Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “consistency”

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.

At least 379 records · Page 21

Physical properties of tidal features of interacting disk galaxies: Three-dimensional self-consistent models

Using self-consistent three-dimensional (3D) N-body simulations, we investigate the physical properties of nonaxisymmetric features in a disk galaxy created by a tidal interaction with its companion. The primary galaxy consists of a stellar disk, a bulge, and a live halo, corresponding to Milky-Way-type galaxies, while the companion is represented by a halo alone. We vary the companion mass and the pericenter distance to explore situations with differing tidal strength parameterized by either the relative tidal force P or the relative imparted momentum S. We find that the formation of a tidal tail in the outer parts requires P≳0.05 or S≳0.07. A stronger interaction results in a stronger, less wound tail that forms earlier. Similarly, a stronger tidal forcing produces stronger, more loosely wound spiral arms in the inner parts. The arms are approximately logarithmic in shape, with both amplitude and pitch angle decaying with time. The derived pattern speed decreases with radius and is close to the Ω−κ/2 curve at late time, with Ω and κ denoting the angular and epicycle frequencies, respectively. This suggests that the tidally induced spiral arms are most likely kinematic density waves weakly modified by self-gravity. Compared to the razor-thin counterparts, arms in the 3D models are weaker, have a smaller pitch angle, and wind and decay more rapidly. The 3D density structure of the arms is well described by the concentrated and sinusoidal models when the arms are in the nonlinear and linear regimes, respectively. We demonstrate that dynamical friction between interacting galaxies transfers the orbital angular momentum of one galaxy to the spin angular momentum of the companion halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A superconfiguration calculation of opacity with consistent bound and continuum electron treatments using green’s functions

One of the challenges in calculating the opacity of dense plasmas is the difficulty in consistently modeling electrons bound to nuclei and those that exist within the continuum of free states in electronic structure models. We address this issue by adapting the green's function approach, originally developed for use in average atom calculations, to the determination of superconfiguration (SC) electronic structure. The spectra created using these SCs indicate that a consistent treatment of continuum electronic structure is important for phenomena involving electrons near ionization thresholds, such as the pressure ionization of bound states and the opacity due to transitions near bound-free edges. Though important for dense plasmas, the detailed incorporation of continuum electrons into structure calculations does not have significant impact on the recent discrepancies between the predicted and measured opacity of hot, dense iron (Bailey et al 2015 Nature517 56). Here we find that the inclusion of plasma effects through an ion-sphere model along with our treatment of continuum electronic states gives a description of pressure ionization in hot, dense aluminum that is in better agreement with experiment than methods that rely on perturbative descriptions of the plasma environment (Hoarty et al 2013 Phys. Rev. Lett.110 265003).

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Utilizing integrated neutron diffraction and elastoplastic self-consistent crystal plasticity model to quantitatively assess the strengthening mechanism in Al–12.5Ce and Al–12.5Ce–0.4Mg alloys

An integrated in-situ neutron diffraction and elastic plastic self-consistent crystal plasticity (EPSC-CP) modeling scheme is performed on a binary Al–12Ce alloy and a ternary Al–12Ce–0.4Mg alloys. Using this scheme, the constitutive parameters, i.e. elastic constants and slip system parameters of individual phases can be calibrated which can be used in microstructure-based CP models to predict materials performance. From this study, it is shown that the elastic constants of Al 11 Ce 3 intermetallics calculated from density function theory calculation in the literature are rather accurate. When applied to the EPSC-CP model, the lattice strains of both the binary and ternary alloys are correctly predicted as compared with experiments, and large lattice strain differences between Al (100) plane and Al 11 Ce 3 (010) plane are demonstrated. The slip system parameters calibrated by the scheme shows that the addition of 0.4 wt% Mg in the alloy has little influence on the critical resolved shear stress of initial dislocation glide in the Al matrix which caused plastic yield in the material. This can be explained by the very dilute Mg solute content in the Al solid solution, causing large spacing of Al–Mg lattice misfit sites and little impact on resistance of dislocation glide at initial yield. The 0.4 wt% Mg addition, on the other hand, has a large influence on the hardening term in the slip system parameters, indicating those Al–Mg misfit sites do help dislocation accumulation during the deformation. The impact of dilute Mg addition on the Al slip system parameters is also reflected in the flow behavior of the ternary alloy: little impact on the yield stress, but a large impact on working hardening and tensile strength of the materials which is consistent with the literature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Post-puff SOL broadening on MAST-U under high-recycling conditions: evidence consistent with cross-field transport changes

Transient broadening of the scrape-off layer (SOL) density profile can modify main-chamber first-wall particle fluxes and divertor loading, yet its control parameters remain debated between divertor-regime transitions, neutral dynamics and changes in cross-field transport. We investigate fueling-driven SOL density-profile evolution and post-fueling relaxation on MAST-Upgrade (MAST-U) in ohmic L-mode, using two otherwise similar double-null Conventional Divertor discharges (I p = 450 kA, B T = 0.33 T) with identical 50 ms low-field side gas puffs; the only intentional difference is the puff start time. Upstream Thomson scattering shows that both discharges develop a transient far-SOL density profile modification, expressed as an increased SOL-width metric λ n e and a far-SOL enhancement consistent with a shoulder-like signature. In the earlier-puff case, the SOL-width metric remains elevated after puff termination and the post-puff decay time scales are systematically longer across the analysed radii. Outer-target Langmuir probes indicate high-recycling conditions during the analysed window (few-eV T e with radially peaked j sat,∥ and q ∥ profiles, without signatures of deep detachment). The outer-divertor collisionality proxy Λ div is elevated in both cases and does not discriminate between the different post-puff persistence. The target-integrated ion flux proxy ∫ J sat dA evolves nearly identically in both discharges when aligned to the puff start. Taken together, these observations suggest that the late/post-puff upstream SOL evolution is not set by parallel exhaust to the outer targetalone and is more consistent with upstream cross-field redistribution, with a possible role for plasma–neutral coupling and fueling geometry.

MAST-U↗

A note on the consistency condition of primordial fluctuations

We show that the squeezed limit of (N+1)-point functions of primordial correlation functions in which one of the modes has a very small wavenumber can be inferred from the spatial variation of locally measured N-point function. We then show how in single clock inflation a long wavelength perturbation can be re-absorbed in the background cosmology and how in computing correlation functions the integrals of the interaction Hamiltonian are dominated by conformal times of order of the short wavelength modes, when the long mode is already outside of the horizon. This allows us to generalize the consistency condition for N-point functions to the case in which the short wavelength fluctuations are inside the horizon and derivatives acts on them. We further discuss the consistency condition in the soft internal squeezed limit in which in an (N+M)-point function with (N+M) short modes the sum of the first N modes is a very soft momentum. These results are very useful to study infrared effects in Inflation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The consistency condition for the three-point function in dissipative single-clock inflation

We generalize the consistency condition for the three-point function in single field inflation to the case of dissipative, multi-field, single-clock models. We use the recently introduced extension of the effective field theory of inflation that accounts for dissipative effects, to provide an explicit proof to leading (non-trivial) order in the generalized slow roll parameters and mixing with gravity scales. Our results illustrate the conditions necessary for the validity of the consistency relation in situations with many degrees of freedom relevant during inflation, namely that there is a preferred clock. Departures from this condition in forthcoming experiments would rule out not only single field but also a large class of multi-field models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Ward identities and consistency relations for the large scale structure with multiple species

We present fully nonlinear consistency relations for the squeezed bispectrum of Large Scale Structure. These relations hold when the matter component of the Universe is composed of one or more species, and generalize those obtained in [1,2] in the single species case. The multi-species relations apply to the standard dark matter + baryons scenario, as well as to the case in which some of the fields are auxiliary quantities describing a particular population, such as dark matter halos or a specific galaxy class. If a large scale velocity bias exists between the different populations new terms appear in the consistency relations with respect to the single species case. As an illustration, we discuss two physical cases in which such a velocity bias can exist: (1) a new long range scalar force in the dark matter sector (resulting in a violation of the equivalence principle in the dark matter-baryon system), and (2) the distribution of dark matter halos relative to that of the underlying dark matter field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Single-field consistency relations of large scale structure part III: test of the equivalence principle

The recently derived consistency relations for Large Scale Structure do not hold if the Equivalence Principle (EP) is violated. We show it explicitly in a toy model with two fluids, one of which is coupled to a fifth force. We explore the constraints that galaxy surveys can set on EP violation looking at the squeezed limit of the 3-point function involving two populations of objects. We find that one can explore EP violations of order 10{sup −3}÷10{sup −4} on cosmological scales. Chameleon models are already very constrained by the requirement of screening within the Solar System and only a very tiny region of the parameter space can be explored with this method. We show that no violation of the consistency relations is expected in Galileon models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Non-trivial checks of novel consistency relations

Single-field perturbations satisfy an infinite number of consistency relations constraining the squeezed limit of correlation functions at each order in the soft momentum. These can be understood as Ward identities for an infinite set of residual global symmetries, or equivalently as Slavnov-Taylor identities for spatial diffeomorphisms. In this paper, we perform a number of novel, non-trivial checks of the identities in the context of single field inflationary models with arbitrary sound speed. We focus for concreteness on identities involving 3-point functions with a soft external mode, and consider all possible scalar and tensor combinations for the hard-momentum modes. In all these cases, we check the consistency relations up to and including cubic order in the soft momentum. For this purpose, we compute for the first time the 3-point functions involving 2 scalars and 1 tensor, as well as 2 tensors and 1 scalar, for arbitrary sound speed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Neutrinos and dark energy after Planck and BICEP2: data consistency tests and cosmological parameter constraints

The detection of the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the BICEP2 experiment implies that the tensor-to-scalar ratio r should be involved in the base standard cosmology. In this paper, we extend the ΛCDM r+neutrino/dark radiation models by replacing the cosmological constant with the dynamical dark energy with constant w. Four neutrino plus dark energy models are considered, i.e., the wCDM r ∑ m{sub ν}, wCDM r N{sub eff}, wCDM r ∑ m{sub ν} N{sub eff}, and wCDM r N{sub eff} m{sub ν,sterile}{sup eff} models. The current observational data considered in this paper include the Planck temperature data, the WMAP 9-year polarization data, the baryon acoustic oscillation data, the Hubble constant direct measurement data, the Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster counts data, the Planck CMB lensing data, the cosmic shear data, and the BICEP2 polarization data. We test the data consistency in the four cosmological models, and then combine the consistent data sets to perform joint constraints on the models. We focus on the constraints on the parameters w, ∑ m{sub ν}, N{sub eff}, and m{sub ν,sterile}{sup eff}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Natural inflation: consistency with cosmic microwave background observations of Planck and BICEP2

Natural inflation is a good fit to all cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and may be the correct description of an early inflationary expansion of the Universe. The large angular scale CMB polarization experiment BICEP2 has announced a major discovery, which can be explained as the gravitational wave signature of inflation, at a level that matches predictions by natural inflation models. The natural inflation (NI) potential is theoretically exceptionally well motivated in that it is naturally flat due to shift symmetries, and in the simplest version takes the form V(φ) = Λ{sup 4} [1 ± cos(Nφ/f)]. A tensor-to-scalar ratio r > 0.1 as seen by BICEP2 requires the height of any inflationary potential to be comparable to the scale of grand unification and the width to be comparable to the Planck scale. The Cosine Natural Inflation model agrees with all cosmic microwave background measurements as long as f ≥ m{sub Pl} (where m{sub Pl} = 1.22 × 10{sup 19} GeV) and Λ ∼ m{sub GUT} ∼ 10{sup 16} GeV. This paper also discusses other variants of the natural inflation scenario: we show that axion monodromy with potential V∝ φ{sup 2/3} is inconsistent with the BICEP2 limits at the 95% confidence level, and low-scale inflation is strongly ruled out. Linear potentials V ∝ φ are inconsistent with the BICEP2 limit at the 95% confidence level, but are marginally consistent with a joint Planck/BICEP2 limit at 95%. We discuss the pseudo-Nambu Goldstone model proposed by Kinney and Mahanthappa as a concrete realization of low-scale inflation. While the low-scale limit of the model is inconsistent with the data, the large-field limit of the model is marginally consistent with BICEP2. All of the models considered predict negligible running of the scalar spectral index, and would be ruled out by a detection of running.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Is scalar-tensor gravity consistent with polytropic stellar models?

We study the scalar field potential V(φ) in the scalar-tensor gravity with self-consistent polytropic stellar configurations. Without choosing a particular potential, we numerically derive the potential inside various stellar objects. We restrict the potential to conform to general relativity or to f(R) gravity inside and require the solution to arrive at SdS vacuum at the surface. The studied objects are required to obtain observationally valid masses and radii corresponding to solar type stars, white dwarfs and neutron stars. We find that the resulting scalar-tensor potential V(φ) for the numerically derived polytrope that conforms to general relativity, in each object class, is highly dependent on the matter configuration as well as on the vacuum requirement at the boundary. As a result, every stellar configuration arrives at a potential V(φ) that is not consistent with the other stellar class potentials. Therefore, a general potential that conforms to all these polytropic stellar classes could not be found.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Consistent generation of magnetic fields in axion inflation models

There has been a growing evidence for the existence of magnetic fields in the extra-galactic regions, while the attempt to associate their origin with the inflationary epoch alone has been found extremely challenging. We therefore take into account the consistent post-inflationary evolution of the magnetic fields that are originated from vacuum fluctuations during inflation. In the model of our interest, the electromagnetic (EM) field is coupled to a pseudo-scalar inflaton φ through the characteristic term φ F-tilde F, breaking the conformal invariance. This interaction dynamically breaks the parity and enables a continuous production of only one of the polarization states of the EM field through tachyonic instability. The produced magnetic fields are thus helical. We find that the dominant contribution to the observed magnetic fields in this model comes from the modes that leave the horizon near the end of inflation, further enhanced by the tachyonic instability right after the end of inflation. The EM field is subsequently amplified by parametric resonance during the period of inflaton oscillation. Once the thermal plasma is formed (reheating), the produced helical magnetic fields undergo a turbulent process called inverse cascade, which shifts their peak correlation scales from smaller to larger scales. We consistently take all these effects into account within the regime where the perturbation of φ is negligible and obtain B{sub eff} ∼ 10{sup −19} G, indicating the necessity of additional mechanisms to accommodate the observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Nonparametric test of consistency between cosmological models and multiband CMB measurements

We present a novel approach to test the consistency of the cosmological models with multiband CMB data using a nonparametric approach. In our analysis we calibrate the REACT (Risk Estimation and Adaptation after Coordinate Transformation) confidence levels associated with distances in function space (confidence distances) based on the Monte Carlo simulations in order to test the consistency of an assumed cosmological model with observation. To show the applicability of our algorithm, we confront Planck 2013 temperature data with concordance model of cosmology considering two different Planck spectra combination. In order to have an accurate quantitative statistical measure to compare between the data and the theoretical expectations, we calibrate REACT confidence distances and perform a bias control using many realizations of the data. Our results in this work using Planck 2013 temperature data put the best fit ΛCDM model at 95% (∼ 2σ) confidence distance from the center of the nonparametric confidence set while repeating the analysis excluding the Planck 217 × 217 GHz spectrum data, the best fit ΛCDM model shifts to 70% (∼ 1σ) confidence distance. The most prominent features in the data deviating from the best fit ΛCDM model seems to be at low multipoles 18 < ℓ < 26 at greater than 2σ, ℓ ∼ 750 at ∼1 to 2σ and ℓ ∼ 1800 at greater than 2σ level. Excluding the 217×217 GHz spectrum the feature at ℓ ∼ 1800 becomes substantially less significance at ∼1 to 2σ confidence level. Results of our analysis based on the new approach we propose in this work are in agreement with other analysis done using alternative methods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A consistency relation for the observed galaxy bispectrum and the local non-Gaussianity from relativistic corrections

We obtain a consistency relation for the observed three-point correlator of galaxies. It includes relativistic effects and it is valid in the squeezed limit. Furthermore, the consistency relation is non-perturbative and can be used at arbitrarily small scales for the short modes. Our results are also useful to compute the non-linear relativistic corrections which induce a signal in the observations that might be misinterpreted as primordial non-Gaussianity with a local shape. We estimate the effective local non-Gaussianity parameter from the relativistic corrections. The exact value depends on the redshift and the magnification bias. At redshift of z=1.5, in the absence of magnification bias, we get f{sup GR}{sub NL} ≅ − 3.0 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A method for the construction of stable Galileon models consistent with the Planck data results

The reconstruction procedure, which has proven quite useful to obtain viable models of the universe evolution, is here employed in order to construct inflation models. It has the advantages that it ensures full consistency with astronomical observations and that it allows to evaluate the stability of the resulting cosmological model in a rather simple way. The reconstruction is carried out in detail for two different types of Lagrangian, included in the frame of G-inflation, and explicit models for each Lagrangian are obtained. As a bonus for having used this reconstruction formalism, the final models are easily adjusted to satisfy the observational constraints—imposed by the most recent data releases of the Planck mission—on the spectral index, the tensor to scalar ratio, and the running of the spectral index. Further, it turns also to be not difficult to impose the models to be stable. Thus, the method here developed provides a general and very efficient tool, a quite natural procedure in order to construct models consistent with very precise observations. It can be also applied to other models, besides the ones here considered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A non-parametric consistency test of the ΛCDM model with Planck CMB data

Non-parametric reconstruction methods, such as Gaussian process (GP) regression, provide a model-independent way of estimating an underlying function and its uncertainty from noisy data. We demonstrate how GP-reconstruction can be used as a consistency test between a given data set and a specific model by looking for structures in the residuals of the data with respect to the model's best-fit. Applying this formalism to the Planck temperature and polarisation power spectrum measurements, we test their global consistency with the predictions of the base ΛCDM model. Our results do not show any serious inconsistencies, lending further support to the interpretation of the base ΛCDM model as cosmology's gold standard.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SICAS, a new integrated divertor-SOL-pedestal-core framework for self-consistent modeling of ion and impurity transport in fusion devices

We present a new framework for core-edge integration studies named SICAS (SOLPS-ITER coupled to ASTRA-STRAHL) which enables high fidelity simulations of the core, edge, and divertor regions encompassing the transport of ions as well as the impurities through the entire plasma domain. SICAS handles the exchanging of the particle and power fluxes as well as transport coefficients to ensure consistency through the codes. An overlapping region is defined from the inside of the separatrix of the plasma to the SOLPS-ITER core boundary allowing for matching profiles and fluxes between the two codes for a self-consistent approach. The results presented here demonstrated the flexibility of SICAS to simulate different configurations, scenarios, divertor geometries, and plasma species with good agreement with DIII-D experimental data. This tool opens new possibilities in integrated modeling of fusion devices integrating all relevant phenomena in the core and the divertor plasmas. These capabilities are required for the interpretation of current experiments as well as the design of new devices.

core-edge integration↗