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Results for “Emission spectroscopy”

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.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Direct Observation of Plasma-Stimulated Activation of Surface Species Using Multimodal In Situ/Operando Spectroscopy Combining Polarization-Modulation Infrared Reflection-Absorption Spectroscopy, Optical Emission Spectroscopy, and Mass Spectrometry

Nonthermal plasmas (NTPs) produce reactive chemical environments, including electrons, ions, radicals, and vibrationally excited molecules, that can drive chemistry at temperatures at which such species are thermally inaccessible. There has been growing interest in the integration of conventional catalysis with reactive NTPs to promote novel chemical transformations. Unveiling the full potential of plasma-catalytic processes requires a comprehensive understanding of plasma-catalytic synergies, including characterization of plasma-catalytic surface interactions. In this work, we report on a newly designed multimodal spectroscopic instrument combining polarization-modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS), mass spectrometry, and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) for the investigation of plasma–surface interactions such as those found in plasma catalysis. In particular, this tool has been utilized to correlate plasma-phase chemistry with both surface chemistry and gas-phase products in situ (1) during the deposition of carbonaceous surface species via NTP-promoted nonoxidative coupling of methane and (2) during subsequent activation of surface deposits with an atmospheric pressure and temperature argon plasma jet on both nickel (Ni) and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) surfaces. For the first time, the activation of carbonaceous surface species by a NTP on Ni and SiO 2 surfaces to form hydrogen gas and C 2 hydrocarbons was directly observed, where both PM-IRAS and OES measurements suggest that they may form through different pathways. Furthermore, this unique tool for studying plasma–surface interactions could enable more rational design of plasma-stimulated catalytic processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1993

A study of carbonates, sulfates, and phosphates using thermal emission spectroscopy

Thermal emission spectroscopy is useful for identifying mineralogies including carbonates, sulfates, and phosphates. Each of these groups of minerals has a distinct emissivity profile that allows for general identification (e.g., carbonate). Laboratory data are being collected that suggest the potential for determining specific composition of these minerals (e.g., calcite, magnesite). Previous studies of Mars suggest that the above groups of minerals should be present. On Mars fine-grained mineralogies are likely to be intimately mixed due to aeolian activity. Mixtures of calcite with palagonite will be studied to determine the volume percent requirement for salt identification and to understand the complexities of fine-grained mixtures observed by thermal emission. Further work with mixtures will include sulfate and phosphate mineralogies.

Wenrich, M. L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Portable diagnostic package for Thomson scattering and optical emission spectroscopy on Princeton field-reversed configuration 2 (PFRC 2)

An Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy funded diagnostic system has been deployed to the Princeton field-reversed configuration 2 (PFRC-2) device, located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The Portable Diagnostic Package (PDP), designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, allows for the measurement of Thomson Scattering (TS) for electron density and temperature and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) for ion temperature, impurity density, and ion velocity. A tunable spectrometer on the PDP with three gratings provides the flexibility to measure low (1 eV) and high (1000 eV) electron temperature ranges from TS. Additionally, using a second spectrometer, the OES diagnostic can survey light emission from various ion excitation levels for wide wavelength ranges. The electron density (<2 × 10 19 m –3 ) of plasmas generated in PFRC-2 has been below the PDP TS discrimination threshold, which has made TS signal detection challenging against a high-background of laser stray light. The laser stray light was iteratively reduced by making modifications to the entrance and exit geometry on PFRC-2. Rayleigh scattering experiments on PFRC have yielded the TS discrimination sensitivity to be >1 × 10 20 m –3 for the PDP. A recently implemented narrow-band notch spectral filter that masks the second harmonic 532 nm Nd:YAG laser wavelength has increased the system’s TS light discrimination sensitivity 65 times compared to the instance when the notch filter was not implemented. The hardware implementation including design changes to the flight tubes and Brewster windows will be discussed, along with results from Rayleigh and rotational Raman scattering sensitivity analyses, which were used to establish a quantitative figure of merit on the system performance. Further, the Raman scattering calibration with the notch filter has improved the PDP electron density threshold to 1 ± 0.5 × 10 18 m –3 .

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Detection of hot electrons originating from an upper valley at ∼1.7eV above the Γ valley in wurtzite GaN using electron emission spectroscopy

Using electron emission spectroscopy, measurement and analysis were conducted on the energy distribution of vacuum emitted electrons from electrically driven InGaN/GaN green (peak wavelengths 𝜆 ≈ 515nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with and without a prewell superlattice (SL). Here, we report on the detection of a high-energy upper valley at ∼ 1.7eV above the Γ valley from samples with no prewell SL. We propose that these upper valley electrons originate predominantly from trap-assisted Auger recombination (TAAR) in green LEDs, as the intensity of these peaks is found to have quadratic dependence on the carrier density 𝑛 [see Espenlaub et al., J. Appl. Phys. 126, 184502 (2019)]. The high-energy upper valley peak was not observed in the sample with a prewell SL which is attributed to gettering by the prewell SL of still unidentified impurities that act as TAAR centers.

carrier generation & recombination↗
NASA NTRS1998

Single photon infrared emission spectroscopy: a study of IR emission from UV laser excited PAHs between 3 and 15 micrometers

Single-photon infrared emission spectroscopy (SPIRES) has been used to measure emission spectra from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A supersonic free-jet expansion has been used to provide emission spectra of rotationally cold and vibrationally excited naphthalene and benzene. Under these conditions, the observed width of the 3.3-micrometers (C-H stretch) band resembles the bandwidths observed in experiments in which emission is observed from naphthalene with higher rotational energy. To obtain complete coverage of IR wavelengths relevant to the unidentified infrared bands (UIRs), UV laser-induced desorption was used to generate gas-phase highly excited PAHs. Lorentzian band shapes were convoluted with the monochromator-slit function in order to determine the widths of PAH emission bands under astrophysically relevant conditions. Bandwidths were also extracted from bands consisting of multiple normal modes blended together. These parameters are grouped according to the functional groups mostly involved in the vibration, and mean bandwidths are obtained. These bandwidths are larger than the widths of the corresponding UIR bands. However, when the comparison is limited to the largest PAHs studied, the bandwidths are slightly smaller than the corresponding UIR bands. These parameters can be used to model emission spectra from PAH cations and cations of larger PAHs, which are better candidate carriers of the UIRs.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of minority carrier diffusion length in p -GaN using electron emission spectroscopy (EES)

Electron emission spectroscopy was performed on metalorganic chemical vapor deposition grown p-n – -n + junctions with p-thicknesses ranging from 50 to 300 nm, doped with [Mg] = 3.5 × 10 19 cm –3 . By measuring the decreasing emitted electron intensity from a cesiated p-GaN surface with increasing p-thickness, we were able to extract the minority carrier diffusion length of electron in p-type GaN, L e = 26 ± 3 nm. The measured value is in good agreement with literature reported values. In conclusion, the extrapolated electron current at the n – region–p-GaN interface is in reasonable agreement with the simulated electron current at the interface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prototype X-ray and Gamma Detection with Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy

Cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy, or CRES, is a novel approach to measuring the energy of an electron. By trapping a free electron in a high magnetic field, it undergoes cyclotron motion and emits radiofrequency (RF) waves. The frequency of this RF radiation is directly related to the energy of the electron. Because many cycles of the RF emission are recorded, the energy resolution of the CRES system is on the order of a single electron volt. To make a CRES system sensitive to photons, a target gas is used to induce a photoelectric effect, producing the electron that is subsequently trapped. By adding the binding energy of the target atom, the energy of the incident photon may be reconstructed. Using a xenon target gas, photoelectric interactions dominate up to approximately 300 keV, covering not only all atomic shell X-rays of the elements, but many low-lying nuclear states as well, including key transuranic elements related to nuclear security. CRES holds the potential of maintaining single-eV resolution up to this 300-keV range, thereby surpassing current state-of-the-art detectors by a factor of 10-100. The instrumental resolution of the system is limited by the uniformity of the applied magnetic field.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Antenna arrays for neutrino mass measurements with cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy

Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES) is a technique for precision measurements of kinetic energies of charged particles, pioneered by the Project 8 experiment to measure the neutrino mass using the tritium end-point method. It was recently employed for the first time to measure the molecular tritium spectrum and place a limit on the neutrino mass using a cubic-centimeter-scale detector. Future direct neutrino mass experiments are developing the technique to overcome the systematic and statistical limitations of current detectors. Here, this paper describes one such approach, namely the use of antenna arrays for CRES in free space. Phenomenology, detector design, simulation, and performance estimates are discussed, culminating with an example design with a projected sensitivity of 𝑚 𝛽 < ⁢0.04 eV/𝑐 2 . Prototype antenna array measurements are also shown for a demonstrator-scale setup as a benchmark for the simulation. By consolidating these results, this paper serves as a comprehensive reference for the development and performance of antenna arrays for CRES.

Physics - Nuclear physics and radiation physics↗
NASA NTRS1979

Study of polyphenyl ether fluid /5P4E/ in operating elastohydrodynamic contacts by infrared emission spectroscopy

Infrared emission spectra of 5P4E polyphenyl ether were obtained from an operating elastohydrodynamic sliding contact at different speeds and loads by Fourier emission microspectrophotometry. The spectra were found to be polarized with respect to the direction of the conjunction line, especially at high shear rates. Film and metal surface temperatures were calculated from the spectra, and film thicknesses were determined under various operating conditions. Changes of polarized band structure above a critical shear rate, at which the slope of the film temperature versus shear curve changes abruptly and at which the film thickness assumes a minimum value, are consistent with a transition of the lubricant from a viscous liquid to a viscoelastic liquid or to an elastic solid.

Lauer, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Peripherally hydrogenated neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as carriers of the 3 micron interstellar infrared emission complex: results from single-photon infrared emission spectroscopy

Infrared emission spectra of five gas-phase UV laser-excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing aliphatic hydrogens are compared with the main 3.3 microns and associated interstellar unidentified infrared emission bands (UIRs). We show that neutral PAHs can account for the majority of the 3 microns emission complex while making little contribution to the other UIR bands; peripherally hydrogenated PAHs produce a better match to astrophysical data than do those containing methyl side groups; 3.4 microns plateau emission is shown to be a general spectral feature of vibrationally excited PAHs containing aliphatic hydrogens, especially those containing methyl groups; and finally, hot-band and overtone emissions arising from aromatic C-H vibrations are not observed in laboratory emission spectra, and therefore, in contrast to current assignments, are not expected to be observed in the UIRs.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
DOE OSTI2026

Time-domain terahertz emission spectroscopy on van der Waals materials

Time-domain terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy provides a direct method to probe transient photo-currents by recording the emitted terahertz electric field. Although the basic principles of THz surface emission have been understood for more than 30 years, the constant progress in ultrafast laser science to ever shorter pulses, the development of new materials and enhanced sensitivity promote THz emission spectroscopy as a reliable method to gain insights into charge carrier dynamics with unprecedented precision. It provides a versatile tool to study ultrafast processes, such as plasmon-driven hot carriers, dynamics of Dirac fermions, interfacial charge transfer, coherent phonon emission and quantum beating, to name only a few. However, despite the rapidly growing body of research on van der Waals materials, especially in their low-dimensional limit, THz emission spectroscopy has only been applied to a limited extent in these material systems. In this prospective, we review time-domain THz emission spectroscopy as a complementary approach to probe ultrafast charge carrier dynamics and the material’s nonlinear response. After a description of the experimental method, we report on THz emission spectroscopy of bulk and 2D van der Waals materials with special focus on graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide layers.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing a Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy Detection System

Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy is a new technique for ultra-precise spectroscopy of low-energy electrons. This project aimed at developing capabilities that would be useful to a future CRES experiment. The recent results from the Project 8 and He6-CRES collaborations indicate that CRES has a promising future, but will need advancements to continue developing. In this report we cover the four tasks that comprised the project: data acquisition, data management, updating the raw-data format, a cloud computing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unsupervised machine learning for unbiased chemical classification in X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray emission spectroscopy

Here we report a comprehensive computational study of unsupervised machine learning for extraction of chemically relevant information in X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and in valence-to-core X-ray emission spectra (VtC-XES) for classification of a broad ensemble of sulphorganic molecules. By progressively decreasing the constraining assumptions of the unsupervised machine learning algorithm, moving from principal component analysis (PCA) to a variational autoencoder (VAE) to t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding (t-SNE), we find improved sensitivity to steadily more refined chemical information. Surprisingly, when embedding the ensemble of spectra in merely two dimensions, t-SNE distinguishes not just oxidation state and general sulphur bonding environment but also the aromaticity of the bonding radical group with 87% accuracy as well as identifying even finer details in electronic structure within aromatic or aliphatic sub-classes. We find that the chemical information in XANES and VtC-XES is very similar in character and content, although they unexpectedly have different sensitivity within a given molecular class. We also discuss likely benefits from further effort with unsupervised machine learning and from the interplay between supervised and unsupervised machine learning for X-ray spectroscopies. Our overall results, i.e., the ability to reliably classify without user bias and to discover unexpected chemical signatures for XANES and VtC-XES, likely generalize to other systems as well as to other one-dimensional chemical spectroscopies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1992

Liquid-Arc/Spark-Excitation Atomic-Emission Spectroscopy

Constituents of solutions identified in situ. Liquid-arc/spark-excitation atomic-emission spectroscopy (LAES) is experimental variant of atomic-emission spectroscopy in which electric arc or spark established in liquid and spectrum of light from arc or spark analyzed to identify chemical elements in liquid. Observations encourage development of LAES equipment for online monitoring of process streams in such industries as metal plating, electronics, and steel, and for online monitoring of streams affecting environment.

Schlagen, Kenneth J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Height-resolved emission spectroscopy and high-speed imaging of the TiAl6V4 vapor plume under laser powder bed fusion conditions

Optical emission spectroscopy is increasingly used as an in situ monitoring technique during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) because plume emission holds elemental information not found in other in situ sensing techniques. This work explores the shape, stability, and temperature of the emission plume above the melt pool of Ti6Al4 V undergoing laser scans under LPBF-like processing conditions, using high-speed video and height-resolved spectroscopy to study the details of plume dynamics. Optical emission spectroscopy is conducted in the 480 nm to 525 nm region, where Ti emission is strong, with 0.3 mm vertical resolution above the baseplate. The Boltzmann plot method is used to determine temperature at each probed elevation, which indicates that the hottest location of the plume is occasionally elevated 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm above the scanning surface. The results show that the plume shape, stability, temperature, and spectra are highly dependent on the processing conditions. We highlight some of the complexities of optical emission spectroscopy and discuss potential challenges for implementing optical emission spectroscopy across an entire build.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Emission spectroscopy with coded apertures for enhanced dimensionality

A coded aperture is used to demonstrate emission spectroscopy from multiple one-dimensional measurement locations simultaneously with a single camera. The coded aperture mask has several columns of periodic apertures, each with a unique spatial frequency. Light transmitted through all mask columns is detected through an imaging spectrometer. Dispersed light from the various mask columns overlaps on the spectrometer camera but is separated using Fourier-domain filtering using the known spatial frequencies of the mask. As the coded aperture is placed at an image plane, each Fourier-filtered spectrogram comes from a unique one-dimensional measurement location. This technique represents a significant increase in the amount of spatially and spectrally resolved emission data available using a single emission spectrometer and camera at the expense of some spatial resolution due to the Fourier filtering. This instrument is particularly useful for studying transient, non-repeating events. Megahertz-rate emission spectroscopy from five one-dimensional measurement locations is demonstrated with explosive fireballs using a single camera. Optical design parameters and instrument performance characteristics are discussed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Two-dimensional plasma density evolution local to the inversion layer during sawtooth crash events using Beam Emission Spectroscopy

Here, we present methods for analyzing Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) data to obtain the plasma density evolution associated with rapid sawtooth crash events at the DIII-D tokamak. BES allows coverage over a 2D spatial plane, inherently local measurements, with fast time responses, and, therefore, provides a valuable new channel for data during sawtooth events. A method is developed to remove sawtooth-induced edge-light pulses contained in the BES data. The edge light pulses appear to be from the D α emission produced by edge recycling during sawtooth events, and are large enough that traditional spectroscopic filtering and data analysis techniques are insufficient to deduce physically meaningful quantities. A cross-calibration of 64 BES channels is performed by using a novel method to ensure accurate measurements. For the large-amplitude density oscillations observed, we discuss and use the non-linear relationship between the BES signal δI/ I 0 and the plasma density variation δn e / n e0 . The 2D BES images cover an 8 × 20 cm 2 region around the sawtooth inversion layer and show large-amplitude density oscillations, with additional significant spatial variations across the inversion layer that grows and peaks near the time of the temperature crash. The edge light removal technique and method of converting large-amplitude δI/ I 0 to δn e / n e0 presented here may help analyze other impulsive MHD phenomena in tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗