Compressible potential flows around round bodies: Janzen–Rayleigh expansion inferences

The subsonic, compressible, potential flow around a hypersphere can be derived using the Janzen–Rayleigh expansion (JRE) of the flow potential in even powers of the incident Mach number ${\mathcal {M}}_\infty$ . JREs were carried out with terms polynomial in the inverse radius $r^{-1}$ to high orders in two dimensions, but were limited to order ${\mathcal {M}}_\infty ^{4}$ in three dimensions. We derive general JRE formulae for arbitrary order, adiabatic index and dimension. We find that powers of $\ln (r)$ can creep into the expansion, and are essential in the three-dimensional (3-D) sphere beyond order ${\mathcal {M}}_\infty ^{4}$ . Such terms are apparently absent in the 2-D disk, as we verify up to order ${\mathcal {M}}_\infty ^{100}$ , although they do appear in other dimensions (e.g. at order ${\mathcal {M}}_\infty ^{2}$ in four dimensions). An exploration of various 2-D and 3-D bodies suggests a topological connection, with logarithmic terms emerging when the flow is simply connected. Our results have additional physical implications. They are used to improve the hodograph-based approximation for the flow in front of a sphere. The symmetry-axis velocity profiles of axisymmetric flows around different prolate spheroids are approximately related to each other by a simple, Mach-independent scaling.

The Theory of the Hydrogen Molecule Ion, Scalar Beams, and Scattering by Spheroids

<p>Schrodinger's equation for the hydrogen molecule ion and the Helmholtz equation are separable in prolate and oblate spheroidal coordinates respectively. They share the same form of the angular equation. The first task in deriving the ground state energy of the hydrogen molecule ion, and in obtaining finite solutions of the Helmholtz equation, is to obtain the physically allowed values of the separation of variables parameter. The separation parameter is not known analytically, and since it can only have certain values, it is an important parameter to quantify. Chapter 2 of this thesis investigates an exact method of obtaining the separation parameter. By showing that the angular equation is solvable in terms of confluent Heun functions, a new method to obtain the separation parameter was obtained. We showed that the physically allowed values of the separation of variables parameter are given by the zeros of the Wronskian of two linearly dependent solutions to the angular equation. Since the Heun functions are implemented in Maple, this new method allows the separation parameter to be calculated to unlimited precision. As Schrodinger's equation for the hydrogen molecule ion is related to Helmholtz's equation, this warranted investigation of scalar beams. Tightly focused optical and quantum particle beams are described by exact solutions of the Helmholtz equation. In Chapter 3 of this thesis we investigate the applicability of the separable spheroidal solutions of the scalar Helmholtz equation as physical beam solutions. By requiring a scalar beam solution to satisfy certain physical constraints, we showed that the oblate spheroidal wave functions can only represent nonparaxial scalar beams when the angular function is odd, in terms of the angular variable. This condition ensures the convergence of integrals of physical quantities over a cross-section of the beam and allows for the physically necessary discontinuity in phase at z = 0 on the ellipsoidal surfaces of otherwise constant phase. However, these solutions were shown to have a discontinuous longitudinal derivative. Finally, we investigated the scattering of scalar waves by oblate and prolate spheroids whose symmetry axis is coincident with the direction of the incident plane wave. We developed a phase shift formulation of scattering by oblate and prolate spheroids, in parallel with the partial wave theory of scattering by spherical obstacles. The crucial step was application of a finite Legendre transform to the Helmholtz equation in spheroidal coordinates. Analytical results were readily obtained for scattering of Schrodinger particle waves by impenetrable spheroids and for scattering of sound waves by acoustically soft spheroids. The advantage of this theory is that it enables all that can be done for scattering by spherical obstacles to be carried over to the scattering by spheroids, provided the radial eigenfunctions are known.</p>

The Theory of the Hydrogen Molecule Ion, Scalar Beams, and Scattering by Spheroids

<p>Schrodinger's equation for the hydrogen molecule ion and the Helmholtz equation are separable in prolate and oblate spheroidal coordinates respectively. They share the same form of the angular equation. The first task in deriving the ground state energy of the hydrogen molecule ion, and in obtaining finite solutions of the Helmholtz equation, is to obtain the physically allowed values of the separation of variables parameter. The separation parameter is not known analytically, and since it can only have certain values, it is an important parameter to quantify. Chapter 2 of this thesis investigates an exact method of obtaining the separation parameter. By showing that the angular equation is solvable in terms of confluent Heun functions, a new method to obtain the separation parameter was obtained. We showed that the physically allowed values of the separation of variables parameter are given by the zeros of the Wronskian of two linearly dependent solutions to the angular equation. Since the Heun functions are implemented in Maple, this new method allows the separation parameter to be calculated to unlimited precision. As Schrodinger's equation for the hydrogen molecule ion is related to Helmholtz's equation, this warranted investigation of scalar beams. Tightly focused optical and quantum particle beams are described by exact solutions of the Helmholtz equation. In Chapter 3 of this thesis we investigate the applicability of the separable spheroidal solutions of the scalar Helmholtz equation as physical beam solutions. By requiring a scalar beam solution to satisfy certain physical constraints, we showed that the oblate spheroidal wave functions can only represent nonparaxial scalar beams when the angular function is odd, in terms of the angular variable. This condition ensures the convergence of integrals of physical quantities over a cross-section of the beam and allows for the physically necessary discontinuity in phase at z = 0 on the ellipsoidal surfaces of otherwise constant phase. However, these solutions were shown to have a discontinuous longitudinal derivative. Finally, we investigated the scattering of scalar waves by oblate and prolate spheroids whose symmetry axis is coincident with the direction of the incident plane wave. We developed a phase shift formulation of scattering by oblate and prolate spheroids, in parallel with the partial wave theory of scattering by spherical obstacles. The crucial step was application of a finite Legendre transform to the Helmholtz equation in spheroidal coordinates. Analytical results were readily obtained for scattering of Schrodinger particle waves by impenetrable spheroids and for scattering of sound waves by acoustically soft spheroids. The advantage of this theory is that it enables all that can be done for scattering by spherical obstacles to be carried over to the scattering by spheroids, provided the radial eigenfunctions are known.</p>

Framboid Shapes

The original idea that framboids were generally spherical was due to the limitations of the contemporary optical microscopic methods. Later scanning microscopic investigations showed that many framboids were at least partly faceted and some display polygonal icosahedral forms. This is significant since the assumption of framboid sphericity informed earlier explanations of how they could form. It cannot be assumed, for example, that framboids necessarily require a precursor template, such as a spherical space or spherical organic globule, to develop. There is a continuum in original framboid shapes between ellipsoid, oblate spheroids, prolate spheroids, and spheroids. Irregularly curved shapes are common, especially in clusters of framboids, and result from deformation under the influence of gravity, analogous to soft sediment deformation. Framboidal icosahedra have varying triangular faces and are similar to the pseudo-icosahedral habit of pyrite macrocrystals. Framboids with mixtures of curved and faceted faces are common and these may result in part by local organized internal microcrystal domains. Various framboid clusters have been described as polyframboids, but the term is strictly reserved to spherical clusters of framboids. The constituent framboids may number 100–200 in these polyframboids, and they commonly show evidence of soft-sediment deformation.

On Using the BMCSL Equation of State to Renormalize the Onsager Theory Approach to Modeling Hard Prolate Spheroidal Liquid Crystal Mixtures

Modifications to the traditional Onsager theory for modeling isotropic–nematic phase transitions in hard prolate spheroidal systems are presented. Pure component systems are used to identify the need to update the Lee–Parsons resummation term. The Lee–Parsons resummation term uses the Carnahan–Starling equation of state to approximate higher-order virial coefficients beyond the second virial coefficient employed in Onsager’s original theoretical approach. As more exact ways of calculating the excluded volume of two hard prolate spheroids of a given orientation are used, the division of the excluded volume by eight, which is an empirical correction used in the original Lee–Parsons resummation term, must be replaced by six to yield a better match between the theoretical and simulation results. These modifications are also extended to binary mixtures of hard prolate spheroids using the Boublík–Mansoori–Carnahan–Starling–Leland (BMCSL) equation of state.

Differential heating of metal nanostructures by radio frequencies: a theoretical study

Nanoparticles with strong absorption of incident radio frequency (RF) or microwave irradiation are desirable for remote hyperthermia treatments. While controversy has surrounded the absorption properties of spherical metallic nanoparticles, other geometries such as prolate and oblate spheroids have not received sufficient attention for application in hyperthermia therapies. Here, we use the electrostatic approximation to calculate the relative absorption ratio of metallic nanoparticles in various biological tissues. We consider a broad parameter space, sweeping across frequencies from 1 MHz to 10 GHz, while also tuning the nanoparticle dimensions from spheres to high-aspect-ratio spheroids approximating nanowires and nanodiscs. We find that while spherical metallic nanoparticles do not offer differential heating in tissue, large absorption cross sections can be obtained from long prolate spheroids, while thin oblate spheroids offer minor potential for absorption. Our results suggest that metallic nanowires should be considered for RF- and microwave-based wireless hyperthermia treatments in many tissues going forward.