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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
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NASA NTRS1987

A coupled mode formulation by reciprocity and a variational principle

A coupled mode formulation for parallel dielectric waveguides is presented via two methods: a reciprocity theorem and a variational principle. In the first method, a generalized reciprocity relation for two sets of field solutions satisfying Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions in two different media, respectively, is derived. Based on the generalized reciprocity theorem, the coupled mode equations can then be formulated. The second method using a variational principle is also presented for a general waveguide system which can be lossy. The results of the variational principle can also be shown to be identical to those from the reciprocity theorem. The exact relations governing the 'conventional' and the new coupling coefficients are derived. It is shown analytically that the present formulation satisfies the reciprocity theorem and power conservation exactly, while the conventional theory violates the power conservation and reciprocity theorem by as much as 55 percent and the Hardy-Streifer (1985, 1986) theory by 0.033 percent, for example.

Chuang, Shun-Lien↗
NASA NTRS1987

Plasma instability in the presence of negative ions

Ion density fluctuations are studied in a diffusion-controlled argon plasma containing, as a dilutant, two electron-attaching species, carbon dioxide and sulfur hexafluoride. It is found that the system becomes increasingly unstable as the concentration of the electron-attaching species is increased. Nonlinear mode-mode couplings have been identified and the coupling coefficients for these interactions have been computed. Turbulent fluctuations are observed to have pronounced three-dimensionality with distinct axial and azimuthal behaviors. The power spectra of these fluctuations are composed of many discrete modes. The importance of changes in the total discharge pressure is dependent on the electron-attachment cross section of the dilutant species. From these results it is shown that the ionization instability is probably responsible for the observed phenomenon.

Johnson, J. A., III↗
NASA NTRS1988

GaAs/GaAlAs distributed Bragg reflector laser with a focused ion beam, low dose dopant implanted grating

The performance of a GaAs/GaAlAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser using a focused ion beam implanted grating (FIB-DBR) is reported for the first time. Stripes of Si(2+) with a period of 2300 A and a dose about 10 to the 14th/sq cm are directly implanted into the passive large optical cavity layer to provide the distributed feedback. Surface-emitting light from the second-order grating is observed. Threshold current of 110 mA and single DBR mode operation from 20 to 40 C are obtained. The wavelength tuning rate with temperature is 0.8 A/C. The coupling coefficient is estimated to be 15/cm. The results show that FIB technology is practical for distributed feedback and DBR lasers and optoelectronic integrated circuits.

Wu, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

DBR laser with nondynamic plasma grating formed by focused ion beam implanted dopants

A static plasma grating has been demonstrated experimentally (Wu et al., 1988) in a large-optical-cavity focused-ion-beam-distributed-Bragg-reflector (FIB-DBR) GaAlAs/GaAs laser diode. The grating is formed by implanting stripes of dopants with a focused ion beam. The dopants ionize to form periodic fluctuations in the carrier concentration which, through the Kramers-Kronig relations, form an index grating. A model of the grating strength for optimizaton of the laser design is developed and presented. The computed results show that the coupling coefficient k can be increased by more than an order of magnitude over the 15/cm experimentally. Therefore, FIB-DBR or FIB-distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers with performance comparable to that of conventional DBR (or DFB) lasers can be expected.

Boenke, Myra M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

On the receptivity problem for Goertler vortices: Vortex motions induced by wall roughness

The receptivity problem for Goertler vortices induced by wall roughness is investigated. The roughness is modelled by small amplitude perturbations to the curved wall over which the flow takes place. The amplitude of these perturbations is taken to be sufficiently small for the induced Goertler vortices to be described by linear theory. The roughness is assumed to vary in the spanwise direction on the boundary layer lengthscale, while in the flow direction the corresponding variation is on the lengthscale over which the wall curvature varies. In fact the latter condition can be relaxed to allow for a faster streamwise roughness variation so long as the variation does not become as fast as that in the spanwise direction. The function which describes the roughness is assumed to be such that its spanwise and streamwise dependences can be separated; this enables progress by taking Fourier or Laplace transforms where appropriate. The cases of isolated and distributed roughness elements are investigated and the coupling coefficient which relates the amplitude of the forcing and the induced vortex amplitude is found asymptotically in the small wavelength limit. It is shown that this coefficient is exponentially small in the latter limit so that it is unlikely that this mode can be stimulated directly by wall roughness. The situation at 0(1) wavelengths is quite different and this is investigated numerically for different forcing functions. It is found that an isolated roughness element induces a vortex field which grows within a wedge at a finite distance downstream of the element. However, immediately downstream of the obstacle the disturbed flow produced by the element decays in amplitude. The receptivity problem at larger Goertler numbers appropriate to relatively large wall curvature is discussed in detail.

Denier, James P.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Vortex instabilities in 3D boundary layers: The relationship between Goertler and crossflow vortices

The inviscid and viscous stability problems are addressed for a boundary layer which can support both Goertler and crossflow vortices. The change in structure of Goertler vortices is found when the parameter representing the degree of three-dimensionality of the basic boundary layer flow under consideration is increased. It is shown that crossflow vortices emerge naturally as this parameter is increased and ultimately become the only possible vortex instability of the flow. It is shown conclusively that at sufficiently large values of the crossflow there are no unstable Goertler vortices present in a boundary layer which, in the zero crossflow case, is centrifugally unstable. The results suggest that in many practical applications Goertler vortices cannot be a cause of transition because they are destroyed by the 3-D nature of the basic state. In swept wing flows the Goertler mechanism is probably not present for typical angles of sweep of about 20 degrees. Some discussion of the receptivity problem for vortex instabilities in weakly 3-D boundary layers is given; it is shown that inviscid modes have a coupling coefficient marginally smaller than those of the fastest growing viscous modes discussed recently by Denier, Hall, and Seddougui (1990). However the fact that the growth rates of the inviscid modes are the largest in most situations means that they are probably the most likely source of transition.

Bassom, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1991

Control strategy for cooperating disparate manipulators: Non-colocated control of disturbances of a flexible arm

The long term objectives for this research are to use a small robot arm to compliment a large robot arm. Disturbances generated by robot tasks were studied. Available equipment made it convenient to study disturbances generated by an abrasive cut off saw mounted on the tip of a large armed robot, and used to cut through rods and pipes in the range of 0.5 in. to 1.5 in. The abrasive process was modeled as a friction operation. The operation of the cut off saw was performed autonomously and under teleoperated control. The behavior was stable in both cases for a P-D joint control algorithm. It was found that broad band excitation during the cutting operation is capable of exciting arm natural frequencies to above the third natural frequency of the arm. The direction of cut changed the modes excited due to the change in coupling coefficients.

Lew, Jae Y.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Experimental investigation of a unique airbreathing pulsed laser propulsion concept

Investigations were conducted into unique methods of converting pulsed laser energy into propulsive thrust across a flat impulse surface under atmospheric conditions. The propulsion experiments were performed with a 1-micron neodymium-glass laser at the Space Plasma Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. Laser-induced impulse was measured dynamically by ballistic pendulums and statically using piezoelectric pressure transducers on a stationary impulse surface. The principal goal was to explore methods for increasing the impulse coupling performance of airbreathing laser-propulsion engines. A magnetohydrodynamic thrust augmentation effect was discovered when a tesla-level magnetic field was applied perpendicular to the impulse surface. The impulse coupling coefficient performance doubled and continued to improve with increasing laser-pulse energies. The resultant performance of 180 to 200 N-s/MJ was found to be comparable to that of the earliest afterburning turbojets.

Myrabo, L. N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Effects of various cavity designs on the performance of a CO2 TEA laser with an unstable resonator

Unstable resonator modeling has been carried out for an injection-seeded CO2 transversely excited atmosphere (TEA) laser in the NOAA/ERL/Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) Doppler lidar to examine the effects of various cavity designs on the quality of the output beam. The results show the effects of an injection pinhole, electrode spacing, mirror tilt, and radial reflectivity function of the output coupler. The electrode spacing in this laser has negligible effect. The injection pinhole, however, produces complicated structures in the output patterns. If the pinhole is removed, the output pattern is much smoother, and the frequency jitter is smaller. Misalignment sensitivity is very closely related to the radial reflectivity function. The superparabolic function provides the highest coupling efficiency, largest beam size, and good collimation, but produces a slightly higher misalignment sensitivity compared with a parabolic function. The Gaussian function provides the lowest misalignment sensitivity, but it produces the smallest beam size and the largest beam divergence. Also, the coupling coefficient is 50 percent lower than the optimum value. Methods for using a flat diffraction grating in unstable resonators are also investigated. The best way is to use a flat grating/positive lens combination to replace the back concave mirror.

Zhao, Yanzeng↗
NASA NTRS1993

Dynamics of Langmuir and ion-sound waves in type III solar radio sources

The study traces the evolution of Langmuir and ion-sound waves in type III sources, incorporating linear growth, linear damping, and nonlinear electrostatic decay. Improved estimates are obtained for the wavenumber range of growing waves and the nonlinear coupling coefficient for the decay process. It is shown that the conditions in the solar wind do not allow a steady state to be attained; instead, bursty linear and nonlinear interactions take place, consistent with the highly inhomogeneous and impulsive waves actually observed. Nonlinear growth is found to be rapid enough to saturate the growth of the parent Langmuir waves in the available interaction time. The competing processes of nonlinear wave collapse and quasi-linear relaxation are discussed, and it is concluded that neither is responsible for the saturation of Langmuir growth.

Robinson, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Acoustic receptivity due to weak surface inhomogeneities in adverse pressure gradient boundary layers

The boundary layer receptivity to free-stream acoustic waves in the presence of localized surface disturbances is studied for the case of incompressible Falkner-Skan flows with adverse pressure gradients. These boundary layers are unstable to both viscous and inviscid (i.e., inflectional) modes, and the finite Reynolds number extension of the Goldstein-Ruban theory provides a convenient method to compare the efficiency of the localized receptivity processes in these two cases. The value of the efficiency function related to the receptivity caused by localized distortions in surface geometry is relatively insensitive to the type of instability mechanism, provided that the same reference length scale is used to normalize the efficiency function for each type of instability. In contrast, when the receptivity is induced by variations in wall suction velocity or in wall admittance distribution, the magnitudes of the related efficiency functions, as well as the resulting coupling coefficients, are smaller for inflectional (i.e., Rayleigh) modes than for the viscous Tollmien-Schlichting waves. The reduced levels of receptivity can be attributed mainly to the shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies of the inflectional modes. Because the most critical band of frequencies shifts toward higher values, the overall efficiency of the wall suction- and the wall admittance-induced receptivity decreases with an increase in the adverse pressure gradient.

Choudhari, Meelan↗
NASA NTRS1994

Dynamics and efficiency of type III solar radio emission

Existing calculations of nonlinear coupling coefficients for fundamental and harmonic emission via three-wave interactions are refined and used to calculate the conversion efficiency of Langmuir energy into electromagnetic waves when the Langmuir waves have the observed bursty form. Resulting field strengths for harmonic emission are found to be consistent with typical International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISSE 3) observations at 1 AU. Fundamental emission at 1 AU is found to proceed only when stimulated by the presence of a source of ion sound waves. However, it is argued that electrostatic decay of Langmuir waves can supply the necessary waves provided the driving electron beam is sufficiently fast. Under these conditions, the predicted fundamental field strengths can account for both the highest and typical fields observed; they also dominate the predicted harmonic fields, consistent with observations. This mechanism is also consistent with previous observations that fundamental emission generally occurs early in type III events, when the beam is fastest. For typical parameters it is shown that neither fundamental nor harmonic emission saturates its respective source instability, contrary to previous assumptions. However, saturation cannot be ruled out under particularly favorable conditions.

Robinson, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Toward a theory of interstellar turbulence. 1: Weak Alfvenic turbulence

We study weak Alfvenic turbulence of an incompressible, magnetized fluid in some detail, with a view to developing a firm theoretical basis for the dynamics of small-scale turbulence in the interstellar medium. We prove that resonant 3-wave interactions are absent. We also show that the Iroshnikov-Kraichnan theory of incompressible, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence -- which is widely accepted -- describes weak 3-wave turbulence; consequently, it is incorrect. Physical arguments, as well as detailed calculations of the coupling coefficients are used to demonstrate that these interactions are empty. We then examine resonant 4-wave interactions, and show that the resonance relations forbid energy transport to small spatial scales along the direction of the mean magnetic field, for both the shear Alfven wave and the pseudo Alfven wave. The three-dimensional inertial-range energy spectrum of 4-wave shear Alfven turbulence guessed from physical arguments reads E(k(sub z), k(sub perpendicular)) approximately V(sub A)v(sub L)L(exp -1/3)k(sub perpendicular)(exp -10/3), where V(sub A) is the Alfven speed, and v(sub L) is the velocity difference across the outer scale L. Given this spectrum, the velocity difference across lambda(sub perpendicular) approximately k(sub perpendicular exp -1) is v(sub lambda (sub perpendicular)) is approximately v(sub L)(lambda(sub perpendicular)/L)(exp 2/3). We derive a kinetic equation, and prove that this energy spectrum is a stationary solution and that it implies a positive flux of energy in k-space, along directions perpendicular to the mean magnetic field. Using this energy spectrum, we deduce that 4-wave interactions strengthen as the energy cascades to small, perpendicular spatial scales; beyond an upper bound in perpendicular wavenumber, k(sub perpendicular)L is approximately (V(sub A)/v(sub L))(exp 3/2), weak turbulence theory ceases to be valid. Energy excitation amplitudes must be very small for the 4-wave inertial-range to be substantial. When the excitation is strong, the width of the 4-wave inertial-range shrinks to zero. This seems likely to be the case in the interstellar medium.

Sridhar, S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Development of Torsional and Linear Piezoelectrically Driven Motors

The development of rotary and linear inchworm-motors using piezoelectric actuators is presented. The motors' design has the advantage of a macro and micro stepper motor with high load and speed. The torsional design is capable of fast angular positioning with micro level accuracy. Additionally, the rotary motor, as designed, can be used as a clutch/brake mechanism. Constructed prototype motors of both types along with their characteristics are presented. The torsional motor consists of a torsional section that provides angular displacement and torque, and two alternating clamping sections which provide the holding force. The motor relies on the principal piezoelectric coupling coefficient (d33) with no torsional elements, increasing its torque capability. The linear motor consists of a longitudinal vibrator that provides displacement and load, and two alternating clamping sections which provide the holding force. This design eliminates bending moment, tension and shear applied to the actuator elements, increase its load capability and life. Innovative flexure designs have been introduced for both motor types. Critical issues that affect the design and performance of the motors are explored and discussed. Experiments are performed demonstrating the motor prototypes based on the aforementioned design considerations.

Duong, Khanh↗
NASA NTRS1995

CW Performance of an InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs Laterally-Coupled Distributed Feedback (LC-DFB) Ridge Laser Diode

Single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes typically require a two-step epitaxial growth or use of a corrugated substrate. We demonstrate InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs DFB lasers fabricated from a single epitaxial growth using lateral evanescent coupling of the optical field to a surface grating etehed along the sides of the ridge. A CW threshold current of 25 mA and external quantum efficiency of 0.48 mW/mA per facet were measured for a 1 mm cavity length device with anti-reflection coated facets. Single-mode output powers as high as 11 mW per facet at 935 nm wavelength were attained. A coupling coefficient of at least 5.8/cm was calculated from the subthreshold spectrum taking into account the 2% residual facet reflectivity.

Martin, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Dynamic of Langmuir and Ion-Sound Waves in Type 3 Solar Radio Sources

The evolution of Langmuir and ion-sound waves in type 3 sources is investigated, incorporating linear growth, linear damping, and nonlinear electrostatic decay. Improved estimates are obtained for the wavenumber range of growing waves and the nonlinear coupling coefficient for the decay process. The resulting prediction for the electrostatic decay threshold is consistent with the observed high-field cutoff in the Langmuir field distribution. It is shown that the conditions in the solar wind do not allow a steady state to be attained; rather, bursty linear and nonlinear interactions take place, consistent with the highly inhomogeneous and impulsive waves actually observed. Nonlinear growth is found to be fast enough to saturate the growth of the parent Langmuir waves in the available interaction time. The resulting levels of product Langmuir and ion-sound waves are estimated theoretically and shown to be consistent with in situ ISEE 3 observations of type 3 events at 1 AU. Nonlinear interactions slave the growth and decay of product sound waves to that of the product Langmuir waves. The resulting probability distribution of ion-sound field strengths is predicted to have a flat tail extending to a high-field cutoff. This prediction is consistent with statistics derived here from ISEE 3 observations. Agreement is also found between the frequencies of the observed waves and predictions for the product S waves. The competing processes of nonlinear wave collapse and quasilinear relaxation are discussed, and it is concluded that neither is responsible for the saturation of Langmuir growth. When wave and beam inhomogeneities are accounted for, arguments from quasi-linear relaxation yield an upper bound on the Langmuir fields that is too high to be relevant. Nor are the criteria for direct wave collapse of the beam-driven waves met, consistent with earlier simulation results that imply that this process is not responsible for saturation of the beam instability. Indeed, even if the highest observed Langmuir fields are assumed to he part of a long-wavelength 'condensate' produced via electrostatic decay, they still fall short of the relevant requirements for wave collapse. The most stringent requirement for collapse is that collapsing wave packets not be disrupted by ambient density fluctuations in the solar wind. Fields of several mV m(exp -1) extending over several hundred km would be needed to satisfy this requirement; at 1 AU such fields are rare at best.

Robinson, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Vibration Control in Turbomachinery Using Active Magnetic Journal Bearings

The effective use of active magnetic bearings for vibration control in turbomachinery depends on an understanding of the forces available from a magnetic bearing actuator. The purpose of this project was to characterize the forces as functions shaft position. Both numerical and experimental studies were done to determine the characteristics of the forces exerted on a stationary shaft by a magnetic bearing actuator. The numerical studies were based on finite element computations and included both linear and nonlinear magnetization functions. Measurements of the force versus position of a nonrotating shaft were made using two separate measurement rigs, one based on strain gage measurement of forces, the other based on deflections of a calibrated beam. The general trends of the measured principal forces agree with the predictions of the theory while the magnitudes of forces are somewhat smaller than those predicted. Other aspects of theory are not confirmed by the measurements. The measured forces in the normal direction are larger than those predicted by theory when the rotor has a normal eccentricity. Over the ranges of position examined, the data indicate an approximately linear relationship between the normal eccentricity of the shaft and the ratio of normal to principal force. The constant of proportionality seems to be larger at lower currents, but for all cases examined its value is between 0.14 and 0.17. The nonlinear theory predicts the existence of normal forces, but has not predicted such a large constant of proportionality for the ratio. The type of coupling illustrated by these measurements would not tend to cause whirl, because the coupling coefficients have the same sign, unlike the case of a fluid film bearing, where the normal stiffness coefficients often have opposite signs. They might, however, tend to cause other self-excited behavior. This possibility must be considered when designing magnetic bearings for flexible rotor applications, such as gas turbines and other turbomachinery.

Knight, Josiah D.↗