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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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A Broad Grid of 2D Kilonova Emission Models

Depending upon the properties of their compact remnants and the physics included in the models, simulations of neutron star mergers can produce a broad range of ejecta properties. The characteristics of this ejecta, in turn, define the kilonova emission. To explore the effect of ejecta properties, we present a grid of 2-component 2D axisymmetric kilonova simulations that vary mass, velocity, morphology, and composition. The masses and velocities of each component vary, respectively, from 0.001 to 0.1 M ⊙ and 0.05 to 0.3c, covering much of the range of results from the neutron star merger literature. The set of 900 models is constrained to have a toroidal low electron fraction (Y e ) ejecta with a robust r-process composition and either a spherical or lobed high-Y e ejecta with two possible compositions. We simulate these models with the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code SuperNu using a full suite of lanthanide and 4th row element opacities. We examine the trends of these models with parameter variation, show how it can be used with statistical tools, and compare the model light curves and spectra to those of AT2017gfo, the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1983

Corequake and shock heating model of the 5 March 1979 gamma ray burst

Ramatry, et al. proposed a model to account for the 5 March 1979 gamma ray burst in terms of a neutron star corequake and subsequent shock heating of the neutron star atmosphere. This model is extended by examining the overall energetics and characteristics of these shocks, taking into account the e(+)-e(-) pair production behind the shock. The effects of a dipole magnetic field in the shock jump conditions are also examined and it is concluded that the uneven heating produced by such a field can account for the temperature difference between pole and equator implied by the pulsating phase of the burst. The overall energetics and distribution of energy between e(+)-(-) pairs and photons appears to be in agreement with observations if this event is at a distance of 55 kpc as implied by its association with the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Ellison, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

NLTE-analysis of three extremely helium-rich O-type subdwarfs

Three extremely helium-rich sdO stars (LSE 153, LSE 259 and LSE 263) were analyzed spectroscopically by means of detailed NLTE model atmospheres. These stars are very hot, with effective temperatures ranging from 70,000 to 75,000 K and gravities between log g = 4.4 and 4.9. Upper limits for the hydrogen abundance were also derived. The evolutionary status of the sdO stars is discussed and it is concluded that they evolve from the asymptotic giant branch towards the white dwarf stage. A possible evolutionary link between these hot stars and the extreme helium stars of spectral type B is discussed.

Husfeld, D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Energy sources in gamma-ray burst models

The current status of energy sources in models of gamma-ray bursts is examined. Special emphasis is placed on the thermonuclear flash model which has been the most developed model to date. Although there is no generally accepted model, if the site for the gamma-ray burst is on a strongly magnetized neutron star, the thermonuclear model can qualitatively explain the energetics of some, but probably not all burst events. The critical issues that may differentiate between the possible sources of energy for gamma-ray bursts are listed and briefly discussed.

Taam, Ronald E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Quantitative spectroscopy of hot stars

A review on the quantitative spectroscopy (QS) of hot stars is presented, with particular attention given to the study of photospheres, optically thin winds, unified model atmospheres, and stars with optically thick winds. It is concluded that the results presented here demonstrate the reliability of Qs as a unique source of accurate values of the global parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and elemental abundances) of hot stars.

Kudritzki, R. P.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Neutron stars in a perturbative f(R) gravity model with strong magnetic fields

In Kaluza-Klein electromagnetism it is natural to associate modified gravity with strong electromagnetic fields. Hence, in this paper we investigate the combined effects of a strong magnetic field and perturbative f(R) gravity on the structure of neutron stars. The effect of an interior strong magnetic field of about 10{sup 17−18} G on the equation of state is derived in the context of a quantum hadrodynamics (QHD) equation of state (EoS) including effects of the magnetic pressure and energy along with occupied Landau levels. Adopting a random orientation of interior field domains, we solve the modified spherically symmetric hydrostatic equilibrium equations derived for a gravity model with f(R) = R+αR{sup 2}. Effects of both the finite magnetic field and the modified gravity are detailed for various values of the magnetic field and the perturbation parameter α along with a discussion of their physical implications. We show that there exists a parameter space of the modified gravity and the magnetic field strength, in which even a soft equation of state can accommodate a large ( > 2 M{sub s}un) maximum neutron star mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2007

The Empirical Low Energy Ion Flux Model for the Terrestrial Magnetosphere

This document includes a viewgraph presentation plus the full paper presented at the conference. The Living With a Star Ion Flux Model (IFM) is a radiation environment risk mitigation tool that provides magnetospheric ion flux values for varying geomagnetic disturbance levels in the geospace environment. IFM incorporates flux observations from the Polar and Geotail spacecraft in a single statistical flux model. IFM is an engineering environment model which predicts the proton flux not only in the magnetosphere, but also in the solar wind and magnetosheath phenomenological regions. This paper describes the ion flux databases that allows for IFM output to be correlated with the geomagnetic activity level, as represented by the Kp index.

Blackwell, William C.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetohydrodynamics and deep mixing in evolved stars. I. Two- and three-dimensional analytical models for the asymptotic giant branch

The advection of thermonuclear ashes by magnetized domains emerging near the H shell was suggested to explain asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star abundances. Here we verify this idea quantitatively through exact MHD models. Starting with a simple two-dimensional (2D) geometry and in an inertia frame, we study plasma equilibria avoiding the complications of numerical simulations. We show that below the convective envelope of an AGB star, variable magnetic fields induce a natural expansion, permitted by the almost ideal MHD conditions, in which the radial velocity grows as the second power of the radius. We then study the convective envelope, where the complexity of macroturbulence allows only for a schematic analytical treatment. Here the radial velocity depends on the square root of the radius. We then verify the robustness of our results with 3D calculations for the velocity, showing that for both studied regions the solution previously found can be seen as a planar section of a more complex behavior, in which the average radial velocity retains the same dependency on the radius found in 2D. As a final check, we compare our results to approximate descriptions of buoyant magnetic structures. For realistic boundary conditions, the envelope crossing times are sufficient to disperse in the huge convective zone any material transported, suggesting magnetic advection as a promising mechanism for deep mixing. The mixing velocities are smaller than for convection but larger than for diffusion and adequate for extra mixing in red giants.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE DISTRIBUTION OF STARS AND STELLAR REMNANTS AT THE GALACTIC CENTER

Motivated by recent observations that suggest a low density of old stars around the Milky Way supermassive black hole (SMBH), models for the nuclear star cluster are considered that have not yet reached a steady state under the influence of gravitational encounters. A core of initial radius 1-1.5 pc evolves to a size of approximately 0.5 pc after 10 Gyr, roughly the size of the observed core. The absence of a Bahcall-Wolf cusp is naturally explained in these models, without the need for fine-tuning or implausible initial conditions. In the absence of a cusp, the time for a 10 M{sub sun} black hole (BH) to spiral in to the Galactic center from an initial distance of 5 pc can be much greater than 10 Gyr. Assuming that the stellar BHs had the same phase-space distribution initially as the stars, their density after 5-10 Gyr is predicted to rise very steeply going into the stellar core, but could remain substantially below the densities inferred from steady-state models that include a steep density cusp in the stars. Possible mechanisms for the creation of the parsec-scale initial core include destruction of stars on centrophilic orbits in a pre-existing triaxial nucleus, inhibited star formation near the SMBH, or ejection of stars by a massive binary. The implications of these models are discussed for the rates of gravitational-wave inspiral events, as well as other physical processes that depend on a high density of stars or stellar-mass BHs near SgrA*.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE HALO PN BoBn 1: FROM A VIEWPOINT OF CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES BASED ON MULTIWAVELENGTH SPECTRA

We have performed a comprehensive chemical abundance analysis of the extremely metal-poor ([Ar/H] < -2) halo planetary nebula (PN) BoBn 1 based on International Ultraviolet Explorer archive data, Subaru/High-Dispersion Spectrograph spectra, VLT/UVES archive data, and Spitzer/IRS spectra. We have detected over 600 lines in total and calculated ionic and elemental abundances of 13 elements using detected optical recombination lines (ORLs) and collisionally excited lines (CELs). The estimations of C, N, O, and Ne abundances from the ORLs and Kr, Xe, and Ba from the CELs are done the first for this nebula, empirically and theoretically. The C, N, O, and Ne abundances from ORLs are systematically larger than those from CELs. The abundance discrepancies apart from O could be explained by a temperature fluctuation model, and that of O might be by a hydrogen-deficient cold component model. We have detected five fluorine and several slow neutron capture elements (the s-process). The amounts of [F/H], [Kr/H], and [Xe/H] suggest that BoBn 1 is the most F-rich among F-detected PNe and is a heavy s-process element rich PN. We have confirmed dust in the nebula that is composed of amorphous carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a total mass of 5.8 x 10{sup -6} M{sub sun}. The photoionization models built with non-LTE theoretical stellar atmospheres indicate that the progenitor was a 1-1.5 M{sub sun} star that would evolve into a white dwarf with an {approx}0.62 M{sub sun} core mass and {approx}0.09 M{sub sun} ionized nebula. We have measured a heliocentric radial velocity of +191.6 {+-}1.3 km s{sup -1} and expansion velocity 2V{sub exp} of 40.5 {+-} 3.3 km s{sup -1} from an average over 300 lines. The derived elemental abundances have been reviewed from the standpoint of theoretical nucleosynthesis models. It is likely that the elemental abundances except N could be explained either by a 1.5 M{sub sun} single star model or by a binary model composed of 0.75 M{sub sun} + 1.5 M{sub sun} stars. Careful examination implies that BoBn 1 has evolved from a 0.75 M{sub sun} + 1.5 M{sub sun} binary and experienced coalescence during the evolution to become a visible PN, similar to the other extremely metal-poor halo PN, K 648 in M 15.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Forward Modeling the Orbits of Companions to Pulsating Stars from Their Light Travel Time Variations

Mutual gravitation between a pulsating star and an orbital companion leads to a time-dependent variation in path length for starlight traveling to Earth. These variations can be used for coherently pulsating stars, such as the δ Scuti variables, to constrain the masses and orbits of their companions. Observing these variations for δ Scuti stars has previously relied on subdividing the light curve and measuring the average pulsation phase in equally sized subdivisions, which leads to undersampling near periapsis. We introduce a new approach that simultaneously forward models each sample in the light curve and show that this method improves upon current sensitivity limits—especially in the case of highly eccentric and short-period binaries. We find that this approach is sensitive enough to observe Jupiter mass planets around δ Scuti stars under ideal conditions, and use gravity-mode pulsations in the subdwarf B star KIC 7668647 to detect its companion without radial velocity data. We further provide robust detection limits as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio of the pulsation mode and determine that the minimum detectable light travel time amplitude for a typical Kepler δ Scuti is around 2 s. This new method significantly enhances the application of light travel time variations to detecting short-period binaries with pulsating components, and pulsating A-type exoplanet host stars, especially as a tool for eliminating false positives.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

Stellar and Jovian vortices

The characteristics of 'Jovian' vortices (the large vortices observed in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune) are summarized, and the existence of similar structures in the atmospheres of stars is considered theoretically. The problem of vortex maintenance is addressed, including potential vorticity, numerical simulations of Jovian vortices, and cyclones and anticyclones; the Great Red Spot of Jupiter is described on the basis of Voyager data; the evidence for convective generation of vertical vorticity in the sun is examined; the possibly vortical nature of the large spots of RS CVn stars is discussed; and models of spots on rapidly rotating hot stars are surveyed.

Dowling, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Upper limit to the mass of pulsationally stable stars with uniform chemical composition

Nuclear-energized pulsational instability is a well-known feature of models of chemically homogeneous stars above a critical mass. With the Rogers-Iglesias opacities, the instability occurs above 120-150 solar mass for normal Galactic Population I chemical compositions, and above approximately 90 solar mass for stars in metal-poor environments like the outer Galaxy and the Small Magellanic Cloud. Models of homogeneous helium-burning stars are unstable above masses of 19 and 14 solar mass, respectively. These significant increases of the critical masses, in the normal metallicity cases, over the values derived previously with the Los Alamos opacities can explain the stability of the brightest observed O-type stars, but they do not exclude the possibility that the most luminous hydrogen-deficient Wolf-Rayet stars are experiencing this type of instability.

Stothers, Richard B.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling the Far-infrared Polarization Spectrum of a High-mass Star-forming Cloud

The polarization spectrum, or wavelength dependence of the polarization fraction, of interstellar dust emission provides important insights into the grain alignment mechanism of interstellar dust grains. We investigate the far-infrared polarization spectrum of a realistic simulated high-mass star-forming cloud under various models of grain alignment and emission. We find that neither a homogeneous grain alignment model nor a grain alignment model that includes collisional dealignment is able to produce the falling spectrum seen in observations. On the other hand, we find that a grain alignment model with grain alignment efficiency dependent on local temperature is capable of producing a falling spectrum that is in qualitative agreement with observations of OMC-1. For the model most in agreement with OMC-1, we find no correlation between the temperature and the slope of the polarization spectrum. However, we do find a positive correlation between the column density and the slope of the polarization spectrum. We suggest this latter correlation to be the result of wavelength-dependent polarization by absorption.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

The chromospheres of late-type stars. I - Eridani as a test case of multiline modelling

A new model of the lower chromosphere of the dwarf K2 star Epsilon Eridani is derived by matching flux profiles of the Ca IR triplet lines 8498 and 8542 A H-alpha and H-beta lines and the Na D lines (all observed simultaneously at the AAT), and the Ca II K line. The coupled non-LTE equations of statistical equilibrium and radiative transfer are solved under the constraint of hydrostatic equilibrium using the Carlsson (1986) code. Within the framework of the model, the Na D lines are an important photospheric diagnostic, and the Ca IR triplet lines can be used to locate the temperature minimum. The computed H-alpha and H-beta depths are highly sensitive constraints on the transition zone gradients and base pressures allowing us to derive a pressure at the base of the transition zone of 0.9 dyn/cm.

Thatcher, John D.↗
DOE OSTI2013

EVIDENCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF THE UPPER STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION IN ORION A

We extend our previous study of the stellar population of L1641, the lower-density star-forming region of the Orion A cloud south of the dense Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), with the goal of testing whether there is a statistically significant deficiency of high-mass stars in low-density regions. Previously, we compared the observed ratio of low-mass stars to high-mass stars with theoretical models of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) to infer a deficiency of the highest-mass stars in L1641. We expand our population study to identify the intermediate-mass (late B to G) L1641 members in an attempt to make a more direct comparison with the mass function of the nearby ONC. The spectral-type distribution and the K-band luminosity function of L1641 are similar to those of the ONC, but problems of incompleteness and contamination prevent us from making a detailed test for differences. We limit our analysis to statistical tests of the ratio of high-mass to low-mass stars, which indicate a probability of only 3% that the ONC and the southern region of L1641 were drawn from the same population, supporting the hypothesis that the upper-mass end of the IMF is dependent on environmental density.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

UNSUPERVISED TRANSIENT LIGHT CURVE ANALYSIS VIA HIERARCHICAL BAYESIAN INFERENCE

Historically, light curve studies of supernovae (SNe) and other transient classes have focused on individual objects with copious and high signal-to-noise observations. In the nascent era of wide field transient searches, objects with detailed observations are decreasing as a fraction of the overall known SN population, and this strategy sacrifices the majority of the information contained in the data about the underlying population of transients. A population level modeling approach, simultaneously fitting all available observations of objects in a transient sub-class of interest, fully mines the data to infer the properties of the population and avoids certain systematic biases. We present a novel hierarchical Bayesian statistical model for population level modeling of transient light curves, and discuss its implementation using an efficient Hamiltonian Monte Carlo technique. As a test case, we apply this model to the Type IIP SN sample from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey, consisting of 18,837 photometric observations of 76 SNe, corresponding to a joint posterior distribution with 9176 parameters under our model. Our hierarchical model fits provide improved constraints on light curve parameters relevant to the physical properties of their progenitor stars relative to modeling individual light curves alone. Moreover, we directly evaluate the probability for occurrence rates of unseen light curve characteristics from the model hyperparameters, addressing observational biases in survey methodology. We view this modeling framework as an unsupervised machine learning technique with the ability to maximize scientific returns from data to be collected by future wide field transient searches like LSST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei with tidal disruption of stars. II. Axisymmetric nuclei

The tidal disruption (TD) of stars by supermassive central black holes from dense rotating star clusters is modeled by high-accuracy direct N-body simulations. As in a previous paper on spherical star clusters, we study the time evolution of the stellar tidal disruption rate and the origin of tidally disrupted stars, which are now accorded to several classes of orbits that only occur in axisymmetric systems (short-axis tube and saucer orbits). Compared with that in spherical systems, we found a higher TD rate in axisymmetric systems. The enhancement can be explained by an enlarged loss cone in phase space that stems from the fact that the total angular momentum J is not conserved. As in the case of spherical systems, the distribution of the last apocenter distance of tidally accreted stars peaks at the classical critical radius. However, the angular distribution of the origin of the accreted stars reveals interesting features. Inside the influence radius of the supermassive black hole the angular distribution of disrupted stars has a conspicuous bimodal structure with a local minimum near the equatorial plane. Outside of the influence radius this dependence is weak. We show that the bimodal structure of orbital parameters can be explained by the presence of two families of regular orbits, namely short-axis tube and saucer orbits. Also, we present the consequences of our results for the loss cone in axisymmetric galactic nuclei.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗