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At least 127 records · Page 7

The structure and evolution of rich star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The present evaluation of surface brightness profiles and color-magnitude diagrams for 18 rich star clusters in the LMC, whose ages range from 10 million to 1 billion years, notes that while the profiles of the older clusters are representable by models with King-like cores, those of many younger clusters resist such modeling in virtue of bumps, sharp 'shoulders', and central dips. If the clusters have undergone violent relaxation, then the small cores of the youngest ones may be indicative of formation from relatively 'cool' initial conditions. The sharp shoulders would then point point toward 'warmer' initial conditions, although they are alternatively explainable as signatures of merging subcondensations.

Elson, Rebecca A. W.↗

The Study of Clusters of Galaxies and Large Scale Structures

The work on the ROSAT Deep Survey has been successfully completed. A number of interesting results have been established within this joint MPE, Cal Tech, JHU, ST Scl, ESO collaboration. First, a very large fraction, 70-80 percent, of the X-ray background has been directly resolved into point sources. We have derived a new log N-log S for X- ray sources and have measured a source density of 970 sources per square degree at a limiting flux level of 10(exp -15)/erg s sq cm (0.5-2.0 keV). Care was taken in these studies to accurately model and measure the effects of sources confusion. This was possible because of our observing strategy which included both deep PSPC and HRI observations. In the last year we initiated work in the design and development of the Next Generation Space Telescope.

Source record↗

The structure of giant elliptical galaxies in poor clusters of galaxies

Detailed photographic surface photometry is presented of the nine first brightest galaxies in poor clusters suspected of being cD galaxies. The surface photometry is put on an absolute scale, using multiaperture photoelectric photometry. Oemler (1976) and de Vaucouleurs (1948) laws are fitted to the profiles to derive structural parameters, and the structural properties of the galaxies are compared with those of the cD galaxies in rich clusters studied by Oemler (1976) and those of normal ellipticals studied by Kormendy (1977). It is found that (1) the profiles of first brightest galaxies are well fitted by an r to the 1/4 power law over a range of more than nine magnitudes and down to the faintest light levels observed and (2) structural parameters characterizing only the central part of first brightest galaxies in poor and rich clusters, and excluding the envelope component in the case of rich clusters, smoothly extend properties exhibited by normal ellipticals. These observations are consistent with the idea that the central part of first brightest galaxies in both poor and rich clusters is made up by the mergers of smaller galaxies.

Thuan, T. X.↗

Compact and diffuse X-ray sources in the core of the Perseus cluster /Abell 426/

Data on the X-ray structure of the Perseus cluster of galaxies in the energy range from 2 to 10 keV are analyzed which were obtained during a 12-day observation with the rotating modulation collimator aboard SAS 3. In particular, the nature of the compact X-ray source coincident with NGC 1275 is examined. The data are shown to confirm the presence of a diffuse region of X-ray emission surrounding the nucleus of NGC 1275; it is found that a model which also includes a point source at the nucleus is consistent with the data if the point contribution is no larger than 20% of the X-ray flux detected within 3 to 5 arcmin of the galaxy. The results suggest that NGC 1275 may have accreted a large amount of gas from the intracluster medium and that the flux from the possible point source is consistent with a synchro/Compton model.

Helmken, H.↗

Hierarchical Velocity Structure in the Core of Abell 2597

We present XMM-Newton RGS and EPIC data of the putative cooling flow cluster Abell 2597. Velocities of the low-ionization emission lines in the spectrum are blue shifted with respect to the high-ionization lines by 1320 (sup +660) (sub -210) kilometers per second, which is consistent with the difference in the two peaks of the galaxy velocity distribution and may be the signature of bulk turbulence, infall, rotation or damped oscillation in the cluster. A hierarchical velocity structure such as this could be the direct result of galaxy mergers in the cluster core, or the injection of power into the cluster gas from a central engine. The uniform X-ray morphology of the cluster, the absence of fine scale temperature structure and the random distribution of the the galaxy positions, independent of velocity, suggests that our line of sight is close to the direction of motion. These results have strong implications for cooling flow models of the cluster Abell 2597. They give impetus to those models which account for the observed temperature structure of some clusters using mergers instead of cooling flows.

Still, Martin↗

Chemisorption and reactions on clusters of nickel atoms

The nucleation and growth of metallic clusters on a substantially amorphous substrate are discussed with emphasis on the geometrical and electronic structure of the clusters. Several clusters of different symmetry containing five to nine nickel atoms were studied. It was found that the energy range of primary d-like states is not significantly different from the width of the d-band states in nickel metal, as long as the interatomic distance is comparable to that in the bulk metal. The approach of one or more molecules to the cluster is examined using at the hydrogenation of acetylene and the dehydrogenation of ethylene as examples.

Waber, J. T.↗

Space Adaptation of Active Mirror Segment Concepts

This report summarizes the results of a three year effort by Blue Line Engineering Co. to advance the state of segmented mirror systems in several separate but related areas. The initial set of tasks were designed to address the issues of system level architecture, digital processing system, cluster level support structures, and advanced mirror fabrication concepts. Later in the project new tasks were added to provide support to the existing segmented mirror testbed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in the form of upgrades to the 36 subaperture wavefront sensor. Still later, tasks were added to build and install a new system processor based on the results of the new system architecture. The project was successful in achieving a number of important results. These include the following most notable accomplishments: 1) The creation of a new modular digital processing system that is extremely capable and may be applied to a wide range of segmented mirror systems as well as many classes of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) control systems such as active structures or industrial automation. 2) A new graphical user interface was created for operation of segmented mirror systems. 3) The development of a high bit rate serial data loop that permits bi-directional flow of data to and from as many as 39 segments daisy-chained to form a single cluster of segments. 4) Upgrade of the 36 subaperture Hartmann type Wave Front Sensor (WFS) of the Phased Array Mirror, Extendible Large Aperture (PAMELA) testbed at MSFC resulting in a 40 to 5OX improvement in SNR which in turn enabled NASA personnel to achieve many significant strides in improved closed-loop system operation in 1998. 5) A new system level processor was built and delivered to MSFC for use with the PAMELA testbed. This new system featured a new graphical user interface to replace the obsolete and non-supported menu system originally delivered with the PAMELA system. The hardware featured Blue Line's new stackable processing system which included fiber optic data links, a WFS digital interface, and a very compact and reliable electronics package. The project also resulted in substantial advances in the evolution of concepts for integrated structures to be used to support clusters of segments while also serving as the means to distribute power, timing, and data communications resources. A prototype cluster base was built and delivered that would support a small array of 7 cm mirror segments. Another conceptual design effort led to substantial progress in the area of laminated silicon mirror segments. While finished mirrors were never successfully produced in this exploratory effort, the basic feasibility of the concept was established through a significant amount of experimental development in microelectronics processing laboratories at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Ultimately lightweighted aluminum mirrors with replicated front surfaces were produced and delivered as part of a separate contract to develop integrated segmented mirror assemblies. Overall the project was very successful in advancing segmented mirror system architectures on several fronts. In fact, the results of this work have already served as the basic foundation for the system architectures of several projects proposed by Blue Line for different missions and customers. These include the NMSD and AMSD procurements for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope, the HET figure maintenance system, and the 1 meter FAST telescope project.

Ames, Gregory H.↗

Gravitational instability with high resolution

A series of very high resolution simulations have been performed for gravitational clustering in two dimensions. It is shown that mass resolution, achieved by having large numbers of particles, is as important as spatial resolution. New objects arising inside pancakes are found, which are coherent with structure on much larger scales. The evolution of structure in hierarchical clustering models with a sufficiently flat power spectrum includes pancake-like structures, confirming the presence of filaments in cold dark matter universes.

Melott, Adrian L.↗

A2111: A z= 0.23 Butcher-Oemler Cluster with a Non-Isothermal Atmosphere and Normal Metallicity

We report results from an x-ray spectral study of the z=0.23 Abell 2111 galaxy cluster using the Advanced Satellite for Astrophysics and Cosmology and the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter. By correcting for the energy-dependent point-spread function of the instruments, we have examined the temperature structure of the cluster. The cluster's core within 3 is found to have a temperature of 5.4 +/- 0.5 keV, significantly higher than 2.8 +/-0.7 keV in the surrounding region of r = 3-6. This radially decreasing temperature structure can be parameterized by a polytropic index of gamma less than 1.4. Furthermore, the intracluster medium appears clumpy on scales less than 1. Early studies have revealed that the x-ray centroid of the cluster shifts with spatial scale and the overall optical and x-ray morphology is strongly elongated. These results together suggest that A2111 in undergoing a merger, which is likely responsible for the high fraction of blue galaxies observed in the cluster. We have further measured the abundance of the medium as 0.25 +/- 0.14 solar. This value is similar to those of nearby clusters which do not show a large blue galaxy function, suggesting that star formation in disk galaxies and subsequent loss to the intracluster medium do not drastically alter the average abundance of a cluster since z=0.23.

Wang, Q. Daniel↗

An algebraic cluster model based on the harmonic oscillator basis

We discuss the semimicroscopic algebraic cluster model introduced recently, in which the internal structure of the nuclear clusters is described by the harmonic oscillator shell model, while their relative motion is accounted for by the Vibron model. The algebraic formulation of the model makes extensive use of techniques associated with harmonic oscillators and their symmetry group, SU(3). The model is applied to some cluster systems and is found to reproduce important characteristics of nuclei in the sd-shell region. An approximate SU(3) dynamical symmetry is also found to hold for the C-12 + C-12 system.

Levai, Geza↗

Model reduction for flexible spacecraft with clustered natural frequencies

Two approaches to the problem of model reduction for flexible spacecraft that have proved very useful are balancing and model truncation. Furthermore, it is well known that a model representation of a lightly damped flexible structure with widely spaced natural frequencies is approximately balanced. Consequently, reduction in either coordinate system gives similar results for this case. It is important to note, however, that flexible space structures typically have clusters of closely spaced frequencies. In such cases, reduction in model coordinates can give large errors, while the error obtained using balancing is generally much smaller. A new reduction procedure which combines the best features of model and balanced reduction is therefore developed. It is more efficient than balanced reduction of the full system, as it only involves balancing those subsystems of close modes that are highly correlated, yet is shown to yield results which are essentially as good.

Williams, T. W. C.↗

The methodology of multi-viewpoint clustering analysis

One of the greatest challenges facing the software engineering community is the ability to produce large and complex computer systems, such as ground support systems for unmanned scientific missions, that are reliable and cost effective. In order to build and maintain these systems, it is important that the knowledge in the system be suitably abstracted, structured, and otherwise clustered in a manner which facilitates its understanding, manipulation, testing, and utilization. Development of complex mission-critical systems will require the ability to abstract overall concepts in the system at various levels of detail and to consider the system from different points of view. Multi-ViewPoint - Clustering Analysis MVP-CA methodology has been developed to provide multiple views of large, complicated systems. MVP-CA provides an ability to discover significant structures by providing an automated mechanism to structure both hierarchically (from detail to abstract) and orthogonally (from different perspectives). We propose to integrate MVP/CA into an overall software engineering life cycle to support the development and evolution of complex mission critical systems.

Mehrotra, Mala↗

Model reduction results for flexible space structures

This paper describes the novel subsystem balancing technique for obtaining reduced-order models of flexible structures, and investigates its properties fully. This method can be regarded as a combination of the best features of modal truncation (efficiency) and internal balancing (accuracy); it is particularly well suited to the typical practical case of structures which possess clusters of close modes. Numerical results are then presented demonstrating the results obtained by applying subsystem balancing to the Air Force Phillips Laboratory ASTREX testbed, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory antenna facility, and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center ACES structure.

Williams, Trevor↗

The redshift and optical structure of the X-ray galaxy cluster A478

Observational results are reported concerning the optical properties of the X-ray cluster of galaxies A478. A cluster redshift of 0.09 is determined, which implies a cluster X-ray luminosity of 10 to the 45th power erg/s over the energy range from 2 to 6 keV. The cluster is classified as type cD, the center of the cluster is found to be consistent with the position of the cD galaxy, and it is shown that the surface distribution of the galaxies in the cluster is well described by a bounded isothermal gas-sphere model. The core radius of the galaxy distribution is estimated to be about 1.5 arcmin, corresponding to approximately 0.20 Mpc for a Hubble constant of 50 km/s per Mpc. It is noted that the observed galaxy distribution is somewhat asymmetric, being elongated along the NE-SW direction.

Bahcall, N. A.↗

Electronic and molecular structure of carbon grains

Clusters of carbon atoms have been studied with large-scale ab initio calculations. Planar, single-sheet graphite fragments with 6 to 54 atoms were investigated, as well as the spherical C(sub 60) Buckminsterfullerene molecule. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have also been considered. Thermodynamic differences between diamond- and graphite-like grains have been studied in particular. Saturation of the peripheral bonds with hydrogen is found to provide a smooth and uniform convergence of the properties with increasing cluster size. For the graphite-like clusters the convergence to bulk values is much slower than for the three-dimensional complexes.

Almloef, Jan↗