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NASA NTRS1999

On the Relative Importance of Convection and Temperature on the Behavior of the Ionosphere in North American during January 6-12, 1997

Measurements from a network of digisondes and an incoherent scatter radar In Eastern North American For January 6-12, 1997 have been compared with the Field Line Interhemispheric Plasma (FLIP) model which now includes the effects of electric field convective. With the exception of Bermuda, the model reproduces the daytime electron density very well most of the time. As is typical behavior for winter solar minimum on magnetically undisturbed nights, the measurements at Millstone Hill show high electron temperatures before midnight followed by a rapid decay, which is accompanied by a pronounced density enhancement in the early morning hours. The FLIP model reproduces the nighttime density enhancement well, provided the model is constrained to follow the topside electron temperature and the flux tube is full. Similar density enhancements are seen at Goose Bay, Wallops Island and Bermuda. However, the peak height variation and auroral images indicate the density enhancements at Goose Bay are most likely due to particle precipitation. Contrary to previously published work we find that the nighttime density variation at Millstone Hill is driven by the temperature behavior and not the other way around. Thus, in both the data and model, the overall nighttime density is lowered and the enhancement does not occur if the temperature remains high all night. Our calculations show that convections of plasma from higher magnetic latitudes does not cause the observed density maximum but it may enhance the density maximum if over-full flux tubes are convected over the station. On the other had, convection of flux tubes with high temperatures and depleted densities may prevent the density maximum from occurring. Despite the success in modeling the nighttime density enhancements, there remain two unresolved problems. First, the measured density decays much faster than the modeled density near sunset at Millstone Hill and Goose Bay though not at lower latitude stations. Second, we cannot fully explain the large temperatures before midnight nor the sudden decay near midnight.

Richards, P. G.↗

DOE OSTI2024

A directional electrode separator improves anodic biofilm current density in a well-mixed single-chamber bioelectrochemical system

In this study, a directional electrode separator (DES) was designed and incorporated into a single-chamber bioelectrochemical system (BES) to reduce migration and reoxidation of hydrogen. This issue arises when H 2 , generated at the cathode, travels to the anode where anodic biofilms use H 2 . To test the feasibility of our design, a 3D-printed BES reactor equipped with a DES was inoculated with anaerobic digestor granules and operated under fed-batch conditions using fermented corn stover effluent. The DES equipped reactor achieved significantly higher current densities (~53 A/m²) compared to a conventional single-chamber BES without a separator (~16 A/m²), showing a 3.3 times improvement. Further, control abiotic electrochemical experiments revealed that the DES exhibited significantly higher proton conductivity (456±127 µS/mm) compared to a proton exchange membrane (67±21 µS/mm) with a statistical significance of P=0.03. The DES also effectively reduced H 2 migration to the anode by 21-fold relative to the control. Overall, incorporating a DES in a single-chamber BES enhanced anodic current density by reducing H 2 migration to the anode.

3D printed BES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Probing Active-Site Relocation in Cu/SSZ-13 SCR Catalysts during Hydrothermal Aging by in situ EPR Spectroscopy, Kinetic Studies, and DFT Calculations

Cu/SSZ-13 selective catalytic reduction catalysts display activity loss after mild hydrothermal aging without support degradation or loss of isolated Cu ion content. By applying electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to compare hydrated, dehydrated and NH3-saturated catalysts before and after hydrothermal aging, as well as density functional theory calculations, it is found that hydrothermal aging induces Cu relocation, leading to stronger Cu-support interactions. This is particularly evidenced by ZCuOH conversion to Z2Cu, which leads to the generation of a unique structure with two Cu(II) ions positioned in a double 6-membered ring prism. The Cu(II) ions that do not undergo such dramatic changes also appear to stay closer to framework windows as evidenced by the overall increased anisotropy during EPR measurements. In situ EPR measurements under SCR conditions demonstrate that, in comparison to the fresh catalyst, higher percentages of Cu species stay as Cu(II) in the aged catalyst. This suggests that the reduction half-cycle of the SCR redox, i.e., Cu(II) ? Cu(I), becomes slower for the hydrothermally aged catalyst.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS2022

Snow Microphysical Retrieval from the NASA D3R Radar During ICE-POP 2018

A method is developed to use both polarimetric and dual-frequency radar measurements to retrieve microphysical properties of falling snow. It is applied to the Ku- and Ka-band measurements of the NASA dual-polarization, dual-frequency Doppler radar (D3R) obtained during the International Collaborative Experiments for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic winter games (ICE-POP 2018) field campaign and incorporates the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) microwave singles cattering property database for oriented particles. The retrieval uses optimal estimation to solve for several parameters that describe the particle size distribution (PSD), relative contribution of pristine, aggregate, and rimed ice species, and the orientation distribution along an entire radial simultaneously. Examination of Jacobian matrices and averaging kernels shows that the dual-wavelength ratio (DWR) measurements provide information regarding the characteristic particle size, and to a lesser extent, the rime fraction and shape parameter of the size distribution, whereas the polarimetric measurements provide information regarding the mass fraction of pristine particles and their characteristic size and orientation distribution. Thus, by combining the dual-frequency and polarimetric measurements, some ambiguities can be resolved that should allow a better determination of the PSD and bulk microphysical properties (e.g., snowfall rate) than can be retrieved from single-frequency polarimetric measurements or dual-frequency, single-polarization measurements. The D3R ICE-POP retrievals were validated using Precipitation Imaging Package (PIP) and Pluvio weighing gauge measurements taken nearby at the May Hills ground site. The PIP measures the snow PSD directly, and its measurements can be used to derived the snowfall rate (volumetric and water equivalent), mean volume-weighted particle size, and effective density, as well as particle aspect ratio and orientation. Four retrieval experiments were performed to evaluate the utility of different measurement combinations: Kuonly, DWR-only, Ku-pol, and All-obs. In terms of correlation, the volumetric snowfall rate (r D 0:95) and snow water equivalent rate (r D 0:92) were best retrieved by the Ku-pol method, while the DWR-only method had the lowest magnitude bias for these parameters (-31% and -8 %, respectively). The methods that incorporated DWR also had the best correlation to particle size (r D 0:74 and r D 0:71 for DWR-only and All-obs, respectively), although none of the methods retrieved density particularly well (r D 0:43 for Allobs). The ability of the measurements to retrieve mean aspect ratio was also inconclusive, although the polarimetric methods (Ku-pol and All-obs) had reduced biases and mean absolute error (MAE) relative to the Ku-only and DWR-only methods. The significant biases in particle size and snowfall rate appeared to be related to biases in the measured DWR, emphasizing the need for accurate DWR measurements and frequent calibration in future D3R deployments.

S Joseph Munchak↗

DOE OSTI2024

Proton and neutron density distributions at supranormal density in low- and medium-energy heavy-ion collisions. II. Central Pb + Pb collisions

This paper represents a continuation of our investigation into the limitations on total, proton, and neutron particle number densities, as well as the asymmetry of proton and neutron density distributions achievable in central heavy-ion collisions. We explore these aspects at low and medium energies within the framework of the Boltzmann-Uhlenbeck-Uehling (pBUU) transport and time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) models. Previous studies, focusing on symmetric and asymmetric collisions of Ca and Sn nuclei [1], and initial results on Pb-nuclei collisions [2], emphasized the role of the Coulomb interaction in these events. Our findings indicated that: (i) the highest total densities predicted at 𝐸 beam = 800 MeV/nucleon were on the order of ≈ 2.5⁢𝜌 0 (𝜌 0 = 0.16 fm −3 ), (ii) the proton-neutron asymmetry for maximal densities, 𝛿=(𝜌$^{max}_{n}$− 𝜌$^{max}_{p}$)/(𝜌$^{max}_{n}$+𝜌$^{max}_{p}$), did not generally exceed the asymmetry in the initial state of the collision at all beam energies and tended to decrease during the reaction, and (iii) a significant portion of this asymmetry had its microscopic origin in Coulomb forces, masking the pure nuclear contribution. These new findings, particularly relevant in the astrophysical context, are further examined in this work, focusing on the heaviest target-projectile combination 212,208 Pb accessible in an experiment. We introduce the SkT3 Skyrme force model, not previously used for the Pb system, and compare it to the SV-bas and SV-sym34 models to explore the symmetry-energy dependence of the results. Contour plots of nucleonic densities are presented, contrasting the time evolution of the density distributions in low (TDHF) and high (pBUU) models. We also present the evolution of normalized maximal proton, neutron, and total nucleon number density with increasing beam energy in the full pBUU model and the Vlasov approximation, aiming to explore the impact of correlations in the reaction. The time evolution of the proton and neutron density distributions in the plane transverse to the beam direction is illustrated at both low and high beam energy. In conclusion, our detailed examination of the Pb system in this work provides further essential evidence that the aforementioned findings (i)–(iii) are only weakly dependent on system size and a symmetry-energy model, and thus, they are of more general importance.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Variation of carrier density in semimetals via short-range correlation: A case study with nickelate NdNiO 2

Carrier density is one of the key controlling factors of material properties, particularly in controlling the essential correlations in strongly correlated materials. Typically, carrier density is externally tuned by doping or gating and remains fixed below room temperature. Strangely, the carrier density in correlated semimetals is often found to vary sensitively against weak external controls such as temperature, magnetic field, and pressure. Here, we develop a realistic simulation scheme that incorporates interatomic noncollinear magnetic correlation without a long-range order. Using the recently discovered nickelate superconductor as an example, we demonstrate a rather generic low-energy mechanism that in semimetals short-range correlation can reversely modulate the carrier density as well. Such a mutual influence between correlation and carrier density provides an extra ingredient for sensitive bifurcating behavior. This special feature of correlated semimetals explains their versatile carrier density at low energy and opens up new possibilities of functionalizing these materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1979

The auroral ionosphere - Comparison of a time-dependent model with composition measurements

A time-dependent model of the auroral ionosphere including the odd nitrogen species, NO, N(D-2), and N(S-4), is used for comparison with data from a coordinated rocket-satellite measurement of an auroral event. The chemical scheme and the adopted rate coefficients have been shown to be compatible with daytime mid-latitude ionospheric chemistry. The electron flux and neutral atmospheric parameters measured on the satellite are used to compute the appropriate ionization and dissociation rates. The calculated NO(plus), O2(plus), O(plus), Ne, and NO densities agree well with the rocket measurements. The calculated N2(plus) densities are larger than the measured densities by a factor of 3 at most altitudes. The calculations show that the nitric oxide content of the aurora (about 1.2 times 10 to the 9th NO molecules/cu cm at 105 km) is below the saturation value.

Gerard, J.-C.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Free Flight Simulation: An Initial Examination of Air-Ground Integration Issues

The concept of "free flight" is intended to emphasize more flexibility for operators in the National Airspace System (RTCA, 1995). This may include the potential for aircraft self-separation. The purpose of this simulation was to begin examining some of the communication and procedural issues associated with self-separation in an integrated air-ground environment. Participants were 10 commercial U.S. flight crews who flew the B747-400 simulator and 10 Denver ARTCC controllers who monitored traffic in an ATC simulation. A prototypic airborne alerting logic and flight deck display features were designed to allow for increased traffic and maneuvering information. Eight different scenarios representing different conflict types were developed. The effects of traffic density (high and low) and different traffic convergence angles (obtuse, acute, and right) were assessed. Conflict detection times were found to be lower for the flight crews in low density compared to high density scenarios. For the controllers, an interaction between density and convergence angle was revealed. Analyses on the controller detection times found longer detection times in the obtuse high density compared to obtuse low density, as well as the shortest detection times in the high density acute angle condition. Maneuvering and communication events are summarized, and a discussion of future research issues is provided.

Lozito, Sandra↗

NASA NTRS2007

Highly Structured Plasma Density and Associated Electric and Magnetic Field Irregularities at Sub-Auroral, Middle, and Low Latitudes in the Topside Ionosphere Observed with the DEMETER and DMSP Satellites

Detailed observations of the plasma structure and irregularities that characterize the topside ionosphere at sub-auroral, middle, and low-latitudes are gathered with probes on the DEMETER and DMSP satellites. In particular, we present DEMETER observations near 700 km altitude that reveal: (1) the electric field irregularities and density depletions at mid-latitudes are remarkably similar to those associated with equatorial spread-F at low latitudes; (2) the mid-latitude density structures contain both depletions and enhancements with scale lengths along the spacecraft trajectory that typically vary from 10's to 100's of km; (3) in some cases, ELF magnetic field irregularities are observed in association with the electric field irregularities on the walls of the plasma density structures and appear to be related to finely-structured spatial currents and/or Alfven waves; (4) during severe geomagnetic storms, broad regions of nightside plasma density structures are typically present, in some instances extending from the equator to the subauroral regions; and (5) intense, broadband electric and magnetic field irregularities are observed at sub-auroral latitudes during geomagnetic storm periods that are typically associated with the trough region. Data from successive DEMETER orbits during storm periods in both the daytime and nighttime illustrate how enhancements of both the ambient plasma density, as well as sub-auroral and mid-latitude density structures, correlate and evolve with changes in the Dst. The DEMETER data are compared with near simultaneous observations gathered by the DMSP satellites near 840 km. The observations are related to theories of sub-auroral and mid-latitude plasma density structuring during geomagnetic storms and penetration electric fields and are highly germane to understanding space weather effects regarding disruption of communication and navigation signals in the near-space environment.

Pfaff, Robert F.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Performance prediction applying different reduced turbulence models to the SMART tokamak

The SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak (SMART) is currently being commissioned at the University of Seville and will be able to compare the performance of positive and negative triangularity plasmas at low aspect ratio. Predictive simulations have been performed for different machine scenarios and heating schemes using the TRANSP code. The objectives of these simulations are to predict the parameters expected in positive triangularity plasmas, to guide diagnostic development, and to validate transport models. Several reduced turbulence models have been used to predict electron and ion temperatures for the operational phase 2. All models provide similar results from approximately mid-radius to the separatrix but important discrepancies are found in the core region. These positive triangularity results are compared with experiments from a similar size machine like GLOBUS-M2. The multi-mode model (MMM) shows the best agreement. Simulations with different boundary conditions have been performed and no strong differences have been observed between them. The impact of neutral beam injection (NBI) on the predicted profiles has also been addressed. Rotation reduces turbulence levels so higher temperatures are achieved when included in the simulations. Studying the different contributions to the thermal diffusivities, it is observed that electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence dominates at the plasma core while micro-tearing modes (MTM) dominate at the edge in the electron channel. In the ion channel, the neoclassical contribution is dominant at the core and at the very edge while the Weiland component, which includes ion temperature gradient mode (ITG), trapped electron mode (TEM), kinetic ballooning mode (KBM), peeling mode (PM) and collisionless and collision dominated magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes governs the mid-radius region. For phase 3, two plasmas with different electron densities have been studied. The case with lower density matches well a specific discharge of GLOBUS-M2. The higher density plasma shows high performance with β N ≈ 3.8.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1979

A model of the neutral and ion nitrogen chemistry in the daytime thermosphere of Venus

Density profiles of N(4S), NO, N(2D), NO(+), and N(+) are calculated for the thermosphere of Venus. The results show that N(4S) is the dominant odd nitrogen species throughout the thermosphere and has a maximum density of 18 million atoms/cu cm at 132 km. The calculated NO(+) density agrees well with recent Pioneer Venus measurements, but the calculated N(+) densities are a factor of two to five less than the measurements. The production of N(4S) atoms generated in the model is adequate to explain recent measurements of the nitric oxide chemiluminescent emission on the night side of Venus.

Rusch, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Evacuation-induced pressure differentials in multilayer insulation systems

The pressure differentials induced across three types of multilayer insulation systems during evacuation have been measured and compared with values predicted using an idealized parallel plate geometric model. The systems tested were double-aluminized Mylar with a Tissuglas or silk net spacer and crinkled single-aluminized Mylar. Test samples were circular. The influence of purge gas type, layer density, sample diameter, and temperature was systematically investigated. The experimental approach was to measure the absolute pressure history and corresponding pressure differential induced across the insulation during evacuation. The measured pressure differentials were nondimensionalized and compared with those predicted by the parallel plate model as a function of Knudsen number. It was concluded that the parallel plate model is adequate for making engineering analyses. The influence of all parameters, except layer density, is well represented by the model. Representation of the influence of layer density is less satisfactory, but can be improved by modification of the flat plate model to allow for the more obvious practical nonidealities, such as crinkling, or the presence of a net spacer.

Glassford, A. P. M.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Analytic optical potentials for nucleon-nucleus nucleus-nucleus collisions involving light and medium nuclei

Utilizing an optical model potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple-scattering series, optical potentials for nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions are analytically derived. These expressions are applicable to light and medium cosmic ray nuclei as their single-particle density distributions are analytically determined, without approximation, from their actual harmonic well charge density distributions. Pauli correlation effects are included through the use of a simple Gaussian function to replace the usual expression obtained in the infinite nuclear matter approximation.

Bidasaria, H. B.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Block orbital-selective Mott insulators: A spin excitation analysis

We present a comprehensive study of the spin excitations—as measured by the dynamical spin structure factor S(q,ω)—of the so-called block-magnetic state of low-dimensional orbital-selective Mott insulators. We realize this state via both a multi-orbital Hubbard model and a generalized Kondo-Heisenberg Hamiltonian. Due to various competing energy scales present in the models, the system develops periodic ferromagnetic islands of various shapes and sizes, which are antiferromagnetically coupled. The 2×2 particular case was already found experimentally in the ladder material BaFe2Se3 that becomes superconducting under pressure. Here we discuss the electronic density as well as Hubbard and Hund coupling dependence of S(q,ω) using density matrix renormalization group method. Several interesting features were identified: (1) An acoustic (dispersive spin-wave) mode develops. (2) The spin-wave bandwidth establishes a new energy scale that is strongly dependent on the size of the magnetic island and becomes abnormally small for large clusters. (3) Optical (dispersionless spin excitation) modes are present for all block states studied here. In addition, a variety of phenomenological spin Hamiltonians have been investigated but none matches entirely our results that were obtained primarily at intermediate Hubbard U strengths. Our comprehensive analysis provides theoretical guidance and motivation to crystal growers to search for appropriate candidate materials to realize the block states, and to neutron scattering experimentalists to confirm the exotic dynamical magnetic properties unveiled here, with a rich mixture of acoustic and optical features.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1984

Meteorological accuracy requirements for aerobraking orbital transfer vehicles

Accuracy requirements for the prediction of atmospheric density for a transfer mission from geosynchronous orbit to low earth orbit using an aerobraking orbital transfer vehicle are presented. Uniform density variations such as would occur seasonally and diurnally were considered as well as density 'pockets' similar to what may have been observed on some of the Space Shuttle Orbiter entry flights. Variations in the lift-to-drag ratio from 0.3 to 1.5 were evaluated, with the values of the ratio of the vehicle weight to the product of the aerodynamic lift coefficient and the aerodynamic reference area ranging from 20 to 100 lb/sq ft. The results of the study indicated no problems for the range of lift-to-drag ratio values considered for uniform density variations of at least + or - 50 percent. However, density 'pockets' created problems if variations of + or - 30 percent from nominal occurred over altitude ranges of 1,000 to 10,000 ft.

Skalecki, L. M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

An improved solution to the 'Rankine-Hugoniot' problem

This paper presents an extension of the nonlinear least squares fitting technique of Vinas and Scudder (1986) (VS), which finds the physical and geometrical properties of nondissipational magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks. The new method incorporates plasma temperature observations in the form of normal momentum flux and energy density flux conservation as well as plasma density, velocity, and magnetic field data. The new technique is capable of using known standard deviations in the individual measurement points to properly weight the fitting procedure. The new fitting code is validated through the analysis of synthetic shocks with known physical and geometrical properties. Finally, it is compared to the original VS method and the preaveraged velocity coplanarity technique.

Szabo, A.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Critical Fluctuations in Beam-Plasma Systems and Solar Type III Radio Bursts

It is shown that the Langmuir waves are excited similar to critical fluctuations during phase transitions when the negative absorption due to electron beam traveling radially outward in the solar atmosphere is balanced by the positive absorption due to collisions in the corona and due to scattering on electron density inhomogeneities in the interplanetary medium. The effective temperature of the Langmuir fluctuations range from 1011 to 1013 K, explaining the majority of the type III bursts. The Rayleigh scattering and direct coupling due to density gradient as well as due to density inhomogeneities are discussed in the context of fundamental radiation and the combination scattering for second harmonic. The number density of electrons in type III beams is estimated and compared with observations. It is also shown that the stabilization of type III beams is achieved automatically since the instability does not develop in the case of critical fluctuations.

Fluctuations↗

DOE OSTI2021

Density dependence of the excitation gaps in an undoped Si/SiGe double-quantum-well heterostructure

In this work, we report low-temperature magneto-transport measurements of an undoped Si/SiGe asymmetric double quantum well heterostructure. The density in both layers is tuned independently utilizing top and bottom gates, allowing the investigation of quantum wells at both imbalanced and matched densities. Integer quantum Hall states at total filling factor v T =1 and v T =2 are observed in both density regimes, and the evolution of their excitation gaps is reported as a function of the density. The v T =1 gap evolution departs from the behavior generally observed for valley splitting in the single layer regime. Furthermore, by comparing the v T =2 gap to the single particle tunneling energy, Δ SAS , obtained from Schrödinger–Poisson (SP) simulations, evidence for the onset of spontaneous interlayer coherence is observed for a relative filling fraction imbalance smaller than ~50%.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗