Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Particle statistics”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Evolution and velocity fields for a buoyant jet in a stratified environment

Velocity fields for a turbulent, vertical, buoyant jet interacting with a linear density stratified environment are obtained to study the effect of stratification on flow evolution and entrainment. Analysis of the flow field with a Reynolds, Re, of 20,000 and a 3% density difference is accomplished using time-resolved particle image velocimetry in a refractive index matched flow facility. Flow field statistics are compared to a benchmark neutrally buoyant jet in a uniform environment. Velocity fields indicate that the buoyant jet is strongly affected from stratification, where the jet is no longer self-similar, and succumbs to a final height. Stratification also changes the entrainment process, where a double momentum effect occurs. Centerline analysis suggests overall turbulence suppression occurs from stratification. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Manual for the Jet Event and Background Simulation Library

Jets are the collimated streams of particles resulting from hard scattering in the initial state of high-energy collisions. In heavy-ion collisions, jets interact with the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) before freezeout, providing a probe into the internal structure and properties of the QGP. In order to study jets, background must be subtracted from the measured event, potentially introducing a bias. We aim to understand and quantify this subtraction bias. PYTHIA, a library to simulate pure jet events, is used to simulate a model for a signature with one pure jet (a photon) and one quenched jet, where all quenched particle momenta are reduced by a user-de ned constant fraction. Background for the event is simulated using multiplicity values generated by the TRENTO initial state model of heavy-ion collisions fed into a thermal model consisting of a 3-dimensional Boltzmann distribution for particle types and momenta. Data from the simulated events is used to train a statistical model, which computes a posterior distribution of the quench factor for a data set. The model was tested rst on pure jet events and then on full events including the background. This model will allow for a quantitative determination of biases induced by various methods of background subtraction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Image segmentation for uranium isotopic analysis by SIMS: Combined adaptive thresholding and marker controlled watershed approach

A novel approach to particle identification and particle isotope ratio determination has been developed for nuclear safeguard applications. This particle search approach combines an adaptive thresholding algorithm and marker-controlled watershed segmentation (MCWS) transform, which improves the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) isotopic analysis of uranium containing particle populations for nuclear safeguards applications. The Niblack assisted MCWS approach (a.k.a. SEEKER) developed for this work has improved the identification of isotopically unique uranium particles under conditions that have historically presented significant challenges for SIMS image data processing techniques. Particles obtained from five NIST uranium certified reference materials (CRM U129A, U015, U150, U500 and U850) were successfully identified in regions of SIMS image data 1) where a high variability in image intensity existed, 2) where particles were touching or were in close proximity to one another and/or 3) where the magnitude of ion signal for a given region was count limited. Analysis of the isotopic distributions of uranium containing particles identified by SEEKER showed four distinct, accurately identified 235U enrichment distributions, corresponding to the NIST certified 235U/238U isotope ratios for CRM U129A/U015 (not statistically differentiated), U150, U500 and U850. Additionally, comparison of the minor uranium isotope (234U, 235U and 236U) atom percent values verified that, even in the absence of high precision isotope ratio measurements, SEEKER could be used to segment isotopically unique uranium particles from SIMS image data. Although demonstrated specifically for SIMS analysis of uranium containing particles for nuclear safeguards, SEEKER has application in addressing a broad set of image processing challenges.

adaptive thresholding↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Prospect for Remote Sensing of Cirrus Clouds with a Submillimeter-Wave Spectrometer

Given the substantial radiative effects of cirrus clouds and the need to validate cirrus cloud mass in climate models, it is important to measure the global distribution of cirrus properties with satellite remote sensing. Existing cirrus remote sensing techniques, such as solar reflectance methods, measure cirrus ice water path (IWP) rather indirectly and with limited accuracy. Submillimeter/wave radiometry is an independent method of cirrus remote sensing based on ice particles scattering the upwelling radiance emitted by the lower atmosphere. A new aircraft instrument, the Far Infrared Sensor for Cirrus (FIRSC), is described. The FIRSC employs a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS). which measures the upwelling radiance across the whole submillimeter region (0.1 1.0-mm wavelength). This wide spectral coverage gives high sensitivity to most cirrus particle sizes and allows accurate determination of the characteristic particle size. Radiative transfer modeling is performed to analyze the capabilities of the submillimeter FTS technique. A linear inversion analysis is done to show that cirrus IWP, particle size, and upper-tropospheric temperature and water vapor may be accurately measured, A nonlinear statistical algorithm is developed using a database of 20000 spectra simulated by randomly varying most relevant cirrus and atmospheric parameters. An empirical orthogonal function analysis reduces the 500-point spectrum (20 - 70/cm) to 15 "pseudo-channels" that are then input to a neural network to retrieve cirrus IWP and median particle diameter. A Monte Carlo accuracy study is performed with simulated spectra having realistic noise. The retrieval errors are low for IWP (rms less than a factor of 1.5) and for particle sizes (rins less than 30%) for IWP greater than 5 g/sq m and a wide range of median particle sizes. This detailed modeling indicates that there is good potential to accurately measure cirrus properties with a submillimeter FTS.

Evans, K. Franklin↗
NASA NTRS2012

Particle Morphology and Size Results from the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment-2

Results are presented from the Reflight of the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME-2) which was conducted during Expedition 24 (July-September 2010). The reflight experiment built upon the results of the original flight during Expedition 15 by adding diagnostic measurements and expanding the test matrix. Five different materials representative of those found in spacecraft (Teflon, Kapton, cotton, silicone rubber and Pyrell) were heated to temperatures below the ignition point with conditions controlled to provide repeatable sample surface temperatures and air flow. The air flow past the sample during the heating period ranged from quiescent to 8 cm/s. The smoke was initially collected in an aging chamber to simulate the transport time from the smoke source to the detector. This effective transport time was varied by holding the smoke in the aging chamber for times ranging from 11 to 1800 s. Smoke particle samples were collected on Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) grids for post-flight analysis. The TEM grids were analyzed to observe the particle morphology and size parameters. The diagnostics included a prototype two-moment smoke detector and three different measures of moments of the particle size distribution. These moment diagnostics were used to determine the particle number concentration (zeroth moment), the diameter concentration (first moment), and the mass concentration (third moment). These statistics were combined to determine the diameter of average mass and the count mean diameter and, by assuming a log-normal distribution, the geometric mean diameter and the geometric standard deviations can also be calculated. Overall the majority of the average smoke particle sizes were found to be in the 200 nm to 400 nm range with the quiescent cases producing some cases with substantially larger particles.

Urban, David L.↗
DOE OSTI2012

Mass spectrometric approaches for chemical characterisation of atmospheric aerosols: critical review of the most recent advances

This manuscript presents an overview of the most recent instrument developments for the field and laboratory applications of mass spectrometry (MS) to investigate the chemistry and physics of atmospheric aerosols. A range of MS instruments, employing different sample introduction methods, ionisation and mass detection techniques are used both for ‘online’ and ‘offline’ characterisation of aerosols. Online MS techniques enable detection of individual particles with simultaneous measurement of particle size distributions and aerodynamic characteristics and are ideally suited for field studies that require high temporal resolution. Offline MS techniques provide a means for detailed molecular-level analysis of aerosol samples, which is essential to gain fundamental knowledge regarding aerosol chemistry, mechanisms of particle formation and atmospheric aging. Combined, complementary MS techniques provide comprehensive information on the chemical composition, size, morphology and phase of aerosols – data of key importance for evaluating hygroscopic and optical properties of particles, their health effects, understanding their origins and atmospheric evolution. Over the last few years, developments and applications of MS techniques in aerosol research have expanded remarkably as evident by skyrocketing publication statistics. Finally, the goal of this review is to present the most recent developments in the field of aerosol mass spectrometry for the time period of late 2010 to early 2012, which have not been conveyed in previous reviews.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Large-time correlation functions in bosonic lattice field theories

Large-time correlation functions have a pivotal role in extracting particle masses from Euclidean lattice field theory calculations, however little is known about the statistical properties of these quantities. In this work, the asymptotic form of the distributions of the correlation functions at vanishing momentum is determined for bosonic interacting lattice field theories with a unique gapped vacuum. It is demonstrated that the deviations from the asymptotic form at large Euclidean times can be utilized to determine the spectrum of the theory.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Long-time behavior of many-particle quantum decay

While exponential decay is ubiquitous in nature, deviations at both short and long times are dictated by quantum mechanics. Nonexponential decay is known to arise due to the possibility of reconstructing the initial state from the decaying products. We discuss the quantum decay dynamics by tunneling of a many-particle system, characterizing the long-time nonexponential behavior of the nonescape and survival probabilities. The effects of contact interactions and quantum statistics are described. It is found that, whereas for noninteracting bosons the long-time decay follows a power law with an exponent linear in the number of particles N, the exponent becomes quadratic in N in the fermionic case. The same results apply to strongly interacting many-body systems related by the generalized Bose-Fermi duality. The faster fermionic decay can be traced back to the effective hard-core interactions between particles, which are as well the decaying products, and exhibit spatial antibunching which hinders the reconstruction of the initial unstable state. The results are illustrated with a paradigmatic model of quantum decay from a trap allowing leaks by tunneling, whose dynamics is described exactly by means of an expansion in resonant states.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Universal statistics of soft gamma-ray repeating (SGR) bursts

Soft gamma repeater (SGR) bursts are considered as a release of magnetic energy stored in the baryon degrees of freedom of the magnetar crust. It is shown that this interpretation allows all observations of these bursts to be systematized and universal statistical properties to be revealed and explained.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Analysis of the Duration of Rising Tone Chorus Elements

Abstract The duration of chorus elements is an important parameter to understand chorus excitation and to quantify the effects of nonlinear wave‐particle interactions on energetic electron dynamics. In this work, we analyze the duration of rising tone chorus elements statistically using Van Allen Probes data. We present the distribution of chorus element duration ( τ ) as a function of magnetic local time (MLT) and the geomagnetic activity level characterized by auroral electrojet ( A E ) index. We show that the typical value of τ for nightside and dawnside is about 0.12 s, smaller than that for dayside and duskside by about a factor of 2 to 4. Using a previously developed hybrid code, DAWN, we suggest that the background magnetic field inhomogeneity might be an important factor in controlling the chorus element duration. We also report that τ is larger during quiet times and shorter during moderate and active periods; this result is consistent with the MLT dependence of τ and the occurrence pattern of chorus waves at different levels of geomagnetic activity. We then investigate the correlation between τ and the frequency chirping rate (Γ). We show that, from observation, τ scales with Γ as , suggesting that statistically the frequency range of chorus elements ( τ Γ) should be roughly the same for different elements. These findings should be useful to the further development of a theoretical model of chorus excitation and to the quantification of nonlinear wave‐particle interactions on energetic electron dynamics.

Teng, S.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Transport of cosmic-ray protons in intermittent heliospheric turbulence: Model and simulations

The transport of charged energetic particles in the presence of strong intermittent heliospheric turbulence is computationally analyzed based on known properties of the interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind plasma at 1 astronomical unit. The turbulence is assumed to be static, composite, and quasi-three-dimensional with a varying energy distribution between a one-dimensional Alfvénic (slab) and a structured two-dimensional component. The spatial fluctuations of the turbulent magnetic field are modeled either as homogeneous with a Gaussian probability distribution function (PDF), or as intermittent on large and small scales with a q-Gaussian PDF. Simulations showed that energetic particle diffusion coefficients both parallel and perpendicular to the background magnetic field are significantly affected by intermittency in the turbulence. This effect is especially strong for parallel transport where for large-scale intermittency results show an extended phase of subdiffusive parallel transport during which cross-field transport diffusion dominates. The effects of intermittency are found to depend on particle rigidity and the fraction of slab energy in the turbulence, yielding a perpendicular to parallel mean free path ratio close to 1 for large-scale intermittency. Investigation of higher order transport moments (kurtosis) indicates that non-Gaussian statistical properties of the intermittent turbulent magnetic field are present in the parallel transport, especially for low rigidity particles at all times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Pulsed acceleration in solar flares

We study the nonlinear dynamics of particle acceleration in solar flares by analyzing the time series of various quasi-periodic radio signatures during flares. In particular we present the radio and hard X-ray data of three flares which suppport the following tentative conclusions: (1) Particle acceleration and injection into magnetic structures occurs intrinsically in a pulsed mode (with a typical period of 1-2 s), produced by a single, spatially coherent, nonlinear system, rather than by a stochastic system with many spatially independent components ('statistical flare' produced by a fragmented primary energy release). (2) The nonlinear (quasi-periodic) mode of pulsed particle acceleration and injection into a coronal loop can be stabilized by phase locking with an MHD wave (oscillation) mode, if both periods are close to each other. (3) Pulsed injection of electron beams into a coronal loop may trigger nonlinear relaxational oscillations of wave-particle interactions. This is particularly likely when the limit cycles of both systems are similar.

Aschwanden, Markus J.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transient work function gating: A new photoemission regime

We present the theoretical basis for a new photoemission regime, transient work function gating (TWFG), which temporally and energetically gates photoemission and produces near-threshold photoelectrons with thermally limited emittance, percent-level quantum efficiency, and control over temporal coherence. The technique consists of actively gating the work function of a generalized photocathode using a non-ionizing long-wavelength optical field to produce an adiabatic modulation of the carrier density at their surface. We examine TWFG as a means to circumvent the long-standing trade-off between low emittance and high quantum efficiency, untethered to particle source or photocathode specifics. TWFG promises new opportunities in photoemission physics for next generation electron and accelerator-based x-ray photon sources.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Energetic Particles of keV–MeV Energies Observed near Reconnecting Current Sheets at 1 au

We provide evidence for particle acceleration up to ∼5 MeV at reconnecting current sheets in the solar wind based on both case studies and a statistical analysis of the energetic ion and electron flux data from the five Advanced Composition Explorer Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) detectors. The case study of a typical reconnection exhaust event reveals (i) a small-scale peak of the energetic ion flux observed in the vicinity of the reconnection exhaust and (ii) a long-timescale atypical energetic particle event (AEPE) encompassing the reconnection exhaust. AEPEs associated with reconnecting strong current sheets last for many hours, even days, as confirmed by statistical studies. The case study shows that time-intensity profiles of the ion flux may vary significantly from one EPAM detector to another partially because of the local topology of magnetic fields, but mainly because of the impact of upstream magnetospheric events; therefore, the occurrence of particle acceleration can be hidden. The finding of significant particle energization within a time interval of ±30 hr around reconnection exhausts is supported by a superposed epoch analysis of 126 reconnection exhaust events. We suggest that energetic particles initially accelerated via prolonged magnetic reconnection are trapped and reaccelerated in small- or medium-scale magnetic islands surrounding the reconnecting current sheet, as predicted by the transport theory of Zank et al. Other mechanisms of initial particle acceleration can contribute also.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Alpha Air Sample Counting Efficiency Versus Dust Loading: Evaluation of a Large Data Set

Dust loading on air sample filters is known to cause a loss of efficiency for direct counting of alpha activity on the filters, but the amount of dust loading and the correction factor needed to account for attenuated alpha particles is difficult to assess. In this paper, correction factors are developed by statistical analysis of a large database of air sample results for a uranium and plutonium processing facility at the Savannah River Site. As is typically the case, dust-loading data is not directly available, but sample volume is found to be a reasonable proxy measure; the amount of dust loading is inferred by a combination of the derived correction factors and a Monte Carlo model. The technique compares the distribution of activity ratios [beta/(beta + alpha)] by volume and applies a range of correction factors on the raw alpha count rate. The best-fit results with this method are compared with MCNP modeling of activity uniformly deposited in the dust and analytical laboratory results of digested filters. Finally, a linear fit is proposed to evenly-deposited alpha activity collected on filters with dust loading over a range of about 2 mg cm -2 to 1,000 mg cm -2 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2010

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in pp collisions at {radical}(s)=900 GeV

We report on the measurement of two-pion correlation functions from pp collisions at {radical}(s)=900 GeV performed by the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Our analysis shows an increase of the Hanbury Brown-Twiss radius with increasing event multiplicity, in line with other measurements done in particle- and nuclear collisions. Conversely, the strong decrease of the radius with increasing transverse momentum, as observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and at Tevatron, is not manifest in our data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Detection of special nuclear materials with the associate particle technique

In the frame of the French trans-governmental R and D program against chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRN-E) threats, CEA is studying the detection of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) by neutron interrogation with fast neutrons produced by an associated particle sealed tube neutron generator. The deuterium-tritium fusion reaction produces an alpha particle and a 14 MeV neutron almost back to back, allowing tagging neutron emission both in time and direction with an alpha particle position-sensitive sensor embedded in the generator. Fission prompt neutrons and gamma rays induced by tagged neutrons which are tagged by an alpha particle are detected in coincidence with plastic scintillators. This paper presents numerical simulations performed with the MCNP-PoliMi Monte Carlo computer code and with post processing software developed with the ROOT data analysis package. False coincidences due to neutron and photon scattering between adjacent detectors (cross talk) are filtered out to increase the selectivity between nuclear and benign materials. Accidental coincidences, which are not correlated to an alpha particle, are also taken into account in the numerical model, as well as counting statistics, and the time-energy resolution of the data acquisition system. Such realistic calculations show that relevant quantities of SNM (few kg) can be distinguished from cargo and shielding materials in 10 min acquisitions. First laboratory tests of the system under development in CEA laboratories are also presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Time-History Statistics of Soot Formation in A Model Gas Turbine Combustor

Soot formation is a complex dynamic and intermittent process determined by properties of the fuel, combustor design, and combustor operation. Although the major steps in soot formation (i.e., formation of precursors, inception, growth and evolution) are similar for a variety of carbonaceous fuels, applications, and operating conditions, it remains unclear when the temporal transition between these steps occurs. An engineering prediction tool coupled with computational fluid physics (CFD), therefore needs to accurately model all these complex steps. To develop such a model, we propose the time-history concept for understanding the time dependency of soot formation as a function of local properties (i.e., temperature, velocity, local fuel air ratio, etc.). We continue our previous work with modeling the DLR aero-combustor [1] with our updated in-house CFD code, Open National Combustion Code (OpenNCC), that now includes a Multiple Time-Scale Flamelet Progress Variable approach and a the semi-empirical two-equation soot model. We injected massless tracer particles upstream of the injector region of the combustor to collect time-history statistics of the solution variables. The correlations between the collected statistics with respect to the experimental soot volume fraction data showed that time-history effect of certain flow variables, including turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and multiple species is indeed important for soot formation. We then conducted a time-history based correlation analysis to determine the key species and the concentration ranges critical for soot formation (C6H5-based nucleation, acetylene-based surface growth, and oxidation with OH and O2). Based on the time-history correlation coefficient (THCC) analysis, we propose possible modifications to improve the current two-equation model.

LES↗