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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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Discrete Rotational Energy for Polyatomic Molecules in Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Accurate prediction of aerothermodynamic loads in thermal non-equilibrium flows requires precise modeling of internal energy exchange. While previous direct simulation Monte Carlo frameworks have successfully implemented discrete rotational energy models for diatomic species, the treatment of polyatomic molecules has traditionally relied on continuous energy assumptions that break down at low temperatures and neglect critical high-temperature corrections. This study extends the discrete rotational energy models of Boyd and Gimelshein to fully encompass polyatomic molecules. The proposed framework implements quantized rotational energy level sampling for linear, spherical, and symmetric/asymmetric top rotors. Crucially, the model incorporates centrifugal distortion to address the limitations of the rigid-rotor assumption at hypersonic temperatures, and accounts for nuclear spin parity, which dictates the permissible rotational states and macroscopic specific heats at low temperatures. The model is verified through equilibrium sampling procedures, demonstrating agreement with theoretical quantum Boltzmann distributions and accurately reproducing thermophysical properties across a wide range of temperatures.

DSMC↗

Absorption spectrum of Pb I between 1350 and 2041 A

The high resolution absorption spectrum of Pb I is reported between 1350 and 2041 A. Transitions are observed from the 6p2 (1/2,1/2)0, (3/2,1/2)1, and (3/2,1/2)2 levels to levels with J less than or equal to 2 associated with 6pns and 6pnd configurations. Energy levels have been determined with n(asterisk) values as high as 74. More than 500 spectral features and 370 odd parity energy levels are reported, a major part of which are new. These observations include five electric quadrupole transitions and 31 nuclear-spin-induced transitions from the Pb-207 isotope. Ionization limits of 59819.57 per cm and 73900.64 per cm have been determined for levels converging on the 6p 2P(1/2)O and 6p 2P(3/2)O levels of Pb II, respectively. An analysis of these data in terms of Lu-Fano graphical methods and multichannel quantum defect parametrization also is presented.

Brown, C. M.↗

The calculation of neutron capture gamma-ray yields for space shielding applications

The application of nuclear models to the calculation of neutron capture and inelastic scattering gamma yields is discussed. The gamma ray cascade model describes the cascade process in terms of parameters which either: (1) embody statistical assumptions regarding electric and magnetic multipole transition strengths, level densities, and spin and parity distributions or (2) are fixed by experiment such as measured energies, spin and parity values, and transition probabilities for low lying states.

Yost, K. J.↗

Theoretical Studies of PNC in Molecules: current Capabilites, Future Prospects, and Issues

The current capabilities of relativistic electronic structure codes for calculations on molecules such as TlF and YbF, which are of interest in the study of parity non-conservation, will be presented. The issues of basis set size and correlation methods will be discussed, and planned developments of the codes which would extend the range of their capabilities will be outlined. Issues of the sensitivity of the desired properties to the form of the nuclear potential and the flexibility of the wave function near the nucleus will be raised to stimulate discussion.

Dyall, Kenneth G.↗

Dark Matter in the Universe and in the Galaxy

During the past four years, Prof. Kamionkowski and collaborators have made progress in research on the nature and distribution of dark-matter in the Universe and in the Galaxy, and on related topics in astrophysics and cosmology. We have made progress on research on the cosmic microwave background, large-scale structure, issues related to particle dark matter, and the gamma-ray-burst enigma. A significant fraction of the research supported by this ATP has been on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Prof. Kamionkowski and collaborators showed how the polarization of the CMB could be used to detect long-wavelength gravitational waves, such as those produced by inflation. With Kosowsky, Prof. Kamionkowski calculated the amplitude of a stochastic gravitational-wave background that could be detected for a satellite experiment of a given sensitivity and angular resolution. They showed that polarization should improve the sensitivity oa MAP to these gravity waves, and that the Planck Surveyor should do even better. Prof. Kamionkowski, Caldwell, and a student calculated and illustrated the CMB temperature/polarization pattern produced by a single plane-wave gravitational wave. They calculated the amplitude of such a wave that would be detectable with MAP and Planck, and compared that with the sensitivity of traditional gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO and LISA. With Lue and Wang, the PI showed how parity violation from new high-energy physics could conceivably give rise to an observable signature in the CMB polarization. With Loeb, Prof. Kamionkowski showed how measurement of the polarization of CMB photons scattered by hot gas in a cluster could be used to determine the quadrupole moment of the CMB incident on that cluster. Prof. Kamionkowski and Jaffe calculated the amplitude of secondary anisotropies produced by scattering of CMB photons from reionized regions. Research has also been carried out on probing the large-scale distribution of mass in the Universe today, and on structure-formation theories. They investigated the possibility of determining the large-scale distribution of mass in the Universe via measurement of ellipticity-ellipticity correlations in the FIRST radio survey induced by weak gravitational lensing due to mass inhomogeneities along the line of sight. Dr. Summers, Prof. Kamionkowski, and a student investigated the distribution of protogalactic masses and angular momenta in an effort to understand how the luminosity function and angular-momentum distribution of disk galaxies arises from an initial power spectrum of density perturbations. Several projects related to the distribution and possible detection of dark matter in our Galactic halo were studied. The PI was involved in several projects involving the calculation of nuclear-reaction rates needed for stellar evolution and for predictions of solar-neutrino fluxes.

Kamionkowski, Marc↗