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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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NASA NTRS1987

Instability of time-periodic flows

The instabilities of some spatially and/or time-periodic flows are discussed, in particular, flows with curved streamlines which can support Taylor-Gortler vortices are described in detail. The simplest flow where this type of instability can occur is that due to the torsional oscillations of an infinitely long circular cylinder. For more complicated spatially varying time-periodic flows, a similar type of instability can occur and is spatially localized near the most unstable positions. When nonlinear effects are considered it is found that the instability modifies the steady streaming boundary layer induced by the oscillatory motion. It is shown that a rapidly rotating cylinder in a uniform flow is susceptible to a related type of instability; the appropriate stability equations are shown to be identical to those which govern the instability of a Boussinesq fluid of Prandtl number unity heated time periodically from below.

Hall, Philip↗
NASA NTRS1987

Do flux transfer events cause long-period micropulsations in the dayside magnetosphere?

Russell and Elphic (1979) suggested the possibility that flux transfer events (FTEs) generate long-period micropulsations in the outer, dayside magnetosphere. The reasons for this hypothesis are examined and results are presented for two pulsation surveys designed to test it. In the first survey, observations of micropulsations by GOES 2 are compared with ISEE 3 and IMP observations of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction; since FTEs are highly correlated with southward IMF, a similar correlation between pulsations and southward IMF was sought. In the second survey, a catalog of ISEE 1 and 2 magnetopause crossings is compared with magnetometer readings from GOES 2 and 3 to determine whether Pc 4 and Pc 5 pulsations are more likely to occur after FTEs have taken place. Results indicate that there is a correlation between FTEs and transversely polarized Pc 4 pulsations with periods between 60 and 120 s, but not between FTEs and Pc pulsations with periods greater than 120 s. This suggests that the generating (or driving) frequency associated with FTEs lies between 60 and 120

Gillis, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Periodic photospheric and chromospheric modulation in Alpha Orionis (Betelgeuse)

The bright cool supergiant Alpha Orionis has been monitored spectroscopically and photometrically over the past three years (1984-1986) in the optical and the ultraviolet wavelength regions. A 420-day periodic modulation of the flux is observed in the optical and ultaviolet continua, and in the Mg II line emission cores. Periodic photospheric pulsations are the most likely explanation of these observations. This identification is based on the large amplitude of the variation, the correlation of the continuum and chromospheric fluxes, and the length of the observed period. Pulsation may heat and extend the atmosphere of Alpha Ori and initiate the mass flow from the star.

Dupree, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Periodic extinction of families and genera

Eight major episodes of biological extinction of marine families over the past 250 million years stand significantly above local background (P less than 0.05). These events are more pronounced when analyzed at the level of genus, and generic data exhibit additional apparent extinction events in the Aptian (Cretaceous) and Pliocene (Tertiary) Stages. Time-series analysis of these records strongly suggests a 26-million-year periodicity. This conclusion is robust even when adjusted for simultaneous testing of many trial periods. When the time series is limited to the four best-dated events (Cenomanian, Maestrichtian, upper Eocene, and middle Miocene), the hypothesis of randomness is also rejected for the 26-million-year period (P less than 0.0002).

Raup, David M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Circulation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere during the MAP (Middle Atmosphere Program)/WINE (Winter in the Northern Europe) period

One of the scientific programs in the MAP project, Winter in the Northern Europe (WINE) 1983 to 1984 involved an analysis of circulation processes in the middle atmosphere which characterized that winter period. Rocket soundings were conducted at many stations. In order to investigate deviations of the mean winds for the MAP/WINE period from the circulation conditions of other winters and from the climatic norm, rocket sounding data of Churchill and Barrow stations was well as the Pressure Modulated Radiometer channel 3000 data enabled the compilation of geopotential fields and the calculation of winds in the geostrophic approximation for comparison with the meteor winds. The large scale processes of the winter which determined the circulation in the period of the experiment were analyzed briefly. The analysis and results are discussed.

Tarasenko, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Variations of the semi-diurnal tidal wind in the meteor region with periods of about 27 and 13.5 days

Daily values of sunspot number and solar radio emission at 10.7 cm wavelength show a well known strong modulation with a period of 27 days, the Sun's rotation period. Recent satellite measurements revealed the same modulation of the ultraviolet irradiance at wavelength below 300 nm. These UV variations can influence the thermal heating of the ozone layer by altering the chemical composition. Therefore, one can also expect a corresponding variation in the middle atmosphere of the semi-diurnal tide, which is thermally excited essentially by absorption of UV between 200 and 370 nm in the upper ozone layer. Results of radar meteor wind measurements were used to detect a presumable very weak 27 day modulation within the natural and artificial noise of the daily values of the semi-diurnal wind amplitude. The summer period was chosen because of its relatively steady conditions and the maximum amplitudes during the year. The results of this investigation are given and discussed.

Greisiger, K. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Are most short-period Cepheids overtone pulsators?

Data given and analyzed recently by Coulson et al. (1986) and Gieren (1982) provide a consistent set of Wesselink radii and Wesselink masses, for which the internal error bars appear to be small enough that a quantitative discussion appears to be warranted. When it is assumed that all Cepheids pulsate in the fundamental mode, a steep discontinuity in mass is found for periods around 6.5 days. When short-period Cepheids are interpreted as first-overtone pulsators as required theoretically (Christy, 1966; Stobie, 1969), the discontinuity disappears and the mass-period relation passes through the bump and beat masses for Cepheids.

Bohm-Vitense, Erika↗
NASA NTRS1988

An investigation into periodicities in the morphology of CN jets in comet P/Halley

The paper presents an analysis of a set of CCD images of Comet Halley which were taken in the light of the CN radical to search for evidence of a 2.25-day and/or a 7.37-day periodicity in the evolution of the CN jets. It is found that, for a phase sorted set of CCD images, the geometry of the CN jets is more easily understood when a 7.37-day periodicity is assumed. The extent of the CN jets indicates a dominant periodicity that is greater than 2.25 days.

Hoban, S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Scheduling periodic jobs using imprecise results

One approach to avoid timing faults in hard, real-time systems is to make available intermediate, imprecise results produced by real-time processes. When a result of the desired quality cannot be produced in time, an imprecise result of acceptable quality produced before the deadline can be used. The problem of scheduling periodic jobs to meet deadlines on a system that provides the necessary programming language primitives and run-time support for processes to return imprecise results is discussed. Since the scheduler may choose to terminate a task before it is completed, causing it to produce an acceptable but imprecise result, the amount of processor time assigned to any task in a valid schedule can be less than the amount of time required to complete the task. A meaningful formulation of the scheduling problem must take into account the overall quality of the results. Depending on the different types of undesirable effects caused by errors, jobs are classified as type N or type C. For type N jobs, the effects of errors in results produced in different periods are not cumulative. A reasonable performance measure is the average error over all jobs. Three heuristic algorithms that lead to feasible schedules with small average errors are described. For type C jobs, the undesirable effects of errors produced in different periods are cumulative. Schedulability criteria of type C jobs are discussed.

Chung, Jen-Yao↗
NASA NTRS1988

Quadrature methods for periodic singular and weakly singular Fredholm integral equations

High-accuracy numerical quadrature methods for integrals of singular periodic functions are proposed. These methods are based on the appropriate Euler-Maclaurin expansions of trapezoidal rule approximations and their extrapolations. They are subsequently used to obtain accurate quadrature methods for the solution of singular and weakly singular Fredholm integral equations. Throughout the development the periodic nature of the problem plays a crucial role. Such periodic equations are used in the solution of planar elliptic boundary value problems such as those that arise in elasticity, potential theory, conformal mapping, and free surface flows. The use of the quadrature methods is demonstrated with numerical examples.

Sidi, Avram↗
NASA NTRS1989

A 110-ms pulsar, with negative period derivative, in the globular cluster M15

The discovery of a 110-ms pulsar, PSR2127+11, in the globular cluster M15, is reported. The results of nine months of timing measurements place the new pulsar about 2 arcsec from the center of the cluster, and indicate that it is not a member of a close binary system. The measured negative value of the period derivative is probably the result of the pulsar being bodily accelerated in our direction by the gravitational field of the collapsed core of M15. This apparently overwhelms a positive contribution to the period derivative due to magnetic braking. Although the pulsar has an unexpectedly long period, it is argued that it belongs to the class of 'recycled' pulsars, which have been spun up by accretion in a binary system. The subsequent loss of the pulsar's companion is probably due to disruption of the system by close encounters with other stars.

Wolszczan, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Solving periodic block tridiagonal systems using the Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury formula

Many algorithms for solving the Navier-Stokes equations require the solution of periodic block tridiagonal systems of equations. By applying a splitting to the matrix representing this system of equations, it may first be reduced to a block tridiagonal matrix plus an outer product of two block vectors. The Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury formula is then applied. The algorithm thus reduces a periodic banded system to a non-periodic banded system with additional right-hand sides and is of higher efficiency than standard Thomas algorithm/LU decompositions.

Yarrow, Maurice↗
NASA NTRS1989

Detection of 17.5-day period meridional current oscillations in the equatorial Western Pacific Ocean during 1985

The first long-term, near equatorial, near surface moored current measurements recorded in the Pacific Ocean west of 160 deg W were made at 0 deg, 150 deg E during August 2, 1985 to February 1, 1986. These data revealed 17.5-day period oscillations of the meridional current. Prior to these measurements, these waves had only been observed eastward of about 165 deg W, which also was the westernmost extent of their appearance in ocean general circulation model simulations. The 17.5-day period waves also occurred in simultaneous current measurements at 140 deg W, where the wave amplitude was 3 times greater. At both sites the 17.5-day period wave amplitude was more than 50 percent of the record-length standard deviations of the meridional current component. A wider spectral bandwidth and a smaller tendency towards rectilinear motion occurred at 150 E than at 140 W.

Halpern, David↗
NASA NTRS1989

Periodic chiral structures

The electromagnetic properties of a structure that is both chiral and periodic are investigated using coupled-mode equations. The periodicity is described by a sinusoidal perturbation of the permittivity, permeability, and chiral admittance. The coupled-mode equations are derived from physical considerations and used to examine bandgap structure and reflected and transmitted fields. Chirality is observed predominantly in transmission, whereas periodicity is present in both reflection and transmission.

Jaggard, Dwight L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A 153 day periodicity in the occurrence of solar flares producing energetic interplanetary electrons

The occurrence times of energetic (above 10 MeV) solar flare electron events observed on board the ISEE 3 spacecraft during the years 1978-1982 have been examined; strong evidence is found for a periodicity of 153 + or - 2 days, confirming the discovery of a periodicity in the occurrence of solar flares producing X-rays and gamma rays. The Rayleigh test for periodicity is applied to obtain a probability of less than 10 to the -6th that the times of the electron flares were drawn from a uniform distribution.

Droge, Wolfgang↗
NASA NTRS1990

Periodic features in Saturn's F ring - Evidence for nearby moonlets

The Saturn F ring's shepherd satellites, Pandora and Prometheus, have been suspected of causing the periodicities observed in the ring. To test this idea, a selection of the best available Voyager images of the ring were examined by applying an FFT technique to azimuthal profiles from spacecraft ring images. Only a few distinct periodic signals, including one due to the inner shepherd, are visible. It is suggested that these periodic signatures provide evidence for so-far-undiscovered satellites next to this puzzling ring.

Kolvoord, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Whole earth telescope observations of the white dwarf G29-38 - Phase variations of the 615 second period

An extensive set of high-speed photometric observations obtained with the Whole Earth Telescope network is used to show that the complex light curve of the ZZ Zeti (DAV) star G29-38 is dominated by a single, constant amplitude period of 615 s during the time span of these observations. The pulse arrival times for this period exhibit a systematic variation in phase readily explained by light-travel time effects produced by reflex orbital motion about an unseen companion. The best-fit model to the observations indicates a highly eccentric orbit, a period of 109 + or - 13 days and a minimum mass of 0.5 solar mass for the companion.

Winget, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Period and phase of the 88-year solar cycle and the Maunder minimum - Evidence for a chaotic sun

The problem of whether the solar dynamo is quasi-periodic or chaotic is addressed by examining 1500 years of sunspot, geomagnetic, and auroral activity cycles. Sub-harmonics were found of the fundamental solar cycle period during the years preceding the Maunder minimum and loss of phase of the subharmonic on emergence from it. These phenomena are indicative of chaos. They indicate that the solar dynamo is chaotic and is operating in a region close to the transition between period doubling and chaos. Since Maunder-type minima reoccur irregularly for millennia, it appears that the sun remains close to this transition to and from chaos. This is postulated to be a universal characteristic of solar type stars caused by feedback in the dynamo number.

Feynman, J.↗