Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “energetic particles”

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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Jupiter's magnetosphere as observed with Pioneer 10

During November and December 1973 the spacecraft Pioneer 10 provided the first in situ observations of energetic particles in the magnetosphere of Jupiter. Observations made with a University of Iowa instrument are reported. It is found that Jupiter's magnetosphere consists of two quite different parts. The outer magnetosphere has the form of a thin, disk-like, quasi-trapping region extending from about 20 to 100 planetary radii. The inner magnetosphere is characterized by a dipolar magnetic field and very high intensities of durably trapped energetic particles. Particle intensities throughout both regions are discussed, taking into account conditions at the orbits of Io, Europa, and Ganymede.

Van Allen, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

LREE variability in CM matrices: Another look at meteorite compaction ages

Recent Neon-21 analyses indicate that individual grains in some CM meteorites show the effects of enhanced exposures to energetic particles beyond that which can be attributed to conventional cosmic ray exposure. The exposures clearly occurred prior to the final compaction of the CM meteorites. These exposures were of such a magnitude that they require that we either have to revise our understanding of regolith dynamics and the time scales involved in the regolith activity of meteorite parent bodies, or must invoke an exposure of the irradiated grains to an enhanced energetic particle environment, an environment which would most likely be produced by an early active sun. Constraints on the compaction ages of the meteorites which exhibit the large precompaction exposures could play a critical role in resolving this issue.

Woolum, Dorothy S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The medium energy cosmic ray experiment for ISEE-C

A description is provided of the medium energy cosmic ray experiment on board the ISEE-C spacecraft. This experiment is designed to measure the charge composition of nuclear energetic particles over wide ranges in energy (1-500 MeV/nucleon) and in charge (Z equals 1-28). Individual isotopes are resolvable for Z equals 1-7 over a restricted energy range. Electrons of 2-10 MeV are measured as well. These measurements are accomplished using all solid-state detector telescopes with detectors ranging in thickness from 15-3000 microns. The scientific goals of the experiment are also described. These include study of the composition of energetic particles from the sun and from the galaxy, the acceleration and flow of particles in the interplanetary medium, and electrons from Jupiter. Heliospheric gradients and other characteristics of solar modulation will be measured in conjunction with identical telescopes flown on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft and similar telescopes on Pioneer 10 and 11.

Von Rosenvinge, T. T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Evolution of Interplanetary Shocks and their CME Drivers

Shock-driving coronal mass ejections (CMEs) constitute the most energetic phenomena in the heliosphere. The shocks can be identified in a number of ways based on remote-sensing and in situ observations. Type II radio bursts are the earliest indicators of shocks that accelerate electrons to energies up to -10 keV. Solar energetic particle (SEP) events are always accompanied by long wavelength type II bursts indicating that the same shock accelerates ions and electrons. A recent investigation involving a large number of interplanetary (IP) shocks revealed that about 35% of them do not produce type II bursts (radio quiet, RQ) or SEPs. Comparison of the RQ shocks with the radio loud (RL) ones revealed some interesting results such as: (1) the lack of evidence for blast waves,(2) energetic particle enhancement in the shock front in -20% of RQ shocks, and (3) determination of the difference between the RQ and RL shocks in terms of the different kinematic properties of the associated CMEs. On the other hand the shock properties measured at I AU are not too different for the RQ and RL cases. This can be attributed to the interaction with the IP medium, which seems to erase the difference. Implications of this evolution for the geoeffectiveness is also discussed.

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk↗
NASA NTRS2012

Global Energetics of Large Solar Eruptive Events

We have evaluated the energetics of the larger solar eruptive events recorded with a variety of spacecraft instruments between February 2002 and December 2006. All of the energetically important components of the flares and of the accompanying coronal mass ejections and solar energetic particles have been evaluated as accurately as the observations allow. These components include the following : (1) the total energy in the high temperature plasma determined from the RHESSI thermal X-ray observations; (2) the total energies in accelerated electrons above 20 keV and ions above 1 MeV from RHESSI hard X-ray and gamma-ray observations, respectively; (3) the potential and kinetic energies of the CME from SOHO/LASCO observations; (4) the solar energetic particle (SEP) energy estimates from in situ measurements on ACE, GOES, and SOHO; (5) the total radiated energy from the SORCEITSI measurements where available, and otherwise from the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM). The results are assimilated and discussed relative to the probable amount of non potential magnetic energy estimated to be available in the flaring active regions from MDI line-of-sight magnetograms.

Dennis, Brian R.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Forecasting Space Weather Events for a Neighboring World

Shortly after NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) spacecraft entered Mars' orbit on 21 September 2014, scientists glimpsed the Martian atmosphere's response to a front of solar energetic particles (SEPs) and an associated coronal mass ejection (CME). In response to some solar flares and CMEs, streams of SEPs burst from the solar atmosphere and are further accelerated in the interplanetary medium between the Sun and the planets. These particles deposit their energy and momentum into anything in their path, including the Martian atmosphere and MAVEN particle detectors. MAVEN scientists had been alerted to the likely CME-Mars encounter by a space weather prediction system that had its origins in space weather forecasting for Earth but now forecasts space weather for Earth's neighboring planets. The two Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft and Solar Heliospheric Observatory observed a CME on 26 September, with a trajectory that suggested a Mars intercept. A computer model developed for solar wind prediction, the Wang-Sheeley-Arge-Enlil cone model [e.g., Zheng et al., 2013; Parsons et al., 2011], running in real time at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) located at NASA Goddard since 2006, showed the CME propagating in the direction of Mars (Figure 1). According to MAVEN particle detectors, the disturbance and accompanying SEP enhancement at the leading edge of the CME reached Mars at approximately 17 hours Universal Time on 29 September 2014. Such SEPs may have a profound effect on atmospheric escape - they are believed to be a possible means for driving atmospheric loss. SEPs can cause loss of Mars' upper atmosphere through several loss mechanisms including sputtering of the atmosphere. Sputtering occurs when atoms are ejected from the atmosphere due to impacts with energetic particles.

space weather↗
NASA NTRS1981

Multiple crossings of a very thin plasma sheet in the earth's magnetotail

High resolution magnetic field, thermal plasma, and energetic particle data measured on the IMP 8 spacecraft are used to demonstrate that a thin plasma sheet with rapidly flowing plasma undergoes violent oscillatory motion that causes the entire thickness of the plasma sheet to pass over the spacecraft in times which are sometimes as short as 10 s. Ions with 50 and 290 keV energy are investigated since their gyroradii are comparable to the plasma sheet thickness. As the spacecraft moves from the plasma sheet into the lobe, the energetic particle intensities decrease, but the 290 keV ions are relatively more numerous than 50 keV ions on field lines located deeper in the lobe.

Fairfield, D. H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SiPM-based Technologies for Solar and Heliospheric Science

Neutrons and γ-rays are produced throughout the heliosphere and offer a unique window to understanding the fundamental processes of energetic particles. At the Sun, because neutrons and γ rays are produced by the interaction of accelerated ions in solar eruptive events, they can further our understanding of space-weather agents, processes and effects. Neutron measurements from 20-150 MeV complement high- and low-energy solar γ-ray measurements and fill the decade-wide energy gap (30-300 MeV) in the accelerated proton spectrum at the Sun, i.e., a critical missing piece in understanding the production mechanisms of solar energetic particles. For lunar or planetary studies, broadband neutron spectroscopy (covering thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons) and γ-ray spectroscopy can serve as an effective probe of regolith composition and in situ resource utilization, including the localization of water-ice. Furthermore, fast neutrons are a particularly hazardous form of radiation for astronauts and space assets within orbiting habitats and on lunar/planetary surfaces. We discuss the critical role of SiPM-based technology in enabling the next-generation neutron/γ-ray instruments.

Georgia de Nolfo↗
NASA NTRS2005

Asymmetric Electrostatic Radiation Shielding for Spacecraft

A paper describes the types, sources, and adverse effects of energetic-particle radiation in interplanetary space, and explores a concept of using asymmetric electrostatic shielding to reduce the amount of such radiation impinging on spacecraft. Typically, such shielding would include a system of multiple inflatable, electrically conductive spheres deployed in clusters in the vicinity of a spacecraft on lightweight structures that would maintain the spheres in a predetermined multipole geometry. High-voltage generators would maintain the spheres at potential differences chosen in conjunction with the multipole geometry so that the resulting multipole field would gradually divert approaching energetic atomic nuclei from a central region occupied by the spacecraft. The spheres nearest the center would be the most positive, so as to repel the positively charged impinging nuclei from the center. At the same time, the monopole potential of the overall spacecraft-and-shielding system would be made negative so as to repel thermal electrons. The paper presents results of computational simulations of energetic-particle trajectories and shield efficiency for a trial system of 21 spheres arranged in three clusters in an overall linear quadrupole configuration. Further development would be necessary to make this shielding concept practical.

Metzger, Philip T.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Interface structure of co-rotating interaction regions

Plasma and particle observations on Ulysses during its passes through the southern and northern heliosphere have revealed that, inside the streamer belt, the large-scale structure of the quiet global heliosphere is dominated by corotating interaction regions (CIRs). Therefore, considerable attention is now being given to the internal plasma structure of CIRs, and in particular, to the manifestations of the stream interfaces that should mark their origins as interactions between low speed solar wind (in the low-latitude streamer belt) and high speed solar wind (from the equatorial extensions of the high latitude polar coronal holes). The SWICS and HI-SCALE experiments on Ulysses combine plasma and energetic particle measurements that are of considerable utility for such studies because, between them, they cover the proton energy range from 10 eV to 5 MeV. These measurements are used, together with magnetic field data, to study the remarkable series of CIRs that occurred during the period beginning July 1992 and the end of 1993 as Ulysses rose from the ecliptic to a southern heliographic latitude of 48 deg. The structure of the regions between the forward and reverse shocks were previously analyzed in terms of the proton specific entropy argument log that should exhibit a discontinuous jump at the stream interface. It was claimed that the stream interface, defined with respect to specific entropy, is also associated with a discontinuity in energetic proton intensities. The energetic particle data (greater than 60 keV) and how they were ordered with respect to interfaces and with respect to the magnetic field were examined.

Ogilvie, K. W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Transmission measurement based on STM observation to detect the penetration depth of low-energy heavy ions in botanic samples

The penetration depth of low-energy heavy ions in botanic samples was detected with a new transmission measurement. In the measurement, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) pieces were placed behind the botanic samples with certain thickness. During the irradiation of heavy ions with energy of tens of keV, the energetic particles transmitted from those samples were received by the HOPG pieces. After irradiation, scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was applied to observe protrusion-like damage induced by these transmitted ions on the surface of the HOPG. The statistical average number density of protrusions and the minimum transmission rate of the low-energy heavy ions can be obtained. The detection efficiency of the new method for low-energy heavy ions was about 0.1-1 and the background in the measurement can be reduced to as low as 1.0 x 10(8) protrusions/cm2. With this method, the penetration depth of the energetic particles was detected to be no less than 60 micrometers in kidney bean slices when the slices were irradiated by 100 keVAr+ ion at the fluence of 5 x 10(16) ions/cm2. c2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA Damage↗
NASA NTRS2011

Interchange Slip-Running Reconnection and Sweeping SEP-Beams

We present a new model to explain how particles, accelerated at a reconnection site that is not magnetically connected to the Earth, could eventually propagate along the well-connected open flux tube. Our model is based on the results of a low-beta resistive magnetohydrodynamics simulation of a three-dimensional line-tied and initially current-free bipole, that is embedded in a non-uniform open potential field. The topology of this configuration is that of an asymmetric coronal null-point, with a closed fan surface and an open outer spine. When driven by slow photospheric shearing motions, field lines, initially fully anchored below the fan dome, reconnect at the null point, and jump to the open magnetic domain. This is the standard interchange mode as sketched and calculated in 2D. The key result in 3D is that, reconnected open field lines located in the vicinity of the outer spine, keep reconnecting continuously, across an open quasi-separatrix layer, as previously identified for non-open-null-point reconnection. The apparent slipping motion of these field lines leads to form an extended narrow magnetic flux tube at high altitude. Because of the slip-running reconnection, we conjecture that if energetic particles would be travelling through, or be accelerated inside, the diffusion region, they would be successively injected along continuously reconnecting field lines that are connected farther and farther from the spine. At the scale of the full Sun, owing to the super-radial expansion of field lines below 3 solar radius, such energetic particles could easily be injected in field lines slipping over significant distances, and could eventually reach the distant flux tube that is well-connected to the Earth.

Masson, S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Corona and solar wind

The Pinhole/Occulter Facility is a powerful tool for studying the physics of the extended corona and origins of the solar wind. Spectroscopic data acquired by the P/OF coronal instruments can greatly expand empirical information about temperatures, densities, flow velocities, magnetic fields, and chemical abundances in the corona out to r or approx. 10 solar radii. Such information is needed to provide tight empirical constraints on critical physical processes involved in the transport and dissipation of energy and momentum, the heating and acceleration of plasma, and the acceleration of energetic particles. Because of its high sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolutions, and powerful capabilities for plasma diagnostics, P/OF can significantly increase our empirical knowledge about coronal streamers and transients and thereby advance the understanding of the physics of these phenomena. P/OF observations can be used to establish the role in solar wind generation, if any, of small-scale dynamical phenomena, such as spicules, macrospicules and coronal bullets, and the role of the fine-scale structures, such as polar plumes. Finally, simultaneous measurements by the P/OF coronal and hard X-ray instruments can provide critical empirical information concerning nonthermal energy releases and acceleration of energetic particles in the corona.

Withbroe, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Rocket observations of the ionosphere during the eclipse of 26 February 1979

Electron density profiles and energetic particle fluxes were determined from two rockets launched, respectively, at the beginning and end of totality during the solar eclipse of 26 February 1979. These, and one other rocket at the same time of day on 24 February 1979, were launched from near Red Lake, Ontario. The electron density profile from 24 February shows the electron density to be normal above 110 km, to rocket apogee. Below 110 km, the electron density is enhanced, by an order of magnitude in the D region, compared with data from Wallops Island at the same solar zenith angle (63 deg). The enhancement is qualitatively explained by the large flux of field aligned energetic particles observed on the same rocket. During totality (on 26 February) the electron density above 110 km to rocket apogee is reduced by a factor of about three. Below 110 km, the electron density is much greater than observed during previous eclipses. The particle flux measured on the 26 February was an order of magnitude less than that on the 24 February but showed greater variability, particularly at the higher energies (100 keV). A feature of the particle flux is that, for the two rockets that were separated horizontally by 38 km while above the absorbing region, the variations are uncorrelated.

Mcinerney, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity's First Visit to Our Star

Solar Probe Plus (SPP) will be the first spacecraft to fly into the low solar corona. SPPs main science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Suns coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Understanding these fundamental phenomena has been a top-priority science goal for over five decades, dating back to the 1958 Simpson Committee Report. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. The mission design and the technology and engineering developments enable SPP to meet its science objectives to: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles. The SPP mission was confirmed in March 2014 and is under development as a part of NASAs Living with a Star (LWS) Program. SPP is scheduled for launch in mid-2018, and will perform 24 orbits over a 7-year nominal mission duration. Seven Venus gravity assists gradually reduce SPPs perihelion from 35 solar radii (RS) for the first orbit to less than 10 RS for the final three orbits. In this paper we present the science, mission concept and the baseline vehicle for SPP, and examine how the mission will address the key science questions.

Fox, N. J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Status of Knowledge after Ulysses and SOHO: Session 2: Investigate the Links between the Solar Surface, Corona, and Inner Heliosphere.

As spacecraft observations of the heliosphere have moved from exploration into studies of physical processes, we are learning about the linkages that exist between different parts of the system. The past fifteen years have led to new ideas for how the heliospheric magnetic field connects back to the Sun and to how that connection plays a role in the origin of the solar wind. A growing understanding these connections, in turn, has led to the ability to use composition, ionization state, the microscopic state of the in situ plasma, and energetic particles as tools to further analyze the linkages and the underlying physical processes. Many missions have contributed to these investigations of the heliosphere as an integrated system. Two of the most important are Ulysses and SOHO, because of the types of measurements they make, their specific orbits, and how they have worked to complement each other. I will review and summarize the status of knowledge about these linkages, with emphasis on results from the Ulysses and SOHO missions. Some of the topics will be the global heliosphere at sunspot maximum and minimum, the physics and morphology of coronal holes, the origin(s) of slow wind, SOHO-Ulysses quadrature observations, mysteries in the propagation of energetic particles, and the physics of eruptive events and their associated current sheets. These specific topics are selected because they point towards the investigations that will be carried out with Solar Orbiter (SO) and the opportunity will be used to illustrate how SO will uniquely contribute to our knowledge of the underlying physical processes.

Suess, Steven↗
NASA NTRS2008

MESSENGER: Exploring Mercury's Magnetosphere

The MESSENGER mission to Mercury offers our first opportunity to explore this planet's miniature magnetosphere since Mariner 10's brief fly-bys in 1974-5. Mercury's magnetosphere is unique in many respects. The magnetosphere of Mercury is the smallest in the solar system with its magnetic field typically standing off the solar wind only - 1000 to 2000 km above the surface. For this reason there are no closed dri-fi paths for energetic particles and, hence, no radiation belts; the characteristic time scales for wave propagation and convective transport are short possibly coupling kinetic and fluid modes; magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause may erode the subsolar magnetosphere allowing solar wind ions to directly impact the dayside regolith; inductive currents in Mercury's interior should act to modify the solar In addition, Mercury's magnetosphere is the only one with its defining magnetic flux tubes rooted in a planetary regolith as opposed to an atmosphere with a conductive ionosphere. This lack of an ionosphere is thought to be the underlying reason for the brevity of the very intense, but short lived, approx. 1-2 min, substorm-like energetic particle events observed by Mariner 10 in Mercury's magnetic tail. In this seminar, we review what we think we know about Mercury's magnetosphere and describe the MESSENGER science team's strategy for obtaining answers to the outstanding science questions surrounding the interaction of the solar wind with Mercury and its small, but dynamic magnetosphere.

Slavin, James A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Accelerated radiation tolerance testing of Ti-based MAX phases

MAX phases have recently attracted significant attention for potential nuclear applications due to their novel properties such as unique hexagonal-compact nanolayered crystal structure, high-machinability due to lower hardness levels compared to conventional ceramics, and high-chemical inertness. In order for MAX phases to be used in nuclear reactors, two aspects deserve detailed investigations: (i) their phase stability at high-temperatures and (ii) microstructural defect formation and recovery induced by energetic particle irradiation. To date, degradation mechanisms of MAX phases at high-temperatures and following irradiation are largely unexplored fields of research. This work focuses on the evaluation of two Ti-based MAX phases – Ti 2 AlC and Ti 3 SiC 2 – within the context of extreme environments. To accomplish this, a one-of-a-kind comparison between neutron irradiations, performed over a decade of research at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and heavy-ion irradiations, carried out in situ in a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) at the MIAMI-2 facility, has been conducted. The results show Ti-based MAX phases are prone to accelerated decomposition under the conditions investigated. This questions the hypothesis that MAX phases exhibit high phase stability, especially when used in future nuclear energy systems where energetic particle irradiation is a dominating degradation mechanism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗