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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM V. Broad-band modelling of ionized outflows

The Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 hosts a multi-phase warm absorber (WA) that has been extensively studied in the X-ray band. High-resolution spectra from 2000−2001 revealed a complex outflow with multiple ionization and velocity components. Two decades later, new XMM-Newton and XRISM observations allow us to investigate the long-term evolution of these outflows. We performed joint spectral modelling of the XMM-Newton /RGS and XRISM/Resolve time-averaged spectra using the pion photoionization code within SPEX. We derived the ionization parameter, column density, turbulent velocity, and outflow velocity for each absorption component, and investigated their thermal stability and absorption measure distribution (AMD) to characterize the physical and dynamical properties of the WA in NGC 3783 in 2024. We compared these results with the 2000−2001 epoch to assess long-term variability, stability, and possible changes in the absorber population. We identify eight WA components spanning log ξ = 1.08 − 3.38 and outflow velocities of 480−1230 km s −1 . The ranges of column densities and turbulent velocities remain broadly consistent with the WAs from 2000−2001, but the earlier data contained more low-ionization, high-velocity components. The total column density of all the outflows in 2024 is 1.5 times larger than in 2000−2001, which means that it has been replenished by fresh material. The dominant unresolved transition array (UTA) absorber (component B3) has increased its column density by a factor of three while maintaining a similar ionization parameter. The WAs in NGC 3783 have undergone significant structural and dynamical evolution over the past 24 years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structural and electronic properties of polar MnO ultrathin film grown on Ag(111)

Surface electronic structure of ultrathin polar MnO film was studied by Low-energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) and Photoemission Spectroscopic (PES) techniques. Epitaxial monolayer to facet formation with increasing film thickness has been observed by LEED. Our LEED result shows p(2x2) surface reconstruction along with facet formation, stabilize the polar MnO(111) surface. The core levels and the valence band electronic structure of MnO films have been studied as a function of film thickness using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy techniques.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spatially resolved properties of supernova host galaxies in SDSS-IV MaNGA

We crossmatch galaxies from Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory with the Open Supernova Catalog, obtaining a total of 132 SNe within MaNGA bundle. These 132 SNe can be classified into 67 Type Ia and 65 Type CC. We study the global and local properties of supernova host galaxies statistically. Type Ia SNe are distributed in both star-forming galaxies and quiescent galaxies, while Type CC SNe are all distributed along the star-forming main sequence. As the stellar mass increases, the Type Ia/CC number ratio increases. We find: (1) there is no obvious difference in the interaction possibilities and environments between Type Ia SN hosts and a control sample of galaxies with similar stellar mass and SFR distributions, except that Type Ia SNe tend to appear in galaxies which are more bulge-dominated than their controls. For Type CC SNe, there is no difference between their hosts and the control galaxies in galaxy morphology, interaction possibilities as well as environments; (2) compared to galaxy centers, the SN locations have smaller velocity dispersion, lower metallicity, and younger stellar population. This is a natural result of radius gradients for all these parameters. In conclusion, the SN location and its symmetrical position relative to the galaxy center, as well as regions with similar effective radii have very similar [Mg/Fe], gas-phase metallicity, gas velocity dispersion and stellar population age.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

OzDES multi-object fibre spectroscopy for the Dark Energy Survey: Results and second data release

We present a description of the Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES) and summarize the results from its 6 years of operations. Using the 2dF fibre positioner and AAOmega spectrograph on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope, OzDES has monitored 771 active galactic nuclei, classified hundreds of supernovae, and obtained redshifts for thousands of galaxies that hosted a transient within the 10 deep fields of the Dark Energy Survey. We also present the second OzDES data release, containing the redshifts of almost 30 000 sources, some as faint as r_AB = 24 mag, and 375 000 individual spectra. These data, in combination with the time-series photometry from the Dark Energy Survey, will be used to measure the expansion history of the Universe out to z ∼ 1.2 and the masses of hundreds of black holes out to z ∼ 4. OzDES is a template for future surveys that combine simultaneous monitoring of targets with wide-field imaging cameras and wide-field multi-object spectrographs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Observation and confirmation of nine strong-lensing systems in Dark Energy Survey Year 1 data

ABSTRACT We describe the observation and confirmation of nine new strong gravitational lenses discovered in Year 1 data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We created candidate lists based on (i) galaxy group and cluster samples, and (ii) photometrically selected galaxy samples. We selected 46 candidates through visual inspection and then used the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph(GMOS) at the Gemini South telescope to acquire a spectroscopic follow-up of 21 of these candidates. Through an analysis of these spectroscopic follow-up data, we confirmed nine new lensing systems and rejected two candidates, and the analysis was inconclusive on 10 candidates. For each of the confirmed systems, our report measured spectroscopic properties, estimated source image–lens separations, and estimated enclosed masses as well. The sources that we targeted have an i-band surface brightness range of $i_{\rm SB} \sim 22\!-\!24\, {\rm mag}\,{\rm arcsec}^{-2}$ and a spectroscopic redshift range of zspec ∼ 0.8−2.6. The lens galaxies have a photometric redshift range of zlens ∼ 0.3−0.7. The lensing systems range in source image–lens separation from 2 to 9 arcsec and in enclosed mass from 1012 to 1013 M⊙.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

The stellar parameters and elemental abundances from low-resolution spectra – I. 1.2 million giants from LAMOST DR8

As a typical data-driven method, deep learning becomes a natural choice for analysing astronomical data. In this study, we built a deep convolutional neural network (NN) to estimate basic stellar parameters $T\rm {_{eff}}$, log g , metallicity ([M/H] and [Fe/H]) and [α/M] along with nine individual elemental abundances ([C/Fe], [N/Fe], [O/Fe], [Mg/Fe], [Al/Fe], [Si/Fe], [Ca/Fe], [Mn/Fe], and [Ni/Fe]). The NN is trained using common stars between the APOGEE survey and the LAMOST survey. We used low-resolution spectra from LAMOST survey as input, and measurements from APOGEE as labels. For stellar spectra with the signal-to-noise ratio in g band larger than 10 in the test set, the mean absolute error (MAE) is 29 K for $T\rm {_{eff}}$, 0.07 dex for log g , 0.03 dex for both [Fe/H] and [M/H], and 0.02 dex for [α/M]. The MAE of most elements is between 0.02 and 0.04 dex. The trained NN was applied to 1210 145 giants, including sub-giants, from LAMOST DR8 within the range of stellar parameters 3500 K < $T\rm {_{eff}}$ < 5500 K, 0.0 dex < log g < 4.0 dex, −2.5 dex < [Fe/H] < 0.5 dex. The distribution of our results in the chemical spaces is highly consistent with APOGEE labels and stellar parameters show consistency with external high-resolution measurements from GALAH. The results in this study allow us to further studies based on LAMOST data and deepen our understanding of the accretion and evolution history of the Milky Way. The electronic version of the value added catalog is available at http://www.lamost.org/dr8/v1.1/doc/vac.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A deep, multi-epoch Chandra HETG study of the ionized outflow from NGC 4051

Actively accreting supermassive black holes significantly impact the evolution of their host galaxies, truncating further star formation by expelling large fractions of gas with wide-angle outflows. The X-ray band is key to understanding how these black hole winds affect their environment, as the outflows have high temperatures ~10 5–8 K). We have developed a Bayesian framework for characterizing active galactic nucleus outflows with an improved ability to explore parameter space and perform robust model selection. We applied this framework to a new 700 ks and an archival 315 ks Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings observation of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4051. We have detected six absorbers intrinsic to NGC 4051. These wind components span velocities from 400 to 30000 km s -1 . We have determined that the most statistically significant wind component is purely collisionally ionized, which is the first detection of such an absorber. This wind has T ≈ 10 7 K and v ≈ 880 km s -1 and remains remarkably stable between the two epochs. Other slow components also remain stable across time. Fast outflow components change their properties between 2008 and 2016, suggesting either physical changes or clouds moving in and out of the line of sight. For one of the fast components, we obtain one of the tightest wind density measurements to date, log n/(cm -3 ) = 13.0$^{+0.01}_{-0.02}$, and determine that it is located at ~240 gravitational radii. The estimated total outflow power surpasses 5 percent of the bolometric luminosity (albeit with large uncertainties) making it important in the context of galaxy–black hole interactions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discovering Ca II absorption lines with a neural network

Quasar absorption line analysis is critical for studying gas and dust components and their physical and chemical properties as well as the evolution and formation of galaxies in the early universe. Calcium II (Ca II ) absorbers, which are one of the dustiest absorbers and are located at lower redshifts than most other absorbers, are especially valuable when studying physical processes and conditions in recent galaxies. However, the number of known quasar Ca II absorbers is relatively low due to the difficulty of detecting them with traditional methods. In this work, we developed an accurate and quick approach to search for Ca II absorption lines using deep learning. In our deep learning model, a convolutional neural network, tuned using simulated data, is used for the classification task. The simulated training data are generated by inserting artificial Ca II absorption lines into original quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), while an existing Ca II catalogue is adopted as the test set. The resulting model achieves an accuracy of 96 per cent on the real data in the test set. Our solution runs thousands of times faster than traditional methods, taking a fraction of a second to analyse thousands of quasars, while traditional methods may take days to weeks. The trained neural network is applied to quasar spectra from SDSS’s DR7 and DR12 and discovered 399 new quasar Ca II absorbers. In addition, we confirmed 409 known quasar Ca II absorbers identified previously by other research groups through traditional methods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A measurement of the distance to the Galactic centre using the kinematics of bar stars

The distance to the Galactic centre R 0 is a fundamental parameter for understanding the Milky Way, because all observations of our Galaxy are made from our heliocentric reference point. The uncertainty in R 0 limits our knowledge of many aspects of the Milky Way, including its total mass and the relative mass of its major components, and any orbital parameters of stars employed in chemo-dynamical analyses. While measurements of R 0 have been improving over a century, measurements in the past few years from a variety of methods still find a wide range of R 0 being somewhere within 8.0 to $8.5\, \mathrm{kpc}$. The most precise measurements to date have to assume that Sgr A* is at rest at the Galactic centre, which may not be the case. In this paper, we use maps of the kinematics of stars in the Galactic bar derived from APOGEE DR17 and Gaia EDR3 data augmented with spectrophotometric distances from the astroNN neural-network method. These maps clearly display the minimum in the rotational velocity v T and the quadrupolar signature in radial velocity v R expected for stars orbiting in a bar. From the minimum in v T , we measure $R_0 = 8.23\pm 0.12\, \mathrm{kpc}$. We validate our measurement using realistic N-body simulations of the Milky Way. We further measure the pattern speed of the bar to be $\Omega _\mathrm{bar} = 40.08\pm 1.78\, \mathrm{km\, s}^{-1}\,\mathrm{kpc}^{-1}$. Because the bar forms out of the disc, its centre is manifestly the barycentre of the bar+disc system and our measurement is therefore one of the most robust and accurate measurements of R 0 to date.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A complete catalogue of broad-line AGNs and double-peaked emission lines from MaNGA integral-field spectroscopy of 10K galaxies: stellar population of AGNs, supermassive black holes, and dual AGNs

We analyse the integral field spectroscopy data for the ≈10 000 galaxies in final data release of the MaNGA survey. We identify 188 galaxies for which the emission lines cannot be described by single Gaussian components. These galaxies can be classified into (1) 38 galaxies with broad $\rm H\alpha$ and [O III] $\rm \lambda$5007 lines, (2) 101 galaxies with broad $\rm H\alpha$ lines but no broad [O III] $\rm \lambda$5007 lines, and (3) 49 galaxies with double-peaked narrow emission lines. Most of the broad-line galaxies are classified as active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from their line ratios. The catalogue helps us further understand the AGN-galaxy coevolution through the stellar population of broad-line region host galaxies and the relation between broad lines’ properties and the host galaxies’ dynamical properties. The stellar population properties (including mass, age, and metallicity) of broad-line host galaxies suggest there is no significant difference between narrow-line Seyfert-2 galaxies and Type-1 AGNs with broad $\rm H\alpha$ lines. We use the broad-$\rm H\alpha$ line width and luminosity to estimate masses of black hole in these galaxies, and test the MBH–σe relation in Type-1 AGN host galaxies. Furthermore, we find three dual AGN candidates supported by radio images from the VLA FIRST survey. This sample may be useful for further studies on AGN activities and feedback processes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

What drives the variance of galaxy spectra?

We present a study aimed at understanding the physical phenomena underlying the formation and evolution of galaxies following a data-driven analysis of spectroscopic data based on the variance in a carefully selected sample. We apply principal component analysis (PCA) independently to three subsets of continuum-subtracted optical spectra, segregated into their nebular emission activity as quiescent, star-forming, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We emphasize that the variance of the input data in this work only relates to the absorption lines in the photospheres of the stellar populations. The sample is taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the stellar velocity dispersion range 100–150 km s −1 , to minimize the ‘blurring’ effect of the stellar motion. We restrict the analysis to the first three principal components (PCs) and find that PCA segregates the three types with the highest variance mapping SSP-equivalent age, along with an inextricable degeneracy with metallicity, even when all three PCs are included. Spectral fitting shows that stellar age dominates PC1, whereas PC2 and PC3 have a mixed dependence of age and metallicity. The trends support – independently of any model fitting – the hypothesis of an evolutionary sequence from star formation to AGN to quiescence. As a further test of the consistency of the analysis, we apply the same methodology in different spectral windows, finding similar trends, but the variance is maximal in the blue wavelength range, roughly around the 4000 Å break.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Decoding the age–chemical structure of the Milky Way disc: an application of copulas and elicitable maps

In the Milky Way, the distribution of stars in the [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] and [Fe/H] versus age planes holds essential information about the history of star formation, accretion, and dynamical evolution of the Galactic disc. We investigate these planes by applying novel statistical methods called copulas and elicitable maps to the ages and abundances of red giants in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. We find that the high- and low-α disc stars have a clean separation in copula space and use this to provide an automated separation of the α sequences using a purely statistical approach. This separation reveals that the high-α disc ends at the same [α/Fe] and age at high [Fe/H] as the low-[Fe/H] start of the low-α disc, thus supporting a sequential formation scenario for the high- and low-α discs. We then combine copulas with elicitable maps to precisely obtain the correlation between stellar age τ and metallicity [Fe/H] conditional on Galactocentric radius R and height z in the range 0 < R < 20 kpc and |z| < 2 kpc. The resulting trends in the age–metallicity correlation with radius, height, and [α/Fe] demonstrate a ≈0 correlation wherever kinematically cold orbits dominate, while the naively expected negative correlation is present where kinematically hot orbits dominate. This is consistent with the effects of spiral-driven radial migration, which must be strong enough to completely flatten the age–metallicity structure of the low-α disc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Improved measurements of turbulence in the hot gaseous atmospheres of nearby giant elliptical galaxies

Here, we present significantly improved measurements of turbulent velocities in the hot gaseous haloes of nearby giant elliptical galaxies. Using deep XMM–NewtonReflection Grating Spectrometer ( RGS ) observations and a combination of resonance scattering and direct line broadening methods, we obtain well bounded constraints for 13 galaxies. Assuming that the turbulence is isotropic, we obtain a best-fitting mean 1D turbulent velocity of 110 km s -1 . This implies a typical 3D Mach number ~0.45 and a typical non-thermal pressure contribution of ~6 per cent in the cores of nearby massive galaxies. The intrinsic scatter around these values is modest – consistent with zero, albeit with large statistical uncertainty – hinting at a common and quasi-continuous mechanism sourcing the velocity structure in these objects. Using conservative estimates of the spatial scales associated with the observed turbulent motions, we find that turbulent heating can be sufficient to offset radiative cooling in the inner regions of these galaxies (<10 kpc, typically 2–3 kpc). The full potential of our analysis methods will be enabled by future X-ray micro-calorimeter observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Outflowing photoionized plasma in Circinus X-1 using the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer Resolve onboard XRISM and the radiative transfer code cloudy

High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy is a key to understanding the mass inflow and outflow of compact objects. Spectral lines carry information about the ionization, density, and velocity structures through their intensity ratios and profiles. They are formed in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions under the intense radiation field from the compact objects; thus radiative transfer (RT) calculation is a requisite for proper interpretations. We present such a study for a low-mass X-ray binary, Circinus X-1, from which the P Cygni profile was discovered using the X-ray grating spectrometer onboard Chandra. We observed the source using the X-ray microcalorimeter onboard XRISM at an orbital phase of 0.93–0.97 and revealed many spectral features unidentified before: the higher series transitions ($n{\rightarrow }1$; $n>2$) of highly ionized (H- and He-like) S, Ca, Ar, and Fe in emission and absorption, the Fe K$\alpha$ and K$\beta$ inner-shell excitation absorption of mildly ionized (O- to Li-like) Fe, and resolved fine-structure level transitions in the Fe Ly$\alpha$ and He$\alpha$ complexes. They blend with each other at different velocity shifts on top of apparently variable continuum emission that changed its flux by an order of magnitude within a 70 ks telescope time. Despite such complexity in the observed spectra, most of them can be explained by a simple model consisting of the photoionized plasma outflowing at $\sim$300 km s$^{-1}$ and the variable blocking material in the line of sight of the incident continuum emission from the accretion disk. We demonstrate this with the aid of the RT code cloudy for the line ratio diagnostics and spectral fitting. We further constrain the physical parameters of the outflow and argue that the outflow is launched close to the outer edge of the accretion disk and can be driven radiatively by being assisted by the line force calculated using the RT simulation.

X-rays: binaries↗
DOE OSTI2025

Benchmark of the Fe xvv 𝓡 ratio in photoionized plasma during eclipse of Centaurus X-3 with XRISM/Resolve

The $\mathcal {R}$ ratio is a useful diagnostic of the X-ray emitting astrophysical plasmas and is defined as the intensity ratio of the forbidden over the inter-combination lines in the K$\alpha$ line complex of He-like ions. The value is altered by excitation processes (electron impact or UV photoexcitation) from the metastable upper level of the forbidden line, thereby constraining the electron density or UV field intensity. The diagnostic has been applied mostly in electron density constraints in collisionally ionized plasmas using low-Z elements, as was originally proposed for the Sun (Gabriel & Jordan, 1969a, MNRAS, 145, 241), but it can also be used in photoionized plasmas. To make use of this diagnostic, we need to know its value in the limit of no excitation of metastables ($\mathcal {R}_{0}$), which depends on the element, how the plasmas are formed, how the lines are propagated, and the spectral resolution affecting line blending principally with satellite lines from Li-like ions. We benchmark $\mathcal {R}_0$ for photoionized plasmas by comparing calculations using radiative transfer codes and observation data taken with the Resolve X-ray microcalorimeter onboard XRISM. We use the Fe xxv He$\alpha$ line complex of the photo-ionized plasma in Centaurus X-3 observed during eclipse, in which the plasma is expected to be in the limit of no metastable excitation. The measured $\mathcal {R} = 0.65 \pm 0.08$ is consistent with the value calculated using xstar for the plasma parameters derived from other line ratios of the spectrum. We conclude that the $\mathcal {R}$ ratio diagnostic can be used for high-Z elements such as Fe in photoionized plasmas, which has wide applications in plasmas around compact objects at various scales.

X-rays: binaries↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evolution of chirality from transverse wobbling in 135 Pr

Chirality is a distinct signature that characterizes triaxial shapes in nuclei. We report the first observation of chirality in the nucleus 135 Pr using a high-statistics Gammasphere experiment with the 123 Sb( 16 O, 4n) 135 Pr reaction. Two chiral-partner bands with the configuration π(1h11/2 )1 ⊗ ν(1h 11/2 ) −2 have been identified in this nucleus. Angular distribution analyses of the ΔI = 1 transitions connecting the two bands reveal a dominant dipole character, and quasiparticle triaxial rotor model calculations show good agreement with the data. Since the simultaneous observation of chirality and transverse wobbling in 135 Pr relies critically on these angular distribution results, we also address and refute the experimental and theoretical criticisms raised in a recent work by Lv et al., presenting additional evidence that further strengthens our interpretation. Furthermore, this marks the first observation of both hallmarks of triaxiality—chirality and wobbling—in the same nucleus.

90 ≤ A ≤ 149↗
DOE OSTI2025

Constraining the Synthesis of the Lightest 𝑝 Nucleus 74 Se

We provide the first experimental cross section of the 73 As(p, γ) 74 Se reaction to constrain one of the main destruction mechanisms of the p nucleus 74 Se in explosive stellar environments. The measurement was done using a radioactive 73 As beam at incident energies of 3.1 and 3.7 MeV/nucleon. Along with the total cross section measurement, statistical properties of the 74 Se compound nucleus were extracted, constraining the reaction cross section across the entire Gamow window of the γ process. The impact of the experimentally constrained reaction rate on 74 Se production in Type II supernovae is investigated through Monte Carlo one-zone network simulations. The results indicate that the overproduction of 74 Se by Type II supernova models cannot be resolved by nuclear physics and point towards the description of the astrophysical conditions of the γ process.

59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗