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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.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Measurement of Velocity and Density Fluctuation Spectra

A new molecular Rayleigh scattering based flow diagnostic is used for the first time to measure the power spectrum of gas density and radial velocity component in the plumes of high speed jets. The technique is based on analyzing the Rayleigh scattered light with a Fabry-Perot interferometer used in the static, imaging mode. The PC based data acquisition system is capable of simultaneous sampling of velocity and density at rates to 100 kHz and data record lengths to 10 million. Velocity and density power spectra and velocity-density cross spectra are presented for a subsonic jet, an underexpanded screeching jet, and for Mach 1.4 and Mach 1.8 supersonic jets. Software and hardware interfaces were developed to allow computer control of all aspects of the experiment and data acquisition.

Seasholtz, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Generation of large-scale density fluctuations by buoyancy

The generation of fluid motion from a state of rest by buoyancy forces acting on a homogeneous isotropic small-scale density field is considered. Nonlinear interactions between the generated fluid motion and the initial isotropic small-scale density field are found to create an anisotropic large-scale density field with spectrum proportional to kappa(exp 4). This large-scale density field is observed to result in an increasing Reynolds number of the fluid turbulence in its final period of decay.

Chasnov, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Turbulent small-scale neutral and ion density fluctuations as measured during MAC/Epsilon

During the MAC/Epsilon campaign (Fall 1987, from Andoya, Northern Norway, 69 N, 16 E) a total of four altitude profiles of neutral gas number densities and six profiles of ion number densities were measured with high spatial resolution in the height range from 60 to 120 km. First results of these rocket-borne experiments are presented with emphasis on small scale turbulent density variations and related turbulent parameter as structure function constants and energy dissipation rates.

Luebken, F.-J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cosmological density fluctuations and large-scale structure From N-point correlation functions to the probability distribution

Knowledge of N-point correlation functions for all N allows one to invert and obtain the probability distribution of mass fluctuations in a fixed volume. The hierarchical sequence of higher order is applied to correlations with dimensionless amplitudes suggested by the BBGKY equations. The resulting distribution is significantly non-Gaussian, even for quite small mean square fluctuations. The qualitative and to some degree quantitative results are to a large degree independent of the exact sequence of amplitudes. An ensemble of such models compared with N-body simulations fails in detail to account for the low-density frequency distribution.

Fry, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Far-Infrared Lines from G45.13 + 0.14 and K 3-50 A: Density Fluctuations in Compact H 2 Regions

The far-infrared lines of (O III) 51.8 and 88.4 microns, (N III) 57.3 microns, (S III) 33.5 microns, and (Ne III) 36.0 microns have been measured in the compact H II regions G45.13+0.14 A and K3-50 A. These measurements were made with the facility cooled grating spectrometer on flights of NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. For both sources, the ratio of the two O(++) lines indicates an electron density N(sub e) approx. 10(exp 3)cm(sup -3). For K3-50 A, this is a factor of 10 to a hundred times lower than the density determined from near-infrared and optical line observations of lower excitation species and from radio measurements of the peak continuum emission. A comparison with other far-infrared measurements for both sources shows that the lower excitation, higher critical density S(++) lines originate from higher density material than do the O(++) lines. Detailed, spherically symmetric models for both sources are presented. These models require clumping, different abundances than the Orion Nebula, and an enhancement in the standard Kurucz stellar atmospheres at energies E greater than 41 eV to obtain reasonable agreement with the measurements. The average nitrogen-to-oxygen abundance ratio for these two H II regions is N/O approx. 0.2, in agreement with other far-infrared studies at Galactic radii greater than or equal to 6 kpc.

Colgan, Sean W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Far-infrared lines from G45.13 + 0.14 A and K3-50 A - Density fluctuations in compact H II regions

Properties of two compact H II regions, K3-50 A and G45.13 + 0.14 A, were investigated by measuring FIR fluxes from forbidden O III 51.8 and 88.4 micron lines, forbidden N III 57.3 micron line, forbidden S III 33.5 micron line, and forbidden Ne III 36.0 micron line of these regions, using a cooled grating spectrometer on NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. For both H II regions, the ratio of the two FIR O(2+) lines indicates an electron density of about 1000/cu cm, which for K3-50 A is a factor of 10 to 100 lower than the density determined from optical line observations of the lower excitation species S(+) and N(+) and than the peak rms density deduced from radio continuum measurements by Turner and Matthews (1984). Detailed spherically symmetric models of the two sources were constructed using all available measurements.

Colgan, Sean W. J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nature of transonic sub-Alfvénic turbulence and density fluctuations in the near-Sun solar wind

Context. Recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) measurements have revealed that solar wind (SW) turbulence transits from a subsonic to a transonic regime near the Sun, while remaining sub-Alfvénic. These observations call for a revision of the existing SW models, where turbulence is considered to be both subsonic and sub-Alfvénic. Aims. In this work, we introduce a new magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of transonic sub-Alfvénic turbulence (TsAT). Methods. We used 3D MHD simulations initialized with parameters measured by PSP to investigate the properties of the new near-Sun SW transonic turbulent regime. We then derived a reduced set of MHD equations in the transonic sub-Alfvénic limit to interpret our numerical results. Results. Our TsAT model shows that turbulence is effectively nearly incompressible (NI) and has a 2D + slab (quasi-2D) geometry not only in the subsonic limit, but also in the transonic regime, as long as it remains sub-Alfvénic, a condition essentially enforced everywhere in the heliosphere by the strong local magnetic field. These predictions are consistent with 3D MHD simulations, showing that transonic turbulence is dominated by low-frequency quasi-2D incompressible structures, while compressible fluctuations are a minor component corresponding to low-frequency slow modes and high-frequency fast modes. Conclusions. Our new TsAT model extends existing NI theories of turbulence, and is potentially relevant for the theoretical and numerical modeling of space and astrophysical plasmas, including the near-Sun SW, the solar corona, and the interstellar medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Medium-Range Order, Density Fluctuations, and Activated Relaxation in the Equilibrated Deep Glass Regime

A successful microscopic theory of activated relaxation in metastable supercooled liquids is extended to the equilibrated deep glass regime. Surprisingly, the predicted power-law scaling connections of the dynamic barrier with diverse scalar order parameters (medium-range order correlation length, dimensionless compressibility, shear modulus) remain unchanged up to astronomically long timescales, despite a fundamental crossover of equilibrium thermodynamics and structure near the laboratory kinetic vitrification point. Quantitative tests against experiments on aged to equilibrium glass-forming liquids up to nearly 20 decades in time scale reveal good agreement. This conflicts with the idea of a crossover from super-Arrhenius to literal Arrhenius relaxation around the laboratory glass transition temperature, and supports the robustness of the theoretical idea that ultraslow dynamics is causally related to medium-range structural order. Here, new avenues of experimental and theoretical research in the deep glass regime are suggested.

Amorphous materials↗
NASA NTRS1973

A theory for scattering by density fluctuations based on three-wave interaction

The theory of scattering by charged particle fluctuations of a plasma is developed for the case of zero magnetic field. The source current is derived on the basis of: (1) a three wave interaction between the incident and scattered electromagnetic waves and one electrostatic plasma wave (either Langmuir or ion acoustic), and (2) a synchronous interaction between the same two electromagnetic waves and the discrete components of the charged particle fluctuations. Previous work is generalized by no longer making the assumption that the frequency of the electromagnetic waves in large compared to the plasma frequency. The general result is then applied to incoherent scatter, and to scatter by strongly driven plasma waves. An expansion is carried out for each of those cases to determine the lower order corrections to the usual high frequency scattering formulas.

Harker, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Volume-energy parameters and turbulent-flow density fluctuations

Volume-energy relations determined from an equation of state were used to group many sets of heat transfer data for liquids and gases, including the near-critical region. The volume - Gibbs energy parameter grouped these data better than did such other parameters as enthalpy, temperature, or internal energy.

Hendricks, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The origin of density fluctuations in the 'new inflationary universe'

Cosmological mysteries which are not explained by the Big Bang hypothesis but may be approached by a revamped inflationary universe model are discussed. Attention is focused on the isotropy, the large-scale homogeneity, small-scale inhomogeneity, the oldness/flatness of the universe, and the baryon asymmetry. The universe is assumed to start in the lowest energy state, be initially dominated by false vacuum energy, enter a de Sitter phase, and then cross a barrier which is followed by the formation of fluctuation regions that lead to structure. The scalar fields (perturbation regions) experience quantum fluctuations which produce spontaneous symmetry breaking on a large scale. The scalar field value would need to be much greater than the expansion rate during the de Sitter epoch. A supersymmetric (flat) potential which satisfies the requirement, yields fluctuations of the right magnitude, and allows inflation to occur is described.

Turner, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Experimental study of a free turbulent shear flow at Mach 19 with electron-beam and conventional probes

An experimental study of the initial development region of a hypersonic turbulent free mixing layer was made. Data were obtained at three stations downstream of a M = 19 nozzle over a Reynolds range of 1.3 million to 3.3 million per meter and at a total temperature of about 1670 K. In general, good agreement was obtained between electron-beam and conventional probe measurements of local mean flow parameters. Measurements of fluctuating density indicated that peak root-mean-square (rms) levels are higher in the turbulent free mixing layer than in boundary layers for Mach numbers less than 9. The intensity of rms density fluctuations in the free stream is similar in magnitude to pressure fluctuations in high Mach number flows. Spectrum analyses of the measured fluctuating density through the shear layer indicate significant fluctuation energy at the lower frequencies (0.2 to 5 kHZ) which correspond to large-scale disturbances in the high-velocity region of the shear layer.

Harvey, W. P.↗