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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

The Contribution of M-Dwarf Flares to the Thermal Escape of Potentially Habitable Planet Atmospheres

The habitability of planets around M dwarfs (. 0:5M ) can be a ected by the XUV (X rays + extreme UV) emission of these stars, with flares occasionally increasing the XUV flux by more than 2 orders of magnitude above quiescent levels. This wavelength range can warm and ionize terrestrial planets' upper atmospheres, which expands the planetary radius and promotes atmospheric loss. In this work, we study the contribution of the XUV flux due to flares on the atmospheric escape of Earth-like planets orbiting M dwarfs through numerical simulations. We considered the fi rst Gyr of planets with initial surface water abundances between 1 and 10 terrestrial oceans (TO), a small primordial hydrogen envelope ( 10􀀀3 M), and with host star masses between 0.2 and 0.6 M . In this parameter range, we fi nd that flares can remove up to two TO more than non flaring stars, which, in some cases, translates to a doubling of the total water loss. We also fi nd that flaring can increase atmospheric oxygen partial pressures by hundreds of bars in some cases. These results were obtained by adding a new module for flares to the VPLanet software package and upgrading its atmospheric escape module to account for Roche lobe overflow and radiation/recombination-limited escape.

Laura N R Do Amaral↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Atmospheric Escape and Planetary Atmosphere Evolution. the Complex Role of Magnetization

Exoplanetary research is currently steered by investigations into the characteristics and evolution of their atmospheres. The fundamental inquiries encompass whether a given exoplanet possesses an atmosphere and, if so, how its attributes have evolved over time. The atmospheric composition reflects a delicate equilibrium between the inbound and outbound flows of volatiles, whether between space, surface, or between liquid and solid phases. Understanding atmospheric escape is, therefore, a critical facet of such studies. Especially, exoplanets that are relatively light and situated near their host stars are prone to substantial atmospheric loss, potentially resulting in barren celestial bodies. Thus, it becomes vital to comprehend the atmospheric responses to the host stars' activities, alongside other factors influencing atmospheric evolution. In that context, there persists a common narrative in the scientific community that frames a planetary magnetic field as a 'shield' against atmospheric escape. However, this study challenges the oversimplification of this premise, taking a closer look at the nuanced role magnetization plays in planetary atmospheric defense mechanisms. We will review the escape processes in the light of the different mechanisms and of the recent observations to highlight which processes have to carefully be taken into account.

Guillaume Gronoff↗
DOE OSTI2023

Structure of the Inmazeb cocktail and resistance to Ebola virus escape

Monoclonal antibodies can provide important pre- or post-exposure protection against infectious disease for those not yet vaccinated or in individuals that fail to mount a protective immune response after vaccination. Inmazeb (REGN-EB3), a three-antibody cocktail against Ebola virus, lessened disease and improved survival in a controlled trial. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure at 3.1 Å of the Ebola virus glycoprotein, determined without symmetry averaging, in a simultaneous complex with the antibodies in the Inmazeb cocktail. This structure allows the modeling of previously disordered portions of the glycoprotein glycan cap, maps the non-overlapping epitopes of Inmazeb, and illuminates the basis for complementary activities and residues critical for resistance to escape by these and other clinically relevant antibodies. We further provide direct evidence that Inmazeb protects against the rapid emergence of escape mutants, whereas monotherapies even against conserved epitopes do not, supporting the benefit of a cocktail versus a monotherapy approach.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Atmospheric escape from the TRAPPIST-1 planets and implications for habitability

Here, the presence of an atmosphere over sufficiently long timescales is widely perceived as one of the most prominent criteria associated with planetary surface habitability. We address the crucial question of whether the seven Earth-sized planets transiting the recently discovered ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are capable of retaining their atmospheres. To this effect, we carry out numerical simulations to characterize the stellar wind of TRAPPIST-1 and the atmospheric ion escape rates for all of the seven planets. We also estimate the escape rates analytically and demonstrate that they are in good agreement with the numerical results. We conclude that the outer planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are capable of retaining their atmospheres over billion-year timescales. The consequences arising from our results are also explored in the context of abiogenesis, biodiversity, and searches for future exoplanets. In light of the many unknowns and assumptions involved, we recommend that these conclusions must be interpreted with due caution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1962

CALCULATION OF FLOW FIELDS ABOUT BLUNT BODIES OF REVOLUTION TRAVELING AT ESCAPE VELOCITY

The method of Gravalos for calculating the inviscid flow about blunt supersonic bodies has been applied to the case of a hemisphere-cylinder at escape velocity. Numerical results are presented for the flow variables throughout the shock layer, both near the nose and downstream along the cylinder. The results are compared with data from six flow fields at lower velocities in order to illustrate the effects peculiar to escape-velocity re-entry. The body pressures and shock shapes computed by this method agree well with available experimental data at Mach numbers from 3 to 10, and are correlated fairly well by cylindrical blast-wave parameters.

Body of revolution↗
NASA NTRS1951

Pilot Escape from Spinning Airplanes as Determined from Free-spinning-tunnel Tests

Procedure for pilot escape from spinning airplanes has been determined by means of tests in which pilot escape was simulated from 21 airplane models spinning in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel. The results in general indicated that the pilot should bail out of the outboard side. Calculated centripetal accelerations acting on the pilot during a spin are presented.

SAFETY - PILOT ESCAPE TECHNIQUES↗
NASA NTRS2017

Exospheric Escape: A Parametrical Study

The study of exospheres can help us understand the long-term loss of volatiles from planetary bodies due to interactions of planets, satellites, and small bodies with the interplanetary medium, solar radiation, and internal forces including diffusion and outgassing. Recent evidence for water and OH on the Moon has spurred interest in processes involving chemistry and sequestration of volatile species at the poles and in voids. In recent years, NASA has sent spacecraft to asteroids including Vesta and Ceres, and ESA sent Rosetta to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and the asteroids Lutetia and Steins. Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft returned a sample from asteroid Itakowa, and OSIRIS-REX will return a sample from a primitive asteroid, Bennu, to Earth. In a surface-bounded exosphere, the gases are derived from the surface and thus reflect the composition of the body's regolith, although not in a one-to-one ratio. Observation of an escaping exosphere, termed a corona, is challenging. We have therefore embarked on a parametrical study of exospheres as a function of mass of the exospheric species, mass of the primary body and source velocity distribution, specifically thermal (Maxwell-Boltzmann) and sputtering. The goal is to provide a quick look to determine under what conditions and for what mass of the primary body the species of interest are expected to be bound or escaping and to quickly estimate the observability of exospheric species. This work does not provide a comprehensive model but rather serves as a starting point for further study. These parameters will be useful for mission planning as well as for students beginning a study of planetary exospheres.

Volatilels↗
DOE OSTI2018

HIF-1α induces immune escape of prostate cancer by regulating NCR1/NKp46 signaling through miR-224

Highlights: • This study clarified the mechanisms underlying prostate tumor cells escaping from NK cells mediated by HIF-1α. • NCR1 was identified as a target of miR-224, and the interaction between HIF-1α and miR-224 was validated in prostate cancer. • These findings of this study may facilitate the development of effective immunotherapy for metastatic prostate cancer. Metastasis of prostate cancer (PCa) is largely affected by natural killer (NK) cells. This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms underlying tumor cells escaping from NK cells mediated by HIF-1α.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Comparison of Kill Switch Toxins in Plant-Beneficial Pseudomonas fluorescens Reveals Drivers of Lethality, Stability, and Escape

Kill switches provide a biocontainment strategy in which unwanted growth of an engineered microorganism is prevented by expression of a toxin gene. A major challenge in kill switch engineering is balancing evolutionary stability with robust cell killing activity in application relevant host strains. Understanding host-specific containment dynamics and modes of failure helps to develop potent yet stable kill switches. To guide the design of robust kill switches in the agriculturally relevant strain Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, we present a comparison of lethality, stability, and genetic escape of eight different toxic effectors in the presence of their cognate inactivators (i.e., toxin–antitoxin modules, polymorphic exotoxin–immunity systems, restriction endonuclease–methyltransferase pair). We find that cell killing capacity and evolutionary stability are inversely correlated and dependent on the level of protection provided by the inactivator gene. Decreasing the proteolytic stability of the inactivator protein can increase cell killing capacity, but at the cost of long-term circuit stability. By comparing toxins within the same genetic context, we determine that modes of genetic escape increase with circuit complexity and are driven by toxin activity, the protective capacity of the inactivator, and the presence of mutation-prone sequences within the circuit. Here, the results of our study reveal that circuit complexity, toxin choice, inactivator stability, and DNA sequence design are powerful drivers of kill switch stability and valuable targets for optimization of biocontainment systems.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

No correlation of the Lyman continuum escape fraction with spectral hardness

The properties that govern the production and escape of hydrogen-ionizing photons (Lyman continuum, LyC; with energies > 13.6 eV) in star-forming galaxies are still poorly understood, but they are key to identifying and characterizing the sources that reionized the Universe. Here we empirically explore the relation between the hardness of ionizing radiation and the LyC leakage in a large sample of low- z star-forming galaxies from the recent Hubble Space Telescope Low- z Lyman Continuum Survey. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey stacks and deep X-shooter observations, we investigate the hardness of the ionizing spectra ( Q He + / Q H ) between 54.4 eV (He + ) and 13.6 eV (H) from the optical recombination lines He II 4686 Å and Hβ 4861 Å for galaxies with LyC escape fractions spanning a wide range, f esc (LyC) ≃ 0–90%. We find that the observed intensity of He II/Hβ is primarily driven by variations in the metallicity, but is not correlated with LyC leakage. Both very strong (< f esc (LyC)> ≃ 0.5) and nonleakers (< f esc (LyC)> ≃ 0) present similar observed intensities of He II and Hβ at comparable metallicity, between ≃0.01 and ≃0.02 for 12 + log(O/H)> 8.0 and < 8.0, respectively. Our results demonstrate that Q He + / Q H does not correlate with f esc (LyC), which implies that strong LyC emitters do not show harder ionizing spectra than nonleakers at similar metallicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Dynamic free energies, cage escape trajectories, and glassy relaxation in dense fluids of uniaxial hard particles

We extend the naïve mode coupling theory and nonlinear Langevin equation theory of coupled translational-rotational activated dynamics in dense fluids of uniaxial hard particles to more anisotropic rods, and mechanistically analyze in depth the dynamic free-energy surface, hopping process, kinetic vitrification, and fragility. Universal behavior is predicted for the transient center-of-mass (CM) localization length and angle based on a differential volume fraction that quantifies the distance from the dynamic crossover and proper geometric nondimensionalization of the localization quantities. The thermally activated real space cage escape process is increasingly controlled by the CM translation relative to the rotational motion as the particle aspect ratio grows. The mean first passage or structural relaxation time grows faster than exponentially with volume fraction, and is a nonmonotonic function of aspect ratio. The latter results in a kinetic vitrification volume fraction and dynamic fragility that vary nonmonotonically with shape anisotropy. Here, the barrier hopping time based on the simplified CM theory where particle rotation is dynamically frozen is massively reduced by ~2–3.5 orders of magnitude if the cooperative rotation-translation paths are exploited to escape local cage constraints.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Characteristics of the dynamic shielding on the Wannier-ridge electron escapes by electron impact in weakly coupled plasmas

The influence of the dynamic shielding on the Wannier ridge electron escapes into the continuum states by the electron-impact is investigated in weakly coupled plasmas. The dynamically shielded renormalized electron charge and screened Wannier exponent are obtained by considering the equation of motion in the Wannier configuration mode with the effective interaction potential as functions of the charge of the residual ion, Debye length, projectile energy, and thermal energy. The result shows that the dynamic renormalized effective electron charge decreases with an increase of the thermal energy, especially for large distances. It is found that the dynamic shielding effect enhances the Wannier exponent for the double-electron escape. The variation of the dynamic shielding effect on the screened Wannier exponent is also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Delineating the magnetic field line escape pattern and stickiness in a poloidally diverted tokamak

We analyze a Hamiltonian model with five wire loops that delineates magnetic surfaces of tokamaks with poloidal divertor. Non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations are added by external coils, similar to the correction coils that have been installed or designed in present tokamaks. To show the influence of magnetic perturbations on the field line escape, we integrate numerically the field line differential equations and obtain the footprints and deposition patterns on the divertor plate. Moreover, we show that the homoclinic tangle describes the deposition patterns in the divertor plate, agreeing with results observed in sophisticated simulation codes. Additionally, we show that while chaotic lines escape to the divertor plates, some of them are trapped, for many toroidal turns, in complex structures around magnetic islands, embedded in the chaotic region, giving rise to stickiness evidences characteristic of chaotic Hamiltonian systems. Finally, we introduce a random collisional term to the field line mapping to investigate stickiness alterations due to particle collisions. Within this model, we conclude that, even reduced by collisions, the observed trapping still influences the field line transport. The results obtained for our numerical estimations indicate that the reported trapping may affect the transport in present tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Suppression of thermal carrier escape and efficient photo-carrier generation by two-step photon absorption in InAs quantum dot intermediate-band solar cells using a dot-in-well structure

We investigated the effects of an increase in the barrier height on the enhancement of the efficiency of two-step photo-excitation in InAs quantum dot (QD) solar cells with a dot-in-well structure. Thermal carrier escape of electrons pumped in QD states was drastically reduced by sandwiching InAs/GaAs QDs with a high potential barrier of Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As. The thermal activation energy increased with the introduction of the barrier. The high potential barrier caused suppression of thermal carrier escape and helped realize a high electron density in the QD states. We observed efficient two-step photon absorption as a result of the high occupancy of the QD states at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of the energy distribution of electrons escaping confinement from an electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Production of high charge state ions in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) is dependent on the electron energy distribution (EED) within the source plasma. In order to better understand the EED, a measurement of electrons escaping axially from an ECRIS device has been performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Electrons were measured escaping from the Superconducting Source for Ions, driven at 18 GHz. Dependencies of the observed EED on the confining magnetic field strength and injected microwave power are reported. This paper focuses on large peaks of electrons in the 400–1200 keV energy range. Measurements of the axial bremsstrahlung spectrum have been simultaneously carried out to provide a direct comparison between both techniques. A comparison between the energy associated with the peak of the electron distribution and the spectral temperature of the bremsstrahlung distribution is shown.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE RELATION BETWEEN POST-SHOCK TEMPERATURE, COSMIC-RAY PRESSURE, AND COSMIC-RAY ESCAPE FOR NON-RELATIVISTIC SHOCKS

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are thought to be the dominant source of Galactic cosmic rays. This requires that at least 5% of the available energy is transferred to cosmic rays, implying a high cosmic-ray pressure downstream of SNR shocks. Recently, it has been shown that the downstream temperature in some remnants is low compared to the measured shock velocities, implying that additional pressure supported by accelerated particles is present. Here we use a two-fluid thermodynamic approach to derive the relation between post-shock fractional cosmic-ray pressure and post-shock temperature, assuming no additional heating beyond adiabatic heating in the shock precursor and with all non-adiabatic heating occurring at the subshock. The derived relations show that a high fractional cosmic-ray pressure is only possible if a substantial fraction of the incoming energy flux escapes from the system. Recently, a shock velocity and a downstream proton temperature were measured for a shock in the SNR RCW 86. We apply the two-fluid solutions to these measurements and find that the downstream fractional cosmic-ray pressure is at least 50% with a cosmic-ray energy flux escape of at least 20%. In general, in order to have 5% of the supernova energy to go into accelerating cosmic rays, on average the post-shock cosmic-ray pressure needs to be 30% for an effective cosmic-ray adiabatic index of {gamma}{sub cr} = 4/3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

STELLAR POPULATIONS OF Ly{alpha} EMITTERS AT z {approx} 6-7: CONSTRAINTS ON THE ESCAPE FRACTION OF IONIZING PHOTONS FROM GALAXY BUILDING BLOCKS

We investigate the stellar populations of Ly{alpha} emitters (LAEs) at z = 5.7 and 6.6 in a 0.65 deg{sup 2} sky of the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) Field, using deep images taken with the Subaru/Suprime-Cam, United Kingdom Infrared Telescope/Wide Field Infrared Camera, and Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). We produce stacked multiband images at each redshift from 165 (z = 5.7) and 91 (z = 6.6) IRAC-undetected objects to derive typical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of z {approx} 6-7 LAEs for the first time. The stacked LAEs have as blue UV continua as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) z-dropout galaxies of similar M{sub UV}, with a spectral slope {beta} {approx} -3, but at the same time they have red UV-to-optical colors with detection in the 3.6 {mu}m band. Using SED fitting we find that the stacked LAEs have low stellar masses of {approx}(3-10) x 10{sup 7} M{sub sun}, very young ages of {approx}1-3 Myr, negligible dust extinction, and strong nebular emission from the ionized interstellar medium, although the z = 6.6 object is fitted similarly well with high-mass models without nebular emission; inclusion of nebular emission reproduces the red UV-to-optical colors while keeping the UV colors sufficiently blue. We infer that typical LAEs at z {approx} 6-7 are building blocks of galaxies seen at lower redshifts. We find a tentative decrease in the Ly{alpha} escape fraction from z = 5.7 to 6.6, which may imply an increase in the intergalactic medium neutral fraction. From the minimum contribution of nebular emission required to fit the observed SEDs, we place an upper limit on the escape fraction of ionizing photons of f {sup ion}{sub esc} {approx} 0.6 at z = 5.7 and {approx}0.9 at z = 6.6. We also compare the stellar populations of our LAEs with those of stacked HST/WFC3 z-dropout galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE GREAT OBSERVATORIES ORIGINS DEEP SURVEY: CONSTRAINTS ON THE LYMAN CONTINUUM ESCAPE FRACTION DISTRIBUTION OF LYMAN-BREAK GALAXIES AT 3.4 < z < 4.5

We use ultra-deep ultraviolet VLT/VIMOS intermediate-band and VLT/FORS1 narrowband imaging in the GOODS Southern field to derive limits on the distribution of the escape fraction (f{sub esc}) of ionizing radiation for L {>=} L*{sub z=3} Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at redshift 3.4-4.5. Only one LBG, at redshift z = 3.795, is detected in its Lyman continuum (LyC; S/N {approx_equal} 5.5), the highest redshift galaxy currently known with a direct detection. Its ultraviolet morphology is quite compact (R{sub eff} = 0.8 kpc physical). Three out of seven active galactic nuclei are also detected in their LyC, including one at redshift z = 3.951 and z{sub 850} = 26.1. From stacked data (LBGs), we set an upper limit to the average f{sub esc} in the range 5%-20%, depending on how the data are selected (e.g., by magnitude and/or redshift). We undertake extensive Monte Carlo simulations that take into account intergalactic attenuation, stellar population synthesis models, dust extinction, and photometric noise in order to explore the moments of the distribution of the escaping radiation. Various distributions (exponential, log-normal, and Gaussian) are explored. We find that the median f{sub esc} is lower than {approx_equal}6% with an 84% percentile limit not larger than 20%. If this result remains valid for fainter LBGs down to current observational limits, then the LBG population might be not sufficient to account for the entire photoionization budget at the redshifts considered here, with the exact details dependent upon the assumed ionizing background and QSO contribution thereto. It is possible that f{sub esc} depends on the UV luminosity of the galaxies, with fainter galaxies having higher f{sub esc}, and estimates of f{sub esc} from a sample of faint LBGs from HUDF (i{sub 775} {<=}28.5) are in broad quantitative agreement with such a scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗