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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1950

On the Formation of Shock Waves in Subsonic Flows With Local Supersonic Velocities

In the flow about a body with large subsonic velocity if the velocity of the approaching flow is sufficiently large, regions of local supersonic velocities are formed about the body. It is known from experiment that these regions downstream of the flow are always bounded by shock waves; a continuous transition of the supersonic velocity to the subsonic under the conditions indicated has never been observed. A similar phenomenon occurs in pipes. If at two cross sections of the pipe the velocity is subsonic and between these sections regions of local supersonic velocity are formed without completely occupying a single cross section, these regions are always bounded by shock waves.

Frankl, F. I.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Loss-cone-driven ion cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere

The study examines the theoretical properties of linear ion cyclotron waves propagating in the magnetosphere at arbitrary angles to the background magnetic field. It is found that in some cases the linear wave growth of modes with oblique propagation can dominate that of the parallel propagating electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave. The growth rate of the loss-cone-driven mode depends strongly on the depth of the loss cone. A simple analytical theory which explains the scaling of the growth rate of the oblique mode with respect to various parameters is presented. The loss-cone-driven mode is an electromagnetic mode which is preferentially nearly linearly polarized. The wave field which results from the oblique mode in its perferentially nearly linearly polarized form are nearly perpendicular to B0 and are such that they may be difficult to distinguish from those of a linearly polarized parallel propgating EMIC wave.

Denton, Richard E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigating the Chinese postman problem on a quantum annealer

The recent availability of quantum annealers has fueled a new area of information technology where such devices are applied to address practically motivated and computationally difficult problems with hardware that exploits quantum mechanical phenomena. D-Wave annealers are promising platforms to solve these problems in the form of quadratic unconstrained binary optimization. Here we provide a formulation of the Chinese postman problem that can be used as a tool for probing the local connectivity of graphs and networks. We treat the problem classically with a tabu algorithm and simulated annealing, and using a D-Wave device. The efficiency of quantum annealing with respect to the simulated annealing has been demonstrated using the optimal time to solution metric. We systematically analyze computational parameters associated with the specific hardware. Our results clarify how the interplay between the embedding due to limited connectivity of the Chimera graph, the definition of logical qubits, and the role of spin-reversal controls the probability of reaching the expected solution

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scattering of radiofrequency waves by randomly modulated density interfaces in the edge of fusion plasmas

In the scrape-off layer and the edge region of a tokamak, the plasma is strongly turbulent and scatters the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic waves that propagate through this region. It is important to know the spectral properties of these scattered RF waves, whether used for diagnostics or for heating and current drive. The spectral changes influence the interpretation of the obtained diagnostic data, and the current and heating profiles. A full-wave, three-dimensional (3-D) electromagnetic code ScaRF has been developed for studying the RF wave propagation through turbulent plasma. ScaRF is a finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method used for solving Maxwell's equations. The magnetized plasma is defined through the cold plasma by the anisotropic permittivity tensor. As a result, ScaRF can be used to study the scattering of any cold plasma RF wave. It can also be used for the study of the scattering of electron cyclotron waves in ITER-type and medium-sized tokamaks such as TCV, ASDEX-U and DIII-D. For the case of medium-sized tokamaks, there is experimental evidence that drift waves and rippling modes are present in the edge region. Hence, we have studied the scattering of RF waves by periodic density interfaces (plasma gratings) in the form of a superposition of spatial modes with varying periodicity and random amplitudes. The power reflection coefficient (a random variable) is calculated for different realizations of the density interface. In this work, the uncertainty of the power reflection coefficient is rigorously quantified by use of the Polynomial Chaos Expansion method in conjunction with the Smolyak sparse-grid integration, which is known as the PCE-SG method. The PCE-SG method is proven to be accurate and more efficient compared with alternative methods such as the Monte Carlo (MC) approach.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cavity electrodynamics of van der Waals heterostructures

Van der Waals heterostructures host many-body quantum phenomena that are tunable in situ using electrostatic gates. Their constituent two-dimensional materials and gates can naturally form plasmonic self-cavities, confining light in standing waves of current density due to finite-size effects. The plasmonic resonances of typical graphite gates fall in the gigahertz to terahertz range, corresponding to the same microelectronvolt to millielectronvolt energy scale as the phenomena in van der Waals heterostructures that they electrically control. This raises the possibility that the built-in cavity modes of graphite gates are relevant for shaping the low-energy physics of these heterostructures. However, probing these cavity-coupled electrodynamics is challenging as devices are notably smaller than the diffraction limit at the relevant wavelengths. Here we report on the intrinsic cavity conductivity of gate-tunable graphene heterostructures. As the carrier density is tuned, we observe coupling and spectral weight transfer between graphene and graphite plasmonic cavity modes in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We present an analytical model to describe the results and provide general principles for cavity design. Our findings show that intrinsic cavity effects are important for understanding the low-energy electrodynamics of van der Waals heterostructures and open a pathway for useful functionality through cavity control.

Electronic properties and materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar mass primordial black holes in moduli dominated universe

In this report we explore the prospect of producing primordial black holes around the solar mass region during an early matter domination epoch. The early matter-dominated epoch can arise when a moduli field comes to dominate the energy density of the Universe prior to big bang nucleosynthesis. The absence of radiation pressure during a matter-dominated epoch enhances primordial black hole formation from the gravitational collapse of primordial density fluctuations. In particular, we find that primordial black holes are produced in the 0.1 - 10M ⊙ mass range with a favorable choice of parameters in the theory. However, they cannot explain all of the merger events detected by the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave search. In such a case, primordial black holes form about 4% of the total dark matter abundance, of which 95% belongs to the LIGO/Virgo consistent mass range. The rest of the dark matter could be in the form of particles that are produced from the decay of the moduli field during reheating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Multiple Paths to Merger of Unequal-mass Black Hole Binaries in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei

The accretion disks that power active galactic nuclei (AGN) are thought to house populations of stars and compact objects; after forming binaries these compact objects may merge, begetting gravitational waves (GWs) such as those detected by LIGO and VIRGO. We present a comprehensive study of the early evolution of binaries within AGN disks as their orbits are influenced by the surrounding gas, focusing on eccentric and unequal-mass binaries. Nearly equal-mass binaries behave similarly to their equal-mass counterparts: Prograde binaries inspiral, albeit somewhat slowly, and have their eccentricities damped; retrograde binaries inspiral ∼2–3 times faster than their prograde counterparts, and those with near-equal masses are driven quickly toward near-unity eccentricities. However, the primaries in retrograde binaries with mass ratios of m 2 /m 1 ≲ 0.4 experience significantly weaker headwinds and retain substantial accretion disks that help damp binary eccentricities, slowing binary inspirals. Additionally, we find that while accretion drives prograde binaries toward equal masses thanks to the exchange of material between the primary and secondary accretion disks, retrograde binaries are driven slowly toward more extreme mass ratios. Prograde binaries, and generally those with low mass ratios, likely accrete for multiple e-folding timescales before merger. On the other hand, high-mass-ratio retrograde binaries may merge before accreting substantially, potentially approaching merger with detectable eccentricity. Future ground-based GW observatories, with their broader frequency coverage, should be particularly useful for studying these populations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scattering of radio frequency waves by randomly modulated density interfaces in the edge of fusion plasmas

In the scrape-off layer and the edge region of a tokamak, the plasma is strongly turbulent and scatters the radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves that propagate through this region. It is important to know, whether used for diagnostics or for heating and current drive, the spectral properties of these scattered RF waves. The spectral changes influences the interpretation of the diagnostic-data obtained and the current and heating profiles. A full-wave, 3D electromagnetic code ScaRF (see Papadopoulos et al. 2019) has been developed for studying the RF wave propagation through turbulent plasma. ScaRF is a finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method for solving Maxwell's equations. The magnetized plasma is defined through the cold plasma, anisotropic permittivity tensor. As a result, ScaRF can be used to study the scattering of any cold plasma RF wave. It can be for the study of scattering of electron cyclotron waves in ITER-type and medium-sized tokamaks such as TCV, ASDEX-U, DIII-D. For the case of medium-sized tokamaks, there's experimental evidence that drift waves and rippling modes are present in the edge region (see Ritz et al. 1984). Hence, we study the scattering of RF waves by periodic density interfaces (plasma gratings) in the form of a superposition of spatial modes with varying periodicity and random amplitudes (see Papadopoulos et al. 2019). The power reflection coefficient (a random variable) is calculated for different realizations of the density interface. In this work, the uncertainty of the power reflection coefficient is rigorously quantified by use of the Polynomial Chaos Expansion (see Xiu & Karniadakis 2002) method in conjunction with the Smolyak sparse grid integration (see Papadopoulos et al. 2018) (PCE-SG). The PCE-SG method is proven accurate and much more efficient (roughly 2-orders of magnitude shorter execution time) compared to alternative methods such as the Monte Carlo (MC) approach.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1974

Some examples of exact and approximate solutions in small particle scattering - A progress report

The formulation of basic equations from which the scattering of radiation by a localized variation in a medium is discussed. These equations are developed in both the differential and the integral form. Primary interest is in the scattering of electromagnetic waves for which the solution of the vector wave equation with appropriate boundary conditions must be considered. Scalar scattering by an infinite homogeneous isotropic circular cylinder, and scattering of electromagnetic waves by infinite circular cylinders are treated, and the case of the finite circular cylinder is considered. A procedure is given for obtaining angular scattering distributions from spheroids.

Greenberg, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Nonrelativistic hyperfine splitting in muonic helium by adiabatic perturbation theory

Huang and Hughes have discussed the hyperfine splitting delta mu of muonic helium using a variational approach. In this paper, the Born-Oppenheimer approximation is used to simplify the evaluation of delta mu in the nonrelativistic limit. The first-order perturbed wave function of the electron is obtained in closed form by modifying the method used by Dalgarno and Lynn. The result is close to those of Huang and Hughes which required a large Hylleraas expansion and considerable extrapolation.

Drachman, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Diminished tektite ablation in the wake of a swarm

Observations of ablation markings on tektite surfaces reveal that a large variation in aerodynamic heating must have occurred among the members of a swarm during atmospheric entry. In a few cases, the existence of jagged features indicates that these tektite surfaces may have barely reached the melting temperature. Such an observation seems to be incompatible with the necessarily large heating rates suffered by other tektites which exhibit the ring wave melt flow. A reconciliation is proposed in the form of a wake shielding model which is a natural consequence of swarm entry. Calculations indicate that the observed ablation variations are actually possible for swarm entry at greater than escape velocity. This aerodynamic conclusion provides support for the arguments favoring extraterrestrial origin of tektites.

Sepri, P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Heating of the corona and solar wind by switch-on shocks

The possibility is examined that the corona is heated by a train of weak switch-on shocks which are formed in the chromosphere from a train of Alfven waves, and which subsequently enter the corona from below. New results for the shock train propagation and dissipation and the resultant coronal heating are derived. It is shown that most of the energy in the shock train can be dissipated within one or two solar radii above the coronal base. A train of switch-on shocks therefore represents a viable coronal heating mechanism. The results are generalized to switch-on shocks in the solar wind. It is shown that such shocks can dissipate rapidly, but it is concluded that they are not the dominant factor governing the evolution of the solar wind turbulence.

Hollweg, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A new method to measure homogeneous nucleation rates in shock tubes

The centered expansion wave of a shock tube is utilized to expand and supersaturate a condensable vapor in small concentration in an inert carrier gas. The supersaturated state, located at the rear of the expansion wave, is preserved for a controlled period and then terminated by a recompressing shock wave. During the period of supersaturation, condensation nuclei are formed homogeneously. The nucleation rate is measured as a function of supersaturation by a Mie-light scattering technique. The method is tested using water and the results are compared with classical nucleation theory.

Peters, F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A computational method for viscous incompressible flows

An implicit, finite-difference procedure for numerically solving viscous incompressible flows is presented. The pressure-field solution is based on the pseudocompressibility method in which a time-derivative pressure term is introduced into the mass-conservation equation to form a set of hyperbolic equations. The pressure-wave propagation and the spreading of the viscous effect is investigated using simple test problems. Computed results for external and internal flows are presented to verify the present method which has proved to be very robust in simulating incompressible flows.

Kwak, D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Photodetachment of the positronium negative ion

The photodetachment cross section of the negative positronium ion is calculated. The description of the initial bound state is simplified by representing it by an asymptotic form whose normalization comes from the most accurate Hylleraas wave function of the ion. The final state is assumed to be a plane wave.

Bhatia, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The normal modes of the thermosphere

The linearized momentum, energy, and continuity equations for the thermosphere can be reduced to a form that gives the vertical structure for each horizontal wave mode. The vertical structure equation can be described in terms of the normal modes, or eigenmodes, of the thermosphere. The latter are obtained by using a 27-layer model that includes a realistic temperature profile and the effects of the Lorentz force, viscosity, and heat conduction. The normal modes have one real eigenfrequency for every two complex conjugate eigenfrequency values. The real modes have a dominant rotational wind component and are nonpropagating. The complex modes have comparable divergent and rotational wind components. The complex eigenvalues give vertically propagating modes, primarily associated with the transient response to forcing, and are significantly affected by the dissipation in the upper E region and F region. Results show that the rotational wind component dominates in the steady state when the forcing is due to the two-cell convection pattern at high latitudes and that the normal modes explain the large shears and large winds speeds that are typically observed in the high-latitude E region. The vertical energy flux for the normal modes is also calculated. The results show that the flux is upward above 130 km but downward in the lower E region for the total solution. The downward energy flux is a contribution from the real eigenmode structure.

Larsen, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Systematic stratospheric-tropospheric exchange viewed from isentropic coordinates

Within the atmosphere's stratification, stratospheric-tropospheric exchange of mass and other properties occurs primarily through quasi-horizontal transport processes within baroclinic wave regimes and through diabatic processes either in the form of deep convection or through systematic meridional variation of incoming and outgoing radiation. These exchange processes include both extrusions of stratospheric air into the troposphere and intrusions of tropospheric air into the stratosphere. The physical processes that govern both meridional and vertical exchange processes within isentropic coordinates are summarized for the global circulation.

Johnson, Donald↗