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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 NTRS2000

Validation of a High-Order Prefactored Compact Scheme on Nonlinear Flows with Complex Geometries

Three benchmark problems are solved using a sixth-order prefactored compact scheme employing an explicit 10th-order filter with optimized fourth-order Runge-Kutta time stepping. The problems solved are the following: (1) propagation of sound waves through a transonic nozzle; (2) shock-sound interaction; and (3) single airfoil gust response. In the first two problems, the spatial accuracy of the scheme is tested on a stretched grid, and the effectiveness of boundary conditions is shown. The solution stability and accuracy near a shock discontinuity is shown as well. Also, 1-D nonlinear characteristic boundary conditions will be evaluated. In the third problem, a nonlinear Euler solver will be used that solves the equations in generalized curvilinear coordinates using the chain rule transformation. This work, continuing earlier work on flat-plate cascades and Joukowski airfoils, will focus mainly on the effect of the grid and boundary conditions on the accuracy of the solution. The grids were generated using a commercially available grid generator, GridPro/az3000.

Hixon, Ray↗
NASA NTRS1995

Nonlinear Waves in Magnetized Accretion Disks

Time-dependent accretion for a magnetized disk can exhibit short timescale outbursts of high-power jets associated with bursts of disk radiation. The burst of energy in jets can produce outward propagating disturbances in preexisting (+/- z) jet flows. the disturbances are strong and can be expected to steepen and form strong shock waves. The strong linear polarization (up to approximately 30%) and large polarization position angle changes (90 deg and more) seen in the optical outbursts of some quasars clearly indicate synchrotron radiation, and this component of the radiation is probably associated with the burst in jet energy in the present model.

Lovelace, R. V. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Acoustic gravity waves: A computational approach

This paper discusses numerical solutions of a hyperbolic initial boundary value problem that arises from acoustic wave propagation in the atmosphere. Field equations are derived from the atmospheric fluid flow governed by the Euler equations. The resulting original problem is nonlinear. A first order linearized version of the problem is used for computational purposes. The main difficulty in the problem as with any open boundary problem is in obtaining stable boundary conditions. Approximate boundary conditions are derived and shown to be stable. Numerical results are presented to verify the effectiveness of these boundary conditions.

Hariharan, S. I.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Acoustic gravity waves - A computational approach

This paper discusses numerical solutions of a hyperbolic initial boundary value problem that arises from acoustic wave propagation in the atmosphere. Field equations are derived from the atmospheric fluid flow governed by the Euler equations. The resulting original problem is nonlinear. A first order linearized version of the problem is used for computational purposes. The main difficulty in the problem as with any open boundary problem is in obtaining stable boundary conditions. Approximate boundary conditions are derived and shown to be stable. Numerical results are presented to verify the effectiveness of these boundary conditions.

Hariharan, S. I.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Solitonlike solutions in loop current eddies

The application of the nonlinear quasi-geostrophic equations to an isolated eddy in the western continental slope region in the Gulf of Mexico is examined for a two-layer ocean model with bottom topography. In the linear limit, solutions are topographic nondispersive waves. Form-preserving solutions, or solitons, have been found. The solution is shown to be a limiting form for a nonlinear dispersive system propagating northward along the topographic waveguide in the western continental slope region in the Gulf of Mexico. Using satellite-tracked drifter data, a linear relationship is found between the amplitude of the deduced stream function of the eddy and its observed translational velocity over the continental slope, which supports the hypothesis that some mesoscale eddies interacting with the continental slope behave as solitons.

Nakamoto, Shoichiro↗
NASA NTRS2015

Beamed-Energy Propulsion (BEP): Considerations for Beaming High Energy-Density Electromagnetic Waves Through the Atmosphere

A study to determine the feasibility of employing beamed electromagnetic energy for vehicle propulsion within and outside the Earth's atmosphere was co-funded by NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that began in June 2010 and culminated in a Summary Presentation in April 2011. A detailed report entitled "Beamed-Energy Propulsion (BEP) Study" appeared in February 2012 as NASA/TM-2012-217014. Of the very many nuances of this subject that were addressed in this report, the effects of transferring the required high energy-density electromagnetic fields through the atmosphere were discussed. However, due to the limitations of the length of the report, only a summary of the results of the detailed analyses were able to be included. It is the intent of the present work to make available the complete analytical modeling work that was done for the BEP project with regard to electromagnetic wave propagation issues. In particular, the present technical memorandum contains two documents that were prepared in 2011. The first one, entitled "Effects of Beaming Energy Through the Atmosphere" contains an overview of the analysis of the nonlinear problem inherent with the transfer of large amounts of energy through the atmosphere that gives rise to thermally-induced changes in the refractive index; application is then made to specific beamed propulsion scenarios. A brief portion of this report appeared as Appendix G of the 2012 Technical Memorandum. The second report, entitled "An Analytical Assessment of the Thermal Blooming Effects on the Propagation of Optical and Millimeter- Wave Focused Beam Waves For Power Beaming Applications" was written in October 2010 (not previously published), provides a more detailed treatment of the propagation problem and its effect on the overall characteristics of the beam such as its deflection as well as its radius. Comparisons are then made for power beaming using the disparate electromagnetic wavelengths of 1.06 microns and 2.0 millimeters..

Beamed Energy↗
NASA NTRS1990

Intense ionospheric electric and magnetic field pulses generated by lightning

Electric and magnetic field measurements have been made in the ionosphere over an active thunderstorm and an optical detector onboard the same rocket yielded an excellent time base for the study of waves radiated into space from the discharge. In addition to detection of intense, but generally well understood whistler mode waves, very unusual electric and magnetic field pulses preceded the 1-10 kHz component of the radiated signal. These pulses lasted several ms and had a significant electric field component parallel to the magnetic field. No known propagating wave mode has this polarization nor a signal propagation velocity as high as those measured here. This study investigated and rejected an explanation based on an anomalous skin depth effect. Although only a hypothesis at this time, a more promising explanation involving the generation of the pulse via a nonlinear decay of whistler mode waves in the frequency range 10-80 kHz is being investigated.

Kelley, M. C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Calculating RF current condensation with consistent ray-tracing and island heating

Finally, by exploiting the nonlinear amplification of the power deposition of RF waves, current condensation promises new pathways to the stabilization of magnetic islands. We present a numerical analysis of current condensation, coupling a geometrical optics treatment of wave propagation and damping to a thermal diffusion equation solver in the island. Taking into account the island geometry and relativistic damping, previous analytical theory can be made more precise and specific scenarios can be realistically predicted. With this more precise description, bifurcations and associated hysteresis effects could be obtained in an ITER-like scenario at realistic parameter values. Moreover, it is shown that dynamically varying the RF wave launching angles can lead to hysteresis and help to avoid the nonlinear shadowing effect.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1991

Simulation of the nonlinear evolution of electron plasma waves

Electrostatic waves driven by an electron beam in an ambient magnetized plasma were studied using a quasi-1D PIC simulation of electron plasma waves (i.e., Langmuir waves). The results disclose the presence of a process for moving wave energy from frequencies and wavenumbers predicted by linear theory to the Langmuir-like frequencies during saturation of the instability. A decay process for producing backward propagating Langmuir-like waves, along with low-frequency waves, is observed. The simulation results, however, indicate that the backscattering process is not the conventional Langmuir wave decay. Electrostatic waves near multiples of the electron plasma frequency are generated by wave-wave coupling during the nonlinear stage of the simulations, confirming the suggestion of Klimas (1983).

Nishikawa, K.-I.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Regional-Scale 3D Ground-Motion Simulations of M w 7 Earthquakes on the Hayward Fault, Northern California Resolving Frequencies 0–10 Hz and Including Site-Response Corrections

Large earthquake ground-motion simulations in 3D Earth models provide constraints on site-specific shaking intensities but have suffered from limited frequency resolution and ignored site response in soft soils. In this work we report new regional-scale 3D simulations for moment magnitude 7.0 scenario earthquakes on the Hayward Fault, northern California with SW4. Simulations resolved significantly broader band frequencies (0–10 Hz) than previous studies and represent the highest resolution simulations for any such earthquake to date. Seismic waves were excited by a kinematic rupture following Graves and Pitarka (2016) and obeyed wave propagation in a 3D Earth model with topography from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assuming a minimum shear wavespeed, VSmin, of 500 m/s. We corrected motions for linear and nonlinear site response for the shear wavespeed, VS, from the USGS 3D model, using a recently developed ground-motion model (GMM) for Fourier amplitude spectra . At soft soil locations subjected to strong shaking, the site-corrected intensities reflect the competing effects of linear amplification by low V S material, reduction of stiffness during nonlinear deformation, and damping of high frequencies. Sites with near-surface V S of 500 m/s or greater require no linear site correction but can experience amplitude reduction due to nonlinear response. Averaged over all sites, we obtained reasonable agreement with empirical ergodic median GMMs currently used for seismic hazard and design ground motions (epsilon less than 1), with marked improvement at soft sedimentary sites. At specific locations, the simulated shaking intensities show systematic differences from the GMMs that reveal path and site effects not captured in these ergodic models. Results suggest how next generation regional-scale earthquake simulations can provide higher spatial and frequency resolution while including effects of soft soils that are commonly ignored in scenario earthquake ground-motion simulations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1995

Contact and pressure balance structures in two-fluid cosmic-ray hydrodynamics

The role of cosmic-ray-modified contact discontinuities and pressure balance structures in two-fluid cosmic-ray hydrodynamics in one Cartesian space dimension are investigated by means of analytic and numerical solution examples, as well as by weakly nonlinear asymptotics. The fundamental wave modes of the two-fluid cosmic-ray hydrodynamic equations in the long-wavelength limit consist of the backward and forward propagating cosmic-ray-modified sound waves, with sound speed dependent on both the cosmic-ray and thermal gas pressures; the contact discontinuity; and a pressure balance mode in which the sum ofthe cosmic ray and thermal gas pressure perturbations is zero. The pressure balance mode, like the contact discontinuity is advected with the background flow. The interaction of the pressure balance mode with the contact discontinuity is investigated by means of the method of multiple scales. The thermal gas and cosmic-ray pressure perturbations satisfy a linear diffusion equation, and entropy perturbations arising from nonisentropic initial conditions for the thermal gas are frozen into the fluid. The contact discontinuity and pressure balance eigenmodes both admit nonzero perturbations in the thermal gas, whereas the cosmic-ray-modified sound waves are isentropic. The total entropy perturbation is shared between the contact discontinuity and pressure balance eigenmodes, and examples are given in which there is a transfer of entropy between the two modes. In particular, N-wave type density disturbances are obtained which arise as a result of the entropy transfer between the two modes. A weakly nonlinear geometric optics perturbation expansion is used to study the long timescale evolution of the short-wavelength entropy wave and the thermal gas sound waves in a slowly varying, large-scale background flow. The weakly nonlinear geometric optics expansion is also used to generalize previous studies of squeezing instability for short-wavelength sound waves in the two fluid model, by including a weakly nonlinear wave steepening term that leads to shock formation, as well as the effect of long time and space dependence of the background flow. Implications of cosmic-ray-modified pressure balance structures and contact discontinuities in models of the interaction of traveling interplanetary shocks and compression and rarefraction waves with the solar wind termination shock are briefly discussed.

Webb, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Cluster Observations of Non-Time Continuous Magnetosonic Waves

Equatorial magnetosonic waves are normally observed as temporally continuous sets of emissions lasting from minutes to hours. Recent observations, however, have shown that this is not always the case. Using Cluster data, this study identifies two distinct forms of these non temporally continuous use missions. The first, referred to as rising tone emissions, are characterized by the systematic onset of wave activity at increasing proton gyroharmonic frequencies. Sets of harmonic emissions (emission elements)are observed to occur periodically in the region +/- 10 off the geomagnetic equator. The sweep rate of these emissions maximizes at the geomagnetic equator. In addition, the ellipticity and propagation direction also change systematically as Cluster crosses the geomagnetic equator. It is shown that the observed frequency sweep rate is unlikely to result from the sideband instability related to nonlinear trapping of suprathermal protons in the wave field. The second form of emissions is characterized by the simultaneous onset of activity across a range of harmonic frequencies. These waves are observed at irregular intervals. Their occurrence correlates with changes in the spacecraft potential, a measurement that is used as a proxy for electron density. Thus, these waves appear to be trapped within regions of localized enhancement of the electron density.

Walker, Simon N.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Generating optical supercontinuum and frequency comb in tenuous plasmas

There are several mechanisms by which the frequency spectrum of a laser broadens when it propagates at near-relativistic intensity in a tenuous plasma. Focusing on one-dimensional effects, we identify two strong optical nonlinearities, namely, four-wave mixing (FWM) and forward Raman scattering (FRS), for creating octave-wide spectra. FWM dominates the interaction when the laser pulse is short and intense, and its combination with phase modulation produces a symmetrically broadened supercontinuum. FRS dominates when the laser pulse is long and relatively weak, and it broadens the laser spectrum mainly toward lower frequencies and produces a frequency comb. The frequency chirping combined with group velocity dispersion compresses the laser pulse, causing higher peak intensity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1988

Traveling waves in large-aspect-ratio thermosolutal convection

Numerical simulations of two-dimensional thermosolutal convection in a long box of aspect ratio d = 16, with free but impenetrable boundaries, reveal solutions in the form of traveling, standing, and modulated waves. These nonlinear solutions are closely related to the theoretical predictions for an unbounded layer. An unexpected feature is that the traveling waves reverse their direction of propagation in an episodic manner; this is not the case for the modulated waves. The calculations are related to recent experiments on convection in binary fluid mixtures.

Deane, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Nonstationary Gravity Wave Forcing of the Stratospheric Zonal Mean Wind

The role of gravity wave forcing in the zonal mean circulation of the stratosphere is discussed. Starting from some very simple assumptions about the momentum flux spectrum of nonstationary (non-zero phase speed) waves at forcing levels in the troposphere, a linear model is used to calculate wave propagation through climatological zonal mean winds at solstice seasons. As the wave amplitudes exceed their stable limits, a saturation criterion is imposed to account for nonlinear wave breakdown effects, and the resulting vertical gradient in the wave momentum flux is then used to estimate the mean flow forcing per unit mass. Evidence from global, assimilated data sets are used to constrain these forcing estimates. The results suggest the gravity-wave-driven force is accelerative (has the same sign as the mean wind) throughout most of the stratosphere above 20 km. The sense of the gravity wave forcing in the stratosphere is thus opposite to that in the mesosphere, where gravity wave drag is widely believed to play a principal role in decelerating the mesospheric jets. The forcing estimates are further compared to existing gravity wave parameterizations for the same climatological zonal mean conditions. Substantial disagreement is evident in the stratosphere, and we discuss the reasons for the disagreement. The results suggest limits on typical gravity wave amplitudes near source levels in the troposphere at solstice seasons. The gravity wave forcing in the stratosphere appears to have a substantial effect on lower stratospheric temperatures during southern hemisphere summer and thus may be relevant to climate.

Alexander, M. J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation of Finite Impulse Response Filters for Turbulence Effects on Sonic Booms

Turbulence effects on sonic booms lead to random variability of sonic boom waveforms measured on the ground, complicating the prediction of such waveforms using sonic boom propagation codes that do not account for turbulence effects. The NASA PCBoom software is one such code shown to accurately predict sonic booms above the atmospheric boundary layer but not those on the ground. Analyses of measured sonic booms show that, on average, the turbulence effects result in sonic boom loudness reduction, on average, that increases with propagation distance and turbulence strength. To efficiently account for such effects, a signal processing-based approach has been developed at NASA using finite impulse response filters derived from predicted waveforms by solving a nonlinear parabolic equation. Analyses indicate that the mean loudness reduction obtained using the filters does not increase with propagation distance or with increasing turbulence strength, in disagreement with flight test data. An alternative approach to the filters is currently under development employing the multiple scattering theory (MST) of wave propagation. Available results from the physics-based MST approach are used to evaluate the predictive capability of the filters, suggesting that the filters can severely underestimate the prediction of the MST approach.

sonic booms↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation of Finite Impulse Response Filters for Turbulence Effects on Sonic Booms

Turbulence effects on sonic booms lead to random variability of sonic boom waveforms measured on the ground, complicating the prediction of such waveforms using sonic boom propagation codes that do not account for turbulence effects. The NASA PCBoom software is one such code shown to accurately predict sonic booms above the atmospheric boundary layer but not those on the ground. Analyses of measured sonic booms show that, on average, the turbulence effects result in sonic boom loudness reduction, on average, that increases with propagation distance and turbulence strength. To efficiently account for such effects, a signal processing-based approach has been developed at NASA using finite impulse response filters derived from predicted waveforms by solving a nonlinear parabolic equation. Analyses indicate that the mean loudness reduction obtained using the filters does not increase with propagation distance or with increasing turbulence strength, in disagreement with flight test data. An alternative approach to the filters is currently under development employing the multiple scattering theory (MST) of wave propagation. Available results from the physics-based MST approach are used to evaluate the predictive capability of the filters, suggesting that the filters can severely underestimate the prediction of the MST approach.

sonic booms↗
NASA NTRS1982

Nonlinear equations of motion for Landau resonance interactions with a whistler mode wave

A simple set of equations is presented for the description of the cyclotron averaged motion of Landau resonant particles in a whistler mode wave propagating at an angle to the static magnetic field. A comparison is conducted of the wave magnetic field and electric field effects for the parameters of the magnetosphere, and the parameter ranges for which the wave magnetic field effects would be negligible are determined. It is shown that the effect of the wave magnetic field can be neglected for low pitch angles, high normal wave angles, and/or high normalized wave frequencies.

Inan, U. S.↗