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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Can X-ray bursts be caused by substorms at a neutron star

A model for X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars is developed by analogy with geomagnetic substorms. The essential steps in the substorm process are the nearly steady merging or reconnection of the magnetic field in the magnetosphere with the field in the stellar wind, the transport of some of the merged plasma into a magnetically controlled tail, and the explosive release of plasma from the tail into the magnetosphere. The strength of the magnetic field in the stellar wind required to drive a substorm is approximately 0.1 gauss. If the stellar wind is organized into large-scale magnetic sectors, as is the solar wind, topological dissipation will not occur, and the large-scale field will be available for merging at the magnetopause. Once the material is in the tail, the time scales for the Kruskal-Schwarzschild instability and the unidentified instability which drives terrestrial substorms may be comparable. Alternating periods of burst activity and quiescence could be caused by passage from one sector to another with opposite polarity, or be seasonal variations.

Neugebauer, M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The masses of neutron stars - Observational constraints

The present state of empirical knowledge concerning neutron-star masses is reviewed on the basis of information obtained for the nine known X-ray pulsars in binary systems. Pulse profiles and other pulse parameters of these X-ray pulsars are examined, and allowable mass ranges are estimated for four X-ray pulsars in binary systems as well as for the binary pulsar PSR 1913+16. The approximate mass ranges obtained include 1.2 to 2.4 solar masses for 3U 0900-40, 0.7 to 4.3 solar masses for Cen X-3, 0.8 to 1.8 solar masses for SMC X-1, 0.0 to 2.3 solar masses for Her X-1, and either 1.4 to 1.8 solar masses or 0.0 to 1.8 solar masses for PSR 1913+16 if the companion is a normal white dwarf or some other type of star, respectively. Theoretical implications of these results are briefly considered.

Rappaport, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Accretion by rotating magnetic neutron stars. II - Radial and vertical structure of the transition zone in disk accretion

The radial and vertical structure of the transition zone at the magnetospheric boundary of an aligned rotating neutron star accreting matter from a Keplerian disk are calculated. The results obtained indicate that: (1) the inner edge of the disk is located where the integrated magnetic stress acting on the disk plasma becomes comparable to the integrated material stress associated with its inward radial drift and orbital motion; (2) the stellar magnetic field threads the disk near its inner edge via the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, turbulent diffusion, and reconnection, producing a broad transition zone between the unperturbed disk flow and corotating magnetosphere; (3) the transition zone consists of two qualitatively different regions, viz., a broad outer transition zone where the motion is Keplerian and a narrow inner zone, or boundary layer, where the departure from Keplerian motion is substantial; (4) the stellar magnetic field is largely but not entirely screened by currents flowing in the boundary layer; and (5) there are no steady-flow solutions for sufficiently fast stellar rotation.

Ghosh, P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The HEAO-1 neutron star timing experiment

The HEAO-1 neutron star timing experiment is presented. The scientific motivation for the experiment, the reasons for the choice of Her X-1 and Vela X-1 as promising sources to study, the methodology, and the current status of the experiment are summarized.

Lamb, F. K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Preliminary results of fast neutron treatments in carcinoma of the pancreas

A group of 30 patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas including some patients with very advanced disease, were treated with the so-called mixed beam modality employing photon treatments three times per week and neutron treatments twice a week. Two hundred Rads or equivalent Rads (RBE 3.3) were given in daily fractions aiming at a total dose of 6000 Rads in 6 to 8 weeks. The treatments were well tolerated and significant palliation was achieved in 26 to 30 cases. Twelve months survival was 33 percent with a median survival of 7 months or 210 days. Treatment techniques and localization procedures are discussed.

Gahbauer, R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Particle energization in the inner, nonazimuthally symmetric magnetospheres of neutron stars

The energization process of magnetic pumping, a combination of time dependent magnetic mirror fields with pitch-angle scattering, is applied to trapped charged particles drifting in corotating, azimuthally nonsymmetric neutron star magnetospheres. When particle energization is balanced by synchrotron radiation loss, it is found that protons, rather than electrons, reach considerable kinetic energies and radiate, in the X-ray regime, at rates up to the 10 to the 6th power MeV/proton/sec.

Borovsky, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Possible observational constraints on the mass-radius relation of neutron stars

The effect of gravitational redshift on the blackbody radii, as deduced from the tails of X-ray bursts, is considered. Observed values of blackbody radii put an upper limit to the mass and constrain the mass-radius relations of neutron stars. Possible consequences for the equation of state of high-density matter are briefly discussed.

Van Paradijs, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Thermal X-ray emission from neutron stars

In the present paper, the status of theories concerning the thermal properties of neutron stars are reviewed, and means by which observational astronomy may contribute to future studies are examined. Particular attention is given to program of the Einstein Observatory (HEAO 2) which calls for observations of over 50 SNR and 35 radio pulsars. The present paper includes a survey of all objects within 350 pc of the earth.

Helfand, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Neutron capture time scale of the s-process, estimated from s-process krypton in a meteorite

A krypton fraction enriched in s-process isotopes was extracted from a mineral fraction of the Murchison C2 chondrite. The (Kr-86)/(Kr-84) ratio is enhanced by 6 standard deviations, showing that significant amounts of Kr-86 were made in the s-process, despite the short, 10.8 yr beta-decay half-life of its precursor, Kr-85. Judging from this sample, the mean neutron capture time in the s-process was on the order of 5-100 yr for nuclei with cross sections of 125 mb.

Matsuda, J.-I.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The thermonuclear-flash model for X-ray burst sources - A new tool for observing neutron stars

The helium-flash model for X-ray burst sources, in which matter is presumed to accrete onto the surface of a neutron star, is discussed. Attention is given to the accretion process, nuclear burning, X-ray emission, and the energy released by convection as well as by radiative diffusion near the surface. The rise times of observed bursts, their spectral evolution, and the properties of the spectrally soft X-ray transients are considered. Problems in interpreting the continuum spectra are discussed, along with problems in the detection and measurement of line features in the spectra. Also considered are the ratio of time-averaged persistent luminosity to time-averaged burst luminosity, peak burst luminosities, and the possibility of detecting binary membership for burst sources.

Joss, P. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Accretion by rotating magnetic neutron stars. III - Accretion torques and period changes in pulsating X-ray sources

The solutions of the two-dimensional hydromagnetic equations are used to calculate the torque on a magnetic neutron star accreting from a Keplerian disk. It is found that the magnetic coupling between the star and the plasma in the outer transition zone is appreciable; that as a result, the spin-up torque on fast rotators is substantially less than that on slow rotators, and that for sufficiently high stellar angular velocities or sufficiently low mass accretion rates, the rotation of the star can be braked while accretion continues. These results are applied to pulsating X-ray sources, revealing that at high luminosities a star of given spin period rotating in the same direction as the disk can experience either spin-up or spin-down, depending on its luminosity. Also considered are the general problem of interpreting period changes in pulsating X-ray sources, and the dipole magnetic moments of nine pulsating X-ray sources are estimated by fitting the theoretical spin-up equation to estimates of the average luminosity and spin-up rate of each source.

Ghosh, P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Isotopic anomalies from neutron reactions during explosive carbon burning

The heavy isotopic anomalies observed recently in the fractionation and unknown nuclear inclusions from the Allende meteorite are explained by neutron reactions during the explosive carbon burning (ECB). This model produces heavy anomalies in the same zone where Al-26 and O-16 are produced, thus reducing the number of source zones required for the isotopic anomalies. Unlike the classical r-process, the ECB n-process avoids the problem with the Sr anomaly and may resolve the problem of conflicting time scales between Al-26 and the r-process isotopes I-129 and Pu-244. Experimental studies of Zr and Ce isotopic composition are proposed to test this model.

Lee, T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Supercritical time-dependent accretion onto compact objects. I - Neutron stars

The time-dependent flow resulting from spherically symmetric, supercritical accretion onto a nonmagnetic neutron star is computed for accretion rates between 3 and 30. In addition, the fully time-dependent self-consistent set of coupled radiation-hydrodynamic equations governing such flow has been solved. Effects that have not previously been treated are taken into account, including separate energy equations for ions and electrons allowing for nonequilibrium, variable Eddington factors in the radiation transfer to account for anisotropy of the radiation field due to highly spherically extended envelopes, and convection of ions, electrons and photons in the accretion envelope. It is found that supercritical flow, for material falling from a radius of less than 10 to the 10th cm, is characterized by stable accretion with no evidence of stellar wind outflow at any phase of the evolution.

Klein, R. I.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Neutron star evolution and results from the Einstein X-ray Observatory

The evolution of neutron stars is reexamined using current knowledge of their structure and the available microphysics, including general relativistic effects, improved opacities, and cooling by the emission of neutrinos from a pion condensate or from free quarks. Theoretical cooling curves are compared with observations performed with the Einstein X-ray Observatory. It is found that current soft X-ray observations of pulsars and young supernova remnants do not require stars with a pion condensate or free quarks.

Van Riper, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Neutron star binaries, pulsars and burst sources

Unresolved issues involving neutron star binaries, pulsars, and burst sources are described. Attention is drawn to the types of observations most likely to resolve them. Many of these observations are likely to be carried out during the next decade by one or more missions that have been approved or proposed. Flux measurements with an imaging detector and broad-band spectroscopic studies in the energy range 30-150 keV are discussed. The need for soft X-ray and X-ray observations with an instrument which has arcminute angular resolution and an effective area substantially greater than of ROSAT or EXOSAT is also discussed.

Lamb, F. K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Generation of X-rays and neutrons with a RF-discharge

An experimental study concerning disk shaped plasma structures was performed. Such disk-shaped structures can be obtained using an rf discharge in hydrogen. The applied frequency was 1-2 Mhz. In case of operation in deuterium it was found that the discharge emits neutrons and X-rays, although the applied voltage is only 2 kV. This phenomenon was explained by assuming formation of plasma cavitons which are surrounded by high electric fields. The condition for formation of these cavitons is that the applied rf frequency is equal to the plasma frequency. The ions trapped in these resonance structures acquire sufficient energy that they can undergo fusion reactions with the ions in the surrounding gas.

Schneider, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Inelastic neutron scatter iron concentrations of the moon from orbital gamma ray data

The considered investigation is concerned with the relation between KREEP and thermal neutron flux depression. The Fe(n, n-prime gamma) concentrations of selected lunar regions were calculated by energy-band analysis of the 0.803-0.872 MeV band. The result of the investigation will be used to evaluate the reliability of the previously determined Fe(n, gamma) values. A 0.803-0.872 MeV band was isolated from the Apollo 15 and 16 orbital gamma ray spectra. Preliminary regression analysis of regional ground truth count rates and Fe concentrations showed this energy interval to be optimum for the 0.8467 MeV inelastic scatter (n, n-prime gamma)Fe peak.

Davis, P. A., Jr.↗