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Results for “weak transitions”

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NASA NTRS1994

Acoustics of laminar boundary layers breakdown

Boundary layer flow transition has long been suggested as a potential noise source in both marine (sonar-dome self noise) and aeronautical (aircraft cabin noise) applications, owing to the highly transient nature of process. The design of effective noise control strategies relies upon a clear understanding of the source mechanisms associated with the unsteady flow dynamics during transition. Due to formidable mathematical difficulties, theoretical predictions either are limited to early linear and weakly nonlinear stages of transition, or employ acoustic analogy theories based on approximate source field data, often in the form of empirical correlation. In the present work, an approach which combines direct numerical simulation of the source field with the Lighthill acoustic analogy is utilized. This approach takes advantage of the recent advancement in computational capabilities to obtain detailed information about the flow-induced acoustic sources. The transitional boundary layer flow is computed by solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations without model assumptions, thus allowing a direct evaluation of the pseudosound as well as source functions, including the Lighthill stress tensor and the wall shear stress. The latter are used for calculating the radiated pressure field based on the Curle-Powell solution of the Lighthill equation. This procedure allows a quantitative assessment of noise source mechanisms and the associated radiation characteristics during transition from primary instability up to the laminar breakdown stage. In particular, one is interested in comparing the roles played by the fluctuating volume Reynolds stress and the wall-shear-stresses, and in identifying specific flow processes and structures that are effective noise generators.

Wang, Meng↗

NASA NTRS2011

Implications of Weak-Link Behavior on the Performance of Mo/Au Bilayer Transition-Edge Sensors

Understanding the physical properties of the superconducting-to-normal transition is fundamental for optimizing the design and performance of transition-edge sensors (TESs). Recent critical current measurements of Mol Au bilayer test structures show that they act as weak superconducting links, exhibiting oscillatory, Fraunhofer-like behavior with applied magnetic field. In this paper we investigate the implications of this behavior for TES X-ray detectors, under operational bias conditions. These devices include normal metal features used for absorber attachment and unexplained noise suppression, which result in modifications to the previously reported critical current behavior. We present measurements of the logarithmic resistance sensitivity with temperature, a, and current, b, as a function of applied magnetic field and bias point within the resistive transition. Results show that these important device parameters exhibit similar oscillatory behavior with applied magnetic field, which in turn affects the signal responsivity and noise, and hence the energy resolution. These results show the significance of the critical current in determining the performance of TESs and hold promise to improve future.

Smith, Stephen J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Strange attractors in weakly turbulent Couette-Taylor flow

An experiment is conducted on the transition from quasi-periodic to weakly turbulent flow of a fluid contained between concentric cylinders with the inner cylinder rotating and the outer cylinder at rest. Power spectra, phase-space portraits, and circle maps obtained from velocity time-series data indicate that the nonperiodic behavior observed is deterministic, that is, it is described by strange attractors. Various problems that arise in computing the dimension of strange attractors constructed from experimental data are discussed and it is shown that these problems impose severe requirements on the quantity and accuracy of data necessary for determining dimensions greater than about 5. In the present experiment the attractor dimension increases from 2 at the onset of turbulence to about 4 at a Reynolds number 50-percent above the onset of turbulence.

Brandstater, A.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Longitudinal Proximity Effect, Lateral Inverse Proximity Effect, and Nonequilibrium Superconductivity in Transition-Edge Sensors

We have recently shown that normal-metal/superconductor (N /S) bilayer TESs (superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors) exhibit weak-link behavior. Our measurements were explained in terms of a longitudinal proximity effect model in which superconducting order from the higher transition temperature leads is induced into the TES bilayer plane over remarkably long distances (up to 290 micron). Here we extend our understanding to include TESs with added noise-mitigating normal-metal structures (N structures). We explain our results in terms of an effect converse to the longitudinal proximity effect (LoPE), the lateral inverse proximity effect (LaiPE), for which the order parameter in the N /S bilayer is reduced due to the neighboring N structures. We present resistance and critical current measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field taken on square Mo/Au bilayer TESs with lengths ranging from 8 to 130 micron with and without added N structures. We observe the inverse proximity effect on the bilayer over in-plane distances many tens of microns and find the transition shifts to lower temperatures scale approximately as the inverse square of the in-plane N-structure separation distance, without appreciable broadening of the transition width. We find TESs with added Au structures exhibit weak-link behavior as evidenced by exponential temperature dependence of the critical current and Josephson-like oscillations of the critical current with applied magnetic field. We also present evidence for nonequilbrium superconductivity and estimate a quasiparticle lifetime of 1.8 x 10(exp -10) s for the bilayer. The LoPE model is also used to explain the increased conductivity at temperatures above the bilayer's steep resistive transition.

Sadleir, John E.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Longitudinal Proximity Effect, Lateral Inverse Proximity Effect, and Nonequilibrium Superconductivity in Transition-edge Sensors

We have recently shown that normal-metal/superconductor (N/S) bilayer TESs (superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors) exhibit weak-link behavior. Our measurements were explained in terms of a longitudinal proximity effect model in which superconducting order from the higher transition temperature leads is induced into the TES bilayer plane over remarkably long distances (up to 290 micron). Here we extend our understanding to include TESs with added noise-mitigating normal-metal structures (N structures). We explain our results of an effect converse to the longitudinal proximity effect (LoPE), the lateral inverse proximity effect (LaiPE), for which the order parameter in the N/S bilayer is reduced due to the neighboring N structures. We present resistance and critical current measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field taken on square Mo/Au bilayer TESs with lengths ranging from 8 to 130 micron with and without added N structures. We observe the inverse proximity effect on the bilayer over in-plane distances many tens of microns and find the transition shifts to lower temperature scale approximately as the inverse square of the in-plane N-structure separation distance, without appreciable broadening of the transition width. We find TESs with added Au structures exhibit weak-link behavior as evidenced by exponential temperature dependence of the critical current and Josephson-like oscillations of the critical current with applied magnetic field. We also present evidence for nonequilbrium superconductivity and estimate a quasiparticle lifetime of 1.8 x 10(exp -10) s for the bilayer. The LoPE model is also used to explain the increased conductivity at temperatures above the bilayer's steep resistive transition

Sadleir, John E.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Effect of suction and blowing on boundary-layer transition

The effects of wall blowing and suction on boundary-layer stability and transition are studied on a flat plate. Titanium panels, in which 0.063 mm diameter holes were drilled on 0.635 mm centers, are inserted on the plate. Suction level and distribution are variable. Disturbances are introduced by means of a vibrating ribbon and measurements of both mean-flow and disturbance-flow velocities are made with a hot wire. Disturbance amplitudes are measured as a function of Reynolds number, frequency, and suction characteristics and compared with the previous Dynapore results of Reynolds and Saric. Transition measurements under natural and forced conditions are also made. The stabilizing effects of suction are documented. It is also shown that very high local flow rates through the suction holes (which approach a hole Reynolds number of 300) do not destabilize the flow. On the other hand, weak blowing lowers the transition Reynolds number but is found not to cause serious problems.

Saric, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Experiments to verify nonparallel stability theory at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia

The effects of normal mass injection and suction on boundary-layer stability and transition are studied on a flat plate. Titanium panels, in which 0.063 mm diameter holes were drilled on 0.635 mm centers, are inserted in the plate. Suction level and distribution are variable. Disturbances are introduced by means of a vibrating ribbon and measurements of both mean- and disturbance-flow velocities are made with a hot wire. Disturbance amplitudes are measured as a function of Reynolds number, frequency, and suction characteristics, and are compared with the previous results obtained over a Dynapore surface. Transition measurements under natural and forced conditions are also made. The stabilizing effects of suction are documented. It is also shown that very high local flow rates through the suction holes (which approach a hole Reynolds number of 300) do not destabilize the flow. On the other hand, weak blowing lowers the transition Reynolds number, but is found not to cause serious problems.

Saric, William S.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Precise mass and radius of a transiting super-Earth planet orbiting the M dwarf TOI-1235: a planet in the radius gap?

We report the confirmation of a transiting planet around the bright weakly active M0.5 V star TOI-1235 (TYC 4384–1735–1, V ≈ 11.5 mag), whose transit signal was detected in the photometric time series of sectors 14, 20, and 21 of the TESS space mission. We confirm the planetary nature of the transit signal, which has a period of 3.44 d, by using precise RV measurements with the CARMENES, HARPS-N, and iSHELL spectrographs, supplemented by high-resolution imaging and ground-based photometry. A comparison of the properties derived for TOI-1235 b with theoretical models reveals that the planet has a rocky composition, with a bulk density slightly higher than that of Earth. In particular, we measure a mass of M(p) = 5.9 ± 0.6 Mꚛ and a radius of R(p) = 1.69 ± 0.08 Rꚛ, which together result in a density of ρp = 6.7(− 1.1,+ 1.3) g/cu. cm. When compared with other well-characterized exoplanetary systems, the particular combination of planetary radius and mass places our discovery in the radius gap, which is a transition region between rocky planets and planets with significant atmospheric envelopes. A few examples of planets occupying the radius gap are known to date. While the exact location of the radius gap for M dwarfs is still a matter of debate, our results constrain it to be located at around 1.7 Rꚛ or larger at the insolation levels received by TOI-1235 b (~60 Sꚛ). This makes it an extremely interesting object for further studies of planet formation and atmospheric evolution.

P. Bluhm↗

NASA NTRS2019

Laminar-Turbulent Transition Upstream of the Entropy-Layer Swallowing Location in Hypersonic Boundary Layers

Numerical and experimental studies have demonstrated that modal growth of planar Mack modes is responsible for laminar-turbulent transition on sharp cones at hypersonic speeds. However, the physical mechanisms that lead to transition onset upstream of the entropy-layer swallowing location over sufficiently blunt geometries are not well understood as yet. Modal amplification is too weak or nonexistent to initiate transition at moderate-to-large bluntness values. Nonmodal analysis shows that, with increasing nose bluntness, both planar and oblique traveling disturbances that peak within the entropy layer experience appreciable energy amplification. However, because of the relatively weak signature of the nonmodal traveling disturbances within the boundary-layer region, the route to transition onset subsequent to the nonmodal growth remains unclear. Thus, nonlinear parabolized stability equations (NPSE) and direct numerical simulations (DNS) have been used to investigate the potential transition mechanisms over a 7-degree blunt cone that was tested in the AFRL Mach-6 high-Reynoldsnumber facility. Computations are performed to separately follow the nonlinear development of two classes of inflow disturbances, namely, a pair of oblique traveling waves with equal but opposite angles with respect to the mean flow direction and a planar traveling wave. Results in both cases show an excellent agreement between the NPSE and DNS predictions, establishing that the NPSE is an accurate and efficient technique for predicting the nonlinear development for these particular nonmodal traveling disturbances. Computations reveal that the oblique mode interactions lead to the generation of stationary streaks inside the boundary layer that, in turn, facilitate the growth of a subharmonic sinuous disturbance. For relatively modest amplitudes of the inflow disturbance, the oblique-mode breakdown can lead to transition at the measured location of transition onset during the experiment. On the other hand, the nonlinear development of a planar traveling wave leads to the formation of inclined structures just above the boundary-layer edge and these structures are strongly reminiscent of the transitional events observed during blunt cone experiments by using schlieren flow visualizations.

Entropy↗

NASA NTRS1985

Magnetic shear. II - Hale region 17244

A B-gamma(delta) sunspot group with growing delta-spots of trailing polarity shows evidence in H-alpha filament structure of a transition from a state of weak magnetic shear to a state of strong shear. The shear develops in the chromosphere and transition region to the corona overlying the photospheric magnetic neutral line separating the delta-spots from the leading polarity at a time when the delta-spots are undergoing rapid growth. Several major flares occur along the sheared portion of the neutral line following the shear development. Other segments of the neutral line far removed from the delta-spots show similar evidence of shear in the H-alpha filament structure and in C IV velocity patterns as well. These 'quiescent' regions of shear are relatively steady or decaying with time and show very little related activity.

Athay, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Methane overtone absorption by intracavity laser spectroscopy

Interpretation of planetary methane (CH4) visible-near IR spectra, used to develop models of planetary atmospheres, has been hampered by a lack of suitable laboratory spectroscopic data. The particular CH4 spectral bands are due to intrinsically weak, high overtone-combination transitions too complex for classical spectroscopic analysis. The traditional multipass cell approach to measuring spectra of weakly absorbing species is insufficiently sensitive to yield reliable results for some of the weakest CH4 absorption features and is difficult to apply at the temperatures of the planetary environments. A time modulated form of intracavity laser spectroscopy (ILS), has been shown to provide effective absorption pathlengths of 100 to 200 km with sample cells less than 1 m long. The optical physics governing this technique and the experimental parameters important for obtaining reliable, quantitative results are now well understood. Quantitative data for CH4 absorption obtained by ILS have been reported recently. Illustrative ILS data for CH4 absorption in the 619.7 nm and 681.9 nm bands are presented. New ILS facilities at UM-St. Louis will be used to measure CH4 absorption in the 700 to 1000 nm region under conditions appropriate to the planetary atmospheres.

Obrien, James J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

On interstellar Fe X forbidden line absorption. III - The lambda 6367 feature

Echelle spectra of Zeta Oph and HD 190603 are reported which show a weak interstellar absorption feature near 6367 A. The feature had been previously detected only toward two members of the Cepheus OB2 association in an extensive search for interstellar Fe X forbidden line absorption (lambda 6375). On the basis of the resulting radial velocities, the two new detections exclude the preliminary identification of the lambda 6367 feature with high-velocity Fe X ions in the hot, X-ray-emitting gas and demonstrate that the feature arises instead in the ordinary diffuse clouds. This unidentified feature may be either a molecular transition or a very weak diffuse interstellar band.

Hobbs, L. M.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

WMLES of K-Type and Bypass Boundary-Layer Transition

A new wall model for transitional flows is applied to the wall-modeled large-eddy simulation of the Klebanoff (fundamental) and bypass transition mechanisms, continuing an effort to improve computational efficiency by mitigating resolution requirements for the disturbances upstream of transition. Comparison with direct-numerical simulation results shows good agreement in the region prior to transition, but agreement during and after transition is not as good as previous wall-modeled large-eddy simulations of the Herbert (subharmonic) transition mechanism using this wall model. This is apparently due to weaknesses in the modelling of the transition process itself.

wall-modeled large-eddy simulation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

WMLES of K-Type and Bypass Boundary-Layer Transition

wall-modeled large-eddy simulation↗

NASA NTRS1980

BI Crucis - A new symbiotic star

A Mount Stromlo spectrogram of BI Cru taken in 1962 shows emission lines of H I, He I, He II, Fe II, N III, and the forbidden O III, forbidden Ne III, and forbidden S II transitions superposed on a weak bluish continuum. A spectrogram by Allen in 1974 shows emission lines of H I and Fe II and possibly weak He I, forbidden Fe II, and forbidden O I lines superposed on an M-star absorption spectrum. The object is evidently a symbiotic star showing large variations in its spectral character. Significant differences exist in the mean ion velocities and appear to be correlated with ionization potential.

Henize, K. G.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Vibrational-vibrational coupling in air at low humidities

Calculations of sound absorption in air are traditionally based on the assumption that molecular relaxations in N2 and O2 are independent. In binary mixtures of these two gases, however, they are not independent; rather, molecular relaxation is known to be controlled by a very strong vibrational-vibrational (V-V) coupling, which influences both the relaxation frequencies and the relaxation strengths. This article shows that small concentrations of the air constituents CO2 and H2O, which themselves possess a strong V-V coupling to N2 and O2, serve to decouple the N2 and O2 relaxations. To characterize the N2-O2 coupling a coupling strength is derived which depends upon the constituent concentrations and the related reaction rate constants. It is found that the molecular relaxations associated with N2 and O2 in air experience a gradual transition from strong to weak coupling as the humidity increases beyond approximately 0.001 mole percent.

Zuckerwar, Allan J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Fluctuation driven electroweak phase transition

We examine the dynamics of the electroweak phase transition in the early Universe. For Higgs masses in the range 46 less than or = M sub H less than or = 150 GeV and top quark masses less than 200 GeV, regions of symmetric and asymmetric vacuum coexist to below the critical temperature, with thermal equilibrium between the two phases maintained by fluctuations of both phases. We propose that the transition to the asymmetric vacuum is completed by percolation of these subcritical fluctuations. Our results are relevant to scenarios of baryogenesis that invoke a weakly first-order phase transition at the electroweak scale.

Gleiser, Marcelo↗

NASA NTRS1992

Fluctuation-driven electroweak phase transition

Gleiser, Marcelo↗