from nongyrotropic populations along the inflows and outflows shows that the striated structure of nongyrotropy corresponds to electrons arriving from different source regions. We also show that the relevant parallel electric fields receive important contributions not only from the nongyrotropic portion of the electron pressure tensor but from electron spatial and temporal inertial terms as well.

Parallel Electric Fields↗
NASA NTRS2017

Urban Biomining Meets Printable Electronics: End-To-End at Destination Biological Recycling and Reprinting

Space missions rely utterly on metallic components, from the spacecraft to electronics. Yet, metals add mass, and electronics have the additional problem of a limited lifespan. Thus, current mission architectures must compensate for replacement. In space, spent electronics are discarded; on earth, there is some recycling but current processes are toxic and environmentally hazardous. Imagine instead an end-to-end recycling of spent electronics at low mass, low cost, room temperature, and in a non-toxic manner. Here, we propose a solution that will not only enhance mission success by decreasing upmass and providing a fresh supply of electronics, but in addition has immediate applications to a serious environmental issue on the Earth. Spent electronics will be used as feedstock to make fresh electronic components, a process we will accomplish with so-called 'urban biomining' using synthetically enhanced microbes to bind metals with elemental specificity. To create new electronics, the microbes will be used as 'bioink' to print a new IC chip, using plasma jet electronics printing. The plasma jet electronics printing technology will have the potential to use martian atmospheric gas to print and to tailor the electronic and chemical properties of the materials. Our preliminary results have suggested that this process also serves as a purification step to enhance the proportion of metals in the 'bioink'. The presence of electric field and plasma can ensure printing in microgravity environment while also providing material morphology and electronic structure tunabiity and thus optimization. Here we propose to increase the TRL level of the concept by engineering microbes to dissolve the siliceous matrix in the IC, extract copper from a mixture of metals, and use the microbes as feedstock to print interconnects using mars gas simulant. To assess the ability of this concept to influence mission architecture, we will do an analysis of the infrastructure required to execute this concept on Mars, and additional opportunities it could offer mission design from the biological and printing technologies. In addition, we will do an analysis of the impact of this technology for terrestrial applications addressing in particular environmental concerns and availability of metals.

Space mission↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental evidence of plasmarons and effective fine structure constant in electron-doped graphene/h-BN heterostructure

Electron-electron interaction is fundamental in condensed matter physics and can lead to composite quasiparticles called plasmarons, which strongly renormalize the dispersion and carry information of electron-electron coupling strength as defined by the effective fine structure constant $α$ $^{*}_{ee}$. Although h-BN with unique dielectric properties has been widely used as an important substrate for graphene, so far there is no experimental report of plasmarons in graphene/h-BN yet. Here, we report direct experimental observation of plasmaron dispersion in graphene/h-BN heterostructures through angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements upon in situ electron doping. Characteristic diamond-shaped dispersion is observed near the Dirac cone in both 0° (aligned) and 13.5° (twisted) graphene/h-BN, and the electron-electron interaction strength $α$ $^{*}_{ee}$ is extracted to be $α$ $^{*}_{ee}$ ≈ 0.9 ± 0.1, highlighting the important role of electron-electron interaction. Our results suggest graphene/h-BN as an ideal platform for investigating strong electron-electron interaction with weak dielectric screening, and lays fundamental physics for gate-tunable nano-electronics and nano-plasmonics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ubiquitous Power Electronics in Future Power Systems: Recommendations to fully utilize fast control capabilities

Power electronics is becoming ubiquitous in power systems because the rapid growth of variable renewable generation such as wind and solar, responsive load, electric vehicles, energy storage, as well as DC transmission. As a result, a high percentage of electricity will be generated, transmitted or consumed by power electronics in the future power system. Such a high penetration of power electronics is changing power system operation landscapes and dynamic characteristics. Two major kinds of impact are reduced system mechanical inertia by inverter-based resources displacing conventional generation and active participation of many distributed energy resources through inverters. This has caused significant reliability challenges for power system operation. The mitigation approach so far has mostly focused on accommodating power electronics inverters as passive devices or creating synthetic inertias to make inverter-based generation behaving as conventional generators. However, the high-speed control capabilities of power electronics present new opportunities for achieving an optimal performance beyond conventional power systems. A lower-inertia system can be more responsive for improving reliability, and distributed small resources can be more adaptive and scalable for better flexibility and resilience. Power electronic inverters are capable of multiple fast control functions. To fully utilized the ubiquitous power electronics in power systems requires technology advancements in the following areas: data and communications to capture the new dynamic behaviors introduced by power electronics; modeling and simulation to understand the behaviors of power electronics and its interactions with other components in the context of power systems; control and optimization methods for fully utilizing the capabilities of power electronics for a new paradigm of performance beyond the traditional inertia-heavy system; and significant upgrades in power electronics hardware to cater to the new control capabilities. If properly controlled and optimized, power electronics can help transform the power system to be responsive, adaptive, and scalable.

Huang, Zhenyu↗
NASA NTRS1991

High temperature electronic excitation and ionization rates in gases

The relaxation times for electronic excitation due to electron bombardment of atoms was found to be quite short, so that electron kinetic temperature (T sub e) and the electron excitation temperature (T asterisk) should equilibrate quickly whenever electrons are present. However, once equilibrium has been achieved, further energy to the excited electronic states and to the kinetic energy of free electrons must be fed in by collisions with heavy particles that cause vibrational and electronic state transitions. The rate coefficients for excitation of electronic states produced by heavy particle collision have not been well known. However, a relatively simple semi-classical theory has been developed here which is analytic up to the final integration over a Boltzmann distribution of collision energies; this integral can then be evaluated numerically by quadrature. Once the rate coefficients have been determined, the relaxation of electronic excitation energy can be evaluated and compared with the relaxation rates of vibrational excitation. Then the relative importance of these two factors, electronic excitation and vibrational excitation by heavy particle collision, on the transfer of energy to free electron motion, can be assessed.

Hansen, Frederick↗
NASA NTRS1994

A new path for the electron bulk energization in solar flares: Fermi acceleration by magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in reconnection outflows

We recently proposed that a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulent cascade produces the bulk energization of electrons to approximately 25 keV in the impulsive phase of solar flares (LaRosa & Moore 1993). In that scenario, (1) the cascading MHD turbulence is fed by shear-unstable Alfvenic outflows from sites of strongly driven reconnection in the low corona, and (2) the electrons are energized by absorbing the energy that flows down through the cascade. We did not specify the physical mechanism by which the cascading energy is ultimately transferred to the electrons. Here we propose that Fermi acceleration is this mechanism, the process by which the electrons are energized and by which the cascading MHD turbulence is dissipated. We point out that in the expected cascade MHD fluctuations of scale 1 km can Fermi-accelerate electrons from 0.1 keV to approximately 25 keV on the subsecond timescales observed in impulsive flares, provided there is sufficient trapping and scattering of electrons in the MHD turbulence. We show that these same fluctuations provide the required trapping; they confine the electrons within the turbulent region until the turbulence eis dissipated. This results in the energization of all of the lectrons in each large-scale (5 x 10(exp 7)cm) turbulent eddy to 25 keV. The Fermi process also requires efficient scattering so that the pitch-angle distribution of the accelerating electrons remains isotropic. We propose that the electrons undergo resonant scattering by high-frequency plasma R-waves that, as suggested by others (Hamilton & Petrosian 1992), are generated by the reconnection. Ions are not scattered by R-waves. Provided that there is negligible generation of ion-scattering plasma turbulence (e.g., L-waves) by the reconnection or the MHD turbulence, the ions will not Fermi-accelerate and the cascading energy is transferred only to the electrons. We conclude that, given this situation, electron Fermi acceleration can plausibly account for the electron bulk energization in impulsive solar flares.

Larosa, T. N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Electron distributions in the inner Jovian magnetosphere: Voyager 1 observations

Using several improvements in the analysis of the observations of the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) experiment on Voyager 1, electron phase space densities in the inner Jovian magnetosphere (5 - 10 R(sub J) were first calculated at constant first and second invariants (represented by mu and K, respectively), based on the LECP measurements. The calculated electron phase space density profiles show that in the inner Jovian magnetosphere there exist evident time and longitude variations, energetic electron injections, and present radial transport and distributed losses. To study the radial and pitch angle diffusions of Jovian electrons, we have calculated the phase space densities in the K-L space. It is found that the electron population in the inner Jovian magnetosphere seems to consist of two components: electrons radially diffusing from a main external source and electrons generated from local sources. The radially diffusing electrons have a relatively time stationary and isotropic distribution, while the locally created electrons mainly concentrate around the equatorial plane and have relatively lower energies, in comparison with the inward diffusing electrons. Consequently, the sources of precipitation losses to the ionosphere must be primarily electrons transported from outer sources, and the major precipitations occur in the inner magnetosphere (L less than 7.5 R(sub J). In the inner Jovian magnetosphere (L = 5 to approximately 10 R(sub J)) it is estimated that for electrons with magnetic moment mu = 300 MeV/G, the diffusion coefficient D is roughly 10(exp -8) to approximately 10(exp -6) R(exp 2)(sub J)/s, and the lifetime against the diffusion losses is of the order of 10(exp 4) to approximately 10(exp 6) s.

Ye, G.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Deducing Electron Properties from Hard X-Ray Observations

X-radiation from energetic electrons is the prime diagnostic of flare-accelerated electrons. The observed X-ray flux (and polarization state) is fundamentally a convolution of the cross-section for the hard X-ray emission process(es) in question with the electron distribution function, which is in turn a function of energy, direction, spatial location and time. To address the problems of particle propagation and acceleration one needs to infer as much information as possible on this electron distribution function, through a deconvolution of this fundamental relationship. This review presents recent progress toward this goal using spectroscopic, imaging and polarization measurements, primarily from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Previous conclusions regarding the energy, angular (pitch angle) and spatial distributions of energetic electrons in solar flares are critically reviewed. We discuss the role and the observational evidence of several radiation processes: free-free electron-ion, free-free electron-electron, free-bound electron-ion, photoelectric absorption and Compton backscatter (albedo), using both spectroscopic and imaging techniques. This unprecedented quality of data allows for the first time inference of the angular distributions of the X-ray-emitting electrons and improved model-independent inference of electron energy spectra and emission measures of thermal plasma. Moreover, imaging spectroscopy has revealed hitherto unknown details of solar flare morphology and detailed spectroscopy of coronal, footpoint and extended sources in flaring regions. Additional attempts to measure hard X-ray polarization were not sufficient to put constraints on the degree of anisotropy of electrons, but point to the importance of obtaining good quality polarization data in the future.

Kontar, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Magnetic Field Would Reduce Electron Backstreaming in Ion Thrusters

The imposition of a magnetic field has been proposed as a means of reducing the electron backstreaming problem in ion thrusters. Electron backstreaming refers to the backflow of electrons into the ion thruster. Backstreaming electrons are accelerated by the large potential difference that exists between the ion-thruster acceleration electrodes, which otherwise accelerates positive ions out of the engine to develop thrust. The energetic beam formed by the backstreaming electrons can damage the discharge cathode, as well as other discharge surfaces upstream of the acceleration electrodes. The electron-backstreaming condition occurs when the center potential of the ion accelerator grid is no longer sufficiently negative to prevent electron diffusion back into the ion thruster. This typically occurs over extended periods of operation as accelerator-grid apertures enlarge due to erosion. As a result, ion thrusters are required to operate at increasingly negative accelerator-grid voltages in order to prevent electron backstreaming. These larger negative voltages give rise to higher accelerator grid erosion rates, which in turn accelerates aperture enlargement. Electron backstreaming due to accelerator-gridhole enlargement has been identified as a failure mechanism that will limit ionthruster service lifetime. The proposed method would make it possible to not only reduce the electron backstreaming current at and below the backstreaming voltage limit, but also reduce the backstreaming voltage limit itself. This reduction in the voltage at which electron backstreaming occurs provides operating margin and thereby reduces the magnitude of negative voltage that must be placed on the accelerator grid. Such a reduction reduces accelerator- grid erosion rates. The basic idea behind the proposed method is to impose a spatially uniform magnetic field downstream of the accelerator electrode that is oriented transverse to the thruster axis. The magnetic field must be sufficiently strong to impede backstreaming electrons, but not so strong as to significantly perturb ion trajectories. An electromagnet or permanent magnetic circuit can be used to impose the transverse magnetic field downstream of the accelerator-grid electrode. For example, in the case of an accelerator grid containing straight, parallel rows of apertures, one can apply nearly uniform magnetic fields across all the apertures by the use of permanent magnets of alternating polarity connected to pole pieces laid out parallel to the rows, as shown in the left part of the figure. For low-temperature operation, the pole pieces can be replaced with bar magnets of alternating polarity. Alternatively, for the same accelerator grid, one could use an electromagnet in the form of current-carrying rods laid out parallel to the rows.

Foster, John E.↗