Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “grazing”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7

Performance analysis of grazing incidence imaging systems

An exact expression relating the coordinates of a point on the incident ray, a point of reflection from an arbitrary surface, and a point on the reflected ray is derived. The exact relation is then specialized for the case of grazing incidence, and first order and third order systematic analyses are carried out for a single reflective surface and then for a combination of two surfaces. The third order treatment yields a complete set of primary aberrations for single element and two element systems. The importance of a judicious choice for a coordinate system in showing field curvature to clearly be the predominant aberration for a two element system is discussed. The validity of the theory is verified through comparisons with the exact ray trace results for the case of the telescope.

Winkler, C. E.↗

Measuring concave diffraction grating efficiencies at grazing incidence

The efficiency of a concave diffraction grating in a given order is obtained by measuring the intensities of the diffracted and incident beams and taking their ratio. A valid measurement requires that both the incident and diffracted beams be collected by the detector. At grazing incidence, however, the diffracted beam may spread beyond the detector due to aberrations. In addition, the diffracted beams of consecutive orders may overlap so that unambiguous efficiency measurements cannot be made. The effect of aberrations on efficiency measurements has been studied, using ray tracing, for the geometry of the measuring instrument in use at the Naval Research Laboratory. This instrument is attached to a VUV monochromator which furnishes a diverging beam. The main effect of aberrations for this instrument is a spread of the diffracted beam in the direction of dispersion. The width of the diffracted beam is wavelength dependent and is minimal at the horizontal focus, spreading to longer and shorter wavelengths. Reducing the divergence of the incident beam reduces the spread but, for small radius gratings, not always sufficiently so that the entire diffracted beam can be collected by the detector. The distance from the detector to the grating can also be adjusted to aid in collecting all the diffracted beam.

Hunter, W. R.↗

Astronomical applications of grazing incidence telescopes with polynomial surfaces

The report has examined the claim that grazing incidence telescopes having surfaces described by generalized equations have image characteristics superior to those of the paraboloid-hyperboloid and Wolter-Schwarzschild configurations. With emphasis on specific applications in solar and cosmic X-ray/EUV astronomy, raytracing has shown that in many cases there is no advantage in the polynomial design, and in those cases where advantages are theoretically to be expected, the advantages are outweighed by practical considerations.

Cash, W.↗

A method to determine the acoustical properties of locally and nonlocally reacting duct liners in grazing flow

The acoustical properties of locally and nonlocally reacting acoustical liners in grazing flow are described. The effect of mean flow and shear flow are considered as well as the application to rigid and limp bulk reacting materials. The axial wavenumber of the least attenuated mode in a flow duct is measured. The acoustical properties of duct liners is then deduced from the measured axial wavenumber and known flow profile and boundary conditions. This method is a natural extension of impedance-like measurements.

Succi, G.↗

Variable line-space gratings - New designs for use in grazing incidence spectrometers

An account is given of a fundamentally different approach to the use of variable line-space gratings for grazing incidence spectrometers. In the new approach, the gratings are flat and they are placed to intercept the converging beam from a collecting mirror rather than the diverging beam from a slit. This results in (1) small aberrations over a wide instantaneous range in wavelength, (2) a modest required variation in line spacing across the ruled width, (3) a simultaneous minimization of both the spectral and image height aberrations, and (4) a completely stigmatic zero order image. The slitless arrangement common to these designs is very compact, having no additional length behind the focal plane of the collecting mirror. In-plane and conical fan designs are considered. One combination design, in the form of an echelle spectrometer, is discussed. The designs are considered to represent ideal candidates for moderate to high resolution spectrometers on such missions as the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE, now Columbus) and the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF).

Hettrick, M. C.↗

Aberrations of varied line-space grazing incidence gratings in converging light beams

Analyses of the imaging properties of several designs for varied-line space gratings in converging beams of light in grazing-incidence spectrometers are presented. An explicit model is defined for the case of a plane-reflection grating intercepting light that converges and is reflected to a stigmatic point associated with the zero-order image of the grating. Smooth spatial variation of the grating constant then permits aberration correction. The aberrations are expressed as polynomials in the grating lens coordinates using power series expansions. Application of the model is illustrated in terms of aberrations experienced with the short wavelength spectrometer on the EUVE satellite. Attention is given to straight and parallel in-plane grooves, curved groove in-plane designs and off-plane grooves. Aberrations due to dispersions and misalignment are also considered.

Hettrick, M. C.↗

Proposed design class of grazing incidence echelle spectrometers - Critical analysis and reevaluation

The class of miltibounce grazing spectrometers proposed by Cash (1982) and by McClintock and Cash (1982) is analyzed, and performance values significantly lower than asserted by these authors are found. Ray tracing calculations used to examine the design parameters given in the above papers are reported, as is the efficiency which results from use of accepted reflectance data. Several schemes which can improve some of the performance parameters are indicated.

Hettrick, M. C.↗

Electroform replication of grazing incidence X-ray optics

Work to produce mirrors via electroform replication is reported. Work on small (6 cm by 9 cm) cylindrical pieces and on 40 cm long by 12 cm wide Wolter shaped mirrors is summarized. It is shown that electroforming is a viable technique for producing relatively inexpensive grazing incidence X-ray optics, as long as modest resolution (1 min of arc) and size (12 cm diameter by 40 cm long) are specified.

Ulmer, M. P.↗

Near anastigmatic grazing incidence telescope

A performance capability assessment is presently conducted for short versus long grazing incidence telescope designs, in view of the observation that the field curvature and astigmatism that are the primary residual aberrations of a Wolter-type incidence telescope can be substantially reduced through mirror length reduction. A major advantage of the short element telescope is that, if sufficiently short, both the paraboloid and hyperboloid surfaces may be fabricated as a single piece; this significantly facilitates the task of alignment.

Korsch, D.↗

Analysis of a new class of grazing incidence spectroscopic telescope

The throughput and imaging properties of one of a new class of grazing incidence spectroscopic telescope are examined with a Monte Carlo ray tracing technique. The results are compared with Wolter Schwarzschild type II telescopes of similar size. The image quality of this telescope is comparable, and the control of the off-axis light is superior to the Wolter Schwarzschild design.

Green, J. C.↗

An analysis of two classes of grazing incidence mirrors for use with Rowland circle spectrometers

Results are presented of a comparative analysis of Hettrick Bowyer Type II (HBII) and Wolter-Schwarzschild Type II (WSII) optics for use with Rowland circle spectrometers. The HBII can substitute, with few exceptions, for a WSII in any Rowland circle with little change in spectrometer performance or design. However, the HBII telescope offers several clear advantages over the WSII in these configurations. Because the HBII employs a virtual focus, it requires a much shorter instrument length than a WSII. For example, a 3-m Rowland circle spectrometer, fed by an optimized, f/10, 1-m diameter WSII, has a total instrument length of 6 m. If a HBII is used to feed the identical spectrometer, the entire instrument length can be as little as 3 m. In addition, the improved imaging gained with the larger graze angles of the HBII design results in better resolution in slitless operation modes.

Green, James↗

Diffraction-limited performance of grazing incidence optical systems

Diffraction effects of X-ray optical systems are often (justifiably) ignored due to the small wavelength of the X-ray radiation. However, the extremely large obscuration ratio inherent to grazing incidence optical systems produces a profound degradation of the diffraction image over that produced by a moderately obscured aperture of the same diameter. The contradictory requirements of large collecting area and relatively short length of optical elements has tended to result in proposed designs containing many concentric shells with increasingly higher obscuration ratios. In this paper it is shown that diffraction effects in such systems can significantly affect the achievable optical performance at the low energy (long wavelength) end of the intended operating spectral range. Parametric diffraction-limited performance predictions for both imaging and spectrographic applications will be presented and compared to AXAF performance goals and/or BBXRT fabrication techniques.

Harvey, James E.↗

Replication of grazing incidence optics

The replication of grazing incidence optics is reviewed. Electroform and epoxy replication are described and compared. It is concluded that for light weight and deep nesting, replication has a distinct advantage over direct production. The resolution of optics produced in this manner is however, limited to about 10 arc seconds; a typical value is 40 arc seconds. Epoxy replicated pieces tend to have better optical figures than electroformed optics, but the latter can be made thinner to make more deeply nested systems.

Ulmer, Melville P.↗

Backscatter from a periodic rough surface at near grazing incidence

The effect of periodic surface roughness on the radar cross section (RCS) was studied. The surface roughness was formed by a small sinusoidal variation in a planar surface. RCS measurements were obtained for two different sinusoidal variations near grazing incidence for both principle polarizations. Significant grating lobes were observed in the measurements which directly correspond to the roughness characteristics. A physical optics solution was generated and compared to the measurements with reasonable agreement.

Dominek, A. K.↗

Electroformed grazing incidence X-ray mirrors for a mirror array telescope

Grazing incidence Wolter type I mirrors for higher-energy X-rays have been replicated from two superpolished mandrels by electroforming. Single mirrors and a nested pair were tested with 1.5- and 6.4-keV X-rays, and their subminute of arc resolution and reflectivity close to the theoretical values are confirmed. The design of the mandrels, the mirror mounting scheme, and results of the X-ray test are presented. The microroughnesses of the mirrors measured using an optical profilometer were compared with the X-ray test results.

Ulmer, Melville P.↗

The measured performance of a grazing incidence relay optics telescope for solar X-ray astronomy

The design, fabrication, and test performance of a grazing-incidence diverging magnifier (GIDM) for use in high-resolution X-ray imaging of the solar corona are described. The GIDM, designed to be mounted in front of the focus of a 30.48-cm Wolter-Schwarzschild primary, is an Ni-coated Be hyperboloid-hyperboloid structure of principal diameter 3.15 cm; the two components are mounted on a central steel plate which acts as a support and spacer. The combined instrument has overall length 1.9 m, effective focal length 5.4 m, and plate scale 26.0 micron/arcsec. In point- and line-source measurements in an 89.5-m vacuum test facility, the on-axis resolution is shown to be equal to that of the primary alone. The field of view for 1-arcsec resolution is limited to 1.25 arcmin in radius, but the effective-area limitation is less significant when CCD detectors of high quantum efficiency are used instead of film.

Moses, Dan↗

Aberrations for grazing incidence telescopes

The wavefront aberration polynomial and transverse ray aberration expansions will be derived for grazing incidence two-mirror Wolter telescopes including all paraboloid-hyperboloid and paraboloid-ellipsoid combinations. The reference sphere is determined with the help of the principal surface of the telescope, and the aberration polynomials will be given as functions of the coordinates of the ray intersection with the reference sphere. Third -and some of the fifth-order and seventh-order aberration terms will be analyzed. Also, the well-known relationship between wavefront aberration polynomials and transverse ray aberration polynomials will be verified.

Saha, Timo T.↗