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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Fuel cells and the theory of metals.

Metal theory is used to study the role of metal catalysts in electrocatalysis, with particular reference to alkaline hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. Use is made of a simple model, analogous to that used to interpret field emission in vacuum. Theoretical values for all the quantities in the Tafel equation are obtained in terms of bulk properties of the metal catalysts (such as free electron densities and Fermi level). The reasons why some processes are reversible (H-electrodes) and some irreversible (O-electrodes) are identified. Selection rules for desirable properties of catalytic materials are established.

Bocciarelli, C. V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Thermal barrier coating life modeling in aircraft gas turbine engines

Analytical models useful for predicting ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC) spalling life in aircraft gas turbine engines are presented. Electron beam-physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) and plasma sprayed TBC systems are discussed. TBC spalling was attributed to a combination of mechanisms such as metal oxidation at the ceramic-metal interface, ceramic-metal interface stress concentrations at free surfaces due to dissimilar materials, ceramic-metal interface stresses caused by local radius of curvature and interface roughness, material properties and mechanical behavior, transient temperature gradients across the ceramic layer and component design features. TBC spalling life analytical models were developed based on observations of TBC failure modes and plausible failure theories. TBC failure was assumed to occur when the imposed stresses exceeded the material strength (at or near the ceramic-metal interface). TBC failure knowledge gaps caused by lack of experimental evidence and analytical understanding are noted. The analytical models are considered initial engineering approaches that capture observed TBC failure trends.

Nissley, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS2023

A Technique to Measure Coronal Electron Density, Temperature, and Velocity Above 2.5 R from Sun Center Using Polarized Brightness Spectrum

The current model for the polarized brightness (pB) spectrum has a decades-long history of progressively incorporating its dependence on electron density N(e), temperature T(e), and flow velocity in the radial direction V(e). The pBNe spectrum follows the exact shape of the photosphere spectrum, which is not smooth, which is expected from the thermal Doppler broadening of the photosphere spectrum due to the high coronal T(e). The pBN(e) spectrum is smooth, but the free coronal electrons remain static and unaffected by solar wind, and the pBN(e)T(e)V(e) spectrum is red-shifted by electrons seeing a red-shifted photosphere spectrum as they flow away from the Sun as solar wind, which takes a radial direction above 2.5 R from Sun center. In this article, we review the progress of the above three model pB spectra in describing the observations and highlight the differences, first by comparing the three model pB spectra against wavelength using a model for Ne and constant values for T(e) and V (e), and second by generating three model 2D pB maps by integrating over a selected wavelength region in the three model pB spectra along lines of sight passing through the 14 July 2000 (“Bastille Day”) coronal mass ejection (CME) model, which contains 3D information on N(e), T(e), and V e. In this regard, the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment (CODEX) on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024 will measure N(e), T(e), and V(e) by matching the measured pB with modeled pBN(e)T(e)V(e) in selected wavelength regions using multiple filters.

Electron density↗
NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of glow discharges for understanding the process of film formation

The physical and chemical processes which occur during the formation of different types of films in a variety of glow discharge plasmas are discussed. Emphasis is placed on plasma diagnostic experiments using spectroscopic methods, probe analysis, mass spectrometric sampling and magnetic resonance techniques which are well suited to investigate the neutral and ionized gas phase species as well as some aspects of plasma surface interactions. The results on metallic, semi-conducting and insulating films are reviewed in conjunction with proposed models and the problem encountered under film deposition conditions. It is concluded that the understanding of film deposition process requires additional experimental information on plasma surface interactions of free radicals and the synergetic effects where photon, electron and ion bombardment change the reactivity of the incident radical with the surface.

Venugopalan, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Computer simulation of Alfven waves and double layers along auroral magnetic field lines

A plasma simulation has been developed to model interactions between inertial Alfven waves and double layers and to investigate their relative contributions at auroral particle acceleration. We use a novel one-dimensional particle-in-cell code, with periodic boundary conditions, to model the nonlinear excitation of current-driven weak double layers via free energy supplied by an inertial Alfven wave. Analysis of the simulation output shows that double layers are not the agent primarily responsible for electron acceleration. Rather, the inertial Alfven wave accelerates groups of electrons into a steepening beam as it encounters them. As the beam electrons reenter the main distribution, decelerated by anomalous resistive effects, they are replaced by electrons farther downstream. Hence, the particles do not free-stream over the length of the channel. Furthermore, this wave action persists even when the system is linearly stable to ion-acoustic modes, precluding the possibility that this behavior is brought about by the formation of ion-acoustic double layers.

Silberstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS2023

A Technique to Measure Coronal Electron Density, Temperature, and Velocity Above 2.5 R⨀ from Sun Center using Polarized Brightness Spectrum

The current model for the polarized brightness (pB) spectrum has a decades-long history of progressively incorporating its dependence on electron density Ne, temperature Te, and flow velocity in the radial direction V e . The pB N e spectrum follows the exact shape of the photosphere spectrum, which is not smooth, which is expected from the thermal Doppler broadening of the photosphere spectrum due to the high coronal T e ; the pB N e T e spectrum is smooth, but the free coronal electrons remain static and unaffected by solar wind, and the pB N e T e V e spectrum is red-shifted by electrons seeing a red-shifted photosphere spectrum as they flow away from the Sun as solar wind, which takes a radial direction above 2.5 R ⨀ from Sun center. In this article, we review the progress of the above three model pB spectra in describing the observations and highlight the differences, first by comparing the three model pB spectra against wavelength using a model for Ne and constant values for T e and V e , and second by generating three model 2D pB maps by integrating over a selected wavelengthregion in the three model pB spectra along lines of sight passing through the 14 July 2000 (“Bastille Day”) coronal mass ejection (CME) model, which contains 3D information on N e , T e , and V e . In this regard, the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment (CODEX) on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024 will measure N e , T e , and V e by matching the measured pB with modeled pB N e T e V e in selected wavelength regions using multiple filters.

Electron density↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laser Beam Welding for in-Space Joining Demonstrated Under Vacuum on the Ground and By Parabolic Flight Experiments

High energy density electron beam welding enabled the first and, to date, only American weld performed in space during the M551 experiment on Skylab in 1973. Though welding is critical to 90% of durable goods manufacturing in America, there is not yet regular and reliable application of welding processes to the In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) sector. Fundamental studies are needed to develop basic capabilities and to enhance fundamental process knowledge, which will support follow-on efforts to mature in-space welding for use in commercial, defense, and other aerospace applications. The current work seeks to build on past flights and improve understanding and quantification of materials joining in space conditions using laser beam welding (LBW). LBW offers several advantages over the electron beam welding of Skylab, amongst others: reduced electromagnetic interference, less exposure of operators to ionizing radiation, and flexible delivery through optical fibers supporting unique workpieces and joints. Since there is no orbital laboratory to mature laser beam welding for space, the current effort addresses maturation of laser beam welding through parabolic flights augmented with data collection to enable numerical modeling efforts that capture the physical effects of the space environment. This team has retrofitted an LBW experimental apparatus that can simulate the vacuum and, during a parabolic flight, the reduced gravity & microgravity conditions of in-space welding. A team of Capstone students modified the setup, originally developed by NASA Langley Research Center for electron beam free-form fabrication, to replace its electron gun with a 1 kW, 1070 nm Yb fiber laser. The apparatus was further instrumented with temperature sensing and high-speed welding cameras to monitor and record changes in the thermal state of the workpiece, the melt pool, the laser penetration level, and the development and orientation of spatter & plumes. The system will operate autonomously, demonstrating its utility to uncrewed missions. During upcoming parabolic flight campaigns expected summer 2024, this LBW equipment will weld common aerospace alloys of aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium under conditions representative of the space environment. This data will guide future computational modeling efforts of laser welding in space and help to qualify in-space welding as a viable ISAM technique.

laser beam welding↗
NASA NTRS1985

Statistical mechanics of light elements at high pressure. VII - A perturbative free energy for arbitrary mixtures of H and He

A model free energy is presented which accurately represents results from 45 high-precision Monte Carlo calculations of the thermodynamics of hydrogen-helium mixtures at pressures of astrophysical and planetophysical interest. The free energy is calculated using free-electron perturbation theory (dielectric function theory), and is an extension of the expression given in an earlier paper in this series. However, it fits the Monte Carlo results more accurately, and is valid for the full range of compositions from pure hydrogen to pure helium. Using the new free energy, the phase diagram of mixtures of liquid metallic hydrogen and helium is calculated and compared with earlier results. Sample results for mixing volumes are also presented, and the new free energy expression is used to compute a theoretical Jovian adiabat and compare the adiabat with results from three-dimensional Thomas-Fermi-Dirac theory. The present theory gives slightly higher densities at pressures of about 10 megabars.

Hubbard, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Simple phenomenological modeling of transition-region capacitance of forward-biased p-n junction diodes and transistor diodes

The derivation of a simple expression for the capacitance C(V) associated with the transition region of a p-n junction under a forward bias is derived by phenomenological reasoning. The treatment of C(V) is based on the conventional Shockley equations, and simpler expressions for C(V) result that are in general accord with the previous analytical and numerical results. C(V) consists of two components resulting from changes in majority carrier concentration and from free hole and electron accumulation in the space-charge region. The space-charge region is conceived as the intrinsic region of an n-i-p structure for a space-charge region markedly wider than the extrinsic Debye lengths at its edges. This region is excited in the sense that the forward bias creates hole and electron densities orders of magnitude larger than those in equilibrium. The recent Shirts-Gordon (1979) modeling of the space-charge region using a dielectric response function is contrasted with the more conventional Schottky-Shockley modeling.

Lindholm, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A gravitational field model for the earth.

Two models of the earth's gravitational field have been computed. The first, Goddard Earth Model 1 (GEM 1), has been derived from satellite tracking data. The second, Goddard Earth Model 2 (GEM 2), has been derived from a combination of satellite tracking and surface gravimetric data. The satellite data consisted primarily of optical data processed on 300 weekly orbital arcs for 25 close earth satellites. Surface gravity data were employed in the form of 5 x 5 deg mean free-air gravity anomalies providing about 70% world coverage. Station locations were obtained for 46 tracking sites by combining electronic, laser, and additional optical tracking data with the above satellite data. Analysis of the radial positions of these stations and a value of mean gravity on the geoid indicated a mean equatorial radius for the earth of about 6378.145 meters. Results of geopotential tests on satellite data not used in the solution show that better agreement was obtained with the GEM 1 and GEM 2 models than with the 1969 Smithsonian Standard Earth II model.

Smith, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Infrared excesses in early-type stars - Gamma Cassiopeiae

Spectrophotometry of the classical Be star Gamma Cas (1-4 microns, with about 2% spectral resolution) is presented. These data, together with existing broad-band observations, are accurately described by simple isothermal LTE models for the IR excess which differ from most previously published work in three ways: (1) hydrogenic bound-free emission is included; (2) the attenuation of the star by the shell is included; and (3) no assumption is made that the shell contribution is negligible in some bandpass. It is demonstrated that the bulk of the IR excess consists of hydrogenic bound-free and free-free emission from a shell of hot ionized hydrogen gas, although a small thermal component cannot be ruled out. The bound-free emission is strong, and the Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett discontinuities are correctly represented by the shell model with physical parameters as follows: a shell temperature of approximately 18,000 K, an optical depth (at 1 micron) of about 0.5, an electron density of approximately 1 trillion per cu cm, and a size of about 2 trillion cm. Phantom shells (i.e., ones which do not alter the observed spectrum of the underlying star) are discussed.

Scargle, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Chromospheric evaporation and decimetric radio emission in solar flares

We have discovered decimetric signatures of the chromospheric evaporation process. Evidence for the radio detection of chromospheric evaporation is based on the radio-inferred values of (1) the electron density, (2) the propagation speed, and (3) the timing, which are found to be in good agreement with statistical values inferred from the blueshifted Ca XIX soft X-ray line. The physical basis of our model is that free-free absorption of plasma emission is strongly modified by the steep density gradient and the large temperature increase in the upflowing flare plasma. The steplike density increase at the chromospheric evaporation front causes a local discontinuity in the plasma frequency, manifested as almost infinite drift rate in decimetric type III bursts. The large temperature increase of the upflowing plasma considerably reduces the local free-free opacity (due to the T(exp -3/2) dependence) and thus enhances the brightness of radio bursts emitted at the local plasma frequency near the chromospheric evaporation front, while a high-frequency cutoff is expected in the high-density regions behind the front, which can be used to infer the velocity of the upflowing plasma. From model calculations we find strong evidence that decimetric bursts with a slowly drifting high-frequency cutoff are produced by fundamental plasma emission, contrary to the widespread belief that decimetric bursts are preferentially emitted at the harmonic plasma level. We analyze 21 flare episodes from 1991-1993 for which broadband (100-3000 MHz) radio dynamic spectra from Pheonix, hard X-ray data from (BATSE/CGRO) and soft X-ray data from Burst and Transient Source Experiment/Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GOES) were available.

Aschwanden, Markus J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Inter-Diffusion in the Presence of Free Convection

Because of their technological importance, establishment of the precise values of interdiffusion coefficients is important in multicomponent fluid systems. Such values are not available because diffusion is influenced by free convection due to compositionally induced density variations. In this project, earth based diffusion experiments are being performed in a viscous fluid system PbO-SiO2 at temperatures between 500-1000 C. This system is chosen because it shows a large variation in density with small changes in composition and is expected to show a large free convection effect. Infinite diffusion couples at different temperatures and times are being studied with different orientations with respect to gravity. Composition fields will be measured using an Electron Microprobe Analyzer and will be compared with the results of a complementary modeling study to extract the values of the true diffusion coefficient from the measured diffusion profiles.

Gupta, Prabhat K.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Positronium Radiative Combination Spectrum: Calculation in the Limit of Thermal Positrons and Low Densities

We calculate the intensities of the positronium de-excitation lines for two processes: (1) the radiative combination of free thermal electrons and positrons for transitions with principal quantum number n less than 20, and (2) charge exchange between free positrons and hydrogen and helium atoms, restricting our evaluation to the Lyman-alpha line. We consider a low-density medium modeled by the case A assumption of Baker & Menzel and use the "nL method" of Pengelly to calculate the absolute intensities. We also evaluate the positronium fine and hyperfine intensities and show that these transitions are in all cases much weaker than positronium de-excitation lines in the same wavelength range. We also extrapolate our positronium de-excitation intensities to the submillimeter, millimeter, and centimeter wavelengths. Our results favor the search of infrared transitions of positronium lines for point sources when the visual extinction A, is greater than approx. 5.

Wallyn, P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Extended Acceleration in Slot Gaps and Pulsar High-Energy Emission

We revise the physics of primary electron acceleration in the "slot gap" (SG) above the pulsar polar caps (PCs), a regime originally proposed by Arons and Scharlemann (1979) in their electrodynamic model of pulsar PCs. We employ the standard definition of the SG as a pair-free space between the last open field lines and the boundary of the pair plasma column which is expected to develop above the bulk of the PC. The rationale for our revision is that the proper treatment of primary acceleration within the pulsar SGs should take into account the effect of the narrow geometry of the gap on the electrodynamics within the gap and also to include the effect of inertial frame dragging on the particle acceleration. We show that the accelerating electric field within the gap, being significantly boosted by the effect of frame dragging, becomes reduced because of the gap geometry by a factor proportional to the square of the SG width. The combination of the effects of frame dragging and geometrical screening in the gap region naturally gives rise to a regime of extended acceleration, that is not limited to favorably curved field lines as in earlier models, and the possibility of multiple-pair production by curvature photons at very high altitudes, up to several stellar radii. We present our estimates of the characteristic SG thickness across the PC, energetics of primaries accelerated within the gap, high-energy bolometric luminosities emitted from the high altitudes in the gaps, and maximum heating luminosities produced by positrons returning from the elevated pair fronts. The estimated theoretical high-energy luminosities are in good agreement with the corresponding empirical relationships for gamma-ray pulsars. We illustrate the results of our modeling of the pair cascades and gamma-ray emission from the high altitudes in the SG for the Crab pulsar. The combination of the frame-dragging field and high-altitude SG emission enables both acceleration at the smaller inclination angles and a larger emission beam, both necessary to produce widely-spaced double-peaked profiles.

White, Nicholas E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Deducing Electron Properties from Hard X-Ray Observations

X-radiation from energetic electrons is the prime diagnostic of flare-accelerated electrons. The observed X-ray flux (and polarization state) is fundamentally a convolution of the cross-section for the hard X-ray emission process(es) in question with the electron distribution function, which is in turn a function of energy, direction, spatial location and time. To address the problems of particle propagation and acceleration one needs to infer as much information as possible on this electron distribution function, through a deconvolution of this fundamental relationship. This review presents recent progress toward this goal using spectroscopic, imaging and polarization measurements, primarily from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Previous conclusions regarding the energy, angular (pitch angle) and spatial distributions of energetic electrons in solar flares are critically reviewed. We discuss the role and the observational evidence of several radiation processes: free-free electron-ion, free-free electron-electron, free-bound electron-ion, photoelectric absorption and Compton backscatter (albedo), using both spectroscopic and imaging techniques. This unprecedented quality of data allows for the first time inference of the angular distributions of the X-ray-emitting electrons and improved model-independent inference of electron energy spectra and emission measures of thermal plasma. Moreover, imaging spectroscopy has revealed hitherto unknown details of solar flare morphology and detailed spectroscopy of coronal, footpoint and extended sources in flaring regions. Additional attempts to measure hard X-ray polarization were not sufficient to put constraints on the degree of anisotropy of electrons, but point to the importance of obtaining good quality polarization data in the future.

Kontar, E. P.↗