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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 NTRS1987

Electric potential distributions at the interface between plasmasheet clouds

At the interface between two plasma clouds with different densities, temperatures, and/or bulk velocities, there are large charge separation electric fields which can be modeled in the framework of a collisionless theory for tangential discontinuities. Two different classes of layers were identified: the first one corresponds to (stable) ion layers which are thicker than one ion Lamor radius; the second one corresponds to (unstable) electron layers which are only a few electron Larmor radii thick. It is suggested that these thin electron layers with large electric potential gradients (up to 400 mV/m) are the regions where large-amplitude electrostatic waves are spontaneously generated. These waves scatter the pitch angles of the ambient plasmasheet electron into the atmospheric loss cone. The unstable electron layers can therefore be considered as the seat of strong pitch angle scattering for the primary auroral electrons.

Evans, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1976

An interpretation of Jupiter's decametric radiation and the terrestrial kilometric radiation as direct amplified gyroemission

Direct amplified gyroemission due to an anisotropic distribution of suprathermal electrons is proposed as the most plausible emission mechanism for Jupiter's decametric radiation (DAM) and the terrestrial auroral kilometric radiation (AKR). It is suggested that the required electron distribution could be produced by electrons, initially with small pitch angles, precipitating from the magnetosphere. A quasi-linear treatment of the proposed mechanism is outlined, including satisfaction of the Doppler condition, calculation of the growth rate, conditions for quasi-linear relaxation, and generation of the anisotropy. The mechanism is applied to the Jovian DAM, emphasizing the growth rate, the power radiated, and the elliptical polarization of the radiation. It is found that the theory can account for the gross features of the DAM, provided the number density in the precipitating electron streams exceeds 20 per cu cm. Application of the theory to the AKR shows that the requirements concerning the properties of the precipitating electrons appear to be satisfied by the observed properties of those inverted V events which correlate with the emission of AKR.

Melrose, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The excitation of electronic transverse energy levels in an intense magnetic field

Observations of the X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1 show a line emission feature at about 60 keV, which has been interpreted as the fundamental electron cyclotron line in a magnetic field of around six trillion gauss. In this interpretation, the line radiation results from transitions between transverse energy levels, which are quantized by the field. The expected line luminosity from the excitation of these levels by protons which are falling into the polar cap of a neutron star are calculated. They are assumed to attain kinetic energies up to around 200 MeV, the gravitational potential energy at the surface. The cross sections for high energy Coulomb encounters between small pitch angle protons and electrons in a strong field are measured and used to calculate the energy loss rate of the infalling protons. This rate, together with the rate of elastic nuclear proton collisions, is then used to calculate the number of line photons an infalling proton can be expected to produce, directly or indirectly. The results are applied to Hercules X-1.

Bussard, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Electron time dispersion

Observations of electrons during a sounding rocket flight from Sondrestromfjord, Greenland, in 1985 showed numerous instances of electron time-of-flight dispersion, that is, a coherent structure in which fast electrons arrived before slow electrons. The instrumentation measured many pitch angles simultaneously with high time resolution, providing a detailed view of the temporal evolution of the electron signature at rocket altitudes which was indicative of an impulsive injection of electrons over a range of energies. A model utilizing an extended, quasi-static (static on a timescale of 1 s), parallel electric field was developed to investigate a possible mechanism for the injection of these electrons. The model is found to fit the data well only when a background is added which cannot be self-consistently generated by the model, although other parameters used in the model are in general agreement with previous reports. This leads to the conclusion that electron dispersion is more probably generated by a wave acceleration mechanism.

Kletzing, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Generation of High-frequency Whistler Waves in the Earth's Quasi-Perpendicular Bow Shock

We use observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft to identify a free energy source for high-frequency whistler waves in the Earth's quasi-perpendicular bow shock. In the considered measurements, whistlers propagate both parallel and antiparallel to the background magnetic field B0 with frequencies around 100 Hz (0.15 fce, where fce is the electron cyclotron frequency) and amplitudes between 0.1 and 1 nT. Their growth can be attributed to localized pitch angle anisotropy in the electron velocity distribution function that cannot be precisely described by macroscopic parameters like heat flux or temperature anisotropy. However, the presence of heat flux along −B0 does create preferential conditions for the high-frequency whistler waves that propagate in this direction. These waves are directed partially toward the shock, meaning they can scatter electrons that are streaming from the shock. This prolongs the time the electrons spend in the shock transition region and thereby promotes electron energization.

Brent Page↗
NASA NTRS1994

Auroral ionospheric signatures of the plasma sheet boundary layer in the evening sector

We report on particles and fields observed during Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F9 and DE 2 crossings of the polar cap/auroral oval boundary in the evening magnetic local time (MLT) sector. Season-dependent, latitudinally narrow regions of rapid, eastward plasma flows were encountered by DMSP near the poleward boundary of auroral electron precipitation. Ten DE 2 orbits exhibiting electric field spikes that drive these plasma flows were chosen for detailed analysis. The boundary region is characterized by pairs of oppositely-directed, field-aligned current sheets. The more poleward of the two current sheets is directed into the ionosphere. Within this downward current sheet, precipitating electrons either had average energies of a few hundred eV or were below polar rain flux levels. Near the transition to upward currents, DE 2 generally detected intense fluxes of accelerated electrons and weak fluxes of ions, both with average energies between 5 and 12 keV. In two instances, precipitating ions with energies greater than 5 keV spanned both current sheets. Comparisons with satellite measurements at higher altitudes suggest that the particles and fields originated in the magnetotail inside the distant reconnection region and propagated to Earth through the plasma sheet boundary layer. Auroral electrons are accelerated by parallel electric fields produced by the different pitch angle distributions of protons and electrons in this layer interacting with the near-Earth magnetic mirror. Electric field spikes driving rapid plasma flows along the poleward boundaries of intense, keV electron precipitation represent ionospheric responses to the field-aligned currents and conductivity gradients. The generation of field-aligned currents in the boundary layer may be understood qualitatively as resulting from the different rates of earthward drift for electrons and protons in the magnetotail's current sheet.

Burke, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Directivity of Bremsstrahlung radiation from relativistic beams and the Gamma-Rays from solar flares

It has been observed that flares with greater than 10 Mev gamma-ray emission are concentrated around the solar limb with a dispersion of 10 to 20 degrees. It is shown that the bremsstrahlung by relativistic electrons is responsible for such gamma-rays and that the expected relativistic beaming cannot explain this dispersion. It is argued that this dispersion is predominately a reflection of the pitch angle distribution of the electrons. Then it is shown that this requires a small variation of the magnetic field from the point where the electrons are injected to the photosphere and a nearly isotropic (in the downward direction) pitch angle distribution at the injection. The influence of other effects on the observed distribution is also discussed.

Petrosian, V.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Directivity of bremsstrahlung radiation from relativistic beams and the gamma rays from solar flares

It has been observed that flares with greater than 10 MeV gamma-ray emission are concentrated around the solar limb with a dispersion of 10 to 20 degrees. It is shown that the bremsstrahlung by relativistic electrons is responsible for such gamma-rays and that the expected relativistic beaming cannot explain this dispersion. It is argued that this dispersion is predominately a reflection of the pitch angle distribution of the electrons. Then it is shown that this requires a small variation of the magnetic field from the point where the electrons are injected to the photosphere and a nearly isotropic (in the downward direction) pitch angle distribution at the injection. The influence of other effects on the observed distribution is also discussed.

Petrosian, V.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Effects of dynamic aeroelasticity on handling qualities and pilot rating

Pilot performance parameters, such as pilot ratings, tracking errors, and pilot comments were determined for a longitudinal pitch tracking task using a large, flexible bomber with parametric variations in the undamped natural frequencies of the two lowest frequency symmetric elastic modes. This pitch tracking task was programmed on a fixed base simulator with an electronic attitude-director display of pitch command, pitch angle, and pitch error. Low frequency structural flexibility significantly affects the handling qualities and pilot ratings in the task evaluated.

Yen, W. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1979

An interpretation of the polarization of microwave bursts

High-spatial-resolution (a few seconds of arc) observations of microwave bursts have demonstrated that only the impulsive phase of the burst is polarized; one observes only one polarity in the burst source if it is weak (Alissandrakis and Kundu) and both polarities if it is intense (Enome et al.). These results are interpreted in terms of an asymmetrical bipolar field structure of the loop in which the energetic electrons responsible for the radiation are contained. The role of unequal field strengths at the feet of the loop on the number of electrons trapped and their pitch angle distribution are discussed in a specific model. Computations of the polarized intensity originating from each foot of the loop seem to be consistent with the observations at present available.

Kundu, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Voyager plasma wave measurements at Saturn

The entire set of Voyager plasma wave observations at Saturn is summarized and attention is focused on several specific problem areas. The topics that are emphasized include (1) the size and location of the Saturn foreshock, (2) possible detection of the Jovian magnetic tail after the Saturn encounter, (3) pitch angle scattering of electrons by equatorial whistler mode emissions, and (4) the detection of dust impact signals near the ring plane and at other locations in the magnetosphere.

Scarf, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Ion acceleration in laboratory plasmas

Recent experiments which investigate ion acceleration in 'collisionless' laboratory plasmas are described. The experiments fall into two classes - those involving stationary and those involving time dependent processes.Among the stationary structures which accelerate ions are sheaths, presheaths, double layers, multiple double layers and ambipolar potentials. RF is an example of time dependent processes. Both classes of experiments are considered. Experiments with 'collisionless' plasmas in multidipole triple plasma-type devices and novel phenomena associated with the use of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating in the inhomogeneous magnetic field of a tandem mirror 'fusion' plasma are described. New RF phenomenon include RF pitch angle scattering, RF electron pumping, and ICRF ponderomotive force.

Hershkowitz, Noah↗
NASA NTRS1991

Pitch angle scattering of energetic particles by oblique whistler waves

First order cyclotron or Landau resonant pitch angle scattering of electrons by oblique whistler waves propagating at large angles to the ambient field are found to be at least as large as that due to parallel propagating waves. Commonly observed precipitation of more than 40 keV electrons in association with ducted whistlers may thus be accompanied by substantial fluxes of lower energy (10 eV-40 keV) electrons precipitated by the nonducted components.

Inan, U. S.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Transport of Photoelectrons in the Nightside Magnetosphere

Kinetic modeling results are analyzed to examine the transport of photoelectrons through the nightside inner magnetosphere. Two sources are considered, those on the dayside from direct solar illumination and those across the nightside from light scattered by the upper atmosphere and geocorona. A natural filter exists on the nightside for the dayside photoelectrons. Coulomb collisions erode the distribution at low energies and low L shells, and magnetospheric convection compresses the electrons as they drift toward dawn. It is shown that for low-activity levels a band of photoelectrons forms between L = 4 and 6 that extends throughout the nightside local times and into the morning sector. For the scattered light photoelectrons the trapped zone throughout the nightside is populated with electrons of E less than 30 eV. At high L shells near dawn, convective compression on the nightside yields an accelerated population with electrons at energies up to twice the ionospheric energy maximum (that is, roughly 1200 eV for dayside photoelectrons and 60 eV for scattered light electrons). Modeled energy and pitch angle distributions are presented to show the features of these populations.

Khazanov, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Comparison Between Path Lengths Traveled by Solar Electrons and Ions in Ground-Level Enhancement Events

We have examined the Wind/3DP/SST electron and Wind/EPACT/LEMT ion data to investigate the path length difference between solar electrons and ions in the ground-level enhancement (GLE) events in solar cycle 23. Assuming that the onset time of metric type II or decameter-hectometric (DH) type III radio bursts is the solar release time of non-relativistic electrons, we have found that within an error range of plus or minus 10% the deduced path length of low-energy (approximately 27 keV) electrons from their release site near the Sun to the 1 AU observer is consistent with the ion path length deduced by Reames from the onset time analysis. In addition, the solar longitude distribution and IMF topology of the GLE events examined are in favor of the coronal mass ejection-driven shock acceleration origin of observed non-relativistic electrons.We have also found an increase of electron path lengths with increasing electron energies. The increasing rate of path lengths is correlated with the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of peak electron intensities locally measured, with a higher rate corresponding to a broader PAD. The correlation indicates that the path length enhancement is due to the interplanetary scattering experienced by first arriving electrons. The observed path length consistency implies that the maximum stable time of magnetic flux tubes, along which particles transport, could reach 4.8 hr.

electrons↗
NASA NTRS2018

Kinetic Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Propagating Inside a Coronal Mass Ejection

We investigate the kinetic properties of a typical fast-mode shock inside an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed on 1998 August 6 at 1 au, including particle distributions and wave analysis with the in situ measurements from Wind. Key results are obtained concerning the shock and the shock-ICME interaction at kinetic scales: (1) gyrating ions, which may provide energy dissipation at the shock in addition to wave-particle interactions, are observed around the shock ramp; (2) despite the enhanced proton temperature anisotropy of the shocked plasma, the low plasma beta inside the ICME constrains the shocked plasma under the thresholds of the ion cyclotron and mirror-mode instabilities; (3) whistler heat flux instabilities, which can pitch-angle scatter halo electrons through a cyclotron resonance, are observed around the shock, and can explain the disappearance of bi-directional electrons (BDEs) inside the ICME together with normal betatron acceleration; (4) whistler waves near the shock are likely associated with the whistler heat flux instabilities excited at the shock ramp, which is consistent with the result that the waves may originate from the shock ramp; (5) the whistlers share a similar characteristic with the shocklet whistlers observed by Wilson et al., providing possible evidence that the shock is decaying because of the strong magnetic field inside the ICME.

Liu, Mingzhe↗
NASA NTRS1987

Rapid temporal evolution of radiation from non-thermal electrons in solar flares

Solutions of the time dependent Fokker-Planck equation was found for accelerated electrons undergoing Coulomb collisions in a magnetized, fully ionized plasma. An exact solution was found for arbitrary pitch angle and energy distribution in a uniform background plasma. Then, for an inhomogeneous plasma, a solution was found for particles with small pitch angles. These solutions were used to calculate the temporal evolution of bremsstrahlung x-rays from short bursts of nonthermal electron beams, and these spectra were compared with observed high time resolution spectra of short timescale solar hard x-ray bursts. It is shown that the observed softening in time of the spectra rules out a homogeneous background and therefore the possibility of electrons being confined to the corona either because of converging magnetic field or high densities. The inhomogeneous solution was also applied to a model with constant coronal density and exponentially rising chromospheric density. The spectra are shown to be consistent with that produced by a collimated beam of electrons accelerated in the corona with certain given conditions. These conditions could be violated if large pitch angle electrons are present.

Lu, Edward T.↗