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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Numerical observations of dynamic behavior in two-dimensional compressible convection

Using numerical simulations of the anelastic partial differential equations, convective flow in a two-dimensional polytropic atmosphere is investigated. Fixing the aspect ratio at unity and choosing the viscosity as the order parameter, the numerical solutions have indicated a variety of dynamic behavior including (1) oscillatory motion with a period of order the eddy turnover time, (2) quasi-periodic motion with a long period much longer than an eddy turnover time, and (3) at least two branches of solutions in certain regimes.

Ginet, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Nonlinear Dynamics and Nucleation Kinetics in Near-Critical Liquids

The objective of our study is to model the nonlinear behavior of a near-critical liquid following a rapid change of the temperature and/or other thermodynamic parameters (pressure, external electric or gravitational field). The thermodynamic critical point is manifested by large, strongly correlated fluctuations of the order parameter (particle density in liquid-gas systems, concentration in binary solutions) in the critical range of scales. The largest critical length scale is the correlation radius r(sub c). According to the scaling theory, r(sub c) increases as r(sub c) = r(sub 0)epsilon(exp -alpha) when the nondimensional distance epsilon = (T - T(sub c))/T(sub c) to the critical point decreases. The normal gravity alters the nature of correlated long-range fluctuations when one reaches epsilon approximately equal to 10(exp -5), and correspondingly the relaxation time, tau(r(sub c)), is approximately equal to 10(exp -3) seconds; this time is short when compared to the typical experimental time. Close to the critical point, a rapid, relatively small temperature change may perturb the thermodynamic equilibrium on many scales. The critical fluctuations have a hierarchical structure, and the relaxation involves many length and time scales. Above the critical point, in the one-phase region, we consider the relaxation of the liquid following a sudden temperature change that simultaneously violates the equilibrium on many scales. Below T(sub c), a non-equilibrium state may include a distribution of small scale phase droplets; we consider the relaxation of such a droplet following a temperature change that has made the phase of the matrix stable.

Patashinski, Alexander Z.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Field-ion microscopy of ordered Cu-Au alloy.

A method is proposed for overcoming current difficulties in measuring atomic order parameters of nonrefractory metals when using the field-ion microscope (FIM). Near stoichiometric CuAu and Cu3Au were tested by means of this method. Images of substantially fully ordered CuAu and Cu3Au thus obtained are presented and discussed.

Son, U. T.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Nanophase and Composite Optical Materials

This talk will focus on accomplishments, current developments, and future directions of our work on composite optical materials for microgravity science and space exploration. This research spans the order parameter from quasi-fractal structures such as sol-gels and other aggregated or porous media, to statistically random cluster media such as metal colloids, to highly ordered materials such as layered media and photonic bandgap materials. The common focus is on flexible materials that can be used to produce composite or artificial materials with superior optical properties that could not be achieved with homogeneous materials. Applications of this work to NASA exploration goals such as terraforming, biosensors, solar sails, solar cells, and vehicle health monitoring, will be discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Application of multigrid methods to the solution of liquid crystal equations on a SIMD computer

We will describe a finite difference code for computing the equilibrium configurations of the order-parameter tensor field for nematic liquid crystals in rectangular regions by minimization of the Landau-de Gennes Free Energy functional. The implementation of the free energy functional described here includes magnetic fields, quadratic gradient terms, and scalar bulk terms through the fourth order. Boundary conditions include the effects of strong surface anchoring. The target architectures for our implementation are SIMD machines, with interconnection networks which can be configured as 2 or 3 dimensional grids, such as the Wavetracer DTC. We also discuss the relative efficiency of a number of iterative methods for the solution of the linear systems arising from this discretization on such architectures.

Farrell, Paul A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Penetration experiments in aluminum and Teflon targets of widely variable thickness

The morphologies and detailed dimensions of hypervelocity craters and penetration holes on space-exposed surfaces faithfully reflect the initial impact conditions. However, current understanding of this postmortem evidence and its relation to such first-order parameters as impact velocity or projectile size and mass is incomplete. While considerable progress is being made in the numerical simulation of impact events, continued impact simulations in the laboratory are needed to obtain empirical constraints and insights. This contribution summarizes such experiments with Al and Teflon targets that were carried out in order to provide a better understanding of the crater and penetration holes reported from the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) and the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellites. A 5-mm light gas gun was used to fire spherical soda-lime glass projectiles from 50 to 3175 microns in diameter (D(sub P)), at a nominal 6 km/s, into Al (1100 series; annealed) and Teflon (Teflon(sup TFE)) targets. Targets ranged in thickness (T) from infinite halfspace targets (T approx. equals cm) to ultrathin foils (T approx. equals micron), yielding up to 3 degrees of magnitude variation in absolute and relative (D(sub P)/T) target thickness. This experimental matrix simulates the wide range in D(sub P)/T experienced by a space-exposed membrane of constant T that is being impacted by projectiles of widely varying sizes.

Hoerz, F.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of slowly tumbling vanadyl spin probes in nematic liquid crystals

An analysis of EPR line shapes by the method of Polnaszek, Bruno, and Freed is made for slowly tumbling vanadyl spin probes in viscous nematic liquid crystals. The use of typical vanadyl complexes as spin probes for nematic liquid crystals is shown to simplify the theoretical analysis and the subsequent interpretation. Rotational correlation times tau and orientational ordering parameters S sub Z where slow tumbling effects are expected to be observed in vanadyl EPR spectra are indicated in a plot. Analysis of the inertial effects on the probe reorientation, which are induced by slowly fluctuating torque components of the local solvent structure, yield quantitative values for tau and S sub Z. The weakly ordered probe VOAA is in the slow tumbling region and displays these inertial effects throughout the nematic range of BEPC and Phase V. VOAA exhibits different reorientation behavior near the isotropic-nematic transition temperature than that displayed far below this transition temperature.

Bruno, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Statistics of Experiments on Cluster Formation and Transport in a Gravitational Field

Metastable state relaxation in a gravitational field is investigated in the case of non-critical binary solutions. A relaxation description is presented in terms of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau formalism for a non-conserved order parameter. A new ansatz for solution of the corresponding partial nonlinear stochastic differential equation is discussed. It is proved that, for the supersaturated solution under consideration, the metastable state relaxation in a gravitational field leads to formation of solute concentration gradients due to the sedimentation of subcritical solute clusters. The pure discussion of the possible methods to compare theoretical results and experimental data related to solute sedimentation in a gravitational field is presented. It is shown that in order to describe these experiments it is necessary to deal both with the value of the solute concentration gradient and with its formation rate. The stochastic nature of the sedimentation process is shown.

Izmailov, Alexander F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Transport properties of gases and binary liquids near the critical point

A status report is presented on the anomalies observed in the behavior of transport properties near the critical point of gases and binary liquids. The shear viscosity exhibits a weak singularity near the critical point. An analysis is made of the experimental data for those transport properties, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity near the gas-liquid critical point and binary diffusion coefficient near the critical mixing point, that determine the critical slowing down of the thermodynamic fluctuations in the order parameter. The asymptotic behavior of the thermal conductivity appears to be closely related to the asymptotic behavior of the correlation length. The experimental data for the thermal conductivity and diffusivity are shown to be in substantial agreement with current theoretical predictions.

Sengers, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1972

One-dimensional periodic superconducting weak-link systems.

The solution of the one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation is presented for the case of a linear, periodic, superconducting weak-link system. With respect to currents below a critical value, four solutions for the spatially dependent order parameter are obtained.

Blackburn, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Temperature dependence of the accommodation coefficient of liquid-helium film.

We have determined the accommodation coefficient, gamma, of a helium film from 1.15 to 4 K by measuring the time constant of a rotating superconducting Nb sphere levitated in vapor and covered with a saturated helium film. The conventional assumption of the phenomenological theory of superfluidity, that the order parameter psi vanishes at the free surface of helium II, implies that gamma, is unity and independent of temperature. We find that gamma, is nearly unity above the lambda point, suffers an abrupt drop close to T-lambda, and gradually levels off to the value of about 0.8 at lower temperatures.

Wang, T. G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The appearance of dusty H II blisters at radio and infrared wavelengths

Detailed calculations for the observational appearance of nonspherical Stromgren regions at radio and infrared wavelengths are presented. The computations are made feasible by two assumptions, namely (1) no stellar photon leaves the solid angle within which it was emitted, and (2) the radiation spectrum can be represented by three delta functions corresponding to Lyman continuum, Lyman alpha, and softer radiation. These calculations are used to develop models for the H II blisters M17 A and 30 Doradus, and also first order parameters for a sample of other well-studied galactic H II regions. It is concluded that the observations are well explained by an ionizing object in a density gradient, without the need for peculiar dust properties or distribution.

Icke, V.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations of homogeneous phase separation in liquid He3-He4 mixtures

The so-called miscibility gap that exists below the critical point in liquid He-3 - H-4 mixtures makes it possible to study binary phase composition, and the ensuing dispersions, in a system possessing an additional order parameter in one of the components. The physical behavior of a superfluid dispersion produced by pressure quenching an He-3 - He-4 mixture into the miscibility gap is described. The description applies both to quenches of homogeneous and phase-separated initial states in various regions of the miscibility gap.

Hoffer, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Diffusion and localization of a particle in a periodic potential coupled to a dissipative environment

The phase diagram of a Hamiltonian which describes a particle moving in a periodic potential and coupled to an external heat bath has been analyzed in detail. By renormalization-group methods, it is proved that this system exhibits an unusual transition between diffusive behavior and a self-trapped phase. The dynamics along the transition line is shown to be integrable and the order parameter, the mobility, is computed exactly.

Guinea, F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Electron-spin-resonance studies of vapor-grown carbon fibers

The effects of annealing temperature and fiber diameter on the degree of disorder of vapor-grown carbon fibers were investigated by analyzing the electron-spin-resonance (ESR) line shapes of fibers annealed at six various temperatures up to 3375 K. The diameter of fibers, grown from methane gas, ranged from 10 to 140 microns with most fibers between 20 and 50 microns. It was found that the degree of disorder of vapor-grown fibers decreases upon annealing to higher temperature; standard angular deviation between the fiber axis and the crystallite basal planes could vary from 35 deg (for annealing temperature of 2275 K) to 12 deg (for 3375 K). With respect to fiber diameter, order parameters were found to be higher for fibers of smaller diameters.

Marshik, B.↗