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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 451 records · Page 25
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DOE OSTI2013

Simulating the Compton-Getting effect for hydrogen flux measurements: Implications for IBEX-Hi and -Lo observations

The Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX), launched in 2008 October, has improved our understanding of the solar wind-local interstellar medium interaction through its detection of neutral atoms, particularly that of hydrogen (H). IBEX is able to create full maps of the sky in six-month intervals as the Earth orbits the Sun, detecting H with energies between ∼0.01 and 6 keV. Due to the relative motion of IBEX to the solar inertial frame, measurements made in the spacecraft frame introduce a Compton-Getting (CG) effect, complicating measurements at the lowest energies. In this paper we provide results from a numerical simulation that calculates fluxes of H atoms at 1 AU in the inertial and spacecraft frames (both ram and anti-ram), at energies relevant to IBEX-Hi and -Lo. We show theory behind the numerical simulations, applying a simple frame transformation to derived flux equations that provides a straightforward way to simulate fluxes in the spacecraft frame. We then show results of H energetic neutral atom fluxes simulated at IBEX-Hi energy passbands 2-6 in all frames, comparing with IBEX-Hi data along selected directions, and also show results simulated at energies relevant to IBEX-Lo. Although simulations at IBEX-Hi energies agree reasonably well with the CG correction method used for IBEX-Hi data, we demonstrate the importance of properly modeling low energy H fluxes due to inherent complexities involved with measurements made in moving frames, as well as dynamic radiation pressure effects close to the Sun.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Toward detection of AlCH{sub 2} and AlCH{sub 2}{sup +} in the interstellar medium

Highly reliable molecular properties have been computed for AlCH{sub 2} and AlCH{sub 2}{sup +} at the CCSD(T)/cc-pwCVQZ level of theory. These simple aluminum species are relevant to the chemistry of the interstellar medium (ISM) and circumstellar medium, and are proposed to form in regions where aluminum and methylene exist in appreciable concentrations because AlCH{sub 2} and AlCH{sub 2}{sup +} are thermodynamically stable with respect to dissociation. Herein, dissociation energies were computed for both species through extrapolation to the complete basis set limit using focal point analysis. For the neutral species, 86 kcal mol{sup –1} is required to heterolytically cleave the Al-C single bond, while the cationic species requires 38 kcal mol{sup –1}. To aid in identification within the ISM, the anharmonic (fundamental) frequencies, spectroscopic constants, and vibrationally averaged properties for AlCH{sub 2} and the corresponding cation are also reported.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Vacuum ultraviolet and infrared spectra of condensed methyl acetate on cold astrochemical dust analogs

Following the recent report of the first identification of methyl acetate (CH{sub 3}COOCH{sub 3}) in the interstellar medium (ISM), we have carried out vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies on methyl acetate from 10 K until sublimation in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber simulating astrochemical conditions. We present the first VUV and IR spectra of methyl acetate relevant to ISM conditions. Spectral signatures clearly showed molecular reorientation to have started in the ice by annealing the amorphous ice formed at 10 K. An irreversible phase change from amorphous to crystalline methyl acetate ice was found to occur between 110 K and 120 K.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Long-term evolution of decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the multiphase interstellar medium

Supersonic turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM) is believed to decay rapidly within a flow crossing time irrespective of the degree of magnetization. However, this general consensus of decaying magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence relies on local isothermal simulations, which are unable to take into account the roles of the global structures of magnetic fields and the ISM. Utilizing three-dimensional MHD simulations including interstellar cooling and heating, we investigate decaying MHD turbulence within cold neutral medium sheets embedded in a warm neutral medium. The early evolution of turbulent kinetic energy is consistent with previous results for decaying compressible MHD turbulence characterized by rapid energy decay with a power-law form of E∝t {sup –1} and by a short decay time compared with the flow crossing time. If initial magnetic fields are strong and perpendicular to the sheet, however, long-term evolution of the kinetic energy shows that a significant amount of turbulent energy (∼0.2E {sub 0}) still remains even after 10 flow crossing times for models with periodic boundary conditions. The decay rate is also greatly reduced as the field strength increases for such initial and boundary conditions, but not if the boundary conditions are those for a completely isolated sheet. We analyze velocity power spectra of the remaining turbulence to show that in-plane, incompressible motions parallel to the sheet dominate at later times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Instability of evaporation fronts in the interstellar medium

The neutral component of the interstellar medium is segregated into the cold neutral medium (CNM) and warm neutral medium (WNM) as a result of thermal instability. It was found that a plane-parallel CNM-WNM evaporation interface, across which the CNM undergoes thermal expansion, is linearly unstable to corrugational disturbances, in complete analogy with the Darrieus-Landau instability (DLI) of terrestrial flames. We perform a full linear stability analysis as well as nonlinear hydrodynamic simulations of the DLI of such evaporation fronts in the presence of thermal conduction. We find that the DLI is suppressed at short length scales by conduction. The length and time scales of the fastest growing mode are inversely proportional to the evaporation flow speed of the CNM and its square, respectively. In the nonlinear stage, the DLI saturates to a steady state where the front deforms to a finger-like shape protruding toward the WNM, without generating turbulence. The evaporation rate at nonlinear saturation is larger than the initial plane-parallel value by a factor of ∼2.4 when the equilibrium thermal pressure is 1800 k {sub B} cm{sup –3} K. The degrees of front deformation and evaporation-rate enhancement at nonlinear saturation are determined primarily by the density ratio between the CNM and WNM. We demonstrate that the Field length in the thermally unstable medium should be resolved by at least four grid points to obtain reliable numerical outcomes involving thermal instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Heterocyclic anions of astrobiological interest

As more complex organic molecules are detected in the interstellar medium, the importance of heterocyclic molecules to astrobiology and the origin of life has become evident. 2-Aminothiazole and 2-aminooxazole have recently been suggested as important nucleotide precursors, highlighting azoles as potential prebiotic molecules. This study explores the gas-phase chemistry of three deprotonated azoles: oxazole, thiazole, and isothiazole. For the first time, their gas-phase acidities are experimentally determined with bracketing and H/D exchange techniques, and their reactivity is characterized with several detected interstellar neutral molecules (N{sub 2}O, O{sub 2}, CO, OCS, CO{sub 2}, and SO{sub 2}) and other reactive species (CS{sub 2}, CH{sub 3}Cl, (CH{sub 3}){sub 3}CCl, and (CH{sub 3}){sub 3}CBr). Rate constants and branching fractions for these reactions are experimentally measured using a modified commercial ion trap mass spectrometer whose kinetic data are in good accord with those of a flowing afterglow apparatus reported here. Last, we have examined the fragmentation patterns of these deprotonated azoles to elucidate their destruction mechanisms in high-energy environments. All experimental data are supported and complemented by electronic structure calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and MP2(full)/aug-cc-pVDZ levels of theory.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Energetic neutral atoms measured by the interstellar boundary explorer (IBEX): Evidence for multiple heliosheath populations

Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) provide powerful diagnostics about the origin of the progenitor ion populations and the physical mechanisms responsible for their production. In this paper, we extend the work of Desai et al. and Fuselier et al. and combine and compare ENA spectra from the first 3 yr of observations by the IBEX-Hi and -Lo ENA imagers along the lines-of-sight (LOSs) from the inner heliosphere through to the locations of Voyager 1 and 2 with results from an updated physics-based model of the three-dimensional heliosphere and its constituent ion populations. Our results show that (1) IBEX ENA fluxes and spectra above ∼0.7 keV measured along the LOSs of the Voyagers are consistent with several models in which the parent pickup ion (PUI) populations originate in the inner heliosheath, and (2) a significant fraction of lower energy ENAs between ∼0.1-0.5 keV may originate from interstellar neutral gas charge-exchanging with a non-thermalized (hot) population of PUIs in the outer heliosheath beyond the heliopause. We discuss the implications of ENAs observed by IBEX originating from distinct parent populations as well as from two distinct locations in the heliospheric interface. These results indicate that ENA spectral measurements at various energies can be used to remotely probe distinct physical processes operating in vastly different regions of the distant heliosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Search for the infrared emission features from deuterated interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

We report the results of a search for emission features from interstellar deuterated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the 4 μm region with the Infrared Camera (IRC) on board AKARI. No significant excess emission is seen in 4.3-4.7 μm in the spectra toward the Orion Bar and M17 after the subtraction of line emission from the ionized gas. A small excess of emission remains at around 4.4 and 4.65 μm, but the ratio of their intensity to that of the band emission from PAHs at 3.3-3.5 μm is estimated as 2%-3%. This is an order of magnitude smaller than the values previously reported and also those predicted by the model of deuterium depletion onto PAHs. Since the subtraction of the ionized gas emission introduces an uncertainty, the deuterated PAH features are also searched for in the reflection nebula GN 18.14.0, which does not show emission lines from ionized gas. We obtain a similar result that excess emission in the 4 μm region, if present, is about 2% of the PAH band emission in the 3 μm region. The present study does not find evidence for the presence of the large amount of deuterated PAHs that the depletion model predicts. The results are discussed in the context of deuterium depletion in the interstellar medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interstellar silicate analogs for grain-surface reaction experiments: Gas-phase condensation and characterization of the silicate dust grains

Amorphous, astrophysically relevant silicates were prepared by laser ablation of siliceous targets and subsequent quenching of the evaporated atoms and clusters in a helium/oxygen gas atmosphere. The described gas-phase condensation method can be used to synthesize homogeneous and astrophysically relevant silicates with different compositions ranging from nonstoichiometric magnesium iron silicates to pyroxene- and olivine-type stoichiometry. Analytical tools have been used to characterize the morphology, composition, and spectral properties of the condensates. The nanometer-sized silicate condensates represent a new family of cosmic dust analogs that can generally be used for laboratory studies of cosmic processes related to condensation, processing, and destruction of cosmic dust in different astrophysical environments. The well-characterized silicates comprising amorphous Mg{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} and Fe{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, as well as the corresponding crystalline silicates forsterite and fayalite, produced by thermal annealing of the amorphous condensates, have been used as real grain surfaces for H{sub 2} formation experiments. A specifically developed ultra-high vacuum apparatus has been used for the investigation of molecule formation experiments. The results of these molecular formation experiments on differently structured Mg{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} and Fe{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} described in this paper will be the topic of the next paper of this series.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Probing Oort cloud and local interstellar medium properties via dust produced in cometary collisions

The Oort cloud remains one of the most poorly explored regions of the solar system. We propose that its properties can be constrained by studying a population of dust grains produced in collisions of comets in the outer solar system. We explore the dynamics of μm-sized grains outside the heliosphere (beyond ∼250 AU), which are predominantly affected by the magnetic field of the interstellar medium (ISM) flow past the Sun. We derive analytic models for the production and motion of small particles as a function of their birth location in the cloud and calculate the particle flux and velocity distribution in the inner solar system. These models are verified by direct numerical simulations. We show that grains originating in the Oort cloud have a unique distribution of arrival directions, which should easily distinguish them from both interplanetary and interstellar dust populations. We also demonstrate that the distribution of particle arrival velocities is uniquely determined by the mass distribution and dust production rate in the cloud. Cometary collisions within the cloud produce a flux of μm-sized grains in the inner solar system of up to several m{sup –2} yr{sup –1}. The next generation dust detectors may be sensitive enough to detect and constrain this dust population, which will illuminate the Oort cloud's properties. We also show that the recently detected mysterious population of large (μm-sized) unbound particles, which seems to arrive with the ISM flow, is unlikely to be generated by collisions of comets in the Oort cloud.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Infrared extinction in the inner Milky Way through red clump giants

While the shape of the extinction curve in the infrared is considered to be set and the extinction ratios between infrared bands are usually taken to be approximately constant, a number of recent studies point to either a spatially variable behavior of the exponent of the power law or a different extinction law altogether. In this paper, we propose a method to analyze the overall behavior of the interstellar extinction by means of the red-clump population, and we apply it to those areas of the Milky Way where the presence of interstellar matter is heavily felt: areas located in 5° < l < 30° and b = 0°. We show that the extinction ratios traditionally used for the near infrared could be inappropriate for the inner Galaxy and we analyze the behavior of the extinction law from 1 μm to 8 μm.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nature's starships. I. Observed abundances and relative frequencies of amino acids in meteorites

The class of meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites are examples of material from the solar system which have been relatively unchanged from the time of their initial formation. These meteorites have been classified according to the temperatures and physical conditions of their parent planetesimals. We collate available data on amino acid abundance in these meteorites and plot the concentrations of different amino acids for each meteorite within various meteorite subclasses. We plot average concentrations for various amino acids across meteorites separated by subclass and petrologic type. We see a predominance in the abundance and variety of amino acids in CM2 and CR2 meteorites. The range in temperature corresponding to these subclasses indicates high degrees of aqueous alteration, suggesting aqueous synthesis of amino acids. Within the CM2 and CR2 subclasses, we identify trends in relative frequencies of amino acids to investigate how common amino acids are as a function of their chemical complexity. These two trends (total abundance and relative frequencies) can be used to constrain formation parameters of amino acids within planetesimals. Our organization of the data supports an onion shell model for the temperature structure of planetesimals. The least altered meteorites (type 3) and their amino acids originated near cooler surface regions. The most active amino acid synthesis likely took place at intermediate depths (type 2). The most altered materials (type 1) originated furthest toward parent body cores. This region is likely too hot to either favor amino acid synthesis or for amino acids to be retained after synthesis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Observational results of a multi-telescope campaign in search of interstellar urea [(NH{sub 2}){sub 2}CO]

In this paper, we present the results of an observational search for gas phase urea [(NH{sub 2}){sub 2}CO] observed toward the Sgr B2(N-LMH) region. We show data covering urea transitions from ∼100 GHz to 250 GHz from five different observational facilities: the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland-Association (BIMA) Array, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA), the NRAO 12 m telescope, the IRAM 30 m telescope, and the Swedish-ESO Submillimeter Telescope (SEST). The results show that the features ascribed to urea can be reproduced across the entire observed bandwidth and all facilities by best-fit column density, temperature, and source size parameters which vary by less than a factor of two between observations merely by adjusting for telescope-specific parameters. Interferometric observations show that the emission arising from these transitions is cospatial and compact, consistent with the derived source sizes and emission from a single species. Despite this evidence, the spectral complexity of both (NH{sub 2}){sub 2}CO and of Sgr B2(N) makes the definitive identification of this molecule challenging. We present observational spectra, laboratory data, and models, and discuss our results in the context of a possible molecular detection of urea.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The evolution of interstellar medium mass probed by dust emission: Alma observations at z = 0.3-2

The use of submillimeter dust continuum emission to probe the mass of interstellar dust and gas in galaxies is empirically calibrated using samples of local star-forming galaxies, Planck observations of the Milky Way, and high-redshift submillimeter galaxies. All of these objects suggest a similar calibration, strongly supporting the view that the Rayleigh-Jeans tail of the dust emission can be used as an accurate and very fast probe of the interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies. We present ALMA Cycle 0 observations of the Band 7 (350 GHz) dust emission in 107 galaxies from z = 0.2 to 2.5. Three samples of galaxies with a total of 101 galaxies were stellar-mass-selected from COSMOS to have M {sub *} ≅ 10{sup 11} M {sub ☉}: 37 at z ∼ 0.4, 33 at z ∼ 0.9, and 31 at z = 2. A fourth sample with six infrared-luminous galaxies at z = 2 was observed for comparison with the purely mass-selected samples. From the fluxes detected in the stacked images for each sample, we find that the ISM content has decreased by a factor ∼6 from 1 to 2 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} at both z = 2 and 0.9 down to ∼2 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} at z = 0.4. The infrared-luminous sample at z = 2 shows a further ∼4 times increase in M {sub ISM} compared with the equivalent non-infrared-bright sample at the same redshift. The gas mass fractions are ∼2% ± 0.5%, 12% ± 3%, 14% ± 2%, and 53% ± 3% for the four subsamples (z = 0.4, 0.9, and 2 and infrared-bright galaxies).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Anthracene clusters and the interstellar infrared emission features

The unidentified infrared bands are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium and typically attributed to emission from neutral and ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs). The contribution of neutral PAH clusters to these bands has been impossible to determine due to a paucity of infrared spectral data. Here we investigated neutral clusters of the three-ring PAH anthracene using FTIR absorption spectroscopy of anthracene matrix-isolated at varying concentrations in solid argon. In order to determine likely cluster structures of the embedded molecules, we also calculated theoretical absorption spectra for the anthracene monomer through hexamer using density functional theory with a dispersion correction (DFT-D). The DFT-D calculations have been calibrated for the anthracene dimer using the second-order Møller-Plesset approach. Because there is some support for the hypothesis that three or four-ring PAHs are present in the Red Rectangle nebula, we discuss the application of our results to this nebula in particular as well as to the interstellar infrared emission in general.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of new interstellar medium parameters on the heliosphere and energetic neutral atoms from the interstellar boundary

We present new results from three-dimensional simulations of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM) using recent observations by NASA's Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) mission estimates of the velocity and temperature of the LISM. We investigate four strengths of the LISM magnetic field, from 1 to 4 μG, and adjust the LISM proton and hydrogen densities so that the distance to the termination shock (TS) in the directions of the Voyager spacecraft is just below 90 AU, and the density of hydrogen at the TS is close to 0.09 cm{sup –3} in the nose direction. The orientation of the magnetic field is chosen to point toward the center of the ribbon of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux seen in the IBEX data. Our simulations show that the plasma and neutral properties in the outer heliosheath vary considerably as a function of the LISM magnetic field strength. We also show that the heliotail points downwind in all cases, though its structure is strongly affected by the external magnetic field. Comparison and consistency between the simulated ENA flux and the circularity of the ribbon as measured by IBEX are most consistent with a LISM magnetic field strength aligned with the center of the ribbon and a magnitude in the range 2.5-3 μG.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Self-sustained turbulence without dynamical forcing: A two-dimensional study of a bistable interstellar medium

In this paper, the nonlinear evolution of a bistable interstellar medium is investigated using two-dimensional simulations with a realistic cooling rate, thermal conduction, and physical viscosity. The calculations are performed using periodic boundary conditions without any external dynamical forcing. As the initial condition, a spatially uniform unstable gas under thermal equilibrium is considered. At the initial stage, the unstable gas quickly segregates into two phases: cold neutral medium (CNM) and warm neutral medium (WNM). Then, self-sustained turbulence with velocity dispersion of 0.1-0.2 km s{sup –1} is observed in which the CNM moves around in the WNM. We find that the interfacial medium (IFM) between the CNM and WNM plays an important role in sustaining the turbulence. The self-sustaining mechanism can be divided into two steps. First, thermal conduction drives fast flows streaming into concave CNM surfaces toward the WNM. The kinetic energy of the fast flows in the IFM is incorporated into that of the CNM through the phase transition. Second, turbulence inside the CNM deforms interfaces and forms other concave CNM surfaces, leading to fast flows in the IFM. This drives the first step again and a cycle is established by which turbulent motions are self-sustained.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study of interstellar molecular clouds using formaldehyde absorption toward extragalactic radio sources

We present new Very Large Array 6 cm H{sub 2}CO observations toward four extragalactic radio continuum sources (B0212+735, 3C 111, NRAO 150, and BL Lac) to explore the structure of foreground Galactic clouds as revealed by absorption variability. This project adds a new epoch in the monitoring observations of the sources reported by Marscher and collaborators in the mid-1990s. Our new observations confirm the monotonic increase in H{sub 2}CO absorption strength toward NRAO 150. We do not detect significant variability of our 2009 spectra with respect to the 1994 spectra of 3C111, B0212+735, and BL Lac; however, we find significant variability of the 3C111 2009 spectrum with respect to archive observations conducted in 1991 and 1992. Our analysis supports that changes in absorption lines could be caused by chemical and/or geometrical gradients in the foreground clouds and not necessarily by small-scale (∼10 AU) high-density molecular clumps within the clouds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗