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At least 109 records · Page 6

Euler equation computations for the flow over a hovering helicopter rotor

A numerical solution technique is developed for computing the flow field around an isolated helicopter rotor in hover. The flow is governed by the compressible Euler equations which are integrated using a finite volume approach. The Euler equations are coupled to a free wake model of the rotary wing vortical wake. This wake model is incorporated into the finite volume solver using a prescribed flow, or perturbation, technique which eliminates the numerical diffusion of vorticity due to the artificial viscosity of the scheme. The work is divided into three major parts: (1) comparisons of Euler solutions to experimental data for the flow around isolated wings show good agreement with the surface pressures, but poor agreement with the vortical wake structure; (2) the perturbation method is developed and used to compute the interaction of a streamwise vortex with a semispan wing. The rapid diffusion of the vortex when only the basic Euler solver is used is illustrated, and excellent agreement with experimental section lift coefficients is demonstrated when using the perturbation approach; and (3) the free wake solution technique is described and the coupling of the wake to the Euler solver for an isolated rotor is presented. Comparisons with experimental blade load data for several cases show good agreement, with discrepancies largely attributable to the neglect of viscous effects. The computed wake geometries agree less well with experiment, the primary difference being that too rapid a wake contraction is predicted for all the cases.

Roberts, Thomas Wesley↗

A millimeter wave Josephson mixer employing a high-T(c) GdBaCuO point contact

A Josephson effect heterodyne mixer for the millimeter wave band was investigated employing high-T(c) GdBaCuO point contacts. Mixer performance was in qualitative agreement with theory. A mixing response was observed up to 55 K, the highest operating temperature achieved for such a device to date. The voltage separation of RF-induced steps gave a value of h/2e = 2.08 x 10 to the -15th V s, which is in excellent agreement with the value expected for Cooper pairs. In addition, the temperature dependence of the I(0)R product was found to agree with Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory in the weak coupling limit.

Olsson, H. K.↗

Accurate ab Initio Quartic Force Fields, Vibrational Frequencies, and Heats of Formation for FCN, FNC, ClCN, and ClNC

The XCN and XNC (X = F, Cl) isomers have been investigated using the CCSD(T) method in conjunction with correlation consistent basis sets. Equilibrium geometries, harmonic frequencies, anharmonic constants, fundamental frequencies, and heats of formation have been evaluated. Agreement with experiment for the fundamental frequencies is very good, even for nu(sub 2), for CICN, which is subject to a strong Fermi resonance with 2nu(sub 3). It is also shown that a second-order perturbation theory approach to solving the nuclear Schroedinger equation gives results in excellent agreement with essentially exact variational calculations. This is true even for nu(sub 2) of ClCN, provided that near-singular terms are eliminated from the perturbation theory formulas and the appropriate Fermi interaction energy matrix is then diagonalized. A band at 615/cm, tentatively assigned as the Cl-N stretch in ClNC in matrix isolation experiments, is shown not to be due to ClNC. Accurate atomization energies are determined and are used to evaluate accurate heats of formation (3.1 +/- 1.5, 33.2 +/- 1.5, 72.6 +/- 1.5, and 75.9 +/- 1.5 kcal/mol for FCN, ClCN, FNC, and ClNC, respectively). It is expected that the theoretical heats of formation for FCN, FNC, and ClNC are the most accurate available.

Lee, Timothy J.↗

Validation of MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieval Over Land

Aerosol optical depths are derived operationally for the first time over land in the visible wavelengths by MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) onboard the EOSTerra spacecraft. More than 300 Sun photometer data points from more than 30 AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sites globally were used in validating the aerosol optical depths obtained during July - September 2000. Excellent agreement is found with retrieval errors within (Delta)tau=+/- 0.05 +/- 0.20 tau, as predicted, over (partially) vegetated surfaces, consistent with pre-launch theoretical analysis and aircraft field experiments. In coastal and semi-arid regions larger errors are caused predominantly by the uncertainty in evaluating the surface reflectance. The excellent fit was achieved despite the ongoing improvements in instrument characterization and calibration. This results show that MODIS-derived aerosol optical depths can be used quantitatively in many applications with cautions for residual clouds, snow/ice, and water contamination.

Chu, D. A.↗

Far-field multimodal acoustic radiation directivity

Approximate equations for the far field acoustic radiation patterns in the forward quadrant from a flanged circular duct were compared with exact equations for both single and multimodal excitations. The single mode comparison showed good agreement between the exact and approximate equations for the principal lobes of higher radial order modes. For lower and especially for zero radial order modes, there was some error in the angular location and decibel level of principal lobe peak pressure obtained from the approximate equation. Some agreement of sidelobes was also observed although the approximate equation was not intended to simulate the sidelobes. The multimodal approximate summation equations consisting only of a simple function of directivity angle and an acoustic power biasing function were checked against the exact equations for several distributions of modal power and showed excellent agreement with exact equations for all cases. Although many modes contribute to the final level and shape of the directivity curve, the major contributions appear to come from the higher radial order modes.

Saule, A. V.↗

Interim Reference Ozone Models for the Middle Atmosphere

A set of models was generated based on six satellite experiments of the monthly latitudinal variations in total column ozone and the vertical structure of ozone from 20 mb to 0.003 mb. Generally, interannual variability in monthly zonal means is only a few percent. Comparisons of measurements using various techniques to measure global ozone reveal very good agreement between the techniques. Agreement between individual satellite experiments and the reference model of monthly zonal means is generally within 10% below altitudes of 0.4 mb. This has allowed the first global model of ozone measurements to be constructed from multiple sets of satellite measurements. The ozone measurements based on the satellite data are in excellent agreement with previous midlatitude mean annual model based on rocket and balloon data. Also, models are provided of the relation between total ozone and vertical structure.

Keating, G. M.↗

Re-Computation of Numerical Results Contained in NACA Report No. 496

An extensive examination of NACA Report No. 496 (NACA 496), "General Theory of Aerodynamic Instability and the Mechanism of Flutter," by Theodore Theodorsen, is described. The examination included checking equations and solution methods and re‐computing interim quantities and all numerical examples in NACA 496. The checks revealed that NACA 496 contains computational shortcuts (time‐ and effort‐saving devices for engineers of the time) and clever artifices (employed in its solution methods), but, unfortunately, also contains numerous tripping points (aspects of NACA 496 that have the potential to cause confusion) and some errors. The re‐computations were performed employing the methods and procedures described in NACA 496, but using modern computational tools. With some exceptions, the magnitudes and trends of the original results were in fair‐to‐very‐good agreement with the re‐computed results. The exceptions included what are speculated to be computational errors in the original in some instances and transcription errors in the original in others. Independent flutter calculations were performed and, in all cases, including those where the original and re‐computed results differed significantly, were in excellent agreement with the re‐computed results. Appendix A contains NACA 496; Appendix B contains a Matlab(Reistered) program that performs the re‐computation of results; Appendix C presents three alternate solution methods, with examples, for the two‐degree‐of-freedom solution method of NACA 496; Appendix D contains the three‐degree‐of‐freedom solution method (outlined in NACA 496 but never implemented), with examples.

Perry, Boyd, III↗

Airborne MAX-DOAS Measurements Over California: Testing the NASA OMI Tropospheric NO2 Product

Airborne Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (AMAX-DOAS) measurements of NO2 tropospheric vertical columns were performed over California for two months in summer 2010. The observations are compared to the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) tropospheric vertical columns (data product v2.1) in two ways: (1) Median data were compared for the whole time period for selected boxes, and the agreement was found to be fair (R = 0.97, slope = 1.4 +/- 0.1, N= 10). (2) A comparison was performed on the mean of coincident AMAX-DOAS measurements within the area of the corresponding OMI pixels with the tropospheric NASA OMI NO2 assigned to that pixel. The effects of different data filters were assessed. Excellent agreement and a strong correlation (R = 0.85, slope = 1.05 +/- 0.09, N= 56) was found for (2) when the data were filtered to eliminate large pixels near the edge of the OMI orbit, the cloud radiance fraction was<50%, the OMI overpass occurred within 2 h of the AMAX-DOAS measurements, the flight altitude was>2 km, and a representative sample of the footprint was taken by the AMAX-DOAS instrument. The AMAX-DOAS and OMI data sets both show a reduction of NO2 tropospheric columns on weekends by 38 +/- 24% and 33 +/- 11%, respectively. The assumptions in the tropospheric satellite air mass factor simulations were tested using independent measurements of surface albedo, aerosol extinction, and NO2 profiles for Los Angeles for July 2010 indicating an uncertainty of 12%.

remote sensing↗

Observations of water vapor by ground-based microwave radiometers and Raman lidar

In November to December 1991, a substantial number of remote sensors and in situ instruments were operated together in Coffeyville, Kansas, during the climate experiment First ISCCP Regional Experiment Phase 2 (FIRE 2). Includede in the suite of instruments were (1) the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL) three-channel microwave radiometer, (2) the NASA GSFC Raman lidar, (3) ETL radio acoustic sounding system (RASS), and (4) frequent, research-quality radiosondes. The Raman lidar operated only at night and the focus of this portion of the experiment concentrated on clear conditions. The lidar data, together with frequent radiosondes and measurements of temperature profiles (every 15 min) by RASS allowed profiles of temperature and absolute humidity to be estimated every minute. We compared 20 min measurements of brightness temperature (T(sub b) with calculations of T(sub b) that were based on the Liebe and Layton (1987) and Liebe et al. (1993) microwave propagation models, as well as the Waters (1976) model. The comparisons showed the best agreement at 20.6 GHz with the Waters model, with the Liebe et al. (1993) model being best at 31.65 GHz. The results at 90 GHz gave about equal success with the Liebe and Layton (1987) and Liebe et al. (1993) models. Comparisons of precipitable water vapor derived independently from the two instruments also showed excellent agreement, even for averages as short as 2 min. The rms difference between Raman and radiometric determinations of precipitable water vapor was 0.03 cm which is roughly 2%. The experiments clearly demonstrate the potential of simultaneous operation of radiometers and Raman lidars for fundamental physical studies of water vapor.

Han, Yong↗

Experimental and Computational Study fo CH, CH*, and OH* in an Axisymmetric Laminar Diffusion Flame

In this study, we extend the results of previous combined numerical and experimental investigations of an axisymmetric laminar diffusion flame in which difference Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and a multidimensional flame model were used to generate profiles of the temperature and major and minor species. A procedure is outlined by which the number densities of ground-state CH (X(sup 2)II) excited-state CH (A(sup 2)Delta, denoted CH*), and excited-state OH (A(sup 2)Sigma, denoted OH*) are measured and modeled. CH* and OH* number densities are deconvoluted from line-of-sight flame-emission measurements. Ground-state CH is measured using linear LIF. The computations are done with GRI Mech 2.11 as well as an alternate hydrocarbon mechanism. In both cases, additional reactions for the production and consumption of CH* and OH* are added from recent kinetic studies. Collisional quenching and spontaneous emission are responsible for the de-excitation of the excited-state radicals. As with our previous investigations, GRI Mech 2.11 continues to produce very good agreement with the overall flame length observed in the experiments, while significantly under predicting the flame lift-off height. The alternate kinetic scheme is much more accurate in predicting lift-off height but overpredicts the over-all flame length. Ground-state CH profiles predicted with GRI Mech 2.11 are in excellent agreement with the corresponding measurements, regarding both spatial distribution and absolute concentration (measured at 4 ppm) of the CH radical. Calculations of the excited-state species show reasonable agreement with the measurements as far as spatial distribution and overall characteristics are concerned. For OH*, the measured peak mole fraction, 1.3 x 10(exp -8), compared well with computed peaks, while the measured peak level for CH*, 2 x 10(exp -9), was severely underpredicted by both kinetic schemes, indicating that the formation and destruction kinetics associated with excited-state species in flames require further research.

Walsh, K. T.↗

On the generation of plasma waves in Saturn's inner magnetosphere

Voyager 1 plasma wave measurements of Saturn's inner magnetosphere are reviewed with regard to interpretative aspects of the wave spectrum. A comparison of the wave emission profile with the electron plasma frequency obtained from in situ measurements of the thermal ion density shows good agreement with various features in the wave data identified as electrostatic modes and electromagnetic radio waves. Theoretical calculations of the critical flux of superthermal electrons able to generate whistler-mode waves and electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves through a loss-cone instability are presented. The comparison of model results with electron measurements shows excellent agreement, thereby lending support to the conclusion that a moderate perpendicular anisotropy in the hot electron distribution is present in the equatorial region of L = 5-8.

Barbosa, D. D.↗

Wall Modeled Large Eddy Simulations for NASA’s Jet Noise Consensus Database of Single-Flow, Round, Convergent Jets

A campaign of wall-modeled large-eddy simulations (WMLES) using structured curvilinear overlapping grids has been performed with the Launch Ascent and Vehicle Aerodynamics(LAVA) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to predict jet noise for single-stream axisymmetric round jets. The simulations address the new Prediction Uncertainty Reduction(PUR) technical challenge within the context of NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology(CST) project. The goal of PUR is to quantify and reduce uncertainties from scale-resolving simulations to assess noise characteristics of next generation quiet supersonic commercial jets during takeoff and landing conditions where the noise from the exhaust jet dominates. The focus of this effort is to generate a simulation database for single-stream axisymmetric round nozzles at several conditions both for static (no ambient co-flow), which is the focus of this article, and in-flight (flight stream co-flow) conditions, which are beyond the current scope. Nine different flow conditions ranging in jet exit Mach number from 0.38 to 1.0 with nozzle temperature ratios (NTR) from 0.84 to 2.7 have been conducted. Details of the structured overset grids, numerical discretization and wall-model are provided. Near-field comparisons to PIV data show great agreement for both velocity and normal stresses, however a systematic TKE overshoot at the nozzle exit is seen in the lip line shear-layer. A permeable Ffowcs Williams Hawkings (FWH) surface, enclosing the jet, is used to predict far-field noise from the simulated flow-field. Comparison of CFD predictions to microphone array measurements demonstrate excellent agreement within the resolved frequency range. A systematic under-prediction of far-aft observer angles larger than 150 degrees has been observed across all simulations. We achieved a cost reduction of an order of magnitude for these WMLES compared to an earlier study of this configuration due to algorithmic and software improvements. The accuracy of the results and short turnaround time demonstrate that WMLES within the LAVA framework is a cost-effective approach for jet noise predictions that could soon be incorporated into the design cycle of jet noise reduction technologies.

CST↗

Terrestrial mantle siderophiles and the lunar impact record

Results of an analytical fit to the lunar cratering record are shown to be in good agreement with geochemical estimates of the meteoritic component mixed into the lunar crust. Upon a gravitational scaling to the earth consistent with the statistical probability that earth impactors were more massive than lunar ones, an estimate is obtained of 1.5 x 10 to the 22nd kg of material accumulated by the earth begining 4.4 Gyr ago. This is in excellent agreement with estimates of postcore-formation meteoritic input derived from geochemical considerations of the abundances of highly siderophile elements in the terrestrial mantle. Approximate agreement is therefore established between the lunar cratering record scaling and both lunar and terrestrial geochemical constraints.

Chyba, Christopher F.↗

Applications of SMAP Data to Retrieval of Ocean Surface Wind and Salinity

We have examined the L-band radiometer and radar data from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission for ocean research and applications. We find that the SMAP data are in excellent agreement with the geophysical model function (GMF) derived from the Aquarius data up to a wind speed of 20 ms-1. For severe wind conditions, the higher resolution data from SMAP allowed us to assess the sensitivity of L-band radiometer signals to hurricane force winds. We applied the L-band GMF to the retrieval of ocean surface wind and SSS from the SMAP data. Comparison with the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, WindSat and RapidSCAT wind speeds suggests that SMAP’s radiometer wind speed reaches an excellent accuracy of about 1.1-1.7 ms-1 below a wind speed of 20 ms-1. We have also found that the maximum wind speed derived from the SMAP radiometer data can reach 140 knots for severe storms and are generally in good agreement with the hurricane track analysis and operational aircraft Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer wind speeds. The spatial patterns of the SMAP SSS agree well with climatological distributions, but exhibit several unique spatial and temporal features.

ocean surface wind↗

A tale of two towers: comparing NEON and AmeriFlux data streams at Bartlett Experimental Forest

Long-term ecological data are essential for detecting impacts of climate change and other global change factors, and for making informed predictions about future change. However, long-term measurements are rarely replicated at the site level, which raises questions about their representativeness. We used a multiscale approach to evaluate the agreement of parallel observations from AmeriFlux and NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) towers at Bartlett Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. The two towers are separated by a horizontal distance of 93 m. Here, we focused our analysis on standard meteorological variables; fluxes of CO 2 , sensible heat, and latent heat measured by eddy covariance; and phenology derived from PhenoCam imagery. Results suggest excellent agreement between AmeriFlux and NEON in meteorology and phenology, and good agreement in fluxes at the half-hourly scale. However, large disagreements in CO 2 and latent heat fluxes occurred at the annual scale, with implications especially for the forest carbon balance. The AmeriFlux tower measurements indicate a site that is close to carbon-neutral (-8 ± 65 g C m -2 y -1 , mean ± 1 SD), whereas the NEON tower measurements indicate a forest that is a carbon sink (-137 ± 10 g C m -2 y -1 ). Causes of this disagreement may include measurement height (26 m vs. 35 m), which resulted in different flux footprints being measured by the two towers, and differences in the flux measurement systems. Our results suggest the need for caution when attempting to merge long-term flux data from two different measurement platforms, and when using measurements from any one measurement platform to inform decision-making on issues related to carbon accounting or natural climate solutions.

Carbon cycle↗

Absolute spectrum and charge ratio of cosmic ray muons in the energy region from 0.2 GeV to 100 GeV at 600 m above sea level

We have determined the momentum spectrum and charge ratio of muons in the region from 250 MeV/c to 100 GeV/c using a superconducting magnetic spectrometer. The absolute differential spectrum of muons obtained in this experiment at 600 m above sea level is in good agreement with the previous measurements at sea level. The differential spectrum can be represented by a power law with a varying index, which is consistent with zero below 450 MeV/c and steepens to a value of -2.7 +/- 0.1 between 20 and 100 GeV/c. The integral f1ux of muons measured in this experiment span a very large range of momentum and is in excellent agreement with the earlier results. The positive to negative muon ratio appears to be constant in the entire momentum range covered in this experiment within the errors and the mean value is 1.220 +/- 0.044. The absolute momentum spectrum and the charge ratio measured in this experiment are also consistent with the theoretical expectations. This is the only experiment which covers a wide range of nearly three decades in momentum from a very low momentum.

De Pascale, M. P.↗

A comparison of in situ measurements of vector-E and - vector-V x vector-B from Dynamics Explorer 2

Dynamics Explorer-2 provided the first opportunity to make a direct comparison of in situ measurements of the high-latitude convection electric field by two distinctly different techniques. The vector electric field instrument (VEFI) used antennae to measure the intrinsic electric fields and the ion drift meter (IDM) and retarding potential analyzer (RPA) measured the ion drift velocity vector, from which the convection electric field can be deduced. The data from three orbits having large electric fields at high latitude are presented, one at high, one at medium, and one at low altitudes. The general agreement between the two measurements of electric field is very good, with typical differences at high latitudes of the order of a few millivolts per meter, but there are some regions where the particle fluxes are extremely large (e.g., the cusp) and the disagreement is worse, probably because of IDM difficulties. The auroral zone potential patterns derived from the two devices are in excellent agreement for two of the cases, but not in the third, where bad attitude data may be the problem. At low latitudes there are persistent differences in the measurements of a few millivolts per meter, though these differences are quite constant from orbit to orbit. This problem seems to arise from some shortcoming in the VEFI measurments. Overall, however, these measurements confirm the concept of `frozen-in' plasma that drifts with velocity vector-E x vector-B/B(exp 2) within the measurement errors of the two techniques.

Hanson, W. B.↗

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared: New Composite Spectra, Comparison with Model Atmospheres, and Far-Infrared Extrapolations - Part 7

We present five new absolutely calibrated continuous stellar spectra constructed as far as possible from spectral fragments observed from the ground, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and the IRAS Low Resolution Spectrometer. These stars-alpha Boo, gamma Dra, alpha Cet, gamma Cru, and mu UMa-augment our six, published, absolutely calibrated spectra of K and early-M giants. All spectra have a common calibration pedigree. A revised composite for alpha Boo has been constructed from higher quality spectral fragments than our previously published one. The spectrum of gamma Dra was created in direct response to the needs of instruments aboard the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO); this star's location near the north ecliptic pole renders it highly visible throughout the mission. We compare all our low-resolution composite spectra with Kurucz model atmospheres and find good agreement in shape, with the obvious exception of the SiO fundamental, still lacking in current grids of model atmospheres. The CO fundamental seems slightly too deep in these models, but this could reflect our use of generic models with solar metal abundances rather than models specific to the metallicities of the individual stars. Angular diameters derived from these spectra and models are in excellent agreement with the best observed diameters. The ratio of our adopted Sirius and Vega models is vindicated by spectral observations. We compare IRAS fluxes predicted from our cool stellar spectra with those observed and conclude that, at 12 and 25 microns, flux densities measured by IRAS should be revised downwards by about 4.1% and 5.7%, respectively, for consistency with our absolute calibration. We have provided extrapolated continuum versions of these spectra to 300 microns, in direct support of ISO (PHT and LWS instruments). These spectra are consistent with IRAS flux densities at 60 and 100 microns.

Cohen, Martin↗