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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic compression of water to conditions in ice giant interiors

Abstract Recent discoveries of water-rich Neptune-like exoplanets require a more detailed understanding of the phase diagram of H 2 O at pressure–temperature conditions relevant to their planetary interiors. The unusual non-dipolar magnetic fields of ice giant planets, produced by convecting liquid ionic water, are influenced by exotic high-pressure states of H 2 O—yet the structure of ice in this state is challenging to determine experimentally. Here we present X-ray diffraction evidence of a body-centered cubic (BCC) structured H 2 O ice at 200 GPa and ~ 5000 K, deemed ice XIX, using the X-ray Free Electron Laser of the Linac Coherent Light Source to probe the structure of the oxygen sub-lattice during dynamic compression. Although several cubic or orthorhombic structures have been predicted to be the stable structure at these conditions, we show this BCC ice phase is stable to multi-Mbar pressures and temperatures near the melt boundary. This suggests variable and increased electrical conductivity to greater depths in ice giant planets that may promote the generation of multipolar magnetic fields.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Detecting Atmospheric Molecules of Nontransiting Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets Using High-resolution Spectroscopy in the Mid-infrared Domain

Motivated by the development of high-dispersion spectrographs in the mid-infrared (MIR) range, we study their application to the atmospheric characterization of nearby nontransiting temperate terrestrial planets around M-type stars. We examine the detectability of CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, N{sub 2}O, and O{sub 3 }features in high-resolution planetary thermal emission spectra at 12–18 μm assuming an Earth-like profile and a simplified thermal structure. The molecular line width of such planets can be comparable to or broader than the Doppler shift due to the planetary orbital motion. Given the likely difficulty in knowing the high-resolution MIR spectrum of the host star with sufficient accuracy, we propose observing the target system at two quadrature phases and extracting the differential spectra as the planetary signal. In this case, the signals can be substantially suppressed compared with the case where the host star spectrum is perfectly known, as some parts of the spectral features do not remain in the differential spectra. Despite this self-subtraction, the CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O features of nearby (≲5 pc) systems with mid-/late-M host stars would be feasible with a 6.5 m class cryogenic space telescope, and orbital inclination could also be constrained for some of them. For CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O in a 1 bar Earth-like atmosphere, this method would be sensitive when the mixing ratio is 1–10{sup 3} ppm. The detectability of molecules except O{sub 3} is not significantly improved when the spectral resolution is higher than R≳10,000, although the constraint on the orbital inclination is improved. This study provides some benchmark cases useful for assessing the value of MIR high-resolution spectroscopy in terms of characterization of potentially habitable planets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Uranus Study Report: KISS

Determining the internal structure of Uranus is a key objective for planetary science. Knowledge of Uranus’s bulk composition and the distribution of elements is crucial to understanding its origin and evolutionary path. In addition, Uranus represents a poorly understood class of “intermediate-mass planets" (intermediate in size between the relatively well studied terrestrial and gas giant planets), which appear to be very common in the Galaxy. As a result, a better characterization of Uranus will also help us to better understand exoplanets in this mass and size regime.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Highlights of Discoveries for δ Scuti Variable Stars from the Kepler Era

The NASA Kepler and follow-on K2 mission (2009–2018) left a legacy of data and discoveries, finding thousands of exoplanets, and also obtaining high-precision long time-series data for hundreds of thousands of stars, including many types of pulsating variables. Here we highlight a few of the ongoing discoveries from Kepler data on δ Scuti pulsating variables, which are core hydrogen-burning stars of about twice the mass of the Sun. We discuss many unsolved problems surrounding the properties of the variability in these stars, and the progress enabled by Kepler data in using pulsations to infer their interior structure, a field of research known as asteroseismology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

ACCESS and LRG-BEASTS: A Precise New Optical Transmission Spectrum of the Ultrahot Jupiter WASP-103b

We present a new ground-based optical transmission spectrum of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-103b (T{sub eq}=2484 K). Our transmission spectrum is the result of combining five new transits from the ACCESS survey and two new transits from the LRG-BEASTS survey with a reanalysis of three archival Gemini/GMOS transits and one VLT/FORS2 transit. Our combined 11-transit transmission spectrum covers a wavelength range of 3900–9450 Å with a median uncertainty in the transit depth of 148 parts per million, which is less than one atmospheric scale height of the planet. In our retrieval analysis of WASP-103b’s combined optical and infrared transmission spectrum, we find strong evidence for unocculted bright regions (4.3σ) and weak evidence for H{sub 2}O (1.9σ), HCN (1.7σ), and TiO (2.1σ), which could be responsible for WASP-103b’s observed temperature inversion. Our optical transmission spectrum shows significant structure that is in excellent agreement with the extensively studied ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b, for which the presence of VO has been inferred. For WASP-103b, we find that VO can only provide a reasonable fit to the data if its abundance is implausibly high and we do not account for stellar activity. Our results highlight the precision that can be achieved by ground-based observations and the impacts that stellar activity from F-type stars can have on the interpretation of exoplanet transmission spectra.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Where Is the Water? Jupiter-like C/H Ratio but Strong H{sub 2}O Depletion Found on τ Boötis b Using SPIRou

The present-day envelope of gaseous planets is a relic of how these giant planets originated and evolved. Measuring their elemental composition therefore presents a powerful opportunity to answer long-standing questions regarding planet formation. Obtaining precise observational constraints on the elemental inventory of giant exoplanets has, however, remained challenging owing to the limited simultaneous wavelength coverage of current space-based instruments. Here, we present thermal emission observations of the nontransiting hot Jupiter τ Boo b using the new wide wavelength coverage (0.95–2.50 μm) and high spectral resolution (R = 70,000) CFHT/SPIRou spectrograph. By combining a total of 20 hr of SPIRou data obtained over five nights in a full atmospheric retrieval framework designed for high-resolution data, we constrain the abundances of all the major oxygen- and carbon-bearing molecules and recover a noninverted temperature structure using a new free-shape, nonparametric temperature–pressure profile retrieval approach. We find a volume mixing ratio of log(CO) = -2.46{sub -0.29}{sup +0.25} and a highly depleted water abundance of less than 0.0072 times the expected value for a solar composition envelope. Combined with upper limits on the abundances of CH{sub 4}, CO{sub 2}, HCN, TiO, and C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, this results in a gas-phase C/H ratio of 5.85{sub -2.82}{sup +4.44} × solar, consistent with the value of Jupiter, and an envelope C/O ratio robustly greater than 0.60, even when taking into account the oxygen that may be sequestered out of the gas phase. Combined, the inferred supersolar C/H, O/H, and C/O ratios on τ Boo b support a formation scenario beyond the water snowline in a disk enriched in CO owing to pebble drift.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Early-time Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae Observed with TESS

We present the early-time light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed in the first six sectors of Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data. Ten of these SNe were discovered by ASAS-SN, seven by ATLAS, six by ZTF, and one by Gaia. For nine of these objects with sufficient dynamic range (>3.0 mag from detection to peak), we fit power-law models and searched for signatures of companion stars. We found a diversity of early-time light-curve shapes, although most of our sources are consistent with fireball models where the flux increases as ∝t 2 . Three SNe displayed a flatter rise with flux ∝t. We did not find any obvious evidence for additional structures, such as multiple power-law components, in the early rising light curves. For assumptions about the SN properties and the observer viewing angle (ejecta mass of 1.4 M⊙, expansion velocity of 10 4 km s –1 , opacity of 0.2 cm 2 g –1 , and viewing angle of 45°) and a further assumption that any companion stars would be in Roche lobe overflow, it is possible to place upper limits on the radii of any companion stars. Six of the nine SNe had complete coverage of the early-time light curves, and we placed upper limits on the radii of companion stars of ≲32 R ⊙ for these SNe, ≲20 R ⊙ for five of the six, and ≲4 R ⊙ for two of the six. The small sample size did not allow us to put limits on the occurrence rate of companion stars in the progenitors of SNe Ia. However, we expect that TESS observed enough SNe in its two-year primary mission (26 sectors) to either detect the signature of a large companion (R > 20 R ⊙ ) or constrain the occurrence rate of such systems, at least for the fiducial SN properties adopted here. Here, we also show that TESS is capable of detecting emission from a 1 R ⊙ companion for an SN Ia within 50 Mpc and has a reasonable chance of doing so after about six years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nondetection of Helium in the Upper Atmospheres of Three Sub-Neptune Exoplanets

We present a search for helium in the upper atmospheres of three sub-Neptune-sized planets to investigate the origins of these ubiquitous objects. The detection of helium for a low-density planet would be strong evidence for the presence of a primary atmosphere accreted from the protoplanetary nebula because large amounts of helium are not expected in the secondary atmospheres of rocky planets. We used Keck+NIRSPEC to obtain high-resolution transit spectroscopy of the planets GJ 1214b, GJ 9827d, and HD 97658b around the 10833 Å He triplet feature. We did not detect helium absorption for any of the planets despite achieving a high level of sensitivity. We used the nondetections to set limits on the planets’ thermosphere temperatures and atmospheric loss rates by comparing grids of 1D models to the data. We also performed coupled interior structure and atmospheric loss calculations, which suggest that the bulk atmospheres (winds) of the planets would be at most modestly enhanced (depleted) in helium relative to their primordial composition. Our lack of detections of the helium triplet for GJ 1214b and GJ 9827d is highly inconsistent with the predictions of models for the present-day mass loss on these planets. Higher signal-to-noise data would be needed to detect the helium feature predicted for HD 97658b. We identify uncertainties in the extreme-ultraviolet fluxes of the host stars and the lack of detailed mass-loss models specifically for cool and metal-enhanced atmospheres as the main limitations to the interpretation of our results. Ultimately, our results suggest that the upper atmospheres of sub-Neptune planets are fundamentally different from those of gas giant planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Search for FeH in Hot-Jupiter Atmospheres with High-dispersion Spectroscopy

Most of the molecules detected thus far in exoplanet atmospheres, such as water and CO, are present for a large range of pressures and temperatures. In contrast, metal hydrides exist in much more specific regimes of parameter space, and so can be used as probes of atmospheric conditions. Iron hydride (FeH) is a dominant source of opacity in low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, and evidence for its existence in exoplanets has recently been observed at low resolution. We performed a systematic search of archival CARMENES near-infrared data for signatures of FeH during transits of 12 exoplanets. These planets span a large range of equilibrium temperatures (600 ≲ T eq ≲ 4000 K) and surface gravities (2.5 ≲ logg ≲ 3.5). We did not find a statistically significant FeH signal in any of the atmospheres, but obtained potential low-confidence signals (signal-to-noise ratio ~ 3) in two planets, WASP-33b and MASCARA-2b. Previous modeling of exoplanet atmospheres indicate that the highest volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of 10 -7 to 10 -9 are expected for temperatures between 1800 and 3000 K and log g≳3. The two planets for which we find low-confidence signals are in the regime where strong FeH absorption is expected. We performed injection and recovery tests for each planet and determined that FeH would be detected in every planet for VMRs ≫10 -6 , and could be detected in some planets for VMRs as low as 10 -9.5 . Additional observations are necessary to conclusively detect FeH and assess its role in the temperature structures of hot-Jupiter atmospheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TOI-220 b : a warm sub-Neptune discovered by TESS

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report the discovery of TOI-220 b, a new sub-Neptune detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed by radial velocity follow-up observations with the HARPS spectrograph. Based on the combined analysis of TESS transit photometry and high precision radial velocity measurements, we estimate a planetary mass of 13.8 ± 1.0 M⊕ and radius of 3.03 ± 0.15 R⊕, implying a bulk density of 2.73 ± 0.47 $\rm {g\,cm}^{-3}$. TOI-220 b orbits a relative bright (V= 10.4) and old (10.1 ± 1.4 Gyr) K dwarf star with a period of ∼10.69 d. Thus, TOI-220 b is a new warm sub-Neptune with very precise mass and radius determinations. A Bayesian analysis of the TOI-220 b internal structure indicates that due to the strong irradiation it receives, the low density of this planet could be explained with a steam atmosphere in radiative–convective equilibrium and a supercritical water layer on top of a differentiated interior made of a silicate mantle and a small iron core.

Hoyer, S.↗
DOE OSTI2021

EXPRES. II. Searching for Planets around Active Stars: A Case Study of HD 101501

By controlling instrumental errors to below 10 cm s{sup −1}, the EXtreme PREcision Spectrograph (EXPRES) allows for a more insightful study of photospheric velocities that can mask weak Keplerian signals. Gaussian processes (GP) have become a standard tool for modeling correlated noise in radial velocity data sets. While GPs are constrained and motivated by physical properties of the star, in some cases they are still flexible enough to absorb unresolved Keplerian signals. We apply GP regression to EXPRES radial velocity measurements of the 3.5 Gyr old chromospherically active Sun-like star, HD 101501. We obtain tight constraints on the stellar rotation period and the evolution of spot distributions using 28 seasons of ground-based photometry, as well as recent Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data. Light-curve inversion was carried out on both photometry data sets to reveal the spot distribution and spot evolution timescales on the star. We find that the >5 m s{sup −1} rms radial velocity variations in HD 101501 are well modeled with a GP stellar activity model without planets, yielding a residual rms scatter of 45 cm s{sup −1}. We carry out simulations, injecting and recovering signals with the GP framework, to demonstrate that high-cadence observations are required to use GPs most efficiently to detect low-mass planets around active stars like HD 101501. Sparse sampling prevents GPs from learning the correlated noise structure and can allow it to absorb prospective Keplerian signals. We quantify the moderate to high-cadence monitoring that provides the necessary information to disentangle photospheric features using GPs and to detect planets around active stars.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulating the Multi-epoch Direct Detection Technique to Isolate the Thermal Emission of the Non-transiting Hot Jupiter HD187123b

We report the 6.5σ detection of water from the hot Jupiter HD187123b with a Keplerian orbital velocity K {sub p} of 53 ± 13 km s{sup −1}. This high-confidence detection is made using a multi-epoch, high-resolution, cross-correlation technique, and corresponds to a planetary mass of 1.4{sub −0.3}{sup +0.5} M {sub J} and an orbital inclination of 21° ± 5°. The technique works by treating the planet/star system as a spectroscopic binary and obtaining high signal-to-noise, high-resolution observations at multiple points across the planet’s orbit to constrain the system’s binary dynamical motion. All together, seven epochs of Keck/NIRSPEC L-band observations were obtained, with five before the instrument upgrade and two after. Using high-resolution SCARLET planetary and PHOENIX stellar spectral models, we were able to drastically increase the confidence of the detection by running simulations that could reproduce, and thus remove, the nonrandom structured noise in the final likelihood space well. The ability to predict multi-epoch results will be extremely useful for furthering the technique. Here, we use these simulations to compare three different approaches to combining the cross correlations of high-resolution spectra and find that the Zucker log(L) approach is least affected by unwanted planet/star correlation for our HD187123 data set. Furthermore, we find that the same total signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spread across an orbit in many, lower S/N epochs rather than fewer, higher S/N epochs could provide a more efficient detection. This work provides a necessary validation of multi-epoch simulations, which can be used to guide future observations and will be key to studying the atmospheres of farther separated, non-transiting exoplanets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Unsupervised Machine Learning for Exploratory Data Analysis of Exoplanet Transmission Spectra

Abstract Transit spectroscopy is a powerful tool for decoding the chemical compositions of the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. In this paper, we focus on unsupervised techniques for analyzing spectral data from transiting exoplanets. After cleaning and validating the data, we demonstrate methods for: (i) initial exploratory data analysis, based on summary statistics (estimates of location and variability); (ii) exploring and quantifying the existing correlations in the data; (iii) preprocessing and linearly transforming the data to its principal components; (iv) dimensionality reduction and manifold learning; (v) clustering and anomaly detection; and (vi) visualization and interpretation of the data. To illustrate the proposed unsupervised methodology, we use a well-known public benchmark data set of synthetic transit spectra. We show that there is a high degree of correlation in the spectral data, which calls for appropriate low-dimensional representations. We explore a number of different techniques for such dimensionality reduction and identify several suitable options in terms of summary statistics, principal components, etc. We uncover interesting structures in the principal component basis, namely well-defined branches corresponding to different chemical regimes of the underlying atmospheres. We demonstrate that those branches can be successfully recovered with a K-means clustering algorithm in a fully unsupervised fashion. We advocate for lower-dimensional representations of the spectroscopic data in terms of the main principal components, in order to reveal the existing structure in the data and quickly characterize the chemical class of a planet.

Matchev, Konstantin T. (ORCID:0000000341829096)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rotation‐Controlled Diurnal Evolution of Uranus' Asymmetric Bow Shock at Equinox

Uranus possesses the most extreme magnetic and rotational geometry in the solar system, resulting in a uniquely dynamic and asymmetric interaction between its magnetosphere and the solar wind. Here we investigate the diurnal evolution of the Uranian bow shock (BS) at equinox using global multifluid magnetohydrodynamic simulations constrained by Voyager 2 observations. The BS structure and variability are quantified using the stand‐off distance, terminator distance, flaring parameter, and BS parameter, enabling a systematic assessment of its global asymmetry over one planetary rotation. Our results show that the BS exhibits pronounced diurnal asymmetry that is primarily controlled by planetary rotation. Even under steady upstream solar wind conditions, the BS undergoes periodic expansion and contraction, reflecting rotation‐driven reconfiguration of the planetary magnetospheric topology. This diurnal modulation represents a remarkably large asymmetry in planetary BS geometry within the solar system. These results establish planetary rotation as the intrinsic primary driver of Uranus' BS dynamics at equinox and provide essential constraints for the design and formulation of future space missions to the ice giants. These findings also offer a unique framework for understanding shock physics in the abundant population of ice‐giant exoplanets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

LHS 1815b: The First Thick-disk Planet Detected by TESS

We report the first discovery of a thick-disk planet, LHS 1815b (TOI-704b, TIC 260004324), detected in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) survey. LHS 1815b transits a bright (V = 12.19 mag, K = 7.99 mag) and quiet M dwarf located 29.87 ± 0.02 pc away with a mass of 0.502 ± 0.015 M {sub ⊙} and a radius of 0.501 ± 0.030 R {sub ⊙}. We validate the planet by combining space- and ground-based photometry, spectroscopy, and imaging. The planet has a radius of 1.088 ± 0.064 R {sub ⊕} with a 3σ mass upper limit of 8.7 M {sub ⊕}. We analyze the galactic kinematics and orbit of the host star LHS 1815 and find that it has a large probability (P {sub thick}/P {sub thin} = 6482) to be in the thick disk with a much higher expected maximal height (Z {sub max} = 1.8 kpc) above the Galactic plane compared with other TESS planet host stars. Future studies of the interior structure and atmospheric properties of planets in such systems using, for example, the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, can investigate the differences in formation efficiency and evolution for planetary systems between different Galactic components (thick disks, thin disks, and halo).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Discovery and characterization of two Neptune-mass planets orbiting HD 212729 with TESS

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of two exoplanets orbiting around HD 212729 (TOI 1052, TIC 317060587), a Teff = 6146 K star with V = 9.51 observed by TESS in Sectors 1 and 13. One exoplanet, TOI-1052b, is Neptune-mass and transits the star, and an additional planet TOI-1052c is observed in radial velocities but not seen to transit. We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1052b using precise radial velocity observations from HARPS and determined its parameters in a joint RV and photometry analysis. TOI-1052b has a radius of $2.87^{+0.29}_{-0.24}$ R⊕, a mass of 16.9 ± 1.7 M⊕, and an orbital period of 9.14 d. TOI-1052c does not show any transits in the TESS data, and has a minimum mass of $34.3^{+4.1}_{-3.7}$ M⊕ and an orbital period of 35.8 d, placing it just interior to the 4:1 mean-motion resonance. Both planets are best fit by relatively high but only marginally significant eccentricities of $0.18^{+0.09}_{-0.07}$ for planet b and $0.24^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$ for planet c. We perform a dynamical analysis and internal structure model of the planets as well as deriving stellar parameters and chemical abundances. The mean density of TOI-1052b is $3.9^{+1.7}_{-1.3}$ g cm−3 consistent with an internal structure similar to Neptune. A nearby star is observed in Gaia DR3 with the same distance and proper motion as TOI-1052, at a sky projected separation of $\scriptstyle \sim$1500 au, making this a potential wide binary star system.

Armstrong, David J. (ORCID:0000000250804117)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structural evolution of liquid silicates under conditions in Super-Earth interiors

Molten silicates at depth are crucial for planetary evolution, yet their local structure and physical properties under extreme conditions remain elusive due to experimental challenges. In this study, we utilize in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) end-station of the Linear Coherent Linac Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to investigate liquid silicates. Using an ultrabright X-ray source and a high-power optical laser, we probed the local atomic arrangement of shock-compressed liquid (Mg,Fe)SiO 3 with varying Fe content, at pressures from 81(9) to 385(40) GPa. We compared these findings to ab initio molecular dynamics simulations under similar conditions. Results indicate continuous densification of theO-O and Mg-Si networks beyond Earth’s interior pressure range, potentially altering melt properties at extreme conditions. This could have significant implications for early planetary evolution, leading to notable differences in differentiation processes between smaller rocky planets, such as Earth and Venus, and super-Earths, which are exoplanets withmasses nearly three times that of Earth.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗