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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Hyper-entropic gravitational fireballs (grireballs) with firewalls

Recently there has been much discussion as to whether old black holes have firewalls at their surfaces that would destroy infalling observers. Though I suspect that a proper handling of nonlocality in quantum gravity may show that firewalls do not exist, it is interesting to consider an extension of the firewall idea to what seems to be the logically possible concept of hyper-entropic gravitational hot objects (gravitational fireballs or grireballs for short) that have more entropy than ordinary black holes of the same mass. Here some properties of such grireballs are discussed under various assumptions, such as assuming that their radii and entropies both go as powers of their masses as the one independent parameter, or assuming that their radii depend on both their masses and their entropies as two independent parameters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Error field measurement, correction and heat flux balancing on Wendelstein 7-X

The measurement and correction of error fields in Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is critical to long pulse high beta operation, as small error fields may cause overloading of divertor plates in some configurations. Accordingly, as part of a broad collaborative effort, the detection and correction of error fields on the W7-X experiment has been performed using the trim coil system in conjunction with the flux surface mapping diagnostic and high resolution infrared camera. In the early commissioning phase of the experiment, the trim coils were used to open an n/m = 1/2 island chain in a specially designed magnetic configuration. The flux surfacing mapping diagnostic was then able to directly image the magnetic topology of the experiment, allowing the inference of a small similar to 4 cm intrinsic island chain. The suspected main sources of the error field, slight misalignment and deformations of the superconducting coils, are then confirmed through experimental modeling using the detailed measurements of the coil positions. Observations of the limiters temperatures in module 5 shows a clear dependence of the limiter heat flux pattern as the perturbing fields are rotated. Plasma experiments without applied correcting fields show a significant asymmetry in neutral pressure (centered in module 4) and light emission (visible, H-alpha, CII, and CIII). Such pressure asymmetry is associated with plasma-wall (limiter) interaction asymmetries between the modules. Application of trim coil fields with n = 1 waveform correct the imbalance. Confirmation of the error fields allows the assessment of magnetic fields which resonate with the n/m = 5/5 island chain.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Discrepancy between estimated and measured fusion product rates on $\mathrm{MAST}$ using $\mathrm{TRANSP/NUBEAM}$

Here experimental evidence is presented of a discrepancy between the predicted and measured D–D fusion product rates on MAST. Both the neutron and proton production rates, measured independently with a neutron camera and charged fusion product detector array, are approximately 40% lower than those predicted by TRANSP/NUBEAM codes. This deficit is scenario independent and cannot be explained by uncertainties in the typical plasma parameters suspected for such discrepancies, such as electron temperature, the plasma effective charge and the injected neutral beam power. Instead, a possible explanation is an overestimate of the neutron emissivity due to the guiding centre approximation used in NUBEAM to model the fast ion orbits.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of a novel bunch oscillation recorder with RFSoC technology

The SuperKEKB accelerator is designed to achieve unprecedented luminosity levels, but this goal is currently hindered by Sudden Beam Loss (SBL) events. These events not only obstruct luminosity improvement but also pose a significant risk to accelerator components, the Belle II detectors, and the superconducting focusing system, potentially leading to severe damage and quenching of the superconducting system. Here, to address this critical challenge, we have developed a novel Bunch Oscillation Recorder (BOR) based on RFSoC technology. The BOR has demonstrated high precision with a position resolution of 0.03 mm, making it a powerful tool for real-time beam monitoring. In its initial deployment, the BOR successfully recorded multiple SBL events, providing valuable data for further analysis. By strategically positioning BORs at the suspected points of SBL origin, we aim to directly identify sources of beam instability. We anticipate that this portable, high-speed BOR monitor will play a crucial role in resolving the SBL issue, ultimately helping achieve SuperKEKB's luminosity targets.

Beam diagnostics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Silicon wafer fracture stress for tracking sensors in particle physics experiments

For the construction of the ATLAS Inner Tracker strip detector, silicon strip sensor modules are glued directly onto carbon fibre support structures using a soft silicone gel. During tests at temperatures below -35°C, several of the sensors were found to crack due to a mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion between polyimide circuit boards with copper metal layers (glued onto the sensor) and the silicon sensor itself. While module assembly procedures were developed to minimise variations between modules, cold tests showed a wide range of temperatures at which supposedly comparable modules failed. The observed variance (fracture temperatures between -35°C and -70°C) for supposedly comparable modules suggests an undetected variation between modules suspected to be intrinsic to the silicon wafer itself. Therefore, a test programme was developed to investigate the fracture stress of representative sensor wafer cutoffs. This paper presents results for the fracture stress of silicon sensors used in detector modules.

Detector design and construction technologies and ↗
DOE OSTI2011

DISCOVERY OF AN EXPANDING MOLECULAR BUBBLE IN ORION BN/KL

During their infancy, stars are well known to expel matter violently in the form of well-defined, collimated outflows. A fairly unique exception is found in the Orion Becklin-Neugebauer/Kleinmann-Low star-forming region where a poorly collimated and somewhat disordered outflow composed of numerous elongated 'finger-like' structures was discovered more than 30 years ago. In this Letter, we report the discovery in the same region of an even more atypical outflow phenomenon. Using {sup 13}CO(2-1) line observations made with the Submillimeter Array, we have identified there a 500-1000 year old, expanding, roughly spherically symmetric bubble whose characteristics are entirely different from those of known outflows associated with young stellar objects. The center of the bubble coincides with the initial position of a now defunct massive multiple stellar system suspected to have disintegrated 500 years ago and with the center of symmetry of the system of molecular fingers surrounding the Kleinmann-Low nebula. We hypothesize that the bubble is made up of gas and dust that used to be part of the circumstellar material associated with the decayed multiple system. The Orion hot core, recently proposed to be the result of the impact of a shock wave onto a massive dense core, is located toward the southeast quadrant of the bubble. The supersonic expansion of the bubble and/or the impact of some low-velocity filaments provide a natural explanation for its origin.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

IS THE POST-AGB STAR SAO 40039 MILDLY HYDROGEN-DEFICIENT?

We have conducted an LTE abundance analysis for SAO 40039, a warm post-AGB star whose spectrum is known to show surprisingly strong He I lines for its effective temperature and has been suspected of being H-deficient and He-rich. High-resolution optical spectra are analyzed using a family of model atmospheres with different He/H ratios. Atmospheric parameters are estimated from the ionization equilibrium set by neutral and singly ionized species of Fe and Mg, the excitation of Fe I and Fe II lines, and the wings of the Paschen lines. On the assumption that the He I lines are of photospheric and not chromospheric origin, a He/H ratio of approximately unity is found by imposing the condition that the adopted He/H ratio of the model atmosphere must equal the ratio derived from the observed He I triplet lines at 5876, 4471, and 4713 A, and singlet lines at 4922 and 5015 A. Using the model with the best-fitting atmospheric parameters for this He/H ratio, SAO 40039 is confirmed to exhibit mild dust-gas depletion, i.e., the star has an atmosphere deficient in elements of high condensation temperature. The star appears to be moderately metal-deficient with [Fe/H] = -0.4 dex. But the star's intrinsic metallicity as estimated from Na, S, and Zn, elements of a low condensation temperature, is [Fe/H]{sub o} {approx_equal} -0.2 ([Fe/H]{sub o} refers to the star's intrinsic metallicity). The star is enriched in N and perhaps O as well, changes reflecting the star's AGB past and the event that led to He enrichment.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

DUST PROPERTIES IN THE AFTERGLOW OF GRB 071025 AT z {approx} 5

At high redshift, the universe is so young that core-collapse supernovae (SNe) are suspected to be the dominant source of dust production. However, some observations indicate that the dust production by SNe is an inefficient process, casting doubts on the existence of abundant SNe-dust in the early universe. Recently, Perley et al. reported that the afterglow of GRB 071025-an unusually red gamma-ray burst (GRB) at z {approx} 5-shows evidence for SNe-produced dust. Since this is perhaps the only high-redshift GRB exhibiting compelling evidence for SNe-dust but the result could easily be affected by small systematics in photometry, we re-examined the extinction properties of GRB 071025 using our own optical/near-infrared data at a different epoch. In addition, we tested SNe-dust models with different progenitor masses and dust destruction efficiencies to constrain the dust formation mechanisms. By searching for the best-fit model of the afterglow spectral energy distribution, we confirm the previous claim that the dust in GRB 071025 is most likely to originate from SNe. We also find that the SNe-dust model of 13 or 25 M{sub Sun} without dust destruction fits the extinction property of GRB 071025 best, while pair-instability SNe models with a 170 M{sub Sun} progenitor poorly fit the data. Our results indicate that, at least in some systems at high redshift, SNe with intermediate initial masses within 10-30 M{sub Sun} were the main contributors for the dust enrichment, and the dust destruction effect due to reverse shock was negligible.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS OF THE T CHA TRANSITION DISK: CONSTRAINING THE OUTER DISK PROPERTIES

T Cha is a nearby (d {approx} 100 pc) transition disk known to have an optically thin gap separating optically thick inner and outer disk components. Huelamo et al. recently reported the presence of a low-mass object candidate within the gap of the T Cha disk, giving credence to the suspected planetary origin of this gap. Here we present the Herschel photometry (70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 {mu}m) of T Cha from the 'Dust, Ice, and Gas in Time' Key Program, which bridges the wavelength range between existing Spitzer and millimeter data and provide important constraints on the outer disk properties of this extraordinary system. We model the entire optical to millimeter wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of T Cha (19 data points between 0.36 and 3300 {mu}m without any major gaps in wavelength coverage). T Cha shows a steep spectral slope in the far-IR, which we find clearly favors models with outer disks containing little or no dust beyond {approx}40 AU. The full SED can be modeled equally well with either an outer disk that is very compact (only a few AU wide) or a much larger one that has a very steep surface density profile. That is, T Cha's outer disk seems to be either very small or very tenuous. Both scenarios suggest a highly unusual outer disk and have important but different implications for the nature of T Cha. Spatially resolved images are needed to distinguish between the two scenarios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

IMAGES OF THE EXTENDED OUTER REGIONS OF THE DEBRIS RING AROUND HR 4796 A

We present high-contrast images of HR 4796 A taken with Subaru/HiCIAO in the H band, resolving the debris disk in scattered light. The application of specialized angular differential imaging methods allows us to trace the inner edge of the disk with high precision and reveals a pair of 'streamers' extending radially outward from the ansae. Using a simple disk model with a power-law surface brightness profile, we demonstrate that the observed streamers can be understood as part of the smoothly tapered outer boundary of the debris disk, which is most visible at the ansae. Our observations are consistent with the expected result of a narrow planetesimal ring being ground up in a collisional cascade, yielding dust with a wide range of grain sizes. Radiation forces leave large grains in the ring and push smaller grains onto elliptical or even hyperbolic trajectories. We measure and characterize the disk's surface brightness profile, and confirm the previously suspected offset of the disk's center from the star's position along the ring's major axis. Furthermore, we present first evidence for an offset along the minor axis. Such offsets are commonly viewed as signposts for the presence of unseen planets within a disk's cavity. Our images also offer new constraints on the presence of companions down to the planetary mass regime ({approx}9 M{sub Jup} at 0.''5, {approx}3 M{sub Jup} at 1'').

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CLEARING OUT A GALAXY

It is widely suspected that active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity ultimately sweeps galaxies clear of their gas. We work out the observable properties required to achieve this. Large-scale AGN-driven outflows should have kinetic luminosities {approx}{eta} L{sub Edd}/2 {approx} 0.05 L{sub Edd} and momentum rates {approx}20 L{sub Edd}/c, where L{sub Edd} is the Eddington luminosity of the central black hole and {eta} {approx} 0.1 its radiative accretion efficiency. This creates an expanding two-phase medium in which molecular species coexist with hot gas, which can persist after the central AGN has switched off. This picture predicts outflow velocities {approx}1000-1500 km s{sup -1} and mass outflow rates up to 4000 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} on kpc scales, fixed mainly by the host galaxy velocity dispersion (or equivalently black hole mass). All these features agree with those of outflows observed in galaxies such as Mrk231. This strongly suggests that AGN activity is what sweeps galaxies clear of their gas on a dynamical timescale and makes them red and dead. We suggest future observational tests of this picture.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

BLOOD TIES: THE REAL NATURE OF THE LMC BINARY GLOBULAR CLUSTERS NGC 2136 AND NGC 2137

We have used a sample of high-resolution spectra obtained with the multi-fiber facility FLAMES at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory to derive the kinematical and chemical properties of the two young Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) globular clusters NGC 2136 and NGC 2137. These two clusters represent a typical example of LMC cluster pair suspected to be bound in a binary system: indeed, the cluster centers of gravity have an angular separation of less than 1.4 arcmin in the sky. The spectral analysis of seven giants in NGC 2136 and four in NGC 2137 reveals that the two clusters share very similar systemic radial velocities, namely, V{sub r} = 271.5 {+-} 0.4 km s{sup -1} ({sigma} = 1.0 km s{sup -1}) and V{sub r} = 270.6 {+-} 0.5 km s{sup -1} ({sigma} = 0.9 km s{sup -1}) for NGC 2136 and NGC 2137, respectively, and they have also indistinguishable abundance patterns. The iron content is [Fe/H] = -0.40 {+-} 0.01 dex ({sigma} = 0.03 dex) for NGC 2136 and -0.39 {+-} 0.01 dex ({sigma} = 0.01 dex) for NGC 2137, while the [{alpha}/Fe] ratios are roughly solar in both clusters. These findings suggest that the two clusters are gravitationally bound and that they formed from the fragmentation of the same molecular cloud that was chemically homogeneous. This is the first firm confirmation of the binary nature of an LMC cluster pair. The most likely fate of this system is to merge into a single structure in a timescale comparable with its orbital period.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TILT, WARP, AND SIMULTANEOUS PRECESSIONS IN DISKS

Warps are suspected in disks around massive compact objects. However, the proposed warping source-non-axisymmetric radiation pressure-does not apply to white dwarfs. In this Letter, we report the first smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of accretion disks in SU UMa-type systems that naturally tilt, warp, and simultaneously precess in the prograde and retrograde directions using white dwarf V344 Lyrae in the Kepler field as our model. After {approx}79 days in V344 Lyrae, the disk angular momentum L{sub d} becomes misaligned to the orbital angular momentum L{sub o} . As the gas stream remains normal to L{sub o} , hydrodynamics (e.g., the lift force) is a likely source to disk tilt. In addition to tilt, the outer disk annuli cyclically change shape from circular to highly eccentric due to tidal torques by the secondary star. The effect of simultaneous prograde and retrograde precession is a warp of the colder, denser midplane as seen along the disk rim. The simulated rate of apsidal advance to nodal regression per orbit nearly matches the observed ratio in V344 Lyrae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Ly{alpha} DOMINANCE OF THE CLASSICAL T TAURI FAR-ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION FIELD

Far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation plays an important role in determining chemical abundances in protoplanetary disks. H I Lyman {alpha} (Ly{alpha}) is suspected to be the dominant component of the FUV emission from Classical T Tauri Stars (CTTSs), but is difficult to measure directly due to circumstellar and interstellar H I absorption. To better characterize the intrinsic Ly{alpha} radiation, we present FUV spectra of 14 CTTSs taken with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instruments. H{sub 2} fluorescence, commonly seen in the spectra of CTTSs, is excited by Ly{alpha} photons, providing an indirect measure of the Ly{alpha} flux incident upon the warm disk surface. We use observed H{sub 2} progression fluxes to reconstruct the CTTS Ly{alpha} profiles. The Ly{alpha} flux correlates with total measured FUV flux, in agreement with an accretion-related source of FUV emission. With a geometry-independent analysis, we confirm that in accreting T Tauri systems Ly{alpha} radiation dominates the FUV flux ({approx}1150 A -1700 A). In the systems surveyed this one line comprises 70%-90% of the total FUV flux.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HIGH-RESOLUTION INFRARED IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY OF THE Z CANIS MAJORIS SYSTEM DURING QUIESCENCE AND OUTBURST

We present adaptive optics photometry and spectra in the JHKL bands along with high spectral resolution K-band spectroscopy for each component of the Z Canis Majoris system. Our high angular resolution photometry of this very young ({approx}<1 Myr) binary, comprised of an FU Ori object and a Herbig Ae/Be star, was gathered shortly after the 2008 outburst while our high-resolution spectroscopy was gathered during a quiescent phase. Our photometry conclusively determines that the outburst was due solely to the embedded Herbig Ae/Be member, supporting results from earlier works, and that the optically visible FU Ori component decreased slightly ({approx}30%) in luminosity during the same period, consistent with previous works on the variability of FU Ori type systems. Further, our high-resolution K-band spectra definitively demonstrate that the 2.294 {mu}m CO absorption feature seen in composite spectra of the system is due solely to the FU Ori component, while a prominent CO emission feature at the same wavelength, long suspected to be associated with the innermost regions of a circumstellar accretion disk, can be assigned to the Herbig Ae/Be member. These findings clarify previous analyses of the origin of the CO emission in this complex system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A FOURTH H I 21 cm ABSORPTION SYSTEM IN THE SIGHT LINE OF MG J0414+0534: A RECORD FOR INTERVENING ABSORBERS

We report the detection of a strong H I 21 cm absorption system at z = 0.5344, as well as a candidate system at z = 0.3389, in the sight line toward the z = 2.64 quasar MG J0414+0534. This, in addition to the absorption at the host redshift and the other two intervening absorbers, takes the total to four (possibly five). The previous maximum number of 21 cm absorbers detected along a single sight line is two and so we suspect that this number of gas-rich absorbers is in some way related to the very red color of the background source. Despite this, no molecular gas (through OH absorption) has yet been detected at any of the 21 cm redshifts, although, from the population of 21 cm absorbers as a whole, there is evidence for a weak correlation between the atomic line strength and the optical-near-infrared color. In either case, the fact that so many gas-rich galaxies (likely to be damped Ly{alpha} absorption systems) have been found along a single sight line toward a highly obscured source may have far-reaching implications for the population of faint galaxies not detected in optical surveys, a possibility which could be addressed through future wide-field absorption line surveys with the Square Kilometer Array.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

THE EXTRAORDINARY FAR-INFRARED VARIATION OF A PROTOSTAR: HERSCHEL/PACS OBSERVATIONS OF LRLL54361

We report Herschel/Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) photometric observations at 70 μm and 160 μm of LRLL54361—a suspected binary protostar that exhibits periodic (P = 25.34 days) flux variations at shorter wavelengths (3.6 μm and 4.5 μm) thought to be due to pulsed accretion caused by binary motion. The PACS observations show unprecedented flux variation at these far-infrared wavelengths that are well correlated with the variations at shorter wavelengths. At 70 μm the object increases its flux by a factor of six while at 160 μm the change is about a factor of two, consistent with the wavelength dependence seen in the far-infrared spectra. The source is marginally resolved at 70 μm with varying FWHM. Deconvolved images of the sources show elongations exactly matching the outflow cavities traced by the scattered light observations. The spatial variations are anti-correlated with the flux variation, indicating that a light echo is responsible for the changes in FWHM. The observed far-infrared flux variability indicates that the disk and envelope of this source is periodically heated by the accretion pulses of the central source, and suggests that such long wavelength variability in general may provide a reasonable proxy for accretion variations in protostars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

SNOW LINES AS PROBES OF TURBULENT DIFFUSION IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

Sharp chemical discontinuities can occur in protoplanetary disks, particularly at ''snow lines'' where a gas-phase species freezes out to form ice grains. Such sharp discontinuities will diffuse out due to the turbulence suspected to drive angular momentum transport in accretion disks. We demonstrate that the concentration gradient—in the vicinity of the snow line—of a species present outside a snow line but destroyed inside is strongly sensitive to the level of turbulent diffusion (provided the chemical and transport timescales are decoupled) and provides a direct measurement of the radial ''Schmidt number'' (the ratio of the angular momentum transport to radial turbulent diffusion). Taking as an example the tracer species N{sub 2}H{sup +}, which is expected to be destroyed inside the CO snow line (as recently observed in TW Hya) we show that ALMA observations possess significant angular resolution to constrain the Schmidt number. Since different turbulent driving mechanisms predict different Schmidt numbers, a direct measurement of the Schmidt number in accretion disks would allow inferences to be made about the nature of the turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗