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Articles 5071 - 5100 of 7341

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Calculation Of Barriers To Proton Transfer Using Multiconfiguration Self‐Consistent‐Field Methods. I. Effects Of Localization, K. Luth, Steve Scheiner Jan 1992

Calculation Of Barriers To Proton Transfer Using Multiconfiguration Self‐Consistent‐Field Methods. I. Effects Of Localization, K. Luth, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The usefulness of multiconfiguration self‐consistent‐field (MCSCF) calculations in computing correlated proton transfer potentials is investigated for the systems HF2, H7N2+, H3O2, and H5O2+. In deciding whether to include particular molecular orbitals, it is important to consider the balance of electron density between the donor and acceptor groups and the interactions that are incorporated in the orbitals. Only orbitals which have the proper symmetry to interact with the transferring hydrogen need be included in the MCSCF active space. Reasonable transfer barriers are obtained …


Bioengineering For Water Cleanup: State-Of-The-Art Assessment, Judith L. Sims, Ronald C. Sims, Jon S. Ginn Jan 1992

Bioengineering For Water Cleanup: State-Of-The-Art Assessment, Judith L. Sims, Ronald C. Sims, Jon S. Ginn

Reports

No abstract provided.


Introduction To The Variational Bicomplex, Ian M. Anderson Jan 1992

Introduction To The Variational Bicomplex, Ian M. Anderson

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

The variational bicomplex was first introduced in the mid 1970's as a means of studying the inverse problem of the calculus of variations. This is the problem of characterizing those differential equations which are the Euler-Lagrange equations for a classical, unconstrained variational problem. Since then, the variational bicomplex has emerged as an effective means for studying other formal, differential-geometric aspects of the calculus of variations. Moreover, it has been shown that the basic variational bicomplex constructed to solve the inverse problem can be modified in various ways and that the cohomology groups associated with these modified bicomplexes are relevant to …


The Feasibility Of Enhacing Streamflow In The Sevier River Basin Of Utah By Seeding Winter Mountain Clouds, Arlin B. Super, David W. Reynolds, Bureau Of Reclamation, U.S. Department Of The Interior Dec 1991

The Feasibility Of Enhacing Streamflow In The Sevier River Basin Of Utah By Seeding Winter Mountain Clouds, Arlin B. Super, David W. Reynolds, Bureau Of Reclamation, U.S. Department Of The Interior

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Bureau of Reclamation conducted a feasibility study of seeding winter mountain clouds as a possible means of enhancing the water supplies of the Sevier River Basin of Utah. A considerable body of pertinent meteorological observations from in or near the basin is examined. The evidence indicates that Utah winter mountain clouds often have more supercooled liquid water available than is naturally converted to snowfall. Thus, the needed "raw material" for cloud seeding to be effective is frequently available. Much of the excess liquid water has been found in the lowest kilometer or less over the mountain barriers, a region …


Restoration And Expansion Of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, Utah, Environmental Assessment, Keith S. Hansen, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, Division Of Refuges And Wildlife Oct 1991

Restoration And Expansion Of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, Utah, Environmental Assessment, Keith S. Hansen, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, Division Of Refuges And Wildlife

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.


Auxiliary Field In Conformal Gauge Theory, James Thomas Wheeler Sep 1991

Auxiliary Field In Conformal Gauge Theory, James Thomas Wheeler

All Physics Faculty Publications

When the full conformal algebra is gauged there arises a gauge field for inverse translations in addition to the usual translational gauge field. By considering every scale-invariant action constructible from the curvatures of the conformal group and the metric, we show that when the gauge field of the usual translations is identified as the vierbein, the gauge field of inverse translations may always be eliminated by its own field equation. After this elimination, every torsion-free, scale-invariant action reduces to a linear combination of the square of the conformal curvature tensor Cαβμν and the square of the Weyl field strength …


Equatorial Thermospheric Wind Changes During The Solar Cycle: Measurements At Arequipa,Peru From 1983 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalesz, D. C. Hallenbeck Sep 1991

Equatorial Thermospheric Wind Changes During The Solar Cycle: Measurements At Arequipa,Peru From 1983 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalesz, D. C. Hallenbeck

Bela G. Fejer

Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts in the nightglow 630-nm emission line have been used to determine near-equatorial thermospheric wind velocities at Arequipa, Peru, over ∼2/3 of a solar cycle. Monthly-average nocturnal variations in the meridional and zonal wind components were calculated from the nightly data to remove short term (day-to-day) variability, facilitating display of seasonal changes in the wind patterns, as well as any additional changes introduced by the progression of the solar cycle. The measured seasonal variations in the wind patterns are more pronounced than the solar cycle variations and are more readily understandable in terms of the …


Initial Climate Change Scenario For The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation Sep 1991

Initial Climate Change Scenario For The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in recent decades have shown an accelerating upward trend due mainly to burning of fossil fuels. Physical considerations indicate that observed and projected increases in the concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to significant global warming. Previous authors have followed both empirical and theoretical approaches to develop scenarios for changed climate conditions. The most common empirical approach is the use of analogs of global warming drawn from historical records and paleoclimates. The principal theoretical approach involves the interpretation of output for general circulation models …


Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman Aug 1991

Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman

Bela G. Fejer

The seasonal averages of the equatorial F region vertical and zonal plasma drifts are determined using extensive incoherent scatter radar observations from Jicamarca during 1968–1988. The late afternoon and nighttime vertical and zonal drifts are strongly dependent on the 10.7-cm solar flux. We show that the evening prereversal enhancement of vertical drifts increases linearly with solar flux during equinox but tends to saturate for large fluxes during southern hemisphere winter. We examine in detail, for the first time, the seasonal variation of the zonal plasma drifts and their dependence on solar flux and magnetic activity. The seasonal effects on the …


Near-Infrared Imaging Of Hydroxyl Wave Structure Over An Ocean Site At Low Latitudes, Michael J. Taylor, M. J. Hill Jul 1991

Near-Infrared Imaging Of Hydroxyl Wave Structure Over An Ocean Site At Low Latitudes, Michael J. Taylor, M. J. Hill

All Physics Faculty Publications

Coordinated observations of wave structure in the near infrared hydroxyl (OH) nightglow emission have been made from Maui, Hawaii using a suite of narrow angle and all‐sky TV cameras. Two sets of data were obtained, the first in conjunction with the ALOHA‐90 campaign and the second during the subsequent new moon period. Well formed, short period (<20 min) wave patterns of comparable morphology, dynamics and abundance to those regularly imaged from mid‐latitude mountain sites were detected on several occasions. Although the Hawaiian islands comprise several high volcanic peaks, the patterns were not consistent with gravity waves generated by the interaction of strong winds with the local island topography. This suggests that other mid‐latitude wave patterns may also not be of mountain origin. The wave patterns imaged during ALOHA‐90 were of significantly lower contrast than those detected later. This effect may be related to changes in the characteristics of the middle atmosphere that occur shortly after the spring equinox.


Observations Of Short Period Mesospheric Wave Patterns: In Situ Or Tropospheric Wave Generation, Michael J. Taylor, R. Edwards Jul 1991

Observations Of Short Period Mesospheric Wave Patterns: In Situ Or Tropospheric Wave Generation, Michael J. Taylor, R. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

Near infrared images showing wave structure in the hydroxyl (OH) nightglow emission have been obtained from Maui, Hawaii during the ALOHA‐90 campaign. Analysis of two nights during this campaign (25 and 31 March) indicate extensive, highly coherent, linear wave patterns of very short apparent period (∼5 and 10 min respectively). Both displays exhibited several features characteristic of the in situ breakdown of a large scale, long period, upper atmospheric wave disturbance. Data in support of this mechanism was found by other ALOHA instruments which detected concurrent long period (1–2 hour) mesospheric wave disturbances on both occasions. However, a tropospheric source …


Enhanced Vibrational Broadening Of Core-Level Photoemission From The Surface Of Na(110), D. Mark Riffe, G. K. Wertheim, P. H. Citrin Jul 1991

Enhanced Vibrational Broadening Of Core-Level Photoemission From The Surface Of Na(110), D. Mark Riffe, G. K. Wertheim, P. H. Citrin

All Physics Faculty Publications

High-resolution temperature-dependent photoemission data from Na 2p core levels reveal substantially larger phonon broadening in the first atomic layer of Na(110) than in the bulk. We show that the enhanced width is due primarily to the excitation of relatively soft phonon modes perpendicular to the surface. Soft surface-phonon modes also account for previously reported but uninterpreted broadening of transition-metal surface-atom core levels.


Coincident Imaging And Spectrometric Observations Of Zenith Oh Nightglow Structure, Michael J. Taylor, D. N. Turnbull, R. P. Lowe Jul 1991

Coincident Imaging And Spectrometric Observations Of Zenith Oh Nightglow Structure, Michael J. Taylor, D. N. Turnbull, R. P. Lowe

All Physics Faculty Publications

During the ALOHA‐90 campaign a novel comparative study was made between near infrared wave structure imaged in the zenith using a CCD camera and that detected at infrared wavelengths by a Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Coincident measurements were made briefly on several occasions and for an extended period on 31 March. The temporal variations imaged in the near infrared structure during this night almost completely matched those detected in the OH (3,1) band spectrometer data when similar viewing fields were compared. However, the image data also displayed small scale wave forms that were not resolved by the larger field instrument. These …


Crystal Field Splitting And Charge Flow In The Buckled-Dimer Reconstruction Of Si(100)—2× 1, G. K. Wertheim, D. Mark Riffe, J. E. Rowe, P. H. Citrin Jul 1991

Crystal Field Splitting And Charge Flow In The Buckled-Dimer Reconstruction Of Si(100)—2× 1, G. K. Wertheim, D. Mark Riffe, J. E. Rowe, P. H. Citrin

All Physics Faculty Publications

The effect of the 2×1 reconstruction on the core-electron binding energies of the outermost Si(100) layers has been determined using high-resolution photoemission data. A previously unobserved 190-meV crystal-field splitting is resolved for the up-atoms of the asymmetric surface dimers, whose average core-level shift is -400 meV. The signal from the down-atoms is clearly identified and has a shift of +220 meV. These new findings indicate a charge flow of ∼0.05e from the subsurface to the surface layers, with a substantially larger difference of ∼0.34e between the up-atoms and down-atoms in the dimer.


Onset Of Convection For Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Bounded Systems, D. A. Vasquez, Boyd F. Edwards, J. W. Wilder Jun 1991

Onset Of Convection For Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Bounded Systems, D. A. Vasquez, Boyd F. Edwards, J. W. Wilder

All Physics Faculty Publications

Linear hydrodynamics yields the onset of convection for ascending autocatalytic reaction fronts in laterally bounded geometries. The system is studied in the limit of infinite and zero thermal diffusivity. For convection in a vertical slab of thickness a or a long vertical cylinder of radius a, the appropriate dimensionless driving parameter scrS=δga3/νDc involves the fractional density difference δ between the unreacted and reacted fluids, the acceleration of gravity g, the kinematic viscosity ν, and the catalyst molecular diffusivity Dc. Calculated critical values scrSc for onset of convection agree with recent experiments on iodate–arsenous acid …


Anisotropic, Time-Dependent Solutions In Maximally Gauss-Bonnet Extended Gravity, T. Kitaura, James Thomas Wheeler May 1991

Anisotropic, Time-Dependent Solutions In Maximally Gauss-Bonnet Extended Gravity, T. Kitaura, James Thomas Wheeler

All Physics Faculty Publications

In an arbitrary number of dimensions, we find the full exact anisotropic, time-dependent, diagonal-metric solutions to maximally Gauss-Bonnet extended gravity theory. This class of theories, for which the lagrangian is an arbitrary linear combination of dimensionally extended Euler forms, is the most general gravitational theory in which the field equations contain no more than second derivatives of the metric.

We show that the space-time exponentially approaches an asymptotic state of constant, anisotropic curvature and prove three theorems concerning two generic types of singularities. The first theorem gives conditions for the existence of Kasner-like curvature singularities. For these the metric diverges …


Numerical Simulation Of Saturated Flow With Fractal Analysis Of The Hydraulic Conductivity Distribution, Joan Leilani Oana May 1991

Numerical Simulation Of Saturated Flow With Fractal Analysis Of The Hydraulic Conductivity Distribution, Joan Leilani Oana

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of this report is to investigate the behavior of a nonreactive contaminant in a perfectly stratified aquifer under uniform, steady-state flow. The design and the implementation of a solute transport model which characterizes the heterogeneities of the aquifer properties in a stochastic framework is reviewed. The model closely examines the advection and dispersion of the plume. The advection is the process by which the plume is transported in the aquifer by the bulk average motion of the groundwater whereas the dispersion refers to the spreading of the plume about its mean displacement position. The relationship between the fractally …


Is Rainbow Trout Condition Influenced By Invertebrate-Drift Density?, Randall B. Filbert May 1991

Is Rainbow Trout Condition Influenced By Invertebrate-Drift Density?, Randall B. Filbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Users of the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology CTFIM) commonly assume that there is a positive linear relationship between available habitat (WUA) and stream fish biomass. However, several studies have shown a lack cf correlation between WUA and biomass. Such poor relationships may occur if other factors limit fish abundance. Food availability is a potentially important factor limiting abundance of stream fishes and can affect blomass by influencing fish condition (individual weight). I collected rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to different levels of invertebrate-drift density to determine if condition was greater where food was more abundant. I also examined …


Origins Of Low-Angle Normal Faults Along The West Side Of The Bear River Range In Northern Utah, Jon E. Brummer May 1991

Origins Of Low-Angle Normal Faults Along The West Side Of The Bear River Range In Northern Utah, Jon E. Brummer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper presents new interpretations of two normal-slip, low-angle faults near Smithfield and Richmond, Utah. The faults have previously been interpreted as landslides, gravity slides, slide blocks, and depositional contacts. Recent work in the Basin and Range province allows new interpretations concerning the origins of the low­-angle faults.

Working hypotheses used to interpret origins of the faults are classified as folded thrust fault, rotated high-angle normal fault, gravity slide, listric normal fault, and low-angle normal fault. Among these general categories are several subhypotheses. The evaluation of each hypothesis includes a description of the geologic requirements of the hypothesis, a comparison …


Mathematical Programming Applications In Agroforestry Planning, Laurence H. Reeves May 1991

Mathematical Programming Applications In Agroforestry Planning, Laurence H. Reeves

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agroforestry as a sustainable production system has been recognized as a land use system with the potential to slow encroachment of agriculture onto forested lands in developing countries. However, the acceptance of nontraditional agroforestry systems has been hampered in some areas due to the risk-averse nature of rural agriculturalists. By explicitly recognizing risk in agroforestry planning, a wider acceptance of agroforestry is possible. This thesis consists of a collection of three papers that explore the potential of modern stock portfolio theory to reduce financial risk in agroforestry planning.

The first paper presents a theoretical framework that incorporates modern stock portfolio …


A Comparison Of Estimation Procedures For The Beta Distribution, Huey Yan May 1991

A Comparison Of Estimation Procedures For The Beta Distribution, Huey Yan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The beta distribution may be used as a stochastic model for continuous proportions in many situations in applied statistics. This thesis was concerned with estimation of the parameters of the beta distribution in three different situations.

Three different estimation procedures-the method of moments, maximum likelihood, and a hybrid of these two methods, which we call the one-step improvement-were compared by computer simulation, for beta data and beta data contaminated by zeros and ones. We also evaluated maximum likelihood estimation in the context of censored data, and Newton's method as a numerical procedure for solving the likelihood equations …


Linear Operators Strongly Preserving Polynomial Equations Over Antinegative Semirings, Sang-Gu Lee May 1991

Linear Operators Strongly Preserving Polynomial Equations Over Antinegative Semirings, Sang-Gu Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We characterized the group of linear operators that strongly preserve r-potent matrices over the binary Boolean semiring, nonbinary Boolean semirings, and zero-divisor free antinegative semirings. We extended these results to show that linear operators that strongly preserve r-potent matrices are equivalent to those linear operators that strongly preserve the matrix polynomial equation p(X) = X. where p(X) = Xr1 + Xr2 + ... + Xrt and r1>r2>...>rt≥2.

In addition, we characterized the group of linear operators that strongly preserve r-cyclic matrices over the same semirings. We …


Spacetime Dimension From A Variational Principle, D. Hochberg, James Thomas Wheeler Apr 1991

Spacetime Dimension From A Variational Principle, D. Hochberg, James Thomas Wheeler

All Physics Faculty Publications

We consider spacetime as having an a priori arbitrary, possibly fractional dimension p>0 and propose a new variational principle for actions defined on p-dimensional spaces. Demanding that the action be stationary with respect to variations in p leads to a constraint equation whose solution yields an explicit determination of the dimension at the classical level. We illustrate these concepts by analyzing a model which reduces to free scalar field theory when p is any positive integer.


Phenomena Relating To Charge In Insulators: Macroscopic Effects And Microscopic Causes, Jacques Cazaux, Claude Le Gressus Jan 1991

Phenomena Relating To Charge In Insulators: Macroscopic Effects And Microscopic Causes, Jacques Cazaux, Claude Le Gressus

Scanning Microscopy

Conservation of current under steady-state conditions makes it possible to determine the sign of charges trapped in an insulator subjected to ionizing radiation. The maximum value of the surface potential can thus be estimated.

On the basis of a given trapped charge distribution, the pattern of the electrical field and of the potential can thus be established, and the influence of the shape of the sample and its environment can be clearly shown. Change of trapped charges with time (at the start and after irradiation) is then examined. Finally, the microscopic causes of trapping of charge is suggested by analogy …


Elemental Relationships In Rock Varnish As Seen With Scanning Electron Microscopy And Energy Dispersive X-Ray Elemental Line Profiling, Robert Raymond Jr., Steven L. Reneau, Charles D. Harrington Jan 1991

Elemental Relationships In Rock Varnish As Seen With Scanning Electron Microscopy And Energy Dispersive X-Ray Elemental Line Profiling, Robert Raymond Jr., Steven L. Reneau, Charles D. Harrington

Scanning Microscopy

The heterogeneous nature of rock varnish requires a thorough understanding of elemental and mineralogic compositions before chemical variability of rock varnish may be confidently related to varnish age or to past geochemical environments. Elemental relationships in rock varnish were examined using scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with an elemental line profiling routine using semi-quantitative, energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Results of our analyses suggest: 1) variations in cation concentrations used in varnish cation-ratio dating relate more specifically to variations in detritus concentration within the varnish than to element mobility as defined by weathering indices; 2) Mn:Fe ratios may be a poor indicator …


Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis Of Rock Varnish Chemistry For Cation-Ratio Dating: An Examination Of Electron Beam Penetration Depths, Steven L. Reneau, Roland C. Hagan, Charles D. Harrington, Robert Raymond Jr. Jan 1991

Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis Of Rock Varnish Chemistry For Cation-Ratio Dating: An Examination Of Electron Beam Penetration Depths, Steven L. Reneau, Roland C. Hagan, Charles D. Harrington, Robert Raymond Jr.

Scanning Microscopy

Rock varnish is a microns-thick manganese- and iron-rich coating that forms on exposed rock surfaces in arid and semi-arid environments, and empirical correlations of the varnish cation ratio (K+Ca):Ti with age have been used to estimate ages of geomorphic surfaces. One method of obtaining varnish chemistry for cation-ratio dating involves scanning electron microscope (SEM) energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis of natural varnish surfaces. The chemical analyses of rock varnish with SEM/EDX utilize a sequence of accelerating voltages to vary penetration depths into the sample. Using elemental x-ray maps of natural varnish surfaces obtained by SEM/EDX analysis, penetration into the substrate …


Barium Concentration In Rock Varnish: Implications For Calibrated Rock Varnish Dating Curves, C. D. Harrington, D. J. Krier, R. Raymond Jr., S. L. Reneau Jan 1991

Barium Concentration In Rock Varnish: Implications For Calibrated Rock Varnish Dating Curves, C. D. Harrington, D. J. Krier, R. Raymond Jr., S. L. Reneau

Scanning Microscopy

Cation-ratio dating of rock varnish is a recently developed technique for obtaining surface exposure ages of a wide variety of geomorphic surfaces. As originally proposed, the technique utilizes a ratio among minor cations [(K+Ca)/Ti] in rock varnish. Although this varnish cation ratio is related to the Ti concentration, it can also be affected by the presence of Ba that may be partially included in the analyzed concentration of Ti. Barium is a minor constituent found in virtually all rock varnishes sampled from the Lake Mead area, Las Vegas Valley, and the Crater Flat region of southern Nevada. Barium is heterogeneously …


Ion Irradiation Effects On Graphite With Scanning Tunneling Microscope, T. -C. Shen, R. T. Brockenbrough, J. R. Tucker, J. W. Lyding Jan 1991

Ion Irradiation Effects On Graphite With Scanning Tunneling Microscope, T. -C. Shen, R. T. Brockenbrough, J. R. Tucker, J. W. Lyding

T. -C. Shen

Scanning tunneling microscope is used to create local surface modifications by means of ion impact damage. Graphite has been used as a test case to demonstrate this local surface sputtering. Using 0.1-µs voltage pulse of - 30 to - 140 V applied to the sample in a rough vacuum of 10-2 Torr, a confined area of damage (typically about 100 Å in diameter) is usually obtained. The damaged area consists of several layers of terraces. Defects of the size of a few atoms can also be found. Electronic perturbations caused by defects can form superlattices with a spacing three times …


Predation Risk And The Importance Of Cover For Juvenile Rainbow Trout In Lentic Systems, R. A. Tabor, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh Jan 1991

Predation Risk And The Importance Of Cover For Juvenile Rainbow Trout In Lentic Systems, R. A. Tabor, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss stocked in midelevation reservoirs in Utah inhabit shallow nearshore areas and are vulnerable to predation from piscivorous fish and birds. We determined the use and importance of nearshore habitats by (1) measuring habitat selection by, prey availability to, and feeding of juvenile rainbow trout in two reservoirs with populations of predators, and (2) measuring survival and growth rates in the presence and absence of cover in a pond experiment where adult brown trout Salmo trutta were predators. In the reservoirs juvenile rainbow trout (60–120 mm standard length) were abundant in complex inshore habitats but avoided …


Onset Of Convection For Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Unbounded System, Boyd F. Edwards, J. W. Wilder, K. Showalter Jan 1991

Onset Of Convection For Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts: Laterally Unbounded System, Boyd F. Edwards, J. W. Wilder, K. Showalter

All Physics Faculty Publications

The linear stability of exothermic autocatalytic reaction fronts that convert unreacted fluid into a lighter reacted fluid is considered using the viscous thermohydrodynamic equations. For upward front propagation and a thin front, the discontinuous jump in density at the front is reminiscent of the Rayleigh-Taylor problem of an interface between two immiscible fluids, whereas the vertical thermal gradient near the front is reminiscent of the Rayleigh-Bénard problem of a fluid layer heated from below. The problem is also similar to flame propagation, except that here the front propagation speed is limited by catalyst diffusion rather than by activation kinetics. For …