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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 919 records · Page 51

Modulation of energetic particle fluxes by a mixed mode of transverse and compressional waves

Modulation characteristics of particle fluxes in the presence of a mixed mode of compressional and transverse magnetic waves at hydromagnetic frequencies are investigated through kinetic perturbation of the distribution function. The magnetospheric medium where the particles are modulated contains both the magnetic and pressure gradients. The modulation features are found to be strongly dependent on the energy and pitch angle of the particles. Drifting particles can resonate with waves whose phase velocities are close to their drift velocities. When this occurs, the modulation amplitudes become significantly large and large phase shifts will occur. It is pointed out that resonance is important for particles with mid pitch angles (40-70 deg). The phase shift between the particle modulations and the magnetic field oscillations are strongly controlled by the combined effects of transverse and compressional wave components and/or the occurrence of drift resonance. Numerical calculations are performed using the dispersion relation of drift mirror Alfven waves as an example of waves with both compressional and transverse components.

Lin, C. S.↗

Ground-Based Observations of Recovery Phase Aurora

This analysis focuses on spatial and temporal forms occurring after substorm breakup. The observations show irregular shapes and nonuniform drifts with respect to relatively stationary pulsating patches. The pulsating patches occur within a diffuse auroral background as a modulation of the auroral brightness in a localized region. The images analyzed show a decrease in the brightness of the diffuse background in the region of the pulsating patch at the beginning of the 'off' phase of the modulation. Throughout the off phase the brightness of the diffuse aurora gradually increases back to the average intensity. The time constant for this increase is measured as the first step toward determining the physical process.

Jones, Sarah L.↗

Annual variation of deseasonalized mean flow acceleration in the equatorial lower stratosphere

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the equatorial lower stratosphere appears to be influenced by the seasonal cycle, as phase transitions at 50 mb occur primarily in the northern spring/summer season (April-August). Descent of east wind regimes varies widely from one QBO cycle to another. Most of this variation occurs because easterly shears slow down or 'stall' in their descent sometime between July and February. Minimum mean flow accelerations at 50 mb occur in the northern winter season, slightly before the annual minimum in equatorial tropopause temperature. Although a weak effect of the semiannual oscillation can be detected near 10 mb, the seasonal effect over most of the QBO region is annual. The seasonal cycle apparently modulates the onset of QBO phases, and slightly enhances the ability to predict the QBO, but is of insufficient strength or consistency to exactly synchronize the quasi-biennial oscillation with the seasonal cycle.

Dunkerton, Timothy J.↗

The anomalous nuclear component in the three-dimensional heliosphere

The anomalous nuclear component is neither of solar nor galactic cosmic ray origin. Its presence in the heliosphere is an independent probe for both interplanetary electrodynamical investigations--especially solar modulation--and probably the most direct means for determining the elemental and isotopic composition of those neutral atoms in the local interstellar medium that have high first ionization potentials (e.g., He, N, O, Ne, Ar, etc.). This report is a brief account of the evolution of our knowledge of this component for readers not specializing in the subject. Included are the initial discoveries of the component, its composition, spectra, heliospheric radial and latitudinal intensity gradients, modulation over the approximately 22 year solar magnetic cycle, trapping in the magnetosphere and its use for estimating the location of a heliospheric termination shock. Recent measurements from the ULYSSES spacecraft have provided conclusive evidence that incoming neutral atoms, after photoionization by solar uv, are picked up by the solar wind, thus lending support for the concept that after their acceleration--probably at a termination shock--they return to the inner heliosphere as pseudo-cosmic rays. ULYSSES spacecraft investigations extending to approximately 56 deg south latitude reveal, for both the anomalous nuclear component and the galactic cosmic rays, that there is a surprisingly small latitudinal intensity gradient. Thus, for the current phase of the solar cycle, modulation is much more spherically symmetric in the inner solar system than had generally been believed. A further surprise is the continual presence of approximately 26 day recurrent modulation at hight latitudes, without corresponding magnetic field compressions. These results are changing our ideas and requiring modification of our models for solar modulation in three dimensions.

Simpson, J. A.↗

Modulation and synchronization technique for MF-TDMA system

This report addresses modulation and synchronization techniques for a multi-frequency time division multiple access (MF-TDMA) system with onboard baseband processing. The types of synchronization techniques analyzed are asynchronous (conventional) TDMA, preambleless asynchronous TDMA, bit synchronous timing with a preamble, and preambleless bit synchronous timing. Among these alternatives, preambleless bit synchronous timing simplifies onboard multicarrier demultiplexer/demodulator designs (about 2:1 reduction in mass and power), requires smaller onboard buffers (10:1 to approximately 3:1 reduction in size), and provides better frame efficiency as well as lower onboard processing delay. Analysis and computer simulation illustrate that this technique can support a bit rate of up to 10 Mbit/s (or higher) with proper selection of design parameters. High bit rate transmission may require Doppler compensation and multiple phase error measurements. The recommended modulation technique for bit synchronous timing is coherent QPSK with differential encoding for the uplink and coherent QPSK for the downlink.

Faris, Faris↗

The impacts of immersion ice nucleation parameterizations on Arctic mixed-phase stratiform cloud properties and the Arctic radiation budget in GEOS-5

The influence of four different immersion freezing parameterizations on Arctic clouds and the top-of-the atmosphere (TOA) and surface radiation fluxes is investigated in the fifth version of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) with sea surface temperature, sea ice fraction and aerosol emissions held fixed. The different parameterizations were derived from a variety of sources, including classical nucleation theory, field and laboratory measurements. Despite the large spread in the ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentrations in the parameterizations, the cloud properties and radiative fluxes had a tendency to form two groups, with the lower INP concentration category producing larger water path and low-level cloud fraction during winter and early spring, whereas the opposite occurred during the summer season. The stability of the lower troposphere was found to strongly correlate with low-cloud fraction, and along with the effect of ice nucleation, ice sedimentation and melting rates, appears to explain the spring-to-summer reversal pattern in the relative magnitude of the cloud properties between the two categories of simulations. The strong modulation effect of the liquid phase on immersion freezing led to the successful simulation of the characteristic Arctic cloud structure, with a layer rich in supercooled water near cloud top and ice and snow at lower levels. Comparison with satellite retrievals and in situ data suggest that simulations with low INP concentrations more realistically represent Arctic clouds and radiation.

Arctic↗

The CubeSat Communication Platform (CCP) – Mission Overview and ConOps

This paper presents the CubeSat Communications Platform (CCP) mission concept, architecture, and development. The CCP is a CubeSat demonstration mission, being developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to improve satellite communication capabilities. The CCP payloads include a Software Defined Radio (SDR) with Variable Coded Modulation (VCM) protocols, and an S-band phased array antenna. The mission will test the performance of the VCM protocols versus conventional fixed modulation and coding schemes, relative to the percentage of the Shannon Channel Capacity that each scheme achieves over entire satellite passes. The mission will also test the performance of the phased array antenna, with regard to beamforming and interrogator scanning accuracy. The CCP Mission is collaborating with NASA's Near Space Network (NSN) to demonstrate DVB-S2 VCM and achievable maximum data rate in NASA S-band 5 MHz channel. NSN currently supports missions that communicate with fixed channel codes, modulations, and symbol rates, resulting in a constant data rate that does not adapt to the dynamic link margin. VCM adapts to the dynamics of the link to increase information throughput by changing modulation and coding when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is high. The CCP will be the first mission to demonstrate VCM with NSN ground stations.

phased antenna array↗

Direct modulation at L-band using a quadrature modulator with feedback

This paper describes how a high quality modulated signal can be generated directly at the frequency of transmission, using a standard quadrature modulator and other commercially-available, low-cost building blocks. The method uses a feedback technique for automatic correction of carrier leakage, differential gain and phase mismatch errors in the quadrature modulator, and other building blocks, by providing guidance to the digital baseband portion of the modulator. Experimental results are presented for direct modulation at 1.65 GHz.

Datta, Ravi↗

Array automated assembly task low cost silicon solar array project, phase 2

Analyses of solar cell and module process steps for throughput rate, cost effectiveness, and reproductibility are reported. In addition to the concentration on cell and module processing sequences, an investigation was made into the capability of using microwave energy in the diffusion, sintering, and thick film firing steps of cell processing. Although the entire process sequence was integrated, the steps are treated individually with test and experimental data, conclusions, and recommendations.

Olson, C.↗

Turbulence modulation effect on evaporating spray characterization

The effects of turbulence modulation on the evaporating spray characteristics of a liquid fuel jet are numerically investigated. Two modulation models are implemented into the k-epsilon two-equation model. The gas phase is solved by a pressure-based method on a Eulerian frame and droplets are solved by a stochastic discrete particle technique based on Lagrangian formulation. The k-epsilon models are used to characterize the time and length scales of the gas phase turbulence for droplet dispersions and droplet/turbulence interactions. The modulation models are found to have significant effects on gas phase dynamics, and are less important for the droplet dynamics. Numerical predictions are compared with the experimental data of Drallemier and Peters (1990).

Shang, H. M.↗

EX Hydrae in outburst

Photometry and red spectroscopy of the intermediate polar EX Hya in its rare outburst state are presented. Photometry during the declining phase of the July-August 1986 outburst shows the 67-min (spin) modulation to be present with similar characteristics to that in quiescence. In contrast, photometry from near the peak of the 1987 May outburst shows little evidence of the 67-min modulation, while spectroscopy obtained nearly simultaneously is similarly lacking in such evidence, despite its presence in quiescent spectroscopic data. Near the beginning of the May 1987 outburst the H alpha emission line develops a broad, high velocity base component whose velocity is modulated with the orbital cycle. The velocity and phase of the broad base component suggest that it is produced near the magnetosphere of the white dwarf at a point along the projected trajectory of the gas stream from the companion. The feature disappears later in the outburst and is not present during quiescence. It is suggested that the outbursts in EX Hya are caused by an increase in the rate of mass transfer from the companion, and that part of this enhanced mass-transfer stream skims over the top of the accretion disk to strike the magnetosphere directly. The interaction of the stream with the magnetosphere gives rise to the broad-base component observed.

Hellier, C.↗

Kinetic control of phase evolution and defect-mediated recombination in AACVD-grown copper antimony sulphide thin films

Copper antimony sulphide (CAS) is a multinary chalcogenide semiconductor in which small deviations from stoichiometry can drive phase competition and strong defect-mediated modulation of optoelectronic properties. However, the systematic roles of copper precursor fraction and deposition time in governing phase evolution, off-stoichiometry, and recombination dynamics in aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD)-grown undoped CAS thin films remain insufficiently understood. In this work, undoped CAS thin films were deposited by AACVD using Cu(dedtc)2 and Sb(dedtc)3 single-source precursors at 550 °C and a carrier gas flow rate of 150 sccm, while the Cu(dedtc)2 mole fraction (x = 0.15 – 0.55) and deposition time (1 – 2 hours) were systematically varied to probe how growth kinetics influence phase composition, microstructure, and defect-mediated optical properties without post-deposition annealing or extrinsic doping. Increasing copper precursor content drives phase evolution toward tetrahedrite-dominant CAS films at intermediate Cu(dedtc)2 mole fractions, with the film deposited at x = 0.35 exhibiting the strongest tetrahedrite character within the parameter space examined. The films are also copper-rich, antimony-poor, and sulphur-deficient, consistent with off-stoichiometric growth and intrinsic defect formation, plausibly including copper interstitials, Cu-on-Sb antisites, and sulphur vacancies. These growth-dependent compositional deviations are accompanied by tunable indirect optical bandgaps of approximately 1.60 – 2.18 eV and weak visible photoluminescence governed by defect-mediated recombination. Time-resolved photoluminescence reveals bi-exponential decay behaviour with lifetimes of approximately 0.1 – 3.6 ns, with emission dominated by slower donor–acceptor pair recombination and a smaller contribution from faster trap-assisted pathways. Collectively, these results establish an explicit kinetic process–structure–defect–property relationship for AACVD-grown CAS thin films and provide a growth–structure–property framework relevant to future optimization of CAS-based optoelectronic and energy materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Testing self-timed circuits using scan paths

Testing is an essential part of any digital system design and one that can be made much easier if testing is considered during the design process rather than after the system is complete. There are a number of techniques for integrating testability into system design, but many of these traditional testing methods used for synchronous circuits are not directly applicable to non-clocked asynchronous circuits. As a result, many asynchronous circuits do not employ design for testability techniques. A method of using the familiar model of scan paths modified to test self-timed systems are presented. Specifically, circuits designed using a library of self-timed modules to assemble systems with two-phase transition control and bundled data paths are considered. The method involves modifying these self-timed modules such that circuits designed from them have a built-in scan path.

Khoche, Ajay↗

Trailblazing Kr/Xe Separation: The Birth of the First Kr-Selective Material

Efficient separation of Kr from Kr/Xe mixtures is pivotal in nuclear waste management and dark matter research. Thus far, scientists have encountered a formidable challenge: the absence of a material with the ability to selectively adsorb Kr over Xe at room temperature. This study presents a groundbreaking transformation of the renowned metal–organic framework (MOF) CuBTC, previously acknowledged for its Xe adsorption affinity, into an unparalleled Kr-selective adsorbent. This achievement stems from an innovative densification approach involving systematic compression of the MOF, where the crystal size, interparticle interaction, defects, and evacuation conditions are synergistically modulated. The resultant densified CuBTC phase exhibits exceptional mechanical resilience, radiation tolerance, and notably an unprecedented selectivity for Kr over Xe at room temperature. Simulation and experimental kinetic diffusion studies confirm reduced gas diffusion in the densified MOF, attributed to its small pore window and minimal interparticle voids. The lighter Kr element demonstrates facile surface passage and higher diffusivity within the material, while the heavier Xe encounters increased difficulty entering the material and lower diffusivity. This Kr-selective MOF not only represents a significant breakthrough in Kr separation but also demonstrates remarkable processability and scalability to kilogram levels. Furthermore, the findings presented herein underscore the transformative potential of engineered MOFs in addressing complex challenges, heralding a new era of Kr separation technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Vortex-induced anomalies in the superconducting quantum interference patterns of topological insulator Josephson junctions

The superconducting quantum interference (SQI) patterns of Josephson junctions fabricated from hybrid structures that interface an s-wave superconductor with a topological insulator can be used to detect signatures of novel quasiparticle states. Here, we compare calculated and experimental SQI patterns obtained from hybrid junctions fabricated on cadmium arsenide, a two-dimensional topological insulator. The calculations account for the effects of Abrikosov (anti-) vortices in the superconducting contacts. They describe the experimentally observed deviations of the SQI from an ideal Fraunhofer pattern, including anomalous phase shifts, node lifting, even/odd modulations of the lobes, irregular lobe spacing, and an asymmetry in the positive/negative magnetic field. We also show that under a current bias, these vortices enter the electrodes even if there is no intentionally applied external magnetic field. The results show that Abrikosov vortices in the electrodes of the junctions can explain many of the observed anomalies in the SQI patterns of topological insulator Josephson junctions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Classifying One-Dimensional Quantum States Prepared by a Single Round of Measurements

Measurements and feedback have emerged as powerful resources for creating many-body quantum states. However, a detailed understanding has been restricted to fixed-point representatives of phases of matter. Here, we go beyond this and characterize the patterns of many-body entanglement that can be deterministically created from measurement. Focusing on one spatial dimension, a framework is developed for the case where a single round of measurements is the only entangling operation. We show this creates matrix-product states and identify necessary and sufficient tensor conditions for preparability, which uniquely determine the preparation protocol. We use these conditions to both classify preparable quantum states and characterize their physical constraints. In particular, we find a trade-off between the richness of the preparable entanglement spectrum and correlation functions, which leads to a no-go theorem for preparing certain quantum states. More broadly, we connect properties of the preparation protocol to the resulting phase of matter, including trivial, symmetry-breaking, and symmetry-protected topological phases—for both uniform and modulated symmetries. This work offers a resource-theoretic perspective on preparable quantum entanglement and shows how to systematically create states of matter, away from their fixed points, in quantum devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Sahay, Rahul (ORCID:0000000174579826)↗

Voltage variable oscillator has high phase stability

Two or more series RLC circuits are used with a negative feedback amplifier to make a voltage variable oscillator. This combination results in high phase stability and optimum frequency modulation.

Hearn, C. P.↗