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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

A NEW ANALYSIS OF THE TWO CLASSICAL ZZ CETI WHITE DWARFS GD 165 AND ROSS 548. I. PHOTOMETRY AND SPECTROSCOPY

We present the first of a two-part seismic analysis of the two bright hot ZZ Ceti stars GD 165 and Ross 548. In this first part, we report the results of frequency extraction exercises based on time-series data sets of exceptional quality. We uncovered up to 13 independent pulsation modes in GD 165, regrouped into six main frequency multiplets. These include 9 secure (signal-to-noise ratio, S/N > 4) detections and 4 possible ones (4 ≥ S/N ≥ 3). Likewise, we isolated 11 independent modes in Ross 548 (9 secure and 2 possible detections), also regrouped into 6 multiplets. The multiplet structure is likely caused by rotational splitting. We also provide updated estimates of the time-averaged atmospheric properties of these two pulsators in the light of recent developments on the front of atmospheric modeling for DA white dwarfs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Constraints on the initial-final mass relation from wide double white dwarfs

We present observational constraints on the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) using wide double white dwarfs (DWDs). We identify 65 new candidate wide DWDs within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, bringing the number of candidate wide DWDs to 142. We then engage in a spectroscopic follow-up campaign and collect existing spectra for these objects; using these spectra, we derive masses and cooling ages for 54 hydrogen (DA) WDs in DWDs. We also identify one new DA/DB pair, four candidate DA/DC pairs, four candidate DA/DAH pairs, and one new candidate triple degenerate system. Because wide DWDs are co-eval and evolve independently, the difference in the pre-WD lifetimes should equal the difference in the WD cooling ages. We use this to develop a Bayesian hierarchical framework and construct a likelihood function to determine the probability that any particular IFMR fits a sample of wide DWDs. We then define a parametric model for the IFMR and find the best parameters indicated by our sample of DWDs. We place robust constraints on the IFMR for initial masses of 2–4 M{sub ⊙}. The WD masses produced by our model for stars within this mass range differ from those predicted by semi-empirical fits to open cluster WDs. Within this mass range, where there are few constraining open cluster WDs and disagreements in the cluster ages, wide DWDs may provide more reliable constraints on the IFMR. Expanding this method to the many wide DWDs expected to be discovered by Gaia may transform our understanding of the IFMR.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A NUMERICAL METHOD FOR STUDYING SUPER-EDDINGTON MASS TRANSFER IN DOUBLE WHITE DWARF BINARIES

We present a numerical method for the study of double white dwarf (DWD) binary systems at the onset of super-Eddington mass transfer. We incorporate the physics of ideal inviscid hydrodynamical flow, Newtonian self-gravity, and radiation transport on a three-dimensional uniformly rotating cylindrical Eulerian grid. Care has been taken to conserve the key physical quantities such as angular momentum and energy. Our new method conserves total energy to a higher degree of accuracy than other codes that are presently being used to model mass transfer in DWD systems. We present the results of verification tests and simulate the first 20 + orbits of a binary system of mass ratio q 0.7 at the onset of dynamically unstable direct impact mass transfer. The mass transfer rate quickly exceeds the critical Eddington limit by many orders of magnitude, and thus we are unable to model a trans-Eddington phase. It appears that radiation pressure does not significantly affect the accretion flow in the highly super-Eddington regime. An optically thick common envelope forms around the binary within a few orbits. Although this envelope quickly exceeds the spatial domain of the computational grid, the fraction of the common envelope that exceeds zero gravitational binding energy is extremely small, suggesting that radiation-driven mass loss is insignificant in this regime. It remains to be seen whether simulations that capture the trans-Eddington phase of such flows will lead to the same conclusion or show that substantial material gets expelled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ∼20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

An asteroseismic constraint on the mass of the axion from the period drift of the pulsating DA white dwarf star L19-2

We employ an asteroseismic model of L19-2, a relatively massive ( M {sub *} ∼ 0.75 M {sub ⊙}) and hot ( T {sub eff} ∼ 12 100 K) pulsating DA (H-rich atmosphere) white dwarf star (DAV or ZZ Ceti variable), and use the observed values of the temporal rates of period change of its dominant pulsation modes (Π ∼ 113 s and Π ∼ 192 s), to derive a new constraint on the mass of the axion, the hypothetical non-barionic particle considered as a possible component of the dark matter of the Universe. If the asteroseismic model employed is an accurate representation of L19-2, then our results indicate hints of extra cooling in this star, compatible with emission of axions of mass m {sub a} cos{sup 2}β ∼< 25 meV or an axion-electron coupling constant of g {sub ae} ∼< 7 × 10{sup −13}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Can local white dwarfs constrain dark matter interactions?

We investigate whether nearby white dwarfs (WDs) can constrain dark matter (DM) interactions with ordinary matter. As experimental sensitivity improves, driven by the Gaia mission, the sample volume of nearby WDs has been increasing over recent years. We carefully select a sample of ten cold, isolated, non-magnetic WDs within 13 pc of the Sun. We model their carbon-oxygen interior using a finite temperature relativistic equation of state and model atmospheres to infer their core temperatures. This enables us to perform a thorough estimation of the DM capture rate and evaporation mass using actual astrophysical observations. Given the low local DM density, we focus on DM that annihilates into long-lived mediators, which escape the WD and later decay into photons. While Fermi-LAT data shows no significant gamma-ray excess, future telescopes, CTA North & South, LHAASO, SWGO, could probe DM-nucleon cross sections down to ∼ 10 -41 cm 2 for DM masses above the TeV scale. Our results are competitive with current direct detection bounds (e.g., LZ) in the multi-TeV regime. This work underscores the importance of systematic WD studies in the broader landscape of DM detection and demonstrates the synergy between astrophysical and terrestrial searches in exploring DM interactions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Initial results on energy resolution of the NEXT-White detector

One of the major goals of the NEXT-White (NEW) detector is to demonstrate the energy resolution that an electroluminescent high pressure xenon TPC can achieve for high energy tracks. For this purpose, energy calibrations with 137Cs and 232Th sources have been carried out as a part of the long run taken with the detector during most of 2017. This paper describes the initial results obtained with those calibrations, showing excellent linearity and an energy resolution that extrapolates to approximately 1% FWHM at Q$_{\beta\beta}$.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

SDSS J184037.78+642312.3: THE FIRST PULSATING EXTREMELY LOW MASS WHITE DWARF

We report the discovery of the first pulsating extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD), SDSS J184037.78+642312.3 (hereafter J1840). This DA (hydrogen-atmosphere) WD is by far the coolest and the lowest-mass pulsating WD, with T{sub eff} = 9100 {+-} 170 K and log g = 6.22 {+-} 0.06, which corresponds to a mass of {approx}0.17 M{sub Sun }. This low-mass pulsating WD greatly extends the DAV (or ZZ Ceti) instability strip, effectively bridging the log g gap between WDs and main-sequence stars. We detect high-amplitude variability in J1840 on timescales exceeding 4000 s, with a non-sinusoidal pulse shape. Our observations also suggest that the variability is multi-periodic. The star is in a 4.6 hr binary with another compact object, most likely another WD. Future, more extensive time-series photometry of this ELM WD offers the first opportunity to probe the interior of a low-mass, presumably He-core WD using the tools of asteroseismology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TIDAL NOVAE IN COMPACT BINARY WHITE DWARFS

Compact binary white dwarfs (WDs) undergoing orbital decay due to gravitational radiation can experience significant tidal heating prior to merger. In these WDs, the dominant tidal effect involves the excitation of outgoing gravity waves in the inner stellar envelope and the dissipation of these waves in the outer envelope. As the binary orbit decays, the WDs are synchronized from outside in (with the envelope synchronized first, followed by the core). We examine the deposition of tidal heat in the envelope of a carbon-oxygen WD and study how such tidal heating affects the structure and evolution of the WD. We show that significant tidal heating can occur in the star's degenerate hydrogen layer. This layer heats up faster than it cools, triggering runaway nuclear fusion. Such 'tidal novae' may occur in all WD binaries containing a CO WD, at orbital periods between 5 minutes and 20 minutes, and precede the final merger by 10{sup 5}-10{sup 6} years.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

RAPID ORBITAL DECAY IN THE 12.75-MINUTE BINARY WHITE DWARF J0651+2844

We report the detection of orbital decay in the 12.75-minute, detached binary white dwarf (WD) SDSS J065133.338+284423.37 (hereafter J0651). Our photometric observations over a 13 month baseline constrain the orbital period to 765.206543(55) s and indicate that the orbit is decreasing at a rate of (- 9.8 {+-} 2.8) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -12} s s{sup -1} (or -0.31 {+-} 0.09 ms yr{sup -1}). We revise the system parameters based on our new photometric and spectroscopic observations: J0651 contains two WDs with M{sub 1} = 0.26 {+-} 0.04 M{sub Sun} and M{sub 2} = 0.50 {+-} 0.04 M{sub Sun }. General relativity predicts orbital decay due to gravitational wave radiation of (- 8.2 {+-} 1.7) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -12} s s{sup -1} (or -0.26 {+-} 0.05 ms yr{sup -1}). Our observed rate of orbital decay is consistent with this expectation. J0651 is currently the second-loudest gravitational wave source known in the milli-Hertz range and the loudest non-interacting binary, which makes it an excellent verification source for future missions aimed at directly detecting gravitational waves. Our work establishes the feasibility of monitoring this system's orbital period decay at optical wavelengths.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

FAILED-DETONATION SUPERNOVAE: SUBLUMINOUS LOW-VELOCITY Ia SUPERNOVAE AND THEIR KICKED REMNANT WHITE DWARFS WITH IRON-RICH CORES

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) originate from the thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen (C-O) white dwarfs (WDs). The single-degenerate scenario is a well-explored model of SNe Ia where unstable thermonuclear burning initiates in an accreting, Chandrasekhar-mass WD and forms an advancing flame. By several proposed physical processes, the rising, burning material triggers a detonation, which subsequently consumes and unbinds the WD. However, if a detonation is not triggered and the deflagration is too weak to unbind the star, a completely different scenario unfolds. We explore the failure of the gravitationally confined detonation mechanism of SNe Ia, and demonstrate through two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations the properties of failed-detonation SNe. We show that failed-detonation SNe expel a few 0.1 M{sub Sun} of burned and partially burned material and that a fraction of the material falls back onto the WD, polluting the remnant WD with intermediate-mass and iron-group elements that likely segregate to the core forming a WD whose core is iron rich. The remaining material is asymmetrically ejected at velocities comparable to the escape velocity from the WD, and in response, the WD is kicked to velocities of a few hundred km s{sup -1}. These kicks may unbind the binary and eject a runaway/hypervelocity WD. Although the energy and ejected mass of the failed-detonation SN are a fraction of typical thermonuclear SNe, they are likely to appear as subluminous low-velocity SNe Ia. Such failed detonations might therefore explain or are related to the observed branch of peculiar SNe Ia, such as the family of low-velocity subluminous SNe (SN 2002cx/SN 2008ha-like SNe).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

RADIO TRANSIENTS FROM THE ACCRETION-INDUCED COLLAPSE OF WHITE DWARFS

It has long been expected that in some scenarios when a white dwarf (WD) grows to the Chandrasekhar limit, it can undergo an accretion-induced collapse (AIC) to form a rapidly rotating neutron star. Nevertheless, the detection of such events has so far evaded discovery, likely because the optical, supernova-like emission is expected to be dim and short-lived. Here we propose a novel signature of AIC: a transient radio source lasting for a few months. Rapid rotation along with flux freezing and dynamo action can grow the WD's magnetic field to magnetar strengths during collapse. The spin-down of this newly born magnetar generates a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) within the {approx}10{sup -3}-10{sup -1} M{sub Sun} of ejecta surrounding it. Our calculations show that synchrotron emission from the PWN may be detectable in the radio, even if the magnetar has a rather modest magnetic field of {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} G and an initial spin period of {approx}10 ms. An all-sky survey with a detection limit of 1 mJy at 1.4 GHz would see {approx}4(f/10{sup -2}) above threshold at any given time, where f is the ratio of the AIC rate to Type Ia supernova rate. A similar scenario may result from binary neutron stars if some mergers produce massive neutron stars rather than black holes. We conclude with a discussion of the detectability of these types of transient radio sources in an era of facilities with high mapping speeds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A DOUBLE WHITE-DWARF COOLING SEQUENCE IN {omega} CENTAURI

We have applied our empirical-point-spread-function-based photometric techniques on a large number of calibration-related WFC3/UVIS UV-B exposures of the core of {omega} Cen, and found a well-defined split in the bright part of the white-dwarf cooling sequence (WDCS). The redder sequence is more populated by a factor of {approx}2. We can explain the separation of the two sequences and their number ratio in terms of the He-normal and He-rich subpopulations that had been previously identified along the cluster main sequence. The blue WDCS is populated by the evolved stars of the He-normal component ({approx}0.55 M{sub Sun} CO-core DA objects), while the red WDCS hosts the end products of the He-rich population ({approx}0.46 M{sub Sun} objects, and {approx}10% CO-core and {approx}90% He-core WDs). The He-core WDs correspond to He-rich stars that missed the central He ignition, and we estimate their fraction by analyzing the population ratios along the cluster horizontal branch.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DISCOVERY OF AN ULTRAMASSIVE PULSATING WHITE DWARF

We announce the discovery of the most massive pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarf (WD) ever discovered, GD 518. Model atmosphere fits to the optical spectrum of this star show it is a 12, 030 {+-} 210 K WD with a log g =9.08 {+-} 0.06, which corresponds to a mass of 1.20 {+-} 0.03 M{sub Sun }. Stellar evolution models indicate that the progenitor of such a high-mass WD endured a stable carbon-burning phase, producing an oxygen-neon-core WD. The discovery of pulsations in GD 518 thus offers the first opportunity to probe the interior of a WD with a possible oxygen-neon core. Such a massive WD should also be significantly crystallized at this temperature. The star exhibits multi-periodic luminosity variations at timescales ranging from roughly 425 to 595 s and amplitudes up to 0.7%, consistent in period and amplitude with the observed variability of typical ZZ Ceti stars, which exhibit non-radial g-mode pulsations driven by a hydrogen partial ionization zone. Successfully unraveling both the total mass and core composition of GD 518 provides a unique opportunity to investigate intermediate-mass stellar evolution, and can possibly place an upper limit to the mass of a carbon-oxygen-core WD, which in turn constrains Type Ia supernovae progenitor systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

COSMOLOGICAL FAST RADIO BURSTS FROM BINARY WHITE DWARF MERGERS

Recently, Thornton et al. reported the detection of four fast radio bursts (FRBs). The dispersion measures indicate that the sources of these FRBs are at cosmological distance. Given the large full sky event rate ∼10{sup 4} sky{sup –1} day{sup –1}, the FRBs are a promising target for multi-messenger astronomy. Here we propose double degenerate, binary white-dwarf (WD) mergers as the source of FRBs, which are produced by coherent emission from the polar region of a rapidly rotating, magnetized massive WD formed after the merger. The basic characteristics of the FRBs, such as the energetics, emission duration and event rate, can be consistently explained in this scenario. As a result, we predict that some FRBs can accompany type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) or X-ray debris disks. Simultaneous detection could test our scenario and probe the progenitors of SNe Ia, and moreover would provide a novel constraint on the cosmological parameters. We strongly encourage future SN and X-ray surveys that follow up FRBs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SN 2010LP—A TYPE IA SUPERNOVA FROM A VIOLENT MERGER OF TWO CARBON-OXYGEN WHITE DWARFS

SN 2010lp is a subluminous Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) with slowly evolving lightcurves. Moreover, it is the only subluminous SN Ia observed so far that shows narrow emission lines of [O I] in late-time spectra, indicating unburned oxygen close to the center of the ejecta. Most explosion models for SNe Ia cannot explain the narrow [O I] emission. Here, we present hydrodynamic explosion and radiative transfer calculations showing that the violent merger of two carbon-oxygen white dwarfs of 0.9 and 0.76 M {sub ☉} adequately reproduces the early-time observables of SN 2010lp. Moreover, our model predicts oxygen close to the center of the explosion ejecta, a pre-requisite for narrow [O I] emission in nebular spectra as observed in SN 2010lp.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HEAD-ON COLLISIONS OF WHITE DWARFS IN TRIPLE SYSTEMS COULD EXPLAIN TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO-WDs), are currently the best cosmological ''standard candles'', but the triggering mechanism of the explosion is unknown. It was recently shown that the rate of head-on collisions of typical field CO-WDs in triple systems may be comparable to the SNe Ia rate. Here we provide evidence supporting a scenario in which the majority of SNe Ia are the result of such head-on collisions of CO-WDs. In this case, the nuclear detonation is due to a well understood shock ignition, devoid of commonly introduced free parameters such as the deflagration velocity or transition to detonation criteria. By using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with a fully resolved ignition process, we show that zero-impact-parameter collisions of typical CO-WDs with masses 0.5-1 M {sub ☉} result in explosions that synthesize {sup 56}Ni masses in the range of ∼0.1-1 M {sub ☉}, spanning the wide distribution of yields observed for the majority of SNe Ia. All collision models yield the same late-time (≳ 60 days since explosion) bolometric light curve when normalized by {sup 56}Ni masses (to better than 30%), in agreement with observations. The calculated widths of the {sup 56}Ni-mass-weighted line-of-sight velocity distributions are correlated with the calculated {sup 56}Ni yield, agreeing with the observed correlation. The strong correlation, shown here for the first time, between {sup 56}Ni yield and total mass of the colliding CO-WDs (insensitive to their mass ratio), is suggestive as the source for the continuous distribution of observed SN Ia features, possibly including the Philips relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

THE BIRTH RATE OF SNe Ia FROM HYBRID CONe WHITE DWARFS

Considering the uncertainties of the C-burning rate (CBR) and the treatment of convective boundaries, Chen et al. found that there is a regime where it is possible to form hybrid CONe white dwarfs (WDs), i.e., ONe WDs with carbon-rich cores. As these hybrid WDs can be as massive as 1.30 M {sub ☉}, not much mass needs to be accreted for these objects to reach the Chandrasekhar limit and to explode as Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We have investigated their contribution to the overall SN Ia birth rate and found that such SNe Ia tend to be relatively young with typical time delays between 0.1 and 1 Gyr, where some may be as young as 30 Myr. SNe Ia from hybrid CONe WDs may contribute several percent to all SNe Ia, depending on the common-envelope ejection efficiency and the CBR. We suggest that these SNe Ia may produce part of the 2002cx-like SN Ia class.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗