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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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At least 217 records · Page 12

Analysis of the Continuous Stellar Tracking Attitude Reference (CSTAR) attitude rate processor

The Continuous Stellar Tracking Attitude Reference (CSTAR) system is an in-house project for Space Station to provide high accuracy, drift free attitude and angular rate information for the GN&C system. The outputs of the solid state star trackers are processed to provide attitude information; rate data is then derived from the attitude. Rate derivation is based on discrete time polynomial approximation techniques. This gives simple algorithms which allow for interpolation by other users. Attitude rate is modeled as a constant with low amplitude, low frequency sinusoids superimposed. The rate processor is parameterized to account for the effects of random errors, sample rate, data processing rate and perturbation frequency. The baseline system may be characterized as follows: the three sigma attitude accuracy is 0.01 degrees, the three sigma rate accuracy is 0.0001 degrees per second, the sample rate is 100 Hertz, the sampled signal is bandlimited to 0.5 Hertz, and the data processing rate is 10 Hertz. The above system requires a differentiator of length 127. This will track rate perturbations of frequencies less than 0.01 Hertz with low systematic errors.

Uhde-Lacovara, J.↗

Development of a Smooth Trajectory Maneuver Method to Accommodate the Ares I Flight Control Constraints

Six degree-of-freedom (DOF) launch vehicle trajectories are designed to follow an optimized 3-DOF reference trajectory. A vehicle has a finite amount of control power that it can allocate to performing maneuvers. Therefore, the 3-DOF trajectory must be designed to refrain from using 100% of the allowable control capability to perform maneuvers, saving control power for handling off-nominal conditions, wind gusts and other perturbations. During the Ares I trajectory analysis, two maneuvers were found to be hard for the control system to implement; a roll maneuver prior to the gravity turn and an angle of attack maneuver immediately after the J-2X engine start-up. It was decided to develop an approach for creating smooth maneuvers in the optimized reference trajectories that accounts for the thrust available from the engines. A feature of this method is that no additional angular velocity in the direction of the maneuver has been added to the vehicle after the maneuver completion. This paper discusses the equations behind these new maneuvers and their implementation into the Ares I trajectory design cycle. Also discussed is a possible extension to adjusting closed-loop guidance.

Pinson, Robin M.↗

Measuring and Utilizing Gravity-Gradient Induced Torques on Future Gravity Recovery Missions

This research is a novel investigation into the use of newly-available relative angular acceleration measurements between a spacecraft utilized for gravity recovery missions and an internally located test mass. The gravity-gradient torque equation for zonal spherical harmonic order n is formulated for a known gravitational potential field, and through simulations it is proven that the Simplified-Gravitational Reference Sensor will be sensitive to the gravity-gradient induced torques acting on its test mass. The full conference paper will demonstrate how the presented gravity-gradient torque equation and the measured relative angular acceleration between the spacecraft and test mass will improve the accuracy of the gravity field models acquired by future gravity recovery missions by directly measuring the drag acting on the spacecraft with a single accelerometer.

gravity recovery↗

Developing a Spectral Correlation based Method for mitigating Angular Mismatch Effects in Intercalibration Using a Benchmark Hyperspectral Sensor

The CLARREO Pathfinder (CPF) mission will implement a state-of-the-art intercalibration method for transferring CPF’s in-orbit Système Internationale (SI)-traceable reference to the shortwave channel of the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiance Energy System (CERES) and the reflective solar bands of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the NOAA-20 satellite platform with a targeted intercalibration methodology uncertainty of 0.3% (k=1). In order to achieve such a high intercalibration accuracy, the CPF intercalibration measurements to be scheduled need to closely match those from CERES and VIIRS in time, space, angles, and wavelength. Despite’s CPF’s two-axis pointing capability to match its boresight line of sight to that of a target sensor, there will be finite residual differences in angular samplings of the two instruments. The potential angular mismatch between CPF and the target sensors can introduce systematic errors in the intercalibration results, and therefore needs to be corrected using a rigorously designed algorithm. The CPF intercalibration team has been developing a correction method for mitigating the impact of these angular anisotropic effects in the CPF-VIIRS and CPF-CERES intercalibration. The method explores the spectral correlation relationship between the reflected solar radiances from the same surface target that would be measured by CPF at two adjacent angles. Our studies have shown that the spectral information based on CPF measurements can be used to accurately predict the spectral radiance or reflectance difference due to a given mismatch in the viewing and solar geometry. The hyper-spectral information can also be used to provide scene stratification without using any auxiliary data, which is critical to reduce the angular correction uncertainty. The angular correction relationship can be well established using simulated CPF-like top-of-atmosphere spectral radiances observed at all sorts of viewing geometry and solar angles and for different scenes. Intensive radiative transfer simulations have been completed using a state-of-art radiative transfer model developed by the CPF team members. The implementation of the algorithm on high-fidelity event simulation data and the characterization for the angular adjustment uncertainty will be presented.

Wan Wu↗

Probing the angular and polarization reconstruction of the ARIANNA detector at the South Pole

The sources of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays, which can have energies up to 10 20 eV, remain a mystery. UHE neutrinos may provide important clues to understanding the nature of cosmic-ray sources. ARIANNA aims to detect UHE neutrinos via radio (Askaryan) emission from particle showers when a neutrino interacts with ice, which is an efficient method for neutrinos with energies between 10 16 eV and 10 20 eV. The ARIANNA radio detectors are located in Antarctic ice just beneath the surface. Neutrino observation requires that radio pulses propagate to the antennas at the surface with minimum distortion by the ice and firn medium. Using the residual hole from the South Pole Ice Core Project, radio pulses were emitted from a transmitter located up to 1.7 km below the snow surface. By measuring these signals with an ARIANNA surface station, the angular and polarization reconstruction abilities are quantified, which are required to measure the direction of the neutrino. After deconvolving the raw signals for the detector response and attenuation from propagation through the ice, the signal pulses show no significant distortion and agree with a reference measurement of the emitter made in an anechoic chamber. Furthermore, the signal pulses reveal no significant birefringence for our tested geometry of mostly vertical ice propagation. The origin of the transmitted radio pulse was measured with an angular resolution of 0.37° indicating that the neutrino direction can be determined with good precision if the polarization of the radio-pulse can be well determined. In this work, we obtained a resolution of the polarization vector of 2.7°. Neither measurement show a significant offset relative to expectation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

High angular momentum states of lithium atom, studied with symmetry-projected explicitly correlated Gaussian lobe functions

Method of construction of wave functions approximating eigenfunctions of the L{sup ^2} operator is proposed for high angular momentum states of few-electron atoms. Basis functions are explicitly correlated Gaussian lobes, projected onto irreducible representations of finite point groups. Variational calculations have been carried out for the lowest states of lithium atom, with quantum number L in the range from 1 to 8. Nonrelativistic energies accurate to several dozens of nanohartree have been obtained. For 2{sup 2}P, 3{sup 2}D, and 4{sup 2}F states they agree well with the reference results. Transition frequencies have been computed and compared with available experimental data.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Inevitable inflation in Einstein-Cartan theory with improved energy-momentum tensor with spin

Generalized, or power-law, inflation is shown to necessarily exist for a simple, anisotropic, (Bianchi Type-1) cosmology in the Einstein-Cartan gravitational theory with the Ray-Smalley improved energy momentum tensor with spin. Formal solution of the EC field equations with the fluid equations of motion explicitly shows inflation caused by the RS spin angular kinetic energy density. Shear is not effective in preventing inflation in the ECRS model. The relation between fluid vorticity, torsion, reference axis rotation, and shear ellipsoid precession shows through clearly.

Fennelly, A. J.↗

Synthetic Observations of Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager

Synthetic observations of the FeI line (6173A), which corresponds to the operational wavelength of Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Synthetic observations represent 4D maps for four angular distances from the solar disk center (0deg), 30deg, 45deg, and 60deg at 30degrees latitude in range +/- 0.75 Angstrom from the reference line of 6173.341 Angstrom, number of points across the spectral line is 256, spatial resolution of 100km, and temporal resolution of seconds. Synthetic data set obtained using SPINOR code (Frutiger et al. 2000). Synthetic observations computed from hydrodynamic simulations, which cover 25Mm of upper layers of the convection zone and 1Mm of atmosphere, the horizontal size of the domain of 80x80 Mm. Simulation results obtained the “StellarBox” code (Wray et al., 2015, 2018) with imposed rotation rate at 30deg latitude using F-plane approximation.

Irina Kitiashvili↗

Short timescale stability monitoring of GOES-16 visible channels based on daily inter-calibration events with VIIRS and MODIS

The CERES project uses geostationary (GEO) imager derived broadband fluxes to estimate the diurnal flux variations between the Terra (10:30 LT) and Aqua (1:30 LT) flux obs. The GEO derived cloud properties are utilized for narrowband to broadband and angular directional model (ADM) algorithms. The GEO imager channels are first inter-calibrated to the Aqua-MODIS C6.1 calibration reference to ensure that the retrieved clouds and fluxes will be consistent. The CERES project has a 2-month latency, all GEO, MODIS and VIIRS calibration anomalies must be identified and mitigated. Convert the monthly GEO ray-matching algorithm into a daily monitoring algorithm to catch any daily calibration anomalies.

geostationary sensor calibration↗

Search for exact local Hamiltonians for general fractional quantum Hall states

We report on our systematic attempts at finding local interactions for which the lowest-Landau- level projected composite-fermion wave functions are the unique zero energy ground states. For this purpose, we study in detail the simplest non-trivial system beyond the Laughlin states, namely bosons at filling factor ν = 2/3 and identify local constraints among clusters of particles in the ground state. By explicit calculation, we show that no Hamiltonian up to (and including) four particle in- teractions produces this state as the exact ground state, and speculate that this remains true even when interaction terms involving greater number of particles are included. Surprisingly, we can iden- tify an interaction, which imposes an energetic penalty for a specific entangled configuration of four particles with relative angular momentum of 6h, that produces a unique zero energy solution (as we have confirmed for up to 12 particles). This state, referred to as the λ-state, is not identical to the projected composite-fermion state, but the following facts suggest that the two might be topologi- cally equivalent: the two sates have a high overlap; they have the same root partition; the quantum numbers for their neutral excitations are identical; and the quantum numbers for the quasiparticle excitations also match. On the quasihole side, we find that even though the quantum numbers of the lowest energy states agree with the prediction from the composite-fermion theory, these states are not separated from the others by a clearly identifiable gap. This prevents us from making a conclusive claim regarding the topological equivalence of the λ state and the composite-fermion state. Lastly, our study illustrates how new candidate states can be identified from constraining selected many particle configurations and it would be interesting to pursue their topological classification.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Extending accurate spectral induced polarization measurements into the kHz range: modelling and removal of errors from interactions between the parasitic capacitive coupling and the sample holder

SUMMARY Spectral induced polarization (SIP), describing the measurement of the frequency domain electrical impedance magnitude and phase of porous materials, has been widely used to characterize subsurface hydrological/biogeochemical properties and processes. SIP data collected at frequencies higher than 100 Hz are expected to describe the polarization of small particles providing insights into the physicochemical properties of clays, nanoparticles and microorganisms. However, the phase measurements at these high frequencies are often contaminated by errors due to the parasitic capacitive coupling of the SIP instrument, especially for lower conductivity samples. We developed a model showing the measured phase is the sum of the true sample phase and an error term ωCinZx, where ω is the angular frequency; Cin is the instrument input capacitance and Zx is a measurable impedance function related to the sample holder properties and the reference resistor. Based on this model, a new phase correction method is proposed that results in highly accurate SIP data up to 20 kHz as well as the determination of Cin. We tested the correction method using electric circuits, NaCl fluids and three unconsolidated samples (sand, sand-clay and sand-pyrite mixtures). The corrected phase for the circuit and NaCl fluid experiments showed excellent agreement with the theoretical phase response across the studied frequency range (errors <1 mrad). For unconsolidated samples, removal of errors results in phase spectra more consistent with expected polarization mechanisms, as based on phase peaks recorded for small pyrite and clay particles at high frequencies. These phase peaks could not be identified in the uncorrected data. Our approach can substantially enhance the value of the SIP method for the characterization of fine-grained sediments and rocks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Dielectron production in Ar + KCl collisions at 1.76A GeV

We present results on dielectron production in {sup 40}Ar+KCl collisions at 1.76A GeV. For the first time {omega} mesons could be reconstructed in a heavy-ion reaction at a bombarding energy which is well below the production threshold in free nucleon-nucleon collisions. The {omega} multiplicity has been extracted and compared to the yields of other particles, in particular of the {phi} meson. At intermediate e{sup +}e{sup -} invariant masses, we find a strong enhancement of the pair yield over a reference spectrum from elementary nucleon-nucleon reactions, suggesting the onset of nontrivial effects of the nuclear medium. Transverse-mass spectra and angular distributions have been reconstructed in three invariant mass bins. In the former unexpectedly large slopes are found for high-mass pairs. The latter, in particular the helicity-angle distributions, are largely consistent with expectations for a pair cocktail dominated at intermediate masses by {Delta} Dalitz decays.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Pattern Effects of Soil on Photovoltaic Surfaces

The texture or patterning of soil on PV surfaces may influence light capture at various angles of incidence (AOI). Accumulated soil can be considered a microshading element, which changes with respect to AOI. Laboratory deposition of simulated soil was used to prepare test coupons for simultaneous AOI and soiling loss experiments. A mixed solvent deposition technique was used to consistently deposit patterned test soils onto glass slides. Transmission decreased as soil loading and AOI increased. Dense aggregates significantly decreased transmission. But, highly dispersed particles are less prone to secondary scattering, improving overall light collection. In order to test AOI losses on relevant systems, uniform simulated soil coatings were applied to split reference cells to further examine this effect. Finally, the measured optical transmission and area coverage correlated closely to the observed $I_{{rm SC}}$. Angular losses were significant at angles as low as 25°.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Angularly resolved photoionization dynamics in atoms and molecules combining temporally and spectrally resolved experiments at ATTOLab and Synchrotron SOLEIL

We report results for XUV-IR two-photon ionization of Ar, Ne, NO, and O2, where an XUV attosecond pulse train is superimposed with a synchronized IR pulse, obtained at the ATTOLab laser facility using electron–ion coincidence 3D momentum spectroscopy. Temporally resolved photoelectron angular distributions providing angle-resolved time-delays for np ionization of Ar and Ne, achieved by reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions through a unified formalism (Joseph et al. in J Phys B At Mol Opt Phys 53:184007, 2020), are summarized. For inner valence XUV-IR dissociative photoionization of NO and O2 molecules, we report electron–ion kinetic energy correlation diagrams and disentangle the dissociative photoionization processes relying on parallel XUV experiments at Synchrotron SOLEIL. For ionization into the NO+(c3Π) ionic state, extending the formalism developed for single-photon ionization, we focus on photoelectron angular distributions averaged on the delay between the XUV and the IR field in the field frame, molecular frame, and electron frame of reference.

Joseph, J↗

Space-time relationships in the UV markings on Venus

A group of geometrically rectified composite pictures taken with the Mariner 10 television cameras is presented which shows the temporal development of UV markings at various locations on Venus over the last seven days of the television experiment. The pictures are of two types: one in which the development of a marking is followed in a reference frame that moves with the apparent motion of the atmosphere and a second in which the development of the markings at fixed angular distances from the subsolar meridian can be seen. By comparing these composites with Mercator projections of single Mariner frames, it is shown that: (1) large-scale markings between + and - 45 deg latitude have lifetimes in excess of four days and move en masse with the apparent motion at the equator; (2) smaller-scale markings have lifetimes between 1.5 and 4 days; (3) the polar ring, bowlike waves, circumequatorial belts, and cellular features all exhibit rapid growth, modulation, or propagation characteristics; and (4) a single dark horizontal Y-shaped marking encircles the planet. It is suggested that both the Y and the polar ring are visible manifestations of propagating waves.

Belton, M. J. S.↗

Alignment Cube with One Diffractive Face

An enhanced alignment cube has been invented for use in a confined setting (e.g., a cryogenic chamber) in which optical access may be limited to a single line of sight. Whereas traditional alignment-cube practice entails the use of two theodolites aimed along two lines of sight, the enhanced alignment cube yields complete alignment information through use of a single theodolite aimed along a single line of sight. Typically, an alignment cube is placed in contact with a datum surface or other reference feature on a scientific instrument during assembly or testing of the instrument. The alignment cube is then used in measuring a small angular deviation of the feature from a precise required orientation. Commonly, the deviation is expressed in terms of rotations (Rx,Ry,Rz) of the cube about the corresponding Cartesian axes (x,y,z). In traditional practice, in order to measure all three rotations, it is necessary to use two theodolites aimed at two orthogonal faces of the alignment cube, as shown in the upper part of the figure. To be able to perform such a measurement, one needs optical access to these two faces. In the case of an alignment cube inside a cryogenic chamber or other enclosed space, the optical-access requirement translates to a requirement for two windows located along the corresponding two orthogonal lines of sight into the chamber. In a typical application, it is difficult or impossible to provide two windows. The present enhanced version of the alignment cube makes it possible to measure all three rotations by use of a single line of sight, thereby obviating a second window.

Ohl, Raymond G.↗

Whole-core comet solutions to a 3-dimensional PWR benchmark problem with gadolinium

A pressurized water reactor (PWR) benchmark problem with gadolinium was used to determine the accuracy and computational efficiency of the coarse mesh radiation transport method COMET. The benchmark problem contains 193 square fuel assemblies. The COMET solution (eigenvalue, assembly averaged and fuel pin averaged fission density distributions) was compared with those obtained from the corresponding Monte Carlo reference solution using the same 2-group material cross section library. The comparison showed that both the core eigenvalue and fission density distribution averaged over each assembly and fuel pin predicated by COMET agree very well with the corresponding MCNP reference solution if the incident flux response expansion used in COMET is truncated at 2nd order in the two spatial and the two angular variables. The benchmark calculations indicate that COMET has Monte Carlo accuracy. In, particular, the eigenvalue difference between the codes ranged from 17 pcm to 35 pcm, being within 2 standard deviations of the calculational uncertainty. The mean flux weighted relative differences in the assembly and fuel pin fission densities were 0.47% and 0.65%, respectively. It was also found that COMET's full (whole) core computational speed is 30,000 times faster than MCNP in which only 1/8 of the core is modeled. It is estimated that COMET would have been about over 6 orders of magnitude faster than MCNP if the full core were also modeled in MCNP. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Correlations between jets and charged particles in PbPb and pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $ TeV

The quark-gluon plasma is studied via medium-induced changes to correlations between jets and charged particles in PbPb collisions compared to pp reference data. This analysis uses data sets from PbPb and pp collisions with integrated luminosities of 166 μb –1 and 5.3 pb –1 , respectively, collected at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV. The angular distributions of charged particles are studied as a function of relative pseudorapidity (Δη) and relative azimuthal angle (ΔΦ) with respect to reconstructed jet directions. Charged particles are correlated with all jets with transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}$) above 120 GeV, and with the leading and subleading jets (the highest and second-highest in $p_{\mathrm{T}}$, respectively) in a selection of back-to-back dijet events. Modifications in PbPb data relative to pp reference data are characterized as a function of PbPb collision centrality and charged particle $p_{\mathrm{T}}$. A centrality-dependent excess of low-$p_{\mathrm{T}}$ particles is present for all jets studied, and is most pronounced in the most central events. This excess of low-$p_{\mathrm{T}}$ particles follows a Gaussian-like distribution around the jet axis, and extends to large relative angles of Δη ≈ 1 and ΔΦ ≈ 1.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗