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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Development of 3D electromagnetic modeling tools for airborne vehicles

The main goal of this project is to develop methodologies for scattering by airborne composite vehicles. Although our primary focus continues to be the development of a general purpose code for analyzing the entire structure as a single unit, a number of other tasks are also pursued in parallel with this effort. These tasks are important in testing the overall approach and in developing suitable models for materials coatings, junctions and, more generally, in assessing the effectiveness of the various parts comprising the final code. Here, we briefly discuss our progress on the five different tasks which were pursued during this period. Our progress on each of these tasks is described in the detailed reports (listed at the end of this report) and the memoranda included. The first task described below is, of course, the core of this project and deals with the development of the overall code. Undoubtedly, it is the outcome of the research which was funded by NASA-Ames and the Navy over the past three years. During this year we developed the first finite element code for scattering by structures of arbitrary shape and composition. The code employs a new absorbing boundary condition which allows termination of the finite element mesh only 0.3 lambda from the outer surface of the target. This leads to a remarkable reduction of the mesh size and is a unique feature of the code. Other unique features of this code include capabilities to model resistive sheets, impedance sheets and anisotropic materials. This last capability is the latest feature of the code and is still under development. The code has been extensively validated for a number of composite geometries and some examples are given. The validation of the code is still in progress for anisotropic and larger non-metallic geometries and cavities. The developed finite element code is based on a Galerkin's formulation and employs edge-based tetrahedral elements for discretizing the dielectric sections and the region between the target and the outer mesh termination boundary (ATB). This boundary is placed in conformity with the target's outer surface, thus resulting in additional reduction of the unknown count.

Volakis, John L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Development of 3D electromagnetic modeling tools for airborne vehicles

The main goal of this report is to advance the development of methodologies for scattering by airborne composite vehicles. Although the primary focus continues to be the development of a general purpose computer code for analyzing the entire structure as a single unit, a number of other tasks are also being pursued in parallel with this effort. One of these tasks discussed within is on new finite element formulations and mesh termination schemes. The goal here is to decrease computation time while retaining accuracy and geometric adaptability.The second task focuses on the application of wavelets to electromagnetics. Wavelet transformations are shown to be able to reduce a full matrix to a band matrix, thereby reducing the solutions memory requirements. Included within this document are two separate papers on finite element formulations and wavelets.

Volakis, John L.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Relativistic corrections for lepton-nucleus scattering in the short-time approximation

Here, we present an approach for including relativistic corrections in lepton-nucleus scattering calculations within the short-time approximation (STA). Previous ab initio studies employed electromagnetic currents expanded in powers of 𝑞/𝑚, where 𝑞 is the momentum transfer and 𝑚 is the nucleon mass, restricting their validity to low-𝑞 kinematics. We adopt an expansion scheme that treats the initial nucleon momentum perturbatively while allowing for arbitrary momentum transfer, thereby extending the applicability of the STA to high-𝑞 regimes. Additionally, we incorporate a relativistic treatment of the two-nucleon final-state energies. Calculations for 3 He and 4 He inclusive electron-scattering cross sections show a substantial improvement over previous results, achieving good agreement with experimental data in the quasi-elastic region for both low- and high-momentum transfer.

Andreoli, Lorenzo [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA↗
DOE OSTI2026

Searching for neutrino polarizability at DUNE

We perform an initial study of DUNE’s sensitivity to enhanced neutrino polarizability within models of light scalar mediators. We identify two possible signatures of polarizability due to neutrino scattering on electrons and due to coherent scattering on argon nuclei. These result in either one or two separated electromagnetic showers, respectively, with no associated hadronic activity. For each signature we compute the signal rates and the relevant backgrounds, obtaining the projected reach of the DUNE near detector. We then compare this with the current astrophysical and terrestrial bounds on light scalar models coupling to neutrinos and/or photons.

Carey, Sam [Wayne State U.] (ORCID:000900029607531↗
DOE OSTI2025

One- and two-body current contributions to lepton-nucleus scattering

Modeling lepton-nucleus scattering with the accuracy required to extract neutrino-oscillation parameters from long- and short-baseline experiments necessitates retaining most quantum-mechanical effects. One such effect is the interference between one- and two-body current operators in the transition currents, which has been known to enhance the cross sections, especially in transverse kinematics. Here, we incorporate such interference in the spectral function formalism, which combines relativistic currents and kinematics with an accurate description of the initial target state. Our analysis of lepton-scattering off 12 C demonstrates that interference effects appreciably enhance the transverse electromagnetic response functions and the flux-folded neutrino-nucleus cross section, in both cases, improving the agreement with experimental data. We discuss the impact on the neutrino-oscillation program and the determination of nucleon axial form factors.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum electrodynamics mediated by a photon with continuous spin

In recent work with Zhou, we studied classical interactions of matter with a “continuous spin” field, whose excitations have zero mass but nonzero spin Casimir (spin scale) ρ . We reported evidence that such theories are a calculable infrared deformation of familiar massless theories including electromagnetism. Building on the aforementioned work, this paper presents rules for computing scattering amplitudes involving charged scalar matter and continuous spin photons with nonzero spin scale. As a concrete example, we compute the pair annihilation and Compton scattering amplitudes in this theory and comment on their physical properties, including unitarity and scaling behavior at small and large ρ . Like the classical physics and soft factors studied in prior work, these amplitudes exhibit “helicity correspondence,” recovering familiar amplitudes at energy scales ≫ ρ , but with calculable deviations that could be experimentally tested. These results bolster the conjecture that continuous spin particles with a very small ρ could mediate long-range forces in nature (e.g., the photon could be a continuous spin particle), and extend the range of physical effects that could be used to test this hypothesis. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1991

Steepening of parallel propagating hydromagnetic waves into magnetic pulsations - A simulation study

The steepening mechanism of parallel propagating low-frequency MHD-like waves observed upstream of the earth's quasi-parallel bow shock has been investigated by means of electromagnetic hybrid simulations. It is shown that an ion beam through the resonant electromagnetic ion/ion instability excites large-amplitude waves, which consequently pitch angle scatter, decelerate, and eventually magnetically trap beam ions in regions where the wave amplitudes are largest. As a result, the beam ions become bunched in both space and gyrophase. As these higher-density, nongyrotropic beam segments are formed, the hydromagnetic waves rapidly steepen, resulting in magnetic pulsations, with properties generally in agreement with observations. This steepening process operates on the scale of the linear growth time of the resonant ion/ion instability. Many of the pulsations generated by this mechanism are left-hand polarized in the spacecraft frame.

Akimoto, K.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurements of the Neutron Magnetic Form Factor and the Two-Photon Exchange Contribution to the Electron-Neutron Elastic Scattering Cross Section

The Super BigBite Spectrometer (SBS) program in Experimental Hall A of Jefferson Lab is a series of high-precision, large ?2 , electromagnetic form factor experiments. GMn and nTPE were the first two experiments of the SBS program and ran from Oc?tober 2021 through February 2022. Both experiments detect neutron-tagged ?(?, ???) and proton-tagged ?(?, ???) quasi-elastic electrons scattering from a deuterium tar?get. The GMn experiment is a measurement of the magnetic form factor of the neutron, ?? ?, via the ratio method over a ?2 range of 3.5 to 13.5 (GeV/c)2 . The nTPE experiment ran in-parallel with the GMn experiment and shared an overlap?ping kinematic point with GMn. nTPE extends the GMn experiment to assess the differences between Rosenbluth Slop and the single-photon exchange approximation. The nTPE experiment had two kinematic settings corresponding to different electron scatting angles at a fixed ?2 of 4.5 (GeV/c)? . Comparisons of nucleon form factor ratio measurements acquired through polarization transfer and LT separation reveal discrepancies as ?2 increases. Two-photon exchange is strongly favored as the reason for this discrepancy. ?? ? has been extracted at two kinematic settings corresponding to ?2 values of 3.0 and 4.5 (GeV/c)2 . Additionally, I will present an assessment of the differences between Rosenbluth Separation and single-photon exchange measure?ments.

Boyd III, John Alan↗
NASA NTRS1982

Low-energy ion distribution functions on a magnetically quiet day at geostationary altitude /L = 7/

Ion energy and pitch angle distribution functions are examined for a magnetically quiet day using averaged data from ATS 6. For both field-aligned and perpendicular fluxes, the populations have a mixture of characteristic energies, and the distribution functions can be fairly well approximated by Maxwellian distributions over three different energy bands in the range 3-600 eV. Pitch angle distributions varying with local time, and energy distributions are used to compute total ion density. Pitch angle scattering mechanisms responsible for the observed transformation of pitch angle distribution are examined, and it is found that a magnetic noise of a certain power spectral density belonging to the electromagnetic ion cyclotron mode near the ion cyclotron frequency can be effective in trapping the field aligned fluxes by pitch angle scattering.

Singh, N.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Numerical calculation of Coulomb corrections in forward elastic 𝑝↑⁢𝑝 and 𝑝↑⁢𝐴 scattering

The analysis of RHIC hydrogen gas jet target polarimeter measurements of transverse analyzing powers 𝐴 N ⁡(𝑡) in proton-nucleus scattering requires accurate Coulomb corrections to both spin-flip and nonflip amplitudes. These corrections must cover a wide range of nuclear charges 𝑍 and form factor slopes, with flexibility to vary form factors during data fitting. To avoid technically challenging calculations involving a small but finite fictitious photon mass, the Coulomb correction to the nonflip electromagnetic amplitude with an exponential form factor was related to the corresponding correction for the spin-flip amplitude. This approach allows soft photon contributions to all amplitudes, including those with nonexponential form factors, to be calculated in the massless photon limit using only analytical expressions and numerically stable integrals with nonsingular integrands and finite integration limits. In addition, an absorptive correction to the spin-flip electromagnetic amplitude, which plays a critical role in spin effects in forward polarized proton-nucleus scattering, was accurately evaluated.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS2009

Metal Standards for Waveguide Characterization of Materials

Rectangular-waveguide inserts that are made of non-ferromagnetic metals and are sized and shaped to function as notch filters have been conceived as reference standards for use in the rectangular- waveguide method of characterizing materials with respect to such constitutive electromagnetic properties as permittivity and permeability. Such standards are needed for determining the accuracy of measurements used in the method, as described below. In this method, a specimen of a material to be characterized is cut to a prescribed size and shape and inserted in a rectangular- waveguide test fixture, wherein the specimen is irradiated with a known source signal and detectors are used to measure the signals reflected by, and transmitted through, the specimen. Scattering parameters [also known as "S" parameters (S11, S12, S21, and S22)] are computed from ratios between the transmitted and reflected signals and the source signal. Then the permeability and permittivity of the specimen material are derived from the scattering parameters. Theoretically, the technique for calculating the permeability and permittivity from the scattering parameters is exact, but the accuracy of the results depends on the accuracy of the measurements from which the scattering parameters are obtained. To determine whether the measurements are accurate, it is necessary to perform comparable measurements on reference standards, which are essentially specimens that have known scattering parameters. To be most useful, reference standards should provide the full range of scattering-parameter values that can be obtained from material specimens. Specifically, measurements of the backscattering parameter (S11) from no reflection to total reflection and of the forward-transmission parameter (S21) from no transmission to total transmission are needed. A reference standard that functions as a notch (band-stop) filter can satisfy this need because as the signal frequency is varied across the frequency range for which the filter is designed, the scattering parameters vary over the ranges of values between the extremes of total reflection and total transmission. A notch-filter reference standard in the form of a rectangular-waveguide insert that has a size and shape similar to that of a material specimen is advantageous because the measurement configuration used for the reference standard can be the same as that for a material specimen. Typically a specimen is a block of material that fills a waveguide cross-section but occupies only a small fraction of the length of the waveguide. A reference standard of the present type (see figure) is a metal block that fills part of a waveguide cross section and contains a slot, the long dimension of which can be chosen to tailor the notch frequency to a desired value. The scattering parameters and notch frequency can be estimated with high accuracy by use of commercially available electromagnetic-field-simulating software. The block can be fabricated to the requisite precision by wire electrical-discharge machining. In use, the accuracy of measurements is determined by comparison of (1) the scattering parameters calculated from the measurements with (2) the scattering parameters calculated by the aforementioned software.

Lambert, Kevin M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Evidence of a primordial solar wind

A model is reviewed which requires a T Tauri 'wind' and at the same time encompasses certain early-object stellar features. The theory rests on electromagnetic induction driven by the 'wind'. Plasma confinement of the induced field prohibits a scattered field, and all energy loss is via ohmic heating in the scatterer (i.e., planetary objects). Two modes, one caused by the interplanetary electric field (transverse magnetic) and the other by time variations in the interplanetary magnetic field (transverse electric) are present. Parent body melting, lunar surface melting, and a primordial magnetic field are components of the proposed model.

Sonett, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Program Models A Laser Beam Focused In An Aerosol Spray

Monte Carlo analysis performed on packets of light. Program for Analysis of Laser Beam Focused Within Aerosol Spray (FLSPRY) developed for theoretical analysis of propagation of laser pulse optically focused within aerosol spray. Applied for example, to analyze laser ignition arrangement in which focused laser pulse used to ignite liquid aerosol fuel spray. Scattering and absorption of laser light by individual aerosol droplets evaluated by use of electromagnetic Lorenz-Mie theory. Written in FORTRAN 77 for both UNIX-based computers and DEC VAX-series computers. VAX version of program (LEW-16051). UNIX version (LEW-16065).

Barton, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Electron distributions in quasi-perpendicular shocks: Simulations

One of the outstanding problems of collisionless shock physics is the microphysical description of electron thermalization and associated wave processes. Observations at the Earth's bow shock have shown various features in the electron velocity distribution such as a loss-cone, temperature anisotropies, and beams before a thermalized, flat-topped distribution is reached downstream. It is generally believed that in addition to the macroscopic fields, which determine the overall mapping of the distribution function, electromagnetic whistler waves and lower hybrid waves are responsible for the pitch-angle scattering and thermalization of the electrons. However, a genuine physical explanation requires analysis of the evolution of the electron distribution in the self-consistent wave fields. Particle simulations are ideally suited to do this, and include processes in which both electrons and ions are involved, such as cross-field streaming instabilities. We show results from l-D and 2-D simulations using an implicit code, which allows time steps large compared to the inverse electron plasma frequency. It is shown that in order to capture the correct propagation characteristics of the waves, a large mass ratio between the protons and electrons is generally necessary. Detailed diagnostics of the waves as well as the evolution of the electron velocity distribution will be presented and will be discussed in the frame work of satellite observations.

Pantellini, F.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Fundamentals of Polarized Light

The analytical and numerical basis for describing scattering properties of media composed of small discrete particles is formed by the classical electromagnetic theory. Although there are several excellent textbooks outlining the fundamentals of this theory, it is convenient for our purposes to begin with a summary of those concepts and equations that are central to the subject of this book and will be used extensively in the following chapters. We start by formulating Maxwell's equations and constitutive relations for time- harmonic macroscopic electromagnetic fields and derive the simplest plane-wave solution that underlies the basic optical idea of a monochromatic parallel beam of light. This solution naturally leads to the introduction of such fundamental quantities as the refractive index and the Stokes parameters. Finally, we define the concept of a quasi-monochromatic beam of light and discuss its implications.

Mishchenko, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2013

Orbiting Rainbows: Optical Manipulation of Aerosols and the Beginnings of Future Space Construction

Our objective is to investigate the conditions to manipulate and maintain the shape of an orbiting cloud of dust-like matter so that it can function as an ultra-lightweight surface with useful and adaptable electromagnetic characteristics, for instance, in the optical, RF, or microwave bands. Inspired by the light scattering and focusing properties of distributed optical assemblies in Nature, such as rainbows and aerosols, and by recent laboratory successes in optical trapping and manipulation, we propose a unique combination of space optics and autonomous robotic system technology, to enable a new vision of space system architecture with applications to ultra-lightweight space optics and, ultimately, in-situ space system fabrication. Typically, the cost of an optical system is driven by the size and mass of the primary aperture. The ideal system is a cloud of spatially disordered dust-like objects that can be optically manipulated: it is highly reconfigurable, fault-tolerant, and allows very large aperture sizes at low cost. See Figure 1 for a scenario of application of this concept. The solution that we propose is to construct an optical system in space in which the nonlinear optical properties of a cloud of micron-sized particles are shaped into a specific surface by light pressure, allowing it to form a very large and lightweight aperture of an optical system, hence reducing overall mass and cost. Other potential advantages offered by the cloud properties as optical system involve possible combination of properties (combined transmit/receive), variable focal length, combined refractive and reflective lens designs, and hyper-spectral imaging. A cloud of highly reflective particles of micron-size acting coherently in a specific electromagnetic band, just like an aerosol in suspension in the atmosphere, would reflect the Sun's light much like a rainbow. The only difference with an atmospheric or industrial aerosol is the absence of the supporting fluid medium. This new concept is based on recent understandings in the physics of optical manipulation of small particles in the laboratory and the engineering of distributed ensembles of spacecraft clouds to shape an orbiting cloud of micron-sized objects. In the same way that optical tweezers have revolutionized micro- and nano-manipulation of objects, our breakthrough concept will enable new large scale NASA mission applications and develop new technology in the areas of Astrophysical Imaging Systems and Remote Sensing because the cloud can operate as an adaptive optical imaging sensor. While achieving the feasibility of constructing one single aperture out of the cloud is the main topic of this work, it is clear that multiple orbiting aerosol lenses could also combine their power to synthesize a much larger aperture in space to enable challenging goals such as exoplanet detection. Furthermore, this effort could establish feasibility of key issues related to material properties, remote manipulation, and autonomy characteristics of cloud in orbit. There are several types of endeavors (science missions) that could be enabled by this type of approach, i.e. it can enable new astrophysical imaging systems, exoplanet search, large apertures allow for unprecedented high resolution to discern continents and important features of other planets, hyperspectral imaging, adaptive systems, spectroscopy imaging through limb, and stable optical systems from Lagrange-points. Future micro-miniaturization might hold promise of a further extension of our dust aperture concept to other more exciting smart dust concepts with other associated capabilities.

Space Construction↗
NASA NTRS2013

Spectrally Consistent Scattering, Absorption, and Polarization Properties of Atmospheric Ice Crystals at Wavelengths from 0.2 to 100 um

A data library is developed containing the scattering, absorption, and polarization properties of ice particles in the spectral range from 0.2 to 100 microns. The properties are computed based on a combination of the Amsterdam discrete dipole approximation (ADDA), the T-matrix method, and the improved geometric optics method (IGOM). The electromagnetic edge effect is incorporated into the extinction and absorption efficiencies computed from the IGOM. A full set of single-scattering properties is provided by considering three-dimensional random orientations for 11 ice crystal habits: droxtals, prolate spheroids, oblate spheroids, solid and hollow columns, compact aggregates composed of eight solid columns, hexagonal plates, small spatial aggregates composed of 5 plates, large spatial aggregates composed of 10 plates, and solid and hollow bullet rosettes. The maximum dimension of each habit ranges from 2 to 10,000 microns in 189 discrete sizes. For each ice crystal habit, three surface roughness conditions (i.e., smooth, moderately roughened, and severely roughened) are considered to account for the surface texture of large particles in the IGOM applicable domain. The data library contains the extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter, six independent nonzero elements of the phase matrix (P11, P12, P22, P33, P43, and P44), particle projected area, and particle volume to provide the basic single-scattering properties for remote sensing applications and radiative transfer simulations involving ice clouds. Furthermore, a comparison of satellite observations and theoretical simulations for the polarization characteristics of ice clouds demonstrates that ice cloud optical models assuming severely roughened ice crystals significantly outperform their counterparts assuming smooth ice crystals.

Optical properties↗