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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 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Theory and simulation of the beam cyclotron instability.

A theory of plasma beam cyclotron instability is developed on the basis of computer simulation experiments. The theory holds that at certain turbulence levels, electron cross-field diffusion which supresses the electron gyroresonances is created by turbulent wave-particle interactions in a plasma beam after a period of quasi-linear exponential development of turbulence. The stabilizing effect of Landau ion damping is noted. The behavior of cold and hot ions is discussed.

Lampe, M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Conductivity of a two-dimensional guiding center plasma.

The Kubo method is used to calculate the electrical conductivity of a two-dimensional, strongly magnetized plasma. The particles interact through (logarithmic) electrostatic potentials and move with their guiding center drift velocities (Taylor-McNamara model). The thermal equilibrium dc conductivity can be evaluated analytically, but the ac conductivity involves numerical solution of a differential equation. Both conductivities fall off as the inverse first power of the magnetic field strength.

Montgomery, D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Three-dimensional plasma diffusion in a very strong magnetic field.

The thermal equilibrium coefficient of spatial diffusion transverse to a strong uniform dc magnetic field is calculated for a fully ionized plasma. The particles are assumed to move transverse to the field only as a consequence of the E x B drift, but to move freely parallel to it. The particles interact only electrostatically. The calculation is done at large, but fixed and finite, plasma volume. It is shown that, as magnetic field density approaches infinity, the leading term of the coefficient of transverse spatial diffusion falls off in a prescribed manner, but contains a multiplicative factor which goes to zero as the plasma volume becomes infinite. The method of calculation fails for unbounded plasmas.

Montgomery, D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Particle-flux limits in the synchronous orbit.

Examination of measurements of 40- and 75-keV electrons and 60and 120-keV protons on the ATS 5 satellite in synchronous orbit in order to show that fluxes of such particles often approach but rarely exceed limiting values that agree within a factor of about 2 with the fluxes predicted by Kennel and Petschek (1966) from consideration of whistler-mode wave-particle interactions. A study is made of the proton and electron fluxes for evidence of the stably trapped flux limits in order to determine them, and to study the local-time dependences of their existence.

Mozer, F. S.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interplanetary double-shock ensembles with anomalous electrical conductivity

Similarity theory is applied to the case of constant velocity, piston-driven, shock waves. This family of solutions, incorporating the interplanetary magnetic field for the case of infinite electric conductivity, represents one class of experimentally observed, flare-generated shock waves. This paper discusses the theoretical extension to flows with finite conductivity (presumably caused by unspecified modes of wave-particle interactions). Solutions, including reverse shocks, are found for a wide range of magnetic Reynolds numbers from one to infinity. Consideration of a zero and nonzero ambient flowing solar wind (together with removal of magnetic considerations) enables the recovery of earlier similarity solutions as well as numerical simulations. A limited comparison with observations suggests that flare energetics can be reasonably estimated once the shock velocity, ambient solar wind velocity and density, and ambient azimuthal Alfven Mach number are known.

Dryer, M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A summary of the results from the UCLA OGO-5 fluxgate magnetometer

The OGO-5 fluxgate magnetometer experiment (E-14) was designed to measure the vector magnetic field over the full range of the OGO-5 orbit. Thus, it had a dynamic range of + or - 64,000 gamma yet it maintained a precision of + or - 1/16 gamma at all times. This enabled a broad spectrum of problems to be attached. Studies of the magnetospheric waves, currents, waves-particle interactions, pitch angle distributions and wave normal directions were made. The structure of the magnetopause, the magnetotail, and bow shock were probed, waves and discontinuities in the solar wind were examined and the various phases of substorms were examined in depth.

Coleman, P. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Direct observations in the dusk hours of the characteristics of the storm-time ring current particles during the beginning of magnetic storms

The characteristic features of the initial enhancement of the storm-time ring current particles in the evening hours are consistent with flow patterns resulting from a combination of inward convection, gradient drift, and corotation which carries plasma sheet protons into low L-values near midnight and the higher energy proton component into the plasmasphere and through the evening hours. Data from four magnetic storms during the early life of Explorer 45, when the local time of apogee was in the afternoon and evening hours, show that protons with lower magnetic moments penetrate deeper into the magnetosphere until a low limit, determined by the corotation and gradient drift forces, is reached. Such particle motions produce the stable energy dependent inner boundary of the ring current protons inside the plasmapause in the dusk sector and also provide the mechanism for energy injection into the ring current region. From the analyses of the pitch angle distributions it is evident that charge exchange and wave particle interactions are not the dominant causes of this inner boundary.

Smith, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Satellite and ground-based observations of a red arc.

Simultaneous observations carried out during the red-arc period of Aug. 8-9, 1970 at Richland, Washington and by the Ogo 6 satellite are examined in the light of the present-day theoretical knowledge. The observed formation of the arc at the electron temperature peak and density trough supports the thermal-conduction theory of red-arc formation. The lack of dc electric fields in the red-arc region rules out these fields as an excitation mechanism. Particle precipitation as a direct source of red-line emission can also be ruled out by the observations presented. The formation of the arc in the plasmapause region and the detection of low-frequency ac fields are consistent with a theory that predicts wave-particle interaction at the plasmapause as a mechanism for supplying thermal energy to the plasmasphere electrons.

Nagy, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Equation of state of matter at supernuclear densities.

The qualitative features of the equation of state of matter at supernuclear densities are deduced through a careful examination of the nature of particle interactions at short distances and by the introduction of an 'effective baryon mass spectrum.' It is found that the equation of state begins to take on a particularly simple form (the 'asymptotic form') at a relatively low matter density of 100,000 teragrams per cu cm.

Leung, Y. C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Upper limit to the 1-20 MeV solar neutron flux.

The upper limit on the quiet time solar neutron flux from 1 to 20 MeV has been measured to be less than .002 neutrons at the 95% confidence level. This result is deduced from the OGO-6 neutron detector measurements of the 'day-night' effect near the equator at low altitudes for the period from June 7 to Dec. 23, 1969. The OGO-6 detector had very low (less than 4%) counting rate contributions from locally produced neutrons in the detecting system and the spacecraft and from charged-particle interactions in the neutron sensor.

Lockwood, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The 3 DLE instrument on ATS-5

The performance and operation of the DLE plasma electron counter on board the ATS 5 are described. Two methods of data presentation, microfilm line plots and spectrograms, are discussed along with plasma dynamics, plasma flow velocity, electrostatic charging, and wave-particle interactions.

Deforest, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Satellite observations of type 3 solar radio bursts at low frequencies

Type III solar radio bursts were observed from 10 MHz to 10 KHz by satellite experiments above the terrestrial plasmasphere. Solar radio emission in this frequency range results from excitation of the interplanetary plasma by energetic particles propagating outward along open field lines over distances from 5 solar radii to at least 1 AU from the sun. This review summarizes the morphology, characteristics and analysis of individual as well as storms of bursts. Burst rise times are interpreted in terms of exciter length and dispersion while decay times refer to the radiation damping process. The combination of radio observations at the lower frequencies and in-situ measurements on nonrelativistic electrons at 1 AU provide data on the energy range and efficiency of the wave-particle interactions responsible for the radio emission.

Fainberg, J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Perturbation theory of structure in classical liquid mixtures: Application to metallic systems near phase separation

The partial structure factors of classical simple liquid mixtures near phase separation are dicussed. The theory is developed for particles interacting through pair potentials, and is thus appropriate both to insulating fluids, and also to metallic systems if these may be described by an effective ion-ion pair interaction. The motivation arose from consideration of metallic liquid mixtures, in which resistive anomalies have been observed near phase separation. A mean field theory correction appropriate to 3 pair potential for the effects of correlated motions in the reference fluid is studied. The work is cast in terms of functions which are closely related to the direct correlation functions of Ornstein and Zernike. The results are qualitatively in accord with physical expectations. Quantitative agreement with experiment seems to turn on the selection of the hard core reference potential in terms of the metallic effective pair potential. It is suggested that the present effective pair potentials are perhaps not properly used to calculate the metallic structure factors at long wavelength.

Henderson, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A stochastic model of turbulent mixing with chemical reaction: Nitric oxide formulation in a plug-flow burner

A stochastic model of turbulent mixing was developed for a reactor in which mixing is represented by n-body fluid particle interactions. The model was used to justify the assumption (made in previous investigations of the role of turbulent mixing on burner generated thermal nitric oxide and carbon monoxide emissions) that for a simple plug flow reactor, composition nonuniformities can be described by a Gaussian distribution function in the local fuel:air equivalence ratio. Recent extensions of this stochastic model to include the combined effects of turbulent mixing and secondary air entrainment on thermal generation of nitric oxide in gas turbine combustors are discussed. Finally, rate limited upper and lower bounds of the nitric oxide produced by thermal fixation of molecular nitrogen and oxidation of organically bound fuel nitrogen are estimated on the basis of the stochastic model for a plug flow burner; these are compared with experimental measurements obtained using a laboratory burner operated over a wide range of test conditions; good agreement is obtained.

Flagan, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Particle and field payloads

The capability of the Space Shuttle for the conduct of magnetospheric experiments is critically analyzed. Some physical problems are discussed on which a particle and field payload program could be based. They include the study of magnetospheric plasma processes, wave-particle interactions and auroral phenomena, both by artificial modification experiments and by systematic wide-scale observations of naturally occurring magnetospheric perturbation events.

Roederer, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Postmidnight chorus - A substorm phenomenon

The ELF emissions were detected in the midnight sector of the magnetosphere in conjunction with magnetospheric substorms. The emissions were observed at local midnight and early morning hours and are accordingly called 'post-midnight chorus.' The characteristics of these emissions such as their frequency time structure, emission frequency with respect to the local equatorial electron gyrofrequency, intensity-time variation, and the average intensity were investigated. The occurrence of the chorus in the nightside magnetosphere was investigated as a function of local time, L shell, magnetic latitude, and substorm activity, and the results of this analysis are presented. Specific features of postmidnight chorus are discussed in the context of possible wave-particle interactions occurring during magnetospheric substorms.

Tsurutani, B. T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A relation between ELF hiss amplitude and plasma density in the outer plasmasphere

Simultaneous observations of ELF hiss amplitude and plasma density on Ogo 5 have been investigated. Passes through the region of variable plasma density in the outer plasmasphere have yielded a quantitative relation between the hiss amplitude, the plasma density, and the plasma density corresponding to the threshold of wave detection. It is suggested that this dependence of wave amplitude on plasma density is a source effect and is related to the wave-particle interaction in the outer plasmasphere that gives rise to hiss.

Chan, K.-W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Cosmic rays - Astronomy with energetic particles

All nuclei in the periodic table of the elements, as well as electrons and positrons, are present in the stream of cosmic-ray particles. The cosmic-ray particles constitute the only sample of matter from outside the solar system which reaches the earth. Some of the most accurate knowledge of the extrasolar-element abundance distribution is based on the study of these particles. Observational data concerning the cosmic rays are discussed along with cosmic-ray sources, questions of particle interactions and propagation, the electron spectrum, and the significance of the positron component. The directions of cosmic ray research in the immediate future are also considered, giving attention to some fundamental questions which have not yet been answered.

Meyer, P.↗