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At least 199 records · Page 11

Multiline Transfer and the Dynamics of Stellar Winds

A Monte Carlo technique for treating multiline transfer in stellar winds is described. With a line list containing many thousands of transitions and with fairly realistic treatments of ionization, excitation and line formation, the resulting code allows the dynamic effects of overlapping lines the investigation of and provides the means to directly synthesize the complete spectrum of a star and its wind. It is found that the computed mass loss rate for data Puppis agrees with the observed rate. The synthesized spectrum of zeta Puppis also agrees with observational data. This confirms that line driving is the dominant acceleration mechanism in this star's wind.

Abbott, D. C.↗

A new world survey expression for cosmic ray vertical intensity vs. depth in standard rock

The cosmic ray data on vertical intensity versus depth below 10 to the 5th power g sq cm is fitted to a 5 parameter empirical formula to give an analytical expression for interpretation of muon fluxes in underground measurements. This expression updates earlier published results and complements the more precise curves obtained by numerical integration or Monte Carlo techniques in which the fit is made to an energy spectrum at the top of the atmosphere. The expression is valid in the transitional region where neutrino induced muons begin to be important, as well as at great depths where this component becomes dominant.

Crouch, M.↗

Transient thermal modeling of the nonscanning ERBE detector

A numerical model to predict the transient thermal response of the ERBE nonscanning wide field of view total radiometer channel was developed. The model, which uses Monte Carlo techniques to characterize the radiative component of heat transfer, is described and a listing of the computer program is provided. Application of the model to simulate the actual blackbody calibration procedure is discussed. The use of the model to establish a real time flight data interpretation strategy is recommended. Modification of the model to include a simulated Earth radiation source field and a filter dome is indicated.

Mahan, J. R.↗

Raman scattering from phonons and magnons in magnetic semiconductors, MnTe

Comparisons are made between theoretical and experimental data on laser Raman scattering by phonons and two-magnons in antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases of MnTe. The study was performed specifically to characterize the magnetic exchange coupling constants of the Mn ions in the samples. Crystal MnTe samples were bombarded with an Ar ion laser beam to obtain spectrometer and photon counter data. One E(2g) phonon with a room temperature energy of 178/cm and a two-magnon peak of 360/cm were observed in the Raman spectrum. A spin wave dispersion relation is presented for the spectrum. Finally, a Monte Carlo technique was used to calculate the two-magnon joint density of states that best fits the experimental data.

Mobasser, S. R.↗

Thrust imbalance of solid rocket motor pairs on Space Shuttle flights

This analysis extends the investigation presented at the 17th Joint Propulsion Conference in 1981 to include fifteen sets of Space Shuttle flight data. The previous report dealt only with static test data and the first flight pair. The objective is to compare the authors' previous theoretical analysis of thrust imbalance with actual Space Shuttle performance. The theoretical prediction method, which involves a Monte Carlo technique, is reviewed briefly as are salient features of the flight instrumentation system and the statistical analysis. A scheme for smoothing flight data is discussed. The effects of changes in design parameters are discussed with special emphasis on the filament wound motor case being developed to replace the steel case. Good agreement between the predictions and the flight data is demonstrated.

Foster, W. A., Jr.↗

Studies of radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres

Schloerb and Claussen continued their analysis of the very high quality data set obtained on the 18 centimeter OH line from the Comet P/Halley with the NRAO 43 meter antenna. The high spectral resolution (0.22 km/sec) and high signal-to-noise of the OH spectra make them ideal for the study of kinematics in the coma. Synthetic profiles were initiated for comparison with the data. A vectorial model was developed using the Monte Carlo techniques originated by Combi and Delsemme. Analysis of the millimeter wavelength observations of HCN emission from P/Halley obtained throughout much of the recent apparition were continued using the University of Massachusetts 14 millimeter-wavelength (FCRAO) antenna. A detailed analysis of the HCN lineshpaes was performed over the last six months. The excitation of HCN in the coma was studied to obtain a detailed match to the observed spectra. The passive millimeter wave radiometer was used to probe the physical and chemical nature of comets from spacecraft. Work was continued on an improved theory of radiative transfer for rough and porous surfaces, such as the regoliths of satellites, asteroids, and comets.

Irvine, W. M.↗

Accumulation of the planets

In modeling the accumulation of planetesimals into planets, it is appropriate to distinguish between two stages: an early stage, during which approximately 10 km diameter planetesimals accumulate locally to form bodies approximate 10 to the 25th g in mass; and a later stage in which the approximately 10 to the 25th g planetesimals accumulate into the final planets. In the terrestrial planet region, an initial planetesimal swarm corresponding to the critical mass of dust layer gravitational instabilities is considered. In order to better understand the accumulation history of Mercury-sized bodies, 19 Monte-Carlo simulations of terrestrial planet growth were calculated. A Monte Carlo technique was used to investigate the orbital evolution of asteroidal collision debris produced interior to 2.6 AU. It was found that there are two regions primarily responsible for production of Earth-crossing meteoritic material and Apollo objects. The same techniques were extended to include the origin of Earth-approaching asteroidal bodies. It is found that these same two resonant mechanisms predict a steady-state number of Apollo-Amor about 1/2 that estimated based on astronomical observations.

Wetherill, G. W.↗

The influence of charge exchange on the velocity distribution of hydrogen in the Venus exosphere

The simulation of the exosphere of Venus by a Monte Carlo technique has been extended to provide velocity distribution profiles that can be used with radiative transfer simulation to model the Lyman-alpha emission seen by spacecraft. The line profiles show a narrow core due to the exobase thermal source of hydrogen superimposed on the broad profile of hot hydrogen from charge exchange with hot ions in the nighttime ionosphere. Nightside radial profiles show long tails of upward flowing, escaping atoms. There are some downward and lateral superescape signatures, because the charge exchange source extends well above the exobase. At higher altitudes, flattening and even shallow central valleys appear in the transverse profiles. The planetary average escape rate due to charge exchange was found to be 2.8 x 10 to the 7th/sq cm per s, which is several times larger than escape rates for other candidate mechanisms.

Hodges, Richard R., Jr.↗

Monte Carlo modeling of ionospheric oxygen acceleration by cyclotron resonance with broad-band electromagnetic turbulence

It is demonstrated that cyclotron resonance with observed electric field fluctuations is responsible for production of the oxygen-ion conics that are observed by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite in the central plasma-sheet region of the earth's magnetosphere. The ion-velocity distribution is described by a quasi-linear diffusion equation which is solved by the Monte Carlo technique. The acceleration produced by the observed wave spectrum agrees well with the ion observations, in both form and magnitude. This is believed to represent the first successful comparison of an observed conic with any theoretical model.

Retterer, John M.↗

Coherence effects on quasi-periodic oscillations from Galactic X-ray sources

Shot noise models provide a useful mathematical representation for some physical models for the quasi-periodic oscillations recently observed from several Galactic bulge and burst X-ray sources. For such models, correlations between the shot onset times and oscillation phases can have important effects on the expected autocorrelation function and power spectrum, with important consequences for the interpretation of observed power spectra. Making use of analytic and Monte Carlo techniques, two physically plausible correlations of this kind, one corresponding to drift and jitter in the oscillation phase and the other to a random walk in the oscillation phase, are examined.

Elsner, R. F.↗

Particle and fluid simulations of resistive current-driven electrostatic ion cyclotron waves

The results from 1-D numerical simulations of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves (EIC) are presented for a model in which the electrons are a resistive (collisional) fluid. Simulations of both the kinetic and fluid descriptions are performed and compared in order to assess the fundamental limitations of fluid theory for EIC waves. The effect of ion-neutral collisions is also included using a simple Monte Carlo technique. It is found that a small ion-neutral collision frequency destroys the frequency harmonic coupling of kinetic EIC waves and tends to validate the fluid description. The saturation amplitude of the current-driven EIC instability is in agreement with recent laboratory experiments. The coherent nature (extremely narrow spectral width) and phase velocity agree with ground based (coherent backscatter radars) and in situ observations of current-driven EIC waves in the high latitude ionosphere.

Seyler, Charles E.↗

The effect of a hot, spherical scattering cloud on quasi-periodic oscillation behavior

A Monte Carlo technique is used to investigate the effects of a hot electron scattering cloud surrounding a time-dependent X-ray source. Results are presented for the time-averaged emergent energy spectra and the mean residence time in the cloud as a function of energy. Moreover, after Fourier transforming the scattering Green's function, it is shown how the cloud affects both the observed power spectrum of a time-dependent source and the cross spectrum (Fourier transform of a cross correlation between energy bands). It is found that the power spectra intrinsic to the source are related to those observed by a relatively simple frequency-dependent multiplicative factor (a transmission function). The cloud can severely attenuate high frequencies in the power spectra, depending on optical depth, and, at lower frequencies, the transmission function has roughly a Lorentzian shape. It is also found that if the intrinsic energy spectrum is constant in time, the phase of the cross spectrum is determined entirely by scattering. Finally, the implications of the results for studies of the X-ray quasi-periodic oscillators are discussed.

Bussard, R. W.↗

Observation of the Meissner effect in a lattice Higgs model

The lattice-regularized U(1) Higgs model in an external electromagnetic field is studied by Monte Carlo techniques. In the Coulomb phase, magnetic flux can flow through uniformly. The Higgs phase splits into a region where magnetic flux can penetrate only in the form of vortices and a region where the magnetic flux is completely expelled, the relativistic analog of the Meissner effect in superconductivity. Evidence is presented for symmetry restoration in strong external fields.

Damgaard, Poul H.↗

Simulation of GaAs cluster formation on GaAs(00-1), AlAs(00-1), Si(001), and As1/Si(001) surfaces

Recently developed semiempirical potential energy functions for the Ga-As-Si and Ga-As-Al systems have been applied here to determine the excess formation energy for GaAs clusters on GaAs(00-1), AlAs(00-1), Si(001), and one atomic layer As-covered Si(001) substrates as a function of cluster size and cluster shape by the Monte Carlo technique. Pyramidal type ledges on the GaAs clusters are found to be the favored ledge for the first three layers while an inverted-pyramidal type ledge is also favored in certain cases for the As1/Si(001) substrate. Cluster formation at ledges is compared with cluster formation on a flat terrace for the Si(001) and the As1/Si(001) substrates.

Choi, D. K.↗

Monte Carlo modeling of large-scale ion-conic generation

Cyclotron resonance with observed electric field fluctuations is demonstrated to be responsible for production of the oxygen ion conics that are observed by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite in the central plasma sheet region of the earth's auroral zone. The ion velocity distribution is described by a quasi-linear diffusion equation which is solved using the Monte Carlo technique. The acceleration produced by the observed wave spectrum agrees well with the ion observations, in both form and magnitude.

Retterer, J. M.↗

Three-dimensional flow simulation about the AFE vehicle in the transitional regime

The direct-simulation Monte Carlo technique is used to analyze the hypersonic rarefied flow about the three-dimensional NASA Aeroassist Flight Experiment vehicle. Results are given for typical transitional flows encountered during the vehicle's atmospheric entry from altitudes of 200-100 km with an entry velocity of 9.9 km/s. It is found that dissociation is important at altitudes of 110 km and below, and that transitional effects are significant even at an altitude of 200 km.

Celenligil, M. Cevdet↗

Scales of North Atlantic wind stress curl determined from the comprehensive ocean-atmosphere data set

Nineteen years of wind data over the North Atlantic are used to calculate a field of wind stress curl. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is performed on this field, resulting in spatial patterns of wind stress curl and associated time series. A Monte Carlo technique is used to establish the statistical significance of each spatial pattern, and the associated time series are spectrally analyzed. The first four statistically significant EOF modes represent more than 50 percent of the curl variance, and the spatial patterns of curl associated with these modes exhibit the major elements of North Atlantic climatology. Most of the time series spectral variance is contained in annual and semiannual frequencies. The features observed include the individual annual variation of the subtropical high and the subpolar low, the annual oscillation of intensity between pressure centers, the influence of localized strong SST gradients and associated cyclogenesis regions, and the constant nature of the trades.

Ehret, Laura L.↗

Conserving approximations for strongly correlated electron systems - Bethe-Salpeter equation and dynamics for the two-dimensional Hubbard model

A semianalytical approach is described for strongly correlated electronic systems which satisfies microscopic conservation laws, treats strong frequency and momentum dependences, and provides information on both static and dynamic properties. This approach may be used to treat large systems and temperatures lower than those currently accessible to finite-temperature quantum Monte Carlo techniques. Examples of such systems include heavy-electron compounds, organic Bechegaard salts, bis-(ethylenedithiolo)-TTF superconductors, and the oxide superconductors. The technique is based on the derivation and self-consistent solution of infinite-order conserving approximations. The technique is used to derive a low-temperature phase diagram and dynamic correlation functions for the two-dimensional Hubbard lattice model.

Bickers, N. E.↗