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NASA NTRS1993

Application of a Reynolds stress turbulence model to a supersonic radiating hydrogen-air diffusion flame

A second-order differential Reynolds Stress turbulence model has been applied to the Favre-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the study of supersonic flows with finite-rate chemistry and radiation. An assumed Beta Probability Density Function is applied to account for the chemical source terms and the radiative flux terms in the conservation equations. A seven-species, seven-reaction finite rate chemistry mechanism is used to simulate the combustion process. The tangent slab approximation is used in radiative flux formulation. A pseudo-gray gas model is used to represent the absorption-emission characteristics of the participating species. The turbulence/radiation interaction is achieved via a new formulation. The resulting formulation is validated by comparison with experimental data on reacting supersonic axisymmetric jets. Results obtained for specific conditions indicate that the effect of chemical reaction on the turbulence is significant. Also, the radiative heat transfer is enhanced by the turbulence.

Chandrasekhar, R.↗

NASA NTRS1956

Ram-jet Performance

The ram jet is basically one of the most dimple types of aircraft engine. It consists only of an inlet diffuser, a combustion system, and an exit nozzle. A typical ram-jet configuration is shown in figure 128. The engine operates on the Brayton cycle, and ideal cycle efficiency depends only on the ratio of engine to ambient pressure. The increased, engine pressures are obtained by ram action alone, and for this reason the ram jet has zero thrust at zero speed. Therefore, ram-jet-powered aircraft must be boosted to flight speeds close to a Mach number of 1.0 before appreciable thrust is generated by the engine. Since pressure increases are obtained by ram action alone, combustor-inlet pressures and temperatures are controlled by the flight speed, the ambient atmospheric condition, and by the efficiency of the inlet diffuser. These pressures and temperatures, as functions of flight speed and altitude, are shown in figure 129 for the NACA standard atmosphere and for practical values of diffuser efficiency. It can be seen that very wide ranges of combustor-inlet temperatures and pressures may be encountered over the ranges of flight velocity and altitude at which ram jets may be operated. Combustor-inlet temperatures from 500 degrees to 1500 degrees R and inlet pressures from 5 to 100 pounds per square inch absolute represent the approximate ranges of interest in current combustor development work. Since the ram jet has no moving parts in the combustor outlet, higher exhaust-gas temperatures than those used in current turbojets are permissible. Therefore, fuel-air ratios equivalent to maximum rates of air specific impulse or heat release can be used, and, for hydrocarbon fuels, this weight ratio is about 0.070. Lower fuel-air ratios down to about 0.015 may also be required to permit efficient cruise operation. This fuel-air-ratio range of 0.015 to 0.070 used in ram jets can be compared with the fuel-air ratios up to 0.025 encountered in current turbojets. Ram-jet combustor-inlet velocities range from 150 to 400 feet per second. These high linear velocities combined with the relatively low pressure ratios obtainable in ram jets require that the pressure drop through the combustor be kept low to avoid excessive losses in cycle efficiency. It has been estimated that, for a long-range ram-jet engine, an increase in pressure loss of one dynamic head would require a compensating 1-percent increase in combustion efficiency. Therefore, combustor pressure-loss coefficients (pressure drop/impact pressure) of the order of 1 to 4 are found in most current engines. The operating conditions described impose major problems in the design of stable and efficient ram-jet combustion systems. This chapter presents a survey of ram-jet combustor research and, where possible, points out criteria that may be useful in the design of ram-jet combustion systems.

Cervenko, A. J.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Spallation-altered Accreted Compositions for X-Ray Bursts: Impact on Ignition Conditions and Burst Ashes

Model predictions of X-ray burst ashes and light curves depend on the composition of the material accreted from the companion star, in particular the abundance of CNO elements. It has previously been pointed out that spallation in the atmosphere of the accreting neutron star can destroy heavy elements efficiently. In this work we study this spallation using a realistic reaction network that follows the complete spallation cascade and takes into account not only destruction, but also production of elements by the spallation of heavier species. We find an increased survival probability of heavier elements compared to previous studies, resulting in significantly higher CNO abundances.We provide resulting compositions as a function of accretion rate, and explore their impact on 1D multi-zone X-ray burst models. Finally, we find significant changes in the composition of the burst ashes, which will affect the thermal and compositional structure of accreted neutron star crusts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

THE ROLE OF TURBULENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SIMULATED FILAMENTARY STRUCTURE

We use numerical simulations of turbulent cluster-forming regions to study the nature of dense filamentary structures in star formation. Using four hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations chosen to match observations, we identify filaments in the resulting column density maps and analyze their properties. We calculate the radial column density profiles of the filaments every 0.05 Myr and fit the profiles with the modified isothermal and pressure-confined isothermal cylinder models, finding reasonable fits for either model. The filaments formed in the simulations have similar radial column density profiles to those observed. Magnetic fields provide additional pressure support to the filaments, making “puffier” filaments less prone to fragmentation than in the pure hydrodynamic case, which continue to condense at a slower rate. In the higher density simulations, the filaments grow faster through the increased importance of gravity. Not all of the filaments identified in the simulations will evolve to form stars: some expand and disperse. Given these different filament evolutionary paths, the trends in bulk filament width as a function of time, magnetic field strength, or density are weak, and all cases are reasonably consistent with the finding of a constant filament width in different star-forming regions. In the simulations, the mean FWHM lies between 0.06 and 0.26 pc for all times and initial conditions, with most lying between 0.1 to 0.15 pc; the range in FWHMs is however, larger than seen in typical Herschel analyses. Finally, the filaments display a wealth of substructure similar to the recent discovery of filament bundles in Taurus.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Stability of drift-cyclotron loss-cone waves in H-mode plasmas

The drift-cyclotron loss-cone mode was first studied in mirror machines. In such devices, particles with small pitch angles are not confined, creating a hole in the velocity distribution function that is a source of free energy and leads to micro-instabilities in the cyclotron-range of frequencies. In the edge region of tokamak devices operating under H-mode conditions, ion loss also occurs. In this case, gradient drift carries ions moving opposite to the plasma current preferentially into the divertor, creating a one-sided loss cone. A simple analysis shows that for the quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-D the critical gradient for instability is exceeded within 2 cm of the separatrix, and the maximum growth rate at the separatrix is 3×10 7 s -1 .

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Investigation of Nanoparticle Degradation in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems through Automated Electron Microscopy

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are promising devices for the deployment of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles, providing a higher efficiency for similar driving range and fueling time than the existing ones. However, PEMFCs still encounter durability challenges mainly due to catalyst degradation in the cathode. Mitigating these performance losses requires a better understanding of the degradation mechanisms under heavy-duty accelerated stress tests (ASTs) [1]. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are key tools for the analysis of Pt and PtCo nanoparticle size, spatial distribution and composition [2]. Electron tomography is also used to determine the rate and type of degradation of catalyst nanoparticles as a function of their position on the carbon support. In this work, automated data acquisition software, paired with a custom Python code, have been used to study the effect of different accelerated stress tests (ASTs) on nanoparticle coarsening [2]. Figure 1 shows high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF)-STEM images and EDS maps comparing the cathodes of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) following an electrocatalyst AST performed under H2/N2 with that of the heavy-duty AST performed under H2/air. We will discuss how AST conditions affect considerably the spatial distribution of the nanoparticles across the electrode between the membrane and microporous layer. Although the median particle size increased more in the MEA aged under the heavy-duty AST, as determined using a high-throughput image analysis, the quantitative EDS measurements demonstrate that the electrocatalyst AST resulted in more Pt and Co dissolution from the cathode, which is another important indicator of electrocatalyst degradation. We will further present the impact of the relative humidity (% RH) on the degradation mechanisms demonstrated using the same approach. Electron tomography has been used to distinguish the Pt nanoparticles residing on the carbon support surface (exterior) from those within the pore structure (interior) in order to determine the relative stability of interior and exterior nanoparticles. As shown in Figure 2, we will compare the Pt catalyst particle size at the beginning of test (BOT) and end of test (EOT), and discuss the importance of automating the electron tomography workflow, i.e. acquisition, reconstruction, and visualization, to increase sampling and determine the standard deviation of these measurement. The outlook for utilizing low-dose cryo-tomography for limiting damage to the catalyst, support, and especially proton-conducting ionomer will also be discussed [3].

Amichi, Lynda↗

DOE OSTI2020

Network structure of vertebrate scavenger assemblages at the global scale: drivers and ecosystem functioning implications

The organization of ecological assemblages has important implications for ecosystem functioning, but little is known about how scavenger communities organize at the global scale. Here, we test four hypotheses on the factors affecting the network structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger assemblages and its implications on ecosystem functioning. We expect scavenger assemblages to be more nested (i.e. structured): 1) in species-rich and productive regions, as nestedness has been linked to high competition for carrion resources, and 2) regions with low human impact, because the most efficient carrion consumers that promote nestedness are large vertebrate scavengers, which are especially sensitive to human persecution. 3) We also expect climatic conditions to affect assemblage structure, because some scavenger assemblages have been shown to be more nested in colder months. Finally, 4) we expect more organized assemblages to be more efficient in the consumption of the resource. We first analyzed the relationship between the nestedness of the scavenger assemblages and climatic variables (i.e. temperature, precipitation, temperature variability and precipitation variability), ecosystem productivity and biomass (i.e. NDVI) and degree of human impact (i.e. human footprint) using 53 study sites in 22 countries across five continents. Then, we related structure (i.e. nestedness) with its function (i.e. carrion consumption rate). We found a more nested structure for scavenger assemblages in regions with higher NDVI values and lower human footprint. Moreover, more organized assemblages were more efficient in the consumption of carrion. However, our results did not support the prediction that the structure of the scavenger assemblages is directly related to climate. Our findings suggest that the nested structure of vertebrate scavenger assemblages affects its functionality and is driven by anthropogenic disturbance and ecosystem productivity worldwide. Disarray of scavenger assemblage structure by anthropogenic disturbance may lead to decreases in functionality of the terrestrial ecosystems via loss of key species and trophic facilitation processes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

SiC Composite for Fuel Structure Applications

Extensive evaluation was performed to determine the suitability of using SiC composite as a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel channel material. A thin walled SiC composite box, 10 cm in dimension by approximately 1.5 mm wall thickness was fabricated using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for testing. Mechanical test results and performance evaluations indicate the material could meet BWR channel mechanical design requirement. However, large mass loss of up to 21% was measured in in-pile corrosion test under BWR-like conditions in under 3 months of irradiation. A fresh sister sample irradiated in a follow-up cycle under PWR conditions showed no measureable weight loss and thus supports the hypothesis that the oxidizing condition of the BWR-like coolant chemistry was responsible for the high corrosion rate. A thermodynamic evaluation showed SiC is not stable and the material may oxidize to form SiO 2 and CO 2 . Silica has demonstrated stability in high temperature steam environment and form a protective oxide layer under severe accident conditions. However, it does not form a protective layer in water under normal BWR operational conditions due to its high solubility. Corrosion product stabilization by modifying the SiC CVD surface is an approach evaluated in this study to mitigate the high corrosion rate. Titanium and zirconium have been selected as stabilizing elements since both TiSiO 4 and ZrSiO 4 are insoluble in water. Corrosion test results in oxygenated water autoclave indicate TiSiO4 does not form a protective layer. However, zirconium doped test samples appear to form a stable continuous layer of ZrSiO 4 during the corrosion process. Additional process development is needed to produce a good ZrSiC coating to verify functionality of the mitigation concept.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Elucidating Hydrogen Reaction-Induced Water Desorption from Oxide-Passivated Metal Surfaces for Plasma Applications

Elucidating the mechanisms responsible for sub-microsecond desorption of water and other impurities from electrode surfaces at high heating rates is crucial for understanding pulsed power behavior. Ionization of desorbed impurities in the vacuum regions causes power or current loss; devising methods to limit such desorption during the short time scale of pulsed power is needed to improve corresponding applications. Previous molecular modeling studies have strongly suggested that, under high vacuum conditions, the amount of water impurity desorbing from oxide surfaces on metal electrodes is at a sub-monolayer level at room temperature, which appears insufficient to explain observed pulsed power energy losses at high current densities. In this work, we apply Density Functional Theory (DFT) techniques to show that hydrogen trapped inside iron metal can diffuse into hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) on the metal surface, ultimately reacting with the oxide to form Fe(II) and H 2 O. The latter desorbs at elevated temperature and may explain the anomalous amount of desorbed impurity inferred from pulsed-power experiments. We also apply a suite of characterization techniques to demonstrate that when iron metal is heated to 650 °C, the dominant surface oxide component becomes α-Fe 2 O 3 . The oxide facets exposed are found to be a mixture of (0001), (10-10), and others, in agreement with the DFT models used.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1973

A stochastic model of turbulent mixing with chemical reaction: Nitric oxide formulation in a plug-flow burner

A stochastic model of turbulent mixing was developed for a reactor in which mixing is represented by n-body fluid particle interactions. The model was used to justify the assumption (made in previous investigations of the role of turbulent mixing on burner generated thermal nitric oxide and carbon monoxide emissions) that for a simple plug flow reactor, composition nonuniformities can be described by a Gaussian distribution function in the local fuel:air equivalence ratio. Recent extensions of this stochastic model to include the combined effects of turbulent mixing and secondary air entrainment on thermal generation of nitric oxide in gas turbine combustors are discussed. Finally, rate limited upper and lower bounds of the nitric oxide produced by thermal fixation of molecular nitrogen and oxidation of organically bound fuel nitrogen are estimated on the basis of the stochastic model for a plug flow burner; these are compared with experimental measurements obtained using a laboratory burner operated over a wide range of test conditions; good agreement is obtained.

Flagan, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1956

Experimental Droplet Impingement on Several Two-Dimensional Airfoils with Thickness Ratios of 6 to 16 Percent

The rate and area of cloud droplet impingement on several two-dimensional swept and unswept airfoils were obtained experimentally in the NACA Lewis icing tunnel with a dye-tracer technique. Airfoil thickness ratios of 6 to 16 percent; angles of attack from 0 deg to 12 deg, and chord sizes from 13 to 96 inches were included in the study. The data were obtained at 152 knots and are extended to other conditions by dimensionless impingement parameters. In general, the data show that the total and local collection efficiencies and impingement limits are primary functions of the modified inertia parameter (in which airspeed, droplet size, and body size are the most significant variables) and the airfoil thickness ratio. Local collection efficiencies and impingement limits also depend on angle of attack. Secondary factors affecting impingement characteristics are airfoil shape, camber, and sweep angle. The impingement characteristics obtained experimentally for the airfoils were within +/-10 percent on the average of the characteristics calculated from theoretical trajectories. Over the range of conditions studied, the experimental data demonstrate that a specific method can be used to predict the impingement characteristics of swept airfoils with large aspect ratios from the data for unswept airfoils of the same series.

Gelder, Thomas F.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Mechanical properties of monolithic and particulate composites of L12 forms of Al3Ti

Preliminary studies of simple compressive properties of particulate composites with L1(2)-modified Al3Ti's as the matrices were performed as functions of matrix composition, amount of TiB2, processing technique, temperature, and strain rate. At and below about 900 K the introduction of TiB2 particles overwhelms minor chemical effects, and extremely high-yield strengths (about 2000 MPa at the 20 vol pct TiB2 level) were obtained. As L1(2)-modified Al3Ti has about half the density of the Ni-base superalloys, such values translate to strength/density ratios approximately four times those for superalloys. This advantage is not maintained by the Al3Ti-based composites above about 1000 K, particularly under slow strain rate plastic flow conditions, and it is proposed that this behavior could be due to the dissolution of intermetallic second phases as well as grain boundary creep mechanisms.

Whittenberger, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A self-consistent model for the particles and fields upstream of an outgassing comet. II - A time-dependent description

In a previous paper, the global variation of the magnetic field and solar wind flow parameters in the unshocked region upstream of an outgassing comet was determined using a kinetic treatment for the cometary ions. Two different assumptions were made concerning the cometary ion distribution function: the pickup cometary ions formed either a velocity space gyrotropic ring distribution or a velocity space isotropic shell distribution in the solar wind frame of reference. In the present paper the general case is considered wherein the newly picked up ions are elastically pitch angle scattered from the initial ring distribution to a shell with some characteristic time scale. Using theoretically determined parameters which reflect the conditions expected at Comet Kopff (a typical short-period comet and a possible target for the CRAF/Cassini mission) for various heliocentric distances, how the pitch angle scattering rate affects the global morphology is determined.

Flammer, K.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Recognition of partially occluded threat objects using the annealed Hopefield network

Recognition of partially occluded objects has been an important issue to airport security because occlusion causes significant problems in identifying and locating objects during baggage inspection. The neural network approach is suitable for the problems in the sense that the inherent parallelism of neural networks pursues many hypotheses in parallel resulting in high computation rates. Moreover, they provide a greater degree of robustness or fault tolerance than conventional computers. The annealed Hopfield network which is derived from the mean field annealing (MFA) has been developed to find global solutions of a nonlinear system. In the study, it has been proven that the system temperature of MFA is equivalent to the gain of the sigmoid function of a Hopfield network. In our early work, we developed the hybrid Hopfield network (HHN) for fast and reliable matching. However, HHN doesn't guarantee global solutions and yields false matching under heavily occluded conditions because HHN is dependent on initial states by its nature. In this paper, we present the annealed Hopfield network (AHN) for occluded object matching problems. In AHN, the mean field theory is applied to the hybird Hopfield network in order to improve computational complexity of the annealed Hopfield network and provide reliable matching under heavily occluded conditions. AHN is slower than HHN. However, AHN provides near global solutions without initial restrictions and provides less false matching than HHN. In conclusion, a new algorithm based upon a neural network approach was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the automated inspection of threat objects from x-ray images. The robustness of the algorithm is proved by identifying occluded target objects with large tolerance of their features.

Kim, Jung H.↗

NASA NTRS1953

Altitude Operational Characteristics of Prototype J40-WE-8 Turbojet Engine

The altitude operational characteristics of the prototype J40-WE-8 turbojet engine were determined in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel. The operational characteristics that were obtained include (1) compressor surge characteristics, (2) acceleration and deceleration rates, (3) steady-state windmilling-engine characteristics, (4) altitude ignition characteristics, and (5) the effect of two grades of fuel on steady-state engine performance at an altitude of 45,000 feet and a flight Mach number of 0.20. The altitude ignition characteristics determined include the effects of (1) ignition fuel flow, (2) two ignition procedures, (3) fuel temperatures, and (4) two grades of fuel on ignition characteristics. The compressor surge line, when presented as a function of compressor pressure ratio and corrected engine speed, was not affected by changes in flight condition and was independent of engine-inlet installation and of the manner in which surge was approached, rapidly or slowly. Also there was no effect of altitude or engine-inlet installation on the compressor surge recovery line when presented as a function of compressor pressure ratio and corrected engine speed.

FUELS - RELATION TO ENGINE PERFORMANCE↗

NASA NTRS1995

Integrated Cryogenic Satellite Communications Cross-Link Receiver Experiment

An experiment has been devised which will validate, in space, a miniature, high-performance receiver. The receiver blends three complementary technologies; high temperature superconductivity (HTS), pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), and a miniature pulse tube cryogenic cooler. Specifically, an HTS band pass filter, InP MMIC low noise amplifier, HTS-sapphire resonator stabilized local oscillator (LO), and a miniature pulse tube cooler will be integrated into a complete 20 GHz receiver downconverter. This cooled downconverter will be interfaced with customized signal processing electronics and integrated onto the space shuttle's 'HitchHiker' carrier. A pseudorandom data sequence will be transmitted to the receiver, which is in low Earth orbit (LEO), via the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) on a 20 GHz carrier. The modulation format is QPSK and the data rate is 2.048 Mbps. The bit error rate (BER) will be measured in situ. The receiver is also equipped with a radiometer mode so that experiment success is not totally contingent upon the BER measurement. In this mode, the receiver uses the Earth and deep space as a hot and cold calibration source, respectively. The experiment closely simulates an actual cross-link scenario. Since the receiver performance depends on channel conditions, its true characteristics would be masked in a terrestrial measurement by atmospheric absorption and background radiation. Furthermore, the receiver's performance depends on its physical temperature, which is a sensitive function of platform environment, thermal design, and cryocooler performance. This empirical data is important for building confidence in the technology.

Romanofsky, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Ar Atmosphere: Implications for Structure and Composition of Mercury's Crust

We examine the possibilities of sustaining an argon atmosphere by diffusion from the upper 10 km of crust, and alternatively by effusion from a molten or previously molten area at great depth . Ar-40 in the atmospheres of the planets is a measure of potassium abundance in the interiors since Ar-40 is a product of radiogenic decay of K-40 by electron capture with the subsequent emission of a 1.46 eV gamma-ray. Although the Ar-40 in the earth's atmosphere is expected to have accumulated since the late bombardment, Ar-40 in surface-bounded exospheres is eroded quickly by photoionization and electron impact ionization. Thus, the argon content in the exospheres of the Moon, Mercury and probably Europa is representative of current effusion rather than accumulation over the lifetime of the body. Argon content will be a function of K content, temperature, grain size distribution, connected pore volume and possible seismic activity. Although Mercury and the Moon differ in many details, we can train the solutions to diffusion equations to predict the average lunar atmosphere. Then these parameters can be varied for Hermean conditions. Assuming a lunar crustal potassium abundance of 300 ppm, the observed argon atmosphere requires equilibrium between the argon production in the upper 9 Km of the moon (1.135 x 10(exp -3) cm(exp -3) s(exp -1)) and its loss. Hodges et al. conclude that this loss rate and the observed time variability requires argon release through seismic activity, tapping a deep argon source. An important observation is that the extreme surface of the Moon is enhanced in argon rather than depleted, as one would expect from outgassing of radiogenic argon. Manka and Michel concluded that ion implantation explains the surface enhancement of Ar-40. About half of the argon ions produced in the lunar atmosphere would return to the surface, where they would become embedded in the rocks. Similarly, at Mercury we expect the surface rocks to be enhanced in Ar-40 wherever the magnetosphere has been open over time. Thus the measurement of surface composition will reveal the long-term effects of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Killen, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Energetic Metastable Oxygen and Nitrogen Atoms in the Terrestrial Atmosphere

This report summarizes our research performed under NASA Grant NAG5-11857. The three-year grant have been supported by the Geospace Sciences SR&T program. We have investigated the energetic metastable oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the terrestrial stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. Hot atoms in the atmosphere are produced by solar radiation, the solar wind and various ionic reactions. Nascent hot atoms arise in ground and excited electronic states, and their translational energies are larger by two - three orders of magnitude than the thermal energies of the ambient gas. The relaxation kinetics of hot atoms determines the rate of atmospheric heating, the intensities of aeronomic reactions, and the rate of atom escape from the planet. Modeling of the non-Maxwellian energy distributions of metastable oxygen and nitrogen atoms have been focused on the determination of their impact on the energetics and chemistry of the terrestrial atmosphere between 25 and 250 km . At this altitudes, we have calculated the energy distribution functions of metastable O and N atoms and computed non-equilibrium rates of important aeronomic reactions, such as destruction of the water molecules by O(1D) atoms and production of highly excited nitric oxide molecules. In the upper atmosphere, the metastable O(lD) and N(2D) play important role in formation of the upward atomic fluxes. We have computed the upward fluxes of the metastable and ground state oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere above 250 km. The accurate distributions of the metastable atoms have been evaluated for the day and night-time conditions.

Kharchenko, Vasili↗