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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

WIYN OPEN CLUSTER STUDY. LVII. OXYGEN ABUNDANCES OF SOLAR-TYPE DWARFS IN THE HYADES AND NGC 752

Oxygen has been proposed to be a superior tracer, compared to iron, for studying galactic chemical evolution. In the context of improving our understanding of the evolution of Galactic oxygen using open clusters, we present a spectroscopic analysis of oxygen and iron abundances in the 650 Myr old Hyades cluster and in the 1.45 Gyr old cluster NGC 752, using high-dispersion 7774 Å O I triplet region spectra of dwarfs in these clusters acquired with the Hydra MOS on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope. Motivated by recent improvements in analysis of the triplet, we use a strictly differential analysis in solar-type stars to obtain reliable O abundances. Using stars whose radial velocities and spectral cross-correlation analyses are consistent with single-star membership, we report Hyades cluster averages of [O/H] = 0.195 ± 0.010 and [Fe/H] = 0.130 ± 0.009 based on 22 stars, and NGC 752 cluster averages of [O/H] = –0.077 ± 0.02 and [Fe/H] = –0.063 ± 0.013 based on 36 stars (where the errors are σ{sub μ}; we discuss possible additional systematic errors). These cluster abundance averages are in very good agreement with most previous determinations. Whereas the [O/H] cluster averages utilize only stars found in the ''prime'' T {sub eff} range straddling the solar T {sub eff}, the [Fe/H] cluster averages come from stars exhibiting a flat [Fe/H]-T {sub eff} relation of over 1000 K for the Hyades and nearly 2000 K for NGC 752. Previous studies of open clusters younger than NGC 752 have reported oxygen triplet over abundances in cool dwarfs, as compared to oxygen abundances of the prime-T {sub eff} range. We report that NGC 752 also shows such overabundances, at a higher level than the Hyades overabundances, and thus contradicts the idea of a decline of such overabundances with increasing age. We discuss evidence for and against correlations of the oxygen overabundances with rotation, X-ray luminosity, chromospheric activity, and metallicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

DESI DR1 Ly α 1D power spectrum: Validation of estimators

The Data Release 1 (DR1) of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is the largest sample to date for small-scale Lyα forest cosmology, accessed through its one-dimensional power spectrum (P 1D ). The Lyα forest P 1D is extracted from quasar spectra that are highly inhomogeneous (both in wavelength and between quasars) in noise properties due to intrinsic properties of the quasar, atmospheric and astrophysical contamination, and also sensitive to low-level details of the spectral extraction pipeline. We employ two estimators in DR1 analysis to measure P 1D : the optimal estimator and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) estimator. To ensure robustness of our DR1 measurements, we validate these two power spectrum and covariance matrix estimation methodologies against the challenging aspects of the data. First, using a set of 20 synthetic 1D realizations of DR1, we derive the masking bias corrections needed for the FFT estimator and the continuum fitting bias needed for both estimators. We demonstrate that both estimators, including their covariances, are unbiased with these corrections using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Second, we substantially extend our previous suite of CCD image simulations to include 675,000 quasars, allowing us to accurately quantify the pipeline's performance. This set of simulations reveals biases at the highest k values, corresponding to a resolution error of a few percent. We base the resolution systematics error budget of DR1 P 1D on these values, but do not derive corrections from them since the simulation fidelity is insufficient for precise corrections.

Lyman alpha forest↗
DOE OSTI2021

The completed SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: N-body mock challenge for the eBOSS emission line galaxy sample

ABSTRACT Cosmological growth can be measured in the redshift space clustering of galaxies targeted by spectroscopic surveys. Accurate prediction of clustering of galaxies will require understanding galaxy physics, which is a very hard and highly non-linear problem. Approximate models of redshift space distortion (RSD) take a perturbative approach to solve the evolution of dark matter and galaxies in the universe. In this paper, we focus on extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic (eBOSS) emission line galaxies (ELGs) that live in intermediate mass haloes. We create a series of mock catalogues using haloes from the Multidark and outer rim dark matter only N-body simulations. Our mock catalogues include various effects inspired by baryonic physics such as assembly bias and the characteristics of satellite galaxies kinematics, dynamics, and statistics deviating from dark matter particles. We analyse these mocks using the TNS RSD model in Fourier space and the convolution Lagrangian perturbation theory (CLPT) in configuration space. We conclude that these two RSD models provide an unbiased measurement of RSD within the statistical error of our mocks. We obtain the conservative theoretical systematic uncertainty of $3.3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, $1.8{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, and $1.5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in fσ8, α∥, and α⊥, respectively, for the TNS and CLPT models. We note that the estimated theoretical systematic error is an order of magnitude smaller than the statistical error of the eBOSS ELG sample and hence are negligible for the purpose of the current eBOSS ELG analysis.

Alam, Shadab↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nonperturbatively renormalized nucleon gluon momentum fraction in the continuum limit of N f = 2 + 1 + 1 lattice QCD

We present the nonperturbatively renormalized nucleon gluon momentum fraction using ensembles with 2+1+1 flavors of highly improved staggered quarks (HISQ), generated by the MILC Collaboration. The calculation is done using clover fermions for the valence action with three pion masses, 220, 310, and 690 MeV, and three lattice spacings, 0.09, 0.12, and 0.15 fm. The renormalization is done using RI/MOM nonperturbative renormalization and using cluster-decomposition error reduction (CDER) to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the renormalization constant. We find the CDER technique is particularly important to improve the signal at the finer lattice ensembles where the lattice volume is larger. We extrapolate the gluon momentum fraction to the continuum-physical limit and obtain $\langle{x}\rangle$ g = 0.502⁢(53) stat+NPR ⁢(50) mixing in the $\overline{MS}$ scheme at 2 GeV, where first error includes the statistical error and uncertainties in nonperturbative renormalization, while the latter systematic error accounts for ignoring quark mixing. Our gluon momentum fraction is consistent with other recent lattice-QCD results at physical pion mass.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Gradient Flow and Scale Setting on MILC HISQ Ensembles

We report on a scale determination with gradient-flow techniques on the N f = 2 + 1 + 1 HISQ ensembles generated by the MILC collaboration. The ensembles include four lattice spacings, ranging from approximately 0.15 to 0.06 fm, and both physical and unphysical values of the quark masses. The scales p √t 0 /a and w 0 /a and their tree-level improvements,√t 0;imp and w 0;imp , are computed on each ensemble using Symanzik ow and the cloverleaf definition of the energy density E. Using a combination of continuum chiral perturbation theory and a Taylor-series ansatz for the lattice-spacing and strong-coupling dependence, the results are simultaneously extrapolated to the continuum and interpolated to physical quark masses. We also determine the scales p t 0 = 0:1416( +8 -5 ) fm and w 0 = 0:1717( +12 -11 ) fm, where the errors are sums, in quadrature, of statistical and all systematic errors. The precision of w 0 and √t 0 is comparable to or more precise than the best previous estimates, respectively. We also find the continuum mass-dependence of w 0 that will be useful for estimating the scales of other ensembles. Furthermore, we estimate the integrated autocorrelation length of . For long flow times, the autocorrelation length of appears to be comparable to or smaller than that of the topological charge.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Shane-Wirtanen counts - Plate correction factors and correlation functions

It has recently been argued that the break in the galaxy correlation function observed in the Lick counts of Shane and Wirtanen may be an artifact of plate variations in limiting magnitude. This has stimulated us to generalize our analysis of the effect of errors in the plate depths to include a possible systematic term, and to develop tests for the random and systematic errors. The tests show that neither can have appreciably affected the distinctive feature found in the galaxy two-point correlation function for the Lick sample.

Groth, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The Rapid Geodetic Survey System (RGSS)

The Rapid Geodetic Survey System (RGSS) is a system employing a high-accuracy gimbaled inertial platform. It provides a cost-effective capability for accurate direct measurement of the change in position, elevation, gravity intensity and deflection of the vertical from an initial point. The RGSS is an adaptation of the production version of the U.S. Army Position and Azimuth Determining System (PADS). Several hardware and software enhancements to improve the performance of the system, primarily for gravity vector survey, have occurred over the last few years. The basic principles for the control of error in the survey measurements due to noise and systematic error are discussed below. Actual acceptance test results for the RGSS which indicate an inherent capability of the system to measure change in the deflection of the vertical to a few-tenths of an arcsecond over survey periods of one to two hours using careful survey techniques are also presented. Finally a simple method to extend the capability of the system for longer duration surveys is indicated.

Huddle, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Star-field identification algorithm

A description of a new star-field identification algorithm that is suitable for implementation on CCD-based imaging cameras is presented. The minimum identifiable star pattern element consists of an oriented star triplet defined by three stars, their celestial coordinates, and their visual magnitudes. The algorithm incorporates tolerance to faulty input data, errors in the reference catalog, and instrument-induced systematic errors.

Scholl, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Ab initio determination of the proton affinities of small neutral and anionic molecules

The proton affinity of a molecule in the gas phase is a fundamental measure of its basicity and is the factor controlling the course of many ion-molecule reactions. In this article, ab initio molecular orbital theory at the MP4/6-311 ++ G(3df, 3pd) level of theory is demonstrated to predict proton affinities (PA's) for small neutral and anionic bases to within 2 kcal mol-1. Furthermore, the errors are random, indicating that there are likely no systematic errors in either the experimental or theoretical PA's. Also, this level of theory is used to calibrate less sophisticated theoretical models which are suitable for larger molecules; the MP4/6-311 ++ G(2d, 2p) and MP2/6-311 ++ G(d, p) theoretical models should be particularly useful. A procedure for predicting the vibrational frequencies for anion is proposed and applied to CH3-, NH2-, OH-, and CN-.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2014

Supersonic Retropropulsion Test 1853 in NASA LaRC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel Test Section 2

A supersonic retropropulsion experiment was conducted in the Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel Test Section 2 at Mach numbers of 2.4, 3.5, and 4.6. Intended as a code validation effort, this study used pretest computations to size and refine the model such that tunnel blockage and internal flow separations were minimized. A 5-in diameter 70 degree sphere-cone forebody, which can accommodate up to four 4:1 area ratio nozzles, followed by a 9.55 inches long cylindrical aft body was selected for this test after computational maturation. The primary measurements for this experiment were high spatial-density surface pressures. In addition, high speed schlieren video and internal pressures and temperatures were acquired. The test included parametric variations in the number of nozzles utilized, thrust coefficients (roughly 0 to 4), and angles of attack (-8 to 20 degrees). The run matrix was developed to also allow quantification of various sources of experimental uncertainty, such as random errors due to run-to-run variations and systematic errors due to flowfield or model misalignments. To accommodate the uncertainty assessment, many runs and replicates were conducted with the model at various locations within the tunnel and with model roll angles of 0, 60, 120, and 180 degrees. This test report provides operational details of the experiment, contains a review of trends, and provides all schlieren and pressure results within appendices.

Berry, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The effect of earth orientation errors in baseline determination

Baselines estimated from certain space techniques are susceptible to systematic errors affecting the relative coordinates. The set of parameters that describes the continuously changing relative orientation of the conventional terrestrial (CTS) and inertial (CIS) reference frames is one source of error. As a result of these errors, the coordinates of each terminal station may actually refer to a slightly different coordinate system and therefore errors will result when these coordinates are used to compute the length between the stations. The present paper examines the expected magnitudes of these errors and their possible presence in current solutions. To test for the presence of such errors, some of the NASA/GSFC preliminary SL5 monthly baseline variations during 1979-1981 were analyzed. It is found that the present level of accuracy and stability of the available parameters linking the CTS and CIS is unsatisfactory for centimeter level baseline length determinations. It is noted that the available options are either the use of strictly simultaneous SLR data sets or the improvement of the parameters linking the CTS and CIS.

Pavlis, E. C.↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of image-guided radiation therapy on the margin between the clinical target volume and planning target volume in lung cancer

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) on the margin between the clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) in lung cancer. Methods: The CTV and PTV margin were determined in three dimensions by four radiation oncologists using a standard method in 10 lung cancer patients, and compared to consensus values. Transfer error was measured using a rigid phantom containing gold markers. Systematic error and random error set up errors were calculated in three dimensions from pre-treatment and post-treatment cone beam CT scans. Finally, the margin between the CTV and PTV was corrected for set up error and calculated. Results: The margins between the CTV and PTV with IGRT (and without IGRT) were 0.88 cm (0.96 cm), 0.99 cm (1.08 cm) and 1.28 cm (1.82 cm) in the anterior and posterior (AP), left and right (LR) and superior and inferior (SI) directions, respectively. Images from two other patients verified the validity of the corrected margin. The target delineation errors of the radiation oncologists are considered to be the largest compared with the set up errors. The application of IGRT reduced the set up errors and the margins between CTV and PTV. Conclusions: The delineation errors of radiation oncologists are the most important factor to consider for the margin between CTV and PTV for lung cancer. IGRT can reduce the margins by reducing the set up errors, especially in the SI direction. Further research is required to assess whether the reduction in the margin is solely based on set up errors.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Parameter Estimation for Gravitational-wave Bursts with the BayesWave Pipeline

We provide a comprehensive multi-aspect study of the performance of a pipeline used by the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration for estimating parameters of gravitational-wave bursts. We add simulated signals with four different morphologies (sine-Gaussians (SGs), Gaussians, white-noise bursts, and binary black hole signals) to simulated noise samples representing noise of the two Advanced LIGO detectors during their first observing run. We recover them with the BayesWave (BW) pipeline to study its accuracy in sky localization, waveform reconstruction, and estimation of model-independent waveform parameters. BW localizes sources with a level of accuracy comparable for all four morphologies, with the median separation of actual and estimated sky locations ranging from 25.°1 to 30.°3. This is a reasonable accuracy in the two-detector case, and is comparable to accuracies of other localization methods studied previously. As BW reconstructs generic transient signals with SG wavelets, it is unsurprising that BW performs best in reconstructing SG and Gaussian waveforms. The BW accuracy in waveform reconstruction increases steeply with the network signal-to-noise ratio (S/N{sub net}), reaching a 85% and 95% match between the reconstructed and actual waveform below S/N{sub net}≈20 and S/N{sub net}≈50, respectively, for all morphologies. The BW accuracy in estimating central moments of waveforms is only limited by statistical errors in the frequency domain, and is also affected by systematic errors in the time domain as BW cannot reconstruct low-amplitude parts of signals that are overwhelmed by noise. The figures of merit we introduce can be used in future characterizations of parameter estimation pipelines.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

INTEGRAL Detection of the First Prompt Gamma-Ray Signal Coincident with the Gravitational-wave Event GW170817

We report the INTernational Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory ( INTEGRAL ) detection of the short gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A (discovered by Fermi -GBM) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 4.6, and, for the first time, its association with the gravitational waves (GWs) from binary neutron star (BNS) merging event GW170817 detected by the LIGO and Virgo observatories. The significance of association between the gamma-ray burst observed by INTEGRAL and GW170817 is 3.2σ, while the association between the Fermi -GBM and INTEGRAL detections is 4.2σ. GRB 170817A was detected by the SPI-ACS instrument about 2 s after the end of the GW event. We measure a fluence of (1.4 ± 0.4 ± 0.6) × 10{sup −7} erg cm{sup −2} (75–2000 keV), where, respectively, the statistical error is given at the 1σ confidence level, and the systematic error corresponds to the uncertainty in the spectral model and instrument response. We also report on the pointed follow-up observations carried out by INTEGRAL , starting 19.5 hr after the event, and lasting for 5.4 days. We provide a stringent upper limit on any electromagnetic signal in a very broad energy range, from 3 keV to 8 MeV, constraining the soft gamma-ray afterglow flux to <7.1 × 10{sup −11} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} (80–300 keV). Exploiting the unique capabilities of INTEGRAL , we constrained the gamma-ray line emission from radioactive decays that are expected to be the principal source of the energy behind a kilonova event following a BNS coalescence. Finally, we put a stringent upper limit on any delayed bursting activity, for example, from a newly formed magnetar.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Airborne remote sensing of tropospheric water vapor using a near infrared DIAL system

Summarized here are the results of airborne water vapor measurements in the lower middle and upper troposphere using the Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technique in the near infrared. The measurements were performed in July 1990 in Southern Bavaria between Allersberg and Straubing from 20 to 23 UTC taking advantage of night time conditions. The tropospheric H2O profiles were range investigated both horizontally and vertically. With the DIAL system that was used, water vapor measurements in the upper troposphere have been carried out for the first time. To calibrate the H2O-retrievals, effective absorption cross sections of selected H2O lines in terms of altitude around 724 nm were calculated using line parameter data from the literature (B. E. Grossmann et al). The frequency of the on-line measurements was adjusted by the spectra of a Polyacenic Semiconductor (PAS) cell filled with H2O. We found that the calibration error ranged between 0.005 and 0.015 cm(exp -1). The systematic errors of the H2O as a function of altitude were estimated below 7 km and 12 percent accuracy in the upper troposphere. The vertical H2O profile agrees well with in situ measurements in the investigated range between the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) up to near the tropopause. Horizontal and vertical H2O profiles are calculated by means of averaging single lidar returns. Typical horizontal resolutions range from 4 km in the lower to 11 km in the upper troposphere with vertical resolutions varying from 0.3 km up to 1 km, respectively, in order to satisfy a 5 - 10 percent accuracy in the statistical error. The measurement sensibility of the water vapor mixing ration in the upper troposphere is 0.01 g/kg.

Ehret, G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

VLBI Contribution to ITRF2000

The VLBI data set spanning Aug. 1919 to the present is a major constituent of ITRF2000 because of the time span, the geometric strength and the accuracy of the modeling. Formal velocity errors for the best stations are less than 0.3 mm/yr while the probable frame definition error for station velocities is approximately 0.4 mm/yr. The primary systematic errors are the troposphere and tidal loading (solid Earth and ocean). However, the scale of the VLBI TRF is probably only weakly affected because of continued improvements in the tropospheric mapping function and gradient estimation. There are some weaknesses in the spatial distribution of data, particularly in the southern hemisphere, and the quality of the mobile VLBI results is now suboptimal. The deployment of the TIGO system to Chile will improve the geometric coverage. The current state of the art of VLBI analysis will be discussed.

Ma, Chopo↗
NASA NTRS2010

Self-Nulling Beam Combiner Using No External Phase Inverter

A self-nulling beam combiner is proposed that completely eliminates the phase inversion subsystem from the nulling interferometer, and instead uses the intrinsic phase shifts in the beam splitters. Simplifying the flight instrument in this way will be a valuable enhancement of mission reliability. The tighter tolerances on R = T (R being reflection and T being transmission coefficients) required by the self-nulling configuration actually impose no new constraints on the architecture, as two adaptive nullers must be situated between beam splitters to correct small errors in the coatings. The new feature is exploiting the natural phase shifts in beam combiners to achieve the 180 phase inversion necessary for nulling. The advantage over prior art is that an entire subsystem, the field-flipping optics, can be eliminated. For ultimate simplicity in the flight instrument, one might fabricate coatings to very high tolerances and dispense with the adaptive nullers altogether, with all their moving parts, along with the field flipper subsystem. A single adaptive nuller upstream of the beam combiner may be required to correct beam train errors (systematic noise), but in some circumstances phase chopping reduces these errors substantially, and there may be ways to further reduce the chop residuals. Though such coatings are beyond the current state of the art, the mechanical simplicity and robustness of a flight system without field flipper or adaptive nullers would perhaps justify considerable effort on coating fabrication.

Bloemhof, Eric E.↗