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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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NASA NTRS1975

Optical studies of 10 high galactic latitude X-ray sources

Optical studies are reported for a representative sample of 10 unidentified high galactic latitude X-ray sources that are north of declination minus 25 deg and that have 3U error boxes less than or of the order of 0.5 square degrees. The source 3U 1410-03 is identified with a peculiar emission-line spiral galaxy, NGC 5506, and a distance group 4 rich cluster of galaxies, Abell 2142, is suggested as a possible identification for 3U 1555+27. It is shown that very few of the unidentified high galactic latitude sources are quasi-stellar sources brighter than 17.5 mag, although one possible X-ray quasar, NAB 0137-01, is reported.

Bahcall, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The EXIST Mission Concept Study

EXIST is a mission designed to find and study black holes (BHs) over a wide range of environments and masses, including: 1) BHs accreting from binary companions or dense molecular clouds throughout our Galaxy and the Local Group, 2) supermassive black holes (SMBHs) lying dormant in galaxies that reveal their existence by disrupting passing stars, and 3) SMBHs that are hidden from our view at lower energies due to obscuration by the gas that they accrete. 4) the birth of stellar mass BHs which is accompanied by long cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) which are seen several times a day and may be associated with the earliest stars to form in the Universe. EXIST will provide an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity and angular resolution as well as greater spectral resolution and bandwidth compared with earlier hard X-ray survey telescopes. With an onboard optical-infra red (IR) telescope, EXIST will measure the spectra and redshifts of GRBs and their utility as cosmological probes of the highest z universe and epoch of reionization. The mission would retain its primary goal of being the Black Hole Finder Probe in the Beyond Einstein Program. However, the new design for EXIST proposed to be studied here represents a significant advance from its previous incarnation as presented to BEPAC. The mission is now less than half the total mass, would be launched on the smallest EELV available (Atlas V-401) for a Medium Class mission, and most importantly includes a two-telescope complement that is ideally suited for the study of both obscured and very distant BHs. EXIST retains its very wide field hard X-ray imaging High Energy Telescope (HET) as the primary instrument, now with improved angular and spectral resolution, and in a more compact payload that allows occasional rapid slews for immediate optical/IR imaging and spectra of GRBs and AGN as well as enhanced hard X-ray spectra and timing with pointed observations. The mission would conduct a 2 year full sky survey in scanning mode, interrupted for several orbits per day by GRB follow-ups, followed by a combined pointing-scanning mission phase for optical/IR spectroscopy and redshifts for the large AGN sample found in the survey as well as GRBs and LSST transients. A Team of university, NASA, and industry investigators will conduct the study to determine the full sensitivity and capabilities of this new configuration for EXIST. It will build on the extensive studies of the prior design for the mission and the HET and will incorporate the optical/IR telescope (hereafter IRT) now fully developed by our ITT partner for the NextView Commercial Remote Sensing mission (early 2008 launch) with a focal plane to be developed at GSFC based in part on JWST/NIRSPEC designs. No new technology is needed for either the IRT or HET instruments. The study will pay close attention to full mission cost and present a design for the Decadal Survey Workshop to ensure this even more capable EXIST mission is once again part of the next Decadal Survey.

Fishman, Gerald J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Unusual satellite data: A black hole?

Data obtained by the NASA-launched European Space Agency's International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite suggests the possibility of a massive black hole at the center of some globular clusters (star groups) in our galaxy. Six of these clusters, three of them X-ray sources, were closely examined. Onboard short wavelength UV instrumentation penetrated the background denseness of the clusters 15,000 light years away where radiation, probably from a group of 10 to 20 bright blue stars orbiting the core, was observed. The stars may well be orbiting a massive black hole the size of 1,000 solar systems. The existence of the black hole is uncertain. The dynamics of the stars must be studied first to determine how they rotate in relation to the center of the million-star cluster. This may better indicate what provides the necessary gravitational pull that holds them in orbit.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Detection or Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Decrement in Groups and Clusters Associated with Luminous Red Galaxies

We present a detection of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) decrement associated with the Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The SZ data come from 148 GHz maps of the equatorial region made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). The LRG sample is divided by luminosity into four bins, and estimates for the central Sunyaev-Zel'dovich temperature decrement are calculated through a stacking process. We detect and account for a bias of the SZ signal due to weak radio sources. We use numerical simulations to relate the observed decrement to Y(sub 200) and clustering properties to relate the galaxy luminosity bins to mass. We also use a relation between BCG luminosity and cluster mass based on stacked gravitational lensing measurements to estimate the characteristic halo masses. The masses are found to be in the range approx.10(exp 13) - 10(exp 14)/h Stellar Mass, a lower range than has been previously probed.

Hand, Nick↗
NASA NTRS1989

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies and resonant orbital coupling

The structural properties of the dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way may be strongly affected by their time-dependent interactions with the 'tidal' field of the Milky Way. A low Q resonance of the tidal driving force with collective oscillation modes of the dwarf system can produce many of the observed properties of the Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies, including large velocity dispersions that would normally be interpreted as indicating large dynamical masses.

Kuhn, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The core of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 7457 imaged with the HST planetary camera

A brief analysis is presented of images of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 7457 obtained with the HST Planetary Camera. While the galaxy remains unresolved with the HST, the images reveal that any core most likely has r(c) less than 0.052 arcsec. The light distribution is consistent with a gamma = -1.0 power law inward to the resolution limit, with a possible stellar nucleus with luminosity of 10 million solar. This result represents the first observation outside the Local Group of a galaxy nucleus at this spatial resolution, and it suggests that such small, high surface brightness cores may be common.

Lauer, Tod R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Consolidated Block Grant Proposal to Carry Out the Analysis of Data from the ISO Satellite

This block grant covers the activities of three research groups at STScI: search for cold molecular hydrogen in the galaxy; dust characterization in circumstellar shells around evolved massive stars; and the relationship between dust absorption and emission in galaxies. We proposed to group the efforts and resources available to several approved ISO projects in order to more efficiently deal with the data reduction and analysis. We give a brief description of primary objectives and scope of each project, along with the final status of the project as of the expiration date of the grant. Owing to many delays on the part of the ISO Project, the calibrated data was received very late, which resulted in significant delays in deriving the results. In addition, for one of the components of this project, the ISO data was finally determined to be of too low a quality to be useful.

Allen, Ron↗
NASA NTRS2005

Fossil Groups in the Local Universe

The two galaxies observed as part of this project were originally selected as fossil group candidates because of their isolation from other galaxies and their apparent high X-ray luminosity and extended X-ray emission. However, the X-ray data available was minimal, being drawn from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. We have performed an initial analysis of the XMM data from both galaxies and found that their gaseous halos are smaller, cooler, and less luminous than expected. In the case of NGC 57, the RASS estimate of extent and luminosity was biased because of a previously unidentified background group which is visible in the XMM data to one side of the galaxy. In the case of IC 153 1, the contribution from background point sources near the galaxy appears to be to blame. This suggests that both galaxies should be reclassified as isolated ellipticals. Such systems are very rare, and currently poorly understood; for comparison, there are now 6-10 known fossil groups, but only one isolated elliptical with useful X-ray data. We are currently re-analyzing the data for the two galaxies to take advantage of the calibration improvements of SAS 6.1, and to include calculations of the mass profiles of the two systems. A paper is currently in preparation dealing with the X-ray properties and environment of the galaxies, and we expect to submit this to the Astrophysical Journal within the next two months. Multi-band optical imaging of the field surrounding NGC 57 has been acquired to confirm its isolated status and provide more information on the background group. IC 1531 was accepted as a target in Chandra cycle 6 as part of a related proposal, and we intend to add this new observation to our XMM data when it becomes available. A second paper is planned to include the results of this combined analysis.

OSullivan, Ewan↗
NASA NTRS1994

Structural properties of compact groups

We report the results of a systematic study of galaxies in the regions of Hickson compact groups. Our sample is composed of the 22 Hickson groups which are located in the southern hemisphere and have cz less than 9000 km/s. Making use of digitized images of IIIa-J plates that cover an area of 0.5 x 0.5 deg around each group, we were able to detect and classify images down to a magnitude limit of 19.5 in the B band. This limit is typically three magnitudes fainter than previous studies. Most groups show a statistically significant excess of fainter galaxies compared to the background. These fainter galaxies typically have a somewhat more extended spatial distribution than the brighter galaxies originally classified by Hickson. Our data suggest that Hickson groups have a wide range in density and radius, ranging from very compact structures with overdensities of the order of 10(exp 2) and crossing times of roughly 0.01 H(sub 0 sup -1), to much more diffuse structures, similar to loose groups, with overdensities of about 3 and crossing times of roughly 0.5 H(sub 0 sup -1).

De Carvalho, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A halo and a blow-out in NGC 253

We present the discovery of a 'synchrotron halo' in NGC 253. NGC 253 is an inclined, dusty, barred Sc galaxy in the Sculptor Group. It is also one of the prototype nuclear star burst galaxies. Very Large Array observations at 327 MHz and 1.4 GHz have revealed a synchrotron emitting 'halo' extending 9 kpc above and below the plane of NGC 253 (assuming a distance of 4 Mpc). The spectral index for the radio emission steepens from -0.7 in the disk to -1.0 in the halo. The fractional polarization at 1.4 GHz increases from less than or equal to 2 percent in the disk up to 20 percent in the halo, and the magnetic field vectors project parallel to the plane over most of the halo.

Carilli, C. L.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Dark Energy Survey year 3 weak gravitational lensing by eRASS1 selected galaxy clusters

Context. Number counts of galaxy clusters across redshift are a powerful cosmological probe if a precise and accurate reconstruction of the underlying mass distribution is performed – a challenge called mass calibration. With the advent of wide and deep photometric surveys, weak gravitational lensing (WL) by clusters has become the method of choice for this measurement. Aims. We measured and validated the WL signature in the shape of galaxies observed in the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y3) caused by galaxy clusters and groups selected in the first all-sky survey performed by SRG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma)/eROSITA (eRASS1). These data were then used to determine the scaling between the X-ray photon count rate of the clusters and their halo mass and redshift. Methods. We empirically determined the degree of cluster member contamination in our background source sample. The individual cluster shear profiles were then analyzed with a Bayesian population model that self-consistently accounts for the lens sample selection and contamination and includes marginalization over a host of instrumental and astrophysical systematics. To quantify the accuracy of the mass extraction of that model, we performed mass measurements on mock cluster catalogs with realistic synthetic shear profiles. This allowed us to establish that hydrodynamical modeling uncertainties at low lens redshifts (z < 0.6) are the dominant systematic limitation. At high lens redshift, the uncertainties of the sources’ photometric redshift calibration dominate. Results. With regard to the X-ray count rate to halo mass relation, we determined its amplitude, its mass trend, the redshift evolution of the mass trend, the deviation from self-similar redshift evolution, and the intrinsic scatter around this relation. Conclusions. The mass calibration analysis performed here sets the stage for a joint analysis with the number counts of eRASS1 clusters to constrain a host of cosmological parameters. We demonstrate that WL mass calibration of galaxy clusters can be performed successfully with source galaxies whose calibration was performed primarily for cosmic shear experiments, opening the way for the cluster cosmological exploitation of future optical and NIR surveys like Euclid and LSST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Dark Energy Survey Bright Arcs Survey: Candidate Strongly Lensed Galaxy Systems from the Dark Energy Survey 5000 Square Degree Footprint

We report the combined results of eight searches for strong gravitational lens systems in the full 5000 square degrees of Dark Energy Survey (DES) observations. The observations accumulated by the end of the third observing season fully covered the DES footprint in five filters (grizY), with an i-band limiting magnitude (at 10σ) of 23.44. In four searches, a list of potential candidates was identified using a color and magnitude selection from the object catalogs created from the first three observing seasons. Three other searches were conducted at the locations of previously identified galaxy clusters. Cutout images of potential candidates were then visually scanned using an object viewer. An additional set of candidates came from a data-quality check of a subset of the color–coadd tiles created from the full DES six-season data set. A short list of the most promising strong-lens candidates was then numerically ranked according to whether or not we judged them to be bona fide strong gravitational lens systems. These searches discovered a diverse set of 247 strong-lens candidate systems, of which 81 are identified for the first time. We provide the coordinates, magnitudes, and photometric properties of the lens and source objects, and an estimate of the Einstein radius for 81 new systems and 166 previously reported systems. This catalog will be of use for selecting interesting systems for detailed follow up, studies of galaxy cluster and group mass profiles, as well as a training/validation set for automated strong-lens searches.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1982

Asymmetric emission-line regions with out-flowing mass in QSOs and the z/ab/ at least equal to z/em/ systems

A heuristic asymmetrical model for a quasar emission-line region, with material streaming out, is described. The physical parameters are essentially the same as those of static models; the geometry turns out to be the dominant factor in determining the emission line profiles. Calculations are carried out for a variety of parameterized flow models and for the Blumenthal and Mathews (1975) theoretical model of a radiatively driven flow. The emission-line profiles are insensitive to the details of the acceleration, the filling factor, and the ionization profile. Absorption is assumed to take place in stationary matter in the QSO's galaxy or associated group or cluster, so that z(ab) is identified with the cosmological redshift. Due to the flow, the emission-lines are shifted with respect to the absorption-lines; in cases of a flow directed towards the observer systems with z(ab) at least equal to z(em) result. The distribution of absorption redshifts is symmetric about z(em).

Goldman, I.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A search for RR Lyrae variables in NGC 147

An analysis of repeated deep CCD observations of a field in the Local Group dwarf elliptical galaxy NBC 147 has resulted in the detection of 34 variable stars. The periods and shapes of light curves obtained for 13 of these variables show nine of them to be RR Lyrae stars. An intensity-averaged phase-weighted-mean g magnitude of 25.15 (+ 0.17 or - 0.15) is found which indicates a distance modulus to NGC 147 of 23.85 (+ 0.22 or - 0.20), or 589 kpc.

Saha, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The X-ray flux dipole of active galactic nuclei and the peculiar motion of the Local Group

X-ray emission from 30 resolved AGN's are used to study the dipole moment of their flux distribution on the sky. The data are derived from the Piccinotti et al. (1982) survey. X-ray fluxes are analyzed in terms of the alignment with the direction of the Local Group (LG) of galaxies. It is observed that the direction of the dipole moment of the flux is (313 deg, 38 deg); the dipole direction deviates from the LG velocity by 39 deg. It is detected that the amplitude of the dipole is about 50 percent of the corresponding monopole. Based on a comparison of the data with previous observations it is suggested that the X-ray emission from AGNs traces the underlying mass distribution at least as strongly as optical and IR emission from galaxies.

Miyaji, Takamitsu↗
NASA NTRS1993

Discovery of a new component in the gravitationally lensed quasar 0957 + 561

X-ray observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar 0957 + 561 with the Einstein Observatory High Resolution Imager indicate the presence of a new component in the system. The significantly greater X-ray intensity of image A compared with image B and the extended X-ray emission can be interpreted as the gravitational lensing of a quasi-circular X-ray emitting region into a partial Einstein ring. It is suggested that the observed X-ray emission is produced by a strong cooling flow which could arise were 0957 + 561 embedded in a group of cluster galaxies.

Jones, C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Hubble Space Telescope Medium Deep Survey with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera. 1: Methodology and results on the field near 3C 273

We present results from the Medium Deep Survey (MDS), a Key Project using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Wide Field Camera (WFC) images of random fields have been taken in 'parallel mode' with an effective resolution of 0.2 sec full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the V(F555W) and I(F785LP) filters. The exposures presented here were targeted on a field away from 3C 273, and resulted in approximately 5 hr integration time in each filter. Detailed morphological structure is seen in galaxy images with total integrated magnitudes down to V approximately = 22.5 and I approximately = 21.5. Parameters are estimated that best fit the observed galaxy images, and 143 objects are identified (including 23 stars) in the field to a fainter limiting magnitude of I approximately = 23.5. We outline the extragalactic goals of the HST Medium Deep Survey, summarize our basic data reduction procedures, and present number (magnitude) counts, a color-magnitude diagram for the field, surface brightness profiles for the brighter galaxies, and best-fit half-light radii for the fainter galaxies as a function of apparent magnitude. A median galaxy half-light radius of 0.4 sec is measured, and the distribution of galaxy sizes versus magnitude is presented. We observe an apparent deficit of galaxies with half-light radii between approximately 0.6 sec and 1.5 sec, with respect to standard no-evolution or mild evolution cosmological models. An apparent excess of compact objects (half-light radii approximately 0.1 sec) is also observed with respect to those models. Finally, we find a small excess in the number of faint galaxy pairs and groups with respect to a random low-redshift field sample.

Griffiths, R. E.↗