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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Laboratory Investigations of the Physical and Optical Properties of the Analogs of Individual Cosmic Dust Grains

Microdsub-micron size cosmic dust grains play an important role in the physical and dynamical process in the galaxy, the interstellar medium, and the interplanetary and planetary environments. The dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged by a variety of mechanisms that include collisional process with electrons and ions, and photoelectric emissions with UV radiation. The photoelectric emission process is believed to be the dominant process in many astrophysical environments with nearby UV sources, such as the interstellar medium, diffuse clouds, the outer regions of the dense molecular clouds, interplanetary medium, dust in planetary environments and rings, cometary tails, etc. Also, the processes and mechanisms involved in the rotation and alignment of interstellar dust grains are of great interest in view of the polarization of observed starlight as a probe for evaluation of the galactic magnetic field.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Thermonuclear breakup reactions of light nuclei. I - Processes and effects

Temperature and density conditions are considered for the occurrence of breakup reactions of light nuclei in astrophysical plasmas. The proton-induced endothermic process is shown to be the principal mechanism for nuclear breakdown in a plasma. The phenomenon occurs at a temperature of about 1 MeV, which is a fraction of the typical binding energy per nucleon in nuclei. The temperature for breakup of He-4 is about twice as large, because of the higher binding energy. Depending on the temperature attained in the plasma, the initial concentration of elements heavier than hydrogen can be depleted. However, if it attains a temperature of about 1 MeV, breaking up the metals (C, N, O, Ne, Mg) but not He-4, an increase in the He-4 abundance by as much as 10 percent can result, since these elements essentially break down to alpha particles.

Guessoum, Nidhal↗
NASA NTRS1986

A multidisciplinary study of planetary, solar and astrophysical radio emissions

Combination of the related fields of planetary, solar, and astrophysical radio emissions was attempted in order to more fully understand the radio emission processes. Topics addressed include: remote sensing of astrophysical plasma turbulence; Alfven waves; astrophysical shock waves; surface waves; very long base interferometry results; very large array observations; solar magnetic flux; and magnetohydrodynamic waves as a tool for solar corona diagnostics.

Gurnett, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spectral line shapes. Volume 4 - Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, June 9-13, 1986

The present conference discusses topics in line broadening and shift phenomena in low-to-moderately dense plasmas, resonances in the continuum, hot and dense laser-produced plasmas, collisional broadening and intermolecular potentials, molecular broadening and collision-induced spectroscopy, collisional redistribution and laser-assisted collision processes, coherent and nonlinear spectroscopy, astrophysical line-shapes, and short-wavelength lasers. Attention is given to the widths and shifts of Be ion lines, the Stark broadening of Xe II and Fe I lines, perturbed and unperturbed series in the line-shapes of autoionizing Rydberg series, the line-broadening of hydrogenic ions in dense plasmas, Doppler-free line-shapes, the Franck-Condon principle, the dynamics of laser-assisted reactive collisions, the gas-kinetic effects of light, collision-induced processes in nonlinear optics, and line-shaping phenomena in cool stars.

Exton, Reginald J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Cosmic gamma-ray lines - Theory

The various processes that lead to gamma-ray line emission and the possible astrophysical sources of such emission are reviewed. The processes of nuclear excitation, radiative capture, positron annihilation, and cyclotron radiation, which may produce gamma-ray line emission from such diverse sources as the interstellar medium, novas, supernovas, pulsars, accreting compact objects, the galactic nucleus and the nuclei of active galaxies are considered. The significance of the relative intensities, widths, and frequency shifts of the lines are also discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding those gamma-ray lines that have already been observed from astrophysical sources.

Lingenfelter, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Photon pair production in astrophysical transrelativistic plasmas

Photon pair-production processes in marginally relativistic (transrelativistic) accretion plasmas are investigated in both Planckian and non-Planckian cases. Pair production in a plasma with an equilibrium (Planck) spectrum is reviewed, and pair-concentration calculations are performed for three general non-Planckian situations most relevant to black-hole accretion scenarios: steady-state transrelativistic plasmas of relatively high density characterized by a pure bremsstrahlung spectrum, a comptonized bremsstrahlung spectrum, and an unsaturated Compton scattering spectrum. The results obtained indicate that for transrelativistic temperatures (600 million to 6 billion K) photon pair production is not generally a dominant process for a plasma with a pure bremsstrahlung spectrum, but becomes dominant for plasmas where comptonization is important. It is also shown that photon pair-creation processes in a transrelativistic bremsstrahlung-radiating plasma that is more than marginally optically thick to Compton scattering significantly alter the plasma's spectrum by forcing it to become black-body before it reaches relativistic temperatures. Pair production and instabilities in unsteady-state plasmas are briefly considered

Stoeger, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Formation and Reconnection of Three-Dimensional Current Sheets in the Solar Corona

Current-sheet formation and magnetic reconnection are believed to be the basic physical processes responsible for much of the activity observed in astrophysical plasmas, such as the Sun s corona. We investigate these processes for a magnetic configuration consisting of a uniform background field and an embedded line dipole, a topology that is expected to be ubiquitous in the corona. This magnetic system is driven by a uniform horizontal flow applied at the line-tied photosphere. Although both the initial field and the driver are translationally symmetric, the resulting evolution is calculated using a fully three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (3D MHD) simulation with adaptive mesh refinement that resolves the current sheet and reconnection dynamics in detail. The advantage of our approach is that it allows us to apply directly the vast body of knowledge gained from the many studies of 2D reconnection to the fully 3D case. We find that a current sheet forms in close analogy to the classic Syrovatskii 2D mechanism, but the resulting evolution is different than expected. The current sheet is globally stable, showing no evidence for a disruption or a secondary instability even for aspect ratios as high as 80:1. The global evolution generally follows the standard Sweet- Parker 2D reconnection model except for an accelerated reconnection rate at a very thin current sheet, due to the tearing instability and the formation of magnetic islands. An interesting conclusion is that despite the formation of fully 3D structures at small scales, the system remains close to 2D at global scales. We discuss the implications of our results for observations of the solar corona. Subject Headings: Sun: corona Sun: magnetic fields Sun: reconnection

Edmondson, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Microwave signatures from a reconnecting plasma pinch, with application to loop flares

A calculation is made of microwave signature of a cylindrical plasma pinch undergoing magnetic reconnection, a process which occurs in many astrophysical situations, such as solar flares. Depending on the viewing angle and the average energy of the accelerated electrons, the microwaves from this betatron-like source show various amounts of circular polarization. The degree of polarization is shown to be frequency dependent, and the sense of polarization is sometimes reversed. The power spectrum is predicted to have several interesting properties, which can be compared with high-resolution measurements.

Mok, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Planetary astronomy and supporting laboratory research

The aim was to obtain form laboratory measurements the molecular parameters needed to interpret observations of planetary and cometary spectra, and to develop the analytical and computational techniques to interpret the observed spectra in terms of planetary atmospheres including solids and cometary ices. The gas phase molecular parameters measured include the intensities and half-widths of vib-rotational lines, total intensities of absorption bands, temperature dependencies, and absorption and pressure parameters in random-band models of absorption bands. Computation of line shapes of H2 quadrupole lines from quantum mechanical first principles for comparison with laboratory data and use in modeling of planetary atmospheres was accomplished. The solid phase measurements include band profile and quantitative intensity measurements and dependence on composition as well as thermal and photolytic processing which mimics the particular astrophysical environments. Work on GeH4, PH3, has made significant progress.

Valero, F. P. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The HST Treasury Project on Eta Carinae

This program is valuable for a broad range of stellar and nebular astrophysics, as well as data processing techniques and instrument characteristics. While observing this object's mysterious 5.5-year cycle, we obtained data on several distinct, complex, unfamiliar classes of spectra which cannot be observed well elsewhere. The stellar wind parameters lie outside normal experience, the Weigeit ejecta produce narrow-line spectra, unlike any other known object, and the other spectra re also unusual. Altogether our results pertain to stellar instabilities close to the Eddington limit, extreme stellar winds, unexplored nebular/atomic excitation processes, nebular gas dynamics, and instrument performance.

Davidson, K.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Comprehensive Search for Gamma-Ray Lines in the First Year of Data from the INTEGRAL Spectrometer

Gamma-ray lines are produced in nature by a variety of different physical processes. They can be valuable astrophysical diagnostics providing information the may be unobtainable by other means. We have carried out an extensive search for gamma-ray lines in the first year of public data from the Spectrometer (SPI) on the INTEGRAL mission. INTEGRAL has spent a large fraction of its observing time in the Galactic Plane with particular concentration in the Galactic Center (GC) region (approximately 3 Msec in the first year). Hence the most sensitive search regions are in the Galactic Plane and Center. The phase space of the search spans the energy range 20-8000 keV, and line widths from 0-1000 keV (FWHM) and includes both diffuse and point-like emission. We have searched for variable emission on time scales down to approximately 1000 sec. Diffuse emission has been searched for on a range of different spatial scales from approximately 20 degrees (the approximate field-of-view of the spectrometer) up to the entire Galactic Plane. Our search procedures were verified by the recovery of the known gamma-ray lines at 511 keV and 1809 keV at the appropriate intensities and significances. We find no evidence for any previously unknown gamma-ray lines. The upper limits range from a few x10(exp -5) per square centimeter per second to a few x10(exp -3) per square centimeter per second depending on line width, energy and exposure. Comparison is made between our results and various prior predictions of astrophysical lines

Teegarden, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Solar Activity and Solar Eruptions

Our Sun is a dynamic, ever-changing star. In general, its atmosphere displays major variation on an 11-year cycle. Throughout the cycle, the atmosphere occasionally exhibits large, sudden outbursts of energy. These "solar eruptions" manifest themselves in the form of solar flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and energetic particle releases. They are of high interest to scientists both because they represent fundamental processes that occur in various astrophysical context, and because, if directed toward Earth, they can disrupt Earth-based systems and satellites. Research over the last few decades has shown that the source of the eruptions is localized regions of energy-storing magnetic field on the Sun that become destabilized, leading to a release of the stored energy. Solar scientists have (probably) unraveled the basic outline of what happens in these eruptions, but many details are still not understood. In recent years we have been studying what triggers these magnetic eruptions, using ground-based and satellite-based solar observations in combination with predictions from various theoretical models. We will present an overview of solar activity and solar eruptions, give results from some of our own research, and discuss questions that remain to be explored.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Absolute Inelastic Differential Electron Scattering Cross Sections for He, Xe, N2, and CO at Near Threshold Impact Energies for 90(deg) Scattering Angle

There is a great deal of need for accurate differential cross sections (DCSs) associated with electron impact excitation of various atomic and molecular species. These cross sections are needed for modeling of various plasma systems (ranging from lasers and material processing plasmas to planetary and astrophysical plasmas) and for guiding development of theoretical and computational schemes.

DCS beam scattering beam-beam scattering↗
NASA NTRS2006

Vibrational and rotational quenching of CO by collisions with H, He, and H2

Collisional quenching of molecular species is an important process in a variety of astrophysical environments including interstellar clouds, photodissociation regions, and cool stellar/planetary atmospheres. In this work, quantum mechanical scattering calculations are presented for the rotational and vibrational relaxation of rotationally-excited CO due to collisions with H, He and H2 for collision energies between 10(exp -6) and approx.15000/cm. The calculations were performed using the close-coupling approach and the l-labeled form of the coupled-states approximation. Cross sections and rate coefficients for the quenching of the v=0-2, j=0-6 levels of CO are presented and comparisons with previous calculations and measurements, where available, are provided.

Yang, Benhui↗
NASA NTRS2009

Combined Modeling of Acceleration, Transport, and Hydrodynamic Response in Solar Flares: The Numerical Model - 1

Acceleration and transport of high-energy particles and fluid dynamics of atmospheric plasma are interrelated aspects of solar flares, but for convenience and simplicity they were artificially separated in the past. We present here self consistently combined Fokker-Planck modeling of particles and hydrodynamic simulation of flare plasma. Energetic electrons are modeled with the Stanford unified code of acceleration, transport, and radiation, while plasma is modeled with the Naval Research Laboratory flux tube code. We calculated the collisional heating rate directly from the particle transport code, which is more accurate than those in previous studies based on approximate analytical solutions. We repeated the simulation of Mariska et al. with an injection of power law, downward-beamed electrons using the new heating rate. For this case, a -10% difference was found from their old result. We also used a more realistic spectrum of injected electrons provided by the stochastic acceleration model, which has a smooth transition from a quasi-thermal background at low energies to a non thermal tail at high energies. The inclusion of low-energy electrons results in relatively more heating in the corona (versus chromosphere) and thus a larger downward heat conduction flux. The interplay of electron heating, conduction, and radiative loss leads to stronger chromospheric evaporation than obtained in previous studies, which had a deficit in low-energy electrons due to an arbitrarily assumed low-energy cutoff. The energy and spatial distributions of energetic electrons and bremsstrahlung photons bear signatures of the changing density distribution caused by chromospheric evaporation. In particular, the density jump at the evaporation front gives rise to enhanced emission, which, in principle, can be imaged by X-ray telescopes. This model can be applied to investigate a variety of high-energy processes in solar, space, and astrophysical plasmas.

STOCHASTIC ACCELERATION MODEL↗
NASA NTRS2015

Early Size Distributions of Chondrule Subgroups Overprinted by the Final Accumulation Process of Particle Components in Allende

Populations of compositionally distinct particles are fundamental components of undifferentiated chondritic meteorites. Many theories explain the formation of chondrites, one class of which includes mechanisms for sorting the component particles in the solar nebula prior to their accretion. Mechanisms include sorting by mass, turbulent concentration, X-winds, and photophoresis, which will produce characteristic distributions of observable properties such as particle size. Distinguishing processes that occur in specific astrophysical environments requires characterization of particle types, which include refractory Ca-Al-rich Inclusions (CAIs) and less-refractory chondrules. Previous investigations of modal abundances of CAIs and chondrules exist, but differences within and between these two groups, both of which are made up of diverse subgroups with different thermal histories and chemical compositions, remain mostly unstudied. The presence of rims, a significant event occurring after the formation of at least some chondrules, have also yet to be considered with respect to sorting. Here we present the sizes of CAIs and chondrules in Allende with attention to the smallest sizes, subgroups, and particle rims.

McCain, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Orbital Variation of Non-Thermal X-Ray Emission from eta Carinae

The collision of strong stellar winds in massive binary systems creates powerful shocks,which accelerates a small amount of particles to relativistic energies at the shock interface.This process is important in fundamental astrophysics in two ways;i) some particles may contribute to cosmic-rays observed around the Earth, whose origin is not well known, andii) it provides a good laboratory for particle acceleration physics as the shock occurs steadily in a predictable environment.Some relativistic particles collide with stellar photons or ambient material near the binary systemand emit non-thermal X-rays and gamma-rays, which are good probes of particle acceleration.This emission had been searched for decades but not found convincingly without sensitive high-energy telescopes.The NuSTAR telescope observed the enigmatic supermassive binary system eta Carinae multiple times after 2014 and found conclusive evidence of non-thermal emission from the star in the extremely hard X-ray band.This emission is prominent between 20-50 keV, below which thermal emission from shock colliding plasma dominates.It is relatively stable throughout the binary orbit, but it disappears near periastron when the wind colliding activity shuts off.This variation indicates that the non-thermal X-ray emission originates from the head-on wind-wind collision.The flat spectrum is consistent with inverse-Compton of stellar UV photons by accelerated electrons.The spectrum smoothly connects to a gamma-ray spectrum of a Fermi source detected around eta Carinae,suggesting that acceleration occurs up to the GeV energy.This result provide the strongest evidence so far that particle acceleration occurs at the wind colliding shock of a massive colliding wind binary system.

Hamaguchi, Kenji↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is an exciting international collaboration for a scientific mission that dramatically brings together the unique talents of the partners to expand observation space by simultaneously adding polarization measurements to the array of source properties currently measured (energy, time, and location). IXPE uniquely brings to the table polarimetric imaging. IXPE will thus open new dimensions for understanding how X-ray emission is produced in astrophysical objects, especially systems under extreme physical conditions-such as neutron stars and black holes. Polarization singularly probes physical anisotropies-ordered magnetic fields, aspheric matter distributions, or general relativistic coupling to black-hole spin-that are not otherwise measurable. Hence, IXPE complements all other investigations in high-energy astrophysics by adding important and relatively unexplored information to the parameter space for studying cosmic X-ray sources and processes, as well as for using extreme astrophysical environments as laboratories for fundamental physics.

X-ray astronomy x-ray polarimetry↗