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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 OSTI2013

A spatial characterization of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy tidal tails

We measure the spatial density of F turnoff stars in the Sagittarius dwarf tidal stream, from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, using statistical photometric parallax. We find a set of continuous, consistent parameters that describe the leading Sgr stream's position, direction, and width for 15 stripes in the north Galactic cap, and three stripes in the south Galactic cap. We produce a catalog of stars that has the density characteristics of the dominant leading Sgr tidal stream that can be compared with simulations. We find that the width of the leading (north) tidal tail is consistent with recent triaxial and axisymmetric halo model simulations. The density along the stream is roughly consistent with common disruption models in the north, but possibly not in the south. We explore the possibility that one or more of the dominant Sgr streams has been misidentified, and that one or more of the ''bifurcated'' pieces is the real Sgr tidal tail, but we do not reach definite conclusions. If two dwarf progenitors are assumed, fits to the planes of the dominant and ''bifurcated'' tidal tails favor an association of the Sgr dwarf spheroidal galaxy with the dominant southern stream and the ''bifurcated'' stream in the north. In the north Galactic cap, the best fit Hernquist density profile for the smooth component of the stellar halo is oblate, with a flattening parameter q = 0.53, and a scale length of r {sub 0} = 6.73. The southern data for both the tidal debris and the smooth component of the stellar halo do not match the model fits to the north, although the stellar halo is still overwhelmingly oblate. Finally, we verify that we can reproduce the parameter fits on the asynchronous MilkyWay@home volunteer computing platform.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Demographics of Sloan digital sky survey galaxies along the Hubble sequence

We present the statistical properties of a volume-limited sample of 7429 nearby (z = 0.033-0.044) galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. Our database includes morphology distribution as well as the structural and spectroscopic properties of each morphology type based on the recent remeasurements of spectral line strengths by Oh and collaborators. Our database does not include galaxies that are apparently smaller and flatter because morphology classification of them turned out to be difficult. Our statistics confirmed the up-to-date knowledge of galaxy populations, e.g., correlations between morphology and line strengths as well as the derived ages. We hope that this database will be useful as a reference.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

M dwarf catalog of the lamost pilot survey

We present a spectroscopic catalog of 58,360 M dwarfs from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope pilot survey. For each spectrum in the catalog, spectral subtype, radial velocity, Hα equivalent width, a number of prominent molecular band indices, and the metal-sensitive parameter ζ are provided. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 Spectroscopic M dwarf catalog to verify the precision of our methods of classifying the spectral types and measuring the radial velocities. The magnetic activity properties of M dwarfs are also traced by Hα emission lines. The molecular band indices included in this catalog are sensitive to temperature or metallicity, and can be used for further study of the physical properties of M dwarfs. This M dwarf catalog is available on the Web site http://sciwiki.lamost.org/MCatalogPilot/.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Discovery of four doubly imaged quasar lenses from the Sloan digital sky survey

We report the discovery of four doubly imaged quasar lenses. All the four systems are selected as lensed quasar candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. We confirm their lensing hypothesis with additional imaging and spectroscopic follow-up observations. The discovered lenses are SDSS J0743+2457 with the source redshift z{sub s} = 2.165, the lens redshift z{sub l} = 0.381, and the image separation θ = 1.''034, SDSS J1128+2402 with z{sub s} = 1.608 and θ = 0.''844, SDSS J1405+0959 with z{sub s} = 1.810, z{sub l} ≈ 0.66, and θ = 1.''978, and SDSS J1515+1511 with z{sub s} = 2.054, z{sub l} = 0.742, and θ = 1.''989. It is difficult to estimate the lens redshift of SDSS J1128+2402 from the current data. Two of the four systems (SDSS J1405+0959 and SDSS J1515+1511) are included in our final statistical lens sample to derive constraints on dark energy and the evolution of massive galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE EASTERN BANDED STRUCTURE: A STELLAR DEBRIS STREAM AND A POSSIBLE PROGENITOR

Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we re-examine the Eastern Banded Structure (EBS), a stellar debris stream first discovered in Data Release 5 and more recently detected in velocity space by Schlaufman et al. The visible portion of the stream is 18{sup 0} long, lying roughly in the Galactic Anticenter direction and extending from Hydra to Cancer. At an estimated distance of 9.7 kpc, the stream is {approx}170 pc across on the sky. The curvature of the stream implies a fairly eccentric box orbit that passes close to both the Galactic center and to the Sun, making it dynamically distinct from the nearby Monoceros, Anticenter, and GD-1 streams. Within the stream is a relatively strong, 2{sup 0}-wide concentration of stars with a very similar color-magnitude distribution that we designate Hydra I. Given its prominence within the stream and its unusual morphology, we suggest that Hydra I is the last vestige of EBS's progenitor, possibly already unbound or in the final throes of tidal dissolution. Though both Hydra I and the EBS have a relatively high-velocity dispersion, given the comparatively narrow width of the stream and the high frequency of encounters with the bulge and massive constituents of the disk that such an eccentric orbit would entail, we suggest that the progenitor was likely a globular cluster and that both it and the stream have undergone significant heating over time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

XMM-NEWTON/SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY: STAR FORMATION EFFICIENCY IN GALAXY CLUSTERS AND CONSTRAINTS ON THE MATTER-DENSITY PARAMETER

It is believed that the global baryon content of clusters of galaxies is representative of the matter distribution of the universe, and can, therefore, be used to reliably determine the matter-density parameter {Omega}{sub m}. This assumption is challenged by the growing evidence from optical and X-ray observations that the total baryon mass fraction increases toward rich clusters. In this context, we investigate the dependence of stellar and total baryon mass fractions as a function of mass. To do so, we used a subsample of 19 clusters extracted from the X-ray flux-limited sample HIFLUGCS that have available Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 data. From the optical analysis we derived the stellar masses. Using XMM-Newton we derived the gas masses. Then, adopting a scaling relation we estimate the total masses. Adding the gas and the stellar mass fractions we obtain the total baryonic content that we find to increase with cluster mass, reaching seven-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP7) prediction for clusters with M{sub 500} = 1.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} M{sub Sun }. We observe a decrease of the stellar mass fraction (from 4.5% to {approx}1.0%) with increasing total mass where our findings for the stellar mass fraction agree with previous studies. This result suggests a difference in the number of stars formed per unit of halo mass, though with a large scatter for low-mass systems. That is, the efficiency of star formation varies on a cluster scale that lower mass systems are likely to have higher star formation efficiencies. It follows immediately that the dependence of the stellar mass fraction on total mass results in an increase of the mass-to-light ratio from lower to higher mass systems. We also discuss the consequences of these results in the context of determining the cosmic matter-density parameter {Omega}{sub m}.

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DOE OSTI2011

A VERY LARGE ARRAY SURVEY OF RADIO-SELECTED SDSS BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS

We have built a sample of 74 radio-selected broad absorption line (BAL) quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters, along with a well-matched sample of 74 unabsorbed 'normal' quasars. The sources have been observed with the NRAO Very Large Array/Expanded Very Large Array at 8.4 GHz (3.5 cm) and 4.9 GHz (6 cm). All sources have additional archival 1.4 GHz (21 cm) data. Here we present the measured radio fluxes, spectral indices, and our initial findings. The percentage of BAL quasars with extended structure (on the order of 10%) in our sample is similar to previous studies at similar resolutions, suggesting that BAL quasars are indeed generally compact, at least at arsecond resolutions. The majority of sources do not appear to be significantly variable at 1.4 GHz, but we find two previously unidentified BAL quasars that may fit into the 'polar' BAL category. We also identify a significant favoring of steeper radio spectral index for BAL compared to non-BAL quasars. This difference is apparent for several different measures of the spectral index and persists even when restricting the samples to only include compact objects. Because radio spectral index is a statistical indicator of viewing angle for large samples, these results suggest that BAL quasars do have a range of orientations but are more often observed farther from the jet axis compared to normal quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

NEOWISE STUDIES OF ASTEROIDS WITH SLOAN PHOTOMETRY: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

We have combined the NEOWISE and Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to study the albedos of 24,353 asteroids with candidate taxonomic classifications derived using Sloan photometry. We find a wide range of moderate to high albedos for candidate S-type asteroids that are analogous to the S complex defined by previous spectrophotometrically based taxonomic systems. The candidate C-type asteroids, while generally very dark, have a tail of higher albedos that overlaps the S types. The albedo distribution for asteroids with a photometrically derived Q classification is extremely similar to those of the S types. Asteroids with similar colors to (4) Vesta have higher albedos than the S types, and most have orbital elements similar to known Vesta family members. Finally, we show that the relative reflectance at 3.4 and 4.6 {mu}m is higher for D-type asteroids and suggest that their red visible and near-infrared spectral slope extends out to these wavelengths. Understanding the relationship between size, albedo, and taxonomic classification is complicated by the fact that the objects with classifications were selected from the visible/near-infrared Sloan Moving Object Catalog, which is biased against fainter asteroids, including those with lower albedos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DEPENDENCE OF BARRED GALAXY FRACTION ON GALAXY PROPERTIES AND ENVIRONMENT

We investigate the dependence of the occurrence of bars in galaxies on galaxy properties and environment. We use a volume-limited sample of 33,391 galaxies brighter than M{sub r} = -19.5 + 5logh at 0.02 {<=} z {<=} 0.05489, drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. We classify the galaxies into early and late types, and identify bars by visual inspection. Among 10,674 late-type galaxies with axis ratio b/a > 0.60, we find 3240 barred galaxies (f{sub bar} = 30.4%) which divide into 2542 strong bars (f{sub SB1} = 23.8%) and 698 weak bars (f{sub SB2} = 6.5%). We find that f{sub SB1} increases as u - r color becomes redder and that it has a maximum value at intermediate velocity dispersion ({sigma} {approx_equal}150 km s{sup -1}). This trend suggests that strong bars are dominantly hosted by intermediate-mass systems. Weak bars prefer bluer galaxies with lower mass and lower concentration. In the case of strong bars, their dependence on the concentration index appears only for massive galaxies with {sigma} > 150 km s{sup -1}. We also find that f{sub bar} does not directly depend on the large-scale background density when other physical parameters (u - r color or {sigma}) are fixed. We discover that f{sub SB1} decreases as the separation to the nearest neighbor galaxy becomes smaller than 0.1 times the virial radius of the neighbor regardless of neighbor's morphology. These results imply that strong bars are likely to be destroyed during strong tidal interactions and that the mechanism for this phenomenon is gravitational and not hydrodynamical. The fraction of weak bars has no correlation with environmental parameters. We do not find any direct evidence for environmental stimulation of bar formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE SAGITTARIUS STREAMS IN THE SOUTHERN GALACTIC HEMISPHERE

The structure of the Sagittarius stream in the southern Galactic hemisphere is analyzed with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 8. Parallel to the Sagittarius tidal track, but {approx}10 Degree-Sign away, there is another fainter and more metal-poor stream. We provide evidence that the two streams follow similar distance gradients but have distinct morphological properties and stellar populations. The brighter stream is broader, contains more metal-rich stars, and has a richer color-magnitude diagram with multiple turnoffs and a prominent red clump as compared to the fainter stream. Based on the structural properties and the stellar population mix, the stream configuration is similar to the Northern 'bifurcation'. In the region of the South Galactic Cap, there is overlapping tidal debris from the Cetus stream, which crosses the Sagittarius stream. Using both photometric and spectroscopic data, we show that the blue straggler population belongs mainly to Sagittarius and the blue horizontal branch stars belong mainly to the Cetus stream in this confused location in the halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DO BARS TRIGGER ACTIVITY IN GALACTIC NUCLEI?

We investigate the connection between the presence of bars and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity, using a volume-limited sample of {approx}9000 late-type galaxies with axis ratio b/a > 0.6 and M{sub r} < -19.5 + 5 log h at low redshift (0.02 {<=} z {approx}< 0.055), selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. We find that the bar fraction in AGN-host galaxies (42.6%) is {approx}2.5 times higher than in non-AGN galaxies (15.6%), and that the AGN fraction is a factor of two higher in strong-barred galaxies (34.5%) than in non-barred galaxies (15.0%). However, these trends are simply caused by the fact that AGN-host galaxies are on average more massive and redder than non-AGN galaxies because the fraction of strong-barred galaxies (f{sub SB}) increases with u - r color and stellar velocity dispersion. When u - r color and velocity dispersion (or stellar mass) are fixed, both the excess of f{sub SB} in AGN-host galaxies and the enhanced AGN fraction in strong-barred galaxies disappears. Among AGN-host galaxies we find no strong difference of the Eddington ratio distributions between barred and non-barred systems. These results indicate that AGN activity is not dominated by the presence of bars, and that AGN power is not enhanced by bars. In conclusion, we do not find clear evidence that bars trigger AGN activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

LOCAL TADPOLE GALAXIES

Tadpole galaxies have a giant star-forming region at the end of an elongated intensity distribution. Here we use Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to determine the ages, masses, and surface densities of the heads and tails in 14 local tadpoles selected from the Kiso and Michigan surveys of UV-bright galaxies, and we compare them to tadpoles previously studied in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The young stellar mass in the head scales linearly with rest-frame galaxy luminosity, ranging from {approx}10{sup 5} M{sub Sun} at galaxy absolute magnitude U = -13 mag to 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} at U = -20 mag. The corresponding head surface density increases from several M {sub Sun} pc{sup -2} locally to 10-100 M{sub Sun} pc{sup -2} at high redshift, and the star formation rate (SFR) per unit area in the head increases from {approx}0.01 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} kpc{sup -2} locally to {approx}1 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} kpc{sup -2} at high z. These local values are normal for star-forming regions, and the increases with redshift are consistent with other cosmological SFRs, most likely reflecting an increase in gas abundance. The tails in the local sample look like bulge-free galaxy disks. Their photometric ages decrease from several Gyr to several hundred Myr with increasing z, and their surface densities are more constant than the surface densities of the heads. The far-outer intensity profiles in the local sample are symmetric and exponential. We suggest that most local tadpoles are bulge-free galaxy disks with lopsided star formation, perhaps from environmental effects such as ram pressure or disk impacts, or from a Jeans length comparable to half the disk size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE ELM SURVEY. IV. 24 WHITE DWARF MERGER SYSTEMS

We present new radial velocity and X-ray observations of extremely low mass (ELM, {approx}0.2 M{sub Sun }) white dwarf (WD) candidates in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 area. We identify seven new binary systems with 1-18 hr orbital periods. Five of the systems will merge due to gravitational wave radiation within 10 Gyr, bringing the total number of merger systems found in the ELM Survey to 24. The ELM Survey has now quintupled the known merger WD population. It has also discovered the eight shortest period detached binary WD systems currently known. We discuss the characteristics of the merger and non-merger systems observed in the ELM Survey, including their future evolution. About half of the systems have extreme mass ratios. These are the progenitors of the AM Canum Venaticorum systems and Type Ia supernovae. The remaining targets will lead to the formation of extreme helium stars, subdwarfs, or massive WDs. We identify three targets that are excellent gravitational wave sources. These should be detected by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna like missions within the first year of operation. The remaining targets are important indicators of what the Galactic foreground may look like for gravitational wave observatories.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF THE STAR FORMATION RATE, SPECIFIC STAR FORMATION RATE, AND THE PRESENCE OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FOR HIGH STELLAR MASS AND LOW STELLAR MASS GALAXIES

Using two volume-limited main galaxy samples of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 8 (SDSS DR8), we explore the environmental dependence of the star formation rate (SFR), specific star formation rate (SSFR), and the presence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) for high stellar mass (HSM) and low stellar mass (LSM) galaxies. It is found that the environmental dependence of the SFR and SSFR for luminous HSM galaxies and faint LSM ones remains very strong: galaxies in the lowest density regime preferentially have higher SFR and SSFR than galaxies in the densest regime, while the environmental dependence of the SFR and SSFR for luminous LSM galaxies is substantially reduced. Our result also shows that the fraction of AGNs in HSM galaxies decreases as a function of density, while the one in LSM galaxies depends very little on local density. In the faint LSM galaxy sample, the SFR and SSFR of galaxies strongly decrease with increasing density, but the fraction of AGNs depends very little on local density. Such a result can rule out that AGNs are fueled by the cold gas in the disk component of galaxies that is also driving the star formation of those galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE CONTRIBUTION OF TP-AGB STARS TO THE MID-INFRARED COLORS OF NEARBY GALAXIES

We study the mid-infrared color space of 30 galaxies from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) survey for which Sloan Digital Sky Survey data are also available. We construct two-color maps for each galaxy and compare them to results obtained from combining Maraston evolutionary synthesis models, galactic thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) colors, and smooth star formation histories. For most of the SINGS sample, the spatially extended mid-IR emission seen by Spitzer in normal galaxies is consistent with our simple model in which circumstellar dust from TP-AGB stars dominates at 8 and 24 {mu}m. There is a handful of exceptions that we identify as galaxies that have high star formation rates presumably with star formation histories that cannot be assumed to be smooth, or anemic galaxies, which were depleted of their H I at some point during their evolution and have very low ongoing star formation rates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SOME PROPERTIES OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE VOLUME-LIMITED MAIN GALAXY SAMPLES OF SDSS DR8

Using two volume-limited Main galaxy samples of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 8 above and below the value of M*{sub r}, we have explored some properties of AGNs. In the luminous volume-limited sample, 9.5% is composite galaxies (C) and 5.0% AGNs, while in the faint volume-limited sample, these fractions are 7.2% and 2.9%, respectively. The C and AGN fractions increase with luminosity. We also note that the fraction of star-forming galaxies decreases with luminosity, but the fraction of low signal-to-noise star-forming galaxies slightly increases with luminosity. In two volume-limited samples, the fraction of star-forming galaxies decreases with density, while the AGN fraction is nearly insensitive to the local environment. If composite galaxies (C) are classified as AGNs, then the fraction of AGNs in the luminous volume-limited sample declines with increasing local density. When focusing on some properties of AGN host galaxies, we find that galaxies hosting AGNs are preferentially more massive and have high concentration indices. In the faint volume-limited sample, AGN host galaxies preferentially have low star formation rates (SFRs) and specific SFRs (SSFRs). However, in the luminous volume-limited sample, AGN host galaxies preferentially have moderate SFRs and SSFRs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CONSTRAINTS ON THE LOW-MASS END OF THE MASS-METALLICITY RELATION AT z = 1-2 FROM LENSED GALAXIES

We present multi-wavelength imaging and near-IR spectroscopy for 10 gravitationally lensed galaxies at 0.9 < z < 2.5 selected from a new, large sample of strong lens systems in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. We derive stellar masses from the rest-frame UV to near-IR spectral energy distributions, star formation rates (SFRs) from the dust-corrected H{alpha} flux, and metallicities from the [N II]/H{alpha} flux ratio. We combine the lensed galaxies with a sample of 60 star-forming galaxies from the literature in the same redshift range for which measurements of [N II]/H{alpha} have been published. Due to the lensing magnification, the lensed galaxies probe intrinsic stellar masses that are on average a factor of 11 lower than have been studied so far at these redshifts. They have specific SFRs that are an order of magnitude higher than seen for main-sequence star-forming galaxies at z {approx} 2. We measure an evolution of 0.16 {+-} 0.06 dex in the mass-metallicity relation between z {approx} 1.4 and z {approx} 2.2. In contrast to previous claims, the redshift evolution is smaller at low stellar masses. We do not see a correlation between metallicity and SFR at fixed stellar mass. The combined sample is in general agreement with the local fundamental relation between metallicity, stellar mass, and SFR from Mannucci et al. Using the Kennicutt-Schmidt law to infer gas fractions, we investigate the importance of gas inflows and outflows on the shape of the mass-metallicity relation using simple analytical models. This suggests that the Maiolino et al. calibration of the [N II]/H{alpha} flux ratio is biased high.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

RELATIVE ORIENTATION OF PAIRS OF SPIRAL GALAXIES IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

From our study of binary spiral galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6, we find that the relative orientation of disks in binary spiral galaxies is consistent with their being drawn from a random distribution of orientations. For 747 isolated pairs of luminous disk galaxies, the distribution of {phi}, the angle between the major axes of the galaxy images, is consistent with a uniform distribution on the interval [0 Degree-Sign , 90 Degree-Sign ]. With the assumption that the disk galaxies are oblate spheroids, we can compute cos {beta}, where {beta} is the angle between the rotation axes of the disks. In the case that one galaxy in the binary is face-on or edge-on, the tilt ambiguity is resolved, and cos {beta} can be computed unambiguously. For 94 isolated pairs with at least one face-on member, and for 171 isolated pairs with at least one edge-on member, the distribution of cos {beta} is statistically consistent with the distribution of cos i for isolated disk galaxies. This result is consistent with random orientations of the disks within pairs.

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