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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
NASA NTRS1985

Orientations of AM Her stars from their polarization properties - The case of the missing AM Her stars

Observation of the polarization properties of the AM Her stars is used to determine their orientations. It is found that the AM Her stars are randomly distributed with respect to their inclination angle i but not with respect to their magnetic colatitude delta. The stars are concentrated along the semicircle cos-squared delta + cos-squared i = 1, where delta is the angle between the magnetic moment and the spin axis of the degenerate dwarf. This result implies that the discovery of AM Her stars is strongly affected by observational selection effects. It is suggested that these effects are a result of the way in which the AM Her stars have been identified observationally, and of the angular properties of high harmonic cyclotron emission. It is estimated that there are about three times as many AM Her stars as have been found so far.

Brainerd, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

X-ray sources in regions of star formation. III - Naked T Tauri stars associated with the Taurus-Auriga complex

Ground-based and IRAS optical and IR spectroscopic and photometric observations are reported for 90 stars in or near 59 Einstein Observatory X-ray error circles in the Tau-Aur region. The data are presented in extensive tables and sample spectra and characterized in detail, with particular attention to 28 newly discovered 'naked' T Tau stars, which are shown to be normal stars with no significant IR or UV excess and ages of 1-40 Myr. These stars are found to outnumber normal T Tau stars by a factor of 10 in an area near the Tau-Aur dark clouds, and it is argued that their evolution toward the ZAMS is typical for low-mass stars. The implications of this finding for the time scales of circumstellar-disk dissipation and planet formation are discussed.

Walter, Frederick M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Lost in space: Onboard star identification using CCD star tracker data without an a priori attitude

There are many algorithms in use today which determine spacecraft attitude by identifying stars in the field of view of a star tracker. Some methods, which date from the early 1960's, compare the angular separation between observed stars with a small catalog. In the last 10 years, several methods have been developed which speed up the process and reduce the amount of memory needed, a key element to onboard attitude determination. However, each of these methods require some a priori knowledge of the spacecraft attitude. Although the Sun and magnetic field generally provide the necessary coarse attitude information, there are occasions when a spacecraft could get lost when it is not prudent to wait for sunlight. Also, the possibility of efficient attitude determination using only the highly accurate CCD star tracker could lead to fully autonomous spacecraft attitude determination. The need for redundant coarse sensors could thus be eliminated at substantial cost reduction. Some groups have extended their algorithms to implement a computation intense full sky scan. Some require large data bases. Both storage and speed are concerns for autonomous onboard systems. Neural network technology is even being explored by some as a possible solution, but because of the limited number of patterns that can be stored and large overhead, nothing concrete has resulted from these efforts. This paper presents an algorithm which, by descretizing the sky and filtering by visual magnitude of the brightness observed star, speeds up the lost in space star identification process while reducing the amount of necessary onboard computer storage compared to existing techniques.

Ketchum, Eleanor A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Massive Stars and the Energy Balance of the Interstellar Medium: The Impact of an Isolated 60 M. Star - 1

We present results of numerical simulations carried out with a two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code in order to study the impact of massive stars on their surrounding interstellar medium. This first paper deals with the evolution of the circumstellar gas around an isolated 60 M. star. The interaction of the photo- ionized H II region with the stellar wind bubble forms a variety of interesting structures like shells, clouds, fingers, and spokes. These results demonstrate that complex structures found in H II regions are not necessarily relics from the time before the gas became ionized but may result from dynamical processes during the course of the H II region evolution. We have also analyzed the transfer and deposit of the stellar wind and radiation energy into the circumstellar medium until the star explodes as a supernova. Although the total mechanical wind energy supplied by the star is negligible compared to the accumulated energy of the Lyman continuum photons, the kinetic energy imparted to the circumstellar gas over the star s lifetime is 4 times higher than for a comparable windless simulation. Furthermore, the thermal energy of warm photoionized gas is lower by some 55%). Our results document the necessity to consider both ionizing radiation and stellar winds for an appropriate description of the interaction of OB stars with their circumstellar environment.

Freyer, Tim↗
NASA NTRS2017

Techniques for High Contrast Imaging in Multi-Star Systems II: Multi-Star Wavefront Control

Direct imaging of exoplanets represents a challenge for astronomical instrumentation due to the high-contrast ratio and small angular separation between the host star and the faint planet. Multi-star systems pose additional challenges for coronagraphic instruments because of the diffraction and aberration leakage introduced by the additional stars, and as a result are not planned to be on direct imaging target lists. Multi-star wavefront control (MSWC) is a technique that uses a coronagraphic instrument's deformable mirror (DM) to create high-contrast regions in the focal plane in the presence of multiple stars. Our previous paper introduced the Super-Nyquist Wavefront Control (SNWC) technique that uses a diffraction grating to enable the DM to generate high-contrast regions beyond the nominal controllable region. These two techniques can be combined to generate high-contrast regions for multi-star systems at any angular separations. As a case study, a high-contrast wavefront control (WC) simulation that applies these techniques shows that the habitable region of the Alpha Centauri system can be imaged reaching 8 times 10(exp -9) mean contrast in 10 percent broadband light in one-sided dark holes from 1.6-5.5 lambda (wavelength) divided by D (distance).

Sirbu, D.↗
DOE OSTI2015

From H i to stars: H I depletion in starbursts and star-forming galaxies in the ALFALFA Hα survey

H i in galaxies traces the fuel for future star formation and reveals the effects of feedback on neutral gas. Using a statistically uniform, H i-selected sample of 565 galaxies from the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) Hα survey, we explore H i properties as a function of star formation activity. ALFALFA Hα provides R-band and Hα imaging for a volume-limited subset of the 21 cm ALFALFA survey. We identify eight starbursts based on Hα equivalent width and six with enhanced star formation relative to the main sequence. Both starbursts and non-starbursts have similar H i-to-stellar mass ratios (M{sub H I}/M{sub ∗}), which suggests that feedback is not depleting the starbursts’ H i. Consequently, the starbursts do have shorter H i depletion times (t{sub dep}), implying more efficient H i-to-H{sub 2} conversion. While major mergers likely drive this enhanced efficiency in some starbursts, the lowest-mass starbursts may experience periodic bursts, consistent with enhanced scatter in t{sub dep} at low M{sub ∗}. Two starbursts appear to be pre-coalescence mergers; their elevated M{sub H I}/M{sub ∗} suggest that H i-to-H{sub 2} conversion is still ongoing at this stage. By comparing with the GASS sample, we find that t{sub dep} anticorrelates with stellar surface density for disks, while spheroids show no such trend. Among early-type galaxies, t{sub dep} does not correlate with bulge-to-disk ratio; instead, the gas distribution may determine the star formation efficiency. Finally, the weak connection between galaxies’ specific star formation rates and M{sub H I}/M{sub ∗} contrasts with the well-known correlation between M{sub H I}/M{sub ∗} and color. We show that dust extinction can explain the H i–color trend, which may arise from the relationship between M{sub ∗}, M{sub H I}, and metallicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE VERY MASSIVE STAR CONTENT OF THE NUCLEAR STAR CLUSTERS IN NGC 5253

The blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 hosts a very young starburst containing twin nuclear star clusters, separated by a projected distance of 5 pc. One cluster (#5) coincides with the peak of the H α emission and the other (#11) with a massive ultracompact H ii region. A recent analysis of these clusters shows that they have a photometric age of 1 ± 1 Myr, in apparent contradiction with the age of 3–5 Myr inferred from the presence of Wolf-Rayet features in the cluster #5 spectrum. We examine Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet and Very Large Telescope optical spectroscopy of #5 and show that the stellar features arise from very massive stars (VMSs), with masses greater than 100 M {sub ⊙}, at an age of 1–2 Myr. We further show that the very high ionizing flux from the nuclear clusters can only be explained if VMSs are present. We investigate the origin of the observed nitrogen enrichment in the circumcluster ionized gas and find that the excess N can be produced by massive rotating stars within the first 1 Myr. We find similarities between the NGC 5253 cluster spectrum and those of metal-poor, high-redshift galaxies. We discuss the presence of VMSs in young, star-forming galaxies at high redshift; these should be detected in rest-frame UV spectra to be obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope . We emphasize that population synthesis models with upper mass cutoffs greater than 100 M {sub ⊙} are crucial for future studies of young massive star clusters at all redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Survey for New Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the Ophiuchus Star-forming Complex

We have performed a survey for new members of the Ophiuchus cloud complex using high-precision astrometry from the second data release of Gaia, proper motions measured with multi-epoch images from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and color–magnitude diagrams constructed with photometry from various sources. Through spectroscopy of candidates selected with those data, we have identified 155 new young stars. Based on available measurements of kinematics, we classify 102, 47, and 6 of those stars as members of Ophiuchus, Upper Sco, and other populations in Sco–Cen, respectively. We have also assessed the membership of all other stars in the vicinity of Ophiuchus that have spectroscopic evidence of youth from previous studies, arriving at a catalog of 373 adopted members of the cloud complex. For those adopted members, we have compiled mid-infrared photometry from Spitzer and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and have used mid-infrared colors to identify and classify circumstellar disks. We find that 210 of the members show evidence of disks, including 48 disks that are in advanced stages of evolution. Finally, we have estimated the relative median ages of the populations near the Ophiuchus clouds and the surrounding Upper Sco association using absolute K-band magnitudes (M {sub K}) based on Gaia parallaxes. If we adopt an age 10 Myr for Upper Sco, then the relative values of M {sub K} imply median ages of ∼2 Myr for L1689 and embedded stars in L1688, 3–4 Myr for low-extinction stars near L1688, and ∼6 Myr for the group containing ρ Oph.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Inferred Hα flux as a star formation rate indicator at z ∼ 4–5: implications for dust properties, burstiness, and the z = 4–8 star formation rate functions

We derive Hα fluxes for a large spectroscopic and photometric-redshift-selected sample of sources over GOODS-North and South in the redshift range z = 3.8–5.0 with deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Spitzer/IRAC, and ground-based observations. The Hα flux is inferred based on the offset between the IRAC 3.6 μm flux and that predicted from the best-fit spectral energy distribution (SED). We demonstrate that the Hα flux correlates well with dust-corrected UV star formation rate (SFR) and therefore can serve as an independent SFR indicator. However, we also find a systematic offset in the SFR{sub Hα}/SFR{sub UV+β} ratios for z ∼ 4–5 galaxies relative to local relations (assuming the same dust corrections for nebular regions and stellar light). We show that we can resolve the modest tension in the inferred SFRs by assuming bluer intrinsic UV slopes (increasing the dust correction), a rising star formation history, or assuming a low-metallicity stellar population with a hard ionizing spectrum (increasing the L{sub Hα}/SFR ratio). Using Hα as an SFR indicator, we find a normalization of the star formation main sequence in good agreement with recent SED-based determinations and also derive the SFR functions at z∼4--8. In addition, we assess for the first time the burstiness of star formation in z∼4 galaxies on <100 Myr timescales by comparing UV and Hα-based sSFRs; their one-to-one relationship argues against significantly bursty star formation histories.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Hierarchical Star Formation in Turbulent Media: Evidence from Young Star Clusters

We present an analysis of the positions and ages of young star clusters in eight local galaxies to investigate the connection between the age difference and separation of cluster pairs. We find that star clusters do not form uniformly but instead are distributed so that the age difference increases with the cluster pair separation to the 0.25–0.6 power, and that the maximum size over which star formation is physically correlated ranges from ∼200 pc to ∼1 kpc. The observed trends between age difference and separation suggest that cluster formation is hierarchical both in space and time: clusters that are close to each other are more similar in age than clusters born further apart. The temporal correlations between stellar aggregates have slopes that are consistent with predictions of turbulence acting as the primary driver of star formation. The velocity associated with the maximum size is proportional to the galaxy’s shear, suggesting that the galactic environment influences the maximum size of the star-forming structures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Testing the Formation Scenarios of Binary Neutron Star Systems with Measurements of the Neutron Star Moment of Inertia

Two low-mass (M < 1.4 M ⊙ ) neutron stars, J0737-3039B and the companion to J1756-2251, show strong evidence of being formed in an ultra-stripped supernova explosion (US-SN) with a ONeMg or Fe progenitor. In this paper, using systematically generated sets of equations of state we map out the relationship between the moment of inertia of J0737-3039A, a candidate for a moment of inertia measurement within a decade, and the binding energy of the two low-mass neutron stars. This relationship, similar to the I-Love-Q relations, is more robust than a previously explored correlation between the binding energy and the slope of the nuclear symmetry energy L. We find that, if either J0737-3039B or the J1756-2251 companion were formed in a US-SN, no more than 0.06 M ⊙ could have been lost from the progenitor core. Furthermore, a measurement of the moment of inertia of J0737-3039A to within 10% accuracy can discriminate between formation scenarios and, given current constraints on the predicted core mass loss, potentially rule them out. Advanced LIGO can potentially measure the neutron star tidal polarizability to equivalent accuracy which, using the I-Love-Q relations, would obtain similar constraints on the formation scenarios. Such information would help constrain important aspects of binary evolution used for population synthesis predictions of the rate of binary neutron star mergers and resulting electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals. Finally, further progress needs to be made in modeling the core-collapse process that leads to low-mass neutron stars, particularly in making robust predictions for the mass loss from the progenitor core.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Mysterious Dimmings of the T Tauri Star V1334 Tau

We present the discovery of two extended ∼0.12 mag dimming events of the weak-lined T Tauri star V1334. The start of the first event was missed but came to an end in late 2003, and the second began in 2009 February, and continues as of 2016 November. Since the egress of the current event has not yet been observed, it suggests a period of >13 years if this event is periodic. Spectroscopic observations suggest the presence of a small inner disk, although the spectral energy distribution shows no infrared excess. We explore the possibility that the dimming events are caused by an orbiting body (e.g., a disk warp or dust trap), enhanced disk winds, hydrodynamical fluctuations of the inner disk, or a significant increase in the magnetic field flux at the surface of the star. We also find a ∼0.32 day periodic photometric signal that persists throughout the 2009 dimming which appears to not be due to ellipsoidal variations from a close stellar companion. High-precision photometric observations of V1334 Tau during K2 campaign 13, combined with simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations from the ground, will provide crucial information about the photometric variability and its origin.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Two first-order phase transitions in hybrid compact stars: Higher-order multiplet stars, reaction modes, and intermediate conversion speeds

We study compact stars with hybrid equations of state consisting of a nuclear outer region and two nested quark phases, each separated from the lower density phase by a strong first-order phase transition. The stability of these models is determined by calculating their radial oscillation modes with different conversion rates between adjacent phases and hence junction conditions for the modes at the phase separation interface between them. In the case when the timescale of transition is faster than the period of oscillations, we recover the traditional stability criterion implying that ∂M/∂ρ c > 0 on the stable branch(es), where M is the mass and ρ c is the central density. In the opposite limit of slow conversion, we find stable stellar multiplets beyond triplets consisting of stars that are stable by the usual criterion plus slow-conversion (denoted by s) hybrid stars with ∂M/∂ρ c < 0 that are stabilized due to an alternative junction condition on the fluid displacement field at the interface reflecting the slow rate of conversion. We also study the properties of the reaction mode, the radial mode that only exists for stars with rapid (abbreviated by r) phase transitions, in stars with either two rapid phase transitions or alternating rapid and slow phase transitions for the first time. Here, the implications of alternative junction conditions are also examined, with these conditions generally being found to provide stability properties similar to those for a slow conversion rate.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

BINARY CENTRAL STARS OF PLANETARY NEBULAE DISCOVERED THROUGH PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY. IV. THE CENTRAL STARS OF HaTr 4 AND Hf 2-2

We explore the photometrically variable central stars of the planetary nebulae HaTr 4 and Hf 2-2. Both have been classified as close binary star systems previously based on their light curves alone. Here, we present additional arguments and data confirming the identification of both as close binaries with an irradiated cool companion to the hot central star. We include updated light curves, orbital periods, and preliminary binary modeling for both systems. We also identify for the first time the central star of HaTr 4 as an eclipsing binary. Neither system has been well studied in the past, but we utilize the small amount of existing data to limit possible binary parameters, including system inclination. These parameters are then compared to nebular parameters to further our knowledge of the relationship between binary central stars of planetary nebulae and nebular shaping and ejection.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Observational constraints on first-star nucleosynthesis. II. Spectroscopy of an ultra metal-poor CEMP-no star

We report on the first high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of HE 0020–1741, a bright (V = 12.9), ultra metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −4.1), carbon-enhanced ([C/Fe] = +1.7) star selected from the Hamburg/ESO Survey. This star exhibits low abundances of neutron-capture elements ([Ba/Fe] = −1.1) and an absolute carbon abundance A(C) = 6.1; based on either criterion, HE 0020–1741 is subclassified as a carbon-enhanced metal-poor star without enhancements in neutron-capture elements (CEMP-no). We show that the light-element abundance pattern of HE 0020–1741 is consistent with predicted yields from a massive (M = 21.5 M{sub ⊙}), primordial-composition, supernova (SN) progenitor. We also compare the abundance patterns of other ultra metal-poor stars from the literature with available measures of C, N, Na, Mg, and Fe abundances with an extensive grid of SN models (covering the mass range 10--100 M{sub ⊙}), in order to probe the nature of their likely stellar progenitors. Our results suggest that at least two classes of progenitors are required at [Fe/H] < −4.0, as the abundance patterns for more than half of the sample studied in this work (7 out of 12 stars) cannot be easily reproduced by the predicted yields.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Spectral properties of cool stars: Extended abundance analysis of 1,617 planet-search stars

We present a catalog of uniformly determined stellar properties and abundances for 1,617 F, G, and K stars using an automated spectral synthesis modeling procedure. All stars were observed using the HIRES spectrograph at Keck Observatory. Our procedure used a single line list to fit model spectra to observations of all stars to determine effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, projected rotational velocity, and the abundances of 15 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Y). Sixty percent of the sample had Hipparcos parallaxes and V-band photometry, which we combined with the spectroscopic results to obtain mass, radius, and luminosity. Additionally, we used the luminosity, effective temperature, metallicity and α-element enhancement to interpolate in the Yonsei–Yale isochrones to derive mass, radius, gravity, and age ranges for those stars. Finally, we determined new relations between effective temperature and macroturbulence for dwarfs and subgiants. Our analysis achieved precisions of 25 K in T{sub eff}, 0.01 dex in [M/H], 0.028 dex for logg, and 0.5 km s{sup −1} in vsin i based on multiple observations of the same stars. The abundance results were similarly precise, between ∼0.01 and ∼0.04 dex, though trends with respect to T{sub eff} remained for which we derived empirical corrections. The trends, though small, were much larger than our uncertainties and are shared with published abundances. We show that changing our model atmosphere grid accounts for most of the trend in [M/H] between 5000 and 5500 K, indicating a possible problem with the atmosphere models or opacities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Searching for Active Low-mass Stars in the CMa Star-forming Region: Multi-band Photometry with T80S

An exotic environment surrounds the young stellar groups associated with the Canis Major (CMa) OB1/R1 region, which probably was formed under feedback from at least three supernova events having occurred a few million years ago. We use astrometric data from the Gaia-DR2 to confirm the membership of the stars in CMa R1, based on proper motion and parallax, which revealed 514 new members and candidates. The mean age of 5 Myr estimated from the color–magnitude diagram characterizes the sources as likely pre-main-sequence candidates. In total, a sample of 694 stars detected with the T80-South telescope was analyzed according to different color–color diagrams, which were compared with theoretical colors from evolutionary models, aiming to reveal the objects that exhibit color excess due to accretion processes. Accretion and magnetic activity were also explored on the basis of empirical flux–flux relation, such as F {sub 660} and F {sub 861} that are related to Hα and Ca ii triplet emission, respectively. A low fraction (∼3 percent) of the sample have Hα excess and other colors expected for stars exhibiting chromospheric activity. The number of Class I and Class II objects, identified by the infrared (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) colors, indicates a disk fraction of ∼6 percent, which is lower than that expected for stellar clusters with a similar age. Such a large sample of objects associated with CMa R1 without evidences of circumstellar accretion can be interpreted as a lack of disk-bearing stars, unusual for young star-forming regions. However, this may be explained as the result of supernova events.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Gas fraction and depletion time of massive star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 3.2: no change in global star formation process out to z > 3

The observed evolution of the gas fraction and its associated depletion time in main-sequence (MS) galaxies provides insights on how star formation proceeds over cosmic time. We report ALMA detections of the rest-frame ∼300 μm continuum observed at 240 GHz for 45 massive (〈log(M{sub ⋆}(M{sub ⊙}))〉=10.7), normal star-forming (〈log(sSFR(yr{sup −1}))〉=−8.6), i.e., MS, galaxies at z≈3.2 in the COSMOS field. From an empirical calibration between cold neutral, i.e., molecular and atomic, gas mass M{sub gas} and monochromatic (rest-frame) infrared luminosity, the gas mass for this sample is derived. Combined with stellar mass M{sub ⋆} and star formation rate (SFR) estimates (from MagPhys fits) we obtain a median gas fraction of μ{sub gas}=M{sub gas}/M{sub ⋆}=1.65{sub −0.19}{sup +0.18} and a median gas depletion time t{sub depl.}(Gyr)=M{sub gas/SFR}=0.68{sub −0.08}{sup +0.07}; correction for the location on the MS will only slightly change the values. The reported uncertainties are the 1σ error on the median. Our results are fully consistent with the expected flattening of the redshift evolution from the 2-SFM (2 star formation mode) framework which empirically prescribes the evolution assuming a universal, log-linear relation between SFR and gas mass coupled to the redshift evolution of the specific star formation rate (sSFR) of MS galaxies. While t{sub depl.} shows only a mild dependence on location within the MS, a clear trend of increasing μ{sub gas} across the MS is observed (as known from previous studies). Further, we comment on trends within the MS and (in)consistencies with other studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗