Visualization of the large-scale vortex structures in excited turbulent jets

The present work is a part of the more common research aimed at establishing the role of large-scale vortex structures in the mechanism of noise generation by subsonic turbulent jet. The work presents the results of photography and videography of fast non-stationary processes in a circular subsonic jet under lateral acoustic excitation by harmonical source located upstream in a stilling chamber. Jet velocity varied in the range of 40–200 m/s (M=0.12–0.6).     

Large-eddy simulations and vortex structures of turbulent jets in crossflow

Using the method of large-eddy simulation, the 3-dimensional turbulent jets in crossflow with stream-wise and transverse arrangements of nozzle are simulated, emphasizing on the dynamical process of generation and evolution of vortex structures in these flows. The results show that the basic vortex structures in literatures, such as the counter-rotating vortex pair, leading-edge vortices, lee-side vortices, hanging vortices, kidney vortices and anti-kidney vortices, are not independent physical substances, but local structures of the basic vortex structure of turbulent jets in crossflow-the 3-D stretching vortex rings originating from the orifice of the nozzle, which is discovered in this study. Therefore, the most important large-scale structures of turbulent jets in crossflow are unified to the 3-D vortex rings which stretch and twist in stream-wise and swing in transverse directions. We also found that the shedding frequencies of vortex rings are much lower than the one corresponding to the appearance of leading-edge and lee-side vortices in the turbulent jets.     

Ionization of fast rydberg atoms in longitudinal and transverse electric fields

The main properties of longitudinal and transverse electric field ionizers for fast Rydberg atoms n=21–40 have been investigated. The dispersion and the background due to collisional processes between fast atoms and residual gas molecules have been measured and calculated. The kinetic energy spread of ions formed by field ionization of Rydberg atoms and their trajectories have been calculated. The potassium beam energy was 3.9 keV.     

Visualisation and analysis of large-scale vortex structures in three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity flow

In this paper, large eddy simulation (LES) of a three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity (LDC) flow at Re = 10,000 has been performed using the multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method. A Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model was used to represent the sub-grid scale stresses with appropriate wall damping. The prediction for the flow field was first validated by comparing the velocity profiles with previous experimental and LES studies, and then subsequently used to investigate the large-scale three-dimensional vortical structures in the LDC flow. The instantaneous three-dimensional coherent structures inside the cavity were visualised using the second invariant (Q), Δ criterion, λ₂ criterion, swirling strength (λ_ci) and streamwise vorticity. The vortex structures obtained using the different criteria in general agree well with each other. However, a cleaner visualisation of the large vortex structures was achieved with the λ_ci criterion and also when the visualisation is based on the vortex identification criteria expressed in terms of the swirling strength parameters. A major objective of the study was to perform a three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) on the fluctuating velocity fields. The higher energy POD modes efficiently extracted the large-scale vortical structures within the flow which were then visualised with the swirling strength criterion. Reconstruction of the instantaneous fluctuating velocity field using a finite number of POD modes indicated that the large-scale vortex structures did effectively approximate the large-scale motion. However, such a reduced order reconstruction of the flow based on the large-scale vortical structures was clearly not as effective in predicting the small-scale details of the fluctuating velocity field which relate to the turbulent transport.     

The large-scale vortex structures in plasma-like media and the electric explosion of conductors

Formation of large-scale hydrodynamic convective patterns in plasma-like current-carrying media is considered. This process is shown to be described by the same equations, as Benard rolls, except that a temperature field must be replaced by a magnetic field. A simple low-mode model of spatial pattern formation for a case of cylindrical liquid-metal conductor with current is proposed and investigated. Nonlinear interaction of perturbations of the magnetic field and the velocity field results in an increase of effective conductor resistance even when transport coefficients are constant. In our opinion, it is this instability, that is of first importance at the initial stages of the electric explosion of conductors. In particular, it leads to conductor stratification and electric current interruption. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.     

Equilibrium shape and hysteresis behavior of liquid jets in transverse electric fields

The stability of a liquid jet subject to a transverse electric field is investigated in the framework of electrohydrostatic theory. It is shown that depending on the magnitude of permittivity ratio of the involved fluids S = ε_i/ε_o (inner to outer) compared to a critical permittivity ratio S_cr ≈ 27.45 the jet exhibits distinct behaviors; for S < S_cr the jet is stable and elongates indefinitely as the electric field is increased, while for S > S_cr it shows hysteresis behavior and becomes unstable beyond a critical electric capillary number Ca_cr. The results suggest that the jets are generally more stable than liquid drops.     

Evolution of the vortex structures and turbulent spots at the late-stage of transitional boundary layers

The nonlinear evolution process of new vortex structures at the late-stage of the transition, including the 3-D spatial structure of barrel-shaped vortex and dark spots structure observed by experiment research, has been confirmed by our computational results. The formation mechanisms of these structures have been explored. It is revealed that the new vortex structures, the ring-like vortex chain and induced disturbance velocities play a dominant role in the generation of turbulent spots.     

Quark pair creation in color electric fields and effects of magnetic fields

The time evolution of a system where a uniform and classical SU(3) color electric field and quantum fields of quarks interact with each other is studied focusing on non-perturbative pair creation and its back reaction. We characterize a color direction of an electric field in a gauge invariant way, and investigate its dependence. Momentum distributions of created quarks show plasma oscillation as well as quantum effects such as the Pauli blocking and interference. Pressure of the system is also calculated, and we show that pair creation moderates degree of anisotropy of pressure. Furthermore, enhancement of pair creation and induction of chiral charge under a color magnetic field which is parallel to an electric field are discussed.     

Frequency shift and anomalous resistivity of turbulent plasmas in external electric and magnetic fields

Accounting for the modified orbits of plasma particles due to constant external electric and magnetic fields, a general expression for the velocity space diffusion tensor of a turbulent plasma is derived. The nonlinear frequency shift and the anomalous resistivity in the presence of external fields are calculated. It is shown that the effect of a strong external electric field on the frequency shift is to reduce its magnitude. Furthermore, the dependence of the anomalous resistivity on the external magnetic field is obtained.     

Equilibrium structures of planar nematic and cholesteric films in electric fields

Liquid crystal layers subjected to an electric or a magnetic field can have several types of instabilities. This paper reviews recent theoretical studies concerning equilibrium structures of planar layers.

Using the Oseen-Frank elasticity theory, the Freedericksz transition and the transition to static periodic domains of planar nematic and cholesteric films are reconsidered. A perturbation treatment of nonlinear torque balance equations for the director is suitable to derive amplitude equations for the film distortions under the action of a field and to predict the topological features of phase diagrams for equilibrium states. The competition between the Freedericksz effect and the formation of periodic distortions is studied varying material and geometrical parameters. Some results are useful to optimize cholesteric mixtures for application in display devices in such a manner, that the occurrence of periodic domains is avoided.     

Transverse and longitudinal components of the propagating and evanescent waves associated to radially polarized nonparaxial fields

A comparison is established between the contributions of transverse and longitudinal components of both the propagating and the evanescent waves associated to freely propagating radially polarized nonparaxial beams. Attention is focused on those fields that remain radially polarized upon propagation. In terms of the plane-wave angular spectrum of these fields, analytical expressions are given for determining both the spatial shape of the above components and their relative weight integrated over the whole transverse plane. The results are applied to two kinds of doughnut-like beams with radial polarization, and we compare the behavior of such fields at two transverse planes.     

Observation and control of transverse energy-transport barrier due to the formation of an energetic-electron layer with sheared ExB flow

Off-axis electron-cyclotron heating in an axisymmetric barrier mirror produces a cylindrical layer with energetic electrons, which flow through the central cell and into the end region. The layer, producing a localized bumped ambipolar potential Phi(C), forms a strong shear of radial electric fields E(r) and peaked vorticity with the direction reversal of E(r)xB sheared flow near the Phi(C) peak. Intermittent vortexlike turbulent structures near the layer are suppressed in the central cell by this actively produced transverse energy-transport barrier; this results in T(e) and T(i) rises surrounded by the layer.     

Specific features of the thermal electromotive force in Bi quantum wires in transverse magnetic and electric fields

The thermal electromotive force (emf) in Bi quantum wires has been calculated in the model of potential in the form of a paraboloid of revolution in a uniform magnetic field H, which is normal to the axis of the studied nanostructure, and in a direct-current (dc) electric field E ‖ H. It has been shown that, with an increase in E, the thermal emf α _xx is described by a nonmonotonic function at different values of H. A physical interpretation of this behavior of α _xx as a function of E is proposed with account for the interaction between carriers and the rough surface of the nanowire.     

Generalized scaling laws of the formation and effects of plasma-confining potentials for tandem-mirror operations in GAMMA 10

The main operations from 1979 to 2000 in the GAMMA 10 tandem-mirror, characterized in terms of the high-potential mode having kV-order plasma-confining potentials and the hot-ion mode yielding fusion neutrons with 10-20 keV bulk-ion temperatures, are summarized and generalized as a result of scalings of the formation and the effects of the potentials. The wide validity of potential-formation physics from Cohen's theory and the validity of the generalized Pastukhov's theory for the effects of thermal-barrier potentials on electron confinement are verified and consolidated through electron-energy balance.     

Nonhydrogenic effects in the deceleration of Rydberg atoms in inhomogeneous electric fields

Argon atoms in Stark states at n approximately 25 have been decelerated and accelerated in inhomogeneous electric fields. The acceleration and deceleration behavior can be understood only by considering the adiabatic Landau-Zener dynamics that take place at the avoided crossings between the Stark states and the limited fluorescence lifetimes of approximately 10 micros.     

Derivation of the transverse force on a moving vortex in a superfluid

We describe an exact derivation of the total nondissipative transverse force acting on a quantized vortex moving in a uniform background. The derivation is valid for neutral boson or fermion superfluids, provided the order parameter is a complex scalar quantity. The force is determined by the one-particle density matrix far away from the vortex core, and is found to be the Magnus force proportional to the superfluid density.