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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

On the use of measured time delays in gravitational lenses to determine the Hubble constant

Gravitational lenses are rare in the known samples of quasars, indicating that the conditions involved in their formation are unusual. In particular, the distribution of matter along the light rays from the observer through the deflector to the quasar may be very different from mean conditions. It is shown that reasonable deviations in the density of matter along the beams can significantly alter the relationship between time delays and the Hubble constant, and it is concluded that gravitational lenses are not promising estimators of this constant. However, should an independent, precise determination of the Hubble constant become available, gravitational lenses could be used to probe long-range density fluctuations.

Alcock, C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

General theory of the transverse dielectric constant of III-V semiconducting compounds

A general model of the transverse dielectric constant of III-V compounds is developed using a hybrid method which combines the kp method with a nonlocal pseudopotential calculation. In this method the Brillouin zone is partitioned into three regions by expanding the energy bands and matrix elements about the F, X, and L symmetry points. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant are calculated as a sum of the individual contributions of each region. By using this partition method, it is possible to get good insight into the dependence of the dielectric constant on the shape of the band structure.

Kahen, K. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A statistical model to estimate refractivity turbulence structure constant C sub n sup 2 in the free atmosphere

A computer program has been tested and documented (Warnock and VanZandt, 1985) that estimates mean values of the refractivity turbulence structure constant in the stable free atmosphere from standard National Weather Service balloon data or an equivalent data set. The program is based on the statistical model for the occurrence of turbulence developed by VanZandt et al. (1981). Height profiles of the estimated refractivity turbulence structure constant agree well with profiles measured by the Sunset radar with a height resolution of about 1 km. The program also estimates the energy dissipation rate (epsilon), but because of the lack of suitable observations of epsilon, the model for epsilon has not yet been evaluated sufficiently to be used in routine applications. Vertical profiles of the refractivity turbulence structure constant were compared with profiles measured by both radar and optical remote sensors and good agreement was found. However, at times the scintillometer measurements were less than both the radar and model values.

Warnock, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Acoustoelastic constants in dilute two-phase alloys

Acoustoelastic constants are calculated for two-phase alloys containing dilute concentrations of precipitates in a solid-solution matrix, on the basis of a model in which the precipitates are represented as a dilute elastic suspension of spherical particle inclusions in an infinite matrix. The longitudinal propagation velocity in the alloy is thereby obtained in terms of the precipitates' concentration and the elastic moduli of the two phases. Results are presented which indicate that the acoustoelastic constant of longitudinal waves in a dilute two-phase alloy varies linearly with the concentration of second-phase precipitates, in agreement with recent measurements in aluminum and steel alloys where the acoustoelastic constants changed linearly with the second phase's volume fraction.

Salama, K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Rate constant for the reaction SO + BrO yields SO2 + Br

The rate of the radical-radical reaction SO + BrO yields SO2 + Br has been determined at 298 K in a discharge flow system near 1 torr pressure with detection of SO and BrO via collision-free sampling mass spectrometry. The rate constant was determined using two different methods: measuring the decay of SO radicals in the presence of an excess of BrO and measuring the decay of BrO radicals in excess SO. The results from the two methods are in reasonable agreement and the simple mean of the two values gives the recommended rate constant at 298 K, k = (5.7 + or - 2.0) x 10 to the -11th cu cm/s. This represents the first determination of this rate constant and it is consistent with a previously derived lower limit based on SO2 formation. Comparison is made with other radical-radical reactions involving SO or BrO. The reaction SO + BrO yields SO2 + Br is of interest for models of the upper atmosphere of the earth and provides a potential coupling between atmospheric sulfur and bromine chemistry.

Brunning, J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Effective propagation constants in dense random media under effective medium approximation

The effective medium approximation is applied to study the effective propagation constants in a dense random medium. The dyadic Green's function is introduced to establish the effective medium approximation formalism for electromagnetic waves. The multiple scattering equations and the Lippmann-Schwinger equations for the transition operator are obtained in the configuration average form. The dispersion equations of multiple scattering is derived by using a standard method in quantum mechanics. To obtain an expression for the effective propagation constants the matrix elements of the configuration average dyadic transiton operator are calculated in momentum representation. Numerical illustations are carried out to demonstrate the difference in the effective propagation constants between the use of this approximation and the well-known quasi-crystalline approximation. A comparison is made with measured loss tangent in dry snow.

Zhu, P. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Optimal plane change during constant altitude hypersonic flight

Future spacecraft operating in the vicinity of the earth may have resort to the atmosphere as an aid in effecting orbital change. While a previous treatment of this technique chose constant altitude, speed, and angle-of-attack values in order to maximize the plane change for a fixed amount of propellant consumption during hypersonic flight, the former two parameters are presently released from the constraint of constancy. The general characteristics of the optimal controls are described on the basis of the domain of maneuverability, and numerical solutions are obtained for several specific cases. Under the condition of constant-altitude flight, it is generally not optimal to fly at constant angle-of-attack.

Mease, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Technique for measuring the dielectric constant of thin materials

A practical technique for measuring the dielectric constant of vegetation leaves and similarly thin materials is presented. A rectangular section of the leaf is placed in the tranverse plane in a rectangular waveguide and the magnitude and phase of the reflection coefficient are measured over the desired frequency band using a vector network analyzer. By treating the leaf as an infinitesimally thin resistive sheet, an explicit expression for its dielectric constant is obtained in terms of the reflection coefficient. Because of the thin-sheet approximation, however, this approach is valid only at frequencies below 1.5 GHz. To extend the technique to higher frequencies, higher order approximations are derived and their accuracies are compared to the exact dielectric-slab solution. For a material whose thickness is 0.5 mm or less, the proposed technique was found to provide accurate values of its dielectric constant up to frequencies of 12 GHz or higher. The technique was used to measure the 8 to 12 GHz dielectric spectrum for vegetation leaves, teflon and rock samples.

Sarabandi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Long-crack growth rate data: Constant amplitude and FALSTAFF loading

This annex describes test procedures and presents the results from the tests for conventional, long-crack growth rate data. These data were used for comparisons with the short-crack growth rate data. Data were generated in tests with constant stress ratio load sequences (R = -2, -1, 0, and 0.5) and with the FALSTAFF load sequence. Results for long-crack tests with the Gaussian load sequence are discussed. The constant stress ratio tests included decreasing, increasing, and constant load amplitude sequences. All cracks exceeded 6 mm in length when data were taken. All tests were conducted on center-cracked specimens of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy sheet taken from a large stock of this material held at the NASA Langley Research Center for fatigue research programs. The baseline long-crack growth rate data for this AGARD program were generated using 50 mm wide, center-cracked specimens which were cut from some of the same sheets that were used to make the edge-notched, short-crack specimens. At growth rates below about 10 to the -5 mm/cycle, the baseline data were supplemented by data generated using 76 mm wide specimens made from sheets other than those used for the short-crack program. At growth rates above about 10 to the -5 mm/cycle, the baseline data were supplemented by data generated using 305 mm wide specimens made from sheets other than those used for the other two specimen sizes. The results from the 305 mm specimens were published in 1969. All specimen configurations are shown.

Phillips, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The determination of the propagation constant for the traveling wave in an infinite ground plane

The propagation constant for the traveling wave in a trough in an infinite ground plane is examined. The null-field integral is used to determine the EM field in the trough structure, and pulse basis functions give the distribution of the aperture fields. From this, the propagation constant is solved for, using the Newton-Raphson iterative scheme. Various sizes of geometries are examined. The far-field patterns are calculated and compared with other solutions, thereby validating the integral formulation which subsequently provided the propagation constant. Measurements of two trough geometries are performed to validate the theoretical results.

Shamansky, Harry T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Comparison of experimental and calculated attachment rate constants for CFCl3 and CCl4 in the temperature range 294-500 K

Electron-attachment cross sections and rate constants have been measured and calculated for the dissociative attachment processes e + CFCl3 - Cl(-) + CFCl2 and e + CCl4 - Cl(-) + CCl3. Good agreement over the electron-energy range 1-200 meV is found in energy dependence between present calculated cross sections and experimental cross sections at 300 K. The same calculation, with suitable adjustment of thermal populations, was used to calculate electron-attachment rate constants in the range 50-600 K. Experimental rate constants for CFCl3 and CCl4 were measured at temperatures of 294, 404, and 496 K (CFCl3) and 294, 400, and 500 K (CCl4) using the Cavalleri electron-density sampling method. Good agreement is found between present measurements and calculations, poor agreement with flowing-afterglow Langmuir-probe (FALP) data in CFCl3 at the higher temperatures, and reasonable agreement with FALP data for CCl4.

Orient, O. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Spectral evolution and cascade constant of solar wind Alfvenic turbulence

The theoretical model of Tu (1988) for the turbulent evolution of solar wind fluctuations assumed the constancy of the ratio alpha(1) between the energy in inward and outward propagating Alfven waves. Here, this model is extended to reflect the observed evolution in the propagation directions of the interplanetary fluctuations. The radial dependence of alpha(1) is determined by direct time domain correlations of the normalized cross helicity. The theoretical results match the observations at least as well as those of the previous, constant alpha(1), model. Measured values of alpha(1) are then used to find the value of the cascade constant that determines the overall level of the energy spectrum. The value of 1.25 for this constant is very close to the value observed in fluid turbulence if it is assumed that the correspondence between fluid and magnetofluid theories should be made for uncorrelated (zero cross helicity) MHD turbulence.

Tu, Chuan-Yi↗
NASA NTRS1990

Solar constant secular changes

A recent model for solar constant secular changes is used to calculate a 'proxy' solar constant for: (1) the past four centuries, based upon the sunspot record, (2) the past nine centuries, based upon C-14 observations and their relation to solar activity, and (3) the next decade, based upon a dynamo theory model for the solar cycle. The proxy solar constant data is tabulated as it may be useful for climate modelers studying global climate changes.

Schatten, Kenneth H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Constant-dispersion grism spectrometer for channeled spectra

A new spectrometer design is presented in which the angular dispersion with respect to wave number is nearly constant. The spectrometer is a type of grism, a series combination of grating and prism, in which the constant parts of the dispersion terms add to one another but the slopes of the dispersions tend to cancel one another. A systematic method is presented for optimizing the grating and prism parameters. A cross-dispersion technique is presented, eliminating overlapping grating orders. A design example is given for the visible region from 0.45 to 0.80 micron with essentially constant wave-number dispersion and a peak transmission of approximately 95 percent. This grism is well suited for measuring channeled spectra as generated by an optical stellar interferometer.

Traub, Wesley A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Solar Constant Data from Earth Radiation Budget Measurements

At present, solar total irradiance measurements are made from four satellites using electrically self calibrating pyrheliometers, as a part of the earth radiation budget measurement programs. The Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) mission onboard Nimbus-7 spacecraft (Nimbus/ERB) started solar total irradiance measurements in November 1978, and is still obtaining irradiance data on every orbit, daily. The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) solar monitors onboard Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 started solar total irradiance measurements in October 1984, January 1985, and October 1986, respectively. Our knowledge of solar total irradiance and its variability has grown remarkably during the past few years, as a result of the above measurements, and the high precision data obtained from Solar Maximum Mission/Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor-1 (SMM/ACRIM-1). The results from a comparative study of the solar constant data available from the above missions are presented. The solar constant value derived from the sensors agree within the uncertainty associated with absolute pyrheliometers available at present. An attempt will be made to correlate the solar irradiance variability with other solar parameters. The measurements from Nimbus-7/ERB started November 1978, as the solar cycle 21 was increasing in activity. The solar luminosity reached a maximum in the spring of 1979. The irradiance then decreased slowly to a minimum which lasted from 1984 through 1986. The irradiance is presently increasing towards a new maximum. It appears that the solar constant value follow an eleven year cycle.

Mecherikunnel, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Derivation of mid-infrared (5-25 microns) optical constants of some silicates and palagonite

Recent reports concerning the mid-infrared reflectance properties of silicates coupled with recent observations of the Earth and other planets in the mid-infrared and the planned Thermal Emission Spectrometer scheduled as an instrument to be included on the Mars Observer all illustrate the increasing interest in the optical properties of materials in the mid-infrared and their direct application to remote sensing observations of other planetary surfaces. As the laboratory and observational data increase they will ultimately be modeled to aid in the understanding of the composition mineralogy, and distribution of the surface and atmospheric constituents on these bodies. In order to facilitate such quantitative analyses, knowledge regarding the optical constants (real (n) and imaginary (k) indices of refraction) of a wide variety of pertinent materials is required. Examples of the application of such quantitative analyses to the interpretation of Martian surface and atmospheric constituents, based on the optical constants of minerals, are presented. This study was initially conceived in order to aid in the interpretation of Martian surface and atmospheric aerosol mineralogy. As a result, the minerals included are biased toward samples which represent hydrated and hydroxylated silicates. These include the Al and Mg end members of the 1:1 layer lattice silicates, kaolinite and serpentine, respectively; an Al-bearing 2:1 layer lattice silicate, pyrophyllite; the Mg and Al smectite clays saponite and montmorillonite, respectively; and a palagonite, typically a poorly characterized alteration product of basaltic glass. The reflectivities of all samples were determined by placing them at the focus of a near-normal reflective attachment located in a Fourier transform spectrometer. To derive the optical constants of a material as a function of wavelength, researchers used the commonly employed technique of dispersion analysis.

Roush, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A measurement of the value of the Hubble constant from the X-ray properties and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect of Abell 665

A comparison of the X-ray properties and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect for a cluster of galaxies can be used to measure the distance of the cluster and hence the Hubble constant. This method was applied to the rich cluster Abell 665. The relative normalization of X-ray and SZ-effect data leads to an estimated Hubble constant of H sub 0 = 40 + or - 9 km/s Mpc if only the random errors are included. When the possible systematic errors are added in quadrature, the range of possible values of the Hubble constants expands to (40 to 50) + or - 12 km/s Mpc.

Birkinshaw, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Global Kinetic Constants for Thermal Oxidative Degradation of a Cellulosic Paper

Values of global kinetic constants for pyrolysis, thermal oxidative degradation, and char oxidation of a cellulosic paper were determined by a derivative thermal gravimetric study. The study was conducted at heating rates of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 3, and 5 C/min in ambient atmospheres of nitrogen, 0.28, 1.08, 5.2 percent oxygen concentrations, and air. Sample weight loss rate, concentrations of CO, CO2, and H2O in the degradation products, and oxygen consumption were continuously measured during the experiment. Values of activation energy, preexponential factor, orders of reaction, and yields of CO, CO2, H2O, total hydrocarbons, and char for each degradation reaction were derived from the results. Heat of reaction for each reaction was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. A comparison of the calculated CO, CO2, H2O, total hydrocarbons, sample weight loss rate, and oxygen consumption was made with the measured results using the derived kinetic constants, and the accuracy of the values of kinetic constants was discussed.

Kashiwagi, Takashi↗