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At least 613 records · Page 34

A field–particle correlation analysis of a perpendicular magnetized collisionless shock

Using the field–particle correlation technique, we examine the particle energization in a three-dimensional (one spatial dimension and two velocity dimensions; 1D-2V) continuum Vlasov–Maxwell simulation of a perpendicular magnetized collisionless shock. The combination of the field–particle correlation technique with the high-fidelity representation of the particle distribution function provided by a direct discretization of the Vlasov equation allows us to ascertain the details of the exchange of energy between the electromagnetic fields and the particles in phase space. We identify the velocity-space signatures of shock-drift acceleration of the ions and adiabatic heating of the electrons arising from the perpendicular collisionless shock by constructing a simplified model with the minimum ingredients necessary to produce the observed energization signatures in the self-consistent Vlasov–Maxwell simulation. We are thus able to completely characterize the energy transfer in the perpendicular collisionless shock considered here and provide predictions for the application of the field–particle correlation technique to spacecraft measurements of collisionless shocks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Phase separation and large deviations of lattice active matter

Off-lattice active Brownian particles form clusters and undergo phase separation even in the absence of attractions or velocity-alignment mechanisms. Arguments that explain this phenomenon appeal only to the ability of particles to move persistently in a direction that fluctuates, but existing lattice models of hard particles that account for this behavior do not exhibit phase separation. Here we present a lattice model of active matter that exhibits motility-induced phase separation in the absence of velocity alignment. Using direct and rare-event sampling of dynamical trajectories, we show that clustering and phase separation are accompanied by pronounced fluctuations of static and dynamic order parameters. In conclusion, this model provides a complement to off-lattice models for the study of motility-induced phase separation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Shear banding, intermittency, jamming, and dynamic phases for skyrmions in inhomogeneous pinning arrays

In this work, we examine driven skyrmion dynamics in systems with inhomogeneous pinning where a strip of strong pinning coexists with a region containing no pinning. For driving parallel to the strip, we find that the initial skyrmion motion is confined to the unpinned region and the skyrmion Hall angle is zero. At larger drives, a transition occurs to a phase in which motion also appears within the pinned region, creating a shear band in the skyrmion velocity, while the skyrmion Hall angle is still zero. As the drive increases further, the flow becomes disordered and the skyrmion Hall angle increases with drive until saturating at the highest drives when the system transitions into a moving crystal phase. The different dynamic phases are associated with velocity and density gradients across the pinning boundaries. We map out the dynamic phases as a function of pinning strength, skyrmion density, and Magnus force strength, and correlate the phase boundaries with features in the velocity-force curves and changes in the local and global ordering of the skyrmion structure. For large Magnus forces, the shear banding instability is replaced by large-scale intermittent flow in the pinned region accompanied by simultaneous motion perpendicular to the direction of the drive, which appears as oscillations in the transport curves. We also examine the case of a drive applied perpendicular to the strip, where we find a jamming effect in which the skyrmion flow is blocked by skyrmion-skyrmion interactions until the drive is large enough to induce plastic flow.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical studies of PCSe-, AsCS-, AsCSe-, and NCSe-: Insights into the electronic structures of the whole family of ECX- anions (E = N, P, and As; X = O, S, and Se)

The newly synthesized, phosphorus- and arsenic-containing analogues of the thio- and seleno-cyanate anions, PCSe-, AsCS-, and AsCSe-, as well as the known ion NCSe-, were investigated in the gas phase by negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES), velocity-map imaging (VMI) spectroscopy, and quantum chemical computations. The electron affinities (EA), spin-orbit (SO) splittings, and “symmetric” / “antisymmetric” stretching frequencies (?1 and ?2) of the neutral radicals ECX• (E = N, P and As, X = S and Se), generated by electron detachment from the corresponding anions, were obtained from the spectra. The calculated EAs, SO splittings, and vibrational frequencies are in excellent agreement with the measured values. These newly obtained values, when combined with those previously determined for the lighter analogues, show interesting trends on descending the pnictogen and chalcogen series. These trends are rationalized on the basis of electronegativity arguments, the electron distribution in the HOMO, and NBO/NRT analyses.

Yuan, Qinqin↗

Multiscale dendritic needle network model of alloy solidification with fluid flow

We present a mathematical formulation of a multiscale model for solidification with convective flow in the liquid phase. The model is an extension of the dendritic needle network approach for crystal growth in a binary alloy. We propose a simple numerical implementation based on finite differences and step-wise approximations of parabolic dendritic branches of arbitrary orientation. Results of the two-dimensional model are verified against reference benchmark solutions for steady, unsteady, and buoyant flow, as well as steady-state dendritic growth in the diffusive regime. Simulations of equiaxed growth under forced flow yield dendrite tip velocities within 10% of quantitative phase-field results from the literature. Finally, we perform illustrative simulations of polycrystalline solidification using physical parameters for an aluminum-10wt% copper alloy. Resulting microstructures show notable differences when taking into account natural buoyancy in comparison to a purely diffusive transport regime. The resulting model opens new avenues for computationally and quantitatively investigating the influence of fluid flow and gravity-induced buoyancy upon the selection of dendritic microstructures. Further ongoing developments include an equivalent formulation for directional solidification conditions and the implementation of the model in three dimensions, which is critical for quantitative comparison to experimental measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Intramode wave packet in a thin left-handed film with the spectrum near the frequency of the zero group velocity

We consider the frequency dependence of propagation constants (phase dispersion) and of the spatial distribution of the electromagnetic field (shape dispersion) of guided optical TE modes in a thin left-handed film. It is shown that the spatiotemporal transformation of narrow-band intramode wave packets with the spectrum adjacent to the frequency of the zero group velocity is caused by the dispersion of both types. The propagation velocity of the power carried by such wave packets is significantly lower than the group velocity of light in a bulk left-handed metamaterial. (metamaterials)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Simulation of sharp interface multi-material flows involving an arbitrary number of components through an extended five-equation model

In this paper, we present an anti-diffusive method dedicated to the simulation of interface flows on Cartesian grids involving an arbitrary number m of compressible components. Our work is two-fold: first, we introduce a m-component flow model that generalizes a classic two material five-equation model. In that way, interfaces are localized using color function discontinuities and a pressure equilibrium closure law is used to complete this new model. The resulting model is demonstrated to be hyperbolic under simple assumptions and consistent. Second, we present a discretization strategy for this model relying on a Lagrange–Remap scheme. Here, the projection step involves an anti-dissipative mechanism allowing to prevent numerical diffusion of the material interfaces. The proposed solver is built ensuring consistency and stability properties but also that the sum of the color functions remains equal to one. The resulting scheme is first order accurate and conservative for the mass, momentum, energy and partial masses. Furthermore, the obtained discretization preserves Riemann invariants like pressure and velocity at the interfaces. Finally, validation computations of this numerical method are performed on several tests in one and two dimensions. The accuracy of the method is also compared to results obtained with the upwind Lagrange–Remap scheme.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Driven probe particle dynamics in a bubble and pattern forming system

We numerically examine the dynamics of a probe particle driven at a constant force through an assembly of particles with competing long-range repulsion and short-range attraction that forms a bubble or stripe state. In the bubble regime, we identify several distinct types of motion, including an elastic or pinned regime where the probe particle remains inside a bubble and drags all other bubbles with it. There is also a plastic bubble phase where the bubble in which the probe particle is trapped is able to move past the adjacent bubbles. At larger drives, there is a breakthrough regime where the probe particle jumps from bubble to bubble and, in some cases, can induce correlated rotations or plastic rearrangements of the particles within the bubbles. At the highest drives, the probe particle moves sufficiently rapidly that the background particles undergo only small distortions. The distinctive dynamic flow states and the transitions between them are accompanied by signatures in the effective drag on the driven particle, jumps in the velocity–force curves, and changes in the time-dependent velocity fluctuations. We map the dynamic phase diagram for this system for varied interaction lengths, bubble sizes, and densities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Generation of the TSL for Zirconium Hydrides from Ab Initio Methods

Zirconium hydride (ZrHx) is a moderator material used in TRIGA and other reactors that may exist in multiple phases with varying stoichiometry, which include the δ phase and the ϵ phase. Current ENDF/B-VIII.0 ZrHx thermal scattering law (TSL) evaluations do not distinguish between phases. These sub-libraries were generated with the LEAPR module of NJOY using historic phonon spectra derived from a central force model and assume incoherent elastic scattering for both bound hydrogen and zirconium, which neglects the effects of crystal structures important for scattering from zirconium bound in ZrHx. In this work, the TSLs for hydrogen and zirconium bound in δ-ZrHx and ϵ-ZrH2 were generated from phonon spectra derived from modern ab initio lattice dynamics methods and ab initio molecular dynamics. Subsequently, TSLs for hydrogen and zirconium in ZrHx and ZrH2 were generated using the Full Law Analysis Scattering System Hub (FLASSH) code. The built-in generalized coherent elastic routine was used to generate the previously neglected elastic contribution from zirconium for this material. The present TSLs provide both a re-evaluation of the current ZrH sub-libraries and expansion of the set of TSLs available for the examination of neutrons in systems with zirconium hydride, permitting explicit treatment of δ and ϵ phases.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

BEER ANALYSIS OF KEPLER AND CoRoT LIGHT CURVES. I. DISCOVERY OF KEPLER-76b: A HOT JUPITER WITH EVIDENCE FOR SUPERROTATION

We present the first case in which the BEER algorithm identified a hot Jupiter in the Kepler light curve, and its reality was confirmed by orbital solutions based on follow-up spectroscopy. The companion Kepler-76b was identified by the BEER algorithm, which detected the BEaming (sometimes called Doppler boosting) effect together with the Ellipsoidal and Reflection/emission modulations (BEER), at an orbital period of 1.54 days, suggesting a planetary companion orbiting the 13.3 mag F star. Further investigation revealed that this star appeared in the Kepler eclipsing binary catalog with estimated primary and secondary eclipse depths of 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} and 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4}, respectively. Spectroscopic radial velocity follow-up observations with Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph and SOPHIE confirmed Kepler-76b as a transiting 2.0 {+-} 0.26 M{sub Jup} hot Jupiter. The mass of a transiting planet can be estimated from either the beaming or the ellipsoidal amplitude. The ellipsoidal-based mass estimate of Kepler-76b is consistent with the spectroscopically measured mass while the beaming-based estimate is significantly inflated. We explain this apparent discrepancy as evidence for the superrotation phenomenon, which involves eastward displacement of the hottest atmospheric spot of a tidally locked planet by an equatorial superrotating jet stream. This phenomenon was previously observed only for HD 189733b in the infrared. We show that a phase shift of 10. Degree-Sign 3 {+-} 2. Degree-Sign 0 of the planet reflection/emission modulation, due to superrotation, explains the apparently inflated beaming modulation, resolving the ellipsoidal/beaming amplitude discrepancy. Kepler-76b is one of very few confirmed planets in the Kepler light curves that show BEER modulations and the first to show superrotation evidence in the Kepler band. Its discovery illustrates for the first time the ability of the BEER algorithm to detect short-period planets and brown dwarfs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Assessment of the hydromechanical higher-order MPM for the simulation of geotechnical problems

The Material Point Method (MPM) has been increasingly used to simulate large strain deformations. Linear interpolation functions are commonly used to perform the spatial integration. It is well-known that the discontinuities in the interpolation function derivatives induce shock-like artifacts known as ‘cell-crossing’ error. These errors compound with volumetric locking errors when used with hydromechanical formulations for porous media, where different velocity fields are used for each phase. The capabilities of higher-order MPM frameworks have not been explored for real-scale geotechnical problems. As such, this paper aims to assess, validate, and further discuss a higher-order B-spline MPM (BS-MPM) framework. First, the BS-MPM framework is verified against the large-strain oedometer consolidation problem. Second, the framework is validated against a real-scale slope failure experiment triggered by pore water pressure recharge. Landslide features that are captured using the higher-order framework are specifically highlighted, and results (e.g., pore water pressure and deformation) are validated with field measurements. A generally convergent numerical solution is observed when using cubic interpolation functions. Third, a footing penetration problem is simulated using the multi-patch BS-MPM. Trends are examined with respect to penetration velocity and variation in hydraulic conductivity. The BS-MPM framework ultimately presents a stabilized numerical solution that captures plausible hydromechanical interaction trends important in geotechnical engineering applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Verification of 5D continuum gyrokinetic code COGENT: Studies of kinetic drift wave instability

COGENT (Continuum Gyrokinetic Edge New Technology) is a kinetic plasma simulation code that is being developed by the edge simulation laboratory (ESL) collaboration. The original version of the code has been developed in a 4D phase space (2D configuration space and 2D velocity space) to address kinetic plasma phenomena in a complex magnetic field geometry including the core, magnetic separatrix, and scrape-off layer regions. This paper is focused on extending the original 4D phase space to a 5D phase space (3D2V) to address full kinetic turbulences in a tokamak edge region. Here, we report on the current status of 5D COGENT, which presently operates in a shear-less, simple slab geometry. As a verification study, we use the problems of collision-less drift wave instability (universal instability) including its modification in the presence of collisional effects. The simulation model includes the gyrokinetic equations for ion and electron species coupled to the long-wavelength limit of the gyro-Poisson equation. Collisional effects are represented by the Krook collision model. Linear analytical results for the drift mode growth rate and real frequency are recovered, and the non-linear stage is modelled and analysed as well. In addition, extensive 5D runs have been performed to address the effects of the drift wave instability on blob/filamentary structures characteristic of a tokamak edge. Finally, a helical-shaped potential perturbation is observed to grow exponentially in time while spinning around the filament axis with electron drift frequency.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SU-E-J-219: Quantitative Evaluation of Motion Effects On Accuracy of Image-Guided Radiotherapy with Fiducial Markers Using CT Imaging

Purpose: To investigate quantitatively patient motion effects on the localization accuracy of image-guided radiation with fiducial markers using axial CT (ACT), helical CT (HCT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) using modeling and experimental phantom studies. Methods: Markers with different lengths (2.5 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm) were inserted in a mobile thorax phantom which was imaged using ACT, HCT and CBCT. The phantom moved with sinusoidal motion with amplitudes ranging 0–20 mm and a frequency of 15 cycles-per-minute. Three parameters that include: apparent marker lengths, center position and distance between the centers of the markers were measured in the different CT images of the mobile phantom. A motion mathematical model was derived to predict the variations in the previous three parameters and their dependence on the motion in the different imaging modalities. Results: In CBCT, the measured marker lengths increased linearly with increase in motion amplitude. For example, the apparent length of the 10 mm marker was about 20 mm when phantom moved with amplitude of 5 mm. Although the markers have elongated, the center position and the distance between markers remained at the same position for different motion amplitudes in CBCT. These parameters were not affected by motion frequency and phase in CBCT. In HCT and ACT, the measured marker length, center and distance between markers varied irregularly with motion parameters. The apparent lengths of the markers varied with inverse of the phantom velocity which depends on motion frequency and phase. Similarly the center position and distance between markers varied inversely with phantom speed. Conclusion: Motion may lead to variations in maker length, center position and distance between markers using CT imaging. These effects should be considered in patient setup using image-guided radiation therapy based on fiducial markers matching using 2D-radiographs or volumetric CT imaging.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Two-way coupled particle-turbulence interaction: Effect of numerics and resolution on fluid and particle statistics

Euler-Lagrange point-particle simulation has emerged as a premier methodology for studying dispersed particle-laden flows. This method's popularity stems from its ability to resolve fine-scale fluid structures while also tracking individual particles at reduced cost using an appropriate particle acceleration model. However, the point-particle model has known convergence issues in that refinement of the fluid grid can lead to changes in the predicted statistics. The reasons for non-convergence are twofold: the point-particle two-way coupling force in the Navier-Stokes equations requires a numerical regularization and, without careful implementation, yields a singular force on the fluid with grid refinement. The second factor that yields grid-dependent statistics is that the point-particle force model in general depends on the undisturbed fluid velocity. When the undisturbed fluid velocity is not robustly modeled in a grid-insensitive way, the calculated force for both particles and fluid will be grid-dependent, contaminating their respective statistics. While the first issue regarding regularizing the point-particle source term has received attention in the literature, the consequences of robustly modeling the undisturbed velocity in the context of grid refinement of turbulence has received little attention. Here, we consider decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence laden with particles at different Stokes numbers. For a given Stokes number, we systematically refine the grid and demonstrate that explicitly modeling the undisturbed fluid velocity yields relative grid insensitivity for the energy of the particle and fluid phases, as well as acceleration of the particles. We also demonstrate that an appropriately defined dissipation rate is also grid-insensitive when an undisturbed fluid velocity correction is used. In contrast, when the undisturbed fluid velocity is modeled using the conventional approach of interpolating the local fluid velocity to the particle location, we show this procedure yields divergent statistics with grid refinement. In particular, we show that higher-order interpolation of the fluid velocity in two-way coupled problems is worse than lower-order interpolation, in the absence of a correction procedure to estimate the undisturbed fluid velocity. We also examine velocity derivative statistics of the fluid phase and demonstrate that these statistics are not in general convergent even when the undisturbed fluid velocity is explicitly modeled. Collectively, the observations in this paper are used to present a philosophy on the types of questions which are answerable with point-particle methods.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Model's sparse representation based on reduced mixed GMsFE basis methods

In this paper, we propose a model's sparse representation based on reduced mixed generalized multiscale finite element (GMsFE) basis methods for elliptic PDEs with random inputs. A typical application for the elliptic PDEs is the flow in heterogeneous random porous media. Mixed generalized multiscale finite element method (GMsFEM) is one of the accurate and efficient approaches to solve the flow problem in a coarse grid and obtain the velocity with local mass conservation. When the inputs of the PDEs are parameterized by the random variables, the GMsFE basis functions usually depend on the random parameters. This leads to a large number degree of freedoms for the mixed GMsFEM and substantially impacts on the computation efficiency. In order to overcome the difficulty, we develop reduced mixed GMsFE basis methods such that the multiscale basis functions are independent of the random parameters and span a low-dimensional space. To this end, a greedy algorithm is used to find a set of optimal samples from a training set scattered in the parameter space. Reduced mixed GMsFE basis functions are constructed based on the optimal samples using two optimal sampling strategies: basis-oriented cross-validation and proper orthogonal decomposition. Although the dimension of the space spanned by the reduced mixed GMsFE basis functions is much smaller than the dimension of the original full order model, the online computation still depends on the number of coarse degree of freedoms. To significantly improve the online computation, we integrate the reduced mixed GMsFE basis methods with sparse tensor approximation and obtain a sparse representation for the model's outputs. The sparse representation is very efficient for evaluating the model's outputs for many instances of parameters. To illustrate the efficacy of the proposed methods, we present a few numerical examples for elliptic PDEs with multiscale and random inputs. In particular, a two-phase flow model in random porous media is simulated by the proposed sparse representation method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Numerical Simulation of Gas and Liquid Two-Phase Flow in the RH Process

A mathematical model has been established to simulate the gas–liquid two-phase flow in the RH process. The effects of interphase forces and the bubble-induced turbulence on the fluid flow and motion of gas bubbles were investigated. The interphase forces include the drag force, the virtual mass force, the lift force, and the pressure gradient force, respectively. The prediction results of the liquid velocity and the recirculation rate were compared with the experimental data measured with a Particle Image Velocimetry technique. The results indicated that the drag force and the virtual mass force dominated the gas plume shape in the up-leg snorkel, and significantly influenced the liquid velocity and the distribution of the gas phase. The lift force mainly affected the spreading of gas bubbles in the radial direction of the snorkel. However, the pressure gradient force could be neglected because it had no effect on the liquid velocity and the gas volume fraction. The increase of the bubble-induced turbulence decreased the liquid velocity, and by adjusting the lift force, it widened the shape of the individual gas plumes. To accurately simulate the gas–liquid flow behavior in the RH degasser, these appropriate parameters, such as the drag coefficient, the virtual mass coefficient, the lift coefficient, and the bubble-induced turbulence coefficient, were determined by comparing the predicted results and the measured data.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Electron Scattering by High-frequency Whistler Waves at Earth’s Bow Shock

Electrons are accelerated to non-thermal energies at shocks in space and astrophysical environments. While different mechanisms of electron acceleration have been proposed, it remains unclear how non-thermal electrons are produced out of the thermal plasma pool. Here, we report in situ evidence of pitch-angle scattering of non-thermal electrons by whistler waves at Earth’s bow shock. On 2015 November 4, the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission crossed the bow shock with an Alfvén Mach number ∼11 and a shock angle ∼84°. In the ramp and overshoot regions, MMS revealed bursty enhancements of non-thermal (0.5–2 keV) electron flux, correlated with high-frequency (0.2–0.4 Ω{sub ce}, where Ω{sub ce} is the cyclotron frequency) parallel-propagating whistler waves. The electron velocity distribution (measured at 30 ms cadence) showed an enhanced gradient of phase-space density at and around the region where the electron velocity component parallel to the magnetic field matched the resonant energy inferred from the wave frequency range. The flux of 0.5 keV electrons (measured at 1 ms cadence) showed fluctuations with the same frequency. These features indicate that non-thermal electrons were pitch-angle scattered by cyclotron resonance with the high-frequency whistler waves. However, the precise role of the pitch-angle scattering by the higher-frequency whistler waves and possible nonlinear effects in the electron acceleration process remains unclear.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Impact of relative phase shift on inward turbulent spreading

The relative cross-phase between density, temperature, and potential perturbations plays a major role in turbulent spreading and transport. Nonlinear Landau-Fluid simulations show that the electron wave-particle resonances provide a relatively strong parallel damping effect on the electron temperature perturbation and can induce a relative cross-phase shift of smaller than π∕2 angle between E × B velocity and the electron temperature perturbation for large electron temperature gradient, which yields a large spreading for electron. The relative phase for ions is about π∕2 and has no turbulent spreading effect on it. The inward turbulent spreading stops at the position where the radial turbulent correlation length is shorter than the magnetic surface spacing. The temperature pedestal height determines the energy loss due to the turbulent spreading.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗