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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 109 records · Page 6
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NASA NTRS1992

Double-slot antennas on extended hemispherical dielectric lenses

An investigation of the coupling efficiencies to a gaussian-beam of a double-slot antenna on a hyperhemispherical lens is presented. It is shown that both lenses couple equally well to an appropriate gaussian beam (about 80 percent). The radiation patterns of both lenses with a double-slot antenna are computed using the ray-tracing method. The experimental radiation patterns are presented and show close agreement to the theoretically computed patterns.

Filipovic, Daniel F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A direct gravitational lensing test for 10 exp 6 solar masses black holes in halos of galaxies

We propose a method that will be able to detect or exclude the existence of 10 exp 6 solar masses black holes in the halos of galaxies. VLBA radio maps of two milliarcsecond jets of a gravitationally lensed quasar will show the signature of these black holes - if they exist. If there are no compact objects in this mass range along the line of sight, the two jets should be linear mappings of each other. If they are not, there must be compact objects of about 10 exp 6 solar masses in the halo of the galaxy that deform the images by gravitational deflection. We present numerical simulations for the two jets A and B of the double quasar 0957 + 561, but the method is valid for any gravitationally lensed quasar with structure on milliarcsecond scales. As a by-product from high-quality VLBA maps of jets A and B, one will be able to tell which features in the maps are intrinsic in the original jet and which are only an optical illusion, i.e., gravitational distortions by black holes along the line of sight.

Wambsganss, Joachim↗
NASA NTRS1993

Probability of lensing magnification by cosmologically distributed galaxies

We present the analytical formulae for computing the magnification probability caused by cosmologically distributed galaxies. The galaxies are assumed to be singular, truncated-isothermal spheres without both evolution and clustering in redshift. We find that, for a fixed total mass, extended galaxies produce a broader shape in the magnification probability distribution and hence are less efficient as gravitational lenses than compact galaxies. The high-magnification tail caused by large galaxies is well approximated by an A exp -3 form, while the tail by small galaxies is slightly shallower. The mean magnification as a function of redshift is, however, found to be independent of the size of the lensing galaxies. In terms of the flux conservation, our formulae for the isothermal galaxy model predict a mean magnification to within a few percent with the Dyer-Roeder model of a clumpy universe.

Pei, Yichuan C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Infrared imaging of MG 0414 + 0534 - The red gravitational lens systems as lensed radio galaxies

We present an IR image of the gravitational lens system MG 0414 + 0534, and IR photometry of PG 1115 + 080, H1413 + 117, and Q1429 - 008. The IR of MG 0414 + 0534 shows a morphology that is similar to the radio and optical morphologies. The object is bright (K-prime = 13.7) and extremely red (I-K-prime = 5.7). MG 0414 + 0534 thus becomes the second radio-selected lens system to have very red optical IR colors. When plotted on a color-magnitude diagram of objects from a radio survey, MG 0414 + 0534 and the other very red system, MG 1131 + 0456, lie near the locus of radio galaxies. We therefore suggest that these systems are lensed high-redshift radio galaxies. In general, lensed radio galaxies should be common among lens systems selected from radio surveys, since a high proportion of radio sources are radio galaxies.

Annis, James↗
NASA NTRS1993

Discovery of a new component in the gravitationally lensed quasar 0957 + 561

X-ray observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar 0957 + 561 with the Einstein Observatory High Resolution Imager indicate the presence of a new component in the system. The significantly greater X-ray intensity of image A compared with image B and the extended X-ray emission can be interpreted as the gravitational lensing of a quasi-circular X-ray emitting region into a partial Einstein ring. It is suggested that the observed X-ray emission is produced by a strong cooling flow which could arise were 0957 + 561 embedded in a group of cluster galaxies.

Jones, C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fabrication techniques for very fast diffractive lenses

Aspheric lenses with arbitrary phase functions can be fabricated on thin light weight substrates via the binary optics fabrication technique. However, it is difficult and costly to fabricate a fast lens (f/number less than 1) for use as the shorter wavelengths. The pitch of the masks and the alignment accuracy must be very fine. For a large lens, the space-bandwidth product of the element can also become impractically large. In this paper, two alternate approaches for the fabrication of fast aspheric diffractive lenses are described. The first approach fabricates the diffractive lens interferometrically, utilizing a spherical wavefront to provide the optical power of the lens and a computer generated hologram to create the aspheric components. The second approach fabricates the aspheric diffractive lens in the form if a higher order kinoform which trades groove profile fidelity for coarser feature size. The design and implementation issues for these two fabrication techniques are discussed.

Tai, Anthony M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Simulated imaging properties of a series of magnetic electron lenses

The paraxial lens data were determined for a series of symmetrical magnetic lenses of equal lens diameter but variable air gap width for a wide range of lens excitations using the three-dimensional electrodynamic computer code MAFIA. The results are compared with a similar study done by Liebman and Grad wherein the field distributions within the lenses were measured experimentally with a resistance network analogue. Using these fields the lens data were obtained through numerical trajectory tracing. The utility of using MAFIA, instead of experimental methods for lens design is shown by the excellent agreement of the simulated results compared to experiment. Also demonstrated is the capability of using MAFIA to investigate aberration sources such as higher order off-axis magnetic field and space-charge effects.

Kory, Carol L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

On the universality of microlensing in quadruple gravitational lenses

It is well known that multiply imaged quasars are likely to be affected by microlensing. Quadruply imaged systems are especially useful laboratories for studying microlensing because their macrolens models are relatively well constrained. We begin with analytical results for a simple family of galaxy models. These results can be used to estimate the magnifications and time delays for the quadruple systems. We compute expected brightness fluctuations due to microlensing in several such systems for a range of source sizes. Among these we treat for the first time the limiting case of a completely unresolved source. For the case of MG 0414+0534 we interpret the discrepant optical-to-radio flux ratios for the different components as the result of microlensing. On the assumption that the lensing galaxy is roughly isothermal this gives a 95% confidence upper limit on the optical source size of 10(exp 16) cm x (mean value of M)/0.1 solar mass(exp 1/2) where (M) is the average stellar mass of the lensing galaxy. For more centrally concentrated macromodels the upper limit is greater. Sufficiently long strings of photometric observations can in principle constrain the degree of concentration.

Witt, Hans J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Atmospheric thermal lensing in laser resonators

Atmospheric absorption degrades laser performance both by absorbing laser energy within the laser resonator, which increases the loss, and by inducing a thermal lens in the atmosphere. Atmospheric thermal lensing can be quite severe, even when the absorption coefficient is quite modest. A model is developed which describes atmospheric thermal lensing; time constants, which are associated with the establishment and decay of the atmospheric thermal lens, are determined; experiments are performed using an injection seeded Ti:Al2O3 laser tuned to the H2O absorption lines near 0.815 microns to validate the model; dependence of the atmospheric thermal lens on the laser energy and absorption coefficient were measured and found to agree with the model. In addition, the decay of the atmospheric thermal lens with time was measured and also found to agree with the model predictions.

Barnes, Norman P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

The Dust-to-Gas Ratio in the Damped Ly alpha Clouds Towards the Gravitationally Lensed QSO 0957+561

We present HST/FOS spectra of the two bright images (A and B) of the gravitationally lensed QSO 0957+561 in the wavelength range 2200-3300 A. We find that the absorption system (Z(sub abs)) = 1.3911) near z(sub em) is a weak, damped Ly alpha system with strong Ly alpha absorption lines seen in both images. However, the H(I) column densities are different, with the line of sight to image A intersecting a larger column density. The continuum shapes of the two spectra differ in the sense that the flux level of image A increases more slowly toward shorter wavelengths than that of image B. We explain this as the result of differential reddening by dust grains in the damped Ly alpha absorber. A direct outcome of this explanation is a determination of the dust-to-gas ratio, k, in the damped Ly alpha system. We derive k = 0.55 + 0.18 for a simple 1/lambda extinction law and k = 0.31 + 0.10 for the Galactic extinction curve. For gravitationally lensed systems with damped Ly alpha absorbers, our method is a powerful tool for determining the values and dispersion of k, and the shapes of extinction curves, especially in the FUV and EUV regions. We compare our results with previous work.

Zuo, Lin↗
NASA NTRS1996

Probing cluster potentials through gravitational lensing of background X-ray sources

The gravitational lensing effect of a foreground galaxy cluster, on the number count statistics of background X-ray sources, was examined. The lensing produces a deficit in the number of resolved sources in a ring close to the critical radius of the cluster. The cluster lens can be used as a natural telescope to study the faint end of the (log N)-(log S) relation for the sources which account for the X-ray background.

Refregier, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Radiation Blocking Lenses

Biomedical Optical Company of America's (BOCA) suntiger lenses, similar in principle to natural filters in the eyes of hawks and eagles, bar 99 percent of potentially harmful wavelengths, while allowing visually useful colors of light (red, orange, green) to pass through. They also improve visual acuity, night vision and haze or fog visibility. The lenses evolved from work done by James B. Stephens and Dr. Charles G. Miller of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They developed a formula and produced a commercial welding curtain that absorbs, filters, and scatters light. This research led to protective glasses now used by dentists, workers in hazardous environments, CRT operators and skiers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Measuring the Mass Distribution in Z is Approximately 0.2 Cluster Lenses with XMM, HST and CFHT

Being the most massive gravitationally bound objects in the Universe, clusters of galaxies are prime targets for studies of structure formation and evolution. Specifically the comoving space density of virialized clusters of a given mass (or X-ray temperature), but also the frequency and degree of substructure, as well as the shape of the cluster mass profile are quantities whose current values and evolution as a function of lookback time can provide important constraints on the cosmological and physical parameters of structure formation theories. The project funded by NASA grant NAG 5-10041 intended to take such studies to a new level by combining observations of a well-selected cluster sample by three state-of-the-art telescopes: HST, to accurately measure the mass distribution in the cluster core (approx. 0.5 h(sup -1)(sub 50) Mpc) via strong gravitational lensing; CFHT, to measure the large scale mass distribution out to approx. 3 Mpc via weak lensing; and XMM, to measure the gas density and temperature distribution accurately on intermediate scales < 1.5 Mpc. XMM plays a pivotal role in this context as the calibration of X-ray mass measurements through accurate, spatially resolved X-ray temperature measurements (particularly in the cosmologically most sensitive range of kT> 5 keV) is central to the questions outlined above. This set of observations promised to yield the best cluster mass measurements obtained so far for a representative sample, thus allowing us to: 1) Measure the high-mass end of the local cluster mass function; 2) Test predictions of a universal cluster mass profile; 3) calibrate the mass-temperature and temperature-luminosity relations for clusters and the scatter around these relations, which is vital for studies of cluster evolution using the X-ray temperature and X-ray luminosity functions.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Mass and Dynamical Structures of the Lensing Clusters CL0024+17 and CL2244+02

We present a detailed gravitational mass measurement based on the XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy analysis of the lensing cluster of galaxies CL0024+17 at $z = 0.395$. The emission appears approximately symmetric. However, on the scale of $r\sim3.3'$, some indication of elongation is visible in the northwest-southeast direction from the hardness ratio map. Within $3'$, we measure a global gas temperature of $3.52\pm0.17$ keV, metallicity of $0.22\pm0.07$, and a bolometric luminosity of $2.9\pm0. l\times10(exp 44)$ erg/s. We derive a temperature distribution with an isothermal temperature of 3.9 keV up to a radius of $1.5'$ and a strong temperature gradient in the outskirts ($1.3' less than r less than 3.3'$). Under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium, we measure the gravitational mass and gas mass fraction to be $M-{200} = 2.0\pm0.3\times 10(exp 14)$ solar masses and $f-{gas} = 0.20\pm0.03$ at $r-{200} = 1.05$ Mpc (all for a Hubble constant of 70 km/sec/Mpc) using the observed gas temperature profile. The complex core structure is the key to explaining the discrepancy between the gravitational mass determined from the XMM-Newton observations and HST optical lensing measurements.

Forman, William↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Physical Conditions of a Lensed Star-Forming Galaxy at Z=1.7

We report rest-frame optical Keck/NIRSPEC spectroscopy of the brightest lensed galaxy yet discovered, RCSGA 032727-132609 at z=1.7037. From precise measurements of the nebular lines, we infer a number of physical properties: redshift ' extinction, star formation rate ' ionization parameter, electron density, electron temperature, oxygen abundance, and N/O, Ne/O, and Ar/O abundance ratios, The limit on [O III] 4363 A tightly constrains the oxygen abundance via the "direct" or Te method, for the first time in an average-metallicity galaxy at z approx.2. We compare this result to several standard "bright-line" O abundance diagnostics, thereby testing these empirically-calibrated diagnostics in situ. Finally, we explore the positions of lensed and unlensed galaxies in standard diagnostic diagrams, to explore the diversity of ionization conditions and mass-metallicity ratios at z=2.

Rigby, Jane↗
NASA NTRS2010

Physical Conditions of a Lensed Star-Forming Galaxy at Z=1.7

We report rest-frame optical Keck/NIRSPEC spectroscopy of the brightest lensed galaxy yet discovered, RCSGA 032727-132609 at z=1.7037. From precise measurements of the nebular lines, we infer a number of physical properties: redshift, extinction, star formation rate, ionization parameter, electron density, electron temperature, oxygen abundance, and N/O, Ne/O, and Ar/O abundance ratios. The limit on [O III] 4363 A tightly constrains the oxygen abundance via the "direct" or Tc method, for the first time in all metallicity galaxy at z approx.2. We compare this result to several standard "bright-line" O abundance diagnostics, thereby testing these empirically calibrated diagnostics in situ. Finally, we explore the positions of lensed and unlensed galaxies in standard diagnostic diagrams, and explore the diversity of ionization conditions and mass-metallicity ratios at z=2.

Rigby, Jane↗
NASA NTRS2004

Controllable Sonar Lenses and Prisms Based on ERFs

Sonar-beam-steering devices of the proposed type would contain no moving parts and would be considerably smaller and less power-hungry, relative to conventional multiple-beam sonar arrays. The proposed devices are under consideration for installation on future small autonomous underwater vehicles because the sizes and power demands of conventional multiple-beam arrays are excessive, and motors used in single-beam mechanically scanned systems are also not reliable. The proposed devices would include a variety of electrically controllable acoustic prisms, lenses, and prism/lens combinations both simple and compound. These devices would contain electrorheological fluids (ERFs) between electrodes. An ERF typically consists of dielectric particles floating in a dielectric fluid. When an electric field is applied to the fluid, the particles become grouped into fibrils aligned in rows, with a consequent increase in the viscosity of the fluid and a corresponding increase in the speed of sound in the fluid. The change in the speed of sound increases with an increase in the applied electric field. By thus varying the speed of sound, one varies the acoustic index of refraction, analogously to varying the index of refraction of an optical lens or prism. In the proposed acoustic devices, this effect would be exploited to control the angles of refraction of acoustic beams, thereby steering the beams and, in the case of lenses, controlling focal lengths.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗
NASA NTRS2012

On Dark Peaks and Missing Mass: A Weak-Lensing Mass Reconstruction of the Merging Cluster System A520

Merging clusters of galaxies are unique in their power to directly probe and place limits on the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter. Detailed observations of several merging clusters have shown the intracluster gas to be displaced from the centroids of dark matter and galaxy density by ram pressure, while the latter components are spatially coincident, consistent with collisionless dark matter. This has been used to place upper limits on the dark matter particle self-interaction cross-section of order 1 sq cm/g. The cluster A520 has been seen as a possible exception. We revisit A520 presenting new Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys mosaic images and a Magellan image set. We perform a detailed weak-lensing analysis and show that the weak-lensing mass measurements and morphologies of the core galaxy-filled structures are mostly in good agreement with previous works. There is, however, one significant difference: We do not detect the previously claimed "dark core" that contains excess mass with no significant galaxy overdensity at the location of the X-ray plasma. This peak has been suggested to be indicative of a large self-interaction cross-section for dark matter (at least approx 5alpha larger than the upper limit of 0.7 sq cm/g determined by observations of the Bullet Cluster). We find no such indication and instead find that the mass distribution of A520, after subtraction of the X-ray plasma mass, is in good agreement with the luminosity distribution of the cluster galaxies.We conclude that A520 shows no evidence to contradict the collisionless dark matter scenario.

Clowe, Douglas↗