Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Shock”

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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Radiation and heat transport in divergent shock–bubble interactions

Shock–bubble interactions (SBIs) are important across a wide range of physical systems. In inertial confinement fusion, interactions between laser-driven shocks and micro-voids in both ablators and foam targets generate instabilities that are a major obstacle in achieving ignition. Experiments imaging the collapse of such voids at high energy densities (HED) are constrained by spatial and temporal resolution, making simulations a vital tool in understanding these systems. In this study, we benchmark several radiation and thermal transport models in the xRAGE hydrodynamic code against experimental images of a collapsing mesoscale void during the passage of a 300 GPa shock. We also quantitatively examine the role of transport physics in the evolution of the SBI. This allows us to understand the dynamics of the interaction at timescales shorter than experimental imaging framerates. We find that all radiation models examined reproduce empirical shock velocities within experimental error. Radiation transport is found to reduce shock pressures by providing an additional energy pathway in the ablation region, but this effect is small (∼1% of total shock pressure). Employing a flux-limited Spitzer model for heat conduction, we find that flux limiters between 0.03 and 0.10 produce agreement with experimental velocities, suggesting that the system is well-within the Spitzer regime. Higher heat conduction is found to lower temperatures in the ablated plasma and to prevent secondary shocks at the ablation front, resulting in weaker primary shocks. Finally, we confirm that the SBI-driven instabilities observed in the HED regime are baroclinically driven, as in the low energy case.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Simulations of ion acceleration at non-relativistic shocks. I. Acceleration efficiency

We use two-dimensional and three-dimensional hybrid (kinetic ions-fluid electrons) simulations to investigate particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification at non-relativistic astrophysical shocks. We show that diffusive shock acceleration operates for quasi-parallel configurations (i.e., when the background magnetic field is almost aligned with the shock normal) and, for large sonic and Alfvénic Mach numbers, produces universal power-law spectra ∝p {sup –4}, where p is the particle momentum. The maximum energy of accelerated ions increases with time, and it is only limited by finite box size and run time. Acceleration is mainly efficient for parallel and quasi-parallel strong shocks, where 10%-20% of the bulk kinetic energy can be converted to energetic particles and becomes ineffective for quasi-perpendicular shocks. Also, the generation of magnetic turbulence correlates with efficient ion acceleration and vanishes for quasi-perpendicular configurations. At very oblique shocks, ions can be accelerated via shock drift acceleration, but they only gain a factor of a few in momentum and their maximum energy does not increase with time. These findings are consistent with the degree of polarization and the morphology of the radio and X-ray synchrotron emission observed, for instance, in the remnant of SN 1006. We also discuss the transition from thermal to non-thermal particles in the ion spectrum (supra-thermal region) and we identify two dynamical signatures peculiar of efficient particle acceleration, namely, the formation of an upstream precursor and the alteration of standard shock jump conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Shocks and star formation in Stephan's Quintet. I. Gemini spectroscopy of Hα-bright knots

We present a Gemini-GMOS spectroscopic study of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)-selected Hα-emitting regions in Stephan's Quintet (HCG 92), a nearby compact galaxy group, with the aim of disentangling the processes of shock-induced heating and star formation in its intra-group medium. The ≈40 sources are distributed across the system, but most densely concentrated in the ∼kiloparsec-long shock region. Their spectra neatly divide them into narrow- and broad-line emitters, and we decompose the latter into three or more emission peaks corresponding to spatial elements discernible in HST imaging. The emission-line ratios of the two populations of Hα-emitters confirm their nature as H II regions (90% of the sample) or molecular gas heated by a shock front propagating at ≲300 km s{sup –1}. Their redshift distribution reveals interesting three-dimensional structure with respect to gas-phase baryons, with no H II regions associated with shocked gas, no shocked regions in the intruder galaxy NGC 7318B, and a sharp boundary between shocks and star formation. We conclude that star formation is inhibited substantially, if not entirely, in the shock region. Attributing those H II regions projected against the shock to the intruder, we find a lopsided distribution of star formation in this galaxy, reminiscent of pileup regions in models of interacting galaxies. The Hα luminosities imply mass outputs, star formation rates, and efficiencies similar to nearby star-forming regions. Two large knots are an exception to this, being comparable in stellar output to the prolific 30 Doradus region. We also examine Stephan's Quintet in the context of compact galaxy group evolution, as a paradigm for intermittent star formation histories in the presence of a rich, X-ray-emitting intra-group medium. All spectra are provided as supplemental materials.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Shock waves and cosmic ray acceleration in the outskirts of galaxy clusters

The outskirts of galaxy clusters are continuously disturbed by mergers and gas infall along filaments, which in turn induce turbulent flow motions and shock waves. We examine the properties of shocks that form within r {sub 200} in sample galaxy clusters from structure formation simulations. While most of these shocks are weak and inefficient accelerators of cosmic rays (CRs), there are a number of strong, energetic shocks which can produce large amounts of CR protons via diffusive shock acceleration. We show that the energetic shocks reside mostly in the outskirts and a substantial fraction of them are induced by infall of the warm-hot intergalactic medium from filaments. As a result, the radial profile of the CR pressure in the intracluster medium is expected to be broad, dropping off more slowly than that of the gas pressure, and might be even temporarily inverted, peaking in the outskirts. The volume-integrated momentum spectrum of CR protons inside r {sub 200} has the power-law slope of 4.25-4.5, indicating that the average Mach number of the shocks of main CR production is in the range of {sub CR} ≈ 3-4. We suggest that some radio relics with relatively flat radio spectrum could be explained by primary electrons accelerated by energetic infall shocks with M{sub s} ≳ 3 induced in the cluster outskirts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spectrum and light curve of a supernova shock breakout through a thick Wolf-Rayet wind

Wolf-Rayet stars are known to eject winds. Thus, when a Wolf-Rayet star explodes as a supernova, a fast (≳ 40, 000 km s{sup –1}) shock is expected to be driven through a wind. We study the signal expected from a fast supernova shock propagating through an optically thick wind and find that the electrons behind the shock driven into the wind are efficiently cooled by inverse Compton over soft photons that were deposited by the radiation-mediated shock that crossed the star. Therefore, the bolometric luminosity is comparable to the kinetic energy flux through the shock, and the spectrum is found to be a power law, whose slope and frequency range depend on the number flux of soft photons available for cooling. Wolf-Rayet supernovae that explode through a thick wind have a high flux of soft photons, producing a flat spectrum, νF {sub ν} = Const, in the X-ray range of 0.1 ≲ T ≲ 50 keV. As the shock expands into an optically thin wind, the soft photons are no longer able to cool the shock that plows through the wind, and the bulk of the emission takes the form of a standard core-collapse supernova (without a wind). However, a small fraction of the soft photons is upscattered by the shocked wind and produces a transient unique X-ray signature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic field amplification in nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration including resonant and non-resonant cosmic-ray driven instabilities

We present a nonlinear Monte Carlo model of efficient diffusive shock acceleration where the magnetic turbulence responsible for particle diffusion is calculated self-consistently from the resonant cosmic-ray (CR) streaming instability, together with non-resonant short- and long-wavelength CR-current-driven instabilities. We include the backpressure from CRs interacting with the strongly amplified magnetic turbulence which decelerates and heats the super-Alfvénic flow in the extended shock precursor. Uniquely, in our plane-parallel, steady-state, multi-scale model, the full range of particles, from thermal (∼eV) injected at the viscous subshock to the escape of the highest energy CRs (∼PeV) from the shock precursor, are calculated consistently with the shock structure, precursor heating, magnetic field amplification, and scattering center drift relative to the background plasma. In addition, we show how the cascade of turbulence to shorter wavelengths influences the total shock compression, the downstream proton temperature, the magnetic fluctuation spectra, and accelerated particle spectra. A parameter survey is included where we vary shock parameters, the mode of magnetic turbulence generation, and turbulence cascading. From our survey results, we obtain scaling relations for the maximum particle momentum and amplified magnetic field as functions of shock speed, ambient density, and shock size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of stochastic re-acceleration on the energy spectrum of shock-accelerated protons

The energy spectra of particles in gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events do not always have a power-law form attributed to the diffusive shock acceleration mechanism. In particular, the observed spectra in major SEP events can take the form of a broken (double) power law. In this paper, we study the effect of a process that can modify the power-law spectral form produced by the diffusive shock acceleration: the stochastic re-acceleration of energetic protons by enhanced Alfvénic turbulence in the downstream region of a shock wave. There are arguments suggesting that this process can be important when the shock propagates in the corona. We consider a coronal magnetic loop traversed by a shock and perform Monte Carlo simulations of interactions of shock-accelerated protons with Alfvén waves in the loop. The wave-particle interactions are treated self-consistently, so the finiteness of the available turbulent energy is taken into account. The initial energy spectrum of particles is taken to be a power law. The simulations reveal that the stochastic re-acceleration leads either to the formation of a spectrum that is described in a wide energy range by a power law (although the resulting power-law index is different from the initial one) or to a broken power-law spectrum. The resulting spectral form is determined by the ratio of the energy density of shock-accelerated protons to the wave energy density in the shock's downstream region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Non-thermal electron acceleration in low Mach number collisionless shocks. I. Particle energy spectra and acceleration mechanism

Electron acceleration to non-thermal energies in low Mach number (M{sub s} ≲ 5) shocks is revealed by radio and X-ray observations of galaxy clusters and solar flares, but the electron acceleration mechanism remains poorly understood. Diffusive shock acceleration, also known as first-order Fermi acceleration, cannot be directly invoked to explain the acceleration of electrons. Rather, an additional mechanism is required to pre-accelerate the electrons from thermal to supra-thermal energies, so they can then participate in the Fermi process. In this work, we use two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell plasma simulations to study electron acceleration in low Mach number shocks. We focus on the particle energy spectra and the acceleration mechanism in a reference run with M{sub s} = 3 and a quasi-perpendicular pre-shock magnetic field. We find that about 15% of the electrons can be efficiently accelerated, forming a non-thermal power-law tail in the energy spectrum with a slope of p ≅ 2.4. Initially, thermal electrons are energized at the shock front via shock drift acceleration (SDA). The accelerated electrons are then reflected back upstream where their interaction with the incoming flow generates magnetic waves. In turn, the waves scatter the electrons propagating upstream back toward the shock for further energization via SDA. In summary, the self-generated waves allow for repeated cycles of SDA, similarly to a sustained Fermi-like process. This mechanism offers a natural solution to the conflict between the bright radio synchrotron emission observed from the outskirts of galaxy clusters and the low electron acceleration efficiency usually expected in low Mach number shocks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A VERY DEEP CHANDRA OBSERVATION OF THE GALAXY GROUP NGC 5813: AGN SHOCKS, FEEDBACK, AND OUTBURST HISTORY

We present results from a very deep (650 ks) Chandra X-ray observation of the galaxy group NGC 5813, the deepest Chandra observation of a galaxy group to date. This system uniquely shows three pairs of collinear cavities, with each pair associated with an unambiguous active galactic nucleus (AGN) outburst shock front. The implied mean kinetic power is roughly the same for each outburst, demonstrating that the average AGN kinetic luminosity can remain stable over long timescales (∼50 Myr). The two older outbursts have larger, roughly equal total energies as compared with the youngest outburst, implying that the youngest outburst is ongoing. We find that the gas radiative cooling rate and mean shock heating rate are well balanced at each shock front, suggesting that shock heating alone is sufficient to offset cooling and establish AGN/intracluster medium (ICM) feedback within at least the central 30 kpc. This heating takes place roughly isotropically and most strongly at small radii, as is required for feedback to operate. We suggest that shock heating may play a significant role in AGN feedback at smaller radii in other systems, where weak shocks are more difficult to detect. We find non-zero shock front widths that are too large to be explained by particle diffusion. Instead, all measured widths are consistent with shock broadening due to propagation through a turbulent ICM with a mean turbulent speed of ∼70 km s{sup −1}. Finally, we place lower limits on the temperature of any volume-filling thermal gas within the cavities that would balance the internal cavity pressure with the external ICM.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RECOLLIMATION SHOCKS IN MAGNETIZED RELATIVISTIC JETS

We have performed two-dimensional special-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of non-equilibrium over-pressured relativistic jets in cylindrical geometry. Multiple stationary recollimation shock and rarefaction structures are produced along the jet by the nonlinear interaction of shocks and rarefaction waves excited at the interface between the jet and the surrounding ambient medium. Although initially the jet is kinematically dominated, we have considered axial, toroidal, and helical magnetic fields to investigate the effects of different magnetic-field topologies and strengths on the recollimation structures. We find that an axial field introduces a larger effective gas pressure and leads to stronger recollimation shocks and rarefactions, resulting in larger flow variations. The jet boost grows quadratically with the initial magnetic field. On the other hand, a toroidal field leads to weaker recollimation shocks and rarefactions, significantly modifying the jet structure after the first recollimation rarefaction and shock. The jet boost decreases systematically. For a helical field, instead, the behavior depends on the magnetic pitch, with a phenomenology that ranges between the one seen for axial and toroidal magnetic fields, respectively. In general, however, a helical magnetic field yields a more complex shock and rarefaction substructure close to the inlet that significantly modifies the jet structure. The differences in shock structure resulting from different field configurations and strengths may have observable consequences for disturbances propagating through a stationary recollimation shock.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

PRECURSORS TO INTERSTELLAR SHOCKS OF SOLAR ORIGIN

On or about 2012 August 25, the Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the heliopause into the nearby interstellar plasma. In the nearly three years that the spacecraft has been in interstellar space, three notable particle and field disturbances have been observed, each apparently associated with a shock wave propagating outward from the Sun. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the third and most impressive of these disturbances, with brief comparisons to the two previous events, both of which have been previously reported. The shock responsible for the third event was first detected on 2014 February 17 by the onset of narrowband radio emissions from the approaching shock, followed on 2014 May 13 by the abrupt appearance of intense electron plasma oscillations generated by electrons streaming outward ahead of the shock. Finally, the shock arrived on 2014 August 25, as indicated by a jump in the magnetic field strength and the plasma density. Various disturbances in the intensity and anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays were also observed ahead of the shock, some of which are believed to be caused by the reflection and acceleration of cosmic rays by the magnetic field jump at the shock, and/or by interactions with upstream plasma waves. Comparisons to the two previous weaker events show somewhat similar precursor effects, although differing in certain details. Many of these effects are very similar to those observed in the region called the “foreshock” that occurs upstream of planetary bow shocks, only on a vastly larger spatial scale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ENERGETIC PARTICLE PRESSURE AT INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS: STEREO-A OBSERVATIONS

We study periods of elevated energetic particle intensities observed by STEREO-A when the partial pressure exerted by energetic (≥83 keV) protons (P{sub EP}) is larger than the pressure exerted by the interplanetary magnetic field (P{sub B}). In the majority of cases, these periods are associated with the passage of interplanetary shocks. Periods when P{sub EP} exceeds P{sub B} by more than one order of magnitude are observed in the upstream region of fast interplanetary shocks where depressed magnetic field regions coincide with increases of energetic particle intensities. When solar wind parameters are available, P{sub EP} also exceeds the pressure exerted by the solar wind thermal population (P{sub TH}). Prolonged periods (>12 hr) with both P{sub EP} > P{sub B} and P{sub EP} > P{sub TH} may also occur when energetic particles accelerated by an approaching shock encounter a region well upstream of the shock characterized by low magnetic field magnitude and tenuous solar wind density. Quasi-exponential increases of the sum P{sub SUM} = P{sub B} + P{sub TH} + P{sub EP} are observed in the immediate upstream region of the shocks regardless of individual changes in P{sub EP}, P{sub B}, and P{sub TH}, indicating a coupling between P{sub EP} and the pressure of the background medium characterized by P{sub B} and P{sub TH}. The quasi-exponential increase of P{sub SUM} implies a radial gradient ∂P{sub SUM}/∂r > 0 that is quasi-stationary in the shock frame and results in an outward force applied to the plasma upstream of the shock. This force can be maintained by the mobile energetic particles streaming upstream of the shocks that, in the most intense events, drive electric currents able to generate diamagnetic cavities and depressed solar wind density regions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE EFFECT OF TURBULENCE INTERMITTENCE ON THE EMISSION OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES BY CORONAL AND INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS

Major solar energetic particle events are associated with shock waves in solar corona and solar wind. Fast scattering of charged particles by plasma turbulence near the shock wave increases the efficiency of the particle acceleration in the shock, but prevents particles from escaping ahead of the shock. However, the turbulence energy levels in neighboring magnetic tubes of solar wind may differ from each other by more than one order of magnitude. We present the first theoretical study of accelerated particle emission from an oblique shock wave propagating through an intermittent turbulence background that consists of both highly turbulent magnetic tubes, where particles are accelerated, and quiet tubes, via which the accelerated particles can escape to the non-shocked solar wind. The modeling results imply that the presence of the fast transport channels penetrating the shock and cross-field transport of accelerated particles to those channels may play a key role in high-energy particle emission from distant shocks and can explain the prompt onset of major solar energetic particle events observed near the Earth's orbit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

FULL PARTICLE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS OF ENTROPY GENERATION ACROSS A COLLISIONLESS SHOCK

Experimental data from Cluster have shown that entropy density can be generated across Earth's bow shock. These new observations are a starting point for a more sophisticated analysis that includes computer modeling of a collisionless shock using observed shock parameters as input. In this Letter, we present the first comparison between observations and particle-in-cell simulations of such entropy generation across a collisionless shock. The ion heating at the shock is dominated by the phase mixing of reflected and directly transmitted ions, which are separated from the incident ions. The electron heating is a nearly thermal process due to the conservation of their angular momentum. For both species, we calculate the entropy density across the shock, and obtain good consistency between observations and simulations on entropy generation across the shock. We also find that the entropy generation rate is reduced as the shock Mach number decreases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The driving mode of shock-driven turbulence

Turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM) is crucial in the process of star formation. Shocks produced by supernova explosions, jets, radiation from massive stars, or galactic spiral-arm dynamics are amongst the most common drivers of turbulence in the ISM. However, it is not fully understood how shocks drive turbulence, in particular whether shock driving is a more solenoidal (rotational, divergence-free) or a more compressive (potential, curl-free) mode of driving turbulence. The mode of turbulence driving has profound consequences for star formation, with compressive driving producing three times larger density dispersion, and an order of magnitude higher star formation rate than solenoidal driving. Here, we use hydrodynamical simulations of a shock inducing turbulent motions in a structured, multiphase medium. This is done in the context of a laser-induced shock, propagating into a foam material, in preparation for an experiment to be performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Specifically, we analyse the density and velocity distributions in the shocked turbulent medium, and measure the turbulence driving parameter $b=(\sigma _{\rho /\langle \rho \rangle }^{2\Gamma }-1)^{1/2}(1-\sigma _{\rho /\langle \rho \rangle }^{-2})^{-1/2}\mathcal {M}^{-1}\Gamma ^{-1/2}$, with the density dispersion σρ/<ρ>, the turbulent Mach number $\mathcal {M}$, and the polytropic exponent Γ. Purely solenoidal and purely compressive driving correspond to b ~ 1/3 and b ~ 1, respectively. As a result, using simulations in which a shock is driven into a multiphase medium with structures of different sizes and Γ < 1, we find b ~ 1 for all cases, showing that shock-driven turbulence is consistent with strongly compressive driving.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Turbulence generation by shock interaction with a highly nonuniform medium

An initially planar shock wave propagating into a medium of nonuniform density will be perturbed, leading to the generation of postshock velocity perturbations. Using numerical simulations we study this phenomenon in the case of highly nonuniform density (order-unity normalized variance, $\sigma_\rho/\bar{\rho}\sim1$) and strong shocks (shock Mach numbers $\bar{M}_s\gtrsim10$). This leads to a highly disrupted shock and a turbulent postshock flow. We simulate this interaction for a range of shock drives and initial density configurations meant to mimic those which might be presently achieved in experiments. Theoretical considerations lead to scaling relations, which are found to reasonably predict the postshock turbulence properties. The turbulent velocity dispersion and turbulent Mach number are found to depend on the preshock density dispersion and shock speed in a manner consistent with the linear Richtymer-Meshkov instability prediction. We also show a dependence of the turbulence generation on the scale of density perturbations. The postshock pressure and density, which can be substantially reduced relative to the unperturbed case, are found to be reasonably predicted by a simplified analysis that treats the extended shock transition region as a single normal shock.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Magnitude and Waveform of Shock Waves Induced by X-ray Lasers in Water

The high energy densities deposited in materials by focused X-ray laser pulses generate shock waves which travel away from the irradiated region, and can generate complex wave patterns or induce phase changes. We determined the time-pressure histories of shocks induced by X-ray laser pulses in liquid water microdrops, by measuring the surface velocity of the microdrops from images recorded during the reflection of the shock at the surface. Measurements were made with ~30 µm diameter droplets using 10 keV X-rays, for X-ray pulse energies that deposited linear energy densities from 3.5 to 120 mJ/m; measurements were also made with ~60 µm diameter drops for a narrower energy range. At a distance of 15 µm from the X-ray beam, the peak shock pressures ranged from 44 to 472 MPa, and the corresponding time-pressure histories of the shocks had a fast quasi-exponential decay with positive pressure durations estimated to range from 2 to 5 ns. Knowledge of the amplitude and waveform of the shock waves enables accurate modeling of shock propagation and experiment designs that either maximize or minimize the effect of shocks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magnetic field amplification by collisionless shocks in partially ionized plasmas

In this paper, we study the shock structures of collisionless shocks in partially ionized plasmas by means of two-dimensional hybrid simulations, where the shock is a perpendicular shock with shock velocity v{sub sh}≈40 v{sub A}≈1333 km s{sup −1} and the upstream ionization fraction is 0.5. We find that large density fluctuations and large magnetic field fluctuations are generated both in the upstream and downstream regions. In addition, we find that the velocity distribution of downstream hydrogen atoms has three components. The observed shock structures suggest that diffusive shock acceleration can operate at perpendicular shocks propagating into partially ionized plasmas in real three-dimensional systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗