Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Heavy-ion”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Nucleon and heavy-ion total and absorption cross section for selected nuclei

Approximate solutions of the coupled-channel equations for high-energy composite particle scattering are obtained and are applied to the nuclear scattering problem. Relationships between several approximation procedures are established and discussed. The eikonal formalism is used with a small-angle approximation to calculate the coherent elastic scattered amplitude from which total and absorption cross sections are derived. Detailed comparisons with nucleon-nucleus experiments show agreement within 5 percent except at lower energies where the eikonal approximation is of questionable accuracy. Even at these lower energies, agreement is within 15 percent. Tables of cross sections required for cosmic heavy-ion transport and shielding studies are presented.

Wilson, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Behavior of some singly ionized, heavy-ion impurities during compression in a theta-pinch plasma

The introduction of a small percentage of an impurity gas containing a desired element into a theta-pinch plasma is a standard procedure used to investigate the spectra and atomic processes of the element. This procedure assumes that the mixing ratio of impurity-to-fill gases remains constant during the collapse and heating phase. Spectroscopic investigations of the constant-mixing-ratio assumption for a 2% neon and argon impurity verifies the assumption only for the neon impurity. However, for the 2% argon impurity, only 20 to 25% of the argon is in the high-temperature compressed plasma. It is concluded that the constant-mixing-ratio assumption is not applicable to the argon impurity.

Jalufka, N. W.↗
NASA NTRS1977

High-energy heavy-ion scattering and the optical phase shift function

Within the framework of the Glauber approximation, an exact expression for the optical phase shift function is derived which takes into account the center-of-mass correlation function. We calculate total and differential cross sections using the first-order term for the shift function and compare them with the usual (first-order) optical limit results and, for the lighter nuclei, with the exact Glauber results. The nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering amplitude does not exhibit the large-q divergence which characterizes the usual optical limit. The obtained results improve the calculated total and differential cross sections dramatically for light nuclei, and significantly for medium and heavy nuclei.

Franco, V.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Pauli correlations in heavy-ion collisions at high energies

We calculate the effects of short-range correlations on the Glauber expansion for nucleus-nucleus collisions using the Fermi gas model for nuclei. When we neglect the Pauli principle for collisions between heavy nuclei, calculation of the optical phase-shift function leads to non-unitary results and we cannot obtain cross sections. When we include Pauli correlations we find important cancellations in the optical phase-shift function, which make possible the calculation of total and differential cross sections for heavy nuclei.

Franco, V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Acceleration of heavy ions by radiation pressure.

The possible acceleration of heavy ions by the resonance scattering of radiation near bright stellar objects is examined. Planck spectra are assumed. At any radiation temperature, heavy-ion energies are found to be limited by aberration and Doppler effects. Photoionization is found to limit maximum radiation temperatures and energies for each ion. Collisional ionization by ambient electrons and ions may further limit heavy-ion energies. Because of these limitations, the production of the more energetic cosmic rays by this mechanism appears to be very improbable. If supernova radiation temperatures are high enough, they may produce heavy ions with energies up to several hundreds of MeV per nucleon. O and B stars appear to be able to accelerate certain heavy ions to 200 and 80 MeV per nucleon, respectively.

Nakada, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar wind heavy ions from flare-heated coronal plasma

Information concerning the coronal expansion is carried by solar-wind heavy ions. Distinctly different energy-per-charge ion spectra are found in two classes of solar wind having the low kinetic temperatures necessary for E/q resolution of the ion species. Heavy-ion spectra which can be resolved are most frequently observed in the low-speed interstream (IS) plasma found between high speed streams; the streams are thought to originate from coronal holes. Although the sources of the IS plasma are uncertain, the heavy-ion spectra found there contain identifiable peaks of O, Si, and Fe ions. Such spectra indicate that the IS ionization state of O is established in coronal gas at a temperature of approximately 1.6 million K, while that of Fe is frozen in farther out at about 1.5 million K. On occasion anomalous spectra are found outside IS flows in solar wind with abnormally depressed local kinetic temperatures. The anomalous spectra contain Fe(16+) ions, not usually found in IS flows, and the derived coronal freezing-in temperatures are significantly higher. The coronal sources of some of these ionizationally hot flows are identified as solar flares.

Bame, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Fragmentation of N-14 nuclei at 29 GeV - Inclusive isotope spectra at 0 deg.

We report the first results of a Bevatron heavy-ion experiment on the inclusive spectra of isotopically identified nuclei 3(Z-range between 3 and 7), produced by the fragmentation of 29-GeV N-14 ions in carbon and hydrogen. The preliminary values of the partial differential cross sections at 0 deg give evidence that the modes of fragmentation of N-14 projectiles are independent of the target nucleus.

Heckman, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Heavy ions from interplanetary dust.

Most atoms that are evaporated from interplanetary dust near the sun are quickly ionized and are probably carried away by the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind. The contribution of these heavy ions to the solar-wind flux has been estimated by using estimates of the mass required to maintain the zodiacal cloud. This contribution appears to be small compared with the heavy-ion flux of coronal origin. Many ions from dust remain singly ionized; some of these, such as Ca(+), can resonantly scatter solar radiation. The contribution of this interplanetary glow to the background of twilight glow has been estimated. Interplanetary glow may be detectable. Some atoms from dust may be accelerated by radiation pressure before being ionized. Estimates of velocities and fluxes for Fe indicate that this acceleration is not very effective.

Nakada, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Funduscopic alterations in the rhesus monkey induced by exposure to heavy ions /0+8/ 250 MeV/nucleon

A heavy-ion, high-energy beam has been extracted from the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Bevatron, making controlled exposure of biological systems feasible, and a series of experiments have been undertaken to determine the possible deleterious effects of such irradiation upon the primate retina. The left eyes of 54 rhesus monkeys have been exposed to accelerated 0+8 (250 MeV/nucleon). Beam flux ranged from 1.3 x 10 to the 7th particles/ sq cm (171 rads) to 5.9 x 10 to the 8th particles/sq cm (7740 rads). Fundus photography was performed immediately prior to and immediately following exposure, at 24 to 48 hours postexposure and at 1, 2, and 5 weeks postexposure. Punctate hemorrhages of the retina were visible at 1.3 x 10 to the 7th particles/sq cm (171 rads), the lowest exposure level utilized in this study. Acute radiation retinopathy, consisting of geographic retinal hemorrhage and ischemic necrosis of the retina, was not seen until total flux reached 7.7 x 10 to the 7th particles/sq cm (1000 rads).

Beckman, F. N.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Unusual emission of iron nuclei from the sun

Sustained emission of low-energy solar particles with a composition richer in iron than oxygen has been observed during the time period May 7-17, 1974. Between 0.7 and 4 MeV per nucleon the relative abundances of C:O:Fe are 0.65:1:1.35. We suggest that these observations provide an indication of the effects of heavy-ion enrichment in the lower corona of the sun.

Gloeckler, G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Heavy Ion Fragmentation Experiments at the Bevatron

Fragmentation processes of heavy nuclei in matter using the heavy-ion capability of the Bevatron were studied. The purpose was to obtain the single particle inclusive spectra of secondary nuclei produced at 0 deg by the fragmentation of heavy ion beam projectiles. The process being examined is B+T yields F + anything, where B is the beam nucleus, T is the target nucleus, and F is the detected fragment. The fragments F are isotopically identified by experimental procedures involving magnetic analysis, energy loss and time-of-flight measurements. Attempts were also made to: (1) measure the total and partial production cross section for all isotopes, (2) test the applicability of high-energy multi-particle interaction theory to nuclear fragmentation, (3) apply the cross-section data and fragmentation probabilities to cosmic ray transport theory, and (4) search for systematic behavior of fragment production as a means to improve existing semi-empirical theories of cross sections.

Heckman, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Substorm generated fluxes of heavy ions at the geostationary orbit

Measurements of heavy energetic heavy ions present in the vicinity of the geostationary orbit of the ATS-6 satellite, taken with the aid of a solid-state detector telescope, are reported and analyzed. Data extracted from a single fairly isolated injection event (June 18, 1974) are examined: ions of Z not below 6 and energy above 4.0 MeV; energization of these heavy ions in the magnetosphere during substorm events; comparison of the heavy ion intensity and proton intensity; ratio of intensity of carbon ions and oxygen ions. The heavy ions are identified with oxygen for the most part. The heavy-ion spectrometer is described.

Fritz, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Quiet time observations of equatorially trapped megaelectronvolt radiation belt ions with nuclear charge Z greater than or equal to 4

Data from the equatorial satellite Explorer 45 were used to study ion fluxes during the geomagnetically quiescent period June 1-15, 1972. A heavy-ion solid-state ion detector system obtained count rates close to the equatorial plane in the energy passband 1.82-4.8 MeV per ion during a single satellite pass through the radiation belts. Fluxes of these ions are interpreted as oxygen ions and are found to maximize in the L shell range 3-3.5 with peak equatorially mirroring flux of 0.38 ions/(sq cm s sr keV). This peak is not as sharply confined in L shell as is the helium ion peak.

Spjeldvik, W. N.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Plasma observations near Jupiter - Initial results from Voyager 1

Extensive measurements of low-energy positive ions and electrons were made throughout the Jupiter encounter of Voyager 1. The bow shock and magnetopause were crossed several times at distances consistent with variations in the upstream solar wind pressure measured on Voyager 2. During the inbound pass, the number density increased by six orders of magnitude between the innermost magnetopause crossing at approximately 47 Jupiter radii and near closest approach at approximately 5 Jupiter radii; the plasma flow during this period was predominately in the direction of corotation. Marked increases in number density were observed twice per planetary rotation, near the magnetic equator. Jupiterward of the Io plasma torus, a cold, corotating plasma was observed and the energy/charge spectra show well-resolved, heavy-ion peaks at mass-to-charge ratios equal to 8, 16, 32, and 64.

Bridge, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Half-life of Si-32 from tandem-accelerator mass spectrometry

A newly developed mass-spectrometry technique employing a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator together with a special beam-transport system and heavy-ion detector has been used to determine the half-life of Si-32. The result obtained, 108 plus or minus 18 yr, disagrees with the accepted value of 330 plus or minus 40 yr. The implications of the new half-life of Si-32, which is used for dating studies, are discussed.

Elmore, D.↗