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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Mapping of electric field structures from the equatorial F region to the underlying E region

The theories of electrostatic fields in the equatorial ionosphere attributed to Farley (1960) and Spreiter and Briggs (1961) are reviewed, and a hybrid of these theories is applied to investigate how spread F irrregularities map down to the underlying E region. It is found that structures larger than 1 km map easily through the E region, while smaller structures do not. This implies that in general, subkilometer F region irregularities cannot directly generate image striations in the underlying E region, a result which affects previous investigations of the role of images in equatorial spread F.

Labelle, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The internal caustic structure of illuminated liquid droplets

The internal electric field of an illuminated liquid droplet is studied in detail using both wave theory and ray theory. The internal field obtains its maximum values on the caustics within the droplet. Ray theory is used to determine the equations of these caustics and the density of rays on them. The Debye series expansion of the interior field Mie amplitudes is used to calculate the wave theory version of these caustics. The physical interpretation of the sources of stimulated Raman scattering and fluorescence emission within a liquid droplet is then given.

Lock, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Topology of induced lunar magnetic fields.

Using the asymmetric theory of lunar induction derived by Schubert et al. (1973), a picture of both the total and induced magnetic field line distributions in and around the moon is provided for certain orientations of the interplanetary field fluctuations. These field line pictures are compared with the distributions one would obtain using a spherically symmetric vacuum theory of lunar induction. It is found that the induced lunar field line distribution bears a marked resemblance to the structure of the solar-wind distorted geomagnetic field.

Schwartz, K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Research on inverse, hybrid and optimization problems in engineering sciences with emphasis on turbomachine aerodynamics: Review of Chinese advances

Advances in inverse design and optimization theory in engineering fields in China are presented. Two original approaches, the image-space approach and the variational approach, are discussed in terms of turbomachine aerodynamic inverse design. Other areas of research in turbomachine aerodynamic inverse design include the improved mean-streamline (stream surface) method and optimization theory based on optimal control. Among the additional engineering fields discussed are the following: the inverse problem of heat conduction, free-surface flow, variational cogeneration of optimal grid and flow field, and optimal meshing theory of gears.

Liu, Gao-Lian↗
NASA NTRS1973

Electromagnetic field representation in inhomogeneous anisotropic media

Some of the basic developments in the theory of electromagnetic field representation in terms of Hertz vectors are reviewed. A solution for the field in an inhomogeneous anisotropic medium is given in terms of the two Hertz vectors. Conditions for presentation of the field in terms of uncoupled transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes, in a general orthogonal coordinate system, are derived when the permeability and permittivity tensors have only diagonal components. These conditions are compared with some known special cases.

Mohsen, A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A uniform geometrical optics and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction for evaluating high frequency EM fields near smooth caustics and composite shadow boundaries

A uniform geometrical optics (UGO) and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (EUTD) are developed for evaluating high frequency electromagnetic (EM) fields within transition regions associated with a two and three dimensional smooth caustic of reflected rays and a composite shadow boundary formed by the caustic termination or the confluence of the caustic with the reflection shadow boundary (RSB). The UGO is a uniform version of the classic geometrical optics (GO). It retains the simple ray optical expressions of classic GO and employs a new set of uniform reflection coefficients. The UGO also includes a uniform version of the complex GO ray field that exists on the dark side of the smooth caustic. The EUTD is an extension of the classic uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and accounts for the non-ray optical behavior of the UGO reflected field near caustics by using a two-variable transition function in the expressions for the edge diffraction coefficients. It also uniformly recovers the classic UTD behavior of the edge diffracted field outside the composite shadow boundary transition region. The approach employed for constructing the UGO/EUTD solution is based on a spatial domain physical optics (PO) radiation integral representation for the fields which is then reduced using uniform asymptotic procedures. The UGO/EUTD analysis is also employed to investigate the far-zone RCS problem of plane wave scattering from two and three dimensional polynomial defined surfaces, and uniform reflection, zero-curvature, and edge diffraction coefficients are derived. Numerical results for the scattering and diffraction from cubic and fourth order polynomial strips are also shown and the UGO/EUTD solution is validated by comparison to an independent moment method (MM) solution. The UGO/EUTD solution is also compared with the classic GO/UTD solution. The failure of the classic techniques near caustics and composite shadow boundaries is clearly demonstrated and it is shown that the UGO/EUTD results remain valid and uniformly reduce to the classic results away from the transition regions. Mathematical details on the asymptotic properties and efficient numerical evaluation of the canonical functions involved in the UGO/EUTD expressions are also provided.

Constantinides, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Neutral winds and electric fields in the dust auroral oval. II - Theory and model

A two-dimensional numerical model of the thermosphere is applied to the auroral zone neutral wind, electric field, and plasma density data set, presented in an earlier paper. The model shows that the action of the Lorentz force can be responsible to a great extent for the large zonal velocities near the 150-km altitude. Model equations are described, an explanation of the use of the geophysical conditions is given, and model integrations are compared to the wind measurements. However, for the two-dimensional model to be effective, the atmosphere must not cross too many meridians of local time during the integration period, so that the background state should remain fairly uniform. It is concluded that the two-dimensional model cannot accurately explain the details of the wind profiles because of the three-dimensional character of the physical situation. Thus it is noted that the observed winds were part of a large-scale three-dimensional flow which is only weakly coupled to short-term variations in magnetospheric conditions.

Mikkelsen, I. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Origin of density fluctuations in extended inflation

The density fluctuations (both curvature and isocurvature) that arise due to quantum fluctuations in a simple model of extended inflation based upon the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory are calculated. Curvature fluctuations arise due to quantum fluctuations in the Brans-Dicke field, in general have a nonscale-invariant spectrum, and can have an amplitude that is cosmologically acceptable and interesting without having to tune any coupling constant to a very small value. The density perturbations that arise due to the inflation field are subdominant. If there are other massless fields in the theory, e.g., an axion or an ilion, then isocurvature fluctuations arise in these fields too. Production of gravitational waves and the massless particles associated with excitations of the Brans-Dicke field are also discussed. Several attempts at more realistic models of extended inflation are also analyzed. The importance of the Einstein conformal frame in calculating curvature fluctuations is emphasized. When viewed in this frame, extended inflation closely resembles slow-rollover inflation with an exponential potential and the usual formula for the amplitude of curvature perturbations applies.

Kolb, Edward W.↗
NASA NTRS1963

Progress Report No. 3 on Studies in the Fields of Space Flight and Guidance Theory

This paper contains progress reports of NASA-sponsored studies in the areas of space flight theory and guidance theory. The studies are carried on by several universities and industrial companies. This progress report covers the period from June 15, 1962 to December 20, 1962. The technical supervisor of the contracts is W.E. Miner, Deputy Chief of the Future Projects Branch of Aeroballistics Division, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.

SPACECRAFT GUIDANCE↗
NASA NTRS1962

Studies in the Fields of Space Flight and Guidance Theory: Progress Report - No. 2

Compiled in this paper are 11 progress papers from 7 of the agencies working under contract to MSFC in the areas of guidance theory and space flight theory. This is the second paper of the "Progress Reports" and covers the period from December 1, 1961 to June 15, 1962. Extensive references are made to "Progress Report No. 1." This second progress report is referred to as "report" and "Progress Report No. 1" will be referred to as the "first report" in this introduction. Information given in the first report is not repeated herein. The reports of the various contractors will be referred to by index number as papers. There are two parallel series of publications covering the over-all activities at MSFC in the areas of guidance theory and space flight theory. One is the series of progress reports of which this paper is the second in the series. The other is the series of "Status Reports on Theory of Space Flight and Adaptive Guidance." These series along with a few other special reports, give a complete picture of the immediate objectives, accomplishments, and final goals of Aeroballistics Division and associated contr

FLIGHT OPTIMIZATION↗