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The Fall 2020 edition of Physics Flash includes article briefs on: Patrick Younk, Fusing concepts, technology to past performance of nuclear explosives; LANL inertial confinement fusion programs aims to develop burning plasma for weapons science; Lab's high energy nuclear physics explored at international conference; and, Novel study reveals new details on the impact of thermal interfaces in dynamic compression experiments.
Drought and rapid intensification of drought (i.e., flash drought) can have significant impacts on the natural environment and the economy, particularly when coupled with a period(s) of extreme heat (Otkin et al., 2018). The development and/or intensification of drought falls squarely in the sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) time frame, which dictates that drought development, intensification, and propagation could be an output of a subseasonal or seasonal forecast. Current S2S forecasts have poor skill for forecasting the development of extreme drought and heat waves.
The Summer 2021 issue of Physics Flash includes a note from Physics Division Leader Tanja Pietraß, Physics Division staff in the news, LANSCE neutron beam transport, novel application of 'computer vision' techniques and using pRad to visualize electromagnetic fields.
This issue of Physics Flash features the recent success of our newest APS Fellow, Takeyasu Ito, and some of the new LDRD projects that are beginning this year. These projects will aid in setting the division’s future direction and I look forward to learning more as these projects progress. At the same time, new and exciting projects are being proposed for start in fiscal year 2023. The innovations that are captured in these proposals are important and will power the future of Physics Division.
Lightning Flash Detection System (LFDS) is a viable solution for detecting cloud-to-ground lightning.
Space-based sensors are well-suited for detecting intracloud (IC) and Cloud to Ground (CG) lightning over large swaths of the Earth. Current sensors also measure the signals generated by lightning that contain information about the physical discharge process and the radiative transfer effects they experience on their path to orbit. Long records of orbital lightning data reveal rare and exceptional lightning signals push the boundaries of what the sensors are designed to measure and our understanding of what lightning and thunderstorms are capable of. Space-based sensors have revealed long-horizontal “megaflashes,” highly radiant “superbolts,” extremely high flash rate thunderstorms, and more.
The temperature distribution of field Li-rich red giants suggests the presence of a population of Li-rich red clump (RC) stars. One proposed explanation for this population is that all stars with masses near 2 M {sub ⊙} experience a short-lived phase of Li-richness at the onset of core He-burning. Many of these stars have low {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C, a signature of deep mixing that is presumably associated with the Li regeneration. To test this purported mechanism of Li enrichment, we measured abundances in 38 RC stars and 6 red giant branch (RGB) stars in four open clusters selected to have RC masses near 2 M {sub ⊙}. We find six Li-rich stars (A(Li) ≥ 1.50 dex) of which only two may be RC stars. None of the RC stars have Li exceeding the levels observed in the RGB stars, but given the brevity of the suggested Li-rich phase and the modest sample size, it is probable that stars with larger Li-enrichments were missed simply by chance. However, we find very few stars in our sample with low {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C. Such low {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C, seen in many field Li-rich stars, should persist even after lithium has returned to normal low levels. Thus, if Li synthesis during the He flash occurs, it is a rare, but potentially long-lived occurrence rather than a short-lived phase for all stars. We estimate a conservative upper limit of the fraction of stars going through a Li-rich phase to be <47%, based on stars that have low {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C for their observed A(Li).
X-ray flashes (XRFs) are a class of high-energy transients whose nature is still open to question. Similar in many aspects to common gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), their strong X-ray emission is accompanied by very low or absent emission in the gamma-ray band. Despite this key difference, a number of indications have consolidated the idea that XRFs and GRBs share a common origin, including a number of potential XRF/supernova associations and the consistency of some XRFs with the Amati relation for long GRBs. However, the difficulties in explaining XRFs as off-axis or intrinsically weak GRBs still cast doubts on this interpretation. Here we explore the possibility that some XRFs are instead powered by the spindown of a long-lived neutron star (NS) formed in a binary NS (BNS) merger or, possibly, in a core-collapse supernova. Focusing on XRF 020903 and a few other cases observed by HETE-2, we show that their lack of gamma-ray emission, spectral properties, duration and X-ray luminosity find a natural explanation within our hypothesis. Moreover, we point out that the agreement of XRF 020903 with the Amati and Ghirlanda relations for long GRBs is respectively only marginal and problematic. Assuming a BNS merger origin for the long-lived NS, we use XRF observations to estimate a lower limit on the rate of BNS mergers accompanied by a potentially observable XRF signal. Within the reach of the advanced LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors, we find >0.02--0.05 yr{sup −1}. Finally, we discuss the implications of a supernova association for the XRF events considered.
The dimmest and most numerous outlier of the Type Ia supernova population, the Type Iax event, is increasingly being found in the results of observational campaigns. There is currently no single accepted model to describe these events. This 2D study explores the viability of modeling Type Iax events as a hybrid C/O/Ne white dwarf progenitor undergoing a deflagration using the multiphysics software FLASH. This hybrid was created using the stellar evolution code MESA, and its C-depleted core and mixed structure have demonstrated lower yields than traditional C/O progenitors in previous deflagration-to-detonation studies. To generate a sample, 30 “realizations” of this simulation were performed, the only difference being the shape of the initial match head used to start the deflagration. Consistent with earlier work, these realizations produce the familiar hot dense bound remnant surrounded by sparse ejecta. Our results indicate that the majority of the star remains unburned (∼70%) and bound (>90%). Our realizations produce total ejecta yields on the order of 10 −2 –10 −1 M ☉ , ejected 56 Ni yields on the order of 10 −4 –10 −2 M ☉ , and ejecta kinetic energies on the order of 10 48 –10 49 erg. Compared to yields inferred from recent observations of the dimmest Type Iax events—SN 2007qd, SN 2008ha, SN 2010ae, SN 2019gsc, SN 2019muj, SN 2020kyg, and SN 2021fcg—our simulation produces comparable 56 Ni yields but too-small total yields and kinetic energies. Reignition of the remnant is also seen in some realizations.
Concentration of excited oxygen formed in flash photolysis of nitrogen dioxide
Observation of iron oxide in absorption by flash heating and kinetic spectroscopy
Pair of xenon flashlamps powered by mercury batteries in a transistorized circuit provides a flashing beacon with an effective intensity of a second-magnitude star at a distance of ten statute miles. This beacon is lightweight, long lasting and it withstands shock and vibration.
Finite laser pulse time effects on temperature wave retardation in flash diffusivity techniques
Impact-light-flash at high velocities - particle acceleration and analysis - two-color temperature measurement
Simultaneous recordings of GEOS-A satellite flash sequences by photographic and electro-optical techniques
Mechanism using a helix sequentially feeds prescribed amounts of metal charges into an evaporation boat used for flash vapor deposition of the evaporants onto a substrate in a vacuum chamber. The helix is advanced by external manual controls extending through sealed feed- through devices into the chamber wall.
Coronal photographs, isophotes, and flash spectrum from solar eclipse of 30 May, 1965
Vacuum UV flash photolysis kinetic spectroscopy apparatus