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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

NASA's Education Program

NASA's current education programs, which will be examined under its Strategic Plan for Education are presented. It is NASA's first goal to maintain this base - revising, expanding, or eliminating programs as necessary. Through NASA's second goal, new education reform initiatives will be added which specifically address NASA mission requirements, national educational reform, and Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) priorities. The chapters in this publication are divided by educational levels, with additional sections on programs to improve the technological competence of students and on an array of NASA published materials to supplement programs. The resource section lists NASA's national and regional Teacher Resource Centers and introduces the reader to NASA's Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE), which distributes materials in audiovisual format.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

Protostars and Disks

The research concentrated on high angular resolution (arc-second scale) studies of molecular cloud cores associated with very young star formation. New ways to study disks and protoplanetary systems were explored. Findings from the areas studied are briefly summarized: (1) molecular clouds; (2) gravitational contraction; (3) jets, winds, and outflows; (4) Circumstellar Disks (5) Extrasolar Planetary Systems. A bibliography of publications and submitted papers produced during the grant period is included.

Ho, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2000

An Analysis of the Torsion-Rotation-Vibration Rotational Spectrum of the Lowest In-Plane Bend and First Excited Torsional State of the C(3V) Internal Rotor C2H5CN

C2H5CN (Propionitrile or ethyl cyanide) is a well known interstellar species abundantly observed in hot cores during the onset of star formation. The onset of star formation generally results in elevated temperature, which thermally populates may low lying vibrational states such as the 206/cm in-plane bend and the 212/cm first excited torsional state in C2H5CN. Unfortunately, these two states are strongly coupled through a complex series of torsion-vibration-rotation interactions, which dominate the spectrum. In order to understand the details of these interactions and develop models capable of predicting unmeasured transitions for astronomical observations in C2H5CN and similar molecules, several thousand rotational transitions in the lowest excited in-plane bend and first excited torsional state have been recorded, assigned and analyzed. The analysis reveals very strong a- and b-type Coriolis interactions and a number of other smaller interactions and has a number of important implications for other C3V torsion-rotation-vibration systems. The relative importance and the physical origins of the coupling among the rotational, vibrational and torsional motions will be presented along with a full spectroscopic analysis and supporting astronomical observations.

Pearson, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Constraining the Drag Coefficients of Meteors in Dark Flight

Based on data in the aeronautics literature, we have derived functions for the drag coefficients of spheres and cubes as a function of Mach number. Experiments have shown that spheres and cubes exhibit an abrupt factor-of-two decrease in the drag coefficient as the object slows through the transonic regime. Irregularly shaped objects such as meteorites likely exhibit a similar trend. These functions are implemented in an otherwise simple projectile motion model, which is applicable to the non-ablative dark flight of meteors (speeds less than .+3 km/s). We demonstrate how these functions may be used as upper and lower limits on the drag coefficient of meteors whose shape is unknown. A Mach-dependent drag coefficient is potentially important in other planetary and astrophysical situations, for instance, in the core accretion scenario for giant planet formation.

Carter, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Two Bright M Dwarfs Hosting Ultra-Short-Period Super-Earths with Earth-like Compositions

We present observations of two bright M dwarfs (TOI-1634 and TOI-1685: J = 9.5–9.6) hosting ultra-short-period (USP) planets identified by the TESS mission. The two stars are similar in temperature, mass, and radius (T eff ≈ 3500 K, M ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 M ⊙ , and R ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 R ⊙ ), and the planets are both super-Earth size (1.25 R ⊕ < R p < 2.0 R ⊕ ). For both systems, light curves from ground-based photometry exhibit planetary transits, whose depths are consistent with those from the TESS photometry. We also refine the transit ephemerides based on the ground-based photometry, finding the orbital periods of P = 0.9893436 ± 0.0000020 days and P = 0.6691416 ± 0.0000019 days for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively. Through intensive radial velocity (RV) observations using the InfraRed Doppler (IRD) instrument on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope, we confirm the planetary nature of the TOIs and measure their masses: 10.14 ± 0.95 M ⊕ and 3.43 ± 0.93 M ⊕ for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively, when the observed RVs are fitted with a single-planet circular-orbit model. Combining those with the planet radii of R p = 1.749 ± 0.079 R ⊕ (TOI-1634b) and 1.459 ± 0.065 R ⊕ (TOI-1685b), we find that both USP planets have mean densities consistent with an Earth-like internal composition, which is typical for small USP planets. TOI-1634b is currently the most massive USP planet in this category, and it resides near the radius valley, which makes it a benchmark planet in the context of discussing the size limit of rocky planet cores as well as testing the formation scenarios for USP planets. Excess scatter in the RV residuals for TOI-1685 suggests the presence of a possible secondary planet or unknown activity/instrumental noise in the RV data, but further observations are required to check those possibilities.

Teruyuki Hirano↗
NASA NTRS1990

Global star formation in the L1630 molecular cloud

This paper presents the preliminary results of a study of star formation in the L1630 molecular cloud. An unbiased well sampled systematic CS (2 to 1) survey for density condensations and a 2.2-micron survey for embedded infrared sources in L1630 have been completed. These surveys have provided a complete census of the dense cores and young stellar objects within this molecular cloud. As a result, four embedded stellar clusters have been identified in this cloud. These clusters are located near the most massive CS cores implying that the most active sites of star formation are located within the most massive dense cores.

Lada, Elizabeth A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nutrient and carbon concentrations in dated soil cores at US-OWC Ameriflux wetland site (OWC NERR)

Soil cores were sampled at the Old Woman Creek (OWC) National Estuarine Research Reserve at the south shore of Lake Erie, near Huron, Ohio, USA. OWC is a temperate mineral soil marsh. We dated the soil cores using lead isotope analysis and measured the concentrations of carbon and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) throughout the core depths. We analyzed 36 cores, sampled along three transects at areas of the wetland with different hydrological regimes. Each transect included three coring sites at different water depth categories (shallow, intermediate deep) with four core samples per coring site. The data can be used to determine the carbon sequestration rates and nutrient accumulation rates, at multiple locations throughout OWC wetland.Dataset, in csv format, with data variables in columns, and different cores and core depths slices in rows, includes results from 36 sediment cores (0-30 cm depth) taken at 9 locations (4 replicates at each location) along 3 gradients of water depth (shallow, intermediate, deep), each at a different hydrologic location (outflow, backflow, middle). At each depth slice within a core, we provide depth, date (using 210Pb), bulk density, and the concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, d13C, and d15N.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Intramolecular C–C Bond Formation Links Anthraquinone and Enediyne Scaffolds in Tiancimycin Biosynthesis

First discovered in 1989, the anthraquinone-fused enediynes are a class of DNA-cleaving bacterial natural products composed of a DNA-intercalating anthraquinone moiety and a 10-membered enediyne warhead. However, until recently, there has been a lack of genetically amenable hosts and sequenced biosynthetic gene clusters available for solving the biosynthetic questions surrounding these molecules. Herein, we have identified and biochemically and structurally characterized TnmK1, a member of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold superfamily responsible for the C-C bond formation linking the anthraquinone moiety and enediyne core together in tiancimycin (TNM) biosynthesis. In doing so, two intermediates, TNM H and TNM I, in anthraquinone-fused enediyne biosynthesis, containing an unprecedented cryptic C16 aldehyde group, were identified. Here, this aldehyde plays a key role in the TnmK1-catalyzed C-C bond formation via a Michael addition, representing the first example of this chemistry for the alpha/ beta-hydrolase fold superfamily. Additionally, TNM I shows sub-nanomolar cytotoxicity against selected cancer cell lines, indicating a new mechanism of action compared to previously known anthraquinone-fused enediynes. Together, the findings from this study are expected to impact enzymology, natural product biosynthesis, and future efforts at enediyne discovery and drug development.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1991

Star formation - Observations

Star-formation theories can be tested in light of observational evidence of star formation scenarios on the scales of galaxies, Galactic molecular clouds, and individual star-formation regions. Attention is presently given to the relative importance of atomic and molecular gas in star formation, the role of stimulated star formation, the existence of disks around stars undergoing formation, and the effect of spiral density waves. Attention is given to the processes of cloud cores and core collapse. The development of a theory of binary star formation will require the resolution of the issue as to the presence of a disk in the formation scenario, as indicated by the observation of spectral lines at higher resolutions.

Evans, Neal J., II↗
NASA NTRS2000

Geology and geochemistry of paleosols developed on the Hekpoort Basalt, Pretoria Group, South Africa

The Hekpoort paleosols comprise a regional paleoweathering horizon developed on 2.224 +/- 0.021 Ga basaltic andesite lavas at the top of the Hekpoort Formation of the Pretoria Group, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. In five separate profiles, from outcrops along road cuts near Waterval Onder and the Daspoort Tunnel and in three drill cores from the Bank Break Area (BB3, BB8, and BB14), the top of the paleosol is a sericite-rich zone. The sericite zone grades downward into a chlorite-rich zone. In core BB8 and in the road cut at the Daspoort Tunnel, we sampled the underlying or parent basaltic andesite into which the chlorite zone grades. We did not obtain samples of the parent material at Waterval Onder and in cores BB3 and BB14, but chemical analyses indicate that the chlorite and sericite zones in these profiles derive from underlying lavas similar to the ones we sampled in core BB8 and at the Daspoort Tunnel. The presence of apparent rip-up clasts of the paleosol in the overlying ironstones of the Strubenkop Formation in the cores from Bank Break makes it very unlikely that most of the alteration was a result of interactions with hydrothermal fluids. Desiccation cracks at the top of the paleosol that were filled with sand during the deposition of the overlying sediments at Waterval Onder point to a subaerial weathering origin. Very little, if any, Al, Ti, Zr, V, or Cr moved a discernible distance during weathering of any of the five profiles. The vertical distribution of Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Co indicates that these elements were largely removed from the top of the soil during weathering. The overall abundance of these elements in each of the profiles indicates that a significant fraction of the complement lost from the top subsequently reprecipitated in the lower portion of the soil as constituents of an Fe2(+) -rich smectite. The loss of Fe from the top of the soil during weathering of the Hekpoort paleosols indicates that atmospheric PO2 was less than 8 x 10(-4) atm about 2.22 Ga. Fe2(+) -rich smectite should only precipitate during soil formation if atmospheric PCO2 is less than or equal to 2 x 10(-2) atm (Rye, Kuo, and Holland, 1995). Ca and Na were largely lost during weathering. Some Na was apparently added to the sericite zone in cores BB3, BB8, and BB14 after weathering. All five profiles are enriched in K and Rb, and most are enriched in Ba. The distribution of these elements indicates that they all were added during post-weathering hydrothermal metasomatism. Rb-Sr analysis of the paleosol at the Daspoort Tunnel indicates that metasomatism last affected that profile 1.925 +/- 0.032 Ga (Macfarlane and Holland, 1991).

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2022

Formation of the skyrmionic polaron by Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

Skyrmions in reduced dimensions such as thin layers and interfaces are of both fundamental and technological importance. In these systems, itinerant electrons are often present together with the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Here, in this study, we show that an itinerant electron in the presence of these interactions can nucleate the skyrmion state, even when the standard Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is absent, and the electron can become self-trapped in the skyrmion core, forming the “skyrmionic polaron” (SkP). The formation of the SkP is investigated from a continuum model of the electron, exchange coupled to the lattice spins, by solving the appropriate Euler-Lagrange equations. The skyrmion (antiskyrmion) texture is favored by the Rashba (Dresselhaus) SOC, with the binding energy increasing quadratically with the strength of the interaction. In contrast, if the skyrmion is already formed due to a nonzero DMI, the electron is delocalized and avoids the skyrmion core until the strength of the Rashba or Dresselhaus SOC exceeds a critical value. Below this critical value, the electron is not bound to the skyrmion core, the polaron does not form, and the electron has little effect on the skyrmion state. Our work envisions the possibility of manipulating the skyrmion state in device applications by altering the strength of the Rashba or Dresselhaus interactions, e.g., by an external electric field.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Review of Tools for Modeling Core Radial Expansion in Liquid Metal-Cooled Fast Reactors

Core radial expansion in liquid-metal cooled fast reactor systems is a well-known phenomenon that produces strong reactivity feedback effects. It is crucial from a safety standpoint to design a reactor with the proper core restraint system to guide expansion of the fuel assemblies into a formation that produces negative reactivity feedback in accident conditions. However, the modeling of core radial expansion and its associated reactivity feedback is extremely challenging. Liquid metal-cooled fast reactor designers (both industry and commercial) have pointed to improved modeling of core radial expansion as a key modeling challenge for these types of reactors. The Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (DOE-NEAMS) program has an important role to play in helping to develop a robust, predictive tool for this phenomenon. A literature review has been performed to identify current simulation capabilities applicable to the prediction of core radial expansion in liquid metal-cooled fast reactors and the resultant reactivity feedback effects. An overview as well as a detailed description of the multi-physics phenomena underlying core radial expansion is given in the first two chapters. The objective of this report is to identify existing software that has been or could be applied to the core radial expansion problem, and then to identify possible paths to develop a robust, coupled Multiphysics tool for advanced analysis, in which all three physics (radiation transport, structural mechanics, thermal fluids) are taken into account considering feedback effects from each physics to the other. Several computer codes and workflows have been developed in the United States and abroad to perform individual aspects of radial expansion calculations or to perform loosely coupled analysis. No code system currently exists which tightly and robustly couples the neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and thermal mechanical physics with enough detail to fully resolve the complex core radial expansion reactivity feedback effects. The future availability of such a code system is of vital importance to fully understanding the reactivity feedback effects that occur due to radial expansion, and consequently to optimizing the design of the core restraint system. A potential code development path forward using MOOSE-based tools is suggested in order to leverage the natural tight coupling and robustness of MOOSE-based applications. Additionally, potential gaps for modeling and common assumptions are listed which require further investigation to ensure accuracy for prediction of deformations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The SPT-Chandra BCG Spectroscopic Survey. I. Evolution of the Entropy Threshold for ICM Cooling and AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters over the Last 10 Gyr

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a sample of the 95 most massive galaxy clusters selected from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) survey. Our sample spans a redshift range of 0.3 < z < 1.7, and is complete with optical spectroscopy from various ground-based observatories, as well as ground and space-based imaging from optical, X-ray, and radio wave bands. At z ∼ 0, previous studies have shown a strong correlation between the presence of a low-entropy cool core and the presence of both star formation and radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the central BCG. We show for the first time that the central entropy threshold for triggering star formation, which is universally seen in nearby systems, persists out to z ∼ 1, with only marginal (∼1 σ ) evidence for evolution in the threshold entropy value itself. In contrast, we do not find a similar high- z analog for an entropy threshold for feedback, but instead measure a strong evolution in the fraction of radio-loud BCGs in high-entropy cores, decreasing with increasing redshift. This could imply that the cooling-feedback loop was not as tight in the past, or that some other fuel source like mergers are fueling the radio sources more often with increasing redshift, making the radio luminosity an increasingly unreliable proxy for radio jet power. We also find that our SZ-based sample is missing a small (∼4%) population of the most luminous radio sources ( ν L ν > 10 42 erg s −1 ), likely due to radio contamination suppressing the SZ signal with which these clusters are detected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tuning Excited-State Charge Transfer Character in Cofacial Core-Substituted Perylenediimide Dimers

Understanding the interplay between excimer formation and symmetry-breaking charge separation is important for optimizing charge separation in organic photovoltaic materials. To explore this connection, we synthesized four 1,6,7,12-tetrakis( p -X-phenoxy)perylene-(3,4:9,10)-bisdicarboximide cofacially stacked dimers, where X = MeO, tert -butyl, Br, and CF 3 . Steady-state spectroscopy reveals H-type aggregation and excimer formation in all four dimers, while transient absorption spectroscopy shows relatively small changes in their excited-state absorptions. However, time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) spectroscopy shows that relaxation occurs from an initial Frenkel exciton-dominated excimer state to one in which charge transfer (CT) character contributes. Relaxation to the lower-lying state with CT character is attributed to a combination of structural and charge distribution changes elicited by varying the substituents. Finally, this study illustrates how subtle changes in charge distribution and structure can combine to influence the excited state dynamics that influence charge separation in molecular dimers.

fluorescence↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Massive, Cooling-Flow-Induced Starburst in the Core of a Highly Luminous Galaxy Cluster

In the cores of some galaxy clusters the hot intracluster plasma is dense enough that it should cool radiatively in the cluster s lifetime, leading to continuous "cooling flows" of gas sinking towards the cluster center, yet no such cooling flow has been observed. The low observed star formation rates and cool gas masses for these "cool core" clusters suggest that much of the cooling must be offset by astrophysical feedback to prevent the formation of a runaway cooling flow. Here we report X-ray, optical, and infrared observations of the galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ2344-4243 at z = 0.596. These observations reveal an exceptionally luminous (L(sub 2-10 keV) = 8.2 10(exp 45) erg/s) galaxy cluster which hosts an extremely strong cooling flow (M(sub cool) = 3820 +/- 530 Stellar Mass/yr). Further, the central galaxy in this cluster appears to be experiencing a massive starburst (740 +/- 160 Stellar Mass/ yr), which suggests that the feedback source responsible for preventing runaway cooling in nearby cool core clusters may not yet be fully established in SPT-CLJ2344-4243. This large star formation rate implies that a significant fraction of the stars in the central galaxy of this cluster may form via accretion of the intracluster medium, rather than the current picture of central galaxies assembling entirely via mergers.

McDonald, M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Supernova siblings and their parent galaxies in the Zwicky Transient Facility Bright Transient Survey

ABSTRACT Supernova (SN) siblings – two or more SNe in the same parent galaxy – are useful tools for exploring progenitor stellar populations as well as properties of the host galaxies such as distance, star-formation rate, dust extinction, and metallicity. Since the average SN rate for a Milky Way-type galaxy is just one per century, a large imaging survey is required to discover an appreciable sample of SN siblings. From the wide-field Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Bright Transient Survey (which aims for spectroscopic completeness for all transients which peak brighter than r < 18.5 mag) we present 10 SN siblings in five parent galaxies. For each of these families, we analyse the SN’s location within the host and its underlying stellar population, finding agreement with expectations that SNe from more massive progenitors are found nearer to their host core and in regions of more active star formation. We also present an analysis of the relative rates of core collapse and thermonuclear SN siblings, finding a significantly lower ratio than past SN sibling samples due to the unbiased nature of the ZTF.

Graham, Melissa L. (ORCID:0000000291543136)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Explicitly correlated coupled cluster method for accurate treatment of open-shell molecules with hundreds of atoms

We present a near-linear scaling formulation of the explicitly correlated coupled-cluster singles and doubles with the perturbative triples method [CCSD(T)F12¯] for high-spin states of open-shell species. The approach is based on the conventional open-shell CCSD formalism [M. Saitow et al., J. Chem. Phys. 146, 164105 (2017)] utilizing the domain local pair-natural orbitals (DLPNO) framework. The use of spin-independent set of pair-natural orbitals ensures exact agreement with the closed-shell formalism reported previously, with only marginally impact on the cost (e.g., the open-shell formalism is only 1.5 times slower than the closed-shell counterpart for the C160H322 n-alkane, with the measured size complexity of ≈1.2). Evaluation of coupled-cluster energies near the complete-basis-set (CBS) limit for open-shell systems with more than 550 atoms and 5000 basis functions is feasible on a single multi-core computer in less than 3 days. The aug-cc-pVTZ DLPNO-CCSD(T)F12¯ contribution to the heat of formation for the 50 largest molecules among the 348 core combustion species benchmark set [J. Klippenstein et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 121, 6580–6602 (2017)] had root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) from the extrapolated CBS CCSD(T) reference values of 0.3 kcal/mol. For a more challenging set of 50 reactions involving small closed- and open-shell molecules [G. Knizia et al., J. Chem. Phys. 130, 054104 (2009)], the aug-cc-pVQ(+d)Z DLPNO-CCSD(T)F12¯ yielded a RMSD of ∼0.4 kcal/mol with respect to the CBS CCSD(T) estimate.

Kumar, Ashutosh (ORCID:0000000175896030)↗
NASA NTRS1976

Suppression of bar instability by a massive halo

Numerical experiments are performed to determine the effect of a spherical uniform-density mass distribution or halo on the evolution of stellar disks. For a halo with radius much smaller than that of the disk, the large-scale bar-forming instability is prevented by a fixed halo (or core) component containing 60% of the total system mass. Similar results are obtained for a halo component corresponding to the Schmidt (1965) model of the Galaxy. For a uniform-density spherical halo with radius equal to that of the stellar disk, a halo component containing only 40% of the total mass is sufficient to stabilize the bar-forming mode. These results indicate that a large halo is more effective in stabilizing against bar formation than a more centrally condensed core-halo.

Hohl, F.↗