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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 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

GA-NIFS and EIGER: A merging quasar host at z = 7 with an overmassive black hole

The James Webb Space Telescope is revolutionising our ability to understand the host galaxies and local environments of high-z quasars. Here we obtain a comprehensive understanding of the host galaxy of the z = 7.08 quasar J1120+0641 by combining NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy with NIRCam photometry of the host continuum emission. Our emission-line maps reveal that this quasar host is undergoing a merger with a bright companion galaxy. The quasar host and the companion have similar dynamical masses of ∼10 10 M ⊙ , suggesting that this is a major galaxy interaction. Through detailed quasar subtraction and SED fitting using the NIRCam data, we obtained an estimate of the host stellar mass of M ∗ = (3.0 −1.4 +2.5 ) × 10 9 M ⊙ , with M ∗ = (2.7 −0.5 +0.5 ) × 10 9 M ⊙ for the companion galaxy. Using the Hβ Balmer line, we estimated a virial black hole mass of M BH = (1.9 −1.1 +2.9 ) × 109 M ⊙ . Thus, J1120+0641 has an extreme black hole–stellar mass ratio of M BH /M ∗ = 0.63 −0.31 +0.54 , which is ∼3 dex larger than expected by the local scaling relations between black hole and stellar mass. J1120+0641 is powered by an overmassive black hole with the highest reported black hole–stellar mass ratio in a quasar host that is currently undergoing a major merger. These new insights highlight the power of JWST for measuring and understanding these extreme first quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Hole scavenger redox potentials determine quantum efficiency and stability of Pt-decorated CdS nanorods for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

We use Pt-decorated CdS nanorods for photocatalytic hydrogen generation in the presence of sacrificial hole scavengers. Both the quantum efficiency for hydrogen generation and the stability of the colloidal nanocrystals in solution improve with increasing redox potential of the hole scavenger. The higher redox potential leads to faster hole scavenging, which increases quantum efficiency and stability since electron hole recombination and oxidation of the CdS become less important. The quantum efficiencies can be tuned over more than an order of magnitude. This finding is important for choosing hole scavengers and for comparing efficiencies and stabilities for different photocatalytic nanosystems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Scanning photocurrent microscopy reveals electron-hole asymmetry in ionic liquid-gated WS{sub 2} transistors

We perform scanning photocurrent microscopy on WS{sub 2} ionic liquid-gated field effect transistors exhibiting high-quality ambipolar transport. By properly biasing the gate electrode, we can invert the sign of the photocurrent showing that the minority photocarriers are either electrons or holes. Both in the electron- and hole-doping regimes the photocurrent decays exponentially as a function of the distance between the illumination spot and the nearest contact, in agreement with a two-terminal Schottky-barrier device model. This allows us to compare the value and the doping dependence of the diffusion length of the minority electrons and holes on a same sample. Interestingly, the diffusion length of the minority carriers is several times larger in the hole accumulation regime than in the electron accumulation regime, pointing out an electron-hole asymmetry in WS{sub 2}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluation of hole-spin superposition in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells through time-resolved photoluminescence measurements

Relaxation dynamics of the up–down superposition of hole spins in undoped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells were investigated by means of time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements with a view toward achieving quantum bits using hole spins. Linearly polarized PL signals reflecting the hole-spin superposition were observed using linearly polarized excitation light under quasi-resonant excitation conditions. In contrast to circular-polarization experiments conducted under nonresonant excitation conditions, the decay time of the degree of linear polarization obtained from the time-resolved PL signal increased slightly with increasing quantum confinement energy. These experimental results demonstrate that the creation and observation of hole-spin superposition under resonant conditions are crucial for manipulating hole-spin quantum bits.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Anomalous hole injection deterioration of organic light-emitting diodes with a manganese phthalocyanine layer

Metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) are well known as an efficient hole injection layer (HIL) in organic devices. They possess a low ionization energy, and so the low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) gives a small hole injection barrier from an anode in organic light-emitting diodes. However, in this study, we show that the hole injection characteristics of MPc are not only determined by the HOMO position but also significantly affected by the wave function distribution of the HOMO. We show that even with the HOMO level of a manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) HIL located between the Fermi level of an indium tin oxide anode and the HOMO level of a N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine hole transport layer the device performance with the MnPc HIL is rather deteriorated. This anomalous hole injection deterioration is due to the contracted HOMO wave function, which leads to small intermolecular electronic coupling. The origin of this contraction is the significant contribution of the Mn d-orbital to the MnPc HOMO.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Conjugate Fermi holes and its manifestation in He-like systems

The structure of genuine and conjugate Fermi holes in two-electron atomic systems, namely He and He-like atomic ions, has been studied relying on accurate full configuration interaction wave functions. The standard Fermi hole exists in the vicinity of region in the two-electron coordinate space satisfying the well-known condition, r{sub 1} = r{sub 2}, while the conjugate Fermi hole exists in the vicinity of region close to this genuine Fermi hole but satisfying r{sub 1} ≠ r{sub 2} instead of r{sub 1} = r{sub 2}. Existence of these holes has shown to give an insightful interpretation of the origin of the first Hund rule and of the anomalously strong angular correlation manifested in the series of the singlet-triplet pair of singly-excited states of the aforementioned systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mechanisms of formation of sub- and micrometre-scale holes in thin metal films by single nano- and femtosecond laser pulses

Mechanisms of formation of sub- and micrometre-scale holes in thin silver and chromium films of variable thickness by tightly-focused single nanosecond IR laser pulses with fluences in the range of 10 – 10{sup 4} J cm{sup -2} are studied by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy. At the minimal fluences above 5 J cm{sup -2}, the micrometre (2 – 5 μm in radius) holes are produced in these films, accompanying the lateral heat conduction in the film during the pump laser pulse, cavitation at the metallic/glass interface and subsequent explosive removal of the molten film. At the fluences of ∼1 – 10 kJ cm{sup -2} much larger (20 – 40 μm in radius) holes are formed in the film as a result of its heating by the erosive surface microplasma through the lateral heat conduction in the film during the plasma lifetime of the order of a few microseconds. Finally, at the maximal fluences (well above 10 kJ cm{sup -2}), the submillimetre holes were produced in these films by intense shock waves, generated in the erosive microplasmas. The comparative analysis of the formation mechanisms for sub- and micrometrescale holes in the same thin metal films by the single nano- and femtosecond laser pulses is provided. (extreme light fields and their applications)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Depleted galaxy cores and dynamical black hole masses

Shallow cores in bright, massive galaxies are commonly thought to be the result of scouring of stars by mergers of binary supermassive black holes. Past investigations have suggested correlations between the central black hole mass and the stellar light or mass deficit in the core, using proxy measurements of M {sub BH} or stellar mass-to-light ratios (Y). Drawing on a wealth of dynamical models which provide both M {sub BH} and Y, we identify cores in 23 galaxies, of which 20 have direct, reliable measurements of M {sub BH} and dynamical stellar mass-to-light ratios (Y{sub *,dyn}). These cores are identified and measured using Core-Sérsic model fits to surface brightness profiles which extend out to large radii (typically more than the effective radius of the galaxy); for approximately one-fourth of the galaxies, the best fit includes an outer (Sérsic) envelope component. We find that the core radius is most strongly correlated with the black hole mass and that it correlates better with total galaxy luminosity than it does with velocity dispersion. The strong core-size-M {sub BH} correlation enables estimation of black hole masses (in core galaxies) with an accuracy comparable to the M {sub BH}-σ relation (rms scatter of 0.30 dex in log M {sub BH}), without the need for spectroscopy. The light and mass deficits correlate more strongly with galaxy velocity dispersion than they do with black hole mass. Stellar mass deficits span a range of 0.2-39 M {sub BH}, with almost all (87%) being <10 M {sub BH}; the median value is 2.2 M {sub BH}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ARE RADIO ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI POWERED BY ACCRETION OR BLACK HOLE SPIN?

We compare accretion and black hole spin as potential energy sources for outbursts from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Based on our adopted spin model, we find that the distribution of AGN power estimated from X-ray cavities is consistent with a broad range of both spin parameters and accretion rates. Sufficient quantities of molecular gas are available in most BCGs to power their AGNs by accretion alone. However, we find no correlation between AGN power and molecular gas mass over the range of jet power considered here. For a given AGN power, the BCG's gas mass and accretion efficiency, defined as the fraction of the available cold molecular gas that is required to power the AGN, both vary by more than two orders of magnitude. Most of the molecular gas in BCGs is apparently consumed by star formation or is driven out of the nucleus by the AGN before it reaches the nuclear black hole. Bondi accretion from hot atmospheres is generally unable to fuel powerful AGNs, unless their black holes are more massive than their bulge luminosities imply. We identify several powerful AGNs that reside in relatively gas-poor galaxies, indicating an unusually efficient mode of accretion, or that their AGNs are powered by another mechanism. If these systems are powered primarily by black hole spin rather than by accretion, spin must also be tapped efficiently in some systems, i.e., P{sub jet}> M-dot c{sup 2}, or their black hole masses must be substantially larger than the values implied by their bulge luminosities. We constrain the (model-dependent) accretion rate at the transition from radiatively inefficient to radiatively efficient accretion flows to be a few percent of the Eddington rate, a value that is consistent with other estimates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

LIGHT-BENDING SCENARIO FOR ACCRETING BLACK HOLES IN X-RAY POLARIMETRY

We discuss a model of an X-ray illuminating source above an accretion disk of a rotating black hole. Within the so-called lamp-post scheme we compute the expected (observed) polarization properties of the radiation reaching an observer. We explore the dependences on model parameters, employing Monte Carlo radiation transfer computations of the X-ray reflection on the accretion disk and taking general relativity effects into account. In particular, we discuss the role of the black hole spin, of the observer viewing angle, and of the primary X-ray source distance from the black hole. We give several examples of the resulting polarization degree for two types of exemplary objects-active galactic nuclei and Galactic black holes. In order to assess potential observability of the polarization features, we assume the sensitivity of the proposed New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM). We examine the energy range from several keV to {approx}50 keV, so the iron line complex and the Compton hump are included in our model spectra. We find the resultant polarization degree to increase at the higher end of the studied energy band, i.e., at {approx}>20 keV. Thus, the best results for polarimetry of reflection spectra should be achieved at the Compton hump energy region. We also obtain a higher polarization degree for large spin values of the black hole, small heights of the primary source, and low inclination angles of the observer.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

CONSTRAINING THE QUADRUPOLE MOMENT OF STELLAR-MASS BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES WITH THE CONTINUUM FITTING METHOD

Black holes in general relativity are known as Kerr black holes and are characterized solely by two parameters, the mass M and the spin J. All the higher multipole moments of the gravitational field are functions of these two parameters. For instance, the quadrupole moment is Q = -J {sup 2}/M, which implies that a measurement of M, J, and Q for black hole candidates would allow one to test whether these objects are really black holes as described by general relativity. While future gravitational-wave experiments will be able to test the Kerr nature of these objects with very high accuracy, in this paper we show that it is possible to put constraints on the quadrupole moment of stellar-mass black hole candidates by using presently available X-ray data of the thermal spectrum of their accretion disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

OBSCURED GOODS ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI AND THEIR HOST GALAXIES AT z < 1.25: THE SLOW BLACK HOLE GROWTH PHASE

We compute black hole masses and bolometric luminosities for 87 obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the redshift range 0.25 {<=} z {<=} 1.25, selected from the GOODS deep multi-wavelength survey fields via their X-ray emission. We fit the optical images and obtain morphological parameters for the host galaxy, separating the galaxy from its central point source, thereby obtaining a four-band optical spectral energy distribution (SED) for each active nucleus. We calculate bolometric luminosities for these AGNs by reddening a normalized mean SED of GOODS broad-line AGNs to match the observed central point-source SED of each obscured AGN. This estimate of L{sub bol} has a smaller spread than simple bolometric corrections to the X-ray luminosity or direct integration of the observed multi-wavelength SED, suggesting it is a better measure. We estimate central black hole masses from the bulge luminosities. The black hole masses span a wide range, 7 x 10{sup 6} M{sub sun} to 6 x 10{sup 9} M{sub sun}; the median black hole mass is 5 x 10{sup 8} M{sub sun}. The majority of these AGNs have L/L{sub Edd} {<=} 0.01, and we detect no significant evolution of the mean Eddington ratio to z = 1.25. This implies that the bulk of black hole growth in these obscured AGNs must have occurred at z {approx}> 1 and that we are observing these AGNs in a slow- or no-growth state.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SWIFT OBSERVATIONS OF MAXI J1659-152: A COMPACT BINARY WITH A BLACK HOLE ACCRETOR

We report on the detection and follow-up high-cadence monitoring observations of MAXI J1659-152, a bright Galactic X-ray binary transient with a likely black hole accretor, by Swift over a 27 day period after its initial outburst detection. MAXI J1659-152 was discovered almost simultaneously by Swift and the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image on 2010 September 25, and was monitored intensively from the early stages of the outburst through the rise to a brightness of {approx}0.5 Crab by the Swift X-ray, UV/Optical, and the hard X-ray Burst Alert Telescopes. We present temporal and spectral analysis of the Swift observations. The broadband light curves show variability characteristic of black hole candidate transients. We present the evolution of thermal and non-thermal components of the 0.5-150 keV combined X-ray spectra during the outburst. MAXI J1659-152 displays accretion state changes typically associated with black hole binaries, transitioning from its initial detection in the hard state, to the steep power-law state, followed by a slow evolution toward the thermal state, signified by an increasingly dominant thermal component associated with the accretion disk, although this state change did not complete before Swift observations ended. We observe an anti-correlation between the increasing temperature and decreasing radius of the inner edge of the accretion disk, suggesting that the inner edge of the accretion disk infalls toward the black hole as the disk temperature increases. We observed significant evolution in the absorption column during the initial rise of the outburst, with the absorption almost doubling, suggestive of the presence of an evolving wind from the accretion disk. We detect quasi-periodic oscillations that evolve with the outburst, as well as irregular shaped dips that recur with a period of 2.42 {+-} 0.09 hr, strongly suggesting an orbital period that would make MAXI J1659-152 the shortest period black hole binary yet known.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE FORMATION OF KILOPARSEC-SCALE H I HOLES IN DWARF GALAXIES

The origin of kpc-scale holes in the atomic hydrogen (H I) distributions of some nearby dwarf irregular galaxies presents an intriguing problem. Star formation histories (SFHs) derived from resolved stars give us the unique opportunity to study past star-forming events that may have helped shape the currently visible H I distribution. Our sample of five nearby dwarf irregular galaxies spans over an order of magnitude in both total H I mass and absolute B-band magnitude and is at the low-mass end of previously studied systems. We use Very Large Array H I line data to estimate the energy required to create the centrally dominant hole in each galaxy. We compare this energy estimate to the past energy released by the underlying stellar populations computed from SFHs derived from data taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. The inferred integrated stellar energy released within the characteristic ages exceeds our energy estimates for creating the holes in all cases, assuming expected efficiencies. Therefore, it appears that stellar feedback provides sufficient energy to produce the observed holes. However, we find no obvious signature of single star-forming events responsible for the observed structures when comparing the global SFHs of each galaxy in our sample to each other or to those of dwarf irregular galaxies reported in the literature. We also fail to find evidence of a central star cluster in FUV or H{alpha} imaging. We conclude that large H I holes are likely formed from multiple generations of star formation and only under suitable interstellar medium conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR MASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARIES IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY SPECTROSCOPIC SAMPLE

We present the results of a systematic search for massive black hole binaries in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic database. We focus on bound binaries, under the assumption that one of the black holes is active. In this framework, the broad lines associated with the accreting black hole are expected to show systematic velocity shifts with respect to the narrow lines, which trace the rest frame of the galaxy. For a sample of 54,586 quasars and 3929 galaxies at redshifts 0.1 < z < 1.5, we brute-force model each spectrum as a mixture of two quasars at two different redshifts. The spectral model is a data-driven dimensionality reduction of the SDSS quasar spectra based on a matrix factorization. We identified 32 objects with peculiar spectra. Nine of them can be interpreted as black hole binaries. This doubles the number of known black hole binary candidates. We also report on the discovery of a new class of extreme double-peaked emitters with exceptionally broad and faint Balmer lines. For all the interesting sources, we present detailed analysis of the spectra and discuss possible interpretations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

TESTING PHOTOMETRIC DIAGNOSTICS FOR THE DYNAMICAL STATE AND POSSIBLE INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE PRESENCE IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

Surface photometry is a necessary tool to establish the dynamical state of star clusters. We produce realistic HST-like images from N-body models of star clusters with and without central intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in order to measure their surface brightness profiles. The models contain {approx}600,000 individual stars, black holes of various masses between 0% and 2% of the total mass, and are evolved for Hubble time. We measure surface brightness and star count profiles for every constructed image in order to test the effect of IMBHs on the central logarithmic slope, the core radius, and the half-light radius. We use these quantities to test diagnostic tools for the presence of central black holes using photometry. We find that the only models that show central shallow cusps with logarithmic slopes between -0.1 and -0.4 are those containing central black holes. Thus, the central logarithmic slope seems to be a good way to choose clusters suspected of containing IMBHs. Clusters with steep central cusps can definitely be ruled out to host an IMBH. The measured r{sub c} /r{sub h} ratio has similar values for clusters that have not undergone core-collapse and those containing a central black hole. We note that observed Galactic globular clusters have a larger span of values for central slope and r{sub c} /r{sub h} than our modeled clusters, and suggest possible reasons that could account for this and contribute to improved future models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLACK HOLE GROWTH AND STAR FORMATION IN SEYFERT GALAXIES

We present estimates of black hole accretion rates (BHARs) and nuclear, extended, and total star formation rates for a complete sample of Seyfert galaxies. Using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, we measure the active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity using the [O IV] {lambda}25.89 {mu}m emission line and the star-forming luminosity using the 11.3 {mu}m aromatic feature and extended 24 {mu}m continuum emission. We find that black hole growth is strongly correlated with nuclear (r < 1 kpc) star formation, but only weakly correlated with extended (r > 1 kpc) star formation in the host galaxy. In particular, the nuclear star formation rate (SFR) traced by the 11.3 {mu}m aromatic feature follows a relationship with the BHAR of the form SFR{proportional_to} M-dot{sub BH}{sup 0.8}, with an observed scatter of 0.5 dex. This SFR-BHAR relationship persists when additional star formation in physically matched r = 1 kpc apertures is included, taking the form SFR{proportional_to} M-dot{sub BH}{sup 0.6}. However, the relationship becomes almost indiscernible when total SFRs are considered. This suggests a physical connection between the gas on sub-kiloparsec and sub-parsec scales in local Seyfert galaxies that is not related to external processes in the host galaxy. It also suggests that the observed scaling between star formation and black hole growth for samples of AGNs will depend on whether the star formation is dominated by a nuclear or an extended component. We estimate the integrated black hole and bulge growth that occurs in these galaxies and find that an AGN duty cycle of 5%-10% would maintain the ratio between black hole and bulge masses seen in the local universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

The r-PROCESS IN THE NEUTRINO-DRIVEN WIND FROM A BLACK-HOLE TORUS

We examine r-process nucleosynthesis in the neutrino-driven wind from the thick accretion disk (or 'torus') around a black hole. Such systems are expected as remnants of binary neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers. We consider a simplified, analytic, time-dependent evolution model of a 3 M{sub Sun} central black hole surrounded by a neutrino emitting accretion torus with 90 km radius, which serves as basis for computing spherically symmetric neutrino-driven wind solutions. We find that ejecta with modest entropies ({approx}30 per nucleon in units of the Boltzmann constant) and moderate expansion timescales ({approx}100 ms) dominate in the mass outflow. The mass-integrated nucleosynthetic abundances are in good agreement with the solar system r-process abundance distribution if a minimal value of the electron fraction at the charged-particle freezeout, Y{sub e,min} {approx} 0.2, is achieved. In the case of Y{sub e,min} {approx} 0.3, the production of r-elements beyond A {approx} 130 does not reach to the third peak but could still be important for an explanation of the abundance signatures in r-process deficient stars in the early Galaxy. The total mass of the ejected r-process nuclei is estimated to be {approx}1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} M{sub Sun }. If our model was representative, this demands a Galactic event rate of {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} yr{sup -1} for black-hole-torus winds from merger remnants to be the dominant source of the r-process elements. Our result thus suggests that black-hole-torus winds from compact binary mergers have the potential to be a major, but probably not the dominant, production site of r-process elements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗