12,566 research outputs found
Analysis and identification of subsynchronous vibration for a high pressure parallel flow centrifugal compressor
The summary of a complete analytical design evaluation of an existing parallel flow compressor is presented and a field vibration problem that manifested itself as a subsynchronous vibration that tracked at approximately 2/3 of compressor speed is reviewed. The comparison of predicted and observed peak response speeds, frequency spectrum content, and the performance of the bearing-seal systems are presented as the events of the field problem are reviewed. Conclusions and recommendations are made as to the degree of accuracy of the analytical techniques used to evaluate the compressor design
Particle acceleration at ultrarelativistic shocks: an eigenfunction method
We extend the eigenfunction method of computing the power-law spectrum of
particles accelerated at a relativistic shock fronts to apply to shocks of
arbitrarily high Lorentz factor. In agreement with the findings of Monte-Carlo
simulations, we find the index of the power-law distribution of accelerated
particles which undergo isotropic diffusion in angle at an ultrarelativistic,
unmagnetized shock is s=4.23 (where s=-d(ln f)/dp with f the Lorentz invariant
phase-space density and p the momentum). This corresponds to a synchrotron
index for uncooled electrons of a=0.62 (taking cooling into account a=1.12),
where a=-d(ln F)/dn, F is the radiation flux and n the frequency. We also
present an approximate analytic expression for the angular distribution of
accelerated particles, which displays the effect of particle trapping by the
shock: compared with the non-relativistic case the angular distribution is
weighted more towards the plane of the shock and away from its normal. We
investigate the sensitivity of our results to the transport properties of the
particles and the presence of a magnetic field. Shocks in which the ratio of
Poynting to kinetic energy flux upstream is not small are less compressive and
lead to larger values of .Comment: Minor additions on publicatio
Magnetically suspended flywheel system study
A program to study the application of a graphite/epoxy, magnetically suspended, pierced disk flywheel for the combined function of spacecraft attitude control and energy storage (ACES) is described. Past achievements of the program include design and analysis computer codes for the flywheel rotor, a magnetically suspended flywheel model, and graphite/epoxy rotor rings that were successfully prestressed via interference assembly. All hardware successfully demonstrated operation of the necessary subsystems which form a complete ACES design. Areas of future work include additional rotor design research, system definition and control strategies, prototype development, and design/construction of a UM/GSFC spin test facility. The results of applying design and analysis computer codes to a magnetically suspended interference assembled rotor show specific energy densities of 42 Wh/lb (92.4 Wh/kg) are obtained for a 1.6 kWh system
Radio/X-ray Offsets of Large Scale Jets Caused by Synchrotron Time Lags
In the internal shock scenario, we argue that electrons in most kpc (or even
larger) scale jets can be accelerated to energies high enough to emit
synchrotron X-rays, if shocks exist on these scales. These high energy
electrons emit synchrotron radiation at high frequencies and cool as they
propagate downstream along the jet, emitting at progressively lower frequencies
and resulting in time lags and hence radio/X-ray (and optical/X-ray if the
optical knot is detectable) offsets at bright knots, with the centroids of
X-ray knots being closer to the core. Taking into account strong effects of jet
expansion, the behaviour of radio/X-ray and optical/X-ray offsets at bright
knots in M87, Cen A, 3C 66B, 3C 31, 3C 273, and PKS 1127-145 is consistent with
that of synchrotron time lags due to radiative losses. This suggests that the
large scale X-ray and optical jets in these sources are due to synchrotron
emission.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
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A Comparative Study of RF and Induction Linac Approaches to Phase Rotation of a Muon Bunch in the Production Region of a µ+ -µ- Collider
Electrical current distribution across a metal-insulator-metal structure during bistable switching
Combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron-beam-induced
current (EBIC) imaging with transport measurements, it is shown that the
current flowing across a two-terminal oxide-based capacitor-like structure is
preferentially confined in areas localized at defects. As the thin-film device
switches between two different resistance states, the distribution and
intensity of the current paths, appearing as bright spots, change. This implies
that switching and memory effects are mainly determined by the conducting
properties along such paths. A model based on the storage and release of charge
carriers within the insulator seems adequate to explain the observed memory
effect.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Appl. Phy
Cosmic Ray Propagation: Nonlinear Diffusion Parallel and Perpendicular to Mean Magnetic Field
We consider the propagation of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields. We
use the models of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence that were tested in numerical
simulations, in which the turbulence is injected on large scale and cascades to
small scales. Our attention is focused on the models of the strong turbulence,
but we also briefly discuss the effects that the weak turbulence and the slab
Alfv\'enic perturbations can have. The latter are likely to emerge as a result
of instabilities with in the cosmic ray fluid itself, e.g., beaming and
gyroresonance instabilities of cosmic rays. To describe the interaction of
cosmic rays with magnetic perturbations we develop a non-linear formalism that
extends the ordinary Quasi-Linear Theory (QLT) that is routinely used for the
purpose. This allows us to avoid the usual problem of 90 degree scattering and
enable our computation of the mean free path of cosmic rays. We apply the
formalism to the cosmic ray propagation in the galactic halo and in the Warm
Ionized medium (WIM). In addition, we address the issue of the transport of
cosmic rays perpendicular to the mean magnetic field and show that the issue of
cosmic ray subdiffusion (i.e., propagation with retracing the trajectories
backwards, which slows down the diffusion) is only important for restricted
cases when the ambient turbulence is far from what numerical simulations
suggest to us. As a result, this work provides formalism that can be applied
for calculating cosmic ray propagation in a wide variety of circumstances.Comment: minor changes, accepted to Ap
Astrophysical Supercomputing with GPUs: Critical Decisions for Early Adopters
General purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is
dramatically changing the landscape of high performance computing in astronomy.
In this paper, we identify and investigate several key decision areas, with a
goal of simplyfing the early adoption of GPGPU in astronomy. We consider the
merits of OpenCL as an open standard in order to reduce risks associated with
coding in a native, vendor-specific programming environment, and present a GPU
programming philosophy based on using brute force solutions. We assert that
effective use of new GPU-based supercomputing facilities will require a change
in approach from astronomers. This will likely include improved programming
training, an increased need for software development best-practice through the
use of profiling and related optimisation tools, and a greater reliance on
third-party code libraries. As with any new technology, those willing to take
the risks, and make the investment of time and effort to become early adopters
of GPGPU in astronomy, stand to reap great benefits.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
A Structural Analysis of Star-Forming Region AFGL 490
We present Spitzer IRAC and MIPS observations of the star-forming region
containing intermediate-mass young stellar object (YSO) AFGL 490. We supplement
these data with near-IR 2MASS photometry and with deep SQIID observations off
the central high extinction region. We have more than doubled the known
membership of this region to 57 Class I and 303 Class II YSOs via the combined
1-24 um photometric catalog derived from these data. We construct and analyze
the minimum spanning tree of their projected positions, isolating one locally
over-dense cluster core containing 219 YSOs (60.8% of the region's members). We
find this cluster core to be larger yet less dense than similarly analyzed
clusters. Although the structure of this cluster core appears irregular, we
demonstrate that the parsec-scale surface densities of both YSOs and gas are
correlated with a power law slope of 2.8, as found for other similarly analyzed
nearby molecular clouds. We also explore the mass segregation implications of
AFGL 490's offset from the center of its core, finding that it has no apparent
preferential central position relative to the low-mass members.Comment: 44 pages, 13 figures, accepted to Ap
Shock Acceleration of Cosmic Rays - a critical review
Motivated by recent unsuccessful efforts to detect the predicted flux of TeV
gamma-rays from supernova remnants, we present a critical examination of the
theory on which these predictions are based. Three crucial problems are
identified: injection, maximum achievable particle energy and spectral index.
In each case significant new advances in understanding have been achieved,
which cast doubt on prevailing paradigms such as Bohm diffusion and
single-fluid MHD. This indicates that more realistic analytical models, backed
by more sophisticated numerical techniques should be employed to obtain
reliable predictions. Preliminary work on incorporating the effects of
anomalous transport suggest that the resulting spectrum should be significantly
softer than that predicted by conventional theory.Comment: 8 pages, invited review presented at the 17th ECRS, Lodz, July 2000;
to appear in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic
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