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At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

USING A DIFFERENTIAL EMISSION MEASURE AND DENSITY MEASUREMENTS IN AN ACTIVE REGION CORE TO TEST A STEADY HEATING MODEL

The frequency of heating events in the corona is an important constraint on the coronal heating mechanisms. Observations indicate that the intensities and velocities measured in active region cores are effectively steady, suggesting that heating events occur rapidly enough to keep high-temperature active region loops close to equilibrium. In this paper, we couple observations of active region (AR) 10955 made with the X-Ray Telescope and the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on board Hinode to test a simple steady heating model. First we calculate the differential emission measure (DEM) of the apex region of the loops in the active region core. We find the DEM to be broad and peaked around 3 MK. We then determine the densities in the corresponding footpoint regions. Using potential field extrapolations to approximate the loop lengths and the density-sensitive line ratios to infer the magnitude of the heating, we build a steady heating model for the active region core and find that we can match the general properties of the observed DEM for the temperature range of 6.3 < log T < 6.7. This model, for the first time, accounts for the base pressure, loop length, and distribution of apex temperatures of the core loops. We find that the density-sensitive spectral line intensities and the bulk of the hot emission in the active region core are consistent with steady heating. We also find, however, that the steady heating model cannot address the emission observed at lower temperatures. This emission may be due to foreground or background structures, or may indicate that the heating in the core is more complicated. Different heating scenarios must be tested to determine if they have the same level of agreement.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structural and electronic properties of thallium compounds

The tight binding linear muffin-tin-orbital (TB-LMTO) method within the local density approximation (LDA has been used to calculate structural and electronic properties of thallium pnictides TlX (X=Sb, Bi) at high pressure. As a function of volume, the total energy is evaluated. Apart from this, the lattice parameter (a{sub 0}), bulk modulus (B{sub 0}), band structure (BS) and density of states (DOS) are calculated. From energy band diagram we observed metallic behaviour in TlSb and TlBi compounds. The values of equilibrium lattice constants and bulk modulus are agreed well with the available data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Characteristics of plasma properties in an ablative pulsed plasma thruster

Pulsed plasma thrusters are electric space propulsion devices which create a highly transient plasma bulk in a short-time arc discharge that is expelled to create thrust. The transitional character and the dependency on the discharge properties are yet to be elucidated. In this study, optical emission spectroscopy and Mach-Zehnder interferometry are applied to investigate the plasma properties in variation of time, space, and discharge energy. Electron temperature, electron density, and Knudsen numbers are derived for the plasma bulk and discussed. Temperatures were found to be in the order of 1.7 to 3.1 eV, whereas electron densities showed maximum values of more than 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3}. Both values showed strong dependency on the discharge voltage and were typically higher closer to the electrodes. Capacitance and time showed less influence. Knudsen numbers were derived to be in the order of 10{sup -3}-10{sup -2}, thus, indicating a continuum flow behavior in the main plasma bulk.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Pressure dependence of Kapitza resistance at gold/water and silicon/water interfaces

We conducted non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to investigate Kapitza length at solid/liquid interfaces under the effects of bulk liquid pressures. Gold and silicon were utilized as hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid walls with different wetting surface behaviors, while the number of confined liquid water molecules was adjusted to obtain different pressures inside the channels. The interactions of solid/liquid couples were reparameterized accurately by measuring the water contact angle of solid substrates. In this paper, we present a thorough analysis of the structure, normal stress, and temperature distribution of liquid water to elucidate thermal energy transport across interfaces. Our results demonstrate excellent agreement between the pressures of liquid water in nano-channels and published thermodynamics data. The pressures measured as normal stress components were characterized using a long cut-off distance reinforced by a long-range van der Waals tail correction term. To clarify the effects of bulk liquid pressures on water structure at hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid surfaces, we defined solid/liquid interface spacing as the distance between the surface and the peak value of the first water density layer. Near the gold surface, we found that interface spacing and peak value of first water density layer were constant and did not depend on bulk liquid pressure; near the silicon surface, those values depended directly upon bulk liquid. Our results reveal that the pressure dependence of Kapitza length strongly depends on the wettability of the solid surface. In the case of the hydrophilic gold surface, Kapitza length was stable despite increasing bulk liquid pressure, while it varied significantly at the hydrophobic silicon surface.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1959

Experimental Investigation of Gas-Side Performance of a Compact Finned-Tube Heat Exchanger

Heat-transfer and pressure-drop data were obtained experimentally for the gas side of a liquid-metal to air, compact finned-tube heat exchanger. The heat exchanger was fabricated from 0.185-inch Inconel tubing in an inline array. The fins were made of 310 stainless-steel- clad copper with a total thickness of 0.010 inch, and the fin pitch was 15.3 fins per inch. The liquid used as the heating medium was sodium. The heat-exchanger inlet gas temperature was varied from 5100 to 1260 R by burning JP fuel for airflow rates of 0.4 to 10.5 pounds per second corresponding to an approximate Reynolds number range of 300 to 9000. The sodium inlet temperature was held at 1400 R with the exception of a few runs taken at 1700 and 1960 R. The maximum ratio of surface temperature to air bulk temperature was 1.45. Friction-factor data with heat transfer were best represented by a single line when the density and viscosity of Reynolds number were evaluated at the average film temperature. At the lower Reynolds numbers reported, the friction data with heat transfer plotted slightly above the friction data without heat transfer. The density of the friction factor was calculated at the average bulk temperature. Heat-transfer results of this investigation were correlated by evaluating the physical properties of air (specific heat, viscosity, and thermal conductivity) at the film temperature.

Gedeon, Louis↗
NASA NTRS1975

On the nature of the intercloud medium

Previous analyses of Copernicus observations of interstellar absorption in the spectra of unreddened stars are reviewed in the framework of steady-state ionization models for the intercloud (low-density) component of the interstellar medium. A simple homogeneous model is described which accounts for the H, C, N, S, and Si interstellar lines in the spectrum of lambda Sco in terms of an extensive low-density medium photoionized by Lyman continuum radiation from the II Sco OB association. Quantitative constraints are placed on the maximum permissible flux of diffuse soft X-rays, and the model is generalized to interpret the observed ion, electron, and hydrogen column densities in the low-density medium. Severe constraints are found to be imposed on ionization models by the ratios Si III/Si, Si IV/Si, and S IV/S. It is concluded that the observations may be explained if 10 to 30% of a representative line of sight passes through a photoionized medium of density 0.1 to 0.2/cu cm, if H I constitutes the bulk of the gas along the line of site, and if the gas is at a similar density or is in the form of shielded clumps or clouds.

Hill, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Studies of storm-time ring current from the AMPTE/CCE MEPA measurements

The evolution of the ring current for the September 4-7, 1984 storm is studied with data from the Medium Energy Particle Analyzer on the AMPTE/CCE spacecraft. From an examination of particle pressures and current densities, it is found that the leading and trailing edges of particle injections are associated with depressions and enhancements of westward current densities, respectively. Based on the ion composition measurements which cover the bulk of the ring current population, the contribution of the O(+) ions to the westward ring current density is estimated to be no more than about 25 percent for this magnetic storm.

Lui, A. T. Y.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Theory of electric, magnetic, and toroidal polarizations in crystalline solids with applications to hexagonal lonsdaleite and cubic diamond

Multipolar order in bulk crystalline solids is characterized by multipole densities-denoted as polarizations in this work-that cannot be cleanly defined using the concepts of classical electromagnetism. Here we use group theory to overcome this difficulty and present a systematic study of electric, magnetic, and toroidal multipolar order in crystalline solids. Based on our symmetry analysis, we identify five categories of polarized matter, each of which is characterized by distinct features in the electronic band structure. For example, Rashba spin splitting in electropolar bulk materials like wurtzite represents the electric dipolarization in these materials. We also develop a general formalism of indicators for individual multipole densities that provide a physical interpretation and quantification of multipolar order. Our work clarifies the relation between patterns of localized multipoles and macroscopic multipole densities they give rise to. To illustrate the general theory, we discuss its application to polarized variants of hexagonal lonsdaleite and cubic diamond structures. In conclusion, our work provides a general framework for classifying and expanding current understanding of multipolar order in complex materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Unified one-dimensional model of bounded plasma with nonzero ion temperature in a broad pressure range

A one-dimensional model for steady state plasmas bounded either between large parallel walls, or by a cylinder or a sphere, valid in a wide range of gas pressures, is considered. The model includes nonzero ion temperature, inertial terms in the ion momentum equations, and allows one to calculate the plasma electron temperature and ion current density reaching the wall, as well as the spatial distributions of the ion fluid velocity, plasma density, and plasma potential in the plasma bulk. In addition, the effect of electron inertia is analyzed. The model includes as particular cases several earlier models that were based on a similar set of differential equations, but that are restricted to a specific pressure regime (low, intermediate, or high). Analytical solution is found in planar geometry, and numerical solution is given in cylindrical and spherical geometry. The results obtained are compared with those of earlier models and the differences are analyzed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

RADIATIVE INTERACTION OF SHOCKS WITH SMALL INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS AS A PRE-STAGE TO STAR FORMATION

Cloud compression by external shocks is believed to be an important triggering mechanism for gravitational collapse and star formation in the interstellar medium. We have performed MHD simulations to investigate whether the radiative interaction between a shock wave and a small interstellar cloud can induce the conditions for Jeans instability and how the interaction is influenced by magnetic fields of different strengths and orientation. The simulations use the NIRVANA code in three dimensions with anisotropic heat conduction and radiative heating/cooling at an effective resolution of 100 cells per cloud radius. Our cloud has radius 1.5 pc, has density 17 cm{sup -3}, is embedded in a medium of density 0.17 cm{sup -3}, and is struck by a planar Mach 30 shock wave. The simulations produce dense, cold fragments similar to those of Mellema et al. and Fragile et al. We do not find any regions that are Jeans unstable but do record transient cloud density enhancements of factors {approx}10{sup 3}-10{sup 5} for the bulk of the cloud mass, which then decline and converge toward seemingly stable net density enhancement factors {approx}10{sup 2}-10{sup 4}. Our run with a weak, initial magnetic field ({beta} = 10{sup 3}) perpendicular to the shock normal stands out as producing the most lasting density enhancements. We interpret this field strength as being the compromise between weak internal magnetic pressure preventing compression and sufficiently strong magnetic field to thermally insulate the condensations, thus helping them cool radiatively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Galactic gamma rays produced by Compton scattering of cosmic ray electrons

Previous models of the Compton scattering of the galactic gamma rays have been based on starlight distributions determined from galactic mass models and a constant luminosity per unit mass. The fact that the spiral arms have a significantly higher photon density than does the base disk containing the bulk of the galactic mass has been neglected in calculating the Compton gamma-ray component. The inclusion of the spiral arm Compton component produces enhanced gamma-ray intensities along tangents to spiral arms. Irrespective of whether the cosmic-ray electron density is enhanced in the spiral arms, increased gamma-ray emission is produced along the spiral arm tangents due to increased photon density. Thus, cosmic ray sources are not necessarily located in the arms.

Higdon, J. C.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Inclusions on Magnetostriction in Superconducting Cylinder with Exponential Distribution of Critical-Current Density

The magnetoelastic behaviour subjected to the electromagnetic body force induced by flux pinning is studied with Kim model for zero-field cooling (ZFC) magnetization process, in which the non-uniform parameter η is considered for inclusion-superconducting matrix system. For superconducting composites, the effect of inhomogeneous distribution of critical current density on effective magnetostriction is also obtained based on the plane strain approach. The results show that the exponential distribution of critical-current density will lead to a larger trapped field and magnetostriction inside the inhomogeneous sample, which also means that it is worthwhile to investigate the magnetoelastic problem of bulk superconductors with inhomogeneous distribution of critical-current density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Equation of state for He bubbles in W and model of He bubble growth and bursting near W{100} surfaces derived from molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to derive an equation of state (EOS) for helium (He) bubbles in tungsten (W) and to study the growth of He bubbles under a W(100) surface until they burst. We study the growth as a function of the initial nucleation depth of the bubbles. During growth, successive loop-punching events are observed, accompanied by shifts in the depth of the bubble towards the surface. Subsequently, the MD data are used to derive models that describe the conditions that cause the loop punching and bursting events. Simulations have been performed at 500, 933, 1500, 2000, and 2500 K to fit the parameters in the models. To compute the pressure in the bubble at the loop punching and bursting events from the models, we derive an EOS for He bubbles in tungsten with an accompanying volume model to compute the bubble volume for a given number of vacancies ( $$N_\text {V}$$ N V ), He atoms ( $$N_\text {He}$$ N He ), and temperature ( T ). To derive the bubble EOS, we firstly derive the EOS for a free He gas. The derived free-gas EOS can accurately predict all MD data included in the analysis (which span up to 54 GPa at 2500 K). Subsequently, the bubble EOS is derived based on the free-gas EOS by correcting the gas density to account for the interaction between He and W atoms. The EOS for the bubbles is fitted to data from MD simulations of He bubbles in bulk W that span a wide range of gas density and sizes up to about 3 nm in diameter. The pressure of subsurface bubbles at the loop punching events as calculated using the bubble-EOS and the volume model agrees well with the pressure obtained directly from the MD simulations. In the loop punching model, for bubbles consisting of $$N_\text {V}$$ N V vacancies and $$N_\text {He}$$ N He helium atoms, the $$N_\text {He}/N_\text {V}$$ N He / N V ratio that causes the event, the resulting increase in $$N_\text {V}$$ N V , and the associated shift of the bubble depth are formulated as a function of $$N_\text {V}$$ N V and T . In the bursting model, a bubble must simultaneously reach a certain depth and $$N_\text {He}/N_\text {V}$$ N He / N V ratio in order to burst. The burst depth and $$N_\text {He}/N_\text {V}$$ N He / N V are also modeled as a function of $$N_\text {V}$$ N V and T . The majority of the loop punching events occur at bubble pressures between 20 and 60 GPa, depending on the bubble size and temperature. The larger the bubble and the higher the temperature, the lower the bubble pressure. Furthermore, our results indicate that at a higher temperature, a bubble can burst from a deeper region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

First principle investigation of structural and electronic properties of bulk ZnSe

Electronic and structural properties of ZnSe are investigated using plane-wave self-consistent field method within the framework of density functional theory. The pseudopotential method within the local density approximation is used for the exchange-correlation potential. The equilibrium lattice parameter, static bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are calculated. The electronic band structure, partial density of states and density of states are also obtained. The results are compared with available theoretical calculations and experimental results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electronic, elastic and dynamic properties of the filled tetrahedral semiconductor LiMgN under pressures

The electronic, elastic and dynamic properties of LiMgN under pressures have been studied using the plane wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory within the local density approximation (LDA). The calculated lattice constants, bulk modulus and band gap values of the α phase LiMgN at normal conditions are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical results. Our GW corrected band gap values 3.190 eV (Γ–Γ) and 3.033 eV (Γ–X) are closer to the experimental data 3.20 eV. The variations of the band gap values, elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, elastic anisotropy, microhardness, Debye temperature and melting temperature with pressure for the α phase LiMgN are presented. The calculated phonon dispersion curves and the thermal properties entropy S and heat capacity C{sub V} have also been obtained. - Graphical abstract: The band gaps under pressures using LDA and GW method. - Highlights: • GW corrected band gap values at normal and high pressures are presented. • Mechanical stability, elastic anisotropy of LiMgN under pressures is analyzed. • Microhardness and melting temperatures of LiMgN under pressures is obtained. • Debye temperatures and dynamical stability under pressures are investigated. • Phonon dispersion curve, thermodynamic property under pressures is demonstrated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of secondary electron emission on the plasma sheath

In this experiment, plasma sheath potential profiles are measured over boron nitride walls in argon plasma and the effect of secondary electron emission is observed. Results are compared to a kinetic model. Plasmas are generated with a number density of 3 × 10{sup 12} m{sup −3} at a pressure of 10{sup −4} Torr-Ar, with a 1%–16% fraction of energetic primary electrons. The sheath potential profile at the surface of each sample is measured with emissive probes. The electron number densities and temperatures are measured in the bulk plasma with a planar Langmuir probe. The plasma is non-Maxwellian, with isotropic and directed energetic electron populations from 50 to 200 eV and hot and cold Maxwellian populations from 3.6 to 6.4 eV and 0.3 to 1.3 eV, respectively. Plasma Debye lengths range from 4 to 7 mm and the ion-neutral mean free path is 0.8 m. Sheath thicknesses range from 20 to 50 mm, with the smaller thickness occurring near the critical secondary electron emission yield of the wall material. Measured floating potentials are within 16% of model predictions. Measured sheath potential profiles agree with model predictions within 5 V (∼1 T{sub e}), and in four out of six cases deviate less than the measurement uncertainty of 1 V.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Materials Development for Boron Phosphide Based Neutron Detectors: Final Technical Report

The project goal was to improve the quality of boron phosphide (BP) by optimizing its epitaxial growth on single crystal substrates and by producing bulk BP single crystals with low dislocation densities. BP is potentially a good semiconductor for high efficiency solid state neutron detectors by combining neutron capture and charge creation within the same volume. The project strategy was to use newly available single crystal substrates, silicon carbide and aluminum nitride, engineered to produce the best film properties. Substrate variables included the SiC polytype, crystallographic planes, misorientation of the substrate surface (tilt direction and magnitude) from the major crystallographic plane, and surface polarity (Si and C). The best films were (111)BP on silicon-face (0001) 4H-SiC misoriented 4° in the [1-100] direction, and BP on (100) and (111) 3C-SiC/Si; these substrates resulted in films that were free of in-plane twin defects, as determined by x-ray topography. The impact of the deposition temperature was also assessed: increasing the temperature from 1000 °C to 1200 °C produced films that were more ordered and more uniform, and the size of individual grains increased by more than a factor of twenty. The BP films were free of other compounds such as icosahedral boron phosphide (B 12 P 2 ) over the entire temperature range, as established by Raman spectroscopy. The roughness of the BP films was reduced by increasing the phosphine to diborane ratio from 50 to 200. Bulk crystals were grown by reacting boron dissolved in nickel with phosphorus vapor to precipitate BP. Crystals with dimensions up to 2 mm were produced.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗