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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 NTRS1976

Calculations of the Electron Energy Distribution Function in a Uranium Plasma by Analytic and Monte Carlo Techniques

Electron energy distribution functions were calculated in a U235 plasma at 1 atmosphere for various plasma temperatures and neutron fluxes. The distributions are assumed to be a summation of a high energy tail and a Maxwellian distribution. The sources of energetic electrons considered are the fission-fragment induced ionization of uranium and the electron induced ionization of uranium. The calculation of the high energy tail is reduced to an electron slowing down calculation, from the most energetic source to the energy where the electron is assumed to be incorporated into the Maxwellian distribution. The pertinent collisional processes are electron-electron scattering and electron induced ionization and excitation of uranium. Two distinct methods were employed in the calculation of the distributions. One method is based upon the assumption of continuous slowing and yields a distribution inversely proportional to the stopping power. An iteration scheme is utilized to include the secondary electron avalanche. In the other method, a governing equation is derived without assuming continuous electron slowing. This equation is solved by a Monte Carlo technique.

Bathke, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Suprathermal electron energy distribution within the dayside Venus ionosphere

The suprathermal electron energy distribution for the dayside ionosphere has been derived from data returned by the Pioneer-Venus orbiter retarding potential analyzer. The shape and magnitude of the spectrum are consistent with the assumption that solar EUV radiation is the only significant source. The magnitude of the spectrum and its variation with altitude suggest that significant vertical transport occurs, with the electrons being lost through the ionopause. In turn, significant vertical transport suggests that the effective vertical electron heat conductivity may be comparable to the field-free value. The heat input to the thermal electron gas from the measured suprathermal electron flux is too small by a factor of at least five to maintain the observed electron temperature profile if the electron thermal conductivity is assumed to be close to the field-free value. It is thus inferred that most of the heat is supplied by the solar wind.

Knudsen, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A technique for interpretation of auroral bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra

A procedure is described for determining the average energy and the energy flux of precipitating electrons from the resulting bremsstrahlung X-rays based on the assumption that the precipitating electrons have an exponential electron distribution. It is shown that, for nonexponential electron distributions, this method yields an exponential electron distribution that produces an altitude profile of ionization very similar to that expected from the actual spectrum. The Hall and Pedersen electrical conductances calculated from the inferred ionization profile were also found to be close to the true values.

Robinson, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Fundamental and harmonic electron cyclotron maser emission

The plasma conditions and features of the energetic electron distribution in electron cyclotron maser emission for which growth in a particular mode is favored when the ratio of the plasma frequency omega(p) to the electron cyclotron frequency Omega(e) is greater than about 0.3 are determined. It is shown that growth at the fundamental is suppressed as omega(p)/Omega(e) increases and emission at harmonics of Omega(e) dominates. Growth at harmonics of Omega(e) is not restricted to the O and X modes, but can also occur for the Z mode. Whether or not growth in a particular mode dominates depends both on omega(p)/Omega(e) and on the form of the distribution. If the density of the energetic electrons is sufficiently large, the dispersion relations of the O and X modes are modified so that the group velocities of the growing O and X mode waves can be comparable to that of the growing Z mode waves.

Winglee, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Electron energy distribution produced by beam-plasma discharge

In an investigation of a beam-plasma discharge (BPD), the electron energy distribution of an electron beam moving through a partially ionized gas is analyzed. Among other results, it is found that the occurrence of BPD heats the initially cold electron beam from the accelerator. The directional intensity of electrons measured outside the beam core indicates that most particles suffer a single scattering in energy and pitch angle. At low currents this result is expected as beam particles collide with the neutral atmosphere, while in BPD the majority of particles is determined to still undergo a single scattering near the original beam core. The extended energy spectra at various beam currents show two rather distinct plasma populations, one centered at the initial beam energy (approximately 1500 eV) and the other at approximately 150 eV.

Anderson, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A comprehensive analysis of electron conical distributions from multi-satellite databases

This report consists of a copy of a paper that has been submitted to the 'Journal of Geophysical Research', entitled 'DE 1 and Viking Observations Associated With Electron Conical Distributions,' and an abstract of another paper (included as an appendix to the report) that is about to be submitted to the same journal entitled 'Perpendicular Electron Heating by Absorption of Auroral Kilometric Radiation.' A bibliography of other papers that have been published as a result of this project follows. The purpose of this project was to use the DE 1 and Viking particle and wave data to better understand the source mechanism of electron conical distributions. We have shown that electron conics are often associated with upper hybrid waves in the nightside auroral region. We have also shown that electron conics are observed near auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) source regions and may be the result of perpendicular heating due to waves. We have completed a statistical study of electron conics observed by DE-l and Viking. The study shows the occurrence frequency and location of electron conical distributions; there are some differences between the results of DE and Viking perhaps due to different regions sampled.

Menietti, J. Douglas↗
NASA NTRS1972

Angular distribution of electrons elastically scattered from N2.

Measurement of the angular distribution of electrons elastically scattered from N2 as a function of energy, utilizing a crossed-beam technique. Measurements have been made of monoenergetic electrons with energies between 5 and 90 eV scattered from a collimated beam of N2 at angles from -114 to +160 deg. The wide angular range of the measurements has enabled the determination of the total elastic-scattering and momentum-transfer cross sections. The measurements are relative and have been normalized to Fisk's (1936) theoretical calculation at 5 eV. The results generally agree well with other published measurements and with theory.

Shyn, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Electron generation of electrostatic waves in the plasma sheet boundary layer

Broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) has been shown to occur in conjunction with ion beams; extensive investigations of possible ion beam-related instabilities that could generate the observed wave spectra have been conducted. It has also been demonstrated that unstable electron distribution functions are sometimes measured in the plasma sheet boundary layer. We present simultaneous observations of ion and electron distribution functions and electric field wave spectra measured by ISEE 1 and ISEE 2 in the Earth's magnetotail. As the spacecraft moved from the tail lobe toward the plasma sheet, the fast indication of boundary layer plasma was seen in the electron distributions, followed some minutes later by the detection of boundary layer ions. The onset of large-amplitude electrostatic waves at frequencies up to the electron plasma frequency was coincident with the onset of the boundary layer electrons, suggesting that broadband electrostatic waves may often be generated by unstable electron distributions in the plasma sheet boundary layer, particularly the higher frequency portion of the wave spectrum. The observed changes in the electron distribution functions indicate that the plasma was not heated locally by the waves.

Onsager, T. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Energy Distribution of Electrons in Radiation Induced-Helium Plasmas

Energy distribution of high energy electrons as they slow down and thermalize in a gaseous medium is studied. The energy distribution in the entire energy range from source energies down is studied analytically. A helium medium in which primary electrons are created by the passage of heavy-charged particles from nuclear reactions is emphasized. A radiation-induced plasma is of interest in a variety of applications, such as radiation pumped lasers and gaseous core nuclear reactors.

Lo, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electron density distributions in the high-latitude magnetosphere

Electron density profiles were constructed to study the plasma density depletions in the nightside auroral zone and the density variations with increasing altitude in the polar cap, using electric field spectrum measurements from the plasma wave instrument on DE-1. Sharply defined regions of depleted plasma densities were commonly observed on nightside auroral field lines, in which electron densities were strongly depleted in relation to the adjacent plasmaspheric and polar densities, forming a low-density cavity at about 70 deg invariant latitude. A correlation was found between low auroral plasma densities, upflowing ion distributions, and an energetic precipitating electron population, indicating that electron density depletions in the nightside auroral zone are directly associated with auroral acceleration processes.

Persoon, Ann M.↗