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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Seismic analysis of the solar interior. I - Can opacity changes improve the theoretical frequencies?

The paper describes the application of seismic inverse theory to the deduction of properties of the solar interior using presently available measured frequencies of the solar oscillations. Only the solar opacity is included in this application. This study has used the spectral expansion method of Lanczos and Jackson to derive changes to the opacity which improve agreement between the theoretical and observed frequencies of oscillation. It is found that a family of opacity changes exists which yields models that improve the frequency agreement by amounts that are indistinguishable among the family members.

Korzennik, Sylvain G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Continuum opacity produced by spectral lines in supernovae and similar expansions

Within rapidly expanding objects such as supernovae, the large velocity gradient Doppler spreads the spectral lines to such an extent that even relatively weak transitions affect the propagation of radiation. It is shown that under appropriate conditions (involving the separation between lines and the velocity gradient), the effects of many lines within a small frequency interval produce a contribution to the transfer equation which acts like an ordinary continuum opacity. This expansion opacity is a surprisingly simple function of the Sobolev optical depth of the lines. The dependence of this opacity on frequency, temperature, density, velocity gradient (1/time), and heavy element abundance is evaluated.

Wagoner, Robert V.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Iron and molecular opacities and the evolution of Population I stars

Effects of recent opacity revisions on the evolution of Population I stars are explored over the range 1.5-60 solar masses. Opacity parameters considered include the angular momentum coupling scheme for iron, the relative iron abundance, the total metal abundance, and diatomic and triatomic molecular sources. Only the total metal abundance exerts an important control over the evolutionary tracks. Blue loops on the H-R diagram during core helium burning can be very sensitive to opacity, but only insofar as the simple formation or suppression of a blue loop is concerned. The blue loops are most robust for stellar masses around 10 solar masses. We confirm, from a comparison of stellar models with observational data, that the total metal abundance is close to solar and that convective core overshooting is likely to be very slight. The new models predict the existence of an iron convection zone in the envelope and a great widening of the main-sequence band in the H-R diagram at luminosities brighter than 100,000 solar luminosities.

Stothers, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Opacity, metallicity, and Cepheid period ratios in the galaxy and Magellanic Clouds

Linear pulsation calculations are employed to reproduce the bump Cepheid resonance (P(sub 2)/P(sub 0) = 0.5 at P(sub 0) approximately equal to 10 days) and to model, individually, the P(sub 1)/P(sub 0) period ratios for the dozen known Galactic beat Cepheids. Convection is ignored. The results point to a range of metallicity among the Cepheids, perhaps as large as 0.01 approximately less than Z approximately less than 0.02, with no evidence for any star exceeding Z = 0.02. We find masses and luminosities which range from M approximately less than 4 solar mass, log(base 10) approximately less than 3.0 at P(sub 0) approximately equal to 3 days to M approximately less than 6 solar mass, log(base 10) L approximately greater than 3.5 at P(sub 0) approximately equal to 10 days. Similar parameters are indicated for the P(sub 0) approximately equal to 10 days Cepheids in the LMC and SMC, provided that the resonance for these stars occurs at a slightly longer period, P(sub 0) days, as has been suggested in the literature. Our calculations were performed mainly using OPAL opacities, but also with new opacities from the Opacity project (OP). Only small differences were found between the OPAL results and those from OP. Finally, some suggestions are made for possible future work, including evolution and pulsation calculations, and more precise observations of Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds.

Simon, Norman R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Research on Spectroscopy, Opacity, and Atmospheres

A web site has been set up to make the calculations accessible; (i.e., cfakus.harvard.edu) This data can also be accessed by FTP. It has all of the atomic and diatomic molecular data, tables of distribution function opacities, grids of model atmospheres, colors, fluxes, etc, programs that are ready for distribution, and most of recent papers developed during this grant. Atlases and computed spectra will be added as they are completed. New atomic and molecular calculations will be added as they are completed. The atomic programs that had been running on a Cray at the San Diego Supercomputer Center can now run on the Vaxes and Alpha. The work started with Ni and Co because there were new laboratory analyses that included isotopic and hyperfine splitting. Those calculations are described in the appended abstract for the 6th Atomic Spectroscopy and oscillator Strengths meeting in Victoria last summer. A surprising finding is that quadrupole transitions have been grossly in error because mixing with higher levels has not been included. All levels up through n=9 for Fe I and II, the spectra for which the most information is available, are now included. After Fe I and Fe II, all other spectra are "easy". ATLAS12, the opacity sampling program for computing models with arbitrary abundances, has been put on the web server. A new distribution function opacity program for workstations that replaces the one used on the Cray at the San Diego Supercomputer Center has been written. Each set of abundances would take 100 Cray hours costing $100,000.

Kurucz, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) Observations of Dust Opacity During Aerobraking and Science Phasing

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) arrived at Mars in September 1997 near Mars southern spring equinox and has now provided monitoring of conditions in the Mars atmosphere for more than half a Mars year. The large majority of the spectra taken by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) are in a nadir geometry (downward looking mode) where Mars is observed through the atmosphere. Most of these contain the distinct spectral signature of atmospheric dust. For these nadir-geometry spectra we retrieve column-integrated infrared aerosol (dust) opacities. TES observations during the aerobraking and science-phasing portions of the MGS mission cover the seasonal range L(sub s)=184 deg - 28 deg. Excellent spatial coverage was obtained in the southern hemisphere. Northern hemisphere coverage is generally limited to narrow strips taken during the periapsis pass but is still very valuable. At the beginning of the mission the 9-(micron)meter dust opacity at midsouthern latitudes was low (0.15-0.25). As the season advanced through southern spring and into summer, TES observed several regional dust storms (including the Noachis dust storm of November 1997) where peak 9-(micron)meter dust opacities approached or exceeded unity, as well as numerous smaller local storms. Both large and small dust storms exhibited significant changes in both spatial coverage and intensity over a timescale of a day. Throughout southern spring and summer the region at the edge of the retreating southern seasonal polar ice cap was observed to be consistently more dusty than other latitudes.

Smith, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Fractal Particles: Titan's Thermal Structure and IR Opacity

Titan's haze particles are the principle opacity at solar wavelengths. Most past work in modeling these particles has assumed spherical particles. However, observational evidence strongly favors fractal shapes for the haze particles. We consider the implications of fractal particles for the thermal structure and near infrared opacity of Titan's atmosphere. We find that assuming fractal particles with the optical properties based on laboratory tholin material and with a production rate that allows for a match to the geometric albedo results in warmer troposphere and surface temperatures compared to spherical particles. In the near infrared (1-3 microns) the predicted opacity of the fractal particles is up to a factor of two less than for spherical particles. This has implications for the ability of Cassini to image Titan's surface at 1 micron.

McKay, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS2014

An Empirical Determination of the Intergalactic Background Light Using Near-Infrared Deep Galaxy Survey Data Out to 5 Micrometers and the Gamma-Ray Opacity of the Universe

We extend our previous model-independent determination of the intergalactic background light, based purely on galaxy survey data, out to a wavelength of 5 micrometers. Our approach enables us to constrain the range of photon densities, based on the uncertainties from observationally determined luminosity densities and colors. We further determine a 68% confidence upper and lower limit on the opacity of the universe to gamma-rays up to energies of 1.6/(1 + z) terraelectron volts. A comparison of our lower limit redshift-dependent opacity curves to the opacity limits derived from the results of both ground-based air Cerenkov telescope and Fermi-LAT observations of PKS 1424+240 allows us to place a new upper limit on the redshift of this source, independent of IBL modeling.

BL Lacertae↗
NASA NTRS2018

Luminous Blue Variable Outbursts from the Variations of Helium Opacity

Luminous blue variables are evolved massive stars that exhibit poorly understood variability on timescales from months to years with significant mass loss rates. They typically reach an effective temperature of ≈ 9000K during outbursts. These variations and large mass loss rates are believed to be caused by the radiation force on the cooler, more opaque outer layers that can balance or even exceed the force of gravity, although the exact mechanisms for the outburst and variability are unknown and cannot be calculated in one dimension. Here we report three dimensional simulations of radiation-dominated massive stars, which show that helium opacity plays an important role for the outburst and setting the observed effective temperature ≈ 9000K. It also likely triggers the episodic mass loss at rates of 10(exp -7) – 10(exp -5)M(sub ⨀)/yr. The helium opacity peak only shows up in our three-dimensional simulations but not in one dimensional calculation because the envelope structures need to be determined self-consistently with convection. The simulations not only reproduce similar observed long time scale variabilities, but also predict that convection causes irregular envelope oscillations and 10-30% brightness variations on a typical timescale of a few days and reaches larger amplitudes for even cooler stars. These short time scale variabilities should be observed with future high cadence observations.

Helium opacities↗
NASA NTRS1971

Shock tube technique for measuring opacities at high pressures for gaseous-core nuclear rockets.

A new method of opacity determination is described that uses an improved shock tube design and is applicable to measurements of Planck and Rosseland mean opacities in hydrogen or seeded hydrogen at hydrogen partial pressures of 500 atm, at temperatures from 2300 to 8000 K. The selection of seed materials to be added to the gases to make them semiopaque is discussed. Currently favored seeds are silicon and carbon or graphite for reactive seeds, and depleted uranium and tungsten 184 for nonreactive seeds.

Patch, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

On the methane opacity for Uranus and Neptune.

The contribution of methane to the thermal opacity in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune is shown to be negligible. The relevance of this finding lies in the importance of knowing all the sources of thermal opacity to include in models of these atmospheres, for only then may it be possible to deduce their atmospheric structure and composition correctly.

Trafton, L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Non-LTE H2+ as the source of missing opacity in the solar atmosphere

The population of the various vibrational levels of the H2+ molecule has been calculated from the consideration of formation and destruction mechanisms. The resulting population is used in calculating the total absorption due to H2+ and is compared with the other known sources of opacity at several optical depths of the solar atmosphere. It is shown that the absorption due to H2+ can probably account for the missing ultraviolet opacity in the solar atmosphere.

Swamy, K. S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Theoretical models of Beta Cephei stars constructed with new radiative opacities

Equilibrium models for the main-sequence and early post-main-sequence phases of evolution are constructed for stars of 10.9 and 15 solar masses with two different initial hydrogen and metals abundances. Carson's (1976) radiative opacities are used in the calculations. It is found that the models which lie off the zero-age main sequence have cooler effective temperatures than corresponding models based on other opacities and cross the observed Beta Cephei strip in the H-R diagram only during the main phase of core hydrogen burning. The stability of radial and nonradial pulsations is studied by applying linear nonadiabatic perturbations to the models. The results show that all the modes examined are stable and that the margin of stability decreases with advancing evolution. It is suggested that the closeness of the periods of the two lowest nonradial quadrupole p-modes may be responsible for the 'beat' phenomenon observed in many Beta Cephei stars, if these modes are somehow excited. Possible instability mechanisms are evaluated, particularly the ultimate ionization of CNO elements.

Stothers, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

On the fragmentation of cosmic gas clouds. II - Opacity-limited star formation

Opacity-limited fragmentation of gravitationally collapsing gas clouds is reexamined with inclusion of realistic dust-grain opacities and cooling rates. A minimum fragment size of approximately 0.01 solar mass is found in spherical collapse, but may be the same or larger for spheroidal collapse. A simple analytic expression is given for the characteristic protostellar mass above which further fragmentation can occur during the early opaque phases of dynamical protostellar collapse. The effects of rotation, fragment collisions, and magnetic fields are also discussed.

Silk, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Viking Orbiter Observations of Atmospheric Opacity During July-November 1976

Viking orbiter photography during the primary mission combined with lander indications of surface properties have permitted the estimation of atmospheric optical depths and phase functions. Highly variable time of day opacities ranging from 0.05 to 0.6 are seen to occur in three principle regions. A wavelength-dependent particulate component plus a time variable grey aerosol of higher density may explain these opacities versus time of day. These data should serve as a basis for extended mission comparisons.

Thorpe, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Bump Cepheids - The mass anomaly as an opacity effect

Nonlinear calculations of models for bump Cepheids indicate that most of the basic features of these stars can be reproduced well by models having normal to nearly normal evolutionary masses and normal helium abundances, if Carson's opacities are adopted. The trends of the properties of the models with various physical parameters are otherwise very similar to those obtained by other authors with the Los Alamos opacities (which have led to Cepheid masses of half the evolutionary masses). Difficulties with the resonance hypothesis of Simon and Schmidt as an explanation of the bump are discussed.

Sastri, V. K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The spectral opacity of triatomic carbon measured in a graphite tube furnace over the 280 to 600 nm wavelength range

The opacity of linear triatomic carbon (C3) was measured in a graphite tube furnace from 280 to 600 nm to supplement the earlier measurements of Brewer and Engelke. The spectral cross section was estimated from the opacities using temperature profiles determined pyrometrically and a revised heat of formation delta H = 198 kcal/mole). The cross section was found to be nonnegligible over the range 300 to 500 nm and the electronic oscillator strength based on the total cross section estimate was 0.02.

Snow, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The spectral opacity of triatomic carbon measured in a graphite tube furnace over the 280 to 600 nm wavelength range

The paper presents the measurements of linear triatomic carbon opacity (C3) made in a graphite tube furnace to extend the wavelength range of Brewer and Engelke (1962) to the 280-600 nm range. An electrooptical method was used to determine C3 absorption in argon at 2720 to 3060 K; a quartic polynomial regression expression was derived to provide a complete temperature profile from pyrometer measurements. The C3 spectra were plotted for several opacity levels. It was concluded that the extension of the spectral range to the near u.v. levels made it easier to identify C3 particles.

Snow, W. L.↗