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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 OSTI2017

OGLE-2016-BLG-1469L: Microlensing Binary Composed of Brown Dwarfs

We report the discovery of a binary composed of two brown dwarfs, based on the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-1469. Thanks to the detection of both finite-source and microlens-parallax effects, we are able to measure both the masses M{sub 1}∼0.05 M{sub ⊙} and M{sub 2}∼0.01 M{sub ⊙}, and the distance D{sub L}∼4.5 kpc, as well as the projected separation a{sub ⊥}∼0.33 au. This is the third brown-dwarf binary detected using the microlensing method, demonstrating the usefulness of microlensing in detecting field brown-dwarf binaries with separations of less than 1 au.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Gravitational Waves from Stellar Black Hole Binaries and the Impact on Nearby Sun-like Stars

We investigate the impact of resonant gravitational waves on quadrupole acoustic modes of Sun-like stars located nearby stellar black hole binary systems (such as GW150914 and GW151226). We find that the stimulation of the low-overtone modes by gravitational radiation can lead to sizeable photometric amplitude variations, much larger than the predictions for amplitudes driven by turbulent convection, which in turn are consistent with the photometric amplitudes observed in most Sun-like stars. For accurate stellar evolution models, using up-to-date stellar physics, we predict photometric amplitude variations of 1–10{sup 3} ppm for a solar mass star located at a distance between 1 au and 10 au from the black hole binary and belonging to the same multi-star system. The observation of such a phenomenon will be within the reach of the Plato mission because the telescope will observe several portions of the Milky Way, many of which are regions of high stellar density with a substantial mixed population of Sun-like stars and black hole binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Three-dimensional Hydrodynamical Simulations of Mass Transfer in Binary Systems by a Free Wind

A large fraction of stars in binary systems are expected to undergo mass and angular momentum exchange at some point in their evolution, which can drastically alter the chemical and dynamical properties and fates of the systems. Interaction by stellar wind is an important process in wide binaries. However, the details of wind mass transfer are still not well understood. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of wind mass transfer in binary systems to explore mass-accretion efficiencies and geometries of mass outflows, for a range of mass ratios from 0.05 to 1.0. In particular, we focus on the case of a free wind, in which some physical mechanism accelerates the expelled wind material balancing the gravity of the mass-losing star with the wind velocity comparable to the orbital velocity of the system. We find that the mass-accretion efficiency and accreted specific angular momentum increase with the mass ratio of the system. For an adiabatic wind, we obtain that the accretion efficiency onto the secondary star varies from about 0.1% to 8% for mass ratios between 0.05 and 1.0.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Gravitational Radiation from Close Binaries with Time-varying Masses

In the quadrupole approximation of general relativity in the weak-field limit, a time-varying quadrupole moment generates gravitational radiation. Binary orbits are one of the main mechanisms for producing gravitational waves and are the main sources and backgrounds for gravitational-wave detectors across the multiband spectrum. In this paper, we introduce additional contributions to the gravitational radiation from close binaries that arise from time-varying masses along with those produced by orbital motion. Further, we derive phase-dependent formulae for these effects in the quadrupolar limit for binary point masses, which reduce to the formulae that Peters & Mathews derived when the mass of each component is taken to be constant. Finally, we show that gravitational radiation from mass variation can be orders of magnitude greater than that of orbital motion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

PHYSICS OF ECLIPSING BINARIES. II. TOWARD THE INCREASED MODEL FIDELITY

The precision of photometric and spectroscopic observations has been systematically improved in the last decade, mostly thanks to space-borne photometric missions and ground-based spectrographs dedicated to finding exoplanets. The field of eclipsing binary stars strongly benefited from this development. Eclipsing binaries serve as critical tools for determining fundamental stellar properties (masses, radii, temperatures, and luminosities), yet the models are not capable of reproducing observed data well, either because of the missing physics or because of insufficient precision. This led to a predicament where radiative and dynamical effects, insofar buried in noise, started showing up routinely in the data, but were not accounted for in the models. PHOEBE (PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs; http://phoebe-project.org) is an open source modeling code for computing theoretical light and radial velocity curves that addresses both problems by incorporating missing physics and by increasing the computational fidelity. In particular, we discuss triangulation as a superior surface discretization algorithm, meshing of rotating single stars, light travel time effects, advanced phase computation, volume conservation in eccentric orbits, and improved computation of local intensity across the stellar surfaces that includes the photon-weighted mode, the enhanced limb darkening treatment, the better reflection treatment, and Doppler boosting. Here we present the concepts on which PHOEBE is built and proofs of concept that demonstrate the increased model fidelity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Fate of Neutron Star Binary Mergers

Following merger, a neutron star (NS) binary can produce roughly one of three different outcomes: (1) a stable NS, (2) a black hole (BH), or (3) a supramassive, rotationally supported NS, which then collapses to a BH following angular momentum losses. Which of these fates occur and in what proportion has important implications for the electromagnetic transient associated with the mergers and the expected gravitational wave (GW) signatures, which in turn depend on the high density equation of state (EOS). Here we combine relativistic calculations of NS masses using realistic EOSs with Monte Carlo population synthesis based on the mass distribution of NS binaries in our Galaxy to predict the distribution of fates expected. For many EOSs, a significant fraction of the remnants are NSs or supramassive NSs. This lends support to scenarios in which a quickly spinning, highly magnetized NS may be powering an electromagnetic transient. This also indicates that it will be important for future GW observatories to focus on high frequencies to study the post-merger GW emission. Even in cases where individual GW events are too low in signal to noise to study the post merger signature in detail, the statistics of how many mergers produce NSs versus BHs can be compared with our work to constrain the EOS. To match short gamma-ray-burst (SGRB) X-ray afterglow statistics, we find that the stiffest EOSs are ruled out. Furthermore, many popular EOSs require a significant fraction of ∼60%–70% of SGRBs to be from NS–BH mergers rather than just binary NSs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Spin–Orbit Misalignment of Merging Black Hole Binaries with Tertiary Companions

We study the effect of an external companion on the orbital and spin evolution of merging black hole (BH) binaries. A sufficiently nearby and inclined companion can excite Lidov–Kozai (LK) eccentricity oscillations in the binary, thereby shortening its merger time. During such LK-enhanced orbital decay, the spin axis of the BH generally exhibits chaotic evolution, leading to a wide range (0°–180°) of the final spin–orbit misalignment angle from an initially aligned configuration. For systems that do not experience eccentricity excitation, only modest (≲20{sup ∘}) spin–orbit misalignment can be produced, and we derive an analytic expression for the final misalignment using the principle of adiabatic invariance. The spin–orbit misalignment directly impacts the gravitational waveform and can be used to constrain the formation scenarios of BH binaries and dynamical influences of external companions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

ASASSN-18ey: The Rise of a New Black Hole X-Ray Binary

We present the discovery of ASASSN-18ey (MAXI J1820+070), a new black hole low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN). A week after ASAS-SN discovered ASASSN-18ey as an optical transient, it was detected as an X-ray transient by MAXI/GCS. Here, we analyze ASAS-SN and Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System pre-outburst optical light curves, finding evidence of intrinsic variability for several years prior to the outburst. While there was no long-term rise leading to the outburst, as has been seen in several other systems, the start of the outburst in the optical preceded that in the X-rays by 7.20 ± 0.97 days. Here, we analyze the spectroscopic evolution of ASASSN-18ey from pre-maximum to >100 days post-maximum. The spectra of ASASSN-18ey exhibit broad, asymmetric, double-peaked Hα emission. The Bowen blend (λ ≈ 4650 Å) in the post-maximum spectra shows highly variable double-peaked profiles, likely arising from irradiation of the companion by the accretion disk, typical of low-mass X-ray binaries. The optical and X-ray luminosities of ASASSN-18ey are consistent with black hole low-mass X-ray binaries, both in outburst and quiescence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

HD 143811 AB b: A Directly Imaged Planet Orbiting a Spectroscopic Binary in Sco-Cen

We present confirmation of HD 143811 AB b, a substellar companion to spectroscopic binary HD 143811 AB through direct imaging with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) and Keck NIRC2. HD 143811 AB was observed as a part of the GPI Exoplanet Survey in 2016 and 2019 and is a member of the Sco-Cen star formation region. The exoplanet is detected ∼430 mas from the host star by GPI. With two GPI epochs and one from Keck/NIRC2 in 2022, we confirm through common proper motion analysis that the object is bound to its host star. We derive an orbit with a semimajor axis of $64^{+32}_{-14}$ au and eccentricity $0.23^{+0.24}_{-0.16}$. Spectral analysis of the GPI H-band spectrum and NIRC2 L′ photometry provides additional proof that this object is a substellar companion. We compare the spectrum of HD 143811 AB b to PHOENIX stellar models and Exo-Radioactive-Convective Equilibrium Model (REM) exoplanet atmosphere models and find that Exo-REM models provide the best fits to the data. From the Exo-REM models, we derive an effective temperature of $1042^{+178}_{-132}$ K for the planet and translate the derived luminosity of the planet to a mass of 5.6 ± 1.1 M Jup assuming hot-start evolutionary models. HD 143811 AB b is the first directly imaged planet around a binary that is not on an ultrawide orbit. Future characterization of this object will shed light on the formation of planets around binary star systems.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗
NASA NTRS2010

Resolving the xi Boo Binary with Chandra, and Revealing the Spectral Type Dependence of the Coronal "Fip Effect"

On 2008 May 2, Chandra observed the X-ray spectrum of xi Boo (G8 V+K4 V), resolving the binary for the first time in X-rays and allowing the coronae of the two stars to be studied separately. With the contributions of ξ Boo A and B to the system's total X-ray emission now observationally established (88.5% and 11.5% respectively), consideration of mass loss measurements for GK dwarfs of various activity levels (including one for xi Boo) leads to the surprising conclusion that xi Boo B may dominate the wind from the binary, with xi Boo A's wind being very weak despite its active corona. Emission measure (EM) distributions and coronal abundances are computed for both stars and compared with Chandra measurements of other moderately active stars with G8-K5 spectral types, all of which exhibit a narrow peak in EM near log T = 6.6, indicating that the coronal heating process in these stars has a strong preference for this temperature. As is the case for the Sun and many other stars, our sample of stars shows coronal abundance anomalies dependent on the first ionization potential (FIP) of the element. We see no dependence of the degree of FIP effect on activity, but there is a dependence on spectral type, a correlation that becomes more convincing when moderately active main-sequence stars with a broader range of spectral types are considered. This clear dependence of coronal abundances on spectral type weakens if the stellar sample is allowed to be contaminated by evolved stars, interacting binaries or extremely active stars with logLX 29, explaining why this correlation has not been recognized in the past.

CHANDRA↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The ESA Hera Mission: Detailed Investigation of the NASA Dart Impact Outcome and Characterization of the Binary Asteroid Didymos

The Hera mission is in development in the Space Safety Program of the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with JAXA for launch in October 2024. It will rendezvous with the binary asteroid (65803) Didymos in early 2027 and over the following 6 months will investigate the properties of Didymos and its small moon Dirmorphos, including the effects of the successful impact of the NASA DART probe. DART was launched on 24 November 2021 at 06:21 UTC and successfully impacted at about 6.1 km/s on the 160 meter-size Dimorphos on 26 September 2022 at 23:14 UTC. Two weeks before impact, it deployed the Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) that provided images during the few minutes following the impact. A campaign of observations from Earth and space provided distant images of the event, which were used to determine a reduction of 33 min in the orbital period of Dimorphos around Didymos. The Hera mission will investigate the outcome of the DART impact in detail. In particular, it will determine the effects of the impact on Dimorphos’ surface, e.g., whether it produced a crater, and if so its properties, and/or whether it led to global reshaping of Dimorphos. It will accurately measure the mass of Dimorphos, which will allow quantification of the momentum enhancement factor, which is a crucial parameter to evaluate the efficiency of the kinetic impactor technique. Hera will also determine in detail the physical, thermal and compositional properties of the asteroid, including first time measurements of the internal properties, which have a critical influence on the impact outcome. With Hera and DART together, we will have a fully documented deflection test and impact experiment that will allow us to verify our numerical impact models, to be able to extrapolate this deflection test to other asteroids and to improve our understanding of the complex geological properties and response of small asteroids. Hera consists of a mother spacecraft and two cubesats. It will perform the first rendezvous with a binary asteroid, arriving at Didymos about 4 years after DART. Hera will not only contribute significantly to the planetary defense effort by documenting entirely the outcome of the DART impact, it will also greatly advance our understanding of processes in the very low gravity regime of a small asteroidv (Dimorphos) as well as our knowledge of binary asteroids and asteroid geophysics. The mission development is progressing nominally, with the Critical Design Review having been passed in Nov. 2022. The various working groups of the Hera Science Team are working intensively to support this development and be best prepared for the surprises that Hera will offer during its visit to Didymos in 2027.

Asteroid deflection↗
DOE OSTI2014

February 2014 Dixie Valley Binary Cycle Production Data

Dixie Valley Binary Plant data points for January - March 6 2014. Used to demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility of utilizing the available unused heat to generate additional electric power from a binary power plant. Data includes Brine Flow, Brine Return Temperature, Brine Supply Temperature, Generation Output, Net Generation, Parasitic Loss, and Dry Bulb Temperature.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

April 2014 Dixie Valley Binary Cycle Production Data

Generation data associated with binary unit. Used to demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility of utilizing the available unused heat to generate additional electric power from a binary power plant. *Note - This data is incomplete. See link "Monthly Production Data September 2014" for a more complete data set.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of valence electron concentration on Laves phases: Structures and phase stability of pseudo-binary MgZn 2-x Pd x

A series of pseudo-binary compounds MgZn 2-x Pd x (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) were synthesized and structurally characterized to understand the role of valence electron concentration (vec) on the prototype Laves phase MgZn 2 with Pd-substitution. Three distinctive phase regions were observed with respect to Pd content, all exhibiting fundamental Laves phase structures: 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 (MgNi 2 -type, h P24; MgZn 1.80 Pd 0.20(2) ), 0.4 ≤ x ≤ 0.6 (MgCu 2 -type, cF 24; MgZn 1.59 Pd 0.41(2) ), and 0.62 ≤ x ≤ 0.8 (MgZn 2 -type, hP 12: MgZn 1.37 Pd 0.63(2) ). Refinements from single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicated nearly statistical distributions of Pd and Zn atoms among the majority atom sites in these structures. Interestingly, the MgZn 2 -type structure re-emerges in MgZn 2–x Pd x at x ≈ 0.7 with the refined composition MgZn 1.37(2) Pd 0.63 and a c/a ratio of 1.59 compared to 1.64 for binary MgZn 2 . Electronic structure calculations on a model “MgZn 1.25 Pd 0.75 ” yielded a density of states (DOS) curve showing enhancement of a pseudogap at the Fermi level as a result of electronic stabilization due to the Pd addition. Moreover, integrated crystal orbital Hamilton population values show significant increases of orbital interactions for (Zn,Pd)–(Zn,Pd) atom pairs within the majority atom substructure, i.e., within the Kagomé nets as well as between a Kagomé net and an apical site, from binary MgZn 2 to the ternary “MgZn 1.25 Pd 0.75 ”. Multi-centered bonding is evident from electron localization function plots for “MgZn 1.25 Pd 0.75 ”, an outcome which is in accordance with analysis of other Laves phases.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phase equilibria and microstructure evolution in the Ni-rich region of binary Ni-Ce and ternary Ni-Ce-X (X=Al, Nb, Cr, Ti) systems at 900 °C

The equilibrium compositions of all phases in the Ni-rich region of binary Ni-Ce and ternary Ni-Ce-X (X=Al, Nb, Cr, Ti) systems at 900 °C were determined experimentally through isothermal annealing for up to 500 h and compared with currently available computational thermodynamic descriptions. Additionally, the study examined how adding a third element to the binary system affects the microstructure by analyzing changes in the volume fraction of the intermetallic phase in the eutectic region. It was observed that Nb and Ti addition lowered the intermetallic fraction in the eutectic region while Al and Cr addition did the opposite. The fraction of intermetallic phase in the eutectic region is very important because it contributes to extreme brittleness of these alloys. Also, Al, Nb and Ti addition promoted different precipitates upon annealing when added in sufficient amounts. The collected data on composition and phase equilibria provides crucial information for improving the thermodynamic assessments of the binary and ternary alloy systems.

energy dispersive spectrometry↗
DOE OSTI2015

Higher-order Dirac solitons in binary waveguide arrays

We study optical analogues of higher-order Dirac solitons (HODSs) in binary waveguide arrays. Like higher-order solitons obtained from the well-known nonlinear Schrödinger equation governing the pulse propagation in an optical fiber, these HODSs have amplitude profiles which are numerically shown to be periodic over large propagation distances. At the same time, HODSs possess some unique features. Firstly, the period of a HODS depends on its order parameter. Secondly, the discrete nature in binary waveguide arrays imposes the upper limit on the order parameter of HODSs. Thirdly, the order parameter of HODSs can vary continuously in a certain range. - Highlights: • Higher-order Dirac solitons in nonlinear binary waveguide arrays are numerically demonstrated. • Amplitude profiles of higher-order Dirac solitons are periodic during propagation. • The period of higher-order Dirac solitons decreases when the soliton order increases.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Equilibrium vortex lattices of a binary rotating atomic Bose–Einstein condensate with unequal atomic masses

We perform a detailed numerical study of the equilibrium ground-state structures of a binary rotating Bose–Einstein condensate with unequal atomic masses. Our results show that the ground-state distribution and its related vortex configurations are complex events that differ markedly depending strongly on the strength of rotation frequency, as well as on the ratio of atomic masses. We also discuss the structures and radii of the clouds, the number and the size of the core region of the vortices, as a function of the rotation frequency, and of the ratio of atomic masses, and the analytical results agree well with our numerical simulations. This work may open an alternate way in the quantum control of the binary rotating quantum gases with unequal atomic masses. - Highlights: • A binary quantum gases with unequal atomic masses is considered. • Effects of the ratio of atomic masses and rotation frequency are discussed in full parameter space. • The detailed information about both the cloud and vortices are also discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of gadolinium content on the tetragonal to cubic phase transition in zirconia-silica binary oxides

The present study reports the effect of gadolinium (Gd{sup 3+}) in zirconia-silica (ZrO{sub 2}-SiO{sub 2}) binary oxides. The pure ZrO{sub 2}-SiO{sub 2} synthesized at 1100 °C was tetragonal. The addition of Gd{sup 3+} in the concentration range of 5%–10% resulted in the formation of t-ZrO{sub 2}, whereas higher contents of Gd{sup 3+} led to the formation of cubic ZrO{sub 2} (c-ZrO{sub 2}). The presence of Gd{sup 3+} also affected the lattice parameters of both t-ZrO{sub 2} and c-ZrO{sub 2}. Magnetic studies confirmed a steady increase in the paramagnetic behaviour with increasing content of Gd{sup 3+}. - Graphical abstract: t-ZrO{sub 2} to c-ZrO{sub 2} phase transition influenced by Gd{sup 3+} content. - Highlights: • Sol-gel synthesis of Gd{sup 3+} added SiO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} binary oxides. • Significant role of Gd{sup 3+} content in the tetragonal and cubic stabilization of ZrO{sub 2}. • Phase stability of either tetragonal or cubic stabilization till 1100 °C. • Gd{sup 3+} additions ensured additional paramagnetic behaviour in SiO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} binary oxide.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗