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NASA NTRS1994

X-ray clusters from a high-resolution hydrodynamic PPM simulation of the cold dark matter universe

A new three-dimensional hydrodynamic code based on the piecewise parabolic method (PPM) is utilized to compute the distribution of hot gas in the standard Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)-normalized cold dark matter (CDM) universe. Utilizing periodic boundary conditions, a box with size 85 h(exp-1) Mpc, having cell size 0.31 h(exp-1) Mpc, is followed in a simulation with 270(exp 3)=10(exp 7.3) cells. Adopting standard parameters determined from COBE and light-element nucleosynthesis, Sigma(sub 8)=1.05, Omega(sub b)=0.06, we find the X-ray-emitting clusters, compute the luminosity function at several wavelengths, the temperature distribution, and estimated sizes, as well as the evolution of these quantities with redshift. The results, which are compared with those obtained in the preceding paper (Kang et al. 1994a), may be used in conjuction with ROSAT and other observational data sets. Overall, the results of the two computations are qualitatively very similar with regard to the trends of cluster properties, i.e., how the number density, radius, and temeprature depend on luminosity and redshift. The total luminosity from clusters is approximately a factor of 2 higher using the PPM code (as compared to the 'total variation diminishing' (TVD) code used in the previous paper) with the number of bright clusters higher by a similar factor. The primary conclusions of the prior paper, with regard to the power spectrum of the primeval density perturbations, are strengthened: the standard CDM model, normalized to the COBE microwave detection, predicts too many bright X-ray emitting clusters, by a factor probably in excess of 5. The comparison between observations and theoretical predictions for the evolution of cluster properties, luminosity functions, and size and temperature distributions should provide an important discriminator among competing scenarios for the development of structure in the universe.

Bryan, Greg L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Contribution of peculiar shear motions to large-scale structure

Self-gravitating shear flow instability simulations in a cold dark matter-dominated expanding Einstein-de Sitter universe have been performed. When the shear flow speed exceeds a certain threshold, self-gravitating Kelvin-Helmoholtz instability occurs, forming density voids and excesses along the shear flow layer which serve as seeds for large-scale structure formation. A possible mechanism for generating shear peculiar motions are velocity fluctuations induced by the density perturbations of the postinflation era. In this scenario, short scales grow earlier than large scales. A model of this kind may contribute to the cellular structure of the luminous mass distribution in the universe.

Mueler, Hans-Reinhard↗
NASA NTRS1994

The galactic globular cluster system

We explore correlations between various properties of Galactic globular clusters, using a database on 143 objects. Our goal is identify correlations and trends which can be used to test and constrain theoretical models of cluster formation and evolution. We use a set of 13 cluster parameters, 9 of which are independently measured. Several arguments suggest that the number of clusters still missing in the obscured regions of the Galaxy is of the order of 10, and thus the selection effects are probably not severe for our sample. Known clusters follow a power-law density distribution with a slope approximately -3.5 to -4, and an apparent core with a core radius approximately 1 kpc. Clusters show a large dynamical range in many of their properties, more so for the core parameters (which are presumably more affected by dynamical evolution) than for the half-light parameters. There are no good correlations with luminosity, although more luminous clusters tend to be more concentrated. When data are binned in luminosity, several trends emerge: more luminous clusters tend to have smaller and denser cores. We interpret this as a differential survival effect, with more massive clusters surviving longer and reaching more evolved dynamical states. Cluster core parameters and concentrations also correlate with the position in the Galaxy, with clusters closer to the Galactic center or plane being more concentrated and having smaller and denser cores. These trends are more pronounced for the fainter (less massive) clusters. This is in agreement with a picture where tidal shocks form disk or bulge passages accelerate dynamical evolution of clusters. Cluster metallicities do not correlate with any other parameter, including luminosity and velocity dispersion; the only detectable trend is with the position in the Galaxy, probably reflecting Zinn's disk-halo dichotomy. This suggests that globular clusters were not self-enriched systems. Velocity dispersions show excellent correlations with luminosity and surface brightness. Their origin is not well understood, but they may well reflect initial conditions of cluster formation, and perhaps even be used to probe the initial density perturbation spectrum on a approximately 10(exp 6) solar mass scale. Core radii and concentrations play a role of a 'second parameter' in these correlations. While a global manifold of cluster properties has a high statistical dimensionality (D greater than 4), a subset of structural, photometric, and dynamical parameters forms a statistically three-dimensional family, as expected from objects following King models; we propose to call this set of quantities the King Manifold. Some of the observed correlations may be usable as distance indicator relations for globular clusters.

Djorgovski, S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comments on the statistical analysis of excess variance in the COBE differential microwave radiometer maps

Cosmic anisotrophy produces an excess variance sq sigma(sub sky) in the Delta maps produced by the Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) on cosmic background explorer (COBE) that is over and above the instrument noise. After smoothing to an effective resolution of 10 deg, this excess sigma(sub sky)(10 deg), provides an estimate for the amplitude of the primordial density perturbation power spectrum with a cosmic uncertainty of only 12%. We employ detailed Monte Carlo techniques to express the amplitude derived from this statistic in terms of the universal root mean square (rms) quadrupole amplitude, (Q sq/RMS)(exp 0.5). The effects of monopole and dipole subtraction and the non-Gaussian shape of the DMR beam cause the derived (Q sq/RMS)(exp 0.5) to be 5%-10% larger than would be derived using simplified analytic approximations. We also investigate the properties of two other map statistics: the actual quadrupole and the Boughn-Cottingham statistic. Both the sigma(sub sky)(10 deg) statistic and the Boughn-Cottingham statistic are consistent with the (Q sq/RMS)(exp 0.5) = 17 +/- 5 micro K reported by Smoot et al. (1992) and Wright et al. (1992).

Wright, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Secondary ionization in a flat universe

We analyze the effect of a secondary ionization on the evolution of temperature fluctuations in cosmic background radiation. The main results presented in this paper are appropriate analytic expressions of the transfer function relating temperature fluctuations to matter density perturbations at recombination for all possible recombination histories. Furthermore, we particularize our calculation to the standard cold dark matter model, where we study the erasure of primordial temperature fluctuations and calculate the magnitude and angular scale of the damping induced by a late recombination.

Atrio-Barandela, F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Interpretation of the COBE FIRAS CMBR spectrum

The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) spectrum measured by the Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) instrument on NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) is indistinguishable from a blackbody, implying stringent limits on energy release in the early universe later than the time t = 1 yr after the big bang. We compare the FIRAS data to previous precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background spectrum and find a reasonable agreement. We discuss the implications of the absolute value of y is less than 2.5 x 10(exp -5) and the absolute value of mu is less than 3.3 x 10(exp -4) 95% confidence limits found by Mather et al. (1994) on many processes occurring after t = 1 yr, such as explosive structure formation, reionization, and dissipation of small-scale density perturbations. We place limits on models with dust plus Population III stars, or evolving populations of IR galaxies, by directly comparing the Mather et al. spectrum to the model predictions.

Wright, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Statistics and topology of the COBE differential microwave radiometer first-year sky maps

We use statistical and topological quantities to test the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) first-year sky maps against the hypothesis that the observed temperature fluctuations reflect Gaussian initial density perturbations with random phases. Recent papers discuss specific quantities as discriminators between Gaussian and non-Gaussian behavior, but the treatment of instrumental noise on the data is largely ignored. The presence of noise in the data biases many statistical quantities in a manner dependent on both the noise properties and the unknown cosmic microwave background temperature field. Appropriate weighting schemes can minimize this effect, but it cannot be completely eliminated. Analytic expressions are presented for these biases, and Monte Carlo simulations are used to assess the best strategy for determining cosmologically interesting information from noisy data. The genus is a robust discriminator that can be used to estimate the power-law quadrupole-normalized amplitude, Q(sub rms-PS), independently of the two-point correlation function. The genus of the DMR data is consistent with Gaussian initial fluctuations with Q(sub rms-PS) = (15.7 +/- 2.2) - (6.6 +/- 0.3)(n - 1) micro-K, where n is the power-law index. Fitting the rms temperature variations at various smoothing angles gives Q(sub rms-PS) = 13.2 +/- 2.5 micro-K and n = 1.7(sup (+0.3) sub (-0.6)). While consistent with Gaussian fluctuations, the first year data are only sufficient to rule out strongly non-Gaussian distributions of fluctuations.

Smoot, G. F.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Tidal influence on O(1S) airglow emission rate distributions at the geographic equator as observed by WINDII

WINDII, the Wind Imaging Interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, observes winds, temperatures and emission rates in the upper mesosphere and thermosphere. In this paper we report on nighttime observations of the vertical distribution of the O(1S) 557.7 nm emission near the geographic equator for March/April, 1993. The airglow volume emission rate distribution is found to be strongly dependent on local time. Beginning at dusk, an intense airglow emission layer descends from a mean altitude of 95 km, reaching 89 km by midnight after which the emission rapidly decays. Shortly after midnight it reappears weakly at a higher altitude and remains at this level as the emission rate gradually increases towards dawn. This strong local time dependence leads us to conclude that the effect is tidally driven. Comparison with the Forbes (1982a,b) model suggest that total density perturbations and changes in the atomic oxygen mixing ratio may the cause of the changes in emission rate distribution between dusk and midnight. The reappearance of the emission after midnight may be caused by downward winds bringing oxygen-rich air from above.

Shephere, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Simulated cosmic microwave background maps at 0.5 deg resolution: Unresolved features

High-contrast peaks in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy can appear as unresolved sources to observers. We fit simluated CMB maps generated with a cold dark matter model to a set of unresolved features at instrumental resolution 0.5 deg-1.5 deg to derive the integral number density per steradian n (greater than absolute value of T) of features brighter than threshold temperature absolute value of T and compare the results to recent experiments. A typical medium-scale experiment observing 0.001 sr at 0.5 deg resolution would expect to observe one feature brighter than 85 micro-K after convolution with the beam profile, with less than 5% probability to observe a source brighter than 150 micro-K. Increasing the power-law index of primordial density perturbations n from 1 to 1.5 raises these temperature limits absolute value of T by a factor of 2. The MSAM features are in agreement with standard cold dark matter models and are not necessarily evidence for processes beyond the standard model.

Kogut, A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Methods to Improve the Maintenance of the Earth Catalog of Satellites During Severe Solar Storms

The objective of this thesis is to investigate methods to improve the ability to maintain the inventory of orbital elements of Earth satellites during periods of atmospheric disturbance brought on by severe solar activity. Existing techniques do not account for such atmospheric dynamics, resulting in tracking errors of several seconds in predicted crossing time. Two techniques are examined to reduce of these tracking errors. First, density predicted from various atmospheric models is fit to the orbital decay rate for a number of satellites. An orbital decay model is then developed that could be used to reduce tracking errors by accounting for atmospheric changes. The second approach utilizes a Kalman filter to estimate the orbital decay rate of a satellite after every observation. The new information is used to predict the next observation. Results from the first approach demonstrated the feasibility of building an orbital decay model based on predicted atmospheric density. Correlation of atmospheric density to orbital decay was as high as 0.88. However, it is clear that contemporary: atmospheric models need further improvement in modeling density perturbations polar region brought on by solar activity. The second approach resulted in a dramatic reduction in tracking errors for certain satellites during severe solar Storms. For example, in the limited cases studied, the reduction in tracking errors ranged from 79 to 25 percent.

Wilkin, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dark Matter in the Universe and in the Galaxy

During the past four years, Prof. Kamionkowski and collaborators have made progress in research on the nature and distribution of dark-matter in the Universe and in the Galaxy, and on related topics in astrophysics and cosmology. We have made progress on research on the cosmic microwave background, large-scale structure, issues related to particle dark matter, and the gamma-ray-burst enigma. A significant fraction of the research supported by this ATP has been on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Prof. Kamionkowski and collaborators showed how the polarization of the CMB could be used to detect long-wavelength gravitational waves, such as those produced by inflation. With Kosowsky, Prof. Kamionkowski calculated the amplitude of a stochastic gravitational-wave background that could be detected for a satellite experiment of a given sensitivity and angular resolution. They showed that polarization should improve the sensitivity oa MAP to these gravity waves, and that the Planck Surveyor should do even better. Prof. Kamionkowski, Caldwell, and a student calculated and illustrated the CMB temperature/polarization pattern produced by a single plane-wave gravitational wave. They calculated the amplitude of such a wave that would be detectable with MAP and Planck, and compared that with the sensitivity of traditional gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO and LISA. With Lue and Wang, the PI showed how parity violation from new high-energy physics could conceivably give rise to an observable signature in the CMB polarization. With Loeb, Prof. Kamionkowski showed how measurement of the polarization of CMB photons scattered by hot gas in a cluster could be used to determine the quadrupole moment of the CMB incident on that cluster. Prof. Kamionkowski and Jaffe calculated the amplitude of secondary anisotropies produced by scattering of CMB photons from reionized regions. Research has also been carried out on probing the large-scale distribution of mass in the Universe today, and on structure-formation theories. They investigated the possibility of determining the large-scale distribution of mass in the Universe via measurement of ellipticity-ellipticity correlations in the FIRST radio survey induced by weak gravitational lensing due to mass inhomogeneities along the line of sight. Dr. Summers, Prof. Kamionkowski, and a student investigated the distribution of protogalactic masses and angular momenta in an effort to understand how the luminosity function and angular-momentum distribution of disk galaxies arises from an initial power spectrum of density perturbations. Several projects related to the distribution and possible detection of dark matter in our Galactic halo were studied. The PI was involved in several projects involving the calculation of nuclear-reaction rates needed for stellar evolution and for predictions of solar-neutrino fluxes.

Kamionkowski, Marc↗
NASA NTRS2002

XTE J1946+274: An Enigmatic X-Ray Pulsar

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26 is a 15.8-s X-ray pulsar discovered simultaneously by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) in September 1998. Follow-up optical/IR observations resulted in the discovery of a Be star companion. Our pulse timing analysis of BATSE and RXTE data indicates that the orbital period is approximately 169 days. Since its discovery in 1998, XTE J1946+274 has undergone 13 outbursts. These outbursts axe not regularly spaced. They occur approximately twice per orbit and are not locked in orbital phase, unlike most Be/X-ray transient systems. A possible explanation for this is a global-one armed oscillation or density perturbation propagating rapidly in the Be star's disk. We will investigate radial velocity variations in the central peak of the H-alpha line to look for evidence of such a perturbation. From 2001 March-September, we regularly monitored XTE J1946+274 with the RXTE PCA. We will demonstrate that the spectrum appears to be varying with orbital phase, based on the 2001 and 1998 RXTE PCA observations. We will also present histories of pulsed frequency and flux.

Wilson, Colleen A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26: An Enigmatic Be/X-ray Binary

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26 is a 15.8-s Be/X-ray pulsar discovered simultaneously in 1998 September with the, Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Pulse timing analysis yielded an orbital period of 169.2 days, a moderate eccentricity of 0.33, and implied a mass function of 9.7 solar mass. We observed evidence for an accretion disk, a correlation between measured spin-up rate and flux, which was fitted to obtain a distance estimate of 9.2 +/- 1.0 kpc. XTE J1946+274 remained active from 1998 September - 2001 July, undergoing 13 outbursts that were not locked in orbital phase. Comparing RXTE PCA observations from the initial bright outburst in 1998 and the last pair of outburst in 2001, we found energy and intensity dependent pulse profile variations in both outbursts and hardening spectra with increasing intensity during the fainter 2001 outbursts. In 2001 July, optical H(alpha) observations indicate a density perturbation appeared in the Be disk as the X-ray outbursts ceased. We propose that the equatorial plane of the Be star is inclined with respect to the orbital plane in this system and that this inclination may produce the unusual outburst behavior of the system.

Wilson, Colleen A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26: An Enigmatic Be/X-Ray Binary

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26 is a 15.8 s Be/X-ray pulsar discovered simultaneously in 1998 September with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) on the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Here we present new results from BATSE and RXTE including a pulse timing analysis, spectral analysis, and evidence for an accretion disk. Our pulse timing analysis yielded an orbital period of 169.2 days, a moderate eccentricity 0.33, and implied a mass function of 9.7 solar masses. We observed evidence for an accretion disk, a correlation between measured spin-up rate and flux, which was fitted to obtain a distance estimate of 9.5 +/- 2.9 kpc. XTE J1946+274 remained active from 1998 September to 2001 July, undergoing 13 outbursts that were not locked in orbital phase. Comparing RXTE Proportional Counter Array observations from the initial bright outburst in 1998 and the last pair of outbursts in 2001, we found energy and intensity-dependent pulse profile variations in both outbursts and hardening spectra with increasing intensity during the fainter 2001 outbursts. In 2001 July, optical H alpha observations indicated that a density perturbation appeared in the Be disk as the X-ray outbursts ceased. We propose that the equatorial plane of the Be star is inclined with respect to the orbital plane in this system and that this inclination may be a factor in the unusual outburst behavior of the system.

Wilson, Colleen A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

WMAP Detection of Early Reionization

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has mapped the full sky in Stokes I, Q, and U parameters at frequencies 23, 33, 41, 61, and 94 GHz. We detect correlations between the temperature and polarization maps significant at more than 10 standard deviations. The correlations are inconsistent with instrument noise and are significantly larger than the upper limits established for potential systenatic errors. The correlations are present in all WMAP frequency bands with similar amplitude from 23 to 94 GHz, and are consistent with a superposition of a CMB signal with a weak foreground. The fitted CMB component is robust against different data combinations and fitting techniques. On small angular scales the WMAP data show the temperature-polarization correlation expected from adiabatic density perturbations. The data for $\ell > 20$ agree well with the signal predicted solely from the temperature power spectra, with no additional free parameters. The existence of correlations on super-horizon scales provides significant support for inflationary cosmologies. We detect excess power on large angular scales compared to predictions based on the temperature power spectra alone. The excess power is well described by reionization at redshift $11 < z < 30$ at 95\% confidence. A model-independent fit to reionization optical depth yields results consistent with the best-fit $\Lambda$CDM model, with best fit value $\tau = 0.17 \pm 0.04$ at 68\% confidence, including systematic and foreground uncertainties. This value is larger than expected given the detection of a Gunn-Peterson trough in the absorption spectra of distant quasars, and implies that the universe has a complex ionization history. I will discuss the WMAP data and its implications for reionization in the early universe.

Kogut, A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

WMAP Detection of Early Reionization

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has mapped the full sky in Stokes I, Q, and U parameters at frequencies 23, 33, 41, 61, and 94 GHz. We detect correlations between the temperature and polarization maps significant at more than 10 standard deviations. The correlations are inconsistent with instrument noise and are significantly larger than the upper limits established for potential systematic errors. The correlations are present in all WMAP frequency bands with similar amplitude from 23 to 94 GHz, and are consistent with a superposition of a CMB signal with a weak foreground. The fitted CMB component is robust against different data combinations and fitting techniques. On small angular scales the WMAP data show the temperature-polarization correlation expected from adiabatic density perturbations. The data for $\ell > 20$ agree well with the signal predicted solely from the temperature power spectra, with no additional free parameters. The existence of correlations on super-horizon scales provides significant support for inflationary cosmologies. We detect excess power on large angular scales compared to predictions based on the temperature power spectra alone. The excess power is well described by reionization at redshift $11 < z < 30$ at 95\% confidence. A model-independent fit to reionization optical depth yields results consistent with the best-fit $\Lambda$CDM model, with best fit value $\tau = 0.17 \pm 0.04$ at 68\% confidence, including systematic and foreground uncertainties. This trough in the absorption spectra of distant quasars, and implies that the universe has a complex ionization history. I will discuss the WMAP data and its implications for reionization in the early universe.

Kogut, A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Atmospheric Models for Aerocapture

There are eight destinations in the solar System with sufficient atmosphere for aerocapture to be a viable aeroassist option - Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and its moon Titan, Uranus, and Neptune. Engineering-level atmospheric models for four of these targets (Earth, Mars, Titan, and Neptune) have been developed for NASA to support systems analysis studies of potential future aerocapture missions. Development of a similar atmospheric model for Venus has recently commenced. An important capability of all of these models is their ability to simulate quasi-random density perturbations for Monte Carlo analyses in developing guidance, navigation and control algorithm, and for thermal systems design. Similarities and differences among these atmospheric models are presented, with emphasis on the recently developed Neptune model and on planned characteristics of the Venus model. Example applications for aerocapture are also presented and illustrated. Recent updates to the Titan atmospheric model are discussed, in anticipation of applications for trajectory and atmospheric reconstruct of Huygens Probe entry at Titan.

Justus, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Atmospheric Models for Aerocapture

There are eight destinations in the Solar System with sufficient atmosphere for aerocapture to be a viable aeroassist option - Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and its moon Titan, Uranus, and Neptune. Engineering-level atmospheric models for four of these targets (Earth, Mars, Titan, and Neptune) have been developed for NASA to support systems analysis studies of potential future aerocapture missions. Development of a similar atmospheric model for Venus has recently commenced. An important capability of all of these models is their ability to simulate quasi-random density perturbations for Monte Carlo analyses in developing guidance, navigation and control algorithms, and for thermal systems design. Similarities and differences among these atmospheric models are presented, with emphasis on the recently developed Neptune model and on planned characteristics of the Venus model. Example applications for aerocapture are also presented and illustrated. Recent updates to the Titan atmospheric model, in anticipation of applications for trajectory and atmospheric reconstruct of Huygens Robe entry at Titan, are discussed. Recent updates to the Mars atmospheric model, in support of ongoing Mars aerocapture systems analysis studies, are also presented.

Justus, C. G.↗