Neutral Waves Research Articles

Ionospheric and thermospheric storms at equatorial latitudes observed by CHAMP, ROCSAT, and DMSP

Analysis of the dayside electron density (Ne) and neutral mass density (N) at 400 km height measured by CHAMP during 12 intense geomagnetic storms in 2000–2004, and ion densities at 600 km and 840 km heights measured by ROCSAT and DMSP during a few of the intense storms, reveal some new aspects. Thermospheric storms (change of N) reach the equator within 1.5 to 3 hours from the main phase (MP) onset of intense storms having short and steady MPs. The responses of the equatorial ionosphere (at CHAMP) to both MPs and RPs (recovery phases) of the storms are generally opposite to those at higher latitudes. In addition to the known opposite responses during MPs, the analysis reveals that positive ionospheric storms develop at equatorial latitudes (within about ±15° magnetic latitudes) during daytime RPs, while conventional negative storms occur at higher latitudes. Ionospheric storms also extend to the topside ionosphere beyond 850 km height and are generally positive (at DMSP), especially during MPs. The positive storms around the equatorial ionospheric peak during RPs are interpreted in terms of the potential sources such as (1) zero or westward electric fields due to disturbance dynamo and/or prompt penetration, (2) plasma convergence due to the mechanical effects of storm‐time equatorward neutral winds and waves, (3) increase of atomic oxygen density and decrease of molecular nitrogen density due to the downwelling effect of the winds, and (4) photoionization. The positive storms in the topside ionosphere during MPs involve the rapid upward drift of plasma due to eastward PPEFs, reduction in the downward diffusion of plasma along the field lines, and plasma convergence due to equatorward winds and waves.

Neutral current wave shape analysis using wavelet for diagnosis of winding insulation of a transformer

Insulation failure within the windings of a power transformer arises due to over voltages, under voltages, notches, glitches, etc. A widely used technique to detect these power transformer insulation failures during an impulse test is the comparison of neutral current waveforms. Any shift in the recorded waveforms between reduced and full voltage confirms the existence of a fault in the windings. Hence, a proper analysis of neutral current waveforms is necessary to assess the condition of the insulation of power transformer winding. In order to carry out a wave shape analysis, a 61 MVA, 11.5/230 kV generator transformer is used and faults are created in the disks of high-voltage windings at specific locations. Neutral currents are recorded by applying a 100 V, low-voltage impulse. Noise inherent in the neutral current during recordings is isolated using a biorthogonal wavelet and the denoised signals are analyzed using the Shannon wavelet for identification of a fault in the winding.

Probing quantum and dynamic effects in concerted proton-electron transfer reactions of phenol-base compounds.

The oxidation of three phenols, which contain an intramolecular hydrogen bond to a pendent pyridine or amine group, has been shown, in a previous experimental study, to undergo concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET). In this reaction, the electron is transferred to an outer-sphere oxidant, and the proton is transferred from the oxygen to nitrogen atom. In the present study, this reaction is studied computationally using a version of Hammes-Schiffer's multistate continuum theory where CPET is formulated as a transmission frequency between neutral and cation vibrational-electronic states. The neutral and cation proton vibrational wave functions are computed from one-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the transferring proton in a fixed heavy atom framework. The overlap integrals for these neutral/cation wave functions, considering several initial (i.e., neutral) and final (i.e., cation) vibrational states, are used to evaluate the relative rates of oxidation. The analysis is extended to heavy atom configurations with various proton donor-acceptor (i.e., O-N) distances to assess the importance of heavy atom "gating". Such changes in d(ON) dramatically affect the nature of the proton PESs and wave functions. Surprisingly, the most reactive configurations have similar donor-acceptor distances despite the large (~0.2 Å) differences in the optimized structures. These theoretical results qualitatively reproduce the experimental faster reactivity of the reaction of the pyridyl derivative 1 versus the CH(2)-pyridyl 2, but the computed factor of 5 is smaller than the experimental 10(2). The amine derivative is calculated to react similarly to 1, which does not agree with the experiments, likely due to some of the simplifying assumptions made in applying the theory. The computed kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and their temperature dependence are in agreement with experimental results.

Almost automorphy for abstract neutral differential equations via control theory

In this paper we study the existence of almost automorphic solutions for a class of linear neutral functional differential equations with finite delay and values in a Banach space. We show that the existence of an almost automorphic mild solution is related to the approximate controllability of a distributed control system. We applied our results to establish the existence of an almost automorphic solution for a neutral wave equation with delay.

Effect of Top and Bottom Boundary Conditions on Symmetric Instability under Full-Component Coriolis Force

Abstract The linear stability of a zonal flow confined in a domain within horizontal top and bottom boundaries is examined under full consideration of the Coriolis force. The basic zonal flow is assumed to be in thermal wind balance with the density field and to be sheared in both vertical and horizontal directions under statically and inertially stable conditions. By imposing top and bottom boundary conditions in this framework, the number of wave modes increases to four, instead of two in an unbounded domain, as already reported in studies on internal gravity waves. The four modes are classified into two pairs of high- and low-frequency modes: the high modes are superinertial and the low modes are subinertial. The discriminant of symmetric instability is nevertheless determined by the sign of the potential vorticity of the basic zonal flow, as in the case of an unbounded domain. The solutions satisfying the top and bottom boundary conditions are interpreted as the superposition of incident and reflected waves, revealing that the neutral solutions consist of two neutral plane waves with oppositely directed vertical group velocities. This may explain why the properties of wave behavior, such as the instability criteria, remain the same in both the bounded and unbounded domains, although the manifestation of wave activity, such as the order of dispersion relation, is quite different in the two cases. Furthermore, the slope of the constant momentum surface, the slope of the isopycnic surface including the nontraditional effect of the Coriolis force, and the ratio between the frequencies of gravity and inertial waves form an essential set of parameters for symmetric motion. The combination of these dimensionless quantities determines the fundamental nature of symmetric motions, such as stability, regardless of boundary conditions with and without the horizontal component of the planetary vorticity.

Effect of impinging plate geometry on the self-excitation of subsonic impinging jets

In the generation of discrete tones by subsonic impinging jets, there exists a difference of opinion as how the feedback is achieved, i.e., the path of the feedback acoustic waves is whether inside the jet or outside the jet? The only available model (Tam and Ahuja model) for the prediction of an average subsonic jet impingement tone frequency assumes that the upstream part of the feedback loop is closed by an upstream propagating neutral wave of the jet. But, there is no information about the plate geometry in the model. The present study aims at understanding the effect of the plate geometry (size and co-axial hole in the plate) on the self-excitation process of subsonic impinging jets and the path of the acoustic feedback to the nozzle exit. The present results show that there is no effect of plate diameter on the frequency of the self-excitation. A new type of tones is generated for plates with co-axial hole (hole diameter is equal to nozzle exit diameter) for Mach numbers 0.9 and 0.95, in addition to the axisymmetric and helical mode tones observed for plates without co-axial hole. The stability results show that the Strouhal number of the least dispersive upstream propagating neutral waves match with the average Strouhal number of the new tones observed in the present experiments. The present study extends the validity of the model of Tam and Ahuja to a plate with co-axial hole (annular plate) and by doing so, we indirectly confirmed that the major acoustic feedback path to the nozzle exit is inside the jet.

Stability of a vortex in radial density stratification: role of wave interactions

We study the stability of a vortex in an axisymmetric density distribution. It is shown that a light-cored vortex can be unstable in spite of the ‘stable stratification’ of density. Using a model flow consisting of step jumps in vorticity and density, we show that a wave interaction mediated by shear is the mechanism for the instability. The requirement is for the density gradient to be placed outside the vortex core but within the critical radius of the Kelvin mode. Conversely, a heavy-cored vortex, found in other studies to be unstable in the centrifugal Rayleigh–Taylor sense, is stabilized when the density jump is placed in this region. Asymptotic solutions at small Atwood numberAtshow growth rates scaling asAt1/3close to the critical radius, andAt1/2further away. By considering a family of vorticity and density profiles of progressively increasing smoothness, going from a step to a Gaussian, it is shown that sharp gradients are necessary for the instability of the light-cored vortex, consistent with recent work which found Gaussian profiles to be stable. For sharp gradients, it is argued that wave interaction can be supported due to the presence ofquasi-modes. Probably for the first time, a quasi-mode which decays exponentially is shown to interact with a neutral wave to give exponential growth in the combined case. We finally study the nonlinear stages using viscous direct numerical simulations. The initial exponential instability of light-cored vortices is arrested due to a restoring centrifugal buoyancy force, leading to stable non-axisymmetric structures, such as a tripolar state for an azimuthal wavenumber of 2. The study is restricted to two dimensions, and neglects gravity.

Pleasant mood intensifies brain processing of cognitive control: ERP correlates

The present study investigated the impact of auditory-induced mood on brain processing of cognitive control using a Stroop color-word interference task. A total of 135 positive, negative, and neutral sounds (45 of each) were presented in separate blocks for a mood induction procedure, which was then followed by a Stroop color-word task in each trial. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded for color-word congruent, incongruent and neutral (color-word irrelevant) words and subjects named the printed colors of the words by pressing the appropriate key (irrespective of word meaning). Response latency was delayed during incongruent vs. neutral trials, and this cost did not interact significantly with mood states. ERP data showed prolonged peak latencies in the P200 component and more negative deflections in the Late Positive Component (LPC, 450–550 ms) during incongruent vs. neutral conditions, regardless of mood states. Moreover, the negative deflections (N450) in the 450–550 ms interval of the incongruent- neutral difference waves, which index cognitive control effect in brain potentials, was more pronounced in the pleasant, but not in the unpleasant, mood state when compared with the neutral mood state. These data suggest that, pleasant mood intensifies brain processing of cognitive control, in a situation requiring effective inhibition of task-irrelevant distracting information. In addition, N450 component serves as an affective marker, embodying not only cognitive control effect in the brain but also its interaction with mood states.

Nonlinear shallow water tropical instability waves on the equatorial β‐plane: Genesis of two distinct types of waves

The nonlinearity of Tropical Instability Waves (TIWs) is studied using shallow‐water equations with various mean states from the equatorial Pacific Ocean. In the early linear stage, unstable TIWs, centered near 5°N with a wavelength about 1000 km and a period about one month, dominate the whole domain. However neutral Yanai waves with periods about 15–22 days emerge near the equator when the unstable TIWs grow into fully nonlinear vortices and begin to rotate, which stabilizes the mean states substantially. The strength of these Yanai waves are sensitive to the instability of the initial mean flow. Meanwhile the TIWs centered near 5°N are slowed down and weakened. The external forcing terms are found to be important for them to retain their dominance from 3°N to 7°N and also be able to suppress the late emerging Yanai waves if strong enough.

Global Positioning System detection and energy estimation of the ionospheric wave caused by the 13 July 2003 explosion of the Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

Volcanic explosions or shallow earthquakes are known to trigger acoustic and gravity waves that propagate in the atmosphere at infrasonic speeds. At ionospheric heights, coupling between neutral particles and free electrons induces variations of electron density detectable with dual‐frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements. Using GPS data collected in the Caribbean, we identified an ionospheric perturbation after a major volcanic explosion at the Soufrière Hills Volcano (Montserrat, Lesser Antilles) on 13 July 2003. Spectral analysis reveals peaks centered at 1 and 4 mHz, similar to those in previous observations and consistent with theory, suggesting both gravity and acoustic wave components. We retrieve a horizontal velocity of ∼624 m/s for the acoustic component, which implies upward propagation at ∼33°, consistent with ray‐tracing results. We model the acoustic wave using an N‐wave pressure source at ground level combined with ray tracing to propagate the neutral pressure wave; this accounts for the dispersive characteristics of the atmosphere while conserving total acoustic energy. Plasma velocity is derived from neutral velocity using a finite difference solution of the magnetohydrodynamic momentum equation. The continuity equation for charge densities is used to compute corresponding electron density variations, which are then numerically integrated along satellite‐to‐receiver line of sights, simultaneously accounting for the satellite displacements. We minimize the misfit between observed and model waveforms to estimate a total acoustic energy release of 1.53 × 1010 J for the primary explosion event at Soufrière Hills Volcano associated with the peak dome collapse. This method can be applied to any explosion of sufficient magnitude, provided GPS data are available at near to medium range from the source.

Inviscid axisymmetric absolute instability of swirling jets

The propagation characteristics of inviscid axisymmetric linearized disturbances to swirling jets are investigated for two families of model velocity profiles. Briggs' method is applied to dispersion relations to determine when the basic swirling jets are absolutely or convectively unstable. The method is also applied to the neutral inertial waves used by Benjamin to characterize the subcritical or supercritical nature of the flow. Although these waves are neutral, Briggs' method nonetheless indicates a qualitative change in behaviour at Benjamin's criticality condition. The first model jet has uniform axial velocity, rigid-body rotation and issues into still fluid. A known difficulty in the application of Briggs' method to the analytical dispersion relation for inviscid waves in this flow is resolved. The difficulty is that the pinch point can cross into the left half of the complex-wavenumber plane, where waves grow exponentially with radius and fail to satisfy homogeneous boundary conditions. In this paper the physical consequences of this behaviour are explained. It is shown that if the still fluid is of infinite extent in the radial direction, then the jet is convectively unstable to axisymmetric waves, but if the jet is confined by an outer cylinder concentric with the jet axis, then it becomes absolutely unstable to axisymmetric waves provided that the swirl (ratio of azimuthal to axial velocity) is large enough. This destabilizing effect of confinement occurs however large the radius of the outer cylinder. A second family of model swirling jets with smooth profiles and a finite thickness shear layer at the jet edge is also studied. The inviscid stability equations are solved numerically in this case. The results from the analytical dispersion relations are reproduced as the shear layer thickness tends to zero. However, increasing this thickness acts to destabilize the absolute instability of axisymmetric waves, apparently due to the centrifugal instability present in the shear layer. It is suggested that the transition from convective to absolute instability could be associated with the onset of an unsteady vortex breakdown. The swirl required to produce this transition can be either greater, or less, than the swirl required to produce the transition from supercritical to subcritical flow, depending on the details of the basic velocity profiles. A codimension-two point in parameter space can exist where the unsteady bifurcation associated with the convective–absolute transition coincides with the steady bifurcation associated with the supercritical–subcritical transition. Such codimension-two points can control a rich variety of nonlinear dynamical behaviour.

Linear amplification of marginally neutral baroclinic waves

Linear amplification of marginally neutral baroclinic waves

Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves Simulated on an Aquaplanet in a Global Nonhydrostatic Experiment

Abstract Large-scale tropical convective disturbances simulated in a 7-km-mesh aquaplanet experiment are investigated. A 40-day simulation was executed using the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM). Two scales of eastward-propagating disturbances were analyzed. One was tightly coupled to a convective system resembling super–cloud clusters (SCCs) with a zonal scale of several thousand kilometers (SCC mode), whereas the other was characterized by a planetary-scale dynamical structure (40 000-km mode). The typical phase velocity was 17 (23) m s−1 for the SCC (40 000 km) mode. The SCC mode resembled convectively coupled Kelvin waves in the real atmosphere around the equator, but was accompanied by a pair of off-equatorial gyres. The 40 000-km mode maintained a Kelvin wave–like zonal structure, even poleward of the equatorial Rossby deformation radius. The equatorial structures in both modes matched neutral eastward-propagating gravity waves in the lower troposphere and unstable (growing) waves in the upper troposphere. In both modes, the meridional mass divergence exceeded the zonal component, not only in the boundary layer, but also in the free atmosphere. The forcing terms indicated that the meridional flow was primarily driven by convection via deformation in pressure fields and vertical circulations. Moisture convergence was one order of magnitude greater than the moisture flux from the sea surface. In the boundary layer, frictional convergence in the (anomalous) low-level easterly phase accounted for the buildup of low-level moisture leading to the active convective phase. The moisture distribution in the free atmosphere suggested that the moisture–convection feedback operated efficiently, especially in the SCC mode.

Linear amplification of marginally neutral baroclinic waves

Baroclinic wave development is investigated for unstable parallel shear flows in the limit of vanishing normal-mode growth rate. This development is described in terms of the propagation and interaction mechanisms of two coherent structures, called counter-propagating Rossby waves (CRWs). It is shown that, in this limit of vanishing normal-mode growth rate, arbitrary initial conditions produce sustained linear amplification of the marginally neutral normal mode (mNM). This linear excitation of the mNM is subsequently interpreted in terms of a resonance phenomenon. Moreover, while the mathematical character of the normal-mode problem changes abruptly as the bifurcation point in the dispersion diagram is encountered and crossed, it is shown that from an initial-value (CRW) viewpoint, this transition is smooth. Consequently, the resonance interpretation remains relevant (albeit for a finite time) for wavenumbers slightly different from the ones defining cut-off points. The results are further applied to a two-layer version of the classic Eady model in which the upper rigid lid has been replaced by a simple stratosphere.

Stability analysis of core‐annular flow and neutral stability wave number

AbstractA general transition criterion is proposed in order to locate the core‐annular flow pattern in horizontal and vertical oil–water flows. It is based on a rigorous one‐dimensional two‐fluid model of liquid–liquid two‐phase flow and considers the existence of critical interfacial wave numbers related to a non‐negligible interfacial tension term to which the linear stability theory still applies. The viscous laminar–laminar flow problem is fully resolved and turbulence effects on the stability are analyzed through experimentally obtained shape factors. The proposed general transition criterion includes in its formulation the inviscid Kelvin‐Helmholtz's discriminator. If a theoretical maximum wavelength is considered as a necessary condition for stability, a stability criterion in terms of the Eötvös number is achieved. Effects of interfacial tension, viscosity ratio, density difference, and shape factors on the stability of core‐annular flow are analyzed in detail. The more complete modeling allowed for the analysis of the neutral‐stability wave number and the results strongly suggest that the interfacial tension term plays an indispensable role in the correct prediction of the stable region of core‐annular flow pattern. The incorporation of a theoretical minimum wavelength into the transition model produced significantly better results. The criterion predictions were compared with recent data from the literature and the agreement is encouraging. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

The CPW-TEC project: Planetary waves in the middle atmosphere and ionosphere

Abstract. Maps of vertically integrated electron density over the higher middle and polar latitudes that are regularly produced by DLR Neustrelitz are investigated with respect to planetary waves (PW) in the period range of several days. The results are compared with planetary wave analyses using stratospheric reanalyses. Case studies show that PW signatures in the ionosphere and neutral middle atmosphere waves have similar seasonal variations, indicating a possible coupling between these layers. Numerical modelling of the middle and upper atmosphere is performed to analyse the possible penetration of PW effects into the thermosphere. Numerical results show that direct propagation of PW to the thermosphere is not possible, and indirect ionospheric effects must be responsible for the wave coupling of the atmospheric layers. In the paper an overview of the data used and the methods applied in this project is given.

Dynamics of free jets submitted to upstream acoustic modulations

The response of low Reynolds number air jets to acoustic modulations is investigated with systematic experiments. Flow transfer functions, power spectral densities of the perturbations plotted in the form of space-frequency maps, instantaneous jet images recorded using laser tomography, and phase-conditioned velocity fields serve to identify the different regimes of motion. Results indicate that five regions can be distinguished in a diagram where the jet Strouhal number StD serves as a horizontal coordinate while the shear layer Strouhal number Stθ constitutes the vertical coordinate. Boundaries of the different regions are defined by the characteristic values of these two dimensionless groups at preferred mode and neutral wave conditions, corresponding, respectively, to a maximum of amplification and a vanishing rate of growth. The forcing frequencies imparted to the flow can be ordered with respect to these characteristic parameters. The flow transfer functions at the excitation frequency indicate that perturbations have a different nature depending on the value of the jet Strouhal number based on the exhaust diameter StD. Convective, mixed type, and acoustic ranges are identified. Detailed measurements of the spatial evolution of the forced components and corresponding harmonics provide information on the nonlinear power transfer between the different modes for modulation amplitudes reaching 10% of the mean flow velocity. The StD−Stθ mapping is used to categorize the various modes of interaction observed in the experiments.

An alternative approach to sea surface aerodynamic roughness

The dependence of sea surface roughness on the wave parameters was investigated using measurements from the Humidity Exchange over the Sea Main Experiment (HEXMAX). This site was 18 m of water depth and was 9 km offshore in the North Sea. We examined the relationships among wave height (Hs), friction velocity (u*) and wave age (cp/u* or cp/U10N) using regression analysis and explored the relationship between dimensionless variables u*(gTp)−1 and U10N2(gHs)−1 by dimensional analyses, where g is the acceleration due to gravity (for which we use 9.81 m s−2); Tp is period of the waves at the peak of the wave spectrum, defined as Tp = 2πcp/g where cp is the phase velocity of the peak wave spectrum; and U10N is horizontal wind speed at 10‐m height under the neutral condition. When the derived results are combined with the neutral wind profile equation, we find that the relationship among friction velocity (u*), neutral 10‐m wind speed (U10N) and phase velocity (cp) is u* = a2/3U10N4/3/cp1/3 where a is an empirical constant, and a = 6.7 × 10−3 for this site. The relationship between aerodynamic roughness length (z0) and wave age and the relationship between the neutral drag coefficient (CDN) and wave age are derived accordingly. The present parameterization schemes were tested using an independent data set, and they work in moderate wind speed.

Physical interpretation of unstable modes of a linear shear flow in shallow water on an equatorial beta-plane

Unstable modes of a linear shear flow in shallow water on an equatorial $\beta$-plane are obtained over a wide range of values of a non-dimensional parameter and are interpreted in terms of resonance between neutral waves. The non-dimensional parameter in the system is $E \,{\equiv}\, \gamma^{4} / (gH\beta^{2})$, where $\gamma$, $g$, $H$ and $\beta$ are the meridional shear of basic zonal flow, gravitational constant, equivalent depth and the north–south gradient of the Coriolis parameter, respectively. The value of $E$ is varied within the range $-2.50 \,{\le}\,\log E \,{\le}\,7.50$.The problem is solved numerically in a channel of width $5\gamma/\beta$. The structures of the most unstable modes, and the combinations of resonating neutral waves that cause the instability, change according to the value of $E$ as follows. For $\log E \,{<}\, 2.00$, the most unstable modes have zonally non-symmetric structures; the most unstable modes for $\log E \,{<}\, 1.00$ are caused by resonance between equatorial Kelvin modes and continuous modes, and those for $1.00 \,{\le}\,\log E \,{<}\, 2.00$ are caused by resonance between equatorial Kelvin modes and westward mixed Rossby–gravity modes. The most unstable modes for $\log E \,{\ge}\, 2.00$ have symmetric structures and are identical with inertially unstable modes. Examinations of dispersion curves suggest that non-symmetric unstable modes for $1.00 \,{\le}\,\log E \,{<}\, 2.00$ and inertially unstable modes for $\log E \,{\ge}\, 2.00$ are the same kind of instability.

Instability of finite‐amplitude lower‐neutral Eady waves

AbstractThe problem of the stability of the two‐dimensional neutral Eady wave, studied numerically by Fantini and Davolio (2001) as a possible mechanism leading to strong orographic cyclogenesis, is re‐examined. An approximate analytic solution is found, and a simple condition for the appearance of meridionally structured unstable secondary modes is proposed, based on the relative vorticity of the primary wave. The approximate analytic solution compares well with the numerical simulations and extends previous results. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society