Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Very Low Frequency”

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 1,495 records · Page 83
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Theoretical transducer properties of piezoelectric insulator FET transducers

An oriented piezoelectric film incorporated in the insulator region of a silicon insulated-gate field-effect transistor (FET) results in a sensitive high-frequency strain transducer. Theory governing the transducer properties of the piezoelectric insulator FET transducer is presented. Equations are developed which relate the drain current of the device to induced polarizations of the piezoelectric layer. The highest frequency of surface strains to which the FET transducer can respond is determined by the FET frequency response - ultimately by the channel transit time. This frequency can extend to the GHz range. The low-frequency response to applied strain is determined by the dielectric relaxation frequency of the piezoelectric layer.

Greeneich, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Thermal fluctuations from an artificial ion beam injection into the ionosphere

Simulations of argon beam experiments flown on two sounding rocket flights (ARCS 1, 2) reveal two bands of electrostatic wave emissions, one at high frequencies around the upper hybrid mode, the other at low frequencies around the lower hybrid mode. The latter is significantly enhanced by the argon beam in the simulations, and the enhancement was clearly observed on ARCS 2. This enhancement at phase velocities greater than the beam velocity is suggested to be due to an increase in the thermal fluctuation level of the plasma when the argon beam is present. Inclusion of electron dynamics and oblique angles of wave propagation with respect to B allows investigation of electron heating. Electron tail heating is observed parallel to B for k-parallel/k-perpendicular proportional to the square root of m(e)/m(0), while background ions are heated perpendicular to B.

Hudson, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A dual frequency microstrip antenna for Ka band

For fixed satellite communication systems at Ka band with downlink at 17.7 to 20.2 GHz and uplink at 27.5 to 30.0 GHz, the focused optics and the unfocused optics configurations with monolithic phased array feeds have often been used to provide multiple fixed and multiple scanning spot beam coverages. It appears that a dual frequency microstrip antenna capable of transmitting and receiving simultaneously is highly desirable as an array feed element. This paper describes some early efforts on the development and experimental testing of a dual frequency annular microstrip antenna. The antenna has potential application for use in conjunction with a monolithic microwave integrated circuit device as an active radiating element in a phased array of phased array feeds. The antenna is designed to resonate at TM sub 12 and TM sub 13 modes and tuned with a circumferential microstrip ring to vary the frequency ratio. Radiation characteristics at both the high and low frequencies are examined. Experimental results including radiating patterns and swept frequency measurements are presented.

Lee, R. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Softmounted Inertially Reacting Pointing System (SIRPNT)

A softmounted inertially reacting pointing system differs from traditional gimbal-based pointing system architecture in that: (1) the primary pointing control actuator does not need to apply torques on the basebody, and hence will not interact in a destabilizing way with basebody flexibility, and (2) the connection of the payload with the basebody is via a soft, low frequency structure, which acts as a two-way low pass filter for disturbances. Planar, linear analysis of a preliminary design of such a pointing system using the piezoelectric polymer material PVF2 as an active element in the softmount is presented demonstrating the potential performance in disturbance rich environments such as Space Station.

Sirlin, Samuel W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The nonlinear response of AE to the IMF Bs driver - A spectral break at 5 hours

The existence of a sharp break in the power spectrum of AE at about 5 hours is demonstrated. Several possible explanations of the nonlinear response of AE to the IMF Bs driver are briefly discussed, including: variable ionospheric conductivity (increasing with Bs) for the high frequency regime, and several AE saturation mechanisms for the low frequency regime.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Acoustic wave propagation in the solar atmosphere 1. Rediscussion of the linearized theory including nonstationary solutions

The normal dispersion analysis for linear adiabatic wave propagation in stratified atmospheres adopts a real frequency and solves for the complex vertical wavenumber. We show that an exponentially stratified atmosphere does not have any spatially bounded normal modes for real frequencies. The usual treatment involves a representation where the imaginary part of the vertical wavenumber yields a rho(sup -1/2) dependence of the velocity amplitude which diverges as the absolute value of z approaches infinity. This solution includes a cutoff frequency below which acoustic modes cannot propagate. The standard dispersion analysis is a local representation of the wave behavior in both space and time but which is assumed to represent the motion throughout - infinity is less than t is less than infinity and 0 is less than infinity. However, any solution which has a purely sinusoidal time dependence extends through this full domain and is divergent due to the rho(sup -1/2) dependence. We show that a proper description is in terms of a near field of a boundary piston which is driven arbitrarily as a function of space and time. The atmosphere which responds to this piston is a semi-infinite layer which has an initially constant sound speed but which has the usual gravitational stratification. In a restricted domain of space and time above this boundary, the wavelike behavior of the medium may be described by frequencies and vertical wavenumbers which are both complex. When both parameters are allowed to have imaginary components, a new range of solutions is found for which there is virtually no cutoff frequency. We show that vertical energy propagation can take place through the solar atmosphere as a result of oscillations below the nominal cutoff frequency. Previously, the largest amplitude oscillations which generally have low frequencies were dropped from the calculation of energy flux becuase their frequencies are below the cutoff frequency. This new family of near-field waves permits these modes to carry energy vertically outward and raises the possibility that the largest amplitude 5 minute oscillations play a substantial role in the transport of acoustic energy to the chromosphere.

Wang, Zhengzhi↗
NASA NTRS2000

Influence of Mean-Density Gradient on Small-Scale Turbulence Noise

A physics-based methodology is described to predict jet-mixing noise due to small-scale turbulence. Both self- and shear-noise source teens of Lilley's equation are modeled and the far-field aerodynamic noise is expressed as an integral over the jet volume of the source multiplied by an appropriate Green's function which accounts for source convection and mean-flow refraction. Our primary interest here is to include transverse gradients of the mean density in the source modeling. It is shown that, in addition to the usual quadrupole type sources which scale to the fourth-power of the acoustic wave number, additional dipole and monopole sources are present that scale to lower powers of wave number. Various two-point correlations are modeled and an approximate solution to noise spectra due to multipole sources of various orders is developed. Mean flow and turbulence information is provided through RANS-k(epsilon) solution. Numerical results are presented for a subsonic jet at a range of temperatures and Mach numbers. Predictions indicated a decrease in high frequency noise with added heat, while changes in the low frequency noise depend on jet velocity and observer angle.

Khavaran, Abbas↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Hybrid SBR/MoM Technique for Analysis of Scattering from Small Protrusions on a Large Conducting Body

For analysis of large-scale electromagnetic scattering problems, high-frequency asymptotic methods are fast but approximate, whereas low-frequency numerical methods are accurate but slow. Neither can produce an efficient and accurate solution to scattering by large bodies containing small structures. A promising approach is to combine the best features of both types of methods to produce a hybrid technique that is sufficiently fast, reasonably accurate, and applicable to a class of unsolvable problems such as the scatterers mentioned above. There are two extremes for this type of hybridization. One is simply to superimpose solutions from asymptotic and numerical methods. While this approach is most widely used in practical applications, it neglects the interactions between the two solutions, which can be significant in many problems. The other extreme is to combine an asymptotic and a numerical method in an exact manner. In this approach, the effect of a large body is included by incorporating its diffraction into the Green's function in the integral equation for the small structures, which accounts for all interactions. While this approach is accurate, it is difficult to be implemented in a general-purpose computer code because of its complex nature. A more practical approach is to develop a technique that can include all significant interactions and neglect all trivial interactions. The resulting hybrid technique can produce sufficient accuracy and can be implemented in a general-purpose computer code. In this paper, we develop a technique that combines the shooting and- bouncing-ray (SBR) method and the method of moments (MoM) to solve for the scattering by large conducting bodies with small structures mounted on their surfaces.

Jin, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Self-Nulling Lock-in Detection Electronics for Capacitance Probe Electrometer

A multi-channel electrometer voltmeter that employs self-nulling lock-in detection electronics in conjunction with a mechanical resonator with noncontact voltage sensing electrodes has been developed for space-based measurement of an Internal Electrostatic Discharge Monitor (IESDM). The IESDM is new sensor technology targeted for integration into a Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) subsystem used for the characterization and monitoring of deep dielectric charging on spacecraft. Use of an AC-coupled lock-in amplifier with closed-loop sense-signal nulling via generation of an active guard-driving feedback voltage provides the resolution, accuracy, linearity and stability needed for long-term space-based measurement of the IESDM. This implementation relies on adjusting the feedback voltage to drive the sense current received from the resonator s variable-capacitance-probe voltage transducer to approximately zero, as limited by the signal-to-noise performance of the loop electronics. The magnitude of the sense current is proportional to the difference between the input voltage being measured and the feedback voltage, which matches the input voltage when the sense current is zero. High signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) is achieved by synchronous detection of the sense signal using the correlated reference signal derived from the oscillator circuit that drives the mechanical resonator. The magnitude of the feedback voltage, while the loop is in a settled state with essentially zero sense current, is an accurate estimate of the input voltage being measured. This technique has many beneficial attributes including immunity to drift, high linearity, high SNR from synchronous detection of a single-frequency carrier selected to avoid potentially noisy 1/f low-frequency spectrum of the signal-chain electronics, and high accuracy provided through the benefits of a driven shield encasing the capacitance- probe transducer and guarded input triaxial lead-in. Measurements obtained from a 2- channel prototype electrometer have demonstrated good accuracy (|error| < 0.2 V) and high stability. Twenty-four-hour tests have been performed with virtually no drift. Additionally, 5,500 repeated one-second measurements of 100 V input were shown to be approximately normally distributed with a standard deviation of 140 mV.

Blaes, Brent R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurements for STS-62, Launched 4 March 1994

The second mission of the United States Microgravity Payload on-board the STS-62 mission was supported with three accelerometer instruments: the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) and two units of the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS). The March 4, 1994 launch was the fourth successful mission for OARE and the ninth successful mission for SAMS. The OARE instrument utilizes a sensor for very low frequency measurements below one Hertz. The accelerations in this frequency range are typically referred to as quasisteady accelerations. One of the SAMS units had two remote triaxial sensor heads mounted on the forward MPESS structure between two furnance experiments, MEPHISTO and AADSF. These triaxial heads had low-pass filter cut-off frequencies at 10 and 25 Hz. The other SAMS unit utilized three remote triaxial sensor heads. Two of the sensor heads were mounted on the aft MPESS structure between the two experiments IDGE and ZENO. These triaxial heads had low-pass filter cut-off frequencies at 10 and 25 Hz. The third sensor head was mounted on the thermostat housing inside the IDGE experiment container. This triaxial head had a low-pass filter cut-off frequency at 5 Hz. This report is prepared to furnish interested experiment investigators with a guide to evaluating the acceleration environment during STS-62 and as a means of identifying areas which require further study. To achieve this purpose, various pieces of information are included, such as an overview of the STS-62 mission, a description of the accelerometer system flown on STS-62, some specific analysis of the accelerometer data in relation to the various mission activities, and an overview of the low-gravity environment during the entire mission. An evaluation form is included at the end of the report to solicit users' comments about the usefulness of this series of reports.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

New narrow infrared absorption features in the spectrum of Io between 3600 and 3100 cm (2.8-3.2 micrometers)

We report the discovery of a series of infrared absorption bands between 3600 and 3100/cm (2.8-3.2 micrometers) in the spectrum of Io. Individual narrow bands are detected at 3553, 3514.5, 3438, 3423, 3411.5, and 3401/cm (2.815, 2.845, 2.909, 2.921, 2.931, and 2.940 micrometers, respectively). The positions and relative strengths of these bands, and the difference of their absolute strengths between the leading and trailing faces of Io, indicate that they are due to SO2. The band at 3438/cm (2.909 micrometers) could potentially have a contribution from an additional molecular species. The existence of these bands in the spectrum of Io indicates that a substantial fraction of the SO2 on Io must reside in transparent ices having relatively large crystal sizes. The decrease in the continuum observed at the high frequency ends of the spectra is probably due to the low frequency side of the recently detected, strong 3590/cm (2.79 micrometer) feature. This band is likely due to the combination of a moderately strong SO2 band and an additional absorption from another molecular species, perhaps H2O isolated in SO2 at low concentrations. A broad (FWHM approximately = 40-60/cm), weak band is seen near 3160/cm (3.16 micrometers) and is consistent with the presence of small quantities of H2O isolated in SO2-rich ices. There is no evidence in the spectra for the presence of H2O vapor on Io. Thus, the spectra presented here neither provide unequivocal evidence for the presence of H2O on Io nor preclude it at the low concentrations suggested by past studies.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation in Black Hole (BH) Sources: Observational Evidence of Two Phases and Phase Transition in BHs

Recent studies have shown that strong correlations are observed between the low frequencies (1-10 Hz) of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several Black Hole (BH) candidate sources, in low hard states, steep power-law (soft) states and in transition between these states. The observations indicate that the X-ray spectrum of such state (phases) show the presence of a power-law component and are sometimes related to simultaneous radio emission indicated the probable presence of a jet. Strong QPOs (less than 20% rms) are present in the power density spectrum in the spectral range where the power-law component is dominant ( i.e. 60-90% ). This evidence contradicts the dominant long standing interpretation of QPOs as a signature of the thermal accretion disk. We present the data from the literature and our own data to illustrate the dominance of power-law index-QPO frequency correlations. We provide a model, that identifies and explains the origin of the QPOs and how they are imprinted on the properties of power-law flux component. We argue the existence of a bounded compact coronal region which is a natural consequence of the adjustment of Keplerian disk flow to the innermost sub-Keplerian boundary conditions near the central object and that ultimately leads to the formation of a transition layer (TL) between the adjustment radius and the innermost boundary. The model predicts two phases or states dictated by the photon upscattering produced in the TL: (1) hard state, in which the TL is optically thin and very hot (kT approx. greater than 50 keV) producing photon upscattering via thermal Componization; the photon spectrum index Gamma appprox.1.5 for this state is dictated by gravitational energy release and Compton cooling in an optically thin shock near the adjustment radius; (2) a soft state which is optically thick and relatively cold (approx. less than 5 keV); the index for this state, Gamma approx. 2.8 is determined by soft-photon upscattering and photon trapping in converging flow into BH. In the TL model for corona the QPO frequency vnu(sub high) is related to the gravitational (close to Keplerian) frequency nu(sub K) at the outer (adjustment) radius and nu(sub low) is related to the TL s normal mode (magnetoacoustic) oscillation frequency nu(sub MA). The observed correlations between index and low and high QPO frequencies are readily explained in terms of this model. We also suggest a new method for evaluation of the BH mass using the index-frequency correlation.

Titarchuk, Lev↗
NASA NTRS2004

Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation in Black Hole Sources: Observational Evidence of Two Phases and Phase Transition in Black Holes

Recent studies have shown that strong correlations are observed between the low frequencies (1-10 Hz) of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several black hole (BH) candidate sources, in low (hard) states, steep power law (soft) states, and transitions between these states. The observations indicate that the X-ray spectra of such state (phases) show the presence of a power-law component and are sometimes related to simultaneous radio emission, indicating the probable presence of a jet. Strong QPOs (>20% rms) are present in the power density spectrum in the spectral range where the power-law component is dominant (i.e., 60%90%). This evidence contradicts the dominant, long-standing interpretation of QPOs as a signature of the thermal accretion disk. We present the data from the literature and our own data to illustrate the dominance of power-law index-QPO frequency correlations. We provide a model that identifies and explains the origin of the QPOs and how they are imprinted on the properties of the power-law flux component. We argue for the existence of a bounded compact coronal region that is a natural consequence of the adjustment of the Keplerian disk flow to the innermost sub-Keplerian boundary conditions near the central object and that ultimately leads to the formation of a transition layer (TL) between the adjustment radius and the innermost boundary. The model predicts two phases or states dictated by the photon upscattering produced in the TL: (1) a hard state, in which the TL is optically thin and very hot (kT approximately greater than 50 keV), producing photon upscattering via thermal Comptonization (the photon spectrum index Gamma approximates 1.7 for this state is dictated by gravitational energy release and Compton cooling in an optically thin shock near the adjustment radius), and (2) a soft state that is optically thick and relatively cold (kT approximately less than 5 keV the index for this state, Gamma approximates 2.8, is determined by soft-photon upscattering and photon trapping in a converging flow into the BH). In the TL model for the corona, the QPO frequency V(sub high) is related to the gravitational (close to Keplerian) frequency V(sub K) at the outer (adjustment) radius and v(sub low) is related to the TL's normal mode (magnetoacoustic) oscillation frequency v(sub MA) . The observed correlations between index and low and high QPO frequencies are readily explained in terms of this model. We also suggest a new method for evaluation of the BH mass using the index-frequency correlation.

Titarchuk, Lev↗
NASA NTRS2001

Low Power Silicon Germanium Electronics for Microwave Radiometers

Space-based radiometric observations of key hydrological parameters (e.g., soil moisture) at the spatial and temporal scales required in the post-2002 era face significant technological challenges. These measurements are based on relatively low frequency thermal microwave emission (at 1.4 GHz for soil moisture and salinity, 10 GHz and up for precipitation, and 19 and 37 GHz for snow). The long wavelengths at these frequencies coupled with the high spatial and radiometric resolutions required by the various global hydrology communities necessitate the use of very large apertures (e.g., greater than 20 m at 1.4 GHz) and highly integrated stable RF electronics on orbit. Radio-interferometric techniques such as Synthetic Thinned Array Radiometry (STAR), using silicon germanium (SiGe) low power radio frequency integrated circuits (RFIC), is one of the most promising technologies to enable very large non-rotating apertures in space. STAR instruments are composed of arrays of small antenna/receiving elements that are arranged so that the collecting area is smaller than an equivalent real aperture system, allowing very high packing densities for launch. A 20 meter aperture at L-band, for example, will require greater than 1000 of these receiving elements. SiGe RFIC's reduce power consumption enough to make an array like this possible in the power-limited environment of space flight. An overview of the state-of-the-art will be given, and current work in the area of SiGe radiometer development for soil moisture remote sensing will be discussed.

Doiron, Terence A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observation of hydrodynamic plasmons and energy waves in graphene

Thermally excited electrons and holes form a quantum-critical Dirac fluid in ultraclean graphene and their electrodynamic responses are described by a universal hydrodynamic theory. The hydrodynamic Dirac fluid can host intriguing collective excitations distinctively different from those in a Fermi liquid. Here we report the observation of the hydrodynamic plasmon and energy wave in ultraclean graphene. In this study, we use the on-chip terahertz (THz) spectroscopy technique to measure the THz absorption spectra of a graphene microribbon as well as the propagation of the energy wave in graphene close to charge neutrality. We observe a prominent high-frequency hydrodynamic bipolar-plasmon resonance and a weaker low-frequency energy-wave resonance of the Dirac fluid in ultraclean graphene. The hydrodynamic bipolar plasmon is characterized by the antiphase oscillation of massless electrons and holes in graphene. The hydrodynamic energy wave is an electron-hole sound mode with both charge carriers oscillating in phase and moving together. The spatial–temporal imaging technique shows that the energy wave propagates at a characteristic speed of $V_f$ / $ \sqrt2$ near the charge neutrality. Our observations open new opportunities to explore collective hydrodynamic excitations in graphene systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Excitation spectra of quantum matter without quasiparticles. I. Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev models

Here, we study the low-frequency spectra of complex Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev models at general densities. The analysis applies also to SU(M) magnets with random exchange at large M. The spectral densities are computed by numerical analysis of the saddle-point equations on the real frequency ω axis at zero temperature T. The asymptotic low-ω behaviors are found to be in excellent agreement with the scaling dimensions of irrelevant operators which perturb the conformally invariant critical states. Of possible experimental interest is our computation of the universal spin spectral weight of the SU(M) magnets at low ω and T; this includes a contribution from the time reparametrization mode, which is the boundary graviton of the holographic dual. This analysis is extended to a random t-J model in the following paper [M. Tikhanovskaya et al., following paper, Phys. Rev. B 103, 075142 (2021)].

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

K-space algorithmic reconstruction (KAREN): a robust statistical methodology to separate Bragg and diffuse scattering

Diffuse scattering occurring in the Bragg diffraction pattern of a long-range-ordered structure represents local deviation from the governing regular lattice. However, interpreting the real-space structure from the diffraction pattern presents a significant challenge because of the dramatic difference in intensity between the Bragg and diffuse components of the total scattering function. In contrast to the sharp Bragg diffraction, the diffuse signal has generally been considered to be a weak expansive or continuous background signal. In this paper, using 1D and 2D models, it is demonstrated that diffuse scattering in fact consists of a complex array of high-frequency features that must not be averaged into a low-frequency background signal. To evaluate the actual diffuse scattering effectively, an algorithm has been developed that uses robust statistics and traditional signal processing techniques to identify Bragg peaks as signal outliers which can be removed from the overall scattering data and then replaced by statistically valid fill values. This method, described as a 'K-space algorithmic reconstruction' (KAREN), can identify Bragg reflections independent of prior knowledge of a system's unit cell. KAREN does not alter any data other than that in the immediate vicinity of the Bragg reflections, and reconstructs the diffuse component surrounding the Bragg peaks without introducing discontinuities which induce Fourier ripples or artifacts from underfilling `punched' voids. The KAREN algorithm for reconstructing diffuse scattering provides demonstrably better resolution than can be obtained from previously described punch-and-fill methods. The superior structural resolution obtained using the KAREN method is demonstrated by evaluating the complex ordered diffuse scattering observed from the neutron diffraction of a single plastic crystal of CBr 4 using pair distribution function analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1973

The status of engineering knowledge concerning the damping of built-up structures.

The importance of the effects of structural joints on the damping of built-up structures is pointed out, and the energy dissipation mechanisms associated with squeezing, rocking, and shearing motions are discussed for simple joints that are dry, lubricated, or provided with viscoelastic inserts. The damping mechanisms and behaviors of built-up beams and of skin-stringer structures are discussed as far as they are currently understood, and available damping estimation methods are summarized. Difficulties in defining and measuring the damping of skin-stringer structures are indicated, and it is pointed out that particularly the high-frequency damping of built-up beams and the low-frequency damping of skin-stringer configurations require further investigation.

Ungar, E. E.↗