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At least 289 records · Page 16

Flux Estimates of Ions from the Lunar Exosphere

We compare estimates for the ion fluxes of twelve expected constituents of the lunar exosphere with estimates for the ion fluxes ejected from the lunar surface by solar wind ions and electrons. Our estimates demonstrate that measurements of lunar ions will help constrain the abundances of many undetected species in the lunar exosphere, particularly AI and Si, because the expected ion flux levels from the exosphere exceed those from the surface. To correctly infer the relative abundances of exospheric ions and neutrals from Kaguya Ion Mass Analyzer (IMA) measurements, we must take into account the velocity distributions of local ions. The predicted spectrum underestimates the measured levels of 0+ relative to other lunar ion species, a result that may suggest contributions by molecular ions to the measured 0+ rates.

Sarantos, M.↗

The cosmic ray spectrum above 10(17) eV

The final analysis of the data obtained by the Sydney University Giant Airshower Recorder (SUGAR) is presented. The data has been reanalysed to take into account the effects of afterpulsing in the photomultiplier tubes. Event data was used to produce a spectrum of equivalent vertical muon number and from this a model dependent primary energy spectrum was obtained. These spectra show good evidence for the Ankle: a flattening at 10(19) eV. There is no sign of the cut-off which would be expected from the effects of the universal black body radiation.

Winn, M. M.↗

On the determination of the cosmic infrared background radiation from the high-energy spectrum of extragalactic gamma-ray sources

In a recent paper Stecker, De Jager, & Salamon have suggested using the observed approximately MeV to TeV spectra of extragalactic gamma-ray sources as probes of the local density of the cosmic infrared background radiation (CIBR) and have subsequently claimed a first possible measurement of the CIBR from the analysis of the gamma-ray spectrum of Mrk 421 (De Jager, Stecker, & Salamon). The CIBR from normal galaxies consists of two components: a stellar emission component (CIBRs), and a thermal dust emission component (CIBRd). Photons with energies in the approximately 0.1-2 TeV range interact primarily with the CIBRs, whereas interactions with CIBRd dominate the absorption of photons in the approximately 2-100 TeV energy range. SDS 92 and DSS94 considered only the interaction of the gamma-rays with the dust emission component of the CIBR. We present here an improved analysis of the absorption of extragalactic TeV gamma rays by the CIBR, taking the dual nature of its origin into account. Applying the analysis to the observed gamma-ray spectrum of Mrk 421, a BL Lac object at z = 0.031, we find agreement with DSS94 tentative evidence for absorption by the CINRs. Our analysis therefore limits the detection of the CIBR to the approximately 15-40 micron wavelength regime which, considering the uncertainties in the highest energy (greater than 4 TeV) data and ion the possibility of absorption inside the source, many turn out to be an upper limit on its energy density. At shorter wavelengths (lambda approximately = 1-15 microns), where the gamma-ray interactions are dominated by the CIBRs, our analysis definitely yields only an upper limit on the energy density of the CIBR. In contrast, DSS94 have claimed a possible first measurement of the CIBR over the entire 1-120 micron wavelength region. The upper limit on the CIBRs and tentative detection of the CIBRd are consistent with normal galaxies contributing most of the energy to the CIBR, and constrain the contribution of some exotic sources. With careful modeling of infrared foreground emissions, these constraints on the CIBR are above the values measurable by the DIRBE experiment on board the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite.

Dwek, Eli↗

Modeling the unidentified infrared emission with combinations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The infrared emission band spectrum associated with many different interstellar objects can be modeled successfully by using combined laboratory spectra of neutral and positively charged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These model spectra, shown here for the first time, alleviate the principal spectroscopic criticisms previously leveled at the PAH hypothesis and demonstrate that mixtures of free molecular PAHs can indeed account for the overall appearance of the widespread interstellar infrared emission spectrum. Furthermore, these models give us insight into the structures, stabilities, abundances, and ionization balance of the interstellar PAH population. These, in turn, reflect conditions in the emission zones and shed light on the microscopic processes involved in the carbon nucleation, growth, and evolution in circumstellar shells and the interstellar medium.

Spectrophotometry, Infrared↗

Collective oscillations of the magnetic moments of a chain of spherical magnetic nanoparticles with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy

Magnetic particles moving freely in a fluid can organize dense phases (3D clusters or linear chains). We analyze the spectrum of magnetic oscillations of a chain of spherical magnetic particles taking into account the magnetic anisotropy of an individual particle for an arbitrary relation between the anisotropy energy and the energy of the dipole interaction of particles. For any relation between these energies, the spectrum contains three branches of collective oscillations: a high-frequency branch and a weakly split doublet of low-frequency branches. The frequency of the high-frequency branch is determined by a stronger interaction, while the frequencies of the low-frequency branches are determined by the weakest interaction. Accordingly, the dispersion is maximal for oscillations formed by the dipole-dipole interaction of particles, which have high frequencies in the case of a strong dipole interaction or low frequencies in the case of a strong anisotropy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

CAN WE REPRODUCE THE X-RAY BACKGROUND SPECTRAL SHAPE USING LOCAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI?

The X-ray background (XRB) is due to the aggregate of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which peak in activity at z {approx} 1 and is often modeled as the sum of different proportions of unabsorbed, moderately, and heavily absorbed AGN. We present the summed spectrum of a complete sample of local AGN (the Northern Galactic Cap of the 58 month Swift/BAT catalog, z < 0.2) using 0.4-200 keV data and directly determine the different proportions of unabsorbed, moderately and heavily absorbed AGN that make up the summed spectrum. This stacked low redshift AGN spectrum is remarkably similar in shape to the XRB spectrum (when shifted to z {approx} 1), but the observed proportions of different absorption populations differ from most XRB synthesis models. AGN with Compton-thick absorption account for only {approx}12% of the sample, but produce a significant contribution to the overall spectrum. We confirm that Compton reflection is more prominent in moderately absorbed AGN and that the photon index differs intrinsically between unabsorbed and absorbed AGN. The AGN in our sample account for only {approx}1% of the XRB intensity. The reproduction of the XRB spectral shape suggests that strong evolution in individual AGN properties is not required between z {approx} 0 and 1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Spectral evidence for sublimates and adsorbates on Io

The results of laboratory studies of sulfur adsorbates and sublimates are presented to explain the observed spectral reflectance of Io. The hemispherical and bidirectional spectral reflectances of typical sublimate phases of Na2S, NaHS, K2S and mixtures thereof with free sulfur were measured under varied temperature and particle-irradiation conditions. It is found that Na2S, K2S and NaHS have absorption bands at all the key wavelengths of Io's spectrum in the UV and visible ranges, and as a group can account for much of Io's spectral reflectance in the 0.25- to 5.0-micron range. It is also concluded that adsorbed gases, possibly H2S and SO2, believed to be formed by reactions in the sublimate phase, also contribute to the IR spectrum of Io's surface.

Nash, D. B.↗

Measuring Rocket Engine Temperatures with Hydrogen Raman Spectroscopy

Optically accessible, high pressure, hot fire test articles are available at NASA Marshall for use in development of advanced rocket engine propellant injectors. Single laser-pulse ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy has been used in the past in these devices for analysis of high pressure H2- and CH4-fueled combustion, but relies on an independent pressure measurement in order to provide temperature information. A variation of UV Raman (High Resolution Hydrogen Raman Spectroscopy) is under development and will allow temperature measurement without the need for an independent pressure measurement, useful for flows where local pressure may not be accurately known. The technique involves the use of a spectrometer with good spectral resolution, requiring a small entrance slit for the spectrometer. The H2 Raman spectrum, when created by a narrow linewidth laser source and obtained from a good spectral resolution spectrograph, has a spectral shape related to temperature. By best-fit matching an experimental spectrum to theoretical spectra at various temperatures, a temperature measurement is obtained. The spectral model accounts for collisional narrowing, collisional broadening, Doppler broadening, and collisional line shifting of each Raman line making up the H2 Stokes vibrational Q-branch spectrum. At pressures from atmospheric up to those associated with advanced preburner components (5500 psia), collisional broadening though present does not cause significant overlap of the Raman lines, allowing high resolution H2 Raman to be used for temperature measurements in plumes and in high pressure test articles. Experimental demonstrations of the technique are performed for rich H2-air flames at atmospheric pressure and for high pressure, 300 K H2-He mixtures. Spectrometer imaging quality is identified as being critical for successful implementation of technique.

Wehrmeyer, Joseph A.↗

Framework for Predicting the Photodegradation of Adhesion of Silicone Encapsulants

We developed a framework to predict and model the photodegradation of adhesion and cohesion of a silicone encapsulant for concentrator photovoltaic applications. Silicone encapsulant specimens were artificially weathered under narrow band UV filters to determine the effects of individual wavelengths within the UV spectrum on the photodegradation of the cohesion of encapsulant material and its adhesion with adjacent interfaces. The threshold wavelength, signifying the upper bound of the damaging action spectrum for the silicone, was identified from the results. In addition, specimens were artificially weathered with different relative humidities to understand the effects of moisture on the rate of photodegradation. The adhesion energy was measured using a fracture mechanics approach. The complementary delaminated surfaces were characterized to determine the failure pathway and chemistry changes resulting from photodegradation. A previously developed model was modified to account for the effects of damaging wavelengths in the terrestrial solar spectrum and reciprocity law failure due to varying UV intensity during weathering. With these modifications, the model showed good agreement with the behavior of the silicone encapsulant exposed in an outdoor solar concentrator simulating concentrator photovoltaics operating conditions. Similar studies can be adopted to develop models that can have high predictive accuracies based on accelerated aging studies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Extracting scattering amplitudes for arbitrary two-particle systems with one-particle left-hand cuts via lattice QCD

We derive a general formalism that relates the spectrum of two-particle systems in a finite volume to physical scattering amplitudes, taking into account the presence of any left-hand branch cuts due to single-particle exchanges. The method first relates the finite-volume spectrum to an infinite-volume short-range quantity, denoted ${\mathcal{M}}_0$, and then relates the latter to the physical scattering amplitudes via known integral equations. The derivation of both relations is performed using all-orders perturbation theory and is exact up to neglected exponentially suppressed volume dependence. The relations hold for arbitrary two-particle systems with any number of coupled channels, non-identical and non-degenerate particles, and any intrinsic spin.

algorithms↗

Low energy antiprotons from supernova exploding in dense clouds

The antiproton spectrum resulting from a supernova, which exploded inside a dense cloud, is calculated by taking into account all energy loss processes including adiabatic deceleration during the expansion phase. The influence of various energy loss processes on the evolution of the spectrum as the supernova expands is investigated. It is shown that if about 25 percent of the cosmic ray nucleons are from such sources, the observed low energy antiprotons can be explained, provided the effect of solar modulation is not very large. The possibility of obtaining enhanced low energy spectrum by this process is also examined.

Stephens, S. A.↗

Cyclotron resonance features in a three-dimensional topological insulators

The specific features of the cyclotron resonance in topological insulators of the Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} family are analyzed. The energy spectrum of electron excitation on the surface of these compounds in a magnetic field has the C{sub 3V} symmetry. With the use of quasiclassical equations of motion, which take into account the Berry curvature and magnetic moment, it is found that the cyclotron frequency spectrum contains additional harmonics due to spectrum anisotropy. An analysis of these harmonics makes it possible to reveal the contribution from the topological characteristics to the observables.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Influence of Radiation on Ice Crystal Spectrum in the Upper Troposphere

This theoretical study is carried out to investigate the effect of radiation on ice crystal spectrum in the upper troposphere. First, an explicit expression is obtained for the ice crystal growth rate that takes account of radiative and kinetic effects. Second, the expression is used to quantitatively analyze how radiation broadens the ice crystal spectrum and then reveal a new precipitation mechanism in the upper troposphere and the stratosphere. Third, the radiative effect is used to explain the subvisual clouds near the tropopause.

Zeng, Xiping↗

Far infrared absorption of N2-H2 gaseous mixtures

The rototranslational absorption spectrum of N2-H2 gaseous mixtures has been measured at five different temperatures from 298 to 90 K in the frequency range 80-850/cm. The absorption spectra due to N2-H2 interactions have been analyzed considering only the quadrupolar induction mechanism. With this assumption, the experimental data are fairly well accounted for, thereby providing a procedure for predicting the N2-H2 spectrum over a wide temperature range.

Codastefano, P.↗

Cross Sections for Electron Impact Excitation of Astrophysically Abundant Atoms and Ions

Electron collisional excitation rates and transition probabilities are important for computing electron temperatures and densities, ionization equilibria, and for deriving elemental abundances from emission lines formed in the collisional and photoionized astrophysical plasmas. Accurate representation of target wave functions that properly account for the important correlation and relaxation effects and inclusion of coupling effects including coupling to the continuum are essential components of a reliable collision calculation. Non-orthogonal orbitals technique in multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock approach is used to calculate oscillator strengths and transition probabilities. The effect of coupling to the continuum spectrum is included through the use of pseudostates which are chosen to account for most of the dipole polarizabilities of target states. The B-spline basis is used in the R-matrix approach to calculate electron excitation collision strengths and rates. Results for oscillator strengths and electron excitation collision strengths for transitions in N I, O I, O II, O IV, S X and Fe XIV have been produced

Tayal, S. S.↗

Comparative Study of Finite Element Methods Using the Time-Accuracy-Size(TAS) Spectrum Analysis

We present a performance analysis appropriate for comparing algorithms using different numerical discretizations. By taking into account the total time-to-solution, numerical accuracy with respect to an error norm, and the computation rate, a cost-benefit analysis can be performed to determine which algorithm and discretization are particularly suited for an application. This work extends the performance spectrum model in for interpretation of hardware and algorithmic tradeoffs in numerical PDE simulation. As a proof-of-concept, popular finite element software packages are used to illustrate this analysis for Poisson’s equation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The origin of the extragalactic gamma-ray background and implications for dark matter annihilation

The origin of the extragalactic γ-ray background (EGB) has been debated for some time. The EGB comprises the γ-ray emission from resolved and unresolved extragalactic sources, such as blazars, star-forming galaxies, and radio galaxies, as well as radiation from truly diffuse processes. This Letter focuses on the blazar source class, the most numerous detected population, and presents an updated luminosity function and spectral energy distribution model consistent with the blazar observations performed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT). Additionally, we show that blazars account for 50$_{-11}^{+12}$% of the EGB photons (>0.1 GeV), and that Fermi-LAT has already resolved ~70% of this contribution. Blazars, and in particular hard-spectrum sources such as BL Lacs, are responsible for most of the EGB emission above 100 GeV. We find that the extragalactic background light, which attenuates blazars' high-energy emission, is responsible for the high-energy cutoff observed in the EGB spectrum. Finally, we show that blazars, star-forming galaxies, and radio galaxies can naturally account for the amplitude and spectral shape of the background in the 0.1–820 GeV range, leaving only modest room for other contributions. In conclusion, this allows us to set competitive constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Methodical Aspects of the Determination of Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Using FTIR Spectroscopy

Monitoring the state of ground-based spectroscopic systems ensures high accuracy of atmospheric gas composition measurements and the possibility of using measurement data for validating satellite measurements and numerical models. Column-averaged carbon dioxide mixing ratios (XCO{sub 2}) can be used to assess the quality of spectroscopic measurements because its content is stable in the atmosphere. The XCO{sub 2} values were retrieved from spectra measured by Fourier transform IR spectrometry (FTIR) using a Bruker 125HR instrument between 2009 and 2017 at the Peterhof station (St. Petersburg, Russia). The total error of the FTIR CO{sub 2} columns retrieval was 4.18 ± 0.02%, with 0.36 ± 0.06% and 4.16 ± 0.02% for random and systematic errors, respectively. The data obtained are compared with model calculations based on long-term observations at the Mauna Loa station. Various schemes solving for the inverse problem were analyzed and compared among themselves, and estimates of empirical random errors in the determination of XCO{sub 2} were obtained. To improve the accuracy of XCO{sub 2} measurements, it is recommended to determine the error of the Fourier-spectrometer phase and the slope of the zero line of the spectrum simultaneously with the atmospheric gas composition measurements taking into account various continuum sources of error.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗