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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

X-ray and EUV spectroscopy of various astrophysical and laboratory plasmas: Collisional, photoionization and charge-exchange plasmas

Several laboratory facilities were used to benchmark theoretical spectral models that are extensively used by astronomical communities. However, there are still many differences between astrophysical environments and laboratory miniatures that can be archived. Here we setup a spectral analysis system for astrophysical and laboratory plasmas to make a bridge between them, and we investigate the effects from non-thermal electrons and the contributions from a metastable level population on level populations and charge stage distribution for coronal-like, photoionized, and geocoronal plasmas. Test applications to laboratory measurement (i.e., electron beam ion trap plasma) and astrophysical observation (i.e., Comet, Cygnus X-3) are presented. A time evolution of the charge stage and level population are also explored for collisional and photoionized plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DIRECT DETECTION OF COMPLEX ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN ULTRAVIOLET (Lyα) AND ELECTRON-IRRADIATED ASTROPHYSICAL AND COMETARY ICE ANALOGS USING TWO-STEP LASER ABLATION AND IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY

As discovery of complex molecules and ions in our solar system and the interstellar medium has proliferated, several groups have turned to laboratory experiments in an effort to simulate and understand these chemical processes. So far only infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy has been able to directly probe these reactions in ices in their native, low-temperature states. Here we report for the first time results using a complementary technique that harnesses two-step two-color laser ablation and ionization to measure mass spectra of energetically processed astrophysical and cometary ice analogs directly without warming the ices—a method for hands-off in situ ice analysis. Electron bombardment and UV irradiation of H{sub 2}O, CH{sub 3}OH, and NH{sub 3} ices at 5 K and 70 K led to complex irradiation products, including HCO, CH{sub 3}CO, formamide, acetamide, methyl formate, and HCN. Many of these species, whose assignment was also strengthened by isotope labeling studies and correlate with IR-based spectroscopic studies of similar irradiated ices, are important ingredients for the building blocks of life. Some of them have been detected previously via astronomical observations in the interstellar medium and in cometary comae. Other species such as CH{sub 3}CO (acetyl) are yet to be detected in astrophysical ices or interstellar medium. Our studies suggest that electron and UV photon processing of astrophysical ice analogs leads to extensive chemistry even in the coldest reaches of space, and lend support to the theory of comet-impact-induced delivery of complex organics to the inner solar system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Constraining astrophysical neutrino flavor composition from leptonic unitarity

The recent IceCube observation of ultra-high-energy astrophysical neutrinos has begun the era of neutrino astronomy. In this work, using the unitarity of leptonic mixing matrix, we derive nontrivial unitarity constraints on the flavor composition of astrophysical neutrinos detected by IceCube. Applying leptonic unitarity triangles, we deduce these unitarity bounds from geometrical conditions, such as triangular inequalities. These new bounds generally hold for three flavor neutrinos, and are independent of any experimental input or the pattern of lepton mixing. We apply our unitarity bounds to derive general constraints on the flavor compositions for three types of astrophysical neutrino sources (and their general mixture), and compare them with the IceCube measurements. Furthermore, we prove that for any sources without ν{sub τ} neutrinos, a detected ν{sub μ} flux ratio < 1/4 will require the initial flavor composition with more ν{sub e} neutrinos than ν{sub μ} neutrinos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The 21 cm signal and the interplay between dark matter annihilations and astrophysical processes

Future dedicated radio interferometers, including HERA and SKA, are very promising tools that aim to study the epoch of reionization and beyond via measurements of the 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen. Dark matter (DM) annihilations into charged particles change the thermal history of the Universe and, as a consequence, affect the 21 cm signal. Accurately predicting the effect of DM strongly relies on the modeling of annihilations inside halos. In this work, we use up-to-date computations of the energy deposition rates by the products from DM annihilations, a proper treatment of the contribution from DM annihilations in halos, as well as values of the annihilation cross section allowed by the most recent cosmological measurements from the Planck satellite. Given current uncertainties on the description of the astrophysical processes driving the epochs of reionization, X-ray heating and Lyman-α pumping, we find that disentangling DM signatures from purely astrophysical effects, related to early-time star formation processes or late-time galaxy X-ray emissions, will be a challenging task. We conclude that only annihilations of DM particles with masses of ∼100 MeV, could leave an unambiguous imprint on the 21 cm signal and, in particular, on the 21 cm power spectrum. This is in contrast to previous, more optimistic results in the literature, which have claimed that strong signatures might also be present even for much higher DM masses. Additional measurements of the 21 cm signal at different cosmic epochs will be crucial in order to break the strong parameter degeneracies between DM annihilations and astrophysical effects and undoubtedly single out a DM imprint for masses different from ∼100 MeV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of the astrophysical diffuse neutrino flux using starting track events in IceCube

In this article, a measurement of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino spectrum is presented using IceCube data collected from 2011-2022 (10.3 years). We developed novel detection techniques to search for events with a contained vertex and exiting track induced by muon neutrinos undergoing a charged-current interaction. Searching for these starting track events allows us to not only more effectively reject atmospheric muons but also atmospheric neutrino backgrounds in the southern sky, opening a new window to the sub-100 TeV astrophysical neutrino sky. The event selection is constructed using a dynamic starting track veto and machine learning algorithms. We use this data to measure the astrophysical diffuse flux as a single power law flux (SPL) with a best-fit spectral index of γ=2.58$_{-0.09}^{+0.10}$ and per-flavor normalization of $\phi$$_{per-flavor}^{Astro}$=1.68$_{-0.22}^{+0.19}$×10 -18 ×GeV -1 cm -2 s -1 sr -1 (at 100 TeV). The sensitive energy range for this dataset is 3-550 TeV under the SPL assumption. This data was also used to measure the flux under a broken power law, however we did not find any evidence of a low energy cutoff.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A PURE HYDRODYNAMIC INSTABILITY IN SHEAR FLOWS AND ITS APPLICATION TO ASTROPHYSICAL ACCRETION DISKS

We provide a possible resolution for the century-old problem of hydrodynamic shear flows, which are apparently stable in linear analysis but shown to be turbulent in astrophysically observed data and experiments. This mismatch is noticed in a variety of systems, from laboratory to astrophysical flows. There are so many uncountable attempts made so far to resolve this mismatch, beginning with the early work of Kelvin, Rayleigh, and Reynolds toward the end of the nineteenth century. Here we show that the presence of stochastic noise, whose inevitable presence should not be neglected in the stability analysis of shear flows, leads to pure hydrodynamic linear instability therein. This explains the origin of turbulence, which has been observed/interpreted in astrophysical accretion disks, laboratory experiments, and direct numerical simulations. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first solution to the long-standing problem of hydrodynamic instability of Rayleigh-stable flows.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Concurrent Application of ANC and THM to assess the {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O Absolute Cross Section at Astrophysical Energies and Possible Consequences for Neutron Production in Low-mass AGB Stars

The {sup 13}C(α,n){sup 16}O reaction is considered to be the main neutron source responsible for the production of heavy nuclides (from Sr to Bi) through slow n-capture nucleosynthesis (s-process) at low temperatures during the asymptotic giant branch phase of low-mass stars (≲3--4 M{sub ⊙}, or LMSs). In recent years, several direct and indirect measurements have been carried out to determine the cross section at the energies of astrophysical interest (around 190±40 keV). However, they yield inconsistent results that cause a highly uncertain reaction rate and affect the neutron release in LMSs. In this work we have combined two indirect approaches, the asymptotic normalization coefficient and the Trojan horse method, to unambiguously determine the absolute value of the {sup 13}C(α,n){sup 16}O astrophysical factor. With these, we have determined a very accurate reaction rate to be introduced into astrophysical models of s-process nucleosynthesis in LMSs. Calculations using this recommended rate have shown limited variations in the production of those neutron-rich nuclei (with 86⩽A⩽209) that receive contribution only by slow neutron captures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Gaseous Phase as a Probe of the Astrophysical Solid Phase Chemistry

In support of space missions and spectroscopic observations, laboratory experiments on ice analogs enable a better understanding of organic matter formation and evolution in astrophysical environments. Herein, we report the monitoring of the gaseous phase of processed astrophysical ice analogs to determine if the gaseous phase can elucidate the chemical mechanisms and dominant reaction pathways occurring in the solid ice subjected to vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) irradiation at low temperature and subsequently warmed. Simple (CH{sub 3}OH), binary (H{sub 2}O:CH{sub 3}OH, CH{sub 3}OH:NH{sub 3}), and ternary ice analogs (H{sub 2}O:CH{sub 3}OH:NH{sub 3}) were VUV-processed and warmed. The evolution of volatile organic compounds in the gaseous phase shows a direct link between their relative abundances in the gaseous phase, and the radical and thermal chemistries modifying the initial ice composition. The correlation between the gaseous and solid phases may play a crucial role in deciphering the organic composition of astrophysical objects. As an example, possible solid compositions of the comet Lovejoy are suggested using the abundances of organics in its comae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

New Improved Indirect Measurement of the {sup 19}F( p , α ){sup 16}O Reaction at Energies of Astrophysical Relevance

Fluorine abundance determination is of great importance in stellar physics to understand s-elements production and mixing processes in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Up to now, theoretical models overproduce F abundances in AGB stars with respect to the observed values, thus calling for further investigation of the reactions involving fluorine. In particular, the {sup 19}F( p , α ){sup 16}O reaction is the main destruction channel of fluorine at the bottom of the convective envelope in AGB stars, an H-rich environment where it can experience temperatures high enough to determine its destruction, owing to additional mixing processes. In this paper the Trojan horse method (THM) was used to extract the {sup 19}F( p , α {sub 0}){sup 16}O S-factor in the energy range of astrophysical interest ( E {sub cm} ≈ 0–1 MeV). This is the most relevant channel at the low temperatures (few 10{sup 7} K) characterizing the bottom of the convective envelope, according to current knowledge. A previous indirect experiment using the THM has observed three resonances in the energy regions below E {sub cm} ≈ 450 keV. These energies correspond to typical AGB temperatures, thus implying a significant increase in the reaction rate. Statistics are scarce for performing an accurate separation between resonances, preventing one from drawing a quantitative conclusion about their total widths and spin parities. Before THM measurement, only extrapolations were available below about 500 keV, showing a non-resonant behavior that sharply contradicts the trend of the astrophysical factor at higher energies. A new experiment has been performed to verify the measured TH astrophysical factor and to perform more accurate spectroscopy of the involved resonances.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Is Photolytic Production a Viable Source of HCN and HNC in Astrophysical Environments? A Laboratory-based Feasibility Study of Methyl Cyanoformate

Motivated by the possibility that cyano-containing hydrocarbons may act as photolytic sources for HCN and HNC in astrophysical environments, we conducted a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the 193 nm photolysis of the cyano-ester, methyl cyanoformate (MCF). Experimentally, nanosecond time-resolved infrared emission spectroscopy was used to detect the emission from nascent products generated in the photolysis reaction. The time-resolved spectra were analyzed using a recently developed spectral reconstruction analysis, which revealed spectral bands assignable to HCN and HNC. Fitting of the emission band shape and intensity allowed determination of the photolysis quantum yields of HCN, HNC, and CN(A{sup 2}Π{sub 1}) and an HNC/HCN ratio of ∼0.076 ± 0.059. Additionally, multiconfiguration self-consistent field calculations were used to characterize photoexcitation-induced reactions in the ground and four lowest singlet excited states of MCF. At 193 nm excitation, dissociation is predicted to occur predominantly on the repulsive S {sub 2} state, with minor pathways via internal conversion from S {sub 2} to highly excited ground state. An automated transition-state search algorithm was employed to identify the corresponding ground-state dissociation channels, and Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus and Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the associated branching ratios. The proposed mechanisms were validated using the experimentally measured and quasi-classical trajectory-deduced nascent internal energy distributions of HCN and HNC. This work, along with previous studies, illustrates the propensity for cyano-containing hydrocarbons to act as photolytic sources for astrophysical HCN and HNC and may help explain the observed overabundance of HNC in astrophysical environments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Astromers: Nuclear Isomers in Astrophysics

In this work, we develop a method to compute thermally mediated transition rates between the ground state and long-lived isomers in nuclei. We also establish criteria delimiting a thermalization temperature above which a nucleus may be considered a single species and below which it must be treated as two separate species: a ground-state species and an astrophysical isomer ("astromer") species. Below the thermalization temperature, the destruction rates dominate the internal transition rates between the ground state and the isomer. If the destruction rates also differ greatly from one another, the nuclear levels fall out of or fail to reach thermal equilibrium. Without thermal equilibrium, there may not be a safe assumption about the distribution of occupation probability among the nuclear levels when computing nuclear reaction rates. In these conditions, the isomer has astrophysical consequences and should be treated as a separate astromer species which evolves separately from the ground state in a nucleosynthesis network. We apply our transition-rate methods and perform sensitivity studies on a few well-known astromers. We also study transitions in several other isomers of likely astrophysical interest.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass2021 theory frontier white paper: Astrophysical and cosmological probes of dark matter

While astrophysical and cosmological probes provide a remarkably precise and consistent picture of the quantity and general properties of dark matter, its fundamental nature remains one of the most significant open questions in physics. Obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of dark matter within the next decade will require overcoming a number of theoretical challenges: the groundwork for these strides is being laid now, yet much remains to be done. Chief among the upcoming challenges is establishing the theoretical foundation needed to harness the full potential of new observables in the astrophysical and cosmological domains, spanning the early Universe to the inner portions of galaxies and the stars therein. Identifying the nature of dark matter will also entail repurposing and implementing a wide range of theoretical techniques from outside the typical toolkit of astrophysics, ranging from effective field theory to the dramatically evolving world of machine learning and artificial-intelligence-based statistical inference. Through this work, the theory frontier will be at the heart of dark matter discoveries in the upcoming decade.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars Project – Status and Prospects

The KADoNiS (Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars) project is an astrophysical online database for cross sections relevant for nucleosynthesis in the s process and the γ process. The s-process database ( (http://www.kadonis.org)) was started in 2005 and is presently facing its 4th update (KADoNiS v1.0). The γ-process database (KADoNiS-p, (http://www.kadonis.org/pprocess)) was recently revised and re-launched in March 2013. Both databases are compilations for experimental cross sections with relevance to heavy ion nucleosynthesis. For the s process recommended Maxwellian averaged cross sections for kT=5−100 keV are given for more than 360 isotopes between {sup 1}H and {sup 210}Bi. For the γ-process database all available experimental data from (p,γ),(p,n),(p,α),(α,γ),(α,n), and (α,p) reactions between {sup 70}Ge and {sup 209}Bi in or close to the respective Gamow window were collected and can be compared to theoretical predictions. The aim of both databases is a quick and user-friendly access to the available data in the astrophysically relevant energy regions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Search for quantum gravity using astrophysical neutrino flavour with IceCube

Along their long propagation from production to detection, neutrinos undergo flavour conversions that convert their types or flavours. High-energy astrophysical neutrinos propagate unperturbed over a billion light years in vacuum and are sensitive to small effects caused by new physics. Effects of quantum gravity are expected to appear at the Planck energy scale. Such a high-energy universe would have existed only immediately after the Big Bang and is inaccessible by human technologies. On the other hand, quantum gravity effects may exist in our low-energy vacuum, but are suppressed by inverse powers of the Planck energy. Measuring the coupling of particles to such small effects is difficult via kinematic observables, but could be observable through flavour conversions. Furthermore, we report a search with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, using astrophysical neutrino flavours to search for new space–time structure. We did not find any evidence of anomalous flavour conversion in the IceCube astrophysical neutrino flavour data. We apply the most stringent limits of any known technologies, down to 10 –42 GeV –2 with Bayes factor greater than 10 on the dimension-six operators that parameterize the space–time defects. We thus unambiguously reach the parameter space of quantum-gravity-motivated physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Applications of the Trojan Horse method in nuclear astrophysics

The study of the energy production in stars and related nucleosyntesis processes requires increasingly precise knowledge of the nuclear reaction cross section and reaction rates at interaction energy. In order to overcome the experimental difficulties, arising from small cross-sections involved in charge particle induced reactions at astrophysical energies, and from the presence of electron screening, it was necessary to introduce indirect methods. Trough these methods it is possible to measure cross sections at very small energies and retrieve information on electron screening effect when ultra-low energy direct measurements are available. The Trojan Horse Method (THM) represents the indirect technique to determine the bare nucleus astrophysical S-factor for reactions between charged particles at astrophysical energies. The basic theory of the THM is discussed in the case of non-resonant.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Perspectives on relativistic electron–positron pair plasma experiments of astrophysical relevance using high-power lasers

The study of relativistic electron–positron pair plasmas is both of fundamental physics interest and important to understand the processes that shape the magnetic field dynamics, particle acceleration, and radiation emission in high-energy astrophysical environments. Although it is highly desirable to study relativistic pair plasmas in the laboratory, their generation and control constitutes a critical challenge. Significant experimental and theoretical progress has been made over recent years to explore the use of intense lasers to produce dense relativistic pair plasma in the laboratory and study the basic collective plasma processes associated with these systems. Important challenges remain in terms of improving the number of pairs, system size, and control over the charge neutrality required to establish laboratory platforms that can expand our understanding of relativistic pair plasma and help validate underlying models in conditions relevant to high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Furthermore, we highlight recent progress in this field, discuss the main challenges, and the exciting prospects for studying relativistic pair plasmas and astrophysics relevant instabilities in the laboratory in the near future.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dark matter vs. astrophysics in the interpretation of AMS-02 electron and positron data

We perform a detailed quantitative analysis of the recent AMS-02 electron and positron data. We investigate the interplay between the emission from primary astrophysical sources, namely Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae, and the contribution from a dark matter annihilation or decay signal. Our aim is to assess the information that can be derived on dark matter properties when both dark matter and primary astrophysical sources are assumed to jointly contribute to the leptonic observables measured by the AMS-02 experiment. We investigate both the possibility to set robust constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate and the possibility to look for dark matter signals within realistic models that take into account the full complexity of the astrophysical background. Our results show that AMS-02 data enable to probe efficiently vast regions of the dark matter parameter space and, in some cases, to set constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate that are comparable or even stronger than the ones derived from other indirect detection channels.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The POEMMA (Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics) observatory

The Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA) is designed to accurately observe ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and cosmic neutrinos from space with sensitivity over the full celestial sky. POEMMA will observe the air fluorescence produced by extensive air showers (EASs) from UHECRs and potentially UHE neutrinos above 20 EeV. Additionally, POEMMA has the ability to observe the Cherenkov signal from upward-moving EASs induced by Earth-interacting tau neutrinos above 20 PeV. The POEMMA spacecraft are designed to quickly re-orientate to follow up transient neutrino sources and obtain currently unparalleled neutrino flux sensitivity. Developed as a NASA Astrophysics Probe-class mission, POEMMA consists of two identical satellites flying in loose formation in 525 km altitude orbits. Each POEMMA instrument incorporates a wide field-of-view (45°) Schmidt telescope with an optical collecting area of over 6 m 2 . The hybrid focal surface of each telescope includes a fast (1 μs) near-ultraviolet camera for EAS fluorescence observations and an ultrafast (10 ns) optical camera for Cherenkov EAS observations. In a 5-year mission, POEMMA will provide measurements that open new multi-messenger windows onto the most energetic events in the universe, enabling the study of new astrophysics and particle physics at these extreme energies.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗