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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 397 records · Page 22

The polar ionosphere as a source of the storm time ring current

The transport of ions from the polar ionosphere to the inner magnetosphere during storm time conditions has been computed using a Monte Carlo diffusion code. The effect of the electrostatic turbulence assumed to be present during the substorm expansion phase was simulated by a process that accelerated the ions stochastically perpendicular to the magnetic field with a diffusion coefficient proportional to the rate of energization of the ions by the induced electric field. This diffusion process was continued as the ions were convected from the plasma sheet boundary layer to the double-spiral injection boundary. Inward of the injection boundary the ions were convected adiabatically. By using as input an O(+) flux of 2.8 x 10 to the 8th per sq cm per s (w greater than 10 eV) and an H(+) flux of 5.5 x 10 to the 8th per sq cm per s (w greater than .63 eV) the computed distribution functions of the ions in the ring current were found to be in good agreement, over a wide range in L (4-8), with measurements made with the ISEE 1 satellite during a storm. This O(+) flux and a large part of the H(+) flux appear to be consistent with the DE-1 and DE-2 satellite measurements of the polar ionospheric outflow during disturbed times.

Cladis, J. B.↗

Transport of ions in presence of induced electric field and electrostatic turbulence - Source of ions injected into ring current

The transport of ions from the polar ionosphere to the inner magnetosphere during stormtime conditions has been computed using a Monte Carlo diffusion code. The effect of the electrostatic turbulence assumed to be present during the substorm expansion phase was simulated by a process that accelerated the ions stochastically perpendicular to the magnetic field with a diffusion coefficient proportional to the energization rate of the ions by the induced electric field. This diffusion process was continued as the ions were convected from the plasma sheet boundary layer to the double-spiral injection boundary. Inward of the injection boundary, the ions were convected adiabatically. By using as input an O(+) flux of 2.8 x 10 to the 8th per sq cm per s (w greater than 10 eV) and an H(+) flux of 5.5 x 10 to the 8th per sq cm per s (w greater than 0.63 eV), the computed distribution functions of the ions in the ring current were found to be in good agreement, over a wide range in L (4 to 8), with measurements made with the ISEE-1 satellite during a storm. This O(+) flux and a large part of the H(+) flux are consistent with the DE satellite measurements of the polar ionospheric outflow during disturbed times.

Cladis, J. B.↗

Experimental verification of the thermodynamic properties for a jet-A fuel

Thermodynamic properties for a Jet-A fuel were determined by Shell Development Company in 1970 under a contract for NASA Lewis Research Center. The polynomial fit necessary to include Jet-A fuel (liquid and gaseous phases) in the library of thermodynamic properties of the NASA Lewis Chemical Equilibrium Program is calculated. To verify the thermodynamic data, the temperatures of mixtures of liquid Jet-A injected into a hot nitrogen stream were experimentally measured and compared to those calculated by the program. Iso-octane, a fuel for which the thermodynamic properties are well known, was used as a standard to calibrate the apparatus. The measured temperatures for the iso-octane/nitrogen mixtures reproduced the calculated temperatures except for a small loss due to the non-adiabatic behavior of the apparatus. The measurements for Jet-A were corrected for this heat loss and showed excellent agreement with the calculated temperatures. These experiments show that this process can be adequately described by the thermodynamic properties fitted for the Chemical Equilibrium Program.

Graciasalcedo, Carmen M.↗

Multistate, multichannel coupled diabatic state representations of adiabatic states coupled by conical intersections. CH 2 OH photodissociation

In this work, a coupled diabatic state representation, H d , of the 1, 2, 3 2 A states of CH 2 OH suitable for the description of the three channel, three state photodissociation process CH 2 OH(1 2 A) + hv → CH 2 OH(2, 3 2 A) → CH 2 O(X, A) + H, cis-CHOH + H, trans-CHOH + H, is reported. The representation is based on electronic structure data (energies, energy gradients, and derivative couplings) obtained exclusively from multireference configuration interaction single and double excitation wave functions. Diabat shifting is employed to improve the representation’s agreement with accurate experimental energetics. A careful analysis of the numerous minima, saddle points, and conical intersection seams is reported. The computed T 0 (3 2 A) ~ 35 220 cm -1 is in excellent agreement with the experimental estimate of 35 053 cm -1 , and the computed channel dissociation energies, D 0 , for CH 2 O 9453 (10 160), cis-HCOH 30 310.2 (29 923), and trans-HCOH 28 799 (28 391) cm -1 are in good accord with the measured values given parenthetically. Lastly, these accurate energetics over a wide range of nuclear configurations strongly support the ability of this H d to enable quality simulations of nonadiabatic dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Exact Time-Dependent Exchange-Correlation Potential in Electron Scattering Processes

We identify peak and valley structures in the exact exchange-correlation potential of time-dependent density functional theory that are crucial for time-resolved electron scattering in a model one-dimensional system. These structures are completely missed by adiabatic approximations that, consequently, significantly underestimate the scattering probability. A recently proposed nonadiabatic approximation is shown to correctly capture the approach of the electron to the target when the initial Kohn-Sham state is chosen judiciously, and it is more accurate than standard adiabatic functionals but ultimately fails to accurately capture reflection. These results may explain the underestimation of scattering probabilities in some recent studies on molecules and surfaces.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Cosmic Rays and Their Radiative Processes in Numerical Cosmology

A cosmological hydrodynamic code is described, which includes a routine to compute cosmic ray acceleration and transport in a simplified way. The routine was designed to follow explicitly diffusive, acceleration at shocks, and second-order Fermi acceleration and adiabatic loss in smooth flows. Synchrotron cooling of the electron population can also be followed. The updated code is intended to be used to study the properties of nonthermal synchrotron emission and inverse Compton scattering from electron cosmic rays in clusters of galaxies, in addition to the properties of thermal bremsstrahlung emission from hot gas. The results of a test simulation using a grid of 128 (exp 3) cells are presented, where cosmic rays and magnetic field have been treated passively and synchrotron cooling of cosmic ray electrons has not been included.

Ryu, Dongsu↗

The Synchrotron Low-energy Spectrum Arising from the Cooling of Electrons in Gamma-Ray Bursts

This work is a continuation of a previous effort (Panaitescu) to study the cooling of relativistic electrons through radiation (synchrotron and self-Compton) emission and adiabatic losses, with application to the spectra and light curves of the synchrotron gamma-ray burst (GRB) produced by such cooling electrons. Here, we derive the low-energy slope β LE of a GRB pulse-integrated spectrum and quantify the implications of the measured distribution of β LE . Radiative processes that produce soft integrated spectra can accommodate the harder slopes measured by CGRO/BATSE and Fermi/GBM only if the magnetic field lifetime t B is shorter than the time during which the typical GRB electrons cool to radiate below 1–10 keV, which is less than (at most) 10 radiative cooling timescales t rad of the typical GRB electron. In this case, there is a one-to-one correspondence between t B and β LE . To account for low-energy slopes β LE > -3/4, the adiabatic electron-cooling requires a similar restriction on t B . In this case, the diversity of slopes arises mostly from how the electron-injection rate varies with time (temporal power-law injection rates yield power-law low-energy GRB spectra) and not from the magnetic field timescale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Polaron absorption in aligned conjugated polymer films: breakdown of adiabatic treatments and going beyond the conventional mid-gap state model

This study provides the first experimental polarized intermolecular and intramolecular optical absorption components of field-induced polarons in regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), rr-P3HT, a polymer semiconductor. Highly aligned rr-P3HT thin films were prepared by a high temperature shear-alignment process that orients polymer backbones along the shearing direction. rr-P3HT in-plane molecular orientation was measured by electron diffraction, and out-of-plane orientation was measured through series of synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Then, with molecular orientation quantified, polarized charge modulation spectroscopy was used to probe mid-IR polaron absorption in the ℏω = 0.075 — 0.75 eV range and unambiguously assign intermolecular and intramolecular optical absorption components of hole polarons in rr-P3HT. This data represents the first experimental quantification of these polarized components and allowed long-standing theoretical predictions to be compared to experimental results. The experimental data is discrepant with predictions of polaron absorption based on an adiabatic framework that works under the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, but the data is entirely consistent with a more recent nonadiabatic treatment of absorption based on a modified Holstein Hamiltonian. This nonadiabatic treatment was used to show that both intermolecular and intramolecular polaron coherence break down at length scales significantly smaller than estimated structural coherence in either direction. Importantly, this strongly suggests that polaron delocalization is fundamentally limited by energetic disorder in rr-P3HT.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Inverse kinematics study of the energy levels of 21 Ne populated with the 20 Ne +𝑑 reaction

In recent years there has been significant experimental effort aimed at studying the impact of 16 O neutron poisoning on the weak 𝑠 process in rotating massive stars. Improving the understanding of energy levels in 21 Ne is crucial to reducing uncertainties in the rates of the 𝛼-induced reactions on 17 O that determine the overall efficiency of the weak 𝑠 process. This paper reports on one such experiment: a study of the 20 Ne (𝑑,𝑝)⁢ 21 Ne reaction in inverse kinematics. Deduced spin-parity assignments were made based on adiabatic distorted-wave approximation analysis and neutron partial widths were estimated by comparison with a previous experiment. Of particular significance for nuclear astrophysics is the resulting neutron partial width for the 7820-keV energy level, estimated to be 12 200 ⁢(2900)⁢ eV, and an upper limit of ≤ 9300 eV for that of the 7749-keV energy level. These results are in tension with previous studies and therefore this paper also discusses the current state of the research into the astrophysically relevant energy levels and highlights both areas of agreement and areas of disagreement between this and various other studies that have investigated this nucleus.

direct reactions↗

On the Asymptotic Regimes and the Strongly Stratified Limit of Rotating Boussinesq Equations

Asymptotic regimes of geophysical dynamics are described for different Burger number limits. Rotating Boussinesq equations are analyzed in the asymptotic limit, of strong stratification in the Burger number of order one situation as well as in the asymptotic regime of strong stratification and weak rotation. It is shown that in both regimes horizontally averaged buoyancy variable is an adiabatic invariant for the full Boussinesq system. Spectral phase shift corrections to the buoyancy time scale associated with vertical shearing of this invariant are deduced. Statistical dephasing effects induced by turbulent processes on inertial-gravity waves are evidenced. The 'split' of the energy transfer of the vortical and the wave components is established in the Craya-Herring cyclic basis. As the Burger number increases from zero to infinity, we demonstrate gradual unfreezing of energy cascades for ageostrophic dynamics. The energy spectrum and the anisotropic spectral eddy viscosity are deduced with an explicit dependence on the anisotropic rotation/stratification time scale which depends on the vertical aspect ratio parameter. Intermediate asymptotic regime corresponding to strong stratification and weak rotation is analyzed where the effects of weak rotation are accounted for by an asymptotic expansion with full control (saturation) of vertical shearing. The regularizing effect of weak rotation differs from regularizations based on vertical viscosity. Two scalar prognostic equations for ageostrophic components (divergent velocity potential and geostrophic departure ) are obtained.

Babin, A.↗

MSE Minus CAPE is the True Conserved Variable for an Adiabatically Lifted Parcel

For an adiabatic parcel convecting up or down through the atmosphere, it is often assumed that its moist static energy (MSE) is conserved. Here, it is shown that the true conserved variable for this process is MSE minus convective available potential energy (CAPE) calculated as the integral of buoyancy from the parcel’s height to its level of neutral buoyancy and that this variable is conserved even when accounting for full moist thermodynamics and nonhydrostatic pressure forces. In the calculation of a dry convecting parcel, conservation of MSE minus CAPE gives the same answer as conservation of entropy and potential temperature, while the use of MSE alone can generate large errors. For a moist parcel, entropy and equivalent potential temperature give the same answer as MSE minus CAPE only if the parcel ascends in thermodynamic equilibrium. If the parcel ascends with a nonisothermal mixed-phase stage, these methods can give significantly different answers for the parcel buoyancy because MSE minus CAPE is conserved, while entropy and equivalent potential temperature are not.

Romps, David M↗

MEBT Laser Notcher (Chopper) for Booster Loss Reduction

The Fermilab Booster, which utilizes multi-turn injection and adiabatic capture, the extraction gap (aka "notch") has been created in the ring at injection energy using fast kickers which deposit the beam in a shielded absorber within the accelerator tunnel. This process, while effective at creating the extraction notch, was responsible for a significant fraction of the total beam power loss in the Booster tunnel and created significant residual activation within the Booster tunnel in the absorber region and beyond. With increasing beam demand from the Experimental Program, the Fermilab Proton Improvement Plan (PIP) initiated an R&D project to build a laser system to create the notch within a linac beam pulse at 750 keV, where activation in not an issue. This talk will discuss moving from R&D to an operational laser system and its integration into the accelerator complex. We will also cover the loss reduction in the Booster, increased efficiency, and increased proton throughput. We will touch on other potential applications for this bunch-by-bunch neutralization approach.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Ionized cluster beam deposition

Ionized Cluster Beam (ICB) deposition, a new technique originated by Takagi of Kyoto University in Japan, offers a number of unique capabilities for thin film metallization as well as for deposition of active semiconductor materials. ICB allows average energy per deposited atom to be controlled and involves impact kinetics which result in high diffusion energies of atoms on the growth surface. To a greater degree than in other techniques, ICB involves quantitative process parameters which can be utilized to strongly control the characteristics of films being deposited. In the ICB deposition process, material to be deposited is vaporized into a vacuum chamber from a confinement crucible at high temperature. Crucible nozzle configuration and operating temperature are such that emerging vapor undergoes supercondensation following adiabatic expansion through the nozzle.

Kirkpatrick, A. R.↗

Process intensification of biomass fast pyrolysis through autothermal operation of a fluidized bed reactor

Heat transfer is the bottleneck to fast pyrolysis of biomass. Although the enthalpy for pyrolysis of biomass is relatively small operation at temperatures around 500 °C constrains heat carrier selection to inert gases and granular media that can sustain only modest thermal fluxes in practical pyrolysis systems. With heat transfer controlling the rate of pyrolysis, reactor capacity only scales as the square of reactor diameter and does not benefit from economies of scale in building larger reactors. We have eliminated this heat transfer bottleneck by replacing it with partial oxidation of pyrolysis products to provide the enthalpy for pyrolysis in a fluidized bed reactor, a process that can be described as autothermal pyrolysis. Here, the oxygen-to-biomass equivalence ratio depends upon the kind of biomass being pyrolyzed and the level of parasitic heat losses from the reactor, but under conditions that simulate adiabatic operation, equivalence ratios are around 0.10, compared to 0.20 or higher for autothermal gasifiers. At this low equivalence ratio, there was no significant loss in bio-oil yield when operating the reactor autothermally (64.8 wt%) as compared to conventional pyrolysis (64.4 wt%). Carbon balances indicate that less valuable pyrolysis products (char and aqueous, bio-oil light ends) are consumed via partial oxidative reactions to provide the enthalpy for pyrolysis. While the carbon yields of char and bio-oil light ends decreased by 25.0% and 21.3%, respectively, the most valuable pyrolysis product (bio-oil heavy ends) only decreased 8.0%.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Accurate ab initio-based adiabatic global potential energy surface for the 2{sup 2}A″ state of NH{sub 2} by extrapolation to the complete basis set limit

A full three-dimensional global potential energy surface is reported first time for the title system, which is important for the photodissociation processes. It is obtained using double many-body expansion theory and an extensive set of accurate ab initio energies extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. Such a work can be recommended for dynamics studies of the N({sup 2}D) + H{sub 2} reaction, a reliable theoretical treatment of the photodissociation dynamics and as building blocks for constructing the double many-body expansion potential energy surface of larger nitrogen/hydrogen containing systems. In turn, a preliminary theoretical study of the reaction N({sup 2}D)+H{sub 2}(X{sup 1}Σ{sub g}{sup +})(ν=0,j=0)→NH(a{sup 1}Δ)+H({sup 2}S) has been carried out with the method of quasi-classical trajectory on the new potential energy surface. Integral cross sections and thermal rate constants have been calculated, providing perhaps the most reliable estimate of the integral cross sections and the rate constants known thus far for such a reaction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Study on the magnetothermal properties of the D y 1 - x T b x A l 2 series of compounds

Here, in this work, we developed a theoretical model Hamiltonian, in the mean field approximation, to describe the magnetic and magnetocaloric behavior of the series of compounds Dy 1-x Tb x Al 2 (x = 0.00, 0.15, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40 and 0.75). We adjusted the exchange parameters λ DyDy , λ TbTb , and λ DyTb to obtain the spin reorientation temperatures (T SR ) and the critical temperature (T C ) for each compound in the series. The results obtained by the Hamiltonian model agree satisfactorily with the experimental results. The heat capacity curves with and without an applied magnetic field, adiabatic temperature variation and isothermal entropy variation were modeled and compared with the experimental data. As the experimental results show, our model was also able to reproduce the change in the spin reorientation process: a first order spin reorientation transition appears for concentrations x = 0.15, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, and no spin reorientation transitions after x = 0.40.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Methods to Calculate Electronic Excited-State Dynamics for Molecules on Large Metal Clusters with Many States: Ensuring Fast Overlap Calculations and a Robust Choice of Phase

Here, we present an efficient set of methods for propagating excited-state dynamics involving a large number of configuration interaction singles (CIS) or Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA) single-reference excited states. Specifically, (i) following Head-Gordon et al., we implement an exact evaluation of the overlap of singly-excited CIS/TDA electronic states at different nuclear geometries using a biorthogonal basis and (ii) we employ a unified protocol for choosing the correct phase for each adiabat at each geometry. For many-electron systems, the combination of these techniques significantly reduces the computational cost of integrating the electronic Schrodinger equation and imposes minimal overhead on top of the underlying electronic structure calculation. As a demonstration, we calculate the electronic excited-state dynamics for a hydrogen molecule scattering off a silver metal cluster, focusing on high-lying excited states, where many electrons can be excited collectively and crossings are plentiful. Interestingly, we find that the high-lying, plasmon-like collective excitation spectrum changes with nuclear dynamics, highlighting the need to simulate non-adiabatic nuclear dynamics and plasmonic excitations simultaneously. In the future, the combination of methods presented here should help theorists build a mechanistic understanding of plasmon-assisted charge transfer and excitation energy relaxation processes near a nanoparticle or metal surface.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Coherent transfer of nuclear spin polarization in field-cycling NMR experiments

Coherent polarization transfer effects in a coupled spin network have been studied over a wide field range. The transfer mechanism is based on exciting zero-quantum coherences between the nuclear spin states by means of non-adiabatic field jump from high to low magnetic field. Subsequent evolution of these coherences enables conversion of spin order in the system, which is monitored after field jump back to high field. Such processes are most efficient when the spin system passes through an avoided level crossing during the field variation. The polarization transfer effects have been demonstrated for N-acetyl histidine, which has five scalar coupled protons; the initial spin order has been prepared by applying RF-pulses at high magnetic field. The observed oscillatory transfer kinetics is taken as a clear indication of a coherent mechanism; level crossing effects have also been demonstrated. The experimental data are in very good agreement with the theoretical model of coherent polarization transfer. The method suggested is also valid for other types of initial polarization in the spin system, most notably, for spin hyperpolarization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗