EOARD

Space Technology 17 March 2011

Lt Col Brad Thompson

Program Manager

AFOSR/EOARD

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

AFOSR

Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 88ABW-2011-0797

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EOARD Space TechnologyPortfolio Sub-Area Activity

NAME: Lt Col Brad Thompson

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PORTFOLIO:

Discover world class research in space technology related to thermal

transport and space situational awareness (SSA) while providing

international engagement for AFOSR & AFRL Technical Directorates in

basic and developmental research

Propulsion (AFRL/RZSA, AFOSR)

Remote Sensing and Imaging

(AFRL/RDTE, RDSN)

Space Electronics (AFRL/RVSE)

Plasma Physics & Chemistry (AFRL/RVBX, AFOSR)

Power (AFRL/RXBN)

Thermal Control (AFRL/RVSS, AFOSR)

Space structures (AFRL/RVSV)

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Current Projects

Russia

Spacecraft Surface

Optical Properties

France

Rocket Engine Injectors

Organic Thin Film Transistors

Atmospheric Chemistry

Power density of linear compressor

Thin laminate flexures sustained bending

United Kingdom

Germany

Atmospheric Chemistry

Faint Object Detection

Sweden

Nonlinear thermal effects

Spain

Magnetic nozzles for plasma

Italy

Non-Volitile memory

Spinodal heat transfer

LiH analysis for propulsion

Photovoltaic hybrid

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Portfolio Strategy/Direction

• Aligned with Space Situational Awareness efforts (DCT # 4)

– SSA goal: Ubiquitous knowledge of all orbiting objects, their

capabilities and intent, and the environment they operate

in/through

– How portfolio contributes to goal:

• Pursuing work in the modeling of non-conservative forces

on satellites to provide more accurate prediction of orbits

(ie solar pressure, electro static force effect modeling, etc)

• Working with AFRL to set up a European SSA workshop

• Current portfolio includes work contributing to modeling

near space environment

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Portfolio Strategy/Direction (cont)

• Aligned with thermal transport phenomena (DCT # 7)

– DCT # 7 goal: Discover new techniques for understanding

thermal phenomena at multiple time & length scales

– How portfolio contributes to goal:

• Pursuing experimental and theoretical work on heat

transfer at the nano scale

• Initiated European workshop on experimental and

theoretical non-equilibrium thermodynamics

(“Thermodynamics: can macro learn from nano?”, 23-25

May 2011)

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Portfolio Strategy/Direction (cont)

• Provides support to space related basic research

interests/requests across AFRL

Space Propulsion

RZS (Edwards)

Dr Ivett Leyva

Dr Doug Talley

Dr Jerry Boatz

Dr Jean Luc Cambier

Space Electronics (Kirtland)

RVSE

Dr James Lyke

Dr Ashwani Sharma

Dr Arthur Edwards

Mr Clay Mayberry

Remote Sensing & Imaging

RDSM (Maui)

Dr Gudimetla Venkata

RDTE (Kirtland)

Maj Justin White

Plasma Physics and

Chemistry

RVBX (Hanscom)

Dr Al Viggiano

Dr David Cooke

AFOSR

RSE

Dr Kent Miller

Dr Cassandra

Fesen

Dr Mitat Birkan

Dr Kumar Jata

RSA

Dr Charles Lee

Space Structures (Kirtland)

RVSV

Dr Thomas Murphy

Thermal Control (Kirtland)

RVSS

Ms Erin Pettyjohn

Power (WPAFB)

RXBN

Dr Benji Maruyama

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Research Examples: Overview

– Dr Szymon Gladysz, “Dim object detection and

characterization through multi-frame imaging”, European

Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern

Hemisphere, Germany

– Professor John Plane, “Magnesium Chemistry in the Upper

Atmosphere,” University of Leeds, UK

– Linke, “Nonlinear thermal effects in ballistic electron devices”,

Lund University, Sweden

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Dim object detection and characterization through multi-frame imaging

• Dr Szymon Gladysz, European Organization for Astronomical

Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Germany, (funding

source: EOARD)

– Works with Dr Gudimetla Venkata at AFRL/RDSM

• Intro/background

– Looking at the statistics of multi frame images to detect faint objects

in the presence of bright ones

– Focus on modeling and exploiting peculiar statistical properties of

AO speckle patterns with the goal of enhancing signals and

suppressing noise

Three

telescopes

(3, 5 and 8m)

measurements theory

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Dim object detection and characterization through multi-frame imaging (cont)

• Expected/desired application to space tech: The identification of

satellites and satellite characteristics in „noisy‟ backgrounds

Left: traditional imaging

Right: additional statistical information

3m Licktelescope

Simulated 10m telescope

PI: Gladysz

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Magnesium Chemistry in the Upper Atmosphere

• Professor John Plane, University of Leeds, UK, (funding source:

EOARD)

– Works with Dr Al Viggiano at AFRL/RVBX

• Grant objectives:

– Study the ion-molecule chemistry of magnesium relevant to

ionospheric sporadic E layers

– Study the reactions of neutral magnesium species which

control the Mg layer observed around 87 km

– Produce a new model of atmospheric magnesium, using the

measured rate coefficients. Evaluate and optimise this

model by comparing with satellite and rocket measurements

of Mg+ and Mg

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Magnesium Chemistry in the Upper Atmosphere (cont)

Magnesium chemistry in the

upper mesosphere/lower

thermosphere

This project studied 16 ion-molecule

reactions and 5 neutral reactions

•blue arrows: reactions studied in the

EOARD project

•black arrows: previously studied by the

Leeds group

•grey arrows: remain to be studied, but

rate constants can be estimated reliably

•thicker arrows indicate more important

reaction pathways

PI John Plane, U. of Leeds, UK

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Magnesium Chemistry in the Upper Atmosphere (cont)

Concentration / cm-3

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Altitude /

km

80

90

100

110

Mg

Mg+

Mg(OH)2

July, 40o N

Concentration / cm-3

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Altitude / k

m

80

90

100

110

Mg

Mg+

Mg(OH)2

January, 40o N • 1-D mesosphere/lower thermosphere

model

•Mg column density shows very little

seasonal variation, and is about 2 x 109

cm-2

•Mg+ column density doubles from 3 to 6

x 109 cm-2 from winter to summer

•Absolute concentrations and

seasonal changes are in excellent

agreement with satellite & rocket data

•Model to be used in the Whole

Atmosphere Chemistry Climate Model

(WACCM) produced by the National

Center for Atmospheric Research

(Boulder)

Atmospheric modelling

PI John Plane, U. of Leeds, UK

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Nonlinear thermal effects in ballistic electron devices

• Professor Heiner Linke, The Nanometer Structure Consortium at

Lund University, Sweden (funding source: EOARD)

– This work addresses thermal phenomena in nonlinear

response, with the goal to explore fundamentally new effects

and functionalities that may enable game-changing, novel

devices, and enhanced performance

In preliminary results, found that a horizontal thermal gradient in device with asymmetric obstacles ((a)

shows an electron microscope image) creates a vertical voltage response (T = 2K) (b) (unpublished)

a) b)

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Nonlinear thermal effects in ballistic electron devices (cont)

• Specific aims

– Rectification of heat flow

• Explore if nanoscale obstacles

partially rectify heat carried by

electrons

– Transverse thermoelectric effect in

asymmetric devices

• Explore physical origins of

discovered perpendicular thermo

voltage introduced by asymmetric

obstacles for ballistic electrons

– Theoretical framework for nonlinear

thermal effects in ballistic devices

– Prediction and test of conditions of

enhanced performance

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Contact Information

Lt Col Brad Thompson

EOARD

Unit 4515

APO, AE 09421-0014

DSN: 314-235-6163

COMM: +44 1895 616 163

brad.thompson@london.af.mil