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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 37 records · Page 2

Reconstructing Emission from Pre-Reionization Sources with Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuation Measurements by the JWST

We present new methodology to use cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations to probe sources at 10 less than or approx. equal to z less than or approx. equal to 30 from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRCam configuration that will isolate known galaxies to 28 AB mag at 0.55 m. At present significant mutually consistent source-subtracted CIB fluctuations have been identified in the Spitzer and AKARI data at 25 m, but we demonstrate internal inconsistencies at shorter wavelengths in the recent CIBER data. We evaluate CIB contributions from remaining galaxies and show that the bulk of the high-z sources will be in the confusion noise of the NIRCam beam, requiring CIB studies. The accurate measurement of the angular spectrum of the fluctuations and probing the dependence of its clustering component on the remaining shot noise power would discriminate between the various currently proposed models for their origin and probe the flux distribution of its sources. We show that the contribution to CIB fluctuations from remaining galaxies is large at visible wavelengths for the current instruments precluding probing the putative Lyman-break of the CIB fluctuations. We demonstrate that with the proposed JWST configuration such measurements will enable probing the Lyman-break. We develop a Lyman-break tomography method to use the NIRCam wavelength coverage to identify or constrain, via the adjacent two-band subtraction, the history of emissions over 10 less than or approx. equal to z less than or approx. equal to 30 as the universe comes out of the Dark Ages. We apply the proposed tomography to the current SpitzerIRAC measurements at 3.6 and 4.5 m, to find that it already leads to interestingly low upper limit on emissions at z greater than or approx. equal to 30.

NIRCam beam↗

Silicon Lightweight Mirrors (SLMS) for Ultraviolet and Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Mirrors

Subtopic 01-S1.06 requires mirrors with a diameter of 0.5-2.4 meters, areal density less than 20 kg/sq m, a figure specification of 0.02-0.005 waves root mean square (rms) at 633 nanometers, a surface roughness 0.5-1 nanometers rms, and a midfrequency error of 1.0-2.5 nanometers rms for use in the infrared (IR) to extreme ultra violet (EUV) waveband. Schafer's Phase II objective is to use Silicon Lightweight Mirrors (SLMS), a novel, all-silicon, foam-core, lightweight mirror technology, to build three imaging mirrors for the Next Generation Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) Engineering Test Unit: M0 (a flat), M2 (a concave sphere) and M3R (an oblate spheroid). The surface figure error specification for the NIRCam imaging mirrors is 8 nanometers rms (0.013 waves rms at 633 nanometers), equivalent to that required for ultraviolet (UV) and EUV mirrors, and this figure must be maintained at the 35 K operational temperature of NGST. The surface roughness required is 30 A rms since NIRCam operates in the visible to infrared (VIS/IR) (0.65-5 microns). We will produce mounts for mirrors M2 and M3R using the complementary thermally matched C/SiC material demonstrated by Schafer under another NASA SBIR, NAS8-98137.

Goodman, W. A.↗

Relative Throughput of the Near-IR Science Instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope as Measured During Ground Testing the Integrated Science Instrument Module

Data were obtained for the purpose of measuring the relative throughput of the Near-IR Science Instruments (SIs) of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the second and third cryogenic-vacuum tests (CV2CV3) of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) conducted at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2014 and 20152016, at the beginning and end of the environmental test program, respectively. This Poster focuses on data obtained as part of the Initial Optical Baseline and as part of the Final Performance test -- two epochs that roughly bracket the CV3 test. The purpose of the test is to trend relative throughput to monitor for any potential changes from gross problems such as contamination or degradation of an optical element. Point source data were taken at a variety of wavelengths for NIRCam Module A and Module B, NIRSpec, NIRISS, Guider 1 and Guider 2 using the Laser Diode (LD) 1.06 micron, LD 1.55 micron, 2.1 micron LED and 3.5 micron LED, as well as for NIRCam Mod A and B and NIRISS using a tungsten source and the F277W, and F480M filters. Spectra were taken using the G140M, G235M, and G395M gratings for NIRSpec, the GRISMR grism for NIRCam Mod A and B and the GR150C grism for NIRISS. The results of these measurements are compared to what would be expected given the efficiency of each of the optical elements in each SI. Although these data were taken as a check against gross problems, they can also be used to provide the first relative throughput estimate for each SI through the various filters source wavelengths measured in their flight-like configurations.

technology development↗

On-Orbit Multi-Field Wavefront Control with a Kalman Filter

A document describes a multi-field wavefront control (WFC) procedure for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on-orbit optical telescope element (OTE) fine-phasing using wavefront measurements at the NIRCam pupil. The control is applied to JWST primary mirror (PM) segments and secondary mirror (SM) simultaneously with a carefully selected ordering. Through computer simulations, the multi-field WFC procedure shows that it can reduce the initial system wavefront error (WFE), as caused by random initial system misalignments within the JWST fine-phasing error budget, from a few dozen micrometers to below 50 nm across the entire NIRCam Field of View, and the WFC procedure is also computationally stable as the Monte-Carlo simulations indicate. With the incorporation of a Kalman Filter (KF) as an optical state estimator into the WFC process, the robustness of the JWST OTE alignment process can be further improved. In the presence of some large optical misalignments, the Kalman state estimator can provide a reasonable estimate of the optical state, especially for those degrees of freedom that have a significant impact on the system WFE. The state estimate allows for a few corrections to the optical state to push the system towards its nominal state, and the result is that a large part of the WFE can be eliminated in this step. When the multi-field WFC procedure is applied after Kalman state estimate and correction, the stability of fine-phasing control is much more certain. Kalman Filter has been successfully applied to diverse applications as a robust and optimal state estimator. In the context of space-based optical system alignment based on wavefront measurements, a KF state estimator can combine all available wavefront measurements, past and present, as well as measurement and actuation error statistics to generate a Maximum-Likelihood optimal state estimator. The strength and flexibility of the KF algorithm make it attractive for use in real-time optical system alignment when WFC alone cannot effectively align the system.

Lou, John↗

Phase and Pupil Amplitude Recovery for JWST Space-Optics Control

This slide presentation reviews the phase and pupil amplitude recovery for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam). It includes views of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), the NIRCam, examples of Phase Retrieval Data, Ghost Irradiance, Pupil Amplitude Estimation, Amplitude Retrieval, Initial Plate Scale Estimation using the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs lambda, Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs. number of Images, Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs Rotation (clocking), and Typical Phase Retrieval Results Also included is information about the phase retrieval approach, Non-Linear Optimization (NLO) Optimized Diversity Functions, and Least Square Error vs. Starting Pupil Amplitude.

Dean, B. H.↗

Measuring the Cryogenic Optical Alignment Between the Telescope Element and the Instruments Module of the James Webb Space Telescope

The alignment between the Aft Optical Subsystem (AOS) and the Integrated Science Instruments Module (ISIM) is non-adjustable in orbit, so the alignment must be carefully verified in a cryogenic vacuum environment prior to launch. Optical point source locations calibrated by optical metrology instruments are imaged through the AOS onto the Science Instruments to determine focal, lateral, and clock angle alignment. The pupil image of the AOS is overlaid onto the pupil image of the NIRCam to determine the tip and tilt alignment. In addition, an image from fiducial lights at the Primary Mirror checks the pupil alignment between the telescope entrance pupil, the telescope pupil mask, and the NIRCam aperture stop. The image positions are combined to determine the relative alignment between the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and the ISIM in all six degrees of freedom with corresponding alignment uncertainties. Uncertainties in the position of focused images of the test sources and images from the pupils are derived from sensitivities of an optical model of the system and the Science Instrument sensing capability. Additional uncertainty in the pupil alignment measurement is due to uncertainty in the analytical removal of gravity effects that simulate the on-orbit alignment environment.

Whitman, Tony↗

The JWST/NIRCam Coronagraph: Mask Design and Fabrication

The NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope will provide coronagraphic imaging from lambda =1-5 microns of high contrast sources such as extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks. A Lyot coronagraph with a variety of circular and wedge-shaped occulting masks and matching Lyot pupil stops will be implemented. The occulters approximate grayscale transmission profiles using halftone binary patterns comprising wavelength-sized metal dots on anti-reflection coated sapphire substrates. The mask patterns are being created in the Micro Devices Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using electron beam lithography. Samples of these occulters have been successfully evaluated in a coronagraphic testbed. In a separate process, the complex apertures that form the Lyot stops will be deposited onto optical wedges. The NIRCam coronagraph flight components are expected to be completed this year.

Coronagraph↗

Titan Science with the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled for launch in 2018, is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) but with a signicantly larger aperture (6.5 m) and advanced instrumentation focusing on infrared science (0.6-28.0 microns). In this paper, we examine the potential for scientic investigation of Titan using JWST, primarily with three of the four instruments: NIRSpec, NIRCam, and MIRI, noting that science with NIRISS will be complementary. Five core scientic themes are identied: (1) surface (2) tropospheric clouds (3) tropospheric gases (4) stratospheric composition, and (5) stratospheric hazes. We discuss each theme in depth, including the scientic purpose, capabilities, and limitations of the instrument suite and suggested observing schemes. We pay particular attention to saturation, which is a problem for all three instruments, but may be alleviated for NIRCam through use of selecting small sub-arrays of the detectorssufcient to encompass Titan, but with signicantly faster readout times. We nd that JWST has very signicant potential for advancing Titan science, with a spectral resolution exceeding the Cassini instrument suite at near-infrared wavelengths and a spatial resolution exceeding HST at the same wavelengths. In particular, JWST will be valuable for time-domain monitoring of Titan, given a ve- to ten-year expected lifetime for the observatory, for example, monitoring the seasonal appearance of clouds. JWST observations in the post-Cassini period will complement those of other large facilities such as HST, ALMA, SOFIA, and next-generation ground-based telescopes (TMT, GMT, EELT).

Nixon, Conor A.↗

Stray Light Modeling of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM)

This paper describes an integrated stray light model of each Science Instrument (SI) in the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Optical Telescope Element Simulator (OSIM), the light source used to characterize the performance of ISIM in cryogenic-vacuum tests at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). We present three cases where this stray light model was integral to solving questions that arose during the testing campaign - 1) ghosting and coherent diffraction from hardware surfaces in the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) GR700XD grism mode, 2) ghost spots in the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) GRISM modes, and 3) scattering from knife edges of the NIRCam focal plane array masks.

stray light modeling↗

Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measurements Capabilities and New FUV Coating Mirror Technology Developments

This talk will emphasize the basic principles of refractive materials used in an optical telescope. In particular, the presentation will describe refractive index measurements that were performed for one of the instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A refractive system design was implemented in the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) which is one of the main instruments on the JWST observatory. This camera was designed to make observations in the infrared part of the optical spectrum, and it is required to operate in a space environment at temperatures as low as 25K. Therefore, it was imperative to know the refractive index at those low cryogenic temperatures for the various glass substrates (ZnSe, LiF and BaF2) used in the system design of NIRCam. These cryogenic index of refraction measurements were carried out by using the world-class refractometer called the Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS) facility that was designed and built at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. In the second part, there will be a discussion of the recent advances on the research and development activities of advanced and new mirror coating technologies that provide high reflectance performance in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) part of the optical spectrum. These new mirror coatings are envisioned for use on the reflecting mirrors of the next mission (beyond JWST) that will focus on astronomical observations in the FUV spectral range to deliver new and exciting discoveries about the origin of the cosmos.

Astronomy↗

The James Webb Telescope Instrument Suite Layout: Optical System Engineering Considerations for a Large, Deployable Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space-based, infrared observatory designed to study the early stages of galaxy formation in the Universe. The telescope will be launched into an elliptical orbit about the second Lagrange point and passively cooled to 30-50 K to enable astronomical observations from 0.6 to 28 microns. A group from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Northrop Grumman Space Technology prime contractor team has developed an optical and mechanical layout for the science instruments within the JWST field of view that satisfies the telescope s high-level performance requirements. Four instruments required accommodation within the telescope's field of view: a Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) provided by the University of Arizona; a Near-Mared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) provided by the European Space Agency; a Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a European consortium; and a Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) with a tunable filter module provided by the Canadian Space Agency. The size and position of each instrument's field of view allocation were developed through an iterative, concurrent engineering process involving the key observatory stakeholders. While some of the system design considerations were those typically encountered during the development of an infrared observatory, others were unique to the deployable and controllable nature of JWST. This paper describes the optical and mechanical issues considered during the field of view layout development, as well as the supporting modeling and analysis activities.

Bos, Brent↗

Comparative NIR Detector Characterization for NGST

List of publications for final perfomance report are: Detectors for the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer Rauscher, B.J., Strada, P., Regan, M.W., Figer, D.F., Jakobsen, P., Moseley, H.S., & Boeker, T. 2004, SPIE Detectors for the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer Rauscher, B.J., Strada, P., Regan, M.W., Figer, D.F., Jakobsen, P., Moseley, H.S., & Boeker, T. 2004, AAS, 203, 124.07 Independent Testing of JWST Detector Prototypes Figer, D.F., Rauscher, B. J., Regan, M. W., Morse, E., Balleza, J., Bergeron, L., & Stockman, H. S. 2003 , SPIE, 5 167 The Independent Detector Testing Laboratory and the NGST Detector Program Figer, D.F., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Rauscher, B. J., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Sharma, U., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,981 Intra-Pixel Sensitivity in NIR Detectors for NGST Sharma, U., Figer, D.F., Sivaramakrishnan, A., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Rauscher, B. J., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,1001 NIRCAM Image Simulations for NGST Wavefiont SensinglPS A. Sivaramakrishnan, D. Figer, H. Bushouse, H. S. Stockman (STScI),C. Ohara , D. Redding (JPL), M. Im (IPAC), & J. Offenberg (Raytheon) 2003, SPIE, 4850,388 Ultra-Low Background Operation of Near-Infrared Detectors for NGS Rauscher, B. J., Figer, D. F., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Sharma, U., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,962 The Independent Detector Testing Laboratory and the JWST Detector Program Figer, D.F. et a1.2003, AAS201, #131.05

Greenhouse, Matthew↗

The James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be a large (6m) cold (50K) telescope launched to the second Earth-Sun Lagrange point. It is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, and is a partnership of NASA, ESA and CSA. It's science goals are to detect and identify the first galaxies to form in the universe, to trace their assembly into the Hubble Sequence, and to study stellar and planetary system formation. JWST will have three instruments: The Near InfiaRed Camera (NIRCam) and the Near InfraRed multiobject Spectrometer (NIRSpec) will cover the wavelength range 0.6 to 5 microns, and the Mid InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) will do both imaging and spectroscopy from 5 to 28 microns.

Gardner, Jonathan P.↗

The Cryogenic, High-Accuracy, Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS): A New Facility for Cryogenic Infrared through Vacuum Far-Ultraviolet Refractive Index Measurements

The optical designs of future NASA infrared (IR) missions and instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) Near-Mixed Camera (NIRCam), will rely on accurate knowledge of the index of refraction of various IR optical materials at cryogenic temperatures. To meet this need, we have developed a Cryogenic, High-Accuracy Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS). In this paper we discuss the completion of the design and construction of CHARMS as well as the engineering details that constrained the final design and hardware implementation. In addition, we will present our first light, cryogenic, IR index of refraction data for LiF, BaF2, and CaF2, and compare our results to previously published data for these materials.

Frey, Bradley J.↗

An Overview of Thermal Distortion Modeling, Analysis, and Model Validation for the JWST ISIM Structure

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope consisting of the following elements: (1) Optical telescope element (OTE) (2) Integrated science instrument module (ISIM) (3) Spacecraft (4) Sunshield The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) consists of the JWST science instruments (NIRCam, MIRI, NIRSpec), a fine guidance sensor (FGS), the ISIM Structure, and thermal and electrical subsystems. JWST's instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the instruments and telescope operate at cryogenic temperatures (approximately 35 K for the instruments). The development and validation of a thermal distortion modeling and analysis capability for the JWST ISIM Structure was successfully completed. The modeling and analysis approach was grounded in initial constituent materials testing and benchmarked to test results at the composite bonded joint, subassembly, and fullscale flight hardware levels. Comparison of analysis predictions and test results from this series of incremental cryogenic thermal distortion tests demonstrates that the model validation goals are achieved.

Johnston, John↗

Cryogenic Thermal Distortion Model Validation for the JWST ISIM Structure

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope consisting of an Optical telescope element (OTE), Integrated science instrument module (ISIM), a Spacecraft, and a Sunshield. The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) consists of the JWST science instruments (NIRCam, MIRI, NIRSpec), a fine guidance sensor (FGS), the ISIM Structure, and thermal and electrical subsystems. JWST's instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the instruments and telescope operate at cryogenic temperatures (approximately 35 K for the instruments).

Johnston, John↗