Engineering topics

Brophy, Thomas G.

Publications and source records attributed to Brophy, Thomas G..

4 records

NASA NTRS1992

Numerical simulation of satellite-ring interactions - Resonances and satellite-ring torques

The Krook kinetic equation for planetary rings is numerically solved in two spatial dimensions and in time, with (1) interparticle collisions and (2) satellite-forcing, but (3) without self-gravity, for the case of a flattened planetary ring that undergoes gravitational perturbation by a nearby satellite. It is noted that the amplitude of wakes is limited by purely kinematic effects, even in the absence of collisions. Attention is given to the results of a simulation of an inner Lindblad-resonance location, as the distribution approaches steady state; these simulations do not show an increase in velocity dispersion in the resonance zone, obviating a net torque.

Brophy, Thomas G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Density waves in Saturn's rings probed by radio and optical occultation - Observational tests of theory

A parallel examination is conducted of Voyager radio and photopolarimeter occultation observations of the Saturn A ring's density waves. The radio instrument waves exhibit an average -90 deg offset from the dynamical phase. A warping height of about 100-m amplitude can qualtitatively reproduce this phase shift, while preserving the overall model wave shape. These results may be profoundly relevant for satellite-ring torque calculations in Saturn's rings, given the deposition of all of the net torque of the standard model in the first wavelength.

Brophy, Thomas G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

A phase-space fluid simulation of a two-component narrow planetary ring - Particle size segregation, edge formation, and spreading rates

The Krook kinetic equation for identical planetary ring particles is presently generalized for the case of two-component systems, and the equations are numerically solved on the basis of Brophy and Esposito's (1989) phase-space CFD method. Attention is given to the simulation results obtained for a two-component narrow ring, in which the large particles are eight times as massive as the small particles. This ring's unconstrained edge dynamics are resolved by the simulation, and are found to exhibit a sharpening that would not have been expected in single-component rings.

Brophy, Thomas G.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Simulation of collisional transport processes and the stability of planetary rings

The utility of the phase-space fluid method for the study of planetary ring dynamics is presently demonstrated through the numerical solution of a model kinetic equation for a flattened Keplerian disk. Attention is given to ringlets composed of single-sized particles, as well as to ringlets composed of two different-sized particles; in the latter case, the ringlets evolve in such a way that the lighter particles are confined by the heavier ones. The results obtained indicate that some natural process may sharpen the optical depth profile of edges even without an external forcing mechanism, and that intermediate optical depths are dynamically preferred in some cases.

Brophy, Thomas G.↗