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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

Selective attention and the auditory vertex potential. I - Effects of stimulus delivery rate. II - Effects of signal intensity and masking noise

The effects of varying the rate of delivery of dichotic tone pip stimuli on selective attention measured by evoked-potential amplitudes and signal detectability scores were studied. The subjects attended to one channel (ear) of tones, ignored the other, and pressed a button whenever occasional targets - tones of a slightly higher pitch were detected in the attended ear. Under separate conditions, randomized interstimulus intervals were short, medium, and long. Another study compared the effects of attention on the N1 component of the auditory evoked potential for tone pips presented alone and when white noise was added to make the tones barely above detectability threshold in a three-channel listening task. Major conclusions are that (1) N1 is enlarged to stimuli in an attended channel only in the short interstimulus interval condition (averaging 350 msec), (2) N1 and P3 are related to different modes of selective attention, and (3) attention selectivity in multichannel listening task is greater when tones are faint and/or difficult to detect.

Schwent, V. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Shielding, the bulk chemical potential, and cohesion in alloys

It is shown that the bulk chemical potential in alloys is intimately related to the spatial dependence of the shielding cloud that results when the electronic charge rearranges itself as one atom type is replaced by another at a given site. Such a relationship fixes the relative energy scale between the alloy and its pure constituents, important in determining the stability of alloys. A correct treatment of shielding is thus essential to quantitative calculations of alloy stability. A model calculation of the bulk chemical potential and cohesion of alloys in the tight-binding approximation is presented as a numerical example. In the course of this investigation a general invariant of an integral over the shielding cloud is derived.

Stern, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Gridless retarding potential analyzer for use in very-low-energy charged particle detection

The theory of the hyperbolic retarding potential analyzer in the electrostatic mode is developed in detail and verified in the laboratory. A monoenergetic electron beam is used for the laboratory investigation. The analyzer (acronym HARP) has advantages over other conventional electrostatic analyzers; among them are less contact potential influence and high throughput because of the symmetry shape of the analyzer. The most useful application of the HARP is in detecting low-energy charged particles. A sample of low-energy particle data obtained in the earth's ionosphere is given.

Shyn, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Three-dimensional potential flow over hills and oval mounds

An analysis was made of the potential flow behavior for an initially uniform flow passing over a single axisymmetric hill, an oval mound, and a combination of two hills. Small perturbation theory was used, and the resulting Laplace equation for the perturbation velocity potential was solved by using either a product solution or a Green's function. The three dimensional solution is of interest in calculating the pressure distribution around obstacles, the flow of pollutants carried by the wind, and the augmentation of wind velocity for windmill siting. The augmentation in velocity at the top of a hill was found to be proportional to the hill height relative to a characteristic width dimension of the hill. An axisymmetric hill produced about 20 percent less velocity increase than a two dimensional ridge having the same cross-sectional profile.

Siegel, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Comment on the relation between the nonadiabatic coupling and the complex intersection of potential energy curves

Simple relations are discussed that provide a correspondence between the complex intersection of two potential surfaces and the nonadiabatic coupling matrix element between those surfaces. These are key quantities in semiclassical and quantum mechanical theories of collision induced electronic transitions. Within the two state approximation, the complex intersection is shown to be directly related to the location and magnitude of the peak in the nonadiabatic coupling. Two cases are considered: the avoided crossing between two potential surfaces; and the spin orbit interaction due to a P-2 halogen atom. Comparisons are made between the results of the two-state model and the results of ab initio quantum chemical calculations.

Jaffe, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Potentially improved glasses from space environment

The benefits of processing glasses in a low-gravity space environment are examined. Containerless processing, the absence of gravity driven convection, and lack of sedimentation are seen as potential advantages. Potential applications include the formation of glass-ceramics with a high content of active elements for ferromagnetic devices, the production of ultrapure chalcogenide glasses for laser windows and IR fiber optics, and improved glass products for use in optical systems and laser fusion targets.

Nichols, R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A triangular element based on generalized potential energy concepts

Stiffness equations are formulated for a doubly-curved triangular thin shell finite element. The strain energy component of the potential energy is first expressed in terms of displacements and displacement gradients with the aid of consistent deep shell strain-displacement equations. The element in-plane and normal displacement fields are approximated by complete cubic polynomials. These functions do not satisfy the interelement displacement admissibility conditions. Satisfaction is forced by the imposition of constraint conditions on the interelement boundaries; the constraints represent the modification of the potential energy. Some numerical results for a pinched cylinder, a cylindrical sphere, and a pinched sphere are examined.

Thomas, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Validity of approximate methods in molecular scattering. III - Effective potential and coupled states approximations for differential and gas kinetic cross sections

Two dimensionality-reducing approximations, the j sub z-conserving coupled states (sometimes called the centrifugal decoupling) method and the effective potential method, were applied to collision calculations of He with CO and with HCl. The coupled states method was found to be sensitive to the interpretation of the centrifugal angular momentum quantum number in the body-fixed frame, but the choice leading to the original McGuire-Kouri expression for the scattering amplitude - and to the simplest formulas - proved to be quite successful in reproducing differential and gas kinetic cross sections. The computationally cheaper effective potential method was much less accurate.

Monchick, L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

On the gravitational potential and field anomalies due to thin mass layers

The gravitational potential and field anomalies for thin mass layers are derived using the technique of matched asymptotic expansions. An inner solution is obtained using an expansion in powers of the thickness and it is shown that the outer solution is given by a surface distribution of mass sources and dipoles. Coefficients are evaluated by matching the inner expansion of the outer solution with the outer expansion of the inner solution. The leading term in the inner expansion for the normal gravitational field gives the Bouguer formula. The leading term in the expansion for the gravitational potential gives an expression for the perturbation to the geoid. The predictions given by this term are compared with measurements by satellite altimetry. The second-order terms in the expansion for the gravitational field are required to predict the gravity anomaly at a continental margin. The results are compared with observations.

Ockendon, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Protecting proprietary rights - A potential Shuttle user's view

Maintaining a high degree of industrial security in the multiple-payload Shuttle environment poses a number of problems for NASA. As a part of Battelle-Columbus' support of NASA's User Development Program, this paper presents a potential user's perspective on this situation. The need for security, the nature of the problem, and precedents for NASA security measures are discussed. Eleven policy guidelines representing desirable features from a potential user's viewpoint are presented for NASA consideration.

Day, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Light-dependent cation gradients and electrical potential in Halobacterium halobium cell envelope vesicles

Vesicles can be prepared from Halobacterium halobium cell envelopes, which contain properly oriented bacteriorhodopsin and which extrude H(+) during illumination. The pH difference that is generated across the membranes is accompanied by an electrical potential of 90 to 100 mV (interior negative) and the movements of other cations. Among these is the efflux of Na(+), which proceeds against its electrochemical potential. The relationship between the size and direction of the light-induced pH gradient and the rate of depletion of Na(+) from the vesicles, as well as other evidence, suggest that the active Na(+) extrusion is facilitated by a membrane component that exchanges H(+) for Na(+) with a stoichiometry greater than 1. The gradients of H(+) and Na(+) are thus coupled to one another. The Na(+) gradient (efflux much larger than influx), which arises during illumination, plays a major role in energizing the active transport of amino acids.

Lanyi, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A study of fatigue crack closure using electric potential and compliance techniques

The objective of this study was to compare closure data obtained on the same specimen with crack tip compliance gage and electric potential techniques. Equivalent results on closure using the two techniques were obtained on 7075-T651 aluminum center cracked panels. The results also indicated that closure was a function of stress ratio, specimen thickness and maximum applied stress intensity. Maximum stress intensity had a particularly strong effect on closure in the range of applied stresses used. This observed dependence of closure on specimen thickness and maximum stress intensity should account for many of the discrepancies in closure behavior found in the literature. Observations on potential system behavior during closure measurements are also reported.

Clarke, C. K.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Comment on the relation between the nonadiabatic coupling and the complex intersection of potential energy curves

Simple relations are discussed that provide a correspondence between the complex intersection of two potential surfaces and the nonadiabatic coupling matrix element between those surfaces. These are key quantities in semiclassical and quantum-mechanical theories of collision-induced electronic transitions. Within the two-state approximation, the complex intersection is shown to be directly related to the location and magnitude of the peak in the nonadiabatic coupling. Two cases have been considered: (1) the avoided crossing between two potential surfaces, and (2) the spin-orbit interaction due to a 2P halogen atom. Comparisons are made between the results of the two-state model and the results of ab initio quantum chemical calculations.

Jaffe, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A three-dimensional potential-flow program with a geometry package for input data generation

Information needed to run a computer program for the calculation of the potential flow about arbitrary three dimensional lifting configurations is presented. The program contains a geometry package which greatly reduces the task of preparing the input data. Starting from a very sparse set of coordinate data, the program automatically augments and redistributes the coordinates, calculates curves of intersection between components, and redistributes coordinates in the regions adjacent to the intersection curves in a suitable manner for use in the potential flow calculations. A brief summary of the program capabilities and options is given, as well as detailed instructions for the data input, a suggested structure for the program overlay, and the output for two test cases.

Halsey, N. D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A finite volume method for calculating transonic potential flow around wings from the pressure minimum integral

Analysis of the pressure minimum integral in the calculation of three-dimensional potential flow around wings makes it possible to use non-rectangular mesh networks for distributing the three-dimensional potential into discrete points. The method is comparatively easily expanded to the treatment of realistic airplane configurations. Shock-pressure affected pressure distributions on any wings are determined with accuracy using this method.

Eberle, A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

On Szebehely's equation for the potential of a prescribed family of orbits

In the present note we first give a simple proof of the Dainelli formulas for the force field generating a given family of orbits. We also show that the Szebehely partial differential equation for the potential can be derived from the Dainelli formulas if the energy integral is assumed. The Szebehely equation can be solved directly with the method of characteristics or indirectly with the Joukovsky formulas. Several examples are briefly described in the article. In particular we find some rather general potential functions corresponding to circular motion.

Broucke, R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Effective core potentials for the cadmium and mercury atoms

Ab initio effective core potentials have been obtained for the cadmium and mercury atoms by the methods of Kahn et al. (1976). Both two and twelve valence electron representations of Cd and Hg were tested for various atom state-configurations by comparison with all-electron calculations. The generated potentials were used to obtain the equilibrium bond distances and molecular binding energies for the dichloride and dimethyl compounds of both atoms from single and optimum-double configuration self-consistent field calculations.

Basch, H.↗