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At least 289 records · Page 16

ROSAT observations of NGC 2146: Evidence for a starburst-driven superwind

We have imaged the edge-on starburst galaxy NGC 2146 with the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) and the High Resolution Imager (HRI) on board ROSAT and have compared these data to optical images and long-slit spectra. NGC 2146 possesses a very large X-ray nebula with a half-light radius of 1 min (4 kpc) and a maximum diameter of approximately 4 min, or 17 kpc. The X-ray emission is resolved by the PSPC and preferentially oriented along the minor axis, with a total flux of 1.1 x 10(exp -12) ergs/sq cm/s over 0.2 - 2.4 keV and a luminosity of approximately 3 x 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The inner X-ray nebula is resolved by the HRI into at least four bright knots together with strong diffuse emission responsible for at least 50% of the flux within a radius of 0.5 min (approximately 2 kpc). The brightest knot has a luminosity of (2 - 3) x 10(exp 39) ergs/s. The X-ray nebula has a spatial extent much larger than the starburst ridge seen at centimeter wavelengths by Kronberg & Biermann (1981) and is oriented in a `X-like' pattern along the galaxy minor axis at a position angle of approximately 30 degrees. This minor-axis X-ray emission is associated with a region of H alpha and dust filaments seen in optical images. Optical spectra show that the emission-line gas along the minor axis is characterized by relatively broad lines (approximately 250 km/s full width half-maximum (FWHM)) and by `shocklike' emission-line flux ratios. Together with the blue-asymmetric nuclear emission-line and NaD interstellar absorption-line profiles, these optical data strongly suggest the presence of a starburst-driven superwind. The X-ray spectrum extracted from the central 5 min contains a strong Fe L emission-line complex at 0.6 - 1.0 keV and a hard excess above 1.0 keV. The spectrum is best described with a two-component model, containing a soft (kT approximately 400 - 500 eV) Raymond-Smith thermal plasma together with either a Gamma = 1.7 power-law or a kT greater than 2.2 keV bremsstrahlung component. The soft thermal component provides approximately 30% of the total luminosity over 0.2 - 2.4 keV, or approximately 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The pressure derived from the soft component of the X-ray spectrum is consistent with that predicted from a starburst-driven superwind if the filling factor of the warm gas is approximately 1% - 10 %. If the hard X-ray component is thermal gas associated with the galactic outflow, the filling factor must be close to unity. Predictions of the luminosity, temperature, and size of an adiabatic starburst-generated windblown bubble are consistent with those measured for the soft thermal X-ray emission in NGC 2146. The hard X-ray component, however, has a luminosity much larger than predicted by the superwind model if this component is thermal emission from gas heated by an internal shock in the expanding bubble. We briefly review various possibilities as to the nature of the hard X-ray component in NGC 2146.

Armus, L.↗

Exploring Cryogenic Propellant Behavior in Low-Gravity Environments, Insights from the Saturn AS-203 Vent Experiments and CFD Analysis

In the 1960s, NASA embarked on a series of groundbreaking flight tests on the Saturn AS-203, aiming to understand the complex dynamics of propellants in the distinctive low-gravity lunar environment. These tests centered on venting experiments, subjecting cryogenic liquid hydrogen to conditions beneath its saturation pressure while accelerating the vehicle to manage the propellant's positioning. During these experiments, NASA meticulously scrutinized the propellant tank using a suite of instruments, including temperature and pressure sensors, as well as a camera placed internal to the liquid hydrogen tank. The outcomes provided anecdotal evidence revealing the phenomenon of boiling along the tank's walls and the intriguing formation of liquid globules and droplets in the ullage during the venting process. Notably, the substantial drop in liquid temperature during these tests suggests adiabatic cooling as liquid hydrogen evaporates. This evaporation leads to a cooling of the remaining hydrogen due to the heat it releases. This paper presents the outcomes of our initial analysis, wherein CFD models were used to simulate the observed boiling phenomena and the bulk movement of the liquid hydrogen propellant, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The implications of these findings may extend to mission and vehicle designers, providing invaluable insights for crafting more efficient and effective in-space propulsion systems utilizing cryogenic propellant including impacts to vehicle control systems. Understanding propellant behavior under these conditions may better inform GNC teams, ensuring more stable vehicle operations when utilizing cryogenic propellants. This includes essential considerations for cryogenic propellant transfer and storage systems, integral to NASA's forthcoming Artemis missions. While we recognize the challenges tied to CFD models, this study represents a step forward, highlighting current progress and signaling the potential for refining our predictive understanding in the future.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

Exploring Cryogenic Propellant Behavior in Low-Gravity Environments, Insights from the Saturn AS-203 Vent Experiments and CFD Analysis

In the 1960s, NASA embarked on a series of groundbreaking flight tests on the Saturn AS-203, aiming to understand the complex dynamics of propellants in the distinctive low-gravity lunar environment. These tests centered on venting experiments, subjecting cryogenic liquid hydrogen to conditions beneath its saturation pressure while accelerating the vehicle to manage the propellant's positioning. During these experiments, NASA meticulously scrutinized the propellant tank using a suite of instruments, including temperature and pressure sensors, as well as a camera placed internal to the liquid hydrogen tank. The outcomes provided anecdotal evidence revealing the phenomenon of boiling along the tank's walls and the intriguing formation of liquid globules and droplets in the ullage during the venting process. Notably, the substantial drop in liquid temperature during these tests suggests adiabatic cooling as liquid hydrogen evaporates. This evaporation leads to a cooling of the remaining hydrogen due to the heat it releases. This paper presents the outcomes of our initial analysis, wherein CFD models were used to simulate the observed boiling phenomena and the bulk movement of the liquid hydrogen propellant, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The implications of these findings may extend to mission and vehicle designers, providing invaluable insights for crafting more efficient and effective in-space propulsion systems utilizing cryogenic propellant including impacts to vehicle control systems. Understanding propellant behavior under these conditions may better inform GNC teams, ensuring more stable vehicle operations when utilizing cryogenic propellants. This includes essential considerations for cryogenic propellant transfer and storage systems, integral to NASA's forthcoming Artemis missions. While we recognize the challenges tied to CFD models, this study represents a step forward, highlighting current progress and signaling the potential for refining our predictive understanding in the future.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

Adiabatic cooling of solar wind electrons

In thermally driven winds emanating from regions in the solar corona with base electron densities of n0 not less than 10 exp 8/cu cm, a substantial fraction of the heat conductive flux from the base is transfered into flow energy by the pressure gradient force. The adiabatic cooling of the electrons causes the electron temperature profile to fall off more rapidly than in heat conduction dominated flows. Alfven waves of solar origin, accelerating the basically thermally driven solar wind, lead to an increased mass flux and enhanced adiabatic cooling. The reduction in electron temperature may be significant also in the subsonic region of the flow and lead to a moderate increase of solar wind mass flux with increasing Alfven wave amplitude. In the solar wind model presented here the Alfven wave energy flux per unit mass is larger than that in models where the temperature in the subsonic flow is not reduced by the wave, and consequently the asymptotic flow speed is higher.

Sandbaek, Ornulf↗

Investigating Titan's Atmospheric Chemistry at Low Temperature in Support of the NASA Cassini Mission

Titan's atmosphere, composed mainly of N2 and CH4, is the siege of a complex chemistry induced by solar UV radiation and electron bombardment from Saturn's magnetosphere. This organic chemistry occurs at temperatures lower than 200 K and leads to the production of heavy molecules and subsequently solid aerosols that form the orange haze surrounding Titan. The Titan Haze Simulation (THS) experiment has been developed on the COSMIC simulation chamber at NASA Ames in order to study the different steps of Titan's atmospheric chemistry at low temperature and to provide laboratory data in support for Cassini data analysis. The chemistry is simulated by plasma in the stream of a supersonic expansion. With this unique design, the gas mixture is adiabatically cooled to Titan-like temperature (approx. 150 K) before inducing the chemistry by plasma discharge. Different gas mixtures containing N2, CH4, and the first products of the N2,-CH4 chemistry (C2H2, C2H4, C6H6...) but also heavier molecules such as PAHs or nitrogen containing PAHs can be injected. Both the gas phase and solid phase products resulting from the plasma-induced chemistry can be monitored and analyzed. Here we present the results of recent gas phase and solid phase studies that highlight the chemical growth evolution when injecting heavier hydrocarbon trace elements in the initial N2-CH4 mixture. Due to the short residence time of the gas in the plasma discharge, only the first steps of the chemistry have time to occur in a N2-CH4 discharge. However by adding acetylene and benzene to the initial N2-CH4 mixture, we can study the intermediate steps of Titan's atmospheric chemistry as well as specific chemical pathways. These results show the uniqueness of the THS experiment to help understand the first and intermediate steps of Titan fs atmospheric chemistry as well as specific chemical pathways leading to Titan fs haze formation.

Sciamma-O'Brien, Ella↗

Exchange–correlation entropy from the generalized thermal adiabatic connection

Warm dense matter is a highly energetic phase characterized by strong correlations, thermal effects, and quantum mechanical electrons. Thermal density functional theory is commonly used in simulations of this challenging phase, driving the development of temperature-dependent approximations to the exchange–correlation free energy. Approaches using the adiabatic connection formula are well known at zero temperature and have been recently leveraged at non-zero temperatures as well. In this work, a generalized thermal adiabatic connection (GTAC) formula is proposed, introducing a fictitious temperature parameter. This allows extraction of the exchange–correlation entropy S XC using simulated interaction strength scaling. Here, this procedure uses a Hellmann–Feynman approach to express the exchange–correlation entropy in terms of a temperature- and interaction strength-dependent exchange–correlation potential energy. In addition, analysis of S XC as a function of interaction strength suggests new forms for approximations, and GTAC itself offers a new framework for exploring both the exact and approximate interplay of temperature, density, and interaction strength across a wide range of conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Low-frequency modes and nonbarotropic effects in pseudo-Newtonian accretion disks

A recently developed formalism is used to reexamine the question of the existence of hydrodynamical modes that pulsate with very low frequencies in the inner regions of accretion disks. The formalism is valid in an exact sense for the adiabatic pulsations of rotating Newtonian fluids that are generally nonbarotropic (such as those with 'nonadiabatic temperature gradients,' for example), and hence its application in the present context represents an improvement over previous analyses that are more approximate. The formalism is applied to thin non-self-gravitating disks, with the gravitational potential of the central source modified in the usual way in order to simulate relativistic effects. In the barotropic limit, the analyses indicate that in many cases nearly Keplerian disks exhibit nonaxisymmetric modes of pulsation that are trapped in the inner disk regions, with pulsation periods much longer than the dynamical timescale. These results are similar to those of earlier calculations that assume disks pulsate without changing the temperature distribution. A method is developed for including lowest order nonbarotropic effects. Previous analyses have been incapable of accurately treating the nonbarotropic regime. The application of the present method to the low-frequency modes reveals that, due to unexpected cancellations among terms, the nonbarotropic correction to the pusation frequency omega is only of order tilde-omega(sub BV exp 2) omega, where tilde-omega(sub BV) is the appropriate dimensionless Brunt-Vaisala frequency. This correction is much smaller than the expected correction of order tilde-omega(sub BV) Omega, where Omega is the rotation angular velocity. The important conclusion drawn from this is that nonbarotropic corrections are generally small and hence that low-frequency modes persist into the nonbarotropic regime. For disk temperatures appropriate to X-ray emission, the adiabatic frequencies of trapped modes are of the same order as the frequencies associated with quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of certain low-mass X-ray binaries and other X-ray sources. It is suggested that further consideration be given to the possiblity that modulation of emission processes by these modes can explain at least some of the QPO phenomena.

Ipser, James R.↗

Thermal Effects of Pressure Surge and Adiabatic Compression in the Priming of Propulsion and Propellant Transfer Systems

Surge pressures and adiabatic compression during priming of evacuated lines in propulsion and propellant transfer systems has been considered. Test data were obtained for desaturated and saturated water for surge pressures and adiabatic compression for various supply pressures and temperatures. Scaling of surge pressures a t different temperatures has been carried out with the aid of Joukowsky model. The thermal effects associated with surge pressure and the attendant adiabatic compression have been investigated with the a id of a simplified analytical model, which represents an extension of the model developed by Lecourt and Steelant. It has been shown that the predictions from the model compare satisfactorily with test data for a water/helium system, and existing test data for different liquid/gas combinations.

Pressure Surge↗

Effect of wall temperature on a supersonic turbulent boundary layer

Measurement of mean flow profiles in a fully developed Mach 3 turbulent boundary layer with negligible pressure gradient is reported. Data were acquired at several streamwise locations for wall-to-total temperature ratios of 0.94, 0.71, and 0.54. The results demonstrate that the velocity defect formulation of the law-of-the-wake, which successfully correlates compressible, adiabatic boundary layers, is also valid for nonadiabatic flows. It is also shown that for adiabatic walls, the linear Crocco relation between total temperature and velocity does not provide a valid test of the nature of the boundary-layer flow for practical cases where the Prandtl number departs from unity. Finally, the turbulent shear stress, mixing length, and eddy viscosity were extracted from the 'time-averaged' conservation equations using the measured mean flow profiles and found to be insensitive to wall temperature. In particular, the latter properties are in good agreement with earlier compressible, adiabatic correlations of turbulent transport properties.

Laderman, A. J.↗

Effect of Coolant Temperature and Mass Flow on Film Cooling of Turbine Blades

A three-dimensional Navier Stokes code has been used to study the effect of coolant temperature, and coolant to mainstream mass flow ratio on the adiabatic effectiveness of a film-cooled turbine blade. The blade chosen is the VKI rotor with six rows of cooling holes including three rows on the shower head. The mainstream is akin to that under real engine conditions with stagnation temperature = 1900 K and stagnation pressure = 3 MPa. Generally, the adiabatic effectiveness is lower for a higher coolant temperature due to nonlinear effects via the compressibility of air. However, over the suction side of shower-head holes, the effectiveness is higher for a higher coolant temperature than that for a lower coolant temperature when the coolant to mainstream mass flow ratio is 5% or more. For a fixed coolant temperature, the effectiveness passes through a minima on the suction side of shower-head holes as the coolant to mainstream mass flow, ratio increases, while on the pressure side of shower-head holes, the effectiveness decreases with increase in coolant mass flow due to coolant jet lift-off. In all cases, the adiabatic effectiveness is highly three-dimensional.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Sliding seal materials for adiabatic engines

The sliding friction coefficients and wear rates of promising carbide, oxide, and nitride materials were measured under temperature, environmental, velocity, loading conditions that are representative of the adiabatic engine environment. In order to provide guidance needed to improve materials for this application, the program stressed fundamental understanding of the mechanisms involved in friction and wear. Microhardness tests were performed on the candidate materials at elevated temperatures, and in atmospheres relevant to the piston seal application, and optical and electron microscopy were used to elucidate the micromechanisms of wear following wear testing. X-ray spectroscopy was used to evaluate interface/environment interactions which seemed to be important in the friction and wear process. Electrical effects in the friction and wear processes were explored in order to evaluate the potential usefulness of such effects in modifying the friction and wear rates in service. However, this factor was found to be of negligible significance in controlling friction and wear.

Lankford, J.↗

Recovery Temperature, Transition, and Heat Transfer Measurements at Mach 5

Schlieren, recovery temperature, and heat-transfer measurements were made on a hollow cylinder and a cone with axes alined parallel to the stream. Both the cone and cylinder were equipped with various bluntnesses, and the tests covered a Reynolds number range up to 20 x 10(exp 6) at a free-stream Mach number of 4.95 and wall to free-stream temperature ratios from 1.8 to 5.2 (adiabatic). A substantial transition delay due to bluntness was found for both the cylinder and the cone. For the present tests (Mach 4.95), transition was delayed by a factor of 3 on the cylinder and about 2 on the cone, these delays being somewhat larger than those observed in earlier tests at Mach 3.1. Heat-transfer tests on the cylinder showed only slight effects of wall temperature level on transition location; this is to be contrasted to the large transition delays observed on conical-type bodies at low surface temperatures at Mach 3.1. The schlieren and the peak-recovery-temperature methods of detecting transition were compared with the heat-transfer results. The comparison showed that the first two methods identified a transition point which occurred just beyond the end of the laminar run as seen in the heat-transfer data.

Brinich, Paul F.↗

Mixing the Solar Wind Proton and Electron Scales: Effects of Electron Temperature Anisotropy on the Oblique Proton Firehose Instability

The double adiabatic expansion of the nearly collisionless solar wind plasma creates conditions for the firehose instability to develop and efficiently prevent the further increase of the plasma temperature in the direction parallel to the interplanetary magnetic field. The conditions imposed by the firehose instability have been extensively studied using idealized approaches that ignore the mutual effects of electrons and protons. Recently, more realistic approaches have been proposed that take into account the interplay between electrons and protons, unveiling new regimes of the parallel oscillatory modes. However, for oblique wave propagation the instability develops distinct branches that grow much faster and may therefore be more efficient than the parallel firehose instability in constraining the temperature anisotropy of the plasma particles. This paper reports for the first time on the effects of electron plasma properties on the oblique proton firehose (PFH) instability and provides a comprehensive vision of the entire unstable wave-vector spectrum, unifying the proton and the smaller electron scales. The plasma β and temperature anisotropy regimes considered here are specific for the solar wind and magnetospheric conditions, and enable the electrons and protons to interact via the excited electromagnetic fluctuations. For the selected parameters, simultaneous electron and PFH instabilities can be observed with a dispersion spectrum of the electron firehose (EFH) extending toward the proton scales. Growth rates of the PFH instability are markedly boosted by the anisotropic electrons, especially in the oblique direction where the EFH growth rates are orders of magnitude higher.

plasmas↗

Integrated Modeling Study of the Effects of the Magnetospheric Forcing on the Jovian Ionosphere-Thermosphere System

The Jupiter Thermosphere General Circulation Model (JTGCM) calculates the global dynamical structure of Jupiter s thermosphere self-consistently with its global thermal structure and composition. The main heat source that drives the thermospheric flow is high-latitude Joule heating. A secondary source of heating is the auroral process of particle precipitation. Global simulations of Jovian thermospheric dynamics indicate strong neutral outflows from the auroral ovals with velocities up to approx.2 km/s and subsequent convergence and downwelling at the Jovian equator. Such circulation is shown to be an important process for transporting significant amounts of auroral energy t o equatorial latitudes and for regulating the global heat budget in a manner consistent with the high thermospheric temperatures observed by the Galileo probe. Adiabatic compression of the neutral atmosphere resulting from downward motion is an important source of equatorial heating (< 0.06 microbar). The adiabatic heating continues to dominate between 0.06 and 0.2 microbar, but with an addition of comparable heating due to horizontal advection induced by the meridional flow. Thermal conduction plays an important role in transporting heat down to lower altitudes (>0.2microbar) where it is balanced by the cooling associated with the wind transport processes. Interestingly, we find that radiative cooling caused by H3(+), CH4, and C2H2 emissions does not play a significant role in interpreting the Galileo temperature profile.

Bogan, Denis↗

Processes of Equatorial Thermal Structure: An Analysis of Galileo Temperature Profile with 3-D Model

The Jupiter Thermosphere General Circulation Model (JTGCM) calculates the global dynamical structure of Jupiter's thermosphere self-consistently with its global thermal structure and composition. The main heat source that drives the thermospheric flow is high-latitude Joule heating. A secondary source of heating is the auroral process of particle precipitation. Global simulations of Jovian thermospheric dynamics indicate strong neutral outflows from the auroral ovals with velocities up to approximately 2 kilometers per second and subsequent convergence and downwelling at the Jovian equator. Such circulation is shown to be an important process for transporting significant amounts of auroral energy to equatorial latitudes and for regulating the global heat budget in a manner consistent with the high thermospheric temperatures observed by the Galileo probe. Adiabatic compression of the neutral atmosphere resulting from downward motion is an important source of equatorial heating (less than 0.06 microbar). The adiabatic heating continues to dominate between 0.06 and 0.2 microbar, but with an addition of comparable heating due to horizontal advection induced by the meridional flow. Thermal conduction plays an important role in transporting heat down to lower altitudes (greater than 0.2microbar) where it is balanced by the cooling associated with the wind transport processes. Interestingly, we find that radiative cooling caused by H3(+), CH4, and C2H2 emissions does not play a significant role in interpreting the Galileo temperature profile.

Majeed, T.↗

A lunar core and the moon's magnetic field

The suggestion that the moon's magnetic field is due to adiabatic magnetohydrodynamic convection of a molten core has been made by a number of recent authors. Considerations based on petrology, mass and rotational inertia limit the size of this hypothetical core to a few hundred kilometers at the most. A proposal has been made that this core is either molten iron or iron sulfide. The properties are known of both molten iron and iron-sulfide at lunar core pressures. No way can be found to maintain circulation in a hypothetical lunar core, as circulation is contingent upon a temperature gradient being greater than the adiabatic gradient, or an internal heat source.

Kennedy, G. C.↗

Ion temperature troughs and interhemispheric transport observed in the equatorial ionosphere

Ion temperature and ion drift velocity data from Atmosphere Explorer D have verified the existence of interhemispheric plasma transport and ion temperature troughs in the topside equatorial ionosphere. The data were taken during solar minimum conditions at night where the exospheric temperature was typically 700 K and the O(+)-H(+) transition height was 520 km. Large field-aligned ion velocities were observed above about 700 km, where the H(+)/O(+) number density ratio was about 3. Model calculations have shown that the ion temperature decrease is produced by quasi-adiabatic expansion of the plasma, but the expansion cooling mechanism is less efficient at solar minimum than at solar maximum owing to the lower O(+)-H(+) transition height. Ion temperature troughs greater than 400 K were not observed even when the field-aligned ion velocity was greater than 700 m/s. Most of the expansion occurs below the transition height, and during sunspot minimum, thermal coupling to the neutral atmosphere is much more effective in quenching the cooling which the field-aligned transport tends to produce.

Heelis, R. A.↗