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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

STS-1 Forward RCS Oxidizer Tank Subsystem Structural Failure Assessment

The launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-1 marked the beginning of a new era in American spaceflight. It was the only crewed first flight of a launch vehicle to date, and was also the first crewed system to use large solid rockets as primary propulsion. A potential disaster was narrowly averted at liftoff when an ignition overpressure pulse swept up the Shuttle stack. The frequency of this transient shock wave exceeded pre-launch predictions, and resulted in high, alternating normal accelerations along the length of the vehicle. Among the results of this unexpected loading was failure of an oxidizer tank support strut in the orbiter’s forward reaction control system module, which could have led to loss of the mission, crew, and vehicle. This particular incident is investigated in more detail using classical structural mechanics and finite element analyses, and the results are discussed to provide additional insight.

space shuttle↗
DOE OSTI2014

On classical and quantum dynamics of tachyon-like fields and their cosmological implications

We consider a class of tachyon-like potentials, motivated by string theory, D-brane dynamics and inflation theory in the context of classical and quantum mechanics. A formalism for describing dynamics of tachyon fields in spatially homogenous and one-dimensional - classical and quantum mechanical limit is proposed. A few models with concrete potentials are considered. Additionally, possibilities for p-adic and adelic generalization of these models are discussed. Classical actions and corresponding quantum propagators, in the Feynman path integral approach, are calculated in a form invariant on a change of the background number fields, i.e. on both archimedean and nonarchimedean spaces. Looking for a quantum origin of inflation, relevance of p-adic and adelic generalizations are briefly discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

On the consistency between nearest-neighbor peridynamic discretizations and discretized classical elasticity models

The peridynamic theory of solid mechanics is a nonlocal reformulation of the classical continuum mechanics theory. At the continuum level, it has been demonstrated that classical (local) elasticity is a special case of peridynamics. Such a connection between these theories has not been extensively explored at the discrete level. This paper investigates the consistency between nearest-neighbor discretizations of linear elastic peridynamic models and finite difference discretizations of the Navier–Cauchy equation of classical elasticity. While nearest-neighbor discretizations in peridynamics have been numerically observed to present grid-dependent crack paths or spurious microcracks, this paper focuses on a different, analytical aspect of such discretizations. We demonstrate that, even in the absence of cracks, such discretizations may be problematic unless a proper selection of weights is used. Specifically, we demonstrate that using the standard meshfree approach in peridynamics, nearest-neighbor discretizations do not reduce, in general, to discretizations of corresponding classical models. We study nodal-based quadratures for the discretization of peridynamic models, and we derive quadrature weights that result in consistency between nearest-neighbor discretizations of peridynamic models and discretized classical models. The quadrature weights that lead to such consistency are, however, model-/discretization-dependent. We motivate the choice of those quadrature weights through a quadratic approximation of displacement fields. The stability of nearest-neighbor peridynamic schemes is demonstrated through a Fourier mode analysis. Finally, an approach based on a normalization of peridynamic constitutive constants at the discrete level is explored. This approach results in the desired consistency for one-dimensional models, but does not work in higher dimensions. The results of the work presented in this paper suggest that even though nearest-neighbor discretizations should be avoided in peridynamic simulations involving cracks, such discretizations are viable, for example for verification or validation purposes, in problems characterized by smooth deformations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that better quadrature rules in peridynamics can be obtained based on the functional form of solutions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Decoherence, the Density Matrix, the Thermal State and the Classical World

Decoherence has been the basis for understanding the emergence of the classical world from its quantum underpinnings. Unfortunately the calculations establishing decoherence overshoot and, based on assumptions that break down, predict that with the passage of time the off-diagonal elements of the density matrix become arbitrarily small. It has been recognized by some authors that the thermal state, assumed to hold for systems in equilibrium, places a bound on off diagonal terms. In this article we establish—preserving the conservation of energy, as is not the case for previous work—that indeed the thermal state is an attractor under scattering. Moreover, the bound on the off-diagonal terms present in the thermal state does not contradict everyday experience.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the dynamics of a particle on a hyperboloid

A free particle moving on a one-sheeted hyperboloid is discussed both at the classical and quantum levels. -- Highlights: •We study the classical and quantum free particle on a one-sheeted hyperboloid. •We solve the solutions of classical equations of motion. •We identify the Hilbert space and observables for a particle on a hyperboloid. •We find the stationary solution of the Schrödinger equation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the nonlocal properties of relativistic ponderomotive force

A theory of relativistic ponderomotive force of transversely localized laser fields is presented by taking into account the nonlocal effects that correspond to higher order terms of the expansion parameter ε≡l/L, i.e., the ratio between particle excursion length and scale length of the field amplitude gradient, while the existing local theory is the first order of ε. As a method for preserving the Hamiltonian structure up to higher orders, we employ the variational principle in noncanonical phase space coordinates incorporated with the Lie transformation. By finding noncanonical coordinates and gauges, we obtain a new formula for the ponderomotive force that involves new terms in the third order represented by the second and third spatial derivatives. The force then depends not only on the local field gradient but also on the curvature and its variation which represent the effects of higher-order nonlocal particle motion. The higher-order terms are found to be subject to the symmetry of the field structure. The obtained formula is accessible to the regime in which the higher derivatives of the field amplitude regulate the interaction. We have applied the formula to laser fields exhibiting flat-top super Gaussian and concave hollow transverse structures which are effective in maintaining the long time scale interaction. The associated nonlocal effects are found to play a key role in determining the interactions. Comparison with the direct integration of the particle orbit demonstrates the validity of the derived formula.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Probing quantum and classical turbulence analogy in von Kármán liquid helium, nitrogen, and water experiments

We report measurements of the dissipation in the Superfluid helium high REynold number von Kármán flow experiment for different forcing conditions. Statistically steady flows are reached; they display a hysteretic behavior similar to what has been observed in a 1:4 scale water experiment. Our macroscopical measurements indicate no noticeable difference between classical and superfluid flows, thereby providing evidence of the same dissipation scaling laws in the two phases. A detailed study of the evolution of the hysteresis cycle with the Reynolds number supports the idea that the stability of the steady states of classical turbulence in this closed flow is partly governed by the dissipative scales. It also supports the idea that the normal and the superfluid components at these temperatures (1.6 K) are locked down to the dissipative length scale.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evanescent radiation, quantum mechanics and the Casimir effect

An attempt to bridge the gap between classical and quantum mechanics and to explain the Casimir effect is presented. The general nature of chaotic motion is discussed from two points of view: the first uses catastrophe theory and strange attractors to describe the deterministic view of this motion; the underlying framework for chaos in these classical dynamic systems is their extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. The second interpretation refers to randomness associated with probabilistic dynamics, as for Brownian motion. The present approach to understanding evanescent radiation and its relation to the Casimir effect corresponds to the first interpretation, whereas stochastic electrodynamics corresponds to the second viewpoint. The nonlinear behavior of the electromagnetic field is also studied. This well-understood behavior is utilized to examine the motions of two orbiting charges and shows a closeness between the classical behavior and the quantum uncertainty principle. The evanescent radiation is used to help explain the Casimir effect.

Schatten, Kenneth H.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Structure and Binding Mechanism of Vascular Endothelial Cadherin: A Divergent Classical Cadherin

Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), a divergent member of the type II classical cadherin family of cell adhesion proteins, mediates homophilic adhesion in the vascular endothelium. Previous investigations with a bacterially produced protein suggested that VE-cadherin forms cell surface trimers that bind between apposed cells to form hexamers. Here we report studies of mammalian-produced VE-cadherin ectodomains suggesting that, like other classical cadherins, VE-cadherin forms adhesive trans dimers between monomers located on opposing cell surfaces. Trimerization of the bacterially produced protein appears to be an artifact that arises from a lack of glycosylation. We also present the 2.1-{angstrom}-resolution crystal structure of the VE-cadherin EC1-2 adhesive region, which reveals homodimerization via the strand-swap mechanism common to classical cadherins. In common with type II cadherins, strand-swap binding involves two tryptophan anchor residues, but the adhesive interface resembles type I cadherins in that VE-cadherin does not form a large nonswapped hydrophobic surface. Thus, VE-cadherin is an outlier among classical cadherins, with characteristics of both type I and type II subfamilies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Modeling optical coupling of plasmons and inhomogeneously broadened emitters

Optically coupling quantum emitters to nanoparticles provides the foundation for many plasmonic applications. Including quantum mechanical effects within the calculations can be crucial for designing new devices, but classical approximations are sometimes sufficient. Comprehending how the classical and quantum mechanical descriptions of quantum emitters alter their calculated optical response will lead to a better understanding of how to design devices. In this work, we describe how the semiclassical Maxwell-Liouville method can be used to calculate the optical response from inhomogeneously broadened states. After describing the Maxwell-Liouville algorithm, we use the method to study the photon echoes from quantum dots and compare the results against analytical models. We then modify the quantum dot’s state distribution to match a PbS 850 nm quantum dot’s absorption spectra to see how the complete quasi-band structure affects their coupling to gold nanoislands. Finally, we compare the results with previously published work to demonstrate where the complete quantum dot description is necessary.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Applications of cavity optomechanics

“Cavity-optomechanics” aims to study the quantum properties of mechanical systems. A common strategy implemented in order to achieve this goal couples a high finesse photonic cavity to a high quality factor mechanical resonator. Then, using feedback forces such as radiation pressure, one can cool the mechanical mode of interest into the quantum ground state and create non-classical states of mechanical motion. On the path towards achieving these goals, many near-term applications of this field have emerged. After briefly introducing optomechanical systems and describing the current state-of-the-art experimental results, this article summarizes some of the more exciting practical applications such as ultra-sensitive, high bandwidth accelerometers and force sensors, low phase noise x-band integrated microwave oscillators and optical signal processing such as optical delay-lines, wavelength converters, and tunable optical filters. In this rapidly evolving field, new applications are emerging at a fast pace, but this article concentrates on the aforementioned lab-based applications as these are the most promising avenues for near-term real-world applications. New basic science applications are also becoming apparent such as the generation of squeezed light, testing gravitational theories and for providing a link between disparate quantum systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Anharmonic densities of states: A general dynamics-based solution

Density of states is a fundamental physical characteristic that lies at the foundation of statistical mechanics and theoretical constructs that derive from them (e.g., kinetic rate theories, phase diagrams, and others). Even though most real physical systems are anharmonic, the vibrational density of states is customarily treated within the harmonic approximation, or with some partial, often limited, account for anharmonicity. The reason for this is that the problem of anharmonic densities of states stubbornly resisted a general and exact, yet convenient and straightforward in applications, solution. Here we formulate such a solution within both classical and quantum mechanics. It is based on actual dynamical behavior of systems as a function of energy and as observed, or monitored, on a chosen time scale, short or long. As a consequence, the resulting anharmonic densities of states are fully dynamically informed and, in general, time-dependent. As such, they lay the ground for formulation of new statistical mechanical frameworks that incorporate time and are ergodic, by construction, with respect to actual dynamical behavior of systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electric fields and potentials in condensed phases

The electric fields and potentials inside and at the interface of matter are relevant to many branches of physics, chemistry, and biology. Accurate quantification of these fields and/or potentials is essential to control and exploit chemical and physical transformations. Before we understand the response of matter to external fields, it is first important to understand the intrinsic interior and interfacial fields and potentials, both classically and quantum mechanically, as well as how they are probed experimentally. Here we compare and contrast, beginning with the hydrogen atom in vacuum and ending with concentrated aqueous NaCl electrolyte, both classical and quantum mechanical electric potentials and fields. Here, we make contact with experimental vibrational Stark, electrochemical, X-ray, and electron spectroscopic probes of these potentials and fields, outline relevant conceptual difficulties, and underscore the advantage of electron holography as a basis to better understand electrostatics in matter.

Kathmann, Shawn M.↗