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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

Substorm recurrence during steady and variable solar wind driving: Evidence for a normal mode in the unloading dynamics of the magnetosphere

Farrugia et al (1993) have recently studied substorm activity driven by the passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud during which the interplanetary magnetic field turned southward for approximately 18 hours. It was shown that both the epsilon and the VB(sub s) parameters varied slowly on the timescale of a substorm but changed considerably over the interval as a whole. The substorm occurrence rate did not reflect the variation in magnetospheric energy loading rate as measured by these parameters but, rather, remained roughly constant with a 50-min average period. Klimas et al. (1992) showed that the Faraday loop analog model of geomagnetic activity predicts this single unloading rate under various constant loading rates. However, various model parameters were adjusted to yield a 1-hour unloading period in agreement with the Bargatze et al. (1985) linear prediction filters and in approximate agreement with the Farrugia et al. (1993) results. It has since been found necessary to add a slow relaxation mechanism to the Faraday loop model to allow for its approach to a ground state during long periods of inactivity. It is proposed that the relaxation mechanism is provided by slow convection of magnetic flux out of the magnetotail to the dayside magnetosphere. In addition, a rudimentary representation of magnetotail-ionosphere coupling has been added to enable comparison of model output to measured AL. The present study is of the modified Faraday loop model response to solar wind input from the Bargatze et al. data set with comparison of its output to concurrent AL. This study has removed the degree of freedom in parameter choice that had earlier allowed adjustments toward the 1-hour unloading period and has, instead, yielded the 1-hour unloading period under various constant loading rates. It is demonstrated that the second peak of the bimodal Bargatze et al. linear prediction filters at approximately equal 1-hour lag and the approximately constant substorm recurrence rate observed by Farrugia et al. can be interpreted as both being due to the existence of a normal unloading recurrence period in the dynamics of the magnetosphere.

Klimas, A. J.↗

Power flow analysis of two coupled plates with arbitrary characteristics

The limitation of keeping two plates identical is removed and the vibrational power input and output are evaluated for different area ratios, plate thickness ratios, and for different values of the structural damping loss factor for the source plate (plate with excitation) and the receiver plate. In performing this parametric analysis, the source plate characteristics are kept constant. The purpose of this parametric analysis is to be able to determine the most critical parameters that influence the flow of vibrational power from the source plate to the receiver plate. In the case of the structural damping parametric analysis, the influence of changes in the source plate damping is also investigated. As was done previously, results obtained from the mobility power flow approach will be compared to results obtained using a statistical energy analysis (SEA) approach. The significance of the power flow results are discussed together with a discussion and a comparison between SEA results and the mobility power flow results. Furthermore, the benefits that can be derived from using the mobility power flow approach, are also examined.

Cuschieri, J. M.↗

Efficient continuous Energy-Multigroup hybrid depletion scheme using the Shift Monte Carlo code. Part I: Energy condensation sensitivity analysis

Monte Carlo (MC) codes coupled to depletion solvers are increasingly used to provide high fidelity fuel cycle modeling capabilities. Here, these coupled depletion-MC tools produce accurate results in general but can experience nonphysical spatial oscillations when time steps are large or when a system’s dominance ratio approaches unity. Two substepping techniques have been developed previously to remedy and dampen these spatial oscillations without needing to reduce step sizes. The first approach relied on higher-order techniques to account for spectral changes within steps (extrapolation and interpolation techniques). The second approach used the first order perturbation (FOP) theory to account for the change in the one-group spatial flux distribution within steps. This paper develops a hybrid depletion methodology which, in a way, combines how the flux is handled in both substepping techniques. Specifically, the multigroup (MG) MC Shift code is used to update the flux distribution within steps rather than a one-group FOP solver. A fully reflected pincell is investigated, which is not spatially dependent in the MG representation. Thus, the analysis in this paper is an initial demonstration of hybrid depletion. An upcoming companion paper will focus on how the hybrid depletion dampens spatial oscillations. The hybrid depletion approach is verified to be consistent with previous constant extrapolation depletion (CED) methods. This paper finds that the hybrid CED exhibits some error in the eigenvalue and one group constants within macro steps. To address this discrepancy, a simple interpolation scheme (CELI) is investigated. This work found that CELI sufficiently addresses the discrepancy in spectrum for macro steps up to 100 days. Overall, this work demonstrates that the hybrid depletion method can significantly reduce the number of high fidelity MC executions in a MC-coupled depletion with an acceptable eigenvalue error.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Electron-phonon coupling induced intrinsic Floquet electronic structure

Floquet states are a topic of intense contemporary interest, which is often induced by coherent external oscillating perturbation (e.g., laser, or microwave) which breaks the continuous time translational symmetry of the systems. Usually, electron–phonon coupling modifies the electronic structure of a crystal as a non-coherent perturbation and seems difficult to form Floquet states. Surprisingly, we found that the thermal equilibrium electron–phonon coupling in M(MoS) 3 and M(MoSe) 3 (where M is a metallic element) exhibits a coherent behavior, and the electronic structure can be described by the Floquet theorem. Such a coherent Floquet state is caused by a selective giant electron–phonon coupling, with thermodynamic phonon oscillation serving as a driving force on the electronic part of the system. The quasi-1D Dirac cone at the Fermi energy has its band gap open and close regularly. Similarly, the electric current will oscillate even under a constant voltage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Understanding the fusion yield dependencies in OMEGA DT-layered implosion experiments using a physics-based statistical mapping model

Improving the performance of inertial confinement fusion implosions requires physics models that can accurately predict the response to changes in the experimental inputs. Good predictive capability has been demonstrated for the fusion yield using a statistical mapping of simulated outcomes to experimental data [Gopalaswamy et al., Nature 565(771), 581–586 (2019)]. In this paper, a physics-based statistical mapping approach is used to extract and quantify all the major sources of degradation of fusion yield for direct-drive implosions on the OMEGA laser. Here, the yield is found to be dependent on the age of the deuterium tritium fill, the ℓ = 1 asymmetry in the implosion core, the laser beam-to-target size ratio, and parameters related to the hydrodynamic stability. A controlled set of experiments were carried out where only the target fill age was varied while keeping all other parameters constant. The measurements were found to be in excellent agreement with the fill age dependency inferred using the mapping model. In addition, a new implosion design was created, guided by the statistical mapping model by optimizing the trade-offs between increased laser energy coupling at larger target size and the degradations caused by the laser beam-to-target size ratio and hydrodynamic instabilities. When experimentally performed, an increased fusion yield was demonstrated in targets with larger diameters.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Long-lived axionlike particles from tau decays

Axionlike particles (ALPs) are well-motivated examples of light, weakly coupled particles in theories beyond the Standard Model. In this work, we study long-lived ALPs coupled exclusively to leptons in the mass range between 2⁢𝑚 𝑒 and 𝑚 𝜏 − 𝑚 𝑒 . For anarchic flavor structure the leptophilic ALP production in tau decays or from ALP-tau bremsstrahlung is enhanced thanks to derivative couplings of the ALP and can surpass production from electron and muon channels, especially for ALPs heavier than 𝑚 𝜇 . Using past data from high-energy fixed-target experiments such as CHARM and BEBC we place new constraints on the ALP decay constant 𝑓 𝑎 , reaching scales as high as 𝒪⁡(10 8 ) GeV in lepton-flavor-violating channels and 𝑓 𝑎 ∼ 𝒪⁡(10 2 ) GeV in lepton-flavor-conserving ones. We also present projections for the event-rate sensitivity of current and future detectors to ALPs produced at the Fermilab Main Injector, the CERN SPS, and in the forward direction of the LHC. We show that SHiP will be sensitive to 𝑓 𝑎 values that are over an order of magnitude above the existing constraints.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Numerical simulation of the world ocean circulation

A multi-level model, based on the primitive equations, is developed for simulating the temperature and velocity fields produced in the world ocean by differential heating and surface wind stress. The model ocean has constant depth, free slip at the lower boundary, and neglects momentum advection; so that there is no energy exchange between the barotropic and baroclinic components of the motion, although the former influences the latter through temperature advection. The ocean model was designed to be coupled to the UCLA atmospheric general circulation model, for the study of the dynamics of climate and climate changes. But here, the model is tested by prescribing the observed seasonally varying surface wind stress and the incident solar radiation, the surface air temperature and humidity, cloudiness and the surface wind speed, which, together with the predicted ocean surface temperature, determine the surface flux of radiant energy, sensible heat and latent heat.

Takano, K.↗

The energy balance in coronal holes and average quiet-sun regions

Emission measure curves are presented for average coronal hole and quiet-sun spectra taken during the Skylab mission by Vernazza and Reeves (1978), and the curves are used to discuss the energy balance in each region. Close-coupling calculations are used for the Be sequence, assuming a 10 level ion; for B sequence ions mainly distorted wave calculations in an 11 level ion are used, but close-coupling cross sections are used for some ions; for C and Mg sequence ions, distorted wave calculations are used with 15 and 10 level ions, respectively, and close-coupling results are used for Li-like ions with two levels. Results are presented and include the following: the coronal hole spectrum shows a smaller slope in the emission measure distribution, consistent with the expected outflow effects. It is concluded that the simple constant pressure models of static coronal loops of constant cross section are basically able to match the observed emission measure distribution of the average quiet sun between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 K. However, the cell center and network distributions are respectively steeper and shallower than predicted by the detailed cooling curve.

Raymond, J. C.↗

Hybrid simulations of the saturated Farley-Buneman instability in the ionosphere

Numerical simulations of the Farley-Buneman instability in 2-1/2 dimensions using particle ions and fluid electrons show the growth, saturation and nonlinear behavior of two-stream waves. This hybrid technique models the saturated state of the instability for a much longer period of time than the pure particle codes that preceded it. While focusing principally on modeling the topside E region equatorial electrojet, many of these results apply to the auroral two-stream instability as well. The following features are seen in all our hybrid simulations: (1) wave growth at an angle offset from the electron drift direction where the angle depends on the strength of the driving electric field, (2) nonlinear coupling to waves traveling perpendicular to the propagation direction of the principal two-stream waves, (3) a saturated wave phase velocity at or above the sound speed but well below the velocity predicted by linear theory and (4) phase velocities which remain almost constant as a simulated radar sweeps from a horizontal direction to nearly vertical. The nonlinear electron motion dominates the behavior of these waves. Further, these simulations indicate that ion kinetic effects are not essential for the saturation of the instability and that electron temperature effects have a minor impact on the final saturated state.

Oppenheim, Meers↗

Record Low NEP in the Hot-Electron Titanium Nanobolometers

We are developing hot-electron superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) capable of counting THz photons and operating at T = 0.3K. We fabricated superconducting Ti nanosensors with Nb contacts with a volume of approx. 3x10(exp -3) cu microns on planar Si substrate and have measured the thermal conductance due to the weak electron-phonon coupling in the material G = 4x10(exp -14) W/K at 0.3 K. The corresponding phonon-noise NEP = 3x10(exp -19) W/Hz(sup 1/2). Detection of single optical photons (1550nm and 670nm wavelength) has been demonstrated for larger devices and yielded the thermal time constants of 30 microsec at 145 mK and of 25 microsec at 190 mK. This Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) is expected to have a sufficient energy resolution for detecting individual photons with (nu) > 1 THz where NEP approx. 3x10(exp -20) W/Hz(sup 1/2) is needed for spectroscopy in space.

transition edge sensors↗

Stability of large horizontal-axis axisymmetric wind turbines

The stability of large horizontal axis, axi-symmetric, power producing wind turbines was examined. The analytical model used included the dynamic coupling of the rotor, tower and power generating system. The aerodynamic loading was derived from blade element theory. Each rotor blade was permitted tow principal elastic bending degrees of freedom, one degree of freedom in torsion and controlled pitch as a rigid body. The rotor hub was mounted in a rigid nacelle which may yaw freely or in a controlled manner. The tower can bend in two principal directions and may twist. Also, the rotor speed can vary and may induce perturbation reactions within the power generating equipment. Stability was determined by the eigenvalues of a set of linearized constant coefficient differential equations. All results presented are based on a 3 bladed, 300 ft. diameter, 2.5 megawatt wind turbine. Some of the parameters varied were; wind speed, rotor speed structural stiffness and damping, the effective stiffness and damping of the power generating system and the principal bending directions of the rotor blades. Unstable or weakly stable behavior can be caused by aerodynamic forces due to motion of the rotor blades and tower in the plane of rotation or by mechanical coupling between the rotor system and the tower.

Hirschbein, M. S.↗

Micro-Horn Arrays for Ultrasonic Impedance Matching

Thin-layered structures containing arrays of micromachined horns, denoted solid micro-horn arrays (SMIHAs), have been conceived as improved means of matching acoustic impedances between ultrasonic transducers and the media with which the transducers are required to exchange acoustic energy. Typically, ultrasonic transducers (e.g., those used in medical imaging) are piezoelectric or similar devices, which produce small displacements at large stresses. However, larger displacements at smaller stresses are required in the target media (e.g., human tissues) with which acoustic energy is to be exchanged. Heretofore, efficiencies in transmission of acoustic energy between ultrasonic transducers and target media have been severely limited because substantial mismatches of acoustic impedances have remained, even when coupling material layers have been interposed between the transducers and the target media. In contrast, SMIHAs can, in principle, be designed to effect more nearly complete acoustic impedance matching, leading to power transmission efficiencies of 90 percent or even greater. The SMIHA concept is based on extension, into the higher-frequency/ lower-wavelength ultrasonic range, of the use of horns to match acoustic impedances in the audible and lower-frequency ultrasonic ranges. In matching acoustic impedance in transmission from a higher-impedance acoustic source (e.g., a piezoelectric transducer) and a lowerimpedance target medium (e.g., air or human tissue), a horn acts as a mechanical amplifier. The shape and size of the horn can be optimized for matching acoustic impedance in a specified frequency range. A typical SMIHA would consist of a base plate, a face plate, and an array of horns that would constitute pillars that connect the two plates (see figure). In use, the base plate would be connected to an ultrasonic transducer and the face plate would be placed in contact with the target medium. As at lower frequencies, the sizes and shapes of the pillars could be tailored for impedance matching in a specified ultrasonic frequency range. In a design that would be simplest to implement by micromachining, the horns would have constant cross-sectional areas as shown in the upper part of the figure. In this case, the dimensions of the horns could be chosen on the basis of a Mason equivalent-circuit model (a simplified model, well-known in the piezoelectric-transducer art, in which the electrical and mechanical dynamics, including electromechanical couplings, are expressed as electrical circuit elements that can include inductors, capacitors, and lumped-parameter complex impedances.) In a more complex, more nearly optimum design, the cross-sectional area of each horn would be either stepped or made to vary as a continuous function of through-the thickness position, as shown in the lower part of the figure.

Rao, Shanti↗

Coupling Turbulence in Hybrid LES-RANS Techniques

A formulation is proposed for hybrid LES-RANS computations that permits accurate computations during resolution changes, so that resolution may be changed at will in order to employ only as much resolution in each subdomain as is required by the physics. The two components of this formulation, establishing the accuracy of a hybrid model at constant resolutions throughout the RANS-to-LES range and maintaining that accuracy when resolution is varied, are demonstrated for decaying, homogeneous, isotropic turbulence.

Woodruff, Stephen L.↗

Tensor network formulation of two-dimensional gravity

We show how to formulate a lattice gauge theory whose naive continuum limit corresponds to two-dimensional (Euclidean) quantum gravity including a positive cosmological constant. More precisely the resultant continuum theory corresponds to gravity in a first-order formalism in which the local frame and spin connection are treated as independent fields. Recasting this lattice theory as a tensor network allows us to study the theory at strong coupling without encountering a sign problem. In two dimensions this tensor network is exactly soluble and we show that the system has a series of critical points that occur for pure imaginary coupling and are associated with first order phase transitions. We then augment the action with a Yang-Mills term which allows us to control the lattice spacing and show how to apply the tensor renormalization group to compute the free energy and look for critical behavior. Finally we perform an analytic continuation in the gravity coupling in this extended model and show that its critical behavior in a certain scaling limit depends only on the topology of the underlying lattice. We also show how the lattice gauge theory can be naturally generalized to generate the Polyakov or Liouville action for two dimensional quantum gravity.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Gifts from anomalies: Exact results for Landau phase transitions in metals

Non-Fermi liquid phenomena arise naturally near critical points of Landau ordering transitions in metallic systems, where strong fluctuations of a bosonic order parameter destroy coherent quasiparticles. Despite progress in developing controlled perturbative techniques, much of the low energy physics of such metallic quantum critical points remains poorly understood. We demonstrate that exact, non-perburbative results can be obtained for both optical transport and static susceptibilities in “Hertz-Millis” theories of Fermi surfaces coupled to critical bosons. Such models possess a large emergent symmetry and anomaly structure, which we leverage to fix these quantities. In particular, we show that in the infrared limit, the boson self energy at zero wave vector, \mathbf{q}=0 𝐪 = 0 , is a constant independent of frequency, and the real part of the optical conductivity, \sigma(\omega) σ ( ω ) , is purely a delta function Drude peak with no other corrections. Therefore, further frequency dependence in the boson self energy or optical conductivity can only come from irrelevant operators in a clean system. Exact relations between Fermi liquid parameters as the critical point is approached from the disordered phase are also obtained. The absence of a universal, power law frequency dependence in the boson self energy contrasts with previous perturbative calculations, and we explain the origin of this difference.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

On the minimization of the prime power consumption of a coupling-modulated gas laser transmitter

The prime power requirements of a coupling-modulated gas laser transmitter are presented. The latter consists of a gas discharge tube and electro-optic modulator inside a laser resonator. In performing the calculations, the laser discharge length and the modulator voltage are simultaneously varied so that the transmitted power remains constant. In this way, tradeoffs can be made between the prime power supplied individually to the discharge tube and to the modulator driver to obtain a transmitter configuration which minimizes the total prime power consumption. An analytical expression is derived which describes the effects of information bandwidth and transmitter output power on the prime power requirements. Specific numerical results are obtained for a CO2 laser transmitter based on presently available experimental data.

Degnan, J. J.↗

Non-Newtonian Fluid Model Incorporated into Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of Rectangular Contacts

A procedure is outlined for the numerical solution of the complete elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rectangular contacts incorporating a non-Newtonian fluid model. The approach uses a Newtonian model as long as the shear stress is less than a limiting shear stress. If the shear stress exceeds the limiting value, the shear stress is set equal to the limiting value. The numerical solution requires the coupled solution of the pressure, film shape, and fluid rheology equations from the inlet to the outlet. Isothermal and no-side-leakage assumptions were imposed in the analysis. The influence of dimensionless speed, load, materials, and sliding velocity and limiting-shear-strength proportionality constant on dimensionless minimum film thickness was investigated. Fourteen cases were used in obtaining the minimum-film-thickness equation for an elastohydrodynamically lubricated rectangular contact incorporating a non-Newtonian fluid model. Computer plots are also presented that indicate in detail pressure distribution, film shape, shear stress at the surfaces, and flow throughout the conjunction.

Jacobson, B. O.↗

Non-Newtonian fluid model incorporated into elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rectangular contacts

A procedure is outlined for the numerical solution of the complete elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rectangular contacts incorporating a non-Newtonian fluid model. The approach uses a Newtonian model as long as the shear stress is less than a limiting shear stress. If the shear stress exceeds the limiting value, the shear stress is set equal to the limiting value. The numerical solution requires the coupled solution of the pressure, film shape, and fluid rheology equations from the inlet to the outlet. Isothermal and no-side-leakage assumptions were imposed in the analysis. The influence of dimensionless speed, load, materials, and sliding velocity and limiting-shear-strength proportionality constant on dimensionless minimum film thickness was investigated. Fourteen cases were used in obtaining the minimum-film-thickness equation for an elastohydrodynamically lubricated rectangular contact incorporating a non-Newtonian fluid model. Computer plots are also presented that indicate in detail pressure distribution, film shape, shear stress at the surfaces, and flow throughout the conjunction.

Jacobson, B. O.↗