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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 235 records · Page 13

Nonequilibrium in a low power arcjet nozzle

Emission spectroscopy measurements were made of the plasma flow inside the nozzle of a 1-kW-class arcjet thruster. The thruster propellant was a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture used to simulate fully decomposed hydrazine. Atomic electron-excitation, vibrational, and rotational temperatures were determined for the expanding plasma using relative line intensity techniques. The atomic excitation temperature decreased from 18,000 K at a location 3 mm downstream of the constrictor to 9000 K at a location 9 mm from the constrictor, while the molecular vibrational and rotational temperatures decreased from 6500 K to 2500 K and from 8000 K to 3000 K, respectively, between the same locations. The electron density, measured using hydrogen H-beta line Stark broadening, decreased from about 10 to the 15th cu cm to about 2 x 10 to the 14th cu cm during the expansion. The results show that the plasma is highly nonequilibrium throughout the nozzle, with most relaxation times equal or exceeding the particle residence time.

Myers, Roger M.↗

Rotational excitation of hydrogen molecules by collisions with hydrogen atoms

Rate constants for rotational excitation of hydrogen molecules by collisions with hydrogen atoms have been obtained from quantum-mechanical calculations for kinetic temperatures between 100 and 5000 K. These calculations involve the rigid-rotator approximation, but other possible sources of error should be small. The calculations indicate that the early values of Nishimura are larger than accurate rigid-rotator values by about a factor of 20 or more.

Green, S.↗

Electronic excitation and quenching of atoms at insulator surfaces

A trajectory-based semiclassical method is used to study electronically inelastic collisions of gas atoms with insulator surfaces. The method provides for quantum-mechanical treatment of the internal electronic dynamics of a localized region involving the gas/surface collision, and a classical treatment of all the nuclear degrees of freedom (self-consistently and in terms of stochastic trajectories), and includes accurate simulation of the bath-temperature effects. The method is easy to implement and has a generality that holds promise for many practical applications. The problem of electronically inelastic dynamics is solved by computing a set of stochastic trajectories that on thermal averaging directly provide electronic transition probabilities at a given temperature. The theory is illustrated by a simple model of a two-state gas/surface interaction.

Swaminathan, P. K.↗

Studies for the Loss of Atomic and Molecular Species from Io

Updated neutral emission rates for electron impact excitation of atomic oxygen and sulfur based upon the Collisional Radiative Equilibrium (COREQ) model have been incorporated in the neutral cloud models. An empirical model for the Io plasma torus wake has also been added in the neutral cloud model to describe important enhancements in the neutral emission rates and lifetime rates in this spatial region. New insights into Io's atmosphere and its interaction with the plasma torus are discussed. These insights are based upon an initial comparison of simultaneous lo observations on October 14, 1997, for [0I] 6300 Angstrom emissions acquired by groundbased facilities and several ultraviolet emissions acquired by HST/STIS in the form of high-spatial- resolution images for atomic oxygen and sulfur.

Smyth, William H.↗

Penning type of ionizing energy transfer collisions in a Hg-Ar discharge detected by the optogalvanic effect

The temporal evolution of the optogalvanic signals has been investigated in detail in a Hg-argon discharge by irradiating it with an excimer pumped dye laser. The signals at 4510.7, 4596 and 4628.4 A exhibited anomalous behavior. Analysis of the data revealed that the excited Ar and Hg atoms respectively in the 1P1 and 3P1 states participated in energy transfer collisions, causing atomic mercury to excite to an ionized energy state, while simultaneously the argon atom relaxes to its ground state.

Reddy, B. R.↗

Observation of a Rydberg series of CO in the two-electron excited region

Using synchrotron radiation as a continuum background, the absorption spectrum of CO in the 380-470 A range was taken by using a double ion chamber. A Rydberg series in the 450 A (27.5 eV) region has been observed to converge to the F 2Pi, a two-electron excited state of CO(+). The series limit determined at 28.11 eV is in excellent agreement with the vertical ionization potential of the F 2Pi state measured by the high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy. A few dissociation processes leading to the productions of atomic ions and excited atomic fragments are also discussed.

Wu, C. Y. R.↗

Rocket observations of the extreme ultraviolet dayglow.

The ultraviolet dayglow in the wavelength region 750-1050 A was investigated over the altitude range 100-800 km using a thin film filter photometer. From the airglow spectrum obtained by Carruthers and Page, one of the dominant features in this wavelength range is OII 834 A. It is pointed out that the major excitation mechanism for this transition is photoionization excitation of atomic oxygen. Solution of the radiative transfer problem for this excitation process shows good agreement with the observed dayglow in the 300-800 km region. At lower altitudes additional componets are present and are interpreted as the N2, OI and possibly HI emissions observed by Carruthers and Page.

Carlson, R. W.↗