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Results for “optical transients”

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
NASA NTRS1977

Spectrophotometry of the transient X-ray source A0620-00

Optical observations of the transient X-ray source A0620-00 over the wavelength range from about 3200 to 6600 A are analyzed which were made with the 5-m Hale telescope using a multichannel spectrometer, a digital spectrograph with a cooled integrating SIT vidicon, and an image photon-counting system attached to the camera of the coude spectrograph. Infrared observations at 1.65, 2.2, and 3.5 microns are also examined. Individual spectral lines of special interest are discussed, the E(B-V) color excess is estimated to be about 0.40, and a distance of 1200 pc is adopted. Analysis of the continuous spectrum yields several simple binary models. A specific model is proposed in which one of the continuum sources is an optically thick object characterized by a model atmosphere at a temperature of 25,000 to 30,000 K and the second source is either a cool black body at 4000 K or a partially optically thick source of bound-free plus free-free radiation from a hydrogen gas with an electron temperature of at least 100,000 K. Some possible parameters of these sources and of the accretion disk are considered.

Oke, J. B.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Tracking Optical Phonon Dynamics in InP Nanocrystals via Transient Absorption and Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy

Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) offer actualized and prospective utility in optoelectronic technologies, yet key aspects of their thermal and vibrational behaviors remain unresolved. Compared with bulk crystals, heat dissipation involving NCs can differ substantially owing to pervasiveness of interfacial scattering, phonon confinement, and relaxed phonon momentum selection rules, as well as influences of ligands. Here, in addition to transient absorption, we use femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy to track nonequilibrium optical-phonon dynamics in InP NCs capped with myristic acid ligands and compare the same particles coated with a ZnS shell. We identify distinct phonon decay pathways in ligand-capped versus ZnS-shelled NCs. Increasing the excitation density and introducing the ZnS shell measurably modify optical-phonon lifetimes, whereas phonon formation times remain largely unchanged. In addition, we observe phonon mode softening in ligand-capped nanocrystals, consistent with lattice expansion. Together, these results demonstrate that core–shell structures can strongly govern nanocrystal thermal dissipation pathways and should be considered a key design parameter for optoelectronic operation.

dissipation↗
NASA NTRS2008

Vibration Performance Comparison Study on Current Fiber Optic Connector Technologies

Fiber optic cables are increasingly being used in harsh environments where they are subjected to vibration. Understanding the degradation in performance under these conditions is essential for integration of the fibers into the given application. System constraints oftentimes require fiber optic connectors so subsystems can be removed or assembled as needed. In the present work, various types of fiber optic connectors were monitored in-situ during vibration testing to examine the transient change in optical transmission and the steady-state variation following the event. Inspection of the fiber endfaces and connectors was performed at chosen intervals throughout the testing.

Ott, Melanie N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Polarimetric analysis of mass transfer in the X-ray transient A0538-66

Observations of optical polarimetric variations of the recurrent X-ray transient A0538-66 during outbursts 99 and 75 are used to investigate the redistribution of gas in the system during periastron passage. The results are consistent with the polarization arising from light in the primary (Be-star) neighborhood which is scattered off a Be-star type disk and a large gas cloud created near periatron by the neutron star passage. It is suggested that the cloud persists near the periastron direction for longer than the Keplerian rotation time of the inner Be-star disk.

Clayton, Geoffrey C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Location of the Norma transient with the HEAO 1 scanning modulation collimator

A precise position has been obtained for an X-ray transient source in Norma. The location uncertainty includes a variable star previously suggested to be the optical counterpart. This transient is associated with the steady X-ray source MX 1608-52 and probably with an X-ray burst source. A binary system containing a low-mass primary and a neutron-star or black-hole secondary of a few solar masses is consistent with the observations.

Fabbiano, G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The MOST Hosts Survey: Spectroscopic Observation of the Host Galaxies of ∼40,000 Transients Using DESI

We present the Multi-Object Spectroscopy of Transient (MOST) Hosts survey. The survey is planned to run throughout the 5 yr of operation of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and will generate a spectroscopic catalog of the hosts of most transients observed to date, in particular all the supernovae observed by most public, untargeted, wide-field, optical surveys (Palomar Transient Factory, PTF/intermediate PTF, Sloan Digital Sky Survey II, Zwicky Transient Facility, DECAT, DESIRT). Science cases for the MOST Hosts survey include Type Ia supernova cosmology, fundamental plane and peculiar velocity measurements, and the understanding of the correlations between transients and their host-galaxy properties. Here we present the first release of the MOST Hosts survey: 21,931 hosts of 20,235 transients. These numbers represent 36% of the final MOST Hosts sample, consisting of 60,212 potential host galaxies of 38,603 transients (a transient can be assigned multiple potential hosts). Of all the transients in the MOST Hosts list, only 26.7% have existing classifications, and so the survey will provide redshifts (and luminosities) for nearly 30,000 transients. A preliminary Hubble diagram and a transient luminosity–duration diagram are shown as examples of future potential uses of the MOST Hosts survey. The survey will also provide a training sample of spectroscopically observed transients for classifiers relying only on photometry, as we enter an era when most newly observed transients will lack spectroscopic classification. The MOST Hosts DESI survey data will be released on a rolling cadence and updated to match the DESI releases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Fast, Luminous Ultraviolet Transient AT2018cow: Extreme Supernova, or Disruption of a Star by an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole?

Wide-field optical surveys have begun to uncover large samples of fast (trise <~ 5 d), luminous (Mpeak < −18), blue transients. While commonly attributed to the breakout of a supernova shock into a dense wind, the great distances to the transients of this class found so far have hampered detailed investigation of their properties. We present photometry and spectroscopy from a comprehensive worldwide campaign to observe AT 2018cow (ATLAS 18qqn), the first fast-luminous optical transient to be found in real time at low redshift. Our first spectra (<2 days after discovery) are entirely featureless. A very broad absorption feature suggestive of near relativistic velocities develops between 3 and 8 days, then disappears. Broad emission features of H and He develop after >10 days. The spectrum remains extremely hot throughout its evolution, and the photospheric radius contracts with time (receding below R < 1014 cm after 1 month). This behaviour does not match that of any known supernova, although a relativistic jet within a fallback supernova could explain some of the observed features. Alternatively, the transient could originate from the disruption of a star by an intermediate-mass black hole, although this would require long-lasting emission of highly super-Eddington thermal radiation. In either case, AT 2018cow suggests that the population of fast luminous transients represents a new class of astrophysical event. Intensive follow-up of this event in its late phases, and of any future events found at comparable distance, will be essential to better constrain their origins.

Black-hole↗
NASA NTRS1997

ROSAT Observations of a New X-ray Transient in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We describe ROSAT observations of a new X-ray transient and its probable optical companion in the Small Magellanic Cloud, The transient, designated RX J0117.6-7330, appeared at a position approx. 5 southeast of the X-ray pulsar, SMC X-1, in 1992 October 1-2 PSPC observations centered on the pulsar. It was detected again in a similar observation 246 days later at a counting rate diminished by a factor of 270, which corresponds to an average e-folding decay time of 44 days. No periodic pulsations have been detected. The average 1992 flux level would be produced by a source radiating isotropically with a luminosity of 1.6 x 10(exp 37) (D/50 kpc)(exp 2) ergs 1/s in the energy range 0.2-2.5 keV. The 5 radius positional error circle includes the probable optical counterpart in the form of a magnitude V = 14.2 star with the spectral characteristics of type Be.

Clark, George W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

ROSAT Observations of a New X-ray Transient in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We describe ROSAT observations of a new X-ray transient and its probable optical companion in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The transient, designated RX J0117.6-7330, appeared at a position approximately 5 min southeast of the X-ray pulsar, SMC X-1, in 1992 October 1-2 PSPC observations centered on the pulsar. It was detected again in a similar observation 246 days later at a counting rate diminished by a factor of 270, which corresponds to an average epsilon-folding decay time of 44 days. No periodic pulsations have been detected. The average 1992 flux level would be produced by a source radiating isotropically with a luminosity of 1.6 X 10(exp 37)(D/50 kpc)(exp 2) ergs/s in the energy range 0.2-2.5 keV. The 5 sec radius positional error circle includes the probable optical counterpart in the form of a magnitude V = 14.2 star with the spectral characteristics of type Be.

Clark, George W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Gain roll-off in cadmium selenide colloidal quantum wells under intense optical excitation

Colloidal quantum wells, or nanoplatelets, show among the lowest thresholds for amplified spontaneous emission and lasing among solution-cast materials and among the highest modal gains of any known materials. Using solution measurements of colloidal quantum wells, this work shows that under photoexcitation, optical gain increases with pump fluence before rolling off due to broad photoinduced absorption at energies lower than the band gap. Despite the common occurrence of gain induced by an electron–hole plasma found in bulk materials and epitaxial quantum wells, under no measurement conditions was the excitonic absorption of the colloidal quantum wells extinguished and gain arising from a plasma observed. Instead, like gain, excitonic absorption reaches a minimum intensity near a photoinduced carrier sheet density of 2 × 10 13 cm –2 above which the absorption peak begins to recover. To understand the origins of these saturation and reversal effects, measurements were performed with different excitation energies, which deposit differing amounts of excess energy above the band gap. Across many samples, it was consistently observed that less energetic excitation results in stronger excitonic bleaching and gain for a given carrier density. Transient and static optical measurements at elevated temperatures, as well as transient X-ray diffraction of the samples, suggest that the origin of gain saturation and reversal is a heating and disordering of the colloidal quantum wells which produces sub-gap photoinduced absorption.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Charge carrier coupling to the soft phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor

Many crystalline solids possess strongly anharmonic “soft” phonon modes characterized by diminishing frequency as temperature approaches a critical point associated with a symmetry breaking phase transition. While electron–soft phonon coupling can introduce unique scattering channels for charge carriers in ferroelectrics, recent studies on the nonferroelectric lead halide perovskites have also suggested the central role of anharmonic phonons bearing resemblance to soft modes in charge carrier screening. Here we apply coherent phonon spectroscopy to directly study electron coupling to the soft transverse optical phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor SbSI. Photogenerated charge carriers in SbSI are found to be exceptionally long lived and are associated with a transient electro-optical effect that can be explained by interactions between charge carriers and thermally stimulated soft phonon excitations. Furthermore, these results provide strong evidence for the role of electron–soft phonon coupling in the efficient screening of charge carriers and in reducing charge recombination rates, both desirable properties for optoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2020

Space Launch Vehicle Transient Particle Redistribution Modeling and Implications for Optically Sensitive Payloads

The performance of contamination sensitive components—such as optical components—can be degraded by particulate matter depositing on the surfaces. Particles can accumulate during manufacturing, handling and operation. For a space-based system, particles can shed from the fairing and redistribute onto sensitive surfaces during launch. An engineering modeling approach has been developed for modeling particle migration during launch. The approach involves particle detachment from the fairing, particle transport through the venting atmosphere inside the fairing, and attachment to the receiving surface. Particle size and amounts on the fairing surface can be modeled using distributions from standards, such as IEST-STD-CC1246E, as well as from empirical data obtained from tape lifts. Surface interactions are modeled using theoretical as well as empirical data. Commercial computational fluid dynamics codes are used to calculate the gas flow in the fairing during depressurization during launch. This approach not only provides insight into particle redistribution during launch but also can be used to establish fairing cleanliness requirements.

Brieda, Lubos↗
DOE OSTI2026

A metastable tetragonal phase in two-dimensional halide perovskite lattices driven by a coherent Higgs mode

The optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskites are defined by their coupled structural and photophysical properties, yet their lattice behaviour remains underexplored. Here, using impulsive stimulated Raman spectroscopy, we study light-induced phonon dynamics of two-dimensional butylammonium lead iodide ((BA) 2 PbI 4 ) films under varying excitation intensities, photon energies and temperatures. We reveal that, whereas (BA) 2 PbI 4 exhibits two thermally accessible orthorhombic phases, optically excited phonons transiently direct the lattice to a distinct, higher symmetry tetragonal phase. We show that bandgap oscillations arise from simultaneous distortions of in-plane and out-of-plane octahedral tilt angles with oscillations following a low-to-high symmetry pathway, marked by two vibrational frequencies independent of intensity—a signature of an optically excited Higgs mode. Notably, the Higgs mode at below-bandgap excitation induces a fourfold larger spectral shift than above-bandgap, where photogenerated charge carriers drive the system away from the optically induced tetragonal phase. This study illustrates how optomechanical coupling influences the optical properties of two-dimensional perovskites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unveiling long-lived dual emission in a tetraphenylethylene-based metal–organic framework

Incorporating photoactive linkers into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has proved useful in improving photophysical properties of organic chromophores. This is achieved by controlling the local packing of linkers or defect engineering within the MOF. Using these ideas, we demonstrate that a tetraphenylethylene-based MOF exhibits long-lived linker-based emission out to 1 μs—substantially longer than previously reported. The emission contains two independent components whose dynamics branch from early timescales. Furthermore these findings suggest that charge recombination and distinct defect sites exist and contribute a weak yet detectable emission, and demonstrate how high-sensitivity transient photoluminescence spectroscopy can reveal unexpected populations in nominally crystalline materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

The effect of jet–ejecta interaction on the viewing angle dependence of kilonova light curves

ABSTRACT The merger of two neutron stars produces an outflow of radioactive heavy nuclei. Within a second of merger, the central remnant is expected to also launch a relativistic jet, which shock-heats and disrupts a portion of the radioactive ejecta. Within a few hours, emission from the radioactive material gives rise to an ultraviolet, optical, and infrared transient (a kilonova). We use the endstates of a suite of 2D relativistic hydrodynamic simulations of jet–ejecta interaction as initial conditions for multidimensional Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations of the resulting viewing angle-dependent light curves and spectra starting at $1.5\, \mathrm{h}$ after merger. We find that on this time-scale, jet shock heating does not affect the kilonova emission for the jet parameters we survey. However, the jet disruption to the density structure of the ejecta does change the light curves. The jet carves a channel into the otherwise spheroidal ejecta, revealing the hot, inner regions. As seen from near (≲30°) the jet axis, the kilonova is brighter by a factor of a few and bluer. The strength of this effect depends on the jet parameters, since the light curves of more heavily disrupted ejecta are more strongly affected. The light curves and spectra are also more heavily modified in the ultraviolet than in the optical.

Klion, Hannah↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ultrafast photoinduced band splitting and carrier dynamics in chiral tellurium nanosheets

Trigonal tellurium (Te) is a chiral semiconductor that lacks both mirror and inversion symmetries, resulting in complex band structures with Weyl crossings and unique spin textures. Detailed time-resolved polarized reflectance spectroscopy is used to investigate its band structure and carrier dynamics. The polarized transient spectra reveal optical transitions between the uppermost spin-split H4 and H5 and the degenerate H6 valence bands (VB) and the lowest degenerate H6 conduction band (CB) as well as a higher energy transition at the Lpoint. Surprisingly, the degeneracy of the H6 CB (a proposed Weyl node) is lifted and the spin-split VB gap is reduced upon photoexcitation before relaxing to equilibrium as the carriers decay. Using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we conclude that the dynamic band structure is caused by a photoinduced shear strain in the Te film that breaks the screw symmetry of the crystal. The band-edge anisotropy is also reflected in the hot carrier decay rate, which is a factor of two slower along the c-axis than perpendicular to it. The majority of photoexcited carriers near the band-edge are seen to recombine within 30 ps while higher lying transitions observed near 1.2 eV appear to have substantially longer lifetimes, potentially due to contributions of intervalley processes in the recombination rate. These new findings shed light on the strong correlation between photoinduced carriers and electronic structure in anisotropic crystals, which opens a potential pathway for designing novel Te-based devices that take advantage of the topological structures as well as strong spin-related properties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Promoting multiexciton interactions in singlet fission and triplet fusion upconversion dendrimers

Abstract Singlet fission and triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion are two multiexciton processes intimately related to the dynamic interaction between one high-lying energy singlet and two low-lying energy triplet excitons. Here, we introduce a series of dendritic macromolecules that serve as platform to study the effect of interchromophore interactions on the dynamics of multiexciton generation and decay as a function of dendrimer generation. The dendrimers (generations 1–4) consist of trimethylolpropane core and 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA) dendrons that provide exponential growth of the branches, leading to a corona decorated with pentacenes for SF or anthracenes for TTA-UC. The findings reveal a trend where a few highly ordered sites emerge as the dendrimer generation grows, dominating the multiexciton dynamics, as deduced from optical spectra, and transient absorption spectroscopy. While the dendritic structures enhance TTA-UC at low annihilator concentrations in the largest dendrimers, the paired chromophore interactions induce a broadened and red-shifted excimer emission. In SF dendrimers of higher generations, the triplet dynamics become increasingly dominated by pairwise sites exhibiting strong coupling (Type II), which can be readily distinguished from sites with weaker coupling (Type I) by their spectral dynamics and decay kinetics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗