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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Vortex lattices in a rotating Fermi superfluid in the BCS-BEC crossover with many Landau levels

We present an explicit analytical analysis of the ground state of vortex lattice structure, based on a minimization of the generalized Gross-Pitaevskii energy functional in a trapped rotating Fermi superfluid gas. By a Bogoliubov-like transformation we find that the coarse-grained average of the atomic density varies as inverted parabola in three dimensional cases; the Fermi superfluid in the BEC regime enters into the lowest Landau level at fast rotation, in which the vortices form an almost regular triangular lattice over a central region and the vortex lattice is expanded along the radial direction in the outer region; the fluid in the unitarity and BCS regimes occupies many low-lying Landau levels, in which a trapped gas with a triangular vortex lattice has a superfluid core surrounded by a normal gas. The calculation is qualitatively consistent with recent numerical and experimental data both in the vortex lattice structure and vortex numbers and in the density profiles versus the stirring frequency in the whole BCS-BEC crossover. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present an analysis of vortex lattice in an interacting trapped rotating Fermi superfluid gas. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Decomposing the vortex from the condensate, we can explain the vortex lattice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The calculation is consistent with numerical and experimental data. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It can characterize experimentally properties in different regimes of the BCS-BEC crossover.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Vortex motion on surfaces of small curvature

We consider a single Abelian Higgs vortex on a surface Σ whose Gaussian curvature K is small relative to the size of the vortex, and analyse vortex motion by using geodesics on the moduli space of static solutions. The moduli space is Σ with a modified metric, and we propose that this metric has a universal expansion, in terms of K and its derivatives, around the initial metric on Σ. Using an integral expression for the Kähler potential on the moduli space, we calculate the leading coefficients of this expansion numerically, and find some evidence for their universality. The expansion agrees to first order with the metric resulting from the Ricci flow starting from the initial metric on Σ, but differs at higher order. We compare the vortex motion with the motion of a point particle along geodesics of Σ. Relative to a particle geodesic, the vortex experiences an additional force, which to leading order is proportional to the gradient of K. This force is analogous to the self-force on bodies of finite size that occurs in gravitational motion. -- Highlights: •We study an Abelian Higgs vortex on a surface with small curvature. •A universal expansion for the moduli space metric is proposed. •We numerically check the universality at low orders. •Vortex motion differs from point particle motion because a vortex has a finite size. •Moduli space geometry has similarities with the geometry arising from Ricci flow.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Observation of superconducting vortex clusters in S/F hybrids

While Abrikosov vortices repel each other and form a uniform vortex lattice in bulk type-II superconductors, strong confinement potential profoundly affects their spatial distribution eventually leading to vortex cluster formation. The confinement could be induced by the geometric boundaries in mesoscopic-size superconductors or by the spatial modulation of the magnetic field in superconductor/ ferromagnet (S/F) hybrids. Here we study the vortex confinement in S/F thin film heterostructures and we observe that vortex clusters appear near magnetization inhomogeneities in the ferromagnet, called bifurcations. We use magnetic force microscopy to image magnetic bifurcations and superconducting vortices, while high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy is used to obtain detailed information of the local electronic density of states outside and inside the vortex cluster. We find an intervortex spacing at the bifurcation shorter than the one predicted for the same superconductor in a uniform magnetic field equal to the thermodynamical upper critical field H c2 . This result is due to a local enhanced stray field and a competition between vortex-vortex repulsion and Lorentz force. Here, our findings suggest that special magnetic topologies could result in S/F hybrids that support superconductivity even when locally the vortex density exceeds the thermodynamic critical threshold value beyond which the superconductivity is destroyed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nanoscale control over single vortex motion in an unconventional superconductor

Precise control of superconducting vortices is crucial for studying vortex dynamics and vortex braiding. We propose a new method to pull vortex lines in the layered superconductor FeSe using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip. Weak contact of the STM tip with the FeSe surface locally reduces the superconducting gap, thereby creating a tunable vortex pinning potential on the nanometer scale. This enables controlled vortex line deformation even in dense vortex lattices. Analytical modeling reveals that the deformation strength scales logarithmically with conductance and depends on tip geometry. Our findings point to local strain-induced gap suppression as the mechanism for STM-mediated vortex manipulation, providing a fundamental insight relevant to vortex behavior in the context of quantum information studies.

Song, Sang Yong [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (OR↗
DOE OSTI2015

Interaction of ions, atoms, and small molecules with quantized vortex lines in superfluid {sup 4}He

The interaction of a number of impurities (H{sub 2}, Ag, Cu, Ag{sub 2}, Cu{sub 2}, Li, He{sub 3}{sup +}, He{sup *} ({sup 3}S), He{sub 2}{sup ∗} ({sup 3}Σ{sub u}), and e{sup −}) with quantized rectilinear vortex lines in superfluid {sup 4}He is calculated by using the Orsay-Trento density functional theory (DFT) method at 0 K. The Donnelly-Parks (DP) potential function binding ions to the vortex is combined with DFT data, yielding the impurity radius as well as the vortex line core parameter. The vortex core parameter at 0 K (0.74 Å) obtained either directly from the vortex line geometry or through the DP potential fitting is smaller than previously suggested but is compatible with the value obtained from re-analysis of the Rayfield-Reif experiment. All of the impurities have significantly higher binding energies to vortex lines below 1 K than the available thermal energy, where the thermally assisted escape process becomes exponentially negligible. Even at higher temperatures 1.5-2.0 K, the trapping times for larger metal clusters are sufficiently long that the previously observed metal nanowire assembly in superfluid helium can take place at vortex lines. The binding energy of the electron bubble is predicted to decrease as a function of both temperature and pressure, which allows adjusting the trap depth for either permanent trapping or to allow thermally assisted escape. Finally, a new scheme for determining the trapping of impurities on vortex lines by optical absorption spectroscopy is outlined and demonstrated for He{sup *}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Guiding-center dynamics of vortex dipoles in Bose-Einstein condensates

A quantized vortex dipole is the simplest vortex molecule, comprising two countercirculating vortex lines in a superfluid. Although vortex dipoles are endemic in two-dimensional superfluids, the precise details of their dynamics have remained largely unexplored. We present here several striking observations of vortex dipoles in dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates, and develop a vortex-particle model that generates vortex line trajectories that are in good agreement with the experimental data. Interestingly, these diverse trajectories exhibit essentially identical quasiperiodic behavior, in which the vortex lines undergo stable epicyclic orbits.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Response of the Polar Vortex to Tropospheric Temperature Eddies in an Idealized General Circulation Model

Abstract A dry-core idealized general circulation model with a stratospheric polar vortex in the Northern Hemisphere is run with a combination of simplified topography and imposed tropospheric temperature perturbations, each located in the Northern Hemisphere with a zonal wavenumber of 1. The phase difference between the imposed temperature wave and the topography is varied to understand what effect this has on the occurrence of polar vortex displacements. Geometric moments are used to identify the centroid of the polar vortex for the purposes of classifying whether or not the polar vortex is displaced. Displacements of the polar vortex are a response to increased tropospheric wave activity. Compared to a model run with only topography, the likelihood of the polar vortex being displaced increases when the warm region is located west of the topography peak, and decreases when the cold region is west of the topography peak. This response from the polar vortex is due to the modulation of vertically propagating wave activity by the temperature forcing. When the southerly winds on the western side of the topographically forced anticyclone are collocated with warm- or cold-temperature forcing, the vertical wave activity flux in the troposphere becomes more positive or negative, respectively. This is in line with recent reanalysis studies that showed that anomalous warming west of the surface pressure high, in the climatological standing wave, precedes polar vortex disturbances.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1975

Flight test investigation of the vortex wake characteristics behind a Boeing 727 during two-segment and normal ILS approaches

A series of flight tests were performed to evaluate the vortex wake characteristics of a Boeing 727 (B727-200) aircraft during conventional and two-segment ILS approaches. Flights of the B727, equipped with smoke generators for vortex marking, were flown wherein its vortex wake was intentionally encountered by a Lear Jet model 23 (LR-23) or a Piper Twin Comanche (Pa-30); and its vortex location during landing approach was measured using a system of photo-theodolites. The tests showed that at a given separation distance there were no differences in the upsets resulting from deliberate vortex encounters during the two types of approaches. Timed mappings of the position of the landing configuration vortices showed that they tended to descend approximately 91 meters (300 feet) below the flight path of the B727. The flaps of the B727 have a dominant effect on the character of the trailed wake vortex. The clean wing produces a strong, concentrated vortex. As the flaps are lowered, the vortex system becomes more diffuse. Pilot opinion and roll acceleration data indicate that 4.5 nautical miles would be a minimum separation distance at which roll control could be maintained during parallel encounters of the B727's landing configuration wake by small aircraft.

Garodz, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Characteristics of wake vortex generated by a Boeing 727 jet transport during two-segment and normal ILS approach flight paths

A series of flight tests was conducted to evaluate the vortex wake characteristics of a Boeing 727 (B727-200) aircraft during conventional and two-segment ILS approaches. Twelve flights of the B727, which was equipped with smoke generators for vortex marking, were flown and its vortex wake was intentionally encountered by a Lear Jet model 23 (LR-23) and a Piper Twin Comanche (PA-30). Location of the B727 vortex during landing approach was measured using a system of photo-theodolites. The tests showed that at a given separation distance there were no readily apparent differences in the upsets resulting from deliberate vortex encounters during the two types of approaches. Timed mappings of the position of the landing configuration vortices showed that they tended to descend approximately 91 m(300 ft) below the flight path of the B727. The flaps of the B727 have a dominant effect on the character of the trailed wake vortex. The clean wing produces a strong, concentrated vortex but as the flaps are lowered, the vortex system becomes more diffuse. Pilot opinion and roll acceleration data indicate that 4.5 n.mi. would be a minimum separation distance at which roll control of light aircraft (less than 5,670 kg (12,500 lb) could be maintained during parallel encounters of the B727's landing configuration wake. This minimum separation distance is generally in scale with results determined from previous tests of other aircraft using the small roll control criteria.

Kurkowski, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Measured wake-vortex characteristics of aircraft in ground effect

In support of the NASA wake vortex alleviation program, measurements were made of the influences of a ground plane on vortex trajectories and velocity profiles within lift-generated wakes. The wakes were generated by towing 0.61-m (2-ft) span models of two jumbo jets under water in a ship model basin. The models were configured with landing flaps and flight spoilers to investigate the wake characteristics of these aircraft in ground effect at simulated full-scale distances of 19 m (62 ft) to 116 m (380 ft) above the ground. The ground plane caused modifications in the vortex trajectories but did not alter vortex interactions and merging patterns in these multiple vortex wakes. Some distortions in vortex vertical (tangential) velocity profiles were recorded as a result of vortex lateral motions and vortex interactions with the viscous boundary layer on the ground plane; however, maximum tangential velocities remained unchanged.

Ciffone, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Investigation of the Vortex Tab

An investigation was made into the drag reduction capability of vortex tabs on delta wing vortex flaps. The vortex tab is an up-deflected leading edge portion of the vortex flap. Tab deflection augments vortex suction on the flap, thus improving its thrust, but the tab itself is drag producing. Whether a net improvement in the drag reduction can be obtained with vortex tabs, in comparison with plane vortex flaps of the same total area, was the objective of this investigation. Wind tunnel tests were conducted on two models, and analytical studies were performed on one of them using a free vortex sheet theory.

Hoffler, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A panel method study of vortex sheets with special emphasis on sheets of axisymmetric geometry

The self induced evolution of a vortex sheet was simulated by modeling the sheet using an integration of discrete elements of vorticity. Replacing small sections of a vortex sheet by flat panels of constant vorticity is found to reproduce more accurately the initial conditions for the Lagrangian simulation technique than replacement by point vortices. The flat panel method for the vortex sheet was then extended to model axisymmetric vortex sheets. The local and far field velocities induced by the axisymmetric panels were obtained using matched asymptotic analysis, and some of the uncertainties involved in other models of the axisymmetric vortex sheet have been eliminated. One important result of this analysis is the determination of the proper choice of core size for a circular vortex filament which may replace a section of an axisymmetric vortex sheet. Roll-up of both two dimensional and axisymmetric vortex sheets was computed using the panel methods developed in the report.

Sugioka, I.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Full-potential modeling of blade-vortex interactions

A comparison is made of four different models for predicting the unsteady loading induced by a vortex passing close to an airfoil. (1) The first model approximates the vortex effect as a change in the airfoil angle of attack. (2) The second model is related to the first but, instead of imposing only a constant velocity on the airfoil, the distributed effect of the vortex is computed and used. This is analogous to a lifting surface method. (3) The third model is to specify a branch cut discontinuity in the potential field. The vortex is modeled as a jump in potential across the branch cut, the edge of which represents the center of the vortex. (4) The fourth method models the vortex expressing the potential as the sum of a known potential due to the vortex and an unknown perturbation due to the airfoil. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the four vortex models described above and to determine their relative merits and suitability for use in large three-dimensional codes.

Jones, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Full potential modeling of blade-vortex interactions

A comparison is made of four different models for predicting the unsteady loading induced by a vortex passing close to an airfoil. (1) The first model approximates the vortex effect as a change in the airfoil angle of attack. (2) The second model is related to the first but, instead of imposing only a constant velocity on the airfoil, the distributed effect of the vortex is computed and used. This is analogous to a lifting surface method. (3) The third model is to specify a branch cut discontinuity in the potential field. The vortex is modeled as a jump in potential across the branch cut, the edge of which represents the center of the vortex. (4) The fourth method models the vortex expressing the potential as the sum of as known potential due to the vortex and an unknown perturbation due to the airfoil. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the four vortex models described above and to determine their relative merits and suitability for use in large three-dimensional codes.

Jones, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Vortex interaction with a leading-edge of finite thickness

Vortex interaction with a thick elliptical leading-edge at zero relative offset produces a pronounced secondary vortes of opposite sense that travels with the same phase speed as the primaty vortex along the lower surface of the edge. The edge thickness (scale) relative to the incident vorticity field has a strong effect on the distortion of the incident primary vortex during the impingement processs. When the thickness is sufficiently small, there is a definite severing of the incident vortex and the portion of the incident vortex that travels along the upper part of the elliptical surface has a considerably larger phase speed than that along the lower surface; this suggests that the integrated loading along the upper surface is more strongly correlated. When the thickness becomes too large, then most, if not all, of the incident vortex passes below the leading-edge. On the other hand, the relative tranverse offset of the edge with respect to the center of the incident vortex has a significant effect on the secondary vortex formation.

Sohn, D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A new methodology for free wake analysis using curved vortex elements

A method using curved vortex elements was developed for helicopter rotor free wake calculations. The Basic Curve Vortex Element (BCVE) is derived from the approximate Biot-Savart integration for a parabolic arc filament. When used in conjunction with a scheme to fit the elements along a vortex filament contour, this method has a significant advantage in overall accuracy and efficiency when compared to the traditional straight-line element approach. A theoretical and numerical analysis shows that free wake flows involving close interactions between filaments should utilize curved vortex elements in order to guarantee a consistent level of accuracy. The curved element method was implemented into a forward flight free wake analysis, featuring an adaptive far wake model that utilizes free wake information to extend the vortex filaments beyond the free wake regions. The curved vortex element free wake, coupled with this far wake model, exhibited rapid convergence, even in regions where the free wake and far wake turns are interlaced. Sample calculations are presented for tip vortex motion at various advance ratios for single and multiple blade rotors. Cross-flow plots reveal that the overall downstream wake flow resembles a trailing vortex pair. A preliminary assessment shows that the rotor downwash field is insensitive to element size, even for relatively large curved elements.

Bliss, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A water tunnel flow visualization study of the vortex flow structures on the F/A-18 aircraft

The vortex flow structures occurring on the F/A-18 aircraft at high angles of attack were studied. A water tunnel was used to gather flow visualization data on the forebody vortex and the wing leading edge extension vortex. The longitudinal location of breakdown of the leading edge vortex was found to be consistently dependent on the angle of attack. Other parameters such as Reynolds number, model scale, and model fidelity had little influence on the overall behavior of the flow structures studied. The lateral location of the forebody vortex system was greatly influenced by changes in the angle of sideslip. Strong interactions can occur between the leading edge extension vortex and the forebody vortex. Close attention was paid to vortex induced flows on various airframe components of the F/A-18. Reynolds number and angle of attack greatly affected the swirling intensity, and therefore the strength of the studied vortices. Water tunnel results on the F/A-18 correlated well with those obtained in similar studies at both full and sub scale levels. The water tunnel can provide, under certain conditions, good simulations of realistic flows in full scale configurations.

Sandlin, Doral R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The vortex interaction in a propeller/stator flow field

The vortex interaction encounered in the flow field of a propeller and a stator has been investigated using smoke flow visualization. A stator at angle of attack was used to generate a line vortex which interacted with the helical vortex filaments generated by a propeller. Changes in the relative vortex strengths and vortex rotational directions yielded several distinct vortex structures. Axial flow in the vortex cores is determined to influence the development of the vortex interaction.

Johnston, R. T.↗