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At least 451 records · Page 25

Response of hot element flush wall gauges in oscillating laminar flow

The time dependent response characteristics of flush-mounted hot element gauges used as instruments to measure wall shear stress in unsteady periodic air flows were investigated. The study was initiated because anomalous results were obtained from the gauges in oscillating turbulent flows for the phase relation of the wall shear stress variation, indicating possible gauge response problems. Flat plate laminar oscillating turbulent flows characterized by a mean free stream velocity with a superposed sinusoidal variation were performed. Laminar rather than turbulent flows were studied, because a numerical solution for the phase angle between the free stream velocity and the wall shear stress variation that is known to be correct can be obtained. The focus is on comparing the phase angle indicated by the hot element gauges with corresponding numerical prediction for the phase angle, since agreement would indicate that the hot element gauges faithfully follow the true wall shear stress variation.

Giddings, T. A.↗

Teleconnection patterns in the Southern Hemisphere

Contemporaneous correlations between geopotential heights on a given pressure surface at widely separated points on Earth, commonly referred to as teleconnections, are calculated from monthly mean sea level pressure and 500 mb geopotential height analyses for the Southern Hemisphere for five-month winter and summer seasons. During summer (November-March), anomalies over the three continents occur out of phase with anomalies over the subtropical oceans and in a wavenumber 3 pattern over the Southern Ocean near 55 deg S. The subtropical part of the pattern appears largely associated with the interannual variation of the seasonal cycle and annual mean. In winter (May-September) 500 mb geopotential heights over Africa exhibit positive correlations with heights over South America and the central South Pacific near New Zealand and negative correlations with height over the Southern Ocean. A striking wavenumber three pattern is apparent which shows the correlation of 500 mb geopotential height anomalies with 500 mb anomalies at 50 deg S, 95 deg E during winter. The strong positive correlations between 50 deg S, 95 E and 58 deg S, 150 deg W and 38 deg S, 15 deg W contrast with negative correlations over Antarctica and in low latitudes. Time variations in a similar pattern in sea level pressure are in phase with variations in the 500 mb pattern, suggesting an equivalent barotropic structure.

Mo, K. C.↗

The orbital period of 4U/MXB 1636-53 (V801 Arae)

The results of CCD photometry of the optical counterpart (V801 Arae) of the X-ray burst source 4U/MXB 1636-53, obtained between 1984 and 1988 are reported. From these data, and additional measurements discussed previously, a linear orbital ephemeris P(orb) = 3.803878 + or - 0.000022 h covering the interval between 1980 and 1988 is derived. The results confirm that substantial night-to-night variations occur in the shape of the light curve, superposed on the periodic brightness variations. No evidence is found for a relation between orbital phase and the delays of optical bursts relative to the coincident X-ray bursts. The variation with orbital phase of the corresponding ratios of optical to X-ray burst fluences and peak fluxes does not follow the average optical light curve. These results suggest that substantial long-term changes occur in the spatial distribution of reprocessing matter in the binary system.

Van Paradijs, J.↗

Nondestructive evaluation of fatigue damage in aluminum 2024 by x-ray diffraction

Aluminum alloys are widely used in the automobile and aerospace industries. This is due to their attractive low density-high modulus and low density-high strength characteristics. Unfortunately, cyclic stress-strain deformations alter the microstructure of aluminum alloys when they are placed into service. These structural changes can lead to fatigue damage and ultimately service failure. Since x-ray diffraction analysis is known to be a sensitive nondestructive indicator of structural changes due to deformations, this technique is being used to evaluate changes in the microstructure of cycled aluminum 2024 commercial alloys. Line shapes, widths, and positions in an x-ray diffraction pattern depend on microstructural properties such as grain size, grain orientation, residual stress, microstrain, etc. Changes in the microstructure due to fatigue will appear as changes in the diffraction pattern. One parameter used to characterize a reflection in a diffraction pattern is the full width at half maximum (FWHM). Preliminary x-ray diffraction results on cycled Al 2024 indicate that the (111) and (222) reflections of the matrix phase do not show any variations in the FWHM due to an increase in the fatigue cycles. However, the FWHM of the (200) and (400) reflections of the same phase unexpectedly showed a dramatic decrease. These results can be interpreted as due to the relaxation of some initial nonuniform residual stresses in the matrix phase lattice. Further work is in progress to evaluate the FWHM of the second phase of the cycled alloys.

Ferguson, Milton W.↗

Near-infrared observations of a new molecular feature in IRC + 10216

This letter presents a spectrum of IRC + 10216 in the 3000-4400-kayser region at 9-kayser resolution. A molecular feature at 3400-3600 kaysers has been detected which is attributed to an unspecified N-H bonded molecule; the feature appears to be variable in phase with the infrared light curve. Evidence is given for temperature variations of the emitting dust shell in phase with the infrared light curve. The results suggest that the variability of the molecular feature is due to reversible dissociation of the responsible molecule, which could occur at the higher temperatures accompanying the maxima of the light curve.

Krassner, J.↗

On the charge state of the anomalous oxygen component

Observations of a phase lag between the intensity variations of high-energy galactic cosmic rays and the quiet-time oxygen flux in the energy region 7.6-24 MeV/nucleon during the time period 1974-1975 are reported. Phase lag or hysteresis effects have been observed during the 11-year solar cycle for low-energy galactic cosmic rays and several authors have shown that this hysteresis effect is a function of the velocity and rigidity (and therefore of the ionic charge) of the particles. Assuming a similar rigidity dependence of the phase lag during the transient intensity decrease of both galactic cosmic rays and the anomalous oxygen component in the time period 1974-1975, and comparing the phase lag as observed for protons and helium during the same period with the oxygen measurements, an upper limit of approximately 4 is derived for the ionic charge of the anomalous oxygen component.

Klecker, B.↗

Estimating Accurate Relative Spacecraft Angular Position from DSN VLBI Phases Using X-Band Telemetry or DOR Tones

At present spacecraft angular position with Deep Space Network (DSN) is determined using group delay estimates from very long baseline interferometer (VLBI) phase measurements employing differential one way ranging (DOR) tones. As an alternative to this approach, we propose estimating position of a spacecraft to half a fringe cycle accuracy using time variations between measured and calculated phases as the Earth rotates using DSN VLBI baseline(s). Combining fringe location of the target with the phase allows high accuracy for spacecraft angular position estimate. This can be achieved using telemetry signals of at least 4-8 MSamples/sec data rate or DOR tones.

x-band telemetry↗

Diurnal Variation in Gravity Wave Activity at Low and Middle Latitudes

We employ a modified composite day extension of the Hocking (2005) analysis method to study gravity wave (GW) activity in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere using 4 meteor radars spanning latitudes from 7deg S to 53.6deg S. Diurnal and semidiurnal modulations were observed in GW variances over all sites. Semidiurnal modulation with downward phase propagation was observed at lower latitudes mainly near the equinoxes. Diurnal modulations occur mainly near solstice and, except for the zonal component at Cariri (7deg S), do not exhibit downward phase propagation. At a higher latitude (SAAMER, 53.6deg S) these modulations are only observed in the meridional component where we can observe diurnal variation from March to May, and semidiurnal, during January, February, October (above 88 km) and November. Some of these modulations with downward phase progression correlate well with wind shear. When the wind shear is well correlated with the maximum of the variances the diurnal tide has its largest amplitudes, i.e., near equinox. Correlations exhibiting variations with tidal phases suggest significant GW-tidal interactions that have different characters depending on the tidal components and possible mean wind shears. Modulations that do not exhibit phase variations could be indicative of diurnal variations in GW sources.

waves↗

Analysis of Wind Tunnel Longitudinal Static and Oscillatory Data of the F-16XL Aircraft

Static and oscillatory wind tunnel data are presented for a 10-percent-scale model of an F-16XL aircraft. Static data include the effect of angle of attack, sideslip angle, and control surface deflections on aerodynamic coefficients. Dynamic data from small-amplitude oscillatory tests are presented at nominal values of angle of attack between 20 and 60 degrees. Model oscillations were performed at five frequencies from 0.6 to 2.9 Hz and one amplitude of 5 degrees. A simple harmonic analysis of the oscillatory data provided Fourier coefficients associated with the in-phase and out-of-phase components of the aerodynamic coefficients. A strong dependence of the oscillatory data on frequency led to the development of models with unsteady terms in the form of indicial functions. Two models expressing the variation of the in-phase and out-of-phase components with angle of attack and frequency were proposed and their parameters estimated from measured data.

Klein, Vladislav↗

Calibration of Gyros with Temperature Dependent Scale Factors

The general problem of gyro calibration can be stated as the estimation of the scale factors, misalignments, and drift-rate biases of the gyro using the on-orbit sensor measurements. These gyro parameters have been traditionally treated as temperature-independent in the operational flight dynamics ground systems at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), a scenario which has been successfully applied in the gyro calibration of a large number of missions. A significant departure from this is the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) mission where, due to the high thermal variations expected during the mission phase, it is necessary to model the scale factors as functions of temperature. This paper addresses the issue of gyro calibration for the MAP gyro model using a manufacturer-supplied model of the variation of scale factors with temperature. The problem is formulated as a least squares problem and solved using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm in the MATLAB(R) library function NLSQ. The algorithm was tested on simulated data with Gaussian noise for the quaternions as well as the gyro rates and was found to consistently converge close to the true values. Significant improvement in accuracy was noticed due to the estimation of the temperature-dependent scale factors as against constant scale factors.

Belur, Sheela V.↗

INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton Observations of the X-Ray Pulsar IGR J16320-4751/AX J1691.9-4752

We report on observations of the X-ray pulsar IGR J16320-4751 (also known as AX J1631.9-4752) performed simultaneously with International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) and XMM-Newton. We refine the source position and identify the most likely infrared counterpart. Our simultaneous coverage allows us to confirm the presence of X-ray pulsations at approximately 1300 s, that we detect above 20 keV with INTEGRAL for the first time. The pulse fraction is consistent with being constant with energy, which is compatible with a model of polar accretion by a pulsar. We study the spectral properties of IGR J16320-4751 during two major periods occurring during the simultaneous coverage with both satellites, namely a flare and a non-flare period. We detect the presence of a narrow 6.4 keV iron line in both periods. The presence of such a feature is typical of supergiant wind accretors such as Vela X-1 or GX 301-2. We inspect the spectral variations with respect to the pulse phase during the non-flare period, and show that the pulse is solely due to variations of the X-ray flux emitted by the source and not due to variations of the spectral parameters. Our results are therefore compatible with the source being a pulsar in a High Mass X-ray Binary. We detect a soft excess appearing in the spectra as a blackbody with a temperature of approximately 0.07 keV. We discuss the origin of the X-ray emission in IGR J16320-4751: while the hard X-rays are likely the result of Compton emission produced in the close vicinity of the pulsar, based on energy argument we suggest that the soft excess is likely the emission by a collisionally energized cloud in which the compact object is embedded.

Rodriquez, J.↗

Modulation of short waves by long waves

Wave-tank experiments were performed to investigate the cyclic short-wave energy changes, related in phase to an underlying long wave, which occur during active generation of the short-wave field by wind. Measurements of time series of the short-wave slope were made by a laser-optical system, where the basic long-wave parameters were controlled and wind speeds were accurately reproducible. The short-wave slope variances were found to exhibit cyclic variations that are related to the phase of the long wave. The variations result from two combined effects: (1) the short wave frequency is varied by the long-wave orbital velocity; (2) the energy of the short waves is modulated by the actions of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic couplings that operate on the short waves in a manner related to the long-wave phase.

Reece, A. M., Jr.↗

Phase and amplitude relationships of wave structure observed in the lower thermosphere

Data from the Atmosphere Explorer-C satellite clearly exhibit wavelike variations in neutral composition, ion density, and electron temperature, which appear to be a general feature of the atmosphere. The neutral constituents do not exhibit uniform wave characteristics since the density variations of argon are approximately twice those of molecular nitrogen and helium structure has about one-half the amplitude of the N2 variation. The waves evident in the ion density are nearly in phase with the heavy neutrals, while the electron-temperature variations are predominantly out of phase with those in the ion density. A simple model is suggested to explain the neutral composition results, wherein the enhancements in the major gas densities are in phase with the vertical component of the perturbation velocity of the gas. The vertical velocity modifies the composition by transporting parcels of air to higher or lower regions where the composition is different. The phase relationship between density and velocity implies phase velocities (assuming that these are gravitational waves) of the order of 500 meters per sec.

Reber, C. A.↗

An Exosat X-ray observation of one orbital cycle of 4U 1700-37/HD 153919

Exosat observations of close to one complete binary cycle of 4U 1700-37/HD 153919 are presented, and X-ray absorption variations are determined as a function of orbital phase in order to study the properties of the stellar wind of the companion HD 153919. The decrease noted in absorption between eclipse egress and phase 0.5 may be due to X-rays from a neutron star being absorbed by an inner wind with a radial velocity law close to that predicted by Castor et al. (1975). Under the assumption that the X-ray source is powered by material captured from the steller wind, the absorption variations with orbital phase and the time-average luminosity have been modeled to investigate the suppression of the radiative acceleration of the wind via the ionization of the wind by the X-ray source.

Haberl, F.↗

A model for the spectroscopic variations of the peculiar symbiotic star MWC 560

In this note, we show that the ultraviolet and optical spectroscopic variability of this unique symbiotic star can be understood in terms of a time variable collimated stellar wind with a rapid acceleration near the source. Using the radial velocities observed during the ultraviolet bright phase, we find that a variation in the mass loss rate of a factor of ten can explain the ultraviolet spectral changes. The acceleration is far faster than normally observed in radiatively driven stellar winds and may be due to mechanical driving of the outflow from the disk.

Shore, Steven N.↗

Observations in interplanetary space of relativistic electrons from Jupiter

Evidence for the presence of Jovian electrons in interplanetary space as much as 1 AU inside the orbit of Jupiter is summarized. Electron flux patterns at Pioneer 10 can only rarely be correlated with solar activity. Clear variations in intensity and spectrum with a period of 10 hrs are seen at varying distances from Jupiter, consistent with similar observations inside the magnetosphere. Extrapolated electron flux maxima and minima are in good agreement with the observed phase at distances as large as 80 million km from Jupiter, indicating rapid propagation of electrons from the planet. Anisotropy is greatest during the rising phase of the 10 hr variations and in a direction consistent with the interpretation of electrons traveling toward the sun along interplanetary spiral field lines. The propagation time calculated by Chenette's derivation is much larger than that implied by the data.

Chenette, D. L.↗

The latitude-height structure of 40-50 day variations in atmospheric angular momentum

Using five years of U.S. National Meteorological Center twice-daily global analyses, a description of the two-dimensional latitude-height structure of the winds responsible for quasi-periodic variations in the relative angular momentum of the atmosphere observed by Langley et al. (1981) is constructed. Cross-spectral and amplitude phase eigenvector techniques indicate that these variations are associated with wave-like motions in the tropical upper troposphere which propagate poleward and downward in phase within the tropics. The tropical component is suggested to be the zonally averaged part of the motions described by Madden and Julian (1971, 1972), while a Northern Hemisphere midlatitude component whose phase is essentially independent of height may be a direct response to the tropical motions. Alternatively, both motions may be the common response to an as yet unidentified tropical forcing.

Anderson, J. R.↗