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At least 721 records · Page 40
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DOE OSTI2015

Preliminary research on overmoded high-power millimeter-wave Cerenkov generator with dual-cavity reflector in low guiding magnetic field

This paper presents preliminary research on a V-band overmoded Cerenkov generator with dual-cavity reflector operating in a low guiding magnetic field. It is found that the fluctuation of the electron envelope in the low guiding magnetic field can be predicted using an equivalent coaxial model of a foilless diode, and a dual-cavity reflector based on the model matching method can provide strong reflection at the front end of the overmoded structures so that any microwave power that leaks into the diode region can be effectively suppressed. Numerical simulations indicate that the control of the beam envelope and the use of the dual-cavity reflector ease generator operation in the low guiding magnetic field. In the experimental research, the fluctuation of the annular electron beam with the outer radius of 7.5 mm measures approximately 0.7 mm, which is in good agreement with the theoretical results. The disturbance caused by power leaking from the overmoded slow wave structure is eliminated by the dual-cavity reflector. With accurate fabrication and assembly processes, an operating frequency of 61.6 GHz is attained by the fifth harmonic heterodyne method, and the output power is measured to be approximately 123 MW by the far-field measurement method at a diode voltage of 445 kV, a beam current of 4.45 kA, and under a guiding magnetic field of 1.45 T. The output mode is measured using an array of neon flash bulbs, and the pulse shortening phenomenon is both observed and analyzed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Development of a Ne gas target for {sup 22}Na production by proton irradiation

The article presents the design and development of a neon gas target for the production of {sup 22}Na using a proton beam from the room temperature cyclotron in Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata. The target design is made to handle a beam power of 85 W (17 MeV, 5 μA). The design is based on simulation using the computer code FLUKA for the beam dump and CFD-CFX for target cooling. The target has been successfully used for the production of {sup 22}Na in a 6 day long 17 MeV, 5 μA proton irradiation run.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of mass and density of ambient gas on the interaction of laser-blow-off plasma plumes propagating in close proximity

The effects of mass and pressure of ambient gas on the propagation dynamics of two laser-blow-off plasma plumes created in close proximity are investigated. A time gated fast imaging technique is used for recording the images of the laterally colliding plumes under different experimental conditions. Pressure is varied from 0.1 to 3 mbar in three ambient, i.e., helium, neon, and argon. Emphasis is given on the nature of shock-shock interaction under different ambient conditions. It has been observed that the shock-velocity, shape, strength, and their interactions are strongly dependent on the mass and density of the ambient gases. The role of the interacting shocks and their subsequent reflections on the formation and geometrical shape of the interaction region in different ambient conditions is briefly described.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

The radiofrequency magnetic dipole discharge

This paper describes a novel and simple concept of plasma source, which is able to produce a radiofrequency magnetized discharge with minimal power requirements. The source is based on the magnetron concept and uses a permanent magnet as an active electrode. The dipolar field produced by the magnet confines the electrons, which cause further ionization, thus producing a toroidally shaped plasma in the equatorial region around the electrode. A plasma can be ignited with such scheme with power levels as low as 5 W. Paschen curves have been built for four different working gases, showing that in Helium or Neon, plasma breakdown is easily obtained also at atmospheric pressure. The plasma properties have been measured using a balanced Langmuir probe, showing that the electron temperature is around 3–4 eV and higher in the cathode proximity. Plasma densities of the order of 10{sup 16 }m{sup −3} have been obtained, with a good positive scaling with applied power. Overall, the electron pressure appears to be strongly correlated with the magnetic field magnitude in the measurement point.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

A rapid excitation-emission matrix fluorometer utilizing supercontinuum white light and acousto-optic tunable filters

Scanning speed and coupling efficiency of excitation light to optic fibres are two major technical challenges that limit the potential of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectrometer for on-line applications and in vivo studies. In this paper, a novel EEM system, utilizing a supercontinuum white light source and acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs), was introduced and evaluated. The supercontinuum white light, generated by pumping a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with an 800 nm femtosecond laser, was efficiently coupled into a bifurcated optic fiber bundle. High speed EEM spectral scanning was achieved using AOTFs both for selecting excitation wavelength and scanning emission spectra. Using calibration lamps (neon and mercury argon), wavelength deviations were determined to vary from 0.18 nm to −0.70 nm within the spectral range of 500–850 nm. Spectral bandwidth for filtered excitation light broadened by twofold compared to that measured with monochromatic light between 650 nm and 750 nm. The EEM spectra for methanol solutions of laser dyes were successfully acquired with this rapid fluorometer using an integration time of 5 s.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

First measurement of the edge charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on EAST tokamak

An edge toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (eCXRS) diagnostic, based on a heating neutral beam injection (NBI), has been deployed recently on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The eCXRS, which aims to measure the plasma ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity in the edge region simultaneously, is a complement to the exiting core CXRS (cCXRS). Two rows with 32 fiber channels each cover a radial range from ∼2.15 m to ∼2.32 m with a high spatial resolution of ∼5-7 mm. Charge exchange emission of Carbon VI CVI at 529.059 nm induced by the NBI is routinely observed, but can be tuned to any interested wavelength in the spectral range from 400 to 700 nm. Double-slit fiber bundles increase the number of channels, the fibers viewing the same radial position are binned on the CCD detector to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, enabling shorter exposure time down to 5 ms. One channel is connected to a neon lamp, which provides the real-time wavelength calibration on a shot-to-shot basis. In this paper, an overview of the eCXRS diagnostic on EAST is presented and the first results from the 2015 experimental campaign will be shown. Good agreements in ion temperature and toroidal rotation are obtained between the eCXRS and cCXRS systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Topological dynamics of optical singularities in speckle-fields induced by photorefractive scattering in a LiNbO{sub 3} : Fe crystal

A natural singular dynamics of elliptically polarised speckle-fields induced by the 'optical damage' effect in a photorefractive crystal of lithium niobate by a passing beam of a helium - neon laser is studied by the developed methods of singular optics. For the polarisation singularities (C points), a new class of chain reactions, namely, singular chain reactions are discovered and studied. It is shown that they obey the topological charge and sum Poincare index conservation laws. In addition, they exist for all the time of crystal irradiation. They consist of a series of interlocking chains, where singularity pairs arising in a chain annihilate with singularities from neighbouring independently created chains. Less often singular 'loop' reactions are observed where arising pairs of singularities annihilate after reversible transformations in within the boundaries of a single speckle. The type of a singular reaction is determined by a topology and dynamics of the speckles, in which the reactions are developing. (laser optics 2012)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Lasing in the UV, IR and visible spectral ranges in a runaway-electron-preionised diffuse dischrage

Lasers on the mixtures of inert gases, H{sub 2}, D{sub 2}, and nitrogen with NF{sub 3} and (or) SF{sub 6} are studied under pumping by the volume (diffusive) discharge formed in a nonuniform electric field due to runaway-electron preionisation. Generation in the IR, visible and UV spectral ranges is obtained on atomic transitions of neon ({lambda} = 585.3 nm), argon (750.3 nm) and fluorine (712.8 and 731.1 nm), and on molecular transitions of N2 (337.1 nm), XeF * (351 and 353 nm), HF (2.8 - 3.2 {mu}m) and DF (3.8 - 4.2 {mu}m). It is shown that in N{sub 2} - SF{sub 6}, H{sub 2} - SF{sub 6} and D{sub 2} - SF{sub 6} mixtures the generation efficiency approaches the limiting values. (lasers)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Precise laser gyroscope for autonomous inertial navigation

Requirements to gyroscopes of strapdown inertial navigation systems for aircraft application are formulated. The construction of a ring helium – neon laser designed for autonomous navigation is described. The processes that determine the laser service life and the relation between the random error of the angular velocity measurement and the surface relief features of the cavity mirrors are analysed. The results of modelling one of the promising approaches to processing the laser gyroscope signals are presented. (laser gyroscopes)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Metal abundances of KISS galaxies. V. Nebular abundances of 15 intermediate luminosity star-forming galaxies

We present high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy of 15 emission-line galaxies cataloged in the KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey, selected for their possession of high equivalent width [O iii] lines. The primary goal of this study was to attempt to derive direct-method (T{sub e}) abundances for use in constraining the upper-metallicity branch of the R{sub 23} relation. The spectra cover the full optical region from [O ii]λλ3726,3729 to [S iii]λλ9069,9531 and include the measurement of [O iii]λ4363 in 13 objects. From these spectra, we determine abundance ratios of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulfur, and argon. We find these galaxies to predominantly possess oxygen abundances in the range of 8.0 ≲ 12+log(O/H) ≲ 8.3. We present a comparison of direct-method abundances with empirical strong-emission-line techniques, revealing several discrepancies. We also present a comparison of direct-method oxygen abundance calculations using electron temperatures determined from emission lines of O{sup ++} and S{sup ++}, finding a small systematic shift to lower T{sub e} (∼1184 K) and higher metallicity (∼0.14 dex) for sulfur-derived T{sub e} compared to oxygen-derived T{sub e}. Finally, we explore in some detail the different spectral activity types of targets in our sample, including regular star-forming galaxies, those with suspected AGN contamination, and a local pair of low-metallicity, high-luminosity compact objects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Chemical abundances and properties of the ionized gas in NGC 1705

We obtained [O iii] narrow-band imaging and multi-slit MXU spectroscopy of the blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 1705 with FORS2@VLT to derive chemical abundances of planetary nebulae and H ii regions and, more in general, to characterize the properties of the ionized gas. The auroral [O iii]λ4363 line was detected in all but 1 of the 11 analyzed regions, allowing for a direct estimate of their electron temperature. The only object for which the [O iii]λ4363 line was not detected is a possible low-ionization PN, the only one detected in our data. For all the other regions, we derived the abundances of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulfur, and argon out to ∼1 kpc from the galaxy center. We detect for the first time in NGC 1705 a negative radial gradient in the oxygen metallicity of −0.24±0.08 dex kpc{sup −1}. The element abundances are all consistent with values reported in the literature for other samples of dwarf irregular and BCD galaxies. However, the average (central) oxygen abundance, 12+log(O/H)=7.96±0.04, is ∼0.26 dex lower than previous literature estimates for NGC 1705 based on the [O iii]λ4363 line. From classical emission line diagnostic diagrams, we exclude a major contribution from shock excitation. On the other hand, the radial behavior of the emission line ratios is consistent with the progressive dilution of radiation with increasing distance from the center of NGC 1705. This suggests that the strongest starburst located within the central ∼150 pc is responsible for the ionization of the gas out to at least ∼1 kpc. The gradual dilution of the radiation with increasing distance from the center reflects the gradual and continuous transition from the highly ionized H ii regions in the proximity of the major starburst into the diffuse ionized gas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF Ne II EMISSION FROM YOUNG STELLAR OBJECTS

Constraining the spatial and thermal structure of the gaseous component of circumstellar disks is crucial for understanding star and planet formation. Models predict that the [Ne II] line at 12.81 {mu}m detected in young stellar objects (YSOs) with Spitzer traces disk gas and its response to high-energy radiation, but such [Ne II] emission may also originate in shocks within powerful outflows. To distinguish between these potential origins for mid-infrared [Ne II] emission and to constrain disk models, we observed 32 YSOs using the high-resolution (R {approx} 30,000) mid-infrared spectrograph VISIR at the Very Large Telescope. We detected the 12.81 {mu}m [Ne II] line in 12 objects, tripling the number of detections of this line in YSOs with high spatial and spectral resolution spectrographs. We obtain the following main results. (1) In Class I objects the [Ne II] emission observed from Spitzer is mainly due to gas at a distance of more than 20-40 AU from the star, where neon is, most likely, ionized by shocks due to protostellar outflows. (2) In transition and pre-transition disks, most of the emission is confined to the inner disk, within 20-40 AU from the central star. (3) Detailed analysis of line profiles indicates that, in transition and pre-transition disks, the line is slightly blueshifted (2-12 km s{sup -1}) with respect to the stellar velocity, and the line width is directly correlated with the disk inclination, as expected if the emission is due to a disk wind. (4) Models of EUV/X-ray-irradiated disks reproduce well the observed relation between the line width and the disk inclination, but underestimate the blueshift of the line.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EFFECT OF COULOMB COLLISIONS ON THE GRAVITATIONAL SETTLING OF LOW AND HIGH FIRST IONIZATION POTENTIAL ELEMENTS

We model the effect of gravitational settling in the upper chromosphere on O, Fe, Si, and Ne, studying whether Coulomb collisions between ionized low First Ionization Potential (FIP) elements and protons is sufficient to cause abundance enhancements relative to oxygen. We find that low-FIP abundance enhancements comparable to observed values can be obtained provided the hydrogen ionization degree lies in the approximate range 10%-30%, which agrees with chromospheric models. Lower or higher hydrogen ionization causes the FIP-effect to become smaller or absent (depletion of all heavy elements). Iron must be almost fully ionized in order to become enriched relative to high-FIP elements, and this requires a high iron photoionization rate. The time scale necessary to produce the enrichment increases rapidly with increasing H ionization. For iron in a background from a semiempirical chromospheric model, with an H ion fraction of the order of 30%-40% in the upper chromosphere, 1-2 hr of settling is required to produce enhancements comparable to observations. The absolute abundance (relative to H), which monotonically decreases with time during settling, has by that time decreased by less than 50% in the same altitude region. With the same background conditions, the silicon abundance is more strongly enhanced by the settling than the iron abundance. The high-FIP element neon is depleted, relative to O and low-FIP elements, in the same background and altitude region where iron is enhanced, typically by 50% or more relative to O after 1-2 hr of settling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SPECTROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF PLANETARY NEBULAE IN THE NORTHERN SPUR OF M31

We present spectroscopy of three planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Northern Spur of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) obtained with the Double Spectrograph on the 5.1 m Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory. The samples were selected from the observations of Merrett et al. Our purpose is to investigate the formation of the substructures of M31 using PNe as a tracer of chemical abundances. The [O III] {lambda}4363 line is detected in the spectra of two objects, enabling temperature determinations. Ionic abundances are derived from the observed collisionally excited lines, and elemental abundances of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulfur, and argon are estimated. We study the correlations between oxygen and the {alpha}-element abundance ratios using our sample and the M31 disk and bulge PNe from the literature. In one of the three PNe, we observed a relatively higher oxygen abundance compared to the disk sample of M31 at similar galactocentric distances. The results of at least one of the three Northern Spur PNe might be in line with the proposed possible origin of the Northern Spur substructure of M31, i.e., the Northern Spur is connected to the Southern Stream and both substructures comprise the tidal debris of the satellite galaxies of M31.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MID-INFRARED ATOMIC FINE-STRUCTURE EMISSION-LINE SPECTRA OF LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES: SPITZER/IRS SPECTRA OF THE GOALS SAMPLE

We present the data and our analysis of mid-infrared atomic fine-structure emission lines detected in Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph high-resolution spectra of 202 local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) observed as part of the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). We readily detect emission lines of [S IV], [Ne II], [Ne V], [Ne III], [S III]{sub 18.7{sub μm}}, [O IV], [Fe II], [S III]{sub 33.5{sub μm}}, and [Si II]. More than 75% of these galaxies are classified as starburst-dominated sources in the mid-infrared, based on the [Ne V]/[Ne II] line flux ratios and equivalent width of the 6.2 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature. We compare ratios of the emission-line fluxes to those predicted from stellar photo-ionization and shock-ionization models to constrain the physical and chemical properties of the gas in the starburst LIRG nuclei. Comparing the [S IV]/[Ne II] and [Ne III]/[Ne II] line ratios to the Starburst99-Mappings III models with an instantaneous burst history, the emission-line ratios suggest that the nuclear starbursts in our LIRGs have ages of 1-4.5 Myr, metallicities of 1-2 Z{sub ☉}, and ionization parameters of 2-8 × 10{sup 7} cm s{sup –1}. Based on the [S III]{sub 33.5{sub μm}}/[S III]{sub 18.7{sub μm}} ratios, the electron density in LIRG nuclei is typically one to a few hundred cm{sup –3}, with a median electron density of ∼300 cm{sup –3}, for those sources above the low density limit for these lines. We also find that strong shocks are likely present in 10 starburst-dominated sources of our sample. A significant fraction of the GOALS sources (80) have resolved neon emission-line profiles (FWHM ≥600 km s{sup –1}) and five show clear differences in the velocities of the [Ne III] or [Ne V] emission lines, relative to [Ne II], of more than 200 km s{sup –1}. Furthermore, six starburst and five active galactic nucleus dominated LIRGs show a clear trend of increasing line width with ionization potential, suggesting the possibility of a compact energy source and stratified interstellar medium in their nuclei. We confirm a strong correlation between the sum of the [Ne II]{sub 12.8{sub μm}} and [Ne III]{sub 15.5{sub μm}} emission, as well as [S III]{sub 33.5{sub μm}}, with both the infrared luminosity and the 24 μm warm dust emission measured from the spectra, consistent with all three lines tracing ongoing star formation. Finally, we find no correlation between the hardness of the radiation field or the emission-line width and the ratio of the total infrared to 8 μm emission (IR8), a measure of the strength of the starburst and the distance of the LIRGs from the star-forming main sequence. This may be a function of the fact that the infrared luminosity and the mid-infrared fine-structure lines are sensitive to different timescales over the starburst, or that IR8 is more sensitive to the geometry of the region emitting the warm dust than the radiation field producing the H II region emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Velocity-resolved [Ne III] from X-ray irradiated Sz 102 microjets

Neon emission lines are good indicators of high-excitation regions close to a young stellar system because of their high ionization potentials and large critical densities. We have discovered [Ne III] λ3869 emission from the microjets of Sz 102, a low-mass young star in Lupus III. Spectroastrometric analyses of two-dimensional [Ne III] spectra obtained from archival high-dispersion (R ≈ 33, 000) Very Large Telescope/UVES data suggest that the emission consists of two velocity components spatially separated by ∼0.''3, or a projected distance of ∼60 AU. The stronger redshifted component is centered at ∼ + 21 km s{sup –1} with a line width of ∼140 km s{sup –1}, and the weaker blueshifted component at ∼ – 90 km s{sup –1} with a line width of ∼190 km s{sup –1}. The two components trace velocity centroids of the known microjets and show large line widths that extend across the systemic velocity, suggesting their potential origins in wide-angle winds that may eventually collimate into jets. Optical line ratios indicate that the microjets are hot (T ≲ 1.6 × 10{sup 4} K) and ionized (n{sub e} ≳ 5.7 × 10{sup 4} cm{sup –3}). The blueshifted component has ∼13% higher temperature and ∼46% higher electron density than the redshifted counterpart, forming a system of an asymmetric pair of jets. The detection of the [Ne III] λ3869 line with the distinct velocity profile suggests that the emission originates in flows that may have been strongly ionized by deeply embedded hard X-ray sources, most likely generated by magnetic processes. The discovery of [Ne III] λ3869 emission along with other optical forbidden lines from Sz 102 supports the picture of wide-angle winds surrounding magnetic loops in the close vicinity of the young star. Future high-sensitivity X-ray imaging and high angular-resolution optical spectroscopy may help confirm the picture proposed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spitzer IRS observations of the XA region in the cygnus loop supernova remnant

We report on spectra of two positions in the XA region of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant obtained with the InfraRed Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The spectra span the 10-35 μm wavelength range, which contains a number of collisionally excited forbidden lines. These data are supplemented by optical spectra obtained at the Whipple Observatory and an archival UV spectrum from the International Ultraviolet Explorer. Coverage from the UV through the IR provides tests of shock wave models and tight constraints on model parameters. Only lines from high ionization species are detected in the spectrum of a filament on the edge of the remnant. The filament traces a 180 km s{sup –1} shock that has just begun to cool, and the oxygen to neon abundance ratio lies in the normal range found for Galactic H II regions. Lines from both high and low ionization species are detected in the spectrum of the cusp of a shock-cloud interaction, which lies within the remnant boundary. The spectrum of the cusp region is matched by a shock of about 150 km s{sup –1} that has cooled and begun to recombine. The post-shock region has a swept-up column density of about 1.3 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup –2}, and the gas has reached a temperature of 7000-8000 K. The spectrum of the Cusp indicates that roughly half of the refractory silicon and iron atoms have been liberated from the grains. Dust emission is not detected at either position.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Identification of a jet-driven supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Possible evidence for the enhancement of bipolar explosions at low metallicity

Recent evidence has suggested that the supernova remnant (SNR) 0104–72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) may be the result of a 'prompt' Type Ia SN on the basis of enhanced iron abundances and its association with a star-forming region. In this paper, we present evidence that SNR 0104–72.3 arose from a jet-driven bipolar core-collapse (CC) SN. Specifically, we use serendipitous Chandra data of SNR 0104–72.3 taken because of its proximity to the calibration source SNR E0102–72.3. We analyze 56 Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) observations of SNR 0104–72.3 to produce imaging and spectra with an effective exposure of 528.6 ks. We demonstrate that SNR 0104–72.3 is highly elliptical relative to other nearby young SNRs, suggesting a CC SN origin. Furthermore, we compare ejecta abundances derived from spectral fits to nucleosynthetic yields of Type Ia and CC SNe, and we find that the iron, neon, and silicon abundances are consistent with either a spherical CC SN of a 18-20 M {sub ☉} progenitor or an aspherical CC SN of a 25 M {sub ☉} progenitor. We show that the star formation history at the site of SNR 0104–72.3 is also consistent with a CC origin. Given the bipolar morphology of the SNR, we favor the aspherical CC SN scenario. This result may suggest jet-driven SNe occur frequently in the low-metallicity environment of the SMC, consistent with the observational and theoretical work on broad-line Type Ic SNe and long-duration gamma-ray bursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗