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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

A CATALOG OF ULTRA-COMPACT HIGH VELOCITY CLOUDS FROM THE ALFALFA SURVEY: LOCAL GROUP GALAXY CANDIDATES?

We present a catalog of 59 ultra-compact high velocity clouds (UCHVCs) extracted from the 40% complete ALFALFA HI-line survey. The ALFALFA UCHVCs have median flux densities of 1.34 Jy km s{sup -1}, median angular diameters of 10', and median velocity widths of 23 km s{sup -1}. We show that the full UCHVC population cannot easily be associated with known populations of high velocity clouds. Of the 59 clouds presented here, only 11 are also present in the compact cloud catalog extracted from the commensal GALFA-HI survey, demonstrating the utility of this separate dataset and analysis. Based on their sky distribution and observed properties, we infer that the ALFALFA UCHVCs are consistent with the hypothesis that they may be very low mass galaxies within the Local Volume. In that case, most of their baryons would be in the form of gas, and because of their low stellar content, they remain unidentified by extant optical surveys. At distances of {approx}1 Mpc, the UCHVCs have neutral hydrogen (H I) masses of {approx}10{sup 5}-10{sup 6} M{sub Sun }, H I diameters of {approx}2-3 kpc, and indicative dynamical masses within the H I extent of {approx}10{sup 7}-10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }, similar to the Local Group ultra-faint dwarf Leo T. The recent ALFALFA discovery of the star-forming, metal-poor, low mass galaxy Leo P demonstrates that this hypothesis is true in at least one case. In the case of the individual UCHVCs presented here, confirmation of their extragalactic nature will require further work, such as the identification of an optical counterpart to constrain their distance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

GALAXY INTERACTIONS IN COMPACT GROUPS. I. THE GALACTIC WINDS OF HCG16

Using the WiFeS integral field spectrograph, we have undertaken a series of observations of star-forming galaxies in compact groups. In this first paper dedicated to the project, we present the analysis of the spiral galaxy NGC 838, a member of the Hickson Compact Group 16, and of its galactic wind. Our observations reveal that the wind forms an asymmetric, bipolar, rotating structure, powered by a nuclear starburst. Emission line ratio diagnostics indicate that photoionization is the dominant excitation mechanism at the base of the wind. Mixing from slow shocks (up to 20%) increases further out along the outflow axis. The asymmetry of the wind is most likely caused by one of the two lobes of the wind bubble bursting out of its H I envelope, as indicated by line ratios and radial velocity maps. The characteristics of this galactic wind suggest that it is caught early (a few Myr) in the wind evolution sequence. The wind is also quite different from the galactic wind in the partner galaxy NGC 839 which contains a symmetric, shock-excited wind. Assuming that both galaxies have similar interaction histories, the two different winds must be a consequence of the intrinsic properties of NGC 838 and NGC 839 and their starbursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

WHAT IS ON TAP? THE ROLE OF SPIN IN COMPACT OBJECTS AND RELATIVISTIC JETS

We examine the role of spin in launching jets from compact objects across the mass scale. Our work includes 3 different Seyfert samples with a total of 37 unique Seyferts, as well as 11 stellar-mass black holes, and 13 neutron stars. We find that when the Seyfert reflection lines are modeled with simple Gaussian line features (a crude proxy for inner disk radius and therefore spin), only a slight inverse correlation is found between the Doppler-corrected radio luminosity at 5 GHz (a proxy for jet power) and line width. When the Seyfert reflection features are fit with more relativistically blurred disk reflection models that measure spin, there is a tentative positive correlation between the Doppler-corrected radio luminosity and the spin measurement. Further, when we include stellar-mass black holes in the sample, to examine the effects across the mass scale, we find a slightly stronger correlation with radio luminosity per unit mass and spin, at a marginal significance (2.3{sigma} confidence level). Finally, when we include neutron stars, in order to probe lower spin values, we find a positive correlation (3.3{sigma} confidence level) between radio luminosity per unit mass and spin. Although tentative, these results suggest that spin may have a role in determining the jet luminosity. In addition, we find a slightly more significant correlation (4.4{sigma} and 4.1{sigma} confidence level, respectively) between radio luminosity per bolometric luminosity and spin, as well as radio luminosity corrected for the fundamental plane (i.e., log ({nu}L{sub R}/L{sub Bol}{sup 0.67}/M{sub BH}{sup 0.78})) and spin, using our entire sample of black holes and neutrons stars. Again, although tentative, these relations point to the possibility that the mass accretion rate, i.e., bolometric luminosity, is also important in determining the jet luminosity, in addition to spin. Our analysis suggests that mass accretion rate and disk or coronal magnetic field strength may be the ''throttle'' in these compact systems, to which the Eddington limit and spin may set the maximum jet luminosity that can be achieved.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CONSTRAINING THE ASSEMBLY OF NORMAL AND COMPACT PASSIVELY EVOLVING GALAXIES FROM REDSHIFT z = 3 TO THE PRESENT WITH CANDELS

We study the evolution of the number density, as a function of the size, of passive early-type galaxies (ETGs) with a wide range of stellar masses (10{sup 10} M{sub ☉} < M{sub *} ∼< 10{sup 11.5} M{sub ☉}) from z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 1, exploiting the unique data set available in the GOODS-South field, including the recently obtained WFC3 images as part of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey. In particular, we select a sample of ∼107 massive (M{sub *} > 10{sup 10} M{sub ☉}), passive (SSFR < 10{sup –2} Gyr{sup –1}), and morphologically spheroidal galaxies at 1.2 < z < 3, taking advantage of the panchromatic data set available for GOODS, including VLT, CFHT, Spitzer, Chandra, and HST ACS+WFC3 data. We find that at 1 < z < 3 the passively evolving ETGs are the reddest and most massive objects in the universe, and we prove that a correlation between mass, morphology, color, and star formation activity is already in place at that epoch. We measure a significant evolution in the mass-size relation of passive ETGs from z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 1, with galaxies growing on average by a factor of two in size in a 3 Gyr timescale only. We also witness an increase in the number density of passive ETGs of 50 times over the same time interval. We find that the first ETGs to form at z ∼> 2 are all compact or ultra-compact, while normal-sized ETGs (meaning ETGs with sizes comparable to those of local counterparts of the same mass) are the most common ETGs only at z < 1. The increase of the average size of ETGs at 0 < z < 1 is primarily driven by the appearance of new large ETGs rather than by the size increase of individual galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE LOCATIONS OF SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS AS EVIDENCE FOR COMPACT OBJECT BINARY PROGENITORS

We present a detailed investigation of Hubble Space Telescope rest-frame UV/optical observations of 22 short gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies and sub-galactic environments. Utilizing the high angular resolution and depth of HST we characterize the host galaxy morphologies, measure precise projected physical and host-normalized offsets between the bursts and host centers, and calculate the locations of the bursts with respect to their host light distributions (rest-frame UV and optical). We calculate a median short GRB projected physical offset of 4.5 kpc, about 3.5 times larger than that for long GRBs, and find that ≈25% of short GRBs have offsets of ∼> 10 kpc. When compared to their host sizes, the median offset is 1.5 half-light radii (r{sub e} ), about 1.5 times larger than the values for long GRBs, core-collapse supernovae, and Type Ia supernovae. In addition, ≈20% of short GRBs having offsets of ∼> 5r{sub e} , and only ≈25% are located within 1r{sub e} . We further find that short GRBs severely under-represent their hosts' rest-frame optical and UV light, with ≈30%-45% of the bursts located in regions of their host galaxies that have no detectable stellar light, and ≈55% in the regions with no UV light. Therefore, short GRBs do not occur in regions of star formation or even stellar mass. This demonstrates that the progenitor systems of short GRBs must migrate from their birth sites to their eventual explosion sites, a signature of kicks in compact object binary systems. Utilizing the full sample of offsets, we estimate natal kick velocities of ≈20-140 km s{sup –1}. These independent lines of evidence provide the strongest support to date that short GRBs result from the merger of compact object binaries (NS-NS/NS-BH)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

VLT/X-SHOOTER NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY AND HST IMAGING OF GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED z ∼ 2 COMPACT QUIESCENT GALAXIES

Quiescent massive galaxies at z ∼ 2 are thought to be the progenitors of present-day massive ellipticals. Observations revealed them to be extraordinarily compact. Until now, the determination of stellar ages, star formation rates, and dust properties via spectroscopic measurements has been feasible only for the most luminous and massive specimens (∼3 × M*). Here we present a spectroscopic study of two near-infrared-selected galaxies that are close to the characteristic stellar mass M* (∼0.9 × M* and ∼1.3 × M*) and whose observed brightness has been boosted by the gravitational lensing effect. We measure the redshifts of the two galaxies to be z = 1.71 ± 0.02 and z = 2.15 ± 0.01. By fitting stellar population synthesis models to their spectrophotometric spectral energy distributions we determine their ages to be 2.4{sup +0.8}{sub -0.6} Gyr and 1.7 ± 0.3 Gyr, respectively, which implies that the two galaxies have higher mass-to-light ratios than most quiescent z ∼ 2 galaxies in other studies. We find no direct evidence for active star formation or active galactic nucleus activity in either of the two galaxies, based on the non-detection of emission lines. Based on the derived redshifts and stellar ages we estimate the formation redshifts to be z=4.3{sup +3.4}{sub -1.2} and z=4.3{sup +1.0}{sub -0.6}, respectively. We use the increased spatial resolution due to the gravitational lensing to derive constraints on the morphology. Fitting Sérsic profiles to the de-lensed images of the two galaxies confirms their compactness, with one of them being spheroid-like and the other providing the first confirmation of a passive lenticular galaxy at a spectroscopically derived redshift of z ∼ 2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The nature of Hα-selected galaxies at z > 2. II. Clumpy galaxies and compact star-forming galaxies

We present the morphological properties of Hα-selected galaxies at z > 2 in SXDF-UDS-CANDELS field. With high-resolution optical/near-infrared images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, we identify giant clumps within the Hα emitters (HAEs). We find that at least 41% of our sample shows clumpy structures in the underlying disks. The color gradient of clumps is commonly seen in the sense that the clumps near the galactic center tend to be redder than those in the outer regions. The mid-infrared detection in galaxies with red clumps and the spatial distribution of Hα emission suggest that dusty star-formation activity is probably occurring in the nuclear red clumps. A gas supply to a bulge component through clump migration is one of the most potent physical processes for producing such dusty star-forming clumps and forming massive bulges in local early-type galaxies. They would become large quiescent galaxies at later times just by consumption or blowout of remaining gas. Also, while most of the HAEs have extended disks, we observe two massive, compact HAEs whose stellar surface densities are significantly higher. They are likely to be the direct progenitors of massive, compact quiescent galaxies at z = 1.5-2.0. Two evolutionary paths to massive quiescent galaxies are devised to account for both the size growth of quiescent galaxies and their increased number density from z ∼ 2 to z = 0.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Compact dusty clouds in a cosmic environment

A novel mechanism of the formation of compact dusty clouds in astrophysical environments is discussed. It is shown that the balance of collective forces operating in space dusty plasmas can result in the effect of dust self-confinement, generating equilibrium spherical clusters. The distribution of dust and plasma density inside such objects and their stability are investigated. Spherical dusty clouds can be formed in a broad range of plasma parameters, suggesting that this process of dust self-organization might be a generic phenomenon occurring in different astrophysical media. We argue that compact dusty clouds can represent condensation seeds for a population of small-scale, cold, gaseous clumps in the diffuse interstellar medium. They could play an important role in regulating its small-scale structure and its thermodynamical evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A search for moderate-redshift survivors from the population of luminous compact passive galaxies at high redshift

From a search of a ∼2400 deg{sup 2} region covered by both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey databases, we have attempted to identify galaxies at z ∼ 0.5 that are consistent with their being essentially unmodified examples of the luminous passive compact galaxies found at z ∼ 2.5. After isolating good candidates via deeper imaging, we further refine the sample with Keck moderate-resolution spectroscopy and laser guide star adaptive-optics imaging. For four of the five galaxies that so far remain after passing through this sieve, we analyze plausible star-formation histories based on our spectra in order to identify galaxies that may have survived with little modification from the population formed at high redshift. We find two galaxies that are consistent with having formed ≳ 95% of their mass at z > 5. We attempt to estimate masses both from our stellar population determinations and from velocity dispersions. Given the high frequency of small axial ratios, both in our small sample and among samples found at high redshifts, we tentatively suggest that some of the more extreme examples of passive compact galaxies may have prolate morphologies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Formation of millisecond pulsars with low-mass helium white dwarf companions in very compact binaries

Binary millisecond pulsars (BMSPs) are thought to have evolved from low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). If the mass transfer in LMXBs is driven by nuclear evolution of the donor star, the final orbital period is predicted to be well correlated with the mass of the white dwarf (WD), which is the degenerate He core of the donor. Here we show that this relation can be extended to very small WD mass (∼0.14-0.17 M {sub ☉}) and narrow orbital period (about a few hours), depending mainly on the metallicities of the donor stars. There is also discontinuity in the relation, which is due to the temporary contraction of the donor when the H-burning shell crosses the hydrogen discontinuity. BMSPs with low-mass He WD companions in very compact binaries can be accounted for if the progenitor binary experienced very late Case A mass transfer. The WD companion of PSR J1738+0333 is likely to evolve from a Pop II star. For PSR J0348+0432, to explain its extreme compact orbit in the Roche-lobe-decoupling phase, even lower metallicity (Z = 0.0001) is required.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Relative astrometry of compact flaring structures in Sgr A* with polarimetric very long baseline interferometry

We demonstrate that polarimetric interferometry can be used to extract precise spatial information about compact polarized flares of Sgr A*. We show that, for a faint dynamical component, a single interferometric baseline suffices to determine both its polarization and projected displacement from the quiescent intensity centroid. A second baseline enables two-dimensional reconstruction of the displacement, and additional baselines can self-calibrate using the flare, enhancing synthesis imaging of the quiescent emission. We apply this technique to simulated 1.3 mm wavelength observations of a 'hot spot' embedded in a radiatively inefficient accretion disk around Sgr A*. Our results indicate that, even with current sensitivities, polarimetric interferometry with the Event Horizon Telescope can achieve ∼5 μas relative astrometry of compact flaring structures near Sgr A* on timescales of minutes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Chandra planetary nebula survey (CHANPLANS). II. X-ray emission from compact planetary nebulae

We present results from the most recent set of observations obtained as part of the Chandra X-ray observatory Planetary Nebula Survey (CHANPLANS), the first comprehensive X-ray survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the solar neighborhood (i.e., within ∼1.5 kpc of the Sun). The survey is designed to place constraints on the frequency of appearance and range of X-ray spectral characteristics of X-ray-emitting PN central stars and the evolutionary timescales of wind-shock-heated bubbles within PNe. CHANPLANS began with a combined Cycle 12 and archive Chandra survey of 35 PNe. CHANPLANS continued via a Chandra Cycle 14 Large Program which targeted all (24) remaining known compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.4 pc), young PNe that lie within ∼1.5 kpc. Results from these Cycle 14 observations include first-time X-ray detections of hot bubbles within NGC 1501, 3918, 6153, and 6369, and point sources in HbDs 1, NGC 6337, and Sp 1. The addition of the Cycle 14 results brings the overall CHANPLANS diffuse X-ray detection rate to ∼27% and the point source detection rate to ∼36%. It has become clearer that diffuse X-ray emission is associated with young (≲ 5 × 10{sup 3} yr), and likewise compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.15 pc), PNe with closed structures and high central electron densities (n{sub e} ≳ 1000 cm{sup –3}), and is rarely associated with PNe that show H{sub 2} emission and/or pronounced butterfly structures. Hb 5 is one such exception of a PN with a butterfly structure that hosts diffuse X-ray emission. Additionally, two of the five new diffuse X-ray detections (NGC 1501 and NGC 6369) host [WR]-type central stars, supporting the hypothesis that PNe with central stars of [WR]-type are likely to display diffuse X-ray emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

AN ULTRA-LOW-MASS AND SMALL-RADIUS COMPACT OBJECT IN 4U 1746-37?

Photospheric radius expansion (PRE) bursts have already been used to constrain the masses and radii of neutron stars. RXTE observed three PRE bursts in 4U 1746-37, all with low touchdown fluxes. We discuss here the possibility of a low-mass neutron star in 4U 1746-37 because the Eddington luminosity depends on stellar mass. With typical values of hydrogen mass fraction and color correction factor, a Monte Carlo simulation was applied to constrain the mass and radius of a neutron star in 4U 1746-37. 4U 1746-37 has a high inclination angle. Two geometric effects, the reflection of the far-side accretion disk and the obscuration of the near-side accretion disk, have also been included in the mass and radius constraints of 4U 1746-37. If the reflection of the far-side accretion disk is accounted for, a low-mass compact object (mass of 0.41 ± 0.14 M {sub ☉} and radius of 8.73 ± 1.54 km at 68% confidence) exists in 4U 1746-37. If another effect operated, 4U 1746-37 may contain an ultra-low-mass and small-radius object (M = 0.21 ± 0.06 M {sub ☉}, R = 6.26 ± 0.99 km at 68% confidence). Combining all possibilities, the mass of 4U 1746-37 is 0.41{sub −0.30}{sup +0.70} M{sub ⊙} at 99.7% confidence. For such low-mass neutron stars, it could be reproduced by a self-bound compact star, i.e., a quark star or quark-cluster star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. VI. THE KINEMATICS OF ULTRA-COMPACT DWARFS AND GLOBULAR CLUSTERS IN M87

The origin of ultra-compact dwarfs (UCDs; r{sub h} ≳ 10 pc)—objects larger and more massive than typical globular clusters (GCs), but more compact than typical dwarf galaxies—has been hotly debated in the 15 years since their discovery. Even whether UCDs should be considered galactic in origin, or simply the most extreme star clusters, is not yet settled. We present the dynamical properties of 97 spectroscopically confirmed UCDs and 911 GCs associated with the central cD galaxy of the Virgo cluster, M87. Our UCDs, of which 89% have M {sub *} ≳ 2× 10{sup 6} M {sub ☉} and 92% are as blue as the classic blue GCs, nearly triple the confirmed sample of Virgo UCDs, providing by far the best opportunity for studying global dynamics of a UCD system. We found that (1) UCDs have a surface number density profile that is shallower than that of blue GCs in the inner ∼70 kpc and as steep as that of red GCs at larger radii; (2) UCDs exhibit a significantly stronger rotation than GCs, and blue GCs seem to have a velocity field that is more consistent with that of the surrounding dwarf ellipticals than with that of UCDs; (3) UCDs have an orbital anisotropy profile that is tangentially biased at radii ≲40 kpc and radially biased farther out, whereas blue GCs become more tangentially biased at larger radii beyond ∼40 kpc; (4) GCs with M {sub *} ≳ 2 × 10{sup 6} M {sub ☉} have rotational properties indistinguishable from the less massive ones, suggesting that it is the size, instead of mass, that differentiates UCDs from GCs as kinematically distinct populations. We conclude that most UCDs in M87 are not consistent with being merely the most luminous and extended examples of otherwise normal GCs. The radially biased orbital structure of UCDs at large radii is in general agreement with the 'tidally threshed dwarf galaxy' scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Physical properties of compact star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2–3

We present a study on the physical properties of compact star-forming galaxies (cSFGs) with M{sub *} ≥ 10{sup 10}M{sub ⊙} and 2 ≤ z ≤ 3 in the COSMOS (Cosmic Evolution Survey) and GOODS-S (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey South) fields. We find that massive cSFGs have a comoving number density of (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10{sup −4} Mpc{sup −3}. The cSFGs are distributed at nearly the same locus on the main sequence as extended star-forming galaxies (eSFGs) and dominate the high-mass end. On the rest-frame U − V versus V−J and U−B versus M{sub B} diagrams, cSFGs are mainly distributed at the middle of eSFGs and compact quiescent galaxies (cQGs) in all colors, but are more inclined to “red sequence” than “green valley” galaxies. We also find that cSFGs have distributions similar to cQGs on the nonparametric morphology diagrams. The cQGs and cSFGs have larger Gini and smaller M{sub 20}, while eSFGs have the reverse. About one-third of cSFGs show signatures of postmergers, and almost none of them can be recognized as disks. Moreover, those visually extended cSFGs all have lower Gini coefficients (Gini < 0.4), indicating that the Gini coefficient could be used to clean out noncompact galaxies in a sample of candidate cSFGs. The X-ray-detected counterparts are more frequent among cSFGs than in eSFGs and cQGs, implying that cSFGs have previously experienced violent gas-rich interactions (such as major mergers or disk instabilities), which could trigger both star formation and black hole growth in an active phase.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The black hole in the compact, high-dispersion galaxy NGC 1271

Located in the Perseus cluster, NGC 1271 is an early-type galaxy with a small effective radius of 2.2 kpc and a large bulge stellar velocity dispersion of 276 km s{sup −1} for its K-band luminosity of 8.9×10{sup 10} L{sub ⊙}. We present a mass measurement for the black hole in this compact, high-dispersion galaxy using observations from the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrometer on the Gemini North telescope assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics, large-scale integral field unit observations with PPAK at the Calar Alto Observatory, and Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 imaging observations. We are able to map out the stellar kinematics both on small spatial scales, within the black hole sphere of influence, and on large scales that extend out to four times the galaxy’s effective radius. We find that the galaxy is rapidly rotating and exhibits a sharp rise in the velocity dispersion. Through the use of orbit-based stellar dynamical models, we determine that the black hole has a mass of (3.0{sub −1.1}{sup +1.0})×10{sup 9} M{sub ⊙} and the H-band stellar mass-to-light ratio is 1.40{sub −0.11}{sup +0.13} Υ{sub ⊙} (1σ uncertainties). NGC 1271 occupies the sparsely populated upper end of the black hole mass distribution but is very different from the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and giant elliptical galaxies that are expected to host the most massive black holes. Interestingly, the black hole mass is an order of magnitude larger than expectations based on the galaxy’s bulge luminosity but is consistent with the mass predicted using the galaxy’s bulge stellar velocity dispersion. More compact, high-dispersion galaxies need to be studied using high spatial resolution observations to securely determine black hole masses, as there could be systematic differences in the black hole scaling relations between these types of galaxies and the BCGs/giant ellipticals, thereby implying different pathways for black hole and galaxy growth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

COMPACT DUST CONCENTRATION IN THE MWC 758 PROTOPLANETARY DISK

The formation of planetesimals requires that primordial dust grains grow from micron- to kilometer-sized bodies. Dust traps caused by gas pressure maxima have been proposed as regions where grains can concentrate and grow fast enough to form planetesimals, before radially migrating onto the star. We report new VLA Ka and Ku observations of the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star MWC 758. The Ka image shows a compact emission region in the outer disk, indicating a strong concentration of big dust grains. Tracing smaller grains, archival ALMA data in band 7 continuum shows extended disk emission with an intensity maximum to the northwest of the central star, which matches the VLA clump position. The compactness of the Ka emission is expected in the context of dust trapping, as big grains are trapped more easily than smaller grains in gas pressure maxima. We develop a nonaxisymmetric parametric model inspired by a steady-state vortex solution with parameters adequately selected to reproduce the observations, including the spectral energy distribution. Finally, we compare the radio continuum with SPHERE scattered light data. The ALMA continuum spatially coincides with a spiral-like feature seen in scattered light, while the VLA clump is offset from the scattered light maximum. Moreover, the ALMA map shows a decrement that matches a region devoid of scattered polarized emission. Continuum observations at a different wavelength are necessary to conclude whether the VLA-ALMA difference is an opacity or a real dust segregation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design study for a compact, two-stage, laser-plasma-based source of positron beams

Owing to their large accelerating gradients, plasma-based accelerators have attracted considerable interest as potential drivers for future, compact electron–positron colliders. Despite great progress achieved in plasma-based electron acceleration, positron acceleration still remains a challenging task, with an efficient positron source being the prerequisite for such acceleration. Here a concept for a compact, two-stage plasma-based positron source is discussed. In the first stage the positrons are created by a multi GeV electron beam produced by a laser-plasma accelerator interacting with a solid density foil. In the second stage the positrons are captured and accelerated in a plasma wave driven by either an electron beam or a laser pulse. Three potential configurations of such a source are considered: (i) a single electron beam is used for both the creation of positrons in the foil and for driving the wakefield in the second stage; (ii) a train of two electron beams is used: the positrons produced by the trailing beam in the foil are captured and accelerated in the second stage by the plasma wave generated by the leading beam; and (iii) a single electron beam is used to produce positrons in the foil and an independent laser pulse is coupled to the second stage to drive the plasma wave. In conclusion, these three configurations show different degrees of effectiveness with positron capture efficiency, varying from less than a percent to almost half of all produced positrons.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗