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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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NASA NTRS2021

SMD Technology Highlights

Six technology highlights from the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Heliophysics, Astrophysics, Earth, and Biological and Physical Sciences divisions. Technologies featured include 1. the 1653 m2 Solar Cruiser Solar Sail Propulsion system to enable missions to reach novel and otherwise difficult or impossible destinations for observing the Sun. 2. Technology sponsored by NASA and developed by MIT Space Nanotechnology Lab is developing high-performance space instrumentation for more powerful future X-ray telescopes that will study the dynamics of the high-energy universe. 3. Active thermal control technology that will help enable large ultra-stable telescopes needed to detect and characterize Earth-like planets around other stars. 4. SMD sponsored high-performance infrared sensors with reduced requirements for cooling onboard satellites and these sensors could potentially be flown on small satellite platforms like CubeSats. 5. A new technology that will utilize electron beams/ultraviolet light to remove dust that could help protect future space assets and astronauts from dangerous effects that arise from Moon/Mars dust exposure. 6. Studies using model organisms on ISS to understand the impact of the spaceflight environment on organisms in preparation for long-duration missions.

solar sail↗
NASA NTRS1991

Extended Rayleigh-Fano theory and its application to grating polarization

A simple method of calculating the degree of polarization of light diffracted by a grating having shallow grooves and finite conductivity is developed by extending the Rayleigh-Fano theory. Its validity is examined by comparing the computed degree of polarization with experimental data obtained in the visible and vacuum ultraviolet for the +/- 1st and -2nd orders of Al- and Au-coated blazed gratings and holographic gratings used in the specific mountings. The calculations are in good agreement with the observed polarization behavior of the gratings, verifying the usefulness of the present method.

Koike, Masato↗
NASA NTRS2005

Techniques for writing and reading data on an optical disk which include formation of holographic optical gratings in plural locations on the optical disk

An optical memory for storing and/or reading data on an optical disk. The optical disk incorporates a material in which holographic gratings can be created, and subsequently detected, at plural locations within the disk by an electro-optical head. Creation and detection of holographic gratings with variable diffraction efficiency is possible with the electro-optical head. Multiple holographic gratings can also be created at each one of the plural locations via a beam of light which has a different wavelength or point of focus. These data elements can be read by the electro-optical head using a beam of light sequentially varied in wavelength or point of focus to correspond to the multiple holographic gratings to be recorded.

Liu, Tsuen-Hsi↗
NASA NTRS2000

Coherent gradient sensing method and system for measuring surface curvature

A system and method for determining a curvature of a specularly reflective surface based on optical interference. Two optical gratings are used to produce a spatial displacement in an interference field of two different diffraction components produced by one grating from different diffraction components produced by another grating. Thus, the curvature of the surface can be determined.

Rosakis, Ares J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mirror-grating tuning arrangement for high resolution lasers

A tuning arrangement (10) for a tunable laser comprises a single holographic grating (12) and two flat surface reflective mirrors (13 and 14). The beam (15) from the laser cavity is incident on the grating at a grazing angle for optimum beam expansion. The diffracted beam propogates from the grating to the first mirror (13), therefrom to the second mirror (14) and is reflected at the Littrow angle to the grating, whereat it is diffracted a second time and returned to the second mirror (14) for reflection to the first mirror (13). Therefrom it is reflected back to the grating. After undergoing a third diffraction it is directed back into the cavity for further amplification.

McDermid, Iain S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Transmission grating spectroscopy and the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)

The use of transmission gratings with grazing-incidence telescopes in celestial X-ray astrononmy is reviewed. The basic properties of transmission grating spectrometers and the use of 'phased' gratings to enhance the diffraction efficiency are outlined. The fabrication of the gratings is examined, giving special attention to the AXAF High Energy Transmission Grating. The performance of finite-period thick gratings is briefly discussed, and the performance of the transmission grating spectrometers planned for SPECTROSAT and AXAF are examined.

Schattenburg, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Measurements of Holographic Properties of Bacteriorhodopsin Films

Several different bacteriorhodopsin (BR) films are characterized with respect to general holographic properties. Experimental measurements include diffraction efficiency and sensitivity as functions of writing intensity and grating frequency, hologram thermal decay behavior, diffraction efficiency as a function of grating tilt within the film and modulation depth, and estimates of the refractive index change from the diffraction efficiency data. The films studied include those made from wildtype BR and the genetic variants D96N and D96N/T46V. The maximum diffraction efficiency measured was just over 3% for a hydrated wildtype BR film. The films' holographic properties were found to be relatively insensitive to grating frequency and grating tilt angle. The diffraction efficiency dropped off more sharply as a function of modulation depth than a purely linear medium, and only the hydrated wildtype film exhibited significant behavior variation with different writing intensities.

Downie, John D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) Optics Module

A demonstration part will be manufactured in Japan on one of the large Toshiba machines with a diameter of 2.5 meters. This will be a flat PMMA disk that is cut between 0.5 and 1.25 meters radius. The cut should demonstrate manufacturing the most difficult parts of the 2.5 meter Fresnel pattern and the blazed grating on the diffractive surface. Optical simulations, validated with the subscale prototype, will be used to determine the limits on manufacturing errors (tolerances) that will result in optics that meet EUSO s requirements. There will be limits on surface roughness (or errors at high spatial frequency); radial and azimuthal slope errors (at lower spatial frequencies) and plunge cut depth errors in the blazed grating. The demonstration part will be measured to determine whether it was made within the allowable tolerances.

Young, Roy↗
NASA NTRS1988

Performance of high spatial frequency X-ray transmission gratings

The performance of high spatial frequency 'phased' X-ray transmission gratings developed for the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics FAcility (AXAF) is examined. The gratings tested here nominally consist of 1-micron-thick gold lines of 0.2 micron period covering approximately 5 sq cm of a polyimide membrane. A table-top setup at MIT employs the gratings in reflection to diffract UV (325 nm) laser light. It is used to measure grating periods and indicates that period variations within and between gratings are a few parts in 10,000. Tests performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center 304 m X-ray Facility using 1.5 keV X-rays in transmission corroborate the UV measurements and demonstrate geometrically-limited resolving powers of E/Delta E about 750. Finally, X-ray transmission tests performed in the MIT 25 m X-ray facility provide measurements of period, line thickness, space-to-period ratio, tilt of grating lines, and efficiency.

Fischbach, K. F.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Design, Fabrication and Test of WFIRST-AFTA GRISM Assembly

The Wide-Field Infra-Red Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is designed to perform wide-field imaging and slitless spectroscopic survey of the sky. A compound Grism assembly is selected as its slitless dispersing element. Compared to the grisms in several instruments installed on the Hubble space telescope, the challenge of this grism is the much wider Field Of View (FOV), larger dispersion, and smaller f. The image quality of the slitless spectrometer is directly related to how deep of the sky the spectrometer is able to see. This paper discusses how to use a diffractive lens surface to compensate the wavelength dependent aberration created by the grating in non-collimated space to make the spectrometer diffraction limited, as well as how to intelligently combine the two diffractive surfaces (lens and grating) to reduce the unwanted diffraction orders from the grating. The paper also discusses how to improve the diffraction efficiency of the diffractive surfaces, as well as how to align and assemble the optics.

Diffractive Optics↗
NASA NTRS1985

Solid-state spectral transmissometer and radiometer

An in situ instrument designed to measure the spectral attenuation coefficient of seawater and the ocean remote-sensing reflectance from 400 to 750 nm is in the test and development stage. It employs a 256 channel, charge-coupled type of linear array measuring the spectral intensities diffracted by a grating. Examples of the types of data delivered by this instrument have been simulated using a breadboard laboratory instrument and an above-water, solid-state radiometer. Algorithms developed using data from these instruments provide measures of chlorophyll a plus phaeophytin a concentrations from less than 0.1 to 77.0 mg/cu m, gelbstoff spectral absorption coefficients, and detrital spectral backscattering coefficients for waters of the west Florida shelf.

Carder, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Micro spectrometer for parallel light and method of use

A spectrometer system includes an optical assembly for collimating light, a micro-ring grating assembly having a plurality of coaxially-aligned ring gratings, an aperture device defining an aperture circumscribing a target focal point, and a photon detector. An electro-optical layer of the grating assembly may be electrically connected to an energy supply to change the refractive index of the electro-optical layer. Alternately, the gratings may be electrically connected to the energy supply and energized, e.g., with alternating voltages, to change the refractive index. A data recorder may record the predetermined spectral characteristic. A method of detecting a spectral characteristic of a predetermined wavelength of source light includes generating collimated light using an optical assembly, directing the collimated light onto the micro-ring grating assembly, and selectively energizing the micro-ring grating assembly to diffract the predetermined wavelength onto the target focal point, and detecting the spectral characteristic using a photon detector.

Park, Yeonjoon↗
NASA NTRS1993

Review of rigorous coupled-wave analysis and of homogeneous effective medium approximations for high spatial-frequency surface-relief gratings

A review of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis as applied to the diffraction of electro-magnetic waves by gratings is presented. The analysis is valid for any polarization, angle of incidence, and conical diffraction. Cascaded and/or multiplexed gratings as well as material anisotropy can be incorporated under the same formalism. Small period rectangular groove gratings can also be modeled using approximately equivalent uniaxial homogeneous layers (effective media). The ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of these layers depend on the gratings filling factor, the refractive indices of the substrate and superstrate, and the ratio of the freespace wavelength to grating period. Comparisons of the homogeneous effective medium approximations with the rigorous coupled-wave analysis are presented. Antireflection designs (single-layer or multilayer) using the effective medium models are presented and compared. These ultra-short period antireflection gratings can also be used to produce soft x-rays. Comparisons of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis with experimental results on soft x-ray generation by gratings are also included.

Glytsis, Elias N.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Measuring In-Plane Displacements with Variable Sensitivity Using Diffractive Optic Interferometry

This paper introduces a method called diffractive optic interferometry (DOI) which allows in-plane displacement components to be measured with variable sensitivity. DOI relies on binary optical elements fabricated as phase-type Dammann gratings which produce multiple diffraction orders of nearly equal intensity. Sensitivity is varied by combining the different wavefronts produced by a conjugate pair of these binary optical elements; a transmission element is used to produce several illumination beams while a reflective element, replicated on the surface of a specimen, provides the reference for the undeformed state. The steps taken to design and fabricate these binary optical elements are described. The specimen grating is characterized, and tested on a disk subjected to diametrical compression. Overall, the results are excellent, with experimental data agreeing to within a few percent of the theoretical predictions.

Shepherd, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Optical system storage design with diffractive optical elements

Optical data storage systems are gaining widespread acceptance due to their high areal density and the ability to remove the high capacity hard disk from the system. In magneto-optical read-write systems, a small rotation of the polarization state in the return signal from the MO media is the signal which must be sensed. A typical arrangement used for detecting these signals and correcting for errors in tracking and focusing on the disk is illustrated. The components required to achieve these functions are listed. The assembly and alignment of this complex system has a direct impact on cost, and also affects the size, weight, and corresponding data access rates. As a result, integrating these optical components and improving packaging techniques is an active area of research and development. Most designs of binary optic elements have been concerned with optimizing grating efficiency. However, rigorous coupled wave models for vector field diffraction from grating surfaces can be extended to determine the phase and polarization state of the diffracted field, and the design of polarization components. A typical grating geometry and the phase and polarization angles associated with the incident and diffracted fields are shown. In our current stage of work, we are examining system configurations which cascade several polarization functions on a single substrate. In this design, the beam returning from the MO disk illuminates a cascaded grating element which first couples light into the substrate, then introduces a quarter wave retardation, then a polarization rotation, and finally separates s- and p-polarized fields through a polarization beam splitter. The input coupler and polarization beam splitter are formed in volume gratings, and the two intermediate elements are zero-order elements.

Kostuk, Raymond K.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Refractive-index profile and physical process determination in thick gratings in electrooptic crystals

A method for determining the refractive index profile of thick phase gratings in linear electrooptic crystals is presented. This method also determines the effective photovoltaic electric field and the relative contributions of diffusion and drift during hologram recording. The method requires only a knowledge of the modulation ratio during hologram recording and the fundamental and the higher-order diffraction efficiencies of the grating. As an illustration of the method, the refractive index profile, the effective photovoltaic field, and the relative contributions of diffusion and drift are determined from experimental measurements for a lithium niobate holographic grating.

Su, S. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

X-ray spectrographs using radial groove gratings

A high efficiency spectrograph design for the EUV and soft X rays is presented. This grazing incidence system uses a plane surface reflection grating with rulings that are radial, like the spokes of a wheel. The grating is placed in a beam of light that is converging to a focus. The single reflection off the grating is in the conical diffraction mount ensuring maximum performance from the system. Aberrations and performance levels are discussed. The gratings can be manufactured with existing ruling engines. Sample applications to an X-ray monochromator and an EUV stellar spectrograph are discussed.

Cash, W. C., Jr.↗