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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Simultaneous prenoon and postnoon observations of three field-aligned current systems from Viking and DMSP-F7

The spatial structure of dayside large-scale field-aligned current (FAC) systems is examined by using Viking and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-F7 (DMSP-F7) data. We focus on four events in which the satellites simultaneously observed postnoon and prenoon three FAC systems: the region 2, the region 1, and the mantle (referred to as midday region O) systems, from equatorward to poleward. These events provide the most solid evidence to date that the midday region O system is a separate and unique FAC system, and is not an extension of the region 1 system from other local times. The events are examined comprehensively by making use of a mulit-instrumental data set, which includes magnetic field, particle flux, electric field, auroral UV image data from the satellites, and the Sondrestrom convection data. The results are summarized as follows: (1) Region 2 currents flow mostly in the central plasma sheet (CPS) precipitation region, often overlapping with the boundary plasma sheet (BPD) at their poleward edge. (2) The region 1 system is located in the core part of the auroral oval and is confined in a relatively narrow range in latitude which includes the convection reversal. The low-latitude boundary layer, possibly including the outer part of the plasma sheet, and the external cusp are the major source regions of dayside region 1 currents. (2) Midday region O currents flow on open field lines and are collocated with the shear of antisunward convection flows with velocites decreasing poleward. On the basis of these results we support the view that both prenoon and postnoon current systems consist of the three-sheet structure when the disctortion ofthe convection pattern associated with interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B(sub Y) is small and both morningside and eveningside convection cells are crescent-shaped. We also propose that the midday region O and a part of the region 1 systems are closely coupled to the same source.

Ohtani, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Source of O mode radio emissions from the dayside of Uranus

During the inbound trajectory toward Uranus, the Planetary Radio Astronomy instrument on Voyager 2 observed narrow-band smooth (n-smooth) emission at frequencies centered near 60 kHz and O-mode emission (the dayside source) in a frequency range narrowly confined around 160 kHz. Assuming empirical models of the plasma density for the dayside magnetosphere of Uranus, and using cold plasma theory together with observational constraints, ray-tracing calculations are performed to determine the source location of the O-mode emission. The dayside source appears to originate along magnetic field lines with a footprint near the north magnetic pole. Sources of nightside high-frequency broadband smooth (b-smooth) emission observed by Voyager after encounter are believed to exist near the conjugate footprint of these same field lines. This would indicate that the particle population supplying the free energy source has energies at least as high as a few keV.

Menietti, J. D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Required toroidal confinement for fusion and omnigeneity

Deuterium–tritium (DT) burning requires a long energy confinement times compared to collision times, so the particle distribution functions must approximate local Maxwellians. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is applicable, which gives relations among transport, entropy production, the collision frequency, and the deviation from a Maxwellian. The distribution functions are given by the Fokker–Planck equation, which is an advection–diffusion equation. A large hyperbolic operator, the Vlasov operator with the particle trajectories as its characteristics, equals a small diffusive operator, the collision operator. The collisionless particle trajectories would be chaotic in stellarators without careful optimization. This would lead to rapid entropy production and transport—far beyond what is consistent with a self-sustaining DT burn. Omnigeneity is the weakest general condition that is consistent with a sufficiently small entropy production associated with the thermal particle trajectories. Omnigeneity requires that the contours of constant magnetic field strength be unbounded in at least one of the two angular coordinates in magnetic surfaces and that there be a symmetry in the field-strength wells along the field lines. Even in omnigenous plasmas, fluctuations due to microturbulence can produce chaotic particle trajectories and the gyro-Bohm transport is seen in many stellarator and tokamak experiments. The higher the plasma temperature above 10 keV, the smaller the transport must be compared to gyro-Bohm for a self-sustaining DT burn. The hot alphas of DT fusion heat the electrons. When the ion–electron equilibration time is long compared to the ion energy confinement time, a self-sustaining DT burn is not possible, which sets a limit on the electron temperature.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Fully Additively Manufactured Wetted Foam Capsules for Inertial Confinement Fusion

In the pursuit of realizing reliable clean energy generation via inertial confinement fusion (ICF), wetted foam (WF) capsule targets have long been coveted due to their potential to simplify the target fielding process and suppress hydrodynamic instabilities and material mixing that limit achievable energy output, yet producing and deploying a WF target has proven challenging. Here, in this work, we demonstrate the design, fabrication, metrology, and testing of fully additively manufactured (AM) foam-lined capsules using two-photon polymerization (2PP) for ICF. We successfully fielded an AM polymeric foam capsule with a 3-mm outer diameter, a nominally 15-µm-thick solid outer layer, a 120-µm-thick inner foam layer, and a 250-µm outer diameter copper fill tube on the National Ignition Facility for a polar direct-drive shot, and we showcase deuterium wetting of the capsule foam layer inside an ignition target proofing station. Our exploration showed that 2PP can produce fieldable targets with complex geometries and potentially shorten the design iteration turnaround time and the overall target fabrication time.

Target↗
NASA NTRS1990

Extreme energetic particle decreases near geostationary orbit - A manifestation of current diversion within the inner plasma sheet

A qualitative model of magnetic field reconfiguration as might result from neutral line formation in the central plasma sheet late in a substorm growth phase is considered. It is suggested that magnetic reconnection probably begins before the substorm expansion phase and that cross-tail current is enhanced across the plasma sheet both earthward and tailward of a limited region near the neutral line. Such an enhanced cross-tail current earthward of the original X line region may contribute to thinning the plasma sheet substantially, and this would in turn affect the drift currents in that location, thus enhancing the current even closer toward the earth. In this way a redistribution and progressive diversion of normal cross-tail current throughout much of the inner portion of the plasma sheet could occur. The resulting intensified current, localized at the inner edge of the plasma sheet, would lead to a very thin plasma confinement region. This would explain the very taillike field and extreme particle dropouts often seen late in substorm growth phases.

Baker, D. N.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reconstruction and interpretation of ionization asymmetry in magnetic confinement via synthetic diagnostics

Abstract Strong poloidal refueling asymmetry in the DIII-D tokamak is inferred from line radiation measurements. Synthetic diagnostics in neutral transport modeling coupled to gyrokinetic simulations illuminate implications for the plasma flow profile in the scrape-off layer of single-null beam-driven discharges. Recycling occurs primarily either on the inner or outer divertor legs, depending on the toroidal magnetic field direction. By reversing the toroidal magnetic field, the observed line radiation asymmetry is nearly eliminated or reversed. It is determined that, while relatively simple physics can describe the observed ionization asymmetry, predicting the overall brightness of the hydrogenic Lyman- α signal requires detailed simulation of the plasma and resulting turbulence. To this end, kinetic plasma simulations fully coupled to comprehensive neutral transport calculations—a novel capability—provide first-principles reproduction of Lyman- α observations on DIII-D.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1975

Metal abundances of RR Lyrae stars in galactic globular clusters

Results are reported for image-tube scanner measurements of Preston's (1959) metal-abundance indicator and metallic-line absorption in the G-band region (4285 to 4317 A) of 47 RR Lyrae stars in 12 galactic globular clusters and 67 RR Lyrae field stars. The relationship (Fe/H) is defined and determined from curve-of-growth analyses of 13 RR Lyrae field stars, while a comparison of metal-abundance vs metallic-line absorption relationships derived for the field and cluster stars indicates that both groups can be calibrated in the same way. Based on this calibration, (Fe/H) values are deduced for the globular-cluster stars and the clusters themselves. It is found that the alpha-rich phenomenon is present in these stars and is confined to calcium and titanium.

Butler, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Magnetograph response to canopy-type fields

The response of longitudinal-field magnetographs to magnetic fields which are semi-infinite or confined to a horizontal layer is discussed with respect to the interpretation of solar diffuse fields, observed towards the limb, in terms of magnetic canopy models. Numerical results are presented for several reference solar models and typical 'calibration' curves are shown for the CI 9111 A, Fe I 8688 A, and Ca II 8542 A lines in magnetostatic atmospheres derived from a mean model. A procedure is developed for determining the base heights of magnetic canopies from observations with an uncertainty not exceeding the order of a pressure scale height. Until definitive information regarding atmospheric structure inside flux tubes can be developed from theory or observation, reliable field strengths cannot be derived from the data.

Jones, H. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Stripe stabilization in vertical Bloch line memory

Long, partial rectangular grooves have been made to reside below the stripe-confinement groove on a garnet surface, in order to stabilize minor loop stripes in a vertical Bloch-line memory. The test chip contained, in addition to either 10 or 20 minor-loop grooves, 10 read/write gate grooves and a major line groove; both 10 and 20 micron groove periods were tested. As the bias field was gradually decreased, bubbles began to stripe out. These stripes were stable at bias fields in the 70-80 Oe range. When stripes escaped from the groove, the even occurred from the end which does not face a read/write gate groove.

Wu, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Effects of Acoustic Treatment on Pressure Disturbances From a Supersonic Jet in a Circular Duct

The pressure disturbances generated by an instability wave in the shear layer of a supersonic jet are studied for an axisymmetric jet inside a lined circular duct. For the supersonic jet, locally linear stability analysis with duct wall boundary conditions is used to calculate the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions at each axial location. These values are used to determine the growth rates and phase velocities of the instability waves and the near field pressure disturbance patterns. The study is confined to the dominant Kelvin-Helmholtz instability mode and to the region just downstream of the nozzle exit where the shear layer is growing but is still small in size compared to the radius of the duct. Numerical results are used to study the effects of changes in the outer flow, growth in the shear layer thickness, wall distance, and wall impedance, and the effects of these changes on non-axisymmetric modes. The primary results indicate that the effects of the duct wall on stability characteristics diminish as the outer flow increases and as the jet azimuthal mode number increases. Also, wall reflections are reduced when using a finite impedance boundary condition at the wall; but in addition, reflections are reduced and growth rates diminished by keeping the imaginary part of the impedance negative when using the negative exponential for the harmonic dependence.

Dahl, Milo D.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design of radial interferometer–polarimeter for internal magnetic and density fluctuation measurements at multiple space–time scales in the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U)

A Faraday-effect radial interferometer–polarimeter is designed for the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) to measure multiscale magnetic and density fluctuations critical to understanding fusion plasma confinement and stability, including those originating from magnetohydrodynamic instabilities, energetic particle-driven modes, and turbulence. The diagnostic will utilize the three-wave technique with 5 MHz bandwidth to simultaneously measure line-integrated magnetic and density fluctuations up to the ion-cyclotron frequency. Probe beams will be launched radially from the low-field side at the NSTX-U midplane, where the measured Faraday fluctuations mainly correspond to radial magnetic fluctuations that directly link to magnetic transport. A correlation technique will be employed to reduce the measurement noise to below 0.01° enabling detection of small amplitude fluctuations. Two toroidally displaced chords with 7° separation will be installed to measure toroidal mode numbers up to n = 25 for mode identification. Finally, solid-state microwave sources operating at 321 μm (935 GHz) will be used to minimize the impact of the Cotton–Mouton effect.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1980

Numerical calculation of transonic axial turbomachinery flows

A numerical method and the results of a computer program are presented for solving an exact, three dimensional, full potential equation that models rotating and nonrotating inviscid, absolutely irrotational, homentropic flows. Besides calculating the flows through an arbitrarily shaped rotor or stator blade row mounted on an axisymmetric hub and confined in an axisymmetric duct, the computer program is also capable of analyzing flow fields about arbitrarily shaped wing body combinations, propellers, helicopter rotors in hover, and wind turbine rotors. The governing equation is solved numerically in a fully conservative form by using an artificial time concept, a finite volume technique, rotated type dependent differencing, successive line overrelaxation, and sequential boundary conforming grid refinement. An artificial viscosity is added in fully conservative form, and an initial guess for the potential field is applied, as determined by a two dimensional cascade analysis.

Dulikravich, D. S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Review: knots and other new topological effects in liquid crystals and colloids

Abstract Humankind has been obsessed with knots in religion, culture and daily life for millennia, while physicists like Gauss, Kelvin and Maxwell already involved them in models centuries ago. Nowadays, colloidal particles can be fabricated to have shapes of knots and links with arbitrary complexity. In liquid crystals, closed loops of singular vortex lines can be knotted by using colloidal particles and laser tweezers, as well as by confining nematic fluids into micrometer-sized droplets with complex topology. Knotted and linked colloidal particles induce knots and links of singular defects, which can be interlinked (or not) with colloidal particle knots, revealing the diversity of interactions between topologies of knotted fields and topologically nontrivial surfaces of colloidal objects. Even more diverse knotted structures emerge in nonsingular molecular alignment and magnetization fields in liquid crystals and colloidal ferromagnets. The topological solitons include hopfions, skyrmions, heliknotons, torons and other spatially localized continuous structures, which are classified based on homotopy theory, characterized by integer-valued topological invariants and often contain knotted or linked preimages, nonsingular regions of space corresponding to single points of the order parameter space. A zoo of topological solitons in liquid crystals, colloids and ferromagnets promises new breeds of information displays and a plethora of data storage, electro-optic and photonic applications. Their particle-like collective dynamics echoes coherent motions in active matter, ranging from crowds of people to schools of fish. This review discusses the state of the art in the field, as well as highlights recent developments and open questions in physics of knotted soft matter. We systematically overview knotted field configurations, the allowed transformations between them, their physical stability and how one can use one form of knotted fields to model, create and imprint other forms. The large variety of symmetries accessible to liquid crystals and colloids offer insights into stability, transformation and emergent dynamics of fully nonsingular and singular knotted fields of fundamental and applied importance. The common thread of this review is the ability to experimentally visualize these knots in real space. The review concludes with a discussion of how the studies of knots in liquid crystals and colloids can offer insights into topologically related structures in other branches of physics, with answers to many open questions, as well as how these experimentally observable knots hold a strong potential for providing new inspirations to the mathematical knot theory.

Physics↗
NASA NTRS1980

Numerical calculation of transonic axial turbomachinery flows

This paper presents a numerical method and the results of a computer program for solving an exact, three-dimensional, full-potential equation that models rotating and nonrotating inviscid, absolutely irrotational, homentropic flows. Besides calculating the flows through an arbitrarily shaped rotor or stator blade row mounted on an axisymmetric hub and confined in an axisymmetric duct, the computer program is also capable of analysing flow fields about arbitrarily shaped wing-body combinations, propellers, helicopter rotors in hover, and wind turbine rotors. The governing equation is solved numerically in a fully conservative form by using an artificial time concept, a finite volume technique, rotated type-dependent differencing, successive line overrelaxation, and sequential boundary-conforming grid refinement. An artificial viscosity is added in fully conservative form; and an initial guess for the potential field is applied, as determined by a two-dimensional cascade analysis.

Dulikravich, D. S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Estimates of global recycling coefficients for LTX- β discharges

We report the first observation of global recycling coefficient R near 0.5 in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment-β (LTX-β), significantly below the minimum R previously reported in other devices. In a series of experiments with varied Li wall conditioning, estimates of the recycling coefficient have been made using a Lyman-α array and DEGAS2 modeling. A progressive reduction in Lyman-α emission with increased lithium and an increase in edge electron temperature are observed. It is also observed that with increasing Li coating thickness, the effective particle confinement time τp* is reduced and approaches TRANSP calculated energy confinement time (τE), with τp* near τE,TRANSP for the lowest recycling coefficients. Edge temperatures approaching core plasma temperatures, first reported in LTX, can now be directly connected to estimates of the recycling coefficient and qualitatively agree with previous UEDGE simulations. The particle flux to the limiting surfaces appears to be significantly reduced in comparison with fluid scrape-off layer (SOL) models, indicating that a large fraction of the SOL ions are mirror trapped. SOL collisionality drops more than an order of magnitude below the banana regime boundary, indicating the importance of kinetic effects. Full-f 1x2v gyrokinetic simulations of SOL field lines with the GKEYLL code indicate that the fraction of ions trapped along field lines increases as collisionality drops, as a result of increased lithium evaporation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Particle resonances in toroidal fusion devices

Resonances of high energy particles in magnetic confinement devices due to electromagnetic instabilities can strongly modify the distribution, leading to a reduction in fusion power and even discharge termination and particle loss to the device walls through avalanche. The existence of a mode particle resonance depends on properties of the equilibrium, particle trajectories, and perturbation mode harmonic content. Resonance location is a function of particle energy and equilibrium field line helicity. Different methods for finding resonance location and energy dependence are developed. The properties of resonances are discussed using examples from magnetic fusion devices. Here, we show that if mode resonances exist at low particle energy, they very likely also exist at high energy, thus modifying high energy beam particles and fusion products. It is possible for a resonance to appear due to mode induced orbit helicity modification when it is forbidden at low mode amplitude.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterisation of divertor detachment onset in JET-ILW hydrogen, deuterium, tritium and deuterium–tritium low-confinement mode plasmas

Measurements of the ion currents to and plasma conditions at the low-field side (LFS) divertor target plate in low-confinement mode plasmas in the JET ITER-like wall materials configuration show that the core plasma density required to detach the LFS divertor plasma is independent of the hydrogenic species protium, deuterium and tritium, and a 40 %/60 % deuterium–tritium mixture. This observation applies to a divertor plasma configuration with the LFS strike line connected to the horizontal part of the LFS divertor chosen because of its superior diagnostic coverage. The finding is independent of the operational status of the JET cryogenic pump. The electron temperature (T e ) at the LFS strike line was markedly reduced from 25 eV to 5 eV over a narrow range of increasing core plasma density, and observed to be between 2 eV and 3 eV at the onset of detachment. The electron density (n e ) peaks across the LFS plasma when T e at the target plate is 1 eV, and spatially moves to the X-point for higher core densities. The density limit was found approximately 20 % higher in protium than in tritium and deuterium–tritium plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Effect of controlled magnetic island bifurcation on electron diffusion

Magnetic islands strongly influence cross-field electron transport in magnetized plasmas. In particular, bifurcations of the island topology modify the number and location of O-points, X-points, and separatrix boundaries, thereby altering diffusion pathways. In recent DIII-D experiments, external magnetic perturbations were used to rotate and periodically bifurcate the island on the q = 2 surface, causing a switchback between a q = 2/1-dominated structure and a narrower q = 4/2-dominated structure. To investigate how this topological change affects electron transport, we employ the field line tracing code TRIP3D with an implemented collisional operator. Thermal, tracer electrons launched from O-points, X-points, and outside separatrix boundaries reveal distinct diffusion regimes, including classical, subdiffusive, and superdiffusive behavior, depending on both the dominant island mode and launch location. These results suggest that island bifurcation can alter electron diffusion across rational surfaces, with direct implications for particle confinement. While the present work emphasizes diffusion as a general framework, the findings provide insight into the conditions under which electron trapping into an island or stochastization of the island's separatrix can enable additional mechanisms, such as the generation of energetic electrons.

DIII-D↗