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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Evolution of microstructure and residual stress during annealing of austenitic and ferritic steels

In this work the recovery and recrystallization processes occurring in ferritic and austenitic steels were studied. To determine the evolution of residual stresses during material annealing the nonlinear sin{sup 2}ψ diffraction method was used and an important relaxation of the macrostresses as well as the microstresses was found in the cold rolled samples subjected to heat treatment. Such relaxation occurs at the beginning of recovery, when any changes of microstructure cannot be detected using other experimental techniques. Stress evolution in the annealed steel samples was correlated with the progress of recovery process, which significantly depends on the value of stacking fault energy. - Highlights: • X-ray diffraction was used to determine the first order and second order stresses. • Diffraction data were analyzed using scale transition elastoplastic models model. • Stress relaxation in annealed ferritic and austenitic steels was correlated with evolution of microstructure. • Influence of stacking fault energy on thermally induced processes was discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

A population of intermediate-mass black holes in dwarf starburst galaxies up to redshift = 1.5

We study a sample of ∼50,000 dwarf starburst and late-type galaxies drawn from the COSMOS survey with the aim of investigating the presence of nuclear accreting black holes (BHs) as those seed BHs from which supermassive BHs could grow in the early universe. We divide the sample into five complete redshift bins up to z = 1.5 and perform an X-ray stacking analysis using the Chandra COSMOS-Legacy survey data. After removing the contribution from X-ray binaries and hot gas to the stacked X-ray emission, we still find an X-ray excess in the five redshift bins that can be explained by nuclear accreting BHs. This X-ray excess is more significant for z<0.5. At higher redshifts, these active galactic nuclei could suffer mild obscuration, as indicated by the analysis of their hardness ratios. The average nuclear X-ray luminosities in the soft band are in the range 10{sup 39}–10{sup 40} erg s{sup −1}. Assuming that the sources accrete at ≥1% the Eddington rate, their BH masses would be ≤10{sup 5} M{sub ⊙}, thus in the intermediate-mass BH regime, but their mass would be smaller than the one predicted by the BH-stellar mass relation. If instead the sources follow the correlation between BH mass and stellar mass, they would have sub-Eddington accreting rates of ∼10{sup −3} and BH masses 1–9 × 10{sup 5} M{sub ⊙}. We thus conclude that a population of intermediate-mass BHs exists in dwarf starburst galaxies, at least up to z = 1.5, though their detection beyond the local universe is challenging due to their low luminosity and mild obscuration unless deep surveys are employed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A Monte Carlo Technique to Estimate Emissions from R&D Facilities

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) operates multidisciplinary laboratory Research and Development (R&D) facilities for the U. S. Department of Energy and sampled air chemical emissions from some of these facilities from 1998 until 2008. Although sampling was not required for environmental compliance, PNNL conducted sampling to provide data to compare estimated release fractions to those used for emissions estimates and to verify that methods used to determine compliance with air regulations and permits conservatively predict actual emissions. Sampling also identifies and quantifies air toxics emitted to compare with compliance limits established by the State. The sampling data provides a unique opportunity to quantify emissions and investigate factors potentially impacting emissions. Previous work using this data set include a paper by Woodruff, Benar, and McCarthy1 who summarized the compliance approach used by PNNL and described sampling and analytical measurements for the first sampling campaigns. Conclusions reported in the paper were that none of the measurements of the target compounds exceeded a State acceptable source impact level (ASIL)2 even using significant overestimation factors, and that an average release fraction calculated from the data provided reasonable validation of the factor used in compliance assessments. Other reports using the data include the following: • A metric was developed by Ballinger, Duchsherer, and Metoyer3 to compare chemical signatures. The analysis found similarities in chemical signatures from three of the buildings but a markedly different signature from the fourth building. • A method was developed and used on the data to rank the chemical compounds that present the greatest risk to a potential downstream receptor and to determine whether the sampling parameters and detection limits provided sufficient resolution to verify compliance at potential receptor locations.4 • The stack data from one of the buildings was analyzed using a statistical technique called Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) to identify the number and composition of major contributing sources to measured stack concentrations.5 In this analysis, a method is described that uses a Monte Carlo technique to produce a distribution of emission estimates from the measured data. The method is applied to one of the chemicals previously identified as more significant than others using the ranking process.4 Variations on the method are investigated and compared to determine their effects on the emission estimates.

Laboratory, air chemical emissions, volatile organ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Novel Preprocessing Techniques for Enhancing Flowability of Miscanthus

Purpose-grown energy crops possess significant potential as promising feedstocks for biofuel and biochemical production. However, similar to other biomass feedstocks, their utilization has been hindered by handling and feeding challenges such as clogging and segregation, which prevent biorefineries from operating at full capacity. These challenges arise primarily due to particle attributes including irregular shape, high flexibility, and high compressibility, leading to interlocking, high compaction, and significant friction under stress consolidation. To enhance operational reliability, it is crucial to focus on preprocessing techniques to address these issues, alongside accurately characterizing the mechanical and physical properties and flow performance of these feedstocks. This study investigates novel preprocessing techniques, including pelletization and torrefaction, to fundamentally alter these particle attributes and improve flowability. Miscanthus, an herbaceous energy crop, was the primary focus of this study. Samples were processed using a Forest Concepts Crumbler rotary shear system and an oscillating multi-stack screen bed to achieve two nominal (baseline) particle sizes: 6mm and 2mm. The study evaluated the efficiency and energy consumption of size reduction, revealing that while 2mm particles required more energy, they exhibited better flowability and higher yield strength compared to 6mm particles. Shear and compression tests assessed the material's shear strength, internal friction, and elastic modulus, while wedge-shaped hopper tests measured the critical arching distance and mass flow rate. The results provide valuable insights into the mechanical properties and processing efficiency of Miscanthus, contributing to the development of a preprocessing framework that enhances energy efficiency and material flowability in bioenergy production. However, further preprocessing and development are required to optimize this framework fully.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerating Low-Income Financing and Transactions (LIFT) for Solar Access Everywhere (Final Technical Report)

The Accelerating Low-Income Financing and Transactions (LIFT) for Solar Access Everywhere project’s goal was to expand Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) solar access for homeowners and renters. The LIFT project researched and gathered data on 453 LMI community solar project across the country. Following three years of research, the project delivered three groundbreaking research papers in June 2022, focused on 1) customer experience, 2) the growth of community solar programs, and 3) project-level financial best practices for serving LMI communities. These were followed by a user-friendly web-based Toolkit allowing users to interact with project data and key findings in November 2022. The customer experience research examined community solar subscribers’ primary motivations to join and remain satisfied with projects. Our research identified 453 projects across the country that dedicated some portion of the system capacity to LMI households. Seventeen of these projects participated in the LIFT customer experience research, allowing the project team to survey their customers and gain insight into how LMI subscribers feel about community solar and the programs that serve them. Subscribers in our sample indicated that the most critical issue that motivated them to participate in their program, however, was not savings but helping the environment. This was true for both LMI and non-LMI subscribers. Helping the environment was also the most important issue for LMI subscribers to measure how well their program was working for them. LIFT also explored how rapidly community solar has grown since its inception in 2006, publishing results in the Growth of U.S. Community Solar Serving LMI Households report. The results showed that community solar projects serving LMI households are one of the fastest growing segments of the solar industry. The report identifies and recommends ways developers should overcome real or perceived risks to LMI customer acquisition and subscriber management. Through the analysis of community solar project finance research, LIFT showed that most community solar projects serving LMI households are financed in the same ways mainstream community solar projects are financed. The value stacks and financial returns are no different, although LMI inclusion and participation rate varied across programs in our sample, ranging from between 10% and 100%. Based on the findings from the LIFT research, the team built a web-based user-friendly Toolkit, consisting of case studies, project finance best practices, and several tools built around the national dataset of 453 community solar projects that serve LMI households. These allow users to engage with the dataset in multiple ways; to explore the landscape of LMI community solar in the U.S., and to design community solar projects to optimize LMI inclusion, equity, and savings levels. The Toolkit also includes a library of LIFT-generated and LIFT-curated resources for users to learn more about how to best serve LMI communities through community solar. LIFT officially published the Toolkit on October 31, 2022, followed by a launch event (public webinar) on November 17, 2022. The core LIFT partners continue to engage in outreach and dissemination efforts to promote the LIFT Toolkit and research publications. Our driving motivation is to continue enabling solar developers to leverage the findings of this three-year research effort. By implication, the LIFT Toolkit is designed for use by utilities, energy service providers, and financiers or investors as a learning and decision-making tool to rapidly scale project models that optimize LMI inclusion and maximize real household savings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

CODEX weak lensing: concentration of galaxy clusters at z ~ 0.5

Here, we present a stacked weak-lensing analysis of 27 richness selected galaxy clusters at 0.40 ≤ z ≤ 0.62 in the COnstrain Dark Energy with X-ray galaxy clusters (CODEX) survey. The fields were observed in five bands with the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). We measure the stacked surface mass density profile with a 14σ significance in the radial range 0.1 < RMpch -1 < 2.5. The profile is well described by the halo model, with the main halo term following a Navarro–Frenk–White profile (NFW) profile and including the off-centring effect. We select the background sample using a conservative colour–magnitude method to reduce the potential systematic errors and contamination by cluster member galaxies. We perform a Bayesian analysis for the stacked profile and constrain the best-fitting NFW parameters M 200c =6.6$+1.0\atop{-0.8}$×10 14 h -1 M⊙ and c 200c =3.7$+0.7\atop{-0.6}$. The off-centring effect was modelled based on previous observational results found for redMaPPer Sloan Digital Sky Survey clusters. Our constraints on M200c and c200c allow us to investigate the consistency with numerical predictions and select a concentration–mass relation to describe the high richness CODEX sample. Comparing our best-fitting values for M200c and c200c with other observational surveys at different redshifts, we find no evidence for evolution in the concentration–mass relation, though it could be mitigated by particular selection functions. Similar to previous studies investigating the X-ray luminosity–mass relation, our data suggest a lower evolution than expected from self-similarity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Multi-stacks of epitaxial GeSn self-assembled dots in Si: Structural analysis

We report on the growth and structural and morphologic characterization of stacked layers of self-assembled GeSn dots grown on Si (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy at low substrate temperature T = 350 °C. Samples consist of layers (from 1 up to 10) of Ge{sub 0.96}Sn{sub 0.04} self-assembled dots separated by Si spacer layers, 10 nm thick. Their structural analysis was performed based on transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman scattering. We found that up to 4 stacks of dots could be grown with good dot layer homogeneity, making the GeSn dots interesting candidates for optoelectronic device applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Three-Dimensional FIB/EBSD Characterization of Irradiated HfAl3-Al Composite

A thermal neutron absorbing material, comprised of 28.4 vol% HfAl3 in an Al matrix, was developed to serve as a conductively cooled thermal neutron filter to enable fast flux materials and fuels testing in a pressurized water reactor. In order to observe the microstructural change of the HfAl3-Al composite due to neutron irradiation, an EBSD-FIB characterization approach is developed and presented in this paper. Using the focused ion beam (FIB), the sample was fabricated to 25µm × 25µm × 20 µm and mounted on the grid. A series of operations were carried out repetitively on the sample top surface to prepare it for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). First, a ~100-nm layer was removed by high voltage FIB milling. Then, several cleaning passes were performed on the newly exposed surface using low voltage FIB milling to improve the SEM image quality. Last, the surface was scanned by Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) to obtain the two-dimensional image. After 50 to 100 two-dimensional images were collected, the images were stacked to reconstruct a three-dimensional model using DREAM.3D software. Two such reconstructed three-dimensional models were obtained from samples of the original and post-irradiation HfAl3-Al composite respectively, from which the most significant microstructural change caused by neutron irradiation apparently is the size reduction of both HfAl3 and Al grains. The possible reason is the thermal expansion and related thermal strain from the thermal neutron absorption. This technique can be applied to three-dimensional microstructure characterization of irradiated materials.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Diagenetic Microcrystalline Opal Varieties from the Monterey Formation, CA: HRTEM Study of Structures and Phase Transformation Mechanisms

Microcrystalline opal varieties form as intermediary precipitates during the diagenetic transformation of biogenically precipitated non-crystalline opal (opal-A) to microquartz. With regard to the Monterey Formation of California, X-ray powder diffraction studies have shown that a decrease in the primary d-spacing of opal-CT toward that of cristobalite occurs with increasing diagenesis. The initial timing of opal-CT/quartz formation and the value of the primary opal-CT d-spacing, are influenced by the sediment. lithology. Transmission electron microscopy methods (CTEM/HRTEM) were used to investigate the structure of the diagenetic phases and establish transformation mechanisms between the varieties of microcrystalline opals in charts and porcelanites from the Monterey Formation. HRTEM images revealed that the most common fibrous varieties of microcrystalline opals contain varying amounts of structural disorder. Finite lamellar units of cristobalite-and tridymite-type. layer sequences were found to be randomly stacked in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis. Disordered and ordered fibers were found to have coprecipitated within the same radial fiber bundles that formed within the matrix of the Most siliceous samples. HRTEM images, which reveal that the fibers within radial and lepispheric fiber bundles branch non-crystallographically, support an earlier proposal that microspheres in chert grow via a spherulitic growth mechanism. A less common variety of opal-CT was found to be characterized by non-parallel (low-angle) stacking sequences that often contain twinned lamellae. Tabular-shaped crystals of orthorhombic tridymite (PO-2) were also identified in the porcelanite samples. A shift in the primary d-spacing of opal-CT has been interpreted as an indication of solid-state ordering g toward a predominantly cristobalite structure, (opal-C). Domains of opal-C were identified as topotactically-oriented overgrowths on discrete Sections of opal-CT fibers and as lamellar domains within relict opal-CT fibers. These findings indicate that the type of transformation mechanism depends upon the primary structural characteristics of the authigenic opaline. varieties that are in turn influenced by the sediment lithology.

Cady, Sherry L.↗
NASA NTRS2024

The Scientific Value of Collecting Samples From the Jezero Crater Rim

The Mars 2020 mission has been conducting ground-based investigation of the geology, habitability, and biosignature preservation potential and collecting samples for return to Earth in Jezero crater, Mars for nearly 3 years. Analysis of these samples will address outstanding questions in Mars science including potential habitability and how and why the climate the interior of the planet evolved through time. As of December 2023, samples of 4 igneous rocks of the Jezero crater floor and 9 sedimentary rocks of the Jezero fan and inner margin, remain on the rover. 15 tubes remain to be filled to enhance the diversity of the cache and broaden the scope of the science questions that can be addressed with returned sample studies. The next step in the mission is to explore the Jezero crater rim. It will be imperative to investigate and sample the diversity of crater rim rocks because they represent materials from Mars’ most ancient crust older than those sampled in Jezero crater, a diversity of geologic processes, and potential ancient habitable environments that have not yet been investigated or sampled. Ongoing mapping efforts are using orbiter data and long-distance images from Perseverance to identify and interpret the geologic context of the crater rim. Building on this effort and the broader geologic context for the crater rim put forward by previous studies, we identify diverse targets for in situ investigation and potential sampling by Mars 2020.

Mars sample return↗
NASA NTRS2010

Convective Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone and Tracers in the Central American ITCZ Region: Evidence from Observations During TC4

During the Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling (TC4) experiment that occurred in July and August of 2007, extensive sampling of active convection in the ITCZ region near Central America was performed from multiple aircraft and satellite sensors. As part of a sampling strategy designed to study cloud processes, the NASA ER-2, WB-57 and DC-8 flew in stacked "racetrack patterns" in convective cells. On July 24, 2007, the ER-2 and DC-8 probed an actively developing storm and the DC-8 was hit by lightning. Case studies of this flight, and of convective outflow on August 5, 2007 reveal a significant anti-correlation between ozone and condensed cloud water content. With little variability in the boundary layer and a vertical gradient, low ozone in the upper troposphere indicates convective transport. Because of the large spatial and temporal variability in surface CO and other pollutants in this region, low ozone is a better convective indicator. Lower tropospheric tracers methyl hydrogen peroxide, total organic bromine and calcium substantiate the ozone results. OMI measurements of mean upper tropospheric ozone near convection show lower ozone in convective outflow. A mass balance estimation of the amount of convective turnover below the tropical tropopause transition layer (TTL) is 50%, with an altitude of maximum convective outflow located between 10 and 11 km, 4 km below the cirrus anvil tops. It appears that convective lofting in this region of the ITCZ is either a two-stage or a rapid mixing process, because undiluted boundary layer air is never sampled in the convective outflow.

Avery, Melody↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars 2020's First Sample: The Fractured Rough Rock Unit on the Floor of Jezero Crater

A central goal of the Mars 2020 mission is to select and cache samples for future return to Earth. The first samples targeted for collection are from the crater-retaining, Crater Floor Fractured Rough (CF-Fr) unit of Stack et al., 2020.The CF-Fr unit is a topographically low unit in the current Jezero setting, likely overlain by morphologically discrete units, including possible Jezero delta deposits and eolian features. CF-Fr is an aerially extensive unit with lobate margins. Two distinct morphologies are observed: a locally-exposed lower expression, with flat relatively horizontal light-toned surfaces and polygonal fracturing, and an upper expression consisting of up to ~5vertical meters of massive, sometimes boulder-producing, material. The locally-exposed lower expression appears to represent a local ground level in which the upper material has been removed. Near the Octavia E. Butler landing site, the lower morphology is exposed as polygonally-fractured, light-toned bedrock that appears to grade continuously into higher-standing massive outcrops, often with no clearly exposed contact. Further south, a darker upper expression of the CF-Fr unit is more distinct and the unit exhibits some horizontal layering. The Perseverance rover will initially sample the flat-lying expression of this unit. Hypotheses for the origin of CF-Fr include fluvial, aeolian, or lacustrine sediment likely derived from the Jezero watershed, and/or pyroclastic material resulting from regional volcanism. Geochronology of the returned sample could be used to help constrain the timing of geological events in Jezero. It may also help constrain stratigraphic relationships with crater-retaining units outside of Jezero within the Nili Planum, which could be used to calibrate the cratering chronology of Mars. Paleomagnetic analyses of an oriented sample could establish the history of the martian dynamo and whether it persisted into the Hesperian. Finally, if present, secondary phases within the primary deposit would help constrain diagenetic conditions and inform post-depositional aqueous and potentially habitable environmental conditions.

Justin I Simon↗
DOE OSTI2018

Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility Discharges in 2017

This report documents radioactive discharges from the TA50 Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF) during calendar year 2017. During 2017, all treated water was fed to the effluent evaporator. The evaporator was operated 3574 hours on 224 days, primarily in one-burner mode (63% of the time). A total of 3.42 million liters of treated water were fed to the evaporator, and 3.36 million liters were discharged to the environment as steam from the evaporator stack. Evaporator operation continued the single-tank feed mode that was begun in 2014. Specifically, when a Frac tank was filled with treated water, contents of the tank were mixed; a representative sample was collected; and the sample was analyzed to assess water quality. A total of 49 tanks of treated water were sampled, analyzed, and then fed to the evaporator during 2017. Tank samples were analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, and a few inorganic parameters such as nitrate and dissolved solids. Frac tank samples of evaporator feed were held, then composited at the end of each month. Each monthly composite sample was then analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, and 36 radioisotopes (eight alpha-emitting isotopes, 28 beta emitters). Samples were also collected of water drained from the evaporator. These samples, analyzed for alpha, beta, and tritium concentrations, were then used to estimate radioactive quantities present in evaporator drain water. The difference, rad fed less rad drained, yielded quantities of radioactivity discharged through the stack into the environment . Table 1 summarizes this information.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Falling Outer Rotation Curves of Star-forming Galaxies at 0.6 ≲ z ≲ 2.6 Probed with KMOS{sup 3D} and SINS/zC-SINF

We exploit the deep, resolved, Hα kinematic data from the KMOS{sup 3D} and SINS/zC-SINF surveys to examine the largely unexplored outer-disk kinematics of star-forming galaxies (SFGs), out to the peak of cosmic star formation. Our sample contains 101 SFGs, representative of the more massive (9.3≲logM{sub ∗}/M{sub ⊙}≲11.5) main sequence population at 0.6 ≤ z ≤ 2.6. Through a novel stacking approach, we are able to constrain a representative rotation curve extending out to ∼4 effective radii. This average rotation curve exhibits a significant drop in rotation velocity beyond the turnover, with a slope of ΔV/ΔR=−0.26{sub −0.09}{sup +0.10} in units of normalized coordinates V/V {sub max} and R/R {sub turn}. This result confirms that the fall-off seen in some individual galaxies is a common feature of our sample of high-z disks. The outer fall-off strikingly deviates from the flat or mildly rising rotation curves of local spiral galaxies that have similar masses. Through a comparison with models that include baryons and dark matter, we demonstrate that the falling stacked rotation curve is consistent with a high mass fraction of baryons, relative to the total dark matter halo (m {sub d} ≳ 0.05), in combination with a sizeable level of pressure support in the outer disk. These findings agree with recent studies demonstrating that high-z star-forming disks are strongly baryon-dominated within the disk scale, and furthermore suggest that pressure gradients caused by large, turbulent gas motions are present even in their outer disks. These results are largely independent of our model assumptions, such as the presence of stellar bulges, the effect of adiabatic contraction, and variations in halo concentration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

High-temperature stability of {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3}

Graphical abstract: In this study, stability of {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} is investigated to test a hypothesized thermodynamically driven {alpha}-{beta} phase transformation. It is found that the {alpha} phase is stable up to 1600 {sup o}C, with impurities and point defects most likely increasing the stability of the {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3}. Highlights: {yields} Cold-pressed {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} powders are annealed up to 1750 {sup o}C to test first-principles predictions of {alpha}-{beta} phase-stability reversal at 1600 {sup o}C. {yields} The {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} samples are stable up to 1600 {sup o}C, with no indications of any {alpha}-{beta} transformation. {yields} Transmission electron microscopy shows zig-zag stacking sequence characteristic of {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3}, as well as tantalum oxide impurities. {yields} The XRD patterns suggest that defects such as vacancies or antisites may increase the stability of {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3}. -- Abstract: Cold-pressed {alpha}-Ta4AlC3 powders were annealed up to 1750 {sup o}C to test first-principles predictions of {alpha}-{beta} phase-stability reversal at 1600 {sup o}C. Up to 1600 {sup o}C, the {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} samples were stable with no indications of any {alpha}-{beta} transformation, as shown by the strong characteristic X-ray diffraction peaks of {alpha}-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} and the zigzag stacking observed by transmission electron microscopy. These results show that, in this experimental situation, high temperature alone is not sufficient to cause the {alpha}-{beta} transformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

LOW MASSES AND HIGH REDSHIFTS: THE EVOLUTION OF THE MASS-METALLICITY RELATION

We present the first robust measurement of the high redshift mass-metallicity (MZ) relation at 10{sup 8} ∼< M/M {sub ☉} ∼< 10{sup 10}, obtained by stacking spectra of 83 emission-line galaxies with secure redshifts between 1.3 ∼< z ∼< 2.3. For these redshifts, infrared grism spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 is sensitive to the R {sub 23} metallicity diagnostic: ([O II] λλ3726, 3729 + [O III] λλ4959, 5007)/Hβ. Using spectra stacked in four mass quartiles, we find a MZ relation that declines significantly with decreasing mass, extending from 12+log(O/H) = 8.8 at M = 10{sup 9.8} M {sub ☉}, to 12+log(O/H) = 8.2 at M = 10{sup 8.2} M {sub ☉}. After correcting for systematic offsets between metallicity indicators, we compare our MZ relation to measurements from the stacked spectra of galaxies with M ∼> 10{sup 9.5} M {sub ☉} and z ∼ 2.3. Within the statistical uncertainties, our MZ relation agrees with the z ∼ 2.3 result, particularly since our somewhat higher metallicities (by around 0.1 dex) are qualitatively consistent with the lower mean redshift (z = 1.76) of our sample. For the masses probed by our data, the MZ relation shows a steep slope which is suggestive of feedback from energy-driven winds, and a cosmological downsizing evolution where high mass galaxies reach the local MZ relation at earlier times. In addition, we show that our sample falls on an extrapolation of the star-forming main sequence (the SFR-M {sub *} relation) at this redshift. This result indicates that grism emission-line selected samples do not have preferentially high star formation rates (SFRs). Finally, we report no evidence for evolution of the mass-metallicity-SFR plane; our stack-averaged measurements show excellent agreement with the local relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure in multilayer films of zinc sulfide and copper sulfide via atomic layer deposition

Multilayer film stacks of ZnS and Cu{sub x}S (x ∼ 2) were made via atomic layer deposition. The precursors were bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)zinc, bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)copper, and H{sub 2}S generated in situ for sulfur. Samples were deposited at 200 °C, in layers ranging from approximately 2 to 20 nm thick, based on binary growth rates. The properties of the film stacks were studied with atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and extended x-ray absorption fine structure. The results demonstrate that the structure of films with the thinnest layers is dominated by Cu{sub x}S, whereas in the thicker films, the structure is determined by whichever material is first deposited. This can be attributed to the crystal structure mismatch of ZnS and Cu{sub x}S.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Morphology Dependence of Stellar Age in Quenched Galaxies at Redshift ∼1.2: Massive Compact Galaxies Are Older than More Extended Ones

We report the detection of morphology-dependent stellar age in massive quenched galaxies (QGs) at z ∼ 1.2. The sense of the dependence is that compact QGs are 0.5–2 Gyr older than normal-sized ones. The evidence comes from three different age indicators—D{sub n}4000, H{sub δ}, and fits to spectral synthesis models—applied to their stacked optical spectra. All age indicators consistently show that the stellar populations of compact QGs are older than those of their normal-sized counterparts. We detect weak [O ii] emission in a fraction of QGs, and the strength of the line, when present, is similar between the two samples; however, compact galaxies exhibit a significantly lower frequency of [O ii] emission than normal ones. Fractions of both samples are individually detected in 7 Ms Chandra X-ray images (luminosities ∼10{sup 40}–10{sup 41} erg s{sup −1}). The 7 Ms stacks of nondetected galaxies show similarly low luminosities in the soft band only, consistent with a hot gas origin for the X-ray emission. While both [O ii] emitters and nonemitters are also X-ray sources among normal galaxies, no compact galaxy with [O ii] emission is an X-ray source, arguing against an active galactic nucleus (AGN) powering the line in compact galaxies. We interpret the [O ii] properties as further evidence that compact galaxies are older and further along in the process of quenching star formation and suppressing gas accretion. Finally, we argue that the older age of compact QGs is evidence of progenitor bias: compact QGs simply reflect the smaller sizes of galaxies at their earlier quenching epoch, with stellar density most likely having nothing directly to do with cessation of star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗