A Technique for Measuring Rotocraft Dynamic Stability in the 40 by 80 Foot Wind Tunnel

An on-line technique is described for the measurement of tilt rotor aircraft dynamic stability in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel. The technique is based on advanced system identification methodology and uses the instrumental variables approach. It is particulary applicable to real time estimation problems with limited amounts of noise-contaminated data. Several simulations are used to evaluate the algorithm. Estimated natural frequencies and damping ratios are compared with simulation values. The algorithm is also applied to wind tunnel data in an off-line mode. The results are used to develop preliminary guidelines for effective use of the algorithm

The Liouville Theorem for a Quasi-Linear Elliptic Partial Differential Equation

The classical Liouville Theorem of analytic function theory can be stated in either of two equivalent forms: The Liouville Theorem states: If f(w) is analytic and bounded throughout the finite w-plane, then f(w) is constant. If z(x, y) is a real valued function of the real variables x and y which is a solution of zxx + zyy = 0 and is bounded either above or below throughout the finite plane, then z(x, y) is a constant. Here we are concerned with the question of whether or not the second formulation of the above theorem is valid for solutions of more general elliptic partial differential equations

The Liouville Theorem for a Quasi-Linear Elliptic Partial Differential Equation

The classical Liouville Theorem of analytic function theory can be stated in either of two equivalent forms: The Liouville Theorem states: If f(w) is analytic and bounded throughout the finite w-plane, then f(w) is constant. If z(x, y) is a real valued function of the real variables x and y which is a solution of zxx + zyy = 0 and is bounded either above or below throughout the finite plane, then z(x, y) is a constant. Here we are concerned with the question of whether or not the second formulation of the above theorem is valid for solutions of more general elliptic partial differential equations

Methane emissions from western Siberian wetlands: heterogeneity and sensitivity to climate change

The prediction of methane emissions from high-latitude wetlands is important given concerns about their sensitivity to a warming climate. As a basis for the prediction of wetland methane emissions at regional scales, we coupled the variable infiltration capacity macroscale hydrological model (VIC) with the biosphere–energy-transfer–hydrology terrestrial ecosystem model (BETHY) and a wetland methane emissions model to make large-scale estimates of methane emissions as a function of soil temperature, water table depth, and net primary productivity (NPP), with a parameterization of the sub-grid heterogeneity of the water table depth based on TOPMODEL. We simulated the methane emissions from a 100 km × 100 km region of western Siberia surrounding the Bakchar Bog, for a retrospective baseline period of 1980–1999 and have evaluated their sensitivity to increases in temperature of 0–5 °C and increases in precipitation of 0–15%. The interactions of temperature and precipitation, through their effects on the water table depth, played an important role in determining methane emissions from these wetlands. The balance between these effects varied spatially, and their net effect depended in part on sub-grid topographic heterogeneity. Higher temperatures alone increased methane production in saturated areas, but caused those saturated areas to shrink in extent, resulting in a net reduction in methane emissions. Higher precipitation alone raised water tables and expanded the saturated area, resulting in a net increase in methane emissions. Combining a temperature increase of 3 °C and an increase of 10% in precipitation to represent climate conditions that may pertain in western Siberia at the end of this century resulted in roughly a doubling in annual emissions

Linking Ultracold Polar Molecules

We predict that pairs of polar molecules can be weakly bound together in an ultracold environment, provided that a dc electric field is present. The field that links the molecules together also strongly influences the basic properties of the resulting dimer, such as its binding energy and predissociation lifetime. Because of their long-range character these dimers will be useful in disentangling cold collision dynamics of polar molecules. As an example, we estimate the microwave photoassociation yield for OH-OH cold collisions.Comment: 4 pages 2 figure

Structure, Scaling and Phase Transition in the Optimal Transport Network

We minimize the dissipation rate of an electrical network under a global constraint on the sum of powers of the conductances. We construct the explicit scaling relation between currents and conductances, and show equivalence to a a previous model [J. R. Banavar {\it et al} Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 84}, 004745 (2000)] optimizing a power-law cost function in an abstract network. We show the currents derive from a potential, and the scaling of the conductances depends only locally on the currents. A numerical study reveals that the transition in the topology of the optimal network corresponds to a discontinuity in the slope of the power dissipation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure