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At least 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Imaging techniques in X-ray astronomy.

Some of the imaging problems encountered in space-borne X-ray astronomy are reviewed, along with the techniques considered for their solution. Following a discussion of X-ray focussing and X-ray image processing, the development of X-ray imaging devices is surveyed. It is shown that the imaging devices that will be used in X-ray astronomy will take advantage of developments intended for infrared and optical astronomy. The special requirements of X-ray observation - especially, single photon detection and high time resolution - rule out the use of existing devices, particularly because of readout problems.

Gursky, H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fiber-Optic Discriminator Stabilizes Microwave Oscillator

New fiber-optic delay line discriminator enables stabilization of oscillators directly at microwave output frequency, eliminating need for frequency multiplication. Discriminator is wide-band device, capable of stabilizing outputs of frequency-agile microwave sources over multigigahertz tuning ranges. Use of advanced fiber-optic delay line with wider bandwidth and low noise predicted to yield corresponding improvements in phase-noise performance.

Logan, Ronald T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

High-power single-element pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well lasers for pumping Er-doped fiber amplifiers

A 980-nm-ridge waveguide pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs single-quantum-well laser with a maximum single-ended output power of 240 mW from a facet-coated device is fabricated from a graded-index separate-confinement heterostructure grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The laser oscillates in the fundamental spatial mode, allowing 22 percent coupling efficiency into a 1.55-micron single-mode optical fiber. Life testing at an output power of 30 mW per facet from uncoated devices reveals a superior reliability to GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well lasers but also the need for protective facet coatings for long term reliability at power levels required for pumping Er-doped fiber amplifiers.

Larsson, A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Infrared-Bolometer Arrays with Reflective Backshorts

Integrated circuits that incorporate square arrays of superconducting-transition- edge bolometers with optically reflective backshorts are being developed for use in image sensors in the spectral range from far infrared to millimeter wavelengths. To maximize the optical efficiency (and, thus, sensitivity) of such a sensor at a specific wavelength, resonant optical structures are created by placing the backshorts at a quarter wavelength behind the bolometer plane. The bolometer and backshort arrays are fabricated separately, then integrated to form a single unit denoted a backshort-under-grid (BUG) bolometer array. In a subsequent fabrication step, the BUG bolometer array is connected, by use of single-sided indium bump bonding, to a readout device that comprises mostly a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) multiplexer circuit. The resulting sensor unit comprising the BUG bolometer array and the readout device is operated at a temperature below 1 K. The concept of increasing optical efficiency by use of backshorts at a quarter wavelength behind the bolometers is not new. Instead, the novelty of the present development lies mainly in several features of the design of the BUG bolometer array and the fabrication sequence used to implement the design. Prior to joining with the backshort array, the bolometer array comprises, more specifically, a square grid of free-standing molybdenum/gold superconducting-transition-edge bolometer elements on a 1.4- m-thick top layer of silicon that is part of a silicon support frame made from a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The backshort array is fabricated separately as a frame structure that includes support beams and contains a correspond - ing grid of optically reflective patches on a single-crystal silicon substrate. The process used to fabricate the bolometer array includes standard patterning and etching steps that result in the formation of deep notches in the silicon support frame. These notches are designed to interlock with the support beams on the backshort-array structure to provide structural support and precise relative positioning. The backshort-array structure is inserted in the silicon support frame behind the bolometer array, and the notches in the frame serve to receive the support beams of the backshort-array structure and thus determine the distance between the backshort and bolometer planes. The depth of the notches and, thus, the distance between the backshort and bolometer planes, can be tailored to a value between 25 to 300 m adjusting only a few process steps. The backshort array is designed so as not to interfere with the placement of indium bumps for subsequent indium bump-bonding to the multiplexing readout circuitry

Miller, Timothy M.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Liquid Crystal-based Beam Steering Technologies for NASA Applications

Liquid crystal-based beam steering devices can provide electronic beam scanning to angles above 1 milliradian, sub-microradian beam pointing accuracy, as well as wave-front correction to maintain output optical beam quality. The liquid crystal technology effort will be summarized, and the potential application of the resulting devices to NASA space-based scenarios will be described.

Pouch, John↗
NASA NTRS1993

Use of particle beams for lunar prospecting

A key issue in choosing the appropriate site for a manned lunar base is the availability of resources, particularly oxygen and hydrogen for the production of water, and ores for the production of fuels and building materials. NASA has proposed two Lunar Scout missions that would orbit the Moon and use, among other instruments, a hard X-ray spectrometer, a neutron spectrometer, and a Ge gamma ray spectrometer to map the lunar surface. This passive instrumentation will have low resolution (tens of kilometers) due to the low signal levels produced by natural radioactivity and the interaction of cosmic rays and the solar wind with the lunar surface. This paper presents the results of a concept definition effort for a neutral particle beam lunar mapper probe. The idea of using particle beam probes to survey asteroids was first proposed by Sagdeev et al., and an ion beam device was fielded on the 1988 Soviet probe to the Mars moon Phobos. During the past five years, significant advances in the technology of neutral particle beams (NPB) have led to a suborbital flight of a neutral hydrogen beam device in the SDIO-sponsored BEAR experiment. An orbital experiment, the Neutral Particle Beam Far Field Optics Experiment (NPB-FOX) is presently in the preliminary design phase. The development of NPB accelerators that are space-operable leads one to consider the utility of these devices for probing the surface of the Moon using gamma ray, X-ray, and optical/UV spectroscopy to locate various elements and compounds. We consider the utility of the NPB-FOX satellite containing a 5-MeV particle beam accelerator as a probe in lunar orbit. Irradiation of the lunar surface by the particle beam will induce secondary and back scattered radiation from the lunar surface to be detected by a sensor that may be co-orbital with or on the particle beam satellite platform, or may be in a separate orbit. The secondary radiation is characteristic of the make-up of the lunar surface. The size of the spot irradiated by the beam is less than 1 km wide along the ground track of the satellite, resulting in the potential for high resolution. The fact that the probe could be placed in polar orbit would result in global coverage of the lunar surface. The orbital particle beam probe could provide the basis for selection of sites for more detailed prospecting by surface rovers.

Toepfer, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Theodolite Ring Lights

Theodolite ring lights have been invented to ease a difficulty encountered in the well-established optical-metrology practice of using highly reflective spherical tooling balls as position references. A theodolite ring light produces a more easily visible reflection and eliminates the need for an autocollimating device. A theodolite ring light is a very bright light source that is well centered on the optical axis of the instrument. It can be fabricated, easily and inexpensively, for use on a theodolite or telescope of any diameter.

Clark, David↗
NASA NTRS1998

Design and Specification of Optical Bandpass Filters for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)

Advanced optical bandpass filters for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) have been developed on a filter-by-filter basis through detailed studies which take into account the instrument's science goals, available optical filter fabrication technology, and developments in ACS's charge-coupled-device (CCD) detector technology. These filters include a subset of filters for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) which are optimized for astronomical photometry using today's charge-coupled-devices (CCD's). In order for ACS to be truly advanced, these filters must push the state-of-the-art in performance in a number of key areas at the same time. Important requirements for these filters include outstanding transmitted wavefront, high transmittance, uniform transmittance across each filter, spectrally structure-free bandpasses, exceptionally high out of band rejection, a high degree of parfocality, and immunity to environmental degradation. These constitute a very stringent set of requirements indeed, especially for filters which are up to 90 mm in diameter. The highly successful paradigm in which final specifications for flight filters were derived through interaction amongst the ACS Science Team, the instrument designer, the lead optical engineer, and the filter designer and vendor is described. Examples of iterative design trade studies carried out in the context of science needs and budgetary and schedule constraints are presented. An overview of the final design specifications for the ACS bandpass and ramp filters is also presented.

Leviton, Douglas B.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Determining Aerodynamic Loads Based on Optical Deformation Measurements

This paper describes a videogram metric technique for determining aerodynamic loads based on optical elastic deformation measurements. The data reduction methods are developed to extract the normal force and pitching moment from beam deformation data. The axial force is obtained by measuring the axial translational motion of a movable shaft in a spring/bearing device. Proof-of-concept calibration experiments are conducted to assess the accuracy of this optical technique.

Liu, Tianshu↗
NASA NTRS2001

Determining Aerodynamic Loads Based on Optical Deformation Measurements

This paper describes a videogrammetric technique for determining aerodynamic loads based on optical elastic deformation measurements. The data reduction methods are developed to extract the normal force and pitching moment from beam deformation data. The axial force is obtained by measuring the axial translational motion of a movable shaft in a spring/bearing device. Proof-of-concept calibration experiments are conducted to assess the accuracy of this optical technique.

Liu, Tianshu↗
NASA NTRS2003

Interferometer for Space Station Windows

Inspection of space station windows for micrometeorite damage would be a difficult task insitu using current inspection techniques. Commercially available optical profilometers and inspection systems are relatively large, about the size of a desktop computer tower, and require a stable platform to inspect the test object. Also, many devices currently available are designed for a laboratory or controlled environments requiring external computer control. This paper presents an approach using a highly developed optical interferometer to inspect the windows from inside the space station itself using a self- contained hand held device. The interferometer would be capable as a minimum of detecting damage as small as one ten thousands of an inch in diameter and depth while interrogating a relatively large area. The current developmental state of this device is still in the proof of concept stage. The background section of this paper will discuss the current state of the art of profilometers as well as the desired configuration of the self-contained, hand held device. Then, a discussion of the developments and findings that will allow the configuration change with suggested approaches appearing in the proof of concept section.

Hall, Gregory↗
NASA NTRS2024

Single Drop Cytometry Onboard the International Space Station

Real-time lab analysis is needed to support clinical decision making and research on human missions to the Moon and Mars. Powerful laboratory instruments, such as flow cytometers, are generally too cumbersome for spaceflight. Here, we show that scant test samples can be measured in microgravity, by a trained astronaut, using a miniature cytometry-based analyzer, the rHEALTH ONE, modified specifically for spaceflight. The base device addresses critical spaceflight requirements including minimal resource utilization and alignment-free optics for surviving rocket launch. To fully enable reduced gravity operation onboard the space station, we incorporated bubble-free fluidics, electromagnetic shielding, and gravity-independent sample introduction. We show microvolume flow cytometry from 10 μL sample drops, with data from five simultaneous channels using 10 μs bin intervals during each sample run, yielding an average of 72 million raw data points in approximately 2 minutes. We demonstrate the device measures each test sample repeatably, including correct identification of a sample that degraded in transit to the International Space Station. This approach can be utilized to further our understanding of spaceflight biology and provide immediate, actionable diagnostic information for management of astronaut health without the need for Earth-dependent analysis.

Daniel J. Rea↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational Modeling of Ultrafast Pulse Propagation in Nonlinear Optical Materials

There is an emerging technology of photonic (or optoelectronic) integrated circuits (PICs or OEICs). In PICs, optical and electronic components are grown together on the same chip. rib build such devices and subsystems, one needs to model the entire chip. Accurate computer modeling of electromagnetic wave propagation in semiconductors is necessary for the successful development of PICs. More specifically, these computer codes would enable the modeling of such devices, including their subsystems, such as semiconductor lasers and semiconductor amplifiers in which there is femtosecond pulse propagation. Here, the computer simulations are made by solving the full vector, nonlinear, Maxwell's equations, coupled with the semiconductor Bloch equations, without any approximations. The carrier is retained in the description of the optical pulse, (i.e. the envelope approximation is not made in the Maxwell's equations), and the rotating wave approximation is not made in the Bloch equations. These coupled equations are solved to simulate the propagation of femtosecond optical pulses in semiconductor materials. The simulations describe the dynamics of the optical pulses, as well as the interband and intraband.

Goorjian, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Bubble-domain circuit wafer evaluation coil set

Coil structures have been designed to permit nondestructive testing of bubble wafers. Wafers can be electrically or optically inspected and operated from quasi-static frequency to maximum device operating frequency.

Chen, T. T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Portable solar radiometer measures stack-plume effluents

Radiometer features two optical arrangements: easy-to-aline pointing optical system that is boresighted to second radiometric optical system which utilizes four filters to select wavelengths. Four channel device uses Sun as background source and measures attenuation of solar radiation through plume.

Exton, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Automated inspection of wire-frame assemblies

System improves accuracy of measurement between spaces of wire mesh and other wire frame assemblies while significantly reducing inspection time. Device operates automatically producing printout of measured spacings through use of optical scanner.

Etzel, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Scanning microscopy in microcircuit failure analysis

A three-phase microcircuit failure analysis procedure is presented. In the first phase, the device is nondestructively tested and the data obtained is correlated with the circumstances surrounding the failure event. The device is then subjected to a limited nondestructive analysis dominated by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Knowing that microcircuits usually fail from manufacturing defects or misuse, the analyst looks for one of the probable mechanisms. The SEM has two special operating modes that provide unique data for nondestructive analysis: voltage contrast and conductive current. These are used with other SEM modes and surface analysis techniques to analyze complicated microcircuits. The last phase includes the destructive procedures. The end product of these analyses is a corrective action that will yield a highly reliable system.

Nicolas, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Stereo electro-optical tracker study for the measurement of model deformations at the National Transonic Facility

The effects of model vibration, camera and window nonlinearities, and aerodynamic disturbances in the optical path on the measurement of target position is examined. Window distortion, temperature and pressure changes, laminar and turbulent boundary layers, shock waves, target intensity and, target vibration are also studied. A general computer program was developed to trace optical rays through these disturbances. The use of a charge injection device camera as an alternative to the image dissector camera was examined.

Hertel, R. J.↗