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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 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

The Detection of 6.9 µm Emission Features in the Infrared Spectra of IRAS 04296+3429, IRAS 05341+0852, IRAS 22272+5435: Evidence for the Presence of Hn-PAHs in Post AGB Stars

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are generally believed to be ubiquitous in space and responsible for numerous telltale interstellar infrared emission bands. In Sandford et al., (2013), we suggested that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with excess hydrogenation at their periphery (Hn-PAHs) may be an important subclass of these molecules in some astrophysical environments. These molecules are candidates to explain objects with anomalously large 3.4 μm features, which are presumed to be associated with the aliphatic C—H stretching vibrations of the excess hydrogen. In that work, we suggest that for Hn-PAHs to be a viable candidate as the source for this 3.4 μm feature, we must also expect to observe methylene scissoring modes at 6.9 μm. In this work, we continue to develop the Hn-PAH hypothesis with a focus on the 6.9 μm feature. We also present some new observations of three post-asymptotic giant branch (post- AGB) objects with abnormally large 3.4 μm features, IRAS 04296+3429, IRAS 05341+0852, IRAS 22272+5435, in addition to one post-AGB object with normal PAH emissions, IRAS 20000+3239. These observations were made using the FORCAST instrument in grism mode on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft (Adams et al. 2010) and demonstrate the presence of a 6.9 μm feature for the three objects with abnormally large 3.4 μm features and no detectable 6.9 μm feature for the normal PAH emitter. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Hn-PAHs are a possible source of these infrared emission bands.

ISM↗
DOE OSTI2015

SWIFT ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF SUPERNOVA 2014J IN M82: LARGE EXTINCTION FROM INTERSTELLAR DUST

We present optical and ultraviolet (UV) photometry and spectra of the very nearby and highly reddened supernova (SN) 2014J in M82 obtained with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). Comparison of the UVOT grism spectra of SN 2014J with Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN2011fe or UVOT grism spectra of SN 2012fr are consistent with an extinction law with a low value of R{sub V} ∼1.4. The high reddening causes the detected photon distribution in the broadband UV filters to have a much longer effective wavelength than for an unreddened SN. The light curve evolution is consistent with this shift and does not show a flattening due to photons being scattered back into the line of sight (LOS). The light curve shapes and color evolution are inconsistent with a contribution scattered into the LOS by circumstellar dust. We conclude that most or all of the high reddening must come from interstellar dust. We show that even for a single dust composition, there is not a unique reddening law caused by circumstellar scattering. Rather, when considering scattering from a time-variable source, we confirm earlier studies that the reddening law is a function of the dust geometry, column density, and epoch. We also show how an assumed geometry of dust as a foreground sheet in mixed stellar/dust systems will lead to a higher inferred R{sub V}. Rather than assuming the dust around SNe is peculiar, SNe may be useful probes of the interstellar reddening laws in other galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

HST IMAGING OF DUST STRUCTURES AND STARS IN THE RAM PRESSURE STRIPPED VIRGO SPIRALS NGC 4402 AND NGC 4522: STRIPPED FROM THE OUTSIDE IN WITH DENSE CLOUD DECOUPLING

We describe and constrain the origins of interstellar medium (ISM) structures likely created by ongoing intracluster medium (ICM) ram pressure stripping in two Virgo Cluster spirals, NGC 4522 and NGC 4402, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) BVI images of dust extinction and stars, as well as supplementary H i, H α , and radio continuum images. With a spatial resolution of ∼10 pc in the HST images, this is the highest-resolution study to date of the physical processes that occur during an ICM–ISM ram pressure stripping interaction, ram pressure stripping's effects on the multi-phase, multi-density ISM, and the formation and evolution of ram-pressure-stripped tails. In dust extinction, we view the leading side of NGC 4402 and the trailing side of NGC 4522, and so we see distinct types of features in both. In both galaxies, we identify some regions where dense clouds are decoupling or have decoupled and others where it appears that kiloparsec-sized sections of the ISM are moving coherently. NGC 4522 has experienced stronger, more recent pressure and has the “jellyfish” morphology characteristic of some ram-pressure-stripped galaxies. Its stripped tail extends up from the disk plane in continuous upturns of dust and stars curving up to ∼2 kpc above the disk plane. On the other side of the galaxy, there is a kinematically and morphologically distinct extraplanar arm of young, blue stars and ISM above a mostly stripped portion of the disk, and between it and the disk plane are decoupled dust clouds that have not been completely stripped. The leading side of NGC 4402 contains two kiloparsec-scale linear dust filaments with complex substructure that have partially decoupled from the surrounding ISM. NGC 4402 also contains long dust ridges, suggesting that large parts of the ISM are being pushed out at once. Both galaxies contain long ridges of polarized radio continuum emission indicating the presence of large-scale, ordered magnetic fields. We propose that magnetic fields could bind together gas of different densities, causing nearby gas of different densities to be stripped at the same rate and creating the large, coherent dust ridges and upturns. A number of factors likely play roles in determining what types of structures form as a result of ram pressure, including ram pressure strength and history, the location within the galaxy relative to the leading side, and pre-existing substructure in the ISM that may be bound together by magnetic fields during stripping.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2026

Isotopic Signature of Organic Molecules from Beyond the Solar System: An Enriched Methane D/H Ratio in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Interstellar objects are interlopers from other planetary systems, and their volatile compositions provide a glimpse into planet formation around their host star. We present near-infrared spectra of the coma of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS measured with the James Webb Space Telescope. Our results demonstrate an unexpectedly high D/H = (3.31 ± 0.34)% for methane and represent an exceedingly rare detection of deuterated organic molecules in an interstellar object. This D/H ratio is a factor of 14 ± 2 higher than that measured in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the Rosetta spacecraft, the only other comet for which CH3D has been detected, yet the ratio of deuteration in methane compared with water is consistent for both comets within 1.2σ. The D/H ratio in methane is observationally unconstrained in extrasolar sources to date, but the enriched ratio in 3I/ATLAS is most similar to those measured in other organic molecules toward primitive environments. The high D/H ratios of water and methane in 3I/ATLAS are a natural consequence of formation in a high D/H elemental ratio environment as a result of locally cold conditions in the protoplanetary disk and prior interstellar cloud. Thus, 3I/ATLAS formed in an environment very different from that in which our Sun and planets originated.

Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Growth and Destruction of PAH Molecules in Reactions with Carbon Atoms

A very high abundance of atomic carbon in the interstellar medium (ISM), and the high reactivity of these species toward different hydrocarbon molecules including benzene, raise questions regarding the stability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules in space. To test the efficiency of destruction of PAH molecules via reactions with atomic carbon, we performed a set of laboratory and computational studies of the reactions of naphthalene, anthracene, and coronene molecules with carbon atoms in the ground state. The reactions were investigated in liquid helium droplets at T = 0.37 K and by quantum chemical computations. Our studies suggest that all small and all large catacondensed PAHs react barrierlessly with atomic carbon, and therefore should be efficiently destroyed by such reactions in a broad temperature range. At the same time, large compact pericondensed PAHs should be more inert toward such a reaction. In addition, taking into account their higher photostability, much higher abundances of pericondensed PAHs should be expected in various astrophysical environments. The barrierless reactions between carbon atoms and small PAHs also suggest that, in the ISM, these reactions could lead to the bottom-up formation of PAH molecules.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Peptide bond formation through gas-phase reactions in the interstellar medium: formamide and acetamide as prototypes

A theoretical study of the reactions of NH{sub 4}{sup +} with formaldehyde and CH{sub 5}{sup +} with formamide is carried out. The viability of these gas-phase ion-molecule reactions as possible sources of formamide and acetamide under the conditions of interstellar medium is evaluated. We report a theoretical estimation of the reaction enthalpies and an analysis of their potential energy surfaces. Formation of protonated formamide from the reaction between ammonium cation and formaldehyde is an exothermic process, but all the channels located on the potential energy surface leading to this product present net activation energies. For the reaction between methanium and formamide, different products are possible from a thermodynamic point of view. An analysis of its potential energy surface showed that formation of protonated acetamide and amino acetaldehyde takes place through barrier-free paths. Therefore, this reaction could be a feasible source of acetamide and amino acetaldehyde in space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1998

X-Ray Emission from Protostellar Jets

The goals of this program were to identify the termination shocks in several parsec-scale protostellar jets through the thermal soft X-rays emitted by the high-velocity terminal shock waves, and to assess the impact these outflows have on the surrounding interstellar and intercloud medium. The terminal shock waves that plow into the undisturbed interstellar medium may have shock velocities commensurate with the observed space motions of several hundred km s(exp -1). Such shocks will heat and ionize the interstellar medium, perhaps creating large ovoid bubbles of hot gas. Identifying the location of the terminal shocks in these outflows would also allow us to place constraints on the ages of these outflows, and hence the duration of the mass-loss phase that accompanies the formation of a star. We targeted four outflows where the outer optical shock waves are projected against low-extinction backgrounds. From the two dozen or so parsec-scale flows known, we chose those that have the highest velocities, brightest optical counterparts, and/or the richest concentration of shock waves in a small area on the sky. Four giant HH flows have been observed with the ROSAT HRI at Priority A for 30 ksec each. Results: Unfortunately, we failed to detect X-ray emission from the terminal bow shocks of the giant HH flows using the ROSAT HRI. The reasons are likely to be: (1) The shock velocities may be too low to emit in the soft X-rays. (2) The sensitivity of the HRI is too low to detect the diffuse emission. The fields that we observed were chosen to be low extinction sight-lines, with the consequence that the tenuous media into which the outer bow shocks are propagating produce low fluxes. Despite the failure to achieve the primary science goals, we have identified in each image a half a dozen or so point-source young stellar objects. The HRI images have been very useful for discerning potential outflow sources and are being combined with optical, near-IR, and radio imaging data of each outflow field. The first paper on L1551 NE is currently in preparation.

Morse, Jon A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Use of magnetic sails for advanced exploration missions

The magnetic sail, or magsail, is a field effect device which interacts with the ambient solar wind or interstellar medium over a considerable volume of space to generate drag and lift forces. Two theories describing the method of thrust generation are analyzed and data results are presented. The techniques for maintaining superconductor temperatures in interplanetary space are analyzed and low risk options presented. Comparisons are presented showing mission performance differences between currently proposed spacecraft using chemical and electric propulsion systems, and a Magsail propelled spacecraft capable of generating an average thrust of 250 Newtons at a radius of one A.U. The magsail also provides unique capabilities for interstellar missions, in that at relativistic speeds the magnetic field would ionize and deflect the interstellar medium producing a large drag force. This would make it an ideal brake for decelerating a spacecraft from relativistic speeds and then maneuvering within the target star system.

Andrews, Dana G.↗
DOE OSTI2016

INTERSTELLAR PICKUP ION PRODUCTION IN THE GLOBAL HELIOSPHERE AND HELIOSHEATH

Interstellar pickup ions (PUIs) play a significant part in mediating the solar wind (SW) interaction with the interstellar medium. In this paper, we examine the details of spatial variation of the PUI velocity distribution function (VDF) in the SW by solving the PUI transport equation. We assume the PUI distribution is isotropic resulting from strong pitch-angle scattering by wave–particle interaction. A three-dimensional model combining the MHD treatment of the background SW and neutrals with a kinetic treatment of PUIs throughout the heliosphere and the surrounding local interstellar medium has been developed. The model generates PUI power-law tails via second-order Fermi process. We analyze how PUIs transform across the heliospheric termination shock and obtain the PUI phase space distribution in the inner heliosheath including continuing velocity diffusion. Our simulated PUI spectra are compared with observations made by New Horizons , Ulysses , Voyager 1, 2 , and Cassini , and a satisfactory agreement is demonstrated. Some specific features in the observations, for example, a cutoff of PUI VDF at v = V {sub SW} and a f ∝ v {sup -5} tail in the reference frame of the SW, are well represented by the model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

FERMI LAT DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED GAMMA-RAY EMISSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF THE HB 3 SUPERNOVA REMNANT

We report the discovery of extended gamma-ray emission measured by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in the region of the supernova remnant (SNR) HB 3 (G132.7+1.3) and the W3 II complex adjacent to the southeast of the remnant. W3 is spatially associated with bright {sup 12}CO (J = 1–0) emission. The gamma-ray emission is spatially correlated with this gas and the SNR. We discuss the possibility that gamma rays originate in interactions between particles accelerated in the SNR and interstellar gas or radiation fields. The decay of neutral pions produced in nucleon–nucleon interactions between accelerated hadrons and interstellar gas provides a reasonable explanation for the gamma-ray emission. The emission from W3 is consistent with irradiation of the CO clouds by the cosmic rays accelerated in HB 3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2005

PAHs and the Diffuse Interstellar Bands. What have we Learned from the New Generation of Laboratory and Observational Studies?

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important and ubiquitous component of carbon-bearing materials in space. PAHs are the best-known candidates to account for the IR emission bands (UIR bands) and PAH spectral features are now being used as new probes of the ISM. PAHs are also thought to be among the carriers of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIBs). In the model dealing with the interstellar spectral features, PAHs are present as a mixture of radicals, ions and neutral species. PAH ionization states reflect the ionization balance of the medium while PAH size, composition, and structure reflect the energetic and chemical history of the medium. A major challenge for laboratory astrophysics is to reproduce (in a realistic way) the physical conditions that exist in the emission and/or absorption interstellar zones, An extensive laboratory program has been developed at NASA Ames to characterize the physical and chemical properties of PAHs in astrophysical environments and to describe how they influence the radiation and energy balance in space and the interstellar chemistry. In particular, laboratory experiments provide measurements of the spectral characteristics of interstellar PAH analogs from the ultraviolet and visible range to the infrared range for comparison with astronomical data. This paper will focus on the recent progress made in the laboratory to measure the direct absorption spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs in the gas phase in the near-W and visible range in astrophysically relevant environments. These measurements provide data on PAHs and nanometer-sized particles that can now be directly compared to astronomical observations. The harsh physical conditions of the IS medium - characterized by a low temperature, an absence of collisions and strong V W radiation fields - are simulated in the laboratory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature (of the order of 100 K). The spectra of neutral and ionized PAHs are measured using the high sensitivity methods of cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS). These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of free, cold large carbon molecules and ions in the gas phase. Intrinsic band profiles and band positions of cold gas-phase PAHs can now be measured with high- sensitivity spectroscopy and directly compared to the astronomical data. The electronic bands measured for ionized PAH are found to be intrinsically broad (about 20/cm) while the bands associated with the neutral precursors are narrower (of the order of 2 - 10/cm).

Salama, Farid↗
DOE OSTI2015

A SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF Lyα TRANSFER THROUGH OUTFLOWING SHELLS: MODEL PARAMETER ESTIMATION

Outflows promote the escape of Lyman-α (Lyα) photons from dusty interstellar media. The process of radiative transfer through interstellar outflows is often modeled by a spherically symmetric, geometrically thin shell of neutral gas that scatters photons emitted by a central Lyα source. Despite its simplified geometry, this “shell model” has been surprisingly successful at reproducing observed Lyα line shapes. In this paper, we perform automated line fitting on a set of noisy simulated shell-model spectra in order to determine whether degeneracies exist between the different shell-model parameters. While there are some significant degeneracies, we find that most parameters are accurately recovered, especially the H i column density (N{sub H} {sub i}) and outflow velocity (v{sub exp}). This work represents an important first step in determining how the shell-model parameters relate to the actual physical properties of Lyα sources. To aid further exploration of the parameter space, we have made our simulated model spectra available through an interactive online tool.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

TOWARD A NETWORK OF FAINT DA WHITE DWARFS AS HIGH-PRECISION SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC STANDARDS

We present the initial results from a program aimed at establishing a network of hot DA white dwarfs to serve as spectrophotometric standards for present and future wide-field surveys. These stars span the equatorial zone and are faint enough to be conveniently observed throughout the year with large-aperture telescopes. The spectra of these white dwarfs are analyzed in order to generate a non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium model atmosphere normalized to Hubble Space Telescope colors, including adjustments for wavelength-dependent interstellar extinction. Once established, this standard star network will serve ground-based observatories in both hemispheres as well as space-based instrumentation from the UV to the near IR. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this concept and show how two different approaches to the problem using somewhat different assumptions produce equivalent results. We discuss the lessons learned and the resulting corrective actions applied to our program.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

A rare gas optics-free absolute photon flux and energy analyzer to provide absolute photoionization rates of inflowing interstellar neutrals

A prototype spectrometer has been developed for space applications requiring long term absolute EUV photon flux measurements. The energy spectrum of the incoming photons is transformed directly into an electron energy spectrum by taking advantage of the photoelectric effect in one of several rare gases at low pressures. Using an electron energy spectrometer, followed by an electron multiplier detector, pulses due to individual electrons are counted. The overall efficiency of this process can be made essentially independent of gain drifts in the signal path, and the secular degradation of optical components which is often a problem in other techniques is avoided. A very important feature of this approach is its freedom from the problem of overlapping spectral orders that plagues grating EUV spectrometers. An instrument with these features has not been flown before, but is essential to further advances in our understanding of solar EUV flux dynamics, and the coupled dynamics of terrestrial and planetary atmospheres. The detailed characteristics of this optics-free spectrometer are presented in the publications section.

Judge, Darrell L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Atomic Physics with the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope: Oscillator Strengths for Neutral Sulfur - No. 1

Interstellar spectra toward zeta Oph acquired with the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph were used to obtain oscillator strengths for approximately two dozen S I lines. This analysis was possible because precisely determined experimental oscillator strengths are available for several multiplets, including one with a weak interstellar line. The self-consistent set of oscillator strengths then was obtained from a curve of growth based on line strengths spanning a range of a factor of 100. The derived f-values for a number of multiplets differ from values quoted by Morton (1991) but are generally consistent with the suite of available experimental and theoretical results.

Federman, S. R.↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Test of the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer Ribbon Formation in the Outer Heliosheath

NASA’s Interstellar Boundary EXplorer ( IBEX ) mission is imaging energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) propagating to Earth from the outer heliosphere and local interstellar medium (LISM). A dominant feature in all ENA maps is a ribbon of enhanced fluxes that was not predicted before IBEX . While more than a dozen models of the ribbon formation have been proposed, consensus has gathered around the so-called secondary ENA model. Two classes of secondary ENA models have been proposed; the first class assumes weak scattering of the energetic pickup protons in the LISM, and the second class assumes strong but spatially localized scattering. Here we present a numerical test of the “weak scattering” version of the secondary ENA model using our gyro-averaged kinetic model for the evolution of the phase-space distribution of protons in the outer heliosheath. As input for our test, we use distributions of the primary ENAs from our MHD-plasma/kinetic-neutral model of the heliosphere-LISM interaction. The magnetic field spectrum for the large-scale interstellar turbulence and an upper limit for the amplitude of small-scale local turbulence (SSLT) generated by protons are taken from observations by Voyager 1 in the LISM. The hybrid simulations of energetic protons are also used to set the bounding wavenumbers for the spectrum of SSLT. Our test supports the “weak scattering” version. This makes an additional solid step on the way to understanding the origin and formation of the IBEX ribbon and thus to improving our understanding of the interaction between the heliosphere and the LISM.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2019

Electric Sail Propulsion for Deep Space Missions

Electrostatic Sail (E-sail) propulsion extracts momentum from the solar wind, which has minimal speeds of 400 km/sec, through electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged solar wind ions. This momentum exchange is accomplished by an array of multi-kilometer-length charged tethers biased to a high positive voltage, producing an electric field around the tethers that deflect the positively charged solar wind particles. This electric field grows in diameter as the spacecraft moves away from the sun, increasing the E-sail effective area. The growth of the E-sail effective area allows the created propulsive force to decrease at a rate closer to 1/r out to distances from the sun of up to 20 Astronomical Units (AU). This is unlike solar sail propulsion, where the thrust decreases at a rate of 1/r2 and is only effective out to distances of ~5 AU. The propulsive force is applied without expending any propellant. Although the thrust generated by an E-Sail is low, it can be applied continuously over a period of years (depending on the mission type), and can push a 500 kg spacecraft to tremendous velocities—as high as 12 AU per year—making the voyage to 600 AU in as few as 50 years after launch. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center recently completed a NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) study in which all of the major system- and subsystem-level aspects of an E-Sail-propelled vehicle were assessed and a maturation plan developed. If implemented, E-Sail propulsion could be realized and deployed as a viable option for space missions within a decade.

Interstellar Probe↗