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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

A HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE STUDY OF THE ENIGMATIC MILKY WAY HALO GLOBULAR CLUSTER CRATER

We analyze the resolved stellar populations of the faint stellar system, Crater, based on deep optical imaging taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. Crater’s color–magnitude diagram (CMD) extends ∼4 mag below the oldest main-sequence (MS) turnoff. Structurally, we find that Crater has a half-light radius of ∼20 pc and no evidence for tidal distortions. We model Crater’s CMD as a simple stellar population (SSP) and alternatively by solving for its full star formation history. In both cases, Crater is well described by an SSP with an age of ∼7.5 Gyr, a metallicity of [M/H] ∼ −1.65, a total stellar mass of M{sub ⋆}∼1e4 M{sub ⊙}, and a luminosity of M{sub V}∼−5.3, located at a distance of d ∼ 145 kpc, with modest uncertainties due to differences in the underlying stellar evolution models. We argue that the sparse sampling of stars above the turnoff and subgiant branch are likely to be 1.0–1.4 M{sub ⊙} blue stragglers and their evolved descendants, as opposed to intermediate-age MS stars. We find that Crater is an unusually young cluster given its location in the Galaxy’s outer halo. We discuss scenarios for Crater’s origin, including the possibility of being stripped from the SMC or the accretion from lower-mass dwarfs such as Leo I or Carina. Despite uncertainty over its progenitor system, Crater appears to have been incorporated into the Galaxy more recently than z ∼ 1 (8 Gyr ago), providing an important new constraint on the accretion history of the Galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ALMACAL I: FIRST DUAL-BAND NUMBER COUNTS FROM A DEEP AND WIDE ALMA SUBMILLIMETER SURVEY, FREE FROM COSMIC VARIANCE

We have exploited ALMA calibration observations to carry out a novel, wide, and deep submillimeter (submm) survey, almacal. These calibration data comprise a large number of observations of calibrator fields in a variety of frequency bands and array configurations. By gathering together data acquired during multiple visits to many ALMA calibrators, it is possible to reach noise levels which allow the detection of faint, dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) over a significant area. In this paper, we outline our survey strategy and report the first results. We have analyzed data for 69 calibrators, reaching depths of ∼25 μ Jy beam{sup −1} at sub-arcsec resolution. Adopting a conservative approach based on ≥5 σ detections, we have found 8 and 11 DSFGs in ALMA bands 6 and 7, respectively, with flux densities S {sub 1.2} m {sub m} ≥ 0.2 mJy. The faintest galaxies would have been missed by even the deepest Herschel surveys. Our cumulative number counts have been determined independently at 870 μ m and 1.2 mm from a sparse sampling of the astronomical sky, and are thus relatively free of cosmic variance. The counts are lower than reported previously by a factor of at least 2×. Future analyses will yield large, secure samples of DSFGs with redshifts determined via the detection of submm spectral lines. Uniquely, our strategy then allows for morphological studies of very faint DSFGs—representative of more normal star-forming galaxies than conventional submm galaxies—in fields where self-calibration is feasible, yielding milliarcsecond spatial resolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

OGLE-2013-BLG-1761Lb: A Massive Planet around an M/K Dwarf

We report the discovery and the analysis of the planetary microlensing event, OGLE-2013-BLG-1761. There are some degenerate solutions in this event because the planetary anomaly is only sparsely sampled. However, the detailed light-curve analysis ruled out all stellar binary models and shows the lens to be a planetary system. There is the so-called close/wide degeneracy in the solutions with the planet/host mass ratio of q ∼ (7.0 ± 2.0) × 10{sup −3} and q ∼ (8.1 ± 2.6) × 10{sup −3} with the projected separation in Einstein radius units of s = 0.95 (close) and s = 1.18 (wide), respectively. The microlens parallax effect is not detected, but the finite source effect is detected. Our Bayesian analysis indicates that the lens system is located D{sub L}=6.9{sub −1.2}{sup +1.0} kpc away from us and the host star is an M/K dwarf with a mass of M{sub L}=0.33{sub −0.19}{sup +0.32} M{sub ⊙} orbited by a super-Jupiter mass planet with a mass of m{sub P}=2.7{sub −1.5}{sup +2.5} M{sub Jup} at the projected separation of a{sub ⊥}=1.8{sub −0.5}{sup +0.5} au. The preference of the large lens distance in the Bayesian analysis is due to the relatively large observed source star radius. The distance and other physical parameters may be constrained by the future high-resolution imaging by large ground telescopes or HST. If the estimated lens distance is correct, then this planet provides another sample for testing the claimed deficit of planets in the Galactic bulge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

EXPRES. II. Searching for Planets around Active Stars: A Case Study of HD 101501

By controlling instrumental errors to below 10 cm s{sup −1}, the EXtreme PREcision Spectrograph (EXPRES) allows for a more insightful study of photospheric velocities that can mask weak Keplerian signals. Gaussian processes (GP) have become a standard tool for modeling correlated noise in radial velocity data sets. While GPs are constrained and motivated by physical properties of the star, in some cases they are still flexible enough to absorb unresolved Keplerian signals. We apply GP regression to EXPRES radial velocity measurements of the 3.5 Gyr old chromospherically active Sun-like star, HD 101501. We obtain tight constraints on the stellar rotation period and the evolution of spot distributions using 28 seasons of ground-based photometry, as well as recent Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data. Light-curve inversion was carried out on both photometry data sets to reveal the spot distribution and spot evolution timescales on the star. We find that the >5 m s{sup −1} rms radial velocity variations in HD 101501 are well modeled with a GP stellar activity model without planets, yielding a residual rms scatter of 45 cm s{sup −1}. We carry out simulations, injecting and recovering signals with the GP framework, to demonstrate that high-cadence observations are required to use GPs most efficiently to detect low-mass planets around active stars like HD 101501. Sparse sampling prevents GPs from learning the correlated noise structure and can allow it to absorb prospective Keplerian signals. We quantify the moderate to high-cadence monitoring that provides the necessary information to disentangle photospheric features using GPs and to detect planets around active stars.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Measuring the Innermost Stable Circular Orbits of Supermassive Black Holes

We present a promising new technique, the g -distribution method, for measuring the inclination angle ( i ), the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), and the spin of a supermassive black hole. The g -distribution method uses measurements of the energy shifts in the relativistic iron line emitted by the accretion disk of a supermassive black hole due to microlensing by stars in a foreground galaxy relative to the g -distribution shifts predicted from microlensing caustic calculations. We apply the method to the gravitationally lensed quasars RX J1131–1231 ( z {sub s} = 0.658, z {sub l} = 0.295), QJ 0158–4325 ( z {sub s} = 1.294, z {sub l} = 0.317), and SDSS 1004+4112 ( z {sub s} = 1.734, z {sub l} = 0.68). For RX J1131−1231, our initial results indicate that r {sub ISCO} ≲ 8.5 gravitational radii ( r {sub g}) and i ≳ 55° (99% confidence level). We detect two shifted Fe lines in several observations, as predicted in our numerical simulations of caustic crossings. The current Δ E distribution of RX J1131–1231 is sparsely sampled, but further X-ray monitoring of RX J1131–1231 and other lensed quasars will provide improved constraints on the inclination angles, ISCO radii, and spins of the black holes of distant quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Methods of Reverberation Mapping. I. Time-lag Determination by Measures of Randomness

A class of methods for measuring time delays between astronomical time series is introduced in the context of quasar reverberation mapping, which is based on measures of randomness or complexity of the data. Several distinct statistical estimators are considered that do not rely on polynomial interpolations of the light curves nor on their stochastic modeling, and do not require binning in correlation space. Methods based on von Neumann’s mean-square successive-difference estimator are found to be superior to those using other estimators. An optimized von Neumann scheme is formulated, which better handles sparsely sampled data and outperforms current implementations of discrete correlation function methods. This scheme is applied to existing reverberation data of varying quality, and consistency with previously reported time delays is found. In particular, the size–luminosity relation of the broad-line region in quasars is recovered with a scatter comparable to that obtained by other works, yet with fewer assumptions made concerning the process underlying the variability. The proposed method for time-lag determination is particularly relevant for irregularly sampled time series, and in cases where the process underlying the variability cannot be adequately modeled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols – Part 2: Model evaluation and identification of key processes with observations

A global compilation of nearly sixty measurement studies is used to evaluate two methods of simulating the mineral composition of dust aerosols in an Earth system model. Both methods are based upon a Mean Mineralogical Table (MMT) that relates the soil mineral fractions to a global atlas of arid soil type. The Soil Mineral Fraction (SMF) method assumes that the aerosol mineral fractions match the fractions of the soil. The MMT is based upon soil measurements after wet sieving, a process that destroys aggregates of soil particles that would have been emitted from the original, undisturbed soil. The second method approximately reconstructs the emitted aggregates. This model is referred to as the Aerosol Mineral Fraction (AMF) method because the mineral fractions of the aerosols differ from those of the wet-sieved parent soil, partly due to reaggregation. The AMF method remedies some of the deficiencies of the SMF method in comparison to observations. Only the AMF method exhibits phyllosilicate mass at silt sizes, where they are abundant according to observations. In addition, the AMF quartz fraction of silt particles is in better agreement with measured values, in contrast to the overestimated SMF fraction. Measurements at distinct clay and silt particle sizes are shown to be more useful for evaluation of the models, in contrast to the sum over all particles sizes that is susceptible to compensating errors, as illustrated by the SMF experiment. Model errors suggest that allocation of the emitted silt fraction of each mineral into the corresponding transported size categories is an important remaining source of uncertainty. Evaluation of both models and the MMT is hindered by the limited number of size-resolved measurements of mineral content that sparsely sample aerosols from the major dust sources. In conclusion, the importance of climate processes dependent upon aerosol mineral composition shows the need for global and routine mineral measurements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

The detection of carbon dioxide leaks using quasi-tomographic laser absorption spectroscopy measurements in variable wind

Abstract. Laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) has been used over the last several decades for the measurement of trace gasses in the atmosphere. For over a decade, LAS measurements from multiple sources and tens of retroreflectors have been combined with sparse-sample tomography methods to estimate the 2-D distribution of trace gas concentrations and underlying fluxes from point-like sources. In this work, we consider the ability of such a system to detect and estimate the position and rate of a single point leak which may arise as a failure mode for carbon dioxide storage. The leak is assumed to be at a constant rate giving rise to a plume with a concentration and distribution that depend on the wind velocity. We demonstrate the ability of our approach to detect a leak using numerical simulation and also present a preliminary measurement.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Decreasing wind speed extrapolation error via domain-specific feature extraction and selection

Abstract. Model uncertainty is a significant challenge in the wind energy industry and can lead to mischaracterization of millions of dollars' worth of wind resources. Machine learning methods, notably deep artificial neural networks (ANNs), are capable of modeling turbulent and chaotic systems and offer a promising tool to produce high-accuracy wind speed forecasts and extrapolations. This paper uses data collected by profiling Doppler lidars over three field campaigns to investigate the efficacy of using ANNs for wind speed vertical extrapolation in a variety of terrains, and it quantifies the role of domain knowledge in ANN extrapolation accuracy. A series of 11 meteorological parameters (features) are used as ANN inputs, and the resulting output accuracy is compared with that of both standard log-law and power-law extrapolations. It is found that extracted nondimensional inputs, namely turbulence intensity, current wind speed, and previous wind speed, are the features that most reliably improve the ANN's accuracy, providing up to a 65 % and 52 % increase in extrapolation accuracy over log-law and power-law predictions, respectively. The volume of input data is also deemed important for achieving robust results. One test case is analyzed in depth using dimensional and nondimensional features, showing that the feature nondimensionalization drastically improves network accuracy and robustness for sparsely sampled atmospheric cases.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1983

900 km of digital ocean wave spectra from the SEASAT SAR

One of the primary reasons for including the SAR in the complement of ocean microwave instruments on SEASAT was the global ocean wave spectra. An accurate, timely, and global knowledge of the full two dimensional or directional surface wave spectra has great value in both operational wave forecasting and in wave climatology, especially in the Southern Oceans. The sparse sampling obtainable from a single orbiting SAR would by itself be inadequate to reconstruct a global wave field, but when supplemented with auxiliary knowledge of the winds, the SAR might provide essential updates to a global wave model.

Beal, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Advanced multispectral remote sensing technology and applications; Proceedings of the Conference, Arlington, VA, May 6, 7, 1982

Sensor system concepts are discussed, taking into account a multispectral linear array instrument design, an improved earth resources sensing instrument, design tradeoffs for a multispectral linear array instrument, imaging spectrometer technologies for advanced earth remote sensing, and the design concept for an optimized earth radiation budget sensor. Topics related to supporting optics and signal processing methodologies are explored, giving attention to two mirror objective design for multispectral remote sensing, the measurement of optical modulation functions in sparsely sampled mosaic focal plane arrays, multispectral linear array focal plane signal processing, signal processing for the NASA multispectral linear array, the concept for a multiple resolution pushbroom sensor, and the evolution of the octal radiometer. Techniques and applications for multispectral data are considered along with aspects of focal plane technology.

Ando, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Diurnal cloud variations over South America and the southeastern Pacific

The changing distributions of cloud cover are of particular importance in understanding the general circulation patterns of the Southern Hemisphere, whose prediction is hampered by the sparse sampling of physical qualities. In near-tropical areas, the diurnal solar heating cycle is noted to be directly responsible for many of the observed weather patterns. Among the atmosphere's familiar responses to this heating cycle are afternoon thunderstorms over tropical land areas and the 'burnoff' of morning fog or low stratus near coastal margins. Attention is given to these aspects of the atmospheric adjustment to the daily solar cycle in terms of regional scale mean cloudiness over part of the Southern Hemisphere.

Minnis, P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Gravitational clustering in the expanding universe - Controlled high-resolution studies in two dimensions

Results are presented from a series of gravitational clustering simulations in two dimensions. These simulations are a significant departure from previous work, since in two dimensions one can have large dynamic range in both length scale and mass using present computer technology. Controlled experiments were conducted by varying the slope of power-law initial density fluctuation spectra and varying cutoffs at large k, while holding constant the phases of individual Fourier components and the scale of nonlinearity. Filaments are found in many different simulations, even with pure power-law initial conditions. By direct comparison, filaments, called 'second-generation pancakes' are shown to arise as a consequence of mild nonlinearity on scales much larger than the correlation length and are not relics of an initial lattice or due to sparse sampling of the Fourier components. Bumps of low amplitude in the two-point correlation are found to be generic but usually only statistical fluctuations. Power spectra are much easier to relate to initial conditions, and seem to follow a simple triangular shape (on log-log plot) in the nonlinear regime. The rms density fluctuation with Gaussian smoothing is the most stable indicator of nonlinearity.

Beacom, John Francis↗
NASA NTRS1991

Rotational modulation in IUE spectra of cool dwarf chromospheres. I - Data analysis and period search techniques

Time-sequenced IUE spectra of a number of a bright F-K dwarfs have been used to investigate rotational modulation in several important chromospheric and transition emission lines. Stellingwerf's phase dispersion minimization (PDM) technique forms the basis of this time-series analysis of these sparsely sampled, irregularly spaced observational sequences, which consist of no more than 13 spectra in any one season. In such highly sample-limited time series, the resultant PDM spectrum is greatly complicated by overlapping alias orders which invariably produce strong interference effects, but the deliberately irregular sampling has proven of value in the development of techniques to identify the intrinsic stellar flux modulation period. Two stars are selected to illustrate these new techniques in detail.

Hallam, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A quantitative measure of phase correlations in density fields

A quantitative measure of the phase correlations in a density field is presented based on the location of the maxima of the Fourier components of that field. It is found that this measue can easily detect non-Gaussian behavior either in artificially constructed density fields or those that become non-Gaussian from gravitational clustering of Gaussian initial conditions. It is found that different initial power spectra produce somewhat distinguishable signals, and the signals are robust against sparse sampling.

Scherrer, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Search for evidence of low energy protons in solar flares

We searched for linear polarization in the H alpha line using the Stokes Polarimeter at Mees Solar Observatory and present observations of a flare from NOAA active region 6659 which began at 01:30 UT on 14 Jun. 1991. Our dataset also includes H alpha spectra from the Mees charge coupled device (MCCD) imaging spectrograph as well as hard x ray observations from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) instrument on board the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). The polarimeter scanned a 40 x 40 inch field of view using 16 raster points in a 4 x 4 grid. Each scan took about 30 seconds with 2 seconds at each raster point. The polarimeter stopped 8.5 inches between raster points and each point covered a 6 inch region. This sparse sampling increased the total field of view without reducing the temporal cadence. At each raster point, an H alpha spectrum with 20 mA spectral sampling is obtained covering 2.6 A centered on H alpha line center. The preliminary conclusions from the research are presented.

Metcalf, Thomas R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comparison of the seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton pigment concentrations in the Peru and California Current systems

Monthly composite images from the global coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) data set are used to provide an initial illustration and comparison of seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton pigment concentration along the western coasts of South and North America in the Peru Current system (PCS) and California Current system (CCS). The analysis utilizes the entire time series of available data (November 1978 to June 1986) to form a mean annual cycle and an index of interannual variability for a series of both latitudinal and cross-shelf regions within each current system. Within 100 km of the coast, the strongest seasonal cycles in the CCS are in two regions, one between 34 deg and 45 deg N and the second between 24 deg and 29 deg N, each with maximum concentrations (greater than 3.0 mg m(exp-3)) in May-June. Weaker seasonal variability is present north of 45 deg N and in the Southern California Bight region (32 deg N). Within the PCS, in the same 100-km-wide coastal region, highest (greater than 45 deg S) and lowest (less than 20 deg S) latitude regions have a similar seasonal cycle with maximum concentrations (greater than 1.5 mg m(exp -3)) during the austral spring, summer, and fall, matching that evident throughout the CCS. Between these regions, off northern and central Chile, the seasonal maximum occurs during July-August (austral winter), contrary to the influence of upwelling favorable winds. Within the CCS, the dominant feature of interannual variability in the 8-year time series is a strong negative concentration anomaly in 1983, an El Nino year. The relative value of this negative anomaly is strongest off central California and is followed by an even stronger negative anomaly is strongest off central California and is followed by an even stronger negative anomaly in 1984 off Baja, California. In the PCS, strong negative anomalies during the 1982-1983 El Nino period are evident only off the Peruvian coast and are evident there only in the regions 100 km or more from the coast. Although negative anomalies associated with the El Nino were not present at higher latitudes (more than approximately 20 deg S) in the PCS, the extremely sparse sampling weakens our confidence in the results of the interannual analysis in this region. An upper estimate of the systematic winter bias remaining in the global CZCS data after reprocessing with the multiple scattering algorithm is given in the appendix.

Thomas, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Spherical disharmonics in the Earth sciences and the spatial solution: Ridges, hotspots, slabs, geochemistry and tomography correlations

There is increasing use of statistical correlations between geophysical fields and between geochemical and geophysical fields in attempts to understand how the Earth works. Typically, such correlations have been based on spherical harmonic expansions. The expression of functions on the sphere as spherical harmonic series has many pitfalls, especially if the data are nonuniformly and/or sparsely sampled. Many of the difficulties involved in the use of spherical harmonic expansion techniques can be avoided through the use of spatial domain correlations, but this introduces other complications, such as the choice of a sampling lattice. Additionally, many geophysical and geochemical fields fail to satisfy the assumptions of standard statistical significance tests. This is especially problematic when the data values to be correlated with a geophysical field were collected at sample locations which themselves correlate with that field. This paper examines many correlations which have been claimed in the past between geochemistry and mantle tomography and between hotspot, ridge, and slab locations and tomography using both spherical harmonic coefficient correlations and spatial domain correlations. No conclusively significant correlations are found between isotopic geochemistry and mantle tomography. The Crough and Jurdy (short) hotspot location list shows statistically significant correlation with lowermost mantle tomography for degree 2 of the spherical harmonic expansion, but there are no statistically significant correlations in the spatial case. The Vogt (long) hotspot location list does not correlate with tomography anywhere in the mantle using either technique. Both hotspot lists show a strong correlation between hotspot locations and geoid highs when spatially correlated, but no correlations are revealed by spherical harmonic techniques. Ridge locations do not show any statistically significant correlations with tomography, slab locations, or the geoid; the strongest correlation is with lowermost mantle tomography, which is probably spurious. The most striking correlations are between mantle tomography and post-Pangean subducted slabs. The integrated locations of slabs correlate strongly with fast areas near the transition zone and the core-mantle boundary and with slow regions from 1022-1248 km depth. This seems to be consistent with the 'avalanching' downwellings which have been indicated by models of the mantle which include an endothermic phase transition at the 670-km discontinuity, although this is not a unique interpretation. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that slabs and associated cold downwellings are the dominant feature of mantle convection. Hotspot locations are no better correlated with lower mantle tomography than are ridge locations.

Ray, Terrill W.↗