Wide-range dynamic pressure sensor

Transducer measures pressure by sensing the damping of a vibrating diaphragm immersed in the atmosphere to be measured. Improved sensor can be included in rugged, lightweight package for use aboard aircraft, meteorological vehicles, and space probes

Inertial-range kinetic turbulence in pressure-anisotropic astrophysical plasmas

A theoretical framework for low-frequency electromagnetic (drift-)kinetic turbulence in a collisionless, multi-species plasma is presented. The result generalises reduced magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) and kinetic RMHD (Schekochihin et al. 2009) for pressure-anisotropic plasmas, allowing for species drifts---a situation routinely encountered in the solar wind and presumably ubiquitous in hot dilute astrophysical plasmas (e.g. intracluster medium). Two main objectives are achieved. First, in a non-Maxwellian plasma, the relationships between fluctuating fields (e.g., the Alfven ratio) are order-unity modified compared to the more commonly considered Maxwellian case, and so a quantitative theory is developed to support quantitative measurements now possible in the solar wind. The main physical feature of low-frequency plasma turbulence survives the generalisation to non-Maxwellian distributions: Alfvenic and compressive fluctuations are energetically decoupled, with the latter passively advected by the former; the Alfvenic cascade is fluid, satisfying RMHD equations (with the Alfven speed modified by pressure anisotropy and species drifts), whereas the compressive cascade is kinetic and subject to collisionless damping. Secondly, the organising principle of this turbulence is elucidated in the form of a generalised kinetic free-energy invariant. It is shown that non-Maxwellian features in the distribution function reduce the rate of phase mixing and the efficacy of magnetic stresses; these changes influence the partitioning of free energy amongst the various cascade channels. As the firehose or mirror instability thresholds are approached, the dynamics of the plasma are modified so as to reduce the energetic cost of bending magnetic-field lines or of compressing/rarefying them. Finally, it is shown that this theory can be derived as a long-wavelength limit of non-Maxwellian slab gyrokinetics.Comment: 61 pages, accepted to Journal of Plasma Physics; Abstract abridge

Pressure effects on charge, spin, and metal-insulator transitions in narrow bandwidth manganite Pr1−x_{1-x}Cax_{x}MnO3_{3}

Pressure effects on the charge and spin states and the relation between the ferromagnetic and metallic states were explored on the small bandwidth manganite Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$MnO$_{3}$ (x = 0.25, 0.3, 0.35). Under pressure, the charge ordering state is suppressed and a ferromagnetic metallic state is induced in all three samples. The metal-insulator transition temperature (T$_{MI}$) increases with pressure below a critical point P*, above which T$_{MI}$ decreases and the material becomes insulating as at the ambient pressure. The e$_{g}$ electron bandwidth and/or band-filling mediate the pressure effects on the metal-insulator transition and the magnetic transition. In the small bandwidth and low doping concentration compound (x = 0.25), the T$_{MI}$ and Curie temperature (T$_{C}$) change with pressure in a reverse way and do not couple under pressure. In the x = 0.3 compound, the relation of T$_{MI}$ and T$_{C}$ shows a critical behavior: They are coupled in the range of $\sim$0.8-5 GPa and decoupled outside of this range. In the x = 0.35 compound, T$_{MI}$ and T$_{C}$ are coupled in the measured pressure range where a ferromagnetic state is present

Pressure Induced Reentrant Electronic and Magnetic State in Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 Manganite

In Pr$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$, pressure induces reentrant magnetic and electronic state changes in the range 1 atm to $\sim$ 6 GPa. The metal-insulator and magnetic transition temperatures coincide from $\sim$1 to 5 GPa, decouple outside of this range and do not change monotonically with pressure. The effects may be explained by pressure tuned competition between double exchange and super exchange. The insulating state induced by pressure above $\sim$5 GPa is possibly ferromagnetic, different from the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phase-separated insulating state below $\sim$0.8 GPa

Adverse-Pressure-Gradient effects on Turbulent Boundary Layers

Wall-bounded turbulence is present in many relevant fluid-flow problems such as the flow around wings, land and sea vehicles, or in turbines, compressors, etc. Simplified scenarios, such as the zero-pressure-gradient (ZPG) turbulent boundary layers (TBL) developing over a flat plate, have been deeply investigated in the past. Unfortunately, TBL seldom develop under ZPG conditions, with pressure gradients having significant impact on their features. In particular, adverse pressure gradients (APG) might produce flow separation with the consequent losses in performances. In this talk a unique experimental database of APG TBL covering a wide range of Reynolds numbers and with different pressure-gradient histories is presented. The measurements were performed by means of hot-wire anemometry (HWA) and oil-film interferometry (OFI) in the Reynolds-number range , and for pressure-gradient intensities resulting in values of the Clauser pressure-gradient parameter in the range . The primary objective is to study and compare near-equilibrium and non-equilibrium APG TBLs developing on a flat plate, discerning Reynolds-number effects from those due to the pressure-gradient.Máster en Hidráulica Ambienta

High pressure Ca-VI phase between 158-180 GPa: Stability, electronic structure and superconductivity

We have performed ab initio calculations for new high-pressure phase of Ca-VI between 158-180 GPa. The study includes elastic parameters of mono- and poly-crystalline aggregates, electronic band structure, lattice dynamics and superconductivity. The calculations show that the orthorhombic Pnma structure is mechanically and dynamically stable in the pressure range studied. The structure is superconducting in the entire pressure range and the calculated Tc (~25K) is maximum at ~172 GPa, where the transfer of charges from 4s to 3d may be thought to be completed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; PACS number(s): 74.70.Ad, 62.20.de, 71.20.-b, 74.20.Pq, 74.25.Kc, 74.62.Fj; Keywords: Calcium; High pressure; Electronic band structure; Phonon spectrum; Elastic constants; Superconducto

Pressure transducer with four-decade dynamic range

Adjustable resistor taps in gain-control feedback loop of the transducer permit wide sensing range, shorting the pins on electrical connector allows selection of appropriate range. Electrical specifications of the transducer and its applications are cited

Enstrophy and dissipation must have the same scaling exponent in the high Reynolds number limit of fluidturbulence

Writing the Poisson equation for the pressure in the vorticity-strain form, we show that the pressure has a finite inertial range spectrum for high Reynolds number isotropic turbulence only if the anomalous scaling exponents $\mu$ and $\mu_{\omega}$ for the dissipation and enstrophy (squared vorticity) are equal. Since a finite inertial range pressure spectrum requires only very weak assumptions about high Reynolds number turbulence, we conclude that the inference from experiment and direct numerical siimulation that these exponents are different must be a finite range scaling result which will not survive taking the high Reynolds number limit.Comment: 3 pages, revtex, no figure