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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 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Compact Muon Production and Collection Scheme for High-Energy Physics Experiments

The relative immunity of muons to synchrotron radiation suggests that they might be used in place of electrons as probes in fundamental high-energy physics experiments. Muons are commonly produced indirectly through pion decay by interaction of a charged particle beam with a target. However, the large angle and energy dispersion of the initial beams as well as the short muon lifetime limits many potential applications. Here, we describe a fast method for manipulating the longitudinal and transverse phase-space of a divergent pion-muon beam to enable efficient capture and downstream transport with minimum losses. We also discuss the design of a handling system for the removal of unwanted secondary particles from the target region and thus reduce activation of the machine. The compact muon source we describe can be used for fundamental physics research in neutrino experiments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Minimum magnetic curvature for resilient divertors using Compact Toroidal Hybrid geometry

The properties of resilient divertors are explored using equilibria derived from Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) geometries. Resilience is defined here as the robustness of the strike point patterns as the plasma geometry and/or plasma profiles are changed. The addition of plasma current in the CTH configurations significantly alters the shape of the last closed flux surface and the rotational transform profile, however, it does not alter the strike point pattern on the target plates, and hence has resilient divertor features. The limits of when a configuration transforms to a resilient configuration is then explored. New CTH-like configurations are generated that vary from a perfectly circular cross section to configurations with increasing amounts of toroidal shaping. It is found that even small amounts of toroidal shaping lead to strike point localization that is similar to the standard CTH configuration. Lastly, these results show that only a small degree of three-dimensional shaping is necessary to produce a resilient divertor, implying that any highly shaped optimized stellarator will possess the resilient divertor property.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Dark matter mini-halo around the compact objects: the formation, evolution and possible contribution to the cosmic ray electrons/positrons

Dark matter particles may be captured by a star and then thermalized in the star's core. At the end of its life a massive star collapses suddenly and a compact object is formed. The dark matter particles redistribute accordingly. In the inelastic dark matter model, an extended dense dark matter mini-halo surrounding the neutron star may be formed. Such mini-halos may be common in the Galaxy. The electron/positron flux resulting in the annihilation of dark matter particles, however, is unable to give rise to observable signal unless a nascent mini-halo is within a distance ∼ a few 0.1 pc from the Earth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Super-spinning compact objects generated by thick accretion disks

If astrophysical black hole candidates are the Kerr black holes predicted by General Relativity, the value of their spin parameter must be subject to the theoretical bound |a{sub *}| ≤ 1. In this work, we consider the possibility that these objects are either non-Kerr black holes in an alternative theory of gravity or exotic compact objects in General Relativity. We study the accretion process when their accretion disk is geometrically thick with a simple version of the Polish doughnut model. The picture of the accretion process may be qualitatively different from the one around a Kerr black hole. The inner edge of the disk may not have the typical cusp on the equatorial plane any more, but there may be two cusps, respectively above and below the equatorial plane. We extend previous work on the evolution of the spin parameter and we estimate the maximum value of a{sub *} for the super-massive black hole candidates in galactic nuclei. Since measurements of the mean radiative efficiency of AGNs require η > 0.15, we infer the ''observational'' bound |a{sub *}|∼<1.3, which seems to be quite independent of the exact nature of these objects. Such a bound is only slightly weaker than |a{sub *}|∼<1.2 found in previous work for thin disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Strong gravitational lensing of gravitational waves from double compact binaries—perspectives for the Einstein Telescope

Gravitational wave (GW) experiments are entering their advanced stage which should soon open a new observational window on the Universe. Looking into this future, the Einstein Telescope (ET) was designed to have a fantastic sensitivity improving significantly over the advanced GW detectors. One of the most important astrophysical GW sources supposed to be detected by the ET in large numbers are double compact objects (DCO) and some of such events should be gravitationally lensed by intervening galaxies. We explore the prospects of observing gravitationally lensed inspiral DCO events in the ET. This analysis is a significant extension of our previous paper [1]. We are using the intrinsic merger rates of the whole class of DCO (NS-NS,BH-NS,BH-BH) located at different redshifts as calculated by [2] by using StarTrack population synthesis evolutionary code. We discuss in details predictions from each evolutionary scenario. Our general conclusion is that ET would register about 50–100 strongly lensed inspiral events per year. Only the scenario in which nascent BHs receive strong kick gives the predictions of a few events per year. Such lensed events would be dominated by the BH-BH merging binary systems. Our results suggest that during a few years of successful operation ET will provide a considerable catalog of strongly lensed events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Strongly lensed gravitational waves from intrinsically faint double compact binaries—prediction for the Einstein Telescope

With a fantastic sensitivity improving significantly over the advanced GW detectors, Einstein Telescope (ET) will be able to observe hundreds of thousand inspiralling double compact objects per year. By virtue of gravitational lensing effect, intrinsically unobservable faint sources can be observed by ET due to the magnification by intervening galaxies. We explore the possibility of observing such faint sources amplified by strong gravitational lensing. Following our previous work, we use the merger rates of DCO (NS-NS,BH-NS,BH-BH systems) as calculated by Dominik et al.(2013). It turns out that tens to hundreds of such (lensed) extra events will be registered by ET. This will strongly broaden the ET's distance reach for signals from such coalescences to the redshift range z = 2 − 8. However, with respect to the full inspiral event catalog this magnification bias is at the level of 0.001 and should not affect much cosmological inferences.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ultra-compact structure in radio quasars as a cosmological probe: a revised study of the interaction between cosmic dark sectors

A new compilation of 012 angular-size/redshift data for compact radio quasars from very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) surveys motivates us to revisit the interaction between dark energy and dark matter with these probes reaching high redshifts z ∼ 3.0. In this paper, we investigate observational constraints on different phenomenological interacting dark energy (IDE) models with the intermediate-luminosity radio quasars acting as individual standard rulers, combined with the newest BAO and CMB observation from Planck results acting as statistical rulers. The results obtained from the MCMC method and other statistical methods including figure of Merit and Information Criteria show that: (1) Compared with the current standard candle data and standard clock data, the intermediate-luminosity radio quasar standard rulers , probing much higher redshifts, could provide comparable constraints on different IDE scenarios. (2) The strong degeneracies between the interaction term and Hubble constant may contribute to alleviate the tension of H {sub 0} between the recent Planck and HST measurements. (3) Concerning the ranking of competing dark energy models, IDE with more free parameters are substantially penalized by the BIC criterion, which agrees very well with the previous results derived from other cosmological probes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

PyCBC Inference: A Python-based Parameter Estimation Toolkit for Compact Binary Coalescence Signals

We introduce new modules in the open-source PyCBC gravitational-wave astronomy toolkit that implement Bayesian inference for compact-object binary mergers. We review the Bayesian inference methods implemented and describe the structure of the modules. Here, we demonstrate that the PyCBC Inference modules produce unbiased estimates of the parameters of a simulated population of binary black hole mergers. We show that the parameters' posterior distributions obtained using our new code agree well with the published estimates for binary black holes in the first Advanced LIGO–Virgo observing run.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exploration of non-resonant divertor features on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid

Abstract Non-resonant divertors (NRDs) separate the confined plasma from the surrounding plasma facing components (PFCs). The resulting striking field line intersection pattern on these PFCs is insensitive to plasma equilibrium effects. However, a complex scrape-off layer (SOL), created by chaotic magnetic topology in the plasma edge, connects the core plasma to the PFCs through varying magnetic flux tubes. The Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) serves as a test-bed to study this by scanning across its inductive current. Simulations observe a significant change of the chaotic edge structure and an effective distance between the confined plasma and the instrumented wall targets. The intersection pattern is observed to be a narrow helical band, which we claim is a resilient strike line pattern. However, signatures of finger-like structures, defined as heteroclinic tangles in chaotic domains, within the plasma edge connect the island chains to this resilient pattern. The dominant connection length field lines intersecting the targets are observed via heat flux modeling with EMC3-EIRENE. At low inductive current levels, the excursion of the field lines resembles a limited plasma wall scenario. At high currents, a private flux region is created in the area where the helical strike line pattern splits into two bands. These bands are divertor legs with distinct SOL parallel particle flow channels. The results demonstrate the NRD strike line pattern resiliency within CTH, but also show the underlying chaotic edge structure determining if the configuration is diverted or limited. This work supports future design efforts for a mechanical structure for the NRD.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Web-based application for the collection, management and release of Alignment and Calibration configurations used in data processing at the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment makes a vast use of alignment and calibration measurements in several data processing workflows: in the High Level Trigger, in the processing of the recorded collisions and in the production of simulated events for data analysis and studies of detector upgrades. A complete alignment and calibration scenario is factored in approximately three-hundred records, which are updated independently and can have a time-dependent content, to reflect the evolution of the detector and data taking conditions. Given the complexity of the CMS condition scenarios and the large number (50) of experts who actively measure and release calibration data, in 2015 a novel web-based service has been developed to structure and streamline their management. The cmsDbBrowser provides an intuitive and easily accessible entry point for the navigation of existing conditions by any CMS member, for the bookkeeping of record updates and for the actual composition of complete calibration scenarios. This paper describes the design, choice of technologies and the first year of usage in production of the cmsDbBrowser.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

GBLD10+: a compact low-power 10 Gb/s VCSEL driver

We report the design and implementation of the GBLD10+, a low-power 10 Gb/s VCSEL driver for High Energy Physics (HEP) applications. With new circuit techniques, the driver consumes only 31 mW and occupies a small area of 400 μm × 1750 μm including the IO PADs and sealrings. These characteristics allow for multiple GBLD10+ ICs to be assembled side by side in a compact module, with each one directly wire bonded to one VCSEL diode. Finally, this makes the GBLD10+ a suitable candidate for the Versatile Link PLUS (VL + ) project, offering flexibility in configuring multiple transmitters and receivers.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

LDQ10: a compact ultra low-power radiation-hard 4 × 10 Gb/s driver array

Here, a High-speed and low-power VCSEL driver is an important component of the Versatile Link for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) experiments. A compact low-power radiation-hard 4 × 10 Gb/s VCSEL driver array (LDQ10) has been developed in 65 nm CMOS technology. Each channel in LDQ10 can provide a modulation current up to 8 mA and bias current up to 12 mA. Edge pre-emphasis is employed to compensate for the bandwidth limitations due to parasitic and the turn-on delay of VCSEL devices. LDQ10 occupies a chip area of 1900 μm × 1700 μm and consumes 130 mW power for typical current settings. The modulation amplitude degrades less than 5% after 300 Mrad total ionizing dose. LDQ10 can be directly wire-bonded to the VCSEL array and it is a suitable candidate for the Versatile Link.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

A compact, low-power epithermal neutron counter for lunar water detection

The detection and characterization of lunar water are critical for enabling sustainable human and robotic exploration of the Moon. Orbital neutron spectrometers, such as instruments on Lunar Prospector and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, have revealed hydrogen-rich regions near the poles but are limited by coarse spatial resolution and low counting efficiency. We present a compact, lightweight, and low-power epithermal neutron detector based on boron-coated silicon imagers, designed to probe subsurface hydrogen at decimeter scales from mobile platforms such as lunar rovers. This instrument leverages the high neutron capture cross-section of 10 B to convert epithermal neutrons into detectable α and 7 Li ions in a fully-depleted silicon imager, providing a unique event topology to identify neutrons while suppressing backgrounds. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that a 3 μm boron layer achieves optimal neutron detection efficiency, further enhanced with polyethylene moderation to improve sensitivity to the 0.4 eV–500 keV epithermal energy range. For a 10 cm 2 active area, the detector achieves sensitivity to H 2 O weight fractions as low as 0.01 wt% in a 15 minute measurement. This scalable, portable, low-mass design is well-suited for integration into upcoming Artemis and commercial lunar rovers, providing a transformative capability for in-situ resource prospecting and ground-truth validation of orbital measurements.

Detector modelling and simulations I (interaction ↗
DOE OSTI2011

ULTRA-COMPACT DWARFS IN THE FOSSIL GROUP NGC 1132

Eleven ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) and 39 extended star cluster candidates are found to be associated with the galaxy NGC 1132. This giant elliptical galaxy is the remnant of a fossil group. UCD and extended star cluster candidates are identified through the analysis of their structural parameters, colors, spatial distribution, and luminosity using deep Hubble Space Telescope observations in two filters: the F475W (Sloan g) and F850LP (Sloan z). The median effective radius of these UCDs is r{sub h} = 13.0 pc. Two types of UCDs are identified in the vicinity of NGC 1132: one type shares the same color and luminosity as the brightest globular clusters and traces the onset of the mass-size relation. The second kind of UCD is represented by the brightest UCD candidate, an M32-type object, with an effective radius of r{sub h} = 77.1 pc, located at {approx}6.6 kpc from the nucleus of NGC 1132. This UCD candidate is likely the remaining nucleus of a minor merger with the host galaxy. With the exception of a particularly blue UCD candidate, UCDs are found to extend the mass-metallicity relation found in globular clusters to higher luminosities. The results of this work support the growing body of evidence showing that UCDs are not circumscribed to galaxy clusters as previously thought. UCDs are likely to be a common occurrence in all environments. The milder tidal field of a fossil group, when compared to a galaxy cluster, allows UCDs and extended star clusters to survive up to the present time at small galactocentric distances.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE MOST DISTANT COMPACT GROUPS

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the members of three previously cataloged compact group (CG) candidates at redshifts z > 0.3. These confirm spectroscopic redshifts compatible with being gravitationally bound structures at redshifts 0.3112, 0.3848, and 0.3643, respectively, and then they are the most distant CGs known with spectroscopic confirmation for all their members. The morphological and spectroscopic properties of all their galaxies indicate early types dominated by an old population of stars, with little star formation or nuclear activity. Most of the physical properties derived for the three groups are quite similar to the average properties of CGs at lower redshifts. In particular, from the velocities and positions of the respective members of each CG, we estimate short dynamic times. These leave open the questions of identifying the mechanism for forming CGs continuously and the nature of the final stages of these structures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

VELOCITY DISPERSIONS AND STELLAR POPULATIONS OF THE MOST COMPACT AND MASSIVE EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES AT REDSHIFT {approx}1

We present Gran-Telescopio-Canarias/OSIRIS optical spectra of four of the most compact and massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) in the Groth Strip Survey at redshift z {approx} 1, with effective radii R{sub e} = 0.5-2.4 kpc and photometric stellar masses M{sub *} = (1.2-4) x 10{sup 11} M{sub sun}. We find that these galaxies have velocity dispersions {sigma} = 156-236 km s{sup -1}. The spectra are well fitted by single stellar population models with approximately 1 Gyr of age and solar metallicity. We find that (1) the dynamical masses of these galaxies are systematically smaller by a factor of {approx}6 than the published stellar masses using BRIJK photometry, and (2) when estimating stellar masses as 0.7x M{sub dyn}, a combination of passive luminosity fading with mass/size growth due to minor mergers can plausibly evolve our objects to match the properties of the local population of ETGs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

QUARK MATTER IN MASSIVE COMPACT STARS

The recent observation of the pulsar PSR J1614-2230 with a mass of 1.97 {+-} 0.04 M{sub sun} gives a strong constraint on the quark and nuclear matter equations of state (EoS). We explore the parameter ranges for a parameterized EoS for quark stars. We find that strange stars, made of absolutely stable strange quark matter, comply with the new constraint only if effects from the strong coupling constant and color-superconductivity are taken into account. Hybrid stars, compact stars with a quark matter core and a hadronic outer layer, can be as massive as 2 M{sub sun}, but only for a significantly limited range of parameters. We demonstrate that the appearance of quark matter in massive stars crucially depends on the stiffness of the nuclear matter EoS. We show that the masses of hybrid stars stay below the ones of hadronic and pure quark stars, due to the softening of the EoS at the quark-hadron phase transition.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A COMPACT DEGENERATE PRIMARY-STAR PROGENITOR OF SN 2011fe

While a white dwarf (WD) is, from a theoretical perspective, the most plausible primary star of a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), many other candidates have not been formally ruled out. Shock energy deposited in the envelope of any exploding primary contributes to the early SN brightness and, since this radiation energy is degraded by expansion after the explosion, the diffusive luminosity depends on the initial primary radius. We present a new non-detection limit of the nearby SN Ia 2011fe, obtained at a time that appears to be just 4 hr after explosion, allowing us to directly constrain the initial primary radius (R{sub p} ). Coupled with the non-detection of a quiescent X-ray counterpart and the inferred synthesized {sup 56}Ni mass, we show that R{sub p} {approx}< 0.02 R{sub Sun} (a factor of five smaller than previously inferred), that the average density of the primary must be {rho}{sub p} > 10{sup 4} g cm{sup -3}, and that the effective temperature must be less than a few Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} K. This rules out hydrogen-burning main-sequence stars and giants. Constructing the helium-burning and carbon-burning main sequences, we find that such objects are also excluded. By process of elimination, we find that only degeneracy-supported compact objects-WDs and neutron stars-are viable as the primary star of SN 2011fe. With few caveats, we also restrict the companion (secondary) star radius to R{sub c} {approx}< 0.1 R{sub Sun }, excluding Roche-lobe overflowing red giant and main-sequence companions to high significance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗