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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 19 records

Attenuation in a shock tube due to unsteady-boundary-layer action

A method is presented for obtaining the attenuation of a shock wave in a shock tube due to the unsteady boundary layer along the shock-tube walls. It is assumed that the boundary layer is thin relative to the tube diameter and induces one-dimensional longitudinal pressure waves whose strength is proportional to the vertical velocity at the edge of the boundary layer. The contributions of the various regions in a shock tube to shock attenuation are indicated. The method is shown to be in reasonably good agreement with existing experimental data.

Mirels, Harold↗

An infrared on-shell action and its implications for soft charge fluctuations in asymptotically flat spacetimes

We study the infrared on-shell action of Einstein gravity in asymptotically flat spacetimes (AFSs), obtaining an effective, gauge-invariant boundary action for memory and shockwave spacetimes. We show that the phase space is in both cases parameterized by the leading soft variables in AFSs, thereby extending the equivalence between shockwave and soft commutators to spacetimes with non-vanishing Bondi mass. We then demonstrate that our on-shell action is equal to three quantities studied separately in the literature: (i) the soft supertranslation charge; (ii) the shockwave effective action, or equivalently the modular Hamiltonian; and (iii) the soft effective action. Finally, we compute the quantum fluctuations in the soft supertranslation charge and, assuming the supertranslation parameter may be promoted to an operator, we obtain an area law, consistent with earlier results showing that the modular Hamiltonian has such fluctuations.

asymptotically flat spacetimes↗

A Schwarzian on the stretched horizon

Abstract It is well known that the Euclidean black hole action has a boundary term at the horizon proportional to the area. I show that if the horizon is replaced by a stretched horizon with appropriate boundary conditions, a new boundary term appears, described by a Schwarzian action similar to the recently discovered boundary actions in “nearly anti-de Sitter” gravity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Boundary spanning increases knowledge and action on invasive species in a changing climate

Abstract Challenges associated with global change stressors on ecosystems have prompted calls to improve actionable science, including through boundary‐spanning activities, which aim to build connections and communication between researchers and natural resource practitioners. By synthesizing and translating research and practitioner knowledge, boundary‐spanning activities could support proactive, research‐informed conservation practice, but the success of these efforts is rarely evaluated. Using repeat survey data from the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NE RISCC) Management Network, a boundary‐spanning organization, we evaluate whether participating in NE RISCC affected practitioners' knowledge, actions and priorities related to invasive species management under a changing climate. Our survey results suggest that practitioners who participate in NE RISCC have greater knowledge about invasive species and climate change and are incorporating climate change in more ways into their invasive species management. We also found NE RISCC membership affected the perceived usefulness of informational resources, with NE RISCC members more frequently identifying research syntheses and targeted workshops (both are common products used by NE RISCC to translate science into practice and share manager knowledge) as useful compared to non‐members. Practitioners who participate in NE RISCC also identified somewhat different research priorities, with non‐members and short‐term members more frequently identifying range‐shifting neonative species and their impacts on native communities as higher priorities compared to long‐term NE RISCC members. NE RISCC research activities and outreach materials have consistently framed range‐shifting neonative species as comparatively low risk, suggesting that this information has influenced practitioner's perception of risk. Practical implication : Although real‐world impacts of applied ecology are notoriously difficult to quantify, this analysis illustrates that if research results are actively translated, they can affect the knowledge and actions of natural resource practitioners. These impacts illustrate the potential for boundary‐spanning efforts to address other global change challenges to conservation.

Evans, Annette E.↗

Quantum duality in electromagnetism and the fine structure constant

We describe the interplay between electric-magnetic duality and higher symmetry in Maxwell theory. When the fine structure constant is rational, the theory admits noninvertible symmetries which can be realized as composites of electric-magnetic duality and gauging a discrete subgroup of the one-form global symmetry. These noninvertible symmetries are approximate quantum invariances of the natural world which emerge in the infrared below the mass scale of charged particles. We construct these symmetries explicitly as topological defects and illustrate their action on local and extended operators. We also describe their action on boundary conditions and illustrate some consequences of the symmetry for Hilbert spaces of the theory defined in finite volume. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

A symmetry algebra in double-scaled SYK

The double-scaled limit of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model takes the number of fermions and their interaction number to infinity in a coordinated way. In this limit, two entangled copies of the SYK model have a bulk description of sorts known as the “chord Hilbert space”. We analyze a symmetry algebra acting on this Hilbert space, generated by the two Hamiltonians together with a two-sided operator known as the chord number. This algebra is a deformation of the JT gravitational algebra, and it contains a subalgebra that is a deformation of the \mathfrak{sl}_2 𝔰 𝔩 2 near-horizon symmetries. The subalgebra has finite-dimensional unitary representations corresponding to matter moving around in a discrete Einstein-Rosen bridge. In a semiclassical limit the discreteness disappears and the subalgebra simplifies to \mathfrak{sl}_2 𝔰 𝔩 2 , but with a non-standard action on the boundary time coordinate. One can make the action of \mathfrak{sl}_2 𝔰 𝔩 2 algebra more standard at the cost of extending the boundary circle to include some “fake” portions. Such fake portions also accommodate certain subtle states that survive the semi-classical limit, despite oscillating on the scale of discreteness. We discuss applications of this algebra, including sub-maximal chaos, the traversable wormhole protocol, and a two-sided OPE.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Adjoint Method and Predictive Control for 1-D Flow in NASA Ames 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel

This paper describes a modeling method and a new optimal control approach to investigate a Mach number control problem for the NASA Ames 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel. The flow in the wind tunnel is modeled by the 1-D unsteady Euler equations whose boundary conditions prescribe a controlling action by a compressor. The boundary control inputs to the compressor are in turn controlled by a drive motor system and an inlet guide vane system whose dynamics are modeled by ordinary differential equations. The resulting Euler equations are thus coupled to the ordinary differential equations via the boundary conditions. Optimality conditions are established by an adjoint method and are used to develop a model predictive linear-quadratic optimal control for regulating the Mach number due to a test model disturbance during a continuous pitch

Nguyen, Nhan↗

Segregation Behavior of Sulfur and Other Impurities Onto the Free Surfaces of ED-Ni Deposits

Most researchers attribute grain boundary embrittlement in electro-deposited Nickel (ED-Ni) to the presence of small quantities of Sulfur as an impurity. It occurs in a highly mobile form that segregates to the grain boundaries. Evaluation of Sulfur segregation requires that a sample be fractured through the grain boundaries. However, this action may not always be possible. ED-Ni is inherently tough at ambient temperature, especially if a low level of Sulfur was intentionally maintained. A new method was developed to study Sulfur and other migrant species to the grain boundaries, which also migrate to free surfaces. A test specimen is heated by a quartz lamp within the sample preparation chamber, allowing the mobile species to migrate to polished free surfaces. There the mobile species are analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also known as Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA).

Panda, Binayak↗

Segregation Behavior of Sulfur and Other Impurities onto the Free Surfaces of ED-NI Deposits

Most researchers attribute grain boundary embrittlement in electro-deposited nickel (ED-Ni) to the presence of small quantities of sulfur as an impurity. It occurs in a highly mobile form that segregates to the grain boundaries. Evaluation of sulfur segregation requires that a sample be fractured through the grain boundaries. However, this action may not always be possible. ED-Ni is inherently tough at ambient temperature, especially if a low level of sulfur was intentionally maintained. A new method was developed to study sulfur and other migrant species to the grain boundaries, which also migrate to free surfaces. A test specimen is heated by a quartz lamp within the sample preparation chamber, allowing the mobile species to migrate to polished free surfaces. There the mobile species are analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also known as Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA).

Panda, B.↗

Studies of the inner shelf and coastal sedimentation environment of the Beaufort Sea from ERTS-1

The author has identified the following significant results. The particulate transport processes involved in the movement of surficial waters were examined using secchi disc readings, light attenuation coefficients, and particulate weights from filtration. Observations gathered during the summers of 1971 and 1972 indicate a remarkable difference in particulate matter and turbidity between the two years. ERTS-1 imagery during August 1972 showed turbid water along the northern Alaska coast. The uniformity of distribution of the turbid water and the fact that the river discharge is low at this period suggest that the turbidity is related to causes other than river effluent. Studies indicate that wave action is a more significant factor influencing particulate transport than believed heretofore. The boundary between the essentially immobile shorefast ice and the moving pack ice has been plotted from several ERTS-1 images and found to occur fairly consistently along the 20 meter contour. Considering the vast difference in the amount of ice movement shoreward and seaward of this boundary, ice-bottom action should also be different on either side of this boundary and for that matter at the shear zone that develops along the boundary.

Reimnitz, E.↗

The Fluorescent-Oil Film Method and Other Techniques for Boundary-Layer Flow Visualization

A flow-visualization technique, known as the fluorescent-oil film method, has been developed which appears to be generally simpler and to require less experience and development of technique than previously published methods. The method is especially adapted to use in the large high-powered wind tunnels which require considerable time to reach the desired test conditions. The method consists of smearing a film of fluorescent oil over a surface and observing where the thickness is affected by the shearing action of the boundary layer. These films are detected and identified, and their relative thicknesses are determined by use of ultraviolet light. Examples are given of the use of this technique. Other methods that show promise in the study of boundary-layer conditions are described. These methods include the use of a temperature-sensitive fluorescent paint and the use of a radiometer that is sensitive to the heat radiation from a surface. Some attention is also given to methods that can be used with a spray apparatus in front of the test model.

Loving, Donald L.↗

Simulation of a Periodic Jet in a Crossflow with a RANS Solver Using an Unstructured Grid

A second-order unstructured-grid code, developed and used primarily for steady aerodynamic simulations, is applied to the synthetic jet in a cross flow. The code, FUN3D, is a vertex-centered finite-volume method originally developed by Anderson[1, 2], and is currently supported by members of the Fast Adaptive Aerospace Tools team at NASA Langley. Used primarily for design[3] and analysis[4] of steady aerodynamic configurations, FUN3D incorporates a discrete adjoint capability, and supports parallel computations using MPI. A detailed description of the FUN3D code can be found in the references given above. The code is under continuous development and contains a variety of flux splitting algorithms for the inviscid terms, two methods for computing gradients, several turbulence models, and several solution methodologies; all in varying states of development. Only the most robust and reliable components, based on experiences with steady aerodynamic simulations, were employed in this work. As applied in this work, FUN3D solves the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations using the one equation turbulence model of Spalart and Allmaras[5]. The spatial discretization is formed on unstructured meshes using a vertex-centered approach. The inviscid terms are evaluated by a flux-difference splitting formulation using least-squares reconstruction and Roe-type approximate Riemann fluxes. Green-Gauss gradient evaluations are used for viscous and turbulence modeling terms. The discrete spatial operator is combined with a backward time operator which is then solved iteratively using point or line Gauss-Seidel and local time stepping in a pseudo time. For steady flows, the physical time step is set to infinity and the pseudo time step is ramped up with the iteration count. A second-order backward in time operator is used for time accurate flows with 20 to 50 steps in the pseudo time applied at each physical time step. For this effort, FUN3D was modified to support spatially varying boundary and initial conditions, and unsteady boundary conditions. Also, a specialized in/out flow boundary condition was implemented to model the action of the diaphragm. This boundary condition is described below in more detail. The grids were generated using the internally developed codes GridEX[6] for meshing the surfaces and inviscid regions of the domain, and for CAD access; and MesherX[7] for meshing the viscous regions. Grid spacing in on the surfaces and in the inviscid regions are indirectly controlled by specifying sources. The viscous layers are generated using an advancing layer technique. MeshersX allows the user to control the spatial variation of the first step off the surface, growth rates, and the termination criterion by providing small problem dependent subroutines.

Atkins, H. L.↗

On-shell derivation of the soft effective action in Abelian gauge theories

We derive the soft effective action in (d+2)-dimensional Abelian gauge theories from the on-shell action obeying Neumann boundary conditions at timelike and null infinity and Dirichlet boundary conditions at spatial infinity. This allows us to identify the on-shell degrees of freedom on the boundary with the soft modes living on the celestial sphere. Following the work of Donnelly and Wall, this suggests that we can interpret soft modes as entanglement edge modes on the celestial sphere and study entanglement properties of soft modes in Abelian gauge theories.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Diamond of infrared equivalences in abelian gauge theories

We demonstrate a tree-level equivalence between four distinct infrared objects in (d+2)-dimensional Abelian gauge theories. These are (i) the large gauge charge Q ϵ where the function ϵ on the sphere parametrizing large gauge transformations is identified with the Goldstone mode θ of spontaneously broken large gauge symmetry; (ii) the soft effective action that captures the dynamics of the soft and Goldstone modes; (iii) the edge mode action with Neumann boundary conditions; and (iv) the Wilson line dressing of a scattering amplitude, including a novel dressing for soft photons, which have local charge distributions despite having vanishing global charge. The promotion of the large gauge parameter to the dynamical Goldstone and the novel dressing of soft gauge particles give rise to intriguing possibilities for the future study of infrared dynamics of gauge theories and gravity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

On exotic consistent anomalies in (1+1)$d$: A ghost story

We revisit ’t Hooft anomalies in (1+1) d d non-spin quantum field theory, starting from the consistency and locality conditions, and find that consistent U(1) and gravitational anomalies cannot always be canceled by properly quantized (2+1) d d classical Chern-Simons actions. On the one hand, we prove that certain exotic anomalies can only be realized by non-reflection-positive or non-compact theories; on the other hand, without insisting on reflection-positivity, the exotic anomalies present a caveat to the inflow paradigm. For the mixed U(1) gravitational anomaly, we propose an inflow mechanism involving a mixed U(1) \times × SO(2) classical Chern-Simons action with a boundary condition that matches the SO(2) gauge field with the (1+1) d d spin connection. Furthermore, we show that this mixed anomaly gives rise to an isotopy anomaly of U(1) topological defect lines. The isotopy anomaly can be canceled by an extrinsic curvature improvement term, but at the cost of creating a periodicity anomaly. We survey the holomorphic bc b c ghost system which realizes all the exotic consistent anomalies, and end with comments on a subtlety regarding the anomalies of finite subgroups of U(1).

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

High-latitude field-aligned current sources and induced electric fields

Using a simple, planar model of the high latitude ionosphere with an enhanced conductivity auroral ring, the electric potential is computed for a pair of field-aligned current sheets inferred from observations. The relationship of various characteristics of the electric potential pattern to features of the field-aligned current distribution are elucidated in the context of a generalized field-aligned current Fourier analysis. On the basis of the analysis and observations to date, it is concluded that boundary layer dynamo action is the prevalent mechanism in the solar wind/magnetosphere/ionosphere interaction.

Barbosa, D. D.↗