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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Nanostructures of Liquid Crystal Phases in Mixtures of Bent-core and Rod-shaped Molecules

We report small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) studies of isotropic, nematic, and smectic mesophases formed by binary mixtures of bent-core (BC) and rod-shaped (RS) molecules. While optical studies indicate that the components are fully miscible, SAXS reveals fascinating structures that are consistent with segregation on a nanoscopic scale. We find that tilted smectic clusters, which have been previously reported in both the nematic and isotropic states of the pure BC materials, are also present in mixtures with up to 50 wt% of the RS compound; this is consistent with previous dielectric and flexoelectric studies on such mixtures. Unexpectedly in this concentration range the clusters are present in the isotropic and in the induced smectic phase range, as well as throughout the nematic phase. The results in the smectic phase also reveal complex layering phenomena, providing important insight into the interaction between bent and rod-shaped molecules. These studies will be crucial in the design of promising new functional nanomaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

U-10Mo Sample Preparation and Examination using Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines to prepare specimens of uranium alloyed with 10 weight percent molybdenum (U-10Mo) for optical metallography and scanning electron microscopy. This document also provides instructions to set up an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope to analyze U-10Mo specimens and to obtain the required information.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

U-10Mo Sample Preparation and Examination using Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines to prepare specimens of uranium alloyed with 10 weight percent molybdenum (U-10Mo) for optical metallography and scanning electron microscopy. This document also provides instructions to set up an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope to analyze U-10Mo specimens and to obtain the required information.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

A SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURST 'NO-HOST' PROBLEM? INVESTIGATING LARGE PROGENITOR OFFSETS FOR SHORT GRBs WITH OPTICAL AFTERGLOWS

We investigate the afterglow properties and large-scale environments of several short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with subarcsecond optical afterglow positions but no bright coincident host galaxies. The purpose of this joint study is to robustly assess the possibility of significant offsets, a hallmark of the compact object binary merger model. Five such events exist in the current sample of 20 short bursts with optical afterglows, and we find that their optical, X-ray, and {gamma}-ray emission are systematically fainter. These differences may be due to lower circumburst densities (by about an order of magnitude), to higher redshifts (by {Delta}z {approx} 0.5-1), or to lower energies (by about a factor of 3), although in the standard GRB model the smaller {gamma}-ray fluences cannot be explained by lower densities. To study the large-scale environments, we use deep optical observations to place limits on underlying hosts and to determine probabilities of chance coincidence for galaxies near each burst. In four of the five cases, the lowest probabilities of chance coincidence (P(<{delta}R) {approx} 0.1) are associated with bright galaxies at separations of {delta}R {approx} 10'', while somewhat higher probabilities of chance coincidence are associated with faint galaxies at separations of {approx}2''. By measuring redshifts for the brighter galaxies in three cases (z = 0.111, 0.473, 0.403), we find physical offsets of {approx}30-75 kpc, while for the faint hosts the assumption of z {approx}> 1 leads to offsets of {approx}15 kpc. Alternatively, the limits at the burst positions ({approx}>26 mag) can be explained by typical short GRB host galaxies (L {approx} 0.1-1 L*) at z {approx}> 2-3. Thus, two possibilities exist: (1) {approx}1/4 of short GRBs explode {approx}50 kpc or {approx}15 kpc from the centers of z {approx} 0.3 or z {approx}> 1 galaxies, respectively, and have fainter afterglows due to the resulting lower densities; or (2) {approx}1/4 of short GRBs occur at z {approx}> 2 and have fainter afterglows due to their higher redshifts. The high-redshift scenario leads to a bimodal redshift distribution, with peaks at z {approx} 0.5 and z {approx} 3. The large offset scenario leads to an offset distribution that is well matched by theoretical predictions of NS-NS/NS-BH binary kicks, or by a hybrid population with globular cluster NS-NS binaries at large offsets and primordial binaries at offsets of {approx}<10 kpc (indicative of negligible kicks). Deeper constraints on any coincident galaxies to {approx}>28 mag (using the Hubble Space Telescope) will allow us to better exclude the high-redshift scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF A0620-00 IN QUIESCENCE

We present contemporaneous X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared, and radio observations of the black hole binary system, A0620-00, acquired in 2010 March. Using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained the first FUV spectrum of A0620-00 as well as NUV observations with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The observed spectrum is flat in the FUV and very faint (with continuum fluxes {approx_equal} 1e - 17 erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} A{sup -1}). The UV spectra also show strong, broad (FWHM {approx} 2000 km s{sup -1}) emission lines of Si IV, C IV, He II, Fe II, and Mg II. The C IV doublet is anomalously weak compared to the other lines, which is consistent with the low carbon abundance seen in NIR spectra of the source. Comparison of these observations with previous NUV spectra of A0620-00 shows that the UV flux has varied by factors of 2-8 over several years. We compiled the dereddened, broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of A0620-00 and compared it to previous SEDs as well as theoretical models. The SEDs show that the source varies at all wavelengths for which we have multiple samples. Contrary to previous observations, the optical-UV spectrum does not continue to drop to shorter wavelengths, but instead shows a recovery and an increasingly blue spectrum in the FUV. We created an optical-UV spectrum of A0620-00 with the donor star contribution removed. The non-stellar spectrum peaks at {approx_equal}3000 A. The peak can be fit with a T = 10,000 K blackbody with a small emitting area, probably originating in the hot spot where the accretion stream impacts the outer disk. However, one or more components in addition to the blackbody are needed to fit the FUV upturn and the red optical fluxes in the optical-UV spectrum. By comparing the mass accretion rate determined from the hot spot luminosity to the mean accretion rate inferred from the outburst history, we find that the latter is an order of magnitude smaller than the former, indicating that {approx}90% of the accreted mass must be lost from the system if the predictions of the disk instability model and the estimated interoutburst interval are correct. The mass accretion rate at the hot spot is 10{sup 5} the accretion rate at the black hole inferred from the X-ray luminosity. To reconcile these requires that outflows carry away virtually all of the accreted mass, a very low rate of mass transfer from the outer cold disk into the inner hot region, and/or radiatively inefficient accretion. We compared our broadband SED to two models of A0620-00 in quiescence: the advection-dominated accretion flow model and the maximally jet-dominated model. The comparison suggests that strong outflows may be present in the system, indicated by the discrepancies in accretion rates and the FUV upturn in flux in the SED.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MULTIPLE STAR FORMATION TO THE BOTTOM OF THE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

The frequency and properties of multiple star systems offer powerful tests of star formation models. Multiplicity surveys over the past decade have shown that binary properties vary strongly with mass, but the functional forms and the interplay between frequency and semimajor axis remain largely unconstrained. We present the results of a large-scale survey of multiplicity at the bottom of the initial mass function in several nearby young associations, encompassing 78 very low mass members observed with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics. Our survey confirms the overall trend observed in the field for lower-mass binary systems to be less frequent and more compact, including a null detection for any substellar binary systems with separations wider than {approx}7 AU. Combined with a Bayesian re-analysis of existing surveys, our results demonstrate that the binary frequency and binary separations decline smoothly between masses of 0.5 M{sub Sun} and 0.02 M{sub Sun }, though we cannot distinguish the functional form of this decline due to a degeneracy between the total binary frequency and the mean binary separation. We also show that the mass ratio distribution becomes progressively more concentrated at q {approx} 1 for declining masses, though a small number of systems appear to have unusually wide separations and low-mass ratios for their mass. Finally, we compare our results to synthetic binary populations generated by smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations, noting the similarities and discussing possible explanations for the differences.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

LOFAR Discovery of the Fastest-spinning Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Field

We report the discovery of PSR J0952−0607, a 707 Hz binary millisecond pulsar that is now the fastest-spinning neutron star known in the Galactic field (i.e., outside of a globular cluster). PSR J0952−0607 was found using LOFAR at a central observing frequency of 135 MHz, well below the 300 MHz to 3 GHz frequencies typically used in pulsar searches. The discovery is part of an ongoing LOFAR survey targeting unassociated Fermi-Large Area Telescope γ-ray sources. PSR J0952−0607 is in a 6.42 hr orbit around a very low-mass companion (M{sub c}≳0.02 M{sub ⊙}), and we identify a strongly variable optical source, modulated at the orbital period of the pulsar, as the binary companion. The light curve of the companion varies by 1.6 mag from r{sup ′}=22.2 at maximum to r{sup ′}>23.8, indicating that it is irradiated by the pulsar wind. Swift observations place a 3σ upper limit on the 0.3−10 keV X-ray luminosity of L{sub X}<1.1×10{sup 31} erg s{sup −1} (using the 0.97 kpc distance inferred from the dispersion measure). Though no eclipses of the radio pulsar are observed, the properties of the system classify it as a black widow binary. The radio pulsed spectrum of PSR J0952−0607, as determined through flux density measurements at 150 and 350 MHz, is extremely steep with α∼−3 (where S∝ν{sup α}). We discuss the growing evidence that the fastest-spinning radio pulsars have exceptionally steep radio spectra, as well as the prospects for finding more sources like PSR J0952−0607.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Neutron star mass estimates from gamma-ray eclipses in spider millisecond pulsar binaries

Reliable neutron star mass measurements are key to determining the equation of state of cold nuclear matter, but such measurements are rare. Black widows and redbacks are compact binaries consisting of millisecond pulsars and semi-degenerate companion stars. Spectroscopy of the optically bright companions can determine their radial velocities, providing inclination-dependent pulsar mass estimates. Although inclinations can be inferred from subtle features in optical light curves, such estimates may be systematically biased due to incomplete heating models and poorly understood variability. Using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, we have searched for gamma-ray eclipses from 49 spider systems, discovering significant eclipses in 7 systems, including the prototypical black widow PSR B1957+20. Gamma-ray eclipses require direct occultation of the pulsar by the companion, and so the detection, or significant exclusion, of a gamma-ray eclipse strictly limits the binary inclination angle, providing new robust, model-independent pulsar mass constraints. For PSR B1957+20, the eclipse implies a much lighter pulsar (1.81 ± 0.07 solar masses) than inferred from optical light curve modelling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Galactic Sources Detected in the NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) provides an improvement in sensitivity at energies above 10 keV by two orders of magnitude over non-focusing satellites, making it possible to probe deeper into the Galaxy and universe. Lansbury and collaborators recently completed a catalog of 497 sources serendipitously detected in the 3–24 keV band using 13 deg{sup 2} of NuSTAR coverage. Here, we report on an optical and X-ray study of 16 Galactic sources in the catalog. We identify 8 of them as stars (but some or all could have binary companions), and use information from Gaia to report distances and X-ray luminosities for 3 of them. There are 4 CVs or CV candidates, and we argue that NuSTAR J233426–2343.9 is a relatively strong CV candidate based partly on an X-ray spectrum from XMM-Newton . NuSTAR J092418–3142.2, which is the brightest serendipitous source in the Lansbury catalog, and NuSTAR J073959–3147.8 are low-mass X-ray binary candidates, but it is also possible that these 2 sources are CVs. One of the sources is a known high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB), and NuSTAR J105008–5958.8 is a new HMXB candidate that has strong Balmer emission lines in its optical spectrum and a hard X-ray spectrum. We discuss the implications of finding these HMXBs for the surface density (log N –log S ) and luminosity function of Galactic HMXBs. We conclude that with the large fraction of unclassified sources in the Galactic plane detected by NuSTAR in the 8–24 keV band, there could be a significant population of low-luminosity HMXBs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microstructural Coarsening Kinetics and Mechanical Property Changes in Long-Term Aged Sn–Pb–Sb Solder Joints

Tin-lead-antimony (50Sn–47Pb–3Sb wt.%) soldered assemblies were mechanically tested approximately 30 years after initial production and found to have solder joints of reduced strength. The microstructure of this solder alloy exhibits a ternary eutectic structure with Sn-rich, Pb-rich, and SnSb phases. Accelerated aging was performed to evaluate solder microstructural coarsening and associated strength of laboratory solder joints to correlate these properties to the “naturally aged” solder joints. Isothermal aging was conducted at room temperature, 55, 70, 100, and 135 °C and aging times that ranged from 0.1 to 365 days. The coarsening kinetics of the Pb-rich phase were determined through optical microscopy and image analysis methods established in previous studies on binary Sn–Pb solder. A kinetic equation was developed with time exponent n of 0.43 and activation energy of 24000 J/mol, suggesting grain boundary diffusion or other fast diffusion pathways controlling the microstructural evolution. Compression testing and Vickers microhardness showed significant strength loss within the first 20–30 days after soldering; then, the microstructure and mechanical properties changed more slowly over long periods of time. Further, by combining accelerated aging data and the microstructure-based kinetics, strength predictions were made that match well with the properties of the actual soldered assemblies naturally aged for 30 years. However, aging at the highest temperature of 135 °C produced anomalous behavior suggesting that extraneous aging mechanisms are active. Therefore, data obtained at this temperature or higher should not be used. Overall, the combined microstructural and mechanical property methods used in this study confirmed that the observed reduction in strength of ~ 30-year-old solder joints can be accounted for by the microstructural coarsening that takes place during long-term solid-state aging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

InSb thin films grown by electrodeposition

We have grown InSb thin films on Cu substrates using the electrodeposition technique. The electrochemical bath from which the InSb thin films were grown was made up of a mixture of aqueous solutions of 0.05 M InCl{sub 3} and 0.03M SbCl{sub 3}, 0 .20M citric acid and 0.30M sodium citrate. Citric acid and sodium citrate were used as complexing agents to bring the reduction potential of In and Sb closer to maintain binary growth. The electrodeposited films were characterized by structural, morphological and optical studies. X-ray diffraction studies show that the films are polycrystalline InSb having the zinc blende structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies reveal that the surface of the films is uniformly covered with submicron sized spherical particles. FTIR spectra of InSb thin films show a sharp absorption peak at wave number 1022 cm{sup −1} corresponding to the band gap. Hot probe analysis shows that the InSb thin films have p type conductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

An adaptive optics multiplicity census of young stars in Upper Scorpius

We present the results of a multiplicity survey of 91 stars spanning masses of ∼0.2-10 M {sub ☉} in the Upper Scorpius star-forming region, based on adaptive optics imaging with the Gemini North telescope. Our observations identified 29 binaries, 5 triples, and no higher order multiples. The corresponding raw multiplicity frequency is 0.37 ± 0.05. In the regime where our observations are complete—companion separations of 0.''1-5'' (∼15-800 AU) with magnitude limits ranging from K < 9.3 at 0.''1 to K < 15.8 at 5''—the multiplicity frequency is 0.27{sub −0.04}{sup +0.05}. For similar separations, the multiplicity frequency in Upper Scorpius is comparable to that in other dispersed star-forming regions, but is a factor of two to three higher than in denser star-forming regions or in the field. Our sample displays a constant multiplicity frequency as a function of stellar mass. Among our sample of binaries, we find that both wider (>100 AU) and higher-mass systems tend to have companions with lower companion-to-primary mass ratios. Three of the companions identified in our survey are unambiguously substellar and have estimated masses below 0.04 M {sub ☉} (two of them are new discoveries from this survey—1RXS J160929.1–210524b and HIP 78530B—although we have reported them separately in earlier papers). These three companions have projected orbital separations of 300-900 AU. Based on a statistical analysis factoring in sensitivity limits, we calculate an occurrence rate of 5-40 M {sub Jup} companions of ∼4.0% for orbital separations of 250-1000 AU, compared to <1.8% at smaller separations, suggesting that such companions are more frequent on wider orbits.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Hidden vorticity in binary Bose-Einstein condensates

We consider a binary Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) described by a system of two-dimensional (2D) Gross-Pitaevskii equations with the harmonic-oscillator trapping potential. The intraspecies interactions are attractive, while the interaction between the species may have either sign. The same model applies to the copropagation of bimodal beams in photonic-crystal fibers. We consider a family of trapped hidden-vorticity (HV) modes in the form of bound states of two components with opposite vorticities S{sub 1,2}={+-}1, the total angular momentum being zero. A challenging problem is the stability of the HV modes. By means of a linear-stability analysis and direct simulations, stability domains are identified in a relevant parameter plane. In direct simulations, stable HV modes feature robustness against large perturbations, while unstable ones split into fragments whose number is identical to the azimuthal index of the fastest growing perturbation eigenmode. Conditions allowing for the creation of the HV modes in the experiment are discussed too. For comparison, a similar but simpler problem is studied in an analytical form, viz., the modulational instability of an HV state in a one-dimensional (1D) system with periodic boundary conditions (this system models a counterflow in a binary BEC mixture loaded into a toroidal trap or a bimodal optical beam coupled into a cylindrical shell). We demonstrate that the stabilization of the 1D HV modes is impossible, which stresses the significance of the stabilization of the HV modes in the 2D setting.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Disentangling Time-series Spectra with Gaussian Processes: Applications to Radial Velocity Analysis

Measurements of radial velocity variations from the spectroscopic monitoring of stars and their companions are essential for a broad swath of astrophysics; these measurements provide access to the fundamental physical properties that dictate all phases of stellar evolution and facilitate the quantitative study of planetary systems. The conversion of those measurements into both constraints on the orbital architecture and individual component spectra can be a serious challenge, however, especially for extreme flux ratio systems and observations with relatively low sensitivity. Gaussian processes define sampling distributions of flexible, continuous functions that are well-motivated for modeling stellar spectra, enabling proficient searches for companion lines in time-series spectra. We introduce a new technique for spectral disentangling, where the posterior distributions of the orbital parameters and intrinsic, rest-frame stellar spectra are explored simultaneously without needing to invoke cross-correlation templates. To demonstrate its potential, this technique is deployed on red-optical time-series spectra of the mid-M-dwarf binary LP661-13. We report orbital parameters with improved precision compared to traditional radial velocity analysis and successfully reconstruct the primary and secondary spectra. We discuss potential applications for other stellar and exoplanet radial velocity techniques and extensions to time-variable spectra. The code used in this analysis is freely available as an open-source Python package.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Swift , XMM - Newton , and NuSTAR Observations of PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213

We report our recent Swift , NuSTAR , and XMM - Newton X-ray and Lijiang optical observations on PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213, the γ -ray binary candidate with a period of 45–50 years. The coming periastron of the system was predicted to be in 2017 November, around which high-energy flares from keV to TeV are expected. Recent studies with Chandra and Swift X-ray observations taken in 2015/2016 showed that its X-ray emission has been brighter by a factors of ∼10 than that before 2013, probably revealing some ongoing activities between the pulsar wind and the stellar wind. Our new Swift /XRT lightcurve shows no strong evidence of a single vigorous brightening trend, but rather several strong X-ray flares on weekly to monthly timescales with a slowly brightening baseline, namely the low state. The NuSTAR and XMM - Newton observations taken during the flaring and the low states, respectively, show a denser environment and a softer power-law index during the flaring state, implying that the pulsar wind interacted with the stronger stellar winds of the companion to produce the flares. These precursors would be crucial in studying the predicted giant outburst from this extreme γ -ray binary during the periastron passage in late 2017.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

REVEALING COMPANIONS TO NEARBY STARS WITH ASTROMETRIC ACCELERATION

A subset of 51 Hipparcos astrometric binaries among FG dwarfs within 67 pc has been surveyed with the Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager adaptive optics system at Gemini-S, directly resolving for the first time 17 subarcsecond companions and 7 wider ones. Using these data together with published speckle interferometry of 57 stars, we compare the statistics of resolved astrometric companions with those of a simulated binary population. The fraction of resolved companions is slightly lower than expected from binary statistics. About 10% of astrometric companions could be 'dark' (white dwarfs and close pairs of late M-dwarfs). To our surprise, several binaries are found with companions too wide to explain the acceleration. Re-analysis of selected intermediate astrometric data shows that some acceleration solutions in the original Hipparcos catalog are spurious.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optical properties of alloys based on II-S and II-Te chalcogenides

Spectroscopic studies of binary and multicomponent semiconductors of the CdS-CdTe, CdS-ZnTe, and ZnS-CdTe systems are performed. They result in confirmation of the formation of substitutional alloys in these systems (in addition to the results of X-ray diffractometry studies), and the chemical composition of the surface as well as the most important characteristic of semiconductors, theelectron work function, the frequencies of strongest luminescence (impurity and band-to band), the emission maxima, and the possibilities of predicting luminescence properties are determined. Recommendations concerning the use of fabricated materials of definite composition as phosphors are given.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗