Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “tidal”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Evidence of gravity wave-tidal interaction observed near the summer mesopause at Poker Flat, Alaska

An analysis of gravity wave-tidal interaction observed near the mesopause by the MST radar at Poker Flat in July of 1986 is presented. The observations revealed daily mean wind maxima of about 60 m/sec westward and 20 m/sec southward with daily mean momentum fluxes, contributed by gravity waves with periods less than 1 hour of 4-5 sq m/sec sq eastward and 1-2 sq m/sec sq northward. Considerable hourly height variability was found to exist for both winds and momentum fluxes. A significant modulation of the fluxes by tidal winds was observed, characterized by out-of-phase correlations over a number of heights.

Wang, Ding-Yi↗
NASA NTRS1991

A tidal wind model for 85-120 km based on CIRA-86 - A feasibility study

The feasibility of deriving a climatology of the diurnal variations of the wind in the 85-120 km region from the tidal components of density, temperature and composition contained in the new COSPAR CIRA-86 is examined. The CIRA density and temperature model is employed to derive the eastward and northward pressure gradient forces that serve as the forcing functions in the coupled momentum equations. At midlatitudes, the model shows some of the general features observed in the radar tidal data, e.g., the dominant semidiurnal tide with increasing amplitude with height and clockwise (counterclockwise) rotation of the velocity vector seen in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere.

Fleming, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Tidal evolution of planetary satellites

Early in the history of the Solar System, Europa and Ganymede may have evolved through a 3:1 mean-motion commensurability, which would have been encountered prior to the establishment of the current Laplace resonance involving Io, Europa, and Ganymede. If Europa and Ganymede passed through the 3:1 mean-motion commensurability, the orbital eccentricities of both satellites may have increased to large values during a phase of chaotic behavior, after which the satellites would have escaped from the resonance. In spite of the relatively large J sub 2 of Jupiter, Europa, and Ganymede are sufficiently massive and distant from the planet that resonances at the 3:1 mean-motion commensurability interact strongly, leading to chaotic behavior via the same kinds of dynamical mechanisms present at resonances among the Uranian satellites. As a result of the large eccentricity increases possible during the evolution of Europa and Ganymede through the 3:1 mean-motion commensurability, tidal heating may have melted water ice in the mantles of both satellites, and stresses on the lithosphere of both satellites due to tidal deformation may have been sufficient to cause extensive fracturing, making resurfacing possible. This may account for the post-heavy bombardment geological activity on both Europa and Ganymede. In addition, the effects of resonance passage on Ganymede may provide an explanation of the Ganymede-Callisto dichotomy by providing Ganymede with an intense source of internal heat and lithospheric stress not present in Callisto. Further possibilities of this evolution are presented.

Tittemore, William C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Doublet craters and the tidal disruption of binary asteroids

An evaluation is conducted of the possibility that the tidal disruption of a population of contact binary asteroids can account for terrestrial-impact 'doublet' craters. Detailed orbital integrations indicate that while such asteroids are often disrupted by tidal forces outside the Roche limit, the magnitude of the resulting separations is too small to account for the observed doublet craters. It is hypothesized that an initial population of km-scale earth-crossing objects encompassing 10-20 percent binaries must be responsible for doublet impacts, as may be verified by future observations of earth-approaching asteroids.

Melosh, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Tidal origin of the Laplace resonance and the resurfacing of Ganymede

In the present scenario for the Laplace resonance's tidal origin, the Laplace relation for the three inner Galilean satellites Io, Europa, and Ganymede may have been established within a previous three-body resonance which excited Ganymede's orbital eccentricity to a high value. The tidal heating enhancement associated with that high-eccentricity period furnishes a plausible explanation for the Ganymede surface, which appears to be geologically younger than that of Callisto.

Malhotra, Renu↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tidal disruption of viscous bodies

Tidal disruptions are investigated in viscous-fluid planetesimals whose radius is small relative to the distance of closest (parabolic-orbit) approach to a planet. The planetesimal surface is in these conditions always ellipsoidal, facilitating treatment by coupled ODEs which are solvable with high accuracy. While the disrupted planetesimals evolve into needlelike ellipsoids, their density does not decrease. The validity of viscous fluid treatment holds for solid (ice or rock) planetesimals in cases where tidal stresses are greater than material strength, but integrity is maintained by self-gravity.

Sridhar, S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of colliding stars . III - Collisions and tidal captures of unequal-mass main-sequence stars

A 3D smooth-particle hydrodynamic code with 7000 particles is used to simulate collisions between lower main sequence (MS) stars whose masses differ by a factor of five. Collisions between point-mass intruders and MS stars are simulated to study how the physics of the encounters depends on the finite radius of the smaller MS stars. It is found that the two MS stars become gravitationally bound in a physical collision if their relative velocity at infinity is less than a critical velocity Vd. Vd decreases from 1000 km/s in a head-on collision to 150 km/s in a grazing one. If the less massive star is replaced by a point mass, Vd remains the same for grazing collision and tidal encounters but drops to about 600 km/s in head-on collisions. The collision and coalescence of two MS stars resets the nuclear clock of the coalesced star, so it contracts to the MS. Tidal capture of binary stars in globular clusters can only occur in encounters in which the closest approach of the two stars to their center of mass is less than 2.0 times the sum of their radii.

Benz, W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Tidal interactions and the formation of Magellanic spiral galaxies

The closest, brightest and best resolved galaxy in the sky, the Large Magellanic Cloud, is a prototype of the late-type disk systems referred to collectively as barred Magellanic spiral galaxies (SBm). These systems occupy a pivotal stage in the Hubble sequence since they represent the transition from spiral disk galaxies to chaotic, irregular galaxies and are characterized by an asymmetric spiral arm which emanates from one end of a high surface brightness bar. We present evidence that the formation of the one-armed spiral morphology involves the tidal interaction with a companion galaxy. In summary the major points of our observational investigation include the following: (1) The vast majority of one-armed spiral galaxies possess bright nearby neighbors which appear to be physically associated. (2) The HI gas distribution and kinematics of one pair of SBm galaxies clearly reveal this system to be tidally interacting. (3) The infrared properties of the bars in two SBm galaxies support optical studies of bar luminosity profiles in late-type systems, and also suggest that the formation of compact star forming regions in these bars may not be uncommon.

Odewahn, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tidal heating and mass loss in neutron star binaries - Implications for gamma-ray burst models

A neutron star in a close binary orbit around another neutron star (or stellar-mass black hole) spirals inward owing to gravitational radiation. We discuss the effects of tidal dissipation during this process. Tidal energy dissipated in the neutron star's core escapes mainly as neutrinos, but heating of the crust, and outward diffusion of photons, blows off the outer layers of the star. This photon-driven mass loss precedes the final coalescence. The presence of this eject material impedes the escape of gamma-rays created via neutrino interactions. If an e(+) - e(-) fireball, created in the late stages of coalescence, were loaded with (or surrounded by) material with the mean column density of the ejecta, it could not be an efficient source of gamma-rays. Models for cosmologically distant gamma-rays burst that involve neutron stars must therefore be anisotropic, so that the fireball expands preferentially in directions where the column density of previously blown-off material is far below the spherically averaged value which we have calculated. Some possible 'scenarios' along these lines are briefly discussed.

Meszaros, P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A local instability of tidally distorted accretion disks

Hydrodynamic accretion disks in binary star systems have local, three-dimensional, approximately incompressible instabilities whose growth rate is linearly proportional to the tidal field of the secondary star. The instability occurs throughout the disk but is most rapid in the outer parts. The free energy for the instability derives from the tidal distortion of the disk rather than its differential rotation. The instability will excite m-parallel 1 internal waves of the type discussed by Vishniac et al. (1992), and it should facilitate return of angular momentum from the disk to the secondary star. It is closely related to a recently discovered instability that has been suggested as a mechanism for transition to turbulence in terrestrial and laboratory flows, but whether it will lead to strong turbulence in disks is as yet unclear.

Goodman, Jeremy↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mean motions and tidal and two-day structure and variability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere over Hawaii

An overview of the motion field and an analysis of the tidal and 2-day wave motions observed in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere over the central Pacific from 1 October 1990 through 19 August 1992 is presented. Characteristics and interactions of motions at lower and higher frequencies will be addressed elsewhere. Wind measurements were obtained with an MF radar operating on Kauai, Hawaii (22 deg N, 160 deg W), using the partial reflection drift technique. Results presented in this paper reveal a zonal mean motion reflecting the mesopause semiannual oscillation (MSAO) observed at more equatorial latitudes from approximately January to July, coinciding with the period during which the MSAO and the annual cycle of the zonal mean wind at higher latitudes are in phase. Eastward and westward maxima are 55 m/s below 80 km and 45 m/s near 85 km during the first year, with maxima of 57 and 53 m/s during the second year and evidence of substantial interannual variability. The second MSAO cycle is greatly suppressed in the Hawaiian data due to the reversal of the correlation between this and the annual cycle at higher latitudes from approximately July to December and because the second cycle is weaker climatologically at equatorial latitudes. Significant planetary wave activity is observed during periods of mean eastward motions, and tidal and 2-day motions are found to be large and variable. The maximum diurnal tides were observed during October and November 1990, and February, March, April, July, and August of 1991 and 1992. Maximum 2-day amplitudes occurred during February, July, and August of 1991 and 1992. Significantly, the large diurnal amplitude maximum noted during November 1990 failed to appear the following year, while the February 2-day amplitude maximum declined somewhat in 1992.

Fritts, David C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Tidal disruption of Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and a constraint on its mean density

The apparent tidal disruption of Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (1993e) during a close encounter within approximately 1.62 planetary radii of Jupiter can be used along with theoretical models of tidal disruption to place an upper bound on the density of the predisruption body. Depending on the theoretical model used, these upper bounds range from rho(sub c) less than 0.702 +/- 0.080 g/cu cm for a simple analytical model calibrated by numerical smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations to rho(sub c) less than 1.50 +/- 0.17 g/cu cm for a detailed semianalytical model. The quoted uncertainties stem from an assumed uncertainty in the perijove radius. However, the uncertainty introduced by the different theoretical models is the major source of error; this uncertainty could be eliminated by future SPH simulations specialized to cometary disruptions, including the effects of initially prolate, spinning comets. If the SPH-based upper bound turns out to be most appropriate, it would be consistent with the predisruption body being a comet with a relatively low density and porous structure, as has been asserted previously based on observations of cometary outgassing. Regardless of which upper bound is preferable, the models all agree that the predisruption body could not have been a relatively high-density body, such as an asteroid with rho approximately = 2 g/cu cm.

Boss, Alan P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Lithium in a short-period tidally locked binary of M67: Implications for stellar evolution, Galactic Lithium evolution, and cosmology

In open clusters, late-F stars exhibit a Li maximum (the Li 'peak' region) at lower abundance with age, which could be due either to stellar depletion or Galactic Li enrichment (or some other cause). We have observed a short-period tidally locked binary (SPTLB) on the Li peak region in the old cluster M67 to distinguish between alternatives. SPTLBs which synchronized in the early pre-main sequence would avoid the rotational mixing which, according to Yale models, may be responsible for depleting Li with age in open cluster dwarfs. We find that both components of the M67 SPTLB have a Li abundance lying about a factor of 2 or more above any other M67 single star and about a factor of 3 or more above the mean Li peak region abundance in M67. Our results suggest that the initial Li abundance in M67 is at least as high as approximately 3.0 = 12 + log (N(sub Li)/N(sub H)). Our high M67 SPTLB Li abundance and those in other clusters support the combination of Zahn's tidal circularization and the Yale rotational mixing theories and may indicate that the halo Li plateau (analogous to the cluster Li peak region) abundance has been depleted from a higher primordial value. Implications are discussed.

Deliyannis, Constantine P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A preliminary tidal analysis of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry

Approximately 12 months of data from the TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite altimeter mission are analyzed for the major short-period oceanic tides. A harmonic analysis is performed on data captured within bins defined on a deep-ocean grid, which, owing to tidal aliasing considerations, must have a relatively coarse spatial resolution. Our analysis is in terms of corrections to the Schwiderski and Cartwright-Ray models, and it confirms many of the Schwiderski differences previously reported by Cartwright and Ray. Our differences with respect to the Geosat-based Cartwright and Ray model form a sectorial pattern in M(sub 2) with high/low differences separated roughly 180 deg in longitude. We suggest that these sectorial errors were most likely induced by Geosat's relatively large orbit error. Comparisons to independent data validate the improved TOPEX/POSEIDON solutions; in-situ 'ground truth' shows M(sub 2) root mean square (RMS) differences of 4.10 cm (Schwiderski), 3.86 cm (cartwright and Ray), 2.63 cm (this paper). Global rates of energy dissipation confirm earlier estimates for M(sub 2), and show improved agreement with satellite tracking studies for K(sub 1) and S(sub 2). These preliminary exercises confirm that TOPEX/POSEIDON should results in a new generation of improved global tidal models.

Schrama, E. J. O.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Tidal disruption and the appearance of periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

A unified model is formulated to interpret quantitatively the observed characteristics of the nuclear train, the two dust trails, and the tail region of P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 in terms of a collisionally modified rotation velocity distribution of the comet's debris. Since there is no evidence for the comet's out-gassing, the model does not assume activity. The discruption of the parent comet was due primarily to tidal stesses during its extremely close approach to Juptier in July 1992. The original nucleus is found to have been most probably approximately 5 km in radius or, equivalently, approximately 10(exp 17) g in mass. The dynamical separation of the debris occurred apparently approximately 2.2 hr after the perijove passage, even though the actual fragmentation of the original mass is likely to have begun before closest approach. Physical breakp was accompanied by ubiquitous low-velocity collisions among the particulates, resulting in a rearrangement of the initial rotaional velocities into a rapidly 'thermalized' distribution, characterized by a long tail of relatively high velocities for the debris that populates the dust trails far from the nuclear train. Compelling evidence is presented for secondary fragmentation events, indicative of the comet's continuing disintegration. Secondary fragmentation may be caused by rotational bursting of the massive fragments that had been cracked but unbroken during the tidal disruption. Impact conditions and possible interactions of the comet's debris with the jovian system during the encounter in July 1994 are described.

Sekanina, Z.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Revised predictions of long-period ocean tidal effects on Earth's rotation rate

The rotational response of Earth to long-period tidal forces, embodied in a 'zonal response function,' can be expected to vary with frequency because of variable contributions by the oceans, mantle, and core. The zonal response function has been estimated from 9 years of International Radio Interferometric Surveying (IRIS) universal time (UT1) data and compared with theoretical predictions, using a spherical harmonic tide model to compute the oceans' dynamic response, at semiannual, monthly, fortnightly, and 9-day lunisolar tidal frequencies. Different amounts of mantle anelasticity have been considered for both the oceanic and soild earth responses; predictions have been made assuming axial core-mantle coupling which is either complete or absent. Additionally, an extensive recalibration of the ocean model's frictional parameters was performed using constraints derived in part from Space92 polar motion data; zonal response function predictions have also been made employing this recalibrated ocean tide model. Our results indicate that any amount of core coupling can be ruled out at a fortnightly period and probably at a 9-day period, but not at a monthly period. Our results also suggest that the mantle responds purely elastically at a 9-day period but may behave increasingly anelastically at longer periods. A simple dispersive rule is postulated for periods ranging up to the 14-month Chandler wobble period.

Dickman, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Moon's Molten Core and Tidal Q

The rotation of the Moon is influenced by solid-body tides and interaction at a liquid-core/solid-mantle boundary. The Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data are sensitive to variations in lunar rotation. Analysis of those ranges reveals four dissipation periodicities in the rotation. These signatures can be explained with the combined effects of tide plus core, but not with either alone. The fluid core detection exceeds three times its uncertainty. The inferred core radius has a 1 -sigma upper limit of 352 km for iron and up to 374 km if sulfur is present. The tidal dissipation is strong, Q at one month is 37 +/- 5 .Q increases for longer periods and is 60 (-15, +40) at one year.Dynamical evidence for a fluid lunar core has previously been presented. These-earlier solutions included three dissipation parameters. New solutions benefit from additional LLR data and an improved gravity field from Doppler tracking of Lunar Prospector. Five dissipation parameters are now solved for. There are several options for dissipation parameters: a core coupling parameter, a time delay for tidal distortion of the moments of inertia, and five periodic terms in the rotation angles. Solutions with different combinations of these are compatible (a theory relates K/C and time delay to a series of periodic terms). The solutions used K/C, time delay, and one periodic term. When dissipation signatures at five rotation frequencies are solved for, four amplitudes (4 to 263 milliarcseconds) are detected above the noise. Attempts to explain these results using either tides alone or core alone fail (less than 3(sigma) discrepancy for the former and 9(sigma), for the latter). A combination of tides and liquid core matches the results well.

Williams, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Tidal Dissipation in Synchronous Satellites

Tidal heating is an important energy source for several solar system bodies, and there is a wide-spread perception that the pattern of surface heat flow is diagnostic of internal structure. We wish to clarify that situation. Our analysis depends upon two important assumptions: First, that heat transport is dominated by conduction. Second, that the body can be modeled by a sequence of spherically symmetric layers, each with a linear visco-elastic rheology. Under these assumptions, surface heat flow patterns in tidally dominated satellites will reflect radially integrated dissipation patterns. For synchronously rotating satellites with zero obliquity, this pattern depends quite strongly on orbital eccentricity but relatively little on purely radial variations in internal structure. The total amount of heat generated within the body does depend sensitively on internal structure, but the spatial pattern is rather insensitive to structure, especially at low orbital eccentricities.

Bills, Bruce G.↗