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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 NTRS2011

Filaments in Carbonaceous Meteorites: Mineral Crystals, Modern Bio-Contaminants or Indigenous Microfossils of Trichomic Prokaryotes?

Environmental (ESEM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) investigations have resulted in the detection of a large number of complex filaments in a variety of carbonaceous meteorites. Many of the filaments were observed to be clearly embedded the rock matrix of freshly fractured interior surfaces of the meteorites. The high resolution images obtained combined with tilt and rotation of the stage provide 3-dimensional morphological and morphometric data for the filaments. Calibrated Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and 2-D elemental X-ray maps have provided information on the chemical compositions of the filaments and the minerals of the associated meteorite rock matrix. These observations are used to evaluate diverse hypotheses regarding the possible abiotic or biogenic nature of the filaments found embedded in these meteorites.

Hoover, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Refined Shock Velocity of the X-Ray Filaments in the RCW 86 Northeast Rim

A precise measurement of shock velocities is crucial for constraining the mechanism and efficiency of cosmic-ray (CR) acceleration at supernova remnant (SNR) shock fronts. The northeastern rim of the SNR RCW 86 is thought to be a particularly efficient CR acceleration site, owing to the recent result in which an extremely high shock velocity of 6000 km s1 was claimed. Here, we revisit the same SNR rim with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, 11 years after the first observation. This longer baseline than previously available allows us to determine a more accurate proper motion of the nonthermal X-ray filament, revealing a much lower velocity of 3000 340 km s1 (and even slower at a brighter region). Although the value has dropped to one-half of that from the previous X-ray measurement, it is still higher than the mean velocity of the H filaments in this region (1200 km s1). This discrepancy implies that the filaments bright in nonthermal X-rays and H emission trace different velocity components, and thus a CR pressure constrained by combining the X-ray kinematics and the H spectroscopy can easily be overestimated. We also measure the proper motion of the thermal X-ray filament immediately to the south of the nonthermal one. The inferred velocity (720 360 km s1) is significantly lower than that of the nonthermal filament, suggesting the presence of denser ambient material, possibly a wall formed by a wind from the progenitor, which has drastically slowed down the shock.

acceleration of particles - ISM: individuals objec↗
NASA NTRS2018

Morphology and Kinematics of Filaments in the Serpens and Perseus Molecular Clouds

We present H(exp 13)CO(exp +) (J= 1-0) and HNC (J= 1-0) maps of regions in Serpens South, Serpens Main, and NGC 1333 containing filaments. We also observe the Serpens regions using H(exp 13)CN (J= 1-0). These dense gas tracer molecular line observations carried out with CARMA have an angular resolution of approximately 7", a spectral resolution of approximately 0.16 km s (exp -1), and a sensitivity of 50-100 mJy beam (exp -1). Although the large-scale structure compares well with the Herschel dust continuum maps, we resolve finer structure within the filaments identified by Herschel. The H(exp 13)CO(exp +) emission distribution agrees with the existing CARMA diazenylium(exp +) (J= 1-0) maps, so they trace the same morphology and kinematics of the filaments. The H(exp 13)CO(exp +) maps additionally reveal that many regions have multiple structures partially overlapping in the line of sight. In two regions, the velocity differences are as high as 1.4 km s(exp -1). We identify eight filamentary structures having typical widths of 0.03 - 0.08 pc in these tracers. At least 50% of the filamentary structures have distinct velocity gradients perpendicular to their major axis, with average values in the range of 4-10 km s(exp -1) pc (exp -1). These findings are in support of the theoretical models of filament formation by 2D inflow in the shock layer created by colliding turbulent cells. We also find evidence of velocity gradients along the length of two filamentary structures; the gradients suggest that these filaments are inflowing toward the cloud core.

Dhabal, Arnab↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasmoids, Flows, and Jets During Magnetic Reconnection in a Failed Filament Eruption

We report a detailed analysis of a flare/failed eruption in Active Region 12018 on April 3, 2014, using observations from SDO/AIA, IRIS, STEREO and Hinode/SOT. Initially, we observed multiple jets originating from the cusp of a large coronal bright point (null-point topology) 1-2 hours prior to the slow rise of a filament. The subsequent filament eruption, which was outside the IRIS field of view, was accompanied by a flare but remained confined. Multiple blobs were observed, most likely formed in a breakout current sheet near the cusp during the filament slow rise. During the explosive flare reconnection phase, plasmoids also appeared and moved bidirectionally (speed=100-285 km/s, periodicity~70 s) in the flare current sheet below the erupting filament. The tiny jet-like features in the fan loops were detected during the filament slow-rise/pre-flare phase associated with slow interchange/breakout reconnection at 3D null followed by multiple plasmoids moving along the fan-loops/separatrix. We will discuss why our interpretation is more robust than the nanoflare heating/flows suggested by Antolin et al. (2021).

P. Kumar↗
NASA NTRS2016

Modeling the Scattering Polarization of the Hydrogen Ly-alpha Line Observed by CLASP in a Filament Channel

The 400 arcsec spectrograph slit of CLASP crossed predominantly quiet regions of the solar chromosphere, from the limb towards the solar disk center. Interestingly, in the CLASP slit-jaw images and in the SDO images of the He I line at 304 A, we can identify a filament channel (FC) extending over more than 60 arcsec crossing the spectrograph slit. In order to interpret the peculiar spatial variation of the Q/1 and U/1 signals observed by CLASP in the hydrogen Ly-alpha line (1216 A) and in the Si Ill line (1206 A) in such a filament channel, it is necessary to perform multi-dimensional radiative transfer modeling. In this contribution, we show the first results of the two-dimensional calculations we are carrying out in given filament models, with the aim of determining the filament thermal and magnetic structure by comparing the theoretical and the observed polarization signals.

CLASP↗
NASA NTRS2018

GONG Catalog of Solar Filament Oscillations Near Solar Maximum

We have cataloged 196 filament oscillations from the Global Oscillation Network Group Hα network data during several months near the maximum of solar cycle 24 (2014 January–June). Selected examples from the catalog are described in detail, along with our statistical analyses of all events. Oscillations were classified according to their velocity amplitude: 106 small-amplitude oscillations (SAOs), with velocities <10 km s-1, and 90 large-amplitude oscillations (LAOs), with velocities >10 km s-1. Both SAOs and LAOs are common, with one event of each class every two days on the visible side of the Sun. For nearly half of the events, we identified their apparent trigger. The period distribution has a mean value of 58 ± 15 minutes for both types of oscillations. The distribution of the damping time per period peaks at τ/P = 1.75 and 1.25 for SAOs and LAOs, respectively. We confirmed that LAO damping rates depend nonlinearly on the oscillation velocity. The angle between the direction of motion and the filament spine has a distribution centered at 27° for all filament types. This angle agrees with the observed direction of filament-channel magnetic fields, indicating that most of the cataloged events are longitudinal (i.e., undergo field-aligned motions). We applied seismology to determine the average radius of curvature in the magnetic dips, R ≈ 89 Mm, and the average minimum magnetic field strength, B ≈ 16 G. The catalog is available to the community online and is intended to be expanded to cover at least 1 solar cycle.

Filaments↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evolution of intermittent filaments in the scrape-off layer of NSTX

Filamentary structures naturally arise from background turbulence in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of plasmas, leading to significant particle and heat transport that can degrade overall plasma confinement. This enhanced transport can contribute to unacceptably high heat loads on plasma-facing components. As such, understanding the physics of SOL plasma filaments is critical for predicting and mitigating their effects in future fusion devices. On the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), plasma filaments—commonly referred to as “blobs”—were investigated using the gas-puff imaging (GPI) diagnostic in the edge and SOL regions. The analysis involved identifying, segmenting, and tracking the characteristic contours of the blobs in each frame of the GPI video sequences. Their evolution was characterized through shape descriptors, velocity, and angular velocity derived from their contour coordinates. The results indicate that as the blob area increases, their shapes become more concave and less circular, suggesting reduced structural stability in larger blobs. This result aligns with previous theoretical results where it was shown that larger blobs are more susceptible to instabilities [Krasheninnikov et al., J. Plasma Phys. 74, 679–717 (2008) and D'Ippolito et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 060501 (2011)]. A positive correlation was observed between radial velocity and radial position, suggesting radially outward acceleration of the filaments, potentially driven by decreasing viscous drag toward the far SOL. Interestingly, blobs in background SOL turbulence exhibited minimal spinning in contrast to filaments originating from edge localized modes, which show substantial rotation during their paths [Lampert et al., Phys. Plasmas 29, 102502 (2022)]. Statistical analysis of the solidity and total curvature shape descriptors, along with their temporal evolution, revealed relatively broad, near-Gaussian distributions. This suggests that blob morphology is strongly influenced by stochastic turbulent processes in the surrounding plasma environment. Blob parameters were also compared with bulk plasma and radial profile measurements. Notable trends were found between blob rotation and poloidal velocity with collisionality and line-integrated density. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of blob dynamics and provide valuable insights for refining SOL turbulence models.

Covariance and correlation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optical Imaging of Laser-Driven Fast Electron Weibel-like Filamentation in Overcritical Density Plasma

We report on the measurement of filamented transport of laser-generated fast electron beams in near-critical density plasma. A relativistic intensity long-wave-infrared laser irradiated a hydrodynamically shaped helium gas flow at an electron density n e ≃ 10 25 m − 3 , generating a large flux of fast electrons that propagated beyond the critical surface. The beam-to-background electron density ratio was sufficiently high to drive growth of Weibel-like filamentation, which was measured by optical probing to extend up to 800 μ m with radii ∼ 10 μ m . Particle-in-cell simulations reproduce the main features of the filamentation generation, suggesting that collisionless processes are dominant in these interactions. Expansion of the filaments after formation infers a fast electron heated plasma temperature ∼ 400 eV in the overcritical density plasma. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Thermal and Kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich Effect in Galaxy Clusters and Filaments Using Multifrequency Temperature Maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background: A399–A401 Cluster Pair Case Study

We present a multifrequency and multi-instrument methodology to study the physical properties of galaxy clusters and cosmic filaments using cosmic microwave background observations. Our approach enables simultaneous measurement of both the thermal (tSZ) and kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich (kSZ) effects, incorporates relativistic corrections, and models astrophysical foregrounds such as thermal dust emission. We do this by jointly fitting a single physical model across multiple maps from multiple instruments at different frequencies, rather than fitting a model to a single Compton-y map. We demonstrate the success of this method by fitting the A399–A401 galaxy cluster pair and filament system using archival data from the Planck satellite and new, targeted deep data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, covering 11 different frequencies over 14 maps from 30 GHz to 545 GHz. Our tSZ results are consistent with previous work using Compton-y maps. We measure the line-of-sight peculiar velocities of the cluster–filament system using the kSZ effect and find statistical uncertainties on individual cluster peculiar velocities of ≲600 km s −1 , which are competitive with current state-of-the-art measurements. Additionally, we measure the optical depth of the filament component with a signal-to-noise of 8.5σ and reveal hints of its morphology. This modular approach is well-suited for application to future instruments across a wide range of millimeter and submillimeter wavebands.

Gill, Ajay S. [National Research Council of Canada↗
NASA NTRS1973

Diffusion in a unidirectional filament reinforced metal composite.

A theoretical analysis has been developed to describe composition changes resulting from exposure of a unidirectional filament reinforced metal composite to an elevated temperature environment. The analysis was based on a simple superposition of finite-difference solutions of the diffusion equation, and was applicable to the case for which the filament and matrix metals comprised an isomorphous binary alloy system. The possibility of chemical reaction between filaments and matrix was excluded. Excellent agreement was obtained between calculated concentration profiles and results of quantitative electron microprobe analyses of nickel filament reinforced copper samples.

Herring, H. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Slow X-ray bursts and flares with filament disruption

The data from OGO-5 and OSO-7 X-ray experiments have been compared with optical data from six chromospheric flares with filament disruption associated with slow thermal X-ray bursts. Filament activation accompanied by a slight X-ray enhancement precedes the first evidence of H-alpha flare by a few minutes. Rapid increase of the soft X-ray flux accompanies the phase of fastest expansion of the filament. Plateau or slow decay phases in the X-ray flux are associated with slowing and termination of filament expansion. The soft X-ray flux increases as F approaches (A + Bh)h, where h is the height of the disrupted prominence at any given time and A and B are constants. We suggest that the soft X-ray emission originates from a growing shell of roughly constant thickness of high-temperature plasma due to the compression of the coronal gas by the expanding prominence.

Roy, J.-R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

X-ray emission associated with filament activity

The temporal and spatial relationships of activated filaments, soft X-ray production, and H-alpha flares are investigated. The events chosen for study are from a sample of 114 hours of the very best, high-resolution H-alpha records of active regions gleaned from about 150 days of observations of active regions by Big Bear Solar Observatory, all with simultaneous mapping X-ray heliometer coverage. In the final data set, 20 flares are chosen for detailed study (10 significant flares and 10 smaller flarelike events). The data are examined for preflare filament activation and preflare X-ray enhancements with a view to discover a link between the two phenomena. To the limits set by the data, no convincing evidence for consistent preflare effects in H-alpha or X-rays is found. Aside from the 'disparition brusque', it seems clear that filament activity is not directly responsible for any dramatic effects in X-rays, and even there, the enhancement comes after the filament has disappeared.

Acton, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

X-rays, filament activity and flare prediction

One hundred twenty seven hours of high-resolution H alpha movies of young active regions have been compared with simultaneous 1.5-15 keV X-ray measurements from the Mapping X-Ray Heliometer experiment on OSO-8, with particular attention to preflare periods and to the possibility of X-ray emission associated with filament activity during that time. The period studied included eight confirmed flares or subflares, 16 unreported events of comparable magnitude, and numerous examples of filament activity. No evidence for X-ray emission from areas of enhanced filament activity was found unless simultaneous brightenings were present in H alpha. In addition, no peculiar behavior of either filaments or X-rays was detected during the period of approximately 20 min preceding these small flares, which, even in retrospect, would have allowed them to be 'predicted'.

Mosher, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Investigation of diffusion barrier materials on silicon carbide filaments

The formation of diffusion barrier materials on SiC filaments is discussed. The filaments possess a carbon-rich surface layer and, consequently, are difficult to wet by molten Al and tend to react with the molten metal, degrading filament strength. Characterization of the filament with various CVD barrier materials is reported.

Wawner, F. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

X-ray structures associated with disappearing H-alpha filaments in active regions

The paper examines the relationship between active region disappearing H-alpha filaments and the associated coronal X-ray structures observed both before the disappearance event and afterwards. The events chosen for the study were selected from a list of active region X-ray transients observed in the images from the X-ray telescope on Skylab and from a list compiled by Webb (1976) of sudden disappearances of filaments during the Skylab period. Results indicate no distinction between the disappearing and the remaining active region filaments in terms of their pre-event associated X-ray emission features. However, X-ray brightenings were associated in a nearly one-to-one correspondence with disappearing portions of the filaments.

Kahler, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Numerical simulation of vortex breakdown by the vortex-filament method

The vortex filament method was applied to the simulation of vortex breakdown. The principal vortex region was represented by multiple filaments, and an axial velocity component was induced by a spiral winding of the filaments. First, an accuracy check was performed for a cylindrical swirling flow with simple analytical expressions for the axial and theta velocities. The result suggests that the flow field is simulated to any accuracy by increasing the number of filaments. Second, an axisymmetric type vortex breakdown was simulated, with experimental data serving as upstream conditions. The calculated axial and theta velocity contours show the breakdown of the vortex, including a rapid change in the vortex core, followed axially by a recovery zone and then a second breakdown. When three dimensional initial data are used the second breakdown appears to be of the spiral type in correspondence with experimental observations. The present method is easily used to simulate other types of vortex breakdown or other vortex flows with axial velocity.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Numerical simulation of vortex breakdown by the vortex-filament method

The vortex-filament method was applied to the simulation of vortex breakdown. The principal vortex region was represented by multiple filaments, and an axial velocity component was induced by a spiral winding of the filaments. An accuracy check was performed for a cylindrical swirling flow with simple analytical expressions for the axial and theta velocities. The result suggests that the flow field can be simulated to any accuracy by increasing the number of filaments. An axisymmetric-type vortex breakdown was simulated, with experimental data serving as upstream conditions. The calculated axial- and theta-velocity contours show the breakdown of the vortex, including a rapid change in the vortex core, followed axially by a recovery zone and then a second breakdown. When three dimensional initial data are used the second breakdown appears to be of the spiral type in correspondence with experimental observations. The present method can easily be used to simulate other types of vortex breakdown or other vortex flows with axial velocity.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Numerical studies of motion of vortex filaments - Implementing the asymptotic analysis

A computational code is developed for the integro-differential equations governing the motion of the centerlines of vortex filaments submerged in a background potential flow. These equations, which are derived from the method of matched asymptotic analysis, include the effect of the decaying large-magnitude circumferential and axial velocity components in the vortical cores. Numerical examples are presented to assess the effect of a large axial velocity and that of nonsimilar initial profiles in the vortical cores. The initial configurations of the filaments are chosen so as to fulfill the basic assumption of the asymptotic analysis, which is that the effective vortical core size is much smaller than all the other length scales in the flowfield, e.g., the radius of curvature and the interfilament distance. The computations are continued until the basic assumption is no longer valid, that is when the merging or intersection of filaments has begun. A classification of the various types of local or global merging or intersection of filaments is made and demonstrated by numerical examples. It is then shown that the asymptotic solution not only provides the initial data but also can be used to formulate the appropriate boundary conditions for the numerical solution of a merged region.

Liu, C. H.↗