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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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NASA NTRS2020

Flare Statistics for Young Stars from a Convolutional Neural Network Analysis of TESS Data

All-sky photometric time-series missions have allowed for the monitoring of thousands of young (t(age) < 800 Myr) stars in order to understand the evolution of stellar activity. Here, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN), stella, specifically trained to find flares in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) short-cadence data. We applied the network to 3200 young stars in order to evaluate flare rates as a function of age and spectral type. The CNN takes a few seconds to identify flares on a single light curve. We also measured rotation periods for 1500 of our targets and find that flares of all amplitudes are present across all spot phases, suggesting high spot coverage across the entire surface. Additionally, flare rates and amplitudes decrease for stars t(age) > 50 Myr across all temperatures T(eff) ≥ 4000 K, while stars from 2300 ≤ T(eff) < 4000 K show no evolution across 800 Myr. Stars of T(eff) ≤ 4000 K also show higher flare rates and amplitudes across all ages. We investigate the effects of high flare rates on photoevaporative atmospheric mass loss for young planets. In the presence of flares, planets lose 4%–7% more atmosphere over the first 1 Gyr. stella is an open-source Python toolkit hosted on GitHub and PyPI.

Adina D. Feinstein↗
NASA NTRS2020

The First Habitable-zone Earth-sized Planet from TESS. I. Validation of the TOI-700 System

We present the discovery and validation of a three-planet system orbiting the nearby (31.1 pc) M2 dwarf star TOI-700 (TIC 150428135). TOI-700 lies in the TESS continuous viewing zone in the Southern Ecliptic Hemisphere; observations spanning 11 sectors reveal three planets with radii ranging from 1 R⊕ to 2.6 R⊕ and orbital periods ranging from 9.98 to 37.43 days. Ground-based follow-up combined with diagnostic vetting and validation tests enables us to rule out common astrophysical false-positive scenarios and validate the system of planets. The outermost planet, TOI-700 d, has a radius of 1.19 ± 0.11 R⊕ and resides within a conservative estimate of the host star's habitable zone, where it receives a flux from its star that is approximately 86% of Earth's insolation. In contrast to some other low-mass stars that host Earth-sized planets in their habitable zones, TOI-700 exhibits low levels of stellar activity, presenting a valuable opportunity to study potentially rocky planets over a wide range of conditions affecting atmospheric escape. While atmospheric characterization of TOI-700 d with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be challenging, the larger sub-Neptune, TOI-700 c (R = 2.63 R⊕), will be an excellent target for JWST and future space-based observatories. TESS is scheduled to once again observe the Southern Hemisphere, and it will monitor TOI-700 for an additional 11 sectors in its extended mission. These observations should allow further constraints on the known planet parameters and searches for additional planets and transit timing variations in the system.

Emily A. Gilbert↗
NASA NTRS2020

TOI-1235 b: A Keystone Super-Earth for Testing Radius Valley Emergence Models around Early M Dwarfs

Small planets on close-in orbits tend to exhibit envelope mass fractions of either effectively zero or up to a few percent depending on their size and orbital period. Models of thermally driven atmospheric mass loss and of terrestrial planet formation in a gas-poor environment make distinct predictions regarding the location of this rocky/nonrocky transition in period–radius space. Here we present the confirmation of TOI-1235 b (P = 3.44 days, r(p)=1.738(+0.087,-0.076)R(ꚛ)), a planet whose size and period are intermediate between the competing model predictions, thus making the system an important test case for emergence models of the rocky/nonrocky transition around early M dwarfs (R(s) = 0.630 ± 0.015 R(ꙩ), M(s) = 0.640 ± 0.016 M(ꙩ)). We confirm the TESS planet discovery using reconnaissance spectroscopy, ground-based photometry, high-resolution imaging, and a set of 38 precise radial velocities (RVs) from HARPS-N and HIRES. We measure a planet mass of 6.91(+0.75,-0.85) M(ꚛ), which implies an iron core mass fraction of 20(+15,-12)% in the absence of a gaseous envelope. The bulk composition of TOI-1235 b is therefore consistent with being Earth-like, and we constrain an H/He envelope mass fraction to be <0.5% at 90% confidence. Our results are consistent with model predictions from thermally driven atmospheric mass loss but not with gas-poor formation, suggesting that the former class of processes remains efficient at sculpting close-in planets around early M dwarfs. Our RV analysis also reveals a strong periodicity close to the first harmonic of the photometrically determined stellar rotation period that we treat as stellar activity, despite other lines of evidence favoring a planetary origin (P=21.8(+0.9,-0.8) days, m(p) sin i= 13.0(+3.8,-5.3)M(ꚛ)) that cannot be firmly ruled out by our data.

Ryan Cloutier↗
NASA NTRS2020

TOI-1235 b: A Keystone Super-Earth for Testing Radius Valley Emergence Models around Early M Dwarfs

Small planets on close-in orbits tend to exhibit envelope mass fractions of either effectively zero or up to a few percent depending on their size and orbital period. Models of thermally driven atmospheric mass loss and of terrestrial planet formation in a gas-poor environment make distinct predictions regarding the location of this rocky/nonrocky transition in period–radius space. Here we present the confirmation of TOI-1235 b (P = 3.44 days, r(p)=1.738 (+0.087, -0.076) Rꚛ), a planet whose size and period are intermediate between the competing model predictions, thus making the system an important test case for emergence models of the rocky/nonrocky transition around early M dwarfs (R(s) = 0.630 ± 0.015 Rꙩ, M(s) = 0.640 ± 0.016 Mꙩ}$). We confirm the TESS planet discovery using reconnaissance spectroscopy, ground-based photometry, high-resolution imaging, and a set of 38 precise radial velocities (RVs) from HARPS-N and HIRES. We measure a planet mass of 6.91 (+0.75, -0.85) Mꚛ, which implies an iron core mass fraction of 20 (+15,-12)% in the absence of a gaseous envelope. The bulk composition of TOI-1235 b is therefore consistent with being Earth-like, and we constrain an H/He envelope mass fraction to be <0.5% at 90% confidence. Our results are consistent with model predictions from thermally driven atmospheric mass loss but not with gas-poor formation, suggesting that the former class of processes remains efficient at sculpting close-in planets around early M dwarfs. Our RV analysis also reveals a strong periodicity close to the first harmonic of the photometrically determined stellar rotation period that we treat as stellar activity, despite other lines of evidence favoring a planetary origin P= 21.8(+0.9, _0.8) days, m(p)sin i= 13.0 (+3.8,-5.3) Mꚛ) that cannot be firmly ruled out by our data.

Ryan Cloutier↗
NASA NTRS2021

The M-dwarf Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Sample. I. Determining Stellar Parameters for Field Stars

Accurate stellar properties are essential for precise stellar astrophysics and exoplanetary science. In the M-dwarf regime, much effort has gone into defining empirical relations that can use readily accessible observables to assess physical stellar properties. Often, these relations for the quantity of interest are cast as a nonlinear function of available data; in Bayesian modeling, however, the reverse is needed. In this article, we introduce a new Bayesian framework to self-consistently and simultaneously apply multiple empirical calibrations to fully characterize the mass, luminosity, radius, and effective temperature of a field age M-dwarf. This framework includes a new M-dwarf mass–radius relation with a scatter of 3.1% at fixed mass. We further introduce the M-dwarf Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Sample (MUSS), and apply our methodology to provide consistent stellar parameters for these nearby low-mass stars, selected as having available spectroscopic data in the ultraviolet. These targets are of interest largely as either exoplanet hosts or benchmarks in multiwavelength stellar activity. We use the field MUSS stars to define a low-mass main sequence in the solar neighborhood through Gaussian Process (GP) regression. These results enable us to empirically measure a feature in the GP derivative at M ⊙ that indicates where the MUSS transitions from fully to partly convective interiors.

J. Sebastian Pineda↗
NASA NTRS2022

Alma Images the Eccentric HD 53143 Debris Disk

We present ALMA 1.3 mm observations of the HD 53143 debris disk—the first infrared or millimeter image produced of this ∼1 Gyr old solar analog. Previous HST STIS coronagraphic imaging did not detect flux along the minor axis of the disk, which could suggest a face-on geometry with two clumps of dust. These ALMA observations reveal a disk with a strikingly different structure. In order to fit models to the millimeter visibilities and constrain the uncertainties on the disk parameters, we adopt a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach. This is the most eccentric debris disk observed to date with a forced eccentricity of 0.21 ± 0.02, nearly twice that of the Fomalhaut debris disk, and also displays an apocenter glow. Although this eccentric model fits the outer debris disk well, significant interior residuals remain, which may suggest a possible edge-on inner disk, which remains unresolved in these observations. Combined with the observed structure difference between HST and ALMA, these results suggest a potential previous scattering event or dynamical instability in this system. We also note that the stellar flux changes considerably over the course of our observations, suggesting flaring at millimeter wavelengths. Using simultaneous TESS observations, we determine the stellar rotation period to be 9.6 ± 0.1 days.

Radio astronomy↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Super-Earth Orbiting Near the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone Around the M4.5 Dwarf Ross 508

We report the near-infrared radial velocity (RV) discovery of a super-Earth planet on a 10.77 d orbit around the M4.5 dwarf Ross 508 (J mag = 9.1). Using precision RVs from the Subaru Telescope IRD (InfraRed Doppler) instrument, we derive a semi-amplitude of 3.92 +0.60 −0.58 ms −1 , corresponding to a planet with a minimum mass m sin i = 4.00 +0.53 −0.55 M ⊕ . We find no evidence of significant signals at the detected period in spectroscopic stellar activity indicators orMEarth photometry. The planet, Ross 508 b, has a semi-major axis of 0.05366 +0.00056 −0.00049 au. This gives an orbit-averaged insolation of ≈1.4 times the Earth’s value, placing Ross 508 b near the inner edge of its star’s habitable zone. We have explored the possibility that the planet has a high eccentricity and its host is accompanied by an additional unconfirmed companion on a wide orbit. Our discovery demonstrates that the near-infrared RV search can play a crucial role in finding a low-mass planet around cool M dwarfs like Ross 508.

Techniques↗
NASA NTRS1983

On the stellar rotation-activity connection

The relationship between rotation rates and surface activity in late-type dwarf stars is explored in a survey of recent theoretical and observational studies. Current theoretical models of stellar-magnetic-field production and coronal activity are examined, including linear kinematic dynamo theory, nonlinear dynamos using approximations, and full numerical simulations of the MHD equations; and some typical results are presented graphically. The limitations of the modeling procedures and the constraints imposed by the physics are indicated. The statistical techniques used in establishing correlations between various observational parameters are analyzed critically, and the methods developed for quasar luminosity functions by Avni et al. (1980) are used to evaluate the effects of upper detection bounds, incomplete samples, and missing data for the case of rotation and X-ray flux data.

Rosner, R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Kinematic Link Between Boxy Bulges, Stellar Bars, and Nuclear Activity in NGC 3079 and NGC 4388

We present direct kinematic evidence for bar streaming in two active galaxies with boxy stellar bulges. The Hawaii Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer was used on the Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6-m telescope and the University of Hawaii 2.2-m telescope to derive the two-dimensional velocity field of the line-emitting gas in the disks of the Sc galaxy NGC 3079 and the Sb galaxy NGC 4388. In contrast to previous work based on long-slit data, the detection of the bar potential from the Fabry-Perot data does not rely on the existence of inner Lindblad resonances or strong bar-induced shocks. Simple kinematic models which approximate the intrinsic gas orbits as nonintersecting, inclined elliptical annuli that conserve angular momentum characterize the observed velocity fields. In NGC 3079, bar streaming motions with moderately eccentric orbits (e = b/a approx. 0.7) aligned along PA = 130 deg. intrinsic to the disk (PA = 97 deg. on the sky) are detected out to R(sub b) = 3.6 kpc. The orbits become increasingly circular beyond that radius (e = 1 at R(sub d) approx. = 6 kpc). The best model for NGC 4388 includes highly eccentric orbits (e approx. 0.3) for R(sub) less than or equal to 1.5 kpc which are aligned along PA = 135 deg. intrinsic to the disk (PA = 100 deg. on the sky). The observed "spiral arms" are produced by having the orbits become increasingly circular from the ends of the bar to the edge of the disk (R(sub d) approx. = 5 kpc), and the intrinsic bar PA shifting from 135 deg. to 90 deg.. Box-shaped bulges in both NGC 3079 and NGC 4388 are confirmed using new near-infrared images to reduce dust obscuration. Morphological analysis of starlight in these galaxies is combined with the gas kinematics derived from the Fabry-Perot spectra to test evolutionary models of stellar bars that involve transitory boxy bulges, and to quantify the importance of such bars in fueling active nuclei. Our data support the evolutionary bar models, but fail to prove convincingly that the stellar bars in NGC 3079 and NGC 4388 directly trigger or sustain the nuclear activity.

Veilleux, S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Second Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, volume 1

Solar and stellar atmospheric phenomena and their fundamental physical properties such as gravity, effective temperature and rotation rate, which provides the range in parameter space required to test various theoretical models were investigated. The similarity between solar activity and stellar activity is documented. Some of the topics discussed are: atmospheric structure, magnetic fields, solar and stellar activity, and evolution.

Giampapa, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Solar Magnetic Activity and Solar-Stellar Connections

Prediction of solar magnetic activity on various temporal scales is a fundamental element of space weather, which requires a wide range of theoretical and observational expertise in solar phenomena from the deep interior to the corona. Historical observations have revealed many features of cyclic variations of the solar activity; but these data are dramatically insufficient to draw a physical picture of global magnetic field evolution. New observational data, currently available from space missions and ground-based observatories, provide us with detailed information about solar dynamics and magnetism. However, because of the relatively short duration of data series and the great variety of data types and quality, it is challenging to assimilate these data in theoretical models and make reliable forecasts. The recent unexpectedly weak solar activity cycles, as well as observations of rotational and magnetic topology transitions in solar-type stars, suggest that the Sun and its magnetic dynamo are currently in a very interesting evolutionary stage. This could relate to the difficulty in getting a model of the Sun to produce solar-like – rather than anti-solar-like – differential rotation, to reproduce the rotation profile obtained from helioseismology, and to predict solar activity cycles.

magnetic↗
NASA NTRS1983

Magnetic fields and activity of the sun and stars - An overview

Recent work on the observation and theory of solar and stellar magnetic field activity and its relation to stellar activity is reviewed, emphasizing those aspects relevant to the problem of activity of red dwarf stars. New observational facts relevant to understanding the root cause of stellar surface activity are summarized and theoretical questions concerning the underlying physical basis for the observed correlations between stellar activity, rotation, and magnetic fields are addressed. These include dyanamo theory and the rotation-activity connection as well as flux tube dynamics and plasma heating.

Rosner, R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Fundamental Physical Processes Producing and Controlling Stellar Coronal/Transition Region/Chromospheric Activity and Structure

Our LTSA (Long Term Space Astrophysics) research has utilized current NASA and ESA spacecraft, supporting ground-based IR, radio, and sub-mm telescopes, and the extensive archives of HST (Hubble Space Telescope), IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer), ROSAT, EUVE (Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer), and other missions. Our research effort has included observational work (with a nonnegligible groundbased component), specialized processing techniques for imaging and spectral data, and semiempirical modelling, ranging from optically thin emission measure studies to simulations of optically thick resonance lines. In our previous LTSA efforts, we have had a number of major successes, including most recently: organizing and carrying out an extensive cool star UV survey in HST cycle eight; obtaining observing time with new instruments, such as Chandra and XMM (X-ray Multi-Mirror) in their first cycles; collaborating with the Chandra GTO program and participating with the Chandra Emission Line Project on multi-wavelength observations of HR 1099 and Capella. These are the main broad-brush themes of our previous investigation: a) Where do Coronae Occur in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram? b) Winds of Coronal and Noncoronal Stars; c) Activity, Age, Rotation Relations; d) Atmospheric Inhomogeneities; e) Heating Mechanisms, Subcoronal Flows, and Flares; f) Development of Analysis and Modelling Tools.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Accretion disk modeling of AGN continuum using non-LTE stellar atmospheres

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) accretion disk spectra were calculated using non-LTE stellar atmosphere models for Kerr and Schwarzschild geometries. It is found that the Lyman limit absorption edge, probably the most conclusive observational evidence for the accretion disk, would be drastically distorted and displaced by the relativistic effects from the large gravitational field of the central black hole and strong Doppler motion of emitting material on the disk surface. These effects are especially pronounced in the Kerr geometry. The strength of the Lyman limit absorption is very sensitive to the surface gravity in the stellar atmosphere models used. For models at the same temperature but different surface gravities, the strength of the Lyman edge exhibits an almost exponential decrease as the surface gravity approach the Eddington limit, which should approximate the thin disk atmosphere. The relativistic effects as well as the vanishing of the Lyman edge at the Eddington gravity may be the reasons that not many Lyman edges in the rest frames of AGNs and quasars are found.

Sun, Wei-Hsin↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Fundamental Physical Processes Producing and Controlling Stellar Coronal/ Transition-Region/Chromospheric Activity and Structure

Our LTSA grant supports a long-term collaborative investigation of stellar activity. The project involves current NASA spacecraft and supporting ground-based telescopes, will make use of future missions, and utilizes the extensive archives of IUE, ROSAT, HST, and EUVE. Our interests include observational work (with a nonnegligible groundbased component); specialized processing techniques for imaging and spectral data; and semiempirical modeling, ranging from optically-thin emission measure studies to simulations of optically-thick resonance lines. Collaborations with our cool-star colleagues here in Boulder (at JILA and the High Altitude Observatory) provide access to even broader expertise, particularly on the solar corona, convection, and magnetohydrodynamic phenomena (including "dynamo" theories). The broad-brush of our investigation include the following: (1) where do coronae occur in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram? (2) the winds of coronal stars: hot, cool, or both? (3) age, activity, rotation relations; (4) atmospheric inhomogeneities; and (5) heating mechanisms, subcoronal flows and flares. Our observation task has been to map the global properties of chromospheres and coronae in the H-R diagram and conduct detailed studies of key objects.

Ayres, Thomas R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Low luminosity galactic X-ray sources

Models of soft X-ray emission from low-luminosity galactic X-ray sources are compared with currently available data. Emphasis is placed on disk population stars, irrespective of source temperatures spectral type, luminosity class, and age; and predictions of source temperatures and variability have been used to distinguish between the various models. It is tentatively found that the X-ray emission characteristics of late and early spectral types, and young and old stars, share many similarities; an economical explanation for this is the manifestation of coronal surface activity modulated by the stellar parameters that govern stellar magnetic activity (e.g., rotation). In some cases (such as for OB stars), a proper theory accounting for the heating of the coronal plasma does not exist.

Vaiana, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Stellar Imager (SI) Mission Concept

The Stellar Imager (SI) is envisioned as a space-based, UV-optical interferometer composed of ten or more one-meter class elements distributed with a maximum baseline of 0.5 km. It will image stars and binaries with 100 to 1000 resolution elements on their surface and enable long-term studies of stellar magnetic activity patterns and their evolution with time for comparison with those on the sun. It will also sound their interiors through asteroseismology to image internal structure, differential rotation, and large-scale circulations. SI will enable us to understand the various effects of magnetic fields of stars, the dynamos that generate them, and the internal structure and dynamics of the stars in which they exist. The ultimate goal is to achieve the best-possible forecasting of solar activity on times scales ranging up to decades, and an understanding of the impact of stellar magnetic activity on astrobiology and life in the Universe. The road to that goal will revolutionize our understanding of stars and stellar systems, the building blocks of the Universe. Fitting naturally within the NASA long-term time line, SI complements defined missions, and with them will show us entire other solar systems, from the central star to their orbiting planets.

Carpenter, Kenneth G.↗