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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

Research in space physics at the University of Iowa, 1982

The energetic particles and the electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields associated with the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the planets, comets, and the interplanetary medium are examined. Matters under current investigation are following: energetic particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic field, origin and propagation of very low frequency radio waves and electrostatic, the magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and prospectively Uranus and Neptune, diffusion of energetic particles in Saturn's magnetosphere, radio emissions from Jupiter and Saturn, solar modulation and the heliocentric radial dependence of the intensity of galactic cosmic rays, interplanetary propagation and acceleration of energetic particles, the theory of wave phenomena in turbulent plasmas, and basic wave-particle-chemical processes in the ionospheric plasma.

Vanallen, J. A.↗

Ray tracing planetary radio emissions

Planetary ray tracing calculations of free escaping electromagnetic waves are presented, with special attention given to calculations of the earth's auroral kilometric and continuum radiations and of the Jovian decametric and kilometric radiation. The technique is used to study the composition and propagation effects causing multiion resonances and shadow zones. Although results obtained for Jovian broadband kilometric radiation have been used to estimate the location of the source region, no unique solutions are obtained.

Green, James L.↗

Space Shuttle Underside Astronaut Communications Performance Evaluation

The Space Shuttle Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications system is planned to provide Radio Frequency (RF) coverage for astronauts working underside of the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) for thermal tile inspection and repairing. This study is to assess the Space Shuttle UHF communication performance for astronauts in the shadow region without line-of-sight (LOS) to the Space Shuttle and Space Station UHF antennas. To insure the RF coverage performance at anticipated astronaut worksites, the link margin between the UHF antennas and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Astronauts with significant vehicle structure blockage was analyzed. A series of near-field measurements were performed using the NASA/JSC Anechoic Chamber Antenna test facilities. Computational investigations were also performed using the electromagnetic modeling techniques. The computer simulation tool based on the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) was used to compute the signal strengths. The signal strength was obtained by computing the reflected and diffracted fields along the propagation paths between the transmitting and receiving antennas. Based on the results obtained in this study, RF coverage for UHF communication links was determined for the anticipated astronaut worksite in the shadow region underneath the Space Shuttle.

Hwu, Shian U.↗

Chapter 1: Direct Normal Radiation

This chapter addresses the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the solar resource, the direct solar radiation. It discusses the total or integrated broadband direct beam extraterrestrial radiation (ETR). This total integrated irradiance is comprised of photons of electromagnetic radiation. The chapter also discusses the impact of the atmosphere and its effect upon the direct normal irradiance (DNI) beam radiation. The gases and particulates present in the atmosphere traversed by the direct beam reflect, absorb, and scatter differing spectral regions and proportions of the direct beam, and act as a variable filter. Knowledge of the available broadband DNI beam radiation resource data is essential in designing a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) system. Spectral variations in the DNI beam radiation affect the performance of a CPV system depending on the solar cell technology used. The chapter describes propagation and scattering processes of circumsolar radiation (CSR), which includes the Mie scattering from large particles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Fault Propagation, EMI Propagation, and Fault Containment in Aerospace Systems

The occurrence of faults in aerospace system hardware and software have consequences ranging from minor effects to catastrophic effects, and such faults can directly affect the safety of hardware and personnel. There are many origins to fault conditions, and the hardware that is capable of still meeting its performance requirements after experiencing itself a fault is said to be fault tolerant. A fault tolerant hardware is capable of detecting, isolating, and recovering from a fault condition; and this is a subfield of control engineering. An aerospace system that has been shown to have electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in all its subsystems and systems cannot induced faults caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI). It can be proposed that the presence of EMI (or lack of EMC) is analogous to a potential fault initiator and the effects can likewise range from minor to severe. This paper starts by addressing the consequences of hardware failure in aerospace systems from a fault perspective, because the design of fault tolerant system is a major endeavor in aerospace. To arrive to this goal the paper starts with the concepts of fault, fault propagation, and a new concept called fault containment region. The paper then proceeds to provide two very recent examples in the aircraft industry of fault propagation with catastrophic effects. The paper proceeds to introduce the concept of EMI fault containment and a brief introduction to another new concept called the EMI containment region. The paper proceeds with an example of EMI fault containment region. The paper ends with a lesson learned conclusions.

Perez, Reinaldo↗

Determination of equilibrium electron temperature and times using an electron swarm model with BOLSIG+ calculated collision frequencies and rate coefficients

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events produce low-energy conduction electrons from Compton electron or photoelectron ionizations with air. It is important to understand how conduction electrons interact with air in order to accurately predict EMP evolution and propagation. An electron swarm model can be used to monitor the time evolution of conduction electrons in an environment characterized by electric field and pressure. Here a swarm model is developed that is based on the coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs) described by Higgins et al. (1973), hereinafter HLO. The ODEs characterize the swarm electric field, electron temperature, electron number density, and drift velocity. Important swarm parameters, the momentum transfer collision frequency, energy transfer collision frequency, and ionization rate, are calculated and compared to the previously reported fitted functions given in HLO. These swarm parameters are found using BOLSIG+, a two term Boltzmann solver developed by Hagelaar and Pitchford (2005), which utilizes updated cross sections from the LXcat website created by Pancheshnyi et al. (2012). We validate the swarm model by comparing to experimental effective ionization coefficient data in Dutton (1975) and drift velocity data in Ruiz-Vargas et al. (2010). In addition, we report on electron equilibrium temperatures and times for a uniform electric field of 1 StatV/cm for atmospheric heights from 0 to 40 km. We show that the equilibrium temperature and time are sensitive to the modifications in the collision frequencies and ionization rate based on the updated electron interaction cross sections.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SPATIAL GROWTH OF CURRENT-DRIVEN INSTABILITY IN RELATIVISTIC ROTATING JETS AND THE SEARCH FOR MAGNETIC RECONNECTION

Using the three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic code RAISHIN, we investigated the influence of the radial density profile on the spatial development of the current-driven kink instability along magnetized rotating, relativistic jets. For the purposes of our study, we used a nonperiodic computational box, the jet flow is initially established across the computational grid, and a precessional perturbation at the inlet triggers the growth of the kink instability. We studied light and heavy jets with respect to the environment depending on the density profile. Different angular velocity amplitudes have been also tested. The results show the propagation of a helically kinked structure along the jet and a relatively stable configuration for the lighter jets. The jets appear to be collimated by the magnetic field, and the flow is accelerated owing to conversion of electromagnetic into kinetic energy. We also identify regions of high current density in filamentary current sheets, indicative of magnetic reconnection, which are associated with the kink-unstable regions and correlated with the decrease of the sigma parameter of the flow. We discuss the implications of our findings for Poynting-flux-dominated jets in connection with magnetic reconnection processes. We find that fast magnetic reconnection may be driven by the kink-instability turbulence and govern the transformation of magnetic into kinetic energy, thus providing an efficient way to power and accelerate particles in active galactic nucleus and gamma-ray-burst relativistic jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Correlated low-frequency electric and magnetic noise along the auroral field lines

Dynamics Explorer 1 measurements of intense low-frequency electric and magnetic noise observed at low altitudes over the auroral zone are described. The intensity of both the electric and magnetic fields decreases rapidly with increasing frequency. Most of the energy is at frequencies below the O(+) cyclotron frequency, and some evidence is found for a cutoff or change in spectral slope near that frequency. The magnetic to electric field ratio decreases rapidly with increasing radial distance and also decreases with increasing frequency. The polarization of the electric field in a plane perpendicular to the earth's magnetic field is essentially random. The transverse electric and magnetic fields are closely correlated, with the average Poynting flux directed toward the earth. The total electromagnetic power flow associated with the noise is substantial. Two general models are discussed to interpret these observations, one based on static electric and magnetic fields imbedded in the ionosphere and the other based on Alfven waves propagating along the auroral field lines.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

Linearly polarized magnetic fluctuations at comet Giacobini-Zinner

The fully electromagnetic linear Vlasov dispersion equation for instabilities in a homogeneous, magnetized plasma is solved. Parameters appropriate to conditions observed during the ICE encounter with comet Giacobini-Zinner are used to study the polarization of electromagnetic instabilities driven by the relative streaming of two ion components. If the ion/ion relative drift is near the Alfven speed, the associated long-wavelength modes may be approximately linearly polarized at relatively small angles of propagation with respect to the magnetic field. The relatively inhomogeneous plasma background of the comet may impose such oblique propagation, so that this result provides an alternate explanation to the observations of linearly polarized waves near the comet.

Gary, S. Peter↗

Electromagnetic interactions of cosmic rays with nuclei

Parameterizations of single nucleon emission from the electromagnetic interactions of cosmic rays with nuclei are presented. These parameterizations are based upon the most accurate theoretical calculations available today. When coupled with Strong interaction parameterizations, they should be very suitable for use in cosmic ray propagation through intersteller space, the Earth's atmosphere, lunar samples, meteorites and spacecraft walls.

Norbury, John W.↗

Generation of strong MHD Alfvenic turbulence

Strong Alfvenic turbulence containing a number of solitonlike structures propagating at super-Alfvenic speeds is generated self-consistently and studied by means of computer simulation. A one-dimensional hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) code is used to investigate the nonlinear evolution of an electromagnetic ion-beam instability that generates low-frequency Alfven-like waves. As the instability develops, the field-aligned hydromagnetic waves steepen, forming a soliton that bifurcates several times, leading to a fully turbulent state.

Akimoto, K.↗

Schemes of Laser Muon Acceleration: Ultra-Short, Micron-Scale Beams

Experimentally accessible schemes of laser muon (μ±) acceleration are introduced and modeled using a novel technique of controlled laser-driven post-processing of cascade showers (or pair plasmas). The proposed schemes use propagating structures in plasma, driven as wakefields of femtosecond-scale high-intensity laser, to capture particles of divergent cascade shower of: (a) hadronic type from proton-nucleon or photo-production reactions or, (b) electromagnetic type. Apart from the direct trapping and acceleration of particles of a raw shower in laser-driven plasma, a conditioning stage is proposed to selectively focus only one of the charge states. Not only is the high gradient that is sustained by laser-driven plasma structures well suited for rapid acceleration to extend the lifetime of short-lived muons but their inherent spatiotemporal scales also make possible production of unprecedented ultrashort, micron-scale muon beams. Compact laser muon acceleration schemes hold the promise to open up new avenues for applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Determining the leading-order contact term in neutrinoless double β decay

We present a method to determine the leading-order (LO) contact term contributing to the nn → ppe - e - amplitude through the exchange of light Majorana neutrinos. Our approach is based on the representation of the amplitude as the momentum integral of a known kernel (proportional to the neutrino propagator) times the generalized forward Compton scattering amplitude n ( p 1 ) n ( p 2 ) W + ( k ) → \( p\left({p}_1^{\prime}\right)p\left({p}_2^{\prime}\right){W}^{-}(k) \) , in analogy to the Cottingham formula for the electromagnetic contribution to hadron masses. We construct model-independent representations of the integrand in the low- and high-momentum regions, through chiral EFT and the operator product expansion, respectively. We then construct a model for the full amplitude by interpolating between these two regions, using appropriate nucleon factors for the weak currents and information on nucleon-nucleon ( NN ) scattering in the 1 S 0 channel away from threshold. By matching the amplitude obtained in this way to the LO chiral EFT amplitude we obtain the relevant LO contact term and discuss various sources of uncertainty. We validate the approach by computing the analog I = 2 NN contact term and by reproducing, within uncertainties, the charge-independence-breaking contribution to the 1 S 0 NN scattering lengths. While our analysis is performed in the \( \overline{\mathrm{MS}} \) scheme, we express our final result in terms of the scheme-independent renormalized amplitude \( {\mathcal{A}}_{\nu}\left(\left|\mathbf{p}\right|,\left|\mathbf{p}^{\prime}\right|\right) \) at a set of kinematic points near threshold. We illustrate for two cutoff schemes how, using our synthetic data for \( {\mathcal{A}}_{\nu } \) , one can determine the contact-term contribution in any regularization scheme, in particular the ones employed in nuclear-structure calculations for isotopes of experimental interest.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Simple scalings for various regimes of electron acceleration in surface plasma waves

Different electron acceleration regimes in the evanescent field of a surface plasma wave are studied by considering the interaction of a test electron with the high-frequency electromagnetic field of a surface wave. The non-relativistic and relativistic limits are investigated. Simple scalings are found demonstrating the possibility to achieve an efficient conversion of the surface wave field energy into electron kinetic energy. This mechanism of electron acceleration can provide a high-frequency pulsed source of relativistic electrons with a well defined energy. In the relativistic limit, the most energetic electrons are obtained in the so-called electromagnetic regime for surface waves. In this regime, the particles are accelerated to velocities larger than the wave phase velocity, mainly in the direction parallel to the plasma-vacuum interface.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Surface spin-electron acoustic waves in magnetically ordered metals

Degenerate plasmas with motionless ions show existence of three surface waves: the Langmuir wave, the electromagnetic wave, and the zeroth sound. Applying the separated spin evolution quantum hydrodynamics to half-space plasma, we demonstrate the existence of the surface spin-electron acoustic wave (SSEAW). We study dispersion of the SSEAW. We show that there is hybridization between the surface Langmuir wave and the SSEAW at rather small spin polarization. In the hybridization area, the dispersion branches are located close to each other. In this area, there is a strong interaction between these waves leading to the energy exchange. Consequently, generating the Langmuir waves with the frequencies close to hybridization area we can generate the SSEAWs. Thus, we report a method of creation of the spin-electron acoustic waves.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Nongyrotropy as a source of instability and mode coupling

Nongyrotropic particle populations can bring about linear mode coupling in homogeneous media among the three eigen-modes of parallel propagation in gyrotropic magnetoplasmas. These interactions stimulate, in general, wave activity that does not occur in corresponding (random gyrophase) gyrotropic ambients. Solutions of the dispersion equation illustrate that simple introduction of gyrophase organization can (1) excite electrostatic (and electromagnetic) perturbations in media whose free energy sources are solely electromagnetic, and (3) drive hybrid (both electrostatic and electromagnetic) wave growth in thoroughly stable Maxwellian plasmas.

Brinca, A. L.↗

Properties of ultra low frequency upstream waves at Venus and Saturn: A comparison

The upstream regions of all planets, except Pluto, have been investigated, using in situ spacecraft measurements and a variety of analysis techniques. The detailed studies at Earth indicate that these waves are generated locally in the magnetically connected solar wind by the interaction with ions backstreaming from the shock. However, since the properties of the solar wind vary with heliocentric distance and since properties of planetary shocks depend on plasma beta, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) spiral angle and Mach number, the amount of heating, acceleration efficiencies, etc. significantly change with heliocentric distance. In turn the waves seen at each planet propagate not in the same but different (physical) propagation modes. In this paper we compare the ULF wave observations at an outer and an inner planet. We use the results of the ratio, quantites easily derivable with sufficient accuracy at each planet. We use the full electromagnetic dispersion relation for comparison with theoretical predictions.

Orlowski, D. S.↗

Energy transfer between energetic ring current H(+) and O(+) by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the frequency range below the helium gyrofrequency can be excited in the equatorial region of the outer magnetosphere by cyclotron resonant instability with anisotropic ring current H(+) ions. As the unducted waves propagate to higher latitudes, the wave normal should become highly inclined to the ambient magnetic field. Under such conditions, wave energy can be absorbed by cyclotron resonant interactions with ambient O(+), leading to ion heating perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. Resonant wave absorption peaks in the vicinity of the bi-ion frequency and the second harmonic of the O(+) gyrofrequrency. This absorption should mainly occur at latitudes between 10 deg and 30 deg along auroral field lines (L is greater than or equal to 7) in the postnoon sector. The concomitant ion heating perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field can contribute to the isotropization and geomagnetic trapping of collapsed O(+) ion conics (or beams) that originate from a low-altitude ionospheric source region. During geomagnetic storms when the O(+) content of the magnetosphere is significantly enhanced, the absorption of EMIC waves should become more efficient, and it may contribute to the observed acceleration of O(+) ions of ionospheric origin up to ring current energies.

Thorne, Richard M.↗