Engineering PapersSearch

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Cluster models”

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 91 records · Page 5

Turbulence effects during evaporation of drops in clusters

The present modeling of droplet cluster evaporation, which encompasses the exchange processes between the cluster and the gas phase that surrounds it and is intended for application as a subscale model in calculations of spray evaporation and combustion, gives attention to two alternative turbulence models: (1) cluster evaporation in an evironment initially without turbulence, which then experiences a gradual buildup of turbulence, and (2) evaporation in an environment in which turbulence is initially present. Results obtained indicate that turbulence enhances evaporation, and is a controlling factor in the evaporation of very dense clusters; it is shown that evaporation time decreases with an initial increase in either turbulence level or relative velocity. Practical implications of these results are discussed.

Bellan, J.

Scattering model for X-ray bursts - Massive black holes in globular clusters

A model for the X-ray bursts discovered from 3U 1820-30 (NGC 6624) is presented. The temporal and spectral variations observed in the bursts are interpreted as Compton scattering of a primary pulse in a hot cloud surrounding the X-ray source. The cloud parameters derived imply the presence of a collapsed core in the globular cluster source with a mass greater than several hundred solar masses.

Grindlay, J.

Comparison of likely candidate models for Abell cluster structures against the observed distribution

The amount of structure in the Abell cluster distribution is compared with a variety of 'likely candidate' models, including a minimal isocurvature baryon model, a low-density universe model with baryons and cosmic strings, and a model with hot dark matter and cosmic strings. The hot dark matter and cosmic string model does best at reproducing the characteristics of the observed data sample.

Batuski, David J.

Synthetic horizontal branch models for globular clusters - The luminosity of the horizontal branch and the Oosterhoff effect

The variation of horizontal-branch (HB) luminosities with metal abundances is analyzed on the basis of HB models synthesized from theoretical HB evolutionary tracks. The focus is on the Oosterhoff effect, as related to period shifts in globular-cluster RR Lyr variables. The construction of the models and the Oosterhoff period groups is explained in detail, and the implications for globular-cluster ages are considered. The ratio of Delta M(bol) (RR) to Delta Fe/H for the HB is calculated as 0.24, slightly steeper than that found by Sandage (1981 and 1982).

Lee, Young-Wook

Cold Fronts in Clusters of Galaxies: Observations and Modeling

Mergers of galaxy clusters -- some of the most energetic events in the Universe -- produce disturbances in hot intracluster medium, such as shocks and cold fronts, that can be used as tools to study the physics of galaxy clusters. Cold fronts may constrain viscosity and the structure and strength of the cluster magnetic fields. Combined with radio data, these observations also shed light on the production of ultrarelativistic particles that are known to coexist with the cluster thermal plasma. This talk will summarize the current X-ray observations of cluster mergers, as well as some recent radio data and high resolution hydrodynamic simulations.

Markevitch, Maxim

Oxygen-enhanced models for globular cluster stars. III - Horizontal-branch sequences

A large grid of horizontal-branch (HB) evolutionary sequences which have been calculated with core expansion and semiconvection and with enhanced oxygen composition are presented and described. Tracks for 10 different metallicities are computed; they range from (Fe/H) = -0.47 to -2.26 and comprise a total of 115 sequences. The evolution is traced from the zero-age horizontal-branch (ZAHB) to the lower AGB at a point where log L/solar luminosity = 2.25. All of the sequences are illustrated on both the theoretical H-R diagram and on the B, V color-magnitude diagram. A complete set of tables for the ZAHB models and a representative sample of tabulations of the track parameters are provided. The phenomena which control HB evolution morphology, and existing certainties in theoretical HB models are discussed.

Dorman, Ben

A model for the infrared emission from an OB star cluster environment

A model for the infrared emission from the neighborhood of an OB star cluster is described. The distribution of gas and dust around the stars, properties of the dust, and the cluster and interstellar radiation fields are variable. The model can be applied to regions around clusters embedded to various degrees in their parental molecular clouds (i.e., compact H II regions, blister-type H II regions, and the tenuous H II regions ionized by naked O stars). The model is used to simulate IRAS observations of a typical blister H II region. Infrared surface brightness and spectral energy distributions are predicted and the impact of limited spatial resolution is illustrated. The model results are shown to be consistent with observations of the exemplary outer Galaxy OB cluster NGC 7380. It is planned to use the model as a diagnostic tool to probe the physical conditions and dust properties in star-formation regions and, ultimately, in an interpretation of the spectral energy distributions of spiral galaxies.

Leisawitz, D.

An illustration of the complexity of continent formation

It was pointed out that a consensus may be emerging in crustal growth models, considering the clustering of most growth curves and their uncertainties. Curves most distant from this clustering represent models involving extensive recycling of continental material back into the mantle, but the author wondered if geochemical signatures for this would be recognizable considering the lack of evidence from seismic tomography for discrete mantle reservoirs, and the likelihood of core-mantle interaction based on recent high pressure experiments. Unreactivated Archean rocks represent only 2 percent of present continental area, and the author was uncomfortable about basing inferences on what the early Earth was like on such a small amount of information. He feels that the hypothesis of continental assembly that needs testing is that of banging together of island arcs, such as in Indonesia today. As an example of how complex this process can be, the author described the geology of the Caribbean arc system, which shows evidence for reversals of subduction polarity, numerous collisional events, and substantial strike-slip movements. It seemed unlikely to the author that Archean examples would have been less complicated.

Burke, Kevin

The evolution of a primordial binary population in a globular cluster

A simple model is presented for the evolution of a primordial binary population in a globular cluster. Monte Carlo simulations are given for an initial population of 50,000 binaries against a fixed background population of 500,000 single stars in a tidally truncated cluster model. Individual histories of all binaries are followed through mass segregation, scattering recoil, escape from the cluster, or coalescence. It is found that most binaries are destroyed by binary-binary interactions, with the rest escaping in the point-mass approximation. In a more realistic model, the majority of the rest merge. At any instant, most of the remaining binaries are drifting in toward the center before their first strong encounter. A typical binary spends most of its active life in or near the cluster core. The few binaries which receive a recoil sufficient to place them in the halo past the half-mass radius remain there long enough to make a significant contribution to the radial binary distribution.

Hut, Piet

Joint Analysis of X-Ray and Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Observations of Galaxy Clusters Using an Analytic Model of the Intracluster Medium

We perform a joint analysis of X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect data using an analytic model that describes the gas properties of galaxy clusters. The joint analysis allows the measurement of the cluster gas mass fraction profile and Hubble constant independent of cosmological parameters. Weak cosmological priors are used to calculate the overdensity radius within which the gas mass fractions are reported. Such an analysis can provide direct constraints on the evolution of the cluster gas mass fraction with redshift. We validate the model and the joint analysis on high signal-to-noise data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array for two clusters, A2631 and A2204.

Galaxies

Production of recycled pulsars in globular clusters via two-body tidal capture

The numbers of binary systems containing a neutron star that are formed in the cores of globular clusters via two-body tidal capture are investigated. The subsequent evolution of the resulting binary systems is examined. Monte Carlo techniques are employed to trace the histories of many neutron stars in the core of a model globular cluster. Various scenarios for mass stripping during capture and orbital circularization, and the effects of magnetic braking on the circularized orbits are explored. Calculations are carried out for two model clusters: 47 Tuc and Omega Cen. Distributions of orbital periods for newly formed binaries containing a neutron star in orbit with either a main-sequence star or a giant are presented. Each binary is followed until contact between the captured star and the neutron star is established. It is argued that these systems should be regarded as potential progenitors of 'recycled' pulsars.

Di Stefano, R

A Search for CMB Decrements Towards Distant Cluster Candidates PC 1643+4631 and VLA 1312+4237 at 28.5 GHz

Recently, Jones et al. used the Ryle telescope, operating at a frequency of 15 GHz, to detect a flux decrement in the direction of the quasar pair PC 1643+461A,B. They interpreted this signal as the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) produced by a distant cluster of galaxies. In the course of an effort to measure CMB anisotropies using the VLA at 8.4 GHz, Richards et al. (1997) detected a similar, but smaller, decrement which we refer to as VLA 1312+4237. They also proposed that this signal might be explained as the SZE signal of a distant galaxy cluster. We report observations in the direction of these claimed sources with the Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association (BIMA) interferometer operating at 28.5 GHz. We find no evidence for SZE emission in the direction of either of the claimed sources. In the case of PC 1643+4631, the BIMA data are inconsistent with the cluster emission model proposed by Jones et al. at greater than 99.99% confidence. Together with published x-ray and optical searches, these results make a compelling case against the existence of a massive cluster in the direction of PC 1643+4631. Because of the different scales to which the VLA and BIMA instruments are sensitive, the BIMA observations are not as constraining for the VLA 1312+4237 source. The BIMA data are inconsistent with the cluster model proposed by Richards et al. (1997) at approximately 80% confidence.

Holzapfel, W. L.

Nonpolytropic model for the Coma Cluster

In this article we demonstrate, for the first time, how a physically motivated static model for both the gas and galaxies in the Coma Cluster of galaxies can jointly fit all available X-ray and optical imaging and spectroscopic data. The principal assumption of this nonpolytropic model (Cavaliere & Fusco-Femiano 1981, hereafter CFF), is that the intracluster gas temperature is proportional to the square of the galaxy velocity dispersion everywhere throughout the cluster; no other assumption about the gas temperature distribution is required. After demonstrating that the CFF nonpolytropic model is an adequate representation of the gas and galaxy distributions, the radial velocity dispersion profile, and the gas temperature distribution, we derive the following information about the Coma Cluster: 1. The central temperature is about 9 keV and the central density is 2.8 x 10(exp -3)/cm(exp 3) for the X-ray emitting plasma; 2. The binding mass of the cluster is approximately 2 x 10(exp 15) solar mass within 5 Mpc for (H(sub 0) = 50 km/sec/Mpc), with a mass-to-light ratio of approximately 160 solar mass/solar luminosity; 3. The contribution of the gas to the total virial mass increases with distance from the cluster center, and we estimate that this ratio is no greater than approximately 50% within 5 Mpc. The ability of the CFF nonpolytropic model to describe the current X-ray and optical data for the Coma Cluster suggests that a significant fraction of the thermal energy contained in the hot gas in this as well as other rich galaxy clusters may have come from the interaction between the galaxies and the ambient cluster medium. interaction between the galaxies and the ambient cluster medium.

Fusco-Femiano, R.

On the equilibrium distribution of the elements in the gas in the Coma cluster

The equilibrium distribution of the elements for the case of an isothermal plasma in a gravitational potential well is given governing equations and a rapidly converging iterative procedure for their solution. Results are applied to the intracluster gas in clusters of galaxies, and implications are identified for the controversy as to whether iron nuclei settle out in the cluster core, and with respect to the interpretation of distribution size and shape for continuum X-ray emission from clusters. A model for the Coma cluster is considered in which the intracluster gas is in equilibrium and partially processed. It is found that this model can account for the angular dependence of the continuum X-ray emission from Coma, as determined by Einstein Observatory observations, at least as well as the uniform composition model.

Abramopoulos, F.

An Assessment of Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Southern Ocean Meridional Overturning Circulation During 1958-2007 in a Suite of Interannual CORE-2 Simulations

In the framework of the second phase of the Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments (CORE-II), we present an analysis of the representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and Southern Ocean Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) in a suite of seventeen global ocean-sea ice models. We focus on the mean, variability and trends of both the ACC and MOC over the 19582007 period, and discuss their relationship with the surface forcing. We aim to quantify the degree of eddy saturation and eddy compensation in the models participating in CORE-II, and compare our results with available observations, previous fine-resolution numerical studies and theoretical constraints. Most models show weak ACC transport sensitivity to changes in forcing during the past five decades, and they can be considered to be in an eddy saturated regime. Larger contrasts arise when considering MOC trends, with a majority of models exhibiting significant strengthening of the MOC during the late 20th and early 21st century. Only a few models show a relatively small sensitivity to forcing changes, responding with an intensified eddy-induced circulation that provides some degree of eddy compensation, while still showing considerable decadal trends. Both ACC and MOC interannual variability are largely controlled by the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Based on these results, models are clustered into two groups. Models with constant or two-dimensional (horizontal) specification of the eddy-induced advection coefficient show larger ocean interior decadal trends, larger ACC transport decadal trends and no eddy compensation in the MOC. Eddy-permitting models or models with a three-dimensional time varying show smaller changes in isopycnal slopes and associated ACC trends, and partial eddy compensation. As previously argued, a constant in time or space is responsible for a poor representation of mesoscale eddy effects and cannot properly simulate the sensitivity of the ACC and MOC to changing surface forcing. Evidence is given for a larger sensitivity of the MOC as compared to the ACC transport, even when approaching eddy saturation. Future process studies designed for disentangling the role of momentum and buoyancy forcing in driving the ACC and MOC are proposed.

Southern Ocean dynamics