Rarefied Regions Research Articles

Investigation of feed flow effect using CFD-DSMC method in a gas centrifuge

In this study, the effect of rarefied region in the rotor of the centrifuge was investigated. In a rotor of the centrifuge, the feed inlet is positioned in the rarefied area. The continuum hypothesis is not valid in the rarefied area; therefore, it desires to be analyzed by probabilistic methods like Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC). In the present study, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) method is used to simulate the continuum area, and the DSMC method is employed in the rarefied area. An implicit coupled density-based scheme was performed for CFD method, and Variable Hard Sphere (VHS) and diffuse model were employed in the DSMC method. Also, the local Knudsen number was defined to determine the interface location between the continuum-rarefied regions (r=0.086 m). The comparison results of pure CFD and CFD-DSMC methods illustrated large differences between the flow properties in the rarefied regions. The results showed that the value of separation power obtained from pure CFD and CFD-DSMC solution is 10.5% different.

Cubic Fokker-Planck-DSMC hybrid method for diatomic rarefied gas flow through a slit and an orifice

Fokker-Planck kinetic models have been devised as an approximation of the Boltzmann collision operator. Cubic Fokker-Planck-DSMC hybrid method is employed to simulate the diatomic gas flow through a thin slit and a thin orifice. Pressure driven nitrogen expansion gas flows with two different pressure ratios are investigated at Knudsen number 0.001. The DSMC method is physically accurate for all flow regime; however it is computationally expensive in high density or near continuum regions. The Fokker-Planck-DSMC hybrid scheme employs DSMC in rarefied regions and Fokker-Planck method in near continuum flow regions for an efficient and accurate solution. Numerical procedures of the cubic Fokker-Planck method are implemented within the framework of an existing DSMC-solver, SPARTA. The Fokker-Planck-DSMC hybrid solution reproduces pure DSMC solution with improved computational efficiency up to a factor of five for vacuum flow through a thin orifice. In addition, breakdown of translational equilibrium is investigated. Domain criterion of FP-DSMC is safely smaller than Bird's breakdown criterion.

Cubic Fokker–Planck method for rarefied monatomic gas flow through a slit and an orifice

The flow through a thin slit and a thin orifice is studied with the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), cubic Fokker–Planck (FP), and a coupled FP-DSMC hybrid method. Pressure driven monatomic gas flows through a slit and an orifice with various values of degree of rarefaction and pressure ratio are computed. The DSMC method is physically accurate for all flow regimes; however it is computationally expensive in high density, near continuum regions. An alternative stochastic particle scheme, the cubic FP kinetic model has addressed this issue by approximating the particle collisions involved in the Boltzmann collision integral with continuous stochastic processes. The ability of the cubic FP method to reproduce breakdown of translational equilibrium is discussed. In addition, a coupled FP-DSMC hybrid scheme is employed aiming at an efficient and accurate solution. The FP-DSMC hybrid scheme employs DSMC in rarefied regions and FP method in near continuum flow regions. Numerical procedures of the cubic FP method are implemented within the framework of an existing DSMC-solver, SPARTA. The FP-DSMC hybrid solution reproduces pure DSMC solution with improved computational efficiency up to a factor of eight for vacuum flow through a thin slit.

Assessment of the LD-DSMC hybrid method for hypersonic rarefied flow

Hypersonic aerothermodynamics for a probe entering a planetary atmosphere is an important issue in space exploration. The probe experiences various Knudsen number regimes, ranging from rarefied to continuum, due to density variation in the planet’s atmosphere. To simulate such multiscale flows, a novel hybrid particle scheme is employed in the present work. The hybrid particle scheme employs the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method in rarefied flow regions and the low diffusion (LD) particle method in continuum flow regions. Numerical procedures in the low diffusion particle method are implemented within an existing DSMC algorithm. The hybrid scheme is assessed using two hypersonic, blunt body flow problems: Mach 10 nitrogen flow over a sphere, and Mach 40 carbon dioxide flow over the Mars Path Finder each with a global Knudsen number of 0.002. Standard DSMC and CFD results are compared with the LD-DSMC hybrid simulation results. The hybrid scheme results show good overall agreement with results from standard DSMC computation, while CFD is inaccurate especially in the wake where a highly rarefied region exists. The LD-DSMC hybrid solution is able to increase computational efficiency upto 50% in run time in comparison to DSMC. And sensitivity to numerical parameters of the LD-DSMC method is also studied.

Computational and experimental investigation of plasma deflagration jets and detonation shocks in coaxial plasma accelerators

We present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulation to study the physical mechanisms underlying plasma acceleration in a coaxial plasma gun. Coaxial plasma accelerators are known to exhibit two distinct modes of operation depending on the delay between gas loading and capacitor discharging. Shorter delays lead to a high velocity plasma deflagration jet and longer delays produce detonation shocks. During a single operational cycle that typically consists of two discharge events, the plasma acceleration exhibits a behavior characterized by a mode transition from deflagration to detonation. The first of the discharge events, a deflagration that occurs when the discharge expands into an initially evacuated domain, requires a modification of the standard MHD algorithm to account for rarefied regions of the simulation domain. The conventional approach of using a low background density gas to mimic the vacuum background results in the formation of an artificial shock, inconsistent with the physics of free expansion. To this end, we present a plasma-vacuum interface tracking framework with the objective of predicting a physically consistent free expansion, devoid of the spurious shock obtained with the low background density approach. The interface tracking formulation is integrated within the MHD framework to simulate the plasma deflagration and the second discharge event, a plasma detonation, formed due to its initiation in a background prefilled with gas remnant from the deflagration. The mode transition behavior obtained in the simulations is qualitatively compared to that observed in the experiments using high framing rate Schlieren videography. The deflagration mode is further investigated to understand the jet formation process and the axial velocities obtained are compared against experimentally obtained deflagration plasma front velocities. The simulations are also used to provide insight into the conditions responsible for the generation and sustenance of the magnetic pinch. The pinch width and number density distribution are compared to experimentally obtained data to calibrate the inlet boundary conditions used to set up the plasma acceleration problem.

Interstellar Extinction

This review describes our current understanding of interstellar extinction. This differ substantially from the ideas of the 20th century. With infrared surveys of hundreds of millions of stars over the entire sky, such as 2MASS, SPITZER-IRAC, and WISE, we have looked at the densest and most rarefied regions of the interstellar medium at distances of a few kpc from the sun. Observations at infrared and microwave wavelengths, where the bulk of the interstellar dust absorbs and radiates, have brought us closer to an understanding of the distribution of the dust particles on scales of the Galaxy and the Universe. We are in the midst of a scientific revolution in our understanding of the interstellar medium and dust. Progress in, and the key results of, this revolution are still difficult to predict. Nevertheless, (a) a physically justified model has been developed for the spatial distribution of absorbing material over the nearest few kiloparsecs, including the Gould belt as a dust container, which gives an accurate estimate of the extinction for any object just in terms of its galactic coordinates. It is also clear that (b) the interstellar medium makes up roughly half the mass of matter in the galactic vicinity of the solar system (the other half is made up of stars, their remnants, and dark matter) and (c) the interstellar medium and, especially, dust, differ substantially in different regions of space, and deep space cannot be understood by only studying nearby space.

FORMATION OF OVERHEATED REGIONS AND TRUNCATED DISKS AROUND BLACK HOLES: THREE-DIMENSIONAL GENERAL RELATIVISTIC RADIATION-MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS SIMULATIONS

ABSTRACT Using three-dimensional general relativistic radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulations of accretion flows around stellar mass black holes, we report that the relatively cold disk ( ) is truncated near the black hole. Hot and less dense regions, of which the gas temperature is and more than 10 times higher than the radiation temperature (overheated regions), appear within the truncation radius. The overheated regions also appear above as well as below the disk, sandwiching the cold disk, leading to the effective Compton upscattering. The truncation radius is for , where are the gravitational radius, mass accretion rate, Eddington luminosity, and light speed, respectively. Our results are consistent with observations of a very high state, whereby the truncated disk is thought to be embedded in the hot rarefied regions. The truncation radius shifts inward to with increasing mass accretion rate , which is very close to an innermost stable circular orbit. This model corresponds to the slim disk state observed in ultraluminous X-ray sources. Although the overheated regions shrink if the Compton cooling effectively reduces the gas temperature, the sandwich structure does not disappear at the range of . Our simulations also reveal that the gas temperature in the overheated regions depends on black hole spin, which would be due to efficient energy transport from black hole to disks through the Poynting flux, resulting in gas heating.

Photoinscription domains for ultrafast laser writing of refractive index changes in BK7 borosilicate crown optical glass

Ultrashort laser pulses can induce structural modifications in BK7 borosilicate optical glass leading to refractive index variations. These changes and the related optical functions are determined by specific electronic and thermo-mechanical factors, namely network modifiers and high expansion coefficient. We investigate here laser-induced soft positive index changes underpinning photo-physical transformations involving electronic and polarizabillity changes in a narrow processing window (type I), as well as contrasted positive or negative index changes based on thermomechanical mechanisms, non-uniform material expansion, and density redistribution in dense and rarefied regions (type II). These index changes resemble apriori those of pure silica networks despite different thermo-mechanical behavior of BK7 glass upon heating and cooling. The associated structural changes are discussed on the basis of phase contrast microscopy, photoluminescence of defects, and Raman spectroscopy. Material influences are emphasized, pointing out the increasing role of defects as compared to structural reorganization in type I refractive index changes, and mechanical rarefaction and compaction in type II, departing thus from a pure silicate scenario. The resulting optical properties are discussed based on their ability to guide light.

A comparison of cosmological codes: properties of thermal gas and shock waves in large-scale structures

Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations are a valuable tool for understanding the growth of large-scale structure and the observables connected with this. Yet, comparably little attention has been given to validation studies of the properties of shocks and of the resulting thermal gas between different numerical methods – something of immediate importance as gravitational shocks are responsible for generating most of the entropy of the large-scale structure in the Universe. Here, we present results for the statistics of thermal gas and the shock wave properties for a large volume simulated with three different cosmological numerical codes: the Eulerian total variations diminishing (TVD) code, the Eulerian piecewise parabolic method based code enzo and the Lagrangian smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code gadget. Starting from a shared set of initial conditions, we present convergence tests for a cosmological volume of side-length 100 Mpc h−1, studying in detail the morphological and statistical properties of the thermal gas as a function of mass and spatial resolution in all codes. By applying shock-finding methods to each code, we measure the statistics of shock waves and the related cosmic ray acceleration efficiencies, within the sample of simulations and for the results of the different approaches. We discuss the regimes of uncertainties and disagreement among codes, with a particular focus on the results at the scale of galaxy clusters. Even if the bulk of thermal and shock properties is reasonably in agreement among the three codes, yet some significant differences exist (especially between Eulerian methods and SPH). In particular, we report (a) differences of huge factors (∼10–100) in the values of average gas density, temperature, entropy, Mach number and shock thermal energy flux in the most rarefied regions of the simulations (ρ/ρcr < 1) between grid and SPH methods; (b) the hint of an entropy core inside clusters simulated in grid codes; (c) significantly different phase diagrams of shocked cells in grid codes compared to SPH and (d) sizable differences in the morphologies of accretion shocks between grid and SPH methods.

Application of kinetic Monte Carlo method to equilibrium systems: Vapour–liquid equilibria

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations were carried out to describe the vapour–liquid equilibria of argon at various temperatures. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of the kMC technique in the analysis of equilibrium systems and its advantages over the traditional Monte Carlo method, which is based on the Metropolis algorithm. The key feature of the kMC is the absence of discarded trial moves of molecules, which ensures larger number of configurations that are collected for time averaging. Consequently, the kMC technique results in significantly fewer errors for the same number of Monte Carlo steps, especially when the fluid is rarefied. An additional advantage of the kMC is that the relative displacement probability of molecules is significantly larger in rarefied regions, which results in a more efficient sampling. This provides a more reliable determination of the vapour phase pressure and density in case of non-uniform density distributions, such as the vapour–liquid interface or a fluid adsorbed on an open surface. We performed kMC simulations in a canonical ensemble, with a liquid slab in the middle of the simulation box to model two vapour–liquid interfaces. A number of thermodynamic properties such as the pressure, density, heat of evaporation and the surface tension were reliably determined as time averages.

Multiscale lattice Boltzmann approach to modeling gas flows

For multiscale gas flows, the kinetic-continuum hybrid method is usually used to balance the computational accuracy and efficiency. However, the kinetic-continuum coupling is not straightforward since the coupled methods are based on different theoretical frameworks. In particular, it is not easy to recover the nonequilibrium information required by the kinetic method, which is lost by the continuum model at the coupling interface. Therefore, we present a multiscale lattice Boltzmann (LB) method that deploys high-order LB models in highly rarefied flow regions and low-order ones in less rarefied regions. Since this multiscale approach is based on the same theoretical framework, the coupling precess becomes simple. The nonequilibrium information will not be lost at the interface as low-order LB models can also retain this information. The simulation results confirm that the present method can achieve modeling accuracy with reduced computational cost.

O VI IN THE LOCAL INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

We report the results of a search for O VI absorption in the spectra of 80 hot DA white dwarfs observed by the FUSE satellite. We have carried out a detailed analysis of the radial velocities of interstellar and (where present) stellar absorption lines for the entire sample of stars. In approximately 35% of cases (where photospheric material is detected), the velocity differences between the interstellar and photospheric components were beneath the resolution of the FUSE spectrographs. Therefore, in 65% of these stars the interstellar and photospheric contributions could be separated and the nature of the O VI component unambiguously determined. Furthermore, in other examples, where the spectra were of a high signal-to-noise, no photospheric material was found and any O VI detected was assumed to be interstellar. Building on the earlier work of Oegerle et al. (2005) and Savage & Lehner (2006), we have increased the number of detections of interstellar O VI and, for the first time, compared their locations with both the soft X-ray background emission and new detailed maps of the distribution of neutral gas within the local interstellar medium. We find no strong evidence to support a spatial correlation between O VI and SXRB emission. In all but a few cases, the interstellar O VI was located at or beyond the boundaries of the local cavity. Hence, any T ~ 300,000K gas responsible for the O VI absorption may reside at the interface between the cavity and surrounding medium or in that medium itself. Consequently, it appears that there is much less O VI-bearing gas than previously stated within the inner rarefied regions of the local interstellar cavity.

Simulating supersonic turbulence in galaxy outflows

We present three-dimensional, adaptive mesh simulations of dwarf galaxy out- flows driven by supersonic turbulence. Here we develop a subgrid model to track not only the thermal and bulk velocities of the gas, but also its turbulent velocities and length scales. This allows us to deposit energy from supernovae directly into supersonic turbulence, which acts on scales much larger than a particle mean free path, but much smaller than resolved large-scale flows. Unlike previous approaches, we are able to simulate a starbursting galaxy modeled after NGC 1569, with realistic radiative cooling throughout the simulation. Pockets of hot, diffuse gas around individual OB associations sweep up thick shells of material that persist for long times due to the cooling instability. The overlapping of high-pressure, rarefied regions leads to a collective central outflow that escapes the galaxy by eating away at the exterior gas through turbulent mixing, rather than gathering it into a thin, unstable shell. Supersonic, turbulent gas naturally avoids dense regions where turbulence decays quickly and cooling times are short, and this further enhances density contrasts throughout the galaxy- leading to a complex, chaotic distribution of bubbles, loops and filaments as observed in NGC 1569 and other outflowing starbursts.

A hybrid particle approach for continuum and rarefied flow simulation

A hybrid particle scheme is presented for the simulation of compressible gas flows involving both continuum regions and rarefied regions with strong translational nonequilibrium. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is applied in rarefied regions, while remaining portions of the flowfield are simulated using a DSMC-based low diffusion particle method for inviscid flow simulation. The hybrid scheme is suitable for either steady state or unsteady flow problems, and can simulate gas mixtures comprising an arbitrary number of species. Numerical procedures are described for strongly coupled two-way information transfer between continuum and rarefied regions, and additional procedures are outlined for the determination of continuum breakdown. The hybrid scheme is evaluated through a comparison with DSMC simulation results for a Mach 6 flow of N 2 over a cylinder, and good overall agreement is observed. Large potential efficiency gains (over three orders of magnitude) are estimated for the hybrid algorithm relative to DSMC in a simple example involving a rarefied expansion flow through a small nozzle into a vacuum chamber.

Unified solver for rarefied and continuum flows with adaptive mesh and algorithm refinement

This paper describes a Unified Flow Solver (UFS) for rarefied and continuum gas flows. The UFS separates the rarefied and continuum flow domains and selects appropriate solvers to combine the efficiency of continuum models with the accuracy of kinetic models. The direct numerical solution of the Boltzmann transport equation is used in rarefied regions, while kinetic schemes of continuum fluid dynamics are used elsewhere. Using similar computational techniques for the kinetic and continuum solvers, and employing intelligent domain decomposition algorithms attain the efficiency and numerical stability of the UFS. Solutions of test problems are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the UFS for high and low speed flows. It is shown that the UFS can dynamically adapt the computational mesh and automatically introduce and remove kinetic patches to provide significant savings by limiting molecular scale solutions only to the regions where they are needed.

Water Ice in the Disk Around the Protostar AFGL 2136 IRS 1

The protostar AFGL 2136 IRS 1 illuminates the Juggler nebula and drives a massive molecular outflow. The line of sight toward AFGL 2136 also displays a rich spectrum of solid state absorption features. To investigate the distribution of ice-coated grains in the environment of IRS 1, we obtained narrowband images at six near-infrared wavelengths surrounding and including the 3.08 μm water ice feature. These images (specifically, a color map constructed from 2.14 and 3.60 μm images) provide vivid evidence for the presence of a disk around IRS 1 and appear to reveal, for the first time, the detailed distribution of water ice in the local environment of a protostar. Models of the 2-4 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) toward IRS 1 and the Juggler nebula suggest that the abundance of icy grains is larger along lines of sight through the disk than along lines of sight away from the equatorial plane of IRS 1. Thus, while we find evidence that icy grains exist throughout the cloud core containing AFGL 2136, it appears that the physical conditions in the circumstellar disk around IRS 1 are more conducive to ice mantle survival and/or growth than are physical conditions in its rarefied polar regions.

Ionospheric plasma disturbances due to a moving space vehicle

Disturbances due to a moving space vehicle in the ionospheric plasma have been investigated by means of accurate measurements of the electron density in rarefied wake regions, using a gyro-plasma probe. The vehicle wake structure of the K-9M-21 rocket in the ionosphere can be measured on its descent and has been investigated theoretically on the basis of the hydrodynamics of a quasi-neutral plasma. It is confirmed that the ionospheric plasma can be treated as a neutral gas for analysis of the vehicle wake by neglecting the effect of the local first-order electric field and the ambient geomagnetic field. The disturbance-free region which is important for the measurement of the undisturbed ambient plasma density is also discriminated clearly from the wake region surrounding the moving space vehicle.

Time variations of directional cosmic ray intensity at low latitudes - III. Interpretation of solar daily variation and changes of east-west asymmetry

The daily variation of cosmic ray intensity at low latitudes can under certain conditions be associated with an anisotropy of primary radiation. During 1957-8, this anisotropy had an energy spectrum of variation of the form aϵ -0.8±0.3 and corresponded to a source situated at an angle of 112 ± 10° to the left of the earth-sun line. The daily variation which can be associated with a local source situated along the earth-sun line has an energy spectrum of variation of the form aϵ 0 . Increases in east-west asymmetry and the associated daily variation for east and west directions can be explained by the acceleration of cosmic ray particles crossing beams of solar plasma in the neighbourhood of the earth. For beams of width 5 x 10 12 cm with a frozen magnetic field of the order of 10 -4 G, a radial velocity of about 1.5 x 108 cm/s is required. The process is possible only if the ejection of beams takes place in rarefied regions of inter­ planetary space which extend radially over active solar regions. An explanation of Forbush, type decreases observed at great distances from the earth requires similar limitation on the plasma density and conductivity of regions of interplanetary space. The decrease of east-west asymmetry associated with world-wide decreases of intensity and with SC magnetic storms is consistent with a screening of the low-energy cosmic ray particles due to magnetic fields in plasma clouds.