Design and characterization of nozzles and solid propellants for IR laser propulsion

In this article, we present an experimental study of the effect of conical section nozzles coupled to solid targets on laser ablation propulsion. The impulse produced on the target by laser ablation was measured in terms of the coupling coefficient C _m using a piezoelectric (PZT) sensor. The standard deviation of the PZT signal was used as an estimator of the transferred impulse. The ablation was performed with a TEA CO₂ laser at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The targets were pellets of 90/10 % w/w Zn/CaCO₃ concentration ratio. Aluminum nozzles with conical section were coupled to these propellant pellets. A comparative study of the variation of C _m using nozzles of different inlet and outlet diameters of the ejected material as well as of different heights was made. The results demonstrate that for the pellet composition analyzed, as the nozzle’s height increases and its diameter decreases improvements up to 250 % respect to the target without nozzle are obtained. These are promising results for the potential development of laser ablation microthrusters.     

Can non-propagating hydrodynamic solitons be forced to move?

Development of technologies based on localized states depends on our ability to manipulate and control these nonlinear structures. In order to achieve this, the interactions between localized states and control tools should be well modelled and understood. We present a theoretical and experimental study for handling non-propagating hydrodynamic solitons in a vertically driven rectangular water basin, based on the inclination of the system. Experiments show that tilting the basin induces non-propagating solitons to drift towards an equilibrium position through a relaxation process. Our theoretical approach is derived from the parametrically driven damped nonlinear Schr?dinger equationwhich models the system. The basin tilting effect is modelled by promoting the parameters that characterize the system, e.g. dissipation, forcing and frequency detuning, as space dependent functions. A motion law for these hydrodynamic solitons can be deduced from these assumptions. The model equation, which includes a constant speed and a linear relaxation term, nicely reproduces the motion observed experimentally.     

Fluence and wavelength dependence of the IRMPA and IRMPD of CDCl3 with a CO2 laser

A TEA CO₂ laser was used to study the infrared multiple-photon absorption (IRMPA) and dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of CDCl₃ in the fluence ranges 0.01–1.4 and 7–45 J/cm², respectively, for different sample pressures. Experimental results were modeled with a master equation formulation which includes rotational and anharmonic bottlenecks and collisional effects. Experimental and calculated results show that CDCl₃ has great rotational and anharmonic restrictions at the first stages of excitation. The IRMPD spectrum falls more slowly than the linear absorption spectrum at the blue wing due to intramolecular vibrational relaxation at the quasi-continuum level of excitation.     

Concentration fluctuations in nonisothermal reaction-diffusion systems

In this paper a simple reaction-diffusion system, namely a binary fluid mixture with an association-dissociation reaction between the two components, is considered. Fluctuations at hydrodynamic spatiotemporal scales when a temperature gradient is present in this chemically reacting system are studied. First, fluctuating hydrodynamics when the system is in global equilibrium (isothermal) is reviewed. Comparing the two cases, an enhancement of the intensity of concentration fluctuations in the presence of a temperature gradient is predicted. The nonequilibrium concentration fluctuations are spatially long ranged, with an intensity depending on the wave number q. The intensity exhibits a crossover from a proportional, variantq(-4) to a proportional, variantq(-2) behavior depending on whether the corresponding wavelength is smaller or larger than the penetration depth of the reacting mixture. This opens a possibility to distinguish between diffusion- or activation-controlled regimes of the reaction by measuring these fluctuations. In addition, the possible observation of these fluctuations in nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations is considered.     

A mean value theorem on Dirichlet series

This paper deals with mean-value for the square of certain functionF(s) which has some characteristic properties of the Riemann zeta-function and its powers.Work supported by the University of the Basque Country.     

Optimización robusta en aplicaciones aeronáuticas con la combinación de cálculo estocástico y algoritmos evolutivos

Uncertainties are a daily issue to deal with in aerospace engineering and applications. Robust optimization methods commonly use a random generation of the inputs and take advantage of multi-point criteria to look for robust solutions accounting with uncertainty definition. From the computational point of view, the application to coupled problems, like fluid-dynamics (CFD) or fluid-structure interaction (FSI), can be extremely expensive. This work presents a coupling between stochastic analysis techniques and evolutionary optimization algorithms for the definition of a stochastic robust optimization procedure. At first, a stochastic procedure is proposed to be applied into optimization problems. The proposed method has been applied to both CFD and FSI problems for the reduction of drag and flutter, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of potassium and nitrate ions in mouthwashes using sequential injection analysis with potentiometric detection.

Two methods for the determination of potassium nitrate in mouthwashes, used against dentin hypersensitivity, have been simultaneously implemented in an sequence injection analysis (SIA) system. In addition to in-line dilution of the samples, the equipment simultaneously detected potassium and nitrate using two tubular potentiometric detectors, selective to each ion, providing a real-time assessment of the quality of the results. Both determinations were shown to be precise and accurate and the obtained results do not statistically differ from those furnished by applying the AES and HPLC reference methods.     

Absorption coefficients of O3 at CO2 laser wavelengths

The O₃ absorption coefficients for the rotational lines P(12)–P(28) of the 9.4 μm emission band of the CO₂ laser are presented. Measurements were made in O₃–air dilute mixtures (20–600 ppm) at 25°C and a total pressure of 1013.25 h Pa using a frequency stabilized cw CO₂ laser and values have been determined with greater precision than in previously reported studies.     

Sequential injection analysis of lead using time-based colorimetric detection and preconcentration on an anionic-exchange resin.

The development of a sequential injection analysis manifold for the colorimetric determination of lead in water samples is described The concentration of lead was assessed from its catalytic effect on the reaction of resazurine reduction caused by sulfide in an alkali medium. To that effect, the reaction zone was stopped at the detector, and the time interval required for the attainment of an absorbance decrease of 0.800 at the wavelength of 610 nm was estimated. Interference of other transition metals of the samples was minimized by adding potassium iodide to the sample and retaining the iodocomplexes formed in an on-line anionic resin (AGI X8). Elution was made with a 2 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution. The relationship [SIA] microg/L = 0.99 (+/- 0.11) x [ETAAS] microg/L + 0 (+/- 4) was obtained upon comparing the results given by the proposed system and by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) after the analysis of ten water samples.     

Crystal structure of M(II) bis-μ-diacetoamidopropionate,diaqua·4H2O (M=Cu,Zn, Co): An uncommon carbonyl-O-of-peptide-coordinated two-dimensional layered polymer

Crystal and molecular structures by X-ray diffraction analysis of Co, Cu and Zn complexes of 2,2-diacetoamidopropionic acid are reported. The results show that an uncommon bond from metal ion to a carbonyl-O-of-peptide atom is formed. The structures are isomorphic (Monoclinic,P2₁/c, with two formula units in the cell). The metal ion lies on a center of symmetry and it is six-oxygen coordinated in an octahedral-type configuration by pairs of water molecules, carboxylic (monodentate) groups and two carbonyl-O-of-peptide atoms. Ligand molecules bridge metal ions, so that the structure consists of a two-dimensional (sheet-type) polymer. Sheets are held together by a hydrogen-bond network making efficient use of the solvent water molecules.