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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Laser-produced spectra and QED effects for Fe-, Co-, Cu-, and Zn-like ions of Au, Pb, Bi, Th, and U

Spectra of very highly charged ions of Au, Pb, Bi, Th, and U have been observed in laser-produced plasmas generated by the OMEGA laser. Line identifications in the region 9-110 A were made for ions in the Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn isoelectronic sequences. Comparison of the measured wavelengths of the Cu-like ions with values calculated with and without QED corrections shows that the inclusion of QED corrections greatly improves the accuracy of the calculated 4s-4p wavelengths. However, significant differences between the observed and calculated values remain.

Seely, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Do recent observations of very large electromagnetic dissociation cross sections signify a transition towards non-perturbative QED?

The very large electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) cross section recently observed by Hill, Wohn, Schwellenbach, and Smith do not agree with Weizsacker-Williams (WW) theory or any simple modification thereof. Calculations are presented for the reaction probabilities for this experiment and the entire single and double nucleon removal EMD data set. It is found that for those few reactions where theory and experiment disagree, the probabilities are exceptionally large. This indicates that WW theory is not valid for these reactions and that one must consider higher order corrections and perhaps even a non-perturbative approach to quantum electrodynamics (QED).

Norbury, John W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The QED engine spectrum - Fusion-electric propulsion for air-breathing to interstellar flight

A new inertial-electrostatic-fusion direct electric power source can be used to drive a relativistic e-beam to heat propellant. The resulting system is shown to yield specific impulse and thrust/mass ratio 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than from other advanced propulsion concepts. This QED system can be applied to aerospace vehicles from air-breathing to near-interstellar flight. Examples are given for Earth/Mars flight missions, that show transit times of 40 d with 20 percent payload in single-stage vehicles.

Bussard, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The QED engine - Fusion-electric propulsion for Cis-Oort/Quasi-Interstellar (QIS) flight

A summary is presented of QED fusion-direct-electric engine systems, their features, and performance ranges. The principles and characteristics of inertial-electrostatic-fusion (IEF) power source systems are then reviewed, and their application to the diluted-fusion-product (DFP) engine concept for QIS missions is discussed. Particular attention is given to vehicle performance over a range of very high specific impulses and to specifications of a typical candidate DFP/IEF engine and a single-stage vehicle for rapid flight to 550 AU.

Bussard, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Secluded WIMPs, Dark QED with Massive Photons, and the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess

We discuss a particular secluded WIMP dark matter model consisting of neutral fermions as the dark matter candidate and a Proca-Wentzel (PW) field as a mediator. In the model that we consider here, dark matter WIMPs interact with standard model (SM) particles only through the PW field of approximately MeV-multi-GeV mass particles. The interactions occur via a U(1)' mediator, V'(sub mu), which couples to the SM by kinetic mixing with U(1) hypercharge bosons, B'(sub mu). One important difference between our model and other such models in the literature is the absence of an extra singlet scalar, so that the parameter with dimension of mass M(sup 2, sub V) is not related to a spontaneous symmetry breaking. This QED based model is also renormalizable. The mass scale of the mediator and the absence of the singlet scalar can lead to interesting astrophysical signatures. The dominant annihilation channels are different from those usually considered in previous work. We show that the GeV energy gamma-ray excess in the galactic center region, as derived from Fermi-LAT Gamma-ray Space Telescope data, can be attributed to such secluded dark matter WIMPs, given parameters of the model that are consistent with both the cosmological dark matter density and the upper limits on WIMP spin-independent elastic scattering. Secluded WIMP models are also consistent with suggested upper limits on a DM contribution to the cosmic-ray antiproton flux.

Gamma-Rays↗
NASA NTRS1992

Non-linear effects of QED multiple-photon processes on cyclotron spectra

The relativistic magnetic resonant multiple-photon processes are discussed up to order alpha(f)exp 2, in particular two-photon scattering and two-photon emission. The latter also contributes to the opacity and photon production, although more weakly than the scattering. These processes are nonlinear in the radiation field, and therefore the transfer depends sensitively on the cross sections. We show model spectra including three cyclotron harmonics for the accreting pulsar Her X-1 and the gamma-ray burster GB880205. The lines are highly polarized, and their depth is sensitive to the polarization treatment.

Meszaros, P.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Asymptotic Energies and QED Shifts for Rydberg States of Helium

This paper reviews progress that has been made in obtaining essentially exact solutions to the nonrelativistic three-body problem for helium by a combination of variational and asymptotic expansion methods. The calculation of relativistic and quantum electrodynamic corrections by perturbation theory is discussed, and in particular, methods for the accurate calculation of the Bethe logarithm part of the electron self energy are presented. As an example, the results are applied to the calculation of isotope shifts for the short-lived 'halo' nucleus He-6 relative to He-4 in order to determine the nuclear charge radius of He-6 from high precision spectroscopic measurements carried out at the Argonne National Laboratory. The results demonstrate that the high precision that is now available from atomic theory is creating new opportunities to create novel measurement tools, and helium, along with hydrogen, can be regarded as a fundamental atomic system whose spectrum is well understood for all practical purposes.

Drake, G.W.F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Radiance calibration of spherical integrators

Techniques for improving the knowledge of the radiance of large area spherical and hemispherical integrating energy sources have been investigated. Such sources are used to calibrate numerous aircraft and spacecraft remote sensing instruments. Comparisons are made between using a standard source based calibration method and a quantum efficient detector (QED) based calibration method. The uncertainty involved in transferring the calibrated values of the point source standard lamp to the extended source is estimated to be 5 to 10 percent. The use of the QED allows an improvement in the uncertainty to 1 to 2 percent for the measurement of absolute radiance from a spherical integrator source.

Mclean, James T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Radiative widths and splitting of cyclotron lines in superstrong magnetic fields

The radiative line widths of the Landau levels in a superstrong magnetic field are calculated and simple analytic expressions and fits are given for these which are valid over a wide range of the principal quantum number and the magnetic field strength. If QED corrections are not taken into account, all levels but the first are doubly degenerate, corresponding to the two possible spin projections. However, the interaction with the QED vacuum removes this degeneracy, leading to an energy splitting of each level which exceeds the radiative linewidth for low Landau levels if the magnetic field is not too large (B is less than approximately 10 exp 13 G). Estimations are presented of the splitting in various limits as a function of field strength and Landau number. The possibility of observing this splitting in accreting X-ray pulsars and in gamma-ray bursters is discussed.

Pavlov, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Quantum Efficient Detectors for Use in Absolute Calibration

The trap or quantum efficient detector has a quantum efficiency of greater than 0.98 for the region from 450 to 900 nm. The region of flattest response is from 600 to 900 nm. The QED consists of three windowless Hamamatsu silicon detectors. The QED was mounted below AVIRIS to monitor the Spectralon panel for changes in radiance during radiometric calibration. The next step is to permanently mount the detector to AVIRIS and monitor the overall radiance of scenes along with calibration.

Faust, Jessica↗
NASA NTRS2001

Semi-Classical Models for Virtual Antiparticle Pairs

Virtual particle-antiparticle pairs of massive elementary particle& are predicted in Quantum Field Theory (QFT) to appear from the vacuum and annihilate each other again within their Heisenberg lifetimes h/4mc(exp 2). In this work, semiclassical models of this process - for the cases of massive leptons, quarks, and the massive weak bosons W and Z - are constructed. It is shown that the dynamical lifetime of the particle- antiparticle system in each case equals the Heisenberg lifetime to good approximation, and obeys appropriate quantization conditions on the field fluctuation action. In other words, the dynamical lifetime of the semiclassical model agrees with QED and QCD to good approximation. But the formula for the dynamical lifetime in each model includes the force strength coupling constant (e in the lepton case, alpha(sup s) (q(exp 2)) in the quark cases), while the Heisenberg lifetime formula does not. Observing the agreement of the Heisenberg and dynamical lifetimes, we may derive the QED and QCD coupling constants in terms of h, c, and numerical factors only.

Batchelor, David↗
NASA NTRS2010

Stitching Techniques Advance Optics Manufacturing

Because NASA depends on the fabrication and testing of large, high-quality aspheric (nonspherical) optics for applications like the James Webb Space Telescope, it sought an improved method for measuring large aspheres. Through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from Goddard Space Flight Center, QED Technologies, of Rochester, New York, upgraded and enhanced its stitching technology for aspheres. QED developed the SSI-A, which earned the company an R&D 100 award, and also developed a breakthrough machine tool called the aspheric stitching interferometer. The equipment is applied to advanced optics in telescopes, microscopes, cameras, medical scopes, binoculars, and photolithography."

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

Measurements of the reaction e/+/e/-/ yielding gamma-gamma at center-of-mass energies in the range 6.2-7.4 GeV

The cross section for the pair-annihilation reaction e(+)e(-) yields gamma-gamma were measured at center-of-mass energies in the range 6.2-7.4 GeV and at production angles close to 90 deg. The experimental apparatus consisted of two identical spectrometers which were set to view the luminous region at SPEAR-II from opposite directions at an azimuthal angle of 45 deg. In each spectrometer there was a NaI(TI) crystal 20 radiation lengths thick and 30 in. in diameter to measure the gamma-ray energies. Annihilation events were detected by an electronic trigger which required only the observation in coincidence of more than 0.2 GeV in each NaI(TI) crystal within + or - 15 nsec of the crossing beams. The observed rates of pair-annihilation events were found to be in agreement with those expected from quantum electrodynamics (QED) at all the center-of-mass energies used.

Hilger, E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

High-resolution observations of X-ray transitions in Fe XXV-XXIII

The wavelengths of X-ray transitions in Fe XXV-XXIII have been measured using a high-resolution spectrum reflected from the Ge(13-1) planes. A number of transitions have been resolved for the first time in solar flare spectra, and the contributions of the Fe XXIV n = 3 satellites to the Fe XXV parent lines are discussed. The QED contributions to the wavelengths of the Fe XXIV n = 3 satellite transitions have been determined.

Seely, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurement of wavelengths and lamb shifts for inner-shell transitions in Fe XVIII-XXIV

The wavelengths of inner-shell 1s-2p transitions in the ions Fe XVIII-XXIV have been measured in solar flare spectra recorded by the Naval Research Laboratory crystal spectrometer (SOLFLEX) on the Air Force P78-1 spacecraft. The measurements are compared with previous measurements and with recently calculated wavelengths. It is found that the measured wavelengths are systematically larger than the wavelengths calculated using the Z-expansion method by up to 0.65 mA. For the more highly charged ions, these differences can be attributed to the QED contributions to the transition energies that are not included in the Z-expansion calculations.

Seely, J. F.↗