Control surface spanwise placement in active flutter suppression systems

A method is developed that determines the placement of an active control surface for maximum effectiveness in suppressing flutter. No specific control law is required by this method which is based on the aerodynamic energy concept. It is argued that the spanwise placement of the active controls should coincide with the locations where maximum energy per unit span is fed into the system. The method enables one to determine the distribution, over the different surfaces of the aircraft, of the energy input into the system as a result of the unstable fluttering mode. The method is illustrated using three numerical examples

A critique of scaling behaviour in non-linear structure formation scenarios

Moments of the BBGKY equations for spatial correlation functions of cosmological density perturbations are used to obtain a differential equation for the evolution of the dimensionless function, $h = - ({v/{\dot{a}x}})$, where $v$ is the mean relative pair velocity. The BBGKY equations are closed using a hierarchical scaling ansatz for the 3-point correlation function. Scale-invariant solutions derived earlier by Davis and Peebles are then used in the non-linear regime, along with the generalised stable clustering hypothesis ($h \to$ const.), to obtain an expression for the asymptotic value of $h$, in terms of the power law index of clustering, $\gamma$,and the tangential and radial velocity dispersions. The Davis-Peebles solution is found to require that tangential dispersions are larger than radial ones, in the non-linear regime; this can be understood on physical grounds. Finally, stability analysis of the solution demonstrates that the allowed asymptotic values of $h$, consistent with the stable clustering hypothesis, lie in the range $0 \leq h \leq 1/2$. Thus, if the Davis-Peebles scale-invariant solution (and the hierarchical model for the 3-pt function) is correct, the standard stable clustering picture ($h \to 1$ as $\bar\xi \to \infty$) is not allowed in the non-linear regime of structure formation.Comment: 14 pages, no figures. Scheduled to appear in ApJ, Mar 1 issue. Final version, contains added discussion to match the accepted versio

X-ray/gamma-ray flux correlations in the BL Lacs Mrk 421 and 501 using HAWC data

The HAWC gamma ray observatory is located at the Sierra Negra Volcano in Puebla, Mexico, at an altitude of 4,100 meters. HAWC is a wide field of view array of 300 water Cherenkov detectors that are continuously surveying ~ 2sr of the sky, operating since March 2015. The large collected data sample allows HAWC to perform an unbiased monitoring of the BL Lac Mrk 421. This is the closest and brightest known extragalactic high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac in the gamma-ray/X- ray bands and is extensively monitored by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi satellite, and the BAT and XRT instruments of the Swift satellite. In this work, we use 25 months of HAWC data together with Swift-XRT data to characterize potential correlations between both wavelengths. This analysis shows that HAWC and Swift-XRT data are correlated even stronger than expected for quasi-simultaneous observations.Comment: Presented at the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2017), Bexco, Busan, Korea. See arXiv:1708.02572 for all HAWC contribution

First measurement of HI 21cm emission from a GRB host galaxy indicates a post-merger system

We report the detection and mapping of atomic hydrogen in HI 21cm emission from ESO 184-G82, the host galaxy of the gamma ray burst 980425. This is the first instance where HI in emission has been detected from a galaxy hosting a gamma ray burst. ESO 184-G82 is an isolated galaxy and contains a Wolf-Rayet region close to the location of the gamma ray burst and the associated supernova, SN 1998bw. This is one of the most luminous HII regions identified in the local Universe, with a very high inferred density of star formation. The HI 21cm observations reveal a high HI mass for the galaxy, twice as large as the stellar mass. The spatial and velocity distribution of the HI 21cm emission reveals a disturbed rotating gas disk, which suggests that the galaxy has undergone a recent minor merger that disrupted its rotation. We find that the Wolf-Rayet region and the gamma ray burst are both located in the highest HI column density region of the galaxy. We speculate that the merger event has resulted in shock compression of the gas, triggering extreme star formation activity, and resulting in the formation of both the Wolf-Rayet region and the gamma ray burst. The high HI column density environment of the GRB is consistent with the high HI column densities seen in absorption in the host galaxies of high redshift gamma ray bursts.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters. 5 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. For the definitive version visit http://mnrasl.oxfordjournals.org