Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Coherence”

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 1,153 records · Page 64
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Squeezed states as representations of symplectic groups

It is shown that the SU(1,1)-like and SU(2)-like two-photon coherent states can be combined to form a O(3,2)-like two-photon state. Since the O(3,2) group has many subgroups, there are also many new interesting new coherent and squeezed two-photon states. Among them is the two-photon sheared state whose symmetry property is like that for the two-dimensional Euclidean group. There are now two-phonon coherent states which may exhibit symmetries not yet observed for photons, including sheared states. Let us note that both SU(1,1) and S(3,2) are isomorphic to the symplectic groups Sp(2) and Sp(4) respectively, and that symplectic transformations consist of rotations and squeeze transformations.

Han, D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Investigations of Remote Plasma Irregularites by Radio Sounding: Applications of the Radio Plasma Imager on IMAGE

The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission operates like a radar by transmitting and receiving coherent electromagnetic pulses. Long-range echoes of electromagnetic sounder waves are reflected at remote plasma cutoffs. Thus, analyses of RPI observations will yield the plasma parameters and distances to the remote reflection points. These analyses assume that the reflecting plasma surfaces are cold and are sufficiently smooth that they effectively behave as plane mirrors to the incoming sounder waves, i.e., that geometric optics can be used. The RPI will employ pulse compression and spectral integration techniques, perfected in ground-based ionospheric digital sounders, in order to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio in long-range magnetospheric sounding. When plasma irregularities exist in the remote magnetospheric plasmas that are being probed by the sounder waves, echo signatures may become complicated. Ionospheric sounding experience indicates that while topside sounding echo strengths can actually be enhanced by the presence of irregularities, ground-based sounding indicates that coherent detection techniques can still be employed. In this paper we investigate the plasma conditions that will allow coherent signals to be detected by the RPI and the signatures to be expected, such as scattering and plasma resonances, in the presence of multi-scale irregularities, may possibly have on RPI signals. Sounding of irregular plasma structures in the plasmasphere, plasmapause and magnetopause are also discussed.

Fung, Shing F.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Analysis of Lidar Remote Sensing Concepts

Line of sight velocity and measurement position sensitivity analyses for an orbiting coherent Doppler lidar are developed and applied to two lidars, one with a nadir angle of 30 deg. in a 300 km altitude, 58 deg. inclination orbit and the second for a 45 deg. nadir angle instrument in a 833 km altitude, 89 deg. inclination orbit. The effect of orbit related effects on the backscatter sensitivity of a coherent Doppler lidar is also discussed. Draft performance estimate, error budgets and payload accommodation requirements for the SPARCLE (Space Readiness Coherent Lidar) instrument were also developed and documented.

Spiers, Gary D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Improving Scientific Capabilities in Space in the 21st Century: The NASA New Millennium Program

NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) has been chartered to identify and validate in space emerging, revolutionary technologies that will enable less costly, more capable future science missions. The program utilizes a unique blend of science guidance and industry partnering to ferret out technology solutions to enable science capabilities in space which are presently technically infeasible, or unaffordable. Those technologies which present an unacceptably high risk to future science missions (whether small PI-led or operational) are bundled into technology validation missions. These missions seek to validate the technologies in a manner consistent with their future uses, thus reducing the associated risk to the first user, and obtaining meaningful science data as well. The Space Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE) was approved as the second NMP Earth Observing mission (EO2) in October 1997, and assigned to Marshall Space Flight Center for implementation. Leading up to mission confirmation, NMP sponsored a community workshop in March 1996 to draft Level-1 requirements for a doppler wind lidar mission, as well as other space-based lidar missions (such as DIAL). Subsequently, a study group was formed and met twice to make recommendations on how to perform a comparison of coherent and direct detection wind lidars in space. These recommendations have guided the science validation plan for the SPARCLE mission, and will ensure that future users will be able to confidently assess the risk profile of future doppler wind missions utilizing EO2 technologies. The primary risks to be retired are: (1) Maintenance of optical alignments through launch and operations on orbit, and (2) Successful velocity estimation compensation for the Doppler shift due to the platform motion, and due to the earth's rotation. This includes the need to account for all sources of error associated with pointing control and knowledge. The validation objectives are: (1) Demonstrate measurement of tropospheric winds from space using a scanning coherent Doppler lidar technique that scales to meet future research (e.g. ESSP) and operational (e.g. NPOESS) mission requirements. Specifically, produce and validate LOS wind data with single shot accuracy of 1-2 m/s in regions of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and low atmospheric wind turbulence and wind shear, (2) Collect the atmospheric and instrument performance data in various scanning modes necessary to validate and improve instrument performance models that will enable the definition of future missions with greater confidence. Such data include aerosol backscatter data over much of the globe, and high SNR data such as that from surface returns, and (3) Produce a set of raw instrument data with which advanced signal processing techniques can be developed. This objective will permit future missions to better understand how to extract wind information from low backscatter regions of the atmosphere.

Raymond, Carol A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

High Efficiency End-Pumped Ho:Tm:YLF Disk Amplifier

Space based coherent lidar for global wind measurement requires an all solid state laser system with high energy, high efficiency and narrow linewidth that operates in the eye safe region. A Q-switched, diode pumped Ho:Tm:YLF 2 micrometer laser with output energy of as much as 125 mJ at 6 Hz with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 3% has been reported. Single frequency operation of the laser was achieved by injection seeding. The design of this laser is being incorporated into NASA's SPARCLE (SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment) wind lidar mission. Laser output energy ranging from 500 mJ to 2 J is required for an operational space coherent lidar. We previously developed a high energy Ho:Tm:YLF master oscillator and side pumped power amplifier system and demonstrated a 600-mJ single frequency pulse at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Although the output energy is high, the optical-to-optical efficiency is only about 2%. Designing a high energy, highly efficient, conductively cooled 2-micrometer laser remains a challenge. In this paper, the preliminary result of an end-pumped amplifier that has a potential to provide a factor 3 of improvement in the system efficiency is reported.

Yu, Jirong↗
NASA NTRS1999

Fast Time-Varying Volume Rendering Using Time-Space Partition (TSP) Tree

We present a new, algorithm for rapid rendering of time-varying volumes. A new hierarchical data structure that is capable of capturing both the temporal and the spatial coherence is proposed. Conventional hierarchical data structures such as octrees are effective in characterizing the homogeneity of the field values existing in the spatial domain. However, when treating time merely as another dimension for a time-varying field, difficulties frequently arise due to the discrepancy between the field's spatial and temporal resolutions. In addition, treating spatial and temporal dimensions equally often prevents the possibility of detecting the coherence that is unique in the temporal domain. Using the proposed data structure, our algorithm can meet the following goals. First, both spatial and temporal coherence are identified and exploited for accelerating the rendering process. Second, our algorithm allows the user to supply the desired error tolerances at run time for the purpose of image-quality/rendering-speed trade-off. Third, the amount of data that are required to be loaded into main memory is reduced, and thus the I/O overhead is minimized. This low I/O overhead makes our algorithm suitable for out-of-core applications.

Shen, Han-Wei↗
NASA NTRS1997

Validity Using Pump-Probe Pulses to Determine the Optical Response of Niobate Crystals

A variety of niobate crystals have found their places in nonlinear optical applications as well as in laser devices. In recent years much attention has been paid to study the ultrafast optical response in a variety of photorefractive crystals such as KTa(1-x)Nb(x)O3 and KNbO3 crystals, glasses, semiconductors and polymers for applications in optical switching, information processing, optical computing, and all-optical device systems. Third-order optical nonlinearity is the most important property for realization of all-optical switching. Therefore experiments have been performed on the third order susceptibility using a variety of techniques such as the third-order harmonic generation, EFISH and degenerate four-wave mixing(DFWM). The latter has been conducted with a variety of pump wavelengths and with nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond pulses. Niobate crystals, such as potassium niobate KNbO3, potassium tantalate niobate KTN family (KTa(1-x)Nb(x)O3), strontium barium niobate SBN (Sr(x)Ba(1-x)Nb2O6) and potassium-sodium niobate SBN (KNSBN) are attractive due to their photorefractive properties for application in optical storage and processing. The pulsed probe experiments performed on theses materials have suggested two types of time responses. These responses have been associated with an coherent response due to Chi(sup 3), and a long lived component due to excited state population. Recent study of DFWM on KNbO3 and KTN family reveals that the long lived component of those crystals depends on the crystal orientation. A slowly decaying signal is observable when the grating vector K(sub g) is not perpendicular to the C-axis of those photorefractive crystals', otherwise the optical response signal would be only a narrow coherent peak with FWHM equal to the cross-correlation width of the write beam pulses. Based on this understanding, we study the photodynamical process of a variety of niobate crystals using DFWM in a Kg perpindicular to C geometry with a ps-YAG: Nd laser operating at 532nm. However, the discrepancies in numerical estimations of Chi(sup 3) in these materials and other nonlinear optical media have resulted in a number of discussions. In order to better understand the photodynamical process of niobate crystals after an short pulse excitation we analyze the factors governing the coherent signal and present the DFWM spectra of niobate crystals.

Liu, Huimin↗
NASA NTRS2000

CVS Decomposition of 3D Homogeneous Turbulence Using Orthogonal Wavelets

This paper compares the filtering used in Coherent Vortex Simulation (CVS) decomposition with an orthogonal wavelet basis, with the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) or Fourier filtering. Both methods are applied to a field of Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data of 3D forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence at microscale Reynolds number R(sub lambda) = 168. We show that, with only 3%N retained modes, CVS filtering separates the coherent vortex tubes from the incoherent background flow. The latter is structureless, has an equipartition energy spectrum, and has a Gaussian velocity probability distribution function (PDF) and an exponential vorticity PDF. On the other hand, the Fourier basis does not extract the coherent vortex tubes cleanly and leaves organized structures in the residual high wavenumber modes whose PDFs are stretched exponentials for both the velocity and the vorticity.

Farge, Marie↗
NASA NTRS2000

CVS Filtering of 3D Turbulent Mixing Layers Using Orthogonal Wavelets

Coherent Vortex Simulation (CVS) filtering has been applied to Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data of forced and unforced time-developing turbulent mixing layers. CVS filtering splits the turbulent flow into two orthogonal parts, one corresponding to coherent vortices and the other to incoherent background flow. We have shown that the coherent vortices can be represented by few wavelet modes and that these modes are sufficient to reproduce the vorticity probability distribution function (PDF) and the energy spectrum over the entire inertial range. The remaining incoherent background flow is homogeneous, has small amplitude, and is uncorrelated. These results are compared with those obtained for the same compression rate using large eddy simulation (LES) filtering. In contrast to the incoherent background flow of CVS filtering, the LES subgrid scales have a much larger amplitude and are correlated, which makes their statistical modeling more difficult.

Schneider, Kai↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Roles of Large- and Small-Scale Structures in Turbulent Free Shear Layers

The occurrence of large-scale coherent structures in turbulent free shear flows (especially the planar mixing layer) has been recognized for some time. Indeed, the observation of such structures in mixing layers did much to promote interest in the study of coherent structures in turbulence. It has been widely assumed that the large-scale structures in these flows are responsible for the entrainment of free-stream fluid and the overall growth of the layer, while the small-scale structures provide mixing and dissipation. A model of scalar mixing based on these ideas was proposed for these flows. However, recent experimental and computational evidence suggests that the dominance of the large-scale structures in turbulent mixing layers is not universal. In addition, there is a substantial variation among experiments in several statistical measures of self-similar mixing layers, for example growth rate and velocity variances. To investigate the importance of large-scale structures, several free shear flows (mixing layers and wakes) have been simulated via direct numerical simulation. The simulations are designed to mimic experimental mixing layers in which the splitter plate boundary layers are turbulent. Different levels of two-dimensional forcing are included resulting in large-scale structures of differing strength and importance. These simulations are used to investigate the role of large-scale coherent structures in free shear layers and the effect of these structures on relevant turbulence statistics and scalar mixing. It is found that the statistics and structures in several experiments involving turbulent mixing layers are in better agreement with simulations that do not exhibit dominant large-scale structures than those in which the common mixing layer structures do dominate. It is also found that the level of forcing can have a profound effect on the qualitative and quantitative features of these shear layer, even when they are nominally self-similar.

Moser, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Geometrical Detector Considerations in Laser Sensing Applications

We have studied the influence of the geometrical interaction of different detectors with the impinging optical/laser received beam for a wide range of laser sensing applications. Although different techniques apply, it is found that similar aspects of geometrical physics plays a role in direct detection of a range-resolved large M(sup 2) OPO atmospheric Lidar, heterodyne multi-detector reception of atmospheric turbulence distorted coherent lidar type laser sensing, and the distribution and summation of laser induced fluorescence signals after being spectrally resolved with a spectrometer and detected by a column summing CCD detector. In each of these systems, the focused received light is spatially and spectrally distributed due to several factors including Field-of-View considerations, laser beam quality/divergence, multi-detector aspects, and hardware and software summation (coherent and non-coherent) of multi-element or spatially integrated signals. This invited talk will present some of our recent results in these areas and show the similarities in the detector spatial and temporal summation techniques of these different laser sensing systems.

Killinger, Dennis↗
NASA NTRS2000

Lightweight Lidar Telescopes for Space Applications

NASA is intent on exploiting the unique perspective of space-based remote optical instruments to observe and study large-scale environmental processes. Emphasis on smaller and more affordable missions continues to force the remote sensing instruments to find innovative ways to reduce the size, weight, and cost of the sensor package. This is a challenge because many of the proposed instruments incorporate a high quality meter-class telescope that can be a significant driver of total instrument costs. While various methods for telescope weight reduction have been achieved, many of the current approaches rely on exotic materials and specialized manufacturing techniques that limit availability or substantially increase costs. A competitive lightweight telescope technology that is especially well suited to space-based coherent Doppler wind lidar has been developed through a collaborative effort involving NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) through the Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) at the Center for Applied Optics (CAO). The new lightweight optics using metal alloy shells and surfaces (LOMASS) fabrication approach is suitable for high quality metal mirrors and meter-class telescopes. Compared to alternative materials and fabrication methods the new approach promises to reduce the areal density of a meter-class telescope to less than 15-kg/sq m; deliver a minimum VIO-RMS surface optical quality; while using commercial materials and equipment to lower procurement costs. The final optical figure and finish is put into the mirrors through conventional diamond turning and polishing techniques. This approach is especially advantageous for a coherent lidar instrument because the reduced telescope weight permits the rotation of the telescope to scan the beam without requiring heavy wedges or additional large mirrors. Ongoing investigations and preliminary results show promise for the LOMASS approach to be successful in demonstrating a novel alternative approach to fabricating lightweight mirrors with performance parameters comparable with the Space Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE). Development and process characterization is continuing with the design and fabrication of mirrors for a 25-cm telescope suitable for a lidar instrument.

Peters, Bruce R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fabrication, Metrology and Modeling of the Space-Based Lidar Telescope for SPARCLE

Over the past 7 years, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) through the Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC) has been working; in collaboration with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Center for Applied Optics (CAO), and others; towards demonstrating a solid state coherent Doppler lidar instrument for space-based global measurement of atmospheric winds. The Space Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE) was selected by NASA's New Millennium Program to demonstrate the feasibility and technology readiness of space-based coherent wind lidar. The CAO was responsible for the design, development, integration, and testing of the SPARCLE optical system. Operating at 2-micron wavelength, SPARCLE system performance is dominated by the optical quality of the transmitter/receiver optical system. The stringent optical performance requirements coupled with the demanding physical and environmental constraints of a space-based instrument necessitate extensive characterization of the telescope optical performance that is critical to predicting the lidar system efficiency and operation in space. Individual components have been measured prior to assembly and compared to the designed specifications. Based on the individual components, the telescope design was optimized to produce a suitable telescope. Once the telescope is completed, it will be tested and evaluated and the data shall be used to anchor computer based models of the optical system. Commercial optical modeling codes were used to evaluate the performance of the telescope under a variety of anticipated on-orbit environments and will eventually be compared to environmental tests conducted in the course of qualifying the telescope for flight. Detailed analysis using the "as built" data will help to reduce uncertainties within the lidar system model and will increase the accuracy of the lidar performance predictions.

Peters, Bruce R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Parallel Information Processing (Image Transmission Via Fiber Bundle and Multimode Fiber

Growing demand for visual, user-friendly representation of information inspires search for the new methods of image transmission. Currently used in-series (sequential) methods of information processing are inherently slow and are designed mainly for transmission of one or two dimensional arrays of data. Conventional transmission of data by fibers requires many fibers with array of laser diodes and photodetectors. In practice, fiber bundles are also used for transmission of images. Image is formed on the fiber-optic bundle entrance surface and each fiber transmits the incident image to the exit surface. Since the fibers do not preserve phase, only 2D intensity distribution can be transmitted in this way. Each single mode fiber transmit only one pixel of an image. Multimode fibers may be also used, so that each mode represent different pixel element. Direct transmission of image through multimode fiber is hindered by the mode scrambling and phase randomization. To overcome these obstacles wavelength and time-division multiplexing have been used, with each pixel transmitted on a separate wavelength or time interval. Phase-conjugate techniques also was tested in, but only in the unpractical scheme when reconstructed image return back to the fiber input end. Another method of three-dimensional imaging over single mode fibers was demonstrated in, using laser light of reduced spatial coherence. Coherence encoding, needed for a transmission of images by this methods, was realized with grating interferometer or with the help of an acousto-optic deflector. We suggest simple practical holographic method of image transmission over single multimode fiber or over fiber bundle with coherent light using filtering by holographic optical elements. Originally this method was successfully tested for the single multimode fiber. In this research we have modified holographic method for transmission of laser illuminated images over commercially available fiber bundle (fiber endoscope, or fiberscope).

Kukhtarev, Nicholai↗
NASA NTRS2003

Keeping Communication Continuous

General Dynamics Decision Systems employees have played a role in supplying telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) and other communications systems to NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense for over 40 years. Providing integrated communication systems and subsystems for nearly all manned and unmanned U.S. space flights, the heritage of this Scottsdale, Arizona-based company includes S-band transceivers that enabled millions of Americans to see Neil Armstrong and hear his prophetic words from the Moon in 1969. More recently, Decision Systems has collaborated with NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center to develop transponders, wireless communications devices that pick up and automatically respond to an incoming signal, for NASA s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). Four generations of Decision Systems TDRSS transponders have been developed under Goddard s sponsorship. The company s Fourth Generation TDRSS User Transponder (TDRSS IV) allows low-Earth-orbiting spacecraft to communicate continuously with a single ground station at White Sands, New Mexico, through a constellation of geostationary relay satellites positioned at key locations around the Earth. In addition to the communications of forward link control commands and return link telemetry data, the TDRSS IV also supports spacecraft orbit tracking through coherent turn-around of a pseudo-noise ranging code and two-way Doppler tracking.When the NSBF adopted the use of global positioning system receivers for balloon position tracking, Decision Systems concluded that a simpler, noncoherent transceiver could provide the NSBF with the necessary TDRSS communications without the additional cost and complexity of a coherent transponder. The solution was to take the core design of the TDRSS IV Transponder, but remove the extra functionality that supported coherent turn-around. This would simplify the production effort, reduce the testing required, and result in a lower cost product with smaller size, weight, and power consumption. Once NSBF and Decision Systems agreed on a concept for this new product, known as the Multi-Mode Transceiver (MMT), the NSBF approached Goddard for approval and funding.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Respiratory modulation of human autonomic rhythms

We studied the influence of three types of breathing [spontaneous, frequency controlled (0.25 Hz), and hyperventilation with 100% oxygen] and apnea on R-R interval, photoplethysmographic arterial pressure, and muscle sympathetic rhythms in nine healthy young adults. We integrated fast Fourier transform power spectra over low (0.05-0.15 Hz) and respiratory (0.15-0.3 Hz) frequencies; estimated vagal baroreceptor-cardiac reflex gain at low frequencies with cross-spectral techniques; and used partial coherence analysis to remove the influence of breathing from the R-R interval, systolic pressure, and muscle sympathetic nerve spectra. Coherence among signals varied as functions of both frequency and time. Partialization abolished the coherence among these signals at respiratory but not at low frequencies. The mode of breathing did not influence low-frequency oscillations, and they persisted during apnea. Our study documents the independence of low-frequency rhythms from respiratory activity and suggests that the close correlations that may exist among arterial pressures, R-R intervals, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity at respiratory frequencies result from the influence of respiration on these measures rather than from arterial baroreflex physiology. Most importantly, our results indicate that correlations among autonomic and hemodynamic rhythms vary over time and frequency, and, thus, are facultative rather than fixed.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2006

Advanced Energy Conversion Technologies and Architectures for Earth and Beyond

Research, development and studies of novel space-based solar power systems, technologies and architectures for Earth and beyond are needed to reduce the cost of clean electrical power for terrestrial use and to provide a stepping stone for providing an abundance of power in space, i.e., manufacturing facilities, tourist facilities, delivery of power between objects in space, and between space and surface sites. The architectures, technologies and systems needed for space to Earth applications may also be used for in-space applications. Advances in key technologies, i.e., power generation, power management and distribution, power beaming and conversion of beamed power are needed to achieve the objectives of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications. There is a need to produce "proof-ofconcept" validation of critical WPT technologies for both the near-term, as well as far-term applications. Investments may be harvested in near-term beam safe demonstrations of commercial WPT applications. Receiving sites (users) include ground-based stations for terrestrial electrical power, orbital sites to provide power for satellites and other platforms, future space elevator systems, space vehicle propulsion, and space surface sites. Space surface receiving sites of particular interest include the areas of permanent shadow near the moon s North and South poles, where WPT technologies could enable access to ice and other useful resources for human exploration. This paper discusses work addressing a promising approach to solar power generation and beamed power conversion. The approach is based on a unique high-power solar concentrator array called Stretched Lens Array (SLA) applied to both solar power generation and beamed power conversion. Since both versions (solar and laser) of SLA use many identical components (only the photovoltaic cells need to be different), economies of manufacturing and scale may be realized by using SLA on both ends of the laser power beaming system in a space solar power application. Near-term uses of this SLA-laser-SLA system may include terrestrial and space exploration in near Earth space. Later uses may include beamed power for bases or vehicles on Mars. Strategies for developing energy infrastructures in space which utilize this technology are presented. This dual use system produces electrical energy efficiently from either coherent light, such as from a highly coherent laser, or from conventional solar illumination. This allows, for example, supplementing solar energy with energy provided by highly coherent laser illumination during periods of low solar illumination or no illumination. This reduces the need for batteries and alternate sources of power. The capability of using laser illumination in a lowest order Gaussian laser mode provides means for transmitting power optically with maximum efficiency and precision over the long distances characteristic of space. A preliminary receiving system similar to that described here, has been produced and tested under solar and laser illumination. A summary of results is given.

Howell, Joe T.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Symmetry, Statistics and Structure in MHD Turbulence

Here, we examine homogeneous MHD turbulence in terms of truncated Fourier series. The ideal MHD equations and the associated statistical theory of absolute equilibrium ensembles are symmetric under P, C and T. However, the presence of invariant helicities, which are pseudoscalars under P and C, dynamically breaks this symmetry. This occurs because the surface of constant energy in phase space has disjoint parts, called components: while ensemble averages are taken over all components, a dynamical phase trajectory is confined to only one component. As the Birkhoff-Khinchin theorem tells us, ideal MHD turbulence is thus non-ergodic. This non-ergodicity manifests itself in low-wave number Fourier modes that have large mean values (while absolute ensemble theory predicts mean values of zero). Therefore, we have coherent structure in ideal MHD turbulence. The level of non-ergodicity and amount of energy contained in the associated coherent structure depends on the values of the helicities, as well as on the presence, or not, of a mean magnetic field and/or overall rotation. In addition to the well known cross and magnetic helicities, we also present a new invariant, which we call the parallel helicity, since it occurs when mean field and rotation axis are aligned. The question of applicability of these results to real (i.e., dissipative) MHD turbulence is also examined. Several long-time numerical simulations on a 64(exp 3) grid are given as examples. It is seen that coherent structure begins to form before decay dominates over nonlinearity. The connection of these results with inverse spectral cascades, selective decay, and magnetic dynamos is also discussed.

Shebalin, John V.↗