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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Airborne lidar research

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is the lowest layer of the atmosphere in contact with the Earth's surface. It plays an important role in atmospheric circulation and dynamics by influencing surface fluxes of moisture, heat, and momentum. The PBL is characterized by its turbulence structure. Organized convection within the PBL may generate gravity waves within the free troposphere. These waves can propagate vertically, modifying global circulation. Remote sensing of the PBL using a downward-looking lidar is providing new insight into dynamic processes of this important layer and its connection with wave generation. An airborne lidar is an ideal tool to study the PBL. The lidar is installed on the NASA Electra aircraft. It consists of a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser aligned with a 40 cm diameter telescope. As the laser beam propagates downward from the aircraft toward the surface, it is scattered by the aerosols and molecules in the atmosphere. Generally, there is a sharp gradient of aerosol scattering associated with the PBL top, with high aerosol scattering from within the PBL, and generally very low scattering from the free atmosphere above. It is this gradient in aerosol scattering that is used to visualize the structure of the PBL. A small portion of the scattered radiation is collected by the telescope, filtered, detected by a photomultiplier, and digitized at 100 nsec rate. The horizontal resolution is typically around 13 m, using a 10 Hz laser and a nominal aircraft moves, the resolution of features in the atmosphere below the aircraft is about 15 x 13 m. Results from several studies are presented and discussed.

Melfi, S. Harvey↗
NASA NTRS2000

Review of Skin Friction Measurements Including Recent High-Reynolds Number Results from NASA Langley NTF

This paper reviews flat plate skin friction data from early correlations of drag on plates in water to measurements in the cryogenic environment of The NASA Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) in late 1996. The flat plate (zero pressure gradient with negligible surface curvature) incompressible skin friction at high Reynolds numbers is emphasized in this paper, due to its importance in assessing the accuracy of measurements, and as being important to the aerodynamics of large scale vehicles. A correlation of zero pressure gradient skin friction data minimizing extraneous effects between tests is often used as the first step in the calculation of skin friction in complex flows. Early data compiled by Schoenherr for a range of momentum thickness Reynolds numbers, R(sub Theta) from 860 to 370,000 contained large scatter, but has proved surprisingly accurate in its correlated form. Subsequent measurements in wind tunnels under more carefully controlled conditions have provided inputs to this database, usually to a maximum R(sub Theta) of about 40,000. Data on a large axisymmetric model in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility extends the upper limit in incompressible R(sub Theta) to 619,800 using the van Driest transformation. Previous data, test techniques, and error sources ar discussed, and the NTF data will be discussed in detail. The NTF Preston tube and Clauser inferred data accuracy is estimated to be within -2 percent of a power-law curve fit, and falls above the Spalding theory by 1 percent at R(sub Theta) of about 600,000.

Watson, Ralph D.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Demonstration of CW Accelerating Gradients on a Cryogen-Free Cryocooler Conduction-Cooled SRF Cavity

Conduction-cooling of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities using closedcycle cryocoolers can lead to compact linear accelerators by eliminating liquid helium and the associated infrastructure. In this paper, we present the first-ever experimental demonstration of continuous wave (cw) accelerating gradients on a niobium SRF cavity that is cooled without using liquid helium. In a newly developed experimental apparatus, a single-cell, 650 MHz niobium cavity was conductively coupled to a 2 W @ 4.2 K pulse tube cryocooler using a high-purity aluminium thermal link. The cw accelerating gradient slightly exceeded 1.5 MV/m, a limit imposed by our RF power supply. Using simple scaling, we project that the niobium cavity when coated with Nb3Sn and operated on the same experimental setup can produce >10 MV/m cw accelerating gradients.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Method Improvements in Thermal Analysis of Mach 10 Leading Edges

Several improvements have recently been made in the thermal analysis methods for leading edges of a hypersonic vehicle. The leading edges of this vehicle undergo exceptionally high heat loads that incorporate extreme spatial gradients as well as severe transients. Due to the varying flight conditions, complex geometry, and need for thermal loads at many points along the trajectory, full computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the aeroheating; loads is not feasible. Thus, engineering methods must be used to determine the aeroheating on the vehicle surfaces, and that must be utilized in the thermal analysis. Over the last year, the thermal analysis of a hypersonic vehicle has been enhanced in several ways. Two different engineering codes are used to predict aeroheating loads: one over the curve near the stagnation point, and the other on flat surfaces downstream of the leading edge. These two are matched together at the intersection point using a method that allows closer approximation of CFD results. User-developed FORTRAN, which is part of the thermal solver PATRAN Thermal, is used to accomplish this. The customizable FORTRAN code also allows use of many different time- and space-dependent factors, interpolation of the heat load in time and space, and inclusion of both highly swept and unswept grid structures. This FORTRAN is available to other PATRAN users who may want to accomplish a similar objective in analysis. Flux, rather than convective coefficient, is used to define heat loads, which allows more accurate analysis as well as better application of margins. Improvements have also been made in more efficient utilization of imported CAD geometry, by creating faces on solids to facilitate load application.

Amundsen, Ruth M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Competing effects of soil fertility and toxicity on tropical greening

Tropical forests are expected to green up with increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, but primary productivity may be limited by soil nutrient availability. However, rarely have canopy-scale measurements been assessed against soil measurements in the tropics. Here, we sought to assess remotely sensed canopy greenness against steep soil nutrient gradients across 50 1-ha mature forest plots in Panama. Contrary to expectations, increases in in situ extractable soil phosphorus (P) and base cations (K, Mg) corresponded to declines in remotely sensed mean annual canopy greenness (r 2 = 0.77– 0.85; p < 0.1), controlling for precipitation. The reason for this inverse relationship appears to be that litterfall also increased with increasing soil P and cation availability (r 2 = 0.88–0.98; p < 0.1), resulting in a decline in greenness with increasing annual litterfall (r 2 = 0.94; p < 0.1). As such, greater soil nutrient availability corresponded to greater leaf turnover, resulting in decreased greenness. However, these decreases in greenness with increasing soil P and cations were countered by increases in greenness with increasing soil nitrogen (N) (r 2 = 0.14; p < 0.1), which had no significant relationship with litterfall, likely reflecting a direct effect of soil N on leaf chlorophyll content, but not on litterfall rates. In addition, greenness increased with extractable soil aluminum (Al) (r 2 = 0.97; p < 0.1), but Al had no significant relationship with litterfall, suggesting a physiological adaptation of plants to high levels of toxic metals. Thus, spatial gradients in canopy greenness are not necessarily positive indicators of soil nutrient scarcity. Using a novel remote sensing index of canopy greenness limitation, we assessed how observed greenness compares with potential greenness. We found a strong relationship with soil N only (r 2 = 0.65; p < 0.1), suggesting that tropical canopy greenness in Panama is predominantly limited by soil N, even if plant productivity (e.g., litterfall) responds to rock-derived nutrients. Moreover, greenness limitation was also significantly correlated with fine root biomass and soil carbon stocks (r 2 = 0.62–0.71; p < 0.1), suggesting a feedback from soil N to canopy greenness to soil carbon storage. Altogether, these data point to the potential utility of a remote sensing product for assessing belowground properties in tropical ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Mid-infrared Pulsed Upconversion Imaging in a Rotating Detonation Combustor

To meet the challenges associated with performing mid-InfraRed (IR) imaging in Rotating Detonation Combustors (RDCs), a novel pulsed mid-IR UpConversion Imaging (UCI) diagnostic has been implemented. UCI is an alternative to direct mid-IR detection that uses nonlinear optical frequency mixing to shift mid-IR wavelengths carrying a target image to shorter wavelengths that can be imaged with high-performance silicon-based CCD/CMOS cameras. This approach offers several favorable properties including high spectral selectivity, high temporal resolution, and superior low-light detectivity. A hydrogen-air research RDC was operated with carbon dioxide addition to allow pulsed UCI imaging of mid-IR luminosity within the combustion channel from spontaneous thermal emissions. The resulting measurements demonstrate high spatiotemporal resolution capable of imaging small structures near the supersonically propagating detonation wave front. The results show how this technique can be used to observe sharp gradients and millimeter-scale structures in the high-temperature, high-pressure zones RDC flow fields.

White, Logan W.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Optimization of a Method To Quantify Soil Bacterial Abundance by Flow Cytometry

ABSTRACT Bacterial abundance is a fundamental metric for understanding the population dynamics of soil bacteria and their role in biogeochemical cycles. Despite its importance, methodological constraints hamper our ability to assess bacterial abundance in terrestrial environments. Here, we aimed to optimize the use of flow cytometry (FCM) to assay bacterial abundances in soil while providing a rigorous quantification of its limitations. Soil samples were spiked with Escherichia coli to evaluate the levels of recovery efficiency among three extraction approaches. The optimized method added a surfactant (a tetrasodium pyrophosphate [TSP] buffer) to 0.1 g of soil, applied an intermediate degree of agitation through shaking, and used a Nycodenz density gradient to separate the cells from background debris. This procedure resulted in a high (average, 89%) level of cell recovery. Recovery efficiencies did not differ significantly among sites across an elevation gradient but were positively correlated with percent carbon in the soil samples. Estimated abundances were also highly repeatable between technical replicates. The method was applied to samples from two field studies and, in both cases, was sensitive enough to detect treatment and site differences in bacterial abundances. We conclude that FCM offers a fast and sensitive method to assay soil bacterial abundance from relatively small amounts of soil. Further work is needed to assay differential biases of the method across a wider range of soil types. IMPORTANCE The ability to quantify bacterial abundance is important for understanding the contributions of microbial communities in soils, but such assays remain difficult and time-consuming. Flow cytometry offers a fast and direct way to count bacterial cells, but several concerns remain in applying the technique to soils. This study aimed to improve the efficiency of the method for soil while quantifying its limitations. We demonstrated that an optimized procedure was sensitive enough to capture differences in bacterial abundances among treatments and ecosystems in two field studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

(M4CT-18IN0707093) Investigating Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic (EIS) Measurement of Surrogate Oxide at High Temperatures

The objective of this work package is to develop electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) techniques for the in-pile measurement of changes in solid state chemistry of fuels and materials in coupling with model simulation and material characterization. This work package will involve the initial development of electrochemical sensing technologies for measuring spatial- and time-resolved changes in fuel and cladding chemistry. Specific attention will be paid to monitoring changes in fuel stoichiometry, monitor cladding hydride formation and deformation, and cladding corrosion. The planned work during this period was focused on theoretical investigation on high temperature impedance of material, establishing experimental capabilities, including high temperature EIS under controlled gas atmosphere, atom probe tomography (APT), Raman Spectroscopy, and Synchrotron XRD. Future work will focus on starting the electrochemical sensor development, targeting the dielectric response of oxide fuels and cladding oxides/hydrides under thermodynamic equilibria, during transients, and under irradiation. Three main achievements are summarized in this report for the FY17 carry-over. First, theoretical investigation on high temperature impedance of material were conducted and spatial distribution of defects and equivalent resistivity in stoichiometric oxides under a temperature gradient were analyzed. Second, a laboratory for EIS measurement at high temperature was established and the laboratory instruction (LI) for conducting experiments was approved; and the impedance of CeO2 at 800 C was examined and its electrical conductivities were analyzed and compared with other reported data. In addition, the capabilities of advanced characterization wer established including high temperature Ramen, atom probe tomography (APT) and SEM, and samples including Zr4 and CeO2 were characterized.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical experience with a class of algorithms for nonlinear optimization using inexact function and gradient information

For optimization problems associated with engineering design, parameter estimation, image reconstruction, and other optimization/simulation applications, low accuracy function and gradient values are frequently much less expensive to obtain than high accuracy values. Here, researchers investigate the computational performance of trust region methods for nonlinear optimization when high accuracy evaluations are unavailable or prohibitively expensive, and confirm earlier theoretical predictions when the algorithm is convergent even with relative gradient errors of 0.5 or more. The proper choice of the amount of accuracy to use in function and gradient evaluations can result in orders-of-magnitude savings in computational cost.

Carter, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Feasibility of Railgun Horizontal-Launch Assist

Railguns typically operate for a few milliseconds, supplying thousands of G's of acceleration to a small projectile, resulting in exceptional speeds. This paper argues through analysis and experiment, that this "standard" technology can be modified to provide 2-3 G's acceleration to a relatively heavy launch vehicle for a time period exceeding several seconds, yielding a launch assist velocity in excess of Mach 1. The key insight here is that an efficient rail gun operates at a speed approximately given by the system resistance divided by the inductance gradient, which can be tailored because recent MOSFET and ultra-capacitor advances allow very low total power supply resistances with high capacitance and augmented railgun architectures provide a scalable inductance gradient. Consequently, it should now be possible to construct a horizontal launch assist system utilizing railgun based architecture.

Youngquist, Robert C.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Stabilization of electron-scale turbulence by electron density gradient in national spherical torus experiment

Theory and experiments have shown that electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence on the electron gyro-scale, k{sub ⊥}ρ{sub e} ≲ 1, can be responsible for anomalous electron thermal transport in NSTX. Electron scale (high-k) turbulence is diagnosed in NSTX with a high-k microwave scattering system [D. R. Smith et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79, 123501 (2008)]. Here we report on stabilization effects of the electron density gradient on electron-scale density fluctuations in a set of neutral beam injection heated H-mode plasmas. We found that the absence of high-k density fluctuations from measurements is correlated with large equilibrium density gradient, which is shown to be consistent with linear stabilization of ETG modes due to the density gradient using the analytical ETG linear threshold in F. Jenko et al. [Phys. Plasmas 8, 4096 (2001)] and linear gyrokinetic simulations with GS2 [M. Kotschenreuther et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 88, 128 (1995)]. We also found that the observed power of electron-scale turbulence (when it exists) is anti-correlated with the equilibrium density gradient, suggesting density gradient as a nonlinear stabilizing mechanism. Higher density gradients give rise to lower values of the plasma frame frequency, calculated based on the Doppler shift of the measured density fluctuations. Linear gyrokinetic simulations show that higher values of the electron density gradient reduce the value of the real frequency, in agreement with experimental observation. Nonlinear electron-scale gyrokinetic simulations show that high electron density gradient reduces electron heat flux and stiffness, and increases the ETG nonlinear threshold, consistent with experimental observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Alpha channeling with high-field launch of lower hybrid waves

Although lower hybrid waves are effective at driving currents in present-day tokamaks, they are expected to interact strongly with high-energy particles in extrapolating to reactors. In the presence of a radial alpha particle birth gradient, this interaction can take the form of wave amplification rather than damping. While it is known that this amplification more easily occurs when launching from the tokamak high-field side, the extent of this amplification has not been made quantitative. Here, by tracing rays launched from the high-field-side of a tokamak, the required radial gradients to achieve amplification are calculated for a temperature and density regime consistent with a hot-ion-mode fusion reactor. These simulations, while valid only in the linear regime of wave amplification, nonetheless illustrate the possibilities for wave amplification using high-field launch of the lower hybrid wave.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

An innovative radial gradient material design using hot isostatic pressing for applications in extreme environments

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are highly advanced continuous or discontinuous structures whose structural and material properties vary along a singular geometric dimension either in the axial or radial direction. Here, the radial gradient FGM design makes for an optimal structural design to incorporate a bi-metallic structure with a copper-based high entropy alloy (Cu-HEA) with good mechanical properties and high irradiation resistance, and Chromium (Cr) with great corrosion resistance. This study focuses on the experimental design of a metal powder loading mechanism to fabricate a bi-metallic radial gradient structure using Cu-HEA and 99.9 % pure Cr metal powders. The powder loading strategy uses custom-designed concentric cylindrical dividers to separate the individual compositions. Two benchtop trial runs were performed for design optimization. The optimized design was then implemented to eventually load the HEA and Cr powders for consolidation via powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP). The electron microscopy analysis reveals the successful fabrication of the radial gradient structure with the chemical mapping analysis, demonstrating the gradual composition shift from the HEA at the center to the pure-Cr at the periphery via a three-step gradient.

High Entropy Alloys (HEAs)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Compact, Achromatic Non-scaling FFAG Accelerator for HEP, Commercial and Medical Applications (CRADA FRA-2008-0005 Final Report)

Proton and light-ion accelerators have many research and medical applications, but the current state of technology in accelerators severely limits their widespread use: (1) synchrotrons have an intrinsic low duty cycle and become quite large for light ions; and (2) cyclotrons do not have energy variability and require complex superconducting magnets for high energy. A new concept in non-scaling Fixed-Field Alternating-Gradient (FFAGs) has been invented that incorporates both the energy variability of the synchrotron and the high duty cycle of the cyclotron. The concept uses normal-conducting, combined-function magnets that apply only constant (dipole) and linear-gradient (quadrupole) fields to stabilize the accelerator. This project will develop an optimized design for a new non-scaling and cost-effective innovation in FFAG accelerators. The accelerator design will have optics that can stably accelerate protons to 250 MeV (or higher) and carbon ions to =200 MeV, an energy considered ideal for radiation therapy. Phase I will optimize, fully simulate, and demonstrate the feasibility of this accelerator. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The fixed-field acceleration concept should eliminate some of the most pronounced technical difficulties, expense, maintenance, and required expertise faced in conventional proton and light-ion accelerators. In addition to the application for high energy physics, these accelerators should have application in cancer treatment, radiopharmaceuticals, and medical isotope production, and materials science.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Prediction and uncertainty quantification of shale well performance using multifidelity Monte Carlo

Uncertainty quantification is an integral component of reservoir management, especially considering the inherent uncertainty in subsurface systems. While a standard practice to estimate the uncertainty, Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is computationally intense when the sampling population comprises high-fidelity simulations. Alternatively, the Multi-fidelity Monte Carlo (MFMC) simulation overcomes this computational intensity by integrating low- and high-fidelity simulations. Our goal is to minimize the number of expensive high-fidelity simulations while maintaining accuracy and using numerous fast and cheap low-fidelity simulations to efficiently sample to input parameter space of interest. We selected gas production from unconventional wells to demonstrate the potential speedups and accuracy of the MFMC approach. The model fidelity usually determines the trade-off between accuracy and efficiency. While the high-fidelity model is more accurate, the low-fidelity model is more efficient. Our high-fidelity simulation includes reservoir simulations of a hydraulically fractured well. On the other hand, our low-fidelity model comprises the parallel-plate flow model. We used differential programming to efficiently solve the 1D flow model, where automatic differentiation is used to efficiently compute the gradients. We matched the production profile of high-fidelity simulations with our low-fidelity simulations. Then, we used a support vector regression to map the high- and low-fidelity input parameters. The mapping function is essential to tune the low-dimensional parameter space of the low-fidelity model to the high-dimensional parameter space of the high-fidelity model. We found that we can use a combination of 9 high fidelity and 10,000 low fidelity simulations to efficiently and accurately simulate pressure management. This method is at least two orders of magnitude faster than only using high-fidelity simulations. Finally, from a broader perspective, MFMC could efficiently estimate the uncertainty of various systems and models, integrating low- and high-fidelity models.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Vectoring into Potential Blind Geothermal Systems in the Granite Springs Valley Area, Western Nevada: Application of the Play Fairway Analysis at Multiple Scales

The Great Basin region of the western USA is capable of generating much greater amounts of geothermal energy than currently produced. Most geothermal resources in this region are blind, and thus the favorable characteristics for geothermal activity must be synthesized and methodologies developed to discover new commercial-grade systems. The geothermal play fairway concept involves integration of multiple parameters indicative of geothermal activity as a means of identifying promising areas for new development. In the Nevada play fairway project, nine geologic, geochemical, and geophysical parameters were initially synthesized to produce a new geothermal potential map of 96,000 km2. Granite Springs Valley in western Nevada is a particularly promising site selected for detailed study. It contains several favorable structural settings, including terminations of major Quaternary normal faults and fault intersections. Geologic, geophysical, and geochemical techniques were employed to define the most likely sites for high permeability and select drilling targets for temperature-gradient holes. Local and intermediate permeability models were revised to reflect results of detailed analyses and generate new detailed play fairway maps of the area. The most promising site lies in the northeastern part of the basin directly east of Adobe Flat, where the horse-tailing termination of a major normal fault (as revealed by new gravity data), opaline sinter deposits, warm shallow wells, and a low-resistivity anomaly are collocated. Geothermometry suggests a blind system with temperatures as high as ~130°C in this area. Four new temperature-gradient holes document temperatures of ~80°C at ~150 m depth. Lessons learned in the detailed studies of this project include: 1) initially identified sites commonly include multiple favorable settings at a finer scale; 2) promising sites in Cenozoic basins cannot be well defined without detailed geophysical surveys; and 3) play fairway analysis is critical at multiple scales, providing a means to select regional prospects as well as vectoring into drilling targets at individual sites.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Design and convergence analysis of the conforming virtual element method for polyharmonic problems

In the recent years, there has been a tremendous interest to numerical methods that approximate partial differential equations (PDEs) on computational meshes with arbitrarily-shaped polygonal/polyhedral (polytopal, for short) elements. A nonexhaustive list of such methods include the Mimetic Finite Difference method [4, 9, 21, 24, 28, 33, 35, 62, 64–67], the Polygonal Finite Element Method [68, 73, 74], the polygonal Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Methods [5, 7, 8, 10, 13–15, 18, 36, 38, 39, 41, 50], the Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin and Hybrid High-Order Methods [46–48, 51], the Gradient Discretization method [49, 53, 54], the Finite Volume Method [52], and the BEM-based FEM [71]. An alternative approach that also proved to be very successful is provided by the Virtual Element method (VEM), which was originally proposed in [19] for the numerical treatment of second-order elliptic problems [43, 44], and readily extended to linear and nonlinear elasticity [22, 25, 56], plate bending problems [37], Cahn-Hilliard equation [3], Stokes equations [2], Laplace-Beltrami equation [55], Darcy-Brinkam equation [76], discrete topology optimization problems [6], fracture networks problems [29], eigenvalue problems [59, 75]. The mixed virtual element formulation was proposed in [20, 34]; the nonconforming Virtual element formulations was proposed for second-order elliptic problems in [16], and later extended to general advection-reaction-diffusion problems, Stokes equation, the biharmonic problems, the iegenvalue problem, and the Schrodinger equation in [11, 30, 42, 45, 58, 80]. The p- and hp-version of the VEM were developed in [26, 27] and efficient multigrid methods for the resulting linear system of equations in [12]. A posteriori error estimates can be found in [40].

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2010

Development and Breakdown of Goertler Vortices in High Speed Boundary Layers

The nonlinear development of G rtler instability over a concave surface gives rise to a highly distorted stationary flow in the boundary layer that has strong velocity gradients in both spanwise and wall-normal directions. This distorted flow is susceptible to strong, high frequency secondary instability that leads to the onset of transition. For high Mach number flows, the boundary layer is also subject to the second mode instability. The nonlinear development of G rtler vortices and the ensuing growth and breakdown of secondary instability, the G rtler vortex interactions with second mode instabilities as well as oblique second mode interactions are examined in the context of both internal and external hypersonic configurations using nonlinear parabolized stability equations, 2-D eigenvalue analysis and direct numerical simulation. For G rtler vortex development inside the Purdue Mach 6 Ludwieg tube wind tunnel, multiple families of unstable secondary eigenmodes are identified and their linear and nonlinear evolution is examined. The computation of secondary instability is continued past the onset of transition to elucidate the physical mechanisms underlying the laminar breakdown process. Nonlinear breakdown scenarios associated with transition over a Mach 6 compression cone configuration are also explored.

Li, Fei↗