5,168 research outputs found
The MOSS camera on H-1NF
We have configured the modulated optical solid-state spectrometer, a recently developed high-resolution instrument for plasma Dopplerspectroscopy, as an imaging spectroscopiccamera. The camera features a wide field of view (∼10°), large aperture (40 mm), and high spectral resolution ν/Δν greater than 10 000. The camera installation on the H-1NF Heliac is described, together with the steps in the design process, including field widening. Calibration and characterization of the instrument function is discussed and the instrument performance is illustrated with some sample results of spatially resolved ion temperature measurements in H-1NF
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Comparative study of design: application to Engineering Design
A recent exploratory study examines design processes across domains and compares them. This is achieved through a series of interdisciplinary, participative workshops. A systematic framework is used to collect data from expert witnesses who are practising designers across domains from engineering through architecture to product design and fashion, including film production, pharmaceutical drugs, food, packaging, graphics and multimedia and software. Similarities and differences across domains are described which indicate the types of comparative analysis we have been able to do from our data. The paper goes further and speculates on possible lessons for selected areas of engineering design which can be drawn from comparison with processes in other domains. As such this comparative design study offers the potential for improving engineering design processes. More generally it is a first step in creating a discipline of comparative design which aims to provide a new rich picture of design processes
Measurements and modeling of ion and neutral distribution functions in a partially ionized magnetically confined argon plasma
The influence of ion-neutral collisions on the ion and neutral distribution functions is studied in low field (<0.15 T)rf heated argon discharges of the H-1 Heliac [S. M. Hamberger, B. D. Blackwell, L. E. Sharp, and D. B. Shenton, Fusion Technol. 17, 123 (1990)], both experimentally and theoretically. The distribution functionmeasurements are based on the Doppler broadening of plasma ion and neutral spectral lines using a novel coherence imaging camera. Measurements show that neutrals are abundant throughout the plasma. The neutral temperature is found to be in the range 1–2 eV, which, when compared with ion temperatures of the order of 10 eV, suggests that neutrals are being heated substantially through ion-neutral collisions.Measurements of the ion distribution function reveal a substantially elevated fraction of low energy particles (whose energy is similar to the neutral temperature), associated with charge exchange and ionization. In order to understand the origin of the high neutral temperature and distorted ion distribution function, the ion and neutral distribution functions are modeled using the Boltzmann equation including collision operators for ion-ion and ion-neutral collisions,ionization, heating, and particle loss. The simulation results compare well with the experimental results
Haystack Ultra-Wideband Satellite Imaging Radar Measurements of the Orbital Debris Environment: 2014-2017
Since the founding of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) in 1979, the knowledge that orbital debris poses a risk to operational satellites and human spaceflight has been publically available. Services that rely on satellite-based technology such as communications, internet, navigation, and weather forecasting, to name a few, are ubiquitous in modern society. The International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously inhabited by a crew of up to six astronauts since November 2000 and makes, on average, approximately one debris avoidance maneuver per year to avoid objects that are large enough to be tracked by ground-based radars. This places an increased need for understanding the current status of the debris environment (measurements), for the ability to predict the future environment (modeling), and for understanding risk factors for debris creating events (mitigation). For NASA, the measurements, modeling, and mitigation aspects of orbital debris are led by the NASA ODPO at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.This report summarizes radar measurement data from the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR) operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) and provided to the NASA ODPO. The time period covered by this report includes data collected during the U.S. government fiscal year (FY) 2014 through FY2017. The U.S. government FY begins on 1 October and lasts through 30 September of a given year (i.e., FY2014 lasts from 1 October 1 2013 through 30 September 30 2014). At this reports release, processed data was unavailable from the Haystack Auxiliary Radar (HAX) due to errors in the calibration data for the radar and limited transmit power; a decision was made by NASA not to collect low-power HAX radar data. This is being resolved by NASA and MIT/LL and data collected during this time period will be released in a separate report
Global Alfven Eigenmodes in the H-1 heliac
Recent upgrades in H-1 power supplies have enabled the operation of the H-1
experiment at higher heating powers than previously attainable. A heating power
scan in mixed hydrogen/helium plasmas reveals a change in mode activity with
increasing heating power. At low power (<50 kW) modes with beta-induced Alfven
eigenmode (BAE) frequency scaling are observed. At higher power modes
consistent with an analysis of nonconventional Global Alfven Eigenmodes (GAEs)
are observed, the subject of this work. We have computed the mode continuum,
and identified GAE structures using the ideal MHD solver CKA and the
gyrokinetic code EUTERPE. An analytic model for ICRH-heated minority ions is
used to estimate the fast ion temperature from the hydrogen species. Linear
growth rate scans using a local flux surface stability calculation, LGRO, are
performed. These studies demonstrate growth from circulating particles whose
speed is significantly less than the Alfven speed, and are resonant with the
mode through harmonics of the Fourier decomposition of the strongly-shaped
heliac magnetic field. They reveal drive is possible with a small, hot
energetic tail of the hydrogen species. Local linear growth rate scans are also
complemented with global calculations from CKA and EUTERPE. These qualitatively
confirm the findings from the LGRO study, and show that the inclusion of finite
Larmor radius effects can reduce the growth rate by a factor of three, but do
not affect marginal stability. Finally, a study of damping of the global mode
with the thermal plasma is conducted, computing continuum, and the damping
arising from parallel electric fields. We find that continuum damping is of
order 0.1% for the configuration studied. The inclusion of resistivity lifts
the damping to 19%. Such large damping is consistent with experimental
observations that in absence of drive the mode decays rapidly (~0.1 ms).Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, submitted 07/04/2017 to Plasma Physics and
Controlled Fusio
Plasma parameters and electron energy distribution functions in a magnetically focused plasma
Spatially resolved measurements of ion density, electron temperature, floating potential, and the electron
energy distribution function (EEDF) are presented for a magnetically focused plasma. The measurements
identify a central plasma column displaying Maxwellian EEDFs at an electron temperature of about 5 eV
indicating the presence of a significant fraction of electrons in the inelastic energy range (energies above
15 eV). It is observed that the EEDF remains Maxwellian along the axis of the discharge with an increase
in density, at constant electron temperature, observed in the region of highest magnetic field strength.
Both electron density and temperature decrease at the plasma radial edge. Electron temperature isotherms
measured in the downstream region are found to coincide with the magnetic field lines.The authors would like to acknowledge support from the
Australian Research Council through a Future Fellowship
(FT100100825)
A Study of the B-V Colour Temperature Relation
We attempt to construct a B-V colour temperature relation for stars in the
least model dependent way employing the best modern data. The fit we obtained
with the form Teff = Teff((B-V)0,[Fe/H],log g) is well constrained and a number
of tests show the consistency of the procedures for the fit. Our relation
covers from F0 to K5 stars with metallicity [Fe/H] = -1.5 to +0.3 for both
dwarfs and giants. The residual of the fit is 66 K, which is consistent with
what are expected from the quality of the present data. Metallicity and surface
gravity effects are well separated from the colour dependence. Dwarfs and
giants match well in a single family of fit, differing only in log g. The fit
also detects the Galactic extinction correction for nearby stars with the
amount E(B-V) = 0.26 +/-0.03 mag/kpc. Taking the newly obtained relation as a
reference we examine a number of B-V colour temperature relations and
atmosphere models available in the literature. We show the presence of a
systematic error in the colour temperature relation from synthetic calculations
of model atmospheres; the systematic error across K0 to K5 dwarfs is 0.04-0.05
mag in B-V, which means 0.25-0.3 mag in Mv for the K star range. We also argue
for the error in the temperature scale used in currently popular stellar
population synthesis models; synthetic colours from these models are somewhat
too blue for aged elliptical galaxies. We derive the colour index of the sun
(B-V)sun = 0.627 +/-0.018, and discuss that redder colours (e.g., 0.66-0.67)
often quoted in the literature are incompatible with the colour-temperature
relation.Comment: AASLaTeX (aaspp4.sty),36 pages (13 figures included), submitted to
Astronomical Journal, replaced (typo in author name
Polymer Bound Photobase Generators And Photoacid Generators For Pitch Division Lithography
The semiconductor industry is pursuing several process options that provide pathways to printing images smaller than the theoretical resolution limit of 193 nm projection scanners. These processes include double patterning, side wall deposition and pitch division. Pitch doubling lithography (PDL), the achievement of pitch division by addition of a photobase generator (PBG) to typical 193 nm resist formulations was recently presented. 1 Controlling the net acid concentration as a function of dose by incorporating both a photoacid generator (PAG) and a PBG in the resist formulation imparts a resist dissolution rate response modulation at twice the frequency of the aerial image. Simulation and patterning of 45 nm half pitch L/S patterns produced using a 90 nm half pitch mask were reported. 2 Pitch division was achieved, but the line edge roughness of the resulting images did not meet the current standard. To reduce line edge roughness, polymer bound PBGs and polymer bound PAGs were investigated in the PDL resist formulations. The synthesis, purification, analysis, and functional performance of various polymers containing PBG or PAG monomers are described herein. Both polymer bound PBG with monomeric PAG and polymer bound PAG with monomeric PBG showed a PDL response. The performance of the polymer bound formulations is compared to the same formulations with small molecule analogs of PAG and PBG.Chemical Engineerin
Detailed analysis of Balmer lines in cool dwarf stars
An analysis of H alpha and H beta spectra in a sample of 30 cool dwarf and
subgiant stars is presented using MARCS model atmospheres based on the most
recent calculations of the line opacities. A detailed quantitative comparison
of the solar flux spectra with model spectra shows that Balmer line profile
shapes, and therefore the temperature structure in the line formation region,
are best represented under the mixing length theory by any combination of a low
mixing-length parameter alpha and a low convective structure parameter y. A
slightly lower effective temperature is obtained for the sun than the accepted
value, which we attribute to errors in models and line opacities. The programme
stars span temperatures from 4800 to 7100 K and include a small number of
population II stars. Effective temperatures have been derived using a
quantitative fitting method with a detailed error analysis. Our temperatures
find good agreement with those from the Infrared Flux Method (IRFM) near solar
metallicity but show differences at low metallicity where the two available
IRFM determinations themselves are in disagreement. Comparison with recent
temperature determinations using Balmer lines by Fuhrmann (1998, 2000), who
employed a different description of the wing absorption due to self-broadening,
does not show the large differences predicted by Barklem et al. (2000). In
fact, perhaps fortuitously, reasonable agreement is found near solar
metallicity, while we find significantly cooler temperatures for low
metallicity stars of around solar temperature.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, to appear in A&
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