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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

DEEP ABSORPTION LINE STUDIES OF QUIESCENT GALAXIES AT z {approx} 2: THE DYNAMICAL-MASS-SIZE RELATION AND FIRST CONSTRAINTS ON THE FUNDAMENTAL PLANE

We present dynamical and structural scaling relations of quiescent galaxies at z = 2, including the dynamical-mass-size relation and the first constraints on the fundamental plane (FP). The backbone of the analysis is a new, very deep Very Large Telescope/X-shooter spectrum of a massive, compact, quiescent galaxy at z = 2.0389. We detect the continuum between 3700 and 22,000 A and several strong absorption features (Balmer series, Ca H+K, G band) from which we derive a stellar velocity dispersion of 318 {+-} 53 km s{sup -1}. We perform detailed modeling of the continuum emission and line indices and derive strong simultaneous constraints on the age, metallicity, and stellar mass. The galaxy is a dusty (A{sub V} = 0.77{sup +0.36}{sub -0.32}) solar metallicity (log(Z/Z{sub Sun }) = 0.02{sup +0.20}{sub -0.41}) post-starburst galaxy, with a mean-luminosity-weighted log(age/yr) of 8.9 {+-} 0.1. The galaxy formed the majority of its stars at z > 3 and currently has little or no ongoing star formation. We compile a sample of three other z {approx} 2 quiescent galaxies with measured velocity dispersions, two of which are also post-starburst like. Their dynamical-mass-size relation is offset significantly less than the stellar-mass-size relation from the local early-type relations, which we attribute to a lower central dark matter fraction. Recent cosmological merger simulations agree qualitatively with the data, but cannot fully account for the evolution in the dark matter fraction. The z {approx} 2 FP requires additional evolution beyond passive stellar aging to be in agreement with the local FP. The structural evolution predicted by the cosmological simulations is insufficient, suggesting that additional, possibly non-homologous, structural evolution is needed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF STARS USING ASTEROSEISMOLOGY FROM KEPLER AND CoRoT AND INTERFEROMETRY FROM THE CHARA ARRAY

We present results of a long-baseline interferometry campaign using the PAVO beam combiner at the CHARA Array to measure the angular sizes of five main-sequence stars, one subgiant and four red giant stars for which solar-like oscillations have been detected by either Kepler or CoRoT. By combining interferometric angular diameters, Hipparcos parallaxes, asteroseismic densities, bolometric fluxes, and high-resolution spectroscopy, we derive a full set of near-model-independent fundamental properties for the sample. We first use these properties to test asteroseismic scaling relations for the frequency of maximum power ({nu}{sub max}) and the large frequency separation ({Delta}{nu}). We find excellent agreement within the observational uncertainties, and empirically show that simple estimates of asteroseismic radii for main-sequence stars are accurate to {approx}< 4%. We furthermore find good agreement of our measured effective temperatures with spectroscopic and photometric estimates with mean deviations for stars between T {sub eff} = 4600-6200 K of -22 {+-} 32 K (with a scatter of 97 K) and -58 {+-} 31 K (with a scatter of 93 K), respectively. Finally, we present a first comparison with evolutionary models, and find differences between observed and theoretical properties for the metal-rich main-sequence star HD 173701. We conclude that the constraints presented in this study will have strong potential for testing stellar model physics, in particular when combined with detailed modeling of individual oscillation frequencies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE FUNDAMENTAL METALLICITY RELATION REDUCES TYPE Ia SN HUBBLE RESIDUALS MORE THAN HOST MASS ALONE

Type Ia supernova Hubble residuals have been shown to correlate with host galaxy mass, imposing a major obstacle for their use in measuring dark energy properties. Here, we calibrate the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) of Mannucci et al. for host mass and star formation rates measured from broadband colors alone. We apply the FMR to the large number of hosts from the SDSS-II sample of Gupta et al. and find that the scatter in the Hubble residuals is significantly reduced when compared with using only stellar mass (or the mass-metallicity relation) as a fit parameter. Our calibration of the FMR is restricted to only star-forming galaxies and in the Hubble residual calculation we include only hosts with log(SFR) > - 2. Our results strongly suggest that metallicity is the underlying source of the correlation between Hubble residuals and host galaxy mass. Since the FMR is nearly constant between z = 2 and the present, use of the FMR along with light-curve width and color should provide a robust distance measurement method that minimizes systematic errors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF KEPLER PLANET-CANDIDATE HOST STARS USING ASTEROSEISMOLOGY

We have used asteroseismology to determine fundamental properties for 66 Kepler planet-candidate host stars, with typical uncertainties of 3% and 7% in radius and mass, respectively. The results include new asteroseismic solutions for four host stars with confirmed planets (Kepler-4, Kepler-14, Kepler-23 and Kepler-25) and increase the total number of Kepler host stars with asteroseismic solutions to 77. A comparison with stellar properties in the planet-candidate catalog by Batalha et al. shows that radii for subgiants and giants obtained from spectroscopic follow-up are systematically too low by up to a factor of 1.5, while the properties for unevolved stars are in good agreement. We furthermore apply asteroseismology to confirm that a large majority of cool main-sequence hosts are indeed dwarfs and not misclassified giants. Using the revised stellar properties, we recalculate the radii for 107 planet candidates in our sample, and comment on candidates for which the radii change from a previously giant-planet/brown-dwarf/stellar regime to a sub-Jupiter size or vice versa. A comparison of stellar densities from asteroseismology with densities derived from transit models in Batalha et al. assuming circular orbits shows significant disagreement for more than half of the sample due to systematics in the modeled impact parameters or due to planet candidates that may be in eccentric orbits. Finally, we investigate tentative correlations between host-star masses and planet-candidate radii, orbital periods, and multiplicity, but caution that these results may be influenced by the small sample size and detection biases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS OF SOLAR FLARE AND CORONAL MASS EJECTION MODELS

The fundamental assumptions of conventional solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) theory are re-examined. In particular, the common theoretical assumption that magnetic energy that drives flares and CMEs can be stored in situ in the corona with sufficient energy density is found wanting. In addition, the observational constraint that flares and CMEs produce non-thermal electrons with fluxes of order 10{sup 34}-10{sup 36} electrons s{sup -1}, with energies of order 10-20 keV, must also be explained. This constraint when imposed on the ''standard model'' for flares and CMEs is found to miss the mark by many orders of magnitude. We suggest, in conclusion, there are really only two possible ways to explain the requirements of observations and theory: flares and CMEs are caused by mass-loaded prominences or driven directly by emerging magnetized flux.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TESTING THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE FUNDAMENTAL METALLICITY RELATION AT HIGH REDSHIFT USING LOW-MASS GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED GALAXIES

We present rest-frame optical spectra for a sample of nine low-mass star-forming galaxies in the redshift range 1.5 < z < 3 which are gravitationally lensed by foreground clusters. We used Triplespec, an echelle spectrograph at the Palomar 200 inch telescope that is very effective for this purpose as it samples the entire near-infrared spectrum simultaneously. By measuring the flux of nebular emission lines, we derive gas-phase metallicities and star formation rates, and by fitting the optical to infrared spectral energy distributions we obtain stellar masses. Taking advantage of the high magnification due to strong lensing, we are able to probe the physical properties of galaxies with stellar masses in the range 7.8 < log M/M{sub Sun} < 9.4 whose star formation rates are similar to those of typical star-forming galaxies in the local universe. We compare our results with the locally determined relation between stellar mass, gas metallicity, and star formation rate. Our data are in excellent agreement with this relation, with an average offset ({Delta}log (O/H)) = 0.01 {+-} 0.08, suggesting a universal relationship. Remarkably, the scatter around the fundamental metallicity relation is only 0.24 dex, smaller than that observed locally at the same stellar masses, which may provide an important additional constraint for galaxy evolution models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A STUDY OF FUNDAMENTAL LIMITATIONS TO STATISTICAL DETECTION OF REDSHIFTED H I FROM THE EPOCH OF REIONIZATION

In this paper, we explore for the first time the relative magnitudes of three fundamental sources of uncertainty, namely, foreground contamination, thermal noise, and sample variance, in detecting the H I power spectrum from the epoch of reionization (EoR). We derive limits on the sensitivity of a Fourier synthesis telescope to detect EoR based on its array configuration and a statistical representation of images made by the instrument. We use the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) configuration for our studies. Using a unified framework for estimating signal and noise components in the H I power spectrum, we derive an expression for and estimate the contamination from extragalactic point-like sources in three-dimensional k-space. Sensitivity for EoR H I power spectrum detection is estimated for different observing modes with MWA. With 1000 hr of observing on a single field using the 128 tile MWA, EoR detection is feasible (S/N >1 for k ∼< 0.8 Mpc{sup –1}). Bandpass shaping and refinements to the EoR window are found to be effective in containing foreground contamination, which makes the instrument tolerant to imaging errors. We find that for a given observing time, observing many independent fields of view does not offer an advantage over a single field observation when thermal noise dominates over other uncertainties in the derived power spectrum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The mass-metallicity and fundamental metallicity relations at z > 2 using very large telescope and Subaru near-infrared spectroscopy of zCOSMOS galaxies

In the local universe, there is good evidence that, at a given stellar mass M, the gas-phase metallicity Z is anti-correlated with the star formation rate (SFR) of the galaxies. It has also been claimed that the resulting Z(M, SFR) relation is invariant with redshift—the so-called 'fundamental metallicity relation' (FMR). Given a number of difficulties in determining metallicities, especially at higher redshifts, the form of the Z(M, SFR) relation and whether it is really independent of redshift is still very controversial. To explore this issue at z > 2, we used VLT-SINFONI and Subaru-MOIRCS near-infrared spectroscopy of 20 zCOSMOS-deep galaxies at 2.1 < z < 2.5 to measure the strengths of up to five emission lines: [O II] λ3727, Hβ, [O III] λ5007, Hα, and [N II] λ6584. This near-infrared spectroscopy enables us to derive O/H metallicities, and also SFRs from extinction corrected Hα measurements. We find that the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) of these star-forming galaxies at z ≈ 2.3 is lower than the local Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) MZR by a factor of three to five, a larger change than found by Erb et al. using [N II]/Hα-based metallicities from stacked spectra. We discuss how the different selections of the samples and metallicity calibrations used may be responsible for this discrepancy. The galaxies show direct evidence that the SFR is still a second parameter in the MZR at these redshifts. However, determining whether the Z(M, SFR) relation is invariant with epoch depends on the choice of extrapolation used from local samples, because z > 2 galaxies of a given mass have much higher SFRs than the local SDSS galaxies. We find that the zCOSMOS galaxies are consistent with a non-evolving FMR if we use the physically motivated formulation of the Z(M, SFR) relation from Lilly et al., but not if we use the empirical formulation of Mannucci et al.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fundamental limitations of high contrast imaging set by small sample statistics

In this paper, we review the impact of small sample statistics on detection thresholds and corresponding confidence levels (CLs) in high-contrast imaging at small angles. When looking close to the star, the number of resolution elements decreases rapidly toward small angles. This reduction of the number of degrees of freedom dramatically affects CLs and false alarm probabilities. Naively using the same ideal hypothesis and methods as for larger separations, which are well understood and commonly assume Gaussian noise, can yield up to one order of magnitude error in contrast estimations at fixed CL. The statistical penalty exponentially increases toward very small inner working angles. Even at 5-10 resolution elements from the star, false alarm probabilities can be significantly higher than expected. Here we present a rigorous statistical analysis that ensures robustness of the CL, but also imposes a substantial limitation on corresponding achievable detection limits (thus contrast) at small angles. This unavoidable fundamental statistical effect has a significant impact on current coronagraphic and future high-contrast imagers. Finally, the paper concludes with practical recommendations to account for small number statistics when computing the sensitivity to companions at small angles and when exploiting the results of direct imaging planet surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A calibration of the stellar mass fundamental plane at z ∼ 0.5 using the micro-lensing-induced flux ratio anomalies of macro-lensed quasars {sup ,} {sup ,}

We measure the stellar mass surface densities of early-type galaxies by observing the micro-lensing of macro-lensed quasars caused by individual stars, including stellar remnants, brown dwarfs, and red dwarfs too faint to produce photometric or spectroscopic signatures. Instead of observing multiple micro-lensing events in a single system, we combine single-epoch X-ray snapshots of 10 quadruple systems, and compare the measured relative magnifications for the images with those computed from macro-models. We use these to normalize a stellar mass fundamental plane constructed using a Salpeter initial mass function with a low-mass cutoff of 0.1 M {sub ☉} and treat the zeropoint of the surface mass density as a free parameter. Our method measures the graininess of the gravitational potential produced by individual stars, in contrast to methods that decompose a smooth total gravitational potential into two smooth components, one stellar and one dark. We find the median likelihood value for the normalization factor F by which the Salpeter stellar masses must be multiplied is 1.23, with a one sigma confidence range, dominated by small number statistics, of 0.77<F<2.10.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

AN EMPIRICAL CALIBRATION TO ESTIMATE COOL DWARF FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS FROM H-BAND SPECTRA

Interferometric radius measurements provide a direct probe of the fundamental parameters of M dwarfs. However, interferometry is within reach for only a limited sample of nearby, bright stars. We use interferometrically measured radii, bolometric luminosities, and effective temperatures to develop new empirical calibrations based on low-resolution, near-infrared spectra. We find that H-band Mg and Al spectral features are good tracers of stellar properties, and derive functions that relate effective temperature, radius, and log luminosity to these features. The standard deviations in the residuals of our best fits are, respectively, 73 K, 0.027 R {sub ☉}, and 0.049 dex (an 11% error on luminosity). Our calibrations are valid from mid K to mid M dwarf stars, roughly corresponding to temperatures between 3100 and 4800 K. We apply our H-band relationships to M dwarfs targeted by the MEarth transiting planet survey and to the cool Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs). We present spectral measurements and estimated stellar parameters for these stars. Parallaxes are also available for many of the MEarth targets, allowing us to independently validate our calibrations by demonstrating a clear relationship between our inferred parameters and the stars' absolute K magnitudes. We identify objects with magnitudes that are too bright for their inferred luminosities as candidate multiple systems. We also use our estimated luminosities to address the applicability of near-infrared metallicity calibrations to mid and late M dwarfs. The temperatures we infer for the KOIs agree remarkably well with those from the literature; however, our stellar radii are systematically larger than those presented in previous works that derive radii from model isochrones. This results in a mean planet radius that is 15% larger than one would infer using the stellar properties from recent catalogs. Our results confirm the derived parameters from previous in-depth studies of KOIs 961 (Kepler-42), 254 (Kepler-45), and 571 (Kepler-186), the latter of which hosts a rocky planet orbiting in its star's habitable zone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Period–luminosity relations derived from the OGLE-III fundamental mode Cepheids. II. The small magellanic cloud Cepheids

In this paper we present multi-band period–luminosity (P–L) relations for fundamental mode Cepheids in the SMC. The optical VI-band mean magnitudes for these SMC Cepheids were taken from the third phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE-III) catalog. We also matched the OGLE-III SMC Cepheids to 2MASS and SAGE-SMC catalog to derive mean magnitudes in the JHK-bands and the four Spitzer IRAC bands, respectively. All photometry was corrected for extinction by adopting Zaritsky’s extinction map. Cepheids with periods smaller than ∼2.5 days were removed from the sample. In addition to the extinction corrected P–L relations in nine filters from optical to infrared, we also derived the extinction-free Wesenheit function for these Cepheids. We tested the nonlinearity of these SMC P–L relations (except the 8.0 μm-band P–L relation) at 10 days: none of the P–L relations show statistically significant evidence of nonlinearity. When compared to the P–L relations in the LMC, the t-test results revealed that there is a difference between the SMC/LMC P–L slopes only in the V- and J-band. Further, we found excellent agreement between the SMC/LMC Wesenheit P–L slope. The difference in LMC and SMC Period–Wesenheit relation LMC and SMC zero points was found to be Δμ=0.483±0.015 mag. This amounts to a difference in distance modulus between the LMC and SMC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS AND SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF YOUNG AND FIELD AGE OBJECTS WITH MASSES SPANNING THE STELLAR TO PLANETARY REGIME

We combine optical, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectra and photometry to construct expanded spectral energy distributions for 145 field age (>500 Myr) and 53 young (lower age estimate <500 Myr) ultracool dwarfs (M6-T9). This range of spectral types includes very low mass stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary mass objects, providing fundamental parameters across both the hydrogen and deuterium burning minimum masses for the largest sample assembled to date. A subsample of 29 objects have well constrained ages as probable members of a nearby young moving group. We use 182 parallaxes and 16 kinematic distances to determine precise bolometric luminosities (L{sub bol}) and radius estimates from evolutionary models give semi-empirical effective temperatures (T{sub eff}) for the full range of young and field age late-M, L, and T dwarfs. We construct age-sensitive relationships of luminosity, temperature, and absolute magnitude as functions of spectral type and absolute magnitude to disentangle the effects of degenerate physical parameters such as T{sub eff}, surface gravity, and clouds on spectral morphology. We report bolometric corrections in J for both field age and young objects and find differences of up to a magnitude for late-L dwarfs. Our correction in Ks shows a larger dispersion but not necessarily a different relationship for young and field age sequences. We also characterize the NIR–MIR reddening of low gravity L dwarfs and identify a systematically cooler T{sub eff} of up to 300 K from field age objects of the same spectral type and 400 K cooler from field age objects of the same M{sub H} magnitude.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE SCALING RELATIONS AND THE FUNDAMENTAL PLANE FOR RADIO HALOS AND RELICS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

Diffuse radio emission in galaxy clusters is known to be related to cluster mass and cluster dynamical state. We collect the observed fluxes of radio halos, relics, and mini-halos for a sample of galaxy clusters from the literature, and calculate their radio powers. We then obtain the values of cluster mass or mass proxies from previous observations, and also obtain the various dynamical parameters of these galaxy clusters from optical and X-ray data. The radio powers of relics, halos, and mini-halos are correlated with the cluster masses or mass proxies, as found by previous authors, while the correlations concerning giant radio halos are in general the strongest. We found that the inclusion of dynamical parameters as the third dimension can significantly reduce the data scatter for the scaling relations, especially for radio halos. We therefore conclude that the substructures in X-ray images of galaxy clusters and the irregular distributions of optical brightness of member galaxies can be used to quantitatively characterize the shock waves and turbulence in the intracluster medium responsible for re-accelerating particles to generate the observed diffuse radio emission. The power of radio halos and relics is correlated with cluster mass proxies and dynamical parameters in the form of a fundamental plane.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

All the fun of the FAIR: fundamental physics at the facility for antiproton and ion research

The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will be the accelerator-based flagship research facility in many basic sciences and their applications in Europe for the coming decades. FAIR will open up unprecedented research opportunities in hadron and nuclear physics, in atomic physics and nuclear astrophysics as well as in applied sciences like materials research, plasma physics and radiation biophysics with applications towards novel medical treatments and space science. FAIR is currently under construction as an international facility at the campus of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum for Heavy-Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. While the full science potential of FAIR can only be harvested once the new suite of accelerators and storage rings is completed and operational, some of the experimental detectors and instrumentation are already available and will be used starting in summer 2018 in a dedicated research program at GSI, exploiting also the significantly upgraded GSI accelerator chain. In conclusion, the current manuscript summarizes how FAIR will advance our knowledge in various research fields ranging from a deeper understanding of the fundamental interactions and symmetries in nature to a better understanding of the evolution of the Universe and the objects within.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array for probing cosmology and fundamental physics with gamma-ray propagation

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the new-generation ground-based observatory for γ astronomy, provides unique capabilities to address significant open questions in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. We study some of the salient areas of γ cosmology that can be explored as part of the Key Science Projects of CTA, through simulated observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and of their relativistic jets. Observations of AGN with CTA will enable a measurement of γ absorption on the extragalactic background light with a statistical uncertainty below 15% up to a redshift z=2 and to constrain or detect γ halos up to intergalactic-magnetic-field strengths of at least 0.3 pG . Extragalactic observations with CTA also show promising potential to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The best limits on Lorentz invariance violation from γ astronomy will be improved by a factor of at least two to three. CTA will also probe the parameter space in which axion-like particles could constitute a significant fraction, if not all, of dark matter. We conclude on the synergies between CTA and other upcoming facilities that will foster the growth of γ cosmology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing fundamental constant oscillation in the Galactic Center with S-Star Spectroscopy

Astrophysical spectroscopy provides a powerful probe of spacetime variations of fundamental constants, as atomic and ionic emission and absorption lines depend sensitively on the fine-structure constant. In particular, coherent temporal oscillations induced by an ultralight scalar background produce characteristic, time-resolved signatures that can be robustly disentangled from intrinsic variability. In the Galactic Center, such scalar backgrounds can be substantially enhanced, either through the formation of dense scalar clouds powered by black hole rotational energy extraction or as ultralight scalar dark matter forming a soliton-like core. These scalar configurations generically induce oscillations of the fine-structure constant, with periods set by the scalar mass and spatial profiles determined by the scalar wavefunction and its coupling to the electromagnetic sector. We show that precise, time-resolved spectroscopy of S-stars orbiting the supermassive black hole Sgr A^* provides a sensitive test of these effects, enabling constraints on quadratic scalar-photon couplings in the exceptionally high boson-density environment of the Galactic Center.

Bai, Zhaoyu [Weizmann Inst.] (ORCID:00000002075815↗
DOE OSTI2017

Testing Fundamental Properties of Space with the Fermilab Holometer

Precision length measurements provide valuable insights about the fundamental properties of space-time. The Holometer is a research program to both experimentally probe signatures of the Planck scale and to extend the accessible frequency range from kHz up to MHz for gravitational wave searches. The instrument consists of separate yet identical 39-meter Michelson interferometers operated at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which can reach length sensitivities better than ${10}^{-20}\mathrm{m/}\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ within the 1-10 MHz frequency range. Lastly, the Holometer is fully operational with 130 of hours of science quality data obtained during the first observational campaign.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗