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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A panoramic view of the Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822

ABSTRACT We present a panoramic survey of the isolated Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. Our photometry reaches ∼2–3 mag deeper than most previous studies and spans the widest area around the dwarf compared to any prior work. We observe no stellar overdensities in the outskirts of NGC 6822 to V ∼ 30 mag arcsec−2 and a projected radius of 16.5 kpc. This indicates that NGC 6822 has not experienced any recent interaction with a companion galaxy, despite previous suggestions to the contrary. Similarly, we find no evidence for any dwarf satellites of NGC 6822 to a limiting luminosity MV ≈ −5. NGC 6822 contains a disc of H i gas and young stars, oriented at ∼60○ to an extended spheroid composed of old stellar populations. We observe no correlation between the distribution of young stars and spheroid members. Our imaging allows us to trace the spheroid to nearly 11 kpc along its major axis, commensurate with the extent of the NGC 6822 globular cluster system. We find that the spheroid becomes increasingly flattened at larger radii, and its position angle twists by up to 40○. We use Gaia EDR3 astrometry to measure a proper motion for NGC 6822, and then sample its orbital parameter space. While this galaxy has spent the majority of its life in isolation, we find that it likely passed within the virial radius of the Milky Way ∼3–4 Gyr ago. This may explain the apparent flattening and twisting observed in the outskirts of its spheroid.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

The contribution of young galaxies to the X-ray background

The contribution of young galaxies to the diffuse X-ray background is estimated and two mechanisms by which young galaxies may emit hard X-rays are considered. The first mechanism is direct thermal bremsstrahlung emission from a hot galactic wind powered by supernovae. Estimating mass-loss rates from galaxies by arguments based on metallicity and on the X-ray spectroscopic observations of rich clusters, it is shown that galactic winds may contribute substantially to the background. The second mechanism relies on the decreased metallicity of young galaxies to increase the number of supergiant stars and hence the numbers of hard X-ray binaries. This effect quantitatively explains the relatively large X-ray luminosity of the Magellanic clouds and also indicates that binaries in young galaxies may contribute a significant fraction of the diffuse X-ray background. Both mechanisms require that the epoch of galaxy formation be recent (redshift less than 2-3) in order to account for the observed spectral temperature (45 keV) of the hard X-ray background.

Bookbinder, J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Classification Scheme for Young Stellar Objects Using the WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER ALLWISE Catalog: Revealing Low-Density Star Formation in the Outer Galaxy

We present an assessment of the performance of WISE and the AllWISE data release in a section of the Galactic Plane. We lay out an approach to increasing the reliability of point source photometry extracted from the AllWISE catalog in Galactic Plane regions using parameters provided in the catalog. We use the resulting catalog to construct a new, revised young star detection and classification scheme combining WISE and 2MASS near and mid-infrared colors and magnitudes and test it in a section of the Outer Milky Way. The clustering properties of the candidate Class I and II stars using a nearest neighbor density calculation and the two-point correlation function suggest that the majority of stars do form in massive star forming regions, and any isolated mode of star formation is at most a small fraction of the total star forming output of the Galaxy. We also show that the isolated component may be very small and could represent the tail end of a single mechanism of star formation in line with models of molecular cloud collapse with supersonic turbulence and not a separate mode all to itself.

WIDE-FIELD↗
NASA NTRS2005

Star Formation Rates in Cooling Flow Clusters: A UV Pilot Study with Archival XMM-Newton Optical Monitor Data

We have analyzed XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (OM) UV (180-400 nm) data for a sample of 33 galaxies. 30 are cluster member galaxies, and nine of these are central cluster galaxies (CCGs) in cooling flow clusters having mass deposition rates which span a range of 8 - 525 solar mass per year. By comparing the ratio of UV to 2MASS J band fluxes, we find a significant UV excess in many, but not all, cooling flow CCGs, a finding consistent with the outcome of previous studies based on optical imaging data (McNamara & O Connell 1989; Cardiel, Gorgas, & Aragon-Salamanca 1998; Crawford et al. 1999). This UV excess is a direct indication of the presence of young massive stars, and therefore recent star formation, in these galaxies. Using the Starburst99 spectral energy distribution (SED) model of continuous star formation over a 900 Myr period, we derive star formation rates of 0.2 - 219 solar mass per year for the cooling flow sample. For 2/3 of this sample it is possible to equate Chandra/XMM cooling flow mass deposition rates with UV inferred star formation rates, for a combination of starburst lifetime and IMF slope. This is a pilot study of the well populated XMM UV cluster archive and a more extensive follow up study is currently underway.

Hicks, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

UV Observations of NGC 205

Low resolution IUE observations of the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 205 show that the UV spectral energy distribution (SED) of the galaxy is relatively flat. Spectra centered on the nucleus and on a region north of the nucleus show evidence of recent bursts of star formation which contribute strongly to the UV spectral energy distribution. The UV spectra was fit with a composite spectrum based on a Miller-Scalo initial mass function, an underlying older population (modelled using the UV spectrum of 47 Tuc), and an extinction based on a SMC-like extinction cure. This fit implies that the total mass of young stars (with M equal to or greater than 1 solar mass) in the galaxy is approx. 7x10(5) solar mass, which can be compared to the total mass of globular cluster like stars in the galaxy of approx. 8x10(7) solar mass.

Wilcots, Eric M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The luminosity functions of embedded stellar clusters. 2: Numerical results

We use the theory developed previously to calculate the evolving luminosity functions of very young stellar clusters. The luminosity function of the protostars alone quickly attains a characteristic, sharply peaked shape, which it maintains throughout the time of cluster formation. For the pre-main-sequence stars, the function continually changes but displays a pronounced 'step' near a luminosity of 10 Solar luminosity for a prolonged period. At most times, the vast majority of cluster members are pre-main-sequence stars. However, the total cluster luminosity is dominated first by the protostellar and later by the main-sequence component. At these late times, it is the brightest stars which reach the main sequence first. Finaly, a preliminary application of our model to the rho Ophiuchi embedded cluster indicates that star formation has proceeded in that region for 1 x 10(exp 6).

Fletcher, Andre B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The young open cluster NGC 3293 and its relation to Car OB1 and the Carina Nebula complex

On the basis of visible evidence, NGC 3293 appears to be associated with a number of objects in the Carina Nebula complex. UBVRI photoelectric photometry and MK-spectral specifications are presented for a large number of stars in this cluster and its surroundings (Car OB1). Over 70 cluster members with spectral types earlier than B9 are identified. Star counts indicate that the expected number of members brighter than V = 18 is 297 plus or minus 9. The cluster appears to be situated just in front of a dense dust lane, which itself appears to be part of the dust complex emanating from the center of the Carina Nebula.

Turner, D. G.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Eridanus II: A Fossil from Reionization with an Off-center Star Cluster

In this work, we present deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Eridanus II (Eri II). Eri II, which has an absolute magnitude of M V = -7.1, is located at a distance of 339 kpc, just beyond the virial radius of the Milky Way. We determine the star formation history of Eri II and measure the structure of the galaxy and its star cluster. We find that a star formation history consisting of two bursts, constrained to match the spectroscopic metallicity distribution of the galaxy, accurately describes the Eri II stellar population. The best-fit model implies a rapid truncation of star formation at early times, with >80% of the stellar mass in place before z ~ 6. A small fraction of the stars could be as young as 8 Gyr, but this population is not statistically significant; Monte Carlo simulations recover a component younger than 9 Gyr only 15% of the time, where they represent an average of 7 ± 4% of the population. These results are consistent with theoretical expectations for quenching by reionization. The HST depth and angular resolution enable us to show that Eri II’s cluster is offset from the center of the galaxy by a projected distance of 23 ± 3 pc. This offset could be an indication of a small (~50–75 pc) dark matter core in Eri II. Moreover, we demonstrate that the cluster has a high ellipticity of and is aligned with the orientation of Eri II within 3° ± 6°, likely due to tides. The stellar population of the cluster is indistinguishable from that of Eri II itself.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1986

Self-regulated cooling flows in elliptical galaxies and in cluster cores - Is exclusively low mass star formation really necessary?

A self-consistent treatment of the heating by supernovae associated with star formation in a spherically symmetric cooling flow in a cluster core or elliptical galaxy is presented. An initial stellar mass function similar to that in the solar neighborhood is adopted. Inferred star-formation rates, within the cooling region - typically the inner 100 kpc around dominant galaxies at the centers of cooling flows in XD clusters - are reduced by about a factor of 2, relative to rates inferred when the heat input from star formation is ignored. Truncated initial mass functions (IMFs) are also considered, in which massive star formation is suppressed in accordance with previous treatments, and colors are predicted for star formation in cooling flows associated with central dominant elliptical galaxies and with isolated elliptical galaxies surrounded by gaseous coronae. The low inferred cooling-flow rates around isolated elliptical galaxies are found to be insensitive to the upper mass cutoff in the IMF, provided that the upper mass cutoff exceeds 2 M solar mass. Comparison with observed colors favors a cutoff in the IMF above 1 M solar mass in at least two well-studied cluster cooling flows, but a normal IMF cannot be excluded definitively. Models for NGC 1275 support a young (less than about 3 Gyr) cooling flow. As for the isolated elliptical galaxies, the spread in colors is consistent with a normal IMF. A definitive test of the IMF arising via star formation in cooling flows requires either UV spectral data or supernova searches in the cooling-flow-centered galaxies.

Silk, J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

UV extinction properties of carina nebular dust

I have performed an analysis of the UV extinction by dust along the line of sight to the young open cluster Tr 16. The observed curves are parameterized in order to extract quantitative information about the structure of the curves. Furthermore, by constructing differential extinction curves, obtained by differencing curves for stars which lie within a few arc seconds of each other on the sky, I was able to obtain a curve which is free of the effects of foreground extinction, and represents the extinction by the dust in the Tr 16 molecular cloud. I then show that this curve is nearly identical to one due to dust in the Orion molecular cloud. This result shows that dust in the Carina arm exhibits the same behavior as that in the local arm.

Massa, Derck↗
NASA NTRS2020

WISE 2150-7520AB: A Very Low-mass, Wide Comoving Brown Dwarf System Discovered through the Citizen Science Project Backyard Worlds: Planet 9

We report the discovery of WISE 2150-7520AB (W2150AB): a widely separated (∼341 au) very low-mass L1 + T8 co-moving system. The system consists of the previously known L1 primary 2MASS J21501592-7520367 and a newly discovered T8 secondary found at position 21:50:18.99–75:20:54.6 (MJD = 57947) using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer data via the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project. We present Spitzer ch1 and ch2 photometry (ch1–ch2 = 1.41 ± 0.04 mag) of the secondary and Folded-port InfraRed Echellette prism spectra of both components. The sources show no peculiar spectral or photometric signatures, indicating that each component is likely field age. Using all observed data and the Gaia DR2 parallax of 41.3593 ± 0.2799 mas for W2150A we deduce fundamental parameters of log(L(bol)/L(☉)) = −3.69 ± 0.01, T(eff) = 2118 ± 62 K, and an estimated mass = 72 ± 12 M(Jup) for the L1 and log(L(bol)/L(☉)) = −5.64 ± 0.02, T(eff) = 719 ± 61 K, and an estimated mass = 34 ± 22 M(Jup) for the T8. At a physical separation of ∼341 au this system has E(bin) = 1041 erg, making it the lowest binding energy system of any pair with M(tot) < 0.1 M(Sun) not associated with a young cluster. It is equivalent in estimated mass ratio, E(bin), and physical separation to the ∼2 Myr M7.25 + M8.25 binary brown dwarf 2MASS J11011926-7732383AB (2M1101AB) found in the Chameleon star-forming region. W2150AB is the widest companion system yet observed in the field where the primary is an L dwarf or later.

Jacqueline Faherty↗
NASA NTRS1998

Pulsations, Shocks, and Mass Loss

This grant provided long-term support for my investigation of the outflows powered by young stars. Several major research results emerged during the course of this research, including: (1) The discovery of giant Herbig-Haro outflows from young stars that can extend for many parsecs from their sources. The first parsec-scale outflow to be recognized led to the realization that Herbig-Haro outflows, even those produced by low mass young stellar objects, can extend orders of magnitude farther from their sources than previously thought. Our preconceptions were to a large extent driven by the narrow fields-of-view then provided by CCD detectors. With the recent advent of large format CCDs and CCD mosaics, we have come to realize that most outflows attain parsec-scale dimensions. Even at the distance of the Orion star forming clouds, such flows can subtend a degree on the sky. Our work has led to the recognition of over two dozen giant. (2) The discovery that outflows are highly clustered. Even regions of relatively isolated star formation such as those in Taurus frequently produce multiple outflows. (3) The discovery of a new family of externally irradiated jets. During the last year of support from this grant, we made the startling discovery that there is a class of jets from young stars that are illuminated by the ionizing radiation field of nearby massive stars. The first four examples were discovered in the vicinity of the a Orionis sub-group of the Orion OB Association which is believed to be at least 2 million years old. Since the jets are photo-ionized, their densities can be reliably estimated. Most HH jets are shock excited, and are therefore notoriously difficult to characterize since their visibility and observed properties depend on the complex and highly non-linear processes associated with shocks. Furthermore, many irradiated jets are one sided rather than bipolar. Thus, irradiated jets may for the first time be used to accurately diagnose jet densities and mass loss rates, and to probe the physics of jet collimation, and may indicate that the jet production phase of certain young stars may last more than a million years. These three discoveries provide us with fundamental new insights into the star formation process, into the physical conditions inside and near star forming clouds, and into new ways to probe the physics and chemistry of such clouds.

Bally, John↗
NASA NTRS1989

Young stellar objects in the Monoceros OB1 molecular cloud

Detailed results of an IRAS survey of a large portion of the Monoceros OB1 molecular cloud for discrete far-IR sources are presented. IRAS spectral energy distributions are constructed for 27 of the 30 sources identified in the region. Many are bright class I energy distributions, indicating that star formation is still occurring in the complex which produced the visible cluster, NGC 2264. Far-IR luminosities are calculated for each source, and the bolometric luminosity functions for class I and class II sources in the Mon OB1 cloud are found to be significantly different. Of all class I and II sources more luminous than 5 solar, 50 percent of class I sources are more luminous than 60 solar while only 4 percent of class II sources are. An attempt is made to determine the type of young stellar object in the cloud with which molecular outflows are associated.

Margulis, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1989

Commentary on interstellar matter associated with 18 open clusters

Information supplementary to that contained in Section 4 of an article entitled, A CO Survey of Regions Around 34 Open Clusters, (Leisawitz, Bash, and Thaddeus) published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Volume 70, Number 4, August 1989 is summarized. The information presented here, which describes the interstellar environments of young clusters and some cluster physical characteristics, comes from observations published in the astronomical literature and the author's carbon monoxide (CO) emission line survey, and may help clarify our understanding of the interaction of massive stars with the interstellar medium.

Leisawitz, David↗
DOE OSTI2020

Census of the Young Stellar Population in the Galactic H ii Region Sh2-242

We present here identification and characterization of the young stellar population associated with an active star-forming site Sh2-242. We used our own new optical imaging and spectroscopic observational data, as well as several archival catalogs, e.g., Pan-STARRS 1, Gaia DR2, IPHAS, Wide-field InfraRed Camera, 2MASS, and Spitzer. Slit spectroscopic results confirm the classification of the main ionizing source BD+26 980 as an early-type star of spectral type B0.5 V. The spectrophotometric distance of the star is estimated as 2.08 ± 0.24 kpc, which confirms the source as a member of the cluster. An extinction map covering a large area (diameter ∼50′) is generated with H and K photometry toward the region. From the map, three distinct locations of peak extinction complexes (A {sub V} ≃ 7–17 mag) are identified for the very first time. Using the infrared color excess, a total of 33 Class I and 137 Class II young objects are classified within the region. The IPHAS photometry reveals classification of 36 Hα emitting sources, which might be class II objects. Among 36 Hα emitting sources, 5 are already identified using infrared excess emission. In total, 201 young objects are classified toward S242 from this study. The membership status of the young sources is further windowed with the inclusion of parallax from the Gaia DR2 catalog. Using the optical and infrared color–magnitude diagrams, the young stellar objects are characterized with an average age of ∼1 Myr and masses in the range 0.1–3.0 M {sub ☉}. The census of the stellar content within the region is discussed using combined photometric and spectroscopic data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Deep HRI Survey of Low-Mass PMS Stars in NGC 2264

Brian Patten is the Principal Investigator of the NASA ADP project 'A Deep HRI Survey of Low-Mass PMS Stars in NGC 2264'. This project was funded to support primarily the data reduction and analysis for new ROSAT data to be acquired in ROSAT AO8. For AO8 we were awarded two deep (100 ks) exposures with the ROSAT HRI instrument of a rotation and proper-motion selected sample of young (3 Myr - 15 Myr), low-mass, PMS stars in the populous star-forming region NGC 2264. These X-ray data were to be combined with an extensive rotation database for members of this cluster to allow us, for the first time, to probe the early evolution of magnetic dynamo activity for both fully convective stars and those stars found lower on the Hayashi tracks which have developed radiative cores. This database would have been used to study the interrelationship between coronal activity level, interior structure, and rotation rate as a function of mass and age.in the PMS and to define empirical constraints for theoretical models of angular momentum and magnetic dynamo evolution.

Patten, Brian↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Habitable Zone Planet Finder Reveals a High Mass and Low Obliquity for the Young Neptune K2-25b

Using radial velocity data from the Habitable Zone Planet Finder, we have measured the mass of the Neptune-sized planet K2-25b, as well as the obliquity of its M4.5 dwarf host star in the 600–800 Myr Hyades cluster. This is one of the youngest planetary systems for which both of these quantities have been measured and one of the very few M dwarfs with a measured obliquity. Based on a joint analysis of the radial velocity data, time-series photometry from the K2 mission, and new transit light curves obtained with diffuser-assisted photometry, the planet’s radius and mass are 3.44 ± 0.12 R {sub ⊕} and 24.5{sub −5.2}{sup +5.7}M{sub ⊕}. These properties are compatible with a rocky core enshrouded by a thin hydrogen–helium atmosphere (5% by mass). We measure an orbital eccentricity of e = 0.43 ± 0.05. The sky-projected stellar obliquity is λ = 3° ± 16°, compatible with spin–orbit alignment, in contrast to other “hot Neptunes” that have been studied around older stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Census of the 32 Ori Association with Gaia*

I have used high-precision photometry and astrometry from the third data release of Gaia (DR3) to identify candidate members of the 32 Ori association. Spectral types and radial velocities have been measured for subsets of the candidates using new and archival spectra. For the candidates that have radial velocity measurements, I have used UVW velocities to further constrain their membership, arriving at a final catalog of 169 candidates. I estimate that the completeness of the survey is ~90% for spectral types of ≲M7 (≳0.06 M ⊙ ). The histogram of spectral types for the 32 Ori candidates exhibits a maximum at M5 (~0.15 M ⊙ ), resembling the distributions measured for other young clusters and associations in the solar neighborhood. The available UVW velocities indicate that the association is expanding, but they do not produce a well-defined kinematic age. Based on their sequences of low-mass stars in color–magnitude diagrams, the 32 Ori association and Upper Centaurus-Lupus/Lower Centaurus-Crux (UCL/LCC) are coeval to within ±1.2 Myr, and they are younger than the β Pic moving group by ~3 Myr, which agrees with results from previous analysis based on the second data release of Gaia. Finally, I have used mid-IR photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to check for excess emission from circumstellar disks among the 32 Ori candidates. Disks are detected for 18 candidates, half of which are reported for the first time in this work. The fraction of candidates at ≤M6 that have full, transitional, or evolved disks is 10/149 = 0.07$^{+0.03}_{-0.02'}$ which is consistent with the value for UCL/LCC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗