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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of moisture content and distribution on radiation transport in concrete - 14426

Criticality Emergency Planning (CEP) requires a detailed knowledge of the Facility design and construction in order to undertake radiation transport studies in support of criticality consequence calculations. Such calculations are used at AWE to determine mitigated doses, CEP exclusion zones and in support of Criticality Warning Systems (CWS) detector head placement studies. At AWE, such calculations have traditionally been performed by assuming that structural concrete has a fixed and evenly distributed moisture profile. In order to validate this assumption, work has been undertaken using the finite element analysis tool Femmasse to simulate moisture movement within the concrete and calculate moisture distributions in a 65 cm thick concrete wall as a function of aging and specific environmental conditions. This work identified that considerable variation in the moisture profile may arise, with an equilibrium condition being reached after circa 20 years, where the overall moisture content is reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, the calculations identified that the overall moisture content used in extant CEP assessments was considerably lower than that estimated in this work. In order to determine the effect of the moisture distribution profiles, the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP5 was used to study the transmission of radiation through aged concrete and thus assess its performance as a radiation shield in the event of a criticality. Various moisture distributions were assessed based on the findings of the Femmasse calculations and were compared with that assessed using traditional assumptions. Results were obtained for neutron and photon doses. The paper provides an overview of the findings and makes recommendations on the suitability of using evenly distributed moisture profiles in concrete in support of mitigated doses, CEP and CWS detector head placement studies. (authors)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Hardening of DOE UQ Codes for Ultra-Deep Proactive Geosteering in Oilfield Service

The primary objective of this project was to harden the DOE uncertainty quantification (UQ) code to solve the inverse problem for the geosteering service in the oilfield drilling and exploration. The primary focus is to verify the feasibility of using QUESO to solve geosteering inverse problems through statistical inversion. QUESO is a software library developed by QUEST, a DOE's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) institute. In the process of drilling a borehole, geosteering is the act of adjusting the well trajectory on the fly to reach the geological targets or to keep the wellbore within desired formation. Geosteering inversion is to infer underground formation structure using measurements such as azimuthal resistivity logging data. The geosteering process relies on the real-time reconstruction of the subsurface earth model, and a robust and efficient inversion algorithm is always necessary to satisfy the job requirement. The new generation of azimuthal resistivity geosteering tool is capable of detecting multiple formation boundaries 20-100 ft away, and the corresponding geosteering inversion problem can be very challenging as many parameters need to be inverted within such a large depth of investigation. The success of the project will support US energy security by helping to advance subsurface modeling and characterization technologies in oilfield applications. An effective subsurface inversion algorithm and the implementation as a software package will promote the usage of ultra-deep azimuthal resistivity measurements, which can help well placement in complicated underground environments, reduce costs and risks of drilling, and increase oil and gas production. It will help medium and small size independent service companies and tool manufactures to enter the more advanced and lucrative directional drilling area. In addition, by hardening the QUESO code and building a transparent interface for easy manipulation of the QUESO functions, we provide a user-friendly tool for a larger scientific and industry communities that rely heavily on modeling and simulation tools for forecasting, parameter studies, design, and decision making. These are all activities that can strongly benefit from meaningful representations of modeling uncertainty supported by our product.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Performance Analyses of Passive Containment Cooling System for a Concrete Type Containment

The containment of nuclear power plants is the final barrier to keep the radioactive materials from uncontrolled release to the environment. To keep the containment integrity, pressure and temperature must be controlled by the spray system which relies on active components for PWRs with a concrete containment. To achieve a passive means to keep the containment integrity, therefore, cooling should be achieved by forming a natural circulation loop between internal cooling devices connected to an external heat sink. A system like this is often called Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS). In the early phase of APR-1400 development, this concept was studied and VVER-1200 is also known to adopt the PCCS. The PCCS consists of a cooling device installed at the inside of the containment which is a tube-bank type heat exchanger where cooling occurs at the exterior of the tubes and a heat sink which is called Passive Containment Cooling Tank (PCCT) located at the outside of the containment on the top of the auxiliary building. In this paper, we introduce performance analysis results, utilizing the GOTHIC computer code. The PCCS performance analysis model was developed for APR-1400 which has a thermal power of 4000 MW and considers PCCS as an option to improve its safety characteristics. The PCCS which is considered in this paper is to cope with both Design Basis and Severe Accidents, considering SBO conditions. The pressure and temperature transients due to the Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) were analyzed with and without PCCS together with a normal case using the spray system. And, in particular, limitations of the PCCS in regard to mission time will be discussed. Through this study, it was found that the PCCS being considered as an option to improve the safety of APR-1400 can have almost same capability to control the containment pressure for LBLOCA as the containment spray system does. Although it would depends on the heat removal capacity of a given design such as the size of the heat transfer area, the PCCS could even replace the containment spray system. However, the PCCS may lose its capability after 24 hours as its temperature reaches that of the containment atmosphere. To extend the mission time of PCCS, either cooling or supplementary cold water needs to be provided to the external heat sink of PCCS. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Computational fluid dynamics investigations of flow, heat transfer, and oxidation in heat recovery steam generator

Modern heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) operate at elevated temperatures, leading to the formation of oxides inside the tubes of heat exchangers (HXs). This oxide growth reduces the heat recovery efficiency. Moreover, after reaching a certain critical thickness, some oxide scales detach from the tube surface (exfoliation), causing erosion damage to the components downstream. Predicting the metal temperature distribution and associated oxide thickness in the HXs of an HRSG can aid in mitigating these problems. Here, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed within the commercial code STAR-CCM+ for the prediction of fluid flow, conjugate heat transfer, and associated oxidation in HRSGs. Moreover, a new Porous Media Model (PMM) method was developed to model the fin effect on the heat transfer in HX, which can substantially reduce the prohibitive computational costs of fin meshes. The developed CFD model was used to conduct a high-fidelity simulation of a real-scale HRSG to investigate flow, heat transfer, and oxide growth. The calculated oxide thickness on different tubes can be used to identify HX regions that require oxide-resistant coatings to prevent exfoliation and ensuing damages. Furthermore, this CFD framework can serve as a reference for future studies that intend to model and investigate high-temperature oxidation in HXs used for any applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Identification of cathepsin B as a novel target of hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha in HepG2 cells

Highlights: • Cathepsin B (CTSB) is a novel target gene of hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha (HIF-1α). • CTSB mRNA and protein levels can be up-regulated in a HIF-1α-dependent manner. • CTSB promoter activity can be elevated by the HIF-1α protein. • HIF-1α protein binds the CTSB promoter directly. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha (HIF-1α) activates the transcription of many genes that code for proteins involved in angiogenesis, glucose metabolism, cell proliferation/survival, and invasion/metastasis. However, the mechanisms between HIF-1 and its downstream target genes are still poorly understood. Our experimental results had shown that nuclear HIF-1α proteins were significantly induced after HepG2 cells treatment with 1% O{sub 2} for 6 h and reached the peak expression level in 24 h. Meanwhile, the results of RT-qPCR and Western-blotting showed that HIF-1α and cathepsin B (CTSB) expressions increased with a similar pattern in response to hypoxia in the HepG2 cells. Additionally, based on bioinformatics analysis, we identified a hypoxia response element in the CTSB promoter, indicating a possible association between HIF-1α and CTSB. Moreover, luciferase assay was performed to reflect the transcriptional activity mediated through the HIF-1α binding HRE within the CTSB promoter. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) revealed a specific HIF-1α binding activity to the CTSB gene promoter. For the first time, we demonstrated that CTSB is a new HIF-1α-target gene. We believe these findings will contribute to the research and development of neoplasm-targeted therapies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Angular selective window systems: Assessment of technical potential for energy savings

Static angular selective shading systems block direct sunlight and admit daylight within a specific range of incident solar angles. The objective of this study is to quantify their potential to reduce energy use and peak demand in commercial buildings using state-of-the art whole-building computer simulation software that allows accurate modeling of the behavior of optically-complex fenestration systems such as angular selective systems. Three commercial systems were evaluated: a micro-perforated screen, a tubular shading structure, and an expanded metal mesh. This evaluation was performed through computer simulation for multiple climates (Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas), window-to-wall ratios (0.15-0.60), building codes (ASHRAE 90.1-2004 and 2010) and lighting control configurations (with and without). The modeling of the optical complexity of the systems took advantage of the development of state-of-the-art versions of the EnergyPlus, Radiance and Window simulation tools. Results show significant reductions in perimeter zone energy use; the best system reached 28% and 47% savings, respectively without and with daylighting controls (ASHRAE 90.1-2004, south facade, Chicago,WWR=0.45). As a result, angular selectivity and thermal conductance of the angle-selective layer, as well as spectral selectivity of low-emissivity coatings, were identified as factors with significant impact on performance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling of deuterium and carbon radiation transport in MAST-U tokamak advanced divertors

Modest effects of deuterium and carbon radiation opacity in the Super-X and snowflake divertor plasmas are predicted for MAST Upgrade tokamak with core plasma input power 2.5–5 MW and plasma current 1 MA. The radiation transport modeling is based on the SOLPS-EIRENE and UEDGE code divertor plasma predictions. Two radiation transport models are used: one is based on a full radiation transport equation implemented in the radiation transport and collisional-radiative code CRETIN (without feedback on the background plasma), and another is an internal self-consistent UEDGE model with ionization, recombination, and heating rates corrected for Ly α line trapping based on the escape probability model implemented in CRETIN. In MAST-U, the Super-X and snowflake divertor plasmas are predicted to reach detached regimes at lower upstream densities than the standard divertor, and the conclusion still holds with radiation transport effects included. At neutral densities m -3 , modest Ly α deuterium line trapping with optical depths 10–15 is predicted in the Super-X divertor. Divertor plasmas are optically thin to other Lyman and Balmer lines, as well as to strong C III and C IV lines that are responsible for most of divertor radiated power. Insignificant changes (within a few percent) to divertor deuterium ionization and recombination rates are found. Radiation fluxes on outer divertor target are modified within a factor of 2–3 when the radiation transport is accounted for, and a similar variation is found due to the line shape models that define the absorption and emission line profiles in the radiation transport modeling. The predicted Lyman and Balmer spectral intensities are significantly modified due to radiation trapping. A measurement of divertor radiation transport effects is discussed using the Ly β /Ba α line ratio. In the snowflake divertor configuration, divertor plasmas are found to be optically thin to Lyman series lines within a large range of parameter variations that include upstream density, divertor transport coefficients, and magnetic configurations. Finally, modest radiation transport effects are only found in a few cases with strongest divertor transport and magnetic configurations closest to the ideal snowflake configuration, however, the plasma background models that were used are yet to be validated with an experiment.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Physics of the implosion up until the time of ignition in a revolver (triple-shell) capsule

Here, a revolver is designed to have two dynamical fuel implosion stages to reach ignition: a shock phase in which the fuel is pre-heated up until the shock collapses at the capsule center, followed by an adiabatic compression phase to ignition. This picture assumes ideal hydrodynamics. Employing the state-of-the-art, hybrid (kinetic-ion/fluid electron), multi-ion Vlasov-Fokker-Planck code, iFP, along with semi-analytic predictions from ideal hydrodynamics in spherical geometry, we confirm this two phase picture—resolving some outstanding questions in Revolver design along the way. Although we find that shock kinetic effects and non-ideality are present in the course of the implosion, these effects do not change the overall dynamics (which is well described by ideal hydrodynamics theory). Additionally, we put the assumption of adiabaticity, for the post-collapse phase, to the test. Finally, we verify the ideal hydro-conjecture that the shock collapse (fuel) convergence is ~2.12 given a single shock, and we confirm that the convergence is about 2.5 in the case of two shocks—in agreement with previous radiation-hydrodynamics simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Error quantification and comparison of binary neutron star gravitational waveforms from numerical relativity codes

Future gravitational wave detections of merging binary neutron star systems have the possibility to tightly constrain the equation of state of dense nuclear matter. In order to extract such constraints, gravitational waveform models need to be calibrated to accurate numerical relativity simulations of the late inspiral and merger. In this work, we take an essential step toward classifying the error and potential systematics in current generation numerical relativity simulations of merging binary neutron stars. To this end, we perform a direct comparison of two codes (fil, spec), which differ in many aspects, including the numerical methods and discretizations used and equations solved. We find that despite these different approaches, the codes are—within current numerical resolution bounds—fully consistent, and broadly comparable in cost for a given accuracy level. Our results indicate that the error in the waveforms is primarily dominated by the hydrodynamic evolution, consistent with earlier findings in the literature. Finally, we also discuss current limitations and cost estimates for numerical relativity simulations to reach the accuracies required in the era of next-generation gravitational detectors.

gravitational waves↗
DOE OSTI2016

Influence of plasma pedestal profiles on access to ELM-free regimes in ITER

The influence of current density and pressure gradient profiles in the pedestal on the access to the regimes free from edge localized modes (ELMs) like quiescent H-mode in ITER is investigated. Using the simulator of MHD modes localized near plasma boundary based on the KINX code, calculations of the ELM stability were performed for the ITER plasma in scenarios 2 and 4 under variations of density and temperature profiles with the self-consistent bootstrap current in the pedestal. Low pressure gradient values at the separatrix, the same position of the density and temperature pedestals and high poloidal beta values facilitate reaching high current density in the pedestal and a potential transition into the regime with saturated large scale kink modes. New version of the localized MHD mode simulator allows one to compute the growth rates of ideal peeling-ballooning modes with different toroidal mode numbers and to determine the stability region taking into account diamagnetic stabilization. The edge stability diagrams computations and sensitivity studies of the stability limits to the value of diamagnetic frequency show that diamagnetic stabilization of the modes with high toroidal mode numbers can help to access the quiescent H-mode even with high plasma density but only with low pressure gradient values at the separatrix. The limiting pressure at the top of the pedestal increases for higher plasma density. With flat density profile the access to the quiescent H-mode is closed even with diamagnetic stabilization taken into account, while toroidal mode numbers of the most unstable peeling-ballooning mode decrease from n = 10−40 to n = 3−20.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydrodynamic Simulations of Oxygen–Neon Classical Novae as Galactic 7 Li Producers and Potential Accretion-induced Collapse Progenitors*

Abstract We report on studies of classical nova (CN) explosions where we follow the evolution of thermonuclear runaways (TNRs) on oxygen–neon (ONe) white dwarfs (WDs). Using NOVA, a 1D hydrodynamic computer code, we accrete solar matter until the TNR is ongoing and then switch to a mixed composition. This approach is guided by the results of multidimensional studies of TNRs in WDs, which find that sufficient mixing with WD core material occurs after the TNR is well underway, and levels of enrichment of the CNONeMg elements are reached that agree with observations of CN ejecta abundances. Because the amount of accreted material is inversely proportional to the oxygen abundance, by first accreting solar matter, the amount of accreted material is larger than in those simulations with an initially enriched composition. We vary the mass of the WD (from 0.6 M ⊙ to 1.35 M ⊙ ) and the composition of the mixed materials. Our results show large enrichments of 7 Be in the ejected gases, implying that ONe CNe and CO CNe may be responsible for a significant fraction (∼100 M ⊙ ) of the Galactic 7 Li (∼1000 M ⊙ ). The production of 22 Na and 26 Al in CN explosions and the γ -ray emission predicted by our simulations are discussed. The WDs in all our simulations eject less material than they accrete and we predict that the WD is growing in mass as a consequence of the CN outburst. ONe CNe, therefore, may be an important channel for accretion-induced collapse events.

Starrfield, Sumner (ORCID:0000000213596312)↗
DOE OSTI2013

WITNESSING THE DIFFERENTIAL EVOLUTION OF DISK GALAXIES IN LUMINOSITY AND SIZE VIA GRAVITATIONAL LENSING

We take advantage of the magnification in size and flux of a galaxy provided by gravitational lensing to analyze the properties of 62 strongly lensed galaxies from the Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) Survey. The sample of lensed galaxies spans a redshift range of 0.20 ≤ z ≤ 1.20 with a median redshift of z = 0.61. We use the lens modeling code LENSFIT to derive the luminosities, sizes, and Sérsic indices of the lensed galaxies. The measured properties of the lensed galaxies show a primarily compact, {sup d}isk{sup -}like population with the peaks of the size and Sérsic index distributions corresponding to ∼1.50 kpc and n ∼ 1, respectively. Comparison of the SLACS galaxies to a non-lensing, broadband imaging survey shows that a lensing survey allows us to probe a galaxy population that reaches ∼2 mag fainter. Our analysis allows us to compare the (z) = 0.61 disk galaxy sample (n ≤ 2.5) to an unprecedented local galaxy sample of ∼670, 000 SDSS galaxies at z ∼ 0.1; this analysis indicates that the evolution of the luminosity-size relation since z ∼ 1 may not be fully explained by a pure-size or pure-luminosity evolution but may instead require a combination of both. Our observations are also in agreement with recent numerical simulations of disk galaxies that show evidence of a mass-dependent evolution since z ∼ 1, where high-mass disk galaxies (M{sub *} > 10{sup 9} M{sub ☉}) evolve more in size and low-mass disk galaxies (M{sub *} ≤ 10{sup 9} M{sub ☉}) evolve more in luminosity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Smart Ventilation for Advanced California Homes

This project investigated smart ventilation approaches to minimize energy use for providing indoor air quality (IAQ) in high performance new California homes. Evaluation criteria included annual ventilation-related energy, peak energy and time-of-use savings, and the indoor air quality relative to a minimally code-compliant ventilation system. The simulations used CONTAM’s air flow and contaminant transport model, combined with the EnergyPlus building loads model. House types representing the default California Energy Code compliance homes were investigated for four California climate zones, covering a wide range of climate types. Both single and multi-zone smart ventilation controls were investigated. Contaminant sources included contaminants emitted continuously and varying with time, temperature and relative humidity, episodic emissions from occupant activities and outdoor particles. Single-zone ventilation controls that varied ventilation depending on outdoor temperatures were able to consistently save half of ventilation-related energy without compromising long-term IAQ. Ventilation strategies that tracked occupancy were less successful, because this work included generic contaminants with constant background emission rates. Energy performance for occupancy controls improved with a one-hour pre-occupancy flush out strategy. The addition of zoning ventilation controls did not offer significant IAQ to energy improvements compared to non-zonal versions of the same ventilation system type. The best controls had HVAC energy savings of 10-20%, with individual cases reaching up to 40% savings. However, these savings cannot be achieved without worsening personal exposures for at least one contaminant. A metric is needed to assess the competing changes in exposure to different contaminants in order to determine the net-health impacts of a control strategy. Controls that directly sensed contaminants and controlled them to acceptable levels showed that the California OEHHA limit for formaldehyde completely dominates system performance, with homes not able to meet the limit even with continuous operation of a fan sized to twice the current code minimum.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Poster — Thur Eve — 54: Radiotherapy and Non-Radiotherapy Safety Practices Beyond Licensing Expectations

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment, and to implement Canada's international obligations on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. In order to perform this regulatory activity, the CNSC issue licences and has its staff perform inspections to verify conformity to the aspects of those licences. Within the CNSC, the Accelerators and Class II Facilities Division (ACFD) is responsible for the regulatory oversight of Class II Prescribed Equipment used in medical, academic, and industrial sectors in Canada. In performing inspections, ACFD has encountered licensees with practices that are either below, meet or exceed regulatory expectations in specific areas. Unfortunately, none of these practices are ever communicated to the broader Class II community to help other licensees avoid the same problem or achieve high standards. In this poster, ACFD will highlight safety practices that go beyond expectations. These practices are taken from observations during site inspections between 2007 and 2013 and will be presented in six areas: Procedures, Participation, Awareness, Equipment, Servicing and Software. Each area briefly discusses a number of practices that the CNSC feels went beyond the expectations dictated by the licence. Where possible, names are added of the contact people at the centres who can be reached for full details of their implementations. It is hoped that this communication will assist other licensees to achieve these same high levels of compliance and possibly go beyond.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Natural circulation FLiBe loop overview

A new large natural circulation FLiBe loop has operated for the first time in 40 years. Reaching temperatures above 700 C with stable flow rates around 5 cm/s, the loop exhibits a range of flow phenomena pertinent to high temperature natural circulation safety systems for nuclear reactors. This paper discusses the system and several operating conditions spanning a wide range of behavior to aid the development of other systems, simulation benchmarks, or system-codes. Analysis of heat transport phenomena indicates that standard Nusselt number correlations apply to a first approximation. More accurate salt-freezing models may be necessary for air-cooled salt-systems due to the insulating affect of the low thermal-conductivity frozen salt layer on the cold pipe walls.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cross-beam energy transfer in direct-drive ICF. I. Nonlinear and kinetic effects

Results are presented from a series of simulations examining the susceptibility of the cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) instability to nonlinear processes in the context of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion experiments on the OMEGA laser facility. These form the basis for the second paper of this series [A. G. Seaton, L. Yin, R. Follett, B. J. Albright, and A. Le, “Cross-beam energy transfer in direct-drive ICF. II. Theory and simulation of mitigation through increased laser bandwidth,” Phys. Plasmas 29, 042707 (2022)], where we examine the efficacy of increases in laser bandwidth at suppressing CBET. We choose laser and plasma conditions for the simulations that are favorable to CBET and promote nonlinearity. Through a comparison of outputs from the particle-in-cell code vector particle in cell (VPIC) and the linearized fluid code laser-plasma simulation environment (LPSE), a series of nonlinear effects have been identified in the kinetic simulations that include particle trapping, the two-ion wave decay, and ion-acoustic wave self-focusing. These effects produce time-dependent energy transfer, in contrast to the linearized fluid simulations in which a steady state is reached after an initial transient. Ion trapping is shown to allow for increased energy transfer relative to fluid simulations, with the remaining nonlinear processes acting to reduce the energy transfer. Nonlinear dynamics is contrasted for low- and high-intensity beams as well as between speckled and planar beams. For the parameters under consideration, beam profile has a significant effect on nonlinear dynamics, though the greatest sensitivity is to beam intensity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

FINDING THE FIRST COSMIC EXPLOSIONS. I. PAIR-INSTABILITY SUPERNOVAE

The first stars are the key to the formation of primitive galaxies, early cosmological reionization and chemical enrichment, and the origin of supermassive black holes. Unfortunately, in spite of their extreme luminosities, individual Population III (Pop III) stars will likely remain beyond the reach of direct observation for decades to come. However, their properties could be revealed by their supernova explosions, which may soon be detected by a new generation of near-IR (NIR) observatories such as JWST and WFIRST. We present light curves and spectra for Pop III pair-instability supernovae calculated with the Los Alamos radiation hydrodynamics code RAGE. Our numerical simulations account for the interaction of the blast with realistic circumstellar envelopes, the opacity of the envelope, and Lyman absorption by the neutral intergalactic medium at high redshift, all of which are crucial to computing the NIR signatures of the first cosmic explosions. We find that JWST will detect pair-instability supernovae out to z ∼> 30, WFIRST will detect them in all-sky surveys out to z ∼ 15-20, and LSST and Pan-STARRS will find them at z ∼< 7-8. The discovery of these ancient explosions will probe the first stellar populations and reveal the existence of primitive galaxies that might not otherwise have been detected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Binary black hole accretion from a circumbinary disk: Gas dynamics inside the central cavity

We present the results of two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamical simulations of circumbinary disk accretion using the finite-volume code DISCO. This code solves the 2D viscous Navier-Stokes equations on a high-resolution moving mesh which shears with the fluid flow, greatly reducing advection errors in comparison with a fixed grid. We perform a series of simulations for binary mass ratios in the range 0.026 ≤ q ≤ 1.0, each lasting longer than a viscous time so that we reach a quasi-steady accretion state. In each case, we find that gas is efficiently stripped from the inner edge of the circumbinary disk and enters the cavity along accretion streams, which feed persistent 'mini disks' surrounding each black hole. We find that for q ≳ 0.1, the binary excites eccentricity in the inner region of the circumbinary disk, creating an overdense lump which gives rise to enhanced periodicity in the accretion rate. The dependence of the periodicity on mass ratio may provide a method for observationally inferring mass ratios from measurements of the accretion rate. We also find that for all mass ratios studied, the magnitude of the accretion onto the secondary is sufficient to drive the binary toward larger mass ratio. This suggests a mechanism for biasing mass-ratio distributions toward equal mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗