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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 1,369 records · Page 76
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

River Plume Liftoff Dynamics and Surface Expressions

The water surface expression of liftoff and its dependence on discharge are examined using numerical simulations with the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Liftoff is the process by which buoyant river water separates from the bed and flows over denser saltwater. During low-discharge conditions liftoff occurs in the river and is accompanied by a change in the surface slope. During high-discharge conditions liftoff occurs outside the mouth and generates a ridge on the water surface. The location and height of the ridge can be described by analytical equations in terms of discharge, shelf slope, and river mouth aspect ratio. The offshore distance and height of the ridge are proportional to the river discharge and vary inversely with river mouth aspect ratio. For steep shelf slopes liftoff occurs close to the river mouth and generates a large ridge. The ridge is modified, but not eliminated, by the presence of tides. The water surface slope change at the ridge peak is large enough to be detected by the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) altimeter and can be used to identify the liftoff location during high discharge. However, during low discharge the water surface slope change at the liftoff location is too small to be detected by SWOT. These results indicate that remote measurements of the presence or absence of the ridge may be useful to distinguish between low and high flows, and remote measurements of the ridge location or height could be used to estimate freshwater discharge.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Taking the pulse of Mars via dating of a plume-fed volcano

Mars hosts the solar system’s largest volcanoes. Although their size and impact crater density indicate continued activity over billions of years, their formation rates are poorly understood. Here we quantify the growth rate of a Martian volcano by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and cosmogenic exposure dating of six nakhlites, meteorites that were ejected from Mars by a single impact event at 10.7 ± 0.8 Ma (2σ). We find that the nakhlites sample a layered volcanic sequence with at least four discrete eruptive events spanning 93 ± 12 Ma (1416 ± 7 Ma to 1322 ± 10 Ma (2σ)). A non-radiogenic trapped 40 Ar/ 36 Ar value of 1511 ± 74 (2σ) provides a precise and robust constraint for the mid-Amazonian Martian atmosphere. Our data show that the nakhlite-source volcano grew at a rate of ca. 0.4–0.7 m Ma -1 —three orders of magnitude slower than comparable volcanoes on Earth, and necessitating that Mars was far more volcanically active earlier in its history.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Langmuir probe measurements and mass spectrometry of plasma plumes generated by laser ablation of La{sub 0.4}Ca{sub 0.6}MnO{sub 3}

The plasma formed in vacuum by UV nanosecond laser ablation of La{sub 0.4}Ca{sub 0.6}MnO{sub 3} in the fluence range of 0.8 to 1.9 J cm{sup −2} using both Langmuir probe analysis and energy-resolved mass spectrometry has been studied. Mass spectrometry shows that the main positive ion species are Ca{sup +}, Mn{sup +}, La{sup +}, and LaO{sup +}. The Ca{sup +} and Mn{sup +} energy distributions are quite broad and lie in the 0–100 eV region, with the average energies increasing with laser fluence. In contrast, the La{sup +} and LaO{sup +} distributions are strongly peaked around 10 eV. The net time-of-arrival signal derived from the measured positive ion energy distributions is broadly consistent with the positive ion signal measured by the Langmuir probe. We also detected a significant number of O{sup −} ions with energies in the range of 0 to 10 eV. The Langmuir probe was also used to measure the temporal variation of the electron density and temperature at 6 cm from the ablation target. In the period when O{sup −} ions are found at this position, the plasma conditions are consistent with those required for significant negative oxygen ion formation, as revealed by studies on radio frequency excited oxygen plasma.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗