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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Simulation of wave propagation in three-dimensional random media

Quantitative error analysis for simulation of wave propagation in three dimensional random media assuming narrow angular scattering are presented for the plane wave and spherical wave geometry. This includes the errors resulting from finite grid size, finite simulation dimensions, and the separation of the two-dimensional screens along the propagation direction. Simple error scalings are determined for power-law spectra of the random refractive index of the media. The effects of a finite inner scale are also considered. The spatial spectra of the intensity errors are calculated and compared to the spatial spectra of intensity. The numerical requirements for a simulation of given accuracy are determined for realizations of the field. The numerical requirements for accurate estimation of higher moments of the field are less stringent.

Coles, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Consequences of using nonlinear particle trajectories to compute spatial diffusion coefficients

In a study of cosmic ray propagation in interstellar and interplanetary space, a perturbed orbit resonant scattering theory for pitch angle diffusion in a slab model of magnetostatic turbulence is slightly generalized and used to compute the diffusion coefficient for spatial propagation parallel to the mean magnetic field. This diffusion coefficient has been useful for describing the solar modulation of the galactic cosmic rays, and for explaining the diffusive phase in solar flares in which the initial anisotropy of the particle distribution decays to isotropy.

Goldstein, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Generation of large scale field-aligned density irregularities in ionospheric heating experiments

Threshold and growth rate for stimulated Brillouin scattering are calculated for a uniform magnetoplasma. These are then compared with the threshold and growth rate of a new thermal instability in which the nonlinear Lorentz force felt by the electrons at the beat frequency of the two electromagnetic waves is replaced by a pressure force due to differential heating in the interference pattern of the pump wave and the generated electromagnetic wave. This thermal instability, which is still essentially stimulated Brillouin scattering, has a threshold which is especially low when the propagation vector of the beat wave is almost normal to the magnetic field. The threshold is then considerably lower than the threshold for normal stimulated Brillouin scattering and therefore this new instability is probably responsible for the generation of large scale field aligned irregularities and ionospheric spread F.

Fejer, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Note on the forward-scatter approximation

An asymptotic expansion in inverse powers of the wave number is derived for an integral of a type often encountered in the theory of wave propagation in inhomogeneous media. The procedure, which is essentially a forward-scatter approximation, yields all the terms of the expansion. In contrast, the conventional forward-scatter approximation is found to yield correctly only the first term of the expansion.

Wenzel, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Radio Wave Propagation Handbook for Communication on and Around Mars

This handbook examines the effects of the Martian environment on radio wave propagation on Mars and in the space near the planet. The environmental effects include these from the Martian atmosphere, ionosphere, global dust storms, aerosols, clouds, and geomorphologic features. Relevant Martian environmental parameters were extracted from the measurements of Mars missions during the past 30 years, especially from Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor. The results derived from measurements and analyses have been reviewed through an extensive literature search. The updated parameters have been theoretically analyzed to study their effects on radio propagation. This handbook also provides basic information about the entire telecommunications environment on and around Mars for propagation researchers, system engineers, and link analysts. Based on these original analyses, some important recommendations have been made, including the use of the Martian ionosphere as a reflector for Mars global or trans-horizon communication between future Martian colonies, reducing dust storm scattering effects, etc. These results have extended our wave propagation knowledge to a planet other than Earth; and the tables, models, and graphics included in this handbook will benefit telecommunication system engineers and scientific researchers.

Ho, Christian↗
NASA NTRS1987

Noise propagation from a four-engine, propeller-driven airplane

A flight experiment was conducted to investigate the propagation of periodic low-frequency noise from a propeller-driven airplane. The test airplane was a large four-engine, propeller-driven airplane flown at altitudes from 15 to 500 m over the end of an 1800-m-long, 22-element microphone array. The acoustic data were reduced by a one-third octave-band analysis. The primary propagation quantities computed were lateral attenuation and ground effects, both of which become significant at shallow elevation angles. Scatter in the measured results largely obscured the physics of the low-frequency noise propagation. Variability of the noise source, up to 9.5 dB over a 2-sec interval, was the major contributor to the data scatter. The microphones mounted at ground level produced more consistent results with less scatter than those mounted 1.2 m above ground. The ground noise levels were found to be greater on the port side than on the starboard side.

Willshire, William L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Microwave Dielectric and Propagation Properties of Vegetation Canopies

A vegetation canopy is a highly inhomogeneous medium at microwave frequencies, and because the scattering elements (leaves, stalks, fruits, and branches) have a nonuniform distribution in orientation, the canopy is likely to exhibit nonisotropic attenuation properties. In some canopies, the stalk may contain the overwhelming majority of the plant's biomass, which suggests that an incident radar wave would be differentially attenuated by the canopy depending on the direction of the incident electric field relative to the stalks' orientation. The propagation properties of a vegetation canopy play a central role in modeling both the backscattering behavior observed by an imaging radar and the emission observed by a radiometer. These propagation properties are in turn governed by the dielectric properties and the size, shape, and slope distributions of the scatteres. In spite of the critical need for canopy propagation models and experimental data, very few investigations had been conducted (prior to this study) to determine the extinction properties of vegetation canopies, either by constituent type (leaves, stalks, etc.) or as a whole.

Ulaby, F. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The effect of dissipative inhomogeneous medium on the statistics of the wave intensity

One of the main theoretical points in the theory of wave propagation in random medium is the derivation of closed form equations to describe the statistics of the propagating waves. In particular, in one dimensional problems, the closed form representation of the multiple scattering effects is important since it contributes in understanding such problems like wave localization, backscattering enhancement, and intensity fluctuations. In this the propagation of plane waves in a layer of one-dimensional dissipative random medium is considered. The medium is modeled by a complex permittivity whose real part is a constant representing the absorption. The one dimensional problem is mathematically equivalent to the analysis of a transmission line with randomly perturbed distributed parameters and a single mode lossy waveguide and the results can be used to study the propagation of radio waves through atmosphere and the remote sensing of geophysical media. It is assumed the scattering medium consists of an ensemble of one-dimensional point scatterers randomly positioned in a layer of thickness L with diffuse boundaries. A Poisson impulse process with density lambda is used to model the position of scatterers in the medium. By employing the Markov properties of this process an exact closed form equation of Kolmogorov-Feller type was obtained for the probability density of the reflection coefficient. This equation was solved by combining two limiting cases: (1) when the density of scatterers is small; and (2) when the medium is weakly dissipative. A two variable perturbation method for small lambda was used to obtain solutions valid for thick layers. These solutions are then asymptotically evaluated for small dissipation. To show the effect of dissipation, the mean and fluctuations of the reflected power are obtained. The results were compared with a lossy homogeneous medium and with a lossless inhomogeneous medium and the regions where the effect of absorption is not essential were discussed.

Saatchi, Sasan S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Impulsive 2-10 keV solar electron events not associated with flares

Data from the ISEE 3 satellite reveal a class of impulsive solar electron events with no measurable increase in flux above 10-20 keV. The flux histories and angular distributions indicate that the electrons propagate through interplanetary space with little or no scattering. The smooth extension of the power-law energy spectra down to the limit of the observations at 2 keV indicates that the electrons are accelerated at altitudes greater than 0.5 solar radii in the solar corona. Although these events occur more frequently than any other type of impulsive solar particle event observed, no correlation is found with flares or flare-related activity. However, there is a close correlation with low-frequency type III radio bursts.

Potter, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The damping of seismic waves and its determination from reflection seismograms

The damping in theoretical waveforms is described phenomenologically and a classification is proposed. A method for studying the Earth's crust was developed which includes this damping as derived from reflection seismograms. Seismic wave propagation by absorption, attenuation of seismic waves by scattering, and dispersion relations are considered. Absorption of seismic waves within the Earth as well as reflection and transmission of elastic waves seen through boundary layer absorption are also discussed.

Engelhard, L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

High resolution Cherenkov detectors for cosmic ray isotope experiment

Cerenkov detectors are used to measure the velocity of particles in configurations designed to study the isotopic composition of galactic cosmic rays. The geometrical properties of the detector are outlined. Monte-Carlo simulations of photon propagation in a diffusive detector were undertaken. The scattering properties of diffusively reflecting white paint and of surface treatments for the radiator material were measured. It is found that the absorption of light in the radiator is an important light loss mechanism. The simulations are used to find optimal mapping techniques and data reduction strategies. The application of these techniques are discussed with respect to the large area isotopic composition experiment (ALICE) Cerenkov detector.

Acharya, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Ultrasonic Phased-Array Characterization for NDE Applications

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) recently fabricated and delivered the 100-channel Ultrasonic Phased-Array Testbed System (UPATS) for NASA's Langley Research Center. NASA prepared the specifications and provided the funding to develop UPATS in order to provide a tool for the improvement of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and characterization of materials. UPATS incorporates state-of-the-art phased-array concepts such as beam steering, focusing, apodization, and phase-sensitive detection which make it possible to develop more sophisticated testing methodologies. It also can be used to investigate fundamental ultrasonic propagation and detection phenomena such as refraction, diffraction, scattering, and beam broadening.

Hanley, John J.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Computational Non-Destructive Evaluation Improving Ultrasonic Interrogation of Complex Geometry Composite Parts

Finite element simulation was employed in modeling the ultrasound (UT) pressure pulse propagation through a coupled liquid-composite medium to reproduce experimental data. From the simulation point of view, the proposed approach is challenging when there is a large simulation domain. For example, it is shown that a sub-micron wavelength of an ultrasonic wave requires a mesh size of several microns and this in turn requires significant computational resources, as well as special care in modeling. Some of the simulation results are presented considering that such modeling should reproduce experimental data for a healthy and faulty composite structure with complex geometry. Many possible experimental setups are simulated to demonstrate the non-destructive testing technique. This setup includes the generation of pressure pulse propagating through the tested composite plate and possible scattering by discontinuities (area of different impedance) that may be present in the panel. This scattered pulse together with the baseline pressure pulse generates a signature on the probe element which can be used to locate the position of defects in the structures.

modeling↗
NASA NTRS2020

SCoBi Multilayer: A Signals of Opportunity Reflectometry Model for Multilayer Dielectric Reflections

A multilayer module is incorporated into the Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) Coherent Bistatic Scattering model (SCoBi) for determining the reflections and propagation of electric fields within a series of multilayer dielectric slabs. This module can be used in conjunction with other SCoBi components to simulate complex, bistatic simulation schemes that include features such as surface roughness, vegetation, antenna effects, and multilayer soil moisture interactions on reflected signals. This paper introduces the physics underlying the multilayer module and utilizes it to perform a simulation study of the response of SoOp-R measurements with respect to subsurface soil moisture parameters. For a frequency range of 100–2400 MHz, it is seen that the SoOp-R response to a single dielectric slab is mostly frequency insensitive; however, the SoOp-R response to multilayer dielectric slabs will vary between frequencies. The relationship between SoOp-R reflectivity and the contributing depth is visualized, and the results show that SoOp-R measurements can display sensitivity to soil moisture below the penetration depth. By simulation of simple soil moisture profiles with different wetting and drying gradients, the dielectric contrast between layers is shown to be the greatest contributing factor to subsurface soil moisture sensitivity. Overall, it is observed that different frequencies can sense different areas of a soil moisture profile, and this behavior can enable subsurface soil moisture data products from SoOp-R observations.

Dylan Boyd↗
NASA NTRS1991

Atmospheric Propagation

Reviewed here is the current state of knowledge with respect to each basic mechanism of sound propagation in the atmosphere and how each mechanism changes the spectral or temporal characteristics of the sound received at a distance from the source. Some of the basic processes affecting sound wave propagation which are present in any situation are discussed. They are geometrical spreading, molecular absorption, and turbulent scattering. In geometrical spreading, sound levels decrease with increasing distance from the source; there is no frequency dependence. In molecular absorption, sound energy is converted into heat as the sound wave propagates through the air; there is a strong dependence on frequency. In turbulent scattering, local variations in wind velocity and temperature induce fluctuations in phase and amplitude of the sound waves as they propagate through an inhomogeneous medium; there is a moderate dependence on frequency.

Embleton, Tony F. W.↗