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DOE OSTI2022

Shock revival in core-collapse supernovae assisted by heavy axionlike particles

We report axionlike particles (ALPs) are a class of hypothetical pseudoscalar particles which feebly interact with ordinary matter. The hot plasma of core-collapse supernovae is a possible laboratory to explore physics beyond the standard model including ALPs. Once produced, some of the ALPs can be absorbed by the supernova matter and affect energy transfer. In this study, we calculate the ALP emission in core-collapse supernovae and the backreaction on supernova dynamics consistently. It is found that the stalled bounce shock can be revived if the coupling between ALPs and photons is as high as $g_{aγ}$ ~ 10 -9 GeV -1 and the ALP mass is 40–400 MeV. Most of the models result in more energetic explosions than the average observed supernova. While this can be used to place constraints on those ALPs, long-term simulations across multiple progenitors need to be further investigated to place robust limits.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Applying Waveform Correlation and Waveform Template Metadata to Aftershocks in the Middle East to Reduce Analyst Workload

Organizations that monitor for underground nuclear explosive tests are interested in techniques that automatically characterize recurring events such as aftershocks to reduce the human analyst effort required to produce high-quality event bulletins. Waveform correlation is a technique that is effective in finding similar waveforms from repeating seismic events. In this study, we apply waveform correlation in combination with template event metadata to two aftershock sequences in the Middle East to seek corroborating detections from multiple stations in the International Monitoring System of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. We use waveform templates from stations that are within regional distance of aftershock sequences to detect subsequent events, then use template event metadata to discover what stations are likely to record corroborating arrival waveforms for recurring aftershock events at the same location, and develop additional waveform templates to seek corroborating detections. We evaluate the results with the goal of determining whether applying the method to aftershock events will improve the choice of waveform correlation detections that lead to bulletin-worthy events and reduction of analyst effort.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

DOE OSTI2020

Carnegie Supernova Project II: The Slowest Rising Type Ia Supernova LSQ14fmg and Clues to the Origin of Super-Chandrasekhar/03fg-like Events

The Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) LSQ14fmg exhibits exaggerated properties that may help to reveal the origin of the "super-Chandrasekhar"(or 03fg-like) group. The optical spectrum is typical of a 03fg-like SN Ia, but the light curves are unlike those of any SNe Ia observed. The light curves of LSQ14fmg rise extremely slowly. At -23 rest-frame days relative to B-band maximum, LSQ14fmg is already brighter than M V = -19 mag before host extinction correction. Here, the observed color curves show a flat evolution from the earliest observation to approximately 1 week after maximum. The near-infrared light curves peak brighter than -20.5 mag in the J and H bands, far more luminous than any 03fg-like SNe Ia with near-infrared observations. At 1 month past maximum, the optical light curves decline rapidly. The early, slow rise and flat color evolution are interpreted to result from an additional excess flux from a power source other than the radioactive decay of the synthesized 56 Ni. The excess flux matches the interaction with a typical superwind of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star in density structure, mass-loss rate, and duration. The rapid decline starting at around 1 month past B-band maximum may be an indication of rapid cooling by active carbon monoxide (CO) formation, which requires a low-temperature and high-density environment. These peculiarities point to an AGB progenitor near the end of its evolution and the core degenerate scenario as the likely explosion mechanism for LSQ14fmg.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Stellar Mass Black Hole Formation and Multimessenger Signals from Three-dimensional Rotating Core-collapse Supernova Simulations

We present self-consistent 3D core-collapse supernova simulations of a 40 ${M}_{\odot }$ progenitor model using the isotropic diffusion source approximation for neutrino transport and an effective general relativistic potential up to `0.9 s postbounce. We consider three different rotational speeds with initial angular velocities of ${{\rm{\Omega }}}_{0}=0$, 0.5, and 1 rad s -1 and investigate the impact of rotation on shock dynamics, black hole (BH) formation, and gravitational wave (GW) signals. The rapidly rotating model undergoes an early explosion at ~250 ms postbounce and shows signs of the low $T/| W| $ instability. We do not find BH formation in this model within ~460 ms postbounce. In contrast, we find BH formation at 776 ms postbounce and 936 ms postbounce for the nonrotating and slowly rotating models, respectively. The slowly rotating model explodes at ~650 ms postbounce, and the subsequent fallback accretion onto the proto–neutron star (PNS) results in BH formation. In addition, the standing accretion shock instability induces rotation of the PNS in the model that started with a nonrotating progenitor. Assuming conservation of specific angular momentum during BH formation, this corresponds to a BH spin parameter of a = J/M = 0.046. However, if no explosion sets in, all the angular momentum will eventually be accreted by the BH, resulting in a nonspinning BH. The successful explosion of the slowly rotating model drastically slows down the accretion onto the PNS, allowing continued cooling and contraction that results in an extremely high GW frequency (f ~ 3000 Hz) at BH formation, while the nonrotating model generates GW signals similar to our corresponding 2D simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Exploiting correlations in multi-coincidence Coulomb explosion patterns for differentiating molecular structures using machine learning

Coulomb explosion imaging (CEI) is a powerful technique for capturing the real-time motion of individual atoms during ultrafast photochemical reactions. CEI generates high-dimensional data with naturally embedded correlations that allow mapping the coordinated motion of nuclei in molecules. This enables reliable separation of competing reaction pathways and makes this approach uniquely suited for characterizing weak reaction channels. However, rich information contained in experimental CEI patterns remains largely underexploited due to challenges in visualizing correlations between multiple observables in multi-dimensional parameter space. Here we present a new approach to CEI of intermediate-sized polyatomic molecules, detecting up to eight ionic fragments in coincidence and leveraging machine-learning-based analysis to identify patterns and correlations in the resulting high-dimensional momentum-space data, enabling robust molecular structure identification and differentiation. Our approach provides high-dimensional background-free data encoding exceptionally rich structural information and establishes an automated, scalable framework for extracting insightful information from the data. As a demonstration, we apply this method to image and distinguish dichloroethylene isomers, showcasing its potential for broader applications in molecular imaging. Our results pave the way for channel-specific analysis of ultrafast structural dynamics in chemically relevant systems, particularly for disentangling mixed reaction pathways and detecting contributions from weak channels and minority species.

Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)↗

NASA NTRS1978

Ultrahigh-energy neutrino astronomy

High-energy cosmic-ray interactions can produce neutrinos. The neutrino fluxes are calculated over a range of energies. The sources considered (and their ranges of importance) are cosmic-ray interactions in earth's atmosphere (neutrino energies less than 10,000 GeV), cosmic-ray interactions with ambient hydrogen in galaxies (neutrino energies between 10,000 and 1 million GeV), regions of cosmic-ray acceleration - e.g., pulsars - and cosmic-ray interactions with the microwave background radiation (neutrino energies greater than 100 million GeV). In addition, estimates of the flux from compact sources, such as active galaxies, are made. These flux levels, calculated conservatively, may be high enough for practical detection with a 1-cu km seawater detector; i.e., count rates greater than 1 per day. Such observations would provide information mainly about high-energy physics, but also (over long times) about cosmic-ray spectra, composition, and acceleration, as well as supernova and galactic-nucleus explosions.

Margolis, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Mystery cloud of AD 536

The possible cause of the densest and most persistent dry fog on record, which was observed in Europe and the Middle East during AD 536 and 537, is discussed. The fog's long duration toward the south and the high sulfuric acid signal detected in Greenland in ice cores dated around AD 540 support the theory that the fog was due to the explosion of the Rabaul volcano, the occurrence of which has been dated at about AD 540 by the radiocarbon method.

Stothers, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Effect of Compliant Walls on Secondary Instabilities in Boundary-Layer Transition

For aerodynamic and hydrodynamic vehicles, it is highly desirable to reduce drag and noise levels. A reduction in drag leads to fuel savings. In particular for submersible vehicles, a decrease in noise levels inhibits detection. A suggested means to obtain these reduction goals is by delaying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in external boundary layers. For hydrodynamic applications, a passive device which shows promise for transition delays is the compliant coating. In previous studies with a simple mechanical model representing the compliant wall, coatings were found that provided transition delays as predicted from the semi-empirical e(sup n) method. Those studies were concerned with the linear stage of transition where the instability of concern is referred to as the primary instability. For the flat-plate boundary layer, the Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) wave is the primary instability. In one of those studies, it was shown that three-dimensional (3-D) primary instabilities, or oblique waves, could dominate transition over the coatings considered. From the primary instability, the stretching and tilting of vorticity in the shear flow leads to a secondary instability mechanism. This has been theoretical described by Herbert based on Floquet theory. In the present study, Herbert's theory is used to predict the development of secondary instabilities over isotropic and non-isotropic compliant walls. Since oblique waves may be dominant over compliant walls, a secondary theory extention is made to allow for these 3-D primary instabilities. The effect of variations in primary amplitude, spanwise wavenumber, and Reynolds number on the secondary instabilities are examined. As in the rigid wall case, over compliant walls the subharmonic mode of secondary instability dominates for low-amplitude primary disturbances. Both isotropic and non-isotropic compliant walls lead to reduced secondary growth rates compared to the rigid wall results. For high frequencies, the non-isotropic wall suppresses the amplification of the secondary instabilities, while instabilities over the isotropic wall may grow with an explosive rate similar to the rigid wall results. For the more important lower frequencies, both isotropic and non-isotropic compliant walls suppress the amplification of secondary instabilities compared to the rigid wall results. The twofold major discovery and demonstration of the present investigation are: (1) the use of passive devices, such as compliant walls, can lead to significant reductions in the secondary instability growth rates and amplification; (2) suppressing the primary growth rates and subsequent amplification enable delays in the growth of the explosive secondary instability mechanism.

Joslin, Ronald D.↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Cosmic Odyssey of Dust

We will present models for the evolution of dust in high redshift galaxies and in galaxies in the local universe. Galaxies at very high redshift, when the universe was less than one billion years old, contain massive quantities of dust that could only have for~nedin the explosion of core-collapse supernovae. These same objects are also the main source of grain destruction during the later, remnant phase of their evolution. These galaxies offer therefore a unique opportunity for examining the effect of massive stars on the formation and destruction of interstellar dust, and the lecture will present a model for the evolution of dust in these very young galaxies. Spectral and photometric observations of nearby galaxies show a correlation between the strength of their mid-IR aromatic features, attributed to PAH molecules, and their metal abundance, leading to a deficiency of these features in low-metallicity galaxies. We show the observed correlation represents a trend of PAH abundance with galactic age, reflecting the delayed injection of carbon dust into the ISM by AGB stars in the final post-AGB phase of their evolution. We also show that larger dust particles giving rise to the far-IR emission follow a distinct evolutionary trend closely related to the injection of dust by massive stars into the ISM.

Dwek, Eli↗

DOE OSTI2019

Final Report for Large Scale Laboratory Experiments on Kinetic Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection plays a fundamental role in nearly all magnetized plasmas as it enables magnetic energy to be converted into high speed flows, and thermal energy. It allows the magnetic field lines to change topology in collisionless plasmas, and it thereby controls the spatial and temporal evolution of explosive phenomena such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and internal disruptions in fusion devices. Because of its strong impact on the plasma dynamics, understanding the physics of magnetic reconnection is one of the most important topics in plasma physics. New frontiers have now emerged in reconnection research with an emphasis on particle energization, reconnection with multiple X-lines in large systems, and the role of kinetic effects in collisionless reconnection. These research topics are closely linked and large scale computer simulations show that 3D effects are likely important to explain the detailed observations of reconnection in solar, interplanetary and magnetospheric plasmas. For experiments to remain relevant in this maturing field of research and help push forward the new frontiers, new devices are needed which access the regimes of large system size and low normalized collisionallity. To address this need, the project the new Terrestrial Reconnection EXperiment (TREX), which is spatially the largest dedicated reconnection experiment constructed to date. With the use of the 3m diameter spherical vacuum vessel of the Madison Plasma Dynamo Experiment (MPDX), the TREX is highly leveraged by earlier NSF investments. MPDX was constructed with funds from NSF's MRI program and is now being operated as a multi-investigator facility, which we name the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory (WiPPL). The project was carried out mainly by two UW-Madison graduate students, for reconnection in parameter regimes and configurations in TREX not attainable by previous experiments. The implementation of TREX within WiPPL renders the upgraded facility unique in its capabilities to extend the frontiers of experimental reconnection research, including access to reconnection in the collisionless regime at large system sizes and compatible with three-dimensional configurations. The theoretical teams in reconnection research have been given full access to the experimental results. Our experimental results havel allowed us to test existing theoretical models, provide resolution to controversy, and stimulate new understanding of magnetic reconnection. The WiPPAL, with its large basic plasma physics device, is largely operated by graduate and undergraduate students. It has proven an ideal facility for students to become immersed in state of the art research while learning the fundamental principles of plasma physics. The program has also proven effective in attracting new outstanding students into plasma physics and providing them with exciting learning experiences. While our research program and experimental results successfully compete with those of professional scientists at national labs, the most important legacy of our research is, perhaps, the broad training in experimental plasma physics of the large number of students affiliated with our program.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2013

Ultrascale Visualization of Climate Data

Fueled by exponential increases in the computational and storage capabilities of high-performance computing platforms, climate simulations are evolving toward higher numerical fidelity, complexity, volume, and dimensionality. These technological breakthroughs are coming at a time of exponential growth in climate data, with estimates of hundreds of exabytes by 2020. To meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities that such explosive growth affords, a consortium of four national laboratories, two universities, a government agency, and two private companies formed to explore the next wave in climate science. Working in close collaboration with domain experts, the Ultrascale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT) project aims to provide high-level solutions to a variety of climate data analysis and visualization problems.

analysis tools↗

DOE OSTI2018

Particle Beam Ionization at High Gas Densities

In this simulation, an electron beam (blue circles) passes through a mixture of hydrogen and xenon gases that it ionizes, transforming the mixture into a plasma of protons, xenon ions, and electrons. The electron beam’s self-field expels the plasma electrons radially. The ions then undergo a Coulomb explosion under their own self-fields: first the lighter hydrogen ions and later the heavier xenon ions. An external extraction field that is applied between the top and bottom electrodes, and under the right conditions it can move both types of ions through the aperture in the top plate before they expand to a diameter larger than the aperture size. In this case, though, the initial gas densities are too high and the Coulomb field dominates the external field, so the ions are not captured by the aperture in the top plate. (Credit: Jean-Luc Vay and Rémi Lehe, WARP code)

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS1999

Unique Aeolian Transport Mechanisms on Mars: Respective Roles of Percussive and Repercussive Grain Populations in the Sediment Load

Experiments show that when sand-size grains impact a sediment surface with energy levels commensurate for Mars, small craters are formed by the ejection of several hundred grains from the bed. The experiments were conducted with a modified crossbow in which a sand-impelling sabot replaced the bolt-firing mechanism. Individual grains of sand could be fired at loose sand targets to observe ballistic effects unhindered by aerodynamic mobilization of the bed. Impact trajectories simulated the saltation process on dune surfaces. Impact craters were not elongated despite glancing (15 deg.) bed impact; the craters were very close to being circular. High-speed photography showed them to grow in both diameter and depth after the impactor had ricochetted from the crater site. The delayed response of the bed was "explosive" in nature, and created a miniature ejecta curtain spreading upward and outward for many centimeters for impact of 100-300 um-diameter grains into similar material. This behavior is explained by deposition of elastic energy in the bed by the "percussive" grain. Impact creates a subsurface stress regime or "quasi-Boussinesq" compression field. Elastic recovery of the bed occurs by dilatancy; shear stresses suddenly convert the grains to open packing and they consequently become forcefully ejected from the site. Random jostling of the grains causes radial homogenization of stress vectors and a resulting circular crater. A stress model based on repercussive bed dilatancy and interparticle adhesive forces (for smaller grains) predicts, to first order, the observed crater volumes for various impact conditions. On earth, only a few grains are mobilized by a percussive saltating grain; some grains are "knudged" along the ground, and some are partly expelled on short trajectories. These motions constitute reptation transport. On Mars, saltation and reptation become indistinct: secondary or "repercussive" trajectories have sufficient vertical impulse to create a dense saltation population of many tens or hundreds of grains for each single high-speed saltation percussion of the bed. Impact cascading will lead to near-surface distortion of the boundary layer, and choked flow formed by a dense "slurry" of sand, with the majority of grains mobilized by repercussive forces rather than by aerodynamic lift. This proceeds until a fully-matured transport layer imposes self-limitations as grain-population density constrains the free-path motion of individial grains.

Marshall, John R.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Unique Aeolian Transport Mechanisms on Mars: Respective Roles of Percussive and Repercussive Grain Populations in the Sediment Load

Experiments show that when sand-size grains impact a sediment surface with energy levels commensurate for Mars, small craters are formed by the ejection of several hundred grains from the bed. The experiments were conducted with a modified crossbow in which a sand-impelling sabot replaced the bolt-firing mechanism. Individual grains of sand could be fired at loose sand targets to observe ballistic effects unhindered by aerodynamic mobilization of the bed. Impact trajectories simulated the saltation process on dune surfaces. Impact craters were not elongated despite glancing (15 deg.) bed impact; the craters were very close to being circular. High-speed photography showed them to grow in both diameter and depth after the impactor had ricochetted from the crater site. The delayed response of the bed was "explosive" in nature, and created a miniature ejecta curtain spreading upward and outward for many centimeters for impact of 100-300 micron-diameter grains into similar material. This behavior is explained by deposition of elastic energy in the bed by the "percussive" grain. Impact creates a subsurface stress regime or "quasi-Boussinesq" compression field. Elastic recovery of the bed occurs by dilatancy; shear stresses suddenly convert the grains to open packing and they consequently become forcefully ejected from the site. Random jostling of the grains causes radial homogenization of stress vectors and a resulting circular crater. A stress model based on repercussive bed dilatancy and interparticle adhesive forces (for smaller grains) predicts, to first order, the observed crater volumes for various impact conditions. On earth, only a few grains are mobilized by a percussive saltating grain; some grains are "knudged" along the ground, and some are partly expelled on short trajectories. These motions constitute reptation transport. On Mars, saltation and reptation become indistinct: secondary or "repercussive" trajectories have sufficient vertical impulse to create a dense saltation population of many tens or hundreds of grains for each single high-speed saltation percussion of the bed. Impact cascading will lead to near-surface distortion of the boundary layer, and choked flow formed by a dense "slurry" of sand, with the majority of grains mobilized by repercussive forces rather than by aerodynamic lift. This proceeds until a fully-matured transport layer imposes self- limitations as grain-population density constrains the free-path motion of individual grains.

Marshall, John R.↗

DOE OSTI2013

Two superluminous supernovae from the early universe discovered by the supernova legacy survey

We present spectra and light curves of SNLS 06D4eu and SNLS 07D2bv, two hydrogen-free superluminous supernovae (SNe) discovered by the Supernova Legacy Survey. At z = 1.588, SNLS 06D4eu is the highest redshift superluminous SN with a spectrum, at M{sub U} = –22.7 it is one of the most luminous SNe ever observed, and it gives a rare glimpse into the rest-frame ultraviolet where these SNe put out their peak energy. SNLS 07D2bv does not have a host galaxy redshift, but on the basis of the SN spectrum, we estimate it to be at z ∼ 1.5. Both SNe have similar observer-frame griz light curves, which map to rest-frame light curves in the U band and UV, rising in ∼20 rest-frame days or longer and declining over a similar timescale. The light curves peak in the shortest wavelengths first, consistent with an expanding blackbody starting near 15,000 K and steadily declining in temperature. We compare the spectra with theoretical models, and we identify lines of C II, C III, Fe III, and Mg II in the spectra of SNLS 06D4eu and SCP 06F6 and find that they are consistent with an expanding explosion of only a few solar masses of carbon, oxygen, and other trace metals. Thus, the progenitors appear to be related to those suspected for SNe Ic. A high kinetic energy, 10{sup 52} erg, is also favored. Normal mechanisms of powering core-collapse or thermonuclear SNe do not seem to work for these SNe. We consider models powered by {sup 56}Ni decay and interaction with circumstellar material, but we find that the creation and spin-down of a magnetar with a period of 2 ms, a magnetic field of 2 × 10{sup 14} G, and a 3 M {sub ☉} progenitor provides the best fit to the data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

Oister optical and near-infrared observations of type Iax supernova 2012Z

We report observations of the Type Iax supernova (SN Iax) 2012Z at optical and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths from immediately after the explosion until ∼260 days after the maximum luminosity using the Optical and Infrared Synergetic Telescopes for Education and Research Target-of-Opportunity program and the Subaru Telescope. We found that the NIR light curve evolutions and color evolutions are similar to those of SNe Iax 2005hk and 2008ha. The NIR absolute magnitudes (M{sub J}∼−18.1 mag and M{sub H}∼−18.3 mag) and the rate of decline of the light curve (Δm{sub 15}(B) = 1.6±0.1 mag) are very similar to those of SN 2005hk (M{sub J}∼−17.7 mag, M{sub H}∼−18.0 mag, and Δm{sub 15}(B) ∼ 1.6 mag), yet differ significantly from SNe 2008ha and 2010ae (M{sub J} ∼ −14 to −15 mag and Δm{sub 15}(B) ∼ 2.4–2.7 mag). The estimated rise time is 12.0 ± 3.0 days, which is significantly shorter than that of SN 2005hk or any other SNe Ia. The rapid rise indicates that the {sup 56}Ni distribution may extend into the outer layer or that the effective opacity may be lower than that in normal SNe Ia. The late-phase spectrum exhibits broader emission lines than those of SN 2005hk by a factor of six to eight. Such high velocities of the emission lines indicate that the density profile of the inner ejecta extends more than that of SN 2005hk. We argue that the most favored explosion scenario is a “failed deflagration” model, although the pulsational delayed detonations is not excluded.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

What powers the 3000-day light curve of SN 2006gy?

SN 2006gy was the most luminous supernova (SN) ever observed at the time of its discovery and the first of the newly defined class of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). The extraordinary energetics of SN 2006gy and all SLSNe (>10 51 erg) require either atypically large explosion energies (e.g. pair-instability explosion) or the efficient conversion of kinetic into radiative energy (e.g. shock interaction). The mass-loss characteristics can therefore offer important clues regarding the progenitor system. For the case of SN 2006gy, both a scattered and thermal light echo from circumstellar material (CSM) have been reported at later epochs (day ~800), ruling out the likelihood of a pair-instability event and leading to constraints on the characteristics of the CSM. Owing to the proximity of the SN to the bright host-galaxy nucleus, continued monitoring of the light echo has not been trivial, requiring the high resolution offered by the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) or ground-based adaptive optics (AO). Furthermore, we report detections of SN 2006gy using HST and Keck AO at ~3000 d post-explosion and consider the emission mechanism for the very late-time light curve. While the optical light curve and optical spectral energy distribution are consistent with a continued scattered-light echo, a thermal echo is insufficient to power the K '-band emission by day 3000. Instead, we present evidence for late-time infrared emission from dust that is radiatively heated by CSM interaction within an extremely dense dust shell, and we consider the implications on the CSM characteristics and progenitor system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1997

The Evolving Universe: Structure and Evolution of the Universe Roadmap 2000-2020

The Roadmap for the Structure and Evolution of the Universe (SEU) theme embraces three fundamental, scientific quests: (1) To explain structure in the Universe and forecast our cosmic destiny. (2) To explore the cycles of matter and energy in the evolving Universe. (3) To examine the ultimate limits of gravity and energy in the Universe. These quests are developed into six, focused research campaigns addressing the objectives of one or more quests: Identify dark matter and learn how it shapes galaxies and systems of galaxies; Find out where and when the chemical elements were made; Understand the cycles in which matter, energy, and magnetic field are exchanged between stars and the gas between stars; Discover how gas flows in disks and how cosmic jets are formed; Identify the sources of gamma-ray bursts and high-energy cosmic rays; and Measure how strong gravity operates near black holes and how it affects the early Universe. These campaigns lead to a portfolio of future major missions of strong scientific and popular appeal, strongly endorsed by the scientific community and which has undergone significant initial study. Some of these missions are in a state of readiness that makes ideal candidates for the present Office of Space Science Strategic Plan; others may well feature in the next Strategic Plan. Each provides a golden scientific opportunity to advance our understanding of the Universe. Our highest priority science objectives are addressed by five Observatory Class Missions, unranked by science, but in approximate order of readiness: A high-energy gamma-ray facility that will observe relativistic jets and study the sources of cosmic gamma ray bursts; An ultra-sensitive X-ray telescope, optimized for spectroscopy, to examine the hot gas linked with clusters of galaxies, the disks around black holes, and supernova explosions; A large, radio telescope in deep space to map central regions of distant quasars and perform astrometric investigations; An orbiting gravitational coalescing, massive black holes and test how gravity waves distort spacetime; A pair of Earth-orbiting, optical telescopes that will detect flashes of light produced when ultra high-energy cosmic rays impact the upper atmosphere so as to determine their arrival directions and energies. A new program for supporting pertinent international collaboration is strongly endorsed and maintaining a strong Explorer program is important. The flexibility to exploit exceptional opportunities, such as attaching payloads to space station, should also be acquired. A strong technology development program must be initiated now to enable this mission set.

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