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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of e + e - Momentum and Angular Distributions from Linearly Polarized Photon Collisions

The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and antimatter from photon collisions is experimentally investigated through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultraperipheral Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of cos 4Δ$\phi$ = (16.8 ± 2.5)% and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons ($\phi$, ω, and ρ) at the experimental limit of ≤ 0.2% of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of e + e - pair transverse momentum P ⟂ peaks at low value with $\sqrt\langle$$P2\atop{⟂}$$\rangle$ = 38.1 ± 0.9 MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultrarelativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Proton Compton Scattering from Linearly Polarized Gamma Rays

In this work, differential cross sections for Compton scattering from the proton have been measured at scattering angles of 55°, 90°, and 125° in the laboratory frame using quasimonoenergetic linearly (circularly) polarized photon beams with a weighted mean energy value of 83.4 MeV (81.3 MeV). These measurements were performed at the High Intensity Gamma-Ray Source facility at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. The results are compared to previous measurements and are interpreted in the chiral effective field theory framework to extract the electromagnetic dipole polarizabilities of the proton, which gives $α^p_{E1} = 13.8 ± 1.2_{\text{stat}} ± 0.1_{\text{BSR}} ± 0. 3_{\text{theo}} , β^p_{M1} = 0.2 ∓ 1. 2_{\text{stat}} ± 0. 1_{\text{BSR}} ∓ 0. 3_{\text{theo}}$ in units of $10^{–4}$ fm$^3$ .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optical Linear Polarization toward the Open Star Cluster Casado Alessi 1

We present B-, V-, R-, and I-band linear polarimetric observations of 73 stars in the direction of open star cluster Casado Alessi 1 (hereafter Alessi 1). We aim to use polarimetry as a tool to investigate the properties and distribution of dust grains toward the direction of the cluster. The polarimetric observations were carried out using the ARIES IMaging POLarimeter mounted at the 104 cm telescope of ARIES, Nainital (India). Using the Gaia photometric data the age and distance of the cluster are estimated to be 0.8 ± 0.1 Gyr and 673 ± 98 pc, respectively. A total of 66 stars with a 26′ radius from the cluster are identified as members of the cluster using the astrometric approach. Out of these 66 members, 15 stars were observed polarimetrically and found to have the same value of polarization. The majority of the stars in the region follow the general law of polarization for the interstellar medium, indicating that polarization toward the cluster Alessi 1 is dominated by foreground dust grains. The average values of the maximum polarization (P {sub max}) and the wavelength corresponding to the maximum polarization (λ {sub max}) toward the cluster are found to be 0.83 ± 0.03% and 0.59 ± 0.04 μm, respectively. Also, dust grains toward the cluster appear to be aligned, possibly due to the galactic magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1995

Ultraviolet interstellar linear polarization. 2: The wavelength dependence

We present new ultraviolet (UV) polarimetry of the well-studied interstellar line of sight toward HD 204827 obtained with the Faint Object Spectrograph on Hubble Space Telescope. HD 204827 is of great interest because the dust along this line of sight has extremely low values of both lambda(sub max) and R(sub V). Its far-UV extinction is very large, reflecting its small R(sub V) value. In addition, we reexamine the entire sample of 14 interstellar lines of sight for which there are now UV polarization data. We find that the previously suggested relationship between lambda(sub max) and the wavelength dependence of the polarization in the UV is strongly supported by the data for this larger sample including HD 204827. Seven stars with lambda(sub max) greater than or equal to 0.54 micron agree well with an extrapolation of the Serkowski relation into the UV while seven stars with lambda(sub max) less than or equal to 0.53 micron show polarization in excess of the Serkowski extrapolation (super-Serkowski). However, the division of the observed lines of sight into Serkowski and super-Serkowski categories is artificial. In fact, the amount of polarization in the UV is correlated with a single parameter, lambda(sub max). This may indicate that there is a mean interstellar polarization law analogous to the mean interstellar extinction law of Cardelli, Calyton, & Mathis which is based on R(sub V). The data are consistent with a linear relationship between 1/lambda(sub max) and rho(UV)/rho(sub max) but more data are needed to define the functional form. We suggest that the Serkowski and super-Serkowski designations be replaced by high and low lambda(sub max) which are more physically descriptive. At the same time, we note that all seven super-Serkowski (low lambda(sub max)) stars lie in a relatively small region of the sky between l(sup II) = 90 deg - 150 deg and b = -5 deg - 15 deg. These stars all lie in or behind a spur of the local Orion spiral arm. Similarly, most of the Serkowski (high lambda(sub max) stars lie in or near the Scorpio-Centaurus OB Association. So lines of sight covering larger areas of the sky are needed to test the universality of the lambda(sub max)/UV polarization relationship. The recent discovery of warm dust near HD 197770 suggests the possibility that a mechanism other than the traditional alignment to the Galactic magnetic field may be invoked to explain its 2175 A polarization bump.

Clayton, Geoffrey C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Multiwavelength Search for Intrinsic Linear Polarization in Wolf–Rayet Winds

Wolf–Rayet stars have strong, hot winds, with mass-loss rates at least a factor of 10 greater than their O-star progenitors, although their terminal wind speeds are similar. In this paper, we use the technique of multiband linear polarimetry to extract information on the global asymmetry of the wind in a sample of 47 bright Galactic WR stars. Our observations also include time-dependent observations of 17 stars in the sample. The path to our goal includes removing the dominating component of wavelength-dependent interstellar polarization (ISP), which normally follows the well-known Serkowski law. We include a wavelength-dependent ISP position angle parameter in our ISP law and find that 15 stars show significant results for this parameter. We detect a significant component of wavelength-independent polarization due to electron scattering in the wind for 10 cases, with most WR stars showing none at the ∼0.05% level precision of our data. The intrinsically polarized stars can be explained with binary interaction, large-scale wind structure, and clumping. We also found that 5 stars out of 19 observed with the Strömgren b filter (probing the complex λ4600–4700 emission-line region) have significant residuals from the ISP law and propose that this is due to wind asymmetries. We provide a useful catalog of ISP for 47 bright Galactic WR stars and upper limits on the possible level of intrinsic polarization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Single $\pi ^0$ production off neutrons bound in deuteron with linearly polarized photons

The quasifree γ → d → π 0 n(p) photon beam asymmetry, Σ, has been measured at photon energies, E γ , from 390 to 610 MeV, corresponding to center of mass energy from 1.271 to 1.424 GeV, for the first time. The data were collected in the A2 hall of the MAMI electron beam facility with the Crystal Ball and TAPS calorimeters covering pion center-of-mass angles from 49° to 148°. In this kinematic region, polarization observables are sensitive to contributions from the Δ(1232) and N(1440) resonances. The extracted values of Σ have been compared to predictions based on partial-wave analyses (PWAs) of the existing pion photoproduction database. Our comparison includes the SAID, MAID and Bonn–Gatchina analyses; while a revised SAID fit, including the new Σ measurements, has also been performed. In addition, isospin symmetry is examined as a way to predict π 0 n photoproduction observables, based on fits to published data in the channels π 0 p, π + n and π – p.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1972

The distribution of linear polarization in Cassiopeia A at wavelengths of 9.8 and 11.1 cm.

Two interferometer investigations of the polarization of Cassiopeia A employed beams of small dimensions as compared with the source. One was made at a wavelength of 9.8 cm and the other, which was more detailed, was made at a wavelength of 11.1 cm. Previous studies of the polarization of Cassiopeia A have covered either shorter wavelengths, where depolarization is small, or longer wavelengths where little polarized radiation remains. Comparison of the results of these studies with the new data near the 10-cm wavelength yields information on the rate of change of the radiation depolarization and the rotation of the plane of the electric vector as functions of wavelength. It is shown that the results can be explained in terms of a model of the source incorporating Faraday depolarization.

Downs, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Linear polarization in the Orion Nebula.

Photographs of the central portion of the Orion Nebula indicate small variations in polarization as a function of rotation of the polarizing filter. The effects are observed only in an area east of the Trapezium and only in the red region of the spectrum.

Feibelman, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The linear polarization of 3C 345 at milliarcsecond resolution

A polarization-sensitive 6 cm map of the superluminal quasar 3C 345 with angular resolution 2.5 x 4.7 mas was made using four stations of the US VLBI network. The optically thick core is essentially unpolarized, while both of the knots in the jet are highly polarized. The inner knot C3 has m = 11 percent at electric vector position angle chi = 22 deg, and the outer knot C2 has m = 6 percent at chi = 83 deg. Thus the magnetic field appears to be parallel to the jet near its base and to change direction down the jet.

Wardle, J. F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

An exact solution to the relativistic equation of motion of a charged particle driven by a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave

An exact analytic solution is found for a basic electromagnetic wave-charged particle interaction by solving the nonlinear equations of motion. The particle position, velocity, and corresponding time are found to be explicit functions of the total phase of the wave. Particle position and velocity are thus implicit functions of time. Applications include describing the motion of a free electron driven by an intense laser beam..

Shebalin, John V.↗