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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Pan-chromatic observations of the remarkable nova Large Magellanic Cloud 2012

We present the results of an intensive multiwavelength campaign on nova LMC 2012. This nova evolved very rapidly in all observed wavelengths. The time to fall two magnitudes in the V band was only 2 days. In X-rays the super soft phase began 13 ± 5 days after discovery and ended around day 50 after discovery. During the super soft phase, the Swift/XRT and Chandra spectra were consistent with the underlying white dwarf (WD) being very hot, ∼1 MK, and luminous, ∼10{sup 38} erg s{sup −1}. The UV, optical, and near-IR photometry showed a periodic variation after the initial and rapid fading had ended. Timing analysis revealed a consistent 19.24 ± 0.03 hr period in all UV, optical, and near-IR bands with amplitudes of ∼0.3 mag which we associate with the orbital period of the central binary. No periods were detected in the corresponding X-ray data sets. A moderately high inclination system, i = 60 ± 10{sup ∘}, was inferred from the early optical emission lines. The HST/STIS UV spectra were highly unusual with only the N v (1240 Å) line present and superposed on a blue continuum. The lack of emission lines and the observed UV and optical continua from four epochs can be fit with a low mass ejection event, ∼10{sup −6} M{sub ⊙}, from a hot and massive WD near the Chandrasekhar limit. The WD, in turn, significantly illuminated its subgiant companion which provided the bulk of the observed UV/optical continuum emission at the later dates. The inferred extreme WD characteristics and low mass ejection event favor nova LMC 2012 being a recurrent nova of the U Sco subclass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Statistical properties of multi-epoch spectral variability of SDSS stripe 82 quasars

We investigate the UV-optical (longward of Lyα 1216 Å) spectral variability of nearly 9000 quasars (0 < z < 4) using multi-epoch photometric data within the SDSS Stripe 82 region. The regression slope in the flux-flux space of a quasar light curve directly measures the color of the flux difference spectrum, then the spectral shape of the flux difference spectra can be derived by taking a careful look at the redshift dependence of the regression slopes. First, we confirm that the observed quasar spectrum becomes bluer when the quasar becomes brighter. We infer the spectral index of the composite difference spectrum as α{sub ν}{sup dif}∼+1/3 (in the form of f{sub ν}∝ν{sup α{sub ν}}), which is significantly bluer than that of the composite spectrum α{sub ν}{sup com}∼−0.5. We also show that the continuum variability cannot be explained by accretion disk models with varying mass accretion rates. Second, we examine the effects of broad emission line variability on the color-redshift space. The variability of the 'Small Blue Bump' is extensively discussed. We show that the low-ionization lines of Mg II and Fe II are less variable compared to Balmer emission lines and high-ionization lines, and the Balmer continuum is the dominant variable source around ∼3000 Å. These results are compared with previous studies, and the physical mechanisms of the variability of the continuum and emission lines are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ultraviolet observations of Super-Chandrasekhar mass type Ia supernova candidates with swift UVOT

Among Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), a class of overluminous objects exist whose ejecta mass is inferred to be larger than the canonical Chandrasekhar mass. We present and discuss the UV/optical photometric light curves, colors, absolute magnitudes, and spectra of three candidate Super-Chandrasekhar mass SNe—2009dc, 2011aa, and 2012dn—observed with the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. The light curves are at the broad end for SNe Ia, with the light curves of SN 2011aa being among the broadest ever observed. We find all three to have very blue colors which may provide a means of excluding these overluminous SNe from cosmological analysis, though there is some overlap with the bluest of 'normal' SNe Ia. All three are overluminous in their UV absolute magnitudes compared to normal and broad SNe Ia, but SNe 2011aa and 2012dn are not optically overluminous compared to normal SNe Ia. The integrated luminosity curves of SNe 2011aa and 2012dn in the UVOT range (1600-6000 Å) are only half as bright as SN 2009dc, implying a smaller {sup 56}Ni yield. While it is not enough to strongly affect the bolometric flux, the early time mid-UV flux makes a significant contribution at early times. The strong spectral features in the mid-UV spectra of SNe 2009dc and 2012dn suggest a higher temperature and lower opacity to be the cause of the UV excess rather than a hot, smooth blackbody from shock interaction. Further work is needed to determine the ejecta and {sup 56}Ni masses of SNe 2011aa and 2012dn and to fully explain their high UV luminosities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Identifying and quantifying recurrent novae masquerading as classical novae

Recurrent novae (RNe) are cataclysmic variables with two or more nova eruptions within a century. Classical novae (CNe) are similar systems with only one such eruption. Many of the so-called CNe are actually RNe for which only one eruption has been discovered. Since RNe are candidate Type Ia supernova progenitors, it is important to know whether there are enough in our Galaxy to provide the supernova rate, and therefore to know how many RNe are masquerading as CNe. To quantify this, we collected all available information on the light curves and spectra of a Galactic, time-limited sample of 237 CNe and the 10 known RNe, as well as exhaustive discovery efficiency records. We recognize RNe as having (1) outburst amplitude smaller than 14.5 – 4.5 × log (t {sub 3}), (2) orbital period >0.6 days, (3) infrared colors of J – H > 0.7 mag and H – K > 0.1 mag, (4) FWHM of Hα > 2000 km s{sup –1}, (5) high excitation lines, such as Fe X or He II near peak, (6) eruption light curves with a plateau, and (7) white dwarf mass greater than 1.2 M {sub ☉}. Using these criteria, we identify V1721 Aql, DE Cir, CP Cru, KT Eri, V838 Her, V2672 Oph, V4160 Sgr, V4643 Sgr, V4739 Sgr, and V477 Sct as strong RN candidates. We evaluate the RN fraction among the known CNe using three methods to get 24% ± 4%, 12% ± 3%, and 35% ± 3%. With roughly a quarter of the 394 known Galactic novae actually being RNe, there should be approximately a hundred such systems masquerading as CNe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Vela pulsar with an active fallback disk

Fallback disks are expected to form around young neutron stars. The presence of these disks can be revealed by their blackbody spectrum in the infrared, optical, and UV bands. We present a re-reduction of the archival optical and infrared data of the Vela pulsar, together with the existing infrared and UV spectrum of Vela, and model their unpulsed components with the blackbody spectrum of a supernova debris disk. We invoke the quiescent disk solution of Sunyaev and Shakura for the description of the disk in the propeller stage and find the inner radius of the disk to be inside the light cylinder radius. We perform a high-resolution X-ray analysis with XMM-Newton and find a narrow absorption feature at 0.57 keV that can be interpreted as the K {sub α} line of He-like oxygen (O VII). The strength of the line indicates an element over-abundance in our line of sight exceeding the amounts that would be expected from interstellar medium. The spectral feature may originate from the pulsar wind nebula and may be partly caused by the reprocessed X-ray radiation by the fallback disk. We discuss the lower-than-three braking index of Vela as partially due to the contribution of the propeller torques. Our results suggest that the pulsar mechanism can work simultaneously with the propeller processes and that the debris disks can survive the radiation pressure for at least ∼10{sup 4} yr. As Vela is a relatively close object, and a prototypical pulsar, the presence of a disk, if confirmed, may indicate the ubiquity of debris disks around young neutron stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE NEAR-ULTRAVIOLET LUMINOSITY FUNCTION OF YOUNG, EARLY M-TYPE DWARF STARS

Planets orbiting within the close-in habitable zones of M dwarf stars will be exposed to elevated high-energy radiation driven by strong magnetohydrodynamic dynamos during stellar youth. Near-ultraviolet (NUV) irradiation can erode and alter the chemistry of planetary atmospheres, and a quantitative description of the evolution of NUV emission from M dwarfs is needed when modeling these effects. We investigated the NUV luminosity evolution of early M-type dwarfs by cross-correlating the Lépine and Gaidos catalog of bright M dwarfs with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) catalog of NUV (1771-2831 Å) sources. Of the 4805 sources with GALEX counterparts, 797 have NUV emission significantly (>2.5σ) in excess of an empirical basal level. We inspected these candidate active stars using visible-wavelength spectra, high-resolution adaptive optics imaging, time-series photometry, and literature searches to identify cases where the elevated NUV emission is due to unresolved background sources or stellar companions; we estimated the overall occurrence of these ''false positives'' (FPs) as ∼16%. We constructed an NUV luminosity function that accounted for FPs, detection biases of the source catalogs, and GALEX upper limits. We found the NUV luminosity function to be inconsistent with predictions from a constant star-formation rate and simplified age-activity relation defined by a two-parameter power law.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS OF JET-COOLED SiC{sub 2}, Si{sub 2}C{sub n} (n=1−3), Si{sub 3}C{sub n} (n = 1,2), AND SiC{sub 6}H{sub 4} BETWEEN 250 AND 710 nm

Electronic transitions of the title molecules were measured between 250 and 710 nm using a mass-resolved 1 + 1’ resonant two-photon ionization technique at a resolution of 0.1 nm. Calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVQZ level of theory support the analyses. Because of their spectral properties, SiC{sub 2}, linear Si{sub 2}C{sub 2}, Si{sub 3}C, and SiC{sub 6}H{sub 4} are interesting target species for astronomical searches in the visible spectral region. Of special relevance is the Si–C{sub 2}–Si chain, which features a prominent band at 516.4 nm of a strong transition (f = 0.25). This band and one from SiC{sub 6}H{sub 4} at 445.3 nm were also investigated at higher resolution (0.002 nm)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF TYPE IIB SUPERNOVAE: DIVERSITY AND THE IMPACT OF CIRCUMSTELLAR MATERIAL

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) multi-epoch ultraviolet (UV) spectra of the bright Type IIb SN 2013df, and undertake a comprehensive analysis of the set of four SNe IIb for which HST UV spectra are available (SN 1993J, SN 2001ig, SN 2011dh, and SN 2013df). We find strong diversity in both continuum levels and line features among these objects. We use radiative-transfer models that fit the optical part of the spectrum well, and find that in three of these four events we see a UV continuum flux excess, apparently unaffected by line absorption. We hypothesize that this emission originates above the photosphere, and is related to interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) located in close proximity to the SN progenitor. In contrast, the spectra of SN 2001ig are well fit by single-temperature models, display weak continuum and strong reverse-fluorescence features, and are similar to spectra of radioactive {sup 56}Ni-dominated SNe Ia. A comparison of the early shock-cooling components in the observed light curves with the UV continuum levels which we assume trace the strength of CSM interaction suggests that events with slower cooling have stronger CSM emission. The radio emission from events having a prominent UV excess is perhaps consistent with slower blast-wave velocities, as expected if the explosion shock was slowed down by the CSM that is also responsible for the strong UV, but this connection is currently speculative as it is based on only a few events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Discovery of a low-luminosity, tight substellar binary at the T/Y transition

We have discovered that the brown dwarf WISE J014656.66+423410.0 is a close binary (0.″ 0875 ± 0.″ 0021, 0.93{sub −0.16}{sup +0.12} AU) from Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging. Our photometry for this system reveals that both components are less luminous than those in any known substellar binary. Combining a new integrated-light spectrum (T9p) and resolved YJH-band photometry from Keck allows us to perform spectral decomposition and assign component types of T9 and Y0. Many of the unusual features in the spectrum might be explained by high surface gravity: Y-band peak broadened to the blue; J-band peak broadened to the red; H-band peak shifted slightly to the red; and red Y − J colors. Interestingly, the very low component luminosities imply that the T9 primary is unexpectedly cold (T{sub eff} = 345 ± 45 K assuming an age of 10 Gyr), making it ≈100 K cooler than any other late-T dwarf and comparable to Y dwarfs. One intriguing explanation for this apparent discrepancy is that the J- and H-band spectral features that trigger the transition from T to Y spectral types are highly gravity dependent. This can be tested directly in the very near future by orbit monitoring. We constrain the orbital period to be ≲10 yr by combining evolutionary-model-based mass estimates for the components (≈12–21 M{sub Jup}, 1σ at 10 Gyr) with a statistical constraint on the semimajor axis (≲1.3 AU). Such a period is shorter than any other known T/Y transition binary, meaning that WISE J0146+4234AB will likely yield a dynamical mass within the next few years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THEORETICAL CLUES TO THE ULTRAVIOLET DIVERSITY OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

The effect of metallicity on the observed light of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) could lead to systematic errors as the absolute magnitudes of local and distant SNe Ia are compared to measure luminosity distances and determine cosmological parameters. The UV light may be especially sensitive to metallicity, though different modeling methods disagree as to the magnitude, wavelength dependence, and even the sign of the effect. The outer density structure, {sup 56}Ni, and to a lesser degree asphericity, also impact the UV. We compute synthetic photometry of various metallicity-dependent models and compare to UV/optical photometry from the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope. We find that the scatter in the mid-UV to near-UV colors is larger than predicted by changes in metallicity alone and is not consistent with reddening. We demonstrate that a recently employed method to determine relative abundances using UV spectra can be done using UVOT photometry, but we warn that accurate results require an accurate model of the cause of the variations. The abundance of UV photometry now available should provide constraints on models that typically rely on UV spectroscopy for constraining metallicity, density, and other parameters. Nevertheless, UV spectroscopy for a variety of supernova explosions is still needed to guide the creation of accurate models. A better understanding of the influences affecting the UV is important for using SNe Ia as cosmological probes, as the UV light may test whether SNe Ia are significantly affected by evolutionary effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

V899 MON: AN OUTBURSTING PROTOSTAR WITH A PECULIAR LIGHT CURVE, AND ITS TRANSITION PHASES

We present a detailed study of V899 Mon (a new member in the FUors/EXors family of young low-mass stars undergoing outburst), based on our long-term monitoring of the source starting from 2009 November to 2015 April. Our optical and near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic monitoring recorded the source transitioning from its first outburst to a short-duration quiescence phase (<1 yr), and then returning to a second outburst. We report here the evolution of the outflows from the inner region of the disk as the accretion rate evolved in various epochs. Our high-resolution (R ∼ 37,000) optical spectrum could resolve interesting clumpy structures in the outflow traced by various lines. Change in far-infrared flux was also detected between two outburst epochs. Based on our observations, we constrained various stellar and envelope parameters of V899 Mon, as well as the kinematics of its accretion and outflow. The photometric and spectroscopic properties of this source fall between classical FUors and EXors. Our investigation of V899 Mon hints at instability associated with magnetospheric accretion being the physical cause of the sudden short-duration pause of the outburst in 2011. It is also a good candidate to explain similar short-duration pauses in outbursts of some other FUors/EXors sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Consistency relation and non-Gaussianity in a Galileon inflation

We study a particular Galileon inflation in the light of Planck2015 observational data in order to constraint the model parameter space. We study the spectrum of the primordial modes of the density perturbations by expanding the action up to the second order in perturbations. Then we pursue by expanding the action up to the third order and find the three point correlation functions to find the amplitude of the non-Gaussianity of the primordial perturbations in this setup. We study the amplitude of the non-Gaussianity both in equilateral and orthogonal configurations and test the model with recent observational data. Our analysis shows that for some ranges of the non-minimal coupling parameter, the model is consistent with observation and it is also possible to have large non-Gaussianity which would be observable by future improvements in experiments. Moreover, we obtain the tilt of the tensor power spectrum and test the standard inflationary consistency relation ( r = −8 n {sub T} ) against the latest bounds from the Planck2015 dataset. We find a slight deviation from the standard consistency relation in this setup. Nevertheless, such a deviation seems not to be sufficiently remarkable to be detected confidently.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

An optimally weighted estimator of the linear power spectrum disentangling the growth of density perturbations across galaxy surveys

Measuring the clustering of galaxies from surveys allows us to estimate the power spectrum of matter density fluctuations, thus constraining cosmological models. This requires careful modelling of observational effects to avoid misinterpretation of data. In particular, signals coming from different distances encode information from different epochs. This is known as ''light-cone effect'' and is going to have a higher impact as upcoming galaxy surveys probe larger redshift ranges. Generalising the method by Feldman, Kaiser and Peacock (1994) [1], I define a minimum-variance estimator of the linear power spectrum at a fixed time, properly taking into account the light-cone effect. An analytic expression for the estimator is provided, and that is consistent with the findings of previous works in the literature. I test the method within the context of the Halofit model, assuming Planck 2014 cosmological parameters [2]. I show that the estimator presented recovers the fiducial linear power spectrum at present time within 5% accuracy up to k ∼ 0.80 h Mpc{sup −1} and within 10% up to k ∼ 0.94 h Mpc{sup −1}, well into the non-linear regime of the growth of density perturbations. As such, the method could be useful in the analysis of the data from future large-scale surveys, like Euclid.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Constraints on axion-like particles from non-observation of spectral modulations for X-ray point sources

We extend previous searches for X-ray spectral modulations induced by ALP-photon conversion to a variety of new sources, all consisting of quasars or AGNs located in or behind galaxy clusters. We consider a total of seven new sources, with data drawn from the Chandra archive. In all cases the spectrum is well fit by an absorbed power-law with no evidence for spectral modulations, allowing constraints to be placed on the ALP-photon coupling parameter g {sub a} {sub γγ}. Two sources are particularly good: the Seyfert galaxy 2E3140 in A1795 and the AGN NGC3862 within the cluster A1367, leading to 95% bounds for light ALPs ( m {sub a} ∼< 10{sup −12} eV) of g {sub a} {sub γγ} ∼< 1.5 × 10{sup −12} GeV{sup −1} and g {sub a} {sub γγ} ∼< 2.4 × 10{sup −12} GeV{sup −1} respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Galileon gravity in light of ISW, CMB, BAO and H {sub 0} data

Cosmological models with Galileon gravity are an alternative to the standard ΛCDM paradigm with testable predictions at the level of its self-accelerating solutions for the expansion history, as well as large-scale structure formation. Here, we place constraints on the full parameter space of these models using data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) (including lensing), baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. We pay special attention to the ISW effect for which we use the cross-spectra, C {sub ℓ}{sup Tg}, of CMB temperature maps and foreground galaxies from the WISE survey. The sign of C {sub ℓ}{sup Tg} is set by the time evolution of the lensing potential in the redshift range of the galaxy sample: it is positive if the potential decays (like in ΛCDM), negative if it deepens. We constrain three subsets of Galileon gravity separately known as the Cubic, Quartic and Quintic Galileons. The cubic Galileon model predicts a negative C {sub ℓ}{sup Tg} and exhibits a 7.8σ tension with the data, which effectively rules it out. For the quartic and quintic models the ISW data also rule out a significant portion of the parameter space but permit regions where the goodness-of-fit is comparable to ΛCDM. The data prefers a non zero sum of the neutrino masses (∑ m {sub ν} ≈ 0.5eV) with ∼ 5σ significance in these models. The best-fitting models have values of H {sub 0} consistent with local determinations, thereby avoiding the tension that exists in ΛCDM. We also identify and discuss a ∼ 2σ tension that Galileon gravity exhibits with recent BAO measurements. Our analysis shows overall that Galileon cosmologies cannot be ruled out by current data but future lensing, BAO and ISW data hold strong potential to do so.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Enhanced photocatalytic performance in atomic layer deposition grown TiO{sub 2} thin films via hydrogen plasma treatment

The authors report the effect of hydrogen plasma treatment on TiO{sub 2} thin films grown by atomic layer deposition as an effective approach for modifying the photoanode materials in order to enhance their photoelectrochemical performance. Hydrogen plasma treated TiO{sub 2} thin films showed an improved absorption in the visible spectrum probably due to surface reduction. XPS analysis confirmed the formation of Ti{sup 3+} states upon plasma treatment. Hydrogen plasma treatment of TiO{sub 2} films enhanced the measured photocurrent densities by a factor of 8 (1 mA/cm{sup 2} at 0.8 V versus normal hydrogen electrode) when compared to untreated TiO{sub 2} (0.12 mA/cm{sup 2}). The enhancement in photocurrent is attributed to the formation of localized electronic states in mid band-gap region, which facilitate efficient separation and transportation of photo excited charge carriers in the UV region of electromagnetic spectrum.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Level-energy-dependent mean velocities of excited tungsten atoms sputtered by krypton-ion bombardment

Visible emission spectra were acquired from neutral atoms sputtered by 35–60 keV Kr{sup +} ions from a polycrystalline tungsten surface. Mean velocities of excited tungsten atoms in seven different 6p states were also obtained via the dependence of photon intensities on the distance from the surface. The average velocities parallel to the surface normal varied by factors of 2–4 for atoms in the different 6p energy levels. However, they were almost independent of the incident ion kinetic energy. The 6p-level energy dependence indicated that the velocities of the excited atoms were determined by inelastic processes that involve resonant charge exchange.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

High stability near-broken gap junction for multijunction photovoltaics

High performance tunnel junctions were made from sputtered and annealed p-type CuAlO 2 and n-type ZnSnO 3 with suitable band alignment for both low resistance and alignment to typical inorganic materials needed for a tandem solar cell. The devices not only exhibit low resistance, they are also thermally stable, capable of sustaining postdeposition temperatures up to 600 degrees C. This is a key requirement for many high performance multijunction thin film inorganic solar cells. The CuAlO 2 top-layer remains amorphous, providing a diffusion barrier for top cell stack processing. The materials' stack gives a negligible voltage drop, and the visible-spectrum transparency is near 100%. XPS measurements show that unannealed Cu in the Cu-Al-O films is in the +2 oxidation state, while in the films annealed at 500 degrees C and above, Cu is in the +1 oxidation state. This suggests that annealing is necessary to form CuAlO 2 . A near-broken gap alignment provides a low resistance contact with band alignment that is nearly ideal for a tandem device.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗