Propulsion system-flight control integration and optimization: Flight evaluation and technology transition

Integration of propulsion and flight control systems and their optimization offers significant performance improvements. Research programs were conducted which have developed new propulsion and flight control integration concepts, implemented designs on high-performance airplanes, demonstrated these designs in flight, and measured the performance improvements. These programs, first on the YF-12 airplane, and later on the F-15, demonstrated increased thrust, reduced fuel consumption, increased engine life, and improved airplane performance; with improvements in the 5 to 10 percent range achieved with integration and with no changes to hardware. The design, software and hardware developments, and testing requirements were shown to be practical

Improving the geological interpretation of magnetic and gravity satellite anomalies

Quantitative analysis of the geologic component of observed satellite magnetic and gravity fields requires accurate isolation of the geologic component of the observations, theoretically sound and viable inversion techniques, and integration of collateral, constraining geologic and geophysical data. A number of significant contributions were made which make quantitative analysis more accurate. These include procedures for: screening and processing orbital data for lithospheric signals based on signal repeatability and wavelength analysis; producing accurate gridded anomaly values at constant elevations from the orbital data by three-dimensional least squares collocation; increasing the stability of equivalent point source inversion and criteria for the selection of the optimum damping parameter; enhancing inversion techniques through an iterative procedure based on the superposition theorem of potential fields; and modeling efficiently regional-scale lithospheric sources of satellite magnetic anomalies. In addition, these techniques were utilized to investigate regional anomaly sources of North and South America and India and to provide constraints to continental reconstruction. Since the inception of this research study, eleven papers were presented with associated published abstracts, three theses were completed, four papers were published or accepted for publication, and an additional manuscript was submitted for publication

Spectral methods for the wave equation in second-order form

Current spectral simulations of Einstein's equations require writing the equations in first-order form, potentially introducing instabilities and inefficiencies. We present a new penalty method for pseudo-spectral evolutions of second order in space wave equations. The penalties are constructed as functions of Legendre polynomials and are added to the equations of motion everywhere, not only on the boundaries. Using energy methods, we prove semi-discrete stability of the new method for the scalar wave equation in flat space and show how it can be applied to the scalar wave on a curved background. Numerical results demonstrating stability and convergence for multi-domain second-order scalar wave evolutions are also presented. This work provides a foundation for treating Einstein's equations directly in second-order form by spectral methods.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Fluorine in silicate glasses: A multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance study

Anhydrous nepheline, jadeite, and albite glasses doped with F as well as hydrous F-containing haplogranitic glasses were investigated using 19F combined rotation and multiple-pulse spectroscopy; 19F → 29Si cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (MAS); and high-power 19F decoupled 29Si, 23Na, and 27Al MAS nuclear magnetic resonance methods. Fluorine preferentially coordinates with Al to form octahedral AlF63− complexes in all glasses studied. In addition, F anions bridging two Al cations, units containing octahedral Al coordinated by both O and F, or tetrahedral Al-F complexes might be present. The presence of Si-F bonds cannot be entirely ruled out but appears unlikely on the basis of the 19F → 29Si CP/MAS spectra. There is no evidence for any significant coordination of F with alkalis in the glasses studied. 23Na spectra are identical for the samples and their F-free equivalents and the spectra do not change upon decoupling of 19F. The speciation of F in the hydrous and anhydrous glasses appears to be very similar. Over the range of F contents studied ( up to 5 wt.% ), there seems to be hardly any dependence of F speciation on the concentration of F in the samples. The spectroscopic results explain the decrease of the viscosity of silicate melts with increasing F content by removal of Al from bridging AlO4-units due to complexing with F, which causes depolymerization of the melt. The same mechanism can account for the shift of the eutectic point in the haplogranite system to more feldspar-rich compositions with increasing F content, and for the peraluminous composition of most F-rich granites. Liquid immiscibility in F-rich granitic melts might be caused by formation of (Na,K)3AlF6 units in the melt with little or no interaction with the silicate component. The presence of F in granitic melts might increase the solubility of high field strength cations by making nonbridging O atoms available which form complexes with these cations

Computation of steady and unsteady quasi-one-dimensional viscous/inviscid interacting internal flows at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic Mach numbers

Computations of viscous-inviscid interacting internal flowfields are presented for steady and unsteady quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) test cases. The unsteady Q1D Euler equations are coupled with integral boundary-layer equations for unsteady, two-dimensional (planar or axisymmetric), turbulent flow over impermeable, adiabatic walls. The coupling methodology differs from that used in most techniques reported previously in that the above mentioned equation sets are written as a complete system and solved simultaneously; that is, the coupling is carried out directly through the equations as opposed to coupling the solutions of the different equation sets. Solutions to the coupled system of equations are obtained using both explicit and implicit numerical schemes for steady subsonic, steady transonic, and both steady and unsteady supersonic internal flowfields. Computed solutions are compared with measurements as well as Navier-Stokes and inverse boundary-layer methods. An analysis of the eigenvalues of the coefficient matrix associated with the quasi-linear form of the coupled system of equations indicates the presence of complex eigenvalues for certain flow conditions. It is concluded that although reasonable solutions can be obtained numerically, these complex eigenvalues contribute to the overall difficulty in obtaining numerical solutions to the coupled system of equations

Overcoming the boundary layer turbulence at Dome C: ground-layer adaptive optics versus tower

The unique atmospheric conditions present at sites such as Dome C on the Antarctic plateau are very favorable for high spatial resolution astronomy. At Dome C, the majority of the optical turbulence is confined to a 30 to 40 m thick stable boundary layer that results from the strong temperature inversion created by the heat exchange between the air and the ice-covered ground. To fully realize the potential of the exceptionally calm free atmosphere, this boundary layer must be overcome. In this article we compare the performance of two methods proposed to beat the boundary layer: mounting a telescope on a tower that physically puts it above the turbulent layer, and installing a telescope at ground level with a ground-layer adaptive optics system. A case is also made to combine these two methods to further improve the image quality

Fluctuations in superconducting rings with two order parameters

Starting from the Ginzburg-Landau energy functional, we discuss how the presence of two order parameters and the coupling between them influence a superconducting ring in the fluctuative regime. Our method is exact, but requires numerical implementation. We also study approximations for which some analytic expressions can be obtained, and check their ranges of validity. We provide estimates for the temperature ranges where fluctuations are important, calculate the persistent current in magnesium diboride rings as a function of temperature and enclosed flux, and point out its additional dependence on the cross-section area of the ring. We find temperature regions in which fluctuations enhance the persistent currents and regions where they inhibit the persistent current. The presence of two order parameters that can fluctuate independently always leads to larger averages of the order parameters at Tc, but only for appropriate parameters this yields larger persistent current. In cases of very different material parameters for the two coupled condensates, the persistent current is inhibited

Characterization and limits of a cold atom Sagnac interferometer

We present the full evaluation of a cold atom gyroscope based on atom interferometry. We have performed extensive studies to determine the systematic errors, scale factor and sensitivity. We demonstrate that the acceleration noise can be efficiently removed from the rotation signal allowing to reach the fundamental limit of the quantum projection noise for short term measurements. The technical limits to the long term sensitivity and accuracy have been identified, clearing the way for the next generations of ultra-sensitive atom gyroscopes