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At least 1,243 records · Page 69
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NASA NTRS1995

Radial evolution of the energy density of solar wind fluctuations

On the basis of transport theories appropriate to a radially expanding solar wind, we describe new results for the radial evolution of the energy density in solar wind fluctuations at MHD scales. These models include the effects of 'mixing' and driving as well as the possibility of non-isotropic MHD turbulence. Implications of these results for solar wind heating, cosmic ray diffusion and interstellar pick-up ions will also be addressed.

Zank, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Fluctuating Pressure Analysis of a 2-D SSME Nozzle Air Flow Test

To better understand the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) startup/shutdown tansients, an airflow test of a two dimensional nozzle was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center's trisonic wind tunnel. Photographic and other instrumentation show during an SSME start large nozzle shell distortions occur as the Mach disk is passing through the nozzle. During earlier develop of the SSME, this startup transient resulted in low cycle fatigue failure of one of the LH2 feedlines. The two dimensional SSME nozzle test was designed to measure the static and fluctuating pressure environment and color Schlieren video during the startup and shutdown phases of the run profile.

Reed, Darren↗
NASA NTRS1994

Fluid System Angular Momentum and Moment Fluctuations Driven by Gravity Gradient or Gravity Jitter in Microgravity

The dynamical behaviour of fluids affected by the asymmetric gravity gradient acceleration and gravity jitter acceleration, in particular the effect of surface tension on partially-filled rotating fluids with special example applicable to a full-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft dewar tank have been investigated. Results of slosh wave excitation along liquid-vapor interface induced by gravity gradient acceleration indicated that one-up one-down and one-down one-up oscillations of two bubbles in the cross-section of doughnut profiles in the vertical r-z plane of rotating dewar, and an eccentric contour of bubble rotating around the axis of dewar in horizontal r-Theta plane. Results of slosh wave excitation along liquid-vapor interface induced by gravity jitter acceleration indicated equivalent to time-dependent oscillatory forces which push bubble in the combined bubble motion of down-and-up and leftward-and-rightward as the bubble is rotating with respect to rotating dewar axis. Fluctuations of angular momentum, fluid moment and bubble mass center caused by slosh wave excitations driven by gravity gradient acceleration or gravity jitter acceleration are also investigated.

Hung, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Near Field Pressure Fluctuations in the Exit Plane of a Choked Axisymmetric Nozzle

Nearfield pressure data are presented for an unheated jet issuing from an underexpanded sonic nozzle for two exit lip thicknesses of 0.200 and 0.625 nozzle diameters. Fluctuating measurements were obtained on the nozzle exit surface as well as in the acoustic nearfield. Narrowband spectra are presented for numerous operating conditions expressed in terms of the fully expanded Mach number based on nozzle pressure ratio.

Ponton, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Equivalence of Fluctuation Splitting and Finite Volume for One-Dimensional Gas Dynamics

The equivalence of the discretized equations resulting from both fluctuation splitting and finite volume schemes is demonstrated in one dimension. Scalar equations are considered for advection, diffusion, and combined advection/diffusion. Analysis of systems is performed for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations of gas dynamics. Non-uniform mesh-point distributions are included in the analyses.

Wood, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Demonstration of Precise Calibration of Tropospheric Delay Fluctuations with Water Vapor Radiometers

The ability of water vapor radiometers (WVRs) to calibrate changes in tropospheric delay was demonstrated during very long baseline radio interferometer (VLBI) observations at Goldstone, California. WVR measurements reduced the observed VLBI delay variations over a 13 hr period by a factor of approx. = 2.5. When applied to shorter time scales, a approx. = 50% reduction in 100-700 s delay variations was achieved during conditions of high tropospheric activity. Thermal WVR noise precluded calibration of short time scale delay fluctuations during quiet tropospheric conditions.

Teitelbaum, L. P.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The Topographic Torque on a Bounding Surface of a Rotating Gravitating Fluid and the Excitation by Core Motions of Decadal Fluctuations in the Earth's Rotation

General expressions (with potential applications in several areas of geophysical fluid dynamics) are derived for all three components of the contribution made by the geostrophic part of the pressure field associated with flow in a rotating gravitating fluid to the topographic torque exerted by the fluid on a rigid impermeable bounding surface of any shape. When applied to the Earth's liquid metallic core, which is bounded by nearly spherical surfaces and can be divided into two main regions, the "torosphere" and "polosphere," the expressions reduce to formulae given previously by the author, thereby providing further support for his work and that of others on the role of topographic coupling at the core-mantle boundary in the excitation by core motions of Earth rotation fluctuations on decadal time scales. They also show that recent criticisms of that work are vitiated by mathematical and physical errors. Contrary to these criticisms, the author's scheme for exploiting Earth rotation and other geophysical data (either real or simulated in computer models) in quantitative studies of the topography of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) by intercomparing various models of (a) motions in the core based on geomagnetic secular variation data and (b) CMB topography based on seismological and gravity data has a sound theoretical basis. The practical scope of the scheme is of course limited by the accuracy of real data, but this is a matter for investigation, not a priori assessment.

Hide, Raymond↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Cutoff in the X-Ray Fluctuation Power Density Spectrum of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 3516

During 1997 March-July, RXTE observed the bright, strongly variable Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516 once every approx. 12.8 hr for 4.5 months and nearly continuously (with interruptions due to SAA passage but not Earth occultation) for a 4.2 day period in the middle. These were followed by ongoing monitoring once every approx. 4.3 days. These data are used to construct the first well-determined X-ray fluctuation power density spectrum (PDS) of an active galaxy to span more than 4 decades of usable temporal frequency. The PDS shows no signs of any strict or quasi-periodicity, but does show a progressive flattening of the power-low slope from -1.74 at short time scales to -0.73 at longer time scales. This is the clearest observation to date of the long-predicted cutoff in the PDS. The characteristic variability time scale corresponding to this cutoff temporal frequency is approx. 1 month. Although it is unclear how this time scale may be interpreted in terms of a physical size or process, there are several promising candidate models. The PDS appears similar to those seen for Galactic black hole candidates such as Cyg X-1, suggesting that these two classes of objects with very different luminosities and putative black hole masses (differing by more than a factor of 10(exp 5)) may have similar X-ray generation processes and structures.

Edelson, Rick↗
NASA NTRS1999

El Nino during the 1990s: Harbinger of Climatic Change or Normal Fluctuation?

Today, El Nino refers to the extreme warming episodes of the globally effective, coupled ocean-atmospheric interaction commonly known as ENSO (i.e., "El Nino-Southern Oscillation"). Concerning its observed decadal frequency and severity, El Nino during the 1990s has often been regarded as being anomalous. Results of analysis reported herein, however, appear to mitigate this belief. For example, regarding the frequency and severity of El Nino, the decade of the 1990s is found to compare quite favorably with that of preceding decades. Hence, the 1990s probably should not be regarded as being anomalous. On the other hand, the number of El Nino-related months per decade has sharply increased during the 1990s, as compared to the preceding four decades, hinting of a marginally significant upward trend. Perhaps, this is an indication that the Earth is now experiencing an ongoing global climatic change. Continued vigilance during the new millennium, therefore, is of paramount importance for determining whether or not this "hint" of a global change is real or if it merely reflects a normal fluctuation of climate.

Wilson, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Morning Martian Atmospheric Temperature Gradients and Fluctuations Observed by Mars Pathfinder

We have studied the most prominent atmospheric temperature fluctuations observed during Martian mornings by Mars Pathfinder and have concluded, based on comparisons with wind directions, that they appear to be a result of atmospheric heating associated with the Lander spacecraft. Also, we have examined the morning surface layer temperature lapse rates, which are found to decrease as autumn approaches at the Pathfinder location, and which have mean (and median) values as large as 7.3 K/m in the earlier portions of the Pathfinder landed mission. It is plausible that brief isolated periods with gradients twice as steep are associated with atmospheric heating adjacent to Lander air bag material. In addition, we have calculated the gradient with height of the structure function obtained with Mars Pathfinder, for Mars' atmospheric temperatures measured within about 1.3 m from the surface, assuming a power law dependence, and have found that these gradients superficially resemble those reported for the upper region of the terrestrial stable boundary layer.

Mihalov, John D.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Crustal Deformation Associated with Glacial Fluctuations in the Eastern Chugach Mountains, Alaska

The changes of the solid Earth in south central Alaska in response to two major glacial fluctuations on different temporal and spatial scales have been estimated and we evaluated their influence on the stress state and ongoing tectonic deformation of the region. During the recent (1993-1995) Bering Glacier surge, a large transfer of ice from the Bagley Ice Field to the Bering Glacier terminus region occurred. We estimated the elastic displacement of the solid Earth due to ice mass redistribution from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements at sites near the surging glacier. We can account for these displacements by transfer of an ice volume of about 14 cubic km from the surge reservoir area to the terminus region. We examined the background seismicity (M(sub L) > 2.5) before, during, and after the surge. We found that the occurrence of small earthquakes (M(sub L) < 4.0) in the surge reservoir region increased during the surge time interval possibly in response to a decrease in ice mass. This suggests that a small decrease in the vertical stress, o,3, could be enough to modulate the occurrence of small, shallow earthquakes in this dominantly thrust fault setting. During this century the southern Alaska coastal glaciers have been undergoing an overall decrease in volume. Based on our compilation of changes in the extent and thickness of the coastal glaciers between the Malaspina and Bering, we calculated surface displacements due to the Earth's viscoelastic response to annual thinning and to the cumulative retreat over the last 100 years. The uplift of the region due to an average annual thinning rate of 1-6 m/yr in the ablation region is 1-12 mm/yr. For our reference model with a viscosity of 5 x 10(exp 19) Pa s for depths between approximately equal 40 and 200 km the total viscoelastic response due to the retreat over the last century may be as much as a couple of meters within the coastal ablation zone near Icy Bay. The maximum decrease in sigma(sub V) between 0 and 10 km was approximately equal 1.0 MPa, which is significant in relation to the stress drops in recent earthquakes (approximately 2 to 10 MPa) but small in relation to the estimated tectonic stress magnitude. Therefore the occurrence of an earthquake such as the St. Elias (1979, M(sub S) = 7.2) may have been advanced in time; however, most of the ongoing stress accumulation would be primarily due to tectonic forces.

Sauber, Jeanne↗
NASA NTRS1997

Equatorial Dynamics Observed by Rocket, Radar, and Satellite During the CADRE/MALTED Campaign: Programmatics and small-scale fluctuations - 1

In August 1994, the Mesospheric and Lower Thermospheric Equatorial Dynamics (MALTED) Program was conducted from the Alcantara rocket site in northeastern Brazil as part of the International Guard Rocket Campaign to study equatorial dynamics, irregularities, and instabilities in the ionosphere. This site was selected because of its proximity to the geographic (2.3 deg S) and magnetic (approx. 0.5 deg S) equators. MALTED was concerned with planetary wave modulation of the diurnal tidal amplitude, which exhibits considerable amplitude variability at equatorial and subtropical latitudes. Our goals were to study this global modulation of the tidal motions where tidal influences on the thermal structure are maximum, to study the interaction of these tidal structures with gravity waves and turbulence at mesopause altitudes, and to gain a better understanding of dynamic influences and variability on the equatorial middle atmosphere. Four (two daytime and two nighttime) identical Nike-Orion payloads designed to investigate small-scale turbulence and irregularities were coordinated with 20 meteorological falling-sphere rockets designed to measure temperature and wind fields during a 10-day period. These in situ measurements were coordinated with observations of global-scale mesospheric motions that were provided by various ground based radars and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) through the Coupling and Dynamics of Regions Equatorial (CADRE) campaign. The ground-based observatories included the Jicamarca radar observatory near Lima, Peru, and medium frequency (MF) radars in Hawaii, Christmas Island, and Adelaide. Since all four Nike-Orion flights penetrated and overflew the electrojet with apogees near 125 km, these flights provided additional information about the electrodynamics and irregularities in the equatorial ionospheric E region and may provide information on wave coupling between the mesosphere and the electrojet. Simultaneous with these flights, the CUPRI 50-MHz radar (Cornell University) provided local sounding of the electrojet region. A description of the campaign logistics and the measurements performed with the Nike-Orion instrumentation and their implications for turbulence due to gravity waves and tidal instability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) are presented here. From a study of electron density fluctuations measured by rocket probes, we have found evidence for equatorial mesospheric neutral-atmospheric turbulence between 85 and 90 km. Furthermore, falling-sphere data imply that gravity wave breaking was a source for this turbulence. Mean motions and the various planetary, tidal, and gravity wave structures and their coherence and variability are the subjects of a companion paper.

Goldberg, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Random Dopant Threshold Voltage Fluctuations in 50 nm Epitaxial Channel MOSFETs: A 3D 'Atomoc' Simulation Study

3D 'atomistic' simulations are used to study random dopant related threshold voltage fluctuations in 50 nm MOSFETs. Comparisons are made between conventionally doped transistors and transistors with thin epitaxial silicon layers on heavily doped silicon. Issues related to both the optimum threshold voltage control and the suppression of the threshold voltage dispersion are addressed.

Asenov, Asen↗
NASA NTRS1998

Efficient 3D 'Atomistic' Simulation Technique for Studying of Random Dopant Induced Threshold Voltage Lowering and Fluctuations in Decanano MOSFETs

A 3D 'atomistic' simulation technique to study random dopant induced threshold voltage lowering and fluctuations in sub 0.1 micron MOSFETs is presented. It allows statistical analysis of random impurity effects down to the individual impurity level. Efficient algorithms based on a single solution of Poisson's equation, followed by the solution of a simplified current continuity equation are used in the simulations.

Asenov, Asen↗
NASA NTRS2001

Fluctuating Pressure Data from 2-D Nozzle Cold Flow Tests (Dual Bell)

Rocket engines nozzle performance changes as a vehicle climbs through the atmosphere. An altitude compensating nozzle, ACN, is intended to improve on a fixed geometry bell nozzle that performs at optimum at only one trajectory point. In addition to nozzle performance, nozzle transient loads are an important consideration. Any nozzle experiences large transient toads when shocks pass through the nozzle at start and shutdown. Additional transient toads will occur at transitional flow conditions. The objectives of cold flow nozzle testing at MSFC are CFD benchmark / calibration and Unsteady flow / sideloads. Initial testing performed with 2-D inserts to 14" transonic wind tunnel. Recent review of 2-D data in preparation for nozzle test facility 3-D testing. This presentation shows fluctuating pressure data and some observations from 2-D dual-bell nozzle cold flow tests.

Nesman, Tomas E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Heliospheric Termination Shock Motion Due to Fluctuations in the Solar Wind Upstream Conditions: Spherically Symmetric Model

Large-scale fluctuations in the solar wind plasma upstream of the heliospheric termination shock (TS) will cause inward and outward motions of the shock. Using numerical techniques, we extend an earlier strictly one-dimensional (planar) analytic gas dynamic model to spherical symmetry to investigate the features of global behavior of shock motion. Our starting point is to establish a steady numerical solution of the gasdynamic equations describing the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium. We then introduce disturbances of the solar wind dynamic pressure at an inner boundary, and follow the subsequent evolution of the system, especially the motion of the termination shock. Our model solves spherically symmetric gasdynamic equations as an initial-boundary value problem. The equations in conservative form are solved using a fully implicit Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) upwind scheme with Roe-type Riemann solver. Boundary conditions are given by the solar wind parameters on an inner spherical boundary, where they are allowed to vary with time for unsteady calculations, and by a constant pressure (roughly simulating the effect of the local interstellar medium) on an outer boundary. We find that immediately after the interaction, the shock moves with speeds given by the earlier analogous analytic models. However, as the termination shock propagates it begins to slow down, seeking a new equilibrium position. In addition, the disturbance transmitted through the TS, either a shock or rarefaction wave, will encounter the heliopause boundary and be reflected back. The reflected signal will encounter the TS, causing it to oscillate. The phenomenon may be repeated for a number of reflections, resulting in a "ringing" of the outer heliosphere.

Ratkiewicz, R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Nature of Fluctuations on Directional Discontinuities Inside a Solar Ejection: Wind and IMP 8 Observations

A solar ejection passed the Wind spacecraft between December 23 and 26, 1996. On closer examination, we find a sequence of ejecta material, as identified by abnormally low proton temperatures, separated by plasmas with typical solar wind temperatures at 1 AU. Large and abrupt changes in field and plasma properties occurred near the separation boundaries of these regions. At the one boundary we examine here, a series of directional discontinuities was observed. We argue that Alfvenic fluctuations in the immediate vicinity of these discontinuities distort minimum variance normals, introducing uncertainty into the identification of the discontinuities as either rotational or tangential. Carrying out a series of tests on plasma and field data including minimum variance, velocity and magnetic field correlations, and jump conditions, we conclude that the discontinuities are tangential. Furthermore, we find waves superposed on these tangential discontinuities (TDs). The presence of discontinuities allows the existence of both surface waves and ducted body waves. Both probably form in the solar atmosphere where many transverse nonuniformities exist and where theoretically they have been expected. We add to prior speculation that waves on discontinuities may in fact be a common occurrence. In the solar wind, these waves can attain large amplitudes and low frequencies. We argue that such waves can generate dynamical changes at TDs through advection or forced reconnection. The dynamics might so extensively alter the internal structure that the discontinuity would no longer be identified as tangential. Such processes could help explain why the occurrence frequency of TDs observed throughout the solar wind falls off with increasing heliocentric distance. The presence of waves may also alter the nature of the interactions of TDs with the Earth's bow shock in so-called hot flow anomalies.

Vasquez, Bernard J.↗