Spatial Extent of Relativistic Electron Precipitation from the Radiation Belts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shekhar, Sapna

Relativistic Electron Precipitation (REP) in the atmosphere can contribute signi- cantly to electron loss from the outer radiation belts. In order to estimate the contribution to this loss, it is important to estimate the spatial extent of the precipitation region. We observed REP with the 0° Medium Energy Proton Electron Detector (MEPED) on board Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES), for 15 years (2000-2014) and used both single and multi satellite measurements to estimate an average extent of the region of precipitation in L shell and Magnetic Local Time. In the duration of 15 years (2000-2014), 31035 REPs were found in this study. Events were found to split into two classes; one class of events coincided with proton precipitation in the P1 channel (30-80 keV), were located in the dusk and early morning sector, and were more localized in L shell and magnetic local time (dMLT 0-3 hrs, dL 0.25-0.5),whereas the other class of events did not include proton precipitation, and were located mostly in the midnight sector and were wider in L shell (dL 1-2.5) but localized in MLT (dMLT 0-3 hrs); both classes occurred mostly during the declining phase of the solar cycle and geomagnetically active times. The events located in the midnight sector for both classes were found to be associated with tail magnetic field stretching which could be due to the fact that they tend to occur mostly during geomagnetically active times, or could imply that precipitation is caused by current sheet scattering. Use of POES to infer information about the precipitation energy spectrum was also investigated, despite the coarse energy channels and contamination issues. In order to study the energy specicity of the REP events, a method to t exponential spectra to the REP events, wherever possible, was formulated and validated through comparisons with SAMPEX observed spectra. 18 events on POES were found to be in conjunction with SAMPEX in the years 2000-04. The exponentially tted

APES: Acute Precipitating Electron Spectrometer - A High Time Resolution Monodirectional Magnetic Deflection Electron Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michell, R. G.; Samara, M.; Grubbs, G., II; Ogasawara, K.; Miller, G.; Trevino, J. A.; Webster, J.; Stange, J.

2016-01-01

We present a description of the Acute Precipitating Electron Spectrometer (APES) that was designed and built for the Ground-to-Rocket Electron Electrodynamics Correlative Experiment (GREECE) auroral sounding rocket mission. The purpose was to measure the precipitating electron spectrum with high time resolution, on the order of milliseconds. The trade-off made in order to achieve high time resolution was to limit the aperture to only one look direction. The energy selection was done by using a permanent magnet to separate the incoming electrons, such that the different energies would fall onto different regions of the microchannel plate and therefore be detected by different anodes. A rectangular microchannel plate (MCP) was used (15 mm x 100 mm), and there was a total of 50 discrete anodes under the MCP, each one 15 mm x 1.5 mm, with a 0.5 mm spacing between anodes. The target energy range of APES was 200 eV to 30 keV.

Energetic electron precipitation characteristics observed from Antarctica during a flux dropout event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clilverd, Mark A.; Cobbett, Neil; Rodger, Craig J.; Brundell, James B.; Denton, Michael H.; Hartley, David P.; Rodriguez, Juan V.; Danskin, Donald; Raita, Tero; Spanswick, Emma L.

2013-11-01

from two autonomous VLF radio receiver systems installed in a remote region of the Antarctic in 2012 is used to take advantage of the juxtaposition of the L = 4.6 contour, and the Hawaii-Halley, Antarctica, great circle path as it passes over thick Antarctic ice shelf. The ice sheet conductivity leads to high sensitivity to changing D region conditions, and the quasi constant L shell highlights outer radiation belt processes. The ground-based instruments observed several energetic electron precipitation events over a moderately active 24 h period, during which the outer radiation belt electron flux declined at most energies and subsequently recovered. Combining the ground-based data with low and geosynchronous orbiting satellite observations on 27 February 2012, different driving mechanisms were observed for three precipitation events with clear signatures in phase space density and electron anisotropy. Comparison between flux measurements made by Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) in low Earth orbit and by the Antarctic instrumentation provides evidence of different cases of weak and strong diffusion into the bounce loss cone, helping to understand the physical mechanisms controlling the precipitation of energetic electrons into the atmosphere. Strong diffusion events occurred as the <600 keV fluxes began to recover as a result of adiabatic transport of electrons. One event appeared to have a factor of about 10 to 100 times more flux than was reported by POES, consistent with weak diffusion into the bounce loss cone. Two events had a factor of about 3 to 10 times more >30 keV flux than was reported by POES, more consistent with strong diffusion conditions.

Relativistic electron precipitation during geomagnetic storm time in the years 2006-2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glesnes Ødegaard, Linn-Kristine; Nesse Tyssøy, Hilde; Sandanger, Marit irene; Stadsnes, Johan; Søraas, Finn

2015-04-01

The processes leading to acceleration or loss of relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere during geomagnetic storm time have yet to be fully understood, and whether a geomagnetic storm will lead to enhanced or depleted fluxes of relativistic electrons can not be known in advance. Relativistic Electron Precipitation (REP) can penetrate deep into the atmosphere and influence composition and dynamics. To study the effect of REP upon the atmosphere, the energy and intensity of the electrons need to be accurately represented. We use satellite measurements of electrons with energies E>300 keV and E>1000 keV to study the behaviour of these electron populations during geomagnetic storms. We use the MEPED detectors on board the POES satellites NOAA-17, NOAA-18, MetOp-02 and NOAA-19, where the vertical telescope measures precipitated flux, and the horizontal telescope trapped flux at satellite altitude (ca 850 km). Using a newly developed technique, we can derive the flux of electrons depositing their energy in the atmosphere from the pair of detectors on each satellite. 75 isolated storms were identified in the period 2006-2010. The storms include both typical CME driven storms, and weak long duration storms driven by CIRs. Each storm was divided into pre-storm phase, main phase and recovery phase, and the flux of relativistic electrons was monitored through the storms. By combining the measurements from several satellites, we obtain a close to global view of the relativistic electron fluxes, enabling us to study the relationship between the REP and different geomagnetic indices and solar wind drivers.

Mesospheric ozone destruction by high-energy electron precipitation associated with pulsating aurora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turunen, Esa; Kero, Antti; Verronen, Pekka T.; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Oyama, Shin-Ichiro; Saito, Shinji

2016-10-01

Energetic particle precipitation into the upper atmosphere creates excess amounts of odd nitrogen and odd hydrogen. These destroy mesospheric and upper stratospheric ozone in catalytic reaction chains, either in situ at the altitude of the energy deposition or indirectly due to transport to other altitudes and latitudes. Recent statistical analysis of satellite data on mesospheric ozone reveals that the variations during energetic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts can be tens of percent. Here we report model calculations of ozone destruction due to a single event of pulsating aurora early in the morning on 17 November 2012. The presence of high-energy component in the precipitating electron flux (>200 keV) was detected as ionization down to 68 km altitude, by the VHF incoherent scatter radar of European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) Scientific Association (EISCAT VHF) in Tromsø, Norway. Observations by the Van Allen Probes satellite B showed the occurrence of rising tone lower band chorus waves, which cause the precipitation. We model the effect of high-energy electron precipitation on ozone concentration using a detailed coupled ion and neutral chemistry model. Due to a 30 min, recorded electron precipitation event we find 14% odd oxygen depletion at 75 km altitude. The uncertainty of the higher-energy electron fluxes leads to different possible energy deposition estimates during the pulsating aurora event. We find depletion of odd oxygen by several tens of percent, depending on the precipitation characteristics used in modeling. The effect is notably maximized at the sunset time following the occurrence of the precipitation.

Ionization rate from the electron precipitation during August 2011 storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Huang, C. Y.; Su, Y.

2013-12-01

We apply a parameterization by Fang et al. [2010] (Fang2010) to the complex energy spectra measured by DMSP F16 satellites to calculate the ionization rate from electron precipitation during a moderate storm on August 6th, 2011. The DMSP electron flux measurements show that there is clear enhancement of electron fluxes in the polar cap. The mean energy in the polar cap is mostly above 100 eV, while the mean energy of auroral zone is above 1 keV. F16 also captures a strong Poynting flux enhancement in the polar cap. The electron impact ionization rates using thermospheric densities and temperatures from NRLMSISE-00, TIE-GCM and GITM show clear enhancement at F-region altitudes in the polar cap region due to the low-energy electrons precipitated. Using the default empirical formulations of electron impact ionization in GCMs, TIE-GCM and GITM do not capture the F-region ionization shown in the results of Fang2010 parameterization. Fang, X, C. E. Randall, D. Lummerzheim, W. Wang, G. Lu, S. C. Solomon, and R. A. Frahm (2010), Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L22106, doi:10.1029/2010GL045406.

Relativistic Electron Precipitation in the Auroral Zone. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simons, D. J.

1975-01-01

The energy spectra and pitch angle distributions of electrons in the energy range from 50 keV to 2 MeV were determined by a solid state electron energy spectrometer during the Relativistic Electron Precipitation (REP) event of 31 May 1972. The pitch angle distributions were determined from a knowledge of the rocket aspect and the direction in space of the earth's magnetic field. The rocket aspect determination was therefore treated in depth and a method was developed to compensate for the malfunctioning of the aspect magnetometer. The electron fluxes during the REP event were highly variable demonstrating correlated energy, flux, and pitch angle pulsations with time periods of less than one second. A theoretical model for the production of relativistic electrons was proposed. It follows from this model that, at comparatively low background electron densities, the anomalous Doppler resonance leads to the acceleration of near relativistic particles.

Electron precipitation in the post midnight sector of the auroral zones. [on the Explorer 40 satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, L. A.; Saflekos, N. A.; Ackerson, K. L.

1975-01-01

Comprehensive measurements of the angular distributions and energy spectra of electron intensities with electrostatic analyzer arrays on board the low-altitude satellite Injun 5 are reported. These are for the post-midnight sector of the auroral zones during the high-intensity events accompanying magnetic substorms. Precipitation features on closed terrestrial field lines well equatorward of the trapping boundary for energetic electrons with E greater than 45 keV were examined. No evidences of maxima in the differential energy spectra or of strongly field-aligned currents which are indicative of quasi-static electric fields aligned parallel to the geomagnetic field were found. Precipitation of low-energy electron intensities fluctuated on time scales greater than 2 seconds as viewed at the satellite position. This precipitation was characterized by isotropy for all pitch angles outside the atmospheric backscatter cone.

Diffusive transport of several hundred keV electrons in the Earth's slot region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Thorne, R. M.; Bortnik, J.

2017-12-01

We investigate the gradual diffusion of energetic electrons from the inner edge of the outer radiation belt into the slot region. The Van Allen Probes observed slow inward diffusion and decay of 200-600 keV electrons following the intense geomagnetic storm that occurred on 17 March 2013. During the 10-day non-disturbed period following the storm, the peak of electron fluxes gradually moved from L 2.7 to L 2.4, and the flux levels decreased by a factor of 2-4 depending on the electron energy. We simulated the radial intrusion and decay of electrons using a 3-dimentional diffusion code, which reproduced the energy-dependent transport of electrons from 100 keV to 1 MeV in the slot region. At energies of 100-200 keV, the electrons experience fast transport across the slot region due to the dominance of radial diffusion; at energies of 200-600 keV, the electrons gradually diffuse and decay in the slot region due to the comparable radial diffusion rate and pitch angle scattering rate by plasmaspheric hiss; at energies of E > 700 keV, the electrons stopped diffusing near the inner edge of outer radiation belt due to the dominant pitch angle scattering loss. In addition to plasmaspheric hiss, magnetosonic waves and VLF waves can cause the loss of high pitch angle electrons, relaxing the sharp `top-hat' shaped pitch angle distributions created by plasmaspheric hiss. Our simulation indicates the importance of radial diffusion and pitch angle scattering in forming the diffusive intrusion of energetic electrons across the slot region.

Venus nightside ionosphere - A model with KeV electron impact ionization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, S.

1982-01-01

The impact of keV electrons is proposed as the strongest source of ionization in a full-up Venus nightside ionosphere model for the equatorial midnight region. The electron impacts lead to a peak ion density of 100,000/cu cm, which was observed by the PV-OIMS experiment on several occasions. In addition, the observed altitude profiles of CO2(+), O(+), O2(+), H(+), and H2(+) can be reproduced by the model on condition that the available keV electron flux is approximated by a reasonable extrapolation from fluxes observed at lower energies.

Microsecond Electron Beam Source with Electron Energy Up to 400 Kev and Plasma Anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullin, É. N.; Basov, G. F.; Shershnev, S.

2017-12-01

A new high-power source of electrons with plasma anode for producing high-current microsecond electron beams with electron energy up to 400 keV has been developed, manufactured, and put in operation. To increase the cross section and pulse current duration of the beam, a multipoint explosive emission cathode is used in the electron beam source, and the beam is formed in an applied external guiding magnetic field. The Marx generator with vacuum insulation is used as a high-voltage source. Electron beams with electron energy up to 300-400 keV, current of 5-15 kA, duration of 1.5-3 μs, energy up to 4 kJ, and cross section up to 150 cm2 have been produced. The operating modes of the electron beam source are realized in which the applied voltage is influenced weakly on the current. The possibility of source application for melting of metal surfaces is demonstrated.

Diffusive Transport of Several Hundred keV Electrons in the Earth's Slot Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Thorne, R. M.; Bortnik, J.; Reeves, G. D.; Spence, H. E.; Turner, D. L.; Blake, J. B.; Fennell, J. F.; Claudepierre, S. G.; Kletzing, C. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Baker, D. N.

2017-10-01

We investigate the gradual diffusion of energetic electrons from the inner edge of the outer radiation belt into the slot region. The Van Allen Probes observed slow inward diffusion and decay of 200-600 keV electrons following the intense geomagnetic storm that occurred on 17 March 2013. During the 10 day nondisturbed period following the storm, the peak of electron fluxes gradually moved from L 2.7 to L 2.4, and the flux levels decreased by a factor of 2-4 depending on the electron energy. We simulated the radial intrusion and decay of electrons using a three-dimensional diffusion code, which reproduced the energy-dependent transport of electrons from 100 keV to 1 MeV in the slot region. At energies of 100-200 keV, the electrons experience fast transport across the slot region due to the dominance of radial diffusion; at energies of 200-600 keV, the electrons gradually diffuse and decay in the slot region due to the comparable rate of radial diffusion and pitch angle scattering by plasmaspheric hiss; at energies of E > 700 keV, the electrons stopped diffusing near the inner edge of outer radiation belt due to the dominant pitch angle scattering loss. In addition to plasmaspheric hiss, magnetosonic waves and VLF transmitters can cause the loss of high pitch angle electrons, relaxing the sharp "top-hat" shaped pitch angle distributions created by plasmaspheric hiss. Our simulation indicates the importance of balance between radial diffusion and loss through pitch angle scattering in forming the diffusive intrusion of energetic electrons across the slot region.

Diffusive Transport of Several Hundred keV Electrons in the Earth's Slot Region

DOE PAGES

Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Thorne, R. M.; ...

2017-09-29

Here, we investigate the gradual diffusion of energetic electrons from the inner edge of the outer radiation belt into the slot region. The Van Allen Probes observed slow inward diffusion and decay of ~200–600 keV electrons following the intense geomagnetic storm that occurred on 17 March 2013. During the 10 day nondisturbed period following the storm, the peak of electron fluxes gradually moved from L ~ 2.7 to L ~ 2.4, and the flux levels decreased by a factor of ~2–4 depending on the electron energy. We simulated the radial intrusion and decay of electrons using a three–dimensional diffusion code,more » which reproduced the energy–dependent transport of electrons from ~100 keV to 1 MeV in the slot region. At energies of 100–200 keV, the electrons experience fast transport across the slot region due to the dominance of radial diffusion; at energies of 200–600 keV, the electrons gradually diffuse and decay in the slot region due to the comparable rate of radial diffusion and pitch angle scattering by plasmaspheric hiss; at energies of E > 700 keV, the electrons stopped diffusing near the inner edge of outer radiation belt due to the dominant pitch angle scattering loss. In addition to plasmaspheric hiss, magnetosonic waves and VLF transmitters can cause the loss of high pitch angle electrons, relaxing the sharp “top–hat” shaped pitch angle distributions created by plasmaspheric hiss. Our simulation indicates the importance of balance between radial diffusion and loss through pitch angle scattering in forming the diffusive intrusion of energetic electrons across the slot region.« less

HEPD on NEXTSat-1: A High Energy Particle Detector for Measurements of Precipitating Radiation Belt Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohn, Jongdae; Lee, Jaejin; Min, Kyoungwook; Lee, Junchan; Lee, Seunguk; Lee, Daeyoung; Jo, Gyeongbok; Yi, Yu; Na, Gowoon; Kang, Kyung-In; Shin, Goo-Hwan

2018-05-01

Radiation belt particles of the inner magnetosphere precipitate into the atmosphere in the subauroral regions when they are pitch-angle scattered into the loss cone by wave-particle interactions. Such particle precipitations are known to be especially enhanced during space storms, though they can also occur during quiet times. The observed characteristics of precipitating electrons can be distinctively different, in their time series as well as in their spectra, depending on the waves involved. The present paper describes the High Energy Particle Detector (HEPD) on board the Next Generation Small Satellite-1 (NEXTSat-1), which will measure these radiation belt electrons from a low-Earth polar orbit satellite to study the mechanisms related to electron precipitation in the sub-auroral regions. The HEPD is based on silicon barrier detectors and consists of three telescopes that are mounted on the satellite to have angles of 0°. 45°, and 90°, respectively with the local geomagnetic field during observations. With a high time resolution of 32 Hz and a high spectral resolution of 11 channels over the energy range from 350 keV to 2 MeV, together with the pitch angle information provided by the three telescopes, HEPD is capable of identifying physical processes, such as microbursts and dust-side relativistic electron precipitation (DREP) events associated with electron precipitations. NextSat-1 is scheduled for launch in early 2018.

The Strongest 40 keV Electron Acceleration By ICME-driven Shocks At 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L.; Wang, L.; Li, G.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; He, J.; Tu, C. Y.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

Here we present a comprehensive case study of the in situ electron acceleration at the two ICME-driven shocks observed by WIND/3DP on February 11, 2000 and July 22, 2004. For the 11 February 2000 shock (the 22 July 2004 shock), the shocked electrons in the downstream show significant flux enhancements over the ambient solar wind electrons at energies up to 40 keV (66 keV) with a 6.0 times (1.9 times) ehancment at 40 keV, the strongest among all the quasi-perpendicular (quasi-parallel) ICME-driven shocks observed by the WIND spacecraft at 1 AU from 1995 through 2014. We find that in both shocks, the shocked electron fluxes at 0.5-40 keV fit well to a double power-law spectrum, J ˜ E-β, bending up at ˜2 keV. In the downstream, these shocked electrons show stronger fluxes in the anti-sunward direction, but their enhancement over the ambient fluxes peaks near 90° pitch angle (PA). For the 11 February 2000 shock, the electron spectral index, β, appears to not vary with the electron PA, while for the 22 July 2004 shock, β roughly decreases from the anti-sunward PA direction to the sunward PA direction. All of these spectral indexes are strongly larger than the theoretical prediction of diffusive shock acceleration. At energies above (below) 2 keV, however, the shocked electron β is similar to the solar wind superhalo (halo) electrons observed at quiet times. These results suggest that the electron acceleration at the ICME-driven shocks at 1 AU may favor the shock drift acceleration, and the superthermal electrons accelerated by the interplanetary shocks may contribute to the formation of the halo and superhalo electron populations in the solar wind.

The Morphology of the X-ray Emission above 2 keV from Jupiter's Aurorae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Galand, M.; Grodent, D.; Waite, J. H.; Cravens, T.; Ford, P.

2007-01-01

The discovery in XMM-Newton X-ray data of X-ray emission above 2 keV from Jupiter's aurorae has led us to reexamine the Chandra ACIS-S observations taken in Feb 2003. Chandra's superior spatial resolution has revealed that the auroral X-rays with E > 2 keV are emitted from the periphery of the region emitting those with E < 1 keV. We are presently exploring the relationship of this morphology to that of the FUV emission from the main auroral oval and the polar cap. The low energy emission has previously been established as due to charge exchange between energetic precipitating ions of oxygen and either sulfur or carbon. It seems likely to us that the higher energy emission is due to precipitation of energetic electrons, possibly the same population of electrons responsible for the FUV emission. We discuss our analysis and interpretation.

Superthermal (0.5- 100 keV) Electrons near the ICME-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L.; Wang, L.; Li, G.; Tao, J.; He, J.; Tu, C.

2016-12-01

We present a survey of the 0.5 - 100 keV electrons associated with ICME-driven shocks at 1 AU, using the WIND/3DP electron measurements from 1995 to 2014. We select 66 good ICME-driven shocks, and use the "Rankine-Hugoniot" shock fitting technique to obtain the shock normal, shock velocity Vs, shock compression ratio r and magnetosonic Mach number Ms. We average the electron data in the 1-hour interval immediately after the shock front to obtain the sheath electron fluxes and in the 4-hour quiet-time interval before the shock to obtain the pre-event electron fluxes. Then we subtract the pre-event electron fluxes from the sheath electron fluxes to obtain the enhanced electron fluxes at the shock. We find that the enhanced electron fluxes are positively correlated with Vs and Ms, and generally fit well to a double power-law spectrum, J E-β. At 0.5 - 2 keV, the fitted spectral index β1 ranges from 2.1 to 5.9, negatively correlated with r and Ms. At 2 - 100 keV, the fitted index β2 is smaller than β1, with values ( 1.9 to 3.4) similar to the spectral indexes of quiet-time superhalo electrons in the solar wind. β2 shows no obvious correlation with r and Ms. Neither of β1 or β2 is in agreement with the diffusive shock theoretical predication. These results suggest that electron acceleration by interplanetary shocks may be more significant at a few keVs and the interplanetary shock acceleration can contribute to the production of solar wind superhalo electrons. However, a revision of the diffusive shock acceleration theory would be needed for the electron acceleration.

The Strongest Acceleration of >40 keV Electrons by ICME-driven Shocks at 1 au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Liu; Wang, Linghua; Li, Gang; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; He, Jiansen; Tu, Chuanyi; Tian, Hui; Bale, Stuart D.

2018-01-01

We present two case studies of the in-situ electron acceleration during the 2000 February 11 shock and the 2004 July 22 shock, with the strongest electron flux enhancement at 40 keV across the shock, among all the quasi-perpendicular and quasi-parallel ICME-driven shocks observed by the WIND 3DP instrument from 1995 through 2014 at 1 au. We find that for this quasi-perpendicular (quasi-parallel) shock on 2000 February 11 (2004 July 22), the shocked electron differential fluxes at ∼0.4–50 keV in the downstream generally fit well to a double-power-law spectrum, J ∼ E ‑β , with an index of β ∼ 3.15 (4.0) at energies below a break at ∼3 keV (∼1 keV) and β ∼ 2.65 (2.6) at energies above. For both shock events, the downstream electron spectral indices appear to be similar for all pitch angles, which are significantly larger than the index prediction by diffusive shock acceleration. In addition, the downstream electron pitch-angle distributions show the anisotropic beams in the anti-sunward-traveling direction, while the ratio of the downstream over ambient fluxes appears to peak near 90° pitch angles, at all energies of ∼0.4–50 keV. These results suggest that in both shocks, shock drift acceleration likely plays an important role in accelerating electrons in situ at 1 au. Such ICME-driven shocks could contribute to the formation of solar wind halo electrons at energies ≲2 keV, as well as the production of solar wind superhalo electrons at energies ≳2 keV in interplanetary space.

Charge dynamics of MgO single crystals subjected to KeV electron irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boughariou, A.; Blaise, G.; Braga, D.; Kallel, A.

2004-04-01

A scanning electron microscope has been equipped to study the fundamental aspects of charge trapping in insulating materials, by measuring the secondary electron emission (SEE) yield σ with a high precision (a few percent), as a function of energy, electron current density, and dose. The intrinsic secondary electron emission yield σ0 of uncharged MgO single crystals annealed at 1000 °C, 2 h, has been studied at four energies 1.1, 5, 15, and 30 keV on three different crystal orientations (100), (110), and (111). At low energies (1.1 and 5 keV) σ0 depends on the crystalline orientation wheras at high energies (30 keV) no differentiation occurs. It is shown that the value of the second crossover energy E2, for which the intrinsic SEE yield σ0=1, is extremely delicate to measure with precision. It is about 15 keV±500 eV for the (100) orientation, 13.5 keV±500 eV for the (110), and 18.5 keV±500 eV for the (111) one. At low current density J⩽105 pA/cm2, the variation of σ with the injected dose makes possible the observation of a self-regulated regime characterized by a steady value of the SEE yield σst=1. At low energies 1.1 and 5 keV, there is no current density effects in MgO, but at high energies ≈30 keV, apparent current density effects come from a bad collect of secondary electrons, due to very high negative surface potential. At 30 keV energy, an intense erratic electron exoemission was observed on the MgO (110) orientation annealed at 1500 °C. This phenomenon is the result of a disruptive process similar to flashover, which takes place at the surface of the material.

A Statistical Study of Spatial Variation of Relativistic Electron Precipitation Energy Spectra With Polar Operational Environmental Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shekhar, S.; Millan, R. M.; Hudson, M. K.

2018-05-01

The mechanisms that drive relativistic electron precipitation (REP) from the radiation belts can be better understood with a better knowledge of the particle energies involved. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Polar Operational Environmental Satellites, being a network of multiple satellites, can provide multiple point spectral data over a long time period, including the Van Allen Probe's era. The number of energy channels is limited, but the particle detectors on Polar Operational Environmental Satellites have a narrow field of view allowing an investigation of bounce loss cone particles. We use the ratio of count rates in the E3 (>300 keV) and the P6 (>700 keV) channels as a parameter to define spectral hardness. Using this parameter, the spatial variation of spectral hardness of REP events was investigated. It was found that very soft events were mostly found in the dusk-midnight-early morning magnetic local time sectors and L˜ 5-7 while the hardest events were located in the postnoon sector peaking at L˜ 4-5. The hardest events peaked at lower L shells, and less than 20% were coincident with low-energy (30-80 keV) proton precipitation. Further, around 70% of nightside REP coincident with proton precipitation was associated with stretched magnetic field lines indicating that curvature scattering may have been an important driver. Around 62% of nightside REP coincident with proton precipitation associated with relaxed magnetic field lines, suggesting a mechanism other than magnetic field curvature scattering, was highly energetic.

Observation of atomic oxygen O(1S) green-line emission in the summer polar upper mesosphere associated with high-energy (≥30 keV) electron precipitation during high-speed solar wind streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Sook; Kwak, Young-Sil; Kim, Kyung-Chan; Solheim, Brian; Lee, Regina; Lee, Jaejin

2017-01-01

The auroral green-line emission at 557.7 nm wavelength as arising from the atomic oxygen O(1S → 1D) transition typically peaks at an altitude of 100 km specifically in the nightside oval, induced by auroral electrons within an energy range of 100 eV-30 keV. Intense aurora is known as being suppressed by sunlight in summer daytime but usually occurs in low electrical background conductivity. However, in the present study in summer (July) sunlit condition, enhancements of O(1S) emission rates observed by using the Wind Imaging Interferometer/UARS were frequently observed at low altitudes below 90 km, where ice particles are created initially as subvisible and detected as polar mesosphere summer echoes, emerging to be an optical phenomenon of polar mesospheric clouds. The intense O(1S) emission occurring in summer exceeds those occurring in the daytime in other seasons both in occurrence and in intensity, frequently accompanied by occurrences of supersonic neutral velocity (300-1500 m s-1). In the mesosphere, ion motion is controlled by electric field and the momentum is transferred to neutrals. The intense O(1S) emission is well associated with high-energy electron precipitation as observed during an event of high-speed solar wind streams. Meanwhile, since the minimum occurrences of O(1S) emission and supersonic velocity are maintained even in the low precipitation flux, the mechanism responsible is not only related to high-energy electron precipitation but also presumably to the local conditions, including the composition of meteoric-charged ice particles and charge separation expected in extremely low temperatures (<150 K).

Solar wind ∼0.1-1.5 keV electrons at quiet times

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tao, Jiawei; Wang, Linghua, E-mail: wanglhwang@gmail.com; Zong, Qiugang

2016-03-25

We present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar wind suprathermal (∼0.1-1.5 keV) electrons measured by the WIND 3-D Plasma & Energetic Particle (3DP) instrument at 1 AU during quiet times at the minimum and maximum of solar cycles 23 and 24. Firstly, we separate strahl (beaming) electrons and halo (isotropic) electrons based on their features in pitch angle distributions. Secondly, we fit the observed energy spectrum of both the strahl and halo electrons at ∼0.1-1.5 keV to a Kappa distribution function with an index κ, effective temperature T{sub eff} and density n{sub 0}. We also integrate themore » the measurements over ∼0.1-1.5 keV to obtain the average electron energy E{sub avg} of the strahl and halo. We find a strong positive correlation between κ and T{sub eff} for both the strahl and halo, possibly reflecting the nature of the generation of these suprathermal electrons. Among the 245 selected samples, ∼68% have the halo κ smaller than the strahl κ, while ∼50% have the halo E{sub h} larger than the strahl E{sub s}.« less

The Morphology of the X-ray Emission above 2 keV from Jupiter's Aurorae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Galand, M.; Grodent, D.; Gladstone, G. R.; Waite, J. H.; Cravens, T.; Ford, P.

2007-01-01

The discovery in XMM-Newton X-ray data of X-ray emission above 2 keY from Jupiter's aurorae has led us to reexamine the Chandra ACIS-S observations taken in Feb 2003. Chandra's superior spatial resolution has revealed that the auroral X-rays with E > 2 keV are emitted from the periphery of the region emitting those with E < 1 keV. We are presently exploring the relationship of this morphology to that of the FUV emission from the main auroral oval and the polar cap. The low energy emission has previously been established as due to charge exchange between energetic precipitating ions of oxygen and either sulfur or carbon. It seems likely to us that the higher energy emission is due to precipitation of energetic electrons, possibly the same population of electrons responsible for the FUV emission. We discuss our analysis and interpretation.

Nitric Oxide Produced by Energetic Electron Precipitation During a Geomagnetic Storm in April 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith-Johnsen, C.; Nesse, T. H.; Glesnes Ødegaard, L. K.; Orsolini, Y.; Stordal, F.; Hendrickx, K.; Megner, L. S.

2015-12-01

In April 2010 a relativistic electron precipitation (REP) event occurred. A coronal mass ejection (CME) caused the Dst-index to reach -80nT, followed by solar wind speeds of over 600 km/s lasting for three days. Electron fluxes measured by the NOAA POES satellites were increased by an order of magnitude and stayed elevated for three days. We investigate the atmospheric nitric oxide (NO) response to these incoming energetic electrons. By combining the low and medium energy electron fluxes from the Total Energy Detector (TED) and Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector (MEPED) on the NOAA POES satellites we get a continuous energy spectrum ranging from 1-1100 keV, which corresponds to atmospheric altitudes of 50-150km. The multiple NOAA satellites enables us to construct global maps of the precipitating electrons. The energy spectra of the incoming electron fluxes are compared to NO measurements from The Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE) on board the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite and NO from Sub-Millimeter Radiometer (SMR) on the Odin satellite. The correlation between the incoming electrons and the increase of NO is strongly affected by NO's long lifetime when not exposed to sunlight. Winds from Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and the empirical wind model HWM07 are used to take into account the transport of NO in order to understand the total impact of the incoming electrons.

Comparison between POES energetic electron precipitation observations and riometer absorptions: Implications for determining true precipitation fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodger, Craig J.; Kavanagh, Andrew J.; Clilverd, Mark A.; Marple, Steve R.

2013-12-01

electron precipitation (EEP) impacts the chemistry of the middle atmosphere with growing evidence of coupling to surface temperatures at high latitudes. To better understand this link, it is essential to have realistic observations to properly characterize precipitation and which can be incorporated into chemistry-climate models. The Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) detectors measure precipitating particles but only integral fluxes and only in a fraction of the bounce loss cone. Ground-based riometers respond to precipitation from the whole bounce loss cone; they measure the cosmic radio noise absorption (CNA), a qualitative proxy with scant direct information on the energy flux of EEP. POES observations should have a direct relationship with ΔCNA and comparing the two will clarify their utility in studies of atmospheric change. We determined ionospheric changes produced by the EEP measured by the POES spacecraft in ~250 overpasses of an imaging riometer in northern Finland. The ΔCNA modeled from the POES data is 10-15 times less than the observed ΔCNA when the >30 keV flux is reported as <106 cm-2 s-1 sr-1. Above this level, there is relatively good agreement between the space-based and ground-based measurements. The discrepancy occurs mostly during periods of low geomagnetic activity, and we contend that weak diffusion is dominating the pitch angle scattering into the bounce loss cone at these times. A correction to the calculation using measurements of the trapped flux considerably reduces the discrepancy and provides further support to our hypothesis that weak diffusion leads to underestimates of the EEP.

Low-Altitude Satellite Measurements of Pulsating Auroral Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Samara, M.; Michell, R. G.; Redmon, R. J.

2015-01-01

We present observations from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and Reimei satellites, where common-volume high-resolution ground-based auroral imaging data are available. These satellite overpasses of ground-based all-sky imagers reveal the specific features of the electron populations responsible for different types of pulsating aurora modulations. The energies causing the pulsating aurora mostly range from 3 keV to 20 keV but can at times extend up to 30 keV. The secondary, low-energy electrons (<1 keV) are diminished from the precipitating distribution when there are strong temporal variations in auroral intensity. There are often persistent spatial structures present inside regions of pulsating aurora, and in these regions there are secondary electrons in the precipitating populations. The reduction of secondary electrons is consistent with the strongly temporally varying pulsating aurora being associated with field-aligned currents and hence parallel potential drops of up to 1 kV.

Quiet-Time Suprathermal ( 0.1-1.5 keV) Electrons in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Tao, J.; Zong, Q.; Li, G.; Salem, C. S.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; He, J.; Tu, C.; Bale, S. D.

2016-12-01

We present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar wind suprathermal (˜0.1-1.5 keV) electrons measured by the WIND/3DP instrument at 1 AU during quiet times at the minimum and maximum of solar cycles 23 and 24. After separating (beaming) strahl electrons from (isotropic) halo electrons according to their different behaviors in the angular distribution, we fit the observed energy spectrum of both strahl and halo electrons at ˜0.1-1.5 keV to a Kappa distribution function with an index κ and effective temperature Teff. We also calculate the number density n and average energy Eavg of strahl and halo electrons by integrating the electron measurements between ˜0.1 and 1.5 keV. We find a strong positive correlation between κ and Teff for both strahl and halo electrons, and a strong positive correlation between the strahl n and halo n, likely reflecting the nature of the generation of these suprathermal electrons. In both solar cycles, κ is larger at solar minimum than at solar maximum for both strahl and halo electrons. The halo κ is generally smaller than the strahl κ (except during the solar minimum of cycle 23). The strahl n is larger at solar maximum, but the halo n shows no difference between solar minimum and maximum. Both the strahl n and halo n have no clear association with the solar wind core population, but the density ratio between the strahl and halo roughly anti-correlates (correlates) with the solar wind density (velocity).

Quiet-time Suprathermal (~0.1-1.5 keV) Electrons in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Jiawei; Wang, Linghua; Zong, Qiugang; Li, Gang; Salem, Chadi S.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; He, Jiansen; Tu, Chuanyi; Bale, Stuart D.

2016-03-01

We present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar wind suprathermal (˜0.1-1.5 keV) electrons measured by the WIND 3DP instrument at 1 AU during quiet times at the minimum and maximum of solar cycles 23 and 24. After separating (beaming) strahl electrons from (isotropic) halo electrons according to their different behaviors in the angular distribution, we fit the observed energy spectrum of both strahl and halo electrons at ˜0.1-1.5 keV to a Kappa distribution function with an index κ and effective temperature Teff. We also calculate the number density n and average energy Eavg of strahl and halo electrons by integrating the electron measurements between ˜0.1 and 1.5 keV. We find a strong positive correlation between κ and Teff for both strahl and halo electrons, and a strong positive correlation between the strahl n and halo n, likely reflecting the nature of the generation of these suprathermal electrons. In both solar cycles, κ is larger at solar minimum than at solar maximum for both strahl and halo electrons. The halo κ is generally smaller than the strahl κ (except during the solar minimum of cycle 23). The strahl n is larger at solar maximum, but the halo n shows no difference between solar minimum and maximum. Both the strahl n and halo n have no clear association with the solar wind core population, but the density ratio between the strahl and halo roughly anti-correlates (correlates) with the solar wind density (velocity).

Proximity functions for electrons up to 10 keV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chmelevsky, D.; Kellerer, A.M.; Terrissol, M.

1980-11-01

Proximity functions for electrons up to 10 keV in water are computed from simulated particle tracks. Numerical results are given for the differential functions t(x) and the integral functions T(x). Basic characteristics of these functions and their connections to other microdosimetric quantities are considered. As an example of the applicability of the proximity functions, the quantity y/sub D/ for spheres is derived from t(x).

Energetic electron precipitation and auroral morphology at the substorm recovery phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyama, S. I.; Kero, A.; Rodger, C. J.; Clilverd, M. A.; Yoshizumi, M.; Partamies, N.; Turunen, E. S.; Tero, R.; Verronen, P. T.; Saito, S.

2017-12-01

It is well known that auroral patterns at the substorm recovery phase are characterized by diffuse or patch structures with intensity pulsation. According to satellite measurements and simulation studies, the precipitating electrons associated with these aurorae can reach or exceed energies of a few hundred keV through resonant wave-particle interactions in the magnetosphere. However, because of difficulty of simultaneous measurements, the dependency of energetic electron precipitation (EEP) on auroral morphological changes in the mesoscale has not been investigated to date. In order to study this dependency, we have analyzed data from the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar, the Kilpisjärvi Atmospheric Imaging Receiver Array (KAIRA) riometer, collocated cameras, ground-based magnetometers, the Van Allen Probe satellites, Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and the Antarctic-Arctic Radiation-belt (Dynamic) Deposition-VLF Atmospheric Research Konsortium (AARDDVARK). Here we undertake a detailed examination of two case studies. The selected two events suggest that the highest energy of EEP on those days occurred with auroral patch formation from post-midnight to dawn, coinciding with the substorm onset at local midnight. Measurements of the EISCAT radar showed ionization as low as 65 km altitude, corresponding to EEP with energies of about 500 keV. Enhancements of the deep ionospheric ionization induced by the EEP modify the chemical-reaction balance involving atmospheric minor species such as NOx and HOx. These species may cause reduction in the ozone density at the ionization altitude or the lower region where these species are transported by the vertical convection in the dynamics. Since the EEP is a typical phenomenon at the substorm recovery phase, the ozone density depletion may be a frequent signature although our understanding has not yet reached the maturity of the mechanism behind these evidences. This presentation will discuss the

On the Monte Carlo simulation of electron transport in the sub-1 keV energy range.

PubMed

Thomson, Rowan M; Kawrakow, Iwan

2011-08-01

The validity of "classic" Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of electron and positron transport at sub-1 keV energies is investigated in the context of quantum theory. Quantum theory dictates that uncertainties on the position and energy-momentum four-vectors of radiation quanta obey Heisenberg's uncertainty relation; however, these uncertainties are neglected in "classical" MC simulations of radiation transport in which position and momentum are known precisely. Using the quantum uncertainty relation and electron mean free path, the magnitudes of uncertainties on electron position and momentum are calculated for different kinetic energies; a validity bound on the classical simulation of electron transport is derived. In order to satisfy the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, uncertainties of 5% must be assigned to position and momentum for 1 keV electrons in water; at 100 eV, these uncertainties are 17 to 20% and are even larger at lower energies. In gaseous media such as air, these uncertainties are much smaller (less than 1% for electrons with energy 20 eV or greater). The classical Monte Carlo transport treatment is questionable for sub-1 keV electrons in condensed water as uncertainties on position and momentum must be large (relative to electron momentum and mean free path) to satisfy the quantum uncertainty principle. Simulations which do not account for these uncertainties are not faithful representations of the physical processes, calling into question the results of MC track structure codes simulating sub-1 keV electron transport. Further, the large difference in the scale at which quantum effects are important in gaseous and condensed media suggests that track structure measurements in gases are not necessarily representative of track structure in condensed materials on a micrometer or a nanometer scale.

A model providing long-term data sets of energetic electron precipitation during geomagnetic storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Kamp, M.; Seppälä, A.; Clilverd, M. A.; Rodger, C. J.; Verronen, P. T.; Whittaker, I. C.

2016-10-01

The influence of solar variability on the polar atmosphere and climate due to energetic electron precipitation (EEP) has remained an open question largely due to lack of a long-term EEP forcing data set that could be used in chemistry-climate models. Motivated by this, we have developed a model for 30-1000 keV radiation belt driven EEP. The model is based on precipitation data from low Earth orbiting POES satellites in the period 2002-2012 and empirically described plasmasphere structure, which are both scaled to a geomagnetic index. This geomagnetic index is the only input of the model and can be either Dst or Ap. Because of this, the model can be used to calculate the energy-flux spectrum of precipitating electrons from 1957 (Dst) or 1932 (Ap) onward, with a time resolution of 1 day. Results from the model compare well with EEP observations over the period of 2002-2012. Using the model avoids the challenges found in measured data sets concerning proton contamination. As demonstrated, the model results can be used to produce the first ever >80 year long atmospheric ionization rate data set for radiation belt EEP. The impact of precipitation in this energy range is mainly seen at altitudes 70-110 km. The ionization rate data set, which is available for the scientific community, will enable simulations of EEP impacts on the atmosphere and climate with realistic EEP variability. Due to limitations in this first version of the model, the results most likely represent an underestimation of the total EEP effect.

Using the Medipix3 detector for direct electron imaging in the range 60 keV to 200 keV in electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mir, J. A.; Plackett, R.; Shipsey, I.; dos Santos, J. M. F.

2017-11-01

Hybrid pixel sensor technology such as the Medipix3 represents a unique tool for electron imaging. We have investigated its performance as a direct imaging detector using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) which incorporated a Medipix3 detector with a 300 μm thick silicon layer compromising of 256×256 pixels at 55 μm pixel pitch. We present results taken with the Medipix3 in Single Pixel Mode (SPM) with electron beam energies in the range, 60-200 keV . Measurements of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) were investigated. At a given beam energy, the MTF data was acquired by deploying the established knife edge technique. Similarly, the experimental data required to determine DQE was obtained by acquiring a stack of images of a focused beam and of free space (flatfield) to determine the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS).

Quiet-Time Suprathermal (˜0.1 - 200 keV) Electrons in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Linghua; Yang, Liu; Tao, Jiawei; Zong, Qiugang; Li, Gang; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert; He, Jiansen; Tu, Chuanyi; Bale, Stuart

2017-04-01

We present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar wind suprathermal (˜0.1-200 keV) electrons measured by the WIND 3DP instrument at 1 AU during quiet times at the minimum and maximum of solar cycles 23 and 24. The observed energy spectrum of both (beaming) strahl and (isotropic) halo electrons at ˜0.1-1.5 keV generally fits to a Kappa distribution function with an index κ and effective temperature Teff, while the observed energy spectrum of nearly isotropic superhalo electrons at ˜20-200 keV generally fits to a power-law function, J ˜ E-β. We find a strong positive correlation between κ and Teff for both strahl and halo electrons, and a strong positive correlation between the strahl density and halo density. In both solar cycles, κ is larger at solar minimum than at solar maximum for both strahl and halo electrons. For the superhalo population, the spectral index β ranges from ˜1.6 to ˜3.7 and the integrated density nsup ranges from 10-8 cm-3 to 10-5 cm-3, with no clear association with the sunspot number. In solar cycle 23 (24), the distribution of β has a broad maximum between 2.4 and 2.8 (2.0 and 2.4). All the strahl, halo and superhalo populations show no obvious correlation with the solar wind core population. These results reflect the nature of the generation of solar wind suprathermal electrons.

Precipitating auroral electrons and lower thermospheric nitric oxide densities: SNOE, POLAR, SAMPEX, and NOAA/POES Comparisons for Geomagnetic Storms in 1998-2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, D. N.; Fisher, T. A.; Barth, C. A.; Mankoff, K. D.; Kanekal, S. G.; Bailey, S. M.; Petrinec, S. M.; Luhmann, J. G.; Mason, G. M.; Mazur, J. E.; Evans, D. S.

2002-05-01

Nitric oxide (NO) densities measured at altitudes between 97 and 150 km have been acquired using the UVS sensor onboard the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) spacecraft during the years 1998-2001. These data are compared with energetic electron fluxes (E>25 keV) measured concurrently using a sensitive sensor system (LICA) onboard the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft. Geomagnetic storm intervals are examined to determine altitude and latitude variations of NO density as it compares to energetic electron precipitation. A broader statistical analysis is then carried out using daily averages of peak NO densities (at 106 km altitudes) and electron intensities measured by SAMPEX/LICA and by the TED sensor system onboard the NOAA/Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) spacecraft. We also use the PIXIE instrument onboard POLAR to obtain global views of 2-12 keV x-rays emanating from the upper atmosphere. This gives a broad synoptic measure of relatively low-energy electron precipitation into the atmosphere. Latitude versus time displays of the UVS, PIXIE, LICA and TED data show excellent temporal and spatial correlations of the data sets. More detailed comparisons help us to assess spectral and local time relationships between auroral particle inputs and lower thermospheric chemical responses. These results are potentially quite important since past modeling has shown that particle inputs are significant for changing the chemistry and subsequent dynamics of the atmosphere.

Improved Electronic Control for Electrostatic Precipitators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, D. F.

1986-01-01

Electrostatic precipitators remove particulate matter from smoke created by burning refuse. Smoke exposed to electrostatic field, and particles become electrically charged and migrate to electrically charged collecting surfaces. New microprocessor-based electronic control maintains precipitator power at maximum particulate-collection level. Control automatically senses changes in smoke composition due to variations in fuel or combustion and adjusts precipitator voltage and current accordingly. Also, sensitive yet stable fault detection provided.

Study on the parameters of the scanning system for the 300 keV electron accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leo, K. W.; Chulan, R. M., E-mail: leo@nm.gov.my; Hashim, S. A.

2016-01-22

This paper describes the method to identify the magnetic coil parameters of the scanning system. This locally designed low energy electron accelerator with the present energy of 140 keV will be upgraded to 300 keV. In this accelerator, scanning system is required to deflect the energetic electron beam across a titanium foil in vertical and horizontal direction. The excitation current of the magnetic coil is determined by the energy of the electron beam. Therefore, the magnetic coil parameters must be identified to ensure the matching of the beam energy and excitation coil current. As the result, the essential parameters ofmore » the effective lengths for X-axis and Y-axis have been found as 0.1198 m and 0.1134 m and the required excitation coil currents which is dependenton the electron beam energies have be identified.« less

Wide energy electron precipitations associated with chorus waves; Initial observations from Arase and ground-based observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyoshi, Y.; Kurita, S.; Saito, S.; Shinohara, I.; Kasahara, Y.; Matsuda, S.; Kasaba, Y.; Yagitani, S.; Kojima, H.; Hikishima, M.; Tsuchiya, F.; Kumamoto, A.; Katoh, Y.; Matsuoka, A.; Higashio, N.; Mitani, T.; Takashima, T.; Kasahara, S.; Yokota, S.; Asamura, K.; Kazama, Y.; Wang, S. Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Oyama, S. I.; Ogawa, Y.; Hosokawa, K.; Kataoka, R.; Kero, A.; Hori, T.; Turunen, E. S.; Shoji, M.; Teramoto, M.; Chang, T. F.

2017-12-01

The pulsating aurora is caused by intermittent precipitations of a few - 10s keV electrons, and it is expected that the pitch angle scattering by chorus waves at the magnetosphere is a primary process to cause the pulsating aurora. The Arase satellite that was launched in December, 2016 has obtained comprehensive data sets for plasma/particles and fields/waves. In March and April, 2017, a series of campaign observation focused on the chorus-wave particle interactions from conjugate observations from Arase and ground-based observations, and the pulsating aurora as a manifest of chorus-wave particle ineteractions was the important observation subject. During the campaign observations, good conjugate observations were realized between Arase and ground-based observations in Scandinavia. Associated with the pulsating aurora, the EISCAT VHF incoherent scatter radar at Tromso, Norway observed strong ionization in lower ionosphere. During the period, the Arase satellite observed intense chorus waves near the magnetic equator for a few hours, suggesting that strong pitch angle scattering took place. From the conjugate observations from Arase and ground-based observations, we discuss how chorus waves cause strong precipitation of electrons from plasma sheet and radiation belts.

Quantifying Energetic Electron Precipitation And Its Effect on Atmospheric Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C. L.; Spence, H. E.; Smith, S. S.; Duderstadt, K. A.; Boyd, A. J.; Geoffrey, R.; Blake, J. B.; Fennell, J. F.; Claudepierre, S. G.; Turner, D. L.; Crew, A. B.; Klumpar, D. M.; Shumko, M.; Johnson, A.; Sample, J. G.

2017-12-01

In this study we quantify the total radiation belt electron loss through precipitation into the atmosphere, and simulate the electrons' contribution to changing the atmospheric composition. We use total radiation belt electron content (TRBEC) calculated from Van Allen Probes ECT/MagEIS data to estimate the precipitation during electron loss events. The new TRBEC index is a high-level quantity for monitoring the entire radiation belt and has the benefit of removing both internal transport and the adiabatic effect. To assess the electron precipitation rate, we select TRBEC loss events that show no outward transport in the phase space density data in order to exclude drift magnetopause loss. Then we use FIREBIRD data to estimate and constrain the precipitation loss when it samples near the loss cone. Finally, we estimate the impact of electron precipitation on the composition of the upper and middle atmosphere using global climate simulations.

QUIET-TIME SUPRATHERMAL (∼0.1–1.5 keV) ELECTRONS IN THE SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tao, Jiawei; Wang, Linghua; Zong, Qiugang

2016-03-20

We present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar wind suprathermal (∼0.1–1.5 keV) electrons measured by the WIND 3DP instrument at 1 AU during quiet times at the minimum and maximum of solar cycles 23 and 24. After separating (beaming) strahl electrons from (isotropic) halo electrons according to their different behaviors in the angular distribution, we fit the observed energy spectrum of both strahl and halo electrons at ∼0.1–1.5 keV to a Kappa distribution function with an index κ and effective temperature T{sub eff}. We also calculate the number density n and average energy E{sub avg} of strahl andmore » halo electrons by integrating the electron measurements between ∼0.1 and 1.5 keV. We find a strong positive correlation between κ and T{sub eff} for both strahl and halo electrons, and a strong positive correlation between the strahl n and halo n, likely reflecting the nature of the generation of these suprathermal electrons. In both solar cycles, κ is larger at solar minimum than at solar maximum for both strahl and halo electrons. The halo κ is generally smaller than the strahl κ (except during the solar minimum of cycle 23). The strahl n is larger at solar maximum, but the halo n shows no difference between solar minimum and maximum. Both the strahl n and halo n have no clear association with the solar wind core population, but the density ratio between the strahl and halo roughly anti-correlates (correlates) with the solar wind density (velocity)« less

Exact analytical solutions of continuity equation for electron beams precipitating in Coulomb collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dobranskis, R. R.; Zharkova, V. V., E-mail: valentina.zharkova@northumbria.ac.uk

2014-06-10

The original continuity equation (CE) used for the interpretation of the power law energy spectra of beam electrons in flares was written and solved for an electron beam flux while ignoring an additional free term with an electron density. In order to remedy this omission, the original CE for electron flux, considering beam's energy losses in Coulomb collisions, was first differentiated by the two independent variables: depth and energy leading to partial differential equation for an electron beam density instead of flux with the additional free term. The analytical solution of this partial differential continuity equation (PDCE) is obtained bymore » using the method of characteristics. This solution is further used to derive analytical expressions for mean electron spectra for Coulomb collisions and to carry out numeric calculations of hard X-ray (HXR) photon spectra for beams with different parameters. The solutions revealed a significant departure of electron densities at lower energies from the original results derived from the CE for the flux obtained for Coulomb collisions. This departure is caused by the additional exponential term that appeared in the updated solutions for electron differential density leading to its faster decrease at lower energies (below 100 keV) with every precipitation depth similar to the results obtained with numerical Fokker-Planck solutions. The effects of these updated solutions for electron densities on mean electron spectra and HXR photon spectra are also discussed.« less

Solar Wind 0.1-1 keV Electrons in the Corotating Interaction Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Tao, J.; Li, G.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Jian, L. K.; He, J.; Tu, C.; Tian, H.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

Here we present a statistical study of the 0.1-1 keV suprathermal electrons in the undisturbed and compressed slow/fast solar wind, for the 71 corotating interaction regions (CIRs) with good measurements from the WIND 3DP and MFI instruments from 1995 to 1997. For each of these CIRs, we separate the strahl and halo electrons based on their different behaviors in pitch angle distributions in the undisturbed and compressed solar wind. We fit both the strahl and halo energy spectra to a kappa function with an index κ index and effective temperature Teff, and calculate the pitch-angle width at half-maximum (PAHM) of the strahl population. We also integrate the electron measurements between 0.1 and 1.0 keV to obtain the number density n and average energy Eavg for the strahl and halo populations. We find that for both the strahl and halo populations within and around these CIRs, the fitted κ index strongly correlates with Teff, similar to the quiet-time solar wind (Tao et al., ApJ, 2016). The number density of both the strahl and halo shows a strong positive correlation with the electron core temperature. The strahl number density ns is correlated with the magnitude of interplanetary magnetic field, and the strahl PAHM width is anti-correlated with the solar wind speed. These results suggest that the origin of strahl electrons from the solar corona is likely related to the electron core temperature and magnetic field strength, while the production of halo electrons in the interplanetary medium could depend on the solar wind velocity.

Calculations of stopping powers of 100 eV-30 keV electrons in 31 elemental solids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanuma, S.; Powell, C. J.; Penn, D. R.

We present calculated electron stopping powers (SPs) for 31 elemental solids (Li, Be, glassy C, graphite, diamond, Na, Mg, K, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, In, Sn, Cs, Gd, Tb, Dy, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, and Bi). These SPs were determined with an algorithm previously used for the calculation of electron inelastic mean free paths and from energy-loss functions (ELFs) derived from experimental optical data. The SP calculations were made for electron energies between 100 eV and 30 keV and supplement our earlier SP calculations for ten additional solids (Al, Si, Cr, Ni,more » Cu, Ge, Pd, Ag, Pt, and Au). Plots of SP versus atomic number for the group of 41 solids show clear trends. Multiple peaks and shoulders are seen that result from the contributions of valence-electron and various inner-shell excitations. Satisfactory agreement was found between the calculated SPs and values from the relativistic Bethe SP equation with recommended values of the mean excitation energy (MEE) for energies above 10 keV. We determined effective MEEs versus maximum excitation energy from the ELFs for each solid. Plots of effective MEE versus atomic number showed the relative contributions of valence-electron and different core-electron excitations to the MEE. For a maximum excitation energy of 30 keV, our effective MEEs agreed well for Be, graphite, Na, Al, and Si with recommended MEEs; a difference for Li was attributed to sample oxidation in the SP measurements for the recommended MEE. Substantially different effective MEEs were found for the three carbon allotropes (graphite, diamond, and glassy C)« less

STABILITY OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL GLYCINE UNDER ENERGETIC PARTICLE RADIATION ESTIMATED FROM 2 keV ELECTRON BOMBARDMENT EXPERIMENTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maté, B.; Tanarro, I.; Escribano, R.

2015-06-20

The destruction of solid glycine under irradiation with 2 keV electrons has been investigated by means of IR spectroscopy. Destruction cross sections, radiolysis yields, and half-life doses were determined for samples at 20, 40, 90, and 300 K. The thickness of the irradiated samples was kept below the estimated penetration depth of the electrons. No significant differences were obtained in the experiments below 90 K, but the destruction cross section at 300 K was larger by a factor of 2. The radiolysis yields and half-life doses are in good accordance with recent MeV proton experiments, which confirms that electrons inmore » the keV range can be used to simulate the effects of cosmic rays if the whole sample is effectively irradiated. In the low temperature experiments, electron irradiation leads to the formation of residues. IR absorptions of these residues are assigned to the presence CO{sub 2}, CO, OCN{sup −}, and CN{sup −} and possibly to amide bands I to III. The protection of glycine by water ice is also studied. A water ice film of ∼150 nm is found to provide efficient shielding against the bombardment of 2 keV electrons. The results of this study show also that current Monte Carlo predictions provide a good global description of electron penetration depths. The lifetimes estimated in this work for various environments ranging from the diffuse interstellar medium to the inner solar system, show that the survival of hypothetical primeval glycine from the solar nebula in present solar system bodies is not very likely.« less

Low noise scintillation detectors with a P-47 thin layer screen for electrons of several keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajcsos, Zs.; Meisel, W.; Griesbach, P.; Gütlich, P.; Sauer, Ch.; Kurz, R.; Hildebrand, K.; Albrecht, R.; Ligtenberg, M. A. C.

1994-09-01

The applicability of a low-noise scintillation detector (ScD) for the registration of electrons of several keV energy has been studied employing photomultipliers (PM) of different types and sizes. With the application of a sedimented P-47 scintillation screen, the values of the low-energy sensitivity limit and those of the light conversion coefficient were determined as about 2.7-4.7 keV and 2.8-6.6 photoelectrons/keV, respectively, for the set of PM's (Philips-Valvo XP 2020, Philips-Valvo XP 2052, Philips-Valvo XP 2972, EMI 9124a) studied. It is concluded that such scintillation detectors might be used advantageously as electron counters in the range of E > 5 keV. Applications below this kinetic energy value are also feasible when applying a floating acceleration of several kV to the ScD — a voltage much lower than the values required for Everhart-Thornley detectors.

On the Effects of Bremsstrahlung Radiation During Energetic Electron Precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei; Marshall, Robert A.; Fang, Xiaohua; Turunen, Esa; Kero, Antti

2018-01-01

Precipitation of energetic particles into the Earth's atmosphere can significantly change the properties, dynamics, as well as the chemical composition of the upper and middle atmosphere. In this paper, using Monte Carlo models, we simulate, from first principles, the interaction of monoenergetic beams of precipitating electrons with the atmosphere, with particular emphasis on the process of bremsstrahlung radiation and its resultant ionization production and atmospheric effects. The pitch angle dependence of the ionization rate profile has been quantified: the altitude of peak ionization rate depends on the pitch angle by a few kilometers. We also demonstrate that the transport of precipitating electron energy in the form of bremsstrahlung photons leads to ionization at altitudes significantly lower than the direct impact ionization, as low as ˜20 km for 1 MeV precipitating electrons. Moreover, chemical modeling results suggest that the chemical effects in the atmosphere due to bremsstrahlung-induced ionization production during energetic electron precipitation are likely insignificant.

Thermoluminescent response of LiF:Mg,Ti to 20 keV electrons.

PubMed

Mercado-Uribe, H; Brandan, M E

2002-01-01

The thermoluminescence response of LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) to 20 keV electrons from a scanning electron microscope has been measured. Radiochromic dye films previously calibrated were used to determine the fluence incident on TLD-100 chips. The procedure for irradiation and glow curve deconvolution was adhered to the protocols previously determined in our laboratory for gamma rays and heavy charged particles. The response at electron fluences higher than 4 x 10(10) cm(-2) is supralinear, due to the increasingly relevant contribution of the high temperature peaks. The relative contribution of the high temperature peaks to the TL signal is abnormally small, about half that observed in gamma irradiation and four times smaller than what has been measured in low-energy X ray exposure.

Using High Energy Precipitation for Magnetic Mapping in the Nightside Transition Region During Dynamic Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spanswick, E.

2017-12-01

Identifying the magnetic footprint of a satellite can be done using the in situ observations together with some ionospheric or low-altitude satellite observation to argue that the two measurements were made on the same field line. Nishimura et al. [2011], e.g., correlated a time series of chorus wave power near the magnetic equator with the time series of intensities of every pixel of a is roughly magnetically conjugate ASI. Often, the pattern of correlation shows a well-defined peak at the location of the satellite's magnetic footprint. Their results cannot be replicated during dynamic events (e.g., substorms), because the required auroral forms do not occur at such times. It would be important if we could make mappings with such confidence during active times. The Transition Region Explorer (TREx), which is presently being implemented, is a new ground-based facility that will remote sense electron precipitation across 3 hours of MLT and 12 degrees of magnetic latitude spanning the auroral zone in western Canada. TREx includes the world's first imaging riometers array with a contiguous field of view large enough to seamlessly track the spatio-temporal evolution of high energy electron precipitation at mesoscales. Two studies motivated the TREx riometers array. First, Baker et al. [1981] demonstrated riometer absorption is an excellent proxy for the electron energy flux integrated from 30 keV to 200keV keV at the magnetic equator on the flux tube corresponding to the location of that riometers. Second, Spanswick et al. [2007] showed the correlation between the riometers absorption and the integrated electron energy flux near the magnetic equator peaked when the satellite was nearest to conjugate to the riometers. Here we present observations using CANOPUS single beam riometers and CRRES MEB to illustrate how the relative closeness of the footpoint of an equatorial spacecraft can be assessed using high energy precipitation. As well, we present the capabilities of

Silicon-carbon bond inversions driven by 60-keV electrons in graphene.

PubMed

Susi, Toma; Kotakoski, Jani; Kepaptsoglou, Demie; Mangler, Clemens; Lovejoy, Tracy C; Krivanek, Ondrej L; Zan, Recep; Bangert, Ursel; Ayala, Paola; Meyer, Jannik C; Ramasse, Quentin

2014-09-12

We demonstrate that 60-keV electron irradiation drives the diffusion of threefold-coordinated Si dopants in graphene by one lattice site at a time. First principles simulations reveal that each step is caused by an electron impact on a C atom next to the dopant. Although the atomic motion happens below our experimental time resolution, stochastic analysis of 38 such lattice jumps reveals a probability for their occurrence in a good agreement with the simulations. Conversions from three- to fourfold coordinated dopant structures and the subsequent reverse process are significantly less likely than the direct bond inversion. Our results thus provide a model of nondestructive and atomically precise structural modification and detection for two-dimensional materials.

SURVIVAL DEPTH OF ORGANICS IN ICES UNDER LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON RADIATION ({<=}2 keV)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnett, Irene Li; Lignell, Antti; Gudipati, Murthy S., E-mail: gudipati@jpl.nasa.gov

2012-03-01

Icy surfaces in our solar system are continually modified and sputtered with electrons, ions, and photons from solar wind, cosmic rays, and local magnetospheres in the cases of Jovian and Saturnian satellites. In addition to their prevalence, electrons specifically are expected to be a principal radiolytic agent on these satellites. Among energetic particles (electrons and ions), electrons penetrate by far the deepest into the ice and could cause damage to organic material of possible prebiotic and even biological importance. To determine if organic matter could survive and be detected through remote sensing or in situ explorations on these surfaces, suchmore » as water ice-rich Europa, it is important to obtain accurate data quantifying electron-induced chemistry and damage depths of organics at varying incident electron energies. Experiments reported here address the quantification issue at lower electron energies (100 eV-2 keV) through rigorous laboratory data analysis obtained using a novel methodology. A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecule, pyrene, embedded in amorphous water ice films of controlled thicknesses served as an organic probe. UV-VIS spectroscopic measurements enabled quantitative assessment of organic matter survival depths in water ice. Eight ices of various thicknesses were studied to determine damage depths more accurately. The electron damage depths were found to be linear, approximately 110 nm keV{sup -1}, in the tested range which is noticeably higher than predictions by Monte Carlo simulations by up to 100%. We conclude that computational simulations underestimate electron damage depths in the energy region {<=}2 keV. If this trend holds at higher electron energies as well, present models utilizing radiation-induced organic chemistry in icy solar system bodies need to be revisited. For interstellar ices of a few micron thicknesses, we conclude that low-energy electrons generated through photoionization processes in the interstellar

Simultaneous Measurements of Substorm-Related Electron Energization in the Ionosphere and the Plasma Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivadas, N.; Semeter, J.; Nishimura, Y.; Kero, A.

2017-10-01

On 26 March 2008, simultaneous measurements of a large substorm were made using the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar, Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorm (THEMIS) spacecraft, and all sky cameras. After the onset, electron precipitation reached energies ≳100 keV leading to intense D region ionization. Identifying the source of energetic precipitation has been a challenge because of lack of quantitative and magnetically conjugate measurements of loss cone electrons. In this study, we use the maximum entropy inversion technique to invert altitude profiles of ionization measured by the radar to estimate the loss cone energy spectra of primary electrons. By comparing them with magnetically conjugate measurements from THEMIS-D spacecraft in the nightside plasma sheet, we constrain the source location and acceleration mechanism of precipitating electrons of different energy ranges. Our analysis suggests that the observed electrons ≳100 keV are a result of pitch angle scattering of electrons originating from or tailward of the inner plasma sheet at 9RE, possibly through interaction with electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. The electrons of energy 10-100 keV are produced by pitch angle scattering due to a potential drop of ≲10 kV in the auroral acceleration region (AAR) as well as wave-particle interactions in and tailward of the AAR. This work demonstrates the utility of magnetically conjugate ground- and space-based measurements in constraining the source of energetic electron precipitation. Unlike in situ spacecraft measurements, ground-based incoherent scatter radars combined with an appropriate inversion technique can be used to provide remote and continuous-time estimates of loss cone electrons in the plasma sheet.

EMIC Waves Observed in Conjunction with BARREL Electron Precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, C.; Engebretson, M. J.; Lessard, M.; Halford, A. J.; Millan, R. M.; Horne, R. B.; Singer, H. J.

2013-05-01

Electromagnetic ion-cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been detected at Halley, Antarctica coinciding with observations of electron precipitation on high altitude balloons from the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) campaign launched in early 2013 from SANAE IV and Halley Station. The balloons were launched such that both spatial and temporal properties of electron precipitation might be examined. With a magnetic foot point mapped to the radiation belts, Halley is an ideal location to capture ground based signatures that coincide with electron precipitation. EMIC waves have been shown, both theoretically and through statistical surveys, to pitch angle scatter energetic protons and relativistic electrons via cyclotron resonance and contribute to radiation belt dynamics. EMIC waves were detected at Halley Station 23 times from 12 Jan - 4 Feb with 17 of those waves occurring during times when at least one BARREL balloon observed precipitation in one or more energy channels. High resolution magnetometer data from GOES 13 (which has a magnetic foot point near WAIS Divide, Antarctica-located about 2.5 hours, in MLT, west of Halley) show similar EMIC wave structure and frequency to 9 waves observed at Halley, suggesting the source region extended to at least the longitude and L value of GOES 13 during some events. The ground observed waves appeared in all local times and during both quiet and disturbed intervals.

Neutron fluence and energy reconstruction with the IRSN recoil detector μ-TPC at 27 keV, 144 keV and 565 keV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maire, D.; Lebreton, L.; Richer, J.P.

2015-07-01

The French Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), associated to the French Metrology Institute (LNE), is developing a time projection chamber using a Micromegas anode: μ-TPC. This work is carried out in collaboration with the Laboratory of Subatomic Physics and Cosmology (LPSC). The aim is to characterize with a primary procedure the energy distribution of neutron fluence in the energy range 8 keV - 1 MeV. The time projection chambers are gaseous detectors, which are able to measure charged particles energy and to reconstruct their track if a pixelated anode is used. In our case, the gas is usedmore » as a (n, p) converter in order to detect neutrons down to few keV. Coming from elastic collisions with neutrons, recoil protons lose a part of their kinetic energy by ionizing the gas. The ionization electrons are drifted toward a pixelated anode (2D projection), read at 50 MHz by a self-triggered electronic system to obtain the third track dimension. The neutron energy is reconstructed event by event thanks to proton scattering angle and proton energy measurements. The scattering angle is deduced from the 3D track. The proton energy is obtained by charge collection measurements, knowing the ionization quenching factor (i.e. the part of proton kinetic energy lost by ionizing the gas). The fluence is calculated thanks to the detected events number and the simulated detector response. The μ-TPC is a new reliable detector which enables to measure energy distribution of the neutron fluence without deconvolution or neutron calibration contrary to usual gaseous counters. The μ-TPC is still being developed and measurements have been carried out at the AMANDE facility, with neutrons energies going from 8 keV to 565 keV. After the context and the μ-TPC working principle presentation, measurements of the neutron energy and fluence at 27.2 keV, 144 keV and 565 keV are shown and compared to the complete detector simulation. This work shows the first direct

Effects of electronic excitation in 150 keV Ni ion irradiation of metallic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarkadoula, Eva; Samolyuk, German; Weber, William J.

2018-01-01

We use the two-temperature model in molecular dynamic simulations of 150 keV Ni ion cascades in nickel and nickel-based alloys to investigate the effect of the energy exchange between the atomic and the electronic systems during the primary stages of radiation damage. We find that the electron-phonon interactions result in a smaller amount of defects and affect the cluster formation, resulting in smaller clusters. These results indicate that ignoring the local heating due to the electrons results in the overestimation of the amount of damage and the size of the defect clusters. A comparison of the average defect production to the Norgett-Robinson-Torrens (NRT) prediction over a range of energies is provided.

Testing and Comparison of Imaging Detectors for Electrons in the Energy Range 10-20 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matheson, J.; Moldovan, G.; Kirkland, A.; Allinson, N.; Abrahams, J. P.

2017-11-01

Interest in direct detectors for low-energy electrons has increased markedly in recent years. Detection of electrons in the energy range up to low tens of keV is important in techniques such as photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The PEEM technique is used both in the laboratory and on synchrotron light sources worldwide. The ubiquity of SEMs means that there is a very large market for EBSD detectors for materials studies. Currently, the most widely used detectors in these applications are based on indirect detection of incident electrons. Examples include scintillators or microchannel plates (MCPs), coupled to CCD cameras. Such approaches result in blurring in scintillators/phosphors, distortions in optical systems, and inefficiencies due the limited active area of MCPs. In principle, these difficulties can be overcome using direct detection in a semiconductor device. Growing out of a feasibility study into the use of a direct detector for use on an XPEEM, we have built at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory a system to illuminate detectors with an electron beam of energy up to 20 keV . We describe this system in detail. It has been used to measure the performance of a custom back-thinned monolithic active pixel sensor (MAPS), a detector based on the Medipix2 chip, and a commercial detector based on MCPs. We present a selection of the results from these measurements and compare and contrast different detector types.

The Statistical Studies of 0.5-100 keV Electrons Near The ICME-drivens At 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L.; Wang, W.; Wang, L.; Li, G.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; He, J.; Tu, C. Y.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

We present a statistical survey of the 0.5 - 100 keV electrons near the ICME-driven shocks at 1 AU, using the WIND/3DP electron measurements from 1995 to 2014. We select 74 good ICME-driven shocks, and use the "Rankine-Hugoniot" shock fitting technique to obtain the shock normal, θBn, magnetic compression ratio rB, and magnetosonic Mach number Ms. After averaging the electron data in the 10-minute interval immediately after the shock to obtain the sheath electron fluxes, Jsheath, and in the 2-hour quiet-time interval before the shock to obtain the pre-event electron fluxes, Jpre-event, we calculate the flux ratio, α, of Jsheath over Jpre-event. We find that, in the 59 quasi-perpendicular shocks, both Jsheath and Jpre-event are positively correlated with Ms and α is positively correlated with rB. In the 15 quasi-parallel cases, α is positively correlated with Ms, while neither Jsheath nor Jpre-event has any correlation with the shock parameters. Furthermore, we find that both the pre-event and sheath electron fluxes generally fit well to a double power-law spectrum, . At 0.5 - 2 keV, the fitted spectral index β1 ranges from 2.1 to 5.9, and it becomes larger in the sheah than in the pre-event in nearly a half of the 74 cases and remains the same in the other half of the cases. At 2 - 100 keV, the fitted index β2 ranges from 1.9 to 3.4, similar to the spectral indexes of solar wind superhalo electrons at quiet times (Wang et al., 2015). And β2 becomes larger in the sheah than in the pre-event in over half of the cases. In addition, neither β1 nor β2 is consistent with the diffusive shock theoretical predication. These results suggest that the shock drift acceleration may play a more important role in electron acceleration than the diffusive shock acceleration near 1 AU, and the interplanetary shock acceleration can contribute to the production of solar wind superhalo electrons.

Electron precipitation control of the Mars nightside ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillis, R. J.; Girazian, Z.; Mitchell, D. L.; Adams, D.; Xu, S.; Benna, M.; Elrod, M. K.; Larson, D. E.; McFadden, J. P.; Andersson, L.; Fowler, C. M.

2017-12-01

The nightside ionosphere of Mars is known to be highly variable, with densities varying substantially with ion species, solar zenith angle, solar wind conditions and geographic location. The factors that control its structure include neutral densities, day-night plasma transport, plasma temperatures, dynamo current systems driven by neutral winds, solar energetic particle events, superthermal electron precipitation, chemical reaction rates and the strength, geometry and topology of crustal magnetic fields. The MAVEN mission has been the first to systematically sample the nightside ionosphere by species, showing that shorter-lived species such as CO2+ and O+ are more correlated with electron precipitation flux than longer lived species such as O2+ and NO+, as would be expected, and is shown in the figure below from Girazian et al. [2017, under review at Geophysical Research Letters]. In this study we use electron pitch-angle and energy spectra from the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) and Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) instruments, ion and neutral densities from the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS), electron densities and temperatures from the Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument, as well as electron-neutral ionization cross-sections. We present a comprehensive statistical study of electron precipitation on the Martian nightside and its effect on the vertical, local-time and geographic structure and composition of the ionosphere, over three years of MAVEN observations. We also calculate insitu electron impact ionization rates and compare with ion densities to judge the applicability of photochemical models of the formation and maintenance of the nightside ionosphere. Lastly, we show how this applicability varies with altitude and is affected by ion transport measured by the Suprathermal and thermal Ion Composition (STATIC) instrument.

High-resolution in situ observations of electron precipitation-causing EMIC waves

DOE PAGES

Rodger, Craig J.; Hendry, Aaron T.; Clilverd, Mark A.; ...

2015-11-21

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are thought to be important drivers of energetic electron losses from the outer radiation belt through precipitation into the atmosphere. While the theoretical possibility of pitch angle scattering-driven losses from these waves has been recognized for more than four decades, there have been limited experimental precipitation observations to support this concept. We have combined satellite-based observations of the characteristics of EMIC waves, with satellite and ground-based observations of the EMIC-induced electron precipitation. In a detailed case study, supplemented by an additional four examples, we are able to constrain for the first time the location, size,more » and energy range of EMIC-induced electron precipitation inferred from coincident precipitation data and relate them to the EMIC wave frequency, wave power, and ion band of the wave as measured in situ by the Van Allen Probes. As a result, these observations will better constrain modeling into the importance of EMIC wave-particle interactions.« less

Multi-Point Measurements to Characterize Radiation Belt Electron Precipitation Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blum, L. W.

2017-12-01

Multipoint measurements in the inner magnetosphere allow the spatial and temporal evolution of various particle populations and wave modes to be disentangled. To better characterize and quantify radiation belt precipitation loss, we utilize multi-point measurements both to study precipitating electrons directly as well as the potential drivers of this loss process. Magnetically conjugate CubeSat and balloon measurements are combined to estimate of the temporal and spatial characteristics of dusk-side precipitation features and quantify loss due to these events. To then understand the drivers of precipitation events, and what determines their spatial structure, we utilize measurements from the dual Van Allen Probes to estimate spatial and temporal scales of various wave modes in the inner magnetosphere, and compare these to precipitation characteristics. The structure, timing, and spatial extent of waves are compared to those of MeV electron precipitation during a few individual events to determine when and where EMIC waves cause radiation belt electron precipitation. Magnetically conjugate measurements provide observational support of the theoretical picture of duskside interaction of EMIC waves and MeV electrons leading to radiation belt loss. Finally, understanding the drivers controlling the spatial scales of wave activity in the inner magnetosphere is critical for uncovering the underlying physics behind the wave generation as well as for better predicting where and when waves will be present. Again using multipoint measurements from the Van Allen Probes, we estimate the spatial and temporal extents and evolution of plasma structures and their gradients in the inner magnetosphere, to better understand the drivers of magnetospheric wave characteristic scales. In particular, we focus on EMIC waves and the plasma parameters important for their growth, namely cold plasma density and cool and warm ion density, anisotropy, and composition.

Study the Precipitation of Radiation Belt Electrons during the Rapid Dropout Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, W.; Cunningham, G.; Li, X.; Chen, Y.

2015-12-01

During the main phase of storms, the relativistic electron flux in the radiation belt can drop by orders of magnitude on timescales of a few hours. Where do the electrons go? This is one of the most important outstanding questions in radiation belt studies. Radiation belt electrons can be lost either by transport across the magnetopause into interplanetary space or by precipitation into the atmosphere. In this work we first conduct a survey of the MeV electron dropouts using the Van Allen Probes data in conjunction with the low-altitude measurements of precipitating electrons by 6 NOAA/POES satellites. The dropout events are categorized into three types: precipitation-loss dominant, outward radial diffusion dominant, or with contributions from both mechanisms. The survey results suggest the relative importance of precipitation and outward radial diffusion to the fast dropouts of radiation belt electrons, and their extent in L-shell and electron energy. Then, for specific events identified as dominated by precipitation loss, we use the Drift-Diffusion model, which includes the effects of azimuthal drift and pitch angle diffusion, to simulate both the electron dropout observed by Van Allen Probes and the distributions of drift-loss-cone electrons observed by multiple low-earth-orbit satellites (6 POES and the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment). The model quantifies the electron precipitation loss and pitch angle diffusion coefficient, Dxx, with high temporal and spatial resolution. Finally, by comparing the Dxx derived from the model with those estimated from the quasi-linear theory using wave data from Van Allen Probes and other event-specific wave models, we are able to test the validity of quasi-linear theory and seek direct evidence of the wave-particle interactions during the dropouts.

Precipitate resolution in an electron irradiated ni-si alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, H.; Muroga, T.; Yoshida, N.; Kitajima, K.

1988-09-01

Precipitate resolution processes in a Ni-12.6 at% Si alloy under electron irradiation have been observed by means of HVEM. Above 400°C, growth and resolution of Ni 3Si precipitates were observed simultaneously. The detail stereoscopic observation showed that the precipitates close to free surfaces grew, while those in the middle of a specimen dissolved. The critical dose when the precipitates start to shrink increases with increasing the depth. This depth dependence of the precipitate behavior under irradiation has a close relation with the formation of surface precipitates and the growth of solute depleted zone beneath them. The temperature and dose dependence of the resolution rate showed that the precipitates in the solute depleted zone dissolved by the interface controlled process of radiation-enhanced diffusion.

Effects of electronic excitation in 150 keV Ni ion irradiation of metallic systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zarkadoula, Eva; Samolyuk, German; Weber, William J.

We use the two-temperature model in molecular dynamic simulations of 150 keV Ni ion cascades in nickel and nickel-based alloys to investigate the effect of the energy exchange between the atomic and the electronic systems during the primary stages of radiation damage. We find that the electron-phonon interactions result in a smaller amount of defects and affect the cluster formation, resulting in smaller clusters. These results indicate that ignoring the local heating due to the electrons results in the overestimation of the amount of damage and the size of the defect clusters. A comparison of the average defect production tomore » the Norgett-Robinson-Torrens (NRT) prediction over a range of energies is provided.« less

Effects of electronic excitation in 150 keV Ni ion irradiation of metallic systems

DOE PAGES

Zarkadoula, Eva; Samolyuk, German; Weber, William J.

2018-01-18

We use the two-temperature model in molecular dynamic simulations of 150 keV Ni ion cascades in nickel and nickel-based alloys to investigate the effect of the energy exchange between the atomic and the electronic systems during the primary stages of radiation damage. We find that the electron-phonon interactions result in a smaller amount of defects and affect the cluster formation, resulting in smaller clusters. These results indicate that ignoring the local heating due to the electrons results in the overestimation of the amount of damage and the size of the defect clusters. A comparison of the average defect production tomore » the Norgett-Robinson-Torrens (NRT) prediction over a range of energies is provided.« less

The Role of Localized Compressional Ultra-low Frequency Waves in Energetic Electron Precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rae, I. Jonathan; Murphy, Kyle R.; Watt, Clare E. J.; Halford, Alexa J.; Mann, Ian R.; Ozeke, Louis G.; Sibeck, David G.; Clilverd, Mark A.; Rodger, Craig J.; Degeling, Alex W.; Forsyth, Colin; Singer, Howard J.

2018-03-01

Typically, ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves have historically been invoked for radial diffusive transport leading to acceleration and loss of outer radiation belt electrons. At higher frequencies, very low frequency waves are generally thought to provide a mechanism for localized acceleration and loss through precipitation into the ionosphere of radiation belt electrons. In this study we present a new mechanism for electron loss through precipitation into the ionosphere due to a direct modulation of the loss cone via localized compressional ULF waves. We present a case study of compressional wave activity in tandem with riometer and balloon-borne electron precipitation across keV-MeV energies to demonstrate that the experimental measurements can be explained by our new enhanced loss cone mechanism. Observational evidence is presented demonstrating that modulation of the equatorial loss cone can occur via localized compressional wave activity, which greatly exceeds the change in pitch angle through conservation of the first and second adiabatic invariants. The precipitation response can be a complex interplay between electron energy, the localization of the waves, the shape of the phase space density profile at low pitch angles, ionospheric decay time scales, and the time dependence of the electron source; we show that two pivotal components not usually considered are localized ULF wave fields and ionospheric decay time scales. We conclude that enhanced precipitation driven by compressional ULF wave modulation of the loss cone is a viable candidate for direct precipitation of radiation belt electrons without any additional requirement for gyroresonant wave-particle interaction. Additional mechanisms would be complementary and additive in providing means to precipitate electrons from the radiation belts during storm times.

The role of localised Ultra-Low Frequency waves in energetic electron precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rae, J.; Murphy, K. R.; Watt, C.; Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L.; Halford, A. J.; Sibeck, D. G.; Clilverd, M. A.; Rodger, C. J.; Degeling, A. W.; Singer, H. J.

2016-12-01

Electromagnetic waves play pivotal roles in radiation belt dynamics through a variety of different means. Typically, Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) waves have historically been invoked for radial diffusive transport leading to both acceleration and loss of outer radiation belt electrons. Very-Low Frequency (VLF) and Extremely-Low Frequency (ELF) waves are generally thought to provide a mechanism for localized acceleration and loss through precipitation into the ionosphere. In this study we present a new mechanism for electron loss through precipitation into the ionosphere due to direct modulation of the loss cone via localized compressional ULF waves. Observational evidence is presented demonstrating that modulation of the equatorial loss cone can occur via localized compressional wave activity. We then perform statistical computations of the probability distribution to determine how likely a given magnetic perturbation would produce a given percentage change in the bounce loss-cone (BLC). We discuss the ramifications of the action of coherent, localized compressional ULF waves on drifting electron populations; their precipitation response can be a complex interplay between electron energy, the shape of the phase space density profile at pitch angles close to the loss cone, ionospheric decay timescales, and the time-dependence of the electron source. We present a case study of compressional wave activity in tandem with riometer and balloon-borne electron precipitation across keV-MeV energies to demonstrate that the experimental measurements can be explained by our new enhanced loss cone mechanism. We determine that the two pivotal components not usually considered are localized ULF wave fields and ionospheric decay timescales. We conclude that ULF wave modulation of the loss cone is a viable candidate for direct precipitation of radiation belt electrons without any additional requirement for gyroresonant wave-particle interaction. Additional mechanisms would be

Two-photon coincident emission from thick targets for 70-keV incident electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Kahler, D. L.; Quarles, C. A.

1993-04-01

Two-photon coincidence yields have been measured in thick targets of C, Al, Ag, and Ta for 70 keV incident electrons and photons radiated at +/-45° to the incident beam. A theoretical model, which is more rigorous, has been developed to simulate the two-photon processes of coherent thick-target double bremsstrahlung (TTDB) and the incoherent emission of two single-bremsstrahlung (SBSB) photons in a thick-target environment. The model is based on an integration of the thin-target cross sections over the target thickness taking into account electron energy loss, electron backscattering, and photon attenuation. It predicts a yield that is much lower than that of the previous model. The prediction of the model fits the present experimental data well by adjusting the relative weight of the two competing processes, and we find that TTDB dominates at low Z and incoherent SBSB dominates at higher Z.

Statistical investigation of the efficiency of EMIC waves in precipitating relativistic electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, M. K.; Qin, M.; Millan, R. M.; Woodger, L. A.; Shekhar, S.

2017-12-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed as an effective way to scatter relativistic electrons into the atmospheric loss cone. In our study, however, among the total 399 coincidence events when NOAA satellites goes through the region of EMIC wave activity, only 103 are associated with Relativistic Electron Precipitation (REP) events, which indicates that the link between EMIC waves and relativistic electrons is much weaker than expected. Most of the studies so far have been focused on the He+ band EMIC waves, and H+ band EMIC waves have been regarded as less important to the precipitation of electrons. In our study, we demonstrate that among the 103 EMIC wave events detected by Van Allen Probes that are in close conjunction with relativistic electron precipitation observed by POES satellites, the occurrence rate of H+ and He+ band EMIC waves coincident with REP is comparable, suggesting closer examination of the range of ΔL and ΔMLT used to determine coincidence between Van Allen Probes EMIC waves and POES precipitation observation.

A coincidence study of electron and positron impact ionization of Ar (3p) at 1 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campeanu, Radu I.; Walters, James H. R.; Whelan, Colm T.

2015-10-01

Distorted-wave calculations of the triple differential cross section (TDCS) are presented for electron and positron impact ionization of Ar(3p) in coplanar asymmetric geometry at an impact energy of 1 keV and are compared with a recent experiment. The experiment indicates that the positron TDCS is generally larger than the equivalent electron TDCS. It is shown that the magnitude of the TDCS is extremely sensitive to the energy of the ejected electron and that only when the cross section is averaged over energy do we get a reasonable agreement with experiment.

The effect of 1 to 5 keV electrons on the reproductive integrity of microorganisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barengoltz, J. B.; Brady, J.

1977-01-01

Microorganisms were exposed to simulated space environment in order to assess the effect of electrons in the energy range 1 to 5 keV on their colony-forming ability. The test system consisted of an electron gun and power supply, a dosimetry subsystem, and a vacuum subsystem. The system was capable of current densities ranging from 0.1 nA/sq cm to 5 micro A/sq cm on a 25 sq on target and an ultimate vacuum of 0.0006 N/sq m (0.000004 torr). The results of the experimental program show a significant reduction in microbial reproductive integrity.

Biological Response of Cancer and Normal Cells on Irradiation from Electrons with Energies up to 200 keV.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prilepskiy, Yuriy

2007-03-01

This paper presents continuation data of the series of experiments with the electron gun of the CEBAF machine at Jefferson Lab (Newport News, VA), which is capable of delivering electrons with energies up to 200 keV. This 1.5 GHz beam permits to generate cellular damage within minutes. We have performed irradiation of cancer and normal cells with different electron energies and currents to investigate cell biological responses. The biological response is measured through proteomics analysis before and after irradiation. The living cells are encased in special air containers allowing proper positioning in vacuum where the electrons are present. The containers receive the irradiation from the mono energetic electrons with energy up to 120 keV, resulting in an irradiation from both electrons and a small number of photons from the original beam passing through the thin container window. This window allows approximately half of the beam to come through. The study will permit to address the physical processes involved in the RBE and LET at a level that supersedes current data listed in the literature. We will discuss the experimental setup and the second stage of data collected with the new more developed system. This research is part of a global program to provide detailed information for the understanding of radiation based cancer treatments.

Intense uniform precipitation of low-energy electrons over the polar cap

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meng, C.; Kroehl, H.W.

1977-06-01

Analysis of precipitating electron data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) revealed significant enhancements (as large as two orders of magnitude) over the quiet time level of the low-energy electron flux over the polar cap during magnetic storms in September and October 1974. Strong asymmetry between the two polar caps was observed, and it may indicate that these electrons are of interplanetary (i.e., solar) origin and that their entry is influenced by the interplanetary magnetic field as illustrated by Yeager and Frank (1976) and Fennell et al., (1975). Energy spectra showing the spatial and temporal variations of the phenomenamore » are presented. There also is a region between the equatorward edge of the polar cap enhancement and the poleward edge of the evening auroral precipitation in which the electron flux drops down to the background level. If the observed intense polar cap precipitation is indeed of interplanetary origin, this void region implies that the poleward boundary of the auroral precipitation does not coincide with the equatorward boundary of the open field lines and that their separation cna be as wide as a few degrees in latitude.« less

Quantifying the Precipitation Loss of Radiation Belt Electrons during a Rapid Dropout Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, K. H.; Tu, W.; Xiang, Z.

2017-12-01

Relativistic electron flux in the radiation belt can drop by orders of magnitude within the timespan of hours. In this study, we used the drift-diffusion model that includes azimuthal drift and pitch angle diffusion of electrons to simulate low-altitude electron distribution observed by POES/MetOp satellites for rapid radiation belt electron dropout event occurring on May 1, 2013. The event shows fast dropout of MeV energy electrons at L>4 over a few hours, observed by the Van Allen Probes mission. By simulating the electron distributions observed by multiple POES satellites, we resolve the precipitation loss with both high spatial and temporal resolution and a range of energies. We estimate the pitch angle diffusion coefficients as a function of energy, pitch angle, and L-shell, and calculate corresponding electron lifetimes during the event. The simulation results show fast electron precipitation loss at L>4 during the electron dropout, with estimated electron lifetimes on the order of half an hour for MeV energies. The electron loss rate show strong energy dependence with faster loss at higher energies, which suggest that this dropout event is dominated by quick and localized scattering process that prefers higher energy electrons. The estimated pitch angle diffusion rates from the model are then compared with in situ wave measurements from Van Allen Probes to uncover the underlying wave-particle-interaction mechanisms that are responsible for the fast electron precipitation. Comparing the resolved precipitation loss with the observed electron dropouts at high altitudes, our results will suggest the relative role of electron precipitation loss and outward radial diffusion to the radiation belt dropouts during storm and non-storm times, in addition to its energy and L dependence.

Influence of organic ions on DNA damage induced by 1 eV to 60 keV electrons.

PubMed

Zheng, Yi; Sanche, Léon

2010-10-21

We report the results of a study on the influence of organic salts on the induction of single strand breaks (SSBs) and double strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA by electrons of 1 eV to 60 keV. Plasmid DNA films are prepared with two different concentrations of organic salts, by varying the amount of the TE buffer (Tris-HCl and EDTA) in the films with ratio of 1:1 and 6:1 Tris ions to DNA nucleotide. The films are bombarded with electrons of 1, 10, 100, and 60 000 eV under vacuum. The damage to the 3197 base-pair plasmid is analyzed ex vacuo by agarose gel electrophoresis. The highest yields are reached at 100 eV and the lowest ones at 60 keV. The ratios of SSB to DSB are surprisingly low at 10 eV (∼4.3) at both salt concentrations, and comparable to the ratios measured with 100 eV electrons. At all characteristic electron energies, the yields of SSB and DSB are found to be higher for the DNA having the lowest salt concentration. However, the organic salts are more efficient at protecting DNA against the damage induced by 1 and 10 eV electrons. DNA damage and protection by organic ions are discussed in terms of mechanisms operative at each electron energy. It is suggested that these ions create additional electric fields within the groove of DNA, which modify the resonance parameter of 1 and 10 eV electrons, namely, by reducing the electron capture cross-section of basic DNA units and the lifetime of corresponding transient anions. An interstrand electron transfer mechanism is proposed to explain the low ratios for the yields of SSB to those of DSB produced by 10 eV electrons.

Influence of organic ions on DNA damage induced by 1 eV to 60 keV electrons

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yi; Sanche, Léon

2011-01-01

We report the results of a study on the influence of organic salts on the induction of single strand breaks (SSBs) and double strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA by electrons of 1 eV to 60 keV. Plasmid DNA films are prepared with two different concentrations of organic salts, by varying the amount of the TE buffer (Tris-HCl and EDTA) in the films with ratio of 1:1 and 6:1 Tris ions to DNA nucleotide. The films are bombarded with electrons of 1, 10, 100, and 60 000 eV under vacuum. The damage to the 3197 base-pair plasmid is analyzed ex vacuo by agarose gel electrophoresis. The highest yields are reached at 100 eV and the lowest ones at 60 keV. The ratios of SSB to DSB are surprisingly low at 10 eV (~4.3) at both salt concentrations, and comparable to the ratios measured with 100 eV electrons. At all characteristic electron energies, the yields of SSB and DSB are found to be higher for the DNA having the lowest salt concentration. However, the organic salts are more efficient at protecting DNA against the damage induced by 1 and 10 eV electrons. DNA damage and protection by organic ions are discussed in terms of mechanisms operative at each electron energy. It is suggested that these ions create additional electric fields within the groove of DNA, which modify the resonance parameter of 1 and 10 eV electrons, namely, by reducing the electron capture cross-section of basic DNA units and the lifetime of corresponding transient anions. An interstrand electron transfer mechanism is proposed to explain the low ratios for the yields of SSB to those of DSB produced by 10 eV electrons. PMID:20969428

Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Energy Interchange in the Electron Diffuse Aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, George V.; Glocer, Alex; Himwich, E. W.

2014-01-01

The diffuse aurora has recently been shown to be a major contributor of energy flux into the Earth's ionosphere. Therefore, a comprehensive theoretical analysis is required to understand its role in energy redistribution in the coupled ionosphere-magnetosphere system. In previous theoretical descriptions of precipitated magnetospheric electrons (E is approximately 1 keV), the major focus has been the ionization and excitation rates of the neutral atmosphere and the energy deposition rate to thermal ionospheric electrons. However, these precipitating electrons will also produce secondary electrons via impact ionization of the neutral atmosphere. This paper presents the solution of the Boltzman-Landau kinetic equation that uniformly describes the entire electron distribution function in the diffuse aurora, including the affiliated production of secondary electrons (E greater than 600 eV) and their ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling processes. In this article, we discuss for the first time how diffuse electron precipitation into the atmosphere and the associated secondary electron production participate in ionosphere-magnetosphere energy redistribution.

Absolute Calibration of Image Plate for electrons at energy between 100 keV and 4 MeV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, H; Back, N L; Eder, D C

2007-12-10

The authors measured the absolute response of image plate (Fuji BAS SR2040) for electrons at energies between 100 keV to 4 MeV using an electron spectrometer. The electron source was produced from a short pulse laser irradiated on the solid density targets. This paper presents the calibration results of image plate Photon Stimulated Luminescence PSL per electrons at this energy range. The Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX results are also presented for three representative incident angles onto the image plates and corresponding electron energies depositions at these angles. These provide a complete set of tools that allows extraction ofmore » the absolute calibration to other spectrometer setting at this electron energy range.« less

Performance of different theories for the angular distribution of bremsstrahlung produced by keV electrons incident upon a target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omar, Artur; Andreo, Pedro; Poludniowski, Gavin

2018-07-01

Different theories of the intrinsic bremsstrahlung angular distribution (i.e., the shape function) have been evaluated using Monte Carlo calculations for various target materials and incident electron energies between 20 keV and 300 keV. The shape functions considered were the plane-wave first Born approximation cross sections (i) 2BS [high-energy result, screened nucleus], (ii) 2BN [general result, bare nucleus], (iii) KM [2BS modified to emulate 2BN], and (iv) SIM [leading term of 2BN]; (v) expression based on partial-waves expansion, KQP; and (vi) a uniform spherical distribution, UNI [a common approximation in certain analytical models]. The shape function was found to have an important impact on the bremsstrahlung emerging from thin foil targets in which the incident electrons undergo few elastic scatterings before exiting the target material. For thick transmission and reflection targets the type of shape function had less importance, as the intrinsic bremsstrahlung angular distribution was masked by the diffuse directional distribution of multiple scattered electrons. Predictions made using the 2BN and KQP theories were generally in good agreement, suggesting that the effect of screening and the constraints of the Born approximation on the intrinsic angular distribution may be acceptable. The KM and SIM shape functions deviated notably from KQP for low electron energies (< 50 keV), while 2BS and UNI performed poorly over most of the energy range considered; the 2BS shape function was found to be too forward-focused in emission, while UNI was not forward-focused enough. The results obtained emphasize the importance of the intrinsic bremsstrahlung angular distribution for theoretical predictions of x-ray emission, which is relevant in various applied disciplines, including x-ray crystallography, electron-probe microanalysis, security and industrial inspection, medical imaging, as well as low- and medium (orthovoltage) energy radiotherapy.

Triply differential measurements of single ionization of argon by 1-keV positron and electron impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavin, J.; de Lucio, O. G.; DuBois, R. D.

2017-06-01

By establishing coincidences between target ions and scattered projectiles, and coincidences between target ions, scattered projectiles, and ejected electrons, triply differential cross-section (TDCS) information was generated in terms of projectile energy loss and scattering angles for interactions between 1-keV positrons and electrons and Ar atoms. The conversion of the raw experimental information to the TDCS is discussed. The single-ionization TDCS exhibits two distinguishable regions (lobes) where binary and recoil interactions can be described by two peaks. A comparison of the positron and electron impact data shows that the relative intensity of both binary and recoil interactions decreases exponentially as a function of the momentum transfer and is larger when ionization is induced by positron impact, when compared with electron impact.

Thermoluminescent response of TLD-100 irradiated with 20 keV electrons and the use of radiochromic dye films for the fluence determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercado-Uribe, H.; Brandan, M. E.

2004-07-01

We have measured the LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) fluence response and supralinearity function to 20 keV electrons in the fluence interval between 5 × 10 9 and 4 × 10 12 cm -2. TLD-100 shows linear response up to 2 × 10 10 cm -2, followed by supralinearity and saturation after 10 12 cm -2. Peak 5 is slightly supralinear, f( n) max=1.1±0.1, while high temperature peaks reach up to f( n) max≈8. Peak 5 saturates at n≈1×10 11 cm -2, fluence smaller than any of the saturating fluences of the high temperature peaks. We have also measured the glow curve shape of TLD-100 irradiated with 40 keV electrons, beta particles from a 90Sr/ 90Y source and 1.3 and 6.0 MeV electrons from accelerators. Results are interesting and unexpected in that, for a given macroscopic dose, electrons show a smaller relative contribution of high-temperature peaks with respect to peak 5 than heavy ions or X- and γ-rays. The 20 and 40 keV electron irradiations were performed with a scanning electron microscope using radiochromic dye film to measure fluence. Since film calibrations were performed using 60Co γ-rays which expose the totality of the film volume, the use of this method with low energy electrons required to develop a formalism that takes into account the sensitive thickness of the film in relation to the range of the incident particles.

Evaluating the Role and Effects of Precipitation on Relativistic Electron Losses during Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Fu, X.

2016-12-01

Theoretic studies have suggested that during storm times various waves (e.g., whistler-mode chorus and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves) can cause significant precipitation of relativistic ( MeV) electrons that are originally trapped inside the outer radiation belt. However, the role of precipitation and its quantitative contribution to the losses of outer-belt electrons remain open questions. In this study, we tackle these questions by systemically examining the latest wave and electron in-situ, simultaneous observations made at different altitudes by Van Allen Probes from near equator, NOAA POES at low Earth orbits near/across electron loss cone, and BARREL under the mesosphere. After calibrating with DEMTER observations, we first confirm and quantify the response of POES MEPED proton channels to MeV electrons. Next, we identify a list of precipitation events from BARREL and POES measurements, examine the temporal adn spatial relation between the two data sets, and estimate the intensities of electron precipitation with ascertained uncertainties. Then, from Van Allen Probes data, we select another list of dropout events during storms. By cross checking the above two lists, we are able to determine the causal relation between precipitation and dropouts through individual case as well as statistical studies so as to quantify the contributions from precipitation. This study mainly focuses on the relatively small L-shells with positive phase space density radial gradient in order to alleviate the impacts from outward radial diffusion and adiabatic effects. Based upon the recent discovery of cross-energy cross-pitch angle coherence, we pay particular attention to the cross-term diffusions which may account for the extra "loss" needed by observed MeV electron dropouts. Results from this observational study will advance our knowledge on the loss mechanism of outer-belt electrons, and thus lay down another stepping stone towards high-fidelity physics-based models for

Electron precipitation in solar flares - Collisionless effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vlahos, L.; Rowland, H. L.

1984-01-01

A large fraction of the electrons which are accelerated during the impulsive phase of solar flares stream towards the chromosphere and are unstable to the growth of plasma waves. The linear and nonlinear evolution of plasma waves as a function of time is analyzed with a set of rate equations that follows, in time, the nonlinearly coupled system of plasma waves-ion fluctuations. As an outcome of the fast transfer of wave energy from the beam to the ambient plasma, nonthermal electron tails are formed which can stabilize the anomalous Doppler resonance instability responsible for the pitch angle scattering of the beam electrons. The non-collisional losses of the precipitating electrons are estimated, and the observational implication of these results are discussed.

Electron Bremsstrahlung Cross Sections at 25 and 50 keV from Xe and Kr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portillo, Salvador; Quarles, C. A.

2002-05-01

Absolute doubly differential bremsstrahlung cross sections for radiation at 90 from 25 and 50 keV electron bombardment of Kr and Xe of will be presented. The electrons were accelerated by a Cockcroft - Walton accelerator into an Al chamber through a .06" Al collimator. Thick target bremsstrahlung background was minimized by having Al nipples and fixtures and by the addition of a carbon lined nipple placed at 180 to the SiLi detector. A comparison of the doubly differential cross sections will be made with current bremsstrahlung theories. The ratio of the Kr and Xe cross sections will also be compared with the theoretical cross section ratios. The ratio provides a more sensitive test of the contribution, if any, of polarization bremsstrahlung.

Changes in the Martian atmosphere induced by auroral electron precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shematovich, V. I.; Bisikalo, D. V.; Gérard, J.-C.; Hubert, B.

2017-09-01

Typical auroral events in the Martian atmosphere, such as discrete and diffuse auroral emissions detected by UV spectrometers onboard ESA Mars Express and NASA MAVEN, are investigated. Auroral electron kinetic energy distribution functions and energy spectra of the upward and downward electron fluxes are obtained by electron transport calculations using the kinetic Monte Carlo model. These characteristics of auroral electron fluxes make it possible to calculate both the precipitation-induced changes in the atmosphere and the observed manifestations of auroral events on Mars. In particular, intensities of discrete and diffuse auroral emissions in the UV and visible wavelength ranges (Soret et al., 2016; Bisikalo et al., 2017; Gérard et al., 2017). For these conditions of auroral events, the analysis is carried out, and the contribution of the fluxes of precipitating electrons to the heating and ionization of the Martian atmosphere is estimated. Numerical calculations show that in the case of discrete auroral events the effect of the residual crustal magnetic field leads to a significant increase in the upward fluxes of electrons, which causes a decrease in the rates of heating and ionization of the atmospheric gas in comparison with the calculations without taking into account the residual magnetic field. It is shown that all the above-mentioned impact factors of auroral electron precipitation processes should be taken into account both in the photochemical models of the Martian atmosphere and in the interpretation of observations of the chemical composition and its variations using the ACS instrument onboard ExoMars.

Total electron scattering cross sections of some important biomolecules at 0.2-6.0 keV energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurung, Meera Devi; Ariyasinghe, W. M.

2017-12-01

The total electron scattering cross sections (TCS) of five nucleic bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine and uracil), phosphoric acid, three amino acids (glycine, lysine, and L-histidine), D-glucose, alpha-D-glucose, tetrahydropyran (THP), 3-hydroxytetrahydrofuran and furan have been determined in the energy range 0.2-6.0 keV using a simple model based on the effective atomic total electron scattering cross sections (EATCS). The reliability of the model is confirmed by comparing the determined TCS with the predictions of those by existing theoretical models.

Radiation-induced segregation and precipitation behaviours around cascade clusters under electron irradiation.

PubMed

Sueishi, Yuichiro; Sakaguchi, Norihito; Shibayama, Tamaki; Kinoshita, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Heishichiro

2003-01-01

We have investigated the formation of cascade clusters and structural changes in them by means of electron irradiation following ion irradiation in an austenitic stainless steel. Almost all of the cascade clusters, which were introduced by the ion irradiation, grew to form interstitial-type dislocation loops or vacancy-type stacking fault tetrahedra after electron irradiation at 623 K, whereas a few of the dot-type clusters remained in the matrix. It was possible to recognize the concentration of Ni and Si by radiation-induced segregation around the dot-type clusters. After electron irradiation at 773 K, we found that some cascade clusters became precipitates (delta-Ni2Si) due to radiation-induced precipitation. This suggests that the cascade clusters could directly become precipitation sites during irradiation.

A new ionospheric electron precipitation module coupled with RAM-SCB within the geospace general circulation model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Yiqun; Jordanova, Vania K.; Ridley, Aaron J.

Electron precipitation down to the atmosphere due to wave-particle scattering in the magnetosphere contributes significantly to the auroral ionospheric conductivity. In order to obtain the auroral conductivity in global MHD models that are incapable of capturing kinetic physics in the magnetosphere, MHD parameters are often used to estimate electron precipitation flux for the conductivity calculation. Such an MHD approach, however, lacks self-consistency in representing the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling processes. In this study we improve the coupling processes in global models with a more physical method. We calculate the physics-based electron precipitation from the ring current and map it to the ionosphericmore » altitude for solving the ionospheric electrodynamics. In particular, we use the BATS-R-US (Block Adaptive Tree Scheme-Roe type-Upstream) MHD model coupled with the kinetic ring current model RAM-SCB (Ring current-Atmosphere interaction Model with Self-Consistent Magnetic field (B)) that solves pitch angle-dependent electron distribution functions, to study the global circulation dynamics during the 25–26 January 2013 storm event. Since the electron precipitation loss is mostly governed by wave-particle resonant scattering in the magnetosphere, we further investigate two loss methods of specifying electron precipitation loss associated with wave-particle interactions: (1) using pitch angle diffusion coefficients D αα(E,α) determined from the quasi-linear theory, with wave spectral and plasma density obtained from statistical observations (named as “diffusion coefficient method”) and (2) using electron lifetimes τ(E) independent on pitch angles inferred from the above diffusion coefficients (named as “lifetime method”). We found that both loss methods demonstrate similar temporal evolution of the trapped ring current electrons, indicating that the impact of using different kinds of loss rates is small on the trapped electron population

A new ionospheric electron precipitation module coupled with RAM-SCB within the geospace general circulation model

DOE PAGES

Yu, Yiqun; Jordanova, Vania K.; Ridley, Aaron J.; ...

2016-09-01

Electron precipitation down to the atmosphere due to wave-particle scattering in the magnetosphere contributes significantly to the auroral ionospheric conductivity. In order to obtain the auroral conductivity in global MHD models that are incapable of capturing kinetic physics in the magnetosphere, MHD parameters are often used to estimate electron precipitation flux for the conductivity calculation. Such an MHD approach, however, lacks self-consistency in representing the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling processes. In this study we improve the coupling processes in global models with a more physical method. We calculate the physics-based electron precipitation from the ring current and map it to the ionosphericmore » altitude for solving the ionospheric electrodynamics. In particular, we use the BATS-R-US (Block Adaptive Tree Scheme-Roe type-Upstream) MHD model coupled with the kinetic ring current model RAM-SCB (Ring current-Atmosphere interaction Model with Self-Consistent Magnetic field (B)) that solves pitch angle-dependent electron distribution functions, to study the global circulation dynamics during the 25–26 January 2013 storm event. Since the electron precipitation loss is mostly governed by wave-particle resonant scattering in the magnetosphere, we further investigate two loss methods of specifying electron precipitation loss associated with wave-particle interactions: (1) using pitch angle diffusion coefficients D αα(E,α) determined from the quasi-linear theory, with wave spectral and plasma density obtained from statistical observations (named as “diffusion coefficient method”) and (2) using electron lifetimes τ(E) independent on pitch angles inferred from the above diffusion coefficients (named as “lifetime method”). We found that both loss methods demonstrate similar temporal evolution of the trapped ring current electrons, indicating that the impact of using different kinds of loss rates is small on the trapped electron population

Transmission of ˜ 10 keV electron beams through thin ceramic foils: Measurements and Monte Carlo simulations of electron energy distribution functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, A.; Heindl, T.; Skrobol, C.; Wieser, J.; Krücken, R.; Ulrich, A.

2008-07-01

Electron beams with particle energy of ~10 keV were sent through 300 nm thick ceramic (Si3N4 + SiO2) foils and the resulting electron energy distribution functions were recorded using a retarding grid technique. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations performed with two publicly available packages, Geant4 and Casino v2.42. It is demonstrated that Geant4, unlike Casino, provides electron energy distribution functions very similar to the experimental distributions. Both simulation packages provide a quite precise average energy of transmitted electrons: we demonstrate that the maximum uncertainty of the calculated values of the average energy is 6% for Geant4 and 8% for Casino, taking into account all systematic uncertainties and the discrepancies in the experimental and simulated data.

Comparison of GATE/GEANT4 with EGSnrc and MCNP for electron dose calculations at energies between 15 keV and 20 MeV.

PubMed

Maigne, L; Perrot, Y; Schaart, D R; Donnarieix, D; Breton, V

2011-02-07

The GATE Monte Carlo simulation platform based on the GEANT4 toolkit has come into widespread use for simulating positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging devices. Here, we explore its use for calculating electron dose distributions in water. Mono-energetic electron dose point kernels and pencil beam kernels in water are calculated for different energies between 15 keV and 20 MeV by means of GATE 6.0, which makes use of the GEANT4 version 9.2 Standard Electromagnetic Physics Package. The results are compared to the well-validated codes EGSnrc and MCNP4C. It is shown that recent improvements made to the GEANT4/GATE software result in significantly better agreement with the other codes. We furthermore illustrate several issues of general interest to GATE and GEANT4 users who wish to perform accurate simulations involving electrons. Provided that the electron step size is sufficiently restricted, GATE 6.0 and EGSnrc dose point kernels are shown to agree to within less than 3% of the maximum dose between 50 keV and 4 MeV, while pencil beam kernels are found to agree to within less than 4% of the maximum dose between 15 keV and 20 MeV.

Effects of 160 keV electron irradiation on the optical properties and microstructure of "Panda" type Polarization-Maintaining optical fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong-Chen, Zhang; Hai, Liu; Hui-Jie, Xue; Wen-Qiang, Qiao; Shi-Yu, He

2012-11-01

In this paper, effects of 160 keV electron irradiated "Panda" type Polarization-Maintaining optical fiber at 1310 nm are investigated by us. Attenuation coefficient induced in optical fiber by electron beams at 1310 nm increases with increase in electron fluence. Electron irradiation-induced damage mechanism are studied by means of CASINO simulation program, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance spectrometer (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results show that Si-OH impurity defect concentration is the main reason of increasing attenuation coefficient at 1310 nm.

Monte Carlo calculations of energy deposition distributions of electrons below 20 keV in protein.

PubMed

Tan, Zhenyu; Liu, Wei

2014-05-01

The distributions of energy depositions of electrons in semi-infinite bulk protein and the radial dose distributions of point-isotropic mono-energetic electron sources [i.e., the so-called dose point kernel (DPK)] in protein have been systematically calculated in the energy range below 20 keV, based on Monte Carlo methods. The ranges of electrons have been evaluated by extrapolating two calculated distributions, respectively, and the evaluated ranges of electrons are compared with the electron mean path length in protein which has been calculated by using electron inelastic cross sections described in this work in the continuous-slowing-down approximation. It has been found that for a given energy, the electron mean path length is smaller than the electron range evaluated from DPK, but it is large compared to the electron range obtained from the energy deposition distributions of electrons in semi-infinite bulk protein. The energy dependences of the extrapolated electron ranges based on the two investigated distributions are given, respectively, in a power-law form. In addition, the DPK in protein has also been compared with that in liquid water. An evident difference between the two DPKs is observed. The calculations presented in this work may be useful in studies of radiation effects on proteins.

Radiation Damage From Mono-energetic Electrons Up to 200 keV On Biological Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prilepskiy, Yuriy

2006-03-01

The electron gun of the CEBAF machine at Jefferson lab (Newport News, VA) is capable of delivering electrons with energies up to 200 keV with a resolution of about 10-5. This 1.5 GHz beam permits to generate cellular radiation damage within minutes. We have performed irradiation of cancer cells with different energies and different currents to investigate their biological responses. This study will permit to address the physical processes involved in the RBE and LET at a level that supersedes current data listed in the literature by orders of magnitude. We will discuss the experimental setup and results of the first stage of data collected with this novel system. This research is part of a global program to provide detailed information for the understanding of radiation based cancer treatments.

Sterilization of foods with low-energy electrons (``soft-electrons'')

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Toru; Takahashi, Yoko; Todoriki, Setsuko

1998-06-01

Electrons with an energy of 300 keV or lower were defined as "Soft-electrons", which showed several advantages over conventional irradiation with gamma-rays or high-energy electrons in decontamination of grains and spices. Energies of electrons necessary to reduce microbial loads to levels lower than 10 CFU/g were 60 keV for brown rice, 75 keV for wheat, 100 keV for white pepper, coriander and basil, 130 keV for buckwheat, 160 keV for rough rice, and 210 keV for black pepper. Electrons with such energies did not significantly influence the quality.

Differential Cross Sections for Ionization of Argon by 1 keV Positron and Electron Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavin, J.; DuBois, R. D.; de Lucio, O. G.

2014-04-01

Differential information was generated by establishing coincidences and imposing conditions on data recorded for target ions, scattered projectiles, and ejected electrons, as a function of projectile energy loss and scattering angles; in order to describe the interaction between a positron (electron) 1 keV beam and a simple Ar jet. Single ionization triply differential cross section (TDCS) results exhibit two distinct regions (lobes) for which binary (events arising from 2-body interaction) and recoil (events which can only be produced by many-body interactions) interactions are associated. Results indicate that binary events are significantly larger for positron impact, in accordance with theoretical predictions. A similar feature is found for different energy losses and scattering angles. Intensity of the recoil lobe for both projectiles, positron and electron, is observed to depend on the energy loss and scattering angle. Also, it can be noticed that for positron impact the recoil interactions intensity is larger than that observed for electron impact.

Energy limits of electron acceleration in the plasma sheet during substorms: A case study with the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, D. L.; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.; Clemmons, J. H.; Mauk, B. H.; Cohen, I. J.; Jaynes, A. N.; Craft, J. V.; Wilder, F. D.; Baker, D. N.; Reeves, G. D.; Gershman, D. J.; Avanov, L. A.; Dorelli, J. C.; Giles, B. L.; Pollock, C. J.; Schmid, D.; Nakamura, R.; Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Artemyev, A. V.; Runov, A.; Angelopoulos, V.; Spence, H. E.; Torbert, R. B.; Burch, J. L.

2016-08-01

We present multipoint observations of earthward moving dipolarization fronts and energetic particle injections from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission with a focus on electron acceleration. From a case study during a substorm on 02 August 2015, we find that electrons are only accelerated over a finite energy range, from a lower energy threshold at 7-9 keV up to an upper energy cutoff in the hundreds of keV range. At energies lower than the threshold energy, electron fluxes decrease, potentially due to precipitation by strong parallel electrostatic wavefields or initial sources in the lobes. Electrons at energies higher than the threshold are accelerated cumulatively by a series of impulsive magnetic dipolarization events. This case demonstrates how the upper energy cutoff increases, in this case from 130 keV to >500 keV, with each dipolarization/injection during sustained activity. We also present a simple model accounting for these energy limits that reveals that electron energization is dominated by betatron acceleration.

Energy Limits of Electron Acceleration in the Plasma Sheet During Substorms: A Case Study with the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, D. L.; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.; Clemmons, J. H.; Mauk, B. H.; Cohen, I. J.; Jaynes, A. N.; Craft, J. V.; Wilder, F. D.; Baker, D. N.;

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics: Optical Excitation Function of H(1s-2p) Produced by electron Impact from Threshold to 1.8 keV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, G. K.; Slevin, J. A.; Shemansky, D. E.; McConkey, J. W.; Bray, I.; Dziczek, D.; Kanik, I.; Ajello, J. M.

1997-01-01

The optical excitation function of prompt Lyman-Alpha radiation, produced by electron impact on atomic hydrogen, has been measured over the extended energy range from threshold to 1.8 keV. Measurements were obtained in a crossed-beams experiment using both magnetically confined and electrostatically focused electrons in collision with atomic hydrogen produced by an intense discharge source. A vacuum-ultraviolet mono- chromator system was used to measure the emitted Lyman-Alpha radiation. The absolute H(1s-2p) electron impact excitation cross section was obtained from the experimental optical excitation function by normalizing to the accepted optical oscillator strength, with corrections for polarization and cascade. Statistical and known systematic uncertainties in our data range from +/- 4% near threshold to +/- 2% at 1.8 keV. Multistate coupling affecting the shape of the excitation function up to 1 keV impact energy is apparent in both the present experimental data and present theoretical results obtained with convergent close- coupling (CCC) theory. This shape function effect leads to an uncertainty in absolute cross sections at the 10% level in the analysis of the experimental data. The derived optimized absolute cross sections are within 7% of the CCC calculations over the 14 eV-1.8 keV range. The present CCC calculations converge on the Bethe- Fano profile for H(1s-2p) excitation at high energy. For this reason agreement with the CCC values to within 3% is achieved in a nonoptimal normalization of the experimental data to the Bethe-Fano profile. The fundamental H(1s-2p) electron impact cross section is thereby determined to an unprecedented accuracy over the 14 eV - 1.8 keV energy range.

Dynamic nightside electron precipitation at Mars: ggeographical and solar wind dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillis, R. J.; Brain, D. A.

2012-12-01

Electron precipitation is usually the dominant source of energy input to the nightside Martian atmosphere, with consequences for ionospheric densities, chemistry, electrodynamics, communications and navigation. We examine downward-traveling superthermal electron flux on the Martian nightside from May 1999 to November 2006 at 400 km altitude and 2 AM local time. Electron precipitation is geographically organized by crustal magnetic field strength and elevation angle, with higher fluxes occurring in regions of weak and/or primarily vertical crustal fields, while stronger and more horizontal fields retard electron access to the atmosphere. We investigate how these crustal field-organized precipitation patterns vary with proxies for solar wind (SW) pressure and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction. Generally, higher precipitating fluxes accompany higher SW pressures. Specifically, we identify four characteristic spectral behaviors: 1) 'stable' regions where fluxes increase mildly with SW pressure, 2) 'high flux' regions where accelerated spectra are more common and where fluxes below ~500 eV are largely independent of SW pressure, 3) permanent plasma voids and 4) intermittent plasma voids where fluxes depend strongly on SW pressure. The locations, sizes, shapes and absence/existence of these plasma voids vary significantly with solar wind pressure proxy and appreciably with IMF direction proxy. Overall, average precipitating fluxes are 40% lower in strong crustal field regions and 15% lower globally for one primary IMF direction proxy compared with the other. This variation of the strength and geographic pattern of the shielding effect of Mars' crustal fields exemplifies the complex interaction between those fields and the solar wind.; Stereographic maps of nightside downward electron flux between 96 and 148 eV, measured at 2 AM local time, averaged over the period 05/1999-11/2006. The top, middle and bottom rows are for solar wind pressure proxy ranges of 0

Hard x-ray (>100 keV) imager to measure hot electron preheat for indirectly driven capsule implosions on the NIF.

PubMed

Döppner, T; Dewald, E L; Divol, L; Thomas, C A; Burns, S; Celliers, P M; Izumi, N; Kline, J L; LaCaille, G; McNaney, J M; Prasad, R R; Robey, H F; Glenzer, S H; Landen, O L

2012-10-01

We have fielded a hard x-ray (>100 keV) imager with high aspect ratio pinholes to measure the spatially resolved bremsstrahlung emission from energetic electrons slowing in a plastic ablator shell during indirectly driven implosions at the National Ignition Facility. These electrons are generated in laser plasma interactions and are a source of preheat to the deuterium-tritium fuel. First measurements show that hot electron preheat does not limit obtaining the fuel areal densities required for ignition and burn.

Effect of Precipitating Electrons on Stormtime Inner Magnetospheric Electric Fields during the 17 March 2013 Storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, M.; Lemon, C. L.; Sazykin, S. Y.; Wolf, R.; Hecht, J. H.; Walterscheid, R. L.; Boyd, A. J.; Turner, D. L.

2015-12-01

We investigate how scattering of electrons by waves in the plasma sheet and plasmasphere affects precipitating energy flux distributions and how the precipitating electrons modify the ionospheric conductivity and electric potentials during the large 17 March 2013 magnetic storm. Of particular interest is how electron precipitation in the evening sector affects the development of the Sub-auroral Polarization Stream (SAPS) electric field that is observed at sub-auroral latitudes in that sector. Our approach is to use the magnetically and electrically self-consistent Rice Convection Model - Equilibrium (RCM-E) of the inner magnetosphere to simulate the stormtime precipitating electron distributions and the electric field. We use parameterized rates of whistler-generated electron pitch-angle scattering from Orlova and Shprits [JGR, 2014] that depend on equatorial radial distance, magnetic activity (Kp), and magnetic local time (MLT) outside the simulated plasmasphere. Inside the plasmasphere, parameterized scattering rates due to hiss [Orlova et al., GRL, 2014] are used. We compare simulated trapped and precipitating electron flux distributions with measurements from Van Allen Probes/MagEIS, POES/TED and MEPED, respectively, to validate the electron loss model. Ground-based (SuperDARN) and in-situ (Van Allen Probes/EFW) observations of electric fields are compared with the simulation results. We discuss the effect of precipitating electrons on the SAPS and inner magnetospheric electric field through the data-model comparisons.

Modeling of Jovian Auroral Polar Ion and Proton Precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houston, S. J.; Ozak, N. O.; Cravens, T.; Schultz, D. R.; Mauk, B.; Haggerty, D. K.; Young, J. T.

2017-12-01

Auroral particle precipitation dominates the chemical and physical environment of the upper atmospheres and ionospheres of the outer planets. Precipitation of energetic electrons from the middle magnetosphere is responsible for the main auroral oval at Jupiter, but energetic electron, proton, and ion precipitation take place in the polar caps. At least some of the ion precipitation is associated with soft X-ray emission with about 1 GW of power. Theoretical modeling has demonstrated that the incident sulfur and oxygen ion energies must exceed about 0.5 MeV/nucleon (u) in order to produce the measured X-ray emission. In this work we present a model of the transport of magnetospheric oxygen ions as they precipitate into Jupiter's polar atmosphere. We have revised and updated the hybrid Monte Carlo model originally developed by Ozak et al., 2010 to model the Jovian X-ray aurora. We now simulate a wider range of incident oxygen ion energies (10 keV/u - 5 MeV/u) and update the collision cross-sections to model the ionization of the atmospheric neutrals. The polar cap location of the emission and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling both indicate the associated field-aligned currents must originate near the magnetopause or perhaps the distant tail. Secondary electrons produced in the upper atmosphere by ion precipitation could be accelerated upward to relativistic energies due to the same field-aligned potentials responsible for the downward ion acceleration. To further explore this, we simulate the effect of the secondary electrons generated from the heavy ion precipitation. We use a two-stream transport model that computes the secondary electron fluxes, their escape from the atmosphere, and characterization of the H2 Lyman-Werner band emission, including a predicted observable spectrum with the associated color ratio. Our model predicts that escaping electrons have an energy range from 1 eV to 6 keV, H2 band emission rates produced are on the order of 75 kR for an input

Rocket investigations of electron precipitation and VLF waves in the Antarctic upper atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheldon, W. R.; Benbrook, J. R.; Bering, E. A.

1988-01-01

The results of two Antarctic rocket campaigns, primarily initiated to investigate electron precipitation stimulated by signals from the Siple-Station ground-based VLF transmitter, are presented. While the primary objective of the campaigns was not achieved, the Siple VLF transmitter facilitated a study of the wave environment in the ionosphere. Standing wave patterns in the ionosphere were observed for the first time by detectors flown aboard the Nike-Tomahawk rockets; the same detectors monitored a continuous signal from the transmitter through the neutral atmosphere and into the ionosphere, providing unique data for comparison with theoretical studies of wave propagation. The measurements of penetrating electron precipitation were interpreted in terms of a model of energetic electron precipitation from the trapped radiational belts.

SM91: Observations of interchange between acceleration and thermalization processes in auroral electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pongratz, M.

1972-01-01

Results from a Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket flight launched from Fort Churchill are presented. The rocket was launched into a breakup aurora at magnetic local midnight on 21 March 1968. The rocket was instrumented to measure electrons with an electrostatic analyzer electron spectrometer which made 29 measurements in the energy interval 0.5 KeV to 30 KeV. Complete energy spectra were obtained at a rate of 10/sec. Pitch angle information is presented via 3 computed average per rocket spin. The dumped electron average corresponds to averages over electrons moving nearly parallel to the B vector. The mirroring electron average corresponds to averages over electrons moving nearly perpendicular to the B vector. The average was also computed over the entire downward hemisphere (the precipitated electron average). The observations were obtained in an altitude range of 10 km at 230 km altitude.

Origin of Si(LMM) Auger Electron Emission from Silicon and Si-Alloys by keV Ar+ Ion Bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwami, Motohiro; Kim, Su Chol; Kataoka, Yoshihide; Imura, Takeshi; Hiraki, Akio; Fujimoto, Fuminori

1980-09-01

Si(LMM) Auger electrons emitted from specimens of pure silicon and several Si-alloys (Ni-Si, Pd-Si and Cu-Si) under keV Ar+ ion bombardment, were examined. In the Auger spectra from all specimens studied there were four peaks at energies of 92, 86, 76 and 66 eV. The Auger signal intensity varied considerably with both the incident angle and the energy of the primary ion beam. It is proposed that the Auger electrons are emitted from silicon atoms (or ions) just beneath the specimen surface but free from the bulk network.

Quantifying the Precipitation Loss of Radiation Belt Electrons During a Rapid Dropout Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, K. H.; Tu, W.; Xiang, Z.

2017-10-01

Relativistic electron flux in the radiation belt can drop by orders of magnitude within the timespan of hours. In this study, we used the drift-diffusion model that includes azimuthal drift and pitch angle diffusion of electrons to simulate low-altitude electron distribution observed by POES/MetOp satellites for rapid radiation belt electron dropout event occurring on 1 May 2013. The event shows fast dropout of MeV energy electrons at L > 4 over a few hours, observed by the Van Allen Probes mission. By simulating the electron distributions observed by multiple POES satellites, we resolve the precipitation loss with both high spatial and temporal resolutions and a range of energies. We estimate the pitch angle diffusion coefficients as a function of energy, pitch angle, and L-shell and calculate corresponding electron lifetimes during the event. The simulation results show fast electron precipitation loss at L > 4 during the electron dropout, with estimated electron lifetimes on the order of half an hour for MeV energies. The electron loss rate shows strong energy dependence with faster loss at higher energies, which suggest that this dropout event is dominated by quick and localized scattering process that prefers higher energy electrons. The improved temporal and spatial resolutions of electron precipitation rates provided by multiple low-altitude observations can resolve fast-varying electron loss during rapid electron dropouts (over a few hours), which occur too fast for a single low-altitude satellite. The capability of estimating the fast-varying electron lifetimes during rapid dropout events is an important step in improving radiation belt model accuracy.

Energetic electron acceleration and injection during dipolarization events in Mercury's magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewey, R. M.; Slavin, J. A.; Raines, J. M.; Baker, D. N.; Lawrence, D. J.

2017-12-01

MESSENGER frequently observed bursts of energetic electrons (>10 keV to 300 keV) within Mercury's miniature terrestrial-like magnetosphere. These bursts are observed most often in the post-midnight sector near the magnetic equator, suggestive of the acceleration and injection of electrons from the magnetotail and their eastward drift about the planet. We use the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer's high-time resolution (10 ms) energetic electron measurements to examine the relationship between energetic electron injections and magnetospheric dynamics in Mercury's magnetotail. We find that these electron injections were observed most frequently in association with magnetic field dipolarization. Between March 2013 and April 2015, we identified 2976 magnetotail electron events of which 538 were coincident with the leading edge of a dipolarization event. These dipolarization fronts were detected on the basis of their rapid ( 2 s) increase in the northward component of the tail magnetic field (ΔBz 30 nT), which typically persists for 10 s. We find electrons experience brief, yet intense, betatron and Fermi acceleration during these dipolarization events, reaching energies 160 keV and contributing to nightside precipitation. Dipolarization events, and subsequently, the electron acceleration associated with them, display a strong dawn-dusk asymmetry, suggestive of a post-midnight maximum in magnetotail reconnection.

Energy limits of electron acceleration in the plasma sheet during substorms: A case study with the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turner, Drew Lawson; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.

Here, we present multipoint observations of earthward moving dipolarization fronts and energetic particle injections from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission with a focus on electron acceleration. From a case study during a substorm on 02 August 2015, we find that electrons are only accelerated over a finite energy range, from a lower energy threshold at ~7–9 keV up to an upper energy cutoff in the hundreds of keV range. At energies lower than the threshold energy, electron fluxes decrease, potentially due to precipitation by strong parallel electrostatic wavefields or initial sources in the lobes. Electrons at energies higher than the thresholdmore » are accelerated cumulatively by a series of impulsive magnetic dipolarization events. This case demonstrates how the upper energy cutoff increases, in this case from ~130 keV to >500 keV, with each dipolarization/injection during sustained activity. We also present a simple model accounting for these energy limits that reveals that electron energization is dominated by betatron acceleration.« less

Energy limits of electron acceleration in the plasma sheet during substorms: A case study with the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission

DOE PAGES

Turner, Drew Lawson; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.; ...

2016-08-01

Here, we present multipoint observations of earthward moving dipolarization fronts and energetic particle injections from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission with a focus on electron acceleration. From a case study during a substorm on 02 August 2015, we find that electrons are only accelerated over a finite energy range, from a lower energy threshold at ~7–9 keV up to an upper energy cutoff in the hundreds of keV range. At energies lower than the threshold energy, electron fluxes decrease, potentially due to precipitation by strong parallel electrostatic wavefields or initial sources in the lobes. Electrons at energies higher than the thresholdmore » are accelerated cumulatively by a series of impulsive magnetic dipolarization events. This case demonstrates how the upper energy cutoff increases, in this case from ~130 keV to >500 keV, with each dipolarization/injection during sustained activity. We also present a simple model accounting for these energy limits that reveals that electron energization is dominated by betatron acceleration.« less

The angular distribution of solar wind ˜20-200 keV superhalo electrons at quiet times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Liu; Wang, Linghua; Li, Gang; He, Jiansen; Salem, Chadi S.; Tu, Chuanyi; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Bale, Stuart D.

2016-03-01

We present a comprehensive study of the angular distribution of ˜20-200 keV superhalo electrons measured at 1 AU by the WIND 3DP instrument during quiet times from 1995 January through 2005 December. According to the interplanetary magnetic field, we re-bin the observed electron pitch angle distributions to obtain the differential flux, Jout (Jin), of electrons traveling outward from (inward toward) the Sun, and define the anisotropy of superhalo electrons as A =2/(Jo u t-Ji n) Jo u t+Ji n at a given energy. We found that for out in ˜96% of the selected quiet-time samples, superhalo electrons have isotropic angular distributions, while for ˜3% (˜1%) of quiet-time samples, superhalo electrons are outward-anisotropic (inward-anisotropic). All three groups of angular distributions show no correlation with the local solar wind plasma, interplanetary magnetic field and turbulence. Furthermore, the superhalo electron spectral index shows no correlation with the spectral index of local solar wind turbulence. These quiet-time superhalo electrons may be accelerated by nonthermal processes related to the solar wind source and strongly scattered/ reflected in the interplanetary medium, or could be formed due to the electron acceleration through the interplanetary medium.

CINEMA (Cubesat for Ion, Neutral, Electron, MAgnetic fields)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, R. P.; Parks, G. K.; Halekas, J. S.; Larson, D. E.; Eastwood, J. P.; Wang, L.; Sample, J. G.; Horbury, T. S.; Roelof, E. C.; Lee, D.; Seon, J.; Hines, J.; Vo, H.; Tindall, C.; Ho, J.; Lee, J.; Kim, K.

2009-12-01

The NSF-funded CINEMA mission will provide cutting-edge magnetospheric science and critical space weather measurements, including high sensitivity mapping and high cadence movies of ring current, >4 keV Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA), as well as in situ measurements of suprathermal electrons (>~2 keV) and ions (>~ 4 keV) in the auroral and ring current precipitation regions, all with ~1 keV FWHM resolution and uniform response up to ~100 keV. A Suprathermal Electron, Ion, Neutral (STEIN) instrument adds an electrostatic deflection system to the STEREO STE (SupraThermal Electron) 4-pixel silicon semiconductor sensor to separate ions from electrons and from ENAs up to ~20 keV. In addition, inboard and outboard (on an extendable 1m boom) magnetoresistive sensor magnetometers will provide high cadence 3-axis magnetic field measurements. A new attitude control system (ACS) uses torque coils, a solar aspect sensor and the magnetometers to de-tumble the 3u CINEMA spacecraft, then spin it up to ~1 rpm with the spin axis perpendicular to the ecliptic, so STEIN can sweep across most of the sky every minute. Ideally, CINEMA will be placed into a high inclination low earth orbit that crosses the auroral zone and cusp. An S-band transmitter will be used to provide > ~8 kbps orbit-average data downlink to the ~11m diameter antenna of the Berkeley Ground Station. Two more identical CINEMA spacecraft will be built by Kyung Hee University (KHU) in Korea under their World Class University (WCU) program, to provide stereo ENA imaging and multi-point in situ measurements. Furthermore, CINEMA’s development of miniature particle and magnetic field sensors, and cubesat-size spinning spacecraft will be important for future nanosatellite space missions.

Particle precipitation prior to large earthquakes of both the Sumatra and Philippine Regions: A statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidani, Cristiano

2015-12-01

A study of statistical correlation between low L-shell electrons precipitating into the atmosphere and strong earthquakes is presented. More than 11 years of the Medium Energy Protons Electrons Detector data from the NOAA-15 Sun-synchronous polar orbiting satellite were analysed. Electron fluxes were analysed using a set of adiabatic coordinates. From this, significant electron counting rate fluctuations were evidenced during geomagnetic quiet periods. Electron counting rates were compared to earthquakes by defining a seismic event L-shell obtained radially projecting the epicentre geographical positions to a given altitude towards the zenith. Counting rates were grouped in every satellite semi-orbit together with strong seismic events and these were chosen with the L-shell coordinates close to each other. NOAA-15 electron data from July 1998 to December 2011 were compared for nearly 1800 earthquakes with magnitudes larger than or equal to 6, occurring worldwide. When considering 30-100 keV precipitating electrons detected by the vertical NOAA-15 telescope and earthquake epicentre projections at altitudes greater that 1300 km, a significant correlation appeared where a 2-3 h electron precipitation was detected prior to large events in the Sumatra and Philippine Regions. This was in physical agreement with different correlation times obtained from past studies that considered particles with greater energies. The Discussion below of satellite orbits and detectors is useful for future satellite missions for earthquake mitigation.

Electronic excitation effects on nanoparticle formation in insulators under heavy-ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishimoto, N.; Plaksin, O. A.; Masuo, K.; Okubo, N.; Umeda, N.; Takeda, Y.

2006-01-01

Kinetic processes of nanoparticle formation by ion implantation was studied for the insulators of a-SiO2, LiNbO3, MgO · 2.4(Al2O3) and PMMA, either by changing ion flux or by using a co-irradiation technique of ions and photons. Under Cu-implantation of 60 keV Cu-, nanoparticles spontaneously formed without thermal annealing, indicating radiation-induced diffusion of implants. The high-flux implantation caused instable behaviors of nanoparticle morphology in a-SiO2, LiNbO3 and PMMA, i.e. enhanced atomic rearrangement or loss of nanoparticles. The spinel MgO · 2.4(Al2O3) also showed nanoparticle precipitation at 60 keV, but the precipitation tendency is less than the others. Combined irradiation of 3 MeV Cu ions and photons of 2.3 eV or 3.5 eV indicates that the electronic excitation during ion implantation significantly enhances nanoparticle precipitation, greatly depending on photon energy and fluence. The selectivity for photons can be applied to control nanoparticle precipitation.

Relativistic electron precipitation at International Space Station: Space weather monitoring by Calorimetric Electron Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kataoka, Ryuho; Asaoka, Yoichi; Torii, Shoji; Terasawa, Toshio; Ozawa, Shunsuke; Tamura, Tadahisa; Shimizu, Yuki; Akaike, Yosui; Mori, Masaki

2016-05-01

The charge detector (CHD) of the Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on board the International Space Station (ISS) has a huge geometric factor for detecting MeV electrons and is sensitive to relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events. During the first 4 months, CALET CHD observed REP events mainly at the dusk to midnight sector near the plasmapause, where the trapped radiation belt electrons can be efficiently scattered by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves. Here we show that interesting 5-20 s periodicity regularly exists during the REP events at ISS, which is useful to diagnose the wave-particle interactions associated with the nonlinear wave growth of EMIC-triggered emissions.

Nightside electron precipitation at Mars: Geographic variability and dependence on solar wind conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillis, Robert J.; Brain, David A.

2013-06-01

Electron precipitation is usually the dominant source of energy input to the nightside Martian atmosphere, with consequences for ionospheric densities, chemistry, electrodynamics, communications, and navigation. We examine downward-traveling superthermal electron flux on the Martian nightside from May 1999 to November 2006 at 400 km altitude and 2 A.M. local time. Electron precipitation is geographically organized by crustal magnetic field strength and elevation angle, with higher fluxes occurring in regions of weak and/or primarily vertical crustal fields, while stronger and more horizontal fields retard electron access to the atmosphere. We investigate how these crustal field-organized precipitation patterns vary with proxies for solar wind (SW) pressure and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction. Generally, higher precipitating fluxes accompany higher SW pressures. Specifically, we identify four characteristic spectral behaviors: (1) "stable" regions where fluxes increase mildly with SW pressure, (2) "high-flux" regions where accelerated (peaked) spectra are more common and where fluxes below ~500 eV are largely independent of SW pressure, (3) permanent plasma voids, and (4) intermittent plasma voids where fluxes depend strongly on SW pressure. The locations, sizes, shapes, and absence/existence of these plasma voids vary significantly with solar wind pressure proxy and moderately with IMF proxy direction; average precipitating fluxes are 40% lower in strong crustal field regions and 15% lower globally for approximately southwest proxy directions compared with approximately northeast directions. This variation of the strength and geographic pattern of the shielding effect of Mars' crustal fields exemplifies the complex interaction between those fields and the solar wind.

Electron precipitation response to geomagnetic pulsations: Riometer revelation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honary, Farideh; Kavanagh, Andrew

Electron precipitation modulations by geomagnetic pulsation have been observed in cosmic noise absorption (CNA) as early as 1965 by widebeam riometers (Barcus and Rosenberg, 1965). The first observation of pulsation with high m-number was reported by Kikuchi et al.(1988) em-ploying a scanning narrow-beam riometer to investigate the spatial structure in one dimension with a high resolution. However, the advances in high spatial resolution imaging riometers has provided the ability to observe pulsating cosmic noise absorption with azimuthal wave numbers as high as 380 as well as providing the capability of mapping their structures. These waves are commonly observed during the morning and early afternoon and exhibit eastward propagation. In this presentation a complete generating mechanism for these high m-number waves is dis-cussed as a five step process, beginning with the solar wind as a source for the excitation of dayside magnetospheric cavity modes, mode conversion, energisation of drift-bounce protons by Landau damping, followed by inverse Landau damping as a driving mechanism for the high m number secondary waves that ultimately modulate the electron precipitation. This modulation is observed as pulsations in cosmic noise absorption.

Monitoring dissolved orthophosphate in a struvite precipitation reactor with a voltammetric electronic tongue.

PubMed

Aguado, Daniel; Barat, Ramón; Soto, Juan; Martínez-Mañez, Ramón

2016-10-01

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a voltammetric electronic tongue to monitor effluent dissolved orthophosphate concentration in a struvite precipitation reactor. The electrochemical response of the electronic tongue to the presence of orthophosphate in samples collected from the effluent of the precipitation reactor is used to predict orthophosphate concentration via a statistical model based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression. PLS predictions were suitable for this monitoring application in which precipitation efficiencies higher than 80% (i.e., effluent dissolved orthophosphate concentrations lower than 40mg P-PO4(3-) L(-1)) could be considered as indicator of good process performance. The electronic tongue consisted of a set of metallic (noble and non-noble) electrodes housed inside a stainless steel cylinder which was used as the body of the electronic tongue system. Fouling problems were prevented via a simple mechanical polishing of the electrodes. The measurement of each sample with the electronic tongue was done in less than 3s. Conductivity of the samples only affected the electronic tongue marginally, being the main electrochemical response due to the orthophosphate concentration in the samples. Copper, silver, iridium and rhodium were the electrodes that exhibited noticeable response correlated with the dissolved orthophosphate concentration variations, while gold, platinum and especially cobalt and nickel were the less useful electrodes for this application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sounding rocket study of auroral electron precipitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McFadden, J.P.

1985-01-01

Measurement of energetic electrons in the auroral zone have proved to be one of the most useful tools in investigating the phenomena of auroral arc formation. This dissertation presents a detailed analysis of the electron data from two sounding rocket campaigns and interprets the measurements in terms of existing auroral models. The Polar Cusp campaign consisted of a single rocket launched from Cape Parry, Canada into the afternoon auroral zone at 1:31:13 UT on January 21, 1982. The results include the measurement of a narrow, magnetic field aligned electron flux at the edge of an arc. This electron precipitation wasmore » found to have a remarkably constant 1.2 eV temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field over a 200 to 900 eV energy range. The payload also made simultaneous measurements of both energetic electrons and 3-MHz plasma waves in an auroral arc. Analysis has shown that the waves are propagating in the upper hybrid band and should be generated by a positive slope in the parallel electron distribution. A correlation was found between the 3-MHz waves and small positive slopes in the parallel electron distribution but experimental uncertainties in the electron measurement were large enough to influence the analysis. The BIDARCA campaign consisted of two sounding rockets launched from Poker Flat and Fort Yukon, Alaska at 9:09:00 UT and 9:10:40 UT on February 7, 1984.« less

Correction of electronic record for weighing bucket precipitation gauge measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Electronic sensors generate valuable streams of forcing and validation data for hydrologic models, but are often subject to noise, which must be removed as part of model input and testing database development. We developed Automated Precipitation Correction Program (APCP) for weighting bucket preci...

ANALYSIS OF ENERGY LOSSES OF A 30-kev ELECTRON BEAM IN THE FLUORIDE, CHLORIDE, AND BROMIDE OF LITHIUM (in French)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pradal, F.; Gout, C.

1963-02-01

The energy loss of a 30-kev electron beam in films of LiF, LiCl, and LiBr were analyzed with a magnetic spectrograph. For LiF, the results are compared to the absorption curve in the ultraviolet. The rays observed seem due to the excitation of valence band electrons of the 2s band of F/sup -/ and the 1s band of Li/sup +/. In some cases, energy losses less than 10 ev were observed, which seems connected to the presence of color centers. (tr-auth)

Signal yields of keV electronic recoils and their discrimination from nuclear recoils in liquid xenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aprile, E.; Aalbers, J.; Agostini, F.; Alfonsi, M.; Amaro, F. D.; Anthony, M.; Arneodo, F.; Barrow, P.; Baudis, L.; Bauermeister, B.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; Berger, T.; Breur, P. A.; Brown, A.; Brown, E.; Bruenner, S.; Bruno, G.; Budnik, R.; Bütikofer, L.; Calvén, J.; Cardoso, J. M. R.; Cervantes, M.; Cichon, D.; Coderre, D.; Colijn, A. P.; Conrad, J.; Cussonneau, J. P.; Decowski, M. P.; de Perio, P.; di Gangi, P.; di Giovanni, A.; Diglio, S.; Eurin, G.; Fei, J.; Ferella, A. D.; Fieguth, A.; Fulgione, W.; Gallo Rosso, A.; Galloway, M.; Gao, F.; Garbini, M.; Geis, C.; Goetzke, L. W.; Grandi, L.; Greene, Z.; Grignon, C.; Hasterok, C.; Hogenbirk, E.; Howlett, J.; Itay, R.; Kaminsky, B.; Kazama, S.; Kessler, G.; Kish, A.; Landsman, H.; Lang, R. F.; Lellouch, D.; Levinson, L.; Lin, Q.; Lindemann, S.; Lindner, M.; Lombardi, F.; Lopes, J. A. M.; Mahlstedt, J.; Manfredini, A.; Maris, I.; Marrodán Undagoitia, T.; Masbou, J.; Massoli, F. V.; Masson, D.; Mayani, D.; Messina, M.; Micheneau, K.; Molinario, A.; Morâ, K.; Murra, M.; Naganoma, J.; Ni, K.; Oberlack, U.; Pakarha, P.; Pelssers, B.; Persiani, R.; Piastra, F.; Pienaar, J.; Pizzella, V.; Piro, M.-C.; Plante, G.; Priel, N.; Ramírez García, D.; Rauch, L.; Reichard, S.; Reuter, C.; Rizzo, A.; Rupp, N.; Saldanha, R.; Dos Santos, J. M. F.; Sartorelli, G.; Scheibelhut, M.; Schindler, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schumann, M.; Scotto Lavina, L.; Selvi, M.; Shagin, P.; Shockley, E.; Silva, M.; Simgen, H.; Sivers, M. V.; Stein, A.; Thers, D.; Tiseni, A.; Trinchero, G.; Tunnell, C.; Vargas, M.; Wang, H.; Wang, Z.; Wei, Y.; Weinheimer, C.; Wittweg, C.; Wulf, J.; Ye, J.; Zhang, Y.; Zhu, T.; Xenon Collaboration

2018-05-01

We report on the response of liquid xenon to low energy electronic recoils below 15 keV from beta decays of tritium at drift fields of 92 V /cm , 154 V /cm and 366 V /cm using the XENON100 detector. A data-to-simulation fitting method based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo is used to extract the photon yields and recombination fluctuations from the experimental data. The photon yields measured at the two lower fields are in agreement with those from literature; additional measurements at a higher field of 366 V /cm are presented. The electronic and nuclear recoil discrimination as well as its dependence on the drift field and photon detection efficiency are investigated at these low energies. The results provide new measurements in the energy region of interest for dark matter searches using liquid xenon.

VLF-HISS from electrons in the earth's magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maeda, K.

1973-01-01

Intensities of auroral and magnetospheric hiss generated by the Cherenkov radiation process of electrons in the lower magnetosphere were calculated with respect to a realistic model of the earth's magnetosphere. In this calculation, the magnetic field was expressed by the Mead-Fairfield Model, and a static model of the iono-magnetospheric plasma distribution was constructed by accumulated data obtained by recent satellite observations. The energy range of hiss producing electrons and the frequency range of produced VLF in the computation are 100 eV to 200 keV, and 2 to 200 kHz, respectively. The maximum hiss intensity produced by soft electrons is more than one order higher than that of hard electron produced hiss. Higher rate of hiss occurrence in the daytime side, particularly in the soft electron precipitation zone in the morning sector, and less association of auroral hiss in nighttime sectors must be, therefore, due to the local time dependence of the energy spectra of precipitating electrons rather than the difference in the geomagnetic field and in the geoplasma distributions.

Characteristics of pitch angle distributions of hundreds of keV electrons in the slot region and inner radiation belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, H.; Li, X.; Blake, J. B.; Fennell, J. F.; Claudepierre, S. G.; Baker, D. N.; Jaynes, A. N.; Malaspina, D. M.

2014-12-01

The pitch angle distribution (PAD) of energetic electrons in the slot region and inner radiation belt received little attention in the past decades due to the lack of quality measurements. Using the state-of-the-art pitch angle-resolved data from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer instrument onboard the Van Allen Probes, a detailed analysis of hundreds of keV electron PADs below L = 4 is performed, in which the PADs are categorized into three types: normal (flux peaking at 90°), cap (exceedingly peaking narrowly around 90°), and 90° minimum (lower flux at 90°) PADs. By examining the characteristics of the PADs of ˜460 keV electrons for over a year, we find that the 90° minimum PADs are generally present in the inner belt (L<2), while normal PADs dominate at L˜3.5-4. In the region between, 90° minimum PADs dominate during injection times and normal PADs dominate during quiet times. Cap PADs appear mostly at the decay phase of storms in the slot region and are likely caused by the pitch angle scattering of hiss waves. Fitting the normal PADs into sinnα form, the parameter n is much higher below L = 3 than that in the outer belt and relatively constant in the inner belt but changes significantly in the slot region (2 < L < 3) during injection times. As for the 90° minimum PADs, by performing a detailed case study, we find in the slot region this type of PAD is likely caused by chorus wave heating, but this mechanism can hardly explain the formation of 90° minimum PADs at the center of inner belt.

Energy deposition and middle atmosphere electrodynamic response to a highly relativistic electron precipitation event

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, R. A.; Baker, D. N.; Herrero, F. A.; Mccarthy, S. P.; Twigg, P. A.; Croskey, C. L.; Hale, L. C.

1994-01-01

Rocket data have been used to evaluate the characteristics of precipitating relativistic electrons and their effects on the electrodynamic structure of the middle atmosphere. These data were obtained at Poker Flat, Alaska, on May 13 and 14, 1990, during a midday, highly relativistic electron (HRE) precipitation event. Solid state detectors were used to measure the electron fluxes and their energy spectra. An X ray scintillator was included on each flight to measure bremsstrahlung X rays produced by energetic electrons impacting on the upper atmosphere. However, these were found the be of negligible importance for this particular event. The energy deposition by the electrons has been determined from the flux measurements and compared with in situ measurements of the atmospheric electrical response. The electrodynamic measurements were obtained by the same rockets and additionally on May 13, with an accompanying rocket. The impact flux was highly irregular, containing short-lived bursts of relativistic electrons, mainly with energies below 0.5 MeV and with fluxes most enhanced between pitch angles of 0 deg - 20 deg. Although the geostationary counterpart of this measured event was considered to be of relatively low intensity and hardness, energy deposition peaked near 75 km with fluxes approaching an ion pair production rate in excess of 100/cu cm s. This exceeds peak fluxes in relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events as observed by us in numerous rocket soundings since 1976. Conductivity measurements from a blunt probe showed that negative electrical conductivities exceeded positive conductivities down to 50 km or lower, consistent with steady ionization by precipitating electrons above 1 MeV. These findings imply that the electrons from the outer radiation zone can modulate the electrical properties of the middle atmosphere to altitudes below 50 km. During the decline and activity minimum of the current solar cycle, we anticipate the occurence of similar

Energy deposition and middle atmosphere electrodynamic response to a highly relativistic electron precipitation event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, R. A.; Baker, D. N.; Herrero, F. A.; McCarthy, S. P.; Twigg, P. A.; Croskey, C. L.; Hale, L. C.

1994-10-01

Rocket data have been used to evaluate the characteristics of precipitating relativistic electrons and their effects on the electrodynamic structure of the middle atmosphere. These data were obtained at Poker Flat, Alaska, on May 13 and 14, 1990, during a midday, highly relativistic electron (HRE) precipitation event. Solid state detectors were used to measure the electron fluxes and their energy spectra. An X ray scintillator was included on each flight to measure bremsstrahlung X rays produced by energetic electrons impacting on the upper atmosphere. However, these were found the be of negligible importance for this particular event. The energy deposition by the electrons has been determined from the flux measurements and compared with in situ measurements of the atmospheric electrical response. The electrodynamic measurements were obtained by the same rockets and additionally on May 13, with an accompanying rocket. The impact flux was highly irregular, containing short-lived bursts of relativistic electrons, mainly with energies below 0.5 MeV and with fluxes most enhanced between pitch angles of 0 deg - 20 deg. Although the geostationary counterpart of this measured event was considered to be of relatively low intensity and hardness, energy deposition peaked near 75 km with fluxes approaching an ion pair production rate in excess of 100/cu cm s. This exceeds peak fluxes in relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events as observed by us in numerous rocket soundings since 1976. Conductivity measurements from a blunt probe showed that negative electrical conductivities exceeded positive conductivities down to 50 km or lower, consistent with steady ionization by precipitating electrons above 1 MeV. These findings imply that the electrons from the outer radiation zone can modulate the electrical properties of the middle atmosphere to altitudes below 50 km. During the decline and activity minimum of the current solar cycle, we anticipate the occurence of similar

Electron density of Rhizophora spp. wood using Compton scattering technique at 15.77, 17.48 and 22.16 keV XRF energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakhreet, B. Z.; Bauk, S.; Shukri, A.

2015-02-01

Compton (incoherently) scattered photons which are directly proportional to the electron density of the scatterer, have been employed in characterizing Rhizophora spp. as breast tissue equivalent. X-ray fluorescent scattered incoherently from Rhizophora spp. sample was measured using Si-PIN detector and three XRF energy values 15.77, 17.48 and 22.16 keV. This study is aimed at providing electron density information in support of the introduction of new tissue substitute materials for mammography phantoms.

Mesospheric Odd Nitrogen Enhancements During Relativistic Electron Precipitation Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aikin, A. C.; Smith, H. J. P.

1999-01-01

The behavior of mesospheric odd nitrogen species during and following relativistic and diffuse auroral precipitation events is simulated, Below 75 km nitric oxide is enhanced in proportion to the ion pair production function associated with the electron precipitation and the length of the event. Nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid are also enhanced. At 65 km the percentage of odd nitrogen for N is 0.1%, HNO3 is 1.6%, NO2 is 15%, and NO is 83.3%. Between 75 and 85 km NO is depleted during particle events due to the faster destruction of NO by N relative to the production of NO by N reacting with O2. Recovery of NO depends on transport from the lower thermosphere, where NO is produced in abundant amounts during particle events.

Validation of Ground-based Optical Estimates of Auroral Electron Precipitation Energy Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampton, D. L.; Grubbs, G. A., II; Conde, M.; Lynch, K. A.; Michell, R.; Zettergren, M. D.; Samara, M.; Ahrns, M. J.

2017-12-01

One of the major energy inputs into the high latitude ionosphere and mesosphere is auroral electron precipitation. Not only does the kinetic energy get deposited, the ensuing ionization in the E and F-region ionosphere modulates parallel and horizontal currents that can dissipate in the form of Joule heating. Global models to simulate these interactions typically use electron precipitation models that produce a poor representation of the spatial and temporal complexity of auroral activity as observed from the ground. This is largely due to these precipitation models being based on averages of multiple satellite overpasses separated by periods much longer than typical auroral feature durations. With the development of regional and continental observing networks (e.g. THEMIS ASI), the possibility of ground-based optical observations producing quantitative estimates of energy deposition with temporal and spatial scales comparable to those known to be exhibited in auroral activity become a real possibility. Like empirical precipitation models based on satellite overpasses such optics-based estimates are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, and therefore require validation. Three recent sounding rocket missions offer such an opportunity. The MICA (2012), GREECE (2014) and Isinglass (2017) missions involved detailed ground based observations of auroral arcs simultaneously with extensive on-board instrumentation. These have afforded an opportunity to examine the results of three optical methods of determining auroral electron energy flux, namely 1) ratio of auroral emissions, 2) green line temperature vs. emission altitude, and 3) parametric estimates using white-light images. We present comparisons from all three methods for all three missions and summarize the temporal and spatial scales and coverage over which each is valid.

Modification of mesospheric OH and O3 during a measured highly relativistic electron precipitation event

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, R. A.; Jackman, C. H.; Backer, D. N.; Herrero, F. A.

1994-01-01

Highly relativistic electron precipitation events (HRE's) can provide a major source of energy affecting mesospheric constituents and ionization. Based on satellite data, these events are most pronounced near the minimum of the solar sunspot cycle, increasing in intensity, spectral hardness, and frequency of occurrence as the solar cycle declines. Since such events can be sustained up to several days, their integrated effect in the mesosphere can dominate over those of other energy sources such as relativistic electron precipitation events (REP's) and auroral precipitation. The energy deposition data to be discussed and analyzed were obtained by rocket at Poker Flat, Alaska, in May 1990 during a modest HRE observed at midday near the peak of the sunspot cycle. Using a NASA two dimensional model, significant enhancement of OH and depletion of O3 at 75 +/- 10 km altitude from the measured radiation are found. Estimates of enhanced effects were made for more intense HRE events, as might be expected during solar minimum. By causing O3 depletion, the electron precipitation can also regulate the penetration of solar UV radiation, which could affect the thermal properties of the mesosphere.

0.2 to 10 keV electrons interacting with water ice: Radiolysis, sputtering, and sublimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galli, A.; Vorburger, A.; Wurz, P.; Pommerol, A.; Cerubini, R.; Jost, B.; Poch, O.; Tulej, M.; Thomas, N.

2018-06-01

We present new laboratory experiments investigating various water ice samples, ranging from thin ice films to porous thick ice layers, that are irradiated with electrons. The molecules leaving the ice are monitored with a pressure gauge and a mass spectrometer. Most particles released from the ice are H2 and O2, the observed ratio of 2:1 is consistent with H2O being radiolysed into H2 + 1/2 O2 upon irradiation. H2O2 is likely a minor contribution of radiolysis, amounting to 0.001 ± 0.001 of the total gas release from the ice sample. Neither the physical properties of the ice, nor the energy, nor the electron impact angle have any obvious effect on the relative abundances of the radiolysis products. The absolute sputtering yield (i.e., the ratio of produced O2 or destroyed H2O per impacting electron) increases with energy until a few 100 eV. For higher energies up to 10 keV the yield remains roughly constant, once the saturation dose of the ice is reached. This indicates that ongoing irradiation eventually releases the radiolysis products from the water ice even for penetration depths of several micrometers.

The Effect of Precipitating Electrons and Ions on Ionospheric Conductance and Inner Magnetospheric Electric Fields 142106

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, M.; Lemon, C.; Hecht, J. H.; Evans, J. S.; Boyd, A. J.

2016-12-01

We investigate how scattering of electrons by waves and of ions by field-line curvature in the inner magnetosphere affect precipitating energy flux distributions and how the precipitating particles modify the ionospheric conductivity and electric potentials during magnetic storms. We examine how particle precipitation in the evening sector affects the development of the Sub-Auroral Polarization Stream (SAPS) electric field that is observed at sub-auroral latitudes in that sector as well as the electric field in the morning sector. Our approach is to use the magnetically and electrically self-consistent Rice Convection Model - Equilibrium (RCM-E) of the inner magnetosphere to simulate the stormtime precipitating particle distributions and the electric field. We use parameterized rates of whistler-generated electron pitch-angle scattering from Orlova and Shprits [JGR, 2014] that depend on equatorial radial distance, magnetic activity (Kp), and magnetic local time (MLT) outside the simulated plasmasphere. Inside the plasmasphere, parameterized scattering rates due to hiss [Orlova et al., GRL, 2014] are employed. Our description for the rate of ion scattering is more simplistic. We assume that the ions are scattered at a fraction of strong pitch-angle scattering where the fraction is scaled by epsilon, the ratio of the gyroradius to the field-line radius of curvature, when epsilon is greater than 0.1. We compare simulated trapped and precipitating electron/ion flux distributions with measurements from Van Allen Probes/MagEIS, POES and DMSP, respectively, to validate the particle loss models. DMSP observations of electric fields are compared with the simulation results. We discuss the effect of precipitating electrons and ions on the SAPS and the inner magnetospheric electric field through the data-model comparisons.

Studies on effective atomic numbers for photon energy absorption and electron density of some narcotic drugs in the energy range 1 keV-20 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gounhalli, Shivraj G.; Shantappa, Anil; Hanagodimath, S. M.

2013-04-01

Effective atomic numbers for photon energy absorption ZPEA,eff, photon interaction ZPI,eff and for electron density Nel, have been calculated by a direct method in the photon-energy region from 1 keV to 20 MeV for narcotic drugs, such as Heroin (H), Cocaine (CO), Caffeine (CA), Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabinol (CBD), Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). The ZPEA,eff, ZPI,eff and Nel values have been found to change with energy and composition of the narcotic drugs. The energy dependence ZPEA,eff, ZPI,eff and Nel is shown graphically. The maximum difference between the values of ZPEA,eff, and ZPI,eff occurs at 30 keV and the significant difference of 2 to 33% for the energy region 5-100 keV for all drugs. The reason for these differences is discussed.

Rocket observations of the precipitation of electrons by ground VLF transmitters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnoldy, Roger L.; Kintner, Paul M.

1989-01-01

Recent results obtained with electric and magnetic receivers aboard a NASA sounding rocket launched on July 31, 1987 are presented which relate multiple electron spectral peaks observed in the bounce loss cone fluxes to the resonant interaction of electrons with VLF waves from ground transmitters. The correlation of transmitter signals passing through the ionosphere with the precipitated electrons was investigated. The analysis of these in situ wave and particle data addresses the propagation of waves through the ionosphere, and, through an application of the resonant theory, enables an estimation of the cold plasma density in the interaction region.

Dependence of Whistler-mode Wave Induced Electron Precipitation on k-vector Direction.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, P.; Inan, U. S.; Bell, T. F.; Bortnik, J.

2007-12-01

Whistler-mode waves that are either spontaneously generated in-situ (i.e., chorus), or externally injected (lightning, VLF transmitters) are known to be responsible for the loss of radiation belt electrons. An important determinant in the quantification of this loss is the dependence of the cyclotron resonant pitch angle scattering on the initial wave normal angles of the driving waves. Inan et al. (U.S. Inan et al., Controlled precipitation of radiation belt electrons, Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, 108 (A5), 1186, doi: 10.1029/2002JA009580, 2003.) suggested that the lifetime of > 1 MeV electrons in the inner radiation belts might be moderated by in situ injection of VLF whistler mode waves at frequencies of a few kHz. The formulation of Wang and Bell (T.N.C. Wang and T.F. Bell, Radiation resisitance of a short dipole immersed in a cold magnetoionic medium, Radio Science, 4(2), 167-177, February 1969) for an electric dipole antenna located in the inner magnetosphere established that most of the radiated power is concentrated in waves whose wave normal angles lie near the local resonance cone. Such waves, compared to those injected at less oblique initial wave normal angles, undergo several more magnetospheric reflections, persist in the magnetospheric cavity for longer periods of time, and resonate with electrons of higher energies. Accordingly, such waves may be highly effective in contributing to the loss of electrons from the inner belt and slot regions [Inan et al., 2006]. Nevertheless, it has been noted (Inan et al. [2006], Inan and Bell [1991] and Albert [1999]) that > 1 MeV electrons may not be effectively scattered by waves propagating with very high wave normal angles, due to the generally reduced gyroresonant diffusion coefficients for wave normals near the resonance cone. We use the Stanford 2D VLF raytracing program to determine the energetic electron pitch angle scattering and the precipitated flux signatures that would be detected for

ELECTRON ACCELERATION BY CASCADING RECONNECTION IN THE SOLAR CORONA. II. RESISTIVE ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, X.; Gan, W.; Liu, S.

We investigate electron acceleration by electric fields induced by cascading reconnections in current sheets trailing coronal mass ejections via a test particle approach in the framework of the guiding-center approximation. Although the resistive electric field is much weaker than the inductive electric field, the electron acceleration is still dominated by the former. Anomalous resistivity η is switched on only in regions where the current carrier’s drift velocity is large enough. As a consequence, electron acceleration is very sensitive to the spatial distribution of the resistive electric fields, and electrons accelerated in different segments of the current sheet have different characteristics.more » Due to the geometry of the 2.5-dimensional electromagnetic fields and strong resistive electric field accelerations, accelerated high-energy electrons can be trapped in the corona, precipitating into the chromosphere or escaping into interplanetary space. The trapped and precipitating electrons can reach a few MeV within 1 s and have a very hard energy distribution. Spatial structure of the acceleration sites may also introduce breaks in the electron energy distribution. Most of the interplanetary electrons reach hundreds of keV with a softer distribution. To compare with observations of solar flares and electrons in solar energetic particle events, we derive hard X-ray spectra produced by the trapped and precipitating electrons, fluxes of the precipitating and interplanetary electrons, and electron spatial distributions.« less

Evolution of relativistic outer belt electrons during extended quiescent period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaynes, A. N.; Li, X.; Schiller, Q.; Blum, L. W.; Tu, W.; Malaspina, D.; Turner, D.; Baker, D. N.; Kanekal, S. G.; Blake, J. B.; Wygant, J. R.

2013-12-01

To effectively study loss due to precipitation of relativistic electron fluxes in the radiation belt, it is necessary to isolate this loss from the Dst effect and magnetopause shadowing by studying loss during a time of relatively quiet geomagnetic activity. We present a study of the slow decay of 200 keV - 2 MeV electron populations in the outer radiation belt during an extended quiescent period from ~15 Dec 2012 - 10 Jan 2013, wherein Dst never extended below -25 nT. We incorporate particle measurements from the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment (REPTile) onboard the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat with measurements from the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) and the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) on the Van Allen Probes twin spacecraft to understand the evolution of the electron populations across pitch angle and energy. First, we present REPTile measurements of the precipitating populations (along with trapped & quasi-trapped) at a low-earth orbit, offering a view into the loss cone that is not as easily resolved using only the Van Allen Probes. Electron loss to the atmosphere during this event is quantified through use of a precipitation loss model, using the REPTile measurements. Additionally, phase space densities are derived using pitch-angle-resolved flux data from the REPT and MagEIS instruments, as well as from THEMIS SST data. Finally, we present the net loss effect on the outer radiation belt content during this time, by incorporating the modeled precipitation loss (from REPTile measurements) with Van Allen Probes electron flux data. Hiss and chorus wave data, along with approximate plasmapause location, from Van Allen Probes' Electric Field and Waves Suite (EFW) completes the picture by suggesting mechanisms for the precipitation loss of relativistic electrons during quiet time.

Detailed characteristics of radiation belt electrons revealed by CSSWE/REPTile measurements: Geomagnetic activity response and precipitation observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, K.; Li, X.; Schiller, Q.; Gerhardt, D.; Zhao, H.; Millan, R.

2017-08-01

Earth's outer radiation belt electrons are highly dynamic. We study the detailed characteristics of relativistic electrons in the outer belt using measurements from the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) mission, a low Earth orbit (LEO) CubeSat, which traverses the radiation belt four times in one orbit ( 1.5 h) and has the advantage of measuring the dynamic activities of the electrons including their rapid precipitation. We focus on the measured electron response to geomagnetic activity for different energies to show that there are abundant sub-MeV electrons in the inner belt and slot region. These electrons are further enhanced during active times, while there is a lack of >1.63 MeV electrons in these regions. We also show that the variation of measured electron flux at LEO is strongly dependent on the local magnetic field strength, which is far from a dipole approximation. Moreover, a specific precipitation band, which happened on 19 January 2013, is investigated based on the conjunctive measurement of CSSWE, the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses, and one of the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites. In this precipitation band event, the net loss of the 0.58-1.63 MeV electrons (L = 3.5-6) is estimated to account for 6.8% of the total electron content.

Observations of waves artificially stimulated by an electron beam inside a region with auroral precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grandal, B.; Troim, J.; Maehlum, B.; Holtet, J. A.; Pran, B.

1980-01-01

Observations of waves stimulated by artificial injection inside an auroral arc by an electron accelerator mounted on the POLAR 5 sounding rocket are presented. The accelerator produced a pulsed electron beam with currents up to 130 mA and energies up to 10 keV; emissions after the end of beam injection were generated by perturbations in the ambient plasma near the accelerator during beam injection. These emissions were independent of the electron beam direction along the geomagnetic field. The high frequency emission observed after beam injection correlated with the passage through an auroral arc; the low frequency emissions after beam injection were concentrated in two bands below the lower hybrid frequency.

Quantification of the Precipitation Loss of Radiation Belt Electrons Observed by SAMPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, W.; Selesnick, R. S.; Li, X.; Looper, M. D.

2009-12-01

Based on SAMPEX/PET observations, the rates and the spatial and temporal variations of electron loss to the atmosphere in the Earth’s radiation belt were quantified using a Drift-Diffusion model that includes the effects of azimuthal drifts and pitch angle diffusion. The measured electrons detected by SAMPEX can be distinguished as trapped, quasi-trapped (in the drift loss cone), and precipitating (in the bounce loss cone). The Drift-Diffusion model simulates the low-altitude electron distribution from SAMPEX. After fitting the model results to the data, the magnitudes and variations of the electron lifetime can be quantitatively determined based on the optimum model parameter values. Three magnetic storms of different types of magnitude were selected to estimate the various loss rates of ~0.5 to 3 MeV electrons during different phases of the storm and at L shells ranging from L=3.5 to L=6.5 (L represents the radial distance in the equatorial plane under a dipole field approximation). They are a small storm and a moderate storm in the current solar minimum and an intense storm right after the previous solar maximum. Model results for the three individual events showed that fast precipitation losses of energetic radiation belt electrons, as short as hours, persistently occurred in the storm main phases and with more efficient loss at higher energies, over wide range of L regions and over all the SAMPEX covered local times. In addition to this newly discovered common feature of the main phase electron lifetimes for all the storm events and at all L locations, some other properties of the electron loss rates that vary with time or locations, were also estimated and discussed. This method combining model with the low-altitude observations provides direct quantification of the electron loss rate, a prerequisite for any comprehensive modeling of the radiation belt electron dynamics.

Precipitation of low energy electrons at high latitudes: Effects of substorms, interplanetary magnetic field and dipole tilt angle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burch, J. L.

1972-01-01

Data from the auroral particles experiment on OGO-4 were used to study effects of substorm activity, interplanetary magnetic field latitutde, and dipole tilt angle on high-latitude precipitation of 700 eV electrons. It was found that: (1) The high-latitude zone of 700 eV electron precipitation in late evening and early morning hours moves equatorward by 5 to 10 deg during substorms. (2) The low-latitude boundary of polar cusp electron precipitation at 9 to 15 hours MLT also moves equatorward by several degrees during substorms and, in the absence of significant substorm activity, after a period of southward interplanetary magnetic field. (3) With times containing substorm activity or a southward interplanetary magnetic field eliminated, the low-latitude boundary of polar cusp electron precipitation is found to move by approximately 4 deg over the total yearly range of tilt angles. At maximum winter and summer conditions the invariant latitude of the boundary is shown to shift by approximately -3 deg and +1 deg respectively from its equinox location.

WE-E-BRE-08: Impact of IUdR in Rat 9L Glioma Cell Survival for 25–35 KeV Photo-Activated Auger Electron Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alvarez, D; Hogstrom, K; Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Baton Rouge, LA

2014-06-15

Purpose: To determine the biological effect from Auger electrons with 9% and 18% iododeoxyuridine (IUdR) incorporated into the DNA of rat 9L glioma cells at photon energies above and below the K-edge of iodine (33.2 keV). Methods: Rat 9L glioma cell survival versus dose curves with 0%, 9%, and 18% thymidine replacement with IUdR were measured using four irradiation energies (4 MV x-rays; monochromatic 35, 30, and 25 keV synchrotron photons). For each of 11 conditions (Energy, %IUdR) survival curves were fit to the data (826 cell cultures) using the linear-quadratic model. The ratio of doses resulting in 10% survivalmore » gave sensitization enhancement ratios (SER10) from which contributions due to linear-energy transfer (LET), radiosensitization (RS), and Auger effect (AE) were extracted. Results: At 35, 30, and 25 keV, SER10,LET values were 1.08±0.03, 1.22±0.02, and 1.37±0.02, respectively. At 4 MV SER10,RS values for 9% and 18% IUdR were 1.28±0.02 and 1.40±0.02, respectively. Assuming LET effects are independent of %IUdR and radiosensitization effects are independent of energy, SER10,AE values for 18% IUdR at 35, 30, and 25 keV were 1.35±0.05, 1.06±0.03, and 0.98±0.03, respectively; values for 9% IUdR at 35 and 25 keV were 1.01±0.04 and 0.82±0.02, respectively. Conclusion: For 18% IUdR the radiosensitization effect of 1.40 and the Auger effect of 1.35 at 35 keV are equally important to the combined effect of 1.90. No measureable Auger effect was observed for energies below the K-edge at 20 and 25 keV, as expected. The insignificant Auger effect at 9% IUdR was not expected. Additional data (40–70 keV) and radiobiological modeling are being acquired to better understand the energy dependence of Auger electron therapy with IUdR. Funding support in part by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and in part by Contract No. W81XWH-10-1-0005 awarded by the U.S. Army Research Acquisition Activity. This paper does not

New DMSP database of precipitating auroral electrons and ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redmon, Robert J.; Denig, William F.; Kilcommons, Liam M.; Knipp, Delores J.

2017-08-01

Since the mid-1970s, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft have operated instruments for monitoring the space environment from low Earth orbit. As the program evolved, so have the measurement capabilities such that modern DMSP spacecraft include a comprehensive suite of instruments providing estimates of precipitating electron and ion fluxes, cold/bulk plasma composition and moments, the geomagnetic field, and optical emissions in the far and extreme ultraviolet. We describe the creation of a new public database of precipitating electrons and ions from the Special Sensor J (SSJ) instrument, complete with original counts, calibrated differential fluxes adjusted for penetrating radiation, estimates of the total kinetic energy flux and characteristic energy, uncertainty estimates, and accurate ephemerides. These are provided in a common and self-describing format that covers 30+ years of DMSP spacecraft from F06 (launched in 1982) to F18 (launched in 2009). This new database is accessible at the National Centers for Environmental Information and the Coordinated Data Analysis Web. We describe how the new database is being applied to high-latitude studies of the colocation of kinetic and electromagnetic energy inputs, ionospheric conductivity variability, field-aligned currents, and auroral boundary identification. We anticipate that this new database will support a broad range of space science endeavors from single observatory studies to coordinated system science investigations.

New DMSP Database of Precipitating Auroral Electrons and Ions.

PubMed

Redmon, Robert J; Denig, William F; Kilcommons, Liam M; Knipp, Delores J

2017-08-01

Since the mid 1970's, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft have operated instruments for monitoring the space environment from low earth orbit. As the program evolved, so to have the measurement capabilities such that modern DMSP spacecraft include a comprehensive suite of instruments providing estimates of precipitating electron and ion fluxes, cold/bulk plasma composition and moments, the geomagnetic field, and optical emissions in the far and extreme ultraviolet. We describe the creation of a new public database of precipitating electrons and ions from the Special Sensor J (SSJ) instrument, complete with original counts, calibrated differential fluxes adjusted for penetrating radiation, estimates of the total kinetic energy flux and characteristic energy, uncertainty estimates, and accurate ephemerides. These are provided in a common and self-describing format that covers 30+ years of DMSP spacecraft from F06 (launched in 1982) through F18 (launched in 2009). This new database is accessible at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the Coordinated Data Analysis Web (CDAWeb). We describe how the new database is being applied to high latitude studies of: the co-location of kinetic and electromagnetic energy inputs, ionospheric conductivity variability, field aligned currents and auroral boundary identification. We anticipate that this new database will support a broad range of space science endeavors from single observatory studies to coordinated system science investigations.

Probing storm-time near-Earth magnetotail dynamics using 30 keV proton isotropic boundaries as tracers of precipitating and trapped populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganushkina, N. Y.; Dubyagin, S.; Liemohn, M. W.

2017-12-01

The isotropic boundaries of the energetic protons, which can be routinely observed by low-altitude satellites, have been used as a tool to probe remotely the nightside magnetic configuration in the near-Earth region. The validity of this method is based on the assumption that the isotropic boundary is formed by the particle scattering on the curved field lines in the magnetotail current sheet. However recent results revealed that the wave-particle interaction process often can be responsible for the isotropic boundary formation especially during active times. Using numerous observations of the 30 keV proton isotropic boundaries and conjugated measurements of the magnetic field in the equatorial magnetosphere we demonstrate that isotropic boundary location can be used as a proxy of the magnetotail stretching even during magnetic storms. The results imply that the scattering on the curved field lines still plays major role as a mechanism of the isotropic boundary formation during storm-time. We found that the wave-particle interaction could lead to isotropic boundary formation in 15% of events. In addition, we discuss the morphology of the storm-time energetic proton precipitations.

RAM-SCB simulations of electron transport and plasma wave scattering during the October 2012 “double-dip” storm

DOE PAGES

Jordanova, Vania Koleva; Tu, Weichao; Chen, Yue; ...

2016-09-01

Here, mechanisms for electron injection, trapping, and loss in the near-Earth space environment are investigated during the October 2012 “double-dip” storm using our magnetically self-consistent ring current model (RAM-SCB). Pitch angle and energy scattering are included for the first time in RAM-SCB using L and magnetic local time (MLT) dependent event-specific chorus wave models inferred from NOAA POES and Van Allen Probes EMFISIS observations. The dynamics of the source (~10s keV) and seed (~100s keV) populations of the radiation belts simulated with RAM-SCB is compared with Van Allen Probes MagEIS observations in the morning sector and with measurements from NOAA-15more » satellite in the predawn and afternoon MLT sectors. We find that although the low-energy (E < 100 keV) electron fluxes are in good agreement with observations, increasing significantly by magnetospheric convection during both SYM-H dips while decreasing during the intermediate recovery phase, the injection of high-energy electrons is underestimated by this mechanism throughout the storm. Local acceleration by chorus waves intensifies the electron fluxes at E ≥ 50 keV considerably and RAM-SCB simulations overestimate the observed trapped fluxes by more than an order of magnitude; the simulated with RAM-SCB precipitating fluxes are weaker and their temporal and spatial evolution agree well with POES/MEPED data.« less

RAM-SCB simulations of electron transport and plasma wave scattering during the October 2012 “double-dip” storm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordanova, Vania Koleva; Tu, Weichao; Chen, Yue

Here, mechanisms for electron injection, trapping, and loss in the near-Earth space environment are investigated during the October 2012 “double-dip” storm using our magnetically self-consistent ring current model (RAM-SCB). Pitch angle and energy scattering are included for the first time in RAM-SCB using L and magnetic local time (MLT) dependent event-specific chorus wave models inferred from NOAA POES and Van Allen Probes EMFISIS observations. The dynamics of the source (~10s keV) and seed (~100s keV) populations of the radiation belts simulated with RAM-SCB is compared with Van Allen Probes MagEIS observations in the morning sector and with measurements from NOAA-15more » satellite in the predawn and afternoon MLT sectors. We find that although the low-energy (E < 100 keV) electron fluxes are in good agreement with observations, increasing significantly by magnetospheric convection during both SYM-H dips while decreasing during the intermediate recovery phase, the injection of high-energy electrons is underestimated by this mechanism throughout the storm. Local acceleration by chorus waves intensifies the electron fluxes at E ≥ 50 keV considerably and RAM-SCB simulations overestimate the observed trapped fluxes by more than an order of magnitude; the simulated with RAM-SCB precipitating fluxes are weaker and their temporal and spatial evolution agree well with POES/MEPED data.« less

Precipitating electron interaction with the atmosphere. II - The dayside cusp region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, S. S.; Strickland, D. J.; Chiu, Y. T.

1985-01-01

Interaction of precipitating low-energy magnetosheath electrons with the atmosphere in the dayside cusp region has been studied. Both pitch angle and energy distributions of the fluxes as well as excitation functions for selected N2 and O UV emissions were obtained by numerically solving the multiangle equations of electron transport. There is some possibility that atmospheric emissions may be used for remote measurements of incident soft energy flux, because the ratios of molecular to atomic emission line intensities in the low-energy region are quite different from those in the high-energy region.

Radio wave heating of the corona and electron precipitation during flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melrose, D. B.; Dulk, G. A.

1982-01-01

Electron-cyclotron masers, excited while energy release is occurring in a flaring magnetic loop, are likely to generate extremely intense radiation at decimeter wavelengths. The energy in the radiation can be comparable with that in the electrons associated with hard X-ray bursts, i.e., a significant fraction of the total energy in the flare. Essentially all of the radio energy is likely to be reabsorbed by gyroresonance absorption, either near the emitting region or at some distance away in neighboring loops. Enhanced diffusion of fast electrons caused by the maser can lead to precipitation at the maximum possible rate, and hence account for hard X-ray emission from the footpoints of the magnetic loops.

Precipitation Rate Investigation on synthesis of precipitated calcium carbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulistiyono, E.; Handayani, M.; Firdiyono, F.; Fajariani, E. N.

2018-03-01

Study on the formation of precipitated calcium carbonate from natural limestone Sukabumi with the influenced of various parameters such as precipitation rate, concentration of CaCl2 and amplitudes were investigated. We also investigated the result with the precipitated calcium carbonate from Merck (p.a) for comparison. The higher concentration of CaCl2 would give effect to the lower of the precipitation rate. It was observed that precipitation rate of calcium carbonate from limestone Sukabumi at concentration of 0.08 molar was 3.66 cm/minutes and showing the optimum condition, while the precipitation rate of calcium carbonate Merck at the concentration 0.08 molar was 3.53 cm/minutes. The characterization of precipitated calcium carbonate was done using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The characterization using XRF showed that CaO content of precipitated calcium carbonate from natural limestone Sukabumi had high purity of 99.16%. The particle distribution using scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that precipitated calcium carbonate from natural limestone Sukabumi revealed 1.79 µm – 11.46 µm, meanwhile the particle distribution of precipitated calcium carbonate Merck showed larger particles with the size of 3.22 µm – 10.68 µm.

Satellite observations of energetic electron precipitation during the 1979 solar eclipse and comparisons with rocket measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaines, E. E.; Imhof, W. L.; Voss, H. D.; Reagan, J. B.

1983-07-01

During the solar eclipse of 26 February 1979, the P78-1 satellite passed near Red Lake, Ontario, at an altitude of about 600 km. On two consecutive orbits spanning the time of total eclipse, energetic electrons were measured with two silicon solid state detector spectrometers having excellent energy and angular resolution. Significant fluxes of precipitating electrons were observed near the path of totality. Comparisons of flux intensities and energy spectra with those measured from a Nike Orion and two Nike Tomahawk rockets launched near Red Lake before and during total eclipse give good agreement and indicate that the electron precipitation was relatively uniform for more than an hour and over a broad geographical area.

Precipitate statistics in an Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy from scanning precession electron diffraction data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunde, J. K.; Paulsen, Ø.; Wenner, S.; Holmestad, R.

2017-09-01

The key microstructural feature providing strength to age-hardenable Al alloys is nanoscale precipitates. Alloy development requires a reliable statistical assessment of these precipitates, in order to link the microstructure with material properties. Here, it is demonstrated that scanning precession electron diffraction combined with computational analysis enable the semi-automated extraction of precipitate statistics in an Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy. Among the main findings is the precipitate number density, which agrees well with a conventional method based on manual counting and measurements. By virtue of its data analysis objectivity, our methodology is therefore seen as an advantageous alternative to existing routines, offering reproducibility and efficiency in alloy statistics. Additional results include improved qualitative information on phase distributions. The developed procedure is generic and applicable to any material containing nanoscale precipitates.

AUREOL-3 observations of new boundaries in the auroral ion precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosqued, Jean M.; Ashour-Abdalla, Maha; El Alaoui, Mostafa; Zelenyj, Lev M.; Berthlier, Annick

1993-01-01

Interesting and well-separated structures in the 1-20 keV ion precipitation pattern have been revealed by an analysis of more than 50 crossings of the nightside (21-03 MLT) auroral zone by the AUREOL-3 satellite. First, velocity-dispersed ion structures (VDIS) are crossed near the poleward edge of the oval, and are the best ionospheric signature of ion beams flowing along the plasma sheet boundary layer. Proceeding equatorward, a large majority of VDIS events are bounded by a new and interesting narrow band of strongly reduced precipitation, or a gap, which delineates VDIS from the diffuse precipitation region connected to the CPS. A statistical analysis shows that the gap has an extent of about 1-2 deg, which is almost independent of magnetic activity; its location, about 70 deg ILAT, shifts significantly equatorward with higher magnetic activity levels. Intense electron arcs are observed near the equatorward edge of the gap. An important result is that the overall sequence of VDIS-gap-CPS can be explained in terms of orbital dynamics in the tail. The gap in precipitation appears as the counterpart of the 'wall' regime in the equatorial plane, in which a cross-tail current carried by energetic ions is strongly enhanced between 8 and 12 R(E). This region has important consequences for the development of substorms.

Processings of the Workshop on Electron Contamination in X-Ray Astronomy Experiments. [proceedings of conference on effects of extraterrestrial radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, S. S. (Editor)

1974-01-01

The proceedings of a conference to investigate the effects of extraterrestrial radiation and particle contamination of X-ray astronomical data are presented. The subjects discussed include the following: (1) electrons at low altitudes which affect soft X-ray astronomy, (2) the geographical distribution of 100 keV electrons above the earth's atmosphere, (3) midlatitude electron precipitation, (4) particle background observed by X-ray detectors on board Copernicus satellite, and (5) a survey of trapped low energy electrons near the inner boundary of the inner radiation zone as determined by OSO-7.

Quantification of the precipitation loss of radiation belt electrons observed by SAMPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Weichao; Selesnick, Richard; Li, Xinlin; Looper, Mark

2010-07-01

Based on SAMPEX/PET observations, the rates and the spatial and temporal variations of electron loss to the atmosphere in the Earth's radiation belt were quantified using a drift diffusion model that includes the effects of azimuthal drift and pitch angle diffusion. The measured electrons by SAMPEX can be distinguished as trapped, quasi-trapped (in the drift loss cone), and precipitating (in the bounce loss cone). The drift diffusion model simulates the low-altitude electron distribution from SAMPEX. After fitting the model results to the data, the magnitudes and variations of the electron lifetime can be quantitatively determined based on the optimum model parameter values. Three magnetic storms of different magnitudes were selected to estimate the various loss rates of ˜0.5-3 MeV electrons during different phases of the storms and at L shells ranging from L = 3.5 to L = 6.5 (L represents the radial distance in the equatorial plane under a dipole field approximation). The storms represent a small storm, a moderate storm from the current solar minimum, and an intense storm right after the previous solar maximum. Model results for the three individual events showed that fast precipitation losses of relativistic electrons, as short as hours, persistently occurred in the storm main phases and with more efficient loss at higher energies over wide range of L regions and over all the SAMPEX-covered local times. In addition to this newly discovered common feature of the main phase electron loss for all the storm events and at all L locations, some other properties of the electron loss rates, such as the local time and energy dependence that vary with time or locations, were also estimated and discussed. This method combining model with the low-altitude observations provides direct quantification of the electron loss rate, a prerequisite for any comprehensive modeling of the radiation belt electron dynamics.

Simulation of the energy distribution of relativistic electron precipitation caused by quasi-linear interactions with EMIC waves.

PubMed

Li, Zan; Millan, Robyn M; Hudson, Mary K

2013-12-01

[1]Previous studies on electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves as a possible cause of relativistic electron precipitation (REP) mainly focus on the time evolution of the trapped electron flux. However, directly measured by balloons and many satellites is the precipitating flux as well as its dependence on both time and energy. Therefore, to better understand whether pitch angle scattering by EMIC waves is an important radiation belt electron loss mechanism and whether quasi-linear theory is a sufficient theoretical treatment, we simulate the quasi-linear wave-particle interactions for a range of parameters and generate energy spectra, laying the foundation for modeling specific events that can be compared with balloon and spacecraft observations. We show that the REP energy spectrum has a peaked structure, with a lower cutoff at the minimum resonant energy. The peak moves with time toward higher energies and the spectrum flattens. The precipitating flux, on the other hand, first rapidly increases and then gradually decreases. We also show that increasing wave frequency can lead to the occurrence of a second peak. In both single- and double-peak cases, increasing wave frequency, cold plasma density or decreasing background magnetic field strength lowers the energies of the peak(s) and causes the precipitation to increase at low energies and decrease at high energies at the start of the precipitation.

Characterizing the spatio-temporal and energy-dependent response of riometer absorption to particle precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellerman, Adam; Makarevich, Roman; Spanswick, Emma; Donovan, Eric; Shprits, Yuri

2016-07-01

Energetic electrons in the 10's of keV range precipitate to the upper D- and lower E-region ionosphere, and are responsible for enhanced ionization. The same particles are important in the inner magnetosphere, as they provide a source of energy for waves, and thus relate to relativistic electron enhancements in Earth's radiation belts.In situ observations of plasma populations and waves are usually limited to a single point, which complicates temporal and spatial analysis. Also, the lifespan of satellite missions is often limited to several years which does not allow one to infer long-term climatology of particle precipitation, important for affecting ionospheric conditions at high latitudes. Multi-point remote sensing of the ionospheric plasma conditions can provide a global view of both ionospheric and magnetospheric conditions, and the coupling between magnetospheric and ionospheric phenomena can be examined on time-scales that allow comprehensive statistical analysis. In this study we utilize multi-point riometer measurements in conjunction with in situ satellite data, and physics-based modeling to investigate the spatio-temporal and energy-dependent response of riometer absorption. Quantifying this relationship may be a key to future advancements in our understanding of the complex D-region ionosphere, and may lead to enhanced specification of auroral precipitation both during individual events and over climatological time-scales.

Spectra of KeV Protons Related to Ion-Cyclotron Wave Packets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Sibeck, D. G.; Tel'Nikhin, A. A.; Kronberg, T. K.

2017-01-01

We use the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation to study the statistical aspects of stochastic dynamics of the radiation belt (RB) protons driven by nonlinear electromagnetic ion-cyclotron (EMIC) wave packets. We obtain the spectra of keV protons scattered by these waves that showsteeping near the gyroresonance, the signature of resonant wave-particle interaction that cannot be described by a simple power law. The most likely mechanism for proton precipitation events in RBs is shown to be nonlinear wave-particle interaction, namely, the scattering of RB protons into the loss cone by EMIC waves.

Precipitation of energetic magnetospheric electrons and accompanying solar wind characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazilevskaya, G. A.; Kalinin, M. S.; Kvashnin, A. N.; Krainev, M. B.; Makhmutov, V. S.; Svirzhevskaya, A. K.; Svirzhevsky, N. S.; Stozhkov, Yu. I.; Balabin, Yu. V.; Gvozdevsky, B. B.

2017-03-01

From 1957 up to the present time, the Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI) has performed regular monitoring of ionizing radiation in the Earth's atmosphere. There are cases when the X-ray radiation generated by energetic magnetospheric electrons penetrates the atmosphere and is observed at polar latitudes. The vast majority of these events occurs against the background of high-velocity solar wind streams, while magnetospheric perturbations related to interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are noneffective for precipitation. It is shown in the paper that ICMEs do not cause acceleration of a sufficient amount of electrons in the magnetosphere. Favorable conditions for acceleration and subsequent scattering of electrons into the loss cone are created by magnetic storms with an extended recovery phase and with sufficiently frequent periods of negative Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Such geomagnetic perturbations are typical for storms associated with high-velocity solar wind streams.

Simultaneous Precipitation of Solar Protons and Relativistic Electrons as a New Factor Affecting the Earth's Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirochkov, A. V.; Sokolov, S. N.

In the field of solar - terrestrial physics during the last decade there has been renewed interest in the effects produced in the Earth atmosphere and ionosphere by fluxes of precipitated highly relativistic electrons. A series of investigation on the subject (preferably by means of satellite measurements) was performed recently, which discussed different aspects of these phenomena called HRE events. More careful study of the HRE events revealed previously unnoticed geophysical phenomenon: a great majority of the solar proton events (SPE) were accompanied by simultaneous precipitation of relativistic electron fluxes. The studies of previous SPE events attributed their atmospheric and ionospheric effects entirely to the solar proton fluxes. It turned out that such an assumption is wrong. Therefore we have actually a new class of geophysical phenomena when the Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere experience combined impact of simultaneously precipitating fluxes of solar protons and relativistic electrons. If one takes into accounts effect of enhanced density of the solar wind during the SPEs (i.e. its dynamic pressure) the real situation during these combined events became more complicated. In this paper the effects during the storm of May 1992 are analyzed as an example of such unusual combination. The methods of separation of the effects produced by different precipitation particles are presented. Other similar events are considered to demonstrate that such complex events are not unique geophysical phenomena.

A Combined Model of Charging of the Surface and Bulk of a Dielectric Target by Electrons with the Energies 10-30 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zykov, V. M.; Neiman, D. A.

2018-04-01

A physico-mathematical model of the processes of radiation-induced charging of dielectric materials with open surfaces, irradiated with monoenergetic electrons in the energy range 10-30 keV, is described. The model takes into account the relationship between the processes of surface and bulk charging for the given conditions of the experimental design, which accounts for the effect of anomalously long charging of dielectrics after the incident energy of primary electrons during charging is reduced to below the second critical energy for the secondary electronic emission coefficient. The initial fast phase of charging a high-resistivity dielectric material (Al2O3) is investigated. It is shown that as the incident electron energy is approaching the second critical energy during charging, the secondary electronic emission is partially suppressed due to negative charging of the open surface of the dielectric and formation of a near-surface inversion electrical field retarding the electronic emission yield.

Single impacts of keV fullerene ions on free standing graphene: Emission of ions and electrons from confined volume

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verkhoturov, Stanislav V.; Geng, Sheng; Schweikert, Emile A., E-mail: schweikert@chem.tamu.edu

We present the first data from individual C{sub 60} impacting one to four layer graphene at 25 and 50 keV. Negative secondary ions and electrons emitted in transmission were recorded separately from each impact. The yields for C{sub n}{sup −} clusters are above 10% for n ≤ 4, they oscillate with electron affinities and decrease exponentially with n. The result can be explained with the aid of MD simulation as a post-collision process where sufficient vibrational energy is accumulated around the rim of the impact hole for sputtering of carbon clusters. The ionization probability can be estimated by comparing experimentalmore » yields of C{sub n}{sup −} with those of C{sub n}{sup 0} from MD simulation, where it increases exponentially with n. The ionization probability can be approximated with ejecta from a thermally excited (3700 K) rim damped by cluster fragmentation and electron detachment. The experimental electron probability distributions are Poisson-like. On average, three electrons of thermal energies are emitted per impact. The thermal excitation model invoked for C{sub n}{sup −} emission can also explain the emission of electrons. The interaction of C{sub 60} with graphene is fundamentally different from impacts on 3D targets. A key characteristic is the high degree of ionization of the ejecta.« less

Storm phase-partitioned rates and budgets of global Alfvénic energy deposition, electron precipitation, and ion outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatch, Spencer M.; LaBelle, James; Chaston, Christopher C.

2018-01-01

We review the role of Alfvén waves in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during geomagnetically active periods, and use three years of high-latitude FAST satellite observations of inertial Alfvén waves (IAWs) together with 55 years of tabulated measurements of the Dst index to answer the following questions: 1) How do global rates of IAW-related energy deposition, electron precipitation, and ion outflow during storm main phase and storm recovery phase compare with global rates during geomagnetically quiet periods? 2) What fraction of net IAW-related energy deposition, electron precipitation, and ion outflow is associated with storm main phase and storm recovery phase; that is, how are these budgets partitioned by storm phase? We find that during the period between October 1996 and November 1999, rates of IAW-related energy deposition, electron precipitation, and ion outflow during geomagnetically quiet periods are increased by factors of 4-5 during storm phases. We also find that ∼62-68% of the net Alfvénic energy deposition, electron precipitation, and ion outflow in the auroral ionosphere occurred during storm main and recovery phases, despite storm phases comprising only 31% of this period. In particular storm main phase, which comprised less than 14% of the three-year period, was associated with roughly a third of the total Alfvénic energy input and ion outflow in the auroral ionosphere. Measures of geomagnetic activity during the IAW study period fall near corresponding 55-year median values, from which we conclude that each storm phase is associated with a fraction of total Alfvénic energy, precipitation, and outflow budgets in the auroral ionosphere that is, in the long term, probably as great or greater than the fraction associated with geomagnetic quiescence for all times except possibly those when geomagnetic activity is protractedly weak, such as solar minimum. These results suggest that the budgets of IAW-related energy deposition, electron

Calculations of Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths. XI. Data for Liquid Water for Energies from 50 eV to 30 keV

PubMed Central

Shinotsuka, H.; Da, B.; Tanuma, S.; Yoshikawa, H.; Powell, C. J.; Penn, D. R.

2017-01-01

We calculated electron inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) for liquid water from its optical energy-loss function (ELF) for electron energies from 50 eV to 30 keV. These calculations were made with the relativistic full Penn algorithm (FPA) that has been used for previous IMFP and electron stopping-power calculations for many elemental solids. We also calculated IMFPs of water with three additional algorithms: the relativistic single-pole approximation (SPA), the relativistic simplified SPA, and the relativistic extended Mermin method. These calculations were made using the same optical ELF in order to assess any differences of the IMFPs arising from choice of the algorithm. We found good agreement among the IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies over 300 eV. For energies less than 100 eV, however, large differences became apparent. IMFPs from the relativistic TPP-2M equation for predicting IMFPs were in good agreement with IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies between 300 eV and 30 keV but there was poorer agreement for lower energies. We calculated values of the static structure factor as a function of momentum transfer from the FPA. The resulting values were in good agreement with results from first-principles calculations and with inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy experiments. We made comparisons of our IMFPs with earlier calculations from authors who had used different algorithms and different ELF data sets. IMFP differences could then be analyzed in terms of the algorithms and the data sets. Finally, we compared our IMFPs with measurements of IMFPs and of a related quantity, the effective attenuation length (EAL). There were large variations in the measured IMFPs and EALs (as well as their dependence on electron energy). Further measurements are therefore required to establish consistent data sets and for more detailed comparisons with calculated IMFPs. PMID:28751796

Calculations of Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths. XI. Data for Liquid Water for Energies from 50 eV to 30 keV.

PubMed

Shinotsuka, H; Da, B; Tanuma, S; Yoshikawa, H; Powell, C J; Penn, D R

2017-04-01

We calculated electron inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) for liquid water from its optical energy-loss function (ELF) for electron energies from 50 eV to 30 keV. These calculations were made with the relativistic full Penn algorithm (FPA) that has been used for previous IMFP and electron stopping-power calculations for many elemental solids. We also calculated IMFPs of water with three additional algorithms: the relativistic single-pole approximation (SPA), the relativistic simplified SPA, and the relativistic extended Mermin method. These calculations were made using the same optical ELF in order to assess any differences of the IMFPs arising from choice of the algorithm. We found good agreement among the IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies over 300 eV. For energies less than 100 eV, however, large differences became apparent. IMFPs from the relativistic TPP-2M equation for predicting IMFPs were in good agreement with IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies between 300 eV and 30 keV but there was poorer agreement for lower energies. We calculated values of the static structure factor as a function of momentum transfer from the FPA. The resulting values were in good agreement with results from first-principles calculations and with inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy experiments. We made comparisons of our IMFPs with earlier calculations from authors who had used different algorithms and different ELF data sets. IMFP differences could then be analyzed in terms of the algorithms and the data sets. Finally, we compared our IMFPs with measurements of IMFPs and of a related quantity, the effective attenuation length (EAL). There were large variations in the measured IMFPs and EALs (as well as their dependence on electron energy). Further measurements are therefore required to establish consistent data sets and for more detailed comparisons with calculated IMFPs.

Comment on "Pulsating Auroras Produced by Interactions of Electrons and Time Domain Structures" by Mozer Et Al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, Y.; Bortnik, J.; Li, W.; Angelopoulos, V.; Donovan, E. F.; Spanswick, E. L.

2018-03-01

Mozer et al. (2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024223) suggested that time domain structures (TDSs) drive pulsating aurora (with additional contributions by kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs)) and that chorus waves have negligible effects. In this comment, we point out that electrons scattered by TDS or KAW (dominantly at 0.1-3 keV, <1 s modulation) cannot explain key features of pulsating aurora, which require precipitation above a few keV with a couple of tens of second modulation. Their study did not conduct quantitative evaluations of wave-aurora correlation. The use of short burst mode data ( <10 s) may only cover a single pulse of pulsating aurora and is not suitable for examining connections to pulsating aurora. "Field-aligned" electrons do not necessarily represent loss cone population, and their characteristic energy (hundreds of eV) is much lower than typical precipitation over pulsating aurora. By reexamining the events studied by Mozer et al., we quantitatively demonstrate that TDS and KAW are uncorrelated with pulsating aurora and that only chorus waves showed high correlations with pulsating aurora. Occasional simultaneous occurrence of TDS/KAW and pulsating aurora is found to be coincidental, because the correlation over a time scale of minutes is poor. Several auroral features analyzed in that paper are not pulsating aurora but other types of aurora. We also show that the chorus-pulsating aurora correlation can last for 2 h or longer and can be used to highlight dynamic changes in magnetic field mapping. Chorus waves can resonate with electrons above a few keV and are in agreement with pulsating auroral properties.

Generation of Z mode radiation by diffuse auroral electron precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P. B.; Lyons, L. R.

1985-03-01

The generation of Z mode waves by diffuse auroral electron precipitation is investigated assuming that a loss cone exists in the upgoing portion of the distribution due to electron interactions with the atmosphere. The waves are generated at frequencies above, but very near, the local electron cyclotron frequency omega(e) and at wave normal angles larger than 90 deg. In agreement with Hewitt et al. (1983), the group velocity is directed downward in regions where the ratio of the upper hybrid frequency omega(pe) to Omega(e) is less than 0.5, so that Z mode waves excited above a satellite propagate toward it and away from the upper hybrid resonance. Z mode waves are excited in a frequency band between Omega(e) and about 1.02 Omega(e), and with maximum growth rates of about 0.001 Omega(e). The amplification length is about 100 km, which allows Z mode waves to grow to the intensities observed by high-altitude satellites.

Generation of Z mode radiation by diffuse auroral electron precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dusenbery, P. B.; Lyons, L. R.

1985-01-01

The generation of Z mode waves by diffuse auroral electron precipitation is investigated assuming that a loss cone exists in the upgoing portion of the distribution due to electron interactions with the atmosphere. The waves are generated at frequencies above, but very near, the local electron cyclotron frequency omega(e) and at wave normal angles larger than 90 deg. In agreement with Hewitt et al. (1983), the group velocity is directed downward in regions where the ratio of the upper hybrid frequency omega(pe) to Omega(e) is less than 0.5, so that Z mode waves excited above a satellite propagate toward it and away from the upper hybrid resonance. Z mode waves are excited in a frequency band between Omega(e) and about 1.02 Omega(e), and with maximum growth rates of about 0.001 Omega(e). The amplification length is about 100 km, which allows Z mode waves to grow to the intensities observed by high-altitude satellites.

Spatial and Temporal Energy Characterization of Precipitating Electrons for the January 10th, 1997 Magnetic Cloud Event

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, J. F., Jr.; Germany, G. A.; Brittnacher, M. J.; Parks, G. K.; Elsen, R.

1997-01-01

The January 10-11, 1997 magnetic cloud event provided a rare opportunity to study auroral energy deposition under varying but intense IMF conditions. The Wind spacecraft located about 100 RE upstream monitored the IMF and plasma parameters during the passing of the cloud. The Polar Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) observed the aurora[ precipitation during the first encounter of the cloud with Earth's magnetosphere and during several subsequent substorm events. The UVI has the unique capability of measuring the energy flux and characteristic energy of the precipitating electrons through the use of narrow band filters that distinguish short and long wavelength molecular nitrogen emissions. The spatial and temporal characteristics of the precipitating electron energy will be discussed beginning with the inception of the event at the Earth early January 1 Oth and continuing through the subsidence of auroral activity on January 11th.

Thermoluminescent response of LiF (TLD-100) to 5-30 keV electrons and the effect of annealing in various atmospheres.

PubMed

Lasky, J B; Moran, P R

1977-09-01

The response of single crystal and extruded ribbons of TLD-100 to 5-30 keV electrons was investigated. If annealing is done in a vacuum, the sensitivity of TLD-100 single crystals to these electrons and the resultant glow curve are essentially the same as when irradiation are carried out with 137Cs gamma rays. All discrepancies in sensitivity can then be accounted for by the higher LET of electrons. The commonly used 'standard annealing' at 400 degrees C for one hour produced a change in the glow curve shape and a loss in sensitivity in contrast to the vacuum anneal results. Diffusion of hydroxyl ions into the sample during air annealing is believed to be the primary cause for this change. These results explain the source of the 'dead layer' proposed to explain the variation with particle size of the luminescent efficiency of X-ray irradiated TLD-100 powder and the low TL efficiency from low energy electron irradiations. With the use of the vacuum annealing procedure, the same sensitivity and reproducibility can be achieved for the dosimetry of low energy electrons and other shallowly penetrating radiation as is currently achieved for the dosimetry of X-rays.

Calculations of stopping powers and inelastic mean free paths for 20 eV-20 keV electrons in 11 types of human tissue.

PubMed

Tan, Zhenyu; Liu, Wei

2013-12-01

Systematic calculations are performed for determining the stopping powers (SP) and inelastic mean free paths (IMFP) for 20 eV-20 keV electrons in 11 types of human tissue. The calculations are based on a dielectric model, including the Born-Ochkur exchange correction. The optical energy loss functions (OELF) are empirically evaluated, because of the lack of available experimental optical data for the 11 tissues under consideration. The evaluated OELFs are examined by the f-sum rule expected from the dielectric response theory, and by calculation of the mean excitation energy. The calculated SPs are compared with those for PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate, a tissue equivalent material) and liquid water. The SP and IMFP data presented here are the results for the 11 human tissues over the energy range of 20 eV-20 keV, and are of importance in radiotherapy planning and for studies of various radiation effects on human tissues. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nucleation of diamond by pure carbon ion bombardment—a transmission electron microscopy study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Y.; Liao, M. Y.; Wang, Z. G.; Lifshitz, Y.; Lee, S. T.

2005-08-01

A cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) study of a film deposited by a 1 keV mass-selected carbon ion beam onto silicon held at 800 °C is presented. Initially, a graphitic film with its basal planes perpendicular to the substrate is evolving. The precipitation of nanodiamond crystallites in upper layers is confirmed by HRTEM, selected area electron diffraction, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The nucleation of diamond on graphitic edges as predicted by Lambrecht et al. [W. R. L. Lambrecht, C. H. Lee, B. Segall, J. C. Angus, Z. Li, and M. Sunkara, Nature, 364 607 (1993)] is experimentally confirmed. The results are discussed in terms of our recent subplantation-based diamond nucleation model.

Lα and Mαβ X-ray production cross-sections of Bi by 6-30 keV electron impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Y.; Xu, M. X.; Yuan, Y.; Wu, Y.; Qian, Z. C.; Chang, C. H.; Mei, C. S.; Zhu, J. J.; Moharram, K.

2017-12-01

In this paper, the Lα and Mαβ X-ray production cross-sections for Bi impacted by 6-30 keV electron have been measured. The experiments were performed at a Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with a silicon drift detector. The thin film with thick C substrate and the thin film deposited on self-supporting thin C film were both used as the targets to make a comparison. For the thick carbon substrate target, the Monte Carlo method has been used to eliminate the contribution of backscattering particles. The measured data are compared with the DWBA theoretical model and the experimental results in the literature. The experimental data for the thin film with thick C substrate target and the thin film deposited on self-supporting thin C film target are within reasonable gaps. The DWBA theoretical model gives good fit to the experimental data both for L- and M- shells. Besides, we also analyze the reasons why the discrepancies exist between our measurements and the experimental results in the literature.

A search of UARS data for ozone depletions caused by the highly relativistic electron precipitation events of May 1992

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesnell, W. Dean; Goldberg, Richard A.; Jackman, Charles H.; Chenette, D. L.; Gaines, E. E.

1999-01-01

Highly relativistic electron precipitation (HRE) events containing significant fluxes of electrons with E>1MeV have been predicted by models to deplete mesospheric ozone. For the electron fluxes measured during the great HRE of May 1992, depletions were predicted to occur between altitudes of 55 and 80 km, where HOx reactions cause a local minimum in the ozone number density and mixing ratio. Measurements of the precipitating electron fluxes by the particle environment monitor (PEM) tend to underestimate their intensity; thus the predictions of ozone depletion should be considered an estimate of a lower limit. Since the horizontal distribution of the electron precipitation follows the terrestrial magnetic field, it would show a distinct boundary equatorward of the L=3 magnetic shell and be readily distinguished from material that was not affected by the HRE precipitation. To search for possible ozone depletion effects, we have analyzed data from the cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer and microwave limb sounder instruments on UARS for the above HRE. A simplified diurnal model is proposed to understand the ozone data from UARS, also illustrating the limitations of the UARS instruments for seeing the ozone depletions caused by the HRE events. This diurnal analysis limits the relative ozone depletion at around 60 km altitude to values of <10% during the very intense May 1992 event, consistent with our prediction using an improved Goddard Space Flight Center two-dimensional model.

Comparison of Dawn and Dusk Precipitating Electron Energy Populations Shortly After the Initial Shock for the January 10th, 1997 Magnetic Cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, J.; Germany, G.; Swift, W.; Parks, G.; Brittnacher, M.; Elsen, R.

1997-01-01

The observed precipitating electron energy between 0130 UT and 0400 UT of January 10 th, 1997, indicates that there is a more energetic precipitating electron population that appears in the auroral oval at 1800-2200 UT at 030) UT. This increase in energy occurs after the initial shock of the magnetic cloud reaches the Earth (0114 UT) and after faint but dynamic polar cap precipitation has been cleared out. The more energetic population is observed to remain rather constant in MLT through the onset of auroral activity (0330 UT) and to the end of the Polar spacecraft apogee pass. Data from the Ultraviolet Imager LBH long and LBH short images are used to quantify the average energy of the precipitating auroral electrons. The Wind spacecraft located about 100 RE upstream monitored the IMF and plasma parameters during the passing of the cloud. The affects of oblique angle viewing are included in the analysis. Suggestions as to the source of this hot electron population will be presented.

ISIS/EPI-Lo: A New Instrument for Measuring keV to MeV Ions and Electrons with Simultaneous Half-Sky Coverage on NASA's Solar Probe Plus Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, M. E.; Mitchell, D. G.; McNutt, R. L., Jr.; Cooper, S.; Crew, A. B.; Dupont, A.; Hayes, J.; Hoffer, E.; Nelson, K.; Parker, C.; Schlemm, C., II; Seifert, H.; Stokes, M.; Angold, N. G.; McComas, D. J.; Weidner, S.; Wiedenbeck, M. E.

2016-12-01

The Solar Probe Plus (SPP) Mission's Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS) is a suite of two energetic particle instruments, EPI-Lo and EPI-Hi, covering lower ( 10 keV-100 MeV) and higher ( 1-100 MeV/nuc) energies, respectively. The ISIS team will investigate the origins, acceleration, and transport of energetic particles in the corona and inner heliosphere during the planned 7-year, 24-orbit mission, with a perihelion initially of 0.16 AU (36 Solar radii; RS), the three final orbits reaching 0.044 AU (9.9 RS). EPI-Lo has a novel approach to obtaining large angular coverage, well-suited to 3-axis stabilized spacecraft such as SPP, by densely sampling its 2π steradian field of view with 80 apertures organized in eight matching, 10-aperture wedges. Each wedge relies primarily on time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer techniques, employing thin secondary-electron-emitting foils, microchannel plates, and solid state detectors (SSDs), to measure ions from 50 keV - 15 MeV and electrons from 50-500 keV. Signal attenuation, absorbers, TOF-only measurements, and SSD-only techniques are used to extend this energy range higher and lower. In 2015 and 2016 we made measurements with engineering units and flight-spare EPI-Lo wedges at accelerators and with radioactive sources; in addition to presenting the instrument design, we will report the results from these tests to characterize the instrument's measurement performance.

Anisotropic pitch angle distribution of 50 eV to 50 keV particles at synchronous altitude.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deforest, S. E.; Mcilwain, C. F.

1972-01-01

At times, the electron pitch angle distributions at synchronous orbit have been observed to be highly anisotropic. In the local morning region, distributions concentrated near 90 deg are often observed in particles of less than approximately 2000 V. This anisotropy decreases with increasing energy from 1 keV to the detector's limit at 50 keV. The time development of anisotropy is consistent with production by pitch angle scattering processes which are not effective on electrons with small velocities parallel to the magnetic field. Another type of distribution has been observed with the low-energy (below 1000 V) electrons concentrated parallel and antiparallel to the magnetic field. These distributions are only seen in the dusk sector, but this may be an orbital artifact.

A comparative study of inelastic scattering models at energy levels ranging from 0.5 keV to 10 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chia-Yu; Lin, Chun-Hung

2017-03-01

Six models, including a single-scattering model, four hybrid models, and one dielectric function model, were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations for aluminum and copper at incident beam energies ranging from 0.5 keV to 10 keV. The inelastic mean free path, mean energy loss per unit path length, and backscattering coefficients obtained by these models are compared and discussed to understand the merits of the various models. ANOVA (analysis of variance) statistical models were used to quantify the effects of inelastic cross section and energy loss models on the basis of the simulated results deviation from the experimental data for the inelastic mean free path, the mean energy loss per unit path length, and the backscattering coefficient, as well as their correlations. This work in this study is believed to be the first application of ANOVA models towards evaluating inelastic electron beam scattering models. This approach is an improvement over the traditional approach which involves only visual estimation of the difference between the experimental data and simulated results. The data suggests that the optimization of the effective electron number per atom, binding energy, and cut-off energy of an inelastic model for different materials at different beam energies is more important than the selection of inelastic models for Monte Carlo electron scattering simulation. During the simulations, parameters in the equations should be tuned according to different materials for different beam energies rather than merely employing default parameters for an arbitrary material. Energy loss models and cross-section formulas are not the main factors influencing energy loss. Comparison of the deviation of the simulated results from the experimental data shows a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between the backscattering coefficient and energy loss per unit path length. The inclusion of backscattering electrons generated by both primary and secondary electrons for

EMIC waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation on 25-26 January 2013

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Jichun; Halford, Alexa J.; Saikin, Anthony A.; ...

2016-10-28

Using measurements from the Van Allen Probes and the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL), we perform a case study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation (REP) observed on 25–26 January 2013. Among all the EMIC wave and REP events from the two missions, the pair of the events is the closest both in space and time. The Van Allen Probe-B detected significant EMIC waves at L = 2.1–3.9 and magnetic local time (MLT) = 21.0–23.4 for 53.5 min from 2353:00 UT, 25 January 2013. Meanwhile, BARREL-1T observed clear precipitation of relativistic electronsmore » at L = 4.2–4.3 and MLT = 20.7–20.8 for 10.0 min from 2358 UT, 25 January 2013. Local plasma and field conditions for the excitation of the EMIC waves, wave properties, electron minimum resonant energy E min, and electron pitch angle diffusion coefficient D αα of a sample EMIC wave packet are examined along with solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, geomagnetic activity, and results from the spectral analysis of the BARREL balloon observations to investigate the two types of events. The events occurred in the early main phase of a moderate storm (min. Dst* = -51.0 nT). The EMIC wave event consists of two parts. Finally, unlike the first part, the second part of the EMIC wave event was locally generated and still in its source region. It is found that the REP event is likely associated with the EMIC wave event.« less

EMIC waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation on 25-26 January 2013

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Jichun; Halford, Alexa J.; Saikin, Anthony A.

Using measurements from the Van Allen Probes and the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL), we perform a case study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation (REP) observed on 25–26 January 2013. Among all the EMIC wave and REP events from the two missions, the pair of the events is the closest both in space and time. The Van Allen Probe-B detected significant EMIC waves at L = 2.1–3.9 and magnetic local time (MLT) = 21.0–23.4 for 53.5 min from 2353:00 UT, 25 January 2013. Meanwhile, BARREL-1T observed clear precipitation of relativistic electronsmore » at L = 4.2–4.3 and MLT = 20.7–20.8 for 10.0 min from 2358 UT, 25 January 2013. Local plasma and field conditions for the excitation of the EMIC waves, wave properties, electron minimum resonant energy E min, and electron pitch angle diffusion coefficient D αα of a sample EMIC wave packet are examined along with solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, geomagnetic activity, and results from the spectral analysis of the BARREL balloon observations to investigate the two types of events. The events occurred in the early main phase of a moderate storm (min. Dst* = -51.0 nT). The EMIC wave event consists of two parts. Finally, unlike the first part, the second part of the EMIC wave event was locally generated and still in its source region. It is found that the REP event is likely associated with the EMIC wave event.« less

Diagnostics for the optimization of an 11 keV inverse Compton scattering x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauchat, A.-S.; Brasile, J.-P.; Le Flanchec, V.; Nègre, J.-P.; Binet, A.; Ortega, J.-M.

2013-04-01

In a scope of a collaboration between Thales Communications & Security and CEA DAM DIF, 11 keV Xrays were produced by inverse Compton scattering on the ELSA facility. In this type of experiment, X-ray observation lies in the use of accurate electron and laser beam interaction diagnostics and on fitted X-ray detectors. The low interaction probability between < 100 μm width, 12 ps [rms] length electron and photon pulses requires careful optimization of pulse spatial and temporal covering. Another issue was to observe 11 keV X-rays in the ambient radioactive noise of the linear accelerator. For that, we use a very sensitive detection scheme based on radio luminescent screens.

Evaluation of the 1077 keV γ-ray emission probability from 68Ga decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiao-Long; Jiang, Li-Yang; Chen, Xiong-Jun; Chen, Guo-Chang

2014-04-01

68Ga decays to the excited states of 68Zn through the electron capture decay mode. New recommended values for the emission probability of 1077 keV γ-ray given by the ENSDF and DDEP databases all use data from absolute measurements. In 2011, JIANG Li-Yang deduced a new value for 1077 keV γ-ray emission probability by measuring the 69Ga(n,2n) 68Ga reaction cross section. The new value is about 20% lower than values obtained from previous absolute measurements and evaluations. In this paper, the discrepancies among the measurements and evaluations are analyzed carefully and the new values are re-recommended. Our recommended value for the emission probability of 1077 keV γ-ray is (2.72±0.16)%.

Jovian Auroral Ion Precipitation: Field-Aligned Currents and Ultraviolet Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houston, S. J.; Ozak, N.; Young, J.; Cravens, T. E.; Schultz, D. R.

2018-03-01

A model is described for the transport of magnetospheric oxygen ions with low charge state and energies up to several MeV/nucleon (MeV/u) as they precipitate into Jupiter's polar atmosphere. A revised and updated hybrid Monte Carlo model originally developed by Ozak et al. (2010, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JA015635) is used to model the Jovian X-ray aurora. The current model uses a wide range of incident oxygen ion energies (10 keV/u to 5 MeV/u) and the most up-to-date collision cross sections. In addition, the effects of the secondary electrons generated from the heavy ion precipitation are included using a two-stream transport model that computes the secondary electron fluxes and their escape from the atmosphere. The model also determines H2 Lyman-Werner band emission intensities, including a predicted spectrum and the associated color ratio. Implications of the new model results for interpretation of data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Juno mission are discussed. In particular, the model predicts that for a 2 MeV/u oxygen ion energy input of 10 mW/m2: (1) escaping electrons are produced with an energy range from 1 eV to 4 keV, which is a smaller range than previous models by Ozak et al. (2013, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL50812) predicted, (2) H2 band emission rates of 75 kR are generated, similar to previous estimates, and (3) a newly calculated Lyman and Werner band color ratio of 10 is expected. The color ratios are put into a context of various methane number density distributions.

Effect of electron irradiation dose on the performance of avalanche photodiode electron detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawauchi, Taizo; Wilde, Markus; Fukutani, Katsuyuki

2009-01-01

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are efficient detectors for electrons with energies below 100 keV. The damaging effects of 8 keV electron beam irradiation on the dark current and the output signal of the APD detector were investigated in this study. The APD dark current increases after electron doses exceeding 1.4x10{sup 13} cm{sup -2}. Preirradiation by high doses of 8 keV electrons further causes a deformation of the pulse height distribution of the APD output in the subsequent detection of low-flux electrons. This effect is particularly prominent when the energy of the detected electrons is lower than that of the damaging electrons.more » By comparing the experimental data with results of a simulation based on an electron trapping model, we conclude that the degradation of the APD performance is attributable to an enhancement of secondary-electron trapping at irradiation induced defects.« less

Electron Stimulated Desorption Yields at the Mercury's Surface Based On Hybrid Simulation Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Travnicek, P. M.; Schriver, D.; Orlando, T. M.; Hellinger, P.

2016-12-01

In terms of previous research concerning the solar wind sputtering process, most of the focus has been on ion sputtering by precipitating solar wind protons, however, precipitating electrons can also result in the desorption of neutrals and ions from Mercury's surface and represents a potentially significant source of exospheric and heavy ion components. Electron stimulated desorption (ESD) is not bound by optical selection rules and electron impact energies can vary over a much wider range, including core-level excitations that easily lead to multi-electron shake up events that can cascade into localized multiple charged states that Coulomb explode with extreme kinetic energy release (up to 8 eV = 186,000 K). While considered for the lunar exosphere, ESD has not been adequately studied or quantified as a producer of neutrals and ions. ESD is a well known process which involves the excitation (often ionization) of a surface target followed by charge ejection, bond breaking and ion expulsion due to the resultant Coulomb repulsion. Though the role of ESD processes has not been discussed much with respect to Mercury, the impinging energetic electrons that are transported through the magnetosphere and precipitate can induce significant material removal. Given the energetics and the wide band-gap nature of the minerals, the departing material may also be primarily ionic. The possible role of 5 eV - 1 keV electron stimulated desorption and dissociation in "weathering" the regolith can be significant. ESD yields will be calculated based on the ion and electron precipitation profiles for the already carried out hybrid and electron simulations. Neutral and ion cloud profiles around Mercury will be calculated and combined with those profiles expected from PSD and MIV.

Primary and secondary precipitates in a hierarchical-precipitate-strengthened ferritic alloy

DOE PAGES

Song, Gian; Sun, Zhiqian; Poplawsky, Jonathan D.; ...

2017-02-27

The microstructures of a hierarchical-precipitate-strengthened ferritic alloy are characterized, using transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) and atom-probe tomography (APT). The alloy shows duplex precipitates. The primary precipitate with an average edge length of 90 nm consists of NiAl- and Ni2TiAl-type phases, while the secondary precipitate with an average radius of 2 nm is a NiAl-type phase. Based on the APT results, the volume fractions of the primary and secondary precipitates were calculated, using the lever rule to be 17.3 and 2.3 %, respectively.

Changes in the concentration of mesospheric O3 and OH during a highly relativistic electron precipitation event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, R. A.; Jackman, C. H.; Baker, D. N.; Herrero, F. A.

Highly relativistic electron precipitation events (HREs) can provide a major source of energy affecting ionization levels and minor constituents in the mesosphere. Based on satellite data, these events are most pronounced during the minimum of the solar sunspot cycle, increasing in intensity, spectral hardness and frequency of occurrence as solar activity declines. Furthermore, although the precipitating flux is modulated diurnally in local time, the noontime maximum is very broad, exceeding several hours. Since such events can be sustained up to several days, their integrated effect in the mesosphere can dominate over those of other external sources such as relativistic electron precipitation events (REPs) and auroral precipitation. In this work, the effects of HRE relativistic electrons on the neutral minor constituents OH and O3 are modeled during a modest HRE, to estimate their anticipated impact on mesospheric heating and dynamics. The data to be discussed and analyzed were obtained by rocket at Poker Flat, Alaska on May 13, 1990 during an HRE observed at midday near the peak of the sunspot cycle. Solid state detectors were used to measure the electron fluxes and their energy spectra. An x-ray scintillator was included to measure bremsstrahlung x-rays produced by energetic electrons impacting the upper atmosphere; however, these were found to make a negligible contribution to the energy deposition during this particular HRE event. Hence, the energy deposition produced by the highly relativistic electrons dominated within the mesosphere and was used exclusively to infer changes in the middle atmospheric minor constituent abundances. By employing a two-dimensional photochemical model developed for this region at Goddard Space Fight Center, it has been found that for this event, peak modifications in the neutral minor species occurred near 80 km. A maximum enhancement for OH was calculated to be over 40% at the latitude of the launch site, which in turn induced a

Ultraviolet aurora on outer planets: morphology and remote sensing of electron precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerard, Jean-Claude; Bisikalo, Dmitry; Shematovich, Valery; Soret, Lauriane

2016-07-01

The aurora is the result of the interaction between energetic particles and the upper atmosphere of a planet. Generally, energetic particles from the magnetosphere penetrate the atmosphere, partly deposit their energy and are partly reflected. Their collisional interactions with the atmospheric atoms and molecules heat the atmosphere and produce auroral emissions. Consequently, the aurora then bears the signature of both the acceleration mechanism and the atmospheric structure and composition. Jupiter's UV auroral H2 and H emissions are generally divided into several components. The main auroral emission at Jupiter is associated with the giant current loop connecting the region of co-rotation breakdown in the middle magnetosphere with the ionosphere. The polar emissions observed inside the main emission are very variable over short timescales. The observed diffuse emission equatorward of the main emission is most likely related to precipitation resulting from wave-particle interactions. Finally, the satellite magnetic footprints are created by accelerated electrons resulting from the interaction between the Galilean moons and the plasma in the Jovian magnetosphere. Saturn's magnetosphere and its aurorae appear to be both solar wind driven as the terrestrial magnetosphere and rotationally dominated, similarly to Jupiter. In addition to the main auroral ring, transient features have been recently identified. Uranus displays aurorae quite different from the other two with faint small-size structures appearing following solar storm activity. These different processes are probably associated with different energy spectra of the precipitated electrons. We present an overview of recent results concerning the relation between morphology, variability and remote sensing of the auroral electron energy in the different components. We show that mapping the UV color ratio is a powerful tool to globally characterize the electron precipitation and the flux-energy relation

On the Relation Between Soft Electron Precipitations in the Cusp Region and Solar Wind Coupling Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Tong; Zhang, Binzheng; Wiltberge, Michael; Wang, Wenbin; Varney, Roger; Dou, Xiankang; Wan, Weixing; Lei, Jiuhou

2018-01-01

In this study, the correlations between the fluxes of precipitating soft electrons in the cusp region and solar wind coupling functions are investigated utilizing the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetosphere model simulations. We conduct two simulation runs during periods from 20 March 2008 to 16 April 2008 and from 15 to 24 December 2014, which are referred as "Equinox Case" and "Solstice Case," respectively. The simulation results of Equinox Case show that the plasma number density in the high-latitude cusp region scales well with the solar wind number density (ncusp/nsw=0.78), which agrees well with the statistical results from the Polar spacecraft measurements. For the Solstice Case, the plasma number density of high-latitude cusp in both hemispheres increases approximately linearly with upstream solar wind number density with prominent hemispheric asymmetry. Due to the dipole tilt effect, the average number density ratio ncusp/nsw in the Southern (summer) Hemisphere is nearly 3 times that in the Northern (winter) Hemisphere. In addition to the solar wind number density, 20 solar wind coupling functions are tested for the linear correlation with the fluxes of precipitating cusp soft electrons. The statistical results indicate that the solar wind dynamic pressure p exhibits the highest linear correlation with the cusp electron fluxes for both equinox and solstice conditions, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.75. The linear regression relations for equinox and solstice cases may provide an empirical calculation for the fluxes of cusp soft electron precipitation based on the upstream solar wind driving conditions.

Development and Testing of UCLA's Electron Losses and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) Instrument Payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkins, C.; Bingley, L.; Angelopoulos, V.; Caron, R.; Cruce, P. R.; Chung, M.; Rowe, K.; Runov, A.; Liu, J.; Tsai, E.

2017-12-01

UCLA's Electron Losses and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) is a 3U+ CubeSat mission designed to study relativistic particle precipitation in Earth's polar regions from Low Earth Orbit. Upon its 2018 launch, ELFIN will aim to address an important open question in Space Physics: Are Electromagnetic Ion-Cyclotron (EMIC) waves the dominant source of pitch-angle scattering of high-energy radiation belt charged particles into Earth's atmosphere during storms and substorms? Previous studies have indicated these scattering events occur frequently during storms and substorms, and ELFIN will be the first mission to study this process in-situ.Paramount to ELFIN's success is its instrument suite consisting of an Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) and a Fluxgate Magnetometer (FGM). The EPD is comprised of two collimated solid-state detector stacks which will measure the incident flux of energetic electrons from 50 keV to 4 MeV and ions from 50 keV to 300 keV. The FGM is a 3-axis magnetic field sensor which will capture the local magnetic field and its variations at frequencies up to 5 Hz. The ELFIN spacecraft spins perpendicular to the geomagnetic field to provide 16 pitch-angle particle data sectors per revolution. Together these factors provide the capability to address the nature of radiation belt particle precipitation by pitch-angle scattering during storms and substorms.ELFIN's instrument development has progressed into the late Engineering Model (EM) phase and will soon enter Flight Model (FM) development. The instrument suite is currently being tested and calibrated at UCLA using a variety of methods including the use of radioactive sources and applied magnetics to simulate orbit conditions during spin sectoring. We present the methods and test results from instrument calibration and performance validation.

Precipitated Fluxes of Radiation Belt Electrons via Injection of Whistler-Mode Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, P.; Inan, U. S.; Bell, T. F.

2005-12-01

Inan et al. (U.S. Inan et al., Controlled precipitation of radiation belt electrons, Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, 108 (A5), 1186, doi: 10.1029/2002JA009580, 2003.) suggested that the lifetime of energetic (a few MeV) electrons in the inner radiation belts may be moderated by in situ injection of whistler mode waves at frequencies of a few kHz. We use the Stanford 2D VLF raytracing program (along with an accurate estimation of the path-integrated Landau damping based on data from the HYDRA instrument on the POLAR spacecraft) to determine the distribution of wave energy throughout the inner radiation belts as a function of injection point, wave frequency and injection wave normal angle. To determine the total wave power injected and its initial distribution in k-space (i.e., wave-normal angle), we apply the formulation of Wang and Bell ( T.N.C. Wang and T.F. Bell, Radiation resistance of a short dipole immersed in a cold magnetoionic medium, Radio Science, 4 (2), 167-177, February 1969) for an electric dipole antenna placed at a variety of locations throughout the inner radiation belts. For many wave frequencies and wave normal angles the results establish that most of the radiated power is concentrated in waves whose wave normals are located near the resonance cone. The combined use of the radiation pattern and ray-tracing including Landau damping allows us to make quantitative estimates of the magnetospheric distribution of wave power density for different source injection points. We use these results to estimate the number of individual space-based transmitters needed to significantly impact the lifetimes of energetic electrons in the inner radiation belts. Using the wave power distribution, we finally determine the energetic electron pitch angle scattering and the precipitated flux signatures that would be detected.

The influence of electron discharge and magnetic field on calcium carbonate (CaCO{sub 3}) precipitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Putro, Triswantoro, E-mail: tris@physics.its.ac.id; Endarko, E-mail: endarko@physics.its.ac.id

The influences of electron discharge and magnetic field on calcium carbonate (CaCO{sub 3}) precipitation in water have been successfully investigated. The study used three pairs of magnetic field 0.1 T whilst the electron discharge was generated from television flyback transformer type BW00607 and stainless steel SUS 304 as an electrode. The water sample with an initial condition of 230 mg/L placed in the reactor with flow rate 375 mL/minutes, result showed that the electron discharge can be reduced contain of calcium carbonate the water sample around 17.39% within 2 hours. Meanwhile for the same long period of treatment and flow rate, aroundmore » 56.69% from initial condition of 520 mg/L of calcium carbonate in the water sample can be achieved by three pairs of magnetic field 0.1 T. When the combination of three pairs of magnetic field 0.1 T and the electron discharge used for treatment, the result showed that the combination of electron discharge and magnetic field methods can be used to precipitate calcium carbonate in the water sample 300 mg/L around 76.66% for 2 hours of treatment. The study then investigated the influence of the polar position of the magnetic field on calcium carbonate precipitation. Two positions of magnetic field were tested namely the system with alternated polar magnetics and the system without inversion of the polar magnetics. The influence of the polar position showed that the percentage reduction in levels of calcium carbonate in the water sample (360 mg/L) is significant different. Result showed that the system without inversion of the polar magnetics is generally lower than the system with alternated polar magnetics, with reduction level at 30.55 and 57.69%, respectively.« less

Spatial relationship of field-aligned currents, electron precipitation, and plasma convection in the auroral oval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coley, W. R.

1983-01-01

Observations reported by Winningham et al. (1975) have established that the auroral oval mapped to the magnetosphere along closed field lines divided the oval into two distinct regions of particle precipitation. In order to determine relationships between field-aligned current, convection, and particle precipitation, simultaneous measurements of all quantities are needed. The studies of Bythrow et al. (1980, 1981) have utilized Atmosphere Explorer C data for sunlit passes of the high-latitude ionosphere. The addition of magnetometer information for the eclipsed high-latitude passes of the Atmospheric Explorer C spacecraft makes it possible to make simultaneous measurements of Birkeland currents, plasma convection, and electron precipitation in the nightside auroral oval and polar cap. The present investigation provides the results of such observations, discusses the observed relationships, and attempts to correlate boundaries.

Energetic Electron Acceleration and Injection During Dipolarization Events in Mercury's Magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewey, Ryan M.; Slavin, James A.; Raines, Jim M.; Baker, Daniel N.; Lawrence, David J.

2017-12-01

Energetic particle bursts associated with dipolarization events within Mercury's magnetosphere were first observed by Mariner 10. The events appear analogous to particle injections accompanying dipolarization events at Earth. The Energetic Particle Spectrometer (3 s resolution) aboard MESSENGER determined the particle bursts are composed entirely of electrons with energies ≳ 300 keV. Here we use the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer high-time-resolution (10 ms) energetic electron measurements to examine the relationship between energetic electron injections and magnetic field dipolarization in Mercury's magnetotail. Between March 2013 and April 2015, we identify 2,976 electron burst events within Mercury's magnetotail, 538 of which are closely associated with dipolarization events. These dipolarizations are detected on the basis of their rapid ( 2 s) increase in the northward component of the tail magnetic field (ΔBz 30 nT), which typically persists for 10 s. Similar to those at Earth, we find that these dipolarizations appear to be low-entropy, depleted flux tubes convecting planetward following the collapse of the inner magnetotail. We find that electrons experience brief, yet intense, betatron and Fermi acceleration during these dipolarizations, reaching energies 130 keV and contributing to nightside precipitation. Thermal protons experience only modest betatron acceleration. While only 25% of energetic electron events in Mercury's magnetotail are directly associated with dipolarization, the remaining events are consistent with the Near-Mercury Neutral Line model of magnetotail injection and eastward drift about Mercury, finding that electrons may participate in Shabansky-like closed drifts about the planet. Magnetotail dipolarization may be the dominant source of energetic electron acceleration in Mercury's magnetosphere.

Observation of Long Ionospheric Recoveries from Lightning-induced Electron Precipitation Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadpour Salut, M.; Cohen, M.

2015-12-01

Lightning strokes induces lower ionospheric nighttime disturbances which can be detected through Very Low Frequency (VLF) remote sensing via at least two means: (1) direct heating and ionization, known as an Early event, and (2) triggered precipitation of energetic electrons from the radiation belts, known as Lightning-induced Electron Precipitation (LEP). For each, the ionospheric recover time is typically a few minutes or less. A small class of Early events have been identified as having unusually long ionospheric recoveries (10s of minutes), with the underlying mechanism still in question. Our study shows for the first time that some LEP events also demonstrate unusually long recovery. The VLF events were detected by visual inspection of the recorded data in both the North-South and East-West magnetic fields. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) are used to determine the location and peak current of the lightning responsible for each lightning-associated VLF perturbation. LEP or Early VLF events are determined by measuring the time delay between the causative lightning discharges and the onset of all lightning-associated perturbations. LEP events typically possess an onset delay greater than ~ 200 msec following the causative lightning discharges, while the onset of Early VLF events is time-aligned (<20 msec) with the lightning return stroke. Nonducted LEP events are distinguished from ducted events based on the location of the causative lightning relative to the precipitation region. From 15 March to 20 April and 15 October to 15 November 2011, a total of 385 LEP events observed at Indiana, Montana, Colorado and Oklahoma VLF sites, on the NAA, NLK and NML transmitter signals. 46 of these events exhibited a long recovery. It has been found that the occurrence rate of ducted long recovery LEP events is higher than nonducted. Of the 46 long recovery LEP events, 33 events were induced by ducted whistlers, and 13 events were associated with

Cusp Electron Populations During a Neutral Upwelling Event: Measurements from RENU2 and MMS Conjunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenward, D. R.; Lessard, M.; Lynch, K. A.; Hysell, D. L.; Hecht, J. H.; Clemmons, J. H.; Crowley, G.; Cohen, I. J.; Sigernes, F.; Oksavik, K.; Yeoman, T. K.; Lee, S. H.; Burch, J. L.

2016-12-01

The Rocket Experiment for Neutral Upwelling (RENU2) NASA sounding rocket mission launched into the dayside cusp region from the Andøya Space Center at 07:34 UT on 13 December 2015. The Electron Plasma (EPLAS) instrument provided by University of New Hampshire measured the energy distribution of electrons from 10 eV to 15 keV in 1 ms time steps. This allowed for measurements of small-scale structures within the Poleward Moving Auroral Forms (PMAFs) observed by RENU2. In addition, EPLAS had a 360 degree field of view with 10 degree angular resolution to record pitch angle information of the precipitating electron population. This presentation reports the details and results of a new algorithm developed to define the field-aligned (FA) electron population and determine the precipitating energy flux. Electron energy spectra observations from the rocket are presented along with simultaneous particle and field observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft at the dayside magnetopause. This conjunction between RENU2 and MMS presents a unique and ideal opportunity to study the in situ dynamics of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling in the cusp along with dayside reconnection.

Transmission electron microscopy study of precipitates in an artificially aged Al–12.7Si–0.7Mg alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Fang; Yu, Fuxiao, E-mail: fxyu@mail.neu.edu.cn; Zhao, Dazhi

2015-09-15

An investigation of Al–12.7Si–0.7Mg alloy aged at 160 °C, 180 °C and 200 °C for 3 h was carried out in order to identify the precipitating phases. Regular transmission and high resolution electron microscopy (TEM and HREM) were employed for this purpose. The studies were focused on the dark spots and needle-shaped precipitates lying in (001){sub Al} plane. Based on the HREM observations, dark spots and needle-shaped precipitates have different characteristics. The results revealed that the ellipsoidal and needle-shaped precipitates along <100> direction of the matrix coexist in the alloy by tilting experiments at given aging condition. The ellipsoidal darkmore » spot precipitates viewing along [001]{sub Al} is not cross-sectional image of needle-shaped precipitates along <001>{sub Al}. Needle-shaped precipitate is coherent with the matrix. The diffraction pattern associated with the ellipsoidal precipitates is consistent with β″ reported in literature. - Highlights: • Wrought Al–Si–Mg alloy has been investigated to identify the precipitating phases. • The ellipsoidal and needle-shaped precipitates coexist in wrought Al–Si–Mg alloy. • The needle-shaped and ellipsoidal precipitates exhibit different characteristics.« less

Long-term determination of energetic electron precipitation into the atmosphere from AARDDVARK subionospheric VLF observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neal, Jason J.; Rodger, Craig J.; Clilverd, Mark A.; Thomson, Neil R.; Raita, Tero; Ulich, Thomas

2015-03-01

We analyze observations of subionospherically propagating very low frequency (VLF) radio waves to determine outer radiation belt energetic electron precipitation (EEP) flux magnitudes. The radio wave receiver in Sodankylä, Finland (Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory) observes signals from the transmitter with call sign NAA (Cutler, Maine). The receiver is part of the Antarctic-Arctic Radiation-belt Dynamic Deposition VLF Atmospheric Research Konsortia (AARDDVARK). We use a near-continuous data set spanning November 2004 until December 2013 to determine the long time period EEP variations. We determine quiet day curves over the entire period and use these to identify propagation disturbances caused by EEP. Long Wave Propagation Code radio wave propagation modeling is used to estimate the precipitating electron flux magnitudes from the observed amplitude disturbances, allowing for solar cycle changes in the ambient D region and dynamic variations in the EEP energy spectra. Our method performs well during the summer months when the daylit ionosphere is most stable but fails during the winter. From the summer observations, we have obtained 693 days worth of hourly EEP flux magnitudes over the 2004-2013 period. These AARDDVARK-based fluxes agree well with independent satellite precipitation measurements during high-intensity events. However, our method of EEP detection is 10-50 times more sensitive to low flux levels than the satellite measurements. Our EEP variations also show good agreement with the variation in lower band chorus wave powers, providing some confidence that chorus is the primary driver for the outer belt precipitation we are monitoring.

Energy-dependent dynamics of keV to MeV electrons in the inner zone, outer zone, and slot regions

DOE PAGES

Reeves, Geoffrey D.; Friedel, Reiner H. W.; Larsen, Brian A.; ...

2016-01-28

Here, we present observations of the radiation belts from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron and Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer particle detectors on the Van Allen Probes satellites that illustrate the energy dependence and L shell dependence of radiation belt enhancements and decays. We survey events in 2013 and analyze an event on 1 March in more detail. The observations show the following: (a) at all L shells, lower energy electrons are enhanced more often than higher energies; (b) events that fill the slot region are more common at lower energies; (c) enhancements of electrons in the inner zone are moremore » common at lower energies; and (d) even when events do not fully fill the slot region, enhancements at lower energies tend to extend to lower L shells than higher energies. During enhancement events the outer zone extends to lower L shells at lower energies while being confined to higher L shells at higher energies. The inner zone shows the opposite with an outer boundary at higher L shells for lower energies. Both boundaries are nearly straight in log(energy) versus L shell space. At energies below a few 100 keV, radiation belt electron penetration through the slot region into the inner zone is commonplace, but the number and frequency of “slot filling” events decreases with increasing energy. The inner zone is enhanced only at energies that penetrate through the slot. Energy- and L shell-dependent losses (that are consistent with whistler hiss interactions) return the belts to more quiescent conditions.« less

Investigation of the effective atomic numbers of dosimetric materials for electrons, protons and alpha particles using a direct method in the energy region 10 keV-1 GeV: a comparative study.

PubMed

Kurudirek, Murat; Aksakal, Oğuz; Akkuş, Tuba

2015-11-01

A direct method has been used for the first time, to compute effective atomic numbers (Z eff) of water, air, human tissues, and some organic and inorganic compounds, for total electron proton and alpha particle interaction in the energy region 10 keV-1 GeV. The obtained values for Z eff were then compared to those obtained using an interpolation procedure. In general, good agreement has been observed for electrons, and the difference (%) in Z eff between the results of the direct and the interpolation method was found to be <10 % for all materials, in the energy range from 10 keV to 1 MeV. More specifically, results of the two methods were found to agree well (Dif. <10 %) for air, calcium fluoride, kapton polyimide film, paraffin wax and plastic scintillator in the entire energy region with respect to the total electron interaction. On the other hand, values for Z eff calculated using both methods for protons and alpha particles generally agree with each other in the high-energy region above 10 MeV.

A General Precipitation-limited L X–T–R Relation among Early-type Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voit, G. Mark; Ma, C. P.; Greene, J.; Goulding, A.; Pandya, V.; Donahue, M.; Sun, M.

2018-01-01

The relation between X-ray luminosity (L X) and ambient gas temperature (T) among massive galactic systems is an important cornerstone of both observational cosmology and galaxy-evolution modeling. In the most massive galaxy clusters, the relation is determined primarily by cosmological structure formation. In less massive systems, it primarily reflects the feedback response to radiative cooling of circumgalactic gas. Here we present a simple but powerful model for the L X–T relation as a function of physical aperture R within which those measurements are made. The model is based on the precipitation framework for AGN feedback and assumes that the circumgalactic medium is precipitation-regulated at small radii and limited by cosmological structure formation at large radii. We compare this model with many different data sets and show that it successfully reproduces the slope and upper envelope of the L X–T–R relation over the temperature range from ∼0.2 keV through ≳ 10 {keV}. Our findings strongly suggest that the feedback mechanisms responsible for regulating star formation in individual massive galaxies have much in common with the precipitation-triggered feedback that appears to regulate galaxy-cluster cores.

Nowcast model for low-energy electrons in the inner magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganushkina, N. Yu.; Amariutei, O. A.; Welling, D.; Heynderickx, D.

2015-01-01

We present the nowcast model for low-energy (<200 keV) electrons in the inner magnetosphere, which is the version of the Inner Magnetosphere Particle Transport and Acceleration Model (IMPTAM) for electrons. Low-energy electron fluxes are very important to specify when hazardous satellite surface-charging phenomena are considered. The presented model provides the low-energy electron flux at all L shells and at all satellite orbits, when necessary. The model is driven by the real-time solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters with 1 h time shift for propagation to the Earth's magnetopause and by the real time Dst index. Real-time geostationary GOES 13 or GOES 15 (whenever each is available) data on electron fluxes in three energies, such as 40 keV, 75 keV, and 150 keV, are used for comparison and validation of IMPTAM running online. On average, the model provides quite reasonable agreement with the data; the basic level of the observed fluxes is reproduced. The best agreement between the modeled and the observed fluxes are found for <100 keV electrons. At the same time, not all the peaks and dropouts in the observed electron fluxes are reproduced. For 150 keV electrons, the modeled fluxes are often smaller than the observed ones by an order of magnitude. The normalized root-mean-square deviation is found to range from 0.015 to 0.0324. Though these metrics are buoyed by large standard deviations, owing to the dynamic nature of the fluxes, they demonstrate that IMPTAM, on average, predicts the observed fluxes satisfactorily. The computed binary event tables for predicting high flux values within each 1 h window reveal reasonable hit rates being 0.660-0.318 for flux thresholds of 5 ·104-2 ·105 cm-2 s-1 sr-1 keV-1 for 40 keV electrons, 0.739-0.367 for flux thresholds of 3 ·104-1 ·105 cm-2 s-1 sr-1 keV-1 for 75 keV electrons, and 0.485-0.438 for flux thresholds of 3 ·103-3.5 ·103 cm-2 s-1 sr-1 keV-1 for 150 keV electrons but rather small Heidke

Field aligned currents and the auroral spectrum below 1 keV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnoldy, R. L.

1973-01-01

Measurements during auroral events were conducted with the aid of detectors flown aboard three Nike-Tomahawk rocket flights. The detectors used to measure the auroral spectrum below 1 keV consisted of electrostatic analyzers positioned in the rocket to measure particles moving up and down the magnetic field lines. The analyzers measured electrons and protons simultaneously during a given sweep.

The determination of interplanetary magnetic field polarities around sector boundaries using E greater than 2 keV electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahler, S.; Lin, R. P.

1994-01-01

The determination of the polarities of interplanetary magnetic fields (whether the field direction is outward from or inward toward the sun) has been based on a comparison of observed field directions with the nominal Parker spiral angle. These polarities can be mapped back to the solar source field polarities. This technique fails when field directions deviate substantially from the Parker angle or when fields are substantially kinked. We introduce a simple new technique to determine the polarities of interplanetary fields using E greater than 2 keV interplanetary electrons which stream along field lines away from the sun. Those electrons usually show distinct unidirectional pitch-angle anisotropies either parallel or anti-parallel to the field. Since the electron flow direction is known to be outward from the sun, the anisotropies parallel to the field indicate outward-pointing, positive-polarity fields, and those anti-parallel indicate inward-pointing, negative-polarity fields. We use data from the UC Berkeley electron experiment on the International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISSE-3) spacecraft to compare the field polarities deduced from the electron data, Pe (outward or inward), with the polarities inferred from field directions, Pd, around two sector boundaries in 1979. We show examples of large (greater than 100 deg) changes in azimuthal field direction Phi over short (less than 1 hr) time scales, some with and some without reversals in Pe. The latter cases indicate that such large directional changes can occur in unipolar structures. On the other hand, we found an example of a change in Pe during which the rotation in Phi was less than 30 deg, indicating polarity changes in nearly unidirectional structures. The field directions are poor guides to the polarities in these cases.

Observations of solar flare photon energy spectra from 20 keV to 7 MeV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoshimori, M.; Watanabe, H.; Nitta, N.

1985-01-01

Solar flare photon energy spectra in the 20 keV to 7 MeV range are derived from the Apr. 1, Apr. 4, apr. 27 and May 13, 1981 flares. The flares were observed with a hard X-ray and a gamma-ray spectrometers on board the Hinotori satellite. The results show that the spectral shape varies from flare to flare and the spectra harden in energies above about 400 keV. Effects of nuclear line emission on the continuum and of higher energy electron bremsstrahlung are considered to explain the spectral hardening.

Ionization cross sections of the Au L subshells by electron impact from the L3 threshold to 100 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barros, Suelen F.; Vanin, Vito R.; Maidana, Nora L.; Martins, Marcos N.; García-Alvarez, Juan A.; Santos, Osvaldo C. B.; Rodrigues, Cleber L.; Koskinas, Marina F.; Fernández-Varea, José M.

2018-01-01

We measured the cross sections for Au Lα, Lβ, Lγ, Lℓ and Lη x-ray production by the impact of electrons with energies from the L3 threshold to 100 keV using a thin Au film whose mass thickness was determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. The x-ray spectra were acquired with a Si drift detector, which allowed to separate the components of the Lγ multiplet lines. The measured Lα, Lβ, {{L}}{γ }1, L{γ }{2,3,6}, {{L}}{γ }{4,4\\prime }, {{L}}{γ }5, {{L}}{\\ell } and Lη x-ray production cross sections were then employed to derive Au L1, L2 and L3 subshell ionization cross sections with relative uncertainties of 8%, 7% and 7%, respectively; these figures include the uncertainties in the atomic relaxation parameters. The correction for the increase in electron path length inside the Au film was estimated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The experimental ionization cross sections are about 10% above the state-of-the-art distorted-wave calculations.

Measurement of gamma' precipitates in a nickel-based superalloy using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy coupled with automated segmenting techniques.

PubMed

Tiley, J S; Viswanathan, G B; Shiveley, A; Tschopp, M; Srinivasan, R; Banerjee, R; Fraser, H L

2010-08-01

Precipitates of the ordered L1(2) gamma' phase (dispersed in the face-centered cubic or FCC gamma matrix) were imaged in Rene 88 DT, a commercial multicomponent Ni-based superalloy, using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). Imaging was performed using the Cr, Co, Ni, Ti and Al elemental L-absorption edges in the energy loss spectrum. Manual and automated segmentation procedures were utilized for identification of precipitate boundaries and measurement of precipitate sizes. The automated region growing technique for precipitate identification in images was determined to measure accurately precipitate diameters. In addition, the region growing technique provided a repeatable method for optimizing segmentation techniques for varying EFTEM conditions. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of single keV ion implantation for the construction of single P-donor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Changyi; Jamieson, David N.; Hopf, Toby; Andresen, Soren E.; Hearne, Sean M.; Hudson, Fay E.; Pakes, Christopher I.; Mitic, Mladen; Gauja, Eric; Tamanyan, Grigori; Dzurak, Andrew S.; Prawer, Steven; Clark, Robert G.

2005-02-01

We report recent progress in single keV ion implantation and online detection for the controlled implantation of single donors in silicon. When integrated with silicon nanofabrication technology this forms the "top down" strategy for the construction of prototype solid state quantum computer devices based on phosphorus donors in silicon. We have developed a method of single ion implantation and online registration that employs detector electrodes adjacent to the area into which the donors are to be implanted. The implantation sites are positioned with nanometer accuracy using an electron beam lithography patterned PMMA mask. Control of the implantation depth of 20 nm is achieved by tuning the phosphorus ion energy to 14 keV. The counting of single ion implantation in each site is achieved by the detection of e-/h+ pairs produced by the implanted phosphorus ion in the substrate. The system is calibrated by use of Mn K-line x-rays (5.9 and 6.4 keV) and we find the ionization energy of the 14 keV phosphorus ions in silicon to be about 3.5-4.0 keV for implants through a 5 nm SiO2 surface layer. This paper describes the development of an improved PIN detector structure that provides more reliable performance of the earlier MOS structure. With the new structure, the energy noise threshold has been minimized to 1 keV or less. Unambiguous detection/counting of single keV ion implantation events were achieved with a confidence level greater than 98% with a reliable and reproducible fabrication process.

Quantification of the Precipitation Loss of Radiation Belt Electrons Observed by SAMPEX (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, W.; Li, X.; Selesnick, R. S.; Looper, M. D.

2010-12-01

Based on SAMPEX/PET observations, the fluxes and the spatial and temporal variations of electron loss to the atmosphere in the Earth’s radiation belt were quantified using a drift-diffusion model that includes the effects of azimuthal drift and pitch angle diffusion. The measured electrons by SAMPEX can be distinguished as trapped, quasi-trapped (in the drift loss cone), or precipitating (in the bounce loss cone), and the model simulates the low-altitude electron distribution from SAMPEX. After fitting the model results to the data, the magnitudes and variations of the electron loss rate can be estimated based on the optimum model parameter values. In this presentation we give an overview of our method and published results, followed by some recent improvements we made on the model, including updating the quantified electron lifetimes more frequently (e.g., every two hours instead of half a day) to achieve smoother variations, estimating the adiabatic effects at SAMPEX’s orbit and their influence on our model results, and calculating the error bar associated with each quantified electron lifetime. This method combining a model with low-altitude observations provides direct quantification of the electron loss rate, as required for any accurate modeling of the radiation belt electron dynamics.

Gamma ray interaction studies of organic nonlinear optical materials in the energy range 122 keV-1330 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awasarmol, V. V.; Gaikwad, D. K.; Raut, S. D.; Pawar, P. P.

The mass attenuation coefficients (μm) for organic nonlinear optical materials measured at 122-1330 keV photon energies were investigated on the basis of mixture rule and compared with obtained values of WinXCOM program. It is observed that there is a good agreement between theoretical and experimental values of the samples. All samples were irradiated with six radioactive sources such as 57Co, 133Ba, 22Na, 137Cs, 54Mn and 60Co using transmission arrangement. Effective atomic and electron numbers or electron densities (Zeff and Neff), molar extinction coefficient (ε), mass energy absorption coefficient (μen/ρ) and effective atomic energy absorption cross section (σa,en) were determined experimentally and theoretically using the obtained μm values for investigated samples and graphs have been plotted. The graph shows that the variation of all samples decreases with increasing photon energy.

Ionospheric Electron Heating Associated With Pulsating Auroras: Joint Optical and PFISR Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Jun; Donovan, E.; Reimer, A.; Hampton, D.; Zou, S.; Varney, R.

2018-05-01

In a recent study, Liang et al. (2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024127) repeatedly identified strong electron temperature (Te) enhancements when Swarm satellites traversed pulsating auroral patches. In this study, we use joint optical and Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) observations to further investigate the F region plasma signatures related to pulsating auroras. On 19 March 2015 night, which contained multiple intervals of pulsating auroral activities, we identify a statistical trend, albeit not a one-to-one correspondence, of strong Te enhancements ( 500-1000 K) in the upper F region ionosphere during the passages of pulsating auroras over PFISR. On the other hand, there is no discernible and repeatable density enhancement in the upper F region during pulsating auroral intervals. Collocated optical and NOAA satellite observations suggest that the pulsating auroras are composed of energetic electron precipitation with characteristic energy >10 keV, which is inefficient in electron heating in the upper F region. Based upon PFISR observations and simulations from Liang et al. (2017) model, we propose that thermal conduction from the topside ionosphere, which is heated by precipitating low-energy electrons, offers the most likely explanation for the observed electron heating in the upper F region associated with pulsating auroras. Such a heating mechanism is similar to that underlying the "stable auroral red arcs" in the subauroral ionosphere. Our proposal conforms to the notion on the coexistence of an enhanced cold plasma population and the energetic electron precipitation, in magnetospheric flux tubes threading the pulsating auroral patch. In addition, we find a trend of enhanced ion upflows during pulsating auroral intervals.

Characteristics of Pitch Angle Distributions of 100s Kev Electrons in the Slot Region and Inner Radiation Belt­­­­­­­­

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, H.; Li, X.; Blake, J. B.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S. G.; Baker, D. N.; Jaynes, A. N.; Malaspina, D.

2014-12-01

The pitch angle distribution (PAD) of energetic electrons in the slot region and inner radiation belt received little attention in the past decades due to the lack of quality measurements. Using the state-of-art pitch-angle-resolved data from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) instrument onboard the Van Allen Probes, a detailed analysis of 100s keV electron PADs below L =4 is performed, in which the PADs is categorized into three types: normal (flux peaking at 90°), cap (exceedingly peaking narrowly around 90°) and 90°-minimum (lower flux at 90°) PADs. By examining the characteristics of the PADs of 460 keV electrons for over a year, we find that the 90°-minimum PADs are generally present in the inner belt (L<2), while normal PADs dominate at L~3.5-4. In the region between, 90°-minimum PADs dominate during injection times and normal PADs dominate during quiet times. Cap PADs appear mostly at the decay phase of storms in the slot region and are likely caused by the pitch angle scattering of hiss waves. Fitting the normal PADs into sinnα form, the parameter n is much higher below L=3 than that in the outer belt and relatively constant in the inner belt but changes significantly in the slot region (2

Muonium formation at keV energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prokscha, T.; Morenzoni, E.; Garifianov, N.; Glückler, H.; Khasanov, R.; Luetkens, H.; Suter, A.

2003-02-01

Charge differentiation in μ + or muonium (Mu) as a consequence of the slowing down of μ + in matter is of fundamental interest in the μSR method. It is also of relevance for understanding the moderation process of μ + in van der Waals solids like s-Ne, s-Ar or s-N 2, which are the most suitable materials to generate epithermal μ + serving as a source for low-energy μ + (LE-μ +) beams. The LE-μ + beam at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) allows us to study the formation of Mu at low implantation energies (0.5- 30 keV) in insulators and semiconductors. These investigations may help to clarify the interaction between the μ + and the electrons of its ionisation track since the number of track electrons can be tuned by varying the implantation energy. We present the first results of LE-μSR investigations on thin van der Waals solids (s-Ar, s-Xe), fused quartz ( SUPRASIL) and a quartz crystal, where the μ + and Mu fractions were measured as a function of the implantation energy.

Precipitation regions on the Earth of high energy electrons, injected by a point source moving along a circular Earth orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolesnikov, E. K.; Klyushnikov, G. N.

2018-05-01

In the paper we continue the study of precipitation regions of high-energy charged particles, carried out by the authors since 2002. In contrast to previous papers, where a stationary source of electrons was considered, it is assumed that the source moves along a low circular near-earth orbit with a constant velocity. The orbit position is set by the inclination angle of the orbital plane to the equatorial plane and the longitude of the ascending node. The total number of injected electrons is determined by the source strength and the number of complete revolutions that the source makes along the circumference. Construction of precipitation regions is produced using the computational algorithm based on solving of the system of ordinary differential equations. The features of the precipitation regions structure for the dipole approximation of the geomagnetic field and the symmetrical arrangement of the orbit relative to the equator are noted. The dependencies of the precipitation regions on different orbital parametres such as the incline angle, the ascending node position and kinetic energy of injected particles have been considered.

Nonstorm time dropout of radiation belt electron fluxes on 24 September 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Zhenpeng; Gao, Zhonglei; Zhu, Hui; Li, Wen; Zheng, Huinan; Wang, Yuming; Wang, Shui; Spence, H. E.; Reeves, G. D.; Baker, D. N.; Blake, J. B.; Funsten, H. O.; Wygant, J. R.

2016-07-01

Radiation belt electron flux dropouts during the main phase of geomagnetic storms have received increasing attention in recent years. Here we focus on a rarely reported nonstorm time dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes on 24 September 2013. Within several hours, the radiation belt electron fluxes exhibited a significant (up to 2 orders of magnitude) depletion over a wide range of radial distances (L > 4.5), energies (˜500 keV to several MeV) and equatorial pitch angles (0°≤αe≤180°). STEERB simulations show that the relativistic electron loss in the region L = 4.5-6.0 was primarily caused by the pitch angle scattering of observed plasmaspheric hiss and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Our results emphasize the complexity of radiation belt dynamics and the importance of wave-driven precipitation loss even during nonstorm times.

The magnetic local time distribution of energetic electrons in the radiation belt region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allison, Hayley J.; Horne, Richard B.; Glauert, Sarah A.; Zanna, Giulio Del

2017-08-01

Using 14 years of electron flux data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Polar Operational Environmental Satellites, a statistical study of the magnetic local time (MLT) distribution of the electron population is performed across a range of activity levels, defined by AE, AE*, Kp, solar wind velocity (Vsw), and VswBz. Three electron energies (>30, >100, and >300 keV) are considered. Dawn-dusk flux asymmetries larger than order of magnitude were observed for >30 and >100 keV electrons. For >300 keV electrons, dawn-dusk asymmetries were primarily due to a decrease in the average duskside flux beyond L* ˜ 4.5 that arose with increasing activity. For the >30 keV population, substorm injections enhance the dawnside flux, which may not reach the duskside as the electrons can be on open drift paths and lost to the magnetopause. The asymmetries in the >300 keV population are attributed to the combination of magnetopause shadowing and >300 keV electron injections by large electric fields. We suggest that 3-D radiation belt models could set the minimum energy boundary (Emin) to 30 keV or above at L* ˜ 6 during periods of low activity. However, for more moderate conditions, Emin should be larger than 100 keV and, for very extreme activities, ˜300 keV. Our observations show the extent that in situ electron flux readings may vary during active periods due to the MLT of the satellite and highlight the importance of 4-D radiation belt models to fully understand radiation belt processes.

The Magnetic Local Time Distribution of Energetic Electrons in the Radiation Belt Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allison, H. J.

2017-12-01

Using fourteen years of electron flux data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), a statistical study of the magnetic local time (MLT) distribution of the electron population is performed across a range of activity levels, defined by AE, AE*, Kp, solar wind velocity (Vsw), and VswBz. Three electron energies (>30, >100, and >300 keV) are considered. Dawn-dusk flux asymmetries larger than order of magnitude were observed for >30 and >100 keV electrons. For >300 keV electrons, dawn-dusk asymmetries were primarily due to a decrease in the average dusk-side flux beyond L* ˜ 4.5 that arose with increasing activity. For the >30 keV population, substorm injections enhance the dawn-side flux, which may not reach the dusk-side as the electrons can be on open drift paths and lost to the magnetopause. The asymmetries in the >300 keV population are attributed to the combination of magnetopause shadowing and >300 keV electron injections by large electric fields. We suggest that 3D radiation belt models could set the minimum energy boundary (Emin) to 30 keV or above at L* ˜6 during periods of low activity. However, for more moderate conditions, Emin should be larger than 100 keV and, for very extreme activities, ˜300 keV. Our observations show the extent that in-situ electron flux readings may vary during active periods due to the MLT of the satellite and highlight the importance of 4D radiation belt models to fully understand radiation belt processes.

Electron Flux Models for Different Energies at Geostationary Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boynton, R. J.; Balikhin, M. A.; Sibeck, D. G.; Walker, S. N.; Billings, S. A.; Ganushkina, N.

2016-01-01

Forecast models were derived for energetic electrons at all energy ranges sampled by the third-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). These models were based on Multi-Input Single-Output Nonlinear Autoregressive Moving Average with Exogenous inputs methodologies. The model inputs include the solar wind velocity, density and pressure, the fraction of time that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was southward, the IMF contribution of a solar wind-magnetosphere coupling function proposed by Boynton et al. (2011b), and the Dst index. As such, this study has deduced five new 1 h resolution models for the low-energy electrons measured by GOES (30-50 keV, 50-100 keV, 100-200 keV, 200-350 keV, and 350-600 keV) and extended the existing >800 keV and >2 MeV Geostationary Earth Orbit electron fluxes models to forecast at a 1 h resolution. All of these models were shown to provide accurate forecasts, with prediction efficiencies ranging between 66.9% and 82.3%.

The Energy Spectrum of Solar Energetic Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Yang, L.; Krucker, S.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Bale, S. D.

2015-12-01

Here we present a statistical survey of the energy spectrum of solar energetic electron events (SEEs) observed by the WIND 3DP instrument from 1995 though 2014. For SEEs with the minimum energy below 10 keV and the maximum energy above 100 keV, ~85% (~2%) have a double-power-law energy spectrum with a steepening (hardening) above the break energy, while ~13% have a single-power-law energy spectrum at all energies. The average spectral index is ~2.4 below the energy break and is ~4.0 above the energy break. For SEEs detected only at energies <10 keV (>20 keV), they generally show a single-power-law spectrum with the average index of ~3.0 (~3.3). The spectrum of SEEs detected only below 10 keV appears to get harder with increasing solar activity, but the spectrum of SEEs with higher-energy electrons shows no clear correlation with solar activity. We will also investigate whether the observed energy spectrum of SEEs at 1 AU mainly reflects the electron acceleration at the Sun or the electron transport in the interplanetary medium.

The Structure and Properties of 0.1 - 100 keV Electron Distributions Over Jupiter's Polar Aurora Region and their Contribution to Polar Aurora Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, R. W.; Allegrini, F.; Bagenal, F.; Bolton, S. J.; Chae, K.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Clark, G. B.; Gladstone, R.; Hue, V.; Kurth, W. S.; Levin, S.; Louarn, P.; Mauk, B.; McComas, D. J.; Paranicas, C.; Saur, J.; Reno, C.; Szalay, J. R.; Thomsen, M. F.; Valek, P. W.; Weidner, S.; Wilson, R. J.

2017-12-01

In addition to the main emissions in the north and south, Jupiter's auroral emissions also include polar, satellite-related, and other features. Here we present observations from Juno's Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) of 0.1 - 100 keV electrons in Jupiter's polar aurora region during the spacecraft's northern and southern polar passes bounding PJ1 (27 August 2016), PJ3 (11 December 11 2016), PJ4 (2 February 2017), PJ5 (27 March 2017), PJ6 (19 May 2017), and PJ7 (11 July 2017). Specifically, we focus on the spatial structure, energy and pitch angle distributions, and energy flux and spectra of these electrons. The observations reveal regions containing magnetic field aligned beams of bi-directional electrons having broad energy distributions interspersed between beams of upward electrons with narrow, peaked energy distributions, regions void of these electrons, and regions dominated by penetrating radiation, with penetrating radiation being most common. The electrons show evidence of acceleration via parallel electric fields (inverted-V structures) and via stochastic processes (bi-directional distributions). The inverted-V structures identified to date were observed from 1.4 - 2.9 RJ and had spatial scales of 100s to 1000s of kilometers along Juno's trajectory. The upward energy flux of the electron distributions was typically greater than the downward energy flux and their contribution to producing Jupiter's polar aurora emissions will be discussed.

Bursty Precipitation Driven by Chorus Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Telnikhin, A. A.; Kronberg, T. K.

2011-01-01

The electron precipitation bursts have been shown to be a major sink for the radiation belt relativistic electrons. As underlying mechanism of such bursts, we propose particle scattering into the loss cone due to nonlinear resonance interaction between electrons and chorus. Stochastic heating due to the coupling leads to diffusion in pitch angle, and the rate of diffusion would be sufficient to account for the emptying of the Earth's radiation belt over the time of the main phase of geomagnetic storms. The results obtained in the present paper account for a strong energy dependence in the electron precipitation event and the correlation between the energization and loss processes on macroscopic timescales, which is primarily attributed to the cooperative effects of the coupling. This mechanism of chorus scattering should produce pitch angle distributions that are energy-dependent and butterfly-shaped. The calculated timescales and the total energy input to the atmosphere from precipitating relativistic electrons are in reasonable agreement with experimental data.

Disabling CNT Electronic Devices by Use of Electron Beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petkov, Mihail

2008-01-01

Bombardment with tightly focused electron beams has been suggested as a means of electrically disabling selected individual carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) in electronic devices. Evidence in support of the suggestion was obtained in an experiment in which a CNT field-effect transistor was disabled (see figure) by focusing a 1-keV electron beam on a CNT that served as the active channel of a field-effect transistor (FET). Such bombardment could be useful in the manufacture of nonvolatile-memory circuits containing CNT FETs. Ultimately, in order to obtain the best electronic performances in CNT FETs and other electronic devices, it will be necessary to fabricate the devices such that each one contains only a single CNT as an active element. At present, this is difficult because there is no way to grow a single CNT at a specific location and with a specific orientation. Instead, the common practice is to build CNTs into electronic devices by relying on spatial distribution to bridge contacts. This practice results in some devices containing no CNTs and some devices containing more than one CNT. Thus, CNT FETs have statistically distributed electronic characteristics (including switching voltages, gains, and mixtures of metallic and semiconducting CNTs). According to the suggestion, by using a 1-keV electron beam (e.g., a beam from a scanning electron microscope), a particular nanotube could be rendered electrically dysfunctional. This procedure could be repeated as many times as necessary on different CNTs in a device until all of the excess CNTs in the device had been disabled, leaving only one CNT as an active element (e.g., as FET channel). The physical mechanism through which a CNT becomes electrically disabled is not yet understood. On one hand, data in the literature show that electron kinetic energy >86 keV is needed to cause displacement damage in a CNT. On the other hand, inasmuch as a 1-keV beam focused on a small spot (typically a few tens of nanometers wide

Electromagnetic Waves and Bursty Electron Acceleration: Implications from Freja

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andersson, Laila; Ivchenko, N.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Clemmons, J.; Gustavsson, B.; Eliasson, L.

2000-01-01

Dispersive Alfven wave activity is identified in four dayside auroral oval events measured by the Freja satellite. The events are characterized by ion injection, bursty electron precipitation below about I keV, transverse ion heating and broadband extremely low frequency (ELF) emissions below the lower hybrid cutoff frequency (a few kHz). The broadband emissions are observed to become more electrostatic towards higher frequencies. Large-scale density depletions/cavities, as determined by the Langmuir probe measurements, and strong electrostatic emissions are often observed simultaneously. A correlation study has been carried out between the E- and B-field fluctuations below 64 Hz (the dc instrument's upper threshold) and the characteristics of the precipitating electrons. This study revealed that the energization of electrons is indeed related to the broadband ELF emissions and that the electrostatic component plays a predominant role during very active magnetospheric conditions. Furthermore, the effect of the ELF electromagnetic emissions on the larger scale field-aligned current systems has been investigated, and it is found that such an effect cannot be detected. Instead, the Alfvenic activity creates a local region of field-aligned currents. It is suggested that dispersive Alfven waves set up these local field-aligned current regions and in turn trigger more electrostatic emissions during certain conditions. In these regions ions are transversely heated, and large-scale density depletions/cavities may be created during especially active periods.

Quasi-relativistic electron precipitation due to interactions with coherent VLF waves in the magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, H. C.; Inan, U. S.

1983-01-01

The equations of motion for the cyclotron resonance interaction between coherent whistler mode waves and energetic particles are rederived with the inclusion of relativistic effects. The pitch angle scattering of the near-loss-cone quasi-relativistic electrons trapped in the magnetosphere is studied using a test particle method employing these relativistic equations, and the precipitated energy spectrum due to the wave-induced perturbations of a full distribution of particles is computed. Results show that the full width at half maximum peak width of the rms scattering pattern of the near-loss-cone particles would give an upper bound to the peak width of the associated precipitated energy spectrum under the conditions of moderate wave intensities in the low L shell region. In addition, it is found that the peak widths are within the upper limit values measured by recent satellite experiments. It is concluded that interactions of inner radiation belt particles with monochromatic waves could produce precipitated fluxes with relatively sharp spectral widths, and that therefore the L-dependent narrow peaks observed by low altitude satellite particle detectors could be caused by such interactions.

Comparative Dosimetric Estimates of a 25 keV Electron Micro-beam with three Monte Carlo Codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mainardi, Enrico; Donahue, Richard J.; Blakely, Eleanor A.

2002-09-11

The calculations presented compare the different performances of the three Monte Carlo codes PENELOPE-1999, MCNP-4C and PITS, for the evaluation of Dose profiles from a 25 keV electron micro-beam traversing individual cells. The overall model of a cell is a water cylinder equivalent for the three codes but with a different internal scoring geometry: hollow cylinders for PENELOPE and MCNP, whereas spheres are used for the PITS code. A cylindrical cell geometry with scoring volumes with the shape of hollow cylinders was initially selected for PENELOPE and MCNP because of its superior simulation of the actual shape and dimensions ofmore » a cell and for its improved computer-time efficiency if compared to spherical internal volumes. Some of the transfer points and energy transfer that constitute a radiation track may actually fall in the space between spheres, that would be outside the spherical scoring volume. This internal geometry, along with the PENELOPE algorithm, drastically reduced the computer time when using this code if comparing with event-by-event Monte Carlo codes like PITS. This preliminary work has been important to address dosimetric estimates at low electron energies. It demonstrates that codes like PENELOPE can be used for Dose evaluation, even with such small geometries and energies involved, which are far below the normal use for which the code was created. Further work (initiated in Summer 2002) is still needed however, to create a user-code for PENELOPE that allows uniform comparison of exact cell geometries, integral volumes and also microdosimetric scoring quantities, a field where track-structure codes like PITS, written for this purpose, are believed to be superior.« less

Combined electron beam imaging and ab initio modeling of T1 precipitates in Al-Li-Cu alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwyer, C.; Weyland, M.; Chang, L. Y.; Muddle, B. C.

2011-05-01

Among the many considerable challenges faced in developing a rational basis for advanced alloy design, establishing accurate atomistic models is one of the most fundamental. Here we demonstrate how advanced imaging techniques in a double-aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope, combined with ab initio modeling, have been used to determine the atomic structure of embedded 1 nm thick T1 precipitates in precipitation-hardened Al-Li-Cu aerospace alloys. The results provide an accurate determination of the controversial T1 structure, and demonstrate how next-generation techniques permit the characterization of embedded nanostructures in alloys and other nanostructured materials.

Polar Northern Hemisphere Middle Atmospheric Influence due to Energetic Particle Precipitation in January 2005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackman, Charles H.

2010-01-01

Solar eruptions and geomagnetic activity led to energetic particle precipitation in early 2005, primarily during the January 16-21 period. Production of OH and destruction of ozone have been documented due to the enhanced energetic solar proton flux in January 2005 [e.g., Verronen et al., Geophys. Res. Lett.,33,L24811,doi:10.1029/2006GL028115, 2006; Seppala et al., Geophys. Res. Lett.,33,L07804, doi:10.1029/2005GL025571,2006]. These solar protons as well as precipitating electrons also led to the production of NO(x) (NO, NO2). Our simulations with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) show that NO(x) is enhanced by 20-50 ppbv in the polar Northern Hemisphere middle mesosphere (approx.60-70 km) by January 18. Both the SCISAT-1 Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) NO(x) measurements and Envisat Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIP AS) nighttime NO2 observations show large increases during this period, in reasonable agreement with WACCM predictions. Such enhancements are considerable for the mesosphere and led to simulated increases in polar Northern Hemisphere upper stratospheric odd nitrogen (NO(y)) of2-5 ppbv into February 2005. The largest ground level enhancement (GLE) of solar cycle 23 occurred on January 20, 2005 with a neutron monitor increase of about 270 percent [Gopalswamy et al., 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Pune,00,101-104,2005]. We found that protons of energies 300 to 20,000 MeV, not normally included in our computations, led to enhanced stratospheric NO(y) of less than 1 percent as a result of this GLE. The atmospheric impact of precipitating middle energy electrons (30-2,500 keV) during the January 16-21, 2005 period is also of interest, and an effort is ongoing to include these in WACCM computations. This presentation will show both short- and longer-term changes due to the January 2005 energetic particle precipitation.

Nonstorm time dropout of radiation belt electron fluxes on 24 September 2013

DOE PAGES

Su, Zhenpeng; Gao, Zhonglei; Reeves, Geoffrey D.; ...

2016-07-01

Radiation belt electron flux dropouts during the main phase of geomagnetic storms have received increasing attention in recent years. Here we focus on a rarely reported nonstorm time dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes on 24 September 2013. Within several hours, the radiation belt electron fluxes exhibited a significant (up to 2 orders of magnitude) depletion over a wide range of radial distances ( L > 4.5), energies (~500 keV to several MeV) and equatorial pitch angles (0° ≤ α e ≤ 180°). STEERB simulations show that the relativistic electron loss in the region L = 4.5–6.0 was primarilymore » caused by the pitch angle scattering of observed plasmaspheric hiss and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Furthermore, our results emphasize the complexity of radiation belt dynamics and the importance of wave-driven precipitation loss even during nonstorm times.« less

Nonstorm time dropout of radiation belt electron fluxes on 24 September 2013

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, Zhenpeng; Gao, Zhonglei; Reeves, Geoffrey D.

Radiation belt electron flux dropouts during the main phase of geomagnetic storms have received increasing attention in recent years. Here we focus on a rarely reported nonstorm time dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes on 24 September 2013. Within several hours, the radiation belt electron fluxes exhibited a significant (up to 2 orders of magnitude) depletion over a wide range of radial distances ( L > 4.5), energies (~500 keV to several MeV) and equatorial pitch angles (0° ≤ α e ≤ 180°). STEERB simulations show that the relativistic electron loss in the region L = 4.5–6.0 was primarilymore » caused by the pitch angle scattering of observed plasmaspheric hiss and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Furthermore, our results emphasize the complexity of radiation belt dynamics and the importance of wave-driven precipitation loss even during nonstorm times.« less

Compton scattering study of electron momentum distribution in lithium fluoride using 662 keV gamma radiations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayakumar, R.; Shivaramu; Ramamurthy, N.; Ford, M. J.

2008-12-01

Here we report the first ever 137Cs Compton spectroscopy study of lithium fluoride. The spherical average Compton profiles of lithium fluoride are deduced from Compton scattering measurements on poly crystalline sample at gamma ray energy of 662 keV. To compare the experimental data, we have computed the spherical average Compton profiles using self-consistent Hartree-Fock wave functions employed on linear combination of atomic orbital (HF-LCAO) approximation. The directional Compton profiles and their anisotropic effects are also calculated using the same HF-LCAO approximation. The experimental spherical average profiles are found to be in good agreement with the corresponding HF-LCAO calculations and in qualitative agreement with Hartree-Fock free atom values. The present experimental isotropic and calculated directional profiles are also compared with the available experimental isotropic and directional Compton profiles using 59.54 and 159 keV γ-rays.

Middle atmosphere NO/x/ production due to ion propulsion induced radiation belt proton precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aikin, A. C.; Jackman, C. H.

1980-01-01

The suggestion that keV Ar(+) resulting from ion propulsion operations during solar power satellite construction could cause energetic proton precipitation from the inner radiation belt is examined to determine if such precipitation could cause significant increases in middle atmosphere nitric oxide concentrations thereby adversely affecting stratospheric ozone. It is found that the initial production rate of NO (mole/cu cm-sec) at 50 km is 130 times that due to nitrous oxide reacting with excited oxygen. However, since the time required to empty the inner belt of protons is about 1 sec and short compared to the replenishment time due to neutron decay, precipitation of inner radiation belt protons will have no adverse atmospheric environmental effect.

The relationship between diffuse auroral and plasma sheet electron distributions near local midnight

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schumaker, T.L.; Gussenhoven, M.S.; Hardy, D.A.

1989-08-01

A study of the relationship between diffuse auroral and plasma sheet electron distributions in the energy range from 50 eV to 20 keV in the midnight region was conducted using data from the P78-1 and SCATHA satellites. From 1 1/2 years of data, 14 events were found where the polar-orbiting P78-1 satellite and the near-geosynchronous SCATHA satellite were approximately on the same magnetic field line simultaneously, with SCATHA in the plasma sheet and P78-1 in the diffuse auroral region. For all cases the spectra from the two satellites are in good quantitative agreement. For 13 of the 14 events themore » pitch angle distribution measured at P78-1 was isotropic for angles mapping into the loss cone at the SCATHA orbit. For one event the P78-1 electron flux decreased with pitch angle toward the field line direction. At SCATHA the distributions outside the loss cone were most commonly butterfly or pancake, although distributions peaked toward the field line were sometimes observed at energies below 1 keV. Electron distributions, as measured where there is isotropy within the loss cone but anisotropy outside the loss cone, are inconsistent with current theories for the scattering of cone for the distribution measured at SCATHA, the electron precipitation lifetimes were calculated for the 14 events. Because the distributions are anisotropic at pitch angles away from the loss cone, the calculated lifetimes significantly exceed the lifetimes in the limit when the flu is isotropic at all pitch angles. The computed precipitation lifetimes are found to be weakly dependent on magnetic activity. The average lifetimes exceed those for the case of isotropy at all pitch angles by a factor between 2 and 3 for {ital Kp}{le}2 and approximately 1.5 for {ital Kp}{gt}2. {copyright} American Geophysical Union 1989« less

Variation of mesospheric ozone during the highly relativistic electron event in May 1992 as measured by the High Resolution Doppler Imager instrument on UARS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesnell, W. Dean; Goldberg, Richard A.; Jackman, Charles H.; Chenette, D. L.; Gaines, E. E.

2000-10-01

Highly relativistic electron precipitation events (HREs) include long-lived enhancements of the flux of electrons with E>1MeV into the Earth's atmosphere. HREs also contain increased fluxes of electrons with energies above 100 keV that have been predicted to cause large depletions of mesospheric ozone. For some of the measured instantaneous values of the electron fluxes during the HRE of May 1992, relative depletions greater than 22% were predicted to occur between altitudes of 55 and 80 km, where HOx reactions cause local minima in both the ozone number density and mixing ratio altitude profiles. These ozone depletions should follow the horizontal distribution of the electron precipitation, having a distinct boundary equatorward of the L=3 magnetic shell. To search for these effects, we have analyzed ozone data from the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) instrument on UARS. Owing to the multiple, off-track viewing angles of HRDI, observations in the region affected by the electrons are taken at similar local solar times before, during, and after the electron flux increase. Our analysis limits the relative ozone depletion to values <10% during the very intense May 1992 HRE. We do observe decreases in the ozone mixing ratio at several points in the diurnal cycle that may be associated with the transport of water vapor into the mesosphere during May 1992. This masking of the precipitating electron effects by the seasonal variations in water vapor can complicate the detection of those effects.

Energetic electrons in the midlatitude nighttime E region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, L. G.; Geller, M. A.; Voss, H. D.

1973-01-01

Nike Apache 14.439 was launched from Wallops Island at 0003 EST on 1 November 1972, a very disturbed night (K sub P = 8). A Geiger counter in the payload detected electrons ( keV) with a maximum flux of 1086 + or -261/sq cm/sec/ster. The height-averaged ionization rate in the upper E region is calculated from the measured electron density profile and has a value of 35 1/cu/cm/sec. The ionization rate can be reconciled with the observed flux of electrons ( 70 2 keV) if the spectrum ( keV) is of the form J ( E) = J sub O exp(-E/E sub O) with E sub O equal to 8.3 keV. The ionization rate on this and other nights is found to be strongly dependent on geomagnetic activity. It is suggested that energetic electrons are the principal source of ionization at midlatitudes in the upper E region near midnight, even under rather quiet geomagnetic conditions.

Neutron Fluence and Energy Reconstruction with the LNE-IRSN/MIMAC Recoil Detector MicroTPC at 27 keV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maire, D.; Lebreton, L.; Querre, Ph.

2015-07-01

The French Institute for Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), designated by the French Metrology Institute (LNE) for neutron metrology, is developing a time projection chamber using a Micromegas anode: microTPC. This work is carried out in collaboration with the Laboratory of Subatomic Physics and Cosmology (LPSC). The aim is to characterize the energy distribution of neutron fluence in the energy range 8 keV - 5 MeV with a primary procedure. The time projection chambers are gaseous detectors able to measure charged particles energy and to reconstruct their track if a pixelated anode is used. In our case, the gasmore » is used as a (n, p) converter in order to detect neutrons down to few keV. Coming from elastic collisions with neutrons, recoil protons lose a part of their kinetic energy by ionizing the gas. The ionization electrons are drifted toward a pixelated anode (2D projection), read at 50 MHz by a self-triggered electronic system to obtain the third track dimension. The neutron energy is reconstructed event by event thanks to proton scattering angle and proton energy measurements. The scattering angle is deduced from the 3D track. The proton energy is obtained by charge collection measurements, knowing the ionization quenching factor (i.e. the part of proton kinetic energy lost by ionizing the gas). The fluence is calculated thanks to the detected events number and the simulation of the detector response. The μTPC is a new reliable detector able to measure energy distribution of the neutron fluence without unfolding procedure or prior neutron calibration contrary to usual gaseous counters. The microTPC is still being developed and measurements have been carried out at the AMANDE facility, with neutrons energies going from 8 keV to 565 keV. After the context and the μ-TPC working principle presentation, measurements of the neutron energy and fluence at 27 keV and 144 keV are shown and compared to the complete detector response simulation. This

On the Connection Between Microbursts and Nonlinear Electronic Structures in Planetary Radiation Belts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osmane, Adnane; Wilson, Lynn B., III; Blum, Lauren; Pulkkinen, Tuija I.

2016-01-01

Using a dynamical-system approach, we have investigated the efficiency of large-amplitude whistler waves for causing microburst precipitation in planetary radiation belts by modeling the microburst energy and particle fluxes produced as a result of nonlinear wave-particle interactions. We show that wave parameters, consistent with large amplitude oblique whistlers, can commonly generate microbursts of electrons with hundreds of keV-energies as a result of Landau trapping. Relativistic microbursts (greater than 1 MeV) can also be generated by a similar mechanism, but require waves with large propagation angles Theta (sub k)B greater than 50 degrees and phase-speeds v(sub phi) greater than or equal to c/9. Using our result for precipitating density and energy fluxes, we argue that holes in the distribution function of electrons near the magnetic mirror point can result in the generation of double layers and electron solitary holes consistent in scales (of the order of Debye lengths) to nonlinear structures observed in the radiation belts by the Van Allen Probes. Our results indicate a relationship between nonlinear electrostatic and electromagnetic structures in the dynamics of planetary radiation belts and their role in the cyclical production of energetic electrons (E greater than or equal to 100 keV) on kinetic timescales, which is much faster than previously inferred.

Forecasting and remote sensing outer belt relativistic electrons from low Earth orbit

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yue; Reeves, Geoffrey D.; Cunningham, Gregory S.; ...

2016-02-15

Our study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of using observations from low Earth orbit (LEO) to forecast and nowcast relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt. Furthermore, we first report a high cross-energy, cross-pitch-angle coherence discovered between the trapped MeV electrons and precipitating approximately hundreds (~100s) of keV electrons—observed by satellites with very different altitudes—with correlation coefficients as high as ≳ 0.85. We then tested the feasibility of applying linear prediction filters to LEO data to predict the arrival of new MeV electrons during geomagnetic storms, as well as their evolving distributions afterward, based on the coherence. Reliability of thesemore » predictive filters is quantified by the performance efficiency with values as high as 0.74 when driven merely by LEO observations (or up to 0.94 with the inclusion of in situ MeV electron measurements). Finally, a hypothesis based upon the wave-particle resonance theory is proposed to explain the coherence, and a first-principle electron tracing model yields supporting evidence.« less

Electron dynamics in a plasma focus. [electron acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hohl, F.; Gary, S. P.; Winters, P. A.

1977-01-01

Results are presented of a numerical integration of the three-dimensional relativistic equations of motion of electrons subject to given electric and magnetic fields deduced from experiments. Fields due to two different models are investigated. For the first model, the fields are those due to a circular distribution of axial current filaments. As the current filaments collapse toward the axis, large azimuthal magnetic and axial electric fields are induced. These fields effectively heat the electrons to a temperature of approximately 8 keV and accelerate electrons within the radius of the filaments to high axial velocities. Similar results are obtained for the current-reduction phase of focus formation. For the second model, the fields are those due to a uniform current distribution. Both the current-reduction and the compression phases were studied. These is little heating or acceleration of electrons during the compression phase because the electrons are tied to the magnetic field. However, during the current-reduction phase, electrons near the axis are accelerated toward the center electrode and reach energies of 100 keV. A criterion is obtained which limits the runaway electron current to about 400 A.

Conjugate observation of electron microburst groups by Bremsstrahlung X-ray and riometer techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Siren, J.C.; Rosenberg, T.J.; Detrick, D.

1980-12-01

The first evidence is reported of simultaneous conjugate electron microburst group precipitation. Groups of bremsstrahlung X ray microbursts (E>25 keV) were observed during a substorm recovery phase by a balloon-borne scintillation counter over Roberval, Quebec, Canada. The microburst groups were accompanied one-to-one by time-delayed and broadened pulses of ionospheric absorption measured by a high sensitivity 30-MHz riometer at Siple Station, Antarctica (Lapprox. =4.1). For the interval of highest correlation, the absolute lag between the two data sets was 4 +- 1 s, to the limit of the relative timing accuracy. Approximately 2 s of the observed lag had been introducesmore » by a low-pass filter in the riometer data acquistion unit. The remainder (2 s) was due to the ionospheric recombination process, which evidently had a response time (tauapprox.5 s) during this event much shorter than that ordinarily associated with the D region of the ionosphere. Model calculations of the ionspheric response to time-varying precipitation, derived from the profile of the measurement X ray flux, provide a consistent picture of simultaneous microburst group precipitation at conjugate points, absolute absorption and the electron spectrum derived from X rays, the degree of variation in absorption and X ray fluxes, and the characteristic ionospheric time constant at the altitude of maximum energy deposition.« less

Copper Oxide Precipitates in NBS Standard Reference Material 482

PubMed Central

Windsor, Eric S.; Carlton, Robert A.; Gillen, Greg; Wight, Scott A.; Bright, David S.

2002-01-01

Copper oxide has been detected in the copper containing alloys of NBS Standard Reference Material (SRM) 482. This occurrence is significant because it represents heterogeneity within a standard reference material that was certified to be homogeneous on a micrometer scale. Oxide occurs as elliptically to spherically shaped precipitates whose size differs with alloy composition. The largest precipitates occur in the Au20-Cu80 alloy and range in size from submicrometer up to 2 μm in diameter. Precipitates are observed using light microscopy, electron microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). SIMS has demonstrated that the precipitates are present within all the SRM 482 wires that contain copper. Only the pure gold wire is precipitate free. Initial results from the analysis of the Au20-Cu80 alloy indicate that the percentage of precipitates is less than 1 % by area. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of large (2 μm) precipitates in this same alloy indicates that precipitates are detectable by EPMA and that their composition differs significantly from the certified alloy composition. The small size and low percentage of these oxide precipitates minimizes the impact that they have upon the intended use of this standard for electron probe microanalysis. Heterogeneity caused by these oxide precipitates may however preclude the use of this standard for automated EPMA analyses and other microanalysis techniques. PMID:27446759

Some new results on electron transport in the atmosphere. [Monte Carlo calculation of penetration, diffusion, and slowing down of electron beams in air

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, M. J.; Seltzer, S. M.; Maeda, K.

1972-01-01

The penetration, diffusion and slowing down of electrons in a semi-infinite air medium has been studied by the Monte Carlo method. The results are applicable to the atmosphere at altitudes up to 300 km. Most of the results pertain to monoenergetic electron beams injected into the atmosphere at a height of 300 km, either vertically downwards or with a pitch-angle distribution isotropic over the downward hemisphere. Some results were also obtained for various initial pitch angles between 0 deg and 90 deg. Information has been generated concerning the following topics: (1) the backscattering of electrons from the atmosphere, expressed in terms of backscattering coefficients, angular distributions and energy spectra of reflected electrons, for incident energies T(o) between 2 keV and 2 MeV; (2) energy deposition by electrons as a function of the altitude, down to 80 km, for T(o) between 2 keV and 2 MeV; (3) the corresponding energy depostion by electron-produced bremsstrahlung, down to 30 km; (4) the evolution of the electron flux spectrum as function of the atmospheric depth, for T(o) between 2 keV and 20 keV. Energy deposition results are given for incident electron beams with exponential and power-exponential spectra.

RELEC Mission: Relativistic Electron Precipitation and TLE study on-board small spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svertilov, Sergey

The main goal of RELEC mission is studying of magnetosphere relativistic electron precipitation and its acting on the upper Atmosphere as well as transient luminous events (TLE) observation in wide range of electromagnetic spectrum. The RELEC set of instruments includes two identical detectors of X- and gamma-rays of high temporal resolution and sensitivity (DRGE-1 & DRGE-2), three axe directed detectors of energetic electrons and protons DRGE-3, UV TLE imager MTEL, UV detector DUV, low-frequency analyser LFA, radio-frequency analyser RFA, module of electronics intended for commands and data collection BE. During the RELEC mission following experiments will be provided: - simultaneous observations of energetic electron & proton flux (energy range ~0.1-10.0 MeV and low-frequency (~0.1-10 kHz) electromagnetic wave field intensity variations with high temporal resolution (~1 ms); - fine time structure (~1 mcs) measurements of transient atmospheric events in UV, X- and gamma rays with a possibility of optical imaging with resolution of ~km in wide FOV; - measurements of electron flux pitch-angle distribution in dynamical range from ~0.1 up to 105 part/cm2s; - monitoring of charge and neutral background particles in different areas of near-Earth space. Now the all RELEC instruments are installed on-board small spacecraft manufactured by Lavochkin space corporation. The launch is scheduled on May, 2014 as by-pass mission with Meteor spacecraft. The RELEC mission orbit is planned to be quasi-circular solar-synchronous with about 700 km height. The total volume of transmitted data is about 1.2 Gbyte per day.

Electron Scattering by Plasmaspheric Hiss in a Nightside Plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenxun; Fu, Song; Gu, Xudong; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Summers, Danny; Zou, Zhengyang; Cao, Xing; Lou, Yuequn; Hua, Man

2018-05-01

Plasmaspheric hiss is known to play an important role in radiation belt electron dynamics in high plasma density regions. We present observations of two crossings of a plasmaspheric plume by the Van Allen Probes on 26 December 2012, which occurred unusually at the post-midnight-to-dawn sector between L 4-6 during a geomagnetically quiet period. This plume exhibited pronounced electron densities higher than those of the average plume level. Moderate hiss emissions accompanied the two plume crossings with the peak power at about 100 Hz. Quantification of quasi-linear bounce-averaged electron scattering rates by hiss in the plume demonstrates that the waves are efficient to pitch angle scatter 10-100 keV electrons at rates up to 10-4 s-1 near the loss cone but become gradually insignificant to scatter the higher energy electron population. The resultant timescales of electron loss due to hiss in the nightside plume vary largely with electron kinetic energy over 3 orders of magnitude, that is, from several hours for tens of keV electrons to a few days for hundreds of keV electrons to well above 100 days for >1 MeV electrons. Changing slightly with L-shell and the multiquartile profile of hiss spectral intensity, these electron loss timescales suggest that hiss emissions in the nightside plume act as a viable candidate for the fast loss of the ≲100 keV electrons and the slow decay of higher energy electrons.

Influence of ∼7 keV sterile neutrino dark matter on the process of reionization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rudakovskyi, Anton; Iakubovskyi, Dmytro, E-mail: rudakovskyi@gmail.com, E-mail: iakubovskyi@nbi.ku.dk

2016-06-01

Recent reports of a weak unidentified emission line at ∼3.5 keV found in spectra of several matter-dominated objects may give a clue to resolve the long-standing problem of dark matter. One of the best physically motivated particle candidate able to produce such an extra line is sterile neutrino with the mass of ∼7 keV . Previous works show that sterile neutrino dark matter with parameters consistent with the new line measurement modestly affects structure formation compared to conventional cold dark matter scenario. In this work, we concentrate for the first time on contribution of the sterile neutrino dark matter ablemore » to produce the observed line at ∼3.5 keV, to the process of reionization. By incorporating dark matter power spectra for ∼7 keV sterile neutrinos into extended semi-analytical 'bubble' model of reionization we obtain that such sterile neutrino dark matter would produce significantly sharper reionization compared to widely used cold dark matter models, impossible to 'imitate' within the cold dark matter scenario under any reasonable choice of our model parameters, and would have a clear tendency of lowering both the redshift of reionization and the electron scattering optical depth (although the difference is still below the existing model uncertainties). Further dedicated studies of reionization (such as 21 cm measurements or studies of kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect) will thus be essential for reconstruction of particle candidate responsible the ∼3.5 keV line.« less

Avalanche photodiode for measurement of low-energy electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogasawara, K.; Asamura, K.; Mukai, T.; Saito, Y.

2005-06-01

We report on the performance of an Avalanche Photodiode (APD) produced by Hamamatsu Photonics Co. Ltd. (Type Z7966-20) for measurements of low energy electrons. We have set up an electron gun, which can generate a 1-20 keV electron beam impinging onto the APD in a vacuum chamber. The result shows that the pulse height distribution (PHD) of the APD signal exhibits a significant peak for electrons with energies above 8 keV, and the variation of the PHD peak shows a good linearity with the energy of incident electrons. The energy resolution is quite good, though it slightly depends on the electron energy. In the case of low-energies (lower than 10 keV), the pulse height distribution has a characteristic tail on the low energy side, and the energy resolution becomes a little worse. The position of the peak appears on a slightly lower channel than is expected from data at higher energies (near 20 keV). Qualitatively, the low-energy tail is caused by the dead-layer on the surface of the device. The nonlinearity and the worse resolution of the peaks for higher energy electrons may have resulted from a space-charge effect due to created e-h pairs. For a quantitative understanding, we have made a Monte Carlo particle simulation of charge transport and collection inside the APD.

A BATSE investigation of radiation belt electrons precipitated by VLF waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Datlowe, Dayton W.

1995-01-01

The Compton Observatory commonly encounters fluxes of energetic electrons which have been scattered from the inner radiation belt to the path of the satellite by resonant interactions with VLF waves from powerful man-made transmitters. The present investigation was motivated by the fact that in the Fall of 1993, the Gamma Ray Observatory was boosted from a 650 km altitude circular orbit to a 750 km altitude circular orbit. This was an opportunity, for the first time, to make observations at two different altitudes using the same instrument. We have examined DISCLA data from the Burst & Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) experiment from 1 Sep. 1993 to 29 Jan. 1994. During the period of study we identified 48 instances of the satellite encountering a cloud of energetic electrons which had been scattered by VLF transmitters. We find that boosting the altitude of the circular orbit from 650 km to 750 km increased the intensity of cyclotron resonance scattered electrons by a factor of two. To search for long term changes in the cyclotron resonance precipitation, we have compared the approx. 750 km altitude data from 106 days at the end of 1993 with data at the same altitudes and time of year in 1991. The cyclotron resonance events in 1991 were three times more frequent and 25% of those cases were more intense than any seen in the 1993 data. We attribute this difference to increased level of geomagnetic activity in 1991 near the Solar Maximum.

Flux Enhancements of > 30 keV Electrons at Low Drift Shells L < 1.2 During Last Solar Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvorova, A. V.

2017-12-01

We present results of statistical analysis of enhancements of >30 keV electrons observed by the NOAA/POES satellites during solar cycles 23 and 24 (1998-2016) at low drift shells L < 1.2, so-called forbidden zone. We collected 1,750 days ( 25% of the total time) when fluxes of the forbidden energetic electrons (FEE) exceeded 103 (cm2 s sr)-1. We found 530 days, when FEE fluxes reached high intensity from 104 up to 107 (cm2 s sr)-1. It was found that the FEE enhancements were observed mostly often at the declining phases and solar minimum. More than 85% of the events occurred under fast solar wind (V > 450 km/s), high substorm activity (AL >150 nT), and enhanced interplanetary electric field perturbations (VδB > 1.5 mV/m). The FEE occurrence rate peaks around the local midnight. We have also found a quite unexpected annual variation of the FEE occurrence rate with a pronounced maximum from May to September, a minor peak in December-January, and minima at the equinoxes. The May-September peak, persisting at different solar cycle phases, was assumed to originate from high conductivity in the auroral ionosphere, which is controlled by the dipole tilt angle and provides better conditions for penetration of electric field perturbations into the inner magnetosphere. This allows explanation of the shape and amplitude of annual variation in the FEE occurrence rate from the convolution of the solar wind driver with the penetration conditions.

RAM-SCB simulations of electron transport and plasma wave scattering during the October 2012 "double-dip" storm.

PubMed

Jordanova, V K; Tu, W; Chen, Y; Morley, S K; Panaitescu, A-D; Reeves, G D; Kletzing, C A

2016-09-01

Mechanisms for electron injection, trapping, and loss in the near-Earth space environment are investigated during the October 2012 "double-dip" storm using our ring current-atmosphere interactions model with self-consistent magnetic field (RAM-SCB). Pitch angle and energy scattering are included for the first time in RAM-SCB using L and magnetic local time (MLT)-dependent event-specific chorus wave models inferred from NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and Van Allen Probes Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science observations. The dynamics of the source (approximately tens of keV) and seed (approximately hundreds of keV) populations of the radiation belts simulated with RAM-SCB is compared with Van Allen Probes Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer observations in the morning sector and with measurements from NOAA 15 satellite in the predawn and afternoon MLT sectors. We find that although the low-energy ( E < 100 keV) electron fluxes are in good agreement with observations, increasing significantly by magnetospheric convection during both SYM-H dips while decreasing during the intermediate recovery phase, the injection of high-energy electrons is underestimated by this mechanism throughout the storm. Local acceleration by chorus waves intensifies the electron fluxes at E ≥50 keV considerably, and RAM-SCB simulations overestimate the observed trapped fluxes by more than an order of magnitude; the precipitating fluxes simulated with RAM-SCB are weaker, and their temporal and spatial evolutions agree well with POES/Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detectors data.

Sources, properties, and energization of auroral particle precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, S.; Johnson, J.; Khazanov, G. V.

2017-12-01

The sources of and the physical processes associated with the auroral ion and electron precipitation are studied with DMSP satellites. The electron aurora has been previously classified into three categories: diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurorae. The diffuse auroral electrons can be observed mainly in 22:00 - 09:00 MLT, which coincides much with the spatial distribution of the whistler-mode chorus waves that have been shown to be the predominant mechanism for pitch-angle scattering magnetospheric electrons into the loss cone, but there appears to be a separate population near noon, which may be associated with solar wind particles. The broadband auroral electrons can be found mostly at 22:00 - 02:00 MLT and pre-noon where Alfvén waves, which cause broadband electron acceleration, are observed in the magnetosphere. On the other hand, the monoenergetic auroral electrons can be observed at dusk-midnight sector, pre- and post-noon. The monoenergetic electrons have been previously thought as magnetospheric electrons that have gone through a quasi-static parallel electric field in the upward field-aligned current regions. However, there may be a connection between monoenergetic and broadband electrons in that the low frequency Alfvén wave-electron interaction can result in monoenergetic electron signature. This is consistent with the observations where broadband and monoenergetic electrons are often spatially co-located. Precipitating electrons can ionize the neutrals in the ionosphere, which can travel upward, which can precipitate in the opposite hemisphere or reflected back to the same hemisphere by upward field-aligned potential drop. Either way, the upward flowing electrons can greatly modify the initial precipitating electron population. Substorm processes increase the power of the diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband electron aurora by 310%, 71%, and 170%, respectively. Substorms energize the ion aurora mainly in the 21:00-05:00 MLT sector. The

An Avalanche Diode Electron Detector for Observing NEET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kishimoto, Shunji

2004-05-12

Nuclear excitation by electron transition (NEET) occurs in atomic inner-shell ionization if the nuclear excitation and the electron transition have nearly the same energy and a common multipolarity. We successfully observed the NEET on 197Au and on 193Ir using a silicon avalanche diode electron detector. The detector was used to find internal conversion electrons emitted from excited nuclei in time spectroscopy with a time gate method. Some nuclear resonant levels, including 8.410 keV on 169Tm and 80.577 keV on 166Er, were also observed with the detector.

LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS COMPELLINGLY SUPPORT A CHARGE-EXCHANGE MECHANISM FOR THE “DARK MATTER” ∼3.5 keV X-Ray LINE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shah, Chintan; Dobrodey, Stepan; Bernitt, Sven

2016-12-10

The reported observations of an unidentified X-ray line feature at ∼3.5 keV have driven a lively discussion about its possible dark matter origin. Motivated by this, we have measured the K-shell X-ray spectra of highly ionized bare sulfur ions following charge exchange with gaseous molecules in an electron beam ion trap, as a source of or a contributor to this X-ray line. We produced S{sup 16+} and S{sup 15+} ions and let them capture electrons in collision with those molecules with the electron beam turned off while recording X-ray spectra. We observed a charge-exchange-induced X-ray feature at the Lyman seriesmore » limit (3.47 ± 0.06 keV). The inferred X-ray energy is in full agreement with the reported astrophysical observations and supports the novel scenario proposed by Gu et al.« less

Calibration of hard x-ray (15 - 50 keV) optics at the MPE test facility PANTER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bräuninger, Heinrich; Burkert, Wolfgang; Hartner, Gisela D.; Citterio, Oberto; Ghigo, Mauro; Mazzoleni, Francesco; Pareschi, Giovanni; Spiga, Daniele

2004-02-01

The Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Garching, Germany, operates the large X-ray beam line facility PANTER for testing astronomical systems. At PANTER a number of telescopes like EXOSAT, ROSAT, SAX, JET-X, ABRIXAS, XMM and SWIFT operating in the soft energy range (0.02 - 15 keV) have been successfully calibrated. In the present paper we report on an important upgrade recently implemented that enables the calibration of hard X-ray optics (from 15 up to 50 keV). Currently hard X-ray optics based on single and multilayer coating are being developed for several future X-ray missions. The hard X-ray calibrations at PANTER are carried out by a high energy source based on an electron gun and several anodes, able to cover the energy range from 4.5 up to 50 keV. It provides fluxes up to 104 counts/sec/cm2 at the instrument chamber with a stability better than 1%. As detector a pn-CCD camera operating between 0.2 and 50 keV and a collecting area of 36 cm2 is used. Taking into account the high energy resolution of the CCD (145 eV at 6 keV), a very easy way to operate the facility in hard X-ray is in energy-dispersive mode (i.e. with a broad-band beam). A double crystal monochromator is also available providing energies up to 20 keV. In this paper we present the first results obtained by using PANTER for hard X-ray characterizations, performed on prototype multilayer optics developed by the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (OAB), Milano, Italy, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), Cambridge, MA, USA.

Atom probe study of vanadium interphase precipitates and randomly distributed vanadium precipitates in ferrite.

PubMed

Nöhrer, M; Zamberger, S; Primig, S; Leitner, H

2013-01-01

Atom probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the precipitation reaction in the austenite and ferrite phases in vanadium micro-alloyed steel after a thermo-mechanical process. It was observed that only in the ferrite phase precipitates could be found, whereupon two different types were detected. Thus, the aim was to reveal the difference between these two types. The first type was randomly distributed precipitates from V supersaturated ferrite and the second type V interphase precipitates. Not only the arrangement of the particles was different also the chemical composition. The randomly distributed precipitates consisted of V, C and N in contrast to that the interphase precipitates showed a composition of V, C and Mn. Furthermore the randomly distributed precipitates had maximum size of 20 nm and the interphase precipitates a maximum size of 15 nm. It was assumed that the reason for these differences is caused by the site in which they were formed. The randomly distributed precipitates were formed in a matrix consisting mainly of 0.05 at% C, 0.68 at% Si, 0.03 at% N, 0.145 at% V and 1.51 at% Mn. The interphase precipitates were formed in a region with a much higher C, Mn and V content. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carotid dual-energy CT angiography: Evaluation of low keV calculated monoenergetic datasets by means of a frequency-split approach for noise reduction at low keV levels.

PubMed

Riffel, Philipp; Haubenreisser, Holger; Meyer, Mathias; Sudarski, Sonja; Morelli, John N; Schmidt, Bernhard; Schoenberg, Stefan O; Henzler, Thomas

2016-04-01

Calculated monoenergetic ultra-low keV datasets did not lead to improved contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) due to the dramatic increase in image noise. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the objective image quality of ultra-low keV monoenergetic images (MEIs) calculated from carotid DECT angiography data with a new monoenergetic imaging algorithm using a frequency-split technique. 20 patients (12 male; mean age 53±17 years) were retrospectively analyzed. MEIs from 40 to 120 keV were reconstructed using the monoenergetic split frequency approach (MFSA). Additionally MEIs were reconstructed for 40 and 50 keV using a conventional monoenergetic (CM) software application. Signal intensity, noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and CNR were assessed in the basilar, common, internal carotid arteries. Ultra-low keV MEIs at 40 keV and 50 keV demonstrated highest vessel attenuation, significantly greater than those of the polyenergetic images (PEI) (all p-values <0.05). The highest SNR level and CNR level was found at 40 keV and 50 keV (all p-values <0.05). MEIs with MFSA showed significantly lower noise levels than those processed with CM (all p-values <0.05) and no significant differences in vessel attenuation (p>0.05). Thus MEIs with MFSA showed significantly higher SNR and CNR compared to MEIs with CM. Combining the lower spatial frequency stack for contrast at low keV levels with the high spatial frequency stack for noise at high keV levels (frequency-split technique) leads to improved image quality of ultra-low keV monoenergetic DECT datasets when compared to previous monoenergetic reconstruction techniques without the frequency-split technique. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

γ' Precipitation Study of a Co-Ni-Based Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Locq, D.; Martin, M.; Ramusat, C.; Fossard, F.; Perrut, M.

2018-05-01

A Co-Ni-based alloy strengthened by γ'-(L12) precipitates was utilized to investigate the precipitation evolution after various cooling rates and several aging conditions. In this study, the precipitate size and volume fraction have been studied via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of the precipitation evolution was measured via microhardness tests. The cooling rate study shows a more sluggish γ' precipitation reaction compared to that observed in a Ni-based superalloy. Following a rapid cooling rate, the application of appropriate double aging treatments allows for the increase of the γ' volume fraction as well as the control of the size and distribution of the precipitates. The highest hardness values reach those measured on supersolvus cast and wrought Ni-based superalloys. The observed γ' precipitation behavior should have implications for the production, the heat treatment, the welding, or the additive manufacturing of this new class of high-temperature materials.

Understanding Bright 13 keV Kr K-shell X-ray Sources at the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, M. J.; Colvin, J. D.; Kemp, G. E.; Fournier, K. B.; Scott, H.; Patel, M.; Barrios, Widmann; Widmann, K.

2015-11-01

High x-ray conversion efficiency (CE) K-shell Kr sources are being investigated for High Energy Density experiments. These sources are 4.1 mm in diameter 4.4 mm tall hollow epoxy tubes having a 40 μm thick wall holding either 1.2 or 1.5 atm of Kr gas. The CE of K-shell Kr is dependent upon the peak electron temperature in the radiating plasma. In the NIF experiments, the available energy heats the source to Te = 6-7 keV, well below the temperature of Te ~25 keV needed to optimize the Kr CE. The CE is a steep function of the peak electron temperature. A spatially averaged electron temperature can be estimated from measured He(α) and Ly(α) line ratios. Some disagreement has been observed in the simulated and measured line ratios for some of these K-shell sources. Disagreements have been observed between the simulated and measured line ratios for some of these K-shell sources. To help understand this issue, Kr gas pipes have been shot with 3 ω light at ?750 kJ at ~210, ~140 TW and ~120 TW power levels with 3.7, 5.2 and 6.7 ns pulses, respectively. The power and pulse length scaling of the measured CE and K-shell line ratios and their comparison to simulations will be discussed. This work was performed under the auspic

An Analysis of Conjugate Ground-based and Space-based Measurements of Energetic Electrons during Substorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivadas, N.; Semeter, J. L.

2015-12-01

Substorms within the Earth's magnetosphere release energy in the form of energetic charged particles and several kinds of waves within the plasma. Depending on their strength, satellite-based navigation and communication systems are adversely affected by the energetic charged particles. Like many other natural phenomena, substorms can have a severe economic impact on a technology-driven society such as ours. Though energization of charged particles is known to occur in the magnetosphere during substorms, the source of this population and its relation to traditional acceleration region dynamics, are not completely understood. Combining measurements of energetic charged particles within the plasmasheet and that of charged particles precipitated in to the ionosphere will provide a better understanding of the role of processes that accelerate these charged particles. In the current work, we present energetic electron flux measured indirectly using data from ground-based Incoherent Scatter Radar and that measured directly at the plasmasheet by the THEMIS spacecraft. Instances of low-altitude-precipitation observed from ground suggest electrons of energy greater than 300 keV, possibly arising from particle injection events during substorms at the magnetically conjugate locations in the plasmasheet. The differences and similarities in the measurements at the plasmasheet and the ionosphere indicate the role different processes play in influencing the journey of these energetic particles form the magnetosphere to the ionosphere. Our observations suggest that there is a lot more to be understood of the link between magnetotail dynamics and energetic electron precipitation during substorms. Understanding this may open up novel and potentially invaluable ways of diagnosing the magnetosphere from the ground.

Investigation of EMIC wave scattering as the cause for the BARREL 17 January 2013 relativistic electron precipitation event: A quantitative comparison of simulation with observations

DOE PAGES

Li, Zan; Millan, Robyn M.; Hudson, Mary K.; ...

2014-12-23

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were observed at multiple observatory locations for several hours on 17 January 2013. During the wave activity period, a duskside relativistic electron precipitation (REP) event was observed by one of the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) balloons and was magnetically mapped close to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 13. We simulate the relativistic electron pitch angle diffusion caused by gyroresonant interactions with EMIC waves using wave and particle data measured by multiple instruments on board GOES 13 and the Van Allen Probes. We show that the count rate, the energy distribution,more » and the time variation of the simulated precipitation all agree very well with the balloon observations, suggesting that EMIC wave scattering was likely the cause for the precipitation event. The event reported here is the first balloon REP event with closely conjugate EMIC wave observations, and our study employs the most detailed quantitative analysis on the link of EMIC waves with observed REP to date.« less

Investigation of EMIC wave scattering as the cause for the BARREL 17 January 2013 relativistic electron precipitation event: A quantitative comparison of simulation with observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zan; Millan, Robyn M.; Hudson, Mary K.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were observed at multiple observatory locations for several hours on 17 January 2013. During the wave activity period, a duskside relativistic electron precipitation (REP) event was observed by one of the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) balloons and was magnetically mapped close to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 13. We simulate the relativistic electron pitch angle diffusion caused by gyroresonant interactions with EMIC waves using wave and particle data measured by multiple instruments on board GOES 13 and the Van Allen Probes. We show that the count rate, the energy distribution,more » and the time variation of the simulated precipitation all agree very well with the balloon observations, suggesting that EMIC wave scattering was likely the cause for the precipitation event. The event reported here is the first balloon REP event with closely conjugate EMIC wave observations, and our study employs the most detailed quantitative analysis on the link of EMIC waves with observed REP to date.« less

An investigation of nitride precipitates in archaeological iron artefacts from Poland.

PubMed

Kedzierski, Z; Stepiński, J; Zielińska-Lipiec, A

2010-03-01

The paper describes the investigations of nitride precipitates in a spearhead and a sword found in the territory of Poland, in cremation graveyards of the Przeworsk Culture, dated to the Roman Period. Three different techniques of the examination of nitride precipitates were employed: optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer) and transmission electron microscope. Two types of precipitates have been observed, and their plate-like shape was demonstrated. The large precipitate has been confirmed to be gamma'-Fe(4)N, whereas the small one has been identified as alpha''-Fe(16)N(2). The origin of nitride precipitates in archaeological iron artefacts from Poland is probably a result of the manufacturing process or cremation as part of burial rites. An examination of available iron artefacts indicates that nitride precipitates (have only limited effect on mechanical properties) influence the hardness of metal only to a very limited degree.

Ring current electron dynamics during geomagnetic storms based on the Van Allen Probes measurements: Ring Current Electrons

DOE PAGES

Zhao, H.; Li, X.; Baker, D. N.; ...

2016-04-16

Based on comprehensive measurements from Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron Mass Spectrometer Ion Spectrometer, Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope, and Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment instruments on the Van Allen Probes, comparative studies of ring current electrons and ions are performed and the role of energetic electrons in the ring current dynamics is investigated. The deep injections of tens to hundreds of keV electrons and tens of keV protons into the inner magnetosphere occur frequently; after the injections the electrons decay slowly in the inner belt but protons in the low L region decay very fast. Intriguing similarities between lowermore » energy protons and higher-energy electrons are also found. The evolution of ring current electron and ion energy densities and energy content are examined in detail during two geomagnetic storms, one moderate and one intense. Here, the results show that the contribution of ring current electrons to the ring current energy content is much smaller than that of ring current ions (up to ~12% for the moderate storm and ~7% for the intense storm), and <35 keV electrons dominate the ring current electron energy content at the storm main phases. Though the electron energy content is usually much smaller than that of ions, the enhancement of ring current electron energy content during the moderate storm can get to ~30% of that of ring current ions, indicating a more dynamic feature of ring current electrons and important role of electrons in the ring current buildup. Lastly, the ring current electron energy density is also shown to be higher at midnight and dawn while lower at noon and dusk.« less

Energy dependence of the spatial distribution of inelastically scattered electrons in backscatter electron diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ram, Farangis; De Graef, Marc

2018-04-01

In an electron backscatter diffraction pattern (EBSP), the angular distribution of backscattered electrons (BSEs) depends on their energy. Monte Carlo modeling of their depth and energy distributions suggests that the highest energy BSEs are more likely to hit the bottom of the detector than the top. In this paper, we examine experimental EBSPs to validate the modeled angular BSE distribution. To that end, the Kikuchi bandlet method is employed to measure the width of Kikuchi bands in both modeled and measured EBSPs. The results show that in an EBSP obtained with a 15 keV primary probe, the width of a Kikuchi band varies by about 0 .4∘ from the bottom of the EBSD detector to its top. The same is true for a simulated pattern that is composed of BSEs with 5 keV to 15 keV energies, which validates the Monte Carlo simulations.

Slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons in Al foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordlund, K.

2018-03-01

Using energy degrading foils to slow down antiprotons is of interest for producing antihydrogen atoms. I consider here the slowing down of 100 keV antiprotons, that will be produced in the ELENA storage ring under construction at CERN, to energies below 10 keV. At these low energies, they are suitable for efficient antihydrogen production. I simulate the antihydrogen motion and slowing down in Al foils using a recently developed molecular dynamics approach. The results show that the optimal Al foil thickness for slowing down the antiprotons to below 5 keV is 910 nm, and to below 10 keV is 840 nm. Also the lateral spreading of the transmitted antiprotons is reported and the uncertainties discussed.

Computational Model of D-Region Ion Production Caused by Energetic Electron Precipitations Based on General Monte Carlo Transport Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouznetsov, A.; Cully, C. M.

2017-12-01

During enhanced magnetic activities, large ejections of energetic electrons from radiation belts are deposited in the upper polar atmosphere where they play important roles in its physical and chemical processes, including VLF signals subionospheric propagation. Electron deposition can affect D-Region ionization, which are estimated based on ionization rates derived from energy depositions. We present a model of D-region ion production caused by an arbitrary (in energy and pitch angle) distribution of fast (10 keV - 1 MeV) electrons. The model relies on a set of pre-calculated results obtained using a general Monte Carlo approach with the latest version of the MCNP6 (Monte Carlo N-Particle) code for the explicit electron tracking in magnetic fields. By expressing those results using the ionization yield functions, the pre-calculated results are extended to cover arbitrary magnetic field inclinations and atmospheric density profiles, allowing ionization rate altitude profile computations in the range of 20 and 200 km at any geographic point of interest and date/time by adopting results from an external atmospheric density model (e.g. NRLMSISE-00). The pre-calculated MCNP6 results are stored in a CDF (Common Data Format) file, and IDL routines library is written to provide an end-user interface to the model.

On the Spectral Hardening at gsim300 keV in Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, G.; Kong, X.; Zank, G.; Chen, Y.

2013-05-01

It has long been noted that the spectra of observed continuum emissions in many solar flares are consistent with double power laws with a hardening at energies gsim300 keV. It is now widely believed that at least in electron-dominated events, the hardening in the photon spectrum reflects an intrinsic hardening in the source electron spectrum. In this paper, we point out that a power-law spectrum of electrons with a hardening at high energies can be explained by the diffusive shock acceleration of electrons at a termination shock with a finite width. Our suggestion is based on an early analytical work by Drury et al., where the steady-state transport equation at a shock with a tanh profile was solved for a p-independent diffusion coefficient. Numerical simulations with a p-dependent diffusion coefficient show hardenings in the accelerated electron spectrum that are comparable with observations. One necessary condition for our proposed scenario to work is that high-energy electrons resonate with the inertial range of the MHD turbulence and low-energy electrons resonate with the dissipation range of the MHD turbulence at the acceleration site, and the spectrum of the dissipation range ~k -2.7. A ~k -2.7 dissipation range spectrum is consistent with recent solar wind observations.

Heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS) impingement onto the magnetosphere as a cause of relativistic electron dropouts (REDs) via coherent EMIC wave scattering with possible consequences for climate change mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsurutani, B. T.; Hajra, R.; Tanimori, T.; Takada, A.; Bhanu, R.; Mannucci, A. J.; Lakhina, G. S.; Kozyra, J. U.; Shiokawa, K.; Lee, L. C.; Echer, E.; Reddy, R. V.; Gonzalez, W. D.

2016-10-01

A new scenario is presented for the cause of magnetospheric relativistic electron decreases (REDs) and potential effects in the atmosphere and on climate. High-density solar wind heliospheric plasmasheet (HPS) events impinge onto the magnetosphere, compressing it along with remnant noon-sector outer-zone magnetospheric 10-100 keV protons. The betatron accelerated protons generate coherent electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves through a temperature anisotropy (T⊥/T|| > 1) instability. The waves in turn interact with relativistic electrons and cause the rapid loss of these particles to a small region of the atmosphere. A peak total energy deposition of 3 × 1020 ergs is derived for the precipitating electrons. Maximum energy deposition and creation of electron-ion pairs at 30-50 km and at < 30 km altitude are quantified. We focus the readers' attention on the relevance of this present work to two climate change mechanisms. Wilcox et al. (1973) noted a correlation between solar wind heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossings and high atmospheric vorticity centers at 300 mb altitude. Tinsley et al. has constructed a global circuit model which depends on particle precipitation into the atmosphere. Other possible scenarios potentially affecting weather/climate change are also discussed.

Iron Reduction and Carbonate Precipitation by Shewanella oneidensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Z.; Tice, M. M.

2011-12-01

This study is to contribute to better understanding of how Archean microbes induced carbonate diagenesis in mats and stromatolites. Previous studies showed sulfate reduction, a common promoter of carbonate precipitation in modern mats[1], is likely to have been less effective in Archean mats in marine fluids lower in sulfate[2]. Alternatively, iron reduction produces far more alkalinity per unit carbon respired than sulfate reduction. Therefore, we hypothesize iron reduction can promote much more carbonate precipitation than sulfate reduction. Our study might also have some relevance to banded iron formation on which microbial iron reduction played a potential role[3]. To test our hypothesis, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a dissimilatory iron reducing bacterium will be cultured anaerobically (79%N2, 20%CO2 and 1%H2) in basal medium to trigger iron reduction. Lactate will be used as electron donor, and the electron acceptor will be fresh ferrihydrite. Culture medium will be added with various metal ions, such as Ca2+ and Mg2+, to obtain potential carbonate precipitate. Escherichia coli (with fumarate added as an electron acceptor) will be used to provide a comparison to live but non-iron- reduction cells. After 20 days incubation, precipitate will be collected, washed and identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Besides, iron reduction rate (ferrozine assay)[4], PH and amount of precipitate (carbonate and oxidize fractions)[5] will be measured over time to well understand how S. oneidensis drives carbonate precipitation.

Understanding dual precipitation strengthening in ultra-high strength low carbon steel containing nano-sized copper precipitates and carbides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phaniraj, M. P.; Shin, Young-Min; Jung, Woo-Sang; Kim, Man-Ho; Choi, In-Suk

2017-07-01

Low carbon ferritic steel alloyed with Ti, Mo and Cu was hot rolled and interrupt cooled to produce nano-sized precipitates of copper and (Ti,Mo)C carbides. The steel had a tensile strength of 840 MPa, an increase in yield strength of 380 MPa over that of the plain carbon steel and reasonable ductility. Transmission electron microscopy and small angle neutron scattering were used to characterize size and volume fraction of the precipitates in the steels designed to form only copper precipitates and only (Ti,Mo)C carbides. The individual and combined precipitation strengthening contributions was calculated using the size and volume fraction of precipitates and compared with the measured values.

Ultralow energy calibration of LUX detector using Xe 127 electron capture

DOE PAGES

Akerib, D. S.; Alsum, S.; Araújo, H. M.; ...

2017-12-01

We report an absolute calibration of the ionization yields(more » $$\\textit{Q$$_y$})$ and fluctuations for electronic recoil events in liquid xenon at discrete energies between 186 eV and 33.2 keV. The average electric field applied across the liquid xenon target is 180 V/cm. The data are obtained using low energy $$^{127}$$Xe electron capture decay events from the 95.0-day first run from LUX (WS2013) in search of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The sequence of gamma-ray and X-ray cascades associated with $$^{127}$$I de-excitations produces clearly identified 2-vertex events in the LUX detector. We observe the K- (binding energy, 33.2 keV), L- (5.2 keV), M- (1.1 keV), and N- (186 eV) shell cascade events and verify that the relative ratio of observed events for each shell agrees with calculations. The N-shell cascade analysis includes single extracted electron (SE) events and represents the lowest-energy electronic recoil $$\\textit{in situ}$$ measurements that have been explored in liquid xenon.« less

The Heidelberg compact electron beam ion traps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micke, P.; Kühn, S.; Buchauer, L.; Harries, J. R.; Bücking, T. M.; Blaum, K.; Cieluch, A.; Egl, A.; Hollain, D.; Kraemer, S.; Pfeifer, T.; Schmidt, P. O.; Schüssler, R. X.; Schweiger, Ch.; Stöhlker, T.; Sturm, S.; Wolf, R. N.; Bernitt, S.; Crespo López-Urrutia, J. R.

2018-06-01

Electron beam ion traps (EBITs) are ideal tools for both production and study of highly charged ions (HCIs). In order to reduce their construction, maintenance, and operation costs, we have developed a novel, compact, room-temperature design, the Heidelberg Compact EBIT (HC-EBIT). Four already commissioned devices operate at the strongest fields (up to 0.86 T) reported for such EBITs using permanent magnets, run electron beam currents up to 80 mA, and energies up to 10 keV. They demonstrate HCI production, trapping, and extraction of pulsed Ar16+ bunches and continuous 100 pA ion beams of highly charged Xe up to charge state 29+, already with a 4 mA, 2 keV electron beam. Moreover, HC-EBITs offer large solid-angle ports and thus high photon count rates, e.g., in x-ray spectroscopy of dielectronic recombination in HCIs up to Fe24+, achieving an electron-energy resolving power of E/ΔE > 1500 at 5 keV. Besides traditional on-axis electron guns, we have also implemented a novel off-axis gun for laser, synchrotron, and free-electron laser applications, offering clear optical access along the trap axis. We report on its first operation at a synchrotron radiation facility demonstrating the resonant photoexcitation of highly charged oxygen.

MESSENGER observations of transient bursts of energetic electrons in Mercury's magnetosphere.

PubMed

Ho, George C; Krimigis, Stamatios M; Gold, Robert E; Baker, Daniel N; Slavin, James A; Anderson, Brian J; Korth, Haje; Starr, Richard D; Lawrence, David J; McNutt, Ralph L; Solomon, Sean C

2011-09-30

The MESSENGER spacecraft began detecting energetic electrons with energies greater than 30 kilo-electron volts (keV) shortly after its insertion into orbit about Mercury. In contrast, no energetic protons were observed. The energetic electrons arrive as bursts lasting from seconds to hours and are most intense close to the planet, distributed in latitude from the equator to the north pole, and present at most local times. Energies can exceed 200 keV but often exhibit cutoffs near 100 keV. Angular distributions of the electrons about the magnetic field suggest that they do not execute complete drift paths around the planet. This set of characteristics demonstrates that Mercury's weak magnetic field does not support Van Allen-type radiation belts, unlike all other planets in the solar system with internal magnetic fields.

Compact, maintainable 80-KeV neutral beam module

DOEpatents

Fink, Joel H.; Molvik, Arthur W.

1980-01-01

A compact, maintainable 80-keV arc chamber, extractor module for a neutral beam system immersed in a vacuum of <10.sup.-2 Torr, incorporating a nested 60-keV gradient shield located midway between the high voltage ion source and surrounding grounded frame. The shield reduces breakdown or arcing path length without increasing the voltage gradient, tends to keep electric fields normal to conducting surfaces rather than skewed and reduces the peak electric field around irregularities on the 80-keV electrodes. The arc chamber or ion source is mounted separately from the extractor or ion accelerator to reduce misalignment of the accelerator and to permit separate maintenance to be performed on these systems. The separate mounting of the ion source provides for maintaining same without removing the ion accelerator.

Simulation of emittance dilution in electron storage ring from Compton backscattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blumberg, L.N.; Blum, E.

1993-07-01

A Monte-Carlo simulation of Compton backscattered {kappa}{sub L}=3.2-{mu}m photons from an IR-FEL on 75-MeV electrons in a storage ring yields an RMS electron energy spread of {Delta}{sub E}=11.9-keV for a sample of 10{sup 7} single scattering events. Electrons are sampled from a beam of natural energy spread {sigma}{sub E} = 5.6-keV and damped transverse angle spreads {sigma}{sub x}{prime}, = .041-mrad and {sigma}{sub y}{prime} = .052-mrad (100%) coupling, scaled from the 200-MeV BNL XLS compact storage ring. The Compton-scattered X-Rays are generated from an integral of the CM Klein-Nishina cross-section transformed to the lab. A tracking calculation has also been performedmore » in 6-dimensional phase space. Initial electron coordinates are selected randomly from a Gaussian distribution of RMS spreads {sigma}{sub xo}=.102-mm, {sigma}{sub x{prime}o}=.041-mrad, {sigma}{sub yo}=.018-mm, {sigma}{sub y{prime}o}=.052-mrad, {sigma}{sub {phi}o}=22-mrad and {sigma}{sub Eo}=6-keV. A sample of 10000 electrons were each following for 40000 turns around the ring through an RF cavity of f{sub rf}=211.54-MHz and peak voltage V{sub m}=300-keV. Preliminary results indicate that the resulting energy distribution is quite broad with an RMS width of {Delta}{sub E} = 124-keV. The transverse widths are only slightly increased from their original values, i.e. {Delta}{sub x} = .106-mm and {Delta}{sub x}{prime}=.043 mrad. The scaled energy spread of {Delta}{sub E} {approximately} 360-keV for {approximately} 350,000 turns desired in a 10-msec X-Ray angiography exposure is well within the RF bucket used here; even V{sub m} < 50-kV is adequate. Further, the electron energy spread adds a negligible RMS X-Ray energy spread of {Delta}{sub Ex}=.32-keV. The electron energy damping time of {tau}{sub E}=379-msec at 75-MeV in an XLS-type ring allows for damping this induced spread and top-off of the ring between heart cycles.« less

Simulation of emittance dilution in electron storage ring from Compton backscattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blumberg, L. N.; Blum, E.

A Monte-Carlo simulation of Compton backscattered kappa(sub L) = 3.2-micron photons from an IR-FEL on 75-MeV electrons in a storage ring yields an RMS electron energy spread of delta(sub E) = 11.9-keV for a sample of 10(exp 7) single scattering events. Electrons are sampled from a beam of natural energy spread sigma(sub E) = 5.6-keV and damped transverse angle spreads sigma(sub x)(prime) = .041-mrad and sigma(sub y)(prime) = .052-mrad (100%) coupling, scaled from the 200-MeV BNL XLS compact storage ring. The Compton-scattered x-rays are generated from an integral of the CM Klein-Nishina cross-section transformed to the lab. A tracking calculation has also been performed in 6-dimensional phase space. Initial electron coordinates are selected randomly from a Gaussian distribution of RMS spreads sigma(sub xo) = .102-mm, sigma(sub x(prime)o) = .041-mrad, sigma(sub yo) = .018-mm, sigma(sub y(prime)o) = .052-mrad, sigma(sub (phi)o) = 22-mrad and sigma(sub Eo) = 6-keV. A sample of 10000 electrons were each following for 40000 turns around the ring through an RF cavity of f(sub RF) = 211.54-MHz and peak voltage V(sub m)=300-keV. Preliminary results indicate that the resulting energy distribution is quite broad with an RMS width of delta(sub E) = 124-keV. The transverse widths are only slightly increased from their original values, i.e. delta(sub x) = .106-mm and delta(sub x)(prime) = .043 mrad. The scaled energy spread of delta(sub E) approximately = 360-keV for approximately 350,000 turns desired in a 10-msec x-ray angiography exposure is well within the RF bucket used here; even V(sub m) less than 50-kV is adequate. Further, the electron energy spread adds a negligible RMS x-ray energy spread of delta(sub Ex) = .32-keV. The electron energy damping time of tau(sub E) = 379-msec at 75-MeV in an XLS-type ring allows for damping this induced spread and top-off of the ring between heart cycles.

Measured and Simulated Dark J-V Characteristics of a-Si:H Single Junction p-i-n Solar Cells Irradiated with 40 keV Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lord, Kenneth; Woodyard, James R.

2002-01-01

The effect of 40 keV electron irradiation on a-Si:H p-i-n single-junction solar cells was investigated using measured and simulated dark J-V characteristics. EPRI-AMPS and PC-1D simulators were explored for use in the studies. The EPRI-AMPS simulator was employed and simulator parameters selected to produce agreement with measured J-V characteristics. Three current mechanisms were evident in the measured dark J-V characteristics after electron irradiation, namely, injection, shunting and a term of the form CV(sup m). Using a single discrete defect state level at the center of the band gap, good agreement was achieved between measured and simulated J-V characteristics in the forward-bias voltage region where the dark current density was dominated by injection. The current mechanism of the form CV(sup m) was removed by annealing for two hours at 140 C. Subsequent irradiation restored the CV(sup m) current mechanism and it was removed by a second anneal. Some evidence of the CV(sup m) term is present in device simulations with a higher level of discrete density of states located at the center of the bandgap.

An Overview of Electron-Proton and High Energy Telescopes of Solar Orbiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, S. R.; Grunau, J.; Boden, S.; Steinhagen, J.; Martin, C.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Boettcher, S.; Seimetz, L.; Ravanbakhsh, A.; Elftmann, R.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Prieto, M.; Gomez-Herrero, R.

2013-12-01

The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of five sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The University of Kiel in Germany is also responsible for the design, development, and build of EPT and HET which are presented here. The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. The Solar Orbiter EPT electron measurements from 20 - 400 keV will cover the gap with some overlap between suprathermal electrons measured by STEP and high energy electrons measured by HET. The proton measurements from 20 -7000 keV will partially cover the gap between STEP and HET. The Electron and Proton Telescope relies on the magnet/foil-technique. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) on ESA's Solar Orbiter mission, will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 -100 MeV, and heavy ions from ~20 to 200 MeV/nuc. Thus, HET covers the energy range which is of specific interest for studies of the space environment and will perform the measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy events at the Sun which occasionally accelerate particles to such high energies that they can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and be measured at ground level. Here we present the current development status of EPT-HET units and calibration results of demonstration models and present plans for future activities.

Formation of Copper Sulfide Precipitate in Solid Iron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urata, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Yoshinao

The growth rate of copper sulfide precipitates has been measured in low carbon steel samples such as Fe-0.3mass%Cu-0.03mass%S-0.1mass%C and Fe-0.1mass%Cu-0.01mass%S- 0.1mass%C. Heat-treatment of the samples was conducted at 1273, 1423 and 1573 K for 100 s - 14.4 ks for precipitation of copper sulfides and then the samples were observed by a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope to measure the diameter of copper sulfides precipitated in the samples. The growth rate of copper sulfide has been found to be well described by the Ostwald growth model, as follows: R\

Neutron capture cross sections of 69Ga and 71Ga at 25 keV and Epeak = 90 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Göbel, Kathrin; Beinrucker, Clemens; Erbacher, Philipp; Fiebiger, Stefan; Fonseca, Micaela; Heftrich, Michael; Heftrich, Tanja; Käppeler, Franz; Krása, Antonin; Lederer-Woods, Claudia; Plag, Ralf; Plompen, Arjan; Reifarth, René; Schmidt, Stefan; Sonnabend, Kerstin; Weigand, Mario

2017-09-01

We measured the neutron capture cross sections of 69Ga and 71Ga for a quasi-stellar spectrum at kBT = 25 keV and a spectrum with a peak energy at 90 keV by the activation technique at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Geel, Belgium. Protons were provided by an electrostatic Van de Graaff accelerator to produce neutrons via the reaction 7Li(p,n). The produced activity was measured via the γ emission of the product nuclei by high-purity germanium detectors. We present preliminary results.

Discrete Chromatic Aberrations Arising from Photoinduced Electron-Photon Interactions in Ultrafast Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Plemmons, Dayne A; Flannigan, David J

2016-05-26

In femtosecond ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) experiments, the initial excitation period is composed of spatiotemporal overlap of the temporally commensurate pump photon pulse and probe photoelectron packet. Generation of evanescent near-fields at the nanostructure specimens produces a dispersion relation that enables coupling of the photons (ℏω = 2.4 eV, for example) and freely propagating electrons (200 keV, for example) in the near-field. Typically, this manifests as discrete peaks occurring at integer multiples (n) of the photon energy in the low-loss/gain region of electron-energy spectra (i.e., at 200 keV ± nℏω eV). Here, we examine the UEM imaging resolution implications of the strong inelastic near-field interactions between the photons employed in optical excitation and the probe photoelectrons. We find that the additional photoinduced energy dispersion occurring when swift electrons pass through intense evanescent near-fields results in a discrete chromatic aberration that limits the spatial resolving power to several angstroms during the excitation period.

Control system adds to precipitator efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gurrole, G.

1978-02-01

An electrostatic precipitator in use at Lion Oil Co., Martinez, Calif., in a fluid catalytic cracking and CO boiler application, was upgraded by mechanical sectionalization of the gas passage and a new electronic control system. The electrostatic precipitator is installed upstream of the CO boiler to handle gas flow up to 4.77 ft/sec, and pressure to 4.5 psi. The independent gas chambers in the electrostatic precipitator were divided by installing gas-tight partition walls to form a total of four electrostatic fields. The precipitator was also equipped with adjustable inlet gas flow-control baffles for even gas distribution. Rows of grounded collectingmore » electrodes are parallel with the flow of gas. The emitting electrode system, powered by separate high-energy transformers for each collecting field, uses silicon-controlled rectifiers and analog electronic networks for rapid response to changing gas and dust conditions. Regulatory requirements call for efficient collection of catalyst fines with no more than 40 lb/hr escaping through the boiler stack. Currently, stack losses average about 38 lb/hr. The installation of two additional control systems with transformers and rectifiers should reduce stack losses to 34 lb/hr.« less

WE-E-18A-05: Bremsstrahlung of Laser-Plasma Interaction at KeV Temperature: Forward Dose and Attenuation Factors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saez-Beltran, M; Fernandez Gonzalez, F

2014-06-15

Purpose: To obtain an analytical empirical formula for the photon dose source term in forward direction from bremsstrahlung generated from laser-plasma accelerated electron beams in aluminum solid targets, with electron-plasma temperatures in the 10–100 keV energy range, and to calculate transmission factors for iron, aluminum, methacrylate, lead and concrete and air, materials most commonly found in vacuum chamber labs. Methods: Bremsstrahlung fluence is calculated from the convolution of thin-target bremsstrahlung spectrum for monoenergetic electrons and the relativistic Maxwell-Juettner energy distribution for the electron-plasma. Unattenuatted dose in tissue is calculated by integrating the photon spectrum with the mass-energy absorption coefficient. Formore » the attenuated dose, energy dependent absorption coefficient, build-up factors and finite shielding correction factors were also taken into account. For the source term we use a modified formula from Hayashi et al., and we fitted the proportionality constant from experiments with the aid of the previously calculated transmission factors. Results: The forward dose has a quadratic dependence on electron-plasma temperature: 1 joule of effective laser energy transferred to the electrons at 1 m in vacuum yields 0,72 Sv per MeV squared of electron-plasma temperature. Air strongly filters the softer part of the photon spectrum and reduce the dose to one tenth in the first centimeter. Exponential higher energy tail of maxwellian spectrum contributes mainly to the transmitted dose. Conclusion: A simple formula for forward photon dose from keV range temperature plasma is obtained, similar to those found in kilovoltage x-rays but with higher dose per dissipated electron energy, due to thin target and absence of filtration.« less

On an energy-latitude dispersion pattern of ion precipitation potentially associated with magnetospheric EMIC waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Jun; Donovan, E.; Ni, B.; Yue, C.; Jiang, F.; Angelopoulos, V.

2014-10-01

Ion precipitation mechanisms are usually energy dependent and contingent upon magnetospheric/ionospheric locations. Therefore, the pattern of energy-latitude dependence of ion precipitation boundaries seen by low Earth orbit satellites can be implicative of the mechanism(s) underlying the precipitation. The pitch angle scattering of ions led by the field line curvature, a well-recognized mechanism of ion precipitation in the central plasma sheet (CPS), leads to one common pattern of energy-latitude dispersion, in that the ion precipitation flux diminishes at higher (lower) latitudes for protons with lower (higher) energies. In this study, we introduce one other systematically existing pattern of energy-latitude dispersion of ion precipitation, in that the lower energy ion precipitation extends to lower latitude than the higher-energy ion precipitation. Via investigating such a "reversed" energy-latitude dispersion pattern, we explore possible mechanisms of ion precipitation other than the field line curvature scattering. We demonstrate via theories and simulations that the H-band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave is capable of preferentially scattering keV protons in the CPS and potentially leads to the reversed energy-latitude dispersion of proton precipitation. We then present detailed event analyses and provide support to a linkage between the EMIC waves in the equatorial CPS and ion precipitation events with reversed energy-latitude dispersion. We also discuss the role of ion acceleration in the topside ionosphere which, together with the CPS ion population, may result in a variety of energy-latitude distributions of the overall ion precipitation.

Suprathermal Electrons at Saturn's Bow Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, A.; Sulaiman, A. H.; Sergis, N.; Stawarz, L.; Fujimoto, M.; Coates, A. J.; Dougherty, M. K.

2016-07-01

The leading explanation for the origin of galactic cosmic rays is particle acceleration at the shocks surrounding young supernova remnants (SNRs), although crucial aspects of the acceleration process are unclear. The similar collisionless plasma shocks frequently encountered by spacecraft in the solar wind are generally far weaker (lower Mach number) than these SNR shocks. However, the Cassini spacecraft has shown that the shock standing in the solar wind sunward of Saturn (Saturn's bow shock) can occasionally reach this high-Mach number astrophysical regime. In this regime Cassini has provided the first in situ evidence for electron acceleration under quasi-parallel upstream magnetic conditions. Here we present the full picture of suprathermal electrons at Saturn's bow shock revealed by Cassini. The downstream thermal electron distribution is resolved in all data taken by the low-energy electron detector (CAPS-ELS, <28 keV) during shock crossings, but the higher energy channels were at (or close to) background. The high-energy electron detector (MIMI-LEMMS, >18 keV) measured a suprathermal electron signature at 31 of 508 crossings, where typically only the lowest energy channels (<100 keV) were above background. We show that these results are consistent with the theory in which the “injection” of thermal electrons into an acceleration process involves interaction with whistler waves at the shock front, and becomes possible for all upstream magnetic field orientations at high Mach numbers like those of the strong shocks around young SNRs. A future dedicated study will analyze the rare crossings with evidence for relativistic electrons (up to ˜1 MeV).

Multi-scale Observations of High-Energy Electron Precipitation in the Nightside Transition Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weatherwax, A. T.; Donovan, E.

2012-12-01

In recent years, the riometer has experienced a renaissance as an important tool for tracking the spatio-temporal evolution of high-energy magnetospheric electron (e-) populations. Networks of single beam riometers give a sparsely sampled picture of the global evolution of magnetospheric high energy e- population; existing imaging riometers resolve smaller-scale processes, but because they are isolated from one another, that resolution cannot be applied to the ionospheric signature of mesoscale magnetospheric processes. With funding from an NSF MRI, we are developing an innovative new facility where, for the first time, absorption related to high energy precipitation will be imaged across a large enough region to allow for tracking the effects of mesoscale magnetospheric processes (such as the dispersionless injection, patchy pulsating aurora, and ULF waves) with high enough space and time resolution to address key unresolved geospace questions. We will deploy in central Canada, taking advantage of excellent coverage of our target region by existing and potential future complimentary networks. The figure shows present coverage spanning auroral latitudes in North American by ASIs (including THEMIS-ASI), the mid-latitude SuperDARN HF radars, Meridian Scanning Photometers (MSPs), and magnetometers. The ASI, SuperDARN, and magnetometer networks will provide significantly more extensive coverage than our target region, thus proving information about (lower energy) auroral precipitation, large-scale magnetospheric convection (as impressed on the ionosphere), and ionospheric currents around and within our target region. For the first time, we will simultaneously observe the coupled convection, auroral, and high-energy electron precipitation in this key geospace region. These observations will be important for RBSP, CEDAR, and GEM science.; Figure: Left: Target region for the new imaging riometer array, and FoVs of THEMIS-ASIs and Canadian Multi-Spectral ASIs. Middle: Scan

Electron-acoustic solitons and double layers in the inner magnetosphere: ELECTRON-ACOUSTIC SOLITONS

DOE PAGES

Vasko, I. Y.; Agapitov, O. V.; Mozer, F. S.; ...

2017-05-28

The Van Allen Probes observe generally two types of electrostatic solitary waves (ESW) contributing to the broadband electrostatic wave activity in the nightside inner magnetosphere. ESW with symmetric bipolar parallel electric field are electron phase space holes. The nature of ESW with asymmetric bipolar (and almost unipolar) parallel electric field has remained puzzling. To address their nature, we consider a particular event observed by Van Allen Probes to argue that during the broadband wave activity electrons with energy above 200 eV provide the dominant contribution to the total electron density, while the density of cold electrons (below a few eV)more » is less than a few tenths of the total electron density. We show that velocities of the asymmetric ESW are close to velocity of electron-acoustic waves (existing due to the presence of cold and hot electrons) and follow the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) dispersion relation derived for the observed plasma conditions (electron energy spectrum is a power law between about 100 eV and 10 keV and Maxwellian above 10 keV). The ESW spatial scales are in general agreement with the KdV theory. We interpret the asymmetric ESW in terms of electron-acoustic solitons and double layers (shocks waves).« less

Electron-acoustic solitons and double layers in the inner magnetosphere: ELECTRON-ACOUSTIC SOLITONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vasko, I. Y.; Agapitov, O. V.; Mozer, F. S.

The Van Allen Probes observe generally two types of electrostatic solitary waves (ESW) contributing to the broadband electrostatic wave activity in the nightside inner magnetosphere. ESW with symmetric bipolar parallel electric field are electron phase space holes. The nature of ESW with asymmetric bipolar (and almost unipolar) parallel electric field has remained puzzling. To address their nature, we consider a particular event observed by Van Allen Probes to argue that during the broadband wave activity electrons with energy above 200 eV provide the dominant contribution to the total electron density, while the density of cold electrons (below a few eV)more » is less than a few tenths of the total electron density. We show that velocities of the asymmetric ESW are close to velocity of electron-acoustic waves (existing due to the presence of cold and hot electrons) and follow the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) dispersion relation derived for the observed plasma conditions (electron energy spectrum is a power law between about 100 eV and 10 keV and Maxwellian above 10 keV). The ESW spatial scales are in general agreement with the KdV theory. We interpret the asymmetric ESW in terms of electron-acoustic solitons and double layers (shocks waves).« less

High Energy Electron Detectors on Sphinx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, J. R.; Porte, A.; Zucchini, F.; Calamy, H.; Auriel, G.; Coleman, P. L.; Bayol, F.; Lalle, B.; Krishnan, M.; Wilson, K.

2008-11-01

Z-pinch plasma radiation sources are used to dose test objects with K-shell (˜1-4keV) x-rays. The implosion physics can produce high energy electrons (> 50keV), which could distort interpretation of the soft x-ray effects. We describe the design and implementation of a diagnostic suite to characterize the electron environment of Al wire and Ar gas puff z-pinches on Sphinx. The design used ITS calculations to model detector response to both soft x-rays and electrons and help set upper bounds to the spurious electron flux. Strategies to discriminate between the known soft x-ray emission and the suspected electron flux will be discussed. H.Calamy et al, ``Use of microsecond current prepulse for dramatic improvements of wire array Z-pinch implosion,'' Phys Plasmas 15, 012701 (2008) J.A.Halbleib et al, ``ITS: the integrated TIGER series of electron/photon transport codes-Version 3.0,'' IEEE Trans on Nuclear Sci, 39, 1025 (1992)

Two types of electron events in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daibog, E. I.; Kurt, V. G.; Logachev, Y. I.; Stolpovsky, V. G.

1985-01-01

The fluxes and spectra of the flare electrons measured on board Venera-I3 and I4 space probes are compared with the parameters of the hard (E sub x approximately 55 keV) and thermal X-ray bursts. The electron flux amplitude has been found to correlate with flare importance in the thermal X-ray range (r approximately 0.8). The following two types of flare events have been found in the electron component of SCR. The electron flux increase is accompanied by a hard X-ray burst and the electron spectrum index in the approximately 25 to 200 keV energy range is gamma approximately 2 to 3. The electron flux increase is not accompanied by a hard X-ray burst and the electron spectrum is softer (Delta gamma approximately 0.7 to 1.0).

First-principles calculations of stability, electronic and elastic properties of the precipitates present in 7055 aluminum alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Cheng; Shao, Hongbang; Ma, Yunlong; Huang, Yuanchun; Xiao, Zhengbing

2018-04-01

The structural stability, electronic structures and elastic properties of the strengthening precipitates, namely Al3Zr, MgZn2, Al2CuMg and Al2Cu, present in 7055 aluminum alloy were investigated by the first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The optimized structural parameters are in good agreement with literature values available. It is found that Al3Zr has the strongest alloying ability and structural stability, while for MgZn2, its structural stability is the worst. The calculated electronic results indicate that covalent bonding is the dominant cohesion of Al3Zr, whereas the fractional ionic interactions coexisting with metallic bonding are found in MgZn2, Al2CuMg and Al2Cu. The elastic constants Cij of these precipitates were calculated, and the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and universal elastic anisotropy were derived. It is suggested that MgZn2 is ductile, whereas Al3Zr, Al2CuMg and Al2Cu are brittle, and the elastic anisotropies of them increase in the following sequence: Al3Zr

Evaluation of solar flares and electron precipitation by nitrate distribution in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreschhoff, Gisela A.; Zeller, Edward J.

1991-10-01

Most of the time devoted to project research was spent in Antarctica. A firm core was drilled by hand to a depth of 29 meters at Windless Bight on the Ross Ice Shelf. The main result is that all of the major peaks identified as resulting from ionization caused by SPEs that were found in the 1988-89 core could also be identified in the analytical sequence from the 1990-91 core. Following the Antarctic field season, a set of snow samples were obtained that had been collected by the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition. The analysis of these samples showed nitrate flux that correlates closely with known spatial distribution of electron precipitation in the south polar region. A new apparatus has been build for field analysis on a continuous basis of nitrate and conductivity in a melt derived from the vertical melting of ice cores.

Modeling Relativistic Electron Precipitation Bremsstrahlung X-Ray Intensities at 10-100 km Manned Vehicle Altitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krause, L. Habsh; Gilchrist, B. E.; Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi

2013-01-01

Relativisitic electron precipitation (REP) events occur when beams or bunches of relativistic electrons of magnetospheric origin enter the Earth's atmosphere, typically at auroral latitudes. REP events are associated with a variety of space weather effects, including production of transitional and bremsstrahlung radiation, catalytic depletion of stratospheric ozone, and scintillation of transionospheric radio waves. This study examines the intensities of x-rays produced at airliner, manned balloon, and space reuseable launch vehicles (sRLVs). The monoenergetic beam is modeled in cylindrical symetry using the paraxial ray equation. Bremsstrahlung photon production is calculated using the traditional Sauter-Elwert cross-section, providing x-ray emission spectra differential in energy and angle. Attenuation is computed for a plane-stratified standard atmosphere, and the loss processes include photoionization, Rayleigh and Compton scattering, electron-positron pair production, and photonuclear interaction. Peak altitudes of electron energy deposition and bremsstrahlung x-ray production were calculated for beams of energies from 1 MeV through 100 MeV. The altitude peak of bremsstrahlung deposition was consistently and significantly lower that that of the electron deposition due to the longer mean free paths of x-rays compared to electrons within the atmosphere. For example, for a nadir-directed monoenergetic 5 MeV beam, the peak deposition altitude was calculated to be 42 km, but the resulting bremsstrahlung deposition peaked at 25 km. This has implications for crew and passenger safety, especially with the growth of the space tourism industry. A survey of results covering the 1-100 MeV spectrum for the three altitude ranges of interest will be presented.

Ionospheric effects of the simultaneous occurrence of a solar proton event and relativistic electron precipitation as recorded by ground-based instruments at different latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirochkov, A. V.; Makarova, L. N.; Sokolov, S. N.; Sheldon, W. R.

2004-08-01

The intense event of highly relativistic electron (HRE) precipitation of May 1992 has been analyzed using data from ground-based observations (riometers and VLF phase measurements). Special attention was given to some features of this event observed at high and very high geomagnetic latitudes, since this aspect of the event was not well documented in previous studies. A remarkable feature of the HRE event of May 1992 was the simultaneous occurrence of a strong solar proton event (SPE), although reliable evidence shows that the simultaneous appearance of SPE and HRE events is not unique. It was demonstrated that a meridian chain of riometers with high latitudinal resolution is an effective and low-cost (as compared with satellite observations) tool to separate the effects of solar proton and relativistic electrons in the lower ionosphere. A significant conclusion is that the polar cap area is free from relativistic electron precipitation. Other interesting aspects of this complex geophysical phenomenon are also discussed.

Upstream energetic ions and electrons - Bow shock-associated or magnetospheric origin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholer, M.; Hovestadt, D.; Ipavich, F. M.; Gloeckler, G.

1981-01-01

An analysis is made of 35 proton bursts observed with the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland sensor system on ISEE 3 far upstream of the earth's bow shock. These upstream bursts are found to fall into two distinctive groups. The first is accompanied by energetic electrons (more than about 75 keV), and the proton spectrum extends up to energies greater than about 300 keV and higher and bends over toward lower energies (less than about 30 keV). The second group, which is unaccompanied by energetic electron bursts, exhibits spectra which can be represented extremely well by exponentials in energy with a mean e-folding energy of approximately 15 keV. The first group is thought to be of a magnetospheric origin, and the second to be bow-shock associated.

Precipitation in a lead calcium tin anode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez-Gonzalez, Francisco A., E-mail: fco.aurelio@inbox.com; Centro de Innovacion, Investigacion y Desarrollo en Ingenieria y Tecnologia, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon; Camurri, Carlos G., E-mail: ccamurri@udec.cl

Samples from a hot rolled sheet of a tin and calcium bearing lead alloy were solution heat treated at 300 Degree-Sign C and cooled down to room temperature at different rates; these samples were left at room temperature to study natural precipitation of CaSn{sub 3} particles. The samples were aged for 45 days before analysing their microstructure, which was carried out in a scanning electron microscope using secondary and backscattered electron detectors. Selected X-ray spectra analyses were conducted to verify the nature of the precipitates. Images were taken at different magnifications in both modes of observation to locate the precipitatesmore » and record their position within the images and calculate the distance between them. Differential scanning calorimeter analyses were conducted on selected samples. It was found that the mechanical properties of the material correlate with the minimum average distance between precipitates, which is related to the average cooling rate from solution heat treatment. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The distance between precipitates in a lead alloy is recorded. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The relationship between the distance and the cooling rate is established. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is found that the strengthening of the alloy depends on the distance between precipitates.« less

Formation, stability and dissociation dynamics of {{\\rm{N}}}_{2}{}^{{\\rm{n}}+} cations (n = 1 - 2) in 3.5 keV e - -N2 collisions studied using the energy resolved electron-ion coincidence technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S.; Prajapati, S.; Singh, B.; Singh, B. K.; Shanker, R.

2018-04-01

Coincidences between energy selected electrons and ions produced in the decay of a core hole ionized (excited) state in a free nitrogen molecule have been measured at three specified energies of emitted electrons to reveal the individual pathways produced in 3.5 keV electron-induced fragmentation processes. From these measurements, it has been possible to show, for the first time, that in addition to the normal Auger decay, the resonant Auger excitation channels also share their appreciable contributions in producing singly charged parent ions in an electron-induced collision system. The correlations between ion fragmentation products and electronic structures with a hole configuration in singly-, doubly- and possibly in triply charged molecular electronic states populated in the electronic decay of the initial core hole have been studied and discussed. KER values obtained from our experiments are found to be consistent with the previous results of photo absorption experiments for fragmentation channel {{{{N}}}2}2+ → N+ + N+ however, N2+ fragment ions are found to arise mainly from the fragmentation channel {{{{N}}}2}2+ → N2+ + N and to possess relatively low kinetic energies in the considered region of binding energies.

WC/Co composite surface structure and nano graphite precipitate induced by high current pulsed electron beam irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, S. Z.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, Y.; Gey, N.; Grosdidier, T.; Dong, C.

2013-11-01

High current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) irradiation was conducted on a WC-6% Co hard alloy with accelerating voltage of 27 kV and pulse duration of 2.5 μs. The surface phase structure was examined by using glancing-angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) methods. The surface tribological properties were measured. It was found that after 20 pulses of HCPEB irradiation, the surface structure of WC/Co hard alloy was modified dramatically and composed of a mixture of nano-grained WC1-x, Co3W9C4, Co3W3C phases and graphite precipitate domains ˜50 nm. The friction coefficient of modified surface decreased to ˜0.38 from 0.6 of the initial state, and the wear rate reduced from 8.4 × 10-5 mm3/min to 6.3 × 10-6 mm3/min, showing a significant self-lubricating effect.

Relativistic Electrons Produced by Foreshock Disturbances Observed Upstream of Earth's Bow Shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L. B., III; Sibeck, D. G.; Turner, D. L.; Osmane, A.; Caprioli, D.; Angelopoulos, V.

2016-01-01

Charged particles can be reflected and accelerated by strong (i.e., high Mach number) astrophysical collisionless shock waves, streaming away to form a foreshock region in communication with the shock. Foreshocks are primarily populated by suprathermal ions that can generate foreshock disturbances-largescale (i.e., tens to thousands of thermal ion Larmor radii), transient (approximately 5-10 per day) structures. They have recently been found to accelerate ions to energies of several keV. Although electrons in Saturn's high Mach number (M > 40) bow shock can be accelerated to relativistic energies (nearly 1000 keV), it has hitherto been thought impossible to accelerate electrons beyond a few tens of keV at Earth's low Mach number (1 =M <20) bow shock. Here we report observations of electrons energized by foreshock disturbances to energies up to at least approximately 300 keV. Although such energetic electrons have been previously observed, their presence has been attributed to escaping magnetospheric particles or solar events. These relativistic electrons are not associated with any solar or magnetospheric activity. Further, due to their relatively small Larmor radii (compared to magnetic gradient scale lengths) and large thermal speeds (compared to shock speeds), no known shock acceleration mechanism can energize thermal electrons up to relativistic energies. The discovery of relativistic electrons associated with foreshock structures commonly generated in astrophysical shocks could provide a new paradigm for electron injections and acceleration in collisionless plasmas.

Experimental Determination of the HPGe Spectrometer Efficiency Calibration Curves for Various Sample Geometry for Gamma Energy from 50 keV to 2000 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saat, Ahmad; Hamzah, Zaini; Yusop, Mohammad Fariz; Zainal, Muhd Amiruddin

2010-07-01

Detection efficiency of a gamma-ray spectrometry system is dependent upon among others, energy, sample and detector geometry, volume and density of the samples. In the present study the efficiency calibration curves of newly acquired (August 2008) HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry system was carried out for four sample container geometries, namely Marinelli beaker, disc, cylindrical beaker and vial, normally used for activity determination of gamma-ray from environmental samples. Calibration standards were prepared by using known amount of analytical grade uranium trioxide ore, homogenized in plain flour into the respective containers. The ore produces gamma-rays of energy ranging from 53 keV to 1001 keV. Analytical grade potassium chloride were prepared to determine detection efficiency of 1460 keV gamma-ray emitted by potassium isotope K-40. Plots of detection efficiency against gamma-ray energy for the four sample geometries were found to fit smoothly to a general form of ɛ = AΕa+BΕb, where ɛ is efficiency, Ε is energy in keV, A, B, a and b are constants that are dependent on the sample geometries. All calibration curves showed the presence of a "knee" at about 180 keV. Comparison between the four geometries showed that the efficiency of Marinelli beaker is higher than cylindrical beaker and vial, while cylindrical disk showed the lowest.

Determination of the ReA Electron Beam Ion Trap electron beam radius and current density with an X-ray pinhole camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumann, Thomas M.; Lapierre, Alain; Kittimanapun, Kritsada; Schwarz, Stefan; Leitner, Daniela; Bollen, Georg

2014-07-01

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University is used as a charge booster and injector for the currently commissioned rare isotope re-accelerator facility ReA. This EBIT charge breeder is equipped with a unique superconducting magnet configuration, a combination of a solenoid and a pair of Helmholtz coils, allowing for a direct observation of the ion cloud while maintaining the advantages of a long ion trapping region. The current density of its electron beam is a key factor for efficient capture and fast charge breeding of continuously injected, short-lived isotope beams. It depends on the radius of the magnetically compressed electron beam. This radius is measured by imaging the highly charged ion cloud trapped within the electron beam with a pinhole camera, which is sensitive to X-rays emitted by the ions with photon energies between 2 keV and 10 keV. The 80%-radius of a cylindrical 800 mA electron beam with an energy of 15 keV is determined to be r_{80%}=(212± 19)μm in a 4 T magnetic field. From this, a current density of j = (454 ± 83)A/cm2 is derived. These results are in good agreement with electron beam trajectory simulations performed with TriComp and serve as a test for future electron gun design developments.

Precipitation and Hardening in Magnesium Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Jian-Feng

2012-11-01

Magnesium alloys have received an increasing interest in the past 12 years for potential applications in the automotive, aircraft, aerospace, and electronic industries. Many of these alloys are strong because of solid-state precipitates that are produced by an age-hardening process. Although some strength improvements of existing magnesium alloys have been made and some novel alloys with improved strength have been developed, the strength level that has been achieved so far is still substantially lower than that obtained in counterpart aluminum alloys. Further improvements in the alloy strength require a better understanding of the structure, morphology, orientation of precipitates, effects of precipitate morphology, and orientation on the strengthening and microstructural factors that are important in controlling the nucleation and growth of these precipitates. In this review, precipitation in most precipitation-hardenable magnesium alloys is reviewed, and its relationship with strengthening is examined. It is demonstrated that the precipitation phenomena in these alloys, especially in the very early stage of the precipitation process, are still far from being well understood, and many fundamental issues remain unsolved even after some extensive and concerted efforts made in the past 12 years. The challenges associated with precipitation hardening and age hardening are identified and discussed, and guidelines are outlined for the rational design and development of higher strength, and ultimately ultrahigh strength, magnesium alloys via precipitation hardening.

SUPRATHERMAL ELECTRONS AT SATURN'S BOW SHOCK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masters, A.; Dougherty, M. K.; Sulaiman, A. H.

2016-07-20

The leading explanation for the origin of galactic cosmic rays is particle acceleration at the shocks surrounding young supernova remnants (SNRs), although crucial aspects of the acceleration process are unclear. The similar collisionless plasma shocks frequently encountered by spacecraft in the solar wind are generally far weaker (lower Mach number) than these SNR shocks. However, the Cassini spacecraft has shown that the shock standing in the solar wind sunward of Saturn (Saturn's bow shock) can occasionally reach this high-Mach number astrophysical regime. In this regime Cassini has provided the first in situ evidence for electron acceleration under quasi-parallel upstream magneticmore » conditions. Here we present the full picture of suprathermal electrons at Saturn's bow shock revealed by Cassini . The downstream thermal electron distribution is resolved in all data taken by the low-energy electron detector (CAPS-ELS, <28 keV) during shock crossings, but the higher energy channels were at (or close to) background. The high-energy electron detector (MIMI-LEMMS, >18 keV) measured a suprathermal electron signature at 31 of 508 crossings, where typically only the lowest energy channels (<100 keV) were above background. We show that these results are consistent with the theory in which the “injection” of thermal electrons into an acceleration process involves interaction with whistler waves at the shock front, and becomes possible for all upstream magnetic field orientations at high Mach numbers like those of the strong shocks around young SNRs. A future dedicated study will analyze the rare crossings with evidence for relativistic electrons (up to ∼1 MeV).« less

Simulations of Plasmasheet Electrons in a Model Magnetosphere with AMIE Potentials: Implications for Diffuse Aurora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, M. W.; Schulz, M.; Lu, G.

2001-12-01

We obtain distributions of precipitating electrons by tracing drift shells of plasmasheet electrons in the limit of strong pitch angle diffusion in Dungey's model magnetosphere, which consists of a dipolar magnetic field plus a uniform southward field. Under strong pitch-angle diffusion particles drift so as to conserve an adiabatic invariant Λ equal to the enclosed phase-space volume (i.e., the cube of the particle momentum p times the occupied flux-tube volume per unit magnetic flux). In the past we applied a quiescent Stern-Volland electric-field model with a cross-tail potential drop of 25 kV and added to it a storm-associated Brice-Nishida cross-magnetospheric electric field with impulses to represent substorm effects. For the present study we use the more realistic Assimilative Model of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE). We use an analytical expansion to express the AMIE ionospheric potential as a function of latitude and magnetic local time. We map this AMIE potential to latitudes >= 50^o to magnetospheric field lines with (L \\ge 2.5) in Dungey's magnetic field model. We trace the bounce-averaged drift motion of representative plasmasheet electrons for values of \\Lambda corresponding to energies of 0.25-64 keV on field lines of equatorial radial distance r = 6 R_E (L = 5.7), which maps to \\approx 65^o$ latitude in the ionosphere. We use the simulation results to map stormtime phase space distributions taking into account loss due to precipitation. We consider 2 models of electron scattering: (1) the limit of strong scattering everywhere, and (2) an MLT-dependent scattering that is less than everywhere strong in the plasma sheet. From the phase space distributions we calculate the total precipitating electron energy flux into the ionosphere. For this study we focus on the October 19, 1998, storm. We compare qualitatively the simulated energy flux with X-ray intensity from Polar/PIXIE images during this storm.

Nanocrystal ghosting: Extensive radiation damage in MgO induced by low-energy electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frankenfield, Zackery; Kane, Kenneth; Sawyer, William H.

2017-03-01

We report direct evidence of extensive radiation damage in MgO nanocrystals due to intense bombardment (2 × 10 electrons/nm sec) by electrons with beam energies between 60 keV and 120 keV. Based upon a minimum intensity necessary to produce the observed damage, we present an explanation based on the Knotek-Feibelman process.

"Inner electron" radiation belt: problems of model creation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temnyi, V.

The contents of intensive fluxes of trapped electrons J_e with energies E_e>40 keV in center of the inner terrestrial radiation belt is remains uncertain in model Vette AE-8, 1991. It is explained by methodical difficulties of discrete measurements of electrons by narrow-angle spectrometers with background from omnidirectional penetrating protons with energies E_p>40 MeV and electrons with E_e>1 MeV after STARFISH burst. The results of integral measurements of trapped electrons by 2 groups: Krassovsky V.I. on III Soviet satellite (May 1958) and J. Van Allen on EXPLORER-IV (July-August 1958) and on INJUN-1 (1961) heave given a performances concerning electron energy fluxes I_e(E_e>20 keV) ˜ (20-100) erg cm-2 c-1 into inner radiation belt. Improved integral measurements of electrons by Krassovsky group on satellites KOSMOS-3,-5 and ELECTRON-1,-3 (1962-1964) allow to determine the distributions of their intensities in the whole inner belt. They can add the central part of inner belt of AE-8 model (see report Bolunova et al., COSPAR-1965, publ. in SPACE RESEARCH VI, 1967, p. 649-661). From these data a maximum of trapped electrons J_e(E_e>40 keV)=2\\cdot10^9 cm-2 c-1 is placed on L=1,6, B/B_0=1. Intensities up to 2\\cdot10^7 cm-2 c-1 are determined only by coordinates (L, B). For smaller intensities become essential dependence from longitude along a drift shell. So, in the center of the inner radiation belt the energy fluxes I_e(E_e>40 keV) reach 500 erg cm-2 c-1 and density n_e=0,2 cm-3 while for trapped protons I_p(E_p>40 MeV) is less than 3 erg cm-2 c-1 and n_p< 5\\cdot10-6 cm-3. It forces to search a more powerful sources trapped electron than beta-decay of neutrons albedo of cosmic rays.

Evaluation of the new electron-transport algorithm in MCNP6.1 for the simulation of dose point kernel in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoni, Rodolphe; Bourgois, Laurent

2017-12-01

In this work, the calculation of specific dose distribution in water is evaluated in MCNP6.1 with the regular condensed history algorithm the "detailed electron energy-loss straggling logic" and the new electrons transport algorithm proposed the "single event algorithm". Dose Point Kernel (DPK) is calculated with monoenergetic electrons of 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 3000 keV for different scoring cells dimensions. A comparison between MCNP6 results and well-validated codes for electron-dosimetry, i.e., EGSnrc or Penelope, is performed. When the detailed electron energy-loss straggling logic is used with default setting (down to the cut-off energy 1 keV), we infer that the depth of the dose peak increases with decreasing thickness of the scoring cell, largely due to combined step-size and boundary crossing artifacts. This finding is less prominent for 500 keV, 1 MeV and 3 MeV dose profile. With an appropriate number of sub-steps (ESTEP value in MCNP6), the dose-peak shift is almost complete absent to 50 keV and 100 keV electrons. However, the dose-peak is more prominent compared to EGSnrc and the absorbed dose tends to be underestimated at greater depths, meaning that boundaries crossing artifact are still occurring while step-size artifacts are greatly reduced. When the single-event mode is used for the whole transport, we observe the good agreement of reference and calculated profile for 50 and 100 keV electrons. Remaining artifacts are fully vanished, showing a possible transport treatment for energies less than a hundred of keV and accordance with reference for whatever scoring cell dimension, even if the single event method initially intended to support electron transport at energies below 1 keV. Conversely, results for 500 keV, 1 MeV and 3 MeV undergo a dramatic discrepancy with reference curves. These poor results and so the current unreliability of the method is for a part due to inappropriate elastic cross section treatment from the ENDF/B-VI.8 library in those

Magnetospheric electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coroniti, F. V.; Thorne, R. M.

1972-01-01

Coupling of source, transport, and sink processes produces a fairly accurate model for the macroscopic structure and dynamics of magnetospheric electrons. Auroral electrons are controlled by convective transport from a plasma sheet source coupled with a precipitation loss due to whistler and electrostatic plasma turbulence. Outer and inner zone electrons are governed by radial diffusion transport from convection and acceleration sources external to the plasmapause and by parasitic precipitation losses arising from cyclotron and Landau interactions with whistler and ion cyclotron turbulence.

Self-consistent Model of Magnetospheric Ring Current and Propagating Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves. 2. Wave Induced Ring Current Precipitation and Thermal Electron Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Gamayunov, K. V.; Gallagher, D. L.; Kozyra, J. U.; Liemohn, M. W.

2007-01-01

This paper continues presentation and discussion of the results from our new global self-consistent theoretical model of interacting ring current ions and propagating electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves [Khazanov et al., 2006]. To study the effects of electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave propagation and refraction on the wave induced ring current precipitation and heating of the thermal plasmaspheric electrons, we simulate the May 1998 storm. The main findings after a simulation can be summarized as follows. Firstly, the wave induced ring current precipitation exhibits quite a lot of fine structure, and is highly organized by location of the plasmapause gradient. The strongest fluxes of about 4 x 10(exp 6) (cm(raised dot) s(raised dot) sr(raised dot) (sup -1)) are observed during the maill and early recovery phases of the storm. The very interesting and probably more important finding is that in a number of cases the most intense precipitating fluxes are not connected to the most intense waves in simple manner. The characteristics of the wave power spectral density distribution over the wave normal angle are extremely crucial for the effectiveness of the ring current ion scattering. Secondly, comparison of the global proton precipitating patterns with the results from RAM [Kozyra et al., 1997a] reveals that although we observe a qualitative agreement between the localizations of the wave induced precipitations in the models, there is no quantitative agreement between the magnitudes of the fluxes. The quantitative differences are mainly due to a qualitative difference between the characteristics of the wave power spectral density distributions over the wave normal angle in RAM and in our model. Thirdly, the heat fluxes to plasmaspheric electrons caused by Landau resonate energy absorption from electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves are observed in the postnoon-premidnight MLT sector, and can reach the magnitude of 10(exp 11) eV/(cm(sup 2)(raised dot)s). The Coulomb

Electron screening in nickel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajević, Jelena; Cvetinović, Aleksandra; Likar, Andrej; Lipoglavšek, Matej; Pelicon, Primož; Petrovič, Toni; Sánchez Ortiz, Alberto

2013-06-01

In order to investigate the interplay between nuclei and their surroundings, we studied proton-induced nuclear reactions over an energy range from 0.86 to 3.08MeV for different environments: Ni metal and NiO insulator. The measurements were based on the observation of the yields of 59, 61, 63, 64, 65Cu and 58, 60, 62Ni de-excitation γ-rays. Shifts in the resonance energy for the metallic target relative to the insulator one were not observed. Electron screening potential of Ue=31± 13 keV was deduced for 64Ni (p,nγ ) 64Cu reaction, while Ue=19± 4 keV was deduced for 58Ni(p,γ ) 59Cu and 60Ni(p,γ ) 61Cu reactions. The observed electron screening potentials for (p,n) and (p,γ) reactions are the same within error bars, but the comparison with previous measurements raises the question of the independence of the electron screening from the reaction exit channel.

Modeling Relativistic Electron Precipitation Bremsstrahlung X-Ray Intensities at 10-100 km Manned Vehicle Altitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habash Krause, L.; Gilchrist, B. E.; Nishikawa, K.; Williams, A.

2013-12-01

Relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events occur when beams or bunches of relativistic electrons of magnetospheric origin enter the Earth's atmosphere, typically at auroral latitudes. REP events are associated with a variety of space weather effects, including production of transitional and bremsstrahlung radiation, catalytic depletion of stratospheric ozone, and scintillation of transionospheric radio waves. This study examines the intensities of x-rays produced at airliner, manned balloon, and suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle (sRLV) altitudes. The monoenergetic beam is modeled in cylindrical symmetry using the paraxial ray equation. Bremsstrahlung photon production is calculated using the traditional Sauter-Elwert cross-section, providing x-ray emission spectra differential in energy and angle. Attenuation is computed for a plane-stratified standard atmosphere, and the loss processes include photoionization, Rayleigh and Compton scattering, electron-positron pair production, and photonuclear interaction. Peak altitudes of electron energy deposition and bremsstrahlung x-ray production were calculated for beams of energies from 1 MeV through 100 MeV. The altitude peak of bremsstrahlung deposition was consistently and significantly lower that that of the electron deposition due to the longer mean free paths of x-rays compared to electrons within the atmosphere. For example, for a nadir-directed monoenergetic 5 MeV beam, the peak deposition altitude was calculated to be 42 km, but the resulting bremmstrahlung deposition peaked at 25 km. This has implications for crew and passenger safety, especially with the growth of the space tourism industry that relies on sRLVs with a nominal apogee of 100 km. A survey of results covering the 1-100 MeV spectrum for the three altitude ranges of interest will be presented.

The VLF Wave and Particle Precipitation Mapper (VPM) Cubesat Payload Suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inan, U.; Linscott, I.; Marshall, R. A.; Lauben, D.; Starks, M. J.; Doolittle, J. H.

2012-12-01

The VLF Wave and Particle Precipitation Mapper (VPM) payload is under development at Stanford University for a Cubesat mission that is planned to fly in low-earth-orbit in 2015. The VPM payload suite includes a 2-meter electric-field dipole antenna; a single-axis magnetic search coil; and a two-channel relativistic electron detector, measuring both trapped and loss-cone electrons. VPM will measure waves and relativistic electrons with the following primary goals: i) develop an improved climatology of plasmaspheric hiss in the L-shell range 1 < L < 3 at all local times; ii) detect VLF waves launched by space-based VLF transmitters, as well as energetic electrons scattered by those in-situ injected waves; iii) develop an improved climatology of lightning-generated whistlers and lightning-induced electron precipitation; iv)measure waves and electron precipitation produced by ground-based VLF transmitters; and v) validate propagation and wave-particle interaction models. In this paper we outline these science objectives of the VPM payload instrument suite, and describe the payload instruments and data products that will meet these science goals.

Inter-satellite calibration of FengYun 3 medium energy electron fluxes with POES electron measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yang; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Zhang, Xianguo; Zhang, Xiaoxin; Gu, Xudong; Fu, Song; Cao, Xing; Zou, Zhengyang

2018-05-01

We perform an L-shell dependent inter-satellite calibration of FengYun 3 medium energy electron measurements with POES measurements based on rough orbital conjunctions within 5 min × 0.1 L × 0.5 MLT. By comparing electron flux data between the U.S. Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) and Chinese sun-synchronous satellites including FY-3B and FY-3C for a whole year of 2014, we attempt to remove less reliable data and evaluate systematic uncertainties associated with the FY-3B and FY-3C datasets, expecting to quantify the inter-satellite calibration factors for the 150-350 keV energy channel at L = 2-7. Compared to the POES data, the FY-3B and FY-3C data generally exhibit a similar trend of electron flux variations but more or less underestimate them within a factor of 5 for the medium electron energy 150-350 keV channel. Good consistency in the flux conjunctions after the inter-calibration procedures gives us certain confidence to generalize our method to calibrate electron flux measurements from various satellite instruments.

A first-principles study of the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of precipitates of Al2Cu in Al-Cu alloys.

PubMed

Ouyang, Y F; Chen, H M; Tao, X M; Gao, F; Peng, Q; Du, Y

2018-01-03

The properties of precipitates are important in understanding the strengthening mechanism via precipitation during heat treatment and the aging process in Al-Cu based alloys, where the formation of precipitates is sensitive to temperature and pressure. Here we report a first-principles investigation of the effect of temperature and pressure on the structural stability, elastic constants and formation free energy for precipitates of Al 2 Cu, as well as their mechanical properties. Based on the formation enthalpy of Guinier-Preston (GP(I)) zones, the size of the GP(I) zone is predicted to be about 1.4 nm in diameter, which is in good agreement with experimental observations. The formation enthalpies of the precipitates are all negative, suggesting that they are all thermodynamically stable. The present calculations reveal that entropy plays an important role in stabilizing θ-Al 2 Cu compared with θ C '-Al 2 Cu. The formation free energies of θ''-Al 3 Cu, θ C '-Al 2 Cu, θ D '-Al 5 Cu 3 and θ t '-Al 11 Cu 7 increase with temperature, while those of θ'-Al 2 Cu, θ O '-Al 2 Cu and θ-Al 2 Cu decrease. The same trend is observed with the effect of pressure. The calculated elastic constants for the considered precipitation phases indicate that they are all mechanically stable and anisotropic, except θ C '-Al 2 Cu. θ D '-Al 5 Cu 3 has the highest Vicker's hardness. The electronic structures are also calculated to gain insight into the bonding characteristics. The present results can help in understanding the formation of precipitates by different treatment processes.

Nonlinear Acoustical Assessment of Precipitate Nucleation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantrell, John H.; Yost, William T.

2004-01-01

The purpose of the present work is to show that measurements of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter in heat treatable alloys as a function of heat treatment time can provide quantitative information about the kinetics of precipitate nucleation and growth in such alloys. Generally, information on the kinetics of phase transformations is obtained from time-sequenced electron microscopical examination and differential scanning microcalorimetry. The present nonlinear acoustical assessment of precipitation kinetics is based on the development of a multiparameter analytical model of the effects on the nonlinearity parameter of precipitate nucleation and growth in the alloy system. A nonlinear curve fit of the model equation to the experimental data is then used to extract the kinetic parameters related to the nucleation and growth of the targeted precipitate. The analytical model and curve fit is applied to the assessment of S' precipitation in aluminum alloy 2024 during artificial aging from the T4 to the T6 temper.

On the modeling of irradiation-induced homogeneous precipitation in proton-bombarded Ni-Si solid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Nghi Q.; Janghorban, K.; Ardell, A. J.

1981-10-01

Irradiation-induced solute redistribution leading to precipitation of coherent γ' particles in undersaturated Ni-based solid solutions containing 6 and 8 at.% Si during 400-keV proton bombardment was modeled, based on the concept of solute segregation in concentrated alloys under spatially-dependent defect production conditions. The combined effects of (i) an extremely large difference between the defect production rates in the peak-damage and mid-range regions during irradiation and (ii) a preferential coupling between the interstitial and solute fluxes generate a net transient flux of Si atoms into the mid-range region, which is much larger than the solute flux out of this location. As a result, the Si concentration exceeds the solubility limit and homogeneous precipitation of the γ' phase occurs in this particular region of the irradiated samples. The spatial, compositional and temperature dependences of irradiation-induced homogeneous precipitation derived from the present theoretical calculations are in good qualitative agreement with experimental observations

About the contrast of δ' precipitates in bulk Al-Cu-Li alloys in reflection mode with a field-emission scanning electron microscope at low accelerating voltage.

PubMed

Brodusch, Nicolas; Voisard, Frédéric; Gauvin, Raynald

2017-11-01

Characterising the impact of lithium additions in the precipitation sequence in Al-Li-Cu alloys is important to control the strengthening of the final material. Since now, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at high beam voltage has been the technique of choice to monitor the size and spatial distribution of δ' precipitates (Al 3 Li). Here we report on the imaging of the δ' phase in such alloys using backscattered electrons (BSE) and low accelerating voltage in a high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscope. By applying low-energy Ar + ion milling to the surface after mechanical polishing (MP), the MP-induced corroded layers were efficiently removed and permitted the δ's to be visible with a limited impact on the observed microstructure. The resulting BSE contrast between the δ's and the Al matrix was compared with that obtained using Monte Carlo modelling. The artefacts possibly resulting from the sample preparation procedure were reviewed and discussed and permitted to confirm that these precipitates were effectively the metastable δ's. The method described in this report necessitates less intensive sample preparation than that required for TEM and provides a much larger field of view and an easily interpretable contrast compared to the transmission techniques. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Beam characterisation of the KIRAMS electron microbeam system.

PubMed

Sun, G M; Kim, E H; Song, K B; Jang, M

2006-01-01

An electron microbeam system has been installed at the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) for use in radiation biology studies. The electron beam is produced from a commercial electron gun, and the beam size is defined by a 5 microm diameter pinhole. Beam energy can be varied in the range of 1-100 keV, covering a range of linear energy transfer from 0.4 to 12.1 keV microm-1. The micrometer-sized electron beam selectively irradiates cells cultured in a Mylar-bottomed dish. The positioning of target cells one by one onto the beam exit is automated, as is beam shooting. The electron beam entering the target cells has been calibrated using a Passivated Implanted Planar Silicon (PIPS) detector. This paper describes the KIRAMS microbeam cell irradiation system and its beam characteristics.

Absolute detection efficiency of a microchannel plate detector to X rays in the 1-100 KeV energy range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burginyon, Gary A.; Jacoby, Barry A.; Wobser, James K.; Ernst, Richard; Ancheta, Dione S.; Tirsell, Kenneth G.

1993-02-01

There is little information in the literature on the performance of working micro-channel plate (MCP) detectors at high x-ray energies. We have measured the absolute efficiency of a microchannel-plate-intensified, subnanosecond, one dimensional imaging x-ray detector developed at LLNL in the 1 to 100 keV range and at 1.25 MeV. The detector consists of a gold photocathode deposited on the front surface of the MCP (optimized for Ni K(subscript (alpha) ) x rays) to convert x rays to electrons, an MCP to amplify the electrons, and a fast In:CdS phosphor that converts the electron's kinetic energy to light. The phosphor is coated on a fiber-optic faceplate to transmit the light out of the vacuum system. Electrostatic focusing electrodes compress the electron current out of the MCP in one dimension while preserving spatial resolution in the other. The calibration geometry, dictated by a recent experiment, required grazing incidence x rays (15.6 degree(s)) onto the MCP detector in order to maximize deliverable current. The experiment also used a second detector made up of 0.071 in. thick BC422 plastic scintillator material from the Bicron Corporation. We compare the absolute efficiencies of these two detectors in units of optical W/cm(superscript 2) into 4 (pi) per x ray W/cm(superscript 2) incident. At 7.47 keV and 900 volts MCP bias, the MCP detector delivers approximately 1400 times more light than the scintillator detector.

Effect of pre-strain on precipitation and exfoliation corrosion resistance in an Al-Zn-Mg alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xianghan; Du, Zhiwei; Han, Xiaolei; Li, Ting; Wang, Guojun; Lu, Liying; Bai, Xiaoxia; Zhou, Tietao

2017-12-01

To investigate the effect of pre-strain on behaviors in a specially developed Al-4.5Zn-1.2Mg alloy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) bright field (BF) imaging combined with select area electron diffraction (SAED), Vickers-hardness tests and electrical conductivity tests was conducted for insight into precipitation in aluminum (Al) matrix during two step ageing, and standard exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) test combined with high-angle angular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out for corrosion behavior. Results showed that pre-strain accelerated precipitation during two step ageing as the sequence of: (i) supersaturated solid solution (SSS), GPI zones precipitations, GPI dissolution; (ii) SSS, fcc precipitates, η’ phases or η phases. And the precipitation hardening of the fcc precipitates was not effective as GPI zones. Pre-strain also accelerated EXCO developing, which was mainly attributed to the coverage ratio of η phases on high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) increasing as pre-strain increase.

Cross sections for ionization of tetrahydrofuran by protons at energies between 300 and 3000 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mingjie; Rudek, Benedikt; Bennett, Daniel; de Vera, Pablo; Bug, Marion; Buhr, Ticia; Baek, Woon Yong; Hilgers, Gerhard; Rabus, Hans

2016-05-01

Double-differential cross sections for ionization of tetrahydrofuran by protons with energies from 300 to 3000 keV were measured at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt ion accelerator facility. The electrons emitted at angles between 15∘ and 150∘ relative to the ion-beam direction were detected with an electrostatic hemispherical electron spectrometer. Single-differential and total ionization cross sections have been derived by integration. The experimental results are compared to the semiempirical Hansen-Kocbach-Stolterfoht model as well as to the recently reported method based on the dielectric formalism. The comparison to the latter showed good agreement with experimental data in a broad range of emission angles and energies of secondary electrons. The scaling property of ionization cross sections for tetrahydrofuran was also investigated. Compared to molecules of different size, the ionization cross sections of tetrahydrofuran were found to scale with the number of valence electrons at large impact parameters.

Sub-second variations of high energy ( 300 keV) hard X-ray emission from solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bai, Taeil

1986-01-01

Subsecond variations of hard X-ray emission from solar flares were first observed with a balloon-borne detector. With the launch of the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), it is now well known that subsecond variations of hard X-ray emission occur quite frequently. Such rapid variations give constraints on the modeling of electron energization. Such rapid variations reported until now, however, were observed at relatively low energies. Fast mode data obtained by the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) has time resolution of approximately 1 ms but has no energy resolution. Therefore, rapid fluctuations observed in the fast-mode HXRBS data are dominated by the low energy hard X-rays. It is of interest to know whether rapid fluctuations are observed in high-energy X-rays. The highest energy band at which subsecond variations were observed is 223 to 1057 keV. Subsecond variations observed with HXRBS at energies greater than 300 keV are reported, and the implications discussed.

The response of a thermoluminescent dosimeter to low energy protons in the range 30-100 keV.

PubMed

Chu, T C; Lin, S Y; Hsu, C C; Li, J P

2001-11-01

This study demonstrates the thermoluminescence (TL) response of CaF2:Tm (commercial name TLD-300) to 30-100 keV protons which were generated by means of a Cockcroft-Walton accelerator. The phenomenon in which the total thermoluminescent output from CaF2:Tm (TLD-300) decreases with proton energy from 30 to 100 keV (with increase of LET) can be interpreted by the track structure theory (TST). The analysis of the glow peaks: P2 (131 degrees C), P3 (153.5 degrees C) and P6 (259 degrees C), of TLD-300 show the oscillatory decreasing phenomenon as a function of incident proton energy, which can be interpreted with the TST and the oscillatory emission of electrons in a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) that is caused by resonant or quasi-resonant charge transfer in ion-atom interactions in this TLD-300.

Detection of Solar Energetic Electron, Proton and Heavy Ions by EPT-HET of Solar Orbiter: Calibration Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, S. R.; Boden, S.; Elftmann, R.; Tammen, J.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Boettcher, S. I.; Seimetz, L.; Ravanbakhsh, A.; Mahesh, Y.; Schuster, B.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.

2017-12-01

The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of four sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. The Solar Orbiter EPT electron measurements from 20 - 400 keV will cover the gap with some overlap between suprathermal electrons measured by STEP and high energy electrons measured by HET. The proton measurements from 20 -7000 keV will partially cover the gap between STEP and HET. The Electron and Proton Telescope relies on the magnet/foil-technique. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 -100 MeV, and heavy ions from 20 to 200 MeV/nuc by dE/dx -Total E technique. Thus, HET covers the energy range which is of specific interest for studies of the space environment and will perform the measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy events at the Sun which occasionally accelerate particles to such high energies that they can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and be measured at ground level. Here we present calibration results of EPT-HET which show that EPT-HET will function as planned.

Linear attenuation coefficients of tissues from 1 keV to 150 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böke, Aysun

2014-09-01

The linear attenuation coefficients and three interaction processes have been computed for liver, kidney, muscle, fat and for a range of x-ray energies from 1 keV to 150 keV. Molecular photoelectric absorption cross sections were calculated from atomic cross section data. Total coherent (Rayleigh) and incoherent (Compton) scattering cross sections were obtained by numerical integration over combinations of F2m(x) with the Thomson formula and Sm(x) with the Klein-Nishina formula, respectively. For the coherent (Rayleigh) scattering cross section calculations, molecular form factors were obtained from recent experimental data in the literature for values of x<1 Å-1 and from the relativistic modified atomic form factors for values of x≥1 Å-1. With the inclusion of molecular interference effects in the coherent (Rayleigh) scattering, more accurate knowledge of the scatter from these tissues will be provided. The number of elements involved in tissue composition is 5 for liver, 47 for kidney, 44 for muscle and 3 for fat. The results are compared with previously published experimental and theoretical linear attenuation coefficients. In general, good agreement is obtained. The molecular form factors and scattering functions and cross sections are incorporated into a Monte Carlo program. The energy distributions of x-ray photons scattered from tissues have been simulated and the results are presented.

A tandem mass spectrometer for crossed-beam irradiation of mass-selected molecular systems by keV atomic ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwob, Lucas; Lalande, Mathieu; Chesnel, Jean-Yves; Domaracka, Alicja; Huber, Bernd A.; Maclot, Sylvain; Poully, Jean-Christophe; Rangama, Jimmy; Rousseau, Patrick; Vizcaino, Violaine; Adoui, Lamri; Méry, Alain

2018-04-01

In the present paper, we describe a new home-built crossed-beam apparatus devoted to ion-induced ionization and fragmentation of isolated biologically relevant molecular systems. The biomolecular ions are produced by an electrospray ionization source, mass-over-charge selected, accumulated in a 3D ion trap, and then guided to the extraction region of an orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Here, the target molecular ions interact with a keV atomic ion beam produced by an electron cyclotron resonance ion source. Cationic products from the collision are detected on a position sensitive detector and analyzed by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A detailed description of the operation of the setup is given, and early results from irradiation of a protonated pentapeptide (leucine-enkephalin) by a 7 keV He+ ion beam are presented as a proof-of-principle.

Ultralow energy calibration of LUX detector using Xe 127 electron capture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerib, D. S.; Alsum, S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.; Bailey, A. J.; Balajthy, J.; Beltrame, P.; Bernard, E. P.; Bernstein, A.; Biesiadzinski, T. P.; Boulton, E. M.; Brás, P.; Byram, D.; Cahn, S. B.; Carmona-Benitez, M. C.; Chan, C.; Currie, A.; Cutter, J. E.; Davison, T. J. R.; Dobi, A.; Druszkiewicz, E.; Edwards, B. N.; Fallon, S. R.; Fan, A.; Fiorucci, S.; Gaitskell, R. J.; Genovesi, J.; Ghag, C.; Gilchriese, M. G. D.; Hall, C. R.; Hanhardt, M.; Haselschwardt, S. J.; Hertel, S. A.; Hogan, D. P.; Horn, M.; Huang, D. Q.; Ignarra, C. M.; Jacobsen, R. G.; Ji, W.; Kamdin, K.; Kazkaz, K.; Khaitan, D.; Knoche, R.; Larsen, N. A.; Lenardo, B. G.; Lesko, K. T.; Lindote, A.; Lopes, M. I.; Manalaysay, A.; Mannino, R. L.; Marzioni, M. F.; McKinsey, D. N.; Mei, D.-M.; Mock, J.; Moongweluwan, M.; Morad, J. A.; Murphy, A. St. J.; Nehrkorn, C.; Nelson, H. N.; Neves, F.; O'Sullivan, K.; Oliver-Mallory, K. C.; Palladino, K. J.; Pease, E. K.; Rhyne, C.; Shaw, S.; Shutt, T. A.; Silva, C.; Solmaz, M.; Solovov, V. N.; Sorensen, P.; Sumner, T. J.; Szydagis, M.; Taylor, D. J.; Taylor, W. C.; Tennyson, B. P.; Terman, P. A.; Tiedt, D. R.; To, W. H.; Tripathi, M.; Tvrznikova, L.; Uvarov, S.; Velan, V.; Verbus, J. R.; Webb, R. C.; White, J. T.; Whitis, T. J.; Witherell, M. S.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Xu, J.; Yazdani, K.; Young, S. K.; Zhang, C.

2017-12-01

We report an absolute calibration of the ionization yields (Qy ) and fluctuations for electronic recoil events in liquid xenon at discrete energies between 186 eV and 33.2 keV. The average electric field applied across the liquid xenon target is 180 V /cm . The data are obtained using low energy Xe 127 electron capture decay events from the 95.0-day first run from LUX (WS2013) in search of weakly interacting massive particles. The sequence of gamma-ray and x-ray cascades associated with I 127 deexcitations produces clearly identified two-vertex events in the LUX detector. We observe the K-(binding energy, 33.2 keV), L-(5.2 keV), M-(1.1 keV), and N-(186 eV) shell cascade events and verify that the relative ratio of observed events for each shell agrees with calculations. The N-shell cascade analysis includes single extracted electron (SE) events and represents the lowest-energy electronic recoil in situ measurements that have been explored in liquid xenon.

Precipitates and boundaries interaction in ferritic ODS steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sallez, Nicolas; Hatzoglou, Constantinos; Delabrouille, Fredéric; Sornin, Denis; Chaffron, Laurent; Blat-Yrieix, Martine; Radiguet, Bertrand; Pareige, Philippe; Donnadieu, Patricia; Bréchet, Yves

2016-04-01

In the course of a recrystallization study of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels during extrusion, particular interest was paid to the (GB) Grain Boundaries interaction with precipitates. Complementary and corresponding characterization experiments using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Atom Probe Tomography (APT) have been carried out on a voluntarily interrupted extrusion or extruded samples. Microscopic observations of Precipitate Free Zones (PFZ) and precipitates alignments suggest precipitate interaction with migrating GB involving dissolution and Oswald ripening of the precipitates. This is consistent with the local chemical information gathered by EDX and APT. This original mechanism for ODS steels is similar to what had been proposed in the late 80s for similar observation made on Ti alloys reinforced by nanosized yttrium oxides: An interaction mechanism between grain boundaries and precipitates involving a diffusion controlled process of precipitates dissolution at grain boundaries. It is believed that this mechanism can be of primary importance to explain the mechanical behaviour of such steels.

Rocket measurements of electrons in a system of multiple auroral arcs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, J. S.; Davis, T. N.

1977-01-01

A Nike-Tomahawk rocket was launched into a system of auroral arcs northward of Poker Flat Research Range, Fairbanks, Alaska. The pitch-angle distribution of electrons was measured at 2.5, 5, and 10 keV and also at 10 keV on a separating forward section of the payload. The auroral activity appeared to be the extension of substorm activity centered to the east. The rocket crossed a westward-propagating fold in the brightest band. The electron spectrum was relatively hard through most of the flight, showing a peak in the range from 2.5 to 10 keV in the weaker aurora and below 5 keV in the brightest arc. The detailed structure of the pitch-angle distribution suggested that, at times, a very selective process was accelerating some electrons in the magnetic field direction, so that a narrow field-aligned component appeared superimposed on a more isotropic distribution. It is concluded that this process could not be a near-ionosphere field-aligned potential drop, although the more isotropic component may have been produced by a parallel electric field extending several thousand kilometers along the field line above the ionosphere.

Electron- and proton-induced ionization of pyrimidine

DOE PAGES

Champion, Christophe; Quinto, Michele; Weck, Philippe F

2015-03-27

This present work describes a quantum-mechanically based model of the electron- and proton-induced ionization of isolated pyrimidine molecules. The impact energies range from the target ionization threshold up to ~1 keV for electrons and from 10 keV up to 10 MeV for protons. The cross-section calculations are performed within the 1st Born approximation in which the ejected electron is described by a Coulomb wave whereas the incident and the scattered projectiles are both described by plane waves. The pyrimidine target is described using the Gaussian 09 software package. Furthermore, our theoretical predictions obtained are in good agreement with experimental absolutemore » total cross sections, while large discrepancies are observed between existing semi-empirical models and the present calculations.« less

Electron imaging with Medipix2 hybrid pixel detector.

PubMed

McMullan, G; Cattermole, D M; Chen, S; Henderson, R; Llopart, X; Summerfield, C; Tlustos, L; Faruqi, A R

2007-01-01

The electron imaging performance of Medipix2 is described. Medipix2 is a hybrid pixel detector composed of two layers. It has a sensor layer and a layer of readout electronics, in which each 55 microm x 55 microm pixel has upper and lower energy discrimination and MHz rate counting. The sensor layer consists of a 300 microm slab of pixellated monolithic silicon and this is bonded to the readout chip. Experimental measurement of the detective quantum efficiency, DQE(0) at 120 keV shows that it can reach approximately 85% independent of electron exposure, since the detector has zero noise, and the DQE(Nyquist) can reach approximately 35% of that expected for a perfect detector (4/pi(2)). Experimental measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) at Nyquist resolution for 120 keV electrons using a 60 keV lower energy threshold, yields a value that is 50% of that expected for a perfect detector (2/pi). Finally, Monte Carlo simulations of electron tracks and energy deposited in adjacent pixels have been performed and used to calculate expected values for the MTF and DQE as a function of the threshold energy. The good agreement between theory and experiment allows suggestions for further improvements to be made with confidence. The present detector is already very useful for experiments that require a high DQE at very low doses.

Angular dependence of Kβ/Kα intensity ratios of thick Ti and Cu pure elements from 10-25 keV electron bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, B.; Kumar, S.; Prajapati, S.; Singh, B. K.; Llovet, X.; Shanker, R.

2018-02-01

Measurements yielding the first results on angular dependence of Kβ/Kα X-ray intensity ratios of thick Ti (Z = 22) and Cu (Z = 29) targets induced by 10-25 keV electrons are presented. The measurements were done by rotating the target surface around the electron beam direction in the angular detection range 105° ≤ θ ≤ 165° in the reflection mode using an energy dispersive Si PIN photodiode detector. The measured angular dependence of Kβ/Kα intensity ratios is shown to be almost isotropic for Ti and Cu targets for the range of detection angles, 105° ≤ θ ≤ 150°, while there is a very weak increase beyond 150° for both targets. No dependence of Kβ/Kα intensity ratios on impact energy is observed; while on average, the value of the Kβ/Kα X-ray intensity ratio for Cu is larger by about 8% than that for Ti, which indicates a weak Z-dependence of the target. The experimental results are compared with those obtained from PENELOPE MC calculations and from the Evaluated Atomic Data Library (EADL) ratios. These results on Kβ/Kα X-ray intensity ratios are found to be in reasonable agreement in the detection angle range 105° ≤ θ ≤ 150° to within uncertainties, whereas the simulation and experimental results show a very slight increase in the intensity ratio with θ as the latter attains higher values. The results presented in this work provide a direct check on the accuracy of PENELOPE at oblique incidence angles for which there has been a lack of measurements in the literature until now.

Projectile-charge dependence of the differential cross section for the ionization of argon atoms at 1 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purohit, G.; Kato, D.

2017-10-01

The single ionization triple differential cross sections (TDCS) of the Ar (3 p ) atoms are reported for the positron and electron impact at 1 keV. The calculated cross sections have been obtained using distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) approach for the average ejected electron energies 13 and 26 eV at different momentum transfer conditions. The present attempt is helpful to probe the information on the TDCS trends for the particle-matter and antiparticle-matter interactions and to analyze the recent measurements [Phy. Rev. A 95, 062703 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.062703]. The binary electron emission is enhanced while the recoil emission is decreased for the positron impact relative to the electron impact in the DWBA calculation results. Systematic shift of peaks, shifting away from the momentum transfer direction for positron impact and shifting towards each other for electron impact, is observed with increasing momentum transfer.

Intermetallic Precipitation in Low-Density Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, S.; Chatterjee, A.; Chakrabarti, D.

2018-06-01

Low-density steels (LDS) represent a relatively new class of material that contains a large concentration of aluminum. In the present work, we studied the effect of copper addition to these steels. Microanalysis and electron diffraction study were used to demonstrate that on the contrary to the theoretical expectation, copper formed a variety of intermetallic, instead of metallic, precipitates on reaction with aluminum. The precipitation led to a significant age-hardening response that imparted a special characteristic to this material, which had never been reported previously.

A new spectroscopic imager for X-rays from 0.5 keV to 150 keV combining a pnCCD and a columnar CsI(Tl) scintillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlosser, D. M.; Hartmann, R.; Kalok, D.; Bechteler, A.; Abboud, A.; Shokr, M.; Çonka, T.; Pietsch, U.; Strüder, L.

2017-04-01

By combining a low noise fully depleted pnCCD detector with a columnar CsI(Tl) scintillator an energy dispersive spatial resolving detector can be realized with a high quantum efficiency in the range from below 0.5 keV to above 150 keV. The used scintillator system increases the pulse height of gamma-rays converted in the CsI(Tl), due to focusing properties of the columnar scintillator structure by reducing the event size in indirect detection mode (conversion in the scintillator). In case of direct detection (conversion in the silicon of the pnCCD) the relative energy resolution is 0.7% at 122 keV (FWHM = 850 eV) and the spatial resolution is less than 75 μm. In case of indirect detection the relative energy resolution, integrated over all event sizes is about 9% at 122 keV with an expected spatial precision of below 75 μm.

Ultralow energy calibration of LUX detector using Xe 127 electron capture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akerib, D. S.; Alsum, S.; Araújo, H. M.

We report an absolute calibration of the ionization yields (Q y) and fluctuations for electronic recoil events in liquid xenon at discrete energies between 186 eV and 33.2 keV. The average electric field applied across the liquid xenon target is 180 V/cm. The data are obtained using low energy 127Xe electron capture decay events from the 95.0-day first run from LUX (WS2013) in search of weakly interacting massive particles. The sequence of gamma-ray and x-ray cascades associated with 127I deexcitations produces clearly identified two-vertex events in the LUX detector. We observe the K-(binding energy, 33.2 keV), L-(5.2 keV), M-(1.1 keV),more » and N-(186 eV) shell cascade events and verify that the relative ratio of observed events for each shell agrees with calculations. In conclusion, the N-shell cascade analysis includes single extracted electron (SE) events and represents the lowest-energy electronic recoil in situ measurements that have been explored in liquid xenon.« less

Ultralow energy calibration of LUX detector using Xe 127 electron capture

DOE PAGES

Akerib, D. S.; Alsum, S.; Araújo, H. M.; ...

2017-12-28

We report an absolute calibration of the ionization yields (Q y) and fluctuations for electronic recoil events in liquid xenon at discrete energies between 186 eV and 33.2 keV. The average electric field applied across the liquid xenon target is 180 V/cm. The data are obtained using low energy 127Xe electron capture decay events from the 95.0-day first run from LUX (WS2013) in search of weakly interacting massive particles. The sequence of gamma-ray and x-ray cascades associated with 127I deexcitations produces clearly identified two-vertex events in the LUX detector. We observe the K-(binding energy, 33.2 keV), L-(5.2 keV), M-(1.1 keV),more » and N-(186 eV) shell cascade events and verify that the relative ratio of observed events for each shell agrees with calculations. In conclusion, the N-shell cascade analysis includes single extracted electron (SE) events and represents the lowest-energy electronic recoil in situ measurements that have been explored in liquid xenon.« less

Electron Impact Ionization: A New Parameterization for 100 eV to 1 MeV Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fang, Xiaohua; Randall, Cora E.; Lummerzheim, Dirk; Solomon, Stanley C.; Mills, Michael J.; Marsh, Daniel; Jackman, Charles H.; Wang, Wenbin; Lu, Gang

2008-01-01

Low, medium and high energy electrons can penetrate to the thermosphere (90-400 km; 55-240 miles) and mesosphere (50-90 km; 30-55 miles). These precipitating electrons ionize that region of the atmosphere, creating positively charged atoms and molecules and knocking off other negatively charged electrons. The precipitating electrons also create nitrogen-containing compounds along with other constituents. Since the electron precipitation amounts change within minutes, it is necessary to have a rapid method of computing the ionization and production of nitrogen-containing compounds for inclusion in computationally-demanding global models. A new methodology has been developed, which has parameterized a more detailed model computation of the ionizing impact of precipitating electrons over the very large range of 100 eV up to 1,000,000 eV. This new parameterization method is more accurate than a previous parameterization scheme, when compared with the more detailed model computation. Global models at the National Center for Atmospheric Research will use this new parameterization method in the near future.

Hyper-filter-fluorescer spectrometer for x-rays above 120 keV

DOEpatents

Wang, Ching L.

1983-01-01

An apparatus utilizing filter-fluorescer combinations is provided to measure short bursts of high fluence x-rays above 120 keV energy, where there are no practical absorption edges available for conventional filter-fluorescer techniques. The absorption edge of the prefilter is chosen to be less than that of the fluorescer, i.e., E.sub.PRF E.sub.F. In this way, the response function is virtually zero between E.sub.PRF and E.sub.F and well defined and enhanced in an energy band of less than 1000 keV above the 120 keV energy.

Electron beam induced green luminescence and degradation study of CaS:Ce nanocrystalline phosphors for FED applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Vinay; Mishra, Varun; Biggs, M. M.; Nagpure, I. M.; Ntwaeaborwa, O. M.; Terblans, J. J.; Swart, H. C.

2010-01-01

Green luminescence and degradation of Ce 3+ doped CaS nanocrystalline phosphors were studied with a 2 keV, 10 μA electron beam in an O 2 environment. The nanophosphors were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy/electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Cubic CaS with an average particle size of 42 ± 2 nm was obtained. PL emission was observed at 507 nm and a shoulder at 560 nm with an excitation wavelength of 460 nm. Auger electron spectroscopy and Cathodoluminescence (CL) were used to monitor the changes in the surface composition of the CaS:Ce 3+ nanocrystalline phosphors during electron bombardment in an O 2 environment. The effect of different oxygen pressures ranging from 1 × 10 -8 to 1 × 10 -6 Torr on the CL intensity was also investigated. A CaSO 4 layer was observed on the surface after the electron beam degradation. The CL intensity was found to decrease up to 30% of its original intensity at 1 × 10 -6 Torr oxygen pressure after an electron dose of 50 C/cm 2. The formation of oxygen defects during electron bombardment may also be responsible for the decrease in CL intensity.

Measurement of mass stopping power of chitosan polymer loaded with TiO2 for relativistic electron interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, S. Ramesh; Badiger, N. M.; Karidurgannavar, M. Y.; Varghese, Jolly. G.

2018-04-01

The Mass Stopping Power (MSP) of relativistic electrons in chitosan loaded with TiO2 of different proportions has been measured by recording the spectrum of internal conversion electrons. The internal conversion electrons of energies 614 keV from Cs137, 942 keV and 1016 keV from Bi207 source are allowed to pass through chitosan-TiO2 alloy and transmitted electrons are detected with a Si (Li) detector coupled to an 8 K multichannel analyzer. By knowing the energies of incident electrons and transmitted electrons, the energy loss and the MSP are determined. Thus measured MSP values of the alloys are compared with the values calculated using Braggs additivity rule. The disagreement between theory and experiment is found to increases with increasing TiO2 concentration in chitosan, indicating the influence of chemical environment in the properties of such polymeric membrane.

Common origin of the 3.55 keV x-ray line and the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess in a radiative neutrino mass model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borah, Debasish; Dasgupta, Arnab; Adhikari, Rathin

2015-10-01

We attempt to simultaneously explain the recently observed 3.55 keV x-ray line in the analysis of XMM-Newton telescope data and the Galactic Center gamma ray excess observed by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope within an Abelian gauge extension of the standard model. We consider a two component dark matter scenario with tree level mass difference 3.55 keV such that the heavier one can decay into the lighter one and a photon with energy 3.55 keV. The lighter dark matter candidate is protected from decaying into the standard model particles by a remnant Z2 symmetry into which the Abelian gauge symmetry gets spontaneously broken. If the mass of the dark matter particle is chosen to be within 31-40 GeV, then this model can also explain the Galactic Center gamma ray excess if the dark matter annihilation into b b ¯ pairs has a cross section of ⟨σ v ⟩≃(1.4 -2.0 )×1 0-26 cm3/s . We constrain the model from the requirement of producing correct dark matter relic density, 3.55 keV x-ray line flux, and Galactic Center gamma ray excess. We also impose the bounds coming from dark matter direct detection experiments as well as collider limits on additional gauge boson mass and gauge coupling. We also briefly discuss how this model can give rise to subelectron volt neutrino masses at tree level as well as the one-loop level while keeping the dark matter mass at a few tens of giga-electron volts. We also constrain the model parameters from the requirement of keeping the one-loop mass difference between two dark matter particles below a kilo-electron volt. We find that the constraints from light neutrino mass and kilo-electron volt mass splitting between two dark matter components show more preference for opposite C P eigenvalues of the two fermion singlet dark matter candidates in the model.

Coherence of a spin-polarized electron beam emitted from a semiconductor photocathode in a transmission electron microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuwahara, Makoto, E-mail: kuwahara@esi.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Saitoh, Koh; Tanaka, Nobuo

2014-11-10

The brightness and interference fringes of a spin-polarized electron beam extracted from a semiconductor photocathode excited by laser irradiation are directly measured via its use in a transmission electron microscope. The brightness was 3.8 × 10{sup 7 }A cm{sup −2 }sr{sup −1} for a 30-keV beam energy with the polarization of 82%, which corresponds to 3.1 × 10{sup 8 }A cm{sup −2 }sr{sup −1} for a 200-keV beam energy. The resulting electron beam exhibited a long coherence length at the specimen position due to the high parallelism of (1.7 ± 0.3) × 10{sup −5 }rad, which generated interference fringes representative of a first-order correlation using an electron biprism. The beam also had amore » high degeneracy of electron wavepacket of 4 × 10{sup −6}. Due to the high polarization, the high degeneracy and the long coherence length, the spin-polarized electron beam can enhance the antibunching effect.« less

Measurement of the mass attenuation coefficient from 81 keV to 1333 keV for elemental materials Al, Cu and Pb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gjorgieva, Slavica, E-mail: slavicagjorgieva89@gmail.com; Institute of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, POB 162, 1000 Skopje; Barandovski, Lambe, E-mail: lambe@pmf.ukim.mk

The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for 3 high purity elemental materials Al, Cu and Pb were measured in the γ-ray energy range from 81 keV up to 1333 keV using {sup 22}Na, {sup 60}Co {sup 133}Ba and {sup 133}Cs as sources of gamma radiation. Well shielded detector (NaI (Tl) semiconductor detector) was used to measure the intensity of the transmitted beam. The measurements were made under condition of good geometry, assuring that any photon absorbed or deflected appreciably does not reach the detector. The measured values are compared with the theoretical ones obtained by Seltzer (1993).

Pitch angle distributions of electrons at dipolarization sites during geomagnetic activity: THEMIS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kaiti; Lin, Ching-Huei; Wang, Lu-Yin; Hada, Tohru; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Turner, Drew L.; Angelopoulos, Vassilis

2014-12-01

Changes in pitch angle distributions of electrons with energies from a few eV to 1 MeV at dipolarization sites in Earth's magnetotail are investigated statistically to determine the extent to which adiabatic acceleration may contribute to these changes. Forty-two dipolarization events from 2008 and 2009 observed by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms probes covering the inner plasma sheet from 8 RE to 12 RE during geomagnetic activity identified by the AL index are analyzed. The number of observed events with cigar-type distributions (peaks at 0° and 180°) decreases sharply below 1 keV after dipolarization because in many of these events, electron distributions became more isotropized. From above 1 keV to a few tens of keV, however, the observed number of cigar-type events increases after dipolarization and the number of isotropic events decreases. These changes can be related to the ineffectiveness of Fermi acceleration below 1 keV (at those energies, dipolarization time becomes comparable to electron bounce time). Model-calculated pitch angle distributions after dipolarization with the effect of betatron and Fermi acceleration tested indicate that these adiabatic acceleration mechanisms can explain the observed patterns of event number changes over a large range of energies for cigar events and isotropic events. Other factors still need to be considered to assess the observed increase in cigar events around 2 keV. Indeed, preferential directional increase/loss of electron fluxes, which may contribute to the formation of cigar events, was observed. Nonadiabatic processes to accelerate electrons in a parallel direction may also be important for future study.

Measurement of the energy distribution of electrons escaping minimum-B ECR plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotov, I.; Tarvainen, O.; Skalyga, V.; Mansfeld, D.; Kalvas, T.; Koivisto, H.; Kronholm, R.

2018-02-01

The measurement of the electron energy distribution (EED) of electrons escaping axially from a minimum-B electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) is reported. The experimental data were recorded with a room-temperature 14 GHz ECRIS at the JYFL accelerator laboratory. The electrons escaping through the extraction mirror of the ion source were detected with a secondary electron amplifier placed downstream from a dipole magnet serving as an electron spectrometer with 500 eV resolution. It was discovered that the EED in the range of 5-250 keV is strongly non-Maxwellian and exhibits several local maxima below 20 keV energy. It was observed that the most influential ion source operating parameter on the EED is the magnetic field strength, which affected the EED predominantly at energies less than 100 keV. The effects of the microwave power and frequency, ranging from 100 to 600 W and 11 to 14 GHz, respectively, on the EED were found to be less significant. The presented technique and experiments enable the comparison between direct measurement of the EED and results derived from Bremsstrahlung diagnostics, the latter being severely complicated by the non-Maxwellian nature of the EED reported here. The role of RF pitch angle scattering on electron losses and the relation between the EED of the axially escaping electrons and the EED of the confined electrons are discussed.

The average 0.5-200 keV spectrum of local active galactic nuclei and a new determination of the 2-10 keV luminosity function at z ≈ 0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballantyne, D. R.

2014-01-01

The broad-band X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) contains information about the nuclear environment from Schwarzschild radii scales (where the primary power law is generated in a corona) to distances of ˜1 pc (where the distant reflector may be located). In addition, the average shape of the X-ray spectrum is an important input into X-ray background synthesis models. Here, local (z ≈ 0) AGN luminosity functions (LFs) in five energy bands are used as a low-resolution, luminosity-dependent X-ray spectrometer in order to constrain the average AGN X-ray spectrum between 0.5 and 200 keV. The 15-55 keV LF measured by Swift-BAT is assumed to be the best determination of the local LF, and then a spectral model is varied to determine the best fit to the 0.5-2 keV, 2-10 keV, 3-20 keV and 14-195 keV LFs. The spectral model consists of a Gaussian distribution of power laws with a mean photon-index <Γ> and cutoff energy Ecut, as well as contributions from distant and disc reflection. The reflection strength is parametrized by varying the Fe abundance relative to solar, AFe, and requiring a specific Fe Kα equivalent width (EW). In this way, the presence of the X-ray Baldwin effect can be tested. The spectral model that best fits the four LFs has <Γ> = 1.85 ± 0.15, E_{cut}=270^{+170}_{-80} keV, A_{Fe}=0.3^{+0.3}_{-0.15}. The sub-solar AFe is unlikely to be a true measure of the gas-phase metallicity, but indicates the presence of strong reflection given the assumed Fe Kα EW. Indeed, parametrizing the reflection strength with the R parameter gives R=1.7^{+1.7}_{-0.85}. There is moderate evidence for no X-ray Baldwin effect. Accretion disc reflection is included in the best-fitting model, but it is relatively weak (broad iron Kα EW < 100 eV) and does not significantly affect any of the conclusions. A critical result of our procedure is that the shape of the local 2-10 keV LF measured by HEAO-1 and MAXI is incompatible with the LFs measured in the hard X

Electron-molecule chemistry and charging processes on organic ices and Titan's icy aerosol surrogates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirim, C.; Gann, R. D.; McLain, J. L.; Orlando, T. M.

2015-09-01

Electron-induced polymerization processes and charging events that can occur within Titan's atmosphere or on its surface were simulated using electron irradiation and dissociative electron attachment (DEA) studies of nitrogen-containing organic condensates. The DEA studies probe the desorption of H- from hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetonitrile (CH3CN), and aminoacetonitrile (NH2CH2CN) ices, as well as from synthesized tholin materials condensed or deposited onto a graphite substrate maintained at low temperature (90-130 K). The peak cross sections for H- desorption during low-energy (3-15 eV) electron irradiation were measured and range from 3 × 10-21 to 2 × 10-18 cm2. Chemical and structural transformations of HCN ice upon 2 keV electron irradiation were investigated using X-ray photoelectron and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The electron-beam processed materials displayed optical properties very similar to tholins produced by conventional discharge methods. Electron and negative ion trapping lead to 1011 charges cm-2 on a flat surface which, assuming a radius of 0.05 μm for Titan aerosols, is ∼628 charges/radius (in μm). The facile charge trapping indicates that electron interactions with nitriles and complex tholin-like molecules could affect the conductivity of Titan's atmosphere due to the formation of large negative ion complexes. These negatively charged complexes can also precipitate onto Titan's surface and possibly contribute to surface reactions and the formation of dunes.

The Solar Flare 4: 10 keV X-ray Spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, K. J. H.

2004-01-01

The 4-10 keV solar flare spectrum includes highly excited lines of stripped Ca, Fe, and Ni ions as well as a continuum steeply falling with energy. Groups of lines at approximately 7 keV and approximately 8 keV, observed during flares by the broad-band RHESSI spectrometer and called here the Fe-line and Fe/Ni-line features, are formed mostly of Fe lines but with Ni lines contributing to the approximately 8 keV feature. Possible temperature indicators of these line features are discussed - the peak or centroid energies of the Fe-line feature, the line ratio of the Fe-line to the Fe/Ni-line features, and the equivalent width of the Fe-line feature. The equivalent width is by far the most sensitive to temperature. However, results will be confused if, as is commonly believed, the abundance of Fe varies from flare to flare, even during the course of a single flare. With temperature determined from the thermal continuum, the Fe-line feature becomes a diagnostic of the Fe abundance in flare plasmas. These results are of interest for other hot plasmas in coronal ionization equilibrium such as stellar flare plasmas, hot gas in galaxies, and older supernova remnants.

Development of a radiographic method for measuring the discrete spectrum of the electron beam from a plasma focus device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamsian, Neda; Bidabadi, Babak Shirani; Pirjamadi, Hosein

2017-07-01

An indirect method is proposed for measuring the relative energy spectrum of the pulsed electron beam of a plasma focus device. The Bremsstrahlung x-ray, generated by the collision of electrons against the anode surface, was measured behind lead filters with various thicknesses using a radiographic film system. A matrix equation was considered in order to explain the relation between the x-ray dose and the spectral amplitudes of the electron beam. The electron spectrum of the device was measured at 0.6 mbar argon and 22 kV charging voltage, in four discrete energy intervals extending up to 500 keV. The results of the experiments show that most of the electrons are emitted in the 125-375 keV energy range and the spectral amplitude becomes negligible beyond 375 keV.

The Mars diffuse aurora: A model of ultraviolet and visible emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gérard, J.-C.; Soret, L.; Shematovich, V. I.; Bisikalo, D. V.; Bougher, S. W.

2017-05-01

A new type of Martian aurora, characterized by an extended spatial distribution, an altitude lower than the discrete aurora and electron precipitation up to 200 keV has been observed following solar activity on several occasions from the MAVEN spacecraft. We describe the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the production of several ultraviolet and violet auroral emissions for initial electron energies extending from 0.25 to 200 keV. These include the CO2+ ultraviolet doublet (UVD) at 288.3 and 289.6 nm and the Fox-Duffendack-Barker (FDB) bands, CO Cameron and Fourth Positive bands, OI 130.4 and 297.2 nm and CI 156.1 nm and 165.7 nm multiplets. We calculate the nadir and limb production rates of several of these emissions for a unit precipitated energy flux. Our results indicate that electrons in the range 50-200 keV produce maximum CO2+ UVD emission below 75 km, in agreement with the MAVEN observations. We calculate the efficiency of photon production per unit precipitated electron power. The strongest emissions are the CO2+ FDB, UVD and CO Cameron bands and the oxygen emission at 297.2 nm. The metastable a 3Π state which radiates the Cameron bands is deactivated by collisions below about 110 km. As a consequence, we show that the Cameron band emission is expected to peak at a higher altitude than the CO2+ UVD and FDB bands. Collisional quenching also causes the intensity ratio of the CO2+ UVD to CO Cameron bands to increase below ∼100 km in the energetic diffuse aurora.

Deformation-Induced Dynamic Precipitation and Resulting Microstructure in a Mg-Zn-Ca Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Yuzhou; Zheng, Mingyi; Jiang, Bailing; Zhou, Kesong

2018-05-01

The microstructure of an Mg-Zn-Ca extrusion was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the interaction between dynamic precipitation and dynamic recrystallization was analyzed. The results showed that dynamic precipitation significantly affected the microstructure of the as-extruded Mg-Zn-Ca alloy. The pinning effects of precipitates on dislocations effectively prohibited dynamic recrystallization processes, while the grain boundary precipitate Ca2Mg6Zn3, inhibited the growth of dynamically recrystallized grains. Consequently, a bimodal microstructure with fine dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains and elongated deformed regions was obtained for the Mg-Zn-Ca extrusion. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicated that the intragranular precipitate MgZn2 had a crystal orientation relationship with α-Mg in the form of (0002)Mg//(10-13)MgZn2 and [1-100]Mg//[1-210]MgZn2, which was beneficial for strength improvement.

Effect of current density on electron beam induced charging in MgO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boughariou, Aicha; Hachicha, Olfa; Kallel, Ali; Blaise, Guy

2005-11-01

It is well known that the presence of space charge in an insulator is correlated with an electric breakdown. Many studies have been carried out on the experimental characterization of space charges. In this paper, we outline the dependence on the current density of the charge-trapping phenomenon in magnesium oxide. Our study was performed with a dedicated scanning electron microscope (SEM) on the electrical property evolution of surface of magnesium oxide (1 0 0) (MgO) single crystal, during a 1.1, 5 and 30 keV electron irradiation. The types of charges trapped on the irradiated areas and the charging kinetics are determined by measuring the total secondary electron emission (SEE) σ during the injection process by means of two complementary detectors. At low energies 1.1 and 5 keV, two different kinds of self-regulated regime (σ = 1) were observed as a function of current density. At 30 keV energy, the electron emission appears to be stimulated by the current density, due to the Poole-Frenkel effect.

Multilayer diffraction at 104 keV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krieger, Allen S.; Blake, Richard L.; Siddons, D. P.

1993-01-01

We have measured the diffraction peak of a W:Si synthetic multilayer reflector at 104 keV using the High Energy Bonse-Hart Camera at the X-17B hard X-ray wiggler beam line of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The characteristics of the diffraction peak are described and compared to theory.

Feasibility study for mega-electron-volt electron beam tomography.

PubMed

Hampel, U; Bärtling, Y; Hoppe, D; Kuksanov, N; Fadeev, S; Salimov, R

2012-09-01

Electron beam tomography is a promising imaging modality for the study of fast technical processes. But for many technical objects of interest x rays of several hundreds of keV energy are required to achieve sufficient material penetration. In this article we report on a feasibility study for fast electron beam computed tomography with a 1 MeV electron beam. The experimental setup comprises an electrostatic accelerator with beam optics, transmission target, and a single x-ray detector. We employed an inverse fan-beam tomography approach with radiographic projections being generated from the linearly moving x-ray source. Angular projections were obtained by rotating the object.

Electron Flux Dropouts at L ˜ 4.2 From Global Positioning System Satellites: Occurrences, Magnitudes, and Main Driving Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boynton, R. J.; Mourenas, D.; Balikhin, M. A.

2017-11-01

Dropouts in electron fluxes at L ˜ 4.2 were investigated for a broad range of energies from 120 keV to 10 MeV, using 16 years of electron flux data from Combined X-ray Dosimeter on board Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Dropouts were defined as flux decreases by at least a factor 4 in 12 h, or 24 h during which a decrease by at least a factor of 1.5 must occur during each 12 h time bin. Such fast and strong dropouts were automatically identified from the GPS electron flux data and statistics of dropout magnitudes, and occurrences were compiled as a function of electron energy. Moreover, the Error Reduction Ratio analysis was employed to search for nonlinear relationships between electron flux dropouts and various solar wind and geomagnetic activity indices, in order to identify potential external causes of dropouts. At L ˜ 4.2, the main driving factor for the more numerous and stronger 1-10 MeV electron dropouts turns out to be the southward interplanetary magnetic field Bs, suggesting an important effect from precipitation loss due to combined electromagnetic ion cyclotron and whistler mode waves in a significant fraction of these events, supplementing magnetopause shadowing and outward radial diffusion which are also effective at lower energies.

Comparing Solar-Flare Acceleration of >-20 MeV Protons and Electrons Above Various Energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Albert Y.

2010-01-01

A large fraction (up to tens of percent) of the energy released in solar flares goes into accelerated ions and electrons, and studies indicate that these two populations have comparable energy content. RHESSI observations have shown a striking close linear correlation between the 2.223 MeV neutron-capture gamma-ray line and electron bremsstrahlung emission >300 keV, indicating that the flare acceleration of >^20 MeV protons and >300 keV electrons is roughly proportional over >3 orders of magnitude in fluence. We show that the correlations of neutron-capture line fluence with GOES class or with bremsstrahlung emission at lower energies show deviations from proportionality, primarily for flares with lower fluences. From analyzing thirteen flares, we demonstrate that there appear to be two classes of flares with high-energy acceleration: flares that exhibit only proportional acceleration of ions and electrons down to 50 keV and flares that have an additional soft, low-energy bremsstrahlung component, suggesting two separate populations of accelerated electrons. We use RHESSI spectroscopy and imaging to investigate a number of these flares in detail.

Propagation of low energy solar electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, K. A.; Mcfadden, J. P.; Lin, R. P.

1981-01-01

Two events are reported in which 2-10 keV electrons of solar energy have undergone significant adiabatic mirroring and pitch angle scattering in large scale magnetic structures in the interplanetary medium within a distance of about 0.5 AU from the earth. Electrons of 3 keV, typical of the energies measured, have a speed of about one-tenth of the speed of light, so that their travel time from the sun at 0 deg pitch angle would be about 100 minutes. Their cyclotron radius is about 20 km for a pitch angle of 30 deg, and a field of magnitude of 5 nT, and the cyclotron period is about 7.1 milliseconds. The electrons are scattered by spatial variations in the interplanetary magnetic field. When the spatial variations are convected past a stationary spacecraft by a 500 km/sec solar wind, they are seen as temporal fluctuations at a frequency of about 3 Hz.

Heavy metal immobilization via microbially induced carbonate precipitation and co-precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauchnor, E. G.; Stoick, E.

2017-12-01

Microbially induced CaCO3 precipitation (MICP) has been successfully used in applications such as porous media consolidation and sealing of leakage pathways in the subsurface, and it has the potential to be used for remediation of metal and radionuclide contaminants in surface and groundwater. In this work, MICP is investigated for removal of dissolved heavy metals from contaminated mine discharge water via co-precipitation in CaCO3 or formation of other metal carbonates. The bacterially catalyzed hydrolysis of urea produces inorganic carbon and ammonium and increases pH and the saturation index of carbonate minerals to promote precipitation of CaCO3. Other heavy metal cations can be co-precipitated in CaCO3 as impurities or by replacing Ca2+ in the crystal lattice. We performed laboratory batch experiments of MICP in alkaline mine drainage sampled from an abandoned mine site in Montana and containing a mixture of heavy metals at near neutral pH. Both a model bacterium, Sporosarcina pasteurii, and a ureolytic bacterium isolated from sediments on the mine site were used to promote MICP. Removal of dissolved metals from the aqueous phase was determined via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and resulting precipitates were analyzed via electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Both S. pasteurii and the native ureolytic isolate demonstrated ureolysis, increased the pH and promoted precipitation of CaCO3 in batch tests. MICP by the native bacterium reduced concentrations of the heavy metals zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel and manganese in the water. S. pasteurii was also able to promote MICP, but with less removal of dissolved metals. Analysis of precipitates revealed calcium carbonate and phosphate minerals were likely present. The native isolate is undergoing identification via 16S DNA sequencing. Ongoing work will evaluate biofilm formation and MICP by the isolate in continuous flow, gravel-filled laboratory columns. This research

Kinetics of radiation-induced precipitation at the alloy surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, N. Q.; Nguyen, T.; Leaf, G. K.; Yip, S.

1988-05-01

Radiation-induced precipitation of a new phase at the surface of an alloy during irradiation at elevated temperatures was studied with the aid of a kinetic model of segregation. The preferential coupling of solute atoms with the defect fluxes gives rise to a strong solute enrichment at the surface, which, if surpassing the solute solubility limit, leads to the formation of a precipitate layer. The moving precipitate/matrix interface was accommodated by means of a mathematical scheme that transforms spatial coordinates into a reference frame in which the boundaries are immobile. Sample calculations were performed for precipitation of the γ'-Ni 3Si layer on Ni-Si alloys undergoing electron irradiation. The dependences of the precipitation kinetics on the defect-production rate, irradiation temperature, internal defect sink concentration and alloy composition were investigated systematically.

Solar neutrino flux at keV energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitagliano, Edoardo; Redondo, Javier; Raffelt, Georg

2017-12-01

We calculate the solar neutrino and antineutrino flux in the keV energy range. The dominant thermal source processes are photo production (γ e→ e νbar nu), bremsstrahlung (e+Ze→ Ze+e+νbar nu), plasmon decay (γ→νbar nu), and νbar nu emission in free-bound and bound-bound transitions of partially ionized elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. These latter processes dominate in the energy range of a few keV and thus carry information about the solar metallicity. To calculate their rate we use libraries of monochromatic photon radiative opacities in analogy to a previous calculation of solar axion emission. Our overall flux spectrum and many details differ significantly from previous works. While this low-energy flux is not measurable with present-day technology, it could become a significant background for future direct searches for keV-mass sterile neutrino dark matter.

Relativistic Electron Precipitation Events Observed at Low Altitude During Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Wave Activities Identified Near The Equator.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, D. K.; Lee, D. Y.; Noh, S. J.; Cho, J.; Choi, C.; Hwang, J.; Lee, J.

2017-12-01

Statistical significance of the efficiency of electron loss into the atmosphere by EMIC waves has yet not been quantified through observations. To better understand the dynamics of the radiation belt particle, its quantification through observations is indispensable. In this study, we used a large number of the EMIC wave events identified near the equator for which we determined relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events using the observations at low earth orbit satellites (POES satellite series).We focused on the difference between the wave properties, geomagnetic conditions and background states during the EMIC waves between the event group (EMIC wave with REP) and non-event group (EMIC wave without REP). First, for 11.5 % of the EMIC wave events we were able to identify the REP events within an hour of MLT separation from the EMIC wave location. The majority ( 80 %) of the precipitation-inducing EMIC waves were found in 11 - 17 MLT. Second, geomagnetic conditions (most notably AE) are more often stronger for the event group than non-event group. Third, the EMIC waves of a stronger power and/or a longer duration are on average preferred for event group. Lastly, the majority of the EMIC waves with REP lie outside the plasmapause, most often at L being higher by 2 than the plasmapause locations. In conclusion, this is the first time report on a statistical assessment about the extent to which the EMIC waves directly measured in the equator can be responsible for REP and about their distinguishing features.

Precipitation Kinetics in a Nb-stabilized Ferritic Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labonne, M.; Graux, A.; Cazottes, S.; Danoix, F.; Cuvilly, F.; Chassagne, F.; Perez, M.; Massardier, V.

2017-08-01

The precipitation occurring in a Nb-stabilized ferritic stainless steel, containing initially Nb(C, N) carbonitrides and Fe3Nb3X precipitates, was investigated during aging treatments performed between 923 K and 1163 K (650 °C and 890 °C) by combining different techniques, (thermoelectric power (TEP), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), and atom probe tomography (APT)), in order to determine the precipitation kinetics, the nature and morphology of the newly formed precipitates as well as the chemistry of the initial Fe3Nb3X precipitates, where X stands for C or N. The following composition was proposed for these precipitates: (Fe0.81 Cr0.19)3 (Nb0.85 Si0.08 Mo0.07)3 (N0.8 C0.2), highlighting the simultaneous presence of N and C in the precipitates. With regard to the precipitation in the investigated temperature range, two main phenomena, associated with a hardness decrease, were clearly identified: (i) the precipitation of Fe2Nb precipitates from the niobium initially present in solution or coming from the progressive dissolution of the Fe3Nb3X precipitates and (ii) the precipitation of the χ-phase at grain boundaries for longer aging times. From the TEP kinetics, a time-temperature-precipitation diagram has been proposed.

Selective precipitation of potassium in seawater samples for improving the sensitivity of plain γ-ray spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferrante, Marco, E-mail: marco.ferrante@lngs.infn.it; De Angelis, Francesco, E-mail: francesco.deangelis@univaq.it; Nisi, Stefano, E-mail: stefano.nisi@lngs.infn.it

2015-08-17

An analytical method is presented to reduce the amount of {sup 40}K in sea water samples, in order to lower its interference in γ-ray analysis below 1.4 MeV due to the Compton continuum. Sodium tetraphenylborate was used to successfully precipitate {sup 40}K in the samples. A custom procedure for precipitation of potassium was developed and it was evaluated for its selectivity, reproducibility and efficiency, using conventional analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This work has shown that the selective precipitation of potassium with sodium tetraphenylborate has led to a decrease of detectionmore » limit of radio nuclides such as {sup 238}U, {sup 226}Ra, {sup 228}Ra, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 134}Cs, {sup 133}I, {sup 134}I, {sup 60}Co in γ-analysis. In particular, the detection limit for nuclides with emissions in the energy window energy below 1400 keV is improved by almost one order of magnitude.« less

Inner-Shell Electron Recoil Discrimination in Xenon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trask, Makayla; Lippincott, Hugh; Baxter, Dan

2017-01-01

\\bulletmore » $$$$ Dark matter searches using time projection chambers (TPCs) rely on the ability to distinguish between nuclear and electron interactions $$$$ Xenon TPCs are specifically searching for a low energy nuclear recoil ( < 30 keV ) signal $$$$ To do this, these interactions must be discernable from the electron recoil background« less

Electron beam induced light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulrich, A.; Heindl, T.; Krücken, R.; Morozov, A.; Skrobol, C.; Wieser, J.

2009-08-01

Electron beams with a particle energy of typically 12keV are used for collisional excitation of dense gases. The electrons are sent through ceramic membranes of only 300nm thickness into gas targets. Excimer light emission from the pure rare gases and from gas mixtures are studied for the development of brilliant VUV and UV light sources. The application of the technology for gas kinetic studies is described and its potential for building very small electron beam pumped lasers is discussed.

Electron Trajectory Reconstruction for Advanced Compton Imaging of Gamma Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plimley, Brian Christopher

Gamma-ray imaging is useful for detecting, characterizing, and localizing sources in a variety of fields, including nuclear physics, security, nuclear accident response, nuclear medicine, and astronomy. Compton imaging in particular provides sensitivity to weak sources and good angular resolution in a large field of view. However, the photon origin in a single event sequence is normally only limited to the surface of a cone. If the initial direction of the Compton-scattered electron can be measured, the cone can be reduced to a cone segment with width depending on the uncertainty in the direction measurement, providing a corresponding increase in imaging sensitivity. Measurement of the electron's initial direction in an efficient detection material requires very fine position resolution due to the electron's short range and tortuous path. A thick (650 mum), fully-depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) developed for infrared astronomy has 10.5-mum position resolution in two dimensions, enabling the initial trajectory measurement of electrons of energy as low as 100 keV. This is the first time the initial trajectories of electrons of such low energies have been measured in a solid material. In this work, the CCD's efficacy as a gamma-ray detector is demonstrated experimentally, using a reconstruction algorithm to measure the initial electron direction from the CCD track image. In addition, models of fast electron interaction physics, charge transport and readout were used to generate modeled tracks with known initial direction. These modeled tracks allowed the development and refinement of the reconstruction algorithm. The angular sensitivity of the reconstruction algorithm is evaluated extensively with models for tracks below 480 keV, showing a FWHM as low as 20° in the pixel plane, and 30° RMS sensitivity to the magnitude of the out-of-plane angle. The measurement of the trajectories of electrons with energies as low as 100 keV have the potential to make electron

Relation between electron- and photon-caused oxidation in EUVL optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinowski, Michael E.; Steinhaus, Charles A.; Meeker, Donald E.; Clift, W. Miles; Klebanoff, Leonard E.; Bajt, Sasa

2003-06-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-induced oxidation of silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayer mirrors in the presence of background levels of water vapor is recognized as one of the most serious threats to multilayer lifetime since oxidation of the top silicon layer is an irreversible process. The current work directly compares the oxidation on a silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayers caused by EUV photons with the oxidation caused by 1 keV electrons in the presence of the same water vapor environment (2 x 10-6 Torr). Similar, 4 nm, silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayer mirror samples were exposed to photons (95.3 eV) + water vapor at the ALS, LBNL, and also to a 1 keV electron beam + water vapor in separate experimental systems. The results of this work showed that the oxidation produced by ~1 µA of e-beam current was found to be equivalent to that produced by ~1 mW of EUV exposure. These results will help allow the use of 1 keV electrons beams, instead of EUV photons, to perform environmental testing of multilayers in a low-pressure water environment and to more accurately determine projected mirror lifetimes based on the electron beam exposures.

Relation between electron- and photon-caused oxidation in EUVL optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinowski, Michael E.; Steinhaus, Charles A.; Meeker, Donald E.; Clift, W. Miles; Klebanoff, Leonard E.; Bajt, Sasa

2003-06-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-induced oxidation of silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayer mirrors in the presence of background levels of water vapor is recognized as one of the most serious threats to multilayer lifetime since oxidation of the top silicon layer is an irreversible process. The current work directly compares the oxidation on a silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayers caused by EUV photons with the oxidation caused by 1 keV electrons in the presence of the same water vapor environment (2 x 10-6 Torr). Similar, 4 nm, silicon-capped, [Mo/Si] multilayer mirror samples were exposed to photons (95.3 eV) + water vapor at the ALS, LBNL, and also to a 1 keV electron beam + water vapor in separate experimental systems. The results of this work showed that the oxidation produced by ~1 ´A of e-beam current was found to be equivalent to that produced by ~1 mW of EUV exposure. These results will help allow the use of 1 keV electrons beams, instead of EUV photons, to perform environmental testing of multilayers in a low-pressure water environment and to more accurately determine projected mirror lifetimes based on the electron beam exposures.