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Results for “PLASMA TEMPERATURE”

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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Effects of nuclear forces on ion thermalization in high-temperature plasmas

A number of investigations have been concerned with the kinetic theory and processes associated with a relativistic electron gas. Gould (1981) has considered a condition in which upon the ultimate thermalization the temperature can be such that the electron gas is highly relativistic while the gas of protons and other ions is nonrelativistic. With the nuclear component nonrelativistic but having energies in the MeV range and above, it is necessary to consider the effects of nuclear forces in the scattering of the ions in their thermalization. The effects of nuclear forces in the thermalization of ions in plasmas have been computed, principally in connection with problems of controlle; fusion. The present investigation is concerned with an attempt to express results in analytic form to as great a degree as possible. The p-p problem, which is the fundamental problem in astrophysical plasma, is studied. Attention is given to a low-energy formulation, the s-wave phase shift, the effective stopping number, Fokker-Planck operators, and the interaction with the electron gas.

Gould, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A two-temperature plasma distribution in the magnetosheath at lunar distances

Least squares Maxwellian fits have been made to data from the Apollo 15 suprathermal ion detector experiment (SIDE) during the moon's passage through the dusk magnetosheath. It is found that the data are best fit by superimposing two co-moving proton populations whose temperatures differ radically: kT roughly 10 eV and kT roughly 100 eV. This two-temperature distribution cannot be explained by alpha particles. The higher temperature population is typical of that expected for the fully shocked magnetosheath at lunar distances. The colder distribution could arise from cold plasma from within the magnetosphere brought up to magnetosheath flow speeds, but it is more probably due to unshocked solar wind.

Sanders, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Electromagnetic Emission from a Binary Black Hole Merger Remnant in Plasma: Field Alignment and Plasma Temperature

Comparable-mass black-hole mergers generically result in moderate to highly spinning holes, whose spacetime curvature will significantly affect nearby matter in observable ways. We investigate how the moderate spin of a postmerger Kerr black hole immersed in a plasma with initially uniform density and uniform magnetic field affects potentially observable accretion rates and energy fluxes. Varying the initial specific internal energy of the plasma over two decades, we find very little change in steady-state mass accretion rate or Poynting luminosity, except at the lowest internal energies, where fluxes do not exhibit steady-state behavior during the simulation timescale. Fixing the internal energy and varying the initial fixed magnetic-field amplitude and orientation, we find that the steady-state Poynting luminosity depends strongly on the initial field angle with respect to the black hole spin axis, while the matter accretion rate is more stable until the field angle exceeds ∼45°. The protojet formed along the black hole spin axis conforms to a thin, elongated cylinder near the hole, while aligning with the asymptotic magnetic field at large distances.

Bernard J Kelly↗
NASA NTRS1976

Iron line emission from a high temperature plasma in Cas A

The X-ray spectrum of Cassiopeia A was observed for several days by the proportional counter experiment on board OSO-8. The high energy ( 5 keV) data are fit well by a thermal spectrum. A narrow iron line which is predicted by the thermal model is also observed. The low energy (2-5 keV) data show an excess over the high temperature component which is consistent with the presence of an additional low temperature thermal component. Iron abundance in the source relative to normal cosmic abundance is discussed, as in the relation of this observation to shock wave and multi-component thermal models for supernova remnants.

Pravdo, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Dielectronic recombination rates, ionization equilibrium, and radiative emission rates for calcium and nickel ions in low-density high-temperature plasmas

The total dielectronic recombination rates for Ca and Ni ions were calculated taking into account autoionization to excited states of the recombining ion and stabilizing radiative transitions of the recombining electron. Radiative transitions of the recombining ion are found to be the dominant stabilizing processes, and the relative importance of Delta n = 0 and Delta n not equal to 0 transitions in the relevant temperature region is determined for each ion. The relative importance of the Delta n = 0 and Delta n not equal to 0 contributions is significantly altered for some ions by the inclusion of autoionization to excited levels. The relative abundance of the various ionization stages has been determined by using a corona equilibrium model in which collisional ionization and inner-shell excitation followed by autoionization are balanced by direct radiative and dielectronic recombination.

Jacobs, V. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

X-ray emission from high temperature plasmas

X-rays from a 25-hJ plasma focus apparatus were observed with pinhole cameras. The cameras consist of 0.4 mm diameter pinholes in 2 cm thick lead housing enclosing an X-ray intensifying screen at the image plane. Pictures recorded through thin aluminum foils or plastic sheets for X-ray energies sub gamma smaller than 15 keV show distributed X-ray emissions from the focussed plasma and from the anode surface. However, when thick absorbers are used, radial filamentary structure in the X-ray emission from the anode surface is revealed. Occasionally larger structures are observed in addition to the filaments. Possible mechanisms for the filamentary structure are discussed.

Harries, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

X-ray emission from high temperature plasmas

The bremsstrahlung X-rays from a plasma focus device were investigated with emphasis on the emission versus position, time, energy, and angle of emission. It is shown that low energy X-rays come from the plasma focus region, but that the higher energy components come from the anode. The emission is anisotropic, the low energy polar diagram resembling a cardioid, while the high energy emission is a lobe into the anode. The plasma parameters were considered indicating that even in the dense focus, the plasma is collisionless near the axis. By considering the radiation patterns of relativistic electrons a qualitative picture is obtained, which explains the measured polar diagrams, assuming the electrons that produce the X-rays have velocity vectors lying roughly in a cone between the point of focus and the anode. The average electron energy is about 3keV at the focus and about 10 keV on the anode surface. Results are consistent with the converging beam model of neutron production.

Harries, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

X-ray emission from high temperature plasmas

The physical processes occurring in plasma focus devices were investigated with particular emphasis on X-ray emission. Topics discussed include: trajectories of high energy electrons; detection of ion trajectories; spatial distribution of neutron emission; space and time resolved emission of hard X-rays from a plasma focus; the staged plasma focus as a variation of the hypocloidal pinch; formation of current sheets in a staged plasma focus; and X-ray and neutron emission from a staged plasma focus. The possibility of operating dense plasma-focus type devices in multiple arrays beyond the scaling law for a single gun is discussed.

Harries, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Description of the mean behaviour of ionospheric plasma temperatures

A status report on the empirical modeling of ionospheric electron and ion temperatures is given with special emphasis on the models used in the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). Electron temperature models have now reached a state where reliable prediction of the mean altitudinal, latitudinal and diurnal variations is possible. These models are largely based on satellite measurements, but comparisons with incoherent scatter radar measurements have shown excellent agreement. Variations with season and magnetic and solar activity seem to be small and are not yet included consistently in these models. Similar to the electron temperature, the ion temperature shows the largest variations with altitude, latitude and local time. But due to the larger mass, these variations are smoother and more steady in the case of the ions and therefore easier to model. Nevertheless, very few ion temperature models exist. The IRI model takes advantage of the observed concurrence of the ion temperature with the neutral temperature at low altitudes and with the electron temperature at high altitudes.

Bilitza, Dieter↗
NASA NTRS1990

Solar activity variation of ionospheric plasma temperatures

The present status of understanding and modeling of the variation of electron and ion temperatures with solar activity is reviewed. All atmospheric and ionospheric densities and temperatures are positively correlated with solar activity except the electron temperature, which exhibits a rather complex variation pattern during a solar cycle. The ion temperature at low altitudes closely follows the variation patterns of the neutral temperature. The electron temperature at high altitudes increases with increasing solar activity; the increase is larger during day than during night and exhibits a latitudinal variation. At low altitudes during daytime, tha amplitude of the seasonal variation of the electron temperature increases toward the solar maximum. At 400 km during daytime, the summer electron temperatures for Millstone Hill increase slightly toward higher solar activities, whereas the winter temperatures decrease distinctly. For Arecibo, an opposite trend is noticeable.

Bilitza, D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Computational Study of Electron-Molecule Collisions Related to Low-Temperature Plasmas

Computational study of electron-molecule collisions not only complements experimental measurements, but can also be used to investigate processes not readily accessible experimentally. A number of ab initio computational methods are available for these types of calculations. Here we describe a recently developed technique, the finite element Z-matrix method, Analogous to the R-matrix, method, it partitions the space into regions and employs real matrix elements. However, unlike the implementation of the R-matrix method commonly used in atomic and molecular physics, the Z-matrix method is fully variational. In the present implementation, a mixed basis of finite elements and Gaussians is used to represent the continuum electron, thus offering full flexibility without imposing fixed boundary conditions. Numerical examples include the electron-impact dissociation of N2 via the metastable A3Su+ state, a process which may be important in the lower thermosphere, and the dissociation of the CF radical, a process of interest to plasma etching. To understand the dissociation pathways, large scale quantum chemical calculations have been carried out for all target states which dissociate to the lowest five limits in the case of N2, and to the lowest two limits in the case of CF. For N2, the structural calculations clearly show the preference for predissociation if the initial state is the ground X1 Sg+ state, but direct dissociation appears to be preferable if the initial state is the A3Su+ state. Multi-configuration SCF target functions are used in the collisional calculation.

Huo, Winifred M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Impact of low-temperature plasmas on Deinococcus radiodurans and biomolecules

The effects of cold plasma on Deinococcus radiodurans, plasmid DNA, and model proteins were assessed using microbiological, spectrometric, and biochemical techniques. In low power O(2) plasma (approximately 25 W, approximately 45 mTorr, 90 min), D. radiodurans, a radiation-resistant bacterium, showed a 99.999% reduction in bioburden. In higher power O(2) plasma (100 W and 500 mTorr), the reduction rate increased about 10-fold and observation by atomic force microscopy showed significant damage to the cell. Damage to cellular lipids, proteins, and chromosome was indicated by losses of infrared spectroscopic peaks at 2930, 1651, 1538, and 1245 cm(-1), respectively. In vitro experiments show that O(2) plasmas induce DNA strand scissions and cross-linking as well as reduction of enzyme activity. The observed degradation and removal of biomolecules was power-dependent. Exposures to 200 W at 500 mTorr removed biomolecules to below detection limits in 60 s. Emission spectroscopy indicated that D. radiodurans cells were volatilized into CO(2), CO, N(2), and H(2)O, confirming that these plasmas were removing complex biological matter from surfaces. A CO(2) plasma was not as effective as the O(2) plasma, indicating the importance of plasma composition and the dominant role of chemical degradation. Together, these findings have implications for NASA planetary protection schemes and for the contamination of Mars.

Evaluation Studies↗
NASA NTRS1976

Preliminary scaling laws for plasma current, ion kinetic temperature, and plasma number density in the NASA Lewis bumpy torus plasma

Parametric variation of independent variables which may affect the characteristics of bumpy torus plasma have identified those which have a significant effect on the plasma current, ion kinetic temperature, and plasma number density, and those which do not. Empirical power law correlations of the plasma current, and the ion kinetic temperature and number density were obtained as functions of potential applied to the midplane electrode rings, the background neutral gas pressure, and the magnetic field strength. Additional parameters studied included the type of gas, the polarity of the midplane electrode rings, the mode of plasma operation, and the method of measuring the plasma number density. No significant departures from the scaling laws appear to occur at the highest ion kinetic temperatures or number densities obtained to date.

Roth, J. R.↗