Low Velocity Collisions and the Growth of Planetesimals

The physics of low velocity collisions (5 m/s to 40 m/s) between basalt bodies ranging in size from 1 m to 10 km is studied in an effort to investigate the early phases of planetesimal accretions. To assess the importance of the internal structure of planetesimals on the outcome of the collisions, we model them either as solid spheres or as rubble piles with a filling factor of 0.5. The collisions are simulated using a three dimensional Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code that incorporates the combined effects of material strength and a brittle fragmentation model. This approach allows the determination not only of the mass of the largest fragments surviving the collisions but also their dynamical characteristics. We find that low velocity collisions are for equal incoming kinetic energy per gram of target material considerably more efficient in destroying and dispersing bodies than their high velocity counterparts. Furthermore, planetesimals modeled as rubble piles are found to be characterized by a disruption threshold about 5 times smaller than solid bodies. Both results are a consequence of a more efficient momentum transfer between projectile and fragments in collisions involving bodies of comparable sizes. Size and shape dependent gas drag is shown to provide relative collision velocities between similar meter-sized objects well in excess of the critical disruption threshold of either rubble piles or solid bodies. Unless accretion can proceed avoiding collisions between bodies of similar masses, the relative weakness of bodies in this size range creates a serious bottleneck for planetesimal growth. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

From Titan’s tholins to Titan’s aerosols: Isotopic study and chemical evolution at Titan’s surface

In the present work, we focused on the possible isotopic fractionation of carbon during the processes involved in the formation of Titan’s tholins. We present the first results obtained on the ¹²C/¹³C isotopic ratios measured on Titan’s tholins synthesized in laboratory with cold plasma discharges. Measurements of isotopic ratio ¹²C/¹³C, done both on tholins and on the initial gas mixture (N₂:CH₄ (98:2)) used to produce them, do not show any evident deficit or enrichment in ¹³C relatively to ¹²C in the synthesized tholins, compared to the initial gas mixture. This observation allows to go further in the analyses of the ACP experiment data, including part of the Cassini–Huygens mission.     

微重力量值对气液两相流相分布及液相湍流统计量影响的数值研究

气液两相流在空间领域具有广阔的应用前景, 深入理解微重力量值(微重力大小)对相分布和液相湍流的影响十分必要. 采用欧拉elax-elax拉格朗日双向耦合模型深入研究了不同微重力量值对相分布和液相湍流的影响. 液相速度场通过直接数值模拟求解, 气泡的运动轨迹由牛顿运动方程跟踪. 研究表明, 气泡分布和液相湍流与微重力量值均具有直接联系. 在低微重力量值下, 气泡近似均匀分布在槽道内, 且对液相湍流统计量几乎没有影响; 然而当微重力量值较高时, 大量气泡聚集在壁面附近, 液相湍流由于气泡的注入受到极大调制.      

Monte Carlo simulations of CASSINI/LEMMS

In an effort to characterize the response of the low energy magnetospheric measurements system (LEMMS) on the CASSINI spacecraft to energetic ions and electrons we have taken advantage of the excellent pre-launch beam calibrations in comparison to an extensive series of electron and ion Monte Carlo simulations. We selected the geometry and tracking toolkit to provide the framework for the instrument modeling and simulation environment. The results from these simulations match very well with the data collected during the instrument calibration. This gives us confidence that this simulation toolkit handles both electron and ion interactions in a reasonable fashion and that we can successfully apply this tool to regions of the spectrum where calibration data is not available.     

Simulations of absorbed dose on the phantom surface of MATROSHKA-R experiment at the ISS

The health risks associated with exposure to various components of space radiation are of great concern when planning manned long-term interplanetary missions, such as future missions to Mars. Since it is not possible to measure the radiation environment inside of human organs in deep space, simulations based on radiation transport/interaction codes coupled to phantoms of tissue equivalent materials are used. However, the calculated results depend on the models used in the codes, and it is therefore necessary to verify their validity by comparison with measured data. The goal of this paper is to compare absorbed doses obtained in the MATROSHKA-R experiment performed at the International Space Station (ISS) with simulations performed with the three-dimensional Monte Carlo Particle and Heavy-Ion Transport code System (PHITS). The absorbed dose was measured using passive detectors (packages of thermoluminescent and plastic nuclear track detectors) placed on the surface of the spherical tissue equivalent phantom MATROSHKA-R, which was exposed aboard the ISS in the Service Zvezda Module from December 2005 to September 2006. The data calculated by PHITS assuming an ISS shielding of 3 g/cm² and 5 g/cm² aluminum mass thickness were in good agreement with the measurements. Using a simplified geometrical model of the ISS, the influence of variations in altitude and wall mass thickness of the ISS on the calculated absorbed dose was estimated. The uncertainties of the calculated data are also discussed; the relative expanded uncertainty of absorbed dose in phantom was estimated to be 44% at a 95% confidence level.     

单级轴流压气机与发动机吊架干涉的计算和优化研究

采用数值模拟方法,对单级低速轴流压气机与发动机吊架之间的干涉进行了计算分析。结果表明发动机吊架产生的扰动对转子通道内的流动具有较强的影响,使得转子叶片承受较大的非定常力的作用。提出了在吊架前缘引气的方法,可以消除吊架对转子的影响。      

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a streamer beside a realistic coronal hole

Existing models of coronal streamers establish their credibility and act as the initial state for transients. The models have produced satisfactory streamer simulations, but unsatisfactory coronal hole simulations. This is a consequence of the character of the models and the boundary conditions. The models all have higher densities in the magnetically open regions than occur in coronal holes (Noci,et al., 1993).     

Theories and Simulations in Substorm Research: A Review

Both theory and simulation have played important roles in defining and illuminating the key mechanisms involved in substorms. Basic theories of magnetic reconnection and of interchange and ballooning instabilities were developed more than 50 years ago, and these plasma physical concepts have been central in discussions of substorm physics. A vast amount of research on reconnection, including both theoretical and computational studies, has helped provide a picture of how reconnection operates in the collisionless environment of the magnetosphere. Still, however, we do not fully understand how key microscale processes and large-scale dynamics work together to determine the location and rate of reconnection. While in the last twenty years, it has become clear that interchange processes are important for transporting plasma through the plasma sheet in the form of bursty bulk flows and substorm expansions, we still have not reached the point where simulations are able to realistically and defensibly represent all of the important aspects of the phenomenon. More than two decades ago it was suggested that the ballooning instability, the basic theory for which dates from the 1950s, may play an important role in substorms. Now the majority of experts agree that regions of the plasma sheet are often linearly unstable to ideal-MHD ballooning. However, it is also clear that kinetic effects introduce important modifications to the MHD stability criterion. It is still uncertain whether ballooning plays a leading role in substorms or has just a minor part. Among the different types of simulations that have been applied to the substorm problem, global MHD codes are unique in that, in a sense, they represent the entire global substorm phenomenon, including coupling to the solar wind and ionosphere, and the important mechanisms of reconnection, interchange, and ballooning. However, they have not yet progressed to the point where they can accurately represent the whole phenomenon, because grid-resolution problems limit the accuracy with which they can solve the equations of ideal MHD and the coupling to the ionosphere, and they cannot accurately represent small-scale processes that violate ideal MHD.