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NASA NTRS2013

Simulations of Seasonal and Latitudinal Variations in Leaf Inclination Angle Distribution: Implications for Remote Sensing

The leaf inclination angle distribution (LAD) is an important characteristic of vegetation canopy structure affecting light interception within the canopy. However, LADs are difficult and time consuming to measure. To examine possible global patterns of LAD and their implications in remote sensing, a model was developed to predict leaf angles within canopies. Canopies were simulated using the SAIL radiative transfer model combined with a simple photosynthesis model. This model calculated leaf inclination angles for horizontal layers of leaves within the canopy by choosing the leaf inclination angle that maximized production over a day in each layer. LADs were calculated for five latitude bands for spring and summer solar declinations. Three distinct LAD types emerged: tropical, boreal, and an intermediate temperate distribution. In tropical LAD, the upper layers have a leaf angle around 35 with the lower layers having horizontal inclination angles. While the boreal LAD has vertical leaf inclination angles throughout the canopy. The latitude bands where each LAD type occurred changed with the seasons. The different LADs affected the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) with similar relationships between fAPAR and leaf area index (LAI), but different relationships between NDVI and LAI for the different LAD types. These differences resulted in significantly different relationships between NDVI and fAPAR for each LAD type. Since leaf inclination angles affect light interception, variations in LAD also affect the estimation of leaf area based on transmittance of light or lidar returns.

Seasonal↗

DOE OSTI2026

Modulation induced by very-large-scale motions on the inclination angle of wall-attached eddies: an atmospheric surface layer experiment

The forward leaning inclination angle, 𝛾, of coherent turbulent structures is a well-known feature of wall-bounded turbulent flows. Although invariant across friction Reynolds numbers within the range 𝑅𝑒 𝜏 =10 3 −10 6 , 𝛾 can vary significantly across turbulent scales within a high-Reynolds-number flow. Very-large-scale motions (VLSMs) are known to induce significant changes in the instantaneous shear profile, which is a conditioning event that could trigger variability in the inclination angle of smaller coherent turbulent structures. Although this aspect has been extensively studied via numerical and laboratory experiments, few studies have explored this feature for a very-high-Reynolds-number atmospheric flow. In this work, the inclination angle of turbulent structures within the atmospheric surface layer at a very high Reynolds number (𝑅𝑒 𝜏 =7.9 ×10 5 ) is investigated by deploying a scanning Doppler light detection and ranging and a super large particle image velocimetry (SLPIV) apparatus. The inclination angle of wall-attached eddies is inferred either from the two-point correlation of streamwise velocity (𝛾 =41.1∘) or with a scale-dependent approach through the spectral linear stochastic estimator (SLSE). The SLSE (and, thus, the scale-dependent inclination angle) is conditionally evaluated based on the high- and low-momentum events induced by VLSMs, both in the streamwise (𝑢′𝑉𝐿𝑆𝑀) and in the vertical (𝑤′ 𝑉𝐿𝑆𝑀) velocity components. As a result, lower inclination angles (𝛾 =30° −50°) are found for 𝑢$^{'}_{VLSM}$ >0 (𝑤$^{'}_{VLSM}$ <0), while higher values (50° −85°) are ascribed to 𝑢$^{'}_{VLSM}$ <0 (𝑤$^{'}_{VLSM}$ >0). This result emphasises the primary role that VLSMs play in shaping the wall-attached eddy geometry, which, in turn, is crucial to determine the Reynolds stress balance within the wall-attached eddy range.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2015

Proposal of a novel compact P-band magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator with inclined vanes

In this paper, we present a novel compact P-band magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO) with specially inclined slow-wave-structure (SWS) vanes to decrease its total dimension and weight. The dispersion characteristics of the inclined SWS are investigated in detail and made comparisons with that of the traditional straight SWS. The results show that the inclined SWS is more advantageous in operating on a steady frequency in a wide voltage range and has a better asymmetric mode segregation and a relatively large band-gap between the TM{sub 00} and TM{sub 01} modes which are in favor of avoiding the asymmetric and transverse mode competition. Besides, the transverse dimension of the proposed novel inclined SWS with the same operation frequency is decreased by about 50%, and correspondingly the device volume shrinks remarkably to its 0.35 times. In particle-in-cell simulation, the electron bunching spokes are obviously formed in the inclined SWS, and a P-band high-power microwave with a power of 5.8 GW, frequency of 645 MHz, and efficiency of 17.2% is generated by the proposed device, which indicates the feasibility of the compact design with the inclined vanes at the P-band.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1994

Heliospheric current sheet inclinations predicted from source surface maps

The inclinations of the neutral line at the ecliptic plane derived from source surface model maps of coronal fields are measured for the interval from June 1976 to March 1992. The mean and median values of 53 deg and 57 deg are close to the average inclinations determined earlier from minimum variance analyses of solar wind measurements at sector boundaries, but the mode falls in the 80 deg - 90 deg bin. This result, which is based on the model assumptions implicit in deriving the source surface maps, predicts that the heliospheric current sheet typically intersects the ecliptic plane nearly at right angles, even without steepening by stream interaction regions. High inclinations dominate the solar cycle for about 7 years around solar maximum. Dips to lower inclination occur near solar minimum, but high variance admits a wide range of inclinations throughout the cycle. Compared to the smooth solar cycle variation of the maximum latitudinal excursion of the neutral line, often treated as the tilt angle of a flat heliospheric current sheet, the noisy variation of the inclinations reflects the degree to which the neutral line deviates from a sine wave, implying warps and corrugations in the current sheet. About a third of the time the neutral line so deviates that it doubles back in longitude.

Shodhan, S.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Used for Inclined Orbit Operations

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) is operated by the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ACTS, which was launched in September 1993, is in its 7th year of operations, far exceeding the system s planned 2 years of operations and 4 years of designed mission life. After 5 successful years of operating as a geostationary satellite, the spacecraft s North-South stationkeeping was discontinued in August 1998. The system is now operating in an inclined orbit that increases at a rate of 0.8 /yr. With only scarce fuel remaining, operating in this mode extends the usage of the still totally functional payload. Although tracking systems are now needed on the experimenter Earth stations, experiment operations have continued with very little disruption. This is the only known geosynchronous Ka-band (30/20 GHz) spot-beam satellite operating in an inclined orbit. The project began its transition from geostationary operations to inclined operations in August 1998. This did not interrupt operations and was transparent to the experimenters on the system. For the space segment, new daily procedures were implemented to maintain the pointing of the system s narrow 0.3 spot beams while the spacecraft drifts in the North-South direction. For the ground segment, modifications were designed, developed, and fielded for the three classes of experimenter Earth stations. With the next generation of commercial satellite systems still being developed, ACTS remains the only operational testbed for Ka-band geosynchronous satellite communications over the Western hemisphere. Since inclined orbit operations began, the ACTS experiments program has supported 43 investigations by industry, Government, and academic organizations, as well as four demonstrations. The project s goals for inclined-orbit operations now reflect a narrower focus in the types of experiments that will be done. In these days of "faster, better, cheaper," NASA is seeking to gain greater relevance to the agency s mission from these experiments. One area that is of much interest both to NASA and the commercial world is the investigation of protocol issues related to the interoperability of satellites with terrestrial networks, such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) over wideband satellites. Other experiment areas of interest are supporting the U.S. Government and NASA as they begin using commercial space assets to meet their communications needs, evaluating issues related to operating a spot-beam satellite in inclined orbit, and evaluating new Ka-band hardware that requires a satellite link. ACTS is now in its last year of operations. Operations are planned through June 2000, when after 81 months of operations, this very successful spacecraft will be superorbited and made inert.

Bauer, Robert A.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Modeling and simulation of earthquake soil structure interaction excited by inclined seismic waves

Presented is an application of wave potential formulation (WPF) together with domain reduction method (DRM) to modeling earthquake soil structure interaction (ESSI) behavior in horizontally layered ground under inclined incident seismic waves. Wave potential formulation is used to develop a spatially varying, inclined seismic wave field from incident Primary (P) and Secondary (S) waves that propagate through layered ground. Developed seismic wave field is then used to develop effective forces for Domain Reduction Method that are then used for analyzing ESSI response of a soil structure system. Developed methodology, called WPF-DRM, is verified using analytic solution for a free field response of layered ground subjected to inclined incident waves. Developed WPF-DRM methodology is illustrated through analysis of an ESSI response of a deeply embedded structure, a small modular reactor (SMR) subjected to incident S wave polarized in vertical plane (SV) with variation in inclinations and frequencies. Presented example highlights the influences of incident wave inclination and frequency on ESSI response of analyzed SMR.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2014

Compact planetary systems perturbed by an inclined companion. II. Stellar spin-orbit evolution

The stellar spin orientation relative to the orbital planes of multiplanet systems is becoming accessible to observations. Here, we analyze and classify different types of spin-orbit evolution in compact multiplanet systems perturbed by an inclined outer companion. Our study is based on classical secular theory, using a vectorial approach developed in a separate paper. When planet-planet perturbations are truncated at the second order in eccentricity and mutual inclination, and the planet-companion perturbations are developed at the quadrupole order, the problem becomes integrable. The motion is composed of a uniform precession of the whole system around the total angular momentum, and in the rotating frame, the evolution is periodic. Here, we focus on the relative motion associated with the oscillations of the inclination between the planet system and the outer orbit and of the obliquities of the star with respect to the two orbital planes. The solution is obtained using a powerful geometric method. With this technique, we identify four different regimes characterized by the nutation amplitude of the stellar spin axis relative to the orbital plane of the planets. In particular, the obliquity of the star reaches its maximum when the system is in the Cassini regime where planets have more angular momentum than the star and where the precession rate of the star is similar to that of the planets induced by the companion. In that case, spin-orbit oscillations exceed twice the inclination between the planets and the companion. Even if the mutual inclination is only ≅ 20°, this resonant case can cause the spin-orbit angle to oscillate between perfectly aligned and retrograde values.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Kuiper Belt–like Hot and Cold Populations of Planetesimal Inclinations in the β Pictoris Belt Revealed by ALMA

The inclination distribution of the Kuiper Belt provides unique constraints on its origin and dynamical evolution, motivating vertically resolved observations of extrasolar planetesimal belts. We present ALMA observations of millimeter emission in the near edge-on planetesimal belt around β Pictoris, finding that the vertical distribution is significantly better described by the sum of two Gaussians compared to a single Gaussian. This indicates that, as for the Kuiper Belt, the inclination distribution of β Pic’s belt is better described by the sum of dynamically hot and cold populations, rather than a single component. The hot and cold populations have rms inclinations of 8.9{sub −0.5}{sup +0.7} and 1.1{sub −0.5}{sup +0.5} degrees. We also report that an axisymmetric belt model provides a good fit to new and archival ALMA visibilities, and confirm that the midplane is misaligned with respect to β Pic b’s orbital plane. However, we find no significant evidence for either the inner disk tilt observed in scattered light and CO emission or the southwest/northeast asymmetry previously reported for millimeter emission. Finally, we consider the origin of the belt’s inclination distribution. Secular perturbations from β Pic b are unlikely to provide sufficient dynamical heating to explain the hot population throughout the belt’s radial extent, and viscous stirring from large bodies within the belt alone cannot reproduce the two populations observed. This argues for an alternative or additional scenario, such as planetesimal being born with high inclinations, or the presence of a “β Pic c” planet, potentially migrating outward near the belt’s inner edge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

A Numerical Simulation of Transport Phenomena During the Horizontal Single Belt Casting Process Using an Inclined Feeding System

Horizontal single belt casting (HSBC) has great potential to replace current conventional continuous casting (CCC) processes for sheet metal production, by directly casting 3 to 1 mm sheet for the automobile industry. In the present paper, two-dimensional mathematical models were developed to study transport phenomena, for the case of an inclined wall feeding system for a liquid aluminum wrought alloy (AA6111). Based on the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT 14.5 and user-defined functions, a two-layer turbulence model was used to examine the fluid flow emanating from a slot nozzle set above a water-cooled, high-speed, steel belt. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method was used to predict the shape of the melt-air interface. A transformed coordinate system (x′, y′) was established in order to analyze the fluid flow on the inclined wall of the feeding system. The total pressure gauge gradient (∂p{sub total}/∂x) was used to describe the behavior of the melt film inside the slot nozzle of the head box. The modeling results show that during the melt film falling process, the total gauge pressure varies within the slot nozzle, which can decrease the stability of the falling film. The first impingement between the falling film and the inclined refractory wall of the feeding system gives rise to a local oscillation, and this influences the stability of the melt film moving downwards. At the rear meniscus position between the inclined wall and the moving belt, there is a clear vibration of the air-melt interface, together with a recirculation zone. The weak vibration of the air-melt interface could be induced by the periodic variation of the melt-air interface. Moreover, the formation of tiny air pockets is predicted. Finally, on the inclined wall of the feeding system, a suitable length of the transition area is needed to avoid over-acceleration of the melt film due to the force of gravity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Inclined porous medium convection at large Rayleigh number

High-Rayleigh-number ( $Ra$ ) convection in an inclined two-dimensional porous layer is investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNS) and stability and variational upper-bound analyses. When the inclination angle $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ of the layer satisfies $0^{\circ }<\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}\lesssim 25^{\circ }$ , DNS confirm that the flow exhibits a three-region wall-normal asymptotic structure in accord with the strictly horizontal ( $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0^{\circ }$ ) case, except that as $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ is increased the time-mean spacing between neighbouring interior plumes also increases substantially. Both DNS and upper-bound analysis indicate that the heat transport enhancement factor (i.e. the Nusselt number) $Nu\sim CRa$ with a $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ -dependent prefactor $C$ . When $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}>\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{t}$ , however, where $30^{\circ }<\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{t}<32^{\circ }$ independently of $Ra$ , the columnar flow structure is completely broken down: the flow transitions to a large-scale travelling-wave convective roll state, and the heat transport is significantly reduced. To better understand the physics of inclined porous medium convection at large $Ra$ and modest inclination angles, a spatial Floquet analysis is performed, yielding predictions of the linear stability of numerically computed, fully nonlinear steady convective states. The results show that there exist two types of instability when $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}\neq 0^{\circ }$ : a bulk-mode instability and a wall-mode instability, consistent with previous findings for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0^{\circ }$ (Wen et al. , J. Fluid Mech. , vol. 772, 2015, pp. 197–224). The background flow induced by the inclination of the layer intensifies the bulk-mode instability during its subsequent nonlinear evolution, thereby favouring increased spacing between the interior plumes relative to that observed in convection in a horizontal porous layer.

Mechanics↗

DOE OSTI2016

Hydrogen segregation to inclined Σ3 < 110 > twin grain boundaries in nickel

Low-mobility twin grain boundaries dominate the microstructure of grain boundary-engineered materials and are critical to understanding their plastic deformation behaviour. The presence of solutes, such as hydrogen, has a profound effect on the thermodynamic stability of the grain boundaries. This work examines the case of a Σ3 grain boundary at inclinations from 0° ≤ Φ ≤ 90°. The angle Φ corresponds to the rotation of the Σ3 (1 1 1) < 1 1 0 > (coherent) into the Σ3 (1 1 2) < 1 1 0 > (lateral) twin boundary. To this end, atomistic models of inclined grain boundaries, utilising empirical potentials, are used to elucidate the finite-temperature boundary structure while grand canonical Monte Carlo models are applied to determine the degree of hydrogen segregation. In order to understand the boundary structure and segregation behaviour of hydrogen, the structural unit description of inclined twin grain boundaries is found to provide insight into explaining the observed variation of excess enthalpy and excess hydrogen concentration on inclination angle, but the explanatory power is limited by how the enthalpy of segregation is affected by hydrogen concentration. At higher concentrations, the grain boundaries undergo a defaceting transition. In order to develop a more complete mesoscale model of the interfacial behaviour, an analytical model of boundary energy and hydrogen segregation that relies on modelling the boundary as arrays of discrete 1/3 < 1 1 1 > disconnections is constructed. Lastly, the complex interaction of boundary reconstruction and concentration-dependent segregation behaviour exhibited by inclined twin grain boundaries limits the range of applicability of such an analytical model and illustrates the fundamental limitations for a structural unit model description of segregation in lower stacking fault energy materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1989

The orbital inclination of A0620 - 00 measured polarimetrically

The mass of the degenerate primary in A0620 - 00 is inferred from its spectroscopic mass function to be not less than 3.2 solar masses, making it an excellent candidate for a black hole. The exact value of the mass depends on the orbital inclination. The inclination of a binary system can be determined from the shape of its Stokes parameter light curves if the linear polarization of the system varies as a function of orbital phase. A0620 - 00 over one 8-hour binary period was observed with the 4.5-m equivalent MMT. Its polarization in the visible is variable with orbital phase. The standard theory of Brown et al. (1978) was used to derive an orbital inclination of i = 57 deg (+20 deg, -50 deg), where the error is the 90-percent confidence interval. An inclination of i = 57 deg corresponds to a mass of the compact primary of 6.6 solar masses, but the large uncertainty in the measured value of the inclination allows the derived mass of A0620 - 00 to be as low as 3.8 solar masses. If this is taken to be the maximum mass of any degenerate configuration consistent with general relativity except a black hole, then the mass of A0620 - 00 is still not well enough determined to conclude that it must be a black hole.

Dolan, Joseph F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Space Station Freedom assembly and operation at a 51.6 degree inclination orbit

This study examines the implications of assembling and operating Space Station Freedom at a 51.6 degree inclination orbit utilizing an enhanced lift Space Shuttle. Freedom assembly is currently baselined at a 220 nautical mile high, 28.5 degree inclination orbit. Some of the reasons for increasing the orbital inclination are (1) increased ground coverage for Earth observations, (2) greater accessibility from Russian and other international launch sites, and (3) increased number of Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) landing sites. Previous studies have looked at assembling Freedom at a higher inclination using both medium and heavy lift expendable launch vehicles (such as Shuttle-C and Energia). The study assumes that the shuttle is used exclusively for delivering the station to orbit and that it can gain additional payload capability from design changes such as a lighter external tank that somewhat offsets the performance decrease that occurs when the shuttle is launched to a 51.6 degree inclination orbit.

Troutman, Patrick A.↗

DOE OSTI2013

GAPS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS AS SIGNATURES OF PLANETS. II. INCLINED DISKS

We examine the observational appearance of partial gaps being opened by planets in protoplanetary disks, considering the effects of the inclination relative to the line of sight. We model the disks with static {alpha}-models with detailed radiative transfer, parameterizing the shape and size of the partially cleared gaps based on the results of hydrodynamic simulations. As in previous work, starlight falling across the gap leads to high surface brightness contrasts. The gap's trough is darkened by both shadowing and cooling, relative to the uninterrupted disk. The gap's outer wall is brightened by direct illumination and also by heating, which puffs it up so that it intercepts more starlight. In this paper, we examine the effects of inclination on resolved images of disks with and without gaps at a wide range of wavelengths. The scattering surface's offset from the disk midplane creates a brightness asymmetry along the axis of inclination, making the disk's near side appear brighter than the far side in scattered light. Finite disk thickness also causes the projected distances of equidistant points on the disk surface to be smaller on the near side of the disk as compared to the far side. Consequently, the gap shoulder on the near side of the disk should appear brighter and closer to the star than on the far side. However, if the angular resolution of the observation is coarser than the width of the brightened gap shoulder, then the gap shoulder on the far side may appear brighter because of its larger apparent size. We present a formula to recover the scale height and inclination angle of an imaged disk using simple geometric arguments and measuring disk asymmetries. Resolved images of circumstellar disks have revealed clearings and gaps, such as the transitional disk in LkCa 15. Models created using our synthetic imaging attempting to match the morphology of observed scattered light images of LkCa 15 indicate that the H-band flux deficit in the inner {approx}0.''5 of the disk can be explained with a planet if mass is greater than 0.5 Jupiter mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Determining inclinations of active galactic nuclei via their narrow-line region kinematics. II. Correlation with observed properties

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are axisymmetric systems to first order; their observed properties are likely strong functions of inclination with respect to our line of sight, yet the specific inclinations of all but a few AGNs are generally unknown. By determining the inclinations and geometries of nearby Seyfert galaxies using the kinematics of their narrow-line regions (NLRs) and comparing them with observed properties, we find strong correlations between inclination and total hydrogen column density, infrared color, and Hβ FWHM. These correlations provide evidence that the orientation of AGNs with respect to our line of sight affects how we perceive them beyond the Seyfert 1/2 dichotomy. They can also be used to constrain three-dimensional models of AGN components such as the broad-line region and torus. Additionally, we find weak correlations between AGN luminosity and several modeled NLR parameters, which suggests that the NLR geometry and kinematics are dependent to some degree on the AGN's radiation field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

A robust derivation of the tight relationship of radio core dominance to inclination angle in high redshift 3CRR sources

It is believed that, in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the core radio flux density can be normalized to the flux density of the extended lobe emission to infer the orientation of a radio source. However, very little is known about the reliability and precision of this method, and we are unaware of any robust conversion recipe to infer the inclination from the core dominance. Investigating whether or not the radio core dominance parameter R separates the quasars from the radio galaxies in the z ⩾ 1 3CRR catalog, we found excellent agreement of R with optical type, infrared flux ratios, and optical polarization. This indicates that probably both R and optical classification are very good orientation indicators, and the unified model is strongly predictive for these objects. The relative number densities indicate half-opening angles close to 60°, as expected from large surveys. The separations of optical types according to radio core dominance as well as near-infrared/MIR ratios, which are essentially perfect, mean that there can be only a small dispersion of torus half-opening angles. Also, even though torus dust is thought to be clumpy, there is an almost zero probability to see a type-1 source at high inclination. Finally, using only the Copernican Principle, i.e., the assumption that solid angle is filled uniformly with source axis orientations, we estimated a semi-empirical relation between core dominance and AGN inclination. This makes it possible to use R to infer the inclination of a source to an accuracy of ∼10° or less, at least for this type of object.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations of Taylor Bubbles in Vertical and Inclined Pipes with Upward and Downward Liquid Flow

Summary Two-phase flow is a common occurrence in pipes of oil and gas developments. Current predictive tools are based on the mechanistic two-fluid model, which requires the use of closure relations to predict integral flow parameters such as liquid holdup (or void fraction) and pressure gradient. However, these closure relations carry the highest uncertainties in the model. In particular, significant discrepancies have been found between experimental data and closure relations for the Taylor bubble velocity in slug flow, which has been determined to strongly affect the mechanistic model predictions (Lizarraga-García 2016). In this work, we study the behavior of Taylor bubbles in vertical and inclined pipes with upward and downward flow using a validated 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach with level set method implemented in a commercial code. A total of 56 cases are simulated, covering a wide range of fluid properties, pipe diameters, and inclination angles: Eo ∈ [10, 700]; Mo ∈ [1×10–6, 5×103]; ReSL ∈ [–40, 10]; θ ∈ [5°, 90°]. For bubbles in vertical upward flows, the simulated distribution parameter, C0, is successfully compared with an existing model. However, the C0 values of downward and inclined slug flows where the bubble becomes asymmetric are shown to be significantly different from their respective vertical upward flow values, and no current model exists for the fluids simulated here. The main contributions of this work are (1) the relatively large 3D numerical database generated for this type of flow, (2) the study of the asymmetric nature of inclined and some vertical downward slug flows, and (3) the analysis of its impact on the distribution parameter, C0.

Engineering↗

DOE OSTI2017

How to Detect Inclined Water Maser Disks (and Possibly Measure Black Hole Masses)

We describe a method for identifying inclined water maser disks orbiting massive black holes and for potentially using them to measure black hole masses. Owing to the geometry of maser amplification pathways, the minority of water maser disks are observable: only those viewed nearly edge-on have been identified, suggesting that an order of magnitude additional maser disks exist. We suggest that inward-propagating masers are gravitationally deflected by the central black hole, thereby scattering water maser emission out of the disk plane and enabling detection. The signature of an inclined water maser disk would be narrow masers near the systemic velocity that appear to emit from the black hole position, as identified by the radio continuum core. To explore this possibility, we present high-resolution (0.″07–0.″17) Very Large Array line and continuum observations of 13 galaxies with narrow water maser emission and show that three are good inclined-disk candidates (five remain ambiguous). For the best case, CGCG 120−039, we show that the maser and continuum emission are coincident to within 3.5 ± 1.4 pc (6.7 ± 2.7 mas). Subsequent very long baseline interferometric maps can confirm candidate inclined disks and have the potential to show maser rings or arcs that provide a direct measurement of black hole mass, although the mass precision will rely on knowledge of the size of the maser disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗