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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Controlling magnetic anisotropy in La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} nanostructures

We have developed a chlorine based dry etching process for nanopatterning the ferromagnetic oxide La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} (LSMO). Large arrays of millions of identical structures have been fabricated from thin LSMO films by electron-beam lithography and reactive ion etching. SQUID magnetometry demonstrates that patterned nanostructures with lateral dimensions down to 100 nm retain their full magnetization and the Curie temperature of the bulk layer. In addition, their shape anisotropy is sufficient to overcome the crystalline anisotropy of the bulk. High resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy shows that crystallinity is preserved even at the edges of the nanostructures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optimization of magnetic switches for single particle and cell transport

The ability to manipulate an ensemble of single particles and cells is a key aim of lab-on-a-chip research; however, the control mechanisms must be optimized for minimal power consumption to enable future large-scale implementation. Recently, we demonstrated a matter transport platform, which uses overlaid patterns of magnetic films and metallic current lines to control magnetic particles and magnetic-nanoparticle-labeled cells; however, we have made no prior attempts to optimize the device geometry and power consumption. Here, we provide an optimization analysis of particle-switching devices based on stochastic variation in the particle's size and magnetic content. These results are immediately applicable to the design of robust, multiplexed platforms capable of transporting, sorting, and storing single cells in large arrays with low power and high efficiency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electromagnetic induction imaging with a radio-frequency atomic magnetometer

We report on a compact, tunable, and scalable to large arrays imaging device, based on a radio-frequency optically pumped atomic magnetometer operating in magnetic induction tomography modality. Imaging of conductive objects is performed at room temperature, in an unshielded environment and without background subtraction. Conductivity maps of target objects exhibit not only excellent performance in terms of shape reconstruction but also demonstrate detection of sub-millimetric cracks and penetration of conductive barriers. The results presented here demonstrate the potential of a future generation of imaging instruments, which combine magnetic induction tomography and the unmatched performance of atomic magnetometers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Multi-energy x-ray detector calibration for T e and impurity density (n Z ) measurements of MCF plasmas

Here, soft x-ray detection with the new "multi-energy" PILATUS3 detector systems holds promise as a magnetically confined fusion (MCF) plasma diagnostic for ITER and beyond. The measured x-ray brightness can be used to determine impurity concentrations, electron temperatures, n 2 e Z eff products, and to probe the electron energy distribution. However, in order to be effective, these detectors which are really large arrays of detectors with photon energy gating capabilities must be precisely calibrated for each pixel. The energy-dependence of the detector response of the multi-energy PILATUS3 system with 100 K pixels has been measured at Dectris Laboratory. X-rays emitted from a tube under high voltage bombard various elements such that they emit x-ray lines from Zr-Lα to Ag-Kα between 1.8 and 22.16 keV. Each pixel on the PILATUS3 can be set to a minimum energy threshold in the range from 1.6 to 25 keV. This feature allows a single detector to be sensitive to a variety of x-ray energies, so that it is possible to sample the energy distribution of the x-ray continuum and line-emission. PILATUS3 can be configured for 1D or 2D imaging of MCF plasmas with typical spatial energy and temporal resolution of 1 cm, 0.6 keV, and 5 ms, respectively.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

A microwave SQUID multiplexer optimized for bolometric applications

A microwave SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) has been optimized for reading out large arrays of superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. We present the scalable cryogenic multiplexer chip design that may be used to construct an 1820-channel multiplexer for the 4-8 GHz rf band. The key metrics of yield, sensitivity, and crosstalk are determined through measurements of 455 readout channels, which span 4-5 GHz. The median white-noise level is 45 pA/ $\sqrt{Hz}$, evaluated at 2 Hz, with a 1/f knee ≤ 20 mHz after common-mode subtraction. The white-noise level decreases the sensitivity of a TES bolometer optimized for detection of the cosmic microwave background at 150 GHz by only 3%. The measured crosstalk between any channel pair is ≤ 0.3%.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

VLA observations of NGC 247: identification of compact radio sources including three candidate UD H II regions

A high resolution, Very Large Array continuum survey of NGC 247 was undertaken in order to identify compact thermal and nonthermal radio sources, such as supernova remnants (SNRs) and H II regions. NGC 247 was observed at two frequencies, 20 cm and 6 cm, in order to calculate the spectral index, and the survey resulted in the identification of 19 compact radio sources. Using the spectral index to discriminate between source types, we identify two candidate SNRs and one H II region. Three of the radio sources have inverted spectra, indicative of ultradense H II (UD H II) regions, the short-lived, dense cores where massive stars form. Four of the sources are thermal in origin, but were not detected at 20 cm, so they could be H II regions or UD H II regions. The rest of the sources are nonthermal or undetermined. We compare the radio images with Hα, V band, and infrared archive images to look for correspondences that confirm that the sources reside in NGC 247 and are not background sources. We find that over two-thirds of the radio sources have counterparts in the Hα or V band images and are associated with NGC 247. The most luminous radio source in NGC 247 is a candidate SNR, and if confirmed as an SNR, it would be a very luminous extragalactic SNR. The H II regions and UD H II regions are calculated to have ionizing luminosities of between 4-10 × 10{sup 50} s{sup –1}; each individual source would require between 41-100 O7.5V stars to produce the corresponding ionizing luminosity. The ionizing luminosity of the UD H II regions indicates that these UD H II regions represent the lower luminosity population of the known UD H II regions and thus, they may represent a more typical population of UD H II regions that can be found and studied in the nearby galaxies as opposed to more extreme examples that have been found previously.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Detection of class I methanol (CH{sub 3}OH) maser candidates in supernova remnants

We have used the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to search for 36 GHz and 44 GHz methanol (CH{sub 3}OH) lines in a sample of 21 Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs). Mainly the regions of the SNRs with 1720 MHz OH masers were observed. Despite the limited spatial extent covered in our search, methanol masers were detected in both G1.4–0.1 and W28. Additional masers were found in Sgr A East. More than 40 masers were found in G1.4–0.1, which we deduce are due to interactions between the SNR and at least two separate molecular clouds. The six masers in W28 are associated with the molecular cloud that is also associated with the OH maser excitation. We discuss the possibility that the methanol maser may be more numerous in SNRs than the OH maser, but harder to detect due to observational constraints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A star-forming shock front in radio galaxy 4C+41.17 resolved with laser-assisted adaptive optics spectroscopy

Near-infrared integral-field spectroscopy of redshifted [O III], Hβ, and optical continuum emission from the z = 3.8 radio galaxy 4C+41.17 is presented, obtained with the laser-guide-star adaptive optics facility on the Gemini North telescope. Employing a specialized dithering technique, a spatial resolution of 0.''10, or 0.7 kpc, is achieved in each spectral element, with a velocity resolution of ∼70 km s{sup –1}. Spectra similar to local starbursts are found for bright knots coincident in archival Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) rest-frame ultraviolet images, which also allows a key line diagnostic to be mapped together with new kinematic information. There emerges a clearer picture of the nebular emission associated with the jet in 8.3 GHz and 15 GHz Very Large Array maps, closely tied to a Lyα-bright shell-shaped structure seen with HST. This supports a previous interpretation of that arc tracing a bow shock, inducing ∼10{sup 10–11} M {sub ☉} star formation regions that comprise the clumpy broadband optical/ultraviolet morphology near the core.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The peculiar radio source M17 JVLA 35

M17 JVLA 35 is a radio source detected in projection against the M17 H II region. In recent observations, its spectrum between 4.96 and 8.46 GHz was found to be positive and very steep, with α ≥ 2.9 ± 0.6 (S {sub ν}∝ν{sup α}). Here we present Very Large Array observations made in the 18.5 to 36.5 GHz region that indicate a spectral turnover at ∼13 GHz and a negative spectral index (α ≅ –2.0) at higher frequencies. The spectrum is consistent with that of an extragalactic high frequency peaker (HFP). However, M17 JVLA 35 has an angular size of ∼0.''5 at 8.46 GHz, while HFPs have extremely compact, milliarcsecond dimensions. We discuss other possible models for the spectrum of the source and do not find them feasible. Finally, we propose that M17 JVLA 35 is indeed an HFP but that its angular size becomes broadened by plasma scattering as its radiation travels across M17. If our interpretation is correct, accurate measurements of the angular size of M17 JVLA 35 across the centimeter range should reveal the expected ν{sup –2} dependence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The H I chronicles of little things BCDs II: The origin of IC 10's H I structure

In this paper we analyze Very Large Array (VLA) telescope and Green Bank Telescope (GBT) atomic hydrogen (H I) data for the LITTLE THINGS (Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes, The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey; https://science.nrao.edu/science/surveys/littlethings) blue compact dwarf galaxy IC 10. The VLA data allow us to study the detailed H I kinematics and morphology of IC 10 at high resolution while the GBT data allow us to search the surrounding area at high sensitivity for tenuous H I. IC 10's H I appears highly disturbed in both the VLA and GBT H I maps with a kinematically distinct northern H I extension, a kinematically distinct southern plume, and several spurs in the VLA data that do not follow the general kinematics of the main disk. We discuss three possible origins of its H I structure and kinematics in detail: a current interaction with a nearby companion, an advanced merger, and accretion of intergalactic medium. We find that IC 10 is most likely an advanced merger or a galaxy undergoing accretion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The alfalfa “almost darks” campaign: Pilot VLA HI observations of five high mass-to-light ratio systems

We present new Very Large Array (VLA) H i spectral line imaging of five sources discovered by the ALFALFA extragalactic survey. These targets are drawn from a larger sample of systems that were not uniquely identified with optical counterparts during ALFALFA processing, and as such have unusually high H i mass to light ratios. The candidate “Almost Dark” objects fall into four broad categories: (1) objects with nearby H i neighbors that are likely of tidal origin; (2) objects that appear to be part of a system of multiple H i sources, but which may not be tidal in origin; (3) objects isolated from nearby ALFALFA H i detections, but located near a gas-poor early type galaxy; (4) apparently isolated sources, with no object of coincident redshift within ∼400 kpc. Roughly 75% of the 200 objects without identified counterparts in the α.40 database (Haynes et al. 2011) fall into category 1 (likely tidal), and were not considered for synthesis follow-up observations. The pilot sample presented here (AGC193953, AGC208602, AGC208399, AGC226178, and AGC233638) contains the first five sources observed as part of a larger effort to characterize H i sources with no readily identifiable optical counterpart at single dish resolution (3.′5). These objects span a range of H i mass [7.41 < log(M{sub Hi}) < 9.51] and H i mass to B-band luminosity ratios (3 < M{sub Hi}/L{sub B} < 9). We compare the H i total intensity and velocity fields to optical imaging drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and to ultraviolet imaging drawn from archival GALEX observations. Four of the sources with uncertain or no optical counterpart in the ALFALFA data are identified with low surface brightness optical counterparts in Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging when compared with VLA H i intensity maps, and appear to be galaxies with clear signs of ordered rotation in the H i velocity fields. Three of these are detected in far-ultraviolet GALEX images, a likely indication of star formation within the last few hundred Myrs. One source (AGC208602) is likely tidal in nature, associated with the NGC 3370 group. Consistent with previous efforts, we find no “dark galaxies” in this limited sample. However, the present observations do reveal complex sources with suppressed star formation, highlighting both the observational difficulties and the necessity of synthesis follow-up observations to understand these extreme objects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-resolution mass models of dwarf galaxies from LITTLE THINGS

We present high-resolution rotation curves and mass models of 26 dwarf galaxies from “Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes, The H i Nearby Galaxy Survey” (LITTLE THINGS). LITTLE THINGS is a high-resolution (∼6″ angular; <2.6 km s{sup −1} velocity resolution) Very Large Array H i survey for nearby dwarf galaxies in the local volume within 11 Mpc. The high-resolution H i observations enable us to derive reliable rotation curves of the sample galaxies in a homogeneous and consistent manner. The rotation curves are then combined with Spitzer archival 3.6 μm and ancillary optical U, B, and V images to construct mass models of the galaxies. This high quality multi-wavelength data set significantly reduces observational uncertainties and thus allows us to examine the mass distribution in the galaxies in detail. We decompose the rotation curves in terms of the dynamical contributions by baryons and dark matter (DM) halos, and compare the latter with those of dwarf galaxies from THINGS as well as ΛCDM Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations in which the effect of baryonic feedback processes is included. Being generally consistent with THINGS and simulated dwarf galaxies, most of the LITTLE THINGS sample galaxies show a linear increase of the rotation curve in their inner regions, which gives shallower logarithmic inner slopes α of their DM density profiles. The mean value of the slopes of the 26 LITTLE THINGS dwarf galaxies is α=−0.32±0.24 which is in accordance with the previous results found for low surface brightness galaxies (α=−0.2±0.2) as well as the seven THINGS dwarf galaxies (α=−0.29±0.07). However, this significantly deviates from the cusp-like DM distribution predicted by DM-only ΛCDM simulations. Instead our results are more in line with the shallower slopes found in the ΛCDM SPH simulations of dwarf galaxies in which the effect of baryonic feedback processes is included. In addition, we discuss the central DM distribution of DDO 210 whose stellar mass is relatively low in our sample to examine the scenario of inefficient supernova feedback in low mass dwarf galaxies predicted from recent ΛCDM SPH simulations of dwarf galaxies where central cusps still remain.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RADIO OBSERVATIONS OF THE STAR FORMATION ACTIVITIES IN THE NGC 2024 FIR 4 REGION

Star formation activities in the NGC 2024 FIR 4 region were studied by imaging centimeter continuum sources and water maser sources using several archival data sets from the Very Large Array. The continuum source VLA 9 is elongated in the northwest–southeast direction, consistent with the FIR 4 bipolar outflow axis, and has a flat spectrum in the 6.2–3.6 cm interval. The three water maser spots associated with FIR 4 are also distributed along the outflow axis. One of the spots is located close to VLA 9, and another one is close to an X-ray source. Examinations of the positions of compact objects in this region suggest that the FIR 4 cloud core contains a single low-mass protostar. VLA 9 is the best indicator of the protostellar position. VLA 9 may be a radio thermal jet driven by this protostar, and it is unlikely that FIR 4 contains a high-mass young stellar object (YSO). A methanol 6.7 GHz maser source is located close to VLA 9, at a distance of about 100 AU. The FIR 4 protostar must be responsible for the methanol maser action, which suggests that methanol class II masers are not necessarily excited by high-mass YSOs. Also discussed are properties of other centimeter continuum sources in the field of view and the water masers associated with FIR 6n. Some of the continuum sources are radio thermal jets, and some are magnetically active young stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A STACKED SEARCH FOR INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLES IN 337 EXTRAGALACTIC STAR CLUSTERS

Forbes et al. recently used the Hubble Space Telescope to localize hundreds of candidate star clusters in NGC 1023, an early-type galaxy at a distance of 11.1 Mpc. Old stars dominate the light of 92% of the clusters and intermediate-age stars dominate the light of the remaining 8%. Theory predicts that clusters with such ages can host intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) with masses To investigate this prediction, we used 264 s of 5.5 GHz data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to search for the radiative signatures of IMBH accretion from 337 candidate clusters in an image spanning 492″ (26 kpc) with a resolution of 0.″40 (22 pc). None of the individual clusters are detected, nor are weighted-mean image stacks of the 311 old clusters, the 26 intermediate-age clusters, and the 20 clusters with stellar masses The clusters thus lack radio analogs of HLX-1, a strong IMBH candidate in a cluster in the early-type galaxy ESO 243-49. This suggests that HLX-1 is accreting gas related to its cluster's light-dominating young stars. Alternatively, the HLX-1 phenomenon could be so rare that no radio analog is expected in NGC 1023. Also, using a formalism heretofore applied to star clusters in the Milky Way, the radio-luminosity upper limit for the massive-cluster stack corresponds to a 3σ IMBH mass of suggesting black hole mass fractions of.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Physical conditions of the earliest phases of massive star formation: Single-dish and interferometric observations of ammonia and CCS in infrared dark clouds

Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) harbor the earliest phases of massive star formation, and many of the compact cores in IRDCs, traced by millimeter continuum or by molecular emission in high critical density lines, host massive young stellar objects (YSOs). We used the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to map NH{sub 3} and CCS in nine IRDCs to reveal the temperature, density, and velocity structures and explore chemical evolution in the dense (>10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}) gas. Ammonia is an excellent molecular tracer for these cold, dense environments. The internal structure and kinematics of the IRDCs include velocity gradients, filaments, and possibly colliding clumps that elucidate the formation process of these structures and their YSOs. We find a wide variety of substructure including filaments and globules at distinct velocities, sometimes overlapping at sites of ongoing star formation. It appears that these IRDCs are still being assembled from molecular gas clumps even as star formation has already begun, and at least three of them appear consistent with the morphology of “hub-filament structures” discussed in the literature. Furthermore, we find that these clumps are typically near equipartition between gravitational and kinetic energies, so these structures may survive for multiple free-fall times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Radio emission and orbital motion from the close-encounter star–brown dwarf binary WISE J072003.20–084651.2

We report the detection of radio emission and orbital motion from the nearby star–brown dwarf binary WISE J072003.20–084651.2AB. Radio observations across the 4.5–6.5 GHz band with the Very Large Array identify at the position of the system quiescent emission with a flux density of 15 ± 3 μJy, and a highly polarized radio source that underwent a 2–3 minute burst with peak flux density 300 ± 90 μJy. The latter emission is likely a low-level magnetic flare similar to optical flares previously observed for this source. No outbursts were detected in separate narrow-band Hα monitoring observations. We report new high-resolution imaging and spectroscopic observations that confirm the presence of a co-moving T5.5 secondary and provide the first indications of three-dimensional orbital motion. We used these data to revise our estimates for the orbital period (4.1{sub −1.3}{sup +2.7} year) and tightly constrain the orbital inclination to be nearly edge-on (93.°6{sup +1.°6}{sub −1.°4}), although robust measures of the component and system masses will require further monitoring. The inferred orbital motion does not change the high likelihood that this radio-emitting very low-mass binary made a close pass to the Sun in the past 100 kyr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Constraints on two active galactic nuclei in the merger remnant cosmos J100043.15+020637.2

COSMOS J100043.15+020637.2 is a merger remnant at z = 0.36 with two optical nuclei, NW and SE, offset by 500 mas (2.5 kpc). Prior studies suggest two competing scenarios for these nuclei: (1) SE is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) lost from NW due to a gravitational-wave recoil. (2) NW and SE each contain an AGN, signaling a gravitational-slingshot recoil or inspiralling AGNs. We present new images from the Very Large Array (VLA) at a frequency ν = 9.0 GHz and a FWHM resolution θ = 320 mas (1.6 kpc), and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at ν = 1.52 GHz and θ = 15 mas (75 pc). The VLA imaging is sensitive to emission driven by AGNs and/or star formation, while the VLBA imaging is sensitive only to AGN-driven emission. No radio emission is detected at these frequencies. Folding in prior results, we find: (a) The properties of SE and its adjacent X-ray feature resemble those of the Type 1 AGN in NGC 4151, albeit with a much higher narrow emission-line luminosity. (b) The properties of NW are consistent with it hosting a Compton-thick AGN that warms ambient dust, photoionizes narrow emission-line gas, and is free-free absorbed by that gas. Finding (a) is consistent with scenarios (a) and (b). Finding (b) weakens the case for scenario (a) and strengthens the case for scenario (b). Follow-up observations are suggested.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

First dynamic computations of synchrotron emission from the cygnus a radio cavity: Evidence for electron pair plasma in cavity

Cosmic rays, thermal gas and magnetic fields in FRII radio cavities are assumed to come entirely from winds flowing from just behind the jet shocks. Combining analytic and computational methods, it is shown that the computed radio-electron energy distribution and synchrotron emissivity spectra everywhere in the Cygnus A radio cavity agree with radio observations of the Cygnus A lobes. The magnetic field energy density is small everywhere and evolves passively in the post-shock wind. Most synchrotron emission arises in recent post-shock material as it flows back along the radio cavity wall. Because it experienced less adiabatic expansion, the magnetic field in this young backflow is larger than elsewhere in the radio lobe, explaining the observed radio synchrotron limb-brightening. The boundary backflow decelerates due to small cavity pressure gradients, causing large-scale fields perpendicular to the backflow (and synchrotron emission) to grow exponentially unlike observations. However, if the field is random on subgrid (sub-kpc) scales, the computed field reproduces both the magnitude and slowly decreasing radio synchrotron emissivity observed along the backflow. The radio synchrotron spectrum and image computed with a small-scale random field agree with Very Large Array observations. The total relativistic energy density in the post-jet shock region required in computations to inflate the radio cavity matches the energy density of relativistic electrons observed in the post-shock region of Cygnus A. This indicates that the component in the jet and cavity that dominates the dynamical evolution is a relativistic pair plasma.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗