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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

The star formation properties of the observed and simulated AGN Universe: BAT versus EAGLE

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present data from 72 low-redshift, hard X-ray selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) taken from the Swift–BAT 58 month catalogue. We utilize spectral energy distribution fitting to the optical to infrared photometry in order to estimate host galaxy properties. We compare this observational sample to a volume- and flux-matched sample of AGN from the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) hydrodynamical simulations in order to verify how accurately the simulations can reproduce observed AGN host galaxy properties. After correcting for the known +0.2 dex offset in the SFRs between EAGLE and previous observations, we find agreement in the star formation rate (SFR) and X-ray luminosity distributions; however, we find that the stellar masses in EAGLE are 0.2–0.4 dex greater than the observational sample, which consequently leads to lower specific star formation rates (sSFRs). We compare these results to our previous study at high redshift, finding agreement in both the observations and simulations, whereby the widths of sSFR distributions are similar (∼0.4–0.6 dex) and the median of the SFR distributions lie below the star-forming main sequence by ∼0.3–0.5 dex across all samples. We also use EAGLE to select a sample of AGN host galaxies at high and low redshift and follow their characteristic evolution from z = 8 to z = 0. We find similar behaviour between these two samples, whereby star formation is quenched when the black hole goes through its phase of most rapid growth. Utilizing EAGLE we find that 23 per cent of AGN selected at z ∼ 0 are also AGN at high redshift, and that their host galaxies are among the most massive objects in the simulation. Overall, we find EAGLE reproduces the observations well, with some minor inconsistencies (∼0.2 dex in stellar masses and ∼0.4 dex in sSFRs).

Jackson, Thomas M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Universe at z > 10: predictions for JWST from the universemachine DR1

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to observe galaxies at z > 10 that are presently inaccessible. Here, we use a self-consistent empirical model, the universemachine, to generate mock galaxy catalogues and light-cones over the redshift range z = 0-15. These data include realistic galaxy properties (stellar masses, star formation rates, and UV luminosities), galaxy–halo relationships, and galaxy–galaxy clustering. Mock observables are also provided for different model parameters spanning observational uncertainties at z < 10. We predict that Cycle 1 JWST surveys will very likely detect galaxies with M* > 10 7 M⊙ and/or M 1500 < -17 out to at least z ~ 13.5. Number density uncertainties at z > 12 expand dramatically, so efforts to detect z > 12 galaxies will provide the most valuable constraints on galaxy formation models. Additionally, the faint-end slopes of the stellar mass/luminosity functions at a given mass/luminosity threshold steepen as redshift increases. This is because observable galaxies are hosted by haloes in the exponentially falling regime of the halo mass function at high redshifts. Hence, these faint-end slopes are robustly predicted to become shallower below current observable limits (M* < 10 7 M⊙ or M 1500 > -17). For reionization models, extrapolating luminosity functions with a constant faint-end slope from M 1500 = -17 down to M 1500 = -12 gives the most reasonable upper limit for the total UV luminosity and cosmic star formation rate up to z ~ 12. We compare to three other empirical models and one semi-analytic model, showing that the range of predicted observables from our approach encompasses predictions from other techniques. Public catalogues and light-cones for common fields are available online.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reliable photometric membership (RPM) of galaxies in clusters – I. A machine learning method and its performance in the local universe

ABSTRACT We introduce a new method to determine galaxy cluster membership based solely on photometric properties. We adopt a machine learning approach to recover a cluster membership probability from galaxy photometric parameters and finally derive a membership classification. After testing several machine learning techniques (such as stochastic gradient boosting, model averaged neural network and k-nearest neighbours), we found the support vector machine algorithm to perform better when applied to our data. Our training and validation data are from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey main sample. Hence, to be complete to $M_r^* + 3$, we limit our work to 30 clusters with $z$phot-cl ≤ 0.045. Masses (M200) are larger than $\sim 0.6\times 10^{14} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ (most above $3\times 10^{14} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$). Our results are derived taking in account all galaxies in the line of sight of each cluster, with no photometric redshift cuts or background corrections. Our method is non-parametric, making no assumptions on the number density or luminosity profiles of galaxies in clusters. Our approach delivers extremely accurate results (completeness, C $\sim 92{\rm{ per\ cent}}$ and purity, P $\sim 87{\rm{ per\ cent}}$) within R200, so that we named our code reliable photometric membership. We discuss possible dependencies on magnitude, colour, and cluster mass. Finally, we present some applications of our method, stressing its impact to galaxy evolution and cosmological studies based on future large-scale surveys, such as eROSITA, EUCLID, and LSST.

Lopes, Paulo A. A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the dark matter haloes of optical and IR-selected AGNs in the local universe

ABSTRACT We use the technique of total satellite luminosity, Lsat, to probe the dark matter haloes around active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the SDSS Main Galaxy Sample. Our results focus on galaxies and AGNs that are the central galaxy of their halo. Our two AGN samples are constructed from optical emission-line diagnostics and from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) infrared colours. Both optically selected and WISE-selected AGN have Lsat values twice as high as non-active galaxy samples when controlling for stellar mass and mean stellar age. This implies that the haloes are twice as massive, but we cannot rule out that the increase in Lsat is due to these AGNs residing in younger haloes at the same mass. When only controlling for host galaxy stellar mass, WISE-selected AGNs also have higher Lsat values than optical AGNs at the factor of two level, consistent with previous results comparing the clustering of obscured and unobscured AGNs. However, controlling for stellar age in the two populations of host galaxies removes half of this difference, attenuating the statistical significance of the difference. We perform permutation tests to quantify the difference in the halo populations of each sample. The difference in star formation properties does not fully explain the difference in the two AGN populations, however. Although AGN luminosity correlates with mean stellar age, the difference in stellar age between the WISE and optical samples cannot be fully explained by differences in their AGN luminosity distributions.

Alpaslan, Mehmet (ORCID:0000000303211033)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surrogate modelling the Baryonic Universe II: On forward modelling the colours of individual and populations of galaxies

ABSTRACT Among the properties shaping the light of a galaxy, the star formation history (SFH) is one of the most challenging to model due to the variety of correlated physical processes regulating star formation. In this work, we leverage the stellar population synthesis model fsps, together with SFHs predicted by the hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG and the empirical model universemachine, to study the impact of star formation variability on galaxy colours. We start by introducing a model-independent metric to quantify the burstiness of a galaxy formation model, and we use this metric to demonstrate that universemachine predicts SFHs with more burstiness relative to IllustrisTNG. Using this metric and principal component analysis, we construct families of SFH models with adjustable variability, and we show that the precision of broad-band optical and near-infrared colours degrades as the level of unresolved short-term variability increases. We use the same technique to demonstrate that variability in metallicity and dust attenuation presents a practically negligible impact on colours relative to star formation variability. We additionally provide a model-independent fitting function capturing how the level of unresolved star formation variability translates into imprecision in predictions for galaxy colours; our fitting function can be used to determine the minimal SFH model that reproduces colours with some target precision. Finally, we show that modelling the colours of individual galaxies with per cent-level precision demands resorting to complex SFH models, while producing precise colours for galaxy populations can be achieved using models with just a few degrees of freedom.

Chaves-Montero, Jonás (ORCID:0000000295534261)↗
DOE OSTI2021

SDSS-IV MaNGA: the physical origin of off-galaxy H α blobs in the local Universe

ABSTRACT H α blobs are off-galaxy emission-line regions with weak or no optical counterparts. They are mostly visible in H α line, appearing as concentrated blobs. Such unusual objects have been rarely observed and studied, and their physical origin is still unclear. We have identified 13 H α blobs in the public data of MaNGA survey, by visually inspecting both the optical images and the spatially resolved maps of H α line for ∼4600 galaxy systems. Among the 13 H α blobs, 2 were reported in previously MaNGA-based studies and 11 are newly discovered. This sample, though still small in size, is by far the largest sample with both deep imaging and integral field spectroscopy. Therefore, for the first time we are able to perform statistical studies to investigate the physical origin of H α blobs. We examine the physical properties of these H α blobs and their associated galaxies, including their morphology, environments, gas-phase metallicities, kinematics of ionized gas, and ionizing sources. We find that the H α blobs in our sample can be broadly divided into two groups. One is associated with interacting/merging galaxy systems, of which the ionization is dominated by shocks or diffuse ionized gas. It is likely that these H α blobs used to be part of their nearby galaxies, but were stripped away at some point due to tidal interactions. The other group is found in gas-rich systems, appearing as low-metallicity star-forming regions that are visually detached from the main galaxy. These H α blobs could be associated with faint discs, spiral arms, or dwarf galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

What drives galaxy quenching? A deep connection between galaxy kinematics and quenching in the local Universe

ABSTRACT We develop a 2D inclined rotating disc model, which we apply to the stellar velocity maps of 1862 galaxies taken from the MaNGA survey (SDSS public Data Release 15) . We use a random forest classifier to identify the kinematic parameters that are most connected to galaxy quenching. We find that kinematic parameters that relate predominantly to the disc (such as the mean rotational velocity) and parameters that characterize whether a galaxy is rotation- or dispersion-dominated (such as the ratio of rotational velocity to velocity dispersion) are not fundamentally linked to the quenching of star formation. Instead, we find overwhelmingly that it is the absolute level of velocity dispersion (a property that relates primarily to a galaxy’s bulge/spheroidal component) that is most important for separating star-forming and quenched galaxies. Furthermore, a partial correlation analysis shows that many commonly discussed correlations between galaxy properties and quenching are spurious, and that the fundamental correlation is between quenching and velocity dispersion. In particular, we find that at fixed velocity dispersion, there is only a very weak dependence of quenching on the disc properties, whereby more discy galaxies are slightly more likely to be forming stars. By invoking the tight relationship between black hole mass and velocity dispersion, and noting that black hole mass traces the total energy released by active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we argue that these data support a scenario in which quenching occurs by preventive feedback from AGNs. The kinematic measurements from this work are publicly available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extremely massive disc galaxies in the nearby Universe form through gas-rich minor mergers

ABSTRACT In our hierarchical structure-formation paradigm, the observed morphological evolution of massive galaxies – from rotationally supported discs to dispersion-dominated spheroids – is largely explained via galaxy merging. However, since mergers are likely to destroy discs, and the most massive galaxies have the richest merger histories, it is surprising that any discs exist at all at the highest stellar masses. Recent theoretical work by our group has used a cosmological, hydrodynamical simulation to suggest that extremely massive (M* > 1011.4 M⊙) discs form primarily via minor mergers between spheroids and gas-rich satellites, which create new rotational stellar components and leave discs as remnants. Here, we use UV-optical and H i data of massive galaxies, from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS), and Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA surveys, to test these theoretical predictions. Observed massive discs account for ∼13 per cent of massive galaxies, in good agreement with theory (∼11 per cent). ∼64 per cent of the observed massive discs exhibit tidal features, which are likely to indicate recent minor mergers, in the deep DECaLS images (compared to ∼60 per cent in their simulated counterparts). The incidence of these features is at least four times higher than in low-mass discs, suggesting that, as predicted, minor mergers play a significant (and outsized) role in the formation of these systems. The empirical star formation rates agree well with theoretical predictions and, for a small galaxy sample with H i detections, the H i masses and fractions are consistent with the range predicted by the simulation. The good agreement between theory and observations indicates that extremely massive discs are indeed remnants of recent minor mergers between spheroids and gas-rich satellites.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Early-type dwarf galaxies in the local universe. Evidence of ex situ growth

We report the discovery of a rare early-type dwarf galaxy (dE), SDSS J125651.47+163024.2 (hereafter, dE1256), possessing a tidal feature that was likely built up by accretion of an even smaller dwarf galaxy. dE1256 is located in a nearly isolated environment, at the outskirt of the Virgo cluster. A detailed morphological examination reveals that the accreted stellar population is mainly deposited in the outer part of dE1256, where the tidal tail is most prominent. The inner part of dE1256 is perfectly modelled with a simple Sérsic function of index n = 0.63 and half-light radius R h = 0.6 kpc, but in contrast, the entire galaxy has a size of R h = 1.2 kpc. The mass ratio between the host and the putative accreted dwarf galaxy is calculated to be 5:1, assuming that the observed two components, inner Sérsic and outer tidal tail residual, represent the host’s and accreted galaxy’s stellar populations, respectively. We suggest that while the accretion contributes only 20 per cent of the overall stellar population, the size of dE1256 grew by a factor of two via the accretion event. Our results provide, for the first time, strong observational evidence that a dE is undergoing a two-phase growth, a common phenomenon for massive galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Galaxy Cruise: Deep Insights into Interacting Galaxies in the Local Universe

Abstract We present the first results from GALAXY CRUISE, a community (or citizen) science project based on data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). The current paradigm of galaxy evolution suggests that galaxies grow hierarchically via mergers, but our observational understanding of the role of mergers is still limited. The data from HSC-SSP are ideally suited to improve our understanding with improved identifications of interacting galaxies thanks to the superb depth and image quality of HSC-SSP. We launched a community science project, GALAXY CRUISE, in 2019 and have collected over two million independent classifications of 20686 galaxies at z < 0.2. We first characterize the accuracy of the participants’ classifications and demonstrate that it surpasses previous studies based on shallower imaging data. We then investigate various aspects of interacting galaxies in detail. We show that there is a clear sign of enhanced activities of super-massive black holes and star formation in interacting galaxies compared to those in isolated galaxies. The enhancement seems particularly strong for galaxies undergoing violent mergers. We also show that the mass growth rate inferred from our results is roughly consistent with the observed evolution of the stellar mass function. The second season of GALAXY CRUISE is currently underway and we conclude with future prospects. We make the morphological classification catalog used in this paper publicly available at the GALAXY CRUISE website, which will be particularly useful for machine-learning applications.

Tanaka, Masayuki↗
DOE OSTI2024

Phytohormones in a universe of regulatory metabolites: lessons from jasmonate

Small-molecule phytohormones exert control over plant growth, development, and stress responses by coordinating the patterns of gene expression within and between cells. Increasing evidence indicates that currently recognized plant hormones are part of a larger group of regulatory metabolites that have acquired signaling properties during the evolution of land plants. This rich assortment of chemical signals reflects the tremendous diversity of plant secondary metabolism, which offers evolutionary solutions to the daunting challenges of sessility and other unique aspects of plant biology. A major gap in our current understanding of plant regulatory metabolites is the lack of insight into the direct targets of these compounds. Here, we illustrate the blurred distinction between classical phytohormones and other bioactive metabolites by highlighting the major scientific advances that transformed the view of jasmonate from an interesting floral scent to a potent transcriptional regulator. Lessons from jasmonate research generally apply to other phytohormones and thus may help provide a broad understanding of regulatory metabolite–protein interactions. In providing a framework that links small-molecule diversity to transcriptional plasticity, we hope to stimulate future research to explore the evolution, functions, and mechanisms of perception of a broad range of plant regulatory metabolites.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Practically universal representation of the Helfand-Werthamer upper critical field for any transport scattering rate

Here, the simplified scaling of the orbital upper critical field, H c2 ⁡(T), for an isotropic s-wave superconductor is introduced. To facilitate the analysis of the experimental data, we suggest a simple but accurate approximation of the Helfand-Werthamer upper critical field in the entire temperature range valid for any transport scattering rate: H c⁢2 ⁡/⁢H c⁢⁢2 ⁡(0) ≈ (1 -t 2 )/(1 + 0.42t 1.47 ).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Universal temperature dependence of the London penetration depth in κ - ( ET ) 2 X superconductors

High-precision radio-frequency magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed on single crystals of fully deuterated $κ-(ET)_2Cu[N(CN)_2]\,Br$, hereafter designated as $κ-(ET)_2Cu[N(CN)_2]\,Br$. This material phase separates into superconducting and antiferromagnetic regions, the degree of which depends strongly upon the cooling rate. Here, we show that the screening fraction $η_{sc}$ varies logarithmically with the cooling rate over nearly five decades. The average size of superconducting regions is estimated to vary from 5 to $40μm$, depending upon cooling rate, consistent with previous infrared microscopy measurements. In the region $T≲T_c/3$, the effective magnetic penetration depth exhibits power-law behavior $λ(T)-λ(0)~T^n$ with $n=1.6$, independent of the cooling rate. Changes in cooling rate and the consequent phase separation evidently do not introduce the kind of disorder that would alter the exponent $n$ in a $d$-wave superconductor. The exponent remains close to $n=$ 1.5, reported in single crystals of $κ-(ET)_2Cu[N(CN)_2]\,Br$ and $κ-(ET)_2Cu(NCS)_2$ [A. Carrington et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 83, 4172 (1999)]. The transition temperature fell linearly with $1-η_{sc}$. Measurements were also made on $κ-(ET)_2Cu[N(CN)_2]\,Cl$ of normal isotopic abundance in which a very small amount of superconducting phase $η_{sc}≈10^{-4}$ developed, presumably through the strain-induced sample mounting. This material showed a power-law exponent of $n=1.64$, independent of the cooling rate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Linear magnetoresistance with a universal energy scale in the strong-coupling superconductor Mo8Ga41 without quantum criticality

The recent discovery of a nonsaturating linear magnetoresistance in several correlated electron systems near a quantum critical point has revealed an interesting interplay between the linear magnetoresistance and the zero-field linear-in-temperature resistivity. These studies suggest a possible role of quantum criticality on the observed linear magnetoresistance. Here we report our discovery of a nonsaturating, linear magnetoresistance in Mo 8 Ga 41 , a nearly isotropic strong electron-phonon coupling superconductor with a linear-in-temperature resistivity from the transition temperature to ~ 55 K. The growth of the resistivity in field is comparable to that in temperature, provided that both quantities are measured in the energy unit. Overall, our data sets are remarkably similar to magnetoresistance data of the optimally doped La 2 - x Sr x CuO 4 , despite the clearly different crystal and electronic structures, and the apparent absence of quantum critical physics in Mo 8 Ga 41 . A new empirical scaling formula is developed, which is able to capture the key features of the low-temperature magnetoresistance data of Mo 8 Ga 41 , as well as the data of La 2 - x Sr x CuO 4 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Universal fluctuating regime in triangular chromate antiferromagnets

In this work, we report x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements, as well as density-functional band-structure calculations for the frustrated S=3/2 triangular lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (TLHAF) α-HCrO 2 (trigonal, space group: $R\bar{3}m$). This compound undergoes a clear magnetic transition at T N ≃22.5 K, as seen from the drop in the muon paramagnetic fraction and concurrent anomalies in the magnetic susceptibility and specific heat capacity. Local probes (NMR and μSR) reveal a broad regime with slow fluctuations down to 0.7T N , this temperature corresponding to the maximum in the μSR relaxation rate and in the NMR wipe-out. From the comparison with NaCrO 2 and α-KCrO 2 , the fluctuating regime and slow dynamics below T N appear to be hallmarks of the TLHAF with ABC stacking. We discuss the role of interlayer frustration, which may have impacted recent spin-liquid candidates with triangular geometry.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Universal time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory

We study the hydrodynamics of superconductors within the framework of Schwinger-Keldysh effective field theory (EFT). We show that in the vicinity of the superconducting phase transition the most general leading-order EFT satisfying the local Kubo-Martin-Schwinger condition is described by a version of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equations augmented with stochastic terms. This version of TDGL is applicable in the gapless regime independent of any microscopic details. Within this approach, it is possible to include systematically the effects of nonuniform temperature and heat conductivity, as well as explicit or spontaneous breaking of time reversal. Here, we also introduce a thermal version of the Josephson relation and use it to construct an exotic hydrodynamics describing a phase of matter where heat can flow without dissipation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗