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At least 1,567 records · Page 87

Computational Modeling of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) have become increasingly important for many applications, such as optical interconnects and optical data storages. In many applications, critical requirements are very often high beam quality and/or high output powers. To help the design and optimization of VCSELs for such applications, it is essential to have a simulation model that includes the time evolution of the transverse space dependence of the hewn. Such models allow arbitrary transverse profiles of laser intensity or carrier density to develop in time without any a priori assumption about the number and types of transverse modes. In addition, extensive research in the past has shown that many-body effects are important in influencing the optical gain and the refractive index of semiconductor quantum wells. It is thus important to include the key many-body effects in simulation models for semiconductor lasers. A computational model, called the Maxwell-Effective Bloch Equations (MEBE) was developed recently that simulates the above features and effects. This model combines the space-time resolution with microscopic many-body effects in a way that is both accurate enough and computationally manageable. This model has been used to simulate edge-emitting high power lasers recently. A new finite-difference algorithm has been developed for solving these equations and will be shown in the presentation. That algorithm will be used to calculate the detailed time evolution of the transverse mode profiles of VCSELs. The VCSELs are based on InGaAs/GaAs quantum well structures. Effects of pumping current and refractive index profiles will be investigated in detail. The simulation results will be compared with other results the use the rate-equation model.

Goorjian, Peter M.↗

Computational Nonlinear of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) have become increasingly important for many applications, such as optical interconnects and optical data storages. In many applications, critical requirements are very often high beam quality and/or high output powers. To help the design and optimization of VCSELs for such applications, it is essential to have a simulation model that includes the time evolution of the transverse space dependence of the beam. Such models allow arbitrary transverse profiles of laser intensity or carrier density to develop in time without any a priori assumption about the number and types of transverse modes. In addition, extensive research in the past has shown that many-body effects are important in influencing the optical gain and the refractive index of semiconductor quantum wells. It is thus important to include the key many-body effects in simulation models for semiconductor lasers. A computational model, called the Maxwell-Effective Bloch Equations (MEBE) was developed recently that simulates the above features and effects. This model combines the space-time resolution with microscopic many-body effects in a way that is both accurate enough and computationally manageable. This model has been used to simulate edge-emitting high power lasers recently. A new finite-difference algorithm has been developed for solving these equations and will be shown in the presentation. That algorithm will be used to calculate the detailed time evolution of the transverse mode profiles of VCSELs. The VCSELs are based on InGaAs/GaAs quantum well structures. Effects of pumping current and refractive index profiles will be investigated in detail. The simulation results will be compared with other results the use the rate-equation model.

Goorjian, Peter M.↗

Characterizing Thermal Properties of Melting Te Semiconductor: Thermal Diffusivity Measurements and Simulation

Tellurium is an element for many II-VI and I-III-VI(sub 2) compounds that are useful materials for fabricating many devices. In the melt growth techniques, the thermal properties of the molten phase are important parameter for controlling growth process to improve semiconducting crystal quality. In this study, thermal diffusivity of molten tellurium has been measured by a laser flash method in the temperature range from 500 C to 900 C. A pulsed laser with 1064 nm wavelength is focused on one side of the measured sample. The thermal diffusivity can be estimated from the temperature transient at the other side of the sample. A numerical simulation based on the thermal transport process has been also performed. By numerically fitting the experimental results, both the thermal conductivity and heat capacity can be derived. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. The error analysis and the comparison of the results to published data measured by other techniques will be discussed.

Zhu, Shen↗

Characterizing Thermal Properties of Melting Te Semiconductor: Thermal Diffusivity Measurements and Simulation

Tellurium is an element for many II-VI and I-III-VI(sub 2) compounds that are useful materials for fabricating many devises. In the melt growth techniques, the thermal properties of the molten phase are important parameter for controlling growth process to improve semiconducting crystal quality. In this study, thermal diffusivity of molten tellurium has been measured by a laser flash method in the temperature range from 500 C to 900 C. A pulsed laser with 1064 nm wavelength is focused on one side of the measured sample. The thermal diffusivity can be estimated from the temperature transient at the other side of the sample. A numerical simulation based on the thermal transport process has been also performed. By numerically fitting the experimental results, both the thermal conductivity and heat capacity can be derived. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. The error analysis and the comparison of the results to published data measured by other techniques will be discussed in the presentation.

Zhu, Shen↗

Ka-band monopulse antenna-pointing systems analysis and simulation

NASA 's Deep Space Network (DSN) has been using both 70-m and 34-m reflector antennas to communicate with spacecraft at S-band (2.3 GHz) and X-band (8.45 GHz). To improve the quality of telecommunication and to meet future mission requirements, JPL has been developing 34-m Ka-band (32-GHz) beam waveguide antennas. Presently, antenna pointing operates in either the open-loop mode with blind pointing using navigation predicts or the closed-loop mode with conical scan (conscan). Pointing accuracy under normal conscan operating conditions is in the neighborhood of 5 mdeg. This is acceptable at S- and X-bands, but not enough at Ka-band. Due to the narrow beamwidth at Ka-band, it is important to improve pointing accuracy significantly (approximately 2 mdeg). Monopulse antenna tracking is one scheme being developed to meet the stringent pointing-accuracy requirement at Ka-band. Other advantages of monopulse tracking include low sensitivity to signal amplitude fluctuations as well as single-pulse processing for acquisition and tracking. This article presents system modeling, signal processing, simulation, and implementation of Ka-band monopulse tracking feed for antennas in NASA/DSN ground stations.

Lo, V. Y.↗

Ka-Band Monopulse Antenna-Pointing Systems Analysis and Simulation

NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) has been using both 70-m and 34-m reflector antennas to communicate with spacecraft at S-band (2.3 GHz) and X-band (8.45 GHz). To improve the quality of telecommunication and to meet future mission requirements, JPL has been developing 34-m Ka-band (32-GHz) beamwave guide antennas. Presently, antenna pointing operates in either the open-loop mode with blind pointing using navigation predicts or the closed-loop mode with conical scan (conscan). Pointing accuracy under normal conscan operating conditions is in the neighborhood of 5 mdeg. This is acceptable at S- and X-bands, but not enough at Ka-band. Due to the narrow beamwidth at Ka-band, it is important to improve pointing accuracy significantly (approx. 2 mdeg). Monopulse antenna tracking is one scheme being developed to meet the stringent pointing-accuracy requirement at Ka-band. Other advantages of monopulse tracking include low sensitivity to signal amplitude fluctuations as well as single-pulse processing for acquisition and tracking. This article presents system modeling, signal processing, simulation, and implementation of Ka-band monopulse tracking feed for antennas in NASA/DSN ground stations.

Lo, V. Y.↗

Data Quality Assurance for Supersonic Jet Noise Measurements

The noise created by a supersonic aircraft is a primary concern in the design of future high-speed planes. The jet noise reduction technologies required on these aircraft will be developed using scale-models mounted to experimental jet rigs designed to simulate the exhaust gases from a full-scale jet engine. The jet noise data collected in these experiments must accurately predict the noise levels produced by the full-scale hardware in order to be a useful development tool. A methodology has been adopted at the NASA Glenn Research Center s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory to insure the quality of the supersonic jet noise data acquired from the facility s High Flow Jet Exit Rig so that it can be used to develop future nozzle technologies that reduce supersonic jet noise. The methodology relies on mitigating extraneous noise sources, examining the impact of measurement location on the acoustic results, and investigating the facility independence of the measurements. The methodology is documented here as a basis for validating future improvements and its limitations are noted so that they do not affect the data analysis. Maintaining a high quality jet noise laboratory is an ongoing process. By carefully examining the data produced and continually following this methodology, data quality can be maintained and improved over time.

Brown, Clifford A.↗

Following the Dust: Satellite Perspectives of Dust Sources, Transport, Deposition, and Impacts

Mineral dust is an integral component in the Earth system that interacts with the system's many other components involving the energy, water, and carbon cycles. Dust also degrades air quality and adversely affects human health. These interactions and impacts are not contained in regions nearby dust sources, but can reach very far because of the long-range transport on intercontinental and global scales. Satellite's routine sampling and extensive coverage in time and space makes it an ideal platform to follow the dust from sources to sinks and assess its impacts along the long journey. Dust particles are unique in their coarse size and irregular shape, which makes it feasible to distinguish them from other aerosol particles using remote sensing techniques. This talk will provide an overview of what we have learned from analyzing advanced satellite remote sensing measurements during the EOS-era supplemented by in situ observations and model simulations, including dust source characterization, seasonal and interannual variability, trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic transport and deposition, and dust influences on the radiation budget, air quality, and ecosystems. The talk will also discuss challenges and opportunities to further improve the dust characterization and assessment of the impacts via remote sensing techniques.

Yu, Hongbin↗

A Semi-Analytical Solution Approach for Solving Constant-Coefficient First-Order Partial Differential Equations

Simulation and control of many dynamic systems involve solving partial differential equations (PDE). This letter proposes a semi-analytical solution (SAS) approach for fast and high-quality solution of first-order PDEs. The region of interest of the studied PDE is divided into a grid, and an SAS is derived for each grid cell in the form of the multivariate polynomials, of which the coefficients are identified using initial value and boundary value conditions. The solutions are solved in a “time-stepping” manner, i.e. within one time step, the coefficients of the SAS are identified and the initial value of the next time step is evaluated. This approach achieves a significantly larger grid cell than the widely used finite difference method, and thus enhances the computational efficiency significantly. Furthermore, the simulation result on the natural gas pipeline model demonstrates the advantages of SAS in accuracy and computational efficiency.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Impact of All-Sky Hyperspectral Infrared Radiance Assimilation on the Simulation and Forecast of Hurricane Sally in GEOS

Hyperspectral infrared (IR) radiance observations have been one of the major data sources assimilated in the data assimilation system over the last 20 years. However, observations peaking in the lower and mid-troposphere are underutilized in clear-sky radiance data assimilation as the quality control procedure removes a significant portion of cloud-affected observations from the assimilation. To include these cloud-affected observations, one approach is to assimilate them directly under all-sky conditions. The framework for all-sky assimilation of hyperspectral IR radiance observations has been developed in GEOS. The preliminary evaluation of simulated cloud-affected IR observations has been conducted, along with the corresponding sensitivities with respect to all hydrometeors. The symmetric cloud effect has been used as a cloud proxy in the observation error modeling, providing a balanced representation that mitigates the discrepancies between observations and model simulations for IR all-sky assimilation. The observation errors vary for different cloud conditions and have been modeled as cloud amount dependent and inter-channel correlated. Preliminary evaluation of model simulations for IR all-sky assimilation indicates that the simulated brightness temperature tends to have broader structures and lacks small-scale details. Excessive clouds generated by the model are also observed. To address this issue, Hurricane Sally (2020), which formed near the Bahamas, is used as a case study. Several cloud overlap schemes and cloud lookup tables (LUTs), along with other important aspects of all-sky IR radiance assimilation, will be evaluated and tested, aiming to improve the impact on Hurricane Sally's simulation and forecast.

Wei Gu↗

Data Processing and Analysis of Performance Measurements From Ingenuity Rotors in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 25-Ft Space Simulator

The success of Ingenuity completing over 71 flights on Mars has resulted in the possible use of two further optimized Ingenuity-sized helicopters to retrieve samples for the planned Mars Sample Return campaign. Data to validate performance for several rotor speeds, densities, configurations, and collectives will aid in the design process and help in understanding Ingenuity’s current performance limitations. Tests were performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the 25-foot Space Simulator, which include the Engineering Design Model 1 (EDM-1) with and without a cruciform box, and the Transonic Rotor Test (TRT) which is a single rotor setup featuring the same blade geometry as EDM-1 but designed to spin at much higher RPMs. The experimental setup, test matrix, data processing, data quality, and the performance results for EDM1 and TRT campaigns are presented.

Processing↗

Refueling infrastructure planning in intercity networks considering route choice and travel time delay for mixed fleet of electric and conventional vehicles

The range anxiety has been a major factor that affects the market acceptance of electric vehicles. Even with the recent development of battery technologies, a lack of charging stations and range anxiety are still significant concerns, specifically for intercity trips. This calls for more investments in building charging stations and advancing battery technologies to increase the market share of electric vehicles and improve sustainability. This study suggests a configuration for plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support long-distance intercity trips of electric vehicles at the network level. A model is proposed to minimize the total system cost including infrastructure investment (building charging stations/spots) and travel time delays (charging time, waiting time in the queue, and detour time to access charging stations). This study fills existing gaps in the literature by capturing realistic patterns of travel demand and considering flow-dependent charging delays at charging stations. Furthermore, the proposed model, which is formulated as a mixed-integer program with nonlinear constraints, solves the optimization problem at the network level. At the network level, impacts of charging station locations on the traffic assignment problem with a mixed fleet of electric and conventional vehicles need to be considered. To this end, a traffic assignment module is integrated with a simulated annealing algorithm. The numerical experiments show a satisfactory application of the model for a full-scale case study (intercity network in Michigan). The solution quality and efficiency of the proposed solution algorithm are evaluated against those of an enumeration approach for a small case study. The results suggest that even for the current market share and charging stations’ setting, a significant investment is needed to support intercity trips without range anxiety issues and with acceptable delays. Additionally, through sensitivity analyses, the required infrastructure and battery investments to support intercity trips with acceptable delays are established for hypothetical increased market shares and battery size in the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Precision Casting via Advanced Simulation and Manufacturing

A two-year program was conducted to develop and commercially implement selected casting manufacturing technologies to enable significant reductions in the costs of castings, increase the complexity and dimensional accuracy of castings, and reduce the development times for delivery of high quality castings. The industry-led R&D project was cost shared with NASA's Aerospace Industry Technology Program (AITP). The Rocketdyne Division of Boeing North American, Inc. served as the team lead with participation from Lockheed Martin, Ford Motor Company, Howmet Corporation, PCC Airfoils, General Electric, UES, Inc., University of Alabama, Auburn University, Robinson, Inc., Aracor, and NASA-LeRC. The technical effort was organized into four distinct tasks. The accomplishments reported herein. Task 1.0 developed advanced simulation technology for core molding. Ford headed up this task. On this program, a specialized core machine was designed and built. Task 2.0 focused on intelligent process control for precision core molding. Howmet led this effort. The primary focus of these experimental efforts was to characterize the process parameters that have a strong impact on dimensional control issues of injection molded cores during their fabrication. Task 3.0 developed and applied rapid prototyping to produce near net shape castings. Rocketdyne was responsible for this task. CAD files were generated using reverse engineering, rapid prototype patterns were fabricated using SLS and SLA, and castings produced and evaluated. Task 4.0 was aimed at developing technology transfer. Rocketdyne coordinated this task. Casting related technology, explored and evaluated in the first three tasks of this program, was implemented into manufacturing processes.

Source record↗

Hypersonic Simulations with US3D using Unstructured Grids from Fidelity Pointwise

For hypersonic simulations, unstructured flow solvers typically have problems predicting surface heat fluxes when strong shocks are present. This article outlines a workflow that applies best practices for structured and unstructured grids. In addition, unstructured grid generation can significantly reduce the time required to create quality grids for complex geometries. Several examples are computed using DPLR, a structured grid flow solver, and US3D flow, an unstructured flow solver. Results from the two codes are compared and they show excellent agreement. The unstructured grid workflow offers a viable and attractive alternative for hypersonic simulations.

C. Tang↗

Assessment of Sensor Data Accuracy within Gazebo/ROS for High-Precision Autonomous In-Space Robotic Operations

Modeling high-precision in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing operations in a simulated environment is a critical step in the development of robotic systems that will be used to autonomously assemble large-scale structures in space. Limited facility size and high costs for manufacturing prototypes make it challenging to conduct full-scale operational testing under appropriate environmental conditions; therefore, testing in a modular, high-fidelity simulation environment is necessary for verification and validation of technology and architecture designs prior to launch. Several modeling and simulation environments exist both within NASA and industry that can be used to test robotic system design and operations, including the widely used commercial tool Gazebo integrated with Robotic Operating System software. Because the performance of autonomous robotic systems relies heavily on the quality of sensor input data, this paper focuses on assessing the accuracy of pose data from an optical sensor model in the Gazebo environment against the behavior of real hardware. The results of the tests will help developers using Gazebo for large-scale, high-precision simulation to account for modeling inaccuracies within their robotic control system algorithms.

simulation↗

Impact of the 2008 Global Recession on Air Quality over the United States: Implications for Surface Ozone Levels from Changes in NOx Emissions

Satellite and ground observations detected large variability in nitrogen oxides (NOx) during the 2008 economic recession, but the impact of the recession on air quality has not been quantified. This study combines observed NOx trends and a regional chemical transport model to quantify the impact of the recession on surface ozone (O3) levels over the continental United States. The impact is quantified by simulating O3 concentrations under two emission scenarios: business-as-usual (BAU) and recession. In the BAU case, the emission projection from the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is used to estimate the would-be NOx emission level in 2011. In the recession case, the actual NO2 trends observed from Air Quality System ground monitors and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on the Aura satellite are used to obtain realistic changes in NOx emissions. The model prediction with the recession effect agrees better with ground O3 observations over time and space than the prediction with the BAU emission. The results show that the recession caused a 12ppbv decrease in surface O3 concentration over the eastern United States, a slight increase (0.51ppbv) over the Rocky Mountain region, and mixed changes in the Pacific West. The gain in air quality benefits during the recession, however, could be quickly offset by the much slower emission reduction rate during the post-recession period.

NOx emissions↗

A deep learning framework for layer-wise porosity prediction in metal powder bed fusion using thermal signatures

Abstract Part quality manufactured by the laser powder bed fusion process is significantly affected by porosity. Existing works of process–property relationships for porosity prediction require many experiments or computationally expensive simulations without considering environmental variations. While efforts that adopt real-time monitoring sensors can only detect porosity after its occurrence rather than predicting it ahead of time. In this study, a novel porosity detection-prediction framework is proposed based on deep learning that predicts porosity in the next layer based on thermal signatures of the previous layers. The proposed framework is validated in terms of its ability to accurately predict lack of fusion porosity using computerized tomography (CT) scans, which achieves a F1-score of 0.75. The framework presented in this work can be effectively applied to quality control in additive manufacturing. As a function of the predicted porosity positions, laser process parameters in the next layer can be adjusted to avoid more part porosity in the future or the existing porosity could be filled. If the predicted part porosity is not acceptable regardless of laser parameters, the building process can be stopped to minimize the loss.

42 ENGINEERING↗