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At least 73 records · Page 4

Excitation of neutron star normal modes during binary inspiral

As a compact binary inspirals due to the emission of gravitational waves, its orbital period decreases continuously down to approximately 1 ms, its value at coalescence. During the last part of the inspiral, the two stars are close together, and their tidal interactions become strong. Neutron stars have many normal modes (core g-modes, crustal discontinuity modes, shear modes, etc.) whose periods lie in the range (approximately several ms) swept by the orbital period. Some of these modes are resonantly excited by the tidal force. The amount of energy a mode absorbs is proportional to the square of the overlap integral between its displacement field and the tidal force field. For all modes of interest, this overlap is poor, resulting in relatively weak excitation. For the best case, the absorbed energy is only a small fraction (approximately 10(exp -6)) of the orbital energy, so the orbital phase shift is too weak to be detected by observations of the gravitational wave signal emitted by the inspiraling binary. However, with displacement amplitudes of excited quadrupole modes ranging up to 0.5% of the stellar radius, the possibility of a detectable electromagnetic signature cannot be dismissed. Both the periods of the modes and the energy they absorb depend quite strongly on the internal structure of the star. Their observation could shed light on the correct high-density equation of state.

Reisenegger, Andreas↗

Normal-mode approach to wave propagation in the turbulent atmosphere

Recent studies have used the superposition principle (extended Huygens-Fresnel principle) to characterize completely the statistics of a field that has propagated through a thick slab of turbulent air in terms of the statistics for spherical-wave sources. In this paper, we consider the normal-mode decomposition associated with this linear system propagation model. In particular, we use the statistics of the atmospheric impulse response (Green's function) to show that the atmospheric mode decomposition exhibits far-field and near-field regimes very similar to those of free-space propagation. The significance of these results for optical communication through the atmosphere is briefly discussed.

Shapiro, J. H.↗

Normal mode energetics and error analysis of GLA GCM simulations with different horizontal resolutions during a winter month

Comparative energetics is presented for a series of four general circulation model simulations for January 1979 conducted by the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres. The simulations include cases of coarse and fine horizontal model resolutions with two slightly different initial conditions. Using a three-dimensional normal mode expansion, it is found that the gravity-mode energy levels are significantly reduced in the higher wavenumbers and in the higher-order internal vertical modes by the increase of horizontal model resolution.

Tanaka, H. L.↗

Normal mode analysis of the IUS/TDRS payload in a payload canister/transporter environment

Special modeling techniques were developed to simulate an accurate mathematical model of the transporter/canister/payload system during ground transport of the Inertial Upper Stage/Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (IUS/TDRS) payload. The three finite element models - the transporter, the canister, and the IUS/TDRS payload - were merged into one model and used along with the NASTRAN normal mode analysis. Deficiencies were found in the NASTRAN program that make a total analysis using modal transient response impractical. It was also discovered that inaccuracies may exist for NASTRAN rigid body modes on large models when Given's method for eigenvalue extraction is employed. The deficiencies as well as recommendations for improving the NASTRAN program are discussed.

Meyer, K. A.↗

Normal mode analysis of a rotating group of lashed turbine blades by substructures

A group of 5 lashed identical stream turbine blades is studied through the use of single level substructuring using NASTRAN level 15.1. An altered version, similar to DMAP Program Number 3 of the NASTRAN Newsletter, of Rigid Format 13.0 was used. Steady-state displacements and stresses due to centrifugal loads are obtained both without and with consideration of differential stiffness. The normal mode calculations were performed for blades at rest and at operating speed. Substructuring lowered the computation costs of the analysis by a factor of four.

Filstrup, A. W.↗

Motions in the interiors and atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. II - Barotropic instabilities and normal modes of an adiabatic planet

A rotating and adiabatic inviscid fluid planet possesses low frequency motions that are barotropic, quasi-geostrophic and quasi-columnar. The limiting curvature at which flow becomes unstable upon projection onto the planetary surface is negative, with an amplitude that is 3-4 times that for thin atmospheres, in planets in which density linearly decreases to zero at the surface. This result is shown to hold for all quasi-columnar perturbations. Both the phase speed of the normal mode oscillations and the barotropic stability criterion have features in common with Saturn and Jupiter oscillations.

Ingersoll, A. P.↗

Mars global atmospheric oscillations - Annually synchronized, transient normal-mode oscillations and the triggering of global dust storms

Transient events of an unusual character have been discovered in the daily pressure variations of the Mars atmosphere's pressure at the planetary surface which last only a few Martian days, appear to repeat on an annual basis, cover a large part of the given day's hemisphere, occur in pairs separated by 20-days in some cases, and coincide with the annual pressure minimum. They also consist of spectral components nearly identical in frequency with diurnal and semidiurnal harmonics. It is presently suggested that these events are Kelvin, normal-mode, transient, global oscillations. An almost-diurnal and an almost-semidiurnal high-frequency global oscillation distinct from solar-driven tides may be common on Mars.

Tillman, James E.↗

Normal modes of a compound drop

The modes are characterized by their frequency, the attendant displacement of fluid boundaries, and the flow pressure fields within the fluids. The drops consist of three fluids; a core fluid, a fluid shell surrounding the core, and a host fluid surrounding the shell. These fluids are assumed to be inviscid and incompressible, and the core and the shell to be concentric. The theory is obtained by linearization of the equations of fluid motion to the lowest order of nonlinearity that yields the normal modes. Numerical values of mode frequencies and the associated relative displacements of the fluid boundaries are presented for several specific systems, and the results compared with observations.

Saffren, M.↗

Accretion onto magnetized neutron stars - Normal mode analysis of the interchange instability at the magnetopause

Results are reported for a linearized hydromagnetic stability analysis of the magnetopause of an accreting neutron star. The magnetosphere is assumed to be slowly rotating, and the plasma just outside the magnetopause is assumed to be weakly magnetized. The plasma layer is assumed to be bounded above by a shock wave and to be thin compared with the radius of the magnetosphere. Under these circumstances, the growing modes are shown to be localized in the direction parallel to the zero-order magnetic field, but the structure of the modes is still similar to the flute mode. An expression for the growth rate at each magnetic latitude is obtained in terms of the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration normal to the surface, the azimuthal mode number, the radius of the magnetosphere, the height of the shock above the magnetopause, and the effective Atwood number which embodies the stabilizing effects of favorable curvature and magnetic tension. The effective Atwood number is calculated, and the stabilizing effects of viscosity and aligned flow parallel to the magnetopause are discussed.

Arons, J.↗

Substorm recurrence during steady and variable solar wind driving: Evidence for a normal mode in the unloading dynamics of the magnetosphere

Farrugia et al (1993) have recently studied substorm activity driven by the passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud during which the interplanetary magnetic field turned southward for approximately 18 hours. It was shown that both the epsilon and the VB(sub s) parameters varied slowly on the timescale of a substorm but changed considerably over the interval as a whole. The substorm occurrence rate did not reflect the variation in magnetospheric energy loading rate as measured by these parameters but, rather, remained roughly constant with a 50-min average period. Klimas et al. (1992) showed that the Faraday loop analog model of geomagnetic activity predicts this single unloading rate under various constant loading rates. However, various model parameters were adjusted to yield a 1-hour unloading period in agreement with the Bargatze et al. (1985) linear prediction filters and in approximate agreement with the Farrugia et al. (1993) results. It has since been found necessary to add a slow relaxation mechanism to the Faraday loop model to allow for its approach to a ground state during long periods of inactivity. It is proposed that the relaxation mechanism is provided by slow convection of magnetic flux out of the magnetotail to the dayside magnetosphere. In addition, a rudimentary representation of magnetotail-ionosphere coupling has been added to enable comparison of model output to measured AL. The present study is of the modified Faraday loop model response to solar wind input from the Bargatze et al. data set with comparison of its output to concurrent AL. This study has removed the degree of freedom in parameter choice that had earlier allowed adjustments toward the 1-hour unloading period and has, instead, yielded the 1-hour unloading period under various constant loading rates. It is demonstrated that the second peak of the bimodal Bargatze et al. linear prediction filters at approximately equal 1-hour lag and the approximately constant substorm recurrence rate observed by Farrugia et al. can be interpreted as both being due to the existence of a normal unloading recurrence period in the dynamics of the magnetosphere.

Klimas, A. J.↗

Skin-stringer panel normal mode response experimental data and finite element computer program documentation

Detailed information is presented for the analytical and the experimental programs described in the report on Effects of Design Details on Structural Response to Acoustic Excitation, NASA CR-1959. This is a supplement to the basic report and detailed experimental data from all the specimens described in that report are discussed and presented in tabular form.

Rudder, F. F., Jr.↗

Effect of damping on excitability of high-order normal modes

The effect of localized structural damping on the excitability of higher-order large space telescope spacecraft modes is investigated. A preprocessor computer program is developed to incorporate Voigt structural joint damping models in a finite-element dynamic model. A postprocessor computer program is developed to select critical modes for low-frequency attitude control problems and for higher-frequency fine-stabilization problems. The selection is accomplished by ranking the flexible modes based on coefficients for rate gyro, position gyro, and optical sensor, and on image-plane motions due to sinusoidal or random PSD force and torque inputs.

Merchant, D. H.↗

Drive Train Normal Modes Analysis for the ERDA/NASA 100-Kilowatt Wind Turbine Generator

Natural frequencies, as a function of power were determined using a finite element model. Operating conditions investigated were operation with a resistive electrical load and operation synchronized to an electrical utility grid. The influence of certain drive train components on frequencies and mode shapes is shown. An approximate method for obtaining drive train natural frequencies is presented.

Sullivan, T. L.↗