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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

The photometric variability of the chromospherically active binary star HD 80715

Differential UBVRI photometry of the double-lined BY Dra system HD 80715 (K3 V + K3 V) obtained in December 1987 is presented. The star is found to be a variable with a full amplitude of 0.06 mag in V and a period similar or equal to the orbital period of 3.804 days. The mechanism of the variability is interpreted as rotational modulation due to dark starspots. In an attempt to detect chromospheric activity, high-resolution CCD spectra were obtained at Ca II H and K and at Fe I 6430 A and Ca I 6439 A, the photospheric lines normally used for Doppler imaging. HD 80715 shows double H and K emission features at a constant flux level for each component.

Strassmeier, Klaus G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

500-3200 A observations of the interacting binary stars V356 Sgr and Beta Lyr

Results on VG356 Sgr and Beta Lyr are presented from the Voyager UV spectrometers and the IUE. The observations of V356 Sgr cover two eclipses in which the total strength of the UV emission lines were invariant. At wavelengths shorter than 1600 A, an uneclipsed UV continuum was found. A model for the origin of the circumstellar matter in V356 Sgr is given. The UV observations of Beta Lyr show a strong far-UV continuum down to 912 A. The spectral shape fo the far-UV continuum closely resembles that of a UX Uma-type cataclysmic variable. Analysis of the Beta Lyr data indicates that the central object is small, with a radius on the order of 1 solar radius or less.

Polidan, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Diffraction limited infrared images of the binary star T Tauri

High-resolution images of T Tau and its infrared companion have been reconstructed from near- and midinfrared data collected at the Hale 5-m telescope. The near-infrared (1-5 microns) results were obtained by 2D speckle imaging and the midinfrared (10-20 microns) results were derived from shift-and-add procedures applied to slit scans. The spectral energy distributions of the separated components were constructed from 1- to 20-micron data collected in less than half a year (September 1990 to January 1991). The spectral energy distribution of the optical component (T Tau N) is interpreted as containing two distinct constituents, a photosphere and a surrounding disk of circumstellar material. Measurements at a number of infrared wavelengths over the period December 1985 to January 1991 show a 2-mag color-independent change in the brightness of the infrared component (T Tau S). It is proposed that this may have been caused by an increase in accretion onto T Tau S and model the spectral energy distribution of T Tau S as being dominated by an accretion disk.

Ghez, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Accretion disks in interacting binary stars

Accretion disks have most often been analyzed in cataclysmic variables (CVs); the structure and evolution of accretion disks is defined by angular momentum transfer processes. Detailed atmospheric models indicate that angular momentum transport is efficient, that CV outbursts are regulated by mass transfer variations in the disk, and that they may be initiated either from the inner and outer regions of the disk. Tidal effects on the companion are noted to be capable of inducing a significant departure from Keplerian flow near the outer region of the disk.

Lin, D. N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Advanced Models of Accretion Disk Atmospheres and Spectra for Close Binary Stars

This work led to the development of code for fitting models to data, and to an understanding of the nature of the models which enabled a more rapid search of 'parameter space' for optimal fits to spectral data sets. The code was used to find optimal fits to IUE spectra of quiescent dwarf novae that have been reported to show evidence for the white dwarf. The models consisted of a white dwarf component and an accretion disk with boundary conditions appropriate for the choice of the white dwarf. The preliminary work has strengthened the initial impression that accretion disk spectra can mimic the appearance of white dwarf spectra in the short-wavelength ultraviolet, so that additional constraints (such as distance) are needed to distinguish to two cases.

Wade, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

An Investigation of the Largest Flares in Active Cool Star Binaries with ALEXIS

After a long delay due to the initial problems with the ALEXIS attitude control, the heroic efforts on the part of the ALEXIS satellite team enabled us to carry out this survey. However, the combination of the higher than expected and variable background in the ALEXIS detectors, and the lower throughput of the ALEXIS telescopes resulted in no convincing detections of large flares from the active binary systems. In addition, vignetting-corrected effective exposure times from the ALEXIS aspect solution were not available prior to the end of this contract; therefore, we were unable to convert upper limits measured in ALEXIS counts to the equivalent.

Stern, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Tomography of Accretion Flows in Binary Stars and Active Galactic Nuclei

Under this project, a variety of accretion problems have been studied, with two in particular. In the first, astrophysical jets are observed in many objects ranging from young stars to Active Galactic Nuclei. A major unsolved problem is how do these jets originate from accretion disks. In a series of works, I have examined the launching of outflows from magnetized disks, the extraction of energy from black holes, and the formation of jets in systems like Cataclysmic Variables and supermassive accreting black holes. The results of these works were published in a number of papers. In the second, I examined the potential role of vortices in accretion disks around Young Stellar Objects, for the formation of planets and for angular momentum transport. I showed that vortices are surprisingly stable, and that they are able to concentrate dust in their cores. I also examined the development of spiral shocks in disks. Finally, I studied the evolution of magnetically layered protoplanetary disks, and showed that they exhibit outbursts which could 'pump' the jets that are observed in Herbig-Haro objects. The results of these works were published in a number of papers as well. Additional information on the published papers is contained in the original abstract.

Livio, Mario↗
NASA NTRS2002

Effects of Resonance in Quasi-Periodic Oscillators of Neutron Star Binaries

Using a large quantity of Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer data presented in the literature, I offer a detailed investigation into the accuracy of the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequency determination. The QPO phenomenon seen in X-ray binaries is possibly a result of the resonance of the intrinsic (eigen) oscillations and harmonic driving forces of the system. I show that the resonances, in the presence of the damping of oscillations, occur at frequencies that are systematically and randomly shifted with respect to the eigenfrequencies of the system. The shift value strongly depends on the damping rate that is measured by the half-width of the QPO feature. Taking into account this effect, I analyze the QPO data for four Z sources, Scorpius X-I, GX 340+0, GX 5-1, and GX 17+2, and two atoll sources, 4U 1728-34 and 4U 0614+09. The transition-layer model (TLM) predicts the existence of the invariant quantity delta, an inclination angle of the magnetospheric axis with respect to the normal to the disk. I calculate delta and the error bars of delta using the resonance shift, and I find that the inferred delta-values are consistent with constants for these four Z sources, in which horizontal-branch oscillation and kilohertz frequencies have been detected and correctly identified. It is shown that the inferred delta are in the range between 5.5 deg and 6.5 deg. I conclude that the TLM seems to be compatible with the data.

Titarchuk, Lev↗
DOE OSTI2025

Long-lived neutron-star remnants from asymmetric binary neutron star mergers: element formation, kilonova signals and gravitational waves

We present 3D general-relativistic neutrino-radiation hydrodynamics simulations of two asymmetric binary neutron star mergers producing long-lived neutron stars remnants and spanning a fraction of their cooling time scale. The mergers are characterized by significant tidal disruption with neutron rich material forming a massive disc around the remnant. The latter develops one-armed dynamics that is imprinted in the emitted kilo-Hertz gravitational waves. Angular momentum transport to the disc is initially driven by spiral-density waves and enhanced by turbulent viscosity and neutrino heating on longer timescales. The mass outflows are composed by neutron-rich dynamical ejecta of mass ∼10 −3 –10 −2 M ⊙ followed by a persistent spiral-wave/neutrino-driven wind of ≳ 10 −2 M ⊙ with material spanning a wide range of electron fractions, ∼0.1–0.55. Dynamical ejecta (winds) have fast velocity tails up to ∼0.8 (∼0.4) c. The outflows are further evolved to days timescale using 2D ray-by-ray radiation-hydrodynamics simulations that include an online nuclear network. We find complete r-process yields and identify the production of 56 Ni and the subsequent decay chain to 56 Co and 56 Fe. Synthetic kilonova light curves predict an extended (near-) infrared peak a few days postmerger originating from r-process in the neutron-rich/high-opacity ejecta and UV/optical peaks at a few hours (ten minutes) postmerger originating from weak r-process (free-neutron decay) in the faster ejecta components. Additionally, the fast tail of tidal origin generates kilonova afterglows potentially detectable in radio and X band on a few to ten years time scale. Quantitative effects originating from the tidal disruption merger dynamics are reflected in the multimessenger emissions.

abundances↗
NASA NTRS1990

Gravitational radiation from the Galaxy

The spectral flux of gravitational radiation incident on earth from the Galactic W UMa binaries, unevolved binaries, cataclysmic binaries, neutron star binaries, black hole-neutron star binaries, and close white dwarf binary (CWDB) systems is calculated. The peak values for the strain amplitude hv produced by the binaries are: log hv = -17.0/sq rt Hz at log v = -4.40 Hz for W UMa's; log hv = -16.5/sq rt Hz at log v = -5.50 Hz for unevolved binaries; log hv = -18.2/sq rt Hz at log v = -5.15 Hz for neutron star binaries; log hv = -17.0/sq rt Hz at log v = -4.7 Hz for black hole-neutron star binaries; log hv = -18.0 /sq rt Hz at log v = -4.10 Hz for cataclysmic binaries, and log hv = -27.0/sq rt Hz at log v = -4.0 Hz for CWDBs. The gravitational flux at ultralow frequencies is emitted mainly by unevolved binaries. The integrated flux incident on earth is about 2.4 x 10 to the -9th ergs/sq cm/s.

Hils, D.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Speckle Observations of TESS Exoplanet Host Stars: Understanding the Binary Exoplanet Host Star Orbital Period Distribution

We present high-resolution speckle interferometric imaging observations of TESS exoplanet host stars using the NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet and Stellar Speckle Imager instrument at the 3.5 m WIYN telescope. Eight TESS objects of interest that were originally discovered by Kepler were previously observed using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. Speckle observations of 186 TESS stars were carried out, and 45 (24%) likely bound companions were detected. This is approximately the number of companions we would expect to observe given the established 46% binarity rate in exoplanet host stars. For the detected binaries, the distribution of stellar mass ratio is consistent with that of the standard Raghavan distribution and may show a decrease in high-q systems as the binary separation increases. The distribution of binary orbital periods, however, is not consistent with the standard Ragahavan model, and our observations support the premise that exoplanet-hosting stars with binary companions have, in general, wider orbital separations than field binaries. We find that exoplanet-hosting binary star systems show a distribution peaking near 100 au, higher than the 40–50 au peak that is observed for field binaries. This fact led to earlier suggestions that planet formation is suppressed in close binaries.

Stellar Speckle Imager↗
NASA NTRS1996

(abstract) OMEGA: A Gravitational Wave MIDEX Mission

Among the low frequency (LF) gravitational wave sources that are of astronomical interest are white dwarf binaries, neutron star binaries, massive black hole binaries, and compact stars spiralling into massive black holes. A mission to detect these sources has been proposed to NASA as a possible member of its low-cost, near-term MIDEX mission series. This mission utilizes six tiny miniprobes in high Earth orbit to produce a sensitive Michelson interferometer with million kilometer arms, yielding a strain sensitivity below 10^{-21} at periods longer than a hundred seconds. At this sensitivity, known binary stars will be seen and plausible unknown massive black hole events will be searched for.

gravitational waves binaries black holes neutron s↗
DOE OSTI2026

Magnetic flux emergence in binary neutron star remnants

Using high-resolution AthenaK simulations of a twisted toroidal flux tube, we study the flux emergence of magnetic structures in the shear layer of a hot massive neutron star typical of a binary neutron star remnant. High-resolution simulations demonstrate that magnetic buoyant instabilities allow for emergence only for extremely large magnetic fields significantly exceeding 10 17 G, and more typical fields around 10 16 G are instead dominated by hydrodynamic effects. Because merger remnants tend to be stable against hydrodynamic convection, our work places strong limitations on the mechanisms by which massive binary neutron star remnants can produce the magnetically-driven outflows needed to power jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2021

All-sky search in early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational-wave signals from unknown neutron stars in binary systems

Rapidly spinning neutron stars are promising sources of continuous gravitational waves. Detecting such a signal would allow probing of the physical properties of matter under extreme conditions. A significant fraction of the known pulsar population belongs to binary systems. Searching for unknown neutron stars in binary systems requires specialized algorithms to address unknown orbital frequency modulations. We present a search for continuous gravitational waves emitted by neutron stars in binary systems in early data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors using the semicoherent, GPU-accelerated, binaryskyhough pipeline. The search analyzes the most sensitive frequency band of the LIGO detectors, 50–300 Hz. Binary orbital parameters are split into four regions, comprising orbital periods of three to 45 days and projected semimajor axes of two to 40 light seconds. No detections are reported. We estimate the sensitivity of the search using simulated continuous wave signals, achieving the most sensitive results to date across the analyzed parameter space.

Gravitation↗