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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 253 records · Page 14

Microstrip Antenna Generates Circularly Polarized Beam

Circular microstrip antenna excited with higher order transverse magnetic (TM) modes generates circularly polarized, conical radiation patterns. Found both theoretically and experimentally that peak direction of radiation pattern is varied within wide angular range by combination of mode selection and loading substrate with materials of different dielectric constants.

Huang, J.↗

Fatigue response of notched laminates subjected to tension-compression cyclic loads

The fatigue response of a ((0/45/90/-45)(sub s))(sub 4) T300-5208 graphite-epoxy laminate with a drilled center-hole subjected to various components of tensile and compressive cyclic loads was investigated. Damage evaluation techniques such as stiffness monitoring, penetrant-enhanced X-ray radiography, C-scan, laminate deply and residual strength measurement were used to establish the mechanisms of damage development as well as the effect of such damage on the laminate strength, stiffness and life. Damage modes consisted of transverse matrix cracks, initiating at the hole, in all plies, followed by delamination between plies of different orientation. A characteristic stiffness repsonse during cyclic loading at two load levels was identified and utilized a more reliable indicator of material and residual properties than accumulated cycles. For the load ratios of tension-compression loading, residual tensile strength increased significantly above the virgin strength early in the fatigue life and remained approximately constant to near the end of life. A technique developed for predicting delamination initiation sites along the hole boundary correlated well with experimental evidence.

Bakis, C. E.↗

Waves in low-beta plasmas - Slow shocks

Results from wave theory and numerical simulation of the nonlinear MHD equations are used to study the response of a conducting fluid containing an embedded magnetic field with beta less than 1 to the sudden injection of material along the field lines. It is shown that the injection produces slow shocks with configurations which are concave toward the ejecta driver. Fast-mode waves which have not steepened into the shock precede the slow shock and alter the ambient medium. When beta equals 0.1, the fast mode becomes a transverse wave for parallel propagation, while the slow wave approaches a longitudinal, or sound, wave.

Steinolfson, R. S.↗

A Fourier collocation time domain method for numerically solving Maxwell's equations

A new method for solving Maxwell's equations in the time domain for arbitrary values of permittivity, conductivity, and permeability is presented. Spatial derivatives are found by a Fourier transform method and time integration is performed using a second order, semi-implicit procedure. Electric and magnetic fields are collocated on the same grid points, rather than on interleaved points, as in the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. Numerical results are presented for the propagation of a 2-D Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) mode out of a parallel plate waveguide and into a dielectric and conducting medium.

Shebalin, John V.↗

Traveling-Wave Maser for 32 GHz

The figure depicts a traveling-wave ruby maser that has been designed (though not yet implemented in hardware) to serve as a low-noise amplifier for reception of weak radio signals in the frequency band of 31.8 to 32.3 GHz. The design offers significant improvements over previous designs of 32-GHz traveling-wave masers. In addition, relative to prior designs of 32-GHz amplifiers based on high-electron-mobility transistors, this design affords higher immunity to radio-frequency interference and lower equivalent input noise temperature. In addition to the basic frequency-band and low-noise requirements, the initial design problem included a requirement for capability of operation in a closed-cycle helium refrigerator at a temperature .4 K and a requirement that the design be mechanically simplified, relative to prior designs, in order to minimize the cost of fabrication and assembly. Previous attempts to build 32- GHz traveling-wave masers involved the use of metallic slow-wave structures comprising coupled transverse electromagnetic (TEM)-mode resonators that were subject to very tight tolerances and, hence, were expensive to fabricate and assemble. Impedance matching for coupling signals into and out of these earlier masers was very difficult. A key feature of the design is a slow-wave structure, the metallic portions of which would be mechanically relatively simple in that, unlike in prior slow-wave structures, there would be no internal metal steps, irises, or posts. The metallic portions of the slow-wave structure would consist only of two rectangular metal waveguide arms. The arms would contain sections filled with the active material (ruby) alternating with evanescent-wave sections. This structure would be transparent in both the signal-frequency band (the aforementioned range of 31.8 to 32.3 GHz) and the pump-frequency band (65.75 to 66.75 GHz), and would impose large slowing factors in both frequency bands. Resonant ferrite isolators would be placed in the evanescent-wave sections to provide reverse loss needed to suppress reverse propagation of power at the signal frequency. This design is expected to afford a large gain-bandwidth product at the signal frequency and efficient coupling of the pump power into the paramagnetic spin resonances of the ruby sections. The more efficiently the pump power could be thus coupled, the more efficiently it could be utilized and the heat load on the refrigerator correspondingly reduced.

Shell, James↗

Optimum Injector Parameters for Thermoacoustic Stability in a Multi-Nozzle Can Combustion System

Abstract High-frequency transverse instabilities are an important concern in can combustor configurations. In these configurations which are typically operated with multiple injectors around a central injector, each injector is subjected to different parts of the acoustic mode shape and thus respond differently for the same instability mode. Recent work by the author has modeled the response of premixed flames to excitation by natural high-frequency transverse modes in a can combustor both in the center and outer nozzles. The stability of these acoustically non-compact flames was assessed using the Rayleigh criterion (Rayleigh Integral denoted as RI) and not the overall unsteady heat release as is the case for compact flames. Several key control parameters were studied, namely — flame angle, swirling strength, nozzle location. For non-axisymmetric modes such as the commonly occurring 1-T mode, both radial and azimuthal offsets of the nozzle location affected stability. The framework was applied to an optimization study to identify the optimal combination of parameters that minimizes RI for the different nozzles in the multi-nozzle system. In this study, a N-around-1 configuration was studied, and the results indicated that the different nozzles needed to be operated at different flame angles and swirl numbers to result in an overall minimum RI. However, the specific response of the different injectors was not considered. The helical mode distribution at each injector varies as we azimuthally go around the combustor’s injector distribution and thus the most amplified mode and the resulting flame response would be different. To minimize RI, it is important to determine the injector configurations that result in a hydrodynamic profile that minimizes the individual RI for each nozzle. The resulting relationship between the injector’s flow and local hydrodynamics can then be used in a hydrodynamics study of an individual injector so that the most optimal injector is chosen depending on its location in the combustor dump plane.

Acharya, Vishal↗

Kinetic theory for electrostatic waves due to transverse velocity shears

A kinetic theory in the form of an integral equation is provided to study the electrostatic oscillations in a collisionless plasma immersed in a uniform magnetic field and a nonuniform transverse electric field. In the low temperature limit the dispersion differential equation is recovered for the transverse Kelvin-Helmholtz modes for arbitrary values of K parallel, where K parallel is the component of the wave vector in the direction of the external magnetic field assumed in the z direction. For higher temperatures the ion-cyclotron-like modes described earlier in the literature by Ganguli, Lee and Plamadesso are recovered. In this article, the integral equation is reduced to a second-order differential equation and a study is made of the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz and ion-cyclotron-like modes that constitute the two branches of oscillation in a magnetized plasma including a transverse inhomogeneous dc electric field.

Ganguli, G.↗

Infrared-active phonon modes in single-crystal thorium dioxide and uranium dioxide

The infrared-active phonon modes, in single-crystal samples of thorium dioxide (ThO 2 ) and uranium dioxide (UO 2 ), were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry and compared with density functional theory. Both ThO 2 and UO 2 are found to have one infrared-active phonon mode pair [consisting of one transverse optic (TO) and one associated longitudinal optic (LO) mode], which is responsible for the dominant features in the ellipsometric data. Furthermore, at room temperature, our results for the mode pair’s resonant frequencies and broadening parameters are comparable with previous reflectance spectroscopy characterizations and density functional theory predictions. For ThO 2 , our ellipsometry and density function theory results both show that the LO mode broadening parameter is larger than the TO mode broadening. This signifies mode anharmonicity, which can be attributed to the intrinsic phonon–phonon interaction. In addition to the main mode pair, a broad low-amplitude impurity-like vibrational mode pair is detected within the reststrahlen band for both ThO 2 and UO 2 . Elevated temperature measurements were performed for ThO 2 in order to study the mechanisms by which the phonon parameters evolve with increased heat. The observed change in the TO resonant frequency is in excellent agreement with previous density functional calculations, which only consider volume expansion of the crystal lattice. This suggests that the temperature-dependent change in the TO frequency is primarily due to volume expansion. The change in the main mode pair’s broadening parameters is nearly linear within the temperature range of this study, which indicates the intrinsic anharmonic scattering (via cubic anharmonicities) as the main decay mechanism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Interaction of ultra relativistic ${e}^{-}{e}^{+}$ fireball beam with plasma

Ab initio simulations of the propagation in a plasma of a soon to be available relativistic electron–positron beam or fireball beam provide an effective mean for the study of microphysics relevant to astrophysical scenarios. We show that the current filamentation instability associated with some of these scenarios reaches saturation after only 10 cm of propagation in a typical laboratory plasma with a density~1017 cm-3 . The different regimes of the instability, from the purely transverse to the mixed mode filamentation, can be accessed by varying the background plasma density. The instability generates large local plasma gradients, intense transverse magnetic fields, and enhanced emission of radiation. We suggest that these effects may be observed experimentally for the first time.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dynamically Tunable Terahertz Emission Enabled by Anomalous Optical Phonon Responses in Lead Telluride

Lead telluride (PbTe), a narrow bandgap semiconductor commonly used in infrared detectors, exhibits anomalous vibrational and structural properties, making it appealing for thermoelectrics. Despite significant fundamental interest in the microscopic origins of its unusual vibrational properties, the optical functionalities stemming from phonons and electron–phonon coupling in PbTe have not been closely investigated. This work reports measurements of terahertz (THz) radiation from a PbTe single crystal following ultrafast optical excitation and investigates IR-active phonon responses as a function of excitation fluence and temperature. We uncover a spectrally tunable THz emission peak enabled by an epsilon-near-zero response of the coupled plasmon–longitudinal optical phonon mode that can be dynamically shifted via tuning photocarrier density. Spectral tunability (Δω/ω = 25%) is significant and beyond what has been achieved by any other THz emitter. In addition, the emitted THz fields reveal signatures of a zone center transverse optical phonon anomaly and unveil a new mode at 0.3 THz that diminishes in amplitude under increasing photocarrier density. Temperature-dependent measurements suggest that the transverse-like modes at 1 and 1.5 THz are possibly of different origins. These results indicate that the unusual phononic properties in PbTe are tunable via photoexcitation and enable new optical functionalities in THz applications, such as spectrally tunable emitters and all-optical modulators.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Resonant interaction between phonons and PbTe/PbSe (001) misfit dislocation networks

Here this work aims at a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the dynamic process of the phonon-dislocation interaction in PbTe/PbSe (001) heterostructures using the Concurrent Atomistic-Continuum (CAC) method as the simulation tool. The misfit dislocation network and the atomic-scale dislocation core structure obtained in the simulations are found to agree reasonably well with the experimental observations of the PbTe/PbSe (001) interface. Through visualizing the dynamic interaction between phonons and dislocations, as well as quantifying the dislocation vibration amplitude, the phonon energy transmission, and the thermal resistance of the misfit interfaces, this work has illustrated and quantified two mechanisms for phonon-dislocation interaction: (1) phonon scattering by the strain field of dislocations, and (2) phonon scattering by dislocations that vibrate via the local modes of a dislocation network; the latter, leads to resonant phonon-dislocation interaction, which is manifested as local maxima of out-of-phase vibration of the atoms on the two sides of the slip plane, leading to local minima of the energy transmission in the heterostructure that contains one interface. The local vibrational modes are found to be excited only by shear stress induced by transverse phonons. Among various resonant modes, the one with the lowest frequency has the strongest effect. This work has also demonstrated the collective motion of dislocations under ultrafast phonon pulses. In addition, the dynamic properties of the misfit dislocation network localized within one interface are found to be significantly altered by the presence of misfit dislocations at other interfaces, thus further confirming the cooperative dynamic nature of the motion of dislocations and phonons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Real-time analysis keratometer

A computer assisted keratometer in which a fiducial line pattern reticle illuminated by CW or pulsed laser light is projected on a corneal surface through lenses, a prismoidal beamsplitter quarterwave plate, and objective optics. The reticle surface is curved as a conjugate of an ideal corneal curvature. The fiducial image reflected from the cornea undergoes a polarization shift through the quarterwave plate and beamsplitter whereby the projected and reflected beams are separated and directed orthogonally. The reflected beam fiducial pattern forms a moire pattern with a replica of the first recticle. This moire pattern contains transverse aberration due to differences in curvature between the cornea and the ideal corneal curvature. The moire pattern is analyzed in real time by computer which displays either the CW moire pattern or a pulsed mode analysis of the transverse aberration of the cornea under observation, in real time. With the eye focused on a plurality of fixation points in succession, a survey of the entire corneal topography is made and a contour map or three dimensional plot of the cornea can be made as a computer readout in addition to corneal radius and refractive power analysis.

Adachi, Iwao P.↗

High power edge-cum-surface emitting terahertz laser arrays phased locked by vacuum guided plasmon waves

Terahertz semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) are widely implemented with metallic cavities that support low-loss plasmonic optical modes at long wavelengths. However, resonant optical modes in such cavities suffer from poor radiative characteristics due to their subwavelength transverse dimensions. Consequently, single-mode terahertz QCLs with metallic cavities and large (>100 mW) output power have only been realized in the surface-emitting configuration that affords a large radiating surface. Here, we demonstrate a method to enhance radiative outcoupling from such plasmonic lasers for high-power emission in the edge-emitting (end-fire or longitudinal) direction. Single-sided plasmon waves propagating in vacuum are resonantly excited in surrounding medium of metallic cavities with the QCL semiconductor medium. The vacuum guided plasmon waves with a large wavefront phase-lock multiple metallic cavities longitudinally, which leads to intense radiation in multiple directions, including that in the longitudinal direction in a narrow single-lobed beam. The multicavity array radiates predominantly in a single spectral mode. A peak-power output of 260 mW and a slope efficiency of 303 mW/A are measured for the end-fire beam from a 3.3 THz QCL operating at 54 K in a Stirling cooler. Finally, single-mode operation and lithographic tuning across a bandwidth of ~150 GHz are demonstrated.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Coherent states of the Laguerre–Gauss modes

Large quantum photonic systems hold promise for surpassing classical computational limits, yet their state preparation remains a challenge. We propose an alternative approach to study multiparticle dynamics by mapping the excitation mode of these systems to physical properties of the Laguerre–Gauss modes. We construct coherent states establishing a direct link between excitation number dynamics and the evolution of the Laguerre–Gauss modes. This highlights the photon transverse spatial degree of freedom as a versatile platform for testing the fundamental aspects of quantum multiparticle systems.

Morales Rodríguez, M. P.↗

High Frequency Transverse Instabilities in Low NOx Gas Turbines

This program addresses the topic of combustion instabilities under the goal of developing “Low-NOx Combustion Technology for ‘Air-Breathing’ Advanced Turbines”. With recent advances in high-temperature withstanding materials, the push towards higher efficiency has resulted in efforts to design high temperature, low NOx gas turbines. The development of such low NOx systems is often plagued with combustion instabilities. These instabilities manifest with acoustic modes that are longitudinal, transverse or both. A large body of literature and work exists addressing the underlying mechanisms and models for longitudinal instabilities and these have been successfully implemented in the design tools for low NOx gas turbines. The flame response aspect of the thermoacoustic feedback loop was often modeled in an acoustically compact framework since for low frequencies, the flame length scale was small compared to the acoustic wavelength. This enabled simplification where the modeling focused only on the overall flame response and not the local spatial distribution of the flame response. In addition, additional mechanisms such as the direct effect of pressure fluctuations on the flame response could be neglected. In contrast, high frequency instabilities which often are transverse in nature, have received relatively less attention in the literature. The flame is no longer acoustically compact and thus the local distribution of heat release must be accurately understood. The flame responds to velocity fluctuations, equivalence ratio fluctuations as before, but also to pressure fluctuations through kinetic effects. These aspects of high-frequency instabilities make it a challenging problem that requires a detailed elucidation of the underlying mechanisms and creating models for them. In this program we significantly improved the understanding of these instabilities through a combination of experiments (informed by interactions with OEMs), modeling of measured data and reduced order modeling of flame response. The results from the program can be used as basis for robust design tools that are essential for successfully developing gas turbines that operate in an environmentally acceptable manner with mitigation strategies for high-frequency instabilities.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Search for high-mass resonances in final states with a τ-lepton and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector

A search for high-mass resonances decaying into a τ-lepton and a neutrino using proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV is presented. The full run 2 data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 recorded by the ATLAS experiment in the years 2015–2018 is analyzed. The τ-lepton is reconstructed in its hadronic decay modes and the total transverse momentum carried out by neutrinos is inferred from the reconstructed missing transverse momentum. The search for new physics is performed on the transverse mass between the τ-lepton and the missing transverse momentum. No excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is observed and upper exclusion limits are set on the W' →τ⁢v production cross section. Heavy W' vector bosons with masses up to 5.0 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming that they have the same couplings as the Standard Model W boson. For nonuniversal couplings, W' bosons are excluded for masses less than 3.5–5.0 TeV, depending on the model parameters. In addition, model-independent limits on the visible cross section times branching ratio are determined as a function of the lower threshold on the transverse mass of the τ-lepton and missing transverse momentum.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization

The microgravity conditions of space travel result in unique physiological demands on the human body. In particular, the absence of the continual mechanical stresses on the skeletal system that are present on Earth cause the bones to decalcify. Trabecular structure decreases in thickness and increases in spacing, resulting in decreased bone strength and increased risk of injury. Thus, monitoring bone health is a high priority for long-term space travel. A single probe covering all frequency bands of interest would be ideal for such measurements, and this would also minimize storage space and eliminate the complexity of integrating multiple probes. This invention is an ultrasound transducer for the structural characterization of bone. Such characterization measures features of reflected and transmitted ultrasound signals, and correlates these signals with bone structure metrics such as bone mineral density, trabecular spacing, and thickness, etc. The techniques used to determine these various metrics require measurements over a broad range of ultrasound frequencies, and therefore, complete characterization requires the use of several narrowband transducers. This is a single transducer capable of making these measurements in all the required frequency bands. The device achieves this capability through a unique combination of a broadband piezoelectric material; a design incorporating multiple resonator sizes with distinct, overlapping frequency spectra; and a micromachining process for producing the multiple-resonator pattern with common electrode surfaces between the resonators. This device consists of a pattern of resonator bars with common electrodes that is wrapped around a central mandrel such that the radiating faces of the resonators are coplanar and can be simultaneously applied to the sample to be measured. The device operates as both a source and receiver of acoustic energy. It is operated by connection to an electronic system capable of both providing an excitation signal to the transducer and amplifying the signal received from the transducer. The excitation signal may be either a wide-bandwidth signal to excite the transducer across its entire operational spectrum, or a narrow-bandwidth signal optimized for a particular measurement technique. The transducer face is applied to the skin covering the bone to be characterized, and may be operated in through-transmission mode using two transducers, or in pulse-echo mode. The transducer is a unique combination of material, design, and fabrication technique. It is based on single-crystal lead magnesium niobate lead titanate (PMN-PT) piezoelectric material. As compared to the commonly used piezoceramics, this piezocrystal has superior piezoelectric and elastic properties, which results in devices with superior bandwidth, source level, and power requirements. This design necessitates a single resonant frequency. However, by operating in a transverse length-extensional mode, with the electric field applied orthogonally to the extensional direction, resonators of different sizes can share common electrodes, resulting in a multiply-resonant structure. With carefully sized resonators, and the superior bandwidth of piezocrystal, the resonances can be made to overlap to form a smooth, wide-bandwidth characteristic.

Liang, Yu↗