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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Lifetime Stability and Microstructure Properties of Cr/B 4 C X-ray Reflective Multilayer Coatings

Here, this paper demonstrates that highly reflective Cr/B 4 C multilayer interference coatings with nanometric layer thicknesses, designed to operate in the soft X-ray photon energy range, have stable reflective performance for a period of 3 years after deposition. The microstructure and chemical composition of layers and interfaces within Cr/B 4 C multilayers is also examined, with emphasis on the B 4 C-on-Cr interface where a significant diffusion layer is formed and on the oxide in the top B 4 C layer. Lastly, multiple characterization techniques (X-ray reflectivity at different photon energies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction) are employed and the results reveal a consistent picture of the Cr/B 4 C layer structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Revisiting the Hail Radar Reflectivity–Kinetic Energy Flux Relation by Combining T-Matrix and Discrete Dipole Approximation Calculations to Size Distribution Observations

The retrieval of hail kinetic energy with weather radars or its simulation in numerical models is challenging because of the shape complexity and variable density of hailstones. We combine 3D scans of individual hailstones with measurements of the particle size distributions (PSD) and T-matrix calculations to understand how hail reflectivity Z changes when approximating hailstones as spheroids, as compared to the realistic shapes obtained by 3D scanning technology. Additionally, recent terminal velocity relations are used to compare Z to the hail kinetic energy flux E ˙ . We parameterize the hail backscattering cross sections at L, S, C, and X bands as a function of size between 0.5 and 5.0 cm, matching the range of the observed PSDs. The scattering calculations use the T-matrix method for size parameters below 1.0 and the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method otherwise. The DDA calculations are done for 48 digital models of realistic hailstones of sizes between 1 and 5 cm. The DDA cross sections are calculated for multiple orientations and averaged assuming a fully random orientation distribution to provide a single value per hailstone. The T-matrix reflectivity assuming solid ice spheres presents negligible differences to DDA results for size parameters below 1.0. Therefore, T matrix was used to fill in the gaps left by the DDA calculations. The results are mapped to the same size bins of the observed PSDs, allowing the calculation of the radar reflectivity. This is then correlated to E ˙ , allowing a potential improvement of past retrieval methods of E ˙ from Z in multiple wavelengths.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Three-Dimensional Convective–Stratiform Echo-Type Classification and Convectivity Retrieval from Radar Reflectivity

The Echo Classification from COnvectivity (ECCO) algorithm identifies convective and stratiform types of radar echo in three dimensions. It is based on the calculation of reflectivity texture—a combination of the intensity and the heterogeneity of the radar echoes on each horizontal plane in a 3D Cartesian volume. Reflectivity texture is translated into convectivity, which is designed to be a quantitative measure of the convective nature of each 3D radar grid point. It ranges from 0 (100% stratiform) to 1 (100% convective). By thresholding convectivity, a more traditional qualitative categorization is obtained, which classifies radar echoes as convective, mixed, or stratiform. In contrast to previous algorithms, these echo-type classifications are provided on the full 3D grid of the reflectivity field. The vertically resolved classifications, in combination with temperature data, allow for subclassifications into shallow, mid-, deep, and elevated convective features, and low, mid-, and high stratiform regions—again in three dimensions. The algorithm was validated using datasets collected over the U.S. Great Plains during the PECAN field campaign. An analysis of lightning counts shows ~90% of lightning occurring in regions classified as convective by ECCO. A statistical comparison of ECCO echo types with the well-established GPM radar precipitation-type categories show 84% (88%) of GPM stratiform (convective) echo being classified as stratiform (convective) or mixed by ECCO. ECCO was applied to radar grids for the continental United States, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Europe, illustrating its robustness and adaptability to different radar grid characteristics and climatic regions.

Radars/Radar observations↗
DOE OSTI2018

Cross-phase-modulation-induced temporal reflection and waveguiding of optical pulses

Cross-phase modulation (XPM) is commonly viewed as a nonlinear process that chirps a probe pulse and modifies its spectrum when an intense pump pulse overlaps with it. Here we present an alternative view of XPM in which the pump pulse creates a moving refractive-index boundary that splits the probe pulse into two parts with distinct optical spectra through temporal reflection and refraction inside a dispersive nonlinear medium. The probe even undergoes a temporal version of total internal reflection for sufficiently intense pump pulses, a phenomenon that can be exploited for making temporal waveguides. In this paper we investigate the practical conditions under which XPM can be exploited for temporal reflection and waveguiding. The width and shape of pump pulses as well as the nature of medium dispersion at the pump and probe wavelength (normal versus anomalous) play important roles. A super-Gaussian shape of pump pulses is particularly helpful because of its relatively sharp edges. When the pump wavelength lies in the anomalous-dispersion regime, the pump pulse can form a soliton,whose unique properties can be exploited to advantage. We also discuss a potential application of XPM-induced temporal waveguides for compensating timing jitter.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Temporal reflection from short pump pulses inside a dispersive nonlinear medium: the impact of pump parameters

We have studied, through a series of experiments and numerical simulations, how temporal reflection from an intense pump pulse inside a photonic crystal fiber is affected by parameters of the pump pulse used to form a moving high-index boundary. We used femtosecond pump pulses, which slow down inside the fiber as their spectrum red-shifts because of intrapulse Raman scattering. Temporal reflection of probe pulses occurs from such decelerating pump pulses. We changed the width and chirp of our pump pulses with a 4f pulse shaper capable of providing both spectral filtering and frequency chirping. We found that temporal refection exhibited novel features, to our knowledge, when pump pulses were made wider or chirped. In both cases, two or more reflected pulses were produced at different wavelengths in a specific range of the initial pump-probe delays. Furthermore, numerical simulations reveal that the origin of such novel features is related to the complex nonlinear evolution of pump pulses inside optical fibers.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager

A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference that is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. In conclusion, once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Leaf-to-canopy spectral reflectance, February 2018, PA-SLZ: Panama

Canopy reflectance spectra of 37 trees were measured at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) San Lorenzo Protected Area site (PA-SLZ), utilising the canopy access crane to access fully sunlit leaves. Data were recorded in the middle of the day, with 20–50 measurements for each tree. The canopy structure for each crown was captured using a digital camera. Leaf-level reflectance and leaf demographic composition (age class) was recorded in detail for a > 0.5 meter branch sampled from each canopy tree (corresponding to the position where canopy spectra were measured). This dataset includes processed canopy and leaf-level spectral measurements (*.xlsx), raw spectral data (Spectral Evolution PSR+, *.raw, *.sed), sample details (*.xlsx) and *.pdf summaries containing low resolution photographs of the measured canopies. Full resolution images are available in the related dataset, "Leaf-to-canopy spectral reflectance photographs, February 2018, PA-SLZ: Panama".

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Non-Contact Handheld Reader for Reflective Particle Tags

Reflective particle tags derive their unique identities through utilization of thousands of microscopic reflective elements randomly suspended in a clear adhesive matrix. For verification of a tag's authenticity, an illumination/imaging system is used to "read" information about precise positions and orientations of faceted particles. SNL developed the original Reflective Particle Tag (RPT) system, comprising a tag and an imager, in the 1990's to identify treaty-accountable items. Since then, the RPT system has evolved with advances in computing, imaging, and materials, and is considered a robust, low-cost, hard-to-counterfeit passive tagging system for treaty verification. However, a limitation of the current system is the need to mechanically dock the reader with the tag, which prevents its use in many situations. This paper discusses R&D at SNL to develop a non-contact handheld imaging system that will allow RPT system use in new scenarios and allows automation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Paintable Heat-Reflective Coatings for Low-Cost Energy Efficient Windows

The major objective of this effort is to manufacture a paintable coating to inexpensively retrofit energy-inefficient windows with a heat-reflective, visibly transparent film. This coating will drastically reduce cooling costs for millions of homes and buildings and lower the Nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Widespread implementation could reduce the national consumption of electricity for cooling by billions of kWh, saving billions of dollars per year. This improved energy efficiency would decrease CO2 emissions by billions kg per year, the equivalent to removing millions of cars from the road. Although near-IR reflective adhesive films are commercially available products and have demonstrated significant energy efficiency enhancement, high upfront costs largely deter potential consumers across all sectors. The technology developed under this award was proposed to disrupt the building envelope market, by providing an inexpensive coating that can be directly applied by consumers to improve the energy efficiency of virtually all window types. The proof of concept for a paintable, DIY applicable, visibly transparent, and infrared reflective coating was achieved, laying the foundation for future technology development in this area.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling Partial Reflection Paths for Infrasound Analysis

Numerical methods enabling simulation of scattered and partially reflected infrasonic propagation paths produced by interaction with fine-scale structure in the middle atmosphere have been implemented in the infraGA ray tracing software. This capability enables simulation of ensonification in the classical stratospheric “shadow zone” that has been observed during the Humming Roadrunner and LSECE surface explosion campaigns as well as in other data sets. In the case of LSECE, a pair of stations roughly 140 kilometers east of the source location observed arrivals with celerities (horizontal group velocities) slightly slower than observed stratospheric paths at similar azimuths. The arrivals exhibited increasing trace velocity later in the wavetrain indicating a steepening of the arrival path for longer or slower propagation paths. Simulation of partially reflected paths using the updated infraGA software methods finds good agreement between observed and predicted infrasonic ensonification at these locations within the stratospheric shadow zone. Further development of the partial reflection physics and comparison with other data sets is needed to more robustly understand how such anomalous infrasonic signals can be predicted; however, the demonstration of this capability is a promising first step in such analyses.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Identification of Metal Stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana Using Hyperspectral Reflectance Imaging

Industrial accidents, such as the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters, release harmful chemicals into the environment, covering large geographical areas. Natural flora may serve as biological sensors for detecting metal contamination, such as cesium. Spectral detection of plant stresses typically employs a few select wavelengths and often cannot distinguish between different stress phenotypes. In this study, we apply hyperspectral reflectance imaging in the visible and near-infrared along with multivariate curve resolution (MCR) analysis to identify unique spectral signatures of three stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana : salt, copper, and cesium. While all stress conditions result in common stress physiology, hyperspectral reflectance imaging and MCR analysis produced unique spectral signatures that enabled classification of each stress. As the level of potassium was previously shown to affect cesium stress in plants, the response of A. thaliana to cesium stress under variable levels of potassium was also investigated. Increased levels of potassium reduced the spectral response of A. thaliana to cesium and prevented changes to chloroplast cellular organization. While metal stress mechanisms may vary under different environmental conditions, this study demonstrates that hyperspectral reflectance imaging with MCR analysis can distinguish metal stress phenotypes, providing the potential to detect metal contamination across large geographical areas.

multivariate curve resolution↗
DOE OSTI2016

REFLECTED CHARGED PARTICLE POPULATIONS AROUND DIPOLAR LUNAR MAGNETIC ANOMALIES

In this work we analyze and compare the reflected particle populations for both a horizontal and a vertical dipole model embedded in the lunar surface, representing the solar wind interaction with two different lunar magnetic anomaly (LMA) structures. Using the 3D full-kinetic electromagnetic code iPic3D, in combination with a test-particle approach to generate particle trajectories, we focus on the ion and electron dynamics. Whereas the vertical model electrostatically reflects ions upward under both near-parallel and near-perpendicular angles with respect to the lunar surface, the horizontal model only has a significant shallow component. Characterizing the electron dynamics, we find that the interplay of the mini-magnetosphere electric and magnetic fields is capable of temporarily trapping low-energy electrons and possibly ejecting them upstream. Our results are in agreement with recent high-resolution observations. Low- to medium-altitude ion and electron observations might be excellent indicators to complement orbital magnetic field measurements and better uncover the underlying magnetic field structure. The latter is of particular importance in defining the correlation between LMAs and lunar swirls, and further testing the solar wind shielding hypothesis for albedo markings due to space weathering. Observing more reflected ions does not necessarily point to the existence of a mini-magnetosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Absolute Reflectance and New Calibration Site of the Moon

How bright the Moon is forms a simple but fundamental and important question. Although numerous efforts have been made to answer this question such as use of sophisticated electro-optical measurements and suggestions for calibration sites, the answer is still debated. An in situ measurement with a calibration panel on the surface of the Moon is crucial for obtaining the accurate absolute reflectance and resolving the debate. China’s Chang’E-3 (CE-3) “Yutu” rover accomplished this type of measurement using the Visible-Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS). The measurements of the VNIS, which were at large emission and phase angles, complement existing measurements for the range of photometric geometry. The in situ reflectance shows that the CE-3 landing site is very dark with an average reflectance of 3.86% in the visible bands. The results are compared with recent mission instruments: the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC), the Spectral Profiler (SP) on board the SELENE, the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M{sup 3}) on board the Chandrayaan-1, and the Chang’E-1 Interference Imaging Spectrometer (IIM). The differences in the measurements of these instruments are very large and indicate inherent differences in their absolute calibration. The M{sup 3} and IIM measurements are smaller than LROC WAC and SP, and the VNIS measurement falls between these two pairs. When using the Moon as a radiance source for the on-orbit calibration of spacecraft instruments, one should be cautious about the data. We propose that the CE-3 landing site, a young and homogeneous surface, should serve as the new calibration site.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Theoretical Reflectance Spectra of Earth-like Planets through Their Evolutions: Impact of Clouds on the Detectability of Oxygen, Water, and Methane with Future Direct Imaging Missions

In the near-future, atmospheric characterization of Earth-like planets in the habitable zone will become possible via reflectance spectroscopy with future telescopes such as the proposed LUVOIR and HabEx missions. While previous studies have considered the effect of clouds on the reflectance spectra of Earth-like planets, the molecular detectability considering a wide range of cloud properties has not been previously explored in detail. In this study, we explore the effect of cloud altitude and coverage on the reflectance spectra of Earth-like planets at different geological epochs and examine the detectability of O{sub 2},H{sub 2}O, and CH{sub 4} with test parameters for the future mission concept, LUVOIR, using a coronagraph noise simulator previously designed for WFIRST-AFTA. Considering an Earth-like planet located at 5 pc away, we have found that for the proposed LUVOIR telescope, the detection of the O{sub 2} A-band feature (0.76 μm) will take approximately 100, 30, and 10 hr for the majority of the cloud parameter space modeled for the atmospheres with 10%, 50%, and 100% of modern Earth O{sub 2} abundances, respectively. In particular, for the case of ≳50% of modern Earth O{sub 2} abundance, the feature will be detectable with an integration time ≲10 hr as long as there are lower-altitude (≲8 km) clouds with a global coverage of ≳20%. For the 1% of the modern Earth O{sub 2} abundance case, however, it will take more than 100 hr for all the cloud parameters we modeled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Experimental Study of Alfvén Wave Reflection from an Alfvén-speed Gradient Relevant to the Solar Coronal Holes

Abstract We report the first experimental detection of a reflected Alfvén wave from an Alfvén-speed gradient under conditions similar to those in coronal holes. The experiments were conducted in the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. We present the experimentally measured dependence of the coefficient of reflection versus the wave inhomogeneity parameter, i.e., the ratio of the wavelength of the incident wave to the length scale of the gradient. Two-fluid simulations using the Gkeyll code qualitatively agree with and support the experimental findings. Our experimental results support models of wave heating that rely on wave reflection at low heights from a smooth Alfvén-speed gradient to drive turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Pan-spectral observing system simulation experiments of shortwave reflectance and long-wave radiance for climate model evaluation

Abstract. Top-of-atmosphere (TOA) spectrally resolved shortwave reflectances and long-wave radiances describe the response of the Earth's surface and atmosphere to feedback processes and human-induced forcings. In order to evaluate proposed long-duration spectral measurements, we have projected 21st Century changes from the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3.0) conducted for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A2 Emissions Scenario onto shortwave reflectance spectra from 300 to 2500 nm and long-wave radiance spectra from 2000 to 200 cm –1 at 8 nm and 1 cm –1 resolution, respectively. The radiative transfer calculations have been rigorously validated against published standards and produce complementary signals describing the climate system forcings and feedbacks. Additional demonstration experiments were performed with the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC5) and Hadley Centre Global Environment Model version 2 Earth System (HadGEM2-ES) models for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. The calculations contain readily distinguishable signatures of low clouds, snow/ice, aerosols, temperature gradients, and water vapour distributions. The goal of this effort is to understand both how climate change alters reflected solar and emitted infrared spectra of the Earth and determine whether spectral measurements enhance our detection and attribution of climate change. This effort also presents a path forward to understand the characteristics of hyperspectral observational records needed to confront models and inline instrument simulation. Such simulation will enable a diverse set of comparisons between model results from coupled model intercomparisons and existing and proposed satellite instrument measurement systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Reflection and transmission of electromagnetic pulses at a planar dielectric interface -- theory and quantum lattice simulations

There is considerable interest in the application of quantum information science to advance computations in plasma physics. A particular point of curiosity is whether it is possible to take advantage of quantum computers to speed up numerical simulations relative to conventional computers. Many of the topics in fusion plasma physics are classical in nature. In order to implement them on quantum computers it will require couching a classical problem in the language of quantum mechanics. Electromagnetic waves are routinely used in fusion experiments to heat a plasma or to generate currents in the plasma. The propagation of electromagnetic waves is described by Maxwell equations with an appropriate description of the plasma as a dielectric medium. Before advancing to the tensor dielectric of a magnetized plasma, this paper considers electromagnetic wave propagation in a one-dimensional inhomogeneous scalar dielectric. The classic theory of scattering of plane electromagnetic waves at a planar interface, separating two different dielectric media, leads to Fresnel equations for reflection and transmission coefficients. In contrast to plane waves, this paper is on the reflection and transmission of a spatially confined electromagnetic pulse. Following an analytical formulation for the scattering of a Gaussian pulse, it is deduced that the maximum transmission coefficient for a pulse is $\sqrt{n_2/n_1}$ times that for a plane wave; the incident and transmitted pulses propagating in dielectric media with refractive indices $n_1$ and $n_2$, respectively. The analytical theory is complemented by numerical simulations using a quantum lattice algorithm for Maxwell equations. The algorithm, based on the Riemann-Silberstein-Weber representation of the electromagnetic fields and expressed in term of qubits, is an interleaved sequence of entangling operators at each lattice site and unitary streaming operators which transmit information from one site to an adjacent lattice site. Besides substantiating results from the theory for Gaussian pulses, numerical simulations show their validity for non-Gaussian pulses. Apart from their time-asymptotic forms, the simulations display an interplay between the incident, reflected, and transmitted pulses in the vicinity of the transition region between two dielectric media.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Validation of FSP Reactor Design with Sensitivity Studies of Beryllium-Reflected Critical Assemblies

The baseline design for space nuclear power is a fission surface power (FSP) system: sodium-potassium (NaK) cooled, fast spectrum reactor with highly-enriched-uranium (HEU)-O 2 fuel, stainless steel (SS) cladding, and beryllium reflectors with B4C control drums. Previous studies were performed to evaluate modeling capabilities and quantify uncertainties and biases associated with analysis methods and nuclear data. Comparison of Zero Power Plutonium Reactor (ZPPR)-20 benchmark experiments with the FSP design indicated that further reduction of the total design model uncertainty requires the reduction in uncertainties pertaining to beryllium and uranium cross-section data. Further comparison with three beryllium-reflected HEU-metal benchmark experiments performed at the Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Facility (ORCEF) concluded the requirement that experimental validation data have similar cross section sensitivities to those found in the FSP design. A series of critical experiments was performed at ORCEF in the 1960s to support the Medium Power Reactor Experiment (MPRE) space reactor design. The small, compact critical assembly (SCCA) experiments were graphite- or beryllium-reflected assemblies of SS-clad, HEU-O 2 fuel on a vertical lift machine. All five configurations were evaluated as benchmarks. Two of the five configurations were beryllium reflected, and further evaluated using the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis capabilities of SCALE 6.1. Validation of the example FSP design model was successful in reducing the primary uncertainty constituent, the Be(n,n) reaction, from 0.28 %$\delta$k/k to 0.0004 %$\delta$k/k. Further assessment of additional reactor physics measurements performed on the SCCA experiments may serve to further validate FSP design and operation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗