Finite differences and a coupled analytic technique with applications to explosions and earthquakes

An analytic technique is developed that couples to finite difference calculations to extend the results to arbitrary distance. Finite differences and the analytic result, a boundary integral called two-dimensional Kirchhoff, are applied to simple models and three seismological problems dealing with data. The simple models include a thorough investigation of the seismologic effects of a deep continental basin. The first problem is explosions at Yucca Flat, in the Nevada test site. By modeling both near-field strong-motion records and teleseismic P-waves simultaneously, it is shown that scattered surface waves are responsible for teleseismic complexity. The second problem deals with explosions at Amchitka Island, Alaska. The near-field seismograms are investigated using a variety of complex structures and sources. The third problem involves regional seismograms of Imperial Valley, California earthquakes recorded at Pasadena, California. The data are shown to contain evidence of deterministic structure, but lack of more direct measurements of the structure and possible three-dimensional effects make two-dimensional modeling of these data difficult.

Full and Model-Reduced Structure-Preserving Simulation of Incompressible Fluids

This thesis outlines the construction of several types of structured integrators for incompressible fluids. We first present a vorticity integrator, which is the Hamiltonian counterpart of the existing Lagrangian-based fluid integrator. We next present a model-reduced variational Eulerian integrator for incompressible fluids, which combines the efficiency gains of dimension reduction, the qualitative robustness to coarse spatial and temporal resolutions of geometric integrators, and the simplicity of homogenized boundary conditions on regular grids to deal with arbitrarily-shaped domains with sub-grid accuracy.

Both these numerical methods involve approximating the Lie group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms by a finite-dimensional Lie-group and then restricting the resulting variational principle by means of a non-holonomic constraint. Advantages and limitations of this discretization method will be outlined. It will be seen that these derivation techniques are unable to yield symplectic integrators, but that energy conservation is easily obtained, as is a discretized version of Kelvin's circulation theorem.

Finally, we outline the basis of a spectral discrete exterior calculus, which may be a useful element in producing structured numerical methods for fluids in the future.

A theory of strong and weak scintillations with applications to astrophysics

The propagation of waves in an extended, irregular medium is studied under the "quasi-optics" and the "Markov random process" approximations. Under these assumptions, a Fokker-Planck equation satisfied by the characteristic functional of the random wave field is derived. A complete set of the moment equations with different transverse coordinates and different wavenumbers is then obtained from the characteristic functional. The derivation does not require Gaussian statistics of the random medium and the result can be applied to the time-dependent problem. We then solve the moment equations for the phase correlation function, angular broadening, temporal pulse smearing, intensity correlation function, and the probability distribution of the random waves. The necessary and sufficient conditions for strong scintillation are also given.

We also consider the problem of diffraction of waves by a random, phase-changing screen. The intensity correlation function is solved in the whole Fresnel diffraction region and the temporal pulse broadening function is derived rigorously from the wave equation.

The method of smooth perturbations is applied to interplanetary scintillations. We formulate and calculate the effects of the solar-wind velocity fluctuations on the observed intensity power spectrum and on the ratio of the observed "pattern" velocity and the true velocity of the solar wind in the three-dimensional spherical model. The r.m.s. solar-wind velocity fluctuations are found to be ~200 km/sec in the region about 20 solar radii from the Sun.

We then interpret the observed interstellar scintillation data using the theories derived under the Markov approximation, which are also valid for the strong scintillation. We find that the Kolmogorov power-law spectrum with an outer scale of 10 to 100 pc fits the scintillation data and that the ambient averaged electron density in the interstellar medium is about 0.025 cm^-3. It is also found that there exists a region of strong electron density fluctuation with thickness ~10 pc and mean electron density ~7 cm^-3 between the PSR 0833-45 pulsar and the earth.

On an embedding property of generalized Carter subgroups

If E and F are saturated formations, we say that E is strongly contained in F if for any solvable group G with E-subgroup, E, and F-subgroup, F, some conjugate of E is contained in F. In this paper, we investigate the problem of finding the formations which strongly contain a fixed saturated formation E.

Our main results are restricted to formations, E, such that E = {G|G/F(G) ϵT}, where T is a non-empty formation of solvable groups, and F(G) is the Fitting subgroup of G. If T consists only of the identity, then E=N, the class of nilpotent groups, and for any solvable group, G, the N-subgroups of G are the Carter subgroups of G.

We give a characterization of strong containment which depends only on the formations E, and F. From this characterization, we prove:

If T is a non-empty formation of solvable groups, E = {G|G/F(G) ϵT}, and E is strongly contained in F, then

(1) there is a formation V such that F = {G|G/F(G) ϵV}.

(2) If for each prime p, we assume that T does not contain the class, S_p’, of all solvable p’-groups, then either E = F, or F contains all solvable groups.

This solves the problem for the Carter subgroups.

We prove the following result to show that the hypothesis of (2) is not redundant:

If R = {G|G/F(G) ϵS_r’}, then there are infinitely many formations which strongly contain R.

Some generalizations of commutativity for linear transformations on a finite dimensional vector space

Let L be the algebra of all linear transformations on an n-dimensional vector space V over a field F and let A, B, ƐL. Let A_i+1 = A_iB - BA_i, i = 0, 1, 2,…, with A = A_o. Let f_k (A, B; σ) = A_2K+1 - ^σ1^A2K-1 ^{+ σ}2^A2K-3 -… +(-1)^Kσ_KA₁ where σ = (σ₁, σ₂,…, σ_K), σ_i belong to F and K = k(k-1)/2. Taussky and Wielandt [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 13(1962), 732-735] showed that f_n(A, B; σ) = 0 if σ_i is the i^th elementary symmetric function of (β₄- β_s)², 1 ≤ r ˂ s ≤ n, i = 1, 2, …, N, with N = n(n-1)/2, where β₄ are the characteristic roots of B. In this thesis we discuss relations involving f_k(X, Y; σ) where X, Y Ɛ L and 1 ≤ k ˂ n. We show: 1. If F is infinite and if for each X Ɛ L there exists σ so that f_k(A, X; σ) = 0 where 1 ≤ k ˂ n, then A is a scalar transformation. 2. If F is algebraically closed, a necessary and sufficient condition that there exists a basis of V with respect to which the matrices of A and B are both in block upper triangular form, where the blocks on the diagonals are either one- or two-dimensional, is that certain products X₁, X₂…X_r belong to the radical of the algebra generated by A and B over F, where X_i has the form f₂(A, P(A,B); σ), for all polynomials P(x, y). We partially generalize this to the case where the blocks have dimensions ≤ k. 3. If A and B generate L, if the characteristic of F does not divide n and if there exists σ so that f_k(A, B; σ) = 0, for some k with 1 ≤ k ˂ n, then the characteristic roots of B belong to the splitting field of g_k(w; σ) = w^2K+1 - σ₁w^2K-1 + σ₂w^2K-3 - …. +(-1)^K σ_Kw over F. We use this result to prove a theorem involving a generalized form of property L [cf. Motzkin and Taussky, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 73(1952), 108-114]. 4. Also we give mild generalizations of results of McCoy [Amer. Math. Soc. Bull., 42(1936), 592-600] and Drazin [Proc. London Math. Soc., 1(1951), 222-231].

Pulsed neutron measurements in two adjacent finite media

The pulsed neutron technique has been used to investigate the decay of thermal neutrons in two adjacent water-borated water finite media. Experiments were performed with a 6x6x6 inches cubic assembly divided in two halves by a thin membrane and filled with pure distilled water on one side and borated water on the other side.

The fundamental decay constant was measured versus the boric acid concentration in the poisoned medium. The experimental results showed good agreement with the predictions of the time dependent diffusion model. It was assumed that the addition of boric acid increases the absorption cross section of the poisoned medium without affecting its diffusion properties: In these conditions, space-energy separability and the concept of an “effective” buckling as derived from diffusion theory were introduced. Their validity was supported by the experimental results.

Measurements were performed with the absorption cross section of the poisoned medium increasing gradually up to 16 times its initial value. Extensive use of the IBM 7090-7094 Computing facility was made to analyze properly the decay data (Frantic Code). Attention was given to the count loss correction scheme and the handling of the statistics involved. Fitting of the experimental results into the analytical form predicted by the diffusion model led to

Ʃ_av = 4721 sec^-1 (±150)

D_o = 35972 cm²sec^-1 (±800) for water at 21˚C

C (given) = 3420 cm⁴sec^-1

These values, when compared with published data, show that the diffusion model is adequate in describing the experiment.

A Continuum Model for Slip-Twinning Interactions in Magnesium and Magnesium Alloys

Due to their high specific strength and low density, magnesium and magnesium-based alloys have gained great technological importance in recent years. However, their underlying hexagonal crystal structure furnishes Mg and its alloys with a complex mechanical behavior because of their comparably smaller number of energetically favorable slip systems. Besides the commonly studied slip mechanism, another way to accomplish general deformation is through the additional mechanism of deformation-induced twinning. The main aim of this thesis research is to develop an efficient continuum model to understand and ultimately predict the material response resulting from the interaction between these two mechanisms.

The constitutive model we present is based on variational constitutive updates of plastic slips and twin volume fractions and accounts for the related lattice reorientation mechanisms. The model is applied to single- and polycrystalline pure magnesium. We outline the finite-deformation plasticity model combining basal, pyramidal, and prismatic dislocation activity as well as a convexification based approach for deformation twinning. A comparison with experimental data from single-crystal tension-compression experiments validates the model and serves for parameter identification. The extension to polycrystals via both Taylor-type modeling and finite element simulations shows a characteristic stress-strain response that agrees well with experimental observations for polycrystalline magnesium. The presented continuum model does not aim to represent the full details of individual twin-dislocation interactions, yet it is sufficiently efficient to allow for finite element simulations while qualitatively capturing the underlying microstructural deformation mechanisms.

I. Non-linear effects in a self-consistent calculation of SU_3 symmetry breaking in strong interaction coupling constants. II. Direct-channel reggeization of strong interaction scattering amplitudes

The thesis is divided into two parts. Part I generalizes a self-consistent calculation of residue shifts from SU₃ symmetry, originally performed by Dashen, Dothan, Frautschi, and Sharp, to include the effects of non-linear terms. Residue factorizability is used to transform an overdetermined set of equations into a variational problem, which is designed to take advantage of the redundancy of the mathematical system. The solution of this problem automatically satisfies the requirement of factorizability and comes close to satisfying all the original equations.

Part II investigates some consequences of direct channel Regge poles and treats the problem of relating Reggeized partial wave expansions made in different reaction channels. An analytic method is introduced which can be used to determine the crossed-channel discontinuity for a large class of direct-channel Regge representations, and this method is applied to some specific representations.

It is demonstrated that the multi-sheeted analytic structure of the Regge trajectory function can be used to resolve apparent difficulties arising from infinitely rising Regge trajectories. Also discussed are the implications of large collections of "daughter trajectories."

Two things are of particular interest: first, the threshold behavior in direct and crossed channels; second, the potentialities of Reggeized representations for us in self-consistent calculations. A new representation is introduced which surpasses previous formulations in these two areas, automatically satisfying direct-channel threshold constraints while being capable of reproducing a reasonable crossed channel discontinuity. A scalar model is investigated for low energies, and a relation is obtained between the mass of the lowest bound state and the slope of the Regge trajectory.

Investigation of strong earthquake ground motion

The pattern of energy release during the Imperial Valley, California, earthquake of 1940 is studied by analysing the El Centro strong motion seismograph record and records from the Tinemaha seismograph station, 546 km from the epicenter. The earthquake was a multiple event sequence with at least 4 events recorded at El Centro in the first 25 seconds, followed by 9 events recorded in the next 5 minutes. Clear P, S and surface waves were observed on the strong motion record. Although the main part of the earthquake energy was released during the first 15 seconds, some of the later events were as large as M = 5.8 and thus are important for earthquake engineering studies. The moment calculated using Fourier analysis of surface waves agrees with the moment estimated from field measurements of fault offset after the earthquake. The earthquake engineering significance of the complex pattern of energy release is discussed. It is concluded that a cumulative increase in amplitudes of building vibration resulting from the present sequence of shocks would be significant only for structures with relatively long natural period of vibration. However, progressive weakening effects may also lead to greater damage for multiple event earthquakes.

The model with surface Love waves propagating through a single layer as a surface wave guide is studied. It is expected that the derived properties for this simple model illustrate well several phenomena associated with strong earthquake ground motion. First, it is shown that a surface layer, or several layers, will cause the main part of the high frequency energy, radiated from the nearby earthquake, to be confined to the layer as a wave guide. The existence of the surface layer will thus increase the rate of the energy transfer into the man-made structures on or near the surface of the layer. Secondly, the surface amplitude of the guided SH waves will decrease if the energy of the wave is essentially confined to the layer and if the wave propagates towards an increasing layer thickness. It is also shown that the constructive interference of SH waves will cause the zeroes and the peaks in the Fourier amplitude spectrum of the surface ground motion to be continuously displaced towards the longer periods as the distance from the source of the energy release increases.