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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

On the sub-band gap optical absorption in heat treated cadmium sulphide thin film deposited on glass by chemical bath deposition technique

The sub-band gap optical absorption in chemical bath deposited cadmium sulphide thin films annealed at different temperatures has been critically analyzed with special reference to Urbach relation. It has been found that the absorption co-efficient of the material in the sub-band gap region is nearly constant up to a certain critical value of the photon energy. However, as the photon energy exceeds the critical value, the absorption coefficient increases exponentially indicating the dominance of Urbach rule. The absorption coefficients in the constant absorption region and the Urbach region have been found to be sensitive to annealing temperature. A critical examination of the temperature dependence of the absorption coefficient indicates two different kinds of optical transitions to be operative in the sub-band gap region. After a careful analyses of SEM images, energy dispersive x-ray spectra, and the dc current-voltage characteristics, we conclude that the absorption spectra in the sub-band gap domain is possibly associated with optical transition processes involving deep levels and the grain boundary states of the material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Dynamic Absorption Model for Off-Gas Separation

Modeling and simulations will aid in the future design of U.S. advanced reprocessing plants for the recovery and recycle of actinides in used nuclear fuel. The specific fuel cycle separation process discussed in this report is the off-gas treatment system. The off-gas separation consists of a series of scrubbers and adsorption beds to capture constituents of interest. Dynamic models are being developed to simulate each unit operation involved so each unit operation can be used as a stand-alone model and in series with multiple others. Currently, a rate based, dynamic absorption model is being developed in gPROMS software. Inputs include liquid and gas stream constituents, column properties, liquid and gas phase reactions, number of stages, and inlet conditions. It simulates multiple component absorption with countercurrent flow and accounts for absorption by mass transfer and chemical reaction. The assumption of each stage being a discrete well-mixed entity was made. Therefore, the model is solved stagewise. The simulation outputs component concentrations in both phases as a function of time from which the rate of absorption is determined. Temperature of both phases is output as a function of time also. The model will be used able to be used as a standalone model in addition to in series with other off-gas separation unit operations. The current model is being generated based on NOx absorption; however, a future goal is to develop a CO2 specific model. The model will have the capability to be modified for additional absorption systems. The off-gas models, both adsorption and absorption, will be made available via the server or web for evaluation by customers.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

GAS PHASE ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF C{sub 60}{sup +} AND C{sub 70}{sup +} IN A CRYOGENIC ION TRAP: COMPARISON WITH ASTRONOMICAL MEASUREMENTS

Recent low-temperature laboratory measurements and astronomical observations have proved that the fullerene cation C{sub 60}{sup +} is responsible for four diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). These absorptions correspond to the strongest bands of the lowest electronic transition. The gas phase spectrum below 10 K is reported here for the full wavelength range encompassed by the electronic transition. The absorption spectrum of C{sub 70}{sup +}, with its origin band at 7959.2 A-ring , has been obtained under similar laboratory conditions. Observations made toward the reddened star HD 183143 were used in a specific search for the absorption of these fullerene cations in diffuse clouds. In the case of C{sub 60}{sup +}, one further band in the astronomical spectrum at 9348.5 A-ring is identified, increasing the total number of assigned DIBs to five. Numerous other C{sub 60}{sup +} absorptions in the laboratory spectrum are found to lie below the astronomical detection limit. Special emphasis is placed on the laboratory determination of absolute absorption cross-sections. For C{sub 60}{sup +} this directly yields a column density, N(C{sub 60}{sup +}), of 2×10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} in diffuse clouds, without the need to rely on theoretical oscillator strengths. The intensity of the C{sub 70}{sup +} electronic transition in the range 7000–8000 Å is spread over many features of similar strength. Absorption cross-section measurements indicate that even for a similar column density, the individual absorption bands of C{sub 70}{sup +} will be too weak to be detected in the astronomical spectra, which is confirmed giving an upper limit of 2 m A-ring to the equivalent width.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Force-controlled absorption in a fully-nonlinear numerical wave tank

An active control methodology for the absorption of water waves in a numerical wave tank is introduced. This methodology is based upon a force-feedback technique which has previously been shown to be very effective in physical wave tanks. Unlike other methods, an a-priori knowledge of the wave conditions in the tank is not required; the absorption controller being designed to automatically respond to a wide range of wave conditions. In comparison to numerical sponge layers, effective wave absorption is achieved on the boundary, thereby minimising the spatial extent of the numerical wave tank. In contrast to the imposition of radiation conditions, the scheme is inherently capable of absorbing irregular waves. Most importantly, simultaneous generation and absorption can be achieved. This is an important advance when considering inclusion of reflective bodies within the numerical wave tank. In designing the absorption controller, an infinite impulse response filter is adopted, thereby eliminating the problem of non-causality in the controller optimisation. Two alternative controllers are considered, both implemented in a fully-nonlinear wave tank based on a multiple-flux boundary element scheme. To simplify the problem under consideration, the present analysis is limited to water waves propagating in a two-dimensional domain. The paper presents an extensive numerical validation which demonstrates the success of the method for a wide range of wave conditions including regular, focused and random waves. The numerical investigation also highlights some of the limitations of the method, particularly in simultaneously generating and absorbing large amplitude or highly-nonlinear waves. The findings of the present numerical study are directly applicable to related fields where optimum absorption is sought; these include physical wavemaking, wave power absorption and a wide range of numerical wave tank schemes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Human dermal absorption of chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants; implications for human exposure

Tris-2-chloroethyl phosphate (TCEP), tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and tris-1,3-dichloropropyl phosphate (TDCIPP) are organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) widely applied in a plethora of consumer products despite their carcinogenic potential. Human dermal absorption of these PFRs is investigated for the first time using human ex vivo skin and EPISKIN™ models. Results of human ex vivo skin experiments revealed 28%, 25% and 13% absorption of the applied dose (500 ng/cm{sup 2}, finite dose) of TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP, respectively after 24 h exposure. The EPISKIN™ model showed enhanced permeability values (i.e. weaker barrier), that were respectively 16%, 11% and 9% for TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP compared to human ex vivo skin. However, this difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Estimated permeability constants (K{sub p}, cm/h) showed a significant negative correlation with log K{sub ow} for the studied contaminants. The effect of hand-washing on dermal absorption of PFRs was investigated. Washing reduced overall dermal absorption, albeit to varying degrees depending on the physicochemical properties of the target PFRs. Moreover, slight variations of the absorbed dose were observed upon changing the dosing solution from acetone to 20% Tween 80 in water, indicating the potential influence of the dose vehicle on the dermal absorption of PFRs. Finally, estimated dermal uptake of the studied PFRs via contact with indoor dust was higher in UK toddlers (median ΣPFRs = 36 ng/kg bw day) than adults (median ΣPFRs = 4 ng/kg bw day). More research is required to fully elucidate the toxicological implications of such exposure. - Highlights: • Human dermal absorption of PFRs was studied using human ex vivo skin and EPISKIN™. • Absorbed fractions of TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP were 28%, 25% and 13% of applied dose. • Permeability constants showed significant negative correlation to log K{sub ow} of PFRs. • Skin washing reduced the overall dermal absorption of target PFRs to varying degrees. • Toddlers are more exposed to PFRs via dermal contact with indoor dust than adults.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Characteristics of anomalous skin effect and evolution of power absorption regions in a cylindrical radio frequency inductively coupled plasma

In a low-pressure radio-frequency (13.56 MHz), inductively coupled argon plasma generated by a normal cylindrical rf coil, electric field, current density, and absorbed power density is calculated from magnetic field measured with a phase-resolved magnetic probe. The anomalous skin effect (ASE) for the cylindrical rf coil is compared to those previously reported for the planar and re-entrant cylindrical rf coils. Physical reasons for our observed characteristics of ASE are presented. With the increasing discharge power, the size and the number of negative and positive power absorption regions evolve into several distinct patterns. For the low discharge power (at 156.9 W), there is one area of positive and one area of negative power absorption in the radial direction. For the medium discharge power (279 W–683.5 W), there are two areas of negative and two areas of positive power absorption. For the even higher discharge power (above 803.5 W), the number of areas is the same as that of the medium discharge power, but the size of the inner positive and negative power absorption areas is approximately doubled and halved, respectively, while the outer positive and negative power absorption areas slightly shrinks. The evolution of positive and negative power absorption regions is explained as a result of electron thermal diffusion and the energy conversion between rf current and electric field. The spatial decays of electric field and current density are also elucidated by linking them with the positive and negative power absorption pattern.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatiotemporal evolution of emission and absorption signatures in a laser-produced plasma

Here we report spatiotemporal evolution of emission and absorption signatures of Al species in a nanosecond (ns) laser-produced plasma (LPP). The plasmas were generated from an Inconel target, which contained ~0:4 wt. % Al, using 1064 nm, ≈6 ns full width half maximum pulses from an Nd:YAG laser at an Ar cover gas pressure of ≈34 Torr. The temporal distributions of the Al I (394.4 nm) transition were collected from various spatial points within the plasma employing time-of-flight (TOF) emission and laser absorption spectroscopy, and they provide kinetics of the excited state and ground state population of the selected transition. The emission and absorption signatures showed multiple peaks in their temporal profiles, although they appeared at different spatial locations and times after the plasma onset. The absorption temporal profiles showed an early time signature representing shock wave propagation into the ambient gas. We also used emission and absorption spectral features for measuring various physical properties of the plasma. The absorption spectral profiles are utilized for measuring linewidths, column density, and kinetic temperature, while emission spectra were used to measure excitation temperature. A comparison between excitation and kinetic temperature was made at various spatial points in the plasma. Our results highlight that the TOF measurements provide a resourceful tool for showing the spatiotemporal LPP dynamics with higher spatial and temporal resolution than is possible with spectral measurements but are difficult to interpret without additional information on excitation temperatures and linewidths. The combination of absorption and emission TOF and spectral measurements thus provides a more complete picture of LPP spatiotemporal dynamics than is possible using any one technique alone.

(140.3440) Laser-induced breakdown, (280.4788) Opt↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evidence of excited-state lifetime enhancement in dimyristoyl-phosphocholine nanodiscs by ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy

Ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy is an analytical tool that is commonly utilized to determine protein concentrations, primarily due to characteristic absorption of tryptophan and tyrosine at 280 nm. Accurate concentration determination is essential to the accuracy of many biophysical techniques, and ultraviolet absorption provides a convenient and rapid method to assess protein concentration. However, the widespread usage of this method assumes that ultraviolet absorption is the same for individual amino acids in aqueous solution (where the molar extinction coefficient was measured) as for the amino acid in the conformational environment of the protein of interest. We demonstrate that additional considerations may be necessary for the membrane scaffold protein in dimyristoyl-phosphocholine nanodiscs through ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of nanodiscs, liposomes, the membrane scaffold protein, and a mixture of liposomes and the non-nanodisc-associated protein. The aromatic amino acids of the membrane scaffold protein absorb significantly less light at 280 nm when associated with lipids in a lipoprotein assembly, which we plausibly attribute to an enhancement of chromophore excited-state lifetimes due to reduced intramolecular motion in the nanodisc. We caution that using the molar absorptivity of the membrane scaffold protein alone to determine nanodisc concentrations may not yield accurate results. Instead, the molar absorptivity of each nanodisc formulation should be explored independently to account for the unique conformational environment of each nanodisc.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

A SURVEY OF ALKALI LINE ABSORPTION IN EXOPLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

We obtained over 90 hr of spectroscopic observations of four exoplanetary systems with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Observations were taken in transit and out of transit, and we analyzed the differenced spectra-i.e., the transmission spectra-to inspect it for absorption at the wavelengths of the neutral sodium (Na I) doublet at {lambda}{lambda}5889, 5895 and neutral potassium (K I) at {lambda}7698. We used the transmission spectrum at Ca I {lambda}6122-which shows strong stellar absorption but is not an alkali metal resonance line that we expect to show significant absorption in these atmospheres-as a control line to examine our measurements for systematic errors. We use an empirical Monte Carlo method to quantify these systematic errors. In a reanalysis of the same data set using a reduction and analysis pipeline that was derived independently, we confirm the previously seen Na I absorption in HD 189733b at a level of (- 5.26 {+-} 1.69) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} (the average value over a 12 A integration band to be consistent with previous authors). Additionally, we tentatively confirm the Na I absorption seen in HD 209458b (independently by multiple authors) at a level of (- 2.63 {+-} 0.81) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4}, though the interpretation is less clear. Furthermore, we find Na I absorption of (- 3.16 {+-} 2.06) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} at <3{sigma} in HD 149026b; features apparent in the transmission spectrum are consistent with real absorption and indicate this may be a good target for future observations to confirm. No other results (Na I in HD 147506b and Ca I and K I in all four targets) are significant to {>=}3{sigma}, although we observe some features that we argue are primarily artifacts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

GALACTIC OUTFLOWS IN ABSORPTION AND EMISSION: NEAR-ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF GALAXIES AT 1 < z < 2

We study large-scale outflows in a sample of 96 star-forming galaxies at 1 {approx}< z {approx}< 2, using near-UV spectroscopy of Fe II and Mg II absorption and emission. The average blueshift of the Fe II interstellar absorption lines with respect to the systemic velocity is -85 {+-} 10 km s{sup -1} at z {approx} 1.5, with standard deviation 87 km s{sup -1}; this is a decrease of a factor of two from the average blueshift measured for far-UV interstellar absorption lines in similarly selected galaxies at z {approx} 2. The profiles of the Mg II {lambda}{lambda}2796, 2803 lines show much more variety than the Fe II profiles, which are always seen in absorption; Mg II ranges from strong emission to pure absorption, with emission more common in galaxies with blue UV slopes and at lower stellar masses. Outflow velocities, as traced by the centroids and maximum extent of the absorption lines, increase with increasing stellar mass with 2{sigma}-3{sigma} significance, in agreement with previous results. We study fine structure emission from Fe II*, finding several lines of evidence in support of the model in which this emission is generated by the re-emission of continuum photons absorbed in the Fe II resonance transitions in outflowing gas. In contrast, photoionization models indicate that Mg II emission arises from the resonant scattering of photons produced in H II regions, accounting for the differing profiles of the Mg II and Fe II lines. A comparison of the strengths of the Fe II absorption and Fe II* emission lines indicates that massive galaxies have more extended outflows and/or greater extinction, while two-dimensional composite spectra indicate that emission from the outflow is stronger at a radius of {approx}10 kpc in high-mass galaxies than in low-mass galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A NARROW Mg II ABSORPTION SYSTEM IN QUASAR SDSS J165501.31+260517.4

In this paper, we present for the first time the discovery of the disappearance of a narrow Mg II {lambda}{lambda}2796, 2803 absorption system from the spectra of the quasar SDSS J165501.31+260517.4 (z{sub e} = 1.8671). This absorber is located at z{sub abs} = 1.7877 and has a velocity offset of 8423 km s{sup -1} with respect to the quasar. According to the velocity offset and the line variability, this narrow Mg II {lambda}{lambda}2796, 2803 absorption system is likely intrinsic to the quasar. Since the corresponding UV continuum emission and the absorption lines of another narrow Mg II {lambda}{lambda}2796, 2803 absorption system at z{sub abs} = 1.8656 are very stable, we believe that the disappearance of the absorption system is unlikely to be caused by the change in ionization of absorption gas. Instead, it likely arises from the motion of the absorption gas across the line of sight.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A new detection of LYα absorption from the heliotail

We present new Hubble Space Telescope observations of H I Lyα absorption toward the F8 V star HD 35296. This line of sight is only a few degrees from the downwind direction of the local interstellar medium flow vector. As a consequence, Lyα absorption from the heliotail is detected in the spectrum, consistent with three previous downwind detections of heliotail absorption. The clustering of the heliotail absorption detections around the downwind direction demonstrates that the heliotail is pointed close to that direction, limiting the extent to which the interstellar magnetic field might be distorting and deflecting the heliotail. We explore this issue further using three-dimensional MHD models of the global heliosphere. The three computed models represent the first three-dimensional MHD models with both a kinetic treatment of neutrals and an extended grid in the tail direction, both of which are necessary to model Lyα absorption downwind. The models indicate only modest heliotail asymmetries and deflections, which are not large enough to be inconsistent with the clustering of heliotail absorption detections around the downwind direction. The models are reasonably successful at reproducing the observed absorption, but they do overpredict the Lyα opacity by a factor of 2-3. We discuss implications of these results in light of observations of the heliotail region from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evidence for active galactic nucleus feedback in the broad absorption lines and reddening of MRK 231 {sup ,}

We present the first J-band spectrum of Mrk 231, which reveals a large He I* λ10830 broad absorption line with a profile similar to that of the well-known Na I broad absorption line. Combining this spectrum with optical and UV spectra from the literature, we show that the unusual reddening noted by Veilleux et al. is explained by a reddening curve like those previously used to explain low values of total-to-selective extinction in Type Ia supernovae. The nuclear starburst may be the origin and location of the dust. Spatially resolved emission in the broad absorption line trough suggests nearly full coverage of the continuum emission region. The broad absorption lines reveal higher velocities in the He I* lines (produced in the quasar-photoionized H II region) compared with the Na I and Ca II lines (produced in the corresponding partially ionized zone). Cloudy simulations show that a density increase is required between the H II and partially ionized zones to produce ionic column densities consistent with the optical and IR absorption line measurements and limits, and that the absorber lies ∼100 pc from the central engine. These results suggest that the He I* lines are produced in an ordinary quasar BAL wind that impacts upon, compresses, and accelerates the nuclear starburst's dusty effluent (feedback in action), and the Ca II and Na I lines are produced in this dusty accelerated gas. This unusual circumstance explains the rarity of Na I absorption lines; without the compression along our line of sight, Mrk 231 would appear as an ordinary iron low-ionization, broad absorption line quasar.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

UNSHIFTED METASTABLE He I* MINI-BROAD ABSORPTION LINE SYSTEM IN THE NARROW-LINE TYPE 1 QUASAR SDSS J080248.18+551328.9

We report the identification of an unusual absorption-line system in the quasar SDSS J080248.18+551328.9 and present a detailed study of the system, incorporating follow-up optical and near-IR spectroscopy. A few tens of absorption lines are detected, including He I*, Fe II*, and Ni II*, which arise from metastable or excited levels, as well as resonant lines in Mg I, Mg II, Fe II, Mn II, and Ca II. All of the isolated absorption lines show the same profile of width Δv ∼ 1500 km s{sup –1} centered at a common redshift as that of the quasar emission lines, such as [O II], [S II], and hydrogen Paschen and Balmer series. With narrow Balmer lines, strong optical Fe II multiplets, and weak [O III] doublets, its emission-line spectrum is typical for that of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1). We have derived reliable measurements of the gas-phase column densities of the absorbing ions/levels. Photoionization modeling indicates that the absorber has a density of n {sub H} ∼ (1.0-2.5) × 10{sup 5} cm{sup –3} and a column density of N {sub H} ∼ (1.0-3.2) × 10{sup 21} cm{sup –2} and is located at R ∼100-250 pc from the central supermassive black hole. The location of the absorber, the symmetric profile of the absorption lines, and the coincidence of the absorption- and emission-line centroid jointly suggest that the absorption gas originates from the host galaxy and is plausibly accelerated by stellar processes, such as stellar winds and/or supernova explosions. The implications for the detection of such a peculiar absorption-line system in an NLS1 are discussed in the context of coevolution between supermassive black hole growth and host galaxy buildup.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

NEW PERSPECTIVE ON GALAXY OUTFLOWS FROM THE FIRST DETECTION OF BOTH INTRINSIC AND TRAVERSE METAL-LINE ABSORPTION

We present the first observation of a galaxy (z = 0.2) that exhibits metal-line absorption back-illuminated by the galaxy (down-the-barrel) and transversely by a background quasar at a projected distance of 58 kpc. Both absorption systems, traced by Mg II, are blueshifted relative to the galaxy systemic velocity. The quasar sight line, which resides almost directly along the projected minor axis of the galaxy, probes Mg I and Mg II absorption obtained from the Keck/Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer as well as Lyα, Si II, and Si III absorption obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. For the first time, we combine two independent models used to quantify the outflow properties for down-the-barrel and transverse absorption. We find that the modeled down-the-barrel deprojected outflow velocities range between V {sub dtb} = 45-255 km s{sup –1}. The transverse bi-conical outflow model, assuming constant-velocity flows perpendicular to the disk, requires wind velocities V {sub outflow} = 40-80 km s{sup –1} to reproduce the transverse Mg II absorption kinematics, which is consistent with the range of V {sub dtb}. The galaxy has a metallicity, derived from Hα and N II, of [O/H] = –0.21 ± 0.08, whereas the transverse absorption has [X/H] = –1.12 ± 0.02. The galaxy star formation rate is constrained between 4.6-15 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} while the estimated outflow rate ranges between 1.6-4.2 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and yields a wind loading factor ranging between 0.1-0.9. The galaxy and gas metallicities, the galaxy-quasar sight-line geometry, and the down-the-barrel and transverse modeled outflow velocities collectively suggest that the transverse gas originates from ongoing outflowing material from the galaxy. The ∼1 dex decrease in metallicity from the base of the outflow to the outer halo suggests metal dilution of the gas by the time it reached 58 kpc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Near-ultraviolet absorption annealing in hafnium oxide thin films subjected to continuous-wave laser radiation

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) is the most frequently used high-index material in multilayer thin-film coatings for high-power laser applications ranging from near-infrared to near-ultraviolet (UV). Absorption in this high-index material is also known to be responsible for nanosecond-pulse laser-damage initiation in multilayers. In this work, modification of the near-UV absorption of HfO 2 monolayer films subjected to irradiation by continuouswave (cw), 355-nm or 351-nm laser light focused to produce power densities of the order of ~100 kW/cm 2 is studied. Up to a 70% reduction in absorption is found in the areas subjected to irradiation. Temporal behavior of absorption is characterized by a rapid initial drop on the few-tens-of-seconds time scale, followed by a longerterm decline to a steady-state level. Absorption maps generated by photothermal heterodyne imaging confirm the permanent character of the observed effect. Nanosecond-pulse, 351-nm and 600-fs, 1053-nm laser-damage tests performed on these cw laser–irradiated areas confirm a reduction of absorption by measuring up to 25% higher damage thresholds. We discuss possible mechanisms responsible for near-UV absorption annealing and damage-threshold improvement resulting from irradiation by near-UV cw laser light.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

INVISIBLE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. RADIO MORPHOLOGIES AND FIVE NEW H i 21 cm ABSORPTION LINE DETECTORS

This is the second paper directed toward finding new highly redshifted atomic and molecular absorption lines at radio frequencies. To this end, we selected a sample of 80 candidates for obscured radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and presented their basic optical/near-infrared (NIR) properties in Paper I. In this paper, we present both high-resolution radio continuum images for all of these sources and H i 21 cm absorption spectroscopy for a few selected sources in this sample. A-configuration 4.9 and 8.5 GHz Very Large Array continuum observations find that 52 sources are compact or have substantial compact components with size <0.″5 and flux densities >0.1 Jy at 4.9 GHz. The 36 most compact sources were then observed with the Very Long Baseline Array at 1.4 GHz. One definite and 10 candidate Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) are newly identified, which is a detection rate of CSOs ∼three times higher than the detection rate previously found in purely flux-limited samples. Based on possessing compact components with high flux densities, 60 of these sources are good candidates for absorption-line searches. Twenty-seven sources were observed for H i 21 cm absorption at their photometric or spectroscopic redshifts with only six detections (five definite and one tentative). However, five of these were from a small subset of six CSOs with pure galaxy optical/NIR spectra (i.e., any AGN emission is obscured) and for which accurate spectroscopic redshifts place the redshifted 21 cm line in a radio frequency intereference (RFI)-free spectral “window” (i.e., the percentage of H i 21 cm absorption-line detections could be as high as ∼90% in this sample). It is likely that the presence of ubiquitous RFI and the absence of accurate spectroscopic redshifts preclude H i detections in similar sources (only 1 detection out of the remaining 22 sources observed, 13 of which have only photometric redshifts); that is, H i absorption may well be present but is masked by the RFI. Future searches for highly redshifted H i and molecular absorption can easily find more distant CSOs among bright, “blank field” radio sources, but will be severely hampered by an inability to determine accurate spectroscopic redshifts due to their lack of rest-frame UV continuum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A SEARCH FOR Hα ABSORPTION AROUND KELT-3 b AND GJ 436 b

Observations of extended atmospheres around hot planets have generated exciting results concerning the dynamics of escaping planetary material. The configuration of the escaping planetary gas can result in asymmetric transit features, producing both pre- and post-transit absorption in specific atomic transitions. Measuring the velocity and strength of the absorption can provide constraints on the mass loss mechanism, and potentially clues to the interactions between the planet and the host star. Here we present a search for H α absorption in the circumplanetary environments of the hot planets KELT-3 b and GJ 436 b. We find no evidence for absorption around either planet at any point during the two separate transit epochs for which each system was observed. We provide upper limits on the radial extent and density of the excited hydrogen atmospheres around both planets. The null detection for GJ 436 b contrasts with the strong Ly α absorption measured for the same system, suggesting that the large cloud of neutral hydrogen is almost entirely in the ground state. The only confirmed exoplanetary H α absorption to date has been made around the active star HD 189733 b. KELT-3 and GJ 436 are less active than HD 189733, hinting that exoplanet atmospheres exposed to EUV photons from active stars are better suited for detection of H α absorption.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗