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At least 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

The Dynamics of a Field in a Cavity with a Slowly Oscillating Metal Mirror

We have examined analytically the behavior of an electromagnetic field in a cavity of one of two metal mirrors that is stationary, while the other mirror oscillates in the vicinity of its equilibrium position. The case in which the period of the mirror oscillations substantially exceeds the characteristic roundtrip time of the electromagnetic radiation in the cavity has been considered. To solve the problem, we have applied the method of two time scales. The method makes it possible to solve the problem by using the expansion with respect to a small parameter, for which the ratio of the cavity roundtrip time to the mirror-oscillation period is used. The solution to the problem in the zeroth-order approximation with respect to the small parameter has been obtained and examined. This solution has been shown to be correct up to the mirror-oscillation amplitude being on the order of the average cavity length. We have showed that this scheme can be used to gain and generate electromagnetic radiation. We have compared our results obtained for the oscillating mirror with the results of an exact solution of the problem when the mirror moves uniformly and rectilinearly. We have showed that, in these two cases, a change in the total field energy in the cavity is inversely proportional to the current value of the cavity length.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental Considerations in Long-Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Measurements

Long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, which are among the largest neutrino experiments in the world, have extensive physics programs to make precision measurements of three-flavor oscillation parameters, search for physics beyond the Standard Model, and study neutrinos from astrophysical sources. In this article, experimental considerations, including oscillation phenomenology, detector and experiment design, and analysis strategies, are described, with a focus on the three-flavor oscillation measurements. Current and future experiments are discussed, and significant sources of systematic uncertainty, along with mitigation strategies, are emphasized as control of systematic uncertainty is critical for success in precise measurement of long-baseline oscillation parameters. This article is structured as a primer for those new to this area of experimental work.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nonlinear saturation and oscillations of collisionless zonal flows

In homogeneous drift-wave (DW) turbulence, zonal flows (ZFs) can be generated via a modulational instability (MI) that either saturates monotonically or leads to oscillations of the ZF energy at the nonlinear stage. This dynamics is often attributed as the predator-prey oscillations induced by ZF collisional damping; however, similar dynamics is also observed in collisionless ZFs, in which case a different mechanism must be involved. Here, we propose a semi-analytic theory that explains the transition between the oscillations and saturation of collisionless ZFs within the quasilinear Hasegawa-Mima model. By analyzing phase-space trajectories of DW quanta (driftons) within the geometrical-optics (GO) approximation, we argue that the parameter that controls this transition is N ~ \gamma_MI/\omega_DW, where \gamma_MI is the MI growth rate and \omega_DW is the linear DW frequency. We argue that at N << 1, ZFs oscillate due to the presence of so-called passing drifton trajectories, and we derive an approximate formula for the ZF amplitude as a function of time in this regime. We also show that at N >~ 1, the passing trajectories vanish and ZFs saturate monotonically, which can be attributed to phase mixing of higher-order sidebands. A modification of N that accounts for effects beyond the GO limit is also proposed. These analytic results are tested against both quasilinear and fully-nonlinear simulations. They also explain the earlier numerical results by Connaughton et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 654, 207 (2010)] and Gallagher et al. [Phys. Plasmas 19, 122115 (2012)] and offer a revised perspective on what the control parameter is that determines the transition from the oscillations to saturation of collisionless ZFs.

collisionless zonal flows, modulational instabilit↗
DOE OSTI2015

Integration of a Self-Coherence Algorithm into DISAT for Forced Oscillation Detection

With the increasing number of phasor measurement units on the power system, behaviors typically not observable on the power system are becoming more apparent. Oscillatory behavior on the power system, notably forced oscillations, are one such behavior. However, the large amounts of data coming from the PMUs makes manually detecting and locating these oscillations difficult. To automate portions of the process, an oscillation detection routine was coded into the Data Integrity and Situational Awareness Tool (DISAT) framework. Integration into the DISAT framework allows forced oscillations to be detected and information about the event provided to operational engineers. The oscillation detection algorithm integrates with the data handling and atypical data detecting capabilities of DISAT, building off of a standard library of functions. This report details that integration with information on the algorithm, some implementation issues, and some sample results from the western United States’ power grid.

Forced oscillations↗
DOE OSTI2016

X-RAY BURST OSCILLATIONS: FROM FLAME SPREADING TO THE COOLING WAKE

Type I X-ray bursts are thermonuclear flashes observed from the surfaces of accreting neutron stars (NSs) in low mass X-ray binaries. Oscillations have been observed during the rise and/or decay of some of these X-ray bursts. Those seen during the rise can be well explained by a spreading hot spot model, but large amplitude oscillations in the decay phase remain mysterious because of the absence of a clear-cut source of asymmetry. To date there have not been any quantitative studies that consistently track the oscillation amplitude both during the rise and decay (cooling tail) of bursts. Here we compute the light curves and amplitudes of oscillations in X-ray burst models that realistically account for both flame spreading and subsequent cooling. We present results for several such “cooling wake” models, a “canonical” cooling model where each patch on the NS surface heats and cools identically, or with a latitude-dependent cooling timescale set by the local effective gravity, and an “asymmetric” model where parts of the star cool at significantly different rates. We show that while the canonical cooling models can generate oscillations in the tails of bursts, they cannot easily produce the highest observed modulation amplitudes. Alternatively, a simple phenomenological model with asymmetric cooling can achieve higher amplitudes consistent with the observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ABOVE-THE-LOOP-TOP OSCILLATION AND QUASI-PERIODIC CORONAL WAVE GENERATION IN SOLAR FLARES

Observations revealed that various kinds of oscillations are excited in solar flare regions. Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in flare emissions are commonly observed in a wide range of wavelengths. Recent observations have found that fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are quasi-periodically emitted from some flaring sites (quasi-periodic propagating fast-mode magnetoacoustic waves; QPFs). Both QPPs and QPFs imply a cyclic disturbance originating from the flaring sites. However, the physical mechanisms remain puzzling. By performing a set of two-dimensional MHD simulations of a solar flare, we discovered the local oscillation above the loops filled with evaporated plasma (above-the-loop-top region) and the generation of QPFs from such oscillating regions. Unlike all previous models for QPFs, our model includes essential physics for solar flares such as magnetic reconnection, heat conduction, and chromospheric evaporation. We revealed that QPFs can be spontaneously excited by the above-the-loop-top oscillation. We found that this oscillation is controlled by the backflow of the reconnection outflow. The new model revealed that flare loops and the above-the-loop-top region are full of shocks and waves, which is different from the previous expectations based on a standard flare model and previous simulations. In this paper, we show the QPF generation process based on our new picture of flare loops and will briefly discuss a possible relationship between QPFs and QPPs. Our findings will change the current view of solar flares to a new view in which they are a very dynamic phenomenon full of shocks and waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ANALYSIS OF CORONAL RAIN OBSERVED BY IRIS , HINODE /SOT, AND SDO /AIA: TRANSVERSE OSCILLATIONS, KINEMATICS, AND THERMAL EVOLUTION

Coronal rain composed of cool plasma condensations falling from coronal heights along magnetic field lines is a phenomenon occurring mainly in active region coronal loops. Recent high-resolution observations have shown that coronal rain is much more common than previously thought, suggesting its important role in the chromosphere-corona mass cycle. We present the analysis of MHD oscillations and kinematics of the coronal rain observed in chromospheric and transition region lines by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) , the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), and the Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). Two different regimes of transverse oscillations traced by the rain are detected: small-scale persistent oscillations driven by a continuously operating process and localized large-scale oscillations excited by a transient mechanism. The plasma condensations are found to move with speeds ranging from few km s{sup −1} up to 180 km s{sup −1} and with accelerations largely below the free-fall rate, likely explained by pressure effects and the ponderomotive force resulting from the loop oscillations. The observed evolution of the emission in individual SDO /AIA bandpasses is found to exhibit clear signatures of a gradual cooling of the plasma at the loop top. We determine the temperature evolution of the coronal loop plasma using regularized inversion to recover the differential emission measure (DEM) and by forward modeling the emission intensities in the SDO /AIA bandpasses using a two-component synthetic DEM model. The inferred evolution of the temperature and density of the plasma near the apex is consistent with the limit cycle model and suggests the loop is going through a sequence of periodically repeating heating-condensation cycles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

EXPERIMENTALLY MEASURED RADIATIVE LIFETIMES AND OSCILLATOR STRENGTHS IN NEUTRAL VANADIUM

We report a new study of the V i atom using a combination of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence and Fourier transform spectroscopy that contains newly measured radiative lifetimes for 25 levels between 24,648 cm{sup −1} and 37,518 cm{sup −1} and oscillator strengths for 208 lines between 3040 and 20000 Å from 39 upper energy levels. Thirteen of these oscillator strengths have not been reported previously. This work was conducted independently of the recent studies of neutral vanadium lifetimes and oscillator strengths carried out by Den Hartog et al. and Lawler et al., and thus serves as a means to verify those measurements. Where our data overlap with their data, we generally find extremely good agreement in both level lifetimes and oscillator strengths. However, we also find evidence that Lawler et al. have systematically underestimated oscillator strengths for lines in the region of 9000 ± 100 Å. We suggest a correction of 0.18 ± 0.03 dex for these values to bring them into agreement with our results and those of Whaling et al. We also report new measurements of hyperfine structure splitting factors for three odd levels of V i lying between 24,700 and 28,400 cm{sup −1}.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Quasi-periodic Oscillations in Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections Associated with Magnetic Reconnection

We propose a mechanism for quasi-periodic oscillations of both coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and flare loops as related to magnetic reconnection in eruptive solar flares. We perform two-dimensional numerical MHD simulations of magnetic flux rope eruption, with three different values of the global Lundquist number. In the low Lundquist number run, no oscillatory behavior is found. In the moderate Lundquist number run, on the other hand, quasi-periodic oscillations are excited both at the bottom of the flux rope and at the flare loop top. In the high Lundquist number run, quasi-periodic oscillations are also excited; in the meanwhile, the dynamics become turbulent owing to the formation of multiple plasmoids in the reconnection current sheet. In high and moderate Lundquist number runs, thin reconnection jets collide with the flux rope bottom or flare loop top and dig them deeply. Steep oblique shocks are formed as termination shocks where reconnection jets are bent (rather than decelerated) in the horizontal direction, resulting in supersonic backflows. The structure becomes unstable, and quasi-periodic oscillations of supersonic backflows appear at locally confined high-beta regions at both the flux rope bottom and flare loop top. We compare the observational characteristics of quasi-periodic oscillations in erupting flux ropes, post-CME current sheets, flare ribbons, and light curves with corresponding dynamical structures found in our simulation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Distant Mirror: Solar Oscillations Observed on Neptune by the Kepler K2 Mission

Starting in 2014 December, Kepler (K2) observed Neptune continuously for 49 days at a 1-minute cadence. The goals consisted of studying its atmospheric dynamics, detecting its global acoustic oscillations, and those of the Sun, which we report on here. We present the first indirect detection of solar oscillations in intensity measurements. Beyond the remarkable technical performance, it indicates how Kepler would see a star like the Sun. The result from the global asteroseismic approach, which consists of measuring the oscillation frequency at maximum amplitude max velocity and the mean frequency separation between mode overtones delta velocity, is surprising as the max velocity measured from Neptune photometry is larger than the accepted value. Compared to the usual reference max velocity of the sun equal to 3100 microhertz, the asteroseismic scaling relations therefore make the solar mass and radius appear larger by 13.8 plus or minus 5.8 percent and 4.3 plus or minus 1.9 percent, respectively. The higher max velocity is caused by a combination of the value of max velocity of the sun, being larger at the time of observations than the usual reference from SOHO/VIRGO/SPM (Variability of solar IRradiance and Gravity Oscillations / on board SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) / Sun PhotoMeters) data (3160 plus or minus 10 microhertz), and the noise level of the K2 time series, being 10 times larger than VIRGO's. The peak-bagging method provides more consistent results: despite a low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), we model 10 overtones for degrees iota equal 0, 1, 2. We compare the K2 data with simultaneous SOHO/VIRGO/SPM photometry and Bison (Birmingham Solar-Oscillations Network) velocity measurements. The individual frequencies, widths, and amplitudes mostly match those from VIRGO and BiSON within 1 sigma, except for the few peaks with the lowest S/N.

planets and satellites: individual (Neptune) – s↗
NASA NTRS2017

Novel High Temperature Capacitive Pressure Sensor Utilizing SiC Integrated Circuit Twin Ring Oscillators

This paper describes initial development and testing of a novel high temperature capacitive pressure sensor system. The pressure sensor system consists of two 4H-SiC 11-stage ring oscillators and a SiCN capacitive pressure sensor. One oscillator has the capacitive pressure sensor fixed at one node in its feedback loop and varies as a function of pressure and temperature while the other provides a pressure-independent reference frequency which can be used to temperature compensate the output of the first oscillator. A two-day repeatability test was performed up to 500C on the oscillators and the oscillator fundamental frequency changed by only 1. The SiCN capacitive pressure sensor was characterized at room temperature from 0 to 300 psi. The sensor had an initial capacitance of 3.76 pF at 0 psi and 1.75 pF at 300 psi corresponding to a 54 change in capacitance. The integrated pressure sensor system was characterized from 0 to 300 psi in steps of 50 psi over a temperature range of 25 to 500C. The pressure sensor system sensitivity was 0.113 kHzpsi at 25C and 0.026 kHzpsi at 500C.

high temperature↗
NASA NTRS2018

Helioseismic Observations of Torsional Oscillations Inside the Sun and Their Potential for Predicting Solar Cycles

The helioseismic analysis of torsional oscillations of the Sun, obtained in 1996-2018 from SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) and SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), reveals the spatio-temporal dynamics associated with the dynamo process. The data reveal new relationships between the migrating magnetic field patterns observed in synoptic magnetograms and the dynamics of torsional oscillations near the surface and in the interior. In particular, it is found that the evolution of torsional oscillations in the deep convection zone is ahead of the surface magnetic evolution by several years, and that it is related to the extended solar cycle phenomenon previously observed in the solar corona. The data show substantial differences in the torsional oscillation properties between Cycles 23 and 24 indicating fundamental changes in the dynamo regime, and also reveal initiation of Cycle 25. The helioseismology observations of the torsional oscillations open new perspectives for understanding the global dynamo processes inside the Sun, and for predicting the next solar cycle.

Oscillations↗
NASA NTRS2022

Extension and Validation of the Pendulum Model for Longitudinal Solar Prominence Oscillations

Context. Longitudinal oscillations in prominences are common phenomena on the Sun. These oscillations can be used to infer the geometry and intensity of the filament magnetic field. Previous theoretical studies of longitudinal oscillations made two simplifying assumptions: uniform gravity and semicircular dips on the supporting flux tubes. However, the gravity is not uniform and realistic dips are not semicircular. Aims. Our aim is to understand the effects of including the nonuniform solar gravity on longitudinal oscillations and explore the validity of the pendulum model with different flux-tube geometries. Methods. We first derived the equation describing the motion of the plasma along the flux tube including the effects of nonuniform gravity, yielding corrections to the original pendulum model. We also computed the full numerical solutions for the normal modes and compared them with the new pendulum approximation. Results. We find that the nonuniform gravity introduces a significant modification in the pendulum model. We also found a cut-off period; i.e., the longitudinal oscillations cannot have a period longer than 167 min. In addition, considering different tube geometries, the period depends almost exclusively on the radius of curvature at the bottom of the dip. Conclusions. We conclude that nonuniform gravity significantly modifies the pendulum model. These corrections are important for prominence seismology, because the inferred values of the radius of curvature and minimum magnetic-field strength differ substantially from those of the old model. However, we find that the corrected pendulum model is quite robust and is still valid for noncircular dips.

Sun: corona↗
DOE OSTI2012

Oscillator Seeding of a High Gain Harmonic Generation FEL in a Radiator-First Configuration

A longitudinally coherent X-ray pulse from a high repetition rate free electron laser (FEL) is desired for a wide variety of experimental applications. However, generating such a pulse with a repetition rate greater than 1 MHz is a significant challenge. The desired high repetition rate sources, primarily high harmonic generation with intense lasers in gases or plasmas, do not exist now, and, for the multi-MHz bunch trains that superconducting accelerators can potentially produce, are likely not feasible with current technology. In this paper, we propose to place an oscillator downstream of a radiator. The oscillator generates radiation that is used as a seed for a high gain harmonic generation (HGHG) FEL which is upstream of the oscillator. For the first few pulses the oscillator builds up power and, until power is built up, the radiator has no HGHG seed. As power in the oscillator saturates, the HGHG is seeded and power is produced. The dynamics and stability of this radiator-first scheme is explored analytically and numerically. A single-pass map is derived using a semi-analytic model for FEL gain and saturation. Iteration of the map is shown to be in good agreement with simulations. A numerical example is presented for a soft X-ray FEL.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

On BWR regional oscillations with rotational symmetry line using SIMULATE-3K

A new stability analysis methodology is being developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) using the best-estimate coupled neutronic/thermal- hydraulics code, SIMULATE-3K (S3K). This methodology has so far been validated against Leibstadt NPP (KKL) stability tests of C10, C13 and C19, which all show global (in-phase) oscillations. However, the methodology has not yet been validated for regional instabilities and to that aim, a special KKL cycle 07 stability test was selected. Indeed, during this test, the core not only showed growing power oscillation amplitudes in an out-of-phase regime but also an oscillating and rotating symmetry line. Thereby, it was selected in order to verify the S3K capability to predict regional instabilities and on that basis, obtain more insights towards understanding the causes for the oscillatory and rotational behaviour of symmetry lines. The results obtained so far are presented in this paper. First, it is found that the S3K results are in good agreement with measurements both qualitatively and quantitatively, although the resonance frequency is slightly over-predicted. Secondly, the excitation of the out-of-phase mode with oscillations as well as rotation of the symmetry line is also well captured i.e. in accordance to the experimental observations. Related to this, an in-depth analysis of LPRM signals indicates that two out-of-phase oscillation modes associated to two azimuthal neutronic modes are simultaneously excited. Furthermore, it is found that a superposition of these two modes will trigger the symmetry line dynamics and that the behaviour will be guided by the dominance ratio between these two modes. More precisely, the oscillatory behaviour is due to the superposition of the two azimuthal modes but with one dominant mode. The rotational behaviour is however due to the superposition of the two modes with comparable strengths. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Modified semi-classical methods for nonlinear quantum oscillations problems

We develop a modified semi-classical approach to the approximate solution of Schroedinger's equation for certain nonlinear quantum oscillations problems. In our approach, at lowest order, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation of the conventional semi-classical formalism is replaced by an inverted-potential-vanishing-energy variant thereof. With suitable smoothness, convexity and coercivity properties imposed on its potential energy function, we prove, using methods drawn from the calculus of variations together with the (Banach space) implicit function theorem, the existence of a global, smooth 'fundamental solution' to this equation. Higher order quantum corrections thereto, for both ground and excited states, can then be computed through the integration of associated systems of linear transport equations, derived from Schroedinger's equation, and formal expansions for the corresponding energy eigenvalues obtained therefrom by imposing the natural demand for smoothness on the (successively computed) quantum corrections to the eigenfunctions. For the special case of linear oscillators our expansions naturally truncate, reproducing the well-known exact solutions for the energy eigenfunctions and eigenvalues. As an explicit application of our methods to computable nonlinear problems, we calculate a number of terms in the corresponding expansions for the one-dimensional anharmonic oscillators of quartic, sectic, octic, and dectic types and compare the results obtained with those of conventional Rayleigh/Schroedinger perturbation theory. To the orders considered (and, conjecturally, to all orders) our eigenvalue expansions agree with those of Rayleigh/Schroedinger theory whereas our wave functions more accurately capture the more-rapid-than-gaussian decay known to hold for the exact solutions to these problems. For the quartic oscillator in particular our results strongly suggest that both the ground state energy eigenvalue expansion and its associated wave function expansion are Borel summable to yield natural candidates for the actual exact ground state solution and its energy. Our techniques for proving the existence of the crucial 'fundamental solution' to the relevant (inverted-potential-vanishing-energy) Hamilton-Jacobi equation have the important property of admitting interesting infinite dimensional generalizations. In a project paralleling the present one we shall show how this basic construction can be carried out for the Yang-Mills equations in Minkowski spacetime.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

A fully integrated oven controlled microelectromechanical oscillator – Part II. Characterization and measurement

Our paper reports the measurement and characterization of a fully integrated oven controlled microelectromechanical oscillator (OCMO). The OCMO takes advantage of high thermal isolation and monolithic integration of both aluminum nitride (AlN) micromechanical resonators and electronic circuitry to thermally stabilize or ovenize all the components that comprise an oscillator. Operation at microscale sizes allows implementation of high thermal resistance platform supports that enable thermal stabilization at very low-power levels when compared with the state-of-the-art oven controlled crystal oscillators. A prototype OCMO has been demonstrated with a measured temperature stability of -1.2 ppb/°C, over the commercial temperature range while using tens of milliwatts of supply power and with a volume of 2.3 mm 3 (not including the printed circuit board-based thermal control loop). Additionally, due to its small thermal time constant, the thermal compensation loop can maintain stability during fast thermal transients (>10 °C/min). This new technology has resulted in a new paradigm in terms of power, size, and warm up time for high thermal stability oscillators.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

New avenues for |∆ B | = 2 processes beyond neutron-antineutron oscillations

We explore baryon-number-violating (|∆ B | = 2) processes beyond the well-known neutron-antineutron ($n - \bar{n}$) oscillations, focusing on the $Λ - \bar{Λ}$ system. The presence of a strange quark in the Λ baryon introduces a new set of six-quark operators roughly of the form (uds) 2 , which are different from the (udd) 2 operators responsible for oscillations. Using the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), we classify all dimension-9 operators that cause |∆ B | = 2 transitions and study their UV completions mediated by exotic scalar fields with trilinear interactions. We demonstrate that in these models, oscillations can occur at tree level, with $n - \bar{n}$ mixing potentially appearing at higher loop levels. We employ a chiral effective theory to constrain the effective mass mixing δm Λ , deriving bounds from current experimental limits on $n - \bar{n}$ oscillations and dinucleon decays such as pp → K + K + . These bounds indicate that $Λ - \bar{Λ}$ oscillations probe a complementary parameter space, sensitive to baryon-number violation at scales up to 10 2 − 10 3 TeV. We show that the existing indirect bounds make it challenging to provide a competitive bound on δm Λ at BESIII.

Baryon/Lepton Number Violation↗