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At least 73 records · Page 4

Computational strategies for three-dimensional flow simulations on distributed computer systems

This research effort is directed towards an examination of issues involved in porting large computational fluid dynamics codes in use within the industry to a distributed computing environment. This effort addresses strategies for implementing the distributed computing in a device independent fashion and load balancing. A flow solver called TEAM presently in use at Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company was acquired to start this effort. The following tasks were completed: (1) The TEAM code was ported to a number of distributed computing platforms including a cluster of HP workstations located in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech; a cluster of DEC Alpha Workstations in the Graphics visualization lab located at Georgia Tech; a cluster of SGI workstations located at NASA Ames Research Center; and an IBM SP-2 system located at NASA ARC. (2) A number of communication strategies were implemented. Specifically, the manager-worker strategy and the worker-worker strategy were tested. (3) A variety of load balancing strategies were investigated. Specifically, the static load balancing, task queue balancing and the Crutchfield algorithm were coded and evaluated. (4) The classical explicit Runge-Kutta scheme in the TEAM solver was replaced with an LU implicit scheme. And (5) the implicit TEAM-PVM solver was extensively validated through studies of unsteady transonic flow over an F-5 wing, undergoing combined bending and torsional motion. These investigations are documented in extensive detail in the dissertation, 'Computational Strategies for Three-Dimensional Flow Simulations on Distributed Computing Systems', enclosed as an appendix.

Sankar, Lakshmi N.↗

Discovery of candidate cataclysmic variables in the post-core-collapse globular cluster NGC 6397

A photometric search for objects with H alpha emission in the globular cluster NGC 6397 has been carried out with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Planetary Camera. Images were obtained through the F675W (similar to Johnson R) and F656N (H alpha) filters, and photometry carried out on approximately 900 stars detected in the central approximately 38 x 35 arcseconds of the cluster. Limiting magnitudes of R approximately 21 and 19.5 were reached in the F675W and F656N images, respectively. Three H alpha-bright stars are found which have apparent magnitudes in the range R = 17.8-19.5. The corresponding absolute magnitudes (M(sub R) = 5.6-7.3) and inferred H alpha emission-line strengths (EW(H alpha) greater than or approximately equal to 15-26 A) make these objects good candidates to be cataclysmic variables (CVs) in this nearby, post-collapse cluster. All three H alpha-bright objects are found to be UV-bright in a photometric comparison of the F675W images with archival HST Faint Object Camera (FOC) images of the cluster center through the F220W and F346M filters. Such UV excesses further support the identification of these objects as candidates to be CVs in the cluster. The H alpha-bright stars are within the error circles of three X-ray sources previously found with the ROSAT High Resoltion Imager (HRI) and are likley to be the dominant source of the X-ray emission. The implied X-Ray to optical flux ratios (f(sub x)/f(sub v) approximately 0.8-4.2) are consistent with CVs known elsewhere in the Galaxy. Two additional stars with possible H alpha emission are also discussed, along the stars identified on the basis of UV emisssion. Preliminary completeness estimates suggest that these observations should be sensitive to approximately one-third to two-thirds of most varieties of CVs in the cluster, and that therefore greater than or approximately 5-10 CVs are likely to be present in the observed section of NGC 6397. Scaling these numbers to the cluster as a whole would increase these numbers by up to a factor of 2. A total CV population on the order of 5-20 is in reasonable with previous estimates made on the basis of X-ray observations, and with theoretical predictions scaled to this cluster.

Cool, Adrienne M.↗

Color gradients in cooling flow cluster central galaxies and the ionization of cluster emission line systems

Preliminary results are given for a program to measure color gradients in the central galaxies in clusters with a variety of cooling flow rates. The objectives are to search for extended blue continuum regions indicative of star formation, to study the spatial distribution of star formation, and to make a quantitative measure of the amount of light from young stars, which can lead to a measure of the star formation rate (for an assumed initial mass function). Four clusters with large masses and large cluster H-alpha emission fluxes are found to have an excess of blue light concentrated to the centers of the cluster central galaxy. Assumption of a disk IMF leads to the conclusion that the starlight might play a major role in ionizing the emission line gas in these clusters.

Romanishin, W.↗

Venus global radar reflectivity and correlations with elevation

A geological analysis of the global radar reflectivity data for Venus is presented. The statistical and map pattern distribution of the radar reflectivity rho is first analyzed in the context of the porosity structure of the surface. Rho is then correlated with elevation in order to examine the degree of topographic control on material properties which could depend on PT-sensitive chemical weathering phenomena. Comparison of the rms slope alpha and rho correlations with elevation demonstrates that there are distinct topographic zones defined on the basis of the rho and alpha trends. Finally, hierarchical clustering analysis is applied to the global rho, alpha, and 100-km baseline regional slope data sets in order to define radar property-related subregions.

Garvin, J. B.↗

Clustering and voids in the Lyman-alpha forest

In a statistical study of quasar absorption lines, no evidence is found for large voids in the Ly-alpha forest, contrary to some recent suggestions. The 28 Mpc gap found by Crotts (1987) in the spectrum of Q0420-388 is not statistically significant, and it is possible, from a sample of 18 quasar spectra, to reject at the 2 sigma level the hypothesis that comoving voids of 30 Mpc fill as much as 15 percent of the universe. However, a significant (at the 99 percent level) excess of small line intervals of velocity width 200-600 km/s is found. This provides evidence either for the gravitationally induced correlations proposed in some models or for the fragmented shells proposed in others.

Ostriker, Jeremiah P.↗

Gravitational collapse of small-scale structure as the origin of the Lyman-alpha forest

If gravitational clustering is a hierarchical process, the present large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution implies that structures on smaller scales must have formed at high redshift. We simulate the formation of small-scale structure (average cell mass: (delta) bar m(sub b) = 10(sup 4.2) solar mass) and the evolution of photoionized gas, in the specific case of the CDM + Lambda model. The photoionized gas has a natural minimal scale of collapse, the Jeans scale (m(sub b,J) is approximately equal to 10(exp 9) solar mass). We find that low column density (N(sub HI) is less than or equal to 10(exp 14)/sq cm) lines originate in regions resembling Zel'dovich pancakes, where gas with overdensities in the range 3-30 is enclosed by two shocks but is typically reexpanding at approximately the Hubble velocity. However, higher column density lines stem from more overdense regions where the shocked gas is cooling. We show that this model can probably account for the observed number of lines, their distribution in column density and b-parameters, as well as the cloud physical sizes as observed in gravitationally lensed quasars. We find a redshift evolution that is too steep; however, this may be due to insufficient dynamical range in the simulation or because the specific model is incorrect. The model predicts that high signal-to-noise observations should find systematic deviations from Voigt profiles, mainly in the form of broad wings in the line profiles, and that a fluctuating Gunn-Peterson effect will be detected, which can be modeled as a superposition of weak lines with a wide range of b-parameters.

Cen, Renyue↗

High Performance Input/Output for Parallel Computer Systems

The goal of our project is to study the I/O characteristics of parallel applications used in Earth Science data processing systems such as Regional Data Centers (RDCs) or EOSDIS. Our approach is to study the runtime behavior of typical programs and the effect of key parameters of the I/O subsystem both under simulation and with direct experimentation on parallel systems. Our three year activity has focused on two items: developing a test bed that facilitates experimentation with parallel I/O, and studying representative programs from the Earth science data processing application domain. The Parallel Virtual File System (PVFS) has been developed for use on a number of platforms including the Tiger Parallel Architecture Workbench (TPAW) simulator, The Intel Paragon, a cluster of DEC Alpha workstations, and the Beowulf system (at CESDIS). PVFS provides considerable flexibility in configuring I/O in a UNIX- like environment. Access to key performance parameters facilitates experimentation. We have studied several key applications fiom levels 1,2 and 3 of the typical RDC processing scenario including instrument calibration and navigation, image classification, and numerical modeling codes. We have also considered large-scale scientific database codes used to organize image data.

Ligon, W. B.↗

Nova-driven winds in globular clusters

Recent sensitive searches for H-alpha emission from ionized intracluster gas in globular clusters have set upper limits that conflict with theoretical predictions. It is suggested that nova outbursts heat the gas, producing winds that resolve this discrepancy. The incidence of novae in globular clusters, the conversion of kinetic energy of the nova shell to thermal energy of the intracluster gas, and the characteristics of the resultant winds are discussed. Calculated emission from the nova-driven models does not conflict with any observations to date. Some suggestions are made concerning the most promising approaches for future detection of intracluster gas on the basis of these models. The possible relationship of nova-driven winds to globular cluster X-ray sources is also considered.

Scott, E. H.↗

𝛼-cluster structure in 19 F and 19 Ne in resonant scattering

This work investigates the nuclear structure of 19 F and 19 Ne, which is important for understanding α clustering in the A = 20 mass region and for astrophysical applications. The only high-resolution, broad angular- and energy-range study of the 19 F resonance structure in α + 15 N scattering was published over 60 years ago, when a detailed analysis of complex excitation functions with overlapping resonances and multiple decay channels was not feasible. We have performed a modern R-matrix analysis of these data to assign spins and determine resonance parameters for levels in 19 F up to an excitation energy of 8.2 MeV. Our R-matrix parameters were successfully tested by fitting recent α + 15 N data obtained with the Thick Target Inverse Kinematics (TTIK) method at 180°. The new 19 F parameters were then used to fit TTIK data for α + 15 O, the mirror resonant reaction. In conclusion, comparison of these isobaric mirror reactions provides valuable insight into the underlying nuclear structure.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

Pruning the Lyman alpha forest of Q1331+170

A multitude of absorption lines seen shortward of QSO Ly-alpha emission, that cannot be traced to heavy element absorption systems, are assumed to be Ly-alpha lines arising in intervening clouds. Studies of these Ly-alpha clouds, typically done at 1 A or lower resolution, have shown N(H1) approximately equal to 10(exp 13) - 10(exp 17) sq cm and b approximately equal to 35 km/s. Sargent et al 1980, on the basis of a flat pair velocity correlation function (PVCF), argued that these clouds are intergalactic. But Crotts 1989 showed that the strong Ly-alpha lines are spatially clustered. High resolution studies of Webb 1987 and Rauch et al 1992 also report some evidence for weak clustering, but overall such high resolution studies have been rare. A study of the Ly-alpha forest of Q1331 + 170 over x(sub abs) = 1.60 - 2.19 based on 18 km/s resolution data at S/N approximately equal to 15, with metal-line deblending incorporated.

Kulkarni, Varsha P.↗

Measuring and unbiasing the BAO shift in the Ly α forest with AbacusSummit

ABSTRACT The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) places sub- per cent constraints on measurements of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) scaling parameters from the Ly $\alpha$ forest. However, no systematic error budget stemming from non-linearities in the three-dimensional clustering of the Ly $\alpha$ forest is included in the DESI-Ly $\alpha$ analysis. In this work, we measure the size of the shift of the BAO peak using large Ly $\alpha$ forest mocks produced on the N-body simulation suite AbacusSummit, which adopt the Fluctuating–Gunn–Peterson Approximation (FGPA). Specifically, we measure the Ly $\alpha$ autocorrelation and the Ly $\alpha$-quasar cross-correlation functions. To mitigate the noise, we adopt a linear control variates technique, reducing the error bars by a factor of up to $\sim \sqrt{50}$ on large scales. From the autocorrelation, we detect a small positive shift in radial direction of $\Delta \alpha _{\parallel }= 0.35~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ at the 3$\sigma$ level and virtually no shift in the transverse direction, $\alpha _\perp$. From the cross-correlation, we see a similar shift to $\Delta \alpha _\parallel$, albeit with larger error bars, and a small negative shift, $\Delta \alpha _{\perp }=\sim$0.25 per cent, at the 2$\sigma$ level. We also make a connection with the Ly $\alpha$ forest effective field theory (EFT) framework and find that the one-loop EFT power spectrum yields unbiased measurements of the BAO shift parameters in radial and transverse direction for Ly $\alpha$ auto- and the Ly $\alpha$-quasar cross-correlation measurements. When using the one-loop EFT framework, we find that we can recover the BAO parameters without a shift, which has important implications for future Ly $\alpha$ forest analyses based on EFT. This work paves the way for novel full-shape analyses of the currently observing DESI and future surveys such as the PFS, WEAVE-QSO, and 4MOST.

Hadzhiyska, Boryana↗

A new Be star in an open cluster - NGC 6871-8

Spectroscopic observations of H-alpha show that star eight in the open cluster NGC 6871 is a previously-undiscovered Be star. The H-alpha profile was observed to vary from clear emission to pure absorption over a period of ten days; later observations over a five-day interval show weak emission along with asymmetries and filling in of the profile.

Grigsby, James A.↗

The star-forming history of the young cluster NGC 2264

UBVRI H-alpha photographic photometry was obtained for a sample of low-mass stars in the young open cluster NGC 2264 in order to investigate the star-forming history of this region. A theoretical H-R diagram was constructed for the sample of probable cluster members. Isochrones and evolutionary tracks were adopted from Cohen and Kuhi (1979). Evidence for a significant age spread in the cluster was found amounting to over ten million yr. In addition, the derived star formation rate as a function of stellar mass suggests that the principal star-forming mass range in NGC 2264 has proceeded sequentially in time from the lowest to the highest masses. The low-mass cluster stars were the first cluster members to form in significant numbers, although their present birth rate is much lower now than it was about ten million yr ago. The star-formation rate has risen to a peak at successively higher masses and then declined.

Adams, M. T.↗

Optical, X-ray and gamma-ray observations of compact objects in globular clusters

In the past three years, a new era of study of globular clusters has begun with multiwavelength observations from the current generation of astronomical telescopes in space. We review the recent results obtained from our studies of compact binaries and x-ray sources in globulars with ROSAT and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as well as our balloon-borne hard x-ray telescope EXITE (Energetic X-ray Imaging Telescope Experiment) and ground-based observations (CTIO). With ROSAT, we have obtained the most sensitive high resolution soft x-ray images of clusters which show multiple low luminosity sources in cluster cores that are likely indicative of the long-sought population of cataclysmic variables (CVs). We have obtained deep H-alpha images of two clusters with HST and found CV candiates for 3 of the ROSAT sources in the core of NGC 6397. New CTIO imaging and spectroscopy of two 'dim source' fields in omega-Cen are also described. With EXITE we carried out the first hard x-ray imaging observations of the cluster 47 Tuc; such studies can ultimately limit the populations of millisecond pulsars and pulsar emission mechanisms. A long ROSAT exposure on 47 Tuc also shows probable cluster diffuse emission, possibly due to hot gas from ablating millisecond pulsars. Multiwavelength studies of globular clusters may provide new constraints on problems as diverse as the origin of CVs and low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and the origin of hot gas in globulars.

Grindlay, J. E.↗

Possible identification of a cluster of galaxies at redshift z = 3.4

We report the possible detection of a cluster of 16 radio-quiet galaxies at z = 3.4, identified in the field around the optically thick absorption system toward Q0000-263 at z(sub abs) = 3.390. Two of them, a Lyman alpha emitter at z = 3.428 and the galaxy responsible for the absorption system, have redshifts spectroscopically confirmed. The other 14 galaxies identified using a multicolor imaging technique designed to detect sources in the redshift interval 3 approximately less than z approximately less than 3.5 which are characterized by a Lyman discontinuity in an otherwise flat spectrum, have broad-band spectral energy distributions identical to the two galaxies with known redshift. They are spatially distributed in two apparent clumps, around the damped absorber and the Lyman alpha galaxy, respectively. A clustering analysis excludes with 98.8% confidence that this association is a realization of a Poissonian distribution and confirms that the observed clumps are real. The implications are that the 16 galaxies are members of a cluster at z approximately equals 3.4, by far the most distant ever detected. An estimate of the mass bounded in stars of this cluster is 3 x 10(exp 12) solar mass (q(sub 0) = 0 and H(sub 0) = 50 km/s/Mpc throughout this Letter), while the total mass (baryonic + dark) is 6 x 10(exp 14) solar mass. We also estimate that at z = 3.4 the correlation length is 2.2 Mpc, which, compared to the present value of 11 Mpc, suggests that the clustering evolution is still close to the linear regime.

Giavalisco, Mauro↗

Time-Resolved Radioluminescence of the Copper(I) Cluster Cu4I62-. Temporal responses to Photo, X-ray, Beta-ray, and alpha-ray Excitation.

Described are time-resolved radioluminescence (TRRL) properties of the Cu(I) cluster Cu4I62– upon pulsed X-ray, β-ray or α-particle excitation. The longer (>2 μs) TRRL component displayed exponential decay comparable to pulsed UV excitation; however, temporal behavior at shorter times indicates that high local excited state density provides an alternative decay channel.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Cluster structure of 3⁢𝛼+𝑝 states in 13 N

Cluster states in 13 N are extremely difficult to measure due to the unavailability of 9 B +𝛼 elastic-scattering data. Using 𝛽-delayed charged-particle spectroscopy of 13 O, clustered states in 13 N can be populated and measured in the 3⁢𝛼+𝑝 decay channel. One-at-a-time implantation and decay of 13 O was performed with the Texas Active Target Time Projection Chamber. 149⁢𝛽⁢3⁢𝛼⁢𝑝 decay events were observed and the excitation function in 13 N reconstructed. Four previously unknown 𝛼-decaying excited states were observed in 13 N at an excitation energy of 11.3, 12.4, 13.1, and 13.7 MeV decaying via the 3⁢𝛼+𝑝 channel. These states are seen to have a [ 9 B ⁡(g.s) ⁢⨂𝛼/𝑝 + 12 C ⁡(0$^+_2$)], [ 9 B ⁡($\frac{1}{2}$ + )⁢ ⨂𝛼], [ 9 B ⁡($\frac{5}{2}$ + )⁢ ⨂𝛼], and [ 9 B⁡ ($\frac{5}{2}$) ⁢⨂𝛼] structure, respectively. A previously seen state at 11.8 MeV was also determined to have a [𝑝+ 12 C ⁡(g.s.)/𝑝+ 12 C ⁡(0$^+_2$)] structure. The overall magnitude of the clustering is not able to be extracted, however, due to the lack of a total width measurement. Clustered states in 13 N (with unknown magnitude) seem to persist from the addition of a proton to the highly 𝛼-clustered 12 C . Evidence of the $\frac{1}{2}$ + state in 9 B was also seen to be populated by decays from 13 N ★ .

Physics↗