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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

On the relation between coronal heating, flux tube divergence, and the solar wind proton flux and flow speed

A one-fluid solar wind model is used to investigate some relations between coronal heating, the flux tube divergence near the Sun, and the solar wind proton flux and flow speed. The effects of energy addition to the supersonic region of the flow are also studied. We allow for a mechanical energy flux that heats the corona, and an Alfven wave energy flux that adds energy, mainly to the supersonic flow, both as momentum and as heat. We find that the mechanical energy flux determines the solar wind mass flux, and in order to keep an almost constant proton flux at the orbit of Earth with changing flow geometry, that the mechanical energy flux must vary linearly with the magnetic field in the inner corona. This thermally driven wind generally has a low asymptotic flow speed. When Alfven waves are added to the thermally driven flow, the asymptotic flow speed is increased and is determined by the ratio of the Alfven wave and the mechanical energy fluxes at the coronal base. Flow speeds characteristic of recurrent high-speed solar wind streams can be obtained only when the Alfven wave energy flux, deposited in the supersonic flow, is larger than the mechanical energy flux heating the corona.

Sandbaek, Onulf↗
NASA NTRS2013

Direct Simulation of Extinction in a Slab of Spherical Particles

The exact multiple sphere superposition method is used to calculate the coherent and incoherent contributions to the ensemble-averaged electric field amplitude and Poynting vector in systems of randomly positioned nonabsorbing spherical particles. The target systems consist of cylindrical volumes, with radius several times larger than length, containing spheres with positional configurations generated by a Monte Carlo sampling method. Spatially dependent values for coherent electric field amplitude, coherent energy flux, and diffuse energy flux, are calculated by averaging of exact local field and flux values over multiple configurations and over spatially independent directions for fixed target geometry, sphere properties, and sphere volume fraction. Our results reveal exponential attenuation of the coherent field and the coherent energy flux inside the particulate layer and thereby further corroborate the general methodology of the microphysical radiative transfer theory. An effective medium model based on plane wave transmission and reflection by a plane layer is used to model the dependence of the coherent electric field on particle packing density. The effective attenuation coefficient of the random medium, computed from the direct simulations, is found to agree closely with effective medium theories and with measurements. In addition, the simulation results reveal the presence of a counter-propagating component to the coherent field, which arises due to the internal reflection of the main coherent field component by the target boundary. The characteristics of the diffuse flux are compared to, and found to be consistent with, a model based on the diffusion approximation of the radiative transfer theory.

spheres↗
NASA NTRS1987

Dynamics Explorer guest investigator

Four objectives were accomplished during this reporting period. The visible auroral image conversion algorithms were compated with algorithms developed by Dr. M. H. Rees for data at different wavelengths. In the study 630 and 557 nm images were used to deduce the auroral energy flux and characteristic energy of the precipitating auroral electrons. The data for Southward IMF, B sub y negative conditions were collected and put into global format. A total of 55 sets of auroral images were obtained, and then converted to energy flux and characteristic energy data sets. The shortcoming of representing the high latitude convection pattern as a smooth function was written up and submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research. A series of midlatitude corotational model runs were performed to quantitatively show how the F region varied as a function of electric field, topside number flux, and a topside heat source.

Sojka, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Remote Determination of Auroral Energy Characteristics During Substorm Activity

Ultraviolet auroral images from the Ultraviolet Imager onboard the POLAR satellite can be used as quantitative remote diagnostics of the auroral regions, yielding estimates of incident energy characteristics, compositional changes, and other higher order data products. In particular, images of long and short wavelength N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) emissions can be modeled to obtain functions of energy flux and average energy that are basically insensitive to changes in seasonal and solar activity changes. This technique is used in this study to estimate incident electron energy flux and average energy during substorm activity occurring on May 19, 1996. This event was simultaneously observed by WIND, GEOTAIL, INTERBALL, DMSP and NOAA spacecraft as well as by POLAR. Here incident energy estimates derived from Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) are compared with in situ measurements of the same parameters from an overflight by the DMSP F12 satellite coincident with the UVI image times.

Germany, G. A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Regional Energy Budget Over Ocean Derived From Satellite Observations

The uncertainty in regional surface energy flux derived by summing all energy flux components is known to be large. In addition, quantifying the regional energy flux uncertainty considering all flux component uncertainties is very difficult. However, this approach is needed to understand regional energy flux components and how these components change with time. The CERES surface radiation budget data product, Edition 4.1 EBAF combined with reanalysis products was used to assess regional surface energy budget over ocean in earlier studies. The CERES team revised the data product and released Edition 4.2 EBAF product in February 2023. Prominent differences from the earlier edition are: 1) no geostationary satellite derived cloud properties are used for surface irradiance computations and 2) MERRA-2 provides temperature and humidity profiles. Combined with surface turbulent fluxes from various products, this study uses the revised EBAF surface irradiances and addresses regional energy budget over ocean. In addition, the uncertainty in regional surface radiation and energy budgets is discussed.

Seiji Kato↗
NASA NTRS1976

Electron precipitation in the postmidnight sector of the auroral zones

Measurements of the angular distributions and energy spectra of electron intensities within the energy range 50 eV to 15 keV with electrostatic analyzer arrays on board the low-altitude satellite Injun 5 are reported for the postmidnight sector of the auroral zones during the high-intensity events accompanying magnetic substorms. Precipitation features on closed terrestrial field lines well equatorward of the trapping boundary for electrons with energies greater than 45 keV are examined. Precipitation of low-energy electron intensities was characterized by isotropy for all pitch angles outside the atmospheric backscatter cone. The region of electron precipitation observed is associated with the diffuse aurora and with pulsating aurora in the postmidnight sector. Similar variations of the energetic electron intensities with energies above 45 keV were observed in the regions of fluctuating energy fluxes of low-energy electrons associated with auroral luminosity. The increases of energetic electron intensities were not coincident with those of the principal energy fluxes into the atmosphere, except when the average electron energy for the energy fluxes was unusually high, i.e., in the 10-keV range. Precipitation of electron intensities within these energy ranges is consistent with strong pitch angle diffusion of electron intensities near or at the magnetic equator by high-frequency wave turbulence, the effectiveness of which is modulated by perturbations attributable to micropulsations.

Frank, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Energetic Electrons in Dipolarization Events: Spatial Properties and Anisotropy

Using the electromagnetic fields of an MHD simulation of magnetotail reconnection, flow bursts, and dipolarization, we further investigate the acceleration of electrons to suprathermal energies. Particular emphasis is on spatial properties and anisotropies as functions of energy and time. The simulation results are compared with Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms observations. The test particle approach successfully reproduces several observed injection features and puts them into a context of spatial maps of the injection region(s): a dominance of perpendicular anisotropies farther down the tail and closer to the equatorial plane, an increasing importance of parallel anisotropy closer to Earth and at higher latitudes, a drop in energy fluxes at energies below approximately 10 keV, coinciding with the plasma density drop, together with increases at higher energy, a triple peak structure of flux increases near 0 deg, 90 deg, and 180 deg, and a tendency of flux increases to extend to higher energy closer to Earth and at lower latitudes. We identified the plasma sheet boundary layers and adjacent lobes as a main source region for both increased and decreased energetic electron fluxes, related to the different effects of adiabatic acceleration at high and low energies. The simulated anisotropies tend to exceed the observed ones, particularly for perpendicular fluxes at high energies. The most plausible reason is that the MHD simulation lacks the effects of anisotropy-driven microinstabilities and waves, which would reduce anisotropies.

anisotropy↗
DOE OSTI2023

Regional tropical rainfall shifts under global warming: an energetic perspective

Abstract Future climate simulations feature pronounced spatial shifts in the structure of tropical rainfall. We apply a novel atmospheric energy flux analysis to diagnose late 21st century tropical rainfall shifts in a large ensemble of simulations of 21st century climate. The method reconstructs 2D spatial changes in rainfall based on horizontal shifts in the lines of zero meridional and zonal divergent energy flux, called the energy flux equator (EFE) and energy flux prime meridian (EFPM), respectively. Two main sources of future atmospheric energy flux changes, and hence rainfall shifts, are identified by the analysis: the high-latitude North Atlantic due to a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation that shifts tropical rainfall southwards over the greater Tropical Atlantic sector and eastern Pacific; and the eastern tropical Pacific due to a permanent El-Niño-like response that produces zonal shifts over the Maritime Continent and South America. To first order, the shifts in the EFE and EFPM mirror gross distributional changes in tropical precipitation, with a southward shift in rainfall over the tropical Atlantic, West Africa, and eastern tropical Pacific and an eastward shift over the Maritime Continent and western Pacific. When used to reconstruct future rainfall shifts in the tropical Atlantic and Sahel, the method reasonably represents the simulated meridional structure of rainfall shifts but does not do so for the zonal structures.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1980

Conical distributions of low-energy ion fluxes at synchronous orbit

Low-energy ion fluxes observed at synchronous orbit often display conical pitch angle distributions, that is, peak fluxes between 0 and 90 deg to the magnetic field direction. They are observed at all local times and are an especially common occurrence near dusk. The conic peaks normally occur in the 15-35 deg pitch angle range. Many of the low-energy ion conics in the late afternoon-dusk sector appear to be associated with low-energy plasma from the vicinity of the dusk plasmasphere bulge region. Several hypotheses for the production of these conics are advanced, and it is judged likely that cyclotron acceleration of ions at geocentric distances of 3.1 to 5.1 earth radii is operative in many cases. It is suggested that cyclotron acceleration in this altitude range may be an effective mechanism in trapping ionospheric ions within the magnetosphere.

Horwitz, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Near-conjugate observations of polar cusp electron precipitation using DE 1 and DE 2

The DE 1/2 plasma measurements of the dayside polar cusp at high and low altitudes have been examined for six near-conjugate passes. The plasma moments of downward electrons are computed, including energy flux, near flux, number density, and average energy from plasma data from both the high-altitude plasma instrument and the low-altitude plasma instrument. The DE 1/2 plasma measurements at the peaks of energy flux are compared, and the downward energy flux expected at the DE 2 altitude is modelled according to the convergence of magnetic flux tubes and using the DE 1 plasma data.

Lin, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Estimates of magnetic flux, and energy balance in the plasma sheet during substorm expansion

The energy and magnetic flux budgets of the magnetotail plasma sheet during substorm expansion are investigated. The possible mechanisms that change the energy content of the closed field line region which contains all the major dissipation mechanisms of relevance during substorms, are considered. The compression of the plasma sheet mechanism and the diffusion mechanism are considered and excluded. It is concluded that the magnetic reconnection mechanism can accomplish the required transport. Data-based empirical magnetic field models are used to investigate the magnetic flux transport required to account for the observed magnetic field dipolarizations in the inner magnetosphere. It is found that the magnetic flux permeating the current sheet is typically insufficient to supply the required magnetic flux. It is concluded that no major substorm-type magnetospheric reconfiguration is possible in the absence of magnetic reconnection.

Hesse, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1992

On the contribution of the thermospheric neutral wind to high-latitude energetics

The significance of the neutral wind dynamo as a contributor to ionospheric energetics at high latitudes is addressed by determining separately the electrical energy flux from the magnetospheric dynamo and the maximum electrical energy flux available due to the neutral wind dynamo, neglecting the natural feedback processes between the two. The neutral wind dynamo is found to contribute significantly to the flux of energy exchanged between the magnetosphere and thermosphere, particularly in the central polar cap. In the region of the magnetospheric convection reversal, the amount of available energy flux from the neutral wind dynamo can exceed that provided by the magnetospheric dynamo making the neutrals a dominant contributor to local electrodynamics.

Thayer, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Nighttime observations of 0.2- to 26-keV electrons in the South Atlantic anomaly made by Atmosphere Explorer C

Atmosphere Explorer C satellite observations have determined that the flux of low energy ions in the South Atlantic Anomaly is much smaller than that of electrons, allowing the satellite's low-energy ion detector to monitor the high-energy background and correct the low-energy electron detector accordingly. It is shown that the electron spectra can be represented by a power law in the range 0.2-26.0 keV, with the spectral index close to -1.0, and that the mean energy flux carried by electrons in the middle of the anomaly is about 0.003 erg/sq cm/sec and may reach 5 times this value. Maps of the downward energy flux are included.

Gledhill, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

On Wave Processes in the Solar Atmosphere

This grant was awarded by NASA/MSFC to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to investigate the physical processes responsible for heating and wind acceleration in the solar atmosphere, and to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time-dependent solar wind models based on the momentum deposition by finite amplitude and nonlinear Alfven waves. In summary, there are three main goals of the proposed research: (1) Calculate the wave energy spectra and wave energy fluxes carried by magnetic non- magnetic waves. (2) Find out which mechanism dominates in supplying the wave energy to different parts of the solar atmosphere. (3) Use the results obtained in (1) and (2) to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time- dependent models of the solar wind. We have completed the first goal by calculating the amount of non-radiative energy generated in the solar convection zone as acoustic waves and as magnetic tube waves. To calculate the amount of wave energy carried by acoustic waves, we have used the Lighthill-Stein theory for sound generation modified by Musielak, Rosner, Stein & Ulmschneider (1994). The acoustic wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram have also been computed. The wave energy fluxes carried by longitudinal and transverse waves along magnetic flux tubes have been calculated by using both analytical and numerical methods. Our analytical approach is based a theory developed by Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschnelder and Musielak, Rosner, Gall & Ulmschneider, which allows computing the wave energy fluxes for linear tube waves. A numerical approach has been developed by Huang, Musielak & Ulmschneider and Ulmschneider & Musielak to compute the energy fluxes for nonlinear tube waves. Both methods have been used to calculate the wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the HR diagram (Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschneider 1998; Ulmschneider, Musielak & Fawzy 1998). Having obtained the wave energy fluxes for acoustic and magnetic tube waves, we have investigated the behavior of these waves in the solar and stellar atmospheres. The results of our extensive studies have been published in many papers and presented at numerous scientific meetings. In these studies we have investigated different aspects of propagation of acoustic and magnetic waves, the efficiency of energy transfer along magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere, and behavior of Alfven waves in stgeady and expanding solar and stellar atmospheres. Recently, we have used some of these results to construct first purely theoretical, two component and time-dependent models of solar and stellar chromospheres. Finally, to address the third goal, we have constructed first fully theoretical, self-consistent and time dependent wind models based on the momentum deposition by non-linear Alfven waves. The full set of single-fluid MHD equations with the background flow has been solved by using a modified version of the ZEUS MHD code. The constructed wind models are radially symmetric with the magnetic field decreasing radially and the initial outflow is described by the standard Parker wind solution. In contrast to previous studies, no assumptions regarding wave linearity, wave damping, and wave-flow interaction are made; the models thus naturally account for the backreaction of the wind on the waves as well as for the nonlinear interaction between different types of MHD waves. The models have been used to explain the origin of fast speed streams in solar coronal holes. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that the momentum deposition by Alfven waves in the solar wind can be sufficient to explain the origin of fast stream components of the solar wind. The range of wave amplitudes required to obtain the desired results seems to be in good agreement with recent observations.

Musielak, Z. E.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Pulsar Pair Cascades in Magnetic Fields with Offset Polar Caps

Neutron star magnetic fields may have polar caps (PC) that are offset from the dipole axis, through field-line sweepback near the light cylinder or non-symmetric currents within the star. The effects of such offsets on electron-positron pair cascades are investigated, using simple models of dipole magnetic fields with small distortions that shift the PCs by different amounts or directions. Using a Monte Carlo pair cascade simulation, we explore the changes in the pair spectrum, multiplicity and energy flux across the PC, as well as the trends in pair flux and pair energy flux with spin-down luminosity, L(sub sd). We also give an estimate of the distribution of heating flux from returning positrons on the PC for different offsets. We find that even modest offsets can produce significant increases in pair multiplicity, especially for pulsars that are near or beyond the pair death lines for centered PCs, primarily because of higher accelerating fields. Pair spectra cover several decades in energy, with the spectral range of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) two orders of magnitude higher than for normal pulsars, and PC offsets allow significant extension of all spectra to lower pair energies. We find that the total PC pair luminosity L(sub pair) is proportional to L(sub sd), with L(sub pair) approximates 10(exp -3) L(sub sd) for normal pulsars and L(sub pair) approximates 10(exp -2) L(sub sd) for MSPs. Remarkably, the total PC heating luminosity for even large offsets increases by less than a factor of two, even though the PC area increases by much larger factors, because most of the heating occurs near the magnetic axis.

Harding, Alice K.↗