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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

High-Aperture-Efficiency Horn Antenna

A horn antenna (see Figure 1) has been developed to satisfy requirements specific to its use as an essential component of a high-efficiency Ka-band amplifier: The combination of the horn antenna and an associated microstrip-patch antenna array is required to function as a spatial power divider that feeds 25 monolithic microwave integrated-circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers. The foregoing requirement translates to, among other things, a further requirement that the horn produce a uniform, vertically polarized electromagnetic field in its patches identically so that the MMICs can operate at maximum efficiency. The horn is fed from a square waveguide of 5.9436-mm-square cross section via a transition piece. The horn features cosine-tapered, dielectric-filled longitudinal corrugations in its vertical walls to create a hard boundary condition: This aspect of the horn design causes the field in the horn aperture to be substantially vertically polarized and to be nearly uniform in amplitude and phase. As used here, cosine-tapered signifies that the depth of the corrugations is a cosine function of distance along the horn. Preliminary results of finite-element simulations of performance have shown that by virtue of the cosine taper the impedance response of this horn can be expected to be better than has been achieved previously in a similar horn having linearly tapered dielectric- filled longitudinal corrugations. It is possible to create a hard boundary condition by use of a single dielectric-filled corrugation in each affected wall, but better results can be obtained with more corrugations. Simulations were performed for a one- and a three-corrugation cosine-taper design. For comparison, a simulation was also performed for a linear- taper design (see Figure 2). The three-corrugation design was chosen to minimize the cost of fabrication while still affording acceptably high performance. Future designs using more corrugations per wavelength are expected to provide better field responses and, hence, greater aperture efficiencies.

Pickens, Wesley↗
NASA NTRS1984

Evaluation of the radar response to land surfaces and volumes: Examination of theoretical models, target statistics, and applications

Four areas of L-band radar remote sensing of terrain were examined: (1) the behavior of the radar backscatter coefficient of distributed surface and volumes as a function of the targets' dielectric and geometric parameters and as a fnction of their physical parameters; (2) the correspondence of the angular behavior of the relative backscatter coefficient as extracted from SIR-B digital imagery and truck mounted L-band scatterometer measurements for about 100 fields; (3) the statistical behavior of SIR-B image density for targets that appear homogeneous on Thematic Mapper (TM) optical imagery and/or color IR photography; and (4) the applicability of SIR-B imagery both alone and in conjunction with TM imagery for the classification and monitoring of land cover and renewable resources.

Ulaby, F. T.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Dielectric Properties of Piezoelectric Polyimides

Molecular modeling and dielectric measurements are being used to identify mechanisms governing piezoelectric behavior in polyimides such as dipole orientation during poling, as well as degree of piezoelectricity achievable. Molecular modeling on polyimides containing pendant, polar nitrile (CN) groups has been completed to determine their remanent polarization. Experimental investigation of their dielectric properties evaluated as a function of temperature and frequency has substantiated numerical predictions. With this information in hand, we are then able to suggest changes in the molecular structures, which will then improve upon the piezoelectric response.

Ounaies, Z.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Electromagnetic plasma wave propagation along a magnetic field

The linearized response of a Vlasov plasma to the steady-state excitation of transverse plasma waves along an external magnetic field is examined. Assuming a delta-function excitation mechanism, and performing a detailed Vlasov-Maxwell equation analysis using Fourier-Laplace transforms, the plasma response is found to consist of three terms: a branch-cut term, a free-streaming term, and a dielectric-pole term. Also considered is the phenomenon of plasma wave echoes. The case of longitudinal electrostatic waves is extended to the case of transverse plasma waves that propagate along an external magnetic field. It is shown that a transverse echo results in lowest order only when one excitation is transverse and the other is longitudinal.

Olson, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Exact image theory for the problem of dielectric/magnetic slab

Exact image method, recently introduced for the exact solution of electromagnetic field problems involving homogeneous half spaces and microstrip-like geometries, is developed for the problem of homogeneous slab of dielectric and/or magnetic material in free space. Expressions for image sources, creating the exact reflected and transmitted fields, are given and their numerical evaluation is demonstrated. Nonradiating modes, guided by the slab and responsible for the loss of convergence of the image functions, are considered and extracted. The theory allows, for example, an analysis of finite ground planes in microstrip antenna structures.

Lindell, I. V.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Exact image theory for the slab problem

Exact image theory, recently introduced for the exact solution of problems involving homogeneous half spaces and microstrip-like geometries, is developed here for the problem of homogeneous slab of isotropic dielectric and/or magnetic material in free space. Expressions for image sources, creating the exact reflected and transmitted fields, are given and their numerical evaluation is demonstrated. Nonradiating modes, guided by the slab and responsible for the loss of convergence of the image functions, are considered and extracted. The theory can be applied, for example, in an analysis of finite ground planes in microstrip antenna structures.

Lindell, I. V.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Potential application of satellite radar to monitor soil moisture

The microwave backscattering characteristics of soils as a function of moisture content are reviewed as a basis for the evaluation of the applicability of satellite radar to soil moisture determinations. Results of experiments showing the dependence of the complex dielectric constant, power reflection coefficient and backscattering coefficient of soil on its volumetric moisture content are presented. Results of a research program using the truck-mounted University of Kansas microwave active spectrometer to determine if, by the proper choice of sensor frequency, polarization and incidence, the sensor dynamic range in response to moisture variations may be greater than its response to other variations are considered in detail, and the optimum conditions of frequency (between 4 and 5 GHz), angular incidence (between 7 and 20 deg from nadir) and polarization (HH) obtained are indicated. An empirical model for the backscattering coefficient as a function of gravimetric moisture content derived on the basis of the experimental data is presented, and it is noted that available airborne and spaceborne data confirm the results of the ground-based sensors.

Ulaby, F. T.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Microwave remote sensing: Active and passive. Volume 2 - Radar remote sensing and surface scattering and emission theory

The fundamental principles of radar backscattering measurements are presented, including measurement statistics, Doppler and pulse discrimination techniques, and associated ambiguity functions. The operation of real and synthetic aperture sidelooking airborne radar systems is described, along with the internal and external calibration techniques employed in scattering measurements. Attention is given to the physical mechanisms responsible for the scattering emission behavior of homogeneous and inhomogeneous media, through a discussion of surface roughness, dielectric properties and inhomogeneity, and penetration depth. Simple semiempirical models are presented. Theoretical models involving greater mathematical sophistication are also given for extended ocean and bare soil surfaces, and the more general case of a vegetation canopy over a rough surface.

Ulaby, F. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Phase transition studies in barium and strontium titanates at microwave frequencies

The objectives were the following: to understand the phase transformations in barium and strontium titanates as the crystals go from one temperature to the other; and to study the dielectric behavior of barium and strontium titanate crystals at a microwave frequency of 9.12 GHz and as a function of temperature. Phase transition studies in barium and strontium titanate are conducted using a cylindrical microwave resonant cavity as a probe. The cavity technique is quite successful in establishing the phase changes in these crystals. It appears that dipole relaxation plays an important role in the behavior of the dielectric response of the medium loading the cavity as phase change takes place within the sample. The method of a loaded resonant microwave cavity as applied in this work has proven to be sensitive enough to monitor small phase changes of the cavity medium.

Dahiya, Jai N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nonhydrodynamic Characteristics of the Oscillating Screen Viscometer

Extraction of the viscosity from the oscillating screen's response function requires knowledge of it resonance frequency omega(sub 0) and of the prefactor k(sub tr)/k(theta), where k(sub tr) is a transducer coefficient and k(sub theta) is the torsion spring constant. The determination of these parameters is described. The effect of a possible anomaly in the dielectric constant near the critical point of xenon will be negligible.

Berg, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A spectral domain method for remotely probing stratified media

The problem of remotely probing a stratified, lossless, dielectric medium is formulated using the spectral domain method of probing. The response of the medium to a spectrum of plane waves incident at various angles is used to invert the unknown profile. For TE polarization, the electric field satisfies a Helmholtz equation. The inverse problem is solved by means of a new representation for the wave function. The principal step in this inversion is solving a second kind Fredholm equation which is very amenable to numerical computations. Several examples are presented including some which indicate that the method can be used with experimentally obtained data. When the fields exhibit a surface wave behavior, a unique inversion can be obtained only if information about the magnetic field is also available. In this case, the inversion is accomplished by a two-step procedure which employs a formula of Jost and Kohn. Some examples are presented, and an approach which greatly shortens the computations without greatly deteriorating the results is discussed.

Schaubert, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Transient response of Ge:Be and Ge:Zn FIR photoconductors under low background photon flux conditions

An experimental study of the transient behavior of Ge:Be and Ge:Zn photoconductors to changes in photon flux rates has been performed under the low background flux conditions (10 to the 8th photon/s) typical of astronomy and astrophysics applications. A characteristic transient behavior with time constants ranging from 0.1 to greater than 5 s has been observed in both materials when the shallow levels are very closely compensated. The detector response consists of both a fast and a slow component. The amplitude of the slow component can be up to 10 times greater than the initial fast component. It has been established that this phenomenon cannot be explained by current models of carrier sweep-out or dielectric relaxation. The transient behavior has been characterized as a function of temperature, electric field, photoconductive gain and material parameters.

Haegel, N. M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Progress in Development of Improved Ion-Channel Biosensors

Further improvements have recently been made in the development of the devices described in Improved Ion-Channel Biosensors (NPO-30710), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 30. As discussed in more detail in that article, these sensors offer advantages of greater stability, greater lifetime, and individual electrical addressability, relative to prior ion-channel biosensors. In order to give meaning to a brief description of the recent improvements, it is necessary to recapitulate a substantial portion of the text of the cited previous article. The figure depicts one sensor that incorporates the recent improvements, and can be helpful in understanding the recapitulated text, which follows: These sensors are microfabricated from silicon and other materials compatible with silicon. Typically, the sensors are fabricated in arrays in silicon wafers on glass plates. Each sensor in the array can be individually electrically addressed, without interference with its neighbors. Each sensor includes a well covered by a thin layer of silicon nitride, in which is made a pinhole for the formation of a lipid bilayer membrane. In one stage of fabrication, the lower half of the well is filled with agarose, which is allowed to harden. Then the upper half of the well is filled with a liquid electrolyte (which thereafter remains liquid) and a lipid bilayer is painted over the pinhole. The liquid contains a protein that forms an ion channel on top of the hardened agarose. The combination of enclosure in the well and support by the hardened agarose provides the stability needed to keep the membrane functional for times as long as days or even weeks. An electrode above the well, another electrode below the well, and all the materials between the electrodes together constitute a capacitor. What is measured is the capacitive transient current in response to an applied voltage pulse. One notable feature of this sensor, in comparison with prior such sensors, is a relatively thick dielectric layer between the top of the well and the top electrode. This layer greatly reduces the capacitance of an aperture across which the ion channels are formed, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. The use of a relatively large aperture with agarose support makes it possible to form many ion channels instead of only one, thereby further increasing the signal-to-noise ratio and effectively increasing the size of the available ionic reservoir. The relatively large reservoir makes it possible to measure AC rather than DC. This concludes the recapitulation from the cited previous article.

Nadeau, Jay L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Is Water a Universal Solvent for Life?

There are strong reasons to believe that the laws, principles and constraints of physics and chemistry are universal. It is much less clear how this universality translates into our understanding of the origins of life. Conventionally, discussions of this topic focus on chemistry that must be sufficiently rich to seed life. Although this is clearly a prerequisite for the emergence of living systems, I propose to focus instead on self-organization of matter into functional structures capable of reproduction, evolution and responding to environmental changes. In biology, most essential functions are largely mediated by noncovalent interactions (interactions that do not involve making or breaking chemical bonds). Forming chemical bonds is only a small part of what living systems do. There are specific implications of this point of view for universality. I will concentrate on one of these implications. Strength of non-covalent interactions must be properly tuned. If they were too weak, the system would exhibit undesired, uncontrolled response to natural fluctuations of physical and chemical parameters. If they were too strong kinetics of biological processes would be slow and energetics costly. This balance, however, is not a natural property of complex chemical systems. Instead, it has to be achieved with the aid of an appropriate solvent for life. In particular, potential solvents for life must be characterized by a high dielectric constant to ensure solubility of polar species and sufficient flexibility of biological structures stabilized by electrostatic interactions. Among these solvents, water exhibits a remarkable trait that it also promotes solvophobic (hydrophobic) interactions between non-polar species, typically manifested by a tendency of these species to aggregate and minimize their contacts with the aqueous solvent. Hydrophobic interactions are responsible, at least in part, for many self-organization phenomena in biological systems, such as the formation of cellular boundary structures or protein folding. Strengths of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are similar and can be balanced over a wide range of temperatures, which considerably increases the repertoire of interactions that can be used to modulate biological functions. Some properties of water, e.g. its chemical activity against polymerization reactions, are considered as unfavorable to life. In actuality, this might be a favorable trait because life requires a balance between constructive and destructive processes. For example, molecules synthesized in response to specific conditions must be degraded once these conditions change. Otherwise regulation of biological processes would be virtually impossible. Water might not be the only liquid with favorable properties for supporting life. It has been proposed that formamide, which might be present elsewhere in the universe in sufficient quantities to warrant interest, could be a potential alternative to water for the origin of life. However, this will remain highly hypothetical until it is demonstrated in further studies on its physical, chemical and biological properties it is capable of mediating self-organization of matter and providing proper balance between different types of non-covalent interactions.

Pohorill, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1990

The gravitational wakefield of a molecular cloud in a disk galaxy

A molecular cloud (considered as a point macroparticle) represents a clump of increased mass density moving in the disk of a galaxy. Its presence generates a gravitational polarization of the disk, somewhat analogous to the polarization of a dielectric medium by a test charged particle. This means that the cloud travels along with a wakefield (a region of increased mass density) which is the collective response of the stars and gas to the perturbing mass. It can represent many times the mass of the cloud, and emits spiral density waves which propagate away. In terms of statistical mechanics, this wakefield will appear as an increased two-particle correlation function which is the equivalent of the Debye sphere in a plasma - despite the absence here of negative charges. At short distances clouds will thus interact through their own gravitational field amplified by their wakefields, which might thus strongly affect their collisionality. Researchers present a calculation of this wakefield and discuss its importance in the collisional dynamics of molecular clouds.

Tagger, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Dielectric breakdown studies of Teflon perfluoroalkoxy at high temperature

Teflon perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) was evaluated for use as a dielectric material in high-temperature high-voltage capacitors for space applications. The properties that were characterized included the dc dielectric strength at temperatures up to 250 C and the permittivity and dielectric loss as a function of frequency, temperature and voltage. To understand the breakdown mechanism taking place at high temperatures, the pre-breakdown discharge and conduction currents, and the dependence of dielectric strength on thickness of the film were determined. Confocal laser microscopy was performed to diagnose for microimperfections within the film structure. The results obtained show a significant decrease in the dielectric strength and an increase in dielectric loss with an increase in temperature, suggesting that impulse thermal breakdown could be a responsible mechanism in PFA film at temperatures above 150 C.

Suthar, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Water as a matrix for life

"Follow the water" is the canonical strategy in searching for life in the universe. Conventionally, discussion of this topic is focused on how solvent supports organic chemistry sufficiently rich to seed life. Perhaps more importantly, solvent must promote self-organization of organic matter into functional structures capable of responding to environmental changes. This process is based on non-covalent interactions. They are constantly formed and broken in response to internal and external stimuli. This requires that their strength must be properly tuned. If they were too weak, the system would exhibit undesired, uncontrolled response to natural fluctuations of physical and chemical parameters. If they were too strong kinetics of biological processes would be slow and energetics costly. Non-covalent interactions are strongly mediated by the solvent. Specifically, high dielectric solvents for life are needed for solubility of polar species and flexibility of biological structures stabilized by electrostatic interactions. Water exhibits a remarkable trait that it promotes solvophobic interactions between non-polar species, which are responsible for self-organization phenomena such as the formation of cellular boundary structures, and protein folding and aggregation. Unusual temperature dependence of hydrophobic interactions - they often become stronger as temperature increases - is a consequence of the temperature insensitivity of properties of the liquid water. This contributes to the existence of robust life over a wide temperature range. Water is not the only liquid with favorable properties for supporting life. Other pure liquids or their mixtures that have high dielectric constants and simultaneously support some level of self-organization will be discussed.

Pohorille, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS2014

Variations in Cathodoluminescent Intensity of Spacecraft Materials Exposed to Energetic Electron Bombardment

Many contemporary spacecraft materials exhibit cathodoluminescence when exposed to electron flux from the space plasma environment. A quantitative, physics-based model has been developed to predict the intensity of the glow as a function of incident electron current density and energy, temperature, and intrinsic material properties. We present a comparative study of the absolute spectral radiance for several types of dielectric and composite materials based on this model which spans three orders of magnitude. Variations in intensity are contrasted for different electron environments, different sizes of samples and sample sets, different testing and analysis methods, and data acquired at different test facilities. Together, these results allow us to estimate the accuracy and precision to which laboratory studies may be able to determine the response of spacecraft materials in the actual space environment. It also provides guidance as to the distribution of emissions that may be expected for sets of similar flight hardware under similar environmental conditions.

plasma environment↗