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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Optical techniques for time and frequency transfer

Light has been used as a means for time synchronization for a long time. The flight time was supposed to be negligible. The first scientific determination of the velocity of the light was done by measuring a round trip flight time on a given distance. The well known flying clock experiment leading to Einstein's General Relativity is another example. The advent of lasers, particularly short pulse and modulated ones, as well as the improvements of the timing equipments have led to new concepts for time and frequency transfer. We describe some experiments using different techniques and configurations which have been proposed and tested in this field since the beginning of the space age. Added to that, we set out advantages, drawbacks, and performances achieved in the different cases.

Baumont, Francoise↗
NASA NTRS1994

An optical technique for examining aircraft shock wave structures in flight

The detailed properties of sonic booms have to be better understood before commercial, next generation, supersonic and hypersonic aircraft can be properly developed. Experimental tests and measurements are needed to help sort the physical details of the flows at realistic test conditions. Some of these tests can be made in wind tunnels, but the need for full flight conditions simulation, the problem of tunnel wall interference, and the short distance the shocks can be examined from the aircraft, limit the usefulness of wind tunnel tests. Previous measurement techniques for examining the flow field of aircraft in flight have included pressure measurements on the aircraft, ground based pressure measurements, and flow field measurements made with chase aircraft. Obtaining data with chase planes is a slow and difficult process, and is limited in how close it can be obtained to the test aircraft. A need clearly existed for a better technique to examine the shock structure from the plane to large distances from the plane. A new technique has been recently developed to obtain schlieren photographs of aircraft in flight (SAF). Preliminary results have been obtained, and the technique holds promise as a tool to study the shape and approximate strength of the shock wave structure around the test aircraft, and examine shock wave details all the way from the aircraft to near the ground. The current paper describes this approach, and gives some preliminary test results.

Weinstein, Leonard M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Optical techniques for shock visualization and detection

While the classical methods of shadowgraph and schlieren do yield a shadow in the neighborhood of a shock, they often suffer from low power densities and the need for relatively long distances. Scanning methods may help in solving these problems. The paper describes various scanning techniques, presents experimental data obtained by mechanical scanning, and identifies conditions at which the data were taken.

Adamovsky, G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

High-Sensitivity Optical Techniques for Atmospheric Spectroscopy, Kinetics and Remote Sensing

A principal objective of the work supported by this Grant has been to use IntraCavity Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (ICLAS) to acquire data on weakly absorbing species of atmospheric interest that are not accessible, or cannot be determined with sufficient precision, using conventional spectroscopic instrumentation. The principal focus has been to adapt the existing instrument to carry out Kinetic studies using IntraCavity Absorption Spectroscopy (KICAS) in order to measure rate parameters for weakly absorbing, environmentally significant species. Additional related work has been carried out in collaboration with Prof. M.J. Molina's program on air pollution in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area on modeling the role of these species in atmospheric chemistry.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Novel Optical Technique Developed and Tested for Measuring Two-Point Velocity Correlations in Turbulent Flows

A novel technique for characterizing turbulent flows was developed and tested at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The work is being done in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, through a grant from the NASA Microgravity Fluid Physics Program. The technique we are using, Homodyne Correlation Spectroscopy (HCS), is a laser-light-scattering technique that measures the Doppler frequency shift of light scattered from microscopic particles in the fluid flow. Whereas Laser Doppler Velocimetry gives a local (single-point) measurement of the fluid velocity, the HCS technique measures correlations between fluid velocities at two separate points in the flow at the same instant of time. Velocity correlations in the flow field are of fundamental interest to turbulence researchers and are of practical importance in many engineering applications, such as aeronautics.

Zimmerli, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Unified Model Deformation and Flow Transition Measurements

The number of optical techniques that may potentially be used during a given wind tunnel test is continually growing. These include parameter sensitive paints that are sensitive to temperature or pressure, several different types of off-body and on-body flow visualization techniques, optical angle-of-attack (AoA), optical measurement of model deformation, optical techniques for determining density or velocity, and spectroscopic techniques for determining various flow field parameters. Often in the past the various optical techniques were developed independently of each other, with little or no consideration for other techniques that might also be used during a given test. Recently two optical techniques have been increasingly requested for production measurements in NASA wind tunnels. These are the video photogrammetric (or videogrammetric) technique for measuring model deformation known as the video model deformation (VMD) technique, and the parameter sensitive paints for making global pressure and temperature measurements. Considerations for, and initial attempts at, simultaneous measurements with the pressure sensitive paint (PSP) and the videogrammetric techniques have been implemented. Temperature sensitive paint (TSP) has been found to be useful for boundary-layer transition detection since turbulent boundary layers convect heat at higher rates than laminar boundary layers of comparable thickness. Transition is marked by a characteristic surface temperature change wherever there is a difference between model and flow temperatures. Recently, additional capabilities have been implemented in the target-tracking videogrammetric measurement system. These capabilities have permitted practical simultaneous measurements using parameter sensitive paint and video model deformation measurements that led to the first successful unified test with TSP for transition detection in a large production wind tunnel.

Burner, Alpheus W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Advanced Optical Measurement Techniques

This research analyzes four areas: (1) Improved Techniques for Optical Measurement; (2) KC-135 Low Gravity Simulation Flight Preparation; (3) In-Line Holographic Microscopy; and (4) Holographic Optical Schlieren System (HOSS). The first task provides for laboratory breadboarding of advanced optical measurement techniques which appear promising for use in Material Processing System (MPS) flight experiments. A laboratory schlieren system has been constructed which simulates a similar optical system on the Fluids Experiment System (FES) which is to be flown on Spacelab 3. The second task allows improved optical systems and breadboards to be built for experiments and hardware tests on the KC-135 aircraft. A new, more stable Mach-Zehnder interferometer has been developed and components have been ordered. The third task is concerned with improvements on the optical system being used to study immiscible fluids. Experiments studying the dynamics of nucleation and the separation of immiscible fluids have been conducted. The four task involves building breadboard reconstruction systems for holograms taken in the HOSS. The HOSS is an early prototype of the Fluids Experiments System (FES) which is scheduled to fly on Spacelab 3.

Owen, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

MOSAIC - A space-multiplexing technique for optical processing of large images

A technique for Fourier processing of images larger than the space-bandwidth products of conventional or smart spatial light modulators and two-dimensional detector arrays is described. The technique involves a spatial combination of subimages displayed on individual spatial light modulators to form a phase-coherent image, which is subsequently processed with Fourier optical techniques. Because of the technique's similarity with the mosaic technique used in art, the processor used is termed an optical MOSAIC processor. The phase accuracy requirements of this system were studied by computer simulation. It was found that phase errors of less than lambda/8 did not degrade the performance of the system and that the system was relatively insensitive to amplitude nonuniformities. Several schemes for implementing the subimage combination are described. Initial experimental results demonstrating the validity of the mosaic concept are also presented.

Athale, Ravindra A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Simultaneous in situ Optical Monitoring Techniques during Crystal Growth of ZnSe by Physical Vapor Transport

ZnSe crystals grown in sealed ampoules by the physical vapor transport method were monitored in situ using three techniques, simultaneously. A Michelson interferometer was set-up to observe the growth rate and surface morphological evolution. An interference pattern (interferogram) is formed by the interaction between the reflection of a HeNe laser (632.8 nm wavelength) off the crystal-vapor interface and a reference beam from the same laser. Preliminary results indicate that the rate of growth/thermal-etching can be calculated using analog data acquisition and simple fringe counting techniques. Gross surface features may also be observed using a digital frame grabber and fringe analysis software. The second in situ technique uses optical absorption to determine the partial pressures of the vapor species. The Se2 and Zn vapor species present in the sealed ampoule absorb light at characteristic wavelengths. The optical absorption is determined by monitoring the light intensity difference between the sample and reference beams. The Se2 Partial pressure profile along the length of the ampoule was estimated from the vibronic absorption peaks at 340.5, 350.8, 361.3 and 379.2 nm using the Beer's law constants established in the calibration runs of pure Se. Finally, because the high temperature crystal growth furnace contains windows, in situ visual observation of the growing crystal is also possible. The use of these techniques not only permits in situ investigation of high temperature vapor growth of semiconductors, but also offers the potential for real time feed back on the growing crystal and allows the possibility of actively controlling the growth process.

Su, C.- H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Optical Measurement Technique for Space Column Characterization

A simple optical technique for the structural characterization of lightweight space columns is presented. The technique is useful for determining the coefficient of thermal expansion during cool down as well as the induced strain during tension and compression testing. The technique is based upon object-to-image plane scaling and does not require any photogrammetric calibrations or computations. Examples of the measurement of the coefficient of thermal expansion are presented for several lightweight space columns. Examples of strain measured during tension and compression testing are presented along with comparisons to results obtained with Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) position transducers.

Barrows, Danny A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A synchronization technique for optical PPM signals

A technique for maintaining synchronization between optical PPM (pulse-position modulation) pulses and a receiver clock by means of a delay-tracking loop is described and analyzed. The tracking loop is driven by a doubly stochastic Poisson process that contains information about the location of the desired slot boundaries. The slot boundaries are subject to slowly varying random delays that are ultimately tracked by the loop. The concept of fractional rms delay error is introduced to quantify the effects of signal and background induced shot noise on the performance of the delay-tracking loop.

Vilnrotter, V. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A synchronization technique for optical PPM signals

A technique for maintaining synchronization between optical PPM (pulse-position modulation) pulses and a receiver clock by means of a delay-tracking loop is described and analyzed. The tracking loop is driven by a doubly stochastic Poisson process that contains information about the location of the desired slot boundaries. The slot boundaries are subject to slowly varying random delays that are ultimately tracked by the loop. The concept of fractional rms delay error is introduced to quantify the effects of signal and background induced shot noise on the performance of the delay-tracking loop.

Vilnrotter, V. A.↗