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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 1,657 records · Page 92
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DOE OSTI2015

THE SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH DEBRIS DISK CATALOG. II. SILICATE FEATURE ANALYSIS OF UNRESOLVED TARGETS

During the Spitzer Space Telescope cryogenic mission, astronomers obtained Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) observations of hundreds of debris disk candidates that have been compiled in the Spitzer IRS Debris Disk Catalog. We have discovered 10 and/or 20 μm silicate emission features toward 120 targets in the catalog and modeled the IRS spectra of these sources, consistent with MIPS 70 μm observations, assuming that the grains are composed of silicates (olivine, pyroxene, forsterite, and enstatite) and are located either in a continuous disk with power-law size and surface density distributions or thin rings that are well-characterized using two separate dust grain temperatures. For systems better fit by the continuous disk model, we find that (1) the dust size distribution power-law index is consistent with that expected from a collisional cascade, q = 3.5-4.0, with a large number of values outside this range, and (2) the minimum grain size, a {sub min}, increases with stellar luminosity, L {sub *}, but the dependence of a {sub min} on L {sub *} is weaker than expected from radiation pressure alone. In addition, we also find that (3) the crystalline fraction of dust in debris disks evolves as a function of time with a large dispersion in crystalline fractions for stars of any particular stellar age or mass, (4) the disk inner edge is correlated with host star mass, and (5) there exists substantial variation in the properties of coeval disks in Sco-Cen, indicating that the observed variation is probably due to stochasticity and diversity in planet formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RECENT STELLAR MASS ASSEMBLY OF LOW-MASS STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT REDSHIFTS 0.3 < z < 0.9

The epoch when low-mass star-forming galaxies (LMSFGs) form the bulk of their stellar mass is uncertain. While some models predict an early formation, others favor a delayed scenario until later ages of the universe. We present constraints on the star formation histories (SFHs) of a sample of LMSFGs obtained through the analysis of their spectral energy distributions using a novel approach that (1) consistently combines photometric (broadband) and spectroscopic (equivalent widths of emission lines) data, and (2) uses physically motivated SFHs with non-uniform variations of the star formation rate (SFR) as a function of time. The sample includes 31 spectroscopically confirmed LMSFGs (7.3 ≤ log M {sub *}/M {sub ☉} ≤ 8.0), at 0.3 < z {sub spec} < 0.9, in the Extended-Chandra Deep Field-South field. Among them, 24 were selected with photometric stellar mass log M {sub *}/M {sub ☉} < 8.0, 0.3 < z {sub phot} < 1.0, and m {sub NB816,} {sub AB} < 26 mag; the remaining 7 were selected as blue compact dwarfs within the same photometric redshift and magnitude ranges. We also study a secondary sample of 43 more massive spectroscopically confirmed galaxies (8.0 < log M {sub *}/M {sub ☉} ≤ 9.1), selected with the same criteria. The SFRs and stellar masses derived for both samples place our targets on the standard main sequence of star-forming galaxies. The median SFH of LMSFGs at intermediate redshifts appears to form 90% of the median stellar mass inferred for the sample in the ∼0.5-1.8 Gyr immediately preceding the observation. These results suggest a recent stellar mass assembly for LMSFGs, consistent with the cosmological downsizing trends. We find similar median SFH timescales for the more massive secondary sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CO DIFFUSION INTO AMORPHOUS H{sub 2}O ICES

The mobility of atoms, molecules, and radicals in icy grain mantles regulates ice restructuring, desorption, and chemistry in astrophysical environments. Interstellar ices are dominated by H{sub 2}O, and diffusion on external and internal (pore) surfaces of H{sub 2}O-rich ices is therefore a key process to constrain. This study aims to quantify the diffusion kinetics and barrier of the abundant ice constituent CO into H{sub 2}O-dominated ices at low temperatures (15–23 K), by measuring the mixing rate of initially layered H{sub 2}O(:CO{sub 2})/CO ices. The mixed fraction of CO as a function of time is determined by monitoring the shape of the infrared CO stretching band. Mixing is observed at all investigated temperatures on minute timescales and can be ascribed to CO diffusion in H{sub 2}O ice pores. The diffusion coefficient and final mixed fraction depend on ice temperature, porosity, thickness, and composition. The experiments are analyzed by applying Fick’s diffusion equation under the assumption that mixing is due to CO diffusion into an immobile H{sub 2}O ice. The extracted energy barrier for CO diffusion into amorphous H{sub 2}O ice is ∼160 K. This is effectively a surface diffusion barrier. The derived barrier is low compared to current surface diffusion barriers in use in astrochemical models. Its adoption may significantly change the expected timescales for different ice processes in interstellar environments.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Cycle length dependence of stellar magnetic activity and solar cycle 23

Solar cycle (SC) 23 was extraordinarily long with remarkably low magnetic activity. We have investigated whether this is a common behavior of solar-type stars. From the Ca ii H and K line intensities of 111 stars observed at Mount Wilson Observatory from 1966 to 1991, we have retrieved data of all 23 G-type stars and recalculated their cycle lengths using the damped least-squares method for the chromospheric activity index S as a function of time. A regression analysis was performed to find relations between the derived cycle length, P{sub avg}, and the index for excess chromospheric emission, R{sub HK}{sup ′}. As a noteworthy result, we found a segregation between young and old solar-type stars in the cycle length-activity correlation. We incorporated the relation for the solar-type stars into the previously known rule for stellar chromospheric activity and brightness to estimate the variation of solar brightness from SC 22 to SC 23 as (0.12 ± 0.06)%, much higher than the actual variation of total solar irradiance (TSI) ≤0.02%. We have then examined solar spectral irradiance (SSI) to find a good phase correlation with a sunspot number in the wavelength range of 170–260 nm, which is close to the spectral range effective in heating the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, it appears that SSI rather than TSI is a good indicator of the chromospheric activity, and its cycle length dependent variation would be more relevant to the possible role of the Sun in the cyclic variation of the Earth’s atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE ROLE OF TURBULENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SIMULATED FILAMENTARY STRUCTURE

We use numerical simulations of turbulent cluster-forming regions to study the nature of dense filamentary structures in star formation. Using four hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations chosen to match observations, we identify filaments in the resulting column density maps and analyze their properties. We calculate the radial column density profiles of the filaments every 0.05 Myr and fit the profiles with the modified isothermal and pressure-confined isothermal cylinder models, finding reasonable fits for either model. The filaments formed in the simulations have similar radial column density profiles to those observed. Magnetic fields provide additional pressure support to the filaments, making “puffier” filaments less prone to fragmentation than in the pure hydrodynamic case, which continue to condense at a slower rate. In the higher density simulations, the filaments grow faster through the increased importance of gravity. Not all of the filaments identified in the simulations will evolve to form stars: some expand and disperse. Given these different filament evolutionary paths, the trends in bulk filament width as a function of time, magnetic field strength, or density are weak, and all cases are reasonably consistent with the finding of a constant filament width in different star-forming regions. In the simulations, the mean FWHM lies between 0.06 and 0.26 pc for all times and initial conditions, with most lying between 0.1 to 0.15 pc; the range in FWHMs is however, larger than seen in typical Herschel analyses. Finally, the filaments display a wealth of substructure similar to the recent discovery of filament bundles in Taurus.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The rate of core collapse supernovae to redshift 2.5 FROM THE candels and clash supernova surveys

The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey and Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble multi-cycle treasury programs with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have provided new opportunities to probe the rate of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) at high redshift, now extending to z≈2.5. Here we use a sample of approximately 44 CCSNe to determine volumetric rates, R{sub CC}, in six redshift bins in the range 0.1 95% confidence) with SFRs from IR luminous galaxies, or with SFR models that include simple evolution in the initial mass function over time. This scaling factor is expected if the fraction of the IMF contributing to CCSN progenitors is in the 8–50 M{sub ⊙} range. It is not supportive, however, of an upper mass limit for progenitors at <20 M{sub ⊙}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatiotemporally resolved measurements of electric field around a piezoelectric transformer using electric-field induced second harmonic (E-FISH) generation

When a piezoelectric transformer (PT) is actuated at its second harmonic frequency by a low input voltage, the generated electric field at the distal end can be sufficient to breakdown the surrounding gas, making them attractive power sources for non-equilibrium plasma generation. Understanding the potential and electric fields produced in the surrounding medium by the PT is important for effectively designing and using PT plasma devices. In this work, the spatiotemporally resolved characteristics of the electric field generated by a PT operating in open air have been investigated using the femtosecond electric field-induced second harmonic generation (E-FISH) method. Here, electric field components were determined by simultaneously conducting E-FISH measurements with the incident laser polarized in two orthogonal directions relative to the PT crystal. Results of this work demonstrate the spatial distribution of electric field around the PT’s output distal end and how it evolves as a function of time. Notably, the strongest electric field appears on the face of the PT’s distal surface, near the top and bottom edges and decreases by approximately 70% over 3 mm. The time delay between the PT’s input voltage and measured electric field indicates that there is an about 0.45 phase difference between the PT’s input voltage and output signal.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of dielectric target properties on plasma surface ionization wave propagation

Surface ionization waves (SIWs) propagating along dielectric covered, grounded surfaces have been studied for various dielectric bulk and surface conditions; a dependence on the propagation velocity with respect to dielectric electrical thickness and near surface permittivity profiles are observed. SIWs generated by an atmospheric pressure plasma source are imaged interacting with planar dielectric surface. Surface wave velocity is obtained by tracking emission intensity as a function of time. Target dielectric thickness is varied from $d = 0.15-10$ mm and dielectric constant is varied from $\epsilon_r = 6.21 - 9.4$. The propagation of SIWs can be generally predicted by relating their velocity to the RC time constant of the circuit generated between the plasma and the dielectric surface, but it is found that this approximation breaks down for dielectric substrates of sufficient thickness and wave velocity becomes constant. The results show that wave velocity is stable and predictable for target thicknesses beyond a certain point determined by the permittivity of the target material. It is also shown that SIW propagation is strongly driven by the dielectric material near to the surface of the target in addition to the bulk material. The possible mechanisms driving these thickness dependent behaviors is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Capitalizing on nuclear data libraries' comprehensiveness to obtain solar r-process abundances

The recent observation of neutron stars merger by the LIGO collaboration and the measurements of the event’s electromagnetic spectrum as a function of time for different wavelengths, have altered profoundly our understanding of the r-process site, as well as considerably energized nuclear astrophysics research efforts. R -process abundances are a key element in r-process simulations, as a successful calculation must account for these abundances in the final debris of a stellar cataclysmic event. In this letter, mankind’s complete knowledge of neutron cross sections obtained in the last80 years, as encapsulated in the latest release of the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF/B) library, is used to obtain solar r-process abundances in a novel way. Here, ENDF/B cross sections has been successfully used for decades in nuclear power and defense applications and are now used to obtain r-process abundances in a fully traceable, documented and unbiased way.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Theoretical investigation of decoherence channels in athermal phonon sensors

The creation and evolution of nonequilibrium phonons is central in applications ranging from cosmological particle searches to decoherence processes in qubits. However, the fundamental understanding of decoherence pathways for athermal phonon distributions in solid-state systems remains an open question. Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the primary decay channels of athermal phonons in two technologically relevant semiconductors—Si and GaAs. We quantify the contributions of anharmonic, isotopic, and interfacial scattering in these materials. From this, we construct a model to estimate the thermal power in a readout scheme as a function of time. We discuss the implication of our results on noise limitations in current phonon sensor designs and strategies for improving coherence in next-generation phonon sensors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nonlinear saturation and oscillations of collisionless zonal flows

Abstract In homogeneous drift-wave turbulence, zonal flows (ZFs) can be generated via a modulational instability (MI) that either saturates monotonically or leads to oscillations of the ZF energy at the nonlinear stage. This dynamics is often attributed as the predator–prey oscillations induced by ZF collisional damping; however, similar dynamics is also observed in collisionless ZFs, in which case a different mechanism must be involved. Here, we propose a semi-analytic theory that explains the transition between the oscillations and saturation of collisionless ZFs within the quasilinear Hasegawa–Mima model. By analyzing phase-space trajectories of DW quanta (driftons) within the geometrical-optics (GO) approximation, we argue that the parameter that controls this transition is N ∼ γ MI / ω DW , where γ MI is the MI growth rate and ω DW is the linear DW frequency. We argue that at N ≪ 1, ZFs oscillate due to the presence of so-called passing drifton trajectories, and we derive an approximate formula for the ZF amplitude as a function of time in this regime. We also show that at N ≳ 1, the passing trajectories vanish and ZFs saturate monotonically, which can be attributed to phase mixing of higher-order sidebands. A modification of N that accounts for effects beyond the GO limit is also proposed. These analytic results are tested against both quasilinear and fully-nonlinear simulations. They also explain the earlier numerical results by Connaughton et al (2010 J. Fluid Mech. 654 207) and Gallagher et al (2012 Phys. Plasmas 19 122115) and offer a different perspective on what the control parameter actually is that determines the transition from the oscillations to saturation of collisionless ZFs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

The dark energy cosmic clock: a new way to parametrise the equation of state

We propose a new parametrisation of the dark energy equation of state, which uses the dark energy density, Ω{sub e} as a cosmic clock. We expand the equation of state in a series of orthogonal polynomials, with Ω{sub e} as the expansion parameter and determine the expansion coefficients by fitting to SNIa and H(z) data. Assuming that Ω{sub e} is a monotonic function of time, we show that our parametrisation performs better than the popular Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) and Gerke and Efstathiou (GE) parametrisations, and we demonstrate that it is robust to the choice of prior. Expanding in orthogonal polynomials allows us to relate models of dark energy directly to our parametrisation, which we illustrate by placing constraints on the expansion coefficients extracted from two popular quintessence models. Finally, we comment on how this parametrisation could be modified to accommodate high redshift data, where any non-monotonicity of Ω{sub e} would need to be accounted for.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Kubo relations and radiative corrections for lepton number washout

The rates for lepton number washout in extensions of the Standard Model containing right-handed neutrinos are key ingredients in scenarios for baryogenesis through leptogenesis. We relate these rates to real-time correlation functions at finite temperature, without making use of any particle approximations. The relations are valid to quadratic order in neutrino Yukawa couplings and to all orders in Standard Model couplings. They take into account all spectator processes, and apply both in the symmetric and in the Higgs phase of the electroweak theory. We use the relations to compute washout rates at next-to-leading order in g, where g denotes a Standard Model gauge or Yukawa coupling, both in the non-relativistic and in the relativistic regime. Even in the non-relativistic regime the parametrically dominant radiative corrections are only suppressed by a single power of g. In the non-relativistic regime radiative corrections increase the washout rate by a few percent at high temperatures, but they are of order unity around the weak scale and in the relativistic regime.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Quantum primordial standard clocks

In this paper, we point out and study a generic type of signals existing in the primordial universe models, which can be used to model-independently distinguish the inflation scenario from alternatives. These signals are generated by massive fields that function as standard clocks. The role of massive fields as standard clocks has been realized in previous works. Although the existence of such massive fields is generic, the previous realizations require sharp features to classically excite the oscillations of the massive clock fields. Here, we point out that the quantum fluctuations of massive fields can actually serve the same purpose as the standard clocks. We show that they are also able to directly record the defining property of the scenario type, namely, the scale factor of the primordial universe as a function of time a(t), but through shape-dependent oscillatory features in non-Gaussianities. Since quantum fluctuating massive fields exist in any realistic primordial universe models, these quantum primordial standard clock signals are present in any inflation models, and should exist quite generally in alternative-to-inflation scenarios as well. However, the amplitude of such signals is very model-dependent.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Constraints on deviations from ΛCDM within Horndeski gravity

Recent anomalies found in cosmological datasets such as the low multipoles of the Cosmic Microwave Background or the low redshift amplitude and growth of clustering measured by e.g., abundance of galaxy clusters and redshift space distortions in galaxy surveys, have motivated explorations of models beyond standard ΛCDM. Of particular interest are models where general relativity (GR) is modified on large cosmological scales. Here we consider deviations from ΛCDM+GR within the context of Horndeski gravity, which is the most general theory of gravity with second derivatives in the equations of motion. We adopt a parametrization in which the four additional Horndeski functions of time α{sub i}(t) are proportional to the cosmological density of dark energy Ω{sub DE}(t). Constraints on this extended parameter space using a suite of state-of-the art cosmological observations are presented for the first time. Although the theory is able to accommodate the low multipoles of the Cosmic Microwave Background and the low amplitude of fluctuations from redshift space distortions, we find no significant tension with ΛCDM+GR when performing a global fit to recent cosmological data and thus there is no evidence against ΛCDM+GR from an analysis of the value of the Bayesian evidence ratio of the modified gravity models with respect to ΛCDM, despite introducing extra parameters. The posterior distribution of these extra parameters that we derive return strong constraints on any possible deviations from ΛCDM+GR in the context of Horndeski gravity. We illustrate how our results can be applied to a more general frameworks of modified gravity models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dark energy equation of state parameter and its evolution at low redshift

In this paper, we constrain dark energy models using a compendium of observations at low redshifts. We consider the dark energy as a barotropic fluid, with the equation of state a constant as well the case where dark energy equation of state is a function of time. The observations considered here are Supernova Type Ia data, Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data and Hubble parameter measurements. We compare constraints obtained from these data and also do a combined analysis. The combined observational constraints put strong limits on variation of dark energy density with redshift. For varying dark energy models, the range of parameters preferred by the supernova type Ia data is in tension with the other low redshift distance measurements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Lepton asymmetry rate from quantum field theory: NLO in the hierarchical limit

The rates for generating a matter-antimatter asymmetry in extensions of the Standard Model (SM) containing right-handed neutrinos are the most interesting and least trivial co\-efficients in the rate equations for baryogenesis through thermal leptogenesis. We obtain a relation of these rates to finite-temperature real-time correlation functions, similar to the Kubo formulas for transport coefficients. Then we consider the case of hierarchical masses for the sterile neutrinos. At leading order in their Yukawa couplings we find a simple master formula which relates the rates to a single finite temperature three-point spectral function. It is valid to all orders in g , where g denotes a SM gauge or quark Yukawa coupling. We use it to compute the rate for generating a matter-antimatter asymmetry at next-to-leading order in g in the non-relativistic regime. The corrections are of order g {sup 2}, and they amount to 4% or less.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Model-based real-time surface heat flux and temperature estimation for the DIII-D tokamak

A control-oriented model for monitoring of wall power flux densities on the DIII-D tokamak has been successfully implemented and validated experimentally. Future reactors will have to withstand severe steady state high heat flux loads on plasma-facing components (PFCs). Due to the difficulty of directly-measuring local heat fluxes on these components, monitoring and protection of PFCs during the plasma discharge can benefit from simplified physics-based real-time (RT) functional models to estimate and guide heat load control. As a first step into the development, a control-oriented model for monitoring of wall power flux densities and temperatures on DIII-D tokamak has been successfully implemented. The paper discusses the experimental demonstration and comparison of the 2-D model-based wall heat flux algorithm on the DIII-Dinner wall limiter (IWL) against infra-red camera heat flux measurements for limited plasma configurations. The paper also reports on the benchmarking of the field line tracing environment, SMITER, developed at ITER organization on DIII-D tokamak against experimental IR diagnostic data and the derivation of the component shaping weighting factors for the 2-D model-based approach. Here, the extension of the model-based approach for surface temperature estimation on the DIII-D IWL is also presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗