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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 1,117 records · Page 62
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of Fe doping on structural and impedance properties of PZTFN ceramics

An attempts have been made to synthesis the ceramics Pb{sub 1-3x/2} Fe{sub x}(Zr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}){sub 1-5y/4} NbyO{sub 3} abbreviated as (PFZTN) for x = 1-6 mol% and y = 5.5 mol% by a semi-wet route. In the present paper, we have investigated the effect of Fe doping on structural and electrical properties of the PFZTN ceramics. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns reveal that PFZTN ceramics are single phase in nature. However, for x = 0.05 and 0.06, a secondary phase appears as discernible from the XRD profiles. Rietveld analysis of the powder diffraction data shows the presence of coexistence of tetragonal (P4mm space group) and rhombohedral phases (R3c space group) occurs near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) at x ≥ = 0.05. The log-log plots show that the conductivity increases with increase of temperature. The ac conductivity becomes sensitive at high frequency region and shifted towards higher frequency side with increasing temperature. It is observed that the activation energy (Ea) decreases with increasing frequency. This complex perovskite structure can be used as a multilayer ceramic capacitors and electromechanical transducers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Facile method for liquid-exfoliated graphene size prediction by UV-visible spectroscopy

In this work, an application of UV spectroscopy for facile prediction of liquid –exfoliated graphene size is discussed. Dynamic light scattering method was used to estimate the graphene flake size ( whilst UV spectroscopy measurement was carried out for extinction coefficient value (ε) determination. It was found that the value of (ε) decreased gradually as the graphene size was further reduced after intense sonication time (7h). This observation showed the influence of sonication time on electronic structure of graphene. A mathematical equation was derived from log-log graph for correlation between ( ) and (ε) value. Both values can be expressed in a single equation as ( = (3.4 × 10{sup −2}) ε{sup 1.2}).

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Design and implementation of wireless dose logger network for radiological emergency decision support system

A decision support system (DSS) is implemented in Radiological Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research for providing guidance for emergency decision making in case of an inadvertent nuclear accident. Real time gamma dose rate measurement around the stack is used for estimating the radioactive release rate (source term) by using inverse calculation. Wireless gamma dose logging network is designed, implemented, and installed around the Madras Atomic Power Station reactor stack to continuously acquire the environmental gamma dose rate and the details are presented in the paper. The network uses XBee–Pro wireless modules and PSoC controller for wireless interfacing, and the data are logged at the base station. A LabView based program is developed to receive the data, display it on the Google Map, plot the data over the time scale, and register the data in a file to share with DSS software. The DSS at the base station evaluates the real time source term to assess radiation impact.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

GMI in the reentrant spin-glass Fe 90 Zr 10 alloy: Investigation of the spin dynamics in the MHz frequency regime

Giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) in the reentrant spin-glass (SG) phase of ferromagnetic Fe 90 Zr 10 is reported. The temperature (T) dependence of the GMI allows the investigation of the spin dynamics in the SG phase in the MHz frequency regime and thus very short relaxation times τ (~10 -8 s). The GMI shows a broad maximum around 150 K and diminishes with decreasing T below the glass temperature T g of 15 K. The magnetic permeability data obtained from the GMI data show the general features observed in the ac magnetic susceptibility measured at lower frequencies (10 ≤ f ≤ 10 4 Hz), yielding values of T f (=T g (f)) that allow testing the validity of the power-law scaling used for describing the dynamics of SG-phases up to 15 MHz. A log-log plot of τ (=1/f) versus the reduced critical temperature shows two distinct regimes in the time-domain: (1) a critical slowing-down is observed for values τ > 3 × 10 -3 s; and (2) for 7 × 10 -8 ≤ τ ≤ 3 × 10 -3 s. In the latter case a fitting to the power-law yields the value 7.4 for the product of the critical exponents zν, and 1.6 × 10 -7 s for the microscopic relaxation time τ 0 . In conclusion, the product of the exponents is appropriate for an Ising spin glass.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Minimax rational approximation of the Fermi-Dirac distribution

Accurate rational approximations of the Fermi-Dirac distribution are a useful component in many numerical algorithms for electronic structure calculations. The best known approximations use O(log(βΔ)log(ϵ –1 )) poles to achieve an error tolerance ϵ at temperature β –1 over an energy interval Δ. We apply minimax approximation to reduce the number of poles by a factor of four and replace Δ with Δ occ , the occupied energy interval. Furthermore, this is particularly beneficial when Δ >> Δ occ , such as in electronic structure calculations that use a large basis set.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Unitary circuit synthesis for tomography of generalized coherent states

We present a method that outputs a sequence of simple unitary operations to prepare a given quantum state that is a generalized coherent state. Our method takes as inputs the expectation values of some relevant observables. Such expectations can be estimated by performing projective measurements on $\mathcal{O}$(M 3 log(M/δ)/ε 2 ) copies of the state, where M is the dimension of an associated Lie algebra, ε is a precision parameter, and 1 - δ is the required confidence level. The method can be implemented on a classical computer and runs in time $\mathcal{O}$(M 4 log(M/ε)). It provides $\mathcal{O}$(Mlog(M/ε)) simple unitaries that form the sequence. The overall complexity is then polynomial in M, being very efficient in cases where M is significantly smaller than the Hilbert space dimension, as for some fermion algebras. When the algebra of relevant observables is given by certain Pauli matrices, each simple unitary may be easily decomposed into two-qubit gates. We discuss applications to efficient quantum state tomography and classical simulations of quantum circuits. $\mathcal{O}$

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prediction of stability constants of metal–ligand complexes by machine learning for the design of ligands with optimal metal ion selectivity

The new LOGKPREDICT program integrates HostDesigner molecular design software with the machine learning (ML) program Chemprop. By supplying HostDesigner with predicted log K values, LOGKPREDICT enhances the computer-aided molecular design process by ranking ligands directly by metal–ligand binding strength. Harnessing reliable experimental data from a historic National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database and data from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), we train message passing neural net algorithms. The multi-metal NIST-based ML model has a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.629 ± 0.044 (R 2 of 0.960 ± 0.006), while two versions of lanthanide-only IUPAC-based ML models have, respectively, RMSE of 0.764 ± 0.073 (R 2 of 0.976 ± 0.005) and 0.757 ± 0.071 (R 2 of 0.959 ± 0.007). For relative log K predictions on an out-of-sample set of six ligands, demonstrating metal ion selectivity, the RMSE value reaches a commendably low 0.25. Here we showcase the use of LOGKPREDICT in identifying ligands with high selectivity for lanthanides in aqueous solutions, a finding supported by recent experimental evidence. We also predict new ligands yet to be verified experimentally. Therefore, our ML models implemented through LOGKPREDICT and interfaced with the ligand design software HostDesigner pave the way for designing new ligands with predetermined selectivity for competing metal ions in an aqueous solution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multiscale Flow for robust and optimal cosmological analysis

We propose Multiscale Flow, a generative Normalizing Flow that creates samples and models the field-level likelihood of two-dimensional cosmological data such as weak lensing. Multiscale Flow uses hierarchical decomposition of cosmological fields via a wavelet basis and then models different wavelet components separately as Normalizing Flows. The log-likelihood of the original cosmological field can be recovered by summing over the log-likelihood of each wavelet term. This decomposition allows us to separate the information from different scales and identify distribution shifts in the data such as unknown scale-dependent systematics. The resulting likelihood analysis can not only identify these types of systematics, but can also be made optimal, in the sense that the Multiscale Flow can learn the full likelihood at the field without any dimensionality reduction. We apply Multiscale Flow to weak lensing mock datasets for cosmological inference and show that it significantly outperforms traditional summary statistics such as power spectrum and peak counts, as well as machine learning–based summary statistics such as scattering transform and convolutional neural networks. We further show that Multiscale Flow is able to identify distribution shifts not in the training data such as baryonic effects. Finally, we demonstrate that Multiscale Flow can be used to generate realistic samples of weak lensing data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Simple guanidinium motif for the selective binding and extraction of sulfate

A simple bidentate anion receptor, shown previously to adopt a rigid pseudobicyclic conformation while binding anions in the solid state, selectively binds sulfate in aqueous solutions with log K 1 and log K 2 values of 3.78 ± 0.12 M-1 and 2.10 ± 0.23 M-1, respectively. This anion receptor has little to no affinity for nitrate and chloride in the same solutions. A lipophilic derivative was synthesized in four steps to yield an extractant that is capable of partitioning sulfate into 1,2 dichloroethane from water in the presence of large excesses of chloride. This extractant demonstrated D values as high as 2.5 with only 30 mM of anion receptor.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Impact of Sequential Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) Pretreatment and Pelletization on the Moisture Sorption Properties of Corn Stover

Combining ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX™) pretreatment with a depot processing facility is a promising option for delivering high-value densified biomass to the emerging bioenergy industry. However, because the pretreatment process results in a high moisture material unsuitable for pelleting or storage (40% wet basis), the biomass must be immediately dried. If AFEX pretreatment results in a material that is difficult to dry, the economics of this already costly operation would be at risk. This work tests the nature of moisture sorption isotherms and thin-layer drying behavior of corn (Zea mays L.) stover at 20°C to 60°C before and after sequential AFEX pretreatment and pelletization to determine whether any negative impacts to material drying or storage may result from the AFEX process. The equilibrium moisture content to equilibrium relative humidity relationship for each of the materials was determined using dynamic vapor sorption isotherms and modeled with modified Chung-Pfost, modified Halsey, and modified Henderson temperature-dependent models as well as the Double Log Polynomial (DLP), Peleg, and Guggenheim Anderson de Boer (GAB) temperature-independent models. Drying kinetics were quantified under thin-layer laboratory testing and modeled using the Modified Page's equation. Water activity isotherms for non-pelleted biomass were best modeled with the Peleg temperature-independent equation while isotherms for the pelleted biomass were best modeled with the Double Log Polynomial equation. Thin-layer drying results were accurately modeled with the Modified Page's equation. The results of this work indicate that AFEX pretreatment results in drying properties more favorable than or equal to that of raw corn stover, and pellets of superior physical stability in storage.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Survival Rates of Out-Migrating Yearling Chinook Salmon in the Lower Columbia River and Plume after Exposure to Gas-Supersaturated Water

Abstract In 2011, unusually high flows caused total dissolved gas (TDG) levels in the Columbia River, USA, to escalate well above the 120% regulatory limit that was imposed to prevent harmful impacts to aquatic organisms. After observing gas bubble trauma (GBT) in dead yearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (smolts) held in tanks, we compared estimated survival rates of acoustic-tagged in-river-migrating (IR) and transported (TR) smolts that were released below Bonneville Dam prior to and during the period of elevated TDG (>120%). The log odds of estimated daily survival in the lower river and plume was significantly lower for IR smolts that were released during elevated TDG (maximum possible exposure = 134%) than for IR smolts released when TDG was less than 120%. The TR smolts that were released 10–13 km below Bonneville Dam during elevated TDG had lower maximum possible exposure levels (126% TDG), and the log odds of estimated daily survival in the lower river and plume did not differ from that of TR smolts released when TDG was less than 120%. Direct mortality due to GBT is probably reduced in natural settings relative to laboratory experiments because smolts can move to deeper water, where pressure keeps gasses in solution, and can migrate downstream of the spillway, where TDG levels decrease as the river returns to equilibrium with the atmosphere. However, initially nonlethal GBT may reduce survival rates by increasing smolt susceptibility to predation and infection. Although our findings are limited by the observational nature of the study, our analysis is the first direct assessment of gas supersaturation's potential influence on survival of free-ranging smolts in the river and coastal ocean below a large dam. Experiments using simultaneous releases of control and gas-exposed groups are warranted and should consider the possibility that the chronic effects of TDG exposure on survival are important and persist into the early marine period. Received October 5, 2015; accepted August 18, 2016 Published online October 24, 2016

Brosnan, Ian G. (ORCID:0000000325094325)↗
DOE OSTI2013

PERIOD ERROR ESTIMATION FOR THE KEPLER ECLIPSING BINARY CATALOG

The Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog (KEBC) describes 2165 eclipsing binaries identified in the 115 deg{sup 2} Kepler Field based on observations from Kepler quarters Q0, Q1, and Q2. The periods in the KEBC are given in units of days out to six decimal places but no period errors are provided. We present the PEC (Period Error Calculator) algorithm, which can be used to estimate the period errors of strictly periodic variables observed by the Kepler Mission. The PEC algorithm is based on propagation of error theory and assumes that observation of every light curve peak/minimum in a long time-series observation can be unambiguously identified. The PEC algorithm can be efficiently programmed using just a few lines of C computer language code. The PEC algorithm was used to develop a simple model that provides period error estimates for eclipsing binaries in the KEBC with periods less than 62.5 days: log {sigma}{sub P} Almost-Equal-To - 5.8908 + 1.4425(1 + log P), where P is the period of an eclipsing binary in the KEBC in units of days. KEBC systems with periods {>=}62.5 days have KEBC period errors of {approx}0.0144 days. Periods and period errors of seven eclipsing binary systems in the KEBC were measured using the NASA Exoplanet Archive Periodogram Service and compared to period errors estimated using the PEC algorithm.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HST/WFC3 OBSERVATIONS OF LOW-MASS GLOBULAR CLUSTERS AM 4 AND PALOMAR 13: PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MASS LOSS

We investigate the loss of low-mass stars in two of the faintest globular clusters known, AM 4 and Palomar 13 (Pal 13), using HST/WFC3 F606W and F814W photometry. To determine the physical properties of each cluster—age, mass, metallicity, extinction, and present day mass function (MF)—we use the maximum likelihood color-magnitude diagram (CMD) fitting program MATCH and the Dartmouth, Padova, and BaSTI stellar evolution models. For AM 4, the Dartmouth models provide the best match to the CMD and yield an age of >13 Gyr, metallicity log Z/Z {sub ☉} = –1.68 ± 0.08, a distance modulus (m – M) {sub V} = 17.47 ± 0.03, and reddening A{sub V} = 0.19 ± 0.02. For Pal 13 the Dartmouth models give an age of 13.4 ± 0.5 Gyr, log Z/Z {sub ☉} = –1.55 ± 0.06, (m – M) {sub V} = 17.17 ± 0.02, and A{sub V} = 0.43 ± 0.01. We find that the systematic uncertainties due to choice in assumed stellar model greatly exceed the random uncertainties, highlighting the importance of using multiple stellar models when analyzing stellar populations. Assuming a single-sloped power-law MF, we find that AM 4 and Pal 13 have spectral indices α = +0.68 ± 0.34 and α = –1.67 ± 0.25 (where a Salpeter MF has α = +1.35), respectively. Comparing our derived slopes with literature measurements of cluster integrated magnitude (M{sub V} ) and MF slope indicates that AM 4 is an outlier. Its MF slope is substantially steeper than clusters of comparable luminosity, while Pal 13 has an MF in line with the general trend. We discuss both primordial and dynamical origins for the unusual MF slope of AM 4 and tentatively favor the dynamical scenario. However, MF slopes of more low luminosity clusters are needed to verify this hypothesis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

KELT-6b: A P ∼ 7.9 day hot Saturn transiting a metal-poor star with a long-period companion

We report the discovery of KELT-6b, a mildly inflated Saturn-mass planet transiting a metal-poor host. The initial transit signal was identified in KELT-North survey data, and the planetary nature of the occulter was established using a combination of follow-up photometry, high-resolution imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, and precise radial velocity measurements. The fiducial model from a global analysis including constraints from isochrones indicates that the V = 10.38 host star (BD+31 2447) is a mildly evolved, late-F star with T {sub eff} = 6102 ± 43 K, log g{sub ⋆}=4.07{sub −0.07}{sup +0.04}, and [Fe/H] = –0.28 ± 0.04, with an inferred mass M {sub *} = 1.09 ± 0.04 M {sub ☉} and radius R{sub ⋆}=1.58{sub −0.09}{sup +0.16} R{sub ⊙}. The planetary companion has mass M{sub P} = 0.43 ± 0.05 M {sub Jup}, radius R{sub P}=1.19{sub −0.08}{sup +0.13} R{sub Jup}, surface gravity log g{sub P}=2.86{sub −0.08}{sup +0.06}, and density ρ{sub P}=0.31{sub −0.08}{sup +0.07} g cm{sup −3}. The planet is on an orbit with semimajor axis a = 0.079 ± 0.001 AU and eccentricity e=0.22{sub −0.10}{sup +0.12}, which is roughly consistent with circular, and has ephemeris of T {sub c}(BJD{sub TDB}) = 2456347.79679 ± 0.00036 and P = 7.845631 ± 0.000046 days. Equally plausible fits that employ empirical constraints on the host-star parameters rather than isochrones yield a larger planet mass and radius by ∼4)-7). KELT-6b has surface gravity and incident flux similar to HD 209458b, but orbits a host that is more metal poor than HD 209458 by ∼0.3 dex. Thus, the KELT-6 system offers an opportunity to perform a comparative measurement of two similar planets in similar environments around stars of very different metallicities. The precise radial velocity data also reveal an acceleration indicative of a longer-period third body in the system, although the companion is not detected in Keck adaptive optics images.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The radio continuum-star formation rate relation in WSRT sings galaxies

We present a study of the spatially resolved radio continuum-star formation rate (RC-SFR) relation using state-of-the-art star formation tracers in a sample of 17 THINGS galaxies. We use SFR surface density (Σ{sub SFR}) maps created by a linear combination of GALEX far-UV (FUV) and Spitzer 24 μm maps. We use RC maps at λλ22 and 18 cm from the WSRT SINGS survey and Hα emission maps to correct for thermal RC emission. We compare azimuthally averaged radial profiles of the RC and FUV/mid-IR (MIR) based Σ{sub SFR} maps and study pixel-by-pixel correlations at fixed linear scales of 1.2 and 0.7 kpc. The ratio of the integrated SFRs from the RC emission to that of the FUV/MIR-based SF tracers is R{sub int}=0.78±0.38, consistent with the relation by Condon. We find a tight correlation between the radial profiles of the radio and FUV/MIR-based Σ{sub SFR} for the entire extent of the disk. The ratio R of the azimuthally averaged radio to FUV/MIR-based Σ{sub SFR} agrees with the integrated ratio and has only quasi-random fluctuations with galactocentric radius that are relatively small (25%). Pixel-by-pixel plots show a tight correlation in log-log diagrams of radio to FUV/MIR-based Σ{sub SFR}, with a typical standard deviation of a factor of two. Averaged over our sample we find (Σ{sub SFR}){sub RC}∝(Σ{sub SFR}){sub hyb}{sup 0.63±0.25}, implying that data points with high Σ{sub SFR} are relatively radio dim, whereas the reverse is true for low Σ{sub SFR}. We interpret this as a result of spectral aging of cosmic-ray electrons (CREs), which are diffusing away from the star formation sites where they are injected into the interstellar medium. This is supported by our finding that the radio spectral index is a second parameter in pixel-by-pixel plots: those data points dominated by young CREs are relatively radio dim, while those dominated by old CREs are slightly more RC bright than what would be expected from a linear extrapolation. We studied the ratio R of radio to FUV/MIR-based integrated SFR as a function of global galaxy parameters and found no clear correlation. This suggests that we can use RC emission as a universal star formation tracer for galaxies with a similar degree of accuracy as other tracers, if we restrict ourselves to global or azimuthally averaged measurements. We can reconcile our finding of an almost linear RC-SFR relation and sub-linear resolved (on 1 kpc scale) RC-Σ{sub SFR} relation by proposing a non-linear magnetic field-SFR relation, B∝SFR{sub hyb}{sup 0.30±0.02}, which holds both globally and locally.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The solar neighborhood. XXXII. The hydrogen burning limit

We construct a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the stellar/substellar boundary based on a sample of 63 objects ranging in spectral type from M6V to L4. We report newly observed VRI photometry for all 63 objects and new trigonometric parallaxes for 37 objects. The remaining 26 objects have trigonometric parallaxes from the literature. We combine our optical photometry and trigonometric parallaxes with 2MASS and WISE photometry and employ a novel spectral energy distribution fitting algorithm to determine effective temperatures, bolometric luminosities, and radii. Our uncertainties range from ∼20 K to ∼150 K in temperature, ∼0.01 to ∼0.06 in log (L/L {sub ☉}) and ∼3% to ∼10% in radius. We check our methodology by comparing our calculated radii to radii directly measured via long baseline optical interferometry. We find evidence for the local minimum in the radius-temperature and radius-luminosity trends that signals the end of the stellar main sequence and the start of the brown dwarf sequence at T {sub eff} ∼ 2075 K, log (L/L {sub ☉}) ∼ –3.9, and (R/R {sub ☉}) ∼ 0.086. The existence of this local minimum is predicted by evolutionary models, but at temperatures ∼400 K cooler. The minimum radius happens near the locus of 2MASS J0523–1403, an L2.5 dwarf with V – K = 9.42. We make qualitative arguments as to why the effects of the recent revision in solar abundances accounts for the discrepancy between our findings and the evolutionary models. We also report new color-absolute magnitude relations for optical and infrared colors which are useful for estimating photometric distances. We study the optical variability of all 63 targets and find an overall variability fraction of 36{sub −7}{sup +9}% at a threshold of 15 mmag in the I band, which is in agreement with previous studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Characterizing the AB Doradus moving group via high-resolution spectroscopy and kinematic traceback

We present a detailed analysis of 10 proposed F and G members of the nearby, young moving group AB Doradus (ABD). Our sample was obtained using the 2.7 m telescope at the McDonald Observatory with the coude echelle spectrograph, achieving R ∼ 60,000 and signal-to-noise ratio ∼200. We derive spectroscopic T {sub eff}, log(g), [Fe/H], and microturbulance (v{sub t} ) using a bootstrap method of the TGVIT software resulting in typical errors of 33K in T {sub eff}, 0.08 dex in log(g), 0.03 dex in [Fe/H], and 0.13 km s{sup –1} in v{sub t} . Characterization of the ABD sample is performed in three ways: (1) chemical homogeneity, (2) kinematic traceback, and (3) isochrone fitting. We find the average metal abundance is [M/H] = –0.03 ± 0.06 with a traceback age of 125 Myr. Our stars were fit to three different evolutionary models and we found that the best match to our ABD sample is the YREC [M/H] = –0.1 model. In our sample of 10 stars, we identify 1 star that is a probable non-member, 3 enigmatic stars, and 6 stars with confirmed membership. We also present a list of chemically coherent stars from this study and the Barenfeld et al. study.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Updated models for the creation of a low-Z QSO absorber by a dwarf galaxy wind

We present new GALEX images and optical spectroscopy of J1229+02, a dwarf post-starburst galaxy located 81 kpc from the 1585 km s{sup −1} absorber in the 3C 273 sight line. The absence of Hα emission and the faint GALEX UV fluxes confirm that the galaxy's recent star formation rate is <10{sup −3} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. Absorption-line strengths and the UV−optical SED give similar estimates of the acceptable model parameters for its youngest stellar population where f{sub m}<60% of its total stars (by mass) formed in a burst t{sub sb}=0.7–3.4 Gyr ago with a stellar metallicity of −1.7<[Fe/H]<+0.2; we also estimate the stellar mass of J1229+02 to be 7.3<log(M{sub ∗}/M{sub ⊙})<7.8. Our previous study of J1229+02 found that a supernova-driven wind was capable of expelling all of the gas from the galaxy (none is observed today) and could by itself plausibly create the nearby absorber. But, using new data, we find a significantly higher galaxy/absorber velocity difference, a younger starburst age, and a smaller starburst mass than previously reported. Simple energy-conserving wind models for J1229+02 using fiducial values of f{sub m}∼0.1, t{sub sb}∼2 Gyr, and log(M{sub ∗}/M{sub ⊙})∼7.5 allow us to conclude that the galaxy alone cannot produce the observed QSO absorber; i.e., any putative ejecta must interact with ambient gas from outside J1229+02. Because J1229+02 is located in the southern extension of the Virgo cluster ample potential sources of this ambient gas exist. Based on the two nearest examples of strong metal-line absorbers discovered serendipitously (the current one and the 1700 km s{sup −1} metal-line absorber in the nearby Q1230 + 0115 sight line), we conclude that absorbers with 10{sup 14}<N{sub H} {sub I}<10{sup 16} cm{sup −2} at impact parameters ≳1 R{sub vir} are likely intergalactic systems and cannot be identified unambiguously as the circumgalactic material of any one individual galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗