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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2025

Abundant Ammonia and Nitrogen-Rich Soluble Organic Matter in Samples From Asteroid (101955) Bennu

Organic matter in meteorites reveals clues about early Solar System chemistry and the origin of molecules important to life, but terrestrial exposure complicates interpretation. Samples returned from the B-type asteroid Bennu by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identifcation, and Security–Regolith Explorer mission enabled us to study pristine carbonaceous astromaterial without uncontrolled exposure to Earth’s biosphere. Here we show that Bennu samples are volatile rich, with more carbon, nitrogen and ammonia than samples from asteroid Ryugu and most meteorites. Nitrogen-15 isotopic enrichments indicate that ammonia and other N-containing soluble molecules formed in a cold molecular cloud or the outer protoplanetary disk. We detected amino acids (including 14 of the 20 used in terrestrial biology), amines, formaldehyde, carboxylic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and N-heterocycles (including all fve nucleobases found in DNA and RNA), along with ~10,000 N-bearing chemical species. All chiral non-protein amino acids were racemic or nearly so, implying that terrestrial life’s left-handed chirality may not be due to bias in prebiotic molecules delivered by impacts. The relative abundances of amino acids and other soluble organics suggest formation and alteration by low-temperature reactions, possibly in NH3-rich fuids. Bennu’s parent asteroid developed in or accreted ices from a reservoir in the outer Solar System where ammonia ice was stable.

Daniel P Glavin↗
NASA NTRS2026

Isotopic Evidence for A Cold and Distant Origin of 3I/Atlas

Interstellar objects provide the only directly observable samples of icy planetesimals formed around other stars, and can therefore provide insight into the diversity of physical and chemical conditions occurring during exoplanet formation1−3. Here we report isotopic measurements of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which reveal an elemental composition unlike any Solar System body. The water in 3I/ATLAS is enriched in deuterium, at a level of D/H = (0.98 ± 0.06)%, which is more than an order of magnitude higher than in known comets, while its range of 12 C/ 13 C ratios (141–191 for CO 2 and 123–172 for CO) exceeds typical values found in the Solar System, as well as nearby interstellar clouds and protoplanetary disks. Such extreme isotopic signatures indicate formation at temperatures ≲ 30 K in a relatively metal-poor environment. When interpreted with respect to models for Galactic chemical evolution, the carbon isotopic composition implies that 3I/ATLAS may have accreted as long ago as 12 billion years, following a period of intense, early star formation. 3I/ATLAS thus represents a preserved fragment of an ancient planetary system.

Martin A Cordiner↗
NASA NTRS2026

Isotopic Signature of Organic Molecules from Beyond the Solar System: An Enriched Methane D/H Ratio in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Interstellar objects are interlopers from other planetary systems, and their volatile compositions provide a glimpse into planet formation around their host star. We present near-infrared spectra of the coma of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS measured with the James Webb Space Telescope. Our results demonstrate an unexpectedly high D/H = (3.31 ± 0.34)% for methane and represent an exceedingly rare detection of deuterated organic molecules in an interstellar object. This D/H ratio is a factor of 14 ± 2 higher than that measured in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the Rosetta spacecraft, the only other comet for which CH3D has been detected, yet the ratio of deuteration in methane compared with water is consistent for both comets within 1.2σ. The D/H ratio in methane is observationally unconstrained in extrasolar sources to date, but the enriched ratio in 3I/ATLAS is most similar to those measured in other organic molecules toward primitive environments. The high D/H ratios of water and methane in 3I/ATLAS are a natural consequence of formation in a high D/H elemental ratio environment as a result of locally cold conditions in the protoplanetary disk and prior interstellar cloud. Thus, 3I/ATLAS formed in an environment very different from that in which our Sun and planets originated.

Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS↗
NASA NTRS2011

Emission Lines from the Gas Disk Around TW Hydra and the Origin of the Inner Hole

We compare line emission calculated from theoretical disk models with optical to submillimeter wavelength observational data of the gas disk surrounding TW Hya and infer the spatial distribution of mass in the gas disk. The model disk that best matches observations has a gas mass ranging from approx.10(exp −4) to 10(exp −5) M for 0.06AU < r < 3.5 AU and approx. 0.06M for 3.5AU < r < 200 AU. We find that the inner dust hole (r < 3.5 AU) in the disk must be depleted of gas by approx. 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with the extrapolated surface density distribution of the outer disk. Grain growth alone is therefore not a viable explanation for the dust hole. CO vibrational emission arises within r approx. 0.5 AU from thermal excitation of gas. [O i] 6300Å and 5577Å forbidden lines and OH mid-infrared emission are mainly due to prompt emission following UV photodissociation of OH and water at r < or approx. 0.1 AU and at r approx. 4 AU. [Ne ii] emission is consistent with an origin in X-ray heated neutral gas at r < or approx. 10 AU, and may not require the presence of a significant extreme-ultraviolet (hν > 13.6 eV) flux from TW Hya. H2 pure rotational line emission comes primarily from r approx. 1 to 30 AU. [Oi] 63microns, HCO+, and CO pure rotational lines all arise from the outer disk at r approx. 30-120 AU. We discuss planet formation and photoevaporation as causes for the decrease in surface density of gas and dust inside 4 AU. If a planet is present, our results suggest a planet mass approx. 4-7MJ situated at ∼3 AU. Using our photoevaporation models and the best surface density profile match to observations, we estimate a current photoevaporative mass loss rate of 4x10(exp −9M)/yr and a remaining disk lifetime of approx.5 million years.

Planet-Disk interactions↗
NASA NTRS1996

Size Segregation and Number Density Enhancement of Particles in Accretion Disk Eddies

We investigate the conditions for trapping solid dust particles in eddies and discuss the behavior of particles in a non-laminar protoplanetary accretion disk. We considered particle sizes from small dust grains to larger objects, 10(exp -4) cm less than a(sub p) less than 10(exp 2) cm. Independent of the source of turbulence, one can expect eddies to exist in the gas flow of a accretion disk, in the form of randomly occurring turbulent features or as convective cells. Due to the centrifugal force, solid particles are driven out of an eddy. It will be shown that this process is inhibited by the gravitational force induced by the protostar. Because of the mass dependence of the friction time, a given eddy becomes a trap for particles of a characteristic size and causes a local change in the dust density. Thus, the size distribution of the grains is no longer spatially homogeneous on small scales. Our general estimates do not depend on special turbulence or convection models. We calculate the maximal inhomogeneity due to this process. The strongest effect was observed for mm-sized particles, which can be concentrated by a factor of 100 within only 100 years.

Klahr, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Mid-Infrared Imaging Survey of Embedded Young Stellar Objects in the (rho) Ophiuchi Cloud Core

Results of a comprehensive, new, ground-based mid-infrared imaging survey of the young stellar population of the (rho) Ophiuchi cloud are presented. Data were acquired at the Palomar 5m and at the Keck 10m telescopes with the MIRLIN and LWS instruments, at 0'.5 and 0'.25 resolutions, respectively. Of 172 survey objects, 85 were detected. Among the 22 multiple systems observed, 15 were resolved and their individual component fluxes determined. A plot of the frequency distribution of the detected objects with SED spectral slope shows that YSOs spend approx.4 x 10(exp 5) yr in the flat-spectrum phase, clearing out their remnant infall envelopes. Mid-infrared variability is found among a significant fraction of the surveyed objects and is found to occur for all SED classes with optically thick disks. Large-amplitude near-infrared variability, also found for all SED classes with optically thick disks, seems to occur with somewhat higher frequency at the earlier evolutionary stages. Although a general trend of mid-infrared excess and near-infrared veiling exists progressing through SED classes, with Class I objects generally exhibiting r(sub K) >= 1, flat-spectrum objects with r(sub K) >= 0.58, and Class III objects with r(sub K) =0, Class II objects exhibit the widest range of r(sub K) values, ranging from 0 <= r(sub K) <= 4.5. However, the highly variable value of veiling that a single source can exhibit in any of the SED classes in which active disk accretion can take place is striking and is direct observational evidence for highly time-variable accretion activity in disks. Finally, by comparing mid-infrared versus near-infrared excesses in a subsample with well-determined effective temperatures and extinction values, disk-clearing mechanisms are explored. The results are consistent with disk clearing proceeding from the inside out.

planetary systems↗
NASA NTRS2011

Future Missions to Study Signposts of Planets

This talk will focus on debris disks, will compare ground and space and will discuss 2 proposed missions, Exoplanetary Circumstellar Environments And Disk Explorer (EXCEDE) and Zodiac II. At least 2 missions have been proposed for disk imaging. The technology is largely in hand today. A small mission would do excellent disk science, and would test technology for a future large mission for planets.

protoplanetary disks↗
NASA NTRS1997

Protostars and Disks

The research concentrated on high angular resolution (arc-second scale) studies of molecular cloud cores associated with very young star formation. New ways to study disks and protoplanetary systems were explored. Findings from the areas studied are briefly summarized: (1) molecular clouds; (2) gravitational contraction; (3) jets, winds, and outflows; (4) Circumstellar Disks (5) Extrasolar Planetary Systems. A bibliography of publications and submitted papers produced during the grant period is included.

Ho, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2013

Vertical Settling and Radial Segregation of Large Dust Grains in the Circumstellar Disk of the Butterfly Star

Circumstellar disks are considered as the environment for the formation of planets. The growth of dust grains in these disks is the first step in the core accretion-gas capture planet formation scenario. Indicators as well as evidence of disk evolution can be traced in spatially resolved images and the spectral energy distribution (SED) of these objects. Aims. We aim at developing a model for the dust phase of the edge-on orientated circumstellar disk of the Butterfly Star which allows one to fit observed multi-wavelength images as well as the SED simultaneously. Our model is based on spatially resolved high angular resolution observations at 1.3 mm, 894 μm, 2.07 μm, 1.87 μm, 1.60 μm and 1.13 μm as well as an extensively covered SED ranging from 12 μm to 2.7 mm, including a detailed spectrum obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope in the range from 12 μm to 38 μm. A parameter study based on a grid search method, involving the detailed analysis of every parameter, was performed to constrain the disk parameters and find the best-fit model for the independent observations. The individual observations were modeled simultaneously, using our continuum radiative transfer code MC3D. We derived a model that is capable of reproducing all of the observations of the disk at the same time. We find quantitative evidence for grain growth up to ~100 μm sized particles, vertical settling of larger dust grains toward the disk midplane, and radial segregation of the latter toward the central star. Our results are consistent with current theoretical models for the evolution of circumstellar disks and the early stages of planet formation.

Radiative transfer↗
NASA NTRS2016

Panchromatic Imaging of a Transitional Disk: The Disk of GM AUR in Optical and FUV Scattered Light

We have imaged GM Aurigae with the Hubble Space Telescope, detected its disk in scattered light at 1400 and 1650 A, and compared these with observations at 3300 A, 5550 A, 1.1 micron, and 1.6 micron. The scattered light increases at shorter wavelengths. The radial surface brightness profile at 3300 A shows no evidence of the 24 au radius cavity that has been previously observed in submillimeter observations. Comparison with dust grain opacity models indicates that the surface of the entire disk is populated with submicron grains. We have compiled a spectral energy distribution from 0.1 micron to 1 mm and used it to constrain a model of the star + disk system that includes the submillimeter cavity using the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code by Barbara Whitney. The best-fit model image indicates that the cavity should be detectable in the F330W bandpass if the cavity has been cleared of both large and small dust grains, but we do not detect it. The lack of an observed cavity can be explained by the presence of submicron grains interior to the submillimeter cavity wall. We suggest one explanation for this that could be due to a planet of mass less than 9M(sub J) interior to 24 au. A unique cylindrical structure is detected in the far- UV data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel. It is aligned along the system semiminor axis, but does not resemble an accretion-driven jet. The structure is limb brightened and extends 190 +/- 35 au above the disk midplane. The inner radius of the limb brightening is 40 +/- 10 au, just beyond the submillimeter cavity wall.

circumstellar matter aEuro" protoplanetary disks a↗
NASA NTRS2012

Subaru Imaging of Asymmetric Features in a Transitional Disk in a Transitional Disk in Upper Scorpius

We report high-resolution (0.07 arcsec) near-infrared polarized intensity images of the circumstellar disk around the star 2MASS J16042165−2130284 obtained with HiCIAO mounted on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope. We present our H-band data, which clearly exhibit a resolved, face-on disk with a large inner hole for the first time at infrared wavelengths.We detect the centrosymmetric polarization pattern in the circumstellar material as has been observed in other disks. Elliptical fitting gives the semimajor axis, semiminor axis, and position angle (P.A.) of the disk as 63 AU, 62 AU, and −14◦, respectively. The disk is asymmetric, with one dip located at P.A.s of ∼85◦. Our observed disk size agrees well with a previous study of dust and CO emission at submillimeter wavelength with Submillimeter Array. Hence, the near-infrared light is interpreted as scattered light reflected from the inner edge of the disk. Our observations also detect an elongated arc (50 AU) extending over the disk inner hole. It emanates at the inner edge of the western side of the disk, extending inward first, then curving to the northeast. We discuss the possibility that the inner hole, the dip, and the arc that we have observed may be related to the existence of unseen bodies within the disk

protoplanetary disks↗
NASA NTRS2013

The 0.5-2.22 micrometer Scattered Light Spectrum of the Disk around TW Hya: Detection of a Partially Filled Disk Gap at 80 AU*

We present a 0.5-2.2 micrometer scattered light spectrum of the circumstellar disk around TW Hya from a combination of spatially resolved Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectroscopy and NICMOS coronagraphic images of the disk. We investigate the morphology of the disk at distances greater than 40 AU over this wide range of wavelengths, and identify the presence of a depression in surface brightness at approximately 80 AU that could be caused by a gap in the disk. Additionally, we quantify the surface brightness, azimuthal symmetry, and spectral character of the disk as a function of radius. Our analysis shows that the scattering efficiency of the dust is largely neutral to blue over the observed wavelengths. We model the disk as a steady α-disk with an ad hoc gap structure. The thermal properties of the disk are selfconsistently calculated using a three-dimensional radiative transfer code that uses ray tracing to model the heating of the disk interior and scattered light images. We find a good fit to the data over a wide range of distances from the star if we use a model disk with a partially filled gap of 30% depth at 80 AU and with a self-similar truncation knee at 100 AU. The origin of the gap is unclear, but it could arise from a transition in the nature of the disk's dust composition or the presence of a planetary companion. Based on scalings to previous hydrodynamic simulations of gap-opening criteria for embedded proto-planets, we estimate that a planetary companion forming the gap could have a mass between 6 and 28 solar mass.

radiative transfer↗
NASA NTRS2015

Near-IR High-Resolution Imaging Polarimetry of the SU Aur Disk: Clues for Tidal Tails?

We present new high-resolution (approximately 0.09) H-band imaging observations of the circumstellar disk around the T Tauri star SU Aur. Our observations with Subaru-HiCIAO have revealed the presence of scattered light as close as 0.15 (approximately 20 AU) to the star. Within our image, we identify bright emission associated with a disk with a minimum radius of approximately 90 AU, an inclination of approximately 35 deg from the plane of the sky, and an approximate PA of 15 deg for the major axis. We find a brightness asymmetry between the northern and southern sides of the disk due to a non-axisymmetric disk structure. We also identify a pair of asymmetric tail structures extending east and west from the disk. The western tail extends at least 2. 5 (350 AU) from the star, and is probably associated with a reflection nebula previously observed at optical and near-IR wavelengths. The eastern tail extends at least 1 (140 AU) at the present signal-to-noise. These tails are likely due to an encounter with an unseen brown dwarf, but our results do not exclude the explanation that these tails are outflow cavities or jets.

protoplanetary disks↗
NASA NTRS2018

Particle Size Distributions in Chondritic Meteorites: Evidence for Pre-Planetesimal Histories

Magnesium-rich silicate chondrules and calcium-, aluminum-rich refractory inclusions (CAIs) are fundamental components of primitive chondritic meteorites. It has been suggested that concentration of these early-formed particles by nebular sorting processes may lead to accretion of planetesimals, the planetary bodies that represent the building blocks of the terrestrial planets. In this case, the size distributions of the particles may constrain the accretion process. Here we present new particle size distribution data for Northwest Africa 5717, a primitive ordinary chondrite (ungrouped 3.05) and the well-known carbonaceous chondrite Allende (CV3). Instead of the relatively narrow size distributions obtained in previous studies (Ebel et al., 2016; Friedrich et al., 2015; Paque and Cuzzi, 1997, and references therein), we observed broad size distributions for all particle types in both meteorites. Detailed microscopic image analysis of Allende shows differences in the size distributions of chondrule subtypes, but collectively these subpopulations comprise a composite "chondrule" size distribution that is similar to the broad size distribution found for CAIs. Also, we find accretionary 'dust' rims on only a subset (approximately 15-20 percent) of the chondrules contained in Allende, which indicates that subpopulations of chondrules experienced distinct histories prior to planetary accretion. For the rimmed subset, we find positive correlation between rim thickness and chondrule size. The remarkable similarity between the size distributions of various subgroups of particles, both with and without fine grained rims, implies a common size sorting process. Chondrite classification schemes, astrophysical disk models that predict a narrow chondrule size population and/or a common localized formation event, and conventional particle analysis methods must all be critically reevaluated. We support the idea that distinct "lithologies" in NWA 5717 are nebular aggregates of chondrules. If greater than or equal to centimeter-sized aggregates of chondrules can form it will have implications for planet formation and suggests the sticking stage is where the preferential size physics is operating.

chondritic meteorites↗
NASA NTRS1985

IRAS observations of matter around nearby stars

A systematic search of the IRAS point-source catalog has led to the identification of eight new nearby stars that are Vega-like in terms of their large 60-micron excess. These stars are distinguished by the predominance of spectral type A and the absence of double stars in the Vega-like group. Both effects are intuitively consistent with the interpretation that the 60-micron excess radiation is due to a disk of protoplanetary material, suggesting an early phase in the evolution of a planetary system; however, this distribution can also be due to luminosity and brightness selection effects.

Aumann, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Generation of dynamo magnetic fields in protoplanetary and other astrophysical accretion disks

A computational method for treating the generation of dynamo magnetic fields in astrophysical disks is presented. The numerical difficulty of handling the boundary condition at infinity in the cylindrical disk geometry is overcome by embedding the disk in a spherical computational space and matching the solutions to analytically tractable spherical functions in the surrounding space. The lowest lying dynamo normal modes for a 'thick' astrophysical disk are calculated. The generated modes found are all oscillatory and spatially localized. Tha potential implications of the results for the properties of dynamo magnetic fields in real astrophysical disks are discussed.

Stepinski, T. F.↗