Two Point Space-Time Correlation of Density Fluctuations Measured in High Velocity Free Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta

2006-01-01

Two-point space-time correlations of air density fluctuations in unheated, fully-expanded free jets at Mach numbers M(sub j) = 0.95, 1.4, and 1.8 were measured using a Rayleigh scattering based diagnostic technique. The molecular scattered light from two small probe volumes of 1.03 mm length was measured for a completely non-intrusive means of determining the turbulent density fluctuations. The time series of density fluctuations were analyzed to estimate the integral length scale L in a moving frame of reference and the convective Mach number M(sub c) at different narrow Strouhal frequency (St) bands. It was observed that M(sub c) and the normalized moving frame length scale L*St/D, where D is the jet diameter, increased with Strouhal frequency before leveling off at the highest resolved frequency. Significant differences were observed between data obtained from the lip shear layer and the centerline of the jet. The wave number frequency transform of the correlation data demonstrated progressive increase in the radiative part of turbulence fluctuations with increasing jet Mach number.

Detection of the power spectrum of cosmic microwave background lensing by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

PubMed

Das, Sudeep; Sherwin, Blake D; Aguirre, Paula; Appel, John W; Bond, J Richard; Carvalho, C Sofia; Devlin, Mark J; Dunkley, Joanna; Dünner, Rolando; Essinger-Hileman, Thomas; Fowler, Joseph W; Hajian, Amir; Halpern, Mark; Hasselfield, Matthew; Hincks, Adam D; Hlozek, Renée; Huffenberger, Kevin M; Hughes, John P; Irwin, Kent D; Klein, Jeff; Kosowsky, Arthur; Lupton, Robert H; Marriage, Tobias A; Marsden, Danica; Menanteau, Felipe; Moodley, Kavilan; Niemack, Michael D; Nolta, Michael R; Page, Lyman A; Parker, Lucas; Reese, Erik D; Schmitt, Benjamin L; Sehgal, Neelima; Sievers, Jon; Spergel, David N; Staggs, Suzanne T; Swetz, Daniel S; Switzer, Eric R; Thornton, Robert; Visnjic, Katerina; Wollack, Ed

2011-07-08

We report the first detection of the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background through a measurement of the four-point correlation function in the temperature maps made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. We verify our detection by calculating the levels of potential contaminants and performing a number of null tests. The resulting convergence power spectrum at 2° angular scales measures the amplitude of matter density fluctuations on comoving length scales of around 100 Mpc at redshifts around 0.5 to 3. The measured amplitude of the signal agrees with Lambda cold dark matter cosmology predictions. Since the amplitude of the convergence power spectrum scales as the square of the amplitude of the density fluctuations, the 4σ detection of the lensing signal measures the amplitude of density fluctuations to 12%.

Pulsational mode fluctuations and their basic conservation laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borah, B.; Karmakar, P. K.

2015-01-01

We propose a theoretical hydrodynamic model for investigating the basic features of nonlinear pulsational mode stability in a partially charged dust molecular cloud within the framework of the Jeans homogenization assumption. The inhomogeneous cloud is modeled as a quasi-neutral multifluid consisting of the warm electrons, warm ions, and identical inertial cold dust grains with partial ionization in a neutral gaseous background. The grain-charge is assumed not to vary in the fluctuation evolution time scale. The active inertial roles of the thermal species are included. We apply a standard multiple scaling technique centered on the gravito-electrostatic equilibrium to understand the fluctuations on the astrophysical scales of space and time. This is found that electrostatic and self-gravitational eigenmodes co-exist as diverse solitary spectral patterns governed by a pair of Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equations. In addition, all the relevant classical conserved quantities associated with the KdV system under translational invariance are methodologically derived and numerically analyzed. A full numerical shape-analysis of the fluctuations, scale lengths and perturbed densities with multi-parameter variation of judicious plasma conditions is carried out. A correlation of the perturbed densities and gravito-electrostatic spectral patterns is also graphically indicated. It is demonstrated that the solitary mass, momentum and energy densities also evolve like solitary spectral patterns which remain conserved throughout the spatiotemporal scales of the fluctuation dynamics. Astrophysical and space environments significant to our results are briefly highlighted.

HOW THE DENSITY ENVIRONMENT CHANGES THE INFLUENCE OF THE DARK MATTER–BARYON STREAMING VELOCITY ON COSMOLOGICAL STRUCTURE FORMATION

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

Ahn, Kyungjin, E-mail: kjahn@chosun.ac.kr

We study the dynamical effect of the relative velocity between dark matter and baryonic fluids, which remained supersonic after the epoch of recombination. The impact of this supersonic motion on the formation of cosmological structures was first formulated by Tseliakhovich and Hirata, in terms of the linear theory of small-scale fluctuations coupled to large-scale, relative velocities in mean-density regions. In their formalism, they limited the large-scale density environment to be that of the global mean density. We improve on their formulation by allowing variation in the density environment as well as the relative velocities. This leads to a new typemore » of coupling between large-scale and small-scale modes. We find that the small-scale fluctuation grows in a biased way: faster in the overdense environment and slower in the underdense environment. We also find that the net effect on the global power spectrum of the density fluctuation is to boost its overall amplitude from the prediction by Tseliakhovich and Hirata. Correspondingly, the conditional mass function of cosmological halos and the halo bias parameter are both affected in a similar way. The discrepancy between our prediction and that of Tseliakhovich and Hirata is significant, and therefore, the related cosmology and high-redshift astrophysics should be revisited. The mathematical formalism of this study can be used for generating cosmological initial conditions of small-scale perturbations in generic, overdense (underdense) background patches.« less

On the large scale structure of X-ray background sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bi, H. G.; Meszaros, A.; Meszaros, P.

1991-01-01

The large scale clustering of the sources responsible for the X-ray background is discussed, under the assumption of a discrete origin. The formalism necessary for calculating the X-ray spatial fluctuations in the most general case where the source density contrast in structures varies with redshift is developed. A comparison of this with observational limits is useful for obtaining information concerning various galaxy formation scenarios. The calculations presented show that a varying density contrast has a small impact on the expected X-ray fluctuations. This strengthens and extends previous conclusions concerning the size and comoving density of large scale structures at redshifts 0.5 between 4.0.

Multi-scale transport in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating and projection to ITER

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

Grierson, B. A.; Staebler, G. M.; Solomon, W. M.

Multi-scale fluctuations measured by turbulence diagnostics spanning long and short wavelength spatial scales impact energy confinement and the scale-lengths of plasma kinetic profiles in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating. Contrasting discharge phases with ECH + neutral beam injection (NBI) and NBI only at similar rotation reveal higher energy confinement and lower fluctuations when only NBI heating is used. Modeling of the core transport with TGYRO using the TGLF turbulent transport model and NEO neoclassical transport reproduces the experimental profile changes upon application of direct electron heating and indicates that multi-scale transport mechanisms are responsible for changesmore » in the temperature and density profiles. Intermediate and high-k fluctuations appear responsible for the enhanced electron thermal flux, and intermediate-k electron modes produce an inward particle pinch that increases the inverse density scale length. Projection to ITER is performed with TGLF and indicates a density profile that has a finite scale length due to intermediate-k electron modes at low collisionality and increases the fusion gain. Finally, for a range of E×B shear, the dominant mechanism that increases fusion performance is suppression of outward low-k particle flux and increased density peaking.« less

Multi-scale transport in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating and projection to ITER

DOE PAGES

Grierson, B. A.; Staebler, G. M.; Solomon, W. M.; ...

2018-02-01

Multi-scale fluctuations measured by turbulence diagnostics spanning long and short wavelength spatial scales impact energy confinement and the scale-lengths of plasma kinetic profiles in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating. Contrasting discharge phases with ECH + neutral beam injection (NBI) and NBI only at similar rotation reveal higher energy confinement and lower fluctuations when only NBI heating is used. Modeling of the core transport with TGYRO using the TGLF turbulent transport model and NEO neoclassical transport reproduces the experimental profile changes upon application of direct electron heating and indicates that multi-scale transport mechanisms are responsible for changesmore » in the temperature and density profiles. Intermediate and high-k fluctuations appear responsible for the enhanced electron thermal flux, and intermediate-k electron modes produce an inward particle pinch that increases the inverse density scale length. Projection to ITER is performed with TGLF and indicates a density profile that has a finite scale length due to intermediate-k electron modes at low collisionality and increases the fusion gain. Finally, for a range of E×B shear, the dominant mechanism that increases fusion performance is suppression of outward low-k particle flux and increased density peaking.« less

Multi-scale transport in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating and projection to ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grierson, B. A.; Staebler, G. M.; Solomon, W. M.; McKee, G. R.; Holland, C.; Austin, M.; Marinoni, A.; Schmitz, L.; Pinsker, R. I.; DIII-D Team

2018-02-01

Multi-scale fluctuations measured by turbulence diagnostics spanning long and short wavelength spatial scales impact energy confinement and the scale-lengths of plasma kinetic profiles in the DIII-D ITER baseline scenario with direct electron heating. Contrasting discharge phases with ECH + neutral beam injection (NBI) and NBI only at similar rotation reveal higher energy confinement and lower fluctuations when only NBI heating is used. Modeling of the core transport with TGYRO using the TGLF turbulent transport model and NEO neoclassical transport reproduces the experimental profile changes upon application of direct electron heating and indicates that multi-scale transport mechanisms are responsible for changes in the temperature and density profiles. Intermediate and high-k fluctuations appear responsible for the enhanced electron thermal flux, and intermediate-k electron modes produce an inward particle pinch that increases the inverse density scale length. Projection to ITER is performed with TGLF and indicates a density profile that has a finite scale length due to intermediate-k electron modes at low collisionality and increases the fusion gain. For a range of E × B shear, the dominant mechanism that increases fusion performance is suppression of outward low-k particle flux and increased density peaking.

Multi-scale analysis of compressible fluctuations in the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Owen W.; Narita, Yasuhito; Escoubet, C.-Philippe

2018-01-01

Compressible plasma turbulence is investigated in the fast solar wind at proton kinetic scales by the combined use of electron density and magnetic field measurements. Both the scale-dependent cross-correlation (CC) and the reduced magnetic helicity (σm) are used in tandem to determine the properties of the compressible fluctuations at proton kinetic scales. At inertial scales the turbulence is hypothesised to contain a mixture of Alfvénic and slow waves, characterised by weak magnetic helicity and anti-correlation between magnetic field strength B and electron density ne. At proton kinetic scales the observations suggest that the fluctuations have stronger positive magnetic helicities as well as strong anti-correlations within the frequency range studied. These results are interpreted as being characteristic of either counter-propagating kinetic Alfvén wave packets or a mixture of anti-sunward kinetic Alfvén waves along with a component of kinetic slow waves.

Environment of Submillimeter Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, K.-c.; Chen, L.-w.

2013-10-01

To study the environment of high-redshift star-forming galaxies — submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) — and their role during large-scale structure formation, we have estimated the galaxy number density fluctuations around SMGs, and analyzed their cross correlation functions with Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs), and optical-selected galaxies with photometric redshift in the COSMOS and ECDFS fields. Only a marginal cross-correlation between SMGs and optical-selected galaxies at most redshifts intervals is found in our results, except a relatively strong correlation detected in the cases of AzTEC-detected SMGs with galaxies at z ˜2.6 and 3.6. The density fluctuations around SMGs with redshift estimated show most SMGs located in a high-density region. There is no correlation signal between LAEs and SMGs, and the galaxy density fluctuations indicate a slightly anti-correlation on a scale smaller than 2 Mpc. Furthermore, we also investigate the density fluctuations of passive and starforming galaxies selected by optical and near infrared colors at similar redshift around SMGs. Finally the implication from our results to the interconnection between high-redshift galaxy populations is discussed.

Density fluctuations from strings and galaxy formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vilenkin, A.; Shafi, Q.

1983-01-01

The spectra of density fluctuations caused by strings in a universe dominated either by baryons, neutrinos, or axions are presented. Realistic scenarios for galaxy formation seem possible in all three cases. Examples of grand unified theories which lead to strings with the desired mass scales are given.

Direct comparison of Viking 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density between 2 and 160 solar radii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, A. L.; Wackley, J. A.; Hietzke, W. H.

1982-01-01

The relationship between solar wind induced signal phase fluctuation and solar wind columnar electron density has been the subject of intensive analysis during the last two decades. In this article, a sizeable volume of 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density measurements separately and concurrently inferred from Viking spacecraft signals are compared as a function of solar geometry. These data demonstrate that signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density are proportional over a very wide span of solar elongation angle. A radially dependent electron density model which provides a good fit to the columnar electron density measurements and, when appropriately scaled, to the signal phase fluctuation measurements, is given. This model is also in good agreement with K-coronameter observations at 2 solar radii (2r0), with pulsar time delay measurements at 10r0, and with spacecraft in situ electron density measurements at 1 AU.

Influence of container shape on scaling of turbulent fluctuations in convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foroozani, N.; Niemela, J. J.; Armenio, V.; Sreenivasan, K. R.

2014-12-01

We perform large-eddy simulations of turbulent convection in a cubic cell for Rayleigh numbers, Ra, between 106 and 1010 and the molecular Prandtl number, Pr=0.7 . The simulations were carried out using a second-order-accurate finite-difference method in which subgrid-scale fluxes of momentum and heat were both parametrized using a Lagrangian and dynamic Smagorinsky model. The scaling of the root-mean-square fluctuations of density (temperature) and velocity measured in the cell center are in excellent agreement with the scaling measured in the laboratory experiments of Daya and Ecke [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 184501 (2001), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.184501] and differ substantially from that observed in cylindrical cells. We also observe the time-averaged spatial distributions of the local heat flux and density fluctuations, and find that they are strongly inhomogeneous in the horizontal midplane, with the largest density gradients occurring at the corners at the midheight, where hot and cold plumes mix in the form of strong counter-rotating eddies.

Influence of container shape on scaling of turbulent fluctuations in convection.

PubMed

Foroozani, N; Niemela, J J; Armenio, V; Sreenivasan, K R

2014-12-01

We perform large-eddy simulations of turbulent convection in a cubic cell for Rayleigh numbers, Ra, between 10(6) and 10(10) and the molecular Prandtl number, Pr=0.7. The simulations were carried out using a second-order-accurate finite-difference method in which subgrid-scale fluxes of momentum and heat were both parametrized using a Lagrangian and dynamic Smagorinsky model. The scaling of the root-mean-square fluctuations of density (temperature) and velocity measured in the cell center are in excellent agreement with the scaling measured in the laboratory experiments of Daya and Ecke [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 184501 (2001)] and differ substantially from that observed in cylindrical cells. We also observe the time-averaged spatial distributions of the local heat flux and density fluctuations, and find that they are strongly inhomogeneous in the horizontal midplane, with the largest density gradients occurring at the corners at the midheight, where hot and cold plumes mix in the form of strong counter-rotating eddies.

Generation of large-scale density fluctuations by buoyancy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chasnov, J. R.; Rogallo, R. S.

1990-01-01

The generation of fluid motion from a state of rest by buoyancy forces acting on a homogeneous isotropic small-scale density field is considered. Nonlinear interactions between the generated fluid motion and the initial isotropic small-scale density field are found to create an anisotropic large-scale density field with spectrum proportional to kappa(exp 4). This large-scale density field is observed to result in an increasing Reynolds number of the fluid turbulence in its final period of decay.

Constraints on the power spectrum of the primordial density field from large-scale data - Microwave background and predictions of inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashlinsky, A.

1992-01-01

It is shown here that, by using galaxy catalog correlation data as input, measurements of microwave background radiation (MBR) anisotropies should soon be able to test two of the inflationary scenario's most basic predictions: (1) that the primordial density fluctuations produced were scale-invariant and (2) that the universe is flat. They should also be able to detect anisotropies of large-scale structure formed by gravitational evolution of density fluctuations present at the last scattering epoch. Computations of MBR anisotropies corresponding to the minimum of the large-scale variance of the MBR anisotropy are presented which favor an open universe with P(k) significantly different from the Harrison-Zeldovich spectrum predicted by most inflationary models.

Solar Wind Turbulence and the Role of Ion Instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandrova, O.; Chen, C. H. K.; Sorriso-Valvo, L.; Horbury, T. S.; Bale, S. D.

Solar wind is probably the best laboratory to study turbulence in astrophysical plasmas. In addition to the presence of magnetic field, the differences with neutral fluid isotropic turbulence are: (i) weakness of collisional dissipation and (ii) presence of several characteristic space and time scales. In this paper we discuss observational properties of solar wind turbulence in a large range from the MHD to the electron scales. At MHD scales, within the inertial range, turbulence cascade of magnetic fluctuations develops mostly in the plane perpendicular to the mean field, with the Kolmogorov scaling k_{perp}^{-5/3} for the perpendicular cascade and k_⊥^{-2} for the parallel one. Solar wind turbulence is compressible in nature: density fluctuations at MHD scales have the Kolmogorov spectrum. Velocity fluctuations do not follow magnetic field ones: their spectrum is a power-law with a -3/2 spectral index. Probability distribution functions of different plasma parameters are not Gaussian, indicating presence of intermittency. At the moment there is no global model taking into account all these observed properties of the inertial range. At ion scales, turbulent spectra have a break, compressibility increases and the density fluctuation spectrum has a local flattening. Around ion scales, magnetic spectra are variable and ion instabilities occur as a function of the local plasma parameters. Between ion and electron scales, a small scale turbulent cascade seems to be established. It is characterized by a well defined power-law spectrum in magnetic and density fluctuations with a spectral index close to -2.8. Approaching electron scales, the fluctuations are no more self-similar: an exponential cut-off is usually observed (for time intervals without quasi-parallel whistlers) indicating an onset of dissipation. The small scale inertial range between ion and electron scales and the electron dissipation range can be together described by ˜ k_{perp}^{-α}exp(-k_{perp}elld), with α≃8/3 and the dissipation scale ℓ d close to the electron Larmor radius ℓ d ≃ρ e . The nature of this small scale cascade and a possible dissipation mechanism are still under debate.

Residual fluctuations in the matter and radiation distribution after the decoupling epoch. [of early universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, J.; Wilson, M. L.

1980-01-01

The residual spectra of matter and radiation fluctuations in the early universe are investigated, and the evolution of primordial adiabatic and isothermal fluctuations through the decoupling epoch is studied. Amplification of adiabatic density fluctuations during decoupling, or velocity 'overshoot', is largely suppressed by Compton drag. Consequently, the amplitude of density fluctuations entering the horizon prior to decoupling is larger than hitherto assumed in the adiabatic theory. Damping of primordial adiabatic density fluctuations by an order of magnitude occurs on mass-scales of 3 x 10 to the 13th solar masses (Omega = 1) or 10 to the 14th solar masses (Omega = 0.2). Comparison of the residual radiation fluctuations with observational limits indicates that the adiabatic theory is only acceptable if re-ionization of the intergalactic medium results in additional scattering of the radiation after decoupling. Primordial isothermal fluctuations are found to yield radiation fluctuations which are insensitive to the assumed spectrum and lie a factor of about 5 below current limits

Dark matter and cosmology

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

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold`` and ``hot`` non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds`` that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

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

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between cold'' and hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, David N.

1992-07-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the Ω = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold'' and ``hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, D. N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the omega = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between 'cold' and 'hot' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed 'seeds' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages, and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Multiparticle collision simulations of two-dimensional one-component plasmas: Anomalous transport and dimensional crossovers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Cintio, Pierfrancesco; Livi, Roberto; Lepri, Stefano; Ciraolo, Guido

2017-04-01

By means of hybrid multiparticle collsion-particle-in-cell (MPC-PIC) simulations we study the dynamical scaling of energy and density correlations at equilibrium in moderately coupled two-dimensional (2D) and quasi-one-dimensional (1D) plasmas. We find that the predictions of nonlinear fluctuating hydrodynamics for the structure factors of density and energy fluctuations in 1D systems with three global conservation laws hold true also for 2D systems that are more extended along one of the two spatial dimensions. Moreover, from the analysis of the equilibrium energy correlators and density structure factors of both 1D and 2D neutral plasmas, we find that neglecting the contribution of the fluctuations of the vanishing self-consistent electrostatic fields overestimates the interval of frequencies over which the anomalous transport is observed. Such violations of the expected scaling in the currents correlation are found in different regimes, hindering the observation of the asymptotic scaling predicted by the theory.

The formation of cosmic structure in a texture-seeded cold dark matter cosmogony

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gooding, Andrew K.; Park, Changbom; Spergel, David N.; Turok, Neil; Gott, Richard, III

1992-01-01

The growth of density fluctuations induced by global texture in an Omega = 1 cold dark matter (CDM) cosmogony is calculated. The resulting power spectra are in good agreement with each other, with more power on large scales than in the standard inflation plus CDM model. Calculation of related statistics (two-point correlation functions, mass variances, cosmic Mach number) indicates that the texture plus CDM model compares more favorably than standard CDM with observations of large-scale structure. Texture produces coherent velocity fields on large scales, as observed. Excessive small-scale velocity dispersions, and voids less empty than those observed may be remedied by including baryonic physics. The topology of the cosmic structure agrees well with observation. The non-Gaussian texture induced density fluctuations lead to earlier nonlinear object formation than in Gaussian models and may also be more compatible with recent evidence that the galaxy density field is non-Gaussian on large scales. On smaller scales the density field is strongly non-Gaussian, but this appears to be primarily due to nonlinear gravitational clustering. The velocity field on smaller scales is surprisingly Gaussian.

Density and magnetic fluctuations in type III-ELM pedestal evolution in JET: experimental and numerical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Masi, G.; Predebon, I.; Spagnolo, S.; Meneses, L.; Delabie, E.; Lupelli, I.; Hillesheim, J. C.; Maggi, C.; Contributors, JET

2018-04-01

Density and magnetic fluctuation measurements in low-β type-III ELM discharges are obtained in the Joint European Torus (JET). They are observed during the inter-ELM pedestal evolution, after the LH transition phase, at about 60-70 kHz. Density fluctuations are measured with a correlation reflectometer system installed on the low-field side and they are localized at the pedestal top. Magnetic fluctuations with a spatial scale k_yρ_i˜ 0.1 are measured through a high resolution coil array. The main features and the relations with local plasma parameters are presented. The nature of these fluctuations is discussed along with linear gyrokinetic simulations. Ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes are the dominant instabilities in the frequency range of interest. In terms of radial localization, typical oscillation frequency and qualitative relation with the possible linear drive, ITG modes are consistent with the experimental density fluctuations measurements. Micro-tearing modes (MTMs), found unstable with a lower growth rate, appear a possible explanation for magnetic fluctuations in terms of typical wavenumbers and direction of propagation.

Measurement of turbulence decorrelation during transport barrier evolution in a high-temperature fusion plasma.

PubMed

Nazikian, R; Shinohara, K; Kramer, G J; Valeo, E; Hill, K; Hahm, T S; Rewoldt, G; Ide, S; Koide, Y; Oyama, Y; Shirai, H; Tang, W

2005-04-08

A low power polychromatic beam of microwaves is used to diagnose the behavior of turbulent fluctuations in the core of the JT-60U tokamak during the evolution of the internal transport barrier. A continuous reduction in the size of turbulent structures is observed concomitant with the reduction of the density scale length during the evolution of the internal transport barrier. The density correlation length decreases to the order of the ion gyroradius, in contrast with the much longer scale lengths observed earlier in the discharge, while the density fluctuation level remain similar to the level before transport barrier formation.

A quantitative approach to the topology of large-scale structure. [for galactic clustering computation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Weinberg, David H.; Melott, Adrian L.

1987-01-01

A quantitative measure of the topology of large-scale structure: the genus of density contours in a smoothed density distribution, is described and applied. For random phase (Gaussian) density fields, the mean genus per unit volume exhibits a universal dependence on threshold density, with a normalizing factor that can be calculated from the power spectrum. If large-scale structure formed from the gravitational instability of small-amplitude density fluctuations, the topology observed today on suitable scales should follow the topology in the initial conditions. The technique is illustrated by applying it to simulations of galaxy clustering in a flat universe dominated by cold dark matter. The technique is also applied to a volume-limited sample of the CfA redshift survey and to a model in which galaxies reside on the surfaces of polyhedral 'bubbles'. The topology of the evolved mass distribution and 'biased' galaxy distribution in the cold dark matter models closely matches the topology of the density fluctuations in the initial conditions. The topology of the observational sample is consistent with the random phase, cold dark matter model.

Isocurvature fluctuations through axion trapping by cosmic string wakes

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

Layek, Biswanath

2005-03-15

We consider wakelike density fluctuations produced by cosmic strings at the quark-hadron transition in the early universe. We show that low momentum axions which are produced through the radiation from the axionic string at an earlier stage, may get trapped inside these wakes due to delayed hadronization in these overdense regions. As the interfaces, bordering the wakes, collapse, the axions pick-up momentum from the walls and finally leave the wake regions. These axions thus can produce large scale isocurvature fluctuations. We have calculated the detailed profile of these axionic density fluctuations and discuss its astrophysical consequences.

Quantum critical scaling and fluctuations in Kondo lattice materials

PubMed Central

Yang, Yi-feng; Pines, David; Lonzarich, Gilbert

2017-01-01

We propose a phenomenological framework for three classes of Kondo lattice materials that incorporates the interplay between the fluctuations associated with the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point and those produced by the hybridization quantum critical point that marks the end of local moment behavior. We show that these fluctuations give rise to two distinct regions of quantum critical scaling: Hybridization fluctuations are responsible for the logarithmic scaling in the density of states of the heavy electron Kondo liquid that emerges below the coherence temperature T∗, whereas the unconventional power law scaling in the resistivity that emerges at lower temperatures below TQC may reflect the combined effects of hybridization and antiferromagnetic quantum critical fluctuations. Our framework is supported by experimental measurements on CeCoIn5, CeRhIn5, and other heavy electron materials. PMID:28559308

Time scales of supercooled water and implications for reversible polyamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, David T.; Chandler, David

2015-09-01

Deeply supercooled water exhibits complex dynamics with large density fluctuations, ice coarsening and characteristic time scales extending from picoseconds to milliseconds. Here, we discuss implications of these time scales as they pertain to two-phase coexistence and to molecular simulations of supercooled water. Specifically, we argue that it is possible to discount liquid-liquid criticality because the time scales imply that correlation lengths for such behaviour would be bounded by no more than a few nanometres. Similarly, it is possible to discount two-liquid coexistence because the time scales imply a bounded interfacial free energy that cannot grow in proportion to a macroscopic surface area. From time scales alone, therefore, we see that coexisting domains of differing density in supercooled water can be no more than nanoscale transient fluctuations.

Collective backscattering of gyrotron radiation by small-scale plasma density fluctuations in large helical device

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

Kharchev, Nikolay; Batanov, German; Petrov, Alexandr

2008-10-15

A version of the collective backscattering diagnostic using gyrotron radiation for small-scale turbulence is described. The diagnostic is used to measure small-scale (k{sub s}{approx_equal}34 cm{sup -1}) plasma density fluctuations in large helical device experiments on the electron cyclotron heating of plasma with the use of 200 kW 82.7 GHz heating gyrotron. A good signal to noise ratio during plasma production phase was obtained, while contamination of stray light increased during plasma build-up phase. The effect of the stray radiation was investigated. The available quasioptical system of the heating system was utilized for this purpose.

Enhanced hyperuniformity from random reorganization.

PubMed

Hexner, Daniel; Chaikin, Paul M; Levine, Dov

2017-04-25

Diffusion relaxes density fluctuations toward a uniform random state whose variance in regions of volume [Formula: see text] scales as [Formula: see text] Systems whose fluctuations decay faster, [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], are called hyperuniform. The larger [Formula: see text], the more uniform, with systems like crystals achieving the maximum value: [Formula: see text] Although finite temperature equilibrium dynamics will not yield hyperuniform states, driven, nonequilibrium dynamics may. Such is the case, for example, in a simple model where overlapping particles are each given a small random displacement. Above a critical particle density [Formula: see text], the system evolves forever, never finding a configuration where no particles overlap. Below [Formula: see text], however, it eventually finds such a state, and stops evolving. This "absorbing state" is hyperuniform up to a length scale [Formula: see text], which diverges at [Formula: see text] An important question is whether hyperuniformity survives noise and thermal fluctuations. We find that hyperuniformity of the absorbing state is not only robust against noise, diffusion, or activity, but that such perturbations reduce fluctuations toward their limiting behavior, [Formula: see text], a uniformity similar to random close packing and early universe fluctuations, but with arbitrary controllable density.

Control of ion gyroscale fluctuations via electrostatic biasing and sheared E×B flow in the C-2 field reversed configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, L.; Ruskov, E.; Deng, B. H.; Binderbauer, M.; Tajima, T.; Gota, H.; Tuszewski, M.

2016-03-01

Control of radial particle and thermal transport is instrumental for achieving and sustaining well-confined high-β plasma in a Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC). Radial profiles of low frequency ion gyro-scale density fluctuations (0.5≤kρs≤40), consistent with drift- or drift-interchange modes, have been measured in the scrape-off layer (SOL) and core of the C-2 Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC), together with the toroidal E×B velocity. It is shown here that axial electrostatic SOL biasing controls and reduces gyro-scale density fluctuations, resulting in very low FRC core fluctuation levels. When the radial E×B flow shearing rate decreases below the turbulence decorrelation rate, fluctuation levels increase substantially, concomitantly with onset of the n=2 instability and rapid loss of diamagnetism. Low turbulence levels, improved energy/particle confinement and substantially increased FRC life times are achieved when E×B shear near the separatrix is maintained via axial SOL biasing using an annular washer gun.

Fluctuations around equilibrium laws in ergodic continuous-time random walks.

PubMed

Schulz, Johannes H P; Barkai, Eli

2015-06-01

We study occupation time statistics in ergodic continuous-time random walks. Under thermal detailed balance conditions, the average occupation time is given by the Boltzmann-Gibbs canonical law. But close to the nonergodic phase, the finite-time fluctuations around this mean are large and nontrivial. They exhibit dual time scaling and distribution laws: the infinite density of large fluctuations complements the Lévy-stable density of bulk fluctuations. Neither of the two should be interpreted as a stand-alone limiting law, as each has its own deficiency: the infinite density has an infinite norm (despite particle conservation), while the stable distribution has an infinite variance (although occupation times are bounded). These unphysical divergences are remedied by consistent use and interpretation of both formulas. Interestingly, while the system's canonical equilibrium laws naturally determine the mean occupation time of the ergodic motion, they also control the infinite and Lévy-stable densities of fluctuations. The duality of stable and infinite densities is in fact ubiquitous for these dynamics, as it concerns the time averages of general physical observables.

Proportionality between Doppler noise and integrated signal path electron density validated by differenced S-X range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, A. L.

1977-01-01

Observations of Viking differenced S-band/X-band (S-X) range are shown to correlate strongly with Viking Doppler noise. A ratio of proportionality between downlink S-band plasma-induced range error and two-way Doppler noise is calculated. A new parameter (similar to the parameter epsilon which defines the ratio of local electron density fluctuations to mean electron density) is defined as a function of observed data sample interval (Tau) where the time-scale of the observations is 15 Tau. This parameter is interpreted to yield the ratio of net observed phase (or electron density) fluctuations to integrated electron density (in RMS meters/meter). Using this parameter and the thin phase-changing screen approximation, a value for the scale size L is calculated. To be consistent with Doppler noise observations, it is seen necessary for L to be proportional to closest approach distance a, and a strong function of the observed data sample interval, and hence the time-scale of the observations.

Spatial averaging of a dissipative particle dynamics model for active suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchenko, Alexander; Hinz, Denis F.; Fried, Eliot

2018-03-01

Starting from a fine-scale dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) model of self-motile point particles, we derive meso-scale continuum equations by applying a spatial averaging version of the Irving-Kirkwood-Noll procedure. Since the method does not rely on kinetic theory, the derivation is valid for highly concentrated particle systems. Spatial averaging yields stochastic continuum equations similar to those of Toner and Tu. However, our theory also involves a constitutive equation for the average fluctuation force. According to this equation, both the strength and the probability distribution vary with time and position through the effective mass density. The statistics of the fluctuation force also depend on the fine scale dissipative force equation, the physical temperature, and two additional parameters which characterize fluctuation strengths. Although the self-propulsion force entering our DPD model contains no explicit mechanism for aligning the velocities of neighboring particles, our averaged coarse-scale equations include the commonly encountered cubically nonlinear (internal) body force density.

Observations of fine scale structure in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thrane, E. V.; Grandal, B.

1980-06-01

An electrostatic probe designed to measure ion density with high time resolution and accuracy was flown on a Nike-Apache rocket from Andoeya Rocket Range on March 1 1978. Spectra of the spatial density fluctuations were derived in one kilometer height intervals from 65 to 127 km. Below 95 km the power spectra had a slope of about -5/3, as expected for isotropic turbulence. Above 95 km the fluctuations were stronger and showed a white noise power spectrum. These fluctuations are most likely due to plasma instabilities.

CMB hemispherical asymmetry from non-linear isocurvature perturbations

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

Assadullahi, Hooshyar; Wands, David; Firouzjahi, Hassan

2015-04-01

We investigate whether non-adiabatic perturbations from inflation could produce an asymmetric distribution of temperature anisotropies on large angular scales in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We use a generalised non-linear δ N formalism to calculate the non-Gaussianity of the primordial density and isocurvature perturbations due to the presence of non-adiabatic, but approximately scale-invariant field fluctuations during multi-field inflation. This local-type non-Gaussianity leads to a correlation between very long wavelength inhomogeneities, larger than our observable horizon, and smaller scale fluctuations in the radiation and matter density. Matter isocurvature perturbations contribute primarily to low CMB multipoles and hence can lead to a hemisphericalmore » asymmetry on large angular scales, with negligible asymmetry on smaller scales. In curvaton models, where the matter isocurvature perturbation is partly correlated with the primordial density perturbation, we are unable to obtain a significant asymmetry on large angular scales while respecting current observational constraints on the observed quadrupole. However in the axion model, where the matter isocurvature and primordial density perturbations are uncorrelated, we find it may be possible to obtain a significant asymmetry due to isocurvature modes on large angular scales. Such an isocurvature origin for the hemispherical asymmetry would naturally give rise to a distinctive asymmetry in the CMB polarisation on large scales.« less

Probing the statistics of primordial fluctuations and their evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaztanaga, Enrique; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

1993-01-01

The statistical distribution of fluctuations on various scales is analyzed in terms of the counts in cells of smoothed density fields, using volume-limited samples of galaxy redshift catalogs. It is shown that the distribution on large scales, with volume average of the two-point correlation function of the smoothed field less than about 0.05, is consistent with Gaussian. Statistics are shown to agree remarkably well with the negative binomial distribution, which has hierarchial correlations and a Gaussian behavior at large scales. If these observed properties correspond to the matter distribution, they suggest that our universe started with Gaussian fluctuations and evolved keeping hierarchial form.

Scattering of electromagnetic wave by the layer with one-dimensional random inhomogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, Lev; Zaboronkova, Tatiana; Grigoriev, Gennadii., IV.

A great deal of attention has been paid to the study of probability characteristics of electro-magnetic waves scattered by one-dimensional fluctuations of medium dielectric permittivity. However, the problem of a determination of a density of a probability and average intensity of the field inside the stochastically inhomogeneous medium with arbitrary extension of fluc-tuations has not been considered yet. It is the purpose of the present report to find and to analyze the indicated functions for the plane electromagnetic wave scattered by the layer with one-dimensional fluctuations of permittivity. We assumed that the length and the amplitude of individual fluctuations as well the interval between them are random quantities. All of indi-cated fluctuation parameters are supposed as independent random values possessing Gaussian distribution. We considered the stationary time cases both small-scale and large-scale rarefied inhomogeneities. Mathematically such problem can be reduced to the solution of integral Fred-holm equation of second kind for Hertz potential (U). Using the decomposition of the field into the series of multiply scattered waves we obtained the expression for a probability density of the field of the plane wave and determined the moments of the scattered field. We have shown that all odd moments of the centered field (U-¡U¿) are equal to zero and the even moments depend on the intensity. It was obtained that the probability density of the field possesses the Gaussian distribution. The average field is small compared with the standard fluctuation of scattered field for all considered cases of inhomogeneities. The value of average intensity of the field is an order of a standard of fluctuations of field intensity and drops with increases the inhomogeneities length in the case of small-scale inhomogeneities. The behavior of average intensity is more complicated in the case of large-scale medium inhomogeneities. The value of average intensity is the oscillating function versus the average fluctuations length if the standard of fluctuations of inhomogeneities length is greater then the wave length. When the standard of fluctuations of medium inhomogeneities extension is smaller then the wave length, the av-erage intensity value weakly depends from the average fluctuations extension. The obtained results may be used for analysis of the electromagnetic wave propagation into the media with the fluctuating parameters caused by such factors as leafs of trees, cumulus, internal gravity waves with a chaotic phase and etc. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (projects 08-02-97026 and 09-05-00450).

Unsteady density and velocity measurements in the 6 foot x 6 foot wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, W. C.; Johnson, D. A.

1980-01-01

The methods used and the results obtained in four aero-optic tests are summarized. It is concluded that the rather large values of density fluctuation appear to be the result of much higher Mach number than freestream and the violent turbulence in the flow as it separates from the turret. A representative comparison of fairing on-fairing off rms density fluctuation indicates essentially no effect at M = 0.62 and a small effect at M = 0.95. These data indicate that some slight improvement in optical quality can be expected with the addition of a fairing, although at M = 0.62 its effect would be nil. Fairings are very useful in controlling pressure loads on turrets, but will not have first order effects on optical quality. Scale sizes increase dramatically with increasing azimuth angle for a reprensentative condition. Since both scale sizes and fluctuation levels increase (total turbulence path length also increases) with azimuth angle, substantial optical degradation might be expected. For shorter wave lengths, large degradations occur.

Does lower Omega allow a resolution of the large-scale structure problem?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, Joseph; Vittorio, Nicola

1987-01-01

The intermediate angular scale anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background, peculiar velocities, density correlations, and mass fluctuations for both neutrino and baryon-dominated universes with Omega less than one are evaluated. The large coherence length associated with a low-Omega, hot dark matter-dominated universe provides substantial density fluctuations on scales up to 100 Mpc: there is a range of acceptable models that are capable of producing large voids and superclusters of galaxies and the clustering of galaxy clusters, with Omega roughly 0.3, without violating any observational constraint. Low-Omega, cold dark matter-dominated cosmologies are also examined. All of these models may be reconciled with the inflationary requirement of a flat universe by introducing a cosmological constant 1-Omega.

Equatorial Density Irregularity Structures at Intermediate Scales and Their Temporal Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kil, Hyosub; Heelis, R. A.

1998-01-01

We examine high resolution measurements of ion density in the equatorial ionosphere from the AE-E satellite during the years 1977-1981. Structure over spatial scales from 18 km to 200 m is characterized by the spectrum of irregularities at larger and smaller scales and at altitudes above 350 km and below 300 km. In the low-altitude region, only small amplitude large-scale (lambda greater than 5 km) density modulations are often observed, and thus the power spectrum of these density structures exhibits a steep spectral slope at kilometer scales. In the high-altitude region, sinusoidal density fluctuations, characterized by enhanced power near 1-km scale, are frequently observed during 2000-0200 LT. However, such fluctuations are confined to regions at the edges of larger bubble structures where the average background density is high. Small amplitude irregularity structures, observed at early local time hours, grow rapidly to high-intensity structures in about 90 min. Fully developed structures, which are observed at late local time hours, decay very slowly producing only-small differences in spectral characteristics even 4 hours later. The local time evolution of irregularity structure is investigated by using average statistics for low-(1% less than sigma less than 5%) and high-intensity (sigma greater than 10%) structures. At lower altitudes, little chance in the spectral slope is seen as a function of local time, while at higher attitudes the growth and maintenance of structures near 1 km scales dramatically affects the spectral slope.

The correlation function for density perturbations in an expanding universe. I - Linear theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcclelland, J.; Silk, J.

1977-01-01

The evolution of the two-point correlation function for adiabatic density perturbations in the early universe is studied. Analytical solutions are obtained for the evolution of linearized spherically symmetric adiabatic density perturbations and the two-point correlation function for these perturbations in the radiation-dominated portion of the early universe. The results are then extended to the regime after decoupling. It is found that: (1) adiabatic spherically symmetric perturbations comparable in scale with the maximum Jeans length would survive the radiation-dominated regime; (2) irregular fluctuations are smoothed out up to the scale of the maximum Jeans length in the radiation era, but regular fluctuations might survive on smaller scales; (3) in general, the only surviving structures for irregularly shaped adiabatic density perturbations of arbitrary but finite scale in the radiation regime are the size of or larger than the maximum Jeans length in that regime; (4) infinite plane waves with a wavelength smaller than the maximum Jeans length but larger than the critical dissipative damping scale could survive the radiation regime; and (5) black holes would also survive the radiation regime and might accrete sufficient mass after decoupling to nucleate the formation of galaxies.

Spherical harmonics analysis of surface density fluctuations of spherical ionic SDS and nonionic C12E8 micelles: A molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshii, Noriyuki; Nimura, Yuki; Fujimoto, Kazushi; Okazaki, Susumu

2017-07-01

The surface structure and its fluctuation of spherical micelles were investigated using a series of density correlation functions newly defined by spherical harmonics and Legendre polynomials based on the molecular dynamics calculations. To investigate the influence of head-group charges on the micelle surface structure, ionic sodium dodecyl sulfate and nonionic octaethyleneglycol monododecylether (C12E8) micelles were investigated as model systems. Large-scale density fluctuations were observed for both micelles in the calculated surface static structure factor. The area compressibility of the micelle surface evaluated by the surface static structure factor was tens-of-times larger than a typical value of a lipid membrane surface. The structural relaxation time, which was evaluated from the surface intermediate scattering function, indicates that the relaxation mechanism of the long-range surface structure can be well described by the hydrostatic approximation. The density fluctuation on the two-dimensional micelle surface has similar characteristics to that of three-dimensional fluids near the critical point.

Spherical harmonics analysis of surface density fluctuations of spherical ionic SDS and nonionic C12E8 micelles: A molecular dynamics study.

PubMed

Yoshii, Noriyuki; Nimura, Yuki; Fujimoto, Kazushi; Okazaki, Susumu

2017-07-21

The surface structure and its fluctuation of spherical micelles were investigated using a series of density correlation functions newly defined by spherical harmonics and Legendre polynomials based on the molecular dynamics calculations. To investigate the influence of head-group charges on the micelle surface structure, ionic sodium dodecyl sulfate and nonionic octaethyleneglycol monododecylether (C 12 E 8 ) micelles were investigated as model systems. Large-scale density fluctuations were observed for both micelles in the calculated surface static structure factor. The area compressibility of the micelle surface evaluated by the surface static structure factor was tens-of-times larger than a typical value of a lipid membrane surface. The structural relaxation time, which was evaluated from the surface intermediate scattering function, indicates that the relaxation mechanism of the long-range surface structure can be well described by the hydrostatic approximation. The density fluctuation on the two-dimensional micelle surface has similar characteristics to that of three-dimensional fluids near the critical point.

Experimental study of a free turbulent shear flow at Mach 19 with electron-beam and conventional probes. [flow measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, W. P.; Hunter, W. D., Jr.

1975-01-01

An experimental study of the initial development region of a hypersonic turbulent free mixing layer was made. Data were obtained at three stations downstream of a M = 19 nozzle over a Reynolds range of 1.3 million to 3.3 million per meter and at a total temperature of about 1670 K. In general, good agreement was obtained between electron-beam and conventional probe measurements of local mean flow parameters. Measurements of fluctuating density indicated that peak root-mean-square (rms) levels are higher in the turbulent free mixing layer than in boundary layers for Mach numbers less than 9. The intensity of rms density fluctuations in the free stream is similar in magnitude to pressure fluctuations in high Mach number flows. Spectrum analyses of the measured fluctuating density through the shear layer indicate significant fluctuation energy at the lower frequencies (0.2 to 5 kHZ) which correspond to large-scale disturbances in the high-velocity region of the shear layer.

Numerical investigation of kinetic turbulence in relativistic pair plasmas - I. Turbulence statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhdankin, Vladimir; Uzdensky, Dmitri A.; Werner, Gregory R.; Begelman, Mitchell C.

2018-02-01

We describe results from particle-in-cell simulations of driven turbulence in collisionless, magnetized, relativistic pair plasma. This physical regime provides a simple setting for investigating the basic properties of kinetic turbulence and is relevant for high-energy astrophysical systems such as pulsar wind nebulae and astrophysical jets. In this paper, we investigate the statistics of turbulent fluctuations in simulations on lattices of up to 10243 cells and containing up to 2 × 1011 particles. Due to the absence of a cooling mechanism in our simulations, turbulent energy dissipation reduces the magnetization parameter to order unity within a few dynamical times, causing turbulent motions to become sub-relativistic. In the developed stage, our results agree with predictions from magnetohydrodynamic turbulence phenomenology at inertial-range scales, including a power-law magnetic energy spectrum with index near -5/3, scale-dependent anisotropy of fluctuations described by critical balance, lognormal distributions for particle density and internal energy density (related by a 4/3 adiabatic index, as predicted for an ultra-relativistic ideal gas), and the presence of intermittency. We also present possible signatures of a kinetic cascade by measuring power-law spectra for the magnetic, electric and density fluctuations at sub-Larmor scales.

Influence of container shape on scaling of turbulent fluctuations in convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foroozani, Najmeh; Niemela, Joseph J.; Armenio, Vincenzo; Sreenivasan, Katepalli R.

2014-11-01

We perform large-eddy simulations of turbulent convection in a cubic enclosure for Rayleigh numbers 1 ×106 <= Ra <= 1 ×1010 and molecular Prandtl number, Pr = 0 . 7 . The simulations were carried out using a second-order-accurate finite-difference method in which subgrid-scale fluxes of momentum and heat were parametrized using a Lagrangian dynamic Smagorinsky model. The scalings of root-mean-square fluctuations of density and velocity in the cell center with Ra differ significantly from those in cylindrical containers, and are in agreement with laboratory observations by, also using a cell with square cross-section. We find that the time-averaged spatial distributions of the local heat flux and temperature fluctuations are inhomogeneous in the horizontal plane, associated with the forced orientation of the mean wind along either one or the other diagonal. Larger values of the steady-state density (temperature) gradients occur at the mid-plane corners of the diagonal opposite to that of the mean wind, due to the presence of strong counter-rotating circulations.

Reionization and the cosmic microwave background in an open universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Persi, Fred M.

1995-01-01

If the universe was reionized at high reshift (z greater than or approximately equal to 30) or never recombined, then photon-electron scattering can erase fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background at scales less than or approximately equal to 1 deg. Peculiar motion at the surface of last scattering will then have given rise to new anisotropy at the 1 min level through the Vishniac effect. Here the observed fluctuations in galaxy counts are extrapolated to high redshifts using linear theory, and the expected anisotropy is computed. The predicted level of anisotropies is a function of Omega(sub 0) and the ratio of the density in ionized baryons to the critical density and is shown to depend strongly on the large- and small-scale power. It is not possible to make general statements about the viability of all reionized models based on current observations, but it is possible to rule out specific models for structure formation, particularly those with high baryonic content or small-scale power. The induced fluctuations are shown to scale with cosmological parameters and optical depth.

Extreme fluctuations in stochastic network coordination with time delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, D.; Molnár, F.; Szymanski, B. K.; Korniss, G.

2015-12-01

We study the effects of uniform time delays on the extreme fluctuations in stochastic synchronization and coordination problems with linear couplings in complex networks. We obtain the average size of the fluctuations at the nodes from the behavior of the underlying modes of the network. We then obtain the scaling behavior of the extreme fluctuations with system size, as well as the distribution of the extremes on complex networks, and compare them to those on regular one-dimensional lattices. For large complex networks, when the delay is not too close to the critical one, fluctuations at the nodes effectively decouple, and the limit distributions converge to the Fisher-Tippett-Gumbel density. In contrast, fluctuations in low-dimensional spatial graphs are strongly correlated, and the limit distribution of the extremes is the Airy density. Finally, we also explore the effects of nonlinear couplings on the stability and on the extremes of the synchronization landscapes.

SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE FROM MHD TO SUB-ION SCALES: HIGH-RESOLUTION HYBRID SIMULATIONS

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

Franci, Luca; Verdini, Andrea; Landi, Simone

2015-05-10

We present results from a high-resolution and large-scale hybrid (fluid electrons and particle-in-cell protons) two-dimensional numerical simulation of decaying turbulence. Two distinct spectral regions (separated by a smooth break at proton scales) develop with clear power-law scaling, each one occupying about a decade in wavenumbers. The simulation results simultaneously exhibit several properties of the observed solar wind fluctuations: spectral indices of the magnetic, kinetic, and residual energy spectra in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) inertial range along with a flattening of the electric field spectrum, an increase in magnetic compressibility, and a strong coupling of the cascade with the density and themore » parallel component of the magnetic fluctuations at sub-proton scales. Our findings support the interpretation that in the solar wind, large-scale MHD fluctuations naturally evolve beyond proton scales into a turbulent regime that is governed by the generalized Ohm’s law.« less

Solar Wind Turbulence from MHD to Sub-ion Scales: High-resolution Hybrid Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franci, Luca; Verdini, Andrea; Matteini, Lorenzo; Landi, Simone; Hellinger, Petr

2015-05-01

We present results from a high-resolution and large-scale hybrid (fluid electrons and particle-in-cell protons) two-dimensional numerical simulation of decaying turbulence. Two distinct spectral regions (separated by a smooth break at proton scales) develop with clear power-law scaling, each one occupying about a decade in wavenumbers. The simulation results simultaneously exhibit several properties of the observed solar wind fluctuations: spectral indices of the magnetic, kinetic, and residual energy spectra in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) inertial range along with a flattening of the electric field spectrum, an increase in magnetic compressibility, and a strong coupling of the cascade with the density and the parallel component of the magnetic fluctuations at sub-proton scales. Our findings support the interpretation that in the solar wind, large-scale MHD fluctuations naturally evolve beyond proton scales into a turbulent regime that is governed by the generalized Ohm’s law.

Zipf's law from scale-free geometry.

PubMed

Lin, Henry W; Loeb, Abraham

2016-03-01

The spatial distribution of people exhibits clustering across a wide range of scales, from household (∼10(-2) km) to continental (∼10(4) km) scales. Empirical data indicate simple power-law scalings for the size distribution of cities (known as Zipf's law) and the population density fluctuations as a function of scale. Using techniques from random field theory and statistical physics, we show that these power laws are fundamentally a consequence of the scale-free spatial clustering of human populations and the fact that humans inhabit a two-dimensional surface. In this sense, the symmetries of scale invariance in two spatial dimensions are intimately connected to urban sociology. We test our theory by empirically measuring the power spectrum of population density fluctuations and show that the logarithmic slope α=2.04 ± 0.09, in excellent agreement with our theoretical prediction α=2. The model enables the analytic computation of many new predictions by importing the mathematical formalism of random fields.

Seeded hot dark matter models with inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gratsias, John; Scherrer, Robert J.; Steigman, Gary; Villumsen, Jens V.

1993-01-01

We examine massive neutrino (hot dark matter) models for large-scale structure in which the density perturbations are produced by randomly distributed relic seeds and by inflation. Power spectra, streaming velocities, and the Sachs-Wolfe quadrupole fluctuation are derived for this model. We find that the pure seeded hot dark matter model without inflation produces Sachs-Wolfe fluctuations far smaller than those seen by COBE. With the addition of inflationary perturbations, fluctuations consistent with COBE can be produced. The COBE results set the normalization of the inflationary component, which determines the large-scale (about 50/h Mpc) streaming velocities. The normalization of the seed power spectrum is a free parameter, which can be adjusted to obtain the desired fluctuations on small scales. The power spectra produced are very similar to those seen in mixed hot and cold dark matter models.

Large-Scale Chaos and Fluctuations in Active Nematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngo, Sandrine; Peshkov, Anton; Aranson, Igor S.; Bertin, Eric; Ginelli, Francesco; Chaté, Hugues

2014-07-01

We show that dry active nematics, e.g., collections of shaken elongated granular particles, exhibit large-scale spatiotemporal chaos made of interacting dense, ordered, bandlike structures in a parameter region including the linear onset of nematic order. These results are obtained from the study of both the well-known (deterministic) hydrodynamic equations describing these systems and of the self-propelled particle model they were derived from. We prove, in particular, that the chaos stems from the generic instability of the band solution of the hydrodynamic equations. Revisiting the status of the strong fluctuations and long-range correlations in the particle model, we show that the giant number fluctuations observed in the chaotic phase are a trivial consequence of density segregation. However anomalous, curvature-driven number fluctuations are present in the homogeneous quasiordered nematic phase and characterized by a nontrivial scaling exponent.

Measurements of surface-pressure fluctuations on the XB-70 airplane at local Mach numbers up to 2.45

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, T. L.; Dods, J. B., Jr.; Hanly, R. D.

1973-01-01

Measurements of surface-pressure fluctuations were made at two locations on the XB-70 airplane for nine flight-test conditions encompassing a local Mach number range from 0.35 to 2.45. These measurements are presented in the form of estimated power spectral densities, coherence functions, and narrow-band-convection velocities. The estimated power spectral densities compared favorably with wind-tunnel data obtained by other experimenters. The coherence function and convection velocity data supported conclusions by other experimenters that low-frequency surface-pressure fluctuations consist of small-scale turbulence components with low convection velocity.

Ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe during the epoch of reionization

PubMed Central

Mitchell-Wynne, Ketron; Cooray, Asantha; Gong, Yan; Ashby, Matthew; Dolch, Timothy; Ferguson, Henry; Finkelstein, Steven; Grogin, Norman; Kocevski, Dale; Koekemoer, Anton; Primack, Joel; Smidt, Joseph

2015-01-01

The spatial fluctuations of the extragalactic background light trace the total emission from all stars and galaxies in the Universe. A multiwavelength study can be used to measure the integrated emission from first galaxies during reionization when the Universe was about 500 million years old. Here we report arcmin-scale spatial fluctuations in one of the deepest sky surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope in five wavebands between 0.6 and 1.6 μm. We model-fit the angular power spectra of intensity fluctuation measurements to find the ultraviolet luminosity density of galaxies at redshifts greater than 8 to be . This level of integrated light emission allows for a significant surface density of fainter primeval galaxies that are below the point-source detection level in current surveys. PMID:26348033

Ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe during the epoch of reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell-Wynne, Ketron; Cooray, Asantha; Gong, Yan; Ashby, Matthew; Dolch, Timothy; Ferguson, Henry; Finkelstein, Steven; Grogin, Norman; Kocevski, Dale; Koekemoer, Anton; Primack, Joel; Smidt, Joseph

2015-09-01

The spatial fluctuations of the extragalactic background light trace the total emission from all stars and galaxies in the Universe. A multiwavelength study can be used to measure the integrated emission from first galaxies during reionization when the Universe was about 500 million years old. Here we report arcmin-scale spatial fluctuations in one of the deepest sky surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope in five wavebands between 0.6 and 1.6 μm. We model-fit the angular power spectra of intensity fluctuation measurements to find the ultraviolet luminosity density of galaxies at redshifts greater than 8 to be . This level of integrated light emission allows for a significant surface density of fainter primeval galaxies that are below the point-source detection level in current surveys.

Large Fluctuations for Spatial Diffusion of Cold Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghion, Erez; Kessler, David A.; Barkai, Eli

2017-06-01

We use a new approach to study the large fluctuations of a heavy-tailed system, where the standard large-deviations principle does not apply. Large-deviations theory deals with tails of probability distributions and the rare events of random processes, for example, spreading packets of particles. Mathematically, it concerns the exponential falloff of the density of thin-tailed systems. Here we investigate the spatial density Pt(x ) of laser-cooled atoms, where at intermediate length scales the shape is fat tailed. We focus on the rare events beyond this range, which dominate important statistical properties of the system. Through a novel friction mechanism induced by the laser fields, the density is explored with the recently proposed non-normalized infinite-covariant density approach. The small and large fluctuations give rise to a bifractal nature of the spreading packet. We derive general relations which extend our theory to a class of systems with multifractal moments.

Low-noise phase of a two-dimensional active nematic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankar, Suraj; Ramaswamy, Sriram; Marchetti, M. Cristina

2018-01-01

We consider a collection of self-driven apolar particles on a substrate that organize into an active nematic phase at sufficiently high density or low noise. Using the dynamical renormalization group, we systematically study the two-dimensional fluctuating ordered phase in a coarse-grained hydrodynamic description involving both the nematic director and the conserved density field. In the presence of noise, we show that the system always displays only quasi-long-ranged orientational order beyond a crossover scale. A careful analysis of the nonlinearities permitted by symmetry reveals that activity is dangerously irrelevant over the linearized description, allowing giant number fluctuations to persist although now with strong finite-size effects and a nonuniversal scaling exponent. Nonlinear effects from the active currents lead to power-law correlations in the density field, thereby preventing macroscopic phase separation in the thermodynamic limit.

Statistical properties of fluctuations of time series representing appearances of words in nationwide blog data and their applications: An example of modeling fluctuation scalings of nonstationary time series.

PubMed

Watanabe, Hayafumi; Sano, Yukie; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

2016-11-01

To elucidate the nontrivial empirical statistical properties of fluctuations of a typical nonsteady time series representing the appearance of words in blogs, we investigated approximately 3×10^{9} Japanese blog articles over a period of six years and analyze some corresponding mathematical models. First, we introduce a solvable nonsteady extension of the random diffusion model, which can be deduced by modeling the behavior of heterogeneous random bloggers. Next, we deduce theoretical expressions for both the temporal and ensemble fluctuation scalings of this model, and demonstrate that these expressions can reproduce all empirical scalings over eight orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we show that the model can reproduce other statistical properties of time series representing the appearance of words in blogs, such as functional forms of the probability density and correlations in the total number of blogs. As an application, we quantify the abnormality of special nationwide events by measuring the fluctuation scalings of 1771 basic adjectives.

Spin-density fluctuations and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in 3 d ferromagnetic metals

DOE PAGES

Wysocki, Alex L.; Valmispild, V. N.; Kutepov, A.; ...

2017-11-15

Spatial and time scales of spin-density fluctuations (SDFs) were analyzed in 3d ferromagnets using ab initio linear-response calculations of complete wave-vector and energy dependence of the dynamic spin susceptibility tensor. We demonstrate that SDFs are spread continuously over the entire Brillouin zone and while the majority of them reside within the 3d bandwidth, a significant amount comes from much higher energies. A validity of the adiabatic approximation in spin dynamics is discussed. The SDF spectrum is shown to have two main constituents: a minor low-energy spin-wave contribution and a much larger high-energy component from more localized excitations. Furthermore, using themore » fluctuation-dissipation theorem, the on-site spin correlator and the related effective fluctuating moment were properly evaluated and their universal dependence on the 3d band population is further discussed.« less

Spin-density fluctuations and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in 3 d ferromagnetic metals

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

Wysocki, Alex L.; Valmispild, V. N.; Kutepov, A.

Spatial and time scales of spin-density fluctuations (SDFs) were analyzed in 3d ferromagnets using ab initio linear-response calculations of complete wave-vector and energy dependence of the dynamic spin susceptibility tensor. We demonstrate that SDFs are spread continuously over the entire Brillouin zone and while the majority of them reside within the 3d bandwidth, a significant amount comes from much higher energies. A validity of the adiabatic approximation in spin dynamics is discussed. The SDF spectrum is shown to have two main constituents: a minor low-energy spin-wave contribution and a much larger high-energy component from more localized excitations. Furthermore, using themore » fluctuation-dissipation theorem, the on-site spin correlator and the related effective fluctuating moment were properly evaluated and their universal dependence on the 3d band population is further discussed.« less

THE RELATION BETWEEN GAS DENSITY AND VELOCITY POWER SPECTRA IN GALAXY CLUSTERS: QUALITATIVE TREATMENT AND COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS

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

Zhuravleva, I.; Allen, S. W.; Churazov, E. M.

2014-06-10

We address the problem of evaluating the power spectrum of the velocity field of the intracluster medium using only information on the plasma density fluctuations, which can be measured today by Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories. We argue that for relaxed clusters there is a linear relation between the rms density and velocity fluctuations across a range of scales, from the largest ones, where motions are dominated by buoyancy, down to small, turbulent scales: (δρ{sub k}/ρ){sup 2}=η{sub 1}{sup 2}(V{sub 1,k}/c{sub s}){sup 2}, where δρ {sub k}/ρ is the spectral amplitude of the density perturbations at wavenumber k, V{sub 1,k}{sup 2}=V{sub k}{supmore » 2}/3 is the mean square component of the velocity field, c{sub s} is the sound speed, and η{sub 1} is a dimensionless constant of the order of unity. Using cosmological simulations of relaxed galaxy clusters, we calibrate this relation and find η{sub 1} ≈ 1 ± 0.3. We argue that this value is set at large scales by buoyancy physics, while at small scales the density and velocity power spectra are proportional because the former are a passive scalar advected by the latter. This opens an interesting possibility to use gas density power spectra as a proxy for the velocity power spectra in relaxed clusters across a wide range of scales.« less

Kinetic-Scale Electric and Magnetic Field Fluctuations in the Solar Wind at 1 AU: THEMIS/ARTEMIS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, C. S.; Hanson, E.; Bonnell, J. W.; Chaston, C. C.; Bale, S. D.; Mozer, F.

2017-12-01

We present here an analysis of kinetic-scale electromagnetic fluctuations in the solar wind using data from THEMIS and ARTEMIS spacecraft. We use high-time resolution electric and magnetic field measurements, as well as density fluctuations, up to 128 samples per second, as well as particle burst plasma data during carefully selected solar wind intervals. We focus our analysis on a few such intervals spanning different values of plasma beta and angles between the local magnetic field and the radial Sun-Earth direction. We discuss the careful analysis process of characterizing and removing the different instrumental effects and noise sources affecting the electric and magnetic field data at those scales, above 0.1 Hz or so, above the breakpoint marking the start of the so-called dissipation range of solar wind turbulence. We compute parameters such as the electric to magnetic field ratio, the magnetic compressibility, magnetic helicity, and other relevant quantities in order to diagnose the nature of the fluctuations at those scales between the ion and electron cyclotron frequencies, extracting information on the dominant modes composing the fluctuations. We also discuss the presence and role of coherent structures in the measured fluctuations. The nature of the fluctuations in the dissipation or dispersive scales of solar wind turbulence is still debated. This observational study is also highly relevant to the current Turbulent Dissipation Challenge.

Electromotive force due to magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations in sheared rotating turbulence

DOE PAGES

Squire, J.; Bhattacharjee, A.

2015-11-02

Here, this article presents a calculation of the mean electromotive force arising from general small-scale magnetohydrodynamical turbulence, within the framework of the second-order correlation approximation. With the goal of improving understanding of the accretion disk dynamo, effects arising through small-scale magnetic fluctuations, velocity gradients, density and turbulence stratification, and rotation, are included. The primary result, which supplements numerical findings, is that an off-diagonal turbulent resistivity due to magnetic fluctuations can produce large-scale dynamo action-the magnetic analog of the "shear-current" effect. In addition, consideration of alpha effects in the stratified regions of disks gives the puzzling result that there is nomore » strong prediction for a sign of alpha, since the effects due to kinetic and magnetic fluctuations, as well as those due to shear and rotation, are each of opposing signs and tend to cancel each other.« less

The origin of density fluctuations in the 'new inflationary universe'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, M. S.

1983-01-01

Cosmological mysteries which are not explained by the Big Bang hypothesis but may be approached by a revamped inflationary universe model are discussed. Attention is focused on the isotropy, the large-scale homogeneity, small-scale inhomogeneity, the oldness/flatness of the universe, and the baryon asymmetry. The universe is assumed to start in the lowest energy state, be initially dominated by false vacuum energy, enter a de Sitter phase, and then cross a barrier which is followed by the formation of fluctuation regions that lead to structure. The scalar fields (perturbation regions) experience quantum fluctuations which produce spontaneous symmetry breaking on a large scale. The scalar field value would need to be much greater than the expansion rate during the de Sitter epoch. A supersymmetric (flat) potential which satisfies the requirement, yields fluctuations of the right magnitude, and allows inflation to occur is described.

Astrophysical Gyrokinetics: Kinetic and Fluid Turbulent Cascades in Magnetized Weakly Collisional Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schekochihin, A. A.; Cowley, S. C.; Dorland, W.; Hammett, G. W.; Howes, G. G.; Quataert, E.; Tatsuno, T.

2009-05-01

This paper presents a theoretical framework for understanding plasma turbulence in astrophysical plasmas. It is motivated by observations of electromagnetic and density fluctuations in the solar wind, interstellar medium and galaxy clusters, as well as by models of particle heating in accretion disks. All of these plasmas and many others have turbulent motions at weakly collisional and collisionless scales. The paper focuses on turbulence in a strong mean magnetic field. The key assumptions are that the turbulent fluctuations are small compared to the mean field, spatially anisotropic with respect to it and that their frequency is low compared to the ion cyclotron frequency. The turbulence is assumed to be forced at some system-specific outer scale. The energy injected at this scale has to be dissipated into heat, which ultimately cannot be accomplished without collisions. A kinetic cascade develops that brings the energy to collisional scales both in space and velocity. The nature of the kinetic cascade in various scale ranges depends on the physics of plasma fluctuations that exist there. There are four special scales that separate physically distinct regimes: the electron and ion gyroscales, the mean free path and the electron diffusion scale. In each of the scale ranges separated by these scales, the fully kinetic problem is systematically reduced to a more physically transparent and computationally tractable system of equations, which are derived in a rigorous way. In the "inertial range" above the ion gyroscale, the kinetic cascade separates into two parts: a cascade of Alfvénic fluctuations and a passive cascade of density and magnetic-field-strength fluctuations. The former are governed by the reduced magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) equations at both the collisional and collisionless scales; the latter obey a linear kinetic equation along the (moving) field lines associated with the Alfvénic component (in the collisional limit, these compressive fluctuations become the slow and entropy modes of the conventional MHD). In the "dissipation range" below ion gyroscale, there are again two cascades: the kinetic-Alfvén-wave (KAW) cascade governed by two fluid-like electron reduced magnetohydrodynamic (ERMHD) equations and a passive cascade of ion entropy fluctuations both in space and velocity. The latter cascade brings the energy of the inertial-range fluctuations that was Landau-damped at the ion gyroscale to collisional scales in the phase space and leads to ion heating. The KAW energy is similarly damped at the electron gyroscale and converted into electron heat. Kolmogorov-style scaling relations are derived for all of these cascades. The relationship between the theoretical models proposed in this paper and astrophysical applications and observations is discussed in detail.

Study of ion-gyroscale fluctuations in low-density L-mode plasmas heated by NBI on KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, W.; Ko, S. H.; Leem, J.; Yun, G. S.; Park, H. K.; Wang, W. X.; Budny, R. V.; Kim, K. W.; Luhmann, N. C., Jr.; The KSTAR Team

2018-04-01

Broadband density fluctuations with peak frequency ranging from 150 to 400 kHz were measured using a multichannel microwave imaging reflectometer in core region of the low-density L-mode plasmas heated by neutral beam injection on KSTAR. These fluctuations have been studied by comparing the dominant mode scales estimated from the measurement with those predicted from linear gyrokinetic simulation. The measured poloidal wavenumbers are qualitatively comparable to those of the ‘fastest growing modes’ from simulations, whereas they are larger than those of the ‘transport-dominant modes’ by about a factor of three. The agreement on wavenumbers between the measurement and linear simulation (for the fastest growing modes) is probably due to sufficiently weak E × B flow shear compared to the maximum linear growth rate. Meanwhile, the transport-dominant modes seem to be related to the fluctuations in lower frequencies (˜80-150 kHz) observed in some of the measurement.

An association of magnetospheric whistler dispersion characteristics with changes in local plasma density.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarf, F. L.; Chappell, C. R.

1973-01-01

We use OGO 5 measurements made within the plasmapause on May 15, 1969, to investigate the possible association between changes in lightning whistler dispersion characteristics and local density fluctuations. It is shown that groups of whistlers with relatively constant dispersions tended to be detected in regions where the local ion concentration was significantly enhanced. It is assumed that these local density fluctuations represent characteristics of large-scale field-aligned variations. The results are then compared with ray refraction estimates appropriate for low-frequency whistler mode propagation (wave components with frequencies comparable to the local lower hybrid frequency) in a nonuniform medium.

On the Time Variation of Dust Extinction and Gas Absorption for Type Ia Supernovae Observed through a Nonuniform Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.; Aldering, G.; Biederman, M.; Herger, B.

2017-11-01

For Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed through a nonuniform interstellar medium (ISM) in its host galaxy, we investigate whether the nonuniformity can cause observable time variations in dust extinction and in gas absorption due to the expansion of the SN photosphere with time. We show that, owing to the steep spectral index of the ISM density power spectrum, sizable density fluctuation amplitudes at the length scale of typical ISM structures (≳ 10 {pc}) will translate to much smaller fluctuations on the scales of an SN photosphere. Therefore, the typical amplitude of time variation due to a nonuniform ISM, of absorption equivalent widths, and of extinction, would be small. As a result, we conclude that nonuniform ISM density should not impact cosmology measurements based on SNe Ia. We apply our predictions based on the ISM density power-law power spectrum to the observations of two highly reddened SNe Ia, SN 2012cu and SN 2014J.

On the Time Variation of Dust Extinction and Gas Absorption for Type Ia Supernovae Observed Through Non-uniform Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiaosheng; Aldering, Gregory; Biederman, Moriah; Herger, Brendan

2018-01-01

For Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed through a non-uniform interstellar medium (ISM) in its host galaxy, we investigate whether the non-uniformity can cause observable time variations in dust extinction and in gas absorption due to the expansion of the SN photosphere with time. We show that, owing to the steep spectral index of the ISM density power spectrum, sizable density fluctuation amplitudes at the length scale of typical ISM structures (>~ 10 pc) will translate to much smaller fluctuations on the scales of a SN photosphere. Therefore the typical amplitude of time variation due to non-uniform ISM, of absorption equivalent widths and of extinction, would be small. As a result, we conclude that non-uniform ISM density should not impact cosmology measurements based on SNe Ia. We apply our predictions based on the ISM density power law power spectrum to the observations of two highly reddened SNe Ia, SN 2012cu and SN 2014J.

Dynamic Responses in a Plant-Insect System to Fertilization by Cormorant Feces

PubMed Central

Kolb, Gundula; Hambäck, Peter A.

2015-01-01

Theoretical arguments suggest that increased plant productivity may not only increase consumer densities but also their fluctuations. While increased consumer densities are commonly observed in fertilization experiments, experiments are seldom performed at a spatial and temporal scale where effects on population fluctuations may be observed. In this study we used a natural gradient in soil fertility caused by cormorant nesting. Cormorants feed on fish but defecate on their nesting islands. On these islands we studied soil nutrient availability, plant nutrient content and the density of Galerucella beetles, main herbivores feeding on Lythrum salicaria. In a common garden experiment, we followed larval development on fertilized plants and estimated larval stoichiometry. Soil nutrient availability varied among islands, and several cormorant islands had very high N and P soil content. Plant nutrient content, however, did not vary among islands, and there was no correlation between soil and plant nutrient contents. Beetle densities increased with plant nutrient content in the field study. However, there was either no effect on temporal fluctuations in beetle density or that temporal fluctuations decreased (at high P). In the common garden experiment, we found limited responses in either larval survival or pupal weights to fertilization. A possible mechanism for the limited effect of fertilization on density fluctuations may be that the distribution of L. salicaria on nesting islands was restricted to sites with a lower N and P content, presumably because high N loads are toxic. PMID:26463193

Arbitrary-order Hilbert Spectral Analysis and Intermittency in Solar Wind Density Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, Francesco; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Alberti, Tommaso; Lepreti, Fabio; Chen, Christopher H. K.; Němeček, Zdenek; Šafránková, Jana

2018-05-01

The properties of inertial- and kinetic-range solar wind turbulence have been investigated with the arbitrary-order Hilbert spectral analysis method, applied to high-resolution density measurements. Due to the small sample size and to the presence of strong nonstationary behavior and large-scale structures, the classical analysis in terms of structure functions may prove to be unsuccessful in detecting the power-law behavior in the inertial range, and may underestimate the scaling exponents. However, the Hilbert spectral method provides an optimal estimation of the scaling exponents, which have been found to be close to those for velocity fluctuations in fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence. At smaller scales, below the proton gyroscale, the system loses its intermittent multiscaling properties and converges to a monofractal process. The resulting scaling exponents, obtained at small scales, are in good agreement with those of classical fractional Brownian motion, indicating a long-term memory in the process, and the absence of correlations around the spectral-break scale. These results provide important constraints on models of kinetic-range turbulence in the solar wind.

Plasma Turbulence Imaging via Beam Emission Spectroscopy in the Core of the DIII-D Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKee, George R.; Fonck, Raymond J.; Gupta, Deepak K.; Schlossberg, David J.; Shafer, Morgan W.; Boivin, Réjean L.; Solomon, Wayne

Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES), a high-sensitivity, good spatial resolution imaging diagnostic system, has been deployed and recently upgraded and expanded at the DIII-D tokamak to better understand density fluctuations arising from plasma turbulence. The currently deployed system images density fluctuations over an approximately 5 × 7 cm region at the plasma mid-plane (radially scannable over 0.2 < r/a ≤ 1) with a 5 × 6 (radial × poloidal) grid of rectangular detection channels, with one microsecond time resolution. BES observes collisionally-induced, Doppler-shifted Dα fluorescence (λ = 652-655 nm) of injected deuterium neutral beam atoms. The diagnostic wavenumber sensitivity is approximately k⊥ < 2.5 cm-1, allowing measurement of longwavelength (k⊥ρI < 1) density fluctuations. The recent upgrade includes expanded fiber optics bundles, customdesigned high-transmission, sharp-edge interference filters, ultra fast collection optics, and enlarged photodiode detectors that together provide nearly an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity relative to an earlier generation BES system. The high sensitivity allows visualization of turbulence at normalized density fluctuation amplitudes of ‾n/n < 1%, typical of fluctuation levels in the core region. The imaging array allows for sampling over 2-3 turbulent eddy scale lengths, which captures the essential dynamics of eddy evolution, interaction and shearing.

Proposal and verification numerical simulation for a microwave forward scattering technique at upper hybrid resonance for the measurement of electron gyroscale density fluctuations in the electron cyclotron frequency range in magnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamori, E.; Igami, H.

2017-11-01

A diagnostic technique for detecting the wave numbers of electron density fluctuations at electron gyro-scales in an electron cyclotron frequency range is proposed, and the validity of the idea is checked by means of a particle-in-cell (PIC) numerical simulation. The technique is a modified version of the scattering technique invented by Novik et al. [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 36, 357-381 (1994)] and Gusakov et al., [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 41, 899-912 (1999)]. The novel method adopts forward scattering of injected extraordinary probe waves at the upper hybrid resonance layer instead of the backward-scattering adopted by the original method, enabling the measurement of the wave-numbers of the fine scale density fluctuations in the electron-cyclotron frequency band by means of phase measurement of the scattered waves. The verification numerical simulation with the PIC method shows that the technique has a potential to be applicable to the detection of electron gyro-scale fluctuations in laboratory plasmas if the upper-hybrid resonance layer is accessible to the probe wave. The technique is a suitable means to detect electron Bernstein waves excited via linear mode conversion from electromagnetic waves in torus plasma experiments. Through the numerical simulations, some problems that remain to be resolved are revealed, which include the influence of nonlinear processes such as the parametric decay instability of the probe wave in the scattering process, and so on.

Characterizing pixel and point patterns with a hyperuniformity disorder length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chieco, A. T.; Dreyfus, R.; Durian, D. J.

2017-09-01

We introduce the concept of a "hyperuniformity disorder length" h that controls the variance of volume fraction fluctuations for randomly placed windows of fixed size. In particular, fluctuations are determined by the average number of particles within a distance h from the boundary of the window. We first compute special expectations and bounds in d dimensions, and then illustrate the range of behavior of h versus window size L by analyzing several different types of simulated two-dimensional pixel patterns—where particle positions are stored as a binary digital image in which pixels have value zero if empty and one if they contain a particle. The first are random binomial patterns, where pixels are randomly flipped from zero to one with probability equal to area fraction. These have long-ranged density fluctuations, and simulations confirm the exact result h =L /2 . Next we consider vacancy patterns, where a fraction f of particles on a lattice are randomly removed. These also display long-range density fluctuations, but with h =(L /2 )(f /d ) for small f , and h =L /2 for f →1 . And finally, for a hyperuniform system with no long-range density fluctuations, we consider "Einstein patterns," where each particle is independently displaced from a lattice site by a Gaussian-distributed amount. For these, at large L ,h approaches a constant equal to about half the root-mean-square displacement in each dimension. Then we turn to gray-scale pixel patterns that represent simulated arrangements of polydisperse particles, where the volume of a particle is encoded in the value of its central pixel. And we discuss the continuum limit of point patterns, where pixel size vanishes. In general, we thus propose to quantify particle configurations not just by the scaling of the density fluctuation spectrum but rather by the real-space spectrum of h (L ) versus L . We call this approach "hyperuniformity disorder length spectroscopy".

Characterizing pixel and point patterns with a hyperuniformity disorder length.

PubMed

Chieco, A T; Dreyfus, R; Durian, D J

2017-09-01

We introduce the concept of a "hyperuniformity disorder length" h that controls the variance of volume fraction fluctuations for randomly placed windows of fixed size. In particular, fluctuations are determined by the average number of particles within a distance h from the boundary of the window. We first compute special expectations and bounds in d dimensions, and then illustrate the range of behavior of h versus window size L by analyzing several different types of simulated two-dimensional pixel patterns-where particle positions are stored as a binary digital image in which pixels have value zero if empty and one if they contain a particle. The first are random binomial patterns, where pixels are randomly flipped from zero to one with probability equal to area fraction. These have long-ranged density fluctuations, and simulations confirm the exact result h=L/2. Next we consider vacancy patterns, where a fraction f of particles on a lattice are randomly removed. These also display long-range density fluctuations, but with h=(L/2)(f/d) for small f, and h=L/2 for f→1. And finally, for a hyperuniform system with no long-range density fluctuations, we consider "Einstein patterns," where each particle is independently displaced from a lattice site by a Gaussian-distributed amount. For these, at large L,h approaches a constant equal to about half the root-mean-square displacement in each dimension. Then we turn to gray-scale pixel patterns that represent simulated arrangements of polydisperse particles, where the volume of a particle is encoded in the value of its central pixel. And we discuss the continuum limit of point patterns, where pixel size vanishes. In general, we thus propose to quantify particle configurations not just by the scaling of the density fluctuation spectrum but rather by the real-space spectrum of h(L) versus L. We call this approach "hyperuniformity disorder length spectroscopy".

Turbulence in the ionized gas of the Orion nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arthur, S. J.; Medina, S.-N. X.; Henney, W. J.

2016-12-01

In order to study the nature, origin, and impact of turbulent velocity fluctuations in the ionized gas of the Orion nebula, we apply a variety of statistical techniques to observed velocity cubes. The cubes are derived from high resolving power (R ≈ 40 000) longslit spectroscopy of optical emission lines that span a range of ionizations. From velocity channel analysis (VCA), we find that the slope of the velocity power spectrum is consistent with predictions of Kolmogorov theory between scales of 8 and 22 arcsec (0.02 to 0.05 pc). The outer scale, which is the dominant scale of density fluctuations in the nebula, approximately coincides with the autocorrelation length of the velocity fluctuations that we determine from the second-order velocity structure function. We propose that this is the principal driving scale of the turbulence, which originates in the autocorrelation length of dense cores in the Orion molecular filament. By combining analysis of the non-thermal linewidths with the systematic trends of velocity centroid versus ionization, we find that the global champagne flow and smaller scale turbulence each contribute in equal measure to the total velocity dispersion, with respective root-mean-square widths of 4-5 km s-1. The turbulence is subsonic and can account for only one half of the derived variance in ionized density, with the remaining variance provided by density gradients in photoevaporation flows from globules and filaments. Intercomparison with results from simulations implies that the ionized gas is confined to a thick shell and does not fill the interior of the nebula.

Implications of a class of grand unified theories for large scale structure in the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafi, Q.; Stecker, F. W.

1983-01-01

A class of grand unified theories in which cosmologicaly significant axion and neutrino energy densities arise naturally is discussed. To obtain large scale structure three scenarios are considered: (1) an inflationary scenario; (2) inflation followed by string production; and (3) a non-inflationary scenario with density fluctuations caused solely by strings. Inflation may be compatible with the recent observational indications that mega 1 on the scale of superclusters, particularly if strings are present.

Implications of a class of grand-unified theories for large-scale structure in the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafi, Q.; Stecker, F. W.

1984-01-01

A class of grand-unified theories in which cosmologically significant axion and neutrino energy densities arise naturally is considered. To obtain large-scale structure, attention is given to (1) an inflationary scenario, (2) inflation followed by string production, and (3) a noninflationary scenario with density fluctuations caused solely by strings. It is shown that inflation may be compatible with the recent observational indications that Omega less than 1 on the scale of superclusters, particularly if strings are present.

Polymer brushes in explicit poor solvents studied using a new variant of the bond fluctuation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jentzsch, Christoph; Sommer, Jens-Uwe

2014-09-01

Using a variant of the Bond Fluctuation Model which improves its parallel efficiency in particular running on graphic cards we perform large scale simulations of polymer brushes in poor explicit solvent. Grafting density, solvent quality, and chain length are varied. Different morphological structures in particular octopus micelles are observed for low grafting densities. We reconsider the theoretical model for octopus micelles proposed by Williams using scaling arguments with the relevant scaling variable being σ/σc, and with the characteristic grafting density given by σc ˜ N-4/3. We find that octopus micelles only grow laterally, but not in height and we propose an extension of the model by assuming a cylindrical shape instead of a spherical geometry for the micelle-core. We show that the scaling variable σ/σc can be applied to master plots for the averaged height of the brush, the size of the micelles, and the number of chains per micelle. The exponents in the corresponding power law relations for the grafting density and chain length are in agreement with the model for flat cylindrical micelles. We also investigate the surface roughness and find that polymer brushes in explicit poor solvent at grafting densities higher than the stretching transition are flat and surface rippling can only be observed close to the stretching transition.

Kurtosis, skewness, and non-Gaussian cosmological density perturbations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luo, Xiaochun; Schramm, David N.

1993-01-01

Cosmological topological defects as well as some nonstandard inflation models can give rise to non-Gaussian density perturbations. Skewness and kurtosis are the third and fourth moments that measure the deviation of a distribution from a Gaussian. Measurement of these moments for the cosmological density field and for the microwave background temperature anisotropy can provide a test of the Gaussian nature of the primordial fluctuation spectrum. In the case of the density field, the importance of measuring the kurtosis is stressed since it will be preserved through the weakly nonlinear gravitational evolution epoch. Current constraints on skewness and kurtosis of primeval perturbations are obtained from the observed density contrast on small scales and from recent COBE observations of temperature anisotropies on large scales. It is also shown how, in principle, future microwave anisotropy experiments might be able to reveal the initial skewness and kurtosis. It is shown that present data argue that if the initial spectrum is adiabatic, then it is probably Gaussian, but non-Gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are still allowed, and these are what topological defects provide.

Modulated electron cyclotron drift instability in a high-power pulsed magnetron discharge.

PubMed

Tsikata, Sedina; Minea, Tiberiu

2015-05-08

The electron cyclotron drift instability, implicated in electron heating and anomalous transport, is detected in the plasma of a planar magnetron. Electron density fluctuations associated with the mode are identified via an adapted coherent Thomson scattering diagnostic, under direct current and high-power pulsed magnetron operation. Time-resolved analysis of the mode amplitude reveals that the instability, found at MHz frequencies and millimeter scales, also exhibits a kHz-scale modulation consistent with the observation of larger-scale plasma density nonuniformities, such as the rotating spoke. Sharply collimated axial fluctuations observed at the magnetron axis are consistent with the presence of escaping electrons in a region where the magnetic and electric fields are antiparallel. These results distinguish aspects of magnetron physics from other plasma sources of similar geometry, such as the Hall thruster, and broaden the scope of instabilities which may be considered to dictate magnetron plasma features.

Ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe during the epoch of reionization.

PubMed

Mitchell-Wynne, Ketron; Cooray, Asantha; Gong, Yan; Ashby, Matthew; Dolch, Timothy; Ferguson, Henry; Finkelstein, Steven; Grogin, Norman; Kocevski, Dale; Koekemoer, Anton; Primack, Joel; Smidt, Joseph

2015-09-08

The spatial fluctuations of the extragalactic background light trace the total emission from all stars and galaxies in the Universe. A multiwavelength study can be used to measure the integrated emission from first galaxies during reionization when the Universe was about 500 million years old. Here we report arcmin-scale spatial fluctuations in one of the deepest sky surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope in five wavebands between 0.6 and 1.6 μm. We model-fit the angular power spectra of intensity fluctuation measurements to find the ultraviolet luminosity density of galaxies at redshifts greater than 8 to be log ρ(UV) = 27.4(+0.2)(-1.2) ergs(-1) Hz(-1) Mpc(-3) (1σ). This level of integrated light emission allows for a significant surface density of fainter primeval galaxies that are below the point-source detection level in current surveys.

A phase contrast imaging-interferometer system for detection of multiscale electron density fluctuations on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, E. M.; Rost, J. C.; Porkolab, M.; Marinoni, A.; Van Zeeland, M. A.

2016-11-01

Heterodyne interferometry and phase contrast imaging (PCI) are robust, mature techniques for measuring low-k and high-k electron density fluctuations, respectively. This work describes the first-ever implementation of a combined PCI-interferometer. The combined system uses a single 10.6 μm probe beam, two interference schemes, and two detectors to measure electron density fluctuations at large spatiotemporal bandwidth (10 kHz

Secondary ionization in a flat universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atrio-Barandela, F.; Doroshkevich, A. G.

1994-01-01

We analyze the effect of a secondary ionization on the evolution of temperature fluctuations in cosmic background radiation. The main results presented in this paper are appropriate analytic expressions of the transfer function relating temperature fluctuations to matter density perturbations at recombination for all possible recombination histories. Furthermore, we particularize our calculation to the standard cold dark matter model, where we study the erasure of primordial temperature fluctuations and calculate the magnitude and angular scale of the damping induced by a late recombination.

Effect of Oxide Interface Roughness on the Threshold Voltage Fluctuations in Decanano MOSFETs with Ultrathin Gate Oxides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asenov, Asen; Kaya, S.

2000-01-01

In this paper we use the Density Gradient (DG) simulation approach to study, in 3-D, the effect of local oxide thickness fluctuations on the threshold voltage of decanano MOSFETs on a statistical scale. The random 2-D surfaces used to represent the interface are constructed using the standard assumptions for the auto-correlation function of the interface. The importance of the Quantum Mechanical effects when studying oxide thickness fluctuations are illustrated in several simulation examples.

Large-scale fluctuations in the number density of galaxies in independent surveys of deep fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirokov, S. I.; Lovyagin, N. Yu.; Baryshev, Yu. V.; Gorokhov, V. L.

2016-06-01

New arguments supporting the reality of large-scale fluctuations in the density of the visible matter in deep galaxy surveys are presented. A statistical analysis of the radial distributions of galaxies in the COSMOS and HDF-N deep fields is presented. Independent spectral and photometric surveys exist for each field, carried out in different wavelength ranges and using different observing methods. Catalogs of photometric redshifts in the optical (COSMOS-Zphot) and infrared (UltraVISTA) were used for the COSMOS field in the redshift interval 0.1 < z < 3.5, as well as the zCOSMOS (10kZ) spectroscopic survey and the XMM-COSMOS and ALHAMBRA-F4 photometric redshift surveys. The HDFN-Zphot and ALHAMBRA-F5 catalogs of photometric redshifts were used for the HDF-N field. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the fluctuations in the numbers of galaxies obtained for independent surveys of the same deep field reaches R = 0.70 ± 0.16. The presence of this positive correlation supports the reality of fluctuations in the density of visible matter with sizes of up to 1000 Mpc and amplitudes of up to 20% at redshifts z ~ 2. The absence of correlations between the fluctuations in different fields (the correlation coefficient between COSMOS and HDF-N is R = -0.20 ± 0.31) testifies to the independence of structures visible in different directions on the celestial sphere. This also indicates an absence of any influence from universal systematic errors (such as "spectral voids"), which could imitate the detection of correlated structures.

Fluctuations in microwave background radiation due to secondary ionization of the intergalactic gas in the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sunyayev, R. A.

1979-01-01

Secondary heating and ionization of the intergalactic gas at redshifts z approximately 10-30 could lead to the large optical depth of the Universe for Thomson scattering and could smooth the primordial fluctuations formed at z approximately 1500. It is shown that the gas motions connected with the large scale density perturbations at z approximately 10-15 must lead to the generation of secondary fluctuations of microwave background. The contribution of the rich clusters of galaxies and young galaxies to the fluctuations of microwave background is also estimated.

Increase in the Random Dopant Induced Threshold Fluctuations and Lowering in Sub 100 nm MOSFETs Due to Quantum Effects: A 3-D Density-Gradient Simulation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asenov, Asen; Slavcheva, G.; Brown, A. R.; Davies, J. H.; Saini, S.

2000-01-01

In this paper we present a detailed simulation study of the influence of quantum mechanical effects in the inversion layer on random dopant induced threshold voltage fluctuations and lowering in sub 100 nm MOSFETs. The simulations have been performed using a 3-D implementation of the density gradient (DG) formalism incorporated in our established 3-D atomistic simulation approach. This results in a self-consistent 3-D quantum mechanical picture, which implies not only the vertical inversion layer quantisation but also the lateral confinement effects related to current filamentation in the 'valleys' of the random potential fluctuations. We have shown that the net result of including quantum mechanical effects, while considering statistical dopant fluctuations, is an increase in both threshold voltage fluctuations and lowering. At the same time, the random dopant induced threshold voltage lowering partially compensates for the quantum mechanical threshold voltage shift in aggressively scaled MOSFETs with ultrathin gate oxides.

Scale-invariant structure of energy fluctuations in real earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ping; Chang, Zhe; Wang, Huanyu; Lu, Hong

2017-11-01

Earthquakes are obviously complex phenomena associated with complicated spatiotemporal correlations, and they are generally characterized by two power laws: the Gutenberg-Richter (GR) and the Omori-Utsu laws. However, an important challenge has been to explain two apparently contrasting features: the GR and Omori-Utsu laws are scale-invariant and unaffected by energy or time scales, whereas earthquakes occasionally exhibit a characteristic energy or time scale, such as with asperity events. In this paper, three high-quality datasets on earthquakes were used to calculate the earthquake energy fluctuations at various spatiotemporal scales, and the results reveal the correlations between seismic events regardless of their critical or characteristic features. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the fluctuations exhibit evidence of another scaling that behaves as a q-Gaussian rather than random process. The scaling behaviors are observed for scales spanning three orders of magnitude. Considering the spatial heterogeneities in a real earthquake fault, we propose an inhomogeneous Olami-Feder-Christensen (OFC) model to describe the statistical properties of real earthquakes. The numerical simulations show that the inhomogeneous OFC model shares the same statistical properties with real earthquakes.

Gravitational clustering in the expanding universe - Controlled high-resolution studies in two dimensions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beacom, John Francis; Dominik, Kurt G.; Melott, Adrian L.; Perkins, Sam P.; Shandarin, Sergei F.

1991-01-01

Results are presented from a series of gravitational clustering simulations in two dimensions. These simulations are a significant departure from previous work, since in two dimensions one can have large dynamic range in both length scale and mass using present computer technology. Controlled experiments were conducted by varying the slope of power-law initial density fluctuation spectra and varying cutoffs at large k, while holding constant the phases of individual Fourier components and the scale of nonlinearity. Filaments are found in many different simulations, even with pure power-law initial conditions. By direct comparison, filaments, called 'second-generation pancakes' are shown to arise as a consequence of mild nonlinearity on scales much larger than the correlation length and are not relics of an initial lattice or due to sparse sampling of the Fourier components. Bumps of low amplitude in the two-point correlation are found to be generic but usually only statistical fluctuations. Power spectra are much easier to relate to initial conditions, and seem to follow a simple triangular shape (on log-log plot) in the nonlinear regime. The rms density fluctuation with Gaussian smoothing is the most stable indicator of nonlinearity.

Temporal evolution of circularly polarized dispersive Alfvén wave and effect on solar wind turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Swati; Sharma, R. P.; Gaur, Nidhi

2016-01-01

Space provides a vast medium to study turbulence and is accessible to detailed in situ measurements. Alfvén waves (AW) are ubiquitous in space and a main component of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in heliosphere. The wave interaction with the density fluctuations is considered to be an important driver of nonlinear processes in space plasmas. Present study involves the nonlinear coupling, on the account of the ponderomotive nonlinearity, of the parallel propagating circularly polarized dispersive Alfvén wave (DAW) with the density fluctuations associated with magnetosonic wave propagating in the direction perpendicular to ambient magnetic field. The localization of DAW electric field intensity and the corresponding power spectra has been studied for the case of solar wind at 1 A.U. A breakpoint in power spectrum is seen around ion inertial length and spectra goes steeper at smaller scales which is consistent with the observations reported by CLUSTER in context of solar wind turbulence. Thus nonlinear interaction of DAW with transverse fluctuations causes the transfer of wave energy from larger scales to the smaller scales and may contribute in providing the energy needed to accelerate the solar wind.

Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Data Processing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiland, J.L.; Hill, R.S.; Odegard, 3.; Larson, D.; Bennett, C.L.; Dunkley, J.; Jarosik, N.; Page, L.; Spergel, D.N.; Halpern, M.;

A correlation between the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure in the Universe.

PubMed

Boughn, Stephen; Crittenden, Robert

2004-01-01

Observations of distant supernovae and the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) indicate that the expansion of the Universe may be accelerating under the action of a 'cosmological constant' or some other form of 'dark energy'. This dark energy now appears to dominate the Universe and not only alters its expansion rate, but also affects the evolution of fluctuations in the density of matter, slowing down the gravitational collapse of material (into, for example, clusters of galaxies) in recent times. Additional fluctuations in the temperature of CMB photons are induced as they pass through large-scale structures and these fluctuations are necessarily correlated with the distribution of relatively nearby matter. Here we report the detection of correlations between recent CMB data and two probes of large-scale structure: the X-ray background and the distribution of radio galaxies. These correlations are consistent with those predicted by dark energy, indicating that we are seeing the imprint of dark energy on the growth of structure in the Universe.

Evidence for the presence of quasi-two-dimensional nearly incompressible fluctuations in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthaeus, William H.; Goldstein, Melvyn L.; Roberts, D. Aaron

1990-01-01

Assuming that the slab and isotropic models of solar wind turbulence need modification (largely due to the observed anisotropy of the interplanetary fluctuations and the results of laboratory plasma experiments), this paper proposes a model of the solar wind. The solar wind is seen as a fluid which contains both classical transverse Alfvenic fluctuations and a population of quasi-transverse fluctuations. In quasi-two-dimensional turbulence, the pitch angle scattering by resonant wave-particle interactions is suppressed, and the direction of minimum variance of interplanetary fluctuations is parallel to the mean magnetic field. The assumed incompressibility is consistent with the fact that the density fluctuations are small and anticorrelated, and that the total pressure at small scales is nearly constant.

Scaling characteristics of mountainous river flow fluctuations determined using a shallow-water acoustic tomography system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Sawaf, Mohamad Basel; Kawanisi, Kiyosi; Kagami, Junya; Bahreinimotlagh, Masoud; Danial, Mochammad Meddy

2017-10-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the scaling exponent properties of mountainous river flow fluctuations by detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Streamflow data were collected continuously using Fluvial Acoustic Tomography System (FATS), which is a novel system for measuring continuous streamflow at high-frequency scales. The results revealed that river discharge fluctuations have two scaling regimes and scaling break. In contrast to the Ranting Curve method (RC), the small-scale exponent detected by the FATS is estimated to be 1.02 ± 0.42% less than that estimated by RC. More importantly, the crossover times evaluated from the FATS delayed approximately by 42 ± 21 hr ≈2-3 days than their counterparts estimated by RC. The power spectral density analysis assists our findings. We found that scaling characteristics information evaluated for a river using flux data obtained by RC approach might not be accurately detected, because this classical method assumes that flow in river is steady and depends on constructing a relationship between discharge and water level, while the discharge obtained by the FATS decomposes velocity and depth into two ratings according to the continuity equation. Generally, this work highlights the performance of FATS as a powerful and effective approach for continuous streamflow measurements at high-frequency levels.

High-Energy Emissions Induced by Air Density Fluctuations of Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhn, C.; Chanrion, O.; Neubert, T.

2018-05-01

Bursts of X-rays and γ-rays are observed from lightning and laboratory sparks. They are bremsstrahlung from energetic electrons interacting with neutral air molecules, but it is still unclear how the electrons achieve the required energies. It has been proposed that the enhanced electric field of streamers, found in the corona of leader tips, may account for the acceleration; however, their efficiency is questioned because of the relatively low production rate found in simulations. Here we emphasize that streamers usually are simulated with the assumption of homogeneous gas, which may not be the case on the small temporal and spatial scales of discharges. Since the streamer properties strongly depend on the reduced electric field E/n, where n is the neutral number density, fluctuations may potentially have a significant effect. To explore what might be expected if the assumption of homogeneity is relaxed, we conducted simple numerical experiments based on simulations of streamers in a neutral gas with a radial gradient in the neutral density, assumed to be created, for instance, by a previous spark. We also studied the effects of background electron density from previous discharges. We find that X-radiation and γ-radiation are enhanced when the on-axis air density is reduced by more than ˜25%. Pre-ionization tends to reduce the streamer field and thereby the production rate of high-energy electrons; however, the reduction is modest. The simulations suggest that fluctuations in the neutral densities, on the temporal and spacial scales of streamers, may be important for electron acceleration and bremsstrahlung radiation.

PATCHY BLAZAR HEATING: DIVERSIFYING THE THERMAL HISTORY OF THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM

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

Lamberts, Astrid; Chang, Philip; Pfrommer, Christoph

TeV-blazars potentially heat the intergalactic medium (IGM) as their gamma rays interact with photons of the extragalactic background light to produce electron–positron pairs, which lose their kinetic energy to the surrounding medium through plasma instabilities. This results in a heating mechanism that is only weakly sensitive to the local density, and therefore approximately spatially uniform, naturally producing an inverted temperature–density relation in underdense regions. In this paper we go beyond the approximation of uniform heating and quantify the heating rate fluctuations due to the clustered distribution of blazars and how this impacts the thermal history of the IGM. We analyticallymore » compute a filtering function that relates the heating rate fluctuations to the underlying dark matter density field. We implement it in the cosmological code GADGET-3 and perform large-scale simulations to determine the impact of inhomogeneous heating. We show that because of blazar clustering, blazar heating is inhomogeneous for z ≳ 2. At high redshift, the temperature–density relation shows an important scatter and presents a low temperature envelope of unheated regions, in particular at low densities and within voids. However, the median temperature of the IGM is close to that in the uniform case, albeit slightly lower at low redshift. We find that blazar heating is more complex than initially assumed and that the temperature–density relation is not unique. Our analytic model for the heating rate fluctuations couples well with large-scale simulations and provides a cost-effective alternative to subgrid models.« less

A Heliosphere Buffeted by Interstellar Turbulence?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokipii, J. R.; Giacalone, J.

2014-12-01

Recent observations from IBEX combined with previous measurements from other sources suggest new, local, effects of interstellar turbulence. Observations of various interstellar parameters such as the magnetic field, fluid velocity and electron density, over large spatial scales, have revealed a broadband Kolmogorov spectrum of interstellar turbulence which pervades most of interstellar space. The outer scale (or coherence scale of this turbulence) is found to be approximately 10^19 cm and the inner cutoff scale is less than 1000 km. The root-mean-square relative fluctuation in the fluid and the magnetic-field parameters is of order unity. If this turbulence exists at the heliosphere, the root-mean-square relative fluctuations at 100 (heliospheric) AU scales is approximately 0.1. The recently published value for the change In observed velocity direction for the interstellar flow relative to the heliosphere (Frisch, etal, 2014)is consistent with this. Similarly, interpreting the width of the IBEX ribbon in terms of a fluctuating magnetic field also is in agreement with this picture. Observations of TeV cosmic rays can also be explained. Potential effects of these fluctuations in the interstellar medium on the heliosphere will be discussed. Reference: Frisch, etal, Science, 341, 480

New Model for Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keskinen, M. J.

2018-03-01

A new model for ionospheric irregularities at Mars is presented. It is shown that wind-driven currents in the dynamo region of the Martian ionosphere can be unstable to the electromagnetic gradient drift instability. This plasma instability can generate ionospheric density and magnetic field irregularities with scale sizes of approximately 15-20 km down to a few kilometers. We show that the instability-driven magnetic field fluctuation amplitudes relative to background are correlated with the ionospheric density fluctuation amplitudes relative to background. Our results can explain recent observations made by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft in the Martian ionosphere dynamo region.

Statistical modeling of compressible turbulence - Shock-wave/turbulence interactions and buoyancy effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshizawa, Akira

1991-12-01

A mass-weighted mean compressible turbulence model is presented with the aid of the results from a two-scale DIA. This model aims at dealing with two typical aspects in compressible flows: the interaction of a shock wave with turbulence in high-speed flows and strong buoyancy effects in thermally-driven flows as in stellar convection and conflagration. The former is taken into account through the effect of turbulent dilatation that is related to the density fluctuation and leads to the enhanced kinetic-energy dissipation. The latter is incorporated through the interaction between the gravitational and density-fluctuation effects.

Fluctuations, ghosts, and the cosmological constant

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

Hirayama, T.; Holdom, B.

2004-12-15

For a large region of parameter space involving the cosmological constant and mass parameters, we discuss fluctuating spacetime solutions that are effectively Minkowskian on large time and distance scales. Rapid, small amplitude oscillations in the scale factor have a frequency determined by the size of a negative cosmological constant. A field with modes of negative energy is required. If it is gravity that induces a coupling between the ghostlike and normal fields, we find that this results in stochastic rather than unstable behavior. The negative energy modes may also permit the existence of Lorentz invariant fluctuating solutions of finite energymore » density. Finally we consider higher derivative gravity theories and find oscillating metric solutions in these theories without the addition of other fields.« less

Nonlinear Behavior of the Geomagnetic Fluctuations Recorded in Different Geomagnetic Latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovacs, P.; Heilig, B.; Koppan, A.; Vadasz, G.; Echim, M.

2014-12-01

The paper concerns with the nonlinear properties of geomagnetic variations recorded in different geomagnetic latitudes, in the years of solar maximum and minimum. For the study, we use the geomagnetic time-series recorded by some of the stations of the EMMA quasi-meridional magnetometer network, established for pulsation study, in September 2001. The stations are located approx. along the magnetic meridian of 100 degree, and the sampling frequency of the series is 1 Hz. It is argued that the geomagnetic field exhibits nonlinear intermittent fluctuations in certain temporal scale range. For quantitatively investigating the scaling ranges and the variation of intermittent properties with latitude and time, we analyse the higher order moments of the time records (probability density function or structure function analyses). The multifractal or self-similar scaling of the fluctuations is investigated via the fitting of the P model to structure function scaling exponents. We also study the power-law behaviour of the power-spectral density functions of the series in order to evaluate the possible inertial frequency (and temporal) range of the geomagnetic field and compare them with the scaling ranges of structure functions. The range where intermittent geomagnetic variation is found falls typically between 100 and 20.000 s, i.e. covers the temporal range of the main phases of geomagnetic storms. It is shown that the intensity of intermittent fluctuations increases from solar minimum to solar maximum. The expected increase in the level of intermittency with the geomagnetic latitude can be evidenced only in the years of solar minimum. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/2007-2013]) under grant agreement n° 313038/STORM.

The statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields. [cosmological density fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bardeen, J. M.; Bond, J. R.; Kaiser, N.; Szalay, A. S.

1986-01-01

A set of new mathematical results on the theory of Gaussian random fields is presented, and the application of such calculations in cosmology to treat questions of structure formation from small-amplitude initial density fluctuations is addressed. The point process equation is discussed, giving the general formula for the average number density of peaks. The problem of the proper conditional probability constraints appropriate to maxima are examined using a one-dimensional illustration. The average density of maxima of a general three-dimensional Gaussian field is calculated as a function of heights of the maxima, and the average density of 'upcrossing' points on density contour surfaces is computed. The number density of peaks subject to the constraint that the large-scale density field be fixed is determined and used to discuss the segregation of high peaks from the underlying mass distribution. The machinery to calculate n-point peak-peak correlation functions is determined, as are the shapes of the profiles about maxima.

Electromotive force in strongly compressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoi, N.

2017-12-01

Variable density fluid turbulence is ubiquitous in geo-fluids, not to mention in astrophysics. Depending on the source of density variation, variable density fluid turbulence may be divided into two categories: the weak compressible (entropy mode) turbulence for slow flow and the strong compressible (acoustic mode) turbulence for fast flow. In the strong compressible turbulence, the pressure fluctuation induces a strong density fluctuation ρ ', which is represented by the density variance <ρ'2> (<·> denotes the ensemble average). The turbulent effect on the large-scale magnetic-field B induction is represented by the turbulent electromotive force (EMF) (u': velocity fluctuation, b': magnetic-field fluctuation). In the usual treatment in the dynamo theory, the expression for the EMF has been obtained in the framework of incompressible or weak compressible turbulence, where only the variation of the mean density <ρ>, if any, is taken into account. We see from the equation of the density fluctuation ρ', the density variance <ρ'2> is generated by the large mean density variation ∂<ρ> coupled with the turbulent mass flux <ρ'u'>. This means that in the region where the mean density steeply changes, the density variance effect becomes relevant for the magnetic field evolution. This situation is typically the case for phenomena associated with shocks and compositional discontinuities. With the aid of the analytical theory of inhomogeneous compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, the expression for the turbulent electromotive force is investigated. It is shown that, among others, an obliqueness (misalignment) between the mean density gradient ∂<ρ> and the mean magnetic field B may contribute to the EMF as ≈χ B×∂<ρ> with the turbulent transport coefficient χ proportional to the density variance (χ <ρ'2>). This density variance effect is expected to strongly affect the EMF near the interface, and changes the transport properties of turbulence. In the case of an interface under the MHD slow shock, the magnetic reconnection rate may be enhanced by this effect. Physical origin of this effect is discussed in some possible geophysical applications.

The gravitational wave contribution to cosmic microwave background anisotropies and the amplitude of mass fluctuations from COBE results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchin, Francesco; Matarrese, Sabino; Mollerach, Silvia

1992-01-01

A stochastic background of primordial gravitational waves may substantially contribute, via the Sachs-Wolfe effect, to the large-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies recently detected by COBE. This implies a bias in any resulting determination of the primordial amplitude of density fluctuations. We consider the constraints imposed on n is less than 1 ('tilted') power-law fluctuation spectra, taking into account the contribution from both scalar and tensor waves, as predicted by power-law inflation. The gravitational wave contribution to CMB anisotropies generally reduces the required rms level of mass fluctuation, thereby increasing the linear bias parameter, even in models where the spectral index is close to the Harrison-Zel'dovich value n = 1. This 'gravitational wave bias' helps to reconcile the predictions of CDM models with observations on pairwise galaxy velocity dispersion on small scales.

Determination of the Thermal Noise Limit of Graphene Biotransistors.

PubMed

Crosser, Michael S; Brown, Morgan A; McEuen, Paul L; Minot, Ethan D

2015-08-12

To determine the thermal noise limit of graphene biotransistors, we have measured the complex impedance between the basal plane of single-layer graphene and an aqueous electrolyte. The impedance is dominated by an imaginary component but has a finite real component. Invoking the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, we determine the power spectral density of thermally driven voltage fluctuations at the graphene/electrolyte interface. The fluctuations have 1/f(p) dependence, with p = 0.75-0.85, and the magnitude of fluctuations scales inversely with area. Our results explain noise spectra previously measured in liquid-gated suspended graphene devices and provide realistic targets for future device performance.

Experimental identification of nonlinear coupling between (intermediate, small)-scale microturbulence and an MHD mode in the core of a superconducting tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, P. J.; Li, Y. D.; Ren, Y.; Zhang, X. D.; Wu, G. J.; Xu, L. Q.; Chen, R.; Li, Q.; Zhao, H. L.; Zhang, J. Z.; Shi, T. H.; Wang, Y. M.; Lyu, B.; Hu, L. Q.; Li, J.; The EAST Team

2018-01-01

In this paper, we present clear experimental evidence of core region nonlinear coupling between (intermediate, small)-scale microturbulence and an magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) mode during the current ramp-down phase in a set of L-mode plasma discharges in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST, Wan et al (2006 Plasma Sci. Technol. 8 253)). Density fluctuations of broadband microturbulence (k\\perpρi˜2{-}5.2 ) and the MHD mode (toroidal mode number m = -1 , poloidal mode number n = 1 ) are measured simultaneously, using a four-channel tangential CO2 laser collective scattering diagnostic in core plasmas. The nonlinear coupling between the broadband microturbulence and the MHD mode is directly demonstrated by showing a statistically significant bicoherence and modulation of turbulent density fluctuation amplitude by the MHD mode.

Maximum one-shot dissipated work from Rényi divergences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunger Halpern, Nicole; Garner, Andrew J. P.; Dahlsten, Oscar C. O.; Vedral, Vlatko

2018-05-01

Thermodynamics describes large-scale, slowly evolving systems. Two modern approaches generalize thermodynamics: fluctuation theorems, which concern finite-time nonequilibrium processes, and one-shot statistical mechanics, which concerns small scales and finite numbers of trials. Combining these approaches, we calculate a one-shot analog of the average dissipated work defined in fluctuation contexts: the cost of performing a protocol in finite time instead of quasistatically. The average dissipated work has been shown to be proportional to a relative entropy between phase-space densities, to a relative entropy between quantum states, and to a relative entropy between probability distributions over possible values of work. We derive one-shot analogs of all three equations, demonstrating that the order-infinity Rényi divergence is proportional to the maximum possible dissipated work in each case. These one-shot analogs of fluctuation-theorem results contribute to the unification of these two toolkits for small-scale, nonequilibrium statistical physics.

Maximum one-shot dissipated work from Rényi divergences.

PubMed

Yunger Halpern, Nicole; Garner, Andrew J P; Dahlsten, Oscar C O; Vedral, Vlatko

2018-05-01

Thermodynamics describes large-scale, slowly evolving systems. Two modern approaches generalize thermodynamics: fluctuation theorems, which concern finite-time nonequilibrium processes, and one-shot statistical mechanics, which concerns small scales and finite numbers of trials. Combining these approaches, we calculate a one-shot analog of the average dissipated work defined in fluctuation contexts: the cost of performing a protocol in finite time instead of quasistatically. The average dissipated work has been shown to be proportional to a relative entropy between phase-space densities, to a relative entropy between quantum states, and to a relative entropy between probability distributions over possible values of work. We derive one-shot analogs of all three equations, demonstrating that the order-infinity Rényi divergence is proportional to the maximum possible dissipated work in each case. These one-shot analogs of fluctuation-theorem results contribute to the unification of these two toolkits for small-scale, nonequilibrium statistical physics.

The temporal spectrum of adult mosquito population fluctuations: conceptual and modeling implications.

PubMed

Jian, Yun; Silvestri, Sonia; Brown, Jeff; Hickman, Rick; Marani, Marco

2014-01-01

An improved understanding of mosquito population dynamics under natural environmental forcing requires adequate field observations spanning the full range of temporal scales over which mosquito abundance fluctuates in natural conditions. Here we analyze a 9-year daily time series of uninterrupted observations of adult mosquito abundance for multiple mosquito species in North Carolina to identify characteristic scales of temporal variability, the processes generating them, and the representativeness of observations at different sampling resolutions. We focus in particular on Aedes vexans and Culiseta melanura and, using a combination of spectral analysis and modeling, we find significant population fluctuations with characteristic periodicity between 2 days and several years. Population dynamical modelling suggests that the observed fast fluctuations scales (2 days-weeks) are importantly affected by a varying mosquito activity in response to rapid changes in meteorological conditions, a process neglected in most representations of mosquito population dynamics. We further suggest that the range of time scales over which adult mosquito population variability takes place can be divided into three main parts. At small time scales (indicatively 2 days-1 month) observed population fluctuations are mainly driven by behavioral responses to rapid changes in weather conditions. At intermediate scales (1 to several month) environmentally-forced fluctuations in generation times, mortality rates, and density dependence determine the population characteristic response times. At longer scales (annual to multi-annual) mosquito populations follow seasonal and inter-annual environmental changes. We conclude that observations of adult mosquito populations should be based on a sub-weekly sampling frequency and that predictive models of mosquito abundance must include behavioral dynamics to separate the effects of a varying mosquito activity from actual changes in the abundance of the underlying population.

The Theory of Nearly Incompressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence: Homogeneous Description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zank, G. P.; Adhikari, L.; Hunana, P.; Shiota, D.; Bruno, R.; Telloni, D.; Avinash, K.

2017-09-01

The theory of nearly incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (NI MHD) was developed to understand the apparent incompressibility of the solar wind and other plasma environments, particularly the relationship of density fluctuations to incompressible manifestations of turbulence in the solar wind and interstellar medium. Of interest was the identification of distinct leading-order incompressible descriptions for plasma beta β ≫ 1 and β ∼ 1 or ≪ 1 environments. In the first case, the “dimensionality” of the MHD description is 3D whereas for the latter two, there is a collapse of dimensionality in that the leading-order incompressible MHD description is 2D in a plane orthogonal to the large-scale or mean magnetic field. Despite the success of NI MHD in describing fluctuations in a low-frequency plasma environment such as the solar wind, a basic turbulence description has not been developed. Here, we rewrite the NI MHD system in terms of Elsässer variables. We discuss the distinction that emerges between the three cases. However, we focus on the β ∼ 1 or ≪ 1 regimes since these are appropriate to the solar wind and solar corona. In both cases, the leading-order turbulence model describes 2D turbulence and the higher-order description corresponds to slab turbulence, which forms a minority component. The Elsäasser β ∼ 1 or ≪ 1 formulation exhibits the nonlinear couplings between 2D and slab components very clearly, and shows that slab fluctuations respond in a passive scalar sense to the turbulently evolving majority 2D component fluctuations. The coupling of 2D and slab fluctuations through the β ∼ 1 or ≪ 1 NI MHD description leads to a very natural emergence of the “Goldreich-Sridhar” critical balance scaling parameter, although now with a different interpretation. Specifically, the critical balance parameter shows that the energy flux in wave number space is a consequence of the intensity of Alfvén wave sweeping versus passive scalar convection by leading-order 2D Elsässer fluctuations, with critical balance being achieved when Alfvén wave sweeping balances passive scalar convection by leading-order 2D Elsässer fluctuations. Besides yielding predictions of 2D and slab spectra for Elsässer fluctuations, NI MHD shows that density fluctuations are advected by the majority or dominant incompressible velocity fluctuations. In the case of β ∼ 1 or ≪ 1, the density spectrum is Kolmogorov in the perpendicular wave number, thus providing a possible explanation for the observed extended Kolmogorov-like power law spectrum for electron density fluctuations in the interstellar medium.

On the Computation of Sound by Large-Eddy Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piomelli, Ugo; Streett, Craig L.; Sarkar, Sutanu

1997-01-01

The effect of the small scales on the source term in Lighthill's acoustic analogy is investigated, with the objective of determining the accuracy of large-eddy simulations when applied to studies of flow-generated sound. The distribution of the turbulent quadrupole is predicted accurately, if models that take into account the trace of the SGS stresses are used. Its spatial distribution is also correct, indicating that the low-wave-number (or frequency) part of the sound spectrum can be predicted well by LES. Filtering, however, removes the small-scale fluctuations that contribute significantly to the higher derivatives in space and time of Lighthill's stress tensor T(sub ij). The rms fluctuations of the filtered derivatives are substantially lower than those of the unfiltered quantities. The small scales, however, are not strongly correlated, and are not expected to contribute significantly to the far-field sound; separate modeling of the subgrid-scale density fluctuations might, however, be required in some configurations.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics for multiscale modeling and simulation: energy and heat transfer in molecular fluids.

PubMed

Shang, Barry Z; Voulgarakis, Nikolaos K; Chu, Jhih-Wei

2012-07-28

This work illustrates that fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) simulations can be used to capture the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic responses of molecular fluids at the nanoscale, including those associated with energy and heat transfer. Using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories as the reference data, the atomistic coordinates of each snapshot are mapped onto mass, momentum, and energy density fields on Eulerian grids to generate a corresponding field trajectory. The molecular length-scale associated with finite molecule size is explicitly imposed during this coarse-graining by requiring that the variances of density fields scale inversely with the grid volume. From the fluctuations of field variables, the response functions and transport coefficients encoded in the all-atom MD trajectory are computed. By using the extracted fluid properties in FHD simulations, we show that the fluctuations and relaxation of hydrodynamic fields quantitatively match with those observed in the reference all-atom MD trajectory, hence establishing compatibility between the atomistic and field representations. We also show that inclusion of energy transfer in the FHD equations can more accurately capture the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic responses of molecular fluids. The results indicate that the proposed MD-to-FHD mapping with explicit consideration of finite molecule size provides a robust framework for coarse-graining the solution phase of complex molecular systems.

Self-similar perturbations of a Friedmann universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, Bernard J.; Yahil, Amos

1990-01-01

The present analysis of spherically symmetric self-similar solutions to the Einstein equations gives attention to those solutions that are asymptotically k = 0 Friedmann at large z values, and possess finite but perturbed density at the origin. Such solutions represent nonlinear density fluctuations which grow at the same rate as the universe's particle horizon. The overdense solutions span only a narrow range of parameters, and resemble static isothermal gas spheres just within the sonic point; the underdense solutions may have arbitrarily low density at the origin while exhibiting a unique relationship between amplitude and scale. Their relevance to large-scale void formation is considered.

Characterization of nonGaussian atmospheric turbulence for prediction of aircraft response statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mark, W. D.

1977-01-01

Mathematical expressions were derived for the exceedance rates and probability density functions of aircraft response variables using a turbulence model that consists of a low frequency component plus a variance modulated Gaussian turbulence component. The functional form of experimentally observed concave exceedance curves was predicted theoretically, the strength of the concave contribution being governed by the coefficient of variation of the time fluctuating variance of the turbulence. Differences in the functional forms of response exceedance curves and probability densities also were shown to depend primarily on this same coefficient of variation. Criteria were established for the validity of the local stationary assumption that is required in the derivations of the exceedance curves and probability density functions. These criteria are shown to depend on the relative time scale of the fluctuations in the variance, the fluctuations in the turbulence itself, and on the nominal duration of the relevant aircraft impulse response function. Metrics that can be generated from turbulence recordings for testing the validity of the local stationary assumption were developed.

Cosmological density fluctuations produced by vacuum strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilenkin, A.

1981-04-01

Consideration is given to the possible role of vacuum domain strings produced in the grand unification phase transition in the early universe in the generation of the density fluctuations giving rise to galaxies. The cosmological evolution of the strings formed in the grand unification phase transition is analyzed, with attention given to possible mechanisms for the damping out of oscillations produced by tension in convoluted strings and closed loops. The cosmological density fluctuations introduced by infinite strings and closed loops smaller than the horizon are then shown to be capable of giving rise to mass condensations on a scale of approximately 10 to the 9th solar masses at the time of the decoupling of radiation from matter, around which the galaxies condense. Differences between the present theory and that suggested by Zel'dovich (1980) are pointed out, and it is noted that string formation at the grand unification phase transition is possible only if the manifold of the degenerate vacua of the gauge theory is not simply connected.

Theory of dynamic barriers, activated hopping, and the glass transition in polymer melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweizer, Kenneth S.; Saltzman, Erica J.

2004-07-01

A statistical mechanical theory of collective dynamic barriers, slow segmental relaxation, and the glass transition of polymer melts is developed by combining, and in some aspects extending, methods of mode coupling, density functional, and activated hopping transport theories. A coarse-grained description of polymer chains is adopted and the melt is treated as a liquid of segments. The theory is built on the idea that collective density fluctuations on length scales considerably longer than the local cage scale are of primary importance in the deeply supercooled regime. The barrier hopping or segmental relaxation time is predicted to be a function primarily of a single parameter that is chemical structure, temperature, and pressure dependent. This parameter depends on the material-specific dimensionless amplitude of thermal density fluctuations (compressibility) and a reduced segmental density determined by the packing length and backbone characteristic ratio. Analytic results are derived for a crossover temperature Tc, collective barrier, and glass transition temperature Tg. The relation of these quantities to structural and thermodynamic properties of the polymer melt is established. A universal power-law scaling behavior of the relaxation time below Tc is predicted based on identification of a reduced temperature variable that quantifies the breadth of the supercooled regime. Connections between the ratio Tc/Tg, two measures of dynamic fragility, and the magnitude of the local relaxation time at Tg logically follow. Excellent agreement with experiment is found for these generic aspects, and the crucial importance of the experimentally observed near universality of the dynamic crossover time is established. Extensions of the theory to treat the full chain dynamics, heterogeneity, barrier fluctuations, and nonpolymeric thermal glass forming liquids are briefly discussed.

Identifying large scale structures at 1 AU using fluctuations and wavelets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niembro, T.; Lara, A.

2016-12-01

The solar wind (SW) is inhomogeneous and it is dominated for two types of flows: one quasi-stationary and one related to large scale transients (such as coronal mass ejections and co-rotating interaction regions). The SW inhomogeneities can be study as fluctuations characterized by a wide range of length and time scales. We are interested in the study of the characteristic fluctuations caused by large scale transient events. To do so, we define the vector space F with the normalized moving monthly/annual deviations as the orthogonal basis. Then, we compute the norm in this space of the solar wind parameters (velocity, magnetic field, density and temperature) fluctuations using WIND data from August 1992 to August 2015. This norm gives important information about the presence of a large structure disturbance in the solar wind and by applying a wavelet transform to this norm, we are able to determine, without subjectivity, the duration of the compression regions of these large transient structures and, even more, to identify if the structure corresponds to a single or complex (or merged) event. With this method we have automatically detected most of the events identified and published by other authors.

Contribution of peculiar shear motions to large-scale structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueler, Hans-Reinhard; Treumann, Rudolf A.

1994-01-01

Self-gravitating shear flow instability simulations in a cold dark matter-dominated expanding Einstein-de Sitter universe have been performed. When the shear flow speed exceeds a certain threshold, self-gravitating Kelvin-Helmoholtz instability occurs, forming density voids and excesses along the shear flow layer which serve as seeds for large-scale structure formation. A possible mechanism for generating shear peculiar motions are velocity fluctuations induced by the density perturbations of the postinflation era. In this scenario, short scales grow earlier than large scales. A model of this kind may contribute to the cellular structure of the luminous mass distribution in the universe.

New Insights into the Nature of Turbulence in the Earth's Magnetosheath Using Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breuillard, H.; Matteini, L.; Argall, M. R.; Sahraoui, F.; Andriopoulou, M.; Le Contel, O.; Retinò, A.; Mirioni, L.; Huang, S. Y.; Gershman, D. J.; Ergun, R. E.; Wilder, F. D.; Goodrich, K. A.; Ahmadi, N.; Yordanova, E.; Vaivads, A.; Turner, D. L.; Khotyaintsev, Yu. V.; Graham, D. B.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Chasapis, A.; Burch, J. L.; Torbert, R. B.; Russell, C. T.; Magnes, W.; Strangeway, R. J.; Plaschke, F.; Moore, T. E.; Giles, B. L.; Paterson, W. R.; Pollock, C. J.; Lavraud, B.; Fuselier, S. A.; Cohen, I. J.

2018-06-01

The Earth’s magnetosheath, which is characterized by highly turbulent fluctuations, is usually divided into two regions of different properties as a function of the angle between the interplanetary magnetic field and the shock normal. In this study, we make use of high-time resolution instruments on board the Magnetospheric MultiScale spacecraft to determine and compare the properties of subsolar magnetosheath turbulence in both regions, i.e., downstream of the quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular bow shocks. In particular, we take advantage of the unprecedented temporal resolution of the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument to show the density fluctuations down to sub-ion scales for the first time. We show that the nature of turbulence is highly compressible down to electron scales, particularly in the quasi-parallel magnetosheath. In this region, the magnetic turbulence also shows an inertial (Kolmogorov-like) range, indicating that the fluctuations are not formed locally, in contrast with the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath. We also show that the electromagnetic turbulence is dominated by electric fluctuations at sub-ion scales (f > 1 Hz) and that magnetic and electric spectra steepen at the largest-electron scale. The latter indicates a change in the nature of turbulence at electron scales. Finally, we show that the electric fluctuations around the electron gyrofrequency are mostly parallel in the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath, where intense whistlers are observed. This result suggests that energy dissipation, plasma heating, and acceleration might be driven by intense electrostatic parallel structures/waves, which can be linked to whistler waves.

Effects of trap density on drain current LFN and its model development for E-mode GaN MOS-HEMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, D. K.; Lenka, T. R.

2017-12-01

In this paper the drain current low-frequency noise (LFN) of E-mode GaN MOS-HEMT is investigated for different gate insulators such as SiO2, Al2O3/Ga2O3/GdO3, HfO2/SiO2, La2O3/SiO2 and HfO2 with different trap densities by IFM based TCAD simulation. In order to analyze this an analytical model of drain current low frequency noise is developed. The model is developed by considering 2DEG carrier fluctuations, mobility fluctuations and the effects of 2DEG charge carrier fluctuations on the mobility. In the study of different gate insulators it is observed that carrier fluctuation is the dominant low frequency noise source and the non-uniform exponential distribution is critical to explain LFN behavior, so the analytical model is developed by considering uniform distribution of trap density. The model is validated with available experimental data from literature. The effect of total number of traps and gate length scaling on this low frequency noise due to different gate dielectrics is also investigated.

Fractal scaling analysis of groundwater dynamics in confined aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Tongbi; Ercan, Ali; Kavvas, M. Levent

2017-10-01

Groundwater closely interacts with surface water and even climate systems in most hydroclimatic settings. Fractal scaling analysis of groundwater dynamics is of significance in modeling hydrological processes by considering potential temporal long-range dependence and scaling crossovers in the groundwater level fluctuations. In this study, it is demonstrated that the groundwater level fluctuations in confined aquifer wells with long observations exhibit site-specific fractal scaling behavior. Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) was utilized to quantify the monofractality, and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) and multiscale multifractal analysis (MMA) were employed to examine the multifractal behavior. The DFA results indicated that fractals exist in groundwater level time series, and it was shown that the estimated Hurst exponent is closely dependent on the length and specific time interval of the time series. The MF-DFA and MMA analyses showed that different levels of multifractality exist, which may be partially due to a broad probability density distribution with infinite moments. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the underlying distribution of groundwater level fluctuations exhibits either non-Gaussian characteristics, which may be fitted by the Lévy stable distribution, or Gaussian characteristics depending on the site characteristics. However, fractional Brownian motion (fBm), which has been identified as an appropriate model to characterize groundwater level fluctuation, is Gaussian with finite moments. Therefore, fBm may be inadequate for the description of physical processes with infinite moments, such as the groundwater level fluctuations in this study. It is concluded that there is a need for generalized governing equations of groundwater flow processes that can model both the long-memory behavior and the Brownian finite-memory behavior.

Gyrokinetic Simulations of Transport Scaling and Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahm, Taik Soo

2001-10-01

There is accumulating evidence from global gyrokinetic particle simulations with profile variations and experimental fluctuation measurements that microturbulence, with its time-averaged eddy size which scales with the ion gyroradius, can cause ion thermal transport which deviates from the gyro-Bohm scaling. The physics here can be best addressed by large scale (rho* = rho_i/a = 0.001) full torus gyrokinetic particle-in-cell turbulence simulations using our massively parallel, general geometry gyrokinetic toroidal code with field-aligned mesh. Simulation results from device-size scans for realistic parameters show that ``wave transport'' mechanism is not the dominant contribution for this Bohm-like transport and that transport is mostly diffusive driven by microscopic scale fluctuations in the presence of self-generated zonal flows. In this work, we analyze the turbulence and zonal flow statistics from simulations and compare to nonlinear theoretical predictions including the radial decorrelation of the transport events by zonal flows and the resulting probability distribution function (PDF). In particular, possible deviation of the characteristic radial size of transport processes from the time-averaged radial size of the density fluctuation eddys will be critically examined.

Natural inflation with pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freese, Katherine; Frieman, Joshua A.; Olinto, Angela V.

1990-01-01

It is shown that a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson of given potential can naturally give rise to an epoch of inflation in the early universe. Mass scales which arise in particle physics models with a gauge group that becomes strongly interacting at a certain scales are shown to be conditions for successful inflation. The density fluctuation spectrum is nonscale-invariant, with extra power on large length scales.

The H I-to-H2 Transition in a Turbulent Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialy, Shmuel; Burkhart, Blakesley; Sternberg, Amiel

2017-07-01

We study the effect of density fluctuations induced by turbulence on the H I/H2 structure in photodissociation regions (PDRs) both analytically and numerically. We perform magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations for both subsonic and supersonic turbulent gas and chemical H I/H2 balance calculations. We derive atomic-to-molecular density profiles and the H I column density probability density function (PDF) assuming chemical equilibrium. We find that, while the H I/H2 density profiles are strongly perturbed in turbulent gas, the mean H I column density is well approximated by the uniform-density analytic formula of Sternberg et al. The PDF width depends on (a) the radiation intensity-to-mean density ratio, (b) the sonic Mach number, and (c) the turbulence decorrelation scale, or driving scale. We derive an analytic model for the H I PDF and demonstrate how our model, combined with 21 cm observations, can be used to constrain the Mach number and driving scale of turbulent gas. As an example, we apply our model to observations of H I in the Perseus molecular cloud. We show that a narrow observed H I PDF may imply small-scale decorrelation, pointing to the potential importance of subcloud-scale turbulence driving.

Traffic on complex networks: Towards understanding global statistical properties from microscopic density fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadić, Bosiljka; Thurner, Stefan; Rodgers, G. J.

2004-03-01

We study the microscopic time fluctuations of traffic load and the global statistical properties of a dense traffic of particles on scale-free cyclic graphs. For a wide range of driving rates R the traffic is stationary and the load time series exhibits antipersistence due to the regulatory role of the superstructure associated with two hub nodes in the network. We discuss how the superstructure affects the functioning of the network at high traffic density and at the jamming threshold. The degree of correlations systematically decreases with increasing traffic density and eventually disappears when approaching a jamming density Rc. Already before jamming we observe qualitative changes in the global network-load distributions and the particle queuing times. These changes are related to the occurrence of temporary crises in which the network-load increases dramatically, and then slowly falls back to a value characterizing free flow.

Growth and dissolution of spherical density enhancements in SCDEW cosmologies

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

Bonometto, Silvio A.; Mainini, Roberto, E-mail: bonometto@oats.inaf.it, E-mail: roberto.mainini@mib.infn.it

2017-06-01

Strongly Coupled Dark Energy plus Warm dark matter (SCDEW) cosmologies are based on the finding of a conformally invariant (CI) attractor solution during the early radiative expansion, requiring then the stationary presence of ∼ 1 % of coupled-DM and DE, since inflationary reheating. In these models, coupled-DM fluctuations, even in the early radiative expansion, grow up to non-linearity, as shown in a previous associated paper. Such early non-linear stages are modelized here through the evolution of a top-hat density enhancement. As expected, its radius R increases up to a maximum and then starts to decrease. Virial balance is reached whenmore » the coupled-DM density contrast is just 25–26 and DM density enhancement is O(10 %) of total density. Moreover, we find that this is not an equilibrium configuration as, afterwards, coupling causes DM particle velocities to increase, so that the fluctuation gradually dissolves. We estimate the duration of the whole process, from horizon crossing to dissolution, and find z {sub horizon}/ z {sub erasing} ∼ 3 × 10{sup 4}. Therefore, only fluctuations entering the horizon at z ∼< 10{sup 9}–10{sup 10} are able to accrete WDM with mass ∼ 100 eV—as soon as it becomes non-relativistic—so avoiding full disruption. Accordingly, SCDEW cosmologies, whose WDM has mass ∼ 100 eV, can preserve primeval fluctuations down to stellar mass scale.« less

Nonequilibrium forces following quenches in active and thermal matter.

PubMed

Rohwer, Christian M; Solon, Alexandre; Kardar, Mehran; Krüger, Matthias

2018-03-01

Nonequilibrium systems with conserved quantities like density or momentum are known to exhibit long-ranged correlations. This, in turn, leads to long-ranged fluctuation-induced (Casimir) forces, predicted to arise in a variety of nonequilibrium settings. Here, we study such forces, which arise transiently between parallel plates or compact inclusions in a gas of particles, following a change ("quench") in temperature or activity of the medium. Analytical calculations, as well as numerical simulations of passive or active Brownian particles, indicate two distinct forces: (i) The immediate effect of the quench is adsorption or desorption of particles of the medium to the immersed objects, which in turn initiates a front of relaxing (mean) density. This leads to time-dependent density-induced forces. (ii) A long-term effect of the quench is that density fluctuations are modified, manifested as transient (long-ranged) (pair-)correlations that relax diffusively to their (short-ranged) steady-state limit. As a result, transient fluctuation-induced forces emerge. We discuss the properties of fluctuation-induced and density-induced forces as regards universality, relaxation as a function of time, and scaling with distance between objects. Their distinct signatures allow us to distinguish the two types of forces in simulation data. Our simulations also show that a quench of the effective temperature of an active medium gives rise to qualitatively similar effects to a temperature quench in a passive medium. Based on this insight, we propose several scenarios for the experimental observation of the forces described here.

Nonequilibrium forces following quenches in active and thermal matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohwer, Christian M.; Solon, Alexandre; Kardar, Mehran; Krüger, Matthias

2018-03-01

Nonequilibrium systems with conserved quantities like density or momentum are known to exhibit long-ranged correlations. This, in turn, leads to long-ranged fluctuation-induced (Casimir) forces, predicted to arise in a variety of nonequilibrium settings. Here, we study such forces, which arise transiently between parallel plates or compact inclusions in a gas of particles, following a change ("quench") in temperature or activity of the medium. Analytical calculations, as well as numerical simulations of passive or active Brownian particles, indicate two distinct forces: (i) The immediate effect of the quench is adsorption or desorption of particles of the medium to the immersed objects, which in turn initiates a front of relaxing (mean) density. This leads to time-dependent density-induced forces. (ii) A long-term effect of the quench is that density fluctuations are modified, manifested as transient (long-ranged) (pair-)correlations that relax diffusively to their (short-ranged) steady-state limit. As a result, transient fluctuation-induced forces emerge. We discuss the properties of fluctuation-induced and density-induced forces as regards universality, relaxation as a function of time, and scaling with distance between objects. Their distinct signatures allow us to distinguish the two types of forces in simulation data. Our simulations also show that a quench of the effective temperature of an active medium gives rise to qualitatively similar effects to a temperature quench in a passive medium. Based on this insight, we propose several scenarios for the experimental observation of the forces described here.

Intensity and angle-of-arrival spectra of laser light propagating through axially homogeneous buoyancy-driven turbulence.

PubMed

Pawar, Shashikant S; Arakeri, Jaywant H

2016-08-01

Frequency spectra obtained from the measurements of light intensity and angle of arrival (AOA) of parallel laser light propagating through the axially homogeneous, axisymmetric buoyancy-driven turbulent flow at high Rayleigh numbers in a long (length-to-diameter ratio of about 10) vertical tube are reported. The flow is driven by an unstable density difference created across the tube ends using brine and fresh water. The highest Rayleigh number is about 8×10⁹. The aim of the present work is to find whether the conventional Obukhov-Corrsin scaling or Bolgiano-Obukhov (BO) scaling is obtained for the intensity and AOA spectra in the case of light propagation in a buoyancy-driven turbulent medium. Theoretical relations for the frequency spectra of log amplitude and AOA fluctuations developed for homogeneous isotropic turbulent media are modified for the buoyancy-driven flow in the present case to obtain the asymptotic scalings for the high and low frequency ranges. For low frequencies, the spectra of intensity and vertical AOA fluctuations obtained from measurements follow BO scaling, while scaling for the spectra of horizontal AOA fluctuations shows a small departure from BO scaling.

Small-scale modification to the lensing kernel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadzhiyska, Boryana; Spergel, David; Dunkley, Joanna

2018-02-01

Calculations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing power implemented into the standard cosmological codes such as camb and class usually treat the surface of last scatter as an infinitely thin screen. However, since the CMB anisotropies are smoothed out on scales smaller than the diffusion length due to the effect of Silk damping, the photons which carry information about the small-scale density distribution come from slightly earlier times than the standard recombination time. The dominant effect is the scale dependence of the mean redshift associated with the fluctuations during recombination. We find that fluctuations at k =0.01 Mpc-1 come from a characteristic redshift of z ≈1090 , while fluctuations at k =0.3 Mpc-1 come from a characteristic redshift of z ≈1130 . We then estimate the corrections to the lensing kernel and the related power spectra due to this effect. We conclude that neglecting it would result in a deviation from the true value of the lensing kernel at the half percent level at small CMB scales. For an all-sky, noise-free experiment, this corresponds to a ˜0.1 σ shift in the observed temperature power spectrum on small scales (2500 ≲l ≲4000 ).

Investigation of surface fluctuating pressures on a 1/4 scale YC-14 upper surface blown flap model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pappa, R. S.

1979-01-01

Fluctuating pressures were measured at 30 positions on the surface of a 1/4-scale YC-14 wing and fuselage model during an outdoor static testing program. These data were obtained as part of a NASA program to study the fluctuating loads imposed on STOL aircraft configurations and to further the understanding of the scaling laws of unsteady surface pressure fields. Fluctuating pressure data were recorded at several discrete engine thrust settings for each of 16 configurations of the model. These data were reduced using the technique of random data analysis to obtain auto-and cross-spectral density functions and coherence functions for frequencies from 0 to 10 kHz, and cross-correlation functions for time delays from 0 to 10.24 ms. Results of this program provide the following items of particular interest: (1) Good collapse of normalized PSD functions on the USB flap was found using a technique applied by Lilley and Hodgson to data from a laboratory wall-jet apparatus. (2) Results indicate that the fluctuating pressure loading on surfaces washed by the jet exhaust flow was dominated by hydrodynamic pressure variations, loading on surface well outside the flow region dominated by acoustic pressure variations, and loading near the flow boundaries from a mixture of the two.

High-frequency fluctuation measurements by far-infrared laser Faraday-effect polarimetry-interferometry and forward scattering system on MST.

PubMed

Ding, W X; Lin, L; Duff, J R; Brower, D L

2014-11-01

Magnetic fluctuation-induced transport driven by global tearing modes has been measured by Faraday-effect polarimetry and interferometry (phase measurements) in the MST reversed field pinch. However, the role of small-scale broadband magnetic and density turbulence in transport remains unknown. In order to investigate broadband magnetic turbulence, we plan to upgrade the existing detector system by using planar-diode fundamental waveguide mixers optimized for high sensitivity. Initial tests indicate these mixers have ×10 sensitivity improvement compared to currently employed corner-cube Schottky-diode mixers and ×5 lower noise. Compact mixer design will allow us to resolve the wavenumbers up to k ∼ 1-2 cm(-1) for beam width w = 1.5 cm and 15 cm(-1) for beam width w = 2 mm. The system can also be used to measure the scattered signal (amplitude measurement) induced by both plasma density and magnetic fluctuations.

Novel analysis technique for measuring edge density fluctuation profiles with reflectometry in the Large Helical Device.

PubMed

Creely, A J; Ida, K; Yoshinuma, M; Tokuzawa, T; Tsujimura, T; Akiyama, T; Sakamoto, R; Emoto, M; Tanaka, K; Michael, C A

2017-07-01

A new method for measuring density fluctuation profiles near the edge of plasmas in the Large Helical Device (LHD) has been developed utilizing reflectometry combined with pellet-induced fast density scans. Reflectometer cutoff location was calculated by proportionally scaling the cutoff location calculated with fast far infrared laser interferometer (FIR) density profiles to match the slower time resolution results of the ray-tracing code LHD-GAUSS. Plasma velocity profile peaks generated with this reflectometer mapping were checked against velocity measurements made with charge exchange spectroscopy (CXS) and were found to agree within experimental uncertainty once diagnostic differences were accounted for. Measured density fluctuation profiles were found to peak strongly near the edge of the plasma, as is the case in most tokamaks. These measurements can be used in the future to inform inversion methods of phase contrast imaging (PCI) measurements. This result was confirmed with both a fixed frequency reflectometer and calibrated data from a multi-frequency comb reflectometer, and this method was applied successfully to a series of discharges. The full width at half maximum of the turbulence layer near the edge of the plasma was found to be only 1.5-3 cm on a series of LHD discharges, less than 5% of the normalized minor radius.

Novel analysis technique for measuring edge density fluctuation profiles with reflectometry in the Large Helical Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creely, A. J.; Ida, K.; Yoshinuma, M.; Tokuzawa, T.; Tsujimura, T.; Akiyama, T.; Sakamoto, R.; Emoto, M.; Tanaka, K.; Michael, C. A.

2017-07-01

A new method for measuring density fluctuation profiles near the edge of plasmas in the Large Helical Device (LHD) has been developed utilizing reflectometry combined with pellet-induced fast density scans. Reflectometer cutoff location was calculated by proportionally scaling the cutoff location calculated with fast far infrared laser interferometer (FIR) density profiles to match the slower time resolution results of the ray-tracing code LHD-GAUSS. Plasma velocity profile peaks generated with this reflectometer mapping were checked against velocity measurements made with charge exchange spectroscopy (CXS) and were found to agree within experimental uncertainty once diagnostic differences were accounted for. Measured density fluctuation profiles were found to peak strongly near the edge of the plasma, as is the case in most tokamaks. These measurements can be used in the future to inform inversion methods of phase contrast imaging (PCI) measurements. This result was confirmed with both a fixed frequency reflectometer and calibrated data from a multi-frequency comb reflectometer, and this method was applied successfully to a series of discharges. The full width at half maximum of the turbulence layer near the edge of the plasma was found to be only 1.5-3 cm on a series of LHD discharges, less than 5% of the normalized minor radius.

Separated-flow unsteady pressures and forces on elastically responding structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coke, C. F.; Riddle, D. W.; Hwang, C.

1977-01-01

Broadband rms, spectral density, and spatial correlation information that characterizes the fluctuating pressures and forces that cause aircraft buffet is presented. The main theme is to show the effects of elasticity. In order to do so, data are presented that were obtained in regions of separated flow on wings of wind-tunnel models of varying stiffness and on the wing of a full-scale aircraft. Reynolds number effects on the pressure fluctuations are also discussed.

Random dopant fluctuations and statistical variability in n-channel junctionless FETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhavan, N. D.; Umana-Membreno, G. A.; Gu, R.; Antoszewski, J.; Faraone, L.

2018-01-01

The influence of random dopant fluctuations on the statistical variability of the electrical characteristics of n-channel silicon junctionless nanowire transistor (JNT) has been studied using three dimensional quantum simulations based on the non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) formalism. Average randomly distributed body doping densities of 2 × 1019, 6 × 1019 and 1 × 1020 cm-3 have been considered employing an atomistic model for JNTs with gate lengths of 5, 10 and 15 nm. We demonstrate that by properly adjusting the doping density in the JNT, a near ideal statistical variability and electrical performance can be achieved, which can pave the way for the continuation of scaling in silicon CMOS technology.

Detection of F-region electron density irregularities using incoherent-scatter radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gudivada, Krishna Prasad

Incoherent-scatter radar data from Poker Flat, Alaska has been used to determine size distributions of electron density structures in the evening time sector of the auroral zone. At high latitudes ionospheric plasma typically moves east-west with speeds of several hundred meters per second. Density irregularities that rapidly move through the radar beam are therefore observed as time-varying power fluctuations. The new phased array radar used for this study has been operated with several antenna directions with successive pulses transmitted in each direction. It is therefore possible to observe plasma Doppler velocities in multiple directions and determine the vector direction of the plasma motion. This near-simultaneous observation of the plasma velocity in conjunction with the electron density height profile data enable a new technique to determine the scale sizes of electron density fluctuations that move horizontally through the radar beam. The study focuses on the collision-less F-region ionosphere where the plasma drift is approximately constant with altitude. The experimental technique limits the range of scale sizes that may be studied to relatively large-scale sizes (i.e. greater than few tens of km). Results show that during magnetically disturbed conditions (Kp ≥ 4) when westward plasma velocities are relatively high (500-1000 m/s) the scale sizes of irregularities (often called plasma blobs) are in the range of 100-300 km and predominantly originate from the polar cap and are transported over long distances (˜1000 km) due to the long chemical recombination times (30-90 minutes). Some irregularities are caused by local auroral particle precipitation and have been identified with associated electron temperature enhancements. For cases of low magnetic activity (Kp ≤ 1), when the radar is located in a region of low plasma velocities (100-500 m/s) well south of the auroral oval (essentially a mid-latitude type ionosphere), the density distribution is always biased strongly toward small-scale sizes (less than 50 km).

Detection of polarization in the cosmic microwave background using DASI. Degree Angular Scale Interferometer.

PubMed

Kovac, J M; Leitch, E M; Pryke, C; Carlstrom, J E; Halverson, N W; Holzapfel, W L

The past several years have seen the emergence of a standard cosmological model, in which small temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on angular scales of the order of a degree are understood to arise from acoustic oscillations in the hot plasma of the early Universe, arising from primordial density fluctuations. Within the context of this model, recent measurements of the temperature fluctuations have led to profound conclusions about the origin, evolution and composition of the Universe. Using the measured temperature fluctuations, the theoretical framework predicts the level of polarization of the CMB with essentially no free parameters. Therefore, a measurement of the polarization is a critical test of the theory and thus of the validity of the cosmological parameters derived from the CMB measurements. Here we report the detection of polarization of the CMB with the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI). The polarization is deteced with high confidence, and its level and spatial distribution are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the standard theory.

Inner-outer predictive wall model for wall-bounded turbulence in hypersonic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, M. Pino; Helm, Clara M.

2017-11-01

The inner-outer predictive wall model of Mathis et al. is modified for hypersonic turbulent boundary layers. The model is based on a modulation of the energized motions in the inner layer by large scale momentum fluctuations in the logarithmic layer. Using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of turbulent boundary layers with free stream Mach number 3 to 10, it is shown that the variation of the fluid properties in the compressible flows leads to large Reynolds number (Re) effects in the outer layer and facilitate the modulation observed in high Re incompressible flows. The modulation effect by the large scale increases with increasing free-stream Mach number. The model is extended to include spanwise and wall-normal velocity fluctuations and is generalized through Morkovin scaling. Temperature fluctuations are modeled using an appropriate Reynolds Analogy. Density fluctuations are calculated using an equation of state and a scaling with Mach number. DNS data are used to obtain the universal signal and parameters. The model is tested by using the universal signal to reproduce the flow conditions of Mach 3 and Mach 7 turbulent boundary layer DNS data and comparing turbulence statistics between the modeled flow and the DNS data. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Grant FA9550-17-1-0104.

Propagation of radio frequency waves through density fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valvis, S. I.; Papagiannis, P.; Papadopoulos, A.; Hizanidis, K.; Glytsis, E.; Bairaktaris, F.; Zisis, A.; Tigelis, I.; Ram, A. K.

2017-10-01

On their way to the core of a tokamak plasma, radio frequency (RF) waves, excited in the vacuum region, have to propagate through a variety of density fluctuations in the edge region. These fluctuations include coherent structures, like blobs that can be field aligned or not, as well as turbulent and filamentary structures. We have been studying the effect of fluctuations on RF propagation using both theoretical (analytical) and computational models. The theoretical results are being compared with those obtained by two different numerical codes ``a Finite Difference Frequency Domain code and the commercial COMSOL package. For plasmas with arbitrary distribution of coherent and turbulent fluctuations, we have formulated an effective dielectric permittivity of the edge plasma. This permittivity tensor is then used in numerical simulations to study the effect of multi-scale turbulence on RF waves. We not only consider plane waves but also Gaussian beams in the electron cyclotron and lower hybrid range of frequencies. The analytical theory and results from simulations on the propagation of RF waves will be presented. Supported in part by the Hellenic National Programme on Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion associated with the EUROfusion Consortium and by DoE Grant DE-FG02-91ER-54109.

Spectral scaling laws of solar wind fluctuations at 1 AU: Part 2

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

Podesta, John J.

2013-06-13

In-situ measurements of solar wind fluctuations at 1 AU show that the reduced energy spectrum, equal to the sum of the reduced kinetic plus magnetic energy spectra, is characterized by a power-law scaling k{sup -{alpha}} in the inertial range with an average spectral exponent {alpha} Asymptotically-Equal-To 3/2, a result confirmed by independent analyses using data from different spacecraft. Magnetic field and electron density spectra at kinetic scales {rho}{sup -1}{sub i} < k < {rho}{sup -1}{sub e} both have a spectral index of approximately 2.7. These and other recent observations of spectral scaling laws in the solar wind using single spacecraftmore » measurements are briefly reviewed. The first part of this review, Part 1, is contained in a separate paper in these proceedings.« less

Temporal scaling of hydraulic head and river base flow and its implication for groundwater recharge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhang, You‐Kuan; Schilling, Keith

2004-01-01

Spectral analyses were conducted for hourly hydraulic head (h) data observed over a 4‐year period at seven monitoring wells in the Walnut Creek watershed, Iowa. The log power spectral density of the hydraulic head fluctuations versus log frequency (f) at all seven wells is shown to have a distinct slope or fractal dimension (D), indicating temporal scaling in the time series of water level fluctuations. The fractal dimension of the time series varies from well to well, and the spectrum for the average h over all seven wells has a fractal dimension of 1.46 and Hurst coefficient of 0.54. The log power spectral density of estimated base flow in the Walnut Creek and four other watersheds versus log f is shown to have two distinct slopes with a break in scaling at about 30 days. It is shown that the groundwater recharge process in a basin can be estimated from a head spectrum based on existing theoretical results. Hydraulic head in an aquifer may fluctuate as a fractal in time in response to either a white noise or fractal recharge process, depending on physical parameters (i.e., transmissivity and specific yield) of the aquifer. The recharge process at the Walnut Creek watershed is shown to have a white noise spectrum based on the observed head spectrum.

Density enhancement mechanism of upwind schemes for low Mach number flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Bo-Xi; Yan, Chao; Chen, Shu-Sheng

2018-06-01

Many all-speed Roe schemes have been proposed to improve performance in terms of low speeds. Among them, the F-Roe and T-D-Roe schemes have been found to get incorrect density fluctuation in low Mach flows, which is expected to be with the square of Mach number. Asymptotic analysis presents the mechanism of how the density fluctuation problem relates to the incorrect order of terms in the energy equation \\tilde{ρ {\\tilde{a}} {\\tilde{U}}Δ U}. It is known that changing the upwind scheme coefficients of the pressure-difference dissipation term D^P and the velocity-difference dissipation term in the momentum equation D^{ρ U} to the order of O(c^{-1}) and O(c0) can improve the level of pressure and velocity accuracy at low speeds. This paper shows that corresponding changes in energy equation can also improve the density accuracy in low speeds. We apply this modification to a recently proposed scheme, TV-MAS, to get a new scheme, TV-MAS2. Unsteady Gresho vortex flow, double shear-layer flow, low Mach number flows over the inviscid cylinder, and NACA0012 airfoil show that energy equation modification in these schemes can obtain the expected square Ma scaling of density fluctuations, which is in good agreement with corresponding asymptotic analysis. Therefore, this density correction is expected to be widely implemented into all-speed compressible flow solvers.

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

Li, Rong; Wu, Yongquan, E-mail: yqwu@shu.edu.cn; Xiao, Junjiang

We observed homogeneous nucleation process of supercooled liquid Fe by molecular dynamics simulations. Using bond-orientational order parameters together with Voronoi polyhedron method, we characterized local structure, calculated the volume of Voronoi polyhedra of atoms and identified the structure and density fluctuations. We monitored the formation of nucleus and analyzed its inner structure. The birth and growth of the pre-nucleus and nucleus are accompanied with aggregating and disaggregating processes in the time scale of femtosecond. Only the initial solid-like clusters (ISLC), ranging from 1 to 7 atoms, pop up directly from liquid. The relation between the logarithm of number of clustersmore » and the cluster size was found to be linear for ISLCs and was observed to be parabolic for all solid-like clusters (SLC) due to aggregating and disaggregating effects. The nucleus and pre-nuclei mainly consist of body centered cubic (BCC) and hexagonal close packed atoms, while the BCC atoms tend to be located at the surface. Medium-range structure fluctuations induce the birth of ISLCs, benefit the aggregation of embryos and remarkably promote the nucleation. But density fluctuations contribute little to nucleation. The lifetime of most icosahedral-like atoms (ICO) is shorter than 0.7 ps. No obvious relationship was found between structure/density fluctuations and the appearance of ICO atoms.« less

Validation of gyrokinetic simulations with measurements of electron temperature fluctuations and density-temperature phase angles on ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freethy, S. J.; Görler, T.; Creely, A. J.; Conway, G. D.; Denk, S. S.; Happel, T.; Koenen, C.; Hennequin, P.; White, A. E.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2018-05-01

Measurements of turbulent electron temperature fluctuation amplitudes, δTe ⊥/Te , frequency spectra, and radial correlation lengths, Lr(Te ⊥) , have been performed at ASDEX Upgrade using a newly upgraded Correlation ECE diagnostic in the range of scales k⊥<1.4 cm-1, kr<3.5 cm-1 ( k⊥ρs<0.28 and krρs<0.7 ). The phase angle between turbulent temperature and density fluctuations, αnT, has also been measured by using an ECE radiometer coupled to a reflectometer along the same line of sight. These quantities are used simultaneously to constrain a set of ion-scale non-linear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations of the outer core (ρtor = 0.75) of a low density, electron heated L-mode plasma, performed using the gyrokinetic simulation code, GENE. The ion and electron temperature gradients were scanned within uncertainties. It is found that gyrokinetic simulations are able to match simultaneously the electron and ion heat flux at this radius within the experimental uncertainties. The simulations were performed based on a reference discharge for which δTe ⊥/Te measurements were available, and Lr(Te ⊥) and αnT were then predicted using synthetic diagnostics prior to measurements in a repeat discharge. While temperature fluctuation amplitudes are overestimated by >50% for all simulations within the sensitivity scans performed, good quantitative agreement is found for Lr(Te ⊥) and αnT. A validation metric is used to quantify the level of agreement of individual simulations with experimental measurements, and the best agreement is found close to the experimental gradient values.

Lensing of 21-cm fluctuations by primordial gravitational waves.

PubMed

Book, Laura; Kamionkowski, Marc; Schmidt, Fabian

2012-05-25

Weak-gravitational-lensing distortions to the intensity pattern of 21-cm radiation from the dark ages can be decomposed geometrically into curl and curl-free components. Lensing by primordial gravitational waves induces a curl component, while the contribution from lensing by density fluctuations is strongly suppressed. Angular fluctuations in the 21-cm background extend to very small angular scales, and measurements at different frequencies probe different shells in redshift space. There is thus a huge trove of information with which to reconstruct the curl component of the lensing field, allowing tensor-to-scalar ratios conceivably as small as r~10(-9)-far smaller than those currently accessible-to be probed.

The H i-to-H{sub 2} Transition in a Turbulent Medium

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

Bialy, Shmuel; Sternberg, Amiel; Burkhart, Blakesley, E-mail: shmuelbi@mail.tau.ac.il

2017-07-10

We study the effect of density fluctuations induced by turbulence on the H i/H{sub 2} structure in photodissociation regions (PDRs) both analytically and numerically. We perform magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations for both subsonic and supersonic turbulent gas and chemical H i/H{sub 2} balance calculations. We derive atomic-to-molecular density profiles and the H i column density probability density function (PDF) assuming chemical equilibrium. We find that, while the H i/H{sub 2} density profiles are strongly perturbed in turbulent gas, the mean H i column density is well approximated by the uniform-density analytic formula of Sternberg et al. The PDF width depends onmore » (a) the radiation intensity–to–mean density ratio, (b) the sonic Mach number, and (c) the turbulence decorrelation scale, or driving scale. We derive an analytic model for the H i PDF and demonstrate how our model, combined with 21 cm observations, can be used to constrain the Mach number and driving scale of turbulent gas. As an example, we apply our model to observations of H i in the Perseus molecular cloud. We show that a narrow observed H i PDF may imply small-scale decorrelation, pointing to the potential importance of subcloud-scale turbulence driving.« less

Impact of neutral density fluctuations on gas puff imaging diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wersal, C.; Ricci, P.

2017-11-01

A three-dimensional turbulence simulation of the SOL and edge regions of a toroidally limited tokamak is carried out. The simulation couples self-consistently the drift-reduced two-fluid Braginskii equations to a kinetic equation for neutral atoms. A diagnostic neutral gas puff on the low-field side midplane is included and the impact of neutral density fluctuations on D_α light emission investigated. We find that neutral density fluctuations affect the D_α emission. In particular, at a radial distance from the gas puff smaller than the neutral mean free path, neutral density fluctuations are anti-correlated with plasma density, electron temperature, and D_α fluctuations. It follows that the neutral fluctuations reduce the D_α emission in most of the observed region and, therefore, have to be taken into account when interpreting the amplitude of the D_α emission. On the other hand, higher order statistical moments (skewness, kurtosis) and turbulence characteristics (such as correlation length, or the autocorrelation time) are not significantly affected by the neutral fluctuations. At distances from the gas puff larger than the neutral mean free path, a non-local shadowing effect influences the neutral density fluctuations. There, the D_α fluctuations are correlated with the neutral density fluctuations, and the high-order statistical moments and measurements of other turbulence properties are strongly affected by the neutral density fluctuations.

Jumping the gap: the formation conditions and mass function of `pebble-pile' planetesimals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Philip F.

2016-03-01

In a turbulent proto-planetary disc, dust grains undergo large-density fluctuations and under the right circumstances, grain overdensities can collapse under self-gravity (forming a `pebble-pile' planetesimal). Using a simple model for fluctuations predicted in simulations, we estimate the rate of formation and mass function of self-gravitating planetesimal-mass bodies formed by this mechanism. This depends sensitively on the grain size, disc surface density, and turbulent Mach numbers. However, when it occurs, the resulting planetesimal mass function is broad and quasi-universal, with a slope dN/dM ∝ M-(1-2), spanning size/mass range ˜10-104 km (˜10-9-5 M⊕). Collapse to planetesimal through super-Earth masses is possible. The key condition is that grain density fluctuations reach large amplitudes on large scales, where gravitational instability proceeds most easily (collapse of small grains is suppressed by turbulence). This leads to a new criterion for `pebble-pile' formation: τs ≳ 0.05 ln (Q1/2/Zd)/ln (1 + 10 α1/4) ˜ 0.3 ψ(Q, Z, α) where τs = ts Ω is the dimensionless particle stopping time. In a minimum-mass solar nebula, this requires grains larger than a = (50, 1, 0.1) cm at r=(1, 30, 100) au}. This may easily occur beyond the ice line, but at small radii would depend on the existence of large boulders. Because density fluctuations depend strongly on τs (inversely proportional to disc surface density), lower density discs are more unstable. Conditions for pebble-pile formation also become more favourable around lower mass, cooler stars.

Strength and scales of itinerant spin fluctuations in 3 d paramagnetic metals

DOE PAGES

Wysocki, Aleksander L.; Kutepov, Andrey; Antropov, Vladimir P.

2016-10-10

The full spin density fluctuations (SDF) spectra in 3d paramagnetic metals are analyzed from first principles using the linear response technique. Using the calculated complete wave vector and energy dependence of the dynamic spin susceptibility, we obtain the most important, but elusive, characteristic of SDF in solids: on-site spin correlator (SC). We demonstrate that the SDF have a mixed character consisting of interacting collective and single-particle excitations of similar strength spreading continuously over the entire Brillouin zone and a wide energy range up to femtosecond time scales. These excitations cannot be adiabatically separated and their intrinsically multiscale nature should alwaysmore » be taken into account for a proper description of metallic systems. Altogether, in all studied systems, despite the lack of local moment, we found a very large SC resulting in an effective fluctuating moment of the order of several Bohr magnetons.« less

Strength and scales of itinerant spin fluctuations in 3 d paramagnetic metals

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

Wysocki, Aleksander L.; Kutepov, Andrey; Antropov, Vladimir P.

The full spin density fluctuations (SDF) spectra in 3d paramagnetic metals are analyzed from first principles using the linear response technique. Using the calculated complete wave vector and energy dependence of the dynamic spin susceptibility, we obtain the most important, but elusive, characteristic of SDF in solids: on-site spin correlator (SC). We demonstrate that the SDF have a mixed character consisting of interacting collective and single-particle excitations of similar strength spreading continuously over the entire Brillouin zone and a wide energy range up to femtosecond time scales. These excitations cannot be adiabatically separated and their intrinsically multiscale nature should alwaysmore » be taken into account for a proper description of metallic systems. Altogether, in all studied systems, despite the lack of local moment, we found a very large SC resulting in an effective fluctuating moment of the order of several Bohr magnetons.« less

Statistical parameters of thermally driven turbulent anabatic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilel, Roni; Liberzon, Dan

2016-11-01

Field measurements of thermally driven turbulent anabatic flow over a moderate slope are reported. A collocated hot-films-sonic anemometer (Combo) obtained the finer scales of the flow by implementing a Neural Networks based in-situ calibration technique. Eight days of continuous measurements of the wind and temperature fluctuations reviled a diurnal pattern of unstable stratification that forced development of highly turbulent unidirectional up slope flow. Empirical fits of important turbulence statistics were obtained from velocity fluctuations' time series alongside fully resolved spectra of velocity field components and characteristic length scales. TKE and TI showed linear dependence on Re, while velocity derivative skewness and dissipation rates indicated the anisotropic nature of the flow. Empirical fits of normalized velocity fluctuations power density spectra were derived as spectral shapes exhibited high level of similarity. Bursting phenomenon was detected at 15% of the total time. Frequency of occurrence, spectral characteristics and possible generation mechanism are discussed. BSF Grant #2014075.

Vacuum energy density fluctuations in Minkowski and Casimir states via smeared quantum fields and point separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Nicholas G.; Hu, B. L.

2000-10-01

We present calculations of the variance of fluctuations and of the mean of the energy momentum tensor of a massless scalar field for the Minkowski and Casimir vacua as a function of an intrinsic scale defined by a smeared field or by point separation. We point out that, contrary to prior claims, the ratio of variance to mean-squared being of the order unity is not necessarily a good criterion for measuring the invalidity of semiclassical gravity. For the Casimir topology we obtain expressions for the variance to mean-squared ratio as a function of the intrinsic scale (defined by a smeared field) compared to the extrinsic scale (defined by the separation of the plates, or the periodicity of space). Our results make it possible to identify the spatial extent where negative energy density prevails which could be useful for studying quantum field effects in worm holes and baby universes, and for examining the design feasibility of real-life ``time machines.'' For the Minkowski vacuum we find that the ratio of the variance to the mean-squared, calculated from the coincidence limit, is identical to the value of the Casimir case at the same limit for spatial point separation while identical to the value of a hot flat space result with a temporal point separation. We analyze the origin of divergences in the fluctuations of the energy density and discuss choices in formulating a procedure for their removal, thus raising new questions about the uniqueness and even the very meaning of regularization of the energy momentum tensor for quantum fields in curved or even flat spacetimes when spacetime is viewed as having an extended structure.

X-ray fluctuation timescale and Black Hole mass relation in AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandel, Amri; Malkan, Mathew

We analyze the fluctuations in the X-ray flux of 20 AGN (mainly Seyfert 1 galaxies) monitored by RXTE and XMM-Newton with a sampling frequency ranging from hours to years, using structure function (SF) analysis. We derive SFs over four orders of magnitude in the time domain (0.03-300 days). Most objects show a characteristic time scale, where the SF flattens or changes slope. For 10 objects with published power-spectral density (PSD) the break time scales in the SF and PSD are similar and show a good correlation. We also find a significant correlation between the SF timescale and the mass of the central black hole, determined for most objects by reverberation mapping.

Fundamental tests of galaxy formation theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, J.

1982-01-01

The structure of the universe as an environment where traces exist of the seed fluctuations from which galaxies formed is studied. The evolution of the density fluctuation modes that led to the eventual formation of matter inhomogeneities is reviewed, How the resulting clumps developed into galaxies and galaxy clusters acquiring characteristic masses, velocity dispersions, and metallicities, is discussed. Tests are described that utilize the large scale structure of the universe, including the dynamics of the local supercluster, the large scale matter distribution, and the anisotropy of the cosmic background radiation, to probe the earliest accessible stages of evolution. Finally, the role of particle physics is described with regard to its observable implications for galaxy formation.

Extracting physical quantities from BES data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Michael; Field, Anthony; Schekochihin, Alexander; van Wyk, Ferdinand; MAST Team

2015-11-01

We propose a method to extract the underlying physical properties of turbulence from measurements, thereby facilitating quantitative comparisons between theory and experiment. Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) diagnostics record fluctuating intensity time series, which are related to the density field in the plasma through Point-Spread Functions (PSFs). Assuming a suitable form for the correlation function of the underlying turbulence, analytical expressions are derived that relate the correlation parameters of the intensity field: the radial and poloidal correlation lengths and wavenumbers, the correlation time and the fluctuation amplitude, to the equivalent correlation properties of the density field. In many cases, the modification caused by the PSFs is substantial enough to change conclusions about physics. Our method is tested by applying PSFs to the ``real'' density field, generated by non-linear gyrokinetic simulations of MAST, to create synthetic turbulence data, from which the method successfully recovers the correlation function of the ``real'' density field. This method is applied to BES data from MAST to determine the scaling of the 2D structure of the ion-scale turbulence with equilibrium parameters, including the ExB flow shear. Work funded by the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053 and from the RCUK Energy Programme [grant number EP/I501045].

Origin of low-frequency noise in pentacene field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yong; Minari, Takeo; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Chroboczek, Jan; Balestra, Francis; Ghibaudo, Gerard

2011-07-01

Measurements of power spectral density (PSD) of low-frequency noise (LFN) in pentacene field-effect transistors reveal the preponderance of a 1/ f-type PSD behavior with the amplitude varying as the squared transistor gain and increasing as the inverse of the gate surface area. Such features impose an interpretation of LFN by carrier number fluctuations model involving capture/release of charges on traps uniformly distributed over the gate surface. The surface slow trap density extracted by the noise analysis is close to the surface states density deduced independently from static I(V) data, which confirms the validity of the proposed LFN interpretation. Further, we found that the trap densities in bottom-contact (BC) devices were higher than in their top-contact (TC) counterparts, in agreement with observations of a poorer crystal structure of BC devices, in the contact regions in particular. At the highest bias the noise originating from the contact resistance is also shown to be a dominant component in the PSD, and it is well explained by the noise originating from a gate-voltage dependent contact resistance. A gate area scaling was also performed, and the good scaling and the dispersion at the highest bias confirm the validity of the applied carrier number fluctuations model and the predominant contact noise at high current intensities.

Fine Structures of Solar Radio Type III Bursts and Their Possible Relationship with Coronal Density Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xingyao; Kontar, Eduard P.; Yu, Sijie; Yan, Yihua; Huang, Jing; Tan, Baolin

2018-03-01

Solar radio type III bursts are believed to be the most sensitive signatures of near-relativistic electron beam propagation in the corona. A solar radio type IIIb-III pair burst with fine frequency structures, observed by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) with high temporal (∼10 ms) and spectral (12.5 kHz) resolutions at 30–80 MHz, is presented. The observations show that the type III burst consists of many striae, which have a frequency scale of about 0.1 MHz in both the fundamental (plasma) and the harmonic (double plasma) emission. We investigate the effects of background density fluctuations based on the observation of striae structure to estimate the density perturbation in the solar corona. It is found that the spectral index of the density fluctuation spectrum is about ‑1.7, and the characteristic spatial scale of the density perturbation is around 700 km. This spectral index is very close to a Kolmogorov turbulence spectral index of ‑5/3, consistent with a turbulent cascade. This fact indicates that the coronal turbulence may play the important role of modulating the time structures of solar radio type III bursts, and the fine structure of radio type III bursts could provide a useful and unique tool to diagnose the turbulence in the solar corona.

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

Steigies, C. T.; Barjatya, A.

Langmuir probes are standard instruments for plasma density measurements on many sounding rockets. These probes can be operated in swept-bias as well as in fixed-bias modes. In swept-bias Langmuir probes, contamination effects are frequently visible as a hysteresis between consecutive up and down voltage ramps. This hysteresis, if not corrected, leads to poorly determined plasma densities and temperatures. With a properly chosen sweep function, the contamination parameters can be determined from the measurements and correct plasma parameters can then be determined. In this paper, we study the contamination effects on fixed-bias Langmuir probes, where no hysteresis type effect is seenmore » in the data. Even though the contamination is not evident from the measurements, it does affect the plasma density fluctuation spectrum as measured by the fixed-bias Langmuir probe. We model the contamination as a simple resistor-capacitor circuit between the probe surface and the plasma. We find that measurements of small scale plasma fluctuations (meter to sub-meter scale) along a rocket trajectory are not affected, but the measured amplitude of large scale plasma density variation (tens of meters or larger) is attenuated. From the model calculations, we determine amplitude and cross-over frequency of the contamination effect on fixed-bias probes for different contamination parameters. The model results also show that a fixed bias probe operating in the ion-saturation region is affected less by contamination as compared to a fixed bias probe operating in the electron saturation region.« less

On the Transport and Radiative Properties of Plasmas with Small-Scale Electromagnetic Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keenan, Brett D.

Plasmas with sub-Larmor-scale ("small-scale") electromagnetic fluctuations are a feature of a wide variety of high-energy-density environments, and are essential to the description of many astrophysical/laboratory plasma phenomena. Radiation from particles, whether they be relativistic or non-relativistic, moving through small-scale electromagnetic turbulence has spectral characteristics distinct from both synchrotron and cyclotron radiation. The radiation, carrying information on the statistical properties of the turbulence, is also intimately related to the particle diffusive transport. We investigate, both theoretically and numerically, the transport of non-relativistic and transrelativistic particles in plasmas with high-amplitude isotropic sub-Larmor-scale magnetic turbulence---both with and without a mean field component---and its relation to the spectra of radiation simultaneously produced by these particles. Furthermore, the transport of particles through small-scale electromagnetic turbulence---under certain conditions---resembles the random transport of particles---via Coulomb collisions---in collisional plasmas. The pitch-angle diffusion coefficient, which acts as an effective "collision" frequency, may be substantial in these, otherwise, collisionless environments. We show that this effect, colloquially referred to as the plasma "quasi-collisionality", may radically alter the expected radiative transport properties of candidate plasmas. We argue that the modified magneto-optic effects in these plasmas provide an attractive, novel, diagnostic tool for the exploration and characterization of small-scale electromagnetic turbulence. Lastly, we speculate upon the manner in which quasi-collisions may affect inertial confinement fusion (ICF), and other laser-plasma experiments. Finally, we show that mildly relativistic jitter radiation, from laser-produced plasmas, may offer insight into the underlying electromagnetic turbulence. Here we investigate the prospects for, and demonstrate the feasibility of, such direct radiative diagnostics for mildly relativistic, solid-density laser plasmas produced in lab experiments. In effect, we demonstrate how the diffusive and radiative properties of plasmas with small-scale, turbulent, electromagnetic fluctuations may serve as a powerful tool for the diagnosis of laboratory, astrophysical, and space plasmas.

Changes in particle transport as a result of resonant magnetic perturbations in DIII-D

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

Mordijck, S.; Doyle, E. J.; Rhodes, T. L.

2012-05-15

In this paper, we introduce the first direct perturbed particle transport measurements in resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) H-mode plasmas. The perturbed particle transport increases as a result of application of RMP deep into the core. In the core, a large reduction in E Multiplication-Sign B shear to a value below the linear growth rate, in conjunction with increasing density fluctuations, is consistent with an increase in turbulent particle transport. In the edge, the changes in turbulent particle transport are less obvious. There is a clear correlation between the linear growth rates and the density fluctuations measured at different scales, butmore » it is uncertain which is the cause and which is the consequence.« less

Changes in particle transport as a result of resonant magnetic perturbations in DIII-D

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

Mordijck, S.; Doyle, E. J.; McKee, G. R.

2012-01-01

In this paper, we introduce the first direct perturbed particle transport measurements in resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) H-mode plasmas. The perturbed particle transport increases as a result of application of RMP deep into the core. In the core, a large reduction in E x B shear to a value below the linear growth rate, in conjunction with increasing density fluctuations, is consistent with an increase in turbulent particle transport. In the edge, the changes in turbulent particle transport are less obvious. There is a clear correlation between the linear growth rates and the density fluctuations measured at different scales, butmore » it is uncertain which is the cause and which is the consequence.« less

Fluid simulations of nonlocal dissipative drift-wave turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. Q.; Cohen, R. H.; Crotinger, J. A.; Shestakov, A. I.

1995-03-01

A two-dimensional [2d(x,y)] fluid code has been developed to explore nonlocal dissipative drift-wave turbulence and anomalous transport. In order to obtain steady-state turbulence, the y-averaged fluctuating density has been forced to be zero in simulations, thus the difficulty of choosing proper sources and sinks in turbulence simulation codes has been avoided. If Ln≫Lc or Lαlc≫Lc, where Ln is the density gradient scale length, Lc the turbulence correlation length Lc, and Lαlc the adiabaticity-layer width, it has been shown that ``local'' turbulence simulations give reasonable results. However, for Ln˜Lc, or Lαlc˜Lc ``local'' turbulence codes are found to overestimate the flux. For a family of hyperbolic tangent background density profiles, n0(x)=nm-n1 tanh[(2x-Lx)/2Δn] with n1<0.5nm, it has been demonstrated that the nonlocality of the turbulence leads to a transition from local gyro-Bohm (Dlocal≂7.6(Te/eB)[ρs/Ln(x)] [αlc(x)/0.01]-1/3), where αlc(x)=α(x)/κ(x)<1, to nonlocal gyro-Bohm transport scaling [Dnonlocal≂7.6(Te/eB)(n1ρs/nmΔn) (αnlc/0.01)-1/3(Δn/40ρs)2/5 for αnlc(x)=α/κmax<1, κ(x)=ρs/Ln(x) and α=k2∥χe]. For the case Φ0(x)=-n0(x) with the model hyperbolic tangent density profiles n0(x), velocity shear increases the turbulence flux by 230% and the root-mean-square (RMS) fluctuating density by 36%. Otherwise, for Φ0(x)=n0(x), the turbulence flux is reduced by 71% and the RMS value of fluctuating density is decreased by 31% by velocity shear effects.

Intermittent strong transport of the quasi-adiabatic plasma state.

PubMed

Kim, Chang-Bae; An, Chan-Yong; Min, Byunghoon

2018-06-05

The dynamics of the fluctuating electrostatic potential and the plasma density couched in the resistive-drift model at nearly adiabatic state are simulated. The linear modes are unstable if the phase difference between the potential and the density are positive. Exponential growth of the random small perturbations slows down due to the nonlinear E × B flows that work in two ways. They regulate the strength of the fluctuations by transferring the energy from the energy-producing scale to neighboring scales and reduce the cross phase at the same time. During quasi-steady relaxation sporadic appearance of very strong turbulent particle flux is observed that is characterized by the flat energy spectrum and the broad secondary peak in the mesoscale of the order of the gyro-radius. Such boost of the transport is found to be caused by presence of relatively large cross phase as the E × B flows are not effective in cancelling out the cross phase.

Evolution of Structure in the Intergalactic Medium and the Nature of the LY-Alpha Forest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bi, Hongguang; Davidsen, Arthur F.

1997-01-01

We have performed a detailed statistical study of the evolution of structure in a photoionized intergalactic medium (IGM) using analytical simulations to extend the calculation into the mildly nonlinear density regime found to prevail at z = 3. Our work is based on a simple fundamental conjecture: that the probability distribution function of the density of baryonic diffuse matter in the universe is described by a lognormal (LN) random field. The LN distribution has several attractive features and follows plausibly from the assumption of initial linear Gaussian density and velocity fluctuations at arbitrarily early times. Starting with a suitably normalized power spectrum of primordial fluctuations in a universe dominated by cold dark matter (CDM), we compute the behavior of the baryonic matter, which moves slowly toward minima in the dark matter potential on scales larger than the Jeans length. We have computed two models that succeed in matching observations. One is a nonstandard CDM model with OMEGA = 1, h = 0.5, and GAMMA = 0.3, and the other is a low-density flat model with a cosmological constant (LCDM), with OMEGA = 0.4, OMEGA(sub LAMBDA) = 0.6, and h = 0.65. In both models, the variance of the density distribution function grows with time, reaching unity at about z = 4, where the simulation yields spectra that closely resemble the Ly-alpha forest absorption seen in the spectra of high-z quasars. The calculations also successfully predict the observed properties of the Ly-alpha forest clouds and their evolution from z = 4 down to at least z = 2, assuming a constant intensity for the metagalactic UV background over this redshift range. However, in our model the forest is not due to discrete clouds, but rather to fluctuations in a continuous intergalactic medium. At z = 3; typical clouds with measured neutral hydrogen column densities N(sub H I) = 10(exp 13.3), 10(exp 13.5), and 10(exp 11.5) /sq cm correspond to fluctuations with mean total densities approximately 10, 1, and 0.1 times the universal mean baryon density. Perhaps surprisingly, fluctuations whose amplitudes are less than or equal to the mean density still appear as "clouds" because in our model more than 70% of the volume of the IGM at z = 3 is filled with gas at densities below the mean value.

A phase contrast imaging–interferometer system for detection of multiscale electron density fluctuations on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Davis, E. M.; Rost, J. C.; Porkolab, M.; ...

2016-08-15

Heterodyne interferometry and phase contrast imaging (PCI) are robust, mature techniques for measuring low-k and high-k electron density fluctuations, respectively. Here, we describe the first-ever implementation of a combined PCI-interferometer. The combined system uses a single 10:6 μm probe beam, two interference schemes, and two detectors to measure electron density uctuations at large spatiotemporal bandwidth (10 kHz < f < 5MHz and 0 cm -1 ≤ k ≤ 20 cm -1), allowing simultaneous measurement of ion- and electron-scale instabilities. Further, correlating our interferometer's measurements with those from DIII-D's pre-existing, toroidally separated interferometer allows core-localized, low-n MHD studies that may otherwisemore » be inaccessible via external magnetic measurements. In the combined diagnostic's small port requirements and minimal access restrictions make it well-suited to the harsh neutron environments and limited port space expected in next-step devices.« less

Random dust charge fluctuations in the near-Enceladus plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaroshenko, V. V.; Lühr, H.

2014-08-01

Stochastic dust charge fluctuations have been studied in the light of Cassini data on the near-Enceladus plasma environment. Estimates of fluctuation time scales showed that this process can be of importance for the grains emanating from the icy moon. The analytical modeling predicts that in the dust-loaded Enceladus plasma a majority of the grains acquires fluctuating negative charges, but there might appear a minority of positively charged particles. The probability of this effect mostly depends on the ratio of the dust/plasma number densities. Our findings appear to be supported by the available Cassini Plasma Spectrometer measurements of the charged grain distributions during E3 and E5 plume flybys. The theoretical results can also provide new insights into the intricate process of particle dynamics in the inner magnetosphere.

High throughput nonparametric probability density estimation.

PubMed

Farmer, Jenny; Jacobs, Donald

2018-01-01

In high throughput applications, such as those found in bioinformatics and finance, it is important to determine accurate probability distribution functions despite only minimal information about data characteristics, and without using human subjectivity. Such an automated process for univariate data is implemented to achieve this goal by merging the maximum entropy method with single order statistics and maximum likelihood. The only required properties of the random variables are that they are continuous and that they are, or can be approximated as, independent and identically distributed. A quasi-log-likelihood function based on single order statistics for sampled uniform random data is used to empirically construct a sample size invariant universal scoring function. Then a probability density estimate is determined by iteratively improving trial cumulative distribution functions, where better estimates are quantified by the scoring function that identifies atypical fluctuations. This criterion resists under and over fitting data as an alternative to employing the Bayesian or Akaike information criterion. Multiple estimates for the probability density reflect uncertainties due to statistical fluctuations in random samples. Scaled quantile residual plots are also introduced as an effective diagnostic to visualize the quality of the estimated probability densities. Benchmark tests show that estimates for the probability density function (PDF) converge to the true PDF as sample size increases on particularly difficult test probability densities that include cases with discontinuities, multi-resolution scales, heavy tails, and singularities. These results indicate the method has general applicability for high throughput statistical inference.

High throughput nonparametric probability density estimation

PubMed Central

Farmer, Jenny

2018-01-01

In high throughput applications, such as those found in bioinformatics and finance, it is important to determine accurate probability distribution functions despite only minimal information about data characteristics, and without using human subjectivity. Such an automated process for univariate data is implemented to achieve this goal by merging the maximum entropy method with single order statistics and maximum likelihood. The only required properties of the random variables are that they are continuous and that they are, or can be approximated as, independent and identically distributed. A quasi-log-likelihood function based on single order statistics for sampled uniform random data is used to empirically construct a sample size invariant universal scoring function. Then a probability density estimate is determined by iteratively improving trial cumulative distribution functions, where better estimates are quantified by the scoring function that identifies atypical fluctuations. This criterion resists under and over fitting data as an alternative to employing the Bayesian or Akaike information criterion. Multiple estimates for the probability density reflect uncertainties due to statistical fluctuations in random samples. Scaled quantile residual plots are also introduced as an effective diagnostic to visualize the quality of the estimated probability densities. Benchmark tests show that estimates for the probability density function (PDF) converge to the true PDF as sample size increases on particularly difficult test probability densities that include cases with discontinuities, multi-resolution scales, heavy tails, and singularities. These results indicate the method has general applicability for high throughput statistical inference. PMID:29750803

Density Scaling of Glassy Dynamics and Dynamic Heterogeneities in Glass-forming Liquids.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yuan-Chao; Yang, Yong; Wang, Wei-Hua

The discovery of density scaling in strongly correlating systems is an important progress for understanding the dynamic behaviors of supercooled liquids. Here we found for a ternary metallic glass-forming liquid, it is not strongly correlating thermodynamically, but its average dynamics, dynamic heterogeneities and static structure are still well described by density scaling with the same scaling exponent γ. As an intrinsic material constant stemming from the fundamental interatomic interactions, γ is theoretically predicted from the thermodynamic fluctuations of potential energy and the virial. Although γ is conventionally understood merely from the repulsive part of the inter-particle potentials, the strong correlation between γ and the Grüneisen parameter up to the accuracy of the Dulong-Petit approximation demonstrates the important roles of anharmonicity and attractive force of the interatomic potential in governing glass transition of metallic glass-formers. The supercooled dynamics and density scaling behaviors will also be discussed in model glass-forming liquids with tunable attractive potentials to further quantify the nonperturbative roles of attractive interactions. We acknowledge the support from ''Peter Ho Conference Scholarships'' of City University of Hong Kong.

Collisionless Isotropization of the Solar-Wind Protons by Compressive Fluctuations and Plasma Instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verscharen, D.; Chandran, B. D. G.; Klein, K. G.; Quataert, E.

2016-12-01

Compressive fluctuations are a minor yet significant component of astrophysical plasma turbulence. In the solar wind, long-wavelength compressive slow-mode fluctuations lead to changes in β∥p ≡ 8πnpkBT∥p/B2 and in Rp ≡ T⊥p/T∥p, where T⊥p and T∥p are the perpendicular and parallel temperatures of the protons, B is the magnetic field strength, and np is the proton density. If the amplitude of the compressive fluctuations is large enough, Rp crosses one or more instability thresholds for anisotropy-driven micro-instabilities. The enhanced field fluctuations from these micro-instabilities scatter the protons so as to reduce the anisotropy of the pressure tensor, driving the average value of Rp away from the marginal stability boundary until the fluctuating value of Rp stops crossing the boundary. We model this "fluctuating-anisotropy effect" using linear Vlasov-Maxwell theory to describe the large-scale compressive fluctuations. We show that this effect can explain why, in the nearly collisionless solar wind, the average value of Rp is close to unity.

Emergence of macroscopic directed motion in populations of motile colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bricard, Antoine; Caussin, Jean-Baptiste; Desreumaux, Nicolas; Dauchot, Olivier; Bartolo, Denis

2013-11-01

From the formation of animal flocks to the emergence of coordinated motion in bacterial swarms, populations of motile organisms at all scales display coherent collective motion. This consistent behaviour strongly contrasts with the difference in communication abilities between the individuals. On the basis of this universal feature, it has been proposed that alignment rules at the individual level could solely account for the emergence of unidirectional motion at the group level. This hypothesis has been supported by agent-based simulations. However, more complex collective behaviours have been systematically found in experiments, including the formation of vortices, fluctuating swarms, clustering and swirling. All these (living and man-made) model systems (bacteria, biofilaments and molecular motors, shaken grains and reactive colloids) predominantly rely on actual collisions to generate collective motion. As a result, the potential local alignment rules are entangled with more complex, and often unknown, interactions. The large-scale behaviour of the populations therefore strongly depends on these uncontrolled microscopic couplings, which are extremely challenging to measure and describe theoretically. Here we report that dilute populations of millions of colloidal rolling particles self-organize to achieve coherent motion in a unique direction, with very few density and velocity fluctuations. Quantitatively identifying the microscopic interactions between the rollers allows a theoretical description of this polar-liquid state. Comparison of the theory with experiment suggests that hydrodynamic interactions promote the emergence of collective motion either in the form of a single macroscopic `flock', at low densities, or in that of a homogenous polar phase, at higher densities. Furthermore, hydrodynamics protects the polar-liquid state from the giant density fluctuations that were hitherto considered the hallmark of populations of self-propelled particles. Our experiments demonstrate that genuine physical interactions at the individual level are sufficient to set homogeneous active populations into stable directed motion.

DENSITY FLUCTUATIONS UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS

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

Pitňa, A.; Šafránková, J.; Němeček, Z.

2016-03-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks as typical large-scale disturbances arising from processes such as stream–stream interactions or Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) launching play a significant role in the energy redistribution, dissipation, particle heating, acceleration, etc. They can change the properties of the turbulent cascade on shorter scales. We focus on changes of the level and spectral properties of ion flux fluctuations upstream and downstream of fast forward oblique shocks. Although the fluctuation level increases by an order of magnitude across the shock, the spectral slope in the magnetohydrodynamic range is conserved. The frequency spectra upstream of IP shocks are the same as those inmore » the solar wind (if not spoiled by foreshock waves). The spectral slopes downstream are roughly proportional to the corresponding slopes upstream, suggesting that the properties of the turbulent cascade are conserved across the shock; thus, the shock does not destroy the shape of the spectrum as turbulence passes through it. Frequency spectra downstream of IP shocks often exhibit “an exponential decay” in the ion kinetic range that was earlier reported at electron scales in the solar wind or at ion scales in the interstellar medium. We suggest that the exponential shape of ion flux spectra in this range is caused by stronger damping of the fluctuations in the downstream region.« less

First results from the Wendelstein 7-X Phase Contrast Imaging Diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edlund, Eric; Porkolab, Miklos; Grulke, Olaf; von Stechow, Adrian; Böttger, Lukas-Georg

2017-10-01

Experiments in the first W7-X campaign achieved conditions of Te > 8 keV, Ti > 2 keV and line-integrated densities of 3 ×1019 m-2, with energy confinement times close to the ISS04 scaling at about 100 ms. The addition of an island divertor for the OP1.2 campaign is expected to lead to improved plasma performance. Experiments from this campaign will investigate the relative balance of neoclassical and turbulent transport of energy and particles and further test the ISS04 scaling. Gyrokinetic modeling indicates that there may be measurable differences in turbulence amplitude and quality as the mirror ratio and rotational transform of the magnetic geometry are changed. Among the new W7-X diagnostics is a Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) system, a joint effort between MIT and IPP. The PCI diagnostic measures electron density fluctuations that may arise from turbulence or coherent modes. The system is capable of detecting fluctuations spanning a frequency range of about 1 kHz to 2 MHz, and wavenumbers of about 0.5 cm-1 to 30 cm-1, depending on the optical configuration. We present initial PCI measurements of turbulent fluctuations in relation to global system parameters. This work is supported by the US DOE under Grant Number DE-SC0014229.

Spatial and temporal demographic variation drives within-season fluctuations in sexual selection.

PubMed

Kasumovic, Michael M; Bruce, Matthew J; Andrade, Maydianne C B; Herberstein, Marie E

2008-09-01

Our understanding of selection in nature stems mainly from whole-season and cross-sectional estimates of selection gradients. These estimates suggest that selection is relatively constant within, but fluctuates between seasons. However, the strength of selection depends on demographics, and because demographics can vary within seasons, there is a gap in our understanding regarding the extent to which seasonal fluctuations in demographics may cause variation in selection. Here we use two populations of the golden orb-web spider (Nephila plumipes) that differ in density to examine how demographics change within a season and whether there are correlated shifts in selection. We demonstrate that there is within-season variation in sex ratio and density at multiple spatial and temporal scales. This variation led to changes in the competitive challenges that males encountered at different times of the season and was correlated with significant variation in selection gradients on male size and weight between sampling periods. We highlight the importance of understanding the biology of the organism under study to correctly determine the relevant scale in which to examine selection. We also argue that studies may underestimate the true variation in selection by averaging values, leading to misinterpretation of the effect of selection on phenotypic evolution.

Multiplicity fluctuation analysis of target residues in nucleus-emulsion collisions at a few hundred MeV/nucleon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dong-Hai; Chen, Yan-Ling; Wang, Guo-Rong; Li, Wang-Dong; Wang, Qing; Yao, Ji-Jie; Zhou, Jian-Guo; Zheng, Su-Hua; Xu, Li-Ling; Miao, Hui-Feng; Wang, Peng

2014-07-01

Multiplicity fluctuation of the target evaporated fragments emitted in 290 MeV/u 12C-AgBr, 400 MeV/u 12C-AgBr, 400 MeV/u 20Ne-AgBr and 500 MeV/u 56Fe-AgBr interactions is investigated using the scaled factorial moment method in two-dimensional normal phase space and cumulative variable space, respectively. It is found that in normal phase space the scaled factorial moment (ln) increases linearly with the increase of the divided number of phase space (lnM)for lower q-value and increases linearly with the increase of lnM, and then becomes saturated or decreased for a higher q-value. In cumulative variable space ln decreases linearly with increase of lnM. This indicates that no evidence of non-statistical multiplicity fluctuation is observed in our data sets. So, any fluctuation indicated in the results of normal variable space analysis is totally caused by the non-uniformity of the single-particle density distribution.

The Transport of Density Fluctuations Throughout the Heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Jetha, N.; Hu, Q.; Hunana, P.

2012-01-01

The solar wind is recognized as a turbulent magnetofluid, for which the properties of the turbulent velocity and magnetic field fluctuations are often described by the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). However, low-frequency density turbulence is also ubiquitous. On the basis of a nearly incompressible formulation of MHD in the expanding inhomogeneous solar wind, we derive the transport equation for the variance of the density fluctuations (Rho(exp 2)). The transport equation shows that density fluctuations behave as a passive scalar in the supersonic solar wind. In the absence of sources of density turbulence, such as within 1AU, the variance (Rho(exp 2)) approximates r(exp -4). In the outer heliosphere beyond 1 AU, the shear between fast and slow streams, the propagation of shocks, and the creation of interstellar pickup ions all act as sources of density turbulence. The model density fluctuation variance evolves with heliocentric distance within approximately 300 AU as (Rho(exp 2)) approximates r(exp -3.3) after which it flattens and then slowly increases. This is precisely the radial profile for the density fluctuation variance observed by Voyager 2. Using a different analysis technique, we confirm the radial profile for Rho(exp 2) of Bellamy, Cairns, & Smith using Voyager 2 data. We conclude that a passive scalar description for density fluctuations in the supersonic solar wind can explain the density fluctuation variance observed in both the inner and the outer heliosphere.

Intermittent fluctuations in the Alcator C-Mod scrape-off layer for ohmic and high confinement mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, O. E.; Kube, R.; Theodorsen, A.; LaBombard, B.; Terry, J. L.

2018-05-01

Plasma fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak in ohmic and high confinement modes have been analyzed using gas puff imaging data. In all cases investigated, the time series of emission from a single spatially resolved view into the gas puff are dominated by large-amplitude bursts, attributed to blob-like filament structures moving radially outwards and poloidally. There is a remarkable similarity of the fluctuation statistics in ohmic plasmas and in edge localized mode-free and enhanced D-alpha high confinement mode plasmas. Conditionally averaged waveforms have a two-sided exponential shape with comparable temporal scales and asymmetry, while the burst amplitudes and the waiting times between them are exponentially distributed. The probability density functions and the frequency power spectral densities are similar for all these confinement modes. These results provide strong evidence in support of a stochastic model describing the plasma fluctuations in the scrape-off layer as a super-position of uncorrelated exponential pulses. Predictions of this model are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements in both ohmic and high confinement mode plasmas. The stochastic model thus provides a valuable tool for predicting fluctuation-induced plasma-wall interactions in magnetically confined fusion plasmas.

The Origin of Radially Aligned Magnetic Fields in Young Supernova Remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Shimoda, Jiro; Ohira, Yutaka; Yamazaki, Ryo

2013-08-01

It has been suggested by radio observations of polarized synchrotron emissions that downstream magnetic fields in some young supernova remnants (SNRs) are oriented radially. We study the magnetic field distribution of turbulent SNRs driven by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI)—in other words, the effect of rippled shock—by using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations. We find that the induced turbulence has radially biased anisotropic velocity dispersion that leads to a selective amplification of the radial component of the magnetic field. The RMI is induced by the interaction between the shock and upstream density fluctuations. Future high-resolution polarization observations can distinguish the following candidates responsible for the upstream density fluctuations: (1) inhomogeneity caused by the cascade of large-scale turbulence in the interstellar medium, the so-called big power-law in the sky; (2) structures generated by the Drury instability in the cosmic-ray modified shock; and (3) fluctuations induced by the nonlinear feedback of the cosmic-ray streaming instability.

Simulation of Nonisothermal Consolidation of Saturated Soils Based on a Thermodynamic Model

PubMed Central

Cheng, Xiaohui

2013-01-01

Based on the nonequilibrium thermodynamics, a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling model for saturated soils is established, including a constitutive model without such concepts as yield surface and flow rule. An elastic potential energy density function is defined to derive a hyperelastic relation among the effective stress, the elastic strain, and the dry density. The classical linear non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory is employed to quantitatively describe the unrecoverable energy processes like the nonelastic deformation development in materials by the concepts of dissipative force and dissipative flow. In particular the granular fluctuation, which represents the kinetic energy fluctuation and elastic potential energy fluctuation at particulate scale caused by the irregular mutual movement between particles, is introduced in the model and described by the concept of granular entropy. Using this model, the nonisothermal consolidation of saturated clays under cyclic thermal loadings is simulated in this paper to validate the model. The results show that the nonisothermal consolidation is heavily OCR dependent and unrecoverable. PMID:23983623

Simulation of nonisothermal consolidation of saturated soils based on a thermodynamic model.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhichao; Cheng, Xiaohui

2013-01-01

Based on the nonequilibrium thermodynamics, a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling model for saturated soils is established, including a constitutive model without such concepts as yield surface and flow rule. An elastic potential energy density function is defined to derive a hyperelastic relation among the effective stress, the elastic strain, and the dry density. The classical linear non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory is employed to quantitatively describe the unrecoverable energy processes like the nonelastic deformation development in materials by the concepts of dissipative force and dissipative flow. In particular the granular fluctuation, which represents the kinetic energy fluctuation and elastic potential energy fluctuation at particulate scale caused by the irregular mutual movement between particles, is introduced in the model and described by the concept of granular entropy. Using this model, the nonisothermal consolidation of saturated clays under cyclic thermal loadings is simulated in this paper to validate the model. The results show that the nonisothermal consolidation is heavily OCR dependent and unrecoverable.

Parallel electron force balance and the L-H transition

DOE PAGES

Stoltzfus-Dueck, T.

2016-05-23

In one popular paradigm for the L-H transition, energy transfer to the mean flows directly depletes turbulence fluctuation energy, resulting in suppression of the turbulence and a corresponding transport bifurcation. To quantitatively evaluate this mechanism, one must remember that electron parallel force balance couples nonzonal velocity fluctuations with electron pressure fluctuations on rapid timescales, comparable with the electron transit time. For this reason, energy in the nonzonal velocity stays in a fairly fixed ratio to the free energy in electron density fluctuations, at least for frequency scales much slower than electron transit. Furthermore, in order for direct depletion of themore » energy in turbulent fluctuations to cause the L-H transition, energy transfer via Reynolds stress must therefore drain enough energy to significantly reduce the sum of the free energy in nonzonal velocities and electron pressure fluctuations. At low k⊥, the electron thermal free energy is much larger than the energy in nonzonal velocities, posing a stark challenge for this model of the L-H transition.« less

Testing the lognormality of the galaxy and weak lensing convergence distributions from Dark Energy Survey maps

DOE PAGES

Clerkin, L.; Kirk, D.; Manera, M.; ...

2016-08-30

It is well known that the probability distribution function (PDF) of galaxy density contrast is approximately lognormal; whether the PDF of mass fluctuations derived from weak lensing convergence (kappa_WL) is lognormal is less well established. We derive PDFs of the galaxy and projected matter density distributions via the Counts in Cells (CiC) method. We use maps of galaxies and weak lensing convergence produced from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Science Verification data over 139 deg^2. We test whether the underlying density contrast is well described by a lognormal distribution for the galaxies, the convergence and their joint PDF. We confirmmore » that the galaxy density contrast distribution is well modeled by a lognormal PDF convolved with Poisson noise at angular scales from 10-40 arcmin (corresponding to physical scales of 3-10 Mpc). We note that as kappa_WL is a weighted sum of the mass fluctuations along the line of sight, its PDF is expected to be only approximately lognormal. We find that the kappa_WL distribution is well modeled by a lognormal PDF convolved with Gaussian shape noise at scales between 10 and 20 arcmin, with a best-fit chi^2/DOF of 1.11 compared to 1.84 for a Gaussian model, corresponding to p-values 0.35 and 0.07 respectively, at a scale of 10 arcmin. Above 20 arcmin a simple Gaussian model is sufficient. The joint PDF is also reasonably fitted by a bivariate lognormal. As a consistency check we compare the variances derived from the lognormal modelling with those directly measured via CiC. Our methods are validated against maps from the MICE Grand Challenge N-body simulation.« less

Testing the lognormality of the galaxy and weak lensing convergence distributions from Dark Energy Survey maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerkin, L.; Kirk, D.; Manera, M.; Lahav, O.; Abdalla, F.; Amara, A.; Bacon, D.; Chang, C.; Gaztañaga, E.; Hawken, A.; Jain, B.; Joachimi, B.; Vikram, V.; Abbott, T.; Allam, S.; Armstrong, R.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernstein, G. M.; Bernstein, R. A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Burke, D. L.; Rosell, A. Carnero; Carrasco Kind, M.; Crocce, M.; Cunha, C. E.; D'Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Dietrich, J. P.; Eifler, T. F.; Evrard, A. E.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; Gerdes, D. W.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Kent, S.; Kuehn, K.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lima, M.; Melchior, P.; Miquel, R.; Nord, B.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Walker, A. R.

2017-04-01

It is well known that the probability distribution function (PDF) of galaxy density contrast is approximately lognormal; whether the PDF of mass fluctuations derived from weak lensing convergence (κWL) is lognormal is less well established. We derive PDFs of the galaxy and projected matter density distributions via the counts-in-cells (CiC) method. We use maps of galaxies and weak lensing convergence produced from the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data over 139 deg2. We test whether the underlying density contrast is well described by a lognormal distribution for the galaxies, the convergence and their joint PDF. We confirm that the galaxy density contrast distribution is well modelled by a lognormal PDF convolved with Poisson noise at angular scales from 10 to 40 arcmin (corresponding to physical scales of 3-10 Mpc). We note that as κWL is a weighted sum of the mass fluctuations along the line of sight, its PDF is expected to be only approximately lognormal. We find that the κWL distribution is well modelled by a lognormal PDF convolved with Gaussian shape noise at scales between 10 and 20 arcmin, with a best-fitting χ2/dof of 1.11 compared to 1.84 for a Gaussian model, corresponding to p-values 0.35 and 0.07, respectively, at a scale of 10 arcmin. Above 20 arcmin a simple Gaussian model is sufficient. The joint PDF is also reasonably fitted by a bivariate lognormal. As a consistency check, we compare the variances derived from the lognormal modelling with those directly measured via CiC. Our methods are validated against maps from the MICE Grand Challenge N-body simulation.

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

Huang, S. Y.; Yuan, Z. G.; Hadid, L. Z.

In the solar wind, power spectral density (PSD) of the magnetic field fluctuations generally follow the so-called Kolmogorov spectrum f {sup −5/3} in the inertial range, where the dynamics is thought to be dominated by nonlinear interactions between counter-propagating incompressible Alfvén wave parquets. These features are thought to be ubiquitous in space plasmas. The present study gives a new and more complex picture of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence as observed in the terrestrial magnetosheath. The study uses three years of in situ data from the Cluster mission to explore the nature of the magnetic fluctuations at MHD scales in different locationsmore » within the magnetosheath, including flanks and subsolar regions. It is found that the magnetic field fluctuations at MHD scales generally have a PSD close to f {sup −1} (shallower than the Kolmogorov one f {sup −5/3}) down to the ion characteristic scale, which recalls the energy-containing scales of solar wind turbulence. The Kolmogorov spectrum is observed only away from the bow shock toward the flank and the magnetopause regions in 17% of the analyzed time intervals. Measuring the magnetic compressibility, it is shown that only a fraction (35%) of the observed Kolmogorov spectra was populated by shear Alfvénic fluctuations, whereas the majority of the events (65%) was found to be dominated by compressible magnetosonic-like fluctuations, which contrasts with well-known turbulence properties in the solar wind. This study gives a first comprehensive view of the origin of the f {sup −1} and the transition to the Kolmogorov inertial range; both questions remain controversial in solar wind turbulence.« less

Correlations between quasi-coherent fluctuations and the pedestal evolution during the inter-edge localized modes phase on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Diallo, A.; Groebner, R. J.; Rhodes, T. L.; ...

2015-05-15

Direct measurements of the pedestal recovery during an edge-localized mode cycle provide evidence that quasi-coherent fluctuations (QCFs) play a role in the inter-ELM pedestal dynamics. When using fast Thomson scattering measurements, we found that the pedestal density and temperature evolutions are probed on sub-millisecond time scales to show a fast recovery of the density gradient compared to the temperature gradient. The temperature gradient appears to provide a drive for the onset of quasi-coherent fluctuations (as measured with the magnetic probe and the density diagnostics) localized in the pedestal. The amplitude evolution of these QCFs tracks the temperature gradient evolution includingmore » its saturation. Such correlation suggests that these QCFs play a key role in limiting the pedestal temperature gradient. Moreover, the saturation of the QCFs coincides with the pressure gradient reaching the kinetic-ballooning mode (KBM) critical gradient as predicted by EPED1. Furthermore, linear microinstability analysis using GS2 indicates that the steep gradient is near the KBM threshold. Finally, the modeling and the observations together suggest that QCFs are consistent with dominant KBMs, although microtearing cannot be excluded as subdominant.« less

Study of ELM Density Turbulence using the Upgraded Phase Contrast Imaging on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rost, J. C.; Davis, E. M.; Marinoni, A.; Porkolab, M.; Burrell, K. H.

2016-10-01

Recent studies of the turbulent density fluctuations accompanying ELMs in mixed ELM-type discharges have exploited the expanded wavenumber range of the upgraded Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) diagnostic. The PCI data demonstrate the difference between the fluctuations generated by Type I ELMs, which are broadband in frequency and wavelength, and those generated by Type III ELMs, which are similar in amplitude but restricted to long wavelengths, suggesting that turbulence may play a significant role in Type I ELM transport. The high frequency response of PCI makes it ideal for studying the ELM-associated density fluctuations, which are observed at frequencies up to several MHz, evolve on time scales of 10s of μs, and persist after the magnetic component of the ELM has decayed away. The upgraded PCI, with independent systems for long and short wavelength detection (k < 5 cm-1 and 1 < k < 30 cm-1 respectively), demonstrated coverage of the full wavenumber range of interest. Work supported in part by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-94ER54235, DE-FC02-04ER54698, and DE-FC02-99ER54512.

Locked modes in two reversed-field pinch devices of different size and shell system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malmberg, J.-A.; Brunsell, P. R.; Yagi, Y.; Koguchi, H.

2000-10-01

The behavior of locked modes in two reversed-field pinch devices, the Toroidal Pinch Experiment (TPE-RX) [Y. Yagi et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 41, 2552 (1999)] and Extrap T2 [J. R. Drake et al., in Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1996, Montreal (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1996), Vol. 2, p. 193] is analyzed and compared. The main characteristics of the locked mode are qualitatively similar. The toroidal distribution of the mode locking shows that field errors play a role in both devices. The probability of phase locking is found to increase with increasing magnetic fluctuation levels in both machines. Furthermore, the probability of phase locking increases with plasma current in TPE-RX despite the fact that the magnetic fluctuation levels decrease. A comparison with computations using a theoretical model estimating the critical mode amplitude for locking [R. Fitzpatrick et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 3878 (1999)] shows a good correlation with experimental results in TPE-RX. In Extrap T2, the magnetic fluctuations scale weakly with both plasma current and electron densities. This is also reflected in the weak scaling of the magnetic fluctuation levels with the Lundquist number (˜S-0.06). In TPE-RX, the corresponding scaling is ˜S-0.18.

Observations of sound-speed fluctuations in the western Philippine Sea in the spring of 2009.

PubMed

Colosi, John A; Van Uffelen, Lora J; Cornuelle, Bruce D; Dzieciuch, Matthew A; Worcester, Peter F; Dushaw, Brian D; Ramp, Steven R

2013-10-01

As an aid to understanding long-range acoustic propagation in the Philippine Sea, statistical and phenomenological descriptions of sound-speed variations were developed. Two moorings of oceanographic sensors located in the western Philippine Sea in the spring of 2009 were used to track constant potential-density surfaces (isopycnals) and constant potential-temperature surfaces (isotherms) in the depth range 120-2000 m. The vertical displacements of these surfaces are used to estimate sound-speed fluctuations from internal waves, while temperature/salinity variability along isopycnals are used to estimate sound-speed fluctuations from intrusive structure often termed spice. Frequency spectra and vertical covariance functions are used to describe the space-time scales of the displacements and spiciness. Internal-wave contributions from diurnal and semi-diurnal internal tides and the diffuse internal-wave field [related to the Garrett-Munk (GM) spectrum] are found to dominate the sound-speed variability. Spice fluctuations are weak in comparison. The internal wave and spice frequency spectra have similar form in the upper ocean but are markedly different below 170-m depth. Diffuse internal-wave mode spectra show a form similar to the GM model, while internal-tide mode spectra scale as mode number to the minus two power. Spice decorrelates rapidly with depth, with a typical correlation scale of tens of meters.

Experiments on integral length scale control in atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varshney, Kapil; Poddar, Kamal

2011-11-01

Accurate predictions of turbulent characteristics in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) depends on understanding the effects of surface roughness on the spatial distribution of velocity, turbulence intensity, and turbulence length scales. Simulation of the ABL characteristics have been performed in a short test section length wind tunnel to determine the appropriate length scale factor for modeling, which ensures correct aeroelastic behavior of structural models for non-aerodynamic applications. The ABL characteristics have been simulated by using various configurations of passive devices such as vortex generators, air barriers, and slot in the test section floor which was extended into the contraction cone. Mean velocity and velocity fluctuations have been measured using a hot-wire anemometry system. Mean velocity, turbulence intensity, turbulence scale, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations have been obtained from the experiments for various configuration of the passive devices. It is shown that the integral length scale factor can be controlled using various combinations of the passive devices.

Experiments and Identification of the Unbalance of Aerostatic Guideways on the Micro-Scale

PubMed Central

Chen, Dongju; Bian, Yanhua; Fan, Jinwei

2014-01-01

In order to diagnose the unbalance of aerostatic guideways, displacement and acceleration sensors were used to measure the vibration signals of the unbalance of the aerostatic guideways caused by the gas fluctuation. The frequency characteristics for the unbalance of aerostatic guideways caused by gas fluctuation has been extracted from the measured signals by power spectral density, and the basic frequencies of the guideway system have been diagnosed according to spectral characteristics, in agreement with the results calculated by the corresponding motion equations and the finite element method. PMID:24603638

From "~" to Precision Science: Cosmology from 1995 to 2025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamionkowski, Marc; Spergel, David N.

2016-01-01

Over the past decade and a half, astronomical measurements, primarily of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, have transformed cosmology from an order-of-magnitude game into a paragon of precision science. From these measurements has emerged a 6-parameter cosmological "standard model": a flat universe filled with dark matter and dark energy and seeded by a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of Gaussian random-phase density perturbations. The striking resemblance between these perturbations and those expected from inflation motivates the search for a unique "B-mode" signature of inflation in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. While the fluctuation spectrum is close to scale invariant, WMAP, Planck and ground-based CMB experiments now have strong evidence for a departure from scale invariance in primordial perturbations. This suggests, in simple models of inflation that these B modes should be within striking distance within the next 5-10 years. The advent of a new generation of galaxy surveys will, over similar timescales, shed additional light not only on the physics of inflation, but also the nature of the dark matter and dark energy required by the current cosmological standard model, and perhaps on the new physics that determines the baryon density.

Core turbulence behavior moving from ion-temperature-gradient regime towards trapped-electron-mode regime in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and comparison with gyrokinetic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Happel, T.; Navarro, A. Bañón; Conway, G. D.; Angioni, C.; Bernert, M.; Dunne, M.; Fable, E.; Geiger, B.; Görler, T.; Jenko, F.; McDermott, R. M.; Ryter, F.; Stroth, U.

2015-03-01

Additional electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) is used in an ion-temperature-gradient instability dominated regime to increase R / L Te in order to approach the trapped-electron-mode instability regime. The radial ECRH deposition location determines to a large degree the effect on R / L Te . Accompanying scale-selective turbulence measurements at perpendicular wavenumbers between k⊥ = 4-18 cm-1 (k⊥ρs = 0.7-4.2) show a pronounced increase of large-scale density fluctuations close to the ECRH radial deposition location at mid-radius, along with a reduction in phase velocity of large-scale density fluctuations. Measurements are compared with results from linear and non-linear flux-matched gyrokinetic (GK) simulations with the gyrokinetic code GENE. Linear GK simulations show a reduction of phase velocity, indicating a pronounced change in the character of the dominant instability. Comparing measurement and non-linear GK simulation, as a central result, agreement is obtained in the shape of radial turbulence level profiles. However, the turbulence intensity is increasing with additional heating in the experiment, while gyrokinetic simulations show a decrease.

Generation of density perturbations by inflation in scalar-tensor gravity theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seshadri, T. R.

1992-02-01

Density perturbations arising out of the quantum fluctuations in a Brans-Dicke field in the context of extended inflation have been studied. We have used a model in which the Brans-Dicke parameter varies with time. We find that the density perturbations are large in magnitude and have a scale invariant spectrum. The origin of these is discussed and it is shown that these place further constraints on the model. Address after 15 Octobr 1991: Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi 110 007, India.

Influence of the Solar Cycle on Turbulence Properties and Cosmic-Ray Diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L.-L.; Adhikari, L.; Zank, G. P.; Hu, Q.; Feng, X. S.

2018-04-01

The solar cycle dependence of various turbulence quantities and cosmic-ray (CR) diffusion coefficients is investigated by using OMNI 1 minute resolution data over 22 years. We employ Elsässer variables z ± to calculate the magnetic field turbulence energy and correlation lengths for both the inwardly and outwardly directed interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). We present the temporal evolution of both large-scale solar wind (SW) plasma variables and small-scale magnetic fluctuations. Based on these observed quantities, we study the influence of solar activity on CR parallel and perpendicular diffusion using quasi-linear theory and nonlinear guiding center theory, respectively. We also evaluate the radial evolution of the CR diffusion coefficients by using the boundary conditions for different solar activity levels. We find that in the ecliptic plane at 1 au (1), the large-scale SW temperature T, velocity V sw, Alfvén speed V A , and IMF magnitude B 0 are positively related to solar activity; (2) the fluctuating magnetic energy density < {{z}+/- }2> , residual energy E D , and corresponding correlation functions all have an obvious solar cycle dependence. The residual energy E D is always negative, which indicates that the energy in magnetic fluctuations is larger than the energy in kinetic fluctuations, especially at solar maximum; (3) the correlation length λ for magnetic fluctuations does not show significant solar cycle variation; (4) the temporally varying shear source of turbulence, which is most important in the inner heliosphere, depends on the solar cycle; (5) small-scale fluctuations may not depend on the direction of the background magnetic field; and (6) high levels of SW fluctuations will increase CR perpendicular diffusion and decrease CR parallel diffusion, but this trend can be masked if the background IMF changes in concert with turbulence in response to solar activity. These results provide quantitative inputs for both turbulence transport models and CR diffusion models, and also provide valuable insight into the long-term modulation of CRs in the heliosphere.

Reaction-diffusion on the fully-connected lattice: A+A\\rightarrow A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turban, Loïc; Fortin, Jean-Yves

2018-04-01

Diffusion-coagulation can be simply described by a dynamic where particles perform a random walk on a lattice and coalesce with probability unity when meeting on the same site. Such processes display non-equilibrium properties with strong fluctuations in low dimensions. In this work we study this problem on the fully-connected lattice, an infinite-dimensional system in the thermodynamic limit, for which mean-field behaviour is expected. Exact expressions for the particle density distribution at a given time and survival time distribution for a given number of particles are obtained. In particular, we show that the time needed to reach a finite number of surviving particles (vanishing density in the scaling limit) displays strong fluctuations and extreme value statistics, characterized by a universal class of non-Gaussian distributions with singular behaviour.

2D image of local density and magnetic fluctuations from line-integrated interferometry-polarimetry measurements.

PubMed

Lin, L; Ding, W X; Brower, D L

2014-11-01

Combined polarimetry-interferometry capability permits simultaneous measurement of line-integrated density and Faraday effect with fast time response (∼1 μs) and high sensitivity. Faraday effect fluctuations with phase shift of order 0.05° associated with global tearing modes are resolved with an uncertainty ∼0.01°. For physics investigations, local density fluctuations are obtained by inverting the line-integrated interferometry data. The local magnetic and current density fluctuations are then reconstructed using a parameterized fit of the polarimetry data. Reconstructed 2D images of density and magnetic field fluctuations in a poloidal cross section exhibit significantly different spatial structure. Combined with their relative phase, the magnetic-fluctuation-induced particle transport flux and its spatial distribution are resolved.

2D image of local density and magnetic fluctuations from line-integrated interferometry-polarimetry measurements

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

Lin, L., E-mail: lianglin@ucla.edu; Ding, W. X.; Brower, D. L.

2014-11-15

Combined polarimetry-interferometry capability permits simultaneous measurement of line-integrated density and Faraday effect with fast time response (∼1 μs) and high sensitivity. Faraday effect fluctuations with phase shift of order 0.05° associated with global tearing modes are resolved with an uncertainty ∼0.01°. For physics investigations, local density fluctuations are obtained by inverting the line-integrated interferometry data. The local magnetic and current density fluctuations are then reconstructed using a parameterized fit of the polarimetry data. Reconstructed 2D images of density and magnetic field fluctuations in a poloidal cross section exhibit significantly different spatial structure. Combined with their relative phase, the magnetic-fluctuation-induced particlemore » transport flux and its spatial distribution are resolved.« less

Measurements of Ion and Neutral Fluctuation Changes with Pressure in a Large-Scale Helicon Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwyer, R. H.; Fisher, D. M.; Kelly, R. F.; Hatch, M. W.; Gilmore, M.

2017-10-01

Neutral particle dynamics may play an important role both in laboratory plasmas and in the edge of magnetic fusion devices. However, studies of neutral dynamics in these plasmas have been limited to date. Here we report on a basic study of ion and neutral fluctuations as a function of background neutral gas pressure. These experiments have been conducted in helicon discharges in the HelCat (Helicon-Cathode) dual-source plasma device at the University of New Mexico. The goal is to measure changes in ion and neutral density fluctuations with pressure and to gain an improved understanding of plasma-neutral interactions. Langmuir probe, Ar-I LIF, and high-speed imaging measurements of the fluctuations will be presented. Supported by U.S. National Science Foundation Award 1500423 and The University of New Mexico School of Engineering.

Macroscopic response to microscopic intrinsic noise in three-dimensional Fisher fronts.

PubMed

Nesic, S; Cuerno, R; Moro, E

2014-10-31

We study the dynamics of three-dimensional Fisher fronts in the presence of density fluctuations. To this end we simulate the Fisher equation subject to stochastic internal noise, and study how the front moves and roughens as a function of the number of particles in the system, N. Our results suggest that the macroscopic behavior of the system is driven by the microscopic dynamics at its leading edge where number fluctuations are dominated by rare events. Contrary to naive expectations, the strength of front fluctuations decays extremely slowly as 1/logN, inducing large-scale fluctuations which we find belong to the one-dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class of kinetically rough interfaces. Hence, we find that there is no weak-noise regime for Fisher fronts, even for realistic numbers of particles in macroscopic systems.

A study of density modulation index in the inner heliospheric solar wind during solar cycle 23

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

Bisoi, Susanta Kumar; Janardhan, P.; Ingale, M.

2014-11-01

The ratio of the rms electron density fluctuations to the background density in the solar wind (density modulation index, ε {sub N} ≡ ΔN/N) is of vital importance for understanding several problems in heliospheric physics related to solar wind turbulence. In this paper, we have investigated the behavior of ε {sub N} in the inner heliosphere from 0.26 to 0.82 AU. The density fluctuations ΔN have been deduced using extensive ground-based observations of interplanetary scintillation at 327 MHz, which probe spatial scales of a few hundred kilometers. The background densities (N) have been derived using near-Earth observations from the Advancedmore » Composition Explorer. Our analysis reveals that 0.001 ≲ ε {sub N} ≲ 0.02 and does not vary appreciably with heliocentric distance. We also find that ε {sub N} declines by 8% from 1998 to 2008. We discuss the impact of these findings on problems ranging from our understanding of Forbush decreases to the behavior of the solar wind dynamic pressure over the recent peculiar solar minimum at the end of cycle 23.« less

Complexity of low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations covaries with local connectivity.

PubMed

Anderson, Jeffrey S; Zielinski, Brandon A; Nielsen, Jared A; Ferguson, Michael A

2014-04-01

Very low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fluctuations have emerged as a valuable tool for describing brain anatomy, neuropathology, and development. Such fluctuations exhibit power law frequency dynamics, with largest amplitude at lowest frequencies. The biophysical mechanisms generating such fluctuations are poorly understood. Using publicly available data from 1,019 subjects of age 7-30, we show that BOLD fluctuations exhibit temporal complexity that is linearly related to local connectivity (regional homogeneity), consistently and significantly covarying across subjects and across gray matter regions. This relationship persisted independently of covariance with gray matter density or standard deviation of BOLD signal. During late neurodevelopment, BOLD fluctuations were unchanged with age in association cortex while becoming more random throughout the rest of the brain. These data suggest that local interconnectivity may play a key role in establishing the complexity of low-frequency BOLD fluctuations underlying functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity. Stable low-frequency power dynamics may emerge through segmentation and integration of connectivity during development of distributed large-scale brain networks. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award Talk: Simultaneous Measurement of Electron Temperature and Density Fluctuations in the Core of DIII-D Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, A. E.

2009-11-01

Multi-field fluctuation measurements provide opportunities for rigorous comparison between experiment and nonlinear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. A unique set of diagnostics on DIII-D allows for simultaneous study of local, long-wavelength (0 < kθρs< 0.5) electron temperature and density fluctuations in the core plasma (0.4 < ρ< 0.8). Previous experiments in L-mode indicate that normalized electron temperature fluctuation levels (40 < f < 400,kHz) increase with radius from ˜0.4% at ρ= 0.5 to ˜2% at ρ=0.8, similar to simultaneously measured density fluctuations. Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is used to increase Te, which increases electron temperature fluctuation levels and electron heat transport in the experiments. In contrast, long wavelength density fluctuation levels change very little. The different responses are consistent with increased TEM drive relative to ITG-mode drive. A new capability at DIII-D is the measurement of phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations using coupled correlation electron cyclotron emission radiometer and reflectometer diagnostics. Linear and nonlinear GYRO runs have been used to design validation experiments that focus on measurements of the phase angle. GYRO shows that if Te and ∇Te increase 50% in a beam-heated L-mode plasma (ρ=0.5), then the phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations decreases 30%-50% and electron temperature fluctuation levels increase a factor of two more than density fluctuations. Comparisons between these predictions and experimental results will be presented.

Spatial distribution and optimal harvesting of an age-structured population in a fluctuating environment.

PubMed

Engen, Steinar; Lee, Aline Magdalena; Sæther, Bernt-Erik

2018-02-01

We analyze a spatial age-structured model with density regulation, age specific dispersal, stochasticity in vital rates and proportional harvesting. We include two age classes, juveniles and adults, where juveniles are subject to logistic density dependence. There are environmental stochastic effects with arbitrary spatial scales on all birth and death rates, and individuals of both age classes are subject to density independent dispersal with given rates and specified distributions of dispersal distances. We show how to simulate the joint density fields of the age classes and derive results for the spatial scales of all spatial autocovariance functions for densities. A general result is that the squared scale has an additive term equal to the squared scale of the environmental noise, corresponding to the Moran effect, as well as additive terms proportional to the dispersal rate and variance of dispersal distance for the age classes and approximately inversely proportional to the strength of density regulation. We show that the optimal harvesting strategy in the deterministic case is to harvest only juveniles when their relative value (e.g. financial) is large, and otherwise only adults. With increasing environmental stochasticity there is an interval of increasing length of values of juveniles relative to adults where both age classes should be harvested. Harvesting generally tends to increase all spatial scales of the autocovariances of densities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Effects of dynamic heterogeneity and density scaling of molecular dynamics on the relationship among thermodynamic coefficients at the glass transition

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

Koperwas, K., E-mail: kkoperwas@us.edu.pl; Grzybowski, A.; Grzybowska, K.

2015-07-14

In this paper, we define and experimentally verify thermodynamic characteristics of the liquid-glass transition, taking into account a kinetic origin of the process. Using the density scaling law and the four-point measure of the dynamic heterogeneity of molecular dynamics of glass forming liquids, we investigate contributions of enthalpy, temperature, and density fluctuations to spatially heterogeneous molecular dynamics at the liquid-glass transition, finding an equation for the pressure coefficient of the glass transition temperature, dTg/dp. This equation combined with our previous formula for dTg/dp, derived solely from the density scaling criterion, implies a relationship among thermodynamic coefficients at Tg. Since thismore » relationship and both the equations for dTg/dp are very well validated using experimental data at Tg, they are promising alternatives to the classical Prigogine-Defay ratio and both the Ehrenfest equations in case of the liquid-glass transition.« less

Intermittency of solar wind on scale 0.01-16 Hz.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riazantseva, Maria; Zastenker, Georgy; Chernyshov, Alexander; Petrosyan, Arakel

Magnetosphere of the Earth is formed in the process of solar wind flow around earth's magnetic field. Solar wind is a flow of turbulent plasma that displays a multifractal structure and an intermittent character. That is why the study of the characteristics of solar wind turbulence is very important part of the solution of the problem of the energy transport from the solar wind to magnetosphere. A large degree of intermittency is observed in the solar wind ion flux and magnetic field time rows. We investigated the intermittency of solar wind fluctuations under large statistics of high time resolution measurements onboard Interball-1 spacecraft on scale from 0.01 to 16 Hz. Especially it is important that these investigation is carry out for the first time for the earlier unexplored (by plasma data) region of comparatively fast variations (frequency up to 16 Hz), so we significantly extend the range of intermittency observations for solar wind plasma. The intermittency practically absent on scale more then 1000 s and it grows to the small scales right up till t 30-60 s. The behavior of the intermittency for the scale less then 30-60 s is rather changeable. The boundary between these two rates of intermittency is quantitatively near to the well-known boundary between the dissipation and inertial scales of fluctuations, what may point to their possible relation. Special attention is given to a comparison of intermittency for solar wind observation intervals containing SCIF (Sudden Changes of Ion Flux) to ones for intervals without SCIF. Such a comparison allows one to reveal the fundamental turbulent properties of the solar wind regions in which SCIF is observed more frequently. We use nearly incompressible model of the solar wind turbulence for obtained data interpretation. The regime when density fluctuations are passive scalar in a hydrodynamic field of velocity is realized in turbulent solar wind flows according to this model. This hypothesis can be verified straightforwardly by investigating the density spectrum which should be slaved to the incompressible velocity spectrum. Density discontinuities on times up to t 30-60 s are defined by intermittency of velocity turbulent field. Solar wind intermittency and many or most of its discontinuities are produced by MHD turbulence in this time interval. It is possible that many or even most of the current structures in the solar wind, particularly inertial range structures that contribute to the tails of the PDFs. Complex non-gaussian behaviour on smaller times is described by dissipation rate nonhomogeneity of statistical moments for density field in a random flow.

Using a short-pulse diffraction-limited laser beam to probe filamentation of a random phase plate smoothed beam.

PubMed

Kline, J L; Montgomery, D S; Flippo, K A; Johnson, R P; Rose, H A; Shimada, T; Williams, E A

2008-10-01

A short pulse (few picoseconds) laser probe provides high temporal resolution measurements to elucidate details of fast dynamic phenomena not observable with typical longer laser pulse probes and gated diagnostics. Such a short pulse laser probe (SPLP) has been used to measure filamentation of a random phase plate (RPP) smoothed laser beam in a gas-jet plasma. The plasma index of refraction due to driven density and temperature fluctuations by the RPP beam perturbs the phase front of a SPLP propagating at a 90 degree angle with respect to the RPP interaction beam. The density and temperature fluctuations are quasistatic on the time scale of the SPLP (approximately 2 ps). The transmitted near-field intensity distribution from the SPLP provides a measure of the phase front perturbation. At low plasma densities, the transmitted intensity pattern is asymmetric with striations across the entire probe beam in the direction of the RPP smoothed beam. As the plasma density increases, the striations break up into smaller sizes along the direction of the RPP beam propagation. The breakup of the intensity pattern is consistent with self-focusing of the RPP smoothed interaction beam. Simulations of the experiment using the wave propagation code, PF3D, are in qualitative agreement demonstrating that the asymmetric striations can be attributed to the RPP driven density fluctuations. Quantification of the beam breakup measured by the transmitted SPLP could lead to a new method for measuring self-focusing of lasers in underdense plasmas.

Cosmic string with a light massive neutrino

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, Andreas; Stebbins, Albert

1992-01-01

We have estimated the power spectra of density fluctuations produced by cosmic strings with neutrino hot dark matter (HDM). Normalizing at 8/h Mpc, we find that the spectrum has more power on small scales than HDM + inflation, less than cold dark matter (CDM) + inflation, and significantly less the CDM + strings. With HDM, large wakes give significant contribution to the power on the galaxy scale and may give rise to large sheets of galaxies.

Elliptic Flow, Initial Eccentricity and Elliptic Flow Fluctuations in Heavy Ion Collisions at RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nouicer, Rachid; Alver, B.; Back, B. B.; Baker, M. D.; Ballintijn, M.; Barton, D. S.; Betts, R. R.; Bickley, A. A.; Bindel, R.; Busza, W.; Carroll, A.; Chai, Z.; Decowski, M. P.; García, E.; Gburek, T.; George, N.; Gulbrandsen, K.; Halliwell, C.; Hamblen, J.; Hauer, M.; Henderson, C.; Hofman, D. J.; Hollis, R. S.; Holzman, B.; Iordanova, A.; Kane, J. L.; Khan, N.; Kulinich, P.; Kuo, C. M.; Li, W.; Lin, W. T.; Loizides, C.; Manly, S.; Mignerey, A. C.; Nouicer, R.; Olszewski, A.; Pak, R.; Reed, C.; Roland, C.; Roland, G.; Sagerer, J.; Seals, H.; Sedykh, I.; Smith, C. E.; Stankiewicz, M. A.; Steinberg, P.; Stephans, G. S. F.; Sukhanov, A.; Tonjes, M. B.; Trzupek, A.; Vale, C.; van Nieuwenhuizen, G. J.; Vaurynovich, S. S.; Verdier, R.; Veres, G. I.; Walters, P.; Wenger, E.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Wosiek, B.; Woźniak, K.; Wysłouch, B.

2008-12-01

We present measurements of elliptic flow and event-by-event fluctuations established by the PHOBOS experiment. Elliptic flow scaled by participant eccentricity is found to be similar for both systems when collisions with the same number of participants or the same particle area density are compared. The agreement of elliptic flow between Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions provides evidence that the matter is created in the initial stage of relativistic heavy ion collisions with transverse granularity similar to that of the participant nucleons. The event-by-event fluctuation results reveal that the initial collision geometry is translated into the final state azimuthal particle distribution, leading to an event-by-event proportionality between the observed elliptic flow and initial eccentricity.

TURBULENCE AND STEADY FLOWS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL GLOBAL STRATIFIED MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF ACCRETION DISKS

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

Flock, M.; Dzyurkevich, N.; Klahr, H.

2011-07-10

We present full 2{pi} global three-dimensional stratified magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of accretion disks. We interpret our results in the context of protoplanetary disks. We investigate the turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) using the PLUTO Godunov code in spherical coordinates with the accurate and robust HLLD Riemann solver. We follow the turbulence for more than 1500 orbits at the innermost radius of the domain to measure the overall strength of turbulent motions and the detailed accretion flow pattern. We find that regions within two scale heights of the midplane have a turbulent Mach number of about 0.1 and amore » magnetic pressure two to three orders of magnitude less than the gas pressure, while in those outside three scale heights the magnetic pressure equals or exceeds the gas pressure and the turbulence is transonic, leading to large density fluctuations. The strongest large-scale density disturbances are spiral density waves, and the strongest of these waves has m = 5. No clear meridional circulation appears in the calculations because fluctuating radial pressure gradients lead to changes in the orbital frequency, comparable in importance to the stress gradients that drive the meridional flows in viscous models. The net mass flow rate is well reproduced by a viscous model using the mean stress distribution taken from the MHD calculation. The strength of the mean turbulent magnetic field is inversely proportional to the radius, so the fields are approximately force-free on the largest scales. Consequently, the accretion stress falls off as the inverse square of the radius.« less

Extracting Galaxy Cluster Gas Inhomogeneity from X-Ray Surface Brightness: A Statistical Approach and Application to Abell 3667

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawahara, Hajime; Reese, Erik D.; Kitayama, Tetsu; Sasaki, Shin; Suto, Yasushi

2008-11-01

Our previous analysis indicates that small-scale fluctuations in the intracluster medium (ICM) from cosmological hydrodynamic simulations follow the lognormal probability density function. In order to test the lognormal nature of the ICM directly against X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, we develop a method of extracting statistical information about the three-dimensional properties of the fluctuations from the two-dimensional X-ray surface brightness. We first create a set of synthetic clusters with lognormal fluctuations around their mean profile given by spherical isothermal β-models, later considering polytropic temperature profiles as well. Performing mock observations of these synthetic clusters, we find that the resulting X-ray surface brightness fluctuations also follow the lognormal distribution fairly well. Systematic analysis of the synthetic clusters provides an empirical relation between the three-dimensional density fluctuations and the two-dimensional X-ray surface brightness. We analyze Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 3667, and find that its X-ray surface brightness fluctuations follow the lognormal distribution. While the lognormal model was originally motivated by cosmological hydrodynamic simulations, this is the first observational confirmation of the lognormal signature in a real cluster. Finally we check the synthetic cluster results against clusters from cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. As a result of the complex structure exhibited by simulated clusters, the empirical relation between the two- and three-dimensional fluctuation properties calibrated with synthetic clusters when applied to simulated clusters shows large scatter. Nevertheless we are able to reproduce the true value of the fluctuation amplitude of simulated clusters within a factor of 2 from their two-dimensional X-ray surface brightness alone. Our current methodology combined with existing observational data is useful in describing and inferring the statistical properties of the three-dimensional inhomogeneity in galaxy clusters.

Radio Wave Propagation through a Medium Containing Electron Density Fluctuations Described by an Anisotropic Goldreich-Sridhar Spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, B. D. G.; Backer, D. C.

2002-09-01

We study the propagation of radio waves through a medium possessing density fluctuations that are elongated along the ambient magnetic field and described by an anisotropic Goldreich-Sridhar power spectrum. We derive general formulae for the wave phase structure function Dφ, visibility, angular broadening, diffraction pattern length scales, and scintillation timescale for arbitrary distributions of turbulence along the line of sight and specialize these formulae to idealized cases. In general, Dφ~(δr)5/3 when the baseline δr is in the inertial range of the turbulent density spectrum, and Dφ~(δr)2 when δr is in the dissipation range, just as for an isotropic Kolmogorov spectrum of fluctuations. When the density structures that dominate the scattering have an axial ratio R>>1 (typically R~103), the axial ratio of the broadened image of a point source in the standard Markov approximation is at most ~R1/2, and this maximum value is obtained in the unrealistic case that the scattering medium is confined to a thin screen in which the magnetic field has a single direction. If the projection of the magnetic field within the screen onto the plane of the sky rotates through an angle Δψ along the line of sight from one side of the screen to the other, and if R-1/2<<Δψ<<1, then the axial ratio of the resulting broadened image of a point source is 2(8/3)3/5/Δψ~=3.6/Δψ. The error in this formula increases with Δψ but reaches only ~15% when Δψ=π. This indicates that a moderate amount of variation in the direction of the magnetic field along the line of sight dramatically decreases the anisotropy of a broadened image. When R>>1, the observed anisotropy will in general be determined by the degree of variation of the field direction along the sight line and not by the degree of density anisotropy. Although this makes it difficult to determine observationally the degree of anisotropy in interstellar density fluctuations, observed anisotropies in broadened images provide general support for anisotropic models of interstellar turbulence. Regions in which the angle γ between the magnetic field and line of sight is small cause enhanced scattering due to the increased coherence of density structures along the line of sight. In the exceedingly rare and probably unrealized case that scattering is dominated by regions in which γ<~(δr/l)1/3, where l is the outer scale (stirring scale) of the turbulence, Dφ~(δr)4/3 for δr in the inertial range. In a companion paper (Backer & Chandran) we discuss the semiannual modulation in the scintillation time of a nearby pulsar for which the field direction variation along the line of sight is expected to be moderately small.

Collisionless Isotropization of the Solar-wind Protons by Compressive Fluctuations and Plasma Instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verscharen, Daniel; Chandran, Benjamin D. G.; Klein, Kristopher G.; Quataert, Eliot

2016-11-01

Compressive fluctuations are a minor yet significant component of astrophysical plasma turbulence. In the solar wind, long-wavelength compressive slow-mode fluctuations lead to changes in {β }\\parallel {{p}}\\equiv 8π {n}{{p}}{k}{{B}}{T}\\parallel {{p}}/{B}2 and in {R}{{p}}\\equiv {T}\\perp {{p}}/{T}\\parallel {{p}}, where {T}\\perp {{p}} and {T}\\parallel {{p}} are the perpendicular and parallel temperatures of the protons, B is the magnetic field strength, and {n}{{p}} is the proton density. If the amplitude of the compressive fluctuations is large enough, {R}{{p}} crosses one or more instability thresholds for anisotropy-driven microinstabilities. The enhanced field fluctuations from these microinstabilities scatter the protons so as to reduce the anisotropy of the pressure tensor. We propose that this scattering drives the average value of {R}{{p}} away from the marginal stability boundary until the fluctuating value of {R}{{p}} stops crossing the boundary. We model this “fluctuating-anisotropy effect” using linear Vlasov-Maxwell theory to describe the large-scale compressive fluctuations. We argue that this effect can explain why, in the nearly collisionless solar wind, the average value of {R}{{p}} is close to unity.

Statistics of initial density perturbations in heavy ion collisions and their fluid dynamic response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floerchinger, Stefan; Wiedemann, Urs Achim

2014-08-01

An interesting opportunity to determine thermodynamic and transport properties in more detail is to identify generic statistical properties of initial density perturbations. Here we study event-by-event fluctuations in terms of correlation functions for two models that can be solved analytically. The first assumes Gaussian fluctuations around a distribution that is fixed by the collision geometry but leads to non-Gaussian features after averaging over the reaction plane orientation at non-zero impact parameter. In this context, we derive a three-parameter extension of the commonly used Bessel-Gaussian event-by-event distribution of harmonic flow coefficients. Secondly, we study a model of N independent point sources for which connected n-point correlation functions of initial perturbations scale like 1 /N n-1. This scaling is violated for non-central collisions in a way that can be characterized by its impact parameter dependence. We discuss to what extent these are generic properties that can be expected to hold for any model of initial conditions, and how this can improve the fluid dynamical analysis of heavy ion collisions.

Review of electric discharge microplasmas generated in highly fluctuating fluids: Characteristics and application to nanomaterials synthesis

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

Stauss, Sven, E-mail: sven.stauss@plasma.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Terashima, Kazuo, E-mail: kazuo@plasma.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Muneoka, Hitoshi

2015-05-15

Plasma-based fabrication of novel nanomaterials and nanostructures is indispensible for the development of next-generation electronic devices and for green energy applications. In particular, controlling the interactions between plasmas and materials interfaces, and the plasma fluctuations, is crucial for further development of plasma-based processes and bottom-up growth of nanomaterials. Electric discharge microplasmas generated in supercritical fluids represent a special class of high-pressure plasmas, where fluctuations on the molecular scale influence the discharge properties and the possible bottom-up growth of nanomaterials. This review discusses an anomaly observed for direct current microplasmas generated near the critical point, a local decrease in the breakdownmore » voltage. This anomalous behavior is suggested to be caused by the concomitant decrease of the ionization potential due to the formation of clusters near the critical point, and the formation of extended electron mean free paths caused by the high-density fluctuation near the critical point. It is also shown that in the case of dielectric barrier microdischarges generated close to the critical point, the high-density fluctuation of the supercritical fluid persists. The final part of the review discusses the application of discharges generated in supercritical fluids to synthesis of nanomaterials, in particular, molecular diamond—so-called diamondoids—by microplasmas generated inside conventional batch-type and continuous flow microreactors.« less

Properties of density and magnetic fluctuations occurring in density striations in the new LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggs, J. E.; Morales, G. J.

2001-10-01

Previous studies of density striations (long, narrow magnetic-field-aligned density depletions) in the LAPD plasma device at UCLA revealed an eigenmode structure to fluctuations driven by the pressure gradient in the striation wall (Maggs and Morales, Phys. Plasmas, 4, 1997). The nature of these fluctuations depended on the plasma beta external to the striation, with shear Alfvén wave turbulence developing at betas less than the mass ratio and drift-Alfvén waves at betas above the mass ratio. These fluctuations were found to have a direct connection to turbulence observed at the plasma edge. The new LAPD is 18 meters in length with a background field up to twice previously attainable values. We report on the properties of fluctuations associated with density striations in the new device over a wider range of beta, and compare them to previous results. The behavior of fluctuations in density striations created in flared-field and magnetic-mirror geometries will also be presented. Research sponsored by ONR and NSF

Sensitivity Analysis and Accuracy of a CFD-TFM Approach to Bubbling Bed Using Pressure Drop Fluctuations

PubMed Central

Tricomi, Leonardo; Melchiori, Tommaso; Chiaramonti, David; Boulet, Micaël; Lavoie, Jean Michel

2017-01-01

Based upon the two fluid model (TFM) theory, a CFD model was implemented to investigate a cold multiphase-fluidized bubbling bed reactor. The key variable used to characterize the fluid dynamic of the experimental system, and compare it to model predictions, was the time-pressure drop induced by the bubble motion across the bed. This time signal was then processed to obtain the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of pressure fluctuations. As an important aspect of this work, the effect of the sampling time scale on the empirical power spectral density (PSD) was investigated. A time scale of 40 s was found to be a good compromise ensuring both simulation performance and numerical validation consistency. The CFD model was first numerically verified by mesh refinement process, after what it was used to investigate the sensitivity with regards to minimum fluidization velocity (as a calibration point for drag law), restitution coefficient, and solid pressure term while assessing his accuracy in matching the empirical PSD. The 2D model provided a fair match with the empirical time-averaged pressure drop, the relating fluctuations amplitude, and the signal’s energy computed as integral of the PSD. A 3D version of the TFM was also used and it improved the match with the empirical PSD in the very first part of the frequency spectrum. PMID:28695119

Sensitivity Analysis and Accuracy of a CFD-TFM Approach to Bubbling Bed Using Pressure Drop Fluctuations.

PubMed

Tricomi, Leonardo; Melchiori, Tommaso; Chiaramonti, David; Boulet, Micaël; Lavoie, Jean Michel

2017-01-01

Based upon the two fluid model (TFM) theory, a CFD model was implemented to investigate a cold multiphase-fluidized bubbling bed reactor. The key variable used to characterize the fluid dynamic of the experimental system, and compare it to model predictions, was the time-pressure drop induced by the bubble motion across the bed. This time signal was then processed to obtain the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of pressure fluctuations. As an important aspect of this work, the effect of the sampling time scale on the empirical power spectral density (PSD) was investigated. A time scale of 40 s was found to be a good compromise ensuring both simulation performance and numerical validation consistency. The CFD model was first numerically verified by mesh refinement process, after what it was used to investigate the sensitivity with regards to minimum fluidization velocity (as a calibration point for drag law), restitution coefficient, and solid pressure term while assessing his accuracy in matching the empirical PSD. The 2D model provided a fair match with the empirical time-averaged pressure drop, the relating fluctuations amplitude, and the signal's energy computed as integral of the PSD. A 3D version of the TFM was also used and it improved the match with the empirical PSD in the very first part of the frequency spectrum.

Higgsed Gauge-flation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adshead, Peter; Sfakianakis, Evangelos I.

2017-08-01

We study a variant of Gauge-flation where the gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken by a Higgs sector. We work in the Stueckelberg limit and demonstrate that the dynamics remain (catastrophically) unstable for cases where the gauge field masses satisfy γ < 2, where γ = g 2 ψ 2/ H 2, g is the gauge coupling, ψ is the gauge field vacuum expectation value, and H is the Hubble rate. We compute the spectrum of density fluctuations and gravitational waves, and show that the model can produce observationally viable spectra. The background gauge field texture violates parity, resulting in a chiral gravitational wave spectrum. This arises due to an exponential enhancement of one polarization of the spin-2 fluctuation of the gauge field. Higgsed Gauge-flation can produce observable gravitational waves at inflationary energy scales well below the GUT scale.

Precombination Cloud Collapse and Baryonic Dark Matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Craig J.

1993-01-01

A simple spherical model of dense baryon clouds in the hot big bang 'strongly nonlinear primordial isocurvature baryon fluctuations' is reviewed and used to describe the dependence of cloud behavior on the model parameters, baryon mass, and initial over-density. Gravitational collapse of clouds before and during recombination is considered including radiation diffusion and trapping, remnant type and mass, and effects on linear large-scale fluctuation modes. Sufficiently dense clouds collapse early into black holes with a minimum mass of approx. 1 solar mass, which behave dynamically like collisionless cold dark matter. Clouds below a critical over-density, however, delay collapse until recombination, remaining until then dynamically coupled to the radiation like ordinary diffuse baryons, and possibly producing remnants of other kinds and lower mass. The mean density in either type of baryonic remnant is unconstrained by observed element abundances. However, mixed or unmixed spatial variations in abundance may survive in the diffuse baryon and produce observable departures from standard predictions.

Quantum fluctuations and CMB anisotropies in one-bubble open inflation models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Sasaki, Misao; Tanaka, Takahiro

1996-10-01

We first develop a method to calculate a complete set of mode functions that describe the quantum fluctuations generated in one-bubble open inflation models. We consider two classes of models. One is a single scalar field model proposed by Bucher, Goldhaber, and Turok and by us as an example of the open inflation scenario, and the other is a two-field model such as the ``supernatural'' inflation proposed by Linde and Mezhlumian. In both cases we assume the difference in the vacuum energy density between inside and outside the bubble is negligible. There are two kinds of mode functions. One kind has the usual continuous spectrum and the other has a discrete spectrum with characteristic wavelengths exceeding the spatial curvature scale. The latter can be further divided into two classes in terms of its origin. One is called the de Sitter supercurvature mode, which arises due to the global spacetime structure of de Sitter space, and the other is due to fluctuations of the bubble wall. We calculate the spectrum of quantum fluctuations in these models and evaluate the resulting large angular scale CMB anisotropies. We find there are ranges of model parameters that are consistent with observed CMB anisotropies.

Stripe Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations in SrCo 2As 2

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

Jayasekara, Wageesha; Lee, Young-Jin; Pandey, Abhishek

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements of paramagnetic SrCo 2As 2 at T = 5 K reveal antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin fluctuations that are peaked at a wave vector of Q AFM = (1/2, 1/2, 1) and possess a large energy scale. These stripe spin fluctuations are similar to those found in AFe 2As 2 compounds, where spin-density wave AFM is driven by Fermi surface nesting between electron and hole pockets separated by Q AFM. SrCo 2As 2 has a more complex Fermi surface and band-structure calculations indicate a potential instability toward either a ferromagnetic or stripe AFM ground state. The results suggestmore » that stripe AFM magnetism is a general feature of both iron and cobalt-based arsenides and the search for spin fluctuation-induced unconventional superconductivity should be expanded to include cobalt-based compounds.« less

Large-scale fluctuations in the cosmic ionizing background: the impact of beamed source emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Teresita; Pontzen, Andrew

2017-12-01

When modelling the ionization of gas in the intergalactic medium after reionization, it is standard practice to assume a uniform radiation background. This assumption is not always appropriate; models with radiative transfer show that large-scale ionization rate fluctuations can have an observable impact on statistics of the Lyman α forest. We extend such calculations to include beaming of sources, which has previously been neglected but which is expected to be important if quasars dominate the ionizing photon budget. Beaming has two effects: first, the physical number density of ionizing sources is enhanced relative to that directly observed; and secondly, the radiative transfer itself is altered. We calculate both effects in a hard-edged beaming model where each source has a random orientation, using an equilibrium Boltzmann hierarchy in terms of spherical harmonics. By studying the statistical properties of the resulting ionization rate and H I density fields at redshift z ∼ 2.3, we find that the two effects partially cancel each other; combined, they constitute a maximum 5 per cent correction to the power spectrum P_{H I}(k) at k = 0.04 h Mpc-1. On very large scales (k < 0.01 h Mpc-1) the source density renormalization dominates; it can reduce, by an order of magnitude, the contribution of ionizing shot noise to the intergalactic H I power spectrum. The effects of beaming should be considered when interpreting future observational data sets.

THE FATE OF PLANETESIMALS IN TURBULENT DISKS WITH DEAD ZONES. I. THE TURBULENT STIRRING RECIPE

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

Okuzumi, Satoshi; Ormel, Chris W., E-mail: okuzumi@geo.titech.ac.jp

2013-07-01

Turbulence in protoplanetary disks affects planet formation in many ways. While small dust particles are mainly affected by the aerodynamical coupling with turbulent gas velocity fields, planetesimals and larger bodies are more affected by gravitational interaction with gas density fluctuations. For the latter process, a number of numerical simulations have been performed in recent years, but a fully parameter-independent understanding has not been yet established. In this study, we present simple scaling relations for the planetesimal stirring rate in turbulence driven by magnetorotational instability (MRI), taking into account the stabilization of MRI due to ohmic resistivity. We begin with order-of-magnitudemore » estimates of the turbulence-induced gravitational force acting on solid bodies and associated diffusion coefficients for their orbital elements. We then test the predicted scaling relations using the results of recent ohmic-resistive MHD simulations by Gressel et al. We find that these relations successfully explain the simulation results if we properly fix order-of-unity uncertainties within the estimates. We also update the saturation predictor for the density fluctuation amplitude in MRI-driven turbulence originally proposed by Okuzumi and Hirose. Combination of the scaling relations and saturation predictor allows us to know how the turbulent stirring rate of planetesimals depends on disk parameters such as the gas column density, distance from the central star, vertical resistivity distribution, and net vertical magnetic flux. In Paper II, we apply our recipe to planetesimal accretion to discuss its viability in turbulent disks.« less

The correlation function of galaxy ellipticities produced by gravitational lensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miralda-Escude, Jordi

1991-01-01

The correlation of galaxy ellipticities produced by gravitational lensing is calculated as a function of the power spectrum of density fluctuations in the universe by generalizing an analytical method developed by Gunn (1967). The method is applied to a model where identical objects with spherically symmetric density profiles are randomly laid down in space, and to the cold dark matter model. The possibility of detecting this correlation is discussed. Although an ellipticity correlation can also be caused by an intrinsic alignment of the axes of galaxies belonging to a cluster or a supercluster, a method is suggested by which one type of correlation can be distinguished from another. The advantage of this ellipticity correlation is that it is one of the few astronomical observations that can directly probe large-scale mass fluctuations in the universe.

The role of the attractive and the repulsive interactions in the nonpolar solvation dynamics in simple fluids from the gas-like to the liquid-like densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, T.; Kimura, Y.; Hirota, N.

1999-09-01

We have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the nonpolar solvation dynamics in simple fluids composed of particles interacting through the Lennard-Jones (LJ) 12-6 potential or its repulsive part. The attractive or the repulsive part of the solute-solvent interaction is assumed to change on the excitation of a solute. We have followed the transition energy fluctuation of the solute by the equilibrium simulation. The division of the LJ potential followed the method of WCA [J. W. Weeks, D. Chandler, and H. C. Andersen, J. Chem. Phys. 54, 5237 (1971)]. We have surveyed over a wide solvent density region from gas-like to liquid-like densities at the constant temperature. When the attractive part changes, the relaxation becomes faster with an increase of the solvent density. This result contradicts with previous theories that treat the nonpolar solvation dynamics in terms of the diffusion of solvent particles. The time scale of the initial part of the relaxation is well correlated with the static fluctuation divided by the static average, which suggests the importance of the curvature of the free energy surface in the initial part of the solvation. When the repulsive part changes, the initial part of the relaxation is almost density independent, determined by the binary motion between solute and solvent. It is consistent with the result that the static fluctuation is almost proportional to the static average, which indicates the absence of the static correlation between solvent particles. On the other hand, the solvation correlation function shows rather complicated density dependence at the longer time scale. In the case of the binary mixture solvent, the relaxation time is inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient. On the basis of the nonpolar solvation dynamics, the validity of the isolated binary collision model for the vibrational energy relaxation is also discussed, and the recent hydrodynamic theory on the vibrational energy relaxation [B. J. Cherayil and M. D. Feyer, J. Chem. Phys. 107, 7642 (1997)] is critically examined.

Turbulence and sheared flow dynamics during q95 and density scans across the L-H transition on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Zheng; McKee, George; Gohil, Punit; Schmitz, Lothar; Eldon, David; Grierson, Brian; Kriete, Matt; Rhodes, Terry; Petty, Craig

2017-10-01

Measurements of long wavelength density fluctuation characteristics have been obtained in the edge of Deuterium (D) plasmas across the L-H transition on DIII-D during density and q95 scans. The relative density fluctuation amplitude measured by Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) increases with higher q95. The power threshold is found to increase with plasma current (i.e., lower q95) but with complex density dependence: the largest increase of PLH is seen at ne 3.2e19 m-3. Interestingly, a dual counter-propagating mode is observed for cases when PLH is low. The existence of the dual mode is correlated with increasing flow shear. Estimation of the turbulence kinetic energy transfer from turbulence to the flow increases prior to the transition. The complex behaviors of the turbulence characteristics and dual frequency modes interactions impact the flow shear generation, the transition process and the power threshold scaling. Work supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-08ER54999, DE-AC02-09CH11466, DE-FC02-04ER54698, and DE-AC52-07NA27344.

In-situ studies of plasma irregularities in high latitude ionosphere with the ICI-2 sounding rocket within the 4DSpace project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miloch, Wojciech; Moen, Joran; Spicher, Andres

Ionospheric plasma is often characterized by irregularities, instabilities, and turbulence. Two regions of the ionospheric F-layer are of particular interest: low-latitudes for the equatorial anomaly and electrojet, and high-latitude regions where the most dynamic phenomena occur due to magnetic field lines coupling to the magnetosphere and the solar wind. The spectra of plasma fluctuations in the low-latitude F-layer usually exhibit a power law with a steeper slope at high frequencies [1]. Until recently, there was no clear evidence of the corresponding double slope spectra for plasma fluctuations in the high latitude ionospheric F-layer, and this difference was not well understood. We report the first direct observations of the double slope power spectra for plasma irregularities in the F-layer of the polar ionosphere [2]. The ICI-2 sounding rocket, which intersected enhanced plasma density regions with decameter scale irregularities in the cusp region, measured the electron density with unprecedented high resolution. This allowed for a detailed study of the plasma irregularities down to kinetic scales. Spectral analysis reveals double slope power spectra for regions of enhanced fluctuations associated mainly with density gradients, with the steepening of the spectra occurring close to the oxygen gyro-frequency. The double slope spectra are further supported by the results from the ICI-3 sounding rocket. Double slope spectra were not resolved in previous works presumably due to limited resolution of instruments. The study is a part of the 4DSpace initiative for integrated studies of the ionospheric plasma turbulence with multi-point, multi-scale in-situ studies by sounding rockets and satellites, and numerical and analytical models. A brief overview of the 4DSpace initiative is given. [1] M.C. Kelley, The Earth’s Ionosphere Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics (Elsevier, Amsterdam 2009). [2] A. Spicher, W. J. Miloch, and J. I. Moen, Geophys. Res. Lett. 40, (in press, accepted 13.02.2014).

Evidence for a Cosmological Phase Transition on the TeVScale

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

Lindesay, James V.; Noyes, H.Pierre; /SLAC

Examining the reverse evolution of the universe from the present, long before reaching Planck density dynamics one expects major modifications from the de-coherent thermal equations of state, suggesting a prior phase that has macroscopic coherence properties. The assumption that the phase transition occurs during the radiation dominated epoch, and that zero-point motions drive the fluctuations associated with this transition, specifies a class of cosmological models in which the cosmic microwave background fluctuation amplitude at last scattering is approximately 10{sup -5}. Quantum measurability constraints (e.g. uncertainly relations) define cosmological scales whose expansion rates can be at most luminal.

Experimental demonstration of scaling behavior for ionic transport and its fluctuations in individual carbon nanotube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocquet, Lyderic; Secchi, Eleonora; Nigues, Antoine; Siria, Alessandro

2015-11-01

We perform an experimental study of ionic transport and current fluctuations inside individual Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) with a size ranging from 40 down to 7 nanometers in radius. The conductance exhibits a power law behavior dependence on the salinity, with an exponent close to 1/3. This is in contrast to Boron-Nitride nanotubes which exhibits a constant surface conductance. This scaling behavior is rationalized in terms of a model accounting for hydroxide adsorption at the (hydrophobic) carbon surface. This predicts a density dependent surface charge with a exponent 1/3 in full agreement with the experimental observations. Then we measure the low frequency noise of the ionic current in single CNTs. The noise exhibits a robust 1/f characteristic, with an amplitude which scales proportionaly to the surface charge measured independently. Data for the various CNT at a given pH do collapse on a master curve. This behavior is rationalized in terms of the fluctuations of the surface charge based on the adsorption behavior. This suggests that the low frequency noise takes its origin in the process occuring at the surface of the carbon nanotube.

Fluctuations and symmetry energy in nuclear fragmentation dynamics.

PubMed

Colonna, M

2013-01-25

Within a dynamical description of nuclear fragmentation, based on the liquid-gas phase transition scenario, we explore the relation between neutron-proton density fluctuations and nuclear symmetry energy. We show that, along the fragmentation path, isovector fluctuations follow the evolution of the local density and approach an equilibrium value connected to the local symmetry energy. Higher-density regions are characterized by smaller average asymmetry and narrower isotopic distributions. This dynamical analysis points out that fragment final state isospin fluctuations can probe the symmetry energy of the density domains from which fragments originate.

Atmospheric gravity waves with small vertical-to-horizotal wavelength ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, I. S.; Jee, G.; Kim, Y. H.; Chun, H. Y.

2017-12-01

Gravity wave modes with small vertical-to-horizontal wavelength ratios of an order of 10-3 are investigated through the systematic scale analysis of governing equations for gravity wave perturbations embedded in the quasi-geostrophic large-scale flow. These waves can be categorized as acoustic gravity wave modes because their total energy is given by the sum of kinetic, potential, and elastic parts. It is found that these waves can be forced by density fluctuations multiplied by the horizontal gradients of the large-scale pressure (geopotential) fields. These theoretical findings are evaluated using the results of a high-resolution global model (Specified Chemistry WACCM with horizontal resolution of 25 km and vertical resolution of 600 m) by computing the density-related gravity-wave forcing terms from the modeling results.

Impact of Silicon Doping on Low-Frequency Charge Noise and Conductance Drift in GaAs/AlxGa1 -xAs Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallahi, S.; Nakamura, J. R.; Gardner, G. C.; Yannell, M. M.; Manfra, M. J.

2018-03-01

We present measurements of low-frequency charge noise and conductance drift in modulation-doped GaAs /AlxGa1 -xAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy in which the silicon doping density is varied from 2.4 ×1018 (critically doped) to 6.0 ×1018 cm-3 (overdoped). Quantum point contacts are used to detect charge fluctuations. A clear reduction of both short-time-scale telegraphic noise and long-time-scale conductance drift with decreased doping density is observed. These measurements indicate that the neutral doping region plays a significant role in charge noise and conductance drift.

Nonadiabatic electron response in the Hasegawa-Wakatani equations

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

Stoltzfus-Dueck, T.; Scott, B. D.; Krommes, J. A.

2013-08-15

Tokamak edge turbulence is strongly influenced by parallel electron physics, which relaxes density and potential fluctuations towards electron adiabatic response. Beginning with the paradigmatic Hasegawa-Wakatani equations (HWEs) for resistive tokamak edge turbulence, a unique decomposition of the electric potential (φ) into adiabatic (a) and nonadiabatic (b) portions is derived, based on the requirement that a neither drive nor respond to the parallel current j{sub ∥}. The form of the decomposition clarifies that, at perpendicular scales large relative to the sound radius, the electron adiabatic response controls the nonzonal φ, not the fluctuating density n. Simple energy balance arguments allow onemore » to rigorously bound the ratio of rms nonzonal nonadiabatic fluctuations (b(tilde sign)) relative to adiabatic ones (ã). The role of the vorticity nonlinearity in transferring energy between adiabatic and nonadiabatic fluctuations aids intuitive understanding of self-sustained turbulence in the HWEs. When the normalized parallel resistivity is weak, b(tilde sign) becomes effectively slaved, allowing the reduction to an approximate one-field model that remains valid for strong turbulence. In addition to guiding physical intuition, the one-field reduction should greatly ease further analytical manipulations. Direct numerical simulation of the 2D HWEs confirms the convergence of the asymptotic formula for b(tilde sign)« less

Scalings of intermittent structures in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

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

Zhdankin, Vladimir, E-mail: zhdankin@jila.colorado.edu; Boldyrev, Stanislav; Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80301

Turbulence is ubiquitous in plasmas, leading to rich dynamics characterized by irregularity, irreversibility, energy fluctuations across many scales, and energy transfer across many scales. Another fundamental and generic feature of turbulence, although sometimes overlooked, is the inhomogeneous dissipation of energy in space and in time. This is a consequence of intermittency, the scale-dependent inhomogeneity of dynamics caused by fluctuations in the turbulent cascade. Intermittency causes turbulent plasmas to self-organize into coherent dissipative structures, which may govern heating, diffusion, particle acceleration, and radiation emissions. In this paper, we present recent progress on understanding intermittency in incompressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence with a strongmore » guide field. We focus on the statistical analysis of intermittent dissipative structures, which occupy a small fraction of the volume but arguably account for the majority of energy dissipation. We show that, in our numerical simulations, intermittent structures in the current density, vorticity, and Elsässer vorticities all have nearly identical statistical properties. We propose phenomenological explanations for the scalings based on general considerations of Elsässer vorticity structures. Finally, we examine the broader implications of intermittency for astrophysical systems.« less

Optimizing BAO measurements with non-linear transformations of the Lyman-α forest

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

Wang, Xinkang; Font-Ribera, Andreu; Seljak, Uroš, E-mail: xinkang.wang@berkeley.edu, E-mail: afont@lbl.gov, E-mail: useljak@berkeley.edu

2015-04-01

We explore the effect of applying a non-linear transformation to the Lyman-α forest transmitted flux F=e{sup −τ} and the ability of analytic models to predict the resulting clustering amplitude. Both the large-scale bias of the transformed field (signal) and the amplitude of small scale fluctuations (noise) can be arbitrarily modified, but we were unable to find a transformation that increases significantly the signal-to-noise ratio on large scales using Taylor expansion up to the third order. In particular, however, we achieve a 33% improvement in signal to noise for Gaussianized field in transverse direction. On the other hand, we explore anmore » analytic model for the large-scale biasing of the Lyα forest, and present an extension of this model to describe the biasing of the transformed fields. Using hydrodynamic simulations we show that the model works best to describe the biasing with respect to velocity gradients, but is less successful in predicting the biasing with respect to large-scale density fluctuations, especially for very nonlinear transformations.« less

Extension of the self-consistent-charge density-functional tight-binding method: third-order expansion of the density functional theory total energy and introduction of a modified effective coulomb interaction.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Yu, Haibo; York, Darrin; Cui, Qiang; Elstner, Marcus

2007-10-25

The standard self-consistent-charge density-functional-tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) method (Phys. Rev. B 1998, 58, 7260) is derived by a second-order expansion of the density functional theory total energy expression, followed by an approximation of the charge density fluctuations by charge monopoles and an effective damped Coulomb interaction between the atomic net charges. The central assumptions behind this effective charge-charge interaction are the inverse relation of atomic size and chemical hardness and the use of a fixed chemical hardness parameter independent of the atomic charge state. While these approximations seem to be unproblematic for many covalently bound systems, they are quantitatively insufficient for hydrogen-bonding interactions and (anionic) molecules with localized net charges. Here, we present an extension of the SCC-DFTB method to incorporate third-order terms in the charge density fluctuations, leading to chemical hardness parameters that are dependent on the atomic charge state and a modification of the Coulomb scaling to improve the electrostatic treatment within the second-order terms. These modifications lead to a significant improvement in the description of hydrogen-bonding interactions and proton affinities of biologically relevant molecules.

Differential interferometry for measurement of density fluctuations and fluctuation-induced transport (invited)

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

Lin, L.; Ding, W. X.; Brower, D. L.

2010-10-15

Differential interferometry employs two parallel laser beams with a small spatial offset (less than beam width) and frequency difference (1-2 MHz) using common optics and a single mixer for a heterodyne detection. The differential approach allows measurement of the electron density gradient, its fluctuations, as well as the equilibrium density distribution. This novel interferometry technique is immune to fringe skip errors and is particularly useful in harsh plasma environments. Accurate calibration of the beam spatial offset, accomplished by use of a rotating dielectric wedge, is required to enable broad application of this approach. Differential interferometry has been successfully used onmore » the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch plasma to directly measure fluctuation-induced transport along with equilibrium density profile evolution during pellet injection. In addition, by combining differential and conventional interferometry, both linear and nonlinear terms of the electron density fluctuation energy equation can be determined, thereby allowing quantitative investigation of the origin of the density fluctuations. The concept, calibration, and application of differential interferometry are presented.« less

Rectifying full-counting statistics in a spin Seebeck engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Gaomin; Chen, Xiaobin; Ren, Jie; Wang, Jian

2018-02-01

In terms of the nonequilibrium Green's function framework, we formulate the full-counting statistics of conjugate thermal spin transport in a spin Seebeck engine, which is made by a metal-ferromagnet insulator interface driven by a temperature bias. We obtain general expressions of scaled cumulant generating functions of both heat and spin currents that hold special fluctuation symmetry relations, and demonstrate intriguing properties, such as rectification and negative differential effects of high-order fluctuations of thermal excited spin current, maximum output spin power, and efficiency. The transport and noise depend on the strongly fluctuating electron density of states at the interface. The results are relevant for designing an efficient spin Seebeck engine and can broaden our view in nonequilibrium thermodynamics and the nonlinear phenomenon in quantum transport systems.

Analysis of high-resolution foreign exchange data of USD-JPY for 13 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizuno, Takayuki; Kurihara, Shoko; Takayasu, Misako; Takayasu, Hideki

2003-06-01

We analyze high-resolution foreign exchange data consisting of 20 million data points of USD-JPY for 13 years to report firm statistical laws in distributions and correlations of exchange rate fluctuations. A conditional probability density analysis clearly shows the existence of trend-following movements at time scale of 8-ticks, about 1 min.

Effective density and morphology of particles emitted from small-scale combustion of various wood fuels.

PubMed

Leskinen, Jani; Ihalainen, Mika; Torvela, Tiina; Kortelainen, Miika; Lamberg, Heikki; Tiitta, Petri; Jakobi, Gert; Grigonyte, Julija; Joutsensaari, Jorma; Sippula, Olli; Tissari, Jarkko; Virtanen, Annele; Zimmermann, Ralf; Jokiniemi, Jorma

2014-11-18

The effective density of fine particles emitted from small-scale wood combustion of various fuels were determined with a system consisting of an aerosol particle mass analyzer and a scanning mobility particle sizer (APM-SMPS). A novel sampling chamber was combined to the system to enable measurements of highly fluctuating combustion processes. In addition, mass-mobility exponents (relates mass and mobility size) were determined from the density data to describe the shape of the particles. Particle size, type of fuel, combustion phase, and combustion conditions were found to have an effect on the effective density and the particle shape. For example, steady combustion phase produced agglomerates with effective density of roughly 1 g cm(-3) for small particles, decreasing to 0.25 g cm(-3) for 400 nm particles. The effective density was higher for particles emitted from glowing embers phase (ca. 1-2 g cm(-3)), and a clear size dependency was not observed as the particles were nearly spherical in shape. This study shows that a single value cannot be used for the effective density of particles emitted from wood combustion.

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

Arévalo, P.; Churazov, E.; Zhuravleva, I.

X-ray images of galaxy clusters and gas-rich elliptical galaxies show a wealth of small-scale features that reflect fluctuations in density and/or temperature of the intracluster medium. In this paper we study these fluctuations in M87/Virgo to establish whether sound waves/shocks, bubbles, or uplifted cold gas dominate the structure. We exploit the strong dependence of the emissivity on density and temperature in different energy bands to distinguish between these processes. Using simulations we demonstrate that our analysis recovers the leading type of fluctuation even in the presence of projection effects and temperature gradients. We confirm the isobaric nature of cool filamentsmore » of gas entrained by buoyantly rising bubbles, extending to 7′ to the east and southwest, and the adiabatic nature of the weak shocks at 40″ and 3′ from the center. For features of ∼5–10 kpc, we show that the central 4′ × 4′ region is dominated by cool structures in pressure equilibrium with the ambient hotter gas while up to 30% of the variance in this region can be ascribed to adiabatic fluctuations. The remaining part of the central 14′ × 14′ region, excluding the arms and shocks described above, is dominated by apparently isothermal fluctuations (bubbles) with a possible admixture (at the level of ∼30%) of adiabatic (sound waves) and by isobaric structures. Larger features, of about 30 kpc, show a stronger contribution from isobaric fluctuations. The results broadly agree with a model based on feedback from an active galactic nucleus mediated by bubbles of relativistic plasma.« less

Statistics of spatial derivatives of velocity and pressure in turbulent channel flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vreman, A. W.; Kuerten, J. G. M.

2014-08-01

Statistical profiles of the first- and second-order spatial derivatives of velocity and pressure are reported for turbulent channel flow at Reτ = 590. The statistics were extracted from a high-resolution direct numerical simulation. To quantify the anisotropic behavior of fine-scale structures, the variances of the derivatives are compared with the theoretical values for isotropic turbulence. It is shown that appropriate combinations of first- and second-order velocity derivatives lead to (directional) viscous length scales without explicit occurrence of the viscosity in the definitions. To quantify the non-Gaussian and intermittent behavior of fine-scale structures, higher-order moments and probability density functions of spatial derivatives are reported. Absolute skewnesses and flatnesses of several spatial derivatives display high peaks in the near wall region. In the logarithmic and central regions of the channel flow, all first-order derivatives appear to be significantly more intermittent than in isotropic turbulence at the same Taylor Reynolds number. Since the nine variances of first-order velocity derivatives are the distinct elements of the turbulence dissipation, the budgets of these nine variances are shown, together with the budget of the turbulence dissipation. The comparison of the budgets in the near-wall region indicates that the normal derivative of the fluctuating streamwise velocity (∂u'/∂y) plays a more important role than other components of the fluctuating velocity gradient. The small-scale generation term formed by triple correlations of fluctuations of first-order velocity derivatives is analyzed. A typical mechanism of small-scale generation near the wall (around y+ = 1), the intensification of positive ∂u'/∂y by local strain fluctuation (compression in normal and stretching in spanwise direction), is illustrated and discussed.

A Model for Dissipation of Solar Wind Magnetic Turbulence by Kinetic Alfvén Waves at Electron Scales: Comparison with Observations

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

Schreiner, Anne; Saur, Joachim, E-mail: schreiner@geo.uni-koeln.de

In hydrodynamic turbulence, it is well established that the length of the dissipation scale depends on the energy cascade rate, i.e., the larger the energy input rate per unit mass, the more the turbulent fluctuations need to be driven to increasingly smaller scales to dissipate the larger energy flux. Observations of magnetic spectral energy densities indicate that this intuitive picture is not valid in solar wind turbulence. Dissipation seems to set in at the same length scale for different solar wind conditions independently of the energy flux. To investigate this difference in more detail, we present an analytic dissipation modelmore » for solar wind turbulence at electron scales, which we compare with observed spectral densities. Our model combines the energy transport from large to small scales and collisionless damping, which removes energy from the magnetic fluctuations in the kinetic regime. We assume wave–particle interactions of kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) to be the main damping process. Wave frequencies and damping rates of KAWs are obtained from the hot plasma dispersion relation. Our model assumes a critically balanced turbulence, where larger energy cascade rates excite larger parallel wavenumbers for a certain perpendicular wavenumber. If the dissipation is additionally wave driven such that the dissipation rate is proportional to the parallel wavenumber—as with KAWs—then an increase of the energy cascade rate is counterbalanced by an increased dissipation rate for the same perpendicular wavenumber, leading to a dissipation length independent of the energy cascade rate.« less

A Model for Dissipation of Solar Wind Magnetic Turbulence by Kinetic Alfvén Waves at Electron Scales: Comparison with Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreiner, Anne; Saur, Joachim

2017-02-01

In hydrodynamic turbulence, it is well established that the length of the dissipation scale depends on the energy cascade rate, I.e., the larger the energy input rate per unit mass, the more the turbulent fluctuations need to be driven to increasingly smaller scales to dissipate the larger energy flux. Observations of magnetic spectral energy densities indicate that this intuitive picture is not valid in solar wind turbulence. Dissipation seems to set in at the same length scale for different solar wind conditions independently of the energy flux. To investigate this difference in more detail, we present an analytic dissipation model for solar wind turbulence at electron scales, which we compare with observed spectral densities. Our model combines the energy transport from large to small scales and collisionless damping, which removes energy from the magnetic fluctuations in the kinetic regime. We assume wave-particle interactions of kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) to be the main damping process. Wave frequencies and damping rates of KAWs are obtained from the hot plasma dispersion relation. Our model assumes a critically balanced turbulence, where larger energy cascade rates excite larger parallel wavenumbers for a certain perpendicular wavenumber. If the dissipation is additionally wave driven such that the dissipation rate is proportional to the parallel wavenumber—as with KAWs—then an increase of the energy cascade rate is counterbalanced by an increased dissipation rate for the same perpendicular wavenumber, leading to a dissipation length independent of the energy cascade rate.

Vorticity scaling and intermittency in drift-interchange plasma turbulence

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

Dura, P. D.; Hnat, B.; Robinson, J.

2012-09-15

The effects of spatially varying magnetic field strength on the scaling properties of plasma turbulence, modelled by an extended form of Hasegawa-Wakatani model, are investigated. We study changes in the intermittency of the velocity, density, and vorticity fields, as functions of the magnetic field inhomogeneity C=-{partial_derivative} ln B/{partial_derivative}x. While the velocity fluctuations are always self-similar and their scaling is unaffected by the value of C, the intermittency levels in density and vorticity change with parameter C, reflecting morphological changes in the coherent structures due to the interchange mechanism. Given the centrality of vorticity in conditioning plasma transport, this result ismore » of interest in scaling the results of transport measurements and simulations in tokamak edge plasmas, where drift-interchange turbulence in the presence of a magnetic field gradient is likely to occur.« less

Statistical theory of dynamo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, E.; Newton, A. P.

2012-04-01

One major problem in dynamo theory is the multi-scale nature of the MHD turbulence, which requires statistical theory in terms of probability distribution functions. In this contribution, we present the statistical theory of magnetic fields in a simplified mean field α-Ω dynamo model by varying the statistical property of alpha, including marginal stability and intermittency, and then utilize observational data of solar activity to fine-tune the mean field dynamo model. Specifically, we first present a comprehensive investigation into the effect of the stochastic parameters in a simplified α-Ω dynamo model. Through considering the manifold of marginal stability (the region of parameter space where the mean growth rate is zero), we show that stochastic fluctuations are conductive to dynamo. Furthermore, by considering the cases of fluctuating alpha that are periodic and Gaussian coloured random noise with identical characteristic time-scales and fluctuating amplitudes, we show that the transition to dynamo is significantly facilitated for stochastic alpha with random noise. Furthermore, we show that probability density functions (PDFs) of the growth-rate, magnetic field and magnetic energy can provide a wealth of useful information regarding the dynamo behaviour/intermittency. Finally, the precise statistical property of the dynamo such as temporal correlation and fluctuating amplitude is found to be dependent on the distribution the fluctuations of stochastic parameters. We then use observations of solar activity to constrain parameters relating to the effect in stochastic α-Ω nonlinear dynamo models. This is achieved through performing a comprehensive statistical comparison by computing PDFs of solar activity from observations and from our simulation of mean field dynamo model. The observational data that are used are the time history of solar activity inferred for C14 data in the past 11000 years on a long time scale and direct observations of the sun spot numbers obtained in recent years 1795-1995 on a short time scale. Monte Carlo simulations are performed on these data to obtain PDFs of the solar activity on both long and short time scales. These PDFs are then compared with predicted PDFs from numerical simulation of our α-Ω dynamo model, where α is assumed to have both mean α0 and fluctuating α' parts. By varying the correlation time of fluctuating α', the ratio of the amplitude of the fluctuating to mean alpha <α'2>/α02 (where angular brackets <> denote ensemble average), and the ratio of poloidal to toroidal magnetic fields, we show that the results from our stochastic dynamo model can match the PDFs of solar activity on both long and short time scales. In particular, a good agreement is obtained when the fluctuation in alpha is roughly equal to the mean part with a correlation time shorter than the solar period.

The seesaw space, a vector space to identify and characterize large-scale structures at 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lara, A.; Niembro, T.

2017-12-01

We introduce the seesaw space, an orthonormal space formed by the local and the global fluctuations of any of the four basic solar parameters: velocity, density, magnetic field and temperature at any heliospheric distance. The fluctuations compare the standard deviation of a moving average of three hours against the running average of the parameter in a month (consider as the local fluctuations) and in a year (global fluctuations) We created this new vectorial spaces to identify the arrival of transients to any spacecraft without the need of an observer. We applied our method to the one-minute resolution data of WIND spacecraft from 1996 to 2016. To study the behavior of the seesaw norms in terms of the solar cycle, we computed annual histograms and fixed piecewise functions formed by two log-normal distributions and observed that one of the distributions is due to large-scale structures while the other to the ambient solar wind. The norm values in which the piecewise functions change vary in terms of the solar cycle. We compared the seesaw norms of each of the basic parameters due to the arrival of coronal mass ejections, co-rotating interaction regions and sector boundaries reported in literature. High seesaw norms are due to large-scale structures. We found three critical values of the norms that can be used to determined the arrival of coronal mass ejections. We present as well general comparisons of the norms during the two maxima and the minimum solar cycle periods and the differences of the norms due to large-scale structures depending on each period.

Hybrid Model of Inhomogeneous Solar Wind Plasma Heating by Alfven Wave Spectrum: Parametric Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, L.

2010-01-01

Observations of the solar wind plasma at 0.3 AU and beyond show that a turbulent spectrum of magnetic fluctuations is present. Remote sensing observations of the corona indicate that heavy ions are hotter than protons and their temperature is anisotropic (T(sub perpindicular / T(sub parallel) >> 1). We study the heating and the acceleration of multi-ion plasma in the solar wind by a turbulent spectrum of Alfvenic fluctuations using a 2-D hybrid numerical model. In the hybrid model the protons and heavy ions are treated kinetically as particles, while the electrons are included as neutralizing background fluid. This is the first two-dimensional hybrid parametric study of the solar wind plasma that includes an input turbulent wave spectrum guided by observation with inhomogeneous background density. We also investigate the effects of He++ ion beams in the inhomogeneous background plasma density on the heating of the solar wind plasma. The 2-D hybrid model treats parallel and oblique waves, together with cross-field inhomogeneity, self-consistently. We investigate the parametric dependence of the perpendicular heating, and the temperature anisotropy in the H+-He++ solar wind plasma. It was found that the scaling of the magnetic fluctuations power spectrum steepens in the higher-density regions, and the heating is channeled to these regions from the surrounding lower-density plasma due to wave refraction. The model parameters are applicable to the expected solar wind conditions at about 10 solar radii.

Kinetic energy and scalar spectra in high Rayleigh number axially homogeneous buoyancy driven turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, Shashikant S.; Arakeri, Jaywant H.

2016-06-01

Kinetic energy and scalar spectra from the measurements in high Rayleigh number axially homogeneous buoyancy driven turbulent flow are presented. Kinetic energy and concentration (scalar) spectra are obtained from the experiments wherein density difference is created using brine and fresh water and temperature spectra are obtained from the experiments in which heat is used. Scaling of the frequency spectra of lateral and longitudinal velocity near the tube axis is closer to the Kolmogorov-Obukhov scaling, while the scalar spectra show some evidence of dual scaling, Bolgiano-Obukhov scaling followed by Obukhov-Corrsin scaling. These scalings are also observed in the corresponding second order spatial structure functions of velocity and concentration fluctuations.

Cosmological structure formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

A summary of the current forefront problem of physical cosmology, the formation of structures (galaxies, clusters, great walls, etc.) in the universe is presented. Solutions require two key ingredients: (1) matter; and (2) seeds. Regarding the matter, it now seems clear that both baryonic and non-baryonic matter are required. Whether the non-baryonic matter is hot or cold depends on the choice of seeds. Regarding the seeds, both density fluctuations and topological defects are discussed. The combination of isotropy of the microwave background and the recent observations indicating more power on large scales have severly constrained, if not eliminated, Gaussian fluctuations with equal power on all scales, regardless of the eventual resolution of both the matter and seed questions. It is important to note that all current structure formation ideas require new physics beyond SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1).

Density Fluctuation in Asymmetric Nozzle Plumes and Correlation with Far Field Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Zaman, K. B. M. Q.

2001-01-01

A comparative experimental study of air density fluctuations in the unheated plumes of a circular, 4-tabbed-circular, chevron-circular and 10-lobed rectangular nozzles was performed at a fixed Mach number of 0.95 using a recently developed Rayleigh scattering based technique. Subsequently, the flow density fluctuations are cross-correlated with the far field sound pressure fluctuations to determine sources for acoustics emission. The nearly identical noise spectra from the baseline circular and the chevron nozzles are found to be in agreement with the similarity in spreading, turbulence fluctuations, and flow-sound correlations measured in the plumes. The lobed nozzle produced the least low frequency noise, in agreement with the weakest overall density fluctuations and flow-sound correlation. The tabbed nozzle took an intermediate position in the hierarchy of noise generation, intensity of turbulent fluctuation and flow-sound correlation. Some of the features in the 4-tabbed nozzle are found to be explainable in terms of splitting of the jet in a central large core and 4 side jetlets.

Time-resolved x-ray imaging of a laser-induced nanoplasma and its neutral residuals

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

Fluckiger, L.; Rupp, D.; Adolph, M.

The evolution of individual, large gas-phase xenon clusters, turned into a nanoplasma by a high power infrared laser pulse, is tracked from femtoseconds up to nanoseconds after laser excitation via coherent diffractive imaging, using ultra-short soft x-ray free electron laser pulses. A decline of scattering signal at high detection angles with increasing time delay indicates a softening of the cluster surface. Here we demonstrate, for the first time a representative speckle pattern of a new stage of cluster expansion for xenon clusters after a nanosecond irradiation. The analysis of the measured average speckle size and the envelope of the intensitymore » distribution reveals a mean cluster size and length scale of internal density fluctuations. Furthermore, the measured diffraction patterns were reproduced by scattering simulations which assumed that the cluster expands with pronounced internal density fluctuations hundreds of picoseconds after excitation.« less

Time-resolved x-ray imaging of a laser-induced nanoplasma and its neutral residuals

DOE PAGES

Fluckiger, L.; Rupp, D.; Adolph, M.; ...

2016-04-13

The evolution of individual, large gas-phase xenon clusters, turned into a nanoplasma by a high power infrared laser pulse, is tracked from femtoseconds up to nanoseconds after laser excitation via coherent diffractive imaging, using ultra-short soft x-ray free electron laser pulses. A decline of scattering signal at high detection angles with increasing time delay indicates a softening of the cluster surface. Here we demonstrate, for the first time a representative speckle pattern of a new stage of cluster expansion for xenon clusters after a nanosecond irradiation. The analysis of the measured average speckle size and the envelope of the intensitymore » distribution reveals a mean cluster size and length scale of internal density fluctuations. Furthermore, the measured diffraction patterns were reproduced by scattering simulations which assumed that the cluster expands with pronounced internal density fluctuations hundreds of picoseconds after excitation.« less

Nonlinear Dynamics and Nucleation Kinetics in Near-Critical Liquids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patashinski, Alexander Z.; Ratner, Mark A.; Pines, Vladimir

1996-01-01

The objective of our study is to model the nonlinear behavior of a near-critical liquid following a rapid change of the temperature and/or other thermodynamic parameters (pressure, external electric or gravitational field). The thermodynamic critical point is manifested by large, strongly correlated fluctuations of the order parameter (particle density in liquid-gas systems, concentration in binary solutions) in the critical range of scales. The largest critical length scale is the correlation radius r(sub c). According to the scaling theory, r(sub c) increases as r(sub c) = r(sub 0)epsilon(exp -alpha) when the nondimensional distance epsilon = (T - T(sub c))/T(sub c) to the critical point decreases. The normal gravity alters the nature of correlated long-range fluctuations when one reaches epsilon approximately equal to 10(exp -5), and correspondingly the relaxation time, tau(r(sub c)), is approximately equal to 10(exp -3) seconds; this time is short when compared to the typical experimental time. Close to the critical point, a rapid, relatively small temperature change may perturb the thermodynamic equilibrium on many scales. The critical fluctuations have a hierarchical structure, and the relaxation involves many length and time scales. Above the critical point, in the one-phase region, we consider the relaxation of the liquid following a sudden temperature change that simultaneously violates the equilibrium on many scales. Below T(sub c), a non-equilibrium state may include a distribution of small scale phase droplets; we consider the relaxation of such a droplet following a temperature change that has made the phase of the matrix stable.

Nonlinear MHD Waves in a Prominence Foot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ofman, L.; Knizhnik, K.; Kucera, T.; Schmieder, B.

2015-11-01

We study nonlinear waves in a prominence foot using a 2.5D MHD model motivated by recent high-resolution observations with Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope in Ca ii emission of a prominence on 2012 October 10 showing highly dynamic small-scale motions in the prominence material. Observations of Hα intensities and of Doppler shifts show similar propagating fluctuations. However, the optically thick nature of the emission lines inhibits a unique quantitative interpretation in terms of density. Nevertheless, we find evidence of nonlinear wave activity in the prominence foot by examining the relative magnitude of the fluctuation intensity (δI/I ˜ δn/n). The waves are evident as significant density fluctuations that vary with height and apparently travel upward from the chromosphere into the prominence material with quasi-periodic fluctuations with a typical period in the range of 5-11 minutes and wavelengths <2000 km. Recent Doppler shift observations show the transverse displacement of the propagating waves. The magnetic field was measured with the THEMIS instrument and was found to be 5-14 G. For the typical prominence density the corresponding fast magnetosonic speed is ˜20 km s-1, in qualitative agreement with the propagation speed of the detected waves. The 2.5D MHD numerical model is constrained with the typical parameters of the prominence waves seen in observations. Our numerical results reproduce the nonlinear fast magnetosonic waves and provide strong support for the presence of these waves in the prominence foot. We also explore gravitational MHD oscillations of the heavy prominence foot material supported by dipped magnetic field structure.

Investigating the radial structure of axisymmetric fluctuations in the TCV tokamak with local and global gyrokinetic GENE simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merlo, G.; Brunner, S.; Huang, Z.; Coda, S.; Görler, T.; Villard, L.; Bañón Navarro, A.; Dominski, J.; Fontana, M.; Jenko, F.; Porte, L.; Told, D.

2018-03-01

Axisymmetric (n = 0) density fluctuations measured in the TCV tokamak are observed to possess a frequency f 0 which is either varying (radially dispersive oscillations) or a constant over a large fraction of the plasma minor radius (radially global oscillations) as reported in a companion paper (Z Huang et al, this issue). Given that f 0 scales with the sound speed and given the poloidal structure of density fluctuations, these oscillations were interpreted as Geodesic Acoustic Modes, even though f 0 is in fact smaller than the local linear GAM frequency {f}{GAM}. In this work we employ the Eulerian gyrokinetic code GENE to simulate TCV relevant conditions and investigate the nature and properties of these oscillations, in particular their relation to the safety factor profile. Local and global simulations are carried out and a good qualitative agreement is observed between experiments and simulations. By varying also the plasma temperature and density profiles, we conclude that a variation of the edge safety factor alone is not sufficient to induce a transition from global to radially inhomogeneous oscillations, as was initially suggested by experimental results. This transition appears instead to be the combined result of variations in the different plasma profiles, collisionality and finite machine size effects. Simulations also show that radially global GAM-like oscillations can be observed in all fluxes and fluctuation fields, suggesting that they are the result of a complex nonlinear process involving also finite toroidal mode numbers and not just linear global GAM eigenmodes.

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

Ofman, L.; Knizhnik, K.; Kucera, T.

We study nonlinear waves in a prominence foot using a 2.5D MHD model motivated by recent high-resolution observations with Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope in Ca ii emission of a prominence on 2012 October 10 showing highly dynamic small-scale motions in the prominence material. Observations of Hα intensities and of Doppler shifts show similar propagating fluctuations. However, the optically thick nature of the emission lines inhibits a unique quantitative interpretation in terms of density. Nevertheless, we find evidence of nonlinear wave activity in the prominence foot by examining the relative magnitude of the fluctuation intensity (δI/I ∼ δn/n). The waves are evidentmore » as significant density fluctuations that vary with height and apparently travel upward from the chromosphere into the prominence material with quasi-periodic fluctuations with a typical period in the range of 5–11 minutes and wavelengths <2000 km. Recent Doppler shift observations show the transverse displacement of the propagating waves. The magnetic field was measured with the THEMIS instrument and was found to be 5–14 G. For the typical prominence density the corresponding fast magnetosonic speed is ∼20 km s{sup −1}, in qualitative agreement with the propagation speed of the detected waves. The 2.5D MHD numerical model is constrained with the typical parameters of the prominence waves seen in observations. Our numerical results reproduce the nonlinear fast magnetosonic waves and provide strong support for the presence of these waves in the prominence foot. We also explore gravitational MHD oscillations of the heavy prominence foot material supported by dipped magnetic field structure.« less

The Solar Wind as a Magnetofluid Turbulence Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2011-01-01

The solar wind is the Sun's exosphere. As the solar atmosphere expands into interplanetary space, it is accelerated and heated. Data from spacecraft located throughout the heliosphere have revealed that this exosphere has velocities of several hundred kilometers/sec, densities at Earth orbit of about 5 particles/cu cm, and an entrained magnetic field that at Earth orbit that is about 5 10-5 Gauss. A fascinating feature of the solar wind is that the magnetic field fluctuates in a way that is highly reminiscent of "Alfven waves, i.e., the fluctuating magnetic fields are more-or-less aligned with fluctuations in the velocity of the plasma and, with proper normalization, have approximately equal magnitudes. The imperfect (observed) alignment leads to a variety of complex interactions. In many respects, the flow patterns appear to be an example of fully developed magneto fluid turbulence. Recently, the dissipation range of this turbulence has been studied using search coil magnetometer data from the STAFF instrument on the four Cluster spacecraft. I will attempt to give an overview of selected properties of this large-scale and small-scale turbulence.

Density Fluctuations in a Polar Coronal Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Michael; D’Huys, Elke; Savin, Daniel Wolf

2018-06-01

We have measured the root-mean-square (rms) amplitude of intensity fluctuations, ΔI, in plume and interplume regions of a polar coronal hole. These intensity fluctuations correspond to density fluctuations. Using data from the Sun Watcher using the Active Pixel System detector and Image Processing on the Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba2), our results extend up to a height of about 1.35 R ⊙. One advantage of the rms analysis is that it does not rely on a detailed evaluation of the power spectrum, which is limited by noise levels to low heights in the corona. The rms approach can be performed up to larger heights where the noise level is greater, provided that the noise itself can be quantified. At low heights, both the absolute ΔI, and the amplitude relative to the mean intensity, ΔI/I, decrease with height. However, starting at about 1.2 R ⊙, ΔI/I increases, reaching 20%–40% by 1.35 R ⊙. This corresponds to density fluctuations of Δn e/n e ≈ 10%–20%. The increasing relative amplitude implies that the density fluctuations are generated in the corona itself. One possibility is that the density fluctuations are generated by an instability of Alfvén waves. This generation mechanism is consistent with some theoretical models and with observations of Alfvén wave amplitudes in coronal holes. Although we find that the energy of the observed density fluctuations is small, these fluctuations are likely to play an important indirect role in coronal heating by promoting the reflection of Alfvén waves and driving turbulence.

Large-scale structure in the Southern Sky Redshift Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Changbom; Gott, J. R., III; Da Costa, L. N.

1992-01-01

The power spectrum from the Southern Sky Redshift Survey and the CfA samples are measured in order to explore the amplitude of fluctuation in the galaxy density. At lambda of less than or equal to 30/h Mpc the observed power spectrum is quite consistent with the standard CDM model. At larger scales the data indicate an excess of power over the standard CDM model. The observed power spectrum from these optical galaxy samples is in good agreement with that drawn from the sparsely sampled IRAS galaxies. The shape of the power spectrum is also studied by examining the relation between the genus per unit volume and the smoothing length. It is found that, over Gaussian smoothing scales from 6 to 14/h Mpc, the power spectrum has a slope of about -1. The topology of the galaxy density field is studied by measuring the shift of the genus curve from the Gaussian case. Over all smoothing scales studied, the observed genus curves are consistent with a random phase distribution of the galaxy density field, as predicted by the inflationary scenarios.

Dynamic structural disorder in supported nanoscale catalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehr, J. J.; Vila, F. D.

2014-04-01

We investigate the origin and physical effects of "dynamic structural disorder" (DSD) in supported nano-scale catalysts. DSD refers to the intrinsic fluctuating, inhomogeneous structure of such nano-scale systems. In contrast to bulk materials, nano-scale systems exhibit substantial fluctuations in structure, charge, temperature, and other quantities, as well as large surface effects. The DSD is driven largely by the stochastic librational motion of the center of mass and fluxional bonding at the nanoparticle surface due to thermal coupling with the substrate. Our approach for calculating and understanding DSD is based on a combination of real-time density functional theory/molecular dynamics simulations, transient coupled-oscillator models, and statistical mechanics. This approach treats thermal and dynamic effects over multiple time-scales, and includes bond-stretching and -bending vibrations, and transient tethering to the substrate at longer ps time-scales. Potential effects on the catalytic properties of these clusters are briefly explored. Model calculations of molecule-cluster interactions and molecular dissociation reaction paths are presented in which the reactant molecules are adsorbed on the surface of dynamically sampled clusters. This model suggests that DSD can affect both the prefactors and distribution of energy barriers in reaction rates, and thus can significantly affect catalytic activity at the nano-scale.

Scale effects in wind tunnel modeling of an urban atmospheric boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozmar, Hrvoje

2010-03-01

Precise urban atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel simulations are essential for a wide variety of atmospheric studies in built-up environments including wind loading of structures and air pollutant dispersion. One of key issues in addressing these problems is a proper choice of simulation length scale. In this study, an urban ABL was reproduced in a boundary layer wind tunnel at different scales to study possible scale effects. Two full-depth simulations and one part-depth simulation were carried out using castellated barrier wall, vortex generators, and a fetch of roughness elements. Redesigned “Counihan” vortex generators were employed in the part-depth ABL simulation. A hot-wire anemometry system was used to measure mean velocity and velocity fluctuations. Experimental results are presented as mean velocity, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress, integral length scale of turbulence, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations. Results suggest that variations in length-scale factor do not influence the generated ABL models when using similarity criteria applied in this study. Part-depth ABL simulation compares well with two full-depth ABL simulations indicating the truncated vortex generators developed for this study can be successfully employed in urban ABL part-depth simulations.

Investigating the ion-scale spectral break of solar wind turbulence from low to high plasma beta with high-resolution hybrid simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franci, Luca; Landi, Simone; Matteini, Lorenzo; Verdini, Andrea; Hellinger, Petr

2016-04-01

We investigate the properties of the ion-scale spectral break of solar wind turbulence by means of two-dimensional, large-scale, high-resolution hybrid particle-in-cell simulations. We impose an initial ambient magnetic field perpendicular to the simulation box, and we add a spectrum of in-plane large- scale magnetic and kinetic fluctuations, with energy equipartition and vanishing correlation. We perform a set of ten simulations with different values of the ion plasma beta, β_i. In all cases, we observe the power spectrum of the total magnetic fluctuations following a power law with a spectral index of -5/3 in the inertial range, with a smooth break around ion scales and a steeper power law in the sub-ion range. This spectral break always occurs at spatial scales of the order of the proton gyroradius, ρ_i, and the proton inertial length, di = ρi / √{β_i}. When the plasma beta is of the order of 1, the two scales are very close to each other and determining which is directly related to the steepening of the spectra it's not straightforward at all. In order to overcome this limitation, we extended the range of values of βi over three orders of magnitude, from 0.01 to 10, so that the two ion scales were well separated. This let us observe that the break always seems to occur at the larger of the two scales, i.e., at di for βi 1. The effect of βi on the spectra of the parallel and perpendicular magnetic components separately and of the density fluctuations is also investigated. We compare all our numerical results with solar wind observations and suggest possible explanations for our findings.

Flexible chain molecules in the marginal and concentrated regimes: universal static scaling laws and cross-over predictions.

PubMed

Laso, Manuel; Karayiannis, Nikos Ch

2008-05-07

We present predictions for the static scaling exponents and for the cross-over polymer volumetric fractions in the marginal and concentrated solution regimes. Corrections for finite chain length are made. Predictions are based on an analysis of correlated fluctuations in density and chain length, in a semigrand ensemble in which mers and solvent sites exchange identities. Cross-over volumetric fractions are found to be chain length independent to first order, although reciprocal-N corrections are also estimated. Predicted scaling exponents and cross-over regimes are compared with available data from extensive off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations [Karayiannis and Laso, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 050602 (2008)] on freely jointed, hard-sphere chains of average lengths from N=12-500 and at packing densities from dilute ones up to the maximally random jammed state.

Sorption Phase of Supercritical CO2 in Silica Aerogel: Experiments and Mesoscale Computer Simulations

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

Rother, Gernot; Vlcek, Lukas; Gruszkiewicz, Miroslaw

2014-01-01

Adsorption of supercritical CO2 in nanoporous silica aerogel was investigated by a combination of experiments and molecular-level computer modeling. High-pressure gravimetric and vibrating tube densimetry techniques were used to measure the mean pore fluid density and excess sorption at 35 C and 50 C and pressures of 0-200 bar. Densification of the pore fluid was observed at bulk fluid densities below 0.7 g/cm3. Far above the bulk fluid density, near-zero sorption or weak depletion effects were measured, while broad excess sorption maxima form in the vicinity of the bulk critical density region. The CO2 sorption properties are very similar formore » two aerogels with different bulk densities of 0.1 g/cm3 and 0.2 g/cm3, respectively. The spatial distribution of the confined supercritical fluid was analyzed in terms of sorption- and bulk-phase densities by means of the Adsorbed Phase Model (APM), which used data from gravimetric sorption and small-angle neutron scattering experiments. To gain more detailed insight into supercritical fluid sorption, large-scale lattice gas GCMC simulations were utilized and tuned to resemble the experimental excess sorption data. The computed three-dimensional pore fluid density distributions show that the observed maximum of the excess sorption near the critical density originates from large density fluctuations pinned to the pore walls. At this maximum, the size of these fluctuations is comparable to the prevailing pore sizes.« less

Infrared spectroscopic study of super-critical water across the Widom line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, Tuhin; Dutta, Rajesh; Biswas, Rajib; Bagchi, Biman

2018-06-01

When density is varied at a constant temperature just above the gas-liquid critical temperature, the system is found to exhibit large scale density fluctuations which are often rationalized in terms of crossing of a Widom line. We use the discrete variable representation (DVR) scheme to construct the spectroscopic maps for transition frequencies and transition dipoles, and obtain the infrared spectrum of the Osbnd H stretch in the said temperature-density region of the phase diagram. The infrared lineshape shows a crossover from Lorentzian to Gaussian as we approach the Widom line. The width of the lineshape displays a pronounced maximum.

Response approach to the squeezed-limit bispectrum: application to the correlation of quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectrum

DOE PAGES

Chiang, Chi-Ting; Cieplak, Agnieszka M.; Schmidt, Fabian; ...

2017-06-12

We present the squeezed-limit bispectrum, which is generated by nonlinear gravitational evolution as well as inflationary physics, measures the correlation of three wavenumbers, in the configuration where one wavenumber is much smaller than the other two. Since the squeezed-limit bispectrum encodes the impact of a large-scale fluctuation on the small-scale power spectrum, it can be understood as how the small-scale power spectrum ``responds'' to the large-scale fluctuation. Viewed in this way, the squeezed-limit bispectrum can be calculated using the response approach even in the cases which do not submit to perturbative treatment. To illustrate this point, we apply this approachmore » to the cross-correlation between the large-scale quasar density field and small-scale Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. In particular, using separate universe simulations which implement changes in the large-scale density, velocity gradient, and primordial power spectrum amplitude, we measure how the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum responds to the local, long-wavelength quasar overdensity, and equivalently their squeezed-limit bispectrum. We perform a Fisher forecast for the ability of future experiments to constrain local non-Gaussianity using the bispectrum of quasars and the Lyman-α forest. Combining with quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectra to constrain the biases, we find that for DESI the expected 1-σ constraint is err[f NL]~60. Ability for DESI to measure f NL through this channel is limited primarily by the aliasing and instrumental noise of the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. Lastly, the combination of response approach and separate universe simulations provides a novel technique to explore the constraints from the squeezed-limit bispectrum between different observables.« less

Response approach to the squeezed-limit bispectrum: application to the correlation of quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectrum

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

Chiang, Chi-Ting; Cieplak, Agnieszka M.; Schmidt, Fabian

We present the squeezed-limit bispectrum, which is generated by nonlinear gravitational evolution as well as inflationary physics, measures the correlation of three wavenumbers, in the configuration where one wavenumber is much smaller than the other two. Since the squeezed-limit bispectrum encodes the impact of a large-scale fluctuation on the small-scale power spectrum, it can be understood as how the small-scale power spectrum ``responds'' to the large-scale fluctuation. Viewed in this way, the squeezed-limit bispectrum can be calculated using the response approach even in the cases which do not submit to perturbative treatment. To illustrate this point, we apply this approachmore » to the cross-correlation between the large-scale quasar density field and small-scale Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. In particular, using separate universe simulations which implement changes in the large-scale density, velocity gradient, and primordial power spectrum amplitude, we measure how the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum responds to the local, long-wavelength quasar overdensity, and equivalently their squeezed-limit bispectrum. We perform a Fisher forecast for the ability of future experiments to constrain local non-Gaussianity using the bispectrum of quasars and the Lyman-α forest. Combining with quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectra to constrain the biases, we find that for DESI the expected 1-σ constraint is err[f NL]~60. Ability for DESI to measure f NL through this channel is limited primarily by the aliasing and instrumental noise of the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. Lastly, the combination of response approach and separate universe simulations provides a novel technique to explore the constraints from the squeezed-limit bispectrum between different observables.« less

Response approach to the squeezed-limit bispectrum: application to the correlation of quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectrum

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

Chiang, Chi-Ting; Cieplak, Agnieszka M.; Slosar, Anže

The squeezed-limit bispectrum, which is generated by nonlinear gravitational evolution as well as inflationary physics, measures the correlation of three wavenumbers, in the configuration where one wavenumber is much smaller than the other two. Since the squeezed-limit bispectrum encodes the impact of a large-scale fluctuation on the small-scale power spectrum, it can be understood as how the small-scale power spectrum ''responds'' to the large-scale fluctuation. Viewed in this way, the squeezed-limit bispectrum can be calculated using the response approach even in the cases which do not submit to perturbative treatment. To illustrate this point, we apply this approach to themore » cross-correlation between the large-scale quasar density field and small-scale Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. In particular, using separate universe simulations which implement changes in the large-scale density, velocity gradient, and primordial power spectrum amplitude, we measure how the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum responds to the local, long-wavelength quasar overdensity, and equivalently their squeezed-limit bispectrum. We perform a Fisher forecast for the ability of future experiments to constrain local non-Gaussianity using the bispectrum of quasars and the Lyman-α forest. Combining with quasar and Lyman-α forest power spectra to constrain the biases, we find that for DESI the expected 1−σ constraint is err[ f {sub NL}]∼60. Ability for DESI to measure f {sub NL} through this channel is limited primarily by the aliasing and instrumental noise of the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum. The combination of response approach and separate universe simulations provides a novel technique to explore the constraints from the squeezed-limit bispectrum between different observables.« less

Electron Temperature Fluctuation Measurements and Transport Model Validation at Alcator C-Mod

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

White, Anne

The tokamak is a type of toroidal device used to confine a fusion plasma using large magnetic fields. Tokamaks and stellarators the leading devices for confining plasmas for fusion, and the capability to predict performance in these magnetically confined plasmas is essential for developing a sustainable fusion energy source. The magnetic configuration of tokamaks and stellarators does not exist in Nature, yet, the fundamental processes governing transport in fusion plasmas are universal – turbulence and instabilities, driven by inhomogeneity and asymmetry in the plasma, conspire to transport heat and particles across magnetic field lines and can play critical roles inmore » impurity confinement and generation of intrinsic rotation. Turbulence exists in all plasmas, and in neutral fluids as well. The study of turbulence is essential to developing a fundamental understanding of the nature of the fourth state of matter, plasmas. Experimental studies of turbulence in tokamaks date back to early scattering observations from the late 1970s. Since that time, great advances in turbulence diagnostics have been made, all of which have significantly enhanced our knowledge and understanding of turbulence in tokamaks. Through comparisons with advanced gyrokinetic theory and turbulent-transport models a great deal of evidence exists to implicate turbulent-driven transport as an important mechanism determining transport in all channels: heat, particle and momentum However, prediction and control of turbulent-driven transport remains elusive. Key to development of predictive transport models for magnetically confined fusion plasmas is validation of the nonlinear gyrokinetic transport model, which describes transport due to turbulence. Validation of gyrokinetic codes must include detailed and quantitative comparisons with measured turbulence characteristics, in addition to comparisons with inferred transport levels and equilibrium profiles. For this reason, advanced plasma diagnostics for studying core turbulence are needed in order to assess the accuracy of gyrokinetic models for turbulent-driven particle, heat and momentum transport. New core turbulence diagnostics at the world-class tokamaks Alcator C-Mod at MIT and ASDEX Upgrade at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics have been designed, developed, and operated over the course of this project. These new instruments are capable of measuring electron temperature fluctuations and the phase angle between density and temperature fluctuations locally and quantitatively. These new data sets from Alcator C-Mod and ASDEX Upgrade are being used to fill key gaps in our understanding of turbulent transport in tokamaks. In particular, this project has results in new results on the topics of the Transport Shortfall, the role of ETG turbulence in tokamak plasmas, profile stiffness, the LOC/SOC transition, and intrinsic rotation reversals. These data are used in a rigorous process of “Transport model validation”, and this group is a world-leader on using turbulence models to design new hardware and new experiments at tokamaks. A correlation electron cyclotron emission (CECE) diagnostic is an instrument used to measure micro-scale fluctuations (mm-scale, compared to the machine size of meters) of electron temperature in magnetically confined fusion plasmas, such as those in tokamaks and stellarators. These micro-scale fluctuations are associated with drift-wave type turbulence, which leads to enhanced cooling and mixing of particles in fusion plasmas and limits achieving the required temperatures and densities for self-sustained fusion reactions. A CECE system can also be coupled with a reflectometer system that measured micro-scale density fluctuations, and from these simultaneous measurements, one can extract the phase between the density (n) and temperature (T) fluctuations, creating an nT phase diagnostic. Measurements of the fluctuations and the phase angle between them are extremely useful for testing and validating predictive models for the transport of heat and particles in fusion plasmas due to turbulence. Once validated, the models are used to predict performance in ITER and other burning plasmas, such as the MIT ARC design. Most recently, data from the newly developed, so-called “CECE diagnostic” [Cima 1995, White 2008] and “nT phase angle measurements” [Haese 1999, White 2010] ]will be combined with data from density fluctuation diagnostics at ASDEX Upgrade to support a long-term program of physics research in turbulence and transport that will allow for more stringent testing and validation of gyrokinetic turbulent-transport codes. This work directly impacts the development of predictive transport models in the U.S. FES program, such as TGLF, developed by General Atomics, which are used to predict performance in ITER and other burning plasma devices as part of advancing the development of fusion energy sciences.« less

Observations of density fluctuations in an elongated Bose gas: ideal gas and quasicondensate regimes.

PubMed

Esteve, J; Trebbia, J-B; Schumm, T; Aspect, A; Westbrook, C I; Bouchoule, I

2006-04-07

We report in situ measurements of density fluctuations in a quasi-one-dimensional 87Rb Bose gas at thermal equilibrium in an elongated harmonic trap. We observe an excess of fluctuations compared to the shot-noise level expected for uncorrelated atoms. At low atomic density, the measured excess is in good agreement with the expected "bunching" for an ideal Bose gas. At high density, the measured fluctuations are strongly reduced compared to the ideal gas case. We attribute this reduction to repulsive interatomic interactions. The data are compared with a calculation for an interacting Bose gas in the quasicondensate regime.

2D microwave imaging reflectometer electronics.

PubMed

Spear, A G; Domier, C W; Hu, X; Muscatello, C M; Ren, X; Tobias, B J; Luhmann, N C

2014-11-01

A 2D microwave imaging reflectometer system has been developed to visualize electron density fluctuations on the DIII-D tokamak. Simultaneously illuminated at four probe frequencies, large aperture optics image reflections from four density-dependent cutoff surfaces in the plasma over an extended region of the DIII-D plasma. Localized density fluctuations in the vicinity of the plasma cutoff surfaces modulate the plasma reflections, yielding a 2D image of electron density fluctuations. Details are presented of the receiver down conversion electronics that generate the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) reflectometer signals from which 2D density fluctuation data are obtained. Also presented are details on the control system and backplane used to manage the electronics as well as an introduction to the computer based control program.

The occultation of Epsilon Geminorum by Mars - Analysis of McDonald data. [turbulent scintillation in light curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Africano, J.; De Vaucouleurs, G.; Evans, D. S.; Finkel, B. E.; Nather, R. E.; Palm, C.; Silverberg, E.; Wiant, J.; Hubbard, W. B.; Jokipii, J. R.

1977-01-01

An analysis of observations of the occultation of Epsilon Gem by Mars on April 8, 1976, is presented. The data were obtained by three neighboring telescopes at McDonald Observatory. Intensity fluctuations on time scales of the order of 100 ms were observed simultaneously at the three telescopes. As the observations compare well with predictions of turbulent scintillation theory, it is concluded that such fluctuations were probably largely the effect of stellar scintillations in the Martian atmosphere. The stellar diameter is included as a parameter in the theory but in a way which differs from previously published interpretations of occultations of extended sources by planetary atmospheres. Scintillations govern the experimental uncertainty in the deduction of the scale height of the high Martian atmosphere. A density scale height of 9.9 + or - 2.5 km is obtained at an altitude of 74 + or - 8 km above the mean surface. For CO 2 gas, this result corresponds to a temperature of 190 + or - 50 K.

Statistics of some atmospheric turbulence records relevant to aircraft response calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mark, W. D.; Fischer, R. W.

1981-01-01

Methods for characterizing atmospheric turbulence are described. The methods illustrated include maximum likelihood estimation of the integral scale and intensity of records obeying the von Karman transverse power spectral form, constrained least-squares estimation of the parameters of a parametric representation of autocorrelation functions, estimation of the power spectra density of the instantaneous variance of a record with temporally fluctuating variance, and estimation of the probability density functions of various turbulence components. Descriptions of the computer programs used in the computations are given, and a full listing of these programs is included.

Non-equilibrium scale invariance and shortcuts to adiabaticity in a one-dimensional Bose gas

PubMed Central

Rohringer, W.; Fischer, D.; Steiner, F.; Mazets, I. E.; Schmiedmayer, J.; Trupke, M.

2015-01-01

We present experimental evidence for scale invariant behaviour of the excitation spectrum in phase-fluctuating quasi-1d Bose gases after a rapid change of the external trapping potential. Probing density correlations in free expansion, we find that the temperature of an initial thermal state scales with the spatial extension of the cloud as predicted by a model based on adiabatic rescaling of initial eigenmodes with conserved quasiparticle occupation numbers. Based on this result, we demonstrate that shortcuts to adiabaticity for the rapid expansion or compression of the gas do not induce additional heating. PMID:25867640

A 3D model of polarized dust emission in the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Solaeche, Ginés; Karakci, Ata; Delabrouille, Jacques

2018-05-01

We present a three-dimensional model of polarized galactic dust emission that takes into account the variation of the dust density, spectral index and temperature along the line of sight, and contains randomly generated small-scale polarization fluctuations. The model is constrained to match observed dust emission on large scales, and match on smaller scales extrapolations of observed intensity and polarization power spectra. This model can be used to investigate the impact of plausible complexity of the polarized dust foreground emission on the analysis and interpretation of future cosmic microwave background polarization observations.

Statistics of velocity and temperature fluctuations in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yang; Huang, Yong-Xiang; Jiang, Nan; Liu, Yu-Lu; Lu, Zhi-Ming; Qiu, Xiang; Zhou, Quan

2017-08-01

We investigate fluctuations of the velocity and temperature fields in two-dimensional (2D) Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection by means of direct numerical simulations (DNS) over the Rayleigh number range 106≤Ra≤1010 and for a fixed Prandtl number Pr=5.3 and aspect ratio Γ =1 . Our results show that there exists a counter-gradient turbulent transport of energy from fluctuations to the mean flow both locally and globally, implying that the Reynolds stress is one of the driving mechanisms of the large-scale circulation in 2D turbulent RB convection besides the buoyancy of thermal plumes. We also find that the viscous boundary layer (BL) thicknesses near the horizontal conducting plates and near the vertical sidewalls, δu and δv, are almost the same for a given Ra, and they scale with the Rayleigh and Reynolds numbers as ˜Ra-0.26±0.03 and ˜Re-0.43±0.04 . Furthermore, the thermal BL thickness δθ defined based on the root-mean-square (rms) temperature profiles is found to agree with Prandtl-Blasius predictions from the scaling point of view. In addition, the probability density functions of turbulent energy ɛu' and thermal ɛθ' dissipation rates, calculated, respectively, within the viscous and thermal BLs, are found to be always non-log-normal and obey approximately a Bramwell-Holdsworth-Pinton distribution first introduced to characterize rare fluctuations in a confined turbulent flow and critical phenomena.

Characterization of edge turbulence in different states of divertor detachment using reflectometry in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaeva, V.; Guimarais, L.; Manz, P.; Carralero, D.; Manso, M. E.; Stroth, U.; Silva, C.; Conway, G. D.; Seliunin, E.; Vicente, J.; Brida, D.; Aguiam, D.; Santos, J.; Silva, A.; ASDEX Upgrade team; MST1 team

2018-05-01

Transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) depends on the state of divertor detachment. L-mode discharges were analyzed where the state of divertor detachment is varied through a density ramp-up. By means of reflectometry measurements at the low (LFS) and the high field side (HFS), midplane density fluctuations are studied for the first time in ASDEX Upgrade simultaneously at both sides of the tokamak. Radial density fluctuation profiles (δ {n}e/{n}e) increase with radius in both the HFS and the LFS. It is found that in the SOL density fluctuations at the LFS have about a factor of two larger amplitude than at the HFS in agreement with ballooned transport. Density fluctuations at the LFS show a modest variation with increasing background density resulting mainly from a rise of low frequency components. Experimental results are in good agreement with an enhanced convection of filaments at the LFS at the beginning of outer divertor detachment leading to a flatter SOL density profile. In this phase of the discharge, density fluctuations measured at the HFS far-SOL display a strong increase, which may be associated with the presence of faster filaments originated at the LFS.

N-point correlation functions in the CfA and SSRS redshift distribution of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaztanaga, Enrique

1992-01-01

Using counts in cells, we estimate the volume-average N-point galaxy correlation functions for N = 2, 3, and 4, in redshift samples of the CfA and SSRS catalogs. Volume-limited samples of different sizes are used to study the uncertainties at different scales, the shot noise, and the problem with the boundaries. The hierarchical constants S3 and S4 agree well in all samples in CfA and SSRS, with average S3 = 194 +/- 0.07 and S4 = 4.56 +/- 0.53. We compare these results with estimates obtained from angular catalogs and recent analysis over IRAS samples. The amplitudes SJ seem larger in real space than in redshift space, although the values from the angular analysis correspond to smaller scales, where we might expect larger nonperturbative effects. It is also found that S3 and S4 are smaller for IRAS than for optical galaxies. This, together with the fact that IRAS galaxies have smaller amplitude for the above correlation functions, indicates that the density fluctuations of IRAS galaxies cannot be simply proportional to the density fluctuations of optical galaxies, i.e., biasing has to be nonlinear between them.

Effect of Heating on Turbulent Density Fluctuations and Noise Generation From High Speed Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta; Seasholtz, Richard G.; Elam, Kristie A.; Mielke, Amy F.; Eck, Dennis G.

2004-01-01

Heated jets in a wide range of temperature ratios (TR), and acoustic Mach numbers (Ma) were investigated experimentally using far field microphones and a molecular Rayleigh scattering technique. The latter provided density fluctuations measurements. Two sets of operating conditions were considered: (1) TR was varied between 0.84 and 2.7 while Ma was fixed at 0.9; (2) Ma was varied between 0.6 and 1.48, while TR was fixed at 2.27. The implementation of the molecular Rayleigh scattering technique required dust removal and usage of a hydrogen combustor to avoid soot particles. Time averaged density measurements in the first set of data showed differences in the peripheral density shear layers between the unheated and heated jets. The nozzle exit shear layer showed increased turbulence level with increased plume temperature. Nevertheless, further downstream the density fluctuations spectra are found to be nearly identical for all Mach number and temperature ratio conditions. To determine noise sources a correlation study between plume density fluctuations and far field sound pressure fluctuations was conducted. For all jets the core region beyond the end of the potential flow was found to be the strongest noise source. Except for an isothermal jet, the correlations did not differ significantly with increasing temperature ratio. The isothermal jet created little density fluctuations. Although the far field noise from this jet did not show any exceptional trend, the flow-sound correlations were very low. This indicated that the density fluctuations only acted as a "tracer parameter" for the noise sources.

Mermin-Wagner fluctuations in 2D amorphous solids.

PubMed

Illing, Bernd; Fritschi, Sebastian; Kaiser, Herbert; Klix, Christian L; Maret, Georg; Keim, Peter

2017-02-21

In a recent commentary, J. M. Kosterlitz described how D. Thouless and he got motivated to investigate melting and suprafluidity in two dimensions [Kosterlitz JM (2016) J Phys Condens Matter 28:481001]. It was due to the lack of broken translational symmetry in two dimensions-doubting the existence of 2D crystals-and the first computer simulations foretelling 2D crystals (at least in tiny systems). The lack of broken symmetries proposed by D. Mermin and H. Wagner is caused by long wavelength density fluctuations. Those fluctuations do not only have structural impact, but additionally a dynamical one: They cause the Lindemann criterion to fail in 2D in the sense that the mean squared displacement of atoms is not limited. Comparing experimental data from 3D and 2D amorphous solids with 2D crystals, we disentangle Mermin-Wagner fluctuations from glassy structural relaxations. Furthermore, we demonstrate with computer simulations the logarithmic increase of displacements with system size: Periodicity is not a requirement for Mermin-Wagner fluctuations, which conserve the homogeneity of space on long scales.

Mermin-Wagner fluctuations in 2D amorphous solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Illing, Bernd; Fritschi, Sebastian; Kaiser, Herbert; Klix, Christian L.; Maret, Georg; Keim, Peter

2017-02-01

In a recent commentary, J. M. Kosterlitz described how D. Thouless and he got motivated to investigate melting and suprafluidity in two dimensions [Kosterlitz JM (2016) J Phys Condens Matter 28:481001]. It was due to the lack of broken translational symmetry in two dimensions—doubting the existence of 2D crystals—and the first computer simulations foretelling 2D crystals (at least in tiny systems). The lack of broken symmetries proposed by D. Mermin and H. Wagner is caused by long wavelength density fluctuations. Those fluctuations do not only have structural impact, but additionally a dynamical one: They cause the Lindemann criterion to fail in 2D in the sense that the mean squared displacement of atoms is not limited. Comparing experimental data from 3D and 2D amorphous solids with 2D crystals, we disentangle Mermin-Wagner fluctuations from glassy structural relaxations. Furthermore, we demonstrate with computer simulations the logarithmic increase of displacements with system size: Periodicity is not a requirement for Mermin-Wagner fluctuations, which conserve the homogeneity of space on long scales.

Real-time observation of fluctuations at the driven-dissipative Dicke phase transition

PubMed Central

Brennecke, Ferdinand; Mottl, Rafael; Baumann, Kristian; Landig, Renate; Donner, Tobias; Esslinger, Tilman

2013-01-01

We experimentally study the influence of dissipation on the driven Dicke quantum phase transition, realized by coupling external degrees of freedom of a Bose–Einstein condensate to the light field of a high-finesse optical cavity. The cavity provides a natural dissipation channel, which gives rise to vacuum-induced fluctuations and allows us to observe density fluctuations of the gas in real-time. We monitor the divergence of these fluctuations over two orders of magnitude while approaching the phase transition, and observe a behavior that deviates significantly from that expected for a closed system. A correlation analysis of the fluctuations reveals the diverging time scale of the atomic dynamics and allows us to extract a damping rate for the external degree of freedom of the atoms. We find good agreement with our theoretical model including dissipation via both the cavity field and the atomic field. Using a dissipation channel to nondestructively gain information about a quantum many-body system provides a unique path to study the physics of driven-dissipative systems. PMID:23818599

Mermin–Wagner fluctuations in 2D amorphous solids

PubMed Central

Illing, Bernd; Fritschi, Sebastian; Kaiser, Herbert; Klix, Christian L.; Maret, Georg; Keim, Peter

2017-01-01

In a recent commentary, J. M. Kosterlitz described how D. Thouless and he got motivated to investigate melting and suprafluidity in two dimensions [Kosterlitz JM (2016) J Phys Condens Matter 28:481001]. It was due to the lack of broken translational symmetry in two dimensions—doubting the existence of 2D crystals—and the first computer simulations foretelling 2D crystals (at least in tiny systems). The lack of broken symmetries proposed by D. Mermin and H. Wagner is caused by long wavelength density fluctuations. Those fluctuations do not only have structural impact, but additionally a dynamical one: They cause the Lindemann criterion to fail in 2D in the sense that the mean squared displacement of atoms is not limited. Comparing experimental data from 3D and 2D amorphous solids with 2D crystals, we disentangle Mermin–Wagner fluctuations from glassy structural relaxations. Furthermore, we demonstrate with computer simulations the logarithmic increase of displacements with system size: Periodicity is not a requirement for Mermin–Wagner fluctuations, which conserve the homogeneity of space on long scales. PMID:28137872

Influence of temperature fluctuations on infrared limb radiance: a new simulation code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rialland, Valérie; Chervet, Patrick

2006-08-01

Airborne infrared limb-viewing detectors may be used as surveillance sensors in order to detect dim military targets. These systems' performances are limited by the inhomogeneous background in the sensor field of view which impacts strongly on target detection probability. This background clutter, which results from small-scale fluctuations of temperature, density or pressure must therefore be analyzed and modeled. Few existing codes are able to model atmospheric structures and their impact on limb-observed radiance. SAMM-2 (SHARC-4 and MODTRAN4 Merged), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) background radiance code can be used to in order to predict the radiance fluctuation as a result of a normalized temperature fluctuation, as a function of the line-of-sight. Various realizations of cluttered backgrounds can then be computed, based on these transfer functions and on a stochastic temperature field. The existing SIG (SHARC Image Generator) code was designed to compute the cluttered background which would be observed from a space-based sensor. Unfortunately, this code was not able to compute accurate scenes as seen by an airborne sensor especially for lines-of-sight close to the horizon. Recently, we developed a new code called BRUTE3D and adapted to our configuration. This approach is based on a method originally developed in the SIG model. This BRUTE3D code makes use of a three-dimensional grid of temperature fluctuations and of the SAMM-2 transfer functions to synthesize an image of radiance fluctuations according to sensor characteristics. This paper details the working principles of the code and presents some output results. The effects of the small-scale temperature fluctuations on infrared limb radiance as seen by an airborne sensor are highlighted.

A Cutoff in the X-Ray Fluctuation Power Density Spectrum of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 3516

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edelson, Rick; Nandra, Kirpal

1999-01-01

During 1997 March-July, RXTE observed the bright, strongly variable Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516 once every approx. 12.8 hr for 4.5 months and nearly continuously (with interruptions due to SAA passage but not Earth occultation) for a 4.2 day period in the middle. These were followed by ongoing monitoring once every approx. 4.3 days. These data are used to construct the first well-determined X-ray fluctuation power density spectrum (PDS) of an active galaxy to span more than 4 decades of usable temporal frequency. The PDS shows no signs of any strict or quasi-periodicity, but does show a progressive flattening of the power-low slope from -1.74 at short time scales to -0.73 at longer time scales. This is the clearest observation to date of the long-predicted cutoff in the PDS. The characteristic variability time scale corresponding to this cutoff temporal frequency is approx. 1 month. Although it is unclear how this time scale may be interpreted in terms of a physical size or process, there are several promising candidate models. The PDS appears similar to those seen for Galactic black hole candidates such as Cyg X-1, suggesting that these two classes of objects with very different luminosities and putative black hole masses (differing by more than a factor of 10(exp 5)) may have similar X-ray generation processes and structures.

Investigation of Density Fluctuations in Supersonic Free Jets and Correlation with Generated Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Seasholtz, R. G.

2000-01-01

The air density fluctuations in the plumes of fully-expanded, unheated free jets were investigated experimentally using a Rayleigh scattering based technique. The point measuring technique used a continuous wave laser, fiber-optic transmission and photon counting electronics. The radial and centerline profiles of time-averaged density and root-mean-square density fluctuation provided a comparative description of jet growth. To measure density fluctuation spectra a two-Photomultiplier tube technique was used. Crosscorrelation between the two PMT signals significantly reduced electronic shot noise contribution. Turbulent density fluctuations occurring up to a Strouhal number (Sr) of 2.5 were resolved. A remarkable feature of density spectra, obtained from the same locations of jets in 0.5< M<1.5 range, is a constant Strouhal frequency for peak fluctuations. A detailed survey at Mach numbers M = 0.95, 1.4 and 1.8 showed that, in general, distribution of various Strouhal frequency fluctuations remained similar for the three jets. In spite of the similarity in the flow fluctuation the noise characteristics were found to be significantly different. Spark schlieren photographs and near field microphone measurements confirmed that the eddy Mach wave radiation was present in Mach 1.8 jet, and was absent in Mach 0.95 jet. To measure correlation between the flow and the far field sound pressure fluctuations, a microphone was kept at a distance of 50 diameters, 30 deg. to the flow direction, and the laser probe volume was moved from point to point in the flow. The density fluctuations in the peripheral shear layer of Mach 1.8 jet showed significant correlation up to the measurement limit of Sr = 2.5, while for Mach 0.95 jet no correlation was measured. Along the centerline measurable correlation was found from the end of the potential core and at the low frequency range (Sr less than 0.5). Usually the normalized correlation values increased with an increase of the jet Mach number. The experimental data point out eddy Mach waves as a strong source of sound generation in supersonic jets and fail to locate the primary noise mechanism in subsonic jets.

Quasiperiodic oscillations of the sub-mHz band in near-sun plasma according to the coherent radio occultation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efimov, A. I.; Lukanina, L. A.; Chashei, I. V.; Kolomiets, S. F.; Bird, M. K.; Pätzold, M.

2018-01-01

In 2013 and 2015, investigations of the internal solar wind were carried out using the method of two-frequency radio sounding by signals from the Mars Express European spacecraft. The values of the S- and X-bands' frequency and the differential frequency were registered with a sampling rate of 1s at the American and European networks of ground-based tracking stations. The spatial distribution of the frequency fluctuation's level has been studied. It has been shown that the intensity of frequency fluctuation considerably decreases at high heliolatitudes. In some radio sounding sessions, quasiperiodic oscillations of sub-mHz band have been observed in the temporal spectra of frequency fluctuations; they are supposed to be associated with the density inhomogeneities, the sizes of which are close to the turbulence outer scale.

Reducing and measuring fluctuations in the MST RFP: Enhancement of energy confinement and measurement of the MHD dynamo

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

Den Hartog, D.J.; Almagri, A.F.; Cekic, M.

1996-09-01

A three- to five-fold enhancement of the energy confinement time in a reversed-field pinch (RFP) has been achieved in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) by reducing the amplitude of tearing mode fluctuations responsible for anomalous transport in the core of the RFP. By applying a transient poloidal inductive electric field to flatten the current density profile, the fluctuation amplitude {tilde b}/B decreases from 1.5% to 0.8%, the electron temperature T{sub e0} increases from 250 eV to 370 eV, the ohmic input power decreases from 4.5 MW to approximately 1.5 MW, the poloidal beta {beta}{sub 0} increases from 6% to 9%,more » and the energy confinement time {tau}{sub E} increases from 1 ms to {approximately}5 ms in I{sub {phi}} = 340 kA plasmas with density {tilde n} = 1 {times} 10{sup 19} m{sup -3}. Current profile control methods are being developed for the RFP in a program to eliminate transport associated with these current-gradient-driven fluctuations. In addition to controlling the amplitude of the tearing modes, we are vigorously pursuing an understanding of the physics of these fluctuations. In particular, plasma flow, both equilibrium and fluctuating, plays a critical role in a diversity of physical phenomena in MST. The key results: 1) Edge probe measurements show that the MHD dynamo is active in low collisionality plasmas, while at high collisionality a new mechanism, the `electron diamagnetic dynamo,` is observed. 2) Core spectroscopic measurements show that the toroidal velocity fluctuations of the plasma are coherent with the large-scale magnetic tearing modes; the scalar product of these two fluctuating quantities is similar to that expected for the MHD dynamo electromotive force. 3) Toroidal plasma flow in MST exhibits large radial shear and can be actively controlled, including unlocking locked discharges, by modifying E{sub r} with a robust biased probe. 24 refs.« less

Graviton creation by small scale factor oscillations in an expanding universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiappacasse, Enrico D.; Ford, L. H.

2016-10-01

We treat quantum creation of gravitons by small scale factor oscillations around the average of an expanding universe. Such oscillations can arise in standard general relativity due to oscillations of a homogeneous, minimally coupled scalar field. They can also arise in modified gravity theories with a term proportional to the square of the Ricci scalar in the gravitational action. The graviton wave equation is different in the two cases, leading to somewhat different creation rates. Both cases are treated using a perturbative method due to Birrell and Davies, involving an expansion in a conformal coupling parameter to calculate the number density and energy density of the created gravitons. Cosmological constraints on the present graviton energy density and the dimensionless amplitude of the oscillations are discussed. We also discuss decoherence of quantum systems produced by the spacetime geometry fluctuations due to such a graviton bath.

Excitation of turbulence by density waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tichen, C. M.

1985-01-01

A nonlinear system describes the microdynamical state of turbulence that is excited by density waves. It consists of an equation of propagation and a master equation. A group-scaling generates the scaled equations of many interacting groups of distribution functions. The two leading groups govern the transport processes of evolution and eddy diffusivity. The remaining sub-groups represent the relaxation for the approach of diffusivity to equilibrium. In strong turbulence, the sub-groups disperse themselves and the ensemble acts like a medium that offers an effective damping to close the hierarchy. The kinetic equation of turbulence is derived. It calculates the eddy viscosity and identifies the effective damping of the assumed medium self-consistently. It formulates the coupling mechanism for the intensification of the turbulent energy at the expense of the wave energy, and the transfer mechanism for the cascade. The spectra of velocity and density fluctuations find the power law k sup-2 and k sup-4, respectively.

Poynting vector, energy densities, and pressure of collective transverse electromagnetic fluctuations in unmagnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlickeiser, R.

2012-01-01

A systematic calculation of the electromagnetic properties (Poynting vector, electromagnetic energy, and pressure) of the collective transverse fluctuations in unmagnetized plasmas with velocity-anisotropic plasma particle distributions functions is presented. Time-averaged electromagnetic properties for monochromatic weakly damped wave-like fluctuations and space-averaged electromagnetic properties for monochromatic weakly propagating and aperiodic fluctuations are calculated. For aperiodic fluctuations, the Poynting vector as well as the sum of the space-averaged electric and magnetic field energy densities vanish. However, aperiodic fluctuations possess a positive pressure given by its magnetic energy density. This finite pressure density pa of aperiodic fluctuations has important consequences for the dynamics of cosmic unmagnetized plasmas such as the intergalactic medium after reionization. Adopting the standard cosmological evolution model, we show that this additional pressure changes the expansion law of the universe leading to further deceleration. Negative vacuum pressure counterbalances this deceleration to an accelerating universe provided that the negative vacuum pressure is greater than 1.5pa, which we estimate to be of the order 2.1 . 10-16 dyn cm-2.

Density dependence in demography and dispersal generates fluctuating invasion speeds

PubMed Central

Li, Bingtuan; Miller, Tom E. X.

2017-01-01

Density dependence plays an important role in population regulation and is known to generate temporal fluctuations in population density. However, the ways in which density dependence affects spatial population processes, such as species invasions, are less understood. Although classical ecological theory suggests that invasions should advance at a constant speed, empirical work is illuminating the highly variable nature of biological invasions, which often exhibit nonconstant spreading speeds, even in simple, controlled settings. Here, we explore endogenous density dependence as a mechanism for inducing variability in biological invasions with a set of population models that incorporate density dependence in demographic and dispersal parameters. We show that density dependence in demography at low population densities—i.e., an Allee effect—combined with spatiotemporal variability in population density behind the invasion front can produce fluctuations in spreading speed. The density fluctuations behind the front can arise from either overcompensatory population growth or density-dependent dispersal, both of which are common in nature. Our results show that simple rules can generate complex spread dynamics and highlight a source of variability in biological invasions that may aid in ecological forecasting. PMID:28442569

Galaxy clusters and cold dark matter - A low-density unbiased universe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahcall, Neta A.; Cen, Renyue

1992-01-01

Large-scale simulations of a universe dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) are tested against two fundamental properties of clusters of galaxies: the cluster mass function and the cluster correlation function. We find that standard biased CDM models are inconsistent with these observations for any bias parameter b. A low-density, low-bias CDM-type model, with or without a cosmological constant, appears to be consistent with both the cluster mass function and the cluster correlations. The low-density model agrees well with the observed correlation function of the Abell, Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM), and Edinburgh-Durham cluster catalogs. The model is in excellent agreement with the observed dependence of the correlation strength on cluster mean separation, reproducing the measured universal dimensionless cluster correlation. The low-density model is also consistent with other large-scale structure observations, including the APM angular galaxy-correlations, and for lambda = 1-Omega with the COBE results of the microwave background radiation fluctuations.

The correlation function for density perturbations in an expanding universe. IV - The evolution of the correlation function. [galaxy distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcclelland, J.; Silk, J.

1979-01-01

The evolution of the two-point correlation function for the large-scale distribution of galaxies in an expanding universe is studied on the assumption that the perturbation densities lie in a Gaussian distribution centered on any given mass scale. The perturbations are evolved according to the Friedmann equation, and the correlation function for the resulting distribution of perturbations at the present epoch is calculated. It is found that: (1) the computed correlation function gives a satisfactory fit to the observed function in cosmological models with a density parameter (Omega) of approximately unity, provided that a certain free parameter is suitably adjusted; (2) the power-law slope in the nonlinear regime reflects the initial fluctuation spectrum, provided that the density profile of individual perturbations declines more rapidly than the -2.4 power of distance; and (3) both positive and negative contributions to the correlation function are predicted for cosmological models with Omega less than unity.

An ab initio CASSCF study of zero field splitting fluctuations in the octet ground state of aqueous [Gd(iii)(HPDO3A)(H2O)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Shehryar; Pollet, Rodolphe; Vuilleumier, Rodolphe; Kowalewski, Jozef; Odelius, Michael

2017-12-01

In this work, we present ab initio calculations of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) of a gadolinium complex [Gd(iii)(HPDO3A)(H2O)] sampled from an ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation. We perform both post-Hartree-Fock (complete active space self-consistent field—CASSCF) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the ZFS and compare and contrast the methods with experimental data. Two different density functional approximations (TPSS and LC-BLYP) were investigated. The magnitude of the ZFS from the CASSCF calculations is in good agreement with experiment, whereas the DFT results in varying degrees overestimate the magnitude of the ZFS for both functionals and exhibit a strong functional dependence. It was found in the sampling over the AIMD trajectory that the fluctuations in the transient ZFS tensor derived from DFT are not correlated with those of CASSCF nor does the magnitude of the ZFS from CASSCF and DFT correlate. From the fluctuations in the ZFS tensor, we extract a correlation time of the transient ZFS which is on the sub-picosecond time scale, showing a faster decay than experimental estimates.

Linear response to long wavelength fluctuations using curvature simulations

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

Baldauf, Tobias; Zaldarriaga, Matias; Seljak, Uroš

2016-09-01

We study the local response to long wavelength fluctuations in cosmological N -body simulations, focusing on the matter and halo power spectra, halo abundance and non-linear transformations of the density field. The long wavelength mode is implemented using an effective curved cosmology and a mapping of time and distances. The method provides an alternative, more direct, way to measure the isotropic halo biases. Limiting ourselves to the linear case, we find generally good agreement between the biases obtained from the curvature method and the traditional power spectrum method at the level of a few percent. We also study the responsemore » of halo counts to changes in the variance of the field and find that the slope of the relation between the responses to density and variance differs from the naïve derivation assuming a universal mass function by approximately 8–20%. This has implications for measurements of the amplitude of local non-Gaussianity using scale dependent bias. We also analyze the halo power spectrum and halo-dark matter cross-spectrum response to long wavelength fluctuations and derive second order halo bias from it, as well as the super-sample variance contribution to the galaxy power spectrum covariance matrix.« less

Edge ohmic heating and improved confinement on HT-6M Tokamak

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

Gao, X.

1995-04-01

An improved confinement has been observed on HT-6M tokamak after application of Edge Ohmic Heating (EOH) which makes plasma current rapidly ramp up from an initial steady state (I{sub p}=55 kA) within a small time scale (0.4 ms) to a second steady state (I{sub p}=60 kA) with a ramp rate of 12 MA/sec. The improved confinement is characterized by (a) increased average density n{sub e}; (b) reduced H{sub alpha} radiation; (c) reduced density fluctuations both in the center and at the edge; (d) a steeper n{sub e} and T{sub e} profile at the edge; (e) the changed profiles of plasmamore » parameters n{sub e}(r), q(r) and j(r); (f) transferred the oscillation modes of the soft-X ray signals from Mirnov fluctuation (12 kHz) to sawtooth oscillation (1.7 kHz). The changes of edge fluctuation, radial electric field and bremsstrahlung during EOH were measured and discussed in details. The measured values of {beta}{sub p}+l{sub i}/2 and soft-X ray sawtooth inversion radius implied the anomalous current penetration. 10 refs., 2 figs.« less

The role of statistical fluctuations on the stability of shockwaves through gases with activated inelastic collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirmas, Nick; Radulescu, Matei

2016-11-01

The present study addresses the stability of piston driven shock waves through a system of hard particles subject to activated inelastic collisions. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations have previously revealed an unstable structure for such a system in the form of high density non-uniformities and convective rolls within the shock structure. The work has now been extended to the continuum level by considering the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations for granular gases with a modified cooling rate to include an impact threshold necessary for inelastic collisions. We find that the pattern formations produced in MD can be reproduced at the continuum level by continually perturbing the incoming density field. By varying the perturbation amplitude and wavelength, we find that fluctuations consistent with the statistical fluctuations seen in MD yield similar instabilities to those previously observed. While the inviscid model predicts a highly chaotic structure from these perturbations, the inclusion of viscosity and heat conductivity yields equivalent wavelengths of pattern formations to those seen in MD, which is equal to the relaxation length scale of the dissipative shock structure. The authors acknowledged funding through the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (NSERC) and Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

Comparative Multifractal Analysis of Dynamic Infrared Thermograms and X-Ray Mammograms Enlightens Changes in the Environment of Malignant Tumors.

PubMed

Gerasimova-Chechkina, Evgeniya; Toner, Brian; Marin, Zach; Audit, Benjamin; Roux, Stephane G; Argoul, Francoise; Khalil, Andre; Gileva, Olga; Naimark, Oleg; Arneodo, Alain

2016-01-01

There is growing evidence that the microenvironment surrounding a tumor plays a special role in cancer development and cancer therapeutic resistance. Tumors arise from the dysregulation and alteration of both the malignant cells and their environment. By providing tumor-repressing signals, the microenvironment can impose and sustain normal tissue architecture. Once tissue homeostasis is lost, the altered microenvironment can create a niche favoring the tumorigenic transformation process. A major challenge in early breast cancer diagnosis is thus to show that these physiological and architectural alterations can be detected with currently used screening techniques. In a recent study, we used a 1D wavelet-based multi-scale method to analyze breast skin temperature temporal fluctuations collected with an IR thermography camera in patients with breast cancer. This study reveals that the multifractal complexity of temperature fluctuations superimposed on cardiogenic and vasomotor perfusion oscillations observed in healthy breasts is lost in malignant tumor foci in cancerous breasts. Here we use a 2D wavelet-based multifractal method to analyze the spatial fluctuations of breast density in the X-ray mammograms of the same panel of patients. As compared to the long-range correlations and anti-correlations in roughness fluctuations, respectively observed in dense and fatty breast areas, some significant change in the nature of breast density fluctuations with some clear loss of correlations is detected in the neighborhood of malignant tumors. This attests to some architectural disorganization that may deeply affect heat transfer and related thermomechanics in breast tissues, corroborating the change to homogeneous monofractal temperature fluctuations recorded in cancerous breasts with the IR camera. These results open new perspectives in computer-aided methods to assist in early breast cancer diagnosis.

Comparative Multifractal Analysis of Dynamic Infrared Thermograms and X-Ray Mammograms Enlightens Changes in the Environment of Malignant Tumors

PubMed Central

Gerasimova-Chechkina, Evgeniya; Toner, Brian; Marin, Zach; Audit, Benjamin; Roux, Stephane G.; Argoul, Francoise; Khalil, Andre; Gileva, Olga; Naimark, Oleg; Arneodo, Alain

2016-01-01

There is growing evidence that the microenvironment surrounding a tumor plays a special role in cancer development and cancer therapeutic resistance. Tumors arise from the dysregulation and alteration of both the malignant cells and their environment. By providing tumor-repressing signals, the microenvironment can impose and sustain normal tissue architecture. Once tissue homeostasis is lost, the altered microenvironment can create a niche favoring the tumorigenic transformation process. A major challenge in early breast cancer diagnosis is thus to show that these physiological and architectural alterations can be detected with currently used screening techniques. In a recent study, we used a 1D wavelet-based multi-scale method to analyze breast skin temperature temporal fluctuations collected with an IR thermography camera in patients with breast cancer. This study reveals that the multifractal complexity of temperature fluctuations superimposed on cardiogenic and vasomotor perfusion oscillations observed in healthy breasts is lost in malignant tumor foci in cancerous breasts. Here we use a 2D wavelet-based multifractal method to analyze the spatial fluctuations of breast density in the X-ray mammograms of the same panel of patients. As compared to the long-range correlations and anti-correlations in roughness fluctuations, respectively observed in dense and fatty breast areas, some significant change in the nature of breast density fluctuations with some clear loss of correlations is detected in the neighborhood of malignant tumors. This attests to some architectural disorganization that may deeply affect heat transfer and related thermomechanics in breast tissues, corroborating the change to homogeneous monofractal temperature fluctuations recorded in cancerous breasts with the IR camera. These results open new perspectives in computer-aided methods to assist in early breast cancer diagnosis. PMID:27555823

Chromatin hydrodynamics.

PubMed

Bruinsma, Robijn; Grosberg, Alexander Y; Rabin, Yitzhak; Zidovska, Alexandra

2014-05-06

Following recent observations of large scale correlated motion of chromatin inside the nuclei of live differentiated cells, we present a hydrodynamic theory-the two-fluid model-in which the content of a nucleus is described as a chromatin solution with the nucleoplasm playing the role of the solvent and the chromatin fiber that of a solute. This system is subject to both passive thermal fluctuations and active scalar and vector events that are associated with free energy consumption, such as ATP hydrolysis. Scalar events drive the longitudinal viscoelastic modes (where the chromatin fiber moves relative to the solvent) while vector events generate the transverse modes (where the chromatin fiber moves together with the solvent). Using linear response methods, we derive explicit expressions for the response functions that connect the chromatin density and velocity correlation functions to the corresponding correlation functions of the active sources and the complex viscoelastic moduli of the chromatin solution. We then derive general expressions for the flow spectral density of the chromatin velocity field. We use the theory to analyze experimental results recently obtained by one of the present authors and her co-workers. We find that the time dependence of the experimental data for both native and ATP-depleted chromatin can be well-fitted using a simple model-the Maxwell fluid-for the complex modulus, although there is some discrepancy in terms of the wavevector dependence. Thermal fluctuations of ATP-depleted cells are predominantly longitudinal. ATP-active cells exhibit intense transverse long wavelength velocity fluctuations driven by force dipoles. Fluctuations with wavenumbers larger than a few inverse microns are dominated by concentration fluctuations with the same spectrum as thermal fluctuations but with increased intensity. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chromatin Hydrodynamics

PubMed Central

Bruinsma, Robijn; Grosberg, Alexander Y.; Rabin, Yitzhak; Zidovska, Alexandra

2014-01-01

Following recent observations of large scale correlated motion of chromatin inside the nuclei of live differentiated cells, we present a hydrodynamic theory—the two-fluid model—in which the content of a nucleus is described as a chromatin solution with the nucleoplasm playing the role of the solvent and the chromatin fiber that of a solute. This system is subject to both passive thermal fluctuations and active scalar and vector events that are associated with free energy consumption, such as ATP hydrolysis. Scalar events drive the longitudinal viscoelastic modes (where the chromatin fiber moves relative to the solvent) while vector events generate the transverse modes (where the chromatin fiber moves together with the solvent). Using linear response methods, we derive explicit expressions for the response functions that connect the chromatin density and velocity correlation functions to the corresponding correlation functions of the active sources and the complex viscoelastic moduli of the chromatin solution. We then derive general expressions for the flow spectral density of the chromatin velocity field. We use the theory to analyze experimental results recently obtained by one of the present authors and her co-workers. We find that the time dependence of the experimental data for both native and ATP-depleted chromatin can be well-fitted using a simple model—the Maxwell fluid—for the complex modulus, although there is some discrepancy in terms of the wavevector dependence. Thermal fluctuations of ATP-depleted cells are predominantly longitudinal. ATP-active cells exhibit intense transverse long wavelength velocity fluctuations driven by force dipoles. Fluctuations with wavenumbers larger than a few inverse microns are dominated by concentration fluctuations with the same spectrum as thermal fluctuations but with increased intensity. PMID:24806919

Spatial Fluctuations of the Intergalactic Temperature-Density Relation After Hydrogen Reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keating, Laura C.; Puchwein, Ewald; Haehnelt, Martin G.

2018-04-01

The thermal state of the post-reionization IGM is sensitive to the timing of reionization and the nature of the ionizing sources. We have modelled here the thermal state of the IGM in cosmological radiative transfer simulations of a realistic, extended, spatially inhomogeneous hydrogen reionization process, carefully calibrated with Lyα forest data. We compare these with cosmological simulations run using a spatially homogeneous ionizing background. The simulations with a realistic growth of ionized regions and a realistic spread in reionization redshifts show, as expected, significant spatial fluctuations in the temperature-density relation (TDR) of the post-reionization IGM. The most recently ionized regions are hottest and exhibit a flatter TDR. In simulations consistent with the average TDR inferred from Lyα forest data, these spatial fluctuations have a moderate but noticeable effect on the statistical properties of the Lyα opacity of the IGM at z ˜ 4 - 6. This should be taken into account in accurate measurements of the thermal properties of the IGM and the free-streaming of dark matter from Lyα forest data in this redshift range. The spatial variations of the TDR predicted by our simulations are, however, smaller by about a factor two than would be necessary to explain the observed large spatial opacity fluctuations on large (≥ 50 h-1 comoving Mpc) scales at z ≳ 5.5.

Spatial fluctuations of the intergalactic temperature-density relation after hydrogen reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keating, Laura C.; Puchwein, Ewald; Haehnelt, Martin G.

2018-07-01

The thermal state of the post-reionization IGM is sensitive to the timing of reionization and the nature of the ionizing sources. We have modelled here the thermal state of the IGM in cosmological radiative transfer simulations of a realistic, extended, spatially inhomogeneous hydrogen reionization process, carefully calibrated with Ly α forest data. We compare these with cosmological simulations run using a spatially homogeneous ionizing background. The simulations with a realistic growth of ionized regions and a realistic spread in reionization redshifts show, as expected, significant spatial fluctuations in the temperature-density relation (TDR) of the post-reionization IGM. The most recently ionized regions are hottest and exhibit a flatter TDR. In simulations consistent with the average TDR inferred from Ly α forest data, these spatial fluctuations have a moderate but noticeable effect on the statistical properties of the Ly α opacity of the IGM at z ˜ 4-6. This should be taken into account in accurate measurements of the thermal properties of the IGM and the free-streaming of dark matter from Ly α forest data in this redshift range. The spatial variations of the TDR predicted by our simulations are, however, smaller by about a factor of 2 than would be necessary to explain the observed large spatial opacity fluctuations on large (≥50 h-1 comoving Mpc) scales atz ≳ 5.5.

Characterisation of SOL density fluctuations in front of the LHCD PAM launcher in Tore

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

Oosako, T.; Ekedahl, A.; Goniche, M.

2011-12-23

The density fluctuations, modified by Lower Hybrid Wave (LHW), is analyzed in Tore Supra with reference to the injected LHW power, density and the gap between LCFS (Last Closed Flux Surface) and the PAM (passive-active-multijunction) launcher. The density fluctuations are measured with RF probes installed at the PAM launcher front. A density scan at nominal toroidal field (3.8 T) shows that the fluctuations rate stays nearly constant ({approx}50%) for <3.5x10{sup 19}m{sup -3} and with LHW power up to 2MW. However, when increasing the density above <{approx}4.2x10{sup 19}m{sup -3}, using strong gas puffing, the fluctuation rate increases to >70%more » and is characterized by strong negative spikes, with typical frequency >100kHz. These are most likely originating from acceleration of electrons in the LHW near field due to parasitic absorption, as evidenced on the IR images, showing hot spots on the side limiters.« less

Importance of Local and Regional Scales in Shaping Mycobacterial Abundance in Freshwater Lakes.

PubMed

Roguet, Adélaïde; Therial, Claire; Catherine, Arnaud; Bressy, Adèle; Varrault, Gilles; Bouhdamane, Lila; Tran, Viet; Lemaire, Bruno J; Vincon-Leite, Brigitte; Saad, Mohamed; Moulin, Laurent; Lucas, Françoise S

2018-05-01

Biogeographical studies considering the entire bacterial community may underestimate mechanisms of bacterial assemblages at lower taxonomic levels. In this context, the study aimed to identify factors affecting the spatial and temporal dynamic of the Mycobacterium, a genus widespread in aquatic ecosystems. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) density variations were quantified in the water column of freshwater lakes at the regional scale (annual monitoring of 49 lakes in the Paris area) and at the local scale (2-year monthly monitoring in Créteil Lake) by real-time quantitative PCR targeting the atpE gene. At the regional scale, mycobacteria densities in water samples ranged from 6.7 × 10 3 to 1.9 × 10 8 genome units per liter. Density variations were primarily explained by water pH, labile iron, and dispersal processes through the connection of the lakes to a river. In Créteil Lake, no spatial variation of mycobacterial densities was noticed over the 2-year monthly survey, except after large rainfall events. Indeed, storm sewer effluents locally and temporarily increased NTM densities in the water column. The temporal dynamic of the NTM densities in Créteil Lake was associated with suspended solid concentrations. No clear seasonal variation was noticed despite a shift in NTM densities observed over the 2012-2013 winter. Temporal NTM densities fluctuations were well predicted by the neutral community model, suggesting a random balance between loss and gain of mycobacterial taxa within Créteil Lake. This study highlights the importance of considering multiple spatial scales for understanding the spatio-temporal dynamic of bacterial populations in natural environments.

Observations of toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes in a reversed field pinch plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regnoli, G.; Bergsâker, H.; Tennfors, E.; Zonca, F.; Martines, E.; Serianni, G.; Spolaore, M.; Vianello, N.; Cecconello, M.; Antoni, V.; Cavazzana, R.; Malmberg, J.-A.

2005-04-01

High frequency peaks in the spectra of magnetic field signals have been detected at the edge of Extrap-T2R [P. R. Brunsell, H. Bergsåker, M. Cecconello, J. R. Drake, R. M. Gravestijn, A. Hedqvist, and J.-A. Malmberg, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion, 43, 1457 (2001)]. The measured fluctuation is found to be mainly polarized along the toroidal direction, with high toroidal periodicity n and Alfvénic scaling (f∝B/√mini ). Calculations for a reversed field pinch plasma predict the existence of an edge resonant, high frequency, high-n number toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmode with the observed frequency scaling. In addition, gas puffing experiments show that edge density fluctuations are responsible for the rapid changes of mode frequency. Finally a coupling with the electron drift turbulence is proposed as drive mechanism for the eigenmode.

New insights into sub-ion scale turbulence in Earth's magnetosheath using MMS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breuillard, Hugo; Andriopoulou, Maria; Graham, Daniel; Le Contel, Olivier; Huang, Shiyong; Hadid, Lina; Sahraoui, Fouad; Alexandrova, Olga; Berthomier, Matthieu; Retino, Alessandro; Nakamura, Rumi; Baumjohann, Wolfgang

2017-04-01

On January 22nd 2016, MMS was located in Earth's magnetosheath and detected intense lion roars showing a secondary bandwidth. Detailed polarization analysis, using burst data from SCM and EDP instruments, and numerical simulation, using WHAMP, are performed in this study. They show that these mainly perpendicular fluctuations are highly nonlinear whistler wave packets, and that a high sampling rate is needed to pick up the peaks of the signal. As a result, their amplitude might have been underestimated in previous missions such as Cluster, which can have a significant impact on electron dynamics. Using FPI burst data, we show that electron velocity distribution functions exhibit a gyrophase-bunched signature in the presence of these lion roars. The analysis of magnetic and density fluctuations, inferred from spacecraft potential, also show the highly-compressible nature of turbulence up to electron scales.

On creating macroscopically identical granular systems with different numbers of particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Meer, Devaraj; Rivas, Nicolas

2015-11-01

One of the fundamental differences between granular and molecular hydrodynamics is the enormous difference in the total number of constituents. The small number of particles implies that the role of fluctuations in granular dynamics is of paramount importance. To obtain more insight in these fluctuations, we investigate to what extent it is possible to create identical granular hydrodynamic states with different number of particles. A definition is given of macroscopically equivalent systems, and the dependency of the conservation equations on the particle size is studied. We show that, in certain cases, and by appropriately scaling the microscopic variables, we are able to compare systems with significantly different number of particles that present the same macroscopic phenomenology. We apply these scalings in simulations of a vertically vibrated system, namely the density inverted granular Leidenfrost state and its transition to a buoyancy-driven convective state.

Exploring the Large Scale Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation at 170 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganga, Kenneth Matthew

1994-01-01

In this thesis, data from the Far Infra-Red Survey (FIRS), a balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the large scale anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation, are analyzed. The FIRS operates in four frequency bands at 170, 280, 480, and 670 GHz, using an approximately Gaussian beam with a 3.8 deg full-width-at-half-maximum. A cross-correlation with the COBE/DMR first-year maps yields significant results, confirming the DMR detection of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation. Analysis of the FIRS data alone sets bounds on the amplitude of anisotropy under the assumption that the fluctuations are described by a Harrison-Peebles-Zel'dovich spectrum and further analysis sets limits on the index of the primordial density fluctuations for an Einstein-DeSitter universe. Galactic dust emission is discussed and limits are set on the magnitude of possible systematic errors in the measurement.

Critiquing ';pore connectivity' as basis for in situ flow in geothermal systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenedi, C. L.; Leary, P.; Malin, P.

2013-12-01

Geothermal system in situ flow systematics derived from detailed examination of grain-scale structures, fabrics, mineral alteration, and pore connectivity may be extremely misleading if/when extrapolated to reservoir-scale flow structure. In oil/gas field clastic reservoir operations, it is standard to assume that small scale studies of flow fabric - notably the Kozeny-Carman and Archie's Law treatments at the grain-scale and well-log/well-bore sampling of formations/reservoirs at the cm-m scale - are adequate to define the reservoir-scale flow properties. In the case of clastic reservoirs, however, a wide range of reservoir-scale data wholly discredits this extrapolation: Well-log data show that grain-scale fracture density fluctuation power scales inversely with spatial frequency k, S(k) ~ 1/k^β, 1.0 < β < 1.2, 1cycle/km < k < 1cycle/cm; the scaling is a ';universal' feature of well-logs (neutron porosity, sonic velocity, chemical abundance, mass density, resistivity, in many forms of clastic rock and instances of shale bodies, for both horizontal and vertical wells). Grain-scale fracture density correlates with in situ porosity; spatial fluctuations of porosity φ in well-core correlate with spatial fluctuations in the logarithm of well-core permeability, δφ ~ δlog(κ) with typical correlation coefficient ~ 85%; a similar relation is observed in consolidating sediments/clays, indicating a generic coupling between fluid pressure and solid deformation at pore sites. In situ macroscopic flow systems are lognormally distributed according to κ ~ κ0 exp(α(φ-φ0)), α >>1 an empirical parameter for degree of in situ fracture connectivity; the lognormal distribution applies to well-productivities in US oil fields and NZ geothermal fields, ';frack productivity' in oil/gas shale body reservoirs, ore grade distributions, and trace element abundances. Although presently available evidence for these properties in geothermal reservoirs is limited, there are indications that geothermal system flow essentially obeys the same ';universal' in situ flow rules as does clastic rock: Well-log data from Los Azufres, MX, show power-law scaling S(k) ~ 1/k^β, 1.2 < β < 1.4, for spatial frequency range 2cycles/km to 0.5cycle/m; higher β-values are likely due to the relatively fresh nature of geothermal systems; Well-core at Bulalo (PH) and Ohaaki (NZ) show statistically significant spatial correlation, δφ ~ δlog(κ) Well productivity at Ohaaki/Ngawha (NZ) and in geothermal systems elsewhere are lognormally distributed; K/Th/U abundances lognormally distributed in Los Azufres well-logs We therefore caution that small-scale evidence for in situ flow fabric in geothermal systems that is interpreted in terms of ';pore connectivity' may in fact not reflect how small-scale chemical processes are integrated into a large-scale geothermal flow structure. Rather such small scale studies should (perhaps) be considered in term of the above flow rules. These flow rules are easily incorporated into standard flow simulation codes, in particular the OPM = Open Porous Media open-source industry-standard flow code. Geochemical transport data relevant to geothermal systems can thus be expected to be well modeled by OPM or equivalent (e.g., INL/LANL) codes.

Characterisation of edge turbulence in relation to edge magnetic field configuration in L-mode plasmas in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewhurst, J.; Hnat, B.; Dudson, B.; Dendy, R. O.; Counsell, G. F.; Kirk, A.

2007-12-01

Almost all astrophysical and magnetically confined fusion plasmas are turbulent. Here, we examine ion saturation current (Isat) measurements of edge plasma turbulence for three MAST L-mode plasmas that differ primarily in their edge magnetic field configurations. First, absolute moments of the coarse grained data are examined to obtain accurate values of scaling exponents. The dual scaling behaviour is identified in all samples, with the temporal scale τ ≍ 40-60 μs separating the two regimes. Strong universality is then identified in the functional form of the probability density function (PDF) for Isat fluctuations, which is well approximated by the Fréchet distribution on temporal scales τ ≤ 40μs. For temporal scales τ > 40μs, the PDFs appear to converge to the Gumbel distribution, which has been previously identified as a universal feature of many other complex phenomena. The optimal fitting parameters k=1.15 for Fréchet and a=1.35 for Gumbel provide a simple quantitative characterisation of the full spectrum of fluctuations. We conclude that, to good approximation, the properties of the edge turbulence are independent of the edge magnetic field configuration.

Characterization of edge turbulence in relation to edge magnetic field configuration in Ohmic L-mode plasmas in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hnat, B.; Dudson, B. D.; Dendy, R. O.; Counsell, G. F.; Kirk, A.; MAST Team

2008-08-01

Ion saturation current (Isat) measurements of edge plasma turbulence are analysed for six MAST L-mode plasmas that differ primarily in their edge magnetic field configurations. The analysis techniques are designed to capture the strong nonlinearities of the datasets. First, absolute moments of the data are examined to obtain accurate values of scaling exponents. This confirms dual scaling behaviour in all samples, with the temporal scale τ ≈ 40-60 µs separating the two regimes. Strong universality is then identified in the functional form of the probability density function (PDF) for Isat fluctuations, which is well approximated by the Fréchet distribution on temporal scales τ <= 40 µs. For temporal scales τ > 40 µs, the PDFs appear to converge to the Gumbel distribution, which has been previously identified as a universal feature of many other complex phenomena. The optimal fitting parameters k = 1.15 for Fréchet and a = 1.35 for Gumbel provide a simple quantitative characterization of the full spectrum of fluctuations. It is concluded that, to good approximation, the properties of the edge turbulence are independent of the edge magnetic field configuration.

Divergence of perturbation theory in large scale structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pajer, Enrico; van der Woude, Drian

2018-05-01

We make progress towards an analytical understanding of the regime of validity of perturbation theory for large scale structures and the nature of some non-perturbative corrections. We restrict ourselves to 1D gravitational collapse, for which exact solutions before shell crossing are known. We review the convergence of perturbation theory for the power spectrum, recently proven by McQuinn and White [1], and extend it to non-Gaussian initial conditions and the bispectrum. In contrast, we prove that perturbation theory diverges for the real space two-point correlation function and for the probability density function (PDF) of the density averaged in cells and all the cumulants derived from it. We attribute these divergences to the statistical averaging intrinsic to cosmological observables, which, even on very large and "perturbative" scales, gives non-vanishing weight to all extreme fluctuations. Finally, we discuss some general properties of non-perturbative effects in real space and Fourier space.

Intermittent nature of solar wind turbulence near the Earth's bow shock: phase coherence and non-Gaussianity.

PubMed

Koga, D; Chian, A C-L; Miranda, R A; Rempel, E L

2007-04-01

The link between phase coherence and non-Gaussian statistics is investigated using magnetic field data observed in the solar wind turbulence near the Earth's bow shock. The phase coherence index Cphi, which characterizes the degree of phase correlation (i.e., nonlinear wave-wave interactions) among scales, displays a behavior similar to kurtosis and reflects a departure from Gaussianity in the probability density functions of magnetic field fluctuations. This demonstrates that nonlinear interactions among scales are the origin of intermittency in the magnetic field turbulence.

The cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, Joseph

1992-01-01

A review the implications of the spectrum and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background for cosmology. Thermalization and processes generating spectral distortions are discussed. Anisotropy predictions are described and compared with observational constraints. If the evidence for large-scale power in the galaxy distribution in excess of that predicted by the cold dark matter model is vindicated, and the observed structure originated via gravitational instabilities of primordial density fluctuations, the predicted amplitude of microwave background anisotropies on angular scales of a degree and larger must be at least several parts in 10 exp 6.

Voids in Gravitational Instability Scenarios - Part One - Global Density and Velocity Fields in an Einstein - De-Sitter Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Weygaert, R.; van Kampen, E.

1993-07-01

The first results of an extensive study of the structure and dynamics of underdense regions in gravitational instability scenarios are presented. Instead of adopting spherically symmetric voids with some idealized initial density and velocity profile, underdense regions of a given size and depth, embedded in an initial density fluctuation field, are generated. In order to accomplish this in a consistent way, these initial conditions are set up by means of Bertschinger's constrained random field code. The generated particle samples of 64^3^ particles in a box of side 100 Mpc are followed into the non-linear regime by Bertschinger's PM N- body code. In this way we address the dependence of the structure and kinematics of the void both on the initial depth of the void and on the fluctuation field in which it is embedded. In particular, this study provides some understanding of how far fluctuations on small scales modify the dynamics of the large-scale void, and especially of how far the properties of small structures inside the void are affected by the global properties of the void. One of the conspicuous features of the initial density fields inside protovoids appears to be the existence of a `void hierarchy', with small voids embedded in larger voids. The survival of this hierarchy during the riot evolution of the void depends critically on the initial depth as well as on the clustering scenario involved. As well as presenting a qualitative discussion of the structure of underdense regions in initial density fields in different scenarios, and the results of simulations of the ensuing non-linear evolution, we concentrate in particular on a comparison of the global density and velocity fields in voids with predictions from linear theory as well as from the spherical outflow model. The relation between the initial linear depth, the resulting non-linear depth and the excess expansion velocities in voids is addressed. In addition, we find that, while near its centre a void becomes more and more spherical, the shape of its boundary is influenced to a large extent by the structures surrounding the void and therefore is generally more irregular. In this first study we concentrate on single voids in Einstein-de Sitter universes. The underdense regions considered are linear 1 σ_0_, 2 σ_0_ and 3 σ_0_ dips in fields that are Gaussian-smoothed on a scale of R_G_ = 10 h^-1^ Mpc, approximately half the size of the Bootes void. These regions are studied in terms of the Cold Dark Matter and Hot Dark Matter scenarios as well as in terms of the scale-free scenarios P(k) is proportional to k^0^, k^-1^ and k^-2^. The Hubble constant is taken to be H_0_ = 100 h km s^-1^ Mpc^-1^.

Investigating the radial structure of axisymmetric fluctuations in the TCV tokamak with local and global gyrokinetic GENE simulations

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

Merlo, Gabriele; Brunner, Stephan; Huang, Zhouji

Axisymmetric (n=0) density fluctuations measured in the TCV tokamak are observed to possess a frequency f₀ which is either varying (radially dispersive oscillations) or a constant over a large fraction of the plasma minor radius (radially global oscillations) as reported in a companion paper [Z. Huang et al., this issue]. Given that f₀ scales with the sound speed and given the poloidal structure of density fluctuations, these oscillations were interpreted as Geodesic Acoustic Modes, even though f₀ is in fact smaller than the local linear GAM frequency f_GAM . In this work we employ the Eulerian gyrokinetic code GENE tomore » simulate TCV relevant conditions and investigate the nature properties of these oscillations, in particular their relation to the safety factor profile. Local and global simulations are carried out and a good qualitative agreement is observed between experiments and simulations. By varying also the plasma temperature and density profiles, we conclude that a variation of the edge safety factor alone is not sufficient to induce a transition from global to radially inhomogeneous oscillations, as was initially suggested by experimental results. This transition appears instead to be the combined result of variations in the different plasma profiles, collisionality and finite machine size effects. In conclusion, simulations also show that radially global GAM-like oscillations can be observed in all fluxes and fluctuation fields, suggesting that they are the result of a complex nonlinear process involving also finite toroidal mode numbers and not just linear global GAM eigenmodes.« less

Investigating the radial structure of axisymmetric fluctuations in the TCV tokamak with local and global gyrokinetic GENE simulations

DOE PAGES

Merlo, Gabriele; Brunner, Stephan; Huang, Zhouji; ...

2017-12-19

Axisymmetric (n=0) density fluctuations measured in the TCV tokamak are observed to possess a frequency f₀ which is either varying (radially dispersive oscillations) or a constant over a large fraction of the plasma minor radius (radially global oscillations) as reported in a companion paper [Z. Huang et al., this issue]. Given that f₀ scales with the sound speed and given the poloidal structure of density fluctuations, these oscillations were interpreted as Geodesic Acoustic Modes, even though f₀ is in fact smaller than the local linear GAM frequency f_GAM . In this work we employ the Eulerian gyrokinetic code GENE tomore » simulate TCV relevant conditions and investigate the nature properties of these oscillations, in particular their relation to the safety factor profile. Local and global simulations are carried out and a good qualitative agreement is observed between experiments and simulations. By varying also the plasma temperature and density profiles, we conclude that a variation of the edge safety factor alone is not sufficient to induce a transition from global to radially inhomogeneous oscillations, as was initially suggested by experimental results. This transition appears instead to be the combined result of variations in the different plasma profiles, collisionality and finite machine size effects. In conclusion, simulations also show that radially global GAM-like oscillations can be observed in all fluxes and fluctuation fields, suggesting that they are the result of a complex nonlinear process involving also finite toroidal mode numbers and not just linear global GAM eigenmodes.« less

Temperature and density anti-correlations in solar wind fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Klein, L. W.

1990-01-01

Recent theoretical investigations of low Mach number flows, that describe two distinct approaches by fluids to the incompressible regime are summarized. The first includes the effects of relatively strong density and temperature fluctuations (Type I), while the second places fluctuations in mechanical pressure, density, and temperature on an equal footing (Type II). In the latter case, the relations between density and pressure are recovered, whereas the former case yields departures from incompressible behavior in that density and temperature fluctuations are predicted to be anti-correlated. It is suggested that nearly incompressible fluids can be classified as either Type I or II, and it is shown that the well-known pressure-balanced structures represent a subclass of static solutions within this classification. Two examples from Voyager data illustrate the potential for observing these distinct nearly incompressible dynamical ordering in the solar wind.

Vortex-Density Fluctuations, Energy Spectra, and Vortical Regions in Superfluid Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baggaley, Andrew W.; Laurie, Jason; Barenghi, Carlo F.

2012-11-01

Measurements of the energy spectrum and of the vortex-density fluctuation spectrum in superfluid turbulence seem to contradict each other. Using a numerical model, we show that at each instance of time the total vortex line density can be decomposed into two parts: one formed by metastable bundles of coherent vortices, and one in which the vortices are randomly oriented. We show that the former is responsible for the observed Kolmogorov energy spectrum, and the latter for the spectrum of the vortex line density fluctuations.

Solar-Cycle Variability of Magnetosheath Fluctuations at Earth and Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, N. K.; Narita, Y.; Kovacs, P.

2014-12-01

The magnetosheath is a region between the bow-shock and magnetopause and the magnetosheath plasma is mostly in the turbulent state. In the present investigation we put an effort to closely examine the magnetosheath fluctuations dependency on the solar-cycles (solar-maximum and solar minimum) at the magnetized planetary body (Earth) and their comparison with the un-magnetized planetary body (Venus) for the solar minimum. We use the CLUSTER FGM data for the solar-maximum (2001-2002), solar-minimum (2006-2008) and Venus fluxgate magnetometer data for the solar-minimum (2006-2008) to perform a comparative statistical study on the energy spectra and probability density function (PDF) and asses the spectral features of the magnetic fluctuations of the both planetary bodies. In the comparison we study the relation between the inertial ranges of the spectra and the temporal scales of non-Gaussian magnetic fluctuations derived from PDF analyses. The first can refer to turbulent cascade dynamics, while the latter may indicate intermittency. We first transformed the magnetic field data into mean field aligned coordinate system with respect to the large-scale magnetic field direction and then after we compute the power spectral density with the help of Welch algorithm. The computed energy spectra of Earth's magnetosheath show a moderate variability with the solar-cycles and have a broader inertial range. However the estimated energy spectra for the solar-minimum at Venus give the clear evidence of the existence of the break point in the vicinity of the ion gyroradius. After the break-point the energy spectra become steeper and show a distinctive spectral scales which is interpreted as the realization of the begging of the energy cascade. We also briefly address the influence of turbulence on the plasma transport and wave dynamics responsible for the spectral break and predict spectral features of the energy spectra for the solar-maximum at Venus based on the results obtained for the solar-minimum. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/2007-2013]) under grant agreement number 313038/STORM.

A phase contrast imaging–interferometer system for detection of multiscale electron density fluctuations on DIII-D

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

Davis, E. M.; Rost, J. C.; Porkolab, M.

2016-11-15

Heterodyne interferometry and phase contrast imaging (PCI) are robust, mature techniques for measuring low-k and high-k electron density fluctuations, respectively. This work describes the first-ever implementation of a combined PCI–interferometer. The combined system uses a single 10.6 μm probe beam, two interference schemes, and two detectors to measure electron density fluctuations at large spatiotemporal bandwidth (10 kHz

Thermal and active fluctuations of a compressible bilayer vesicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachin Krishnan, T. V.; Yasuda, Kento; Okamoto, Ryuichi; Komura, Shigeyuki

2018-05-01

We discuss thermal and active fluctuations of a compressible bilayer vesicle by using the results of hydrodynamic theory for vesicles. Coupled Langevin equations for the membrane deformation and the density fields are employed to calculate the power spectral density matrix of membrane fluctuations. Thermal contribution is obtained by means of the fluctuation dissipation theorem, whereas active contribution is calculated from exponentially decaying time correlation functions of active random forces. We obtain the total power spectral density as a sum of thermal and active contributions. An apparent response function is further calculated in order to compare with the recent microrheology experiment on red blood cells. An enhanced response is predicted in the low-frequency regime for non-thermal active fluctuations.

Traffic jams induced by fluctuation of a leading car.

PubMed

Nagatani, T

2000-04-01

We present a phase diagram of the different kinds of congested traffic triggered by fluctuation of a leading car in an open system without sources and sinks. Traffic states and density waves are investigated numerically by varying the amplitude of fluctuation using a car following model. The phase transitions among the free traffic, oscillatory congested traffic, and homogeneous congested traffic occur by fluctuation of a leading car. With increasing the amplitude of fluctuation, the transition between the free traffic and oscillatory traffic occurs at lower density and the transition between the homogeneous congested traffic and the oscillatory traffic occurs at higher density. The oscillatory congested traffic corresponds to the coexisting phase. Also, the moving localized clusters appear just above the transition lines.

Fluctuation diagrams for hot-wire anemometry in subsonic compressible flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stainback, P. C.; Nagabushana, K. A.

1991-01-01

The concept of using 'fluctuation diagrams' for describing basic fluctuations in compressible flows was reported by Kovasznay in the 1950's. The application of this technique, for the most part, was restricted to supersonic flows. Recently, Zinovev and Lebiga published reports where they considered the fluctuation diagrams in subsonic compressible flows. For the above studies, the velocity and density sensitivities of the heated wires were equal. However, there are considerable data, much taken in the 1950's, which indicate that under some conditions the velocity and density sensitivities are not equal in subsonic compressible flows. Therefore, possible fluctuation diagrams are described for the cases where the velocity and density sensitivities are equal and the more general cases where they are unequal.

Effect of magnetic and density fluctuations on the propagation of lower hybrid waves in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vahala, George; Vahala, Linda; Bonoli, Paul T.

1992-12-01

Lower hybrid waves have been used extensively for plasma heating, current drive, and ramp-up as well as sawteeth stabilization. The wave kinetic equation for lower hybrid wave propagation is extended to include the effects of both magnetic and density fluctuations. This integral equation is then solved by Monte Carlo procedures for a toroidal plasma. It is shown that even for magnetic/density fluctuation levels on the order of 10-4, there are significant magnetic fluctuation effects on the wave power deposition into the plasma. This effect is quite pronounced if the magnetic fluctuation spectrum is peaked within the plasma. For Alcator-C-Mod [I. H. Hutchinson and the Alcator Group, Proceedings of the IEEE 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering (IEEE, New York, 1990), Cat. No. 89CH 2820-9, p. 13] parameters, it seems possible to be able to infer information on internal magnetic fluctuations from hard x-ray data—especially since the effects of fluctuations on electron power density can explain the hard x-ray data from the JT-60 tokamak [H. Kishimoto and JT-60 Team, in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1989), Vol. I, p. 67].

Magnetic Field Fluctuations in Saturn's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Papen, Michael; Saur, Joachim; Alexandrova, Olga

2013-04-01

In the framework of turbulence, we analyze the statistical properties of magnetic field fluctuations measured by the Cassini spacecraft inside Saturn's plasma sheet. In the spacecraft-frame power spectra of the fluctuations we identify two power-law spectral ranges seperated by a spectral break around ion gyro-frequencies of O+ and H+. The spectral indices of the low frequency power-law are found to be between 5-3 (for fully developed cascades) and 1 (during energy input on the corresponding scales). Above the spectral break there is a constant power-law with mean spectral index ~2.5 indicating a permament turbulent cascade in the kinetic range. An increasing non-gaussian probability density with frequency indicates the build-up of intermittency. Correlations of plasma parameters with the spectral indices are examined and it is found that the power-law slope depends on background magnetic field strength and plasma beta.

Brownian Motion with Active Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanczuk, Pawel; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2011-06-01

We study the effect of different types of fluctuation on the motion of self-propelled particles in two spatial dimensions. We distinguish between passive and active fluctuations. Passive fluctuations (e.g., thermal fluctuations) are independent of the orientation of the particle. In contrast, active ones point parallel or perpendicular to the time dependent orientation of the particle. We derive analytical expressions for the speed and velocity probability density for a generic model of active Brownian particles, which yields an increased probability of low speeds in the presence of active fluctuations in comparison to the case of purely passive fluctuations. As a consequence, we predict sharply peaked Cartesian velocity probability densities at the origin. Finally, we show that such a behavior may also occur in non-Gaussian active fluctuations and discuss briefly correlations of the fluctuating stochastic forces.

Measurement of Correlation Between Flow Density, Velocity, and Density*velocity(sup 2) with Far Field Noise in High Speed Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta; Seasholtz, Richard G.; Elam, Kristie A.

2002-01-01

To locate noise sources in high-speed jets, the sound pressure fluctuations p', measured at far field locations, were correlated with each of radial velocity v, density rho, and phov(exp 2) fluctuations measured from various points in jet plumes. The experiments follow the cause-and-effect method of sound source identification, where correlation is related to the first, and correlation to the second source terms of Lighthill's equation. Three fully expanded, unheated plumes of Mach number 0.95, 1.4 and 1.8 were studied for this purpose. The velocity and density fluctuations were measured simultaneously using a recently developed, non-intrusive, point measurement technique based on molecular Rayleigh scattering. It was observed that along the jet centerline the density fluctuation spectra S(sub rho) have different shapes than the radial velocity spectra S(sub v), while data obtained from the peripheral shear layer show similarity between the two spectra. Density fluctuations in the jet showed significantly higher correlation, than either rhov(sub 2) or v fluctuations. It is found that a single point correlation from the peak sound emitting region at the end of the potential core can account for nearly 10% of all noise at 30 to the jet axis. The correlation, representing the effectiveness of a longitudinal quadrupole in generating noise 90 to the jet axis, is found to be zero within experimental uncertainty. In contrast rhov(exp 2) fluctuations were better correlated with sound pressure fluctuation at the 30 location. The strongest source of sound is found to lie at the centerline and beyond the end of potential core.

Faraday rotation measure variations in the Cygnus region and the spectrum of interstellar plasma turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lazio, T. Joseph; Spangler, Steven R.; Cordes, James M.

1990-01-01

Linear polarization observations were made of eight double-lobed radio galaxies viewed through the galactic plane in the Cygnus region. These observations have been used to determine intra- and intersource rotation measure differences; in some cases, unambiguous rotation measures have been extracted. The rotation measures are dominated by foreground magnetoionic material. The differences in rotation measure between pairs of sources correlate with angular separation for separations from 10 arcsec to 1.5 deg. These rotation measure fluctuations are consistent with a model in which the electron density varies on roughly 0.1-200 pc scales. The amplitudes of these variations are, in turn, consistent with those electron density variations that cause diffractive interstellar scattering on scales less than 10 to the 11th cm.

Modulation of Core Turbulent Density Fluctuations by Large-Scale Neoclassical Tearing Mode Islands in the DIII-D Tokamak

DOE PAGES

Bardóczi, L.; Rhodes, T. L.; Carter, T. A.; ...

2016-05-26

We report the first observation of localized modulation of turbulent density uctuations en (via Beam Emission Spectroscopy) by neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) in the core of the DIII-D tokamak. NTMs are important as they often lead to severe degradation of plasma confinement and disruptions in high-confinement fusion experiments. Magnetic islands associated with NTMs significantly modify the profiles and turbulence drives. In this experiment n was found to be modulated by 14% across the island. Gyrokinetic simulations suggest that en could be dominantly driven by the ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability.

Black hole formation in a contracting universe

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

Quintin, Jerome; Brandenberger, Robert H., E-mail: jquintin@physics.mcgill.ca, E-mail: rhb@hep.physics.mcgill.ca

We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations in a contracting universe. We aim to determine under which conditions density perturbations grow to form large inhomogeneities and collapse into black holes. Our method consists in solving the cosmological perturbation equations in complete generality for a hydrodynamical fluid. We then describe the evolution of the fluctuations over the different length scales of interest and as a function of the equation of state for the fluid, and we explore two different types of initial conditions: quantum vacuum and thermal fluctuations. We also derive a general requirement for black hole collapse on sub-Hubble scales,more » and we use the Press-Schechter formalism to describe the black hole formation probability. For a fluid with a small sound speed (e.g., dust), we find that both quantum and thermal initial fluctuations grow in a contracting universe, and the largest inhomogeneities that first collapse into black holes are of Hubble size and the collapse occurs well before reaching the Planck scale. For a radiation-dominated fluid, we find that no black hole can form before reaching the Planck scale. In the context of matter bounce cosmology, it thus appears that only models in which a radiation-dominated era begins early in the cosmological evolution are robust against the formation of black holes. Yet, the formation of black holes might be an interesting feature for other models. We comment on a number of possible alternative early universe scenarios that could take advantage of this feature.« less

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James; Sarff, John; Ding, Weixing; Brower, David; Parke, Eli; Chapman, Brett; Terry, Paul; Pueschel, M. J.; Williams, Zach

2017-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM). Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking, which are suppressed via inductive control for this work. The improved confinement is associated with an increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have f 50 kHz, kϕρs < 0.14 , and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in global tearing mode associated fluctuations, their amplitude increases with local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R /Ln 15 . The GENE code, modified for the RFP, predicts the onset of density-gradient-driven TEM for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations, comparable to experimental magnetic fluctuations, causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Work supported by US DOE.

Fluctuation, dissipation, and a non-equilibrium ``equation of state'' via nonlinear microrheology of hydrodynamically interacting colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Henry; Zia, Roseanna

2014-11-01

In our recently developed non-equilibrium Stokes-Einstein relation for microrheology, we showed that, in the absence of hydrodynamic interactions, the stress in a suspension is given by a balance between fluctuation and dissipation. Here we generalize our theory to develop a simple analytical relation connecting diffusive fluctuation, viscous dissipation and suspension stress in systems of hydrodynamically interacting colloids. In active microrheology, a Brownian probe is driven through a complex medium. The strength of probe forcing compared to the entropic restoring force defines a Peclet number, Pe. In the absence of hydrodynamics, normal stress differences scale as Pe4 and Pe for weak and strong probe forcing, respectively. But as hydrodynamics become important, interparticle forces give way to lubrication interactions and the normal stresses scale as Pe2 and Peδln(Pe), where 0.773 <= δ <= 1 as hydrodynamics vary from strong to weak. The new phenomenological theory is shown to agree with standard micromechanical definitions of the stress. A connection is made between the stress and an effective temperature of the medium, prompting the interpretation of the particle stress as the energy density, and the expression for osmotic pressure as a ``non-equilibrium equation of state.''

Statistical analysis of electroconvection near an ion-selective membrane in the highly chaotic regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Druzgalski, Clara; Mani, Ali

2016-11-01

We investigate electroconvection and its impact on ion transport in a model system comprised of an ion-selective membrane, an aqueous electrolyte, and an external electric field applied normal to the membrane. We develop a direct numerical simulation code to solve the governing Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensions using a specialized parallel numerical algorithm and sufficient resolution to capture the high frequency and high wavenumber physics. We show a comprehensive statistical analysis of the transport phenomena in the highly chaotic regime. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D simulations include prediction of the mean concentration fields as well as the spectra of concentration, charge density, and velocity signals. Our analyses reveal a significant quantitative difference between 2D and 3D electroconvection. Furthermore, we show that high-intensity yet short-lived current density hot spots appear randomly on the membrane surface, contributing significantly to the mean current density. By examining cross correlations between current density on the membrane and other field quantities we explore the physical mechanisms leading to current hot spots. We also present analysis of transport fluxes in the context of ensemble-averaged equations. Our analysis reveals that in the highly chaotic regime the mixing layer (ML), which spans the majority of the domain extent, is governed by advective fluctuations. Furthermore, we show that in the ML the mean electromigration fluxes cancel out for positive and negative ions, indicating that the mean transport of total salt content within the ML can be represented via the electroneutral approximation. Finally, we present an assessment of the importance of different length scales in enhancing transport by computing the cross covariance of concentration and velocity fluctuations in the wavenumber space. Our analysis indicates that in the majority of the domain the large scales contribute most significantly to transport, while the effects of small scales become more appreciable in regions very near the membrane.

The fundamentally different dynamics of dust and gas in molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Lee, Hyunseok

2016-03-01

We study the behaviour of large dust grains in turbulent molecular clouds (MCs). In primarily neutral regions, dust grains move as aerodynamic particles, not necessarily with the gas. We therefore directly simulate, for the first time, the behaviour of aerodynamic grains in highly supersonic, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence typical of MCs. We show that, under these conditions, grains with sizes a ≳ 0.01 micron exhibit dramatic (exceeding factor ˜1000) fluctuations in the local dust-to-gas ratio (implying large small-scale variations in abundances, dust cooling rates, and dynamics). The dust can form highly filamentary structures (which would be observed in both dust emission and extinction), which can be much thinner than the characteristic width of gas filaments. Sometimes, the dust and gas filaments are not even in the same location. The `clumping factor' < n_dust2 > / < n_dust > 2 of the dust (critical for dust growth/coagulation/shattering) can reach ˜100, for grains in the ideal size range. The dust clustering is maximized around scales ˜ 0.2 pc (a/μm) (ngas/100 cm- 3)- 1, and is `averaged out' on larger scales. However, because the density varies widely in supersonic turbulence, the dynamic range of scales (and interesting grain sizes) for these fluctuations is much broader than in the subsonic case. Our results are applicable to MCs of essentially all sizes and densities, but we note how Lorentz forces and other physics (neglected here) may change them in some regimes. We discuss the potentially dramatic consequences for star formation, dust growth and destruction, and dust-based observations of MCs.

Physical Models of Layered Polar Firn Brightness Temperatures from 0.5 to 2 GHz

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, Shurun; Aksoy, Mustafa; Brogioni, Marco; Macelloni, Giovanni; Durand, Michael; Jezek, Kenneth C.; Wang, Tian-Lin; Tsang, Leung; Johnson, Joel T.; Drinkwater, Mark R.;

Establishing a direct connection between detrended fluctuation analysis and Fourier analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyono, Ken

2015-10-01

To understand methodological features of the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) using a higher-order polynomial fitting, we establish the direct connection between DFA and Fourier analysis. Based on an exact calculation of the single-frequency response of the DFA, the following facts are shown analytically: (1) in the analysis of stochastic processes exhibiting a power-law scaling of the power spectral density (PSD), S (f ) ˜f-β , a higher-order detrending in the DFA has no adverse effect in the estimation of the DFA scaling exponent α , which satisfies the scaling relation α =(β +1 )/2 ; (2) the upper limit of the scaling exponents detectable by the DFA depends on the order of polynomial fit used in the DFA, and is bounded by m +1 , where m is the order of the polynomial fit; (3) the relation between the time scale in the DFA and the corresponding frequency in the PSD are distorted depending on both the order of the DFA and the frequency dependence of the PSD. We can improve the scale distortion by introducing the corrected time scale in the DFA corresponding to the inverse of the frequency scale in the PSD. In addition, our analytical approach makes it possible to characterize variants of the DFA using different types of detrending. As an application, properties of the detrending moving average algorithm are discussed.

High-z objects and cold dark matter cosmogonies - Constraints on the primordial power spectrum on small scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashlinsky, A.

1993-01-01

Modified cold dark matter (CDM) models were recently suggested to account for large-scale optical data, which fix the power spectrum on large scales, and the COBE results, which would then fix the bias parameter, b. We point out that all such models have deficit of small-scale power where density fluctuations are presently nonlinear, and should then lead to late epochs of collapse of scales M between 10 exp 9 - 10 exp 10 solar masses and (1-5) x 10 exp 14 solar masses. We compute the probabilities and comoving space densities of various scale objects at high redshifts according to the CDM models and compare these with observations of high-z QSOs, high-z galaxies and the protocluster-size object found recently by Uson et al. (1992) at z = 3.4. We show that the modified CDM models are inconsistent with the observational data on these objects. We thus suggest that in order to account for the high-z objects, as well as the large-scale and COBE data, one needs a power spectrum with more power on small scales than CDM models allow and an open universe.

New structures of power density spectra for four Kepler active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrotka, A.; Antonuccio-Delogu, V.; Bajčičáková, I.

2017-09-01

Many nearby active galactic nuclei display a significant short-term variability. In this work, we reanalyse photometric data of four active galactic nuclei observed by Kepler in order to study the flickering activity, with our main goal to search for multiple components in the power density spectra. We find that all four objects have similar characteristics, with two break frequencies at approximately log( f /Hz) = -5.2 and -4.7. We consider some physical phenomena whose characteristic time-scales are consistent with those observed, in particular mass accretion fluctuations in the inner geometrically thick disc (hot X-ray corona) and unstable relativistic Rayleigh-Taylor modes. The former is supported by detection of the same break frequencies in the Swift X-ray data of ZW229-15. We also discuss rms-flux relations, and we detect a possible typical linear trend at lower flux levels. Our findings support the hypothesis of a multiplicative character of variability, in agreement with the propagating accretion fluctuation model.

Skewness in large-scale structure and non-Gaussian initial conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fry, J. N.; Scherrer, Robert J.

1994-01-01

We compute the skewness of the galaxy distribution arising from the nonlinear evolution of arbitrary non-Gaussian intial conditions to second order in perturbation theory including the effects of nonlinear biasing. The result contains a term identical to that for a Gaussian initial distribution plus terms which depend on the skewness and kurtosis of the initial conditions. The results are model dependent; we present calculations for several toy models. At late times, the leading contribution from the initial skewness decays away relative to the other terms and becomes increasingly unimportant, but the contribution from initial kurtosis, previously overlooked, has the same time dependence as the Gaussian terms. Observations of a linear dependence of the normalized skewness on the rms density fluctuation therefore do not necessarily rule out initially non-Gaussian models. We also show that with non-Gaussian initial conditions the first correction to linear theory for the mean square density fluctuation is larger than for Gaussian models.

Stochastic transport models for mixing in variable-density turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakosi, J.; Ristorcelli, J. R.

2011-11-01

In variable-density (VD) turbulent mixing, where very-different- density materials coexist, the density fluctuations can be an order of magnitude larger than their mean. Density fluctuations are non-negligible in the inertia terms of the Navier-Stokes equation which has both quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Very different mixing rates of different materials give rise to large differential accelerations and some fundamentally new physics that is not seen in constant-density turbulence. In VD flows material mixing is active in a sense far stronger than that applied in the Boussinesq approximation of buoyantly-driven flows: the mass fraction fluctuations are coupled to each other and to the fluid momentum. Statistical modeling of VD mixing requires accounting for basic constraints that are not important in the small-density-fluctuation passive-scalar-mixing approximation: the unit-sum of mass fractions, bounded sample space, and the highly skewed nature of the probability densities become essential. We derive a transport equation for the joint probability of mass fractions, equivalent to a system of stochastic differential equations, that is consistent with VD mixing in multi-component turbulence and consistently reduces to passive scalar mixing in constant-density flows.

Measures of three-dimensional anisotropy and intermittency in strong Alfvénic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallet, A.; Schekochihin, A. A.; Chandran, B. D. G.; Chen, C. H. K.; Horbury, T. S.; Wicks, R. T.; Greenan, C. C.

2016-06-01

We measure the local anisotropy of numerically simulated strong Alfvénic turbulence with respect to two local, physically relevant directions: along the local mean magnetic field and along the local direction of one of the fluctuating Elsasser fields. We find significant scaling anisotropy with respect to both these directions: the fluctuations are `ribbon-like' - statistically, they are elongated along both the mean magnetic field and the fluctuating field. The latter form of anisotropy is due to scale-dependent alignment of the fluctuating fields. The intermittent scalings of the nth-order conditional structure functions in the direction perpendicular to both the local mean field and the fluctuations agree well with the theory of Chandran, Schekochihin & Mallet, while the parallel scalings are consistent with those implied by the critical-balance conjecture. We quantify the relationship between the perpendicular scalings and those in the fluctuation and parallel directions, and find that the scaling exponent of the perpendicular anisotropy (I.e. of the aspect ratio of the Alfvénic structures in the plane perpendicular to the mean magnetic field) depends on the amplitude of the fluctuations. This is shown to be equivalent to the anticorrelation of fluctuation amplitude and alignment at each scale. The dependence of the anisotropy on amplitude is shown to be more significant for the anisotropy between the perpendicular and fluctuation-direction scales than it is between the perpendicular and parallel scales.

Variable density mixing in turbulent jets with coflow

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

Charonko, John James; Prestridge, Katherine Philomena

Two sets of experiments are performed to study variable-density effects in turbulent round jets with co flow at density ratios, s = 4.2 and s = 1.2. 10,000 instantaneous realisations of simultaneous 2-D PIV and PLIF at three axial locations in the momentumdominated region of the jet allow us to calculate the full t.k.e. budgets, providing insights into the mechanisms of density fluctuation correlations both axially and radially in a non- Boussinesq flow. The strongest variable-density effects are observed within the velocity half-width of the jet, r ~u1/2 . Variable density effects decrease the Reynolds stresses via increased turbulent massmore » flux in the heavy jet, as shown by previous jet centreline measurements. Radial pro les of turbulent flux show that in the lighter jet t.k.e. is moving away from the centreline, while in the heavy jet it is being transported both inwards towards the centreline and radially outwards. Negative t.k.e. production is observed in the heavy jet, and we demonstrate that this is caused by both reduced gradient stretching in the axial direction and increased turbulent mass fluxes. Large differences in advection are also observed between the two jets. The air jet has higher total advection caused by strong axial components, while density fluctuations in the heavy jet reduce the axial advection signi cantly. The budget mechanisms in the non-Boussinesq regime are best understood using effective density and velocity half-width, ρeff ¯u 3 1,CL/r ~u1/2,eff , a modi cation of previous scaling.« less

Variable density mixing in turbulent jets with coflow

DOE PAGES

Charonko, John James; Prestridge, Katherine Philomena

2017-07-24

Two sets of experiments are performed to study variable-density effects in turbulent round jets with co flow at density ratios, s = 4.2 and s = 1.2. 10,000 instantaneous realisations of simultaneous 2-D PIV and PLIF at three axial locations in the momentumdominated region of the jet allow us to calculate the full t.k.e. budgets, providing insights into the mechanisms of density fluctuation correlations both axially and radially in a non- Boussinesq flow. The strongest variable-density effects are observed within the velocity half-width of the jet, r ~u1/2 . Variable density effects decrease the Reynolds stresses via increased turbulent massmore » flux in the heavy jet, as shown by previous jet centreline measurements. Radial pro les of turbulent flux show that in the lighter jet t.k.e. is moving away from the centreline, while in the heavy jet it is being transported both inwards towards the centreline and radially outwards. Negative t.k.e. production is observed in the heavy jet, and we demonstrate that this is caused by both reduced gradient stretching in the axial direction and increased turbulent mass fluxes. Large differences in advection are also observed between the two jets. The air jet has higher total advection caused by strong axial components, while density fluctuations in the heavy jet reduce the axial advection signi cantly. The budget mechanisms in the non-Boussinesq regime are best understood using effective density and velocity half-width, ρeff ¯u 3 1,CL/r ~u1/2,eff , a modi cation of previous scaling.« less

Ionization balance of impurities in turbulent scrape-off layer plasmas I: local ionization-recombination equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzman, F.; Marandet, Y.; Tamain, P.; Bufferand, H.; Ciraolo, G.; Ghendrih, Ph; Guirlet, R.; Rosato, J.; Valentinuzzi, M.

2015-12-01

In magnetized fusion devices, cross field impurity transport is often dominated by turbulence, in particular in the scrape-off layer. In these outer regions of the plasma, fluctuations of plasma parameters can be comparable to mean values, and the way ionization and recombination sources are treated in transport codes becomes questionnable. In fact, sources are calculated using the mean density and temperature values, with no account of fluctuations. In this work we investigate the modeling uncertainties introduced by this approximation, both qualitatively and quantitatively for the local ionization equilibrium. As a first step transport effects are neglected, and their role will be discussed in a companion paper. We show that temperature fluctuations shift the ionization balance towards lower temperatures, essentially because of the very steep temperature dependence of the ionization rate coefficients near the threshold. To reach this conclusion, a thorough analysis of the time scales involved is carried out, in order to devise a proper way of averaging over fluctuations. The effects are found to be substantial only for fairly large relative fluctuation levels for temperature, that is of the order of a few tens of percents.

Nonequilibrium Brownian motion beyond the effective temperature.

PubMed

Gnoli, Andrea; Puglisi, Andrea; Sarracino, Alessandro; Vulpiani, Angelo

2014-01-01

The condition of thermal equilibrium simplifies the theoretical treatment of fluctuations as found in the celebrated Einstein's relation between mobility and diffusivity for Brownian motion. Several recent theories relax the hypothesis of thermal equilibrium resulting in at least two main scenarios. With well separated timescales, as in aging glassy systems, equilibrium Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem applies at each scale with its own "effective" temperature. With mixed timescales, as for example in active or granular fluids or in turbulence, temperature is no more well-defined, the dynamical nature of fluctuations fully emerges and a Generalized Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem (GFDT) applies. Here, we study experimentally the mixed timescale regime by studying fluctuations and linear response in the Brownian motion of a rotating intruder immersed in a vibro-fluidized granular medium. Increasing the packing fraction, the system is moved from a dilute single-timescale regime toward a denser multiple-timescale stage. Einstein's relation holds in the former and is violated in the latter. The violation cannot be explained in terms of effective temperatures, while the GFDT is able to impute it to the emergence of a strong coupling between the intruder and the surrounding fluid. Direct experimental measurements confirm the development of spatial correlations in the system when the density is increased.

Transition between Two Regimes Describing Internal Fluctuation of DNA in a Nanochannel

PubMed Central

Su, Tianxiang; Das, Somes K.; Xiao, Ming; Purohit, Prashant K.

2011-01-01

We measure the thermal fluctuation of the internal segments of a piece of DNA confined in a nanochannel about 50100 nm wide. This local thermodynamic property is key to accurate measurement of distances in genomic analysis. For DNA in 100 nm channels, we observe a critical length scale 10 m for the mean extension of internal segments, below which the de Gennes' theory describes the fluctuations with no fitting parameters, and above which the fluctuation data falls into Odijk's deflection theory regime. By analyzing the probability distributions of the extensions of the internal segments, we infer that folded structures of length 150250 nm, separated by 10 m exist in the confined DNA during the transition between the two regimes. For 50 nm channels we find that the fluctuation is significantly reduced since the Odijk regime appears earlier. This is critical for genomic analysis. We further propose a more detailed theory based on small fluctuations and incorporating the effects of confinement to explicitly calculate the statistical properties of the internal fluctuations. Our theory is applicable to polymers with heterogeneous mechanical properties confined in non-uniform channels. We show that existing theories for the end-to-end extension/fluctuation of polymers can be used to study the internal fluctuations only when the contour length of the polymer is many times larger than its persistence length. Finally, our results suggest that introducing nicks in the DNA will not change its fluctuation behavior when the nick density is below 1 nick per kbp DNA. PMID:21423606

Random Resistor Network Model of Minimal Conductivity in Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheianov, Vadim V.; Fal'Ko, Vladimir I.; Altshuler, Boris L.; Aleiner, Igor L.

2007-10-01

Transport in undoped graphene is related to percolating current patterns in the networks of n- and p-type regions reflecting the strong bipolar charge density fluctuations. Finite transparency of the p-n junctions is vital in establishing the macroscopic conductivity. We propose a random resistor network model to analyze scaling dependencies of the conductance on the doping and disorder, the quantum magnetoresistance and the corresponding dephasing rate.

Effects of cycle length and plot density on estimators for a national-scale forest monitoring sample design

Treesearch

Francis A. Roesch; Todd A. Schroeder; James T. Vogt

2017-01-01

The resilience of a National Forest Inventory and Monitoring sample design can sometimes depend upon the degree to which it can adapt to fluctuations in funding. If a budget reduction necessitates the observation of fewer plots per year, some practitioners weigh the problem as a tradeoff between reducing the total number of plots and measuring the original number of...

Studies on the latitudinal distribution of ground-based geomagnetic pulsations and fluctuations in the interplanetary medium using discrete mathematical analysis methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelinsky, N. R.; Kleimenova, N. G.; Malysheva, L. M.

2014-07-01

Ground-based geomagnetic Pc5 (2-7 mHz) pulsations, caused by the passage of dense transients (density disturbances) in the solar wind, were analyzed. It was shown that intensive bursts can appear in the density of the solar wind and its fluctuations, up to Np ˜ 30-50 cm3, even during the most magnetically calm year in the past decades (2009). The analysis, performed using one of the latest methods of discrete mathematical analysis (DMA), is presented. The energy functional of a time-series fragment (called "anomaly rectification" in DMA terms) of two such events was calculated. It was established that fluctuations in the dynamic pressure (density) of the solar wind (SW) cause the global excitation of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations in the daytime sector of the Earth's magnetosphere, i.e., from polar to equatorial latitudes. Such pulsations started and ended suddenly and simultaneously at all latitudes. Fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) have turned up to be less geoeffective in exciting geomagnetic pulsations than fluctuations in the SW density. The pulsation generation mechanisms in various structural regions of the magnetosphere were probably different. It was therefore concluded that the most probable source of ground-based pulsations are fluctuations of the corresponding periods in the SW density.

Instanton dominance over αs at low momenta from lattice QCD simulations at Nf = 0, Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athenodorou, Andreas; Boucaud, Philippe; de Soto, Feliciano; Rodríguez-Quintero, José; Zafeiropoulos, Savvas

2018-03-01

We report on an instanton-based analysis of the gluon Green functions in the Landau gauge for low momenta; in particular we use lattice results for αs in the symmetric momentum subtraction scheme (MOM) for large-volume lattice simulations. We have exploited quenched gauge field configurations, Nf = 0, with both Wilson and tree-level Symanzik improved actions, and unquenched ones with Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1 dynamical flavors (domain wall and twisted-mass fermions, respectively). We show that the dominance of instanton correlations on the low-momenta gluon Green functions can be applied to the determination of phenomenological parameters of the instanton liquid and, eventually, to a determination of the lattice spacing. We furthermore apply the Gradient Flow to remove short-distance fluctuations. The Gradient Flow gets rid of the QCD scale, ΛQCD, and reveals that the instanton prediction extents to large momenta. For those gauge field configurations free of quantum fluctuations, the direct study of topological charge density shows the appearance of large-scale lumps that can be identified as instantons, giving access to a direct study of the instanton density and size distribution that is compatible with those extracted from the analysis of the Green functions.

Pedestal and edge electrostatic turbulence characteristics from an XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churchill, R. M.; Chang, C. S.; Ku, S.; Dominski, J.

2017-10-01

Understanding the multi-scale neoclassical and turbulence physics in the edge region (pedestal + scrape-off layer (SOL)) is required in order to reliably predict performance in future fusion devices. We explore turbulent characteristics in the edge region from a multi-scale neoclassical and turbulent XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation in a DIII-D like tokamak geometry, here excluding neutrals and collisions. For an H-mode type plasma with steep pedestal, it is found that the electron density fluctuations increase towards the separatrix, and stay high well into the SOL, reaching a maximum value of δ {n}e/{\\bar{n}}e˜ 0.18. Blobs are observed, born around the magnetic separatrix surface and propagate radially outward with velocities generally less than 1 km s-1. Strong poloidal motion of the blobs is also present, near 20 km s-1, consistent with E × B rotation. The electron density fluctuations show a negative skewness in the closed field-line pedestal region, consistent with the presence of ‘holes’, followed by a transition to strong positive skewness across the separatrix and into the SOL. These simulations indicate that not only neoclassical phenomena, but also turbulence, including the blob-generation mechanism, can remain important in the steep H-mode pedestal and SOL. Qualitative comparisons will be made to experimental observations.

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

Churchill, R. M.; Chang, C. S.; Ku, S.

Understanding the multi-scale neoclassical and turbulence physics in the edge region (pedestal + scrape-off layer (SOL)) is required in order to reliably predict performance in future fusion devices. We explore turbulent characteristics in the edge region from a multi-scale neoclassical and turbulent XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation in a DIII-D like tokamak geometry, here excluding neutrals and collisions. For an H-mode type plasma with steep pedestal, it is found that the electron density fluctuations increase towards the separatrix, and stay high well into the SOL, reaching a maximum value ofmore » $$\\delta {n}_{e}/{\\bar{n}}_{e}\\sim 0.18$$. Blobs are observed, born around the magnetic separatrix surface and propagate radially outward with velocities generally less than 1 km s –1. Strong poloidal motion of the blobs is also present, near 20 km s –1, consistent with E × B rotation. The electron density fluctuations show a negative skewness in the closed field-line pedestal region, consistent with the presence of 'holes', followed by a transition to strong positive skewness across the separatrix and into the SOL. These simulations indicate that not only neoclassical phenomena, but also turbulence, including the blob-generation mechanism, can remain important in the steep H-mode pedestal and SOL. Lastly, qualitative comparisons will be made to experimental observations.« less

Effect of supersonic molecular-beam injection on edge fluctuation and particle transport in Heliotron J

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

Zang, L., E-mail: l-zang@center.iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Kasajima, K.; Hashimoto, K.

Edge fluctuation in a supersonic molecular-beam injection (SMBI) fueled plasma has been measured using an electrostatic probe array. After SMBI, the plasma stored energy (W{sub p}) temporarily decreased then started to increase. The local plasma fluctuation and fluctuation induced particle transport before and after SMBI have been analyzed. In a short duration (∼4 ms) just after SMBI, the density fluctuation of broad-band low frequency increased, and the probability density function (PDF) changed from a nearly Gaussian to a positively skewed non-Gaussian one. This suggests that intermittent structures were produced due to SMBI. Also the fluctuation induced particle transport was greatly enhancedmore » during this short duration. About 4 ms after SMBI, the low frequency broad-band density fluctuation decreased, and the PDF returned to a nearly Gaussian shape. Also the fluctuation induced particle transport was reduced. Compared with conventional gas puff, W{sub p} degradation window is very short due to the short injection period of SMBI. After this short degradation window, fluctuation induced particle transport was reduced and W{sub p} started the climbing phase. Therefore, the short period of the influence to the edge fluctuation might be an advantage of this novel fueling technique. On the other hand, although their roles are not identified at present, coherent MHD modes are also suppressed as well by the application of SMBI. These MHD modes are thought to be de-exited due to a sudden change of the edge density and/or excitation conditions.« less

Synthetic Microwave Imaging Reflectometry diagnostic using 3D FDTD Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruger, Scott; Jenkins, Thomas; Smithe, David; King, Jacob; Nimrod Team Team

2017-10-01

Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) has become a standard diagnostic for understanding tokamak edge perturbations, including the edge harmonic oscillations in QH mode operation. These long-wavelength perturbations are larger than the normal turbulent fluctuation levels and thus normal analysis of synthetic signals become more difficult. To investigate, we construct a synthetic MIR diagnostic for exploring density fluctuation amplitudes in the tokamak plasma edge by using the three-dimensional, full-wave FDTD code Vorpal. The source microwave beam for the diagnostic is generated and refelected at the cutoff surface that is distorted by 2D density fluctuations in the edge plasma. Synthetic imaging optics at the detector can be used to understand the fluctuation and background density profiles. We apply the diagnostic to understand the fluctuations in edge plasma density during QH-mode activity in the DIII-D tokamak, as modeled by the NIMROD code. This work was funded under DOE Grant Number DE-FC02-08ER54972.

Weak gravitational lensing due to large-scale structure of the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaroszynski, Michal; Park, Changbom; Paczynski, Bohdan; Gott, J. Richard, III

1990-01-01

The effect of the large-scale structure of the universe on the propagation of light rays is studied. The development of the large-scale density fluctuations in the omega = 1 universe is calculated within the cold dark matter scenario using a smooth particle approximation. The propagation of about 10 to the 6th random light rays between the redshift z = 5 and the observer was followed. It is found that the effect of shear is negligible, and the amplification of single images is dominated by the matter in the beam. The spread of amplifications is very small. Therefore, the filled-beam approximation is very good for studies of strong lensing by galaxies or clusters of galaxies. In the simulation, the column density was averaged over a comoving area of approximately (1/h Mpc)-squared. No case of a strong gravitational lensing was found, i.e., no 'over-focused' image that would suggest that a few images might be present. Therefore, the large-scale structure of the universe as it is presently known does not produce multiple images with gravitational lensing on a scale larger than clusters of galaxies.

Universal Inverse Power-Law Distribution for Fractal Fluctuations in Dynamical Systems: Applications for Predictability of Inter-Annual Variability of Indian and USA Region Rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvam, A. M.

2017-01-01

Dynamical systems in nature exhibit self-similar fractal space-time fluctuations on all scales indicating long-range correlations and, therefore, the statistical normal distribution with implicit assumption of independence, fixed mean and standard deviation cannot be used for description and quantification of fractal data sets. The author has developed a general systems theory based on classical statistical physics for fractal fluctuations which predicts the following. (1) The fractal fluctuations signify an underlying eddy continuum, the larger eddies being the integrated mean of enclosed smaller-scale fluctuations. (2) The probability distribution of eddy amplitudes and the variance (square of eddy amplitude) spectrum of fractal fluctuations follow the universal Boltzmann inverse power law expressed as a function of the golden mean. (3) Fractal fluctuations are signatures of quantum-like chaos since the additive amplitudes of eddies when squared represent probability densities analogous to the sub-atomic dynamics of quantum systems such as the photon or electron. (4) The model predicted distribution is very close to statistical normal distribution for moderate events within two standard deviations from the mean but exhibits a fat long tail that are associated with hazardous extreme events. Continuous periodogram power spectral analyses of available GHCN annual total rainfall time series for the period 1900-2008 for Indian and USA stations show that the power spectra and the corresponding probability distributions follow model predicted universal inverse power law form signifying an eddy continuum structure underlying the observed inter-annual variability of rainfall. On a global scale, man-made greenhouse gas related atmospheric warming would result in intensification of natural climate variability, seen immediately in high frequency fluctuations such as QBO and ENSO and even shorter timescales. Model concepts and results of analyses are discussed with reference to possible prediction of climate change. Model concepts, if correct, rule out unambiguously, linear trends in climate. Climate change will only be manifested as increase or decrease in the natural variability. However, more stringent tests of model concepts and predictions are required before applications to such an important issue as climate change. Observations and simulations with climate models show that precipitation extremes intensify in response to a warming climate (O'Gorman in Curr Clim Change Rep 1:49-59, 2015).

The effects of large- and small-scale density structures on the radio from coronal streamers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thejappa, G.; Kundu, M. R.

1994-01-01

The radio observations of the coronal streamers obtained using Clark Lake radioheliograph at 73.8, 50.0, and 38.5 MHz during a period of minimum activity in September 1986 are presented. Streamers appear to correlate with two prominent disk sources whose intensites fluctuated randomly. The variations in half-power diameter of the radio Sun are found to correspond with the variations in the white-light extents of the coronal streamers. It appears that the shape of the radio Sun is not a function of the phase of the solar cycle; instead it depends on the relative positions of the streamers in the corona. The observed peak brightness temperatures, TB, of the streamers are found to be very low, being approximately equal to 6 x 104 K. We compute the brightness temperature distribution along the equator by tracing the rays in the coronal plasma. The rays are deflected away by the streamers before reaching the critical density level, whereas they penetrate deeper into the coronal hole for small angles between the line of sight and the streamer axis. As a consequence, it is found that the streamers and coronal holes appear in the calculated equatorial brightness distribution as irregular brightness depressions and enhancements, respectively. The fine structures are found to disappear when the scattering due to small-scale density inhomogeneities is included in the ray-tracing calculations. The required relative level of density fluctuations, epsilon1 = (delta N)/N, is found to be greater than 12% to reduce the peak brightness temperature from 106 K to 6 x 104 K for all the three frequencies.

The impact of different interstellar medium structures on the dynamical evolution of supernova remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yueyang; Bao, Biwen; Yang, Chuyuan; Zhang, Li

2018-05-01

The dynamical properties of supernova remnants (SNRs) evolving with different interstellar medium structures are investigated through performing extensive two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations in the cylindrical symmetry. Three cases of different interstellar medium structures are considered: the uniform medium, the turbulent medium and the cloudy medium. Large-scale density and magnetic fluctuations are calculated and mapped into the computational domain before simulations. The clouds are set by random distribution in advance. The above configuration allows us to study the time-dependent dynamical properties and morphological evolution of the SNR evolving with different ambient structures, along with the development of the instabilities at the contact discontinuity. Our simulation results indicate that remnant morphology deviates from symmetry if the interstellar medium contains clouds or turbulent density fluctuations. In the cloudy medium case, interactions between the shock wave and clouds lead to clouds' fragmentation. The magnetic field can be greatly enhanced by stretching field lines with a combination of instabilities while the width of amplification region is quite different among the three cases. Moreover, both the width of amplification region and the maximum magnetic-field strength are closely related to the clouds' density.

Distinguishing Error from Chaos in Ecological Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugihara, George; Grenfell, Bryan; May, Robert M.

1990-11-01

Over the years, there has been much discussion about the relative importance of environmental and biological factors in regulating natural populations. Often it is thought that environmental factors are associated with stochastic fluctuations in population density, and biological ones with deterministic regulation. We revisit these ideas in the light of recent work on chaos and nonlinear systems. We show that completely deterministic regulatory factors can lead to apparently random fluctuations in population density, and we then develop a new method (that can be applied to limited data sets) to make practical distinctions between apparently noisy dynamics produced by low-dimensional chaos and population variation that in fact derives from random (high-dimensional)noise, such as environmental stochasticity or sampling error. To show its practical use, the method is first applied to models where the dynamics are known. We then apply the method to several sets of real data, including newly analysed data on the incidence of measles in the United Kingdom. Here the additional problems of secular trends and spatial effects are explored. In particular, we find that on a city-by-city scale measles exhibits low-dimensional chaos (as has previously been found for measles in New York City), whereas on a larger, country-wide scale the dynamics appear as a noisy two-year cycle. In addition to shedding light on the basic dynamics of some nonlinear biological systems, this work dramatizes how the scale on which data is collected and analysed can affect the conclusions drawn.

Amplitudes and Anisotropies at Kinetic Scales in Reflection-Driven Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, B. D. G.; Perez, J. C.

2016-12-01

The dissipation processes in solar-wind turbulence depend critically on the amplitudes and anisotropies of the fluctuations at kinetic scales. For example, the efficiencies of nonlinear dissipation mechanisms such as stochastic heating are a strongly increasing function of the kinetic-scale fluctuation amplitudes. In addition, ``slab-like'' fluctuations that vary most rapidly parallel to the background magnetic field dissipate very differently than ``quasi-2D'' fluctuations that vary most rapidly perpendicular to the magnetic field. Both the amplitudes and anisotropies of the kinetic-scale fluctuations are heavily influenced by the cascade mechanisms and spectral scalings in the inertial range of the turbulence. More precisely, the properties and dynamics of the turbulence within the inertial range (at ``fluid length scales'') to a large extent determine the amplitudes and anisotropies of the fluctuations at the proton kinetic scales, which bound the inertial range from below. In this presentation I will describe recent work by Jean Perez and myself on direct numerical simulations of non-compressive turbulence at ``fluid length scales'' between the Sun and a heliocentric distance of 65 solar radii. These simulations account for the non-WKB reflection of outward-propagating Alfven-wave-like fluctuations. This partial reflection produces Sunward-propagating fluctuations, which interact with the outward-propagating fluctuations to produce turbulence and a cascade of energy from large scales to small scales. I will discuss the relative strength of the parallel and perpendicular energy cascades in our simulations, and the implications of our results for the spatial anisotropies of non-compressive fluctuations at the proton kinetic scales near the Sun. I will also present results on the parallel and perpendicular power spectra of both outward-propagating and inward-propagating Alfven-wave-like fluctuations at different heliocentric distances. I will discuss the implications of these inertial-range spectra for the relative importance of cyclotron heating, stochastic heating, and Landau damping.

Quasi-linear theory of electron density and temperature fluctuations with application to MHD generators and MPD arc thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, M.

1972-01-01

Fluctuations in electron density and temperature coupled through Ohm's law are studied for an ionizable medium. The nonlinear effects are considered in the limit of a third order quasi-linear treatment. Equations are derived for the amplitude of the fluctuation. Conditions under which a steady state can exist in the presence of the fluctuation are examined and effective transport properties are determined. A comparison is made to previously considered second order theory. The effect of third order terms indicates the possibility of fluctuations existing in regions predicted stable by previous analysis.

A Bayesian Retrieval of Greenland Ice Sheet Internal Temperature from Ultra-wideband Software-defined Microwave Radiometer (UWBRAD) Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Y.; Durand, M. T.; Jezek, K. C.; Yardim, C.; Bringer, A.; Aksoy, M.; Johnson, J. T.

2017-12-01

The ultra-wideband software-defined microwave radiometer (UWBRAD) is designed to provide ice sheet internal temperature product via measuring low frequency microwave emission. Twelve channels ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 GHz are covered by the instrument. A Greenland air-borne demonstration was demonstrated in September 2016, provided first demonstration of Ultra-wideband radiometer observations of geophysical scenes, including ice sheets. Another flight is planned for September 2017 for acquiring measurements in central ice sheet. A Bayesian framework is designed to retrieve the ice sheet internal temperature from simulated UWBRAD brightness temperature (Tb) measurements over Greenland flight path with limited prior information of the ground. A 1-D heat-flow model, the Robin Model, was used to model the ice sheet internal temperature profile with ground information. Synthetic UWBRAD Tb observations was generated via the partially coherent radiation transfer model, which utilizes the Robin model temperature profile and an exponential fit of ice density from Borehole measurement as input, and corrupted with noise. The effective surface temperature, geothermal heat flux, the variance of upper layer ice density, and the variance of fine scale density variation at deeper ice sheet were treated as unknown variables within the retrieval framework. Each parameter is defined with its possible range and set to be uniformly distributed. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach is applied to make the unknown parameters randomly walk in the parameter space. We investigate whether the variables can be improved over priors using the MCMC approach and contribute to the temperature retrieval theoretically. UWBRAD measurements near camp century from 2016 was also treated with the MCMC to examine the framework with scattering effect. The fine scale density fluctuation is an important parameter. It is the most sensitive yet highly unknown parameter in the estimation framework. Including the fine scale density fluctuation greatly improved the retrieval results. The ice sheet vertical temperature profile, especially the 10m temperature, can be well retrieved via the MCMC process. Future retrieval work will apply the Bayesian approach to UWBRAD airborne measurements.

Further Progress in Noise Source Identification in High Speed Jets via Causality Principle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Seasholtz, R. G.; Elam, K. A.

2004-01-01

To locate noise sources in high-speed jets, the sound pressure fluctuations p/, measured at far field locations, were correlated with each of density p, axial velocity u, radial velocity v, puu and pvv fluctuations measured from various points in fully expanded, unheated plumes of Mach number 0.95, 1.4 and 1.8. The velocity and density fluctuations were measured simultaneously using a recently developed, non-intrusive, point measurement technique based on molecular Rayleigh scattering (Seasholtz, Panda, and Elam, AIAA Paper 2002-0827). The technique uses a continuous wave, narrow line-width laser, Fabry-Perot interferometer and photon counting electronics. The far field sound pressure fluctuations at 30 to the jet axis provided the highest correlation coefficients with all flow variables. The correlation coefficients decreased sharply with increased microphone polar angle, and beyond about 60 all correlation mostly fell below the experimental noise floor. Among all correlations < puu; p/> showed the highest values. Interestingly, , in all respects, were very similar to . The and correlations with 90deg microphone fell below the noise floor. By moving the laser probe at various locations in the jet it was found that the strongest noise source lies downstream of the end of the potential core and extends many diameters beyond. Correlation measurement from the lip shear layer showed a Mach number dependency. While significant correlations were measured in Mach 1.8 jet, values were mostly below the noise floor for subsonic Mach 0.95 jet. Various additional analyses showed that fluctuations from large organized structures mostly contributed to the measured correlation, while that from small scale structures fell below the noise floor.

Electrostatic and magnetic measurements of turbulence and transport in Extrap T2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Möller, Anders; Sallander, Eva

1999-10-01

Langmuir probe and magnetic pick-up coil measurements are used to study edge turbulence in the Extrap T2 reversed field pinch. Magnetic fluctuations resonant outside the toroidal field reversal surface are observed where previously only fluctuations in the spectra of potential and electron density and temperature have been measured. Results are presented which imply that these fluctuations are coupled to and also correlated to the internally resonant tearing mode fluctuations. Evidence of coupling between low-frequency (<100 kHz) and high-frequency fluctuations is also presented. The normalized floating potential fluctuations are seen to increase with the edge electron temperature. This causes an increase of the potential and density fluctuation driven transport with the temperature which is faster than linear. These results, in combination, are consistent with a picture where internally resonant fluctuations couple to edge fluctuations through radial heat conduction from the stochastic core to the edge.

Alfven resonance mode conversion in the Phaedrus-T current drive experiments: Modelling and density fluctuations measurements

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

Vukovic, M.; Harper, M.; Breun, R.

1995-12-31

Current drive experiments on the Phaedrus-T tokamak performed with a low field side two-strap fast wave antenna at frequencies below {omega}{sub cH} show loop volt drops of up to 30% with strap phasing (0, {pi}/2). RF induced density fluctuations in the plasma core have also been observed with a microwave reflectometer. It is believed that they are caused by kinetic Alfven waves generated by mode conversion of fast waves at the Alfven resonance. Correlation of the observed density fluctuations with the magnitude of the {Delta}V{sub loop} suggest that the {Delta}V{sub loop} is attributable to current drive/heating due to mode convertedmore » kinetic Alfven waves. The toroidal cold plasma wave code LION is used to model the Alfven resonance mode conversion surfaces in the experiments while the cylindrical hot plasma kinetic wave code ISMENE is used to model the behavior of kinetic Alfven waves at the Alfven resonance location. Initial results obtained from limited density, magnetic field, antenna phase, and impurity scans show good agreement between the RF induced density fluctuations and the predicted behavior of the kinetic Alfven waves. Detailed comparisons between the density fluctuations and the code predictions are presented.« less

A molecular Rayleigh scattering setup to measure density fluctuations in thermal boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, J.

2016-12-01

A Rayleigh scattering-based density fluctuation measurement system was set up inside a low-speed wind tunnel of NASA Ames Research Center. The immediate goal was to study the thermal boundary layer on a heated flat plate. A large number of obstacles had to be overcome to set up the system, such as the removal of dust particles using air filters, the use of photoelectron counting electronics to measure low intensity light, an optical layout to minimize stray light contamination, the reduction in tunnel vibration, and an expanded calibration process to relate photoelectron arrival rate to air density close to the plate surface. To measure spectra of turbulent density fluctuations, a two-PMT cross-correlation system was used to minimize the shot noise floor. To validate the Rayleigh measurements, temperature fluctuations spectra were calculated from density spectra and then compared with temperature spectra measured with a cold-wire probe operated in constant current mode. The spectra from the downstream half of the plate were found to be in good agreement with cold-wire probe, whereas spectra from the leading edge differed. Various lessons learnt are discussed. It is believed that the present effort is the first measurement of density fluctuations spectra in a boundary layer flow.

Statistics of cosmic density profiles from perturbation theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardeau, Francis; Pichon, Christophe; Codis, Sandrine

2014-11-01

The joint probability distribution function (PDF) of the density within multiple concentric spherical cells is considered. It is shown how its cumulant generating function can be obtained at tree order in perturbation theory as the Legendre transform of a function directly built in terms of the initial moments. In the context of the upcoming generation of large-scale structure surveys, it is conjectured that this result correctly models such a function for finite values of the variance. Detailed consequences of this assumption are explored. In particular the corresponding one-cell density probability distribution at finite variance is computed for realistic power spectra, taking into account its scale variation. It is found to be in agreement with Λ -cold dark matter simulations at the few percent level for a wide range of density values and parameters. Related explicit analytic expansions at the low and high density tails are given. The conditional (at fixed density) and marginal probability of the slope—the density difference between adjacent cells—and its fluctuations is also computed from the two-cell joint PDF; it also compares very well to simulations. It is emphasized that this could prove useful when studying the statistical properties of voids as it can serve as a statistical indicator to test gravity models and/or probe key cosmological parameters.

Molecular Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Dynamic Temperature, Velocity, and Density Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mielke, Amy R.; Elam, Kristie A.; Sung, Chi-Jen

2006-01-01

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is developed to measure dynamic gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded turbulent flows at sampling rates up to 16 kHz. A high power CW laser beam is focused at a point in an air jet plume and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and spectrally resolved. The spectrum of the light, which contains information about the temperature and velocity of the flow, is analyzed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The circular interference fringe pattern is divided into four concentric regions and sampled at 1 and 16 kHz using photon counting electronics. Monitoring the relative change in intensity within each region allows for measurement of gas temperature and velocity. Independently monitoring the total scattered light intensity provides a measure of gas density. A low speed heated jet is used to validate the measurement of temperature fluctuations and an acoustically excited nozzle flow is studied to validate velocity fluctuation measurements. Power spectral density calculations of the property fluctuations, as well as mean and fluctuating quantities are presented. Temperature fluctuation results are compared with constant current anemometry measurements and velocity fluctuation results are compared with constant temperature anemometry measurements at the same locations.

Direct evidence of double-slope power spectra in the high-latitude ionospheric plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spicher, A.; Miloch, W. J.; Moen, J. I.

2014-03-01

We report direct observations of the double-slope power spectra for plasma irregularities in the F layer of the polar ionosphere. The investigation of cusp irregularities ICI-2 sounding rocket, which was launched into the polar cusp ionosphere, intersected enhanced plasma density regions with decameter-scale irregularities. Density measurements at unprecedented high resolution with multi-Needle Langmuir Probes allowed for a detailed study of the plasma irregularities down to kinetic scales. Spectral analysis reveals double-slope power spectra for regions of enhanced fluctuations associated mainly with density gradients, with the steepening of the spectra occurring close to the oxygen gyrofrequency. These findings are further supported with the first results from the ICI-3 rocket, which flew through regions with strong precipitation and velocity shears. Previously, double-slope spectra have been observed in the equatorial ionosphere. The present work gives a direct evidence that the double-slope power spectra can be common in the high-latitude ionosphere.

Macrogenomic engineering via modulation of the scaling of chromatin packing density.

PubMed

Almassalha, Luay M; Bauer, Greta M; Wu, Wenli; Cherkezyan, Lusik; Zhang, Di; Kendra, Alexis; Gladstein, Scott; Chandler, John E; VanDerway, David; Seagle, Brandon-Luke L; Ugolkov, Andrey; Billadeau, Daniel D; O'Halloran, Thomas V; Mazar, Andrew P; Roy, Hemant K; Szleifer, Igal; Shahabi, Shohreh; Backman, Vadim

2017-11-01

Many human diseases result from the dysregulation of the complex interactions between tens to thousands of genes. However, approaches for the transcriptional modulation of many genes simultaneously in a predictive manner are lacking. Here, through the combination of simulations, systems modelling and in vitro experiments, we provide a physical regulatory framework based on chromatin packing-density heterogeneity for modulating the genomic information space. Because transcriptional interactions are essentially chemical reactions, they depend largely on the local physical nanoenvironment. We show that the regulation of the chromatin nanoenvironment allows for the predictable modulation of global patterns in gene expression. In particular, we show that the rational modulation of chromatin density fluctuations can lead to a decrease in global transcriptional activity and intercellular transcriptional heterogeneity in cancer cells during chemotherapeutic responses to achieve near-complete cancer cell killing in vitro. Our findings represent a 'macrogenomic engineering' approach to modulating the physical structure of chromatin for whole-scale transcriptional modulation.

Growth of Cosmic Structure: Probing Dark Energy Beyond Expansion

DOE PAGES

Huterer, Dragan; Kirkby, David; Bean, Rachel; ...

2014-03-15

The quantity and quality of cosmic structure observations have greatly accelerated in recent years, and further leaps forward will be facilitated by imminent projects. These will enable us to map the evolution of dark and baryonic matter density fluctuations over cosmic history. The way that these fluctuations vary over space and time is sensitive to several pieces of fundamental physics: the primordial perturbations generated by GUT-scale physics; neutrino masses and interactions; the nature of dark matter and dark energy. We focus on the last of these here: the ways that combining probes of growth with those of the cosmic expansionmore » such as distance-redshift relations will pin down the mechanism driving the acceleration of the Universe.« less

Growth of Cosmic Structure: Probing Dark Energy Beyond Expansion

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

Huterer, Dragan; Kirkby, David; Bean, Rachel

The quantity and quality of cosmic structure observations have greatly accelerated in recent years, and further leaps forward will be facilitated by imminent projects. These will enable us to map the evolution of dark and baryonic matter density fluctuations over cosmic history. The way that these fluctuations vary over space and time is sensitive to several pieces of fundamental physics: the primordial perturbations generated by GUT-scale physics; neutrino masses and interactions; the nature of dark matter and dark energy. We focus on the last of these here: the ways that combining probes of growth with those of the cosmic expansionmore » such as distance-redshift relations will pin down the mechanism driving the acceleration of the Universe.« less

Origin of density fluctuations in extended inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolb, Edward W.; Salopek, David S.; Turner, Michael S.

1990-01-01

The density fluctuations (both curvature and isocurvature) that arise due to quantum fluctuations in a simple model of extended inflation based upon the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory are calculated. Curvature fluctuations arise due to quantum fluctuations in the Brans-Dicke field, in general have a nonscale-invariant spectrum, and can have an amplitude that is cosmologically acceptable and interesting without having to tune any coupling constant to a very small value. The density perturbations that arise due to the inflation field are subdominant. If there are other massless fields in the theory, e.g., an axion or an ilion, then isocurvature fluctuations arise in these fields too. Production of gravitational waves and the massless particles associated with excitations of the Brans-Dicke field are also discussed. Several attempts at more realistic models of extended inflation are also analyzed. The importance of the Einstein conformal frame in calculating curvature fluctuations is emphasized. When viewed in this frame, extended inflation closely resembles slow-rollover inflation with an exponential potential and the usual formula for the amplitude of curvature perturbations applies.

The dark side of cosmology: dark matter and dark energy.

PubMed

Spergel, David N

2015-03-06

A simple model with only six parameters (the age of the universe, the density of atoms, the density of matter, the amplitude of the initial fluctuations, the scale dependence of this amplitude, and the epoch of first star formation) fits all of our cosmological data . Although simple, this standard model is strange. The model implies that most of the matter in our Galaxy is in the form of "dark matter," a new type of particle not yet detected in the laboratory, and most of the energy in the universe is in the form of "dark energy," energy associated with empty space. Both dark matter and dark energy require extensions to our current understanding of particle physics or point toward a breakdown of general relativity on cosmological scales. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Structure of Dark Matter Halos in Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkert, A.

1995-07-01

Recent observations indicate that dark matter halos have flat central density profiles. Cosmological simulations with nonbaryonic dark matter, however, predict self-similar halos with central density cusps. This contradiction has lead to the conclusion that dark matter must be baryonic. Here it is shown that the dark matter halos of dwarf spiral galaxies represent a one-parameter family with self-similar density profiles. The observed global halo parameters are coupled with each other through simple scaling relations which can be explained by the standard cold dark matter model if one assumes that all the halos formed from density fluctuations with the same primordial amplitude. We find that the finite central halo densities correlate with the other global parameters. This result rules out scenarios where the flat halo cores formed subsequently through violent dynamical processes in the baryonic component. These cores instead provide important information on the origin and nature of dark matter in dwarf galaxies.

The most intense current sheets in the high-speed solar wind near 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podesta, John J.

2017-03-01

Electric currents in the solar wind plasma are investigated using 92 ms fluxgate magnetometer data acquired in a high-speed stream near 1 AU. The minimum resolvable scale is roughly 0.18 s in the spacecraft frame or, using Taylor's "frozen turbulence" approximation, one proton inertial length di in the plasma frame. A new way of identifying current sheets is developed that utilizes a proxy for the current density J obtained from the derivatives of the three orthogonal components of the observed magnetic field B. The most intense currents are identified as 5σ events, where σ is the standard deviation of the current density. The observed 5σ events are characterized by an average scale size of approximately 3di along the flow direction of the solar wind, a median separation of around 50di or 100di along the flow direction of the solar wind, and a peak current density on the order of 0.5 pA/cm2. The associated current-carrying structures are consistent with current sheets; however, the planar geometry of these structures cannot be confirmed using single-point, single-spacecraft measurements. If Taylor's hypothesis continues to hold for the energetically dominant fluctuations at kinetic scales 1

Density Fluctuations in the Solar Wind Driven by Alfvén Wave Parametric Decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, Trevor A.; Badman, Samuel; Hellinger, Petr; Bale, Stuart D.

2018-02-01

Measurements and simulations of inertial compressive turbulence in the solar wind are characterized by anti-correlated magnetic fluctuations parallel to the mean field and density structures. This signature has been interpreted as observational evidence for non-propagating pressure balanced structures, kinetic ion-acoustic waves, as well as the MHD slow-mode. Given the high damping rates of parallel propagating compressive fluctuations, their ubiquity in satellite observations is surprising and suggestive of a local driving process. One possible candidate for the generation of compressive fluctuations in the solar wind is the Alfvén wave parametric instability. Here, we test the parametric decay process as a source of compressive waves in the solar wind by comparing the collisionless damping rates of compressive fluctuations with growth rates of the parametric decay instability daughter waves. Our results suggest that generation of compressive waves through parametric decay is overdamped at 1 au, but that the presence of slow-mode-like density fluctuations is correlated with the parametric decay of Alfvén waves.

Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs

DOE PAGES

Rorai, Alberto; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Oñorbe, Jose; ...

2017-04-28

The distribution of diffuse gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) imprints a series of hydrogen absorption lines on the spectra of distant background quasars known as the Lyman-α forest. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations predict that IGM density fluctuations are suppressed below a characteristic scale where thermal pressure balances gravity. We measured this pressure-smoothing scale by quantifying absorption correlations in a sample of close quasar pairs. We compared our measurements to hydrodynamical simulations, where pressure smoothing is determined by the integrated thermal history of the IGM. Lastly, our findings are consistent with standard models for photoionization heating by the ultraviolet radiation backgroundsmore » that reionized the universe.« less

Cross-sectional fluctuation scaling in the high-frequency illiquidity of Chinese stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Qing; Gao, Xing-Lu; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Stanley, H. Eugene

2018-03-01

Taylor's law of temporal and ensemble fluctuation scaling has been ubiquitously observed in diverse complex systems including financial markets. Stock illiquidity is an important nonadditive financial quantity, which is found to comply with Taylor's temporal fluctuation scaling law. In this paper, we perform the cross-sectional analysis of the 1 min high-frequency illiquidity time series of Chinese stocks and unveil the presence of Taylor's law of ensemble fluctuation scaling. The estimated daily Taylor scaling exponent fluctuates around 1.442. We find that Taylor's scaling exponents of stock illiquidity do not relate to the ensemble mean and ensemble variety of returns. Our analysis uncovers a new scaling law of financial markets and might stimulate further investigations for a better understanding of financial markets' dynamics.

Scale dependence of the alignment between strain rate and rotation in turbulent shear flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiscaletti, D.; Elsinga, G. E.; Attili, A.; Bisetti, F.; Buxton, O. R. H.

2016-10-01

The scale dependence of the statistical alignment tendencies of the eigenvectors of the strain-rate tensor ei, with the vorticity vector ω , is examined in the self-preserving region of a planar turbulent mixing layer. Data from a direct numerical simulation are filtered at various length scales and the probability density functions of the magnitude of the alignment cosines between the two unit vectors | ei.ω ̂| are examined. It is observed that the alignment tendencies are insensitive to the concurrent large-scale velocity fluctuations, but are quantitatively affected by the nature of the concurrent large-scale velocity-gradient fluctuations. It is confirmed that the small-scale (local) vorticity vector is preferentially aligned in parallel with the large-scale (background) extensive strain-rate eigenvector e1, in contrast to the global tendency for ω to be aligned in parallel with the intermediate strain-rate eigenvector [Hamlington et al., Phys. Fluids 20, 111703 (2008), 10.1063/1.3021055]. When only data from regions of the flow that exhibit strong swirling are included, the so-called high-enstrophy worms, the alignment tendencies are exaggerated with respect to the global picture. These findings support the notion that the production of enstrophy, responsible for a net cascade of turbulent kinetic energy from large scales to small scales, is driven by vorticity stretching due to the preferential parallel alignment between ω and nonlocal e1 and that the strongly swirling worms are kinematically significant to this process.

Isocurvature cold dark matter fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Efstathiou, G.; Bond, J. R.

1986-01-01

According to Preskill et al. (1983), the axion field represents a particularly attractive candidate for the dark matter in the universe. In many respects it behaves like other forms of cold dark matter, such as massive gravitinos, photinos, and monopoles. It is, however, a pseudo-Goldstone boson of very low mass, and it is only because of rapid coherent oscillations of the field that it can dominate the mass density of the universe. In the present paper it is assumed that the isocurvature mode is dominant. The linear evolution calculations conducted do not depend upon specific details of particle physics. For this reason, the conducted discussion is applicable to any cold dark matter model with isocurvature perturbations. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that scale-invariant isocurvature perturbations do not seem an attractive possibility for the origin of large-scale structure. The findings strengthen the review that primordial adiabatic perturbations were the dominant fluctuations in the early stages of the Big Bang.

Scale invariance and universality in economic phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, H. E.; Amaral, L. A. N.; Gopikrishnan, P.; Plerou, V.; Salinger, M. A.

2002-03-01

This paper discusses some of the similarities between work being done by economists and by computational physicists seeking to contribute to economics. We also mention some of the differences in the approaches taken and seek to justify these different approaches by developing the argument that by approaching the same problem from different points of view, new results might emerge. In particular, we review two such new results. Specifically, we discuss the two newly discovered scaling results that appear to be `universal', in the sense that they hold for widely different economies as well as for different time periods: (i) the fluctuation of price changes of any stock market is characterized by a probability density function, which is a simple power law with exponent -4 extending over 102 standard deviations (a factor of 108 on the y-axis); this result is analogous to the Gutenberg-Richter power law describing the histogram of earthquakes of a given strength; (ii) for a wide range of economic organizations, the histogram that shows how size of organization is inversely correlated to fluctuations in size with an exponent ≈0.2. Neither of these two new empirical laws has a firm theoretical foundation. We also discuss results that are reminiscent of phase transitions in spin systems, where the divergent behaviour of the response function at the critical point (zero magnetic field) leads to large fluctuations. We discuss a curious `symmetry breaking' for values of Σ above a certain threshold value Σc here Σ is defined to be the local first moment of the probability distribution of demand Ω - the difference between the number of shares traded in buyer-initiated and seller-initiated trades. This feature is qualitatively identical to the behaviour of the probability density of the magnetization for fixed values of the inverse temperature.

Statistics of actin-propelled trajectories in noisy environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Fu-Lai; Chen, Hsuan-Yi; Leung, Kwan-tai

2016-06-01

Actin polymerization is ubiquitously utilized to power the locomotion of eukaryotic cells and pathogenic bacteria in living systems. Inevitably, actin polymerization and depolymerization proceed in a fluctuating environment that renders the locomotion stochastic. Previously, we have introduced a deterministic model that manages to reproduce actin-propelled trajectories in experiments, but not to address fluctuations around them. To remedy this, here we supplement the deterministic model with noise terms. It enables us to compute the effects of fluctuating actin density and forces on the trajectories. Specifically, the mean-squared displacement (MSD) of the trajectories is computed and found to show a super-ballistic scaling with an exponent 3 in the early stage, followed by a crossover to a normal, diffusive scaling of exponent 1 in the late stage. For open-end trajectories such as straights and S-shaped curves, the time of crossover matches the decay time of orientational order of the velocities along trajectories, suggesting that it is the spreading of velocities that leads to the crossover. We show that the super-ballistic scaling of MSD arises from the initial, linearly increasing correlation of velocities, before time translational symmetry is established. When the spreading of velocities reaches a steady state in the long-time limit, short-range correlation then yields a diffusive scaling in MSD. In contrast, close-loop trajectories like circles exhibit localized periodic motion, which inhibits spreading. The initial super-ballistic scaling of MSD arises from velocity correlation that both linearly increases and oscillates in time. Finally, we find that the above statistical features of the trajectories transcend the nature of noises, be it additive or multiplicative, and generalize to other self-propelled systems that are not necessarily actin based.

Evolution of the phase-space density and the Jeans scale for dark matter derived from the Vlasov-Einstein equation

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

Piattella, O.F.; Rodrigues, D.C.; Fabris, J.C.

2013-11-01

We discuss solutions of Vlasov-Einstein equation for collisionless dark matter particles in the context of a flat Friedmann universe. We show that, after decoupling from the primordial plasma, the dark matter phase-space density indicator Q = ρ/(σ{sub 1D}{sup 2}){sup 3/2} remains constant during the expansion of the universe, prior to structure formation. This well known result is valid for non-relativistic particles and is not ''observer dependent'' as in solutions derived from the Vlasov-Poisson system. In the linear regime, the inclusion of velocity dispersion effects permits to define a physical Jeans length for collisionless matter as function of the primordial phase-spacemore » density indicator: λ{sub J} = (5π/G){sup 1/2}Q{sup −1/3}ρ{sub dm}{sup −1/6}. The comoving Jeans wavenumber at matter-radiation equality is smaller by a factor of 2-3 than the comoving wavenumber due to free-streaming, contributing to the cut-off of the density fluctuation power spectrum at the lowest scales. We discuss the physical differences between these two scales. For dark matter particles of mass equal to 200 GeV, the derived Jeans mass is 4.3 × 10{sup −6}M{sub ⊙}.« less

Constraints for proton structure fluctuations from exclusive scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mäntysaari, H.; Schenke, B.

2017-08-01

We constrain the average density profile of the proton and the amount of event-by-event fluctuations by simultaneously calculating the coherent and incoherent exclusive diffractive vector meson production cross section in deep inelastic scattering. Working within the Color Glass Condensate picture, we find that the gluonic density of the proton must have large geometric fluctuations in order to describe the experimentally measured large incoherent cross section.

Multiscale gyrokinetics for rotating tokamak plasmas: fluctuations, transport and energy flows.

PubMed

Abel, I G; Plunk, G G; Wang, E; Barnes, M; Cowley, S C; Dorland, W; Schekochihin, A A

2013-11-01

This paper presents a complete theoretical framework for studying turbulence and transport in rapidly rotating tokamak plasmas. The fundamental scale separations present in plasma turbulence are codified as an asymptotic expansion in the ratio ε = ρi/α of the gyroradius to the equilibrium scale length. Proceeding order by order in this expansion, a set of coupled multiscale equations is developed. They describe an instantaneous equilibrium, the fluctuations driven by gradients in the equilibrium quantities, and the transport-timescale evolution of mean profiles of these quantities driven by the interplay between the equilibrium and the fluctuations. The equilibrium distribution functions are local Maxwellians with each flux surface rotating toroidally as a rigid body. The magnetic equilibrium is obtained from the generalized Grad-Shafranov equation for a rotating plasma, determining the magnetic flux function from the mean pressure and velocity profiles of the plasma. The slow (resistive-timescale) evolution of the magnetic field is given by an evolution equation for the safety factor q. Large-scale deviations of the distribution function from a Maxwellian are given by neoclassical theory. The fluctuations are determined by the 'high-flow' gyrokinetic equation, from which we derive the governing principle for gyrokinetic turbulence in tokamaks: the conservation and local (in space) cascade of the free energy of the fluctuations (i.e. there is no turbulence spreading). Transport equations for the evolution of the mean density, temperature and flow velocity profiles are derived. These transport equations show how the neoclassical and fluctuating corrections to the equilibrium Maxwellian act back upon the mean profiles through fluxes and heating. The energy and entropy conservation laws for the mean profiles are derived from the transport equations. Total energy, thermal, kinetic and magnetic, is conserved and there is no net turbulent heating. Entropy is produced by the action of fluxes flattening gradients, Ohmic heating and the equilibration of interspecies temperature differences. This equilibration is found to include both turbulent and collisional contributions. Finally, this framework is condensed, in the low-Mach-number limit, to a more concise set of equations suitable for numerical implementation.

Radiative transfer in scattering stochastic atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silant'ev, N. A.; Alekseeva, G. A.; Novikov, V. V.

2017-12-01

Many stars, active galactic nuclei, accretion discs etc. are affected by the stochastic variations of temperature, turbulent gas motions, magnetic fields, number densities of atoms and dust grains. These stochastic variations influence on the extinction factors, Doppler widths of lines and so on. The presence of many reasons for fluctuations gives rise to Gaussian distribution of fluctuations. The usual models leave out of account the fluctuations. In many cases the consideration of fluctuations improves the coincidence of theoretical values with the observed data. The objective of this paper is the investigation of the influence of the number density fluctuations on the form of radiative transfer equations. We consider non-magnetized atmosphere in continuum.

Analysis of fluctuations in semiconductor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrei, Petru

The random nature of ion implantation and diffusion processes as well as inevitable tolerances in fabrication result in random fluctuations of doping concentrations and oxide thickness in semiconductor devices. These fluctuations are especially pronounced in ultrasmall (nanoscale) semiconductor devices when the spatial scale of doping and oxide thickness variations become comparable with the geometric dimensions of devices. In the dissertation, the effects of these fluctuations on device characteristics are analyzed by using a new technique for the analysis of random doping and oxide thickness induced fluctuations. This technique is universal in nature in the sense that it is applicable to any transport model (drift-diffusion, semiclassical transport, quantum transport etc.) and it can be naturally extended to take into account random fluctuations of the oxide (trapped) charges and channel length. The technique is based on linearization of the transport equations with respect to the fluctuating quantities. It is computationally much (a few orders of magnitude) more efficient than the traditional Monte-Carlo approach and it yields information on the sensitivity of fluctuations of parameters of interest (e.g. threshold voltage, small-signal parameters, cut-off frequencies, etc.) to the locations of doping and oxide thickness fluctuations. For this reason, it can be very instrumental in the design of fluctuation-resistant structures of semiconductor devices. Quantum mechanical effects are taken into account by using the density-gradient model as well as through self-consistent Poisson-Schrodinger computations. Special attention is paid to the presenting of the technique in a form that is suitable for implementation on commercial device simulators. The numerical implementation of the technique is discussed in detail and numerous computational results are presented and compared with those previously published in literature.

Evolving Waves and Turbulence in the Outer Corona and Inner Heliosphere: The Accelerating Expanding Box

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenerani, Anna; Velli, Marco

2017-07-01

Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind display many properties reflecting an ongoing nonlinear cascade, e.g., a well-defined spectrum in frequency, together with some characteristics more commonly associated with the linear propagation of waves from the Sun, such as the variation of fluctuation amplitude with distance, dominated by solar wind expansion effects. Therefore, both nonlinearities and expansion must be included simultaneously in any successful model of solar wind turbulence evolution. Because of the disparate spatial scales involved, direct numerical simulations of turbulence in the solar wind represent an arduous task, especially if one wants to go beyond the incompressible approximation. Indeed, most simulations neglect solar wind expansion effects entirely. Here we develop a numerical model to simulate turbulent fluctuations from the outer corona to 1 au and beyond, including the sub-Alfvénic corona. The accelerating expanding box (AEB) extends the validity of previous expanding box models by taking into account both the acceleration of the solar wind and the inhomogeneity of background density and magnetic field. Our method incorporates a background accelerating wind within a magnetic field that naturally follows the Parker spiral evolution using a two-scale analysis in which the macroscopic spatial effect coupling fluctuations with background gradients becomes a time-dependent coupling term in a homogeneous box. In this paper we describe the AEB model in detail and discuss its main properties, illustrating its validity by studying Alfvén wave propagation across the Alfvén critical point.

Linear and non-linear bias: predictions versus measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, K.; Bel, J.; Gaztañaga, E.

2017-02-01

We study the linear and non-linear bias parameters which determine the mapping between the distributions of galaxies and the full matter density fields, comparing different measurements and predictions. Associating galaxies with dark matter haloes in the Marenostrum Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (MICE) Grand Challenge N-body simulation, we directly measure the bias parameters by comparing the smoothed density fluctuations of haloes and matter in the same region at different positions as a function of smoothing scale. Alternatively, we measure the bias parameters by matching the probability distributions of halo and matter density fluctuations, which can be applied to observations. These direct bias measurements are compared to corresponding measurements from two-point and different third-order correlations, as well as predictions from the peak-background model, which we presented in previous papers using the same data. We find an overall variation of the linear bias measurements and predictions of ˜5 per cent with respect to results from two-point correlations for different halo samples with masses between ˜1012and1015 h-1 M⊙ at the redshifts z = 0.0 and 0.5. Variations between the second- and third-order bias parameters from the different methods show larger variations, but with consistent trends in mass and redshift. The various bias measurements reveal a tight relation between the linear and the quadratic bias parameters, which is consistent with results from the literature based on simulations with different cosmologies. Such a universal relation might improve constraints on cosmological models, derived from second-order clustering statistics at small scales or higher order clustering statistics.

Fluctuation scaling in the visual cortex at threshold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medina, José M.; Díaz, José A.

2016-05-01

Fluctuation scaling relates trial-to-trial variability to the average response by a power function in many physical processes. Here we address whether fluctuation scaling holds in sensory psychophysics and its functional role in visual processing. We report experimental evidence of fluctuation scaling in human color vision and form perception at threshold. Subjects detected thresholds in a psychophysical masking experiment that is considered a standard reference for studying suppression between neurons in the visual cortex. For all subjects, the analysis of threshold variability that results from the masking task indicates that fluctuation scaling is a global property that modulates detection thresholds with a scaling exponent that departs from 2, β =2.48 ±0.07 . We also examine a generalized version of fluctuation scaling between the sample kurtosis K and the sample skewness S of threshold distributions. We find that K and S are related and follow a unique quadratic form K =(1.19 ±0.04 ) S2+(2.68 ±0.06 ) that departs from the expected 4/3 power function regime. A random multiplicative process with weak additive noise is proposed based on a Langevin-type equation. The multiplicative process provides a unifying description of fluctuation scaling and the quadratic S -K relation and is related to on-off intermittency in sensory perception. Our findings provide an insight into how the human visual system interacts with the external environment. The theoretical methods open perspectives for investigating fluctuation scaling and intermittency effects in a wide variety of natural, economic, and cognitive phenomena.

Reverse flow events and small-scale effects in the cusp ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spicher, A.; Ilyasov, A. A.; Miloch, W. J.; Chernyshov, A. A.; Clausen, L. B. N.; Moen, J. I.; Abe, T.; Saito, Y.

2016-10-01

We report in situ measurements of plasma irregularities associated with a reverse flow event (RFE) in the cusp F region ionosphere. The Investigation of Cusp Irregularities 3 (ICI-3) sounding rocket, while flying through a RFE, encountered several regions with density irregularities down to meter scales. We address in detail the region with the most intense small-scale fluctuations in both the density and in the AC electric field, which were observed on the equatorward edge of a flow shear, and coincided with a double-humped jet of fast flow. Due to its long-wavelength and low-frequency character, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) alone cannot be the source of the observed irregularities. Using ICI-3 data as inputs, we perform a numerical stability analysis of the inhomogeneous energy-density-driven instability (IEDDI) and demonstrate that it can excite electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in a wide range of wave numbers and frequencies for the electric field configuration observed in that region, which can give rise to the observed small-scale turbulence. The IEDDI can seed as a secondary process on steepened vortices created by a primary KHI. Such an interplay between macroprocesses and microprocesses could be an important mechanism for ion heating in relation to RFEs.

Collisionality dependence and ion species effects on heat transport in He and H plasma, and the role of ion scale turbulence in LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, K.; Nagaoka, K.; Murakami, S.; Takahashi, H.; Osakabe, M.; Yokoyama, M.; Seki, R.; Michael, C. A.; Yamaguchi, H.; Suzuki, C.; Shimizu, A.; Tokuzawa, T.; Yoshinuma, M.; Akiyama, T.; Ida, K.; Yamada, I.; Yasuhara, R.; Funaba, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Yamada, H.; Du, X. D.; Vyacheslavov, L. N.; Mikkelsen, D. R.; Yun, G. S.; the LHD Experimental Group

2017-11-01

Surveys of the ion and electron heat transports of neutral beam (NB) heating plasma were carried out by power balance analysis in He and H rich plasma at LHD. Collisionality was scanned by changing density and heating power. The characteristics of the transport vary depending on collisionality. In low collisionality, with low density and high heating power, an ion internal transport barrier (ITB) was formed. The ion heat conductivity (χ i) is lower than electron heat conductivity (χ e) in the core region at ρ  <  0.7. On the other hand, in high collisionality, with high density and low heating power, χ i is higher than χ e across the entire range of plasma. These different confinement regimes are associated with different fluctuation characteristics. In ion ITB, fluctuation has a peak at ρ  =  0.7, and in normal confinement, fluctuation has a peak at ρ  =  1.0. The two confinement modes change gradually depending on the collisionality. Scans of concentration ratio between He and H were also performed. The ion confinement improvements were investigated using gyro-Bohm normalization, taking account of the effective mass and charge. The concentration ratio affected the normalized χ i only in the edge region (ρ ~ 1.0). This indicates ion species effects vary depending on collisionality. Turbulence was modulated by the fast ion loss instability. The modulation of turbulence is higher in H rich than in He rich plasma.

Are ultracompact minihalos really ultracompact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delos, M. Sten; Erickcek, Adrienne L.; Bailey, Avery P.; Alvarez, Marcelo A.

2018-02-01

Ultracompact minihalos (UCMHs) have emerged as a valuable probe of the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations at small scales. UCMHs are expected to form at early times in regions with δ ρ /ρ ≳10-3 , and they are theorized to possess an extremely compact ρ ∝r-9 /4 radial density profile, which enhances their observable signatures. Nonobservation of UCMHs can thus constrain the primordial power spectrum. Using N -body simulations to study the collapse of extreme density peaks at z ≃1000 , we show that UCMHs forming under realistic conditions do not develop the ρ ∝r-9 /4 profile and instead develop either ρ ∝r-3 /2 or ρ ∝r-1 inner density profiles depending on the shape of the power spectrum. We also demonstrate via idealized simulations that self-similarity—the absence of a scale length—is necessary to produce a halo with the ρ ∝r-9 /4 profile, and we argue that this implies such halos cannot form from a Gaussian primordial density field. Prior constraints derived from UCMH nonobservation must be reworked in light of this discovery. Although the shallower density profile reduces UCMH visibility, our findings reduce their signal by as little as O (10-2) while allowing later-forming halos to be considered, which suggests that new constraints could be significantly stronger.

Fluctuations and intermittent poloidal transport in a simple toroidal plasma

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

Goud, T. S.; Ganesh, R.; Saxena, Y. C.

In a simple magnetized toroidal plasma, fluctuation induced poloidal flux is found to be significant in magnitude. The probability distribution function of the fluctuation induced poloidal flux is observed to be strongly non-Gaussian in nature; however, in some cases, the distribution shows good agreement with the analytical form [Carreras et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2664 (1996)], assuming a coupling between the near Gaussian density and poloidal velocity fluctuations. The observed non-Gaussian nature of the fluctuation induced poloidal flux and other plasma parameters such as density and fluctuating poloidal velocity in this device is due to intermittent and bursty nature ofmore » poloidal transport. In the simple magnetized torus used here, such an intermittent fluctuation induced poloidal flux is found to play a crucial role in generating the poloidal flow.« less

The microphysics and macrophysics of cosmic rays

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

Zweibel, Ellen G.

2013-05-15

This review paper commemorates a century of cosmic ray research, with emphasis on the plasma physics aspects. Cosmic rays comprise only ∼10{sup −9} of interstellar particles by number, but collectively their energy density is about equal to that of the thermal particles. They are confined by the Galactic magnetic field and well scattered by small scale magnetic fluctuations, which couple them to the local rest frame of the thermal fluid. Scattering isotropizes the cosmic rays and allows them to exchange momentum and energy with the background medium. I will review a theory for how the fluctuations which scatter the cosmicmore » rays can be generated by the cosmic rays themselves through a microinstability excited by their streaming. A quasilinear treatment of the cosmic ray–wave interaction then leads to a fluid model of cosmic rays with both advection and diffusion by the background medium and momentum and energy deposition by the cosmic rays. This fluid model admits cosmic ray modified shocks, large scale cosmic ray driven instabilities, cosmic ray heating of the thermal gas, and cosmic ray driven galactic winds. If the fluctuations were extrinsic turbulence driven by some other mechanism, the cosmic ray background coupling would be entirely different. Which picture holds depends largely on the nature of turbulence in the background medium.« less

Statistical moments in superposition models and strongly intensive measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broniowski, Wojciech; Olszewski, Adam

2017-06-01

First, we present a concise glossary of formulas for composition of standard, cumulant, factorial, and factorial cumulant moments in superposition (compound) models, where final particles are created via independent emission from a collection of sources. Explicit mathematical formulas for the composed moments are given to all orders. We discuss the composition laws for various types of moments via the generating-function methods and list the formulas for the unfolding of the unwanted fluctuations. Second, the technique is applied to the difference of the scaled multiplicities of two particle types. This allows for a systematic derivation and a simple algebraic interpretation of the so-called strongly intensive fluctuation measures. With the help of the formalism we obtain several new strongly intensive measures involving higher-rank moments. The reviewed as well as the new results may be useful in investigations of mechanisms of particle production and event-by-event fluctuations in high-energy nuclear and hadronic collisions, and in particular in the search for signatures of the QCD phase transition at a finite baryon density.

The inner mass power spectrum of galaxies using strong gravitational lensing: beyond linear approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Saikat; Koopmans, Léon V. E.

2018-02-01

In the last decade, the detection of individual massive dark matter sub-haloes has been possible using potential correction formalism in strong gravitational lens imaging. Here, we propose a statistical formalism to relate strong gravitational lens surface brightness anomalies to the lens potential fluctuations arising from dark matter distribution in the lens galaxy. We consider these fluctuations as a Gaussian random field in addition to the unperturbed smooth lens model. This is very similar to weak lensing formalism and we show that in this way we can measure the power spectrum of these perturbations to the potential. We test the method by applying it to simulated mock lenses of different geometries and by performing an MCMC analysis of the theoretical power spectra. This method can measure density fluctuations in early type galaxies on scales of 1-10 kpc at typical rms levels of a per cent, using a single lens system observed with the Hubble Space Telescope with typical signal-to-noise ratios obtained in a single orbit.

A combined phase contrast imaging-interferometer system for the detection of multiscale density fluctuations on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, E. M.; Rost, J. C.; Porkolab, M.; Marinoni, A.; van Zeeland, M. A.

2016-10-01

A heterodyne interferometer channel has been added to the DIII-D phase contrast imaging (PCI) system. Both measurements share a single 10.6 μm probe beam. Whereas the PCI excels at detecting medium- to high- k fluctuations (1.5 cm-1 <= k <= 20 cm-1), the interferometer extends the system sensitivity to low- k fluctuations (k <= 5 cm-1), allowing simultaneous measurement of electron- and ion-scale instabilities with sub-microsecond resolution. Further, correlating measurements from the interferometer channel with those from DIII-D's pre-existing, toroidally separated interferometer (Δ∅ = 45°) allows identification of low- n modes. This new capability has been corroborated against magnetic measurements and may allow novel investigations of core - localized MHD that is otherwise inaccessible via external magnetic measurements, with potential applications to fast particle transport and disruptions. Work supported by USDOE under DE-FG02-94ER54235, DE-FC02-04ER54698, and DE-FC02-99ER54512.

Enhancement of the finite-frequency superfluid response in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered superconducting films

PubMed Central

Mondal, Mintu; Kamlapure, Anand; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Jesudasan, John; Bagwe, Vivas; Benfatto, Lara; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-01-01

The persistence of a soft gap in the density of states above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the pseudogap, has long been thought to be a hallmark of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, in the last few years this paradigm has been strongly revised by increasing experimental evidence for the emergence of a pseudogap state in strongly-disordered conventional superconductors. Nonetheless, the nature of this state, probed primarily through scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements, remains partly elusive. Here we show that the dynamic response above Tc, obtained from the complex ac conductivity, is highly modified in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered NbN films. Below the pseudogap temperature, T*, the superfluid stiffness acquires a strong frequency dependence associated with a marked slowing down of critical fluctuations. When translated into the length-scale of fluctuations, our results suggest a scenario of thermal phase fluctuations between superconducting domains in a strongly disordered s-wave superconductor. PMID:23446946

Enhancement of the finite-frequency superfluid response in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered superconducting films.

PubMed

Mondal, Mintu; Kamlapure, Anand; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Jesudasan, John; Bagwe, Vivas; Benfatto, Lara; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-01-01

The persistence of a soft gap in the density of states above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the pseudogap, has long been thought to be a hallmark of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, in the last few years this paradigm has been strongly revised by increasing experimental evidence for the emergence of a pseudogap state in strongly-disordered conventional superconductors. Nonetheless, the nature of this state, probed primarily through scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements, remains partly elusive. Here we show that the dynamic response above Tc, obtained from the complex ac conductivity, is highly modified in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered NbN films. Below the pseudogap temperature, T*, the superfluid stiffness acquires a strong frequency dependence associated with a marked slowing down of critical fluctuations. When translated into the length-scale of fluctuations, our results suggest a scenario of thermal phase fluctuations between superconducting domains in a strongly disordered s-wave superconductor.

Statistical assessment of optical phase fluctuations through turbulent mixing layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Patrick J.; Roggemann, Michael C.; Welsh, Byron M.; Bowersox, Rodney D.

1995-09-01

A lateral shearing interferometer is used to measure the slope of perturbed wavefronts after propagating through turbulent shear flows. This provides a two-dimensional flow visualization technique which is nonintrusive. The slope measurements are used to reconstruct the phase of the turbulence-corrupted wave front. Experiments were performed on a plane shear mixing layer of helium and nitrogen gas at fixed velocities, for five locations in the flow development. The two gases, having a density ratio of approximately seven, provide an effective means of simulating compressible shear layers. Statistical autocorrelation functions and structure functions are computed on the reconstructed phase maps. The autocorrelation function results indicate that the turbulence-induced phase fluctuations are not wide-sense stationary. The structure functions exhibit statistical homogeneity, indicating the phase fluctuation are stationary in first increments. However, the turbulence-corrupted phase is not isotropic. A five-thirds power law is shown to fit one-dimensional, orthogonal slices of the structure function, with scaling coefficients related to the location in the flow.

Galaxy power-spectrum responses and redshift-space super-sample effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yin; Schmittfull, Marcel; Seljak, Uroš

2018-02-01

As a major source of cosmological information, galaxy clustering is susceptible to long-wavelength density and tidal fluctuations. These long modes modulate the growth and expansion rate of local structures, shifting them in both amplitude and scale. These effects are often named the growth and dilation effects, respectively. In particular the dilation shifts the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak and breaks the assumption of the Alcock-Paczynski (AP) test. This cannot be removed with reconstruction techniques because the effect originates from long modes outside the survey. In redshift space, the long modes generate a large-scale radial peculiar velocity that affects the redshift-space distortion (RSD) signal. We compute the redshift-space response functions of the galaxy power spectrum to long density and tidal modes at leading order in perturbation theory, including both the growth and dilation terms. We validate these response functions against measurements from simulated galaxy mock catalogs. As one application, long density and tidal modes beyond the scale of a survey correlate various observables leading to an excess error known as the super-sample covariance, and thus weaken their constraining power. We quantify the super-sample effect on BAO, AP, and RSD measurements, and study its impact on current and future surveys.

Nonequilibrium Brownian Motion beyond the Effective Temperature

PubMed Central

Gnoli, Andrea; Puglisi, Andrea; Sarracino, Alessandro; Vulpiani, Angelo

2014-01-01

The condition of thermal equilibrium simplifies the theoretical treatment of fluctuations as found in the celebrated Einstein’s relation between mobility and diffusivity for Brownian motion. Several recent theories relax the hypothesis of thermal equilibrium resulting in at least two main scenarios. With well separated timescales, as in aging glassy systems, equilibrium Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem applies at each scale with its own “effective” temperature. With mixed timescales, as for example in active or granular fluids or in turbulence, temperature is no more well-defined, the dynamical nature of fluctuations fully emerges and a Generalized Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem (GFDT) applies. Here, we study experimentally the mixed timescale regime by studying fluctuations and linear response in the Brownian motion of a rotating intruder immersed in a vibro-fluidized granular medium. Increasing the packing fraction, the system is moved from a dilute single-timescale regime toward a denser multiple-timescale stage. Einstein’s relation holds in the former and is violated in the latter. The violation cannot be explained in terms of effective temperatures, while the GFDT is able to impute it to the emergence of a strong coupling between the intruder and the surrounding fluid. Direct experimental measurements confirm the development of spatial correlations in the system when the density is increased. PMID:24714671

Bridging stylized facts in finance and data non-stationarities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camargo, Sabrina; Duarte Queirós, Sílvio M.; Anteneodo, Celia

2013-04-01

Employing a recent technique which allows the representation of nonstationary data by means of a juxtaposition of locally stationary paths of different length, we introduce a comprehensive analysis of the key observables in a financial market: the trading volume and the price fluctuations. From the segmentation procedure we are able to introduce a quantitative description of statistical features of these two quantities, which are often named stylized facts, namely the tails of the distribution of trading volume and price fluctuations and a dynamics compatible with the U-shaped profile of the volume in a trading section and the slow decay of the autocorrelation function. The segmentation of the trading volume series provides evidence of slow evolution of the fluctuating parameters of each patch, pointing to the mixing scenario. Assuming that long-term features are the outcome of a statistical mixture of simple local forms, we test and compare different probability density functions to provide the long-term distribution of the trading volume, concluding that the log-normal gives the best agreement with the empirical distribution. Moreover, the segmentation of the magnitude price fluctuations are quite different from the results for the trading volume, indicating that changes in the statistics of price fluctuations occur at a faster scale than in the case of trading volume.

Effective size of density-dependent two-sex populations: the effect of mating systems.

PubMed

Myhre, A M; Engen, S; SAEther, B-E

2017-08-01

Density dependence in vital rates is a key feature affecting temporal fluctuations of natural populations. This has important implications for the rate of random genetic drift. Mating systems also greatly affect effective population sizes, but knowledge of how mating system and density regulation interact to affect random genetic drift is poor. Using theoretical models and simulations, we compare N e in short-lived, density-dependent animal populations with different mating systems. We study the impact of a fluctuating, density-dependent sex ratio and consider both a stable and a fluctuating environment. We find a negative relationship between annual N e /N and adult population size N due to density dependence, suggesting that loss of genetic variation is reduced at small densities. The magnitude of this decrease was affected by mating system and life history. A male-biased, density-dependent sex ratio reduces the rate of genetic drift compared to an equal, density-independent sex ratio, but a stochastic change towards male bias reduces the N e /N ratio. Environmental stochasticity amplifies temporal fluctuations in population size and is thus vital to consider in estimation of effective population sizes over longer time periods. Our results on the reduced loss of genetic variation at small densities, particularly in polygamous populations, indicate that density regulation may facilitate adaptive evolution at small population sizes. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Stress fluctuations in fracture networks from theoretical and numerical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davy, P.; Darcel, C.; Mas Ivars, D.; Le Goc, R.

2017-12-01

We analyze the spatial fluctuations of stress in a simple tridimensional model constituted by a population of disc-shaped fractures embedded in an elastic matrix with uniform and isotropic properties. The fluctuations arise from the classical stress enhancement at fracture tips and stress shadowing around fracture centers that are amplified or decreased by the interactions between close-by fractures. The distribution of local stresses is calculated at the elementary mesh scale with the 3DEC numerical program based on the distinct element method. As expected, the stress distributions vary with fracture density, the larger is the density, the wider is the distribution. For freely slipping fractures, it is mainly controlled by the percolation parameter p (i.e., the total volume of spheres surrounding fractures). For stresses smaller than the remote deviatoric stress, the distribution depends only on for the range of density that has been studied. For large stresses, the distribution decreases exponentially when increasing stress, with a characteristic stress that increases with entailing a widening of the stress distribution. We extend the analysis to fractures with plane resistance defined by an elastic shear stiffness ks and a slip Coulomb threshold. A consequence of the fracture plane resistance is to lower the stress perturbation in the surrounding matrix by a factor that depends on the ratio between ks and a fracture-matrix stiffness km mainly dependent on the ratio between Young modulus and fracture size. km is also the ratio between the remote shear stress and the displacement across the fracture plane in the case of freely slipping fractures. A complete analytical derivation of the expressions of the stress perturbations and of the fracture displacements is obtained and checked with numerical simulations. In the limit ks >> km, the stress perturbation tends to 0 and the stress state is spatially uniform. The analysis allows us to quantify the intensity of the stress fluctuations in fractured rocks as a function of both the fracture network characteristics (density and size distribution), and the mechanical properties (fracture shear stiffness vs matrix elastic properties).

Superconducting fluctuations and characteristic time scales in amorphous WSi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaofu; Lita, Adriana E.; Sidorova, Mariia; Verma, Varun B.; Wang, Qiang; Nam, Sae Woo; Semenov, Alexei; Schilling, Andreas

2018-05-01

We study magnitudes and temperature dependencies of the electron-electron and electron-phonon interaction times which play the dominant role in the formation and relaxation of photon-induced hotspots in two-dimensional amorphous WSi films. The time constants are obtained through magnetoconductance measurements in a perpendicular magnetic field in the superconducting fluctuation regime and through time-resolved photoresponse to optical pulses. The excess magnetoconductivity is interpreted in terms of the weak-localization effect and superconducting fluctuations. Aslamazov-Larkin and Maki-Thompson superconducting fluctuations alone fail to reproduce the magnetic field dependence in the relatively high magnetic field range when the temperature is rather close to Tc because the suppression of the electronic density of states due to the formation of short-lifetime Cooper pairs needs to be considered. The time scale τi of inelastic scattering is ascribed to a combination of electron-electron (τe -e) and electron-phonon (τe -p h) interaction times, and a characteristic electron-fluctuation time (τe -f l) , which makes it possible to extract their magnitudes and temperature dependencies from the measured τi. The ratio of phonon-electron (τp h -e) and electron-phonon interaction times is obtained via measurements of the optical photoresponse of WSi microbridges. Relatively large τe -p h/τp h -e and τe -p h/τe -e ratios ensure that in WSi the photon energy is more efficiently confined in the electron subsystem than in other materials commonly used in the technology of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). We discuss the impact of interaction times on the hotspot dynamics and compare relevant metrics of SNSPDs from different materials.

Interplanetary Type III Bursts and Electron Density Fluctuations in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupar, V.; Maksimovic, M.; Kontar, E. P.; Zaslavsky, A.; Santolik, O.; Soucek, J.; Kruparova, O.; Eastwood, J. P.; Szabo, A.

2018-04-01

Type III bursts are generated by fast electron beams originated from magnetic reconnection sites of solar flares. As propagation of radio waves in the interplanetary medium is strongly affected by random electron density fluctuations, type III bursts provide us with a unique diagnostic tool for solar wind remote plasma measurements. Here, we performed a statistical survey of 152 simple and isolated type III bursts observed by the twin-spacecraft Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory mission. We investigated their time–frequency profiles in order to retrieve decay times as a function of frequency. Next, we performed Monte Carlo simulations to study the role of scattering due to random electron density fluctuations on time–frequency profiles of radio emissions generated in the interplanetary medium. For simplification, we assumed the presence of isotropic electron density fluctuations described by a power law with the Kolmogorov spectral index. Decay times obtained from observations and simulations were compared. We found that the characteristic exponential decay profile of type III bursts can be explained by the scattering of the fundamental component between the source and the observer despite restrictive assumptions included in the Monte Carlo simulation algorithm. Our results suggest that relative electron density fluctuations < δ {n}{{e}}> /{n}{{e}} in the solar wind are 0.06–0.07 over wide range of heliospheric distances.

Instanton dominance over $$a_s$$ at low momenta from lattice QCD simulations at $$N_f=0$$, $$N_f=2+1$$ and $$N_f=2+1+1$$

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

Athenodorou, Andreas; Boucaud, Philippe; de Soto, Feliciano

We report on an instanton-based analysis of the gluon Green functions in the Landau gauge for low momenta; in particular we use lattice results for αs in the symmetric momentum subtraction scheme (MOM) for large-volume lattice simulations. We have exploited quenched gauge field configurations, Nf = 0, with both Wilson and tree-level Symanzik improved actions, and unquenched ones with Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1 dynamical flavors (domain wall and twisted-mass fermions, respectively).We show that the dominance of instanton correlations on the low-momenta gluon Green functions can be applied to the determination ofmore » phenomenological parameters of the instanton liquid and, eventually, to a determination of the lattice spacing.We furthermore apply the Gradient Flow to remove short-distance fluctuations. The Gradient Flow gets rid of the QCD scale, ΛQCD, and reveals that the instanton prediction extents to large momenta. For those gauge field configurations free of quantum fluctuations, the direct study of topological charge density shows the appearance of large-scale lumps that can be identified as instantons, giving access to a direct study of the instanton density and size distribution that is compatible with those extracted from the analysis of the Green functions.« less

Spin fluctations and heavy fermions in the Kondo lattice

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

Khaliullin, G.G.

1994-09-01

This paper studies the spectrum of the spin and electronic excitations of the Kondo lattice at low temperatures. To avoid unphysical states, the Mattis {open_quotes}drone{close_quotes}-fermion representation for localized spins is employed. First, the known Fermi liquid properties of a single impurity are examined. The behavior of the correlator between a localized spin and the electron spin density at large distances shows that the effective interaction between electrons on the Fermi level and low-energy localized spin fluctuations scales as {rho}{sup {minus}1}, where {rho} is the band-state density. This fact is developed into a renormalization of the band spectrum in a periodicmore » lattice. If the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between localized spins is much smaller than the Kondo fluctuation frequency {omega}{sub k}, the temperature of the crossover to the single-parameter Fermi liquid mode is determined by {omega}{sub k}. When the RKKY interaction becomes of order {omega}{sub k}, there is a new scale {omega}{sub sf}, the energy of the (antiferromagnetic) paramagnon mode, with {omega}{sub sf}{much_lt}{omega}{sub k}. Here the coherent Fermi liquid regime is realized only below a temperature T{sub coh} of order {omega}{sub sf}, while above T{sub coh} quasiparticle damping exhibits a linear temperature dependence. Finally, the nuclear-spin relaxation rate is calculated. 42 refs.« less

Pedestal and edge electrostatic turbulence characteristics from an XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation

DOE PAGES

Churchill, R. M.; Chang, C. S.; Ku, S.; ...

2017-08-30

Understanding the multi-scale neoclassical and turbulence physics in the edge region (pedestal + scrape-off layer (SOL)) is required in order to reliably predict performance in future fusion devices. We explore turbulent characteristics in the edge region from a multi-scale neoclassical and turbulent XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation in a DIII-D like tokamak geometry, here excluding neutrals and collisions. For an H-mode type plasma with steep pedestal, it is found that the electron density fluctuations increase towards the separatrix, and stay high well into the SOL, reaching a maximum value ofmore » $$\\delta {n}_{e}/{\\bar{n}}_{e}\\sim 0.18$$. Blobs are observed, born around the magnetic separatrix surface and propagate radially outward with velocities generally less than 1 km s –1. Strong poloidal motion of the blobs is also present, near 20 km s –1, consistent with E × B rotation. The electron density fluctuations show a negative skewness in the closed field-line pedestal region, consistent with the presence of 'holes', followed by a transition to strong positive skewness across the separatrix and into the SOL. These simulations indicate that not only neoclassical phenomena, but also turbulence, including the blob-generation mechanism, can remain important in the steep H-mode pedestal and SOL. Lastly, qualitative comparisons will be made to experimental observations.« less

Decoherence, discord, and the quantum master equation for cosmological perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollowood, Timothy J.; McDonald, Jamie I.

2017-05-01

We examine environmental decoherence of cosmological perturbations in order to study the quantum-to-classical transition and the impact of noise on entanglement during inflation. Given an explicit interaction between the system and environment, we derive a quantum master equation for the reduced density matrix of perturbations, drawing parallels with quantum Brownian motion, where we see the emergence of fluctuation and dissipation terms. Although the master equation is not in Lindblad form, we see how typical solutions exhibit positivity on super-horizon scales, leading to a physically meaningful density matrix. This allows us to write down a Langevin equation with stochastic noise for the classical trajectories which emerge from the quantum system on super-horizon scales. In particular, we find that environmental decoherence increases in strength as modes exit the horizon, with the growth driven essentially by white noise coming from local contributions to environmental correlations. Finally, we use our master equation to quantify the strength of quantum correlations as captured by discord. We show that environmental interactions have a tendency to decrease the size of the discord and that these effects are determined by the relative strength of the expansion rate and interaction rate of the environment. We interpret this in terms of the competing effects of particle creation versus environmental fluctuations, which tend to increase and decrease the discord respectively.

High-Beta Electromagnetic Turbulence in LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, G.; Carter, T. A.; Pueschel, M. J.; Jenko, F.; Told, D.; Terry, P. W.

2015-11-01

The introduction of a new LaB6 cathode plasma source in the Large Plasma Device has enabled the study of pressure-gradient-driven turbulence and transport variations at significantly higher plasma β. Density fluctuations are observed to decrease with increasing β while magnetic fluctuations increase. Furthermore, the perpendicular magnetic fluctuations are seen to saturate while parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations increase continuously with β. These observations are compared to linear and nonlinear simulations with the GENE code. The results are consistent with the linear excitation of a Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode (GDC) which relies on grad-B drift due to parallel magnetic fluctuations and can be driven by density or temperature gradients.

Negative probability of random multiplier in turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Xuan; Su, Weidong

2017-11-01

The random multiplicative process (RMP), which has been proposed for over 50 years, is a convenient phenomenological ansatz of turbulence cascade. In the RMP, the fluctuation in a large scale is statistically mapped to the one in a small scale by the linear action of an independent random multiplier (RM). Simple as it is, the RMP is powerful enough since all of the known scaling laws can be included in this model. So far as we know, however, a direct extraction for the probability density function (PDF) of RM has been absent yet. The reason is the deconvolution during the process is ill-posed. Nevertheless, with the progress in the studies of inverse problems, the situation can be changed. By using some new regularization techniques, for the first time we recover the PDFs of the RMs in some turbulent flows. All the consistent results from various methods point to an amazing observation-the PDFs can attain negative values in some intervals; and this can also be justified by some properties of infinitely divisible distributions. Despite the conceptual unconventionality, the present study illustrates the implications of negative probability in turbulence in several aspects, with emphasis on its role in describing the interaction between fluctuations at different scales. This work is supported by the NSFC (No. 11221062 and No. 11521091).

Extended MHD modeling of tearing-driven magnetic relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauppe, J. P.; Sovinec, C. R.

2017-05-01

Discrete relaxation events in reversed-field pinch relevant configurations are investigated numerically with nonlinear extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling, including the Hall term in Ohm's law and first-order ion finite Larmor radius effects. Results show variability among relaxation events, where the Hall dynamo effect may help or impede the MHD dynamo effect in relaxing the parallel current density profile. The competitive behavior arises from multi-helicity conditions where the dominant magnetic fluctuation is relatively small. The resulting changes in parallel current density and parallel flow are aligned in the core, consistent with experimental observations. The analysis of simulation results also confirms that the force density from fluctuation-induced Reynolds stress arises subsequent to the drive from the fluctuation-induced Lorentz force density. Transport of the momentum density is found to be dominated by the fluctuation-induced Maxwell stress over most of the cross section with viscous and gyroviscous contributions being large in the edge region. The findings resolve a discrepancy with respect to the relative orientation of current density and flow relaxation, which had not been realized or investigated in King et al. [Phys. Plasmas 19, 055905 (2012)], where only the magnitude of flow relaxation is actually consistent with experimental results.

Collisionless relaxation in spiral galaxy models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hohl, F.

1974-01-01

The increase in random kinetic energy of stars by rapidly fluctuating gravitational fields (collisionless or violent relaxation) in disk galaxy models is investigated for three interaction potentials of the stars corresponding to (1) point stars, (2) rod stars of length 2 kpc, and (3) uniform density spherical stars of radius 2 kpc. To stabilize the galaxy against the large scale bar forming instability, a fixed field corresponding to a central core or halo component of stars was added with the stars containing at most 20 percent of the total mass of the galaxy. Considerable heating occurred for both the point stars and the rod stars, whereas the use of spherical stars resulted in a very low heating rate. The use of spherical stars with the resulting low heating rate will be desirable for the study of large scale galactic stability or density wave propagation, since collective heating effects will no longer mask the phenomena under study.

Large-Scale Structure Studies with the REFLEX Cluster Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuecker, P.; Bohringer, H.; Guzzo, L.; Collins, C.; Neumann, D. M.; Schindler, S.; Voges, W.

1998-12-01

First preliminary results of the ROSAT ESO Flux-Limited X-Ray (REFLEX) Cluster Survey are described. The survey covers 13,924 square degrees of the southern hemisphere. The present sample consists of about 470 rich clusters (1/3 non Abell/ACO clusters) with X-ray fluxes S >= 3.0 times 10^{-12} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} (0.1-2.4 keV) and redshifts z <= 0.3. In contrast to other low-redshift surveys, the cumulative flux-number counts have an almost Euclidean slope. Comoving cluster number densities are found to be almost redshift-independent throughout the total survey volume. The X-ray luminosity function is well described by a Schechter function. The power spectrum of the number density fluctuations could be measured on scales up to 400 h^{-1} Mpc. A deeper survey with about 800 galaxy clusters in the same area is in progress.

Analytic study of the effect of dark energy-dark matter interaction on the growth of structures

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

Marcondes, Rafael J.F.; Landim, Ricardo C.G.; Costa, André A.

2016-12-01

Large-scale structure has been shown as a promising cosmic probe for distinguishing and constraining dark energy models. Using the growth index parametrization, we obtain an analytic formula for the growth rate of structures in a coupled dark energy model in which the exchange of energy-momentum is proportional to the dark energy density. We find that the evolution of f σ{sub 8} can be determined analytically once we know the coupling, the dark energy equation of state, the present value of the dark energy density parameter and the current mean amplitude of dark matter fluctuations. After correcting the growth function formore » the correspondence with the velocity field through the continuity equation in the interacting model, we use our analytic result to compare the model's predictions with large-scale structure observations.« less

Cross Helicity and Turbulent Magnetic Diffusivity in the Solar Convection Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rüdiger, G.; Kitchatinov, L. L.; Brandenburg, A.

2011-03-01

In a density-stratified turbulent medium, the cross helicity < u'ṡ B'> is considered as a result of the interaction of the velocity fluctuations and a large-scale magnetic field. By means of a quasilinear theory and by numerical simulations, we find the cross helicity and the mean vertical magnetic field to be anti-correlated. In the high-conductivity limit the ratio of the helicity and the mean magnetic field equals the ratio of the magnetic eddy diffusivity and the (known) density scale height. The result can be used to predict that the cross helicity at the solar surface will exceed the value of 1 gauss km s-1. Its sign is anti-correlated to that of the radial mean magnetic field. Alternatively, we can use our result to determine the value of the turbulent magnetic diffusivity from observations of the cross helicity.

Unmasking the masked Universe: the 2M++ catalogue through Bayesian eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavaux, Guilhem; Jasche, Jens

2016-01-01

This work describes a full Bayesian analysis of the Nearby Universe as traced by galaxies of the 2M++ survey. The analysis is run in two sequential steps. The first step self-consistently derives the luminosity-dependent galaxy biases, the power spectrum of matter fluctuations and matter density fields within a Gaussian statistic approximation. The second step makes a detailed analysis of the three-dimensional large-scale structures, assuming a fixed bias model and a fixed cosmology. This second step allows for the reconstruction of both the final density field and the initial conditions at z = 1000 assuming a fixed bias model. From these, we derive fields that self-consistently extrapolate the observed large-scale structures. We give two examples of these extrapolation and their utility for the detection of structures: the visibility of the Sloan Great Wall, and the detection and characterization of the Local Void using DIVA, a Lagrangian based technique to classify structures.

The THz Spectrum of Density Fluctuations of Water: The Viscoelastic Regime

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

Cunsolo, Alessandro

2015-01-01

Relevant advances in the knowledge of the water dynamics at mesoscopic scales are reviewed, while mainly focusing on the contribution provided by high resolution inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS). In particular it is discussed how the use of IXS has improved our understanding of viscoelastic properties of water at THz frequencies. This specifically involves some solid-like features such as the onset of shear wave propagation, a sound velocity surprisingly similar to the one of ice, and an anomalously low sound absorption coefficient. All these properties can be explained by assuming the coupling of THz density fluctuations with a structural relaxation processmore » connected to the breaking and forming of hydrogen bonds (HBs). This review also includes more recent IXS results demonstrating that, upon approaching supercritical conditions, relaxation phenomena in water gradually lose their structural character becoming essentially collisional in character. Furthermore, GHz spectroscopy results on supercooled water, suggesting the occurrence of a structural arrest, are discussed. An overview of the new opportunities offered by next generation IXS spectrometers finally concludes this review.« less

Strong intraday variability in the southern blazar PKS 0537-441 at 1.42 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, G. E.; Combi, J. A.; Colomb, F. R.

1994-08-01

Results of intraday variability observations with a sampling of ~20 minutes of the southern blazars PKS 0521-365 and PKS 0537-441 at 1.42 GHz are presented. PKS 0521-365 did not display flux density variability whilst PKS 0537-441 showed strong fluctuations with a major outburst towards J.D. 2449011 caracterized by a fluctuation index of ~15%, variability amplitudes of ~45% and time scales of ~10^4^s. After a discussion of possible scenarios for such kind of variability, this extremely violent behaviour is interpreted in terms of strong scattering by compact ionized structures in the interstellar medium. The physical properties of the refractors are estimated from the observed light curves, and a brief discussion about the possible origin of these objects is presented.

Size and density avalanche scaling near jamming.

PubMed

Arévalo, Roberto; Ciamarra, Massimo Pica

2014-04-28

The current microscopic picture of plasticity in amorphous materials assumes local failure events to produce displacement fields complying with linear elasticity. Indeed, the flow properties of nonaffine systems, such as foams, emulsions and granular materials close to jamming, that produce a fluctuating displacement field when failing, are still controversial. Here we show, via a thorough numerical investigation of jammed materials, that nonaffinity induces a critical scaling of the flow properties dictated by the distance to the jamming point. We rationalize this critical behavior by introducing a new universal jamming exponent and hyperscaling relationships, and we use these results to describe the volume fraction dependence of the friction coefficient.

Quantum gravitational contributions to the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum.

PubMed

Kiefer, Claus; Krämer, Manuel

2012-01-13

We derive the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations in the framework of quantum cosmology. For this purpose we perform a Born-Oppenheimer approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for an inflationary universe with a scalar field. In this way, we first recover the scale-invariant power spectrum that is found as an approximation in the simplest inflationary models. We then obtain quantum gravitational corrections to this spectrum and discuss whether they lead to measurable signatures in the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum. The nonobservation so far of such corrections translates into an upper bound on the energy scale of inflation.

General framework for fluctuating dynamic density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durán-Olivencia, Miguel A.; Yatsyshin, Peter; Goddard, Benjamin D.; Kalliadasis, Serafim

2017-12-01

We introduce a versatile bottom-up derivation of a formal theoretical framework to describe (passive) soft-matter systems out of equilibrium subject to fluctuations. We provide a unique connection between the constituent-particle dynamics of real systems and the time evolution equation of their measurable (coarse-grained) quantities, such as local density and velocity. The starting point is the full Hamiltonian description of a system of colloidal particles immersed in a fluid of identical bath particles. Then, we average out the bath via Zwanzig’s projection-operator techniques and obtain the stochastic Langevin equations governing the colloidal-particle dynamics. Introducing the appropriate definition of the local number and momentum density fields yields a generalisation of the Dean-Kawasaki (DK) model, which resembles the stochastic Navier-Stokes description of a fluid. Nevertheless, the DK equation still contains all the microscopic information and, for that reason, does not represent the dynamical law of observable quantities. We address this controversial feature of the DK description by carrying out a nonequilibrium ensemble average. Adopting a natural decomposition into local-equilibrium and nonequilibrium contribution, where the former is related to a generalised version of the canonical distribution, we finally obtain the fluctuating-hydrodynamic equation governing the time-evolution of the mesoscopic density and momentum fields. Along the way, we outline the connection between the ad hoc energy functional introduced in previous DK derivations and the free-energy functional from classical density-functional theory. The resultant equation has the structure of a dynamical density-functional theory (DDFT) with an additional fluctuating force coming from the random interactions with the bath. We show that our fluctuating DDFT formalism corresponds to a particular version of the fluctuating Navier-Stokes equations, originally derived by Landau and Lifshitz. Our framework thus provides the formal apparatus for ab initio derivations of fluctuating DDFT equations capable of describing the dynamics of soft-matter systems in and out of equilibrium.

Enhanced H-mode pedestals with lithium injection in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Osborne, Thomas H.; Jackson, Gary L.; Yan, Zheng; ...

2015-05-08

Periods of edge localized mode (ELM)-free H-mode with increased pedestal pressure and width were observed in the DIII-D tokamak when density fluctuations localized to the region near the separatrix were present. Injection of a powder of 45 μm diameter lithium particles increased the duration of the enhanced pedestal phases to up to 350 ms, and also increased the likelihood of a transition to the enhanced phase. Lithium injection at a level sufficient for triggering the extended enhanced phases resulted in significant lithium in the plasma core, but carbon and other higher Z impurities as well as radiated power levels weremore » reduced. Recycling of the working deuterium gas appeared unaffected by this level of lithium injection. The ion scale, k θ ρ s ~ 0.1–0.2, density fluctuations propagated in the electron drift direction with f ~ 80 kHz and occurred in bursts every ~1 ms. The fluctuation bursts correlated with plasma loss resulting in a flattening of the pressure profile in a region near the separatrix. This localized flattening 2 allowed higher overall pedestal pressure at the peeling-ballooning stability limit and higher pressure than expected under the EPED model due to reduction of the pressure gradient below the “ballooning critical profile”. Furthermore, reduction of the ion pressure by lithium dilution may contribute to the long ELM-free periods.« less

Dynamics of Different Bacterial Communities Are Capable of Generating Sustainable Electricity from Microbial Fuel Cells with Organic Waste

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Shuji; Suzuki, Kei; Araki, Yoko; Mochihara, Hiroki; Hosokawa, Tetsuya; Kubota, Hiroko; Chiba, Yusuke; Rubaba, Owen; Tashiro, Yosuke; Futamata, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The relationship between the bacterial communities in anolyte and anode biofilms and the electrochemical properties of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated when a complex organic waste-decomposing solution was continuously supplied to MFCs as an electron donor. The current density increased gradually and was maintained at approximately 100 to 150 mA m−2. Polarization curve analyses revealed that the maximum power density was 7.4 W m−3 with an internal resistance of 110 Ω. Bacterial community structures in the organic waste-decomposing solution and MFCs differed from each other. Clonal analyses targeting 16S rRNA genes indicated that bacterial communities in the biofilms on MFCs developed to specific communities dominated by novel Geobacter. Multidimensional scaling analyses based on DGGE profiles revealed that bacterial communities in the organic waste-decomposing solution fluctuated and had no dynamic equilibrium. Bacterial communities on the anolyte in MFCs had a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations, while those of the biofilm converged to the Geobacter-dominated structure. These bacterial community dynamics of MFCs differed from those of control-MFCs under open circuit conditions. These results suggested that bacterial communities in the anolyte and biofilm have a gentle symbiotic system through electron flow, which resulted in the advance of current density from complex organic waste. PMID:24789988

Dynamics of different bacterial communities are capable of generating sustainable electricity from microbial fuel cells with organic waste.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Shuji; Suzuki, Kei; Araki, Yoko; Mochihara, Hiroki; Hosokawa, Tetsuya; Kubota, Hiroko; Chiba, Yusuke; Rubaba, Owen; Tashiro, Yosuke; Futamata, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The relationship between the bacterial communities in anolyte and anode biofilms and the electrochemical properties of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated when a complex organic waste-decomposing solution was continuously supplied to MFCs as an electron donor. The current density increased gradually and was maintained at approximately 100 to 150 mA m(-2). Polarization curve analyses revealed that the maximum power density was 7.4 W m(-3) with an internal resistance of 110 Ω. Bacterial community structures in the organic waste-decomposing solution and MFCs differed from each other. Clonal analyses targeting 16S rRNA genes indicated that bacterial communities in the biofilms on MFCs developed to specific communities dominated by novel Geobacter. Multidimensional scaling analyses based on DGGE profiles revealed that bacterial communities in the organic waste-decomposing solution fluctuated and had no dynamic equilibrium. Bacterial communities on the anolyte in MFCs had a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations, while those of the biofilm converged to the Geobacter-dominated structure. These bacterial community dynamics of MFCs differed from those of control-MFCs under open circuit conditions. These results suggested that bacterial communities in the anolyte and biofilm have a gentle symbiotic system through electron flow, which resulted in the advance of current density from complex organic waste.

Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs.

PubMed

Rorai, Alberto; Hennawi, Joseph F; Oñorbe, Jose; White, Martin; Prochaska, J Xavier; Kulkarni, Girish; Walther, Michael; Lukić, Zarija; Lee, Khee-Gan

2017-04-28

The distribution of diffuse gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) imprints a series of hydrogen absorption lines on the spectra of distant background quasars known as the Lyman-α forest. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations predict that IGM density fluctuations are suppressed below a characteristic scale where thermal pressure balances gravity. We measured this pressure-smoothing scale by quantifying absorption correlations in a sample of close quasar pairs. We compared our measurements to hydrodynamical simulations, where pressure smoothing is determined by the integrated thermal history of the IGM. Our findings are consistent with standard models for photoionization heating by the ultraviolet radiation backgrounds that reionized the universe. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Exact law for homogeneous compressible Hall magnetohydrodynamics turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrés, N.; Galtier, S.; Sahraoui, F.

2018-01-01

We derive an exact law for three-dimensional (3D) homogeneous compressible isothermal Hall magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, without the assumption of isotropy. The Hall current is shown to introduce new flux and source terms that act at the small scales (comparable or smaller than the ion skin depth) to significantly impact the turbulence dynamics. The law provides an accurate means to estimate the energy cascade rate over a broad range of scales covering the magnetohydrodynamic inertial range and the sub-ion dispersive range in 3D numerical simulations and in in situ spacecraft observations of compressible turbulence. This work is particularly relevant to astrophysical flows in which small-scale density fluctuations cannot be ignored such as the solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, and the interstellar medium.

Thermodynamic Behavior in Decaying Compressible Turbulence with Initially Dominant Temperature Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, X. D.; O'Brien, Edward E.; Ladeinde, Foluso

1996-11-01

Direct numerical simulation of decaying, isotropic, compressible turbulence in three dimensions is used to examine the behavior of fluctuations in density, temperature, and pressure when the initial conditions include temperature fluctuations larger than pressure fluctuations. The numerical procedure is described elsewhere (Ladeinde, F. et al.,) Phys. Fluids 7(11), pp. 2848 (1995), the initial turbulence Mach number range is subsonic, 0.3 to 0.7, and, following Ghosh and Matthaeus(Ghosh, S. and Matthaeus, W. H. Phys. Fluids A, pp. 148 (1991)), the initial compressible turbulence is characterized as a: mostly solenoidal, b: random, or c: longitudinal. These cases represent, respectively, ratios of initial kinetic energy in the compressible modes to total initial kinetic energy, say \\chi_0, which are either a: very small, b: about 0.6, or c: near unity. Thermodynamic scalings at the lowest values of initial Mach number and \\chi0 follow the predictions of Zank and Matthaeus (Zank, G. P. and Matthaeus, W. H. Phys. Fluids A(3), pp. 69 (1991)), but not otherwise. The relationship between \\chi, Mach number, and compressible pressure predicted by Sarkar et al.(Sarkar, S. et al.,) J. Fluid Mech. 227, pp. 473 (1991) applies, on average, to all cases computed.

Scale-invariant fluctuations from Galilean genesis

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

Wang, Yi; Brandenberger, Robert, E-mail: wangyi@physics.mcgill.ca, E-mail: rhb@physics.mcgill.ca

2012-10-01

We study the spectrum of cosmological fluctuations in scenarios such as Galilean Genesis \\cite(Nicolis) in which a spectator scalar field acquires a scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations during an early phase which asymptotes in the far past to Minkowski space-time. In the case of minimal coupling to gravity and standard scalar field Lagrangian, the induced curvature fluctuations depend quadratically on the spectator field and are hence non-scale-invariant and highly non-Gaussian. We show that if higher dimensional operators (the same operators that lead to the η-problem for inflation) are considered, a linear coupling between background and spectator field fluctuations is induced whichmore » leads to scale-invariant and Gaussian curvature fluctuations.« less

High power fast wave experiments in LAPD: interaction with density fluctuations and status/plans for ICRH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Martin, Michael; van Compernolle, Bart; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Pat; Vincena, Stephen; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; van Eester, Dirk; Crombe, Kristel

2016-10-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA is a 17 m long, up to 60 cm diameter magnetized plasma column with typical plasma parameters ne 1012 -1013 cm-3, Te 1 - 10 eV, and B 1 kG. A new high-power ( 200 kW) RF system and antenna has been developed for LAPD, enabling the generation of large amplitude fast waves in LAPD. Interaction between the fast waves and density fluctuations is observed, resulting in modulation of the coupled RF power. Two classes of RF-induced density fluctuations are observed. First, a coherent (10 kHz) oscillation is observed spatially near the antenna in response to the initial RF turn-on transient. Second, broadband density fluctuations are enhanced when the RF power is above a threshold a threshold. Strong modulation of the fast wave magnetic fluctuations is observed along with broadening of the primary RF spectral line. Ultimately, high power fast waves will be used for ion heating in LAPD through minority species fundamental heating or second harmonic minority or majority heating. Initial experimental results from heating experiments will be presented along with a discussion of future plans. BaPSF supported by NSF and DOE.

Quasi-Lagrangian measurements of density surface fluctuations and power spectra in the stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Elizabeth P.; Holzworth, Robert H.

1987-01-01

Pressure and temperature data from eight superpressure balloon flights at 26 km in the southern hemisphere stratosphere are analyzed. The balloons, which float on a constant density surface, travel steadily westward during summer and eastward during winter, as expected from local climatology. Two types of fluctuations are observed: neutral buoyancy oscillations (NBO) of around 4 min, and 0.1- to 1-hour oscillations that are characterized as small-amplitude density surface fluctuations. Lapse rates and densities are calculated and found to agree well with the expected values. Examples of wave damping and simultaneous fluctuation at two nearby balloons are presented. Spectral analysis is performed clearly showing the NBO and that the majority of the power is in the mesoscale range. Spectral slopes of power versus frequency are measured to be on the average -2.18 + or - 0.24 for pressure and -1.72 + or - 0.24 for temperature. These slopes are compared to the predictions of turbulence theories and the theory of a universal gravity wave spectrum.

Capillary evaporation of the ionic liquid [EMIM][BF4] in nanoscale solvophobic confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrivastav, Gourav; Remsing, Richard C.; Kashyap, Hemant K.

2018-05-01

Solvent density fluctuations play a crucial role in liquid-vapor transitions in solvophobic confinement and can also be important for understanding solvation of polar and apolar solutes. In the case of ionic liquids (ILs), density fluctuations can be used to understand important processes in the context of nanoscale aggregation and colloidal self-assemblies. In this article, we explore the nature of density fluctuations associated with capillary evaporation of the IL 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM][BF4]) in the confined region of model solvophobic nanoscale sheets by using molecular dynamics simulations combined with non-Boltzmann sampling techniques. We demonstrate that density fluctuations of the confined IL play an important role in capillary evaporation, suggesting analogies to dewetting transitions involving water. Significant changes in the interfacial structure of the IL are also detailed and suggested to underlie a non-classical (non-parabolic) dependence of the free energy barrier to evaporation on the degree of confinement.

Edge resonant fluctuations and particle transport in a reversed-field pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Möller, A.

1998-12-01

Electrostatic fluctuations are measured in the Extrap T2 reversed-field pinch [J. R. Drake et al., in Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1996 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1997), Vol. 2, pp. 193-199] using a Langmuir probe array. The electrostatic fluctuation, driven particle transport ΓnΦ is derived and found to constitute a large fraction of the total particle transport. The spectral density of all measured quantities exhibits a peak in the frequency range 100-250 kHz, which originates from fluctuations that are resonant close to the edge [n=-(40-80)]. This peak contains only about 10-20% of the total fluctuation power, but is shown to dominate ΓnΦ. The main reason for this is the high toroidal mode number as compared with internally resonant magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations. The edge resonant fluctuations also features a higher coherence (γ=0.5) and close to 90° phase shift between density and potential fluctuations.

Correlations of stock price fluctuations under multi-scale and multi-threshold scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Guo; Li, Huajiao; Feng, Sida; Liu, Xueyong; Jiang, Meihui

2018-01-01

The multi-scale method is widely used in analyzing time series of financial markets and it can provide market information for different economic entities who focus on different periods. Through constructing multi-scale networks of price fluctuation correlation in the stock market, we can detect the topological relationship between each time series. Previous research has not addressed the problem that the original fluctuation correlation networks are fully connected networks and more information exists within these networks that is currently being utilized. Here we use listed coal companies as a case study. First, we decompose the original stock price fluctuation series into different time scales. Second, we construct the stock price fluctuation correlation networks at different time scales. Third, we delete the edges of the network based on thresholds and analyze the network indicators. Through combining the multi-scale method with the multi-threshold method, we bring to light the implicit information of fully connected networks.

Stochastic density functional theory at finite temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cytter, Yael; Rabani, Eran; Neuhauser, Daniel; Baer, Roi

2018-03-01

Simulations in the warm dense matter regime using finite temperature Kohn-Sham density functional theory (FT-KS-DFT), while frequently used, are computationally expensive due to the partial occupation of a very large number of high-energy KS eigenstates which are obtained from subspace diagonalization. We have developed a stochastic method for applying FT-KS-DFT, that overcomes the bottleneck of calculating the occupied KS orbitals by directly obtaining the density from the KS Hamiltonian. The proposed algorithm scales as O (" close=")N3T3)">N T-1 and is compared with the high-temperature limit scaling O Shear-band thickness and shear-band cavities in a Zr-based metallic glass

DOE PAGES

Liu, C.; Roddatis, V.; Kenesei, P.; ...

2017-08-14

Strain localization into shear bands in metallic glasses is typically described as a mechanism that occurs at the nano-scale, leaving behind a shear defect with a thickness of 10–20 nm. Here we sample the structure of a single system-spanning shear band that has carried all plastic flow with high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and high-energy x-ray tomography (XRT). It is found that the shear-band thickness and the density change relative to the matrix sensitively depend on position along the shear band. A wide distribution of shear-band thickness (10 nm–210 nm) and density change (–1% to –12%)more » is revealed. There is no obvious correlation between shear-band thickness and density change, but larger thicknesses correspond typically to higher density changes. More than 100 micron-size shear-band cavities were identified on the shear-band plane, and their three-dimensional arrangement suggests a strongly fluctuating local curvature of the shear plane. As a result, these findings urge for a more complex view of a shear band than a simple nano-scale planar defect.« less

Shear-band thickness and shear-band cavities in a Zr-based metallic glass

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

Liu, C.; Roddatis, V.; Kenesei, P.

Strain localization into shear bands in metallic glasses is typically described as a mechanism that occurs at the nano-scale, leaving behind a shear defect with a thickness of 10–20 nm. Here we sample the structure of a single system-spanning shear band that has carried all plastic flow with high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and high-energy x-ray tomography (XRT). It is found that the shear-band thickness and the density change relative to the matrix sensitively depend on position along the shear band. A wide distribution of shear-band thickness (10 nm–210 nm) and density change (–1% to –12%)more » is revealed. There is no obvious correlation between shear-band thickness and density change, but larger thicknesses correspond typically to higher density changes. More than 100 micron-size shear-band cavities were identified on the shear-band plane, and their three-dimensional arrangement suggests a strongly fluctuating local curvature of the shear plane. As a result, these findings urge for a more complex view of a shear band than a simple nano-scale planar defect.« less

Large-scale fluctuations in the diffusive decomposition of solid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karpov, V. G.; Grimsditch, M.

1995-04-01

The concept of an instability in the classic Ostwald ripening theory with respect to compositional fluctuations is suggested. We show that small statistical fluctuations in the precipitate phase lead to gigantic Coulomb-like fluctuations in the solute concentration which in turn affect the ripening. As a result large-scale fluctuations in both the precipitate and solute concentrations appear. These fluctuations are characterized by amplitudes of the order of the average values of the corresponding quantities and by a space scale L~(na)-1/2 which is considerably greater than both the average nuclear radius and internuclear distance. The Lifshitz-Slyozov theory of ripening is shown to remain locally applicable, over length scales much less than L. The implications of these findings for elastic light scattering in solid solutions that have undergone Ostwald ripening are considered.

A photoionization instability in the early intergalactic medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Craig J.

1992-01-01

It is argued that any fairly uniform source of ionizing photons can be the cause of an instability in the pregalactic medium on scales larger than a photon path length. Underdense regions receive more ionizing energy per atom and reach higher temperature and entropy, driving the density down still further. Fluctuations created by this instability can lead to the formation of structures resembling protogalaxies and intergalactic clouds, obviating the need for gas clouds or density perturbations of earlier cosmological provenance, as is usually assumed in theories of galaxy and structure formation. Characteristic masses for clouds produced by the instability, with log mass in solar units plotted against log radius in kpc, are illustrated.

Sloshing instability and electrolyte layer rupture in liquid metal batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Norbert; Beckstein, Pascal; Herreman, Wietze; Horstmann, Gerrit Maik; Nore, Caroline; Stefani, Frank; Weier, Tom

2017-05-01

Liquid metal batteries (LMBs) are discussed today as a cheap grid scale energy storage, as required for the deployment of fluctuating renewable energies. Built as stable density stratification of two liquid metals separated by a thin molten salt layer, LMBs are susceptible to short-circuit by fluid flows. Using direct numerical simulation, we study a sloshing long wave interface instability in cylindrical cells, which is already known from aluminium reduction cells. After characterising the instability mechanism, we investigate the influence of cell current, layer thickness, density, viscosity, conductivity and magnetic background field. Finally we study the shape of the interface and give a dimensionless parameter for the onset of sloshing as well as for the short-circuit.

Homogeneous buoyancy-generated turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batchelor, G. K.; Canuto, V. M.; Chasnov, J. R.

1992-01-01

Using a theoretical analysis of fundamental equations and a numerical simulation of the flow field, the statistically homogeneous motion that is generated by buoyancy forces after the creation of homogeneous random fluctuations in the density of infinite fluid at an initial instant is examined. It is shown that analytical results together with numerical results provide a comprehensive description of the 'birth, life, and death' of buoyancy-generated turbulence. Results of numerical simulations yielded the mean-square density mean-square velocity fluctuations and the associated spectra as functions of time for various initial conditions, and the time required for the mean-square density fluctuation to fall to a specified small value was estimated.

Historical fire and multidecadal drought as context for piñon - Juniper woodland restoration in western Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shinneman, Douglas J.; Baker, William L.

2009-01-01

Fire is known to structure tree populations, but the role of broad-scale climate variability is less clear. For example, the influence of climatic “teleconnections” (the relationship between oceanic–atmospheric fluctuations and anomalous weather patterns across broad scales) on forest age structure is relatively unexplored. We sampled semiarid piñon–juniper (Pinus edulis–Juniperus osteosperma) woodlands in western Colorado, USA, to test the hypothesis that woodland age structures are shaped by climate, including links to oceanic–atmospheric fluctuations, and by past fires and livestock grazing. Low-severity surface fire was lacking, as fire scars were absent, and did not influence woodland densities, but stand-replacing fires served as long-rotation (>400–600 years), stand-initiating events. Old-growth stands (>300 years old) were found in 75% of plots, consistent with a long fire rotation. Juniper and piñon age structures suggest contrasting responses during the past several centuries to dry and wet episodes linked to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Juniper density increased slightly during periods of drought, positive (warm) AMO (after ∼10-year lag), and negative (cool) PDO. In contrast, piñon populations may still be recovering from a long, drought-filled period (AD 1620–1820), with pulses of recovery favored during cool AMO, warm PDO, and above-average moisture periods. Analysis of 20th-century tree establishment and instrumental climate data corroborate the long-term relationships between age structure and climate. After Euro–American settlement (AD 1881), livestock grazing reduced understory grasses and forbs, reducing competition with tree seedlings and facilitating climate-induced increases in piñons. Thus tree populations in these woodlands are in flux, affected by drought and wet periods linked to oceanic–atmospheric variability, Euro–American livestock grazing, and long-rotation, high-severity fires. Reductions in livestock grazing levels may aid ecological restoration efforts. However, given long-term fluctuations in tree density and composition, and expected further drought, thinning or burning to reduce tree populations may be misdirected.

Microwave beam broadening due to turbulent plasma density fluctuations within the limit of the Born approximation and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhn, A.; Guidi, L.; Holzhauer, E.; Maj, O.; Poli, E.; Snicker, A.; Weber, H.

2018-07-01

Plasma turbulence, and edge density fluctuations in particular, can under certain conditions broaden the cross-section of injected microwave beams significantly. This can be a severe problem for applications relying on well-localized deposition of the microwave power, like the control of MHD instabilities. Here we investigate this broadening mechanism as a function of fluctuation level, background density and propagation length in a fusion-relevant scenario using two numerical codes, the full-wave code IPF-FDMC and the novel wave kinetic equation solver WKBeam. The latter treats the effects of fluctuations using a statistical approach, based on an iterative solution of the scattering problem (Born approximation). The full-wave simulations are used to benchmark this approach. The Born approximation is shown to be valid over a large parameter range, including ITER-relevant scenarios.

Local fluctuations of the signed traded volumes and the dependencies of demands: a copula analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shanshan; Guhr, Thomas

2018-03-01

We investigate how the local fluctuations of the signed traded volumes affect the dependence of demands between stocks. We analyze the empirical dependence of demands using copulas and show that they are well described by a bivariate K copula density function. We find that large local fluctuations strongly increase the positive dependence but lower slightly the negative one in the copula density. This interesting feature is due to cross-correlations of volume imbalances between stocks. Also, we explore the asymmetries of tail dependencies of the copula density, which are moderate for the negative dependencies but strong for the positive ones. For the latter, we reveal that large local fluctuations of the signed traded volumes trigger stronger dependencies of demands than of supplies, probably indicating a bull market with persistent raising of prices.

Seahorse (Hippocampinae) population fluctuations in the Ria Formosa Lagoon, south Portugal.

PubMed

Correia, M; Caldwell, I R; Koldewey, H J; Andrade, J P; Palma, J

2015-09-01

Comparisons of three sets of surveys in the Ria Formosa Lagoon, Portugal, over a 13 year period (2001-2002, 2008-2009 and 2010-2013) revealed significant population fluctuations in at least one of the two seahorse (Hippocampinae) species living there, and that those fluctuations were potentially associated with habitat changes in the lagoon. After a significant decline between the first two survey periods (2001-2002 v. 2008-2009), long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus populations increased significantly between 2008-2009 surveys and new 2010-2013 surveys. There were no significant differences in H. guttulatus populations between the 2001-2002 and 2010-2013 surveys. In contrast, there were no significant differences in short-snouted seahorse Hippocampus hippocampus densities among the 16 sites surveyed throughout the three sampling periods, although the ability to detect any change was hampered by the low densities of this species in all time periods. Fluctuations in H. guttulatus densities were positively correlated with the percentage of holdfast coverage, but with none of the other environmental variables tested. These results highlight the importance of holdfast availability in maintaining stable seahorse populations. While population fluctuations are certainly more promising than a consistent downward decline, such extreme fluctuations observed for seahorses in the Ria Formosa Lagoon could still leave these two species vulnerable to any additional stressors, particularly during low density periods. © 2015 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Multiple Streaming and the Probability Distribution of Density in Redshift Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Lam; Kofman, Lev; Shandarin, Sergei F.

2000-07-01

We examine several aspects of redshift distortions by expressing the redshift-space density in terms of the eigenvalues and orientation of the local Lagrangian deformation tensor. We explore the importance of multiple streaming using the Zeldovich approximation (ZA), and compute the average number of streams in both real and redshift space. We find that multiple streaming can be significant in redshift space but negligible in real space, even at moderate values of the linear fluctuation amplitude (σl<~1). Moreover, unlike their real-space counterparts, redshift-space multiple streams can flow past each other with minimal interactions. Such nonlinear redshift-space effects, which are physically distinct from the fingers-of-God due to small-scale virialized motions, might in part explain the well-known departure of redshift distortions from the classic linear prediction by Kaiser, even at relatively large scales where the corresponding density field in real space is well described by linear perturbation theory. We also compute, using the ZA, the probability distribution function (PDF) of the density, as well as S3, in real and redshift space, and compare it with the PDF measured from N-body simulations. The role of caustics in defining the character of the high-density tail is examined. We find that (non-Lagrangian) smoothing, due to both finite resolution or discreteness and small-scale velocity dispersions, is very effective in erasing caustic structures, unless the initial power spectrum is sufficiently truncated.

The relation between skin friction fluctuations and turbulent fluctuating velocities in turbulent boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz Daniel, Carlos; Laizet, Sylvain; Vassilicos, John Christos

2015-11-01

The Townsend-Perry hypothesis of wall-attached eddies relates the friction velocity uτ at the wall to velocity fluctuations at a position y from the wall, resulting in a wavenumber range where the streamwise fluctuating velocity spectrum scales as E (k) ~k-1 and the corresponding structure function scales as uτ2 in the corresponding length-scale range. However, this model does not take in account the fluctuations of the skin friction velocity, which are in fact strongly intermittent. A DNS of zero-pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer suggests a 10 to 15 degree angle from the lag of the peak in the cross-correlations between the fluctuations of the shear stress and streamwise fluctuating velocities at different heights in the boundary layer. Using this result, it is possible to refine the definition of the attached eddy range of scales, and our DNS suggests that, in this range, the second order structure function depends on filtered skin friction fluctuations in a way which is about the same at different distances from the wall and different local Reynolds numbers.

The Spectrum of Wind Power Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandi, Mahesh

2016-11-01

Wind is a variable energy source whose fluctuations threaten electrical grid stability and complicate dynamical load balancing. The power generated by a wind turbine fluctuates due to the variable wind speed that blows past the turbine. Indeed, the spectrum of wind power fluctuations is widely believed to reflect the Kolmogorov spectrum; both vary with frequency f as f - 5 / 3. This variability decreases when aggregate power fluctuations from geographically distributed wind farms are averaged at the grid via a mechanism known as geographic smoothing. Neither the f - 5 / 3 wind power fluctuation spectrum nor the mechanism of geographic smoothing are understood. In this work, we explain the wind power fluctuation spectrum from the turbine through grid scales. The f - 5 / 3 wind power fluctuation spectrum results from the largest length scales of atmospheric turbulence of order 200 km influencing the small scales where individual turbines operate. This long-range influence spatially couples geographically distributed wind farms and synchronizes farm outputs over a range of frequencies and decreases with increasing inter-farm distance. Consequently, aggregate grid-scale power fluctuations remain correlated, and are smoothed until they reach a limiting f - 7 / 3 spectrum. This work was funded by the Collective Interactions Unit, OIST Graduate University, Japan.

Synchrony in broadband fluctuation and the 2008 financial crisis.

PubMed

Lin, Der Chyan

2013-01-01

We propose phase-like characteristics in scale-free broadband processes and consider fluctuation synchrony based on the temporal signature of significant amplitude fluctuation. Using wavelet transform, successful captures of similar fluctuation pattern between such broadband processes are demonstrated. The application to the financial data leading to the 2008 financial crisis reveals the transition towards a qualitatively different dynamical regime with many equity price in fluctuation synchrony. Further analysis suggests an underlying scale free "price fluctuation network" with large clustering coefficient.

New detection system and signal processing for the tokamak ISTTOK heavy ion beam diagnostic.

PubMed

Henriques, R B; Nedzelskiy, I S; Malaquias, A; Fernandes, H

2012-10-01

The tokamak ISTTOK havy ion beam diagnostic (HIBD) operates with a multiple cell array detector (MCAD) that allows for the plasma density and the plasma density fluctuations measurements simultaneously at different sampling volumes across the plasma. To improve the capability of the plasma density fluctuations investigations, a new detection system and new signal conditioning amplifier have been designed and tested. The improvements in MCAD design are presented which allow for nearly complete suppression of the spurious plasma background signal by applying a biasing potential onto special electrodes incorporated into MCAD. The new low cost and small size transimpedance amplifiers are described with the parameters of 400 kHz, 10(7) V/A, 0.4 nA of RMS noise, adequate for the plasma density fluctuations measurements.

Evolving Waves and Turbulence in the Outer Corona and Inner Heliosphere: The Accelerating Expanding Box

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

Tenerani, Anna; Velli, Marco

Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind display many properties reflecting an ongoing nonlinear cascade, e.g., a well-defined spectrum in frequency, together with some characteristics more commonly associated with the linear propagation of waves from the Sun, such as the variation of fluctuation amplitude with distance, dominated by solar wind expansion effects. Therefore, both nonlinearities and expansion must be included simultaneously in any successful model of solar wind turbulence evolution. Because of the disparate spatial scales involved, direct numerical simulations of turbulence in the solar wind represent an arduous task, especially if one wants to go beyond the incompressible approximation. Indeed,more » most simulations neglect solar wind expansion effects entirely. Here we develop a numerical model to simulate turbulent fluctuations from the outer corona to 1 au and beyond, including the sub-Alfvénic corona. The accelerating expanding box (AEB) extends the validity of previous expanding box models by taking into account both the acceleration of the solar wind and the inhomogeneity of background density and magnetic field. Our method incorporates a background accelerating wind within a magnetic field that naturally follows the Parker spiral evolution using a two-scale analysis in which the macroscopic spatial effect coupling fluctuations with background gradients becomes a time-dependent coupling term in a homogeneous box. In this paper we describe the AEB model in detail and discuss its main properties, illustrating its validity by studying Alfvén wave propagation across the Alfvén critical point.« less

Fluctuation-Noise Model for PEM Fuel Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisov, E. S.; Salakhova, A. Sh.; Adiutantov, N. A.; Evdokimov, Yu. K.

2017-08-01

The fluctuation-noise model is presented. This model allows to describe the power spectral density of PEM fuel cell electrical fluctuation. The proposed model can be used for diagnostics of PEM fuel cell state of health.

Climatic Signals from Intra-annual Density Fluctuation Frequency in Mediterranean Pines at a Regional Scale

PubMed Central

Zalloni, Enrica; de Luis, Martin; Campelo, Filipe; Novak, Klemen; De Micco, Veronica; Di Filippo, Alfredo; Vieira, Joana; Nabais, Cristina; Rozas, Vicente; Battipaglia, Giovanna

2016-01-01

Tree rings provide information about the climatic conditions during the growing season by recording them in different anatomical features, such as intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs). IADFs are intra-annual changes of wood density appearing as latewood-like cells within earlywood, or earlywood-like cells within latewood. The occurrence of IADFs is dependent on the age and size of the tree, and it is triggered by climatic drivers. The variations of IADF frequency of different species and their dependence on climate across a wide geographical range have still to be explored. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of age, tree-ring width and climate on IADF formation and frequency at a regional scale across the Mediterranean Basin in Pinus halepensis Mill., Pinus pinaster Ait., and Pinus pinea L. The analyzed tree-ring network was composed of P. pinea trees growing at 10 sites (2 in Italy, 4 in Spain, and 4 in Portugal), P. pinaster from 19 sites (2 in Italy, 13 in Spain, and 4 in Portugal), and P. halepensis from 38 sites in Spain. The correlations between IADF frequency and monthly minimum, mean and maximum temperatures, as well as between IADF frequency and total precipitation, were analyzed. A significant negative relationship between IADF frequency and tree-ring age was found for the three Mediterranean pines. Moreover, IADFs were more frequent in wider rings than in narrower ones, although the widest rings showed a reduced IADF frequency. Wet conditions during late summer/early autumn triggered the formation of IADFs in the three species. Our results suggest the existence of a common climatic driver for the formation of IADFs in Mediterranean pines, highlighting the potential use of IADF frequency as a proxy for climate reconstructions with geographical resolution. PMID:27200052

Late summer temperature reconstruction based on tree-ring density for Sygera Mountain, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingyong; Duan, Jianping; Wang, Lily; Zhu, Haifeng

2018-04-01

Although several tree-ring density-based summer/late summer temperature reconstructions have been developed on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the understanding of the local/regional characteristics of summer temperature fluctuations on a long-term scale in some regions is still limited. To improve our understanding in these aspects, more local or regional summer temperature reconstructions extending back over several centuries are required. In this study, a new mean latewood density (LWD) chronology from Abies georgei var. smithii from the upper tree line of Sygera Mountain on the southeastern TP was developed to reconstruct the late summer temperature variability since 1820 CE. The bootstrapped correlation analysis showed that the LWD chronology index was significantly and positively correlated with the late summer (August-September) mean temperatures (r1950-2008 = 0.63, p < 0.001) recorded at the nearest meteorological station and that this reconstruction has considerable potential to represent the late summer temperature variability at the regional scale. Our late summer temperature reconstruction revealed three obvious cold periods (i.e., 1872-1908, 1913-1937 and 1941-1966) and two relatively warm phases (i.e., 1821-1871 and 1970-2008) over the past two centuries. Comparisons of our reconstruction with other independent tree-ring-based temperature reconstructions, glacier fluctuations and historical documental records from neighboring regions showed good agreement in these relatively cold and warm intervals. Our reconstruction exhibits an overall increasing temperature trend since the 1960s, providing new evidence supporting the recent warming of the TP. Moreover, our results also indicate that the late summer temperature variability of Sygera Mountain on the southeastern TP has potential links with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).

Hidden scale invariance of metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hummel, Felix; Kresse, Georg; Dyre, Jeppe C.; Pedersen, Ulf R.

2015-11-01

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of 58 liquid elements at their triple point show that most metals exhibit near proportionality between the thermal fluctuations of the virial and the potential energy in the isochoric ensemble. This demonstrates a general "hidden" scale invariance of metals making the condensed part of the thermodynamic phase diagram effectively one dimensional with respect to structure and dynamics. DFT computed density scaling exponents, related to the Grüneisen parameter, are in good agreement with experimental values for the 16 elements where reliable data were available. Hidden scale invariance is demonstrated in detail for magnesium by showing invariance of structure and dynamics. Computed melting curves of period three metals follow curves with invariance (isomorphs). The experimental structure factor of magnesium is predicted by assuming scale invariant inverse power-law (IPL) pair interactions. However, crystal packings of several transition metals (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Nb, Mo, Ta, W, and Hg), most post-transition metals (Ga, In, Sn, and Tl), and the metalloids Si and Ge cannot be explained by the IPL assumption. The virial-energy correlation coefficients of iron and phosphorous are shown to increase at elevated pressures. Finally, we discuss how scale invariance explains the Grüneisen equation of state and a number of well-known empirical melting and freezing rules.

Radio interferometer measurements of turbulence in the inner solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spangler, S. R.; Sakurai, T.; Coles, William A.; Grall, R. R.; Harmon, J. K.

1995-01-01

Measurements can be made of Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) phase scintillations due to plasma turbulence in the solar corona and solar wind. These measurements provide information on the spectrum and intensity of density fluctuations with scale sizes of a few hundred to several thousand kilometers. If we model the spatial power spectrum of the density fluctuations as P(sub delta n)(q) = C(sup 2)(sub N) q(sup -alpha), where q is the spatial wavenumber, these observations yield both alpha and the path-integrated value of C(sup 2)(sub N). The recently completed Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is capable of making such measurements over the heliocentric distance range from a few solar radii to 60 solar radii and beyond. This permits the determination with the same technique and instrument of the radial evolution of turbulent characteristics, as well as their dependence on solar wind transients, sector structure, etc. In this paper we present measurements of 13 sources observed at a wide range of solar elongations, and at different times. These observations show that the coefficient C(sup 2(sub N), depends on heliocentric distance as approximately C(sup 2)(sub N) varies as (R/Solar Radius)(sup -3.7). The radio derived power spectral characteristics are in agreement with in situ measurements by the Helios spacecraft for regions of slow solar wind, but fast solar wind does not have large enough density fluctuations to account for the magnitude of the observed scintillations. The observed radial dependence is consistent with a WKB-type evolution of the turbulence with heliocentric distance. Our data also show indication of turbulence enhancement associated with solar wind transients.

EMBEDDED LENSING TIME DELAYS, THE FERMAT POTENTIAL, AND THE INTEGRATED SACHS–WOLFE EFFECT

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

Chen, Bin; Kantowski, Ronald; Dai, Xinyu, E-mail: bchen3@fsu.edu

2015-05-01

We derive the Fermat potential for a spherically symmetric lens embedded in a Friedman–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology and use it to investigate the late-time integrated Sachs–Wolfe (ISW) effect, i.e., secondary temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) caused by individual large-scale clusters and voids. We present a simple analytical expression for the temperature fluctuation in the CMB across such a lens as a derivative of the lens’ Fermat potential. This formalism is applicable to both linear and nonlinear density evolution scenarios, to arbitrarily large density contrasts, and to all open and closed background cosmologies. It is much simpler to use andmore » makes the same predictions as conventional approaches. In this approach the total temperature fluctuation can be split into a time-delay part and an evolutionary part. Both parts must be included for cosmic structures that evolve and both can be equally important. We present very simple ISW models for cosmic voids and galaxy clusters to illustrate the ease of use of our formalism. We use the Fermat potentials of simple cosmic void models to compare predicted ISW effects with those recently extracted from WMAP and Planck data by stacking large cosmic voids using the aperture photometry method. If voids in the local universe with large density contrasts are no longer evolving we find that the time delay contribution alone predicts values consistent with the measurements. However, we find that for voids still evolving linearly, the evolutionary contribution cancels a significant part of the time delay contribution and results in predicted signals that are much smaller than recently observed.« less

Magnification bias as a novel probe for primordial magnetic fields

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

Camera, S.; Fedeli, C.; Moscardini, L., E-mail: stefano.camera@tecnico.ulisboa.pt, E-mail: cosimo.fedeli@oabo.inaf.it, E-mail: lauro.moscardini@unibo.it

2014-03-01

In this paper we investigate magnetic fields generated in the early Universe. These fields are important candidates at explaining the origin of astrophysical magnetism observed in galaxies and galaxy clusters, whose genesis is still by and large unclear. Compared to the standard inflationary power spectrum, intermediate to small scales would experience further substantial matter clustering, were a cosmological magnetic field present prior to recombination. As a consequence, the bias and redshift distribution of galaxies would also be modified. Hitherto, primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) have been tested and constrained with a number of cosmological observables, e.g. the cosmic microwave background radiation,more » galaxy clustering and, more recently, weak gravitational lensing. Here, we explore the constraining potential of the density fluctuation bias induced by gravitational lensing magnification onto the galaxy-galaxy angular power spectrum. Such an effect is known as magnification bias. Compared to the usual galaxy clustering approach, magnification bias helps in lifting the pathological degeneracy present amongst power spectrum normalisation and galaxy bias. This is because magnification bias cross-correlates galaxy number density fluctuations of nearby objects with weak lensing distortions of high-redshift sources. Thus, it takes advantage of the gravitational deflection of light, which is insensitive to galaxy bias but powerful in constraining the density fluctuation amplitude. To scrutinise the potentiality of this method, we adopt a deep and wide-field spectroscopic galaxy survey. We show that magnification bias does contain important information on primordial magnetism, which will be useful in combination with galaxy clustering and shear. We find we shall be able to rule out at 95.4% CL amplitudes of PMFs larger than 5 × 10{sup −4} nG for values of the PMF power spectral index n{sub B} ∼ 0.« less

Measurement of Initial Conditions at Nozzle Exit of High Speed Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Zaman, K. B. M. Q.; Seasholtz, R. G.

2004-01-01

The time averaged and unsteady density fields close to the nozzle exit (0.1 less than or = x/D less than or = 2, x: downstream distance, D: jet diameter) of unheated free jets at Mach numbers of 0.95, 1.4, and 1.8 were measured using a molecular Rayleigh scattering based technique. The initial thickness of shear layer and its linear growth rate were determined from time-averaged density survey and a modeling process, which utilized the Crocco-Busemann equation to relate density profiles to velocity profiles. The model also corrected for the smearing effect caused by a relatively long probe length in the measured density data. The calculated shear layer thickness was further verified from a limited hot-wire measurement. Density fluctuations spectra, measured using a two-Photomultiplier-tube technique, were used to determine evolution of turbulent fluctuations in various Strouhal frequency bands. For this purpose spectra were obtained from a large number of points inside the flow; and at every axial station spectral data from all radial positions were integrated. The radially-integrated fluctuation data show an exponential growth with downstream distance and an eventual saturation in all Strouhal frequency bands. The initial level of density fluctuations was calculated by extrapolation to nozzle exit.

Electromagnetic turbulence and transport in increased β LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Giovanni; Carter, Troy; Pueschel, Mj; Jenko, Frank; Terry, Paul; Told, Daniel

2016-10-01

The new LaB6 plasma source in LAPD has enabled the production of magnetized, increased β plasmas (up to 15%). We report on the modifications of pressure-gradient-driven turbulence and transport with increased plasma β. Density fluctuations decrease with increasing β while magnetic fluctuations increase. B ⊥ fluctuations saturate while parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations increase continuously with β. At the highest β values Î δ ||/ δ B ⊥ 2 and δ B/B 1%. The measurements are consistent with the excitation of the Gradient-driven Drift Coupling (GDC). This instability prefers k|| = 0 and grows in finite β plasmas due to density and temperature gradients through the production of parallel magnetic field fluctuations and resulting ⊥ B|| drifts. Comparisons between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions for the GDC will be shown. Direct measurements of electrostatic particle flux have been performed and show a strong reduction with increasing β. No evidence is found (e.g. density profile shape) of enhanced confinement, suggesting that other transport mechanisms are active. Preliminary measurements indicate that electromagnetic transport due to parallel magnetic field fluctuations at first increases with β but is subsequently suppressed at higher β values.

Nonlinear excitation of long-wavelength modes in Hall plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakhin, V. P.; Ilgisonis, V. I.; Smolyakov, A. I.; Sorokina, E. A.

2016-10-01

Hall plasmas with magnetized electrons and unmagnetized ions exhibit a wide range of small scale fluctuations in the lower-hybrid frequency range as well as low-frequency large scale modes. Modulational instability of lower-hybrid frequency modes is investigated in this work for typical conditions in Hall plasma devices such as magnetrons and Hall thrusters. In these conditions, the dispersion of the waves in the lower-hybrid frequency range propagating perpendicular to the external magnetic field is due to the gradients of the magnetic field and the plasma density. It is shown that such lower-hybrid modes are unstable with respect to the secondary instability of the large scale quasimode perturbations. It is suggested that the large scale slow coherent modes observed in a number of Hall plasma devices may be explained as a result of such secondary instabilities.

Quantum Entanglement of Matter and Geometry in Large Systems

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

Hogan, Craig J.

2014-12-04

Standard quantum mechanics and gravity are used to estimate the mass and size of idealized gravitating systems where position states of matter and geometry become indeterminate. It is proposed that well-known inconsistencies of standard quantum field theory with general relativity on macroscopic scales can be reconciled by nonstandard, nonlocal entanglement of field states with quantum states of geometry. Wave functions of particle world lines are used to estimate scales of geometrical entanglement and emergent locality. Simple models of entanglement predict coherent fluctuations in position of massive bodies, of Planck scale origin, measurable on a laboratory scale, and may account formore » the fact that the information density of long lived position states in Standard Model fields, which is determined by the strong interactions, is the same as that determined holographically by the cosmological constant.« less

Low Density ITB Studies Using the Upgraded C-Mod Reflectometry System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez, A.; Edlund, E.; Fiore, C. L.; Lin, L.; Marmar, E. S.; Snipes, J. A.; Porkolab, M.; Kramer, G. J.; Rowan, W. L.

2007-11-01

The Alcator C-Mod reflectometry system was recently upgraded in two ways: The low frequency channels were changed from amplitude modulation - in which two microwave signals, slightly separated in frequency, are injected into the plasma - to baseband, where a single frequency is used, in order to improve density fluctuation measurements. The second change, a variable frequency channel operating over the range from 122GHz to 140GHz (with corresponding density cutoffs of 1.84-2.43x10^20m-3) has been installed in collaboration with PPPL. Initial results from the upgraded system are presented, including the study of low density Internal Transport Barriers. Using O-mode waves, the reflectometry system is able to radially localize density fluctuations on the low field side along the tokamak midplane. It can, therefore, be used to probe the foot of low density ITBs. The corresponding reflectometry data will be compared to those of other fluctuation diagnostics, including Phase Contrast Imaging and magnetic pick-up coils.

Observation of the electron density fluctuations by using the O-mode Microwave Imaging Reflectometry in LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagayama, Yoshio; Yamaguchi, Soichiro; Tsuchiya, Hayato; Kuwahara, Daisuke; LHD Experimental Team

2016-10-01

Visualization of local electron density fluctuations will be very useful to study the physics of confinement and instabilities in fusion plasma. In the Large Helical Device (LHD), the O-mode microwave imaging reflectometry (O-MIR) has been intensively developed in order to visualize the electron density fluctuations. The frequency is 26 - 34 GHz. This corresponds to the electron density of 0.8 - 1.5 × 1019 m-3. The plasma is illuminated by the Gaussian beam with four frequencies. The imaging optics make a plasma image onto the newly developed 2D (8 × 8) Horn-antenna Millimeter-wave Imaging Device (HMID). In HMID, the signal wave that is accumulated by the horn antenna is transduced to the micro-strip line by using the finline transducer. The signal wave is mixed by the double balanced mixer with the local wave that is delivered by cables. By using O-MIR, electron density fluctuations are measured at the H-mode edge and the ITB layer in LHD. This work is supported by NIFS/NINS under the project of Formation of International Scientific Base and Network, by the NIFS LHD project, by KAKENHI, and by IMS.

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James

2016-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM), strong evidence that drift wave turbulence emerges in RFP plasmas when transport associated with MHD tearing is reduced. Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking. Using inductive control, the tearing modes are reduced and global confinement is increased to values expected for a comparable tokamak plasma. The improved confinement is associated with a large increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have frequencies >50 kHz, wavenumbers k_phi*rho_s<0.14, and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in fluctuations associated with global tearing modes. Their amplitude increases with the local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R/L_n 15, higher than in tokamak plasmas by R/a. the GENE code, modified for RFP equilibria, predicts the onset of microinstability for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. The density-gradient-driven TEM is the dominant instability in the region where the measured density fluctuations are largest, and the experimental threshold-gradient is close to the predicted critical gradient for linear stability. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Similar circumstances could occur in the edge region of tokamak plasmas when resonant magnetic perturbations are applied for the control of ELMs. Work supported by US DOE.

Turbulent Mixing at the Edge of a Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Raymond; Beals, Matthew; Fugal, Jacob; Kumar, Bipin; Lu, Jiang; Schumacher, Joerg; Stith, Jeffrey

2013-11-01

Numerical and field experiments have been brought to bear on the question of how atmospheric clouds respond when they experience turbulent mixing with their environment. Simply put, we ask when a cloud is diluted, do all droplets evaporate uniformly (homogeneous mixing) or does a subset of droplets evaporate completely, leaving the remaining droplets unaffected (inhomogeneous mixing)? First, the entrainment of clear air and its subsequent mixing with a filament of cloudy air is studied in DNS that combine the Eulerian description of the turbulent velocity, temperature and vapor fields with a Lagrangian cloud droplet ensemble. The simulations provide guidance on the proper definition of the thermodynamic response time for the Damkoehler number, and demonstrate the transition from inhomogeneous to homogeneous mixing as mixing progresses within the inertial subrange. Second, an airborne digital holographic instrument (Holodec) shows that cloud edges are inhomogeneous at the centimeter scales. In local cloud volumes the droplet size distribution fluctuates strongly in number density but with a nearly unchanging mean droplet diameter, until the fluctuations finally cascade to the centimeter scale, when the droplet diameter begins to respond.