Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “HOLES”

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 559 records · Page 31

Semilocal exchange hole with an application to range-separated density functionals

The exchange-correlation hole is a central concept in density functional theory. It not only provides justification for an exchange-correlation energy functional but also serves as a local ingredient for nonlocal range-separated density functionals. However, due to the nonlocal nature, modeling the conventional exact exchange hole presents a great challenge to density functional theory. In this work, we propose a semilocal exchange hole underlying the Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria (TPSS) meta-generalized gradient approximation functional. Our model is distinct from previous ones not only at small separation between an electron and the hole around the electron but also in the way it interpolates between rapidly varying and slowly varying densities. Here the interpolation is determined by the wave-vector analysis on the infinite-barrier model for a jellium surface. Numerical tests show that our exchange-hole model mimics the conventional exact one quite well for atoms. As a simple application, we apply the hole model to construct a TPSS-based range-separated functional. We find that this range-separated functional can substantially improve the band gaps and barrier heights of TPSS, without losing much accuracy for atomization energies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Non-Abelian 𝜈 =$\frac{1}{2}$ quantum Hall state in $Γ$ 8 valence band hole liquid

In the search for states with non-Abelian statistics, we explore the fractional quantum Hall effect in a system of two-dimensional (2D) charge carrier holes. We propose a method of mapping states of holes confined to a finite width quantum well in a perpendicular magnetic field to states in a spherical shell geometry. We take into account strong coupling between the spin and motion of charge parallel and perpendicular to the 2D layer. This method gives the single-particle hole states used in the exact diagonalization of systems with a small number of holes in the presence of Coulomb interactions, density matrix renormalization group, and topological entanglement entropy calculations. Furthermore, the hole quantum Hall state at half filling of the ground state in a magnetic field near the crossing of single-hole states is likely the Moore-Read Pfaffian state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Half-filled stripes in a hole-doped three-orbital spin-fermion model for cuprates

Using Monte Carlo techniques, we study a three-orbital CuO 2 spin-fermion model for copper-based high-critical-temperature superconductors that captures the charge-transfer properties of these compounds. Our studies reveal the presence of spin order in the parent compound and, more importantly, stripe spin and charge order under hole doping. Due to the p-d orbital hybridization, the added holes are approximately equally distributed among the two p orbitals of the oxygen atoms and the d orbital of the copper atoms in the unit cell. In rectangular clusters of dimension 16×4 half-filled stripes are observed upon hole doping; namely, when N h =2$n$ holes are introduced in the system, then n vertical stripes of length 4 along the short periodic direction are formed. The original antiferromagnetic order observed in the parent compound develops a π shift across each stripe, and the magnetic structure factor has a peak at wave vector k=(π-δ,π) with δ=2πN h /N=πN h /2L, where L=16. The electronic charge is also modulated, and the charge structure factor is maximized at $k$=(2δ,0). As electrons are removed from the system, intracell orbital nematicity with &#9001$n_{p_x}$&#9002 -&#9001$n_{p_y}$&#9002 ≠ 0 develops in the oxygen sector, as well as intercell magnetic nematicity with &#9001S$^z_{i,d}$(S$^z_{i+x,d}$-S$^z_{i+y,d}$)&#9002 ≠ 0 in the spin copper sector, in the standard notation. This occurs not only in rectangular but also in square 8×8 lattices. Our results suggest that the essence of the stripe spin and charge distribution experimentally observed in hole-doped cuprates is captured by unbiased Monte Carlo studies of a simple hole-doped charge-transfer insulator CuO 2 spin-fermion model.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Statistical and systematic uncertainties in extracting the source properties of neutron star-black hole binaries with gravitational waves

Gravitational waves emitted by neutron star black hole mergers encode key properties of neutron stars - such as their size, maximum mass and spins - and black holes. However, the presence of matter and the high mass ratio makes generating long and accurate waveforms from these systems hard to do with numerical relativity, and not much is known about systematic uncertainties due to waveform modeling. In this work, we simulate gravitational waves from neutron star black hole mergers by hybridizing numerical relativity waveforms produced with the SpEC code with a recent numerical relativity surrogate NRHybSur3dq8Tidal. These signals are analyzed using a range of available waveform families, and statistical and systematic errors are reported. We find that at a network signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 30, statistical uncertainties are usually larger than systematic offsets, while at an SNR of 70 the two become comparable. The individual black hole and neutron star masses, as well as the mass ratios, are typically measured very precisely, though not always accurately at high SNR. At a SNR of 30 the neutron star tidal deformability can only be bound from above, while for louder sources it can be measured and constrained away from zero. All neutron stars in our simulations are non-spinning, but in no case we can constrain the neutron star spin to be smaller than ~0.4 (90% credible interval). Waveform families whose late inspiral has been tuned specifically for neutron star black hole signals typically yield the most accurate characterization of the source parameters. Their measurements are in tension with those obtained using waveform families tuned against binary neutron stars, even for mass ratios that could be relevant for both binary neutron stars and neutron star black holes mergers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Statistical physics of black holes as quantum-mechanical systems

Some basic features of black-hole statistical mechanics are investigated, assuming that black holes respect the principles of quantum mechanics. Care is needed in defining an entropy S bh corresponding to the number of microstates of a black hole, given that the black hole interacts with its surroundings. An open question is then the relationship between this entropy and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy S BH . For a wide class of models with interactions needed to ensure unitary quantum evolution, these interactions produce extra energy flux beyond that predicted by Hawking. Arguments are then presented that this results in an entropy S bh that is smaller than S BH . Correspondingly, in such scenarios equilibrium properties of black holes are modified. In this work, we examine questions of consistency of such an inequality; if it is not consistent, that provides significant constraints on models for quantum-mechanical black hole evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Effective field theory models for nonviolent information transfer from black holes

Transfer of quantum information from the interior of a black hole to its atmosphere is described, in models based on effective field theory. This description illustrates that such transfer need not be violent to the semiclassical geometry or to infalling observers, and in particular can avoid producing a singular horizon or “firewall”. One can specifically quantify the rate of information transfer and show that a rate necessary to unitarize black hole evaporation produces a relatively mild modification to the stress tensor near the horizon. In an exterior description of the transfer, the new interactions responsible for it are approximated by “effective sources” acting on fields in the black hole atmosphere. If the necessary interactions couple to general modes in the black hole atmosphere, one also finds a straightforward mechanism for information transfer rates to increase when a black hole is mined, avoiding paradoxical behavior. Finally, correspondence limits are discussed, in the presence of such new interactions, for both small black holes and large ones; the near-horizon description of the latter is approximately that of Rindler space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Possible observational windows for quantum effects from black holes

Quantum information transfer necessary to reconcile black hole evaporation with quantum mechanics, while approximately preserving regular near-horizon geometry, can be simply parameterized in terms of couplings of the black hole internal state to quantum fields of the black hole atmosphere. The necessity of transferring sufficient information for unitarization sets the strengths of these couplings. Such couplings via the stress tensor offer apparently significant advantages, and behave like quantum fluctuations of the effective metric near the horizon. At the requisite strength, these fluctuations, while soft (low energy/momentum), have significant magnitude, and so can deflect near-horizon geodesics that span distances of order the black hole radius. Thus, the presence of such couplings can result in effects that could be detected or constrained by observation: disruption of near-horizon accretion flows, scintillation of light passing close to the black hole, and alteration of gravitational wave emission from inspirals. Finally, these effects could in particular distort features of Sgr A* expected to be observed, e.g., by the Event Horizon Telescope, such as the black hole shadow and photon ring.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Ballistic Hole Emission Spectroscopy of Self-Assembled GeSi/Si(001) Nanoislands

Ballistic hole emission microscopy/spectroscopy has been applied to study the electronic structure of the hole states in the self-assembled GeSi/Si(001) nanoislands. The ballistic hole emission microscopic images demonstrated the spots of increased collector current related to the ballistic electron tunnelling via the confined valence band states in the GeSi/Si(001) nanoislands. In the ballistic hole emission spectra of the Ge hut clusters the stepwise features attributed to the quantum confined hole states have been observed. The results of present study demonstrate the capabilities of the ballistic hole emission microscopy/spectroscopy in the characterization of the electronic structures of the valence band states in the GeSi/Si nanostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Birefringence axis rotation and nonlinear response of a side-hole fiber pressure sensor

The pressure-induced birefringence of side-hole fibers has been widely explored for hydrostatic pressure measurement. Here, this paper studies the effects of the initial birefringence of a side-hole fiber on the pressure response of polarimetric sensors based on side-hole fibers. A mathematical model, where the stress field induced by the pressure is assumed to be uniform in the core region of the fiber, was established to calculate the birefringence and optical axis rotation as a function of the differences between the two principal stress components of the stress field in the core region. Simulation results show that when there is misalignment between the initial birefringence axes and the principal axes of the stress field, pressure changes cause rotations of the birefringence axis, leading to complicated and nonlinear changes of birefringence as a function of pressure. Experiments were conducted using fiber-Bragg-grating-based resonators on side-hole fibers with different initial birefringence, and the results agree well with the simulation. The results underscore the importance of the control of magnitude and direction of the initial birefringence of the side-hole fiber and provide guidelines for the design and fabrication of side-hole fiber pressure sensors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole

When surrounded by a transparent emission region, black holes are expected to reveal a dark shadow caused by gravitational light bending and photon capture at the event horizon. To image and study this phenomenon, we have assembled the Event Horizon Telescope, a global very long baseline interferometry array observing at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. This allows us to reconstruct event-horizon-scale images of the supermassive black hole candidate in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. We have resolved the central compact radio source as an asymmetric bright emission ring with a diameter of 42 ± 3 μas, which is circular and encompasses a central depression in brightness with a flux ratio gsim10:1. The emission ring is recovered using different calibration and imaging schemes, with its diameter and width remaining stable over four different observations carried out in different days. Overall, the observed image is consistent with expectations for the shadow of a Kerr black hole as predicted by general relativity. The asymmetry in brightness in the ring can be explained in terms of relativistic beaming of the emission from a plasma rotating close to the speed of light around a black hole. We compare our images to an extensive library of ray-traced general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of black holes and derive a central mass of M = (6.5 ± 0.7) × 109 M⊙. Our radio-wave observations thus provide powerful evidence for the presence of supermassive black holes in centers of galaxies and as the central engines of active galactic nuclei. They also present a new tool to explore gravity in its most extreme limit and on a mass scale that was so far not accessible.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Galactic center source associated with a supermassive black hole. These observations were conducted in 2017 using a global interferometric array of eight telescopes operating at a wavelength of λ = 1.3 mm. The EHT data resolve a compact emission region with intrahour variability. A variety of imaging and modeling analyses all support an image that is dominated by a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas (68% credible interval). The ring has modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry and a comparatively dim interior. Using a large suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the EHT images of Sgr A* are consistent with the expected appearance of a Kerr black hole with mass ∼4 × 10$^{6}$ M $_{⊙}$, which is inferred to exist at this location based on previous infrared observations of individual stellar orbits, as well as maser proper-motion studies. Our model comparisons disfavor scenarios where the black hole is viewed at high inclination (i > 50°), as well as nonspinning black holes and those with retrograde accretion disks. Our results provide direct evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and for the first time we connect the predictions from dynamical measurements of stellar orbits on scales of 10$^{3}$–10$^{5}$ gravitational radii to event-horizon-scale images and variability. Furthermore, a comparison with the EHT results for the supermassive black hole M87* shows consistency with the predictions of general relativity spanning over three orders of magnitude in central mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Out-of-ecliptic studies of coronal holes and their relation to the solar wind

The advantages of observing coronal holes of the sun above the solar ecliptic plane by a solar probe are discussed. Also discussed are the size of coronal holes, their temperature, and magnetic fields associated with the holes. The role of coronal holes in contributing to the solar wind is examined. Data and observations on coronal holes from Skylab and OSO are treated. It is concluded that an out-of-the-ecliptic solar probe mission would greatly add to the understanding of coronal holes (at high latitudes) thus adding a new perspective to the observation of these phenomena. (Photographs of the sun taken by Skylab are shown).

Noyes, R. W.↗

Stress intensity factors for deep cracks emanating from the corner formed by a hole intersecting a plate surface

The stress intensity factors (SIFs) at the end points of flaws emanating from the corner formed by the intersection of a plate with a hole were determined using stress freezing photoelasticity and a numerical technique known as the Taylor series correction method to extract the SIF values from the photoelastic data. The geometries studied were crack depth to thickness ratios of about 0.2, 0.5, and 0.75; crack depth to crack length ratios of about 1.0 to 2.0; and crack length to hole radius ratios of about 0.5 to 2.0. The SIFs were determined at the intersection of the flaw border with the plate surface (KS) and with the edge of the hole (KH). It is shown that extension of a crack emanating from a corner of intersection of a hole with a plate under monotonically increasing load is not self-similar and that as the flaw depth increases, KH decreases and KS increases. Existing theories and design criteria significantly overestimate the SIF at both the hole and the surface except for shallow flaws at the hole and deep flaws at the surface.

Mcgowan, J. J.↗

High-latitude observations of solar wind streams and coronal holes

Interplanetary scintillation observations of the solar wind velocity during 1973 and the first part of 1974 reveal several corotating high-speed streams. These streams, of heliographic latitudes from +40 deg to -60 deg, have been mapped back to the vicinity of the sun and have been compared with coronal holes identified in wide band XUV solar images taken during the manned portions of the Skylab mission. There is some evidence that the high-speed streams are preferentially associated with coronal holes and that they can spread out from the hole boundaries up to about 20 deg in latitude. However, this association is not one to one; streams are observed which do not map back to coronal holes, and holes are observed which do not lie at the base of streams. To the extent that a statistical interpretation is possible the association is not highly significant, but individual consideration of streams and holes suggests that the statistical result is biased somewhat against a strong correlation.

Ricket, B. J.↗

The physical properties of coronal holes

Coronal hole data obtained by Skylab during the period May 1973 to February 1974 are reviewed for the region from the photosphere out through the low corona. Coronal holes have a significantly lower density and temperature than the typical background corona, possess an open divergent magnetic field structure, and are the source of the high-speed solar wind stream which give rise to recurrent geomagnetic storms. The photospheric, chromospheric, and coronal signatures of coronal holes are described, and the evolution of coronal holes is examined, with attention to the lifetimes, the differential rotation, and the areas covered by the holes. The association of coronal holes to large-scale magnetic fields and to disk activity is considered.

Bohlin, J. D.↗

Coronal holes and high-speed wind streams

Coronal holes, regions of unusually low density and low temperature in the solar corona, are identified as Bartel's M regions, i.e., sources of high-speed wind streams that produce recurrent geomagnetic variations. Throughout the Skylab period the polar caps of the sun were coronal holes, and at lower latitudes the most persistent and recurrent holes were equatorial extensions of the polar caps. The holes rotated 'rigidly' at the equatorial synodic rate. They formed in regions of unipolar photospheric magnetic field, and their internal magnetic fields diverged rapidly with increasing distance from the sun. The geometry of the magnetic field in the inner corona seems to control both the physical properties of the holes and the global distribution of high-speed wind streams in the heliosphere. Phenomenological models for the birth and decay of coronal holes have been proposed.

Zirker, J. B.↗

Solar polar coronal hole - A mathematical simulation

The northern polar region of the sun was studied during July 1973 by Munro and Jackson through use of the white-light coronagraph and the X-ray photographs produced by the Skylab mission. They described the northern polar hole as nearly axisymmetric and gave the geometry and density distribution under this approximation. The present work gives quasi-radial approximation to the full magnetohydrodynamic equations for axisymmetric, polytropic solar wind flow to simulate this polar hole, with the benefit that model temperature and magnetic field intensities and distributions in this particular polar hole can be deduced. It is concluded that from 2 out to 5 solar radii the temperature varies only slightly with radius, but is larger near the center of the polar hole than at the edge. It is also found that the magnetic field intensity at 2 solar radii could be about 1 gauss at the center of the hole, decreasing toward the edge of the hole. If this is extrapolated to the surface, a field as high as 20 gauss is suggested.

Suess, S. T.↗

The relationship between solar activity and coronal hole evolution

The relationship between coronal hole evolution and solar active regions during the Skylab period is examined. A tendency is found for holes to grow or remain stable when the activity nearby, seen as calcium plages and bright regions in X-rays, is predominantly large, long-lived regions. It is also found that there is a significantly higher number of small, short-lived active regions, as indicated by X-ray bright points, in the vicinity of decaying holes than there is near other holes. This is interpreted to mean that holes disappear at least in part because they become filled with many small scale, magnetically closed, X-ray emitting features. This interpretation, together with the observation that the number of X-ray bright points was much larger near solar minimum than it was during the Skylab period, provides a possible explanation for the disappearance of the large, near-equatorial coronal holes at the time of solar minimum.

Nolte, J. T.↗