Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Open Access Articles

Bubble Behavior In Nucleate Boiling Experiment Aboard The Space Shuttle, Justin P. Koeln, Jeffrey C. Boulware, Heng Ban

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Boiling dynamics in microgravity need to be better understood before heat transfer systems based on boiling mechanism can be developed for space applications. This paper presents the results of a nucleate boiling experiment aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS- 108). The experiment utilized nickel-chromium resistance wire to boil water in microgravity, and the data was recorded with a CCD camera and six thermistors. This data was analyzed to determine the behavior of bubble formation, detachment from the heating wire, and travel in the water with effects of drag on bubble movement. Bubbles were observed to be ejected from the wire, travel …

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Critical Level Interaction Of A Gravity Wave With Background Winds Driven By A Large-Scale Wave Perturbation, M. K. Ejiri, Michael J. Taylor, T. Nakamura, S. J. Franke

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As part of the Maui-Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere program, data from the Utah State University Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (MTM) and the University of Illinois Meteor Wind Radar (MWR) have been used to investigate wave-driven dynamical interactions in the upper mesosphere at low latitudes. On 29 June 2003, short-period (20 min) gravity waves (GWs) were imaged in the MTM in the near-infrared OH and O2 airglow emissions for most of the night from 0700 to 1500 UT. The GWs were observed to disappear rapidly in the O2 data (peak altitude: 94 km) around 1400 UT but remained evident in the lower …

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The Spread F Experiment (Spreadfex): Overview And Summary Of The Spread F Experiment (Spreadfex), D. C. Fritts, M. A. Abdu, B. R. Batista, I. S. Batista, P. P. Batista, R. Buriti, B. R. Clemesha, T. Dautermann, E. De Paula, B. J. Fechine, B. G. Fejer, D. Gobbi, J. Haase, F. Kamalabadi, B. Luughman, P. P. Lima, H. L. Liu, A. F. Medeiros, P. D. Pautet, D. M. Riggin, F. São Sabbas, J. H.A. Sobral, P. Stamus, H. Takahashi, Michael J. Taylor, S. L. Vadas, C. Wrasse

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The Spread F Experiment, or SpreadFEx, was performed from September to November 2005 to define the potential role of neutral atmosphere dynamics, primarily gravity waves propagating upward from the lower atmosphere, in seeding equatorial spread F (ESF) and plasma bubbles extending to higher altitudes. A description of the SpreadFEx campaign motivations, goals, instrumentation, and structure, and an overview of the results presented in this special issue, are provided by Fritts et al. (2008a). The various analyses of neutral atmosphere and ionosphere dynamics and structure described in this special issue provide enticing evidence of gravity waves arising from deep convection in …

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Removal Of Nonconstant Daily Variation By Means Of Wavelet And Functional Data Analysis, I. Maslova, P. Kokoszka, Jan Josef Sojka, L. Zhu

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We propose a novel approach based on wavelet and functional principal component analysis to produce a cleaner index of the intensity of the symmetric ring current. We use functional canonical correlations to show that the new approach more effectively extracts symmetric global features. The main result of our work is the construction of a new index, which is an improved version of the existing wavelet-based index (WISA) and the old Dst index, in which a constant daily variation is removed. Here, we address the fact that the daily component varies from day to day and construct a “cleaner” index by …

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Detecting A Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background: The Overlap Reduction Function, Lee Samuel Finn, Shane L. Larson, Joseph D. Romano

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Detection of a gravitational-wave stochastic background via ground or space-based gravitational-wave detectors requires the cross correlation of the response of two or more independent detectors. The cross correlation involves a frequency-dependent factor—the so-called overlap reduction function or Hellings-Downs curve—that depends on the relative geometry of each detector pair, i.e., the detector separations and the relative orientation of their antenna patterns (beams). An incorrect formulation of this geometrical factor has appeared in the literature, leading to incorrect conclusions regarding the sensitivity of proposed detectors to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. To rectify these errors and as a reference for future work we …

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Core-Level Shifts At The Pt/W(110) Monolayer Bimetallic Interface, D. Mark Riffe, N. D. Shinn, B. Kim, K. J. Kim, T. H. Kang

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We have measured W and Pt 4f7/2 core-level photoemission spectra from interfaces formed by ultrathin Pt layers on W(110), completing our core-level measurements of W(110)-based bimetallic interfaces involving the group-10 metals Ni, Pd, and Pt. With increasing Pt coverage the sequence of W spectra can be described using three interfacial core-level peaks with binding-energy (BE) shifts (compared to the bulk) of −0.220 ± 0.015, −0.060 ± 0.015, and +0.110 ± 0.010 eV. We assign these features to 1D, 2D pseudomorphic (ps), and 2D closed-packed (cp) Pt phases, respectively. For ~1 ps ML the Pt 4f7/2 BE is 71.40 ± 0.02 …

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Observations Of Ionospheric Heating During The Passage Of Solar Coronal Hole Fast Streams, Jan Josef Sojka, R. L. Mcpherron, A. P. Van Eyken, M. J. Nicolis, C. J. Heinselman, J. D. Kelley

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Using ionospheric temperature measurements made continuously by the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) and EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) during the International Polar Year (IPY), we provide evidence for directly driven ionospheric heating associated with the solar wind corotating interaction region (CIR). Both ESR and PFISR operated almost continuously during the IPY, which began on 1 March 2007. During this period 55 CIR events occurred and when ISR observations were available during these events ionospheric heating was observed. This study is the first comprehensive observation of ionospheric heating by CIRs demonstrated through case study comparisons and statistically over the 1-year …

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Characterizing The Lower Ionosphere With A Space - Weather - Aware Receiver Matrix, D. D. Rice, R. D. Hunsucker, J. V. Eccles, Jan Josef Sojka, J. W. Raitt, J. J. Brady

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Current ionospheric models are very good at specifying regular diurnal and seasonal variations of the E and F regions of the ionosphere. Less is known about the behavior of the D region, although progress has recently been made with models such as the Data-Driven D-Region (DDDR). However, significant departures from modeled behaviors are observed even during solar minimum conditions, due to complex ionospheric weather effects arising from both solar activity above and terrestrial atmospheric perturbations below. The D-region perturbations directly affect VLF communications, and also affect daytime absorption of frequencies from LF through HF. Perturbations in the E and F …

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Storm-Time Density Enhancements In The Middle Latitude Dayside Ionosphere, R. A. Heelis, Jan Josef Sojka, M. David, Robert W. Schunk

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Enhancements of the total electron content (TEC) in the middle-latitude dayside ionosphere have often been observed during geomagnetic storms. The enhancements can be as large as a factor of 2 or more, and many sightings of such structures have occurred over the United States. Here we investigate the effectiveness of an expanded convection electric field as a mechanism for producing such ionospheric enhancements. As a test case, we examine the storm period of 5–7 November 2001, for which observations from the DMSP F13 are used to drive the Time Dependent Ionospheric Model (TDIM). Our findings indicate that at favorable universal …

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Plasmasphere And Upper Ionosphere Contributions And Corrections During The Assimilation Of Gps Slant Tec, D. C. Thompson, L. Scherliess, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk

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Total electron content (TEC) measurements from ground stations to Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites provide a rich source of information about the Earth's ionosphere. These data comprise a significant part of the typical data set used by various data ingestion and assimilation models of the ionosphere. For example, the Utah State University (USU) Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) data assimilation model uses slant TEC, along with various other types of data, to obtain a global reconstruction of the ionosphere. There are presently two different USU GAIM models: the Gauss‐Markov Kalman Filter (GAIM‐GM), which is operational at the NASA Community …

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A Frequency Agile, Distributed Sensor System To Address Space Weather Effects Upon Ionospherically Dependent Systems, D. D. Rice, J. V. Eccles, Jan Josef Sojka, J. W. Raitt, J. Brady, R. D. Hunsucker

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The outstanding problem faced by operational systems that utilize the ionosphere is that ionospheric weather variability is comparable to the ionospheric climate variability. However, the number of simultaneous measurements is orders of magnitude too few to resolve the weather scales that are impacting systems. We describe a prototype distributed array of affordable passive radio beacon monitors combined with a central data repository and a data-model analysis system called the Frequency-Agile Distributed Sensor System (FADSS). By monitoring signals from terrestrial VLF/HF radio beacons the FADSS tracks changes in the D, E, or F regions and makes appropriate modifications to the ionospheric …

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Overview And Summary Of The Spread F Experiment (Spreadfex), D. C. Fritts, M. A. Abdu, B. R. Batista, I. S. Batista, P. P. Batista, R. Buritii, B. R. Clemesha, J. Comberiate, T. Dautermann, E. De Paula, B. J. Fechine, B. G. Fejer, D. Gobbi, J. Haase, F. Kalamabadi, B. Laughman, P. P. Lima, H. L. Liu, A. Medeiros, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, F. Sao Sabbas, J. H.A. Sobral, P. Stamus, H. Takahashi, Michael J. Taylor, S. L. Vadas, C. Wrasse

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We provide here an overview of, and a summary of results arising from, an extensive experimental campaign (the Spread F Experiment, or SpreadFEx) performed from September to November 2005, with primary measurements in Brazil. The motivation was to define the potential role of neutral atmosphere dynamics, specifically gravity wave motions propagating upward from the lower atmosphere, in seeding Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) and plasma bubbles extending to higher altitudes. Campaign measurements focused on the Brazilian sector and included ground-based optical, radar, digisonde, and GPS measurements at a number of fixed and temporary sites. Related data on convection and plasma bubble structures …

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Electrostatic Discharge In Spacecraft Materials, Jennifer Albretsen Roth

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Understanding the characteristics of electron beam bombardment that induce electrostatic discharge (ESD) of insulating materials is crucial to constructing an electrically stable spacecraft. A measurement system has been designed to determine the beam energy and charge flux densities at which typical spacecraft materials intended for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) undergo ESD. Because discharge events occur over time intervals ranging from nanoseconds to minutes, multiple detection methods were employed as charge was accumulated on a sample surface; these methods included monitoring of sample current and optical emissions from the sample surface. Each sample was also examined with optical microscopy …

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Bubble Behavior In Nucleate Boiling Experiment Aboard The Space Shuttle, Justin P. Koeln, Jeffrey C. Boulware, Heng Ban

All Physics Faculty Publications

Critical Level Interaction Of A Gravity Wave With Background Winds Driven By A Large-Scale Wave Perturbation, M. K. Ejiri, Michael J. Taylor, T. Nakamura, S. J. Franke

All Physics Faculty Publications

All Physics Faculty Publications

Removal Of Nonconstant Daily Variation By Means Of Wavelet And Functional Data Analysis, I. Maslova, P. Kokoszka, Jan Josef Sojka, L. Zhu

All Physics Faculty Publications

Detecting A Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background: The Overlap Reduction Function, Lee Samuel Finn, Shane L. Larson, Joseph D. Romano

All Physics Faculty Publications

Core-Level Shifts At The Pt/W(110) Monolayer Bimetallic Interface, D. Mark Riffe, N. D. Shinn, B. Kim, K. J. Kim, T. H. Kang

All Physics Faculty Publications

Observations Of Ionospheric Heating During The Passage Of Solar Coronal Hole Fast Streams, Jan Josef Sojka, R. L. Mcpherron, A. P. Van Eyken, M. J. Nicolis, C. J. Heinselman, J. D. Kelley

All Physics Faculty Publications

Characterizing The Lower Ionosphere With A Space - Weather - Aware Receiver Matrix, D. D. Rice, R. D. Hunsucker, J. V. Eccles, Jan Josef Sojka, J. W. Raitt, J. J. Brady

All Physics Faculty Publications

Storm-Time Density Enhancements In The Middle Latitude Dayside Ionosphere, R. A. Heelis, Jan Josef Sojka, M. David, Robert W. Schunk

All Physics Faculty Publications

Plasmasphere And Upper Ionosphere Contributions And Corrections During The Assimilation Of Gps Slant Tec, D. C. Thompson, L. Scherliess, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk

All Physics Faculty Publications

A Frequency Agile, Distributed Sensor System To Address Space Weather Effects Upon Ionospherically Dependent Systems, D. D. Rice, J. V. Eccles, Jan Josef Sojka, J. W. Raitt, J. Brady, R. D. Hunsucker

All Physics Faculty Publications

All Physics Faculty Publications

Electrostatic Discharge In Spacecraft Materials, Jennifer Albretsen Roth

All Physics Faculty Publications