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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Study of noise sources in a subsonic fan using measured blade pressures and acoustic theory

Sources of noise in a 1.4 m (4.6 ft) diameter subsonic tip speed propulsive fan running statically outdoors are studied using a combination of techniques. Signals measured with pressure transducers on a rotor blade are plotted in a format showing the space-time history of inlet distortion. Study of these plots visually and with statistical correlation analysis confirms that the inlet flow contains long, thin eddies of turbulence. Turbulence generated in the boundary layer of the shroud upstream of the rotor tips was not found to be an important noise source. Fan noise is diagnosed by computing narrowband spectra of rotor and stator sound power and comparing these with measured sound power spectra. Rotor noise is computed from spectra of the measured blade pressures and stator noise is computed using the author's stator noise theory. It is concluded that the rotor and stator sources contribute about equally at frequencies in the vicinity of the first three harmonics of blade passing frequency. At higher frequencies, the stator contribution diminishes rapidly and the rotor/inlet turbulence mechanism dominates. Two parametric studies are performed by using the rotor noise calculation procedure which was correlated with test. In the first study, the effects on noise spectrum and directivity are calculated for changes in turbulence properties, rotational Mach number, number of blades, and stagger angle. In the second study the influences of design tip speed and blade number on noise are evaluated.

Hanson, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Comparison of experimental and analytical predictions of rotor blade-vortex interactions using model scale acoustic data

Helicopter blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise is studied using a model scale rotor acoustic data base and an analytical rotor wake prediction method. The variation of BVI acoustic levels with vehicle flight conditions (forward speed and disk attitude) is presented. Calculations of probable BVI locations on the rotor disk are made for a range of operating conditions using the measured acoustic signals and an acoustic ray tracing technique. Analytical predictions of possible BVI locations on the rotor disk are made using a generalized distorted wake analysis program. Comparisons of the interaction locations are made with the results of both the analytic approach and the acoustic ray tracing technique.

Martin, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Hot gas in superclusters and microwave background distortions

Variations in the electron pressure can produce significant distortions of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) spectrum through the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. In this paper, we compute the amplitude of these distortions in various cosmological scenarios using the results of hydrodynamical simulations combined with analytic theory. For reionized cold dark matter (CDM) with h = 0.5 probed with the OVRO experiment (Theta approximately = 0.1 deg), we find that the amplitude of these fluctuations is (Delta T/T)(sub rms) = 1 x 10(exp -5) (Omega(sub i)/0.06) if the experiment looks at a random part of the sky and 6 x 10(exp -6)(Omega(sub i)/(0.06) if bright areas are avoided. Here Omega is the density of ionized baryons in units of the critical density, rho(sub c) = 2.78 x 10(exp 11)h(exp 2)/cu Mpc. Primary fluctuations would generate (Delta T/T)(sub rms) approximately = 2 x 10(exp -6) for this model. These distortions could be a dominant source of CMBR anisotropics on small and intermediate angular scales. It is important to note that these signals are generated relatively recently, when nonlinear effects are improtant, and do not require early reionization. We also examine the contribution to anisotropies from the Doppler effect, in both the linear and nonlinear regimes. In this case, the bulk of the signal is generated before a redshift of 10, provided that the intercluster medium is ionized back to the surface of last scattering. On the smallest scales thermal effects are bigger, while, on larger scales the Doppler-induced fluctuations are greater with the exact boundary determined by the scenario. However, over a wide range of scales, the two signals are equal to within a factor of a few.

Persi, Fred M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Interpretation of the Arcade 2 Absolute Sky Brightness Measurement

We use absolutely calibrated data between 3 and 90 GHz from the 2006 balloon flight of the ARCADE 2 instrument, along with previous measurements at other frequencies to constrain models of extragalactic emission. Such emission is a combination of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) monopole, Galactic foreground emission, the integrated contribution of radio emission from external galaxies, any spectral distortions present in the CMB, and any other extragalactic source. After removal of estimates of foreground emission from our own Galaxy, and an estimated contribution of external galaxies, we present fits to a combination of the flat-spectrum CMB and potential spectral distortions in the CMB. We find 217 upper limits to CMB spectral distortions of u < 6x10(exp -4) and [Y(sub ff)] < 1x10(exp -4). We also find a significant detection of a residual signal beyond that, which can be explained by the CMB plus the integrated radio emission from galaxies estimated from existing surveys. This residual signal may be due to an underestimated galactic foreground contribution, an unaccounted for contribution of a background of radio sources, or some combination of both. The residual signal is consistent with emission in the form of a power law with amplitUde 18.4 +/- 2.1 K at 0.31 GHz and a spectral index of -2.57 +/- 0.05.

Seiffert, M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unsupervised anomaly detection in MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

MeV ultrafast electron diffraction (MUED) is a pump-probe technique used to study the dynamic structural evolution of materials. An ultrashort laser pulse triggers structural changes, which are then probed by an ultrashort relativistic electron beam. To overcome low signal-to-noise ratios, diffraction patterns are averaged over thousands of shots. However, shot-to-shot instabilities in the electron beam can distort individual patterns, introducing uncertainty. Improving MUED accuracy requires detecting and removing these anomalous patterns from large datasets. In this work, we developed a fully unsupervised methodology for the detection of anomalous diffraction patterns. Using a convolutional autoencoder, we calculate the reconstruction mean squared error of the diffraction patterns. Based on the statistical analysis of this error, we provide the user an estimation of the probability that the pattern is normal, which also allows a posterior visual inspection of the images that are difficult to classify. This method has been trained with only 100 diffraction patterns and tested on 1521 patterns, resulting in a false positive rate between 0.2% and 0.4%, with a training time of 10 s per image and a test time of about 1 s per image. Here, the proposed methodology can also be applied to other diffraction techniques in which large datasets are collected that include faulty images due to instrumental instabilities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mass dependence of halo baryon fractions from the kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect

ABSTRACT We detect the kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich imprint of peculiar motions of galaxy groups and clusters, using the photometric Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Surveys together with cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). We develop a comprehensive forward model based on the AbacusSummit cosmological simulations: Mock galaxy group catalogues and synthetic kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich (kSZ) maps are generated, together with a reconstructed peculiar velocity field that allows for photo-z errors, redshift-space distortions, and survey masks. We investigate possible contamination from the cosmic infrared background (CIB), finding that CIB effects are subdominant to the kSZ signal in the relevant ACT frequency channel. We then predict the kSZ signal expected when stacking CMB temperature maps around groups, taking account of their estimated radial velocities. Comparing the model with observations, we are able to constrain the total baryon fraction within haloes, as well as their internal gas profiles. We find evidence for mass dependence of the halo baryon fraction within the virial radius. The gas fraction in massive groups is consistent with the universal baryon fraction, but low-mass groups ($10^{12.5} \lesssim M\, /\, h^{-1}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot \lesssim 10^{14}$) are depleted to $0.38 \pm 0.11$ times the universal baryon fraction. We find this low virial baryon fraction to be consistent with an extended gas profile, for which the total baryon content reaches the universal value well beyond the virial radius. This conclusion is consistent with previous analyses using X-ray, kSZ, and weak lensing, and plausibly reflects energetic feedback processes from the galaxies in these haloes.

Roper, Finn A [Institute for Astronomy, University↗
NASA NTRS1974

Binary signaling over channels containing quadratic nonlinearities

This paper examines the transmission of binary data signals over channels which contain quadratic nonlinearities and additive Gaussian noise. We consider the case where the channel is nonlinear with memory and where the signal is passed through an input receiver filter and sampled once every signaling interval. The samples are represented by a discrete Volterra series and a special case where the received sample contains a single quadratic distortion term is examined. The optimum (maximum-likelihood) receiver (processor) is derived and upper and lower performance bounds obtained. The performance of a practical, suboptimum receiver is examined by means of computer simulation and is shown to be very close to the lower bound of the optimum receiver. Next we examine the case where the received sample contains two quadratic distortion terms. Again, upper and lower performance bounds are obtained.

Lawless, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A study of subsonic fan noise sources

Sources of noise in a 1.4 m (4.6 ft) diameter subsonic tip speed propulsive fan were studied using a combination of theoretical, experimental, and computer plotting techniques developed specially for noise diagnosis. To assess the structure of inlet turbulence, signals measured from pressure transducers on a rotor blade were plotted in a format to show the space-time history of inlet distortion. Ingested turbulence contained long, thin eddies which produce a tone-like noise component. Turbulence generated in the shroud boundary layer upstream of the rotor tips was found not to be an important noise source. However, this boundary layer does contain large amplitude disturbances caused by inlet turbulence which could be important in fans with thicker boundary layers. Theoretical calculations based on measured blade pressures show that rotor/inlet turbulence interaction and rotor/stator interaction are equally important sources of noise near the first three harmonics of blade passing frequency. At higher frequencies (above 2000 Hz) the rotor noise is dominant.

Hanson, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2021

TOI-1518b: A Misaligned Ultra-hot Jupiter with Iron in Its Atmosphere

We present the discovery of TOI-1518b—an ultra-hot Jupiter orbiting a bright star (V = 8.95). The transiting planet is confirmed using high-resolution optical transmission spectra from EXPRES. It is inflated, with Rp = 1.875 ± 0.053 RJ, and exhibits several interesting properties, including a misaligned orbit (240.34 (+0.93, -0.98) degrees) and nearly grazing transit (b=0.9036 (+0.0061, -0.0053)). The planet orbits a fast-rotating F0 host star (Teff ≃ 7300 K) in 1.9 days and experiences intense irradiation. Notably, the TESS data show a clear secondary eclipse with a depth of 364 ± 28 ppm and a significant phase-curve signal, from which we obtain a relative day–night planetary flux difference of roughly 320 ppm and a 5.2σ detection of ellipsoidal distortion on the host star. Prompted by recent detections of atomic and ionized species in ultra-hot Jupiter atmospheres, we conduct an atmospheric cross-correlation analysis. We detect neutral iron (5.2σ), at K(p) = 157 (+68, -44) km/s and V(sys) = -16 (+2, -4), adding another object to the small sample of highly irradiated gas-giant planets with Fe detections in transmission. Detections so far favor particularly inflated gas giants with radii ≳1.78 R(J), which may be due to observational bias. With an equilibrium temperature of T(eq) = 2492 ± 38 K and a measured dayside brightness temperature of 3237 ± 59 K (assuming zero geometric albedo), TOI-1518b is a promising candidate for future emission spectroscopy to probe for a thermal inversion.

Samuel H. C. Cabot↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES): Preliminary Results

The Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) is being developed as part of the risk reduction activities associated with the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI). HyspIRI is one of the Tier 2 Decadal Survey Missions. HyTES will provide information on how to place the filters on the HyspIRI Thermal Infrared Instrument (TIR) as well as provide antecedent science data. The pushbroom design has 512 spatial pixels over a 50-degree field of view and 256 spectral channels between 7.5 micrometers to 12 micrometers. HyTES includes many key enabling state-of-the-art technologies including a high performance convex diffraction grating, a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array, and a compact Dyson-inspired optical design. The Dyson optical design allows for a very compact and optically fast system (F/1.6). It also minimizes cooling requirements due to the fact it has a single monolithic prism-like grating design which allows baffling for stray light suppression. The monolithic configuration eases mechanical tolerancing requirements which are a concern since the complete optical assembly is operated at cryogenic temperatures ((is) approximately 100K). The QWIP allows for optimum spatial and spectral uniformity and provides adequate responsivity or D-star to allow 200mK noise equivalent temperature difference (NEDT) operation across the LWIR passband. Assembly of the system is nearly complete. After completion, alignment results will be presented which show low keystone and smile distortion. This is required to minimize spatial-spectral mixing between adjacent spectral channels and spatial positions. Predictions show the system will have adequate signal to noise for laboratory calibration targets.

Moon Mineralogical Mapper (M3).↗
NASA NTRS1977

Study of noise and inflow distortion sources in the NASA QF-1B fan using measured blade and vane pressures

Pressure transducers were installed on the blades and vanes of QF-1B, a transonic-tip-speed fan from the NASA Quiet Fan Program which was tested on the outdoor quiet fan test facility at NASA-Lewis. Signals from the transducers and from far field microphones were analyzed to determine sources of nonuniform inflow and noise. The nonuniform inflow was mostly unsteady with roughly equal contributions from atmospheric turbulence and rig interference. The rig interference was largest at the bottom and appeared to be generated by the support structure which was located behind the inlet lip under the fan. Interaction of this inflow distortion was the dominant source of noise at 1, 2, and 3 times blade passing frequency (BPF) at 60, 70, and 80 percent of design speed. At 90 percent speed, noise at BPF was dominated by the steady rotor field. A broadband spectrum peak centered at about 2.2 times BPF was identified as rotor/stator interaction stemming from a high frequency rotor exit flow component. The remaining broadband energy from 0.3 to 3.5 times BPF was attributed to the better known type of rotor/stator interaction associated with rotor wake turbulence.

Hanson, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The WX-32193, a new 70 mm SEC image tube for astronomical application

The new SEC image camera tube is designed for astronomical application. Its large target allows a wide viewing angle with excellent resolution and little distortion, as the tube is magnetically focussed. The target is able to store information over several days and with proper cooling integration of weak light signals is possible over several hours. A sequential writing - reading slow scan mode is suggested for most effective application. The window is transmissive far into the vacuum UV-spectrum. Zooming with a fourfold magnification has been successfully demonstrated employing a magnetic lens in front of the image section. The tube construction is ruggedized to withstand the shock and vibration requirements of rocket launch.

Pietrzyk, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The 27-28 October 1986 FIRE IFO Cirrus Case Study: Cloud Optical Properties Determined by High Spectral Resolution Lidar

During the First ISCCP Region Experiment (FIRE) cirrus intensive field observation (IFO) the High Spectral Resolution Lidar was operated from a roof top site on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Because the HSRL technique separately measures the molecular and cloud particle backscatter components of the lidar return, the optical thickness is determined independent of particle backscatter. This is accomplished by comparing the known molecular density distribution to the observed decrease in molecular backscatter signal with altitude. The particle to molecular backscatter ratio yields calibrated measurements of backscatter cross sections that can be plotted ro reveal cloud morphology without distortion due to attenuation. Changes in cloud particle size, shape, and phase affect the backscatter to extinction ratio (backscatter-phase function). The HSRL independently measures cloud particle backscatter phase function. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the HSRL cirrus cloud data acquired over an approximate 33 hour period of continuous near zenith observations. Correlations between small scale wind structure and cirrus cloud morphology have been observed. These correlations can bias the range averaging inherent in wind profiling lidars of modest vertical resolution, leading to increased measurement errors at cirrus altitudes. Extended periods of low intensity backscatter were noted between more strongly organized cirrus cloud activity. Optical thicknesses ranging from 0.01-1.4, backscatter phase functions between 0.02-0.065 sr (exp -1) and backscatter cross sections spanning 4 orders of magnitude were observed. the altitude relationship between cloud top and bottom boundaries and the cloud optical center altitude was dependent on the type of formation observed Cirrus features were observed with characteristic wind drift estimated horizontal sizes of 5-400 km. The clouds frequently exhibited cellular structure with vertical to horizontal dimension ratios of 1:5-1:1.

Grund, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Transmission of RF Signals Over Optical Fiber for Avionics Applications

During flight, aircraft avionics transmit and receive RF signals to/from antennas over coaxial cables. As the density and complexity of onboard avionics increases, the electromagnetic interference (EM) environment degrades proportionately, leading to decreasing signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and potential safety concerns. The coaxial cables are inherently lossy, limiting the RF signal bandwidth while adding considerable weight. To overcome these limitations, we have investigated a fiber optic communications link for aircraft that utilizes wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to support the simultaneous transmission of multiple signals (including RF) over a single optical fiber. Optical fiber has many advantages over coaxial cable, particularly lower loss, greater bandwidth, and immunity to EM. In this paper, we demonstrate that WDM can be successfully used to transmit multiple RF signals over a single optical fiber with no appreciable signal degradation. We investigate the transmission of FM and AM analog modulated signals, as well as FSK digital modulated signals, over a fiber optic link (FOL) employing WDM. We present measurements of power loss, delay, SNR, carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR), total harmonic distortion (THD), and bit error rate (BER). Our experimental results indicate that WDM is a fiber optic technology suitable for avionics applications.

Slaveski, Filip↗
NASA NTRS1976

Extraction of quadrature phase information from multiple pulse NMR signals

A multiple pulse sequence (8-pulse sequence) used for high-resolution solid state NMR is analyzed with regard to the information available from each of the four wide sampling windows. It is demonstrated that full quadrature phase information can be obtained using only a single phase detector and that, for the commonly encountered situation where the spectral width is much less than the folding frequency, the signals from the various windows can be combined easily using standard complex Fourier transform software. An improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio equal to the square root of 3 is obtained over either standard single or quadrature phase detection schemes. Procedures for correcting spectral distortions are presented.

Rhim, W.-K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Laser Doppler anemometry

The material in this NASA TM is to appear as a chapter on Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) in the AGARDograph entitled, A Survey of Measurements and Measuring Techniques in Rapidly Distorted Compressible Turbulent Boundary Layers. The application of LDA (specifically, the dual-beam, burst-counter approach) to compressible flows is discussed. Subjects treated include signal processing, particle light scattering and tracking, data reduction and sampling bias, and three-dimensional measurements.

Johnson, Dennis A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Experimental investigation of outdoor propagation of finite-amplitude noise

The outdoor propagation of finite amplitude acoustic waves was investigated using a conventional electroacoustic transmitter which was mounted on the ground and pointed upward in order to avoid ground reflection effects. The propagation path was parallel to a radio tower 85 m tall, whose elevator carried the receiving microphone. The observations and conclusions are as follows: (1) At the higher source levels nonlinear propagation distortion caused a strong generation of high frequency noise over the propagation path. For example, at 70 m for a frequency 2-3 octaves above the source noise band, the measured noise was up to 30 dB higher than the linear theory prediction. (2) The generation occurred in both the nearfield and the farfield of the transmitter. (3) At no measurement point was small-signal behavior established for the high requency noise. Calculations support the contention that the nonlinearity generated high frequency noise never becomes small-signal in its behavior, regardless of distance. (4) When measured spectra are scaled in frequency and level to make them comparable with spectra of actual jet noise, they are found to be well within the jet noise range. It is therefore entirely possible that nonlinear distortion affects jet noise.

Webster, D. A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mitigation of the Brighter-fatter Effect in the LSST Camera

Abstract Thick, fully depleted charge-coupled devices are known to exhibit nonlinear behavior at high signal levels due to the dynamic behavior of charges collecting in the potential wells of pixels, called the brighter-fatter effect (BFE). The effect results in distorted images of bright calibration stars, creating a flux-dependent point-spread function that if left unmitigated, could make up a large fraction of the error budget in Stage IV weak-lensing (WL) surveys such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). In this paper, we analyze image measurements of flat fields and artificial stars taken at different illumination levels with the LSST Camera (LSSTCam) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in order to quantify this effect in the LSSTCam before and after a previously introduced correction technique. We observe that the BFE evolves anisotropically as a function of flux due to higher-order BFEs, which violates the fundamental assumption of this correction method. We then introduce a new method based on a physically motivated model to account for these higher-order terms in the correction, and then we test the modified correction on both data sets. We find that the new method corrects the effect in flat fields better than it corrects the effect in artificial stars, which we suggest is the result of sub-pixel physics not included in this correction model. We use these results to define a new metric for the full-well capacity of our sensors and advise image processing strategies to further limit the impact of the effect on LSST WL science pathways.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗