Time resolved tracking of a sound scatterer in a turbulent flow: non-stationary signal analysis and applications

It is known that ultrasound techniques yield non-intrusive measurements of hydrodynamic flows. For example, the study of the echoes produced by a large number of particle insonified by pulsed wavetrains has led to a now standard velocimetry technique. In this paper, we propose to extend the method to the continuous tracking of one single particle embedded in a complex flow. This gives a Lagrangian measurement of the fluid motion, which is of importance in mixing and turbulence studies. The method relies on the ability to resolve in time the Doppler shift of the sound scattered by the continuously insonfied particle. For this signal processing problem two classes of approaches are used: time-frequency analysis and parametric high resolution methods. In the first class we consider the spectrogram and reassigned spectrogram, and we apply it to detect the motion of a small bead settling in a fluid at rest. In more non-stationary turbulent flows where methods in the second class are more robust, we have adapted an Approximated Maximum Likelihood technique coupled with a generalized Kalman filter.Comment: 16 pages 9 figure

Clumpy Disc and Bulge Formation

We present a set of hydrodynamical/Nbody controlled simulations of isolated gas rich galaxies that self-consistently include SN feedback and a detailed chemical evolution model, both tested in cosmological simulations. The initial conditions are motivated by the observed star forming galaxies at z ~ 2-3. We find that the presence of a multiphase interstellar media in our models promotes the growth of disc instability favouring the formation of clumps which in general, are not easily disrupted on timescales compared to the migration time. We show that stellar clumps migrate towards the central region and contribute to form a classical-like bulge with a Sersic index, n > 2. Our physically-motivated Supernova feedback has a mild influence on clump survival and evolution, partially limiting the mass growth of clumps as the energy released per Supernova event is increased, with the consequent flattening of the bulge profile. This regulation does not prevent the building of a classical-like bulge even for the most energetic feedback tested. Our Supernova feedback model is able to establish a self-regulated star formation, producing mass-loaded outflows and stellar age spreads comparable to observations. We find that the bulge formation by clumps may coexit with other channels of bulge assembly such as bar and mergers. Our results suggest that galactic bulges could be interpreted as composite systems with structural components and stellar populations storing archaeological information of the dynamical history of their galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS - Aug. 20, 201

Large-eddy simulation of the flow in a lid-driven cubical cavity

Large-eddy simulations of the turbulent flow in a lid-driven cubical cavity have been carried out at a Reynolds number of 12000 using spectral element methods. Two distinct subgrid-scales models, namely a dynamic Smagorinsky model and a dynamic mixed model, have been both implemented and used to perform long-lasting simulations required by the relevant time scales of the flow. All filtering levels make use of explicit filters applied in the physical space (on an element-by-element approach) and spectral (modal) spaces. The two subgrid-scales models are validated and compared to available experimental and numerical reference results, showing very good agreement. Specific features of lid-driven cavity flow in the turbulent regime, such as inhomogeneity of turbulence, turbulence production near the downstream corner eddy, small-scales localization and helical properties are investigated and discussed in the large-eddy simulation framework. Time histories of quantities such as the total energy, total turbulent kinetic energy or helicity exhibit different evolutions but only after a relatively long transient period. However, the average values remain extremely close

Investigation of Three Design Modifications of the NACA Injection Impeller in an R-3350 Engine

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of three design modifications of the original NACA injection impeller on the performance of an R-3350 engine. Different methods of injecting the fuel into the impeller air stream were studied and evaluated from the individual cylinder fuel-air ratios and the resulting cylinder temperatures. Each impeller was tested for a range of engine powers normally used in flight operation. The relatively simple design of the original injection impeller produced approximately the same mixture- and temperature-distribution characteristics as the modified impellers of more complex design. None of the modifications appreciably affected the manifold pressure, the combustion-air flow, nor the throttle angle required to maintain a given engine power

Preliminary results from the STEPHI2009 campaign on the open cluster NGC 1817

We present preliminary observational results of the multi-site STEPHI campaign on the cluster NGC 1817. The three observatories involved are San Pedro Martir (Mexico), Xing Long (China) and the Observatorio del Teide (Spain) - giving an ideal combination to maximise the duty cycle. The cluster has 12 known delta Scuti stars and at least two detached eclipsing binary systems. This combination of characteristics is ideal for extracting information about global parameters of the targets, which will in turn impose strict constraints on the stellar models. From an initial comparison with stellar models using the known fundamental parameters, and just the observed pulsation frequencies and measured effective temperatures, it appears that a lower value of initial helium mass fraction will most likely explain the observations of these stars.Comment: 4 pages, proceedings from HELAS IV meeting 2010, Lanzarot

Another derivation of the geometrical KPZ relations

We give a physicist's derivation of the geometrical (in the spirit of Duplantier-Sheffield) KPZ relations, via heat kernel methods. It gives a covariant way to define neighborhoods of fractals in 2d quantum gravity, and shows that these relations are in the realm of conformal field theory

Miniature photonic-crystal hydrophone optimized for ocean acoustics

This work reports on an optical hydrophone that is insensitive to hydrostatic pressure, yet capable of measuring acoustic pressures as low as the background noise in the ocean in a frequency range of 1 Hz to 100 kHz. The miniature hydrophone consists of a Fabry-Perot interferometer made of a photonic-crystal reflector interrogated with a single-mode fiber, and is compatible with existing fiber-optic technologies. Three sensors with different acoustic power ranges placed within a sub-wavelength sized hydrophone head allow a high dynamic range in the excess of 160 dB with a low harmonic distortion of better than -30 dB. A method for suppressing cross coupling between sensors in the same hydrophone head is also proposed. A prototype was fabricated, assembled, and tested. The sensitivity was measured from 100 Hz to 100 kHz, demonstrating a minimum detectable pressure down to 12 {\mu}Pa (1-Hz noise bandwidth), a flatband wider than 10 kHz, and very low distortion