Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “STAR MODELS”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16

Spectral properties of cool stars: Extended abundance analysis of 1,617 planet-search stars

We present a catalog of uniformly determined stellar properties and abundances for 1,617 F, G, and K stars using an automated spectral synthesis modeling procedure. All stars were observed using the HIRES spectrograph at Keck Observatory. Our procedure used a single line list to fit model spectra to observations of all stars to determine effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, projected rotational velocity, and the abundances of 15 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Y). Sixty percent of the sample had Hipparcos parallaxes and V-band photometry, which we combined with the spectroscopic results to obtain mass, radius, and luminosity. Additionally, we used the luminosity, effective temperature, metallicity and α-element enhancement to interpolate in the Yonsei–Yale isochrones to derive mass, radius, gravity, and age ranges for those stars. Finally, we determined new relations between effective temperature and macroturbulence for dwarfs and subgiants. Our analysis achieved precisions of 25 K in T{sub eff}, 0.01 dex in [M/H], 0.028 dex for logg, and 0.5 km s{sup −1} in vsin i based on multiple observations of the same stars. The abundance results were similarly precise, between ∼0.01 and ∼0.04 dex, though trends with respect to T{sub eff} remained for which we derived empirical corrections. The trends, though small, were much larger than our uncertainties and are shared with published abundances. We show that changing our model atmosphere grid accounts for most of the trend in [M/H] between 5000 and 5500 K, indicating a possible problem with the atmosphere models or opacities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Condensate dark matter stars

We investigate the structure and stability properties of compact astrophysical objects that may be formed from the Bose-Einstein condensation of dark matter. Once the critical temperature of a boson gas is less than the critical temperature, a Bose-Einstein Condensation process can always take place during the cosmic history of the universe. Therefore we model the dark matter inside the star as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In the condensate dark matter star model, the dark matter equation of state can be described by a polytropic equation of state, with polytropic index equal to one. We derive the basic general relativistic equations describing the equilibrium structure of the condensate dark matter star with spherically symmetric static geometry. The structure equations of the condensate dark matter stars are studied numerically. The critical mass and radius of the dark matter star are given by M{sub crit} ≈ 2(l{sub a}/1fm){sup 1/2}(m{sub χ}/1 GeV){sup −3/2}M{sub s}un and R{sub crit} ≈ 1.1 × 10{sup 6}(l{sub a}/1 fm){sup 1/2}(m{sub χ}/1 GeV){sup −3/2} cm respectively, where l{sub a} and m{sub χ} are the scattering length and the mass of dark matter particle, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Classroom aerosol dispersion modeling: experimental assessment of a low-cost flow simulation tool

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a low-cost flow simulation tool for an indoor air modeling application by comparing its outputs with the results of a physical experiment, as well as those from a more advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package. In this study, five aerosol dispersion tests were performed in two different classrooms by releasing a CO 2 tracer gas from six student locations. Resultant steady-state concentrations were monitored at 13 locations around the periphery of the room. Subsequently, the experiments were modeled using both a low-cost tool (SolidWorks Flow Simulation) and a more sophisticated tool (STAR-CCM+). Models were evaluated based on their ability to predict the experimentally measured concentrations at the 13 monitoring locations by calculating four performance parameters commonly used in the evaluation of dispersion models: fractional mean bias (FB), normalized mean-square error (NMSE), fraction of predicted value within a factor of two (FAC2), and normalized absolute difference (NAD). The more sophisticated model performed better in 15 of the 20 possible cases (five tests at four parameters each), with parameters meeting acceptance criteria in 19 of 20 cases. However, the lower-cost tool was only slightly worse, with parameters meeting acceptance criteria in 18 of 20 cases, and it performed better than the other tool in 3 of 20 cases. Because it provides useful results at a fraction of the monetary and training cost and is already widely accessible to many institutions, such a tool may be worthwhile for many indoor aerosol dispersion applications, especially for students or researchers just beginning CFD modeling.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The occurrence of non-pulsating stars in the γ Dor and δ Sct pulsation instability regions: Results from Kepler quarter 14–17 data

In this study, the high precision long time-series photometry of the NASA Kepler spacecraft provides an excellent means to discover and characterize variability in main-sequence stars, and to make progress in interpreting the pulsations to derive stellar interior structure and test stellar models. For stars of spectral types A–F, the Kepler data revealed a number of surprises, such as more hybrid pulsating Sct and Dor pulsators than expected, pulsators lying outside of the instability regions predicted by theory, and stars that were expected to pulsate, but showed no variability. In our 2013 Astronomical Review article, we discussed the statistics of variability for 633 faint (Kepler magnitude 14–16) spectral type A–F stars observed by Kepler during Quarters 6–13 (June 2010–June 2012).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Observations of the Ultraviolet-bright Star Y453 in the Globular Cluster M4 (NGC 6121)

We present a spectral analysis of the UV-bright star Y453 in M4. Model fits to the star’s optical spectrum yield T{sub eff} ∼ 56,000 K. Fits to the star’s FUV spectrum, obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal it to be considerably hotter, with T{sub eff} ∼ 72,000 K. We adopt T{sub eff} = 72,000 ± 2000 K and logg = 5.7 ± 0.2 as our best-fit parameters. Scaling the model spectrum to match the star’s optical and near-infrared magnitudes, we derive a mass M{sub ∗}=0.53±0.24 M{sub ⊙} and luminosity logL/L{sub ⊙}=2.84±0.05, consistent with the values expected of an evolved star in a globular cluster. Comparing the star with post-horizontal-branch evolutionary tracks, we conclude that it most likely evolved from the blue horizontal branch, departing the asymptotic giant branch before third dredge-up. It should thus exhibit the abundance pattern (O-poor and Na-rich) characteristic of the second-generation (SG) stars in M4. We derive the star’s photospheric abundances of He, C, N, O, Si, S, Ti, Cr, Fe, and Ni. CNO abundances are roughly 0.25 dex greater than those of the cluster’s SG stars, while the Si and S abundances match the cluster values. Abundances of the iron-peak elements (except for iron itself) are enhanced by 1–3 dex. Rather than revealing the star’s origin and evolution, this pattern reflects the combined effects of diffusive and mechanical processes in the stellar atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A UNIFIED COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR SOLAR AND STELLAR FLARES

We present a unified computational framework that can be used to describe impulsive flares on the Sun and on dMe stars. The models assume that the flare impulsive phase is caused by a beam of charged particles that is accelerated in the corona and propagates downward depositing energy and momentum along the way. This rapidly heats the lower stellar atmosphere causing it to explosively expand and dramatically brighten. Our models consist of flux tubes that extend from the sub-photosphere into the corona. We simulate how flare-accelerated charged particles propagate down one-dimensional flux tubes and heat the stellar atmosphere using the Fokker–Planck kinetic theory. Detailed radiative transfer is included so that model predictions can be directly compared with observations. The flux of flare-accelerated particles drives return currents which additionally heat the stellar atmosphere. These effects are also included in our models. We examine the impact of the flare-accelerated particle beams on model solar and dMe stellar atmospheres and perform parameter studies varying the injected particle energy spectra. We find the atmospheric response is strongly dependent on the accelerated particle cutoff energy and spectral index.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

THE EFFECT OF SECOND-GENERATION POPULATIONS ON THE INTEGRATED COLORS OF METAL-RICH GLOBULAR CLUSTERS IN EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

The mean color of globular clusters (GCs) in early-type galaxies is in general bluer than the integrated color of halo field stars in host galaxies. Metal-rich GCs often appear more associated with field stars than metal-poor GCs, yet show bluer colors than their host galaxy light. Motivated by the discovery of multiple stellar populations in Milky Way GCs, we present a new scenario in which the presence of second-generation (SG) stars in GCs is responsible for the color discrepancy between metal-rich GCs and field stars. The model assumes that the SG populations have an enhanced helium abundance as evidenced by observations, and it gives a good explanation of the bluer optical colors of metal-rich GCs than field stars as well as strong Balmer lines and blue UV colors of metal-rich GCs. Ours may be complementary to the recent scenario suggesting the difference in stellar mass functions (MFs) as an origin for the GC-to-star color offset. A quantitative comparison is given between the SG and MF models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A NARROW SHORT-DURATION GRB JET FROM A WIDE CENTRAL ENGINE

We use two-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic numerical calculations to show that highly collimated relativistic jets can be produced in neutron star merger models of short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) without the need for a highly directed engine or a large net magnetic flux. Even a hydrodynamic engine generating a very wide sustained outflow on small scales can, in principle, produce a highly collimated relativistic jet, facilitated by a dense surrounding medium that provides a cocoon surrounding the jet core. An oblate geometry to the surrounding gas significantly enhances the collimation process. Previous numerical simulations have shown that the merger of two neutron stars produces an oblate, expanding cloud of dynamical ejecta. We show that this gas can efficiently collimate the central engine power much like the surrounding star does in long-duration GRB models. For typical short-duration GRB central engine parameters, we find jets with opening angles of an order of 10° in which a large fraction of the total outflow power of the central engine resides in highly relativistic material. These results predict large differences in the opening angles of outflows from binary neutron star mergers versus neutron star–black hole mergers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Model-independent Exoplanet Transit Spectroscopy

We propose a new data analysis method for obtaining transmission spectra of exoplanet atmospheres and brightness variation across the stellar disk from transit observations. The new method is capable of recovering exoplanet atmosphere absorption spectra and stellar specific intensities without relying on theoretical models of stars and planets. We simultaneously fit both stellar specific intensity and planetary radius directly to transit light curves. This allows stellar models to be removed from the data analysis. Furthermore, we use a data quality weighted filtering technique to achieve an optimal trade-off between spectral resolution and reconstruction fidelity homogenizing the signal-to-noise ratio across the wavelength range. Such an approach is more efficient than conventional data binning onto a low-resolution wavelength grid. We demonstrate that our analysis is capable of reproducing results achieved by using an explicit quadratic limb-darkening equation and that the filtering technique helps eliminate spurious spectral features in regions with strong telluric absorption. The method is applied to the VLT FORS2 observations of the exoplanets GJ 1214 b and WASP-49 b, and our results are in agreement with previous studies. Comparisons between obtained stellar specific intensity and numerical models indicates that the method is capable of accurately reconstructing the specific intensity. The proposed method enables more robust characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres by separating derivation of planetary transmission and stellar specific intensity spectra (that is model-independent) from chemical and physical interpretation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS AND A HIERARCHICAL CHEMICAL EVOLUTION MODEL

Early phases of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and formation history of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars are investigated using hierarchical galaxy formation models. We build a merger tree of the Galaxy according to the extended Press-Schechter theory. We follow the chemical evolution along the tree and compare the model results to the metallicity distribution function and abundance ratio distribution of the Milky Way halo. We adopt three different initial mass functions (IMFs). In a previous study, we argued that the typical mass, M{sub md}, of EMP stars should be high, M{sub md} {approx} 10 M{sub sun}, based on studies of binary origin carbon-rich EMP stars. In this study, we show that only the high-mass IMF can explain an observed small number of EMP stars. For relative element abundances, the high-mass IMF and the Salpeter IMF predict similar distributions. We also investigate dependence on nucleosynthetic yields of supernovae (SNe). The theoretical SN yields by Kobayashi et al. and Chieffi and Limongi show reasonable agreement with observations for {alpha}-elements. Our model predicts a significant scatter of element abundances at [Fe/H] < -3. We adopted the stellar yields derived in the work of Francois et al., which produce the best agreement between the observational data and the one-zone chemical evolution model. Their yields well reproduce a trend of the averaged abundances of EMP stars but predict much larger scatter than do the observations. The model with hypernovae predicts Zn abundance, in agreement with the observations, but other models predict lower [Zn/Fe]. Ejecta from the hypernovae with large explosion energy is mixed in large mass and decreases the scatter of the element abundances.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Low-mass Exoplanet Candidate Detected by K2 Transiting the Praesepe M Dwarf JS 183

We report the discovery of a repeating photometric signal from a low-mass member of the Praesepe open cluster that we interpret as a Neptune-sized transiting planet. The star is JS 183 (HSHJ 163, EPIC 211916756), with T {sub eff} = 3325 ± 100 K, M {sub *} = 0.44 ± 0.04 M {sub ⊙}, R {sub *} = 0.44 ± 0.03 R {sub ⊙}, and logg{sub &lowast;} = 4.82±0.06. The planet has an orbital period of 10.134588 days and a radius of R {sub P} = 0.32 ± 0.02 R {sub J}. Since the star is faint at V = 16.5 and J = 13.3, we are unable to obtain a measured radial velocity orbit, but we can constrain the companion mass to below about 1.7 M {sub J}, and thus well below the planetary boundary. JS 183b (since designated as K2-95b) is the second transiting planet found with K2 that resides in a several-hundred-megayear open cluster; both planets orbit mid-M dwarf stars and are approximately Neptune sized. With a well-determined stellar density from the planetary transit, and with an independently known metallicity from its cluster membership, JS 183 provides a particularly valuable test of stellar models at the fully convective boundary. We find that JS 183 is the lowest-density transit host known at the fully convective boundary, and that its very low density is consistent with current models of stars just above the fully convective boundary but in tension with the models just below the fully convective boundary.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

TWO-STAGE FRAGMENTATION FOR CLUSTER FORMATION: ANALYTICAL MODEL AND OBSERVATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Linear analysis of the formation of protostellar cores in planar magnetic interstellar clouds shows that molecular clouds exhibit a preferred length scale for collapse that depends on the mass-to-flux ratio and neutral-ion collision time within the cloud. We extend this linear analysis to the context of clustered star formation. By combining the results of the linear analysis with a realistic ionization profile for the cloud, we find that a molecular cloud may evolve through two fragmentation events in the evolution toward the formation of stars. Our model suggests that the initial fragmentation into clumps occurs for a transcritical cloud on parsec scales while the second fragmentation can occur for transcritical and supercritical cores on subparsec scales. Comparison of our results with several star-forming regions (Perseus, Taurus, Pipe Nebula) shows support for a two-stage fragmentation model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Determining Star Formation Thresholds from Observations

Most gas in giant molecular clouds is relatively low-density and forms star inefficiently, converting only a small fraction of its mass to stars per dynamical time. However, star formation models generally predict the existence of a threshold density above which the process is efficient and most mass collapses to stars on a dynamical timescale. A number of authors have proposed observational techniques to search for a threshold density above which star formation is efficient, but it is unclear which of these techniques, if any, are reliable. In this paper we use detailed simulations of turbulent, magnetised star-forming clouds, including stellar radiation and outflow feedback, to investigate whether it is possible to recover star formation thresholds using current observational techniques. Using mock observations of the simulations at realistic resolutions, we show that plots of projected star formation efficiency per free-fall time ϵff can detect the presence of a threshold, but that the resolutions typical of current dust emission or absorption surveys are insufficient to determine its value. In contrast, proposed alternative diagnostics based on a change in the slope of the gas surface density versus star formation rate surface density (Kennicutt-Schmidt relation) or on the correlation between young stellar object counts and gas mass as a function of density are ineffective at detecting thresholds even when they are present. The signatures in these diagnostics sometimes taken as indicative of a threshold in observations, which we generally reproduce in our mock observations, do not prove to correspond to real physical features in the 3D gas distribution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A New Measurement of the Extragalactic Background Light Using 15 yr of Fermi-large Area Telescope Data

The extragalactic background light (EBL) from ultraviolet to infrared comprises the emission from all stars, galaxies, and actively accreting black holes in the observable Universe. A precise measurement of the EBL is critically important to probe models of star formation and galaxy evolution. The EBL can be measured via the absorption imprint left on the spectra of γ-ray blazars. In this work, we rely on 15 yr of Fermi-LAT data and 1576 blazars to measure the EBL optical depth in the 0 < z < 4.3 range. We detect the EBL attenuation with ≅23σ significance and measure the optical depth in 19 redshift bins, extending the coverage and improving on our previous results. This allows us to reconstruct the evolution of the EBL and find general consistency with recent EBL models. These results represent the most precise determination of the EBL with GeV γ rays to date.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A strongly heated neutron star in the transient z source MAXI J0556-332

We present Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift observations of the quiescent neutron star in the transient low-mass X-ray binary MAXI J0556-332. Observations of the source made during outburst (with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer) reveal tracks in its X-ray color-color and hardness-intensity diagrams that closely resemble those of the neutron-star Z sources, suggesting that MAXI J0556-332 had near- or super-Eddington luminosities for a large part of its ∼16 month outburst. A comparison of these diagrams with those of other Z sources suggests a source distance of 46 ± 15 kpc. Fits to the quiescent spectra of MAXI J0556-332 with a neutron-star atmosphere model (with or without a power-law component) result in distance estimates of 45 ± 3 kpc, for a neutron-star radius of 10 km and a mass of 1.4 M {sub ☉}. The spectra show the effective surface temperature of the neutron star decreasing monotonically over the first ∼500 days of quiescence, except for two observations that were likely affected by enhanced low-level accretion. The temperatures we obtain for the fits that include a power law (kT{sub eff}{sup ∞} = 184-308 eV) are much higher than those seen for any other neutron star heated by accretion, while the inferred cooling (e-folding) timescale (∼200 days) is similar to other sources. Fits without a power law yield higher temperatures (kT{sub eff}{sup ∞} = 190-336 eV) and a shorter e-folding time (∼160 days). Our results suggest that the heating of the neutron-star crust in MAXI J0556-332 was considerably more efficient than for other systems, possibly indicating additional or more efficient shallow heat sources in its crust.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Blocking Metal Accretion onto Population III Stars by Stellar Wind

Low-mass population III (PopIII) stars of ≲0.8 M{sub ⊙} could survive up until the present. The nondetection of low-mass PopIII stars in our Galaxy has already put a stringent constraint on the initial mass function (IMF) of PopIII stars, suggesting that PopIII stars have a top-heavy IMF. On the other hand, some claim that the lack of such stars stems from metal enrichment of their surfaces by the accretion of heavy elements from the interstellar medium (ISM). We investigate the effects of the stellar wind on metal accretion onto low-mass PopIII stars because accretion of the local ISM onto the Sun is prevented by the solar wind, even for neutrals. The stellar wind and radiation of low-mass PopIII stars are modeled based on knowledge of nearby low-mass stellar systems, including our Sun. We find that low-mass PopIII stars traveling across the Galaxy form a stellar magnetosphere in most of their life. Once the magnetosphere is formed, most of the neutral interstellar particles are photoionized before reaching the stellar surface and are blown away by the wind. Especially, the accretion abundance of iron will be reduced by a factor of <10{sup −12} compared with Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton accretion. The metal accretion can enhance iron abundance [Fe/H] only up to ∼−14. This demonstrates that low-mass PopIII stars remain pristine and will be found as metal-free stars and that further searches for them are valuable in constraining the IMF of PopIII stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OSCILLATION-DRIVEN MAGNETOSPHERIC ACTIVITY IN PULSARS

We study the magnetospheric activity in the polar cap region of pulsars under stellar oscillations. The toroidal oscillation of the star propagates into the magnetosphere, which provides additional voltage due to unipolar induction, changes Goldreich-Julian charge density from the traditional value due to rotation, and hence influences particle acceleration. We present a general solution of the effect of oscillations within the framework of the inner vacuum gap model and consider three different inner gap modes controlled by curvature radiation, inverse Compton scattering, and two-photon annihilation, respectively. With different pulsar parameters and oscillation amplitudes, one of three modes would play a dominant role in defining the gap properties. When the amplitude of oscillation exceeds a critical value, mode changing occurs. Oscillations also lead to a change of the size of the polar cap. As applications, we show the inner gap properties under oscillations in both normal pulsars and anomalous X-ray pulsars/soft gamma-ray repeaters (AXPs/SGRs). We interpret the onset of radio emission after glitches/flares in AXPs/SGRs as due to oscillation-driven magnetic activities in these objects, within the framework of both the magnetar model and the solid quark star model. Within the magnetar model, radio activation may be caused by the enlargement of the effective polar cap angle and the radio emission beam due to oscillation, whereas within the solid quark star angle, it may be caused by activation of the pulsar inner gap from below the radio emission death line due to an oscillation-induced voltage enhancement. The model can also explain the glitch-induced radio profile change observed in PSR J1119–6127.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY OF H{alpha} FILAMENTS IN COOL CORE CLUSTERS: KINEMATICS, REDDENING, AND SOURCES OF IONIZATION

We have obtained deep, high spatial and spectral resolution, long-slit spectra of the H{alpha} nebulae in the cool cores of nine galaxy clusters. This sample provides a wealth of information on the ionization state, kinematics, and reddening of the warm gas in the cool cores of galaxy clusters. We find evidence for only small amounts of reddening in the extended, line-emitting filaments, with the majority of filaments having E(B - V) < 0.2. We find, in agreement with previous works, that the optical emission in cool core clusters has elevated low-ionization line ratios. The combination of [O III]/H{beta}, [N II]/H{alpha}, [S II]/H{alpha}, and [O I]/H{alpha} allow us to rule out collisional ionization by cosmic rays, thermal conduction, and photoionization by intracluster medium (ICM) X-rays and active galactic nuclei as strong contributors to the ionization in the bulk of the optical line-emitting gas in both the nuclei and filaments. The data are adequately described by a composite model of slow shocks and star formation. This model is further supported by an observed correlation between the line widths and low-ionization line ratios which becomes stronger in systems with more modest star formation activity based on far-ultraviolet observations. We find that the more extended, narrow filaments tend to have shallower velocity gradients and narrower line widths than the compact filamentary complexes. We confirm that the widths of the emission lines decrease with radius, from FWHM {approx}600 km s{sup -1} in the nuclei to FWHM {approx}100 km s{sup -1} in the most extended filaments. The variation of line width with radius is vastly different than what is measured from stellar absorption lines in a typical giant elliptical galaxy, suggesting that the velocity width of the warm gas may in fact be linked to ICM turbulence and, thus, may provide a glimpse into the amount of turbulence in cool cores. In the central regions (r < 10 kpc) of several systems the warm gas shows kinematic signatures consistent with rotation, consistent with earlier work. We find that the kinematics of the most extended filaments in this sample are broadly consistent with both infall and outflow, and recommend further studies linking the warm gas kinematics to both radio and X-ray maps in order to further understand the observed kinematics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗