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At least 1,495 records · Page 83
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Microscale Alfven waves in the solar wind at 1 AU

Analysis of IMP 1 (Explorer 43) plasma and magnetic field fluctuations on a scale of one hour revealed that linearly and circularly polarized Alfven waves are rarely present in the solar wind at 1 AU. The most prevalent microscale fluctuations appeared to be large-amplitude Alfven waves with small but non-zero fluctuations in the magnetic field intensity. These waves are present about 40% of the time and are predominantly propagating away from the sun.

Burlaga, L. F.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detecting cosmic strings with lensed fast radio bursts

Correlated red noise recently reported from pulsar timing observations may be an indication of stochastic gravitational waves emitted by cosmic strings that formed during a primordial phase transition near the grand unification energy scale. Unfortunately, known probes of cosmic strings, namely the cosmic microwave background anisotropies and string lensing of extragalactic galaxies, are not sensitive enough for low dimensionless string tensions of Gμc -2 = 10 -10 – 10 -7 (where the tension μ is the string energy per unit length) that are needed to explain this putative signal. We show that strong gravitational lensing of fast radio bursts (FRBs) by cosmic strings is a potentially unambiguous avenue to probe that range of string tension values. The image pair of string lensing are expected to have identical magnification factor and parity, and have a typical time delay of ~10 2 (Gμc -2 /10 -8 ) 2 s. Here, the unique spectral fingerprint of each FRB, as well as the possibility to detect correlations in the time series of the electric field of the radio waves, will enable verification of the string lensing interpretation. Very-long-baseline interferometry observations can spatially resolve the image pair and provide a lower bound on the string tension based on the image separation. We calculate the FRB lensing rate as a function of the FRB detection number for several different models of the FRB redshift distribution. We find that a survey detecting ~10 5 FRBs, in line with estimates for the detection rate of the forthcoming survey CHORD, can uncover a strong lensing event for a string tension of Gμc -2 ≃ 10 -7 . Larger FRB surveys, such as Phase 2 of the Square Kilometre Array, have the potential to significantly improve the sensitivity on the string tension to Gμc -2 ≃ 10 -9 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the study of hydrodynamic instabilities in the presence of background magnetic fields in high-energy-density plasmas

Blast-wave-driven hydrodynamic instabilities are studied in the presence of a background B-field through experiments and simulations in the high-energy-density (HED) physics regime. In experiments conducted at the Laboratoire pour l’utilisation des lasers intenses (LULI), a laser-driven shock-tube platform was used to generate a hydrodynamically unstable interface with a prescribed sinusoidal surface perturbation, and short-pulse x-ray radiography was used to characterize the instability growth with and without a 10-T B-field. The LULI experiments were modeled in FLASH using resistive and ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and comparing the experiments and simulations suggests that the Spitzer model implemented in FLASH is necessary and sufficient for modeling these planar systems. These results suggest insufficient amplification of the seed B-field, due to resistive diffusion, to alter the hydrodynamic behavior. Although the ideal-MHD simulations did not represent the experiments accurately, they suggest that similar HED systems with dynamic plasma-β (=2μ0ρv2/B2) values of less than ∼100 can reduce the growth of blast-wave-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities. These findings validate the resistive-MHD FLASH modeling that is being used to design future experiments for studying B-field effects in HED plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

CFTs blueshift tensor fluctuations universally

The strong constraints of conformal symmetry cause any nearly-conformal sector to blueshift tensor fluctuations in cosmology. Hidden sectors with approximate conformal symmetry, which may be quite large, are a well-motivated extension of physics beyond the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology. They can therefore lead to a detectable shift in the tensor tilt for next-generation CMB and gravitational wave experiments. Here, we compute the leading-order contribution to the in-in graviton two-point function from virtual loops in such sectors to demonstrate this universal effect. In units where a single conformally-coupled scalar is 1, limits from Stage-IV CMB experiments could bound the size of this extra sector to be smaller than ~10 15 , under a plausible calculational assumption backed by a simple power counting argument. This would be sufficient to rule out N-Naturalness as a complete resolution of the hierarchy problem.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Supertranslations from Scattering Amplitudes

On shell methods have found a new application to local observables such as asymptotic radiation fields and gravitational waveforms. While these observables are invariant under small gauge transformations, they are known to depend on a choice of asymptotic gauge; in gravity on asymptotically Minkowski spacetimes, this is a choice of Bondi-Van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs frame. In this Letter, we provide a method for capturing these supertranslations, to all orders in perturbation theory, using the on shell framework of scattering amplitudes.

Classical black holes↗
NASA NTRS1992

An assessment of lightning or in situ instabilities as a source for whistler mode waves in the night ionosphere of Venus

Low-altitude data acquired on orbits 484-526 of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter are used to assess the most probable source of whistler mode waves in the nightside ionosphere of Venus. The effect of electron temperature on whistler mode propagation is discussed, with particular emphasis on the growth rate of gyroresonant instabilities. The wave intensity as observed with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter electric field detector is compared with various plasma parameters to determine if it is likely that the waves are generated by an in situ instability. It is shown that gyroresonant whistler mode instabilities do not explain the Pioneer Venus wave data. It is demonstrated that the magnetic field strength controls the wave intensity, rather than density, and it is concluded that the electron Beta(e) is the primary factor in the occurrence of the 100-Hz waves detected in the nightside ionosphere of Venus. The present analysis supports the interpretation that these waves are due to lightning in the Venus atmosphere.

Strangeway, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Tropospheric Response to Estimated Spectrally Discriminated Solar Forcing Over the Past 500 Years

The GISS Global Climate Middle Atmosphere Model (GCMAM) is used to investigate the effect of estimated solar irradiance changes on climate for the past 500 years. This model is employed to allow the impact of UV variations on the stratosphere to affect the troposphere via wave-mean flow interactions. Multiple experiments are done with only a total solar irradiance change (peaking at 0.2 percent from the Maunder Minimum to today); with estimated spectrally-varying irradiance changes (i.e., peak changes of 0.7 percent in the UV, 0.2 percent in the visible and near IR; and 0.07 percent in the IR greater than 1 micron); and the spectrally-varying changes in conjunction with model calculated ozone responses in the stratosphere. Results of the varying temperature patterns and radiation response will be discussed. Of interest is whether the different methods of forcing the solar-induced climate change produce different spatial surface temperature signatures, particularly ones that can be differentiated from greenhouse gas warming. In preliminary tests, spectrally-varying solar forcing with induced ozone changes for solar maximum minus solar minimum conditions results in a temperature signal that is primarily at high latitudes.The high latitude response arises due to solar/ozone-induced alterations in the stratospheric wind field that affect planetary wave propagation from the troposphere, and alter tropospheric advection patterns. In contrast, forcing by total solar irradiance changes produces significant response at low and subtropical latitudes as well, driven by water vapor and cloud feedbacks to the radiative perturbation.

Rind, David↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spatio-temporal electric field distributions in an atmospheric plasma jet impinging on a microchannel array surface

The electric field distribution in the ionization waves (IWs) propagating over a microchannel array dielectric surface, with the channels either empty or filled with distilled water, is measured by ps electric field induced second harmonic generation. The surface IW is initiated by the atmospheric pressure N 2 –Ar plasma jet impinging on the surface vertically and powered by ns pulse discharge bursts. The results show that the electric field inside the microchannels, specifically its horizontal component, is enhanced by up to a factor of 2. The field enhancement region is localized within the channels. The vertical electric field inside the channels lags in time compared to the field measured at the ridges, indicating the transient reversal of the IW propagation direction across the channels (toward the jet). This is consistent with the phase-locked plasma emission images and confirmed by the kinetic modeling predictions, which show that the IW ‘jumps’ over the empty channels and propagates into the channels only after the jump between the adjacent ridges. When the channels are filled with water, the wave speed increases by up to 50%, due to the higher effective dielectric constant of the surface. No evidence of a significant electric field enhancement near the dielectric surface (ceramic or water) has been detected, within the spatial resolution of the present diagnostic, ~100 μ m.

plasmas and liquids↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the effects of reactant stratification and wall curvature in non-premixed rotating detonation combustors

The optimization of non-premixed rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) requires improved understanding of the coupled effects of reactant stratification, fluid property gradients, and complex shock-wave interactions on the detonation wave structure within annular geometries. In the current work, simultaneous orthogonal views of chemiluminescence and hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) are utilized to establish the existence of a dual-wave system characterized by leading and trailing detonation waves that are closely coupled by the local flow physics. These features are persistent over a wide range of mass flow rates and are consistent with prior observations of non-premixed rotating detonations in annular geometries. The detailed instantaneous time sequences are compared with a 3D reactive unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulation to more clearly elucidate the in-situ combustion dynamics and the sensitivity to reactant inlet conditions. It is found that the dual-wave system results from unburned reactants that survive the leading detonation wave in the injector near field and are consumed within a trailing azimuthal reflected-shock combustion (ARSC) zone. By contrast, the injector far field is characterized by rapid mixing due to a sudden drop to subsonic conditions, and the bifurcated detonation wave structure collapses into a stronger, single-wave detonation front with higher overall pressure ratio as compared with the dual-wave system. While each RDC will have different inflow, mixing, and combustion characteristics, the underlying interactions between the stratified reactants and azimuthal wave dynamics identified through the combination of advanced MHz-rate diagnostics and 3D numerical simulations have important implications for the study of detonation wave stability, mode transition, and combustion efficiency in non-premixed annular RDCs.

3D URANS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Three-body resonances in pionless effective field theory

We investigate the appearance of resonances in three-body systems using pionless effective field theory at leading order with two complementary methods. The Faddeev equation is analytically continued to the unphysical sheet adjacent to the positive real energy axis using a contour rotation. We consider both the three-boson system and the three-neutron system. For the former, we calculate the trajectory of Borromean three-body Efimov states turning into resonances as they cross the three-body threshold. For the latter, we find no sign of three-body resonances or virtual states at leading order. Furthermore, this result is validated by exploring the level structure of three-body states in a finite volume approach.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Notional Artemis Lunar Surface Exploration Package (ArLSEP) based on the Gandalf Staff Platform

Introduction: The Artemis program is planning to deliver crew and cargo to the lunar surface, but there is no current package for supporting lunar in-struments and experiments similar to the Apollo Lunar Surface Exploration Package (ALSEP). This abstract provides a possible concept for such a package using the Gandalf Staff Platform as a common core. Gandalf Staff: The Gandalf Staff is an early prototype system developed over FY’21/FY’22 using NASA Science Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Center Information Fund (CIF) grants to de-sign, build and test “proof-of-concept” components. These components include a 24v battery powered monopole that powers a suite of subsystems, including a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for crew, surface voice and data communications, Lunar Search and Rescue (LunaSAR) navigation and communications, LiDAR, field site external lighting, 360-degree camera, and a geothermal instrument for measuring sub-surface temperature gradient. The staff can be carried independently by an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) astronaut, or can be mounted into a tripod for “hands free” support at a surface site being investigated. The staff can be attached to an external solar array and power storage system for long-duration operations. [1,2] ALSEP: An ASLEP flew on each mission Apollo 12 to Apollo 17. For Apollo 11, a simplified packaged called the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Pack-age (EASEP) was flown. Each package included a “Central Station” that provided the power and communications connected to a variety of instruments and sensors. The power was provided by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) fueled by Plutoni-um-238 generating 70 watts of power (initially, decayed over time) [3]. The communications system provide for direct to Earth data transfer from the lunar surface. Each pack-age was stowed externally in the Lunar Module (LM) Scientific Equipment (SEQ) bay with a mass up to 163 kg (Apollo 17). The crew unloaded the ALSEP from the LM and deployed the instruments on the lunar surface. Although designed to operate for only 1 year, many sites operated for up to 8 years successfully [4]. The Active Seismic Experiment (ASE) included 3 geophones for detecting seismic waves created by mortars and thumpers deployed by the crew. Other active experiments measured the lunar atmosphere, the heat flow in the subsurface, the lunar gravity and potential gravity waves, the lunar magnetic field, the solar wind and plasma interactions in cislunar space. Passive experiments included collectors for dust and cosmic rays, and retroreflectors for precise measurements of distance using a laser from Earth. The ALSEP program continues to generate insights into lunar formation and evolution. ArLSEP Concepts: The lunar surface science package for the Artemis program will hopefully exceed the capability of the ALSEP. There are multiple issues for discussion leading to the design of a new ArLSEP, needing requirements definition from the science community, NASA mission architecture, and NASA budget planners. 1. Delivery Mechanism Two possible projects currently provide capability to deliver scientific cargo to the lunar surface: 1) the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) [5] and the Human Landing System (HLS) [6, 7]. Each project is controlled by a different organization within NASA and budgeted with different criteria although both support lunar exploration. The HLS system delivers crew (and potentially cargo) to human landing sites. If an ArLSEP is “predeployed” to such a site, the design must include power (either from the vehicle or independently) to keep the electronics functioning until deployed by the crew. If an ArLSEP is delivered on a vehicle after the crew is present on the lunar surface, safety protocols require adequate distance from the humans for impact from descent propelled sur-face regolith ejecta. This distance can not exceed the capability of the crew to walk (if no rover) to the vehicle for ArLSEP deployment. 2. Overall Guidelines The general design of ArLSEP will likely follow the ALSEP with a common system for communications and power; however, significant architecture differences between Apollo and Artemis exist. Power: The RTG will not be available for early Artemis missions nor likely follow-on Lunar Exploration Transportation Services (LETS) missions [8]. Thus, ArLSEP power must be supplied by solar arrays with sufficient battery capability to “keep alive” necessary electronics during any lunar surface eclipse period. Communication: The Artemis program is developing a series of communications satellites for lunar orbit to provide surface transmission of data and voice to Earth. Called “LunaNET”, this network is component useful for ArLSEP since south polar locations may not always have direct “line-of-sight” to Earth [9]. 3. Concept of Operations (ConOps) The general ConOps for ArLSEP is to deliver the package to lunar surface before the crew arrives, and then have the crew deploy the package after some period of time. This requires coordinated design (for power systems) and launch window (for schedule) on both the cargo and crew missions. Once the ArLSEP is deployed, it will operate autonomously for a number of years. It should be designed to be EVA compatible for crew maintenance and upgrade. 4. Notional Design (for discussion purpose only) The landing site near the South Pole is expected to have no eclipse cycle exceeding 5 days, so the “keep alive” power is 144 hours (6 days to include margin). A 12v ArLSEP will use rechargeable LiFePO4 cells, which are common in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. With a current of 5 amps and a 125 watt system, the mass is about 90kg. The comm. system and structure adds another 10kg, thus the “Central Station” is approximately 100kg. The solar power is collected on four arrays (each 2m above the surface), and the entire ArLSEP is designed to stow in a 2m x 1m x 1m volume. The experiment and instrument design will vary for each installation and add mass to the total (although they are expected to fit within the 2m3 volume). Seismic wave generation will likely not be provided with mortars, thus an electric “thumper” will be required. Active instruments such as imaging systems and sensing instruments will benefit from the additional power and communication capability provided by ArLSEP. Passive systems such as retroreflectors, witness plates, and cosmic dust collectors can be added to either the landing vehicle and/or the ArLSEP. With repeated HLS missions to the same human site, the ArLSEP can be expanded and easily maintained for long duration science collection on the lunar surface.

ALSEP↗
DOE OSTI2026

Plasmonic Hybridization and Near-Field Localization in Gold “Dog Bone” Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles with complex anisotropic geometries offer unique opportunities for tailoring plasmonic near-fields beyond the limits of conventional nanorods. Here we combine photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM) and full-wave simulations to resolve plasmon hybridization and near-field localization in gold dog-bone nanoparticles and their dimers with and without conformal SiO 2 shells. We demonstrate that the dog-bone geometry drives unconventional polarization-dependent field confinement, including pronounced tip-localized near-fields under both longitudinal and transverse excitation. Conformal SiO 2 shells red-shift the plasmon resonances through dielectric screening and prevent charge-transfer coupling in adjacent dimers. Depending on the dimer orientation and excitation polarization, coupled structures exhibit distinct bonding- and antibonding-like hybridized modes as well as interparticle near-field channels. However, weakly interacting dimers retain largely independent particle responses with geometry-governed asymmetries. The close agreement between PINEM measurements and simulations establishes a direct picture of how shape, dielectric environment, and nanoscale coupling together define plasmonic modes in complex anisotropic nanoparticles. These findings provide design principles for engineering localized optical fields in plasmonic nanoscale structures.

hybridization↗
NASA NTRS1977

VLF transmission induced slot electron precipitation

A study is made of electrons in the drift and bounce loss cones of the magnetospheric slot region. It is observed that discrete events account for the arrival of most electrons in the 100-400 keV range into the drift loss cone. Most such events originate from a high power level VLF transmitter. Calculations of the loss rate caused by the events indicate that the electron flux in the slot region may decrease by as much as 50% per day. It is likely that wave-particle interaction occurs low on the field line due to the particular particle energies and wave frequencies. In order to transport particles to the lower interaction region, additional near-equator scattering, via power-line harmonic emissions or ELF hiss, may be required.

Vampola, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Experiments on whistler wave filamentation and VLF hiss in a laboratory plasma

With the development of a large magnetized plasma source it has become possible to investigate space plasma physics problems in the laboratory. First, the nonlinear effects associated with the excitation of a large amplitude whistler wave have been explored. It is found that the radiation pressure of the wave and thermal effects give rise to a field-aligned density depression in which the wave becomes completely trapped. Hyperfine filaments with diameters small compared with the parallel wavelength are observed. Second, the stability of oblique whistler waves in the presence of an electron beam has been studied. A broadband whistler instability is observed and identified as a Cherenkov interaction between beam electrons and whistlers propagating near the resonance cone. These observations confirm the present model for the generation of VLF hiss in the aurora.

Stenzel, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Equations of motion for a free-electron laser with an electromagnetic pump field and an axial electrostatic field

The equations of motion for a free-electron laser (FEL) with an electromagnetic pump field and a static axial electric field are derived using a Hamiltonian formalism. Equations governing the energy transfer between the electron beam and each of the electromagnetic fields are given, and the phase shift for each of the electromagnetic fields is derived from a linearized Maxwell wave equation. The relation between the static axial electric field and the resonant phase is given. Laser gain and the fraction of the electron energy converted to photon energy are determined using a simplified resonant particle model. These results are compared to those of a more exact particle simulation code.

Hiddleston, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Some properties of transient phenomena in the extra-tropical region and their importance in the seasonal mean flow

When studying data for one season, it is convenient to divide transient eddies into those of the synoptic time scale and those of lower frequency. Where the dividing line is placed is not crucial, but a 10-day period is used in a study of the 1979-1980 Northern Hemisphere winter. The synoptic time scale eddies exhibit maximum kinetic energy in stormtracks slightly downstream from and poleward of the Atlantic and Pacific jet maximum. An alternative approach is via the anisotropic part of the horizontal velocity correlation tensor, the axis of which gives the local orientation of the eddies and the magnitude a measure of the extension of the eddies. When the man velocity field is almost that of the plane waves, the horizontal group velocity relative to the mean field is also related to this tensor. The synoptic time scale eddies force the mean flow in the sense of reducing the baroclinic component in the upstream of the region of the stormtrack. The lower frequency eddies have a very different signature.

Hoskins, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Modeling of Field-Aligned Guided Echoes in the Plasmasphere

The conditions under which high frequency (f>>f(sub uh)) long-range extraordinary-mode discrete field-aligned echoes observed by the Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on board the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) satellite in the plasmasphere are investigated by ray tracing modeling. Field-aligned discrete echoes are most commonly observed by RPI in the plasmasphere although they are also observed over the polar cap region. The plasmasphere field-aligned echoes appearing as multiple echo traces at different virtual ranges are attributed to signals reflected successively between conjugate hemispheres that propagate along or nearly along closed geomagnetic field lines. The ray tracing simulations show that field-aligned ducts with as little as 1% density perturbations (depletions) and less than 10 wavelengths wide can guide nearly field-aligned propagating high frequency X mode waves. Effective guidance of wave at a given frequency and wave normal angle (Psi) depends on the cross-field density scale of the duct, such that ducts with stronger density depletions need to be wider in order to maintain the same gradient of refractive index across the magnetic field. While signal guidance by field aligned density gradient without ducting is possible only over the polar region, conjugate field-aligned echoes that have traversed through the equatorial region are most likely guided by ducting.

Fung, Shing F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Theory of plasma waves in the auroral E region

A general theory is developed for both electrojet waves and ion cyclotron and current convective waves observed above 120 km altitude. Previously defined electrojet instability theories are extended to encompass the effects of the magnetic field on ions and the presence of field-aligned currents. The ion-cyclotron (E) waves are assumed produced by the two-stream instability in regions dominated by ion magnetization effects. Field-aligned and cross-field currents drive the E waves, which have displayed threshold drift velocities (TDV) sensitive to conditions at altitudes with effective electron/ion and anomalous electron collision frequencies. The electron density gradients in the region affect the magnitude of the TDV for waves on scales of tens of meters. Recombinational damping increases the TDV for marginal damping of two-stream E waves and establishes a TDV for excitation of large-scale gradient drift waves which propagate nearly perpendicularly to the magnetic field and may have only 10-20 m wavelengths.

Fejer, B. G.↗