NASA Tech Briefs’ Physical Sciences Web page spans the fields of earth science, chemistry, and physics, focusing on advances in sensing, test, and measurement. Tech Briefs report on innovations in microscopy, spectroscopy, photonics and more. Many of the Tech Briefs below are correlated to a Technical Support Package (TSP) or White Paper that can be downloaded free of charge.
Jun 2009
Measuring Thermal Conductivity of a Small Insulation Sample
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Heat leakage is accounted for in design, operation, and calculation.
An instrumentation system for direct measurement of the thermal conductivity of a small sample of a highly insulating material has been devised. As used here, (1) “small” signifies having dimensions of the order of two centimeters — significantly less than ...Read More >>
Alignment Jig for the Precise Measurement of THz Radiation
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This device can be used by optometrists to measure aberrations in lenses, and by head-mount display manufacturers.
An alignment jig (see figure) places a THz horn and power detector at the proper locations with respect to the focal points of a conic reflector in order to couple total ...Read More >>
Chemochromic Hydrogen Leak Detectors
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Robust, simple, and easy-to-detect, color-changing hydrogen sensors warn against explosion hazard.
At NASA, hydrogen safety is a key concern for space shuttle processing. Leaks of any level must be quickly recognized and addressed due to hydrogen’s lower explosion limit. Chemochromic devices have been developed to detect hydrogen ...Read More >>
Compatibility of Segments of Thermoelectric Generators
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A compatibility factor that depends only on material and temperature has been defined.
A method of calculating (usually for the purpose of maximizing) the power-conversion efficiency of a segmented thermoelectric generator is based on equations derived from the fundamental equations of thermoelectricity. Because it is directly traceable to ...Read More >>
JPL Greenland Moulin Exploration Probe
A probe was designed to investigate the moulins (melt
water drainage channels on an ice cap) and ice-hydrology
interaction in the Greenland Ice Cap. By using commercially
available components, the strong and reliable system has
been developed that has a high-definition video recording
element, is lightweight, and has buoyancy that ...
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Complementary Barrier Infrared Detector
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These detectors can be used in infrared imaging cameras in manufacturing process monitoring, environmental monitoring, and medical imaging.
The complementary barrier infrared detector (CBIRD) is designed to eliminate the major dark current sources in the superlattice infrared detector. The concept can also be applied to bulk semiconductor-based infrared ...Read More >>
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May 2009
Scanning Miniature Microscopes Without LensesTarget-Tracking Camera for a Metrology System
Microstrip Antenna for Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture and Sea Surface Salinity
Suppressing Ghost Diffraction in E-Beam-Written Gratings
Two-Dimensional Quantum Model of a Nanotransistor
Mo3Sb7–xTex for Thermoelectric Power Generation
Expansion Compression Contacts for Thermoelectric Legs
Manipulating Neutral Atoms in Chip-Based Magnetic Traps
Criteria for Modeling in LES of Multicomponent Fuel Flow
Polarimetric Imaging Using Two Photoelastic Modulators
Miniature Wide-Angle Lens for Small-Pixel Electronic Camera
Modal Filters for Infrared Interferometry
Apr 2009
Wireless Fluid-Level Sensors for Harsh EnvironmentsDirect-Solve Image-Based Wavefront Sensing
Use of UV Sources for Detection and Identification of Explosives
Gradiometer Using Middle Loops as Sensing Elements in a Low-Field SQUID MRI System
Volcano Monitor: Autonomous Triggering of In-Situ Sensors
Determining Aliasing in Isolated Signal Conditioning Modules
Apparatus for Screening Multiple Oxygen-Reduction Catalysts
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