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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

The Seismic Signature of a High-Energy Density Physics Laboratory and Its Potential for Measuring Time-Dependent Velocity Structure

The Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories is a pulsed power facility for high-energy density physics experiments that can shock materials to extreme temperatures and pressures through a focused energy release of up to ~ 25 MJ in < 100 nanoseconds. It has been in operation for more than two decades and conducts up to ~ 100 experiments, or “shots,” per year. Based on a set of 74 known shot times from 2018, we determined that Z Machine shots produce detectable ~ 3–17 Hz ground motion 12 km away at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, New Mexico (ANMO), borehole seismograph, with peak signal at ~ 7 Hz. The known shot waveforms were used to create a three-component template, leading to the detection of 2339 Z Machine shots since 1998 through single-station cross-correlation. Local seismic magnitude estimates range from local magnitude (M L ) —2 to —1.3 and indicate that only a small fraction of the shot energy is transmitted by seismic phases observable at 12 km distance. The most recent major facility renovation, which was intended to decrease mechanical dissipation, is associated with an abrupt decrease in observed seismic amplitudes at ANMO despite stable maximum shot energy. The highly repetitive impulsive sources are well suited to coda-wave interferometry to investigate time-dependent velocity structures. Relative velocity variations (dv/v) show an annual cycle with amplitude of ~ 0.2%. Local minima are observed in the late spring, and dv/v increases through the summer monsoon rainfall, possibly reflecting patchy saturation as rainfall infiltrates near the eastern edge of the Albuquerque basin. Importantly, the cumulative results demonstrate that forensic seismology can provide insight into long-term operation of facilities such as pulsed-power laboratories, and that their recurring signals may be valuable for studies of time-dependent structure

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Roadmap on transformation optics

Transformation optics asks, using Maxwell's equations, what kind of electromagnetic medium recreates some smooth deformation of space? The guiding principle is Einstein's principle of covariance: that any physical theory must take the same form in any coordinate system. This requirement fixes very precisely the required electromagnetic medium. The impact of this insight cannot be overestimated. Many practitioners were used to thinking that only a few analytic solutions to Maxwell's equations existed, such as the monochromatic plane wave in a homogeneous, isotropic medium. At a stroke, transformation optics increases that landscape from 'few' to 'infinity', and to each of the infinitude of analytic solutions dreamt up by the researcher, there corresponds an electromagnetic medium capable of reproducing that solution precisely. The most striking example is the electromagnetic cloak, thought to be an unreachable dream of science fiction writers, but realised in the laboratory a few months after the papers proposing the possibility were published. But the practical challenges are considerable, requiring meta-media that are at once electrically and magnetically inhomogeneous and anisotropic. How far have we come since the first demonstrations over a decade ago? And what does the future hold? If the wizardry of perfect macroscopic optical invisibility still eludes us in practice, then what compromises still enable us to create interesting, useful, devices? While three-dimensional (3D) cloaking remains a significant technical challenge, much progress has been made in two dimensions. Carpet cloaking, wherein an object is hidden under a surface that appears optically flat, relaxes the constraints of extreme electromagnetic parameters. Surface wave cloaking guides sub-wavelength surface waves, making uneven surfaces appear flat. Two dimensions is also the setting in which conformal and complex coordinate transformations are realisable, and the possibilities in this restricted domain do not appear to have been exhausted yet. Beyond cloaking, the enhanced electromagnetic landscape provided by transformation optics has shown how fully analytic solutions can be found to a number of physical scenarios such as plasmonic systems used in electron energy loss spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence. Are there further fields to be enriched? A new twist to transformation optics was the extension to the spacetime domain. By applying transformations to spacetime, rather than just space, it was shown that events rather than objects could be hidden from view; transformation optics had provided a means of effectively redacting events from history. The hype quickly settled into serious nonlinear optical experiments that demonstrated the soundness of the idea, and it is now possible to consider the practical implications, particularly in optical signal processing, of having an 'interrupt-without-interrupt' facility that the so-called temporal cloak provides. Inevitable issues of dispersion in actual systems have only begun to be addressed. Now that time is included in the programme of transformation optics, it is natural to ask what role ideas from general relativity can play in shaping the future of transformation optics. Indeed, one of the earliest papers on transformation optics was provocatively titled 'General Relativity in Electrical Engineering'. The answer that curvature does not enter directly into transformation optics merely encourages us to speculate on the role of transformation optics in defining laboratory analogues. Quite why Maxwell's theory defines a 'perfect' transformation theory, while other areas of physics such as acoustics are not apparently quite so amenable, is a deep question whose precise, mathematical answer will help inform us of the extent to which similar ideas can be extended to other fields. Here, the contributors to this Roadmap, who are all renowned practitioners or inventors of transformation optics, will give their perspectives into the field's status and future development.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Acoustic waves from the 2023 April 20 SpaceX Starship rocket explosion travelling in the elevated ‘AtmoSOFAR’ channel

SUMMARY The ability to detect low-frequency sounds from distant energetic events depends on the temperature and wind structure of the atmosphere. Thus, from time to time surface-based acoustic detectors may not be able to capture sounds arriving from certain directions. However, the temperature minimum at the tropopause may create an acoustic duct called the ‘AtmoSOFAR’ channel that could transmit acoustic waves laterally—but perhaps not to the ground. If true, then elevated sensors such as those borne aloft by balloons would record the signatures even in regions where ground-based sensors cannot. This has been difficult to prove because high altitude acoustic sources are rare and balloon deployments are sporadic. This work describes the detection and characterization of powerful acoustic waves generated during the launch and terminal explosion of the SpaceX Starship rocket on 2023 April 20 using a pair of microbarometers on a stratospheric balloon. The signals travelled through the AtmoSOFAR channel, carrying information about the size and nature of their source. This channel also appears to leak some acoustic energy to the ground, in agreement with previous studies. The acoustic yield of the Starship terminal explosion was on the order of $10^3$ tons trinitrotoluene equivalent, which agrees with the estimated fuel load of the vehicle to about a factor of 2, but is two orders of magnitude larger than optical estimates. These results support an earlier study that claimed lateral transmission of sound from a smaller rocket through the AtmoSOFAR channel. The transmission of source information through the AtmoSOFAR channel motivates its use for monitoring other natural and anthropogenic events using balloon-borne sensors. This may become increasingly important as more and more private and government entities conduct spacecraft launches and reentries. It may also provide a means of monitoring clear air turbulence and other sound-generating atmospheric phenomena at a distance.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Atmospheric waves and global seismoacoustic observations of the January 2022 Hunga eruption, Tonga

The 15 January 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga, produced an explosion in the atmosphere of a size that has not been documented in the modern geophysical record. The event generated a broad range of atmospheric waves observed globally by various ground-based and spaceborne instrumentation networks. Most prominent was the surface-guided Lamb wave (≲0.01 hertz), which we observed propagating for four (plus three antipodal) passages around Earth over 6 days. As measured by the Lamb wave amplitudes, the climactic Hunga explosion was comparable in size to that of the 1883 Krakatau eruption. The Hunga eruption produced remarkable globally detected infrasound (0.01 to 20 hertz), long-range (~10,000 kilometers) audible sound, and ionospheric perturbations. Seismometers worldwide recorded pure seismic and air-to-ground coupled waves. Air-to-sea coupling likely contributed to fast-arriving tsunamis. In this article, we highlight exceptional observations of the atmospheric waves.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2022

Atmospheric Waves and Global Seismoacoustic Observations of the January 2022 Hunga Eruption, Tonga

The 15 January 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga, produced an explosion in the atmosphere of a size that has not been documented in the modern geophysical record. The event generated a broad range of atmospheric waves observed globally by various ground-based and spaceborne instrumentation networks. Most prominent was the surface-guided Lamb wave (≲0.01 hertz), which we observed propagating for four (plus three antipodal) passages around Earth over 6 days. As measured by the Lamb wave amplitudes, the climactic Hunga explosion was comparable in size to that of the 1883 Krakatau eruption. The Hunga eruption produced remarkable globally detected infrasound (0.01 to 20 hertz), long-range (~10,000 kilometers) audible sound, and ionospheric perturbations. Seismometers worldwide recorded pure seismic and air-to-ground coupled waves. Air-to-sea coupling likely contributed to fast-arriving tsunamis. Here, we highlight exceptional observations of the atmospheric waves.

Robin S Matoza↗
NASA NTRS2011

3D Ultrasonic Wave Simulations for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) for the detection of damage in aerospace materials is an important area of research at NASA. Ultrasonic guided Lamb waves are a promising SHM damage detection technique since the waves can propagate long distances. For complicated flaw geometries experimental signals can be difficult to interpret. High performance computing can now handle full 3-dimensional (3D) simulations of elastic wave propagation in materials. We have developed and implemented parallel 3D elastodynamic finite integration technique (3D EFIT) code to investigate ultrasound scattering from flaws in materials. EFIT results have been compared to experimental data and the simulations provide unique insight into details of the wave behavior. This type of insight is useful for developing optimized experimental SHM techniques. 3D EFIT can also be expanded to model wave propagation and scattering in anisotropic composite materials.

Campbell, Leckey Cara A/↗
NASA NTRS1977

Convolution using guided acoustooptical interaction in thin-film waveguides

Interaction of two antiparallel acoustic surface waves (ASW) with an optical guided wave has been investigated theoretically as well as experimentally to obtain the convolution of two ASW signals. The maximum time-bandwidth product that can be achieved by such a convolver is shown to be of the order of 1000 or more. The maximum dynamic range can be as large as 83 dB.

Chang, W. S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The acceleration of winds by MHD waves in open magnetic structures

It has become increasingly clear in recent years that the available models describing the acceleration of high speed streams in solar coronal holes are inadequate. Thermal models do not result in winds with the proper thermal speed and density. In addition models which assume acceleration by Alfven waves, though promising, are not self-consistent when applied low in coronal holes where the acceleration of the wind takes place. An Alfven wave in the corona with a period of a few hundred seconds will have a wavelength of the order of 10 cm. This is of the order of the diameter of a coronal hole in the low corona, and therefore it is expected that the MHD waves are guided in some sense by the coronal hole in which they propagate. This basic idea led to the development of a leaky waveguide theory to describe MHD wave propagation in coronal holes. Recent efforts were concentrated in two areas: the development of numerical codes to properly describe the hydrodynamics of the flow, and more realistic models of the coronal hole properties such as density gradients and spherical divergence of the flux tube. Some of the important aspects of the theory are discussed, including the effect of density inhomogeneities and smooth transverse density gradients. In addition it is hoped that some early results from the numerical models will be presented. The acceleration of cool winds is a problem of interest in cool supergiants also. Some work was done on the development of wind models for these stars as well.

Davila, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of Leaky Wave Antennas for Layered Ridge Dielectric Waveguide

The millimeter wave, especially above 100 GHz, and the submillimeter wave frequency spectrum offers the possibility for narrow-beam, high-resolution antennas which are critical for high definition radars required for space debris tracking, airport ground avoidance radars, and missile tracking. In addition, the frequency which most atmospheric constituents may be detected lie in this part of the frequency spectrum. Therefore, the development of electronic components for millimeter/submillimeter wave passive sensors is required for environmental monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere. Typical microwave transmission lines such as microstrip and coplanar waveguide rely on two or more electrical conductors to concentrate and guide the electromagnetic energy. Unfortunately, the surface resistance of the conductors increases as the square root of frequency. In addition, the circuit dimensions must be decreased with increasing frequency to maintain a single mode transmission line which further increases the conductor loss. An alternative family of transmission lines are formed from two or more insulating materials and rely on the differences in the permittivities between the two materials to guide the wave. No metal conductors are required although some dielectric waveguides do utilize a metallic ground plane to facilitate the interconnections of active electrical elements or to reduce the transmission line size. Examples of such transmission lines are image guides, insulated image guides, trapped image guides, ridge guide, and layered ridge dielectric waveguide (LRDW). Although most dielectric waveguides have dimensions on the order of lambda to provide sufficient field confinement, the LRDW has been shown to provide good field confinement for electrically small lines. This offers an advantage in circuit integration. It has been shown that a periodic array of metallic strips placed either along or on top of a dielectric waveguide forms an effective radiator. This antenna is easy to fabricate and there is good background of microstrip type antenna design information in the literature. This paper reports the development of the first frequency scanning antenna fed by a LRDW.

Ponchak, George E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Toroidal wave frequency at L=6-10: AMPTE/CCE Observations and Comparison with Theoretical Model

Magnetospheric standing Alfven waves are guided along the ambient magnetic field and their frequency depends on the mass density of the plasma distributed along the field lines. These properties allow us to use Alfen waves to map time-dependent phenomena between space and ground and to estimate the mass density. In this paper we present a statistical study of the spatial variation of the fundamental frequency f(sub T1) of toroidal-mode standing Alfen waves in the L range from 6 to 10, where L indicates the maximum geocentric distance on the field line. The data used for this analysis are energetic particle flux anisotropy (proxy of transverse electric field) and magnetic field measurements from the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) spacecraft. Using CCE data covering 4 years we obtained approximately 5000 20-min intervals containing a clear signature of toroidal waves. The median f(sub T1), is 6-10 mHz at L=7 and decreases to 4-8 mHz at L = . The frequency tends to be lower at noon than at midnight. The observed frequencies are compared with numerically derived frequencies using an empirical mass density model and a magnetic field model. We found a good agreement for 12-24 MLT but a large discrepancy near MLT= 3. This may indicate that the flux tubes at this local time are more heavily loaded than specified in the Gallagher et al. model.

Takahashi, Kazue↗
DOE OSTI2021

Recurrence analysis of friction based dry-couplant ultrasonic Lamb waves in plate-like structures

Here, in this study, the effect of friction on the generation of dry-coupled Lamb waves is experimentally investigated. Recurrence analysis is performed to analyze the complex behavior of friction based dry-coupled Lamb waves. In particular, the effect of the normal force, which is necessary for a stronger dry-coupled Lamb wave generation and the friction, on the transmission of mechanical energy and determinism characteristics of Lamb waves are investigated. The results verify that larger friction coefficient and friction force are crucial for generation and propagation of strong Lamb waves supporting the fact that the main mechanism to transfer mechanical energy using dry-couplant is friction. The sensitivity of Lamb waves to the friction coefficient, highlights the importance of designing specific pads with respect to condition of the surface. Besides, the results show that the normal force and friction coefficient can change the determinism characteristics behavior of multimode Lamb waves. Furthermore, it is shown that the determinism value is sensitive to the friction coefficient and normal force. A similar trend is observed in the determinism values and friction coefficient. In general, a smaller friction coefficient indicates smaller determinism value. Additionally, it is shown that a normal load can change the behavior of a system, as observed from recurrence plots, owing to changes in the Lamb waves trajectories in the phase-space domain. In addition, it is shown that recurrence plots enable the detection of mode transitions in multimode Lamb waves. Recurrence analysis is a complementary tool to frequency domain methods for accurate analysis of multimode Lamb waves behavior.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

On Multiple Hall-Like Electron Currents and Tripolar Guide Magnetic Field Perturbations During Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves

Two magnetopause current sheet crossings with tripolar guide magnetic field signatures were reported by multiple Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft during Kelvin-Helmholtz wave activity. The two out-of-plane magnetic field depressions of the tripolar guide magnetic field are largely supported by the observed in-plane electron currents, which are reminiscent of two clockwise Hall current loop systems. A comparison with a three-dimensional kinetic simulation of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves and vortex-induced reconnection indicates that MMS likely encountered the two Hall magnetic field depressions on either side of a magnetic reconnection X-line. Moreover, MMS observed an out-of-plane current reversal and a corresponding in-plane magnetic field rotation at the center of one of the current sheets, suggesting the presence of two adjacent flux ropes. The region inside one of the ion-scale flux ropes was characterized by an observed decrease of the total magnetic field, a strong axial current, and significant enhancements of electron density and parallel electron temperature. The flux rope boundary was characterized by currents opposite this axial current, strong in-plane and converging electric fields, parallel electric fields, and weak electron-frame Joule dissipation. These return current region observations may reflect a need to support the axial current rather than representing local reconnection signatures in the absence of any exhausts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1993

The propagation of low-frequency whistler waves driven by ion beams in the magnetotail

The generation and propagation of low-frequency whistler waves excited by ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer are followed using standard ray tracing techniques and assuming a Harris-type neutral sheet magnetic field profiles. The density is chosen such that the total pressure remains constant. The wave energy is calculated along the wave path taking into account growth due to the ion beam while the wave is in the plasma sheet boundary layer as well as damping due to resonant interactions with the background plasma. The results show that the electromagnetic waves are guided toward the central plasma sheet by the plasma gradients but are damped out before reaching the neutral plane itself due to Cerenkov resonance with the hot central plasma sheet background ions. The amplitudes and final positions of the waves depend on the temperature of the background plasma, the ion beam drift speed, and the ion beam thermal speed.

Burinskaia, T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Hybrid Model of Inhomogeneous Solar Wind Plasma Heating by Alfven Wave Spectrum: Parametric Studies

Observations of the solar wind plasma at 0.3 AU and beyond show that a turbulent spectrum of magnetic fluctuations is present. Remote sensing observations of the corona indicate that heavy ions are hotter than protons and their temperature is anisotropic (T(sub perpindicular / T(sub parallel) >> 1). We study the heating and the acceleration of multi-ion plasma in the solar wind by a turbulent spectrum of Alfvenic fluctuations using a 2-D hybrid numerical model. In the hybrid model the protons and heavy ions are treated kinetically as particles, while the electrons are included as neutralizing background fluid. This is the first two-dimensional hybrid parametric study of the solar wind plasma that includes an input turbulent wave spectrum guided by observation with inhomogeneous background density. We also investigate the effects of He++ ion beams in the inhomogeneous background plasma density on the heating of the solar wind plasma. The 2-D hybrid model treats parallel and oblique waves, together with cross-field inhomogeneity, self-consistently. We investigate the parametric dependence of the perpendicular heating, and the temperature anisotropy in the H+-He++ solar wind plasma. It was found that the scaling of the magnetic fluctuations power spectrum steepens in the higher-density regions, and the heating is channeled to these regions from the surrounding lower-density plasma due to wave refraction. The model parameters are applicable to the expected solar wind conditions at about 10 solar radii.

Ofman, L.↗