3,282 research outputs found
Shear-flow transition: the basin boundary
The structure of the basin of attraction of a stable equilibrium point is
investigated for a dynamical system (W97) often used to model transition to
turbulence in shear flows. The basin boundary contains not only an equilibrium
point Xlb but also a periodic orbit P, and it is the latter that mediates the
transition. Orbits starting near Xlb relaminarize. We offer evidence that this
is due to the extreme narrowness of the region complementary to basin of
attraction in that part of phase space near Xlb. This leads to a proposal for
interpreting the 'edge of chaos' in terms of more familiar invariant sets.Comment: 11 pages; submitted for publication in Nonlinearit
On statistically stationary homogeneous shear turbulence
A statistically stationary turbulence with a mean shear gradient is realized
in a flow driven by suitable body forces. The flow domain is periodic in
downstream and spanwise directions and bounded by stress free surfaces in the
normal direction. Except for small layers near the surfaces the flow is
homogeneous. The fluctuations in turbulent energy are less violent than in the
simulations using remeshing, but the anisotropy on small scales as measured by
the skewness of derivatives is similar and decays weakly with increasing
Reynolds number.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures (Figs. 3 and 4 as external JPG-Files
Translational-rotational modes in noncentrosymmetric lattices: A lattice-dynamical interpretation of the phenanthrene phase transition
A lattice-dynamical study has been used to elucidate the mechanism of the phase transition in phenanthrene. The calculation is consistent with the known lattice energy and crystal structure. Combination of experimental results with the calculated phonon dispersion curves and eigenmode symmetries yields a dynamic mechanism for the transition based on increasing density of higher-frequency modes upon approach to the transition temperature to the high-temperature phase. This motion, which may be associated with motion of hydrogen atoms in the molecule, confers a more three-dimensional character to the interactions and correlates well with the observed change in heat capacity
Symmetry Decomposition of Chaotic Dynamics
Discrete symmetries of dynamical flows give rise to relations between
periodic orbits, reduce the dynamics to a fundamental domain, and lead to
factorizations of zeta functions. These factorizations in turn reduce the labor
and improve the convergence of cycle expansions for classical and quantum
spectra associated with the flow. In this paper the general formalism is
developed, with the -disk pinball model used as a concrete example and a
series of physically interesting cases worked out in detail.Comment: CYCLER Paper 93mar01
Tidal controls on trace gas dynamics in a seagrass meadow of the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal)
Coastal zones are important source regions for a variety of trace gases, including halocarbons and sulfur-bearing species. While salt marshes, macroalgae and phyto-plankton communities have been intensively studied, little is known about trace gas fluxes in seagrass meadows. Here we report results of a newly developed dynamic flux chamber system that can be deployed in intertidal areas over full tidal cycles allowing for highly time-resolved measurements. The fluxes of CO2, methane (CH4) and a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) showed a complex dynamic mediated by tide and light. In contrast to most previous studies, our data indicate significantly enhanced fluxes during tidal immersion relative to periods of air exposure. Short emission peaks occurred with onset of the feeder current at the sampling site. We suggest an overall strong effect of advective transport processes to explain the elevated fluxes during tidal immersion. Many emission estimates from tidally influenced coastal areas still rely on measurements carried out during low tide only. Hence, our results may have significant implications for budgeting trace gases in coastal areas. This dynamic flux chamber system provides intensive time series data of community respiration (at night) and net community production (during the day) of shallow coastal systems.German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) [03F0611E, 03F0662E]; EU FP7 ASSEMBLE research infrastructure initiative
Probability Distributions of Random Electromagnetic Fields in the Presence of a Semi-Infinite Isotropic Medium
Using a TE/TM decomposition for an angular plane-wave spectrum of free random
electromagnetic waves and matched boundary conditions, we derive the
probability density function for the energy density of the vector electric
field in the presence of a semi-infinite isotropic medium. The theoretical
analysis is illustrated with calculations and results for good electric
conductors and for a lossless dielectric half-space. The influence of the
permittivity and conductivity on the intensity, random polarization,
statistical distribution and standard deviation of the field is investigated,
both for incident plus reflected fields and for refracted fields. External
refraction is found to result in compression of the fluctuations of the random
field.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Radio Scienc
- …