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Zhao, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Zhao, G..

26 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

GROUND-BASED DETECTIONS OF THERMAL EMISSION FROM THE DENSE HOT JUPITER WASP-43b IN THE H AND K{sub s} BANDS

We report new detections of thermal emission from the transiting hot Jupiter WASP-43b in the H and K{sub s} bands as observed at secondary eclipses. The observations were made with the WIRCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We obtained a secondary eclipse depth of 0.103{sub -0.017}{sup +0.017}%$ and 0.194{sub -0.029}{sup +0.029} in the H and K{sub s} bands, respectively. The K{sub s}-band depth is consistent with the previous measurement in the narrow band centered at 2.09 {mu}m by Gillon et al. Our eclipse depths in both bands are consistent with a blackbody spectrum with a temperature of {approx}1850 K, slightly higher than the dayside equilibrium temperature without day-night energy redistribution. Based on theoretical models of the dayside atmosphere of WASP-43b, our data constrain the day-night energy redistribution in the planet to be {approx}< 15%-25%, depending on the metal content in the atmosphere. Combined with energy balance arguments, our data suggest that a strong temperature inversion is unlikely in the dayside atmosphere of WASP-43b. However, a weak inversion cannot be strictly ruled out at the current time. Future observations are required to place detailed constraints on the chemical composition of the atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

70 DA WHITE DWARFS IDENTIFIED IN LAMOST PILOT SURVEY

We present a spectroscopically identified catalog of 70 DA white dwarfs (WDs) from the LAMOST pilot survey. Thirty-five are found to be new identifications after cross-correlation with the Eisenstein et al. and Villanova catalogs. The effective temperature and gravity of these WDs are estimated by Balmer lines fitting. Most of them are hot WDs. The cooling times and masses of these WDs are estimated by interpolation in theoretical evolution tracks. The peak of the mass distribution is found to be {approx}0.6 M {sub Sun }, which is consistent with prior work in the literature. The distances of these WDs are estimated using the method of synthetic spectral distances. All of these WDs are found to be in the Galactic disk from our analysis of space motions. Our sample supports the expectation that WDs with high mass are concentrated near the plane of the Galactic disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TRACERS OF CHROMOSPHERIC STRUCTURE. I. Ca II H and K EMISSION DISTRIBUTION OF 13,000 F, G, AND K STARS IN SDSS DR7 SPECTROSCOPIC SAMPLE

We present chromospheric activity index S{sub HK} measurements for over 13,000 F, G, and K disk stars with high signal-to-noise ratio (>60) spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 (DR7) spectroscopic sample. A parameter {delta}S is defined as the difference between S{sub HK} and a ''zero'' emission line fitted by several of the most inactive stars. The S{sub HK} indices of subgiant stars tend to be much lower than dwarfs, which provide a way to distinguish dwarfs and giants with relatively low-resolution spectra. Cooler stars are generally more active and display a larger scatter than hotter stars. Stars associated with the thick disk are in general less active than those of the thin disk. The fraction of K dwarfs that are active drops with vertical distance from the Galactic plane. Metallicity affects S{sub HK} measurements differently among F, G, and K dwarfs in this sample. Using the open clusters NGC 2420, M67, and NGC 6791 as calibrations, ages of most field stars in this SDSS sample range from 3 to 8 Gyr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE CH(G) INDEX AS A NEW CRITERION FOR SELECTING RED GIANT STARS

We have measured the CH G band (CH(G)) index for evolved stars in the globular cluster M3 based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic survey. It is found that there is a useful way to select red giant branch (RGB) stars from the contamination of other evolved stars such as asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and red horizontal branch (RHB) stars by using the CH(G) index versus (g - r){sub 0} diagram if the metallicity is known from the spectra. When this diagram is applied to field giant stars with similar metallicity, we establish a calibration of CH(G) = 1.625(g - r){sub 0} - 1.174(g - r){sup 2}{sub 0} - 0.934. This method is confirmed by stars with [Fe/H] {approx} -2.3 where spectra of member stars in globular clusters M15 and M92 are available in the SDSS database. We thus extend this kind of calibration to every individual metallicity bin ranging from [Fe/H] {approx} -3.0 to [Fe/H] {approx} 0.0 by using field red giant stars with 0.4 {<=} (g - r){sub 0} {<=} 1.0. The metallicity-dependent calibrations give CH(G) = 1.625(g - r){sub 0} - 1.174(g - r){sup 2}{sub 0} + 0.060[Fe/H] - 0.830 for -3.0 < [Fe/H] {<=} -1.2 and CH(G) = 0.953(g - r){sub 0} - 0.655(g - r){sup 2}{sub 0} + 0.060[Fe/H] - 0.650 for -1.2 < [Fe/H] < 0.0. The calibrations are valid for the SDSS spectroscopic data set, and they cannot be applied blindly to other data sets. With the two calibrations, a significant number of the contaminating stars (AGB and RHB stars) were excluded and thus a clear sample of red giant stars is obtained by selecting stars within {+-}0.05 mag of the calibration. The sample is published online and it is expected that this large and clean sample of RGB stars will provide new information on the formation and evolution of the Galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

FLUORINE ABUNDANCES OF GALACTIC LOW-METALLICITY GIANTS

With abundances and 2{sigma} upper limits of fluorine (F) in seven metal-poor field giants, nucleosynthesis of stellar F at low metallicity is discussed. The measurements are derived from the HF(1-0) R9 line at 23358 A using near-infrared K-band high-resolution spectra obtained with CRIRES at the Very Large Telescope. The sample reaches lower metallicities than previous studies on F of field giants, ranging from [Fe/H] = -1.56 down to -2.13. Effects of three-dimensional model atmospheres on the derived F and O abundances are quantitatively estimated and shown to be insignificant for the program stars. The observed F yield in the form of [F/O] is compared with two sets of Galactic chemical evolution models, which quantitatively demonstrate the contribution of Type II supernova (SN II) {nu}-process and asymptotic giant branch/Wolf-Rayet stars. It is found that at this low-metallicity region, models cannot well predict the observed distribution of [F/O], while the observations are better fit by models considering an SN II {nu}-process with a neutrino energy of E {sub {nu}} = 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 53} erg. Our sample contains HD 110281, a retrograde orbiting low-{alpha} halo star, showing a similar F evolution as globular clusters. This supports the theory that such halo stars are possibly accreted from dwarf galaxy progenitors of globular clusters in the halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2012

Assessment of Global Cloud Datasets from Satellites: Project and Database Initiated by the GEWEX Radiation Panel

Clouds cover about 70% of the Earth's surface and play a dominant role in the energy and water cycle of our planet. Only satellite observations provide a continuous survey of the state of the atmosphere over the whole globe and across the wide range of spatial and temporal scales that comprise weather and climate variability. Satellite cloud data records now exceed more than 25 years in length. However, climatologies compiled from different satellite datasets can exhibit systematic biases. Questions therefore arise as to the accuracy and limitations of the various sensors. The Global Energy and Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud Assessment, initiated in 2005 by the GEWEX Radiation Panel, provided the first coordinated intercomparison of publically available, standard global cloud products (gridded, monthly statistics) retrieved from measurements of multi-spectral imagers (some with multiangle view and polarization capabilities), IR sounders and lidar. Cloud properties under study include cloud amount, cloud height (in terms of pressure, temperature or altitude), cloud radiative properties (optical depth or emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase and bulk microphysical properties (effective particle size and water path). Differences in average cloud properties, especially in the amount of high-level clouds, are mostly explained by the inherent instrument measurement capability for detecting and/or identifying optically thin cirrus, especially when overlying low-level clouds. The study of long-term variations with these datasets requires consideration of many factors. A monthly, gridded database, in common format, facilitates further assessments, climate studies and the evaluation of climate models.

Stubenrauch, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Boundary formulations for three-dimensional continuum structural shape sensitivity analysis

The direct, singular, boundary element analysis formulation is shown to provide a basis for a computationally efficient and accurate shape design sensitivity analysis approach for the structural response of three-dimensional solid objects. The theoretical formulation for surface displacement and traction component sensitivities, and all components of the stress tensor is presented along with a formulation for the recovery of displacement and stress components in the interior of the object under consideration. Discussion of computational issues related to the overall efficiency of these formulations is given, along with numerical results to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of this approach.

Kane, J. H.↗