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At least 487 records · Page 27

Parallel electric fields in a simulation of magnetotail reconnection and plasmoid evolution

Properties of the electric field component parallel to the magnetic field (E sub parallel) in a three-dimensional MHD simulation of plasmoid formation and evolution in the magnetotail in the presence of a net dawn-dusk magnetic field component were observed. Particularly emphasized was the spatial location of E(sub parallel), the concept of a diffusion zone and the role of E(sub parallel) in accelerating electrons. A localization of the region of enhanced E(sub parallel) in all space directions with a strong concentration in the z direction was found. This region was identified as the diffusion zone, which plays a crucial role in reconnection theory through the local break-down of magnetic flux conservation. The presence of B(sub y) implies a north-south asymmetry of the injection of accelerated particles into the near-earth region, if the net B(sub y) field is strong enough to force particles to follow field lines through the diffusion region. It is estimated that for a typical net B(sub y) field this should affect the injection of electrons into the near-earth dawn region, so that precipitation into the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere should dominate for duskward (dawnward) net B(sub y). In addition, a spatial clottiness of the expected injection of adiabatic particles which could be related to the appearance bright spots in auroras was observed.

Hesse, Michael↗

A theoretical study of the effect of forward speed on the free-space sound-pressure field around propellers

The sound-pressure field of a rotating propeller in forward flight in free space is analyzed by replacing the normal-pressure distribution over the propeller associated with thrust and torque by a distribution of acoustic pressure doublets acting at the propeller disk and subject to uniform rectilinear motion. The basic element used to synthesize the field is the pressure field of a concentrated force moving uniformly at subsonic speeds, for which an expression generalizing one of Lamb's for the fixed concentrated force is given. The sound field is expressed by integration over the propeller disk, and also by integration over an effective ring, and is given both for the near pressure field and, in a simpler form, for the far field. Some illustrated examples are calculated and discussed.

Garrick, I E↗

A mixed pseudospectral/finite difference method for a thermally driven fluid in a nonuniform gravitational field

A numerical study of the steady, axisymmetric flow in a heated, rotating spherical shell is conducted to model the Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment (AGCE) proposed to run aboard a later shuttle mission. The AGCE will consist of concentric rotating spheres confining a dielectric fluid. By imposing a dielectric field across the fluid a radial body force will be created. The numerical solution technique is based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the method a pseudospectral technique is based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the method a pseudospectral technique is used in the latitudinal direction, and a second-order accurate finite difference scheme discretizes time and radial derivatives. This paper discusses the development and performance of this numerical scheme for the AGCE which has been modelled in the past only by pure FD formulations. In addition, previous models have not investigated the effect of using a dielectric force to simulate terrestrial gravity. The effect of this dielectric force on the flow field is investigated as well as a parameter study of varying rotation rates and boundary temperatures. Among the effects noted are the production of larger velocities and enhanced reversals of radial temperature gradients for a body force generated by the electric field.

Macaraeg, M. G.↗

A mixed pseudospectral/finite difference method for a thermally driven fluid in a nonuniform gravitational field

A numerical study of the steady, axisymmetric flow in a heated, rotating spherical shell is conducted to model the Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment (AGCE) proposed to run aboard a later Shuttle mission. The AGCE will consist of concentric rotating spheres confining a dielectric fluid. By imposing a dielectric field across the fluid a radial body force will be created. The numerical solution technique is based on the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the method a pseudospectral technique is used in the latitudinal direction, and a second-order accurate finite difference scheme discretizes time and radial derivatives. This paper discusses the development and performance of this numerical scheme for the AGCE which has been modeled in the past only by pure FD formulations. In addition, previous models have not investigated the effect of using a dielectric force to simulate terrestrial gravity. The effect of this dielectric force on the flow field is investigated as well as a parameter study of varying rotation rates and boundary temperatures. Among the effects noted are the production of larger velocities and enhanced reversals of radial temperature gradients for a body force generated by the electric field.

Macaraeg, M. G.↗

Critical currents in sputtered PbMo6S8

Critical currents in sputtered Chevrel-phase lead molybdenum sulfide have been measured at several temperatures as a function of applied magnetic field up to 19 T. A critical current density of approximately 50 million A/sq m was obtained at 15 T and 1.8 K, and the effective upper critical field was estimated to be 30 T. The pinning force at low fields was found to be dependent on the amount of free lead.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗

'Coronae' of rotating interstellar clouds

This letter considers differential rotation of cool interstellar clouds in the presence of internal magnetic fields, and shows that because of the relative ineffectiveness of field dissipation within the clouds, magnetized gas experiences buoyant forces. The resulting field loops emerge from the cloud and dissipate their energy by field reconnection. The consequent heating is sufficient to produce relatively hot (T approximately 10,000 K) 'coronae' about the clouds.

Rosner, R.↗

Vehicle Charging And Potential (VCAP)

The vehicle charging and potential (VCAP) payload includes a small electron accelerator capable of operating in a pulsed mode with firing pulses ranging from 600 nanoseconds to 107 seconds (100 milliamps at 1000 volts), a spherical retarding potential analyzer - Langmuir probe, and charge current probes. This instrumentation will support studies of beam plasma interactions and the electrical charging of the spacecraft. Active experiments may also be performed to investigate the fundamental processes of artificial aurora and ionospheric perturbations. In addition, by firing the beam up the geomagnetic field lines of force (away from the Earth) investigations of parallel electric field may be performed.

Roberts, W. T.↗

Vehicle Charging And Potential (VCAP)

The vehicle charging and potential (VCAP) payload includes a small electron accelerator capable of operating in a pulsed mode with firing pulses ranging from 600 nanoseconds to 107 seconds (100 milliamps at 1000 volts), a spherical retarding potential analyzer - Langmuir probe, and charge current probes. This instrumentation will support studies of beam plasma interactions and the electrical charging of the spacecraft. Active experiments may also be performed to investigate the fundamental processes of artificial aurora and ionospheric perturbations. In addition, by firing the beam up the geomagnetic field lines of force (away from the Earth) investigations of parallel electric field may be performed.

Roberts, B.↗

Mean fields induced by local gravity-wave forcing in the middle atmosphere

The role of geostrophic adjustment in the middle atmosphere for given wave packet forcing by a three-dimensional hydrostatic model is examined. It is shown that the induced fields consist of two different kinds of modes. One, produced by forcing vorticity only, is steady quasi-geostrophic flow; this is restricted to the forcing region. The other, produced by both forcing vorticity and forcing divergence, is oscillatory, and is in the form of gravity waves propagating out of the forcing region plus inertial oscillations in the forcing region. The scales and amplitudes of the induced gravity waves are determined by the forcing. For a typical example, a 200 km x 200 km gravity wave packet of momentum flux 0.5 N/sq m absorbed in a layer of 5 km thickness centered near 18 km altitude, the gravity waves spread to a larger region about 1000 km x 1000 km at a level 7 km above the forcing region. At that level, the horizontal and vertical wavelengths of the induced waves are about 300 km and 7 km respectively, and the momentum flux is substantially reduced to 0.0004 N/sq m. The results suggest that geostrophic adjustment processes may play an important role in specifying the gravity wave spectrum in the middle atmosphere.

Zhu, Xun↗

Estimating unsteady aerodynamic forces on a cascade in a three-dimensional turbulence field

An analytical method has been developed to estimate the unsteady aerodynamic forces caused by flow field turbulence on a wind tunnel turning vane cascade system (vane set). This method approximates dynamic lift and drag by linearly perturbing the appropriate steady state force equations, assuming that the dynamic loads are due only to free stream turbulence and that this turbulence is homogeneous, isotropic, and Gaussian. Correlation and unsteady aerodynamic effects are also incorporated into the analytical model. Using these assumptions, equations relating dynamic lift and drag to flow turbulence, mean velocity, and vane set geometry are derived. From these equations, estimates for the power spectra and rms (root mean squared value, delta) loading of both lift and drag can be determined.

Norman, T.↗

Estimating unsteady aerodynamic forces on a cascade in a three-dimensional turbulence field

An analytical method has been developed to estimate tne unsteady aerodynamic forces caused by flow field turbulence on a wind tunnel turning vane cascade system (vane set). This method approximates dynamic lift and drag by linearly perturbing the appropriate steady state force equations, assuming that the dynamic loads are due only to free stream turbulence and that this turbulence is homogeneous, isotropic, and Gaussian. Correlation and unsteady aerodynamic effects are also incorporated into the analytical model. Using these assumptions, equations relating dynamic lift and drag to flow turbulence, mean velocity, and vane set geometry are derived. From these equations, estimates for the power spectra and rms (root mean squared value, delta) loading of both lift and drag can be determined.

Norman, T. R.↗

Blade-Tip-Clearance Forces in Turbines

Study reviews field and proposes experiments. Report summarizes present knowledge and discusses plans for experiments on blade-tipclearance excitation forces in turbines. Of particular interest Alford forces, named after pioneering worker in this field. These are cross forces due to uneven clearances, which in turn caused by and also cause rotor vibrations. Because blade-tip clearances affect turbine efficiency and excitation forces affect rotor stability, report proves useful to researchers and designers of advanced turbomachinery.

Martinez-Sanchez, M.↗

Magnetic reorientation and spontaneous formation of tangential discontinuities in deformed magnetic fields

This paper provides an explicit illustration of the formation of tangential discontinuities (current sheets) in a force-free magnetic field whose footpoints have been subjected to bounded continuous displacement and shuffling so that the lines of force are wound about each other in complex but continuous patterns. The discontinuities appear spontaneously because of the reorientation of the field under the enhanced pressure where two regions of different field topology are pressed together by the general winding and wrapping.

Parker, E. N.↗

Suppression/Reversal of Natural Convection by Exploiting the Temperature/Composition Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility

Natural convection, driven by temperature-or concentration gradients or both, is an inherent phenomenon during solidification of materials on Earth. This convection has practical consequences (e.g effecting macrosegregation) but also renders difficult the scientific examination of diffusive/conductive phenomena during solidification. It is possible to halt, or even reverse, natural convection by exploiting the variation (with temperature, for example) of the susceptibility of a material. If the material is placed in a vertical magnetic field gradient, a buoyancy force of magnetic origin arises and, at a critical field gradient, can balance the normal buoyancy forces to halt convection. At higher field gradients the convection can be reversed. The effect has been demonstrated in experiments at Marshall Space Flight Center where flow was measured by PIV in MnCl2 solution in a superconducting magnet. In auxiliary experiments the field in the magnet and the properties of the solution were measured. Computations of the natural convection, its halting and reversal, using the commercial software FLUENT were in good agreement with the measurements.

Seybert, C. D.↗

Constructing the Coronal Magnetic Field by Correlating Parameterized Magnetic Field Lines with Observed Coronal Plasma Structures

A method is presented for constructing the coronal magnetic field from photospheric magnetograms and observed coronal loops. A set of magnetic field lines generated from magnetogram data is parameterized and then deformed by varying the parameterized values. The coronal flux tubes associated with this field are adjusted until the correlation between the field lines and the observed coronal loops is maximized. A mathematical formulation is described which ensures that (1) the normal component of the photospheric field remains unchanged, (2) the field is given in the entire corona over an active region, (3) the field remains divergence-free, and 4electric currents are introduced into the field. It is demonstrated that a parameterization of a potential field, comprising a radial stretching of the field, can provide a match for a simple bipolar active region, AR 7999, which crossed the central meridian on 1996 November 26. The result is a non-force-free magnetic field with the Lorentz force being of the order of 10(exp -5.5) g per s(exp 2) resulting from an electric current density of 0.79 micro A per m(exp 2). Calculations show that the plasma beta becomes larger than unity at a strong non-radial currents requires low height of about 0.25 solar radii supporting the non-force-free conclusion. The presence of such strong non-radial currents requires large transverse pressure gradients fo maintain a magnetostatic atmosphere, required by the relatively persistent nature of the coronal structures observed in AR 7999. This scheme is an important tool in generating a magnetic field solution consistent with the coronal flux tube observations and the observed photospheric magnetic field.

Allen, Gary G.↗

Collisionless coupling in the AMPTE artificial comet

Analysis of previously reported observations of the solar wind-barium interaction associated with the AMPTE artificial comet release of Dec. 27, 1984, is presented. On the basis of these results it is argued that solar wind couples momentum (and energy) to the barium ions through both laminar and turbulent processes. The laminar forces acting on the particles are the laminar electric and magnetic fields; the turbulent forces are associated with the intense electrostatic wave activity. This wave activity is shown to be caused by a cross-field solar wind proton-barium ion streaming instability. The observed wave frequencies and saturated amplitudes are consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Papadopoulos, K.↗

Prediction of destabilizing blade tip forces for shrouded and unshrouded turbines

The effect of a nonuniform flow field on the Alford force calculation is investigated. The ideas used here are based on those developed by Horlock and Greitzer. It is shown that the nonuniformity of the flow field does contribute to the Alford force calculation. An attempt is also made to include the effect of whirl speed. The values predicted by the model are compared with those obtained experimentally by Urlicks and Wohlrab. The possibility of using existing turbine tip loss correlations to predict beta is also exploited. The nonuniform flow field induced by the tip clearnance variation tends to increase the resultant destabilizing force over and above what would be predicted on the basis of the local variation of efficiency. On the one hand, the pressure force due to the nonuniform inlet and exit pressure also plays a part even for unshrouded blades, and this counteracts the flow field effects, so that the simple Alford prediction remains a reasonable approximation. Once the efficiency variation with clearance is known, the presented model gives a slightly overpredicted, but reasonably accurate destabilizing force. In the absence of efficiency vs. clearance data, an empirical tip loss coefficient can be used to give a reasonable prediction of destabilizing force. To a first approximation, the whirl does have a damping effect, but only of small magnitude, and thus it can be ignored for some purposes.

Qiu, Y. J.↗