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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 109 records · Page 6
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NASA NTRS1990

Star formation in proto dwarf galaxies

The effects of the onset of star formation on the residual gas in primordial low-mass Local-Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies is studied by a series of hydrodynamical simulations. The models have concentrated on the effect of photoionization. The results indicate that photoionization in the presence of a moderate gas density gradient can eject most of the residual gas on a time scale of a few 10 to the 7th power years. High central gas density combined with inefficient star formation, however, may prevent mass ejection. The effect of supernova explosions is discussed briefly.

Noriega-Crespo, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Theoretical models of gas dynamics and star formation in interacting ring galaxies

A series of one and two dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of a ring wave in interstellar gas disks was completed. These calculations included nonlinear source terms to model the effects of interstellar interactions and star formation, as well as the spatial-temporal gas flow. Toomre's kinematical model was merged with the Arnold, Shandarin, and Zeldovich 'pancake' theory of caustics in galaxy formation. The resulting theory can describe almost all the structure in restricted three-body simulations of single-pass collisions, even with multi-component potentials. Off-center galactic collisions were studied to understand the dynamics involved. Multi-color optical and near-infrared observations of faint tidal features were performed in about two dozen interacting galaxies selected from the Arp atlas. This sample provided evidence for ongoing star formation in tidal structures, and even enhancements of star formation in some cases. The task of assembling the data for gas-rich, late-type galaxies, was undertaken to see if a more coherent picture of the gas distribution would emerge from the more complete data. Analytic solutions of the equations with subsonic flows to balance gas consumption for expulsion form a galactic fountain were also derived.

Struck-Marcell, Curtis↗
NASA NTRS1991

Terrestrial production vs. extraterrestrial delivery of prebiotic organics to the early Earth

A comprehensive treatment of comet/asteroid interaction with the atmosphere, ensuring surface impact, and resulting organic pyrolysis is required to determine whether more than a negligible fraction of the organics in incident comets and asteroids actually survived collision with Earth. Results of such an investigation, using a smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulation of cometary and asteroidal impacts into both oceans and rock, demonstrate that organics will not survive impacts at velocities approx. greater than 10 km s(exp -1), and that even comets and asteroids as small as 100m in radius cannot be aerobraked to below this velocity in 1 bar atmospheres. However, for plausible dense (10 bar CO2) early atmospheres, there will be sufficient aerobraking during atmospheric passage for some organics to survive the ensuing impact. Combining these results with analytical fits to the lunar impact record shows that 4.5 Gyr ago Earth was accreting at least approx. 10(exp 6) kg yr(exp 1) of intact cometary organics, a flux which thereafter declined with a approx. 100 Myr half-life. The extent to which this influx was augmented by asteroid impacts, as well as the effect of more careful modelling of a variety of conservative approximations, is currently being quantified. These results may be placed in context by comparison with in situ organic production from a variety of terrestrial energy sources, as well as organic delivery by interplanetary dust. Which source dominated the early terrestrial prebiotic inventory is found to depend on the nature of the early terrestrial atmosphere. However, there is an intriguing symmetry: it is exactly those dense CO2 atmospheres where in situ atmospheric production of organic molecules should be the most difficult, in which intact cometary organics would be delivered in large amounts.

Chyba, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Gravitational fragmentation - A comparison with W49A

The process of gravitational fragmentation of molecular clouds is investigated through a comparison of numerical and observational results. The expected millimeter wave molecular line emission from a model fragmenting cloud generated by a numerical hydrodynamic simulation is calculated and compared with observations of HCO(+) from the star-forming region W49A. This investigation suggests that the rotating ring of H II regions, the necklace in W49A, may have formed in the gravitational fragmentation of a flattened rotating molecular cloud.

Keto, Eric R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The formation of coronal regions in accretion disks

A mechanism for heating the hot low-density gas or winds above accretion disks, which is similar to that used to model chromospheric heating in the sun and other stars, is proposed. Sound waves propagating through an accretion disk are refracted away from the central plane by the strong density gradient. As they move into regions of lower density, the sound waves accelerate to form shocks, which heat the gas, leading to the formation of a hot low-density region. The steeper density gradients present in disks make the process more efficient than in stellar atmospheres. Results of hydrodynamical simulations show that waves with frequencies similar to the local Keplerian frequency lead to the most efficient heating. For the optically thin region modeled in the present study, the result is the formation of coronal regions with densities less than about 10 exp 10/cu cm, and the temperatures ranging from 10 exp 4 to 6 K over a few scale heights. It is argued that the hot low-density gas which results from the shock heating is responsible for the observed UV lines from cataclysmic variables, as well as the spatially coincidental lines of H and He I.

Murray, Stephen D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The evolution of cocoons surrounding light, extragalactic jets

If the mass density of supersonic, collimated material is less than that of the surrounding medium, a so-called light jet will be enveloped by a cocoon of overpressured shocked gas. Hydrodynamical simulations are used to understand the evolution of the cocoon. The cocoon's evolution is also compared to a simple analytic theory. To reconcile the theory with the simulations, the growth of the jet head must be taken into account. The overpressured cocoon stage exists for a relatively short astronomical time, after which only the region of the cocoon near the jet head remains overpressured. The spatial distribution of the optical emission often observed in distant extragalactic jet systems can be explained with this improved understanding of cocoon evolution.

Cioffi, Denis F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A hydrodynamic treatment of the cold dark matter cosmological scenario

The evolution of structure in a postrecombination Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe containing both gaseous baryons and cold dark matter (CDM) is studied by means of an Eulerian code coupled with a standard particle-mesh code. Ionization state and radiative opacity are calculated in detail, and the hydrodynamic simulations make it possible to compute properties of gas distribution on scales larger than three cell sizes. The model yields a soft X-ray background consistent with the latest cosmic nucleosynthesis values, and can accurately reproduce the galaxy-galaxy two-point correlation. The rate of galaxy formation peaks at a relatively late epoch. With regard to mass function, the smallest objects are stabilized against collapse by thermal energy: the mass-weighted mass spectrum peaks in the vicinity of m(b) = 10 exp 9.2 solar masses with a reasonable fit to the Schecter luminosity function if the baryon mass to blue light ratio is approximately 4. Overall, the simulations provide strong support for the CMD scenario. Of particular interest is that, while the baryons are not biased on scales greater than 1/h Mpc, the galaxies are, and that the 'galaxies' have a correlation function of the required slope and the correct amplitude.

Cen, Renyue↗
NASA NTRS1992

Semiempirical limits on the thermal conductivity of intracluster gas

A semiempirical method for establishing lower limits on the thermal conductivity of hot gas in clusters of galaxies is described. The method is based on the observation that the X-ray imaging data (e.g., Einstein IPC) for clusters are well described by the hydrostatic-isothermal beta model, even for cooling flow clusters beyond about one core radius. In addition, there are strong indications that noncooling flow clusters (like the Coma Cluster) have a large central region (up to several core radii) of nearly constant gas temperature. This suggests that thermal conduction is an effective means of transporting and redistributing the thermal energy of the gas. This in turn has implications for the extent to which magnetic fields in the cluster are effective in reducing the thermal conductivity of the gas. Time-dependent hydrodynamic simulations for the gas in the Coma Cluster under two separate evolutionary scenarios are presented. One scenario assumes that the cluster potential is static and that the gas has an initial adiabatic distribution. The second scenario uses an evolving cluster potential. These models along with analytic results show that the thermal conductivity of the gas in the Coma Cluster cannot be less than 0.1 of full Spitzer conductivity. These models also show that high gas conductivity assists rather than hinders the development of radiative cooling in the central regions of clusters.

David, Laurence P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Enrichment and heating of the intracluster medium by ejection from galaxies

Results of N-body + hydrodynamic simulations designed to model the formation and evolution of clusters of galaxies and intracluster gas are presented. Clusters of galaxies are the largest bound, relaxed objects in the universe. They are strong x-ray emitters; this radiation originates through thermal bremsstrahlung from a diffuse plasma filling the space between cluster galaxies, the intracluster medium or ICM. From observations, one can infer that the mass of the ICM is comparable to or greater than the mass of all the galaxies in the cluster, and that the ratio of mass in hot gas to mass in galaxies, M(sub ICM)/M(sub STARS), increases with the richness of the cluster. Spectroscopic studies of cluster x-ray emission show heavy element emission lines. While M(sub ICM)/M(sub STARS) is greater than or equal to 1 implies that most of the ICM is primordial in nature, the discovery of heavy elements indicates that some of the gas must have been processed through galaxies. Galaxy evolution thus directly impacts cluster evolution.

Metzler, Chris↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evolution of molecular clouds

The evolution of interstellar molecular hydrogen was studied, with a special interest for the formation and evolution of molecular clouds and star formation within them, by a two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation performed on a rectangular grid of physical sizes on the order of 100 pc. It is filled with an initial density of approx. 1 cm(exp -3), except for one cell (approx. 1 pc(exp 2)) at the center of the grid where an accretion core of 1-10(exp 3) solar masses is placed. The grid is co-moving with the gridcenter that is on a circular orbit around the Galactic center and that also is the guiding center of epicyclic approximation of orbits of the matter surrounding it. The initial radial velocity is zero; to account for differential rotation the initial tangential velocity (i.e. the movement around the galactic center) is proportional to the radial distance to the grid center. The rate is comparable to the rotation rate at the Local Standard of Rest. The influence of galactic rotation is noticed by spiral or elliptical forms, but on much longer time scales than self gravitation and cooling processes. Density and temperature are kept constant at the boundaries and no inflow is allowed along the tangential boundaries.

Sevenster, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An interpretation of the multipeaked structure in X-ray bursts

Some X-ray bursts from sources such as 4U/MXB 1636 - 53, 4U 1608 - 52, and possibly MXB 1727 - 34, display a multipeaked structure in the bolometric flux that is difficult to reconcile with the standard thermonuclear flash model or with the effects due to photospheric expansion and contraction. Understanding this phenomenon is important primarily because it might be due to a variable Thomson optical depth along a line of sight threading the burst-induced accretion disk corona. We explore the conditions under which these burst profiles might be observed, in light of the somewhat surprising recent results from the radiative-hydrodynamic simulation of the coronal structure. We find that double- (and triple-) peaked bursts are produced at inclination angles in the range 40-65 deg. Interestingly, the orbital information for 4U/MXB 1636 - 53 and 4U 1608 - 52 suggests i is less than 70 deg, in these sources. The orbital inclination of MXB 1728 - 34 is not yet known.

Melia, Fulvio↗
NASA NTRS1992

An instability in neutron stars at birth

Calculations with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation show that a generic Raleigh-Taylor-like instability occurs in the mantles of nascent neutron stars, that it is possibly violent, and that the standard spherically symmetric models of neutron star birth and supernova explosion may be inadequate. Whether this 'convective' instability is pivotal to the supernova mechanism, pulsar nagnetic fields, or a host of other important issues that attend stellar collapse remains to be seen, but its existence promises to modify all questions concerning this most energetic of astronomical phenomena.

Burrows, Adam↗
NASA NTRS1993

The impact of supernova fragments on the evolution of multisupernova remnants

Analytical approximations and 2D hydrodynamical simulations are used to examine the interaction of supernova fragments with the internal structure of large multisupernova remnants (MSRs). The fragments are thermalized by reverse shocks generated in the interaction with the MSR interior, which is assumed to be hot and rarefied. The evolution is divided into two stages: before and after reaching a reference distance, R(E), from the explosion site. As the density of the expanding fragment drops, the reverse shock accelerates, and, when the distance R(E) is reached, it begins to effectively erode the fragment. At some selected evolutionary times, the X-ray emission from the shocked fragment is also calculated. The direct bombardment of the MRS shell by the shocked fragment has a series of important consequences: it excites, punctures, and deforms the expanding shell.

Franco, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Time-dependent cosmic ray shocks with injection - A progress report

The study presents preliminary results of a two-fluid hydrodynamical simulation of cosmic-ray-modified shock structure by extending the steady-state calculations of Zank et al. (1991) to the time-dependent case. The present simulations model diffusive shock acceleration of the energetic particle component at planar shocks. A new model for the injection of cosmic ray particles is presented. The quadratic artificial viscosity algorithm is found to be numerically unstable and therefore unusable for strong cosmic ray shocks. There is visible ringing and overshoot in the various profiles. A large enhancement in the fluid density appears downstream of the subshock. This 'overcompression' results from the upstream fluid being compressed in the precursor, then traversing a strong shock with compression ratio near the adiabatic limit of four.

Donohue, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Dynamics and X-ray emission of a galactic superwind interacting with disk and halo gas

There is a general agreement that the conspicuous extranuclear X-ray, optical-line, and radio-contiuum emission of starbursts is associated with powerful galactic superwinds blowing from their centers. However, despite the significant advances in observational studies of superwinds, there is no consensus on the nature of the emitting material and even on the emission mechanisms themselves. This is to a great extent a consequence of a poor understanding of dynamical processes in the starburst superwind regions. To address this issue, we have conducted two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of galactic superwinds. While previous similar studies have used a single (disk) component to represent the ISM of the starburst galaxy, we analyze the interaction of the wind with a two-component disk-halo ambient interstellar medium and argue that this two-component representation is crucial for adequate modeling of starbursts. The emphasis of this study is on the geometry and structure of the wind region and the X-ray emission arising in the wind material and the shocked gas in the disk and the halo of the galaxy. The simulation results have shown that a clear-cut bipolar wind can easily develop under a range of very different conditions. On the other hand, a complex 'filamentary' structure associated with the entrained dense disk material is found to arise within the hot bubble blown out by the wind. The flow pattern within the bubble is dominated equally by the central biconic outflow and a system of whirling motions r elated to the origin and development of the 'filaments'. The filament parameters make them a good candidate for optical-emission-line filamentary gas observed in starburst halos. We find that the history of mass and energy deposition in the starburst region of the galaxy is crucial for wind dynamics. A 'mild' early wind, which arises as a result of the cumulative effect of stellar winds from massive stars, produces a bipolar vertical cavity in the disk and halo gas without strongly affecting the gaseous disk, thus creating conditions for virtually free vertical escape of the hot gas at the later, much more violent supernova-dominated phases of the starburst. We calculate the luminosity, mass, and effective temperature of the X-ray emitting gas in the 'soft' (0.1 to 0.7 keV, 0.7 to 2.2 keV, and 0.1 to 2.2 keV) and 'hard' (1.6 to 8.3 keV) energy bands and estimate the contribution of different gaseous components to the X-ray flux in these bands. Analysis of these parameters enables us to make conclusions regarding the nature of the X-ray-emitting material. We have inferred that the bulk of the soft thermal X-ray emission from starbursts arises in the wind-shocked material of the disk and halo gas rather than in the wind material itself. This enables us to predict that the integrated soft X-ray spectra of starbursts need not show an overabundance of heavy elements which are believed to be produced copiously in the centers of starbursts. Unlike soft X-ray emission, the hard component of thermal X-ray emission is found to originate in the wind material ejected from the starburst region. However, the derived ratio of hard-to-soft X-ray luminosities is too small compared to that observed in starbursts. We conclude therefore that the observed hard X-ray emission of starbursts is probably not associated with the thermal emission of hot wind or ambient shocked gas. Typical temperatures of the bulk of the soft X-ray-emitting material in our very different models have been found to agree well with the ones estimated on the basis of the ROSAT data for the soft component of X-ray emission of nearby starbursts. We predict that temperatures of the extranuclear soft X-ray-emitting gas in starburst galaxies with heavy element abundances near solar should be close to T(sub Xs = 2 to 5 x 10(exp 6)K.

Suchkov, Anatoly A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The delayed-detonation model of a type Ia supernovae. 1: The deflagration phase

The nature of the 'delayed detonation' mechanism of Khokhlov for the explosion of Type Ia supernovae is investigated by using two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamics simulations. A new algorithm is used to treat the deflagration front. Assuming that it propagates locally at the laminar flame speed, the deflagration is insufficient to unbind the star. Expansion shuts of the flame; much of this small production of iron group nuclei occurs at lower densities, which reduces the electron-capture problem. The burning front does become wrinkled, but the wavelength of the instability is much larger than the computational grid size and is resolved; this is consistent with previous analysis. Because the degenerate star has an adiabatic exponent only slightly above 4/3, the energy released by deflagration drives a pulsation of large amplitude. During the first expansion phase, adiabatic cooling shuts off the burning, and a Rayleigh-Taylor instability then gives mixing of high-entropy ashes with low-entropy fuel. During the first contraction phase, compressional heating reignites the material. This paper deals with the deflagration phase, from the onset of burning, through expansion and quenching of the flame, to the first contraction.

Arnett, David↗
NASA NTRS1994

The delayed-detonation model of Type Ia supernovae. 2: The detonation phase

The investigation, by use of two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamics simulations, of the 'delayed detonation' mechanism of Khokhlov for the explosion of Type Ia supernovae is continued. Previously we found that the deflagration is insufficient to unbind the star. Expansion shuts off the flame; much of this small production of iron group nuclei occurs at lower densities, which reduces the electron-capture problem. Because the degenerate star has an adiabatic exponent only slightly above 4/3, the energy released by deflagration drives a pulsation of large amplitude. During the first expansion phase, adiabatic cooling shuts off the burning, and a Rayleigh-Taylor instability then gives mixing of high-entropy ashes with low-entropy fuel. During the first contraction phase, compressional heating reignites the material. The burning was allowed to develop into a detonation in these nonspherical models. The detonation grows toward spherical symmetry at late times. At these densities (rho approx. 10(exp 7) to 10(exp 8) g cm(exp -3)), either Ni-56 or nuclei of the Si-Ca group are the dominant products of the burning. The bulk yields are sensitive to the density of the star when the transition to detonation occurs. The relevance of the abundances, velocities, mixing, and total energy release to the theory and interpretation of Type Ia supernovae is discussed.

Arnett, David↗
NASA NTRS1994

Accretion disk coronae in high-luminosity systems

We present the results of self-consistent models of Compton-heated accretion disk coronae. The models are calculated using a new method for computing monochromatic radiative transfer n two dimensions. The method splits the radiation into direct and scattered components. The direct radiation is computed by calculating the optical depth along rays, while transfer of the scattered radiation is approximated by flux-limited diffusion. The resulting code agrees with more accurate treatments to within 50%, and is highly efficient, making it practical for use in large hydrodynamic simulations. The coronal models are used to confirm the results of earlier work, and to extend it to higher luminosities. In contrast to earlier work, which found the outer disks to be shadowed by the inner corona at high luminosities, we find our results to form an almost continuous extension of the models at lower luminosities. This is due to the presence of multiply scattered radiation, which acts to partially offset the loss of direct radiation from the central source. Although the analytic methods derived at lower luminosities cannot be used to derive the coronal structure for L/L(sub Edd) approx. greater than 0.1, the results of the models are amenable to semiempirical fits. We also discuss possible observational consequences of the results for coronal veiling and line fluorescence from the disk.

Murray, Stephen D.↗