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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 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Test of an Acoustic Mechanism for Atmospheric Heating in Dynamo-Deficient F Stars

In a qualitative sense, the heating of chromospheres and coronae has long been ascribed to either acoustic or magnetic heating. However, quantitative discussions of the energy balance with detailed comparison to the fluxes of chromospheric emission lines have begun to appear only recently. The aim of this work is to observe F stars where magnetic effects might be expected to be rather small, thereby allowing us hopefully to access acoustically heated atmospheres.

Mullan, D. J.↗
DOE OSTI2014

M-dwarf rapid rotators and the detection of relatively young multiple M-star systems

We have searched the Kepler light curves of ∼3900 M-star targets for evidence of periodicities that indicate, by means of the effects of starspots, rapid stellar rotation. Several analysis techniques, including Fourier transforms, inspection of folded light curves, 'sonograms', and phase tracking of individual modulation cycles, were applied in order to distinguish the periodicities due to rapid rotation from those due to stellar pulsations, eclipsing binaries, or transiting planets. We find 178 Kepler M-star targets with rotation periods, P {sub rot}, of <2 days, and 110 with P {sub rot} < 1 day. Some 30 of the 178 systems exhibit two or more independent short periods within the same Kepler photometric aperture, while several have 3 or more short periods. Adaptive optics imaging and modeling of the Kepler pixel response function for a subset of our sample support the conclusion that the targets with multiple periods are highly likely to be relatively young physical binary, triple, and even quadruple M star systems. We explore in detail the one object with four incommensurate periods all less than 1.2 days, and show that two of the periods arise from one of a close pair of stars, while the other two arise from the second star, which itself is probably a visual binary. If most of these M-star systems with multiple periods turn out to be bound M stars, this could prove a valuable way discovering young hierarchical M-star systems; the same approach may also be applicable to G and K stars. The ∼5% occurrence rate of rapid rotation among the ∼3900 M star targets is consistent with spin evolution models that include an initial contraction phase followed by magnetic braking, wherein a typical M star can spend several hundred Myr before spinning down to periods longer than 2 days.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Searching for Magnetar-powered Merger-novae from Short GRBS

The merger of a double neutron star (NS–NS) binary may result in a rapidly rotating massive NS with an extremely strong magnetic field (i.e., a millisecond magnetar). In this case, the magnetic spin-down of the NS remnant provides an additional source of sustained energy injection, which would continuously power the merger ejecta. The thermal emission from the merger ejecta would give rise to a bright optical “magnetar-powered merger-nova.” In this work, we carry out a complete search for magnetar-powered merger-nova from a Swift short gamma-ray burst sample. We focus on short GRBs with extended emission or internal plateau, which may signify the presence of magnetars as the central engine. We eventually find three candidates of magnetar-powered merger-nova from the late observations of GRB 050724, GRB 070714B, and GRB 061006. With standard parameter values, the magnetar remnant scenario could well interpret the multi-band data of all three bursts, including the extended emission and their late chromatic features in the optical and X-ray data. The peak luminosities of these merger-novae reach several times 10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1}, more than one order of magnitude brighter than the traditional “kilo-novae” with peak luminosity of ∼10{sup 41} erg s{sup −1}. Intense, multi-color, late-time observations of short GRBs are encouraged to identify more merger-novae in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

RADIO FLARING FROM THE T6 DWARF WISEPC J112254.73+255021.5 WITH A POSSIBLE ULTRA-SHORT PERIODICITY

We present new results from a continuing 5 GHz search for flaring radio emission from a sample of L and T brown dwarfs, conducted with the 305 m Arecibo radio telescope. In addition to the previously reported flaring from the T6.5 dwarf 2MASS J10475385+212423, we have detected and confirmed circularly polarized flares from another T6 dwarf, WISEPC J112254.73+255021.5. Although the flares are sporadic, they appear to occur at a stable period of 0.288 hr. Given the current constraints, periods equal to its second and third subharmonic cannot be ruled out. The stability of this period over the eight-month timespan of observations indicates that, if real, it likely reflects the star’s rapid rotation. If confirmed, any of the three inferred periodicities would be much shorter than the shortest, 1.41 hr, rotation period of a brown dwarf measured so far. This finding would place a new observational constraint on the angular momentum evolution and rotational stability of substellar objects. The detection of radio emission from the sixth ∼1000 K dwarf further demonstrates that the coolest brown dwarfs and, possibly, young giant planets, can be efficiently investigated using radio observations at centimeter wavelengths as a tool.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ion acoustic solitons in dense magnetized plasmas with nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic degenerate electrons and positrons

The propagation of electrostatic waves in a dense magnetized electron-positron-ion (EPI) plasma with nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic degenerate electrons and positrons is investigated. The linear dispersion relation is obtained for slow and fast electrostatic waves in the EPI plasma. The limiting cases for ion acoustic wave (slow) and ion cyclotron wave (fast) are also discussed. Using the reductive perturbation method, two-dimensional propagation of ion acoustic solitons is found for both the nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic degenerate electrons and positrons. The effects of positron concentration, magnetic field, and mass of ions on ion acoustic solitons are shown in numerical plots. The proper form of Fermi temperature for nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic degenerate electrons and positrons is employed, which has not been used in earlier published work. The present investigation is useful for the understanding of linear and nonlinear electrostatic wave propagation in the dense magnetized EPI plasma of compact stars. For illustration purposes, we have applied our results to a pulsar magnetosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

On the origin of the March 5, 1979 gamma ray transient: A vibrating neutron star in the Large Magellanic Cloud

It is proposed that a vibrating neutron star in the Large Magellanic Cloud is the source of the March 5 transient. Neutron star vibrations transport energy rapidly to the surface, heat the atmosphere by wave dissipation, and decay by gravitational radiation reaction. The electromagnetic emission arises from e(+)-e(-) pairs which cool and annihilate in the strong magnetic field of the neutron star. The field also confines the pairs, and this allows the production of the redshifted annihilation feature observed in the data. The redshift implies a gravitational radiation damping time which agrees with the 0.15 second duration of the impulsive phase of the event. Thus, the March 5 transient may be both the first detection of a vibrating neutron star and indirect evidence for gravitational radiation.

Ramaty, R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

An Evolving Trio of Hybrid Stars: C 111

Our goal is to understand the behavior of the outer atmosphere in this intermediate stage to create a comprehensive picture of atmospheric evolution. In the hybrid phase, the large-scale magnetic dynamo activity decays and hydrodynamic processes assume importance. Some hot plasma is still confined close to the star by magnetic loops, yet the confining field is breaking open, the atmosphere can escape through these open field lines, and the diffuse corona may be warm. There may well be a more extended and variable transition process. It remains for FUSE to identify the controlling parameters of the hybrid stars. It shows the positions of our 3 targets in the color-magnitude diagram where it is seen that they are at the extreme end of the hybrid region. Originally we had been awarded the hybrid star Iota Aur, but due to newly imposed pointing constraints of FUSE, that target was not accessible. And so we substituted Iota Dra, a giant of mass similar to our other targets but less evolved. In addition, Iota Dra was recently found to harbor a sub-stellar objects, possibly a planet, and so it could reveal the stellar environment of the planet. This substitution was accepted.

Oliversen, Ronald↗
NASA NTRS1990

Observations of A0535 + 26 with the SMM satellite

An examination of archival data from the hard X-ray instruments on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite has revealed a previously undetected outburst from the recurrent X-ray transient, A0535 + 26. The outburst occurred in June 1983 and reached a peak intensity of about 2 crab units in the energy range 32-91 keV. The outburst was detected over a span of 18 days, and the pulse period was observed to spin-up with an average rate of about -6 x 10 to the -8th s/s. A recently proposed model for A0535 + 26 has a pulsar powered by a short-lived accretion disk. A thin accretion disk model is fitted to the present data, assuming an orbital period of 111 days. Two solutions to the magnetic moment of the neutron star are derived. The slow rotator solution is more consistent with the model than the fast rotator, on the grounds that the conditions for the formation of an accretion disk are more favorable for a lower magnetic field strength.

Sembay, S.↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Effect of Combined Magnetic Geometries on Thermally Driven Winds. I. Interaction of Dipolar and Quadrupolar Fields

Cool stars with outer convective envelopes are observed to have magnetic fields with a variety of geometries, which on large scales are dominated by a combination of the lowest-order fields such as the dipole, quadrupole, and octupole modes. Magnetized stellar wind outflows are primarily responsible for the loss of angular momentum from these objects during the main sequence. Previous works have shown the reduced effectiveness of the stellar wind braking mechanism with increasingly complex but singular magnetic field geometries. In this paper, we quantify the impact of mixed dipolar and quadrupolar fields on the spin-down torque using 50 MHD simulations with mixed fields, along with 10 each of the pure geometries. The simulated winds include a wide range of magnetic field strength and reside in the slow-rotator regime. We find that the stellar wind braking torque from our combined geometry cases is well described by a broken power-law behavior, where the torque scaling with field strength can be predicted by the dipole component alone or the quadrupolar scaling utilizing the total field strength. The simulation results can be scaled and apply to all main-sequence cool stars. For solar parameters, the lowest-order component of the field (dipole in this paper) is the most significant in determining the angular momentum loss.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CONSTRAINING THE GRB-MAGNETAR MODEL BY MEANS OF THE GALACTIC PULSAR POPULATION

A large fraction of Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) displays an X-ray plateau phase within <10{sup 5} s from the prompt emission, proposed to be powered by the spin-down energy of a rapidly spinning newly born magnetar. In this work we use the properties of the Galactic neutron star population to constrain the GRB-magnetar scenario. We re-analyze the X-ray plateaus of all Swift GRBs with known redshift, between 2005 January and 2014 August. From the derived initial magnetic field distribution for the possible magnetars left behind by the GRBs, we study the evolution and properties of a simulated GRB-magnetar population using numerical simulations of magnetic field evolution, coupled with Monte Carlo simulations of Pulsar Population Synthesis in our Galaxy. We find that if the GRB X-ray plateaus are powered by the rotational energy of a newly formed magnetar, the current observational properties of the Galactic magnetar population are not compatible with being formed within the GRB scenario (regardless of the GRB type or rate at z = 0). Direct consequences would be that we should allow the existence of magnetars and “super-magnetars” having different progenitors, and that Type Ib/c SNe related to Long GRBs form systematically neutron stars with higher initial magnetic fields. We put an upper limit of ≤16 “super-magnetars” formed by a GRB in our Galaxy in the past Myr (at 99% c.l.). This limit is somewhat smaller than what is roughly expected from Long GRB rates, although the very large uncertainties do not allow us to draw strong conclusion in this respect.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Large-scale quasi-geostrophic magnetohydrodynamics

We consider the ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) of a shallow fluid layer on a rapidly rotating planet or star. The presence of a background toroidal magnetic field is assumed, and the 'shallow water' beta-plane approximation is used. We derive a single equation for the slow large length scale dynamics. The range of validity of this equation fits the MHD of the lighter fluid at the top of Earth's outer core. The form of this equation is similar to the quasi-geostrophic (Q-G) equation (for usual ocean or atmosphere), but the parameters are essentially different. Our equation also implies the inverse cascade; but contrary to the usual Q-G situation, the energy cascades to smaller length scales, while the enstrophy cascades to the larger scales. We find the Kolmogorov-type spectrum for the inverse cascade. The spectrum indicates the energy accumulation in larger scales. In addition to the energy and enstrophy, the obtained equation possesses an extra (adiabatic-type) invariant. Its presence implies energy accumulation in the 30° sector around zonal direction. With some special energy input, the extra invariant can lead to the accumulation of energy in zonal magnetic field; this happens if the input of the extra invariant is small, while the energy input is considerable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ROTATION IN THE PLEIADES WITH K2. III. SPECULATIONS ON ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION

We use high-quality K2 light curves for hundreds of stars in the Pleiades to better understand the angular momentum evolution and magnetic dynamos of young low-mass stars. The K2 light curves provide not only rotational periods but also detailed information from the shape of the phased light curve that was not available in previous studies. A slowly rotating sequence begins at (V−K{sub s}){sub 0} ∼ 1.1 (spectral type F5) and ends at (V−K{sub s}){sub 0} ∼ 3.7 (spectral type K8), with periods rising from ∼2 to ∼11 days in that interval. A total of 52% of the Pleiades members in that color interval have periods within 30% of a curve defining the slow sequence; the slowly rotating fraction decreases significantly redward of (V−K{sub s}){sub 0} = 2.6. Nearly all of the slow-sequence stars show light curves that evolve significantly on timescales less than the K2 campaign duration. The majority of the FGK Pleiades members identified as photometric binaries are relatively rapidly rotating, perhaps because binarity inhibits star–disk angular momentum loss mechanisms during pre-main-sequence evolution. The fully convective late M dwarf Pleiades members (5.0 < (V−K{sub s}){sub 0} < 6.0) nearly always show stable light curves, with little spot evolution or evidence of differential rotation. During pre-main-sequence evolution from ∼3 Myr (NGC 2264 age) to ∼125 Myr (Pleiades age), stars of 0.3 M{sub ⊙} shed about half of their angular momentum, with the fractional change in period between 3 and 125 Myr being nearly independent of mass for fully convective stars. Our data also suggest that very low mass binaries form with rotation periods more similar to each other and faster than would be true if drawn at random from the parent population of single stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Surface magnetic field strengths: New tests of magnetoconvective models of M dwarfs

Precision modeling of M dwarfs has become worthwhile in recent years due to the increasingly precise values of masses and radii which can be obtained from eclipsing binary studies. In a recent paper, Torres has identified four prime M dwarf pairs with the most precise empirical determinations of masses and radii. The measured radii are consistently larger than standard stellar models predict by several percent. These four systems potentially provide the most challenging tests of precision evolutionary models of cool dwarfs at the present time. We have previously modeled M dwarfs in the context of a criterion due to Gough and Tayler in which magnetic fields inhibit the onset of convection according to a physics-based prescription. In the present paper, we apply our magnetoconvective approach to the four prime systems in the Torres list. Going a step beyond what we have already modeled in CM Dra (one of the four Torres systems), we note that new constraints on magnetoconvective models of M dwarfs are now available from empirical estimates of magnetic field strengths on the surfaces of these stars. In the present paper, we consider how well our magnetoconvective models succeed when confronted with this new test of surface magnetic field strengths. Among the systems listed by Torres, we find that plausible magnetic models work well for CM Dra, YY Gem, and CU Cnc. (The fourth system in Torres's list does not yet have enough information to warrant magnetic modeling.) Our magnetoconvection models of CM Dra, YY Gem, and CU Cnc yield predictions of the magnetic fluxes on the stellar surface which are consistent with the observed correlation between magnetic flux and X-ray luminosity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1999

On the Variable Spin-Down of SGR 1900+14

We consider the physical implications of the rapid spindown of Soft Gamma Repeater 1900+14 reported in a companion paper by Woods et al. During an 80 day interval between June 1998 and the large outburst on August 27, 1998, the mean spin-down rate increased by a factor 2.3 resulting in a positive period offset of delta P/P = 1 X 10(exp -4)/ A radiation hydrodynamical outflow associated with the August 27 event could impart the required torque, but only if the dipole magnetic field is stronger than about 10(exp 14) G and the outflow lasts longer than the observed X-ray flare. A positive period increment is also a natural consequence of a gradual plastic deformation of the neutron star crust by an intense magnetic field. Finally, we discuss the relative stability of the long term spin-down rate of SGR 1900+14, and compare the relative spindown rates of the SGRs and the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars.

Thompson, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS1982

Gamma-ray burst spectra

A review of recent results in gamma-ray burst spectroscopy is given. Particular attention is paid to the recent discovery of emission and absorption features in the burst spectra. These lines represent the strongest evidence to date that gamma-ray bursts originate on or near neutron stars. Line parameters give information on the temperature, magnetic field and possibly the gravitational potential of the neutron star. The behavior of the continuum spectrum is also discussed. A remarkably good fit to nearly all bursts is obtained with a thermal-bremsstrahlung-like continuum. Significant evolution is observed of both the continuum and line features within most events.

Teegarden, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Dead Zone Accretion Flows in Protostellar Disks

Planets form inside protostellar disks in a dead zone where the electrical resistivity of the gas is too high for magnetic forces to drive turbulence. We show that much of the dead zone nevertheless is active and flows toward the star while smooth, large-scale magnetic fields transfer the orbital angular momentum radially outward. Stellar X-ray and radionuclide ionization sustain a weak coupling of the dead zone gas to the magnetic fields, despite the rapid recombination of free charges on dust grains. Net radial magnetic fields are generated in the magnetorotational turbulence in the electrically conducting top and bottom surface layers of the disk, and reach the midplane by ohmic diffusion. A toroidal component to the fields is produced near the midplane by the orbital shear. The process is similar to the magnetization of the solar tachocline. The result is a laminar, magnetically driven accretion flow in the region where the planets form.

solar system↗