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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 523 records · Page 29
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DOE OSTI2012

THE HARPS-TERRA PROJECT. I. DESCRIPTION OF THE ALGORITHMS, PERFORMANCE, AND NEW MEASUREMENTS ON A FEW REMARKABLE STARS OBSERVED BY HARPS

Doppler spectroscopy has uncovered or confirmed all the known planets orbiting nearby stars. Two main techniques are used to obtain precision Doppler measurements at optical wavelengths. The first approach is the gas cell method, which consists of least-squares matching of the spectrum of iodine imprinted on the spectrum of the star. The second method relies on the construction of a stabilized spectrograph externally calibrated in wavelength. The most precise stabilized spectrometer in operation is the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), operated by the European Southern Observatory in La Silla Observatory, Chile. The Doppler measurements obtained with HARPS are typically obtained using the cross-correlation function (CCF) technique. This technique consists of multiplying the stellar spectrum by a weighted binary mask and finding the minimum of the product as a function of the Doppler shift. It is known that CCF is suboptimal in exploiting the Doppler information in the stellar spectrum. Here we describe an algorithm to obtain precision radial velocity measurements using least-squares matching of each observed spectrum to a high signal-to-noise ratio template derived from the same observations. This algorithm is implemented in our software HARPS-TERRA (Template-Enhanced Radial velocity Re-analysis Application). New radial velocity measurements on a representative sample of stars observed by HARPS are used to illustrate the benefits of the proposed method. We show that, compared with CCF, template matching provides a significant improvement in accuracy, especially when applied to M dwarfs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

GAS EXCITATION IN ULIRGs: MAPS OF DIAGNOSTIC EMISSION-LINE RATIOS IN SPACE AND VELOCITY

Emission-line spectra extracted at multiple locations across 39 ultraluminous infrared galaxies have been compiled into a spectrophotometric atlas. Line profiles of H{alpha}, [N II], [S II], [O I], H{beta}, and [O III] are resolved and fit jointly with common velocity components. Diagnostic ratios of these line fluxes are presented in a series of plots, showing how the Doppler shift, line width, gas excitation, and surface brightness change with velocity at fixed position and also with distance from the nucleus. One general characteristic of these spectra is the presence of shocked gas extending many kiloparsecs from the nucleus. In some systems, the rotation curves of the emitting gas indicate motions that suggest gas disks, which are most frequent at early merger stages. At these early merger stages, the emission line ratios indicate the presence of shocked gas, which may be triggered by the merger event. We also report the general characteristics of the integrated spectra.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

RADIATION TRANSPORT FOR EXPLOSIVE OUTFLOWS: OPACITY REGROUPING

Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) and Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC) are methods used to stochastically solve the radiative transport and diffusion equations, respectively. These methods combine into a hybrid transport-diffusion method we refer to as IMC-DDMC. We explore a multigroup IMC-DDMC scheme that in DDMC, combines frequency groups with sufficient optical thickness. We term this procedure ''opacity regrouping''. Opacity regrouping has previously been applied to IMC-DDMC calculations for problems in which the dependence of the opacity on frequency is monotonic. We generalize opacity regrouping to non-contiguous groups and implement this in SuperNu, a code designed to do radiation transport in high-velocity outflows with non-monotonic opacities. We find that regrouping of non-contiguous opacity groups generally improves the speed of IMC-DDMC radiation transport. We present an asymptotic analysis that informs the nature of the Doppler shift in DDMC groups and summarize the derivation of the Gentile-Fleck factor for modified IMC-DDMC. We test SuperNu using numerical experiments including a quasi-manufactured analytic solution, a simple 10 group problem, and the W7 problem for Type Ia supernovae. We find that opacity regrouping is necessary to make our IMC-DDMC implementation feasible for the W7 problem and possibly Type Ia supernova simulations in general. We compare the bolometric light curves and spectra produced by the SuperNu and PHOENIX radiation transport codes for the W7 problem. The overall shape of the bolometric light curves are in good agreement, as are the spectra and their evolution with time. However, for the numerical specifications we considered, we find that the peak luminosity of the light curve calculated using SuperNu is ∼10% less than that calculated using PHOENIX.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Cosmology with hypervelocity stars

In the standard cosmological model, the merger remnant of the Milky Way and Andromeda (Milkomeda) will be the only galaxy remaining within our event horizon once the Universe has aged by another factor of ten, ∼ 10{sup 11} years after the Big Bang. After that time, the only extragalactic sources of light in the observable cosmic volume will be hypervelocity stars being ejected continuously from Milkomeda. Spectroscopic detection of the velocity-distance relation or the evolution in the Doppler shifts of these stars will allow a precise measurement of the vacuum mass density as well as the local matter distribution. Already in the near future, the next generation of large telescopes will allow photometric detection of individual stars out to the edge of the Local Group, and may target the ∼ 10{sup 5±1} hypervelocity stars that originated in it as cosmological tracers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The need for accurate redshifts in supernova cosmology

Recent papers have shown that a small systematic redshift shift (Δ z ∼ 10{sup −5}) in measurements of type Ia supernovae can cause a significant bias (∼1%) in the recovery of cosmological parameters. Such a redshift shift could be caused, for example, by a gravitational redshift due to the density of our local environment. The sensitivity of supernova data to redshift shifts means supernovae make excellent probes of inhomogeneities. We therefore invert the analysis, and try to diagnose the nature of our local gravitational environment by fitting for Δ z as an extra free parameter alongside the usual cosmological parameters. Using the Joint Light-curve SN Ia dataset we find the best fit includes a systematic redshift shift of Δ z = (2.6{sup +2.7}{sub −2.8}) × 10{sup −4}. This is a larger shift than would be expected due to gravitational redshifts in a standard Λ-Cold Dark Matter universe (though still consistent with zero), and would correspond to a monopole Doppler shift of about 100 km s{sup −1} moving away from the Milky-Way. However, since most supernova measurements are made to a redshift precision of no better than 10{sup −3}, it is possible that a systematic error smaller than the statistical error remains in the data and is responsible for the shift; or that it is an insignificant statistical fluctuation. We find that when Δ z is included as a free parameter while fitting to the JLA SN Ia data, the constraints on the matter density shifts to Ω {sub m} = 0.313{sup +0.042}{sub −0.040}, bringing it into better agreement with the CMB cosmological parameter constraints from Planck. A positive Δ z ∼ 2.6×10{sup −4} would also cause us to overestimate the supernova measurement of Hubble's constant by Δ H {sub 0} ∼ 1 kms{sup −1}Mpc{sup −1}. However this overestimation should diminish as one increases the low-redshift cutoff, and this is not seen in the most recent data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

A VERY CLOSE BINARY BLACK HOLE IN A GIANT ELLIPTICAL GALAXY 3C 66B AND ITS BLACK HOLE MERGER

Recent observational results provide possible evidence that binary black holes (BBHs) exist in the center of giant galaxies and may merge to form a supermassive black hole in the process of their evolution. We first detected a periodic flux variation on a cycle of 93 {+-} 1 days from the 3 mm monitor observations of a giant elliptical galaxy 3C 66B for which an orbital motion with a period of 1.05 {+-} 0.03 yr had been already observed. The detected signal period being shorter than the orbital period can be explained by taking into consideration the Doppler-shifted modulation due to the orbital motion of a BBH. Assuming that the BBH has a circular orbit and that the jet axis is parallel to the binary angular momentum, our observational results demonstrate the presence of a very close BBH that has a binary orbit with an orbital period of 1.05 {+-} 0.03 yr, an orbital radius of (3.9 {+-} 1.0) x 10{sup -3} pc, an orbital separation of (6.1{sup +1.0} {sub -0.9}) x 10{sup -3} pc, a larger black hole mass of (1.2{sup +0.5} {sub -0.2}) x 10{sup 9} M {sub sun}, and a smaller black hole mass of (7.0{sup +4.7} {sub -6.4}) x 10{sup 8} M {sub sun}. The BBH decay time of (5.1{sup +60.5} {sub -2.5}) x 10{sup 2} yr provides evidence for the occurrence of black hole mergers. This Letter will demonstrate the interesting possibility of black hole collisions to form a supermassive black hole in the process of evolution, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

DISCOVERY OF GeV {gamma}-RAY EMISSION FROM PSR B1259-63/LS 2883

The binary system PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 consists of a 47.8 ms radio pulsar that orbits the companion Be star with a period of 3.4 years in a highly eccentric orbit. The system has been well sampled in radio, X-ray, and TeV {gamma}-ray bands, and shows orbital phase-dependent variability in all observed frequencies. Here we report on the discovery of >100 MeV {gamma}-rays from PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 through the 2010 periastron passage. Using data collected with the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi from 33 days before periastron to 75 days after periastron, PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 was detected at a significance of 13.6 standard deviations. The {gamma}-ray light curve was highly variable over this period, with a changing photon index that correlates with the {gamma}-ray flux. In particular, two major flares that occur after the periastron passage were observed. The onset of {gamma}-ray emission occurs close to, but not at the same orbital phases as, the two disk passages that occur {approx}1 month before and {approx}1 month after the periastron passage. The fact that the GeV orbital light curve is different from that of the X-ray and TeV light curves strongly suggests that GeV {gamma}-ray emission originates from a different component. We speculate that the observed GeV flares may be resulting from Doppler boosting effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

LARGE PECULIAR MOTION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM FROM THE DIPOLE ANISOTROPY IN SKY BRIGHTNESS DUE TO DISTANT RADIO SOURCES

According to the cosmological principle, the universe should appear isotropic, without any preferred directions, to an observer whom we may consider to be fixed in the comoving coordinate system of the expanding universe. Such an observer is stationary with respect to the average distribution of the matter in the universe and the sky brightness at any frequency should appear uniform in all directions to such an observer. However, a peculiar motion of such an observer, due to a combined effect of Doppler boosting and aberration, will introduce a dipole anisotropy in the observed sky brightness; in reverse an observed dipole anisotropy in the sky brightness could be used to infer the peculiar velocity of the observer with respect to the average universe. We determine the peculiar velocity of the solar system relative to the frame of distant radio sources, by studying the anisotropy in the sky brightness from discrete radio sources, i.e., an integrated emission from discrete sources per unit solid angle. Our results give a direction of the velocity vector in agreement with the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) value, but the magnitude ({approx}1600 {+-} 400 km s{sup -1}) is {approx}4 times the CMBR value (369 {+-} 1 km s{sup -1}) at a statistically significant ({approx}3{sigma}) level. A genuine difference between the two dipoles would imply an anisotropic universe, with the anisotropy changing with the epoch. This would violate the cosmological principle where the isotropy of the universe is assumed for all epochs, and on which the whole modern cosmology is based upon.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ANALYSIS OF THE EARLY-TIME OPTICAL SPECTRA OF SN 2011fe IN M101

The nearby Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2011fe in M101 (cz = 241 km s{sup -1}) provides a unique opportunity to study the early evolution of a 'normal' SN Ia, its compositional structure, and its elusive progenitor system. We present 18 high signal-to-noise spectra of SN 2011fe during its first month beginning 1.2 days post-explosion and with an average cadence of 1.8 days. This gives a clear picture of how various line-forming species are distributed within the outer layers of the ejecta, including that of unburned material (C+O). We follow the evolution of C II absorption features until they diminish near maximum light, showing overlapping regions of burned and unburned material between ejection velocities of 10,000 and 16,000 km s{sup -1}. This supports the notion that incomplete burning, in addition to progenitor scenarios, is a relevant source of spectroscopic diversity among SNe Ia. The observed evolution of the highly Doppler-shifted O I {lambda}7774 absorption features detected within 5 days post-explosion indicates the presence of O I with expansion velocities from 11,500 to 21,000 km s{sup -1}. The fact that some O I is present above C II suggests that SN 2011fe may have had an appreciable amount of unburned oxygen within the outer layers of the ejecta.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

OBSERVATIONS OF PLASMA UPFLOW IN A WARM LOOP WITH HINODE/EIS

A complete understanding of Doppler shift in active region loops can help probe the basic physical mechanism involved into the heating of those loops. Here, we present observations of upflows in coronal loops detected in a range of temperatures (log T = 5.8-6.2). The loop was not discernible above these temperatures. The speed of upflow was strongest at the footpoint and decreased with height. The upflow speed at the footpoint was about 20 km s{sup -1} in Fe VIII, which decreased with temperature, being about 13 km s{sup -1} in Fe X, about 8 km s{sup -1} in Fe XII, and about 4 km s{sup -1} in Fe XIII. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observation providing evidence of upflow of plasma in coronal loop structures at these temperatures. We interpret these observations as evidence of chromospheric evaporation in quasi-static coronal loops.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TWO 'b's IN THE BEEHIVE: THE DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST HOT JUPITERS IN AN OPEN CLUSTER

We report the discovery of two giant planets orbiting stars in Praesepe (also known as the Beehive Cluster). These are the first known hot Jupiters in an open cluster and the only planets known to orbit Sun-like, main-sequence stars in a cluster. The planets are detected from Doppler-shifted radial velocities; line bisector spans and activity indices show no correlation with orbital phase, confirming the variations are caused by planetary companions. Pr0201b orbits a V = 10.52 late F dwarf with a period of 4.4264 {+-} 0.0070 days and has a minimum mass of 0.540 {+-} 0.039 M{sub Jup}, and Pr0211b orbits a V = 12.06 late G dwarf with a period of 2.1451 {+-} 0.0012 days and has a minimum mass of 1.844 {+-} 0.064 M{sub Jup}. The detection of two planets among 53 single members surveyed establishes a lower limit of 3.8{sup +5.0}{sub -2.4}% on the hot Jupiter frequency in this metal-rich open cluster. Given the precisely known age of the cluster, this discovery also demonstrates that, in at least two cases, giant planet migration occurred within 600 Myr after formation. As we endeavor to learn more about the frequency and formation history of planets, environments with well-determined properties-such as open clusters like Praesepe-may provide essential clues to this end.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ON THE WEAK-WIND PROBLEM IN MASSIVE STARS: X-RAY SPECTRA REVEAL A MASSIVE HOT WIND IN {mu} COLUMBAE

{mu} Columbae is a prototypical weak-wind O star for which we have obtained a high-resolution X-ray spectrum with the Chandra LETG/ACIS instrument and a low-resolution spectrum with Suzaku. This allows us, for the first time, to investigate the role of X-rays on the wind structure in a bona fide weak-wind system and to determine whether there actually is a massive hot wind. The X-ray emission measure indicates that the outflow is an order of magnitude greater than that derived from UV lines and is commensurate with the nominal wind-luminosity relationship for O stars. Therefore, the {sup w}eak-wind problem{sup -}identified from cool wind UV/optical spectra-is largely resolved by accounting for the hot wind seen in X-rays. From X-ray line profiles, Doppler shifts, and relative strengths, we find that this weak-wind star is typical of other late O dwarfs. The X-ray spectra do not suggest a magnetically confined plasma-the spectrum is soft and lines are broadened; Suzaku spectra confirm the lack of emission above 2 keV. Nor do the relative line shifts and widths suggest any wind decoupling by ions. The He-like triplets indicate that the bulk of the X-ray emission is formed rather close to the star, within five stellar radii. Our results challenge the idea that some OB stars are 'weak-wind' stars that deviate from the standard wind-luminosity relationship. The wind is not weak, but it is hot and its bulk is only detectable in X-rays.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

SLOW MAGNETOACOUSTIC OSCILLATIONS IN THE MICROWAVE EMISSION OF SOLAR FLARES

Analysis of the microwave data, obtained in the 17 GHz channel of the Nobeyama Radioheliograph during the M1.6 flare on 2010 November 4, revealed the presence of 12.6 minute oscillations of the emitting plasma density. The oscillations decayed with the characteristic time of about 15 minutes. Similar oscillations with the period of about 13.8 minutes and the decay time of 25 minutes are also detected in the variation of EUV emission intensity measured in the 335 A channel of the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. The observed properties of the oscillations are consistent with the oscillations of hot loops observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) in the EUV spectra in the form of periodic Doppler shift. Our analysis presents the first direct observations of the slow magnetoacoustic oscillations in the microwave emission of a solar flare, complementing accepted interpretations of SUMER hot loop oscillations as standing slow magnetoacoustic waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MEASUREMENTS OF THE SUN'S HIGH-LATITUDE MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION

The meridional circulation at high latitudes is crucial to the buildup and reversal of the Sun's polar magnetic fields. Here, we characterize the axisymmetric flows by applying a magnetic feature cross-correlation procedure to high-resolution magnetograms obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We focus on Carrington rotations 2096-2107 (2010 April to 2011 March)-the overlap interval between HMI and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI). HMI magnetograms averaged over 720 s are first mapped into heliographic coordinates. Strips from these maps are then cross-correlated to determine the distances in latitude and longitude that the magnetic element pattern has moved, thus providing meridional flow and differential rotation velocities for each rotation of the Sun. Flow velocities were averaged for the overlap interval and compared to results obtained from MDI data. This comparison indicates that these HMI images are rotated counterclockwise by 0.{sup 0}075 with respect to the Sun's rotation axis. The profiles indicate that HMI data can be used to reliably measure these axisymmetric flow velocities to at least within 5 Degree-Sign of the poles. Unlike the noisier MDI measurements, no evidence of a meridional flow counter-cell is seen in either hemisphere with the HMI measurements: poleward flow continues all the way to the poles. Slight north-south asymmetries are observed in the meridional flow. These asymmetries should contribute to the observed asymmetries in the polar fields and the timing of their reversals.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EVIDENCE FOR ROTATIONAL MOTIONS IN THE FEET OF A QUIESCENT SOLAR PROMINENCE

We present observational evidence of apparent plasma rotational motions in the feet of a solar prominence. Our study is based on spectroscopic observations taken in the He I 1083.0 nm multiplet with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. We recorded a time sequence of spectra with 34 s cadence placing the slit of the spectrograph almost parallel to the solar limb and crossing two feet of an intermediate size, quiescent hedgerow prominence. The data show opposite Doppler shifts, {+-}6 km s{sup -1}, at the edges of the prominence feet. We argue that these shifts may be interpreted as prominence plasma rotating counterclockwise around the vertical axis to the solar surface as viewed from above. The evolution of the prominence seen in EUV images taken with the Solar Dynamics Observatory provided us with clues to interpret the results as swirling motions. Moreover, time-distance images taken far from the central wavelength show plasma structures moving parallel to the solar limb with velocities of about 10-15 km s{sup -1}. Finally, the shapes of the observed intensity profiles suggest the presence of, at least, two components at some locations at the edges of the prominence feet. One of them is typically Doppler shifted (up to {approx}20 km s{sup -1}) with respect to the other, thus suggesting the existence of supersonic counter-streaming flows along the line of sight.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE HIGH-LATITUDE BRANCH OF THE SOLAR TORSIONAL OSCILLATION IN THE RISING PHASE OF CYCLE 24

We use global heliseismic data from the Global Oscillation Network Group, the Michelson Doppler Imager on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, to examine the behavior, during the rising phase of Solar Cycle 24, of the migrating zonal flow pattern known as the torsional oscillation. Although the high-latitude part of the pattern appears to be absent in the new cycle when the flows are derived by subtracting a mean across a full solar cycle, it can be seen if we subtract the mean over a shorter period in the rising phase of each cycle, and these two mean rotation profiles differ significantly at high latitudes. This indicates that the underlying high-latitude rotation has changed; we speculate that this is in response to weaker polar fields, as suggested by a recent model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

VELOCITY AND MAGNETIC FIELD DISTRIBUTION IN A FORMING PENUMBRA

We present results from the analysis of high-resolution spectropolarimetric and spectroscopic observations of the solar photosphere and chromosphere, obtained shortly before the formation of a penumbra in one of the leading polarity sunspots of NOAA active region 11490. The observations were performed at the Dunn Solar Telescope of the National Solar Observatory on 2012 May 28, using the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer. The data set is comprised of a 1 hr time sequence of measurements in the Fe I 617.3 nm and Fe I 630.25 nm lines (full Stokes polarimetry) and in the Ca II 854.2 nm line (Stokes I only). We perform an inversion of the Fe I 630.25 nm Stokes profiles to derive magnetic field parameters and the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity at the photospheric level. We characterize chromospheric LOS velocities by the Doppler shift of the centroid of the Ca II 854.2 nm line. We find that, before the formation of the penumbra, an annular zone of 3''-5'' width is visible around the sunspot. In the photosphere, we find that this zone is characterized by an uncombed structure of the magnetic field although no visible penumbra has formed yet. We also find that the chromospheric LOS velocity field shows several elongated structures characterized by downflow and upflow motions in the inner and outer parts of the annular zone, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE MASS DISTRIBUTION OF SUBGIANT PLANET HOSTS

High mass stars are hostile to Doppler measurements due to rotation and activity on the main-sequence, so RV searches for planets around massive stars have relied on evolved stars. A large number of planets have been found around evolved stars with M > 1.5 M{sub Sun }. To test the robustness of mass determinations, Lloyd compared mass distributions of planet hosting subgiants with distributions from integrating isochrones and concluded that it is unlikely the subgiant planet hosts are this massive, but rather that the mass inferences are systematically in error. The conclusions of Lloyd have been called in to question by Johnson et al., who show TRILEGAL-based mass distributions that disagree with the mass distributions in Lloyd, which they attribute to Malmquist bias. Johnson et al. argue that the very small spectroscopic observational uncertainties favor high masses, and there are a large number of high mass sub giants in RV surveys. However, in this Letter, it is shown that Malmquist bias does not impact the mass distributions, but the mass distribution is sensitive to Galaxy model. The relationship needed to reconcile the subgiant planet host masses with any model of the Galactic stellar population is implausible, and the conclusion of Lloyd that spectroscopic mass determinations of subgiants are likely to have been overestimated is robust.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗