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At least 289 records · Page 16

Constraints on the Formation of the Terrestrial Planets from Experimental Geochemistry

The abundances of V, Cr, and Mn in the mantles of the Earth and Moon are very similar, and are distinct from all other sampled solar system bodies. This similarity has led to the suggestion that there is a genetic relationship between the Earth and Moon, more specifically, that the Moon was derived from the mantle of the Earth after formation of the core. This proposal is at odds with the Giant Impact paradigm of lunar origin and our current understanding of the formation of the terrestrial planets. During the award period, some of the necessary experimental procedures were developed. Specifically, an assembly design has been developed to permit heating of metal by insulating it from highly conducting diamond. A Nd-YAG laser was assembled, aligned and tested. The technique for preparation of the run products for electron microprobe analysis was developed, and an alternative approach has been identified. A scheme to carry out polybaric experiments on a single charge was developed. The experiments carried out did not lead to conclusive results, and the arguments advanced by Drake et aL (1989) and Drake (1990) remain the best summary of the status of the problem.

Drake, Michael J.↗

Crystallization histories of the group IIF iron meteorites and Eagle Station pallasites

The group IIF iron meteorites and Eagle Station pallasites (PES) have highly siderophile element abundances (HSE; Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, and Pd) of metal that are consistent with formation in planetesimal cores by fractional crystallization with minor to major solid metal-liquid metal mixing. Modeling of HSE abundances of the IIF irons indicates a complex formation history that included the mixing of primitive and evolved solid and liquid metals. By contrast, modeling of HSE abundances of PES metal suggests these meteorites formed mainly as equilibrium solids from a common liquid. Abundances of some of the siderophile elements in the IIF irons and PES are permissive of a common core origin, however, the abundances of W and Ni indicate the PES ultimately formed on a more oxidized body. The PES most likely formed by the injection of olivine present at the core-mantle boundary into a metallic core liquid as a result of impact. The core then crystallized inward, trapping the olivine.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Calculations of the accretion and evolution of giant planets The effects of solid cores

The present calculation of giant planet evolution proceeds under the hypothesis that the solid cores formed by small particle accretion later attracted their gaseous envelopes from the solar nebula gravitationally. Evolutionary calculations are presented for the beginning of gaseous envelope formation around the core mass; the growth of core and envelope to a critical core mass; the derivation of high luminosity from the envelope mass due to gravitational contraction, and the termination of both core and envelope accretion on a time-scale of 5 Gyr.

Bodenheimer, P.↗

Computed Tomography Scanning and Geophysical Measurements of the Fayetteville Shale Formation from the Nixon B #1-7 Well

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize core from the Fayetteville and Pitkin formations. This core came from a vertical well drilled by Southwestern Energy (Nixon B #1-7 well) and characterized as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Onshore portfolio’s focus on unconventional shale plays. The primary impetus of this work is to characterize Fayetteville Shale core, from an unconventional shale play in Northwestern Arkansas, that is relatively under-reported on when compared to larger unconventional resources in the continental U.S.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Constraints on the moon's origin from the partitioning behaviour of tungsten

An evaluation is conducted of the parameters which control the partitioning of W between metal and silicate in the moon, taking into account information on the possible magnitudes of the lunar W depletion and the possible lunar metal content. A major question regarding depletion of W during partial melting is found to be related to the very homogeneous W/La ratios in lunar samples. It is concluded that a metal content consistent with present geophysical constraints on the size of a metallic lunar core could account for the depletion of W observed in lunar rocks. The low W/La ratio of the moon cannot be used as evidence for the formation of the moon from the earth's mantle by fission following terrestrial core formation. The approximate coincidence of W/La ratios in the earth, moon, and eucrite parent body may only reflect the operation of the same depletion mechanism in similar conditions on several parent bodies.

Newsom, H. E.↗

Presupernova models and supernovae

The present status of theories of presupernova stellar evolution and the triggering mechanisms of supernova explosions are reviewed. The validity of the single-star approximation for stellar core evolution is considered, and the central density and temperature of the stellar core are discussed. Attention is then given to the results of numerical models of supernova explosions by carbon deflagration of an intermediate mass star, resulting in the total disruption of the star; the photodissociation of iron nuclei in a massive star, resulting in neutron star or black hole formation; and stellar core collapse triggered by electron capture in stars of mass ranging between those of the intermediate mass and massive stars, resulting in neutron star formation despite oxygen deflagration. Helium and carbon combustion and detonation in accreting white dwarfs and the gravitational collapse triggered by electron-pair creation in supermassive stars are also discussed, and problems requiring future investigation are indicated.

Sugimoto, D.↗

Stability of Fe 2 S and Fe 12 S 7 to 125 GPa; implications for S-rich planetary cores

The Fe-FeS phase relations were explored in the 22–25 wt. % S compositional range using single crystal X-ray diffraction in a laser heated diamond anvil cell. At pressures up to 125 GPa and at high temperatures, Fe 2 S and Fe 12 S 7 were determined to co-crystallise. The novel Fe 12 S 7 compound adopts the Co 12 P 7 structure and Fe 2 S assumes the Fe 2 P-type structure. Applying these results to an Fe-FeS binary phase diagram exposes a complex series of FeS phase assemblages in the 16–25 wt. % S range, whereby minor changes in S content significantly affect the crystallisation sequence of Fe-S rich planetary cores. For core compositions S-rich of the Fe 2 S-Fe 12 S 7 eutectic, the small density difference between solid Fe 12 S 7 and Fe 2 S is likely to result in the formation of a core slush rather than a gravitationally stable inner core. Crystallisation of denser Fe 2 S at eutectic conditions could then result in gravitational settling of an Fe 2 S-rich inner core over time. As the Fe 2 P-type Fe 2 S has previously been identified forming at high temperatures to pressures as low as 22 GPa, the core crystallisation regimes determined here also elucidate that the Martian core sulfur composition must lie on the S-rich side of the Fe-Fe 3 S eutectic or even the S-rich side of the Fe 3 S-Fe 2 S eutectic to maintain a fully molten core.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Galaxy formation with wave/fuzzy dark matter: The core-halo structure and the solitonic imprint

Dark matter-dominated cores have long been claimed for the well-studied local group dwarf galaxies. More recently, extended stellar halos have been uncovered around several of these dwarfs through deeper imaging and spectroscopy. Such core-halo structures (inner flat core and a characteristic r −3 asymptotic outer halo profile) are not a feature of conventional cold dark matter (CDM). In contrast, smooth and prominent dark matter cores are predicted for wave/fuzzy dark matter (ψDM). The question arises as to what extent the visible stellar profiles should reflect this dark matter core structure. Here we compare cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of CDM, “WDM” (model used as a proxy for ψDM) & ψDM, aiming to predict the stellar profiles for these three DM scenarios. We show that cores surrounded by extended halos are distinguishable for ψDM, where the stellar density is enhanced in the core due to the presence of the relatively dense soliton. Our analysis demonstrates that, in our simulations, a distinctive core-halo structure does not appear in the case of CDM in the DM, gas, or stars. Whereas we do find a core-halo transition for DM, gas, and stars for ψDM, and the scale of this transition is in line with the predicted core radius set by the soliton scale anticipated for the adopted boson mass of 2.5×10 −22 eV. The presence of a core-halo structure in the stellar profile for Galaxy 1 for ψDM is visible for the most massive and the first galaxy to form in the simulation. Clearly, further simulations are needed to establish how strict this possible relationship is between the DM and stellar core-halo profile as a potential observational discriminator. Furthermore, we observe the anticipated asymmetry for ψDM due to the soliton's motion (jumping and random walk), a distinctive characteristic not found in the symmetric distributions of stars in the warm and CDM models.

dark matter↗

The problem of the Earth's CO2 content and the iron core

The near absence of metallic iron and the presence of magnetite and FeS in the C-1 chondrites imply that metallic iron was a minor phase present during the accretion process that formed the C-1 chondrites. If the C-1 chondrites provided the bulk of the initial planetary growth materials, the carbon reduction model is favored. The above estimates suggest that some 1240 to 227 times as much CO2 may have been produced during the formation of the core than can be accounted for in the crust and mantle. This discrepancy taken to the extreme suggests either that: (1) the Earth has lost more than 99 percent of its initial CO2 during early differentiation (this is highly unlikely) or: (2) the Earth has acquired some 90 percent of its present mass by the accretion of debris from previously reduced and differentiated but subsequently disrupted planetary bodies whereby the associated CO2 would not be captured, or: (3) the C-1 chondrites represent only a trivial fraction of the initial accretion materials present in the nebular cloud or: (4) condensed iron and anhydrous silicate phases were preferentially accreted during the initial formation of the planetary bodies.

Devore, G. W.↗

Aperture size distribution, length, and preferential location of bed-parallel veins in shale

Bed-parallel, calcite-filled veins (BPVs) are common in shale formations, and although they have been widely described in other studies, little is known about their population aperture size distribution. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed BPV sizes in outcrops and cores from the Vaca Muerta Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina; in two cores from the Marcellus Formation, Appalachian Basin, northeast Pennsylvania; and in one core from the Wolfcamp Shale, Delaware Basin, West Texas. Nine out of ten aperture size populations follow a negative exponential distribution, with one following a weak power law. Bed-parallel vein size distribution and intensity vary among formations and within the same shale. We define three groups of distributions: (1) Vaca Muerta outcrops, with the highest BPV intensity and the largest BPVs (cumulative frequency of 4.9 BPVs per meter [BPVs/m] for apertures 0.265 mm to 8.7 cm); (2) Vaca Muerta cores with a similar BPV intensity overall but with no apertures wider than 1.2 cm; and (3) Vaca Muerta, Wolfcamp, and Marcellus cores with the fewest BPVs (cumulative frequency up to 0.63 BPVs/m) and very few wider than 1 cm. Aperture and length in two outcrop data sets are weakly positively correlated and follow power laws with exponents of 0.44 and 0.49. Mechanical interfaces at boundaries between different lithologies exert a strong control on BPV location, with 65–75% of observed interfaces having BPVs along them. Only 25–30% of the BPVs occur at observed material interfaces, however, and unless subtle, unobserved mechanical layering is present, other factors must also control location. BPV intensity and organic richness (TOC) from Vaca Muerta well logs are correlated in some instances but not in others, indicating TOC is not always a good proxy for BPV location or intensity. Furthermore, these findings provide useful information for modeling of hydraulic fracture treatments where BPVs may influence development of the stimulated fracture network, for example by limiting height growth.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Polyvinyl Alcohol Anion Exchange Resin Composite Membrane with Co@Cu Core–Shell Particles for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cell Applications

We report a polyvinyl alcohol anion exchange resin composite membrane, functionalized with Co and Cu ions, is reported for use in direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs). The CoCu-functionalized membrane has a 30.5% lower fuel permeability than that of a blank membrane. Meanwhile, the cell performance of the DBFC can also be improved by employing the CoCu-functionalized membrane, reaching a maximum power density of 304 mW·cm –2 at 60 °C. High-resolution fluorescence images directly demonstrate the formation of Cu/Co core–shell structure microparticles in the CoCu membrane, which not only reduces the Co content but also increases the active surface area of Co species in CoCu-functionalized membranes, resulting in the improvement of cell performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Epitaxial Growth of 2D Core‐Crown SnS 2 /SnSe 2 Heterostructure Through Interfacial Modification with Polyvinylpyrrolidone

Abstract Developing generalized strategies for controlled synthesis of 2D heterostructures remains a significant challenge because the existing approaches often suffer from poor reproducibility and scalability. In this study, a solution synthesis approach for epitaxial core‐crown heterostructures with controlled band alignment, that overcomes these challenges is reported. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is used as a structure‐directing agent to reduce lattice mismatch between SnS 2 and SnSe 2 (10‐10) surfaces and direct epitaxial growth of SnSe 2 crown on SnS 2 seed. Additionally, PVP adsorption to the basal plane prevents van der Waals stacking and stabilizes 2D heterostructures during synthesis. Driven by interfacial thermodynamics, the formation of the core‐crown heterostructure is highly reproducible and the size of the 2D heterostructure and relative areas of the core and the crown can be precisely controlled in a two‐step process by varying synthesis times for the seed and the crown. The identified growth pathway for 2D heterostructures can be generalized to other combinations of van der Waals materials to provide a platform for synthesizing micron‐size epitaxial heterostructures with a desired electronic structure for catalysis and microelectronics.

Liu, Lili [Physical and Computational Sciences Dir↗

Outflow from Outer-arm Starburst in a Grazing Collision between Galaxies

Gemini NIFS K-band spectra and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array {sup 12}CO J=1→0, HCO{sup +}, and 100 GHz continuum observations are used to study a bright starburst clump on an outer arm of the interacting galaxy NGC 2207. This clump emits 23% of the total 24 μm flux of the galaxy pair and has an optically opaque dust cone extending out of its 170 pc core. The measured CO accounts for the dark cone extinction if almost all the gas and dust there are in front of the star clusters. An associated approaching CO outflow has v {sub z} ~ 16 km s{sup -1}, an estimated molecular mass 8 × 10{sup 6} M {sub ⊙}, and rises to heights ~0.9 kpc. A receding CO outflow on the far side with v {sub z} ~ 28 km s{sup -1} is less extensive. The observed star formation in the core over 10 Myr can supply the dark cone kinetic energy of roughly 2 × 10{sup 52} erg via supernovae and stellar winds. Other signs of intense activity are a variable radio continuum, suggesting an embedded supernova or other outburst; X-ray emission possibly from an X-ray binary or intermediate-mass black hole, depending on the extinction; and Brγ and He i lines with 82 km s{sup -1} line widths and fluxes consistent with excitation by embedded O-type stars. According to previous models, the retrograde encounter suffered by NGC 2207 caused the loss of angular momentum. This compressed its outer disk. We suggest that the resulting inward crashing stream hit a massive H i clump on the preexisting spiral arm and triggered the observed starburst.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Uv-bright Nearby Early-type Galaxies Observed in the Mid-infrared: Eidence for a Multi-stage Formation History by Way of WISE and GALEX Imaging

In the local universe, 10% of massive elliptical galaxies are observed to exhibit a peculiar property: a substantial excess of ultraviolet emission than what is expected from their old, red stellar populations. Several origins for this ultraviolet excess (UVX) have been proposed including a population of hot young stars and a population of old, blue horizontal branch or extended horizontal branch (BHB or EHB) stars that have undergone substantial mass loss from their outer atmospheres. We explore the radial distribution of UVX in a selection of 49 nearby E/S0-type galaxies by measuring their extended photometry in the UV through mid-infrared (mid-IR) with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We compare UV/optical and UV/mid-IR colors with the Flexible Stellar Population Synthesis models, which allow for the inclusion of EHB stars. We find that combined WISE mid-IR and GALEX UV colors are more effective in distinguishing models than optical colors, and that the UV/mid-IR combination is sensitive to the EHB fraction. There are strong color gradients, with the outer radii bluer than the inner half-light radii by approx.1 mag. This color difference is easily accounted for with an increase in the BHB fraction of 0.25 with radius. We estimated that the average ages for the inner and outer radii are 7.0 +/- 0.3 Gyr, and 6.2 +/- 0.2 Gyr, respectively, with the implication that the outer regions are likely to have formed approx. 1 Gyr after the inner regions. Additionally, we find that metallicity gradients are likely not a significant factor in the color difference. The separation of color between the inner and outer regions, which agrees with a specific stellar population difference (e.g., higher EHB populations), and the approx. 0.5-2 Gyr age difference suggests multi-stage formation. Our results are best explained by inside-out formation: rapid star formation within the core at early epochs (>4 Gyr ago) and at least one later stage starburst event coinciding with z approx. 1.

galaxies: elliptical and lenticular↗

The growth of thermal instabilities in cooling flows

Numerical hydrodynamic simulations are used to determine the evolution of the condensation modes for thermal instabilities in 10 to the 6th to 10 to the 8th K gas. These simulations properly take into account the effects of nonequilibrium cooling below 10 to the 6th K. It is found that only perturbations greater than about 3 kpc develop shocks in the hot environment of cooling flows. These large perturbations evolve through three distinct phases: (1) the formation of a cold core, (2) a supersonic accretion phase onto the cold core which lasts for 10 to the 5th to 10 to the 6th yr with peak shock velocities about 120 km/s, and (3) a subsonic accretion phase. The X-ray emissivity and the optical-ultraviolet line emission associated with thermal instabilities are calculated. These calculations demonstrate that the optical emission from cooling flows probably does not arise from shocked condensations. The calculated optical emission lines are of a higher ionization level and a lower luminosity than the observations. Ultraviolet lines produced in the shocks may be detectable. The core must cool significantly after the shock has dissipated before star formation can commence.

David, Laurence P.↗

Millimeter continuum observations of Galactic center giant molecular cloud cores

Results are presented of observations of 1.3- and 0.8-mm continuum emission toward the cores of three Galactic center molecular clouds with ongoing massive star formation, Sagittarius B2, C, and D, which were made in order to study possible variations in the high-mass star formation rate per unit mass between the Galactic center and the disk. The luminosity-to-mass ratio, based on the mass estimates derived from the millimeter continuum emission, is used as a tracer of the high-mass star formation rate in GMC cores. The magnitude of errors involved in using millimeter continuum emission for determining the core mass is estimated through radiative transfer modeling. It is inferred from the present millimeter data, along with previously published far-infrared data, that the Sgr C and D cores are very similar in terms of mean dust optical depth and temperature. The luminosity-to-mass ratios derived for the Sgr C and D cores are found to be consistent with those of typical disk GMC cores with comparable far-infrared luminosities.

Lis, D. C.↗