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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. II. EHT and Multiwavelength Observations, Data Processing, and Calibration

We present Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) 1.3 mm measurements of the radio source located at the position of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), collected during the 2017 April 5–11 campaign. The observations were carried out with eight facilities at six locations across the globe. Novel calibration methods are employed to account for Sgr A*'s flux variability. The majority of the 1.3 mm emission arises from horizon scales, where intrinsic structural source variability is detected on timescales of minutes to hours. The effects of interstellar scattering on the image and its variability are found to be subdominant to intrinsic source structure. The calibrated visibility amplitudes, particularly the locations of the visibility minima, are broadly consistent with a blurred ring with a diameter of ∼50 μas, as determined in later works in this series. Contemporaneous multiwavelength monitoring of Sgr A* was performed at 22, 43, and 86 GHz and at near-infrared and X-ray wavelengths. Several X-ray flares from Sgr A* are detected by Chandra, one at low significance jointly with Swift on 2017 April 7 and the other at higher significance jointly with NuSTAR on 2017 April 11. The brighter April 11 flare is not observed simultaneously by the EHT but is followed by a significant increase in millimeter flux variability immediately after the X-ray outburst, indicating a likely connection in the emission physics near the event horizon. We compare Sgr A*’s broadband flux during the EHT campaign to its historical spectral energy distribution and find that both the quiescent emission and flare emission are consistent with its long-term behavior.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE DEEP2 GALAXY REDSHIFT SURVEY: DESIGN, OBSERVATIONS, DATA REDUCTION, AND REDSHIFTS

We describe the design and data analysis of the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey, the densest and largest high-precision redshift survey of galaxies at z {approx} 1 completed to date. The survey was designed to conduct a comprehensive census of massive galaxies, their properties, environments, and large-scale structure down to absolute magnitude M{sub B} = -20 at z {approx} 1 via {approx}90 nights of observation on the Keck telescope. The survey covers an area of 2.8 deg{sup 2} divided into four separate fields observed to a limiting apparent magnitude of R{sub AB} = 24.1. Objects with z {approx}< 0.7 are readily identifiable using BRI photometry and rejected in three of the four DEEP2 fields, allowing galaxies with z > 0.7 to be targeted {approx}2.5 times more efficiently than in a purely magnitude-limited sample. Approximately 60% of eligible targets are chosen for spectroscopy, yielding nearly 53,000 spectra and more than 38,000 reliable redshift measurements. Most of the targets that fail to yield secure redshifts are blue objects that lie beyond z {approx} 1.45, where the [O II] 3727 A doublet lies in the infrared. The DEIMOS 1200 line mm{sup -1} grating used for the survey delivers high spectral resolution (R {approx} 6000), accurate and secure redshifts, and unique internal kinematic information. Extensive ancillary data are available in the DEEP2 fields, particularly in the Extended Groth Strip, which has evolved into one of the richest multiwavelength regions on the sky. This paper is intended as a handbook for users of the DEEP2 Data Release 4, which includes all DEEP2 spectra and redshifts, as well as for the DEEP2 DEIMOS data reduction pipelines. Extensive details are provided on object selection, mask design, biases in target selection and redshift measurements, the spec2d two-dimensional data-reduction pipeline, the spec1d automated redshift pipeline, and the zspec visual redshift verification process, along with examples of instrumental signatures or other artifacts that in some cases remain after data reduction. Redshift errors and catastrophic failure rates are assessed through more than 2000 objects with duplicate observations. Sky subtraction is essentially photon-limited even under bright OH sky lines; we describe the strategies that permitted this, based on high image stability, accurate wavelength solutions, and powerful B-spline modeling methods. We also investigate the impact of targets that appear to be single objects in ground-based targeting imaging but prove to be composite in Hubble Space Telescope data; they constitute several percent of targets at z {approx} 1, approaching {approx}5%-10% at z > 1.5. Summary data are given that demonstrate the superiority of DEEP2 over other deep high-precision redshift surveys at z {approx} 1 in terms of redshift accuracy, sample number density, and amount of spectral information. We also provide an overview of the scientific highlights of the DEEP2 survey thus far.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Cloud Droplet Number Closure Study based on ISDAC Observational Data

Aerosol-cloud droplet closure analysis was conducted for five cases from the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC). All cases corresponded to clouds dominated by liquid droplets, with two in relatively clean conditions, and the remaining three in more polluted conditions. This analysis entailed adiabatic cloud parcel model simulations to link the observed properties of aerosols, cloud droplets, and atmospheric dynamics with theoretical predictions. The extent of agreement between observed and modelled droplet number concentrations allowed for the assessment of representations of the physical and chemical properties of aerosols and of the vertical velocity involved in cloud droplet formation. Finally the list of journal publications and conferences are given which corresponds to the research for this DOE grant.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

The importance of Aitken mode aerosol particles for cloud sustenance in the summertime high Arctic – a simulation study supported by observational data

The potential importance of Aitken mode particles (diameters ~ 25–80 nm) for stratiform mixed-phase clouds in the summertime high Arctic (>80° N) has been investigated using two large-eddy simulation models. We find that, in both models, Aitken mode particles significantly affect the simulated microphysical and radiative properties of the cloud and can help sustain the cloud when accumulation mode concentrations are low (< 10–20 cm –3 ), even when the particles have low hygroscopicity (hygroscopicity parameter – κ=0.1). However, the influence of the Aitken mode decreases if the overall liquid water content of the cloud is low, either due to a higher ice fraction or due to low radiative cooling rates. An analysis of the simulated supersaturation (ss) statistics shows that the ss frequently reaches 0.5 % and sometimes even exceeds 1 %, which confirms that Aitken mode particles can be activated. The modelling results are in qualitative agreement with observations of the Hoppel minimum obtained from four different expeditions in the high Arctic. Our findings highlight the importance of better understanding Aitken mode particle formation, chemical properties and emissions, particularly in clean environments such as the high Arctic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Modified electron acoustic field and energy applied to observation data

Improved electrostatic acoustic field and energy have been debated in vortex trapped hot electrons and fluid of cold electrons with pressure term plasmas. The perturbed higher-order modified-Korteweg-de Vries equation (PhomKdV) has been worked out. The effect of trapping and electron temperatures on the electro-field and energy properties in auroral plasmas has been inspected.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

RECONSTRUCTING THE HISTORY OF ENERGY CONDITION VIOLATION FROM OBSERVATIONAL DATA

We study the likelihood of energy condition violations in the history of the universe. Our method is based on a set of functions that characterize energy condition violation. Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker cosmological models are built around these 'indication functions'. By computing the Fisher matrix of model parameters using Type Ia supernova and Hubble parameter data, we extract the principal modes of these functions' redshift evolution. These modes allow us to obtain general reconstructions of energy condition violation history independent of the dark energy model. We find that the data suggest a history of strong energy condition violation, but the null and dominant energy conditions are likely to be fulfilled. Implications for dark energy models are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MOVING MAGNETIC FEATURES AROUND AR 10930 FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION DATA OBSERVED BY HINODE/SOT

We investigate the origin, configuration, and evolution of moving magnetic features (MMFs) in the moat and penumbra regions of NOAA AR 10930 using Hinode/SOT filtergrams and magnetograms. We differentiate MMFs into four types in terms of the location of first appearance and the source of initial flux. The main results are summed up as follows: (1) 50% of the MMFs are produced from or within the penumbra, while 50% are produced within the moat. The MMFs formed in the penumbra normally move outward along radial directions. The MMFs formed in the moat have more dispersed directions of motion. The average speed of most MMFs decreases radially. (2) About 63% of moat fluxes are input by flux emergences. Newly emerged MMFs are normally smaller in size. In their rise phase, they gain flux by adding newly emerging flux or merging other elements, and in the decline phase they lose flux by flux cancellation or fragmentation. The MMFs that are fragments separated from penumbra or other magnetic elements usually have larger flux and longer lifetime. They start their decay process once they are formed. Frequent merging and flux cancellation between MMFs are the dominant factors in MMFs' evolution. (3) Cancellations between opposite-polarity magnetic elements are responsible for most of the low chromospheric bright points. Bipole emergence and MMFs' severance from the penumbra also produce bright points. Elongated or horn-shaped micro-filaments may appear during the separation or cancellation process between magnetic elements.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Predicting Water Cycle Characteristics from Percolation Theory and Observational Data

The fate of water and water-soluble toxic wastes in the subsurface is of high importance for many scientific and practical applications. Although solute transport is proportional to water flow rates, theoretical and experimental studies show that heavy-tailed (power-law) solute transport distribution can cause chemical transport retardation, prolonging clean-up time-scales greatly. However, no consensus exists as to the physical basis of such transport laws. In percolation theory, the scaling behavior of such transport rarely relates to specific medium characteristics, but strongly to the dimensionality of the connectivity of the flow paths (for example, two- or three-dimensional, as in fractured-porous media or heterogeneous sediments), as well as to the saturation characteristics (i.e., wetting, drying, and entrapped air). In accordance with the proposed relevance of percolation models of solute transport to environmental clean-up, these predictions also prove relevant to transport-limited chemical weathering and soil formation, where the heavy-tailed distributions slow chemical weathering over time. The predictions of percolation theory have been tested in laboratory and field experiments on reactive solute transport, chemical weathering, and soil formation and found accurate. Recently, this theoretical framework has also been applied to the water partitioning at the Earth’s surface between evapotranspiration, ET, and run-off, Q, known as the water balance. A well-known phenomenological model by Budyko addressed the relationship between the ratio of the actual evapotranspiration (ET) and precipitation, ET/P, versus the aridity index, ET 0 /P, with P being the precipitation and ET 0 being the potential evapotranspiration. Existing work was able to predict the global fractions of P represented by Q and ET through an optimization of plant productivity, in which downward water fluxes affect soil depth, and upward fluxes plant growth. In the present work, based likewise on the concepts of percolation theory, we extend Budyko’s model, and address the partitioning of run-off Q into its surface and subsurface components, as well as the contribution of interception to ET. Using various published data sources on the magnitudes of interception and information regarding the partitioning of Q, we address the variability in ET resulting from these processes. The global success of this prediction demonstrated here provides additional support for the universal applicability of percolation theory for solute transport as well as guidance in predicting the component of subsurface run-off, important for predicting natural flow rates through contaminated aquifers.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A high-resolution unified observational data product of mesoscale convective systems and isolated deep convection in the United States for 2004–2017

Deep convection possesses markedly distinct properties at different spatiotemporal scales. We present an original high-resolution (4 km, hourly) unified data product of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and isolated deep convection (IDC) in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and examine their climatological characteristics from 2004 to 2017. The data product is produced by applying an updated Flexible Object Tracker algorithm to hourly satellite brightness temperature, radar reflectivity, and precipitation datasets. Analysis of the data product shows that MCSs are much larger and longer-lasting than IDC, but IDC occurs about 100 times more frequently than MCSs, with a mean convective intensity comparable to that of MCSs. Hence both MCS and IDC are essential contributors to precipitation east of the Rocky Mountains, although their precipitation shows significantly different spatiotemporal characteristics. IDC precipitation concentrates in summer in the Southeast with a peak in the late afternoon, while MCS precipitation is significant in all seasons, especially for spring and summer in the Great Plains. The spatial distribution of MCS precipitation amounts varies by season, while diurnally, MCS precipitation generally peaks during nighttime except in the Southeast. Potential uncertainties and limitations of the data product are also discussed. The data product is useful for investigating the atmospheric environments and physical processes associated with different types of convective systems; quantifying the impacts of convection on hydrology, atmospheric chemistry, and severe weather events; and evaluating and improving the representation of convective processes in weather and climate models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

TROPOS pyranometer network (PyrNet) observational data set collected during the S2VSR field campaign

During the Small-Scale Variability of Solar Radiation field campaign (S2VSR), a unique sensor network consisting of 60 autonomous pyranometer stations was deployed for a 12-week period at the ARM Southern Great Plains observatory. Stations have been distributed across a 4x4 to 6x6 km2 domain surrounding the Central Facility. Each station has recorded global radiation together with air temperature and relative humidity with a sampling frequency of 1-Hz. The network has provided a data set with an unprecedented level of detail of the small-scale variability of global solar radiation at the surface, resolving fluctuations down to the second- and decameter-scale.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗