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NASA NTRS2022

NASA's NMME-Based S2S Hydrologic Forecast System for Food Insecurity Early Warning in Southern Africa

In situ hydrologic monitoring over regions most susceptible to food insecurity can be a challenge in current times due to various socio-economic and political issues in combination with environmental factors such as ongoing famine or drought. Hydrologic monitoring and initializing forecasts based on remotely sensed and analyzed data can contribute significantly to early warning in such regions. Routine hydrologic forecasts, as provided by NASA’s Hydrologic Forecasting and Analysis System (NHyFAS), are a recent addition to early warning systems. A custom instance of NHyFAS, termed FLDAS-Forecast, is used by FEWS NET’s Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS). The FLDAS-Forecast’s dynamic forecasting component was originally set up with Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) forecast inputs and has been recently expanded with precipitation forecast forcing from the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME). This paper describes the improvements in seasonal hydrologic forecasts produced with this updated system. Evaluations in this study focus on soil moisture across southern Africa’s growing season. Soil moisture forecasts are benchmarked and evaluated relative to climatology-based forecasts and historic runs, which are driven by observation-based meteorological forcing fields, and they are verified with remotely sensed observations of soil moisture and vegetation. Through multiple deterministic and probabilistic skill assessments, we show that using the larger ensemble of NMME precipitation inputs in the forecast system results in higher quality hydrologic forecasts than are allowed by climatology- or GEOS-only-based forecasts. Further, the near-real-time NMME-based rootzone soil moisture forecasts were able to correctly predict developing drought conditions over southern Africa through late 2019 and into early 2020.

Hydrologic forecasts↗
NASA NTRS2022

Remote Sensing of Coronal Forces During a Solar Prominence Eruption

We present a new methodology—the Keplerian Optical Dynamics Analysis (KODA)—for quantifying the dynamics of erupting magnetic structures in the solar corona. The technique involves adaptive spatiotemporal tracking of propagating intensity gradients and their characterization in terms of time-evolving Keplerian areas swept out by the position vectors of moving plasma blobs. Whereas gravity induces purely ballistic motions consistent with Kepler's second law, noncentral forces such as the Lorentz force introduce nonzero torques resulting in more complex motions. KODA algorithms enable direct evaluation of the line-of-sight component of the net torque density from the image-plane projection of the areal acceleration. The method is applied to the prominence eruption of 2011 June 7, observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. Results obtained include quantitative estimates of the magnetic forces, field intensities, and blob masses and energies across a vast region impacted by the postreconnection redistribution of the prominence material. The magnetic pressure and energy are strongly dominant during the early, rising phase of the eruption, while the dynamic pressure and kinetic energy become significant contributors during the subsequent falling phases. Measured intensive properties of the prominence blobs are consistent with those of typical active-region prominences; measured extensive properties are compared with those of the whole pre-eruption prominence and the post-eruption coronal mass ejection of 2011 June 7, all derived by other investigators and techniques. We show that KODA provides valuable information on spatially and temporally dependent characteristics of coronal eruptions that is not readily available via alternative means, thereby shedding new light on the environment and evolution of these solar events.

V M Uritskiy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Predicting Char Yield of High-Temperature Resins

A simulation technique has been developed for predicting the char yield of organic resins during high-temperature processing. In silico methods can aid in the screening of new advanced materials for a number of important properties, but no chemistry-sensitive protocol currently exists for predicting the important experimental value of char yield. The proposed method utilizes a reactive force field (ReaxFF) to model the chemical transformation of precursor monomers into carbonized structures during three processing stages: ramp-up to pyrolysis temperatures (~3000 K), pyrolysis, and quenching. Achieving good agreement with experimental char yields requires continuous removal of small by-product molecules to mimic outgassing, and the application of high pressure to encourage the formation of a dense, glassy network. Six different resin chemistries were investigated: an ethynyl, a phenylethynyl, a cyanate ester, a phthalonitrile, acrylonitrile, and adamantane. These candidates represent a diverse group of precursors with respect to initial cyclic content, presence of heteroatoms, and types of reactive groups. The protocol developed accurately predicts the relative char yield between the investigated chemistries and provides quantitative agreement with experimental values, especially for high char yield resins. Several simulated properties of the carbonized structures are compared with experimental results, including outgassing products, morphology of the final chemical configurations, cyclic content, and mechanical properties.

polymer simulations, molecular dynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Predicting Char Yield of High-Temperature Resins

A simulation protocol is developed to predict the char yield of organic resins during high-temperature processing. Simulation protocol in silico methods can help screen promising new formulations for advanced materials, but previously no chemistry-sensitive technique existed to predict the important experimental value of char yield. The method utilizes a reactive force field (ReaxFF) to model the chemical transformation of precursor monomers into carbonized structures during three processing stages: ramp-up to processing temperatures (~3000 K), pyrolysis, and quenching. Achieving good agreement with experimental char yields requires continuous removal of small byproduct molecules to mimic outgassing, and the application of high pressure to eliminate porosity and encourage graphitization. More than ten different resin chemistries are investigated, including arylacetylenes, cyanate esters, phthalonitriles, and polyimides, representing a diverse group of precursors with respect to initial cyclic content, heteroatoms and reactive groups. The protocol correctly predicts the relative char yield between the investigated chemistries and provides quantitative agreement with experimental values, especially for high char yield resins. The properties of the resins during processing are compared, including outgassing products, morphology of the final chemical configurations, cyclic content and mechanical properties.

polymer simulations, molecular dynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Aromaticity on Soot Formation: A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study

This study investigates the formation of soot from n-dodecane and its blend with m-xylene under pyrolytic and low-oxygen conditions with reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. ReaxFF force field is used to simulate the interactions of fuel and oxygen molecules at engine-relevant conditions (2500-3500 K and 70-75 bar). Fuel molecules with carbon atom density of 0.03 g/cm 3 are dispersed into a cube and constant temperature simulations are carried out with a Nosé-Hoover thermostat. Pyrolysis of n-dodecane and the chemical pathway towards the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons are investigated. The initial pyrolysis rate of n-dodecane is observed to be slightly higher with the addition of aromatic compounds and oxygen. While the first aromatics formed from the decomposed n-dodecane are phenyl radicals at 2500 K, decomposition of the aliphatic fuel compound is observed to be necessary to build a carbon cluster, and eventually soot. Morphological properties of the created soot particles are also analyzed. The maturity, size and aromatics content of the soot particle are slightly affected with the addition of m-xylene and oxygen at 3500 K within the 3 ns simulation time possibly due the formation of larger and more condensed aromatic rings, resulting in larger soot molecules. The outcomes of this study provide important insights into the formation mechanism of soot and its morphological characteristics depending on varying fuel concentrations at pyrolysis and low oxygen engine conditions. Results of this analysis will further contribute to the understanding of contrail formation on generated soot particles originated from the combustion of different chemical components with particle chemistry matching companion experiments.

soot formation↗
NASA NTRS1991

Force-free magnetic fields - Generating functions and footpoint displacements

This paper presents analytic and numerical calculations that explore equilibrium sequences of bipolar force-free magnetic fields in relation to displacments of their magnetic footpoints. It is shown that the appearance of magnetic islands - sometimes interpreted as marking the loss of equilibrium in models of the solar atmosphere - is likely associated only with physically unrealistic footpoint displacements such as infinite separation or 'tearing' of the model photosphere. The work suggests that the loss of equilibrium in bipolar configurations, sometimes proposed as a mechanism for eruptive solar events, probably requires either fully three-dimensional field configurations or nonzero plasma pressure. The results apply only to fields that are strictly bipolar, and do not rule out equilibrium loss in more complex structures such as quadrupolar fields.

Wolfson, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1981

Solutions of the Helmholtz equation with boundary conditions for force-free magnetic fields

It is shown that the solution, with one ignorable coordinate, for the Taylor minimum energy state (resulting in a force-free magnetic field) in either a straight cylindrical or a toroidal geometry with arbitrary cross section can be reduced to the solution of either an inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation or a Grad-Shafranov equation with simple boundary conditions. Standard Green's function theory is, therefore, applicable. Detailed solutions are presented for the Taylor state in toroidal and cylindrical domains having a rectangular cross section. The focus is on solutions corresponding to the continuous eigenvalue spectra. Singular behavior at 90 deg corners is explored in detail.

Rasband, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Force-free magnetic fields - Is there a 'loss of equilibrium'?

This paper examines concept in solar physics that is known as loss of equilibrium in which a sequence of force-free magnetic fields, said to represent a possible quasi-static evolution of solar magnetic fields, reaches a critical configuration beyond which no acceptable solution of the prescribed form exists. This concept is used to explain eruptive phenomena ranging from solar flares to coronal mass ejections. Certain sequences of force-free configurations are discussed that exhibit a loss of equilibrium, and it is argued that the concept is devoid of physical significance since each sequence is defined a way that does not represent an acceptable thought experiment. For example, the sequence may be defined in terms of a global constraint on the boundary conditions, or the evolution of the sequence may require the creation of mgnetic flux that is not connected to the photosphere and is not present in the original configuration. The global constraints typically occur in using the so-called generating function method. An acceptance thought experiment is proposed to specify the field configuration in terms of photospheric boundary conditions comprising the normal component of the field and the field-line connectivity. Consider a magnetic-field sequence that, when described in terms of a generating function, exhibits a loss of equilibrium and show that, when one instead defines the sequence in terms of the corresponding boundary conditions, the sequence is well behaved.

Klimchuk, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Analysis of Skylab/Apollo Telescope Mount S-056 observations based on a force-free magnetic field model

Data obtained from the S-056 X-ray experiment on Skylab/ATM have been analyzed based on the assumption that the magnetic fields in the chromosphere and lower corona are force-free. Underlying the analysis is the hypothesis that the observed X-ray filaments coincide with magnetic field lines. The photographic recording of the filaments can then be compared with the projection along the line of sight of the computed magnetic field lines of the model. Ground-based observations of the longitudinal magnetic field component complement the X-ray data and are used in the theoretical interpretation.

Meyer, R. X.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Force on a heated sphere in a horizontal plane acoustic standing wave field

The force on a heated sphere in a horizontal plane acoustic standing wave field is the subject of this investigation. The heated sphere produces a thermal gradient in the resonance chamber. The force on the sphere in a direction perpendicular to that of gravity is measured. This force is enhanced in the region near the pressure node, and is weakened in the region near the pressure antinode. Measurements of the force on a heated sphere with sound pressure levels between 148 and 156 dB are presented.

Leung, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Concerning the extrapolation of solar nonlinear force-free magnetic fields

This paper contains a review and discussion of the mathematical basis of the extrapolation techniques involved in using photospheric vector magnetograms to obtain the coronal field above the surface. The two basic techniques employing the Cauchy initial value problem and the variational techniques are reviewed in terms of the mathematical and practical applications. A short review is presented of the current research on numerical modeling techniques in the area of extrapolating vector magnetograms; specifically, algorithms to extrapolate nonlinear force-free magnetic fields from the photosphere are considered.

Gary, G. Allen↗
NASA NTRS1986

Equilibrium of magnetic fields with arbitrary interweaving of the lines of force. II - Discontinuities in the field

The surfaces of discontinuity (SDs) identified by Parker (1986) in the torsion of a force-free magnetic field in an infinitely conducting fluid contained betweeen two fixed boundary planes are characterized analytically. It is shown that field discontinuities (current sheets) occur whenever an SD terminates within the fluid or intersects with another SD, that intersections occur in most cases, and that the resulting current sheets are responsible for most field dissipation in highly conducting fluids. The astrophysical implications of these findings and a number of unresolved problems are discussed.

Parker, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Current sheet formation in a sheared force-free-magnetic field

This paper presents the results of a study showing how continuous shearing motion of magnetic footpoints in a tenuous, infinitely conducting plasma can lead to the development of current sheets, despite the absence of such sheets or even of neutral points in the initial state. The calculations discussed here verify the earlier suggestion by Low and Wolfson (1988) that extended current sheets should form due to the shearing of a force-free quadrupolar magnetic field. More generally, this work augments earlier studies suggesting that the appearance of discontinuities - current sheets - may be a necessary consequence of the topological invariance imposed on the magnetic field geometry of an ideal MHD system by virtue of its infinite conductivity. In the context of solar physics, the work shows how the gradual and continuous motion of magnetic footpoints at the solar photosphere may lead to the buildup of magnetic energy that can then be released explosively when finite conductivity effects become important and lead to the rapid dissipation of current sheets. Such energy release may be important in solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other eruptive events.

Wolfson, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1986

Turbulent relaxation to a force-free field-reversed state

The evolution of nonequilibrium initial conditions of an incompressible magnetohydrodynamic Z pinch is described by a three-dimensional, pseudospectral numerical code. Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence develops in the resistive, nonviscous magnetofluid, resulting in the selective decay of the energy relative to the magnetic helicity, at Lundquist numbers of only a few hundred. An interior force-free region grows with time and achieves spontaneous reversal of the toroidal magnetic field at the wall, without the necessity of an external electric field.

Dahlburg, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2014

First Use of Synoptic Vector Magnetograms for Global Nonlinear, Force-Free Coronal Magnetic Field Models

Context. The magnetic field permeating the solar atmosphere is generally thought to provide the energy for much of the activity seen in the solar corona, such as flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), etc. To overcome the unavailability of coronal magnetic field measurements, photospheric magnetic field vector data can be used to reconstruct the coronal field. Currently, there are several modelling techniques being used to calculate three-dimensional field lines into the solar atmosphere. Aims. For the first time, synoptic maps of a photospheric-vector magnetic field synthesized from the vector spectromagnetograph (VSM) on Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) are used to model the coronal magnetic field and estimate free magnetic energy in the global scale. The free energy (i.e., the energy in excess of the potential field energy) is one of the main indicators used in space weather forecasts to predict the eruptivity of active regions. Methods. We solve the nonlinear force-free field equations using an optimization principle in spherical geometry. The resulting threedimensional magnetic fields are used to estimate the magnetic free energy content E(sub free) = E(sub nlfff) − E(sub pot), which is the difference of the magnetic energies between the nonpotential field and the potential field in the global solar corona. For comparison, we overlay the extrapolated magnetic field lines with the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations by the atmospheric imaging assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Results. For a single Carrington rotation 2121, we find that the global nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) magnetic energy density is 10.3% higher than the potential one. Most of this free energy is located in active regions.

Sun: corona↗
NASA NTRS1987

The dynamical oscillation and propulsion of magnetic fields in the convective zone of a star. I - General considerations

Observations of the sun show that the magnetic flux of the large activity complexes emerges in localized sites in brief bursts at intervals of many days or a few weeks. The quantity of flux arriving at the surface suggests that the mean aximuthal field of the sun in the lower convective zone is not less than 3000 G and may perhaps be considerably more. Such a field inhibits the convective transport of heat. Hence there is a cool shadow on the upper side of the field, and that cool shadow presses downward so hard as to suppress the magnetic buoyancy, forcing the field to remain in the lower convective zone. The accumulation of heat below the field forces intruding fingers of gas up through the field, forming thermal plumes extending up to the visible surface. It is suggested that the process is intermittent, providing a thermal relaxation oscillation with a period of the order of one week. The activity complexes observed at the surface are the consequence of these eruptions of fluid and entrained field from the lower convective zone.

Parker, E. N.↗