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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 91 records · Page 5

Ablative liner locates hotspots

Ablative liner quantifies local-heating effects in combustion chambers and other applications. By identifying hotspots and helping to map heat-flux patterns, liner is useful tool for research in engine design. Liner permanently records heat flux at each point by depth of ablation due to local heating. Technique determines best locations for thermocouples for more extensive testing.

Mercer, S. D.↗

Eliminating "Hotspots" in Digital Image Processing

Signals from defective picture elements rejected. Image processing program for use with charge-coupled device (CCD) or other mosaic imager augmented with algorithm that compensates for common type of electronic defect. Algorithm prevents false interpretation of "hotspots". Used for robotics, image enhancement, image analysis and digital television.

Salomon, P. M.↗

Venus: Mantle convection, hotspots, and tectonics

The putative paradigm that planets of the same size and mass have the same tectonic style led to the adaptation of the mechanisms of terrestrial plate tectonics as the a priori model of the way Venus should behave. Data acquired over the last decade by Pioneer Venus, Venera, and ground-based radar have modified this view sharply and have illuminated the lack of detailed understanding of the plate tectonic mechanism. For reference, terrestrial mechanisms are briefly reviewed. Venusian lithospheric divergence, hotspot model, and horizontal deformation theories are proposed and examined.

Phillips, R. J.↗

Evolution of midplate hotspot swells: Numerical solutions

The evolution of midplate hotspot swells on an oceanic plate moving over a hot, upwelling mantle plume is numerically simulated. The plume supplies a Gaussian-shaped thermal perturbation and thermally-induced dynamic support. The lithosphere is treated as a thermal boundary layer with a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity. The two fundamental mechanisms of transferring heat, conduction and convection, during the interaction of the lithosphere with the mantle plume are considered. The transient heat transfer equations, with boundary conditions varying in both time and space, are solved in cylindrical coordinates using the finite difference ADI (alternating direction implicit) method on a 100 x 100 grid. The topography, geoid anomaly, and heat flow anomaly of the Hawaiian swell and the Bermuda rise are used to constrain the models. Results confirm the conclusion of previous works that the Hawaiian swell can not be explained by conductive heating alone, even if extremely high thermal perturbation is allowed. On the other hand, the model of convective thinning predicts successfully the topography, geoid anomaly, and the heat flow anomaly around the Hawaiian islands, as well as the changes in the topography and anomalous heat flow along the Hawaiian volcanic chain.

Liu, Mian↗

Venus geology and tectonics - Hotspot and crustal spreading models and questions for the Magellan mission

Spacecraft and ground-based observations of Venus have revealed a geologically young and active surface - with volcanoes, rift zones, orogenic belts and evidence for hotspots and crustal spreading - yet the processes responsible for these features cannot be identified from the available data. The Magellan spacecraft will acquire an unprecedented global data set which will provide a comprehensive and well resolved view of the planet. This will permit global geological mapping, an assessment of the style and relative importance of geological processes, and will help in the understanding of links between the surface geology and mantle dynamics of this earth-like planet.

Head, James W.↗

Coldspots and hotspots - Global tectonics and mantle dynamics of Venus

Based on geologic observations provided by Magellan's first cycle of data collection and recent models of mantle convection in spherical shells and crustal deformation, the major topographic and geologic features of Venus are incorporated into a model of global mantle dynamics. Consideration is given to volcanic rises, such as Beta Regio and Atla Regio, plateau-shaped highlands dominated by complex ridged terrain (e.g., Ovda Regio and Alpha Regio), and circular lowland regions, such as Atalanta Planitia. Each of these features is related to either mantle plumes (hotspots) or mantle downwellings (coldspots).

Bindschadler, Duane L.↗

Evidence for active hotspots on Venus from analysis of Magellan gravity data

The 500-Myr average crater retention age for Venus has raised questions about the present-day level of tectonic activity. In this study we examine the relationship between the gravity and topography of four large volcanic swells, Beta, Atla, Bell, and Western Eistla Regiones, for clues about their stage evolution. The Magellan line-of-sight gravity data are inverted using a point mass model of the anomalous mass to solve for the local vertical gravity field. Spectral admittance calculated from both the local gravity inversions and a spherical harmonic model is compared to three models of compensation: local compensation, a 'flexural' model with local and regional compensation of surface and subsurface loads, and a 'hotspot' model of compensation that includes top loading by volcanoes and subsurface loading due to a deep, low density mass anomaly. The coherence is also calculated in each region, but yields an elastic thickness estimate only at Bell Regio. In all models, the long wavelengths are compensated locally. Our results may indicate a relatively old, possibly inactive plume.

Smrekar, Suzanne E.↗

Relationships Between Paterae, Mountains, and Hotspots on Io from a Global Database

Now that the Galileo spacecraft s tour of the Jupiter system is over, we seek to integrate all available datasets in the hopes of understanding Io as completely as possible. We have compiled information about the morphologies and locations of paterae (volcano-tectonic depressions), mountains, and hotspots on Io in a single database. It is our hope that an analysis of the spatial and temporal relationships between these features will provide more indications of the nature of the crust of Io and the mechanisms leading to these features formation. Since Io s tidal heat escapes through its crust, more knowledge about the crust will lead to an understanding of internal processes, such as magma generation and delivery to the surface, and magnitude and orientation of internal stresses.

Radebaugh, J.↗

Hotspot or Heatwave? Getting to Grips with Neutron Star Burst Oscillations

Many accreting neutron stars, including two of the millisecond pulsars, exhibit high frequency oscillations during Type I X-ray bursts. The properties of the burst oscillations reflect the nature of the thermal asymmetry on the stellar surface. The mechanism that gives rise to the aspzetry, however , remains unclear: possibilities include a hotspot due to uneven fuel distribution, modes of oscillation in the surface layers of the neutron star, or vortices driven by the Coriolis force. I will review some of the latest theory and observations, and present the results of a recent study of variability in the burst oscillations of the millisecond pulsar 51814-338.

Watts, A.↗

Juniper Pollen Hotspots in the Southwest

Rationale: Juniperus pollen is a major allergen in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. While the bulk of pollen may be released in rural areas, large amounts of pollen can be transported to urban areas. Major juniper species in the region include: Juniperus ashei, J. virginiana, J. pinchotii, and J. monosperma. Pollen release is virtually continuous beginning in late September with J. pinchotii and ending in May with J. monosperma. Urban areas in the region were evaluated for the potential of overlapping seasons in order to inform sensitive individuals. Methods: Burkard volumetric pollen traps were established for two consecutive spring seasons at 6 sites in northern New Mexico and 6 sites for two consecutive winter and fall seasons in Texas and Oklahoma Standard methods were used in the preparation and analysis of slides. Results: The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is home to over 6 million people. It is adjacent to populations of J. pinchotii, J. virginiana, and J. ashei. Peak concentration near Dallas for J. ashei in 2011 was 5891 pollen grains/m3 in January 7th. The peak date for J. pinchotii at an upwind sampling location in San Marcos, TX was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was February 20, 2011. Amarillo, TX is adjacent to J. pinchotii, J. ashei, and J. monosperma populations and may be subject to juniper pollen from September through May. Conclusions: Considering the overlapping distributions of juniper trees and the overlapping temporal release of pollen, sensitive patients may benefit from avoiding hotspots.

Bunderson, L. D.↗

Multisectoral Climate Impact Hotspots in a Warming World

The impacts of global climate change on different aspects of humanity's diverse life-support systems are complex and often difficult to predict. To facilitate policy decisions on mitigation and adaptation strategies, it is necessary to understand, quantify, and synthesize these climate-change impacts, taking into account their uncertainties. Crucial to these decisions is an understanding of how impacts in different sectors overlap, as overlapping impacts increase exposure, lead to interactions of impacts, and are likely to raise adaptation pressure. As a first step we develop herein a framework to study coinciding impacts and identify regional exposure hotspots. This framework can then be used as a starting point for regional case studies on vulnerability and multifaceted adaptation strategies. We consider impacts related to water, agriculture, ecosystems, and malaria at different levels of global warming. Multisectoral overlap starts to be seen robustly at a mean global warming of 3 degC above the 1980-2010 mean, with 11% of the world population subject to severe impacts in at least two of the four impact sectors at 4 degC. Despite these general conclusions, we find that uncertainty arising from the impact models is considerable, and larger than that from the climate models. In a low probability-high impact worst-case assessment, almost the whole inhabited world is at risk for multisectoral pressures. Hence, there is a pressing need for an increased research effort to develop a more comprehensive understanding of impacts, as well as for the development of policy measures under existing uncertainty.

policies↗

Evidence for Active Hotspots on Venus from Analysis of Magellan Gravity Data

Teh 500 My average crater retension for Venus ahs raised questions about the present-day level of tectonic activity. In this study we examine the relationship between the gravity and topography of four large volcanic swells, Beta, Atla, Bell, and Western Eistla Regiones, for clues about their stage of evolution.

hotspots↗

Cosmological particle production and pairwise hotspots on the CMB

Heavy particles with masses much bigger than the inflationary Hubble scale H * , can get non-adiabatically pair produced during inflation through their couplings to the inflaton. If such couplings give rise to time-dependent masses for the heavy particles, then following their production, the heavy particles modify the curvature perturbation around their locations in a time-dependent and scale non-invariant manner. This results into a non-trivial spatial profile of the curvature perturbation that is preserved on superhorizon scales and eventually generates localized hot or cold spots on the CMB. We explore this phenomenon by studying the inflationary production of heavy scalars and derive the final temperature profile of the spots on the CMB by taking into account the subhorizon evolution, focusing in particular on the parameter space where pairwise hot spots (PHS) arise. When the heavy scalar has an $\mathscr{O}$(1) coupling to the inflaton, we show that for an idealized situation where the dominant background to the PHS signal comes from the standard CMB fluctuations themselves, a simple position space search based on applying a temperature cut, can be sensitive to heavy particle masses M o /H * ~$\mathscr{O}$(100). The corresponding PHS signal also modifies the CMB power spectra and bispectra, although the corrections are below (outside) the sensitivity of current measurements (searches).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗