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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic Field Strength Effects on Nucleosynthesis from Neutron Star Merger Outflows

Abstract Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence drives the central engine of post-merger remnants, potentially powering both a nucleosynthetically active disk wind and the relativistic jet behind a short gamma-ray burst. We explore the impact of the magnetic field on this engine by simulating three post-merger black hole accretion disks using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics with Monte Carlo neutrino transport, in each case varying the initial magnetic field strength. We find increasing ejecta masses associated with increasing magnetic field strength. We find that a fairly robust main r -process pattern is produced in all three cases, scaled by the ejected mass. Changing the initial magnetic field strength has a considerable effect on the geometry of the outflow and hints at complex central engine dynamics influencing lanthanide outflows. We find that actinide production is especially sensitive to magnetic field strength, with the overall actinide mass fraction calculated at 1 Gyr post-merger increasing by more than a factor of 6 with a tenfold increase in magnetic field strength. This hints at a possible connection to the variability in actinide enhancements exhibited by metal-poor, r -process-enhanced stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photometric study on stellar magnetic activity. I. Flare variability of red dwarf stars in the open cluster M37

Based on one-month long MMT time-series observations of the open cluster M37, we monitored light variations of nearly 2500 red dwarfs and successfully identified 420 flare events from 312 cluster M dwarf stars. For each flare light curve, we derived observational and physical parameters, such as flare shape, peak amplitude, duration, energy, and peak luminosity. We show that cool stars produce serendipitous flares energetic enough to be observed in the r-band, and their temporal and peak characteristics are almost the same as those in traditional U-band observations. We also found many large-amplitude flares with inferred Δu>6 mag in the cluster sample which had been rarely reported in previous ground-based observations. Following the ergodic hypothesis, we investigate in detail statistical properties of flare parameters over a range of energy (E{sub r} ≃ 10{sup 31}–10{sup 34} erg). As expected, there are no statistical differences in the distributions of flare timescales, energies, and frequencies among stars of the same age and mass group. We note that our sample tend to have longer rise and decay timescales compared to those seen in field flare stars of the same spectral type and be more energetic. Flare frequency distributions follow power-law distributions with slopes β∼0.62–1.21 for all flare stars and β∼0.52–0.97 for stars with membership information (P{sub mem}⩾0.2). These are in general agreement with previous works on flare statistics of young open clusters and nearby field stars. Our results give further support to the classical age–activity relations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Similarity of PSR J1906+0746 to PSR J0737–3039: a Candidate of a New Double Pulsar System?

PSR J1906+0746 is a nonrecycled strong magnetic field neutron star (NS), sharing the properties of the secondary-formed NS PSR J0737–3039B in the double pulsar system PSR J0737–3039AB. By comparing the orbital parameters of PSR J1906+0746 with those of PSR J0737–3039AB, we conclude that both systems have a similar origin and evolution history, involving an e-capture process for forming the second-born NS, like in the case of PSR J0737–3039B. We expect the companion of PSR J1906+0746 to be a long-lived recycled pulsar with radio beams that currently cannot be observed from Earth. We suggest possible ways to detect its presence. To compare PSR J1906+0746 with PSR J0737–3039, we also present the mass distribution of eight pairs of double NSs and find that in double NSs the mass of the recycled pulsar is usually larger than that of the nonrecycled one, which may be the result of accretion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

From Interstellar Cloud to Star to Laboratory: Frontier HEDP Studies of Magnetized Colliding Plasma Flows with Strong Radiative Cooling

The project investigated a number of phenomena related to the interaction of highly supersonic, strongly cooled flows where magnetic field and the development of plasma instabilities play a role in the system evolution. Colliding plasma jets and flow interactions are commonplace in astrophysical systems which are strongly collisional, and radiatively cooled despite their large size. Many observations require the testing of hypotheses which can lead to a greater understanding of the dominant plasma condition and processes. We have developed experiments to investigate counter-propagating, high Mach number flows where the radiative loss was rate varied. The development of extended shock structure at the intersection of these flows was observed and characterized over a range of parameter space. Of particular note, was the fragmentation of shocks in collisional, radiatively cooled flows which show strong indications of the development of a turbulent power density spectrum driven by cooling instabilities. This is significant in that similar processes are believed to develop in stellar nurseries where gravity play little role. We have demonstrated the efficacy of novel experiments where a high Mach number flow interacts with a magnetized target. The target B-field dominates the morphology of the shock evolution, in contract to the purely hydrodynamic case. Additionally, the interaction of 2 bow shocks was shown to result in regular reflection mid-plane, in line with detailed simulation work. This is directly relevant to the often-complicated structures formed at the head of HH jets in which multiple shocks can generate new structures in observations as they interact. Research work from all the above has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences, regularly by graduate and undergraduate students.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Hazards of Our Star

The Sun's magnetic field permeates its atmosphere - ranging from the solar photosphere (the visible "surface") to the corona above. Think of this field as a collection of invisible rubber bands that are slowly stretched and twisted until they eventually reach a breaking point, When the field breaks, it releases a small amount of energy, known as a nanoflare. Millions of nanoflares occur every second, and the combined effect heats the solar corona to more than 1 million kelvins, hundreds of times hotter than the photosphere. The super-heated gas emits X-ray and ultraviolet radiation; Earth's upper atmosphere absorbs it, which changes our atmosphere's properties. This can disrupt communication, navigation, and surveillance systems, and also alter the orbits of satellites. On much larger scales, huge sections of the corona explosively erupt in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares. CMEs directed toward Earth cause geomagnetic storms, which can wreck havoc on electrical power grids and produce widespread blackouts. Highly energetic particles can damage or even disable critical spacecraft components. Intense radiation from flares has the same effects as nanoflares, but to a greater degree. The need to understand how solar phenomena impact Earth has led to an important science field called space weather.

Klimchuk, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Microwave observations of late-type stars with the Very Large Array

The Very Large Array was used to search for microwave emission from 32 stars of late spectral type including RS CVn type stars, dwarf M stars, and stars with active chromospheres, coronae, or intense magnetic fields. The RS CVn stars were detected at 6 cm wavelength, and upper limits are established for another six. Radio emission was detected from three dwarf M flare stars, UV Cet, EQ Peg and YZ CMi. Both impulsive (no more than 20 s) and more gradual (at least ten minutes) bursts were observed from the flare star YZ CMi. Radio emission was not confirmed at 6 cm from the solar type star Chi(1) Ori, with an upper limit that is three times lower than the detections reported by other observers. Microwave emission could not be detected from any other solar type star of spectral class F to K. The quiescent radio emission from dwarf M flare stars was interpreted as nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission by mildly relativistic electrons accelerated more or less continuously in the magnetic fields of starspots.

Pallavicini, R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The DQ Herculis stars

We review the properties of the DQ Herculis stars: cataclysmic variables containing an accreting, magnetic, rapidly rotating white dwarf. These stars are characterized by strong X-ray emission, high-excitation spectra, and very stable optical and X-ray pulsations in their light curves. There is considerable resemblance to their more famous cousins, the AM Herculis stars, but the latter class is additionally characterized by spin-orbit synchronism and the presence of strong circular polarization. We list eighteen stars passing muster as certain or very likely DQ Her stars. The rotational periods range from 33 s to 2.0 hr. Additional periods can result when the rotating searchlight illuminates other structures in the binary. A single hypothesis explains most of the observed properties: magnetically channeled accretion within a truncated disk. Some accretion flow still seems to proceed directly to the magnetosphere, however. The white dwarfs' magnetic moments are in the range 10(sup 32) - 10(sup 34) G cc, slightly weaker than in AM Her stars but with some probable overlap. The more important reason why DQ Hers have broken synchronism is probably their greater accretion rate and orbital separation. The observed L(sub x)/L(sub V) values are surprisingly low for a radially accreting white dwarf, suggesting that most of the accretion energy is not radiated in a strong shock above the magnetic pole. The fluxes can be more satisfactorily explained if most of the radial infall energy manages to bypass the shock and deposit itse lf directly in the white dwarf photosphere, where it should emerge as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. This also provides an adequate source of ionizing photons to power the high-excitation optical and UV emission lines. This is probably the DQ Her analog to the famous 'soft X-ray excess' in AM Her stars. However, unlike the AM Her case, this radiation has not been directly observed, so the analogy must not (yet) be embraced too firmly. There is some conventional wisdom today which segregates the short-period from the long-period DQ Her stars. But the observational grounds for this distinction are slim, except in one respect: X-ray emission from short-period systems appears to be weaker and softer. This must be due to the shallower depth of the potential well, and/or the greater difficulty the fast rotators have in enforcing radial accretion flow.

Patterson, Joseph↗
DOE OSTI2015

Magnetized interstellar molecular clouds – I. Comparison between simulations and Zeeman observations

The most accurate measurements of magnetic fields in star-forming gas are based on the Zeeman observations analysed by Crutcher et al. Here, we show that their finding that the 3D magnetic field scales approximately as density 0.65 can also be obtained from analysis of the observed line-of-sight fields. We present two large-scale adaptive-mesh-refinement magnetohydrodynamic simulations of several thousand M ⊙ of turbulent, isothermal, self-gravitating gas, one with a strong initial magnetic field (Alfven Mach number $\mathcal{M}_{A,0}=1$) and one with a weak initial field ($\mathcal{M}_{A,0}=10$). We construct samples of the 100 most massive clumps in each simulation and show that they exhibit a power-law relation between field strength and density ($\bar{n}_H$) in excellent agreement with the observed one. Our results imply that the average field in molecular clumps in the interstellar medium (ISM) is $\langle B_{tot}(\bar{n}_H)\rangle ≈ 43\bar{n}^{0.65}_{H,4}μG$. Furthermore, the median value of the ratio of the line-of-sight field to density 0.65 in the simulations is within a factor of about (1.3, 1.7) of the observed value for the strong- and weak-field cases, respectively. The median value of the mass-to-flux ratio, normalized to the critical value, is 70 per cent of the line-of-sight value. This is larger than the 50 per cent usually cited for spherical clouds because the actual mass-to-flux ratio depends on the volume-weighted field, whereas the observed one depends on the mass-weighted field. Our results indicate that the typical molecular clump in the ISM is significantly supercritical (! factor of 3). The results of our strong-field model are in very good quantitative agreement with the observations of Li et al., which show a strong correlation in field orientation between small and large scales. Because there is a negligible correlation in the weak-field model, we conclude that molecular clouds form from strongly magnetized (although magnetically supercritical) gas, in agreement with the conclusion of Li et al.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Factory and the Beehive. IV. A Comprehensive Study of the Rotation X-Ray Activity Relation in Praesepe and the Hyades

X-ray observations of low-mass stars in open clusters are critical to understanding the dependence of magnetic activity on stellar properties and their evolution. Praesepe and the Hyades, two of the nearest, most-studied open clusters, are among the best available laboratories for examining the dependence of magnetic activity on rotation for stars with masses ≲1 M ⊙ . We present an updated study of the rotation–X-ray activity relation in the two clusters. We updated membership catalogs that combine pre-Gaia catalogs with new catalogs based on Gaia Data Release 2. The resulting catalogs are the most inclusive ones for both clusters: 1739 Praesepe and 1315 Hyades stars. We collected X-ray detections for cluster members, for which we analyzed, re-analyzed, or collated data from ROSAT, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and XMM-Newton. We have detections for 326 Praesepe and 462 Hyades members, of which 273 and 164, respectively, have rotation periods—an increase of 6× relative to what was previously available. We find that at ≈700 Myr, only M dwarfs remain saturated in X-rays, with only tentative evidence for supersaturation. We also find a tight relation between the Rossby number and fractional X-ray luminosity L X /L bol in unsaturated single members, suggesting a power-law index between –3.2 and –3.9. Lastly, we find no difference in the coronal parameters between binary and single members. These results provide essential insight into the relative efficiency of magnetic heating of the stars' atmospheres, thereby informing the development of robust age-rotation-activity relations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The SDSS/APOGEE catalogue of HgMn stars

ABSTRACT We report on H-band spectra of chemically peculiar Mercury–Manganese (HgMn) stars obtained via the SDSS/APOGEE survey. As opposed to other varieties of chemically peculiar stars such as classical Ap/Bp stars, HgMn stars lack strong magnetic fields and are defined by extreme overabundances of Mn, Hg, and other heavy elements. A satisfactory explanation for the abundance patterns remains to be determined, but low rotational velocity is a requirement and involvement in binary/multiple systems may be as well. The APOGEE HgMn sample currently consists of 269 stars that were identified among the telluric standard stars as those whose metallic absorption content is limited to or dominated by the H-band Mn ii lines. Due to the fainter magnitudes probed by the APOGEE survey as compared to past studies, only 9/269 stars in the sample were previously known as HgMn types. The 260 newly identified HgMn stars represents a more than doubling of the known sample. At least 32 per cent of the APOGEE sample are found to be binary or multiple systems, and from multi-epoch spectroscopy, we were able to determine orbital solutions for at least one component in 32 binaries. Many of the multilined systems include chemically peculiar companions, with noteworthy examples being the HgMn+Ap/Bp binary HD 5429, the HgMn+HgMn binary HD 298641, and the HgMn+Bp Mn + Am triple system HD 231263. As a further peculiarity, roughly half of the sample produces narrow emission in the C i 16895 Å line, with widths and radial velocities that match those of the Mn ii lines.

Chojnowski, S. Drew↗
NASA NTRS1979

Theories of magnetospheres around accreting compact objects

The paper reviews theoretical models of magnetospheres formed around neutron stars and other strongly magnetized compact objects in the presence of mass accretion from a companion star. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of the accretion process with the magnetic field of the compact object and the formation of a magnetosphere. The following models are discussed: magnetospheres with polar funnels; closed magnetospheres and their instabilities; models of internal flow; and disk accretion magnetospheres.

Vasyliunas, V. M.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Magnetic-distortion-induced Ellipticity and Gravitational Wave Radiation of Neutron Stars: Millisecond Magnetars in Short GRBs, Galactic Pulsars, and Magnetars

Neutron stars may sustain a non-axisymmetric deformation due to magnetic distortion and are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves (GWs) for ground-based interferometric detectors. With decades of searches using available GW detectors, no evidence of a GW signal from any pulsar has been observed. Progressively stringent upper limits of ellipticity have been placed on Galactic pulsars. In this work, we use the ellipticity inferred from the putative millisecond magnetars in short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) to estimate their detectability by current and future GW detectors. For ∼1 ms magnetars inferred from the SGRB data, the detection horizon is ∼30 Mpc and ∼600 Mpc for the advanced LIGO (aLIGO) and Einstein Telescope (ET), respectively. Using the ellipticity of SGRB millisecond magnetars as calibration, we estimate the ellipticity and GW strain of Galactic pulsars and magnetars assuming that the ellipticity is magnetic-distortion-induced. We find that the results are consistent with the null detection results of Galactic pulsars and magnetars with the aLIGO O1. We further predict that the GW signals from these pulsars/magnetars may not be detectable by the currently designed aLIGO detector. The ET detector may be able to detect some relatively low-frequency signals (<50 Hz) from some of these pulsars. Limited by its design sensitivity, the eLISA detector seems to not be suitable for detecting the signals from Galactic pulsars and magnetars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2023

X-ray Pulsar GRO J1008-57 as an Orthogonal Rotator

X-ray polarimetry is a unique way to probe the geometrical configuration of highly magnetized accreting neutron stars (X-ray pulsars).GRO J1008−57 is the first transient X-ray pulsar observed at two different flux levels by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) duringits outburst in November 2022. We find the polarization properties of GRO J1008−57 to be independent of its luminosity, with the polarization degree varying between nondetection and about 15% over the pulse phase. Fitting the phase-resolved spectro-polarimetric data with the rotatingvector model allowed us to estimate the pulsar inclination (130◦, which is in good agreement with the orbital inclination), the position angle (75◦)of the pulsar spin axis, and the magnetic obliquity (∼74◦). This makes GRO J1008−57 the first confidently identified nearly orthogonal rotator among X-ray pulsars. We discuss our results in the context of the neutron star atmosphere models and theories of the axis alignment of accreting pulsars.

GRO J1008-57↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Unified Model of Kilonovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts in Binary Mergers Establishes Neutron Stars as the Central Engines of Short GRBs

We expand the theoretical framework by O. Gottlieb et al., which connects binary merger populations with long and short binary gamma-ray bursts (lbGRBs and sbGRBs, respectively), incorporating kilonovae (KNe) as a key diagnostic tool. We show that lbGRBs, powered by massive accretion disks around black holes (BHs), should be accompanied by bright, red KNe. In contrast, sbGRBs—if also powered by BHs—would produce fainter, red KNe, potentially biasing against their detection. However, magnetized hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnants that precede BH formation can produce jets with power (P NS ≈ 10 51 erg s –1 ) and Lorentz factor (Γ > 10) likely compatible with sbGRB observations, and would result in distinctly bluer KNe, offering a pathway to identifying the sbGRB central engine. Recent modeling by J. C. Rastinejad et al. found luminous red KNe consistently accompany lbGRBs, supporting their origin in BH-massive disk systems, likely following a short-lived HMNS phase. The preferential association of sbGRBs with comparably luminous KNe argues against the BH engine hypothesis for sbGRBs, while the bluer hue of these KNe provides additional support for an HMNS-driven mechanism. Within this framework, BH–NS mergers likely contribute exclusively to the lbGRB population with red KNe. Our findings suggest that GW170817 may, in fact, have been an lbGRB to on-axis observers. Finally, we discuss major challenges faced by alternative lbGRB progenitor models, such as white dwarf–NS or white dwarf–BH mergers and accretion-induced collapse forming magnetars, which fail to align with observed GRB timescales, energies, and KN properties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1999

DK UMa: A Star on the Ascent

DK UMa (= 24 UMa = HD 82210) is a G4 IV-III star. According to its M(sub v) and B - V color, it is located at the base of the red giant branch, having recently exited from the Hertzsprung Gap. Now poised to start its first ascent along the giant branch, DK UMa is at a significant juncture in its post-main-sequence evolution, offering an important evolutionary comparison for magnetic activity with stars like 31 Comae, which is just entering the Hertzsprung Gap, and older stars like the Hyades giants or P Ceti, which have passed the tip of the giant branch and lie in the so-called 'clump'. As part of a major survey of the ultraviolet and X ray properties of a well-defined sample of evolved giant stars, DK UMa was observed with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) spacecraft in March 1997, for a total exposure time of 230 kiloseconds. A plot of the extracted short-wavelength (SW) spectrum of this star is shown, where it is compared with similar EUVE exposures for other yellow and red giant stars in the activity survey. In terms of the spectral lines of different ionization stages present in these spectra, the transition region and coronal temperature of DK UMa appears to be intermediate between those of 31 Com and P Ceti. Combining the relative strengths of the EUVE lines with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data at near UV wavelengths and with ROSAT X-ray fluxes, the differential emission measure (DEM) distributions of these stars form a sequence in coronal temperature, which peaks at 10(exp 7.2) K for 31 Com, at 10(exp 6.8) K for B Ceti, and at intermediate temperatures for DK UMa - consistent with the evolutionary stages represented by the three stars. The integrated fluxes of the strongest emission lines found in the EUVE spectrum of DK UMa are listed, again compared with similar measurements for other giant stars that were observed in the course of other EUVE Guest Observer programs.

Simon, Theodore↗