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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Weak Hard X-Ray Emission from Two Broad Absorption Line Quasars Observed with NuStar: Compton-Thick Absorption or Intrinsic X-Ray Weakness?

We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray observations of two X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars, PG 1004+130 (radio loud) and PG 1700+518 (radio quiet). Many BAL quasars appear X-ray weak, probably due to absorption by the shielding gas between the nucleus and the accretion-disk wind. The two targets are among the optically brightest BAL quasars, yet they are known to be significantly X-ray weak at rest-frame 2-10 keV (16-120 times fainter than typical quasars). We would expect to obtain approx. or equal to 400-600 hard X-ray (is greater than or equal to 10 keV) photons with NuSTAR, provided that these photons are not significantly absorbed N(sub H) is less than or equal to 10(exp24) cm(exp-2). However, both BAL quasars are only detected in the softer NuSTAR bands (e.g., 4-20 keV) but not in its harder bands (e.g., 20-30 keV), suggesting that either the shielding gas is highly Compton-thick or the two targets are intrinsically X-ray weak. We constrain the column densities for both to be N(sub H) 7 × 10(exp 24) cm(exp-2) if the weak hard X-ray emission is caused by obscuration from the shielding gas. We discuss a few possibilities for how PG 1004+130 could have Compton-thick shielding gas without strong Fe Kα line emission; dilution from jet-linked X-ray emission is one likely explanation. We also discuss the intrinsic X-ray weakness scenario based on a coronal-quenching model relevant to the shielding gas and disk wind of BAL quasars. Motivated by our NuSTAR results, we perform a Chandra stacking analysis with the Large Bright Quasar Survey BAL quasar sample and place statistical constraints upon the fraction of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL quasars; this fraction is likely 17%-40%.

nuclei↗
NASA NTRS1992

Reaction zone structure for strong, weak overdriven, and weak underdriven oblique detonations

A simple dynamic systems analysis is used to give examples of strong, weak overdriven, and weak underdriven oblique detonations. Steady oblique detonations consisting of a straight lead shock attached to a solid wedge followed by a resolved reaction zone structure are admitted as solutions to the reactive Euler equations. This is demonstrated for a fluid that is taken to be an inviscid, calorically perfect ideal gas that undergoes a two-step irreversible reaction with the first step exothermic and the second step endothermic. This model admits solutions for a continuum of shock wave angles for two classes of solutions identified by a Rankine-Hugoniot analysis: strong and weak overdriven waves. The other class, weak underdriven, is admitted for eigenvalue shock-wave angles. Chapman-Jouguet waves, however, are not admitted. These results contrast those for a corresponding onestep model that, for detonations with a straight lead shock, only admits strong, weak overdriven, and Chapman-Jouguet solutions.

Powers, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

X-ray Weak Broad-line Qquasars: Absorption or Intrinsic X-ray Weakness

XMM observations of X-ray weak quasars have been performed during 2003 and 2004. The data for all the observations have become available in 2004 (there has been a delay of several months on the initial schedule, due to high background flares which contaminated the observations: as a consequence, most of them had to be rescheduled). We have reduced and analyzed all the data, and obtained interesting scientific results. Out of the eight sources, 4 are confirmed to be extremely X-ray weak, in agreement with the results of previous Chandra observations. 3 sources are confined to be highly variable both in flux (by factor 20-50) and in spectral properties (dramatic changes in spectral index). For both these groups of objects we are completing a publication: 1) For the X-ray weak sources, a paper is submitted with a complete analysis of the X-ray spectra both from Chandra and XMM-Newton, and a comparison with optical and near-IR photometry obtained from all-sky surveys. Possible models for the unusual spectral energy distribution of these sources are also presented. 2) For the variable sources, a paper is being finalized where the X-ray spectra obtained with XMM-Newton are compared with previous X-ray observations and with observations at other wavelengths. It is shown that these sources are high luminosity and extreme cases of the highly variable class of narrow-line Seyfert Is. In order to further understand the nature of these X-ray weak quasars, we submitted proposals for spectroscopy at optical and infrared telescopes. We obtained time at the TNG 4 meter telescope for near-IR observations and at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope for optical high-resolution spectroscopy. These observations have been performed in early 2004. They will complement the XMM data and will lead to understanding of whether the X-ray weakness of these sources is an intrinsic property or is due to absorption by circum-nuclear material. The infrared spectra of the variable sources have been already analyzed and are discussed in the paper by Memola et al. which will be soon submitted.

Mushotzky, Richard↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dark Energy Survey Year 3 results: Simulation-based cosmological inference with wavelet harmonics, scattering transforms, and moments of weak lensing mass maps. II. cosmological results

Here, we present a simulation-based cosmological analysis using a combination of Gaussian and non-Gaussian statistics of the weak lensing mass (convergence) maps from the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey. We implement the following: (1) second and third moments; (2) wavelet phase harmonics; (3) the scattering transform. Our analysis is fully based on simulations, spans a space of seven 𝑤 Cold Dark Matter (𝑤⁢ CDM) cosmological parameters, and forward models the most relevant sources of systematics inherent in the data: masks, noise variations, clustering of the sources, intrinsic alignments, and shear and redshift calibration. We implement a neural network compression of the summary statistics, and we estimate the parameter posteriors using a simulation-based inference approach. Including and combining different non-Gaussian statistics is a powerful tool that strongly improves constraints over Gaussian statistics (in our case, the second moments); in particular, the figure of merit (𝑆 8 , Ω m ) is improved by 70% (Λ ⁢CDM) and 90% (𝑤 ⁢CDM). When all the summary statistics are combined, we achieve a 2% constraint on the amplitude of fluctuations parameter 𝑆 8 ≡ 𝜎 8 ⁢(Ω m /0.3) 0.5 , obtaining 𝑆 8 = 0.794 ±0.017 (Λ⁢ CDM) and 𝑆 8 = 0.817 ±0.021 (𝑤 ⁢CDM), and a ∼10% constraint on Ω m , obtaining Ω m =0.259 ±0.025 (Λ ⁢CDM) and Ω m = 0.273 ±0.029 (𝑤⁢ CDM). In the context of the 𝑤⁢ CDM scenario, these statistics also strengthen the constraints on the parameter 𝑤, obtaining 𝑤 <−0.72. The constraints from different statistics are shown to be internally consistent (with a 𝑝-value>0.1 for all combinations of statistics examined). We compare our results to other weak lensing results from the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey data, finding good consistency; we also compare with results from external datasets, such as planck constraints from the cosmic microwave background, finding statistical agreement, with discrepancies no greater than <2.2⁢𝜎.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2004

X-Ray Weak Broad-Line Quasars: Absorption or Intrinsic X-Ray Weakness

XMM observations of X-ray weak quasars have been performed during 2003. The data for all but the last observation are now available (there has been a delay of several months on the initial schedule, due to high background flares which contaminated the observations: as a consequence, most of them had to be rescheduled). We have reduced and analyzed these data, and obtained interesting preliminary scientific results. Out of the eight sources, 4 are confirmed to be extrimely X-ray weak, in agreement with the results of previous Chandra observations. 3 sources are confirmed to be highly variable both in flux (by factors 20-50) and in spectral properties (dramatic changes in spectral index). For both these groups of objects, an article is in preparation. Preliminary results have been presented at an international workshop on AGN surveys in December 2003, in Cozumel (Mexico). In order to further understand the nature of these X-ray weak quasars, we submitted proposals for spectroscopy at optical and infrared telescopes. We obtained time at the TNG 4 meter telescope for near-IR observations, and at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope for optical high-resolution spectroscopy. These observations will be performed in early 2004, and will complement the XMM data, in order to understand whether the X-ray weakness of these sources is an intrinsic property or is due to absorption by circumnuclear material.

Risaliti, Guido↗
DOE OSTI2026

Weak Lensing Mass Calibration of the ACT DR5 Galaxy Clusters with the DES Year 3 Weak Lensing Data

We use weak gravitational lensing measurements from Year 3 Dark Energy Survey data to calibrate the masses of 443 galaxy clusters selected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect from Atacama Cosmology Telescope Data Release 5 maps of the cosmic microwave background. We incorporate redshift and SZ measurements for individual clusters into a hierarchical model for the stacked lensing signals and perform Bayesian analyses to constrain the hydrostatic mass bias of the clusters. Our treatment of systematic uncertainties includes a prescription for measuring and accounting for the weak lensing boost factor, consideration of a miscentering effect, as well as marginalization over uncertainties in the source galaxy photometric redshift distributions and shear calibration. The resultant constraints on the normalization of the mass-observable relation have a precision of approximately 7%, with the mean WL halo mass of M $_{500c}$ = 5.4 × 10$^{14}$ M $_{⊙}$. We measure the bias between the true cluster mass and the mass estimated from the SZ signal based on an X-ray-calibrated scaling relation assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, to be 1 - b = 0.74$^{+0.06}$ $_{-0.05}$ over the full sample. When splitting the clusters into high (z = 0.43-0.70) and low (z = 0.15-0.43) redshift bins, we measure 1 - b = 0.58$^{+0.06}$ $_{-0.05}$ and 0.81$^{+0.08}$ $_{-0.06}$, respectively. When introducing additional freedom in redshift and mass to the hydrostatic bias model, we find that 1 - b decreases with redshift (with the power law of -1.8$^{+0.5}$ $_{-0.6}$, 99.95% confidence), consistent with findings from other recent studies, while we do not find any significant trend in mass. We also demonstrate that our result is robust against various systematics such as a scale cut, priors on baryonic and miscentering parameters, and degree of scatter in mass-observable relation. The weak-lensing mass calibration presented in this study will be a useful tool for using the ACT clusters as probes of astrophysics, and as a step towards using their abundance as a cosmological probe.

Shin, T. [Carnegie Mellon U.] (ORCID:0000000263895↗
NASA NTRS1994

Local shear instabilities in weakly ionized, weakly magnetized disks

We extend the analysis of axisymmetric magnetic shear instabilities from ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows to weakly ionized plasmas with coupling between ions and neutrals caused by collisions, ionization, and recombination. As part of the analysis, we derive the single-fluid MHD dispersion relation without invoking the Boussinesq approximation. This work expands the range of applications of these instabilities from fully ionized accretion disks to molecular disks in galaxies and, with somewhat more uncertainty, to protostellar disks. Instability generally requires the angular velocity to decrease outward, the magnetic field strengths to be subthermal, and the ions and neutrals to be sufficiently well coupled. If ionization and recombination processes can be neglected on an orbital timescale, adequate coupling is achieved when the collision frequency of a given neutral with the ions exceeds the local epicyclic freqency. When ionization equilibrium is maintained on an orbital timescale, a new feature is present in the disk dynamics: in contrast to a single-fluid system, subthermal azimuthal fields can affect the axisymmetric stability of weakly ionized two-fluid systems. We discuss the underlying causes for this behavior. Azimuthal fields tend to be stabilizing under these circumstances, and good coupling between the neutrals and ions requires the collision frequency to exceed the epicyclic frequency by a potentially large secant factor related to the magnetic field geometry. When the instability is present, subthermal azimuthal fields may also reduce the growth rate unless the collision frequency is high, but this is important only if the field strengths are very subthermal and/or the azimuthal field is the dominant field component. We briefly discuss our results in the context of the Galactic center circumnuclear disk, and suggest that the shear instability might be present there, and be responsible for the observed turbulent motions.

Blaes, Omer M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Joint cosmological fits to DESI-DR1 full-shape clustering and weak gravitational lensing in configuration space

We present a joint $3\times2$-pt cosmological analysis of auto- and cross-correlations between the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 1 (DESI-DR1) Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) and Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) samples and overlapping shear measurements from the KiDS-1000, DES-Y3 and HSC-Y3 weak lensing surveys. We perform our analysis in configuration space and, in addition to the cosmic shear correlation functions for each weak lensing dataset, we fit the tangential shear of the weak lensing source galaxies around DESI lens galaxies. Finally, we make use of the anisotropic BGS and LRG clustering information by fitting the full shape of the two-point correlation function multipoles measured over the full DESI-DR1 footprint, presenting the first full-shape analysis of DESI measurements in configuration space. We find that the addition of weak lensing information serves to improve, with respect to the clustering-only case, the measurements of the power spectrum amplitude parameters $\ln(10^{10}A_{\rm{s}})$ and $σ_{12}$ by $15\%$ and $36\%$, respectively. It also improves measurements of the linear bias of the lens galaxies by $15-20\%$, depending on the tracer. Our results show excellent consistency, regardless of the weak lensing survey considered, and are furthermore consistent with a companion analysis that fits $3\times2$-pt correlations including DESI projected clustering measurements, as well as the results published by the weak lensing collaborations themselves. Our measured values for weak lensing amplitude are $S_{8}^{\mathrm{DESI\times HSC}}=0.787\pm0.020$, $S_{8}^{\mathrm{DESI\times DES}}=0.791\pm0.016$, $S_{8}^{\mathrm{DESI\times KiDS}}=0.771\pm0.017$, which are $1.9σ-2.9σ$ below the $S_8$ value preferred by Planck. Finally, our clustering-only results are in good agreement with the Fourier space full-shape analysis of all DESI tracers.

Semenaite, A. [Swinburne U., Ctr. Astrophys. Super↗
NASA NTRS2012

On the Weak-Wind Problem in Massive Stars: X-Ray Spectra Reveal a Massive Hot Wind in mu Columbae

Mu Columbae is a prototypical weak-wind O star for which we have obtained a high-resolution X-ray spectrum with the Chandra LETG/ACIS instrument and a low-resolution spectrum with Suzaku. This allows us, for the first time, to investigate the role of X-rays on the wind structure in a bona fide weak-wind system and to determine whether there actually is a massive hot wind. The X-ray emission measure indicates that the outflow is an order of magnitude greater than that derived from UV lines and is commensurate with the nominal wind-luminosity relationship for O stars. Therefore, the "weak-wind problem"--identified from cool wind UV/optical spectra--is largely resolved by accounting for the hot wind seen in X-rays. From X-ray line profiles, Doppler shifts, and relative strengths, we find that this weak-wind star is typical of other late O dwarfs. The X-ray spectra do not suggest a magnetically confined plasma-the spectrum is soft and lines are broadened; Suzaku spectra confirm the lack of emission above 2 keV. Nor do the relative line shifts and widths suggest any wind decoupling by ions. The He-like triplets indicate that the bulk of the X-ray emission is formed rather close to the star, within five stellar radii. Our results challenge the idea that some OB stars are "weak-wind" stars that deviate from the standard wind-luminosity relationship. The wind is not weak, but it is hot and its bulk is only detectable in X-rays.

Weak-wind↗
DOE OSTI2025

Streaming Compression of Scientific Data via Weak-SINDy

Here, in this paper, a streaming weak-SINDy algorithm is developed specifically for compressing streaming scientific data. The production of scientific data, either via simulation or experiments, is undergoing a stage of exponential growth, which makes data compression important and often necessary for storing and utilizing large scientific data sets. As opposed to classical “offline” compression algorithms that perform compression on a readily available data set, streaming compression algorithms compress data “online” while the data generated from simulation or experiments is still flowing through the system. This feature makes streaming compression algorithms well suited for scientific data compression, where storing the full data set offline is often infeasible. This work proposes a new streaming compression algorithm, streaming weak-SINDy, which takes advantage of the underlying data characteristics during compression. The streaming weak-SINDy algorithm constructs feature matrices and target vectors in the online stage via a streaming integration method in a memory efficient manner. The feature matrices and target vectors are then used in the offline stage to build a model through a regression process that aims to recover equations that govern the evolution of the data. For compressing high-dimensional streaming data, we adopt a streaming proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) process to reduce the data dimension and then use the streaming weak-SINDy algorithm to compress the temporal data of the POD expansion. We propose modifications to the streaming weak-SINDy algorithm to accommodate the dynamically updated POD basis. By combining the built model from the streaming weak-SINDy algorithm and a small amount of data samples, the full data flow could be reconstructed accurately at a low memory cost, as shown in the numerical tests.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1994

Weak bump quasars

Research into the optical, ultraviolet and infrared continuum emission from quasars and their host galaxies was carried out. The main results were the discovery of quasars with unusually weak infrared emission and the construction of a quantitative estimate of the dispersion in quasar continuum properties. One of the major uncertainties in the measurement of quasar continuum strength is the contribution to the continuum of the quasar host galaxy as a function of wavelength. Continuum templates were constructed for different types of host galaxy and individual estimates made of the decomposed quasar and host continua based on existing observations of the target quasars. The results are that host galaxy contamination is worse than previously suspected, and some apparent weak bump quasars are really normal quasars with strong host galaxies. However, the existence of true weak bump quasars such as PHL 909 was confirmed. The study of the link between the bump strength and other wavebands was continued by comparing with IRAS data. There is evidence that excess far infrared radiation is correlated with weaker ultraviolet bumps. This argues against an orientation effect and implies a probable link with the host galaxy environment, for instance the presence of a luminous starburst. However, the evidence still favors the idea that reddening is not important in those objects with ultraviolet weak bumps. The same work has led to the discovery of a class of infrared weak quasars. Pushing another part of the envelope of quasar continuum parameter space, the IR-weak quasars have implications for understanding the effects of reddening internal to the quasars, the reality of ultraviolet turnovers, and may allow further tests of the Phinney dust model for the IR continuum. They will also be important objects for studying the claimed IR to x-ray continuum correlation.

Wilkes, B. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating the weak charge of 48 Ca using a dispersive optical model

A new nonlocal dispersive-optical-model analysis has been carried out for neutrons and protons in 48 Ca that reproduces the weak-form-factor measurement of CREX. In addition to elastic-scattering angular distributions, total and reaction cross sections, single-particle energies, the neutron and proton numbers, and the charge distribution, the CREX-measured weak form factor has been fit to extract the neutron and proton self-energies both above and below the Fermi energy. The resulting single-particle propagators yield a weak form factor of F w = 0.125 ± 0.05 and a neutron skin of R skin = 0.152 ± 0.05 fm, in good agreement with CREX. The rearrangement of the neutron distribution to accommodate such a thin neutron skin results in the high-momentum content of the neutrons exceeding that of the protons, in contrast to what is expected from high-energy two-nucleon knockout measurements by the CLAS collaboration and ab initio asymmetric matter calculations. The present analysis also emphasizes the importance of neutron experimental data in constraining weak charge observables necessary for a precise description of neutron densities. Notably, the neutron reaction cross section and further parity-violating experiments weak form factor measurements are essential to generate a unique way to determine the 48 Ca neutron distribution in this framework.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hardness of Observing Strong-to-Weak Symmetry Breaking

Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) is the cornerstone of our understanding of quantum phases of matter. Recent works have generalized this concept to the domain of mixed states in open quantum systems, where symmetries can be realized in two distinct ways dubbed strong and weak. Novel intrinsically mixed phases of quantum matter can then be defined by the spontaneous breaking of strong symmetry down to weak symmetry. However, proposed order parameters for strong-to-weak SSB (based on mixed-state fidelities or purities) seem to require exponentially many copies of the state, raising the question: Is it possible to efficiently detect strong-to-weak SSB, in general? In this work, we answer this question negatively in the paradigmatic cases of ℤ2 and U(1) symmetries. We construct ensembles of pseudorandom mixed states that do not break the strong symmetry yet are computationally indistinguishable from states that do. This rules out the existence of efficient state-agnostic protocols to detect strong-to-weak SSB.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗