Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “distributed data structures”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 667 records · Page 37

Exploring the 3D nucleon structure with CLAS and CLAS12 at JLAB

Exploring the 3 dimensional structure of the nucleon can help to understand several fundamental questions of nature, such as the origin of the nucleon spin and the charge and density distributions inside the nucleon. In QCD, the 3-dimensional structure of the nucleon is described by Wigner functions. However, experimentally momentum and coordinate space have to be assessed independently. The momentum distribution can be accessed by transverse momentum dependent distribution functions (TMDs) measured in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) or Drell-Yan processes while the distribution in transverse coordinate and longitudinal momentum space is described by generalized parton distributions (GPDs) which can be accessed for example by deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) and hard exclusive meson production (DVMP). Based on the high quality data of CLAS and the recently upgraded CLAS12 detector at Jefferson Laboratory (JLAB), a detailed study of these distribution functions is being performed. With the new CLAS12 data, multidimensional, high precision studies in an extended kinematic range become possible for the first time. The talk will present the results of recent SIDIS, DVCS and DVMP studies with CLAS and CLAS12 and their impact on the understanding of the 3D nucleon structure.

Diehl, Stefan↗

Dry cask radiation shielding validation and estimation of cask surface dose rate with MAVRIC during long-term storage

The dry storage cask became a semi-permanent solution for spent nuclear fuel since no permanent solution has been finalized over the past three decades. Considering the difficulty of deep geological repository projects in many aspects, prolonging the service life of dry casks longer than a few decades has become an option for spent nuclear fuel storage. It must be ensured that dry cask safety objectives, including radiation shielding, criticality safety, structure health, decay heat removal, and containment be fulfilled during the prolonged service life. This paper presents numerical modeling results of the radiation dose rate distribution on a TN-32 cask surface aged up to 300 years. The numerical modeling method was validated with measurement data, and the difference between the calculated results and measurement data in the total dose rate is 7%. The detailed radiation distribution variations over cask surfaces along the axial and radial directions for 300 years of storage were obtained, and their azimuthal angular dependence was established. The maximum total dose rate over the cask surfaces is less than 10 mrem/hour (9.258 ± 0.212 mrem/hour) after 40 years, and this outcome fulfills all dose rate requirements from 10 CFR 71.47(b). After 300 years of storage, the average total dose rates on the side surface and top surface are 0.150 ± 0.007mremmrem/hour and 0.057 ± 0.003mremmrem/hour, respectively, while the maxima are 0.601 ± 0.014 mrem/hour and 0.112 ± 0.006 mrem/hour, respectively. The variations in the fuel gamma ray, structure gamma ray, neutron and secondary gamma-ray contributions to the total dose rate are presented and analyzed in this work. The neutron and gamma-ray dose rate contributions by energy group are presented and analyzed at the cask top, mid-plane, and bottom at the selected storage times.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Pressure Profiles of Distant Galaxy Clusters in the Planck Catalogue

Successive releases of Planck data have demonstrated the strength of the Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) effect in detecting hot baryons out to the galaxy cluster peripheries. To infer the hot gas pressure structure from nearby galaxy clusters to more distant objects, we developed a parametric method that models the spectral energy distribution and spatial anisotropies of both the Galactic thermal dust (GTD) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which are combined with the cluster SZ and dust signals. Taking advantage of the best angular resolution of the High Frequency Instrument channels (5 arcmin) and using X-ray priors in the innermost cluster regions that are not resolved with Planck, this modeling allowed us to analyze a sample of 61 nearby members of the Planck Catalogue of SZ sources (0<z<0.5, z-tilde =0.15) using the full mission data, as well as to examine a distant sample of 23 clusters (0.5<z<1, z-tilde =0.56) that have been recently followed-up with XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. We find that (i) the average shape of the mass-scaled pressure profiles agrees with results obtained by the Planck Collaboration in the nearby cluster sample, and that (ii) no sign of evolution is discernible between averaged pressure profiles of the low- and high-redshift cluster samples. In line with theoretical predictions for these halo masses and redshift ranges, the dispersion of individual profiles relative to a self-similar shape stays well below 10% inside r {sub 500} but increases in the cluster outskirts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

CLUMPY AND EXTENDED STARBURSTS IN THE BRIGHTEST UNLENSED SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES

The central structure in three of the brightest unlensed z = 3–4 submillimeter galaxies is investigated through 0.″015–0.″05 (120–360 pc) 860 μ m continuum images obtained using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The distribution in the central kiloparsec in AzTEC1 and AzTEC8 is extremely complex, and they are composed of multiple ∼200 pc clumps. AzTEC4 consists of two sources that are separated by ∼1.5 kpc, indicating a mid-stage merger. The peak star formation rate densities in the central clumps are ∼300–3000 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}, suggesting regions with extreme star formation near the Eddington limit. By comparing the flux obtained by ALMA and Submillimeter Array, we find that 68%–90% of the emission is extended (≳1 kpc) in AzTEC4 and 8. For AzTEC1, we identify at least 11 additional compact (∼200 pc) clumps in the extended 3–4 kpc region. Overall, the data presented here suggest that the luminosity surface densities observed at ≲150 pc scales are roughly similar to that observed in local ULIRGs, as in the eastern nucleus of Arp 220. Between 10% and 30% of the 860 μ m continuum is concentrated in clumpy structures in the central kiloparsec, while the remaining flux is distributed over ≳1 kpc regions, some of which could also be clumpy. These sources can be explained by a rapid inflow of gas such as a merger of gas-rich galaxies, surrounded by extended and clumpy starbursts. However, the cold mode accretion model is not ruled out.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multidimensional scaling informed by F -statistic: Visualizing grouped microbiome data with inference

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a widely used dimensionality reduction technique in microbial ecology data analysis that captures the multivariate structure of the data while preserving pairwise distances between samples. While improvements in MDS have enhanced the ability to reveal group-specific data patterns, these MDS-based methods require prior assumptions for inference, limiting their application in general microbiome analysis. Here, in this study, we introduce a new MDS-based ordination method, “F-informed MDS,” which configures the data distribution based on the F-statistic, the ratio of dispersion between groups sharing common and different characteristics. Using semisynthetic datasets, we demonstrate that the proposed method is robust to hyperparameter selection while maintaining statistical significance throughout the ordination process. Various quality metrics for evaluating dimensionality reduction confirm that F-informed MDS is comparable to state-of-the-art methods in preserving both local and global data structures. Its application to a diatom-associated bacterial community suggests the role of this new method in interpreting the community’s response to the host. Our approach offers a well-founded refinement of MDS that aligns with statistical test results, which can be beneficial for broader multidimensional data analyses in microbiology and ecology. This new visualization tool can be incorporated into standard microbiome data analyses.

Biological and medical sciences↗

Informed unsupervised machine learning analysis of dislocation microstructure from high-resolution differential aperture X-ray structural microscopy data

This study leverages high-resolution differential-aperture X-ray structural microscopy (DAXM) to probe the local dislocation structure in deformed 304L-stainless steel at small strain, by measuring the lattice rotation and deviatoric elastic strain with a sub-micron resolution. For a single grain in a polycrystalline specimen, the measured lattice rotation field over the measured volume exhibited a multimodal distribution while the deviatoric elastic strain showed a single-mode distribution. An unsupervised Cauchy mixture machine learning model was developed to resolve the multimodal distribution of the lattice rotation. By mapping the lattice rotation data associated with each Cauchy peak in the model back onto the measured volume, we identify contiguous regions of the crystal rotated near the average values corresponding to the peaks of the overall rotation distribution. These regions represent the grain subdivision in the microstructure. Finally, the dislocation density tensor was also computed and its norm was laid over the rotation field to detect the subgrain boundaries. This step provided a validation of the Cauchy mixture model for the analysis of the lattice rotation distribution. The current study highlights the integration of advanced X-ray microscopy techniques with data-driven analysis methods to uncover detailed microstructure scales in deformed crystals.

Machine learning; Lattice rotation; High-energy X-↗

Three-dimensional geologic mapping to assess geothermal potential: examples from Nevada and Oregon

Geologic structure plays an important role in controlling fluid flow in geothermal systems. In particular, very complex structural settings, consisting of many closely spaced and intersecting faults, host many geothermal systems. To elucidate the key geologic factors that affect fault-controlled geothermal circulation, it is critical to precisely characterize the structural and stratigraphic geometries in these complex settings. Here, we present a methodology and the results of 3D geologic analyses of two geothermal systems in the Basin and Range, USA. This methodology is a quantitative and geologically focused technique that can be used to precisely characterize geothermal areas, in a time when future geothermal growth demands increased exploration precision and efficiency. Surficial and subsurface geologic and geophysical data are synthesized in the construction of detailed 3D geologic maps of geothermal areas. Based on these 3D geologic maps, we examine several geologic attributes that control permeability development and geothermal fluid flow along faults. We use the stress state of faults and the distribution of structural discontinuities (i.e., fault intersections and fault terminations) to identify locations of upflow along faults in these geothermal systems. These results and the methodology presented herein are directly applicable to structurally controlled geothermal fields in the Basin and Range and worldwide. As development focus shifts toward blind geothermal resources, integration of precisely characterized subsurface structural information into exploration methods will be increasingly critical to continued growth in geothermal exploration and development.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

OpenMP in VASP: Threading and SIMD

Abstract The Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP) is a widely used electronic structure code that originally exploits process‐level parallelism through the Message Passing Interface (MPI) for work distribution within and across nodes. Architectural changes of modern parallel processors urge programmers to address thread‐ and data‐level parallelism as well to benefit most from the available compute resources within a node. We describe for VASP how to approach for an MPI + OpenMP parallelization including data‐level parallelism through OpenMP SIMD constructs together with a generic high‐level vector coding scheme. We can demonstrate an improved scalability of VASP and more than 20% gain over the MPI‐only version as well as a 2× increased performance of collective operations using the multiple‐endpoint MPI feature. The high‐level vector coding scheme applied to VASP's general gradient approximation routine gives up 9× performance gain on AVX512 platforms with the Intel compiler.

Wende, Florian↗

Modeling Short-Range Order in Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes by Pair Distribution Function Analysis

Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis is a powerful technique for the characterization of short-range order (SRO) in disordered materials. Accurate interpretation of experimental PDF data is critically reliant on the development of structural models that can account for local variations in site occupancies and bond lengths. To this end, we outline an approach to model SRO using first-principles calculations based on the cluster-expansion formalism. These methods are validated on neutron scattering data from two disordered rocksalt oxyfluorides, Li 1.3 Mn 0.4 Ti 0.3 O 1.7 F 0.3 and Li 1.3 Mn 0.4 Nb 0.2 Ti 0.1 O 1.7 F 0.3 . For each composition, we demonstrate that an average structure without any SRO fails to reproduce several key features in the experimental PDF. To pinpoint the origin of the suspected SRO in these materials, configurational and displacive effects were separately investigated using two disparate models. Special quasi-random structures were relaxed using density functional theory to account for local changes in bond lengths while maintaining a near-random ionic configuration. This leads to slightly improved accuracy but still misrepresents asymmetry in the first few peaks of the PDF. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to model configurational SRO on a fixed lattice, which by itself is shown to have a minimal influence on the PDF. Instead, we find that it is the bond length relaxations within environments created by SRO which controls the details of the PDF, thereby highlighting the subtle but important coupling between configurational and displacive SRO in disordered materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evolution of Active Sites in Pt-Based Nanoalloy Catalysts for the Oxidation of Carbonaceous Species by Combined in Situ Infrared Spectroscopy and Total X-ray Scattering

Here, we present results from combined in situ infrared spectroscopy and total X-ray scattering studies on the evolution of catalytically active sites in exemplary binary and ternary Pt-based nanoalloys during a sequence of CO oxidation–reactivation–CO oxidation reactions. We find that when within a particular compositional range, the fresh nanoalloys may exhibit high catalytic activity for low-temperature CO oxidation. Using surface-specific atomic pair distribution functions (PDFs) extracted from the in situ total X-ray scattering data, we find that, regardless of their chemical composition and initial catalytic activity, the fresh nanoalloys suffer a significant surface structural disorder during CO oxidation. Upon reactivation in oxygen atmosphere, the surface of used nanoalloy catalysts both partially oxidizes and orders. Remarkably, it largely retains its structural state when the nanoalloys are reused as CO oxidation catalysts. The seemingly inverse structural changes of studied nanoalloy catalysts occurring under CO oxidation and reactivation conditions affect the active sites on their surface significantly. In particular, through different mechanisms, both appear to reduce the CO binding strength to the nanoalloy’s surface and thus increase the catalytic stability of the nanoalloys. The findings provide clues for further optimization of nanoalloy catalysts for the oxidation of carbonaceous species through optimizing their composition, activation, and reactivation. Besides, the findings demonstrate the usefulness of combined in situ infrared spectroscopy and total X-ray scattering coupled to surface-specific atomic PDF analysis to the ongoing effort to produce advanced catalysts for environmentally and technologically important applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spectrally selective modulation of terahertz radiation beams

We report the results of an experimental study on the focusing of broadband terahertz (THz) radiation using lenses and Fresnel zone plates. The obtained data are compared with the results of numerical simulations. It is shown that the use of lenses for focusing THz radiation can lead to the appearance of a ring structure in the spatial distributions of its intensity. The use of Fresnel zone plates allows the spatial distribution of the THz radiation intensity to be varied at selected frequencies of the spectrum. (terahertz radiation)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

2024 roadmap on magnetic microscopy techniques and their applications in materials science

Considering the growing interest in magnetic materials for unconventional computing, data storage, and sensor applications, there is active research not only on material synthesis but also characterisation of their properties. In addition to structural and integral magnetic characterisations, imaging of magnetisation patterns, current distributions and magnetic fields at nano- and microscale is of major importance to understand the material responses and qualify them for specific applications. In this roadmap, we aim to cover a broad portfolio of techniques to perform nano- and microscale magnetic imaging using superconducting quantum interference devices, spin centre and Hall effect magnetometries, scanning probe microscopies, x-ray- and electron-based methods as well as magnetooptics and nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging. The roadmap is aimed as a single access point of information for experts in the field as well as the young generation of students outlining prospects of the development of magnetic imaging technologies for the upcoming decade with a focus on physics, materials science, and chemistry of planar, three-dimensional and geometrically curved objects of different material classes including two-dimensional materials, complex oxides, semi-metals, multiferroics, skyrmions, antiferromagnets, frustrated magnets, magnetic molecules/nanoparticles, ionic conductors, superconductors, spintronic and spinorbitronic materials.

2D materials↗

Recent Measurement of Flavor Asymmetry of Antiquarks in the Proton by Drell–Yan Experiment SeaQuest at Fermilab

A measurement of the flavor asymmetry of the antiquarks ($\bar{d}$ and $\bar{u}$) in the proton is described in this thesis. The proton consists of three valence quarks, sea quarks, and gluons. Antiquarks in the proton are sea quarks. They are generated from the gluon splitting: g → q + $\bar{q}$. According to QCD (Quantum Chromodynamics), the gluon splitting is independent of quark flavor. It suggests that the amounts of $\bar{d}$ and $\bar{u}$ should be the same in the proton. However, the NMC experiment at CERN found that the amount of $\bar{d}$ is larger than that of $\bar{u}$ in the proton using the deep inelastic scattering in 1991. This result is obtained for $\bar{d}$ and $\bar{u}$ integrated over Bjorken x. Bjorken x is the fraction of the momentum of the parton to that of the proton. The NA51 experiment (x ~ 0.2) at CERN and E866/NuSea experiment (0.015 < x < 0.35) at Fermilab measured the flavor asymmetry of the antiquarks ($\bar{d}$/$\bar{u}$) in the proton as a function of x using Drell–Yan process. The experiments reported that the flavor symmetry is broken over all measured x values. Understanding the flavor asymmetry of the antiquarks in the proton is a challenge of the QCD. The theo- retical investigation from the first principle of QCD such as lattice QCD calculation is important. In addition, the QCD effective models and hadron models such as the meson cloud model can also be tested with the flavor asymmetry of antiquarks. From the experimental side, it is important to measure with higher accuracy and in a wider x range. The SeaQuest (E906) experiment measures $\bar{d}$/$\bar{u}$ at large x (0.15 < x < 0.45) accurately to understand its behavior. The SeaQuest experiment is a Drell–Yan experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). In the Drell–Yan process of proton-proton reaction, an antiquark in a proton and a quark in another proton annihilate and create a virtual photon, which then decays into a muon pair (q$\bar{q}$ → γ* → µ + µ - ). The SeaQuest experiment uses a 120 GeV proton beam extracted from Fermilab’s Main Injector. The proton beam interacts with hydrogen and deuterium targets. The SeaQuest spectrometer detects the muon pairs from the Drell–Yan process. The $\bar{d}$/$\bar{u}$ ratio at 0.1 < x < 0.58 is extracted from the number of detected Drell–Yan muon pairs. After the detector construction, commissioning run and detector upgrade, the SeaQuest experiment started the physics data acquisition from 2013. We finished so far three periods of physics data acquisition. The fourth period is in progress. The detector construction, detector performance evaluation, data taking and data analysis for the flavor asymmetry of the antiquarks $\bar{d}$/$\bar{u}$ in the proton are my contribution to SeaQuest. The cross section ratio of Drell–Yan process in p- p and p-d reactions is obtained from dimuon yields. In the experiment with high beam intensity, it is important to control the tracking efficiency of charged particles through the magnetic spectrometer. The tracking efficiency depends on the chamber occupancy, and the appropriate method for the correction is important. The chamber occupancy is the number of hits in drift chambers. A new method of the correction for the tracking efficiency is developed based on the occupancy, and applied to the data. This method reflects the real response of the drift chambers. Therefore, the systematic error is well controlled by this method. The flavor asymmetry of antiquarks is obtained at 0.1 < x < 0.58. At 0.1 < x < 0.45, the result is $\bar{d}$/$\bar{u}$ > 1. The result at 0.1 < x < 0.24 agrees with the E866 result. The result at x > 0.24, however, disagrees with the E866 result. The result at 0.45 < x < 0 the statistical errors. u¯ results extracted from experiments are used to investigate the validity of the theoretical models. The present experimental result provides the data points in wide x region. It is useful for understanding the proton structure in the light of QCD and effective hadron models. The present result has a practical application as well. Antiquark distributions are important as inputs to simulations of hadron reactions such as W± production in various experiments. The new knowledge on antiquark distributions helps to improve the precision of the simulations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Discovering Dark Matter Clumps and Primordial Particles with Galaxies

Cosmological observations and galaxy dynamics seem to imply that five out of six parts in mass of all matter in the universe is composed of dark matter, which is not accounted for by the Standard Model of particles. The cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm has been extremely successful at describing observations on large-cosmological scale. However, many different dark matter candidates have the same observable effects as CDM on large-length scales. One possible avenue to distinguish between these different models is to look on much smaller-length scales, where usually dark matter models become distinguishable. This research developed the theoretical framework and statistical tools needed to map the detailed distribution of dark matter on subgalactic scales using strong gravitational lensing. A second goal of this research was to build new statistical techniques that efficiently exploit the full power of cosmic-structure data from next-generation surveys. Galaxy clustering on large scales provides significant cosmological information through the power spectrum. Additional information can be gained from higher-order statistics. This research provided new ways to understand the initial conditions of the universe from current and upcoming cosmological surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The DESI Experiment Part I: Science,Targeting, and Survey Design

DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) is a Stage IV ground-based dark energy experiment that will study baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the growth of structure through redshift-space distortions with a wide-area galaxy and quasar redshift survey. To trace the underlying dark matter distribution, spectroscopic targets will be selected in four classes from imaging data. We will measure luminous red galaxies up to $z=1.0$. To probe the Universe out to even higher redshift, DESI will target bright [O II] emission line galaxies up to $z=1.7$. Quasars will be targeted both as direct tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution and, at higher redshifts ($ 2.1 < z < 3.5$), for the Ly-$\alpha$ forest absorption features in their spectra, which will be used to trace the distribution of neutral hydrogen. When moonlight prevents efficient observations of the faint targets of the baseline survey, DESI will conduct a magnitude-limited Bright Galaxy Survey comprising approximately 10 million galaxies with a median $z\approx 0.2$. In total, more than 30 million galaxy and quasar redshifts will be obtained to measure the BAO feature and determine the matter power spectrum, including redshift space distortions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Data Analysis and Detector Troubleshooting for the Silicon Muon Scanner

Muon tomography is the calculation of the density distribution of a material from the probable angles of muon Coulomb scattering in a sampled object. This allows the probing of internal object structures that cannot otherwise be observed. It has many important applications for both national security and other fields, such as archaeology and geology. Its uses range from detecting radioactive material intended for nuclear weaponry to searching for hidden chambers in the Egyptian pyramids. In this project we intend to demonstrate the capability of a tomographic system which uses cosmic rays as the muon source and tracks each muon's initial and final trajectories to ascertain information about their scattering pattern. This method can be used to determine the structure or composition of an object, such as testing to see if a nuclear fuel cask is empty or full. We intend this as an early R&D exploration into the practicality of implementing silicon microstrip sensors in border scans for radioactive contraband, as an alternative to existing drift tube technology.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Regional quantitative play fairway analysis: methodology global examples and application for the East African Rift system

Most volcanic arcs and active rifts around the world host producing geothermal systems. Many undiscovered and/or undeveloped systems remain in each of these areas, including magmatic-heated systems, amagmatic extension-related systems, and blind resources lacking active surface manifestations in both types of settings. However, not all volcanic centers or extensional terranes have the same geothermal potential. For example, even when high heat flow is present, permeability is commonly a limiting factor to resource development. A tool recently adapted for the geothermal industry is play fairway analysis, which calculates the regional probability of power-capable resources based on the spatial coincidence of key geologic conditions. In a geothermal setting, these key geologic conditions are heat, permeability, and fluids. Higher enthalpy systems also benefit from suitable cap rock. These parameters can be assessed through multiple geologic, geochemical, and geophysical data sets and integrated quantitatively to produce a single geothermal play fairway map. Potential input data sets include but are not limited to: 1) tectonic setting; 2) structural setting; 3) faults attributed by recency of rupture and slip rate; 3) geodetic crustal stain models; 5) gravity; 6) earthquake distribution; 7) thermal models; 8) geochemistry from springs, wells, and fumaroles; 9) temperature from springs, wells, and fumaroles; 10) fumarole size and type; and 11) age of volcanism. Recent play fairway studies have been completed for volcanic arcs and the dominantly amagmatic, extensional Great Basin region, USA, but have yet to be applied to the East African Rift System (EARS). Previous estimates of total geothermal resource capacity in the EARS is ~20 GWe, but only three areas are currently in production as of 2015: Olkaria and Eburru in Kenya, and Aluto-Langano in Ethiopia for a total installed capacity of <0.7 GWe. Many more volcanic centers host potential resources. In addition, amagmatic and/or blind systems also have potential in the EARS. Play fairway analysis can highlight regions most prospective for geothermal resource development, help identify locations prospective for undiscovered resources, prioritize overall exploration and development efforts, and refine estimates for total undeveloped resource potential.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Dynamical Models for the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal in a ΛCDM Universe

The Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy appears to contain two distinct stellar populations of differing metallicity. Several authors have argued that in order for these two populations to reside in the same gravitational potential, the dark matter halo must have a core similar to that observed in the stellar count profile. This would exclude cuspy Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) density profiles of the kind predicted for halos and subhalos by dark matter-only simulations of the ΛCDM cosmological model. We present a new theoretical framework to analyze observations of stellar count and velocity in a self-consistent manner based on separable models, f(E,J)=g(J)h(E), for the distribution function of an equilibrium spherical system. We use this machinery to analyze available photometric and kinematic data for the two stellar populations in Sculptor. We find, contrary to some previous claims, that the data are consistent with populations in equilibrium within an NFW dark matter potential with structural parameters in the range expected in ΛCDM; we find no statistical preference for a potential with a core. Our models allow a maximum circular velocity for Sculptor between 20 and 35 km s{sup −1}. We discuss why some previous authors came to a different conclusion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗