Search for: All records

We study current injection tensors of Quantum interference control (QuIC) processes by measuring their dependences on single-polarization rotation. We show that the direction of QuIC photocurrents is determined by the polarization of odd-order optical absorptions. 

We address the question “Does Quantum Interference Control (QuIC) of injected Photocurrents Produces a Current or Voltage?” by studying the dependence on external resistance for Schottky- and Ohmic- contact devices, resolving a long-standing puzzle. 

Through direction numerical simulation (DNS) of a model manta ray body, pectoral fin scaled pitching effect on hydrodynamic performance and wake is investigated. The manta ray model is derived from high-speed video of manta ray swimming with motion of the model prescribed to match the actual manta ray. Rotation angles of the model skeletal joints is altered to scale the pitching. This results in four manta ray models with different pectoral fin pitching ratios. The models are simulated using an in-house developed immersed boundary method-based numerical solver. Notable discrepancies in thrust production during the downstroke are observed, with the θ =1.0 case producing instantaneous thrust peak that is 19% higher than the θ =0.72 model. Cycle averaged thrust is highest for the θ =0.72 model case, however, which can be attributed to extended reverse thrust for the θ =1.0 model. Through analysis of the near-body wake structures produced during the downstroke, late leading-edge vortex (LEV) formation is discovered to be primarily responsible for the detrimental reverse thrust seen for the θR =1.0 model. Surface pressure contours confirm this finding. Meanwhile the upstroke possesses less pronounced force production. 

Through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a model manta ray body, the hydrodynamic role of manta-like bioinspired flapping is investigated. The manta ray model motion is reconstructed from synchronized high-resolution videos of manta ray swimming. Rotation angles of the model skeletal joints are altered to scale the pitching and bending, resulting in eight models with different pectoral fin pitching and bending ratios. Simulations are performed using an in-house developed immersed boundary method-based numerical solver. Pectoral fin pitching ratio (PR) is found to have significant implications in the thrust and efficiency of the manta model. This occurs due to more optimal vortex formation and shedding caused by the lower pitching ratio. Leading edge vortexes (LEVs) formed on the bottom of the fin, a characteristic of the higher PR cases, produced parasitic low pressure that hinders thrust force. Lowering the PR reduces the influence of this vortex while another LEV that forms on the top surface of the fin strengthens it. A moderately high bending ratio (BR) can slightly reduce power consumption. Finally, by combining a moderately high BR = 0.83 with PR = 0.67, further performance improvements can be made. This enhanced understanding of manta-inspired propulsive mechanics fills a gap in our understanding of the manta-like mobuliform locomotion. This motivates a new generation of manta-inspired robots that can mimic the high speed and efficiency of their biological counterpart.

 

Flying snakes are the only snakes on Earth capable of aerial gliding, taking advantage of fluid dynamic principles to leap from point to point among the trees. During their gliding, the locomotion of aerial undulation is observed. We hypothesize that this locomotion and its associated unsteady vortex dynamics are critical to their aerodynamic performance. However, there is a lack of detailed three-dimensional flow field information around the snake body in gliding due to the difficulties in experimental flow visualizations of live animals. In this study, a computation fluid dynamics (CFD) study has been conducted to study the fluid dynamics of a snake-like gliding. A mathematical equation describing the horizontal undulation motion was applied for constructing snake-like 3D computational models and a series of flow simulations were conducted. An immersed-boundary-method (IBM)-based direct numerical simulation (DNS) flow solver along with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) was used in the simulation. Specifically, different head positions, corresponding to different horizontal wave shapes and their effect on aerodynamic performance, flow field and wake structures behind the body will be studied. In addition, the dynamic undulating motion is introduced in the model and a CFD simulation is also conducted. Results from this study are expected to bring a step stone to understanding snake-inspired locomotion. 

Context. Atomic gas in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) is organized in filamentary structures. These structures usually host cold and dense molecular clumps. The Galactic magnetic field is considered to play an important role in the formation of these clumps. Aims. Our goal is to explore the role of the magnetic field in the H I -H 2 transition process. Methods. We targeted a diffuse ISM filamentary cloud toward the Ursa Major cirrus where gas transitions from atomic to molecular. We probed the magnetic field properties of the cloud with optical polarization observations. We performed multiwavelength spectroscopic observations of different species in order to probe the gas phase properties of the cloud. We observed the CO ( J = 1−0) and ( J = 2−1) lines in order to probe the molecular content of the cloud. We also obtained observations of the [C ii ] 157.6 µ m emission line in order to trace the CO-dark H 2 gas and estimate the mean volume density of the cloud. Results. We identified two distinct subregions within the cloud. One of the regions is mostly atomic, while the other is dominated by molecular gas, although most of it is CO-dark. The estimated plane-of-the-sky magnetic field strength between the two regions remains constant within uncertainties and lies in the range 13–30 µG. The total magnetic field strength does not scale with density. This implies that gas is compressed along the field lines. We also found that turbulence is trans-Alfvénic, with M A ≈ 1. In the molecular region, we detected an asymmetric CO clump whose minor axis is closer, with a 24° deviation, to the mean magnetic field orientation than the angle of its major axis. The H i velocity gradients are in general perpendicular to the mean magnetic field orientation except for the region close to the CO clump, where they tend to become parallel. This phenomenon is likely related to gas undergoing gravitational infall. The magnetic field morphology of the target cloud is parallel to the H i column density structure of the cloud in the atomic region, while it tends to become perpendicular to the H i structure in the molecular region. On the other hand, the magnetic field morphology seems to form a smaller offset angle with the total column density shape (including both atomic and molecular gas) of this transition cloud. Conclusions. In the target cloud where the H i –H 2 transition takes place, turbulence is trans-Alfvénic, and hence the magnetic field plays an important role in the cloud dynamics. Atomic gas probably accumulates preferentially along the magnetic field lines and creates overdensities where molecular gas can form. The magnetic field morphology is probed better by the total column density shape of the cloud, and not its H i column density shape. 

Context. Glycolamide is a glycine isomer and also one of the simplest derivatives of acetamide (e.g., one hydrogen atom is replaced with a hydroxyl group), which is a known interstellar molecule. Aims. In this context, the aim of our work is to provide direct experimental frequencies of the ground vibrational state of glycolamide in the centimeter-, millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength regions in order to enable its identification in the interstellar medium. Methods. We employed a battery of state-of-the-art rotational spectroscopic techniques in the frequency and time domain to measure the frequencies of glycolamide. We used the spectral line survey named Exploring Molecular Complexity with ALMA (EMoCA), which was performed toward the star forming region Sgr B2(N) with ALMA to search for glycolamide in space. We also searched for glycolamide toward Sgr B2(N) with the Effelsberg radio telescope. The astronomical spectra were analyzed under the local thermodynamic equilibrium approximation. We used the gas-grain chemical kinetics model MAGICKAL to interpret the results of the astronomical observations. Results. About 1500 transitions have been newly assigned up to 460 GHz to the most stable conformer, and a precise set of spectroscopic constants was determined. Spectral features of glycolamide were then searched for in the prominent hot molecular core Sgr B2(N2). We report the nondetection of glycolamide toward this source with an abundance at least six and five times lower than that of acetamide and glycolaldehyde, respectively. Our astrochemical model suggests that glycolamide may be present in this source at a level just below the upper limit, which was derived from the EMoCA survey. We could also not detect the molecule in the region’s extended molecular envelope, which was probed with the Effelsberg telescope. We find an upper limit to its column density that is similar to the column densities obtained earlier for acetamide and glycolaldehyde with the Green Bank Telescope. 

Context. The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), a ∼200 pc sized region around the Galactic Centre, is peculiar in that it shows a star formation rate (SFR) that is suppressed with respect to the available dense gas. To study the SFR in the CMZ, young stellar objects (YSOs) can be investigated. Here we present radio observations of 334 2.2 μm infrared sources that have been identified as YSO candidates. Aims: Our goal is to investigate the presence of centimetre wavelength radio continuum counterparts to this sample of YSO candidates which we use to constrain the current SFR in the CMZ. Methods: As part of the GLObal view on STAR formation (GLOSTAR) survey, D-configuration Very Large Array data were obtained for the Galactic Centre, covering −2° < l < 2° and −1° < b < 1° with a frequency coverage of 4-8 GHz. We matched YSOs with radio continuum sources based on selection criteria and classified these radio sources as potential H II regions and determined their physical properties. Results: Of the 334 YSO candidates, we found 35 with radio continuum counterparts. We find that 94 YSOs are associated with dense dust condensations identified in the 870 μm ATLASGAL survey, of which 14 have a GLOSTAR counterpart. Of the 35 YSOs with radio counterparts, 11 are confirmed as H II regions based on their spectral indices and the literature. We estimated their Lyman continuum photon flux in order to estimate the mass of the ionising star. Combining these with known sources, the present-day SFR in the CMZ is calculated to be ∼0.068 M⊙ yr−1, which is ∼6.8% of the Galactic SFR. Candidate YSOs that lack radio counterparts may not have yet evolved to the stage of exhibiting an H II region or, conversely, are older and have dispersed their natal clouds. Since many lack dust emission, the latter is more likely. Our SFR estimate in the CMZ is in agreement with previous estimates in the literature.