Engineering topics

Truran, J. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Truran, J. W..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS1992

A burst from a thermonuclear runaway on an ONeMg white dwarf

Studies which examine the consequences of accretion, at rates of 10(exp -9) solar mass/yr and 10(exp -10) solar mass/yr, onto an ONeMg white dwarf with a mass of 1.35 solar masses are performed. In these studies, a Lagrangian, hydrodynamic, one-dimensional computer code was used. The code now includes a network with 89 nuclei up to Ca-40, elemental diffusion, new opacities, and new equation of state. The initial abundance distribution corresponded to a mixture that was enriched to either 25, 50, or 75 percent in products of carbon burning. The remaining material in each case is assumed to have a solar composition. The evolution of the thermonuclear runaway in the 1.35 solar mass white dwarf, with M = 10(exp -9) solar mass, produced peak temperatures in the shell source exceeding 300 million degrees. The sequence produced significant amounts of Na-22 from proton captures onto Ne-20 and significant amounts of Al-26 from proton captures on Mg-24. This sequence ejected 5.2 x 10(exp -6) solar mass moving with speeds from approximately 100 km/s to 2300 km/s. When the mass accretion rate was decreased to 10(exp -10) solar mass, the resulting thermonuclear runaway produced a shock that moved through the outer envelope of the white dwarf and raised the surface luminosity to L greater than 10(exp 7) solar luminosity and the effective temperature to values exceeding 10(exp 7) K. The interaction of the material expanding from off of the white dwarf with the accretion disk should produce a burst of gamma-rays.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1990

PW Vul: A classical nova with nearly solar abundances

Ultraviolet and optical spectrophotometric data are combined in order to determine the physical parameters in the expanding shell of Nova PW Vul 1984. Ultraviolet data obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite from August 2, 1984 (a few days after discovery) until it became too faint to study with the satellite is presented. The last IUE exposure was obtained in June 1988 but it was continually followed with ground based optical telescopes. A plot showing the variation of electron density and temperature as a function of time is presented. Analysis of the emission line intensities show that the abundances of this very slow nova are solar for helium, carbon, and oxygen while nitrogen is 50 times solar. The CLOUDY code of Ferland is used to model the emission line intensities and find good agreement with the observations. Plots representative of IUE and optical spectra are displayed.

Saizar, P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Hydrodynamic studies of oxygen, neon, and magnesium novae

Results are presented from recent theoretical studies that have examined the properties of nova outbursts on ONeMg white dwarfs. These outbursts are much more violent and occur much more frequently than outbursts on CO white dwarfs. Hydrodynamic simulations of both kinds of outbursts are in excellent agreement with the observations.

Starrfield, Sumner↗

NASA NTRS1986

The search for the site of the r-process

A number of sites have been suggested for the r-process, including neutronized cores of exploding supernovae, jets of neutronized matter ejected from the collapse of rotating magnetized stellar cores, the helium and carbon zones of stars undergoing supernova explosions, and helium core flashes in low-mass stars. Despite much work and many advances in nuclear physics, the site or sites of the r-process is still unknown. Observations of metal-poor stars in the halo of the Galaxy indicate r-process production early in the history of the Galaxy and provide important constraints on galactic nucleosynthesis. Further observations of metal-poor stars, along with advances in understanding the nuclear properties of neutron-rich nuclei and improved astrophysical models of stars in the late stages of evolution, should help to identify the site of the r-process.

Cowan, John J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

r-process nucleosynthesis in dynamic helium-burning environments

The results of an extended examination of r-process nucleosynthesis in helium-burning enviroments are presented. Using newly calculated nuclear rates, dynamical r-process calculations have been made of thermal runaways in helium cores typical of low-mass stars and in the helium zones of stars undergoing supernova explosions. These calculations show that, for a sufficient flux of neutrons produced by the C-13 neutron source, r-process nuclei in solar proportions can be produced. The conditions required for r-process production are found to be 10 to the 20th-10 to the 21st neutrons per cubic centimeter for times of 0.01-0.1 s and neutron number densities in excess of 10 to the 19th per cubic centimeter for times of about 1 s. The amount of C-13 required is found to be exceedingly high - larger than is found to occur in any current stellar evolutionary model. It is thus unlikely that these helium-burning environments are responsible for producing the bulk of the r-process elements seen in the solar system.

Cowan, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Ultraviolet spectral evolution and heavy element abundances in Nova Austrinae 1981

Nova CrA 1981, a moderately fast galactic nova, was systematically observed over a period of seven months with the IUE satellite. The initial evolution of the UV spectrum was similar to that of previously observed novae; however, several months after maximum, weak emission due to very high ionizating forbidden lines of Na, Mg, Al, and Si appeared, eventually decreasing in strength over the next two months. The spectral development of the lines is consistent with the photoionization of an expanding shell; a high-temperature 'coronal' origin is ruled out. Abundances deduced from the spectra show that most of the observed heavy elements in the ejected material are enhanced with respect to helium, with neon the most abundant of these. In addition, there are substantial deviations of the Na/Mg/Al/Si abundance ratios from solar values. This is interpreted as evidence for the mixing of core material with the accreted envelope on a massive O-Ne-Mg (as opposed to a C-O) white dwarf. Furthermore, the proportion of core material in the ejecta implies that the mass of the white dwarf decreased as a consequence of the outburst.

Williams, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Hydrodynamic models for novae with ejecta rich in oxygen, neon and magnesium

The characteristics of a new class of novae are identified and explained. This class consists of those objects that have been observed to eject material rich in oxygen, neon, magnesium, and aluminum at high velocities. We propose that for this class of novae the outburst is occurring not on a carbon-oxygen white dwarf but on an oxygen-neon-magnesium white dwarf which has evolved from a star which had a main sequence mass of approx. 8 solar masses to approx. 12 solar masses. An outburst was simulated by evolving 1.25 solar mass white dwarfs accreting hydrogen rich material at various rates. The effective enrichment of the envelope by ONeMg material from the core is simulated by enhancing oxygen in the accreted layers. The resulting evolutionary sequences can eject the entire accreted envelope plus core material at high velocities. They can also become super-Eddington at maximum bolometric luminosity. The expected frequency of such events (approx. 1/4) is in good agreement with the observed numbers of these novae.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

IUE observations of DQ Herculis and its nebula, and the nature of the cold nova shells

The nebula ejected in the 1934 outburst of the classical nova DQ Her is remarkable for its unprecedentedly low temperature of Te 500 K as measured by Williams et al. (1978). In this paper, IUE observations are combined with Steward optical spectra. It is confirmed that the gas is quite cold. It is further shown that the gas is ionized by the radiation field of the central object. X-ray, ultraviolet, optical and infrared observations of the underlying binary are combined with the extreme-ultraviolet continuum deduced from the level of ionization of the nebula to obtain a composite energy distribution for the central object. This energy distribution bears no resemblance to that predicted by theoretical models of accretion disks. Photoionization models of the nebula using the deduced continuum, as well as theoretical accretion disk continua, are presented to show that the low electron temperature is the result of the very high metal abundances which characterize nova shells. Infrared fine-structure lines are efficient coolants, and low temperatures are achieved for a wide variety of radiation fields. The implications of these results for nebulae surrounding other old novae are discussed.

Ferland, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Steady flow approximations to the helium r-process

A steady flow approximation to the r-process is presented and used for numerical experiments with physical quantities to determine the sensitivity of the process to variations in those quantities. The effect of neutron capture cross sections along the capture path and of recently available improved beta decay rates on the r-process are discussed. The peaks in the observed r-process yield curve near mass numbers 80 and 130 are roughly characterized by a neutron number density of 10 to the 20th per cu/cm; the mean beta decay rates are about 10/s, and the freezing time is comparable to or less than 0.1 s. The peak near mass number 195 is roughly characterized by a neutron number density of 10 to the 21st/cm, the mean beta decay rates are about 100/s, and the freezing time is comparable to or less than 0.01 s. The flow path of the steady state r-process is sensitively dependent upon the neutron capture cross sections in the flow network and on the values of the beta decay rates.

Cameron, A. G. W.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The waiting point approximation in R-process calculations

The steady flow approximation to the r-process has been used to evaluate the validity of the waiting point assumption (that, for a given charge number Z, neutron captures become balanced by neutron photodisintegrations) under a variety of conditions. The criterion for the accuracy of the approximation for any set of nuclei with the same value of Z is that the ratio of the total rate of neutron photodisintegration in those nuclei to the total rate of neutron captures should be close to unity. No set of conditions involving neutron production by helium thermonuclear reactions (at temperatures up to 10 to the 9th K) could be found for which the waiting point approximation is useful for all values of Z, and it is recommended that all such r-process calculations not use this approximation. At higher temperatures, such as those characteristic of explosive carbon burning (2 x 10 to the 9th K), the waiting point approximation is much better.

Cameron, A. G. W.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Thermonuclear processes and accretion onto neutron star envelopes - X-ray burst and transient sources

A Lagrangian, fully implicit, one-dimensional hydrodynamic computer code is used to investigate the evolution of thermonuclear runaways in the thick accreted hydrogen-rich envelopes of 1.0-solar-mass neutron stars having radii of 10 km and 20 km. The simulations produce outbursts that range in time scale from about 2000 seconds to more than a day. For the 10-km study, the peak effective temperature is 3.3 x 10 to the 7th K, and the peak luminosity is 2 x 10 to the 5th solar luminosities. The 20-km neutron star produces a peak effective temperature and luminosity of 5.3 x 10 to the 6th K and 5.9 x 10 to the 2nd solar luminosities. Also investigated are the effects of changes in the rates of the O-14(alpha, proton) and O-15(alpha, gamma) reactions on the evolution. Hydrodynamic expansion on the 10-km neutron star produces a precursor lasting about 10 to the -6th sec. The evolution of a gas cloud impacting the surface of a 20-km, 1-solar-mass neutron star is studied in an attempt to simulate the magnetospheric gate model of the X-ray burst sources.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A numerical simulation of the magnetospheric gate model for the X-ray bursters

A Lagrangian, stellar interior computer code which assumes radiation transport by diffusion is used to numerically simulate an X-ray burst occurring on a rapidly rotating, 1 solar mass neutron star accreting material from a companion in noncontinuous, episodic fashion. The blob of gas from the companion extends from the surface of the neutron star to a radius of 185 km, is optically thick, has mass of 10 to the -11th solar masses, and is initially at rest with respect to the surface. The gas initially has a temperature of about 10 million K and a surface luminosity of 0.1 that of the sun. The infall results in a burst which lasts about 0.1 second and reaches a peak luminosity and effective temperature of 240,000 suns and nine million K. The burst is followed by a phase of oscillations with a period of 0.2 second. It is found that the burst is too cool and rapid to resemble normal bursts, although the time scale is in agreement with some observations.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Thermonuclear runaways in thick hydrogen rich envelopes of neutron stars

A Lagrangian, fully implicit, one-dimensional hydrodynamic computer code is used to evolve thermonuclear runaways in the accreted hydrogen-rich envelopes of 1.0-solar-mass neutron stars with radii of 10 km and 20 km. The simulations produce outbursts lasting from approximately 750 seconds to approximately one week. The peak effective temperatures and luminosities are 2.6 x 10 to the 7th K and 8 x 10 to the 4th solar luminosities for the 10 km study and 5.3 x 10 to the 6th K and 600 solar luminosities for the 20 km study. It is found that hydrodynamic expansion on the 10 km neutron star produced a precursor lasting approximately 0.0001 second. The study assumes that the bursters and transient X-ray sources occur as a result of mass transfer from a secondary onto a neutron star in a fashion analogous to the nova phenomena. The peak temperatures and luminosities are found to be inversely proportional to the radius of the neutron stars and the calculations here, together with those in the literature, indicate that the actual radii of most neutron stars must be closer to 10 km than 20 km.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Ultraviolet spectroscopy of the recurrent nova U Scorpii during outburst

Observations of the recurrent nova U Sco during the 1979 outburst are presented, and the spectral evolution is found to differ from that of other recurrent novas. Spectra are dominated by emission lines, and the strong forbidden-line emission characteristic is conspicuously absent. A method to determine masses of nova shells is outlined, and an analysis of the emission lines shows an enrichment in N relative to C and O, and that the nova ejecta are rich in He relative to H. Optical spectra of U Sco obtained following its return to quiescence show predominantly He II emission lines, which suggests an enrichment of the preoutburst gas in He, and thus the presence of a highly evolved companion.

Williams, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1981

A model for dwarf novae as progenitors of Type I supernovae

It is suggested that a Type I supernova event can be produced as a result of accretion at low rates (less than 10 to the -10th solar mass/year) onto the white dwarf component of a dwarf-nova close binary. At these low rates, diffusion of the CNO nuclei out of the accreted hydrogen envelope can occur on the accretion time scale, and nuclear burning will occur mainly by the proton-proton chain. Studies of this process show that, when the CNO abundance in the envelope is less than 0.0025 of solar, no thermonuclear flash occurs and no mass is lost. The result of the evolution is a gradually increasing layer of helium beneath the hydrogen-burning shell.

Starrfield, S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Numerical simulation of the magnetospheric gate model for X-ray bursters

A Lagrangian, fully implicit, one dimensional hydrodynamic computer code was used to investigate the evolution of a gas cloud impacting the surface of a 20 km, 1 Msub solar neutron star. This gas is initially at rest with respect to the surface of the neutron star, extends to 185 km above the surface, and is optically thick. The infall results in a burst which lasts about 0.1 seconds and reached a peak luminosity and effective temperature of 240,000 Lsub solar and 9 million; respectively. The burst was followed by a phase of oscillations with a period 0.2 seconds.

Starrfield, S. G.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Thermonuclear runaways in thick hydrogen rich envelopes of neutron stars

A Lagrangian, fully implicit, one dimensional hydrodynamic computer code was used to evolve thermonuclear runaways in the accreted hydrogen rich envelopes of 1.0 Msub solar neutron stars with radii of 10 km and 20 km. Simulations produce outbursts which last from about 750 seconds to about one week. Peak effective temeratures and luninosities were 26 million K and 80 thousand Lsub solar for the 10 km study and 5.3 millison and 600 Lsub solar for the 20 km study. Hydrodynamic expansion on the 10 km neutron star produced a precursor lasting about one ten thousandth seconds.

Starrfield, S. G.↗

NASA NTRS1978

CNO abundances and hydrodynamic studies of the Nova outburst. V - 1.00-solar-mass models with small mass envelopes

The paper reports on an investigation into the consequences of thermonuclear runaways in accreted hydrogen envelopes of 100 millionths of a solar mass on 1-solar-mass white dwarfs. These evolutionary sequences predict that from 10 to 50 millionths of a solar mass will be ejected with speeds from 300 to 3800 km/s (kinetic energies of 10 to the 44th-45th power ergs). Absolute visual magnitudes as high as -8.1 are attained, well within the observed range for fast novae. In addition, the shapes of the theoretical light curves are more reminiscent of an observed fast-nova light curve than those in earlier studies. The ejected material is strongly enhanced in the products of incomplete CNO burning; the most abundant of the ejected nuclei is C-13, followed by N-14 and C-12. The differences from previous studies are attributable to the lower peak temperatures reached in these sequences. These models also produce a large overabundance of Li-7, suggesting that novae may represent significant contributors to the galactic enrichment of this nucleus.

Starrfield, S.↗