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At least 19 records

Some axisymmetric self-similar galaxy models

Distribution functions are presented for some axisymmetric self-similar galaxy models with flat rotation curves. In particular, we record velocity distribution functions for the logarithmic potentials studied by Richstone. These distribution functions depend on two integrals only. Other distribution functions (possibly involving more or other integrals) associated with the same mass model differ only by an additive function that integrates over velocities to yield zero density everywhere. However, a given distribution function can be associated with different mass models.

Miller, R. H.↗

Ion Beam Heating in the Auroral Zone

Recent satellite observations at high altitudes (greater than 5000 km) in the auroral zone have shown the existence of hybrid or bimodal ion beam distributions that are evidence of both parallel and perpendicular ion acceleration. Acceleration parallel to the magnetic field is most likely due to quasi-static electric fields (double layers) which can create outflowing ion beams; since ions of different mass will have different drift speeds due to this acceleration, a plasma configuration unstable to the ion-ion two-stream acoustic mode develops. When the net drift velocity (U) between the two ion species is greater than the sound speed (C(sub 0)), the ion-ion instability has maximum growth at oblique wave propagation. To study the nonlinear effects of the ion-ion instability in terms of plasma heating, a numerical simulation parametric study has been performed. It was found that the parallel acceleration that forms the ion beams occurs on a time scale faster than ion- ion wave growth at low drifts; thus ion-ion wave growth is expected to occur primarily for higher drift speeds (U greater than C(sub 0)) which results in strong oblique heating of the ions (both hydrogen and oxygen) forming elevated ion conics (sometimes called 'bowl' distributions). Also, strong parallel electron heating in the direction of the ion beams can occur, and electrons near the top of the acceleration region may attain a net upward drift along with the elevated ion conics. Variation of the oxygen density greatly affects the ion heating due to the ion-ion instability; as the oxygen density decreases, oxygen heating increases, in agreement with observations (Collin et al., 1987). Ion-ion electrostatic wave properties and the plasma heating that results over a wide range of auroral zone parameters are included.

Schriver, David↗

Delta-Doped CCDs as Detector Arrays in Mass Spectrometers

In a conventional mass spectrometer, charged particles (ions) are dispersed through a magnetic sector onto an MCP at an output (focal) plane. In the MCP, the impinging charged particles excite electron cascades that afford signal gain. Electrons leaving the MCP can be read out by any of a variety of means; most commonly, they are post-accelerated onto a solid-state detector array, wherein the electron pulses are converted to photons, which, in turn, are converted to measurable electric-current pulses by photodetectors. Each step in the conversion from the impinging charged particles to the output 26 NASA Tech Briefs, February 2007 current pulses reduces spatial resolution and increases noise, thereby reducing the overall sensitivity and performance of the mass spectrometer. Hence, it would be preferable to make a direct measurement of the spatial distribution of charged particles impinging on the focal plane. The utility of delta-doped CCDs as detectors of charged particles was reported in two articles in NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 22, No. 7 (July 1998): "Delta-Doped CCDs as Low-Energy-Particle Detectors" (NPO-20178) on page 48 and "Delta- Doped CCDs for Measuring Energies of Positive Ions" (NPO-20253) on page 50. In the present developmental miniature mass spectrometers, the above mentioned miniaturization and performance advantages contributed by the use of delta-doped CCDs are combined with the advantages afforded by the Mattauch-Herzog design. The Mattauch- Herzog design is a double-focusing spectrometer design involving an electric and a magnetic sector, where the ions of different masses are spatially separated along the focal plane of magnetic sector. A delta-doped CCD at the focal plane measures the signals of all the charged-particle species simultaneously at high sensitivity and high resolution, thereby nearly instantaneously providing a complete, high-quality mass spectrum. The simultaneous nature of the measurement of ions stands in contrast to that of a scanning mass spectrometer, in which abundances of different masses are measured at successive times.

Nikzad, Shouleh↗

The isotopic composition of Nd in different ocean masses

The paper examines the isotopic composition of Nd in marine environments. The Sm-Nd data for authigenic ferromanganese sediments indicate that the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans have a distinct range in Nd isotopic composition characteristics of each ocean basin and reflect the dissolved load of Nd in the water mass. Measurements of the Nd isotopic seawater composition of seawater indicate that the rare earth elements (REE) in ferromanganese sediments are derived by direct precipitation of these elements out of seawater. It is believed that the Nd isotopic variations in these sediments represent true variations in the dissolved Nd isotopic composition which reflect the age and (Sm-147)/(Nd-144) ratios of the continental masses sampled believed to be the major source of REE in seawater.

Piepgras, D. J.↗

Sounding rocket measurements of suprathermal ion acceleration

Transverse ion acceleration has been observed at rocket altitudes between 500 and 1000 km due to (1) the injection of 100-200 eV argon plasma; (2) auroral electron precipitation; and (3) the injection of electromagnetic waves. Field-aligned currents necessary to neutralize the plasma injection payloads and naturally occurring in the aurora could be responsible for the ions observed in (1) and (2) above. Associated with the aurora, both bulk heating and tail heating are observed, sometimes simultaneously. In this case, either different masses are accelerated or different mechanisms are responsible. The bulk heating is closely correlated with the aurora structure while tail heating is not so well correlated. Recent high-time-resolution rocket ion data have revealed that the transverse acceleration process is of very short duration (about 100 ms) and occurs in a very limited volume (a few hundred kilometers along B and on the order of the ion gyrodiameter across B). Such impulse acceleration events are correlated with waves near the lower hybrid resonance.

Arnoldy, Roger L.↗

Dipole gravitational radiation in Rosen's theory of gravity - Observable effects in the binary system PSR 1913+16

It is shown that Rosen's (1973) bimetric theory of gravity predicts the emission of dipole gravitational radiation from binary systems containing neutron stars, such as the binary pulsar PSR 1913+16, which causes rapid changes in orbital period. The theory also predicts sizable corrections to masses inferred from orbital data and periastron-shift data. It is demonstrated that this prediction is inconsistent with the observed upper limit on period changes unless the system consists of two neutron stars whose masses differ by less than 0.3 solar mass, or a neutron star of mass less than 0.4 solar mass and a companion which must be a rapidly rotating white dwarf or a helium main-sequence star. Because Rosen's theory is in agreement with all solar-system experiments to date, this represents a feasible test of its viability.

Will, C. M.↗

A Cutoff in the X-Ray Fluctuation Power Density Spectrum of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 3516

During 1997 March-July, RXTE observed the bright, strongly variable Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516 once every approx. 12.8 hr for 4.5 months and nearly continuously (with interruptions due to SAA passage but not Earth occultation) for a 4.2 day period in the middle. These were followed by ongoing monitoring once every approx. 4.3 days. These data are used to construct the first well-determined X-ray fluctuation power density spectrum (PDS) of an active galaxy to span more than 4 decades of usable temporal frequency. The PDS shows no signs of any strict or quasi-periodicity, but does show a progressive flattening of the power-low slope from -1.74 at short time scales to -0.73 at longer time scales. This is the clearest observation to date of the long-predicted cutoff in the PDS. The characteristic variability time scale corresponding to this cutoff temporal frequency is approx. 1 month. Although it is unclear how this time scale may be interpreted in terms of a physical size or process, there are several promising candidate models. The PDS appears similar to those seen for Galactic black hole candidates such as Cyg X-1, suggesting that these two classes of objects with very different luminosities and putative black hole masses (differing by more than a factor of 10(exp 5)) may have similar X-ray generation processes and structures.

Edelson, Rick↗

Physical properties of the OMC-2 and OMC-3 cores from CS and C(18)O observations

We have investigated the properties of the OMC-2 and OMC-3 cores in the Orion giant molecular cloud using high spatial spectral resolution observations of several transitions of the (13)CO, C(18)O, C(S-32) and C(S-34) molecules taken with the SEST telescope. The OMC-2 core consists of one clump (22 solar mass) with a radius of 0.11 pc surrounded by a cluster of 11 discrete infrared sources. The H2 column density and volume density in the center of this clump are 2 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm and 9 x 10(exp 5)/cu cm respectively. From a comparison between physical parameters derived from C(18)O and C(S-32) observations we conclude that the molecular envelope around the core has been completely removed by these sources and that only the very dense gas is left. OMC-3 shows a more complex elongated structure in C(18)O and CS than OMC-2. The C(S-32) and C(S-34) maps show that the denser region can be separated into at least sub-cores of roughly equal sizes (radius approximately equals 0.13 pc), with n(H2) = 6 x 10(exp 5)/cu cm, and a mass of 10 solar mass (from C(S-32)). The very different masses obtained for the central core from C(18)O and C(S-32) (55 and 12 solar mass respectively) indicate that a massive envelope is still present around the very dense sub-cores. We report the first detection of several molecular outflows in OMC-3. The presence of an IRAS source and the first detection of these outflows confirm that star formation is going on in OMC-3. Based on the different physical properties of these regions compared with OMC-1, OMC-2 appears to be in an intermediate evolutionary stage between OMC-1 and OMC-3.

Castets, A.↗

Observations of disk-shaped bodies in free flight at terminal velocity

Ten disk-shaped models of a proposed nuclear heat source module were released from an aircraft and observed by radar. The initial launch attitude, spin rate, and mass of the models were varied. Significant differences were observed in the mode of flight and terminal velocity among models of different mass and launch attitudes. The data were analyzed to yield lift and drag coefficients as a function of Reynolds number. The total sea-level velocity of the models was found to be well correlated as a function of mass per unit frontal area. The demonstrated terminal velocity of the modular disk heat source, about 27 m/sec for this specific design, is only 33% of that of existing heat source designs.

Vorreiter, J. W.↗

Geophysical searches for three-neutrino oscillations

The possibilities of using cosmic ray induced neutrinos to detect oscillations in deep underground experiments were considered. The matter effects are nonnegligible in the two neutrino case, they reduce a mixing angle of 45 deg to 7.5 deg for 1 GeV neutrinos of squared mass difference 10/4 eV59 going through the Earth making the oscillation totally unobservable. They produce a natural oscillation length of about 6000 km in the case of massless neutrinos. Adding a third neutrino flavor considerably modifies the oscillation pattern and suggests that scales down to 5 x 10/5 eV could be observed even when we take into account matter effects and the electron contribution to the incoming flux. The effect of matter on the probability curves for different cases are shown by varying the masses and the mixing matrix. The ratio upward upsilon + upsilon/downward upsilon + upsilon as a function of the zenith angle at Cleveland, neglecting angular smearing and energy threshold effects is predicted.

Cudell, J. R.↗

Ion precipitation from the inner plasma sheet due to stochastic diffusion

Plasma sheet ions do not conserve their first adiabatic invariant when the magnetic field is appreciably tail-like. They do conserve a different adiabatic invariant but only to linear, rather than exponential, accuracy in the appropriate small parameter. Thus significant stochastic diffusion can occur for particles crossing the separatrix dividing the segments of orbits on which the particles cross and do not cross the tail midplane. Such ions can escape the plasma sheet and precipitate into the atmosphere. Stochastic scattering is strongest from those field lines where the ion's Larmor period in the normal component of the neutral sheet magnetic field approximately equals its bounce period. By comparing the rates of stochastic ion loss and convection in the tail, it is possible to estimate the location and thickness of the inner edge of the ion plasma sheet created by stochastic ion loss. Ions of different masses precipitate into the atmosphere at slightly different locations. Since wave particle interactions are not needed, this precipitation will always occur and should be particularly evident during quiet geomagnetic conditions, when it is less likely to be masked by other precipitation mechanisms.

Zelenyi, L.↗

Experimental Investigation of Flow Condensation in Microgravity

Future manned missions to Mars are expected to greatly increase the space vehicle's size, weight, and heat dissipation requirements. An effective means to reducing both size and weight is to replace single-phase thermal management systems with two-phase counterparts that capitalize upon both latent and sensible heat of the coolant rather than sensible heat alone. This shift is expected to yield orders of magnitude enhancements in flow boiling and condensation heat transfer coefficients. A major challenge to this shift is a lack of reliable tools for accurate prediction of two-phase pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient in reduced gravity. Developing such tools will require a sophisticated experimental facility to enable investigators to perform both flow boiling and condensation experiments in microgravity in pursuit of reliable databases. This study will discuss the development of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) for the International Space Station (ISS), which was initiated in 2012 in collaboration between Purdue University and NASA Glenn Research Center. This facility was recently tested in parabolic flight to acquire condensation data for FC-72 in microgravity, aided by high-speed video analysis of interfacial structure of the condensation film. The condensation is achieved by rejecting heat to a counter flow of water, and experiments were performed at different mass velocities of FC-72 and water and different FC-72 inlet qualities. It is shown that the film flow varies from smooth-laminar to wavy-laminar and ultimately turbulent with increasing FC-72 mass velocity. The heat transfer coefficient is highest near the inlet of the condensation tube, where the film is thinnest, and decreases monotonically along the tube, except for high FC-72 mass velocities, where the heat transfer coefficient is enhanced downstream. This enhancement is attributed to both turbulence and increased interfacial waviness. One-ge correlations are shown to predict the average condensation heat transfer coefficient with varying degrees of success, and a recent correlation is identified for its superior predictive capability, evidenced by a mean absolute error of 21.7%.

microgravity↗

Space Debris Environment Remediation Concepts

Long-term projections of the space debris environment indicate that even drastic measures, such as an immediate, complete halt of launch and release activities, will not result in a stable environment of man-made space objects. Collision events between already existing space hardware will within a few decades start to dominate the debris population, and result in a net increase of the space debris population, also in size regimes which may cause further catastrophic collisions. Such a collisional cascading will ultimately lead to a run-away situation ("Kessler syndrome"), with no further possibility of human intervention. The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has been investigating the status and the stability of the space debris environment in several studies by first looking into space traffic management possibilities and then investigating means of mitigating the creation of space debris. In an ongoing activity, an IAA study group looks at ways of active space debris environment remediation. In contrast to the former mitigation study, the current activity concentrates on the active removal of small and large objects, such as defunct spacecraft, orbital stages, and mission-related objects, which serve as a latent mass reservoir that fuels initial catastrophic collisions and later collisional cascading. The paper will outline different mass removal concepts, e.g. based on directed energy, tethers (momentum exchange or electrodynamic), aerodynamic drag augmentation, solar sails, auxiliary propulsion units, retarding surfaces, or on-orbit capture. Apart from physical principles of the proposed concepts, their applicability to different orbital regimes, and their effectiveness concerning mass removal efficiency will be analyzed. The IAA activity on space debris environment remediation is a truly international project which involves more than 23 contributing authors from 9 different nations.

Johnson, Nicholas L.↗

Factors controlling precision and accuracy in isotope-ratio-monitoring mass spectrometry

The performance of systems in which picomole quantities of sample are mixed with a carrier gas and passed through an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer system was examined experimentally and theoretically. Two different mass spectrometers were used, both having electron-impact ion sources and Faraday cup collector systems. One had an accelerating potential of 10kV and accepted 0.2 mL of He/min, producing, under those conditions, a maximum efficiency of 1 CO2 molecular ion collected per 700 molecules introduced. Comparable figures for the second instrument were 3 kV, 0.5 mL of He/min, and 14000 molecules/ion. Signal pathways were adjusted so that response times were <200 ms. Sample-related ion currents appeared as peaks with widths of 3-30 s. Isotope ratios were determined by comparison to signals produced by standard gases. In spite of rapid variations in signals, observed levels of performance were within a factor of 2 of shot-noise limits. For the 10-kV instrument, sample requirements for standard deviations of 0.1 and 0.5% were 45 and 1.7 pmol, respectively. Comparable requirements for the 3-kV instrument were 900 and 36 pmol. Drifts in instrumental characteristics were adequately neutralized when standards were observed at 20-min intervals. For the 10-kV instrument, computed isotopic compositions were independent of sample size and signal strength over the ranges examined. Nonlinearities of <0.04%/V were observed for the 3-kV system. Procedures for observation and subtraction of background ion currents were examined experimentally and theoretically. For sample/ background ratios varying from >10 to 0.3, precision is expected and observed to decrease approximately 2-fold and to depend only weakly on the precision with which background ion currents have been measured.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

Meteorite mass distributions and differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites

Meteorite mass distributions provide important insight into real and apparent differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites. Antarctic meteorites are typically smaller than non-Antarctic meteorites and represent a different portion of the mass distribution of infalling meteorites. This results from the different methods employed to acquire the collections and from the much smaller effective collecting area for Antarctic meteorites. Comparisons of the proportions and mass distributions of H and L chondrites for different ice fields suggest that previously reported high H to L ratio among Antarctic meteorites compared to witnessed falls results from an unrecognized H5 shower fall that covered the Allan Hills Main and Near Western ice fields in the relatively recent past. The probable presence of unrecognized shower falls among the Antarctic meteorites means that population statistics, even corrected for presently recognized pairing, cannot be used to support the suggestion by Dennison et al. (1986) of a temporal variation in the mixture of meteorites arriving on earth.

Huss, Gary R.↗