Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “H- source”

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 1,225 records · Page 68

Revisiting the Microlensing Event OGLE 2012-BLG-0026: A Solar Mass Star with Two Cold Giant Planets

Two cold gas giant planets orbiting a G-type main-sequence star in the galactic disk were previously discovered in the high-magnification microlensing event OGLE-2012-BLG-0026. Here, we present revised host star flux measurements and a refined model for the two-planet system using additional light curve data. We performed high angular resolution adaptive optics imaging with the Keck and Subaru telescopes at two epochs while the source star was still amplified. We detected the lens flux, H = 16.39 +/- 0.08. The lens, a disk star, is brighter than predicted from the modeling in the original study. We revisited the light curve modeling using additional photometric data from the B and C telescope in New Zealand and CTIO 1.3 m H-band light curve. We then include the Keck and Subaru adaptive optic observation constraints. The system is composed of an approximately 4-9 Gyr lens star of M(sub lens) = 1.06 +/- 0.05 solar mass at a distance of D(sub lens) = 4.0 +/- 0.3 kpc, orbited by two giant planets of 0.145 +/- 0.008 M(sub Jup) and 0.86 +/- 0.06 M(sub Jup), with projected separations of 4.0 +/- 0.5 au and 4.8 +/- 0.7 au, respectively. Because the lens is brighter than the source star by 16 +/- 8% in H, with no other blend within one arcsec, it will be possible to estimate its metallicity using subsequent IR spectroscopy with 8-10 m class telescopes. By adding a constraint on the metallicity it will be possible to refine the age of the system.

high-magnification microlensing event OGLE-2012-BL↗

A new aerial approach for quantifying and attributing methane emissions: implementation and validation

Methane (CH 4 ) is a powerful greenhouse gas that is produced by a diverse set of natural and anthropogenic emission sources. Biogenic methane sources generally involve anaerobic decay processes such as those occurring in wetlands, melting permafrost, or the digestion of organic matter in the guts of ruminant animals. Thermogenic CH 4 sources originate from the breakdown of organic material at high temperatures and pressure within the Earth's crust, a process which also produces more complex trace hydrocarbons such as ethane (C 2 H 6 ). Here, we present the development and deployment of an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) that employs a fast (1 Hz) and sensitive (1–0.5 ppb s -1 ) CH 4 and C 2 H 6 sensor and ultrasonic anemometer. The UAS platform is a vertical-takeoff, hexarotor drone (DJI Matrice 600 Pro, M600P) capable of vertical profiling to 120 m altitude and plume sampling across scales up to 1 km. Simultaneous measurements of CH 4 and C 2 H 6 concentrations, vector winds, and positional data allow for source classification (biogenic versus thermogenic), differentiation, and emission rates without the need for modeling or a priori assumptions about winds, vertical mixing, or other environmental conditions. The system has been used for direct quantification of methane point sources, such as orphan wells, and distributed emitters, such as landfills and wastewater treatment facilities. With detectable source rates as low as 0.04 and up to ~1500 kg h -1 , this UAS offers a direct and repeatable method of horizontal and vertical profiling of emission plumes at scales that are complementary to regional aerial surveys and localized ground-based monitoring.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

LOW-IONIZATION OUTFLOWS IN HIGH EDDINGTON RATIO QUASARS

The broad Mg II {lambda}2800 doublet has been frequently studied in connection with its potentially important role as a virial estimator of black hole mass in high-redshift quasars. An important task, therefore, is the identification of any line components that are likely related to broadening by non-virial motions. High signal-to-noise median composite spectra (binned in the {sup f}our-dimensional eigenvector 1'' context of Sulentic et al.) were constructed for the brightest 680 Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 quasars in the 0.4 {<=} z {<=} 0.75 range where both Mg II {lambda}2800 and H{beta} are recorded in the same spectra. Composite spectra representing 90% of the quasars confirm previous findings that FWHM(Mg II {lambda}2800) is about 20% narrower than FWHM(H{beta}). The situation is clearly different for the most extreme (Population A) sources, which are the highest Eddington radiators in the sample. In the median spectra of these sources, FWHM Mg II {lambda}2800 is equal to or greater than FWHM(H{beta}) and shows a significant blueshift relative to H{beta}. We interpret the Mg II {lambda}2800 blueshift as the signature of a radiation-driven wind or outflow in the highest accreting quasars. In this interpretation, the Mg II {lambda}2800 line width-affected by blueshifted emission-is unsuitable for virial mass estimation in Almost-Equal-To 10% of quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-infrared and CO observations of NGC 6357 and regions surrounding NGC 6357 and NGC 6334

Two 1.7 square degree sections of the galactic plane at 70 microns have been surveyed with one-arcminute resolution. The scanned areas included the giant southern H II region complexes NGC 6357 and NGC 6334. Nineteen far-infrared sources were observed. The sources range in luminosity from 16,000 to 550,000 solar masses. Far-infared continuum and CO line observations of NGC 6357 are presented. Four far-infrared sources were found in this complex and for one of these sources the exciting stars are identified. Far-infrared and CO observations of sources in the field surrounding NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 are presented. The far-infrared sources coincide frequently with CO line temperature peaks. The CO clouds which surround the far-infrared sources have similar CO-13 column densities. Two of the far-infrared sources in the field have associated OH and H2O maser emission and compact H II regions.

Mcbreen, B.↗

Comprehensive review of photophysical parameters (ε, Φ f , τ s ) of tetraphenylporphyrin (H 2 TPP) and zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) – Critical benchmark molecules in photochemistry and photosynthesis

Tetraphenylporphyrin (H 2 TPP) and zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) are widely used benchmark molecules in diverse photochemical studies given facile synthetic access, rich visible-region spectra, and broad structural analogy to chlorophylls. Yet the literature values for each key photophysical parameter – the molar absorption coefficient (ε), fluorescence quantum yield (Φ f ), and also singlet excited-state lifetime (τ S ) – vary over an astonishing range. Here, a comprehensive literature review (~1940–September 2020) encompassing 871 publications is reported for these essential parameters. Each parameter is determined by measurement with distinct instrumentation and suffers idiosyncratic sources of error. The best values for H 2 TPP are ε = 460,000 cm -1 ·M -1 , Φ f = 0.090, and τ S = 12.8 ns in Ar- purged toluene (Φf = 0.070, τS = 9.9 ns in toluene in air); the best values for ZnTPP are ε = 560,000 cm -1 ·M -1 , Φf = 0.030, and τ S = 2.1 ns in Ar-purged toluene (Φ f = 0.029, τ S = 2.0 ns in toluene in air). The choice of values for such parameters has far-reaching consequences in photochemistry ranging from fluorescence (or Förster) resonance energy transfer (FRET) processes to assessments of molecular brightness.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Isolating p- and n-Doped Fingers With Intrinsic Poly-Si in Passivated Interdigitated Back Contact Silicon Solar Cells

Polycrystalline silicon on silicon oxide (poly-Si/SiO x ) passivating contacts enable ultra high efficiency interdigitated back contact silicon solar cells. To prevent shunt between n- and p-type doped fingers, an insulating region is required between them. We evaluate the use of intrinsic poly Si for this isolation region. Interdigitated fingers were formed by plasma deposition of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon through mechanically aligned shadow masks, on top of a full-area intrinsic amorphous silicon layer. High temperature annealing then crystallized the a-Si:H to poly Si and drove in the dopants. Two mechanisms were identified which cause contamination of the intrinsic poly Si gap during processing. During deposition of doped fingers, we show using secondary ion mass spectrometry and conductivity measurements that the intrinsic gap becomes contaminated by doped a-Si:H tails several nanometers thick to concentrations of ~10 20 cm -3 . Another source of contamination occurs during high-temperature annealing, where dopants desorb from doped regions and readsorb onto intrinsic a Si:H. Both pathways reduce the resistivity of the intrinsic gap from ~10 5 Ω·cm to ~10 -1 Ω·cm. We show that plasma etching of the a-Si:H surface before crystallizing with a capping layer can eliminate the contamination of the intrinsic poly-Si, maintaining a resistivity of ~10 5 Ω·cm. Lastly, this demonstrates masked plasma deposition as a dopant patterning method for Si solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Nonintrusive Emittance Measurement of 1GeV H- Beam with a Laser

A laser wire based transverse phase space measurement system has been developed at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The system allows a nonintrusive measurement of 1GeV hydrogen ion (H-) beam at the high energy beam transport (HEBT). This paper describes the design, installation, and measurement performance of the system. Major technical challenges in the implementation and commissioning of the nonintrusive phase space diagnostics at high brightness particle accelerator facilities are discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Insights into the transcriptional regulation of poorly characterized alcohol acetyltransferase-encoding genes (HgAATs) shed light into the production of acetate esters in the wine yeast Hanseniaspora guilliermondii

Abstract Hanseniaspora guilliermondii is a well-recognized producer of acetate esters associated with fruity and floral aromas. The molecular mechanisms underneath this production or the environmental factors modulating it remain unknown. Herein, we found that, unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae, H. guilliermondii over-produces acetate esters and higher alcohols at low carbon-to-assimilable nitrogen (C:N) ratios, with the highest titers being obtained in the amino acid-enriched medium YPD. The evidences gathered support a model in which the strict preference of H. guilliermondii for amino acids as nitrogen sources results in a channeling of keto-acids obtained after transamination to higher alcohols and acetate esters. This higher production was accompanied by higher expression of the four HgAATs, genes, recently proposed to encode alcohol acetyl transferases. In silico analyses of these HgAat’s reveal that they harbor conserved AATs motifs, albeit radical substitutions were identified that might result in different kinetic properties. Close homologues of HgAat2, HgAat3, and HgAat4 were only found in members of Hanseniaspora genus and phylogenetic reconstruction shows that these constitute a distinct family of Aat’s. These results advance the exploration of H. guilliermondii as a bio-flavoring agent providing important insights to guide future strategies for strain engineering and media manipulation that can enhance production of aromatic volatiles.

Seixas, Isabel↗

Microwave-excited microplasma thruster with helium and hydrogen propellants

Microplasma thruster of electrothermal type has been investigated with feed or propellant gases of He and H{sub 2}. The thruster consisted of an azimuthally symmetric microwave-excited microplasma source 1.5 mm in diameter and 10 mm long with a rod antenna on axis, and a converging-diverging micronozzle 1 mm long with a throat 0.2 mm in diameter. Surface wave-excited plasmas were established by 4.0-GHz microwaves at powers of {<=} 6 W, with the source pressure in the range 0.5-12 kPa at flow rates of 2-70 sccm. The microplasma generation, micronozzle flow, and thrust performance with He were numerically analyzed by using a two-dimensional fluid model, coupled with an electromagnetic model for microwaves interacting with plasmas in the source region. In experiments, the plasma electron density and gas temperature in the microplasma source were measured at around the top of the microwave antenna, or just upstream of the micronozzle inlet, by optical emission spectroscopy with a small amount of additive gases of H{sub 2} and N{sub 2}. In the case of He propellant, the Stark broadening of H Balmer-{beta} line and the vibronic spectrum of N{sub 2} 2nd positive (0, 2) band indicated that the electron density was in the range (2-5)x10{sup 19}m{sup -3} and the gas or rotational temperature was in the range 600-700 K. The thrust performance was also measured by using a target-type microthrust stand, giving a thrust in the range 0.04-0.51 mN, a specific impulse in the range 150-270 s, and a thrust efficiency in the range 2%-12%. These experimental results were consistent with those of numerical analysis, depending on microwave power and gas flow rate. Similar plasma characteristics and thrust performance were obtained with H{sub 2} propellant, where the specific impulse of {<=} 450 s was more than 1.5 times higher than that with He, owing to a difference in mass between He and H{sub 2}. A comparison with previous studies with Ar propellant [T. Takahashi et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 083505 (2009)] indicated that in the presence as well as absence of plasma discharge, the specific impulse was enhanced by more than 3-5 times with light-mass propellants He and H{sub 2} as has been known for large-scale propulsion systems. Thus, it follows that in the microplasma thruster of electrothermal type, the high diffusivity and thermal conductivity of He and H{sub 2} in the microplasma source of high surface-to-volume ratios do not lead to a deterioration of the thrust performance, primarily owing to a more significant thermal energy gain due to elastic collisions between electrons and heavy particles in He and H{sub 2}.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Volatiles and Redox Along the East African Rift

Abstract The upper mantle under the Afar Depression in the East African Rift displays some of the slowest seismic wave speeds observed globally. Despite the extreme nature of the geophysical anomaly, lavas that erupted along the East African Rift record modest thermal anomalies. We present measurements of major elements, H 2 O, S, and CO 2 , and Fe 3+ /ΣFe and S 6+ /ΣS in submarine glasses from the Gulf of Aden seafloor spreading center and olivine‐, plagioclase‐, and pyroxene‐hosted melt inclusions from Erta Ale volcano in the Afar Depression. We combine these measurements with literature data to place constraints on the temperature, H 2 O, andfO 2 of the mantle sources of these lavas as well as the initial and final pressures of melting. The Afar mantle plume is C/FOZO/PHEM in isotopic composition, and we suggest that this mantle component is damp, with 852 ± 167 ppm H 2 O, not elevated infO 2 compared to the depleted MORB mantle, and has temperatures of ∼1401–1458°C. This is similar infO 2 and H 2 O to the estimates of C/FOZO/PHEM in other locations. Using the moderate H 2 O contents of the mantle together with the moderate thermal anomaly, we find that melting begins at around 93 km depth and ceases at around 63 km depth under the Afar Depression and at around 37 km depth under the Gulf of Aden, and that ∼1%–29% partial melts of the mantle can be generated under these conditions. We speculate that the presence of melt, and not elevated temperatures or high H 2 O contents, are the cause for the prominent geophysical anomaly observed in this region.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

SINGLE-STAR H II REGIONS AS A PROBE OF MASSIVE STAR SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS

The shape of OB-star ionizing spectral energy distributions (SEDs) is a critical component in many diagnostics of galaxy and interstellar medium properties. To quantitatively examine the shape of the OB-star SED, we compare long slit observations of single-star, Large Magellanic Cloud H II regions to the predictions from CLOUDY photoionization simulations that use CoStar, TLUSTY, and WM-basic stellar atmosphere models as the ionizing source. For each atmosphere model, we run grids of H II region simulations with the effective temperature (T{sub eff}) of the star as a free parameter. The best SEDs from each atmosphere code are found by matching the predicted emission-line spectra with those observed from the nebulae. By assuming a clumpy gas distribution, all atmosphere codes are able to reproduce the observed emission lines, except at the highest energy transitions {approx}> 40 eV. Taking into account both low and high energy transitions, we find that simulations using WM-basic produce the best agreement with the observed line ratios. The rates of ionizing photons from different atmosphere models vary systematically with the relative hardness of the SEDs. However, in general the rates produced by the model SEDs, for standard log(g) = 4.0 models, are consistent with the rates derived from the H{alpha} luminosities. We find that our effective temperatures inferred from the nebular ionization balance are consistent with those predicted by conventional photospheric-based calibrations from the literature. We suggest that future spectral type to T{sub eff} calibrations can be constructed from nebular data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A 95 GHz CLASS I METHANOL MASER SURVEY TOWARD A SAMPLE OF GLIMPSE POINT SOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH BGPS CLUMPS

We report a survey with the Purple Mountain Observatory 13.7 m radio telescope for class I methanol masers from the 95 GHz (8{sub 0}-7{sub 1} A{sup +}) transition. Two hundred and fourteen target sources were selected by combining information from both the Spitzer GLIMPSE and 1.1 mm Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) catalogs. The observed sources satisfy the GLIMPSE mid-IR criteria of [3.6]-[4.5] > 1.3, [3.6]-[5.8] > 2.5, [3.6]-[8.0] > 2.5 and 8.0 {mu}m mag less than 10; they also have an associated 1.1 mm BGPS source. Class I methanol maser emission was detected in 63 sources, corresponding to a detection rate of 29% for this survey. For the majority of detections (43), this is the first identification of class I methanol masers associated with these sources. We show that the intensity of the class I methanol maser emission is not closely related to mid-IR intensity or the colors of the GLIMPSE point sources; however, it is closely correlated with properties (mass and beam-averaged column density) of the BGPS sources. Comparison of measures of star formation activity for the BGPS sources with and without class I methanol masers indicates that the sources with class I methanol masers usually have higher column density and larger flux density than those without them. Our results predict that the criteria log (S{sub int}) {<=} -38.0 + 1.72log (N{sup beam}{sub H{sub 2}}) and log (N{sub H{sub 2}{sup beam}}){>=}22.1, which utilizes both the integrated flux density (S{sub int}) and beam-averaged column density (N{sub H{sub 2}{sup beam}}) of the BGPS sources, are very efficient for selecting sources likely to have an associated class I methanol maser. Our expectation is that searches using these criteria will detect 90% of the predicted number of class I methanol masers from the full BGPS catalog ({approx}1000), and that they will do so with a high detection efficiency ({approx}75%).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High spatial resolution far-infrared scans of W3(OH)

The strong far-infrared continuum source associated with the OH maser-ultracompact H II region W3(OH) was observed from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory in order to determine its size at 50 and 100 microns. Maximum entropy deconvolutions of the slit scans made in orthogonal directions across the source show it to be approximately circular with FWHM sizes of 8 arcsec and 13 arcsec at 50 and 100 microns, respectively. For these sizes, W3(OH) is optically thick in the far-infrared. A spherically symmetric, dusty molecular cloud model is developed to fit the data.

Campbell, M. F.↗

Prospect for measuring the CP phase in the $h\tau\tau$ coupling at the LHC

The search for a new source of CP violation is one of the most important endeavors in particle physics. A particularly interesting way to perform this search is to probe the CP phase in the $h\tau\tau$ coupling, as the phase is currently completely unconstrained by all existing data. Recently, a novel variable $\Theta$ was proposed for measuring the CP phase in the $h\tau\tau$ coupling through the $\tau^\pm \to \pi^\pm \pi^0 \nu$ decay mode. We examine two crucial questions that the real LHC detectors must face, namely, the issue of neutrino reconstruction and the effects of finite detector resolution. For the former, we find strong evidence that the collinear approximation is the best for the $\Theta$ variable. For the latter, we find that the angular resolution is actually not an issue even though the reconstruction of $\Theta$ requires resolving the highly collimated $\pi^\pm$'s and $\pi^0$'s from the $\tau$ decays. Instead, we find that it is the missing transverse energy resolution that significantly limits the LHC reach for measuring the CP phase via $\Theta$.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

H-cluster assembly intermediates built on HydF by the radical SAM enzymes HydE and HydG

[FeFe]-hydrogenase catalyzes the reversible reduction of protons to H 2 at a complex metallocofactor site, the H-cluster. Biosynthesis of this active-site H-cluster requires three maturation enzymes: the radical S-adenosylmethionine enzymes HydE and HydG synthesize the nonprotein ligands, while the GTPase HydF provides a scaffold for assembly of the 2Fe subcluster of the H-cluster ([2Fe] H ) prior to its transfer to hydrogenase. To delineate the assembly and delivery steps for the 2Fe precursor cluster coordinated to HydF ([2Fe] F ), we have heterologously expressed HydF in the presence of HydE alone (HydFE) or HydG alone (HydFG), and characterized the resulting purified HydF E and HydF G using UV-visible, EPR, and FTIR spectroscopies and biochemical assays. The iron-sulfur clusters on HydF are modified by co-expression with Hyd E or Hyd G , as evidenced by the changes in the visible, EPR, and FTIR spectral features. Further, biochemical assays show that HydF E is capable of activating HydA ΔEFG to a limited extent (~1% of WT) even though the normal source of CO and CN- ligands of [2Fe]H (HydG) was absent. Activation assays performed with HydFG, in contrast, exhibit no ability to mature HydA ΔEFG . It appears that in the case of HydF E , trace diatomics from the cellular environment are incorporated into a [2Fe] F- like precursor on HydF in the absence of HydG. We conclude that the product of HydE, presumably the dithiomethylamine ligand of [2Fe] H , is absolutely essential to the activation process, while the diatomic products of HydG can be provided from alternate sources.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

STAR FORMATION EFFICIENCY IN THE COOL CORES OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

We have assembled a sample of high spatial resolution far-UV (Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel) and H{alpha} (Maryland-Magellan Tunable Filter) imaging for 15 cool core galaxy clusters. These data provide a detailed view of the thin, extended filaments in the cores of these clusters. Based on the ratio of the far-UV to H{alpha} luminosity, the UV spectral energy distribution, and the far-UV and H{alpha} morphology, we conclude that the warm, ionized gas in the cluster cores is photoionized by massive, young stars in all but a few (A1991, A2052, A2580) systems. We show that the extended filaments, when considered separately, appear to be star forming in the majority of cases, while the nuclei tend to have slightly lower far-UV luminosity for a given H{alpha} luminosity, suggesting a harder ionization source or higher extinction. We observe a slight offset in the UV/H{alpha} ratio from the expected value for continuous star formation which can be modeled by assuming intrinsic extinction by modest amounts of dust (E(B - V) {approx} 0.2) or a top-heavy initial mass function in the extended filaments. The measured star formation rates vary from {approx}0.05 M{sub sun} yr{sup -1} in the nuclei of non-cooling systems, consistent with passive, red ellipticals, to {approx}5 M{sub sun} yr{sup -1} in systems with complex, extended, optical filaments. Comparing the estimates of the star formation rate based on UV, H{alpha}, and infrared luminosities to the spectroscopically determined X-ray cooling rate suggests a star formation efficiency of 14{sup +18}{sub -8}%. This value represents the time-averaged fraction, by mass, of gas cooling out of the intracluster medium, which turns into stars and agrees well with the global fraction of baryons in stars required by simulations to reproduce the stellar mass function for galaxies. This result provides a new constraint on the efficiency of star formation in accreting systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗