The promise and limitations of improved-accuracy gravity field measurements for Uranus and Neptune

Author(s):  
Naor Movshovitz ◽  
Jonathan Fortney

<p>Uranus and Neptune present unique challenges to planetary modelers. The<br>composition of the so-called ice giants is very uncertain, even more so than the<br>composition of the gas giants. For instance, it is far from clear that either<br>planet's composition is dominated by water. Instead, the composition of Uranus and<br>Neptune likely includes water and other refractory elements in large quantities as<br>well as a substantial H/He envelope. Furthermore, formation models also predict<br>that composition gradients are likely in the interiors of these planets, rather<br>than a neat differentiation into layers of homogeneous composition. (See Helled<br>and Fortney 2020 and references within.)</p><p>A key question that impacts the science case for a potential orbiting mission to<br>Uranus or Neptune is how will more precise measurements of the gravitational field<br>better constrain either planet's interior density profile and composition.<br>Surprisingly, there is yet no published answer to this question.  Here, we present<br>new work that explores this issue, using a Bayesian framework that allows<br>exploration of a wide range of interior density profiles.</p><p>Our approach, which builds off our previous work for Saturn (Movshovitz et al.,<br>2020) and that of others  (e.g. Marley et al., 1995, Helled et al., 2011) takes a<br>relatively unbiased view of the interior structure by employing so-called<br>empirical density profiles. A parameterization is applied to the density profiles<br>directly (via mathematical base functions) instead of to an assumed layered<br>composition (H/He, water, rocks). While some of these empirical density profiles<br>may imply unrealistic compositions, they can also probe solutions that would be<br>missed by the standard layered-composition approach.</p><p>Here we will present models of Uranus and Neptune constructed with this approach,<br>and ask two questions: 1) How large is the space of possible solutions today? 2)<br>How much will it be reduced should a future mission to Uranus and Neptune improve<br>the precision on their gravity field measurements by several orders of magnitude,<br>to the level now available for Jupiter and Saturn?</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Mankovich ◽  
Jim Fuller

<p>Gravity field measurements only weakly constrain the deep interiors of Jupiter and Saturn, stymieing efforts to measure the mass and compactness of these planets' cores, crucial properties for understanding their formation pathways and evolution. However, studies of Saturn's rings by Cassini have revealed waves driven by pulsation modes within Saturn, offering independent seismic probes of Saturn's interior. The observations reveal gravity mode (g mode) pulsations that indicate that a part of Saturn's interior is stably stratified by composition gradients, and the g mode frequencies directly probe the buoyancy frequency within the planet.</p><p>We compare structure models with gravity and new seismic measurements from Cassini to show that the data can only be explained by a diffuse, stably stratified core-envelope transition region in Saturn extending to approximately 60% of the planet's radius. This predominantly stable interior imposes significant constraints on Saturn's intrinsic magnetic field generation. The gradual distribution of heavy elements required by the seismology constrains mixing processes at work in Saturn, and it may reflect the planet's primordial structure and accretion history.</p>


Author(s):  
L.M. Kryvosheieva ◽  
V.I. Chuchvaha ◽  
N.M. Kandyba

Aim. Based on the results of multi-year research into the flax gene pool, to form a flax training collection to provide breeding scientific organizations and educational institutions with collection samples as well as with information about the bast crop gene pool. Results and Discussion. The studies were conducted in the crop rotation fields for breeding and seed production of the Institute of Bast Crops of the NAAS (Hlukhiv, Sumska Oblast) in 1992-2018. The field measurements and laboratory analyses were carried out in accordance with conventional methods of field and laboratory studies of collection flax samples.The article presents the results on the formation of a training collection of flax at the Institute of Bast Crops of the NAAS, which has 117 accessions (11 botanical species and three varieties) from 22 countries. In addition to species diversity, the collection includes accessions with different levels of expression of valuable economic and biological characteristics. It also includes accessions selected by phenotypic variability of individual characters or their combinations. The multi-year research into the flax collection accessions resulted in identification of sources of highly-expressed valuable economic traits, which are of interest for the plant breeding course. The history of flax breeding in Ukraine is shown, where breeding varieties that are most widespread or were significant breeding achievements in solving certain problems, are presented. The collection can be used as a visual aid for the plant breeding course in educational programs; in addition, it can provide starting material for scientific and educational institutions. The collection is registered with the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (certificate No. 00273 dated 04/11/2019). Conclusions. The studies of accessions from the national flax collection allowed us to build up a training collection and register it with the NCPGRU. The collection represents a wide range of biological and economic features of the gene pool of this crop. The collection can be used in the educational process of educational agricultural and biological institutions. The multi-year research into the national flax collection resulted in identification of sources of highly-expressed valuable economic traits, which are of interest to the plant breeding course. The history of flax breeding in Ukraine got covered, and breeding varieties that are most widespread or were significant breeding achievements in solving certain problems are presented.


Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Adeyeye ◽  
Ali Aldalbahi ◽  
Jawad Raza ◽  
Zurni Omar ◽  
Mostafizur Rahaman ◽  
...  

AbstractThe processes of diffusion and reaction play essential roles in numerous system dynamics. Consequently, the solutions of reaction–diffusion equations have gained much attention because of not only their occurrence in many fields of science but also the existence of important properties and information in the solutions. However, despite the wide range of numerical methods explored for approximating solutions, the adoption of block methods is yet to be investigated. Hence, this article introduces a new two-step third–fourth-derivative block method as a numerical approach to solve the reaction–diffusion equation. In order to ensure improved accuracy, the method introduces the concept of nonlinearity in the solution of the linear model through the presence of higher derivatives. The method obtained accurate solutions for the model at varying values of the dimensionless diffusion parameter and saturation parameter. Furthermore, the solutions are also in good agreement with previous solutions by existing authors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 504 (2) ◽  
pp. 2325-2345
Author(s):  
Emanuel Sillero ◽  
Patricia B Tissera ◽  
Diego G Lambas ◽  
Stefano Bovino ◽  
Dominik R Schleicher ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We present p-gadget3-k, an updated version of gadget-3, that incorporates the chemistry package krome. p-gadget3-k follows the hydrodynamical and chemical evolution of cosmic structures, incorporating the chemistry and cooling of H2 and metal cooling in non-equilibrium. We performed different runs of the same ICs to assess the impact of various physical parameters and prescriptions, namely gas metallicity, molecular hydrogen formation on dust, star formation recipes including or not H2 dependence, and the effects of numerical resolution. We find that the characteristics of the simulated systems, both globally and at kpc-scales, are in good agreement with several observable properties of molecular gas in star-forming galaxies. The surface density profiles of star formation rate (SFR) and H2 are found to vary with the clumping factor and resolution. In agreement with previous results, the chemical enrichment of the gas component is found to be a key ingredient to model the formation and distribution of H2 as a function of gas density and temperature. A star formation algorithm that takes into account the H2 fraction together with a treatment for the local stellar radiation field improves the agreement with observed H2 abundances over a wide range of gas densities and with the molecular Kennicutt–Schmidt law, implying a more realistic modelling of the star formation process.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. B. Coetzer ◽  
J. A. Visser

This paper introduces a compact model to predict the interfin velocity and the resulting pressure drop across a longitudinal fin heat sink with tip bypass. The compact model is based on results obtained from a comprehensive study into the behavior of both laminar and turbulent flow in longitudinal fin heat sinks with tip bypass using CFD analysis. The new compact flow prediction model is critically compared to existing compact models as well as to the results obtained from the CFD simulations. The results indicate that the new compact model shows at least a 4.5% improvement in accuracy predicting the pressure drop over a wide range of heat sink geometries and Reynolds numbers simulated. The improved accuracy in velocity distribution between the fins also increases the accuracy of the calculated heat transfer coefficients applied to the heat sinks.


2015 ◽  
Vol 725-726 ◽  
pp. 1255-1260
Author(s):  
Tamara Daciuk ◽  
Vera Ulyasheva

Numerical experiment has been successfully used during recent 10-15 years to solve a wide range of thermal and hydrogasodynamic tasks. Application of mathematical modeling used to design the ventilation systems for production premises characterized by heat emission may be considered to be an effective method to obtain reasonable solutions. Results of calculation performed with numerical solution of ventilation tasks depend on turbulence model selection. Currently a large number of different turbulence models used to calculate turbulent flows are known. Testing and definition of applicability limits for semiempirical models of turbulence should be considered to be a preliminary stage of calculation. This article presents results of test calculations pertaining to thermal air process modeling in premises characterized by presence of heat emission sources performed with employment of different models of turbulence. Besides, analysis of calculation results and comparison with field measurements data are presented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (S308) ◽  
pp. 542-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nadathur ◽  
S. Hotchkiss ◽  
J. M. Diego ◽  
I. T. Iliev ◽  
S. Gottlöber ◽  
...  

AbstractWe discuss the universality and self-similarity of void density profiles, for voids in realistic mock luminous red galaxy (LRG) catalogues from the Jubilee simulation, as well as in void catalogues constructed from the SDSS LRG and Main Galaxy samples. Voids are identified using a modified version of the ZOBOV watershed transform algorithm, with additional selection cuts. We find that voids in simulation areself-similar, meaning that their average rescaled profile does not depend on the void size, or – within the range of the simulated catalogue – on the redshift. Comparison of the profiles obtained from simulated and real voids shows an excellent match. The profiles of real voids also show auniversalbehaviour over a wide range of galaxy luminosities, number densities and redshifts. This points to a fundamental property of the voids found by the watershed algorithm, which can be exploited in future studies of voids.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arcangela Bollino ◽  
Anna Maria Marotta ◽  
Federica Restelli ◽  
Alessandro Regorda ◽  
Roberto Sabadini

<p>Subduction is responsible for surface displacements and deep mass redistribution. This rearrangement generates density anomalies in a wide spectrum of wavelengths which, in turn, causes important anomalies in the Earth's gravity field that are visible as lineaments parallel to the arc-trench systems. In these areas, when the traditional analysis of the deformation and stress fields is combined with the analysis of the perturbation of the gravity field and its slow time variation, new information on the background environment controlling the tectonic loading phase can be disclosed.</p><p>Here we present the results of a comparative analysis between the geodetically retrieved gravitational anomalies, based on the EIGEN-6C4 model, and those predicted by a 2D thermo-chemical mechanical modeling of the Sumatra and Mariana complexes.</p><p>The 2D model accounts for a wide range of parameters, such as the convergence velocity, the shallow dip angle, the different degrees of coupling between the facing plates. The marker in cell technique is used to compositionally differentiate the system. Phase changes in the crust and in the mantle and mantle hydration are also allowed. To be compliant with the geodetic EIGEN-6C4 gravity data, we define a model normal Earth considering the vertical density distribution at the margins of the model domain, where the masses are not perturbed by the subduction process.</p><p>Model predictions are in good agreement with data, both in terms of wavelengths and magnitude of the gravity anomalies measured in the surroundings of the Sumatra and Marina subductions. Furthermore, our modeling supports that the differences in the style of the gravity anomaly observed in the two areas are attributable to the different environments – ocean-ocean or ocean-continental subduction – that drives a significantly different dynamic in the wedge area.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 487 (1) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Li ◽  
Mark Vogelsberger ◽  
Federico Marinacci ◽  
Oleg Y Gnedin

Abstract Energetic feedback from star clusters plays a pivotal role in shaping the dynamical evolution of giant molecular clouds (GMCs). To study the effects of stellar feedback on the star formation efficiency of the clouds and the dynamical response of embedded star clusters, we perform a suite of isolated GMC simulations with star formation and momentum feedback subgrid models using the moving-mesh hydrodynamics code Arepo. The properties of our simulated GMCs span a wide range of initial mass, radius, and velocity configurations. We find that the ratio of the final stellar mass to the total cloud mass, ϵint, scales strongly with the initial cloud surface density and momentum feedback strength. This correlation is explained by an analytic model that considers force balancing between gravity and momentum feedback. For all simulated GMCs, the stellar density profiles are systematically steeper than that of the gas at the epochs of the peaks of star formation, suggesting a centrally concentrated stellar distribution. We also find that star clusters are always in a sub-virial state with a virial parameter ∼0.6 prior to gas expulsion. Both the sub-virial dynamical state and steeper stellar density profiles prevent clusters from dispersal during the gas removal phase of their evolution. The final cluster bound fraction is a continuously increasing function of ϵint. GMCs with star formation efficiency smaller than 0.5 are still able to form clusters with large bound fractions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Song Yang ◽  
Bing Qi ◽  
Zhensheng Cao ◽  
Shaoqiang Zhang ◽  
Huailei Cheng ◽  
...  

The strain responses of asphalt pavement layer under vehicular loading are different from those under falling weight deflectometer (FWD) loading, due to the discrepancies between the two types of loadings. This research aims to evaluate and compare the asphalt layer responses under vehicular loading and FWD loadings. Two full-scale asphalt pavement structures, namely, flexible pavement and semirigid pavement, were constructed and instrumented with strain gauges. The strain responses of asphalt layers under vehicular and FWD loadings were measured and analyzed. Except for field measurements, the finite element (FE) models of the experimental pavements were established to simulate the pavement responses under a wide range of loading conditions. Field strain measurements indicate that the asphalt layer strain under vehicular loading increases with the rising temperature roughly in an exponential mode, while it decreases with the rising vehicular speed approximately linearly. The strain pulses in the asphalt layer generated by FWD loading are different from those induced by vehicular loading. The asphalt layer strains generated by FWD loading are close to those induced by low vehicular speed (35 km/h). The results from the FE model imply that the asphalt layer strains under FWD loading and vehicular loading are distributed similarly in the depth profile. For flexible pavement, the position of critical strain shifts gradually from the bottom of the asphalt layer to the mid-depth of the layer, as the temperature increases. For semirigid pavement, the position of critical strain is always located at the intermediate depth of the asphalt layer, regardless of temperatures.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document