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At least 55 records · Page 3

Stability of PMR-polyimide monomer solutions

The stability of alcohol solutions of norborneyl capped PMR-polyimide resins was monitored during storage at ambient and subambient temperatures. Chemical changes during storage were determined spectroscopically using nuclear magnetic resonance. Resin processability and cured resin quality were determined by fabrication of unidirectional, graphite fiber composites using aged solutions and testing of selected composite properties. PMR-15 solutions exhibit nominally two weeks of useful life and PMR-2 solutions exhibit nominally two days of useful life at ambient conditions. The limiting factor is precipitation of imide reaction produces from the monomer solutions. Both solutions exhibit substantially longer useful lifetimes in subambient storage. PMR-15 shows no precipitation after several months storage at subambient temperatures. PMR-2 solutions do exhibit precipitates after extended subambient storage, however, the precipitates formed under these conditions can be redissolved. The chemical implications of these observations are discussed.

Lauver, R. W.↗

A new tool for analyzing microinstabilities in space plasmas modeled by a generalized Lorentzian (kappa) distribution

The modified plasma dispersion function Z* sub kappa (xi) based on the generalized Lorentzian distribution, which was introduced by Summers and Thorne (1991), is used to analyze three classical problems of plasma physics. These include the Landau damping of Langmuir waves, the ion acoustic instability in a current-carrying plasma, and the cyclotron resonant instability of electromagnetic R mode waves propagating parallel to an ambient magnetic field. It was found that, in each case, the results for a generalized Lorentzian plasma can differ significantly from those for a Maxwellian plasma. It is suggested that previous calculations based on a Maxwellian plasma distribution function Z(xi) have to be reexamined.

Summers, Danny↗

Optical pathlength control experiment on JPL phase B testbed

An experimental implementation of a nanometer level optical pathlength control for large baseline space interferometry is presented. The pathlength compensation system is installed on a large flexible experimental truss, thus structural motions play a dominant role in the control system design. The associated control structure interaction problem is addressed to maintain the optical pathlength within the prescribed variation of 10-15 nanometer rms. By a successful blend of a structural control for damping augmentation and a direct pathlength control for the pathlength compensation, the optical pathlength variation has been maintained with 6 nanometer rms under the laboratory ambient disturbance and within 9 nanometer rms under a severe forced resonant disturbance.

Rahman, Zahidul H.↗

Solar Sail Loads, Dynamics, and Membrane Studies

While a number of solar sail missions have been proposed recently, these missions have not been selected for flight validation. Although the reasons for non-selection are varied, principal among them is the lack of subsystem integration and ground testing. This paper presents some early results from a large-scale ground testing program for integrated solar sail systems. In this series of tests, a 10 meter solar sail tested is subjected to dynamic excitation both in ambient atmospheric and vacuum conditions. Laser vibrometry is used to determine resonant frequencies and deformation shapes. The results include some low-order sail modes which only can be seen in vacuum, pointing to the necessity of testing in that environment.

Slade, K. N.↗

Optical Pathlength Control Experiment on JPL Phase B Testbed

An experimental implementation of a nanometer level optical pathlength control for large baseline space interferometry is presented. The pathlength compensation system is installed on a large flexible experimental truss, thus structural motions play a dominant role in the control system design. The associated control structure interaction problem is addressed to maintain the optical pathlength within the prescribed variation of 10-15 nanometer rms. By a successful blend of a structural control for damping augmentation and a direct pathlength control for the pathlength compensation, the optical pathlength variation has been maintained within 6 nonometer rms under the laboratory ambient disturbance and within 9 nonmeter rms under a severe forced resonant disturbance.

interferometry↗

Radiation losses in resonant tubes

The role of radiation losses in a resonant tube - the transfer of sound energy from the test gas through the confines of the tube to the ambient atmosphere - is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It is concluded that losses of this sort make no noticeable contribution to the background losses, even at high gas pressures. Nevertheless, if an axial resonant frequency of the test gas closely matches a longitudinal resonant frequency of the tube wall, the internal sound pressure can excite tube displacements of disproportionate magnitude and thus cause excessive losses, not due to radiation but rather to frictional dissipation related to the motion of the tube structure. This mechanism is effective when the mode numbers of the gas and tube have opposite parity, and makes sound absorption measurements at the fundamental gas frequency particularly problematical. An experimental investigation confirms the existence of such additional losses when the parity condition is fulfilled.

Zuckerwar, A. J.↗

Nonlinear Landau damping in the ionosphere

A model is presented to explain the non-resonant waves which give rise to the diffuse resonance observed near 3/2 f sub H by the Alouette and ISIS topside sounders, where f sub H is the ambient electron cyclotron frequency. In a strictly linear analysis, these instability driven waves will decay due to Landau damping on a time scale much shorter than the observed time duration of the diffuse resonance. Calculations of the nonlinear wave particle coupling coefficients, however, indicate that the diffuse resonance wave can be maintained by the nonlinear Landau damping of the sounder stimulated 2f sub H wave. The time duration of the diffuse resonance is determined by the transit time of the instability generated and nonlinearly maintained diffuse resonance wave from the remote short lived hot region back to the antenna. The model is consistent with the Alouette/ISIS observations, and clearly demonstrates the existence of nonlinear wave-particle interactions in the ionosphere.

Kiwamoto, Y.↗

Nonlinear Landau damping in the ionosphere

A model which explains the nonresonant waves which produce the diffuse resonance observed near 3/2 f(H) by the Alouette and Isis topside sounders, where f(H) is the ambient electron cyclotron frequency, is presented. These waves are the result of plasma wave instabilities driven by anisotropic electron velocity distributions initiated by the high-power short-duration sounder pulse. Calculations of the nonlinear wave-particle coupling coefficients show that the diffuse resonance wave can be maintained by nonlinear Landau damping of the sounder-stimulated 2f(H) wave which is observed with a time duration longer than that of the diffuse resonance wave. The time duration of the diffuse resonance is determined by the transit time of the instability-generated and nonlinearly maintained diffuse resonance wave from the remote short-lived hot region back to the antenna. The model is consistent with the Alouette/Isis observations and it demonstrates the existence of nonlinear wave-particle interactions in the ionosphere.

Kiwamoto, Y.↗

Electron precipitation in solar flares - Collisionless effects

A large fraction of the electrons which are accelerated during the impulsive phase of solar flares stream towards the chromosphere and are unstable to the growth of plasma waves. The linear and nonlinear evolution of plasma waves as a function of time is analyzed with a set of rate equations that follows, in time, the nonlinearly coupled system of plasma waves-ion fluctuations. As an outcome of the fast transfer of wave energy from the beam to the ambient plasma, nonthermal electron tails are formed which can stabilize the anomalous Doppler resonance instability responsible for the pitch angle scattering of the beam electrons. The non-collisional losses of the precipitating electrons are estimated, and the observational implication of these results are discussed.

Vlahos, L.↗

Fiber optic gas sensor

A gas sensor includes an in-fiber resonant wavelength device provided in a fiber core at a first location. The fiber propagates a sensing light and a power light. A layer of a material is attached to the fiber at the first location. The material is able to absorb the gas at a temperature dependent gas absorption rate. The power light is used to heat the material and increases the gas absorption rate, thereby increasing sensor performance, especially at low temperatures. Further, a method is described of flash heating the gas sensor to absorb more of the gas, allowing the sensor to cool, thereby locking in the gas content of the sensor material, and taking the difference between the starting and ending resonant wavelengths as an indication of the concentration of the gas in the ambient atmosphere.

Chen, Peng↗

A second harmonic geomagnetic field line resonance at the inner edge of the plasma sheet - GEOS 1, ISEE 1, and ISEE 2 observations

A description is provided of observations made by GEOS 1, ISEE 1, and ISEE 2 of a hydromagnetic wave with a period approximately 90 s observed near 0200 LT between L = 9 and L = 6, close to the measured inner boundary of the plasma sheet. The wave magnetic oscillations perpendicular to and along the ambient field had similar amplitudes. Using primarily the transverse magnetic components, it is shown that the wave is a second harmonic resonance of the local geomagnetic field lines. ISEE 1 and 2 observed the opposite sense of polarization for about 30 min, although the spacecraft were separated by only 9 min in their orbit; this remarkable feature cannot be explained by either a stationary spatial boundary or a simple temporal boundary but could result from a rapid movement of the resonant region. It is argued that the most likely energy source is bounce resonance with medium energy (approximately 5 keV) ions. Calculations of the wave Poynting vector at ISEE 1 support this conclusion.

Hughes, W. J.↗

The contribution of ion-cyclotron waves to electron heating and SAR-arc excitation near the storm-time plasmapause

The potential role of ion-cyclotron waves in the electron heating process has been studied, using the HOTRAY code. It is demonstrated that ion-cyclotron waves can play an important role in both the energy transfer to plasmaspheric electrons and the subsequent downward heat conduction to SAR arc altitudes. In particular, such waves can experience enhanced path integrated amplification along the steep plasmapause density gradient. The latter tends to keep the wave normal angle small on several successive bounces across the equator, thus allowing cyclotron-resonant amplification leading to a total gain of up to 20 e-foldings. When the wave propagation vector becomes highly oblique, absorption occurs during Landau resonance with thermal plasmaspheric electrons, increasing the electron temperature in the direction parallel to the ambient field and leading directly to heat conduction into ionosphere.

Thorne, Richard M.↗

Radiative processes in air excited by an ArF laser

The emission spectrum of air that is excited by an ArF laser has been investigated experimentally and theoretically to determine the conditions under which fluorescence from O2 can be used for the measurement of temperature in aerodynamic flows. In addition to the expected fluorescence from O2, the spectrum from excitation with an intense laser beam is shown to contain significant contributions from the near-resonant Raman fundamental and overtone bands, the four-photon fluorescence excitation of C produced from ambient CO2, and possibly the three-photon excitation of O(2+). The nature of the radiative interactions contributing to these additional features is described.

Laufer, Gabriel↗

Electron cyclotron resonance deposition of diamond-like films

Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma CVD has been developed at low pressures (0.0001 - 0.01 torr) and at ambient and high substrate temperatures (up to 750 C), to achieve large-area (greater than 4 in. diameter) depositions of diamondlike amorphous carbon (a - C:H) films. The application of a RF bias to the substrate stage, which induces a negative self-bias voltage, is found to play a critical role in determining carbon bonding configurations and in modifying the film morphology. There are two distinct types of ECR-deposited diamondlike films. One type of diamondlike film exhibits a Raman spectrum consisting of broad and overlapping, graphitic D (1360/cm, line width = 280/cm) and G (1590/cm, line width 140/cm) lines, and the other type has a broad Raman peak centered at appoximately 1500/cm. Examination of plasma species by optical emission spectroscopy shows no correlation between the CH-asterisk emission intensity and the deposition rate of diamondklike films.

Shing, Y. H.↗

Pitch angle scattering of energetic particles by oblique whistler waves

First order cyclotron or Landau resonant pitch angle scattering of electrons by oblique whistler waves propagating at large angles to the ambient field are found to be at least as large as that due to parallel propagating waves. Commonly observed precipitation of more than 40 keV electrons in association with ducted whistlers may thus be accompanied by substantial fluxes of lower energy (10 eV-40 keV) electrons precipitated by the nonducted components.

Inan, U. S.↗

Development of procedures for calculating stiffness and damping properties of elastomers in engineering applications. Part 2: Elastomer characteristics at constant temperature

Dynamic properties of a commerical polybutadiene compound were determined at a constant temperature of 32 C by a forced-vibration resonant mass type of apparatus. The constant thermal state of the elastomer was ensured by keeping the ambient temperature constant and by limiting the power dissipation in the specimen. Experiments were performed with both compression and shear specimens at several preloads (nominal strain varying from 0 to 5 percent), and the results are reported in terms of a complex stiffness as a function of frequency. Very weak frequency dependence is observed and a simple power law type of correlation is shown to represent the data well. Variations in the complex stiffness as a function of preload are also found to be small for both compression and shear specimens.

Gupta, P. K.↗

Resonant Wingbeat Tuning Circuit using Strain-Rate Feedback for Ornithoptic Micro Aerial Vehicles

A resonant wingbeat tuning circuit automatically tunes the frequency of an actuating input to the resonant frequency of a flexible wing structure. Through the use of feedback control, the circuit produces the maximum flapping amplitude of a mechanical ornithoptic system, tracking the resonant frequency of the vibratory flapping apparatus as it vanes in response to change in flight condition, ambient pressure, or incurred wing damage.

David L Raney↗

Polarization of the impulsive signals observed in the nightside ionosphere of Venus

The impulsive plasma wave bursts detected by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter electric field detector in the nightside ionosphere of Venus have been attributed to atmospheric lightning. However, it has also been argued that the wave bursts are generated locally by plasma instabilities. The waves associated with local instabilities are most probably electrostatic in nature, while lightning-generated waves should be whistler mode waves, at least at the lowest frequencies. It is shown that for typical ionospheric parameters the whistler mode wave electric field should be polarized predominantly perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. It is shown that the 100-Hz waves are polarized perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field provided the data are restricted to those intervals in which the magnetic field is sufficiently far from horizontal to allow vertical propagation within the whistler mode resonance cone. The 100-Hz waves detected outside of the resonance cone are polarized parallel to the magnetic field, as are the waves at higher frequency. The waves consequently fall into two classes: whistler mode waves which are most likely due to atmospheric lightning, and a mode that is polarized parallel to the ambient field. This latter mode may be analogous to the anomalous parallel polarized wave fields detected in the terrestrial ionosphere above thunderstorms.

Strangeway, R. J.↗