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K D Kuntz

Publications and source records attributed to K D Kuntz.

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

The Lunar Environment Heliophysics X-Ray Imager (LEXI) Mission

The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) is a wide field-of-view soft Xray telescope developed to study solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. LEXI is part of the Blue Ghost 1 mission comprised of 10 payloads to be deployed on the lunar surface. LEXI monitors the dayside magnetopause position and shape as a function of time by observing soft X-rays (0.1–2 keV) emitted from solar wind charge-exchange between exospheric neutrals and high charge-state solar wind plasma in the dayside magnetosheath. Measurements of the shape and position of the magnetopause are used to test temporal models of mesoand macro-scale magnetic reconnection. To image the boundary, LEXI employs lobster-eye optics to focus X-rays to a microchannel plate detector with a 9.1◦ × 9.1◦ field of view.

Lunar↗
NASA NTRS2021

HaloSat Observations of Heliospheric Solar Wind Charge eXchange

X-ray emission from solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) produced in interplanetary space contaminates every astrophysical observation, regardless of the line-of-sight. Unfortunately, the primary SWCX emission lines also happen to be important diagnostics of astrophysical plasmas. Models of SWCX emission are limited by two main uncertainties: the local solar wind fluxes along the line-of-sight, and the charge exchange cross sections. The He cone, a localized density enhancement of helium neutrals, is the only heliospheric SWCX emission feature that is small enough and bright enough to be observationally isolated from the X-ray background and the broader SWCX emission. HaloSat, an X-ray CubeSat mission, has recently completed two series of specialized observations, near and far from the ecliptic plane, during two Earth transits of the He cone. These observations were used to test the predictions of a SWCX emission model against the emission observed at low ecliptic latitudes, where the solar wind data are monitored, and at high ecliptic latitudes, where the solar wind data are extrapolated. The measured SWCX emission for the set of observations near the ecliptic plane were consistent with the line intensities predicted by the model, but were underpredicted for the set of observations at high ecliptic latitude near the south ecliptic pole. Additionally, high temperature Galactic Halo emission components are reported for both spectral sets.

Solar Wind↗
NASA NTRS2021

Total X-ray Emission from the LMC Observed with HaloSat

We constrain the LMC’s global parameters by modeling the first soft X-ray (0.4–6.8 keV) observations of the entire Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) produced in a single pointing with moderate spectral resolution by the HaloSat CubeSat. These data are best fit with the sum of two thermal plasma components in collisional ionization equilibrium and a power-law. We find cool (0.210±0.014keV) and hot (0.89±0.14keV) components. The LMC’s total X-ray luminosity is(1.08±0.14)×1039erg s−1.X-ray binaries make up a large fraction of the emission with a luminosity of(6.0±0.8)×1038ergs−1, followed by cool gas from superbubbles, supernovae, and diffuse emission with a luminosity of(3.0±0.3)×1038erg s−1. The hot gas from star formation contributes the smallest fraction, with a luminosity of(1.9±0.5)×1038erg s−1. We estimate the total volume of the cool gas to be between(0.2–1.2)×1010pc3and the hot gas to be between(1.0–5)×107pc3for filling factors off= 1and0.2. These volumes result in a total thermal energy for the cool gas between (1.4–3)×1054ergs for electron densities of 0.017–0.04 cm−3, and a thermal energy for the hot gas between (1.7–4)×1053ergs for electron densities of 0.12–0.3 cm−3. This yields cooling timescales for the cool and hot gas of(1.5–3)×108years and(1.8–6)×107years, respectively

LMC↗
NASA NTRS2020

An Analysis of the North Polar Spur using HaloSat

We present HaloSat X-ray observations of the entirety of the bright X-ray emitting feature known14as the North Polar Spur (NPS). The large field of view of HaloSat enabled coverage of the entire15bright NPS in only fourteen fields, which were each observed for≈30,000 s. We find that the NPS16fields are distinct in both brightness and spectral shape from the surrounding halo fields. We fit the17NPS as two thermal components in ionization equilibrium with temperatures kTcool≈0.087 keV18and kThot≈0.28 keV. We note a temperature gradient in the NPS hot component with an inner19arc temperature warmer than the outer arc. The emission measures we find for the cool component20of the NPS is a factor of 3-5 greater than that of the hot component, which suggests that the bulk of21the NPS material is in the≈0.1 keV component. We evaluate distance estimates of 0.4 kpc and 8.022kpc for the NPS. Our findings suggest a preference for a distant NPS with an energy of≈6×105423erg, an age of≈10 Myr, and pressures consistent with a 10μG magnetic field associated with the24Fermi bubbles. The electron density≈10×10−3cm−3is consistent with estimates for the shock25region surrounding a galactic scale event.

Daniel M LaRocca↗
NASA NTRS2020

A Disc-Dominated and Clumpy Circumgalactic Medium of the Milky Way Seen in X-Ray Emission

The Milky Way galaxy is surrounded by a circumgalactic medium (CGM) that may play a key role in galaxy evolution as the source of gas for star formation and a repository of metals and energy produced by star formation and nuclear activity. The CGM may also be a repository for baryons seen in the early universe, but undetected locally. The CGM has an ionized component at temperatures near 2 x 10^6 K studied primarily in the soft X-ray band. Here we report a survey of the southern Galactic sky with a soft X-ray spectrometer optimized to study diffuse soft X-ray emission. The X-ray emission is best fit with a disc-like model based on the radial profile of the surface density of molecular hydrogen, a tracer of star formation, suggesting that the X-ray emission is predominantly from hot plasma produced via stellar feedback. Strong variations in the X-ray emission on angular scales of ~10 degrees indicate that the CGM is clumpy. Addition of an extended, and possibly massive, halo component is needed to match the halo density inferred from other observations.

P Kaaret↗
NASA NTRS2016

On the Distance to the North Polar Spur and the Local CO-H2 Factor

Aims. Most models identify the X-ray bright North Polar Spur (NPS) with a hot interstellar (IS) bubble in the Sco-Cen star-forming region at approx. = to 130 pc. An opposite view considers the NPS as a distant structure associated with Galactic nuclear outflows. Constraints on the NPS distance can be obtained by comparing the foreground IS gas column inferred from X-ray absorption to the distribution of gas and dust along the line of sight. Absorbing columns towards shadowing molecular clouds simultaneously constrain the CO-H2 conversion factor. Methods. We derived the columns of X-ray absorbing matter N(sub Habs) from spectral fitting of dedicated XMM-Newton observations towards the NPS southern terminus (l(sup II) approx. = to 29 degrees, b(sup II) approx. = to +5 to +11 degrees). The distribution of the IS matter was obtained from absorption lines in stellar spectra, 3D dust maps and emission data, including high spatial resolution CO measurements recorded for this purpose. Results. N(sub Habs) varies from approx. = to 4.3 to approx. = to 1.3 x 10(exp 21) per sq cm along the 19 fields. Relationships between X-ray brightness, absorbing column and hardness ratio demonstrate a brightness decrease with latitude governed by increasing absorption. The comparison with absorption data, local and large-scale dust maps rules out a NPS near side closer than 300 pc. The correlation between N(sub Habs) and the reddening increases with the sightline length from 300 pc to 4 kpc and is the tightest with Planck tau(sub 353GHz) -based reddening, suggesting a much larger distance. N(H)/E(B-V)(sub tao) approx. = to 4.1 x 10(exp 21) per sq cm mag, close to Fermi-Planck determinations. N(sub Habs) absolute values are compatible with HI-CO clouds at -5 less than or equal to V(sub LSR) less than or equal to +25 to +45 km/s and a NPS potentially far beyond the Local Arm. A shadow cast by a b=+9 degree molecular cloud constrains X(sub CO) in that direction to less than or equal to 1.0 x 10(exp 20) sec/((sq cm)K km). The average X(sub CO) over the fields is less than or equal to 0.75 x 10(exp 20) sec/((sq cm)K km).

X-rays: ISM / radio lines: ISM / local insterstell↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Separating Magnetospheric and Heliospheric SWCX in X-ray Spectra

Solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission contaminates all astrophysical observations in X-rays regardless of the direction. This contamination is particularly problematic when measuring astrophysical plasma temperatures due to the similar spectral distribution of the two phenomena. Since its discovery, literature has distinguished between SWCX emission resulting from solar wind-neutral interactions within the Earth’s magnetosphere, called magnetospheric SWCX, and similar interactions occurring more generally throughout the heliosphere, called heliospheric SWCX. Previous work demonstrated accurate modeling of the heliospheric SWCX contribution for astrophysical observations performed at low ecliptic latitude with HaloSat, a CubeSat X-ray mission of medium spectral resolution. Here, we apply this model to similarly orchestrated observations to measure the magnetospheric SWCX contribution separately from the heliospheric SWCX and the astrophysical background contributions. We describe our observational strategy, the heliospheric SWCX model used, and our spectral fitting methods. In particular, we report on four observations with lines of sight through the Earth’s magnetospheric flank with total O VII line fluxes at least 3σ above that predicted by the heliospheric SWCX model and the astrophysical background, possibly indicative of magnetospheric SWCX. We then discuss the excess emission in comparison with available magnetospheric SWCX simulations requested through the Community Coordinated Modeling Center.

X-ray↗