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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Calibration techniques and strategies for the present and future LHC electromagnetic calorimeters

This document describes the different calibration strategies and techniques applied by the two general purpose experiments at the LHC, ATLAS and CMS, and discusses them underlining their respective strengths and weaknesses from the view of the author. Here, the resulting performances of both calorimeters are described and compared on the basis of selected physics results. Future upgrade plans for High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) are briefly introduced and planned calibration strategies for the upgraded detectors are shown.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Large Magellanic Cloud Near-Infrared Synoptic Survey. II. The Wesenheit relations and their application to the distance scale

We present new near-infrared (NIR) Cepheid period–Wesenheit (P–W) relations in the LMC using time-series observations from the Large Magellanic Cloud NIR Synoptic Survey. We also derive optical+NIR P–W relations using V and I magnitudes from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. We employ our new JHK{sub s} data to determine an independent distance to the LMC of μ{sub LMC} = 18.47±0.07(statistical) mag, using an absolute calibration of the Galactic relations based on several distance determination methods and accounting for the intrinsic scatter of each technique. We also derive new NIR period–luminosity and Wesenheit relations for Cepheids in M31 using observations from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury survey. We use the absolute calibrations of the Galactic and LMC W{sub J,H} relations to determine the distance modulus of M31, μ{sub M31} = 24.46±0.20 mag. We apply a simultaneous fit to Cepheids in several Local Group galaxies covering a range of metallicities (7.7<12+log[O/H]<8.6 dex) to determine a global slope of −3.244 ± 0.016 mag dex{sup −1} for the W{sub J,K{sub s}} relation and obtain robust distance estimates. Our distances are in good agreement with recent TRGB based distance estimates and we do not find any evidence for a metallicity dependence in the NIR P–W relations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Calibration of evolutionary diagnostics in high-mass star formation

The evolutionary classification of massive clumps that are candidate progenitors of high-mass young stars and clusters relies on a variety of independent diagnostics based on observables from the near-infrared to the radio. A promising evolutionary indicator for massive and dense cluster-progenitor clumps is the L/M ratio between the bolometric luminosity and the mass of the clumps. With the aim of providing a quantitative calibration for this indicator, we used SEPIA/APEX to obtain CH{sub 3}C{sub 2}H(J = 12–11) observations, which is an excellent thermometer molecule probing densities ⩾10{sup 5} cm{sup −3}, toward 51 dense clumps with M⩾1000 M {sub ⊙} and uniformly spanning −2 ≲ Log(L/M) [L {sub ⊙}/M {sub ⊙}] ≲ 2.3. We identify three distinct ranges of L/M that can be associated to three distinct phases of star formation in massive clumps. For L/M ⩽ 1 no clump is detected in CH{sub 3}C{sub 2}H, suggesting an inner envelope temperature below ∼30K. For 1 ≲ L/M ≲ 10 we detect 58% of the clumps with a temperature between ∼30 and ∼35 K independently from the exact value of L/M; such clumps are building up luminosity due to the formation of stars, but no star is yet able to significantly heat the inner clump regions. For L/M ≳ 10 we detect all the clumps with a gas temperature rising with Log(L/M), marking the appearance of a qualitatively different heating source within the clumps; such values are found toward clumps with UCH ii counterparts, suggesting that the quantitative difference in T versus L/M behavior above L/M ∼ 10 is due to the first appearance of ZAMS stars in the clumps.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Binning is Sinning (Supernova Version): The Impact of Self-calibration in Cosmological Analyses with Type Ia Supernovae

Recent cosmological analyses (e.g., JLA, Pantheon) of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have propagated systematic uncertainties into a covariance matrix and either binned or smoothed the systematic uncertainty vectors in redshift space. We demonstrate that systematic error budgets of these analyses can be improved by a factor of ~ 1.5 × with the use of unbinned and unsmoothed covariance matrices. To understand this, we employ a separate approach that simultaneously fits for cosmological parameters and additional self-calibrating scale parameters that constrain the size of each systematic. We show that the covariance-matrix approach and scale-parameter approach indeed yield equivalent results, implying that in both cases the data can self-calibrate certain systematic uncertainties, but that this ability is hindered when information is binned or smoothed in redshift space. We review the top systematic uncertainties in current analyses and find that the reduction of systematic uncertainties in the unbinned case depends on whether a systematic is solely degenerate with the cosmological model in redshift space or whether it can be described by additional correlations between supernova properties and luminosity. Furthermore, we show that the power of self-calibration increases with the size of the data set, which presents a tremendous opportunity for upcoming analyses of photometrically classified samples, like those of Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope (NGRST). However, to take advantage of self-calibration in large, photometrically classified samples, we must first address the issue that binning is required in currently used photometric analysis methods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A CHANDRA ACIS STUDY OF THE YOUNG STAR CLUSTER TRUMPLER 15 IN CARINA AND CORRELATION WITH NEAR-INFRARED SOURCES

Using the highest-resolution X-ray observation of the Trumpler 15 star cluster taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we estimate the total size of its stellar population by comparing the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of the detected sources to a calibrator cluster and identify for the first time a significant fraction ({approx}14%) of its individual members. The highest-resolution near-IR observation of Trumpler 15 (taken by the HAWK-I instrument on the Very Large Telescope) was found to detect most of our X-ray selected sample of cluster members, with a K-excess disk frequency of 3.8% {+-} 0.7%. The near-IR data, XLF, and published spectral types of the brightest members support a cluster age estimate (5-10 Myr) that is older than those for the nearby Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16 clusters, and suggest that high-mass members may have already exploded as supernovae. The morphology of the inner {approx}0.7 pc core of the cluster is found to be spherical. However, the outer regions (beyond {approx}2 pc) are elongated, forming an 'envelope' of stars that, in projection, appears to connect Trumpler 15 to Trumpler 14; this morphology supports the view that these clusters are physically associated. Clear evidence of mass segregation is seen. This study appears in this special issue devoted to the Chandra Carina Complex Project, a 1.42 deg{sup 2} Chandra X-ray survey of the Great Nebula in Carina.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

The H II regions of IC 1613

New H-alpha images are presented of IC 1613, a small irregular galaxy in the Local Group. The images, obtained with a CCD on the 42-in telescope at Lowell Observatory, have been calibrated and used to produce an H-alpha luminosity function and a size distribution for the H II regions in IC 1613. The results are compared to results for NGC 6822 and the Magellanic Clouds. The size distribution is found to be Poissonian over a limited range.

Price, Jill S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Fundamental Properties of O-Type Stars

We present a comprehensive analysis of high-resolution, far-ultraviolet HST STIS, FUSE, and optical spectra of 18 O stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Our analysis is based on the OSTAR2002 grid of NLTE metal-line-blanketed model atmospheres calculated with our code TLUSTY. We systematically explore and present the sensitivity of various UV and optical lines to different stellar parameters. We have obtained consistent fits of the UV and the optical spectrum to derive the effective temperature, surface gravity, surface composition, and microturbulent velocity of each star. Stellar radii, masses, and luminosities follow directly. For stars of the same spectral subtype, we find a general good agreement between effective temperature determinations obtained with TLUSTY, CMFGEN, and FASTWIND models, which are all lower than the standard T(sub eff) calibration of O stars. We propose a new calibration between the spectral type and effective temperature based on our results from UV metal lines, as well as optical hydrogen and helium lines. The lower effective temperatures translate into ionizing luminosities that are smaller by a factor of 3 compared to luminosities inferred from previous standard calibrations. The chemical composition analysis reveals that the surface of about 80% of the program stars is moderately to strongly enriched in nitrogen, while showing the original helium, carbon, and oxygen abundances. Our results support the new stellar evolution models that predict that the surface of fast rotating stars becomes nitrogen-rich during the main-sequence phase because of rotationally induced mixing. Enrichment factors are, however, larger than predicted by stellar evolution models. Most stars exhibit the "mass discrepancy" problem, which we interpret as a result of fast rotation that lowers the measured effective gravity. Nitrogen enrichment and low spectroscopic masses are therefore two manifestations of fast rotation. Our study thus emphasizes the importance of rotation in our understanding of the properties of massive stars and provides a framework for investigating populations of low-metallicity massive stars at low and high redshifts.

Heap, Sara R.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling intrinsic galaxy alignment in the MICE simulation

The intrinsic alignment (IA) of galaxies is potentially a major limitation in deriving cosmological constraints from weak lensing surveys. In order to investigate this effect, we assign intrinsic shapes and orientations to galaxies in the light-cone output of the MICE simulation, spanning ~ 5000 deg 2 and reaching redshift Z = 1.4. This assignment is based on a semianalytic IA model that uses photometric properties of galaxies as well as the spin and shape of their host halos. Advancing on previous work, we include more realistic distributions of galaxy shapes and a luminosity-dependent galaxy-halo alignment. The IA model parameters are calibrated against COSMOS and BOSS LOWZ observations. The null detection of IA in observations of blue galaxies is accounted for by setting random orientations for these objects. We compare the two-point alignment statistics measured in the simulation against predictions from the analytical IA models NLA and TATT over a wide range of scales, redshifts, and luminosities for red and blue galaxies separately. We find that both models fit the measurements well at scales above 8h -1 Mpc, while TATT outperforms NLA at smaller scales. The IA parameters derived from our fits are in broad agreement with various observational constraints from red galaxies. Finally, we build a realistic source sample, mimicking DES Year 3 observations and use it to predict the IA contamination to the observed shear statistics. We find this prediction to be within the measurement uncertainty, which might be a consequence of the random alignment of blue galaxies in the simulation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

X-ray reflection spectroscopy of the black hole GX 339–4: Exploring the hard state with unprecedented sensitivity

We analyze simultaneously six composite RXTE spectra of GX 339–4 in the hard state comprising 77 million counts collected over 196 ks. The source spectra are ordered by luminosity and span the range 1.6%–17% of the Eddington luminosity. Crucially, using our new tool pcacorr, we re-calibrate the data to a precision of 0.1%, an order of magnitude improvement over all earlier work. Using our advanced reflection model relxill, we target the strong features in the component of emission reflected from the disk, namely, the relativistically broadened Fe K emission line, the Fe K edge, and the Compton hump. We report results for two joint fits to the six spectra: For the first fit, we fix the spin parameter to its maximal value (a{sub *} = 0.998) and allow the inner disk radius R{sub in} to vary. Results include (i) precise measurements of R{sub in}, with evidence that the disk becomes slightly truncated at a few percent of Eddington and (ii) an order-of-magnitude swing with luminosity in the high energy cutoff, which reaches >890 keV at our lowest luminosity. For the second fit, we make the standard assumption in estimating spin that the inner edge of the accretion disk is located at the innermost stable circular orbit (R{sub in} = R{sub ISCO}) and find a{sub ∗}=0.95{sub −0.05}{sup +0.03} (90% confidence, statistical). For both fits, and at the same level of statistical confidence, we estimate that the disk inclination is i = 48° ± 1° and that the Fe abundance is super-solar, A{sub Fe} = 5 ± 1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contact binaries as viable distance indicators: new, competitive (v)jhk{sub s} period-luminosity relations

Based on the largest catalogs currently available, comprising 6090 contact binaries (CBs) and 2167 open clusters (OCs), we determine the near-infrared (NIR) JHK {sub s} CB period–luminosity (PL) relations, for the first time achieving the low levels of intrinsic scatter that make these relations viable as competitive distance calibrators. To firmly establish our distance calibration on the basis of OC CBs, we require that (i) the CB of interest must be located inside the core radius of its host cluster, (ii) the CB’s proper motion must be located within the 2σ distribution of that of its host OC, and (iii) the CB’s age, t, must be comparable to that of its host cluster, i.e., Δlog(tyr{sup −1})<0.3. We thus select a calibration sample of 66 CBs with either OC distances or accurate space-based parallaxes. The resulting NIR PL relations, for both late-type (i.e., W Ursae Majoris-type) and—for the first time—early-type CBs, are as accurate as the well-established JHK {sub s} Cepheid PL relations, (characterized by single-band statistical uncertainties of σ < 0.10 mag). We show that CBs can be used as viable distance tracers, yielding distances with uncertainties of better than 5% for 90% of the 6090 CBs in our full sample. By combining the full JHK {sub s} photometric data set, CBs can trace distances with an accuracy, σ = 0.05 (statistical) ± 0.03 (systematic) mag. The 102 CBs in the Large Magellanic Cloud are used to determine a distance modulus to the galaxy of (m−M{sub V}){sub 0}{sup LMC}=18.41±0.20 mag.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Effects of edge-rounding on geodesic lenses

A method that eliminates the need for a mathematical model is described for measuring the absolute light intensity radiated from volume chemiluminescent and fluorescent sources. This technique applies to a uniform cylindrical luminous volume, which is the geometry most often practical for the study of flowing chemiluminescent and fluorescent fluids. In this method, the necessary integration over a luminous volume is carried out experimentally, using a calibrated piston source that has as its head a disk of uniform luminosity. The relatively small total error in absolute light intensity measurements with the piston source technique represents a significant improvement over competing comparison methods. The construction of a piston source to fit the cross section of a particular cylindrical volume is straightforward, and its calibration against a standard source can be readily made while exercising normal precautions.

Wood, V. E.↗
DOE OSTI2012

A DESCRIPTION OF QUASAR VARIABILITY MEASURED USING REPEATED SDSS AND POSS IMAGING

We provide a quantitative description and statistical interpretation of the optical continuum variability of quasars. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has obtained repeated imaging in five UV-to-IR photometric bands for 33,881 spectroscopically confirmed quasars. About 10,000 quasars have an average of 60 observations in each band obtained over a decade along Stripe 82 (S82), whereas the remaining {approx}25,000 have 2-3 observations due to scan overlaps. The observed time lags span the range from a day to almost 10 years, and constrain quasar variability at rest-frame time lags of up to 4 years, and at rest-frame wavelengths from 1000 A to 6000 A. We publicly release a user-friendly catalog of quasars from the SDSS Data Release 7 that have been observed at least twice in SDSS or once in both SDSS and the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, and we use it to analyze the ensemble properties of quasar variability. Based on a damped random walk (DRW) model defined by a characteristic timescale and an asymptotic variability amplitude that scale with the luminosity, black hole mass, and rest wavelength for individual quasars calibrated in S82, we can fully explain the ensemble variability statistics of the non-S82 quasars such as the exponential distribution of large magnitude changes. All available data are consistent with the DRW model as a viable description of the optical continuum variability of quasars on timescales of {approx}5-2000 days in the rest frame. We use these models to predict the incidence of quasar contamination in transient surveys such as those from the Palomar Transient Factory and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

FAR-IR/SUBMILLIMETER SPECTROSCOPIC COSMOLOGICAL SURVEYS: PREDICTIONS OF INFRARED LINE LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS FOR z < 4 GALAXIES

Star formation and accretion onto supermassive black holes in the nuclei of galaxies are the two most energetic processes in the universe, producing the bulk of the observed emission throughout its history. We simulated the luminosity functions of star-forming and active galaxies for spectral lines that are thought to be good spectroscopic tracers of either phenomenon, as a function of redshift. We focused on the infrared (IR) and submillimeter domains, where the effects of dust obscuration are minimal. Using three different and independent theoretical models for galaxy formation and evolution, constrained by multi-wavelength luminosity functions, we computed the number of star-forming and active galaxies per IR luminosity and redshift bin. We converted the continuum luminosity counts into spectral line counts using relationships that we calibrated on mid- and far-IR spectroscopic surveys of galaxies in the local universe. Our results demonstrate that future facilities optimized for survey-mode observations, i.e., the Space Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics and the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope, will be able to observe thousands of z > 1 galaxies in key fine-structure lines, e.g., [Si II], [O I], [O III], [C II], in a half-square-degree survey, with 1 hr integration time per field of view. Fainter lines such as [O IV], [Ne V], and H{sub 2} (0-0)S1 will be observed in several tens of bright galaxies at 1 < z < 2, while diagnostic diagrams of active nucleus versus star formation activity will be feasible even for normal z {approx} 1 galaxies. We discuss the new parameter space that these future telescopes will cover and that strongly motivates their construction.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effects of stellar rotation on star formation rates and comparison to core-collapse supernova rates

We investigate star formation rate (SFR) calibrations in light of recent developments in the modeling of stellar rotation. Using new published non-rotating and rotating stellar tracks, we study the integrated properties of synthetic stellar populations and find that the UV to SFR calibration for the rotating stellar population is 30% smaller than for the non-rotating stellar population, and 40% smaller for the Hα to SFR calibration. These reductions translate to smaller SFR estimates made from observed UV and Hα luminosities. Using the UV and Hα fluxes of a sample of ∼300 local galaxies, we derive a total (i.e., sky-coverage corrected) SFR within 11 Mpc of 120-170 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and 80-130 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} for the non-rotating and rotating estimators, respectively. Independently, the number of core-collapse supernovae discovered in the same volume requires a total SFR of 270{sub −80}{sup +110} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, suggesting a tension with the SFR estimates made with rotating calibrations. More generally, when compared with the directly estimated SFR, the local supernova discoveries strongly constrain any physical effects that might increase the energy output of massive stars, including, but not limited to, stellar rotation. The cosmic SFR and cosmic supernova rate data, on the other hand, show the opposite trend, with the cosmic SFR higher than that inferred from cosmic supernovae, constraining a significant decrease in the energy output of massive stars. Together, these lines of evidence suggest that the true SFR calibration factors cannot be too far from their canonical values.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

NON-RELATIVISTIC RADIATION-MEDIATED SHOCK BREAKOUTS. I. EXACT BOLOMETRIC PLANAR BREAKOUT SOLUTIONS

The problem of a non-steady planar radiation-mediated shock (RMS) breaking out from a surface with a power-law density profile, {rho}{proportional_to}x{sup n} , is numerically solved in the approximation of diffusion with constant opacity. For an appropriate choice of time, length, and energy scales, determined by the breakout opacity, velocity, and density, the solution is universal, i.e., depends only on the density power-law index n. The resulting luminosity depends weakly on the value of n. An approximate analytic solution, based on the self-similar hydrodynamic solutions and on the steady RMS solutions, is constructed and shown to agree with the numerical solutions as long as the shock is far from the surface, {tau} >> c/v{sub sh}. Approximate analytic expressions, calibrated based on the exact solutions, are provided, which describe the escaping luminosity as a function of time. These results can be used to calculate the bolometric properties of the bursts of radiation produced during supernova shock breakouts. For completeness, we also use the exact breakout solutions to provide an analytic approximation for the maximum surface temperature for fast (v{sub sh} {approx}> 0.1) non-thermal breakouts and show that it is a few times smaller than inferred based on steady state RMS solutions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE EXTREME SPIN OF THE BLACK HOLE IN CYGNUS X-1

The compact primary in the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 was the first black hole to be established via dynamical observations. We have recently determined accurate values for its mass and distance, and for the orbital inclination angle of the binary. Building on these results, which are based on our favored (asynchronous) dynamical model, we have measured the radius of the inner edge of the black hole's accretion disk by fitting its thermal continuum spectrum to a fully relativistic model of a thin accretion disk. Assuming that the spin axis of the black hole is aligned with the orbital angular momentum vector, we have determined that Cygnus X-1 contains a near-extreme Kerr black hole with a spin parameter a{sub *} > 0.95 (3{sigma}). For a less probable (synchronous) dynamical model, we find a{sub *} > 0.92 (3{sigma}). In our analysis, we include the uncertainties in black hole mass, orbital inclination angle, and distance, and we also include the uncertainty in the calibration of the absolute flux via the Crab. These four sources of uncertainty totally dominate the error budget. The uncertainties introduced by the thin-disk model we employ are particularly small in this case given the extreme spin of the black hole and the disk's low luminosity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The impact of chromospheric activity on observed initial mass functions

Using recently established empirical calibrations for the impact of chromospheric activity on the radii, effective temperatures, and estimated masses of active low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, we reassess the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) across the stellar/substellar boundary in the Upper Sco star-forming region (age ∼ 5-10 Myr). We adjust the observed effective temperatures to warmer values using the observed strength of the chromospheric Hα emission, and redetermine the estimated masses of objects using pre-main-sequence evolutionary tracks in the H-R diagram. The effect of the activity-adjusted temperatures is to shift the objects to higher masses by 3%-100%. While the slope of the resulting IMF at substellar masses is not strongly changed, the peak of the IMF does shift from ≈0.06 to ≈0.11 M {sub ☉}. Moreover, for objects with masses ≲ 0.2 M {sub ☉}, the ratio of brown dwarfs to stars changes from ∼80% to ∼33%. These results suggest that activity corrections are essential for studies of the substellar mass function, if the masses are estimated from spectral types or from effective temperatures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Identification of tau leptons using a convolutional neural network with domain adaptation

A tau lepton identification algorithm,DeepTau, based on convolutional neural network techniques, has been developed in the CMS experiment to discriminate reconstructed hadronic decays of tau leptons (τ h ) from quark or gluon jets and electrons and muons that are misreconstructed as τ h candidates. The latest version of this algorithm, v2.5, includes domain adaptation by backpropagation, a technique that reduces discrepancies between collision data and simulation in the region with the highest purity of genuine τh candidates. Additionally, a refined training workflow improves classification performance with respect to the previous version of the algorithm, with a reduction of 30–50% in the probability for quark and gluon jets to be misidentified as τ h candidates for given reconstruction and identification efficiencies. This paper presents the novel improvements introduced in theDeepTau algorithm and evaluates its performance in LHC proton-proton collision data at √(s) = 13 and 13.6 TeV collected in 2018 and 2022 with integrated luminosities of 60 and 35 fb -1 , respectively. Techniques to calibrate the performance of the τ h identification algorithm in simulation with respect to its measured performance in real data are presented, together with a subset of results among those measured for use in CMS physics analyses.

Large detector-systems performance↗