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At least 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Catalytic resonance theory for the kinetics of photon-promoted catalysis

The illumination of catalytic surfaces with a continuous or pulsed stream of photons dynamically modulates surface chemistry for faster rates, non-equilibrium conversion, or product selectivity control. To establish fundamental principles of dynamic photon-modulated catalysis, the photocatalytic conversion of a generic surface reaction was simulated using the kinetic Monte Carlo method to understand the kinetic implications of an independent stream of photons that promotes surface product desorption. The time-averaged photocatalytic rate at differential conditions for varying photon flux and temperatures indicated three kinetic regimes described by product thermal desorption control, surface reaction control, and an intermediate kinetic regime with a zero slope Arrhenius plot, consistent with a degree of rate control dominated by the photon arrival frequency (i.e., per-site photon flux). Here, the maximum photocatalytic rate occurred orders of magnitude above the Sabatier limit at the resonance frequency, identified as the photon arrival frequency matching the surface reaction rate constant.

Canavan, Jesse R. [University of Minnesota, Minnea↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Unraveling Solar Wind Space Weathering of Carbon-Rich Asterods: Low-Flux VS. High-Flux Ion Irradiation of Murchison

Introduction: Space weathering processesalter the microstructural, compositional, and optical properties of airless planetary surfaces.Solar wind space weatheringforms ion-damaged rims within the outermost ~100 nm of regolith grains through atomic-displacements and implantation of energetic H+and He+ions[1]. Transmission electron microscope(TEM)studies of space weathered Itokawa and lunar olivine particles reveal predominantly nanocrystalline solar wind-damaged rims with only minor regions of amorphization[2-5]. This finding differs from laboratoryion irradiation experiments in which samples become amorphous at fluences 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the independentlyconstrained fluences for still-crystalline natural samples [6-7].Ion flux is generally considered to have a secondaryeffectcompared to fluence in these irradiation experiments. However, solar wind irradiation of natural samples occurs at a flux that is ~4-5 orders of magnitude lower than whatisused inlaboratory simulations (e.g., [6,8-9]). Constraining how the very low ion flux of solar wind influences the microstructural, chemical, and spectral alteration of silicate minerals will improve our understanding of solar wind space weathering and aid in the analysis of returned samples from the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions. Here we report results from low-and high-flux ion irradiation experiments on the Murchison (CM2)meteoritewithcomparable total fluences. Methods: We performed low-flux and high-flux He+(4 keV) and H+(1 keV) irradiation experiments on separate, dry-cut Murchison slabs. Low-flux He+irradiation reached a total fluence of 2.1 x 1016ions/cm2(~400 years of exposure at Bennu) using a flux of 3.6 x 1011ions/cm2/s; low-flux H+irradiation reached a total fluence of 3.9 x 1016ions/cm2(~30 years) using a flux of 6.6 x 1011ions/cm2/s. High-flux He+irradiation reached a total fluence of 2.0 x 1016ions/cm2(~400 years)using a flux of 9.1 x 1012ions/cm2/s; high-flux H+irradiation reached a total fluence of 5.8 x 1016ions/cm2(~50 years)using flux of 8.4 x 1012ions/cm2/s. By irradiating to similar total fluences in both the low-flux and high-flux experiments, we can better isolate and evaluatethe effects of ion flux. Differences between unirradiatedand irradiated surfaces are determined using threeanalytical techniques:(1) in situX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) reveals changes in surface chemistry,(2) visible to near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR; 0.35-2.5 μm) highlights changes in spectraltrends, such as albedo and slope, and (3) TEM and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identifieschanges in nanoscale structure and elemental composition within olivine and matrix electron-transparent thin sections prepared using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Results and Discussion: XPS analyses of the low-fluxand high-fluxHe+-and H+-irradiated samples showa minorreduction in surface carbon contentand chemicalreduction ofFe3+to Fe2+. The latter result is consistent with the higher Fe2+/Fe3+ratios observed in phyllosilicate-rich space weathered rims of Ryugu grains [10].VNIR analyses suggest that the low-flux H+-irradiated spectrum has a slightly bluer slope (over 0.65-2.5 μm) compared to the unirradiated VNIR spectrum from [9] while the low-flux He+-irradiated spectral slope is comparable to the unirradiated surface. Both the high-flux He+-and H+-irradiated VNIR spectra exhibitslightlyhigheralbedos at shorter wavelengths relativeto their unirradiated counterparts, with He+irradiation yielding a greater change. Thus far, the low-flux He+-irradiated matrix and olivine FIBsections as well as the low-flux H+-irradiated olivine FIBsection have been examined with TEM. The surfaces of all three samplesshowless vesiculation than high-flux/high-fluenceirradiated matrix and olivine samples from [9]. The depth of phyllosilicate amorphization in thelow-fluxHe+-irradiated matrix FIBsection varieslaterally, with crystalline domains occurring as shallow as ~25 nm in some regions. Thelow-flux He+-irradiated olivine FIBsection has acontinuous,~40-90 nm thick ion-affected layer with polycrystalline and amorphous microstructures. The low-flux H+-irradiated olivine sampleexhibits a distinct, ~10-40 nm ion-affected layer whose uppermost ~20 nmin thicker regions is predominantly amorphous.Continuing to compare results from this work to those from [9] will provide a comprehensive understanding of how ion flux impacts the microstructural, chemical, and optical modification of various mineral phases and, in turn,help identify space weathering features from parent body alteration in Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx returned samples.

D L Laczniak↗
NASA NTRS1993

Developing satellite-derived estimates of surface moisture status

An evaluation is made of the remotely sensed surface temperature (Ts)/normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) relationship in studies of the influence of biome type on the slope of Ts/NDVI, and of the automation of the process of defining the relationship so that the surface moisture status can be compared with Ts/NDVI at continental scales. The analysis is conducted using the NOAA AVHRR over a 300 x 300 km area in western Montana, as well as biweekly composite AVHRR data. A strong negative relationship is established between NDVI and Ts over all biome types.

Nemani, Ramakhrishna↗
DOE OSTI2024

SDSS-IV MaNGA: calibration of astrophysical line-widths in the Hα region using HexPak observations

ABSTRACT We have re-observed $\rm \sim$40 low-inclination, star-forming galaxies from the MaNGA survey (σ ∼ 65 km s−1) at ∼6.5 times higher spectral resolution (σ ∼ 10 km s−1) using the HexPak integral field unit on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. The aim of these observations is to calibrate MaNGA’s instrumental resolution and to characterize turbulence in the warm interstellar medium and ionized galactic outflows. Here we report the results for the Hα region observations as they pertain to the calibration of MaNGA’s spectral resolution. Remarkably, we find that the previously reported MaNGA line-spread-function (LSF) Gaussian width is systematically underestimated by only 1 per cent. The LSF increase modestly reduces the characteristic dispersion of H ii regions-dominated spectra sampled at 1–2 kpc spatial scales from 23 to 20 km s−1 in our sample, or a 25 per cent decrease in the random-motion kinetic energy. This commensurately lowers the dispersion zeropoint in the relation between line-width and star-formation rate surface-density in galaxies sampled on the same spatial scale. This modest zero-point shift does not appear to alter the power-law slope in the relation between line-width and star-formation rate surface-density. We also show that adopting a scheme whereby corrected line-widths are computed as the square root of the median of the difference in the squared measured line width and the squared LSF Gaussian avoids biases and allows for lower signal-to-noise data to be used reliably.

Chattopadhyay, Sabyasachi↗
DOE OSTI2019

Flux Pinning Characteristics and Irreversibility Field of Cu{sub 0.5}Tl{sub 0.5}Ba{sub 2}Ca{sub 3}Cu{sub 4}O{sub 12−δ} thin films

Flux pinning characteristics of Cu{sub 0.5}Tl{sub 0.5}Ba{sub 2}Ca{sub 3}Cu{sub 4}O{sub 12−δ} samples synthesized by two-step solid-state reaction method have been studied by physical properties measurement system (PPMS). These thin films are oriented along c-axis and have shown the tetragonal crystal structure. In the resistivity measurements, these samples have shown T{sub c} (R = 0) around 106 K. Asymmetric M vs. H loop of the samples at various temperature shows the interaction bulk and surface pinning. The energy of activation derived from the slope of Log(J{sub c}) vs. reduced temperature enhances with the increase strength of applied field. The irreversibility field suppress with the increase in the measurement temperature. The pinning energy per unit length of flux votex ε and the de-pinning force also suppress with increase of measurement temperature. The H{sub c1}, H{sub c}, and H{sub c2} (hence the H{sub irr}) are suppress with the increase of measurement temperature, since the H{sub c} determines the free energy difference between the normal and superconducting state. The increase in the H{sub c} at lower temperature shows that the density of superconducting electrons increases with the suppression of temperatures. The enhancement in the density of superconducting carriers at low temperatures would increase the coherence length and suppress the population of flux vortices. It can be seen in the form of decreased values of Ginzburg Landau parameter κ and the penetration depth λ{sub D}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

First demonstration of robust tri-gate β-Ga 2 O 3 nano-membrane field-effect transistors

Nano-membrane tri-gate β-gallium oxide (β-Ga 2 O 3 ) field-effect transistors (FETs) on SiO 2 /Si substrate fabricated via exfoliation have been demonstrated for the first time. By employing electron beam lithography, the minimum-sized features can be defined with the footprint channel width of 50 nm. For high-quality interface between β-Ga 2 O 3 and gate dielectric, atomic layer-deposited 15 nm thick aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) was utilized with tri-methyl-aluminum (TMA) self-cleaning surface treatment. The fabricated devices demonstrate extremely low subthreshold slope (SS) of 61 mV dec –1 , high drain current (I DS ) ON/OFF ratio of 1.5 × 10 9 , and negligible transfer characteristic hysteresis. Furthermore, we also experimentally demonstrated robustness of these devices with current–voltage (I–V) characteristics measured at temperatures up to 400 °C.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Gate Dielectric Materials for Next-Generation Integrated Circuits

The growth of Sr on n-type Si(001) was studied in detail for coverages between 0 and 1 monolayer (ML) using core level photoemission spectroscopy. In a similar manner, the Sr saturation coverage was studied in the 600–925°C temperature range. Data analysis was carried out by a method that allows accurate determination of the band-bending shifts. Using this method it is possible to pinpoint the formation and destruction of chemical species from bungled core level photoemission data without needing to know details of the chemical composition of the spectra. Through this analysis it was established that the interaction between Sr and Si breaks down the binding energy difference between upward and downward Si dimer atoms. In addition, it was found that the saturation coverage exhibits a clear plateau at 1 ML around 650°C, and a slope change at 1/3 ML around 850°C. The surface band bending suffers a discontinuous increase as the Sr coverage surpasses 1 ML and as the low energy electron diffraction symmetry changes from [2x3] to [2x1].

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Rotation Curves of Galaxies and Their Dependence on Morphology and Stellar Mass

Here, we study how stellar rotation curves (RCs) of galaxies are correlated on average with morphology and stellar mass (M star ) using the final release of Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV MaNGA data. We use the visually assigned T-types for the morphology indicator, and adopt a functional form for the RC that can model non-flat RCs at large radii. We discover that within the radial coverage of the MaNGA data, the popularly known flat rotation curve at large radii applies only to the particular classes of galaxies, i.e., massive late types (T-type ≥ 1, M star ≳ 10 10.8 M⊙) and S0 types (T-type = –1 or 0, M star ≳ 10 10.0 M⊙). The RC of late-type galaxies at large radii rises more steeply as M star decreases, and its slope increases to about +9 km s –1 kpc –1 at M star ≈ 10 9.7 M⊙. By contrast, elliptical galaxies (T-type ≤ –2) have descending RCs at large radii. Their slope becomes more negative as M star decreases, and reaches as negative as –15 km s –1 kpc –1 at M star ≈ 10 10.2 M⊙. We also find that the inner slope of the RC is highest for elliptical galaxies with M star ≈ 10 10.5 M⊙, and decreases as T-type increases or M star changes away from 10 10.5 M⊙. The velocity at the turnover radius R t is higher for higher M star , and R t is larger for higher M star and later T-types. We show that the inner slope of the RC is coupled with the central surface stellar mass density, which implies that the gravitational potential of central regions of galaxies is dominated by baryonic matter. With the aid of simple models for matter distribution, we discuss what determines the shapes of RCs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1974

Inventory of forest and rangeland and detection of forest stress

The author has identified the following significant results. Controlled visual interpretation of one ERTS-1 scene taken at the peak of the growing season has indicated that classification to the ECOCLASS Series level is not entirely satisfactory. For five forest classes, aspen, Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, and Spruce/fir, correct identification ranged from 60 to 70 percent. With the exception of shortgrass and wet shrubby meadow classes in the nonforest categories (81 and 100 percent correct, respectively), correct identification of the nonforest classes is so far unacceptable. The low accuracies are believed due to: (1) edge effects due to ecotones between plant community classes with apparent similar image characteristics; (2) confounding effects of amount of plant crown cover and ground surface material in the scene; and (3) variable land slope degree and aspect as it affects the image signature.

Heller, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Comparison of 2.8- and 21-cm microwave radiometer observations over soils with emission model calculations

An airborne experiment was conducted under NASA auspices to test the feasibility of detecting soil moisture by microwave remote sensing techniques over agricultural fields near Phoenix, Arizona at midday of April 5, 1974 and at dawn of the following day. Extensive ground data were obtained from 96 bare, sixteen hectare fields. Observations made using a scanning (2.8 cm) and a nonscanning (21 cm) radiometer were compared with the predictions of a radiative transfer emission model. It is shown that (1) the emitted intensity at both wavelengths correlates best with the near surface moisture, (2) surface roughness is found to more strongly affect the degree of polarization than the emitted intensity, (3) the slope of the intensity-moisture curves decreases in going from day to dawn, and (4) increased near surface moisture at dawn is characterized by increased polarization of emissions. The results of the experiment indicate that microwave techniques can be used to observe the history of the near surface moisture. The subsurface history must be inferred from soil physics models which use microwave results as boundary conditions.

Burke, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A laser interferometer for measuring skin friction in three-dimensional flows

A new, nonintrusive method is described for measuring skin friction in three-dimensional flows with unknown direction. The method uses a laser interferometer to measure the changing slope of a thin oil film applied to a surface experiencing shear stress. The details of the method are described, and skin friction measurements taken in a swirling three-dimensional boundary-layer flow are presented. Comparisons between analytical results and experimental values from the laser interferometer method and from a bidirectional surface-fence gauge are made.

Monson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Radarclinometry for the Venus radar mapper

Already van Diggelen (1951) made use of the photometric function of a surface for the purpose of translating image variegation into slope and relief information, while the development of a method for producing a topographic map from a photometric image begins with Rindfleisch (1966). The term 'photoclinometry' was invented for the involved process. The present study is concerned with the adaptation of photoclinometry to radar imagery. The radar image as a candidate for photoclinometry offers both advantages and disadvantages when compared to ordinary optical images. The simplicity of the photometric function is the most obvious advantage. Attention is given to radiative transfer, the employment of differential geometry, and aspects of calibration.

Wildey, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Accessory phases in aubrites: Spectral properties and implications for asteriod 44 NYSA

The reflectance spectra of meteoritic metal, meteoritic troilite and the CR carbonaceous chondrite EET87770 have been measured in order to investigate the causes of the spectral differences between the surface of the E-class asteroid 44 Nysa and the opaque free fraction of the Happy Canyon aubrite meteorite. The data indicate that the spectral differences require the presence of Nysa's surface of a small amount of a spectrally red sloped material, of which metal and troilite are the most reasonable candidates, and a material possessing absorption bands near 0.9 micrometers and 1.8 micrometers. A material similar to the carbonaceous chondrite inclusions found in some aubrites can provide a match to the 0.9 micrometer feature and perhaps the 1.8 micrometer feature. The required abundances of these components depends on whether they are areally distributed or intimately mixed with an enstatite rich material. Based on the petrologic associations seen in aubrites and a series of simulated mineral mixtures, an intimate mixture of 69-92% enstatite and 1-11% metal + troilite and an areal component of 7-20% carbonaceous chondrite type material can provide a reasonable match to the 0.3-2.6 micrometer spectrum of Nysa.

Cloutis, Edward A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

In-Situ Environmental Measurements Needed for Future Mars Missions

Existing measurements and modeling studies indicate that the climate and general circulation of the thin, predominately CO2 Martian atmosphere are characterized by large-amplitude variations with a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Remote sensing observations from Earth-based telescopes and the Mariner 9, Viking, Phobos, and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiters show that the prevailing climate includes large-scale seasonal variations in surface and atmospheric temperatures (140 to 300 K), dust optical depth (0.15 to 1), and water vapor (10 to 100 precipitable microns). These observations also provided the first evidence for episodic regional and global dust storms that produce even larger perturbations in the atmospheric thermal structure and general circulation. In-situ measurements by the Viking and Mars Pathfinder Landers reinforced these conclusions, documenting changes in the atmospheric pressure on diurnal (5%) and seasonal (>20%) time scales, as well as large diurnal variations in the near-surface temperature (40 to 70 K), wind velocity (0 to 35 m/s), and dust optical depth (0.3 to 6). These in-situ measurements also reveal phenomena with temporal and spatial scales that cannot be resolved from orbit, including rapid changes in near-surface temperatures (+/- 10 K in 10 seconds), large near-surface vertical temperature gradients (+/- 15 K/meter), diurnally-varying slope winds, and dust devils . Modeling studies indicate that these changes are forced primarily by diurnal and seasonal variations in solar insolation, but they also include contributions from atmospheric thermal tides, baroclinic waves (fronts), Kelvin waves, slope winds, and monsoonal flows from the polar caps.

Crisp, D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Comparing SeaWiFS Reprocessing Versions (R3 vs. R4)

Satellite observations of global ocean chlorophyll from SeaWiFS were recently reprocessed to incorporate calibration and algorithm improvements. Here, comparisons are made between the newly reprocessed SeaWiFS Level-3 chlorophyll product and the previous version using in situ measurements. The results show that the newly reprocessed SeaWiFS data matches up better with the surface measurements than the previous version did. Globally, the slope of the match-ups improves to 0.85 from 0.78 in log-log scale. A significant trend that contributed to this improvement was the overall decrease in SeaWiFS chlorophyll levels less than 1.0 mg m(exp -3). Regional analyses reveal that the matchups improve in every oceanic basin, except the Antarctic. However, SeaWiFS continues to exhibit poor correspondence with in situ data in the North Atlantic where the match-ups have a slope of 0.54. Also, an examination of monthly images for May 1999 revealed that the number and magnitude of high-value chlorophyll pixels had increased in the high-latitude open ocean of the South Pacific.

Casey, Nancy W.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Analysis of Snow Bidirectional Reflectance from ARCTAS Spring-2008 Campaign

The spring 2008 Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) experiment was one of major intensive field campaigns of the International Polar Year aimed at detailed characterization of atmospheric physical and chemical processes in the Arctic region. A part of this campaign was a unique snow bidirectional reflectance experiment on the NASA P-3B aircraft conducted on 7 and 15 April by the Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) jointly with airborne Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sunphotometers. The CAR data were atmospherically corrected to derive snow bidirectional reflectance at high 1 degree angular resolution in view zenith and azimuthal angles along with surface albedo. The derived albedo was generally in good agreement with ground albedo measurements collected on 15 April. The CAR snow bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) was used to study the accuracy of analytical Ross-Thick Li-Sparse (RTLS), Modified Rahman-Pinty-Verstraete (MRPV) and Asymptotic Analytical Radiative Transfer (AART) BRF models. Except for the glint region (azimuthal angles phi less than 40 degrees), the best fit MRPV and RTLS models fit snow BRF to within 0.05. The plane-parallel radiative transfer (PPRT) solution was also analyzed with the models of spheres, spheroids, randomly oriented fractal crystals, and with a synthetic phase function. The latter merged the model of spheroids for the forward scattering angles with the fractal model in the backscattering direction. The PPRT solution with synthetic phase function provided the best fit to measured BRF in the full range of angles. Regardless of the snow grain shape, the PPRT model significantly over-/underestimated snow BRF in the glint/backscattering regions, respectively, which agrees with other studies. To improve agreement with experiment, we introduced a model of macroscopic snow surface roughness by averaging the PPRT solution over the slope distribution function and by adding a simple model of shadows. With macroscopic roughness described by two parameters, the AART model achieved an accuracy of about plus or minus 0.05 with a possible bias of plus or minus 0.03 in the spectral range 0.4-2.2 micrometers. This high accuracy holds at view zenith angles below 55-60 degrees covering the practically important range for remote sensing applications, and includes both glint and backscattering directions.

Lyapustin, A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Vertical Analysis of Martian Drainage Basins

We have performed a vertical analysis of drainage basins on Mars that were computationally extracted from DEMs based on the MOLA data. Longitudinal profiles of main streams are calculated and the slope-area relation is established for 20 basins coming from assorted martian locations. An identical analysis is done for 19 terrestrial river basins. Our results show that, in comparison to terrestrial basins, martian basins have more linear longitudinal profiles, more frequent existence of knickpoints, predominance of asymmetric location of the main stream in the basin, and smaller values of concavity exponent. This suggests a limited role for surface runoff on the global scale. However, two basins extracted from the slopes of martian volcanoes show a strong similarity to terrestrial basins, indicating a possible local role for the process of surface runoff.

Stepinski, T. F.↗