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At least 1,405 records · Page 78

Nozzle Plume/Shock Interaction Experimental and Computational Sonic Boom Analyses from the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

A wind tunnel test and a computational study were conducted to investigate the complex interactions between a supersonic nozzle plume and shock waves of differing strengths generated from various aft surfaces typical of supersonic aircraft. These analytically-defined aft surfaces were representative of horizontal tails of various sizes, and an aft deck. CFD simulations of many proposed model configurations allowed for assessments of the detailed flow interactions of components in close proximity to the nozzle, as well as assessments of the nozzle jet flow itself. The evaluation of the computational results for many candidate configurations guided the design of model components. The interactions of the waveforms from these surfaces with the jet exhaust plume can have significant adverse effects on the loudness of the sonic boom if the surfaces are not carefully integrated into an aircraft design. The greatest discrepancy in estimating sonic boom loudness for low-boom flight vehicles is currently in predicting the signatures from the aft part of an aircraft, including the interactions with the plume flow. The objectives of this test were to gain a better understanding of these interactions, and to provide a detailed experimental database from multiple sources for use as validation cases for CFD tool development. The subject test was run in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel in February 2016 at Mach numbers of 1.6 and 2.0, and was funded by the NASA Commercial Supersonics Technology (CST) Project. The nozzle flow was provided by high-pressure air (HPA) pumped through the model, and pressure signature data were acquired with the NASA 14-inch sonic boom pressure rail. The rail measured the locations of the shocks and expansions at various distances and off-track angles from the model. This enabled the impact of the nozzle plume/shock interactions on the near- and mid-field sonic boom pressure waveforms to be quantified. Schlieren images of the flow field around and behind the model were obtained with an RBOS (Retroreflective Background-Oriented Schlieren) technique to determine the origins of the shock and expansion waves, to identify the shape and boundaries of the plume, and to determine the changes in incoming and exiting waveforms within the plume. A total pressure rake was positioned closely behind the model nozzle in order to measure the total pressure profiles of the flow above, within, and below the nozzle exhaust. Model angles and positions in the tunnel were measured by photogrammetry using two cameras since the lack of a model force balance prevented the measurement of model deflections under load.Navier-Stokes computations using two different CFD codes were compared to the experimental sonic boom pressure signature data, and the rake total pressure data in the plume. A computational schlieren technique was used to compare the computed flow field with the RBOS images. The computational results were also used to complement the test data with flow field quantities that could not be measured, such as Mach number and pressure distributions to distinguish shock waves and expansion waves.

sonic boom↗

OTV impacts and interactions

The possible impacts and interactions of the agency's planning activities for the Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) that is tentatively scheduled for initial operational capability in the late 1990's are identified. In general, the various Mars missions require vehicles of significant size and performance far greater than that provided by any OTV configuration currently being seriously considered. Therefore, interactions and impacts on these current concepts are minimal. These impacts and interactions fall into categories of technologies, systems, and operations. Each category is addressed.

Roberts, Barney B.↗

Spin–orbit DFT with Analytic Gradients and Applications to Heavy Element Compounds

We have implemented the unrestricted DFT approach with one-electron spin–orbit operators in the massively parallel NWChem program. Also implemented is the analytic gradient in the DFT approach with spin–orbit interactions. The current capabilities include single-point calculations and geometry optimization. Vibrational frequencies can be calculated numerically from the analytically calculated gradients. The implementation is based on the spin–orbit interaction operator derived from the effective core potential approach. The exchange functionals used in the implementation are functionals derived for non-spin–orbit calculations, including GGA as well as hybrid functionals. Spin–orbit Hartree–Fock calculations can also be carried out. We have applied the spin–orbit DFT methods to the Uranyl aqua complexes. We have optimized the structures and calculated the vibrational frequencies of both (UO2 2+)aq and (UO2 +)aq with and without spin–orbit effects. The effects of the spin–orbit interaction on the structures and frequencies of these two complexes are discussed. We also carried out calculations for Th2, and several low-lying electronic states are calculated. Our results indicate that, for open-shell systems, there are significant effects due to the spin–orbit effects and the electronic configurations with and without spin–orbit interactions could change due to the occupation of orbitals of larger spin–orbit interactions.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Assigning the absolute configuration of single aliphatic molecules by visual inspection

Deciphering absolute configuration of a single molecule by direct visual inspection is the next step in compound identification, with far-reaching implications for medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and natural product synthesis. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach utilizing low temperature atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a CO-functionalized tip to determine the absolute configuration and orientation of a single, adsorbed [123]tetramantane molecule, the smallest chiral diamondoid. We differentiate between single enantiomers on Cu(111) by direct visual inspection, and furthermore identify molecular dimers and molecular clusters. The experimental results are confirmed by a computational study that allowed quantification of the corresponding intermolecular interactions. The unique toolset of absolute configuration determination combined with AFM tip manipulation opens a route for studying molecular nucleation, including chirality-driven assembly or reaction mechanisms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Influence of forebody cross-sectional shape on wing vortex burst location

A water tunnel study examining the influence of forebody cross section on the position of the wing vortex burst was carried out in the NASA Ames-Dryden water tunnel for a 55-deg cropped delta-wing model. Two of three cross sections investigated were chine-shaped, where the included angle of the chine was either 7.5-deg, representing a rather small side-edge angle, or 90 deg, representing a more moderate design. The third cross section was circular and served as a baseline for comparison. It is found that the 7.5 deg chine cross section generated the strongest forebody vortices of the three configurations and that these strong forebody vortices interacted with the main wing vortices in such a manner as to dramatically delay wing vortex burst position at zero sideslip. If the configuration is sideslipped, large asymmetries in wing vortex burst location may result.

Hall, R. M.↗

Propulsion simulation test technique for V/STOL configurations

Ames Research Center is developing the technology for turbine-powered jet engine simulators so that airframe/propulsion system interactions on V/STOL fighter aircraft and other highly integrated configurations can be studied. This paper describes the status of the compact multimission aircraft propulsion simulator (CMAPS) technology. Three CMAPS units have accumulated a total of 340 hr during approximately 1-1/2 yr of static and wind-tunnel testing. A wind-tunnel test of a twin-engine CMAPS-equipped close-coupled canard-wing V/STOL model configuration with nonaxisymmetric nozzles was recently completed. During this test approximately 140 total hours were logged on two CMAPS units, indicating that the rotating machinery is reliable and that the CMAPS and associated control system provide a usable test tool. However, additional development is required to correct a drive manifold O-ring problem that limits the engine-pressure-ratio (EPR) to approximately 3.5.

Bailey, R. O.↗

Response of the QBO to Abrupt Increases in CO2 Using Three Atmospheric Chemistry Configurations

Long-term projections of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) remain highly uncertain. This is partly due to the paucity of models which are able to properly simulate that phenomenon. Only 5 of the 47 CMIP5 models are capable of spontaneously generating a realistic QBO (Butchart et al., 2018), and even those models exhibit large biases in key QBO characteristics (e.g. amplitude, period, vertical extent) when compared with observations. Furthermore, only 1 of these 5 employed interactive atmospheric chemistry, which is known to modulate QBO dynamics. We here investigate the QBO response to increased greenhouse gases using the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Middle Atmosphere Model E2.2. Compared to lower vertical resolution versions of Model E, version 2.2 has a higher model top (0.002 hPa), and additional interactive non-orographic gravity wave drag sources from convection and shear, which produce a sufficiently realistic QBO, thus rendering it suitable for use in climate change studies. Steady-state responses to doubled and quadrupled CO2 from a pre-industrial control are analyzed, as well as the transient response to a 1% per year CO2 increase. In addition, we systematically explore the impact of interactive chemistry in modulating the QBO response to increased CO2 by contrasting interactive, prescribed, and linearized ozone chemistry configurations of the model. Overall, in response to increase CO2 concentrations the QBO is seen to increase in frequency and weaken in amplitude, consistent with previous results, but the memory of the tropical stratosphere may complicate assessments of trends in chemistry and surface impacts. We also discuss implications for the trade-off between ensemble size and the complexity of the chemistry scheme in the model.

Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO)↗

Annular flow in rod-bundle: Effect of spacer on disturbance waves

A high-speed camera technique is used to study the effect of spacers on the disturbance waves present in annular two-phase flow within a rod-bundle geometry. Images obtained using a backlight configuration to visualize the spacer-wave interactions at the micro-scale resolution (in time and space) are discussed. This paper also presents additional images obtained using a reflected light configuration which provides new observations of the disturbance waves. These images show the separation effect caused by the spacer on the liquid film in which the size of generated liquid droplets can be controlled by the gas superficial velocity. Furthermore, the data confirm that the spacer breaks the circumferential coherent structures of the waves.

disturbance waves↗

Coulomb and even-odd effects in cold and super-asymmetric fragmentation for thermal neutron induced fission of {sup 235}U

Even-odd effects of the maximal total kinetic energy (K{sub max}) as a function of charge (Z) and mass (A) of fragments from thermal neutron induced fission of actinides are questioned by other authors. In this work, visiting old results on thermal neutron induced fission of {sup 235}U, those even-odd effects are reconfirmed. The cases seeming to contradict even-odd effects are interpreted with the Coulomb effect hypothesis. According to Coulomb effect hypothesis, K{sub max} is equal to the Coulomb interaction energy of the most compact scission configuration. As a consequence, between two isobaric charge splits with similar Q-values, the more asymmetrical one will get the more compact scission configuration and then it will reach the higher K{sub max}-value. In some cases, the more asymmetrical charge split corresponds, by coincidence, to an odd charge split; consequently its higher K{sub max}-value may be misinterpreted as anti-even-odd effect. Another experimental result reported in the literature is the increasing of even-odd effects on charge distribution on the more asymmetrical fragmentations region. In this region, the difference between K{sub max} and Q-values increases with asymmetry, which means that the corresponding scission configuration needs higher total deformation energy to occur. Higher deformation energy of the fragments implies lower free energy to break nucleon pairs. Consequently, in the asymmetric fragmentation region, the even-odd effects of the distribution of proton number and neutron number must increase with asymmetry.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Roughness effects in uncompensated antiferromagnets

Monte Carlo simulations show that roughness in uncompensated antiferromagnets decreases not just the surface magnetization but also the net magnetization and particularly strongly affects the temperature dependence. In films with step-type roughness, each step creates a new compensation front that decreases the global net magnetization. The saturation magnetization decreases non-monotonically with increasing roughness and does not scale with the surface area. Roughness in the form of surface vacancies changes the temperature-dependence of the magnetization; when only one surface has vacancies, the saturation magnetization will decrease linearly with surface occupancy, whereas when both surfaces have vacancies, the magnetization is negative and exhibits a compensation point at finite temperature, which can be tuned by controlling the occupancy. Roughness also affects the spin-texture of the surfaces due to long-range dipolar interactions and generates non-collinear spin configurations that could be used in devices to produce locally modified exchange bias. These results explain the strongly reduced magnetization found in magnetometry experiments and furthers our understanding of the temperature-dependence of exchange bias.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effects of checklist interface on non-verbal crew communications

The investigation looked at the effects of the spatial layout and functionality of cockpit displays and controls on crew communication. Specifically, the study focused on the intra-cockpit crew interaction, and subsequent task performance, of airline pilots flying different configurations of a new electronic checklist, designed and tested in a high-fidelity simulator at NASA Ames Research Center. The first part of this proposal establishes the theoretical background for the assumptions underlying the research, suggesting that in the context of the interaction between a multi-operator crew and a machine, the design and configuration of the interface will affect interactions between individual operators and the machine, and subsequently, the interaction between operators. In view of the latest trends in cockpit interface design and flight-deck technology, in particular, the centralization of displays and controls, the introduction identifies certain problems associated with these modern designs and suggests specific design issues to which the expected results could be applied. A detailed research program and methodology is outlined and the results are described and discussed. Overall, differences in cockpit design were shown to impact the activity within the cockpit, including interactions between pilots and aircraft and the cooperative interactions between pilots.

Segal, Leon D.↗

Localisation in a Growth Model with Interaction

This paper concerns the long term behaviour of a growth model describing a random sequential allocation of particles on a finite cycle graph. The model can be regarded as a reinforced urn model with graph-based interaction. It is motivated by cooperative sequential adsorption, where adsorption rates at a site depend on the configuration of existing particles in the neighbourhood of that site. Our main result is that, with probability one, the growth process will eventually localise either at a single site, or at a pair of neighbouring sites.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Investigation of limb-sidestick dynamic interaction with roll control

A fixed-base simulation has been carried out to investigate and quantify limb/manipulator dynamics and interactions between the neuromuscular subsystem, force sensing sidestick configuration, high-gain command augmentation, and command filtering, and also to investigate possible relationships between these interactions and the roll ratchet phenomenon. The data obtained support the suggestion that the roll ratchet phenomenon is a closed-loop pilot-vehicle system interaction in which the pilot's neuromuscular system dynamics play a central role. Ratchet tendencies are shown to be most severe on force sensing sidestick manipulators with small stick deflections.

Johnston, D. E.↗

Control of Interacting Vortex Flows at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds Using Passive Porosity

A wind tunnel experiment was conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) 8-foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (TPT) to determine the effects of passive surface porosity on vortex flow interactions about a general research fighter configuration at subsonic and transonic speeds. Flow- through porosity was applied to a wind leading-edge extension (LEX) mounted to a 65 deg cropped delta wind model to promote large nose-down pitching moment increments at high angles of attack. Porosity decreased the vorticity shed from the LEX, which weakened the LEX vortex and altered the global interactions of the LEX and wing vortices at high angles of attack. Six-component forces and moments and wing upper surface static pressure distributions were obtained at free- stream Mach numbers of 0.50, 0.85, and 1.20, Reynolds number of 2.5(10(exp-6) per foot, angles of attack up to 30 deg and angles of sideslip to plus or minus 8 deg. The off-surface flow field was visualized in selected cross-planes using a laser vapor screen flow visualization technique. Test data were obtained with a centerline vertical tail and with alternate twin, wing-mounted vertical fins having 0 deg and 30 deg cant angles. In addition, the porosity of the LEX was compartmentalized to determine the sensitivity of the vortex- dominated aerodynamics to the location and level of porosity applied to the LEX.

NATO FURNISHED↗

Control of Interacting Vortex Flows at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds Using Passive Porosity

A wind tunnel experiment was conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (TPT) to determine the effects of passive surface porosity on vortex flow interactions about a general research fighter configuration at subsonic and transonic speeds. Flow-through porosity was applied to a wing leading-edge extension (LEX) mounted to a 65 deg cropped delta wing model to promote large nose-down pitching moment increments at high angles of attack. Porosity decreased the vorticity shed from the LEX, which weakened the LEX vortex and altered the global interactions of the LEX and wing vortices at high angles of attack. Six-component forces and moments and wing upper surface static pressure distributions were obtained at free-stream Mach numbers of 0.50, 0.85, and 1.20, Reynolds number of 2.5(10(exp 6)) per foot, angles of attack up to 30 deg, and angles of sideslip to +/- 8 deg. The off-surface flow field was visualized in selected cross-planes using a laser vapor screen flow visualization technique. Test data were obtained with a centerline vertical tail and with alternate twin, wing-mounted vertical fins having 0 deg and 30 deg cant angles. In addition, the porosity of the LEX was compartmentalized to determine the sensitivity of the vortex-dominated aerodynamics to the location and level of porosity applied to the LEX.

Erickson, Gary E.↗

Importance of finite-size corrections for accurate ab initio modeling of carrier capture at semiconductor defects: A case study of substitutional C N in GaN

In ab initio studies of carrier-capture processes in defective semiconductor materials, the single-effective-mode formalism and the static-coupling approximation have become the predominant theoretical approaches for determining carrier-capture coefficients. The single-mode formalism relies on accurate nonequilibrium defect energies obtained from density-functional theory (DFT), where required inputs are a series of configurationally displaced, defect-containing supercells obtained using an interpolative ansatz, and where the DFT outputs are corresponding total energies that have traditionally been postprocessed using a long-established ground-state formulation of finite-size corrections and defect-formation energies. This formulation remains commonly used even though the defects that form a configuration-coordinate (CC) diagram typically exist as structures that are displaced from the ground state. To remedy this inconsistency, Kumagai has recently proposed novel methods for implementing finite-size corrections specifically intended for DFT calculations of the defect energies used to construct CC diagrams and implement the single-mode formalism [Y. Kumagai, Phys. Rev. B 107, L220101 (2023)]. Kumagai's approach builds on the latest finite-size-correction methods introduced to describe vertical charge-state transitions for charge-localizing point defects in semiconductors and insulators [T. Gake et al., Phys. Rev. B 101, 020102 (2020); S. Falletta et al., Phys. Rev. B 102, 041115 (2020)]. The newly identified finite-size artifact treated in these studies is the polarization charge induced on a configurationally frozen defect and its subsequent interaction with a vertical transition in charge state. In this work, we evaluate Kumagai's proposed methodology by applying it in a high-precision DFT study of carrier capture by substitutional C N in GaN, a well-characterized and technologically relevant defect and material. We have rigorously calculated C N defect energies across various supercell sizes for each defect configuration and charge state on the hole-capture CC diagram of C N (𝑞=−1), enabling a direct comparison of the slopes of the defect energies versus inverse cell size with those predicted by Kumagai. The most consequential prediction of Kumagai's method is that these slopes distinctly vary as the square of the linear-interpolation parameter used to construct the nonequilibrium defect configurations. Our results quantitatively support this prediction. Moreover, with these new finite-size corrections and multiple-cell-size DFT calculations in place, we find that the classical energy barrier for hole capture by C N (𝑞=−1) in GaN decreases to 0.092–0.127 eV. This finding confirms the recent ≈ 0.1 eV prediction of Reshchikov based on the weak temperature dependence for hole capture observed in photoluminescence experiments [M. A. Reshchikov, J. Appl. Phys. 129, 121101 (2021)]. These results stand in stark contrast to previously calculated barriers of 0.486 and 0.73 eV, which also used the single-mode formalism but were obtained by instead using ground-state-based finite-size corrections. Our reduced classical barrier for capture increases the temperature-dependent hole-capture coefficient of a C N (𝑞=−1) defect by more than two to four orders of magnitude for temperatures of 100–600 K, compared to the previous 0.486 eV results. While other defects may not be as dramatically affected as here, we suggest that incorporating proper finite-size corrections for the vertical-transition-like states embedded within CC diagrams is an essential, yet previously unrecognized, component of accurate modeling of carrier-capture when using the single-effective-mode formalism.

dielectric properties↗

Unsteady Navier-Stokes simulation of the canard-wing-body ramp motion

A time-accurate thin-layer Navier-Stokes simulation of the unsteady flowfield is performed for a typical canard-wing-body configuration undergoing ramp motions. The computations are made at a transonic Mach number of 0.90 and for ramp angles from 0 to 15 degrees. Accuracy is determined by comparisons with steady-state experimental data and with spatial and time-step refinement studies. During the ramp motion, the computational results show improved dynamic lift performance and a strong canard-wing interaction for the canard-on configuration. Formation of the canard leading-edge vortex is inhibited in the early stages of the ramp motion. An analysis performed on the transient flowfield after the ramp motion ends shows that the canard vortex rapidly gains strength and vortex breakdown eventually occurs. These characteristics of the canard vortex have significant influences on wing performance.

Tu, Eugene L.↗

A coverage dependent study of the adsorption of pyridine on the (111) coinage metal surfaces

Using density functional theory we explore the adsorption of pyridine (NC 5 H 5 ) on Cu, Ag, and Au(111) surfaces. To study the effect of coverage we run calculations on a 3 × 4 (12 atom), 4 × 4 (16 atom), 5 × 4 (20 atom), and 4 × 6 (24 atom) surface. To examine the role of the van der Waals interaction we use the following vdW inclusive functionals: optB86-vdW, optB88-vdW, optPBE-vdW, revPBE-vdW, rPW86-vdW2, SCAN+rVV10 along with the PBE functional. Regardless of functional, metal, and coverage we find the most energetically stable adsorption site to be a vertical site with the pyridine's N atom directly above a metal atom, which contradicts the available experimental literature. Introducing the vdW interaction lowers the energy gap between the most energetically favorable flat and vertical adsorption configurations. Moving to a higher coverage increases the overall interaction of the pyridine molecule with the surface. We also find that the SCAN+rVV10 functional performs similarly to the optB86b-vdW and optB88-vdW functional. Along with the geometric properties of the substrate/adsorbate system, here we report several electronic properties of the substrate/adsorbate system such as charge transfer from the surface to the molecule, change in the surface's work function, and change in d-band of the atoms in the first layer of the substrate.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗