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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 901 records · Page 50

Nanoscale mapping of plasmon and exciton in ZnO tetrapods coupled with Au nanoparticles

Metallic nanoparticles can be used to enhance optical absorption or emission in semiconductors, thanks to a strong interaction of collective excitations of free charges (plasmons) with electromagnetic fields. Herein we present direct imaging at the nanoscale of plasmon-exciton coupling in Au/ZnO nanostructures by combining scanning transmission electron energy loss and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and mapping. The Au nanoparticles (~30 nm in diameter) are grown in-situ on ZnO nanotetrapods by means of a photochemical process without the need of binding agents or capping molecules, resulting in clean interfaces. Interestingly, the Au plasmon resonance is localized at the Au/vacuum interface, rather than presenting an isotropic distribution around the nanoparticle. Moreover, on the contrary, a localization of the ZnO signal has been observed inside the Au nanoparticle, as also confirmed by numerical simulations.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Relativistic Eulerian Vlasov simulations of the amplification of seed pulses by Brillouin backscattering in plasmas

We apply an Eulerian Vlasov code to study the amplification by Brillouin scattering of a short seed laser pulse by a long pump laser pulse in an underdense plasma. The stimulated Brillouin backscattering interaction is the coupling of the pump and seed electromagnetic waves propagating in opposite directions, and the ion plasma wave. The code solves the one-dimensional relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell set of equations. Large amplitude ion waves are generated. In the simulations we present, the density plateau of the plasma is n{sub e}=0.3 n{sub c} (n{sub c} is the critical density), which excludes spurious stimulated Raman scattering amplification (which can occur only if n{sub e}<n{sub c}/4). We also varied the duration and/or amplitude of the short input seed pulse to study how these influence its subsequent behaviour. An initially broad pulse grows more rapidly than an initially narrow pulse. Furthermore, for an initially broader seed pulse, towards the end of the simulation, it is seen to become narrower and to gradually detach from the trailing signal. On the contrary, initially very narrow seed pulses are seen to broaden. The absence of noise in the Vlasov simulations allows to simulate long plasma amplifier lengths, and to follow the evolution of the system with a fully kinetic description and with an accurate representation of the phase-space structures of distribution function.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Investigation of the significance of excited species in wave-heated dense non-ideal microplasmas using particle-in-cell Monte Carlo-collision modeling

A computational model for the interaction of a high-pressure microplasma with an electromagnetic wave is presented. A one-dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision model is used to investigate the plasma non-ideality effects in a second-stage laser-heated xenon plasma with a comprehensive chemistry mechanism, including excited species. A xenon microplasma at a temperature of 300 K and pressure of 10 bar becomes non-ideal after the laser heating stage with lower ionization and electronic excitation barriers, which makes the presence of excited species important to the plasma generation process. For these conditions, two-step ionization via excited species becomes a major contributor to plasma ionization. We find that full ionization of the plasma is obtained in ~2 ps when excited species are included in the chemistry model, as opposed to ~2.5 ps for a chemistry mechanism that does not consider their effect. With excited species, the ionization mode transitions from direct ionization via electron-neutral collisions to direct and stepwise ionization as the plasma generation progresses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Origin of multi-band emission from the microquasar Cygnus X-1

We study the origin of non-thermal emissions from the Galactic black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1, which is a confirmed high-mass microquasar. By analogy with the methods used in studies of active galactic nuclei, we propose a two-dimensional, time-dependent radiation model from the microquasar Cygnus X-1. In this model, the evolution equation for relativistic electrons in a conical jet are numerically solved by including escape, adiabatic, and various radiative losses. The radiative processes involved are synchrotron emission, its self-Compton scattering, and inverse Compton scatterings of an accretion disk and its surrounding stellar companion. This model also includes an electromagnetic cascade process of an anisotropic γ-γ interaction. We study the spectral properties of electron evolution and its emission spectral characteristic at different heights of the emission region located in the jet. We find that radio data from Cygnus X-1 are reproduced by the synchrotron emission, the Fermi Large Area Telescope measurements by the synchrotron emission and Comptonization of photons of the stellar companion, and the TeV band emission fluxes by the Comptonization of the stellar photons. Our results show the following. (1) The radio emission region extends from the binary system scales to the termination of the jet. (2) The GeV band emissions should originate from the distance close to the binary system scales. (3) The TeV band emissions could be inside the binary system, and these emissions could be probed by the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array. (4) The MeV tail emissions, which produce a strongly linearly polarized signal, are emitted inside the binary system. The location of the emissions is very close to the inner region of the jet.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Interplay between disorder, local relaxation, and collective behavior for an ensemble of emitters outside versus inside a cavity

The interplay between collective optical response and molecular static and dynamic disorder is studied using simple effective Hamiltonians for an ensemble of two-level emitters inside and outside a single-mode cavity. We model environmental disorder by randomly modulating the molecular transition frequencies and the coupling between the emitters and the electromagnetic field. We also consider the effects of intermolecular interactions and orientational disorder. We investigate how these effects lead to new features in the steady-state absorption (outside the cavity), transmission spectra (inside the cavity), and the yield of local molecular processes such as a unimolecular reaction. Outside the cavity, the collective behavior is manifested in the linewidth of the steady-state absorption, the emission spectrum, and the local chemical yield. Inside the cavity, however, the collective behavior primarily determines the Rabi splitting. The effects of intermolecular interactions under orientational disorder are also studied. For the most part, for all types of disorder, if we increase disorder, we find a reduction in the collective nature of the molecular response (smaller effective N) and therefore the Rabi splitting contraction occurs with orientational disorder. Furthermore, we find that static disorder is more destructive to collective behavior than dynamic disorder.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Possible Mechanism for the Generation of a Fundamental Unit of Charge (long version)

Various methods for calculating particle-emission rates from hot systems are reviewed. Semi-classically derived photon-emission rates often contain the term exp(-ε/T) which needs to be replaced with the corresponding Planckian factor of [exp(-ε/T)-1] -1 to obtain the correct rate. This replacement is associated with the existence of stimulated emission. Simple arguments are used to demonstrate that black holes can also undergo stimulated emission, as previously determined by others. We extend these concepts to fundamental particles, and assume they can be stimulated to emit virtual photons with a cross section of πλ 2 , in the case of an isolated particle when the incident virtual-photon energy is < 2πmc 2 . Stimulated-virtual photons can be exchanged with other particles generating a force. With the inclusion of near-field effects, the model choices presented give a calculated fundamental unit of charge of 1.6022x10 -19 C. If these choices are corroborated by detailed calculations then an understanding of the numerical value of the fine structure constant may emerge. The present study suggests charge might be an emergent property generated by a simple interaction mechanism between point-like particles and the electromagnetic vacuum, similar to the process that generates the Lamb shift.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Electric Form Factor of the Neutron from Asymmetry Measurements

The overwhelming majority of visible mass in the universe is composed of protons and neutrons, collectively known as nucleons, which are arguably the most important strongly interacting systems to study. A nucleon may naively be thought of as a composite object built out of three non-interacting sub-objects, known as quarks, in the large energy limit; however, the structure of the nucleon is much more complicated, and consequently far richer, than a simple valence-quark picture. There are sea quarks in addition to valence quarks that interact strongly via the exchange of gluons resulting in a complex vacuum structure, and the collective system must give rise to the observed properties of the nucleon, e.g. the radius and mass. The nucleon is the most well-studied hadron and yet there are still unresolved complexities in the calculation of properties from first principles of QCD; this represents a central problem in nuclear physics. The theoretical difficulty with the nucleon requires experimentation, which is steadily increasing the knowledge of nucleon structure and the strong interaction. The subject of this thesis pertains to nucleon electromagnetic form factors which are fundamental quantities containing information on the spatial and momentum distributions of charge and current within the nucleon. Nucleon form factors may be accessed through well-understood leading order electromagnetic processes with a leptonic probe, and provide strong constraints on testing non-perturbative QCD and nuclear structure models. The form factor ratio of the neutron has been extracted via a beam-target helicity asymmetry measurement. The Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment E02-013 ran in 2006 utilizing the 6 GeV CEBAF for its high-duty, longitudinally polarized electron beam. The double-arm coincidence experiment detected the quasielastically scattered electrons in a large angular and momentum acceptance spectrometer. The recoiling nucleons were detected and momentum analyzed in a large scintillator-iron based neutron detector. The analysis of a previously unpublished extraction of the electric form factor of the neutron is presented.

Obrecht, Richard↗

Theoretical Study of the Single Electron Optical Stochastic Cooling Experiment at the IOTA Facility (Final Technical Report)

The objectives of this proposal were to explore fundamental aspects of radiation from individual and small groups of electrons in the optical stochastic cooling experiment conducted at Fermi National Laboratory's IOTA facility. Professor Swapan Chattopadhyay collaborated directly with the IOTA team on their initial experimental endeavors. Concurrently, a team from Berkeley, including Prof. Wurtele, Dr. Charman, and Dr. Greggory Penn from LBNL, and Prof. Chattapadhyay, pursued a theoretical exploration to identify potential subsequent experiments for IOTA. A wide range of possible experiments were considered, but they do not allow for tests for new quantum mechanical phenomena at the precision level of the current IOTA apparatus. However, the experimentally observed optical stochastic cooling of a single electron in IOTA validated the relevance of the classical electromagnetic field nature of the continuous electron-radiation interaction (as opposed to discrete instantaneous photon emissions and associated 'classical particle trajectory jumps') responsible for cooling and pointed towards innovative methods of experimental techniques to measure 'turn-by-turn' field correlations. Such measurements have the promise of bridging the transition from classical fields building up to discrete quantum transitions and enhance proper theoretical understanding.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Lunar Explorer 35.

Lunar Explorer 35 measurements of lunar surface electromagnetic properties, magnetic fields and solar wind-moon interactions

Ness, N. F.↗

Scattering by non-spherical particles of size comparable to a wavelength - A new semi-empirical theory

An approximate method is proposed for evaluating the interaction of randomly oriented, nonspherical particles with the total intensity component of electromagnetic radiation. When the particle size parameter, x, the ratio of particle circumference to wavelength, is less than some upper bound x(o) (about 5), Mie theory is used. For x greater than x(o), the interaction is divided into three components: diffraction, external reflection, and transmission. Physical optics theory is used to obtain the first of these components; geometrical optics theory is applied to the second; and a simple parameterization is employed for the third. The predictions of this theory are found to be in very good agreement with laboratory measurements for a wide variety of particle shapes, sizes, and refractive indexes. Limitations of the theory are also noted.

Pollack, J. B.↗

Science and technology results from the OSS-1 Payload on the Space Shuttle

The OSS-1 Payload of nine experiments was carried on the STS-3 Space Shuttle flight in March of 1982. The OSS-1 Payload contained four instruments that evaluated specific aspects of the Orbiter's environment, including the levels of particulate, gaseous and electromagnetic emissions given off by the Orbiter, and the interactions between the Orbiter and the surrounding plasma. In addition to these environmental observations, these instruments performed scientific investigations in astronomy and in space plasma physics, including active experiments in electron beam propagation. Other experiments were in the areas of solar physics, plant growth, micrometeorite studies and the technology of actively controlled heat pipes. A description is given of the initial results from these experiments, with some implications of these results for future operation of space experiments from the Shuttle payload bay. One major result was the unexpected discovery of a faint surface-induced optical glow created near the Shuttle surfaces by impacts of ambient atmospheric atoms and molecules.

Chipman, E.↗

Space Experiments with Particle Accelerators (SEPAC)

Plans for SEPAC, an instrument array to be used on Spacelab 1 to study vehicle charging and neutralization, beam-plasma interaction in space, beam-atmospheric interaction exciting artificial aurora and airglow, and the electromagnetic-field configuration of the magnetosphere, are presented. The hardware, consisting of electron beam accelerator, magnetoplasma arcjet, neutral-gas plume generator, power supply, diagnostic package (photometer, plasma probes, particle analyzers, and plasma-wave package), TV monitor, and control and data-management unit, is described. The individual SEPAC experiments, the typical operational sequence, and the general outline of the SEPAC follow-on mission are discussed. Some of the experiments are to be joint ventures with AEPI (INS 003) and will be monitored by low-light-level TV.

Obayashi, T.↗

Science and technology results from the OSS-1 payload on the Space Shuttle

The OSS-1 Payload of nine experiments was carried on the STS-3 Space Shuttle flight in March of 1982. The OSS-1 Payload contained four instruments that evaluated specific aspects of the Orbiter's environment, including the levels of particulate, gaseous and electromagnetic emissions given off by the Orbiter, and the interactions between the Orbiter and the surrounding plasma. In addition to these environmental observations, these instruments performed scientific investigations in astronomy and in space plasma physics, including active experiments in electron beam propagation. Other experiments were in the areas of solar physics, plant growth, micrometeorite studies and the technology of actively controlled heat pipes. We present the initial results from these experiments, with some implications of these results for future operation of space experiments from the Shuttle payload bay. One major result was the unexpected discovery of a faint surface-induced optical glow created near the Shuttle surfaces by impacts of ambient atmospheric atoms and molecules.

short duration↗

Multiaxis, Lightweight, Computer-Controlled Exercise System

The multipurpose, multiaxial, isokinetic dynamometer (MMID) is a computer-controlled system of exercise machinery that can serve as a means for quantitatively assessing a subject s muscle coordination, range of motion, strength, and overall physical condition with respect to a wide variety of forces, motions, and exercise regimens. The MMID is easily reconfigurable and compactly stowable and, in comparison with prior computer-controlled exercise systems, it weighs less, costs less, and offers more capabilities. Whereas a typical prior isokinetic exercise machine is limited to operation in only one plane, the MMID can operate along any path. In addition, the MMID is not limited to the isokinetic (constant-speed) mode of operation. The MMID provides for control and/or measurement of position, force, and/or speed of exertion in as many as six degrees of freedom simultaneously; hence, it can accommodate more complex, more nearly natural combinations of motions and, in so doing, offers greater capabilities for physical conditioning and evaluation. The MMID (see figure) includes as many as eight active modules, each of which can be anchored to a floor, wall, ceiling, or other fixed object. A cable is payed out from a reel in each module to a bar or other suitable object that is gripped and manipulated by the subject. The reel is driven by a DC brushless motor or other suitable electric motor via a gear reduction unit. The motor can be made to function as either a driver or an electromagnetic brake, depending on the required nature of the interaction with the subject. The module includes a force and a displacement sensor for real-time monitoring of the tension in and displacement of the cable, respectively. In response to commands from a control computer, the motor can be operated to generate a required tension in the cable, to displace the cable a required distance, or to reel the cable in or out at a required speed. The computer can be programmed, either locally or via a remote terminal, to support exercises in one or more of the usual exercise modes (isometric, isokinetic, or isotonic) along complex, multiaxis trajectories. The motions of, and forces applied by, the subject can be monitored in real time and recorded for subsequent evaluation. Through suitable programming, the exercise can be adjusted in real time according to the physical condition of the subject. The remote- programming capability makes it possible to connect multiple exercise machines into a network for supervised exercise by multiple subjects or even for competition by geographically dispersed subjects.

Haynes, Leonard↗

Scattering by nonspherical particles of size comparable to wavelength - A new semi-empirical theory and its application to tropospheric aerosols

A semiempirical theory is developed which is based on simple physical principles and comparisons with laboratory measurements. The ultimate utility of this approach rests on its ability to successfully reproduce the observed single-scattering phase function for a wide variety of particle shapes, sizes and refractive indices. This approximate theory is developed for evaluating the interaction of randomly oriented, nonspherical particles with the total intensity component of electromagnetic radiation. Mie theory is used when the particle size parameter x (ratio of particle circumference to wavelength) is less than some upper bound x sub zero (about 5). For x greater than x sub zero, the interaction is divided into three components: diffraction, external reflection and transmission. The application of the theory is illustrated by considering the influence of the shape of tropospheric aerosols on their contribution to the earth's global albedo.

Pollack, J. B.↗

Nonlinear dynamics of large amplitude modes in a magnetized plasma

We derive two equations describing the coupling between electromagnetic and electrostatic oscillations in one-dimensional geometry in a magnetized cold and non-relativistic plasma. The nonlinear interaction between the wave modes is studied numerically. The effects of the external magnetic field strength and the initial electromagnetic polarization are of particular interest here. New results can, thus, be identified.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Near-field imaging of optical resonances in silicon metasurfaces using photoelectron microscopy

Precise control of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale lies at the heart of nanophotonics. However, experimental examination at this length scale is challenging since the corresponding electromagnetic near-field is often confined within volumes below the resolution of conventional optical microscopy. In semiconductor nanophotonics, electromagnetic fields are further restricted within the confines of individual subwavelength resonators, limiting access to critical light–matter interactions in these structures. In this work, we demonstrate that photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) can be used for polarization-resolved near-field spectroscopy and imaging of electromagnetic resonances supported by broken-symmetry silicon metasurfaces. We find that the photoemission results, enabled through an in situ potassium surface layer, are consistent with full-wave simulations and far-field reflectance measurements across visible and near-infrared wavelengths. In addition, we uncover a polarization-dependent evolution of collective resonances near the metasurface array edge taking advantage of the far-field excitation and full-field imaging of PEEM. Here, we deduce that coupling between eight resonators or more establishes the collective excitations of this metasurface. All told, we demonstrate that the high-spatial resolution hyperspectral imaging and far-field illumination of PEEM can be leveraged for the metrology of collective, non-local, optical resonances in semiconductor nanophotonic structures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Electromagnetic envelope solitons in ultrarelativistic inhomogeneous electron-positron-ion plasma

The nonlinear interaction of ultra-intense short laser beam and homogeneous/inhomogeneous electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma is investigated. It is found that soliton solutions can exist in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous e-p-i plasma. The influence of the positron density, the phase velocity, the inhomogeneity nature, and the Hamiltonian of the system on the soliton structure is investigated. The evolution of envelope solitons in homogeneous e-p-i plasma is analyzed analytically by using a two-time-scale method and confirmed by numerical simulations. However, the soliton solutions can exist in inhomogeneous e-p-i plasma only when the positron density is high enough. Furthermore, the phase diagram for existing envelope soliton in positron density and phase velocity of the wave plane is obtained.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗