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At least 793 records · Page 44

DOUBLE-PEAKED NARROW EMISSION-LINE GALAXIES FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY. I. SAMPLE AND BASIC PROPERTIES

Recently, much attention has been paid to double-peaked narrow emission-line (NEL) galaxies, some of which are suggested to be related to merging galaxies. We make a systematic search to build the largest sample of these sources from Data Release 7 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). With reasonable criteria for fluxes, FWHMs of the emission lines, and separations of the peaks, we select 3030 double-peaked NEL galaxies. In light of the existence of broad Balmer lines and the locations of the two components of double-peaked NELs distinguished by the Kauffmann et al. criteria in the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagram, we find that there are 81 Type I active galactic nuclei (AGNs), 837 double Type II AGNs (2-Type II), 708 galaxies with double star-forming components (2-SF), 400 with mixed star-forming and Type II AGN components (Type II + SF), and 1004 unknown-type objects. As a by-product, a sample of galaxies (12,582) with asymmetric or top-flat profiles of emission lines is established. After visually inspecting the SDSS images of the two samples, we find 54 galaxies with dual cores. The present samples can be used to study the dynamics of merging galaxies, the triggering mechanism of black hole activity, the hierarchical growth of galaxies, and the dynamics of narrow line regions driven by outflows and a rotating disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

GALAXY DISKS ARE SUBMAXIMAL

We measure the contribution of galaxy disks to the overall gravitational potential of 30 nearly face-on intermediate-to-late-type spirals from the DiskMass Survey. The central vertical velocity dispersion of the disk stars ({sigma}{sup disk} {sub z,R=0}) is related to the maximum rotation speed (V {sub max}) as {sigma}{sup disk} {sub z,R=0} {approx} 0.26V {sub max}, consistent with previous measurements for edge-on disk galaxies and a mean stellar velocity ellipsoid axial ratio {alpha} {identical_to} {sigma} {sub z}/{sigma} {sub R} = 0.6. For reasonable values of disk oblateness, this relation implies these galaxy disks are submaximal. We find disks in our sample contribute only 15%-30% of the dynamical mass within 2.2 disk scale lengths (h{sub R} ), with percentages increasing systematically with luminosity, rotation speed, and redder color. These trends indicate that the mass ratio of disk-to-total matter remains at or below 50% at 2.2 h{sub R} even for the most extreme, fast-rotating disks (V {sub max} {>=} 300 km s{sup -1}) of the reddest rest frame, face-on color (B - K {approx} 4 mag), and highest luminosity (M{sub K} < -26.5 mag). Therefore, spiral disks in general should be submaximal. Our results imply that the stellar mass-to-light ratio and hence the accounting of baryons in stars should be lowered by at least a factor of three.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Ab Initio Bulk Free Energy Surface of Proper Ferroelectrics

We report a systematic and accurate approach for deriving the bulk free energy surface (FES), a function of temperature, polarization, and strain, from the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) of proper ferroelectrics. The core of our approach is the metadynamics algorithm that extracts the polarization dependence of the FES from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations without an a priori ansatz. The rest of the FES is derived from the metadynamics trajectories that span the relevant phase space. We demonstrate our approach in the case of lead titanate. The errors across the phase transition, due to DFT numerics, all-atom molecular dynamics, and free energy evaluation by enhanced sampling, can be systematically controlled and are of the order of 1 meV/atom. The accuracy of the resulting ab initio FES is only limited by the adopted functional approximation of DFT.

Xie, Pinchen [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborator↗

Local and spatially extended sub-Poisson atom-number fluctuations in optical lattices

We demonstrate that ultracold interacting bosonic atoms in an optical lattice with large on-site population show sub-Poisson on-site and intersite atom-number fluctuations. The experimental observations agree with numerical predictions of the truncated Wigner approximation. The correlations persist in the presence of multimode atom dynamics and even over large spatially extended samples involving several sites.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Doping evolution of spin fluctuations and their peculiar suppression at low temperatures in Ca ( Fe 1 – x Co x ) 2 As 2

Results of inelastic neutron scattering measurements are reported for two annealed compositions of Ca(Fe 1–x Co x ) 2 As 2 , x = 0.026 and 0.030, which possess stripe-type antiferromagnetically ordered and superconducting ground states, respectively. In the AFM ground state, well-defined and gapped spin waves are observed for x = 0.026, similar to the parent CaFe 2 As 2 compound. We conclude that the well-defined spin waves are likely to be present for all x corresponding to the AFM state. This behavior is in contrast to the smooth evolution to overdamped spin dynamics observed in Ba(Fe 1–x Co x ) 2 As 2 , wherein the crossover corresponds to microscopically coexisting AFM order and SC at low temperature. The smooth evolution is likely absent in Ca(Fe 1–x Co x ) 2 As 2 due to the mutual exclusion of AFM ordered and SC states. Overdamped spin dynamics characterize paramagnetism of the x = 0.030 sample and high-temperature x = 0.026 sample. A sizable loss of magnetic intensity is observed over a wide energy range upon cooling the x = 0.030 sample, at temperatures just above and within the superconducting phase. This phenomenon is unique amongst the iron-based superconductors and is consistent with a temperature-dependent reduction in the fluctuating moment. In conclusion, one possible scenario ascribes this loss of moment to a sensitivity to the c-axis lattice parameter in proximity to the nonmagnetic collapsed tetragonal phase and another scenario ascribes the loss to a formation of a pseudogap.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Probing many-body interactions in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides

Many-body interactions in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides are strongly affected by their unique band structure. We study these interactions by measuring the energy shift of neutral excitons (bound electron-hole pairs) in gated WSe 2 and MoSe 2 . Surprisingly, while the blueshift of the neutral exciton X 0 in electron-doped samples can be more than 10 meV, the blueshift in hole-doped samples is nearly absent. Taking into account dynamical screening and local-field effects, we present a transparent and analytical model that elucidates the crucial role played by intervalley plasmons in electron-doped conditions. Here, the energy shift of X 0 as a function of charge density is computed showing agreement with experiment, where the renormalization of X 0 by intervalley plasmons yields a stronger blueshift in MoSe 2 than in WSe 2 due to differences in their band ordering.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

First-principles approach to calculating energy level alignment at aqueous semiconductor interfaces

A first-principles approach is demonstrated for calculating the relationship between an aqueous semiconductor interface structure and energy level alignment. The physical interface structure is sampled using density functional theory based molecular dynamics, yielding the interface electrostatic dipole. The GW approach from many-body perturbation theory is used to place the electronic band edge energies of the semiconductor relative to the occupied 1 b ₁ energy level in water. The application to the specific cases of nonpolar (101¯0 ) facets of GaN and ZnO reveals a significant role for the structural motifs at the interface, including the degree of interface water dissociation and the dynamical fluctuations in the interface Zn-O and O-H bond orientations. As a result, these effects contribute up to 0.5 eV.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NEAMS Update: Quarterly report for January - March 2012

Quarterly highlights are: (1) The integration of Denovo and AMP was demonstrated in an AMP simulation of the thermo-mechanics of a complete fuel assembly; (2) Bison was enhanced with a mechanistic fuel cracking model; (3) Mechanistic algorithms were incorporated into various lower-length-scale models to represent fission gases and dislocations in UO2 fuels; (4) Marmot was improved to allow faster testing of mesoscale models using larger problem domains; (5) Component models of reactor piping were developed for use in Relap-7; (6) The mesh generator of Proteus was updated to accept a mesh specification from Moose and equations were formulated for the intermediate-fidelity Proteus-2D1D module; (7) A new pressure solver was implemented in Nek5000 and demonstrated to work 2.5 times faster than the previous solver; (8) Work continued on volume-holdup models for two fuel reprocessing operations: voloxidation and dissolution; (9) Progress was made on a pyroprocessing model and the characterization of pyroprocessing emission signatures; (10) A new 1D groundwater waste transport code was delivered to the used fuel disposition (UFD) campaign; (11) Efforts on waste form modeling included empirical simulation of sodium-borosilicate glass compositions; (12) The Waste team developed three prototypes for modeling hydride reorientation in fuel cladding during very long-term fuel storage; (13) A benchmark demonstration problem (fission gas bubble growth) was modeled to evaluate the capabilities of different meso-scale numerical methods; (14) Work continued on a hierarchical up-scaling framework to model structural materials by directly coupling dislocation dynamics and crystal plasticity; (15) New 'importance sampling' methods were developed and demonstrated to reduce the computational cost of rare-event inference; (16) The survey and evaluation of existing data and knowledge bases was updated for NE-KAMS; (17) The NEAMS Early User Program was launched; (18) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Regulatory Research was introduced to the NEAMS program; (19) The NEAMS overall software quality assurance plan (SQAP) was revised to version 1.5; and (20) Work continued on NiCE and its plug-ins and other utilities, such as Cubit and VisIt.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Assessing the response of methane hydrates to environmental change at the Svalbard continental margin

This project reflects the results of cooperative research efforts between the US Department of Energy and scientists from Norway and Germany, who collaboratively designed the study, collected and analyzed samples from the water column and sediment and arrive at conclusions presented in joint publications. The main goal of the project was to assess the role of gas hydrate deposits in modulating methane discharge revealed through water column data, and assess the changes in environmental parameters, geochemical and microbiological conditions that drive the methane release in this high latitude region. Samples and data were collected from seven expeditions that encompassed extensive water column surveys, gravity coring, remotely-operated towed instrumentation and seafloor drilling campaigns. Geochemical and microbiological results were interpreted in the context of correlative geophysical data and numerical models, to generate a comprehensive and interdisciplinary view of the processes operating along the Svalbard margin. Incubation experiments complement the filed observations and provide additional data on the microbiological response to methane change. Collectively our results show that methane seepage in this margin is a component of a large methane plume, the Svalbard plume, which is not associated with gas hydrate processes. Consistently, numerical models of data from shallow (gravity cores offshore Storfjordrenna, bearing gas hydrate) and deep (MeBo drilling offshore Prins Karls Foreland) sediment samples show that methane and gas hydrate dynamics at sites that lie within the upper edge of gas hydrate stability are not responding to modern changes in bottom water temperature. Rather the data point to a long history of methane release, dominantly controlled by large scale Earth system changes (e.g., geology, oceanography, and glaciology) with gas hydrate as a temporary methane reservoir. Further results document the episodicity of the methane release, the role of microbes in sequestering methane carbon into authigenic carbonate, reaction networks involved in carbon recycling pathways at the sulfate-methane transition, and response of microbial communities to changes in methane flux allowing for a richer understanding of microbial ecology in response to change at methane seep sites.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Executive summary of error sources in dynamic surface temperature measurements

Obtaining bulk T requires measuring apparent sample interface T surface , knowledge of any window conditions T window , and knowledge of thermal transport from the sample to the window. To obtain bulk T with uncertainties below 5% requires relatively small uncertainties in each of these areas, and large uncertainties in one area require smaller uncertainties in others to maintain the error budget. For example, if T window is known to 10%, a 5% total uncertainty can be obtained if T surface is known to 1% and combined transport uncertainties are known to 20%. If T surface can only be measured to 2%, combined transport uncertainties must be 17% to reach the same overall uncertainty. As the form of transport is unknown at high pressure, and window temperatures are difficult to measure by their very nature, reducing surface T uncertainties is the practical first step. Here we will discuss various error sources in the measurement of apparent T surface , and which ones must be correctly obtained prior to the experiment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

In Situ Non-Destructive Temporal Measurements of the Rhizosphere Microbiome ‘Hot-Spots’ Using Metaproteomics

Rhizosphere arguably embodies the most diverse microbial ecosystem on the planet, yet it is largely a functional ‘black box’ of belowground plant-microbiome interactions. The rhizosphere is the primary site of entry for subsurface injection of fixed carbon (C) into soil with impacts on local to global scale C biogeochemistry and ultimately Earth’s climate. While spatial organization of rhizosphere is central to its function, small scale and steep microbial and geochemical gradients within this dynamic region make it easily disrupted by sampling. The significant challenge presented by sampling blocks elucidation of discreet functions, drivers, and interactions within rhizosphere ecosystems. Here, we describe a non-destructive sampling method linked to metaproteomic analysis in order to measure temporal shifts in the microbial composition and function of rhizosphere. A robust, non-destructive method of sampling microbial hotspots within rhizosphere provides an unperturbed window into the elusive functional interactome of this system over time and space.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Short-Term Rainfall Prediction Based on Radar Echo Using an Improved Self-Attention PredRNN Deep Learning Model

Accurate short-term precipitation forecast is extremely important for urban flood warning and natural disaster prevention. In this paper, we present an innovative deep learning model named ISA-PredRNN (improved self-attention PredRNN) for precipitation nowcasting based on radar echoes on the basis of the advanced PredRNN-V2. We introduce the self-attention mechanism and the long-term memory state into the model and design a new set of gating mechanisms. To better capture different intensities of precipitation, the loss function with weights was designed. We further train the model using a combination of reverse scheduled sampling and scheduled sampling to learn the long-term dynamics from the radar echo sequences. Experimental results show that the new model (ISA-PredRNN) can effectively extract the spatiotemporal features of radar echo maps and obtain radar echo prediction results with a small gap from the ground truths. From the comparison with the other six models, the new ISA-PredRNN model has the most accurate prediction results with a critical success index (CSI) of 0.7001, 0.5812 and 0.3052 under the radar echo thresholds of 10 dBZ, 20 dBZ and 30 dBZ, respectively.

Wu, Dali (ORCID:0000000231177074)↗

Free Energies of Hydrated Halide Anions: High Through-Put Computations on Clusters to Treat Rough Energy-Landscapes

With a longer-term goal of addressing the comparative behavior of the aqueous halides F−, Cl−, Br−, and I− on the basis of quasi-chemical theory (QCT), here we study structures and free energies of hydration clusters for those anions. We confirm that energetically optimal (H2O)nX clusters, with X = Cl−, Br−, and I−, exhibit surface hydration structures. Computed free energies, based on optimized surface hydration structures utilizing a harmonic approximation, typically (but not always) disagree with experimental free energies. To remedy the harmonic approximation, we utilize single-point electronic structure calculations on cluster geometries sampled from an AIMD (ab initio molecular dynamics) simulation stream. This rough-landscape procedure is broadly satisfactory and suggests unfavorable ligand crowding as the physical effect addressed. Nevertheless, this procedure can break down when n≳4, with the characteristic discrepancy resulting from a relaxed definition of clustering in the identification of (H2O)nX clusters, including ramified structures natural in physical cluster theories. With ramified structures, the central equation for the present rough-landscape approach can acquire some inconsistency. Extension of these physical cluster theories in the direction of QCT should remedy that issue, and should be the next step in this research direction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Supermassive Black Holes as the Regulators of Star Formation in Central Galaxies

We present the relationship between the black hole mass, stellar mass, and star formation rate (SFR) of a diverse group of 91 galaxies with dynamically measured black hole masses. For our sample of galaxies with a variety of morphologies and other galactic properties, we find that the specific SFR is a smoothly decreasing function of the ratio between black hole mass and stellar mass, or what we call the specific black hole mass. In order to explain this relation, we propose a physical framework where the gradual suppression of a galaxy’s star formation activity results from the adjustment to an increase in specific black hole mass, and accordingly, an increase in the amount of heating. From this framework, it follows that at least some galaxies with intermediate specific black hole masses are in a steady state of partial quiescence with intermediate specific SFRs, implying that both transitioning and steady-state galaxies live within this region that is known as the “green valley.” With respect to galaxy formation models, our results present an important diagnostic with which to test various prescriptions of black hole feedback and its effects on star formation activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR X-RAY CAVITIES IN GALAXY CLUSTERS, GROUPS, AND ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES

We perform a comprehensive study of X-ray cavities using a large sample of X-ray targets selected from the Chandra archive. The sample is selected to cover a large dynamic range including galaxy clusters, groups, and individual galaxies. Using β -modeling and unsharp masking techniques, we investigate the presence of X-ray cavities for 133 targets that have sufficient X-ray photons for analysis. We detect 148 X-ray cavities from 69 targets and measure their properties, including cavity size, angle, and distance from the center of the diffuse X-ray gas. We confirm the strong correlation between cavity size and distance from the X-ray center similar to previous studies. We find that the detection rates of X-ray cavities are similar among galaxy clusters, groups and individual galaxies, suggesting that the formation mechanism of X-ray cavities is independent of environment.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

THE SPACE WEATHER OF PROXIMA CENTAURI b

A planet orbiting in the “habitable zone” of our closest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, has recently been discovered, and the next natural question is whether or not Proxima b is “habitable.” Stellar winds are likely a source of atmospheric erosion that could be particularly severe in the case of M dwarf habitable zone planets that reside close to their parent star. Here, we study the stellar wind conditions that Proxima b experiences over its orbit. We construct 3D MHD models of the wind and magnetic field around Proxima Centauri using a surface magnetic field map for a star of the same spectral type and scaled to match the observed ∼600 G surface magnetic field strength of Proxima. We examine the wind conditions and dynamic pressure over different plausible orbits that sample the constrained parameters of the orbit of Proxima b. For all the parameter space explored, the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind. During an orbit, Proxima b is also subject to pressure changes of 1–3 orders of magnitude on timescales of a day. Its magnetopause standoff distance consequently undergoes sudden and periodic changes by a factor of 2–5. Proxima b will traverse the interplanetary current sheet twice each orbit, and likely crosses into regions of subsonic wind quite frequently. These effects should be taken into account in any physically realistic assessment or prediction of its atmospheric reservoir, characteristics, and loss.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Validity of the Néel-Arrhenius model for highly anisotropic Co{sub x}Fe{sub 3−x}O{sub 4} nanoparticles

We report a systematic study on the structural and magnetic properties of Co{sub x}Fe{sub 3−x}O{sub 4} magnetic nanoparticles with sizes between 5 and 25 nm, prepared by thermal decomposition of Fe(acac){sub 3} and Co(acac){sub 2}. The large magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the synthesized particles resulted in high blocking temperatures (42 K < T{sub B} < 345 K for 5 < d < 13 nm) and large coercive fields (H{sub C} ≈ 1600 kA/m for T = 5 K). The smallest particles (〈d〉=5 nm) revealed the existence of a magnetically hard, spin-disordered surface. The thermal dependence of static and dynamic magnetic properties of the whole series of samples could be explained within the Neel–Arrhenius relaxation framework by including the thermal dependence of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K{sub 1}(T), without the need of ad-hoc corrections. This approach, using the empirical Brükhatov-Kirensky relation, provided K{sub 1}(0) values very similar to the bulk material from either static or dynamic magnetic measurements, as well as realistic values for the response times (τ{sub 0} ≈ 10{sup −10}s). Deviations from the bulk anisotropy values found for the smallest particles could be qualitatively explained based on Zener's relation between K{sub 1}(T) and M(T)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Chaotic Dynamics of Trans-Neptunian Objects Perturbed by Planet Nine

Observations of clustering among the orbits of the most distant trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) has inspired interest in the possibility of an undiscovered ninth planet lurking in the outskirts of the solar system. Numerical simulations by a number of authors have demonstrated that, with appropriate choices of planet mass and orbit, such a planet can maintain clustering in the orbital elements of the population of distant TNOs, similar to the observed sample. However, many aspects of the rich underlying dynamical processes induced by such a distant eccentric perturber have not been fully explored. We report the results of our investigation of the dynamics of coplanar test-particles that interact with a massive body on an circular orbit (Neptune) and a massive body on a more distant, highly eccentric orbit (the putative Planet Nine). We find that a detailed examination of our idealized simulations affords tremendous insight into the rich test-particle dynamics that are possible. In particular, we find that chaos and resonance overlap plays an important role in particles’ dynamical evolution. We develop a simple mapping model that allows us to understand, in detail, the web of overlapped mean-motion resonances explored by chaotically evolving particles. We also demonstrate that gravitational interactions with Neptune can have profound effects on the orbital evolution of particles. Our results serve as a starting point for a better understanding of the dynamical behavior observed in more complicated simulations that can be used to constrain the mass and orbit of Planet Nine.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗