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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 163 records · Page 9

Formation of the low-mass solar nebula

We study an accretional stage of the formation and early evolution of the solar nebula with relatively small angular momentum. We investigate the evolution of the disk and its vertical structure, particularly the shock front between disk and infalling material. Calculations start at a moment when a low-mass star-like core surrounded by small embryo disk have been formed at the center of the presolar nebula and the bulk of mass remained in the envelope. The forming solar nebula is approximated as a thin viscous disk surrounded by accreting envelope. The distribution of temperature in the infalling envelope is determined by solving spherically symmetric equations of radiative transfer. As the energy source, we take into account all energy released within the centrifugal radius of the infalling matter. Other aspects of this study are discussed.

Ruzmaikina, T. V.↗

Millimeter continuum observations of the active star-forming core of M82

A small map of the 1.3-mm continuum emissioin from cool dust in the central starburst region of M82 is presented. The source is found to be less than about 45 arcsecs in extent and centered on the region of brightest IR emission. The total flux density at 1.3-mm is 1.3 + or - 0.3 Jy. The molecular hydrogen mass in M82 is 3 X 10 to the 8th solar masses, with an uncertainty of + or - 30 percent. An approximate correction to masses derived from long-wavelength photometry when the heavy element abundance is different from that of the solar neighborhood is discussed. This correction reduces the derived mass of M82 to about 1 X 10 to the 8th solar masses.

Thronson, H. A., Jr.↗

Infrared observations of the core of Centaurus A, NGC 5128.

Infrared radiation from the nucleus of NGC 5128 has been measured from 1 to 10 microns. Scans and aperture-size data show that there is only one bright infrared region within the central 1 min of the galaxy and that it is coincident to within 5 sec with the ?hot spot' of Kunkel and Bradt. The 3.5- and 2.2-micron radiation is more peaked toward the center than are the shorter wavelengths. The data are interpreted to indicate a small nonstellar infrared core superposed on an extended, reddened stellar component.

Becklin, E. E.↗

Nonlinear seismic analysis of a reactor structure impact between core components

The seismic analysis of the FFTF-PIOTA (Fast Flux Test Facility-Postirradiation Open Test Assembly), subjected to a horizontal DBE (Design Base Earthquake) is presented. The PIOTA is the first in a set of open test assemblies to be designed for the FFTF. Employing the direct method of transient analysis, the governing differential equations describing the motion of the system are set up directly and are implicitly integrated numerically in time. A simple lumped-nass beam model of the FFTF which includes small clearances between core components is used as a "driver" for a fine mesh model of the PIOTA. The nonlinear forces due to the impact of the core components and their effect on the PIOTA are computed.

Hill, R. G.↗

Initiation of breakdown in slender compressible vortices

The initiation of the breakdown process for axially symmetric compressible flows is investigated using a numerical solution of the conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy. The vortex is isolated, with its axis parallel to the direction of the main stream, and the core radius is small compared to the breakdown length. Computations for several flowfields indicate that the breakdown of the solution is shifted further downstream with increasing Mach number until breakdown is no longer observed. In the subsonic case, the influence of the initial temperature distribution on the breakdown length of the solution is more pronounced than in the supersonic case, with heating of the core enhancing breakdown, and cooling delaying it. The breakdown of the solution is seen to always occur for nonvanishing axial velocity components.

Krause, E.↗

Tuned Chamber Core Panel Acoustic Test Results

This report documents acoustic testing of tuned chamber core panels, which can be used to supplement the low-frequency performance of conventional acoustic treatment. The tuned chamber core concept incorporates low-frequency noise control directly within the primary structure and is applicable to sandwich constructions with a directional core, including corrugated-, truss-, and fluted-core designs. These types of sandwich structures have long, hollow channels (or chambers) in the core. By adding small holes through one of the facesheets, the hollow chambers can be utilized as an array of low-frequency acoustic resonators. These resonators can then be used to attenuate low-frequency noise (below 400 Hz) inside a vehicle compartment without increasing the weight or size of the structure. The results of this test program demonstrate that the tuned chamber core concept is effective when used in isolation or combined with acoustic foam treatments. Specifically, an array of acoustic resonators integrated within the core of the panels was shown to improve both the low-frequency absorption and transmission loss of the structure in targeted one-third octave bands.

Schiller, Noah H.↗

Mass Redistribution in the Core and Time-varying Gravity at the Earth's Surface

The Earth's liquid outer core is in convection, as suggested by the existence of the geomagnetic field in much of the Earth's history. One consequence of the convection is the redistribution of mass resulting from relative motion among fluid parcels with slightly different densities. This time dependent mass redistribution inside the core produces a small perturbation on the gravity field of the Earth. With our numerical dynamo solutions, we find that the mass redistribution (and the resultant gravity field) symmetric about the equator is much stronger than that anti-symmetric about the equator. In particular, J(sub 2) component is the strongest. In addition, the gravity field variation increases with the Rayleigh number that measures the driving force for the geodynamo in the core. With reasonable scaling from the current dynamo solutions, we could expect that at the surface of the Earth, the J(sub 2) variation from the core is on the order of l0(exp -16)/year relative to the mean (i.e. spherically symmetric) gravity field of the Earth. The possible shielding effect due to core-mantle boundary pressure variation loading is likely much smaller and is therefore negligible. Our results suggest that time-varying gravity field perturbation due to core mass redistribution may be measured with modem space geodetic observations, which will result a new means of detecting dynamical processes in the Earth's deep interior.

Kuang, Wei-Jia↗

The Psyche Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer

A Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) instrument has been developed as part of the science payload for NASA’s Discovery Program Psyche mission to the M-class asteroid (16) Psyche. The GRNS instrument is designed to measure the elemental composition of Psyche with the goal to understand the origin of this mysterious, potentially metal-rich planetary body. The GRNS will measure the near-surface abundances for the elements Ni, Fe, Si, K, S, Al, and Ca, as well as the spatial distribution of Psyche’s metal-to-silicate fraction (or metal fraction). These measurements address three of the five Psyche mission science objectives: determine if Psyche is a core; determine whether small metal bodies incorporate light elements into the metal phase; and determine whether Psyche was formed under reducing conditions. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) uses a cryocooled, high-purity Ge (HPGe) sensor to detect cosmic-ray generated gamma rays in the 60 to 9000-keV energy range. The HPGe sensor is surrounded by a borated plastic anticoincidence shield that provides three functions: active background rejection from charged particle interactions in the HPGe sensor; fast neutron measurements; and direct measurements of the incident galactic cosmic ray flux. The Neutron Spectrometer (NS) uses three 3 He gas proportional sensors, each with different material wraps to measure thermal (<0.4 eV), low-energy epithermal (0.4 eV to 1 keV), and high-energy epithermal (up to 100 keV) neutrons. This paper provides an overview of the Psyche GRNS, including: its science and measurement objectives; the design of the instrument hardware, software, and operation; pre-launch performance measurements and its initial performance in space; and an overview of its data products and expected operation for different Psyche mission phases.

Engineering - Instrumentation related to nuclear s↗

Accelerating Embedding Potential Optimization by Reconstructing the Pseudo-Valence Electron Density

Density functional embedding theory (DFET) enables use of electronic structure methods with higher accuracy than density functional theory in a local region, with applications thus far ranging from (photo/electro)catalysis to reactions in solution. DFET partitions a large collection of atoms into smaller groups that interact via a shared embedding (interaction) potential V emb , determined via functional optimization. The optimized effective potential (OEP) process used to optimize V emb is time-consuming and becomes a computational bottleneck due to sharp, oscillating features of V emb near nuclei. Here, similar to pseudopotential theory, by reconstructing electron densities used in the OEP process from smoother pseudo-valence-only (PVO) electron densities as proxies for total densities of the full system and subsystems, we can retain accuracy in the embedded electronic structure calculations while potentially reducing the overhead of V emb construction, within the projector augmented-wave (PAW) formalism. We explore three different chemical reactions as exemplars to test PVO–DFET, namely, H 2 dissociative adsorption on a Cu(111) surface, H 2 O adsorption on a Pt(111) surface, and aqueous [Ca 2+ –SO 4 2– ] ion-pair formation. The PVO approximation works well for all three systems with minimal loss of accuracy (∼10–70 meV error relative to the original exact-derivative (ED) approach) while accelerating V emb generation for the Cu and Pt systems respectively by 20× and 5×. Given proper numerical convergence parameters, the spatial distributions of differences between PVO- and ED-based V emb outside the core regions are small, explaining the exceptional agreement between the two approaches. Finally, we anticipate that this more efficient PVO–DFET approximation will be useful whenever computation of V emb is much more expensive than subsequent embedded high-level electron correlation calculations.

approximation↗

Happy Canyon - A new type of enstatite achondrite

Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of the Happy Canyon meteorite, found in 1971 near Wayside, Texas, show it to be a new type of enstatite achondrite occupying the gap between the recrystallized enstatite chondrites and the igneous, crystalline, unbrecciated enstatite chondrites. Although the bulk composition of the specimen is consistent with that of an E6 enstatite chondrite, it has a crystal cumulate texture. There are minor amounts of metal and troilite which have survived extensive weathering. The Happy Canyon meteorite may represent an E6 composition which has melted and reprecipitated at a slightly higher oxidation state, possibly in the core of a small parent body.

Olsen, E. J.↗

Acoustic tests of duct-burning turbofan jet noise simulation

The results of a static acoustic and aerodynamic performance, model-scale test program on coannular unsuppressed and multielement fan suppressed nozzle configurations are summarized. The results of the static acoustic tests show a very beneficial interaction effect. When the measured noise levels were compared with the predicted noise levels of two independent but equivalent conical nozzle flow streams, noise reductions for the unsuppressed coannular nozzles were of the order of 10 PNdB; high levels of suppression (8 PNdB) were still maintained even when only a small amount of core stream flow was used. The multielement fan suppressed coannular nozzle tests showed 15 PNdB noise reductions and up to 18 PNdB noise reductions when a treated ejector was added. The static aerodynamic performance tests showed that the unsuppressed coannular plug nozzles obtained gross thrust coefficients of 0.972, with 1.2 to 1.7 percent lower levels for the multielement fan-suppressed coannular flow nozzles. For the first time anywhere, laser velocimeter velocity profile measurements were made on these types of nozzle configurations and with supersonic heated flow conditions. Measurements showed that a very rapid decay in the mean velocity occurs for the nozzle tested.

Knott, P. R.↗

Passive seismic experiment - A summary of current status

The data set obtained from the four-station Apollo seismic network including signals from approximately 11,800 events, is surveyed. Some refinement of the lunar model will result, but its gross features remain the same. Attention is given to the question of a small, molten lunar core, the answer to which remains dependent on analysis of signals from a far side impact. Seventy three sources of repeating, deep moonquakes have been identified, thirty nine of which have been accurately located. Concentrated at depths from 800 to 1000 km, the periodicities of these events have led to the hypothesis that they are generated by tidal stresses. Lunar seismic data has also indicated that the meteoroid population is ten times lower than originally determined from earth based observations. Lunar seismic activity is much lower and mountainous masses show no sign of sinking, in contrast to earth, as a result of the lunar crust being four times thicker. While much work remains to be done, significant correlation between terrestrial and lunar observations can be seen.

Latham, G. V.↗

Interstellar depletions and far-ultraviolet extinction in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud

Copernicus ultraviolet data on six stars embedded in the well-studied Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex have been analyzed for interstellar abundances, densities, and far-ultraviolet extinction parameters, in an effort to determine how interstellar depletions depend on physical conditions. While there are variations within the cloud in the overall depletions, the pattern of depletions from element to element is constant for all six lines of sight. A picture is suggested in which the cloud core has a small velocity dispersion or is either so strongly depleted or so dense (hence not ionized) that the lines of first ions of heavy elements do not arise there, but rather form in a less-dense or less-depleted outer region. The cloud as a whole has substantial depletions, average to low far-ultraviolet extinction, and a low ratio of molecular to atomic hydrogen.

Snow, T. P., Jr.↗

The kinetic temperature and CH3CCH column density profiles in SGR B2, Orion, and Dr 21

Kinetic temperatures, T(kin), are presently estimated by means of a technique employing the intensities of the adjacent rotational transitions of symmetric top molecules, under the assumptions that the metastable levels are thermalized, and that the excitation temperature connecting the upper level of the observed transition to the lowest level in the K ladder is the same for the both adjacent transitions. The method is applied to observations of the J = 5-4 and J = 6-5 transitions of CH3CCH obtained at 1-arcmin intervals along a NS-EW cross that centered on Orion KL, Sgr B2, and Dr 21. The technique's application to CH3CN lines from the central positions of Sgr B2 and Orion produces T(kin) values that are in good agreement with other determinations. The fact that these lines are broader than those of CH3CCH is interpreted in terms of a model in which CH3CN emission is confined to small and warm core region while CH3CCH emission is dominated by a more extensive, almost isothermal and cooler halo region in Orion KL and Sgr B2.

Churchwell, E.↗

The structure of the shower disk observed at Mt. Norikura

The structure of the EAS shower disk, the arrival time distribution of charged particles at the core of the small or middle size shower, is measured at Mt. Norikura in Japan. Four fast scintillation counters with an area of 0.25 sq m and a fast trigger system are added to the Mt. Norikura EAS array for the study.

Sasaki, H.↗

VLBI observations of the 3C 111 jet

VLBI observations have been made of the central component of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 111 at 1.7 GHz and 5.0 GHz. High-dynamic-range maps at both frequencies show a one-sided jet in PA 62 + or - 1 deg but no counterjet. The lower limit to the jet/counterjet ratio is 30:1 at 5 GHz and 15:1 at 1.7 GHz. The jet is initially straight, but beyond 15 marcsec from the core it exhibits small bends or wiggles. Their onset corresponds to a sharp reduction in the rate of intensity falloff along the jet, suggesting that an instability in the jet is causing substantial particle acceleration.

Linfield, Roger↗

Motion, decay and merging of vortex filaments

The asymptotic solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for vortex filaments of finite strength with small effective vortical cores are summarized. Emphases are placed on the physical meaning and the practical limit to the applicability of the asymptotic solution. Finite-difference solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for the merging of the filament(s) are described. It is focused on the development of the approximate boundary conditions for the computational domain.

Liu, C. H.↗

Interaction and merging of vortex filaments

The asymptotic solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for vortex filaments of finite strength with small effective vortical cores are summarized with special emphasis placed on the physical meaning and the practical limit to the applicability of the asymptotic solution. Finite-difference solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for the marging of the filament(s) are described with a focus on the development of the approximate boundary conditions for the computational domain. An efficiency study employing a model problem is used to assess the advantages of the present approximate boundary condition method over previously used techniques. Applications of the present method are presented for the motion and decay of a 3:1 elliptic vortex ring, and for the merging process of a pair of coaxial vortex rings. A numerical procedure for the problem of local merging of vortex filaments, which requires the asymptotic analysis as well as the numerical Navier-Stokes solver, is also presented.

Liu, C. H.↗