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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

Monitoring of Ionic Silver Biocide with Capacitively-Coupled Contactless Conductivity Detection (C4D)

Monitoring of biocide dosing in spacecraft potable water systems is desirable to ensure dosing system operation and resultant microbial control. Electrolytic conductivity is linearly related to the concentration ionic silver (Ag+, the baseline biocide for future NASA missions) chemically dosed into highly purified water, and could serve as a proxy measurement. Traditional conductivity cells rely on immersed metal or graphite electrodes, which may potentially be subject to significant current-induced or auto-galvanic deposition of Ag+. Furthermore, oxide fouling may potentially induce measurement errors. Capacitively-coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) is a promising alternative. C4D uses electrodes placed outside an inert, non-conductive flow path, potentially mitigating such problems. We identified and purchased a commercial C4D system with claimed performance (conductivity range: 20 nS/cm to 4 µS/cm) appropriate for this application. We characterized the instrument’s performance with conductivity standards and Ag+ solutions. We began investigations considering practical and long-term detector operation, including potential current-induced deposition of conductive deposits at the tubing wall. In addition, we designed a side-stream flow system to provide liquid flow through the narrow tubing (1/16” outer diameter) required by the detector and characterized the performance of the combined C4D detector/flow system. Finally, we completed theoretical modeling of expected conductivity change with multiple dosing techniques and water chemistries.

Lance Dean Delzeit↗

Gas detector tube applications on Space Station Freedom

The Space Station Freedom (SSF) program requires measurements, by gas detector tubes, of trace contaminants (mainly CO and toluene didsocyanate) in the Node 2 (which is isolated from the trace contaminant control system for about 100 days during the SSF building missions) and Lab A atmosphere prior to the first entry of the crew. This paper discusses the results of an analysis of the levels of trace contaminants that can be expected in the Node 2 atmosphere at 100 days and the aspects of the detector tube design and technology which may need further developent for application in microgravity. Attention is also given to the factors governing the use of detector tubes for monitoring selected contaminants.

Shah, Burt H.↗

Coherent Detector Arrays for Continuum and Spectral Line Applications

This viewgraph presentation reviews the requirements for improved coherent detector arrays for use in continuum and spectral line applications. With detectors approaching fundamental limits, large arrays offer the only path to sensitivity improvement. Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology offers a straightforward path to massive focal plane millimeter wave arrays: The technology will readily support continuum imagers, polarimeters and spectral line receivers from 30-110 GHz. Science programs, particularly large field blind surveys will benefit from simultaneous observations of hundreds or thousands of pixels 1000 element array is competitive with a cost less than $2M.

instrumentation↗

Novel multiplexing technique for detector and mixer arrays

Future space submillimeter telescopes will require large-format imaging detector arrays to perform state-of-the-art astronomical observations. A crucial issue related to a focal plane array is a readout scheme which is combatible with large numbers of cryogenic detectors elements.

submillimeter↗

Ge:Be infrared photoconductors

Ge:Be photoconductors were optimized for the 30 to 50 micron wavelength range. Crystal growth of detector quality material requires good control of both the Be and residual impurity doping. Detective quantum efficiencies of n sub d = 46% at 5 A/W were achieved at a photon background of 10 to the 8th power p/s. The responsivity of Ge:Be detectors can be strongly temperature-dependent when the residual shallow levels in the material are closely compensated. Transient responses on the order of approximately 1 second were observed in some materials. The role of residual shallow impurities on the performance of photoconductors doped with semi-deep and deep impurities is discussed.

Haegel, N. M.↗

Pyroelectric detector development for the Radiation Measurement system

A new class of high detectivity pyroelectric detectors developed for optimization of the radiation measurement system within the framework of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program is described. These devices are intended to provide detectivities of up to about 10 exp 11 cm Hz exp 0.5/W with cooling to about 100 K required for the detector focal plane.

Hubbard, G. S.↗

A Detector for Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetry

We present preliminary design and development work on polarized detectors intended to enable Cosmic Microwave Background polarization measurements that will probe the first moments of the universe. The ultimate measurement will be challenging, requiring background-limited detectors and good control of systematic errors. Toward this end, we are integrating the beam control of HE-11 feedhorns with the sensitivity of transition-edge sensors. The coupling between these two devices is achieved via waveguide probe antennas and superconducting microstrip lines. This implementation allows band-pass filters to be incorporated on the detector chip. We believe that a large collection of single-mode polarized detectors will eventually be required for the reliable detection of the weak polarized signature that is expected to result from gravitational waves produced by cosmic inflation. This focal plane prototype is an important step along the path to this detection, resulting in a capability that will enable various future high performance instrument concepts.

Wollack, E.↗

Detectors for the James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Spectrograph

The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) is the James Webb Space Telescope's primary near-infrared spectrograph. NASA is providing the NIRSpec detector subsystem, which consists of the focal plane array, focal plane electronics, cable harnesses, and software. The focal plane array comprises two closely-butted lambda (sub co) approximately 5 micrometer Rockwell HAWAII- 2RG sensor chip assemblies. After briefly describing the NIRSpec instrument, we summarize some of the driving requirements for the detector subsystem, discuss the baseline architecture (and alternatives), and presents some recent detector test results including a description of a newly identified noise component that we have found in some archival JWST test data. We dub this new noise component, which appears to be similar to classical two-state popcorn noise in many aspects, "popcorn mesa noise." We close with the current status of the detector subsystem development effort.

Rauscher, Bernard J.↗

Large-format electrographic and array detectors for a space Schmidt imaging telescope

Possible optical designs of imaging detectors for the spaceborne Schmidt telescope proposed by Carruthers et al. (1990) are discussed, surveying the currently or potentially available technology. Consideration is given to FUV electrographic detectors of large format (e.g., 120 mm with 10-micron resolution) using CsI photocathodes, the possible extension of the same technology to the mid-UV using Cs2Te instead of CsI, large CCD arrays for the visible and NIR, electron-bombarded CCDs for the FUV and mid-UV, and the data handling and processing requirements of these detectors.

Carruthers, George R.↗

Superconducting Bolometer Array Architectures

The next generation of far-infrared and submillimeter instruments require large arrays of detectors containing thousands of elements. These arrays will necessarily be multiplexed, and superconducting bolometer arrays are the most promising present prospect for these detectors. We discuss our current research into superconducting bolometer array technologies, which has recently resulted in the first multiplexed detections of submillimeter light and the first multiplexed astronomical observations. Prototype arrays containing 512 pixels are in production using the Pop-Up Detector (PUD) architecture, which can be extended easily to 1000 pixel arrays. Planar arrays of close-packed bolometers are being developed for the GBT (Green Bank Telescope) and for future space missions. For certain applications, such as a slewed far-infrared sky survey, feedhorncoupling of a large sparsely-filled array of bolometers is desirable, and is being developed using photolithographic feedhorn arrays. Individual detectors have achieved a Noise Equivalent Power (NEP) of -10(exp 17) W/square root of Hz at 300mK, but several orders of magnitude improvement are required and can be reached with existing technology. The testing of such ultralow-background detectors will prove difficult, as this requires optical loading of below IfW. Antenna-coupled bolometer designs have advantages for large format array designs at low powers due to their mode selectivity.

Benford, Dominic↗

Model Development for MODIS Thermal Band Electronic Crosstalk

MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has 36 bands. Among them, 16 thermal emissive bands covering a wavelength range from 3.8 to 14.4 m. After 16 years on-orbit operation, the electronic crosstalk of a few Terra MODIS thermal emissive bands developed substantial issues that cause biases in the EV brightness temperature measurements and surface feature contamination. The crosstalk effects on band 27 with center wavelength at 6.7 m and band 29 at 8.5 m increased significantly in recent years, affecting downstream products such as water vapor and cloud mask. The crosstalk effect is evident in the near-monthly scheduled lunar measurements, from which the crosstalk coefficients can be derived. The development of an alternative approach is very helpful for independent verification.In this work, a physical model was developed to assess the crosstalk impact on calibration as well as in Earth view brightness temperature retrieval. This model was applied to Terra MODIS band 29 empirically to correct the Earth brightness temperature measurements. In the model development, the detectors nonlinear response is considered. The impact of the electronic crosstalk is assessed in two steps. The first step consists of determining the impact on calibration using the on-board blackbody (BB). Due to the detectors nonlinear response and large background signal, both linear and nonlinear coefficients are affected by the crosstalk from sending bands. The second step is to calculate the effects on the Earth view brightness temperature retrieval. The effects include those from affected calibration coefficients and the contamination of Earth view measurements. This model links the measurement bias with crosstalk coefficients, detector non-linearity, and the ratio of Earth measurements between the sending and receiving bands. The correction of the electronic cross talk can be implemented empirically from the processed bias at different brightness temperature. The implementation can be done through two approaches. As routine calibration assessment for thermal infrared bands, the trending over select Earth scenes is processed for all the detectors in a band and the band averaged bias is derived at a certain time. In this case, the correction of an affected band can be made using the regression of the model with band averaged bias and then corrections of detector differences are applied. The second approach requires the trending for individual detectors and the bias for each detector is used for regression with the model. A test using the first approach was made for Terra MODIS band 29 with the biases derived from long-term trending of brightness temperature over ocean and Dome-C.

Chang, Tiejun↗

COLUTA: Custom 8-Channel 15-bit 40-MSPS ADC for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter Readout

The stringent radiation-tolerance, quantization requirements, and the need for seamless integration of the on-detector readout electronics chain require the design of a full-custom analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for the 182,468 channels in the ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) calorimeter at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, as part of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade. Each of the 8 channels in the prototype 65 nm CMOS ADC with 15-bit resolution and >68 dB signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR), or equivalently >11 effective number of bits (ENOB), consists of a Multiplying-DAC (MDAC) and a successive-approximation (SAR) ADC. A digital data processing unit (DDPU) calibrates and serially transmits the quantized data. Initial lab characterization of 18 chips shows a minimum SNDR of 69.5 dB at full-scale at about 5 MHz and a maximum power consumption of 1.17 W; differential non-linearity (DNL) measurements show no missing codes. Additional validation of the ADC is ongoing before approximately 70k chips can be mass-produced for the upgrade.

Rui Xu↗

Ultrastable reference pulser for high-resolution spectrometers

Solid-state double-pulse generator for a high resolution semiconductor detector meets specific requirements for resolution /0.05 percent/, amplitude range /0.1-13 MeV/, and repetition rate /0.1-1000 pulses per second/. A tag pulse is generated in coincidence with each reference pulse.

Brenner, R.↗

Low-noise video amplifiers for imaging CCD's

Various techniques were developed which enable the CCD (charge coupled device) imaging array user to obtain optimum performance from the device. A CCD video channel was described, and detector-preamplifier interface requirements were examined. A noise model for the system was discussed at length and laboratory data presented and compared to predicted results.

Scinicariello, F.↗

Infrared focal plane arrays for planetary missions

Requirements for infrared detector array focal planes suitable for a set of prospective planetary missions are developed. Using the Galileo mission to Jupiter as a starting point, objectives and constraints applicable to outer planet missions are developed. The concept for an advanced mapping spectrometer utilizing 128 x 128 element infrared detector arrays is described. Specific implementations for the Saturn Orbiter Dual Probe mission, a Mars Orbiter mission, and a Titan Orbiter mission are defined. The analysis indicates that within the 1 to 5 micron range, broad scientific objectives for these missions can be met using focal plane arrays with detectivities on the order of 10 to the 14th cm sq root of Hz per W. The realization of such high detectivities in a low background application will necessitate careful development of the method by which the detector signals are multiplexed and read out.

Wellman, J. B.↗

Near-infrared mapping spectrometer optical subsystem development and testing

The Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) is one of the four remote-sensing science instruments of the Galileo Orbiter scientific payload. The NIMS scientific objectives require operating the detector and optical subsystem at cryogenic temperatures. The necessity of assembling, aligning, and testing the optics at room temperature and meeting design specifications at the cryogenic operating temperature (130 K) presented a set of challenging technical problems. A systematic approach to the development of athermalized mounts and supporting structures for optical components is described. A technique utilizing the visible spectral range and supplementary ray-trace information for alignment of an infrared instrument is presented. The optical subsystem point-spread function and spatial and spectral resolution were determined at room temperature using selected spectral and spatial targets. Based on thermal-distortion analyses of the structure and mounts, compensators were selected, implemented, and verified at cryogenic temperatures. The selection of the compensator and the overall system performance were verified in a thermal vacuum chamber. Various external and internal calibration targets were used.

Macenka, S. A.↗