<p>     </p> <p>This article-based dissertation provides a review of the broad subject of Neutron Star- their emission properties, plasmoids ejection events, and their proposed physical mechanisms. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to provide an extensive description of the research projects I undertook during my tenure as a Graduate Research Assistant, under the guidance of my advisor Prof. Maxim Lyutikov. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of the Neutron stars, their classification, proposed emission models, and a summary of magnetars and associated observed phenomena. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In Chapter 2, I present a version of the research article published in the <em>Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</em>. The work is titled "Rotating Neutron Stars Without Light Cylinders" and discusses twisted and differentially rotating neutron star magnetospheres that do not have a light cylinder, generate no wind, and thus do not spin down. The magnetosphere of such neutron stars is composed of embedded differentially rotating flux surfaces, with the angular velocity decreasing as Ω ∼ 1/r. It was found, both analytically and using numerical simulations, that for spin parameters larger than some critical value, the light cylinder appears, the magnetosphere opens up, and the wind is generated. </p> <p>In Chapter 3, I present a version of the research article published in <em>The Astrophysical Journal</em>. The work is titled "Relativistic Magnetic Explosions" and was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Maxim Barkov, in collaboration with Dr. Konstantinos N. Gourgou- liatos and Dr. Lyutikov2 Barkov. It discusses the dynamics of magnetically driven explosive astrophysical events, like magnetar bursts and flares. We model a relativistic expansion of highly magnetized and highly magnetically over-pressurized clouds. We observe that the corresponding dynamics are qualitatively different from fluid explosions due to the topological constraint of the conservation of the magnetic flux. Using analytical, relativistic MHD as well as force-free calculations, we find that the creation of a relativistically expanding, causally disconnected flow obeys a threshold condition: it requires sufficiently high initial over-pressure and sufficiently quick decrease of the pressure in the external medium (the pre-explosion wind). In the subcritical case, the magnetic cloud just puffs up" and quietly expands with the pre-flare wind. We also find a compact analytical solution to the Prendergast problem - the expansion of force-free plasma into the vacuum. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Chapter 4 is the extension of the work in Chapter 3 and focuses on the dynamics of relativistic Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), from launching by shearing of foot-points (either slowly or suddenly), to propagation in the preceding magnetar wind. The work has been accepted to be published in <em>Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</em>. For slow shear, we find that most of the energy injected into the CME is first spent on the work done on breaking through the over-laying magnetic field. At later stages, sufficiently powerful CMEs may lead to the detonation of a CME and opening of the magnetosphere beyond some equipartition radius req, where the decreasing energy of the CME becomes larger than the decreasing external magnetospheric energy. Post-CME magnetosphere relaxes via the formation of a plasmoid-mediated current sheet, initially at req, and slowly reaching the light cylinder. Both the location of the foot-point shear and the global magnetospheric configuration affect the frequent/weak versus rare/powerful CME dichotomy - to produce powerful flares the slow shear should be limited to field lines that close in near the star.  After the creation of a topologically disconnected flux tube, the tube quickly (at ∼ the light cylinder) comes into force-balance with the preceding wind and is passively advected/frozen in the wind afterward. </p> <p>For fast shear case, the shearing of foot-points leads to the generation of Alfvén wave and the pressure of such Alfvén leads to the opening of the magnetosphere. At distances much larger than the light cylinder, the resulting shear Alfvén waves propagate through the wind non-dissipatively. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In Chapter 5, I switch gears and study the optical polarization of Crab pulsar. I start by deriving a general relation for the polarization direction of the electric dipole-type radiation produced by a particle moving in an arbitrary electromagnetic field. The derived relations are then applied to reproduce optical polarization swings in Crab pulsar assuming a Michel- Bogovalov solution for the current sheet. With this, I was able to reproduce down to intricate details the spin-phase trajectory of the position angle (PA) in the Stokes parameters U-Q plane. This chapter however remains a work in progress. We still don't fully understand the physical mechanism behind the polarization characteristics of the Crab, especially the origin of the point where the inner loop connects with the bigger outer loop. I plan to fully answer these questions before sending our findings for publication. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Chapter 6 summarizes the main results and conclusions of the research projects and mentions the prospects. References are compiled after the appendices so that they are first cited, followed by a CV and a list of publications. </p>

This work investigates the feasibility of producing small scale, low aerodynamic loading wind tunnel models, using FDM 3D printing methods, that are both structurally and aerodynamically representative in the wind tunnel. To verify the applicability of this approach, a 2.07% scale model of the NASA CRM was produced, whose wings were manufacturing using a Finite Deposition Modeling 3D printer. Experimental data was compared to numerical simulations to determine percent difference in wake distribution and wingtip deflection for multiple configurations. Numerical simulation data taken in the form of CFD and FEA was used to validate data taken in the wind tunnel experiments. The experiment utilized a wake rake to measure 3 different spanwise locations of the wing for aerodynamic data, and a videogrammetry method was used to measure the deflection of the wingtips for structural data. Both numerical simulations and experiments were evaluated at Reynolds numbers of 258,000 and 362,000 at 0 degrees angle of attack, and 258,000 at 5 degrees angle of attack. Results indicate that the wing wake minimum in the wind tunnel test had shifted approximately 8.8mm at the wingtip for the Nylon 910 wing at 258,000 Reynolds number for 0 degrees angle of attack when compared to CFD. Videogrammetry results indicate that the wing deflected 5.9mm, and has an 18.6% difference from observed deflection in FEA. This reveals the potential for small scale wind tunnel models to be more representative of true flight behavior for low loading scenarios.

To investigate the relationship between the structural characteristics of rough single fracturesand the electrical properties of the rock. In this study, a series of physical models of roughand smooth single fractures were established using the finite element method and Ohm's lawto test the electrical conductivity. By varying the distance between the fracture surfaces, arange of individual fractures with different surface roughness characterized by the relativestandard deviation (RSD) was generated using COMSOL Multiphysics software.Subsequently, the intensity of current passing through the fractures and the influence of roughsurfaces on rock electrical properties were monitored. Numerical simulations demonstrated anon-linear relationship between the current intensity through the models and the RSDroughness, with the equivalent resistivity of the fractured rock increasing with higher RSDvalues. As the RSD roughness increased, the difference in equivalent resistivity betweenrough and smooth fractures also increased, indicating a greater impact of rough surfaces onelectrical properties. The equivalent resistivity of the rock model was 1.05-1.45 times that ofthe parallel plate model with same average aperture. The novelty of this study lies in directlyinvestigating the relationship between roughness of single fractures and rock electricalproperties in three-dimensional, providing insights for understanding the electrical behaviorof rock fractures. / För att undersöka sambandet mellan strukturella egenskaper hos ojämna enkelstrålar och deelektriska egenskaperna hos bergarten. I denna studie etablerades en serie fysiska modeller avojämna och jämna enkelstrålar genom att använda finita elementmetoden och Ohms lag föratt testa elektrisk ledningsförmåga. Genom att variera avståndet mellan strålytornagenererades en rad individuella strålar med olika ytjämnhet som karakteriseras av relativstandardavvikelse (RSD) med hjälp av COMSOL Multiphysics-programvara. Därefterövervakades intensiteten av ström som passerade genom strålarna och inflytandet av ojämnaytor på bergens elektriska egenskaper. Numeriska simuleringar visade på ett icke-linjärtsamband mellan strömintensiteten genom modellerna och RSD-ytjämnheten, där denekvivalenta resistiviteten hos den spruckna bergarten ökade med högre RSD-värden. NärRSD-ytjämnheten ökade, ökade även skillnaden i ekvivalent resistivitet mellan ojämna ochjämna strålar, vilket indikerar en större påverkan av ojämna ytor på de elektriskaegenskaperna. Den ekvivalenta resistiviteten hos bergmodellen var 1,05–1,45 gånger högreän den hos parallellplattanmodellen med samma genomsnittliga apertur. Nyheten i dennastudie ligger i att direkt undersöka sambandet mellan ytjämnheten hos enkelstrålar ochbergens elektriska egenskaper på en tredimensionell skala, vilket ger värdefulla insikter föratt förstå det elektriska beteendet hos bergstrålar och ytterligare förbättra modeller.

This thesis deals with the instabilities of the incompressible boundary-layer flow that is induced by a disk rotating in otherwise still fluid. The results presented are mostly limited to linear instabilities derived from direct numerical simulations (DNS) but with the objective that further work will focus on the nonlinear regime, providing greater insights into the transition route to turbulence. The numerical code Nek5000 has been chosen for the DNS using a spectral-element method in an effort to reduce spurious effects from low-order discretizations. Large-scale parallel simulations have been used to obtain the present results. The known similarity solution of the Navier–Stokes equation for the rotating-disk flow, also called the von Karman flow, is investigated and can be reproduced with good accuracy by the DNS. With the addition of small roughnesses on the disk surface, convective instabilities appear and data from the DNS are analysed and compared with experimental and theoretical data. A theoretical analysis is also presented using a local linear-stability approach, where two stability solvers have been developedbased on earlier work. A good correspondence between DNS and theory is found and the DNS results are found to explain well the behaviour of the experimental boundary layer within the range of Reynolds numbers for small amplitude (linear) disturbances. The comparison between the DNS and experimental results, presented for the first time here, shows that the DNS allows (for large azimuthal domains) a range of unstable azimuthal wavenumbers β to exist simultaneously with the dominantβ varying, which is not accounted for in local theory, where β is usually fixed for each Reynolds number at which the stability analysis is applied. Furthermore, the linear impulse response of the rotating-disk boundary layer is investigated using DNS. The local response is known to be absolutely unstable. The global response is found to be stable if the edge of the disk is assumed to be at infinity, and unstable if the domain is finite and the edge of the domain is placed such that there is a large enough pocket region for the absolute instability to develop. The global frequency of the flow is found to be determined by the edge Reynolds number. / <p>QC 20140708</p>

No description available.

Résumé : La mesure des profils transitoires et de la vitesse de solidification sont deux données importantes pour le contrôle de procédés industriels impliquant un changement de phase. Dans le cas de l’électrolyse de l’aluminium, ce processus de solidification assure la protection du système et influe sur la performance énergétique du procédé de fabrication. Malheureusement, ces données se révèlent, dans la plupart des cas, difficilement accessibles. Ce travail de thèse porte sur le développement de nouveaux outils permettant l’étude et la caractérisation de la solidification de matériaux à changement de phase et à haute température. L’objectif est de développer un système de mesure du front de solidification de matériaux à changement de phase non destructif et ne perturbant pas le milieu de mesure, tout en assurant une précision et une réponse suffisamment rapide pour exploiter de nouvelles stratégies de contrôle dans les cuves d’électrolyse. Ce travail couple une étude expérimentale fondamentale de la solidification de la cryolithe avec une modélisation numérique de phénomène de changement de phase solide-liquide dans des conditions proches du fonctionnement de cuves d’électrolyse. // Abstract : Measurement of transient solidification fronts and of solidification rate are two important data for controlling industrial processes involving a solid-liquid phase change. In the case of aluminium electrolysis, this solidification process protects the system and affects the energy performance of the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, these data are not easy to obtain in most cases. This thesis focuses on the development of new tools for the study and on the solidification characterization of phase change materials at high temperature. The goal is to develop a nondestructive solidification front measurement system for phase change materials without disturbing the measurement medium, while ensuring accuracy and a fast enough response time to exploit new control strategies in electrolysis cells. This work couples a fundamental experimental study of the cryolite solidification with numerical modeling of solid-liquid phase change phenomenon under conditions close to those during normal operation of electrolytic cells.

Cette thèse apporte des éléments sur la compréhension de la gestion de l'eau et de ses effets sur les performances électriques d'une PEMFC au moyen de modélisations multi-échelle des transferts. Une analyse du transport couplé de charges et de matière dans les pores de la membrane est proposée. La présence d'eau liquide est prise en compte dans les GDL (écoulements diphasiques) et les couches actives (noyage). Le couplage de ces modèles à une description des transferts de matière le long des canaux d’alimentation permet de mettre en évidence une répartition non-uniforme des concentrations en eau, des flux et donc de la densité de courant. Les résultats numériques sont comparés à des données expérimentales (coefficient de partage de l'eau et performance électrique locale) obtenues au laboratoire sur deux piles. Ceci permet de valider les modèles de fonctionnement du cœur de pile et d'alimenter la réflexion sur la connaissance et la modélisation des transferts d'eau dans le cœur de pile / This works contributes to the understanding of water management of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell and of its links with the electrical performances. More specifically, the manuscript deals with the multi-scale modelling of transport phenomena. An analysis of coupled mass and charge transfer in the pores of a polymer membrane is presented. The presence of liquid water is considered in the GDL (two-phase flow) and in the active layers (flooding). The description of these phenomena is associated with that of gas depletion along the bipolar plate channels. This allows to emphasize the non-uniformity of water concentration, of the fluxes and as a consequence, of current density. The numerical results are compared with experimental data (water transport coefficient, local electrical performances) measured on two different fuel cells. This comparison validates at least partially the numerical models and provides further information for the analysis of water management within PEMFC

Les tourbillons hélicoïdaux générés derrière les rotors sont étudiés. Pour les générer, une méthode basée sur le couplage entre la technique de la ligne active et un solveur des équations de Navier-Stokes (ENS), incompressibles et tridimensionnelles, a été développée. Elle consiste à modéliser la pâle par son équivalent de forces volumiques. Les équations, écrites en coordonnées cylindriques, sont résolues par un schéma de différences finies, écrit en parallèle. La méthode est d'ordre deux en temps et en espace. Le solveur des ENS a été validé par la reproduction des taux de croissance d'un écoulement de jet, instable, trouvés par la théorie d'instabilité linéaire. La comparaison avec des données expérimentales a montré que la méthode prédit bien l'aérodynamique de la pâle. Ensuite, le tourbillon de bout de pâle a été, en particulier, caractérisé. La vorticité et la vitesse azimutale ont été trouvées auto-similaire et la taille du coeur suit asymptotiquement la loi de diffusion linéaire 2D. Un modèle simple du coeur du tourbillon a été proposé. La présence d'une vitesse axiale dans le coeur du tourbillon a été montrée et a été caractérisée en fonction du rapport de vitesse au bout de la pâle. Finalement, une étude de stabilité du tourbillon a été faite en utilisant une vitesse angulaire variable pour perturber l'écoulement. Les taux de croissances des modes les plus instables sont en bon accord avec celui de l'instabilité d'appariement 2D des tourbillons. Trois types de modes ont été identifiés en fonction de la fréquence des perturbations et ont été trouvés similaires aux modes décrits par la théorie et aussi trouvés, précédemment, par l'expérience. / This present work is aimed to study helical vortices encountered in the wakes of rotating elements. For this, the generation of a helical wake of a one-bladed-rotor in a laminar velocity field, is simulated by the actuator line method. This method is a coupling of a Navier-Stokes (NS) solver with the Actuator Line Method where the blade is replaced by the body forces. This method has been implemented in a finite difference code, that we have written in parallel to solve the 3D incompressible NS equations written in cylindrical coordinates. The order of accuracy of the method is two both in time and space. The NS solver was validated comparing growth rates of an unstable jet, found numerically, and those of linear instability theory. A good agreement was found. A good agreement was also found comparing numerical results to analytical formulations and experimental data. It was shown that the method predicts well the blade aerodynamics . Then, the helical tip vortex is characterized for different Reynolds numbers and Tip Speed Ratios. The vorticity and the azimuthal velocity were found self-similar and the vortex core follows asymptotically the linear 2D diffusion law. A simple model for the helical vortex core was proposed. The presence of an axial velocity inside the vortex core was highlighted. Then, a stability study of the helical tip vortex was done using an angular velocity dependent on time to perturb the flow. The largest growth rates were found in good agreement with those of the (2D) pairing instability. Three types of modes were identified based on the perturbation frequency. The results are similar to those found in previous analytical and experimental works.

Cette thèse de doctorat s’intéresse aux mécanismes d’amélioration des transferts dans des géométries de dissipateurs thermiques à plaques et ailettes. Une première partie est consacrée à l’étude d’une configuration académique à l’aide de simulations numériques visant à obtenir une amélioration du transfert de chaleur conjugué en modifiant uniquement par des découpes la forme géométrique des ailettes planes conductrices. Une analyse locale approfondie de l’écoulement et des champs thermiques a été effectuée avec notamment le principe de synergie locale, des champs de vitesse et de gradients thermiques, pour comprendre l’effet des modifications géométriques. Ce mémoire présente également le développement de dissipateurs aux performances thermo-aérauliques augmentées pour des applications de refroidissement de coffrets électronique embarqués. L’intensification des transferts thermiques est obtenue par la génération d’écoulements secondaires qui provoquent un brassage de fluide et réduisent la résistance thermique à la paroi en perturbant le développement de la couche limite thermique. Différentes configurations de dissipateurs avec deux types de générateurs d’écoulements secondaires, paires d’ailettes Delta et protrusions, ont été étudiées numériquement, en employant une modélisation de type « RANS ». Les performances thermo-aérauliques des géométries munies de générateurs de vorticité ont été comparées à celle d’un dissipateur thermique de référence « lisse ». Des prototypes ont également été fabriqués et testés sur un banc expérimental spécifiquement développé pour réaliser des mesures des performances globales en termes de puissance thermique et de pertes de charge. Les résultats expérimentaux et numériques ont été confrontés afin de qualifier les simulations réalisées. Par la suite, une étude d’optimisation employant l’analyse factorielle Taguchi a été utilisée afin d’optimiser les paramètres géométriques des dissipateurs retenus. Deux fonctions objectif ont été considérées : la maximisation du facteur de performance thermique à iso puissance de ventilation (PEC) et la réduction de la température moyenne de paroi du dissipateur par rapport au cas de référence. L’analyse des performances thermo-aérauliques globales des géométries étudiées a été complétée par une analyse qualitative locale des champs thermiques et d’écoulement notamment avec le principe de synergie. / This doctoral thesis focuses on mechanisms of heat transfer enhancement in plate and fin heat sink geometries. First part of the thesis is dedicated to study an academic configuration using numerical simulations to achieve an improvement in conjugate heat transfer by modifying only the geometrical shape (through punching) of the conductive plane fins. An in-depth local analysis of the flow and thermal fields was carried out with the local synergy principle, velocity and thermal gradients, to understand the effect of geometric modifications. This thesis also presents the development of heat sinks with increased thermo-hydraulic performance for on-board electronic box cooling applications. The intensification of the heat transfer is obtained by the generation of secondary flows which cause an intensive mixing of fluid and reduces the thermal resistance to the wall by disrupting the development of the thermal boundary layer. Different heat sink geometries with two types of secondary flow generators : delta winglet pair and protrusions were numerically studied using RANS approach. The thermo-hydraulic performances of the geometries equipped with vortex generators were compared with that of a smooth reference heat sink. The prototypes were also manufactured and tested on an experimental bench specifically designed to perform global performance measurements in terms of thermal power and pressure drops. Experimental and numerical results were compared to qualify the simulations performed. Subsequently, an optimization study using Taguchi factorial analysis was used to optimize the geometrical parameters of the chosen dissipaters. Two objective functions were considered : maximization of either iso-pumping power performance criteria (PEC) or average wall temperature of the dissipaters compared to the reference case. The global thermo-hydraulic performance analysis of the studied geometries was completed by a qualitative analysis of local flow and thermal fields, in particular with the local field synergy principle.

Grâce à leurs propriétés physiques/chimiques uniques, les nanoparticules colloïdales sont au cœur de nombreuses applications innovantes. Afin de faciliter leur caractérisation ou de les intégrer dans des dispositifs fonctionnels, il est nécessaire de les assembler de manière dirigée sur des surfaces solides. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de cette thèse est de mieux comprendre et d’optimiser la technique de nanoxérographie, méthode d’assemblage dirigé où des nanoparticules sont piégées sur des motifs de charges électrostatiques. Après un premier travail consistant à améliorer le procédé de nanoxérographie, trois problématiques spécifiques ont été adressées : (i) l’assemblage de particules micrométriques. Le couplage de simulations numériques et de manipulations expérimentales a permis d’identifier les paramètres clés de l’assemblage de telles particules colloïdales et d’élargir (facteur 100) la gamme de tailles de particules assemblables par nanoxérographie. (ii) l’analyse de l’assemblage multicouche. Par le biais de nanoparticules modèles luminescentes et par la mise en place d’un nouveau protocole d’assemblage, les critères clés génériques pour l’assemblage 3D de colloïdes par nanoxérographie ont été dégagés. (ii) l’assemblage dirigé de nanogels sensibles à un stimulus environnemental extérieur. L’utilisation d’un protocole d’assemblage optimisé a permis d’élaborer des assemblages de nanogels interactifs avec leur environnement et du faire du tri sélectif de ces nanoparticules sur une même surface. / Owing to their unique physico-chemical properties, colloidal nanoparticles are building blocks for the creation of plentiful innovative devices. In order to make easier their characterization and to incorporate them into functional nano-devices, it is necessary to perfectly control their directed assemblies onto solid surfaces. In this context, this thesis’ purpose is to simultaneously better understand and optimize the nanoxerography method, which allows electrostatic and selective directing assemblies of nanoparticles onto charged patterns. After an optimization of the nanoxerography process, three specific problematics have been addressed: (1) micron-sized particles assembly. The combined use of numerical simulations and experiments enabled to unveil the key parameters involved in micron-sized particles assembly and to expend the particle size range foreseeable for an assembly by nanoxerography (factor 100). (2) the 3D assembly analysis. The influence of diverse parameters on the 3D assembly of luminescent model nanoparticles was quantified by using a new assembly protocol. The results gave the generic key criterions for the 3D assembly of colloids by nanoxerography. (3) directed assembly of nanogels sensitive to an external environmental stimulus. The use of an optimized protocol allowed elaborating nanogels assemblies interactive with their environment and to sort these nanoparticles onto the same surface.