Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “SWiFT”

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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

Mid-IR Properties of an Unbiased AGN Sample of the Local Universe: Emission-Line Diagnostics - 1

\Ve compare mid-IR emission-lines properties, from high-resolution Spitzer IRS spectra of a statistically-complete hard X-ray (14-195 keV) selected sample of nearby (z < 0.05) AGN detected by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) aboard Swift. The luminosity distribution for the mid-infrared emission-lines, [O IV] 25.89 microns, [Ne II] 12.81 microns, [Ne III] 15.56 microns and [Ne V] 14.32 microns, and hard X-ray continuum show no differences between Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 populations, although six newly discovered BAT AGNs are shown to be under-luminous in [O IV], most likely the result of dust extinction in the host galaxy. The overall tightness of the mid-infrared correlations and BAT luminosities suggests that the emission lines primarily arise in gas ionized by the AGN. We also compared the mid-IR emission-lines in the BAT AGNs with those from published studies of star-forming galaxies and LINERs. We found that the BAT AGN fall into a distinctive region when comparing the [Ne III]/[Ne II] and the [O IV]/[Ne III] quantities. From this we found that sources that have been previously classified in the mid-infrared/optical as AGN have smaller emission line ratios than those found for the BAT AGNs, suggesting that, in our X-ray selected sample, the AGN represents the main contribution to the observed line emission. Overall, we present a different set of emission line diagnostics to distinguish between AGN and star forming galaxies that can be used as a tool to find new AGN.

Weaver, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Broadband X-Ray Spectra of GX 339-4 and the Geometry of Accreting Black Holes in the Hard State

A major question in the study of black hole binaries involves our understanding of the accretion geometry when the sources are in the "hard" state, with an X-ray energy spectrum dominated by a hard power-law component and radio emission coming from a steady "compact" jet. Although the common hard state picture is that the accretion disk is truncated, perhaps at hundreds of gravitational radii (Rg) from the black hole, recent results for the recurrent transient GX 339-4 by Miller and coworkers show evidence for disk material very close to the black hole's innermost stable circular orbit. That work studied GX 339-4 at a luminosity of approximately 5% of the Eddington limit (L(sub Edd) and used parameters from a relativistic reflection model and the presence of a thermal component as diagnostics. Here we use similar diagnostics but extend the study to lower luminosities (2.3% and 0.8% L(sub Edd)) using Swift and RXTE observations of GX 339-4. We detect a thermal component with an inner disk temperature of approximately 0.2 keV at 2.3% L (sub Edd). At both luminosities, we detect broad features due to iron K-alpha that are likely related to reflection of hard X-rays off disk material. If these features are broadened by relativistic effects, they indicate that the material resides within 10 Rg, and the measurements are consistent with the disk's inner radius remaining at approximately 4 Rg down to 0.8% L(sub Edd). However, we also discuss an alternative model for the broadening, and we note that the evolution of the thermal component is not entirely consistent with the constant inner radius interpretation. Finally, we discuss the results in terms of recent theoretical work by Liu and co-workers on the possibility that material may condense out of an Advection-Dominated Accretion Flow to maintain an inner optically thick disk.

Tomsick, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

X-Ray Variability of ULXs and the Mass of NGC 5408 X-1

Several of the brightest ULXs now have detections of characteristic variability timescales in the X-ray; including quasiperiodic oscillation and power spectral break frequencies. The best example at present is NGC5408 X-1, which has shown X-ray timing and spectral behavior closely analogous to that observed in Galactic, stellar mass black holes, but at systematically higher luminosities and longer timescales. I will present recent XMM-Newton observations of X-1 that reveal a QPO frequency -- spectral index relationship consistent with that seen in stellar-mass black hole systems of known mass. I will show that extension of the frequency -- spectral index scaling relationship from the stellar-mass systems to X-1 suggests that it harbors an intermediate mass black hole. I will also present the results of regular, ongoing monitoring of X-1 with Swift, including the discovery of an 113 day periodicity that is likely the orbital period of the black hole binary.

Strohmayer, Todd↗
NASA NTRS2010

What the Heck is Going On at NASA?

On February 1, 2010, the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2011 was released. NASA received an increase, unlike almost any other federal agency. At the same time, the budget revealed that the Constellation Program would be cancelled and that NASA would look to private sector providers for transportation of cargo, and eventually crew members, to the International Space Station. The Constellation Program had included a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, and the program plans called for a permanent surface facility capable of supporting human explorers. In the FY2011 announcement, the prescription of a lunar objective was replaced by a concept called flexible path that was advertised to open possibilities of other types of human missions beyond low Earth orbit. The policy direction has polarized the U.S. space community, where the reactions have been swift and polemical. The new policy has been described both as the death knell of human space exploration and as the only hope to save human space exploration. Some members of Congress have threatened legal action based on the current law regarding appropriation of funds to NASA, which states that Constellation cannot be cancelled without prior consultation with Congress. As might be expected, some of the reaction is directly related to losses or gains of jobs in districts associated with NASA facilities. However, various statements show high emotional content, suggesting that personal belief systems have been challenged. Meanwhile, many details of the new policy are not yet clear; and some aspects seem to be shifting in response to political reaction. The final direction for NASA will not be known until the FY2011 budget has been passed by Congress and signed by the President. I will draw upon my 28 years of studying, writing, and speaking on the topic of future human exploration beyond low Earth orbit to discuss the various issues at stake and the historical context for the debate. My own work has had a central theme of lunar exploration and development, but I have also come to believe that human exploration will never be more than a political sideshow until a significant economic sector can be created in space off of the Earth. Disclaimer: The views presented will be my own and in no way reflect official policies of the NASA.

Mendell, Wendell↗
NASA NTRS2010

Coupled Analysis of an Inlet and Fan for a Quiet Supersonic Jet

A computational analysis of a Gulfstream isentropic external compression supersonic inlet coupled to a Rolls-Royce fan has been completed. The inlet was designed for a small, low sonic boom supersonic vehicle with a design cruise condition of M = 1.6 at 45,000 ft. The inlet design included an annular bypass duct that routed flow subsonically around an engine-mounted gearbox and diverted flow with high shock losses away from the fan tip. Two Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes codes were used for the analysis: an axisymmetric code called AVCS for the inlet and a three dimensional (3-D) code called SWIFT for the fan. The codes were coupled at a mixing plane boundary using a separate code for data exchange. The codes were used to determine the performance of the inlet/fan system at the design point and to predict the performance and operability of the system over the flight profile. At the design point the core inlet had a recovery of 96 percent, and the fan operated near its peak efficiency and pressure ratio. A large hub radial distortion generated in the inlet was not eliminated by the fan and could pose a challenge for subsequent booster stages. The system operated stably at all points along the flight profile. Reduced stall margin was seen at low altitude and Mach number where flow separated on the interior lips of the cowl and bypass ducts. The coupled analysis gave consistent solutions at all points on the flight profile that would be difficult or impossible to predict by analysis of isolated components.

Chima, Rodrick V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2009

The Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical organizations in the world, with activities spanning a broad range of topics in theory, observation, and mission and technology development. Scientific research is carried out over the entire electromagnetic spectrum - from gamma rays to radio wavelengths - as well as particle physics and gravitational radiation. Members of ASD also provide the scientific operations for three orbiting astrophysics missions - WMAP, RXTE, and Swift, as well as the Science Support Center for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. A number of key technologies for future missions are also under development in the Division, including X-ray mirrors, space-based interferometry, high contrast imaging techniques to search for exoplanets, and new detectors operating at gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, and radio wavelengths. The overriding goals of ASD are to carry out cutting-edge scientific research, provide Project Scientist support for spaceflight missions, implement the goals of the NASA Strategic Plan, serve and support the astronomical community, and enable future missions by conceiving new concepts and inventing new technologies.

Oegerle, William↗
NASA NTRS2010

Accreting Binary Populations in the Earlier Universe

It is now understood that X-ray binaries dominate the hard X-ray emission from normal star-forming galaxies. Thanks to the deepest (2-4 Ms) Chandra surveys, such galaxies are now being studied in X-rays out to z approximates 4. Interesting X-ray stacking results (based on 30+ galaxies per redshift bin) suggest that the mean rest-frame 2-10 keV luminosity from z=3-4 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs), is comparable to the most powerful starburst galaxies in the local Universe. This result possibly indicates a similar production mechanism for accreting binaries over large cosmological timescales. To understand and constrain better the production of X-ray binaries in high-redshift LBGs, we have utilized XMM-Newton observations of a small sample of z approximates 0.1 GALEX-selected Ultraviolet-Luminous Galaxies (UVLGs); local analogs to high-redshift LBGs. Our observations enable us to study the X-ray emission from LBG-like galaxies on an individual basis, thus allowing us to constrain object-to-object variances in this population. We supplement these results with X-ray stacking constraints using the new 3.2 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (completed spring 2010) and LBG candidates selected from HST, Swift UVOT, and ground-based data. These measurements provide new X-ray constraints that sample well the entire z=0-4 baseline

Hornschemeier, Ann↗
NASA NTRS2010

High-Resolution X-Ray Spectra of the Symbiotic Star SS73 17

SS73 17 was an innocuous Mira-type symbiotic star until the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory and Swift discovered its bright hard X-ray emission, adding it to the small class of "hard X-ray emitting symbiotics." Suzaku observations in 2006 then showed it emits three bright iron lines as well, with little to no emission in the 0.3-2.0 keV bandpass. We present here follow-up observations with the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating and Suzaku that confirm the earlier detection of strong emission lines of Fe K(alpha) fluorescence, Fe XXV and Fe XXVI but also show significantly more soft X-ray emission. The high-resolution spectrum also shows emission lines of other highly ionized ions as Si xiv and possibly S XVI. In addition, a re-analysis of the 2006 Suzaku data using the latest calibration shows that the hard (15-50 keV) X-ray emission is brighter than previously thought and remains constant in both the 2006 and 2008 data. The G ratio calculated from the Fe xxv lines shows that these lines are thermal, not photoionized, in origin.With the exception of the hard X-ray emission, the spectra from both epochs can be fit using thermal radiation assuming a differential emission measure based on a cooling-flow model combined with a full and partial absorber. We show that acceptable fits can be obtained for all the data in the 1-10 keV band varying only the partial absorber. Based on the temperature and accretion rate, the thermal emission appears to be arising from the boundary layer between the accreting white dwarf and the accretion disk.

Eze, R. N. C.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Coupled Analysis of an Inlet and Fan for a Quiet Supersonic Aircraft

A computational analysis of a Gulfstream isentropic external compression supersonic inlet coupled to a Rolls-Royce fan was completed. The inlet was designed for a small, low sonic boom supersonic vehicle with a design cruise condition of M = 1.6 at 45,000 feet. The inlet design included an annular bypass duct that routed flow subsonically around an engine-mounted gearbox and diverted flow with high shock losses away from the fan tip. Two Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes codes were used for the analysis: an axisymmetric code called AVCS for the inlet and a 3-D code called SWIFT for the fan. The codes were coupled at a mixing plane boundary using a separate code for data exchange. The codes were used to determine the performance of the inlet/fan system at the design point and to predict the performance and operability of the system over the flight profile. At the design point the core inlet had a recovery of 96 percent, and the fan operated near its peak efficiency and pressure ratio. A large hub radial distortion generated in the inlet was not eliminated by the fan and could pose a challenge for subsequent booster stages. The system operated stably at all points along the flight profile. Reduced stall margin was seen at low altitude and Mach number where flow separated on the interior lips of the cowl and bypass ducts. The coupled analysis gave consistent solutions at all points on the flight profile that would be difficult or impossible to predict by analysis of isolated components.

Chima, Rodrick V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

GRB-081029: A Step Towards Understanding Multiple Afterglow Components

We present an analysis of the unusual optical light curve of the gamma-ray burst-081029 at a redshift of z = 3.8474. We combine X-ray and optical observations from (Swift) with optical and infrared data from REM to obtain a detailed data set extending from approx 10(exp 2)s to approx 10(exp 5)s after the BAT trigger, and from approx.10 keV to 16,000 AA. The X-ray afterglow showed a shallow initial decay followed by u rapid decay after about 18,000 s. The optical afterglow, however, shows an uncharecteristic rise at about 5000 s that has no corresponding feature in the X-ray light curve. The data are not consistent with a single-component jet. It is possible that there are multiple physical components contributing to the afterglow of GRB-081029.

Holland Stephen T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Precursors of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

We carried out a systematic search of precursors on the sample of short GRBs observed by Swift. We found that approx. 8-10% of short GRBs display such early episode of emission. One burst (GRB 090510) shows two precursor events, the former approx.13 s and the latter approx. 0.5 s before the GRB. We did not find any substantial difference between the precursor and the main GRB emission, and between short GRBs with and without precursors. We discuss possible mechanisms to reproduce the observed precursor emission within the scenario of compact object mergers. The implications of our results on quantum gravity constraints are also discussed.

Troja, E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Infrared Limb Sounding with Cassini CIRS: Optimal Viewing Strategy Using Horizon Nodes

In this paper we investigate a question of science optimization during Cassini flybys of Titan. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) makes limb during the closest approach period when the visible horizon circle is moving swiftly across the planet. We have sought to discover if any points on the horizon are preferred for limb sounding due to having minimum movement relative to the surface. By numerical calculation, backed by geometric analysis, we find that two limited regions on the horizon are continuously visible during the entire encounter. We term these "limb nodes" and show how they may be employed by CIRS to optimize science by minimizing the source of systematic error due to spatial smear. These conclusions are applicable to many similar scenarios of spacecraft limb sounding during hyperbolic flyby encounters.

Mixon, Conor A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

RATIR: Reionization and Transients Infra-Red Camera. A New Instrument to Identify High Red-Shift GRBs

We are currently constructing the cryogenic infrared portion of the RATIR instrument at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in collaboration with University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and The University of Mexico (UNAM). The infrared instrument will consist of two 2048x2048 Hawaii 2RG detectors, one on axis and one off axis using diachronic. The detectors will be operated using state-of-the-art Teledyne SIDECAR (System Image, Digitizing, Enhancing, Controlling, And Retrieving) ASICs (Application- Specific Integrated Circuits) similar to NIRSpec on JWST. The visible portion of the instrument is currently being developed at UCB consisting of two CCD imagining cameras. Once completed, the two sections will be integrated into the RATIR instrument. Mounted on a dedicated, fully-automated 1.5-m telescope, the instrument will provide rapid (<10 min) identification of VHR GRBs allowing high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up observations with large aperture telescopes possible. The hosting Observatorio Astronomico Nacional of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), located on the Sierra de San Pedro Martir in Baja California, Mexico, provides great seeing (-1 aresec), good weather, dark skies, and significant sky coverage so that RATIR will detect a significant number of Swift afterglows. While not all GRBs will be at high red shifts, the resulting light curves, combined with X-ray/UV observations, will address several open questions, including the nature of both "dark GRBs" and the GRB emission mechanism.

Rapchun, David A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Suzaku Observes Weak Flares from IGRJ17391-3021 Representing a Common Low-Activity State in this SFXT

We present an analysis of a 37-ks observation of the supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGRJ17391 -3021 (=XTEJ1739-302) gathered with Suzaku. The source evolved from quiescence to a low-activity level culminating in three weak flares lasting approx.3 ks each in which the peak luminosity is only a factor of 5 times that of the pre-flare luminosity. The minimum observed luminosity was 1.3 x 10(exp 33) erg/s (d/2.7 kpc)(exp 2) in the 0.5-10 keV range. The weak flares are accompanied by significant changes in the spectral parameters including a column density (N(sub H) = (4.1(+0.4/-0.5)) x 10(exp 22)/sq cm) that is approx.2-9 times the absorption measured during quiescence. Accretion of obscuring clumps of stellar wind material can explain both the small flares and the increase in NH. Placing this observation in the context of the recent Swift monitoring campaign, we find that weak-flaring episodes, or at least epochs of enhanced activity just above the quiescent level but well below the moderately bright or high-luminosity outbursts, represent more than 60+/-5% of all observations in the 0.5-10keV energy range making this the most common state in the emission behavior of IGRJ17391 -3021.

Bodaghee, A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA EM Followup of LIGO-Virgo Candidate Events

We present a strategy for a follow-up of LIGO-Virgo candidate events using offline survey data from several NASA high-energy photon instruments aboard RXTE, Swift, and Fermi. Time and sky-location information provided by the GW trigger allows for a targeted search for prompt and afterglow EM signals. In doing so, we expect to be sensitive to signals which are too weak to be publicly reported as astrophysical EM events.

Blackburn, Lindy L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Exploring Fermi-LAT Extended GeV Emission with Stacking Analysis

Temporally extended emission at energies> 100 MeV have been seen nearly all of the bright GRBs detected by Fermi-LAT. The production mechanism and relationship to broadband afterglow emission remains controversial without detailed simultaneous multi-wavelength observations on individual sources. We explore this problem by stacking separately, the gamma-ray and X-ray emission for -150 Swift GRBs over the first few thousand seconds of overlapping observations after a trigger, and discuss the potential presence of an additional spectral component.

Racusin, Judith L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

When A Standard Candle Flickers

The Crab Nebula is the only hard X-ray source in the sky that is both bright enough and steady enough to be easily used as a standard candle. As a result, it has been used as a normalization standard by most X-ray/gamma ray telescopes. Although small-scale variations in the nebula are well-known, since the start of science operations of the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) in August 2008 a 7% (70 mcrab) decline has been observed in the overall Crab Nebula flux in the 15-50 keV band, measured with the Earth occultation technique. This decline is independently confirmed in the 15-50 keV band with three other instruments: the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (Swift/BAT), the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array (RXTE/PCA), and the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory Imager on Board INTEGRAL (IBIS). A similar decline is also observed in the 3 - 15 keV data from the RXTE/PCA and in the 50 - 100 keV band with GBM, Swift/BAT, and INTEGRAL/IBIS. The change in the pulsed flux measured with RXTE/PCA since 1999 is consistent with the pulsar spin-down, indicating that the observed changes are nebular. Correlated variations in the Crab Nebula flux on a 3 year timescale are also seen independently with the PCA, BAT, and IBIS from 2005 to 2008, with a flux minimum in April 2007. As of August 2010, the current flux has declined below the 2007 minimum.

Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Suzaku Captures a Possible Eclipse in IGR J16207-5129 and Identifies a Weak-Flaring State in IGR J17391-3021

We present the results from analyses of Suzaku observations of the supergiant X-ray binaries IGR Jl6207-5129 and IGR Jl7391-3021. For IGR Jl6207-5129, we provide the first broadband (0.5-60 keV) spectrum from which we confirm a large intrinsic column density (N(sub H) = 16 X 10(exp 22)/square cm), and constrain the cutoff energy for the first time (E(sub c) 19 keV). We observed a prolonged (> 30 ks) attenuation of the X-ray flux which we tentatively attribute to an eclipse of the probable neutron star by its massive companion. For IGR Jl739J-3021, we witnessed a transition from quiescence to a low-activity phase punctuated by weak flares whose peak luminosities in the 0.5-10 keV band are only a factor of 5 times that of the pre-flare emission. The weak flaring is accompanied by an increase in the absorbing column which suggests the accretion of obscuring clumps of wind. Placing this observation in the context of the recent Swift monitoring campaign, we now recognize that these low-activity epochs constitute the most common emission phase for this system, and perhaps in other supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) as well.

Bodaghee, Arash↗