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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Global Simulations of Gravitational Instability in Protostellar Disks with Full Radiation Transport. II. Locality of Gravitoturbulence, Clumpy Spirals, and Implications for Observable Substructure

Spiral perturbations in a gravitationally unstable accretion disk regulate disk evolution through angular momentum transport and heating and provide an observational signature of gravitational instability (GI). We use global 3D simulations to systematically characterize and understand these spiral perturbations. The spiral perturbations and the resulting transport are overall insensitive to the cooling type, with the exception that radiative cooling, especially in the optically thick regime, reduces the amplitude of temperature perturbations. Spiral perturbations are localized around corotation, allowing transport to be approximated by a local α viscosity to zeroth order in aspect ratio (H/R), but only after averaging over multiple orbits in time and/or multiple scale heights in space. Meanwhile, large-amplitude perturbations from strong gravitoturbulence can cause $\mathcal{O}$(α 1/2 ) deviation in the cooling rate of the disk. We develop empirical prescriptions for the angular momentum transport, heating, and cooling in a gravitoturbulent disk that capture the deviation from a viscous, unperturbed disk to first order in H/R and α 1/2 . The spiral perturbations in saturated gravitoturbulence are clumpy, with dense clumps forming through the nonlinear coupling between multiple modes at different m. Observationally, the clumpy gravitoturbulence produced by saturated GI can be mistaken with observational noise or embedded companions, especially under finite resolution. Meanwhile, grand-design spirals with m-fold symmetry may be uncommon among disks in saturated gravitoturbulence, and we speculate that they may instead be a signature of recently triggered or decaying GI.

Gravitational instability↗
DOE OSTI2025

Screw-Dislocation-Driven Growth of 2D Perovskite Spiral Microplates

Two-dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic halide perovskites are solution-processable semiconductors that are promising for optoelectronic applications. Understanding crystallization mechanisms to achieve control over nanostructures is important for optimizing desired properties. Here we introduce a versatile strategy to synthesize spiral microplates of diverse 2D perovskites at the air–water interface through screw-dislocation-driven growth. Spirals of 11 2D perovskite compositions (LA) 2 (A) n−1 Pb n X 3n+1 with different spacer (LA) cations, A-cations, halide (X) anions, and n-number can be grown. They typically consist of single- or few-layer perovskite step heights but exhibit stacking complexity when multiple dislocations interact. The spiral microplates exhibit the characteristic optical properties (photoluminescence and second-harmonic generation) of the underlying 2D perovskites. Fluorescence-detected circular dichroism imaging shows that the chirality of the spiral center does not translate to the observed chiroptical properties of the microplate, consistent with the length scale of the chiral distortion. Furthermore, this solution growth of perovskite spirals diversifies the perovskite microstructures for optoelectronics and other applications.

2D halide perovskites↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and expected performance of a variable-radii sinusoidal spiral x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility

A novel high-resolution x-ray spectrometer for point-like emission sources has been developed using a crystal shape having both a variable major and a variable minor radius of curvature. This variable-radii sinusoidal spiral spectrometer (VR-Spiral) allows three common spectrometer design goals to be achieved simultaneously: 1. reduction of aberrations and improved spectral (energy) resolution, 2. reduction of source size broadening, and 3. use of large crystals to improve total throughput. The VR-Spiral concept and its application to practical spectrometer design are described in detail. This concept is then used to design a spectrometer for an extreme extended x-ray absorption fine structure experiment at the National Ignition Facility looking at the Pb L 3 absorption edge at 13.0352 keV. The expected performance of this VR-Spiral spectrometer, both in terms of energy resolution and spatial resolution, is evaluated through the use of a newly developed raytracing tool, xicsrt. Finally, the expected performance of the VR-Spiral concept is compared to that of spectrometers based on conventional toroidal and variable-radii toroidal crystal geometries showing a greatly improved energy resolution.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Galaxy Zoo: 3D – crowdsourced bar, spiral, and foreground star masks for MaNGA target galaxies

ABSTRACT The challenge of consistent identification of internal structure in galaxies – in particular disc galaxy components like spiral arms, bars, and bulges – has hindered our ability to study the physical impact of such structure across large samples. In this paper we present Galaxy Zoo: 3D (GZ:3D) a crowdsourcing project built on the Zooniverse platform that we used to create spatial pixel (spaxel) maps that identify galaxy centres, foreground stars, galactic bars, and spiral arms for 29 831 galaxies that were potential targets of the MaNGA survey (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory, part of the fourth phase of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys or SDSS-IV), including nearly all of the 10 010 galaxies ultimately observed. Our crowdsourced visual identification of asymmetric internal structures provides valuable insight on the evolutionary role of non-axisymmetric processes that is otherwise lost when MaNGA data cubes are azimuthally averaged. We present the publicly available GZ:3D catalogue alongside validation tests and example use cases. These data may in the future provide a useful training set for automated identification of spiral arm features. As an illustration, we use the spiral masks in a sample of 825 galaxies to measure the enhancement of star formation spatially linked to spiral arms, which we measure to be a factor of three over the background disc, and how this enhancement increases with radius.

Masters, Karen L. (ORCID:0000000308469578)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Star-forming S0 Galaxies in SDSS-MaNGA: fading spirals or rejuvenated S0s?

ABSTRACT We investigate the origin of rare star formation in an otherwise red-and-dead population of S0 galaxies, using spatially resolved spectroscopy. Our sample consists of 120 low redshift (z < 0.1) star-forming S0 (SF-S0) galaxies from the SDSS-IV MaNGA DR15. We have selected this sample after a visual inspection of deep images from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys DR9 and the Subaru/HSC-SSP survey PDR3 to remove contamination from spiral galaxies. We also construct two control samples of star-forming spirals (SF-Sps) and quenched S0s (Q-S0s) to explore their evolutionary link with the star-forming S0s. To study star formation at resolved scales, we use dust-corrected H α luminosity and stellar density (Σ⋆) maps to construct radial profiles of star formation rate (SFR) surface density (ΣSFR) and specific SFR (sSFR). Examining these radial profiles, we find that star formation in SF-S0s is centrally dominated as opposed to disc-dominated star formation in spirals. We also compared various global (size–mass relation, bulge-to-total luminosity ratio) and local (central stellar velocity dispersion) properties of SF-S0s to those of the control sample galaxies. We find that SF-S0s are structurally similar to the quenched S0s and are different from star-forming spirals. We infer that SF-S0s are unlikely to be fading spirals. Inspecting stellar and gas velocity maps, we find that more than $50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the SF-S0 sample shows signs of recent galaxy interactions such as kinematic misalignment, counter-rotation, and unsettled kinematics. Based on these results, we conclude that in our sample of SF-S0s, star formation has been rejuvenated, with minor mergers likely to be a major driver.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

GALAXY CRUISE: Spiral and ring classifications for bright galaxies at z = 0.01–0.3

Abstract This paper presents a morphology classification catalog of spiral and ring features of 59854 magnitude-limited galaxies (r < 17.8 mag, and additional 628005 subsamples down to r = 20 mag) at z = 0.01–0.3 based on the Third Public Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program. We employ two deep-learning classifiers to determine the spiral and ring structures separately based on GALAXY CRUISE Data Release 1, which is dedicated to Hyper Suprime-Cam data. The number of spiral and ring galaxies contain 31864 and 8808 sources, respectively, which constitute 53% and 15% of the sample. A notable result of this study is the construction of a large sample of ring galaxies utilizing high-quality imaging data delivered by the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam. However, the accurate identification of ring galaxies remains difficult at a limited seeing resolution. Additionally, we confirm that most spiral galaxies are located on the star-forming main sequence, whereas ring galaxies preferentially reside in the green valley at stellar masses of 1010.5–1011 solar mass. Furthermore, decreasing fractions of spiral and ring galaxies are observed toward the centers of the galaxy clusters. The obtained morphology catalog is publicly available on the GALAXY CRUISE website.

Shimakawa, Rhythm (ORCID:0000000344422750)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spiral Spin Liquid on a Honeycomb Lattice

Spiral spin liquids are correlated paramagnetic states with degenerate propagation vectors forming a continuous ring or surface in reciprocal space. On the honeycomb lattice, spiral spin liquids present a novel route to realize emergent fracton excitations, quantum spin liquids, and topological spin textures, yet experimental realizations remain elusive. Here, using neutron scattering, we show that a spiral spin liquid is realized in the van der Waals honeycomb magnet FeCl3. A continuous ring of scattering is directly observed, which indicates the emergence of an approximate U(1) symmetry in momentum space. Our work demonstrates that spiral spin liquids can be achieved in two-dimensional systems and provides a promising platform to study the fracton physics in spiral spin liquids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Kölliker's Organ Functions as a Developmental Hub in Mouse Cochlea Regulating Spiral Limbus and Tectorial Membrane Development

Kölliker's organ is a transient developmental structure in the mouse cochlea that undergoes significant remodeling postnatally. Utilizing an epithelial-specific conditional deletion mouse model of Prdm16 (marker and regulator of Kölliker's organ), we show that Prdm16 is required for interdental cell development, and thereby the development of the limbal domain of the tectorial membrane and its medial anchorage to the spiral limbus. Additionally, we show that Kölliker's organ is involved in normal tectorial membrane collagen fibril development and maturation. Interestingly, mesenchymal cells of the spiral limbus underneath Prdm16 -deficient Kölliker's organ failed to produce interstitial matrix proteins, resulting in a hypoplastic and truncated spiral limbus, indicating a non-cell autonomous role of Prdm16 in regulating spiral mesenchymal matrix development. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified differentially expressed genes in Prdm16 -deficient Kölliker's organ suggesting a role for connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) downstream Prdm16 in epithelial-mesenchymal signaling involved in spiral limbus matrix deposition. Prdm16 -deficient mice showed a hearing deficit, as indicated by elevated auditory brainstem response thresholds at most frequencies, consistent with the cochlear structural defects. Both sexes were studied. This work establishes Prdm16 as a deafness gene in mice through its role in regulating Kölliker's organ development. Such understanding recognizes Kölliker's organ as a developmental hub regulating multiple surrounding cochlear structures.

Zhang, Hongji↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observational Signatures of Planets in Protoplanetary Disks: Temperature Structures in Spiral Arms

High-resolution imaging of protoplanetary disks has unveiled a rich diversity of spiral structure, some of which may arise from disk-planet interaction. Using 3D hydrodynamics with β cooling to a vertically stratified background, as well as radiative-transfer modeling, we investigate the temperature rise in planet-driven spirals. In rapidly cooling disks, the temperature rise is dominated by a contribution from stellar irradiation, 0.3%–3% inside the planet radius but always < 0.5% outside. When cooling time equals or exceeds dynamical time, however, this is overwhelmed by hydrodynamic PdV work, which introduces a ~10%–20% perturbation within a factor of ~2 from the planet’s orbital radius. We devise an empirical fit of the spiral amplitude Δ(T)=(M{sub p}/M{sub th}){sup c}(f{sub PdV}e{sup -t{sub a}{sub r}{sub m}/t{sub c}}+f{sub rad}) to take into account both effects. Where cooling is slow, we find also that temperature perturbations from buoyancy spirals—a strictly 3D, nonisothermal phenomenon—become nearly as strong as those from Lindblad spirals, which are amenable to 2D and isothermal studies. Our findings may help explain observed thermal features in disks like TW Hydrae and CQ Tauri, and underscore that 3D effects have a qualitatively important effect on disk structure.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

ESCARGOT: Mapping Vertical Phase Spiral Characteristics Throughout the Real and Simulated Milky Way

Abstract The recent discovery of a spiral pattern in the vertical kinematic structure in the solar neighborhood provides a prime opportunity to study nonequilibrium dynamics in the Milky Way from local stellar kinematics. Furthermore, results from simulations indicate that even in a limited volume, differences in stellar orbital histories allow us to trace variations in the initial perturbation across large regions of the disk. We present ESCARGOT , a novel algorithm for studying these variations in both simulated and observed data sets. ESCARGOT automatically extracts key quantities from the structure of a given phase spiral, including the time since perturbation and the perturbation mode. We test ESCARGOT on simulated data and show that it is capable of accurately recovering information about the time since the perturbation occurred as well as subtle differences in phase spiral morphology due to stellar locations in the disk at the time of perturbation. We apply ESCARGOT to kinematic data from data release 3 of the Gaia mission in bins of guiding radius. We show that similar structural differences in morphology occur in the Gaia phase spirals as a function of stellar orbital history. These results indicate that the phase spirals are the product of a complex dynamical response in the disk with large-scale coupling between different regions of phase space.

Darragh-Ford, Elise (ORCID:0000000288005652)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spiral antenna assembly with integrated feed network structure and method of manufacture

A spiral antenna assembly with an integrated feed network and method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The spiral antenna assembly may comprise a supporting structure integrally formed with a feed network structure, thereby presenting a monolithic structure. A spiral antenna element may be disposed on a bottom surface or a top surface of the supporting structure. The feed network structure may comprise the feed network and project from a center of the top surface of the supporting structure. The feed network may comprise a microstrip balun architecture. The spiral antenna assembly may be formed by additively manufacturing the supporting structure and the feed network structure. A laser direct structuring process may write and activate the spiral antenna element on the supporting structure and the feed network on the feed network structure.

Byers, Kyle J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Rotation curves and scaling relations of extremely massive spiral galaxies

We study the kinematics and scaling relations of a sample of 43 giant spiral galaxies that have stellar masses exceeding $10^{11} \, {\rm M}_\odot$ and optical discs up to 80 kpc in radius. We use a hybrid 3D–1D approach to fit 3D kinematic models to long-slit observations of the H α-$\rm{[N\, \small {II}]}$ emission lines and we obtain robust rotation curves of these massive systems. We find that all galaxies in our sample seem to reach a flat part of the rotation curve within the outermost optical radius. We use the derived kinematics to study the high-mass end of the two most important scaling relations for spiral galaxies: the stellar/baryonic mass Tully–Fisher relation and the Fall (mass-angular momentum) relation. All galaxies in our sample, with the possible exception of the two fastest rotators, lie comfortably on both these scaling relations determined at lower masses, without any evident break or bend at the high-mass regime. When we combine our high-mass sample with low-mass data from the Spitzer Photometry & Accurate Rotation Curves catalogue, we find a slope of α = 4.25 ± 0.19 for the stellar Tully–Fisher relation and a slope of γ = 0.64 ± 0.11 for the Fall relation. Our results indicate that most, if not all, of these rare, giant spiral galaxies are scaled up versions of less massive discs and that spiral galaxies are a self-similar population of objects up to the very high-mass end.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detection of a Superluminous Spiral Galaxy in the Heart of a Massive Galaxy Cluster

It is well established that brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), residing in the centers of galaxy clusters, are typically massive and quenched galaxies with cD or elliptical morphology. An optical survey suggested that an exotic galaxy population, superluminous spiral and lenticular galaxies, could be the BCGs of some galaxy clusters. Because the cluster membership and the centroid of a cluster cannot be accurately determined based solely on optical data, we followed up a sample of superluminous disk galaxies and their environments using XMM-Newton X-ray observations. Specifically, we explored seven superluminous spiral and lenticular galaxies that are candidate BCGs. We detected massive galaxy clusters around five superluminous disk galaxies and established that one superluminous spiral, 2MASX J16273931+3002239, is the central BCG of a galaxy cluster. The temperature and total mass of the cluster are ${{kT}}_{500}={3.55}_{-0.20}^{+0.18}$ keV and M 500 = (2.39 ± 0.19) × 10 14 M ⊙ . We identified the central galaxies of the four clusters that do not host superluminous disk galaxies at their cores, and established that the centrals are massive elliptical galaxies. However, for two of the clusters, the offset superluminous spirals are brighter than the central galaxies, implying that the superluminous disk galaxies are the brightest cluster galaxies. Our results demonstrate that superluminous disk galaxies are rarely the central systems of galaxy clusters. This is likely because galactic disks are destroyed by major mergers, which are more frequent in high-density environments. We speculate that the disks of superluminous disk galaxies in cluster cores may have been reformed due to mergers with gas-rich satellites.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The haloes and environments of nearby galaxies ( HERON ) – III. A 45-kpc spiral structure in the GLSB galaxy UGC 4599

ABSTRACT We use a 0.7-m telescope in the framework of the Halos and Environments of Nearby Galaxies (HERON) survey to probe low surface brightness (LSB) structures in nearby galaxies. One of our targets, UGC 4599, is usually classified as an early-type galaxy surrounded by a blue ring making it a potential Hoag’s Object analogue. Prior photometric studies of UGC 4599 were focused on its bright core and the blue ring. However, the HERON survey allows us to study its faint extended regions. With an 8-h integration, we detect an extremely faint outer disc with an extrapolated central surface brightness of μ0, d(r) = 25.5 mag arcsec−2 down to 31 mag arcsec−2 and a scale length of 15 kpc. We identify two distinct spiral arms of pitch angle ∼6○ surrounding the ring. The spiral arms are detected out to ∼45 kpc in radius and the faint disc continues to ∼70 kpc. These features are also seen in the GALEX far- and near-ultraviolet bands, in a deep u-band image from the 4.3-m Lowell Discovery Telescope (which reveals inner spiral structure emerging from the core), and in H i. We compare this galaxy to ordinary spiral and elliptical galaxies, giant low surface brightness (GLSB) galaxies, and Hoag’s Object itself using several standard galaxy scaling relations. We conclude that the pseudo-bulge and disc properties of UGC 4599 significantly differ from those of Hoag’s Object and of normal galaxies, pointing toward a GLSB galaxy nature and filamentary accretion of gas to generate its outer disc.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Reversible electron spirals by chirped attopulses at zero time delay

A class of linear, spiral phenomena is discovered in the photoelectron momentum distribution when studying photoionization of S -state atoms by a pair of linearly chirped, oppositely circularly polarized attosecond pulses eventually delayed in time by $\tau$. This controllable effect, dubbed. reversible electron spirals because of its energy-dependent sense of rotation, is identified and can be isolated in the absence of time delay for the case of opposite chirp rates. Further, the astrophysical concept of spiral arm pitch angle is borrowed to gain a better insight into the energy dependence of the reversible spiral rotation, to determine the attochirp as well as the binding energy characteristic of an atomic target. Our results indicate potential applications in attochirpmetry and polarimetry.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spin spiral and topological Hall effect in Fe 3 Ga 4

A new mechanism for the topological Hall effect (THE) was recently proposed for the spiral magnet YMn 6 Sn 6 , which requires transverse conical spiral magnetism, induced by external magnetic field, combined with thermally excited helical spiral magnons. In principle, this mechanism should be applicable to other itinerant spiral magnets as well. Here, we show that another magnetic compound, Fe 3 Ga 4 , in which THE was observed experimentally before, in one of its phases satisfies this condition, and the proposed theory of thermal-fluctuation-driven THE is quantitatively consistent with the experiment. This finding suggests that this mechanism is indeed rather universal, and the effect may have been observed in other compounds before but overlooked.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Codimension-two spiral spin liquid in the effective honeycomb-lattice compound Cs 3 ⁢Fe 2 ⁢Cl 9

A codimension-two spiral spin liquid is a correlated paramagnetic state with one-dimensional ground state degeneracy hosted within a three-dimensional lattice. Here, in this work, via neutron scattering experiments and numerical simulations, we establish the existence of a codimension-two spiral spin liquid in the effective honeycomb-lattice compound Cs 3 ⁢Fe 2⁢ Cl 9 , which demonstrates an alternate path to spiral spin liquids by overcoming the long-standing impediment of weak further-neighbor interactions. In the long-range ordered regime, competing spiral and spin density wave orders emerge as a function of applied magnetic field, among which a possible order-by-disorder transition is identified.

Monte Carlo methods↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Origin of the Doppler Flip in HD 100546: A Large-scale Spiral Arm Generated by an Inner Binary Companion

Companions at subarcsecond separation from young stars are difficult to image. However, their presence can be inferred from the perturbations they create in the dust and gas of protoplanetary disks. Here we present a new interpretation of SPHERE polarized observations that reveal the previously detected inner spiral in the disk of HD 100546. The spiral coincides with a newly detected 12 CO inner spiral and the previously reported CO emission Doppler flip, which has been interpreted as the signature of an embedded protoplanet. Comparisons with hydrodynamical models indicate that this Doppler flip is instead the kinematic counterpart of the spiral, which is likely generated by an inner companion inside the disk cavity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗