SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Particle gyration in homogeneous magnetic field and perpendicularly propagating electrostatic wave, calculating wave-particle energy transfer and wave-amplitude limiting effects
This grant was awarded by NASA/MSFC to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to investigate the physical processes responsible for heating and wind acceleration in the solar atmosphere, and to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time-dependent solar wind models based on the momentum deposition by finite amplitude and nonlinear Alfven waves. In summary, there are three main goals of the proposed research: (1) Calculate the wave energy spectra and wave energy fluxes carried by magnetic non- magnetic waves. (2) Find out which mechanism dominates in supplying the wave energy to different parts of the solar atmosphere. (3) Use the results obtained in (1) and (2) to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time- dependent models of the solar wind. We have completed the first goal by calculating the amount of non-radiative energy generated in the solar convection zone as acoustic waves and as magnetic tube waves. To calculate the amount of wave energy carried by acoustic waves, we have used the Lighthill-Stein theory for sound generation modified by Musielak, Rosner, Stein & Ulmschneider (1994). The acoustic wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram have also been computed. The wave energy fluxes carried by longitudinal and transverse waves along magnetic flux tubes have been calculated by using both analytical and numerical methods. Our analytical approach is based a theory developed by Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschnelder and Musielak, Rosner, Gall & Ulmschneider, which allows computing the wave energy fluxes for linear tube waves. A numerical approach has been developed by Huang, Musielak & Ulmschneider and Ulmschneider & Musielak to compute the energy fluxes for nonlinear tube waves. Both methods have been used to calculate the wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the HR diagram (Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschneider 1998; Ulmschneider, Musielak & Fawzy 1998). Having obtained the wave energy fluxes for acoustic and magnetic tube waves, we have investigated the behavior of these waves in the solar and stellar atmospheres. The results of our extensive studies have been published in many papers and presented at numerous scientific meetings. In these studies we have investigated different aspects of propagation of acoustic and magnetic waves, the efficiency of energy transfer along magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere, and behavior of Alfven waves in stgeady and expanding solar and stellar atmospheres. Recently, we have used some of these results to construct first purely theoretical, two component and time-dependent models of solar and stellar chromospheres. Finally, to address the third goal, we have constructed first fully theoretical, self-consistent and time dependent wind models based on the momentum deposition by non-linear Alfven waves. The full set of single-fluid MHD equations with the background flow has been solved by using a modified version of the ZEUS MHD code. The constructed wind models are radially symmetric with the magnetic field decreasing radially and the initial outflow is described by the standard Parker wind solution. In contrast to previous studies, no assumptions regarding wave linearity, wave damping, and wave-flow interaction are made; the models thus naturally account for the backreaction of the wind on the waves as well as for the nonlinear interaction between different types of MHD waves. The models have been used to explain the origin of fast speed streams in solar coronal holes. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that the momentum deposition by Alfven waves in the solar wind can be sufficient to explain the origin of fast stream components of the solar wind. The range of wave amplitudes required to obtain the desired results seems to be in good agreement with recent observations.
The dispersion relation for plasma waves is considered in the 'cold' plasma approximation. General formulas for the dependence of the phase and group velocities on the direction of wave propagation with respect to the local magnetic field are obtained for a cold magnetized plasma. The principal cold plasma resonances and cut-off frequencies are defined for an arbitrary angle and are used to establish basic regimes of frequency where the cold plasma waves can propagate or can be evanescent. The relationship between direction of wave and energy propagation, for cold plasma waves in hydrogen atmosphere, is presented in the form of angle diagrams (angle between group velocity and magnetic field versus angle between phase velocity and magnetic field) and polar diagrams (also referred to as 'Friedrich's diagrams') for different directions of wave propagation. Morphological features of the diagrams as well as some critical angles of propagation are discussed.
The evolution of wave energy, enstrophy, and wave motion for atmospheric Rossby waves in a variable mean flow are discussed from a theoretical and pedagogic standpoint. In the absence of mean flow gradients, the wave energy density satisfies a local conservation law, with the appropriate flow velocity being the group velocity. In the presence of mean flow variations, wave energy is not conserved, but wave action is, provided the mean flow is independent of longitude. Wave enstrophy is conserved for arbitrary variations of the mean flow. Connections with Eliassen-Palm flux are also discussed.
The evolution of wave energy, enstrophy, and wave motion for atmospheric Rossby waves in a variable mean flow are discussed from a theoretical and pedagogic standpoint. In the absence of mean flow gradients, the wave energy density satisfies a local conservation law, with the appropriate flow velocity being the group velocity. In the presence of mean flow variations, wave energy is not conserved, but wave action is, provided the mean flow is independent of longitude. Wave enstrophy is conserved for arbitrary variations of the mean flow. Connections with Eiiassen-Palm flux are also discussed.
The importance of field line geometry for shear Alfven wave dissipation in coronal arches is demonstrated. An eikonal formulation makes it possible to account for the complicated magnetic geometry typical in coronal loops. An interpretation of Alfven wave resonance is given in terms of gradient steepening, and dissipation efficiencies are studied for two configurations: the well-known slab model with a straight magnetic field, and a new model with stochastic field lines. It is shown that a large fraction of the Alfven wave energy flux can be effectively dissipated in the corona.
The problem of harmonic and subharmonic generation of electrostatic waves in a general collisionless plasma is treated using coupled-mode theory based on two time scales. A novel feature is that one of the two interacting waves may be a negative-energy wave. Since the model describing the medium need not be specified, only a general linear and nonlinear conductivity or an equivalent description is required. Just by invoking wave-energy conservation, the coupled-mode equations are obtained in such a way that unequivocal conclusions can be drawn. When both waves have positive energy, they exchange part of it in a periodic fashion, provided that both have some energy initially. If initially all the energy is in the fundamental, all of it will eventually end up (irreversibly) in the second harmonic. If all the energy is in the harmonic initially, no generation of the fundamental (or subharmonic) will take place. If one of the two waves is a negative-energy wave, an explosive instability develops, regardless of initial values. For comparable conditions, the instability time depends on whether the negative-energy wave is in the fundamental or in the upper harmonic.
Alfven waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres, and astrophysical systems, but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASAs Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earths magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfven wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via non-linear particle trapping. The investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations.
This paper presents a case study on the wave-current interaction near the local curvature of a Gulf Stream meander. The wave data were obtained from in situ measurements by a pitch-roll discus buoy during the Surface Wave Dynamics Experiment (SWADE) conducted off Wallops Island, Virginia, from October 1990 to March 1991. Owing to the advection of the Gulf Stream by the semidiurnal tide, the discus buoy was alternately located outside and inside the Gulf Stream. The directional wave measurements from the buoy show the changes in wave direction, wave energy, and directional spreading when waves encountered the current in the Gulf Stream meanders. A wave refraction model, using the ray-tracing method with an estimated Gulf Stream velocity field and meandering condition, was used to simulate wave refraction patterns and to estimate wave parameters at relative locations corresponding to buoy measurements. The numerical simulation shows that a focusing zone of wave rays was formed near the boundary and behind the crest of a simulated Gulf Stream meander. The focusing of wave rays causes changes in wave direction, increases in wave energy, and decreases in wave directional spreading, which are in good agreement with the results from the buoy measurements.
Numerical calculations of gravity wave propagation through a two-component thermosphere with vertically-varying inter-species collision frequencies are performed using a direct integration method. Reflection of upgoing gravity wave energy into downgoing gravity waves appears to be small though nonnegligible at typical thermospheric periods and wavelengths. Coupling into diffusion waves is completely insignificant in most cases and may be determined in part by the relative abundance of the minor species. Temperature perturbation differences between species can be greater than 10% above 300 km altitude even though coupling into diffusion waves is small. Diffusive dissipation of gravity wave energy can be significant in the lower thermosphere and may be comparable to dissipation by viscosity and heat conduction below about 225 km altitude. Heating by diffusive dissipation may also be comparable to direct heating by solar radiation in the lower thermosphere. As a result of dissipative filtering of long-period and short-wavelength waves and the sensitivity of He-N2 density perturbation phase differences to diffusion, the AE-C satellite wave observations can only be fit by internal gravity waves with periods no greater than about 25 min and horizontal wavelengths no less than about 200 km.
The paper examines wave-energy dissipation rates in shallow water calculated from measured wave spectra at different distances from the shore. Different linear and nonlinear transfer and dissipation mechanisms are discussed. The various data sets are interpreted in terms of prevailing mechanisms at the respective sites. The incorporation of different processes in a predictive shallow-water model is outlined. The analysis suggests that bottom motion is primarily responsible for wave-energy dissipation in the Delta Region of the Gulf of Mexico, that friction is mainly responsible for wave-energy dissipation in Marineland, Panama City and Melkbosstrand, and that percolation is probably the dominant mechanism in the JONSWAP area of the North Sea.
We have revisited the problem of acoustic wave generation by turbulent convection in stellar atmospheres. The theory of aerodynamically generated sound, originally developed by Lighthill and later modified by Stein to include the effects of stratification, has been used to estimate the acoustic wave energy flux generated in solar and stellar convection zones. We correct the earlier computations by incorporating an improved description of the spatial and temporal spectrum of the turbulent convection. We show the dependence of the resulting wave fluxes on the nature of the turbulence, and compute the wave energy spectra and wave energy fluxes generated in the Sun on the basis of a mixing-length model of the solar convection zone. In contrast to the previous results, we show that the acoustic energy generation does not depend very sensitively on the turbulent energy spectrum. However, typical total acoustic fluxes of order F(sub A) = 5 x 10(exp 7) ergs/sq cm/s with a peak of the acoustic frequency spectrum near omega = 100 mHz are found to be comparable to those previously calculated. The acoustic flux turns out to be strongly dependent on the solar model, scaling with the mixing-length parameter alpha as alpha(exp 3.8). The computed fluxes most likely constitute a lower limit on the acoustic energy produced in the solar convection zone if recent convection simulations suggesting the presence of shocks near the upper layers of the convection zone apply to the Sun.
Observations of wave fields' spatial evolution and of gravity wave spectra S(sub omega) are analyzed on the basis of the data reported by several research groups as well as on a 2-year data set of wind and wave measurements by stationary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys near the Hawaiian Islands. We seek to clarify the role of the wave energy advection (with the wave group velocity) in the overall energy balance. This advective transfer appears to be no less important than the local (breaking wave induced) dissipation as a factor of wind-wave equilibrium. The advection is found to manifest itself in the shape of wave spectra by reducing the rate at which the spectra density of the wave energy, S(sub omega approximately omega (exp -p), falls off as the frequency increases away from the spectra peak. This and other conclusions are derived by comparing the field observations with theoretical predictions of the weak turbulence theory for a spatially inhomogeneous, statistically stationary, wave field. The observations also indicate that the typical wave age xi = C(sub 0)/U in the open ocean is much greater than the limiting value 1.2 attributed to the 'fully developed sea.' Although the observed spectra can be approximated by a power law with a single 'effective' exponent, this apparent exponent, p, is found to depend on the wave age. At high xi and at frequencies below the generation range, -p tends to -3 rather than the value of -11/3 predicted by the Zakharov-Zaslavskii theory. This deviation is interpreted as pointing to a nonconservative nature of the inverse cascade, the latter including a leakage of energy to low-wavenumber modes. Dependence of the overall effective exponent on xi is shown to be responsible for variation in the coefficients b, B, c, C appearing in empirical fetch laws, such as xi = C bar-x (exp c) and e = B bar-x (exp B), where bar-x and e are the dimensionless fetch and wave energy, respectively.
The nonlinear spatial evolution, from the source to the atmosphere, of the auroral electron beam and the beam-generated electrostatic whistler noise was studied, calculating changes in beam parameters from equations for the conservation of total particle and wave energy and momentum flux density. Wave power fluxes were calculated by numerically integrating the wave kinetic equations, and the levels of beam-generated noise were determined by using thermal levels of Cerenkov radiation as a source. It was found that beam parameters evolve on ionospheric scale lengths, and their positive slope feature in velocity space is maintained over altitudes measured in thousands of kilometers of altitude, even though they can generate wave energy density fluxes sufficient to modify the ionospheric density profile.
Fission fragment direct energy conversion has been considered in the past for the purpose of increasing nuclear power plant efficiency and for advanced space propulsion. Since the fragments carry electric charge (typically in the order of 20 e) and have 100 MeV-range kinetic energy, techniques utilizing very high-voltage DC electrodes have been considered. This study is focused on a different approach: the kinetic energy of the charged fission fragments is converted into alternating current by means of a traveling wave coupling scheme (Traveling Wave Direct Energy Converter, TWDEC), thereby not requiring the utilization of high voltage technology. A preliminary feasibility analysis of the concept is introduced based on a conceptual level study and on a particle simulation model of the beam dynamics.
A Particle-in-cell simulation model has been developed to study the physics of the Traveling Wave Direct Energy Converter (TWDEC) applied to the conversion of charged fusion products into electricity. In this model the availability of a beam of collimated fusion products is assumed; the simulation is focused on the conversion of the beam kinetic energy into alternating current (AC) electric power. The model is electrostatic, as the electro-dynamics of the relatively slow ions can be treated in the quasistatic approximation. A two-dimensional, axisymmetric (radial-axial coordinates) geometry is considered. Ion beam particles are injected on one end and travel along the axis through ring-shaped electrodes with externally applied time-varying voltages, thus modulating the beam by forming a sinusoidal pattern in the beam density. Further downstream, the modulated beam passes through another set of ring electrodes, now electrically oating. The modulated beam induces a time alternating potential di erence between adjacent electrodes. Power can be drawn from the electrodes by connecting a resistive load. As energy is dissipated in the load, a corresponding drop in beam energy is measured. The simulation encapsulates the TWDEC process by reproducing the time-dependent transfer of energy and the particle deceleration due to the electric eld phase time variations.
A coordinated experimental and theory/simulation effort has been carried out to investigate the physics of the Traveling Wave Direct Energy Converter (TWDEC), a scheme that has been proposed in the past for the direct conversion into electricity of the kinetic energy of an ion beam generated from fusion reactions. This effort has been focused in particular on the TWDEC process in the high density beam regime, thus accounting for the ion beam expansion due to its space charge.
A two-dimensional plasma model is used to investigate the development of electrostatic turbulence in a magnetized plasma from plasma instabilities. The simulation consists of following the motion of 100,000 ions in their self-consistent electrostatic field. The electrons are treated as a constant neutralizing background. The instabilities modeled are driven by a ring-type velocity distribution and by interpenetrating ion beams in a time-variable magnetic field. Instability growth times are of the order of an ion gyroperiod in the case of the ring distribution and of the order of an ion plasma period in the case of the beam simulation. Maximum potential differences generated are of the order of the ion kinetic energies. These simulations demonstrate the cascade of wave energy to long wavelengths, thus showing the E x B turbulence can be generated from plasma microinstabilities. After the free energy feeding, the instabilities are exhausted, and wave energy at wavelengths less than an ion gyrodiameter decays quickly to equilibrium levels, while longer wavelength modes persist for much longer times. In one model with a time dependent, but spatially uniform, magnetic field the electric field energy at long wavelengths appeared to increase as a result of the increase of the magnetic field.