Feedback controlled periodic states for different kinds of photorefractive nonlinear response

We investigate analytically and numerically the influence of the type of the photorefractive nonlinear response on the periodic states (attractors) which occur during feedback controlled 2W-coupling and correspond to almost 100% diffraction efficiency of the dynamic index grating. In addition to the case of the local response typical, for example, for LiNbO₃ crystals we consider the cases of nonlocal (diffusive) response (BaTiO₃, SBN) and resonant response (DC-biased BSO, BTO, and BGO crystals). It is shown that the conditions for the transition to the periodic states and their apparent characteristics are strongly different for the two limiting cases above. Received 16 July 2002 / Received in final form 29 October 2002 Published online 4 March 2003     

Detecting instabilities in flows of viscoelastic fluids

There is a growing interest in developing numerical tools to investigate the onset of physical instabilities observed in experiments involving viscoelastic flows, which is a difficult and challenging task as the simulations are very sensitive to numerical instabilities. Following a recent linear stability analysis carried out in order to better understand qualitatively the origin of numerical instabilities occurring in the simulation of flows viscoelastic fluids, the present paper considers a possible extension for more complex flows. This promising method could be applied to track instabilities in complex (i.e. essentially non‐parallel) flows. In addition, results related to transient growth mechanism indicate that it might be responsible for the development of numerical instabilities in the simulation of viscoelastic fluids. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Slow” active control of combustion instabilities by modification of liquid fuel spray properties

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the feasibility of using “slow” active control approaches, which “instantaneously” change liquid fuel spray properties, to suppress combustion instabilities. The objective of this control approach was to break up the feedback between the combustion process heat release and combustor pressure oscillations that drive the instability by changing the characteristics of the combustion process (e.g., the characteristic combustion time). To demonstrate the feasibility of such control, this study used a proprietary fuel injector (Nanomiser^TM), which can vary its fuel spray properties, to investigate the dependence of acoustics–combustion process coupling, i.e., the driving of combustion instabilities, upon the fuel spray properties. This study showed that by changing the spray characteristics it is possible to significantly damp combustion instabilities. Furthermore, using combustion zone chemiluminescence distributions, which were obtained by Abel’s deconvolution synchronized with measured acoustic data, it has been shown that the instabilities were mostly driven midway between the combustor centerline and wall, a short distance downstream from the flame holder, where the mean axial flow velocity is approximately zero in the vortex near the flame holder. The results of this study strongly suggest that a “slow” active control system that employs controllable fuel injectors could be effectively used to prevent the onset of detrimental combustion instabilities.     

Chaotic-to-ordered state transition of cathode-sheath instabilities in DC glow discharge plasmas

Transition from chaotic to ordered state has been observed during the initial stage of a discharge in a cylindrical DC glow discharge plasma. Initially it shows a chaotic behavior but increasing the discharge voltage changes the characteristics of the discharge glow and shows a period subtraction of order 7 period → 5 period → 3 period → 1 period, i.e. the system goes to single mode through odd cycle subtraction. On further increasing the discharge voltage, the system goes through period doubling, like 1 period → 2 period → 4 period. On further increasing the voltage, the system goes to stable state through two period subtraction, like 4 period → 2 period → stable.     

Collective bounce-off phenomenon in139La+Ag(Br) reaction at 1.1 A GeV energy

Out of a total statistics of 896¹³⁹La+Ag(Br) interactions, 128 interactions having multiplicity of target fragments (Z⩾1)⩾8 and projectile fragments (Z⩾2)⩾4 have been selected. They correspond to quasi-peripheral interactions. Azimuthal angle correlation between sources of target fragments (TFs) and projectile fragments (PFs) shows the existence of bounce-off effect. Using data of La+Ag(Br) and⁸⁴Kr+Ag(Br) reactions it is shown that individual helium [Z=2, PFs] and heavier fragment [Z⩾3, PFs] show different emission characteristics. Further, a two prong correlation functionT(Φ _ij ) plotted for heavier fragments and helium fragments separately, indicates the possibility of existence of different physical conditions. This observation is supported by the different momentum widths of helium fragments and heavier fragments. From the momentum width data of Kr+Ag(Br) reactions normalized density comes out to be ≈4.7. Using quasi-elastic kinematics for the bounce-off nuclei, the excitation energy has been computed from the experimental data of flow angles. The strength of bounce-off seems to decrease with the increase of excitation energy or temperature.     

Lifetime measurement of the ((11/2)−) isomer in 125Cs

A new rotational band has been observed in ¹⁶⁷Lu by ¹⁵²Sm (¹⁹F,4n)reaction at the HI-13 tandem accelerator of CIAE in Beijing. The high spin transition energies of the new band are almost identical to the triaxial superdeformed bands recently discovered in ¹⁶³Lu and ¹⁶⁵Lu. This new band is predicted as a triaxial superdeformed band by total routhian surface calculations. Received: 6 October 1997     

Rotational bands in 181Ta

High-spin states in ¹⁸¹Ta have been studied via the ¹⁷⁶Yb(¹¹B,α2n) reaction at 52 MeV using the PEX array and at 57 MeV using the NORDBALL array, with α-particle detection. The previously known, K^π=(7/2)⁺ ground state band and K^π=(9/2)⁻ band have been extended to spins (29/2)⁺ and (31/2)⁻, respectively. Two new one-quasiparticle bands, the K^π=(5/2)⁺ band built on the known (5/2)⁺ isomer and a K^π=((1/2)⁻) band have been observed. Two other rotational bands with three-quasiparticle structure, K^π=(15/2)⁻ and ((19/2)⁺ with π(7/2)[404]ν²(1/2)[510](9/2)[624] and π(9/2)[514]ν²(1/2)[510](9/2)[624] configurations, respectively, have been newly observed. The half-life of the K^π=((19/2)⁺) bandhead which decays to the head of the (15/2)⁻ band has been measured to be 140(36) ns. However, transitions from the ((19/2)⁺) state to the (15/2)⁻ band have not been observed. Received: 26 August 1998     

Order and chaos in soft condensed matter

Soft matter, like colloidal suspensions and surfactant gels, exhibit strong response to modest external perturbations. This paper reviews our recent experiments on the nonlinear flow behaviour of surfactant worm-like micellar gels. A rich dynamic behaviour exhibiting regular, quasi-periodic, intermittency and chaos is observed. In particular, we have shown experimentally that the route to chaos is via Type-II intermittency in shear thinning worm-like micellar solution of cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate where the strength of flow-concentration coupling is tuned by the addition of sodium chloride. A Poincaré first return map of the time series and the probability distribution of laminar length between burst events show that our data are consistent with Type-II intermittency. The existence of a ‘Butterfly’ intensity pattern in small angle light scattering (SALS) measurements performed simultaneously with the rheological measurements confirms the coupling of flow to concentration fluctuations in the system under study. The scattered depolarised intensity in SALS, sensitive to orientational order fluctuations, shows the same time-dependence (like intermittency) as that of shear stress.     

Topological and fractal properties of turbulent passive scalar fluctuations at small scales

Corrections of Batchelor's spectral law –1 of passive scalar-fluctuations are obtained by taking into account the topological instabilities of small-scale vortex sheets: –4/3 for supercritical and –5/4 for subcritical regimes. The corresponding fractal dimensions of the scalar interface areD =8/3 for supercritical andD =11/4 for subcritical regimes. Good agreement with experimental data is established.     

Vortex rings interacting with a wall

Accurate numerical simulations of vortex rings impinging on flat boundaries have revealed the same features observed in the experiment of Walkeret al. (1987). They observed atRe _v >1250 the formation of azimuthal instabilities in the secondary ring during its compression within the primary ring. In the present numerical simulation the number of waves agrees very well with those observed in the experiment. The distributions of the vorticities together with the distribution of each term in the vorticity equations give insights on the formation of azimuthal instabilities.