Accurate method for measuring small frequency shifts in plasma loaded cavities.
Small frequency shift measurement method for X-band plasma-loaded cavities
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Small frequency shift measurement method for X-band plasma-loaded cavities
An indirect boundary element method is developed to predict sound fields in acoustical cavities. An isoparametric quadratic boundary element is utilized. The formulations of pressure, velocity and/or impedance boundary conditions are developed and incorporated into the method. The capability to include acoustic point sources within the cavity is also implemented. The method is applied to the prediction of sound fields in spherical and rectangular cavities. All three boundary condition types are verified. Cases having a point source within the cavity domain are also studied. Numerically determined cavity pressure distributions and responses are presented. The numerical results correlate well with available analytical results.
Microwave surface resistivity of a number of metal and other sample materials was measured at X-band, approximately 8400 MHz. The method of measurement uses a TE sub 011 mode circular waveguide cavity resonator wherein the sample is used as one end of the cavity. This method has been used previously in JPL work with good results. Microwave reflection loss and noise arising from the dissipative loss are given, for materials having negligible transmission leakage.
Four high-frequency methods are described for analyzing the electromagnetic (EM) scattering by electrically large open-ended cavities. They are: (1) a hybrid combination of waveguide modal analysis and high-frequency asymptotics, (2) geometrical optics (GO) ray shooting, (3) Gaussian beam (GB) shooting, and (4) the generalized ray expansion (GRE) method. The hybrid modal method gives very accurate results but is limited to cavities which are made up of sections of uniform waveguides for which the modal fields are known. The GO ray shooting method can be applied to much more arbitrary cavity geometries and can handle absorber treated interior walls, but it generally only predicts the major trends of the RCS pattern and not the details. Also, a very large number of rays need to be tracked for each new incidence angle. Like the GO ray shooting method, the GB shooting method can handle more arbitrary cavities, but it is much more efficient and generally more accurate than the GO method because it includes the fields diffracted by the rim at the open end which enter the cavity. However, due to beam divergence effects the GB method is limited to cavities which are not very long compared to their width. The GRE method overcomes the length-to-width limitation of the GB method by replacing the GB's with GO ray tubes which are launched in the same manner as the GB's to include the interior rim diffracted field. This method gives good accuracy and is generally more efficient than the GO method, but a large number of ray tubes needs to be tracked.
This paper describes the application of the conservative supra characteristic method (CSCM) to predict the flow around two-dimensional slot injection cooled cavities in hypersonic flow. Seven different numerical solutions are presented that model three different experimental designs. The calculations manifest outer flow conditions including the effects of nozzle/lip geometry, angle of attack, nozzle inlet conditions, boundary and shear layer growth and turbulance on the surrounding flow. The calculations were performed for analysis prior to wind tunnel testing for sensitivity studies early in the design process. Qualitative and quantitative understanding of the flows for each of the cavity designs and design recommendations are provided. The present paper demonstrates the ability of numerical schemes, such as the CSCM method, to play a significant role in the design process.
The fabrication of an optical cavity for use in a laser, in a frequency doubling external cavity, or any other type of nonlinear optical device, can be simplified by providing the nonlinear crystal in combination with a surrounding glass having an index of refraction substantially equal to that of the nonlinear crystal. The closed optical path in this cavity is formed in the surrounding glass and through the nonlinear crystal which lies in one of the optical segments of the light path. The light is transmitted through interfaces between the surrounding glass in the nonlinear crystal through interfaces which are formed at the Brewster-angle to minimize or eliminate reflection.
A paper discusses the need to perform accurate dielectric property measurements on larger sized samples, particularly liquids at microwave frequencies. These types of measurements cannot be obtained using conventional cavity perturbation methods, particularly for liquids or powdered or granulated solids that require a surrounding container. To solve this problem, a model has been developed for the resonant frequency and quality factor of a cylindrical microwave cavity containing concentric cylindrical samples. This model can then be inverted to obtain the real and imaginary dielectric constants of the material of interest. This approach is based on using exact solutions to Maxwell s equations for the resonant properties of a cylindrical microwave cavity and also using the effective electrical conductivity of the cavity walls that is estimated from the measured empty cavity quality factor. This new approach calculates the complex resonant frequency and associated electromagnetic fields for a cylindrical microwave cavity with lossy walls that is loaded with concentric, axially aligned, lossy dielectric cylindrical samples. In this approach, the calculated complex resonant frequency, consisting of real and imaginary parts, is related to the experimentally measured quantities. Because this approach uses Maxwell's equations to determine the perturbed electromagnetic fields in the cavity with the material(s) inserted, one can calculate the expected wall losses using the fields for the loaded cavity rather than just depending on the value of the fields obtained from the empty cavity quality factor. These additional calculations provide a more accurate determination of the complex dielectric constant of the material being studied. The improved approach will be particularly important when working with larger samples or samples with larger dielectric constants that will further perturb the cavity electromagnetic fields. Also, this approach enables the ability to have a larger sample of interest, such as a liquid or powdered or granulated solid, inside a cylindrical container.
Common methods for frequency stabilizing diode lasers systems employ gratings, etalons, optical electric double feedback, atomic resonance, and a Faraday cell with low magnetic field. Our method, the Faraday Anomalous Dispersion Optical Transmitter (FADOT) laser locking, is much simpler than other schemes. The FADOT uses commercial laser diodes with no antireflection coatings, an atomic Faraday cell with a single polarizer, and an output coupler to form a compound cavity. This method is vibration insensitive, thermal expansion effects are minimal, and the system has a frequency pull in range of 443.2 GHz (9A). Our technique is based on the Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter. This method has potential applications in optical communication, remote sensing, and pumping laser excited optical filters. We present the first theoretical model for the FADOT and compare the calculations to our experimental results.
An interactive model for numerical computation of complicated two-dimensional flowfields including regions of reversed flow is proposed. The present approach is one of dividing the flowfield into three regions, in each of which a simplified mathematical model is applied: (1) outer, supersonic flow for which the full potential equation (hyperbolic) is used; (2) viscous, laminar layer in which the compressible boundary-layer model (parabolic) is used; and (3) recirculating flow modeled by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (elliptic). For matching of the numerical solutions in the three layers, two interaction models are developed: one for pressure interaction, the other for interaction between the shear layer and the recirculating flow. The uniform solution for the whole flowfield is then obtained by iteration of the local solutions under the constraints imposed by matching. The three-layer interactive model is used for solution of the flowfield past an asymmetric cavity. The method is shown to be capable of dealing with backflow without encountering problems at separation, characteristic to the boundary-layer approach.
Measurement of dielectric constant of vegetation at microwave frequencies by cavity perturbation method
Extension of conventional microwave cavity diagnostic methods to measure very low electron densities in afterglow plasmas
Study of the characteristics of the CW neutral argon IR laser, using a variety of techniques. The output power enhancement effects of helium and chlorine gases are measured, and the reasons for the enhancement are determined. The gain is measured for the 2.397-, 2.208-, 2.062-, and 1.792-micron laser lines, using an internal cavity-loss method and a single-pass amplifier method. In addition, the saturation intensity is measured, and competition effects are studied. It is concluded that helium aids excitation of the upper laser levels by producing a significant increase in the electron temperature. Chlorine is shown to aid deexcitation of the lower laser levels by partially depopulating the metastable argon 4s levels that lie just below them.
Experiments performed in a pulsed afterglow plasma column with specified parameters revealed a filamentation instability of a large-amplitude whistler wave launched from antennas which produce a diverging energy flow in the linear regime. The difficult problem of diagnosing local density perturbations in a magnetized plasma in the presence of large-amplitude RF signals and nonuniform anisotropic electron distributions is discussed. Since Langmuir probes are too unreliable under these conditions, a microwave probe is developed based on the principle of the cavity shift method. The temporal and spatial evolution of the duct formation and wave propagation are shown. The role of the observed electron heating in the filamentation process is examined. The observed self-focusing process appears to be the result of the reinforcing interaction between the wave-induced density depression and the density-induced wave refraction. Interesting applications are noted.
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Analyses of impact craters formed in laboratory experiments historically have been the source of many fundamental observations and interpretations of the impact-cratering process itself. Due to its ready availability, ease of handling, and lack of strength, dry sand of various types has been the target material of choice in the majority of such experiments. A consequence of its lack of intrinsic strength, however, is dry sand's inability to maintain slopes above its angle of repose. Evidence from field observations of simple terrestrial craters and laboratory craters formed in more cohesive granular media suggests that transient cavities are similar to paraboloids in shape. Cross-sections of craters formed in dry sand, however, are nearly conical with the wall slopes at or near the angle of repose, indicating that the original crater form has been modified by one or more processes, among which is simple slope failure. Because the dimensions and shape of the transient cavity reflect the detailed conditions of a given impact event, its characterization has long been a desired goal in experimentation. A means of estimating the position of the transient cavity's rim is suggested below, relying on determination of velocities of material ejected from the growing cavity.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important and ubiquitous component of carbon-bearing materials in space. PAHs are the best-known candidates to account for the IR emission bands (UIR bands) and PAH spectral features are now being used as new probes of the ISM. PAHs are also thought to be among the carriers of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIBs). In the model dealing with the interstellar spectral features, PAHs are present as a mixture of radicals, ions and neutral species. PAH ionization states reflect the ionization balance of the medium while PAH size, composition, and structure reflect the energetic and chemical history of the medium. A major challenge for laboratory astrophysics is to reproduce (in a realistic way) the physical conditions that exist in the emission and/or absorption interstellar zones. An extensive laboratory program has been developed at NASA Ames to assess the physical and chemical properties of PAHs in such environments and to describe how they influence the radiation and energy balance in space and the interstellar chemistry. In particular, laboratory experiments provide measurements of the spectral characteristics of interstellar PAH analogs from the ultraviolet and visible range to the infrared range for comparison with astronomical data. This paper will focus on the recent progress made in the laboratory to measure the direct absorption spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs in the gas phase in the near-UV and visible range in astrophysically relevant environments. These measurements provide data on PAHs and nanometer-sized particles that can now be directly compared to astronomical observations. The harsh physical conditions of the IS medium - characterized by a low temperature, an absence of collisions and strong VUV radiation fields - are simulated in the laboratory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature (of the order of 100 K). The spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs are measured using the high sensitivity methods of cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS). These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of free, cold large carbon molecules and ions in the gas phase. Intrinsic band profiles and band positions of cold gas-phase PAHs can now be measured with high-sensitivity spectroscopy and directly compared to the astronomical data. The electronic bands measured for ionized PAH are found to be intrinsically broad (about 20 cm(sup -1)) while the bands associated with the neutral precursors are narrower (of the order of 2 - 10 cm(sup -1)). The laboratory data are discussed and compared with recent astronomical spectra of large and narrow DIBs and with the spectra of circumstellar environments of selected carbon stars and the implications for the interstellar PAH population are derived. Preliminary results also show that carbon nanoparticles are formed during the short residence time of the precursors in the plasma.
We present the gas-phase spectroscopy of neutral and ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in the W-Visible-NIR range in an astrophysically relevant environment. These measurements provide data on PAHs and nanometer sized particles that can now be directly compared to astronomical observations. The harsh physical conditions of the IS medium - characterized by a low temperature, an absence of collisions and strong VUV radiation fields - are simulated in the laborat'ory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature ($\sim lOO$-K). The spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs are measured using the high sensitivity methods of cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) and multiplex integrated cavity output spectroscopy (MICOS). These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of free, cold large carbon molecules and ions in the gas phase. The electronic bands measured for ionized PAH are found to be intrinsically broad ($\geq$20 cm$^{-l}$) while the bands associated with the neutral precursors are narrower (of the order of 2 - 10 cm$^{-l}$). The laboratory data are discussed and compared with recent astronomical spectra of large and narrow DIBs and with the spectra of circumstellar environments of selected carbon stars (see contribution of Cami et al.) and the implications for the interstellar PAH population are derived. Preliminary results also show that carbon nanoparticles are formed during the short residence time of the precursors in the plasma. This finding holds great potential for understanding the formation process of interstellar grains.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important and ubiquitous component of carbon-bearing materials in space. PAHs are the best-known candidates to account for the IR emission bands (UIR bands) and PAH spectral features are now being used as new probes of the ISM. PAHs are also thought to be among the carriers of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIBs). In the model dealing with the interstellar spectral features, PAHs are present as a mixture of radicals, ions and neutral species. PAH ionization states reflect the ionization balance of the medium while PAH size, composition, and structure reflect the energetic and chemical history of the medium. A major challenge for laboratory astrophysics is to reproduce (in a realistic way) the physical conditions that exist in the emission and/or absorption interstellar zones, An extensive laboratory program has been developed at NASA Ames to characterize the physical and chemical properties of PAHs in astrophysical environments and to describe how they influence the radiation and energy balance in space and the interstellar chemistry. In particular, laboratory experiments provide measurements of the spectral characteristics of interstellar PAH analogs from the ultraviolet and visible range to the infrared range for comparison with astronomical data. This paper will focus on the recent progress made in the laboratory to measure the direct absorption spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs in the gas phase in the near-W and visible range in astrophysically relevant environments. These measurements provide data on PAHs and nanometer-sized particles that can now be directly compared to astronomical observations. The harsh physical conditions of the IS medium - characterized by a low temperature, an absence of collisions and strong V W radiation fields - are simulated in the laboratory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature (of the order of 100 K). The spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs are measured using the high sensitivity methods of cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS). These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of free, cold large carbon molecules and ions in the gas phase. Intrinsic band profiles and band positions of cold gas-phase PAHs can now be measured with high- sensitivity spectroscopy and directly compared to the astronomical data. The electronic bands measured for ionized PAH are found to be intrinsically broad (about 20/cm) while the bands associated with the neutral precursors are narrower (of the order of 2 - 10/cm).