Variations in Ring Particle Cooling across Saturn's Rings with Cassini CIRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, S. M.; Spilker, L. J.; Pilorz, S.; Edgington, S. G.; Déau, E.; Altobelli, N.

2010-12-01

Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer has recorded over two million of spectra of Saturn's rings in the far infrared since arriving at Saturn in 2004. CIRS records far infrared radiation between 10 and 600 cm-1 ( 16.7 and 1000 μ {m} ) at focal plane 1 (FP1), which has a field of view of 3.9 mrad. Thermal emission from Saturn’s rings peaks in this wavelength range. Ring temperatures can be inferred from FP1 data. By tracking how ring temperatures vary, we can determine the thermal inertia of the rings. Previous studies have shown that the rings' thermal inertia, a measure of their response to changes in the thermal environment, varies from ring to ring. Thermal inertia can provide insight into the physical structure of Saturn's ring particles and their regoliths. Low thermal inertia and rapidly changing temperatures are suggestive of ring particles that have more porous or fluffy regoliths or that are riddled with cracks. Solid particles can be expected to have higher thermal inertias. Ferrari et al. (2005) fit thermal inertia values of 5218 {Jm)-2 {K}-1 {s}-1/2 to their B ring data and 6412 {Jm)-2 {K}-1 {s}-1/2 to their C ring data. In this work we focus on CIRS observations of the shadowed portion of Saturn's rings. The rings’ thermal budget is dominated by its absorption of solar radiation. As a result, ring particles abruptly cool as they traverse Saturn's shadow. From these shadow observations we can create cooling curves at specific locations across the rings. We will show that the rings' cooling curves and thus their thermal inertia vary not only from ring to ring, but by location within the individual rings. This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA. Copyright 2010 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.

Vortex rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shariff, Karim; Leonard, Anthony

1992-01-01

The vortex-ring problem in fluid mechanics is examined generally in terms of formation, the steady state, the duration of the rings, and vortex interactions. The formation is studied by examining the generation of laminar and turbulent vortex rings and their resulting structures with attention given to the three stages of laminar ring development. Inviscid dynamics is addressed to show how core dynamics affects overall ring motion, and laminar vortex structures are described in two dimensions. Viscous and inviscid structures are related in terms of 'leapfrogging', head-on collisions, and collisions with a no-slip wall. Linear instability theory is shown to successfully describe observational data, although late stages in the breakdown are not completely understood. This study of vortex rings has important implications for key aerodynamic issues including sound generation, transport and mixing, and vortex interactions.

Asymmetric dipolar ring

DOEpatents

Prosandeev, Sergey A.; Ponomareva, Inna V.; Kornev, Igor A.; Bellaiche, Laurent M.

2010-11-16

A device having a dipolar ring surrounding an interior region that is disposed asymmetrically on the ring. The dipolar ring generates a toroidal moment switchable between at least two stable states by a homogeneous field applied to the dipolar ring in the plane of the ring. The ring may be made of ferroelectric or magnetic material. In the former case, the homogeneous field is an electric field and in the latter case, the homogeneous field is a magnetic field.

Concentric ring flywheel with hooked ring carbon fiber separator/torque coupler

DOEpatents

Kuklo, Thomas C.

1999-01-01

A concentric ring flywheel with expandable separators, which function as torque couplers, between the rings to take up the gap formed between adjacent rings due to differential expansion between different radius rings during rotation of the flywheel. The expandable separators or torque couplers include a hook-like section at an upper end which is positioned over an inner ring and a shelf-like or flange section at a lower end onto which the next adjacent outer ring is positioned. As the concentric rings are rotated the gap formed by the differential expansion there between is partially taken up by the expandable separators or torque couplers to maintain torque and centering attachment of the concentric rings.

Concentric ring flywheel with hooked ring carbon fiber separator/torque coupler

DOEpatents

Kuklo, T.C.

1999-07-20

A concentric ring flywheel with expandable separators, which function as torque couplers, between the rings to take up the gap formed between adjacent rings due to differential expansion between different radius rings during rotation of the flywheel. The expandable separators or torque couplers include a hook-like section at an upper end which is positioned over an inner ring and a shelf-like or flange section at a lower end onto which the next adjacent outer ring is positioned. As the concentric rings are rotated the gap formed by the differential expansion there between is partially taken up by the expandable separators or torque couplers to maintain torque and centering attachment of the concentric rings. 2 figs.

Saturn's Rings, the Yarkovsky Effects, and the Ring of Fire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubincam, David Parry

2004-01-01

The dimensions of Saturn's A and B rings may be determined by the seasonal Yarkovsky effect and the Yarkovsky-Schach effect; the two effects confine the rings between approximately 1.68 and approximately 2.23 Saturn radii, in reasonable agreement with the observed values of 1.525 and 2.267. The C ring may be sparsely populated because its particles are transients on their way to Saturn; the infall may create a luminous Ring of Fire around Saturn's equator. The ring system may be young: in the past heat flow from Saturn's interior much above its present value would not permit rings to exist.

Saturn's largest ring.

PubMed

Verbiscer, Anne J; Skrutskie, Michael F; Hamilton, Douglas P

2009-10-22

Most planetary rings in the Solar System lie within a few radii of their host body, because at these distances gravitational accelerations inhibit satellite formation. The best known exceptions are Jupiter's gossamer rings and Saturn's E ring, broad sheets of dust that extend outward until they fade from view at five to ten planetary radii. Source satellites continuously supply the dust, which is subsequently lost in collisions or by radial transport. Here we report that Saturn has an enormous ring associated with its outer moon Phoebe, extending from at least 128R(S) to 207R(S) (Saturn's radius R(S) is 60,330 km). The ring's vertical thickness of 40R(S) matches the range of vertical motion of Phoebe along its orbit. Dynamical considerations argue that these ring particles span the Saturnian system from the main rings to the edges of interplanetary space. The ring's normal optical depth of approximately 2 x 10(-8) is comparable to that of Jupiter's faintest gossamer ring, although its particle number density is several hundred times smaller. Repeated impacts on Phoebe, from both interplanetary and circumplanetary particle populations, probably keep the ring populated with material. Ring particles smaller than centimetres in size slowly migrate inward and many of them ultimately strike the dark leading face of Iapetus.

Slowing down of ring polymer diffusion caused by inter-ring threading.

PubMed

Lee, Eunsang; Kim, Soree; Jung, YounJoon

2015-06-01

Diffusion of long ring polymers in a melt is much slower than the reorganization of their internal structures. While direct evidence for entanglements has not been observed in the long ring polymers unlike linear polymer melts, threading between the rings is suspected to be the main reason for slowing down of ring polymer diffusion. It is, however, difficult to define the threading configuration between two rings because the rings have no chain end. In this work, evidence for threading dynamics of ring polymers is presented by using molecular dynamics simulation and applying a novel analysis method. The simulation results are analyzed in terms of the statistics of persistence and exchange times that have proved useful in studying heterogeneous dynamics of glassy systems. It is found that the threading time of ring polymer melts increases more rapidly with the degree of polymerization than that of linear polymer melts. This indicates that threaded ring polymers cannot diffuse until an unthreading event occurs, which results in the slowing down of ring polymer diffusion. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Novel Branching Enzyme of the GH-57 Family in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1

PubMed Central

Murakami, Taira; Kanai, Tamotsu; Takata, Hiroki; Kuriki, Takashi; Imanaka, Tadayuki

2006-01-01

Branching enzyme (BE) catalyzes formation of the branch points in glycogen and amylopectin by cleavage of the α-1,4 linkage and its subsequent transfer to the α-1,6 position. We have identified a novel BE encoded by an uncharacterized open reading frame (TK1436) of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1. TK1436 encodes a conserved protein showing similarity to members of glycoside hydrolase family 57 (GH-57 family). At the C terminus of the TK1436 protein, two copies of a helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) motif were found. TK1436 orthologs are distributed in archaea of the order Thermococcales, cyanobacteria, some actinobacteria, and a few other bacterial species. When recombinant TK1436 protein was incubated with amylose used as the substrate, a product peak was detected by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, eluting more slowly than the substrate. Isoamylase treatment of the reaction mixture significantly increased the level of short-chain α-glucans, indicating that the reaction product contained many α-1,6 branching points. The TK1436 protein showed an optimal pH of 7.0, an optimal temperature of 70°C, and thermostability up to 90°C, as determined by the iodine-staining assay. These properties were the same when a protein devoid of HhH motifs (the TK1436ΔH protein) was used. The average molecular weight of branched glucan after reaction with the TK1436ΔH protein was over 100 times larger than that of the starting substrate. These results clearly indicate that TK1436 encodes a structurally novel BE belonging to the GH-57 family. Identification of an overlooked BE species provides new insights into glycogen biosynthesis in microorganisms. PMID:16885460

Uranus Tenth Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-01-29

On Jan. 23, 1986, NASA Voyager 2 discovered a tenth ring orbiting Uranus. The tenth ring is about midway between the bright, outermost epsilon ring and the next ring down, called delta. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00035

Jupiter Ring Halo

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-26

A mosaic of four images taken through the clear filter (610 nanometers) of the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 8, 1996, at a resolution of approximately 46 kilometers (km) per picture element (pixel) along the rings; however, because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened in the vertical direction. The images were obtained when Galileo was in Jupiter's shadow peering back toward the Sun; the ring was approximately 2,300,000 kilometers (km) away. The arc on the far right of the image is produced by sunlight scattered by small particles comprising Jupiter's upper atmospheric haze. The ring also efficiently scatters light, indicating that much of its brightness is due to particles that are microns or less in diameter. Such small particles are believed to have human-scale lifetimes, i.e., very brief compared to the solar system's age. Jupiter's ring system is composed of three parts -- a flat main ring, a lenticular halo interior to the main ring, and the gossamer ring, which lies exterior to the main ring. The near and far arms of Jupiter's main ring extend horizontally across the mosaic, joining together at the ring's ansa, on the far left side of the figure. The near arm of the ring appears to be abruptly truncated close to the planet, at the point where it passes into Jupiter's shadow. A faint mist of particles can be seen above and below the main rings; this vertically extended, toroidal "halo" is unusual in planetary rings, and is probably caused by electromagnetic forces which can push small grains out of the ring plane. Halo material is present across this entire image, implying that it reaches more than 27,000 km above the ring plane. Because of shadowing, the halo is not visible close to Jupiter in the lower right part of the mosaic. In order to accentuate faint features in the image, different brightnesses are shown through color, with the brightest being

Birth Control Ring

MedlinePlus

... Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Birth Control Ring KidsHealth / For Teens / Birth Control Ring What's in this article? What Is It? ... Anillo vaginal anticonceptivo What Is It? The birth control ring is a soft, flexible, doughnut-shaped ring ...

Planetary Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.

1994-01-01

Just over two decades ago, Jim Pollack made a critical contribution to our understanding of planetary ring particle properties, and resolved a major apparent paradox between radar reflection and radio emission observations. At the time, particle properties were about all there were to study about planetary rings, and the fundamental questions were, why is Saturn the only planet with rings, how big are the particles, and what are they made of? Since then, we have received an avalanche of observations of planetary ring systems, both from spacecraft and from Earth. Meanwhile, we have seen steady progress in our understanding of the myriad ways in which gravity, fluid and statistical mechanics, and electromagnetism can combine to shape the distribution of the submicron-to-several-meter size particles which comprise ring systems into the complex webs of structure that we now know them to display. Insights gained from studies of these giant dynamical analogs have carried over into improved understanding of the formation of the planets themselves from particle disks, a subject very close to Jim's heart. The now-complete reconnaissance of the gas giant planets by spacecraft has revealed that ring systems are invariably found in association with families of regular satellites, and there is ark emerging perspective that they are not only physically but causally linked. There is also mounting evidence that many features or aspects of all planetary ring systems, if not the ring systems themselves, are considerably younger than the solar system

The Saturn Ring Observer: In situ studies of planetary rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, P. D.; Tiscareno, M. S.; Spilker, L. J.

2010-12-01

As part of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey recently undertaken by the NRC's Space Studies Board for the National Academy of Sciences, studies were commissioned for a number of potential missions to outer planet targets. One of these studies examined the technological feasibility of a mission to carry out in situ studies of Saturn's rings, from a spacecraft placed in a circular orbit above the ring plane: the Saturn Ring Observer. The technical findings and background are discussed in a companion poster by T. R. Spilker et al. Here we outline the science goals of such a mission. Most of the fundamental interactions in planetary rings occur on spatial scales that are unresolved by flyby or orbiter spacecraft. Typical particle sizes in the rings of Saturn are in the 1 cm - 10 m range, and average interparticle spacings are a few meters. Indirect evidence indicates that the vertical thickness of the rings is as little as 5 - 10 m, which implies a velocity dispersion of only a few mm/sec. Theories of ring structure and evolution depend on the unknown characteristics of interparticle collisions and on the size distribution of the ring particles. The SRO could provide direct measurements of both the coefficient of restitution -- by monitoring individual collisions -- and the particles’ velocity dispersion. High-resolution observations of individual ring particles should also permit estimates of their spin states. Numerical simulations of Saturn’s rings incorporating both collisions and self-gravity predict that the ring particles are not uniformly distributed, but are instead clustered into elongated structures referred to as “self-gravity wakes”, which are continually created and destroyed on an orbital timescale. Theory indicates that the average separation between wakes in the A ring is of order 30-100 m. Direct imaging of self-gravity wakes, including their formation and subsequent dissolution, would provide critical validation of these models. Other

Jupiter's Main Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

A mosaic of four images taken through the clear filter (610 nanometers) of the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 8, 1996, at a resolution of approximately 46 kilometers (km) per picture element (pixel) along the rings; however, because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened in the vertical direction. The images were obtained when Galileo was in Jupiter's shadow peering back toward the Sun; the ring was approximately 2,300,000 kilometers (km) away. The arc on the far right of the image is produced by sunlight scattered by small particles comprising Jupiter's upper atmospheric haze. The ring also efficiently scatters light, indicating that much of its brightness is due to particles that are microns or less in diameter. Such small particles are believed to have human-scale lifetimes, i.e., very brief compared to the solar system's age.

Jupiter's ring system is composed of three parts -- a flat main ring, a lenticular halo interior to the main ring, and the gossamer ring, which lies exterior to the main ring. The near and far arms of Jupiter's main ring extend horizontally across the mosaic, joining together at the ring's ansa, on the far left side of the figure. The near arm of the ring appears to be abruptly truncated close to the planet, at the point where it passes into Jupiter's shadow. Some radial structure is barely visible across the ring's ansa. A faint mist of particles can be seen above and below the main rings; this vertically extended 'halo' is unusual in planetary rings, and is probably caused by electromagnetic forces pushing the smallest grains out of the ring plane. Because of shadowing, the halo is not visible close to Jupiter in the lower right part of the mosaic.

Jupiter's main ring is a thin strand of material encircling the planet. The diffuse innermost boundary begins at approximately 123,000 km. The main ring's outer radius is found to be

Jupiter's ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

First evidence of a ring around the planet Jupiter is seen in this photograph taken by Voyager 1 on March 4, 1979. The multiple exposure of the extremely thin faint ring appears as a broad light band crossing the center of the picture. The edge of the ring is 1,212,000 km from the spacecraft and 57,000 km from the visible cloud deck of Jupiter. The background stars look like broken hair pins because of spacecraft motion during the 11 minute 12 second exposure. The wavy motion of the star trails is due to the ultra-slow natural oscillation of the spacecraft (with a period of 78 seconds). The black dots are geometric calibration points in the camera. The ring thickness is estimated to be 30 km or less. The photograph was part of a sequence planned to search for such rings in Jupiter's equatorial plane. The ring has been invisible from Earth because of its thinness and its transparency when viewed at any angle except straight on. JPL manages and controls the Voyager Project for NASA's Office of Space Science.

The vertical structure of the F ring of Saturn from ring-plane crossings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharringhausen, Britt R.; Nicholson, Philip D.

2013-11-01

We present a photometric model of the rings of Saturn which includes the main rings and an F ring, inclined to the main rings, with a Gaussian vertical profile of optical depth. This model reproduces the asymmetry in brightness between the east and west ansae of the rings of Saturn that was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) within a few hours after the Earth ring-plane crossing (RPX) of 10 August 1995. The model shows that during this observation the inclined F ring unevenly blocked the east and west ansae of the main rings. The brightness asymmetry produced by the model is highly sensitive to the vertical thickness and radial optical depth of the F ring. The F-ring model that best matches the observations has a vertical full width at half maximum of 13 ± 7 km and an equivalent depth of 10 ± 4 km. The model also reproduces the shape of the HST profiles of ring brightness vs. distance from Saturn, both before and after the time of ring-plane crossing. Smaller asymmetries observed before the RPX, when the Earth was on the dark side of the rings, cannot be explained by blocking of the main rings by the F ring or vice versa and are probably instead due to the intrinsic longitudinal variation exhibited by the F ring.

Ring-diameter Ratios for Multi-ring Basins Average 2.0(0.5)D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pike, R. J.; Spudis, P. D.

1985-01-01

The spacing of the concentric rings of planetary impact basins was studied. It is shown that a radial increment of x (sup 0.5) D, where x is about 2.0 and D = ring diameter, separates both (1) adjacent least-squares groups of rings and arcs of multi-ring basins on Mars, Mercury, and the Moon; and (2) adjacent rings of individual basins on the three planets. Statistics for ratios of ring diameters are presented, the first and most-applied parameter of ring spacing. It is found that ratios excluding rings flanking the main ring also have a mean spacing increment of about 2.0. Ratios including such rings, as for the least-squares groups, and (1) above, have a larger increment, averaging 2.1. The F-test indicates, that these spacings of basin ring locations, and mode of ring formation are controlled by the mechanics of the impact event itself, rather than by crustal properties.

Jupiter's Ring Halo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

A mosaic of four images taken through the clear filter (610 nanometers) of the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 8, 1996, at a resolution of approximately 46 kilometers (km) per picture element (pixel) along the rings; however, because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened in the vertical direction. The images were obtained when Galileo was in Jupiter's shadow peering back toward the Sun; the ring was approximately 2,300,000 kilometers (km) away. The arc on the far right of the image is produced by sunlight scattered by small particles comprising Jupiter's upper atmospheric haze. The ring also efficiently scatters light, indicating that much of its brightness is due to particles that are microns or less in diameter. Such small particles are believed to have human-scale lifetimes, i.e., very brief compared to the solar system's age.

Jupiter's ring system is composed of three parts -- a flat main ring, a lenticular halo interior to the main ring, and the gossamer ring, which lies exterior to the main ring. The near and far arms of Jupiter's main ring extend horizontally across the mosaic, joining together at the ring's ansa, on the far left side of the figure. The near arm of the ring appears to be abruptly truncated close to the planet, at the point where it passes into Jupiter's shadow.

A faint mist of particles can be seen above and below the main rings; this vertically extended, toroidal 'halo' is unusual in planetary rings, and is probably caused by electromagnetic forces which can push small grains out of the ring plane. Halo material is present across this entire image, implying that it reaches more than 27,000 km above the ring plane. Because of shadowing, the halo is not visible close to Jupiter in the lower right part of the mosaic. In order to accentuate faint features in the image, different brightnesses are shown through color, with the brightest

Saturn Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-12

Like Earth, Saturn has an invisible ring of energetic ions trapped in its magnetic field. This feature is known as a "ring current." This ring current has been imaged with a special camera on Cassini sensitive to energetic neutral atoms. This is a false color map of the intensity of the energetic neutral atoms emitted from the ring current through a processed called charged exchange. In this process a trapped energetic ion steals and electron from cold gas atoms and becomes neutral and escapes the magnetic field. The Cassini Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument's ion and neutral camera records the intensity of the escaping particles, which provides a map of the ring current. In this image, the colors represent the intensity of the neutral emission, which is a reflection of the trapped ions. This "ring" is much farther from Saturn (roughly five times farther) than Saturn's famous icy rings. Red in the image represents the higher intensity of the particles, while blue is less intense. Saturn's ring current had not been mapped before on a global scale, only "snippets" or areas were mapped previously but not in this detail. This instrument allows scientists to produce movies (see PIA10083) that show how this ring changes over time. These movies reveal a dynamic system, which is usually not as uniform as depicted in this image. The ring current is doughnut shaped but in some instances it appears as if someone took a bite out of it. This image was obtained on March 19, 2007, at a latitude of about 54.5 degrees and radial distance 1.5 million kilometres (920,000 miles). Saturn is at the center, and the dotted circles represent the orbits of the moon's Rhea and Titan. The Z axis points parallel to Saturn's spin axis, the X axis points roughly sunward in the sun-spin axis plane, and the Y axis completes the system, pointing roughly toward dusk. The ion and neutral camera's field of view is marked by the white line and accounts for the cut-off of the image on the left. The

Jupiter Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-23

First evidence of a ring around the planet Jupiter is seen in this photograph taken by Voyager 1 on March 4, 1979. The multiple exposure of the extremely thin faint ring appears as a broad light band crossing the center of the picture. The edge of the ring is 1,212,000 km from the spacecraft and 57,000 km from the visible cloud deck of Jupiter. The background stars look like broken hair pins because of spacecraft motion during the 11 minute 12 second exposure. The wavy motion of the star trails is due to the ultra-slow natural oscillation of the spacecraft (with a period of 78 seconds). The black dots are geometric calibration points in the camera. The ring thickness is estimated to be 30 km or less. The photograph was part of a sequence planned to search for such rings in Jupiter's equatorial plane. The ring has been invisible from Earth because of its thinness and its transparency when viewed at any angle except straight on. JPL manages and controls the Voyager Project for NASA's Office of Space Science. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02251

Topological ring currents in the "empty" ring of benzo-annelated perylenes.

PubMed

Dickens, Timothy K; Mallion, Roger B

2011-01-27

Cyclic conjugation in benzo-annelated perylenes is examined by means of the topological π-electron ring currents calculated for each of their constituent rings, in a study that is an exact analogy of a recent investigation by Gutman et al. based on energy-effect values for the corresponding rings in each of these structures. "Classical" approaches, such as Kekulé structures, Clar "sextet" formulas, and circuits of conjugation, predict that the central ring in perylene is "empty" and thus contributes negligibly to cyclic conjugation. However, conclusions from the present calculations of topological ring currents agree remarkably with those arising from the earlier study involving energy-effect values in that, contrary to what would be predicted from the classical approaches, rings annelated in an angular fashion relative to the central ring of these perylene structures materially increase the extent of that ring's involvement in cyclic conjugation. It is suggested that such close quantitative agreement between the predictions of these two superficially very different indices (energy effect and topological ring current) might be due to the fact that, ultimately, both depend, albeit in ostensibly quite different ways, only on an adjacency matrix that contains information about the carbon-carbon connectivity of the conjugated system in question.

Nitrile O-ring Cracking: A Case of Vacuum Flange O-ring Failures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dees, Craig

2016-07-01

A review of recent nitrile O-ring failures in ISO-KF vacuum flange connections in glovebox applications is presented. An investigation of a single “isolated” o-ring failure leads to the discovery of cracked nitrile o-rings in a glovebox atmospheric control unit. The initial cause of the o-ring failure is attributed to ozone degradation. However, additional investigation reveals nitrile o-ring cracking on multiple gloveboxes and general purpose piping, roughly 85% of the nitrile o-rings removed for inspection show evidence of visible cracking after being in service for 18 months or less. The results of material testing and ambient air testing is presented, elevatedmore » ozone levels are not found. The contributing factors of o-ring failure, including nitrile air sensitivity, inadequate storage practices, and poor installation techniques, are discussed. A discussion of nitrile o-ring material properties, the benefits and limitations, and alternate materials are discussed. Considerations for o-ring material selection, purchasing, storage, and installation are presented in the context of lessons learned from the nitrile o-ring cracking investigation. This paper can be presented in 20 minutes and does not require special accommodations or special audio visual devices.« less

DC-Powered Jumping Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffery, Rondo N.; Amiri, Farhang

2016-02-01

The classroom jumping ring demonstration is nearly always performed using alternating current (AC), in which the ring jumps or flies off the extended iron core when the switch is closed. The ring jumps higher when cooled with liquid nitrogen (LN2). We have performed experiments using DC to power the solenoid and find similarities and significant differences from the AC case. In particular, the ring does not fly off the core but rises a short distance and then falls back. If the ring jumps high enough, the rising and the falling motion of the ring does not follow simple vertical motion of a projectile. This indicates that there are additional forces on the ring in each part of its motion. Four possible stages of the motion of the ring with DC are identified, which result from the ring current changing directions during the jump in response to a changing magnetic flux through the moving ring.

Oxygen Abundances in the Rings of Polar-Ring Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radtke, I. R.; Eskridge, P. B.; Pogge, R. W.

2003-05-01

Polar ring galaxies (PRGs) are typically early-type (S0 or E) galaxies surrounded by rings of gas, dust, and stars orbiting nearly perpendicular to the principle plane of the host galaxy (Whitmore et al. 1990 AJ 100 1489). Given that PRGs have two separate, perpendicular axes of rotation, it is clear on dynamical grounds that PRGs are the products of merger events between two galaxies, but are observed in a state where two distinct kinematic and morphological structures are still apparent. As such, they present a unique opportunity to study merger events in systems where the debris is not confused with material from the host. Our understanding of the relative importance of polar ring systems in the overall process of galaxy evolution is confounded by our lack of knowledge regarding the typical lifetimes and evolutionary histories of polar rings. A crucial factor for understanding the formation and evolution of PRGs is information regarding the elemental abundances of the ring material. Polar rings are typically rich in {\\protectH 2} regions. Optical spectroscopy of these {\\protectH 2} regions can tell us their density, temperature, and oxygen abundance. Our earlier work (Eskridge & Pogge 1997 ApJ 486 259) revealed roughly Solar oxygen abundances for {\\protectH 2} regions in the polar ring of NGC 2685. We have extended this project, and now have spectra for six PRGs. Analysis of the data for II Zw 73 and UGC 7576 reveal the polar rings of these galaxies to have {\\protectH 2} region oxygen abundances in the range 0.3 to 0.6 Solar, substantially less than found for NGC 2685. Abundances in this range are much easier to explain with conventional models of chemical enrichment and polar ring formation. We shall present results for our full sample. Taken as a whole, this sample will provide a clear foundation for the typical chemical enrichment patterns in polar rings, and thus provide a clearer understanding of the formation and evolution of these curious objects. We

Saturn's F-Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This narrow-angle camera image of Saturn's F Ring was taken through the Clear filter while at a distance of 6.9 million km from Saturn on 8 November 1980. The brightness variations of this tightly-constrained ring shown here indicate that the ring is less uniform in makeup than the larger rings. JPL managed the Voyager Project for NASA's Office of Space Science

Planetary Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, P. D.

2001-11-01

A revolution in the studies in planetary rings studies occurred in the period 1977--1981, with the serendipitous discovery of the narrow, dark rings of Uranus, the first Voyager images of the tenuous jovian ring system, and the many spectacular images returned during the twin Voyager flybys of Saturn. In subsequent years, ground-based stellar occultations, HST observations, and the Voyager flybys of Uranus (1986) and Neptune (1989), as well as a handful of Galileo images, provided much additional information. Along with the completely unsuspected wealth of detail these observations revealed came an unwelcome problem: are the rings ancient or are we privileged to live at a special time in history? The answer to this still-vexing question may lie in the complex gravitational interactions recent studies have revealed between the rings and their retinues of attendant satellites. Among the four known ring systems, we see elegant examples of Lindblad and corotation resonances (first invoked in the context of galactic disks), electromagnetic resonances, spiral density waves and bending waves, narrow ringlets which exhibit internal modes due to collective instabilities, sharp-edged gaps maintained via tidal torques from embedded moonlets, and tenuous dust belts created by meteoroid impact onto parent bodies. Perhaps most puzzling is Saturn's multi-stranded, clumpy F ring, which continues to defy a simple explanation 20 years after it was first glimpsed in grainy images taken by Pioneer 11. Voyager and HST images reveal a complex, probably chaotic, dynamical interaction between unseen parent bodies within this ring and its two shepherd satellites, Pandora and Prometheus. The work described here reflects contributions by Joe Burns, Jeff Cuzzi, Luke Dones, Dick French, Peter Goldreich, Colleen McGhee, Carolyn Porco, Mark Showalter, and Bruno Sicardy, as well as those of the author. This research has been supported by NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics program and the

The Ring Sculptor

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-08

Prometheus zooms across the Cassini spacecraft field of view, attended by faint streamers and deep gores in the F ring. This movie sequence of five images shows the F ring shepherd moon shaping the ring inner edge

Mechanisms of ring chromosome formation, ring instability and clinical consequences.

PubMed

Guilherme, Roberta S; Meloni, Vera F Ayres; Kim, Chong A; Pellegrino, Renata; Takeno, Sylvia S; Spinner, Nancy B; Conlin, Laura K; Christofolini, Denise M; Kulikowski, Leslie D; Melaragno, Maria I

2011-12-21

The breakpoints and mechanisms of ring chromosome formation were studied and mapped in 14 patients. Several techniques were performed such as genome-wide array, MLPA (Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification) and FISH (Fluorescent in situ Hybridization). The ring chromosomes of patients I to XIV were determined to be, respectively: r(3)(p26.1q29), r(4)(p16.3q35.2), r(10)(p15.3q26.2), r(10)(p15.3q26.13), r(13)(p13q31.1), r(13)(p13q34), r(14)(p13q32.33), r(15)(p13q26.2), r(18)(p11.32q22.2), r(18)(p11.32q21.33), r(18)(p11.21q23), r(22)(p13q13.33), r(22)(p13q13.2), and r(22)(p13q13.2). These rings were found to have been formed by different mechanisms, such as: breaks in both chromosome arms followed by end-to-end reunion (patients IV, VIII, IX, XI, XIII and XIV); a break in one chromosome arm followed by fusion with the subtelomeric region of the other (patients I and II); a break in one chromosome arm followed by fusion with the opposite telomeric region (patients III and X); fusion of two subtelomeric regions (patient VII); and telomere-telomere fusion (patient XII). Thus, the r(14) and one r(22) can be considered complete rings, since there was no loss of relevant genetic material. Two patients (V and VI) with r(13) showed duplication along with terminal deletion of 13q, one of them proved to be inverted, a mechanism known as inv-dup-del. Ring instability was detected by ring loss and secondary aberrations in all but three patients, who presented stable ring chromosomes (II, XIII and XIV). We concluded that the clinical phenotype of patients with ring chromosomes may be related with different factors, including gene haploinsufficiency, gene duplications and ring instability. Epigenetic factors due to the circular architecture of ring chromosomes must also be considered, since even complete ring chromosomes can result in phenotypic alterations, as observed in our patients with complete r(14) and r(22).

Saddle-shaped mitral valve annuloplasty rings experience lower forces compared with flat rings.

PubMed

Jensen, Morten O; Jensen, Henrik; Smerup, Morten; Levine, Robert A; Yoganathan, Ajit P; Nygaard, Hans; Hasenkam, J Michael; Nielsen, Sten L

2008-09-30

New insight into the 3D dynamic behavior of the mitral valve has prompted a reevaluation of annuloplasty ring designs. Force balance analysis indicates correlation between annulus forces and stresses in leaflets and chords. Improving this stress distribution can intuitively enhance the durability of mitral valve repair. We tested the hypothesis that saddle-shaped annuloplasty rings have superior uniform systolic force distribution compared with a nonuniform force distribution in flat annuloplasty rings. Sixteen 80-kg pigs had a flat (n=8) or saddle-shaped (n=8) mitral annuloplasty ring implanted. Mitral annulus 3D dynamic geometry was obtained with sonomicrometry before ring insertion. Strain gauges mounted on dedicated D-shaped rigid flat and saddle-shaped annuloplasty rings provided the intraoperative force distribution perpendicular to the annular plane. Average systolic annular height to commissural width ratio before ring implantation was 14.0%+/-1.6%. After flat and saddle shaped ring implantation, the annulus was fixed in the diastolic (9.0%+/-1.0%) and systolic (14.3%+/-1.3%) configuration, respectively (P<0.01). Force accumulation was seen from the anterior (0.72N+/-0.14N) and commissural annular segments (average 1.38N+/-0.27N) of the flat rings. In these segments, the difference between the 2 types of rings was statistically significant (P<0.05). The saddle-shaped annuloplasty rings did not experience forces statistically significantly larger than zero in any annular segments. Saddle-shaped annuloplasty rings provide superior uniform annular force distribution compared to flat rings and appear to represent a configuration that minimizes out-of-plane forces that could potentially be transmitted to leaflets and chords. This may have important implications for annuloplasty ring selections.

So Long, C Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-11-13

Saturn's C ring is home to a surprisingly rich array of structures and textures. Much of the structure seen in the outer portions of Saturn's rings is the result of gravitational perturbations on ring particles by moons of Saturn. Such interactions are called resonances. However, scientists are not clear as to the origin of the structures seen in this image which has captured an inner ring region sparsely populated with particles, making interactions between ring particles rare, and with few satellite resonances. In this image, a bright and narrow ringlet located toward the outer edge of the C ring is flanked by two broader features called plateaus, each about 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide. Plateaus are unique to the C ring. Cassini data indicates that the plateaus do not necessarily contain more ring material than the C ring at large, but the ring particles in the plateaus may be smaller, enhancing their brightness. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 53 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 14, 2017. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 117,000 miles (189,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 74 degrees. Image scale is 3,000 feet (1 kilometer) per pixel. The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21356

Ring faults and ring dikes around the Orientale basin on the Moon.

PubMed

Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C; Head, James W; Johnson, Brandon; Keane, James T; Kiefer, Walter S; McGovern, Patrick J; Neumann, Gregory A; Wieczorek, Mark A; Zuber, Maria T

2018-08-01

The Orientale basin is the youngest and best-preserved multiring impact basin on the Moon, having experienced only modest modification by subsequent impacts and volcanism. Orientale is often treated as the type example of a multiring basin, with three prominent rings outside of the inner depression: the Inner Rook Montes, the Outer Rook Montes, and the Cordillera. Here we use gravity data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to reveal the subsurface structure of Orientale and its ring system. Gradients of the gravity data reveal a continuous ring dike intruded into the Outer Rook along the plane of the fault associated with the ring scarp. The volume of this ring dike is ~18 times greater than the volume of all extrusive mare deposits associated with the basin. The gravity gradient signature of the Cordillera ring indicates an offset along the fault across a shallow density interface, interpreted to be the base of the low-density ejecta blanket. Both gravity gradients and crustal thickness models indicate that the edge of the central cavity is shifted inward relative to the equivalent Inner Rook ring at the surface. Models of the deep basin structure show inflections along the crust-mantle interface at both the Outer Rook and Cordillera rings, indicating that the basin ring faults extend from the surface to at least the base of the crust. Fault dips range from 13-22° for the Cordillera fault in the northeastern quadrant, to 90° for the Outer Rook in the northwestern quadrant. The fault dips for both outer rings are lowest in the northeast, possibly due to the effects of either the direction of projectile motion or regional gradients in pre-impact crustal thickness. Similar ring dikes and ring faults are observed around the majority of lunar basins.

Vascular ring

MedlinePlus

... with aberrant subclavian and left ligamentum ateriosus; Congenital heart defect - vascular ring; Birth defect heart - vascular ring ... accounts for less than 1% of all congenital heart problems. The condition occurs as often in males ...

Stable forming conditions and geometrical expansion of L-shape rings in ring rolling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quagliato, Luca; Berti, Guido A.; Kim, Dongwook; Kim, Naksoo

2018-05-01

Based on previous research results concerning the radial-axial ring rolling process of flat rings, this paper details an innovative approach for the determination of the stable forming conditions to successfully simulate the radial ring rolling process of L-shape profiled rings. In addition to that, an analytical model for the estimation of the geometrical expansion of L-shape rings from its initial flat ring preform is proposed and validated by comparing its results with those of numerical simulations. By utilizing the proposed approach, steady forming conditions could be achieved, granting a uniform expansion of the ring throughout the process for all of the six tested cases of rings having the final outer diameter of the flange ranging from 545mm and 1440mm. The validation of the proposed approach allowed concluding that the geometrical expansion of the ring, as estimated by the proposed analytical model, is in good agreement with the results of the numerical simulation, with a maximum error of 2.18%, in the estimation of the ring wall diameter, 1.42% of the ring flange diameter and 1.87% for the estimation of the inner diameter of the ring, respectively.

Saturn’s Ring Rain: Initial Estimates of Ring Mass Loss Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Luke; O'Donoghue, J.; Mueller-Wodarg, I.; Mendillo, M.

2013-10-01

We estimate rates of mass loss from Saturn’s rings based on ionospheric model reproductions of derived H3+ column densities. On 17 April 2011 over two hours of near-infrared spectral data were obtained of Saturn using the Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSPEC) instrument on the 10-m Keck II telescope. The intensity of two bright H3+ rotational-vibrational emission lines was visible from nearly pole to pole, allowing low-latitude ionospheric emissions to be studied for the first time, and revealing significant latitudinal structure, with local extrema in one hemisphere being mirrored at magnetically conjugate latitudes in the opposite hemisphere. Even more striking, those minima and maxima mapped to latitudes of increased or increased density in Saturn’s rings, implying a direct ring-atmosphere connection in which charged water group particles from the rings are guided by magnetic field lines as they “rain” down upon the atmosphere. Water products act to quench the local ionosphere, and therefore modify the observed H3+ densities. Using the Saturn Thermosphere Ionosphere Model (STIM), a 3-D model of Saturn’s upper atmosphere, we derive the rates of water influx required from the rings in order to reproduce the observed H3+ column densities. As a unique pair of conjugate latitudes map to a specific radial distance in the ring plane, the derived water influxes can equivalently be described as rates of ring mass erosion as a function of radial distance in the ring plane, and therefore also allow for an improved estimate of the lifetime of Saturn’s rings.

The Enceladus Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] The Enceladus Ring (labeled)

This excellent view of the faint E ring -- a ring feature now known to be created by Enceladus -- also shows two of Saturn's small moons that orbit within the ring, among a field of stars in the background.

The E ring extends from three to eight Saturn radii -- about 180,000 kilometers (118,000 miles) to 482,000 kilometers (300,000 miles). Its full extent is not visible in this view.

Calypso (22 kilometers, or 14 miles across) and Helene (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) orbit within the E ring's expanse. Helene skirts the outer parts of the E ring, but here it is projected in front of a region deeper within the ring.

Calypso and Helene are trojan satellites, or moons that orbit 60 degrees in front or behind a larger moon. Calypso is a Tethys trojan and Helene is a trojan of Dione.

An interesting feature of note in this image is the double-banded appearance of the E-ring, which is created because the ring is somewhat fainter in the ringplane than it is 500-1,000 kilometers (300-600 miles) above and below the ringplane. This appearance implies that the particles in this part of the ring have nonzero inclinations (a similar affect is seen in Jupiter's gossamer ring). An object with a nonzero inclination does not orbit exactly at Saturn's ringplane. Instead, its orbit takes it above and below the ringplane. Scientists are not entirely sure why the particles should have such inclinations, but they are fairly certain that the reason involves Enceladus.

One possible explanation is that all the E ring particles come from the plume of icy material that is shooting due south out of the moon's pole. This means all of the particles are created with a certain velocity out of the ringplane, and then they orbit above and below that plane.

Another possible explanation is that Enceladus produces particles with a range of speeds, but the moon gravitationally

PREFACE: Special section on vortex rings Special section on vortex rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumoto, Yasuhide

2009-10-01

This special section of Fluid Dynamics Research includes five articles on vortex rings in both classical and quantum fluids. The leading scientists of the field describe the trends in and the state-of-the-art development of experiments, theories and numerical simulations of vortex rings. The year 2008 was the 150th anniversary of 'vortex motion' since Hermann von Helmholtz opened up this field. In 1858, Helmholtz published a paper in Crelle's Journal which put forward the concept of 'vorticity' and made the first analysis of vortex motion. Fluid mechanics before that was limited to irrotational motion. In the absence of vorticity, the motion of an incompressible homogeneous fluid is virtually equivalent to a rigid-body motion in the sense that the fluid motion is determined once the boundary configuration is specified. Helmholtz proved, among other things, that, without viscosity, a vortex line is frozen into the fluid. This Helmholtz's law immediately implies the preservation of knots and links of vortex lines and its implication is enormous. One of the major trends of fluid mechanics since the latter half of the 20th century is to clarify the topological meaning of Helmholtz's law and to exploit it to develop theoretical and numerical methods to find the solutions of the Euler equations and to develop experimental techniques to gain an insight into fluid motion. Vortex rings are prominent coherent structures in a variety of fluid motions from the microscopic scale, through human and mesoscale to astrophysical scales, and have attracted people's interest. The late professor Philip G Saffman (1981) emphasized the significance of studies on vortex rings. One particular motion exemplifies the whole range of problems of vortex motion and is also a commonly known phenomenon, namely the vortex ring or smoke ring. Vortex rings are easily produced by dropping drops of one liquid into another, or by puffing fluid out of a hole, or by exhaling smoke if one has the skill

Surface roughness of Saturn's rings and ring particles inferred from thermal phase curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morishima, Ryuji; Turner, Neal J.; Spilker, Linda

2017-10-01

We analyze thermal phase curves of all the main rings of Saturn (the A, B, C rings, and the Cassini division) measured by both the far-IR and mid-IR detectors of the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). All the rings show temperature increases toward zero phase angle, known as an opposition effect or thermal beaming. For the C ring and Cassini division, which have low optical depths, intra-particle shadowing is considered the dominant mechanism causing the effect. On the other hand, the phase curves of the optically thick B and A rings steepen significantly with decreasing absolute solar elevation angle from 21° to 14°, suggesting inter-particle shadowing plays an important role in these rings. We employ an analytic roughness model to estimate the degrees of surface roughness of the rings or ring particles. For optically thin rings, an isolated particle covered by spherical segment craters is employed while for the thick rings we approximate a packed particle layer as a slab covered by craters. The particles in the thin rings are found to have generally rough surfaces, except in the middle C ring. Across the C ring, the optical depth correlates with the degree of surface roughness. This may indicate that surface roughness comes mainly from particle clumping, while individual particles have rather smooth surfaces. For the optically thick rings, the surface roughness of the particle layer is found to be moderate. The modeled phase curves of optically thick rings are shallow if the phase angle change is primarily due to change of observer azimuthal angle. On the other hand, the phase curves are steep if the phase angle change is due to change of observer elevation angle, as inter-particle shadows become visible at higher observer elevation. In addition, the area of shadowed facets increases with decreasing solar elevation angle. These combined effects explain the large seasonal change of the phase curve steepness observed for the thick rings. The degrees

Surface roughness of Saturn's rings and ring particles inferred from thermal phase curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morishima, Ryuji; Turner, Neal; Spilker, Linda

2017-10-01

We analyze thermal phase curves of all the main rings of Saturn (the A, B, C rings, and the Cassini division) measured by both the far-IR and mid-IR detectors of the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). All the rings show temperature increases toward zero phase angle, known as an opposition effect or thermal beaming. For the C ring and Cassini division, which have low optical depths, intra-particle shadowing is considered the dominant mechanism causing the effect. On the other hand, the phase curves of the optically thick B and A rings steepen significantly with decreasing absolute solar elevation angle from 21° to 14°, suggesting inter-particle shadowing plays an important role in these rings. We employ an analytic roughness model to estimate the degrees of surface roughness of the rings or ring particles. For optically thin rings, an isolated particle covered by spherical segment craters is employed while for the thick rings we approximate a packed particle layer as a slab covered by craters. The particles in the thin rings are found to have generally rough surfaces, except in the middle C ring. Across the C ring, the optical depth correlates with the degree of surface roughness. This may indicate that surface roughness comes mainly from particle clumping, while individual particles have rather smooth surfaces. For the optically thick rings, the surface roughness of the particle layer is found to be moderate. The modeled phase curves of optically thick rings are shallow if the phase angle change is primarily due to change of observer azimuthal angle. On the other hand, the phase curves are steep if the phase angle change is due to change of observer elevation angle, as inter-particle shadows become visible at higher observer elevation. In addition, the area of shadowed facets increases with decreasing solar elevation angle. These combined effects explain the large seasonal change of the phase curve steepness observed for the thick rings. The degrees

Dusty D Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-24

Saturn D ring is easy to overlook since it trapped between the brighter C ring and the planet itself. In this view from NASA Cassini spacecraft, all that can be seen of the D ring is the faint and narrow arc as it stretches from top right of the ima

Ring World

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-01

Our robotic emissary, flying high above Saturn, captured this view of an alien copper-colored ring world. The overexposed planet has deliberately been removed to show the unlit rings alone, seen from an elevation of 60 degrees

Planetary rings: Structure and history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, L.

The composition and structure of planetary rings provide the key evidence to understand their origin and evolution. Before the first space observations, we were able to maintain an idealized view of the rings around Saturn, the only known ring system at that time. Rings were then discovered around Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. Saturn's F ring was discovered by Pioneer 11. Our ideal view of circular, planar, symmetric and unchanging rings was shattered by observations of inclined, eccentric rings, waves and wavy edges, and numerous processes acting at rates that give timescales much younger than the solar system. Moons within and near the rings sculpt them and are the likely progenitors of future rings. The moonlet lifetimes are much less than Saturn's age. The old idea of ancient rings gave rise to youthful rings, that are recently created by erosion and destruction of small nearby moons. Although this explanation may work well for most rings, Saturn's massive ring system provides a problem. It is extremely improbable that Saturn's rings were recently created by the destruction of a moon as large as Mimas, or even by the breakup of a large comet that passed too close to Saturn. The history of Saturn's rings has been a difficult problem, now made even more challenging by the close-up Cassini measurements. Cassini observations show unexpected ring variability in time and space. Time variations are seen in ring edges, in the thinner D and F rings, and in the neutral oxygen cloud, which outweighs the E ring in the same region around Saturn. The rings are inhomogeneous, with structures on all scales, sharp gradients and edges. Compositional gradients are sharper than expected, but nonetheless cross structural boundaries. This is evidence for ballistic transport that has not gone to completion. The autocovariance maximizes in the middle of the A ring, with smaller structure near the main rings' outer edge. Density wave locations have a fresher ice composition. The

Ring King

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-18

Saturn reigns supreme, encircled by its retinue of rings. Although all four giant planets have ring systems, Saturn's is by far the most massive and impressive. Scientists are trying to understand why by studying how the rings have formed and how they have evolved over time. Also seen in this image is Saturn's famous north polar vortex and hexagon. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 37 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 4, 2014 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2 million miles (3 million kilometers) from Saturn. Image scale is 110 miles (180 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18278

A Pauson-Khand and ring-expansion approach to the aquariane ring system.

PubMed

Thornton, Paul D; Burnell, D Jean

2006-07-20

[Structure: see text] The carbocyclic ring system of the aquariolide diterpenes has been synthesized by two routes involving a diastereoselective Pauson-Khand reaction and subsequent ring expansion. In one route, a tetracyclic enone was elaborated to generate the nine-membered ring by Grob fragmentation. In the second approach, a spirocyclic tricycle underwent a facile anionic oxy-Cope rearrangement to complete the synthesis of the desired ring system.

O-Ring-Testing Fixture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, James E.; Mccluney, D. Scott

1991-01-01

Fixture tests O-rings for sealing ability under dynamic conditions after extended periods of compression. Hydraulic cylinder moves plug in housing. Taper of 15 degrees on plug and cavity of housing ensures that gap created between O-ring under test and wall of cavity. Secondary O-rings above and below test ring maintain pressure applied to test ring. Evaluates effects of variety of parameters, including temperature, pressure, rate of pressurization, rate and magnitude of radial gap movement, and pretest compression time.

Nardo Ring, Italy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The Nardo Ring is a striking visual feature from space, and astronauts have photographed it several times. The Ring is a race car test track; it is 12.5 kilometers long and steeply banked to reduce the amount of active steering needed by drivers. The Nardo Ring lies in a remote area on the heel of Italy's 'boot,' 50 kilometers east of the naval port of Taranto. The Ring encompasses a number of active (green) and fallow (brown to dark brown) agricultural fields. In this zone of intensive agriculture, farmers gain access to their fields through the Ring via a series of underpasses. Winding features within the southern section of the Ring appear to be smaller, unused race tracks.

The image covers an area of 18.8 x 16.4 km, was acquired on August 17. 2007, and is located at 49.3 degrees north latitude, 17.8 degrees east longitude.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

[Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopic Analysis of Aromatics from One Ring to Four Rings].

PubMed

Zhang, Peng; Liu, Hai-feng; Yue, Zong-yu; Chen, Bei-ling; Yao, Ming-fa

2015-06-01

In order to distinguish small aromatics preferably, a Nd : YAG Laser was used to supply an excitation laser, which was adjusted to 0.085 J x cm(-2) at 266 nm. Benzene, toluene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene and chrysene were used as the representative of different rings aromatics. The fluorescence emission spectra were researched for each aromatic hydrocarbon and mixtures by Laser induced fluorescence (LIF). Results showed that the rings number determined the fluorescence emission spectra, and the structure with same rings number did not affect the emission fluorescence spectrum ranges. This was due to the fact that the absorption efficiency difference at 266 nm resulted in that the fluorescence intensities of each aromatic hydrocarbon with same rings number were different and the fluorescence intensities difference were more apparently with aromatic ring number increasing. When the absorption efficiency was similar at 266 nm and the concentrations of each aromatic hydrocarbon were same, the fluorescence intensities were increased with aromatic ring number increasing. With aromatic ring number increasing, the fluorescence spectrum and emission peak wavelength were all red-shifted from ultraviolet to visible and the fluorescence spectrum range was also wider as the absorption efficiency was similar. The fluorescence emission spectra from one to four rings could be discriminated in the following wavelengths, 275 to 320 nm, 320 to 375 nm, 375 to 425 nm, 425 to 556 nm, respectively. It can be used for distinguish the type of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as it exists in single type. As PAHs are usually exist in a variety of different rings number at the same time, the results for each aromatic hydrocarbon may not apply to the aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures. For the aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures, results showed that the one- or two-ring PAHs in mixtures could not be detected by fluorescence as three- or four-ring PAHs existed in mixture

Electrostatic forces in planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goertz, C. K.; Shan, Linhua; Havnes, O.

1988-01-01

The average charge on a particle in a particle-plasma cloud, the plasma potential inside the cloud, and the Coulomb force acting on the particle are calculated. The net repulsive electrostatic force on a particle depends on the plasma density, temperature, density of particles, particle size, and the gradient of the particle density. In a uniformly dense ring the electrostatic repulsion is zero. It is also shown that the electrostatic force acts like a pressure force, that even a collisionless ring can be stable against gravitational collapse, and that a finite ring thickness does not necessarily imply a finite velocity dispersion. A simple criterion for the importance of electrostatic forces in planetary rings is derived which involves the calculation of the vertical ring thickness which would result if only electrostatic repulsion were responsible for the finite ring thickness. Electrostatic forces are entirely negligible in the main rings of Saturn and the E and G rings. They may also be negligible in the F ring. However, the Uranian rings and Jupiter's ring seem to be very much influenced by electrostatic repulsion. In fact, electrostatic forces could support a Jovian ring which is an order of magnitude more dense than observed.

Stirling engine piston ring

DOEpatents

Howarth, Roy B.

1983-01-01

A piston ring design for a Stirling engine wherein the contact pressure between the piston and the cylinder is maintained at a uniform level, independent of engine conditions through a balancing of the pressure exerted upon the ring's surface and thereby allowing the contact pressure on the ring to be predetermined through the use of a preloaded expander ring.

How does the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) flash its blue rings?

PubMed

Mäthger, Lydia M; Bell, George R R; Kuzirian, Alan M; Allen, Justine J; Hanlon, Roger T

2012-11-01

The blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata), one of the world's most venomous animals, has long captivated and endangered a large audience: children playing at the beach, divers turning over rocks, and biologists researching neurotoxins. These small animals spend much of their time in hiding, showing effective camouflage patterns. When disturbed, the octopus will flash around 60 iridescent blue rings and, when strongly harassed, bite and deliver a neurotoxin that can kill a human. Here, we describe the flashing mechanism and optical properties of these rings. The rings contain physiologically inert multilayer reflectors, arranged to reflect blue-green light in a broad viewing direction. Dark pigmented chromatophores are found beneath and around each ring to enhance contrast. No chromatophores are above the ring; this is unusual for cephalopods, which typically use chromatophores to cover or spectrally modify iridescence. The fast flashes are achieved using muscles under direct neural control. The ring is hidden by contraction of muscles above the iridophores; relaxation of these muscles and contraction of muscles outside the ring expose the iridescence. This mechanism of producing iridescent signals has not previously been reported in cephalopods and we suggest that it is an exceptionally effective way to create a fast and conspicuous warning display.

The Crossings of Saturn Ring Plane by the Earth in 1995: Ring Thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulet, François; Sicardy, Bruno; Dumas, Christophe; Jorda, Laurent; Tiphène, Didier

2000-05-01

The crossings of Saturn's ring plane by Earth were observed in the near infrared on May 22 and August 10, 1995, from the 2.2-m telescope of the University of Hawaii, the 2-m telescope at Pic du Midi, France, and with the Adonis adaptive optics camera at the 3.6-m telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope, obtained in August 1995, are also reanalyzed. The radial brightness profiles of the rings indicate that the outer and usually faint F ring dominates the edge-on brightness of the system, thus hiding the vertical structure of the main rings within a few hours around the ring plane crossing. The photometric behaviors of the A, B, and C rings and of the Cassini Division are analyzed, using a radiative transfer code which includes the illuminations by the Sun and by the planet. The F ring is modeled as a physically thick ribbon of height H, composed of large particles embedded in dust of fractional optical depth f. The observed profiles, combined with previous results, can be explained if the F ring is both optically thick ( radial optical depth ˜0.20) and physically thick ( H=21±4 km). We suggest that this vertical distribution results from the interactions between ring particles and shepherding satellites and/or from gravitational stirring by large bodies. The dust particles dominate the F ring's photometric behavior even in backscattered light ( f>0.80). Constraints on the particle properties of the other rings are also derived.

Luminescent Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This view shows the unlit face of Saturn's rings, visible via scattered and transmitted light. In these views, dark regions represent gaps and areas of higher particle densities, while brighter regions are filled with less dense concentrations of ring particles.

The dim right side of the image contains nearly the entire C ring. The brighter region in the middle is the inner B ring, while the darkest part represents the dense outer B Ring. The Cassini Division and the innermost part of the A ring are at the upper-left.

Saturn's shadow carves a dark triangle out of the lower right corner of this image.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 8, 2005, at a distance of approximately 433,000 kilometers (269,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 22 kilometers (14 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org .

A Photo-Favorskii Ring Contraction Reaction: The Effect of Ring Size

PubMed Central

Kammath, Viju Balachandran; Šolomek, Tomáš; Ngoy, Bokolombe Pitchou; Heger, Dominik; Klán, Petr; Rubina, Marina; Givens, Richard S.

2012-01-01

The effect of ring size on the photo-Favorskii induced ring-contraction reaction of the hydroxybenzocycloalkanonyl acetate and mesylate esters (7a–d, 8a–c) has provided new insight into the mechanism of the rearrangement. By monotonically decreasing the ring size in these cyclic derivatives, the increasing ring strain imposed on the formation of the elusive bicyclic spirocyclopropanone 20 results in a divergence away from rearrangement and toward solvolysis. Cycloalkanones of seven or eight carbons undergo a highly efficient photo-Favorskii rearrangement with ring contraction paralleling the photochemistry of p-hydroxyphenacyl esters. In contrast, the five-carbon ring does not rearrange but is diverted to the photosolvolysis channel avoiding the increased strain energy that would accompany the formation of the spirobicyclic ketone, the “Favorskii intermediate 20”. The six-carbon analogue demonstrates the bifurcation in reaction channels, yielding a solvent-sensitive mixture of both. Employing a combination of time-resolved absorption measurements, quantum yield determinations, isotopic labeling, and solvent variation studies coupled with theoretical treatment, a more comprehensive mechanistic description of the rearrangement has emerged. PMID:22686289

Earth: A Ringed Planet?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancock, L. O.; Povenmire, H.

2010-12-01

Among the most beautiful findings of the Space Age have been the discoveries of planetary rings. Not only Saturn but also Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune have rings; Saturn’s ring system has structures newly discovered; even Saturn's moon Rhea itself has a ring. All these are apparently supplied by material from the planetary moons (Rhea's ring by Rhea itself). The question naturally arises, why should the Earth not have a ring, and on the other hand, if it does, why has it not been observed? No rings have yet been observed in the inner solar system, but after all, rings in the inner solar system might simply tend to be fainter and more transient than those of the outer solar system: the inner solar system is more affected by the solar wind, and the Sun’s perturbing gravitational influence is greater. J.A. O’Keefe first suggested (1980) that Earth might have a ring system of its own. An Earth ring could account for some climate events. O’Keefe remarked that formation or thickening of a ring system in Earth’s equatorial plane could drive glaciation by deepening the chill of the winter hemisphere. (It is very well established that volcanic dust is an effective agent for the extinction of sunlight; this factor can be overwhelmingly apparent in eclipse observations.) O’Keefe died in 2000 and the speculation was not pursued, but the idea of an Earth ring has a prima facie reasonableness that calls for its renewed consideration. The program of this note is to hypothesize that, as O’Keefe proposed: (a) an Earth ring system exists; (b) it affects Earth's weather and climate; (c) the tektite strewn fields comprise filaments of the ring fallen to Earth's surface on various occasions of disturbance by comets or asteroids. On this basis, and drawing on the world's weather records, together with the Twentieth Century Reanalysis by NCEP/CIRES covering the period 1870-2010 and the geology of the tektite strewn fields, we herein propose the hypothesized Earth ring

Dynamics of the Uranian Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dermott, S. F.

1984-01-01

Some of the problems of the shepherding satellite model of Goldreich ant tremaine are discussed. The following topics are studied: (1) optical depths of the all the observed narrow rings; (2) satellite and ring separation timescales; (3) ring edge sharpness; (4) shock formation in narrow rings; (5) the existence of small satellites near the Uranian rings; and (6) the apse and node alignments of the eccentric and inclined rings.

Uranus rings and two moons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Voyager 2 has discovered two 'shepherd' satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons -- designated 1986U7 and 1986U8 -- are seen here on either side of the bright epsilon ring; all nine of the known Uranian rings are visible. The image was taken Jan. 21, 1986, at a distance of 4.1 million kilometers (2.5 million miles) and resolution of about 36 km (22 mi). The image was processed to enhance narrow features. The epsilon ring appears surrounded by a dark halo as a result of this processing; occasional blips seen on the ring are also artifacts. Lying inward from the epsilon ring are the delta, gamma and eta rings; then the beta and alpha rings; and finally the barely visible 4, 5 and 6 rings. The rings have been studied since their discovery in 1977, through observations of how they diminish the light of stars they pass in front of. This image is the first direct observation of all nine rings in reflected sunlight. They range in width from about 100 km (60 mi) at the widest part of the epsilon ring to only a few kilometers for most of the others. The discovery of the two ring moons 1986U7 and 1986U8 is a major advance in our understanding of the structure of the Uranian rings and is in good agreement with theoretical predictions of how these narrow rings are kept from spreading out. Based on likely surface brightness properties, the moons are of roughly 2O- and 3O-km diameter, respectively. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Tiny Mimas, Huge Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-28

Saturn's icy moon Mimas is dwarfed by the planet's enormous rings. Because Mimas (near lower left) appears tiny by comparison, it might seem that the rings would be far more massive, but this is not the case. Scientists think the rings are no more than a few times as massive as Mimas, or perhaps just a fraction of Mimas' mass. Cassini is expected to determine the mass of Saturn's rings to within just a few hundredths of Mimas' mass as the mission winds down by tracking radio signals from the spacecraft as it flies close to the rings. The rings, which are made of small, icy particles spread over a vast area, are extremely thin -- generally no thicker than the height of a house. Thus, despite their giant proportions, the rings contain a surprisingly small amount of material. Mimas is 246 miles (396 kilometers) wide. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 6 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in red light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 21, 2016. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 564,000 miles (907,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 31 degrees. Image scale is 34 miles (54 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20509

On a suspected ring external to the visible rings of Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feibelman, W. A.; Beebe, R. F.; Smith, B. A.; Cook, A. F., II

1974-01-01

The reexamination of a photograph of Saturn taken on 15 November 1966 when the earth was nearly in the ring plane is investigated which indicates that ring material does exist outside the visible rings, extending to more than 6 Saturnian radii. The observed brightness in blue light was estimated per linear arc second, implying a normal optical thickness, for ice-covered particles.

Deployable Fresnel Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Timothy F.; Fink, Patrick W.; Chu, Andrew W.; Lin, Gregory Y.

2014-01-01

Deployable Fresnel rings (DFRs) significantly enhance the realizable gain of an antenna. This innovation is intended to be used in combination with another antenna element, as the DFR itself acts as a focusing or microwave lens element for a primary antenna. This method is completely passive, and is also completely wireless in that it requires neither a cable, nor a connector from the antenna port of the primary antenna to the DFR. The technology improves upon the previous NASA technology called a Tri-Sector Deployable Array Antenna in at least three critical aspects. In contrast to the previous technology, this innovation requires no connector, cable, or other physical interface to the primary communication radio or sensor device. The achievable improvement in terms of antenna gain is significantly higher than has been achieved with the previous technology. Also, where previous embodiments of the Tri-Sector antenna have been constructed with combinations of conventional (e.g., printed circuit board) and conductive fabric materials, this innovation is realized using only conductive and non-conductive fabric (i.e., "e-textile") materials, with the possible exception of a spring-like deployment ring. Conceptually, a DFR operates by canceling the out-of-phase radiation at a plane by insertion of a conducting ring or rings of a specific size and distance from the source antenna, defined by Fresnel zones. Design of DFRs follow similar procedures to those outlined for conventional Fresnel zone rings. Gain enhancement using a single ring is verified experimentally and through computational simulation. The experimental test setup involves a microstrip patch antenna that is directly behind a single-ring DFR and is radiating towards a second microstrip patch antenna. The first patch antenna and DFR are shown. At 2.42 GHz, the DFR improves the transmit antenna gain by 8.6 dB, as shown in Figure 2, relative to the wireless link without the DFR. A figure illustrates the

Mechanical improvement of metal reinforcement rings for a finite ring-shaped superconducting bulk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chen-Guang; Zhou, You-He

2018-03-01

As a key technique, reinforcement of type-II superconducting bulks with metal rings can efficiently improve their mechanical properties to enhance the maximum trapped field. In this paper, we study the magnetostrictive and fracture behaviors of a finite superconducting ring bulk reinforced by three typical reinforcing structures composed of metal rings during the magnetizing process by means of the minimization of magnetic energy and the finite element method. After a field-dependent critical current density is adopted, the magnetostriction, pinning-induced stress, and crack tip stress intensity factor are calculated considering the demagnetization effects. The results show that the mechanical properties of the ring bulk are strongly dependent on the reinforcing structure and the material and geometrical parameters of the metal rings. Introducing the metal ring can significantly reduce the hoop stress, and the reduction effect by internal reinforcement is much improved relative to external reinforcement. By comparison, bilateral reinforcement seems to be the best candidate structure. Only when the metal rings have particular Young's modulus and radial thickness will they contribute to improve the mechanical properties the most. In addition, if an edge crack is pre-existing in the ring bulk, the presence of metal rings can effectively avoid crack propagation since it reduces the crack tip stress intensity factor by nearly one order of magnitude.

Ring rotational speed trend analysis by FEM approach in a Ring Rolling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allegri, G.; Giorleo, L.; Ceretti, E.

2018-05-01

Ring Rolling is an advanced local incremental forming technology to fabricate directly precise seamless ring-shape parts with various dimensions and materials. In this process two different deformations occur in order to reduce the width and the height of a preform hollow ring; as results a diameter expansion is obtained. In order to guarantee a uniform deformation, the preform is forced toward the Driver Roll whose aim is to transmit the rotation to the ring. The ring rotational speed selection is fundamental because the higher is the speed the higher will be the axial symmetry of the deformation process. However, it is important to underline that the rotational speed will affect not only the final ring geometry but also the loads and energy needed to produce it. Despite this importance in industrial environment, usually, a constant value for the Driver Roll angular velocity is set so to result in a decreasing trend law for the ring rotational speed. The main risk due to this approach is not fulfilling the axial symmetric constrain (due to the diameter expansion) and to generate a high localized ring section deformation. In order to improve the knowledge about this topic in the present paper three different ring rotational speed trends (constant, linearly increasing and linearly decreasing) were investigated by FEM approach. Results were compared in terms of geometrical and dimensional analysis, loads and energies required.

Ring correlations in random networks.

PubMed

Sadjadi, Mahdi; Thorpe, M F

2016-12-01

We examine the correlations between rings in random network glasses in two dimensions as a function of their separation. Initially, we use the topological separation (measured by the number of intervening rings), but this leads to pseudo-long-range correlations due to a lack of topological charge neutrality in the shells surrounding a central ring. This effect is associated with the noncircular nature of the shells. It is, therefore, necessary to use the geometrical distance between ring centers. Hence we find a generalization of the Aboav-Weaire law out to larger distances, with the correlations between rings decaying away when two rings are more than about three rings apart.

Seal ring installation tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haselmaier, L. Haynes (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A seal ring tool that allows an installer to position a primary seal ring between hub ends of pipe flanges that are being assembled together. The tool includes a pivoting handle member and extension arms attached to the pivoting handle member. The ends of the arms have side indentation type longitudinal grooves angled toward one another for holding the primary seal ring in place between the hubs of respective pipes that are to be attached together. The arms of the tool can also have flat sides that can be used to abut against an optional second larger seal that is supported within a groove in one of the hub ends so that the second hub end can then be moved against the other side of the primary seal ring. Once the seal ring is positioned between the pipe hubs, the pipe hubs can be moved about the seal ring due to the flat sides of the arms of the tool. The tool eliminates the chances of damaging and contaminating seal rings being installed within pipe hubs that are being attached to one another.

Neptune - full ring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

This pair of Voyager 2 images (FDS 11446.21 and 11448.10), two 591-s exposures obtained through the clear filter of the wide angle camera, show the full ring system with the highest sensitivity. Visible in this figure are the bright, narrow N53 and N63 rings, the diffuse N42 ring, and (faintly) the plateau outside of the N53 ring (with its slight brightening near 57,500 km).

Barely Bisected Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-12

Saturn's shadow stretched beyond the edge of its rings for many years after Cassini first arrived at Saturn, casting an ever-lengthening shadow that reached its maximum extent at the planet's 2009 equinox. This image captured the moment in 2015 when the shrinking shadow just barely reached across the entire main ring system. The shadow will continue to shrink until the planet's northern summer solstice, at which point it will once again start lengthening across the rings, reaching across them in 2019. Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis. And, just as on Earth, as the sun climbs higher in the sky, shadows get shorter. The projection of the planet's shadow onto the rings shrinks and grows over the course of its 29-year-long orbit, as the angle of the sun changes with respect to Saturn's equator. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 11 degrees above the ring plane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 16, 2015. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers) from Saturn. Image scale is about 90 miles (150 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20498

Particle sizes in Saturn's rings from UVIS stellar occultations 1. Variations with ring region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colwell, J. E.; Esposito, L. W.; Cooney, J. H.

2018-01-01

The Cassini spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) includes a high speed photometer (HSP) that has observed stellar occultations by Saturn's rings with a radial resolution of ∼10 m. In the absence of intervening ring material, the time series of measurements by the HSP is described by Poisson statistics in which the variance equals the mean. The finite sizes of the ring particles occulting the star lead to a variance that is larger than the mean due to correlations in the blocking of photons due to finite particle size and due to random variations in the number of individual particles in each measurement area. This effect was first exploited by Showalter and Nicholson (1990) with the stellar occultation observed by Voyager 2. At a given optical depth, a larger excess variance corresponds to larger particles or clumps that results in greater variation of the signal from measurement to measurement. Here we present analysis of the excess variance in occultations observed by Cassini UVIS. We observe differences in the best-fitting particle size in different ring regions. The C ring plateaus show a distinctly smaller effective particle size, R, than the background C ring, while the background C ring itself shows a positive correlation between R and optical depth. The innermost 700 km of the B ring has a distribution of excess variance with optical depth that is consistent with the C ring ramp and C ring but not with the remainder of the B1 region. The Cassini Division, while similar to the C ring in spectral and structural properties, has different trends in effective particle size with optical depth. There are discrete jumps in R on either side of the Cassini Division ramp, while the C ring ramp shows a smooth transition in R from the C ring to the B ring. The A ring is dominated by self-gravity wakes whose shadow size depends on the occultation geometry. The spectral ;halo; regions around the strongest density waves in the A ring correspond to

The 1995 Saturn Ring-Plane Crossings: Ring Thickness and Small Inner Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulet, F.; Sicardy, B.

1996-09-01

The May 22() th and August 10() th, 1995, Saturn ring-plane crossings by the Earth were observed from the 2-m and 1-m telescopes at Pic du Midi, the 2.2-m telescope of the University of Hawaii, and with the Adonis adaptive optics camera at the 3.6-m telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Observations were made with either a 0.9 mu m or 2.2 mu m (short K) methane band filter. The radial brightness profiles of the rings indicate that the outer F ring dominates the apparent edge-on thickness of the system, with a vertically integrated equivalent width of 0.8-1.0 km near a radius of 130,000 km. The photometric behaviors of the A, B, and C rings and of the Cassini Division have been analyzed using a classical radiative transfer code which includes illumination by the Sun and by the planet. The F ring is modelled as a physically thick ribbon (thickness h) composed of large particles embedded in dust. The observed profiles can be explained if the F ring is both optically thick (tau ~ 0.15-0.25), and physically thick (h at least ~ 1.5 km). The large particles dominate the F ring's photometric behavior in backscattered light. Constraints on the particle properties in the other rings have been derived. The dimming of the rings around August 10, 1995 provided ideal conditions to study the small inner satellites. Besides Janus, Epimetheus and Pandora, two unresolved objects were detected in the ESO frames. They have been identified with the objects 1995S5 and 1995S6, detected several hours later by the Hubble Space Telescope (Nicholson et al. 1996, Science 272, 509--515). Combining the ESO and HST data, we derive orbital and photometric parameters for these objects. In particular, we improve the orbital parameters of 1995S5, whose orbital radius is now close to that of the F ring.

Saturn's dynamic D ring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hedman, M.M.; Burns, J.A.; Showalter, M.R.; Porco, C.C.; Nicholson, P.D.; Bosh, A.S.; Tiscareno, M.S.; Brown, R.H.; Buratti, B.J.; Baines, K.H.; Clark, R.

2007-01-01

The Cassini spacecraft has provided the first clear images of the D ring since the Voyager missions. These observations show that the structure of the D ring has undergone significant changes over the last 25 years. The brightest of the three ringlets seen in the Voyager images (named D72), has transformed from a narrow, <40-km wide ringlet to a much broader and more diffuse 250-km wide feature. In addition, its center of light has shifted inwards by over 200 km relative to other features in the D ring. Cassini also finds that the locations of other narrow features in the D ring and the structure of the diffuse material in the D ring differ from those measured by Voyager. Furthermore, Cassini has detected additional ringlets and structures in the D ring that were not observed by Voyager. These include a sheet of material just interior to the inner edge of the C ring that is only observable at phase angles below about 60??. New photometric and spectroscopic data from the ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) and VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) instruments onboard Cassini show the D ring contains a variety of different particle populations with typical particle sizes ranging from 1 to 100 microns. High-resolution images reveal fine-scale structures in the D ring that appear to be variable in time and/or longitude. Particularly interesting is a remarkably regular, periodic structure with a wavelength of ??? 30 ?? km extending between orbital radii of 73,200 and 74,000 km. A similar structure was previously observed in 1995 during the occultation of the star GSC5249-01240, at which time it had a wavelength of ??? 60 ?? km. We interpret this structure as a periodic vertical corrugation in the D ring produced by differential nodal regression of an initially inclined ring. We speculate that this structure may have formed in response to an impact with a comet or meteoroid in early 1984. ?? 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Formation of lunar basin rings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hodges, C.A.; Wilhelms, D.E.

1978-01-01

The origin of the multiple concentric rings that characterize lunar impact basins, and the probable depth and diameter of the transient crater have been widely debated. As an alternative to prevailing "megaterrace" hypotheses, we propose that the outer scarps or mountain rings that delineate the topographic rims of basins-the Cordilleran at Orientale, the Apennine at Imbrium, and the Altai at Nectaris-define the transient cavities, enlarged relatively little by slumping, and thus are analogous to the rim crests of craters like Copernicus; inner rings are uplifted rims of craters nested within the transient cavity. The magnitude of slumping that occurs on all scarps is insufficient to produce major inner rings from the outer. These conclusions are based largely on the observed gradational sequence in lunar central uplifts:. from simple peaks through somewhat annular clusters of peaks, peak and ring combinations and double ring basins, culminating in multiring structures that may also include peaks. In contrast, belts of slump terraces are not gradational with inner rings. Terrestrial analogs suggest two possible mechanisms for producing rings. In some cases, peaks may expand into rings as material is ejected from their cores, as apparently occurred at Gosses Bluff, Australia. A second process, differential excavation of lithologically diverse layers, has produced nested experimental craters and is, we suspect, instrumental in the formation of terrestrial ringed impact craters. Peak expansion could produce double-ring structures in homogeneous materials, but differential excavation is probably required to produce multiring and peak-in-ring configurations in large lunar impact structures. Our interpretation of the representative lunar multiring basin Orientale is consistent with formation of three rings in three layers detected seismically in part of the Moon-the Cordillera (basin-bounding) ring in the upper crust, the composite Montes Rook ring in the underlying

Eyeing the E Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-24

NASA Cassini spacecraft takes a look at Saturn diffuse E ring which is formed from icy material spewing out of the south pole of the moon Enceladus. The E ring is seen nearly edge-on from slightly above the northern side of Saturn ring plane.

Hot piston ring tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, David J.; Tomazic, William A.

1987-01-01

As part of the DOE/NASA Automotive Stirling Engine Project, tests were made at NASA Lewis Research Center to determine whether appendix gap losses could be reduced and Stirling engine performance increased by installing an additional piston ring near the top of each piston dome. An MTI-designed upgraded Mod I Automotive Stirling Engine was used. Unlike the conventional rings at the bottom of the piston, these hot rings operated in a high temperature environment (700 C). They were made of a high temperature alloy (Stellite 6B) and a high temperature solid lubricant coating (NASA Lewis-developed PS-200) was applied to the cylinder walls. Engine tests were run at 5, 10, and 15 MPa operating pressure over a range of operating speeds. Tests were run both with hot rings and without to provide a baseline for comparison. Minimum data to assess the potential of both the hot rings and high temperature low friction coating was obtained. Results indicated a slight increase in power and efficiency, an increase over and above the friction loss introduced by the hot rings. Seal leakage measurements showed a significant reduction. Wear on both rings and coating was low.

Tree Rings: Timekeepers of the Past.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phipps, R. L.; McGowan, J.

One of a series of general interest publications on science issues, this booklet describes the uses of tree rings in historical and biological recordkeeping. Separate sections cover the following topics: dating of tree rings, dating with tree rings, tree ring formation, tree ring identification, sample collections, tree ring cross dating, tree…

Cavity-locked ring down spectroscopy

DOEpatents

Zare, Richard N.; Paldus, Barbara A.; Harb, Charles C.; Spence, Thomas

2000-01-01

Distinct locking and sampling light beams are used in a cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) system to perform multiple ring-down measurements while the laser and ring-down cavity are continuously locked. The sampling and locking light beams have different frequencies, to ensure that the sampling and locking light are decoupled within the cavity. Preferably, the ring-down cavity is ring-shaped, the sampling light is s-polarized, and the locking light is p-polarized. Transmitted sampling light is used for ring-down measurements, while reflected locking light is used for locking in a Pound-Drever scheme.

Accidental ingestion of BiTine ring and a note on inefficient ring separation forceps.

PubMed

Baghele, Om Nemichand; Baghele, Mangala Om

2011-01-01

Accidental ingestion of medium-to-large instruments is relatively uncommon during dental treatment but can be potentially dangerous. A case of BiTine ring ingestion is presented with a note on inefficient ring separation forceps. A 28-year-old male patient accidentally ingested the BiTine ring (2 cm diameter, 0.5 cm outward projections) while it was being applied to a distoproximal cavity in tooth # 19. The ring placement forceps were excessively flexible; bending of the beaks towards the ring combined with a poor no-slippage mechanism led to sudden disengagement of the ring and accelerated movement towards the pharynx. We followed the patient with bulk forming agents and radiographs. Fortunately the ring passed out without any complications. Checking equipment and methods is as important as taking precautions against any preventable medical emergency. It is the responsibility of the clinician to check, verify and then use any instrument/equipment.

Photometry of Polar-Ring Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godínez-Martínez, A.; Watson, A. M.; Matthews, L. D.; Sparke, L. S.

2007-10-01

We have obtained photometry in B and R for seven confirmed or probable polar-ring galaxies from the Polar-Ring Catalog of Whitmore et al. (1990). The rings show a range of colors from B - R ≈ 0.6 to B - R ≈ 1.7. The bluest rings have bright H II regions, which are direct evidence for recent star formation. The minimum age of the reddest ring, that in PRC B-20, is somewhat uncertain because of a lack of knowledge of the internal reddening and metallicity, but appears to be at least 1.2 Gyr. As such, this ring is likely to be stable for at least several rotation periods. This ring is an excellent candidate for future studies that might better determine if it is truly old.

Improving the Accuracy of Laplacian Estimation with Novel Variable Inter-Ring Distances Concentric Ring Electrodes

PubMed Central

Makeyev, Oleksandr; Besio, Walter G.

2016-01-01

Noninvasive concentric ring electrodes are a promising alternative to conventional disc electrodes. Currently, the superiority of tripolar concentric ring electrodes over disc electrodes, in particular, in accuracy of Laplacian estimation, has been demonstrated in a range of applications. In our recent work, we have shown that accuracy of Laplacian estimation can be improved with multipolar concentric ring electrodes using a general approach to estimation of the Laplacian for an (n + 1)-polar electrode with n rings using the (4n + 1)-point method for n ≥ 2. This paper takes the next step toward further improving the Laplacian estimate by proposing novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes. Derived using a modified (4n + 1)-point method, linearly increasing and decreasing inter-ring distances tripolar (n = 2) and quadripolar (n = 3) electrode configurations are compared to their constant inter-ring distances counterparts. Finite element method modeling and analytic results are consistent and suggest that increasing inter-ring distances electrode configurations may decrease the truncation error resulting in more accurate Laplacian estimates compared to respective constant inter-ring distances configurations. For currently used tripolar electrode configuration, the truncation error may be decreased more than two-fold, while for the quadripolar configuration more than a six-fold decrease is expected. PMID:27294933

Improving the Accuracy of Laplacian Estimation with Novel Variable Inter-Ring Distances Concentric Ring Electrodes.

PubMed

Makeyev, Oleksandr; Besio, Walter G

2016-06-10

Noninvasive concentric ring electrodes are a promising alternative to conventional disc electrodes. Currently, the superiority of tripolar concentric ring electrodes over disc electrodes, in particular, in accuracy of Laplacian estimation, has been demonstrated in a range of applications. In our recent work, we have shown that accuracy of Laplacian estimation can be improved with multipolar concentric ring electrodes using a general approach to estimation of the Laplacian for an (n + 1)-polar electrode with n rings using the (4n + 1)-point method for n ≥ 2. This paper takes the next step toward further improving the Laplacian estimate by proposing novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes. Derived using a modified (4n + 1)-point method, linearly increasing and decreasing inter-ring distances tripolar (n = 2) and quadripolar (n = 3) electrode configurations are compared to their constant inter-ring distances counterparts. Finite element method modeling and analytic results are consistent and suggest that increasing inter-ring distances electrode configurations may decrease the truncation error resulting in more accurate Laplacian estimates compared to respective constant inter-ring distances configurations. For currently used tripolar electrode configuration, the truncation error may be decreased more than two-fold, while for the quadripolar configuration more than a six-fold decrease is expected.

Embryonic ring closure: Actomyosin rings do the two-step

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Actomyosin rings drive numerous closure processes, but the mechanisms by which they contract are still poorly understood. In this issue, Xue and Sokac (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201608025) show that actomyosin ring closure during Drosophila melanogaster cellularization uses two steps, only one of which involves Myosin-2. PMID:27799371

Scintillating C Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-16

Both luminous and translucent, the C ring sweeps out of the darkness of Saturn's shadow and obscures the planet at lower left. The ring is characterized by broad, isolated bright areas, or "plateaus," surrounded by fainter material. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 19 degrees above the ringplane. North on Saturn is up. The dark, inner B ring is seen at lower right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Dec. 15, 2006 at a distance of approximately 632,000 kilometers (393,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 56 degrees. Image scale is 34 kilometers (21 miles) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08855

Radar imaging of Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, Philip D.; French, Richard G.; Campbell, Donald B.; Margot, Jean-Luc; Nolan, Michael C.; Black, Gregory J.; Salo, Heikki J.

2005-09-01

We present delay-Doppler images of Saturn's rings based on radar observations made at Arecibo Observatory between 1999 and 2003, at a wavelength of 12.6 cm and at ring opening angles of 20.1°⩽|B|⩽26.7°. The average radar cross-section of the A ring is ˜77% relative to that of the B ring, while a stringent upper limit of 3% is placed on the cross-section of the C ring and 9% on that of the Cassini Division. These results are consistent with those obtained by Ostro et al. [1982, Icarus 49, 367-381] from radar observations at |B|=21.4°, but provide higher resolution maps of the rings' reflectivity profile. The average cross-section of the A and B rings, normalized by their projected unblocked area, is found to have decreased from 1.25±0.31 to 0.74±0.19 as the rings have opened up, while the circular polarization ratio has increased from 0.64±0.06 to 0.77±0.06. The steep decrease in cross-section is at variance with previous radar measurements [Ostro et al., 1980, Icarus 41, 381-388], and neither this nor the polarization variations are easily understood within the framework of either classical, many-particle-thick or monolayer ring models. One possible explanation involves vertical size segregation in the rings, whereby observations at larger elevation angles which see deeper into the rings preferentially see the larger particles concentrated near the rings' mid-plane. These larger particles may be less reflective and/or rougher and thus more depolarizing than the smaller ones. Images from all four years show a strong m=2 azimuthal asymmetry in the reflectivity of the A ring, with an amplitude of ±20% and minima at longitudes of 67±4° and 247±4° from the sub-Earth point. We attribute the asymmetry to the presence of gravitational wakes in the A ring as invoked by Colombo et al. [1976, Nature 264, 344-345] to explain the similar asymmetry long seen at optical wavelengths. A simple radiative transfer model suggests that the enhancement of the azimuthal

Uranus Rings in False Color

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

This false-color view of the rings of Uranus was made from images taken by Voyager 2 on Jan. 21, 1986, from a distance of 4.17 million kilometers (2.59 million miles). All nine known rings are visible here; the somewhat fainter, pastel lines seen between them are contributed by the computer enhancement. Six 15-second narrow-angle images were used to extract color information from the extremely dark and faint rings. Two images each in the green, clear and violet filters were added together and averaged to find the proper color differences between the rings. The final image was made from these three color averages and represents an enhanced, false-color view. The image shows that the brightest, or epsilon, ring at top is neutral in color, with the fainter eight other rings showing color differences between them. Moving down, toward Uranus, we see the delta, gamma and eta rings in shades of blue and green; the beta and alpha rings in somewhat lighter tones; and then a final set of three, known simply as the 4, 5 and 6 rings, in faint off-white tones. Scientists will use this color information to try to understand the nature and origin of the ring material. The resolution of this image is approximately 40 km (25 mi). The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

From coffee ring to spherulites ring of poly(ethylene oxide) film from drying droplet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yinchun; Zhang, Xuerong; Qiu, Maibo; Wei, Yan; Zhou, Qiong; Huang, Di

2018-03-01

We discuss how the "spherulites ring" morphology and "coffee ring" profile of PEO film formed by the drying droplet at glass substrate with different heating rate. Upon increasing the heating rate of substrate, it is found that deposited PEO film from drying droplet shows the unusually observed "coffee ring" profile and "spherulites ring" morphology. The main mechanism for this phenomenon is proposed to be an enhanced Marangoni convection which is induced by the increased solute concentration gradient and reduced viscous force above 70 °C. A simple formation mechanism of the unusually observed "coffee ring" profile and "spherulites ring" morphology is proposed. These findings can be exploited to trace the center of Marangoni convection, with potential applications in designing the spherulite patterns of crystalline polymer films in ink-jet printing and self-assembly fields.

Systematic Search for Rings around Kepler Planet Candidates: Constraints on Ring Size and Occurrence Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizawa, Masataka; Masuda, Kento; Kawahara, Hajime; Suto, Yasushi

2018-05-01

We perform a systematic search for rings around 168 Kepler planet candidates with sufficient signal-to-noise ratios that are selected from all of the short-cadence data. We fit ringed and ringless models to their light curves and compare the fitting results to search for the signatures of planetary rings. First, we identify 29 tentative systems, for which the ringed models exhibit statistically significant improvement over the ringless models. The light curves of those systems are individually examined, but we are not able to identify any candidate that indicates evidence for rings. In turn, we find several mechanisms of false positives that would produce ringlike signals, and the null detection enables us to place upper limits on the size of the rings. Furthermore, assuming the tidal alignment between axes of the planetary rings and orbits, we conclude that the occurrence rate of rings larger than twice the planetary radius is less than 15%. Even though the majority of our targets are short-period planets, our null detection provides statistical and quantitative constraints on largely uncertain theoretical models of the origin, formation, and evolution of planetary rings.

Rings Through Atmosphere

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-26

NASA Cassini spacecraft looks toward the limb of Saturn and, on the right of this image, views part of the rings through the planet atmosphere. Saturn atmosphere can distort the view of the rings from some angles.

Ring-through-ring molecular shuttling in a saturated [3]rotaxane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Kelong; Baggi, Giorgio; Loeb, Stephen J.

2018-06-01

Mechanically interlocked molecules such as rotaxanes and catenanes comprise two or more components whose motion relative to each other can be controlled. A [2]rotaxane molecular shuttle, for example, consists of an axle bearing two recognition sites and a single macrocyclic wheel that can undergo a to-and-fro motion along the axle—shuttling between the recognition sites. The ability of mechanically interlocked molecules to undergo this type of large-amplitude change is the core mechanism behind almost every interlocked molecular switch or machine, including sophisticated mechanical systems such as a molecular elevator and a peptide synthesizer. Here, as a way to expand the scope of dynamics possible at the molecular level, we have developed a molecular shuttling mechanism involving the exchange of rings between two recognition sites in a saturated [3]rotaxane (one with no empty recognition sites). This was accomplished by passing a smaller ring through a larger one, thus achieving ring-through-ring molecular shuttling.

Constraints on Particle Sizes in Saturn's G Ring from Ring Plane Crossing Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Throop, H. B.; Esposito, L. W.

1996-09-01

The ring plane crossings in 1995--96 allowed earth-based observations of Saturn's diffuse rings (Nicholson et al., Nature 272, 1996; De Pater et al. Icarus 121, 1996) at a phase angle of alpha ~ 5 deg . We calculate the G ring reflectance for steady state distributions of dust to km-sized bodies from a range of physical models which track the evolution of the G ring from its initial formation following the disruption of a progenitor satellite (Canup & Esposito 1996, \\ Icarus,\\ in press). We model scattering from the ring's small particles using an exact T-matrix method for nonspherical, absorptive particles (Mishchenko et al. 1996, \\ JGR Atmo., in press), large particles using the phase function and spectrum of Europa, and intermediate particles using a linear combination of the small and large limits. Two distinct particle size distributions from the CE96 model fit the observed spectrum. The first is that of a dusty ring, with the majority of ring reflectance in dust particles of relatedly shallow power law size distribution exponent q ~ 2.5. The second has equal reflectances from a) dust in the range q ~ 3.5 -- 6.5 and b) macroscopic bodies > 1 mm. In this second case, the respective slightly blue and red components combine to form the observed relatively flat spectrum. Although light scattering in backscatter is not sufficient to completely constrain the G ring size distribution, the distributions predicted by the CE96 model can explain the earth-based observations.

High-resolution imaging of Saturn's main rings during the Cassini Ring-Grazing Orbits and Grand Finale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiscareno, M. S.

2017-12-01

Cassini is ending its spectacular 13-year mission at Saturn with a two-part farewell, during which it has obtained the sharpest and highest-fidelity images ever taken of Saturn's rings. From December 2016 to April 2017, the spacecraft executed 20 near-polar orbits that passed just outside the outer edge of the main rings; these "Ring-Grazing Orbits" provided the mission's best viewing of the A and F rings and the outer B ring. From April to September 2017, the spacecraft is executing 22 near-polar orbits that pass between the innermost D ring and the planet's clouds; this "Grand Finale" provides the mission's best viewing of the C and D rings and the inner B ring. 1) Clumpy BeltsClumpy structure called "straw" was previously observed in parts of the main rings [Porco et al. 2005, Science]. New images show this structure with greater clarity. More surprisingly, new images reveal strong radial variations in the degree and character of clumpiness, which are probably an index for particle properties and interactions. Belts with different clumpiness characteristics are often adjacent to each other and not easily correlated with other ring characteristics. 2) PropellersA "propeller" is a local disturbance in the ring created by an embedded moon [Tiscareno et al. 2006, Nature; 2010, ApJL]. Cassini has observed two classes of propellers: small propellers that swarm in the "Propeller Belts" of the mid-A ring, and "Giant Propellers" whose individual orbits can be tracked in the outer A ring. Both are shown in unprecedented detail in new images. Targeted flybys of Giant Propellers were executed on both the lit and unlit sides of the ring (see figure), yielding enhanced ability to convert brightness to optical depth and surface density. 3) Impact Ejecta CloudsBeing a large and delicate system, Saturn's rings function as a detector of their planetary environment. Cassini images of impact ejecta clouds in the rings previously constrained the population of decimeter

Unfocused F Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-02

The F ring dissolves into a fuzzy stream of particles -- rather different from its usual appearance of a narrow, bright core flanked by dimmer ringlets. Also notable here is the bright clump of material that flanks the ring core

An Instability in Narrow Planetary Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, J. W.; Stewart, G. R.

2003-08-01

We will present our work investigating the behavior of narrow planetary rings with low dispersion velocities. Such narrow a ring will be initially unstable to self-gravitational collapse. After the collapse, the ring is collisionally very dense. At this stage, it is subject to a new instability. Waves appear on the inner and outer edges of the ring within half of an orbital period. The ring then breaks apart radially, taking approximately a quarter of an orbital period of do so. As clumps of ring particles expand radially away from the dense ring, Kepler shear causes these clumps to stretch out azimuthally, and eventually collapse into a new set of dense rings. Small-scale repetitions of the original instability in these new rings eventually leads to a stabilized broad ring with higher dispersion velocities than the initial ring. Preliminary results indicate that this instability may be operating on small scales in broad rings in the wake-like features seen by Salo and others. Some intriguing properties have been observed during this instability. The most significant is a coherence in the epicyclic phases of the particles. Both self-gravity and collisions in the ring operated to create and enforce this coherence. The coherence might also be responsible for the instability to radial expansion. We also observe that guiding centers of the particles do not migrate to the center of the ring during the collapse phase of the ring. In fact, guiding centers move radially away from the core of the ring during this phase, consistent with global conservation of angular momentum. We will show the results of our simulations to date, including movies of the evolution of various parameters. (Audiences members wanting popcorn are advised to bring their own.) This work is supported by a NASA Graduate Student Research Program grant and by the Cassini mission.

The Jumping Ring Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baylie, M.; Ford, P. J.; Mathlin, G. P.; Palmer, C.

2009-01-01

The jumping ring experiment has become central to liquid nitrogen shows given as part of the outreach and open day activities carried out within the University of Bath. The basic principles of the experiment are described as well as the effect of changing the geometry of the rings and their metallurgical state. In general, aluminium rings are…

DC-Powered Jumping Ring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffery, Rondo N.; Farhang, Amiri

2016-01-01

The classroom jumping ring demonstration is nearly always performed using alternating current (AC), in which the ring jumps or flies off the extended iron core when the switch is closed. The ring jumps higher when cooled with liquid nitrogen (LN2). We have performed experiments using DC to power the solenoid and find similarities and significant…

Wavelength-tunable optical ring resonators

DOEpatents

Watts, Michael R [Albuquerque, NM; Trotter, Douglas C [Albuquerque, NM; Young, Ralph W [Albuquerque, NM; Nielson, Gregory N [Albuquerque, NM

2009-11-10

Optical ring resonator devices are disclosed that can be used for optical filtering, modulation or switching, or for use as photodetectors or sensors. These devices can be formed as microdisk ring resonators, or as open-ring resonators with an optical waveguide having a width that varies adiabatically. Electrical and mechanical connections to the open-ring resonators are made near a maximum width of the optical waveguide to minimize losses and thereby provide a high resonator Q. The ring resonators can be tuned using an integral electrical heater, or an integral semiconductor junction.

Wavelength-tunable optical ring resonators

DOEpatents

Watts, Michael R [Albuquerque, NM; Trotter, Douglas C [Albuquerque, NM; Young, Ralph W [Albuquerque, NM; Nielson, Gregory N [Albuquerque, NM

2011-07-19

Optical ring resonator devices are disclosed that can be used for optical filtering, modulation or switching, or for use as photodetectors or sensors. These devices can be formed as microdisk ring resonators, or as open-ring resonators with an optical waveguide having a width that varies adiabatically. Electrical and mechanical connections to the open-ring resonators are made near a maximum width of the optical waveguide to minimize losses and thereby provide a high resonator Q. The ring resonators can be tuned using an integral electrical heater, or an integral semiconductor junction.

Helmet latching and attaching ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, E. W.; Viikinsalo, S. J. (Inventor)

1970-01-01

A neck ring releasably secured to a pressurized garment carries an open-ended ring normally in the engagement position fitted into an annular groove and adapted to fit into a complementary annular groove formed in a helmet. Camming means formed on the inner surface at the end of the helmet engages the open-ended ring to retract the same and allow for one motion donning even when the garment is pressurized. A projection on the end of the split ring is engageable to physically retract the split ring.

A-ring Propeller

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-26

A propeller-shaped structure, created by an unseen moon, can be seen in Saturn A ring and looks like a small, dark line interrupting the bright surrounding ring material in the upper left of this image taken by NASA Cassini spacecraft.

Splinters of Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-28

Saturn shadow interrupts the planet rings, leaving just thin slivers of the rings visible in this image, which shows a pair of the planet small moons. Helene is in the center top of the image, Epimetheus is in the lower right.

Residual hormone levels in used contraceptive rings as a measurement of adherence to vaginal ring use.

PubMed

Haaland, Richard E; Holder, Angela; Evans-Strickfaden, Tammy; Nyagol, Beatrice; Makanga, Mumbi; Oyaro, Boaz; Humwa, Felix; Williams, Tiffany; McLellan-Lemal, Eleanor; Desai, Mitesh; Huey, Michael J

2017-06-01

This study sought to measure residual contraceptive hormone levels in vaginal rings as an adherence marker for monitoring product use in clinical trials. Residual etonogestrel and ethinyl estradiol levels from used NuvaRings® of 26 self-reported adherent women enrolled in a clinical trial of vaginal ring acceptability were compared to those from 16 women who used NuvaRing® as their contraceptive choice. Twenty-one (81%) clinical trial rings had contraceptive hormone levels within the range of those used as a contraceptive choice. Five returned rings had unused or discordant levels of residual contraceptive hormones. Residual vaginal ring drug levels could help assess adherence in clinical trials. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Saturn Ring-Plane Crossing, may 1995

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosh, Amanda

1995-07-01

In 1995-1996, the Earth and the Sun will pass through Saturn's ring plane. The Earth will pass through 3 times (22 May 1995, 10 August 1995, 11 Feb 1996), and the Sun will pass through once (19 November 1995). All but the 11 Feb 1996 event will be visible from HST. During the crossings of the Earth through Saturn's ring plane, the rings will become very thin and dark. By monitoring the brightness of the rings as they become very thin, we will be able to determine the time of ring-plane crossing and the residual brightness of the rings at this time. The time of the ring- plane crossing will place additional constraints on the precession rate of Saturn's pole. The recent occultations by Saturn's rings have produced a measurement of this value, but it is not known very well (French et al., 1993; Bosh, 1994; Elliot et al., 1993). A measure of the brightness of the rings in their edge-on configuration, combined with photometric properties of the rings derived from early calibration observations will allow us to determine the thickness of the rings.

The contraceptive vaginal ring, NuvaRing(®), a decade after its introduction.

PubMed

Roumen, Frans J M E; Mishell, Daniel R

2012-12-01

To review the clinical experience with the contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR, NuvaRing(®)) since its introduction over ten years ago. The literature was searched on efficacy, cycle control, safety, user preference and satisfaction of the CVR in comparison with combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and the patch, with special attention to recent developments. The ring has the same working mechanism and contraindications as COCs. Serum levels of steroids are steadier, whereas oestrogenic exposure is lower. Contraceptive efficacy is similar, as are metabolic changes. Cycle control is better, and compliance and continuation rates are equal or higher. Oestrogen-related adverse symptoms appear to be fewer, but reports on the incidence of venous thrombosis are conflicting. Expulsion of the ring is reported by 4% to 20% of women. Local adverse events are the main reason for discontinuation. Acceptability is as high as with COCs and, after structured counselling, the ring is preferred by many women to the pill or the patch. Efficacy of the CVR, and the metabolic changes and adverse events it elicits, are generally comparable to those of COCs, yet oestrogenic exposure is lower and cycle control superior. After counselling, the ring is preferred to the pill by many women.

Concentric ring flywheel without expansion separators

DOEpatents

Kuklo, Thomas C.

1999-01-01

A concentric ring flywheel wherein the adjacent rings are configured to eliminate the need for differential expansion separators between the adjacent rings. This is accomplished by forming a circumferential step on an outer surface of an inner concentric ring and forming a matching circumferential step on the inner surface of an adjacent outer concentric ring. During operation the circumferential steps allow the rings to differentially expand due to the difference in the radius of the rings without the formation of gaps therebetween, thereby eliminating the need for expansion separators to take up the gaps formed by differential expansion.

Galactic rings revisited - I. CVRHS classifications of 3962 ringed galaxies from the Galaxy Zoo 2 Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buta, Ronald J.

2017-11-01

Rings are important and characteristic features of disc-shaped galaxies. This paper is the first in a series that re-visits galactic rings with the goals of further understanding the nature of the features and for examining their role in the secular evolution of galaxy structure. The series begins with a new sample of 3962 galaxies drawn from the Galaxy Zoo 2 citizen science data base, selected because zoo volunteers recognized a ring-shaped pattern in the morphology as seen in Sloan Digital Sky Survey colour images. The galaxies are classified within the framework of the Comprehensive de Vaucouleurs revised Hubble-Sandage system. It is found that zoo volunteers cued on the same kinds of ring-like features that were recognized in the 1995 Catalogue of Southern Ringed Galaxies. This paper presents the full catalogue of morphological classifications, comparisons with other sources of classifications and some histograms designed mainly to highlight the content of the catalogue. The advantages of the sample are its large size and the generally good quality of the images; the main disadvantage is the low physical resolution that limits the detectability of linearly small rings such as nuclear rings. The catalogue includes mainly inner and outer disc rings and lenses. Cataclysmic (`encounter-driven') rings (such as ring and polar ring galaxies) are recognized in less than 1 per cent of the sample.

Rheology modification with ring polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlassopoulos, Dimitris

It is now established that experimental unconcatenated ring polymers can be purified effectively by means of fractionation at the critical condition. For molecular weights well above the entanglement threshold, purified rings relax stress via power-law (with an exponent of about -0.4), sharply departing from their linear counterparts. Experimental results are in harmony with modeling predictions and simulations. Here, we present results from recent interdisciplinary efforts and discuss two challenges: (i) the nonlinear shear rheology of purified ring melts is also very different from that of unlinked chains. Whereas the latter exhibit features that can be explained, to a first approach, in the framework in the tube model, the former behave akin to unentangled chains with finite extensibility and exhibit much small deformation at steady state. (ii) blends of rings and linear polymers exhibit unique features in different regimes: The addition of minute amounts of linear chains drastically affects ring dynamics. This relates to ring purity and the ability of unlinked linear chains to thread rings. With the help of simulations, it is possible to rationalize the observed surprisingly slow viscoelastic relaxation, which is attributed to ring-linear and ring-ring penetrations. On the other hand, adding small amounts of rings to linear polymers of different molecular weights influences their linear and nonlinear rheology in an unprecedented way. The blend viscosity exceeds that of the slower component (linear) in this non-interacting mixture, and its dependencies on composition and molecular weight ratio are examined, whereas the role of molecular architecture is also addressed. Consequently, closing the ends of a linear chain can serve as a powerful means for molecular manipulation of its rheology. This presentation reflects collaborative efforts with S. Costanzo, Z-C. Yan, R. Pasquino, M. Kaliva, S. Kamble, Y. Jeong, P. Lutz, J. Allgaier, T. Chang, D. Talikis, V

One ring or two? Determination of ring number in carotenoids by lycopene epsilon-cyclases.

PubMed

Cunningham, F X; Gantt, E

2001-02-27

Carotenoids in the photosynthetic membranes of plants typically contain two beta-rings (e.g., beta-carotene and zeaxanthin) or one epsilon- and one beta-ring (e.g., lutein). Carotenoids with two epsilon-rings are uncommon. We reported earlier that the Arabidopsis thaliana lycopene epsilon-cyclase (LCYe) adds one epsilon-ring to the symmetrical linear substrate lycopene, whereas the structurally related lycopene beta-cyclase (LCYb) adds two beta-rings. Here we describe a cDNA encoding LCYe in romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. romaine), one of the few plant species known to accumulate substantial quantities of a carotenoid with two epsilon-rings: lactucaxanthin. The product of the lettuce cDNA, similar in sequence to the Arabidopsis LCYe (77% amino acid identity), efficiently converted lycopene into the bicyclic epsilon-carotene in a heterologous Escherichia coli system. Regions of the lettuce and Arabidopsis epsilon-cyclases involved in the determination of ring number were mapped by analysis of chimeric epsilon-cyclases constructed by using an inverse PCR approach. A single amino acid was found to act as a molecular switch: lettuce LCYe mutant H457L added only one epsilon-ring to lycopene, whereas the complementary Arabidopsis LCYe mutant, L448H, added two epsilon-rings. An R residue in this position also yields a bi-epsilon-cyclase for both the lettuce and Arabidopsis enzymes. Construction and analysis of chimera of related enzymes with differing catalytic activities provide an informative approach that may be of particular utility for studying membrane-associated enzymes that cannot easily be crystallized or modeled to existing crystal structures.

One ring or two? Determination of ring number in carotenoids by lycopene ɛ-cyclases

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Francis X.; Gantt, Elisabeth

2001-01-01

Carotenoids in the photosynthetic membranes of plants typically contain two β-rings (e.g., β-carotene and zeaxanthin) or one ɛ- and one β-ring (e.g., lutein). Carotenoids with two ɛ-rings are uncommon. We reported earlier that the Arabidopsis thaliana lycopene ɛ-cyclase (LCYe) adds one ɛ-ring to the symmetrical linear substrate lycopene, whereas the structurally related lycopene β-cyclase (LCYb) adds two β-rings. Here we describe a cDNA encoding LCYe in romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. romaine), one of the few plant species known to accumulate substantial quantities of a carotenoid with two ɛ-rings: lactucaxanthin. The product of the lettuce cDNA, similar in sequence to the Arabidopsis LCYe (77% amino acid identity), efficiently converted lycopene into the bicyclic ɛ-carotene in a heterologous Escherichia coli system. Regions of the lettuce and Arabidopsis ɛ-cyclases involved in the determination of ring number were mapped by analysis of chimeric ɛ-cyclases constructed by using an inverse PCR approach. A single amino acid was found to act as a molecular switch: lettuce LCYe mutant H457L added only one ɛ-ring to lycopene, whereas the complementary Arabidopsis LCYe mutant, L448H, added two ɛ-rings. An R residue in this position also yields a bi-ɛ-cyclase for both the lettuce and Arabidopsis enzymes. Construction and analysis of chimera of related enzymes with differing catalytic activities provide an informative approach that may be of particular utility for studying membrane-associated enzymes that cannot easily be crystallized or modeled to existing crystal structures. PMID:11226339

The structure of Jupiter’s main ring from New Horizons: A comparison with other ring-moon systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chancia, Robert; Hedman, Matthew

2018-04-01

During New Horizon’s Jupiter flyby in 2007, the Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) took several images of the planet’s main ring. The data set contains two extended image-movies of the main ring, along with several brief observations at varying ring azimuths, and a small set of high phase angle images. Thus far, the only published work on the New Horizons Jupiter rings data set found seven bright clumps with sub-km equivalent radii embedded in the main ring (Showalter et al. 2007 Science). In this work, we searched the inner region of the main ring for any structures that might be perturbed at the 3:2 resonances with the rotation of Jupiter’s magnetic field or massive storms. We also examined the structure of the outer main ring in order to assess how it is shaped by the small moons Metis and Adrastea. Some of the features seen in Jupiter’s main ring are similar to those found in other dusty rings around Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. By comparing these different rings, we can gain a better understanding of how small moons sculpt tenuous rings.

Proton velocity ring-driven instabilities and their dependence on the ring speed: Linear theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Kyungguk; Liu, Kaijun; Gary, S. Peter

2017-08-01

Linear dispersion theory is used to study the Alfvén-cyclotron, mirror and ion Bernstein instabilities driven by a tenuous (1%) warm proton ring velocity distribution with a ring speed, vr, varying between 2vA and 10vA, where vA is the Alfvén speed. Relatively cool background protons and electrons are assumed. The modeled ring velocity distributions are unstable to both the Alfvén-cyclotron and ion Bernstein instabilities whose maximum growth rates are roughly a linear function of the ring speed. The mirror mode, which has real frequency ωr=0, becomes the fastest growing mode for sufficiently large vr/vA. The mirror and Bernstein instabilities have maximum growth at propagation oblique to the background magnetic field and become more field-aligned with an increasing ring speed. Considering its largest growth rate, the mirror mode, in addition to the Alfvén-cyclotron mode, can cause pitch angle diffusion of the ring protons when the ring speed becomes sufficiently large. Moreover, because the parallel phase speed, v∥ph, becomes sufficiently small relative to vr, the low-frequency Bernstein waves can also aid the pitch angle scattering of the ring protons for large vr. Potential implications of including these two instabilities at oblique propagation on heliospheric pickup ion dynamics are discussed.

Edge-on View of Saturn's Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

TOP - This is a NASA Hubble Space Telescope snapshot of Saturn with its rings barely visible. Normally, astronomers see Saturn with its rings tilted. Earth was almost in the plane of Saturn's rings, thus the rings appear edge-on.

In this view, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is casting a shadow on Saturn. Titan's atmosphere is a dark brown haze. The other moons appear white because of their bright, icy surfaces. Four moons - from left to right, Mimas, Tethys, Janus, and Enceladus - are clustered around the edge of Saturn's rings on the right. Two other moons appear in front of the ring plane. Prometheus is on the right edge; Pandora, on the left. The rings also are casting a shadow on Saturn because the Sun was above the ring plane.

BOTTOM - This photograph shows Saturn with its rings slightly tilted. The moon called Dione, on the lower right, is casting a long, thin shadow across the whole ring system due to the setting Sun on the ring plane. The moon on the upper left of Saturn is Tethys.

Astronomers also are studying the unusual appearance of Saturn's rings. The bottom image displays a faint, narrow ring, the F-ring just outside the main ring, which normally is invisible from Earth. Close to the edge of Saturn's disk, the front section of rings seem brighter and more yellow than the back due to the additional lumination by yellowish Saturn.

The color images were assembled from separate exposures taken August 6 (top) and November 17 (bottom), 1995 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2.

The Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and managed by the Goddard Spaced Flight Center for NASA's Office of Space Science.

This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/

Apse-Alignment of the Uranian Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mosqueira, I.; Estrada, P. R.

2000-01-01

An explanation of the dynamical mechanism for apse-alignment of the eccentric Uranian rings is necessary before observations can be used to determine properties such as ring masses, particle sizes, and elasticities. The leading model relies on the ring self-gravity to accomplish this task, yet it yields equilibrium masses which are not in accord with Voyager radio measurements. We explore possible solutions such that the self-gravity and the collisional terms are both involved in the process of apse-alignment. We consider limits that correspond to a hot and a cold ring, and show that pressure terms may play a significant role in the equilibrium conditions for the narrow Uranian rings. In the cold ring case, where the scale height of the ring near periapse is comparable to the ring particle size, we introduce a new pressure correction pertaining to a region of the ring where the particles are locked in their relative positions and jammed against their neighbors, and the velocity dispersion is so low that the collisions are nearly elastic. In this case, we find a solution such that the ring self-gravity maintains apse-alignment against both differential precession (m = 1 mode) and the fluid pressure. We apply this model to the Uranian alpha ring, and show that, compared to the previous self-gravity model, the mass estimate for this ring increases by an order of magnitude. In the case of a hot ring, where the scale height can reach a value as much as fifty times larger than a particle size, we find velocity dispersion profiles that result in pressure forces which act in such a way as to alter the ring equilibrium conditions, again leading to a ring mass increase of an order of magnitude; however, such a velocity dispersion profile would require a different mechanism than is currently envisioned for establishing heating/cooling balance in a finite-sized, inelastic particle ring. Finally, we introduce an important correction to the model of Chiang and Goldreich.

Simulating the Smallest Ring World of Chariklo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michikoshi, Shugo; Kokubo, Eiichiro

2017-03-01

A ring system consisting of two dense narrow rings has been discovered around Centaur Chariklo. The existence of these rings around a small object poses various questions about their origin, stability, and lifetime. In order to understand the nature of Chariklo’s rings, we perform global N-body simulations of the self-gravitating collisional particle rings for the first time. We find that Chariklo should be denser than the ring material in order to avoid the rapid diffusion of the rings. If Chariklo is denser than the ring material, fine spiral structures called self-gravity wakes occur in the inner ring. These wakes accelerate the viscous spreading of the ring significantly and typically occur on timescales of about 100 {years} for m-sized ring particles, which is considerably shorter than the timescales suggested in previous studies. The existence of these narrow rings implies smaller ring particles or the existence of shepherding satellites.

Recent Simulation Results on Ring Current Dynamics Using the Comprehensive Ring Current Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zheng, Yihua; Zaharia, Sorin G.; Lui, Anthony T. Y.; Fok, Mei-Ching

2010-01-01

Plasma sheet conditions and electromagnetic field configurations are both crucial in determining ring current evolution and connection to the ionosphere. In this presentation, we investigate how different conditions of plasma sheet distribution affect ring current properties. Results include comparative studies in 1) varying the radial distance of the plasma sheet boundary; 2) varying local time distribution of the source population; 3) varying the source spectra. Our results show that a source located farther away leads to a stronger ring current than a source that is closer to the Earth. Local time distribution of the source plays an important role in determining both the radial and azimuthal (local time) location of the ring current peak pressure. We found that post-midnight source locations generally lead to a stronger ring current. This finding is in agreement with Lavraud et al.. However, our results do not exhibit any simple dependence of the local time distribution of the peak ring current (within the lower energy range) on the local time distribution of the source, as suggested by Lavraud et al. [2008]. In addition, we will show how different specifications of the magnetic field in the simulation domain affect ring current dynamics in reference to the 20 November 2007 storm, which include initial results on coupling the CRCM with a three-dimensional (3-D) plasma force balance code to achieve self-consistency in the magnetic field.

Compressible Vortex Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elavarasan, Ramasamy; Arakeri, Jayawant; Krothapalli, Anjaneyulu

1999-11-01

The interaction of a high-speed vortex ring with a shock wave is one of the fundamental issues as it is a source of sound in supersonic jets. The complex flow field induced by the vortex alters the propagation of the shock wave greatly. In order to understand the process, a compressible vortex ring is studied in detail using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and shadowgraphic techniques. The high-speed vortex ring is generated from a shock tube and the shock wave, which precedes the vortex, is reflected back by a plate and made to interact with the vortex. The shadowgraph images indicate that the reflected shock front is influenced by the non-uniform flow induced by the vortex and is decelerated while passing through the vortex. It appears that after the interaction the shock is "split" into two. The PIV measurements provided clear picture about the evolution of the vortex at different time interval. The centerline velocity traces show the maximum velocity to be around 350 m/s. The velocity field, unlike in incompressible rings, contains contributions from both the shock and the vortex ring. The velocity distribution across the vortex core, core diameter and circulation are also calculated from the PIV data.

Symmetrical collision of multiple vortex rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, R. H.; Reyes, T.

2017-10-01

In this work, we investigate the motion, interaction, and simultaneous collision between many initially stable vortex rings arranged symmetrically in two initial configurations, three and six rings making an angle of 60 and 120° between their straight path lines, respectively. We report results for laminar vortex rings in air obtained through numerical simulations of the ring velocity, pressure, and vorticity fields, both in free flight and during the entire collision. Each collision was studied for small Reynolds numbers R e <1 03 based on both the self-induced velocity and diameter of the ring. The case of three rings produces secondary vortical structures formed by laterally expanding dipolar arms with top and bottom secondary vortex rings. The case of six colliding rings produces, as secondary structures, two big rings moving in opposite directions, a process that reminds us of the head-on collision of two rings [T. T. Lim and T. B. Nickels, "Instability and reconnection in the head-on collision of two vortex rings," Nature 357, 225-227 (1992)] under a hypothetical time reversal transformation. Both collisions display a characteristic kinetic energy evolution where mean collision stages can be identified within the range of Reynolds numbers investigated here.

Smoke Ring Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2011-01-01

The behavior of smoke rings, tornados, and quantized vortex rings in superfluid helium has many features in common. These features can be described by the same mathematics we use when introducing Ampere's law in an introductory physics course. We discuss these common features. (Contains 7 figures.)

Planetary rings - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borderies, Nicole

1989-01-01

Theoretical models of planetary-ring dynamics are examined in a brief analytical review. The mathematical description of streamlines and streamline interactions is outlined; the redistribution of angular momentum due to collisions between particles is explained; and problems in the modeling of broad, narrow, and arc rings are discussed.

The Dynamics of Dense Planetary Rings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosqueira, Ignacio

1995-01-01

We study the dynamics of a two-mode narrow ring in the case that one of the modes dominates the overall ring perturbation. We use a simple two-streamline self -gravity model, including viscosity, and shepherd satellites. As might be expected, we find that n m = 1 mode appears to be a natural end state for the rings, inasmuch as the presence of a dominant eccentric mode inhibits the growth of other modes, but the reverse is not true. Why some rings exhibit other m values only remains unexplained. Using a modified N-body code to include periodic boundary conditions in a perturbed shear flow, we investigate the role of viscosity on the dynamics of perturbed rings with optical depth tau ~ 1. In particular, we are concerned with rings such that qe = a{de over da} ne 0, where a is the semi-major axis and e is the eccentricity. We confirm the possibility that, for a sufficiently perturbed ring, the angular momentum luminosity may reverse direction with respect to the unperturbed ring (Borderies et al. 1983a). We use observationally constrained parameters for the delta and epsilon Uranian rings, as well as the outer portion of Saturn's B ring. We find that understanding the effects of viscosity for the Uranian rings requires that both local and non-local transport terms be considered if the coefficient of restitution experimentally obtained by Bridges et al. (1984) is appropriate for ring particles. We also find evidence that the criterion for viscous overstability is satisfied in the case of high optical depth rings, as originally proposed by Borderies et al. (1985), making viscous overstability a leading candidate mechanism to explain the non-axisymmetric structure present in the outer portion of Saturn's B ring. To better understand our path-code results we extend a non-local and incompressible fluid model used by Borderies et al. (1985) for dense rings. We incorporate local and non-local transport terms as well as compressibility, while retaining the same number of

Planetary rings as relics of plasma proto-rings rotating in the magnetic field of a central body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabinovich, B.

2007-08-01

A possibility is discussed in accordance to hypothesis by H. Alfven, that the rings of large planets are relics of some plasma proto-rings rotating in the magnetic fields of central bodies. A finite-dimensional mathematical model of the system is synthesized using the solution of the boundary-value problem by the Boubnov - Galerkin method. The dipole magnetic field of the central body is assumed to have a small eccentricity, and the dipole axis - to be inclined at a small angle to the central body's axis of rotation which coincides with the ring's rotation axis. The proto-ring is supposed to be thin and narrow and having the same rotating axis as the central body. A medium forming the ring is cold rarefied plasma with high electron density, so that electric conductivity of the medium tends to infinity, as well as the magnetic Reynolds number. The original mathematical model is reduced to a system of finite-difference equations whose asymptotic analytical solution is obtained. Emphasis is placed on the problems of stability of the ring's steady state rotation and quantization of the eigenvalues of nondimensional sector velocity of the ring with respect to the central body. The solutions corresponding to magneto-gravitational and to magneto-gyroscopic waves are considered It is demonstrated that some rings characterized by integral quantum numbers are stable and long-living, while the rings which are associated with half-integer quantum numbers (rings>) are unstable and short-living. As a result, an evolutionally rife rotating plasma ring turns out to be stratified into a large number of narrow elite rings separated by gaps whose position correspond to anti-rings. The regions of possible existence of elite rings in near-central body space are determined. The main result of eigenvalue spectrum's analysis is as follows. Quantum numbers determining elite eigenvalues of the sector velocity of a ring (normalized in a certain manner) coincide with the quantum

The Search for Ringed Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-04-01

Are planetary rings as common in our galaxy as they are in our solar system? A new study demonstrates how we might search for ringed exoplanets and then possibly finds one!Saturns Elsewhere?Artists illustration of the super ring system around exoplanet J1407b. This is the only exoplanet weve found with rings, but its not at all like Saturn. [Ron Miller]Our solar system is filled with moons and planetary rings, so it stands to reason that exoplanetary systems should exhibit the same features. But though weve been in the planet-hunting game for decades, weve only found one exoplanet thats surrounded by a ring system. Whats more, that system J1407b has enormous rings that are vastly different from the modest, Saturn-like rings that we might expect to be more commonplace.Have we not discovered ringed exoplanets just because theyre hard to identify? Or is it because theyre not out there? A team of scientists led by Masataka Aizawa (University of Tokyo) has set out to answer this question by conducting a systematic search for rings around long-period planet candidates.The transit light curve of KIC 10403228, shown with three models: the best-fitting planet-only model (blue) and the two best-fitting planet+ring models (green and red). [Aizawa et al. 2017]The Hunt BeginsWhy long-period planets? Rings are expected to be unstable as the planet gets closer to the central star. Whats more, the planet needs to be far enough away from the stars warmth for the icy rings to exist. The authors therefore select from the collection of candidate transiting planets 89 long-period candidates that might be able to host rings.Aizawa and collaborators then fit single-planet models (with no rings) to the light curves of these planets and search for anomalies curves that arent fit well by these standard models. Particularly suspicious characteristics include a long ingress/egress as the planet moves across the face of the star, and asymmetry of the transit shape.After applying a series of

Fan in the F Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-20

This mosaic of images from NASA Cassini spacecraft depicts fan-like structures in Saturn tenuous F ring. Bright features are also visible near the core of the ring. Such features suggest the existence of additional objects in the F ring.

F Ring Bright Core Clumps

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-20

Bright clumps of ring material and a fan-like structure appear near the core of Saturn tenuous F ring in this mosaic of images from NASA Cassini spacecraft. Such features suggest the existence of additional objects in the F ring.

Researches on the Piston Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehihara, Keikiti

1944-01-01

In internal combustion engines, steam engines, air compressors, and so forth, the piston ring plays an important role. Especially, the recent development of Diesel engines which require a high compression pressure for their working, makes, nowadays, the packing action of the piston ring far more important than ever. Though a number of papers have been published in regard to researches on the problem of the piston ring, none has yet dealt with an exact measurement of pressure exerted on the cylinder wall at any given point of the ring. The only paper that can be traced on this subject so far is Mr. Nakagawa's report on the determination of the relative distribution of pressure on the cylinder wall, but the measuring method adopted therein appears to need further consideration. No exact idea has yet been obtained as to how the obturation of gas between the piston and cylinder, the frictional resistance of the piston, and the wear of the cylinder wall are affected by the intensity and the distribution of the radial pressure of the piston ring. Consequently, the author has endeavored, by employing an apparatus of his own invention, to get an exact determination of the pressure distribution of the piston ring. By means of a newly devised ring tester, to which piezoelectricity of quartz was applied, the distribution of the radial pressure of many sample rings on the market was accurately determined. Since many famous piston rings show very irregular pressure distribution, the author investigated and achieved a manufacturing process of the piston ring which will exert uniform pressure on the cylinder wall. Temperature effects on the configuration and on the mean spring power have also been studied. Further, the tests were performed to ascertain how the gas tightness of the piston ring may be affected by the number or spring power. The researches as to the frictional resistance between the piston ring and the cylinder wall were carried out, too. The procedure of study, and

Uranus Ring System

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-01-29

This image captured by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1986 revealed a continuous distribution of small particles throughout the Uranus ring system. This unique geometry, the highest phase angle at which Voyager imaged the rings, allowed us to see lanes of fine dust. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00142

Moonlets wandering on a leash-ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, O. C.; Mourão, D. C.; Giuliatti Winter, S. M.; Spahn, F.; da Cruz, C.

2007-09-01

Since the Voyager flybys, embedded moonlets have been proposed to explain some of the surprising structures observed in Saturn's narrow F ring. Experiments conducted with the Cassini spacecraft support this suggestion. Images of the F ring show bright compact spots, and seven occultations of stars by the F ring, monitored by ultraviolet and infrared experiments, revealed nine events of high optical depth. These results point to a large number of such objects, but it is not clear whether they are solid moonlets or rather loose particle aggregates. Subsequent images suggested an irregular motion of these objects so that a determination of their orbits consistent with the F ring failed. Some of these features seem to cross the whole ring. Here we show that these observations are explained by chaos in the F ring driven mainly by the `shepherd' moons Prometheus and Pandora. It is characterized by a rather short Lyapunov time of about a few hundred orbital periods. Despite this chaotic diffusion, more than 93 per cent of the F-ring bodies remain confined within the F ring because of the shepherding, but also because of a weak radial mobility contrasted by an effective longitudinal diffusion. This chaotic stirring of all bodies involved prevents the formation of `propellers' typical of moonlets, but their frequent ring crossings explain the multiple radial `streaks' seen in the F ring. The related `thermal' motion causes more frequent collisions between all bodies which steadily replenish F-ring dust and allow for ongoing fragmentation and re-accretion processes (ring recycling).

Saturn's E Ring in Ultraviolet Light

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Visible from Earth only at times of ring plane crossing, Saturn's tenuous E Ring was discovered during the 1966 crossings and imaged again in 1980. From these observations, its color is known to be distinctively blue. The E Ring was captured in ultraviolet light for the first time in this image taken with HST's Wide Field and Planetary Camera on 9 August 1995. Five individual images taken with a broadband 3000 A filter were combined, amounting to a total exposure time of 2200 sec. Shorter exposure images were also obtained with blue, red and infrared filters in order to characterize the ring's color. The peak brightness of the E Ring occurs at 3.9 Saturn radii (235,000 km), coinciding with the orbit of Enceladus. In the HST images it can be traced out to a maximum distance of approximately 8 Rs (480,000 km). The vertical thickness of the ring, on the other hand, is smallest at Enceladus' orbit, with the ring puffing up noticeably at larger distances to 15,000 km or more thick. Also visible in this image, between the E Ring and the overexposed outermost part of the main rings near the lower edge of the frame, is the tenuous, thin, 6000 km-wide G Ring at 2.8 Rs (170,000 km). This is among the first earth-based observations of the G Ring, which was discovered by the Pioneer 11 spacecraft in 1979. Noticeably thinner than the E Ring and more neutral in color, the G Ring is thought to be composed of larger, macroscopic particles, and to pose a significant hazard to spacecraft. The faint diagonal band in the lower right part of the image is due to diffracted light from the heavily-overexposed planet. Credit: Phil Nicholson (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (NASA-Ames/Stanford) and NASA

Uranus Rings and Two Moons

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-06-19

Voyager 2 has discovered two hepherd satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons, designated 1986U7 and 1986U8, are seen here on either side of the bright epsilon ring; all nine of the known Uranian rings are visible.

Nuclear Rings in Galaxies - A Kinematic Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazzuca, Lisa M.; Swaters, Robert A.; Knapen, Johan H.; Veilleux, Sylvain

2011-01-01

We combine DensePak integral field unit and TAURUS Fabry-Perot observations of 13 nuclear rings to show an interconnection between the kinematic properties of the rings and their resonant origin. The nuclear rings have regular and symmetric kinematics, and lack strong non-circular motions. This symmetry, coupled with a direct relationship between the position angles and ellipticities of the rings and those of their host galaxies, indicate the rings are in the same plane as the disc and are circular. From the rotation curves derived, we have estimated the compactness (v(sup 2)/r) up to the turnover radius, which is where the nuclear rings reside. We find that there is evidence of a correlation between compactness and ring width and size. Radially wide rings are less compact, and thus have lower mass concentration. The compactness increases as the ring width decreases. We also find that the nuclear ring size is dependent on the bar strength, with weaker bars allowing rings of any size to form.

Adolescent Experiences with the Vaginal Ring

PubMed Central

Epstein, Laura B.; Sokal-Gutierrez, Karen; Ivey, Susan L.; Raine, Tina; Auerswald, Colette

2011-01-01

Purpose To understand racial/ethnic minority adolescent females’ experiences with the vaginal ring. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with a clinic-based sample of 32 young women aged 15–24 years who had used the vaginal ring. Results Qualitative analysis using grounded theory revealed that adolescents undergo a multi-stage process when trying the ring and adopting ring use. These stages include hearing about the ring, initial reactions, first experiences with insertion and removal, and first sexual experiences. Adolescents subsequently enter an assessment and adjustment stage in which they decide whether to adopt or discontinue ring use. Ultimately they share their experiences with friends. Conclusions The model developed provides a context within which providers may advise adolescents as they begin use of the ring. Some specific recommendations are offered. PMID:18565439

Biotransformation of two β-secretase inhibitors including ring opening and contraction of a pyrimidine ring.

PubMed

Lindgren, Anders; Eklund, Göran; Turek, Dominika; Malmquist, Jonas; Swahn, Britt-Marie; Holenz, Jörg; von Berg, Stefan; Karlström, Sofia; Bueters, Tjerk

2013-05-01

Recently, the discovery of the aminoisoindoles as potent and selective inhibitors of β-secretase was reported, including the close structural analogs compound (S)-1-pyridin-4-yl-4-fluoro-1-(3-(pyrimidin-5-yl)phenyl)-1H-isoindol-3-amine [(S)-25] and (S)-1-(2-(difluoromethyl)pyridin-4-yl)-4-fluoro-1-(3-(pyrimidin-5-yl)phenyl)-1H-isoindol-3-amine hemifumarate (AZD3839), the latter being recently progressed to the clinic. The biotransformation of (S)-25 was investigated in vitro and in vivo in rat, rabbit, and human and compared with AZD3839 to further understand the metabolic fate of these compounds. In vitro, CYP3A4 was the major responsible enzyme and metabolized both compounds to a large extent in the commonly shared pyridine and pyrimidine rings. The main proposed metabolic pathways in various in vitro systems were N-oxidation of the pyridine and/or pyrimidine ring and conversion to 4-pyrimidone and pyrimidine-2,4-dione. Both compounds were extensively metabolized, and more than 90% was excreted in feces after intravenous administration of radiolabeled compound to the rat. Here, the main pathways were N-oxidation of the pyridine and/or pyrimidine ring and a ring contraction of the pyrimidine ring into an imidazole ring. Ring-contracted metabolites accounted for 25% of the total metabolism in the rat for (S)-25, whereas the contribution was much smaller for AZD3839. This metabolic pathway was not foreseen on the basis of the obtained in vitro data. In conclusion, we discovered an unusual metabolic pathway of aryl-pyrimidine-containing compounds by a ring-opening reaction followed by elimination of a carbon atom and a ring closure to form an imidazole ring.

The Rings of Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuzzi, J. N.; Filacchione, G.; Marouf, E. A.

2018-03-01

One could become an expert on Saturn's iconic rings pretty easily in the early 1970s, as very little was known about them beyond the distinction between the A, B, and C rings, and the Cassini Division or "gap" between rings A and B (Alexander, 1962; Bobrov, 1970). Water ice was discovered spectroscopically on the ring particle surfaces, and radar and microwave emission observations proved that the particles must be centimeters to meters in size, consisting primarily, not just superficially, of water ice (Pollack, 1975). While a 2:1 orbital resonance with Mimas had long been suspected of having something to do with the Cassini Division, computers of the time were unable to model the subtle dynamical effects that we now know to dominate ring structure. This innocent state of affairs was exploded by the Voyager 1 and 2 encounters in 1980 and 1981. Spectacular images revealed filigree structure and odd regional color variations, and exquisitely detailed radial profiles of fluctuating particle abundance were obtained from the first stellar and radio occultations, having resolution almost at the scale of single particles. Voyager-era understanding was reviewed by Cuzzi et al. (1984) and Esposito et al. (1984). While the Voyager data kept ring scientists busy for decades, planning which led to the monumentally successful NASA-ESA-ASI Cassini mission, which arrived in 2004, had been under way even before Voyager got to Saturn. A review of pre-Cassini knowledge of Saturn's Rings can be found in Orton et al. (2009). This chapter will build on recent topical and process-specific reviews that treat the gamut of ring phenomena and its underlying physics in considerable detail (Colwell et al., 2009; Cuzzi et al., 2009; Horányi et al., 2009; Schmidt et al., 2009; Esposito, 2010; Tiscareno, 2013b; Esposito, 2014). We will follow and extend the general organization of Cuzzi et al. (2010), the most recent general discussion of Saturn's rings. For brevity and the benefit of the

What confines the rings of Saturn?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajeddine, Radwan; Nicholson, Philip D.; El Moutamid, Maryame; Longaretti, Pierre-Yves; Burns, Joseph A.

2017-10-01

The viscous spreading of planetary rings is believed to be counteracted by satellite torques, either through an individual resonance or through overlapping resonances (when the satellite is close to the ring edge). For the A ring of Saturn, it has been commonly believed that the satellite Janus alone can prevent the ring from spreading via its 7:6 Lindblad resonance. We discuss this common misconception and show that, in reality, the A ring is confined by the contributions from the group of satellites Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Janus, Epimetheus, and Mimas, whose resonances gradually decrease the angular momentum flux transported outward through the ring via density and bending waves. We further argue that this decrease in angular momentum flux occurs through the mechanism of ‘flux reversal’.We find that the Janus 7:6 torque is relatively feeble, as is the comparable torque of the nearby small satellite Atlas, each amounting to less than one-tenth of the angular momentum transport carried by the A ring. But the cumulative torques of the many other satellite resonances in the A ring sufficiently reduce the angular momentum flux through the rings so that the torques due to Janus and Atlas are effective in confining the outer edge of the ring.Furthermore, we use the magnitude of the satellites’ resonance torques to estimate the effective viscosity profile across the A ring, showing that it decreases from ~50 cm2 s-1 at the inner edge to less than ~11 cm2 s-1 at the outer edge. The gradual estimated decrease of the angular momentum flux and effective viscosity are roughly consistent with results obtained by balancing the shepherding torques from Pan and Daphnis with the viscous torque at the edges of the Encke and Keeler gaps, as well as the edge of the A ring.On the other hand, the Mimas 2:1 Lindblad resonance alone seems to be capable of confining the edge of the B ring, and contrary to the situation in the A ring, we show that the effective viscosity

Slide-Ring Materials Using Cyclodextrin.

PubMed

Ito, Kohzo

2017-01-01

We have recently synthesized slide-ring materials using cyclodextrin by cross-linking polyrotaxanes, a typical supramolecule. The slide-ring materials have polymer chains with bulky end groups topologically interlocked by figure-of-eight shaped junctions. This indicates that the cross-links can pass through the polymer chains similar to pulleys to relax the tension of the backbone polymer chains. The slide-ring materials also differ from conventional polymers in that the entropy of rings affects the elasticity. As a result, the slide-ring materials show quite small Young's modulus not proportional to the cross-linking density. This concept can be applied to a wide variety of polymeric materials as well as gels. In particular, the slide-ring materials show remarkable scratch-proof properties for coating materials for automobiles, cell phones, mobile computers, and so on. Further current applications include vibration-proof insulation materials for sound speakers, highly abrasive polishing media, dielectric actuators, and so on.

Finite element method modeling to assess Laplacian estimates via novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes.

PubMed

Makeyev, Oleksandr; Besio, Walter G

2016-08-01

Noninvasive concentric ring electrodes are a promising alternative to conventional disc electrodes. Currently, superiority of tripolar concentric ring electrodes over disc electrodes, in particular, in accuracy of Laplacian estimation has been demonstrated in a range of applications. In our recent work we have shown that accuracy of Laplacian estimation can be improved with multipolar concentric ring electrodes using a general approach to estimation of the Laplacian for an (n + 1)-polar electrode with n rings using the (4n + 1)-point method for n ≥ 2. This paper takes the next step toward further improving the Laplacian estimate by proposing novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes. Derived using a modified (4n + 1)-point method, linearly increasing and decreasing inter-ring distances tripolar (n = 2) and quadripolar (n = 3) electrode configurations are compared to their constant inter-ring distances counterparts using finite element method modeling. Obtained results suggest that increasing inter-ring distances electrode configurations may decrease the estimation error resulting in more accurate Laplacian estimates compared to respective constant inter-ring distances configurations. For currently used tripolar electrode configuration the estimation error may be decreased more than two-fold while for the quadripolar configuration more than six-fold decrease is expected.

Dusty plasma (Yukawa) rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheridan, T. E.; Gallagher, James C.

2016-11-01

One-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional strongly coupled dusty plasma rings have been created experimentally. Longitudinal (acoustic) and transverse (optical) dispersion relations for the one-ring are measured and found to be in excellent agreement with the theory for an unbounded straight chain of particles interacting through a Yukawa (i.e., screened Coulomb or Debye-Hückel) potential. These rings provide a new experimental system to directly study one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional linear and nonlinear phenomena.

On the formation of ring galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu-Ting; Jiang, Ing-Guey

2011-08-01

The formation scenario of ring galaxies is addressed in this paper. We focus on the P-type ring galaxies presented in Madore, Nelson & Petrillo (2009), particularly on the axis-symmetric ones. Our simulations show that a ring can form through the collision of disc and dwarf galaxies, and the locations, widths, and density contrasts of the ring are well determined. We find that a ring galaxy such as AM 2302-322 can be produced by this collision scenario.

Piston Ring Pressure Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhn, M.

1943-01-01

The discovery and introduction of the internal combustion engine has resulted in a very rapid development in machines utilizing the action of a piston. Design has been limited by the internal components of the engine, which has been subjected to ever increasing thermal and mechanical stresses, Of these internal engine components, the piston and piston rings are of particular importance and the momentary position of engine development is not seldom dependent upon the development of both of the components, The piston ring is a well-known component and has been used in its present shape in the steam engine of the last century, Corresponding to its importance, the piston ring has been a rich field for creative activity and it is noteworthy that in spite of this the ring has maintained its shape through the many years. From the many and complicated designs which have been suggested as a packing between piston and cylinder wall hardly one suggestion has remained which does not resemble the original design of cast iron rectangular ring.

Stacked Corrugated Horn Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sosnowski, John B.

2010-01-01

This Brief describes a method of machining and assembly when the depth of corrugations far exceeds the width and conventional machining is not practical. The horn is divided into easily machined, individual rings with shoulders to control the depth. In this specific instance, each of the corrugations is identical in profile, and only differs in diameter and outer profile. The horn is segmented into rings that are cut with an interference fit (zero clearance with all machining errors biased toward contact). The interference faces can be cut with a reverse taper to increase the holding strength of the joint. The taper is a compromise between the interference fit and the clearance of the two faces during assembly. Each internal ring is dipped in liquid nitrogen, then nested in the previous, larger ring. The ring is rotated in the nest until the temperature of the two parts equalizes and the pieces lock together. The resulting assay is stable, strong, and has an internal finish that cannot be achieved through other methods.

Propellers in Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sremcevic, M.; Stewart, G. R.; Albers, N.; Esposito, L. W.

2013-12-01

Theoretical studies and simulations have demonstrated the effects caused by objects embedded in planetary rings. Even if the objects are too small to be directly observed, each creates a much larger gravitational imprint on the surrounding ring material. These strongly depend on the mass of the object and range from "S" like propeller-shaped structures for about 100m-sized icy bodies to the opening of circumferential gaps as in the case of the embedded moons Pan and Daphnis and their corresponding Encke and Keeler Gaps. Since the beginning of the Cassini mission many of these smaller objects (~<500m in size) have been indirectly identified in Saturn's A ring through their propeller signature in the images. Furthermore, recent Cassini observations indicate the possible existence of objects embedded even in Saturn's B and C ring. In this paper we present evidence for the existence of propellers in Saturn's B ring by combining data from Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) and Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) experiments. We show evidence that B ring seems to harbor two distinct populations of propellers: "big" propellers covering tens of degrees in azimuth situated in the densest part of B ring, and "small" propellers in less dense inner B ring that are similar in size and shape to known A ring propellers. The population of "big" propellers is exemplified with a single object which is observed for 5 years of Cassini data. The object is seen as a very elongated bright stripe (40 degrees wide) in unlit Cassini images, and dark stripe in lit geometries. In total we report observing the feature in images at 18 different epochs between 2005 and 2010. In UVIS occultations we observe this feature as an optical depth depletion in 14 out of 93 occultation cuts at corrotating longitudes compatible with imaging data. Combining the available Cassini data we infer that the object is a partial gap located at r=112,921km embedded in the high optical depth region of the B

Gravitational resonance: Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Peter M.

Perhaps no one thought much more would need to be known about Saturn's rings 100 or so years ago, when Daniel Kirkwood explained the various features. The main rings, within the three so-called Cassini divisions, were due to gravitational resonance conditions between small orbiting particles and the satellite Mimas. Now, after several spacecraft—especially Voyager—have shown the rings' close-up characteristics, there has been a great deal of activity in the planetary geophysics community to try to explain the origin of the numerous features of the rings of solar system bodies that were far beyond the resolution of telescopes in Kirkwood s day. A pretty good sample of that activity was reported recently by R.A. Kerr (Science, Oct. 8, 1982), who stated ‘Resonance theory still stands after the onslaught of spacecraft observations, but its new applications have yielded a greater variety of ring features than Kirkwood ever dreamed.’ One has only to have an inkling of the levels of gravitational mechanics to appreciate the complexities of the theories that have yielded resonance variations such as spiral density waves and bending waves in the past few years. As theories unfold, however, and are tested against Voyager's results, it has become evident that most of the actually observed ring structure of the major planets remains unexplained.

Ring current electron dynamics during geomagnetic storms based on the Van Allen Probes measurements: Ring Current Electrons

DOE PAGES

Zhao, H.; Li, X.; Baker, D. N.; ...

2016-04-16

Based on comprehensive measurements from Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron Mass Spectrometer Ion Spectrometer, Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope, and Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment instruments on the Van Allen Probes, comparative studies of ring current electrons and ions are performed and the role of energetic electrons in the ring current dynamics is investigated. The deep injections of tens to hundreds of keV electrons and tens of keV protons into the inner magnetosphere occur frequently; after the injections the electrons decay slowly in the inner belt but protons in the low L region decay very fast. Intriguing similarities between lowermore » energy protons and higher-energy electrons are also found. The evolution of ring current electron and ion energy densities and energy content are examined in detail during two geomagnetic storms, one moderate and one intense. Here, the results show that the contribution of ring current electrons to the ring current energy content is much smaller than that of ring current ions (up to ~12% for the moderate storm and ~7% for the intense storm), and <35 keV electrons dominate the ring current electron energy content at the storm main phases. Though the electron energy content is usually much smaller than that of ions, the enhancement of ring current electron energy content during the moderate storm can get to ~30% of that of ring current ions, indicating a more dynamic feature of ring current electrons and important role of electrons in the ring current buildup. Lastly, the ring current electron energy density is also shown to be higher at midnight and dawn while lower at noon and dusk.« less

An N-body Integrator for Planetary Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Joseph M.

2011-04-01

A planetary ring that is disturbed by a satellite's resonant perturbation can respond in an organized way. When the resonance lies in the ring's interior, the ring responds via an m-armed spiral wave, while a ring whose edge is confined by the resonance exhibits an m-lobed scalloping along the ring-edge. The amplitude of these disturbances are sensitive to ring surface density and viscosity, so modelling these phenomena can provide estimates of the ring's properties. However a brute force attempt to simulate a ring's full azimuthal extent with an N-body code will likely fail because of the large number of particles needed to resolve the ring's behavior. Another impediment is the gravitational stirring that occurs among the simulated particles, which can wash out the ring's organized response. However it is possible to adapt an N-body integrator so that it can simulate a ring's collective response to resonant perturbations. The code developed here uses a few thousand massless particles to trace streamlines within the ring. Particles are close in a radial sense to these streamlines, which allows streamlines to be treated as straight wires of constant linear density. Consequently, gravity due to these streamline is a simple function of the particle's radial distance to all streamlines. And because particles are responding to smooth gravitating streamlines, rather than discrete particles, this method eliminates the stirring that ordinarily occurs in brute force N-body calculations. Note also that ring surface density is now a simple function of streamline separations, so effects due to ring pressure and viscosity are easily accounted for, too. A poster will describe this N-body method in greater detail. Simulations of spiral density waves and scalloped ring-edges are executed in typically ten minutes on a desktop PC, and results for Saturn's A and B rings will be presented at conference time.

Systematic analysis of enzymatic DNA polymerization using oligo-DNA templates and triphosphate analogs involving 2',4'-bridged nucleosides.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Masayasu; Obika, Satoshi; Nagashima, Jun-ichi; Ohta, Yuki; Suto, Yoshiyuki; Ozaki, Hiroaki; Sawai, Hiroaki; Imanishi, Takeshi

2008-08-01

In order to systematically analyze the effects of nucleoside modification of sugar moieties in DNA polymerase reactions, we synthesized 16 modified templates containing 2',4'-bridged nucleotides and three types of 2',4'-bridged nucleoside-5'-triphospates with different bridging structures. Among the five types of thermostable DNA polymerases used, Taq, Phusion HF, Vent(exo-), KOD Dash and KOD(exo-), the KOD Dash and KOD(exo-) DNA polymerases could smoothly read through the modified templates containing 2'-O,4'-C-methylene-linked nucleotides at intervals of a few nucleotides, even at standard enzyme concentrations for 5 min. Although the Vent(exo-) DNA polymerase also read through these modified templates, kinetic study indicates that the KOD(exo-) DNA polymerase was found to be far superior to the Vent(exo-) DNA polymerase in accurate incorporation of nucleotides. When either of the DNA polymerase was used, the presence of 2',4'-bridged nucleotides on a template strand substantially decreased the reaction rates of nucleotide incorporations. The modified templates containing sequences of seven successive 2',4'-bridged nucleotides could not be completely transcribed by any of the DNA polymerases used; yields of longer elongated products decreased in the order of steric bulkiness of the modified sugars. Successive incorporation of 2',4'-bridged nucleotides into extending strands using 2',4'-bridged nucleoside-5'-triphospates was much more difficult. These data indicate that the sugar modification would have a greater effect on the polymerase reaction when it is adjacent to the elongation terminus than when it is on the template as well, as in base modification.

Electro-optical hybrid slip ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, En

2005-11-01

The slip ring is a rotary electrical interface, collector, swivel or rotary joint. It is a physical system that can perform continuous data transfer and data exchange between a stationary and a rotating structure. A slip ring is generally used to transfer data or power from an unrestrained, continuously rotating electro-mechanical system in real-time, thereby simplifying operations and eliminating damage-prone wires dangling from moving joints. Slip rings are widely used for testing, evaluating, developing and improving various technical equipment and facilities with rotating parts. They are widely used in industry, especially in manufacturing industries employing turbo machinery, as in aviation, shipbuilding, aerospace, defense, and in precise facilities having rotating parts such as medical Computerized Tomography (CT) and MRI scanners and so forth. Therefore, any improvement in slip ring technology can impact large markets. Research and development in this field will have broad prospects long into the future. The goal in developing the current slip ring technology is to improve and increase the reliability, stability, anti-interference, and high data fidelity between rotating and stationary structures. Up to now, there have been numerous approaches used for signal and data transfer utilizing a slip ring such as metal contacts, wires, radio transmission, and even liquid media. However, all suffer from drawbacks such as data transfer speed limitations, reliability, stability, electro-magnetic interference and durability. The purpose of the current research is to break through these basic limitations using an optical solution, thereby improving performance in current slip ring applications. This dissertation introduces a novel Electro-Optical Hybrid Slip Ring technology, which makes "through the air" digital-optical communication between stationary and rotating systems a reality with high data transfer speed, better reliability and low interference susceptibility

Codes over infinite family of rings : Equivalence and invariant ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irwansyah, Muchtadi-Alamsyah, Intan; Muchlis, Ahmad; Barra, Aleams; Suprijanto, Djoko

2016-02-01

In this paper, we study codes over the ring Bk=𝔽pr[v1,…,vk]/(vi2=vi,∀i =1 ,…,k ) . For instance, we focus on two topics, i.e. characterization of the equivalent condition between two codes over Bk using a Gray map into codes over finite field 𝔽pr, and finding generators for invariant ring of Hamming weight enumerator for Euclidean self-dual codes over Bk.

Double acting stirling engine piston ring

DOEpatents

Howarth, Roy B.

1986-01-01

A piston ring design for a Stirling engine wherein the contact pressure between the piston and the cylinder is maintained at a uniform level, independent of engine conditions through a balancing of the pressure exerted upon the ring's surface and thereby allowing the contact pressure on the ring to be predetermined through the use of a preloaded expander ring.

Postcard from the Ring Plane

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-07

On March 13, 2006 Cassini's narrow-angle camera captured this look at Saturn and its rings, seen here nearly edge on. The frame also features Mimas and tiny Janus (above the rings), and Tethys (below the rings). "Above" and "below" the rings is mostly a matter of perspective here. All three moons and the rings orbit Saturn in roughly the same plane. The night side of Mimas is gently illuminated by "Saturnshine," sunlight reflected from the planet's cloud tops. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view, taken at a distance of approximately 1.7 million miles (2.7 million kilometers) from Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18323

Investigations of planetary ring phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, Joseph A.

1987-01-01

Faint planetary rings, their dynamical behavior and physical properties, were the main focus of the research efforts. The motion of weakly-charged dust through the gravitational and magnetic fields of Jupiter were examined. Several topics concerning features of Saturn's rings were addressed. The origin and fate of the Uranian ring dust is presently being studied.

Alternative parallel ring protocols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.; Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Kale, V.

1990-01-01

Communication protocols are know to influence the utilization and performance of communication network. The effect of two token ring protocols on a gigabit network with multiple ring structure is investigated. In the first protocol, a mode sends at most one message on receiving a token. In the second protocol, a mode sends all the waiting messages when a token is received. The behavior of these protocols is shown to be highly dependent on the number of rings as well as the load in the network.

Dynamics of planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Araki, Suguru

1991-01-01

The modeling of the dynamics of particle collisions within planetary rings is discussed. Particles in the rings collide with one another because they have small random motions in addition to their orbital velocity. The orbital speed is roughly 10 km/s, while the random motions have an average speed of about a tenth of a millimeter per second. As a result, the particle collisions are very gentle. Numerical analysis and simulation of the ring dynamics, performed with the aid of a supercomputer, is outlined.

Hopkins with SPHERES RINGS

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025870 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Hopkins with SPHERES RINGS

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025868 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Hopkins with SPHERES RINGS

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025866 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Hopkins with SPHERES RINGS

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025872 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Hopkins with SPHERES RINGS

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025879 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Energy spectra of quantum rings.

PubMed

Fuhrer, A; Lüscher, S; Ihn, T; Heinzel, T; Ensslin, K; Wegscheider, W; Bichler, M

2001-10-25

Quantum mechanical experiments in ring geometries have long fascinated physicists. Open rings connected to leads, for example, allow the observation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, one of the best examples of quantum mechanical phase coherence. The phase coherence of electrons travelling through a quantum dot embedded in one arm of an open ring has also been demonstrated. The energy spectra of closed rings have only recently been studied by optical spectroscopy. The prediction that they allow persistent current has been explored in various experiments. Here we report magnetotransport experiments on closed rings in the Coulomb blockade regime. Our experiments show that a microscopic understanding of energy levels, so far limited to few-electron quantum dots, can be extended to a many-electron system. A semiclassical interpretation of our results indicates that electron motion in the rings is governed by regular rather than chaotic motion, an unexplored regime in many-electron quantum dots. This opens a way to experiments where even more complex structures can be investigated at a quantum mechanical level.

Classifying Saturn's F Ring Strands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albers, Nicole; Sremcevic, M.; Esposito, L. W.; Colwell, J. E.

2009-09-01

The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) High Speed Photometer (HSP) has recorded more than 113 stellar occultations by Saturn's F ring providing measurements with ring plane resolutions of a few dozen meters and better. Inner and outer F ring strands have been seen throughout the Cassini mission where they revealed themselves as non-continuous, azimuthally and temporally highly variable structures. In the light of a more accurate orbit description of the F ring core we find evidence for a ring that becomes dynamically more active as the system approaches anti-apse alignment with Prometheus. This is consistent with the observed increased strand activity. A recent strand that morphologically resembles the core is the strongest seen to date and points to the intricate relation between core and strands indicating the strands' violent creation. Using more than 150 identifications of various strands, we trace their kinematics and infer dynamical timescales and photometric properties. Implications for the dynamical evolution of the F ring will be discussed. This research was supported by the Cassini Project.

First Evidence of Jupiter Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

First evidence of a ring around the planet Jupiter is seen in this photograph taken by Voyager 1 on March 4, 1979. The multiple exposure of the extremely thin faint ring appears as a broad light band crossing the center of the picture. The edge of the ring is 1,212,000 km from the spacecraft and 57,000 km from the visible cloud deck of Jupiter. The background stars look like broken hair pins because of spacecraft motion during the 11 minute 12 second exposure. The wavy motion of the star trails is due to the ultra-slow natural oscillation of the spacecraft (with a period of 78 seconds). The black dots are geometric calibration points in the camera. The ring thickness is estimated to be 30 km or less. The photograph was part of a sequence planned to search for such rings in Jupiter's equatorial plane. The ring has been invisible from Earth because of its thinness and its transparency when viewed at any angle except straight on. JPL manages and controls the Voyager Project for NASA's Office of Space Science.

Collar nut and thrust ring

DOEpatents

Lowery, Guy B.

1991-01-01

A collar nut comprises a hollow cylinder having fine interior threads at one end for threadably engaging a pump mechanical seal assembly and an inwardly depending flange at the other end. The flange has an enlarged portion with a groove for receiving an O-ring for sealing against the intrusion of pumpage from the exterior. The enlarged portion engages a thrust ring about the pump shaft for crushing a hard O-ring, such as a graphite O-ring. The hard O-ring seals the interior of the mechanical seal assembly and pump housing against the loss of lubricants or leakage of pumpage. The fine threads of the hollow cylinder provide the mechanical advantage for crushing the hard O-ring evenly and easily with a hand tool from the side of the collar nut rather than by tightening a plurality of bolts from the end and streamlines the exterior surface of the mechanical seal. The collar nut avoids the spatial requirements of bolt heads at the end of a seal and associated bolt head turbulence.

The Lord of Rings - the mysterious case of the stolen rings: a critical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandrelli, S.

The Lord of Rings - the mysterious case of the stolen rings: a critical analysis S. Sandrelli INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Milano, Italy (stefano.sandrelli@brera.inaf.it / Fax: 02 72001600 / Phone: +39 02 72320337) "The Lord of Rings - the mysterious case of the stolen rings" is a live astronomical role-playing game for kids aged 10 -13. Its goal is to introduce them to some of the main topics of the Solar System: a) the role of gravity; b) the distribution of mass & light; c) the effects of rotation; d) the distribution of water. The game was held both at the Perugia (2004) and the Genova Science Festival (2005), obtaining great success. Teams of about 6-8 members are introduced to Mr Schioppanelli, the astro-detective of the town (the name is a pun: it reminds Schiaparelli, the famous italian astronomer, and it is a slang expression meaning "ring-breaker"). Mr Schioppanelli has his office in an "gastronomical astronomical observatory", known as The Red Giant Pizzeria. Schioppanelli informs the kids that a mysterious Centaur succeded in stealing the rings of Saturn. The partecipants are appointed astro-detectives in-charge and asked to find the rings by browsing around the Solar System, which is scaled so as to fit the town historical centre or a pedestrian area, going from the Sun to Saturn or beyond, depending on the actual area at disposal. Great care must be taken allowing children playing only in a car-free area of the town. At the right scaled distances, the partecipants meet characters playing as the various planets. The kids can talk to them after solving a riddle, obtaining useful informations. A special characters play as a comet, timely going in and out of the inner solar system. The teams can also talk to some shepherd-moons of the rings. They easily discover that the rings were totally destroyed by the Centaur: a real disaster! They are also suggested to gather the necessary ingredients (gravity, light, rotation, inclination, dust and

Physics of planetary rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorkavyi, N.

2007-08-01

It is difficult to enumerate all the surprises presented by the planetary rings. The Saturnian rings are stratified into thousands of ringlets and the Uranian rings are compressed into narrow streams, which for some reason or other differ from circular orbits like the wheel of an old bicycle. The edge of the rings is jagged and the rings themselves are pegged down under the gravitational pressure of the satellites, bending like a ship's wake. There are spiral waves, elliptical rings, strange interlacing of narrow ringlets, and to cap it all one has observed in the Neptunian ring system three dense, bright arcs - like bunches of sausages on a transparent string. For celestial mechanics this is a spectacle as unnatural as a bear's tooth in the necklace of the English queen. In the dynamics of planetary rings the physics of collective interaction was supplemented by taking collisions between particles into account. One was led to study a kinetic equation with a rather complex collision integral - because the collisions are inelastic - which later on made it possible, both by using the Chapman-Enskog method and by using the solution of the kinetic equation for a plasma in a magnetic field, to reduce it to a closed set of (hydrodynamical) moment equations [1]. The hydrodynamical instabilities lead to the growth of short-wavelength waves and large-scale structures of the Saturnian rings [1]. We have shown that the formation of the existing dense Uranian rings is connected with the capture of positively drifting ring particles in inner Lindblad resonances which arrest this drift [1]. After the formation of dense rings at the positions of satellite resonances the collective interaction between resonant particles is amplified and the rings can leave the resonance and drift away from the planet and the parent resonance. We can expect in the C ring an appreciable positive ballistic particle drift caused by the erosion of the B ring by micrometeorites. It is therefore natural

Two F Ring Views

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

These views, taken two hours apart, demonstrate the dramatic variability in the structure of Saturn's intriguing F ring.

In the image at the left, ringlets in the F ring and Encke Gap display distinctive kinks, and there is a bright patch of material on the F ring's inner edge. Saturn's moon Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) is shown here, partly illuminated by reflected light from the planet.

At the right, Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) orbits ahead of the radial striations in the F ring, called 'drapes' by scientists. The drapes appear to be caused by successive passes of Prometheus as it reaches the greatest distance (apoapse) in its orbit of Saturn. Also in this image, the outermost ringlet visible in the Encke Gap displays distinctive bright patches.

These views were obtained from about three degrees below the ring plane.

The images were taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 29, 2005, when Cassini was about 1.5 million kilometers (900,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is about 9 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

Decadal Survey: Planetary Rings Panel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, M. K.; Cuzzi, J. N.; Lissauer, J. J.; Poulet, F.; Brahic, A.; Charnoz, S.; Ferrari, C.; Burns, J. A.; Nicholson, P. D.; Durisen, R. H.; Rappaport, N. J.; Spilker, L. J.; Yanamandra-Fisher, P.; Bosh, A. S.; Olkin, C.; Larson, S. M.; Graps, A. L.; Krueger, H.; Black, G. J.; Festou, M.; Karjalainen, R.; Salo, H. J.; Murray, C. D.; Showalter, M. R.; Dones, L.; Levison, H. F.; Namouni, F.; Araki, S.; Lewis, M. C.; Brooks, S.; Colwell, J. E.; Esposito, L. W.; Horanyi, M.; Stewart, G. R.; Krivov, A.; Schmidt, J.; Spahn, F.; Hamilton, D. P.; Giuliatti-Winter, S.; French, R. G.

2001-11-01

The National Research Council's Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration(COMPLEX) met earlier this year to begin the organization of a major activity, "A New Strategy for Solar System Exploration." Several members of the planetary rings community formed an ad hoc panel to discuss the current state and future prospects for the study of planetary rings. In this paper we summarize fundamental questions of ring science, list the key science questions expected to occupy the planetary rings community for the decade 2003-2013, outline the initiatives, missions, and other supporting activities needed to address those questions, and recommend priorities.

SPHERES-RINGS Time Lapse

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-10

ISS040-E-059344 (10 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman (left) and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, both Expedition 40 flight engineers, conduct a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

SPHERES-RINGS Time Lapse

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-10

ISS040-E-059467 (10 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman (mostly obscured), both Expedition 40 flight engineers, conduct a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

SPHERES-RINGS Time Lapse

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-10

ISS040-E-059478 (10 July 2014) --- In the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst (left) and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, both Expedition 40 flight engineers, conduct a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

EXPERIMENTS WITH PLASMA RINGS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alfven, H.; Lindberg, L.; Mitlid, P.

1960-03-01

The construction of a coaxial plasma gun is described. At its output end the gun is provided with a radial magnetic field, which is trapped by the plasma. The plasma from the gun is studied by photographic and magnetic methods. It is demonstrated that the gun produces magnetized plasma rings with the same basic structure as the rings obtained in toroidal pinch experiments. When the plasma rings are formed, the magnetic field lines from the gun break, a result which is of interest from a theoretical point of view. (auth)

What Confines the Rings of Saturn?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajeddine, Radwan; Nicholson, Philip D.; Longaretti, Pierre-Yves; El Moutamid, Maryame; Burns, Joseph A.

2017-10-01

The viscous spreading of planetary rings is believed to be counteracted by satellite torques, through either an individual resonance or overlapping resonances. For the A ring of Saturn, it has been commonly believed that the satellite Janus alone can prevent the ring from spreading, via its 7:6 Lindblad resonance. We discuss this common misconception and show that, in reality, the A ring is confined by the contributions from the group of satellites Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Janus, Epimetheus, and Mimas, whose cumulative torques from various resonances gradually decrease the angular momentum flux transported outward through the ring via density and bending waves. We further argue that this decrease in angular momentum flux occurs through “flux reversal.” Furthermore, we use the magnitude of the satellites’ resonance torques to estimate the effective viscosity profile across the A ring, showing that it decreases with radius from ˜50 cm2 s-1 to less than ˜10 cm2 s-1. The gradual estimated decrease of the angular momentum flux and effective viscosity are roughly consistent with results obtained by balancing the shepherding torques from Pan and Daphnis with the viscous torque at the edges of the Encke and Keeler gaps, as well as the edge of the A ring. On the other hand, the Mimas 2:1 Lindblad resonance alone seems to be capable of confining the edge of the B ring, and contrary to the situation in the A ring, we show that the effective viscosity across the B ring is relatively constant at ˜24-30 cm2 s-1.

Axisymmetric contour dynamics for buoyant vortex rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Ching; Llewellyn Smith, Stefan

2017-11-01

Vortex rings are important in many fluid flows in engineering and environmental applications. A family of steady propagating vortex rings including thin-core rings and Hill's spherical vortex was obtained by Norbury (1973). However, the dynamics of vortex rings in the presence of buoyancy has not been investigated yet in detail. When the core of a ring is thin, we may formulate reduced equations using momentum balance for vortex filaments, but that is not the case for ``fat'' rings. In our study, we use contour dynamics to study the time evolution of axisymmetric vortex rings when the density of the fluid inside the ring differs from that of the ambient. Axisymmetry leads to an almost-conserved material variable when the Boussinesq approximation is made. A set of integro-differential equations is solved numerically for these buoyant vortex rings. The same physical settings are also used to run a DNS code and compare to the results from contour dynamics.

Nardò Ring, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-04-08

The Nardò Ring is a striking visual feature from space, and astronauts have photographed it several times. The Ring is a race car test track in Italy. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite on August 17. 2007.

Cassini's First D-Ring Crossing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

The sounds and colorful spectrogram in this still image and video represent data collected by the Radio and Plasma Wave Science, or RPWS, instrument on NASA's Cassini spacecraft, as it crossed through Saturn's D ring on May 28, 2017. This was the first of four passes through the inner edge of the D ring during the 22 orbits of Cassini's final mission phase, called the Grand Finale. During this ring plane crossing, the spacecraft was oriented so that its large high-gain antenna was used as a shield to protect more sensitive components from possible ring-particle impacts. The three 33-foot-long (10-meter-long) RPWS antennas were exposed to the particle environment during the pass. As tiny, dust-sized particles strike Cassini and the RPWS antennas, the particles are vaporized into tiny clouds of plasma, or electrically excited gas. These tiny explosions make a small electrical signal (a voltage impulse) that RPWS can detect. Researchers on the RPWS team convert the data into visible and audio formats, some like those seen here, for analysis. Ring particle hits sound like pops and cracks in the audio. Particle impacts are seen to increase in frequency in the spectrogram and in the audible pops around the time of ring crossing as indicated by the red/orange spike just before 14:23 on the x-axis. Labels on the x-axis indicate time (top line), distance from the planet's center in Saturn radii, or Rs (middle), and latitude on Saturn beneath the spacecraft (bottom). These data can be compared to those recorded during Cassini's first dive through the gap between Saturn and the D ring, on April 26. While it appeared from those earlier data that there were essentially no particles in the gap, scientists later determined the particles there are merely too small to create a voltage detectable by RPWS, but could be detected using Cassini's dust analyzer instrument. After ring plane crossing (about 14:23 onward) a series of high pitched whistles are heard. The RPWS instrument

Microvascular management of ring avulsion injuries.

PubMed

Urbaniak, J R; Evans, J P; Bright, D S

1981-01-01

Microsurgical revascularization has proved to be a useful method in managing the ring avulsion injury where both neurovascular bundles are damaged with only partial skin avulsion. Representative cases are used to illustrate guidelines for a practical classification for helping to decide the optimal method of treatment of acute ring avulsion injuries in light of digital revascularization techniques. Nine ring fingers were successfully revascularized of 24 acute ring avulsion injuries reviewed. Sensibility recovery was good and a functional range of motion obtained. No patient who has had his ring finger revascularized has requested its amputation because of appearance, painful neuromas, stiffness, or cold intolerance. Complete amputations, especially proximal to the superficialis insertion, and complete degloving injuries of the ring finger are usually best managed by surgical amputation of the digit.

Redox shuttles having an aromatic ring fused to a 1,1,4,4-tetrasubstituted cyclohexane ring

DOEpatents

Weng, Wei; Zhang, Zhengcheng; Amine, Khalil

2015-12-01

An electrolyte includes an alkali metal salt; an aprotic solvent; and a redox shuttle additive including an aromatic compound having at least one aromatic ring fused with at least one non-aromatic ring, the aromatic ring having two or more oxygen or phosphorus-containing substituents.

Clumps in the F Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-12

Scientists have only a rough idea of the lifetime of clumps in Saturn's rings - a mystery that Cassini may help answer. The latest images taken by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft show clumps seemingly embedded within Saturn's narrow, outermost F ring. The narrow angle camera took the images on Feb. 23, 2004, from a distance of 62.9 million kilometers (39 million miles). The two images taken nearly two hours apart show these clumps as they revolve about the planet. The small dot at center right in the second image is one of Saturn's small moons, Janus, which is 181 kilometers, (112 miles) across. Like all particles in Saturn's ring system, these clump features orbit the planet in the same direction in which the planet rotates. This direction is clockwise as seen from Cassini's southern vantage point below the ring plane. Two clumps in particular, one of them extended, is visible in the upper part of the F ring in the image on the left, and in the lower part of the ring in the image on the right. Other knot-like irregularities in the ring's brightness are visible in the image on the right. The core of the F ring is about 50 kilometers (31miles) wide, and from Cassini's current distance, is not fully visible. The imaging team enhanced the contrast of the images and magnified them to aid visibility of the F ring and the clump features. The camera took the images with the green filter, which is centered at 568 nanometers. The image scale is 377 kilometers (234 miles) per pixel. NASA's two Voyager spacecraft that flew past Saturn in 1980 and 1981 were the first to see these clumps. The Voyager data suggest that the clumps change very little and can be tracked as they orbit for 30 days or more. No clump survived from the time of the first Voyager flyby to the Voyager 2 flyby nine months later. Scientists are not certain of the cause of these features. Among the theories proposed are meteoroid bombardments and inter-particle collisions in the F ring. http

Interaction of Vortex Ring with Cutting Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musta, Mustafa

2015-11-01

The interaction of a vortex ring impinging on a thin cutting plate was made experimentally using Volumetric 3-component Velocitmetry (v3v) technique. The vortex rings were generated with piston-cylinder vortex ring generator using piston stroke-to-diameter ratios and Re at 2-3 and 1500 - 3000, respectively. The cutting of vortex rings below center line leads to the formation of secondary vortices on each side of the plate which is look like two vortex rings, and a third vortex ring propagates further downstream in the direction of the initial vortex ring, which is previously showed by flow visualization study of Weigand (1993) and called ``trifurcation''. Trifurcation is very sensitive to the initial Reynolds number and the position of the plate with respect to the vortex ring generator pipe. The present work seeks more detailed investigation on the trifurcation using V3V technique. Conditions for the formation of trifurcation is analyzed and compared with Weigand (1993). The formed secondary vortex rings and the propagation of initial vortex ring in the downstream of the plate are analyzed by calculating their circulation, energy and trajectories.

Faint F Ring and Prometheus

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-21

Surface features are visible on Saturn's moon Prometheus in this view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Most of Cassini's images of Prometheus are too distant to resolve individual craters, making views like this a rare treat. Saturn's narrow F ring, which makes a diagonal line beginning at top center, appears bright and bold in some Cassini views, but not here. Since the sun is nearly behind Cassini in this image, most of the light hitting the F ring is being scattered away from the camera, making it appear dim. Light-scattering behavior like this is typical of rings comprised of small particles, such as the F ring. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 14 degrees below the ring plane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 24, 2016. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 226,000 miles (364,000 kilometers) from Prometheus and at a sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 51 degrees. Image scale is 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20508

Dusty plasma ring model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheridan, T. E.

2009-12-01

A model of a dusty plasma (Yukawa) ring is presented. We consider n identical particles confined in a two-dimensional (2D) annular potential well and interacting through a Debye (i.e. Yukawa or screened Coulomb) potential. Equilibrium configurations are computed versus n, the Debye shielding parameter and the trap radius. When the particle separation exceeds a critical value the particles form a 1D chain with a ring topology. Below the critical separation the zigzag instability gives a 2D configuration. Computed critical separations are shown to agree well with a theoretical prediction for the zigzag threshold. Normal mode spectra for 1D rings are computed and found to be in excellent agreement with the longitudinal and transverse dispersion relations for unbounded straight chains. When the longitudinal and transverse dispersion relations intersect we observe a resonance due to the finite curvature of the ring.

Image processing and analysis of Saturn's rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yagi, G. M.; Jepsen, P. L.; Garneau, G. W.; Mosher, J. A.; Doyle, L. R.; Lorre, J. J.; Avis, C. C.; Korsmo, E. P.

1981-01-01

Processing of Voyager image data of Saturn's rings at JPL's Image Processing Laboratory is described. A software system to navigate the flight images, facilitate feature tracking, and to project the rings has been developed. This system has been used to make measurements of ring radii and to measure the velocities of the spoke features in the B-Ring. A projected ring movie to study the development of these spoke features has been generated. Finally, processing to facilitate comparison of the photometric properties of Saturn's rings at various phase angles is described.

Split ring containment attachment device

DOEpatents

Sammel, Alfred G.

1996-01-01

A containment attachment device 10 for operatively connecting a glovebag 200 to plastic sheeting 100 covering hazardous material. The device 10 includes an inner split ring member 20 connected on one end 22 to a middle ring member 30 wherein the free end 21 of the split ring member 20 is inserted through a slit 101 in the plastic sheeting 100 to captively engage a generally circular portion of the plastic sheeting 100. A collar potion 41 having an outer ring portion 42 is provided with fastening means 51 for securing the device 10 together wherein the glovebag 200 is operatively connected to the collar portion 41.

Protein Mixture Segregation at Coffee-Ring: Real-Time Imaging of Protein Ring Precipitation by FTIR Spectromicroscopy.

PubMed

Choi, Sun; Birarda, Giovanni

2017-08-03

During natural drying process, all solutions and suspensions tend to form the so-called "coffee-ring" deposits. This phenomenon, by far, has been interpreted by the hydrodynamics of evaporating fluids. However, in this study, by applying Fourier transform infrared imaging (FTIRI), it is possible to observe the segregation and separation of a protein mixture at the "ring", hence we suggest a new way to interpret "coffee-ring effect" of solutions. The results explore the dynamic process that leads to the ring formation in case of model plasma proteins, such as BGG (bovine γ globulin), BSA (bovine serum albumin), and Hfib (human fibrinogen), and also report fascinating discovery of the segregation at the ring deposits of two model proteins BGG and BSA, which can be explained by an energy kinetic model, only. The investigation suggests that the coffee-ring effect of solute in an evaporating solution drop is driven by an energy gradient created from change of particle-water-air interfacial energy configuration.

The chemistry of (ring)Ru sup 2+ (ring = tetramethylthiophene, p-cymene)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ganja, E.A.; Rauchfuss, T.B.; Stern, C.L.

1991-01-01

Described are the compounds ((ring)Ru(OTf){sub 2}){sub x}, where ring = 2,3,4,5-tetramethylthiophene (TMT, 1), and p-cymene (2). These electrophilic reagents serve as precursors to ((ring)RuL{sub 3}){sup 2+}, where L{sub 3} = (H{sub 2}O){sub 3}, (NH{sub 3}){sub 3}, and (PH{sub 3}){sub 3}. Solutions of 1 and 2 react with carbon monoxide to give (ring)Ru(CO)(OTf){sub 2}. The addition of thiophenes to CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} solutions of 1 or 2 leads to the precipitation of the sandwich compounds ((ring)(SC{sub 4}R{sub 4})Ru)(OTf){sub 2}, where SC{sub 4}R{sub 4} = thiophene, 2,5-dimethylthiophene, and TMT. ((TMT)Ru(H{sub 2}O){sub 3})(OTf){sub 2} was characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, which established amore » piano-stool geometry with a planar TMT ligand. ((TMT)Ru(D{sub 2}O){sub 3})(OTf){sub 2} decomposes in D{sub 2}O solution at 150C to give ((TMT){sub 2}Ru){sup 2+}, which undergoes selective deuteration at the 2,5-methyl groups. D{sub 2}O solutions of ((TMT){sub 2}Ru){sup 2+} undergo photochemical loss of one TMT ligand in water to give ((TMT)Ru(H{sub 2}O){sub 3}){sup 2+}. A procedure is described for the reversible loading of 1 onto {gamma}-alumina, which in turn was characterized by {sup 13}C CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy.« less

Lunar and Venusian radar bright rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, T. W.; Saunders, R. S.; Weissman, D. E.

1986-01-01

Twenty-one lunar craters have radar bright ring appearances which are analogous to eleven complete ring features in the earth-based 12.5 cm observations of Venus. Radar ring diameters and widths for the lunar and Venusian features overlap for sizes from 45 to 100 km. Radar bright areas for the lunar craters are associated with the slopes of the inner and outer rim walls, while level crater floors and level ejecta fields beyond the raised portion of the rim have average radar backscatter. It is proposed that the radar bright areas of the Venusian rings are also associated with the slopes on the rims of craters. The lunar craters have evolved to radar bright rings via mass wasting of crater rim walls and via post-impact flooding of crater floors. Aeolian deposits of fine-grained material on Venusian crater floors may produce radar scattering effects similar to lunar crater floor flooding. These Venusian aeolian deposits may preferentially cover blocky crater floors producing a radar bright ring appearance. It is proposed that the Venusian features with complete bright ring appearances and sizes less than 100 km are impact craters. They have the same sizes as lunar craters and could have evolved to radar bright rings via analogous surface processes.

Dynamics and structure of planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

French, R. G.

1991-01-01

Recent research efforts were directed towards sharpening the understanding of kinematical and dynamical properties of the Uranian rings, with the combination of Earth-based and Voyager observations, and in obtaining and interpreting new observations of the Saturn system from the remarkable stellar occultation of 3 Jul. 1989. Some of the highlights studied include: (1) a detailed comparison of structure and dynamics of the Uranus rings from joint analysis of high quality Earth-based data and the complete set of Voyager occultation measurements; (2) a comprehensive search for weak normal modes excited in the Uranian rings, analogous to the m = 2 and m = 0 normal modes previously identified for the delta and gamma rings; (3) an ongoing search for faint rings and ring arcs of Uranus, using both Voyager images of the rings and Earth-based and spacecraft stellar occultation data; (4) a comparison of upper stratospheric temperatures of Uranus inferred from Voyager ultraviolet occultations with results of ground-based occultation observations; and (5) observations of the 3 Jul. 1989 Saturn occultation of 28 Sgr.

Ringing in an HNBody Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimlinger, Thomas; Hamilton, Douglas; Hahn, Joseph M.

2017-06-01

We are in the process of developing a useful extension to the N-body integrator HNBody (Rauch & Hamilton 2002), enabling it to simulate a viscous, self-gravitating ring orbiting an oblate body. Our algorithm follows that used in the symplectic integrator epi_int (Hahn & Spitale 2013), in which the ring is simulated as many (~100) interacting, elliptic, confocal streamlines. This idea was first introduced in an analytic context by Goldreich & Tremaine (1979) and enabled rapid progress in the theory of ring evolution; since then, such discretization has been standard in the literature. While we adopt epi_int’s streamline formalism, we nevertheless improve upon its design in several ways. Epi_int uses epicyclic elements in its drift step; approximating these elements introduces small, systematic errors that build up with time. We sidestep this problem by instead using the more traditional Keplerian osculating elements. In addition, epi_int uses several particles per wire to effectively calculate the inter-gravitational forces everywhere along each streamline. We replicate this ability but can often gain a speed boost by using a single tracer particle per streamline; while this restricts us to simulating rings dominated by the m = 1 mode, this is typical of most observed narrow eccentric ringlets. We have also extended epi_int’s two dimensional algorithm into 3D. Finally, whereas epi_int is written in IDL, HNBody is written in C, which yields considerably faster integrations.Braga-Ribas et al. (2014) reported a set of narrow rings orbiting the Centaur Chariklo, but neither their investigation nor that of Pan & Wu (2016) yielded a satisfactory origin and evolution scenario. Eschewing the assumption that such rings must be short-lived, we instead argue (as in Rimlinger et al. 2016) that sufficiently eccentric rings can self-confine for hundreds of millions of years while circularizing. In this case, Chariklo may have formed rings as a KBO. We are working towards

No evidence of rings around Neptune

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Mink, D. J.; Baron, R. L.; Dunham, E.; Pingree, J. E.; French, R. G.; Elias, J. H.; Liller, W.; Nicholson, P. D.; Jones, T. J.

1981-01-01

The results of two observations of stellar occultations of Neptune to determine if the planet has a ring system are reported. The sightings were made from Mt. Stromlo, Mauna Kea, and Cerro Tololo, noting that an equatorial ring would subtend only two arcsec of view. An upper accretion limit was defined to set the region around Neptune where rings, rather than satellites, could form. The intensities of the starlight from the two selected stars were recorded by photometers on magnetic tape during the occultation period. One of the stars did not occult, but passed through the entire region where a ring system might be present. No definitive evidence for rings was found, although an optical depth for a Neptunian ring was calculated at 0.07, with a width of more than 5 km and a radius of 31,400 km.

Lower esophageal ring (Schatzki)

MedlinePlus

... narrowed area to stretch the ring. Sometimes, a balloon is placed in the area and inflated, to help widen the ring. Outlook (Prognosis) Swallowing problems may return. You may need repeat treatment. When to Contact a Medical Professional Call your health care provider if you ...

Optical fiber having wave-guiding rings

DOEpatents

Messerly, Michael J [Danville, CA; Dawson, Jay W [Livermore, CA; Beach, Raymond J [Livermore, CA; Barty, Christopher P. J. [Hayward, CA

2011-03-15

A waveguide includes a cladding region that has a refractive index that is substantially uniform and surrounds a wave-guiding region that has an average index that is close to the index of the cladding. The wave-guiding region also contains a thin ring or series of rings that have an index or indices that differ significantly from the index of the cladding. The ring or rings enable the structure to guide light.

Analysis of Alternative Ring Resonator Designs

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

the ring strip of the antenna as in the case of the original design. Both the alternative dielectric laminate and the increased thickness laminate...adjustments to the geometry parameters. 2. Ring Resonator Antenna Design The ring resonator is a two port antenna consisting of a ring strip and two...for various soil sample depths indicates that most of the measureable response is from within 2 mm of the resonator antenna strip surface. For the

Stellar Occultations by Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, Philip; Hedman, Matthew; French, Richard G.; Ansty, Todd

2018-04-01

On 15 September 2017 the Cassini mission came to an end when the spacecraft made a controlled entry into the planet's atmosphere. Over the preceding 13 years the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument successfully observed over 170 stellar occultations by Saturn's rings, greatly increasing the available data set for high-resolution studies of the rings' structure and dynamics. Ring opening angles, B_\\ast ranged from 1.06° to 74.18°, while spacecraft ranges varied from 220,000 to 3,014,000 km. The effective radial resolution of the data is determined by a combination of Fresnel diffraction, stellar diameter and sampling rate, but is typically 150-300~m. We will briefly review the overall data set, before looking at examples of dynamical studies carried out with it over the past decade. These include modeling the geometry of self-gravity wakes in the A and B rings, evidence for viscous over-stability in the inner A ring, studies of eccentric, inclined and more complex orbital perturbations on the edges of isolated ringlets and narrow gaps, identification of density and bending waves in the C ring driven by both internal oscillations and gravity anomalies in Saturn, and the first reliable estimates of surface mass density in the central B ring.{\\bf References:} French \\etal\\ (2016a, 2016b, 2017), Hedman \\etal\\ (2007, 2010, 2014), Hedman \\& Nicholson (2013, 2014, 2016), Nicholson \\& Hedman (2010, 2016), Nicholson \\etal\\ (2014a, 2014b).

Suzaku Observations of the Monogem Ring and the Origin of the Gemini Hα Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knies, Jonathan R.; Sasaki, Manami; Plucinsky, Paul P.

2018-04-01

We present the analysis of Suzaku X-ray observations of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) 'Monogem Ring', a large structure observed in X-rays with an extent of ≈ 25°, located at an anti-centre position. One observation close to the shock also coincides with a large ring-like structure observed in Hα, which is called the 'Gemini Hα ring'. We investigate the origin of the ring-like structure and also possible interactions with the SNR. We show that the SNR is expanding in a region with a density gradient, which has an effect on the morphology of the SNR and the properties of the plasma. The X-ray spectra are fit well with a collisional ionisation equilibrium (CIE) model with a temperature of kT ≈ 0.3 keV. The spectra obtained at a position where the SNR coincides with the Gemini Hα ring are better described with non-equilibrium ionisation (NEI) with a temperature of kT ≈ 1.0 keV. Based on the spectral analysis results, we estimate an age of t ≈ 6.8 × 104 yr for a distance of ≈300 pc, using the Sedov-Taylor solution. We have identified several early-type stars in the Hipparcos catalogue at a distance of 200- 300pc, which have most likely formed the 'Gemini Hα ring' by their powerful stellar winds.

Low Optical Depth Features in Saturn's Rings: The Occultation of GSC5249-01240 by Saturn and Its Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosh, A. S.; Olkin, C. B.

1996-06-01

On 21 November 1995, Saturn and its rings occulted the star GSC5249-01240 (Bosh & McDonald 1992, Astron. J. 103, 983). Although the star is relatively faint (V = 11.9), other circumstances conspired to make this an excellent event: (i) the normally-bright rings were dark because the sun was crossing through the ring plane, reducing the amount of ring contribution to the background noise and therefore increasing the observed S/N, (ii) the ring opening angle was small (B ~ 3deg ), enhancing detection of low-optical-depth material, and (iii) the low sky-plane velocity allowed longer integration times without loss of spatial resolution. Thus this occultation was particularly well-suited to produce high S/N detections of low-tau ring material. We observed this atmosphere and ring occultation with the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Using the FOS in its high-speed mode, we sampled the starlight with the G650L grating, recording the stellar signal as a function of both wavelength and time. For the initial analysis of these data, the spectral information was sacrificed by binning all wavelengths together; this in turn increased the detected S/N. We performed a geometric solution for the event, using the known locations of circular ring features as fiducials (Elliot et al., Astron. J. 106, 2544). The scattered light from Saturn and the rings was modelled and subtracted from the light curves to obtain line-of-sight optical depth as a function of ring-plane radius. With these processed data we have made the first occultation detection of Saturn's innermost and very tenuous D ring. We find a line-of-sight optical depth for the thickest part of this ring of tau_ {obs} ~ 0.02. The location and morphology of this feature will be discussed. Comparison of the observed structure will be made with the previous Voyager imaging detection of this ring (Smith et al. 1981, Science 212, 163; Marley & Porco 1993, Icarus 106, 508).

Present and future of scientific bird ringing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spina, F.; Tautin, J.; Adams, N.J.; Slotow, R.H.

1998-01-01

In 1999 scientific bird ringing will celebrate its first century of existence. Started mainly to investigate bird movements, bird ringing has become a much more flexible method to study different aspects of bird biology. Bird ringing can only be properly organised if an effective international co-operation exists. In Europe, this co-ordination is ensured by EURING, made of 35 national ringing centres; sister organisations exist in other parts of the world (like Africa, Australia, U.S. and Canada), sharing the same aims and problems. This RTD is mainly targeted to ornithologists involved with the co-ordination of bird ringing stations and national centres world-wide. Common aspects of the organisation of ringing activities, as well as of the potential ringing has and will have in the future in addressing major scientific questions in Ornithology will be taken into account. The advisability of setting up a standing committee on bird ringing within the IOC will be discussed, and the project of creating a world-wide organisation of ringing schemes in order to further improve communication and exchange of experiences will also be addressed. This new organisation would be formally founded in 1999, when an international conference organised by EURING to celebrate the first 100 years of bird ringing will be held in Denmark.

Present and future of scientific bird ringing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spina, F.; Tautin, J.; Adams, N.J.; Slotow, R.H.

1999-01-01

In 1999 scientific bird ringing will celebrate its first century of existence. Started mainly to investigate bird movements, bird ringing has become a much more flexible method to study different aspects of bird biology. Bird ringing can only be properly organised if an effective international co-operation exists. In Europe, this co-ordination is ensured by EURING, made of 35 national ringing centres; sister organisations exist in other parts of the world (like Africa, Australia, U.S. and Canada), sharing the same aims and problems. This RTD is mainly targeted to ornithologists involved with the co-ordination of bird ringing stations and national centres world-wide. Common aspects of the organisation of ringing activities, as well as of the potential ringing has and will have in the future in addressing major scientific questions in Ornithology will be taken into account. The advisability of setting up a standing committee on bird ringing within the IOC will be discussed, and the project of creating a world-wide organisation of ringing schemes in order to further improve communication and exchange of experiences will also be addressed. This new organisation would be formally founded in 1999, when an international conference organised by EURING to celebrate the first 100 years of bird ringing will be held in Denmark.

Child sex rings.

PubMed

Wild, N J; Wynne, J M

1986-07-19

Details of 11 child sex rings identified in one working class community were obtained by interviewing investigating police officers and examining health and social services records. The rings contained 14 adult male perpetrators and 175 children aged 6-15 years. Most perpetrators used child ringleaders to recruit victims; others became a "family friend" or obtained a position of authority over children. Secrecy was encouraged and bribery, threats, and peer pressure used to induce participation in sexual activities. Offences reported included fondling, masturbation, pornography, and oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse. Eleven perpetrators were successfully prosecuted; all but one received a sentence of three years or less. Behavioural problems were common among those children who had participated for a long time. Child sex rings are difficult to detect and may be common. Many children are seriously abused as a consequence of them.

Child sex rings.

PubMed Central

Wild, N J; Wynne, J M

1986-01-01

Details of 11 child sex rings identified in one working class community were obtained by interviewing investigating police officers and examining health and social services records. The rings contained 14 adult male perpetrators and 175 children aged 6-15 years. Most perpetrators used child ringleaders to recruit victims; others became a "family friend" or obtained a position of authority over children. Secrecy was encouraged and bribery, threats, and peer pressure used to induce participation in sexual activities. Offences reported included fondling, masturbation, pornography, and oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse. Eleven perpetrators were successfully prosecuted; all but one received a sentence of three years or less. Behavioural problems were common among those children who had participated for a long time. Child sex rings are difficult to detect and may be common. Many children are seriously abused as a consequence of them. PMID:3730803

Accretion in Saturn's F Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinke, B. K.; Esposito, L. W.; Stewart, G.

2012-12-01

Saturn's F ring is the solar system's principal natural laboratory for direct observation of accretion and disruption processes. The ring resides in the Roche zone, where tidal disruption competes with self-gravity, which allows us to observe the lifecycle of moonlets. Just as nearby moons create structure at the B ring edge (Esposito et al. 2012) and the Keeler gap (Murray 2007), the F ring "shepherding" moons Prometheus and Pandora stir up ring material and create observably changing structures on timescales of days to decades. In fact, Beurle et al (2010) show that Prometheus makes it possible for "distended, yet gravitationally coherent clumps" to form in the F ring, and Barbara and Esposito (2002) predicted a population of ~1 km bodies in the ring. In addition to the observations over the last three decades, the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) has detected 27 statistically significant features in 101 occultations by Saturn's F ring since July 2004. Seventeen of those 27 features are associated with clumps of ring material. Two features are opaque in occultation, which makes them candidates for solid objects, which we refer to as Moonlets. The 15 other features partially block stellar signal for 22 m to just over 3.7 km along the radial expanse of the occultation. Upon visual inspection of the occultation profile, these features resemble Icicles, thus we will refer to them as such here. The density enhancements responsible for such signal attenuations are likely due to transient clumping of material, evidence that aggregations of material are ubiquitous in the F ring. Our lengthy observing campaign reveals that Icicles are likely transient clumps, while Moonlets are possible solid objects. Optical depth is an indicator of clumping because more-densely aggregated material blocks more light; therefore, it is natural to imagine moonlets as later evolutionary stage of icicle, when looser clumps of material compact to form a feature that appears

Small-Scale Structure in Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehnberg, Morgan

2017-08-01

The rings of Saturn are the largest and most complex in the Solar System. Decades of observation from ground- and space-based observatories and spacecraft missions have revealed the broad structure of the rings and the intricate interactions between the planet's moons and its rings. Stellar occultations observed by the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph's High Speed Photometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft now enable the direct study of the small-scale structure that results from these interactions. In this dissertation, I present three distinct phenomena resulting from the small-scale physics of the rings. Many resonance locations with Saturn's external satellites lie within the main (A and B) rings. Two of these satellites, Janus and Epimetheus, have a unique co-orbital relationship and move radially to switch positions every 4.0 years. This motion also moves the resonance locations within the rings. As the spiral density waves created at these resonances interact, they launch an enormous solitary wave every eight years. I provide the first-ever observations of this never-predicted phenomenon and detail a possible formation mechanism. Previous studies have reported a population of kilometer-scale aggregates in Saturn's F ring, which likely form as a result of self-gravitation between ring particles in Saturn's Roche zone. I expand the known catalog of features in UVIS occultations and provide the first estimates of their density derived from comparisons with the A ring. These features are orders of magnitude less dense than previously believed, a fact which reconciles them with detections made by other means. Theory and indirect observations indicate that the smallest regular structures in the rings are wavelike aggregates called self-gravity wakes. Using the highest-resolution occulta- tions, I provide the first-ever direct detection of these features by identifying the gaps that represent the minima of the wakes. I demonstrate that the distribution of these gaps

Quality Assurance Project Plan for Verification of Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Ring(SEA Ring)

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of the verification is to test the efficacy and ability of the Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Ring (SEA Ring) to evaluate the toxicity of contaminants in the sediment, at the sediment-water interface, and WC to organisms that live in those respective environments.

The Formation Mechanism of Nuclear Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regan, M. W.; Teuben, P. J.

2001-12-01

Nuclear star forming rings are found in many barred galaxies. In some of these galaxies the majority of the star formation is occurring in the ring. Although there is circumstantial evidence that an inner Lindblad resonance is required for the ring to form, very little work has been done on why this is so. In this talk we will present some of the first analytical work on why, where, and under what conditions rings form. By using both hydrodynamic simulations and numerically integrated stellar orbits we are able to show the relationship between the extent of the X2 orbit family and the nuclear ring radius. This provides the first clear evidence that the ring is formed by the conflict between gas on X2 orbits oriented perpendicular to the bar major axis and gas on X1 orbits oriented along the bar major axis.

Dynamical Evolution of Ring-Satellite Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohtsuki, Keiji

2005-01-01

The goal of this research was to understand dynamical processes related to the evolution of size distribution of particles in planetary rings and application of theoretical results to explain features in the present rings of giant planets. We studied velocity evolution and accretion rates of ring particles in the Roche zone. We developed a new numerical code for the evolution of ring particle size distribution, which takes into account the above results for particle velocity evolution and accretion rates. We also studied radial diffusion rate of ring particles due to inelastic collisions and gravitational encounters. Many of these results can be also applied to dynamical evolution of a planetesimal disk. Finally, we studied rotation rates of moonlets and particles in planetary rings, which would influence the accretional evolution of these bodies. We describe our key accomplishments during the past three years in more detail in the following.

Ring Bubbles of Dolphins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shariff, Karim; Marten, Ken; Psarakos, Suchi; White, Don J.; Merriam, Marshal (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

The article discusses how dolphins create and play with three types of air-filled vortices. The underlying physics is discussed. Photographs and sketches illustrating the dolphin's actions and physics are presented. The dolphins engage in this behavior on their own initiative without food reward. These behaviors are done repeatedly and with singleminded effort. The first type is the ejection of bubbles which, after some practice on the part of the dolphin, turn into toroidal vortex ring bubbles by the mechanism of baroclinic torque. These bubbles grow in radius and become thinner as they rise vertically to the surface. One dolphin would blow two in succession and guide them to fuse into one. Physicists call this a vortex reconnection. In the second type, the dolphins first create an invisible vortex ring in the water by swimming on their side and waving their tail fin (also called flukes) vigorously. This vortex ring travels horizontally in the water. The dolphin then turns around, finds the vortex and injects a stream of air into it from its blowhole. The air "fills-out" the core of the vortex ring. Often, the dolphin would knock-off a smaller ring bubble from the larger ring (this also involves vortex reconnection) and steer the smaller ring around the tank. One other dolphin employed a few other techniques for planting air into the fluke vortex. One technique included standing vertically in the water with tail-up, head-down and tail piercing the free surface. As the fluke is waved to create the vortex ring, air is entrained from above the surface. Another technique was gulping air in the mouth, diving down, releasing air bubbles from the mouth and curling them into a ring when they rose to the level of the fluke. In the third type, demonstrated by only one dolphin, the longitudinal vortex created by the dorsal fin on the back is used to produce 10-15 foot long helical bubbles. In one technique she swims in a curved path. This creates a dorsal fin vortex since

Rings Research in the Next Decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiscareno, Matthew S.; Albers, N.; Brahic, A.; Brooks, S. M.; Burns, J. A.; Chavez, C.; Colwell, J. E.; Cuzzi, J. N.; de Pater, I.; Dones, L.; Durisen, R. H.; Filacchione, G.; Giuliatti Winter, S. M.; Gordon, M. K.; Graps, A.; Hamilton, D. P.; Hedman, M. M.; Horanyi, M.; Kempf, S.; Krueger, H.; Lewis, M. C.; Lissauer, J. J.; Murray, C. D.; Nicholson, P. D.; Olkin, C. B.; Pappalardo, R. T.; Salo, H.; Schmidt, J.; Showalter, M. R.; Spahn, F.; Spilker, L. J.; Srama, R.; Sremcevic, M.; Stewart, G. R.; Yanamandra-Fisher, P.

2009-12-01

The study of planetary ring systems is a key component of planetary science for several reasons: 1) The evolution and current states of planets and their satellites are affected in many ways by rings, while 2) conversely, properties of planets and moons and other solar system populations are revealed by their effects on rings; 3) highly structured and apparently delicate ring systems may be bellwethers, constraining various theories of the origin and evolution of their entire planetary system; and finally, 4) planetary rings provide an easily observable analogue to other astrophysical disk systems, enabling real "ground truth” results applicable to disks much more remote in space and/or time, including proto-planetary disks, circum-stellar disks, and even galaxies. Significant advances have been made in rings science in the past decade. The highest-priority rings research recommendations of the last Planetary Science Decadal Survey were to operate and extend the Cassini orbiter mission at Saturn; this has been done with tremendous success, accounting for much of the progress made on key science questions, as we will describe. Important progress in understanding the rings of Saturn and other planets has also come from Earth-based observational and theoretical work, again as prioritized by the last Decadal Survey. However, much important work remains to be done. At Saturn, the Cassini Solstice Mission must be brought to a successful completion. Priority should also be placed on sending spacecraft to Neptune and/or Uranus, now unvisited for more than 20 years. At Jupiter and Pluto, opportunities afforded by visiting spacecraft capable of studying rings should be exploited. On Earth, the need for continued research and analysis remains strong, including in-depth analysis of rings data already obtained, numerical and theoretical modeling work, laboratory analysis of materials and processes analogous to those found in the outer solar system, and continued Earth

Orbital Perturbations Due to Massive Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iorio, L.

2012-06-01

We analytically work out the long-term orbital perturbations induced by a homogeneous circular ring of radius R r and mass m r on the motion of a test particle in the cases (I): r > R r and (II): r < R r. In order to extend the validity of our analysis to the orbital configurations of, e.g., some proposed spacecraft-based mission for fundamental physics like LISA and ASTROD, of possible annuli around the supermassive black hole in Sgr A* coming from tidal disruptions of incoming gas clouds, and to the effect of artificial space debris belts around the Earth, we do not restrict ourselves to the case in which the ring and the orbit of the perturbed particle lie just in the same plane. From the corrections Updeltadot\\varpi^{(meas)} to the standard secular perihelion precessions, recently determined by a team of astronomers for some planets of the Solar System, we infer upper bounds on m r for various putative and known annular matter distributions of natural origin (close circumsolar ring with R r = 0.02 - 0.13 au, dust ring with R r = 1 au, minor asteroids, Trans-Neptunian Objects). We find m_r≤ 1.4× 10^{-4} m_{oplus} (circumsolar ring with R r = 0.02 au), m_r≤ 2.6× 10^{-6} m_{oplus} (circumsolar ring with R r = 0.13 au), m_r≤ 8.8× 10^{-7} m_{oplus} (ring with R r = 1 au), m_r≤ 7.3× 10^{-12} M_{odot} (asteroidal ring with R r = 2.80 au), m_r≤ 1.1× 10^{-11} M_{odot} (asteroidal ring with R r = 3.14 au), m_r≤ 2.0× 10^{-8} M_{odot} (TNOs ring with R r = 43 au). In principle, our analysis is valid both for baryonic and non-baryonic Dark Matter distributions.

Physical studies of the planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ip, W.-H.

1980-01-01

In this review paper, the physical properties of the Saturnian and Uranian rings as derived from ground-based observations are first discussed. Focus is then shifted to the study of the orbital dynamics of the ring particles. Numerical simulations of the evolutionary history of a system of colliding particles in differential rotation together with theoretical modeling of the inelastic collision processes are surveyed. In anticipation of the information returned from in situ measurements by space probes, interactions of the planetary rings with the interplanetary meteoroids and planetary magnetospheres are briefly considered. Finally, models of planetary ring origin are examined. In this connection, some recent work on the satellite resonant perturbation effects on the ring structure are also touched upon.

Instability of a rotating liquid ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Sicheng; Tao, Jianjun

2013-09-01

It is shown numerically that a rotating inviscid liquid ring has a temporally oscillating state, where the radius of the ring varies periodically because of the competition between the centrifugal force and the centripetal force caused by the surface tension. Stability analysis reveals that an enlarging or shrinking ring is unstable to a varicose-type mode, which is affected by both the radial velocity and the radius ratio between the cross section and the ring. Furthermore, uniform rotation of a ring leads to a traveling unstable mode, whose frequency is determined by a simple sinuous mode, while the surface shape is modulated by the varicose mode and twisted by the rotation-induced Coriolis force.

Instability of a rotating liquid ring.

PubMed

Zhao, Sicheng; Tao, Jianjun

2013-09-01

It is shown numerically that a rotating inviscid liquid ring has a temporally oscillating state, where the radius of the ring varies periodically because of the competition between the centrifugal force and the centripetal force caused by the surface tension. Stability analysis reveals that an enlarging or shrinking ring is unstable to a varicose-type mode, which is affected by both the radial velocity and the radius ratio between the cross section and the ring. Furthermore, uniform rotation of a ring leads to a traveling unstable mode, whose frequency is determined by a simple sinuous mode, while the surface shape is modulated by the varicose mode and twisted by the rotation-induced Coriolis force.

Synthesis of Benzannulated Medium-ring Lactams via a Tandem Oxidative Dearomatization-Ring Expansion Reaction.

PubMed

Guney, Tezcan; Wenderski, Todd A; Boudreau, Matthew W; Tan, Derek S

2018-06-23

Medium-ring natural products exhibit diverse biological activities but such scaffolds are underrepresented in probe and drug discovery efforts due to the limitations of classical macrocyclization reactions. We report herein a tandem oxidative dearomatization-ring-expanding rearoma¬tization (ODRE) reaction that generates benzannulated medium-ring lactams directly from simple bicyclic substrates. The reaction accommodates diverse aryl substrates (haloarenes, aryl ethers, aryl amides, heterocycles) and strategic incorporation of a bridgehead alcohol generates a versatile ketone moiety in the products amenable to downstream modifications. Cheminformatic analysis indicates that these medium rings access regions of chemical space that overlap with related natural products and are distinct from synthetic drugs, setting the stage for their use in discovery screening against novel biological targets. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Passage through the Ring Plane

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-03

The path that lies ahead for the Cassini-Huygens mission is indicated in this image which illustrates where the spacecraft will be just 27 days from now, when it arrives at Saturn and crosses the ring plane 33 minutes before performing its critical orbital insertion maneuver. The X indicates the point where Cassini will pierce the ring plane on June 30, 2004, going from south to north of the ring plane, 33 minutes before the main engine fires to begin orbital insertion. The indicated point is between the narrow F-ring on the left and Saturn's tenuous G-ring which is too faint to be seen in this exposure. The image was taken on May 11, 2004 when the spacecraft was 26.3 million kilometers (16.3 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 158 kilometers (98 miles) per pixel. Moons visible in this image: Janus (181 kilometers or 113 miles across), one of the co-orbital moons; Pandora (84 kilometers or 52 miles across), one of the F ring shepherding moons; and Enceladus (499 kilometers or 310 miles across), a moon which may be heated from within and thus have a liquid sub-surface ocean. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06061

Pair Past the Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-04

Two of Saturn moons orbit beyond four of the planet rings in this image from NASA Cassini spacecraft. From the top right of the picture are the C, B , A, and thin F rings, the small moon Pandora and, near the middle of the image, the moon Enceladus.

Image processing and applications based on visualizing navigation service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Chyi-Wen

2015-07-01

When facing the "overabundant" of semantic web information, in this paper, the researcher proposes the hierarchical classification and visualizing RIA (Rich Internet Application) navigation system: Concept Map (CM) + Semantic Structure (SS) + the Knowledge on Demand (KOD) service. The aim of the Multimedia processing and empirical applications testing, was to investigating the utility and usability of this visualizing navigation strategy in web communication design, into whether it enables the user to retrieve and construct their personal knowledge or not. Furthermore, based on the segment markets theory in the Marketing model, to propose a User Interface (UI) classification strategy and formulate a set of hypermedia design principles for further UI strategy and e-learning resources in semantic web communication. These research findings: (1) Irrespective of whether the simple declarative knowledge or the complex declarative knowledge model is used, the "CM + SS + KOD navigation system" has a better cognition effect than the "Non CM + SS + KOD navigation system". However, for the" No web design experience user", the navigation system does not have an obvious cognition effect. (2) The essential of classification in semantic web communication design: Different groups of user have a diversity of preference needs and different cognitive styles in the CM + SS + KOD navigation system.

Study of EHD flow generator's efficiencies utilizing pin to single ring and multi-concentric rings electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumariyah; Kusminart; Hermanto, A.; Nuswantoro, P.

2016-11-01

EHD flow or ionic wind yield corona discharge is a stream coming from the ionized gas. EHD is generated by a strong electric field and its direction follows the electric field lines. In this study, the efficiency of the EHD flow generators utilizing pin-multi concentric rings electrodes (P-MRE) and the EHD pin-single ring electrode (P-SRE) have been measured. The comparison of efficiencies two types of the generator has been done. EHD flow was generated by using a high-voltage DC 0-10 KV on the electrode pin with a positive polarity and electrode ring/ multi-concentric rings of negative polarity. The efficiency was calculated by comparison between the mechanical power of flow to the electrical power that consumed. We obtained that the maximum efficiency of EHD flow generator utilizing pin-multi concentric rings electrodes was 0.54% and the maximum efficiency of EHD flow generator utilizing a pin-single ring electrode was 0.23%. Efficiency of EHD with P-MRE 2.34 times Efficiency of EHD with P-SRE

The composition and structure of planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, J. A.

1985-01-01

The properties of planetary ring systems are summarized herein; emphasis is given to the available evidence on their compositions and to their dynamical attributes. Somewhat contaminated water ice makes up the vast expanse of Saturn's rings. Modified methane ice may comprise Uranus' rings while silicates are the likely material of the Jovian ring. Saturn's rings form an elaborate system whose characteristics are still being documented and whose nature is being unravelled following the Voyager flybys. Uranus' nine narrow bands display an intriguing dynamical structure thought to be caused by unseen shephard satellites. Jupiter's ring system is a mere wisp, probably derived as ejecta off hidden parent bodies.

Surging Across the Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-26

A surge in brightness appears on the rings directly opposite the Sun from the Cassini spacecraft. This "opposition surge" travels across the rings as the spacecraft watches. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 9 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 12, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 853 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 524,374 kilometers (325,830 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 31 kilometers (19 miles) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08992

Optical heterodyne detection for cavity ring-down spectroscopy

DOEpatents

Levenson, Marc D.; Paldus, Barbara A.; Zare, Richard N.

2000-07-25

A cavity ring-down system for performing cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) using optical heterodyne detection of a ring-down wave E.sub.RD during a ring-down phase or a ring-up wave E.sub.RU during a ring up phase. The system sends a local oscillator wave E.sub.LO and a signal wave E.sub.SIGNAL to the cavity, preferably a ring resonator, and derives an interference signal from the combined local oscillator wave E.sub.LO and the ring-down wave E.sub.RD (or ring-up wave E.sub.RU). The local oscillator wave E.sub.LO has a first polarization and the ring-down wave E.sub.RD has a second polarization different from the first polarization. The system has a combining arrangement for combining or overlapping local oscillator wave E.sub.LO and the ring-down wave E.sub.RD at a photodetector, which receives the interference signal and generates a heterodyne current I.sub.H therefrom. Frequency and phase differences between the waves are adjustable.

Plasma deposited rider rings for hot displacer

DOEpatents

Kroebig, Helmut L.

1976-01-01

A hot cylinder for a cryogenic refrigerator having two plasma spray deposited rider rings of a corrosion and abrasion resistant material provided in the rider ring grooves, wherein the rider rings are machined to the desired diameter and width after deposition. The rider rings have gas flow flats machined on their outer surface.

Oligomeric ferrocene rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inkpen, Michael S.; Scheerer, Stefan; Linseis, Michael; White, Andrew J. P.; Winter, Rainer F.; Albrecht, Tim; Long, Nicholas J.

2016-09-01

Cyclic oligomers comprising strongly interacting redox-active monomer units represent an unknown, yet highly desirable class of nanoscale materials. Here we describe the synthesis and properties of the first family of molecules belonging to this compound category—differently sized rings comprising only 1,1‧-disubstituted ferrocene units (cyclo[n], n = 5-7, 9). Due to the close proximity and connectivity of centres (covalent Cp-Cp linkages; Cp = cyclopentadienyl) solution voltammograms exhibit well-resolved, separated 1e- waves. Theoretical interrogations into correlations based on ring size and charge state are facilitated using values of the equilibrium potentials of these transitions, as well as their relative spacing. As the interaction free energies between the redox centres scale linearly with overall ring charge and in conjunction with fast intramolecular electron transfer (˜107 s-1), these molecules can be considered as uniformly charged nanorings (diameter ˜1-2 nm).

Condenser for illuminating a ring field

DOEpatents

Sweatt, W.C.

1994-11-01

A series of segments of a parent aspheric mirror having one foci at a point source of radiation and the other foci at the radius of a ring field have all but one or all of their beams translated and rotated by sets of mirrors such that all of the beams pass through the real entrance pupil of a ring field camera about one of the beams and fall onto the ring field radius as a coincident image as an arc of the ring field. 5 figs.

Condenser for illuminating a ring field

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.

1994-01-01

A series of segments of a parent aspheric mirror having one foci at at a si-point source of radiation and the other foci at the radius of a ring field have all but one or all of their beams translated and rotated by sets of mirrors such that all of the beams pass through the real entrance pupil of a ring field camera about one of the beams and fall onto the ring field radius as a coincident image as an arc of the ring field.

Basin-ring spacing on the Moon, Mercury, and Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pike, R.J.; Spudis, P.D.

1987-01-01

Radial spacing between concentric rings of impact basins that lack central peaks is statistically similar and nonrandom on the Moon, Mercury, and Mars, both inside and outside the main ring. One spacing interval, (2.0 ?? 0.3)0.5D, or an integer multiple of it, dominates most basin rings. Three analytical approaches yield similar results from 296 remapped or newly mapped rings of 67 multi-ringed basins: least-squares of rank-grouped rings, least-squares of rank and ring diameter for each basin, and averaged ratios of adjacent rings. Analysis of 106 rings of 53 two-ring basins by the first and third methods yields an integer multiple (2 ??) of 2.00.5D. There are two exceptions: (1) Rings adjacent to the main ring of multi-ring basins are consistently spaced at a slightly, but significantly, larger interval, (2.1 ?? 0.3)0.5D; (2) The 88 rings of 44 protobasins (large peak-plus-inner-ring craters) are spaced at an entirely different interval (3.3 ?? 0.6)0.5D. The statistically constant and target-invariant spacing of so many rings suggests that this characteristic may constrain formational models of impact basins on the terrestrial planets. The key elements of such a constraint include: (1) ring positions may not have been located by the same process(es) that formed ring topography; (2) ring location and emplacement of ring topography need not be coeval; (3) ring location, but not necessarily the mode of ring emplacement, reflects one process that operated at the time of impact; and (4) the process yields similarly-disposed topographic features that are spatially discrete at 20.5D intervals, or some multiple, rather than continuous. These four elements suggest that some type of wave mechanism dominates the location, but not necessarily the formation, of basin rings. The waves may be standing, rather than travelling. The ring topography itself may be emplaced at impact by this and/or other mechanisms and may reflect additional, including post-impact, influences. ?? 1987

Saturn Ring Data Analysis and Thermal Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobson, Coleman

2011-01-01

CIRS, VIMS, UVIS, and ISS (Cassini's Composite Infrared Specrtometer, Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, Ultra Violet Imaging Spectrometer and Imaging Science Subsystem, respectively), have each operated in a multidimensional observation space and have acquired scans of the lit and unlit rings at multiple phase angles. To better understand physical and dynamical ring particle parametric dependence, we co-registered profiles from these three instruments, taken at a wide range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet through the thermal infrared, to associate changes in ring particle temperature with changes in observed brightness, specifically with albedos inferred by ISS, UVIS and VIMS. We work in a parameter space where the solar elevation range is constrained to 12 deg - 14 deg and the chosen radial region is the B3 region of the B ring; this region is the most optically thick region in Saturn's rings. From this compilation of multiple wavelength data, we construct and fit phase curves and color ratios using independent dynamical thermal models for ring structure and overplot Saturn, Saturn ring, and Solar spectra. Analysis of phase curve construction and color ratios reveals thermal emission to fall within the extrema of the ISS bandwidth and a geometrical dependence of reddening on phase angle, respectively. Analysis of spectra reveals Cassini CIRS Saturn spectra dominate Cassini CIRS B3 Ring Spectra from 19 to 1000 microns, while Earth-based B Ring Spectrum dominates Earth-based Saturn Spectrum from 0.4 to 4 microns. From our fits we test out dynamical thermal models; from the phase curves we derive ring albedos and non-lambertian properties of the ring particle surfaces; and from the color ratios we examine multiple scattering within the regolith of ring particles.

21 CFR 872.5550 - Teething ring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Teething ring. 872.5550 Section 872.5550 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES DENTAL DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 872.5550 Teething ring. (a) Identification. A teething ring is a...

Signal and power roll ring testing update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Dennis W.

1989-01-01

The development of the roll ring as a long-life, low-torque alternative to the slip ring is discussed. A roll ring consists of one or more circular flexures captured by their own spring force in the annular space between two concentric conductors or contact rings. The advantages of roll rings over other types of electrical transfer devices are: extremely low drag torque, high transfer efficiencies in high-power configurations, extremely low wear debris generation, long life, and low weight for high-power applications.

High-Speed Ring Bus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wysocky, Terry; Kopf, Edward, Jr.; Katanyoutananti, Sunant; Steiner, Carl; Balian, Harry

2010-01-01

The high-speed ring bus at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) allows for future growth trends in spacecraft seen with future scientific missions. This innovation constitutes an enhancement of the 1393 bus as documented in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1393-1999 standard for a spaceborne fiber-optic data bus. It allows for high-bandwidth and time synchronization of all nodes on the ring. The JPL ring bus allows for interconnection of active units with autonomous operation and increased fault handling at high bandwidths. It minimizes the flight software interface with an intelligent physical layer design that has few states to manage as well as simplified testability. The design will soon be documented in the AS-1393 standard (Serial Hi-Rel Ring Network for Aerospace Applications). The framework is designed for "Class A" spacecraft operation and provides redundant data paths. It is based on "fault containment regions" and "redundant functional regions (RFR)" and has a method for allocating cables that completely supports the redundancy in spacecraft design, allowing for a complete RFR to fail. This design reduces the mass of the bus by incorporating both the Control Unit and the Data Unit in the same hardware. The standard uses ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) packets, standardized by ITU-T, ANSI, ETSI, and the ATM Forum. The IEEE-1393 standard uses the UNI form of the packet and provides no protection for the data portion of the cell. The JPL design adds optional formatting to this data portion. This design extends fault protection beyond that of the interconnect. This includes adding protection to the data portion that is contained within the Bus Interface Units (BIUs) and by adding to the signal interface between the Data Host and the JPL 1393 Ring Bus. Data transfer on the ring bus does not involve a master or initiator. Following bus protocol, any BIU may transmit data on the ring whenever it has data received from its host. There

Epimetheus Above the Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-11-09

Although Epimetheus appears to be lurking above the rings here, it's actually just an illusion resulting from the viewing angle. In reality, Epimetheus and the rings both orbit in Saturn's equatorial plane. Inner moons and rings orbit very near the equatorial plane of each of the four giant planets in our solar system, but more distant moons can have orbits wildly out of the equatorial plane. It has been theorized that the highly inclined orbits of the outer, distant moons are remnants of the random directions from which they approached the planets they orbit. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about -0.3 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 26, 2015. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 500,000 miles (800,000 kilometers) from Epimetheus and at a Sun-Epimetheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 62 degrees. Image scale is 3 miles (5 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18342

Characterization of heterocyclic rings through quantum chemical topology.

PubMed

Griffiths, Mark Z; Popelier, Paul L A

2013-07-22

Five-membered rings are found in a myriad of molecules important in a wide range of areas such as catalysis, nutrition, and drug and agrochemical design. Systematic insight into their largely unexplored chemical space benefits from first principle calculations presented here. This study comprehensively investigates a grand total of 764 different rings, all geometry optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) level, from the perspective of Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT). For the first time, a 3D space of local topological properties was introduced, in order to characterize rings compactly. This space is called RCP space, after the so-called ring critical point. This space is analogous to BCP space, named after the bond critical point, which compactly and successfully characterizes a chemical bond. The relative positions of the rings in RCP space are determined by the nature of the ring scaffold, such as the heteroatoms within the ring or the number of π-bonds. The summed atomic QCT charges of the five ring atoms revealed five features (number and type of heteroatom, number of π-bonds, substituent and substitution site) that dictate a ring's net charge. Each feature independently contributes toward a ring's net charge. Each substituent has its own distinct and systematic effect on the ring's net charge, irrespective of the ring scaffold. Therefore, this work proves the possibility of designing a ring with specific properties by fine-tuning it through manipulation of these five features.

Oxygen ions observed near Saturn's A ring.

PubMed

Waite, J H; Cravens, T E; Ip, W-H; Kasprzak, W T; Luhmann, J G; McNutt, R L; Niemann, H B; Yelle, R V; Mueller-Wodarg, I; Ledvina, S A; Scherer, S

2005-02-25

Ions were detected in the vicinity of Saturn's A ring by the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) instrument onboard the Cassini Orbiter during the spacecraft's passage over the rings. The INMS saw signatures of molecular and atomic oxygen ions and of protons, thus demonstrating the existence of an ionosphere associated with the A ring. A likely explanation for these ions is photoionization by solar ultraviolet radiation of neutral O2 molecules associated with a tenuous ring atmosphere. INMS neutral measurements made during the ring encounter are dominated by a background signal.

Analyses of layer-thickness effects in bilayered dental ceramics subjected to thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsueh, Chun-Hway; Thompson, G. A.; Jadaan, Osama M.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to analyze the stress distribution through the thickness of bilayered dental ceramics subjected to both thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests and to systematically examine how the individual layer thickness influences this stress distribution and the failure origin. Methods. Ring-on-ring tests were performed on In-Ceram Alumina/Vitadur Alpha porcelain bilayered disks with porcelain in the tensile side, and In-Ceram Alumina to porcelain layer thickness ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1 were used to characterize the failure origins as either surface or interface. Based on the thermomechanical properties and thickness of each layer, the cooling temperaturemore » from glass transition temperature, and the ring-on-ring loading configuration, the stress distribution through the thickness of the bilayer was calculated using closed-form solutions. Finite element analyses were also performed to verify the analytical results. Results. The calculated stress distributions showed that the location of maximum tension during testing shifted from the porcelain surface to the In-Ceram Alumina/porcelain interface when the relative layer thickness ratio changed from 1:2 to 1:1 and to 2:1. This trend is in agreement with the experimental observations of the failure origins. Significance. For bilayered dental ceramics subjected to ring-on-ring tests, the location of maximum tension can shift from the surface to the interface depending upon the layer thickness ratio. The closed-form solutions for bilayers subjected to both thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests are explicitly formulated which allow the biaxial strength of the bilayer to be evaluated.« less

46 CFR 117.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 117.70 Section 117.70 Shipping COAST... Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 117.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life... one life buoy of not less than 510 millimeters (20 inches) in diameter; (2) A vessel of more than 7.9...

46 CFR 117.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 117.70 Section 117.70 Shipping COAST... Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 117.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life... one life buoy of not less than 510 millimeters (20 inches) in diameter; (2) A vessel of more than 7.9...

46 CFR 180.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 180.70 Section 180.70 Shipping COAST...) LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 180.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life buoys as follows: (1) A vessel of not more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) in...

46 CFR 180.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 180.70 Section 180.70 Shipping COAST...) LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 180.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life buoys as follows: (1) A vessel of not more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) in...

46 CFR 180.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 180.70 Section 180.70 Shipping COAST...) LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 180.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life buoys as follows: (1) A vessel of not more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) in...

46 CFR 117.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 117.70 Section 117.70 Shipping COAST... Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 117.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life... one life buoy of not less than 510 millimeters (20 inches) in diameter; (2) A vessel of more than 7.9...

46 CFR 117.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 117.70 Section 117.70 Shipping COAST... Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 117.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life... one life buoy of not less than 510 millimeters (20 inches) in diameter; (2) A vessel of more than 7.9...

46 CFR 180.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 180.70 Section 180.70 Shipping COAST...) LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 180.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life buoys as follows: (1) A vessel of not more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) in...

46 CFR 117.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 117.70 Section 117.70 Shipping COAST... Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 117.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life... one life buoy of not less than 510 millimeters (20 inches) in diameter; (2) A vessel of more than 7.9...

46 CFR 180.70 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 180.70 Section 180.70 Shipping COAST...) LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Ring Life Buoys and Life Jackets § 180.70 Ring life buoys. (a) A vessel must have one or more ring life buoys as follows: (1) A vessel of not more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) in...

Rings of non-spherical, axisymmetric bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Akash; Nadkarni-Ghosh, Sharvari; Sharma, Ishan

2018-01-01

We investigate the dynamical behavior of rings around bodies whose shapes depart considerably from that of a sphere. To this end, we have developed a new self-gravitating discrete element N-body code, and employed a local simulation method to simulate a patch of the ring. The central body is modeled as a symmetric (oblate or prolate) ellipsoid, or defined through the characteristic frequencies (circular, vertical, epicyclic) that represent its gravitational field. Through our simulations we explore how a ring's behavior - characterized by dynamical properties like impact frequency, granular temperature, number density, vertical thickness and radial width - varies with the changing gravitational potential of the central body. We also contrast properties of rings about large central bodies (e.g. Saturn) with those of smaller ones (e.g. Chariklo). Finally, we investigate how the characteristic frequencies of a central body, restricted to being a solid of revolution with an equatorial plane of symmetry, affect the ring dynamics. The latter process may be employed to qualitatively understand the dynamics of rings about any symmetric solid of revolution.

Vortex Ring Dynamics in Radially Confined Domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Kelley; Niebel, Casandra; Jung, Sunghwan; Vlachos, Pavlos

2010-11-01

Vortex ring dynamics have been studied extensively in semi-infinite quiescent volumes. However, very little is known about vortex-ring formation in wall-bounded domains where vortex wall interaction will affect both the vortex ring pinch-off and propagation velocity. This study addresses this limitation and studies vortex formation in radially confined domains to analyze the affect of vortex-ring wall interaction on the formation and propagation of the vortex ring. Vortex rings were produced using a pneumatically driven piston cylinder arrangement and were ejected into a long cylindrical tube which defined the confined downstream domain. A range of confinement domains were studied with varying confinement diameters Velocity field measurements were performed using planar Time Resolved Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (TRDPIV) and were processed using an in-house developed cross-correlation PIV algorithm. The experimental analysis was used to facilitate the development of a theoretical model to predict the variations in vortex ring circulation over time within confined domains.

The circumstellar ring of SN 1987A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fransson, Claes; Migotto, Katia; Larsson, Josefin; Pesce, Dominic; Challis, Peter; Chevalier, Roger A.; France, Kevin; Kirshner, Robert P.; Leibundgut, Bruno; Lundqvist, Peter; McCray, Richard; Spyromilio, Jason; Taddia, Francesco; Jerkstrand, Anders; Mattila, Seppo; Smith, Nathan; Sollerman, Jesper; Wheeler, J. Craig; Crotts, Arlin; Garnavich, Peter; Heng, Kevin; Lawrence, Stephen S.; Panagia, Nino; Pun, Chun S. J.; Sonneborn, George; Sugerman, Ben

2016-06-01

The circumstellar ring of supernova 1987A first became visible a few months after the explosion due to photoionisation by the supernova flash. From 1995 hotspots appeared in the ring and their brightness increased nearly exponentially as a result of interaction with the supernova blast wave. Imaging and spectroscopic observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope now show that both the shocked and the unshocked emission components from the ring have been decreasing since ~ 2009. In addition, the most recent images reveal the brightening of new spots outside the ring. These observations indicate that the hotspots are being dissolved by the shocks and that the blast wave is now expanding and interacting with dense clumps beyond the ring. Based on the currently observed decay we predict that the ring will be destroyed by ~ 2025, while the blast wave will reveal the distribution of gas as it expands outside the ring, thus tracing the mass-loss history of the supernova progenitor.

Grooves and Kinks in the Rings

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-19

Many of the features seen in Saturn's rings are shaped by the planet's moons. This view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows two different effects of moons that cause waves in the A ring and kinks in a faint ringlet. The view captures the outer edge of the 200-mile-wide (320-kilometer-wide) Encke Gap, in the outer portion of Saturn's A ring. This is the same region features the large propeller called Earhart. Also visible here is one of several kinked and clumpy ringlets found within the gap. Kinks and clumps in the Encke ringlet move about, and even appear and disappear, in part due to the gravitational effects of Pan -- which orbits in the gap and whose gravitational influence holds it open. The A ring, which takes up most of the image on the left side, displays wave features caused by Pan, as well as the moons Pandora and Prometheus, which orbit a bit farther from Saturn on both sides of the planet's F ring. This view was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 22, 2017, and looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 22 degrees above the ring plane. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 63,000 miles (101,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a phase angle (the angle between the sun, the rings and the spacecraft) of 59 degrees. Image scale is 1,979 feet (603 meters) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21333

DOD SPHERES-RINGS Test Session

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-04

ISS037-E-025915 (4 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, conducts a session with a pair of bowling-ball-sized free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. Surrounding the two SPHERES mini-satellites is ring-shaped hardware known as the Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS. SPHERES-RINGS seeks to demonstrate wireless power transfer between satellites at a distance for enhanced operations.

Vaginal rings for delivery of HIV microbicides

PubMed Central

Malcolm, R Karl; Fetherston, Susan M; McCoy, Clare F; Boyd, Peter; Major, Ian

2012-01-01

Following the successful development of long-acting steroid-releasing vaginal ring devices for the treatment of menopausal symptoms and contraception, there is now considerable interest in applying similar devices to the controlled release of microbicides against HIV. In this review article, the vaginal ring concept is first considered within the wider context of the early advances in controlled-release technology, before describing the various types of ring device available today. The remainder of the article highlights the key developments in HIV microbicide-releasing vaginal rings, with a particular focus on the dapivirine ring that is presently in late-stage clinical testing. PMID:23204872

Vaginal rings for delivery of HIV microbicides.

PubMed

Malcolm, R Karl; Fetherston, Susan M; McCoy, Clare F; Boyd, Peter; Major, Ian

2012-01-01

Following the successful development of long-acting steroid-releasing vaginal ring devices for the treatment of menopausal symptoms and contraception, there is now considerable interest in applying similar devices to the controlled release of microbicides against HIV. In this review article, the vaginal ring concept is first considered within the wider context of the early advances in controlled-release technology, before describing the various types of ring device available today. The remainder of the article highlights the key developments in HIV microbicide-releasing vaginal rings, with a particular focus on the dapivirine ring that is presently in late-stage clinical testing.

Vortex rings impinging on permeable boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mujal-Colilles, Anna; Dalziel, Stuart B.; Bateman, Allen

2015-01-01

Experiments with vortex rings impinging permeable and solid boundaries are presented in order to investigate the influence of permeability. Utilizing Particle Image Velocimetry, we compared the behaviour of a vortex ring impinging four different reticulated foams (with permeability k ˜ 26 - 85 × 10-8 m2) and a solid boundary. Results show how permeability affects the stretching phenomena of the vortex ring and the formation and evolution of the secondary vortex ring with opposite sign. Moreover, permeability also affects the macroscopic no-slip boundary condition found on the solid boundary, turning it into an apparent slip boundary condition for the most permeable boundary. The apparent slip-boundary condition and the flux exchange between the ambient fluid and the foam are jointly responsible for both the modified formation of the secondary vortex and changes on the vortex ring diameter increase.

The ring plus project: safety and acceptability of vaginal rings that protect women from unintended pregnancy.

PubMed

Schurmans, Céline; De Baetselier, Irith; Kestelyn, Evelyne; Jespers, Vicky; Delvaux, Thérèse; Agaba, Stephen K; van Loen, Harry; Menten, Joris; van de Wijgert, Janneke; Crucitti, Tania

2015-04-10

Research is ongoing to develop multipurpose vaginal rings to be used continuously for contraception and to prevent Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. Contraceptive vaginal rings (CVRs) are available in a number of countries and are most of the time used intermittently i.e. three weeks out of a 4-week cycle. Efficacy trials with a dapivirine-containing vaginal ring for HIV prevention are ongoing and plans to develop multi-purpose vaginal rings for prevention of both HIV and pregnancy have been elaborated. In contrast with the CVRs, multi-purpose vaginal rings will have to be used continuously. Women who continuously use a CVR will no longer have menses. Furthermore, some safety aspects of CVR use have never been studied in-depth in the past, such as the impact of the vaginal ring on the vaginal microbiota, biofilm formation and induction of inflammation. We studied acceptability and these novel aspects of safety in Rwandan women. Although significant progress has been made over the past decade, Rwanda still has a high unmet need for contraception (with 47% unplanned births) and a generalized HIV epidemic, and CVRs are not yet available. We will conduct an open label, single centre, randomized controlled trial. A total of 120 HIV-negative women will be randomized to intermittent CVR use (to allow menstruation) or continuous CVR use. Women will be followed for a maximum of 14 weeks. In parallel, we will conduct a qualitative study using in-depth interview and focus group discussion methodology. In addition to evaluating the safety and acceptability of intermittent and continuous CVR use in Rwandan women, we hope that our findings will inform the development of future multipurpose vaginal rings, will prepare Rwandan study populations for future clinical trials of multipurpose vaginal rings, and will pave the way for introduction of CVRs on African markets. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01796613 . Registered 14 February 2013.

Inorganic glass ceramic slip rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glossbrenner, E. W.; Cole, S. R.

1972-01-01

Prototypes of slip rings have been fabricated from ceramic glass, a material which is highly resistant to deterioration due to high temperature. Slip ring assemblies were not structurally damaged by mechanical tests and performed statisfactorily for 200 hours.

Oscillations at B Ring Edge

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-01

This image obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft of the outer edge of Saturn?s B ring, reveals the combined effects of a tugging moon and oscillations that can naturally occur in disks like Saturn rings and spiral galaxies.

Rings from Close Encounters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-09-01

Weve recently discovered narrow sets of rings around two minor planets orbiting in our solar system. How did these rings form? A new study shows that they could be a result of close encounters between the minor planets and giants like Jupiter or Neptune.Unexpected Ring SystemsPositions of the centaurs in our solar system (green). Giant planets (red), Jupiter trojans (grey), scattered disk objects (tan) and Kuiper belt objects (blue) are also shown. [WilyD]Centaurs are minor planets in our solar system that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune. These bodies of which there are roughly 44,000 with diameters larger than 1 km have dynamically unstable orbits that cross paths with those of one or more giant planets.Recent occultation observations of two centaurs, 10199 Chariklo and 2060 Chiron, revealed that these bodies both host narrow ring systems. Besides our four giant planets, Chariklo and Chiron are the only other bodies in the solar system known to have rings. But how did these rings form?Scientists have proposed several models, implicating collisions, disruption of a primordial satellite, or dusty outgassing. But a team of scientists led by Ryuki Hyodo (Paris Institute of Earth Physics, Kobe University) has recently proposed an alternative scenario: what if the rings were formed from partial disruption of the centaur itself, after it crossed just a little too close to a giant planet?Tidal Forces from a GiantHyodo and collaborators first used past studies of centaur orbits to estimate that roughly 10% of centaurs experience close encounters (passing within a distance of ~2x the planetary radius) with a giant planet during their million-year lifetime. The team then performed a series of simulations of close encounters between a giant planet and a differentiated centaur a body in which the rocky material has sunk to form a dense silicate core, surrounded by an icy mantle.Some snapshots of simulation outcomes (click for a closer look!) for different initial states of

Dirac electrons in quantum rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gioia, L.; Zülicke, U.; Governale, M.; Winkler, R.

2018-05-01

We consider quantum rings realized in materials where the dynamics of charge carriers mimics that of two-dimensional (2D) Dirac electrons. A general theoretical description of the ring-subband structure is developed that applies to a range of currently available 2D systems, including graphene, transition-metal dichalcogenides, and narrow-gap semiconductor quantum wells. We employ the scattering-matrix approach to calculate the electronic two-terminal conductance through the ring and investigate how it is affected by Dirac-electron interference. The interplay of pseudospin chirality and hard-wall confinement is found to distinctly affect the geometric phase that is experimentally accessible in mesoscopic-conductance measurements. We derive an effective Hamiltonian for the azimuthal motion of charge carriers in the ring that yields deeper insight into the physical origin of the observed transport effects, including the unique behavior exhibited by the lowest ring subband in the normal and topological (i.e., band-inverted) regimes. Our paper provides a unified approach to characterizing confined Dirac electrons, which can be used to explore the design of valley- and spintronic devices based on quantum interference and the confinement-tunable geometric phase.

Translational velocity oscillations of piston generated vortex rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Manoj; Arakeri, J. H.; Shankar, P. N.

1995-11-01

Experimental results are presented that show that the translational velocities of piston generated vortex rings often undergo oscillations, similar to those recently discovered for drop generated rings. An attempt has been made to minimize uncertainties by utilizing both dye and hydrogen bubbles for visualization and carefully repeating measurements on the same ring and on different realizations under the same nominal piston conditions. The results unambiguously show that under most conditions, both for laminar and turbulent rings and for rings generated from pipes and orifices, the oscillations are present. The present results, together with the earlier results on drop generated rings, give support to the view that translational velocity oscillations are probably an inherent feature of translating vortex ring fields.

Sonographic imaging of fetal tympanic rings.

PubMed

Leibovitz, Z; Egenburg, S; Bronshtein, M; Shapiro, I; Tepper, R; Malinger, G; Ohel, G

2013-11-01

To examine the feasibility of ultrasonographic imaging of fetal tympanic rings. This was an observational cohort study of 80 healthy fetuses in low-risk pregnancies, divided into four gestational-age subgroups (12, 16, 23 and 32 weeks), each comprising 20 consecutive fetuses. Tympanic ring visualization was achieved by two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) sonography. A standard algorithm for tympanic ring examination was constructed using 3D multiplanar reconstruction. The volume acquisition plane was directed to the inferolateral aspect of the fetal temporal bone. Transvaginal scans were carried out in the 12-week and 16-week subgroups, and transabdominal scans in the 23-week and 32-week subgroups. Study parameters included the inferomedial inclination angle (IMIA) of the tympanic ring relative to the vertical skull axis, the anteromedial inclination angle (AMIA) of the tympanic ring relative to the anteroposterior skull axis and the longest (LTRD) and shortest (STRD) tympanic ring diameter, the latter measured perpendicular to the LTRD. The feasibility of tympanic ring demonstration was assessed in each gestational-age subgroup. Tympanic rings appeared as round-oval, thin, echogenic structures in a plane tangential to the inferolateral surface of the fetal skull below the inferior border of the squamous part of the temporal bone. Higher demonstration rates were achieved in the 16-week and 23-week subgroups (90% and 80%, respectively) than in the others. LTRD and STRD each showed a linear correlation with gestational age (r = 0.96 for both measurements; P < 0.01). Mean IMIA ranged from 41.0 to 60.4° and mean AMIA from 17.3 to 23.4° across the different gestational-age subgroups. The malleal manubrium was observed only in examinations in the second half of pregnancy, appearing as a bright echo within the upper area of the tympanic ring in 56% (9/16) and 82% (9/11) of cases with tympanic ring imaging appropriate for measurement of the study

Saturn's Ring: Pre-Cassini Status and Mission Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuzzi, Jeff N.

1999-01-01

In November 1980, and again in August 1981, identical Voyager spacecraft flew through the Saturn system, changing forever the way we think about planetary rings. Although Saturn's rings had been the only known ring system for three centuries, a ring system around Uranus had been discovered by stellar occultations from Earth in 1977, and the nearly transparent ring of Jupiter was imaged by Voyager in 1979 (the presence of material there had been inferred from charged particle experiments on Pioneer 10 and 11 several years earlier). While Saturn had thus temporarily lost its uniqueness as having the only ring system, with Voyager it handily recaptured the role of having the most fascinating one. The Voyager breakthroughs included spiral density and bending waves such as cause galactic structure; ubiquitous fine-scale radial 'irregular' structure, with the appearance of record-grooves; regional and local variations in particle color; complex, azimuthally variable ring structure; empty gaps in the rings, some containing very regular, sharp-edged, elliptical rings and one containing both a small moonlet and incomplete arcs of dusty material; and shadowy 'spokes' that flicker across the main rings. One of the paradigm shifts of this period was the realization that many aspects of planetary rings, and even the ring systems themselves, could be 'recent' on geological timescales. These early results are reviewed and summarized in the Arizona Space Science series volumes 'Saturn'. (An excellent review of ring dynamics at a formative stage is by Goldreich and Tremaine.) From the mid 1980's to the time of this writing, progress has been steady, while at a less heady pace, and some of the novel ring properties revealed by Voyager 1 and 2 are beginning to be better understood. It is clearly impossible to cite, much less review, every advance over the last decade; however, below we summarize the main advances in understanding of Saturn's rings since the mid 1980's, in the context

Uranus and the shape of elliptical rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucke, R. L.

1978-01-01

It is reported that when the star SAO158687 passed behind the Uranus system, its light was occulted twice by the epsilon (fifth) ring of the planet. The first part of the ring to occult was about 100 km wide and the second part was about 40 km wide. The variable width of the ring is accounted for by differences in the orbital eccentricities of the individual particles composing the ring.

Satellite Rings Movie

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-30

This brief movie clip (of which the release image is a still frame), taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as it approached Jupiter, shows the motions, over a 16 hour-period, of two satellites embedded in Jupiter's ring. The moon Adrastea is the fainter of the two, and Metis the brighter. Images such as these will be used to refine the orbits of the two bodies. The movie was made from images taken during a 40-hour sequence of the Jovian ring on December 11, 2000. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02872

The narrow rings of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dermott, S. F.; Murray, C. D.; Sinclair, A. T.

1980-01-01

The origin of the newly discovered narrow ring systems around Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus is considered. It is pointed out that both the Uranian and Jovian ring systems have mean orbital radii of 1.8 planetary radii and lie within the Roche zones of their respective planets, and it is suggested that the Jovian ring is the product of the disintegration of a satellite that entered the Roche zone, and that large numbers of small particles are now in horseshoe orbits about the Lagrangian equilibrium points of the remnant chunks. Analysis of the path of a ring particle in a horseshoe orbit is shown to result in ring structures in agreement with those observed for the circular rings of Jupiter and the highly eccentric ring of Uranus. The stability of these ring systems is then considered, and it is suggested that the F ring of Saturn, which lies outside the Roche zone, represents primordial matter not yet accreted by small satellites just inside the Mimas first-order resonances.

Hardy Objects in Saturn F Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-24

As NASA's Cassini spacecraft continues its weekly ring-grazing orbits, diving just past the outside of Saturn F ring, it is tracking several small, persistent objects there. These images show two such objects that Cassini originally detected in spring 2016, as the spacecraft transitioned from more equatorial orbits to orbits at increasingly high inclination about the planet's equator. Imaging team members studying these objects gave them the informal designations F16QA (right image) and F16QB (left image). The researchers have observed that objects such as these occasionally crash through the F ring's bright core, producing spectacular collisional structures.While these objects may be mostly loose agglomerations of tiny ring particles, scientists suspect that small, fairly solid bodies lurk within each object, given that they have survived several collisions with the ring since their discovery. The faint retinue of dust around them is likely the result of the most recent collision each underwent before these images were obtained. The researchers think these objects originally form as loose clumps in the F ring core as a result of perturbations triggered by Saturn's moon Prometheus. . If they survive subsequent encounters with Prometheus, their orbits can evolve, eventually leading to core-crossing clumps that produce spectacular features, even though they collide with the ring at low speeds. The images were obtained using the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 5, 2017, at a distance of 610,000 miles (982,000 kilometers, left image) and 556,000 miles (894,000 kilometers, right image) from the F ring. Image scale is about 4 miles (6 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21432

AXAF VETA-I mirror ring focus measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tananbaum, H. D.; Zhao, P.

1994-01-01

The AXAF VETA-I mirror ring focus measurements were made with an HRI (microchannel plate) X-ray detector. The ring focus is a sharply focused ring formed by X-rays before they reach the VEAT-I focal plane. It is caused by spherical aberrations due to the finite source distance and the despace in the VETA-I test. The ring focus test reveals some aspects fo the test system distortions and the mirror surface figure which are difficult or impossible to detect at the focal plane. The test results show periodic modulations of the ring radius and width which could be caused by gravity, thermal, and/or epoxy shrinkage distortions. The strongest component of the modulation had a 12-fold symmetry, because these distortions were exerted on the mirror through 12 flexures of the VETA-I mount. Ring focus models were developed to simulate the ring image. The models were compared with the data to understand the test system distortions and the mirror glass imperfection. Further studies will be done to complete this work. The ring focus measurement is a very powerful test. We expect that a similar test for the finally assembled mirror of AXAD-I will be highly valuable.

Novel Fiber-Optic Ring Acoustic Emission Sensor.

PubMed

Wei, Peng; Han, Xiaole; Xia, Dong; Liu, Taolin; Lang, Hao

2018-01-13

Acoustic emission technology has been applied to many fields for many years. However, the conventional piezoelectric acoustic emission sensors cannot be used in extreme environments, such as those with heavy electromagnetic interference, high pressure, or strong corrosion. In this paper, a novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor is proposed. The sensor exhibits high sensitivity, anti-electromagnetic interference, and corrosion resistance. First, the principle of a novel fiber-optic ring sensor is introduced. Different from piezoelectric and other fiber acoustic emission sensors, this novel sensor includes both a sensing skeleton and a sensing fiber. Second, a heterodyne interferometric demodulating method is presented. In addition, a fiber-optic ring sensor acoustic emission system is built based on this method. Finally, fiber-optic ring acoustic emission experiments are performed. The novel fiber-optic ring sensor is glued onto the surface of an aluminum plate. The 150 kHz standard continuous sinusoidal signals and broken lead signals are successfully detected by the novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor. In addition, comparison to the piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor is performed, which shows the availability and reliability of the novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor. In the future, this novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor will provide a new route to acoustic emission detection in harsh environments.

Vortex ring motions in stratified media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auvity, Bruno; Koulal, Mokrane; Dupont, Pascal; Peerhossaini, Hassan

2003-11-01

The behavior of vortex rings generated in a stably stratified media has received only weak treatment in the literature. This configuration is believed to shed light on the basic phenomena involved in the collapse of wake in stratified fluid. The present study focused on experimental observations of the formation, the advection and the collapse of horizontal vortex rings in stratified media. Stable continuous vertical stratification was produced in a tank using the well-known two-tanks method. The generation of vortex ring was realized moving a piston through a tube. The maximum piston stroke achievable was seven tube diameters. The problem is mainly characterized by two parameters : the initial Reynolds number and the initial Froude number of the vortex ring. Both these numbers were varied in the study. The Reynolds number based on the tube diameter and piston velocity was in the range 1,500 - 5,500 and the Froude number based on the same parameters in the range 1.4 - 4.7. Dye visualizations were performed from the top and the side of the tank showing the vortex ring may develop an important asymmetry. Different processes to the complete collapse of the vortex ring were identified.

Minimal size of coffee ring structure.

PubMed

Shen, Xiaoying; Ho, Chih-Ming; Wong, Tak-Sing

2010-04-29

A macroscopic evaporating water droplet with suspended particles on a solid surface will form a ring-like structure at the pinned contact line due to induced capillary flow. As the droplet size shrinks, the competition between the time scales of the liquid evaporation and the particle movement may influence the resulting ring formation. When the liquid evaporates much faster than the particle movement, coffee ring formation may cease. Here, we experimentally show that there exists a lower limit of droplet size, D(c), for the successful formation of a coffee ring structure. When the particle concentration is above a threshold value, D(c) can be estimated by considering the collective effects of the liquid evaporation and the particle diffusive motion within the droplet. For suspended particles of size approximately 100 nm, the minimum diameter of the coffee ring structure is found to be approximately 10 microm.

Artificial light harvesting by dimerized Möbius ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lei; Gong, Z. R.; Tao, Ming-Jie; Ai, Qing

2018-04-01

We theoretically study artificial light harvesting by a Möbius ring. When the donors in the ring are dimerized, the energies of the donor ring are split into two subbands. Because of the nontrivial Möbius boundary condition, both the photon and acceptor are coupled to all collective-excitation modes in the donor ring. Therefore, the quantum dynamics in the light harvesting is subtly influenced by dimerization in the Möbius ring. It is discovered that energy transfer is more efficient in a dimerized ring than that in an equally spaced ring. This discovery is also confirmed by a calculation with the perturbation theory, which is equivalent to the Wigner-Weisskopf approximation. Our findings may be beneficial to the optimal design of artificial light harvesting.

Cassini First Diametric Radio Occultation of Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marouf, E.; French, R.; Rappaport, N.; Kliore, A.; Flasar, M.; Nagy, A.; Ambrosini, R.; McGhee, C.; Schinder, P.; Anabtawi, A.; Barbinis, E.; Goltz, G.; Thomson, F.; Wong, K.

2005-05-01

We present preliminary results expected from the first planned Cassini radio occultation observation of Saturn's rings, to be conducted on May 3rd, 2005. The path of Cassini as seen from Earth (the occultation track) has been designed to cross the rings from the west to the east ansa almost diametrically, allowing for occultation of all major ring features at two widely separated longitudes (about 180 deg apart). The duration of the geometric occultation is about 1.5 hours on each side. During the occultation, Cassini transmits through the rings three coherent monochromatic radio signals of wavelength 0.94, 3.6, and 13 cm (Ka-, X-, and S-band respectively), a capability unique to Cassini. The perturbed signals received at the Earth are recorded at the NASA DSN complexes at Goldstone and Canberra. Both direct and forward-scattered components of the signal may be identified in spectrograms of the received signals. The time history of the extinction of the direct signal is expected to yield high-spatial-resolution optical depth and phase shift profiles of ring structure. The timing of the occultation was optimized to allow probing the rings when the ring-opening-angle B (the angle between the line-of-sight and the ring plane) is relatively large (B = 23 deg), hence maximizing chances of measuring for the first time the structure of the relatively optically thick Ring B. In a similar experiment by Voyager in 1980, excessive signal attenuation along the long path within the nearly closed rings (B = 5.9 deg) limited the utility of the observations in relatively thick ring regions, in particular the main Ring B. For the Cassini optimized occultation geometry, a large B, slow radial velocity along the occultation track, and much improved phase stability of the reference ultrastable oscillator (USO) on board Cassini combine to promise achievable radial resolution approaching 100 m over a good fraction of the rings. Measurement of the amplitude and phase of the diffracted

Galactic Behavior for the Outer B Ring

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-01

Keeping a close watch on the outer portion of Saturn B ring, NASA Cassini spacecraft records the complex inward and outward movement of the edge of the ring. This ring movement resembles the suspected behavior of spiral disk galaxies.

Ring cavity for a Raman capillary waveguide amplifier

DOEpatents

Kurnit, N.A.

1981-01-27

A regenerative ring amplifier and regenerative ring oscillator are described which function to feed back a portion of the Stokes signal to complete the ring cavity. The ring cavity configuration allows the CO/sub 2/ laser pump signal and Stokes signal to copropagate through the Raman capillary waveguide amplifier. A Raman capillary waveguide amplifier is also provided in the return leg of the ring cavity to increase gain without increasing the round trip time. Additionally, the ring cavity can be designed such that the amplified Stokes signal is synchronous with the mode-locked spikes of the incoming CO/sub 2/ laser pump signal.

Ring cavity for a Raman capillary waveguide amplifir

DOEpatents

Kurnit, N.A.

1981-01-27

A regenerative ring amplifier and regenerative ring oscillator are described which function to feed back a portion of the Stokes signal to complete the ring cavity. The ring cavity configuration allows the CO/sub 2/ laser pump signal and Stokes signal to copropagate through the Raman capillary waveguide amplifier. A Raman capillary waveguide amplifier is also provided in the return leg of the ring cavity to increase gain without increasing the round trip time. Additionally, the ring cavity can be designed such that the amplified Stokes signal is synchronous with the mode-locked spikes of the incoming CO/sub 2/ laser pump signal.

Ring cavity for a raman capillary waveguide amplifier

DOEpatents

Kurnit, Norman A.

1983-07-19

A regenerative ring amplifier and regenerative ring oscillator which function to feed back a portion of the Stokes signal to complete the ring cavity. The ring cavity configuration allows the CO.sub.2 laser pump signal and Stokes signal to copropagate through the Raman capillary waveguide amplifier. A Raman capillary waveguide amplifier is also provided in the return leg of the ring cavity to increase gain without increasing the round trip time. Additionally, the ring cavity can be designed such that the amplifier Stokes signal is synchronous with the mode-locked spikes of the incoming CO.sub.2 laser pump signal.

Experimental Study of Shock Generated Compressible Vortex Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Debopam; Arakeri, Jaywant H.; Krothapalli, Anjaneyulu

2000-11-01

Formation of a compressible vortex ring and generation of sound associated with it is studied experimentally. Impulse of a shock wave is used to generate a vortex ring from the open end of a shock-tube. Vortex ring formation process has been studied in details using particle image Velocimetry (PIV). As the shock wave exits the tube it diffracts and expands. A circular vortex sheet forms at the edge and rolls up into a vortex ring. Far field microphone measurement shows that the acoustic pressure consists of a spike due to shock wave followed by a low frequency pressure wave of decaying nature, superimposed with high frequency pressure wave. Acoustic waves consist of waves due to expansion, waves formed in the tube during diaphragm breakage and waves associated with the vortex ring and shear-layer vortices. Unsteady evolution of the vortex ring and shear-layer vortices in the jet behind the ring is studied by measuring the velocity field using PIV. Corresponding vorticity field, circulation around the vortex core and growth rate of the vortex core is calculated from the measured velocity field. The velocity field in a compressible vortex ring differs from that of an incompressible ring due to the contribution from both shock and vortex ring.

[Liesegang's rings resembling helminthiasis].

PubMed

Zámecník, M; Riedl, I

1996-12-01

So called Liesegang's rings are lamellar corpuscles which develop after periodical precipitation of oversaturated solutions in gel medium. They can occur in cysts, closed cavities, inflammatory exudates and necroses. They resemble parasitic eggs, larvae or adult forms. A case of 28-year-old woman is presented with many Liesegang's rings in a stuff from dilated renal calyx. Their preliminary evaluation considered helminths, especially Dioctophyma renale.

How Jupiter's Ring Was Discovered.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliot, James; Kerr, Richard

1985-01-01

"Rings" (by astronomer James Elliot and science writer Richard Kerr) is a nontechnical book about the discovery and exploration of ring systems from the time of Galileo to the era of the Voyager spacecraft. One of this book's chapters is presented. (JN)

Rings of Uranus at 1.44 kilometers

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-11-11

The outer rings of Uranus are visible in this image, obtained by NASA Voyager 2 on Jan. 23, 1986. The outermost and brightest ring, called epsilon, is visible along with the fainter and narrower delta and gamma rings from left.

Mechanical support of a ceramic gas turbine vane ring

DOEpatents

Shi, Jun; Green, Kevin E.; Mosher, Daniel A.; Holowczak, John E.; Reinhardt, Gregory E.

2010-07-27

An assembly for mounting a ceramic turbine vane ring onto a turbine support casing comprises a first metal clamping ring and a second metal clamping ring. The first metal clamping ring is configured to engage with a first side of a tab member of the ceramic turbine vane ring. The second metal clamping ring is configured to engage with a second side of the tab member such that the tab member is disposed between the first and second metal clamping rings.

Enumeration method for tree-like chemical compounds with benzene rings and naphthalene rings by breadth-first search order.

PubMed

Jindalertudomdee, Jira; Hayashida, Morihiro; Zhao, Yang; Akutsu, Tatsuya

2016-03-01

Drug discovery and design are important research fields in bioinformatics. Enumeration of chemical compounds is essential not only for the purpose, but also for analysis of chemical space and structure elucidation. In our previous study, we developed enumeration methods BfsSimEnum and BfsMulEnum for tree-like chemical compounds using a tree-structure to represent a chemical compound, which is limited to acyclic chemical compounds only. In this paper, we extend the methods, and develop BfsBenNaphEnum that can enumerate tree-like chemical compounds containing benzene rings and naphthalene rings, which include benzene isomers and naphthalene isomers such as ortho, meta, and para, by treating a benzene ring as an atom with valence six, instead of a ring of six carbon atoms, and treating a naphthalene ring as two benzene rings having a special bond. We compare our method with MOLGEN 5.0, which is a well-known general purpose structure generator, to enumerate chemical structures from a set of chemical formulas in terms of the number of enumerated structures and the computational time. The result suggests that our proposed method can reduce the computational time efficiently. We propose the enumeration method BfsBenNaphEnum for tree-like chemical compounds containing benzene rings and naphthalene rings as cyclic structures. BfsBenNaphEnum was from 50 times to 5,000,000 times faster than MOLGEN 5.0 for instances with 8 to 14 carbon atoms in our experiments.

Reinterpreting the Sharp Edges of Planetary Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimlinger, Thomas; Hamilton, Douglas P.; Hahn, Joseph M.

2016-10-01

Narrow ringlets are found throughout the Solar System and are typically 1-100 km wide. Angular momentum, L, is the key to understanding how narrow rings remain confined; L2 ∝ a(1 - e2) for semimajor axis a and eccentricity e. In a circular ring, L conservation demands that the ring quickly spread apart when some colliding particles lose energy while others gain it. By contrast, in an eccentric ring, energy loss and the associated decay of the average semi-major axes can be offset by a decrease in the average eccentricity. We argue that a ring's lifetime can be greatly extended if particles arrange themselves in this way (Borderies et al. 1984). The key difference of our model, however, is that rings need not be shepherded and can confine themselves provided they are sufficiently eccentric. Satellites merely extend the rings' lifespans by pumping up their eccentricities.This confinement mechanism can explain the existence and longevity of narrow ringlets in a variety of contexts. Saturn's Titan ringlet, which is quite circular, may nevertheless be able to confine itself indefinitely if its eccentricity decay is balanced by the increase from the resonance with Titan. Preliminary simulations presented by Rimlinger et al. at this year's DDA Conference have verified that this ring can self-confine even in the absence of any satellite; we update these findings with new results that include the effects of Titan. Furthermore, Mimas' resonance with the edge of the B ring may excite its higher order modes to similar effect. We update the findings of Hahn and Spitale (2013), who used artificial forces to confine the B ring's edge, and suggest that with a suitable viscosity and density, no such forces will be needed to keep the edge sharp. Finally, a ring that is "born" with a sufficiently high eccentricity may live for hundreds of millions or even billions of years in isolation if the rate of decay is slow enough. We present simulations exploring such a scenario.

Vortex Ring Interaction With a Coaxially Aligned Cylinderical Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakeri, Jaywant H.; Rajmanoharan, P.; Koochesfahani, Manoochehr

1998-11-01

We present results of experiments of a fully developed vortex ring interacting with a cylinderical rod, having a rounded nose, placed coaxially in line with the motion of the ring. The pressure field of the translating ring causes unsteady boundary layer separation and results in the formation of one or more ( secondary ) vortex rings, that subsequently interact. The nature and strength of the interaction depends on the ratio of the cylinder diameter to the ring diameter. For the larger diameter cylinders the vortex ring travels a few ring diameters before it breaks up. For the smaller diameter cylinders the vortex ring speed decreases slowly and, simultaneously, its diameter increases.

The Phase Shift in the Jumping Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffery, Rondo N.; Amiri, Farhang

2008-09-01

The popular physics demonstration experiment known as Thomson's Jumping Ring (JR) has been variously explained as a simple example of Lenz's law, or as the result of a phase shift of the ring current relative to the induced emf. The failure of the first-quadrant Lenz's law explanation is shown by the time the ring takes to jump and by levitation. A method is given for measuring the phase shift with results for aluminum and brass rings.

Cooling system for three hook ring segment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, Christian X.; Eng, Darryl; Lee, Ching-Pang

2014-08-26

A triple hook ring segment including forward, midsection and aft mounting hooks for engagement with respective hangers formed on a ring segment carrier for supporting a ring segment panel, and defining a forward high pressure chamber and an aft low pressure chamber on opposing sides of the midsection mounting hook. An isolation plate is provided on the aft side of the midsection mounting hook to form an isolation chamber between the aft low pressure chamber and the ring segment panel. High pressure air is supplied to the forward chamber and flows to the isolation chamber through crossover passages in themore » midsection hook. The isolation chamber provides convection cooling air to an aft portion of the ring segment panel and enables a reduction of air pressure in the aft low pressure chamber to reduce leakage flow of cooling air from the ring segment.« less

Transfer matrix approach to the persistent current in quantum rings: Application to hybrid normal-superconducting rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nava, Andrea; Giuliano, Rosa; Campagnano, Gabriele; Giuliano, Domenico

2016-11-01

Using the properties of the transfer matrix of one-dimensional quantum mechanical systems, we derive an exact formula for the persistent current across a quantum mechanical ring pierced by a magnetic flux Φ as a single integral of a known function of the system's parameters. Our approach provides exact results at zero temperature, which can be readily extended to a finite temperature T . We apply our technique to exactly compute the persistent current through p -wave and s -wave superconducting-normal hybrid rings, deriving full plots of the current as a function of the applied flux at various system's scales. Doing so, we recover at once a number of effects such as the crossover in the current periodicity on increasing the size of the ring and the signature of the topological phase transition in the p -wave case. In the limit of a large ring size, resorting to a systematic expansion in inverse powers of the ring length, we derive exact analytic closed-form formulas, applicable to a number of cases of physical interest.

Self-gravity and dissipation in polar rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubinski, John; Christodoulou, Dimitris M.

1994-01-01

Studies of inclined rings inside galaxy potentials have mostly considered the influence of self-gravity and viscous dissipation separately. In this study, we construct models of highly inclined ('polar') rings in an external potential including both self-gravity and dissipation due to a drag force. We do not include pressure forces and thus ignore shock heating that dominates the evolution of gaseous rings inside strongly nonspherical potentials. We adopt an oblate spheroidal scale-free logarithmic potential with axis ratio q = 0.85 and an initial inclination of 80 deg for the self-gravitating rings. We find that stellar (dissipationless) rings suffer from mass loss during their evolution. Mass loss also drives a secular change of the mean inclination toward the poles of the potential. As much as half of the ring mass escapes in the process and forms an inner and an outer shell of precessing orbits. If the remaining mass is more than approximately 0.02 of the enclosed galaxy mass, rings remain bound and do not fall apart from differential precession. The rings precess at a constant rate for more than a precession period tau(sub p) finding the configuration predicted by Sparke in 1986 which warps at larger radii toward the poles of the potential. We model shear viscosity with a velocity-dependent drag force and find that nuclear inflow dominates over self-gravity if the characteristic viscous inflow time scale tau(sub vi) is shorter than approximately 25(tau(sub p)). Rings with (tau(sub vi))/(tau(sub p)) less than or approximately equal to 25 collapse toward the nucleus of the potential within one precession period independent of the amount of self-gravity. Our results imply that stars and gas in real polar rings exhibit markedly different dynamical evolutions.

Soft Congruence Relations over Rings

PubMed Central

Xin, Xiaolong; Li, Wenting

2014-01-01

Molodtsov introduced the concept of soft sets, which can be seen as a new mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. In this paper, we initiate the study of soft congruence relations by using the soft set theory. The notions of soft quotient rings, generalized soft ideals and generalized soft quotient rings, are introduced, and several related properties are investigated. Also, we obtain a one-to-one correspondence between soft congruence relations and idealistic soft rings and a one-to-one correspondence between soft congruence relations and soft ideals. In particular, the first, second, and third soft isomorphism theorems are established, respectively. PMID:24949493

Monlithic nonplanar ring oscillator and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nilsson, Alan C. (Inventor); Byer, Robert L. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A monolithic nonplanar ring oscillator having an optically isotropic solid-state laser body for propagating laser radiation about a nonplanar ring path internal to the laser body is disclosed. The monolithic laser body is configured to produce a 2N reflection nonplanar ring light path, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, comprising 2N-1 total internal reflections and one reflection at a coupler in a single round trip. Undirectional traveling wave oscillation of the laser is induced by the geometry of the nonplanar ring path together with the effect of an applied magnetic field and partial polarizer characteristics of the oblique reflection from the coupler. The 6-reflection nonplanar ring oscillator makes possible otpimal unidirectional oscillation (low loss for the oscillating direction of propagation and, simultaneously high loss for the nonoscillating direction of propagation) in monolithic NPROs using materials with index of refraction smaller than the square root of 3, for example, laser glass.

Interferometric ring lasers and optical devices

DOEpatents

Hohimer, John P.; Craft, David C.

1995-01-01

Two ring diode lasers are optically coupled together to produce tunable, stable output through a Y-junction output coupler which may also be a laser diode or can be an active waveguide. These devices demonstrate a sharp peak in light output with an excellent side-mode-rejection ratio. The rings can also be made of passive or active waveguide material. With additional rings the device is a tunable optical multiplexer/demultiplexer.

The Brightening of Saturn's F Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showalter, Mark R.; French, R.; Sfair, R.; Argüelles, C.; Pajuelo, M.; Becerra, P.; Hedman, M.; Nicholson, P.

2009-09-01

A substantial secular increase in the brightness of Saturn's F ring has occurred in the last 25 years. The ring is twice as bright in the Cassini data as it was in the Voyager data from 1980 and 1981. However, no changes have been measured since the Cassini tour began in 2004. These conclusions are based on the photometric analysis of 3500 Cassini images taken primarily through clear filters, as compared to an earlier analysis of 67 Voyager images (Icarus 100, 394-411, 1992). Analysis of the large number of images has enabled us to average out the intrinsic longitudinal variations in the ring. The shapes of the phase curves from Cassini and Voyager are similar, suggesting that although the number of dust particles has increased, the overall distribution of sizes is unchanged. The color of the ring is neutral, and photometric models point to a power law size distribution with differential slope in the range 3 to 4. Eleven stellar occultation profiles from Cassini VIMS are consistent with the above factor-of-two change. They show consistently higher integrated optical depths than were measured by Voyager during its single stellar occultation. The F ring's peculiar dynamics are dominated by perturbations from Prometheus and Pandora, plus impacts from smaller clumps orbiting nearby. This work indicates that the amount of ring dust is highly variable on time scales of decades. This suggests that dust production is probably not dominated by the relatively frequent impacts of nearby clumps. The variations are consistent with the time scale for mutual precession of the nearby moons relative to the F ring. It implies a "seasonal" aspect to the dust production, in which dust increases whenever mutual precession allows a moon to rotate into a ring-approaching orbit.

Cassini imaging observations of Jupiter's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Throop, H. B.; Porco, C. C.; West, R. A.; Burns, J. A.; Showalter, M. R.; Nicholson, P. D.

2003-05-01

Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) instrument took nearly 1200 images of the Jupiter ring system during the spacecraft's 6-month encounter with Jupiter. These observations constitute the most complete dataset of the ring taken by a single instrument, both in phase angle (0.5 - 120° at seven angles) and wavelength (0.45 - 0.93 μ {m} through eight filters). The main ring was detected in all targeted exposures; the halo and gossamer rings were too faint to be observed above the planet's stray light. The optical depth and radial profile of the main ring are unchanged from that of previous studies. No evidence for broad asymmetries within the ring were found; we did identify possible evidence for 1000 km-scale clumps within the ring. Cassini observations at a phase angle of 64° place an upper limit on the ring's full thickness of 80 km. We have combined the Cassini ISS and VIMS observations with those from Voyager, HST, Keck, Galileo, Palomar, and IRTF. We have fit the entire suite of data using a photometric model that includes microscopic silicate dust grains as well as larger, long-lived `parent bodies' that engender this dust. Our dust grain model considers a range of spheroidal particle shapes computed using the T-matrix method (Mishchenko & Travis 1998). Our best-fit model to all the data indicates an optical depth of small particles of τ s = 4.7x 10-6 and large bodies τ l = 1.3x 10-6. The dust is concentrated about a radius of 15 μ {m}. The data are fit significantly better using non-spherical rather than spherical dust grains. The parent bodies themselves must be very red from 0.4--2.5 μ {m} and may have absorption features near 0.9 μ {m} and 2.2 μ {m}.

The Christiansen Effect in Saturn's narrow dusty rings and the spectral identification of clumps in the F ring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hedman, M.M.; Nicholson, P.D.; Showalter, M.R.; Brown, R.H.; Buratti, B.J.; Clark, R.N.; Baines, K.; Sotin, Christophe

2011-01-01

Stellar occultations by Saturn's rings observed with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft reveal that dusty features such as the F ring and the ringlets in the Encke and the Laplace Gaps have distinctive infrared transmission spectra. These spectra show a narrow optical depth minimum at wavelengths around 2.87??m. This minimum is likely due to the Christiansen Effect, a reduction in the extinction of small particles when their (complex) refractive index is close to that of the surrounding medium. Simple Mie-scattering models demonstrate that the strength of this opacity dip is sensitive to the size distribution of particles between 1 and 100??m across. Furthermore, the spatial resolution of the occultation data is sufficient to reveal variations in the transmission spectra within and among these rings. In both the Encke Gap ringlets and F ring, the opacity dip weakens with increasing local optical depth, which is consistent with the larger particles being concentrated near the cores of these rings. The Encke Gap ringlets also show systematically weaker opacity dips than the F ring and Laplace Gap ringlet, implying that the former has a smaller fraction of grains less than ~30??m across. However, the strength of the opacity dip varies most dramatically within the F ring; certain compact regions of enhanced optical depth lack an opacity dip and therefore appear to have a greatly reduced fraction of grains in the few-micron size range. Such spectrally-identifiable structures probably represent a subset of the compact optically-thick clumps observed by other Cassini instruments. These variations in the ring's particle size distribution can provide new insights into the processes of grain aggregation, disruption and transport within dusty rings. For example, the unusual spectral properties of the F-ring clumps could perhaps be ascribed to small grains adhering onto the surface of larger particles in regions of anomalously

Memory characteristics of ring-shaped ceramic superconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takeoka, A.; Hasunuma, M.; Sakaiya, S.

1989-03-01

For the practical application of ceramic superconductors, the authors investigated the residual magnetic field characteristics of ring-shaped ceramic superconductors in a Y-Ba-Cu-O system with high Tc. The residual magnetic field of a ring with asymmetric current paths, supplied by external currents, appeared when one of the branch currents was above the critical current. The residual magnetic field saturated when both brach currents exceeded the critical current of the ring and showed hysteresis-like characteristics. The saturated magnetic field is subject to the critical current of the ring. A superconducting ring with asymmetric current paths suggests a simple and quite new persistent-currentmore » type memory device.« less

Ring cavity for a Raman capillary waveguide amplifier

DOEpatents

Kurnit, N.A.

1983-07-19

Disclosed is a regenerative ring amplifier and regenerative ring oscillator which function to feed back a portion of the Stokes signal to complete the ring cavity. The ring cavity configuration allows the CO[sub 2] laser pump signal and Stokes signal to copropagate through the Raman capillary waveguide amplifier. A Raman capillary waveguide amplifier is also provided in the return leg of the ring cavity to increase gain without increasing the round trip time. Additionally, the ring cavity can be designed such that the amplifier Stokes signal is synchronous with the mode-locked spikes of the incoming CO[sub 2] laser pump signal. 6 figs.

[Design and Analysis of CT High-speed Data Transmission Rotating Connector Ring System Retaining Ring].

PubMed

Pan, Li; Cao, Jujiang; Liu, Min; Fu, Weiwei

2017-11-30

High speed data transmission rotating connector system for signal high-speed transmission used in the fixed end and rotating end, it is one of the core component in the CT system. This paper involves structure design and analysis of the retaining ring in the CT high speed data transmission rotating connector system based on the principle of off-axis free space optical transmission. According to the problem of the actual engineering application of space limitations, optical fiber fixed and collimator installation location, we designed the structure of the retaining ring. Using the static analysis function of ANSYS Workbench, it verifies rationality and safety of the strength of retaining ring structure. And based on modal analysis function of ANSYS Workbench, it evaluates the effect of the retaining ring on the stability of the system date transmission, and provides theoretical basis for the feasibility of the structure in practical application.

Novel Fiber-Optic Ring Acoustic Emission Sensor

PubMed Central

Han, Xiaole; Xia, Dong; Liu, Taolin; Lang, Hao

2018-01-01

Acoustic emission technology has been applied to many fields for many years. However, the conventional piezoelectric acoustic emission sensors cannot be used in extreme environments, such as those with heavy electromagnetic interference, high pressure, or strong corrosion. In this paper, a novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor is proposed. The sensor exhibits high sensitivity, anti-electromagnetic interference, and corrosion resistance. First, the principle of a novel fiber-optic ring sensor is introduced. Different from piezoelectric and other fiber acoustic emission sensors, this novel sensor includes both a sensing skeleton and a sensing fiber. Second, a heterodyne interferometric demodulating method is presented. In addition, a fiber-optic ring sensor acoustic emission system is built based on this method. Finally, fiber-optic ring acoustic emission experiments are performed. The novel fiber-optic ring sensor is glued onto the surface of an aluminum plate. The 150 kHz standard continuous sinusoidal signals and broken lead signals are successfully detected by the novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor. In addition, comparison to the piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor is performed, which shows the availability and reliability of the novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor. In the future, this novel fiber-optic ring acoustic emission sensor will provide a new route to acoustic emission detection in harsh environments. PMID:29342858

Mechanism of Cytokinetic Contractile Ring Constriction in Fission Yeast

PubMed Central

Stachowiak, Matthew R.; Laplante, Caroline; Chin, Harvey F.; Guirao, Boris; Karatekin, Erdem; Pollard, Thomas D.; O’Shaughnessy, Ben

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Cytokinesis involves constriction of a contractile actomyosin ring. The mechanisms generating ring tension and setting the constriction rate remain unknown, since the organization of the ring is poorly characterized, its tension was rarely measured, and constriction is coupled to other processes. To isolate ring mechanisms we studied fission yeast protoplasts, where constriction occurs without the cell wall. Exploiting the absence of cell wall and actin cortex, we measured ring tension and imaged ring organization, which was dynamic and disordered. Computer simulations based on the amounts and biochemical properties of the key proteins showed that they spontaneously self-organize into a tension-generating bundle. Together with rapid component turnover, the self-organization mechanism continuously reassembles and remodels the constricting ring. Ring constriction depended on cell shape, revealing that the ring operates close to conditions of isometric tension. Thus, the fission yeast ring sets its own tension, but other processes set the constriction rate. PMID:24914559

The rings of Uranus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Dunham, E.; Mink, D.

1977-01-01

A description is given of the observation of five brief occultations of the star SAO 158687 which occurred both before and after its occultation by Uranus on March 10, 1977. The events were observed with a three-channel occultation photometer, attached to a 91-cm telescope. The observations indicate that at least five rings encircle the planet Uranus. Possible reasons for the narrowness of the Uranus rings are discussed.

Atmospheric, Ionospheric, and Energetic Radiation Environments of Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, J. F.; Kollmann, P.; Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Johnson, R. E.; Sturner, S. J.

2015-12-01

Planetary magnetospheric and high-energy cosmic ray interactions with Saturn's rings were first explored in-situ during the Pioneer 11 flyby in 1979. The following Voyager flybys produced a wealth of new information on ring structure and mass, and on spatial structure of the radiation belts beyond the main rings. Next came the Cassini Orbiter flyover of the rings during Saturn Orbital Insertion in 2004 with the first in-situ measurements of the ring atmosphere and plasma ionosphere. Cassini has since fully explored the radiation belt and magnetospheric plasma region beyond the main rings, discovering how Enceladus acts as a source of water group neutrals and water ions for the ion plasma. But do the main rings also substantially contribute by UV photolysis to water group plasma (H+, O+, OH+, H2O+, H3O+, O2+) and neutrals inwards from Enceladus? More massive rings, than earlier inferred from Pioneer 11 and Voyager observations, would further contribute by bulk ring ice radiolysis from interactions of galactic cosmic ray particles. Products of these interactions include neutron-decay proton and electron injection into the radiation belts beyond the main rings. How does radiolysis from moon and ring sweeping of the radiation belt particles compare with direct gas and plasma sources from the main rings and Enceladus? Can the magnetospheric ion and electron populations reasonably be accounted for by the sum of the ring-neutron-decay and outer magnetospheric inputs? Pioneer 11 made the deepest radial penetration into the C-ring, next followed by Cassini SOI. What might Cassini's higher-inclination proximal orbits reveal about the atmospheric, ionospheric, and energetic radiation environments in the D-ring and the proximal gap region? Recent modeling predicts a lower-intensity innermost radiation belt extending from the gap to the inner D-ring. Other remaining questions include the lifetimes of narrow and diffuse dust rings with respect to plasma and energetic particle

Modeling Saturnshine in Cassini Images of the Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dones, Henry C.; Weiss, J. W.; Porco, C. C.; DiNino, D.; Skinner, R.

2013-10-01

In some viewing geometries, such as large solar phase angles or small solar elevation angles, the light reflected by or transmitted through Saturn's rings can be dominated by Saturnshine, i.e., illumination of the rings by the planet. Saturnshine results in longitudinal variations in the reflectivity of the rings. In addition, Saturn's A Ring and, to a lesser extent, B Ring, show intrinsic longitudinal variations ("azimuthal asymmetry") due to self-gravity wakes. Any attempt to infer physical properties of ring particles and their spatial distribution using ring photometry must consider both Saturnshine and self-gravity wakes. "Ringshine," in turn, complicates photometry of Saturn itself [1]. We have improved the Saturnshine model in [2], which applies a ray-tracing code to N-body simulations of a patch of Saturn's rings, by incorporating measurements of the planet's reflectivity in Cassini images taken in a range of viewing geometries through a number of broadband filters. We will compare the results of our photometric model with measurements of the I/F of the main rings, and will attempt to constrain the intrinsic properties of ring particles, such as their coefficients of restitution in collisions and internal densities. We thank the Cassini project for support. [1] Skinner, R.W., and Weiss, J.W. (2011). http://serc.carleton.edu/cismi/undergrad_research/posters/52679.html [2] Porco, C.C., et al. (2008). Astron J. 136, 2172-2200

Vortex Ring Interaction with a Heated Screen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Jason; Krueger, Paul S.

2008-11-01

Previous examinations of vortex rings impinging on porous screens has shown the reformation of the vortex ring with a lower velocity after passing through the screen, the creation of secondary vortices, and mixing. A heated screen could, in principle, alter the vortex-screen interaction by changing the local liquid viscosity and density. In the present investigation, a mechanical piston-cylinder vortex ring generator was used to create vortex rings in an aqueous sucrose solution. The rings impinged on a screen of horizontal wires that were heated using electrical current. The flow was visualized with food color and video imaging. Tests with and without heat were conducted at a piston stroke-to-jet diameter ratio of 4 and a jet Reynolds number (Re) of 1000. The vortex rings slowed after passing through the screen, but in tests with heat, they maintained a higher fraction of their before-screen velocity due to reduction in fluid viscosity near the wires. In addition, small ``fingers'' that developed on the front of the vortex rings as they passed through the screen exhibited positive buoyancy effects in the heated case.

PMIX_Ring patch for SLURM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moody, A. T.

2014-04-20

This code adds an implementation of PMIX_Ring to the existing PM12 Library in the SLURM open source software package (Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management). PMIX_Ring executes a particular communication pattern that is used to bootstrap connections between MPI processes in a parallel job.

Multiple rings around Wolf-Rayet evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marston, A. P.

1995-01-01

We present optical narrow-band imaging of multiple rings existing around galactic Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. The existence of multiple rings of material around Wolf-Rayet stars clearly illustrates the various phases of evolution that massive stars go through. The objects presented here show evidence of a three stage evolution. O stars produce an outer ring with the cavity being partially filled by ejecta from a red supergiant of luminous blue variable phase. A wind from the Wolf-Rayet star then passes into the ejecta materials. A simple model is presented for this three stage evolution. Using observations of the size and dynamics of the rings allows estimates of time scales for each stage of the massive star evolution. These are consistent with recent theoretical evolutionary models. Mass estimates for the ejecta, from the model presented, are consistent with previous ring nebula mass estimates from IRAS data, showing a number of ring nebulae to have large masses, most of which must in be in the form of neutral material. Finally, we illustrate how further observations will allow the determination of many of the parameters of the evolution of massive stars such as total mass loss, average mass loss rates, stellar abundances, and total time spent in each evolutionary phase.

Achieving Translationally Invariant Trapped Ion Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Erik; Li, Hao-Kun; Noel, Crystal; Hemmerling, Boerge; Zhang, Xiang; Haeffner, Hartmut

2017-04-01

We present the design and implementation of a novel surface ion trap design in a ring configuration. By eliminating the need for wire bonds through the use of electrical vias and using a rotationally invariant electrode configuration, we have realized a trap that is able to trap up to 20 ions in a ring geometry 45um in diameter, 400um above the trap surface. This large trapping height to ring diameter ratio allows for global addressing of the ring with both lasers and electric fields in the chamber, thereby increasing our ability to control the ring as a whole. Applying compensating electric fields, we measure very low tangential trap frequencies (less than 20kHz) corresponding to rotational barriers down to 4mK. This measurement is currently limited by the temperature of the ions but extrapolation indicates the barrier can be reduced much further with more advanced cooling techniques. Finally, we show that we are able to reduce this energy barrier sufficiently such that the ions are able to overcome it either through thermal motion or rotational motion and delocalize over the full extent of the ring. This work was funded by the Keck Foundation and the NSF.

Unidirectional ring lasers

DOEpatents

Hohimer, John P.; Craft, David C.

1994-01-01

Unidirectional ring lasers formed by integrating nonreciprocal optical elements into the resonant ring cavity. These optical elements either attenuate light traveling in a nonpreferred direction or amplify light traveling in a preferred direction. In one preferred embodiment the resonant cavity takes the form of a circle with an S-shaped crossover waveguide connected to two points on the interior of the cavity such that light traveling in a nonpreferred direction is diverted from the cavity into the crossover waveguide and reinjected out of the other end of the crossover waveguide into the cavity as light traveling in the preferred direction.

Interferometric ring lasers and optical devices

DOEpatents

Hohimer, J.P.; Craft, D.C.

1995-03-14

Two ring diode lasers are optically coupled together to produce tunable, stable output through a Y-junction output coupler which may also be a laser diode or can be an active waveguide. These devices demonstrate a sharp peak in light output with an excellent side-mode-rejection ratio. The rings can also be made of passive or active waveguide material. With additional rings the device is a tunable optical multiplexer/demultiplexer. 11 figs.

Storage rings, internal targets and PEP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spencer, J.E.

Storage rings with internal targets are described, using PEP as an example. The difference between electrons and heavier particles such as protons, antiprotons, and heavy ions is also discussed because it raises possibilities of bypass insertions for more exotic experiments. PEP is compared to other rings in various contexts to verify the assertion that it is an ideal ring for many fundamental and practical applications that can be carried on simultaneously. (LEW)

The Storage Ring Proton EDM Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semertzidis, Yannis; Storage Ring Proton EDM Collaboration

2014-09-01

The storage ring pEDM experiment utilizes an all-electric storage ring to store ~1011 longitudinally polarized protons simultaneously in clock-wise and counter-clock-wise directions for 103 seconds. The radial E-field acts on the proton EDM for the duration of the storage time to precess its spin in the vertical plane. The ring lattice is optimized to reduce intra-beam scattering, increase the statistical sensitivity and reduce the systematic errors of the method. The main systematic error is a net radial B-field integrated around the ring causing an EDM-like vertical spin precession. The counter-rotating beams sense this integrated field and are vertically shifted by an amount, which depends on the strength of the vertical focusing in the ring, thus creating a radial B-field. Modulating the vertical focusing at 10 kHz makes possible the detection of this radial B-field by a SQUID-magnetometer (SQUID-based BPM). For a total number of n SQUID-based BPMs distributed around the ring the effectiveness of the method is limited to the N = n /2 harmonic of the background radial B-field due to the Nyquist sampling theorem limit. This limitation establishes the requirement to reduce the maximum radial B-field to 0.1-1 nT everywhere around the ring by layers of mu-metal and aluminum vacuum tube. The metho's sensitivity is 10-29 e .cm , more than three orders of magnitude better than the present neutron EDM experimental limit, making it sensitive to SUSY-like new physics mass scale up to 300 TeV.

21 CFR 870.3800 - Annuloplasty ring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Identification. An annuloplasty ring is a rigid or flexible ring implanted around the mitral or tricuspid heart valve for reconstructive treatment of valvular insufficiency. (b) Classification. Class II (special...

Mysteries of the ringed planets. [colloquium review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuzzi, J. N.

1982-01-01

An assessment is presented of the recent progress in the theory of planetary rings which was in evidence at the IAU's recent, 75th Colloquium. Observational material was dominated by spacecraft data, and theoretical consideration of the problems posed comes predominantly from gravitational mechanics. An understanding of collective effects, in light of both fluid mechanical and statistical mechanical methodologies, is being approached, and the importance of electromagnetic phenomena studies is noted. Voyager observations of Saturn's rings, and accumulating data from stellar occultations by the rings of Uranus, provided most of the observational material. Jupiter's faint ring was closely examined by the 1979 Voyager flight. These three known ring systems are found to exhibit such family resemblances as their proximity to the parent planet and magnetospheric environment.

An evolving view of Saturn's dynamic rings.

PubMed

Cuzzi, J N; Burns, J A; Charnoz, S; Clark, R N; Colwell, J E; Dones, L; Esposito, L W; Filacchione, G; French, R G; Hedman, M M; Kempf, S; Marouf, E A; Murray, C D; Nicholson, P D; Porco, C C; Schmidt, J; Showalter, M R; Spilker, L J; Spitale, J N; Srama, R; Sremcević, M; Tiscareno, M S; Weiss, J

2010-03-19

We review our understanding of Saturn's rings after nearly 6 years of observations by the Cassini spacecraft. Saturn's rings are composed mostly of water ice but also contain an undetermined reddish contaminant. The rings exhibit a range of structure across many spatial scales; some of this involves the interplay of the fluid nature and the self-gravity of innumerable orbiting centimeter- to meter-sized particles, and the effects of several peripheral and embedded moonlets, but much remains unexplained. A few aspects of ring structure change on time scales as short as days. It remains unclear whether the vigorous evolutionary processes to which the rings are subject imply a much younger age than that of the solar system. Processes on view at Saturn have parallels in circumstellar disks.

Mechanical seal having a double-tier mating ring

DOEpatents

Khonsari, Michael M.; Somanchi, Anoop K.

2005-09-13

An apparatus and method to enhance the overall performance of mechanical seals in one of the following ways: by reducing seal face wear, by reducing the contact surface temperature, or by increasing the life span of mechanical seals. The apparatus is a mechanical seal (e.g., single mechanical seals, double mechanical seals, tandem mechanical seals, bellows, pusher mechanical seals, and all types of rotating and reciprocating machines) comprising a rotating ring and a double-tier mating ring. In a preferred embodiment, the double-tier mating ring comprises a first and a second stationary ring that together form an agitation-inducing, guided flow channel to allow for the removal of heat generated at the seal face of the mating ring by channeling a coolant entering the mating ring to a position adjacent to and in close proximity with the interior surface area of the seal face of the mating ring.

Saturn Rings Origin: Quantum Trapping of Superconducting Iced Particles and Meissner Effect Lead to the Stable Rings System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viktorovich Tchernyi, Vladimir

2018-06-01

Saturn Rings Origin: Quantum Trapping of Superconducting Iced Particles and Meissner Effect Lead to the Stable Rings System Vladimir V. Tchernyi (Cherny), Andrew Yu. Pospelov Modern Science Institute, SAIBR, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: chernyv@bk.ruAbstractIt is demonstrated how superconducting iced particles of the protoplanetary cloud of Saturn are coming to magnetic equator plane and create the stable enough rings disk. There are two steps. First, after appearance of the Saturn magnetic field due to Meissner phenomenon all particles orbits are moving to the magnetic equator plane. Finally they become distributed as rings and gaps like iron particles around magnet on laboratory table. And they are separated from each other by the magnetic field expelled from them. It takes up to few tens of thousands years with ten meters rings disk thickness. Second, due to their quantum trapping all particles become to be trapped within magnetic well at the magnetic equator plane due to Abrikosov vortex for superconductor. It works even when particles have small fraction of superconductor. During the rings evolution some contribution to the disk also could come from the collision-generated debris of the current moon and from the geysers like it happened due to magnetic coupling of Saturn and Enceladus. The rings are relict of the early days of the magnetic field of Saturn system.

Kinetic modeling of the Saturn ring-ionosphere plasma environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, G. R.; Waite, J. H., Jr.

1989-01-01

A time-independent kinetic plasma model was developed on the basis of the Li et al. (1988) semikinetic plasma model and was used to study the interaction of the Saturnian ionosphere and ring plasma. The model includes the gravitational magnetic mirror and centripetal and ambipolar electric forces, and the effect of the mixing of two plasma populations. The results obtained indicate that the density, temperature, and composition of plasma near the rings changing in the direction from the inner C ring to the outer A ring, due to the fact that the predominant source of plasma changes from the ionosphere to the rings. The model results also suggest that the outflow of hydrogen from the ionosphere to the rings may be shut off for field lines passing through the outer B and A ring, due to the ambipolar electric field set up by the warm ring plasma trapped near the ring plane by the centipetal force. In these regions, there will be a net flux of O(+) ions from the rings to the ionosphere.

Voyager Observations of the Color of Saturn's Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estrada, Paul R.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.; Morrison, David (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Previously unreduced high resolution Voyager 2 images of Saturn's main rings are used to generate reflectivity (I/F) profiles as a function of radius. Ratios of profiles taken from green, violet, orange, and UV filter images are then produced. The I/F ratios are diagnostic of composition, and provide us with information on the rings' present state of compositional evolution. The rings are extremely reddish in color which suggests that they could not be pure water ice. The most likely candidates for the non-icy components are silicates and organics. The sources of these pollutants are of extreme importance in determining the compositional history of the rings. The radial profiles of ring color ratio exhibit several very interesting properties: (a) broad-scale, fairly smooth, color variations which are only weakly correlated with underlying ring structure (optical depth variations) across the outer C ring and inner B ring as well as the Cassini division region. These variations are probably consistent with ballistic transport; (b) fine-scale, noise-Like (but unquestionably real) color variations across at least the outer two-thirds of the B ring. Not only the "redness" but the spectral shape varies. These variations are currently unexplained. Groundbased spectroscopic observations should be pursued to study the implied compositional heterogeneities on at least the larger scales. This data set will be used for modeling of the color and composition of the main rings using ballistic transport and radiative transfer theories.

Origin of Quantum Ring Formation During Droplet Epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Z. Y.; Zheng, C. X.; Tang, W. X.; Tersoff, J.; Jesson, D. E.

2013-07-01

Droplet epitaxy of GaAs is studied in real time using in situ surface electron microscopy. The resulting movies motivate a theoretical model for quantum ring formation which can explain the origin of nanoscale features such as double rings observed under a variety of experimental conditions. Inner rings correspond to GaAs deposition at the droplet edge, while outer rings result from the reaction of Ga and As atoms diffusing along the surface. The observed variety of morphologies primarily reflects relative changes in the outer rings with temperature and As flux.

New graft sizing rings for aortic valve reimplantation procedures.

PubMed

Jelenc, Matija; Jelenc, Blaž; Kneževic, Ivan; Klokocovnik, Tomislav

2018-01-01

The objective was to design sizing rings that would enable proper sizing of the graft in reimplantation procedures and to perform leaflet repair before graft implantation. The rings were designed in Autodesk Fusion 360 (San Rafael, CA, USA) and 3D printed using a commercial online 3D printing service. We designed incomplete rings with a low profile and complete rings with a high profile. The complete rings are best suited for reimplantation procedures, whereas low profile C rings are intended for isolated aortic valve repair, where the ascending aorta is not transected. The rings come in sizes corresponding to Vascutek Gelweave graft sizes (Vascutek Terumo, Renfrewshire, Scotland). The ring internal diameters are 5% larger than the designated ring sizes and account for the 5% stretch of the grafts when pressurized. Blades of the rings are placed at 20° intervals. The slits between the blades are designed in such a way that the commissural U-sutures, when put in place and under tension, will lock the ring in position. The rings were successfully used in 10 of our latest reimplantation procedures. After dissection of the aortic root, the commissures were suspended with U-stitches and then the ring was seated onto them. Complete leaflet repair with plication to achieve adequate effective height was then performed, followed by graft implantation. No additional leaflet repair was needed. The newly designed sizing rings enable proper sizing of the graft in reimplantation procedures and enable complete leaflet repair before graft implantation. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

HYPERAUTOFLUORESCENT RING IN AUTOIMMUNE RETINOPATHY

PubMed Central

LIMA, LUIZ H.; GREENBERG, JONATHAN P.; GREENSTEIN, VIVIENNE C.; SMITH, R. THEODORE; SALLUM, JULIANA M. F.; THIRKILL, CHARLES; YANNUZZI, LAWRENCE A.; TSANG, STEPHEN H.

2015-01-01

Purpose To report the presence of a hyperautofluorescent ring and corresponding spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features seen in patients with autoimmune retinopathy. Methods All eyes were evaluated by funduscopic examination, full-fleld electroretinography, fundus autofluorescence, and SD-OCT. Further confirmation of the diagnosis was obtained with immunoblot and immunohistochemistry testing of the patient’s serum. Humphrey visual fields and microperimetry were also performed. Results Funduscopic examination showed atrophic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) associated with retinal artery narrowing but without pigment deposits. The scotopic and photopic full-field electroretinograms were nondetectable in three patients and showed a cone–rod pattern of dysfunction in one patient. Fundus autofluorescence revealed a hyperautofluorescent ring in the parafoveal region, and the corresponding SD-OCT demonstrated loss of the photoreceptor inner segment–outer segment junction with thinning of the outer nuclear layer from the region of the hyperautofluorescent ring toward the retinal periphery. The retinal layers were generally intact within the hyperautofluorescent ring, although the inner segment–outer segment junction was disrupted, and the outer nuclear layer and photoreceptor outer segment layer were thinned. Conclusion This case series revealed the structure of the hyperautofluorescent ring in autoimmune retinopathy using SD-OCT. Fundus autofluorescence and SD-OCT may aid in the diagnosis of autoimmune retinopathy and may serve as a tool to monitor its progression. PMID:22218149

Archiving of Planetary Ring Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, James L.

2001-01-01

Stellar occultation data provide our only Earth-based means of probing planetary rings at kilometer spatial resolution. The occultation data archive at MIT contains original data and analysis products of stellar occultations by the ring systems of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune observed by members of the group (and other groups) from 1977 to the present. During this time period, several media have been used to record and store the original and processed data: (1) chart records; (2) printed output, (3) audio reel tape; (4) audio cassette tape; (5) 7-track, 1/2-inch computer tape; (6) 9-track, 1/2-inch computer tape at 800, 1600, and 6250 bpi; (7) NOVA disk platters (2.5 and 5.0 Mbyte); (8) write once optical disks; (9) punched cards; and (10) read-write optical disks. With the rapid change of computer technology over this time period, some of these media have become not only obsolete, but nearly extinct. In particular, it has become nearly impossible to find any facilities that can still read 800 bpi tapes, which contain the only copies of several important data sets for the ring system of Uranus. In particular, we have an extensive ring data collection that includes data sets for the following Uranian ring occultations: U0, U11, U12, U13, U14, U25, U17, and U36.

Ring Beholds a Delicate Flower

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope finds a delicate flower in the Ring Nebula, as shown in this image. The outer shell of this planetary nebula looks surprisingly similar to the delicate petals of a camellia blossom. A planetary nebula is a shell of material ejected from a dying star. Located about 2,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Lyra, the Ring Nebula is also known as Messier Object 57 and NGC 6720. It is one of the best examples of a planetary nebula and a favorite target of amateur astronomers.

The 'ring' is a thick cylinder of glowing gas and dust around the doomed star. As the star begins to run out of fuel, its core becomes smaller and hotter, boiling off its outer layers. The telescope's infrared array camera detected this material expelled from the withering star. Previous images of the Ring Nebula taken by visible-light telescopes usually showed just the inner glowing loop of gas around the star. The outer regions are especially prominent in this new image because Spitzer sees the infrared light from hydrogen molecules. The molecules emit infrared light because they have absorbed ultraviolet radiation from the star or have been heated by the wind from the star.

Download the QuickTime movie for the animated version of this Ring Nebula image.

Seeing ghosts - Photometry of Saturn's G Ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Showalter, Mark R.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.

1993-01-01

Saturn's faint and narrow G Ring is only visible to the eye in two Voyager images, each taken at a rather high solar phase angle of about 160 deg. In this paper we introduce a new photometric technique for averaging across multiple Voyager images, and use it to detect the G Ring at several additional viewing geometries. The resultant phase curve suggests that the G Ring is composed of dust particles obeying a very steep power-law size distribution. The dust is generally smaller than that seen in other rings, ranging down to 0.03 micron. The G Ring occupies the region between orbital radii 166,000 and 173,000 km, and has a peak somewhat closer to the inner edge. Based on these limits, we demonstrate that Voyager 2 passed through and directly sampled this ring during its 1981 encounter with Saturn. Combined analysis of additional data sets suggests that a population of larger bodies is also present in the G Ring; these bodies occupy a narrower band near the observed peak and are likely the source for the visible dust. Based on some preliminary dynamical models, we propose that these larger bodies represent leftover debris from the collisional breakup of a small moon in Saturn's distant past.

Universally Unstable Nature of Velocity Ring Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mithaiwala, Manish

2010-11-01

Although it is typically believed that an ion ring velocity distribution has a stability threshold, we find that they are universally unstable. This can substantially impact the understanding of dynamics in both laboratory and space plasmas. A high ring density neutralizes the stabilizing effect of ion Landau damping in a warm plasma and the ring is unstable to the generation of waves below the lower hybrid frequency- even for a very high temperature plasma. For ring densities lower than the background plasma density there is a slow instability with growth rate less than the background ion cyclotron frequency and consequently the background ion response is magnetized. This is in addition to the widely discussed fast instability where the wave growth rate exceeds the background ion cyclotron frequency and hence the background ions are effectively unmagnetized. Thus, even a low density ring is unstable to waves around the lower hybrid frequency range for any ring speed. This implies that effectively there is no velocity threshold for a sufficiently cold ring. The importance of these conclusions on the nonlinear evolution of space plasmas, in particular to solar wind-comet interaction, post-magnetospheric storm conditions, and chemical release experiments in the ionosphere will be discussed.

A Ring Construction Using Finite Directed Graphs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardzell, Michael

2012-01-01

In this paper we discuss an interesting class of noncommutative rings which can be constructed using finite directed graphs. This construction also creates a vector space. These structures provide undergraduate students connections between ring theory and graph theory and, among other things, allow them to see a ring unity element that looks quite…

Running Rings Around the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Irene E.

1999-01-01

Describes the development and current status of WebRing, a service that links related Web sites into a central hub. Discusses it as a viable alternative to other search engines and examines issues of free speech, use by the business sector, and implications for WebRing after its purchase by Yahoo! (LRW)

Nanograin Density Outside Saturn’s A Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Robert E.; Tseng, Wei-Ling; Elrod, M. K.; Persoon, A. M.

2017-01-01

The observed disparity between the radial dependence of the ion and electron densities measured by the Cassini plasma (CAPS) and radio (RPWS) science instruments are used to show that the region between the outer edge of Saturn’s main rings and its tenuous G ring is permeated with small charged grains (nanograins). These grains emanate from the edge of the A ring and from the tenuous F and G rings. This is a region of Saturn’s magnetosphere that is relatively unexplored, but will be a focus of Cassini’s F ring orbits prior to the end of mission in 2017 September. Confirmation of the grain densities predicted here will enhance our ability to describe the formation and destruction of material in this important region of Saturn’s magnetosphere.

Virtual Exploration of the Ring Systems Chemical Universe.

PubMed

Visini, Ricardo; Arús-Pous, Josep; Awale, Mahendra; Reymond, Jean-Louis

2017-11-27

Here, we explore the chemical space of all virtually possible organic molecules focusing on ring systems, which represent the cyclic cores of organic molecules obtained by removing all acyclic bonds and converting all remaining atoms to carbon. This approach circumvents the combinatorial explosion encountered when enumerating the molecules themselves. We report the chemical universe database GDB4c containing 916 130 ring systems up to four saturated or aromatic rings and maximum ring size of 14 atoms and GDB4c3D containing the corresponding 6 555 929 stereoisomers. Almost all (98.6%) of these ring systems are unknown and represent chiral 3D-shaped macrocycles containing small rings and quaternary centers reminiscent of polycyclic natural products. We envision that GDB4c can serve to select new ring systems from which to design analogs of such natural products. The database is available for download at www.gdb.unibe.ch together with interactive visualization and search tools as a resource for molecular design.

Linear dispersion properties of ring velocity distribution functions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vandas, Marek, E-mail: marek.vandas@asu.cas.cz; Hellinger, Petr; Institute of Atmospheric Physics, AS CR, Bocni II/1401, CZ-14100 Prague

2015-06-15

Linear properties of ring velocity distribution functions are investigated. The dispersion tensor in a form similar to the case of a Maxwellian distribution function, but for a general distribution function separable in velocities, is presented. Analytical forms of the dispersion tensor are derived for two cases of ring velocity distribution functions: one obtained from physical arguments and one for the usual, ad hoc ring distribution. The analytical expressions involve generalized hypergeometric, Kampé de Fériet functions of two arguments. For a set of plasma parameters, the two ring distribution functions are compared. At the parallel propagation with respect to the ambientmore » magnetic field, the two ring distributions give the same results identical to the corresponding bi-Maxwellian distribution. At oblique propagation, the two ring distributions give similar results only for strong instabilities, whereas for weak growth rates their predictions are significantly different; the two ring distributions have different marginal stability conditions.« less

A measuring tool for tree-rings analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumilov, Oleg; Kanatjev, Alexander; Kasatkina, Elena

2013-04-01

A special tool has been created for the annual tree-ring widths measurement and analysis. It consists of professional scanner, computer system and software. This created complex in many aspects does not yield the similar systems (LINTAB, WinDENDRO), but in comparison to manual measurement systems, it offers a number of advantages: productivity gain, possibility of archiving the results of the measurements at any stage of the processing, operator comfort. It has been developed a new software, allowing processing of samples of different types (cores, saw cuts), including those which is difficult to process, having got a complex wood structure (inhomogeneity of growing in different directions, missed, light and false rings etc.). This software can analyze pictures made with optical scanners, analog or digital cameras. The complex software program was created on programming language C++, being compatible with modern operating systems like Windows X. Annual ring widths are measured along paths traced interactively. These paths can have any orientation and can be created so that ring widths are measured perpendicular to ring boundaries. A graphic of ring-widths in function of the year is displayed on a screen during the analysis and it can be used for visual and numerical cross-dating and comparison with other series or master-chronologies. Ring widths are saved to the text files in a special format, and those files are converted to the format accepted for data conservation in the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. The created complex is universal in application that will allow its use for decision of the different problems in biology and ecology. With help of this complex it has been reconstructed a long-term juniper (1328-2004) and pine (1445-2005) tree-ring chronologies on the base of samples collected at Kola Peninsula (northwestern Russia).

Self-assembly of concentric quantum double rings.

PubMed

Mano, Takaaki; Kuroda, Takashi; Sanguinetti, Stefano; Ochiai, Tetsuyuki; Tateno, Takahiro; Kim, Jongsu; Noda, Takeshi; Kawabe, Mitsuo; Sakoda, Kazuaki; Kido, Giyuu; Koguchi, Nobuyuki

2005-03-01

We demonstrate the self-assembled formation of concentric quantum double rings with high uniformity and excellent rotational symmetry using the droplet epitaxy technique. Varying the growth process conditions can control each ring's size. Photoluminescence spectra emitted from an individual quantum ring complex show peculiar quantized levels that are specified by the carriers' orbital trajectories.

Anomalous dark growth rings in black cherry

Treesearch

Robert P. Long; David W. Trimpey; Michael C. Wiemann; Susan L. Stout

2012-01-01

Anomalous dark growth rings have been observed in black cherry (Prunus serotina) sawlogs from northwestern Pennsylvania making the logs unsuitable for veneer products. Thirty-six cross sections with dark rings, each traceable to one of ten stands, were obtained from a local mill and sections were dated and annual ring widths were measured. One or...

The KACST Heavy-Ion Electrostatic Storage Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almuqhim, A. A.; Alshammari, S. M.; El Ghazaly, M. O. A.; Papash, A. I.; Welsch, C. P.

2011-10-01

A novel Electrostatic Storage Ring (ESR) for beams at energies up to 30keV/q is now being constructed at the National Centre for Mathematics and Physics (NCMP), King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The ring is designed to be the core of a highly flexible experimental platform that will combine a large package of complementary beam techniques for atomic and molecular physics and related fields. The lattice design had to cover the different experimental techniques that the ring will be equipped with, such as e.g. Electron-Ion, Laser-Ion, Ion-Ion or Ion-Neutral beams, in both crossed and merged-beam configurations. The development of such an ESR is realized in a staged approach, in which a simple and early-run adaptation of the ring is built first, and then this basic version is upgraded to a higher symmetry of the ultimate version of the ring. Here, we report a general overview of this technical development with a focus on the layout of the first built stage of the ring.

The KACST Heavy-Ion Electrostatic Storage Ring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Almuqhim, A. A.; Alshammari, S. M.; El Ghazaly, M. O. A.

2011-10-27

A novel Electrostatic Storage Ring (ESR) for beams at energies up to 30keV/q is now being constructed at the National Centre for Mathematics and Physics (NCMP), King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The ring is designed to be the core of a highly flexible experimental platform that will combine a large package of complementary beam techniques for atomic and molecular physics and related fields. The lattice design had to cover the different experimental techniques that the ring will be equipped with, such as e.g. Electron-Ion, Laser-Ion, Ion-Ion or Ion-Neutral beams, in both crossed and merged-beam configurations. The developmentmore » of such an ESR is realized in a staged approach, in which a simple and early-run adaptation of the ring is built first, and then this basic version is upgraded to a higher symmetry of the ultimate version of the ring. Here, we report a general overview of this technical development with a focus on the layout of the first built stage of the ring.« less

Unidirectional ring lasers

DOEpatents

Hohimer, J.P.; Craft, D.C.

1994-09-20

Unidirectional ring lasers formed by integrating nonreciprocal optical elements into the resonant ring cavity is disclosed. These optical elements either attenuate light traveling in a nonpreferred direction or amplify light traveling in a preferred direction. In one preferred embodiment the resonant cavity takes the form of a circle with an S-shaped crossover waveguide connected to two points on the interior of the cavity such that light traveling in a nonpreferred direction is diverted from the cavity into the crossover waveguide and reinjected out of the other end of the crossover waveguide into the cavity as light traveling in the preferred direction. 21 figs.

Ring-Interferometric Sol-Gel Bio-Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearman, Gregory (Inventor); Cohen, David (Inventor)

2006-01-01

A biosensor embodying the invention includes a sensing volume having an array of pores sized for immobilizing a first biological entity tending to bind to a second biological entity in such a manner as to change an index of refraction of the sensing volume. The biosensor further includes a ring interferometer, one volumetric section of the ring interferometer being the sensing volume, a laser for supplying light to the ring interferometer, and a photodetector for receiving light from the interferometer.

Two-dimensional Magnetism in Arrays of Superconducting Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reich, Daniel H.

1996-03-01

An array of superconducting rings in an applied field corresponding to a flux of Φ0 /2 per ring behaves like a 2D Ising antiferromagnet. Each ring has two energetically equivalent states with equal and opposite magnetic moments due to fluxoid quantization, and the dipolar coupling between rings favors antiparallel alignment of the moments. Using SQUID magnetometry and scanning Hall probe microscopy, we have studied the dynamics and magnetic configurations of micron-size aluminum rings on square, triangular, honeycomb, and kagomé lattices. We have found that there are significant antiferromagnetic correlations between rings, and that effects of geometrical frustration can be observed on the triangular and kagomé lattices. Long range correlations on the other lattices are suppressed by the analog of spin freezing that locks the rings in metastable states at low temperatures, and by quenched disorder due to imperfections in the fabrication. This disorder produces a roughly 1% variation in the rings' areas, which translates into an effective random field on the spins. The ring arrays are thus an extremely good realization of the 2D random-field Ising model. (Performed in collaboration with D. Davidović, S. Kumar, J. Siegel, S. B. Field, R. C. Tiberio, R. Hey, and K. Ploog.) (Supported by NSF grants DMR-9222541, and DMR-9357518, and by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.)

Ynamides in Ring Forming Transformations

PubMed Central

WANG, XIAO-NA; YEOM, HYUN-SUK; FANG, LI-CHAO; HE, SHUZHONG; MA, ZHI-XIONG; KEDROWSKI, BRANT L.; HSUNG, RICHARD P.

2013-01-01

Conspectus The ynamide functional group activates carbon-carbon triple bonds through an attached nitrogen atom that bears an electron-withdrawing group. As a result, the alkyne has both electrophilic and nucleophilic properties. Through the selection of the electron-withdrawing group attached to nitrogen chemists can modulate the electronic properties and reactivity of ynamides, making these groups versatile synthetic building blocks. The reactions of ynamides also lead directly to nitrogen-containing products, which provides access to important structural motifs found in natural products and molecules of medicinal interest. Therefore, researchers have invested increasing time and research in the chemistry of ynamides in recent years. This Account surveys and assesses new organic transformations involving ynamides developed in our laboratory and in others around the world. We showcase the synthetic power of ynamides for rapid assembly of complex molecular structures. Among the recent reports of ynamide transformations, ring-forming reactions provide a powerful tool for generating molecular complexity quickly. In addition to their synthetic utility, such reactions are mechanistically interesting. Therefore, we focus primarily on the cyclization chemistry of ynamides. This Account highlights ynamide reactions that are useful in the rapid synthesis of cyclic and polycyclic structural manifolds. We discuss the mechanisms active in the ring formations and describe representative examples that demonstrate the scope of these reactions and provide mechanistic insights. In this discussion we feature examples of ynamide reactions involving radical cyclizations, ring-closing metathesis, transition metal and non-transition metal mediated cyclizations, cycloaddition reactions, and rearrangements. The transformations presented rapidly introduce structural complexity and include nitrogen within, or in close proximity to, a newly formed ring (or rings). Thus, ynamides have emerged

Earth Rings for Planetary Environment Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Jerome; Oldson, John; Levin, Eugene; Carroll, Joseph

2002-01-01

For most of its past, large parts of the Earth have experienced subtropical climates, with high sea levels and no polar icecaps. This warmer environment was punctuated 570, 280, and 3 million years ago with periods of glaciation that covered temperate regions with thick ice for millions of years. At the end of the current ice age, a warmer climate could flood coastal cities, even without human-caused global warming. In addition, asteroids bombard the Earth periodically, with impacts large enough to destroy most life on Earth, and the sun is warming inexorably. This paper proposes a concept to solve these problems simultaneously, by creating an artificial planetary ring about the Earth to shade it. Past proposals for space climate control have depended on gigantic engineering structures launched from Earth and placed in Earth orbit or at the Earth-Sun L1 libration point, requiring fabrication, large launch masses and expense, constant control, and repair. Our solution is to begin by using lunar material, and then mine and remove Earth-orbit-crossing asteroids and discard the tailings into Earth orbit, to form a broad, flat ring like those of Saturn. This solution is evaluated and compared with other alternatives. Such ring systems can persist for thousands of years, and can be maintained by shepherding satellites or by continual replenishment from new asteroids to replace the edges of the ring lost by diffusion. An Earth ring at R = 1.3-1.83 RE would shade only the equatorial regions, moderating climate extremes, and could reverse a century of global warming. It could also absorb particles from the radiation belts, making trips to high Earth orbit and GEO safer for humans and for electronics. It would also light the night many times as bright as the full moon. A preliminary design of the ring is developed, including its location, mass, composition, stability, and timescale required. A one-dimensional climate model is used to evaluate the Earth ring performance

Biomechanical and morphological differences between the sclera canal ring and a peripheral sclera ring in the porcine eye.

PubMed

Terai, Naim; Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Spoerl, Eberhard; Hornykewycz, Karin; Haentzschel, Janek; Haustein, Michael; Pillunat, Lutz E

2012-01-01

To investigate a possible association between the biomechanical load and unload behaviour and the elastin content of the sclera canal ring (SCR) and a superiorly localized sclera ring (SPS) in the porcine eye. Two sclera rings were trephined from each of 40 porcine eyes, one containing the SCR and the other an SPS. The load and the unload curves were measured in the extension range of 0-2.0 mm by a biomaterial tester. Hysteresis was determined from the area enclosed by the loading and unloading curve. Histochemical staining with resorcin-fuchsin and morphometric analysis of paraffin-embedded sections of both rings were performed to detect the area occupied by elastin fibres. At 1 mm extension, the mean load of the SCR was 0.89 ± 0.22 N and that of the SPS 1.13 ± 0.19 N, which was not significantly different between both rings (p > 0.05). Mean hysteresis in the SCR was 1.55 ± 0.30 N × mm and 1.90 ± 0.18 N × mm in the SPS, which was significantly different between both rings (p = 0.01). Mean sclera thickness was 986 μm in the SCR (range: 900-1,060 μm) and 971 μm in the SPS (range: 800-1,200 μm) without a statistically significant difference between both sclera rings (p = 0.78). The area occupied by elastin fibres was 15.5 ± 3.4% in the SCR and 4.5 ± 1.5% in the SPS, which was significantly different between both rings (p = 0.0001). Hysteresis in the SCR was significantly lower than in the SPS, indicating a higher elasticity of the SCR in the porcine eye. This effect could be explained by a higher content of elastin in the surrounding ring of the peripapillary optic nerve head providing reversible contraction in cases of intra-ocular pressure variations. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Low thermal expansion seal ring support

DOEpatents

Dewis, David W.; Glezer, Boris

2000-01-01

Today, the trend is to increase the temperature of operation of gas turbine engines. To cool the components with compressor discharge air, robs air which could otherwise be used for combustion and creates a less efficient gas turbine engine. The present low thermal expansion sealing ring support system reduces the quantity of cooling air required while maintaining life and longevity of the components. Additionally, the low thermal expansion sealing ring reduces the clearance "C","C'" demanded between the interface between the sealing surface and the tip of the plurality of turbine blades. The sealing ring is supported by a plurality of support members in a manner in which the sealing ring and the plurality of support members independently expand and contract relative to each other and to other gas turbine engine components.

49 CFR 179.400-9 - Stiffening rings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Stiffening rings. 179.400-9 Section 179.400-9... on each side of the attachment of the stiffening ring is given by the following formula: W = 0.78(Rt)0.5 Where: W = width of jacket effective on each side of the stiffening ring, in inches; R = outside...

Analytical and experimental studies of natural vibrations modes of ring-stiffened truncated-cone shells with variable theoretical ring fixity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, E. C.; Catherines, D. S.; Walton, W. C., Jr.

1971-01-01

Experimental and analytical investigations of the vibratory behavior of ring-stiffened truncated-cone shells are described. Vibration tests were conducted on 60 deg conical shells having up to four ring stiffeners and for free-free and clamped-free edge constraints and 9 deg conical shells, for two thicknesses, each with two angle rings and for free-free, free-clamped, and clamped-clamped edge constraints. The analytical method is based on linear thin shell theory, employing the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Discrete rings are represented as composed of one or more segments, each of which is a short truncated-cone shell of uniform thickness. Equations of constraint are used to join a ring and shell along a circumferential line connection. Excellent agreement was obtained for comparisons of experimental and calculated frequencies.

Vortex formation in magnetic narrow rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bland, J. A. C.

2002-03-01

Underlying the current interest in magnetic elements is the possibility such systems provide both for the study of fundamental phenomena in magnetism (such as domain wall trapping and spin switching) and for technological applications, such as high density magnetic storage or magnetic random access memories (MRAM). One key issue is to control the magnetic switching precisely. To achieve this one needs first to have a well defined and reproducible remanent state, and second the switching process itself must be simple and reproducible. Among the many studied geometries, rings are shown to exhibit several advantages over other geometries, in that they show relatively simple stable magnetic states at remanence, with fast and simple magnetisation switching mechanisms. This is borne out of our systematic investigation of the magnetic properties of epitaxial and polycrystalline Co rings, where both the static, dynamic and transport properties have been studied. Magnetic measurements and micromagnetic simulations show that for appropriate ring structures a two step switching process occurs at high fields, indicating the existence of two different stable states. In addition to the vortex state, which occurs at intermediate fields, we have identified a new bi-domain state, which we term the `onion state', corresponding to opposite circulation of the magnetisation in each half of the ring. The magnetic elements were fabricated using a new technique based on the pre-patterning of Si ring structures and subsequent epitaxial growth of Cu/Co/Cu sandwich films on top of the Si elements. This technique has allowed the growth of epitaxial fcc Co(001) structures and in contrast to conventional lithographic methods, no damage to the magnetic layer structure is introduced by the patterning process [1,2]. We have studied the magnetic switching properties of arrays of narrow Co(100) epitaxial ring magnets, with outer diameters between 1 μm and 2 μm, varying inner diameters and varying

The Phylogenetic Signature Underlying ATP Synthase c-Ring Compliance

DOE PAGES

Pandini, Alessandro; Kleinjung, Jens; Taylor, Willie R.; ...

2015-09-01

The proton-driven ATP synthase (F OF 1) is comprised of two rotary, stepping motors (F O and F 1) coupled by an elastic power transmission. The elastic compliance resides in the rotor module that includes the membrane-embedded FO c-ring. Proton transport by FO is firmly coupled to the rotation of the c-ring relative to other F O subunits (ab 2). It drives ATP synthesis. We used a computational method to investigate the contribution of the c-ring to the total elastic compliance. We performed principal component analysis of conformational ensembles built using distance constraints from the bovine mitochondrial c-ring x-ray structure.more » Angular rotary twist, the dominant ring motion, was estimated to show that the c-ring accounted in part for the measured compliance. Ring rotation was entrained to rotation of the external helix within each hairpin-shaped c-subunit in the ring. Ensembles of monomer and dimers extracted from complete c-rings showed that the coupling between collective ring and the individual subunit motions was independent of the size of the c-ring, which varies between organisms. Molecular determinants were identified by covariance analysis of residue coevolution and structural-alphabet-based local dynamics correlations. The residue coevolution gave a readout of subunit architecture. The dynamic couplings revealed that the hinge for both ring and subunit helix rotations was constructed from the proton-binding site and the adjacent glycine motif (IB-GGGG) in the midmembrane plane. IB-GGGG motifs were linked by long-range couplings across the ring, while intrasubunit couplings connected the motif to the conserved cytoplasmic loop and adjacent segments. The correlation with principal collective motions shows that the couplings underlie both ring rotary and bending motions. Noncontact couplings between IB-GGGG motifs matched the coevolution signal as well as contact couplings. The residue coevolution reflects the physiological importance of the

The Phylogenetic Signature Underlying ATP Synthase c-Ring Compliance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pandini, Alessandro; Kleinjung, Jens; Taylor, Willie R.

The proton-driven ATP synthase (F OF 1) is comprised of two rotary, stepping motors (F O and F 1) coupled by an elastic power transmission. The elastic compliance resides in the rotor module that includes the membrane-embedded FO c-ring. Proton transport by FO is firmly coupled to the rotation of the c-ring relative to other F O subunits (ab 2). It drives ATP synthesis. We used a computational method to investigate the contribution of the c-ring to the total elastic compliance. We performed principal component analysis of conformational ensembles built using distance constraints from the bovine mitochondrial c-ring x-ray structure.more » Angular rotary twist, the dominant ring motion, was estimated to show that the c-ring accounted in part for the measured compliance. Ring rotation was entrained to rotation of the external helix within each hairpin-shaped c-subunit in the ring. Ensembles of monomer and dimers extracted from complete c-rings showed that the coupling between collective ring and the individual subunit motions was independent of the size of the c-ring, which varies between organisms. Molecular determinants were identified by covariance analysis of residue coevolution and structural-alphabet-based local dynamics correlations. The residue coevolution gave a readout of subunit architecture. The dynamic couplings revealed that the hinge for both ring and subunit helix rotations was constructed from the proton-binding site and the adjacent glycine motif (IB-GGGG) in the midmembrane plane. IB-GGGG motifs were linked by long-range couplings across the ring, while intrasubunit couplings connected the motif to the conserved cytoplasmic loop and adjacent segments. The correlation with principal collective motions shows that the couplings underlie both ring rotary and bending motions. Noncontact couplings between IB-GGGG motifs matched the coevolution signal as well as contact couplings. The residue coevolution reflects the physiological importance of the

Damping Ring R&D at CESR-TA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubin, David L.

2015-01-23

Accelerators that collide high energy beams of matter and anti-matter are essential tools for the investigation of the fundamental constituents of matter, and the search for new forms of matter and energy. A “Linear Collider” is a machine that would bring high energy and very compact bunches of electrons and positrons (anti-electrons) into head-on collision. Such a machine would produce (among many other things) the newly discovered Higgs particle, enabling a detailed study of its properties. Among the most critical and challenging components of a linear collider are the damping rings that produce the very compact and intense beams ofmore » electrons and positrons that are to be accelerated into collision. Hot dilute particle beams are injected into the damping rings, where they are compressed and cooled. The size of the positron beam must be reduced more than a thousand fold in the damping ring, and this compression must be accomplished in a fraction of a second. The cold compact beams are then extracted from the damping ring and accelerated into collision at high energy. The proposed International Linear Collider (ILC), would require damping rings that routinely produce such cold, compact and intense beams. The goal of the Cornell study was a credible design for the damping rings for the ILC. Among the technical challenges of the damping rings; the development of instrumentation that can measure the properties of the very small beams in a very narrow window of time, and mitigation of the forces that can destabilize the beams and prevent adequate cooling, or worse lead to beam loss. One of the most pernicious destabilizing forces is due to the formation of clouds of electrons in the beam pipe. The electron cloud effect is a phenomenon in particle accelerators in which a high density of low energy electrons, build up inside the vacuum chamber. At the outset of the study, it was anticipated that electron cloud effects would limit the intensity of the positron

NANOGRAIN DENSITY OUTSIDE SATURN’S A RING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Robert E.; Tseng, Wei-Ling; Elrod, M. K.

The observed disparity between the radial dependence of the ion and electron densities measured by the Cassini plasma (CAPS) and radio (RPWS) science instruments are used to show that the region between the outer edge of Saturn’s main rings and its tenuous G ring is permeated with small charged grains (nanograins). These grains emanate from the edge of the A ring and from the tenuous F and G rings. This is a region of Saturn’s magnetosphere that is relatively unexplored, but will be a focus of Cassini ’s F ring orbits prior to the end of mission in 2017 September.more » Confirmation of the grain densities predicted here will enhance our ability to describe the formation and destruction of material in this important region of Saturn’s magnetosphere.« less

Ring and plasma - The enigmae of Enceladus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haff, P. K.; Siscoe, G. L.; Eviatar, A.

1983-01-01

The E ring associated with the Kronian moon Enceladus has a lifetime of only a few thousand years against sputtering by slow corotating O ions. The existence of the ring implies the necessity for a continuous supply of matter. Possible particle source mechanisms on Enceladus include meteoroidal impact ejection and geysering. Estimates of ejection rates of particulate debris following small meteoroid impact are on the order of 3 x 10 to the -18th g/(sq cm sec), more than an order of magnitude too small to sustain the ring. A geyser source would need to generate a droplet supply at a rate of approximately 10 to the -16th g/(sq cm sec) in order to account for a stable ring. Enceladus and the ring particles also directly supply both plasma and vapor to space via sputtering. The absence of a 60 eV plasma at the Voyager 2 Enceladus L-shell crossing, such as might have been expected from sputtering, cannot be explained by absorption and moderation of plasma ions by ring particles, because the ring is too diffuse. Evidently, the effective sputtering yield in the vicinity of Enceladus is on the order of, or smaller than, 0.4, about an order of magnitude less than te calculated value. Small scale surface roughness may account for some of this discrepancy.

Planetary science: Shepherds of Saturn's ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crida, Aurélien

2015-09-01

Saturn's F ring is chaperoned on both sides by the tiny moons Prometheus and Pandora. Numerical simulations show that this celestial ballet can result from the collision of two aggregates that evolved out of Saturn's main rings.

The Case for Massive and Ancient Rings of Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

2016-10-01

Analysis of Voyager and Pioneer 11 results give a mass for Saturn's rings, M = 5 x 10-8 Msat. This is about the mass of Saturn's small moon Mimas. This has been interpreted as a lower limit to the ring mass (Esposito et al 1983), since the thickest parts of the rings were not penetrated by the stellar occultstion, and this calculation assumes an unvarying particle size throughout the rings. Because the rings are constantly bombarded by micrometeroids, their current composition of nearly pure water ice implies such low mass rings must have formed recently. The case is particularly strong for Saturn's A ring, where the data are the best, implying the A ring is less than 10% of the age of the Saturn (Esposito 1986). Cassini results compound this problem. UVIS spectra are consistent with either young rings or rings about 10x as massive as the Voyager estimate (Elliott and Esposito (2011). CDA confirms the impacting mass flux is similar to that assumed for the pollution calculations (Kempf etal 2015). VIMS analysis of density wave signatures in the B ring gives a value of about 1/3 the Voyager value (Hedmann etal 2016). This VIMS result implies the rings are even younger! The problem is that young rings are very unlikely to be formed recently, meaning that we live in a very special epoch, following some unlikely recent origin… like disruption of a medium sized moon or capture of the fragments of a disrupted comet (Charnoz etal 2009).To take the VIMS results at face value, Saturn's low mass rings must be very young. The optically thick B ring must be made of small, porous or fractal particles. An alternative is that we accept the higher mass interpretation of the Pioneer 11 results (Esposito etal 2008) using the granola bar model of Colwell etal 2007. This would imply that the density wave structure seen by VIMS is not sensing all the mass in the rings, where structure near strong resonances is dominted by temporary aggregates, and where non-linear effects cause the

46 CFR 28.115 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 28.115 Section 28.115 Shipping COAST... VESSELS Requirements for All Vessels § 28.115 Ring life buoys. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of... life buoy as specified in table 28.115. If the vessel is equipped with a ring life buoy, at least one...

46 CFR 28.115 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 28.115 Section 28.115 Shipping COAST... VESSELS Requirements for All Vessels § 28.115 Ring life buoys. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of... life buoy as specified in table 28.115. If the vessel is equipped with a ring life buoy, at least one...

46 CFR 28.115 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 28.115 Section 28.115 Shipping COAST... VESSELS Requirements for All Vessels § 28.115 Ring life buoys. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of... life buoy as specified in table 28.115. If the vessel is equipped with a ring life buoy, at least one...

46 CFR 28.115 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 28.115 Section 28.115 Shipping COAST... VESSELS Requirements for All Vessels § 28.115 Ring life buoys. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of... life buoy as specified in table 28.115. If the vessel is equipped with a ring life buoy, at least one...

46 CFR 28.115 - Ring life buoys.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Ring life buoys. 28.115 Section 28.115 Shipping COAST... VESSELS Requirements for All Vessels § 28.115 Ring life buoys. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of... life buoy as specified in table 28.115. If the vessel is equipped with a ring life buoy, at least one...

The Phase Shift in the Jumping Ring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffery, Rondo N.; Amiri, Farhang

2008-01-01

The popular physics demonstration experiment known as Thomson's Jumping Ring (JR) has been variously explained as a simple example of Lenz's law, or as the result of a phase shift of the ring current relative to the induced emf. The failure of the first-quadrant Lenz's law explanation is shown by the time the ring takes to jump and by levitation.…

Multi-stage FE simulation of hot ring rolling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C.; Geijselaers, H. J. M.; van den Boogaard, A. H.

2013-05-01

As a unique and important member of the metal forming family, ring rolling provides a cost effective process route to manufacture seamless rings. Applications of ring rolling cover a wide range of products in aerospace, automotive and civil engineering industries [1]. Above the recrystallization temperature of the material, hot ring rolling begins with the upsetting of the billet cut from raw stock. Next a punch pierces the hot upset billet to form a hole through the billet. This billet, referred to as preform, is then rolled by the ring rolling mill. For an accurate simulation of hot ring rolling, it is crucial to include the deformations, stresses and strains from the upsetting and piercing process as initial conditions for the rolling stage. In this work, multi-stage FE simulations of hot ring rolling process were performed by mapping the local deformation state of the workpiece from one step to the next one. The simulations of upsetting and piercing stages were carried out by 2D axisymmetric models using adaptive remeshing and element erosion. The workpiece for the ring rolling stage was subsequently obtained after performing a 2D to 3D mapping. The commercial FE package LS-DYNA was used for the study and user defined subroutines were implemented to complete the control algorithm. The simulation results were analyzed and also compared with those from the single-stage FE model of hot ring rolling.

[Orientation hypercolumns of the visual cortex: ring model].

PubMed

Smirnova, E Iu; Chizhov, A V

2011-01-01

A hypercolumn of the visual cortex is a functional unit formed of the neighbouring columns whose neurons respond to a stimulus of particular orientation. The function of the hypercolumn is to amplify the orientation tuning of visually evoked responses. According to the conventional simple model of a hypercolumn, neuronal populations with different orientation preferences are distributed on a ring. Every population is described by the frequency (FR) model. To determine the limitations of the FR-ring model, it was compared with a more detailed ring model, which takes into account the distribution of neurons of each population according to their voltage values. In the case of the leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, every neural population is described by the Fokker-Planck (FP) equation. The mapping of parameters was obtained. The simulations revealed differences in the behaviour of the two models. Contrary to the FR model, the model based on the Fokker-Planck equation reacts faster to a change in stimulus orientation. The Fokker-Planck ring model gives a steady-state solution in the form of waves of activity travelling on the ring, whereas the FR ring model presents amplitude instability for the same parameter set. The FR ring model reproduces the characteristic effects of the ring model: the virtual rotation and the symmetry breaking.

Superfluid qubit systems with ring shaped optical lattices

PubMed Central

Amico, Luigi; Aghamalyan, Davit; Auksztol, Filip; Crepaz, Herbert; Dumke, Rainer; Kwek, Leong Chuan

2014-01-01

We study an experimentally feasible qubit system employing neutral atomic currents. Our system is based on bosonic cold atoms trapped in ring-shaped optical lattice potentials. The lattice makes the system strictly one dimensional and it provides the infrastructure to realize a tunable ring-ring interaction. Our implementation combines the low decoherence rates of neutral cold atoms systems, overcoming single site addressing, with the robustness of topologically protected solid state Josephson flux qubits. Characteristic fluctuations in the magnetic fields affecting Josephson junction based flux qubits are expected to be minimized employing neutral atoms as flux carriers. By breaking the Galilean invariance we demonstrate how atomic currents through the lattice provide an implementation of a qubit. This is realized either by artificially creating a phase slip in a single ring, or by tunnel coupling of two homogeneous ring lattices. The single qubit infrastructure is experimentally investigated with tailored optical potentials. Indeed, we have experimentally realized scaled ring-lattice potentials that could host, in principle, n ~ 10 of such ring-qubits, arranged in a stack configuration, along the laser beam propagation axis. An experimentally viable scheme of the two-ring-qubit is discussed, as well. Based on our analysis, we provide protocols to initialize, address, and read-out the qubit. PMID:24599096

Collision mechanics and the structure of planetary ring edges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spaute, Dominique; Greenberg, Richard

1987-01-01

The present numerical simulation of collisional evolution, in the case of a hypothetical ring whose parameters are modeled after those of Saturn's rings, gives attention to changes in radial structure near the ring edges and notes that when random motion is in equilibrium, the rings tend to spread in order to conserve angular momentum while energy is dissipated in collisions. As long as random motion is damped, ring edges may contract rather than spread, producing a concentration of material at the ring edges. For isotropic scattering, damping dominates for a coefficient of restitution of velocity value of up to 0.83.

O-Ring sealing arrangements for ultra-high vacuum systems

DOEpatents

Kim, Chang-Kyo; Flaherty, Robert

1981-01-01

An all metal reusable O-ring sealing arrangement for sealing two concentric tubes in an ultra-high vacuum system. An O-ring of a heat recoverable alloy such as Nitinol is concentrically positioned between protruding sealing rings of the concentric tubes. The O-ring is installed between the tubes while in a stressed martensitic state and is made to undergo a thermally induced transformation to an austenitic state. During the transformation the O-ring expands outwardly and contracts inwardly toward a previously sized austenitic configuration, thereby sealing against the protruding sealing rings of the concentric tubes.

Self-Consistent Field Theory of Gaussian Ring Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaeup; Yang, Yong-Biao; Lee, Won Bo

2012-02-01

Ring polymers, being free from chain ends, have fundamental importance in understanding the polymer statics and dynamics which are strongly influenced by the chain end effects. At a glance, their theoretical treatment may not seem particularly difficult, but the absence of chain ends and the topological constraints make the problem non-trivial, which results in limited success in the analytical or semi-analytical formulation of ring polymer theory. Here, I present a self-consistent field theory (SCFT) formalism of Gaussian (topologically unconstrained) ring polymers for the first time. The resulting static property of homogeneous and inhomogeneous ring polymers are compared with the random phase approximation (RPA) results. The critical point for ring homopolymer system is exactly the same as the linear polymer case, χN = 2, since a critical point does not depend on local structures of polymers. The critical point for ring diblock copolymer melts is χN 17.795, which is approximately 1.7 times of that of linear diblock copolymer melts, χN 10.495. The difference is due to the ring structure constraint.

The IRAF Fabry-Perot analysis package: Ring fitting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shopbell, P. L.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Cecil, G.

1992-01-01

As introduced at ADASSI, a Fabry-Perot analysis package for IRAF is currently under development as a joint effort of ourselves and Frank Valdes of the IRAF group. Although additional portions of the package were also implemented, we report primarily on the development of a robust ring fitting task, useful for fitting the calibration rings obtained in Fabry-Perot observations. The general equation of an ellipse is fit to the shape of the rings, providing information on ring center, ellipticity, and position angle. Such parameters provide valuable information on the wavelength response of the etalon and the geometric stability of the system. Appropriate statistical weighting is applied to the pixels to account for increasing numbers with radius, the Lorentzian cross-section, and uneven illumination. The major problems of incomplete, non-uniform, and multiple rings are addressed with the final task capable of fitting rings regardless of center, cross-section, or completion. The task requires only minimal user intervention, allowing large numbers of rings to be fit in an extremely automated manner.

Planetary astronomy: Rings, satellites, and asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, Richard

1988-01-01

Studies of planetary rings focus on the dynamical processes that govern astronomically observable ring properties and structure. These investigations thus help reveal properties of the rings as well as probe the gravity fields of the planets. Satellite studies involve interpretation of orbital motion to extract information regarding the gravity fields of the outer planets and the physical properties of the satellites themselves. Asteroid lightcurve work is designed to investigate the large-scale shapes of the asteroids, as well as to reveal anomalous features such as major topography, possible satellites, or albedo variations. Work on the nature of viscous transport in planetary rings, emphasizing the role of individual particles' physical properties, has yielded a method for estimating both angular momentum and mass transport given an optical-thickness gradient. This result offers the prospect of ringlet instability, which may explain the square-profile ringlets in Saturn's C Ring. Thermal and reflected lightcurves of 532 Herculina have been interpreted to show that albedo variations cannot be the primary cause of variations. A lightcurve simulation has been developed to model complex asteroidal figures. Bamberga was observed during the December occultation as part of the joint LPL-Lowell program.

Chromatin Ring Formation at Plant Centromeres.

PubMed

Schubert, Veit; Ruban, Alevtina; Houben, Andreas

2016-01-01

We observed the formation of chromatin ring structures at centromeres of somatic rye and Arabidopsis chromosomes. To test whether this behavior is present also in other plant species and tissues we analyzed Arabidopsis, rye, wheat, Aegilops and barley centromeres during cell divisions and in interphase nuclei by immunostaining and FISH. Furthermore, structured illumination microscopy (super-resolution) was applied to investigate the ultrastructure of centromere chromatin beyond the classical refraction limit of light. It became obvious, that a ring formation at centromeres may appear during mitosis, meiosis and in interphase nuclei in all species analyzed. However, varying centromere structures, as ring formations or globular organized chromatin fibers, were identified in different tissues of one and the same species. In addition, we found that a chromatin ring formation may also be caused by subtelomeric repeats in barley. Thus, we conclude that the formation of chromatin rings may appear in different plant species and tissues, but that it is not specific for centromere function. Based on our findings we established a model describing the ultrastructure of plant centromeres and discuss it in comparison to previous models proposed for animals and plants.

Chromatin Ring Formation at Plant Centromeres

PubMed Central

Schubert, Veit; Ruban, Alevtina; Houben, Andreas

2016-01-01

We observed the formation of chromatin ring structures at centromeres of somatic rye and Arabidopsis chromosomes. To test whether this behavior is present also in other plant species and tissues we analyzed Arabidopsis, rye, wheat, Aegilops and barley centromeres during cell divisions and in interphase nuclei by immunostaining and FISH. Furthermore, structured illumination microscopy (super-resolution) was applied to investigate the ultrastructure of centromere chromatin beyond the classical refraction limit of light. It became obvious, that a ring formation at centromeres may appear during mitosis, meiosis and in interphase nuclei in all species analyzed. However, varying centromere structures, as ring formations or globular organized chromatin fibers, were identified in different tissues of one and the same species. In addition, we found that a chromatin ring formation may also be caused by subtelomeric repeats in barley. Thus, we conclude that the formation of chromatin rings may appear in different plant species and tissues, but that it is not specific for centromere function. Based on our findings we established a model describing the ultrastructure of plant centromeres and discuss it in comparison to previous models proposed for animals and plants. PMID:26913037

Light-Ring Stability for Ultracompact Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunha, Pedro V. P.; Berti, Emanuele; Herdeiro, Carlos A. R.

2017-12-01

We prove the following theorem: axisymmetric, stationary solutions of the Einstein field equations formed from classical gravitational collapse of matter obeying the null energy condition, that are everywhere smooth and ultracompact (i.e., they have a light ring) must have at least two light rings, and one of them is stable. It has been argued that stable light rings generally lead to nonlinear spacetime instabilities. Our result implies that smooth, physically and dynamically reasonable ultracompact objects are not viable as observational alternatives to black holes whenever these instabilities occur on astrophysically short time scales. The proof of the theorem has two parts: (i) We show that light rings always come in pairs, one being a saddle point and the other a local extremum of an effective potential. This result follows from a topological argument based on the Brouwer degree of a continuous map, with no assumptions on the spacetime dynamics, and, hence, it is applicable to any metric gravity theory where photons follow null geodesics. (ii) Assuming Einstein's equations, we show that the extremum is a local minimum of the potential (i.e., a stable light ring) if the energy-momentum tensor satisfies the null energy condition.

Plasmasphere Modeling with Ring Current Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guiter, S. M.; Fok, M.-C.; Moore, T. E.

1995-01-01

Coulomb collisions between ring current ions and the thermal plasma in the plasmasphere will heat the plasmaspheric electrons and ions. During a storm such heating would lead to significant changes in the temperature and density of the thermal plasma. This was modeled using a time- dependent, one-stream hydrodynamic model for plasmaspheric flows, in which the model flux tube is connected to the ionosphere. The model simultaneously solves the coupled continuity, momentum, and energy equations of a two-ion (H(+) and O(+) quasineutral, currentless plasma. Heating rates due to collisions with ring current ions were calculated along the field line using a kinetic ring current model. First, diurnally reproducible results were found assuming only photoelectron heating of the thermal electrons. Then results were found with heating of the H(+) ions by the ring current during the recovery phase of a magnetic storm.

Wavepacket revivals in monolayer and bilayer graphene rings.

PubMed

García, Trinidad; Rodríguez-Bolívar, Salvador; Cordero, Nicolás A; Romera, Elvira

2013-06-12

We have studied the existence of quantum revivals in graphene quantum rings within a simplified model. The time evolution of a Gaussian-populated wavepacket shows revivals in monolayer and bilayer graphene rings. We have also studied this behavior for quantum rings in a perpendicular magnetic field. We have found that revival time is an observable that shows different values for monolayer and bilayer graphene quantum rings. In addition, the revival time shows valley degeneracy breaking.

Near Infrared Photometry of the Jovian Ring and Adrastea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Roland; Smith, Bradford A.; Owen, Tobias C.; Becklin, E. E.; Terrile, Richard J.

1999-10-01

The near IR spectral reflectance of the Jupiter dust ring is poorly known because of problems with scattered light from the planet. Here we report colors for the jovian ring and one of the two ring satellites, Adrastea, using observations from the near-IR camera NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope. Near the time when the Earth crossed the jovian ring plane in the fall of 1997, we recorded broad-band images at ˜1.1 (F110W), ˜1.6 (F160W), and ˜2.05 μm (F205W) and derived a single-pass, in radial direction measured ring brightness of 19.19±0.07, 18.76±0.06, and 18.49±0.04 mag linear arcsec -1, respectively. These single-pass radial ring brightnesses were derived from the observable part of the ring at a projected distance of >1.2 RJ using a model to remove projection effects. The corresponding apparent magnitudes for Adrastea are 18.30±0.10 (F110W), 17.73±0.09 (F160W), and 17.57±0.07 mag (F205W), obtained at a phase angle of φ=11.3°. The relative spectral reflectance of the ring and that of Adrastea turn out to be nearly identical, slightly reddish with a slope of about 15-20% between 1 and 2 μm. No evidence for transient ice crystals to be present in the main ring is seen. Our data are also in reasonable agreement with earlier ground-based measurements by Neugebauer et al. (1981), if we take their relatively large errors into account. The similarities of the colors of all inner satellites, including Io, are striking. The measured ring color provides evidence that the backscattered light from the ring is due to grains with mean particle sizes in excess of several micrometers. We were also able to infer a spatial particle distribution for the main ring. Its radial surface-density profile peaks sharply near the outer edge of the ring at the orbit of Adrastea, suggesting a strong dynamical relationship between the satellite and the ring particles. Our radial profile of the main ring is in excellent agreement with the results from Voyager images in

Wind turbine ring/shroud drive system

DOEpatents

Blakemore, Ralph W.

2005-10-04

A wind turbine capable of driving multiple electric generators having a ring or shroud structure for reducing blade root bending moments, hub loads, blade fastener loads and pitch bearing loads. The shroud may further incorporate a ring gear for driving an electric generator. In one embodiment, the electric generator may be cantilevered from the nacelle such that the gear on the generator drive shaft is contacted by the ring gear of the shroud. The shroud also provides protection for the gearing and aids in preventing gear lubricant contamination.

Injection envelope matching in storage rings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Minty, M.G.; Spence, W.L.

1995-05-01

The shape and size of the transverse phase space injected into a storage ring can be deduced from turn-by-turn measurements of the transient behavior of the beam envelope in the ring. Envelope oscillations at 2 x the {beta}-tron frequency indicate the presence of a {beta}-mismatch, while envelope oscillations at the {beta}-tron frequency are the signature of a dispersion function mismatch. Experiments in injection optimization using synchrotron radiation imaging of the beam and a fast-gated camera at the SLC damping rings are reported.

Injection envelope matching in storage rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minty, M. G.; Spence, W. L.

1995-05-01

The shape and size of the transverse phase space injected into a storage ring can be deduced from turn-by-turn measurements of the transient behavior of the beam envelope in the ring. Envelope oscillations at 2 x the beta-tron frequency indicate the presence of a beta-mismatch, while envelope oscillations at the beta-tron frequency are the signature of a dispersion function mismatch. Experiments in injection optimization using synchrotron radiation imaging of the beam and a fast-gated camera at the SLC damping rings are reported.

Corneal iron ring after conductive keratoplasty.

PubMed

Kymionis, George D; Naoumidi, Tatiana L; Aslanides, Ioannis M; Pallikaris, Ioannis G

2003-08-01

To report formation of corneal iron ring deposits after conductive keratoplasty. Observational case report. Case report. A 54-year-old woman underwent conductive keratoplasty for hyperopia. One year after conductive keratoplasty, iron ring pattern pigmentation was detected at the corneal epithelium of both eyes. This is the first report of the appearance of corneal iron ring deposits following conductive keratoplasty treatment in a patient. It is suggested that alterations in tear film stability, resulting from conductive keratoplasty-induced changes in corneal curvature, constitute the contributory factor for these deposits.

In Situ Surveying of Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, P. E.; Rilee, M. L.; Curtis, S. A.; Cheung, C.

2004-03-01

Saturn Autonomous Ring Array (SARA) mission concept is an application for the Autonomous Nano-Technology Swarm (ANTS) architecture that would perform in situ observations of compositional and dynamic properties of ring particles, a challenge unachievable by previous mission designs.

Ring current proton decay by charge exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, P. H.; Hoffman, R. A.; Fritz, T.

1975-01-01

Explorer 45 measurements during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm have confirmed that the charge exchange decay mechanism can account for the decay of the storm-time proton ring current. Data from the moderate magnetic storm of 24 February 1972 was selected for study since a symmetrical ring current had developed and effects due to asymmetric ring current losses could be eliminated. It was found that after the initial rapid decay of the proton flux, the equatorially mirroring protons in the energy range 5 to 30 keV decayed throughout the L-value range of 3.5 to 5.0 at the charge exchange decay rate calculated by Liemohn. After several days of decay, the proton fluxes reached a lower limit where an apparent equilibrium was maintained, between weak particle source mechanisms and the loss mechanisms, until fresh protons were injected into the ring current region during substorms. While other proton loss mechanisms may also be operating, the results indicate that charge exchange can entirely account for the storm-time proton ring current decay, and that this mechanism must be considered in all studies involving the loss of proton ring current particles.

Analysis of variance to assess statistical significance of Laplacian estimation accuracy improvement due to novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes.

PubMed

Makeyev, Oleksandr; Joe, Cody; Lee, Colin; Besio, Walter G

2017-07-01

Concentric ring electrodes have shown promise in non-invasive electrophysiological measurement demonstrating their superiority to conventional disc electrodes, in particular, in accuracy of Laplacian estimation. Recently, we have proposed novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes. Analytic and finite element method modeling results for linearly increasing distances electrode configurations suggested they may decrease the truncation error resulting in more accurate Laplacian estimates compared to currently used constant inter-ring distances configurations. This study assesses statistical significance of Laplacian estimation accuracy improvement due to novel variable inter-ring distances concentric ring electrodes. Full factorial design of analysis of variance was used with one categorical and two numerical factors: the inter-ring distances, the electrode diameter, and the number of concentric rings in the electrode. The response variables were the Relative Error and the Maximum Error of Laplacian estimation computed using a finite element method model for each of the combinations of levels of three factors. Effects of the main factors and their interactions on Relative Error and Maximum Error were assessed and the obtained results suggest that all three factors have statistically significant effects in the model confirming the potential of using inter-ring distances as a means of improving accuracy of Laplacian estimation.

Development of a liquid metal slip ring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinberger, S. M.

1972-01-01

A liquid metal slip ring/solar orientation mechanism was designed and a model tested. This was a follow-up of previous efforts for the development of a gallium liquid metal slip ring in which the major problem was the formation and ejection of debris. A number of slip ring design approaches were studied. The probe design concept was fully implemented with detail drawings and a model was successfully tested for dielectric strength, shock vibration, acceleration and operation. The conclusions are that a gallium liquid metal slip ring/solar orientation mechanism is feasible and that the problem of debris formation and ejection has been successfully solved.

Interannual variability of ring formations in the Gulf Stream region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Y. N.

2016-02-01

An oceanic ring in the Gulf Stream (GS) region plays important roles in across-jet transport of heat, salt, momentum, and nutrients. This study examines interannual variability of rings shed from the GS jet and their properties using satellite altimeter observations from 1993 to 2013. An objective method is used to capture a ring shedding from the GS jet and track its movement. A spatial distribution of the ring formations in the GS region showed that both cyclonic (cold-core) and anticyclonic (warm-core) rings were most frequently formed around the New England Seamount chain between 62°-65°W, suggesting the importance of the bottom topography on the pinch-off process. These rings moved westward, although about two-third of these rings was reabsorbed by the GS jet. The number of ring formations, especially cyclonic ring formations, indicated prominent fluctuations on interannual to decadal timescales. The annual maximum number of the pinched-off rings is four times larger than the annual minimum number of the rings. These fluctuations of the ring formations were negatively correlated with the strength of the GS. This situation is similar that in the Kuroshio Extension region. The interannual variability of the number of ring formations is also negatively correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index with one-year lag (NAO leads). Interannual variations of the propagation tendency and shape of rings are also discussed.

Clinical acceptability of an ethylene-vinyl-acetate nonmedicated vaginal ring.

PubMed

Roumen, F J; Dieben, T O

1999-01-01

In an open study the acceptability of a newly designed vaginal ring was evaluated. The ring being developed for contraceptive purposes was made of ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA). In this study the ring did not contain active medication. Three groups of 20 healthy female volunteers were asked to use rings--with a diameter of 54 mm--for 21 consecutive days; each group was assigned rings with a different cross-sectional thickness of 3, 3.5, or 4 mm. Subjects were given diary cards to report on insertion and removal of the ring and on complaints. Of the 65 women who participated, 59 completed the study and used the ring for at least 21 days, giving an acceptability of 91% (59/65). No major differences were found between the three types of rings except for a sensation of expulsion, which was reported more often in the group assigned the smallest cross-sectional-thickness ring. Expulsion was reported once during intercourse in the 3.5-mm group. Insertion and removal of the rings were judged to be easy by the overall majority of the women. The ring was felt by the partner during intercourse in 35%-50% of couples. Further development of an active combined contraceptive EVA ring with a cross-sectional thickness of 4 mm seems a reasonable option. In future studies with the active ring, allowance for temporary removal of the ring during intercourse, if preferred, may be suggested.

Comparison of disposable sutureless silicone ring and traditional metal ring in 23-gauge vitrectomy combined with cataract surgery.

PubMed

Wu, Jian-Guo; Wei, Rui-Hua; Liu, Ai-Hua; Zhou, Xiao-Xu; Sun, Guo-Ling; Li, Xiao-Rong

2011-01-01

The purpose of this prospective, interventional, comparative case series was to evaluate the efficiency and feasibility of a disposable sutureless silicone lens ring for corneal contact lens stabilization during combined 23-gauge vitrectomy and cataract surgery. We developed a ring consisting of a single silicone component with three footplates along the ring margin to fit cannulae for holding conventional contact lenses. Thirty eyes from 30 patients with cataract and vitreoretinal disease were included, and divided into two matched groups according to disease type and ring used. In Group A, we used a 23-gauge transconjunctival vitrectomy system and a disposable sutureless silicone lens ring (n = 15). In Group B, we used a 23-gauge transconjunctival vitrectomy system and a conventional metal lens ring (n = 15). The main outcome measures were: time required for vitrectomy preparation, rate of intraoperative corneal limbus bleeding, and limbus scar rate at the final follow-up visit. Thirty cases were successfully completed. The average vitrectomy preparation time was less in Group A than in Group B (P < 0.01), and the average preparation time saved was 3.94 minutes. None of the Group A patients had intraoperative bleeding or postoperative scarring, whereas all 15 Group B cases had bleeding and five had scarring. There was a statistically significant difference between Group A and Group B for these complications (P ≤ 0.05). This report demonstrates the advantages of using a sutureless silicone ring during combined 23-gauge vitrectomy and cataract surgery. Using this method could allow extra time for the surgeon to pay more attention to complex vitreoretinal procedures.

Ring Counts in Second-Growth Baldcypress

Treesearch

W. R. Beaufait; T. C. Nelson

1957-01-01

Many thrifty, second-growth baldcypress trees (Taxodium distichum) [L.] Rich. ) appear to lay down several rings each year. These false rings may cause foresters to underestimate the growth potential of a highly prized species by overestimating the age of sample trees.

The RING Finger E3 Ligase SpRing is a Positive Regulator of Salt Stress Signaling in Salt-Tolerant Wild Tomato Species.

PubMed

Qi, Shilian; Lin, Qingfang; Zhu, Huishan; Gao, Fenghua; Zhang, Wenhao; Hua, Xuejun

2016-03-01

Protein ubiquitination in plants plays critical roles in many biological processes, including adaptation to abiotic stresses. Previously, RING finger E3 ligase has been characterized during salt stress response in several plant species, but little is known about its function in tomato. Here, we report that SpRing, a stress-inducible gene, is involved in salt stress signaling in wild tomato species Solanum pimpinellifolium 'PI365967'. In vitro ubiquitination assay revealed that SpRing is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and the RING finger conserved region is required for its activity. SpRing is expressed in all tissues of wild tomato and up-regulated by salt, drought and osmotic stresses, but repressed by low temperature. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion analysis showed that SpRing is localized at the endoplasmic reticulum. Silencing of SpRing through a virus-induced gene silencing approach led to increased sensitivity to salt stress in wild tomato. Overexpression of SpRing in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in enhanced salt tolerance during seed germination and early seedling development. The expression levels of certain key stress-related genes are altered both in SpRing-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants and virus-induced gene silenced tomato seedlings. Taken together, our results indicate that SpRing is involved in salt stress and functions as a positive regulator of salt tolerance. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Compositional Evolution of Saturn's Rings Due to Meteoroid Bombardment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuzzi, J.; Estrada, P.; Young, Richard E. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

In this paper we address the question of compositional evolution in planetary ring systems subsequent to meteoroid bombardment. The huge surface area to mass ratio of planetary rings ensures that this is an important process, even with current uncertainties on the meteoroid flux. We develop a new model which includes both direct deposition of extrinsic meteoritic "pollutants", and ballistic transport of the increasingly polluted ring material as impact ejecta. Our study includes detailed radiative transfer modeling of ring particle spectral reflectivities based on refractive indices of realistic constituents. Voyager data have shown that the lower optical depth regions in Saturn's rings (the C ring and Cassini Division) have darker and less red particles than the optically thicken A and B rings. These coupled structural-compositional groupings have never been explained; we present and explore the hypothesis that global scale color and compositional differences in the main rings of Saturn arise naturally from extrinsic meteoroid bombardment of a ring system which was initially composed primarily, but not entirely, of water ice. We find that the regional color and albedo differences can be understood if all ring material was initially identical (primarily water ice, based on other data, but colored by tiny amounts of intrinsic reddish, plausibly organic, absorber) and then evolved entirely by addition and mixing of extrinsic, nearly neutrally colored. plausibly carbonaceous material. We further demonstrate that the detailed radial profile of color across the abrupt B ring - C ring boundary can.constrain key unknown parameters in the model. Using new alternates of parameter values, we estimate the duration of the exposure to extrinsic meteoroid flux of this part of the rings, at least, to be on the order of 10(exp 8) years. This conclusion is easily extended by inference to the Cassini Division and its surroundings as well. This geologically young "age" is compatible

Acceptability of the vaginal contraceptive ring among adolescent women.

PubMed

Terrell, Lekeisha R; Tanner, Amanda E; Hensel, Devon J; Blythe, Margaret J; Fortenberry, J Dennis

2011-08-01

Although underutilized, the vaginal contraceptive ring has several advantages over other contraceptive methods that could benefit adolescents. We examined factors that may influence willingness to try the vaginal ring including: sexual and contraceptive history, genital comfort, and vaginal ring characteristics. Cross sectional Midwestern adolescent health clinics Adolescent women (N = 200; 14-18 years; 89% African-American) INTERVENTIONS/MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All participants received education about the vaginal ring and viewed pictures demonstrating insertion; they then completed a visual/audio computer-assisted self interview. The primary outcome variable, willingness to try the vaginal ring, was a single Likert-scale item. Over half the participants reported knowledge of the vaginal ring with healthcare providers identified as the most important source of contraceptive information. Comfort with one's genitals, insertion and removal, using alternative methods of insertion, and knowing positive method characteristics were significantly associated with willingness to try the vaginal ring. A decreased willingness to try the vaginal ring was related to concerns of the ring getting lost inside or falling out of the vagina. Willingness to try the ring was associated with positive feelings about genitals (e.g., comfort with appearance, hygiene, function). Thus, to increase willingness to try the vaginal ring among adolescents, providers should make it common practice to discuss basic female reproductive anatomy, raise awareness about female genital health and address concerns about their genitals. Providers can offer alternative insertion techniques (e.g., gloves) to make use more accessible. These strategies may increase vaginal ring use among adolescents. 2011 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction of vortex rings with multiple permeable screens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musta, Mustafa N.; Krueger, Paul S.

2014-11-01

Interaction of a vortex ring impinging on multiple permeable screens orthogonal to the ring axis was studied to experimentally investigate the persistence and decay of vortical structures inside the screen array using digital particle image velocimetry in a refractive index matched environment. The permeable screens had porosities (open area ratios) of 83.8%, 69.0%, and 55.7% and were held by a transparent frame that allowed the screen spacing to be changed. Vortex rings were generated using a piston-cylinder mechanism at nominal jet Reynolds numbers of 1000, 2000, and 3000 with piston stroke length-to-diameter ratios of 2 and 3. The interaction of vortex rings with the porous medium showed a strong dependence of the overall flow evolution on the screen porosity, with a central flow being preserved and vortex ring-like structures (with smaller diameter than the primary vortex ring) being generated near the centerline. Due to the large rod size used in the screens, immediate reformation of the transmitted vortex ring with size comparable to the primary ring (as has been observed with thin screens) was not observed in most cases. Since the screens have lower complexity and high open area ratios, centerline vortex ring-like flow structures formed with comparable size to the screen pore size and penetrated through the screens. In the case of low porosity screens (55.7%) with large screen spacing, re-emergence of large scale (large separation), weak vortical structures/pairs (analogous to a transmitted vortex ring) was observed downstream of the first screen. Additional smaller scale vortical structures were generated by the interaction of the vortex ring with subsequent screens. The size distribution of the generated vortical structures were shown to be strongly affected by porosity, with smaller vortical structures playing a stronger role as porosity decreased. Finally, porosity significantly affected the decay of total energy, but the effect of screen spacing

Estimation of oxygen isotope in source water of tree-ring cellulose in Indonesia using tree-ring oxygen isotope model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hisamochi, R.; Watanabe, Y.; Kurita, N.; Sano, M.; Nakatsuka, T.; Matsuo, M.; Yamamoto, H.; Sugiyama, J.; Tsuda, T.; Tagami, T.

2016-12-01

Oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of tree-ring cellulose has been used as paleoclimate proxy because its origin is atmospheric precipitation. However, interpretation of tree-ring cellulose δ18O is not simple because source water of tree-ring cellulose (the water took up by tree) is not atmospheric precipitation but soil water or ground water in growing season, precisely. In this study, we investigate the relationship between source water of tree-ring cellulose and precipitation in order to improve interpretation of tree-ring cellulose δ18O as paleoclimate proxy. We collected ten teak (Tectona grandis) plantation samples in Java Island, Indonesia. Teak is deciduous tree and grows in rainy season. Samples were cut into annual rings after cellulose extraction. δ18O of individual rings were measured by TCEA-IRMS at the Research Institute of Humanity and Nature. We calculatedδ18O of source water by means of tree-ring oxygen isotope model and then comparedδ18O of source water and that of monthly atmospheric precipitation at Jakarta (GNIP; Global Network of isotopes in Precipitation). Source waterδ18O shows two types of significant correlation withδ18O in atmospheric precipitation. One is positive correlation withδ18O of atmospheric precipitation in previous rainy season. Another is negative correlation with δ18O of atmospheric precipitation in beginning of the growing season. The former indicates that soil water in growing season contains rainfall in previous rainy season and teak mainly takes it up. The latter is difficult to interpret. It may be related to soil moisutre in beginning of growing season.

Functional roles of the pepper RING finger protein gene, CaRING1, in abscisic acid signaling and dehydration tolerance.

PubMed

Lim, Chae Woo; Hwang, Byung Kook; Lee, Sung Chul

2015-09-01

Plants are constantly exposed to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses, which include pathogens and conditions of high salinity, low temperature, and drought. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a major plant hormone involved in signal transduction pathways that mediate the defense response of plants to abiotic stress. Previously, we isolated Ring finger protein gene (CaRING1) from pepper (Capsicum annuum), which is associated with resistance to bacterial pathogens, accompanied by hypersensitive cell death. Here, we report a new function of the CaRING1 gene product in the ABA-mediated defense responses of plants to dehydration stress. The expression of the CaRING1 gene was induced in pepper leaves treated with ABA or exposed to dehydration or NaCl. Virus-induced gene silencing of CaRING1 in pepper plants exhibited low degree of ABA-induced stomatal closure and high levels of transpirational water loss in dehydrated leaves. These led to be more vulnerable to dehydration stress in CaRING1-silenced pepper than in the control pepper, accompanied by reduction of ABA-regulated gene expression and low accumulation of ABA and H2O2. In contrast, CaRING1-overexpressing transgenic plants showed enhanced sensitivity to ABA during the seedling growth and establishment. These plants were also more tolerant to dehydration stress than the wild-type plants because of high ABA accumulation, enhanced stomatal closure and increased expression of stress-responsive genes. Together, these results suggest that the CaRING1 acts as positive factor for dehydration tolerance in Arabidopsis by modulating ABA biosynthesis and ABA-mediated stomatal closing and gene expression.

Non-Linear Dynamics of Saturn's Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, L. W.

2015-12-01

Non-linear processes can explain why Saturn's rings are so active and dynamic. Some of this non-linearity is captured in a simple Predator-Prey Model: Periodic forcing from the moon causes streamline crowding; This damps the relative velocity, and allows aggregates to grow. About a quarter phase later, the aggregates stir the system to higher relative velocity and the limit cycle repeats each orbit, with relative velocity ranging from nearly zero to a multiple of the orbit average: 2-10x is possible. Summary of Halo Results: A predator-prey model for ring dynamics produces transient structures like 'straw' that can explain the halo structure and spectroscopy: Cyclic velocity changes cause perturbed regions to reach higher collision speeds at some orbital phases, which preferentially removes small regolith particles; Surrounding particles diffuse back too slowly to erase the effect: this gives the halo morphology; This requires energetic collisions (v ≈ 10m/sec, with throw distances about 200km, implying objects of scale R ≈ 20km); We propose 'straw', as observed ny Cassini cameras. Transform to Duffing Eqn : With the coordinate transformation, z = M2/3, the Predator-Prey equations can be combined to form a single second-order differential equation with harmonic resonance forcing. Ring dynamics and history implications: Moon-triggered clumping at perturbed regions in Saturn's rings creates both high velocity dispersion and large aggregates at these distances, explaining both small and large particles observed there. This confirms the triple architecture of ring particles: a broad size distribution of particles; these aggregate into temporary rubble piles; coated by a regolith of dust. We calculate the stationary size distribution using a cell-to-cell mapping procedure that converts the phase-plane trajectories to a Markov chain. Approximating the Markov chain as an asymmetric random walk with reflecting boundaries allows us to determine the power law index from

Photometric Analysis of the Jovian Ring System and Modeling of Ring Origin and Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esposito, L. W.

2003-01-01

We have successfully completed the work described in our proposal. The work supported by this grant resulted in the publication of the following paper: Brooks, S. M., L. W. Esposito, M. R. Showalter, and H. B. Throop. 2002. The size distribution of Jupiter's main ring from Galileo imaging and spectroscopy. Icarus, in press. This was also the major part of Dr. Shawn Brooks PhD dissertation. Dr. Brooks gave oral presentations on this work at the Lunar and Planetary Conference, the annual meetings of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, the annual meetings of the European Geophysical Society, the international Jupiter Conference in Boulder, the Jupiter after Galileo and Cassini Conference in Lisbon and to the Working Group in Non-Linear Dynamics in Potsdam, Germany. This work was reviewed in: Esposito, L. W. 2002. Planetary rings. Rep. hog. Phys. 65, 1741-1783. Planetary rings. LASP reprint 874. Online at http://stacks.iop.org/RoPP/65/1741. Dr. Esposito gave presentations at schools and over the internet on the results of this work. Dr. Brooks lectured in undergraduate and graduate classes on Jupiter's rings, and on the meaning of his research. In August 2003, Dr. Shawn Brooks received the Phd degree from the University of Colorado in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences.

Cassini RADAR End of Mission Calibration and Preliminary Ring Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, R. D.; Janssen, M.; Zhang, Z.; Cuzzi, J. N.; Anderson, Y.; Hamilton, G.

2017-12-01

The Cassini mission is in the midst of its last year of observations. Part of the mission plan includes orbits that bring the spacecraft close to Saturn's rings prior to deorbiting into Saturn's atmosphere. First, a series of F-ring orbits crossed the ring plane just outside of the F-ring, and then a series of Proximal orbits crossed the ring plane inside of the D-ring - just above the cloud tops. The Cassini RADAR instrument collected active and passive data of the rings in 5 observations, of Saturn in one observation, and passive only data in an additional 4 observations. These observations provided a unique opportunity to obtain backscatter measurements and relatively high-resolution brightness temperature measurements from Saturn and the rings. Such measurements were never before possible from the spacecraft or the Earth due to high range. Before the F-ring orbits began, and again during the last rings scan, the radar collected calibration data to aid calibration of the rings measurements and to provide an updated timeline of the radar calibration over the whole mission. This presentation will cover preliminary processing results from the radar rings scans and from the calibration data sets. Ultimately, these ring scan measurements will provide a 1-D profile of backscatter obtained at 2.2 cm wavelength that will complement similar passive profiles obtained at optical, infrared, and microwave wavelengths. Such measurements will further constrain and inform models of the ring particle composition and structure, and the local vertical structure of the rings. This work is supported by the NASA Cassini Program at JPL - CalTech.

A Photometric Model of the Inclined F Ring of Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharringhausen, Britt; Nicholson, P. D.

2007-10-01

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the August 1995 Saturn ring-plane crossing (RPX) by Earth revealed a surprising east-west asymmetry in ring brightness both before and after the RPX (Nicholson et al. 1996). Previous F-ring models (Poulet et al. 2000) used the overall ring brightness near RPX to probe the photometric thickness of the F ring. In the current work, we exploit the fact that the brightness asymmetry is sensitive to the inclination, node, and physical height of the F ring. We use the inclined F-ring orbit of Bosh et al. (2002), and treat the F ring as a longitudinally symmetric "ribbon" of uniform albedo and phase function with a vertical Gaussian distribution of radial optical depth that has a full height at half maximum of 13±7 km and an equivalent depth (i.e. radially-integrated normal optical depth) of 10±4 km. The model reproduces the observed asymmetry in ring brightness immediately after the RPX, when the Earth is on the sunlit side of the main rings. The F ring obscures the east ansa to a greater extent than the west ansa and the sense of the asymmetry then reverses as the Earth passes through the F-ring plane. Before the RPX, the model does not reproduce the small observed asymmetry in ring brightness, suggesting that the dark-side asymmetry is due to longitudinal variations in the F ring rather than blocking effects. The shapes of model radial profiles of ring brightness are a good match to the HST data both before and after the RPX. This work was supported by NASA.

Detecting transit signatures of exoplanetary rings using SOAP3.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinsanmi, B.; Oshagh, M.; Santos, N. C.; Barros, S. C. C.

2018-01-01

Context. It is theoretically possible for rings to have formed around extrasolar planets in a similar way to that in which they formed around the giant planets in our solar system. However, no such rings have been detected to date. Aims: We aim to test the possibility of detecting rings around exoplanets by investigating the photometric and spectroscopic ring signatures in high-precision transit signals. Methods: The photometric and spectroscopic transit signals of a ringed planet is expected to show deviations from that of a spherical planet. We used these deviations to quantify the detectability of rings. We present SOAP3.0 which is a numerical tool to simulate ringed planet transits and measure ring detectability based on amplitudes of the residuals between the ringed planet signal and best fit ringless model. Results: We find that it is possible to detect the photometric and spectroscopic signature of near edge-on rings especially around planets with high impact parameter. Time resolution ≤7 min is required for the photometric detection, while 15 min is sufficient for the spectroscopic detection. We also show that future instruments like CHEOPS and ESPRESSO, with precisions that allow ring signatures to be well above their noise-level, present good prospects for detecting rings.

Ring of Stellar Death

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a dying star (center) surrounded by a cloud of glowing gas and dust. Thanks to Spitzer's dust-piercing infrared eyes, the new image also highlights a never-before-seen feature -- a giant ring of material (red) slightly offset from the cloud's core. This clumpy ring consists of material that was expelled from the aging star.

The star and its cloud halo constitute a 'planetary nebula' called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers. Leftover material shoots outward, expanding in shells around the star. This ejected material is then bombarded with ultraviolet light from the central star's fiery surface, producing huge, glowing clouds -- planetary nebulas -- that look like giant jellyfish in space.

In this image, the expelled gases appear green, and the ring of expelled material appears red. Astronomers believe the ring is likely made of hydrogen molecules that were ejected from the star in the form of atoms, then cooled to make hydrogen pairs. The new data will help explain how planetary nebulas take shape, and how they nourish future generations of stars.

This image composite was taken on Dec. 6, 2003, by Spitzer's infrared array camera, and is composed of images obtained at four wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).

Calcium sensitive ring-like oligomers formed by synaptotagmin

PubMed Central

Wang, Jing; Bello, Oscar; Auclair, Sarah M.; Wang, Jing; Coleman, Jeff; Pincet, Frederic; Krishnakumar, Shyam S.; Sindelar, Charles V.; Rothman, James E.

2014-01-01

The synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin-1 (SYT) is required to couple calcium influx to the membrane fusion machinery. However, the structural mechanism underlying this process is unclear. Here we report an unexpected circular arrangement (ring) of SYT’s cytosolic domain (C2AB) formed on lipid monolayers in the absence of free calcium ions as revealed by electron microscopy. Rings vary in diameter from 18–43 nm, corresponding to 11–26 molecules of SYT. Continuous stacking of the SYT rings occasionally converts both lipid monolayers and bilayers into protein-coated tubes. Helical reconstruction of the SYT tubes shows that one of the C2 domains (most likely C2B, based on its biochemical properties) interacts with the membrane and is involved in ring formation, and the other C2 domain points radially outward. SYT rings are disrupted rapidly by physiological concentrations of free calcium but not by magnesium. Assuming that calcium-free SYT rings are physiologically relevant, these results suggest a simple and novel mechanism by which SYT regulates neurotransmitter release: The ring acts as a spacer to prevent the completion of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor activating protein receptor (SNARE) complex assembly, thereby clamping fusion in the absence of calcium. When the ring disassembles in the presence of calcium, fusion proceeds unimpeded. PMID:25201968

The Case for Massive and Ancient Rings of Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

2016-04-01

Analysis of Voyager and Pioneer 11 results give a mass for Saturn's rings, M = 5 x 10-8 Msat. This is about the mass of Saturn's small moon Mimas. This has been interpreted as a lower limit to the ring mass (Esposito et al 1983), since the thickest parts of the rings were not penetrated by the stellar occultstion, and this calculation assumes an unvarying particle size throughout the rings. Because the rings are constantly bombarded by micrometeroids, their current composition of nearly pure water ice implies such low mass rings must have formed recently. The case is par-ticularly strong for Saturn's A ring, where the data are the best, implying the A ring is less than 10% of the age of the Saturn (Esposito 1986). Cassini results com-pound this problem. UVIS spectra are consistent with either young rings or rings about 10x as massive as the Voyager estimate (Elliott and Esposito (2011). CDA confirms the impacting mass flux is similar to that as-sumed for the pollution calculations (Kempf etal 2015). VIMS analysis of density wave signatures in the B ring gives a value of about 1/3 the Voyager value (Hedmann etal 2016). This VIMS result implies the rings are even younger! The problem is that young rings are very unlikely to be formed recently, meaning that we live in a very special epoch, following some unlikely recent origin… like disruption of a medium sized moon or capture of the fragments of a disrupted comet. This paradox (Charnoz etal 2009) is unre-solved. Alternative interpretations: To take the VIMS results at face value, Saturn's low mass rings must be very young. The optically thick B ring must be made of small, porous or fractal particles. This is hard to understand, since the particles are continually colliding every few hours and temporary aggregates will stir the collision velocities to higher values. An alternative is that we accept the higher mass interpretation of the Pioneer 11 results (Esposito etal 2008) using the granola bar model of Colwell

Joining mechanism with stem tension and interlocked compression ring

DOEpatents

James, Allister W.; Morrison, Jay A.

2012-09-04

A stem (34) extends from a second part (30) through a hole (28) in a first part (22). A groove (38) around the stem provides a non-threaded contact surface (42) for a ring element (44) around the stem. The ring element exerts an inward force against the non-threaded contact surface at an angle that creates axial tension (T) in the stem, pulling the second part against the first part. The ring element is formed of a material that shrinks relative to the stem by sintering. The ring element may include a split collet (44C) that fits partly into the groove, and a compression ring (44E) around the collet. The non-threaded contact surface and a mating distal surface (48) of the ring element may have conic geometries (64). After shrinkage, the ring element is locked onto the stem.

Properties of tree rings in LSST sensors

DOE PAGES

Park, H. Y.; Nomerotski, A.; Tsybychev, D.

2017-05-30

Images of uniformly illuminated sensors for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope have circular periodic patterns with an appearance similar to tree rings. Furthermore, these patterns are caused by circularly symmetric variations of the dopant concentration in the monocrystal silicon boule induced by the manufacturing process. Non-uniform charge density results in the parasitic electric field inside the silicon sensor, which may distort shapes of astronomical sources. Here, we analyzed data from fifteen LSST sensors produced by ITL to determine the main parameters of the tree rings: amplitude and period, and also variability across the sensors tested at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Treemore » ring pattern has a weak dependence on the wavelength. But the ring amplitude gets smaller as wavelength gets longer, since longer wavelengths penetrate deeper into the silicon. Tree ring amplitude gets larger as it gets closer to the outer part of the wafer, from 0.1 to 1.0%, indicating that the resistivity variation is larger for larger radii.« less

Micro Ring Grating Spectrometer with Adjustable Aperture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A spectrometer includes a micro-ring grating device having coaxially-aligned ring gratings for diffracting incident light onto a target focal point, a detection device for detecting light intensity, one or more actuators, and an adjustable aperture device defining a circular aperture. The aperture circumscribes a target focal point, and directs a light to the detection device. The aperture device is selectively adjustable using the actuators to select a portion of a frequency band for transmission to the detection device. A method of detecting intensity of a selected band of incident light includes directing incident light onto coaxially-aligned ring gratings of a micro-ring grating device, and diffracting the selected band onto a target focal point using the ring gratings. The method includes using an actuator to adjust an aperture device and pass a selected portion of the frequency band to a detection device for measuring the intensity of the selected portion.

Mechanical evaluation of aluminum alloy ring fixator.

PubMed

Tosborvorn, Somboon; Cheechareon, Sukrom; Ruttanuchun, Kittiput; Sirivedin, Suparerk; Rhienumporn, Chaitawat

2006-11-01

To test the homemade ring fixator as a tool for correction of bony deformity. The authors developed an aluminum alloy ring fixator and tested it to find out the accuracy of manufacturing and strength of the ring systems under axial load with the Roundness Testing Machine and Lloyd Universal Testing Machine. The mean diameter of the twenty five-drill holes was 6.5843872 +/- 0.0521594 mm (mean +/- SD). Distance between particular drill holes, which reflected the precision of drilling, had a high accuracy with standard deviation from 0.1138 to 0.1870 mm. The roundness of the rings was 0.2421376 +/- 0.12437977 mm (mean +/- SD). The system structure had minimal permanent deformity at breaking point, mean yield strength of the system was 4786.9 +/- 14.353 N (mean +/- SD). This was caused by the failure of the wire. Mean stiffness of the system was 127 N./mm. The aluminum alloy ring fixator was strong enough and well tolerated for clinical usage

Properties of tree rings in LSST sensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, H. Y.; Nomerotski, A.; Tsybychev, D.

Images of uniformly illuminated sensors for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope have circular periodic patterns with an appearance similar to tree rings. Furthermore, these patterns are caused by circularly symmetric variations of the dopant concentration in the monocrystal silicon boule induced by the manufacturing process. Non-uniform charge density results in the parasitic electric field inside the silicon sensor, which may distort shapes of astronomical sources. Here, we analyzed data from fifteen LSST sensors produced by ITL to determine the main parameters of the tree rings: amplitude and period, and also variability across the sensors tested at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Treemore » ring pattern has a weak dependence on the wavelength. But the ring amplitude gets smaller as wavelength gets longer, since longer wavelengths penetrate deeper into the silicon. Tree ring amplitude gets larger as it gets closer to the outer part of the wafer, from 0.1 to 1.0%, indicating that the resistivity variation is larger for larger radii.« less

On Stellar Flash Echoes from Circular Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemiroff, Robert; Mukherjee, Oindabi

2018-01-01

A flash -- or any episode of variability -- that occurs in the vicinity of a circular ring might be seen several times later, simultaneously, as echoes on the ring. Effective images of the flash are created and annihilated in pairs, with as many as four flash images visible concurrently. Videos detailing sequences of image pair creation, tandem motion, and subsequent image annihilation are shown, given simple opacity and scattering assumptions. It is proven that, surprisingly, images from a second pair creation event always annihilate with images from the first. Caustic surfaces between flash locations yielding two and four images are computed. Although such ring echos surely occur, their practical detection might be difficult as it could require dedicated observing programs involving sensitive photometry of extended objects. Potential flash sources include planetary and interstellar gas and dust rings near and around variable stars, flare stars, novae, supernovae, and GRBs. Potentially recoverable information includes size, distance, temporal history, and angular isotropy of both the ring and flash.

Single-molecule conductance through multiple π-π-stacked benzene rings determined with direct electrode-to-benzene ring connections.

PubMed