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At least 415 records · Page 23

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NASA NTRS1992

The formation of cosmic structure in a texture-seeded cold dark matter cosmogony

The growth of density fluctuations induced by global texture in an Omega = 1 cold dark matter (CDM) cosmogony is calculated. The resulting power spectra are in good agreement with each other, with more power on large scales than in the standard inflation plus CDM model. Calculation of related statistics (two-point correlation functions, mass variances, cosmic Mach number) indicates that the texture plus CDM model compares more favorably than standard CDM with observations of large-scale structure. Texture produces coherent velocity fields on large scales, as observed. Excessive small-scale velocity dispersions, and voids less empty than those observed may be remedied by including baryonic physics. The topology of the cosmic structure agrees well with observation. The non-Gaussian texture induced density fluctuations lead to earlier nonlinear object formation than in Gaussian models and may also be more compatible with recent evidence that the galaxy density field is non-Gaussian on large scales. On smaller scales the density field is strongly non-Gaussian, but this appears to be primarily due to nonlinear gravitational clustering. The velocity field on smaller scales is surprisingly Gaussian.

Gooding, Andrew K.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Viscosity and thermal conductivity of moderately dense gas mixtures.

Derivation of a simple, semitheoretical expression for the initial density dependence of the viscosity and thermal conductivity of gaseous mixtures in terms of the appropriate properties of the pure components and of their interaction quantities. The derivation is based on Enskog's theory of dense gases and yields an equation in which the composition dependence of the linear factor in the density expansion is explicit. The interaction quantities are directly related to those of the mixture extrapolated to zero density and to a universal function valid for all gases. The reliability of the formulation is assessed with respect to the viscosity of several binary mixtures. It is found that the calculated viscosities of binary mixtures agree with the experimental data with a precision which is comparable to that of the most precise measurements.

Wakeham, W. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Computing the Power-Density Spectrum for an Engineering Model

Computer program for calculating of power-density spectrum (PDS) from data base generated by Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL) uses algorithm that employs fast Fourier transform (FFT) to calculate PDS of variable. Accomplished by first estimating autocovariance function of variable and then taking FFT of smoothed autocovariance function to obtain PDS. Fast-Fourier-transform technique conserves computer resources.

Dunn, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Simulation of charge exchange plasma propagation near an ion thruster propelled spacecraft

A model describing the charge exchange plasma and its propagation is discussed, along with a computer code based on the model. The geometry of an idealized spacecraft having an ion thruster is outlined, with attention given to the assumptions used in modeling the ion beam. Also presented is the distribution function describing charge exchange production. The barometric equation is used in relating the variation in plasma potential to the variation in plasma density. The numerical methods and approximations employed in the calculations are discussed, and comparisons are made between the computer simulation and experimental data. An analytical solution of a simple configuration is also used in verifying the model.

Robinson, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Statistical acceleration of electrons by lower-hybrid turbulence

The statistical acceleration of electrons along an ambient magnetic field by large-amplitude lower-hybrid turbulence is discussed. Perturbations driven by a crossfield current and propagating nearly perpendicular to the applied magnetic field are considered. It is assumed that the instability saturates rapidly and that the fluctuating electric field is predominantly electrostatic. If the turbulence is characterized by a spectrum of small parallel wavenumbers, such that the parallel phase velocity of the waves is greater than the electron thermal velocity, then the turbulence can only accelerate electrons moving with large velocities along the magnetic field. The quasi-linear diffusion equation is solved using a Green's function technique, assuming a power law spectral energy density. The time evolution of an initial Maxwellian distribution is given and the time rate of change of the mean electron energy is calculated for various cases.

Wu, C. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Radiative transfer theory for active remote sensing of a layer of nonspherical particles

The radiative transfer theory is applied to calculate the scattering by a layer of randomly positioned and oriented nonspherical particles. The scattering amplitude functions of each individual particle are calculated with Waterman's T matrix method, which utilizes vector spherical wave functions for expansion of incident, scattered, and surface fields. The orientation of the particles is described by a probability density function of the Eulerian angles of rotation. A rotation matrix is used to relate the T matrix of the principal frame to that of the natural frame of the particle. The extinction matrix and phase matrix of the radiative transfer equations are expressed in terms of the T matrix elements. The extinction matrix for nonspherical particles is generally nondiagonal. There are only two attenuation rates in a specified direction of propagation. The radiative transfer equations are solved by an iterative method to first order in albedo. Numerical results are illustrated as functions of incidence angle and frequency with applications to active remote sensing.

Tsang, L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Electronic Transport Through Carbon Nanotubes: Effects of Structural Deformation and the Tube Chirality

Atomistic simulations using a combination of classical force field and Density-Functional-Theory (DFT) show that carbon atoms remain essentially sp2 coordinated in either bent tubes or tubes pushed by an atomically sharp AFM tip. Subsequent Green's-function-based transport calculations reveal that for armchair tubes there is no significant drop in conductance, while for zigzag tubes the conductance can drop by several orders of magnitude in AFM-pushed tubes. The effect can be attributed to simple stretching of the tube under tip deformation, which opens up an energy gap at the Fermi surface.

Maiti, Amitesh↗

NASA NTRS2014

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Thermodynamics of the Reaction of Titania and Water at High Temperatures

The transpiration method was used to determine the volatility of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in water vapor-containing environments at temperatures between 1473 and 1673 K. Water contents ranged from 0 to 76 mole % in oxygen or argon carrier gases for 20 to 250 hr exposure times. Results indicate that oxygen is not a key contributor to volatilization and the primary reaction for volatilization in this temperature range is: TiO2(s) + H2O(g) = TiO(OH)2(g). Data were analyzed with both the second and third law methods to extract an enthalpy and entropy of formation. The geometry and vibrational frequencies of TiO(OH)2(g) were computed using B3LYP density functional theory, and the enthalpy of formation was computed using the coupled-cluster singles and doubles method with a perturbative correction for connected triple substitutions [CCSD(T)]. Thermal functions are calculated using both a structure with bent and linear hydroxyl groups. Calculated second and third heats show closer agreement with the linear hydroxyl group, suggesting more experimental and computational spectroscopic and structural work is needed on this system.

equilibrium↗

NASA NTRS1977

Multiple scattering in reflection nebulae. I - A Monte Carlo approach. II - Uniform plane-parallel nebulae with foreground stars. III - Nebulae with embedded illuminating stars

A method for calculating the surface brightness distribution on a plane-parallel reflection nebula of uniform density illuminated by a star located either in front of, behind, or arbitrarily inside the scattering medium is proposed. The Monte Carlo technique is used to find solutions to the radiative transfer problem. The scattering properties of the nebular particles are parameterized by the albedo for single scattering and a three-parameter analytic phase function. Calculations are then presented for the surface brightness distribution across the face of such nebulae with (1) a foreground star and (2) immersed stars. The calculations include the full effects of multiple scattering, are independent of a particular assumed grain material or size distribution, and are applicable to any wavelength region for which observations can be obtained.

Witt, A. N.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The composition of a coronal active region

The relative abundances of iron, oxygen, magnesium, and neon in a coronal active region are determined from measurements of soft X-ray line and broadband intensities. The emission measure, temperature, and column density are derived from these measured intensities and are used to place a constraint on the abundances of the heavier elements relative to hydrogen in the corona. The intensity measurements were made on 1987 December 11, when an active region was observed jointly by the American Science and Engineering (AS&E) High Resolution Soft X-Ray Imaging Sounding-Rocket Payload and the X-Ray Polychromator Flat Crystal Spectrometer (FCS) onboard the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft. The coordinated observations include images through two broadband filters (8 to 29 A and 8 to 39, 44 to 60 A) and profiles of six emission lines: Fe XVII (15.01 A), FE VIII (15.26 A), O VIII (18.97 A), Mg XI (9.17 A), Ne IX (13.44 A), and Fe XVIII (14.21 A). The effects of resonance scattering are considered in the interpretation of the FCS line intensities. We calculated the expected intensity ratio of the two Fe XVII lines as a function of optical depth and compared this ratio with the observed intensity ratio to obtain the optical depths of each of the lines and the column density. The line intensities and the broadband filtered images are consistent with the emission from a thermal plasma where Fe, O, Mg, and Ne have the 'adopted coronal' abundances of Meyer (1985b) relative to one another, but are not consistent with the emission from a plasma having photospheric abundances: The ratios of the abundances of the low first ionization potential (FIP) elements (Fe and Mg) to the abundances of the high-FIP elements (Ne and O) are higher than the ratios seen in the photosphere by a factor of about 3.5. This conclusion is independent of the assumption of either an isothermal or a multithermal plasma. The column densities derived from the Fe XVII line ratio and the geometry of the active region provide a diagnostic of the abundance of hydrogen relative to the heavier elements. We find that the abundance of iron with respect to hydrogen in the corona is higher than the value given Meyer (1985b) by a factor of 8.2(-5.4, +5.1). This means that, for the observed active region, the absolute abundances of the low-FIP elements (Fe and Mg) are enhanced in the corona relative to the photosphere, while the abundances of the high-FIP elements (Ne and O) are either slightly enhanced in the corona or nearly the same in the photosphere and the corona.

Waljeski, K.↗

NASA NTRS1983

One-dimensional periodic flows with a shock transition - Application to the density wave theory of spiral structure

The problem of one-dimensional gas flow through a sinusoidal gravitational potential with a series of equally spaced shock fronts is considered. For time-independent and spatially periodic flows, an integral equation relates the flow velocity to the gravitational potential and source functions of energy and momentum densities. It is suggested that this problem simulates some of the dynamical effects of the azimuthal flow on a parcel of gas at a fixed radius in a galactic disk that supports a spiral density wave structure. It omits the radial motions. In this context, a typical azimuthal velocity across a spiral arm is specified and the resultant source functions are obtained. The implications of this calculation suggest heating of the gaseous disk by O and B stars behind the shock front, and subsequent interarm cooling is a plausible mechanism for maintaining the periodic cycling of the gaseous component of the galactic disk.

Bogdan, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Solar-flare-induced Forbush decreases - Dependence on shock wave geometry

It is argued that the principal mechanism for the association of Forbush decreases with the passage of a solar flare shock wave is prolonged containment of cosmic ray particles behind the flare compression region, which acts as a semipermeable obstacle to particle motion along the field lines, leading to additional adiabatic cooling of the particles. Liouville's theorem is used to calculate the instantaneous distribution function at 1 AU for each particle arriving at the earth. By averaging over a large number of individual estimates, a representative estimate of the omnidirectional phase space density and the corresponding particle intensity is obtained. The energy change of individual particles at the shocks is found to be small in comparison to the energy lost by adiabatic cooling of the cosmic rays between the shock wave and the sun. The effects of particle rigidity, diffusion coefficient, and flare longitude on the magnitude of the Forbush decrease are quantitatively investigated.

Thomas, B. T.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Impact of stratospheric aircraft on calculations of nitric acid trihydrate cloud surface area densities using NMC temperatures and 2D model constituent distributions

A parameterization of NAT (nitric acid trihydrate) clouds is developed for use in 2D models of the stratosphere. The parameterization uses model distributions of HNO3 and H2O to determine critical temperatures for NAT formation as a function of latitude and pressure. National Meteorological Center temperature fields are then used to determine monthly temperature frequency distributions, also as a function of latitude and pressure. The fractions of these distributions which fall below the critical temperatures for NAT formation are then used to determine the NAT cloud surface area density for each location in the model grid. By specifying heterogeneous reaction rates as functions of the surface area density, it is then possible to assess the effects of the NAT clouds on model constituent distributions. We also consider the increase in the NAT cloud formation in the presence of a fleet of stratospheric aircraft. The stratospheric aircraft NO(x) and H2O perturbations result in increased HNO3 as well as H2O. This increases the probability of NAT formation substantially, especially if it is assumed that the aircraft perturbations are confined to a corridor region.

Considine, David B.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Modulation of solar flare particles and track density profiles in gas-rich meteorite grains

A solution is presented to the problem concerning the time-averaged solar flare particle flux as a function of kinetic energy and distance from the sun for a given particle injection spectrum at the sun within the framework of standard diffusion-convection-adiabatic deceleration theory with the diffusion coefficient independent of distance from the sun. Results of the calculations which give best agreement with observations at 1 AU are presented and discussed, with particular reference to their implications for gas-rich meteorites. Normalization at the orbit of earth is achieved via observed track density versus depth profiles in lunar vug crystals. It is shown that if gas-rich meteorite grains were irradiated in the asteroid belt and if source and modulation parameters have changed little since irradiation, the track density should be 'harder' than the lunar vug profile by about 0.2-0.3 in the index. Quantitative estimation of solar flare particle exposure ages is discussed.

Lee, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Comparison of Integrated Radiation Transport Models with TEPC Measurements for the Average Quality Factors in Spaceflights

The purpose of this work is to test our theoretical model for the interpretation of radiation data measured in space. During the space missions astronauts are exposed to the complex field of radiation type and kinetic energies from galactic cosmic rays (GCR), trapped protons, and sometimes solar particle events (SPEs). The tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is a simple time-dependent approach for radiation monitoring for astronauts on board the International Space Station. Another and a newer approach to Microdosimetry is the use of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology launched on the MidSTAR-1 mission in low Earth orbit (LEO). In the radiation protection practice, the average quality factor of a radiation field is defined as a function of linear energy transfer (LET), Q(sub ave)(LET). However, TEPC measures the average quality factor as a function of the lineal energy y, Q(sub ave)(y), defined as the average energy deposition in a volume divided by the average chord length of the volume. Lineal energy, y, deviates from LET due to energy straggling, delta-ray escape or entry, and nuclear fragments produced in the detector volume. Monte Carlo track structure simulation was employed to obtain the response of a TEPC irradiated with charged particle for an equivalent site diameter of 1 micron of wall-less counter. The calculated data of the energy absorption in the wall-less counter were compiled for various y values for several ion types at various discrete projectile energy levels. For the simulation of TEPC response from the mixed radiation environments inside a spacecraft, such as, Space Shuttle and International Space Station, the complete microdosimetric TEPC response, f( y, E, Z), were calculated with the Monte Carlo theoretical results by using the first order Lagrangian interpolation for a monovariate function at a given y value (y = 0.1 keV/micron 5000 keV/micron) at any projectile energy level (E = 0.01 MeV/u to 50,000 MeV/u) of each specific radiation type (Z = 1 to 28). Because the anomalous response has been observed at large event sizes in the experiment due to the escape of energy out of sensitive volume by delta-rays and the entry of delta-rays from the high-density wall into the low-density gas-volume cavity, Monte Carlo simulation was also made for the response of a walled-TEPC with wall thickness 2 mm and density 1 g/cm(exp 3). The radius of cavity was set to 6.35 mm and a gas density 7.874 x 10(exp -5) g/cm(exp 3). The response of the walled- and the wall-less counters were compared. The average quality factor Q(sub ave)(y) for trapped protons on STS-89 demonstrated the good agreement between the model calculations and flight TEPC data as shown. Using an integrated space radiation model (this includes the transport codes HZETRN and BRYNTRN, the quantum nuclear interaction model QMSFRG) and the resultant response distribution functions of walled-TEPC from Monte-Carlo track simulations, we compared model calculations with walled-TEPC measurements from NASA missions in LEO and made predictions for the lunar and the Mars missions. The Q(sub ave)(y) values for the trapped or the solar protons ranged from 1.9-2.5. This over-estimates the Qave(LET) values which ranged from 1.4-1.6. Both quantities increase with shield thickness due to nuclear fragmentation. The Q(sub ave)(LET) for the complete GCR spectra was found to be 3.5-4.5, while flight TEPCs measured 2.9-3.4 for Q(sub ave)(y). The GCR values are decreasing with the shield thickness. Our analysis for a proper interpretation of data supports the use of TEPCs for monitoring space radiation environment.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Atomic Data and Spectral Line Intensities for CA XVII

Electron impact collision strengths, energy levels, oscillator strengths and spontaneous radiative decay rates are calculated for Ca XVII. The configurations used are 2s(sup 2), 2s2p, 2p(sup 2), 2l3l', 214l' and 2s5l', with l = s,p and l' = s,p, d giving rise to 92 fine-structure levels in intermediate coupling. Collision strengths are calculated at seven incident energies (15, 30, 75, 112.5, 150, 187.5 and 225 Ry) for the transitions within the three lowest configurations corresponding to the 10 lowest energy levels, and five incident energies (75, 112.5, 150, 187.5 and 225 Ry) for transitions between the lowest five levels and the n = 3,4,5 configurations. Calculations have been carried out using the distorted wave approximation. Excitation rate coefficients are calculated as a function of electron temperature by assuming a Maxwellian electron velocity distribution. Using the excitation rate coefficients and the radiative transition rates of the present work, and R-Matrix results for the 2s2, 2s2p, 2p2 configurations available in the literature, statistical equilibrium equations for level populations are solved at electron densities covering the range of 10(exp 8)-10(exp 14)/cu cm at an electron temperature of log Te(K)=6.7, corresponding to the maximum abundance of Ca XVII. Spectral line intensities are calculated, and their diagnostic relevance L; discussed. This dataset will be made available in the next version of the CHIANTI database.

Bhatia, A.K.↗

NASA NTRS1962

THE VLF ADMITTANCE OF A DIPOLE IN THE LOWER IONOSPHERE

The admittance of a dipole in the lower ionosphere has been calculated for very low frequencies. Both the real and reactive parts of the admittance are found to be related to the ion sheath which forms about the dipole and are functions of electron density and temperature of the ionosphere. An electron density profile is estimated based upon measurements reported in an earlier rocket flight.

DIPOLE↗

NASA NTRS1962

THE V. L. F. ADMITTANCE OF A DIPOLE IN THE LOWER IONOSPHERE

DIPOLE↗