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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 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Reflection of light beams from a chirped dielectric plane-layered structure

The reflection of light beams with various widths of the angular spectrum from a chirped plane-layered dielectric structure is numerically studied. For wide beams, the total lateral shift of the reflected beam depends on the position of the photonic barrier inside the structure and the value of the Goos – Hänchen shift. For narrow beams, the region of the interaction with the structure increases, the profile broadens and the reflected beam wavefront becomes phase modulated. It is shown that the light reflected from a quasi-periodic structure with negative spatial dispersion undergoes focusing. (light beams)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Adaptive correction of the image of an incoherent source object

The paper examines the operation of an optical system forming an image of an incoherent source object under conditions of atmospheric noise. The effect of atmospheric turbulence is considered. The calculations are performed in the Fresnel – Huygens approximation. The characteristics of the image for ‘long’ and ‘short’ exposures are investigated. The issues related to the adaptive correction of the general light wavefront slopes are discussed. The limits of applicability of phase adaptive correction using a reference source are shown. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Implicit Monte Carlo with a linear discontinuous finite element material solution and piecewise non-constant opacity

Here, the non-linear thermal radiative-transfer equations can be solved in various ways. One popular way is the Fleck and Cummings Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) method. The IMC method was originally formulated with piecewise-constant material properties. For domains with a coarse spatial grid and large temperature gradients, an error known as numerical teleportation may cause artificially non-causal energy propagation and consequently an inaccurate material temperature. Source tilting is a technique to reduce teleportation error by constructing sub-spatial-cell (or sub-cell) emission profiles from which IMC particles are sampled. Several source tilting schemes exist, but some allow teleportation error to persist. We examine the effect of source tilting in problems with a temperature-dependent opacity. Within each cell, the opacity is evaluated continuously from a temperature profile implied by the source tilt. For IMC, this is a new approach to modeling the opacity. We find that applying both source tilting along with a source tilt-dependent opacity can introduce another dominant error that overly inhibits thermal wavefronts. We show that we can mitigate both teleportation and under-propagation errors if we discretize the temperature equation with a linear discontinuous (LD) trial space. Our method is for opacities ~ 1/T 3 , but we formulate and test a slight extension for opacities ~ 1/T 3.5 , where T is temperature. We find our method avoids errors that can be incurred by IMC with continuous source tilt constructions and piecewise-constant material temperature updates.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Variable Eddington Factor Model for Thermal Radiative Transfer with Closure Based on Data-Driven Shape Function

Here, a new variable Eddington factor (VEF) model is presented for nonlinear problems of thermal radiative transfer (TRT). The VEF model is data-driven and acts on known (a-priori) radiation-diffusion solutions for material temperatures in the TRT problem. A linear auxiliary problem is constructed for the radiative transfer equation (RTE) whose emission source and opacities are evaluated at these known material temperatures. The solution to this RTE approximates the specific intensity distribution in phase-space and time. It is applied as a shape function to define the Eddington tensor for the presented VEF model. The shape function computed via the auxiliary RTE problem will capture some degree of transport effects within the TRT problem. The VEF moment equations closed with this approximate Eddington tensor will thus carry with them these captured transport effects. In this study, the temperature data comes from multigroup P 1 , P 1/3 , and flux-limited diffusion radiative transfer models. The proposed VEF model can be interpreted as a transport-corrected diffusion reduced-order model. Numerical results are presented on the Fleck-Cummings test problem which models a supersonic wavefront of radiation. The VEF model is shown to improve accuracy by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to the considered radiation-diffusion model solutions to the TRT problem.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES OF ORBITAL MOTION IN THE ORION TRAPEZIUM CLUSTER WITH THE LBT AO SYSTEM

The new 8.4 m LBT adaptive secondary AO system, with its novel pyramid wavefront sensor, was used to produce very high Strehl ({approx}> 75% at 2.16 {mu}m) near-infrared narrowband (Br{gamma}: 2.16 {mu}m and [Fe II]: 1.64 {mu}m) images of 47 young ({approx}1 Myr) Orion Trapezium {theta}{sup 1} Ori cluster members. The inner {approx}41 Multiplication-Sign 53'' of the cluster was imaged at spatial resolutions of {approx}0.''050 (at 1.64 {mu}m). A combination of high spatial resolution and high S/N yielded relative binary positions to {approx}0.5 mas accuracies. Including previous speckle data, we analyze a 15 year baseline of high-resolution observations of this cluster. We are now sensitive to relative proper motions of just {approx}0.3 mas yr{sup -1} (0.6 km s{sup -1} at 450 pc); this is a {approx}7 Multiplication-Sign improvement in orbital velocity accuracy compared to previous efforts. We now detect clear orbital motions in the {theta}{sup 1} Ori B{sub 2} B{sub 3} system of 4.9 {+-} 0.3 km s{sup -1} and 7.2 {+-} 0.8 km s{sup -1} in the {theta}{sup 1} Ori A{sub 1} A{sub 2} system (with correlations of P.A. versus time at >99% confidence). All five members of the {theta}{sup 1} Ori B system appear likely a gravitationally bound 'mini-cluster'. The very lowest mass member of the {theta}{sup 1} Ori B system (B{sub 4}; mass {approx}0.2 M{sub Sun }) has, for the first time, a clearly detected motion (at 4.3 {+-} 2.0 km s{sup -1}; correlation = 99.7%) w.r.t. B{sub 1}. However, B{sub 4} is most likely in a long-term unstable (non-hierarchical) orbit and may 'soon' be ejected from this 'mini-cluster'. This 'ejection' process could play a major role in the formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

High-contrast imaging with an arbitrary aperture: Active compensation of aperture discontinuities

We present a new method to achieve high-contrast images using segmented and/or on-axis telescopes. Our approach relies on using two sequential deformable mirrors (DMs) to compensate for the large amplitude excursions in the telescope aperture due to secondary support structures and/or segment gaps. In this configuration the parameter landscape of DM surfaces that yield high-contrast point-spread functions is not linear, and nonlinear methods are needed to find the true minimum in the optimization topology. We solve the highly nonlinear Monge-Ampere equation that is the fundamental equation describing the physics of phase-induced amplitude modulation. We determine the optimum configuration for our two sequential DM system and show that high-throughput and high-contrast solutions can be achieved using realistic surface deformations that are accessible using existing technologies. We name this process Active Compensation of Aperture Discontinuities (ACAD). We show that for geometries similar to the James Webb Space Telescope, ACAD can attain at least 10{sup –7} in contrast and an order of magnitude higher for both the future extremely large telescopes and on-axis architectures reminiscent of the Hubble Space Telescope. We show that the converging nonlinear mappings resulting from our DM shapes actually damp near-field diffraction artifacts in the vicinity of the discontinuities. Thus, ACAD actually lowers the chromatic ringing due to diffraction by segment gaps and struts while not amplifying the diffraction at the aperture edges beyond the Fresnel regime. This outer Fresnel ringing can be mitigated by properly designing the optical system. Consequently, ACAD is a true broadband solution to the problem of high-contrast imaging with segmented and/or on-axis apertures. We finally show that once the nonlinear solution is found, fine tuning with linear methods used in wavefront control can be applied to further contrast by another order of magnitude. Generally speaking, the ACAD technique can be used to significantly improve a broad class of telescope designs for a variety of problems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

PALM-3000: EXOPLANET ADAPTIVE OPTICS FOR THE 5 m HALE TELESCOPE

We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation astronomical adaptive optics (AO) facility for the 5.1 m Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and emission spectroscopy of brown dwarfs and large planetary mass bodies at near-infrared wavelengths around bright stars, but also supports general natural guide star use to V ≈ 17. Using its unique 66 × 66 actuator deformable mirror, PALM-3000 has thus far demonstrated residual wavefront errors of 141 nm rms under ∼1'' seeing conditions. PALM-3000 can provide phase conjugation correction over a 6.''4 × 6.''4 working region at λ = 2.2 μm, or full electric field (amplitude and phase) correction over approximately one-half of this field. With optimized back-end instrumentation, PALM-3000 is designed to enable 10{sup –7} contrast at 1'' angular separation, including post-observation speckle suppression processing. While continued optimization of the AO system is ongoing, we have already successfully commissioned five back-end instruments and begun a major exoplanet characterization survey, Project 1640.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Three-dimensional structures of equatorial waves and the resulting super-rotation in the atmosphere of a tidally locked hot Jupiter

Three-dimensional (3D) equatorial trapped waves excited by stellar isolation and the resulting equatorial super-rotating jet in a vertical stratified atmosphere of a tidally locked hot Jupiter are investigated. Taking the hot Jupiter HD 189733b as a fiducial example, we analytically solve linear equations subject to stationary stellar heating with a uniform zonal-mean flow included. We also extract wave information in the final equilibrium state of the atmosphere from our radiative hydrodynamical simulation for HD 189733b. Our analytic wave solutions are able to qualitatively explain the 3D simulation results. Apart from previous wave studies, investigating the vertical structure of waves allows us to explore new wave features such as the wavefronts tilts related to the Rossby-wave resonance as well as dispersive equatorial waves. We also attempt to apply our linear wave analysis to explain some numerical features associated with the equatorial jet development seen in the general circulation model by Showman and Polvani. During the spin-up phase of the equatorial jet, the acceleration of the jet can be in principle boosted by the Rossby-wave resonance. However, we also find that as the jet speed increases, the Rossby-wave structure shifts eastward, while the Kelvin-wave structure remains approximately stationary, leading to the decline of the acceleration rate. Our analytic model of jet evolution implies that there exists only one stable equilibrium state of the atmosphere, possibly implying that the final state of the atmosphere is independent of initial conditions in the linear regime. Limitations of our linear model and future improvements are also discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DETECTABILITY OF PLANCK-SCALE-INDUCED BLURRING WITH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

Microscopic fluctuations inherent to the fuzziness of spacetime at the Planck scale might accumulate in wavefronts propagating a cosmological distance and lead to noticeable blurring in an image of a pointlike source. Distant quasars viewed in the optical and ultraviolet with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) may show this weakly, and if real suggests a stronger effect should be seen for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in X-rays and γ-rays. Those telescopes, however, operate far from their diffraction limits. A description of how Planck-scale-induced blurring could be sensed at high energy, including with cosmic rays, while still agreeing with the HST results is discussed. It predicts dilated apparent source size and inflated uncertainties in positional centroids, effectively a threshold angular accuracy restricting knowledge of source location on the sky. These outcomes are found to be consistent with an analysis of the 10 highest-redshift GRB detections reported for the Fermi satellite. Confusion with photon cascade and scattering phenomena is also possible; prospects for a definitive multiwavelength measurement are considered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

New constraints on quantum gravity from X-ray and gamma-ray observations

One aspect of the quantum nature of spacetime is its “foaminess” at very small scales. Many models for spacetime foam are defined by the accumulation power α, which parameterizes the rate at which Planck-scale spatial uncertainties (and the phase shifts they produce) may accumulate over large path lengths. Here α is defined by the expression for the path-length fluctuations, δℓ, of a source at distance ℓ, wherein δℓ≃ℓ{sup 1−α}ℓ{sub P}{sup α}, with ℓ{sub P} being the Planck length. We reassess previous proposals to use astronomical observations of distant quasars and active galactic nuclei to test models of spacetime foam. We show explicitly how wavefront distortions on small scales cause the image intensity to decay to the point where distant objects become undetectable when the path-length fluctuations become comparable to the wavelength of the radiation. We use X-ray observations from Chandra to set the constraint α≳0.58, which rules out the random-walk model (with α=1/2). Much firmer constraints can be set by utilizing detections of quasars at GeV energies with Fermi and at TeV energies with ground-based Cerenkov telescopes: α≳0.67 and α≳0.72, respectively. These limits on α seem to rule out α=2/3, the model of some physical interest.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RAVEN AND THE CENTER OF MAFFEI 1: MULTI-OBJECT ADAPTIVE OPTICS OBSERVATIONS OF THE CENTER OF A NEARBY ELLIPTICAL GALAXY AND THE DETECTION OF AN INTERMEDIATE AGE POPULATION

Near-infrared (NIR) spectra that have an angular resolution of ∼0.15 arcsec are used to examine the stellar content of the central regions of the nearby elliptical galaxy Maffei 1. The spectra were recorded at the Subaru Telescope, with wavefront distortions corrected by the RAVEN Multi-object Adaptive Optics science demonstrator. The Ballick–Ramsey C{sub 2} absorption bandhead near 1.76 μm is detected, and models in which ∼10%–20% of the light near 1.8 μm originates from stars of spectral type C5 reproduce the depth of this feature. Archival NIR and mid-infrared images are also used to probe the structural and photometric properties of the galaxy. Comparisons with models suggest that an intermediate age population dominates the spectral energy distribution between 1 and 5 μm near the galaxy center. This is consistent not only with the presence of C stars, but also with the large Hβ index that has been measured previously for Maffei 1. The J − K color is more or less constant within 15 arcsec of the galaxy center, suggesting that the brightest red stars are well-mixed in this area.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

RING-APODIZED VORTEX CORONAGRAPHS FOR OBSCURED TELESCOPES. I. TRANSMISSIVE RING APODIZERS

The vortex coronagraph (VC) is a new generation small inner working angle (IWA) coronagraph currently offered on various 8 m class ground-based telescopes. On these observing platforms, the current level of performance is not limited by the intrinsic properties of actual vortex devices, but by wavefront control residuals and incoherent background (e.g., thermal emission of the sky), or the light diffracted by the imprint of the secondary mirror and support structures on the telescope pupil. In the particular case of unfriendly apertures (mainly large central obscuration) when very high contrast is needed (e.g., direct imaging of older exoplanets with extremely large telescopes or space-based coronagraphs), a simple VC, like most coronagraphs, cannot deliver its nominal performance because of the contamination due to the diffraction from the obscured part of the pupil. Here, we propose a novel yet simple concept that circumvents this problem. We combine a vortex phase mask in the image plane of a high-contrast instrument with a single pupil-based amplitude ring apodizer, tailor-made to exploit the unique convolution properties of the VC at the Lyot-stop plane. We show that such a ring-apodized vortex coronagraph (RAVC) restores the perfect attenuation property of the VC regardless of the size of the central obscuration, and for any (even) topological charge of the vortex. More importantly, the RAVC maintains the IWA and conserves a fairly high throughput, which are signature properties of the VC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Spatially-periodic microplasmas in complex microchannel networks: wall-plasma interactions and dynamic behavior

Wall-plasma interactions have been observed for spatially-periodic microplasmas generated in 300–700 µm wide channels fabricated in nanoporous alumina. Examination of Ne microplasma discs produced in a standing-wave pattern in Al 2 O 3 channels illustrates the competition between electron production at the sheath-wall interface and loss by recombination in an atmospheric pressure background. Two topologies of the microplasma arrays are observed. For channel widths (d) less than 450 µm, the microplasmas are generally centered in the channel and sustained by electron generation at both plasma sheath/channel wall interfaces, presumably including the release of charge residing in the hexagonal alumina pores. As d is progressively increased from 300 to 450 µm, the microchannel plasma cross-section is gradually transformed from circular to elliptical, and its surface area declines by as much as 50% so as to minimize e - losses to the background gas. Increasing d above ~450 µm abruptly switches the topology to one in which plasmas having a triangular cross-section attach to one of the channel walls in a pattern that alternates along the channel axis. Microfabricating trapezoidal cross-section channels into complex geometries, including the Cornu spiral and intersecting linear arrays, also reveals dynamic behavior in the propagation of microplasmas. For a common spiral structure, observations of plasma expansion show the wavefront propagates over the corrugated surface or within the channel with radial and azimuthal velocities of 3 ± 1 km s -1 and 8 ± 1.5 km s -1 , respectively. Plasma formation is initiated in each ring of the spiral through electron seeding by streamers propagating radially outward at velocities approaching 200 km s -1 . In addition to electrostatic charge-mediated variations in the mean separation between adjacent microplasmas, the time-dependent interference between two 1D microplasma arrays has been observed during plasma expansion. Reproducible ignition of a microplasma ensemble along ridges micromachined into channels near the intersections of two linear arrays has also been realized. The results reported here demonstrate that microchannels with the walls overcoated with any of a variety of materials provide a promising platform for examining in detail the interaction of low temperature plasma with a surface of arbitrary composition and topography.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Non-axisymmetric Aberration Patterns from Wide-field Telescopes Using Spin-weighted Zernike Polynomials

If the optical system of a telescope is perturbed from rotational symmetry, the Zernike wavefront aberration coefficients describing that system can be expressed as a function of position in the focal plane using spin-weighted Zernike polynomials. Methodologies are presented to derive these polynomials to arbitrary order. This methodology is applied to aberration patterns produced by a misaligned Ritchey Chretian telescope and to distortion patterns at the focal plane of the DESI optical corrector, where it is shown to provide a more efficient description of distortion than conventional expansions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

PARTIAL REFLECTION AND TRAPPING OF A FAST-MODE WAVE IN SOLAR CORONAL ARCADE LOOPS

We report on the first direct observation of a fast-mode wave propagating along and perpendicular to cool (171 Å) arcade loops observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The wave was associated with an impulsive/compact flare near the edge of a sunspot. The EUV wavefront expanded radially outward from the flare center and decelerated in the corona from 1060 to 760 km s{sup −1} within ∼3–4 minutes. Part of the EUV wave propagated along a large-scale arcade of cool loops and was partially reflected back to the flare site. The phase speed of the wave was about 1450 km s{sup −1}, which is interpreted as a fast-mode wave. A second overlying loop arcade, orientated perpendicular to the cool arcade, is heated and becomes visible in the AIA hot channels. These hot loops sway in time with the EUV wave, as it propagated to and fro along the lower loop arcade. We suggest that an impulsive energy release at one of the footpoints of the arcade loops causes the onset of an EUV shock wave that propagates along and perpendicular to the magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FUNDAMENTAL-MODE OSCILLATIONS OF TWO CORONAL LOOPS WITHIN A SOLAR MAGNETIC ARCADE

We analyze intensity variations, as measured by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly in the 171 Å passband, in two coronal loops embedded within a single coronal magnetic arcade. We detect oscillations in the fundamental mode with periods of roughly 2 minutes and decay times of 5 minutes. The oscillations were initiated by interaction of the arcade with a large wavefront issuing from a flare site. Further, the power spectra of the oscillations evince signatures consistent with oblique propagation to the field lines and for the existence of a two-dimensional waveguide instead of a one-dimensional one.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DETECTION OF FAST-MOVING WAVES PROPAGATING OUTWARD ALONG SUNSPOTS’ RADIAL DIRECTION IN THE PHOTOSPHERE

Helioseismic and magnetohydrodynamic waves are abundant in and above sunspots. Through cross-correlating oscillation signals in the photosphere observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, we reconstruct how waves propagate away from virtual wave sources located inside a sunspot. In addition to the usual helioseismic wave, a fast-moving wave is detected traveling along the sunspot’s radial direction from the umbra to about 15 Mm beyond the sunspot boundary. The wave has a frequency range of 2.5–4.0 mHz with a phase velocity of 45.3 km s{sup −1}, substantially faster than the typical speeds of Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves in the photosphere. The observed phenomenon is consistent with a scenario of that a magnetoacoustic wave is excited at approximately 5 Mm beneath the sunspot. Its wavefront travels to and sweeps across the photosphere with a speed higher than the local magnetoacoustic speed. The fast-moving wave, if truly excited beneath the sunspot’s surface, will help open a new window for studying the internal structure and dynamics of sunspots.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Strobed imaging as a method for the determination and diagnosis of local seeing

ABSTRACT The image quality budget of many telescopes can have substantial contributions from local seeing, both ‘mirror’ and ‘dome’, which arise from turbulence and temperature variations that are difficult to quantify, measure directly, and ameliorate. We describe a method to determine the ‘local’ seeing degradation due to wavefront perturbations within the final few metres of the optical path from celestial sources to the focal plane of a ground-based telescope, using the primary instrument and along the same path taken by light from celestial sources. The concept involves placing strobed emitters along the light path to produce images on the main focal plane that ‘freeze’ different realizations of index perturbations. This method has the advantage of measuring directly the image motion and scintillation imparted by the dynamic spatial and temporal structure of local perturbations in the index of refraction along the light path, with a clean separation from seeing induced in the atmosphere above the dome. The strobed-source approach allows for rapid image motion and scintillation to be measured directly on the focal plane, even for large-aperture telescopes with wide-field instruments and slow shutters, such as that being constructed for the Rubin Observatory. A conceptual design is presented that uses the ‘guider’ CCDs in the Rubin telescope focal plane to make local-seeing measurements on demand, perhaps even during science exposures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗