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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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8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Evolving Outer Heliosphere: Tracking Solar Wind Transients from 1 au to the VLISM with IBEX and Voyager 1

Abstract Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observations of energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes from the heliosphere have greatly enriched our understanding of the interaction of the solar wind (SW) with the local interstellar medium (LISM). However, there has been recent controversy surrounding the inability of most ENA models to produce as high an intensity of ∼0.5–6 keV ENAs as IBEX observes at 1 au, especially as a function of time. In our previous study (E. J. Zirnstein et al.), we introduced a new model that utilizes a data-driven magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the SW–LISM interaction to propagate pickup ions through the heliosheath (HS) after they are nonadiabatically heated at the heliospheric termination shock. E. J. Zirnstein et al. only simulated and analyzed IBEX observations from the direction of Voyager 2. In this study, we expand our model to include fluxes from the direction of Voyager 1, as well as in the low-latitude part (middle) of the ribbon (10° below the ecliptic plane). We show that the model results at Voyager 1 are consistent with E. J. Zirnstein et al.’s results at Voyager 2 in terms of a secondary ENA source contribution of ≲20% from both directions. Our results in the middle of the ribbon also reproduce the data, when including a time-dependent secondary ENA source. Finally, we demonstrate with our simulation that three large pressure waves likely merged in the VLISM and were observed by Voyager 1 as “pf2,” while at least one of the wave’s effects in the HS was observed by IBEX as a brief enhancement in ENA flux in early 2016.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Large-scale Structure of the Heliospheric Current Sheets within the Heliosheath Inferred from Voyager 2 Observations

In this paper, we conducted an analysis of the heliospheric current sheets (HCSs) in the heliosheath (HS), utilizing observations by Voyager 2 between 2008 and 2018. Employing rigorous criteria, we identified a total of 34 HCSs that indicate significant changes in magnetic polarity. These occurrences were more prevalent during solar maximum periods when the HCS expanded to higher latitudes, coinciding with the spacecraft positioned at an average latitude of –31° from the solar equator. We determined certain features of the large-scale structures of the identified HCSs. Most importantly, employing two distinct methods indicates that the thickness of the HCSs within the HS ranges from ~0.003 to ~0.4 au with an average thickness of ~0.03 to ~0.1 au, depending on methods of event selection and fitting techniques. This thickness surpasses that known near 1 au or other heliospheric distances. It is also notably thicker than the typical proton inertial length, implying unfavorable conditions for magnetic reconnection. Additionally, our analysis reveals a frequent tilt of HCS planes relative to the solar equatorial plane by a varying angle up to several tens of degrees, likely implying a common occurrence of a warped structure of the HCS within the HS. Longitudinally, the HCS planes closely align with the Parker spiral field direction expected in the HS. Finally, for a large fraction of the identified HCS events, the HCS planes are likely characterized by a rotational discontinuity. These findings are valid within the limits of the 1 hr resolution data used in this study.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid Solidification Effects in Additively Manufactured Si and SiGe Compositions

SiGe alloys have a proven track record as robust high-temperature thermoelectric materials, powering NASA missions like SNAP-10A, LES-9, and Voyager 1 and 2. Enhancing thermoelectric efficiency hinges on minimizing thermal conductivity while preserving electrical conductivity. Rapid solidification via LPBF can generate microstructural features such as subgrain cellular boundaries and twinning, which may help reduce thermal conductivity while preserving semiconducting behavior. Here, this study investigates the potential of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing to fabricate nanostructured Si and SiGe thermoelectric materials. High cooling rates (10 5 to 10 7 K/s) rates inherent to the LPBF process are conducive to forming such nanostructures. Moreover, this fabrication technique could also be suitable for fabricating complex geometries needed to achieve improved device level performance. Process mapping of commercial Si powder with irregular morphology was first performed to understand the LPBF processing behavior of this semiconductor material. Subsequent studies included in-house synthesized B-doped (p-type) Si7 8 Ge 22 spherical powder that was produced via ultrasonic atomization. Scan strategies involved multiple laser exposures to mitigate solidification cracking: a high density of >98% was achieved, but solidification cracking could not be fully eliminated. Subsequently, a high electrical resistivity (i.e., low conductivity) was observed, but the measured Seebeck coefficient, ∼230 μV/K @ 500 °C, proved that good semiconductor material was being fabricated. A subgrain cellular structure (5–10 μm) was observed as defined by Ge segregation to the intercellular boundaries. The remelting strategies helped lower the cooling rates in processing SiGe, but this still resulted in high residual stresses, which induced a remarkably high density of twins (78–95%) to accommodate the deformation. This unique grain structure offers an avenue for phonon scattering and potential improvements in thermoelectric performance.

figure of merit↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ship‐Based Lidar Evaluation of Southern Ocean Low Clouds in the Storm‐Resolving General Circulation Model ICON and the ERA5 and MERRA‐2 Reanalyses

Global storm resolving models (GSRMs) represent the next generation of global climate models. One of them is a 5-km Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic Weather and Climate Model (ICON). Its high resolution means that parameterizations of convection and clouds, including subgrid-scale clouds, are omitted, relying on explicit simulation but necessarily utilizing microphysics and turbulence parameterizations. Standard-resolution (10–100 km) models, which use convection and cloud parameterizations, have substantial cloud biases over the Southern Ocean (SO), adversely affecting radiation and sea surface temperature. The SO is dominated by low clouds, which cannot be observed accurately from space due to overlapping clouds, attenuation, and ground clutter. We evaluated SO clouds in ICON and the ERA5 and MERRA-2 reanalyzes using approximately 2400 days of lidar observations and 2300 radiosonde profiles from 31 voyages and a Macquarie Island station during 2010–2021, compared to the model and reanalyzes using a ground-based lidar simulator. We found that ICON and the reanalyzes underestimate the total cloud fraction by about 10% and 20%, respectively. ICON and ERA5 overestimate the cloud occurrence peak at about 500 m, associated with underestimated lower tropospheric stability and overestimated lifting condensation level. The reanalyzes strongly underestimate fog and very low-level clouds, and MERRA-2 underestimates cloud occurrence at almost all heights. Outgoing shortwave radiation is overestimated in MERRA-2, implying a “too few, too bright” cloud problem. SO cloud and fog biases are a substantial issue in the analyzed model and reanalyzes and result in shortwave and longwave radiation biases.

Kuma, Peter [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); Univ. of Ca↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rotation‐Controlled Diurnal Evolution of Uranus' Asymmetric Bow Shock at Equinox

Uranus possesses the most extreme magnetic and rotational geometry in the solar system, resulting in a uniquely dynamic and asymmetric interaction between its magnetosphere and the solar wind. Here we investigate the diurnal evolution of the Uranian bow shock (BS) at equinox using global multifluid magnetohydrodynamic simulations constrained by Voyager 2 observations. The BS structure and variability are quantified using the stand‐off distance, terminator distance, flaring parameter, and BS parameter, enabling a systematic assessment of its global asymmetry over one planetary rotation. Our results show that the BS exhibits pronounced diurnal asymmetry that is primarily controlled by planetary rotation. Even under steady upstream solar wind conditions, the BS undergoes periodic expansion and contraction, reflecting rotation‐driven reconfiguration of the planetary magnetospheric topology. This diurnal modulation represents a remarkably large asymmetry in planetary BS geometry within the solar system. These results establish planetary rotation as the intrinsic primary driver of Uranus' BS dynamics at equinox and provide essential constraints for the design and formulation of future space missions to the ice giants. These findings also offer a unique framework for understanding shock physics in the abundant population of ice‐giant exoplanets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Global heliospheric termination shock strength in the solar–interstellar interaction

A heliospheric termination shock (HTS) surrounds our Solar System at approximately 100 astronomical units from the Sun, where the expanding solar wind (SW) is compressed and heated before encountering the interstellar medium. HTS-accelerated particles govern the pressure balance with the interstellar medium, but little is known about the global properties of the HTS beyond in situ measurements from Voyager in only two directions of the sky. Here we fill this gap by extracting the HTS strength using particle-in-cell, test particle and magnetohydrodynamic simulations, constrained by Interstellar Boundary Explorer observations of energetic neutral atoms produced from HTS-accelerated particles. Our results reveal there is a higher compression near the poles during solar minimum compared with solar maximum due to the higher Mach number flow. North–south asymmetries arise from the disparate evolution of the polar coronal holes, while minimum compression near the flanks is probably due to SW slowing from mass loading over a greater distance to the HTS. The results imply a strong connection between the HTS strength and the SW and interstellar medium dynamics.

Astrophysical plasmas↗
DOE OSTI2024

Turbulence, Waves, and Taylor’s Hypothesis for Heliosheath Observations

Magnetic field fluctuations measured in the heliosheath by the Voyager spacecraft are often characterized as compressible, as indicated by a strong fluctuating component parallel to the mean magnetic field. However, the interpretation of the turbulence data faces the caveat that the standard Taylor’s hypothesis is invalid because the solar wind flow velocity in the heliosheath becomes subsonic and slower than the fast magnetosonic speed, given the contributions from hot pickup ions (PUIs) in the heliosheath. We attempt to overcome this caveat by introducing a 4D frequency-wavenumber spectral modeling of turbulence, which is essentially a decomposition of different wave modes following their respective dispersion relations. Isotropic Alfvén and fast mode turbulence are considered to represent the heliosheath fluctuations. We also include two dispersive fast wave modes derived from a three-fluid theory. We find that (1) magnetic fluctuations in the inner heliosheath are less compressible than previously thought, an isotropic turbulence spectral model with about 25% in compressible fluctuation power is consistent with the observed magnetic compressibility in the heliosheath; (2) the hot PUI component and the relatively cold solar wind ions induce two dispersive fast magnetosonic wave branches in the perpendicular propagation limit, PUI fast wave may account for the spectral bump near the proton gyrofrequency in the observable spectrum; (3) it is possible that the turbulence wavenumber spectrum is not Kolmogorov-like although the observed frequency spectrum has a −5/3 power-law index, depending on the partitioning of power among the various wave modes, and this partitioning may change with wavenumber.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Effects of Turbulence on Heliosheath Ions and Implications for Energetic Neutral Atoms

The distribution of ions in the heliosheath—the region between the heliospheric termination shock and the heliopause—is important for understanding remote observations of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). The ion distributions were estimated previously based on hybrid simulations of the heating and evolution of solar wind and interstellar pickup ions across the solar wind termination shock, but these estimates only provide the distributions near the shock. In this work, we use self-consistent hybrid kinetic simulations to investigate the effects of turbulence on ion distributions in the heliosheath. The simulations are compared against Voyager observations, constraining the feasible amplitude and compressibility of turbulence. We find that the heating due to turbulent dissipation can lead to a significant increase in the temperature of thermal solar wind ions. Both turbulent velocity fluctuations and the heating of solar wind ions increase the charge-exchange source for ENAs at low energies (around 100 eV), where current ENA models underpredict observations by more than an order of magnitude. However, the effects of turbulence are likely not strong enough to fully explain these discrepancies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗