Preface to Special Topic: Van Allen 100, Waves and Particles in Space and Astrophysical Plasmas
No abstract prepared.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “ASTROPHYSICS”
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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THE GEMINI CLUSTER ASTROPHYSICS SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY (GCLASS): THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT AND SELF-REGULATION IN GALAXY EVOLUTION AT z {approx} 1
We evaluate the effects of environment and stellar mass on galaxy properties at 0.85 9.3 the well-known correlations between environment and properties such as star-forming fraction (f{sub SF}), star formation rate (SFR), specific SFR (SSFR), D{sub n}(4000), and color are already in place at z {approx} 1. We separate the effects of environment and stellar mass on galaxies by comparing the properties of star-forming and quiescent galaxies at fixed environment and fixed stellar mass. The SSFR of star-forming galaxies at fixed environment is correlated with stellar mass; however, at fixed stellar mass it is independent of environment. The same trend exists for the D{sub n}(4000) measures of both the star-forming and quiescent galaxies and shows that their properties are determined primarily by their stellar mass, not by their environment. Instead, it appears that environment's primary role is to control the fraction of star-forming galaxies. Using the spectra we identify candidate poststarburst galaxies and find that those with 9.3 < log M{sub *}/M{sub Sun} < 10.7 are 3.1 {+-} 1.1 times more common in high-density regions compared to low-density regions. The clear association of poststarbursts with high-density regions as well as the lack of a correlation between the SSFRs and D{sub n}(4000)s of star-forming galaxies with their environment strongly suggests that at z {approx} 1 the environmental-quenching timescale must be rapid. Lastly, we construct a simple quenching model which demonstrates that the lack of a correlation between the D{sub n}(4000) of quiescent galaxies and their environment results naturally if self quenching dominates over environmental quenching at z > 1, or if the evolution of the self-quenching rate mirrors the evolution of the environmental-quenching rate at z > 1, regardless of which dominates.
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STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION OF SYNCHROTRON INTENSITY FLUCTUATIONS: STUDIES OF ASTROPHYSICAL MAGNETIC TURBULENCE
We provide a theoretical description of synchrotron fluctuations arising from magnetic turbulence. We derive an expression that relates the correlation of synchrotron fluctuations for an arbitrary index of relativistic electrons to the correlations arising from a particular {gamma} = 2 index that provides synchrotron emissivity proportional to the squared intensity of perpendicular to the line-of-sight component of magnetic field. We provide a detailed study of the statistics in the latter case assuming that the underlying magnetic turbulence is axisymmetric. We obtain general relations valid for an arbitrary model of magnetic axisymmetric turbulence and analyze the relations for the particular example of magnetic turbulence that is supported by numerical simulations. We predict that the synchrotron intensity fluctuations are anisotropic with larger correlation present along the direction of magnetic field. This anisotropy is dominated by the quadrupole component with the ratio between quadrupole and monopole parts being sensitive to the compressibility of underlying turbulence. Our work opens avenues for quantitative studies of magnetic turbulence in our Galaxy and beyond using synchrotron emission. It also outlines the directions of how synchrotron foreground emission can be separated from cosmological signal, i.e., from cosmic microwave background or highly redshifted H I emission. We also provide the expressions for the synchrotron polarization (Stokes parameters and their combinations) for the model of axisymmetric magnetic turbulence.
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LABORATORY IR STUDIES AND ASTROPHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS OF C{sub 2}H{sub 2}-CONTAINING BINARY ICES
Studies of molecular hot cores and protostellar environments have shown that the observed abundance of gas-phase acetylene (C{sub 2}H{sub 2}) cannot be matched by chemical models without the inclusion of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} molecules subliming from icy grain mantles. Searches for infrared (IR) spectral features of solid-phase acetylene are under way, but few laboratory reference spectra of C{sub 2}H{sub 2} in icy mixtures, which are needed for spectral fits to observational data, have been published. Here, we report a systematic study of the IR spectra of condensed-phase pure acetylene and acetylene in ices dominated by carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), methane (CH{sub 4}), and water (H{sub 2}O). We present new spectral data for these ices, including band positions and intrinsic band strengths. For each ice mixture and concentration, we also explore the dependence of acetylene's {nu}{sub 5}-band position (743 cm{sup -1}, 13.46 {mu}m) and FWHM on temperature. Our results show that the {nu}{sub 5} feature is much more cleanly resolved in ices dominated by non-polar and low-polarity molecules, specifically CO, CO{sub 2}, and CH{sub 4}, than in mixtures dominated by H{sub 2}O-ice. We compare our laboratory ice spectra with observations of a quiescent region in Serpens.
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THE GJ 436 SYSTEM: DIRECTLY DETERMINED ASTROPHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF AN M DWARF AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRANSITING HOT NEPTUNE
The late-type dwarf GJ 436 is known to host a transiting Neptune-mass planet in a 2.6 day orbit. We present results of our interferometric measurements to directly determine the stellar diameter (R{sub *} = 0.455 {+-} 0.018 R{sub Sun }) and effective temperature (T{sub EFF} = 3416 {+-} 54 K). We combine our stellar parameters with literature time-series data, which allows us to calculate physical and orbital system parameters, including GJ 436's stellar mass (M{sub *} = 0.507{sup +0.071}{sub -0.062} M{sub Sun }), stellar density ({rho}{sub *} = 5.37{sup +0.30}{sub -0.27} {rho}{sub Sun }), planetary radius (R{sub p} = 0.369{sup +0.015}{sub -0.015} R{sub Jupiter}), and planetary mass (M{sub p} = 0.078{sup +0.007}{sub -0.008} M{sub Jupiter}), implying a mean planetary density of {rho}{sub p} 1.55{sup +0.12}{sub -0.10} {rho}{sub Jupiter}. These values are generally in good agreement with previous literature estimates based on assumed stellar mass and photometric light curve fitting. Finally, we examine the expected phase curves of the hot Neptune GJ 436b, based on various assumptions concerning the efficiency of energy redistribution in the planetary atmosphere, and find that it could be constrained with Spitzer monitoring observations.
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ANALYSIS OF WMAP 7 YEAR TEMPERATURE DATA: ASTROPHYSICS OF THE GALACTIC HAZE
We perform a joint analysis of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and Galactic emission from the WMAP 7 year temperature data. Using the Commander code, based on Gibbs sampling, we simultaneously derive the CMB and Galactic components on scales larger than 1 Degree-Sign with improved sensitivity over previous work. We conduct a detailed study of the low-frequency Galactic foreground, focusing on the 'microwave haze' emission around the Galactic center. We demonstrate improved performance in quantifying the diffuse Galactic emission when including Haslam 408 MHz data and when jointly modeling the spinning and thermal dust emission. We examine whether the hypothetical Galactic haze can be explained by a spatial variation of the synchrotron spectral index, and find that the excess of emission around the Galactic center is stable with respect to variations of the foreground model. Our results demonstrate that the new Galactic foreground component-the microwave haze-is indeed present.
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EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL STUDY ON THE INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF ASTROPHYSICALLY RELEVANT POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON DERIVATIVES 2- AND 9-VINYLANTHRACENE
We propose to evaluate the contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules that carry side groups to the mid-infrared emission spectra. Within this framework, the IR absorption spectra of 2-vinylanthracene (2-VA) and 9-vinylanthracene (9-VA) were measured in Ar matrices at 12 K and in CsI and polyethylene pellets at room temperature. The laboratory spectra were analyzed with the support of simulations based on the density functional theory. For each PAH molecule, eight IR spectra were computed by combining the B3LYP functional with as many different basis sets, namely, 4-31G, 4-31G(d), 6-31G, 6-311G, 6-31G(d), 6-31G(d,p), 6-31+G(d,p), and 6-31++G(d,p). The comparison of the theoretical spectra with the laboratory data allowed us to determine the most suitable combinations for modeling the IR spectra of neutral PAH molecules that carry a vinyl side group. It was concluded from the examples of 2- and 9-VA that the optimum basis set is 6-31G unless a steric interaction has to be taken into account, in which case the optimum basis set is 6-31G(d). Thus, in the presence of such an interaction, the use of d-type polarization functions is recommended. We discuss the possibility for neutral vinyl-substituted PAHs to contribute to the mid-infrared emission spectra and find that their specific features do not match with the mid-infrared aromatic emission bands.
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H{sub 2}(v = 0,1) + C{sup +}({sup 2} P) {yields} H+CH{sup +} STATE-TO-STATE RATE CONSTANTS FOR CHEMICAL PUMPING MODELS IN ASTROPHYSICAL MEDIA
State-to-state rate constants for the title reaction are calculated using the electronic ground state potential energy surface and an accurate quantum wave-packet method. The calculations are performed for H{sub 2} in different rovibrational states, v = 0, 1 and J = 0 and 1. The simulated reaction cross section for v = 0 shows a rather good agreement with the experimental results of Gerlich et al., both with a threshold of 0.36 eV and within the experimental error of 20%. The total reaction rate coefficients simulated for v = 1 are two times smaller than those estimated by Hierl et al. from cross sections measured at different temperatures and neglecting the contribution from v > 1 with an uncertainty factor of two. Thus, part of the disagreement is attributed to the contributions of v > 1. The computed state-to-state rate coefficients are used in our radiative transfer model code applied to the conditions of the Orion Bar photodissociation region, and leads to an increase of the line fluxes of high-J lines of CH{sup +}. This result partially explains the discrepancies previously found with measurements and demonstrates that CH{sup +} excitation is mostly driven by chemical pumping.
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LABORATORY CHARACTERIZATION AND ASTROPHYSICAL DETECTION OF VIBRATIONALLY EXCITED STATES OF ETHYL CYANIDE
Ethyl cyanide, CH{sub 3}CH{sub 2}CN, is an important interstellar molecule with a very dense rotational-vibrational spectrum. On the basis of new laboratory data in the range of 17-605 GHz and ab initio calculations, two new vibrational states, {nu}{sub 12} and {nu}{sub 20}, have been detected in molecular clouds of Orion. Laboratory data consist of Stark spectroscopy (17-110 GHz) and frequency-modulated spectrometers (GEM laboratory in Valladolid: 17-170, 270-360 GHz; Toyama: 26-200 GHz; Emory: 200-240 GHz; Ohio State: 258-368 GHz; and JPL: 270-318, 395-605 GHz). More than 700 distinct lines of each species were measured in J up to 71 and in K{sub a} up to 25. The states were fitted with Watson's S-reduction Hamiltonian. The two new states have been identified in the interstellar medium toward the Orion Nebula (Orion KL). The ground state, the isotopologues of CH{sub 3}CH{sub 2}CN, and the vibrationally excited states have been fitted to obtain column densities and to derive vibrational temperatures. All together, ethyl cyanide is responsible for more than 2000 lines in the observed frequency range of 80-280 GHz.
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UBIQUITOUS NON-THERMALS IN ASTROPHYSICAL PLASMAS: RESTATING THE DIFFICULTY OF MAINTAINING MAXWELLIANS
This paper outlines the rather narrow conditions on a radiatively decoupled plasma where a Maxwell-Boltzmann (MB) distribution can be assumed with confidence. The complementary non-thermal distribution with non-perturbative kurtosis is argued to have a much broader purview than has previously been accepted. These conditions are expressed in terms of the electron Knudsen number, K{sub e} , the ratio of the electron mean free path to the scale length of electron pressure. Rather generally, f(v < v{sub 2}(K{sub e} )) will be Gaussian, so that MB atomic or wave particle effects controlled by speeds v < v{sub 2} {identical_to} w(15/8K{sub e} ){sup 1/4} will remain defensible, where w is the most probable speed. The sufficient condition for Spitzer-Braginskii plasma fluid closure at the energy equation requires globally K{sub e} (s) {<=} 0.01; this global condition pertains to the maximum value of K{sub e} along the arc length s of the magnetic field (to its extremities) provided that contiguous plasma remains uncoupled from the radiation field. The non-thermal regime K{sub e} > 0.01 is common in all main-sequence stellar atmospheres above approximately 0.05 stellar radii from the surface. The entire solar corona and wind are included in this regime where non-thermal distributions with kurtosis are shown to be ubiquitous, heat flux is not well modeled by Spitzer-Braginskii closure, and fluid modeling is qualitative at best.
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CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL HELIUM DETONATIONS IN ASTROPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS
Several models for Type Ia-like supernova events rely on the production of a self-sustained detonation powered by nuclear reactions. In the absence of hydrogen, the fuel that powers these detonations typically consists of either pure helium (He) or a mixture of carbon and oxygen (C/O). Studies that systematically determine the conditions required to initiate detonations in C/O material exist, but until now no analogous investigation of He matter has been conducted. We perform one-dimensional reactive hydrodynamical simulations at a variety of initial density and temperature combinations and find critical length scales for the initiation of He detonations that range between 1 and 10{sup 10} cm. A simple estimate of the length scales over which the total consumption of fuel will occur for steady-state detonations is provided by the Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) formalism. Our initiation lengths are consistently smaller than the corresponding CJ length scales by a factor of {approx}100, providing opportunities for thermonuclear explosions in a wider range of low-mass white dwarfs (WDs) than previously thought possible. We find that virialized WDs with as little mass as 0.24 M{sub Sun} can be detonated, and that even less massive WDs can be detonated if a sizable fraction of their mass is raised to a higher adiabat. That the initiation length is exceeded by the CJ length implies that certain systems may not reach nuclear statistical equilibrium within the time it takes a detonation to traverse the object. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrate that incomplete burning will occur in the majority of He WD detonations and that {sup 40}Ca, {sup 44}Ti, or {sup 48}Cr, rather than {sup 56}Ni, is the predominant burning product for many of these events. We anticipate that a measure of the quantity of the intermediate-mass elements and {sup 56}Ni produced in a helium-rich thermonuclear explosion can potentially be used to constrain the nature of the progenitor system.
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WAVE-VORTEX MODE COUPLING IN ASTROPHYSICAL ACCRETION DISKS UNDER COMBINED RADIAL AND VERTICAL STRATIFICATION
We examine accretion disk flow under combined radial and vertical stratification utilizing a local Cartesian (or ''shearing box'') approximation. We investigate both axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric disturbances with the Boussinesq approximation. Under axisymmetric disturbances, a new dispersion relation is derived. It reduces to the Solberg-Hoieland criterion in the case without vertical stratification. It shows that, asymptotically, stable radial and vertical stratification cannot induce any linear instability; Keplerian flow is accordingly stable. Previous investigations strongly suggest that the so-called bypass concept of turbulence (i.e., that fine-tuned disturbances of any inviscid smooth shear flow can reach arbitrarily large transient growth) can also be applied to Keplerian disks. We present an analysis of this process for three-dimensional plane-wave disturbances comoving with the shear flow of a general rotating shear flow under combined stable radial and vertical rotation. We demonstrate that large transient growth occurs for K{sub 2}/k{sub 1} >> 1 and k{sub 3} = 0 or k{sub 1} {approx} k{sub 3}, where k{sub 1}, K{sub 2}, and k{sub 3} are the azimuthal, radial, and vertical components of the initial wave vector, respectively. By using a generalized ''wave-vortex'' decomposition of the disturbance, we show that the large transient energy growth in a Keplerian disk is mainly generated by the transient dynamics of the vortex mode. The analysis of the power spectrum of total (kinetic+potential) energy in the azimuthal or vertical directions shows that the contribution coming from the vortex mode is dominant at large scales, while the contribution coming from the wave mode is important at small scales. These findings may be confirmed by appropriate numerical simulations in the high Reynolds number regime.
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TOWARD A THEORY OF ASTROPHYSICAL PLASMA TURBULENCE AT SUBPROTON SCALES
We present an analytical study of subproton electromagnetic fluctuations in a collisionless plasma with a plasma beta of the order of unity. In the linear limit, a rigorous derivation from the kinetic equation is conducted focusing on the role and physical properties of kinetic-Alfvén and whistler waves. Then, nonlinear fluid-like equations for kinetic-Alfvén waves and whistler modes are derived, with special emphasis on the similarities and differences in the corresponding plasma dynamics. The kinetic-Alfvén modes exist in the lower-frequency region of phase space, ω << k v{sub Ti} , where they are described by the kinetic-Alfvén system. These modes exist both below and above the ion-cyclotron frequency. The whistler modes, which are qualitatively different from the kinetic-Alfvén modes, occupy a different region of phase space, k v{sub Ti} << ω << k{sub z}v{sub Te} , and they are described by the electron magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) system or the reduced electron MHD system if the propagation is oblique. Here, k{sub z} and k are the wavenumbers along and transverse to the background magnetic field, respectively, and v{sub Ti} and v{sub Te} are the ion and electron thermal velocities, respectively. The models of subproton plasma turbulence are discussed and the results of numerical simulations are presented. We also point out possible implications for solar-wind observations.
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The first astrophysical detection, terahertz spectrum, and database for the monodeuterated species of methyl formate HCOOCH{sub 2}D
Based on new measurements carried out in the laboratory from 0.77 to 1.2 THz and on a line-frequency analysis of these new data, along with previously published data, we build a line list for HCOOCH{sub 2}D that leads to its first detection in the Orion KL nebula. The observed lines, both in space and in the laboratory, involve the cis D-in-plane and trans D-out-of-plane conformations of HCOOCH{sub 2}D and the two tunneling states arising from the large-amplitude motion connecting the two trans configurations. The model used in the line position calculation accounts for both cis and trans conformations, as well as the large-amplitude motion.
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Search for time-independent neutrino emission from astrophysical sources with 3 yr of IceCube data
We present the results of a search for neutrino point sources using the IceCube data collected between 2008 April and 2011 May with three partially completed configurations of the detector: the 40-, 59-, and 79-string configurations. The live-time of this data set is 1040 days. An unbinned maximum likelihood ratio test was used to search for an excess of neutrinos above the atmospheric background at any given direction in the sky. By adding two more years of data with improved event selection and reconstruction techniques, the sensitivity was improved by a factor of 3.5 or more with respect to the previously published results obtained with the 40-string configuration of IceCube. We performed an all-sky survey and a dedicated search using a catalog of a priori selected objects observed by other telescopes. In both searches, the data are compatible with the background-only hypothesis. In the absence of evidence for a signal, we set upper limits on the flux of muon neutrinos. For an E {sup –2} neutrino spectrum, the observed limits are (0.9-5) × 10{sup –12} TeV{sup –1} cm{sup –2} s{sup –1} for energies between 1 TeV and 1 PeV in the northern sky and (0.9-23.2) × 10{sup –12} TeV{sup –1} cm{sup –2} s{sup –1} for energies between 10{sup 2} TeV and 10{sup 2} PeV in the southern sky. We also report upper limits for neutrino emission from groups of sources that were selected according to theoretical models or observational parameters and analyzed with a stacking approach. Some of the limits presented already reach the level necessary to quantitatively test current models of neutrino emission.
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OH{sup +} in astrophysical media: state-to-state formation rates, Einstein coefficients and inelastic collision rates with He
The rate constants required to model the OH{sup +} observations in different regions of the interstellar medium have been determined using state of the art quantum methods. First, state-to-state rate constants for the H{sub 2}(v = 0, J = 0, 1) + O{sup +}({sup 4} S) → H + OH{sup +}(X {sup 3}Σ{sup –}, v', N) reaction have been obtained using a quantum wave packet method. The calculations have been compared with time-independent results to assess the accuracy of reaction probabilities at collision energies of about 1 meV. The good agreement between the simulations and the existing experimental cross sections in the 0.01-1 eV energy range shows the quality of the results. The calculated state-to-state rate constants have been fitted to an analytical form. Second, the Einstein coefficients of OH{sup +} have been obtained for all astronomically significant rovibrational bands involving the X {sup 3}Σ{sup –} and/or A {sup 3}Π electronic states. For this purpose, the potential energy curves and electric dipole transition moments for seven electronic states of OH{sup +} are calculated with ab initio methods at the highest level, including spin-orbit terms, and the rovibrational levels have been calculated including the empirical spin-rotation and spin-spin terms. Third, the state-to-state rate constants for inelastic collisions between He and OH{sup +}(X {sup 3}Σ{sup –}) have been calculated using a time-independent close coupling method on a new potential energy surface. All these rates have been implemented in detailed chemical and radiative transfer models. Applications of these models to various astronomical sources show that inelastic collisions dominate the excitation of the rotational levels of OH{sup +}. In the models considered, the excitation resulting from the chemical formation of OH{sup +} increases the line fluxes by about 10% or less depending on the density of the gas.
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Accurate spectroscopic characterization of ethyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide isotopologues: a route toward their astrophysical detection
Using state-of-the-art computational methodologies, we predict a set of reliable rotational and torsional parameters for ethyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide monosubstituted isotopologues. This includes rotational, quartic, and sextic centrifugal-distortion constants, torsional levels, and torsional splittings. The accuracy of the present data was assessed from a comparison to the available experimental data. Generally, our computed parameters should help in the characterization and the identification of these organo-sulfur molecules in laboratory settings and in the interstellar medium.
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FORMATION AND PROPERTIES OF ASTROPHYSICAL CARBONACEOUS DUST. I. AB-INITIO CALCULATIONS OF THE CONFIGURATION AND BINDING ENERGIES OF SMALL CARBON CLUSTERS
The binding energies of n < 100 carbon clusters are calculated using the ab initio density functional theory code Quantum Espresso. Carbon cluster geometries are determined using several levels of classical techniques and further refined using density functional theory. The resulting energies are used to compute the work of cluster formation and the nucleation rate in a saturated, hydrogen-poor carbon gas. Compared to classical calculations that adopt the capillary approximation, we find that nucleation of carbon clusters is enhanced at low temperatures and depressed at high temperatures. This difference is ascribed to the different behavior of the critical cluster size. We find that the critical cluster size is at n = 27 or n = 8 for a broad range of temperatures and saturations, instead of being a smooth function of such parameters. The results of our calculations can be used to follow carbonaceous cluster/grain formation, stability, and growth in hydrogen-poor environments, such as the inner layers of core-collapse supernovae and supernova remnants.
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