Main Progress of Microgravity Sciences and Space Life Sciences Research in China

Development of Mini Space Bioreactor System

微重力对空间细胞培养的影响规律一直是国际空间生物学的重点研究领域。而空间细胞培养技术和方法作为空间细胞生物学研究的基础，其概念性和原理性设计是正确区分重力对细胞的直接作用和间接作用的前提。另外，空间实验成本高昂，空间细胞培养装置的体积、重量、功耗是首要的制约因素。为保证充分物质交换，满足细胞代谢需求，同时尽可能降低由细胞供液形式产生的力学环境对细胞的影响，区分重力对细胞的直接作用和间接作用，我们研制了逆流片层式微型细胞培养装置。实验表明为使培养液流动对细胞生长影响最小，流动剪切应变率应小于1s-1。通过理论计算分析的逆流片层式微型细胞培养装培养室内流场及流动剪切范围表明，该装置可以满足要求。通过实验检测细胞培养时的氧耗、糖耗等，可以确定不同种类细胞的培养液流量范围。培养室内采用经表面改性的聚合物网架作为细胞载体，使得培养空间得到充分利用，并利于操作。从而为空间细胞培养研究提供了一种新的技术手段。

“Deborah Numbers”, Coupling Multiple Space and Time Scales and Governing Damage Evolution to Failure

Two different spatial levels are involved concerning damage accumulation to eventual failure. nucleation and growth rates of microdamage nN* and V*. It is found that the trans-scale length ratio c*/L does not directly affect the process. Instead, two independent dimensionless numbers: the trans-scale one * * ( V*)including the * **5 * N c V including mesoscopic parameters only, play the key role in the process of damage accumulation to failure. The above implies that there are three time scales involved in the process: the macroscopic imposed time scale tim = /a and two meso-scopic time scales, nucleation and growth of damage, (* *4) N N t =1 n c and tV=c*/V*. Clearly, the dimensionless number De*=tV/tim refers to the ratio of microdamage growth time scale over the macroscopically imposed time scale. So, analogous to the definition of Deborah number as the ratio of relaxation time over external one in rheology. Let De be the imposed Deborah number while De represents the competition and coupling between the microdamage growth and the macroscopically imposed wave loading. In stress-wave induced tensile failure (spallation) De* < 1, this means that microdamage has enough time to grow during the macroscopic wave loading. Thus, the microdamage growth appears to be the predominate mechanism governing the failure. Moreover, the dimensionless number D* = tV/tN characterizes the ratio of two intrinsic mesoscopic time scales: growth over nucleation. Similarly let D be the “intrinsic Deborah number”. Both time scales are relevant to intrinsic relaxation rather than imposed one. Furthermore, the intrinsic Deborah number D* implies a certain characteristic damage. In particular, it is derived that D* is a proper indicator of macroscopic critical damage to damage localization, like D* ∼ (10–3~10–2) in spallation. More importantly, we found that this small intrinsic Deborah number D* indicates the energy partition of microdamage dissipation over bulk plastic work. This explains why spallation can not be formulated by macroscopic energy criterion and must be treated by multi-scale analysis.

Single curved fiber sedimentation under gravity

Dynamics of single curved fiber sedimentation under gravity are simulated by using the lattice Boltzmann method. The results of migration and rotation of the curved fiber at different Reynolds numbers are reported. The results show that the rotation and migration processes are sensitive to the curvature of the fiber. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Orientation-Dependent Adhesion Strength Of A Rigid Cylinder In Non-Slipping Contact With A Transversely Isotropic Half-Space

Recently, Chen and Gao [Chen, S., Gao, H., 2007. Bio-inspired mechanics of reversible adhesion: orientation-dependent adhesion strength for non-slipping adhesive contact with transversely isotropic elastic materials. J. Mech. Phys. solids 55, 1001-1015] studied the problem of a rigid cylinder in non-slipping adhesive contact with a transversely isotropic solid subjected to an inclined pulling force. An implicit assumption made in their study was that the contact region remains symmetric with respect to the center of the cylinder. This assumption is, however, not self-consistent because the resulting energy release rates at two contact edges, which are supposed to be identical, actually differ from each other. Here we revisit the original problem of Chen and Gao and derive the correct solution by removing this problematic assumption. The corrected solution provides a proper insight into the concept of orientation-dependent adhesion strength in anisotropic elastic solids. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanics of adhesive contact on a power-law graded elastic half-space

We consider adhesive contact between a rigid sphere of radius R and a graded elastic half-space with Young's modulus varying with depth according to a power law E = E-0(z/c(0))(k) (0 < k < 1) while Poisson's ratio v remaining a constant. Closed-form analytical solutions are established for the critical force, the critical radius of contact area and the critical interfacial stress at pull-off. We highlight that the pull-off force has a simple solution of P-cr= -(k+3)pi R Delta gamma/2 where Delta gamma is the work of adhesion and make further discussions with respect to three interesting limits: the classical JKR solution when k = 0, the Gibson solid when k --> 1 and v = 0.5, and the strength limit in which the interfacial stress reaches the theoretical strength of adhesion at pull-off. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Space-time correlations of fluctuating velocities in turbulent shear flows

Space-time correlations or Eulerian two-point two-time correlations of fluctuating velocities are analytically and numerically investigated in turbulent shear flows. An elliptic model for the space-time correlations in the inertial range is developed from the similarity assumptions on the isocorrelation contours: they share a uniform preference direction and a constant aspect ratio. The similarity assumptions are justified using the Kolmogorov similarity hypotheses and verified using the direct numerical simulation DNS of turbulent channel flows. The model relates the space-time correlations to the space correlations via the convection and sweeping characteristic velocities. The analytical expressions for the convection and sweeping velocities are derived from the Navier-Stokes equations for homogeneous turbulent shear flows, where the convection velocity is represented by the mean velocity and the sweeping velocity is the sum of the random sweeping velocity and the shearinduced velocity. This suggests that unlike Taylor’s model where the convection velocity is dominating and Kraichnan and Tennekes’ model where the random sweeping velocity is dominating, the decorrelation time scales of the space-time correlations in turbulent shear flows are determined by the convection velocity, the random sweeping velocity, and the shear-induced velocity. This model predicts a universal form of the spacetime correlations with the two characteristic velocities. The DNS of turbulent channel flows supports the prediction: the correlation functions exhibit a fair good collapse, when plotted against the normalized space and time separations defined by the elliptic model.

Space experimental studies of microgravity fluid science in China

Microgravity fluid physics is an important part of microgravity sciences, which consists of simple fluids of many new systems, gas-liquid two-phase flow and heat transfer, and complex fluid mechanics. In addition to the importance of itself in sciences and applications, microgravity fluid physics closely relates to microgravity combustion, space biotechnology and space materials science, and promotes the developments of interdisciplinary fields. Many space microgravity experiments have been per- formed on board the recoverable satellites and space ships of China and pushed the rapid development of microgravity sciences in China. In the present paper, space experimental studies and the main re- sults of the microgravity fluid science in China in the last 10 years or so are introduced briefly.

Performance analysis of bit error rate for free space optical communication with tip-tilt compensation based on gamma-gamma distribution

In this paper, the gamma-gamma probability distribution is used to model turbulent channels. The bit error rate (BER) performance of free space optical (FSO) communication systems employing on-off keying (OOK) or subcarrier binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation format is derived. A tip-tilt adaptive optics system is also incorporated with a FSO system using the above modulation formats. The tip-tilt compensation can alleviate effects of atmospheric turbulence and thereby improve the BER performance. The improvement is different for different turbulence strengths and modulation formats. In addition, the BER performance of communication systems employing subcarrier BPSK modulation is much better than that of compatible systems employing OOK modulation with or without tip-tilt compensation.

Space-resolved spectral diagnosis of line-shaped laser-produced magnesium plasmas

Space-resolved spectra of line-shaped laser-produced magnesium plasmas in the normal direction of the target have been obtained using a pinhole crystal spectrograph. These spectra are treated by a spectrum analyzing code for obtaining the true spectra and fine structures of overlapped lines. The spatial distributions of electron temperature and density along the normal direction of the target surface have been obtained with different spectral diagnostic techniques. Especially, the electron density plateaus beyond the critical surface in line-shaped magnesium plasmas have been obtained with a fitting technique applied to the Stark-broadened Ly-alpha wings of hydrogenic ions. The difference of plasma parameters between those obtained by different diagnostic techniques is discussed. Other phenomena, such as plasma satellites, population inversion, etc., which are observed in magnesium plasmas, are also presented.

Time and space-resolved measurement of a gas-puff laser-plasma x-ray source

The dynamic interaction processes between a nano-second laser pulse and a gas-puff target, such as those of plasma formation, laser heating, and x-ray emission, have been investigated quantitatively. Time and space-resolved x-ray and optical measurement techniques were used in order to investigate time-resolved laser absorption and subsequent x-ray generation. Efficient absorption of the incident laser energy into the gas-puff target of 17%, 12%, 38%, and 91% for neon, argon, krypton, and xenon, respectively, was shown experimentally. It was found that the laser absorption starts and, simultaneously, soft x-ray emission occurs. The soft x-ray lasts much longer than the laser pulse due to the recombination. Temporal evolution of the soft x-ray emission region was analyzed by comparing the experimental results to the results of the model calculation, in which the laser light propagation through a gas-puff plasma was taken into account. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Space-frequency coupling, conical waves, and small-scale filamentation in water

Numerical simulations of fs laser propagation in water have been made to explain the small-scale filaments in water we have observed by a nonlinear fluorescence technique. Some analytical descriptions combined with numerical simulations show that a space-frequency coupling mainly from the interplay among self-phase modulation, dispersion and phase mismatching will reshape the laser beam into a conical wave which plays a major role of energy redistribution and can prevent laser beam from self-guiding over a long distance. An effective group velocity dispersion is introduced to explain the pulse broadening and compression in the filamentation. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

A movable-cavity cold atom space clock

We present an experimental scheme of a cold atom space clock with a movable cavity. By using a single microwave cavity, we find that the clock has a significant advantage, i.e. the longitudinal cavity phase shift is eliminated. A theoretical analysis has been carried out in terms of the relation between the atomic transition probability and the velocity of the moving cavity by taking into account the velocity distribution of cold atoms. The requirements for the microwave power and its stability for atomic pi/2 excitation at different moving velocities of the cavity lead to the determination of the proper working parameters of the rubidium clock in frequency accuracy 10(-17). Finally, the mechanical stability for the scheme is analysed and the ways of solving the possible mechanical instability of the device are proposed.

Observing the fractional Fourier transform by free-space Fresnel diffraction

The fractional Fourier transform of an object can be observed in the free-space Fresnel diffraction pattern of the object. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America