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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Correcting aberrations of a transverse-field neutron resonance spin echo instrument

Neutron resonance spin echo (NRSE) technique has the potential to increase the Fourier time and energy resolution in neutron scattering by using radio frequency (rf) neutron spin-flippers. However, aberrations arising from variations in the neutron path length between the rf flippers reduce the polarization. Here, we develop and test a transverse static-field magnet, a series of which are placed between the rf flippers, to correct for these aberrations. The prototype correction magnet was both simulated in an NRSE beamline using McStas, a Monte Carlo neutron ray-tracing software package, and measured using neutrons. The results from the prototype demonstrate that this static-field design corrects for transverse-field NRSE aberrations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Identification of stimulated Raman side scattering in near-spherical coronal plasmas on OMEGA EP

Recent spherical-target laser–plasma interaction experiments, performed on the OMEGA EP laser, have been analyzed for stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). This has been motivated by results obtained on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) that have demonstrated the importance of SRS, and in particular SRS side scatter, for directly driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) conditions [Rosenberg et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 055001 (2018); Michel et al. Phys. Rev. E 99, 033203 (2019)]. The analysis, based on a generalized ray tracing approach, is described and is shown to explain the observed scattered light spectra: it identifies SRS convective scattering, from portions of each incident beam where the scattered electromagnetic wave is generated in the direction parallel to contours of constant density, as the dominant contribution. This result is novel, as SRS is mostly associated with plasmas of higher electron temperature (T e ≳ 3–4 keV) and longer density scale length (≳600 μ m) than those considered here (T e ~ 1–3 keV, Ln~150 μm) for the relevant overlapped irradiation intensities l ≲ 10 15 W/cm 2 . Furthermore, a combination of the high single-beam intensity on OMEGA EP and the side-scattering geometry, that has been identified, is responsible for this result. It is further suggested that the OMEGA EP platform could provide a good surrogate in which to develop SRS mitigation strategies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved accuracy and robustness of electron density profiles from JET’s X-mode frequency-modulated continuous-wave reflectometers

JET’s frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) reflectometers have been operating well with the current design since 2005, and density profiles have been automatically calculated intershot since then. However, the calculated profiles had long suffered from several shortcomings: poor agreement with other diagnostics, sometimes inappropriately moving radially by several centimeters, elevated levels of radial jitter, and persistent wriggles (strong unphysical oscillations). Here, in this research, several techniques are applied to the reflectometry data analysis, and the shortcomings are significantly improved. Starting with improving the equilibrium reconstruction that estimates the background magnetic field, adding a ripple correction in the reconstructed magnetic field profile, and adding new inner-wall reflection positions estimated through ray-tracing, these changes not only improve the agreement of reconstructed profiles to other diagnostics but also solve density profile wriggles that were present during band transitions. Other smaller but also persistent wriggles were also suppressed by applying a localized correction to the measured beat frequency where persistent oscillations are present. Finally, the burst analysis method, as introduced by Varela et al., has been implemented to extract the beat frequency from stacked spectrograms. Due to the strong suppression of spurious reflections, the radial jitter that sometimes would span several centimeters has been strongly reduced. The stacking of spectrograms has also been shown to be very useful for stacking recurring events, like small gas puff modulations, and extracting transport coefficients that would otherwise be below the noise level.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Shaded fraction and backtracking in single-axis trackers on rolling terrain

A generalized closed-form equation for the shaded collector fraction in solar arrays on rolling or undulating terrain is provided for single-axis tracking and fixed-tilt systems. The equation accounts for different rotation angles between the shaded and shading trackers, cross-axis slope between the two trackers, and offset between the collector plane and axis of rotation. The validity of the equation is demonstrated through comparison with numerical ray-tracing simulations and remaining minor sources of error are quantified. Additionally, a simple procedure to determine backtracking rotations for each row in an array installed on the rolling terrain (varying in the direction perpendicular to the tracker axes) is provided. The backtracking equation accounts for a desired shaded fraction (including complete shade avoidance) as well as an axis-collector offset. Test cases are provided to facilitate implementation of these equations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

General guide concepts for compact, high-brilliance neutron moderators

The trend in neutron sciences is toward integrating compact, high-brightness moderators into new or upgraded facilities. Transporting neutrons from the source to the sample position with a phase-space distribution tailored to specific requirements is crucial to leverage high source brilliance. Here we have investigated four guide concepts using Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations: Montel beamline with nested Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors, curved-tapered beamline with a bender and straight sections, straight-elliptical beamline, and curved-elliptical beamline. The straight-elliptical (curved-elliptical) beamline features two half-ellipse guides connected by a straight (non-straight) guide section. The neutron transport efficiency and phase space homogeneity have been quantitatively compared. Our results show that the straight-elliptical beamline performs best because of few neutron bounces on the guide surface with small reflection angles, minimizing flux loss. The Montel beamline provides the best spatial confinement of neutrons within the desired region; however, there is a high thermal-neutron loss due to large reflection angles. The curved-tapered beamline suffers from significant flux loss due to high bounces, and it shows a non-uniform angular distribution related to broad ranges of bounces and reflection angles. The non-straight guide section of the curved-elliptical beamline increases the phase space inhomogeneity, leading to a spatially non-uniform beam profile. The results apply to general neutron instruments that require transporting thermal and cold neutrons from a compact, high-brilliance moderator to the sample location with a moderate phase-space volume.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of Stark-split beam and carbon charge exchange emissions for simultaneous B-field and temperature/rotation analysis at DIII-D

A set of two newly designed, single-channel Czerny–Turner spectrometers has been deployed at the DIII-D tokamak for measurements of the motional Stark effect (MSE) split beam emission and the C6+ (CVI) carbon charge exchange recombination (CER) emission at high spectral (δλ = 0.13 nm) and temporal (1–5 kHz) resolution. High throughput optics (f/# = 2.8) allow for good signal-to-noise at high time resolution using fast EMCCD detectors. The MSE emission allows for spectral fitting of the magnitude and direction of the local B-field, while the carbon emission yields local ion temperature and toroidal rotation information. To reduce so-called Doppler broadening of the MSE emission, a new channel-specific variable lens-masking approach has been developed. Experimental data collected from the 2023 DIII-D experimental campaign demonstrate the signal quality and instrument fidelity for both diagnostic measurements. Moreover, initial CER data analysis shows a clear evolution of the toroidal rotation during edge localized modes. Initial progress on the advanced MSE model, including a new validated ray-trace model of the DIII-D collection optics, is shown via sensitivity analysis.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiphysics analysis system for heat pipe cooled micro-reactors employing PRAGMA-OpenFOAM-ANLHTP

A multiphysics analysis system for neutronics/thermo-mechanical/heat-pipe analysis of heat pipe cooled micro-reactors was developed using the PRAGMA code as the neutronics engine. PRAGMA, which used to be a GPU-based continuous-energy MC code for power reactor applications, now has an extended geometry package to handle geometries with unstructured meshes generated by the ANSYS Design-Modeler and Meshing. The NVIDIA ray tracing engine OptiX was exploited for efficient neutron transport on unstructured geometry. On the multiphysics side, the open-source CFD tool OpenFOAM and one-dimensional heat pipe analysis code ANLHTP were adopted. The manager-worker system based on the MPI dynamic process management (DPM) model enables efficient coupling of codes employing different parallelization schemes. With all the features, the multiphysics analysis of the one-sixth symmetrical MegaPower 2D core was performed and it demonstrated the benefit of the tight integration of the three-way coupling system and one-to-one geometry coupling strategy. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DARK ENERGY FROM THE LOG-TRANSFORMED CONVERGENCE FIELD

A logarithmic transform of the convergence field improves 'the information content', i.e., the overall precision associated with the measurement of the amplitude of the convergence power spectrum, by improving the covariance matrix properties. The translation of this improvement in the information content to that in cosmological parameters, such as those associated with dark energy, requires knowing the sensitivity of the log-transformed field to those cosmological parameters. In this paper, we use N-body simulations with ray tracing to generate convergence fields at multiple source redshifts as a function of cosmology. The gain in information associated with the log-transformed field does lead to tighter constraints on dark energy parameters, but only if shape noise is neglected. The presence of shape noise quickly diminishes the advantage of the log-mapping, more quickly than we would expect based on the information content. With or without shape noise, using a larger pixel size allows for a more efficient log-transformation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE NATURE OF DAMPED Ly{alpha} SYSTEMS AND THEIR HOSTS IN THE STANDARD COLD DARK MATTER UNIVERSE

Using adaptive mesh refinement cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with a physically motivated supernova feedback prescription, we show that the standard cold dark matter model can account for extant observed properties of damped Ly{alpha} systems (DLAs). With detailed examination of DLAs identified for each redshift snapshot through ray tracing through the simulation volumes containing thousands of galaxies, we find the following: (1) While DLA hosts roughly trace the overall population of galaxies at all redshifts, they are always gas-rich and have tendencies of being slightly smaller and bluer. (2) The history of DLA evolution is cosmological in nature and reflects primarily the evolution of the underlying cosmic density, galaxy size, and galaxy interactions. With higher density and more interactions at high redshift the size of DLAs is a larger fraction of their virial radius. (3) The variety of DLAs at high redshift is richer with a large contribution coming from galactic aqueducts, created through close galaxy interactions. The portion of gaseous disks of galaxies where most stars reside makes a relatively small contribution to DLA incidence at z = 3-4. (4) The majority of DLAs arise in halos of mass M{sub h} = 10{sup 10}-10{sup 12} M{sub Sun} at z = 1.6-4, as these galaxies dominate the overall population of galaxies then. At z = 3-4, 20%-30% of DLA hosts are Lyman break galaxies (LBGs), 10%-20% are due to galaxies more massive than LBGs, and 50%-70% are from smaller galaxies. (5) Galactic winds play an indispensable role in shaping the kinematic properties of DLAs. Specifically, the high velocity width DLAs are a mixture of those arising in high-mass, high velocity dispersion halos and those arising in smaller mass systems where cold gas clouds are entrained to high velocities by galactic winds. (6) In agreement with observations, we see a weak but noticeable evolution in DLA metallicity. The metallicity distribution centers at [Z/H] = -1.5 to -1 and spans more than three decades at z = 3-4, with the peak moving to [Z/H] = -0.75 at z = 1.6 and [Z/H] = -0.5 by z = 0. (7) The star formation rate of DLA hosts is concentrated in the range 0.3-30 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} at z = 3-4, gradually shifting lower to peak at {approx}0.5-1 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} by z = 0. (8) We predict that only 20%-30% of DLAs are within 100 kpc of L* galaxies at z = 3-4, increasing to 30%-50% at z = 1.6.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EFFECTIVE MODELS FOR STATISTICAL STUDIES OF GALAXY-SCALE GRAVITATIONAL LENSING

We have worked out simple analytical formulae that accurately approximate the relationship between the position of the source with respect to the lens center and the amplification of the images, hence the lens cross section, for realistic lens profiles. We find that, for essentially the full range of parameters either observationally determined or yielded by numerical simulations, the combination of dark matter and star distribution can be very well described, for lens radii relevant to strong lensing, by a simple power law whose slope is very weakly dependent on the parameters characterizing the global matter surface density profile and close to isothermal in agreement with direct estimates for individual lens galaxies. Our simple treatment allows an easy insight into the role of the different ingredients that determine the lens cross section and the distribution of gravitational amplifications. They also ease the reconstruction of the lens mass distribution from the observed images and, vice versa, allow a fast application of ray-tracing techniques to model the effect of lensing on a variety of source structures. The maximum amplification depends primarily on the source size. Amplifications larger than Almost-Equal-To 20 are indicative of compact source sizes at high-z, in agreement with expectations if galaxies formed most of their stars during the dissipative collapse of cold gas. Our formalism has allowed us to reproduce the counts of strongly lensed galaxies found in the H-ATLAS Science Demonstration Phase field. While our analysis is focused on spherical lenses, we also discuss the effect of ellipticity and the case of late-type lenses (showing why they are much less common, even though late-type galaxies are more numerous). Furthermore, we discuss the effect of a cluster halo surrounding the early-type lens and of a supermassive black hole at its center.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

GRAVITATIONAL WAVE SIGNATURES OF HYPERACCRETING COLLAPSAR DISKS

By performing two-dimensional special relativistic (SR) magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we study possible signatures of gravitational waves (GWs) in the context of the collapsar model for long-duration gamma-ray bursts. In our SR simulations, the central black hole is treated as an absorbing boundary. By doing so, we focus on the GWs generated by asphericities in neutrino emission and matter motions in the vicinity of the hyperaccreting disks. We compute nine models by adding initial angular momenta and magnetic fields parametrically to a precollapse core of a 35 M{sub Sun} progenitor star. As for the microphysics, a realistic equation of state is employed and the neutrino cooling is taken into account via a multi-flavor neutrino leakage scheme. To accurately estimate GWs produced by anisotropic neutrino emission, we perform a ray-tracing analysis in general relativity by a post-processing procedure. By employing a stress formula that includes contributions from both magnetic fields and SR corrections, we also study the effects of magnetic fields on the gravitational waveforms. We find that the GW amplitudes from anisotropic neutrino emission show a monotonic increase with time, whose amplitudes are much larger than those from matter motions of the accreting material. We show that the increasing trend of the neutrino GWs stems from the excess of neutrino emission in the direction near parallel to the spin axis illuminated from the hyperaccreting disks. We point out that a recently proposed future space-based interferometer like Fabry-Perot-type DECIGO would permit the detection of these GW signals within Almost-Equal-To 100 Mpc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

REVISING THE HALOFIT MODEL FOR THE NONLINEAR MATTER POWER SPECTRUM

Based on a suite of state-of-the-art high-resolution N-body simulations, we revisit the so-called halofit model as an accurate fitting formula for the nonlinear matter power spectrum. While the halofit model has frequently been used as a standard cosmological tool to predict the nonlinear matter power spectrum in a universe dominated by cold dark matter, its precision has been limited by the low resolution of N-body simulations used to determine the fitting parameters, suggesting the necessity of an improved fitting formula at small scales for future cosmological studies. We run high-resolution N-body simulations for 16 cosmological models around the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe best-fit cosmological parameters (one-, three-, five-, and seven-year results), including dark energy models with a constant equation of state. The simulation results are used to re-calibrate the fitting parameters of the halofit model so as to reproduce small-scale power spectra of the N-body simulations, while keeping the precision at large scales. The revised fitting formula provides an accurate prediction of the nonlinear matter power spectrum in a wide range of wavenumbers (k {<=} 30 h Mpc{sup -1}) at redshifts 0 {<=} z {<=} 10, with 5% precision for k {<=} 1 h Mpc{sup -1} at 0 {<=} z {<=} 10 and 10% for 1 {<=} k {<=} 10 h Mpc{sup -1} at 0 {<=} z {<=} 3. We discuss the impact of the improved halofit model on weak-lensing power spectra and correlation functions, and show that the improved model better reproduces ray-tracing simulation results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

RADIATIVE COOLING IMPLEMENTATIONS IN SIMULATIONS OF PRIMORDIAL STAR FORMATION

We study the thermal evolution of primordial star-forming gas clouds using three-dimensional cosmological simulations. We critically examine how assumptions and approximations made in calculating radiative cooling rates affect the dynamics of the collapsing gas clouds. We consider two important molecular hydrogen cooling processes that operate in a dense primordial gas: H{sub 2} line cooling and continuum cooling by H{sub 2} collision-induced emission. To calculate the optically thick cooling rates, we follow the Sobolev method for the former, whereas we perform ray tracing for the latter. We also run the same set of simulations using simplified fitting functions for the net cooling rates. We compare the simulation results in detail. We show that the time- and direction-dependence of hydrodynamic quantities such as gas temperature and local velocity gradients significantly affects the optically thick cooling rates. Gravitational collapse of the cloud core is accelerated when the cooling rates are calculated by using the fitting functions. The structure and evolution of the central pre-stellar disk are also affected. We conclude that physically motivated implementations of radiative transfer are necessary to follow accurately the thermal and chemical evolution of a primordial gas to high densities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MULTIPOLE GRAVITATIONAL LENSING AND HIGH-ORDER PERTURBATIONS ON THE QUADRUPOLE LENS

An arbitrary surface mass density of the gravitational lens can be decomposed into multipole components. We simulate the ray tracing for the multipolar mass distribution of the generalized Singular Isothermal Sphere model based on deflection angles, which are analytically calculated. The magnification patterns in the source plane are then derived from an inverse shooting technique. As has been found, the caustics of odd mode lenses are composed of two overlapping layers for some lens models. When a point source traverses this kind of overlapping caustics, the image numbers change by {+-}4, rather than {+-}2. There are two kinds of caustic images. One is the critical curve and the other is the transition locus. It is found that the image number of the fold is exactly the average value of image numbers on two sides of the fold, while the image number of the cusp is equal to the smaller one. We also focus on the magnification patterns of the quadrupole (m = 2) lenses under the perturbations of m = 3, 4, and 5 mode components and found that one, two, and three butterfly or swallowtail singularities can be produced, respectively. With the increasing intensity of the high-order perturbations, the singularities grow up to bring sixfold image regions. If these perturbations are large enough to let two or three of the butterflies or swallowtails make contact, then eightfold or tenfold image regions can be produced as well. The possible astronomical applications are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TWO ACCURATE TIME-DELAY DISTANCES FROM STRONG LENSING: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMOLOGY

Strong gravitational lenses with measured time delays between the multiple images and models of the lens mass distribution allow a one-step determination of the time-delay distance, and thus a measure of cosmological parameters. We present a blind analysis of the gravitational lens RXJ1131-1231 incorporating (1) the newly measured time delays from COSMOGRAIL, the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses, (2) archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the lens system, (3) a new velocity-dispersion measurement of the lens galaxy of 323 {+-} 20 km s{sup -1} based on Keck spectroscopy, and (4) a characterization of the line-of-sight structures via observations of the lens' environment and ray tracing through the Millennium Simulation. Our blind analysis is designed to prevent experimenter bias. The joint analysis of the data sets allows a time-delay distance measurement to 6% precision that takes into account all known systematic uncertainties. In combination with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe seven-year (WMAP7) data set in flat wCDM cosmology, our unblinded cosmological constraints for RXJ1131-1231 are H{sub 0}=80.0{sup +5.8}{sub -5.7} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub de} = 0.79 {+-} 0.03, and w=-1.25{sup +0.17}{sub -0.21}. We find the results to be statistically consistent with those from the analysis of the gravitational lens B1608+656, permitting us to combine the inferences from these two lenses. The joint constraints from the two lenses and WMAP7 are H{sub 0}=75.2{sup +4.4}{sub -4.2} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub de}=0.76{sup +0.02}{sub -0.03}, and w = -1.14{sup +0.17}{sub -0.20} in flat wCDM, and H{sub 0}=73.1{sup +2.4}{sub -3.6} km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub {Lambda}}=0.75{sup +0.01}{sub -0.02}, and {Omega}{sub k}=0.003{sup +0.005}{sub -0.006} in open {Lambda}CDM. Time-delay lenses constrain especially tightly the Hubble constant H{sub 0} (5.7% and 4.0% respectively in wCDM and open {Lambda}CDM) and curvature of the universe. The overall information content is similar to that of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation experiments. Thus, they complement well other cosmological probes, and provide an independent check of unknown systematics. Our measurement of the Hubble constant is completely independent of those based on the local distance ladder method, providing an important consistency check of the standard cosmological model and of general relativity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

NARROW ATOMIC FEATURES FROM RAPIDLY SPINNING NEUTRON STARS

Neutron stars spinning at moderate rates ({approx}300-600 Hz) become oblate in shape and acquire a nonzero quadrupole moment. In this paper, we calculate the profiles of atomic features from such neutron stars using a ray-tracing algorithm in the Hartle-Thorne approximation. We show that line profiles acquire cores that are much narrower than the widths expected from pure Doppler effects for a large range of observer inclinations. As a result, the effects of both the oblateness and the quadrupole moments of neutron stars need to be taken into account when aiming to measure neutron-star radii from rotationally broadened lines. Moreover, the presence of these narrow cores substantially increases the likelihood of detecting atomic lines from rapidly spinning neutron stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

IMPROVING THE PRECISION OF TIME-DELAY COSMOGRAPHY WITH OBSERVATIONS OF GALAXIES ALONG THE LINE OF SIGHT

In order to use strong gravitational lens time delays to measure precise and accurate cosmological parameters the effects of mass along the line of sight must be taken into account. We present a method to achieve this by constraining the probability distribution function of the effective line-of-sight convergence {kappa}{sub ext}. The method is based on matching the observed overdensity in the weighted number of galaxies to that found in mock catalogs with {kappa}{sub ext} obtained by ray-tracing through structure formation simulations. We explore weighting schemes based on projected distance, mass, luminosity, and redshift. This additional information reduces the uncertainty of {kappa}{sub ext} from {sigma}{sub {kappa}} {approx} 0.06 to {approx}0.04 for very overdense LOSs like that of the system B1608+656. For more common LOSs, {sigma}{sub {kappa}} is reduced to {approx}<0.03, corresponding to an uncertainty of {approx}< 3% on distance. This uncertainty has comparable effects on cosmological parameters to that arising from the mass model of the deflector and its immediate environment. Photometric redshifts based on g, r, i and K photometries are sufficient to constrain {kappa}{sub ext} almost as well as with spectroscopic redshifts. As an illustration, we apply our method to the system B1608+656. Our most reliable {kappa}{sub ext} estimator gives {sigma}{sub {kappa}} = 0.047 down from 0.065 using only galaxy counts. Although deeper multiband observations of the field of B1608+656 are necessary to obtain a more precise estimate, we conclude that griK photometry, in addition to spectroscopy to characterize the immediate environment, is an effective way to increase the precision of time-delay cosmography.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE 0.5-2.22 {mu}m SCATTERED LIGHT SPECTRUM OF THE DISK AROUND TW Hya: DETECTION OF A PARTIALLY FILLED DISK GAP AT 80 AU

We present a 0.5-2.2 {mu}m scattered light spectrum of the circumstellar disk around TW Hya from a combination of spatially resolved Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectroscopy and NICMOS coronagraphic images of the disk. We investigate the morphology of the disk at distances >40 AU over this wide range of wavelengths, and identify the presence of a depression in surface brightness at {approx}80 AU that could be caused by a gap in the disk. Additionally, we quantify the surface brightness, azimuthal symmetry, and spectral character of the disk as a function of radius. Our analysis shows that the scattering efficiency of the dust is largely neutral to blue over the observed wavelengths. We model the disk as a steady {alpha}-disk with an ad hoc gap structure. The thermal properties of the disk are self-consistently calculated using a three-dimensional radiative transfer code that uses ray tracing to model the heating of the disk interior and scattered light images. We find a good fit to the data over a wide range of distances from the star if we use a model disk with a partially filled gap of 30% depth at 80 AU and with a self-similar truncation knee at 100 AU. The origin of the gap is unclear, but it could arise from a transition in the nature of the disk's dust composition or the presence of a planetary companion. Based on scalings to previous hydrodynamic simulations of gap-opening criteria for embedded proto-planets, we estimate that a planetary companion forming the gap could have a mass between 6 and 28 M{sub Circled-Plus }.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗