Engineering topics

Clayton, Donald D.

Publications and source records attributed to Clayton, Donald D..

29 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS1989

Origin of heavy xenon in meteoritic diamonds

The neutrino burst from the collapsed core in Type II supernovae liberates free neutrons by nu, nu-prime(n) reactions which drive isotopic abundances several mass steps heavier. The neutron fluence in the He shell, abetted by another burst 10 s later from alpha, n reactions, is about right for rendering Xe-136, the most abundant Xe isotope. The Xe isotopic composition is a good match to Xe-H, the unshielded neutron-rich Xe component abundant in carbonaceous meteorites. The He shell is implicated because it is the only C-rich shell in massive stars that can be expected to condense solid carbon thermally, a requirement for locating the Xe-H in meteoritic diamonds, which are so common as to require an abundant Galactic source of unoxidized carbon.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The age of the Galactic disk - Inflow, chemical evolution, astration, and radioactivity

Theoretical models of Galactic evolution and observational data on the age of the Galaxy are compared, with a focus on recent results. Topics addressed include the infall of material and its effects on the age-metallicity relation, the distribution of metallicity, the present gas fraction and metallicity, and the age spectrum of interstellar nuclei; the chemical evolution of the solar neighborhood; the key results of nuclear cosmochronology; and astration effects on Galactic age. It is found that both nuclear cosmochronology and detailed stellar and Galactic evolution models tend to support an age of 12-16 Gyr.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Isotopic anomalies - Chemical memory of Galactic evolution

New mechanisms for the chemical memory of isotopic anomalies are proposed which are based on the temporal change during the chemical evolution of the Galaxy of the isotopic composition of the mean ejecta from stars. Because of the differing temporal evolution of primary and secondary products of nucleosynthesis, the isotopic composition of the bulk interstellar medium changes approximately linearly with time, and thus any dust component having an age different from that of average dust will be isotopically anomalous. Special attention is given to C, O, Mg, Si, and isotopically heavy average-stellar condensates of SiC.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Stochastic histories of refractory interstellar dust

Histories of refractory interstellar dust particles (IDPs) are calculated. The profile of a particle population is assembled from a large number of stochastic, or Monte Carlo, histories of single particles; the probabilities for each of the events that may befall a given particle are specified, and the particle's history is unfolded by a sequence of random numbers. The assumptions that are made and the techniques of the calculation are described together with the results obtained. Several technical demonstrations are presented.

Liffman, Kurt↗

NASA NTRS1988

Stellar nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of the solar neighborhood

Current theoretical models of nucleosynthesis (N) in stars are reviewed, with an emphasis on their implications for Galactic chemical evolution. Topics addressed include the Galactic population II red giants and early N; N in the big bang; star formation, stellar evolution, and the ejection of thermonuclearly evolved debris; the chemical evolution of an idealized disk galaxy; analytical solutions for a closed-box model with continuous infall; and nuclear burning processes and yields. Consideration is given to shell N in massive stars, N related to degenerate cores, and the types of observational data used to constrain N models. Extensive diagrams, graphs, and tables of numerical data are provided.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Positron annihilation gamma rays from novae

The potential for observing annihilation gamma rays from novae is investigated. These gamma rays, a unique signature of the thermonuclear runaway models of novae, would result from the annihilation of positrons emitted by beta(+)-unstable nuclei produced near the peak of the runaway and carried by rapid convection to the surface of the nova envelope. Simple models, which are extensions of detailed published models, of the expansion of the nova atmospheres are evolved. These models serve as input into investigations of the fate of nearby Galactic fast novae could yield detectable fluxes of electron-positron annihilation gamma rays produced by the decay of N-13 and F-18. Although nuclear gamma-ray lines are produced by other nuclei, it is unlikely that the fluxes at typical nova distances would be detectable to present and near-future instruments.

Leising, Mark D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Galactic chemical evolution - Z versus ln(1/mu) relationship

The ways in which a radial abundance gradient in a disk galaxy may be interpreted are reexamined, asking how metallicity Z depends upon gas mass fraction mu in analytic models characterized by a temporally varying history of metal-poor infall. Six different such models are studied, and it is shown that the metallicity versus gas fraction relationship is well approximated by an expression which is the analog of the Z = y ln(1/mu) relation for closed evolution. The approximation appears valid when the infall rate is nonneglible, but not so great that it dominates the gas budget.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Cometary memory of interstellar aluminum

It is shown that the distribution of refractory metals in a comet-nucleus drill core carries a chemical memory quite distinct from that of volatiles. Using aluminum as an example, it is demonstrated that very refractory structures, either grain cores or refractory aggregates of cores, must be much older than the volatile component. It is argued that isotopic anomalies are specifically associated with aluminum. An evolutionary model capable of rationalizing the interstellar gas depletions of Al and Mg is advocated. The distribution of Al in comets is shown to be crucial to understanding the origin of comets and of the solar system.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Interstellar fossil Mg-26 and its possible relationship to excess meteoritic Mg-26

A plausible scenario is advanced for explainig a linear correlation found in some solar system solids between their Mg-26/Mg-24 isotopic ratios and their Al/Mg elemental abundance ratios. This scenario involves three stages: (1) the mechanical aggregation of an average ensemble of Al-bearing dust particles that is postulated to be modestly enriched in the Al/Mg abundance ratio because the aggregated particles themselves are; (2) the extraction, perhaps but not necessarily by hot distillation, of almost all Mg, leaving an aggregate with a large Al/Mg ratio and a large Mg-26 excess; and (3) the uptake of normal ambient Mg by the resulting hot Al-rich solid as it cools in Mg-rich vapor. A linear correlation in solids between their Mg-26/Mg-24 isotopic ratio and their aluminum enrichment may be a fossil correlation inherited from interstellar dust.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Analytic models of the chemical evolution of galaxies

Techniques are described for constructing analytic models of the chemical evolution of galaxies subject to infall of metal-poor material onto a maturing disk. A class of linear models is discussed which takes the star-formation rate within a defined region to be proportional to the mass of interstellar gas within that region, and the instantaneous recycling approximation is adopted. The solutions are obtained by approximately matching the infall rate to parametrized familiies of functions for which the equations are exactly soluble. The masses, the primary and secondary metallicities, and the gas concentrations of radioactive chronometers can all then be analytically expressed. Surveys of galactic abundances in location and in time can be compared to the parameter spaces of the analytic representations.

Clayton, Donald D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A local recent supernova - Evidence from X-rays, Al-26 radioactivity and cosmic rays

Possible ways in which cosmic rays could have been contaminated by a local recent supernova are discussed, and ways in which this contamination may be affecting interpretation of Al-26 gamma radiation and locally observed cosmic rays as samples of the average Galactic distribution are considered. Mass spectra of cosmic rays are examined to see whether there is enrichment by a population arising from supernova preacceleration. The reinterpretation of the anomalous component in terms of a local supernova model is addressed.

Clayton, Donald D.↗