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At least 1,243 records · Page 69
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NASA NTRS1988

Growth of HgZnTe alloy crystals by directional solidification

A series of Hg(1-x)Zn(x)Te crystals were grown by directional solidification with x ranging from 0.15 to 0.22. The axial and radial compositional variations were determined by precision density measurements, infrared (IR) transmission spectra, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Comparison between the axial compositional profiles and the calculated results of a one-dimensional diffusion model gives a value for the effective diffusion coefficient in the HgZnTe melt of 2 to 4 x 10 to the -6th sq cm/s.

Su, Ching-Hua↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cosmic-ray-modified stellar winds. II - A perturbation approach

A perturbation method is developed to describe the modification of a stellar wind flow with termination shock by the Galactic cosmic rays. The perturbation parameter epsilon used in the analysis is the ratio of the galactic cosmic-ray pressure to the thermal gas pressure at a large distance from the star. The positive galactic cosmic-ray pressure gradient serves to brake the outflowing stellar wind gas, particularly just upstream of the termination shock of the wind. A one-fluid polytropic model is used to describe the thermal stellar wind gas, with the coupling between the cosmic rays and the thermal gas being determined by an average hydrodynamical diffusion coefficient kappa describing the scattering of cosmic rays by magnetohydrodynamic waves traveling in the background flow. The analysis takes into account cosmic-ray modifications of the critical point of the wind, the thermal gas entropy constants on both sides of the shock, and the fluid velocity profile.

Ko, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Neutral upper atmospheres of the outer planets

The major characteristics of the neutral upper atmospheres of outer planets are discussed, with special attention given to the Uranus upper atmosphere, probed by Voyager 2. The composition, thermal structure, photochemistry, and vertical mixing of the Uranus atmosphere are compared with the respective features of other outer planets. Unlike the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, which reflect the solar ratios of the elements, the Uranus atmosphere was found to have only few constituents, including NH3, CH4, H2, He, C2H2, and C2H6. The eddy diffusion coefficient of Uranus, determined from occultation experiments, was found to be in the range 10,000-100,000 sq cm/sec, the lowest value amongst the major planets; this implies relatively sluggish vertical mixing. Another major difference from Saturn and Jupiter is in the fact that stable hydrocarbon products (C2H2 and C2H6) in the Uranus atmosphere begin to condense at around 5-10 mb level, resulting in the production of haze in the lower stratosphere.

Atreya, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Time-dependent approximation schemes for some problems of parameter estimation in distributed systems

A parameter estimation method that can be used to estimate functional parameters in delay differential equations and moving boundary problems is discussed. In either problem, the original model equation (which is infinite-dimensional) is approximated by a system of ordinary differential equations that can be solved numerically in an efficient way. The approximation scheme is based on time-dependent spline elements. For the delay equation with time-varying delay, convergence results are presented that indicate the estimates obtained using the approximating system. Numerical test examples converge in some sense to a best-fit parameter for the original system are included by means of which time-varying and state-dependent delays and a time-varying diffusion coefficient in a one-phase, one-dimensional Stefan problem are estimated.

Murphy, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Solar-cycle modulation of galactic cosmic rays

This paper describes a numerical solution of the spherically-symmetric, time-dependent, cosmic-ray modulation equation, compares it to data taken near the ecliptic, and probes the physical mechanisms responsible for the solar-cycle variations in the cosmic-ray intensity. With a physically defensible diffusion coefficient and other reasonable parameters, the spectra of protons and electrons can be simulated simultaneously over the cycle, the radial intensity gradients for particles greater than about 100 MeV, the overall intensity variation during the cycle, and the time lag in the recovery of low-energy particles behind high-energy ones, known commonly as the 'hysteresis.' The results suggest that cosmic-ray variations near the ecliptic are dominated by turbulent scattering regions in the heliosphere, overwhelming any effects of gradient and curvature drifts.

Perko, John S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Model structure of a cosmic-ray mediated stellar or solar wind

An idealized hydrodynamic model is presented for the mediation of a free-streaming stellar wind by galactic cosmic rays or energetic particles accelerated at the stellar wind termination shock. The spherically-symmetric stellar wind is taken to be cold; the only body force is the cosmic ray pressure gradient. The cosmic rays are treated as a massless fluid with an effective mean diffusion coefficient k proportional to radial distance r. The structure of the governing equations is investigated both analytically and numerically. Solutions for a range of values of k are presented which describe the deceleration of the stellar wind and a transition to nearly incompressible flow and constant cosmic ray pressure at large r. In the limit of small k the transition steepens to a strong stellar wind termination shock. For large k the stellar wind is decelerated gradually with no shock transition. It is argued that the solutions provide a simple model for the mediation of the solar wind by interstellar ions as both pickup ions and the cosmic ray anomalous component which together dominate the pressure of the solar wind at large r.

Lee, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

High temperature transport properties of air - N-O interaction energies and collision integrals

Potential curves for the higher-lying states of NO are used together with a general scattering code to compute accurate values of transport collision integrals for N(4S/0/)-O(3P) interactions. It is found that the major contribution to the collision integrals comes from these higher-lying states of NO. New values of the collision integrals for N(4S/0/)-N(4S/0/) and O(3P)-O(3P) interactions are computed as well. The tabulations of the collision integrals cover a broad range of temperatures from 250 to 100,000 K and can be used to determine transport properties such as viscosity, thermal conductivity, and the diffusion coefficient to the second order.

Levin, E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Transport properties for the oxygen system - O2, O, O(+), and e

The transport properties of the oxygen system, O2, O, O(+), and the electron, e, are calculated and their applications are discussed. The possible two-body interactions in the oxygen system are examined and the exponential repulsive potential is used to determine collision integrals for these interactions. Values are presented for the viscosity of the pure gases, the self-diffusion coefficient of the pure gases at 1 atm pressure, the translational thermal conductivity of the pure gases, and the internal thermal conductivity of O2.

Biolsi, Louis↗
NASA NTRS1988

Formation of polar stratospheric clouds simulated in a two dimensional model of the atmosphere

A microphysics code has been implemented in a two dimensional model of the atmosphere to study formation of polar stratospheric clouds containing HCl or HNO3. The model range is from pole to pole in latitude and from the ground to about 20 km in altitude. Resolution in latitude is 10 deg and about 0.8 km in altitude. This is an Eulerian model with prescribed eddy diffusion coefficients and the circulation obtained from observations. The chemistry of the model follows the family approach for NO(x), Cl(x) and HO(x) while the ozone is fixed and changed seasonally. The aerosol code is based on an assigned population of condensation, coagulation and sedimentation. Aerosol growth is simulated in nine different size bins ranging between 0.01u and 2.56u. The model has been built to study aerosol layers formation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and has been validated for sulfate aerosol resulting from a rather complex sulfur chemistry.

Visconti, Guido↗
NASA NTRS1989

Results of rocket measurements of D-region ionization over Thumba in MAP

Under MAP, two rockets were launched from Thumba (8.5 N, 76.8 E) around 1030 hrs Lt with identical payloads on 7 and 10 March 1986 for D region studies. Positive ion densities were measured by spherical probe and Gerdien condenser and electron densities were measured by Langmuir probe and propagation experiments. In both flights a valley in ionization height profile was noticed around 83 km. The density of ionization at this altitude was about 4 x 10(2) cu cm. A detailed positive ion-chemical scheme was used to reproduce the measured ionization height profiles. The density of NO needed to reproduce the valley in ionization at 83 km came around 5 x 10(5) cu cm. A photochemical treatment without diffusion process was found inadequate to explain this value of NO. Calculations showed that the value of vertical eddy diffusion needed to reproduce the value of NO was around 10(6)sq cm/s. Interestingly, the same value of eddy diffusion coefficient was obtained when derived in the manner described by Thrane and his coworkers using only the positive ion current data of spherical probes.

Chakrabarty, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Small-scale structure and turbulence observed in MAP/WINE)

During MAP/WINE small scale structure and turbulence in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere was studied in situ by rocket-borne instruments as well as from the ground by remote sensing techniques. The eight salvoes launched during the campaign resulted in a wealth of information on the dynamical structure of these regions. The experimental results are reviewed and their interpretation is discussed in terms of gravity waves and turbulence. It is shown that eddy diffusion coefficients and turbulent energy dissipation rates may be derived from the in situ measurements in a consistent manner. The observations are also shown to be consistent with the hypothesis that turbulence can be created by a process of gravity wave saturation.

Blix, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Application of cosmic-ray shock theories to the Cygnus Loop - An alternative model

Steady state cosmic-ray shock models are investigated here in the light of observations of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. The predicted downstream temperature is derived for each model. The Cygnus Loop data and the application of the models to them, including wave dissipation, are presented. Heating rate and ionization fraction structures are provided along with an estimate of the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. It is found that the model of Voelk, Drury, and McKenzie (1984), in which the plasma waves are generated by the streaming instability of the cosmic rays and are dissipated into the gas, can be made consistent with some observed characteristics of the Cygnus Loop shocks. The model is used to deduce upstream densities and shock velocities and, compared to the usual pure gas shock interpretation, it is found that lower densities and approximately three times higher velocities are required.

Boulares, Ahmed↗
NASA NTRS1988

Carbon doping in molecular beam epitaxy of GaAs from a heated graphite filament

Carbon doping of GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy has been obtained for the first time by use of a heated graphite filament. Controlled carbon acceptor concentrations over the range of 10 to the 17th-10 to the 20th/cu cm were achieved by resistively heating a graphite filament with a direct current power supply. Capacitance-voltage, p/n junction and secondary-ion mass spectrometry measurements indicate that there is negligible diffusion of carbon during growth and with postgrowth rapid thermal annealing. Carbon was used for p-type doping in the base of Npn AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors. Current gains greater than 100 and near-ideal emitter heterojunctions were obtained in transistors with a carbon base doping of 1 x 10 to the 19th/cu cm. These preliminary results indicate that carbon doping from a solid graphite source may be an attractive substitute for beryllium, which is known to have a relatively high diffusion coefficient in GaAs.

Malik, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The far ultraviolet reflection spectrum of Uranus - Results from the Voyager encounter

The present analysis of the 1250-1700 A region Uranus spectrum obtained by Voyager's US spectrometer characterizes these observation results as due primarily to solar light reflected from an H2 Rayleigh and Raman scattering atmosphere with small but measurable hydrocarbon absorption. The hydrocarbon abundances obtained are substantially lower than those at comparable levels of the Saturn or Jupiter atmospheres; it is suggested, in one-dimensional terms, that this is due to diffusive separation, in conjunction with photochemical depletion caused by a very low eddy-diffusion coefficient. Strong latitudinal variations in the hydrocarbon abundances are suggested in the subsolar, polar stratosphere.

Yelle, Roger V.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Radial diffusion and losses of energetic protons in the 5 to 12 R(S) region of Saturn's magnetosphere

Phase space density profiles for nearly equatorial mirroring energetic protons, derived from Pioneer 11 measurements during the 1979 Saturn encounter, were analyzed using solutions of the time-averaged radial diffusion equation in a dipolar planetary magnetic field. Then, several loss models were considered, ranging from a model that takes into account satellite absorption only to the one that accounts for satellite plus ring-E absorption plus added distributed losses, and the corresponding form of the time-averaged radial diffusion coefficient was determined for each case by a minimum-variance fit to the data-derived phase space densiy profiles. The model comparisons clearly indicated the need for distributed losses, in addition to satellite absorption, in order to explain the smooth decline of the experimental energetic proton phase space density profiles in the 5-12-Saturn radius region of Saturn's magnetosphere.

Hood, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

An evaluation of the role of eddy diffusion in stratospheric interactive two-dimensional models

An interactive two-dimensional model of the stratosphere, consisting of a primitive equation dynamics module, a simplified HO(x) ozone model, and a full radiative transfer scheme, is used to study the effect of eddy diffusion in the model. Consideration is given to the effects of nonlocal forcing from dissipation in the model troposphere and frictional drag at mesospheric levels, mechanical damping in the stratosphere itself, and potential vorticity flux due to large scale waves. It is found that the ozone distributions generated with the model are very sensitive to the choice of values for the friction and the eddy diffusion coefficients. It is shown that reasonable latitudinal gradients of ozone may be obtained by using small values for the mechanical damping for the mid- and high-latitude stratopsphere.

Schneider, Hans R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Stratospheric aerosols from CH4 photochemistry on Neptune

A combined photochemical-condensation model has been used to study hydrocarbon ices produced from CH4 photolysis in the stratosphere of Neptune. A total stratospheric haze production rate of 4.2 x 10 to the -15th g/sq cm/s. The total production rate is insensitive to within a factor of two to order of magnitude changes in the eddy diffusion coefficient and methane mixing ratio, which is within the present estimate of uncertainty for this number. The condensation temperatures are 97 K for C4H2, 71 K for C2H2, and 64 K for C2H6. Voyager 2 images of Neptune will be able to confirm the presence of stratospheric aerosols and provide constraints on their production rate and location.

Romani, Paul N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

In situ analysis of CO during chemisorption and oxidation on graphite: Supported Pt by FTIR-microspectrometry

For chemisorption and oxidation on Pt/HOPG (highly-orientated pyrolytic) graphite, reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)-microspectrometry reveals a variable state and reactivity for CO. Even for model surface science systems, where surface heterogeneity is minimal, surface diffusion may be too slow relative to the reaction rate to avoid segregation of reactants into surface islands under steady-state conditions. Thus in CO oxidation on Pt (where the relevant surface diffusion coefficients are such that D sub O less than D sub CO) then reactant CO islands exists at the perimeters of which the surface reaction is thought to occur. Furthermore CO can chemisorb on metals in linear and bridge forms to extents which vary with precise faces predominantly exposed coverage, etc. Infrared has long been used to probe the nature of adsorbed CO on model film and heterogeneous surfaces, but it may now be that FTIR-microspectrometry will allow the state of this adsorbate and reactant to be investigated with a spatial resolution of 4.4 microns on model (and real) catalytic surfaces.

Self, Valerie A.↗