Engineering topics

Ray, J. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Ray, J. R..

10 records

NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of VLBI and SLR geocentric site coordinates

Results are reported from a systematic comparison of the geocentric coordinates determined for 18 pairs of VLBI and satellite laser ranging (SLR) sites. The data and results are presented in tables and briefly characterized. The rms differences in the X, Y, and Z coordinates are found, after a 7-parameter frame adjustment, to be 15, 22, and 22 mm, respectively. The potential usefulness of a combined VLBI-SLR reference frame for spacecraft tracking and similar applications is indicated.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Phase connection for geodesy - Results from a 245-km baseline

In an effort to greatly improve the measurement precision of VLBI observables used to determine geodetic baselines, the potential of utilizing fringe phase has been investigated. The 245-km baseline between Mojave and Owens Valley in CA has been most thoroughly studied for this purpose. In trying several different experimental designs, it appears that source scheduling is not the critical factor in determining when phase connection can be established. Normally, instrumental instabilities are also not limiting (although nominal functioning of the instrumentation is essential). The most serious factor in limiting opportunities for phase connection seems to be atmospheric variability. However, when the observation SNR is made large (greater than 50) to give very precise group delays (and hence enhance the chance of resolving phase ambiguities), the improvement in baseline uncertainty obtained using phase delays is only marginal compared with the corresponding group delay solution. For this case, the baseline error budget is dominated by stochastic variations in clock and atmospheric delay contributions rather than by observation noise.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Geometrization of spin and the Weyssenhoff fluid conjecture

It is shown that the logical treatment of spinning perfect fluids occurs in a metric-torsion space-time with or without mass conservation. The Lagrangian formulation of a spin density fluid is reviewed, concentrating on the relationship between spin and torsion for metric-torsion space-times. The significance of the mass constraint is discussed, and its consequences for the variation of the Lagrangian is given. That consequence is the geometrization of spin; that is, the Weyssenhoff form relating spin and the trace-free torsion is obtained without any ad hoc assumption.

Smalley, L. L.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Spinning fluids in the Einstein-Cartan theory

An Eulerian variational principle for a spinning fluid in the Einstein-Cartan metric-torsion theory is presented. The variational principle yields the complete set of field equations for the system. The symmetric energy-momentum tensor is a sum of a perfect-fluid term and a spin term.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Spinning fluids in general relativity

General relativity field equations are employed to examine a continuous medium with internal spin. A variational principle formerly applied in the special relativity case is extended to the general relativity case, using a tetrad to express the spin density and the four-velocity of the fluid. An energy-momentum tensor is subsequently defined for a spinning fluid. The equations of motion of the fluid are suggested to be useful in analytical studies of galaxies, for anisotropic Bianchi universes, and for turbulent eddies.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Perfect fluids in the Einstein-Cartan theory

It is pointed out that whereas most of the discussion of the Einstein-Cartan (EC) theory involves the relationship between gravitation and elementary particles, it is possible that the theory, if correct, may be important in certain extreme astrophysical and cosmological problems. The latter would include something like the collapse of a spinning star or an early universe with spin. A set of equations that describe a macroscopic perfect fluid in the EC theory is derived and examined. The equations are derived starting from the fundamental variational principle for a perfect fluid in general relativity. A brief review of the study by Ray (1972) is included, and the results for the EC theory are presented.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Improved perfect-fluid energy-momentum tensor with spin in Einstein-Cartan space-time

The description of the spin given here is classical in that it is intrinsic but not quantized. The approach in this matter is similar to, for example, the work of Bailey and Israel (1973, 1975, 1979), where the fluid particles, which have intrinsic spin, may be galaxies or clusters of galaxies. The elementary particles of these objects and the 'ferromagnetic alignment' of their quantum spins are not resorted to in order to describe a fluid with spin. Physically this means that the equation of motion for the spin tensor is a modified Fermi-Walker transport equation (Misner et al., 1973), arising as a direct result of the inclusion of spin as an intrinsic variable in the thermodynamic description of the internal energy. The variables in this description are classical variables throughout and are not microscopic fields. An improved perfect-fluid energy-momentum tensor that includes spin and torsion is presented. Use is made of a Lagrangian variational principle based on the tetrad formalism of Halbwach (1960) and the method od constraints of Ray (1972).

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Spin and gravitation

The fundamental variational principle for a perfect fluid in general relativity is extended so that it applies to the metric-torsion Einstein-Cartan theory. Field equations for a perfect fluid in the Einstein-Cartan theory are deduced. In addition, the equations of motion for a fluid with intrinsic spin in general relativity are deduced from a special relativistic variational principle. The theory is a direct extension of the theory of nonspinning fluids in special relativity.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Matter in general relativity

Two theories of matter in general relativity, the fluid theory and the kinetic theory, were studied. Results include: (1) a discussion of various methods of completing the fluid equations; (2) a method of constructing charged general relativistic solutions in kinetic theory; and (3) a proof and discussion of the incompatibility of perfect fluid solutions in anisotropic cosmologies. Interpretations of NASA gravitational experiments using the above mentioned results were started. Two papers were prepared for publications based on this work.

Ray, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Kinetic theory in astrophysics and cosmology

Results associated with exact solution of the Einstein-Boltzmann and Einstein-Maxwell-Boltzmann equations are presented. The generalization of Ehler's killing vector approach for the distribution function to charged particles is considered.

Ray, J. R.↗