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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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NASA NTRS2010

International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY), an international program of scientific collaboration to understand the external drivers of planetary environments, has come to an end. The IHY was a major international event of great interest to the member States, which involved the deployment of new instrumentation, new observations from the ground and in space, and an education component. We propose to continue the highly successful collaboration between the heliophysics science community and the United Nations Basic Space Science (UNBSS) program. One of the major thrust of the IHY was to deploy arrays of small instruments such as magnetometers, radio antennas, GPS receivers, all-sky cameras, particle detectors, etc. around the world to provide global measurements of heliospheric phenomena. The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI) played a major role in this effort. Scientific teams were organized through UNBSS, which consisted of a lead scientist who provided the instruments or fabrication plans for instruments in the array. As a result of the this program, scientists from UNBSS member states now participate in the instrument operation, data collection, analysis, and publication of scientific results, working at the forefront of science research. As part of this project, support for local scientists, facilities and data acquisition is provided by the host nation. In addition, support at the Government level is provided for local scientists to participate. Building on momentum of the IHY, we propose to continue the highly successful collaboration with the UNBSS program to continue the study of universal processes in the solar system that affect the interplanetary and terrestrial environments, and to continue to coordinate the deployment and operation of new and existing instrument arrays aimed at understanding the impacts of Space Weather on Earth and the near-Earth environment. Toward this end, we propose a new program, the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI).

Davila, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Tracking Sun Photometer Without Moving Parts

This innovation is small, lightweight, and consumes very little electricity as it measures the solar energy attenuated by gases and aerosol particles in the atmosphere. A Sun photometer is commonly used on the Earth's surface, as well as on aircraft, to determine the solar energy attenuated by aerosol particles in the atmosphere and their distribution of sizes. This information is used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of gases and aerosols in the atmosphere, as well as their distribution sizes. The design for this Sun photometer uses a combination of unique optics and a charge coupled device (CCD) array to eliminate moving parts and make the instrument more reliable. It could be selfcalibrating throughout the year. Data products would be down-welling flux, the direct-diffuse flux ratio, column abundance of gas phase constituents, aerosol optical depth at multiple-wavelengths, phase functions, cloud statistics, and an estimate of the representative size of atmospheric particles. These measurements can be used to obtain an estimate of aerosol size distribution, refractive index, and particle shape. Incident light is received at a light-reflecting (inner) surface, which is a truncated paraboloid. Light arriving from a hemispheric field of view (solid angle 2 steradians) enters the reflecting optic at an entrance aperture at, or adjacent to, the focus of the paraboloid, and is captured by the optic. Most of this light is reflected from an inner surface. The light proceeds substantially parallel to the paraboloid axis, and is detected by an array detector located near an exit aperture. Each of the entrance and exit apertures is formed by the intersection of the paraboloid with a plane substantially perpendicular to the paraboloid axis. Incident (non-reflected) light from a source of limited extent (the Sun) illuminates a limited area on the detector array. Both direct and diffuse illumination may be reflected, or not reflected, before being received on the detector array. As the Sun traverses a path in the sky over some time interval, the track of the Sun can be traced on the detector array. A suitably modified Sun photometer might be used to study the dynamics of an environment on another planet or satellite with an atmosphere.

Strawa, Anthony W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spacecraft particulate sizing spectrometer

An evaluation prototype device is described, together with conclusions and several recommendations for follow-on flight hardware. The device detects individual particles crossing an external sensing zone, and produces a histogram displaying the size distribution of particles sensed, over the nominal range of 5 to 50 microns. The output is totally independent of the particle refractive index, and is also largely unaffected by particle shape. The reported diameters are in terms of the equivalent sphere, as judged by the scattered light intercepted by the receiving channels, which develop signals whenever a particle crosses the beam of illumination in the sensing zone. Supporting evidence for the latter assertion is discussed on the basis of experimental test data for non-spherical particulates. Also included is a technical appendix which presents theoretical arguments that provide a firm foundation for this assertion.

Miranda, Henry A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Minerology and Crystallography of Some Itokawa Particles Returned by the Hayabusa Mission

JAXA Hayabusa mission success-fully returned particles of the asteroid Itokawa to the earth in 2010. The recovered particles were carefully studied by the preliminary examination (PE) team and the obtained results are providing significant and unique information about the formation and evolution of meteorite parent bodies [1-6]. These particles further revealed that their mineral compositions and oxygen isotopes are close to those of equilibrated LL chon-drites [1,2], which matches with the observation at the orbit [7]. After the PE, JAXA distributed the samples as international AO study and we received 4 new and 3 PE particles. The new samples may contain some exot-ic components that have not been found by the PE study, and are of special interest. We have performed a detailed mineralogical and crystallographic study on these particles and here report the results.

Mikouchi, T.↗
NASA NTRS2016

A FDTD Solution of Scattering of Laser Beam with Orbital Angular Momentum by Dielectric Particles: Far-Field Characteristics

Electromagnetic (EM) beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) may have great potential applications in communication technology and in remote sensing of the Earth-atmosphere system and outer planets. Study of their interaction with optical lenses and dielectric or metallic objects, or scattering of them by particles in the Earth-atmosphere system, is a necessary step to explore the advantage of the OAM EM beams. In this study, the 3-dimensional (3D) scattered-field (SF) finite-difference time domain (FDTD) technique with the convolutional perfectly matched layer (CPML) absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) is applied to calculate the scattering of the purely azimuthal (the radial mode number is assumed to be zero) Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams with the OAM by dielectric particles. We found that for OAM beam׳s interaction with dielectric particles, the forward-scattering peak in the conventional phase function (P11) disappears, and light scattering peak occurs at a scattering angle of ~15° to 45°. The disappearance of forward-scattering peak means that, in laser communications most of the particle-scattered noise cannot enter the receiver, thus the received light is optimally the original OAM-encoded signal. This feature of the OAM beam also implies that in lidar remote sensing of the atmospheric particulates, most of the multiple-scattering energy will be off lidar sensors, and this may result in an accurate profiling of particle layers in the atmosphere or in the oceans by lidar, or even in the ground when a ground penetration radar (GPR) with the OAM is applied. This far-field characteristics of the scattered OAM light also imply that the optical theorem, which is derived from plane-parallel wave scattering case and relates the forward scattering amplitude to the total cross section of the scatterer, is invalid for the scattering of OAM beams by dielectric particles.

Electromagnetic beams↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recrystallization, cracking, and erosion of dispersoid-strengthened tungsten materials during exposure to divertor plasmas

In this study, we investigated the effects of combined intense particle and heat flux exposure on advanced tungsten plasma-facing materials within the DIII-D fusion facility. Our test matrix included two types of dispersoid-strengthened tungsten (containing either 100 nm diameter TiO 2 or Ni particles), along with high-purity polycrystalline tungsten as a reference. This experiment relied on a sample geometry angled at 15° relative to the divertor surface, thereby allowing the surfaces to intercept steady-state perpendicular heat fluxes (q ⟂ ) ranging from 10.1 to 19.6 MW/m 2 . During each shot, the samples were exposed to 42 Hz edge-localized modes (ELMs), allowing us to test the material response to transient heating. We correlated the exposure conditions with extensive post-test surface composition analysis and microscopy to determine how the plasma modified each surface. The angled specimens closest to the strike point received the highest combined heat and particle flux and melted midway through the experiment. EBSD analysis revealed they were completely recrystallized throughout, with an average grain size >100 µm. On the other hand, the specimens that received a lower steady state heat flux survived with more superficial surface damage. Whereas the high-purity polycrystalline tungsten exhibited a higher surface roughness, the dispersoid-strengthened material exhibited more extensive shallow inter-granular cracking. In addition, the surface was depleted of dispersoids following plasma exposure, possibly because of evaporation and/or sputtering. The results described here provide insights into the performance of these materials in a fusion environment which can guide further optimization for use in long-pulse devices.

Kolasinski, Robert D. [Sandia National Laboratorie↗
NASA NTRS2003

Transmission measurement based on STM observation to detect the penetration depth of low-energy heavy ions in botanic samples

The penetration depth of low-energy heavy ions in botanic samples was detected with a new transmission measurement. In the measurement, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) pieces were placed behind the botanic samples with certain thickness. During the irradiation of heavy ions with energy of tens of keV, the energetic particles transmitted from those samples were received by the HOPG pieces. After irradiation, scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was applied to observe protrusion-like damage induced by these transmitted ions on the surface of the HOPG. The statistical average number density of protrusions and the minimum transmission rate of the low-energy heavy ions can be obtained. The detection efficiency of the new method for low-energy heavy ions was about 0.1-1 and the background in the measurement can be reduced to as low as 1.0 x 10(8) protrusions/cm2. With this method, the penetration depth of the energetic particles was detected to be no less than 60 micrometers in kidney bean slices when the slices were irradiated by 100 keVAr+ ion at the fluence of 5 x 10(16) ions/cm2. c2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA Damage↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electroweak interactions in Nucleons and Nuclei

The neutrino oscillation experiments are being performed using detectors having moderate to heavy nuclear targets like $^{12}{C}$, $^{16}{O}$, $^{40}{Ar}$, $^{56}{Fe}$, $^{208}{Pb}$, etc. to get a reasonably good number of events. Many present-day neutrino experiments are taking data in the few GeV (1 $\leq$ E$_{\nu}$ $\leq$ 10 GeV) energy region of neutrinos and antineutrinos to which some of the neutrino oscillation parameters are sensitive and required to understand CP violation in the lepton sector. This is the energy region which is most intriguing as it receives the contribution from the Quasielastic Scattering~(QE), Inelastic Scattering(IE), Shallow Inelastic Scattering (SIS) and the Deep Inelastic Scattering~(DIS) processes. This thesis details three different studies: \begin{itemize} \item First, a DIS study was performed with the MINERvA experiment at the Fermilab. MINERvA is a dedicated neutrino and antineutrino cross-section measurement experiment and uses (anti)neutrino beams in the two energy runs {\it viz.} the low energy run~(the peak of which lies $\sim$ 3 GeV) and the medium energy run(the peak lies at $\sim$ 6 GeV). The MINERvA experiment is using several nuclear targets like $^{4}$He, $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, $^{56}$Fe and $^{208}$Pb and the aim is to perform EMC~(European Muon Collaboration experiment using charged lepton beam on several nuclear targets) kind of measurements to understand the nuclear medium effects in both the neutrino and antineutrino modes in the wide region of Bjorken scaling variable $x$, and the four-momentum transfer squared $Q^2$, covering the quasielastic, inelastic, and the deep inelastic scattering regions. In the medium energy region, it is expected that more than 30\% of the events would arise due to DIS processes. \item Second part of the thesis includes the analysis of the proposed India-based Neutrino Observatory(INO) atmospheric neutrino experiment. This work is dedicated to studying atmospheric neutrino and ant ineutrino oscillation parameters in the INO experiment. We present the ICAL sensitivity to confirm a non-zero value of the difference in atmospheric mass squared of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos i.e. ($|\Delta m^{2}_{32}|$-$|\Delta\overline{m^{2}}_{32}|$). \item Third, the theoretical work that was performed at the Aligarh Muslim University. This work has been performed keeping in mind the theoretical development of a model that will describe the associated particle production induced by photons, electrons, neutrinos, and antineutrinos. We have studied the associated particle production induced by photons which receive the contributions from the non-resonant terms and from the nucleon, hyperon, and kaon resonances. \end{itemize}

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Characterization of Moving Dust Particles

A large depth-of-field Particle Image Velocimeter (PIV) has been developed at NASA GSFC to characterize dynamic dust environments on planetary surfaces. This instrument detects and senses lofted dust particles. We have been developing an autonomous image analysis algorithm architecture for the PIV instrument to greatly reduce the amount of data that it has to store and downlink. The algorithm analyzes PIV images and reduces the image information down to only the particle measurement data we are interested in receiving on the ground - typically reducing the amount of data to be handled by more than two orders of magnitude. We give a general description of PIV algorithms and describe only the algorithm for estimating the velocity of the traveling particles.

Bos, Brent J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of the Impact of Additional Manganese from the Recycle Collection Tank (RCT) Glycolate Destruction Process on Glass Properties

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is planning to implement glycolic acid as a reductant within the waste processing flowsheet. An assessment of the glycolic acid flowsheet has revealed the potential for thermolytic production of hydrogen in the Concentration, Storage and Transfer Facilities (CSTF) from glycolate entrained in the DWPF recycle stream. To mitigate this potential scenario, a glycolate destruction process utilizing sodium permanganate (NaMnO 4 ) is being developed for use in the DWPF Recycle Collection Tank (RCT). The RCT is fed by the Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) and the Off-Gas Condensate Tank (OGCT). The SMECT could receive glycolate via a foamover from the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) or the Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME), and the OGCT could receive glycolate via carryover of sludge particles in the purge from the melter during surge conditions. The use of NaMnO 4 additions in the RCT will result in additional manganese (Mn) in the waste stream and needs to be evaluated.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2001

Performance Evaluation of Particle Sampling Probes for Emission Measurements of Aircraft Jet Engines

Considerable attention has been recently received on the impact of aircraft-produced aerosols upon the global climate. Sampling particles directly from jet engines has been performed by different research groups in the U.S. and Europe. However, a large variation has been observed among published data on the conversion efficiency and emission indexes of jet engines. The variation results surely from the differences in test engine types, engine operation conditions, and environmental conditions. The other factor that could result in the observed variation is the performance of sampling probes used. Unfortunately, it is often neglected in the jet engine community. Particle losses during the sampling, transport, and dilution processes are often not discussed/considered in literatures. To address this issue, we evaluated the performance of one sampling probe by challenging it with monodisperse particles. A significant performance difference was observed on the sampling probe evaluated under different temperature conditions. Thermophoretic effect, nonisokinetic sampling and turbulence loss contribute to the loss of particles in sampling probes. The results of this study show that particle loss can be dramatic if the sampling probe is not well designed. Further, the result allows ones to recover the actual size distributions emitted from jet engines.

Lee, Poshin↗
NASA NTRS2013

Poisson-Spot Intensity Reduction with a Partially-Transparent Petal-Shaped Optical Mask

The presence of Poisson's spot, also known as the spot of Arago, formed along the optical axis in the geometrical shadow behind an obstruction, has been known since the 18th century. The presence of this spot can best be described as the consequence of constructive interference of light waves diffracted on the edge of the obstruction where its central position can··be determined by the symmetry of the object More recently, the elimination of this spot has received attention in the fields of particle physics, high-energy lasers, astronomy and lithography. In this paper, we introduce a novel, partially transparent petaled mask shape that suppresses the bright spot by up to 10 orders of magnitude in intensity, with powerful applications to many of the above fields. The optimization technique formulated in this design can identify mask shapes having partial transparency only near the petal tips.

Shiri, Shahram↗
DOE OSTI2026

Are the U.S. Biorefineries Over the Hurdle of 2000 Ton Daily Throughput Yet?

The efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel and biochemical production is hindered by material handling issues such as clogging and segregation among other challenges. Preprocessing methods such as drying, screening, and milling have improved conversion yield but have not sufficiently enhanced flowability, especially herbaceous biomass. The poor flowability of herbaceous biomass is rooted in some particle attributes that remain less altered by those methods, e.g., irregular particle shape, high roughness, and high compressibility, making it hard to scale up throughput to a key benchmark for a biorefinery – 2000 ton per day. Applying additional preprocessing methods like pelletization and torrefaction to drastically change those particle attributes can improve flow and handling but has not been comprehensively verified through test. The flowability of herbaceous biomass feedstock formats generated by three different preprocessing methods was recently assessed at Idaho National Laboratory’s Biomass Feedstock National User Facility: first, loose particles size reduced from as-received materials; second, pellets produced from an efficient densification process; and third, powders milled from torrefied pellets. Benchmarking tests including static angle of repose, basic flow energy measured in a powder rheometer, and discharge flow in an adjustable hopper, were conducted to evaluate those feedstock formats. Beyond the capacity of existing experimental apparatuses, a digital engineering approach involving flow simulations and AI models were used to identity the material attributes and processing parameters that have dominant influences on flow throughput. Techno-economic analysis focusing on hopper flow as a typical material handling operation was conducted for those feedstock formats. Perspectives will be discussed on whether the 2000-ton daily throughput for a biorefinery is achievable at an acceptable cost by using any of the tested preprocessing methods.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Microbeam studies of the sensitivity of structures within living cells

Determining the biological effects of low doses of radiation with high linear energy transfer (LET) is complicated by the stochastic nature of charged-particle interactions. Populations of cells exposed to very low radiation doses contain a few cells which have been hit by a charged particle, while the majority of the cells receive no radiation damage. At somewhat higher doses, a few cells receive two or more events. Because the effects of damage produced by separate events can interact in the cell, we have had to make assumptions about the nature of these interactions in order to interpret the results of the experiments. Many of those assumptions can be tested if we can be sure of the number of charged-particle events which occur in individual cells, and correlate this number with the biological effect. We have developed a special irradiation facility at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to control the actual number of charged particle tracks that pass through cell nuclei. The beam from a 2 MeV tandem accelerator is collimated to approximately 5 microns. Cells, grown in special dishes with 1.5 microns thick plastic bottoms, are positioned so that the desired portion of the cell aligns with the collimator. A shutter in the beam line is opened and closed after the desired number of particle tracks has been counted. This approach can be used to investigate the effects of the interaction between irradiated and unirradiated cells in an organized system, as well as to study the effects of spatial and temporal distribution of radiation damage within single cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2026

Characterization of High-Entropy Alloys for Accelerator Beam Window Applications

Particle production targets and accelerator beam windows receive millions of high-energy/intensity beam pulses throughout their service lifetime. For next-generation multi-MW accelerators, it is necessary for beam windows to be able to withstand higher levels of thermal shock and radiation damage, while also having good high-temperature mechanical properties. Novel High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) that form a single-phase microstructure, have nanoscale precipitates, and are made from low-Z elements are good candidates for beam window materials. This is due to their high-temperature strength and high resistance to radiation-induced swelling and hardening, as well as their beam transparency, allowing for maximized particle production and a longer service lifetime.

Kidwell, Tristan [U. Chicago (main)] (ORCID:000900↗
NASA NTRS1975

Interpretation of the variation of polarization over the disk of Venus

The polarization of reflected sunlight is computed for model atmospheres of Venus as a function of location on the apparent planetary disk. The calculations are for both homogeneous and layered models, as required to investigate the vertical distribution of particles. The results are compared with available observations. It is shown that the Rayleigh scattering observed in the polarization of Venus originates primarily from within the visible clouds, rather than from above the clouds. The visible 'clouds' are actually a very diffuse hazy region, and this visible-cloud layer extends at least up to the level where the pressure is of the order of 10 mb. The results indicate that the atmosphere behaves more nearly as the so-called 'homogeneous model' than as the 'reflecting-layer model'. However, there is some indication in the data that the turbidity increases with depth into the atmosphere. This conclusion receives stronger support from a comparison of particle number densities obtained from the polarization data with the number densities obtained from other observations which refer on the average to higher and lower levels in the atmosphere.

Kawabata, K.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Heavy ion observations by MARIE in cruise phase and Mars orbit

The charged particle spectrum for nuclei from protons to neon, (charge Z=10) was observed during the cruise phase and orbit around Mars by the MARIE charged particle spectrometer on the Odyssey spacecraft. The cruise data were taken between April 23, 2001 and mid-August 2001. The Mars orbit data were taken March 5, 2002 through May 2002 and are scheduled to continue until August 2004. Charge peaks are clearly separated for charges up to Z=10. Especially prominent are the carbon and oxygen peaks, with boron and nitrogen also clearly visible. Although heavy ions are much less abundant than protons in the cosmic ray environment, it is important to determine their abundances because their ionization energy losses (proportional to Z2) are far more dangerous to humans and to instruments. Thus the higher charged nuclei make a significant contribution to dose and dose equivalent received in space. Results of the charged particle spectrum measurements will be reported. c2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Center JSC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advances in the PIP-II Project and the Indian Institutions & Fermilab Collaboration

The Proton Improvement Plan – II (PIP-II) project at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) is the first particle accelerator project in the USA to receive significant in-kind contributions from international partners. Partnering countries include the USA, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Poland. When completed, PIP-II will accelerate protons to 800 MeV, and power the world’s most intense neutrino beam for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Technological advancements for PIP-II across the entire collaboration have significantly matured, with the project currently in the construction phase. The Indian Institutions & Fermilab Collaboration (IIFC) for PIP-II has a 14+ years history. The IIFC R&D phase concluded with the validation of various prototypes and defined the beginning of the construction phase. This presentation highlights the advances of the synergistic PIP-II collaboration. Work supported, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, under U.S. DOE Contract No. 89243024CSC000002.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗