Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “PROTON TEMPERATURE”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Two-dimensional hybrid simulations of kinetic plasma turbulence: Current and vorticity vs proton temperature

Proton temperature anisotropies between the directions parallel and perpendicular to the mean magnetic field are usually observed in the solar wind plasma. Here, we employ a high-resolution hybrid particle-in-cell simulation in order to investigate the relation between spatial properties of the proton temperature and the peaks in the current density and in the flow vorticity. Our results indicate that, although regions where the proton temperature is enhanced and temperature anisotropies are larger correspond approximately to regions where many thin current sheets form, no firm quantitative evidence supports the idea of a direct causality between the two phenomena. On the other hand, quite a clear correlation between the behavior of the proton temperature and the out-of-plane vorticity is obtained.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2007

High Temperature Protonic Conductors

High Temperature Protonic Conductors (HTPC) with the perovskite structure are envisioned for electrochemical membrane applications such as H2 separation, H2 sensors and fuel cells. Successive membrane commercialization is dependent upon addressing issues with H2 permeation rate and environmental stability with CO2 and H2O. HTPC membranes are conventionally fabricated by solid-state sintering. Grain boundaries and the presence of intergranular second phases reduce the proton mobility by orders of magnitude than the bulk crystalline grain. To enhanced protonic mobility, alternative processing routes were evaluated. A laser melt modulation (LMM) process was utilized to fabricate bulk samples, while pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was utilized to fabricate thin film membranes . Sr3Ca(1+x)Nb(2-x)O9 and SrCe(1-x)Y(x)O3 bulk samples were fabricated by LMM. Thin film BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O3 membranes were fabricated by PLD on porous substrates. Electron microscopy with chemical mapping was done to characterize the resultant microstructures. High temperature protonic conduction was measured by impedance spectroscopy in wet air or H2 environments. The results demonstrate the advantage of thin film membranes to thick membranes but also reveal the negative impact of defects or nanoscale domains on protonic conductivity.

Dynys, Fred↗
NASA NTRS1978

Pioneer 10 observation of the solar wind proton temperature heliocentric gradient

Solar wind isotropic proton temperatures as measured out to 12.2 AU heliocentric distance by the Ames plasma analyzer aboard Pioneer 10 are presented as consecutive averages over three Carrington solar rotations and discussed. The weighted least-squares fit of average temperature to heliocentric radial distance, R, yields the power law R sup -.52. These average proton temperatures are not correlated as well with Pioneer 10's heliocentric radial distance (-.85) as are the corresponding average Zurich sunspot numbers R sub z (-.95). Consequently, it is difficult to isolate the spatial gradient in the Pioneer 10 solar wind proton temperatures using that data alone.

Mihalov, J. D.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Radial variation of the solar wind proton temperature: Heat flow or addition?

The proton temperature profile of the asymptotic solar wind plasma can be modified by four different physical effects: PdV work, external heat deposition, ΔQ, divergence of heat, ∇⋅q, and collisional energy exchange with other species in the plasma. Suggestions in the literature that ΔQ heating is “required” to explain the proton profile have often been deduced while neglecting q{sub p} and energy exchange. Despite the adiabatic approximation q{sub p}=0 having no rigorous justification in low-density plasmas, the simultaneous neglect of energy exchange unnaturally forces the “need” for ΔQ to balance adiabatic cooling caused by the wind’s expansion. In this paper, the asymptotic wind proton heat flux is determined which balances the inner Heliosphere’s steady state entropy equation for the protons, ignoring heat addition and energy exchange. The solutions of the energy equation recover both the power-law trend and amplitude of the 5 year averaged Helios temperature profiles that were segregated by speed. The dimensionless skewness S of the heat flow is empirically shown to scale for all wind states below 600 km s{sup −1} as if it were equal to the Knudsen number determined by Coulomb collisions, a relation that is rigorously demonstrated for an infinitesimal Knudsen number, bridging the unusual adiabatic protons for U≃250 km s{sup −1} and the higher speed states of the winds that remain hotter over a wider radial domain. Higher speed states (U>650 km s{sup −1}) may require additional scattering beyond what Coulomb effects can provide, although the averaged profiles for these speeds are not as accurate as those below 600 km s{sup −1}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Crystalline polyoxometalate (POM)–polyethylene glycol (PEG) composites aimed as non-humidified intermediate-temperature proton conductors

Crystalline polyoxometalate (POM)–polyethylene glycol (PEG) composites aimed as non-humidified intermediate-temperature proton conductors were synthesized and characterized by single crystal and powder XRD, solid state MASNMR, and TG-DTA measurements. Among the POM–PEG composites, Cs{sub 2.7}H{sub 0.3}[PW{sub 12}O{sub 40}]·1.2PEG1000 (CsHPW-PEG1000) possessed one-dimensional channels with diameters of ca. 6 and 8 Å, where PEG probably resided, and showed the best performance as a proton conductor (1.2×10{sup −5} S cm{sup −1} at 443 K). Proton conductivities of POM–PEG composites decreased by the increase in molecular weights of PEG (CsHPW-PEG12,000) or anion charges (CsHSiW-PEG1000). Variable contact time {sup 13}C-CP (cross polarization) MASNMR revealed that local mobility (i.e., segmental motion) of PEG is related to the trends in proton conductivities. These results show that amount of acidic protons (H{sup +}) is not the primary factor in proton conduction and that segmental motion of PEG assists the proton hopping among POMs in the crystal lattice of POM–PEG composites. - Graphical abstract: Non-humidified intermediate-temperature proton conduction in crystalline polyoxometalate (POM)–polyethylene (PEG) composites are assisted by the segmental motion of PEG. - Highlights: • Crystalline polyoxometalate–polyethlene glycol (PEG) composites were synthesized. • CsHPW-PEG1000 possessed one-dimensional channels and showed the highest proton conductivity. • {sup 13}C CPMASNMR revealed that segmental motion of PEG is related to the proton conduction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Predicted impacts of proton temperature anisotropy on solar wind turbulence

Particle velocity distributions measured in the weakly collisional solar wind are frequently found to be non-Maxwellian, but how these non-Maxwellian distributions impact the physics of plasma turbulence in the solar wind remains unanswered. Using numerical solutions of the linear dispersion relation for a collisionless plasma with a bi-Maxwellian proton velocity distribution, we present a unified framework for the four proton temperature anisotropy instabilities, identifying the associated stable eigenmodes, highlighting the unstable region of wavevector space and presenting the properties of the growing eigenfunctions. Based on physical intuition gained from this framework, we address how the proton temperature anisotropy impacts the nonlinear dynamics of the Alfvénic fluctuations underlying the dominant cascade of energy from large to small scales and how the fluctuations driven by proton temperature anisotropy instabilities interact nonlinearly with each other and with the fluctuations of the large-scale cascade. We find that the nonlinear dynamics of the large-scale cascade is insensitive to the proton temperature anisotropy and that the instability-driven fluctuations are unlikely to cause significant nonlinear evolution of either the instability-driven fluctuations or the turbulent fluctuations of the large-scale cascade.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

PROTON TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY AND MAGNETIC RECONNECTION IN THE SOLAR WIND: EFFECTS OF KINETIC INSTABILITIES ON CURRENT SHEET STABILITY

We investigate the role of kinetic instabilities driven by a proton anisotropy on the onset of magnetic reconnection by means of two-dimensional hybrid simulations. The collisionless tearing of a current sheet is studied in the presence of a proton temperature anisotropy in the surrounding plasma. Our results confirm that anisotropic protons within the current sheet region can significantly enhance/stabilize the tearing instability of the current. Moreover, fluctuations associated with linear instabilities excited by large proton temperature anisotropies can significantly influence the stability of the plasma and perturb the current sheets, triggering the tearing instability. We find that such a complex coupling leads to a faster tearing evolution in the T{sub Up-Tack} > T{sub ||} regime when an ion-cyclotron instability is generated by the anisotropic proton distribution functions. On the contrary, in the presence of the opposite anisotropy, fire-hose fluctuations excited by the unstable background protons with T{sub ||} < T{sub Up-Tack} are not able to efficiently destabilize current sheets, which remain stable for a long time after fire-hose saturation. We discuss possible influences of this novel coupling on the solar wind and heliospheric plasma dynamics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Voyager observations of solar wind proton temperature - 1-10 AU

Simultaneous measurements are made of the solar wind proton temperatures by the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, far from earth, and the IMP 8 spacecraft in earth orbit. This technique permits a separation of radial and temporal variations of solar wind parameters. The average value of the proton temperature between 1 and 9 AU is observed to decrease as r (the heliocentric radius) to the -(0.7 + or - 0.2). This is slower than would be expected for adiabatic expansion. A detailed examination of the solar wind stream structure shows that considerable heating occurs at the interface between high and low speed streams.

Gazis, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The relationship between proton temperature and momentum flux density in the solar wind

The relationship between proton temperature and momentum flux density/unit mass at 1 AU is examined using Helios 1 solar wind data from 1974 to 1980. In high-speed plasma (V greater than 500 km/s) T(p) increases with increasing n(0) V-squared, where n(0) and T(p) are the density and proton temperature at 1 AU and V is the flow speed. In lowspeed plasma (V less than 500 km/s), T(p) does not increase with increasing n(0) V-squared, and perhaps tends to decrease slightly. These basic relationships between T(p) and n(0) V-squared are not significantly affected by stream interactions. A qualitative explanation of these results is offered in the context of a solar wind model that includes deposition of momentum and energy extending well outward into the interplanetary medium.

Lopez, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Solar Wind Proton Temperature Anisotropy: Linear Theory and WIND/SWE Observations

We present a comparison between WIND/SWE observations (Kasper et al., 2006) of beta parallel to p and T perpendicular to p/T parallel to p (where beta parallel to p is the proton parallel beta and T perpendicular to p and T parallel to p are the perpendicular and parallel proton are the perpendicular and parallel proton temperatures, respectively; here parallel and perpendicular indicate directions with respect to the ambient magnetic field) and predictions of the Vlasov linear theory. In the slow solar wind, the observed proton temperature anisotropy seems to be constrained by oblique instabilities, by the mirror one and the oblique fire hose, contrary to the results of the linear theory which predicts a dominance of the proton cyclotron instability and the parallel fire hose. The fast solar wind core protons exhibit an anticorrelation between beta parallel to c and T perpendicular to c/T parallel to c (where beta parallel to c is the core proton parallel beta and T perpendicular to c and T parallel to c are the perpendicular and parallel core proton temperatures, respectively) similar to that observed in the HELIOS data (Marsch et al., 2004).

Hellinger, P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dependence of Solar Wind Proton Temperature on the Polarization Properties of Alfvénic Fluctuations at Ion-kinetic Scales

In this work, we use fluctuating magnetic helicity to investigate the polarization properties of Alfvénic fluctuations at ion-kinetic scales in the solar wind as a function of β p , the ratio of proton thermal pressure to magnetic pressure, and θ vB , the angle between the proton flow and local mean magnetic field, B 0 . Using almost 15 yr of Wind observations, we separate the contributions to helicity from fluctuations with wavevectors, k, quasi-parallel and oblique to B 0 , finding that the helicity of Alfvénic fluctuations is consistent with predictions from linear Vlasov theory. This result suggests that the nonlinear turbulent fluctuations at these scales share at least some polarization properties with Alfvén waves. Furthermore, we also investigate the dependence of proton temperature in the β p –θ vB plane to probe for possible signatures of turbulent dissipation, finding that it correlates with θ vB . The proton temperature parallel to B 0 is higher in the parameter space where we measure the helicity of right-handed Alfvénic fluctuations, and the temperature perpendicular to B 0 is higher where we measure left-handed fluctuations. This finding is inconsistent with the general assumption that by sampling different θ vB in the solar wind we can analyze the dependence of the turbulence distribution on θ kB , the angle between k and B 0 . After ruling out both instrumental and expansion effects, we conclude that our results provide new evidence for the importance of local kinetic processes that depend on θ vB in determining proton temperature in the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Solar cycle invariance in solar wind proton temperature relationships

The relationships between solar wind proton temperature and velocity and between temperature and momentum flux density at 1 AU are examined using National Space Science Data Center IMP 8 solar wind data obtained from late 1984 to early 1985. These relationships are compared with similar ones obtained from a variety of solar wind data spanning 14 years, from 1966 to 1980. It is found that these relationships, particularly the one between temperature and velocity, are very stable over the solar cycles from which these data were drawn. This suggests that the basic physical processes which accelerate and heat the solar wind have remained unchanged for the last 20 years.

Lopez, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hot proton anisotropies and cool proton temperatures in the outer magnetosphere

The hot protons of the outer magnetosphere typically exhibit a temperature anistropy such that T(sub perp)/T(sub parallel) greater than 1, where perpendicular and parallel symbols denote directions relative to the background magnetic field. If this anisotrpy is sufficiently large, the electomagneitc proton cyclotron anistropy instability may be excited. This instability is studied using linear Vlasov theory and one-dimensional hybrid simulations for a homogeneous plasma model representative of conditions in the outer magnetosphere with a hot anisotropic proton component (denoted by subscript h) and a cool, initially isotropic proton component (subscript c). Linear theory yields an instability threshold condition on the hot proton temperature anistropy where as the simulations imply an upper bound on T(sub perp h)/T(sub parallel h); both the threshold and the upper bound have similar scaling with the maximum growth rate gamma (sub m), the parallel beta of the hot component, beta(sub parallel h), and the relative density of the hot component n(sub h)/n(sub e). An anlysis of plasma observations from the Los Alamos magnetospheric plasma analyzer (MPA) in geosynchronous orbits finds that the maximum value of the hot proton temperature anisotropy approximately satisfies the predicted scaling with beta(sub parallel h) and nu(sub h)/n(sub e) and yields the proportionality factor that quantifies this upper bound. The simulations are also used to examine the heating of the cool proton cyclotron instability. The simulations yield a scaling for the dimensionless late-time cool proton average temperature T(sub c)/T(sub parallel h) as (n(sub h)/n(sub e))/beta(sub parallel h exp 0.5). Analysis of MPA data shows that the observed values of T(sub c)/T(sub parallel h) have similar scaling and again yield the proportionality factor which quantifies this relationship.

Gary, S. Peter↗
DOE OSTI2015

High temperature proton exchange membranes with enhanced proton conductivities at low humidity and high temperature based on polymer blends and block copolymers of poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) and poly(ethylene glycol)

Hot (at 120 °C) and dry (20% relative humidity) operating conditions benefit fuel cell designs based on proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and hydrogen due to simplified system design and increasing tolerance to fuel impurities. In this paper, presented are preparation, partial characterization, and multi-scale modeling of such PEMs based on cross-linked, sulfonated poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (xsPCHD) blends and block copolymers with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). These low cost materials have proton conductivities 18 times that of current industry standard Nafion at hot, dry operating conditions. Among the membranes studied, the blend xsPCHD-PEG PEM displayed the highest proton conductivity, which exhibits a morphology with higher connectivity of the hydrophilic domain throughout the membrane. Simulation and modeling provide a molecular level understanding of distribution of PEG within this hydrophilic domain and its relation to proton conductivities. Finally, this study demonstrates enhancement of proton conductivity at high temperature and low relative humidity by incorporation of PEG and optimized sulfonation conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Redistribution of components in the niobium-silicon system under high-temperature proton irradiation

The redistribution of components in the niobium-silicon system during magnetron-assisted sputtering of niobium, vacuum annealing, and high-temperature proton irradiation is studied. It is established that, during magnetron-assisted sputtering followed by vacuum annealing, silicon penetrates through the metal film to the outer boundary of the film. Under high-temperature proton irradiation, the suppression of the diffusion of niobium into silicon is observed. This effect is attributed to the high concentration of radiation vacancies in the region of the Nb/Si interphase boundary.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2004

Nuclear Microprobe using Elastic Recoil Detection (ERD) for Hydrogen Profiling in High Temperature Protonic Conductors

The interaction between hydrogen and various high temperature protonic conductors (HTPC) has not been clearly understood due to poor densification and unreacted secondary phases. the melt-processing technique is used in producing fully dense simple SrCe(0.9)Y (0.10) O(3-delta) and complex Sr3Ca(1+x)Nb(2+x)O(9-delta) perovskites that can not be achieved by solid-state sintering. the possibilities of ion beam analysis have been investigated to quantify hydrogen distribution in HTPC perovskites subjected to water heat treatment. Nuclear microprobe technique is based on the interactions of a focused ion beam of MeV light ions (H-1, H-2, He-3, He-4,.) with the sample to be analyzed to determine local elemental concentrations at the cubic micrometer scale, the elastic recoil detection analysis technique (ERDA) has been carried out using He-4(+) microbeams and detecting the resulting recoil protons. Mappings of longitudinal sections of water treated SrCeO3 and Sr(Ca(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3 perovskites have been achieved, the water treatment strongly alters the surface of simple SrCe(0.9)Y(0.10)O(3-delta) perovskite. From Rutherford Back Scattering measurements (RBS), both Ce depletion and surface re-deposition is evidenced. the ERDA investigations on water treated Sr3Ca(1+x)Nb(2+x)O(9-delta) perovskite did not exhibit any spatial difference for the hydrogen incorporation from the surface to the centre. the amount of hydrogen incorporation for Sr3Ca(1+x)Nb(2+x)O(9-delta) was low and required further development of two less conventional techniques, ERDA in forward geometry and forward elastic diffusion H-1(p,p) H-1 with coincidence detection.

Berger, Pascal↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effects of electrons on the solar wind proton temperature anisotropy

Among the kinetic microinstabilities, the firehose instability is one of the most efficient mechanisms to restrict the unlimited increase of temperature anisotropy in the direction of an ambient magnetic field as predicted by adiabatic expansion of collision-poor solar wind. Indeed, the solar wind proton temperature anisotropy detected near 1 AU shows that it is constrained by the marginal firehose condition. Of the two types of firehose instabilities, namely, parallel and oblique, the literature suggests that the solar wind data conform more closely to the marginal oblique firehose condition. In the present work, however, it is shown that the parallel firehose instability threshold is markedly influenced by the presence of anisotropic electrons, such that under some circumstances, the cumulative effects of both electron and proton anisotropies could describe the observation without considering the oblique firehose mode.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗