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At least 109 records · Page 6

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NASA NTRS2012

An Investigation of Stress Dependent Atomic Oxygen Erosion of Black Kapton Observed on MISSE 6

Black Kapton XC polyimide was flown as part of the Polymer Film Tensile Experiment (PFTE) on Materials International Space Station Experiment 6 (MISSE 6). The purpose of the experiment was to expose a variety of polymer films, typical of those used for thermal control blankets or supporting membranes on Earth orbiting spacecraft, to the low Earth orbital (LEO) environment under both relaxed and tension conditions. Black Kapton XC under tensile stress experienced a higher erosion rate during exposure in LEO than the same material that was flown in a relaxed condition. Testing conducted to determine the magnitude of the stress and erosion dependence using a ground-based thermal energy atomic oxygen plasma showed a slight dependence of erosion yield on stress for Kapton HN and Black Kapton XC, but not to the extent observed on MISSE 6. More testing is needed to isolate the factors present in LEO that cause stress dependent erosion.

Miller, Sharon K. R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Modelling of Surfaces. Part 2: Metallic Alloy Surfaces Using the BFS Method

Using BFS, a new semiempirical method for alloys, we study the surface structure of fcc ordered binary alloys. We concentrate on the calculation of surface energies and surface relaxations for the L1(sub 0) and L1(sub 2) ordered structures. Different terminations of the low-index faces are studied. Also, we present results for the interlayer relaxations for planes close to the surface, revealing different relaxations for atoms of different species producing a rippled surface layer.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Origin of Palimpsests

Palimpsests are the most enigmatic impact features observed on icy worlds of the Solar System. Palimpsests are large impact features which are bright, old, mostly flat, and roughly circular. They range from >150 to ~350 km in diameter and sometimes exhibit recognizable associated radial secondary ejecta crater strings beyond their rims. Curiously, among all the Solar System's icy worlds, palimpsests are exclusively seen on the icy Galilean moons. Palimpsests are obviously different than similarly sized impact features seen on other icy satellites. For example, Evander, a 350 km diameter peak-ring impact basin on Saturn’s moon Dione, has a very low depth/diameter ratio of 0.008, indicating significant viscous relaxation. Nevertheless, it still retains short wavelength topography including a prominent central peak, peak ring, and a continuous rim, none of which are seen at palimpsests. Palimpsests display an approximately circular, and dominating, expanse of undulating plains, which is level with surrounding terrain and shows no recognizable rim. At the center of palimpsests are smooth central plains that are enclosed by a low scarp. Central plains material superposes the surrounding undulating plains and is littered with small blocks reminiscent of “small chaos” on Europa. Palimpsests have yet to be explored using modern impact simulation tools. We have begun to investigate two competing hypotheses: (A) Palimpsests form on targets which have a preexisting near-subsurface layer that is liquid or solid but very weak, and is excavated as proximal ejecta; or (B) They form in a solid ice target underlain by a steep thermal gradient that strongly influences the resulting impact feature, including the production of impact-induced melting at depth that is then a major component of proximal ejecta. Our results will have profound implications for the early thermal history of the icy Galilean satellites. We will test our two hypotheses for the formation of palimpsests on Ganymede (where they are both best observed and preserved) by means of 2D iSALE hydrodynamic simulations of impacts into ice targets that will be structured according to the scenarios for each hypothesis, with select runs in 3D. We have already conducted a pilot study using 2D iSALE that has yielded promising results, which we will report out at the meeting.

palimpsests↗

NASA NTRS1987

Finite element models of non-Newtonian crater relaxation

The effects of a non-Newtonian rheology on the profiles of relaxing craters (such as those seen on the surfaces of the icy Galilean and Saturnian satellites) were studied. Two-dimensional finite element simulations of non-Newtonian viscous flow were performed, and the results were compared with those associated with Newtonian rheology. Viscous relaxation of craters in a non-Newtonian medium was significantly different from that in a Newtonian medium. Crater rims are observed to relax at a more rapid rate in a non-Newtonian region as a result of the movement of the low viscosity region to underneath the crater rim after the initial relaxation of the bowl. Significant differences are also found when central depth is plotted as a function of time. For a Newtonian medium, crater relaxation is exponential in form. In contrast, non-Newtonian crater relaxation is initially rapid, in response to the large initial stresses and small viscosities; however, as stresses decrease, this relaxation becomes extremely gradual.

Thomas, Paul J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

On the collapse and violent relaxation of protoglobular clusters

During the formation of stellar systems such as globular clusters, low-mass subcondensations which eventually form stars must retain a geometric size throughout the collapse process that is small compared to the characteristic distance separating them. If the local velocity dispersion of the subcondensations is small, the overall dimension of the system can decrease substantially before reaching a dynamical equilibrium state. The maximum collapse factor is deduced by examining the growth of the velocity dispersion and the spread in arrival times at the origin caused by local and global fluctuations. It is shown, analytically as well as in a series of N-body simulations, that the maximum reduction in the characteristic dimension of a system of N fragments with an initial homogeneous distribution subject to N exp 1/2 fluctuations is proportional to N exp 1/3. Direct physical collisions between low-mass subcondensations are therefore unlikely to occur in protoglobular clusters. The results are discussed in the context of fragmentation and violent relaxation.

Aarseth, S. J.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Superconducting Mixers for Far-Infrared Spectroscopy

The goal of this project was to fabricate and test planar arrays of superconducting mixers for the 2-6 THz band. The technology is intended for multi-beam receivers aboard Explorer-class missions and the SOFIA Airborne Observatory. The mixer technology is the superconducting transition-edge microbolometer, which is more commonly known as the Hot-Electron micro-Bolometer (HEB). As originally proposed, two superconducting technologies were to be developed: (1) low-Tc niobium HEBs which could approach quantum-noise-limited sensitivities but require cooling to 2- 4 K, and (2) high-Tc YBCO HEBs with sensitivities 10 times worse but with a relaxed cooling requirement of 30-60 K. The low-Tc devices would be best for astronomy applications on SOFIA, whereas the high-Tc devices would be more suitable for planetary missions using systems without stored cryogens. The work plan called for planar micro-fabrication and initial testing of HEB devices at the NIST Boulder clean-room facility. Subsequent assembly and RF testing of selected devices would be done at the CASA laboratory at U. Colorado. Approximately 1-year after work began on this project, Dr. Eyal Gerecht joined the NIST group, and assumed day-to-day responsibility for Nb-HEB development at NIST outside of micro-fabrication. The YBCO-HEB work was to be guided by Dr. Ron Ono, who was the NIST expert in YBCO technology. Unfortunately, recurrent health problems limited the time Ron could devote to the project in its first year. These problems became aggravated in early 2001, and sadly led to Ron's death in October, 2001. His loss was not only a blow to his friends and associates at NIST, but was mounted by the US superconductivity community at large. With his passing, work on high-Tc HEBs ceased at NIST. There was no one to replace him or his expertise. Our work subsequently shifted solely to Nb-HEB devices. In the sections which follow, our progress in the development of diffusion-cooled Nb-HEB mixers is detailed. To simplify the terminology, these devices will subsequently be called DHEB mixers to distinguish them from phonon-cooled devices (PHEBs).

Betz, A. L.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Quantum Mechanical Simulations of Dynamics of Electronic Excitations in Low-Dimensional Photovoltaics Materials

Dynamics of electronically excited states including exciton generation and relaxation, exciton-exciton interaction, and charge/energy transfer and transport, are critical to understanding and optimizing photovoltaic materials. Although considerable progress has been made, accurate experimental characterization of such crucial dynamics remains extremely challenging, especially in low-dimensional materials. In this talk, I will discuss how the advancement of quantum mechanical simulations of the dynamics of electronic excitations can reveal the physical mechanisms hindering or improving solar energy harvest. Specifically, we find that surface dangling-bond defects on silicon quantum dots cause rapid charge recombination and low carrier mobility in the inorganic-organic PV cells. Although small quantum dots are essentially free of defects, their optical gaps are too large. To solve this issue, a full-spectrum-light-absorption scheme is computationally designed, taking advantage of complexity and flexibility of low-dimensional materials consisting of different characteristics and dimensions. In this scheme the multifunctional ligands are used to (1) passivate against oxidation, (2) facilitate interfacial charge transfer, and (3) improve both charge transport and optical absorption. A joint theoretical and experimental study has demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. Finally, I will briefly talk about how this scheme and the well-tested quantum mechanical simulations can be employed to help improve energy-conversion efficiency in perovskite photovoltaics including perovskite-based tandem cells.

Zhigang Wu↗

NASA NTRS1984

Low-frequency sound absorption measurements in air

Thirty sets of sound absorption measurements in air at a pressure of 1 atmosphere are presented at temperatures from 10 C to 50 C, relative humidities from 0 to 100 percent, and frequencies from 10 to 2500 Hz. The measurements were conducted by the method of free decay in a resonant tube having a length of 18.261 m and bore diameter of 0.152 m. Background measurements in a gas consisting of 89.5 percent N2 and 10.5 percent Ar, a mixture which has the same sound velocity as air, permitted the wall and structural losses of the tube to be separated from the constituent absorption, consisting of classical rotational and vibrational absorption, in the air samples. The data were used to evaluate the vibrational relaxation frequencies of N2 and/or O2 for each of the 30 sets of meteorological parameters. Over the full range of humidity, the measured relaxation frequencies of N2 in air lie between those specified by ANSI Standard S1.26-1978 and those measured earlier in binary N2H2O mixtures. The measured relaxation frequencies could be determined only at very low values of humidity, reveal a significant trend away from the ANSI standard, in agreement with a prior investigation.

Zuckerwar, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Low-frequency absorption of sound in air

Zuckerwar, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Relaxation of magnetotail plasmas with field-aligned currents

Equilibria of low free energy have been constructed for magnetotail plasmas (Bhattacharjee, 1987). This model is extended to obtain axisymmetric states which have the structure of flux ropes containing field-aligned currents. An interesting feature of these equilibria is a chain of magnetic islands along the tail axis. Theoretical results are compared with observations from ISEE 1 and ISEE 2 on flux ropes (Elphic et al., 1986).

Paranicas, C.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Magnetic dilution in the triangular lattice antiferromagnet NaYb 1−𝑥 ⁢Lu 𝑥 ⁢O 2

The delafossitelike compound NaYbO 2 hosts a triangular lattice of Yb 3+ moments and is a promising candidate for the realization of a quantum spin liquid ground state—an exotic, quantum-disordered magnetic phase featuring long-range entanglement of spins. Tuning this system away from this quantum-disordered regime toward classical order or spin freezing is a powerful approach to shed light on the nature of the parent ground state. Here we leverage the substitution of nonmagnetic Lu 3+ onto the Yb 3+ sites to study the effects of magnetic disorder in NaYbO 2 using low-temperature ac susceptibility, heat capacity, and muon spin relaxation (𝜇⁢SR) measurements. Here, our 𝜇⁢SR measurements reveal resilient, correlated magnetic fluctuations that persist to at least 15% dilution, precluding conventional spin freezing and magnetic inhomogeneity. Heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility resolve a rapid suppression of the field-induced “up-up-down” magnetic order upon dilution and a crossover in the power-law behavior of the low-temperature magnetic excitations associated with the zero-field quantum disordered ground state. Taken together, these results support the notion of a robust network of entangled moments in NaYbO 2 and provide experimental validation of several models of a Heisenberg triangular lattice antiferromagnet in the presence of disorder.

Muon spin relaxation & rotation↗

DOE OSTI2026

Spectroscopy and dynamics of the v = 1 levels derived from the OH(D) stretching modes in the I‾∙HDO complex using CW and time-resolved, resonant two-photon infrared excitation of the cryogenically cooled ions

The vibrational energy levels of the two isotopomers adopted by the I‾∙HDO ion-molecule complex occur such that the OH(D) stretching fundamentals span its dissociation energy, thus enabling a spectroscopic investigation of the dynamics displayed by a system prepared in the vicinity of the dissociation threshold. This regime is explored using infrared photoexcitation of the mass-selected complexes cooled in a cryogenic radiofrequency (Paul) ion trap. Survey spectra are obtained at modest resolution using two-color, IR-IR photodissociation with nanosecond lasers to establish the level structure and unimolecular decay dynamics of the v = 1 and 2 levels of the bound OH(D) oscillator. The v = 1 levels are prepared by fixed frequency excitation in the trap and the absorption spectra arising from this excited state are probed by photofragmentation of the complex with a second pulsed IR laser after a variable delay time (0 to 20 ms). The transitions to levels above the dissociation threshold for I‾ + HDO formation are observed to be sharp (~5 cm -1 FWHM). At low pressure, the bound OD (v = 1) population relaxes very slowly (~3 ms), consistent with resonant fluorescence in the IR. The collisional quenching rate constants of this level by the He buffer gas were estimated to be on the order 3 x 10 -12 cm 3 /s based on a crude Stern-Volmer analysis. Here, the rotational fine structure and linewidths (≲0.01 cm -1 FWHM) arising from transitions of the non-bonded OH stretch fundamental of the OD-bound isotopomer that lies just above the dissociation energy are determined using single photon photodissociation by excitation of the 10 K ions with a single-frequency, CW IR laser in the ion trap.

Cryogenic ion infrared spectroscopy↗

DOE OSTI2026

Metal-Centered Photoredox Catalysis using d 6 Transition Metal-based Chromophores

Controlling excited-state reactivity in transition metal chromophores is central to light-driven chemistry, with applications spanning from solar energy conversion to photoredox catalysis. Ru(II) and Ir(III) chromophores currently dominate applications within this field due to their long-lived charge-transfer (CT) excited states, which support bimolecular electron transfer chemistry. However, their elemental scarcity and relative lack of selectivity for differentiating oxidative versus reductive pathways has in part motivated the exploration of alternative platforms that could, in principle, offer distinct mechanistic opportunities. Earth-abundant, valence-isoelectronic 3d 6 complexes of Fe(II) and Co(III) have attracted significant attention due to their electronic similarity to Ru(II) and Ir(III), suggesting the potential for complementary photophysical behavior. In contrast to their heavier congeners, however, the weaker ligand fields of first-row transition metals promote rapid relaxation from initially populated CT states to low-lying metal-centered (MC) excited states, typically of 5 T 2 or 3 T 1 character. Because these MC states involve redistribution of electron density within MC d-orbitals rather than charge separation between metal and ligand orbitals, they were historically considered poor candidates for use in photochemical transformations.

Charge transfer↗

NASA NTRS1979

Comptonization of X-rays by low-temperature electrons

A method is described for calculating the spectrum that results from the Compton scattering of a monochromatic source of X-rays by low-temperature electrons, both for initial-value relaxation problems and for steady-state spatial diffusion problems. The method gives an exact solution of the inital-value problem for evolution of the spectrum in an infinite homogeneous medium if Klein-Nishina corrections to the Thomson cross section are neglected. This, together with approximate solutions for problems in which Klein-Nishina corrections are significant and/or spatial diffusion occurs, shows spectral structure near the original photon wavelength that may be used to infer physical conditions in cosmic X-ray sources. Explicit results, shown for examples of time relaxation in an infinite medium and spatial diffusion through a uniform sphere, are compared with results obtained by Monte Carlo calculations and by solving the appropriate Fokker-Planck equation.

Illarionov, A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

MBE growth technology for high quality strained III-V layers

The III-V films are grown on large automatically perfect terraces of III-V substrates which have a different lattice constant, with temperature and Group III and V arrival rates chosen to give a Group III element stable surface. The growth is pulsed to inhibit Group III metal accumulation of low temperature, and to permit the film to relax to equilibrium. The method of the invention: (1) minimizes starting step density on sample surface; (2) deposits InAs and GaAs using an interrupted growth mode (0.25 to 2 monolayers at a time); (3) maintains the instantaneous surface stoichiometry during growth (As-stable for GaAs, In-stable for InAs); and (4) uses time-resolved RHEED to achieve aspects (1) through (3).

Grunthaner, Frank J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Coherent pulses in the diffusive transport of charged particles`

We present exact solutions to the diffusive transport of charged particles following impulsive injection for a simple model of scattering. A modified, two-parameter relaxation-time model is considered that simulates the low rate of scattering through perpendicular pitch-angle. Scattering is taken to be isotropic within each of the foward- and backward-pointing hemispheres, respectively, but, at the same time, a reduced rate of sccattering is assumed from one hemisphere to the other one. By applying a technique of Fourier- and Laplace-transform, the inverse transformation can be performed and exact solutions can be reached. By contrast with the first, and so far only exact solutions of Federov and Shakov, this wider class of solutions gives rise to coherent pulses to appear. The present work addresses omnidirectional densities for isotropic injection from an instantaneous and localized source. The dispersion relations are briefly discussed. We find, for this particular model, two diffusive models to exist up to a certain limiting wavenumber. The corresponding eigenvalues are real at the lowest wavenumbers. Complex eigenvalues, which are responsible for coherent pulses, appear at higher wavenumbers.

Kota, J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

MBE growth technology for high quality strained III-V layers

III-V films are grown on large automatically perfect terraces of III-V substrates which have a different lattice constant, with temperature and Group II and V arrival rates chosen to give a Group III element stable surface. The growth is pulsed to inhibit Group III metal accumulation to low temperature, and to permit the film to relax to equilibrium. The method of the invention 1) minimizes starting step density on sample surface; 2) deposits InAs and GaAs using an interrupted growth mode (0.25 to 2 mono-layers at a time); 3) maintains the instantaneous surface stoichiometry during growth (As-stable for GaAs, In-stable for InAs); and 4) uses time-resolved RHEED to achieve aspects (1)-14 (3).

Grunthaner, Frank J.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Reducing Field Distortion in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A concept for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that would utilize a relatively weak magnetic field provides for several design features that differ significantly from the corresponding features of conventional MRI systems. Notable among these features are a magnetic-field configuration that reduces (relative to the conventional configuration) distortion and blurring of the image, the use of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer as the detector, and an imaging procedure suited for the unconventional field configuration and sensor. In a typical application of MRI, a radio-frequency pulse is used to excite precession of the magnetic moments of protons in an applied magnetic field, and the decaying precession is detected for a short time following the pulse. The precession occurs at a resonance frequency proportional to the strengths of the magnetic field and the proton magnetic moment. The magnetic field is configured to vary with position in a known way; hence, by virtue of the aforesaid proportionality, the resonance frequency varies with position in a known way. In other words, position is encoded as resonance frequency. MRI using magnetic fields weaker than those of conventional MRI offers several advantages, including cheaper and smaller equipment, greater compatibility with metallic objects, and higher image quality because of low susceptibility distortion and enhanced spin-lattice-relaxation- time contrast. SQUID MRI is being developed into a practical MRI method for applied magnetic flux densities of the order of only 100 T

Eom, Byeong Ho↗