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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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Herman and Gibbons conclusions on radiation energy concentration in ionized gas shown to be erroneous
Theta pinch discharge as spectroscopic light source in highly ionized gas spectroscopy
Current density and heat flux expressions in terms of transport coefficients of partially ionized gas, noting thermoconductivities
Spectra determination of spiral galaxy NGC 6181 which contains ionized gas
The dynamics of the thermal evaporation of cool gas clouds embedded in a hot ionized gas is considered from a general point of view. The investigation is limited to isobaric small Mach number flow, the heat flux given by the diffusive electron Coulomb scattering formula, and no external heating sources. The cloud boundaries are assumed to change very slowly relative to the flow time. It is concluded that the classical mass-loss rate of any irrotational flow from a cloud ensemble is the product of known quantities and the electrostatic capacitance of an identical ensemble of grounded electrical conductors. Thus, the mass loss rate from an ensemble of clouds may be dramatically lower than the sum of the isolated cloud mass-loss rates. This rate is a lower bound to the mass-loss rate when vorticity is present. The mass-loss rate reaches its minimum value when the vorticity flow streamlines are isotherms.
The 0.2-40 keV X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 and the narrow emission-line galaxy NGC 2992 are analyzed. The results suggest the presence of a steep soft X-ray component in Mrk 509 in addition to the well-known Gamma = 1.7 component found in other active galactic nuclei in the 2-40 keV energy range. The soft X-ray component is interpreted as due to thermal emission from a hot gas, probably associated with the highly ionized gas observed to be outflowing from the galaxy. The X-ray spectrum of NGC 2992 does not show any steepening in the soft X-ray band and is consistent with a single power law (Gamma = 1.78) with very low absorbing column density of 4 x 10 to the 21st/sq cm. A model with partial covering of the nuclear X-ray source is preferred, however, to a simple model with a single power law and absorption.
Flight control magnetic source interaction with ionized gas induced by bow shock ahead of blunt body in hypersonic flow
The basic governing equations for the low-density, high-enthalpy flow regimes expected in the shock layers over the heat shields of the proposed aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicles are derived by combining and extending existing theories. The conservation equations are derived from gas kinetic principles for a four-component ionized gas consisting of neutral molecules, neutral atoms, singly ionized ions, and electrons, assuming a continuum flow. The differences among translational-rotational, vibrational, and electron temperatures are accounted for, as well as chemical nonequilibrium and electric-charge separation. Expressions for convective and viscous fluxes, transport properties, and the terms representing interactions among various energy modes are given explicitly. The expressions for the rate of electron-vibration energy transfer, which violates the Landau-Teller conditions, is derived by solving the system of master equations accounting for the multiple-level transitions.
The basic governing equations for the low-density, high-enthalpy flow regimes expected in the shock layers over the heat shields of the proposed aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicles are derived by combining and extending existing theories. The conservation equations are derived from gas kinetic principles for a four-component ionized gas consisting of neutral molecules, neutral atoms, singly ionized ions, and electrons, assuming a continuum flow. The differences among translational-rotational, vibrational, and electron temperatures are accounted for, as well as chemical nonequilibrium and electric-charge separation. Expressions for convective and viscous fluxes, transport properties, and the terms representing interactions among various energy modes are explicitly given. The expressions for the rate of electron-vibration energy transfer, which violates the Landau-Teller conditions, are derived by solving the system of master equations accounting for the multiple-level transitions.
Recent flight data confirms laboratory observations that the release of neutral gas increases plasma sheath currents. Plasma contactors are devices which release a partially ionized gas in order to enhance the current flow between a spacecraft and the space plasma. Ionization of the expellant gas and the formation of a double layer between the anode plasma and the space plasma are the dominant physical processes. A theory is presented of the interaction between the contactor plasma and the background plasma. The conditions for formation of a double layer between the two plasmas are derived. Double layer formation is shown to be a consequence of the nonlinear response of the plasmas to changes in potential. Numerical calculations based upon this model are compared with laboratory measurements of current collection by hollow cathode-based plasma contactors.
An area of about 9 by 10 arc minutes in the M17 molecular cloud has been mapped in the J=3-2 transition of CO. The strongest CO emission is observed to come from the two bars to the north and southwest, which lie just outside the area of ionized gas seen in the radio continuum studies. We are viewing the boundary between the ionized and molecular gas almost edge on. The most intense CO emission is from the area around the dense molecular cloud core M17SW in the southwest bar. To the east of M17SW there are signs of recent or continuing star formation including H2O masers and an ultra-compact HII region. The CO J=3-2 spectra observed are complex with considerable variation in line shapes occuring over distances of less than one arc minute. We interpret the velocity structure of this region as arising from an ensemble of molecular cloud fragments in addition to extended emission. We have identified several cloud components at different velocities within both the northern and southwest bars of CO emission. A simple kinematic model of the cloud components in the southwest bar in which they are considered to be clumps of post-shock gas lying close to the edge of the expanding HII region, with the shock being driven by Kleinmann's star, gives a velocity of approx. 10.8 km s(-1) for the expansion velocity of the HII region, which is currently at a distance of approx. 2.4 pc from Kleinmann's star. The resulting shock is thought to be preceding the ionisation front and appears to have led to the fragmentation of the original cloud.
High-spatial resolution imaging in the O III lambda 5007 line of a planetary nebula (PN) in the globular cluster M22 reveals a strongly asymmetric (half-moon shaped) nebular morphology. We confirm that this peculiar morphology is caused by the distortion of stellar ejecta by the ram pressure of the ambient interstellar medium (ISM) through which the cluster is moving with a high velocity of 200 km/s. Emission knots visible in the leading (upstream) nebular section confirm theoretical expectations that the shell should have been fragmented by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Stripping of the PN from M22 by the ambient ISM is the first direct evidence for removal of gas from globular clusters. M22 is at a favorable location for the ram-pressure stripping to be effective, only 400 pc below the Galactic plane, well within a 2 kpc thick layer of ionized gas enveloping the plane. Ionized (or possibly neutral) gas in this layer, with a hydrogen density of about 0.1 cu/cm, is responsible for the observed interaction.
Wave equations for disturbances in partly ionized gas due to current sources determined, using three-fluid model
Engineering developments in plasma probes, ionized gas, electron emission, electrochemical fuel cells, solar-thermal energy conversion, and nonlinear heat transfer phenomena
Satellite measurements of ionospheric ion concentration and observations of solar radiation, ionized gas, and high energy electrons in interplanetary space
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs), Seyfert galaxies, and quasars are powered by luminous accretion and often accompanied by winds that are powerful enough to affect the AGN mass budget, and whose observational appearance bears an imprint of processes that are happening within the central parsec around the black hole (BH). One example of such a wind is the partially ionized gas responsible for X-ray and UV absorption (warm absorbers). Here, we show that such gas will have a distinct signature when viewed in polarized X-rays. Observations of such polarization can test models for the geometry of the flow and the gas responsible for launching and collimating it. We present calculations that show that the polarization depends on the hydrodynamics of the flow, the quantum mechanics of resonance-line scattering, and the transfer of polarized X-ray light in the highly ionized moving gas. The results emphasize the three-dimensional nature of the wind for modeling spectra. We show that the polarization in the 0.1-10 keV energy range is dominated by the effects of resonance lines. We predict a 5%-25% X-ray polarization signature of type-2 objects in this energy range. These results are generalized to flows that originate from a cold torus-like structure, located approximately 1 pc from the BH, which wraps the BH and is ultimately responsible for the apparent dichotomy between type 1 and type 2 AGNs. Such signals will be detectable by future dedicated X-ray polarimetry space missions, such as the NASA Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer SMEX, "GEMS" Swank et al. (2008).
Researchers have detected the Warm Ionized Medium (WIM) phase in the galaxy NGC 891. They found that the radial distribution of the WIM follows the molecular or young star distribution - an expected dependence. The amount of the WIM in this galaxy exceeds that in our Galaxy. The major surprize is the large thickness of the WIM phase - about 9 kpc instead 3 kpc as in our Galaxy. Clearly, this is the most significant result of the observations. The presence of low ionization gas at high z as well as at large galactocentric radii (where young stars are rare) is an important clue to the origin of the halo and observations such as the one reported here provide important data on this crucial question. In particular, the ionization of gas at high absolute z implies that either the UV photons manage to escape from the disk of the galaxy or that the extragalactic UV background plays an important role. The bulk of the WIM in spiral galaxies is a result of star-formation activity and thus these results can be understood by invoking a high star formation rate in NGC 891. Only the concerted action of supernovae can get the gas to the large z-heights as is observed in this galaxy. Support for this view comes from our detection of many worms i.e., bits and pieces of supershells in the form of kilo-parsec long vertical filaments. Researchers also saw a 600-pc size supershell located nearly one kpc above the plane of the galaxy.
Physical acoustics - electric field associated with sound wave in weakly ionized gas, viscous effects in hydrodynamic plasma, and interference of light with light in plasma