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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Precipitation in pores: A geochemical frontier

This article's purpose is to review some of the recent research in which geochemists have examined precipitation of solid phases in porous media, particularly in pores a few nanometers in diameter (nanopores). While this is a “review,” it is actually more forward-looking in that the list of things about this phenomenon that we do not know or cannot control at this time is likely longer than what we do know and can control. For example, there are three directly contradictory theories on how to predict how precipitation proceeds in a medium of varying pore size, as will be discussed below. The confusion on this subject likely stems from the complexity of the phenomenon itself: One can easily clog a porous medium by inducing a rapid, homogeneous precipitation directly from solution, or have limited precipitation occur that does not affect permeability or even porosity substantially. It is more difficult to engineer mineral precipitation in order to obtain a specific outcome, such as filling all available pore space over a targeted area for the purposes of contaminant sequestration. However, breakthrough discoveries could occur in the next five to ten years that enhance our ability to predict robustly and finely control precipitation in porous media by understanding how porosity and permeability evolve in response to system perturbations. These discoveries will likely stem (at least in part) from advances in our ability to 1) perform and interpret X-ray/neutron scattering experiments that reveal the extent of precipitation and its locales within porous media (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume), and 2) utilize increasingly powerful simulations to test concepts and models about the evolution of porosity and permeability as precipitation occurs (Steefel et al. 2015, this volume). A further important technique to isolate specific phenomena and understand reactivity is also microfluidics cell experiments that allow specific control of flow paths and fluid velocities (Yoon et al. 2012). An improved ability to synthesize idealized porous media will allow for tailored control of pore distributions, mineralogy and will allow more reproducible results. This in turn may allow us to isolate specific processes without the competing and obfuscatory effects that hinder generalization of observations when working with solely natural samples. It is likely that no one single experiment, or simulation technique will provide the key discoveries: to make substantive progress will require a collaborative effort to understand the interplay between fluid transport and geochemistry. Finally, where rock fracturing and elevated pressures are of concern, an understanding and capability to model geomechanical properties are necessary (Scherer 1999).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Determination of Nickel Species in Stack Emissions from Eight Residual Oil-Fired Utility Steam-Generating Units

XAFS spectroscopy has been used to determine the Ni species in particulate matter collected on quartz thimble filters in the stacks of eight residual (No. 6 fuel) oil-burning electric utility steam-generating units. Proper speciation of nickel in emitted particulate matter is necessary to correctly anticipate potential health risks. Analysis of the spectroscopic data using least-squares linear combination methods and a newly developed method specific for small quantities of Ni sulfide compounds in such emissions show that potentially carcinogenic Ni sulfide compounds are absent within the detection limits of the method ({le}3% of the total Ni) in the particulate matter samples investigated. In addition to the major nickel sulfate phase (NiSO{sub 4} {center_dot} 6H{sub 2}O), lesser amounts of (Ni,Mg)O and/or NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} were also identified in most emission samples. On the basis of the results from these emission characterization studies, the appropriateness of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's assumption that the Ni compound mixture emitted from residual oil-fired power plants is 50% as carcinogenic as nickel subsulfide (Ni{sub 3}S{sub 2}) should be re-evaluated.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

The evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function at z = 4-8: a steepening low-mass-end slope with increasing redshift

We present galaxy stellar mass functions (GSMFs) at z = 4–8 from a rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) selected sample of ∼4500 galaxies, found via photometric redshifts over an area of ∼280 arcmin{sup 2} in the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS)/Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) fields and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The deepest Spitzer/IRAC data to date and the relatively large volume allow us to place a better constraint at both the low- and high-mass ends of the GSMFs compared to previous space-based studies from pre-CANDELS observations. Supplemented by a stacking analysis, we find a linear correlation between the rest-frame UV absolute magnitude at 1500 Å (M{sub UV}) and logarithmic stellar mass (logM{sub ∗}) that holds for galaxies with log(M{sub ∗}/M{sub ⊙})≲10. We use simulations to validate our method of measuring the slope of the logM{sub ∗}–M {sub UV} relation, finding that the bias is minimized with a hybrid technique combining photometry of individual bright galaxies with stacked photometry for faint galaxies. The resultant measured slopes do not significantly evolve over z = 4–8, while the normalization of the trend exhibits a weak evolution toward lower masses at higher redshift. We combine the logM{sub ∗}–M {sub UV} distribution with observed rest-frame UV luminosity functions at each redshift to derive the GSMFs, finding that the low-mass-end slope becomes steeper with increasing redshift from α=−1.55{sub −0.07}{sup +0.08} at z = 4 to α=−2.25{sub −0.35}{sup +0.72} at z = 8. The inferred stellar mass density, when integrated over M{sub ∗}=10{sup 8}–10{sup 13} M {sub ⊙}, increases by a factor of 10{sub −2}{sup +30} between z = 7 and z = 4 and is in good agreement with the time integral of the cosmic star formation rate density.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Relation between Galaxy ISM and Circumgalactic O vi Gas Kinematics Derived from Observations and ΛCDM Simulations

We introduce the first galaxy–O vi absorption kinematic study for 20 absorption systems (EW > 0.1 Å) associated with isolated galaxies (0.15 ≤ z ≤ 0.55) that have accurate redshifts and rotation curves obtained using Keck/ESI. Our sample is split into two azimuthal angle bins: major axis (Φ < 25°) and minor axis (Φ > 33°). O vi absorption along the galaxy major axis is not correlated with galaxy rotation kinematics, with only 1/10 of systems that could be explained with rotation/accretion models. This is in contrast to corotation commonly observed for Mg ii absorption. O vi along the minor axis could be modeled by accelerating outflows, but only for small opening angles, while the majority of the O vi is decelerating. Along both axes, stacked O vi profiles reside at the galaxy systemic velocity with the absorption kinematics spanning the entire dynamical range of their galaxies. The O vi found in AMR cosmological simulations exists within filaments and in halos of ~50 kpc surrounding galaxies. Simulations show that major-axis O vi gas inflows along filaments and decelerates as it approaches the galaxy, while increasing in its level of corotation. Minor-axis outflows in the simulations are effective within 50–75 kpc; beyond that they decelerate and fall back onto the galaxy. While the simulations show clear O vi kinematic signatures, they are not directly comparable to observations. When we compare kinematic signatures integrated through the entire simulated galaxy halo, we find that these signatures are washed out owing to full velocity distribution of O vi throughout the halo. We illustrate that O vi alone does not serve as a useful kinematic indicator of gas accretion, outflows, or star formation and likely best probes the halo virial temperature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Image registration of low signal-to-noise cryo-STEM data

Combining multiple fast image acquisitions to mitigate scan noise and drift artifacts has proven essential for picometer precision, quantitative analysis of atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) data. For very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) image stacks – frequently required for undistorted imaging at liq- uid nitrogen temperatures – image registration is particularly delicate, and standard approaches may either fail, or produce subtly specious reconstructed lattice images. We present an approach which effectively registers and averages image stacks which are challenging due to their low-SNR and propensity for unit cell misalignments. Registering all possible image pairs in a multi-image stack leads to significant information surplus. In combination with a simple physical picture of stage drift, this enables identi cation of incorrect image registrations, and determination of the optimal image shifts from the complete set of relative shifts. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on experimental, cryogenic STEM datasets, highlighting subtle artifacts endemic to low-SNR lattice images and how they can be avoided. High-SNR average images with information transfer out to 0.72 Å are achieved at 300 kV and with the sample cooled to near liquid nitrogen temperature.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Constraining the low-mass Slope of the star formation sequence at 0.5 < z < 2.5

We constrain the slope of the star formation rate (SFR; log Ψ) to stellar mass (log M {sub *}) relation down to log (M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) = 8.4 (log (M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) = 9.2) at z = 0.5 (z = 2.5) with a mass-complete sample of 39,106 star-forming galaxies selected from the 3D-HST photometric catalogs, using deep photometry in the CANDELS fields. For the first time, we find that the slope is dependent on stellar mass, such that it is steeper at low masses (log Ψ∝log M {sub *}) than at high masses (log Ψ∝(0.3-0.6)log M {sub *}). These steeper low-mass slopes are found for three different star formation indicators: the combination of the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR), calibrated from a stacking analysis of Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm imaging; β-corrected UV SFRs; and Hα SFRs. The normalization of the sequence evolves differently in distinct mass regimes as well: for galaxies less massive than log (M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) < 10 the specific SFR (Ψ/M {sub *}) is observed to be roughly self-similar with Ψ/M {sub *}∝(1 + z){sup 1.9}, whereas more massive galaxies show a stronger evolution with Ψ/M {sub *}∝(1 + z){sup 2.2-3.5} for log (M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) = 10.2-11.2. The fact that we find a steep slope of the star formation sequence for the lower mass galaxies will help reconcile theoretical galaxy formation models with the observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Bayesian seismic inversion based on rock-physics prior modeling for the joint estimation of acoustic impedance, porosity and lithofacies

We propose a Bayesian approach for seismic inversion to estimate acoustic impedance, porosity and lithofacies within the reservoir conditioned to post-stack seismic and well data. The link between elastic and petrophysical properties is given by a joint prior distribution for the logarithm of impedance and porosity, based on a rock-physics model. The well conditioning is performed through a background model obtained by well log interpolation. Two different approaches are presented: in the first approach, the prior is defined by a single Gaussian distribution, whereas in the second approach it is defined by a Gaussian mixture to represent the well data multimodal distribution and link the Gaussian components to different geological lithofacies. The forward model is based on a linearized convolutional model. For the single Gaussian case, we obtain an analytical expression for the posterior distribution, resulting in a fast algorithm to compute the solution of the inverse problem, i.e. the posterior distribution of acoustic impedance and porosity as well as the facies probability given the observed data. For the Gaussian mixture prior, it is not possible to obtain the distributions analytically, hence we propose a Gibbs algorithm to perform the posterior sampling and obtain several reservoir model realizations, allowing an uncertainty analysis of the estimated properties and lithofacies. Both methodologies are applied to a real seismic dataset with three wells to obtain 3D models of acoustic impedance, porosity and lithofacies. The methodologies are validated through a blind well test and compared to a standard Bayesian inversion approach. Using the probability of the reservoir lithofacies, we also compute a 3D isosurface probability model of the main oil reservoir in the studied field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effects of barrier composition and electroplating chemistry on adhesion and voiding in copper/dielectric diffusion barrier films

The effects of electroplating chemistry and dielectric diffusion barrier composition on copper voiding and barrier adhesion are reported. Adhesion was quantified using the four-point bend thin film adhesion technique, and voiding in the Cu films was quantified using scanning electron microscopy. A total of 12 different film stacks were investigated, including three different Cu electroplating chemistries and four different barrier materials (SiN, N-doped SiC, O-doped SiC, and dual-layer SiC). Both plating chemistry and barrier composition have a large effect on interface adhesion and voiding in the Cu film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the segregation of Cu electroplating impurities, such as S and Cl, to the Cu/barrier interface. Secondary ion mass spectrometry was used to quantify oxygen content at the Cu/barrier interface in a subset of samples. This interface oxygen content is correlated with measured adhesion values.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Probing the physical properties of z = 4.5 Lyα emitters with Spitzer

We present the results from a stellar population modeling analysis of a sample of 162 z = 4.5 and 14 z = 5.7 Lyα emitting galaxies (LAEs) in the Boötes field, using deep Spitzer/IRAC data at 3.6 and 4.5 μm from the Spitzer Lyα Survey, along with Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS and WFC3 imaging at 1.1 and 1.6 μm for a subset of the LAEs. This represents one of the largest samples of high-redshift LAEs imaged with Spitzer IRAC. We find that 30/162 (19%) of the z = 4.5 LAEs and 9/14 (64%) of the z = 5.7 LAEs are detected at ≥3σ in at least one IRAC band. Individual z = 4.5 IRAC-detected LAEs have a large range of stellar mass, from 5 × 10{sup 8}–10{sup 11} M{sub ⊙}. One-third of the IRAC-detected LAEs have older stellar population ages of 100 Myr–1 Gyr, while the remainder have ages <100 Myr. A stacking analysis of IRAC-undetected LAEs shows this population to be primarily low mass (8–20 × 10{sup 8} M{sub ⊙}) and young (64–570 Myr). We find a correlation between stellar mass and the dust-corrected ultraviolet-based star formation rate (SFR) similar to that at lower redshifts, in that higher mass galaxies exhibit higher SFRs. However, the z = 4.5 LAE correlation is elevated 4–5 times in SFR compared to continuum-selected galaxies at similar redshifts. The exception is the most massive LAEs which have SFRs similar to galaxies at lower redshifts suggesting that they may represent a different population of galaxies than the traditional lower-mass LAEs, perhaps with a different mechanism promoting Lyα photon escape.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Emergent ferromagnetism near three-quarters filling in twisted bilayer graphene

When two sheets of graphene are stacked at a small twist angle, the resulting flat superlattice minibands are expected to strongly enhance electron-electron interactions. Here, we present evidence that near three-quarters ( 3 4 ) filling of the conduction miniband, these enhanced interactions drive the twisted bilayer graphene into a ferromagnetic state. In a narrow density range around an apparent insulating state at 3 4 , we observe emergent ferromagnetic hysteresis, with a giant anomalous Hall (AH) effect as large as 10.4 kilohms and indications of chiral edge states. Notably, the magnetization of the sample can be reversed by applying a small direct current. Although the AH resistance is not quantized, and dissipation is present, our measurements suggest that the system may be an incipient Chern insulator.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Phase Picking Beyond Local Distances: Where Waveform Filtering Still Matters for Deep Learning Models

Waveform filtering is a standard step in traditional seismic phase picking but often receives little attention in deep learning workflows, where models are typically trained on raw or minimally processed waveforms. Although this strategy performs well for local events, we show that performance can degrade substantially at regional distances. To address this limitation, we introduce two ways to incorporate multiband-filtered waveforms into deep learning phase pickers. The stacking approach concatenates filtered inputs along the channel dimension, while the branching approach processes each frequency band through a dedicated network branch before feature fusion. Both approaches can substantially improve performance across epicentral distances of 0° to 20°, but their effectiveness depends strongly on the selected frequency bands. Tests with multiple filter banks show that filter-bank design should be treated as part of model optimization rather than as a fixed preprocessing choice. Grad-CAM analysis of the branching model indicates that band importance varies among waveform samples and across training realizations, with only a weak overall preference for the 0.25 to 0.5 Hz band. These results show that no single filter band is consistently optimal and demonstrate that explicit feature engineering remains valuable for robust deep learning-based seismic phase picking.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design and Validation of a High-Throughput Reductive Catalytic Fractionation Method

Reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) is a promising method to extract and depolymerize lignin from biomass, and bench-scale studies have enabled considerable progress in the past decade. RCF experiments are typically conducted in pressurized batch reactors with volumes ranging between 50 and 1000 mL, limiting the throughput of these experiments to one to six reactions per day for an individual researcher. Here, we report a high-throughput RCF (HTP-RCF) method in which batch RCF reactions are conducted in 1 mL wells machined directly into Hastelloy reactor plates. The plate reactors can seal high pressures produced by organic solvents by vertically stacking multiple reactor plates, leading to a compact and modular system capable of performing 240 reactions per experiment. Using this setup, we screened solvent mixtures and catalyst loadings for hydrogen-free RCF using 50 mg poplar and 0.5 mL reaction solvent. The system of 1:1 isopropanol/methanol showed optimal monomer yields and selectivity to 4-propyl substituted monomers, and validation reactions using 75 mL batch reactors produced identical monomer yields. To accommodate the low material loadings, we then developed a workup procedure for parallel filtration, washing, and drying of samples and a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method to measure the RCF oil yield without performing liquid-liquid extraction. As a demonstration of this experimental pipeline, 50 unique switchgrass samples were screened in RCF reactions in the HTP-RCF system, revealing a wide range of monomer yields (21-36%), S/G ratios (0.41-0.93), and oil yields (40-75%). These results were successfully validated by repeating RCF reactions in 75 mL batch reactors for a subset of samples. We anticipate that this approach can be used to rapidly screen substrates, catalysts, and reaction conditions in high-pressure batch reactions with higher throughput than standard batch reactors.

BIOMASS FUELS,INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND AN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Deployment of ADTimePix3 areaDetector Driver at Neutron and X-ray User Facilities

TimePix3 is a 65k hybrid pixel readout chip with simultaneous Time-of-Arrival (ToA) and Time-over-Threshold (ToT) recording in each pixel*. The chip operates without a trigger signal with a sparse readout where only pixels containing events are read out. The flexible architecture allows 40 MHits/s/cm² readout throughput, using simultaneous readout and acquisition by sharing readout logic with transport logic of superpixel matrix formed using 2x4 structure. The chip ToA records 1.5625 ns time resolution. The X-ray and charged particle events are counted directly. However, indirect neutron counts use 6Li fission in a scintillator matrix, such as ZnS(Ag). The fission space-charge region is limited to 5-9 um. A photon from scintillator material excites a photocathode electron, which is further multiplied in dual-stack MCP. The neutron count event is a cluster of electron events at the chip. We report on the EPICS areaDetector** ADTimePix3 driver that controls Serval*** using json commands. The driver directs data to storage and to a real-time processing pipeline and configures the chip. The time-stamped data are stored in raw .tpx3 file format and passed through a socket where the clustering software identifies individual neutron events. The conventional 2D images are available as images for each exposure frame, and a preview is useful for sample alignment. The areaDetector driver allows integration of time-enhanced capabilities of this detector into SNS beamlines controls and unprecedented time resolution.

Gofron, Kaz↗
DOE OSTI2017

Statistical Detection of the He ii Transverse Proximity Effect: Evidence for Sustained Quasar Activity for >25 Million Years

The He ii transverse proximity effect—enhanced He ii Lyα transmission in a background sightline caused by the ionizing radiation of a foreground quasar—offers a unique opportunity to probe the morphology of quasar-driven He ii reionization. We conduct a comprehensive spectroscopic survey to find z∼3 quasars in the foreground of 22 background quasar sightlines with Hubble Space Telescope/COS He ii Lyα transmission spectra. With our two-tiered survey strategy, consisting of a deep pencil-beam survey and a shallow wide-field survey, we discover 131 new quasars, which we complement with known SDSS/BOSS quasars in our fields. Using a restricted sample of 66 foreground quasars with inferred He ii photoionization rates greater than the expected UV background at these redshifts (Γ{sub QSO}{sup He II}>5×10{sup −16} s{sup −1}) we perform the first statistical analysis of the He ii transverse proximity effect. Our results show qualitative evidence for a large object-to-object variance: among the four foreground quasars with the highest Γ{sub QSO}{sup He II} only one (previously known) quasar is associated with a significant He ii transmission spike. We perform a stacking analysis to average down these fluctuations, and detect an excess in the average He ii transmission near the foreground quasars at 3σ significance. This statistical evidence for the transverse proximity effect is corroborated by a clear dependence of the signal strength on Γ{sub QSO}{sup He II}. Our detection places a purely geometrical lower limit on the quasar lifetime of t{sub Q}>25 Myr. Improved modeling would additionally constrain quasar obscuration and the mean free path of He ii-ionizing photons.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Influence of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a directionally solidified γ-TiAl alloy

Highlights: • Mn addition can significantly improve the yield strength of TiAl alloy. • Introduction of Mn facilitates the operation of twinning-controlled deformation. • Twin-dislocation interactions cause a continuous increase in work hardening rate. - Abstract: TiAl alloys with nominal compositions of Ti-47Al-2Nb-2Cr-(0, 1, 3, 5)Mn were prepared via electromagnetic cold crucible directional solidification (ECCDS), and the influence of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys was investigated. The experimental results showed that the Mn atoms were dissolved within the TiAl alloy, and no Mn compounds were formed. Based on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results, the peak angle of the Mn-containing sample shifted to a higher value, indicating lattice shrinkage. The Mn addition also increased the volume fraction of the B2 phase. The yield strength of the TiAl alloy monotonically increased as the content of the substitutional-solute Mn atoms increased. The ultimate strengths of the TiAl alloys containing 1 at.%, 3 at.%, and 5 at.% Mn consequently decreased because micro-cracks were preferentially formed in the B2 phase during room-temperature deformation. The introduction of substitutional-solute Mn atoms could result in a reduction of the stacking-fault energy of the γ phase, and facilitate the operation of twinning-controlled plastic-deformation during the intermediate stage of the plastic deformation process. The interaction between the deformation twins and movable dislocations led to a continuous increase in the work-hardening rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Liquid Phase Exfoliation of Chemically Prelithiated Bilayered Vanadium Oxide in Aqueous Media for Li-Ion Batteries

Bilayered vanadium oxides are attractive for energy storage due to their high initial specific capacities, which could be stabilized by integrating the bilayers with conductive nanoflakes often produced in a form of aqueous dispersions. Therefore, exfoliation of the bilayered vanadium oxides in water with high yield is desirable. Here, this work introduces the first aqueous exfoliation of chemically prelithiated bilayered vanadium oxide (i.e., δ-Li x V 2 O 5 ·nH 2 O or LVO) followed by vacuum filtration to produce a free-standing film, exhibiting a lamellar stacking of the bilayered vanadium oxide nanoflakes as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. Due to the hydrated nature of bilayered vanadium oxides, the relationship between interlayer water content and the vacuum drying temperature (105 °C vs 200 °C) was studied using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that vacuum drying the LVO nanoflakes at 200 °C enabled more efficient removal of crystallographic water than drying at 105 °C, and did not induce a phase transformation. Scanning transmission electron microscopy confirmed the layered structure of the samples, which was more well-ordered in the 200 °C case and had no clear boundaries between flakes at the atomic scale. Furthermore, electrochemical testing in nonaqueous Li-ion cells revealed that vacuum drying at 200 °C led to improvements in ion storage capacity and electrochemical stability. Improvements in electrochemical charge storage properties of the electrodes obtained via LVO exfoliation and free-standing film assembly in water dried at 200 °C reveal that conventional battery electrode drying protocols need to be revised as new electrochemically active materials are synthesized, such as hydrated layered oxides with expanded interlayer regions. The remaining capacity fading can be attributed to the structural LVO degradation, dissolution of vanadium oxide in electrolyte, and parasitic effects of the remaining interlayer water molecules. Our results establish an environmentally friendly and safe approach to obtain two-dimensional (2D) bilayered vanadium oxide nanoflakes and create a pathway to constructing novel 2D heterostructures for improved performance in energy storage applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

A close comparison between observed and modeled Lyα lines for z ∼ 2.2 Lyα emitters

We present the results of an Lyα profile analysis of 12 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z∼2.2 with high-resolution Lyα spectra. We find that all 12 objects have an Lyα profile with the main peak redward of the systemic redshift defined by nebular lines, and five have a weak, secondary peak blueward of the systemic redshift (blue bump). The average velocity offset of the red main peak (the blue bump, if any) with respect to the systemic redshift is Δv{sub Lyα,r}=174±19 km s{sup −1} (Δv{sub Lyα,b}=−316±45 km s{sup −1}), which is smaller than (comparable to) that of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). The outflow velocities inferred from metal absorption lines in three individual and one stacked spectra are comparable to those of LBGs. The uniform expanding shell model constructed by Verhamme et al. reproduces not only the Lyα profiles but also other observed quantities, including the outflow velocity and the FWHM of nebular lines for the non-blue-bump objects. On the other hand, the model predicts too high FWHMs of nebular lines for the blue bump objects, although this discrepancy may disappear if we introduce additional Lyα photons produced by gravitational cooling. We show that the small Δv{sub Lyα,r} values of our sample can be explained by low neutral hydrogen column densities of log(N{sub H I}) = 18.9 cm{sup −2} on average. This value is more than one order of magnitude lower than those of LBGs but is consistent with recent findings that LAEs have high ionization parameters and low H i gas masses. This result suggests that low N{sub H I} values, giving reduced numbers of resonant scattering of Lyα photons, are the key to the strong Lyα emission of LAEs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗