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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Goldstone bosons and fluctuating hydrodynamics with dipole and momentum conservation

We develop a Schwinger-Keldysh effective field theory describing the hydrodynamics of a fluid with conserved charge and dipole moments, together with conserved momentum. The resulting hydrodynamic modes are highly unusual, including sound waves with quadratic (magnon-like) dispersion relation and subdiffusive decay rate. Hydrodynamics itself is unstable below four spatial dimensions. We show that the momentum density is, at leading order, the Goldstone boson for a dipole symmetry which appears spontaneously broken at finite charge density. Unlike an ordinary fluid, the presence or absence of energy conservation qualitatively changes the decay rates of the hydrodynamic modes. This effective field theory naturally couples to curved spacetime and background gauge fields; in the flat spacetime limit, we reproduce the “mixed rank tensor fields” previously coupled to fracton matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1992

A discrete momentum-conserving explicit algorithm for multibody dynamics analysis

A discrete momentum-conserving, explicit time integration is presented. The accurate feature and simplicity of the present algorithm are realized by a mid-point implicit formula for integrating the Euler parameters and a second-order discrete momentum-conserving form of the central difference algorithm, respectively. The accuracy and robustness of the algorithm is demonstrated by example problems which exhibit large overall rigid motions under holonomic constraints.

Park, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A discrete momentum-conserving explicit algorithm for rigid body dynamics analysis

A discrete momentum-conserving explicit time integration is presented. The accurate feature and simplicity of the present algorithm are realized by a mid-point implicit formula for integrating the Euler parameters and a second-order discrete momentum-conserving form of the central difference algorithm, respectively. The accuracy and robustness of the algorithm is demonstrated by example problems which exhibit large overall rigid motions under holonomic constraints.

Park, K. C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Momentum conservation in current drive and alpha-channeling-mediated rotation drive

Alpha channeling uses waves to extract hot ash from a fusion plasma, transferring energy from the ash to the wave. It has been proposed that this process could create a radial electric field, efficiently driving E × B rotation. However, existing theories ignore the nonresonant particles, which play a critical role in enforcing momentum conservation in quasilinear theory. Because cross field charge transport and momentum conservation are fundamentally linked, this non-consistency throws the rotation drive into question. This paper has two main goals. First, we provide a pedantic and cohesive introduction to the recently developed simple, general, self-consistent quasilinear theory for electrostatic waves that explains the torques which allow for current drive parallel to the magnetic field, and charge extraction across it; a theory that has largely resolved the question of rotation drive by alpha channeling. We show how the theory reveals a fundamental difference between the reaction of nonresonant particles to plane waves that grow in time vs steady-state waves that have a nonuniform spatial structure, allowing rotation drive in the latter case while precluding it in the former, and we review the local and global conservation laws that lead to this result. Second, we provide two new results in support of the theory. First, we provide a novel two-particle Hamiltonian model that rigorously establishes the relationship between charge transport and momentum conservation. Second, we compare the new quasilinear theory to the oscillation-center theories of ponderomotive forces, showing how the latter often obscure the time-dependent nonresonant recoil, but ultimately lead to similar results.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Discovering exact, gauge-invariant, local energy-momentum conservation laws for the electromagnetic gyrokinetic system by high-order field theory on heterogeneous manifolds

Gyrokinetic theory is arguably the most important tool for numerical studies of transport physics in magnetized plasmas. However, exact local energy-momentum conservation laws for the electromagnetic gyrokinetic system have not been found despite the continuous effort. Without such local conservation laws, energy and momentum can be instantaneously transported across spacetime, which is unphysical and casts doubt on the validity of numerical simulations based on the gyrokinetic theory. The standard Noether procedure for deriving conservation laws from corresponding symmetries does not apply to gyrokinetic systems because the gyrocenters and electromagnetic fields reside on different manifolds. To overcome this difficulty, we develop a high-order field theory on heterogeneous manifolds for classical particle-field systems and apply it to derive exact, local conservation laws, in particular the energy-momentum conservation laws, for the electromagnetic gyrokinetic system. A weak Euler-Lagrange equation is established to replace the standard Euler-Lagrange equation for the particles. It is discovered that an induced weak Euler-Lagrange current enters the local conservation laws. And it is the new physics captured by the high-order field theory on heterogeneous manifolds. A recently developed gauge-symmetrization method for high-order electromagnetic field theories using the electromagnetic displacement-potential tensor is applied to render the derived energy-momentum conservation laws electromagnetic gauge-invariant.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1996

Direct Observation of Momentum Conservation at the Au/Si Interface Using BEEM (abstract)

The verification of parallel momentum conservation at a metal/semiconductor interface is a fundamental issue in interface transport. Ballistic-electron-microscopy (BEEM) is a recently developed method for probing interfaces with nanometer resolution. In this talk, BEEM spectroscopy on Au/Si(111) structures as a function of Au thickness and temperature will be described.

metal/semiconductor interface ballistic-electron-e↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy and momentum conservation in the Euler–Poincaré formulation of local Vlasov–Maxwell-type systems

The action principle by Low for the classic Vlasov–Maxwell system contains a mix of Eulerian and Lagrangian variables. This renders the Noether analysis of reparametrization symmetries inconvenient, especially since the well-known energy- and momentum-conservation laws for the system are expressed in terms of Eulerian variables only. While an Euler–Poincaré formulation of Vlasov–Maxwell-type systems, effectively starting with Low's action and using constrained variations for the Eulerian description of particle motion, has been known for a while Cendra et al, it is hard to come by a documented derivation of the related energy- and momentum-conservation laws in the spirit of the Euler–Poincaré machinery. To our knowledge only one such derivation exists in the literature so far, dealing with the so-called guiding-center Vlasov–Darwin system Sugama et al. The present exposition discusses a generic class of local Vlasov–Maxwell-type systems, with a conscious choice of adopting the language of differential geometry to exploit the Euler–Poincaré framework to its full extent. After reviewing the transition from a Lagrangian picture to an Eulerian one, we demonstrate how symmetries generated by isometries in space lead to conservation laws for linear- and angular-momentum density and how symmetry by time translation produces a conservation law for energy density. Here, we also discuss what happens if no symmetries exist. Finally, two explicit examples will be given—the classic Vlasov–Maxwell and the drift-kinetic Vlasov–Maxwell—and the results expressed in the language of regular vector calculus for familiarity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Spin Polarizations in a Covariant Angular-Momentum-Conserved Chiral Transport Model

Using a covariant and angular-momentum-conserved chiral transport model, which takes into account the spin-orbit interactions of chiral fermions in their scatterings via the side jumps, we study the quark spin polarization in quark matter. For a system of rotating and unpolarized massless quarks in an expanding box, we find that side jumps can dynamically polarize the quark spin and result in a final quark spin polarization consistent with that of thermally equilibrated massless quarks in a self-consistent vorticity field. Further, for the quark matter produced in noncentral relativistic heavy ion collisions, we find that in the medium rest frame both the quark local spin polarizations in the direction perpendicular to the reaction plane and along the longitudinal beam direction show an azimuthal angle dependence in the transverse plane similar to those observed in experiments for the Lambda hyperon.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Entanglement Effect and Angular Momentum Conservation in a Nonseparable Tunneling Treatment

The important, and often dominant, role of tunneling in low temperature kinetics has resulted in numerous theoretical explorations into the methodology for predicting it. Nevertheless, there are still key aspects of the derivations that are lacking, particularly for nonseparable systems in the low temperature regime, and further explorations of the physical factors affecting the tunneling rate are warranted. In this work we obtain a closed-form rate expression for the tunneling rate constant that is a direct analog of the rigid-rotor-harmonic-oscillator expression. This expression introduces a novel "entanglement factor" that modulates the reaction rate. Furthermore, we are able to extend this expression, which is valid for nonseparable systems at low temperatures, to properly account for the conservation of angular momentum. In contrast, previous calculations have considered only vibrational transverse modes and so effectively employ a decoupled rotational partition function for the orientational modes. We also suggest a simple theoretical model to describe the tunneling effects in the vicinity of the crossover temperature (the temperature where tunneling becomes the dominating mechanism). This model allows one to naturally classify, interpret, and predict experimental data. Among other things, it quantitatively explains in simple terms the so-called "quantum bobsled" effect, also known as the negative centrifugal effect, which is related to curvature of the reaction path. Taken together, the expressions obtained here allow one to predict the thermal and E-resolved rate constants over broad ranges of temperatures and energies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy and momentum conservation in spin transfer

We utilize simulations of spin-polarized electron scattering by a chain of localized quantum spins to show that energy and linear momentum conservation laws impose strong constraints on the properties of magnetic excitations induced by spin transfer. In turn, orbital and spin dynamics of conduction electrons depends on the dynamical characteristics of the local spins. Furthermore, our results suggest the possibility to achieve precise control of spin-transfer-driven magnetization dynamics by tailoring the spectral characteristics of the magnetic systems and of the driving electrons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1996

Evidence of Momentum Conservation at a Nonepitaxial Metal/Semiconductor Interface Using Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy

Ballistic-Electron-Emission Microscopy (BEEM) spectroscopy has been performed on Au/Si(111) structures as a function of Au thickness and temperature. At 77 K a direct signature of parallel momentum conservation at the Au/Si interface is observed in the BEEM spectra. The variation in spectral shape with both Au thickness and temperature places restrictions on allowable values of inelastic and elastic mean-free paths in the metal, and also requires the presence of multiple electron passes within the Au layer. An independent indication of multiple reflections is directly observed in the attenuation of BEEM current with Au thickness.

Bell, L. D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy-momentum-conserving stochastic differential equations and algorithms for the nonlinear Landau-Fokker-Planck equation

Coulomb collision is a fundamental diffusion process in plasmas that can be described by the Landau-Fokker-Planck (LFP) equation or the stochastic differential equation (SDE). While energy and momentum are conserved exactly in the LFP equation, they are conserved only on average by the conventional corresponding SDEs, suggesting that the underlying stochastic process may not be well defined by such SDEs. Here, in this study, we derive new SDEs with exact energy-momentum conservation for the Coulomb collision by factorizing the collective effect of field particles into individual particles and enforcing Newton's third law. These SDEs, when interpreted in the Stratonovich sense, have a particularly simple form that represents pure diffusion between particles without drag. To demonstrate that the new SDEs correspond to the LFP equation, we develop numerical algorithms that converge to the SDEs and preserve discrete conservation laws. Simulation results are presented in a benchmark of various relaxation processes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Soft-hard framework with exact four-momentum conservation for small systems

A new framework, called x-scape, for the combined study of both hard and soft transverse momentum sectors in high-energy proton-proton (𝑝−𝑝) and proton-nucleus (𝑝−𝐴) collisions is set up. A dynamical initial state is set up using the 3d-Glauber model with transverse locations of hotspots within each incoming nucleon. A hard scattering that emanates from two colliding hotspots is carried out using the Pythia generator. Initial state radiation from the incoming hard partons is carried out in a new module called I-matter, which includes the longitudinal location of initial splits. The energy-momentum of both the initial hard partons and their associated beam remnants is removed from the hot spots, depleting the energy-momentum available for the formation of the bulk medium. Outgoing showers are simulated using the matter generator, and results are presented for both cases, allowing for and not allowing for energy loss. First comparisons between this hard-soft model and single inclusive hadron and jet data from 𝑝−𝑝 and minimum bias 𝑝−Pb collisions are presented. Single hadron spectra in 𝑝−𝑝 are used to carry out a limited (in number of parameters) Bayesian calibration of the model. Fair comparisons with data are indicative of the utility of this new framework. Theoretical studies of the correlation between jet 𝑝 𝑇 and event activity at mid and forward rapidity are carried out.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

A Coulomb collision algorithm for weighted particle simulations

A binary Coulomb collision algorithm is developed for weighted particle simulations employing Monte Carlo techniques. Charged particles within a given spatial grid cell are pair-wise scattered, explicitly conserving momentum and implicitly conserving energy. A similar algorithm developed by Takizuka and Abe (1977) conserves momentum and energy provided the particles are unweighted (each particle representing equal fractions of the total particle density). If applied as is to simulations incorporating weighted particles, the plasma temperatures equilibrate to an incorrect temperature, as compared to theory. Using the appropriate pairing statistics, a Coulomb collision algorithm is developed for weighted particles. The algorithm conserves energy and momentum and produces the appropriate relaxation time scales as compared to theoretical predictions. Such an algorithm is necessary for future work studying self-consistent multi-species kinetic transport.

Miller, Ronald H.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Stemflow Hydrodynamics

Stemflow hydrodynamics is the study of water movement along the exterior surface area of plants. Its primary goal is to describe water velocity and water depth along the stem surface area. Its significance in enriching the rhizosphere with water and nutrients is not in dispute. Yet, the hydrodynamics of stemflow have been entirely overlooked. This review seeks to fill this knowledge gap by drawing from thin film theories to seek outcomes at the tree scale. The depth‐averaged conservation equations of water and solute mass are derived at a point. These equations are then supplemented with the conservation of momentum that is required to describe water velocities or relations between water velocities and water depth. Relevant forces pertinent to momentum conservation are covered and include body forces (gravitational effects), surface forces (wall friction), line forces (surface tension), and inertial effects. The inclusion of surface tension opens new vistas into the richness and complexity of stemflow hydrodynamics. Flow instabilities such as fingering, pinching of water columns into droplets, accumulation of water within fissures due to surface tension and their sudden release are prime examples that link observed spatial patterns of stemflow fronts and morphological characteristics of the bark. Aggregating these effects at the tree‐ and storm‐ scales are featured using published experiments. The review discusses outstanding challenges pertaining to stemflow hydrodynamics, the use of dynamic similarity and 3D printing to enable the interplay between field studies and controlled laboratory experiments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗