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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Comparison of weakly and strongly nonlinear wave evolution in a dispersive plasma

An investigation of the evolution of strongly nonlinear, low frequency (ion gyrofrequency), parallel propagating wave packets in a dispersive, collisionless, and low beta(= 8piP/B-squared = 0.3) plasma is undertaken using a hybrid numerical code. These strongly nonlinear wave packets have a transverse magnetic field strength, or wave amplitude, which is of order or greater the field strength along the direction of propagation, and their evolution can differ qualitatively from that of weakly nonlinear packets. The development of spreading fast wave (right helicity) and rarefraction regions competes strongly with steepening, and leads to a long time waveform which differs greatly from that for weak nonlinearity. Results are used to suggest that strongly nonlinear wave evolution occurs frequently in the earth's foreshock.

Vasquez, Bernard J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Electrostatic ion cyclotron velocity shear instability

A local electrostatic dispersion equation is derived for a shear flow perpendicular to an ambient magnetic field, which includes all kinetic effects and involves only one important parameter. The dispersion equation is cast in the form of Gordeyev integrals and is solved numerically. Numerical solutions indicate that an ion cyclotron instability is excited. The instability occurs roughly at multiples of the ion cyclotron frequency (modified by the shear), with the growth rate or the individual harmonics overlapping in the wavenumber. At large values of the shear parameter, the instability is confined to long wavelengths, but at smaller shear, a second distinct branch at shorter wavelengths also appears. The properties of the instability obtained are compared with those obtained in the nonlocal limit by Ganguli et al. (1985, 1988).

Lemons, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Computational Aeroacoustics by the Space-Time CE/SE Method

The Space-Time Conservation Element and Solution Element Method, or CE/SE Method for short, is a newly developed numerical method for conservation laws. Despite its second order accuracy, it possesses low dispersion errors and low dissipation. The method is robust enough to cover a wide spectrum of compressible flows: from weak linear acoustic waves to strong discontinuous waves (shocks). An outstanding feature of the CE/SE scheme is its novel, simple but effective non-reflecting boundary condition (NRBC), which is particularly valuable for CAA (computational aeroacoustics). In this seminar, the 1-D and 2-D unstructured version of the CE/SE schemes are first briefly described. Secondly, some discussions on the NRBC are given. Then, various examples for linear, nonlinear aeroacoustics are presented.

Loh, Ching Y.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Quantum-Noise-Limited Sensitivity-Enhancement of a Passive Optical Cavity by a Fast-Light Medium

We demonstrate for a passive optical cavity containing an intracavity dispersive atomic medium, the increase in scale factor near the critical anomalous dispersion is not cancelled by mode broadening or attenuation, resulting in an overall increase in the predicted quantum-noiselimited sensitivity. Enhancements of over two orders of magnitude are measured in the scale factor, which translates to greater than an order-of-magnitude enhancement in the predicted quantumnoise- limited measurement precision, by temperature tuning a low-pressure vapor of noninteracting atoms in a low-finesse cavity close to the critical anomalous dispersion condition. The predicted enhancement in sensitivity is confirmed through Monte-Carlo numerical simulations.

Smith, David D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The role of atmospheric shear, turbulence and a ground plane on the dissipation of aircraft vortex wakes

Enhanced dispersion of two-dimensional trailed vortex pairs within simplified neutral atmospheric backgrounds is studied numerically for three conditions: when the pair is imbedded in a constant turbulent bath (constant dissipation); when the pair is subjected to a mean cross-wind shear; and when the pair is near the ground. Turbulent transport is modeled using second-order closure turbulent transport theory. The turbulent background fields are constructed using a superequilibrium approximation. The computed results allow several general conclusions to be drawn with regard to the reduction in circulation of the vortex pair and the rolling moment induced on a following aircraft: (1) the rate of decay of a vortex pair increases with increasing background dissipation rate; (2) cross-wind shear disperses the vortex whose vorticity is opposite to the background; and (3) the proximity of a ground plane reduces the hazard of the pair by scrubbing. The phenomenon of vortex bounce is explained in terms of secondary vorticity produced at the ground plane. Qualitative comparisons are made with available experimental data, and inferences of these results upon the persistence of aircraft trailing vortices are discussed.

Bilanin, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Numerical studies of the deposition of material released from fixed and rotary wing aircraft

The computer code AGDISP (AGricultural DISPersal) has been developed to predict the deposition of material released from fixed and rotary wing aircraft in a single-pass, computationally efficient manner. The formulation of the code is novel in that the mean particle trajectory and the variance about the mean resulting from turbulent fluid fluctuations are simultaneously predicted. The code presently includes the capability of assessing the influence of neutral atmospheric conditions, inviscid wake vortices, particle evaporation, plant canopy and terrain on the deposition pattern. In this report, the equations governing the motion of aerially released particles are developed, including a description of the evaporation model used. A series of case studies, using AGDISP, are included.

Bilanin, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Dispersion, damping and confinement of propagating pulses in large space structures

Pulse propagations in large space structures caused by repeated pulse excitations are studied analytically (by using the Z-transforms) and numerically. It is found that resonance regimes can be generated not only by periodical, but also by non-periodical repeated pulses; the conditions for such regimes are derived. Special attention is paid to the dispersion of propagating pulses due to structural irregularities, to damping of pulses due to appropriate combination of elastic and viscous properties of joints between structural members, and to the protection of certain areas of Large Space Structures (LSS) from impacts provided by a pulse trapping effect.

Zak, Michail↗
NASA NTRS2011

Stream Lifetimes Against Planetary Encounters

We study, both analytically and numerically, the perturbation induced by an encounter with a planet on a meteoroid stream. Our analytical tool is the extension of pik s theory of close encounters, that we apply to streams described by geocentric variables. The resulting formulae are used to compute the rate at which a stream is dispersed by planetary encounters into the sporadic background. We have verified the accuracy of the analytical model using a numerical test.

Valsecchi, G. B.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Effects of Gravity on Sheared Turbulence Laden with Bubbles or Droplets

This is a new project which started in May 1996. The main objective of the experimental/numerical study is to improve the understanding of the physics of two-way coupling between the dispersed phase and turbulence in a prototypical turbulent shear flow - homogeneous shear, laden with small liquid droplets (in gas) or gaseous bubbles (in liquid). The method of direct numerical simulation (DNS) is used to solve the full three-dimensional, time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations including the terms describing the two-way coupling between the dispersed phase and the carrier flow. The results include the temporal evolution of the three-dimensional energy and dissipation spectra and the rate of energy transfer across the energy spectrum to understand the fundamental physics of turbulence modulation, especially the effects of varying the magnitude of gravitational acceleration. The mean-square displacement and diffusivity of the droplets (or bubbles) of a given size and the preferential accumulation of droplets in low vorticity regions and bubbles in high vorticity regions will be examined in detail for different magnitudes of gravitational acceleration. These numerical results which will be compared with their corresponding measured data will provide a data base from which a subgrid-scale (SGS) model can be developed and validated for use in large-eddy simulation (LES) of particle-laden shear flows. Two parallel sets of experiments will be conducted: bubbles in an immiscible liquid and droplets in air. In both experiments homogeneous shear will be imposed on the turbulent carrier flow. The instantaneous velocities of the fluid and polydispersed-size particles (droplets or bubbles) will be measured simultaneously using a two-component Phase-Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA). Also, the velocity statistics and energy spectra for the carrier flow will be measured.

Elghobashi, Said↗
NASA NTRS1971

Numerical experiments with a disk of stars

Computer model for dynamical evolution of isolated disks of stars with initial velocity dispersions corresponding to Toomre criterion, noting instability relative to large scale modes

Hohl, F.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Dispersion of ensembles of non-interacting particles

The dynamics of an ensemble of noninteracting particles dispersing from a common origin and moving in a common force field with an initial distribution of momenta is analyzed using an approach where the particles are considered as a continuum described by a phase-space distribution function. General solutions are obtained for both the distribution function and the associated spatial density function. The linear case of small departures from circular orbits in an axisymmetric gravitational field is treated along with the specific case of particle dispersion from an object in a circular orbit in the same type of field. Numerical results are presented for the latter case, and consideration is given to the inverse problem of determining the initial time and velocity distribution from knowledge of the ensemble structure at a later time. Explicit results are provided for the case of an ellipsoidal distribution of initial momenta, and a numerical procedure is indicated for treating more general cases.

Heard, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Parametric instabilities of the circularly polarized Alfven waves including dispersion

A class of parametric instabilities of large-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfven waves is considered in which finite frequency (dispersive) effects are included. The dispersion equation governing the instabilities is a sixth-order polynomial which is solved numerically. As a function of K identically equal to k/k-sub-0 (where k-sub-0 and k are the wave number of the 'pump' wave and unstable sound wave, respectively), there are three regionals of instability: a modulation instability at K less than 1, a decay instability at K greater than 1, and a relatively weak and narrow instability at K close to squared divided by v-sub-A squared (where c-sub-s and v-sub-A are the sound and Alfven speeds respectively), the modulational instability occurs when beta is less than 1 (more than 1) for left-hand (right-hand) pump waves, in agreement with the previous results of Sakai and Sonnerup (1983). The growth rate of the decay instability of left-hand waves is greater than the modulational instability at all values of beta. Applications to large-amplitude wave observed in the solar wind, in computer simulations, and in the vicinity of planetary and interplanetary collisionless shocks are discussed.

Wong, H. K.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Scattering Properties of Heterogeneous Mineral Particles with Absorbing Inclusions

We analyze the results of numerically exact computer modeling of scattering and absorption properties of randomly oriented poly-disperse heterogeneous particles obtained by placing microscopic absorbing grains randomly on the surfaces of much larger spherical mineral hosts or by imbedding them randomly inside the hosts. These computations are paralleled by those for heterogeneous particles obtained by fully encapsulating fractal-like absorbing clusters in the mineral hosts. All computations are performed using the superposition T-matrix method. In the case of randomly distributed inclusions, the results are compared with the outcome of Lorenz-Mie computations for an external mixture of the mineral hosts and absorbing grains. We conclude that internal aggregation can affect strongly both the integral radiometric and differential scattering characteristics of the heterogeneous particle mixtures.

minerals↗
NASA NTRS2020

Cross-field Streaming Instabilities in the Lower Hybrid Frequency Near the Front Pole Regions of a Magnetically Shielded Hall Thruster

The mechanism that led to the erosion of the inner front pole cover in wear tests of the Hall-effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) at 300 V and 12.5 kW has been elusive. Several classical mechanisms have been considered yet none has explained conclusively the source of the discrepancy between wear measurements and simulations. In this article we consider a new mechanism. The electrostatic dispersion relation for an unbounded, homogeneous plasma in a fixed magnetic field is solved numerically in the near-plume region of this thruster. The plasma conditions have been obtained from Hall2De (r-z) multifluid-PIC simulations. We find that the modified two-stream instability can be excited in most regions of the domain, with the fastest growth approaching the fluid-limit value of ωLH/2 near the magnetic poles where ωpe/ωce~1. In this region the relative drift between magnetized electrons and beam ions perpendicular to the magnetic field can exceed 3uTi, while that between counter-streaming beam and cathode ions can exceed 4uTi. The latter suggests that the ion-ion cross-field lower hybrid instability may also be active here. Unlike the classical ion-acoustic instability, lower hybrid instabilities can heat ions to temperatures that are comparable to the electron temperature. Such anomalous heating would enhance the average energy of these ions and, in turn, the erosion of the nearby surfaces they sputter. An idealized model that scales the anomalous ion heating with ωLH has been incorporated in Hall2De and the simulations now yield significantly improved agreement with the measured wear rates and IVDFs, as reported in our companion paper.

Ortega, Alejandro Lopez↗
NASA NTRS1994

Plasma and radio waves from Neptune: Source mechanisms and propagation

This report summarizes results obtained through the support of NASA Grant NAGW-2412. The objective of this project is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the radio wave emission observed by the planetary radio astronomy (PRA) instrument on board Voyager 2 as if flew by Neptune. This study has included data analysis, theoretical and numerical calculations, ray tracing, and modeling to determine the possible source mechanism(s) and locations of the Neptune radio emissions. We have completed four papers, which are included in the appendix. The paper 'Modeling of Whistler Ray Paths in the Magnetosphere of Neptune' investigated the propagation and dispersion of lighting-generated whistler in the magnetosphere of Neptune by using three dimensional ray tracing. The two papers 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Radio Emissions from Planetary Magnetospheres' and 'Numerical Simulations of Bursty Planetary Radio Emissions' employed numerical simulations to investigate an alternate source mechanism of bursty radio emissions in addition to the cyclotron maser instability. We have also studied the possible generation of Z and whistler mode waves by the temperature anisotropic beam instability and the result was published in 'Electron Cyclotron Wave Generation by Relativistic Electrons.' Besides the aforementioned studies, we have also collaborated with members of the PRA team to investigate various aspects of the radio wave data. Two papers have been submitted for publication and the abstracts of these papers are also listed in the appendix.

Wong, H. K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Numerical Simulations of Homogeneous Turbulence Using Lagrangian-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations

The Lagrangian-averaged Navier-Stokes (LANS) equations are numerically evaluated as a turbulence closure. They are derived from a novel Lagrangian averaging procedure on the space of all volume-preserving maps and can be viewed as a numerical algorithm which removes the energy content from the small scales (smaller than some a priori fixed spatial scale alpha) using a dispersive rather than dissipative mechanism, thus maintaining the crucial features of the large scale flow. We examine the modeling capabilities of the LANS equations for decaying homogeneous turbulence, ascertain their ability to track the energy spectrum of fully resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS), compare the relative energy decay rates, and compare LANS with well-accepted large eddy simulation (LES) models.

Mohseni, Kamran↗
NASA NTRS1994

Quantum propagation in single mode fiber

This paper presents a theory for quantum light propagation in a single-mode fiber which includes the effects of the Kerr nonlinearity, group-velocity dispersion, and linear loss. The theory reproduces the results of classical self-phase modulation, quantum four-wave mixing, and classical solution physics, within their respective regions of validity. It demonstrates the crucial role played by the Kerr-effect material time constant, in limiting the quantum phase shifts caused by the broadband zero-point fluctuations that accompany any quantized input field. Operator moment equations - approximated, numerically, via a terminated cumulant expansion - are used to obtain results for homodyne-measurement noise spectra when dispersion is negligible. More complicated forms of these equations can be used to incorporate dispersion into the noise calculations.

Joneckis, Lance G.↗