Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “frequency range”

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 1,657 records · Page 92

Integrated Arrays on Silicon at Terahertz Frequencies

In this paper we explore various receiver font-end and antenna architecture for use in integrated arrays at terahertz frequencies. Development of wafer-level integrated terahertz receiver front-end by using advanced semiconductor fabrication technologies and use of novel integrated antennas with silicon micromachining are reported. We report novel stacking of micromachined silicon wafers which allows for the 3-dimensional integration of various terahertz receiver components in extremely small packages which easily leads to the development of 2- dimensioanl multi-pixel receiver front-ends in the terahertz frequency range. We also report an integrated micro-lens antenna that goes with the silicon micro-machined front-end. The micro-lens antenna is fed by a waveguide that excites a silicon lens antenna through a leaky-wave or electromagnetic band gap (EBG) resonant cavity. We utilized advanced semiconductor nanofabrication techniques to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a super-compact, low-mass submillimeter-wave heterodyne frontend. When the micro-lens antenna is integrated with the receiver front-end we will be able to assemble integrated heterodyne array receivers for various applications such as multi-pixel high resolution spectrometer and imaging radar at terahertz frequencies.

silicon micromaching↗

Great microwave bursts and hard X-rays from solar flares

The microwave and hard X-ray charateristics of 13 solar flares that produced microwave fluxes greater than 500 Solar Flux Units were analyzed. These Great Microwave Bursts were observed in the frequency range from 3 to 35 GHz at Berne, and simultaneous hard X-ray observations were made in the energy range from 30 to 500 keV with the Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft. The principal aim of this analysis is to determine whether or not the same distribution of energetic electrons can explain both emissions. Correlations were found between respective temporal characteristics and, for the first time, between microwave and hard X-ray spectral characteristics. A single-temperature and a multi-temperature model from the literature were tested for consistency with the coincident X-ray and microwave spectra at microwave burst maximum. Four events are inconsistent with both of the models tested, and neither of the models attempts to explain the high-frequency part of the microwave spectrum. A model in which the emissions above and below the peak frequency originate in two different parts of a diverging magnetic loop is proposed. With this model the entire microwave spectrum of all but one of the events is explained.

Wiehl, H. J.↗

Non-linear resonance of fluids in a crystal growth cavity

In the microgravity environment, the effect of gravity on fluid motion is much reduced. Hence, secondary effects such as vibrations, jitters, surface tension, capillary effects, and electromagnetic forces become the dominant mechanism of fluid convection. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate fluid behavior in microgravity with the ultimate goal of developing processes with minimal influence from convection. Industrial applications such as crystal growth from solidification of melt and protein growth for pharmatheutical application are just a few examples of the vast potential benefit that can be reaped from material processing in space. However, a space laboratory is not immune from all undesirable disturbances and it is imperative that such disturbances be well understood, quantifiable, and controlled. Non-uniform and transient accelerations such as vibrations, jitters, and impulsive accelerations exist as a result of crew activities, space vehicle maneuvering, and the operations of on-board equipment. Measurements conducted on-board a U.S. Spacelab showed the existence of vibrations in the frequency range of 1 to 100 Hz with a dominant mode of 17 Hz and harmonics of 54 Hz. The observed vibration is not limited to any coordinate plane but exists in all directions. Similar situation exists on-board the Russian MIR space station. Due to the large structure of its design, the future International Space Station will have its own characteristic vibration spectrum. It is well known that vibration can exert substantial influence on heat and mass transfer processes, thus hindering any attempts to achieve a diffusion-limited process. Experiments on vibration convection for a liquid-filled enclosure under one-g environment showed the existence of different flow regimes as vibration frequency and intensity changes. Results showed the existence of a resonant frequency, near which the enhancement is the strongest, and the existence of a high frequency asymptote. Numerical simulations of vibration convection have been conducted by Yurkov, Fu and Shieh, and by Wang. These analyses considered a two-dimensional air-filled cell under weightlessness condition and showed results similar to those of the experiments. It is not yet known whether resonance convection can be triggered by jitter alone or whether it requires the interaction of jitter with other convective forces in low gravity. An order of magnitude analysis, however, can be used to show the dependence of the resonance frequency on the fluid Prandtl number. Even though the onset of resonance convection may depend on other factors, results indicates that fluids with low Prandtl numbers are more susceptible to resonance than those with high Prandtl numbers. The current study is aimed at gaining additional insights to this problem using germanium as working fluid. Germanium was chosen for this analysis because of its common usage in solidification process and its relatively low Prandtl number (Pr = 0.02).

Wang, Francis C.↗

Observations of a Unique Type of ULF Waves by Low-altitude ST5 Satellites

We report a unique type of ULF waves observed by low-altitude Space Technology 5 (ST5) constellation mission. ST5 is a three micro-satellite constellation deployed into a 300 x 4500 lan, dawn-dusk, and sun synchronous polar orbit with 105.6 inclination angle. Even though the spacecraft are in a high-inclination orbit, the combined effects of the Earth's rotation and dipole tilt allow the spacecraft's dawn-dusk orbit track to reach subauroral latitudes on the day side. Whenever the spacecraft traverse across the dayside closed field line region at sub auroral latitudes they frequently observe strong transverse oscillations at 30-200 mHz, or in the Pc 2-3 frequency range. These Pc 2-3 waves appear as wave packets with durations of the order of 5-10 minutes. As the maximum separations of the ST5 spacecraft are around 10 minutes, the three ST5 satellites often observe very similar wave packets, implying these wave oscillations occur in a localized region. Coordinated ground-based magnetic observations at the spacecraft footprints, however, do not see waves in the Pc 2-3 band; instead, the waves appear to be the common Pc 4-5 waves associated with field line resonances. We suggest that this unique Pc 2-3 waves seen by ST5 are in fact high azimuthal wave number Pc 4-5 waves Doppler-shifted to higher frequencies by the rapid traverse of the spacecraft across the resonant field lines azimuthally at low altitudes. These unique low altitude observations, where the spacecraft motion is mainly azimuthal at subauroral latitudes, reveal the azimuthal wave-number characteristics of the field-aligned resonance signals.

Le, G.↗

Measurements of the RF characteristics of earth lightning with the Galileo probe lightning experiment

The results of some measurements of earth lightning made with the functional unit of the Galileo probe RF lightning experiment are presented. The frequency range used is about 100 Hz to 100 kHz. The measurements were carried out in conjunction with simultaneous studies of lightning sources made by the University of Florida lightning research group. It is found that the typical RF pulse duration times are less than 30 microsec, independent of lightning source distance (less than 250 km). It is also found that the time between successive pulses is either quite short (less than 64 microsec), corresponding to the time between intracloud pulses and to the time between bipolar pulses, or occur around 100 ms, corresponding to the time between return strokes in ground discharges. The RF spectra are found to become less steep (relatively more power at the higher frequencies) during an interval of intense, nearby (less than 150 km) storms.

Rinnert, K.↗

Expanded View of NMR Spin–Lattice Relaxation in Fluorine-Containing Ionic Liquids

Fluorine-containing anions are widely used in ionic liquids due to their unique physicochemical properties. However, the local dynamics of both cations and anions and their associated relaxation mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we present a 1 H and 19 F spin–lattice relaxation rate (R1) study as a function of frequency over a broad frequency range from 30 kHz to 800 MHz for ionic liquids containing BF 4 – , PF 6 – , TFSI – , and FSI – anions and EMIM + cation. By combining experimental R 1 H and R 1 F NMR dispersion (NMRD) profiles with relaxation models for both dipolar spin interactions and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) contributions, we demonstrate that CSA is needed to accurately describe the R 1 F relaxation behavior above ∼300 MHz, the extent of which depends on the anion structure. These findings challenge the long-standing assumption that dipolar contribution is the main source of 19 F relaxation in these systems and highlight the importance of including CSA to accurately interpret 19 F relaxation in ionic liquids, particularly at high frequencies. This work provides new insights into the molecular dynamics of fluorine-containing species.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Whistler waves observed upstream from collisionless shocks

Waves in the frequency range 0.5-4. Hz have been studied in the region upstream of the earth's bow shock with data from the flux-gate magnetic field experiment on Imp 6. Such waves are invariably detected adjacent to the shock, persisting upstream for intervals often less than a minute but occasionally of the order of many hours. Analysis of 150 examples of these waves during a 3-month interval indicates that propagation directions generally make angles of between 20 and 40 deg with the field direction. The waves as measured in the spacecraft frame of reference are either left- or right-hand-polarized with respect to the average field direction. The left-handed waves generally have lower frequencies than the right-handed waves, and the left-handed frequencies never exceed 2.5 Hz. The measured sense of polarization is found to depend on the propagation direction (or alternatively, the field direction) relative to the solar wind direction.

Fairfield, D. H.↗

The Astronomical Low-Frequency Array

An array of satellites is proposed to make astronomic observations in the low frequency range of a few tens of MHz down to roughly 100 kHz, a range that cannot be observed through the ionosphere. The array would be in a solar orbit to avoid radio interference from Earth and to simplify trajectory tracking and control.

low-frequency array radio astronomy microsats↗

Whistler waves observed upstream from collisionless shocks

Waves in the frequency range 0.5 - 4 Hz were studied in the region upstream of the earth's bow shock using data from the fluxgate magnetic field experiment on IMP-6. Analysis of 150 examples of these waves during a three month interval indicates that amplitudes are generally less than 1 or 2 gammas and propagation directions generally make angles of between 20 and 40 degrees with the field direction. The waves as measured in the spacecraft frame of reference are either left or right hand polarized with respect to the average field direction. It is concluded that the observed waves are right handed waves in the plasma frame of reference with wavelengths of approximately 100 km propagating upstream in the whistler mode. Doppler shifting reduces the observed frequencies in the spacecraft frame and reverses the observed polarization for those waves propagating more directly upstream. Similar waves are seen ahead of most interplanetary shocks.

Fairfield, D. H.↗

Effect of flux surface curvature on the linear coupling of electron cyclotron waves in tokamak plasmas

Specific features of the linear interaction of ordinary and extraordinary electromagnetic waves in the electron cyclotron frequency range in a nonuniform plasma confined in a toroidal magnetic trap are considered. Reduced wave equations taking into account the curvature of the cut-off surfaces in toroidal geometry are formulated. Using these equations, the distributions of the wave fields in the coupling region are analyzed. A method for calculating quasi-optical beams passed through the region of linear wave interaction is proposed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Bounded Universal Droop Control to Enable the Operation of Power Inverters Under Some Abnormal Conditions and Maintain Voltage and Frequency Within Predetermined Ranges

The universal droop control (UDC) can be applied to power inverters having an impedance angle between -pi/2 rad and pi/2 rad to achieve voltage and frequency regulation and accurate proportional power sharing without the need of knowing the type or value of impedance. However, there is an increasing need for voltage and frequency regulation within predetermined ranges even under some abnormal conditions, such as overloading, sensor faults, and large set-point changes, etc. In this paper, a bounded nonlinear dynamics is introduced into the UDC to ensure that the voltage and frequency can always stay within predetermined ranges under normal and some abnormal conditions, up to hardware limits when current protection needs to be triggered. As a result, the proposed controller can extend the operational range of power inverters in terms of voltage and frequency regulation to cover different scenarios. More importantly, the ranges for both voltage and frequency can be chosen independently from each other. Since the original structure of the UDC is kept in the proposed controller, the properties of the UDC, such as without the need of knowing the type or value of impedance, are well maintained. Furthermore, the closed-loop stability of the system is established via the Lyapunov method. Extensive simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Facilitating Heliophysics Research by the Virtual Wave Observatory (VWO) Context Data Search Capability

Wave phenomena, ranging from freely propagating electromagnetic radiation (e.g., solar radio bursts, AKR) to plasma wave modes trapped in various plasma regimes (e.g., whistlers, Langmuir and ULF waves) and atmospheric gravity waves, are ubiquitous in the heliosphere. Because waves can propagate, wave data obtained at a given observing location may pertain to wave oscillations generated locally or from afar. While wave data analysis requires knowledge of wave characteristics specific to different wave modes, the search for appropriate data for heliophysics wave studies also requires knowledge of wave phenomena. In addition to deciding whether the interested wave activity is electrostatic (i.e., locally trapped) or electromagnetic (with propagation over distances), considerations must be given to the dependence of the wave activity on observer's location or viewing geometry, propagating frequency range and whether the wave data were acquired by passive or active observations. Occurances of natural wave emissions i the magnetosphere (e.g, auroral kilometric radiation) are often dependent also on the state (e.e., context) of the magnetosphere that varies with the changing solar wind, IMF and geomagnetic conditions. Fung and Shao [2008] showed recently that magnetospheric state can be specified by a set of suitably time-shifted solar wind, IMF and the multi-scale geomagnetic response parameters. These parameters form a magnetospheric state vector that provides the basis for searching magnetospheric wave data by their context conditions. Using the IMAGE Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) data and the NASA Magnetospheric State Query System (MSOS) [Fung, 2004], this presentation demonstrates the VWO context data search capability under development and solicits feedback from the Heliophysics research community for improvements.

Fung, Shing F.↗

Broadband and Wide Angle Nonreciprocal Thermal Emission from Weyl Semimetal Structures

Nonreciprocal thermal emission is a cutting-edge technology that enables fundamental control over thermal radiation and has exciting applications in thermal energy harvesting. However, so far one of the foremost challenges is making nonreciprocal emission to operate over a broad wavelength range and for multiple angles. In this work, we solve this outstanding problem by proposing three different types of structures always utilizing only one Weyl semimetal (WSM) thin film combined with one or two additional dielectric or metallic layers and terminated by a metallic substrate. First a tradeoff relationship between the magnitude and bandwidth of the thermal nonreciprocity contrast is established based on the thickness of the WSM film. Then, the bandwidth broadening effect is demonstrated via the insertion of a dielectric spacer layer that can also be fine-tuned by varying its thickness. Finally, further control on the resulting strong nonreciprocal thermal radiation is demonstrated by the addition of a thin metallic layer in the proposed few layer designs. The presented composite structures work for a broad frequency range and multiple emission angles, consisting highly advantageous properties to various nonreciprocal thermal radiation applications. Moreover, the proposed designs do not require any patterning and can be experimentally realized by simple deposition fabrication methods. They are expected to aid in the creation of broadband nonreciprocal thermal emitters that can find applications in new energy harvesting devices.

Andrew Butler↗

Dielectric properties of nickel doped bismuth lithium borate glasses

Glasses with composition xBi{sub 2}O{sub 3}•(30-x)Li{sub 2}O•70B{sub 2}O{sub 3} (x = 0, 2, 5, 7 and 10 mol% with codes BLBN1-5 respectively) containing 2 mol% of NiO were prepared via melt-quenching technique and dielectric properties are discussed. The dielectric properties have been studied using impedance spectroscopy. The frequency dependent conductivity investigations for prepared compositions have been carried out using impedance spectroscopy over a frequency range of 1 KHz to 5 MHz and in the temperature range of 300 K-523 K. The complex impedance data have been analyzed by using both the conductivity and the electric modulus formalisms. Standard dielectric behavior is observed in prepared samples. The ac conductivity variations satisfy the Arrhenius relation. The study of the equivalent circuit analysis up to a temperature of 473 K shows a significant change in the equivalent circuit with change in temperature and composition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A Landau-fluid closure for arbitrary frequency response

The kinetic Landau-fluid (LF) closure which can be regarded as the exact closure is derived. For Maxwellian plasma, the kinetic closure is the same as Hammett-Perkins closure in static limit and totally the same with Chang-Callen closure. A new LF closure for arbitrary frequency response constructed with harmonic average technique is presented in this paper. This new LF closure bridges the existing LF closures in the low and high frequency limits: it recovers Hammett-Perkins closure when weight coefficient κ = 0 and converges to Chang-Callen closure at high frequency when weight coefficient κ = 1. By picking an appropriate κ, the harmonic average closure contains both nonlocal transport and local transport and the resulting fluid response function of a three moment fluid model well matches the exact kinetic response function within the entire frequency range. On the computational side, a sum of diffusion-convection solves (SDCS) method is developed to facilitate numerical implementation of the harmonic average LF closure. By using SDCS method, good agreement is achieved for the response functions between driven initial-value simulations and matrix eigenvalue calculations within the BOUT++ framework. The harmonic average closure of shifted-Maxwellian is also outlined.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Acousto-ultrasonics to Assess Material and Structural Properties

This report was created to serve as a manual for applying the Acousto-Ultrasonic NDE method, as practiced at NASA Glenn, to the study of materials and structures for a wide range of applications. Three state of the art acousto-ultrasonic (A-U) analysis parameters, ultrasonic decay (UD) rate, mean time (or skewing factor, "s"), and the centroid of the power spectrum, "f(sub c)," have been studied and applied at GRC for NDE interrogation of various materials and structures of aerospace interest. In addition to this, a unique application of Lamb wave analysis is shown. An appendix gives a brief overview of Lamb Wave analysis. This paper presents the analysis employed to calculate these parameters and the development and reasoning behind their use. It also discusses the planning of A-U measurements for materials and structures to be studied. Types of transducer coupling are discussed including contact and non-contact via laser and air. Experimental planning includes matching transducer frequency range to material and geometry of the specimen to be studied. The effect on results of initially zeroing the DC component of the ultrasonic waveform is compared with not doing so. A wide range of interrogation problems are addressed via the application of these analysis parameters to real specimens is shown for five cases: Case 1: Differences in density in [0] SiC/RBSN ceramic matrix composite. Case 2: Effect of tensile fatigue cycling in [+/-45] SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite. Case 3: Detecting creep life, and failure, in Udimet 520 Nickel-Based Super Alloy. Case 4: Detecting Surface Layer Formation in T-650-35/PMR-15 Polymer Matrix Composites Panels due to Thermal Aging. Case 5: Detecting Spin Test Degradation in PMC Flywheels. Among these cases a wide range of materials and geometries are studied.

Kautz, Harold E.↗

Anisotropic optical properties of detwinned BaFe 2 As 2

The optical properties of a large, detwinned single crystal of BaFe 2 As 2 have been examined over a wide frequency range above and below the structural and magnetic transition at T N ≃138 K. Above T N the real part of the optical conductivity and the two infrared-active lattice modes are almost completely isotropic; the lattice modes show a weak polarization dependence just above T N . For T < T N , the optical conductivity due to the free-carrier response is anisotropic, being larger along the a axis than the b axis below ≃ 30 meV; above this energy the optical conductivity is dominated by the interband contributions, which appear to be isotropic. Furthermore, the splitting of the low-energy infrared-active mode below T N is clearly observed, and the polarization modulation of the new modes may be used to estimate that the crystal is ≃ 70% detwinned. The high-frequency mode,with a threefold increase in strength of the lower branch below T N and nearly silent upper branch,remains enigmatic.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Acoustically Tailored Composite Rotorcraft Fuselage Panels

A rotorcraft roof sandwich panel has been redesigned to optimize sound power transmission loss (TL) and minimize structure-borne sound for frequencies between 1 and 4 kHz where gear meshing noise from the transmission has the most impact on speech intelligibility. The roof section, framed by a grid of ribs, was originally constructed of a single honeycomb core/composite face sheet panel. The original panel has coincidence frequencies near 700 Hz, leading to poor TL across the frequency range of 1 to 4 kHz. To quiet the panel, the cross section was split into two thinner sandwich subpanels separated by an air gap. The air gap was sized to target the fundamental mass-spring-mass resonance of the double panel system to less than 500 Hz. The panels were designed to withstand structural loading from normal rotorcraft operation, as well as 'man-on-the-roof' static loads experienced during maintenance operations. Thin layers of VHB 9469 viscoelastomer from 3M were also included in the face sheet ply layups, increasing panel damping loss factors from about 0.01 to 0.05. Measurements in the NASA SALT facility show the optimized panel provides 6-11 dB of acoustic transmission loss improvement, and 6-15 dB of structure-borne sound reduction at critical rotorcraft transmission tonal frequencies. Analytic panel TL theory simulates the measured performance quite well. Detailed finite element/boundary element modeling of the baseline panel simulates TL slightly more accurately, and also simulates structure-borne sound well.

Hambric, Stephen↗