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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

The Role of Chain-End Association Lifetime in Segmental and Chain Dynamics of Telechelic Polymers

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and rheology were employed to study the impact of hydrogen (H)-bonding end-groups on segmental and chain dynamics of telechelic polypropylene glycol (PPG) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Polymer chains with three types of H-bonding end-groups possessing different interaction strengths and a non-H-bonding end-group as reference were compared. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of H-bonding PPG systems with low molecular weight increases compared to the reference, and the Tg difference varies with chain-end interaction strength. In contrast, their shear viscosities (for Tg-scaled temperature, i.e., when the shift in Tg is accounted for) are similar to that one of the reference. This is in strong contrast to the behavior of telechelic PDMS with the same set of end-groups, where the Tg increase of all H-bonding systems is independent of H-bond strengths, while shear viscosity increases significantly only for the strongest H-bonding end-groups. These observations are explained by the difference in lifetime of the end-group associations relative to segmental and chain relaxation times.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Supramolecular meso -Trick: Ambidextrous Mirror Symmetry Breaking in a Liquid Crystalline Network with Tetragonal Symmetry

Bicontinuous and multicontinuous network phases are among nature's most complex structures in soft matter systems. Here, a chiral bicontinuous tetragonal phase is reported as a new stable liquid crystalline intermediate phase at the transition between two cubic phases, the achiral double gyroid and the chiral triple network cubic phase with an I 23 space group, both formed by dynamic networks of helices. The mirror symmetry of the double gyroid, representing a meso -structure of two enantiomorphic networks, is broken at the transition to this tetragonal phase by retaining uniform helicity only along one network while losing it along the other one. This leads to a conglomerate of enantiomorphic tetragonal space groups, P 4 1 2 1 2 and P 4 3 2 1 2. Phase structures and chirality were analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) at the carbon K-edge, and model-dependent SAXS/RSoXS simulation. In conclusion, our findings not only lead to a new bicontinuous network-type three-dimensional mesophase but also reveal a mechanism of mirror symmetry breaking in soft matter by partial meso -structure racemization at the transition from enantiophilic to enantiophobic interhelical self-assembly.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Step Towards Machine Learning-based Coherent Generator Grouping for Emergency Control Applications in Modern Power Grid

A dynamic neural network (NN) based multi-class classifier is proposed for improving online prediction of coherent generator groups (CGGs), following the occurrences of various contingencies in the power grid. This is motivated by the increasing availability of the measurements from phasor measurement units (PMUs) and the number of grouping schemes is limited. The proposed method consists of three steps. First, by performing offline simulations, a library of system dynamic responses characterized by post-contingency rotor angles and speeds of individual generators is obtained. To generate sufficient data, up to N-2 contingencies and the uncertain parameters associated with the power grid including type and location of disturbance and fault clearing times are modeled. Secondly, the training data-set is produced by generating labels for individual contingencies using a hierarchical clustering method based on rotor angle and speed data. Lastly, the dynamic NN models are trained for online applications such as emergency controls and controlled islanding. The proposed method is tested on the standard 16-generator 68-bus system to demonstrate its performance. Furthermore, the impact of the sample data lengths on the CGG numbers is evaluated. It is interesting to observe that the time domain stability behaviors can be determined by examining the changes in the CGG numbers.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hidden pion varieties in composite models for diphoton resonances

The diphoton excesses at 750 GeV seen in the LHC data may be the first hint of new physics at the TeV scale. We discuss variations of the model considered earlier, in which one or more diphoton excesses arise from composite pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons (hidden pions) associated with new strong dynamics at the TeV scale. We study the case in which the 750 GeV excess arises from a unique hidden pion leading to a diphoton final state as well as the case in which it arises from one of the hidden pions decaying into diphotons. We consider SU(N), SO(N), and Sp(N) gauge groups for the strong dynamics and find that SO(N) and Sp(N) models give extra hidden pions beyond those in the SU(N) models, which can be used to discriminate among models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Contribution of the Hydroxyl Group on Interfacial Heat Conduction of Monohydric Alcohols: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Monohydric alcohols have been used as promising phase change materials (PCMs) for low-temperature latent heat storage. However, the heat storage/retrieval rates are limited due to the low thermal conductivity of such alcohols. In this work, nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations were performed to study the microscopic heat conduction in example monohydric alcohols, i.e., 1-dodecanol (C12H26O), 1-tetradecanol (C14H30O), and 1-hexadecanol (C16H34O). A simplified ideal crystal model was proposed to exploit the potential for improving the thermal conductivity of monohydric alcohols. The effect of ideal crystalline structures, especially the contribution of the hydroxyl group, on the microscopic heat conduction process was analyzed. The thermal conductivity of the ideal crystals of the various monohydric alcohols was predicted to be more than twice as compared to that of their respective solids. The major thermal resistance in the ideal crystals was found around the molecular interfaces, as a result of the excellent heat conduction performance along the linear molecular chains. The calculated vibrational density of states (VDOS) and interfacial heat transfer were then investigated. When the interfaces are surrounded by hydroxyl groups as walls, strong hydrogen bond (HB) interactions were observed. The interfacial heat transfer coefficient of the ideal crystalline structures of 1-tetradecanol was found to reach up to ~735.6 MW/m2 W. It was elucidated that the high interfacial heat transfer rate is clearly related to the stronger intermolecular interactions.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2017

Shock waves simulated using the dual domain material point method combined with molecular dynamics

Here in this work we combine the dual domain material point method with molecular dynamics in an attempt to create a multiscale numerical method to simulate materials undergoing large deformations with high strain rates. In these types of problems, the material is often in a thermodynamically nonequilibrium state, and conventional constitutive relations or equations of state are often not available. In this method, the closure quantities, such as stress, at each material point are calculated from a molecular dynamics simulation of a group of atoms surrounding the material point. Rather than restricting the multiscale simulation in a small spatial region, such as phase interfaces, or crack tips, this multiscale method can be used to consider nonequilibrium thermodynamic effects in a macroscopic domain. This method takes the advantage that the material points only communicate with mesh nodes, not among themselves; therefore molecular dynamics simulations for material points can be performed independently in parallel. The dual domain material point method is chosen for this multiscale method because it can be used in history dependent problems with large deformation without generating numerical noise as material points move across cells, and also because of its convergence and conservation properties. In conclusion, to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of this method, we compare the results of a shock wave propagation in a cerium crystal calculated using the direct molecular dynamics simulation with the results from this combined multiscale calculation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Modifications in Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters After α-Particle-Emitting {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab Therapy of HER2-Expressing Ovarian Cancer Xenografts

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of α-particle-emitting {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab radioimmunotherapy on tumor vasculature to increase the knowledge about the mechanisms of action of {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab. Methods and Materials: Human HER2-expressing SKOV-3 ovarian cancer xenografts were grown bilaterally in athymic nude mice. Mice with tumor volumes 253 ± 36 mm{sup 3} (mean ± SEM) were treated with a single injection of either {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab at a dose of 1000 kBq/kg body weight (treated group, n=14 tumors) or 0.9% NaCl (control group, n=10 tumors). Dynamic T1-weighted contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) was used to study the effect of {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab on tumor vasculature. DCEMRI was performed before treatment and 1, 2, and 3 weeks after therapy. Tumor contrast-enhancement curves were extracted voxel by voxel and fitted to the Brix pharmacokinetic model. Pharmacokinetic parameters for the tumors that underwent radioimmunotherapy were compared with the corresponding parameters of control tumors. Results: Significant increases of k{sub ep}, the rate constant of diffusion from the extravascular extracellular space to the plasma (P<.05), and k{sub el,} the rate of clearance of contrast agent from the plasma (P<.01), were seen in the radioimmunotherapy group 2 and 3 weeks after injection, compared with the control group. The product of k{sub ep} and the amplitude parameter A, associated with increased vessel permeability and perfusion, was also significantly increased in the radioimmunotherapy group 2 and 3 weeks after injection (P<.01). Conclusions: Pharmacokinetic modeling of MRI contrast-enhancement curves evidenced significant alterations in parameters associated with increased tumor vessel permeability and tumor perfusion after {sup 227}Th-trastuzumab treatment of HER2-expressing ovarian cancer xenografts.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Detection of significant antiviral drug effects on COVID-19 with reasonable sample sizes in randomized controlled trials: A modeling study

Development of an effective antiviral drug for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health priority. Although several candidate drugs have been identified through in vitro and in vivo models, consistent and compelling evidence from clinical studies is limited. The lack of evidence from clinical trials may stem in part from the imperfect design of the trials. We investigated how clinical trials for antivirals need to be designed, especially focusing on the sample size in randomized controlled trials. A modeling study was conducted to help understand the reasons behind inconsistent clinical trial findings and to design better clinical trials. We first analyzed longitudinal viral load data for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) without antiviral treatment by use of a within-host virus dynamics model. The fitted viral load was categorized into 3 different groups by a clustering approach. Comparison of the estimated parameters showed that the 3 distinct groups were characterized by different virus decay rates (p-value < 0.001). The mean decay rates were 1.17 d -1 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.27 d -1 ), 0.777 d -1 (0.716 to 0.838 d -1 ), and 0.450 d -1 (0.378 to 0.522 d -1 ) for the 3 groups, respectively. Such heterogeneity in virus dynamics could be a confounding variable if it is associated with treatment allocation in compassionate use programs (i.e., observational studies). Subsequently, we mimicked randomized controlled trials of antivirals by simulation. An antiviral effect causing a 95% to 99% reduction in viral replication was added to the model. To be realistic, we assumed that randomization and treatment are initiated with some time lag after symptom onset. Using the duration of virus shedding as an outcome, the sample size to detect a statistically significant mean difference between the treatment and placebo groups (1:1 allocation) was 13,603 and 11,670 (when the antiviral effect was 95% and 99%, respectively) per group if all patients are enrolled regardless of timing of randomization. The sample size was reduced to 584 and 458 (when the antiviral effect was 95% and 99%, respectively) if only patients who are treated within 1 day of symptom onset are enrolled. We confirmed the sample size was similarly reduced when using cumulative viral load in log scale as an outcome. We used a conventional virus dynamics model, which may not fully reflect the detailed mechanisms of viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. The model needs to be calibrated in terms of both parameter settings and model structure, which would yield more reliable sample size calculation. In this study, we found that estimated association in observational studies can be biased due to large heterogeneity in viral dynamics among infected individuals, and statistically significant effect in randomized controlled trials may be difficult to be detected due to small sample size. The sample size can be dramatically reduced by recruiting patients immediately after developing symptoms. We believe this is the first study investigated the study design of clinical trials for antiviral treatment using the viral dynamics model.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evolution of surface morphology from Stranski–Krastanov growth mode to step-flow growth mode in InSbBi thin films

The incorporation of dilute concentrations of bismuth (Bi) into traditional III–V alloys leads to a significant reduction in bandgap energy, making InSbBi a promising candidate for long-wavelength (<0.17 eV) infrared photosensors. InSbBi offers potential as a platform for exploring spin dynamics and quantum phenomena due to its strong spin–orbit coupling. Despite this promise, the material quality of InSbBi alloys remains inferior to that of conventional III–V semiconductors, primarily due to the substantial challenges associated with incorporating Bi into InSb and producing high-quality InSbBi with varying Bi compositions. In this study, we address these issues by developing a molecular beam epitaxy approach to grow smooth InSbBi thin films with tunable Bi incorporation up to 1.8% of the group V sublattice, through dynamic adjustment of Sb flux and careful control of the interplay between growth temperature and the Bi flux. In conclusion, this work paves way for the development of high-quality InSbBi thin films for applications in photodetection, spintronics, and related quantum technologies.

Edirisinghe, Chandima Kasun [Univ. of Tennessee, K↗
DOE OSTI2020

Application of Dynamical System Scaling to Bubble Dynamics

Dynamical System Scaling (DSS) provides a useful method for analyzing, categorizing and scaling time-dependent processes. A key feature of DSS is the temporal displacement rate, D, which relates the natural process time to the reference clock time. Because of its property of being invariant under a two-parameter affine transformation, it provides an underlying basis for process scaling. Application of DSS to bubble dynamics serves to elucidate the physical significance of the temporal displacement rate and its role in scaling a variety of bubble dynamics processes. This paper shows that the temporal displacement rate consists of the sum of dimensionless groups that govern the bubble dynamics. Preserving the temporal displacement rate for a prototype and a scaled model results in similitude of the time-dependent normalized bubble size, growth rates and interfacial accelerations for different fluid conditions. For vapor bubble growth in a superheated liquid, it is shown that inertial controlled bubble growth occurs when D=0 and thermally controlled bubble growth occurs when D=1 .

dynamical system scaling, SMR, bubble dynamics, DS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The X-ray Zurich Environmental Study (X-ZENS). II. X-ray observations of the diffuse intragroup medium in galaxy groups

We present the results of a pilot XMM-Newton and Chandra program aimed at studying the diffuse intragroup medium (IGM) of optically selected nearby groups from the Zurich ENvironmental Study (ZENS) catalog. The groups are in a narrow mass range about 10{sup 13} M{sub ⊙}, a mass scale at which the interplay between the IGM and the group member galaxies is still largely unprobed. X-ray emission from the IGM is detected in the energy band 0.5–2 keV with flux ⩽10{sup −13} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2}, which is one order of magnitude fainter than for typical ROSAT groups (RASS). For many groups, we set upper limits on the X-ray luminosity, indicating that the detections are likely probing the upper envelope of the X-ray emitting groups. We find that weighting the group halo mass by the fraction of the total stellar mass locked in the bulge galaxy components might reduce the bias of mass estimates based on the total optical luminosity with respect to the X-ray mass estimates, (consistent with Andreon, at larger mass scales). We measure a stellar mass fraction with a median value of about 1%, with a contribution from the most massive galaxies between 30% and 50%. Optical and X-ray data often give complementary answers concerning the dynamical state of the groups, and are essential for a complete picture of the group system. Extending this pilot program to a larger sample of groups is necessary to unveil any imprint of interaction between member galaxies and IGM in halo potentials of key importance for environmentally driven galactic evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electron transfer in a crystalline cytochrome with four hemes

Diffusion of electrons over distances on the order of 100 μm has been observed in crystals of a small tetraheme cytochrome (STC) from Shewanella oneidensis [J. Huang et al . J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 10459–10467 (2020)]. Electron transfer between hemes in adjacent subunits of the crystal is slower and more strongly dependent on temperature than had been expected based on semiclassical electron-transfer theory. Here, in this work, we explore explanations for these findings by molecular-dynamics simulations of crystalline and monomeric STC. New procedures are developed for including time-dependent quantum mechanical energy differences in the gap between the energies of the reactant and product states and for evaluating fluctuations of the electronic-interaction matrix element that couples the two hemes. Rate constants for electron transfer are calculated from the time- and temperature-dependent energy gaps, coupling factors, and Franck–Condon-weighted densities of states using an expression with no freely adjustable parameters. Back reactions are considered, as are the effects of various protonation states of the carboxyl groups on the heme side chains. Interactions with water are found to dominate the fluctuations of the energy gap between the reactant and product states. The calculated rate constant for electron transfer from heme IV to heme Ib in a neighboring subunit at 300 K agrees well with the measured value. However, the calculated activation energy of the reaction in the crystal is considerably smaller than observed. We suggest two possible explanations for this discrepancy. The calculated rate constant for transfer from heme I to II within the same subunit of the crystal is about one-third that for monomeric STC in solution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dynamics of Hydrophobic Core Phenylalanine Residues Probed by Solid-State Deuteron NMR

We conducted a detailed investigation of the dynamics of two phenylalanine side chains in the hydrophobic core of the villin headpiece subdomain protein (HP36) in the hydrated powder state over the 298–80 K temperature range. We utilized static deuteron NMR measurements of longitudinal relaxation and line shapes supplemented with computational modeling. The temperature dependence of the relaxation times reveals the presence of two main mechanisms that can be attributed to the ring-flips, dominating at high temperatures, and small-angle fluctuations, dominating at low temperatures. The relaxation is non- exponential at all temperatures with the extent of non-exponentiality increasing from higher to lower temperatures. This behavior suggests a distribution of conformers with unique values of activation energies. The central values of the activation energies for the ring-flipping motions are among the smallest reported for aromatic residues in peptides and proteins and point to a very mobile hydrophobic core. The analysis of the widths of the distributions, in combination with the earlier results on the dynamics of flanking methyl groups (Vugmeyster et al., J. Phys. Chem. 2013, 117, 6129–6137), suggests that the hydrophobic core undergoes concerted fluctuations. There is a pronounced effect of dehydration on the ring-flipping motions, which shifts the distribution toward more rigid conformers. The cross-over temperature between the regions of dominance of the small-angle fluctuations and ring-flips shifts from 195 K in the hydrated protein to 278 K in the dry one. This result points to the role of solvent in the onset of the concerted fluctuations of the core and highlights aromatic residues as markers of the protein dynamical transitions.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2015

RESONANCES, CHAOS, AND SHORT-TERM INTERACTIONS AMONG THE INNER URANIAN SATELLITES

The Portia group of Uranian satellites, representing 9 of the planet’s 13 tiny innermost moons, form a densely packed dynamical system. Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate that their orbits have changed significantly over two decades, and long-term numerical integrations show that their orbits are unstable over millions of years. To investigate the dynamical interactions of the Portia group satellites on the decade timescale over which orbital changes have been observed, we have performed a suite of 100–1000 yr N-body numerical integrations for a range of assumed satellite masses, which are at present not tightly constrained by observations. As first noted by Dawson et al. and recently investigated independently by Quillen and (Robert) French, the moons are configured in chains of interlinked first- and second-order eccentric resonances that contribute to chaotic behavior. We explore in detail several of the strongest of these interlinked resonances. The first such chain is a quintet of orbital resonances: Bianca is near a resonance with Cressida, which is itself near a resonance with Desdemona. Desdemona, in turn, is near a resonance with Portia, which is itself near a resonance with Juliet. The five participating resonances are: Cressida and Bianca (16:15), Desdemona and Cressida (47:46), Portia and Desdemona (13:12), and Portia and Juliet (51:49). A second such chain is a set of two interlinked resonances: Cupid and Belinda (58:57) and Belinda and Perdita (44:43). We also report the new identification of a companion set of second-order inclination-type resonances (Cressida and Bianca (32:30), Desdemona and Cressida (94:92), Portia and Desdemona (26:24), Portia and Juliet (51:49), Cupid and Belinda (116:114), and Belinda and Perdita (88:86)), some of which result in quite strongly coupled variations in the inclinations of the interacting satellites. Using a robust formulation of orbital elements that accounts for the oblateness of Uranus, we probe the dynamical interactions among the moons in the time and frequency domains, and also in phase space, using numerical integrations of subsets of the inner moons, for a range of assumed masses. Several of the satellites are near mean-motion resonance with more than one neighbor, and undergo orbital variations at two nearly equal resonant frequencies. Such configurations of two interlinked resonances can result in chaotic behavior, associated with the transition of one resonant argument from circulation to libration. We demonstrate that, even on the short timescales investigated here, the dynamical interactions, onset of chaos, and associated Lyapunov times are highly sensitive to the masses of the interacting satellites.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Oscillate and renormalize: Fast phonons reshape the Kondo effect in flat-band systems

Here, we examine the interplay between electron correlations and phonons in an Anderson-Holstein impurity model with an Einstein phonon. When the phonons are slow compared to charge fluctuations (frequency 𝜔 0 ≪ 𝑈/2, the onsite Coulomb scale 𝑈/2), we demonstrate analytically that the expected phonon-mediated reduction of interactions is completely suppressed, even in the strong-coupling regime. This suppression arises from the oscillator's inability to respond to rapid charge fluctuations, manifested as a compensation effect between the polaronic cloud and the excited-state phonons associated with valence fluctuations. We identify a frozen mixed valence phase, above a threshold dimensionless electron-phonon coupling 𝛼* when the phonons are slow, where the static phonon cloud locks the impurity into specific valence configurations, potentially explaining the puzzling coexistence of mixed valence behavior and insulating properties in materials like rust. Conversely, when the phonon is fast (𝜔 0 ≳ 𝑈/2), the system exhibits conventional polaronic behavior with renormalized onsite interactions effectively 𝑈 eff due to phonon-mediated attraction, with additional satellite features in the local spectral function due to phonon excitations. Using numerical renormalization group calculations, a fully dynamic renormalization technique, we confirm these behaviors in both regimes. These findings have important implications for strongly correlated systems where phonon energy scales may be comparable to the Coulomb scale, such as in twisted bilayer graphene, necessitating careful consideration of interaction renormalizations in theoretical models.

Anderson impurity model↗
DOE OSTI2023

On the role of methyl groups in the molecular architectures of mesophase pitches

The role of methyl groups on the liquid–crystal structure of mesophase pitches was investigated by combining experimental characterizations and atomic-scale computational modeling, using three pitches synthesized from different precursors. Of the three pitches, C-9 alkyl benzene and naphthalene-based pitches have 13 and 7 methyl groups per average polyaromatic hydrocarbon, respectively. By contrast, mesophase produced from a coal-tar pitch has about one methyl group. The coal tar–based mesophase pitch is hydrogen deficient or more aromatic compared with C-9 alkyl benzene- and naphthalene-based pitches. Additionally, X-ray diffraction data showed that average coherent domain sizes of C-9 alkyl benzene (3.7 nm) and naphthalene-based (3.6 nm) pitches with more methyl groups are larger than that of coal tar–based mesophase (2.4 nm). Based on the identified features, the influence of the methyl group on the layering structures was investigated via molecular dynamics simulations. The results revealed that methyl groups are critical in mesophase layering in C-9 alkyl benzene- and naphthalene-based pitches, by reducing CH-π interaction. However, similar alignment could be achieved without the same degree of methyl substitutions for the coal tar-based pitch because of stronger π-π interaction than the other precursors. The insights from this study contribute to our understanding of the formation of conventional mesophase pitch and have implications for the processing of coal-derived materials. In conclusion, this knowledge is vital to produce valuable products like carbon fiber and graphite from pitches.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

PAIRS AND GROUPS OF GENETICALLY RELATED LONG-PERIOD COMETS AND PROPOSED IDENTITY OF THE MYSTERIOUS LICK OBJECT OF 1921

We present the history of investigation of the dynamical properties of pairs and groups of genetically related long-period comets (other than the Kreutz sungrazing system). Members of a comet pair or group move in nearly identical orbits, and their origin as fragments of a common parent comet is unquestionable. The only variable is the time of perihelion passage, which differs considerably from member to member owing primarily to an orbital-momentum increment acquired during breakup. Meter-per-second separation velocities account for gaps of years or tens of years, thanks to the orbital periods of many millennia. The physical properties of individual members may not at all be alike, as illustrated by the trio of C/1988 A1, C/1996 Q1, and C/2015 F3. We exploit orbital similarity to examine whether the enigmatic and as-yet-unidentified object discovered from the Lick Observatory near the Sun at sunset on 1921 August 7 happened to be a member of such a pair and to track down the long-period comet to which it might be genetically related. Our search shows that the Lick object, which could not be a Kreutz sungrazer, was likely a companion to comet C/1847 C1 (Hind), whose perihelion distance was ∼9 R {sub ⊙} and true orbital period was approximately 8300 yr. The gap of 74.4 yr between their perihelion times is consistent with a separation velocity of ∼1 m s{sup −1} which sets the fragments apart following the parent's breakup in a general proximity of perihelion during the previous return to the Sun in the seventh millennium BCE.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗