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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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NASA NTRS2002

Overview of the High Performance Antiproton (HiPAT) Experiment

The annihilation of matter with antimatter represents the highest energy density of any known reaction, producing 10(exp 8) MJ/g, approximately 10 orders of magnitude more energy per unit mass than chemical based combustion. To take the first step towards using this energy for propulsion applications the NASA MSFC Propulsion Research Center (PRC) has initiated a research activity examining the storage of low energy antiprotons. Storage was identified as a key enabling technology since it builds the experience base necessary to understand the handling of antiprotons for virtually all utilization and high-density storage concepts. To address this need, a device referred to as the High Performance Antiproton Trap (HiPAT) is under development at the NASA MSFC PRC. The HiPAT is an electromagnetic system (Penning-Malmberg design) consisting of a 4 Tesla superconductor, a high voltage confinement electrode system (operation up to 20 KV), and an ultra high vacuum test section (operating in the 10(exp -12) torr range). The system was designed to be portable with an ultimate goal of maintaining 10(exp 12) charged particles with a half-life of 18 days. Currently, this system is being experimentally evaluated using normal matter ions which are cheap to produce and relatively easy to handle. These normal ions provide a good indication of overall trap behavior, with the exception of assessing annihilation losses. The ions are produced external to HiPAT using two hydrogen ion sources, with adjustable beam energy and current. Ion are transported in a beam line and controlled through the use of electrostatic optics. These optics serve to both focus and gate the incoming ions, providing microsecond-timed pulses that are dynamically captured by cycling the HiPAT electric containment field like a 'trap door'. The layout of this system more closely simulates the operations expected at an actual antiproton production facility where 'packets' of antiprotons with pulse widths measured in 100's of nanoseconds could be provided. Initial dynamic capture experiments have been performed with both trap and ton source system functioning at approximately 10% of maximum levels, minimizing the potential for extraneous effects. Dynamic trapping techniques demonstrated the successful capture of millions of hydrogen ions with good agreement with the predicted loading based on the timing sequence, trap electric field, and ion beam current. These techniques will be expanded to examine multiple shot capture or 'stacking' to increase the total number of ions stored within HiPAT.

Martin, James J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Observation and Analysis of In Situ Carbonaceous Matter in Naklha

The search for indigenous carbon components on Mars has been a challenge. The first attempt was the Viking GC-MS in situ experiment which gave inconclusive results at two sites on Mars [1]. After the discovery that the SNC meteorites were from Mars [2], [3-5] reported C isotopic compositional information which suggested a reduced C component present in the martian meteorites. [6 & 7] reported the presence of reduced C components (i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) associated with the carbonate globules in ALH84001. Jull et al. [8] noted in Nakhla there was an acid insoluble C component present with more than 75% of its C lacking any C-14, which is modern-day carbon. This C fraction was believed to be either indigenous martian or ancient meteoritic carbon. Fisk et al. [9, 10] have shown textural evidence along with C-enriched areas within fractures in Nakhla and ALH84001. To further understand the nature of possible indigenous reduced C components, we have carried out a variety of measurements on martian meteorites. For this presentation we will discuss only the Nakhla results. Interior samples from the Nakhla SNC meteorite, recently made available by the British Museum of Natural History, were analyzed. Petrographic examination [11, McKay et al., this volume] of Nakhla showed evidence of fractures (approx.0.5 micron wide) filled with dark brown to black dendritic material [Fig. 1] with characteristics similar to those observed by [10]. Iddingsite is also present along fractures in olivine. Fracture filling and dendritic material was examined by SEM-EDX, TEM-EDX, Focused Electron Beam microscopy, Laser Raman Spectroscopy, Nano-SIMS Ion Micro-probe, and Stepped-Combustion Static Mass Spectrometry.

Gibson, E. K., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Organic Carbon Exists in Mars Meteorites: Where is it on the Martian Surface?

The search for organic carbon on Mars has been a major challenge. The first attempt was the Viking GC-MS in situ experiment which gave inconclusive results at two sites oil. After the discovery that the SNC meteorites were from Mars, reported C isotopic compositional information which suggested a reduced C component present in the Martian meteorites reported the presence of reduced C components (i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) associated with the carbonate globules in ALH84001. Jull et al. noted in Nakhla there was acid insoluble C component present with more than 75% of its C lacking any C-14, which is modern-day terrestrial carbon. This C fraction was believed to be either indigenous martian or ancient meteoritic carbon. Fisk et al. have shown textural evidence along with C-enriched areas within fractures in Nakhla and ALH84001. Westall et al. have shown the presence of a large irregular fragment of organic material completely embedded within a chip of ALH84001. Interior samples from the Naklnla SNC made available by the British Museum of Natural History, were analyzed. Petrographic examination of Nakhla showed evidence of fractures (approx.0.5 microns wide) filled with dark brown to black dendritic material with characteristics similar to those observed by. Iddingsite is also present along fractures in olivine. Fracture filling and dendritic material was examined by SEM-EDX, TEM-EDX, Focused Electron Beam microscopy, Laser Raman Spectroscopy, Nano-SIMS Ion Micro-probe, and Stepped-Combustion Static Mass Spectrometry. Observations from the first three techniques are discussed.

McKay, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Mathematical model of the current density for the 30-cm engineering model thruster

Mathematical models are presented for both the singly and doubly charged ion current densities downstream of the 30-cm engineering model thruster with 0.5% compensated dished grids. These models are based on the experimental measurements of Vahrenkamp at a 2-amp ion beam operating condition. The cylindrically symmetric beam of constant velocity ions is modeled with continuous radial source and focusing functions across 'plane' grids with similar angular distribution functions. A computer program is used to evaluate the double integral for current densities in the near field and to obtain a far field approximation beyond 10 grid radii. The utility of the model is demonstrated for (1) calculating the directed thrust and (2) determining the impingement levels on various spacecraft surfaces from a two-axis gimballed, 2 x 3 thruster array.

Cuffel, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Neutral ion sources in precision manufacturing

Ion figuring of optical components is a relatively new technology that can alleviate some of the problems associated with traditional contact polishing. Because the technique is non contacting, edge distortions and rib structure print through do not occur. This initial investigation was aimed at determining the effect of ion figuring on surface roughness of previously polished or ductile ground ceramic optical samples. This is the first step in research directed toward the combination of a pre-finishing process (ductile grinding or polishing) with ion figuring to produce finished ceramic mirrors. The second phase of the project is focusing on the development of mathematical algorithms that will deconvolve the ion beam profile from the surface figure errors so that these errors can be successfully removed from the optical components. In the initial phase of the project, multiple, chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide (CVD SiC) samples were polished or ductile ground to specular or near-specular roughness. These samples were then characterized to determine topographic surface information. The surface evaluation consisted of stylus profilometry, interferometry, and optical and scanning electron microscopy. The surfaces, were ion machined to depths from 0-5 microns. The finished surfaces were characterized to evaluate the effects of the ion machining process with respect to the previous processing methods and the pre-existing subsurface damage. The development of the control algorithms for figuring optical components has been completed. These algorithms have been validated with simulations and future experiments have been planned to verify the methods. This paper will present the results of the initial surface finish experiments and the control algorithms simulations.

Fawcett, Steven C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Recent Progress in the Development of a Multi-Layer Green's Function Code for Ion Beam Transport

To meet the challenge of future deep space programs, an accurate and efficient engineering code for analyzing the shielding requirements against high-energy galactic heavy radiation is needed. To address this need, a new Green's function code capable of simulating high charge and energy ions with either laboratory or space boundary conditions is currently under development. The computational model consists of combinations of physical perturbation expansions based on the scales of atomic interaction, multiple scattering, and nuclear reactive processes with use of the Neumann-asymptotic expansions with non-perturbative corrections. The code contains energy loss due to straggling, nuclear attenuation, nuclear fragmentation with energy dispersion and downshifts. Previous reports show that the new code accurately models the transport of ion beams through a single slab of material. Current research efforts are focused on enabling the code to handle multiple layers of material and the present paper reports on progress made towards that end.

Tweed, John↗
NASA NTRS2011

Pulsed Laser System to Simulate Effects of Cosmic Rays in Semiconductor Devices

Spaceflight system electronic devices must survive a wide range of radiation environments with various particle types including energetic protons, electrons, gamma rays, x-rays, and heavy ions. High-energy charged particles such as heavy ions can pass straight through a semiconductor material and interact with a charge-sensitive region, generating a significant amount of charge (electron-hole pairs) along their tracks. These excess charges can damage the device, and the response can range from temporary perturbations to permanent changes in the state or performance. These phenomena are called single event effects (SEE). Before application in flight systems, electronic parts need to be qualified and tested for performance and radiation sensitivity. Typically, their susceptibility to SEE is tested by exposure to an ion beam from a particle accelerator. At such facilities, the device under test (DUT) is irradiated with large beams so there is no fine resolution to investigate particular regions of sensitivity on the parts. While it is the most reliable approach for radiation qualification, these evaluations are time consuming and costly. There is always a need for new cost-efficient strategies to complement accelerator testing: pulsed lasers provide such a solution. Pulsed laser light can be utilized to simulate heavy ion effects with the advantage of being able to localize the sensitive region of an integrated circuit. Generally, a focused laser beam of approximately picosecond pulse duration is used to generate carrier density in the semiconductor device. During irradiation, the laser pulse is absorbed by the electronic medium with a wavelength selected accordingly by the user, and the laser energy can ionize and simulate SEE as would occur in space. With a tightly focused near infrared (NIR) laser beam, the beam waist of about a micrometer can be achieved, and additional scanning techniques are able to yield submicron resolution. This feature allows mapping of all of the sensitive regions of the studied device with fine resolution, unlike heavy ion experiments. The problematic regions can be precisely identified, and it provides a considerable amount of information about the circuit. In addition, the system allows flexibility for testing the device in different configurations in situ.

Aveline, David C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Laser power beaming for rocket propulsion and airbreathing propulsion

The developing technology of laser power beaming is introduced, and two systems are used as examples of the capabilities of the laser for beamed energy. In the first system, the potential of the laser to power flight systems ranging from hypersonic air-breathing launch vehicles to commercial jet transports is examined. Attention is given to the possibility of an air-breathing propulsion which offers the promise of a global air transportation network independent of kerosene and powered by solar energy. In addition, consideration is given to a new type of rocket propulsion based on the laser's ability to concentrate coherent laser energy to high power densities. Focused laser beams would heat the propellants directly to produce specific impulses approaching ion and MHD rocket levels, and would do so without the burden of a heavy electrical power supply.

Hertzberg, A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Compact wide-aperture hyperbolic analyzers

Compact electrostatic analyzers that employ a new geometry are described. They accept collimated beams of ions through relatively wide (non-slit-like) inlet apertures and focus them at various locations, depending on the ion energy per charge, along rectangular position-sensing detectors. Each analyzer has a dynamic range of 10 or more for a fixed deflection voltage. The focal line width at a given energy is a small fraction of the inlet aperture width, and the focal lines are approximately coplanar.

Curtis, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS2001

High-efficiency electron ionizer for a mass spectrometer array

The present invention provides an improved electron ionizer for use in a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The improved electron ionizer includes a repeller plate that ejects sample atoms or molecules, an ionizer chamber, a cathode that emits an electron beam into the ionizer chamber, an exit opening for excess electrons to escape, at least one shim plate to collimate said electron beam, extraction apertures, and a plurality of lens elements for focusing the extracted ions onto entrance apertures.

Chutjian, Ara↗
NASA NTRS2017

Simulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays and Dose-Rate Effects in RITRACKS

The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility has been used successfully for many years to generate ion beams for radiation research experiments by NASA investigators. Recently, modifications were made to the beam lines to allow rapid switching between different types of ions and energies, with the aim to simulate the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) environment. As this will be a focus of space radiation research for upcoming years, the stochastic radiation track structure code RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) was modified to simulate beams of various ion types and energies during time intervals specified by the user at the microscopic and nanoscopic scales. For example, particle distributions of a mixed 344.1-MeV protons (18.04 cGy) and 950-MeV/n iron (5.64 cGy) beam behind a 20 g/cm(exp 2) aluminum followed by a 10 g/cm(exp 2) polyethylene shield as calculated by the code GEANT4 were used as an input field in RITRACKS. Similarly, modifications were also made to simulate a realistic radiation environment in a spacecraft exposed to GCR by sampling the ion types and energies from particle spectra pre-calculated by the code HZETRN. The newly implemented features allows RITRACKS to generate time-dependent differential and cumulative 3D dose voxel maps. These new capabilities of RITRACKS will be used to investigate dose-rate effects and synergistic interactions of various types of radiations for many end points at the microscopic and nanoscopic scales such as DNA damage and chromosome aberrations.

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRS1994

Propagation of whistler waves driven by fine structured ion beams in the magnetotail

In a previous paper, which examined the propagation of low-frequency whistler waves generated by ion beams in the Earth's plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL), it was found that whistler waves driven in the PSBL are focused toward the central plasma sheet due to the global magnetotail inhomogeneities; this finding may help explain the observations of magnetic noise bursts in the tail (Burinskaya et al., 1993). In this paper the same phenomenon is examined, but this time a much more realistic model is used for the ion beam in the PSBL. While the PSBL has been modeled as a solid, homogeneous ion beams with a width of one Earth radius, observations and theoretical considerations have shown that PSBL ion beams actually have a decreasing velocity profile toward the plasma sheet and that the density of the beams within the PSBL can vary locally. We consider again the propagation and generation of electromagnetic waves but in the presence of fine structured ion beams in the PSBL. Our results show that whistler waves, generated quasi-parallel to the background magnetic field, can be trapped locally within small spatial regions where the ion beam density is enhanced compared to the density of the adjacent PSBL region. Wave spectra and nonlinear saturation mechanisms are discussed.

Burinskaya, T.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Measurement of Charged Particle Interactions in Spacecraft and Planetary Habitat Shielding Materials

Accurate models of health risks to astronauts on long-duration missions outside the geomagnetosphere will require a full understanding of the radiation environment inside a spacecraft or planetary habitat. This in turn requires detailed knowledge of the flux of incident particles and their propagation through matter, including the nuclear interactions of heavy ions that are a part of the Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR). The most important ions are likely to be iron, silicon, oxygen, and carbon. Transport of heavy ions through complex shielding materials including self-shielding of tissue modifies the radiation field at points of interest (e.g., at the blood-forming organs). The incident flux is changed by two types of interactions: (1) ionization energy loss, which results in reduced particle velocity and higher LET (Linear Energy Transfer); and (2) nuclear interactions that fragment the incident nuclei into less massive ions. Ionization energy loss is well understood, nuclear interactions less so. Thus studies of nuclear fragmentation at GCR-like energies are needed to fill the large gaps that currently exist in the database. These can be done at only a few accelerator facilities where appropriate beams are available. Here we report results from experiments performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory s Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) and the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba, Japan (HIMAC). Recent efforts have focused on extracting charge-changing and fragment production cross sections from silicon beams at 400, 600, and 1200 MeV/nucleon. Some energy dependence is observed in the fragment production cross sections, and as in other data sets the production of fragments with even charge numbers is enhanced relative to those with odd charge numbers. These data are compared to the NASA-LaRC model NUCFRG2. The charge-changing cross section data are compared to recent calculations using an improved model due to Tripathi, which accurately predicts the observed (slight) energy dependence. An additional set of data will be presented from an analysis of shielding material performance in the 1 GeV/nucleon iron beam at the AGS. A wide variety of candidate materials for spacecraft construction, as well as elemental targets, have been placed in this beam and their effects on transmitted dose and dose equivalent measured. The results support a prediction by J. Wilson et al. that hydrogen-loaded materials give the greatest dose reduction per unit mass.

Zeitlin, Cary J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Ion Velocity Distributions in Dipolarization Events: Beams in the Vicinity of the Plasma Sheet Boundary

Using combined MHD/test particle simulations, we further explore characteristic ion velocity distributions in relation to magnetotail reconnection and dipolarization events, focusing on distributions at and near the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL). Simulated distributions right at the boundary are characterized by a single earthward beam, as discussed earlier. However, farther inside, the distributions consist of multiple beams parallel and antiparallel to the magnetic field, remarkably similar to recent Magnetospheric Multiscale observations. The simulations provide insight into the mechanisms: the lowest earthward beam results from direct acceleration at an earthward propagating dipolarization front (DF), with a return beam at somewhat higher energy. A higher-energy earthward beam results from dual acceleration, first near the reconnection site and then at the DF, again with a corresponding return beam resulting from mirroring closer to Earth. Multiple acceleration at the X line or the propagating DF with intermediate bounces may produce even higher-energy beams. Particles contributing to the lower energy beams are found to originate from the PSBL with thermal source energies, increasing with increasing beam energy. In contrast, the highest-energy beams consist mostly of particles that have entered the acceleration region via cross-tail drift with source energies in the suprathermal range.

Birn, J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Double-focusing mass spectrometer

Device uses lighter, easily alined, magnet assembly to provide field required to interact with ion beam. It has no separate duct; instead, evacuated duct is formed by pole pieces which support vacuum pump. Magnetic gap and magnet assembly are reduced from 4.64 to 2.54 mm and from 2.4 to 1.5 kg, respectively.

Giffin, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Negative-ion formation in the explosives RDX, PETN, and TNT by using the reversal electron attachment detection technique

First results of a beam-beam, single-collision study of negative-ion mass spectra produced by attachment of zero-energy electrons to the molecules of the explosives RDX, PETN, and TNT are presented. The technique used is reversal electron attachment detection (READ) wherein the zero-energy electrons are produced by focusing an intense electron beam into a shaped electrostatic field which reverses the trajectory of electrons. The target beam is introduced at the reversal point, and attachment occurs because the electrons have essentially zero longitudinal and radial velocity. The READ technique is used to obtain the 'signature' of molecular ion formation and/or fragmentation for each explosive. Present data are compared with results from atmospheric-pressure ionization and negative-ion chemical ionization methods.

Boumsellek, S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ion beam applications research - A 1981 summary of Lewis Research Center programs

In 1975 the NASA's Lewis Research Center initiated a technology specific spinoff program to more broadly utilize benefits resulting from ion thruster technology. An Ion Beam Applications Research (IBAR) program was organized to enable the development of new or improved materials, products, and processes through the nonpropulsive application of ion thruster technology. Focused efforts to identify, evaluate, develop and transfer applications to the user community were conducted. A summary of the NASA Lewis Research Center's in-house, grant, and contract projects involving IBAR is given. Specific application efforts utilizing ion beam sputter etching, deposition, and texturing are discussed as well as ion source and component technology applications.

Banks, B. A.↗