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At least 199 records · Page 11

Latest Constraints on Three-Flavor Neutrino Oscillation Parameters from the NOvA Experiment.

NOvA, is a two-detector, long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located at Fermilab, Batavia, IL, USA. The NOvA experiment was designed primarily to constrain neutrino oscillation parameters by analyzing $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ disappearance and $\nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ appearance data observed at the far detector. The Neutrinos at Main Injector (NuMI) beamline at Fermilab provides a high purity beam of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos to the experiment. The NOvA experiment consists of two functionally identical, finely granulated liquid tracking calorimeters, both situated 14.6 mrad off-axis to the beam direction. The NOvA near detector, situated 100 meters underground and 1 kilometer from the beam source, detects the non-oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and beam $\nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events. The far detector, located in Ash River, MN, USA, 810 kilometers from the beam source, records the non-oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and the oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu) \to \nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events. The most recent measurements of three flavor neutrino oscillation parameters based on an analysis of the data collected from neutrino-beam exposure of $26.60 \times 10^{20}$ POT and anti-neutrino beam exposure of $12.50\times 10^{20}$ POT including an additional low energy $\nu_e$ sample, will be presented in this talk.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A Methodology to Evaluate the Grid Reliability Impact of Oscillations Induced by Large Loads

The rapid growth of hyperscale AI data centers is bringing renewed attention to the reliability risk that sustained forced oscillations pose to bulk power systems, with cyclic computational workloads emerging as a new forcing source. Unlike the broadband, stochastic disturbances from traditional industrial loads such as arc furnaces, AI training and inference facilities can inject large active power swings concentrated at specific frequencies over extended durations - characteristics that existing grid planning practices do not account for. While the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has recognized this gap and called for system-level studies of large load interconnections, no standardized methodology exists to screen, simulate, and quantify these risks at the planning stage. This report presents the Risk Assessment Tool for Large Load-induced Events (RATLLE), a Python-based, publicly available script suite developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate bulk power system reliability risks from data center-induced oscillations. RATLLE implements a three-module workflow: a screening module that identifies vulnerable interconnection locations and excitable system modes; a simulation module that models cyclic data center load behavior using a commercial positive sequence simulation platform; and an analysis module that computes risk metrics and generates interactive visualization dashboards. The risk metrics, formulated around simulation observables, map oscillation impacts to a three-stage severity scale spanning latent equipment fatigue through imminent cascading failure. The methodology is demonstrated on two Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system models: a publicly available 240-bus reduced representation and a detailed 2031 Heavy Winter planning case. Case studies illustrate that even modest 50 MW forced oscillations at resonant frequencies can produce wide-area power swings, N-1 security constraint violations, and cascading generator trips through protection actions - outcomes that would not occur under normal operating conditions without oscillations present. The results underscore the need for standardized oscillation impact assessment in large load interconnection studies and provide a reproducible, extensible framework for utilities to adopt or customize within their existing planning workflows.

Biswas, Shuchismita↗

Five-minute oscillations in the solar magnetic field.

Evidence for the existence of 5 min oscillations in the photospheric and low chromospheric magnetic fields is presented, their properties discussed, and a possible production mechanism suggested. It is pointed out that, because the solar magnetic field is frozen into the oscillating plasma, there are several ways in which the oscillations in the plasma (which are observed as velocity oscillations) could be transferred to the magnetic field. It is shown schematically how vertical waves could cause oscillations in a horizontal magnetic field, and how horizontal waves could cause oscillations in a vertical magnetic field.

Tanenbaum, A. S.↗

What is the horizontal scale of the 5-min oscillations

Solar oscillations with periods near 5 min were discovered in the photosphere by Leighton et al. (1962) on Doppler photographs which showed the sun to be covered with small velocity cells a few thousand km in diameter. If wrong, all the early reports of a small horizontal scale (about 2000 km) for the 5-min oscillations may be due to unfortunate similarities between the velocity and overturning time of the solar granule convection and the corresponding velocity and period typical of the oscillations. A large horizontal scale (about 30,000 km) for the oscillations seems consistent with the old data and almost required by more recent measurements. The large scales recently measured would imply that a sizable fraction of the solar volume is involved in the oscillation and would cast some doubt on all the old theories of the 5-min oscillations which were based on plane parallel atmospheres.

Wolff, C. L.↗

Umbral oscillations and penumbral waves in H alpha

Examples are presented of umbral oscillations observed on Big Bear H-alpha filtergram movies, and the relation between umbral oscillations and running penumbral waves occurring in the same sunspot is investigated. Umbral oscillations near the center of the umbra are probably physically independent of the penumbral waves because the period of these umbral oscillations (150 sec) is shorter than the penumbral wave period (270 sec), but not a harmonic. Dark puffs emerge from the edge of the umbra and move outward across the penumbra, and have the same period as the running penumbral waves. These dark puffs are interpreted to be the extension of chromospheric umbral oscillations at the edge of the umbra. It is suggested that the dark puffs and the running penumbral waves have a common source: photospheric oscillations just inside the umbra.

Moore, R. L.↗

Solar oscillations

The main observational results and related theoretical investigations concerning solar oscillations are reviewed. The normal modes of oscillation of the sun are classified according to their angular eigenvalues and the number of their radial nodes. Observations of excited normal modes are discussed, particularly in relation to five-minute oscillations, nonlinearly coupled unstable g-modes, oscillations of the sun's apparent diameter, and reported oscillations of the solar surface with a period of 2 hr 40 min. Linear stability calculations are briefly examined, and stochastic excitation of p-modes by turbulent convection is considered. The five-minute oscillations are described as the superposition of many excited nonradial p-modes.

Goldreich, P.↗

Current developments in SAW oscillator stability

The results reported were obtained with two port delay lines and resonators used in a simple feedback oscillator. The feedback oscillator employed inherently operates with the amplifier in a saturated condition and, therefore, the AM noise is suppressed. Consequently the dominant noise is FM. Generally, it can be concluded that for very narrow-band, or fixed-frequency applications, the resonator-type oscillator will give the best noise performance. For applications where tunability and linearity are important, the delay-line-type oscillator may give the best performance. There have been no significant improvements in oscillator temperature stability. The only two demonstrated materials for temperature stable SAW oscillators are ST-cut quartz and the SiO2/LiTaO3 overlay structure. Aging tests have been going on for the past two-and-a-half years and it has become obvious that the observed aging rates are largely related to cleaning and packaging.

Parker, T. E.↗

Preliminary investigation of acoustic oscillations in an H2-O2 fired Hall generator

Burner pressure oscillations and interelectrode voltage oscillations measured in an open-cycle supersonic flow Hall generator are presented. The ionized gas for the channel was supplied by seeding the approximately 1 lb/sec of hydrogen-oxygen combustion products with cesium. Since both the burner and the channel were located within magnetic fields exceeding 4 Tesla during operation, an infinite probe pressure measurement technique was used to measure burner pressure oscillations. Calibration of the burner pressure transducer using a resonance tube technique is presented. Evidence is presented for the existence of the first longitudinal mode of oscillations (5000 Hz) within the burner. Interelectrode voltage oscillations were simultaneously measured at two separate axial stations. The magnitude change and the phase shift between the two signals was interpreted as a decaying magnetoacoustic wave driven by the burner that propagates at local gas plus sonic velocities. The amplitude of the electrical voltage oscillations at the start of the power producing region of the channel varied with the magnetic field. This variation is compared with the results of a simple perturbation analysis. Arguments are presented for using an unsteady model for analyzing wave processes in channels.

Phillips, B.↗

The downshift of electron plasma oscillations in the electron foreshock region

Electron plasma oscillations in the earth's electron foreshock region are observed to shift above and below the local electron plasma frequency. As plasma oscillations shift downward from the plasma frequency, their bandwidth increases and their wavelength decreases. Observations of plasma oscillations well below the plasma frequency are correlated with times when ISEE 1 is far downstream of the electron foreshock boundary. Although wavelengths of plasma oscillations below the plasma frequency satisfy k x lambda-De approximately 1 the Doppler shift due to the motion of the solar wind is not sufficient to produce the observed frequency shifts. A beam-plasma interaction with beam velocities on the order of the electron thermal velocity is suggested as an explanation for plasma oscillations above and below the plasma frequency. Frequency, bandwidth, and wavelength changes predicted from the beam-plasma interaction are in good agreement with the observed characteristics of plasma oscillations in the foreshock region.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

Effect of flow oscillations on cavity drag and a technique for their control

Experiments to relate the state of the shear layer to cavity drag have been performed in a water channel using a 4" axisymmetric cavity model. Detailed flow measurements in various cavity flow oscillation phases, amplitude amplification along the flow direction, distribution of shear stress, and other momentum flux obtained by laser Doppler velocimeter are presented. Measurements show exponential dependence of cavity drag on the length of the cavity. A jump in the cavity drag coefficient is observed as the cavity flow shows a bluff body wake type behavior. Natural and forced oscillations are introduced by a sinusoidally heated thin-film strip which excites the Tollmein-Schlichting waves in the boundary layer upstream of the gap. For a large gap, self-sustained periodic oscillations are observed, while for smaller gaps, which do not oscillate naturally, periodical oscillations can be obtained by external forcing through the strip heater. The drag of the cavity can be increased by one order of magnitude in the non-oscillating case through external forcing. Also, it is possible to completely eliminate mode switching by external forcing. For the first time, it is demonstrated that amplitude of cavity flow Kelvin-Helmholtz wave is dampened or cancelled by introduction of external perturbation of natural flow frequency but different phase.

Gharib, M.↗

Periodic oscillations observed in swirling flows with and without combustion

Data obtained by laser induced Rayleigh scattering and hot-wire anemometry are used to study periodic oscillations in swirling flows with and without combustion present. Power spectral density functions reveal the presence of energetic, periodic oscillations in the flow. A band of low frequency oscillations (25-100 Hz) is observed on and near the centerline in the presence of a recirculation zone and is attributed to axial oscillations of the recirculation zone which are amplified with combustion by an interaction between the mechanism for flow recirculation and flow changes induced by combustion. High frequency oscillations between 300-500 Hz are observed in an annular region located in the vortex core. A stability analysis is performed, and it is concluded that these oscillations are most likely helical waves resulting from hydrodynamic instability in the vortex core upstream of the test section.

Gouldin, F. C.↗

Oscillations in sunspots

Recent observational and theoretical work on oscillations in sunspots is reviewed. The characteristic 3-minute umbral oscillations and flashes are resonant modes of the sunspot itself, whereas the 5-minute oscillations in the umbra are a passive response to forcing by p modes in the surrounding convection zone. The observational evidence suggests that the fundamental cause of the 3-minute oscillations is the photospheric fast-mode resonance, with chromospheric slow-mode resonances perhaps producing additional oscillation frequencies in the chromosphere. Observations and theoretical models of the interaction of 5-minute p-mode oscillations with a sunspot offer a means of probing the structure of a sunspot magnetic flux tube beneath the solar surface. The observed differences between running penumbral waves in the chromosphere and in the photosphere may be explained by the effect of the Evershed flow on trapped magneto-atmospheric waves in the penumbra.

Thomas, J. H.↗

Stabilization and oscillation of an acoustically levitated object

Methods are described for rapidly damping oscillation of an acoustically levitated object or for causing and maintaining such oscillations, and a method is provided for determining the restoring force constant K on the levitated object by measuring its frequency of oscillation. Oscillations of a levitated object are damped by applying levitating acoustic energy at a frequency slightly less than the center resonant frequency. Oscillations are maintained by applying acoustic energy slightly greater than the center resonant frequency. The restoring force constant of the levitation force is proportional to the square of the frequency of oscillation of the object.

Martin B Barmatz↗

Experimental investigation of transonic oscillating cascade aerodynamics

Fundamental experiments are performed in the NASA Lewis Transonic Oscillating Cascade Facility to investigate the subsonic and transonic aerodynamics of cascaded airfoils executing torsion mode oscillations at realistic values of reduced frequency. In particular, an unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique is developed and utilized. In this technique, only one airfoil in the cascade is oscillated at a time, with the resulting airfoil surface unsteady pressure distribution measured on one dynamically instrumented reference airfoil. The unsteady aerodynamics of an equivalent cascade with all airfoils oscillating at any specified interblade phase angle are then determined through a vector summation of these data. These influence coefficient determined oscillating cascade data were correlated with: (1) data obtained in this cascade with all airfoils oscillating at several interblade phase angle values; and (2) predictions from a classical linearized unsteady cascade model.

Buffum, Daniel H.↗

Aerodynamics of a linear oscillating cascade

The steady and unsteady aerodynamics of a linear oscillating cascade are investigated using experimental and computational methods. Experiments are performed to quantify the torsion mode oscillating cascade aerodynamics of the NASA Lewis Transonic Oscillating Cascade for subsonic inlet flowfields using two methods: simultaneous oscillation of all the cascaded airfoils at various values of interblade phase angle, and the unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique. Analysis of these data and correlation with classical linearized unsteady aerodynamic analysis predictions indicate that the wind tunnel walls enclosing the cascade have, in some cases, a detrimental effect on the cascade unsteady aerodynamics. An Euler code for oscillating cascade aerodynamics is modified to incorporate improved upstream and downstream boundary conditions and also the unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique. The new boundary conditions are shown to improve the unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique. The new boundary conditions are shown to improve the unsteady aerodynamic predictions of the code, and the computational unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique is shown to be a viable alternative for calculation of oscillating cascade aerodynamics.

Buffum, Daniel H.↗

Effects of oscillating shock impingement on the mixing of a gaseous jet in a Mach 3 airstream

Oscillating shocks of different frequencies were impinged on a 15 deg downstream angled, sonic helium jet injected into a Mach 3 airflow. The oscillating shocks were produced by the normal injection of a steady liquid jet from an opposing wall into the Mach 3 airflow. The freestream Reynolds number per centimeter was 500,000 producing a boundary layer 1.6 times the helium injector diameter in thickness. Vertical helium concentration profiles were taken at nine transverse stations at an axial station 90 helium jet diameters downstream. Helium concentration was measured using an aspirating hot film probe with an integral thermocouple. Oscillating shock frequencies of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz were studied, compared with the estimated frequencies of 60 kHz of the largest eddies in the approach boundary layer. Visualization using nanoshadowgraph photographs, showed large turbulent structures in all cases. In addition, there were clear changes in eddy size with changing frequency visible on the nanoshadowgraphs. Impingement of the oscillating shock upstream of the helium jet had no measurable effect on the mixing. Impingement downstream of the helium injector produced measurable changes in the mixing achieved. Increasing the frequency of the oscillating shock decreased the maximum concentration and the penetration height of the maximum concentration. There were additional measurable effects on the area of a typical concentration contour with increased oscillation frequency.

Thomas, R. H.↗

An electronically tuned, stable 8415 MHz dielectric resonator FET oscillator for space applications

A voltage-controlled 8415-MHz FET oscillator stabilized by a dielectric resonator is described. The oscillator provides over 3.2-MHz linear electronic tuning range with a flat power output equal to +1.8 dBm (27 C, nominal), a single-sideband noise-to-carrier ratio of -68 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz off carrier, and a frequency-temperature coefficient of 0.54 parts per million/C over a -24 C to 75 C range. The oscillator withstood 150 Krads (Si) of gamma radiation with no significant performance degradation. The overall performance of the FET oscillator is far superior in many ways to that of an equivalent bipolar oscillator for space applications. For space applications, the FET dielectric resonator oscillator (DRO) is preferred over bipolar DRO because of its lower DC power consumption, better thermal frequency stability, linear electronic tunability, and higher RF output power capability.

Mysoor, Narayan R.↗

Calculations of combustion response profiles and oscillations

The theory and procedures for determining the characteristics of pressure oscillations in rocket engines with prescribed burning rate oscillations are presented. Pressure and velocity oscillations calculated using this procedure are presented for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) to show the influence of baffles and absorbers on the burning rate oscillations required to achieve neutral stability. Results of calculations to determine local combustion responses using detailed physical models for injection, atomization, and vaporization with gas phase oscillations in baffled and unbaffled SSME combustors are presented. The contributions of the various physical phenomena occurring in a combustor to oscillations in combustion response were determined.

Priem, Richard J.↗