Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Spectrum Accountability”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,189 records · Page 66
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

The 300- to 900-A spectrum of a nightside aurora

Attention is given to the results of a satellite observation of a nightside aurora. The observations had been made with the aid of an instrument which was designed specifically to detect and to measure accurately the intensity of features in a wavelength range from 300 to 900 A. The considered data were acquired by an EUV spectrometer on the USAF STP 78-1 satellite launched on February 24, 1979. A bright, discrete auroral arc was selected for study, taking into account the intense O II, 834 A emission line as the most distinctive auroral diagnostic feature in the wavelength region from 300 to 900 A. There is found to be an excellent correspondence between most of the auroral features and the brightest O II laboratory discharge emission lines.

Paresce, F.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Landau quantization in tilted Weyl semimetals with broken symmetry

Broken symmetry and tilting effects are ubiquitous in Weyl semimetals (WSMs). Therefore, it is crucial to understand their impacts on the materials’ electronic and optical properties. Here, using a realistic four-band model for WSMs, which incorporates both the symmetry breaking and tilting effects, we study its Landau quantization and the associated magneto-absorption spectrum. We show that the Landau bands in tilted WSMs can be obtained by considering a non-tilt Hamiltonian through Lorentz boost. Furthermore, broken symmetry effects can generate an additional term in the Hamiltonian, which equivalently lead to band reconstruction. Our work provides a more realistic view of the magnetic field response of WSMs that shall be taken into account in relevant future device applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-T-352: Effects of Skull Attenuation and Missing Backscatter On Brain Dose in HDR Treatment of the Head with Surface Applicators

Purpose: To calculate the effect of lack of backscatter from air and attenuation of bone on dose distributions in brachytherapy surface treatment of head. Existing treatment planning systems based on TG43 do not account for heterogeneities, and thus may overestimate the dose to the brain. While brachytherapy generally has rapid dose falloff, the dose to the deeper tissues (in this case, the brain) can become significant when treating large curved surfaces. Methods: Applicator geometries representing a range of clinical cases were simulated in MCNP5. An Ir-192 source was modeled using the energy spectrum presented by TG-43. The head phantom was modeled as a 7.5-cm radius water sphere, with a 7 -mm thick skull embedded 5-mm beneath the surface. Dose values were calculated at 20 points inside the head, in which 10 of them were on the central axis and the other 10 on the axis connecting the central of the phantom with the second to last source from the applicator edge. Results: Central and peripheral dose distributions for a range of applicator and head sizes are presented. The distance along the central axis at which the dose falls to 80% of the prescribed dose (D80) was 7 mm for a representative small applicator and 9 mm for a large applicator. Corresponding D50 and D30 for the same small applicator were 17 mm and 32 mm respectively. D50 and D30 for the larger applicator were 32 mm and 60 mm respectively. These results reflect the slower falloff expected for larger applicators on a curved surface. Conclusion: Our results can provide guidance for clinicians to calculate the dose reduction effect due to bone attenuation and the lack of backscatter from air to estimate the brain dose for the HDR treatments of surface lesions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1998

Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy of the SNR IC443

IC 443 is a supernova remnant of intermediate age, i.e. a few thousand years. It is especially interesting because part of its periphery is expanding into a molecular cloud while other sections are expanding into a typical interstellar medium of much lower density. Since the evolution of a supernova remnant through its various phases is affected by the density of the medium it expands into with the reasonable assumption that the supernova explosion was approximately symmetric we have an opportunity to observe a single object in two phases simultaneously. It was observed by ASCA in April, 1993 for a short period during the PV phase and more thoroughly in a 42 ksec exposure in March, 1994. The latter measurement provides most of the results that have been reported. Most of the analysis took place after the grant ended but is included here for completeness. The data was sent simultaneously to US and Japanese Pls. We worked independently. The software set of FTOOLs was used to construct images and spectra. They were judged to be rather unintuitive and not at all user friendly. I found I was using one FTOOL to read the header to obtain information that would only be provided to another FTOOL. The Japanese investigators were more successful. They analyzed the data and published results more rapidly. The scientific results summarized below are based primarily on their publications. Since IC 443 is an interesting example of a middle aged SNR in which a variety of processes are occurring it is one of a class. IC 443 exhibits shell-like emission in hard X-rays and extended soft X-rays with thin thermal spectra. It resembles SN 1006 in these respects. IC 443 contains hard X-rays in a semi-circular shell surrounding the thermal component. The total hard X-ray flux in the ASCA FOV is only a half of the Ginga hard component; which suggests that the hard X-rays are not confined only in the shell but some are extended larger than the ASCA FOV of eq 1 degree diameter. Japanese investigators examined the spatial structure of the thermal component and analyzed the GIS spectra with a non-equilibrium plasma model, and found no systematic variation of the interstellar absorption across the remnant. Evidence for shock acceleration of cosmic rays to high energies (10 TeV) was found by Keohane. X-ray imaging spectroscopy with ASCA reveals two regions of particularly hard emission: an unresolved source embedded in an extended emission region, and a ridge of emission coincident with the southeastern rim. Both features are located on part of the radio shell where the shock wave is interacting with molecular gas, and together they account for a majority of the emission at 7 keV. Though we would not have noticed it a priori, the unresolved feature is coincident with one resolved by the ROSAT HRI. The ASCA measurements were combined with higher energy data from the XTE and GRO missions and with radio and TeV gamma-ray data to produce a nonthermal multiwavelength spectrum for IC 443 which was fit with a cosmic ray interaction model. This model calculates the cynchrotron, bremsstrahlung, invers Compton, and neutral pion decay emission produced by locally accelerated cosmic ray interacting with ambient matter, soft photon fields, and magnetic fields.

Gorenstein, P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Is a pyrene-like molecular ion the cause of the 4,430-angstroms diffuse interstellar absorption band?

The diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), ubiquitous absorption features in astronomical spectra, have been known since early this century and now number more than a hundred. Ranging from 4,400 angstroms to the near infrared, they differ markedly in depth, width and shape, making the concept of a single carrier unlikely. Whether they are due to gas or grains is not settled, but recent results suggest that the DIB carriers are quite separate from the grains that cause visual extinction. Among molecular candidates the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been proposed as the possible carriers of some of the DIBs, and we present here laboratory measurements of the optical spectrum of the pyrene cation C16H10+ in neon and argon matrices. The strongest absorption feature falls at 4,435 +/- 5 angstroms in the argon matrix and 4,395 +/- 5 angstroms in the neon matrix, both close to the strong 4,430-angstroms DIB. If this or a related pyrene-like species is responsible for this particular band, it must account for 0.2% of all cosmic carbon. The ion also shows an intense but puzzling broad continuum, extending from the ultraviolet to the visible, similar to what is seen in the naphthalene cation and perhaps therefore a common feature of all PAH cations. This may provide an explanation of how PAHs convert a large fraction of interstellar radiation from ultraviolet and visible wavelengths down to the infrared.

NASA Center ARC↗
NASA NTRS1995

Joint ROSAT-Compton GRO observations of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A

We report a simultaneous ROSAT and Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) observation of the X-ray-bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A. For the GRO Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) detector, we also present the sum of the data for this and earlier observations. The overall spectrum is very well described as a power law with an energy spectral index of approximately 1 absorbed at low energies plus a strong Compton reflection component, typical for Seyfert 1 galaxies. The low energy absorption can be well described by a sum of a neutral column density of approximately 3 x 10(exp 21)sq cm, most of which is associated with the edge-on galactic disk of IC 4329A, plus an edgelike feature at approximately 700 eV; this feature implies either complex absorption (due to additional ionized material, or due to a partial covering), or a soft excess. The data only weakly constrain the presence of a high-energy cutoff in the underlying power law; they are compatible with an exponential cutoff at any energy E(sub c) approximately greater than 100 keV. The relative steepness of the OSSE data, with the power-law energy index of 1.6 +/- 0.2, can be accounted for entirely by the contribution of the high-energy tail of the reflection component when E(sub c) approaches infinity. (We find that the definite cutoff at an energy E(sub c)approximately 130 keV suggested in the recently published analysis of the OSSE data for this subject is due to a data reduction error.) Including nonsimultaneous Ginga observations with 2 keV fluxes matching well that of ROSAT gives us likely broad-band X-ray/gamma-ray spectra of the object from approximately 0.1 keV up to several hundred keV. We also report the ROSAT spectrum of the companion object to the Seyfert galaxy, the elliptical galaxy IC 4329.

Madejski, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

An instrument to measure the spectrum of cosmic ray iron and other nuclei to above 100 GeV/nucleon

A balloon-borne instrument system for the study of cosmic ray composition in the energy region beyond 100 GeV/nucleon is described. The large area detector incorporates an ionization spectrometer or calorimeter to determine the energy of the incident particles which is calibrated in flight by a gas Cerenkov counter filled with freon 12 at 20 psi. Calibration of calorimeter response indicates that the effects of ionization energy loss and nucleon fragmentation are correctly accounted for in a Monte Carlo simulation. A charge measuring module consisting of five scintillators and a lucite Cerenkov counter is used to determine the charge and position of the incoming particles. A spatial resolution of 5 to 10 cm has been obtained by using the ratios of pulse heights in different photomultiplier tubes aimed at the same scintillators within the module. The detector represents the heaviest cosmic ray experiment that can be flown over 30 km using the dynamic launching technique commonly employed.

Arens, J. F.↗
DOE OSTI2015

STRUCTURAL GLITCHES NEAR THE CORES OF RED GIANTS REVEALED BY OSCILLATIONS IN G-MODE PERIOD SPACINGS FROM STELLAR MODELS

With recent advances in asteroseismology it is now possible to peer into the cores of red giants, potentially providing a way to study processes such as nuclear burning and mixing through their imprint as sharp structural variations—glitches—in the stellar cores. Here we show how such core glitches can affect the oscillations we observe in red giants. We derive an analytical expression describing the expected frequency pattern in the presence of a glitch. This formulation also accounts for the coupling between acoustic and gravity waves. From an extensive set of canonical stellar models we find glitch-induced variation in the period spacing and inertia of non-radial modes during several phases of red giant evolution. Significant changes are seen in the appearance of mode amplitude and frequency patterns in asteroseismic diagrams such as the power spectrum and the échelle diagram. Interestingly, along the red giant branch glitch-induced variation occurs only at the luminosity bump, potentially providing a direct seismic indicator of stars in that particular evolution stage. Similarly, we find the variation at only certain post-helium-ignition evolution stages, namely, in the early phases of helium core burning and at the beginning of helium shell burning, signifying the asymptotic giant branch bump. Based on our results, we note that assuming stars to be glitch-free, while they are not, can result in an incorrect estimate of the period spacing. We further note that including diffusion and mixing beyond classical Schwarzschild could affect the characteristics of the glitches, potentially providing a way to study these physical processes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

REVISED AND EXTENDED ANALYSIS OF FIVE TIMES IONIZED XENON, Xe VI

A capillary discharge tube was used to record the Xe spectrum in the 400-5500 Å region. A set of 243 lines of the Xe VI spectrum was observed, and 146 of them were classified for the first time. For all known lines, we calculated the weighted oscillator strengths (gf) and weighted transition probabilities (gA) using the configuration interaction in a relativistic Hartree-Fock approach. The energy matrix was calculated using energy parameters adjusted to fit the experimental energy levels. Core polarization effects were taken into account in our calculations. Experimental energy values and calculated lifetimes are also presented for a set of 88 levels. From these levels, 32 were classified for the first time and 33 had their values revised. Our analysis of the 5s5p5d and 5s5p6s configurations was extended in order to clarify discrepancies among previous works.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Reheating predictions in gravity theories with derivative coupling

We investigate the inflationary predictions of a simple Horndeski theory where the inflaton scalar field has a non-minimal derivative coupling (NMDC) to the Einstein tensor. The NMDC is very motivated for the construction of successful models for inflation, nevertheless its inflationary predictions are not observationally distinct. We show that it is possible to probe the effects of the NMDC on the CMB observables by taking into account both the dynamics of the inflationary slow-roll phase and the subsequent reheating. We perform a comparative study between representative inflationary models with canonical fields minimally coupled to gravity and models with NMDC. We find that the inflation models with dominant NMDC generically predict a higher reheating temperature and a different range for the tilt of the scalar perturbation spectrum n {sub s} and scalar-to-tensor ratio r , potentially testable by current and future CMB experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A STATE-DEPENDENT INFLUENCE OF TYPE I BURSTS ON THE ACCRETION IN 4U 1608-52?

We investigated the possible feedback of type I bursts on the accretion process during the spectral evolution of the atoll source 4U 1608-52. By fitting the burst spectrum with a blackbody and an adjustable, persistent spectral component, we found that the latter is significantly state-dependent. In the banana state, the persistent flux increases along the burst evolution, while in the island state this trend holds only when the bursts are less luminous and start to reverse at higher burst luminosities. We speculate that, by taking into account both the Poynting-Robertson drag and radiation pressure, these phenomena may arise from the interactions between the radiation field of the type I burst and the inner region of the accretion disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Strong quantum squeezing near the pull-in instability of a nonlinear beam

Microscopic silicon-based suspended mechanical oscillators, constituting an extremely sensitive force probe, transducer, and actuator, are being increasingly employed in many developing microscopies, spectroscopies, and emerging optomechanical and chem-bio sensors. Here, we predict a significant squeezing in the quantum state of motion of an oscillator constrained as a beam and subject to an electrically induced nonlinearity. When we take into account the quantum noise, the underlying nonlinear dynamics is investigated in both the transient and stationary regimes of the driving force leading to the finding that strongly squeezed states are accessible in the vicinity of the pull-in instability of the oscillator. We discuss a possible application of this strong quantum squeezing as an optomechanical method for detecting broad-spectrum single or low-count photons, and further suggest other novel sensing actions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1989

Infrared photometry of comet Wilson (1986l) at two epochs

1-20 micron filter photometry of comet Wilson (1986l) was obtained on May 29 - June 2, 1987 (r = 1.36 AU) and January 11 -14, 1988 (r = 3.75 AU) at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. The thermal emission at 1.36 AU has been fit with a model for a size distribution of small absorbing grains; the size and the optical properties of the dust (color, albedo, and thermal emission spectrum) appear typical of short period comets at similar r. No 10 micron silicate feature was evident. The dust-production rate on June 1 was about 5 x 10 to the 5th g/s. The geometric albedo of comet Wilson at r = 3.75 AU appears to be higher than that of comets measured at smaller r, after phase effects have been accounted for. Such albedos seem typical of comets at larger heliocentric distances.

Hanner, Martha S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effect of static deformation and external forces on the oscillations of levitated droplets

The oscillations of an aspherical droplet subjected to different external forces are considered. For an arbitrary shape deformation, it is shown that the frequency spectrum splits into (2l - 1) peaks for a mode l oscillation, and the splitting of the frequency spectrum is calculated for mode 2, 3, and 4 oscillations. The deformation is then treated as a consequence of a general external force, and the frequency split is obtained in terms of the external force parameters. Droplets levitated by acoustic, electromagnetic, and combined acoustic-electromagnetic forces are considered in particular, and it is shown that the effects of asphericity adequately explain the splitting of the frequency spectrum observed commonly in experiments. The interpretation of spectra with regard to accurate surface tension measurement using the oscillations of levitated droplets is discussed, and the results applied to some previous experimental results. It is shown that the accuracy of surface tension measurements can improve if the asphericity caused by the levitating force, and the resulting frequency split, are taken into account.

Suryanarayana, P. V. R.↗
DOE OSTI2013

A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE HEAT RELEASE IN THE OUTER CRUST OF THE TRANSIENTLY ACCRETING NEUTRON STAR XTE J1709-267

The heating and cooling of transiently accreting neutron stars provides a powerful probe of the structure and composition of their crust. Observations of superbursts and cooling of accretion-heated neutron stars require more heat release than is accounted for in current models. Obtaining firm constraints on the depth and magnitude of this extra heat is challenging and therefore its origin remains uncertain. We report on Swift and XMM-Newton observations of the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1709-267, which were made in 2012 September-October when it transitioned to quiescence after a {approx_equal}10 week long accretion outburst. The source is detected with XMM-Newton at a 0.5-10 keV luminosity of L{sub X} {approx_equal} 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 34}(D/8.5 kpc){sup 2} erg s{sup -1}. The X-ray spectrum consists of a thermal component that fits to a neutron star atmosphere model and a non-thermal emission tail, each of which contribute {approx_equal}50% to the total flux. The neutron star temperature decreases from {approx_equal}158 to {approx_equal}152 eV during the {approx_equal}8 hr long observation. This can be interpreted as cooling of a crustal layer located at a column density of y {approx_equal} 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12} g cm{sup -2} ({approx_equal}50 m inside the neutron star), which is just below the ignition depth of superbursts. The required heat generation in the layers on top would be {approx_equal}0.06-0.13 MeV per accreted nucleon. The magnitude and depth rule out electron captures and nuclear fusion reactions as the heat source, but it may be accounted for by chemical separation of light and heavy nuclei. Low-level accretion offers an alternative explanation for the observed variability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Extreme ionospheric ion energization and electron heating in Alfvén waves in the storm time inner magnetosphere

Here we report measurements of energized outflowing/bouncing ionospheric ions and heated electrons in the inner magnetosphere during a geomagnetic storm. The ions arrive in the equatorial plane with pitch angles that increase with energy over a range from tens of eV to>50 keV while the electrons are field aligned up to ~1 keV. These particle distributions are observed during intervals of broadband low-frequency electromagnetic field fluctuations consistent with a Doppler-shifted spectrum of kinetic Alfvén waves and kinetic field line resonances. The fluctuations extend from L≈3 out to the apogee of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft at L ≈ 6.5. They thereby span most of the L shell range occupied by the ring current. Lastly, these measurements suggest a model for ionospheric ion outflow and energization driven by dispersive Alfvén waves that may account for the large storm time contribution of ionospheric ions to magnetospheric energy density.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Supersymmetric B – L inflation near the conformal coupling

We investigate a novel scenario of cosmological inflation in a gauged B-L extended minimal supersymmetric Standard Model with R-symmetry. We use a noncanonical Kähler potential and a superpotential, both preserving the R-symmetry to construct a model of slow-roll inflation. The model is controlled by two real parameters: the nonminimal coupling ξ that originates from the Kähler potential, and the breaking scale v of the U (1)B-L symmetry. We compute the spectrum of the cosmological microwave background radiation and show that the prediction of the model fits well the recent Planck satellite observation for a wide range of the parameter space. We also find that the typical reheating temperature of the model is low enough to avoid the gravitino problem but nevertheless allows sufficient production of the baryon asymmetry if we take into account the effect of resonance enhancement. The model is free from cosmic strings that impose stringent constraints on generic U (1)B-L based scenarios, as in our scenario the U (1)B-L symmetry is broken from the onset.

Arai, Masato↗
DOE OSTI2014

Particle acceleration at quasi-perpendicular shock waves: Theory and observations at 1 AU

The injection of particles into the diffusive shock acceleration mechanism at highly perpendicular (where θ {sub Bn} > 70°) interplanetary shocks is investigated. This extends the previous study of Neergaard Parker and Zank which focused on the injection problem at quasi-parallel interplanetary shocks. We use observations at 1 AU to construct upstream Maxwellian and κ-distributions that are then diffusively accelerated by the shock, thus yielding the downstream accelerated particle distribution. We compare the theoretical accelerated particle distribution to observations at 1 AU using Advanced Composition Explorer data. We classify our results for quasi-perpendicular shocks into three subcategories: those with ratios of the theoretical spectral index to observed power law of >1, ∼ 1, and <1, and compare the magnetic power spectral density plots of these categories. We find that in general the assumed upstream particle distribution that best fits the energetic particle observations is best represented by a κ-distribution, with κ = 4. The magnetic field fluctuations were representative of quasi-perpendicular shocks and showed no particular bias toward our spectral ratio subcategories. The subcategory with spectral ratio <0.9 yielded the largest injection energies for all groups. In all but two of the cases in this study, there were enough particles in the solar wind thermal core to account for the accelerated distribution, thereby giving a lower limit to the required injection energy needed to diffusively accelerate particles at a quasi-perpendicular interplanetary shock. In the remaining two cases, an additional population of particles was required to match the appropriate amplitude of the spectral index. For these cases, we used a low energy (1-50 keV) v {sup –5} spectrum advocated by Fisk and Gloeckler.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗