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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Investigating the Present Day Cosmic Dust Flux at the Earth's Surface: Initial Results from the Kwajalein Micrometeorite Collection

Examination of impact craters on the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite indicate a present day micrometeoroid flux of approx. 30,000 tonnes [1 after 2]. But what portion of this material arrives at the Earth's surface as micrometeorites? Studies of available micrometeorite collections from deep sea sediments [e.g. 3], Greenland blue ice [e.g. 4] and the South Pole water well [e.g. 1] may be complicated by terrestrial weathering and, in some cases, collection bias (magnetic separation for deep sea sediments) and poorly constrained ages. We have recently set up a micrometeorite collection station on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, using high volume air samplers to collect particles directly from the atmosphere. By collecting in this way, the terrestrial age of the particles is known, the weathering they experience is minimal, and we are able to constrain particle arrival times. Collecting at this location also exploits the considerably reduced anthropogenic background [5]. Method: High volume air samplers were installed on top of the two-story airport building on Kwajalein. These were fitted with polycarbonate membrane filters with 5μm diameter perforations. The flow rates were set to 0.5m3/min, and filters were changed once a week. After collection, filters were washed to remove salt and concentrate particles [see 5] in preparation for analysis by SEM. Results and Discussion: A selection of filters have been prepared and surveyed. Due to their ease of identification our initial investigations have focused on particles resembling cosmic spherules. The spheres can be divided into three main groups: 1. Silicate spherules rich in Al, Ca, K and Na (to varying degrees), 2. Silicate spherules rich in Mg and Fe and 3. Fe-rich spherules. Group 1 spherules are often vesiculated and can occur as aggregates. They are similar in appearance and composition to volcanic microspheres [e.g. 6] and are thus likely terrestrial in origin (volcanic). Those of groups 2 and 3, however, typically exhibit quenched surface textures consistent with cosmic spherules. Initial results suggest there is significant variation in the abundance of these groups from filter to filter. Work is ongoing to fully characterize these spherules and to constrain their flux with time.

Wozniakiewicz, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Predicting the Mineral Composition of Dust Aerosols: Model Evaluation and Identification of Key Processes with Observations - Part 2

A global compilation of nearly sixty measurement studies is used to evaluate two methods of simulating the mineral composition of dust aerosols in an Earth system model. Both methods are based upon a Mean Mineralogical Table (MMT) that relates the soil mineral fractions to a global atlas of arid soil type. The Soil Mineral Fraction (SMF) method assumes that the aerosol mineral fractions match the fractions of the soil. The MMT is based upon soil measurements after wet sieving, a process that destroys aggregates of soil particles that would have been emitted from the original, undisturbed soil. The second method approximately reconstructs the emitted aggregates. This model is referred to as the Aerosol Mineral Fraction (AMF) method because the mineral fractions of the aerosols differ from those of the wet-sieved parent soil, partly due to reaggregation. The AMF method remedies some of the deficiencies of the SMF method in comparison to observations. Only the AMF method exhibits phyllosilicate mass at silt sizes, where they are abundant according to observations. In addition, the AMF quartz fraction of silt particles is in better agreement with measured values, in contrast to the overestimated SMF fraction. Measurements at distinct clay and silt particle sizes are shown to be more useful for evaluation of the models, in contrast to the sum over all particles sizes that is susceptible to compensating errors, as illustrated by the SMF experiment. Model errors suggest that allocation of the emitted silt fraction of each mineral into the corresponding transported size categories is an important remaining source of uncertainty. Evaluation of both models and the MMT is hindered by the limited number of size-resolved measurements of mineral content that sparsely sample aerosols from the major dust sources. The importance of climate processes dependent upon aerosol mineral composition shows the need for global and routine mineral measurements.

aerosols↗
DOE OSTI2025

The ICEBERG Test Stand for DUNE Cold Electronics Development

ICEBERG is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab for the purpose of testing detector components and software for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The detector features a 1.15m x 1m anode plane following the specifications of the DUNE horizontal drift far detector and a newly installed X-ARAPUCA photodetector. The status of ICEBERG is reported along with analysis of noise, pulser, and cosmic ray data from the ninth run beginning May 2024 with the goal of advising the DUNE collaboration on the optimal wire readout electronics configuration. In addition, development of an absolute energy scale calibration method is currently underway using known sources such as cosmic ray muon Michel electrons at the ~10 MeV scale and $^{39}$Ar decay electrons at the ~100keV scale. Research into AI-based identification of such events at the data acquisition level is introduced.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Demonstration of neutron identification in neutrino interactions in the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber

A significant challenge in measurements of neutrino oscillations is reconstructing the incoming neutrino energies. While modern fully-active tracking calorimeters such as liquid argon time projection chambers in principle allow the measurement of all final state particles above some detection threshold, undetected neutrons remain a considerable source of missing energy with little to no data constraining their production rates and kinematics. We present the first demonstration of tagging neutrino-induced neutrons in liquid argon time projection chambers using secondary protons emitted from neutron-argon interactions in the MicroBooNE detector. We describe the method developed to identify neutrino-induced neutrons and demonstrate its performance using neutrons produced in muon-neutrino charged current interactions. The method is validated using a small subset of MicroBooNE’s total dataset. The selection yields a sample with 60% of selected tracks corresponding to neutron-induced secondary protons. At this purity, the integrated efficiency is 8.4% for neutrons that produce a detectable proton.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2018

Amorphous Phase Characterization Through X-Ray Diffraction Profile Modeling: Implications for Amorphous Phases in Gale Crater Rocks and Soils

The CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover has analyzed 18 rock and soil samples in Gale crater. Diffraction data allow for the identification of major crystalline phases based on the positions and intensities of well-defined peaks and also provides information regarding amorphous and poorly-ordered materials based on the shape and positions of broad scattering humps. The combination of diffraction data, elemental chemistry from APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and evolved gas analyses (EGA) from SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) help constrain possible amorphous materials present in each sample (e.g., glass, opal, iron oxides, sulfates) but are model dependent. We present a novel method to characterize amorphous material in diffraction data and, through this approach, aim to characterize the phases collectively producing the amorphous profiles in CheMin diffraction data. This method may be applied to any diffraction data from samples containing X-ray amorphous materials, not just CheMin datasets, but we re-strict our discussion to Martian-relevant amorphous phases and diffraction data measured by CheMin or CheMin-like instruments.

Achilles, C. N.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Energy Landscape, and Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of Diazirine and Its Cyclic Isomers

Identifying new nitrogenated hydrocarbon molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) is challenging due to the lack of comprehensive spectroscopic data from experiments. In this computational work, we focus on investigating the structures, relative energies, spectroscopic constants, and energy landscape of the cyclic isomers of diazirine (c-CH2N2) using ab initio quantum chemical methods. Density functional theory (DFT) methods and coupled cluster theory with singles and doubles including perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] and CCSD(T) with the explicitly correlated F12 b correction [CCSD(T)-F12b] were employed for this purpose along with large correlation consistent cc-pVTZ, cc-pVQZ, and cc-pV5Z basis sets. Harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared vibrational intensities, rotational constants, and dipole moments are reported. An harmonic vibrational fundamentals along with centrifugal distortion constants, and vibration-rotation interaction constants are also reported for all the cyclic isomers. The energies computed with the CCSD(T) and CCSD(T)-F12b methods were extrapolated to the one-particle complete basis set (CBS) limit following a three-point formula. At the CCSD(T)-F12b/CBS level of theory the 3,3H-diazirine (c-CH2N2) is the lowest energy cyclic isomer followed by 1,3H-diazirine, (E)-1,2H-Diazirine, and (Z)-1,2H-diazirine which are 20.1, 47.8, and 51.3kcal mol-1above the 3,3H-Diazirine, respectively. Accurate structures and spectroscopic constants that are reported here could be useful for future identification of these cyclic nitrogenated organic molecules in the interstellar medium or circumstellar disks.

Energy Landscape↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sextupole misalignment and defect identification and remediation in IOTA

The nonlinear integrable optics studies at the integrable optics test accelerator (IOTA) demand fine control of the chromaticity using sextupole magnets. During the last experimental run undesirable misalignments and multipole composition in some sextupole magnets impacted operations. This report outlines the beam-based methods used to identify the nature of the misalignments and defects, and the subsequent magnetic measurements and remediation of the magnets for future runs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dust-Proofing the Future: Materials Challenges for Lunar Exploration

As humanity expands its ventures into lunar exploration, the demand intensifies for materials capable of enduring extreme environmental and service conditions. The Moon’s surface presents numerous challenges, including ultra-high vacuum exposure, temperature extremes and intense radiation. Additionally, lunar regolith threatens component durability and reusability due to its abrasive nature. Lunar dust particles scoring, adhering or embedding into surfaces and within device-confined geometries, such as bearings, drive mechanisms and connectors, can cause premature component wear or failure. Furthermore, the interaction between the rocket plume and surface during vehicle landings and ascents creates severe erosive conditions near critical vehicle components and adjacent infrastructure. A key barrier hindering materials discovery for lunar dust tolerant applications is a lack of standard laboratory methods to evaluate material properties and performance under representative operating conditions. A case will be presented for research activities supporting identification, processing and characterization of candidate materials in conjunction with innovations in standardized testing and qualification. Results will highlight current and emerging test methods for simulating lunar dust exposure and component degradation, paving the way for a new generation of robust materials and coatings for space exploration.

lunar dust↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sextupole Misalignment and Defect Identification and Remediation in IOTA

The nonlinear integrable optics studies at the integrable optics test accelerator (IOTA) demand fine control of the chromaticity using sextupole magnets. During the last experimental run undesirable misalignments and multipole composition in some sextupole magnets impacted operations. This report outlines the beam-based methods used to identify the nature of the misalignments and defects, and the subsequent magnetic measurements and remediation of the magnets for future runs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Materials for Extreme Environments: Paving the Way for Lunar Exploration

As humanity expands its ventures into lunar and planetary exploration, the demand intensifies for resilient materials capable of enduring extreme environmental and service conditions. The Moon’s surface presents numerous challenges, including ultra-high vacuum exposure, temperature extremes and intense radiation. Additionally, lunar regolith poses a significant threat to component durability and reusability due to its abrasive nature. Lunar dust particles scoring, adhering, or embedding into surfaces and within device-confined geometries, such as bearings, drive mechanisms and connectors, can cause premature component wear or failure. Furthermore, the interaction between the rocket plume and the surface during vehicle landings and ascents creates severe erosive conditions near critical vehicle components and adjacent infrastructure. A key barrier hindering materials discovery for lunar dust tolerant applications is a lack of standard laboratory methods to evaluate material properties and performance under representative operating conditions. A case will be presented for research activities supporting identification, processing and characterization of candidate materials in conjunction with innovations in standardized testing and qualification. Results will highlight current and emerging test methods for simulating lunar dust exposure and component degradation, paving the way for a new generation of robust materials and coatings for space exploration.

Lunar dust↗
NASA NTRS1990

Method and apparatus for determining time, direction, and composition of impacting space particles

A space particle collector for recording the time specific particles are captured, and its direction at the time of capture, utilizes an array of targets, each comprised of an MOS capacitor on a chip charged from an external source and discharged upon impact by a particle through a tab on the chip that serves as a fuse. Any impacting particle creates a crater, but only the first will cause a discharge of the capacitor. A substantial part of the metal film around the first crater is burned off by the discharge current. The time of the impulse which burns the tab, and the identification of the target, is recorded together with data from flight instruments. The metal film is partitioned into pie sections to provide a plurality of targets on each of an array of silicon wafers, thus increasing the total number of identified particles that can be collected. It is thus certain which particles were captured at what specific times.

Kinard, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1973

On particle track detectors

Aqueous sodium hydroxide is widely used to develop charged particle tracks in polycarbonate film, particularly Lexan. The chemical nature of the etching process for this system has been determined. A method employing ultra-violet absorbance was developed for monitoring the concentration of the etch products in solution. Using this method it was possible to study the formation of the etching solution saturated in etch products. It was found that the system super-saturates to a significant extent before precipitation occurs. It was also learned that the system approaches its equilibrium state rather slowly. It is felt that both these phenomena may be due to the presence of surfactant in the solution. In light of these findings, suggestions are given regarding the preparation and maintenance of the saturated etch solution. Two additional research projects, involving automated techniques for particle track analysis and particle identification using AgCl crystals, are briefly summarized.

Benton, E. V.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Optimization of confinement in a toroidal plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

The toroidal ring of plasma contained in the NASA Lewis Bumpy Torus facility may be biased to positive or negative potentials approaching 50 kV by applying dc voltages of the respective polarity to 12 or fewer midplane electrode rings. The radial electric fields, which are responsible for raising the ions to high energies by E x B/B-squared drift, then point out of or into the plasma. A preliminary report is given on the identification and optimization of independent variables which affect the ion density and confinement time in the Bumpy Torus plasma. The independent variables include the polarity, position, and number of the midplane electrode rings, the method of gas injection, and the polarity and strength of a weak vertical magnetic field. Some characteristic data taken under conditions where most of the independent variables were optimized are presented. The highest value of the electron number density on the plasma axis is 3.2 trillion per cu cm, the highest ion heating efficiency is 47%, and the longest particle containment time is 2.0 msec.

Roth, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The asteroid albedo scale. I - Laboratory polarimetry of meteorites

Laboratory reflection polarimetry is presented for crushed rocks, lunar soils, and 24 meteoritic samples. The polarization-phase curves found for the meteorites closely resemble telescopic results for minor planets, but only if the samples are crushed finely enough to coat the larger particles with dust. The results generally confirm the identifications previously made from reflection spectroscopy for the meteoritic analogues of various types of asteroids; the more metal-rich ordinary chondrites, for example, match telescopic observations of the S-type minor planets well enough, as do the basaltic achondrites for Vesta. No meteorite measured, however, has a geometric albedo less than 0.05 as required for many of the C asteroids. A calibration of the polarimetric slope-albedo law, now determined strictly for meteoritic samples, confirms the asteroid albedo and diameter scale derived by the independent method of thermal radiometry.

Zellner, B.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Performance of heavy-flavour jet identification in Lorentz-boosted topologies in proton-proton collisions at √(s) = 13 TeV

Measurements in the highly Lorentz-boosted regime provoke increased interest in probing the Higgs boson properties and in searching for particles beyond the standard model at the LHC. In the CMS Collaboration, various boosted-object tagging algorithms, designed to identify hadronic jets originating from a massive particle decaying to bb̅ or cc̅, have been developed and deployed across a range of physics analyses. This paper highlights their performance on simulated events, and summarizes novel calibration techniques using proton-proton collision data collected at √(s) = 13 TeV during the 2016–2018 LHC data-taking period. Three dedicated methods are used for the calibration in multijet events, leveraging either machine learning techniques, the presence of muons within energetic boosted jets, or the reconstruction of hadronically decaying high-energy Z bosons. The calibration results, obtained through a combination of these approaches, are presented and discussed.

Pattern recognition↗
NASA NTRS1977

Optimization of confinement in a toroidal plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

A preliminary report on the identification and optimization of independent variables which affect the ion density and confinement time in a bumpy torus plasma is presented. The independent variables include the polarity, position, and number of the midplane electrode rings, the method of gas injection, and the polarity and strength of a weak vertical magnetic field. Some characteristic data taken under condition when most of the independent variables were optimized are presented. The highest value of the electron number density on the plasma axis is 3.2 x 10 to the 12th power/cc, the highest ion heating efficiency is 47 percent, and the longest particle containment time is 2.0 milliseconds.

Roth, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Chemistry of cometary meteoroids from video-tape records of meteor spectra

The chemistry of the cometary meteoroids was studied by closed circuit television observing systems. Vidicon cameras produce basic data on standard video tape and enable the recording of the spectra of faint shower meteors, consequently the chemical study is extended to smaller particles and we have a larger data bank than is available from the more conventional method of recording meteor spectra by photography. The two main problems in using video tape meteor spectrum records are: (1) the video tape recording has a much lower resolution than the photographic technique; (2) video tape is relatively new type of data storage in astronomy and the methods of quantitative photometry have not yet been fully developed in the various fields where video tape is used. The use of the most detailed photographic meteor spectra to calibrate the video tape records and to make positive identification of the more prominent chemical elements appearing in the spectra may solve the low resolution problem. Progress in the development of standard photometric techniques for the analysis of video tape records of meteor spectra is reported.

Millman, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comet coma sample return instrument

The sample collection technology and instrument concept for the Sample of Comet Coma Earth Return Mission (SOCCER) are described. The scientific goals of this Flyby Sample Return are to return to coma dust and volatile samples from a known comet source, which will permit accurate elemental and isotopic measurements for thousands of individual solid particles and volatiles, detailed analysis of the dust structure, morphology, and mineralogy of the intact samples, and identification of the biogenic elements or compounds in the solid and volatile samples. Having these intact samples, morphologic, petrographic, and phase structural features can be determined. Information on dust particle size, shape, and density can be ascertained by analyzing penetration holes and tracks in the capture medium. Time and spatial data of dust capture will provide understanding of the flux dynamics of the coma and the jets. Additional information will include the identification of cosmic ray tracks in the cometary grains, which can provide a particle's process history and perhaps even the age of the comet. The measurements will be made with the same equipment used for studying micrometeorites for decades past; hence, the results can be directly compared without extrapolation or modification. The data will provide a powerful and direct technique for comparing the cometary samples with all known types of meteorites and interplanetary dust. This sample collection system will provide the first sample return from a specifically identified primitive body and will allow, for the first time, a direct method of matching meteoritic materials captured on Earth with known parent bodies.

Albee, A. L.↗