Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “gas target”

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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Breakthrough innovations in carbon dioxide mineralization for a sustainable future

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change concerns have prompted worldwide initiatives to lower carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels and prevent them from rising in the atmosphere, thereby controlling global warming. Effective CO 2 management through carbon capture and storage is essential for safe and permanent storage, as well as synchronically meeting carbon reduction targets. Lowering CO 2 emissions through carbon utilization can develop a wide range of new businesses for energy security, material production, and sustainability. CO 2 mineralization is one of the most promising strategies for producing thermodynamically stable solid calcium or magnesium carbonates for long-term sequestration using simple chemical reactions. Current advancements in CO 2 mineralization technologies, focusing on pathways and mechanisms using different industrial solid wastes, including natural minerals as feedstocks, are briefly discussed. However, the operating costs, energy consumption, reaction rates, and material management are major barriers to the application of these technologies in CO 2 mineralization. Further, the optimization of operating parameters, tailor-made equipment, and smooth supply of waste feedstocks require more attention to make the carbon mineralization process economically and commercially viable. Here, carbonation mechanisms, technological options to expedite mineral carbonation, environmental impacts, and prospects of CO 2 mineralization technologies are critically evaluated to suggest a pathway for mitigating climate change in the future. The integration of industrial wastes and brine with the CO 2 mineralization process can unlock its potential for the development of novel chemical pathways for the synthesis of calcium or magnesium carbonates, valuable metal recovery, and contribution to sustainability goals while reducing the impact of global warming.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Helium Degassing Filter for Mercury Process Gas Liquid Separator

Testing was conducted to find a suitable filter to help separate helium gas from the Spallation Neutron Source’s mercury process loop. This filter is proposed for installation on the gas-liquid separator (GLS) vent line to prevent a column of liquid mercury from flowing outside of the process loop shielding in the service bay. The filter’s desired properties are to prevent the passage of liquid mercury, provide minimal resistance to helium flow, resist radiation, operate for the lifetime of the target, be replaceable, and have a reliable construction. Testing concluded that the Mott Corporation POU-10-S series of filters provided the best performance available. The filters could stop most liquid mercury passage while allowing helium passage at nominal pressures above the GLS in standard conditions. This result has several implications for the design of the GLS vent system.

Weinmeister, Justin↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integration of sensors through additive manufacturing leading to increased efficiencies of gas turbines for power generation and propulsion

To realize the full capability of additively manufactured components in complex energy systems, it is imperative to minimize early component failures during development phases and during operation. Traditional field feedback timelines and offline inspection protocols significantly reduce the design-manufacturing iteration times. To address this specific question, the project developed and demonstrated a method for the integration of sensors into complex components through additive manufacturing. The team used gas turbine engines as a platform, which meets the need of both power generation and propulsion and offer opportunities for cost reductions and efficiency increases. The innovation of this intelligent integration of sensors into complex components uniquely customized to address questions of integrity and durability for additively manufactured components. With real-time sensing data from additively manufactured components, turbine manufacturers will realize higher efficiencies, reduced component failures, and a 30-50% acceleration in product deployment of high efficiency gas turbine components due to a faster reduction in component risk assessment under actual operating conditions. This is a transformative shift towards a data-driven design and qualification of additively manufactured gas turbine components. To directly integrate sensors into additively manufactured components with all the complexities of actual hardware, powder bed fusion (direct metal laser sintering) and laser metal deposition technologies was developed. Validation took take place in two university laboratories both of which contain actual engine hardware and closely simulate a gas turbine prior to demonstrating the technology in a turbine development test. Indeed, two major technologies from this research cold impact turbine systems in the near future: (1) higher efficiency materials and designs enabled by additive manufacturing with 50% faster design to manufacturing cycle time, to enable faster time-to-market targets; and (2) integration of sensors into additively manufactured components enabling broad health and condition based prognostics for faster component and engine risk reduction.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Designing Recyclable Biomass-Based Polyesters (Final Technical Report)

This project successfully demonstrated the production of sustainable polyesters from biomass-derived monomers, offering properties on par with or superior to fossil-based plastics such as LLDPE and PBAT. Using renewable chemical platforms like furfural and HMF, we synthesized over eight novel monomers and nearly 100 aliphatic-aromatic polyesters. Among these, PPeAT and PDDF emerged as highly promising candidates for flexible packaging applications, exhibiting excellent mechanical performance, tunable thermal properties, and enhanced barrier characteristics. Key advances included the development of ring-opening polymerization strategies using cyclic monomer intermediates to produce high molecular weight materials with excellent control. The resulting polymers achieved biobased content of at least 44 wt.%. We also implemented chemical recycling via catalytic methanolysis, recovering over 90% of monomers from PPeAT at semi-pilot scale. This supports a circular economy approach by enabling material reuse without performance loss. Techno-economic and life cycle assessments confirmed that these polyesters can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% compared to petroleum-derived alternatives. Favorable mechanical properties may further reduce material demand, and cost competitiveness was demonstrated under specific market conditions. Feedstock cost and environmental footprint were identified as primary levers for future optimization. In summary, the project met or closely approached all technical targets, including biodegradability, strength, and processing compatibility. While minor issues such as color and melting point variation remain, the results strongly support continued development and scale-up of these sustainable materials.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advanced helium purge seals for Liquid Oxygen (LOX) turbopumps

Program objectives were to determine three advanced configurations of helium buffer seals capable of providing improved performance in a space shuttle main engine (SSME), high-pressure liquid oxygen (LOX) turbopump environment, and to provide NASA with the analytical tools to determine performance of a variety of seal configurations. The three seal designs included solid-ring fluid-film seals often referred to as floating ring seals, back-to-back fluid-film face seals, and a circumferential sectored seal that incorporated inherent clearance adjustment capabilities. Of the three seals designed, the sectored seal is favored because the self-adjusting clearance features accommodate the variations in clearance that will occur because of thermal and centrifugal distortions without compromising performance. Moreover, leakage can be contained well below the maximum target values; minimizing leakage is important on the SSME since helium is provided by an external tank. A reduction in tank size translates to an increase in payload that can be carried on board the shuttle. The computer codes supplied under this program included a code for analyzing a variety of gas-lubricated, floating ring, and sector seals; a code for analyzing gas-lubricated face seals; a code for optimizing and analyzing gas-lubricated spiral-groove face seals; and a code for determining fluid-film face seal response to runner excitations in as many as five degrees of freedom. These codes proved invaluable for optimizing designs and estimating final performance of the seals described.

Shapiro, Wilbur↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Stellar X-ray Polarimeter - A focal plane polarimeter for the Spectrum X-Gamma mission

This paper describes an X-ray polarimeter that will be flown on the Spectrum X-Gamma mission. The instrument exploits three distinct physical processes to measure polarization: Bragg reflection from a graphite crystal, Thomson scattering from a metallic lithium target, and photoemission from a cesium iodide photocathode. These three methods allow polarization measurements over an energy band from 0.3 to 12 keV. The polarimeter will make possible sensitive measurements of several hundred known X-ray sources. X-ray polarization measurements will make it possible to constrain the geometry of gas flow in X-ray binaries, identify nonthermal emission in supernova remnants, test current models for X-ray emission in radio pulsars, determine the radiation mechanisms in active galactic nuclei, and search for inertial frame dragging (Lense-Thirring effect) around the putative black hole in Cygnus X-1.

Kaaret, P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Controls Astrophysics and Structures Experiment in Space (CASES) advanced studies and planning

The CASES (Controls, Astrophysics, and Structures Experiment in Space) program consists of a flight demonstration of CSI (Controls-Structures Interactions) technology on the Space Shuttle. The basis structure consists of a 32 m deployable boom with actuators and sensors distributed along its length. Upon deployment from the Orbiter bay, the CASES structure will be characterized dynamically and its deformations controlled by a series of experimental control laws; and cold gas thrusters at its tip will be used to orient the Orbiter to a fixed celestial reference. The scientific observations will consist of hard x-ray imaging, at high resolution, of the Sun and the Galactic center. The hard x-ray observations require stable (few arc min) pointing at these targets for one or more position-sensitive proportional counters in the Orbiter bay, which view the object to be imaged through an aperture-encoding mask at the boom tip. This report gives the concensus developed at the second CASES Science Working Group meeting, which took place at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center May 16-17, 1990. An earlier paper and scientific summaries are available and form the basis for the present discussion.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Overview of the Miniature Sensor Technology Integration (MSTI) spacecraft attitude control system

Msti2 is a small, 164 kg (362 lb), 3-axis stabilized, low-Earth-orbiting satellite whose mission is missile booster tracking. The spacecraft is actuated by 3 reaction wheels and 12 hot gas thrusters. It carries enough fuel for a projected life of 6 months. The sensor complement consists of a Horizon Sensor, a Sun Sensor, low-rate gyros, and a high rate gyro for despin. The total pointing control error allocation is 6 mRad (.34 Deg), and this is while tracking a target on the Earth's surface. This paper describes the Attitude Control System (ACS) algorithms which include the following: attitude acquisition (despin, Sun and Earth acquisition), attitude determination, attitude control, and linear stability analysis.

Mcewen, Rob↗
NASA NTRS2009

X-Ray Shadowing Experiments Toward Infrared Dark Clouds

We searched for X-ray shadowing toward two infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) using the MOS detectors on XMM-Newton to learn about the Galactic distribution of X-ray emitting plasma. IRDCs make ideal X-ray shadowing targets of 3/4 keY photons due to their high column densities, relatively large angular sizes, and known kinematic distances. Here we focus on two clouds near 30 deg Galactic longitude at distances of 2 and 5 kpc from the Sun. We derive the foreground and background column densities of molecular and atomic gas in the direction of the clouds. We find that the 3/4 ke V emission must be distributed throughout the Galactic disk. It is therefore linked to the structure of the cooler material of the ISM, and to the birth of stars.

Anderson, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Exploring the Chemical Link Between Local Ellipticals and Their High-Redshift Progenitors

We present Keck/MOSFIRE K-band spectroscopy of the first mass-selected sample of galaxies at z approximately 2.3. Targets are selected from the 3D-Hubble Space Telescope Treasury survey. The six detected galaxies have a mean [N II]lambda6584/H-alpha ratio of 0.27 +/- 0.01, with a small standard deviation of 0.05. This mean value is similar to that of UV-selected galaxies of the same mass. The mean gas-phase oxygen abundance inferred from the [N II]/Halpha ratios depends on the calibration method, and ranges from 12+log(O/H)(sub gas) = 8.57 for the Pettini & Pagel calibration to 12+log(O/H)(sub gas) = 8.87 for the Maiolino et al. calibration. Measurements of the stellar oxygen abundance in nearby quiescent galaxies with the same number density indicate 12+log(O/H)(sub stars) = 8.95, similar to the gas-phase abundances of the z approximately 2.3 galaxies if the Maiolino et al. calibration is used. This suggests that these high-redshift star forming galaxies may be progenitors of today's massive early-type galaxies. The main uncertainties are the absolute calibration of the gas-phase oxygen abundance and the incompleteness of the z approximately 2.3 sample: the galaxies with detected Hα tend to be larger and have higher star formation rates than the galaxies without detected H-alpha, and we may still be missing the most dust-obscured progenitors.

Chemical↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transitioning TEMPO Data for Air Quality Management Applications at the NASA SPoRT Center

The TEMPO mission has been observing air pollutants every hour during the daytime across its Field of Regard (FoR) covering greater North America since First Light on August 2, 2023. The highly anticipated public release of TEMPO data occurred on May 20, 2024, consisting of level 2 and level 3 trace gas data products of nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and ozone. The NASA SPoRT Center is developing value-added products and tools to support the TEMPO mission and Early Adopters program with special attention on stakeholder from air agencies. One component of our work is focused on evaluating the TEMPO products over stakeholder target areas using Pandora and surface monitor observations to characterize the uncertainties and develop best practices for processing and analyzing TEMPO data. Methods for oversampling TEMPO data to 1 km resolution are being applied over the target areas to resolve fine-scale emission sources and pollutant gradients. Machine learning techniques using TEMPO, surface monitor, and model data to estimate surface-level nitrogen dioxide concentrations are being developed over the target areas. A SPoRT viewer for TEMPO has been launched for providing visualizations of the TEMPO products and an ArcGIS dashboard is being designed for enabling air agency stakeholders to efficiently analyze TEMPO data. Training materials including user guides are being developed to ensure the effective and sustained use of TEMPO data at our stakeholder agencies. One major goal of our TEMPO initiatives at SPoRT is to better enable the inclusion of TEMPO data in air quality management applications such as exceptional event demonstrations through our close engagement with stakeholders. This talk will provide an update on our SPoRT activities and showcase use cases of TEMPO data for monitoring different emission sources including wildland fire smoke.

Air Quality↗
NASA NTRS2017

Kelt-16b: A Highly Irradiated, Ultra-Short Period Hot Jupiter Nearing Tidal Disruption

We announce the discovery of KELT-16b, a highly irradiated, ultra-short period hot Jupiter transiting the relatively bright (visual magnitude equals 11.7) star TYC 2688-1839-1/KELT-16. A global analysis of the system shows KELT-16 to be an F7V star with effective temperature equal to 6236 plus or minus 54 degrees Kelvin, log g (sub asterisk) equal to 4.253 from plus 0.031 to minus 0.036, [Fe/H] equal to minus 0.002 from plus 0.086 to minus 0.085, mass (sub asterisk) equal to 1.211 from plus 0.043 to minus 0.046 times the solar mass, and radius (sub asterisk) equal to 1.360 from plus 0.064 o minus 0.053 times the solar radius. The planet is a relatively high-mass inflated gas giant with planetary mass equal to 2.75 from plus 0.016 to minus 0.15 times Jupiter's mass, planetary radius equal to 1.415 from plus 0.084 to minus 0.067 times Jupiter's radius, density planetary rho equal to 1.20 plus or minus 0.18 grams per cubic centimeter, surface gravity, log planetary gravity equal to 3.530 from plus 0.042 to minus 0.049, and equatorial temperature equal to 2453 from plus 55 to minus 47 degrees Kelvin. The best-fitting linear ephemeris is T(sub C) equal to 22457247.24791 plus or minus 0.00019 BJD (sub TDB) and P equal to 0.9689951 plus or minus 0.0000024 day. KELT-16b joins WASP-18b, -19b, -43b, -103b, and HATS-18b as the only giant transiting planets with periodicity P less than 1 day. Its ultra-short period and high irradiation make it a benchmark target for atmospheric studies by the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer, and eventually the James Webb Space Telescope. For example, as a hotter, higher-mass analog of WASP-43b, KELT-16b may feature an atmospheric temperature-pressure inversion and day-to-night temperature swing extreme enough for TiO to rain out at the terminator. KELT-16b could also join WASP-43b in extending tests of the observed mass-metallicity relation of the solar system gas giants to higher masses. KELT-16b currently orbits at a mere approximately 1.7 Roche radii from its host star, and could be tidally disrupted in as little as a few times 10 (sup 5) years (for a stellar tidal quality factor of Q (sup prime) (sub asterisk) equal to 10 (sup 5). Finally, the likely existence of a widely separated bound stellar companion in the KELT-16 system makes it possible that Kozai-Lidov (KL) oscillations played a role in driving KELT-16b inward to its current precarious orbit.

Oberst, Thomas E.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dynamic Behavior of Natural Seep Vents: Analysis of Field and Laboratory Observations and Modeling (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

In this project, we have analyzed data collected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in a high pressure water tunnel (HPWT) and data from two research cruises to natural seeps in the Gulf of Mexico to adapt and validate a numerical model to predict the dynamics of natural seeps in the deep oceans. The HPWT data include video observations of the shrinkage rate of individual methane and natural gas bubbles under simulated deep-water conditions. Field data were collected during two cruises by the Gulf Integrated Spill Research (GISR) Consortium led by Texas A&M University and funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). These data included in situ observations from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) of gas bubbles at two natural seep sites in the Gulf and acoustic observations of the natural seep bubble flares in the ocean water column. The acoustic data were from multibeam echosounders, one mounted in a forward-looking orientation on the ROV and another mounted down-looking in the haul of the ship. All of these laboratory and field data were focused on the dynamics of natural gas bubbles at temperatures and pressures favorable for clathrate hydrate formation between the gas and water. Our analyses of this data focused on understanding the mechanisms responsible for gas bubble dissolution within the hydrate stability zone (HSZ) of the oceans. Ice-like hydrate shells may form on the bubble-water interface under these conditions, and it was unknown how this might affect the mass transfer of gas into the ocean. We were able to extract bubble shrinkage rates from the HPWT datasets. Using this data we determined that mass transfer coefficients with and without a hydrate shell match empirical values for bubbles in contaminated systems (so-called dirty bubbles contaminated by naturally occurring surfactants). We also showed that free gas, and not gas hydrate, is the dominant dissolving phase when the hydrate sub-cooling is below 11 degree Celsius (temperature difference between hydrate the hydrate formation temperature and ambient temperator) or the pressure is reducing as bubbles rise through the ocean water column. Using this mass transfer model, our numerical model of bubble dissolution matched the over 200 HPWT experiments with an average error of 10% for predicting the bubble size at the end of an experiment. From field data in the literature, we also observed that gas bubbles dissolve faster when they are initially released, following mass transfer coefficients for so-called clean-bubbles (those not yet contaminated by surfactants). Shortly after release within the HSZ, a hydrate shell forms on the bubble-water interface, and the mass transfer reduces to rates matching those of dirty bubbles. We correlated this transition time from clean to dirty bubble behavior with the initial bubble surface area and the hydrate sub-cooling. With this model for hydrate formation time and using the mass transfer coefficients deduced from the HPWT data, we validated our numerical model for predicting the rise heights of natural seep flares in the oceans. Flare heights are commonly observed in haul-mounted acoustic multibeam data. The numerical model predicts bubbles to rise high in the ocean water column owing to the slower mass transfer rates for dirty bubbles that accompany the majority of their rise time. We found that the numerical model predictions matched the observed flare heights within 5% to 10% accuracy when we compared the rise heights of the largest bubbles released from the seafloor with the bubbles acoustically visible in the multibeam data. Bubbles become acoustically transparent as they shrink to sizes of order 1 mm in diameter for the multibeam frequencies used in the field. The forward-looking multibeam on the ROV also provided data on the lateral spreading of bubbles in natural seep flares. Our analysis of this data showed that spreading follows a diffusion process, with the effective diffusivity correlating with the wobbling length scale of these ellipsoidal bubbles. When we apply this diffusivity in a random displacement model of bubble spreading, our numerical simulations match closely the lateral spread observed by the M3 in the ocean water column. Finally, we compared the seep model predictions for the acoustic properties of these natural seep plumes with that observed by the acoustic instruments in the field. The M3 and EM 302 observations were converted to relative values of target strength using a calibration we obtained in the laboratory for the M3 and using an algorithm from the manufacturer for the EM 302. Comparing the numerical seep model to these data, we obtain good agreement over the whole height of rise of these bubble flares. This further validates the numerical model. Overall, our validated seep model captures the key dynamics of gas bubbles released from natural seeps in the oceans and helps to predict the fate of methane in the water column.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Measurements of Fe and Ar fragmentation cross sections

Measurements are reported of the yields of individual isotopes of Cr to Co(Z = 24 to 27) resulting from the fragmentation of Fe-56, and the isotopes of Mg to K(Z = 12 to 19) resulting from the fragmentation of Ar-40. Recent advances in the resolution and collecting power of cosmic ray instrumentation, have led to dramatic improvements in the precision of cosmic ray composition measurements, both elemental and isotopic. The interpretation of these measurements is presently limited by uncertainties in the fragmentation cross-sections needed to correct for nuclear interactions with the interstellar gas. Cosmic ray propagation codes now rely mainly on semi-empirical cross-section formulae developed by Silberberg and Tsao (S&T), which have a typical uncertainty of approximately 25%. Relative isotope yields from the fragmentation of approximately 380 MeV/nucleon Fe-56 e and approximately 210 MeV/nucleon Ar-40 r in CH2 targets, observed during the calibration of two cosmic ray spectrometers at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Bevalac are reported. These are compared with calculated yeilds based on the S&T cross-section formulae.

Lau, K. H.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Chapter 22 - Chlorine. In: “Handbook of Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, Third Edition”, Editor: Ramesh C. Gupta.

Chlorine gas is used widely by industry and as a disinfectant and bleach, and, due to its toxicity and ease of procurement, has been used as a chemical warfare agent. Chlorine is a strong oxidizer that hydrolyzes in water to form hydrochloric and hypochlorous acid. Upon chlorine inhalation, the respiratory tract is the predominant target organ in humans and animals as chlorine is a contact irritant. Exposure causes sensory irritation and pulmonary dysfunction, and at sufficiently high concentrations results in lung lesions and injury to other internal organs including the heart. Human and animal studies have shown that chlorine toxicity is influenced more by exposure concentration than duration, is gender-independent, and increases with age, cigarette smoking, and preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma and airway hyperreactivity. Treatment is largely supportive, although animal studies are examining the utility of various compounds for chlorine-specific treatment based on its mechanism of action.

Milanez, Sylvia↗
NASA NTRS2011

Low Power Consumption Laser for Next Generation Miniature Optical Spectrometers for Trace Gas Analysis

The air quality of any manned spacecraft needs to be continuously monitored in order to safeguard the health of the crew. Air quality monitoring grows in importance as mission duration increases. Due to the small size, low power draw, and performance reliability, semiconductor laser-based instruments are viable candidates for this purpose. Achieving a minimum instrument size requires lasers with emission wavelength coinciding with the absorption of the fundamental absorption lines of the target gases, which are mostly in the 3.0-5.0 mu m wavelength range. In this paper we report on our progress developing high wall plug efficiency type-I quantum-well GaSb-based diode lasers operating at room temperatures in the spectral region near 3.0-3.5 mu m and quantum cascade (QC) lasers in the 4.0-5.0 mu m range. These lasers will enable the development of miniature, low-power laser spectrometers for environmental monitoring of the spacecraft

distributed feedback laser (DFB↗
NASA NTRS2011

Low Power Consumption Lasers for Miniature Optical Spectrometers for Trace Gas Analysis

The air quality of any manned spacecraft needs to be continuously monitored in order to safeguard the health of the crew. Air quality monitoring grows in importance as mission duration increases. Due to the small size, low power draw, and performance reliability, semiconductor laser-based instruments are viable candidates for this purpose. Achieving a minimum instrument size requires lasers with emission wavelength coinciding with the absorption of the fundamental absorption lines of the target gases, which are mostly in the 3.0-5.0 micron wavelength range. In this paper we report on our progress developing high wall plug efficiency type-I quantum-well GaSb-based diode lasers operating at room temperatures in the spectral region near 3.0-3.5 micron and quantum cascade (QC) lasers in the 4.0-5.0 micron range. These lasers will enable the development of miniature, low-power laser spectrometers for environmental monitoring of the spacecraft.

Distributed Feedback (DFB) Diode Lasers↗
DOE OSTI2023

M + (M=Ca, Ba) Cations Bound to Molecular Cavities: A New Strategy for Incorporating Molecular Quantum States into Quantum Information

This project pursued a novel strategy for incorporating multiple qubits per ion into ion-trap based quantum computing (ITQC) involving Ca + and Ba + . By forming molecular complexes of these cations with molecular-scale cages, we hypothesized that molecular energy levels could be incorporated into quantum computing while retaining key properties of the atomic ions intact. We experimented with a variety of molecular cages and found that Na + , K + , Rb + , Ca 2+ , Sr 2+ , and Ba 2+ could be captured and brought into the gas phase efficiently by imbedding them inside [2.2.2]-benzocryptand. IR and UV spectra of these cage complexes are sensitive to the size and charge state of the ion, reporting on the structures and binding properties of the cage complexes. UV photofragmentation of the Ba 2+ -Acetate -1 -BzCrypt complex produces Ba + -BzCrypt, the complex targeted for exploration in the original hypothesis. Follow-on funding is needed to pursue the spectroscopy of this complex as a target for ITQC.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗