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At least 1,621 records · Page 90
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

MeV Emission from Pulsar Wind Nebulae: Understanding Extreme Particle Acceleration in Highly Relativistic Outflows

The Earth is constantly bombarded from outer space by energetic particles. Where and how these "cosmic rays" are produced is poorly understood, with various particle types and energies likely originating from different sources. Particularly mysterious is the source of high-energy e+/- produced in our Galaxy, especially those responsible for both the high fraction of e+ in the GeV cosmic ray lepton spectrum and the e+/- and observed excess of microwaves and gamma-rays detected towards the Galactic center and bulge. While these particles could be evidence for exotic forms of dark matter, they might also be produced by "normal" astrophysical sources such as pulsars the strongly magnetized, rapidly rotating neutron stars whose rotational energy powers an ultra-relativistic outflow (commonly referred to as a "pulsar wind") whose interaction with the surrounding medium creates a pulsar wind nebula .While the detection of TeV emission from numerous PWNe strongly suggest they contain e+/- with PeV or higher energies, how and to what energies these particles are produced is unknown, let alone their dependence on the properties of the pulsar, pulsar wind, and surrounding medium. A major reason for this uncertainty is the lack of information concerning their MeV properties, since the synchrotron emission from the highest energy e+/- peaks in this waveband. Only by combining the MeV spectrum of PWNe measured by proposed missions with that obtained at lower (primarily radio and X-ray) and higher (TeV) photon energies by current and hopefully future facilities is it possible to measure the full spectrum of e+/- in these sources. The resultant insights into the underlying acceleration mechanism would significantly impact many areas of astrophysics from indirect searches for dark matter to the origin of cosmic rays to the physics of relativistic outflows observed from active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and some gravitational wave events.

Gelfand, Joseph D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Statistical imprints of wave-like dark matter on multiply-imaged galaxies in strong cluster lenses from JWST

Wave-like dark matter ($ψ$DM) is an elusive dark matter (DM) candidate. The model, often also called fuzzy or ultralight DM, proposes that DM is an extremely light ($m\sim10^{-22}$ eV) boson and thereby has a kpc-scale de Broglie wavelength. Hence, interference of DM gives rise to sub-galactic density fluctuations that can be studied with strong gravitational lensing. In this paper, we use the residual power spectrum, $\mathrm{P}_δ(k)$, as a probe of $ψ$DM, which quantifies deviations from smooth lensing predictions, measured from multiply-imaged galaxies in strong cluster lenses. The key idea is that imprinted in these deviations are lensing distortions from DM substructure, which can be harnessed statistically to distinguish among DM theories. We simulate JWST-quality mock observations of strong gravitational lensing in galaxy clusters, modeling line-of-sight DM substructure within $ψ$DM and the standard cold dark matter (CDM) paradigms. Using mock deep observations ($\sim$ 20 hours), we find that $\mathrm{P}_δ(k)$ is sensitive to both $ψ$DM particle mass and fluctuation amplitude, and can distinguish $ψ$DM fluctuations from CDM subhalos. We demonstrate that $\mathrm{P}_δ(k)$ can be measured directly from data by modeling the smooth lensing with a local Curved Arc Basis formalism. With realistic modeling systematics, we find a statistically significant separation between $ψ$DM and CDM across $1 \lesssim k \lesssim 11\,\mathrm{kpc}^{-1}$ -- offering an independent probe of the wave-like nature of DM complementary to existing constraints.

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.C↗
NASA NTRS1985

Wave motions in the upper atmospheric sodium layer observed with a lidar technique

Since the middle of 1980, the vertical profile of the atmospheric sodium layer was observed with a tunable laser radar at Mt. Zao Observatory in northern Japan. The principal characteristics of the lidar system are summarized. The output wavelength is continuously monitored by using a sodium resonance cell, a spectrometer, and a Fabry-Perot interferometer provided with the reference spectrum of the sodium lamp. Owing to the strict temperature control of the filters, the tuning is sufficiently stable throughout the night. The calibration of the absolute sodium density was carried out by adopting the method established by previous works.

Kamiyama, H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Fine structure in RF spectra of lightning return stroke wave forms

The power spectra of the wide-band (10 Hz to 100 kHz) magnetic-field signals for a number of lightning return strokes measured during a thunderstorm which occurred in Lindau in August, 1984 have been calculated. The RF magnetic field data are obtained with the engineering unit of the Galileo Jupiter Probe lightning experiment. Each return stroke data stream is passed through an adaptive filter designed to whiten its spectrum. The spectra of the magnetic field data definitely show fine structure, with two or three distinct peaks in the spectra of many of the waveforms. A peak at f of about 60-70 kHz is often seen in the power spectra of the waveform time segments preceding and following the rise-to-peak amplitude of the return stroke.

Lanzerotti, L. J.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Investigation of mode activity in NBI-heated experiments of Wendelstein 7-X

The 2018 operation phase (OP 1.2b) of the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) included, for the first time, neutral beam injection (NBI) to heat the plasma. Since the injection geometry at W7-X is not parallel, this generates both passing and trapped fast particles. During longer phases of NBI injection, with the primary purpose to study the heating efficiency of this system, Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) were observed by a number of diagnostics, including the phase contrast imaging (PCI) system, the magnetic pick-up coils (Mirnov coils), and the soft x-ray multi-camera tomography system (XMCTS). Alfvén eigenmodes are of great interest for future fusion reactors as it has been shown that the resonant interaction of fast ions with self-excited AEs can lead to enhanced transport of fast ions and potentially to energy losses. This is especially true for so-called gap-modes, Alfvén eigenmodes with frequencies in gaps of the continuous spectrum, since they lack continuum damping. These modes are commonly known to be excited by fast ions, but other destabilizing mechanisms, e.g. the electron-pressure gradient are also possible. In this article we present a first analysis of the experimentally observed frequencies from the theoretical side. The calculation of shear Alfvén wave continua for selected cases and the assignment of observed frequencies to the gaps of the continuous spectra are presented. Using the ideal-MHD code CKA (Könies A. 2007 10th IAEA TM on Energetic Particles in Magnetic Confinement System), we find gap modes that match the experimental measurements in terms of the observed frequencies. We emphasize the crucial roles played by the coupling of sound and Alfvén waves as well as of the Doppler shift arising as a consequence of the radial electric field in W7-X. We employ the perturbative gyrokinetic code CKA-EUTERPE (Feh´er 2013 Simulation of the interaction between Alfv´en waves and fast particles), using a slowing-down distribution function for the fast ions as calculated by the Monte-Carlo particle following code ASCOT (Hirvijoki et al 2014 Comput. Phys. Commun. 185 1310–21) to assess the fast-ion drive. Here we find that the fast-ion drive is insufficient to overcome the background-plasma damping. The fact that unstable modes were observed experimentally may point to problems with the modelling or indicate the existence of other destabilizing mechanisms, e.g. associated with the electron-pressure gradient (Windisch et al 2017 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59 105002) that sensitively depend on the profiles of the background plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1991

Two-Dimensional Acousto-Optical Spectrum Analyzer

State-of-the-art two-dimensional acousto-optical spectrum analyzer processes input radio-frequency signal in real time into components in any number of spectral channels up to about 10(Sup5). Input radio-frequency signal to be analyzed launched via transducer into acousto-optical device along x axis. Acousto-optical device becomes Bragg cell. Pulsed plane waves of light from laser aimed at Bragg cell, which spatially modulates phases of plane waves and diffracts waves according to pattern of acoustic signal.

Ansari, Homayoon↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Migdal effect in semiconductors for dark matter with masses below ~ 100 MeV

Dark matter scattering off a nucleus has a small probability of inducing an observable ionization through the inelastic excitation of an electron, called the Migdal effect. We use an effective field theory to extend the computation of the Migdal effect in semiconductors to regions of small momentum transfer to the nucleus, where the final state of the nucleus is no longer well described by a plane wave. Our analytical result can be fully quantified by the measurable dynamic structure factor of the semiconductor, which accounts for the vibrational degrees of freedom (phonons) in a crystal. We show that, due to the sum rules obeyed by the structure factor, the inclusive Migdal rate and the shape of the electron recoil spectrum is well captured by approximating the nuclei in the crystal as free ions; however, the exclusive differential rate with respect to energy depositions to the crystal depends on the phonon dynamics encoded in the dynamic structure function of the specific material. Our results now allow the Migdal effect in semiconductors to be evaluated even for the lightest dark matter candidates (m χ ≳ 1 MeV) that can kinematically excite electrons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modification to the Hawking temperature of a dynamical black hole by a flow-induced supertranslation

One interesting proposal to solve the black hole information loss paradox without modifying either general relativity or quantum field theory, is the soft hair, a diffeomorphism charge that records the anisotropic radiation in the asymptotic region. This proposal, however, has been challenged, given that away from the source the soft hair behaves as a coordinate transformation that forms an Abelian group, thus unable to store any information. To maintain the spirit of the soft hair but circumvent these obstacles, we consider Hawking radiation as a probe sensitive to the entire history of the black hole evaporation, where the soft hairs on the horizon are induced by the absorption of a null anisotropic flow, generalizing the shock wave considered in [1, 2]. To do so we introduce two different time-dependent extensions of the diffeomorphism associated with the soft hair, where one is the backreaction of the anisotropic null flow, and the other is a coordinate transformation that produces the Unruh effect and a Doppler shift to the Hawking spectrum. Together, they form an exact BMS charge generator on the entire manifold that allows the nonperturbative analysis of the black hole horizon, whose surface gravity, i.e. the Hawking temperature, is found to be modified. The modification depends on an exponential average of the anisotropy of the null flow with a decay rate of 4M, suggesting the emergence of a new 2-D degree of freedom on the horizon, which could be a way out of the information loss paradox.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic electron correlations with charge order wavelength along all directions in the copper oxide plane

In strongly correlated systems the strength of Coulomb interactions between electrons, relative to their kinetic energy, plays a central role in determining their emergent quantum mechanical phases. We perform resonant x-ray scattering on Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ , a prototypical cuprate superconductor, to probe electronic correlations within the CuO 2 plane. We discover a dynamic quasi-circular pattern in the x-y scattering plane with a radius that matches the wave vector magnitude of the well-known static charge order. Along with doping- and temperature-dependent measurements, our experiments reveal a picture of charge order competing with superconductivity where short-range domains along x and y can dynamically rotate into any other in-plane direction. This quasi-circular spectrum, a hallmark of Brazovskii-type fluctuations, has immediate consequences to our understanding of rotational and translational symmetry breaking in the cuprates. We discuss how the combination of short- and long-range Coulomb interactions results in an effective non-monotonic potential that may determine the quasi-circular pattern.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Primordial black hole sterile neutrinogenesis: sterile neutrino dark matter production independent of couplings

Abstract Sterile neutrinos (ν s s) are well-motivated and actively searched for hypothetical neutral particles that would mix with the Standard Model active neutrinos. They are considered prime warm dark matter (DM) candidates, typically when their mass is in the keV range, although they can also be hot or cold DM components. We discuss in detail the characteristics and phenomenology ofν s s that minimally couple only to active neutrinos and are produced in the evaporation of early Universe primordial black holes (PBHs), a process we called “PBH sterile neutrinogenesis”. Contrary to the previously studiedν s production mechanisms, this novel mechanism does not depend on the active-sterile mixing. The resultingν s s have a distinctive spectrum and are produced with larger energies than in typical scenarios. This characteristic enablesν s s to be WDM in the unusual 0.3 MeV to 0.3 TeV mass range, if PBHs do not matter-dominate the Universe before evaporating. When PBHs matter-dominate before evaporating, the possible coincidence of induced gravitational waves associated with PBH evaporation and astrophysical X-ray observations fromν s decays constitutes a distinct signature of our scenario.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
NASA NTRS1975

Momentum modulation of a free electron beam with a laser

A Nd:YAG laser has been used to modulate the energy of a free electron beam. With a single pass of the 2-MW laser light through the 100-MeV electrons we have measured a 37-keV increase in the width of the energy spectrum for the particles. The interaction occurred in helium at standard temperature and pressure over a distance corresponding to 100,000 optical wavelengths, and a phase synchronism condition was maintained by means of the inverse Cerenkov effect. That is, along the direction of motion of the electrons the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave equaled the electron velocity. Therefore, the electrons remained in an electric field of constant phase, resulting in significant energy exchange.

Piestrup, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

On the detection of a stochastic background of gravitational radiation by the Doppler tracking of spacecraft

Consideration is given to the possibility of detection of an isotropic background gravitational radiation of a stochastic nature by the method of Doppler tracking of spacecraft. Attention is given in the geometrical optics limit, to the general formula for the frequency shift of an electromagnetic signal in the gravitational radiation field, and it is shown to be gauge independent. The propagation of a free electromagnetic wave in a gravitational radiation field is examined with the conclusion that no resonance phenomena can be expected. Finally, the 'Doppler noise' due to a stochastic background is evaluated, and it is shown to depend on the total energy density of the background and a parameter that is a characteristic of the radiation spectrum and the detection system used.

Mashhoon, B.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Laboratory and astronomical spectroscopy of C3H2, the first interstellar organic ring

The first laboratory and astronomical observations of the carbene ring molecule C3H2 briefly reported in a recent Letter are described in detail. In the laboratory, 22 millimeter-wave lines have been measured in a He and C2H2 discharge. From these the three rotational constants and the five fourth-order centrifugal distortion constants of C3H2 have been determined to high precision, allowing, in turn, calculation to 0.1 km/s of the most important lines in the radio and far-IR spectrum; 123 lines in the rotational spectrum with E/K less than 100 K are tabulated. Eleven astronomical transitions have been identified, and in Sgr B2 and Orion KL, rotational temperatures and column densities were derived and compared with those of other hydrocarbons with a similar number of C atoms.

Vrtilek, J. M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluation of the relative importance of preheat from hohlraum x rays and a radiative shock on a low-density foam

Indirectly driven shock-tube experiments were performed on the Omega Laser Facility to evaluate the relative importance of hohlraum x ray and radiative shock preheat sources on a low-density foam. X rays emitted from the hohlraum and a subsequent shock wave are channeled into a low-density foam sample, which contains a plastic preheat-witness disk placed downstream of the foam. Simultaneous radiographic measurements of the shock speed in the foam and the expansion rate of the witness disk due to preheat allow for the observation of effects from the hohlraum's low-energy and high-energy x-ray spectrum. Here we showed, from simulations, that low-energy x rays from the hohlraum are preferentially absorbed near the ablator surface (where the hohlraum and the shock tube meet), while higher-energy x rays largely pass through the ablator and foam and are volumetrically absorbed by the witness disk. Reproducing the experimentally measured shock speed and expansion of the witness disk simultaneously, we extracted the temperature evolution of preheated foam from the simulation and evaluated the relative importance of preheat sources on a low-density foam from hohlraum x-ray radiation and radiative shock. We found that radiation from the shock front was more effective at preheating the low-density foam than the high-energy x rays from the hohlraum. This shock-tube preheat experiment is important for understanding the results of the MARBLE experiments at the National Ignition Facility because initial conditions of foam-filled MARBLE capsules are sensitive to preheat.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Landau quantization of multilayer graphene on a Haldane sphere

Here, we consider the problem of multilayer graphene on a Haldane sphere and determine the Landau level spectrum for this family of systems. This serves as a generalization of the Landau quantization problem of ordinary nonrelativistic Haldane sphere and spherical graphene, or Dirac-like particles on a sphere. The Hamiltonian is diagonalized in a concise algebraic fashion exploiting two mutually commuting SU(2) algebras of the problem. Additionally, using exact wave functions we demonstrate computation of Haldane pseudopotentials in the second Landau level. These exact solutions add to the current toolkits of the numerical studies on fractional quantum Hall effects in systems of graphite multilayers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Symmetry and Shape Coexistence in 10 Be

Within the low-lying spectrum of 10 Be, multiple rotational bands are found, with strikingly different moments of inertia. A proposed interpretation has been that these bands variously represent triaxial rotation and prolate axially-deformed rotation. The bands are well-reproduced in ab initio no-core configuration interaction (NCCI) calculations. Here, we use the calculated wave functions to elucidate the nuclear shapes underlying these bands, by examining the Elliott SU(3) symmetry content of these wave functions. The ab initio results support an interpretation in which the ground-state band, along with an accompanying K = 2 side band, represent a triaxial rotor, arising from an SU(3) irreducible representation in the 0hw space. Then, the lowest excited K = 0 band represents a prolate rotor, arising from an SU(3) irreducible representation in the 2hw space.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Physical processes and infrared emission from the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant

IRAS 12-100 micron data on the Cas A remnant are presented, and various physical mechanisms and astrophysical sites that may contribute to the observed infrared emission are analyzed. The contributions of various sources of infrared emission to the IRAS fluxes are found to be small. The residual infrared emission is attributed to thermal emission from dust which is swept up by the expanding supernova blast wave and collisionally heated by the postshock X-ray emitting gas. The calculations are consistent with a shock velocity of 1800 km/s and a preshock gas density of about 2/cu cm. The mass of the swept-up gas is about 0.6 solar mass. An excess of 12 micron thermal emission in the spectrum of Cas A suggests the presence of very small particles in the preshocked gas.

Dwek, E.↗