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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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NASA NTRS1973

The distribution of redshifts of radio galaxies with different optical spectra and forms

The distribution of redshifts of 222 radio galaxies has been subjected to a power-spectrum analysis. No statistically significant spectral peaks are present for galaxies showing normal absorption-line characteristics; on the other hand, significant spectral peaks are present for those exhibiting strong emission features. Of these spectral peaks, the most significant, at a wavelength of 0.031 in redshift, occurs for those strong-emission radio galaxies which are also compact. The result is consistent with the proposal suggested earlier by Burbidge that the nonrandom features, which may suggest intrinsic redshifts, are confined to those objects - QSOs, N systems, etc. - in which radiation from stars does not dominate. Possible explanations of the apparently nonrandom features are briefly discussed. Finally, a table of the most recently published small-redshift QSOs and compact emission-line galaxies is presented. The redshifts appear to conform to the 0.061 (or 0.031) periodicity found earlier.

Burbidge, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

N galaxies - A new class of X-ray sources

It is shown that in addition to many Seyfert galaxies and quasars, N galaxies are also powerful X-ray sources. X-ray emission has been discovered from all six N galaxies in the 3C radio catalogue with redshifts less than 0.06 and from the N galaxy Pic A. Since many of the N galaxies possess compact radio components, it is suggested that the principle cause of X-ray emission may be the synchrotron self-Compton process. An alternate theory suggests that X-rays may be generated by gas clouds colliding with velocities of the order of the Doppler width of the broad lines.

Marshall, F. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

VLBI and X-ray observations of compact nuclei in pairs of galaxies

Five pairs of isolated pairs of galaxies with radio sources from the sample of Stocke et al. (1978) were observed with a three-element VLBI array operating at 4996 MHz. Parsec-scale components were detected in NGC 3894, Arp 102, and NGC 6500. Arp 102B was found to be a strong X-ray source with a luminosity in the 0.5-4.5 keV band of about 10 to the 43rd ergs/sec. Arp 102B was also found to be an elliptical galaxy for which no emission lines have been reported, and was the only source in the sample which appeared unresolved on the milli-arcsec scale, indicating that it may be related to BL Lac type objects.

Biermann, P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Relativistic and Slowing Down: The Flow in the Hotspots of Powerful Radio Galaxies and Quasars

The 'hotspots' of powerful radio galaxies (the compact, high brightness regions, where the jet flow collides with the intergalactic medium (IGM)) have been imaged in radio, optical and recently in X-ray frequencies. We propose a scheme that unifies their, at first sight, disparate broad band (radio to X-ray) spectral properties. This scheme involves a relativistic flow upstream of the hotspot that decelerates to the sub-relativistic speed of its inferred advance through the IGM and it is viewed at different angles to its direction of motion, as suggested by two independent orientation estimators (the presence or not of broad emission lines in their optical spectra and the core-to-extended radio luminosity). This scheme, besides providing an account of the hotspot spectral properties with jet orientation, it also suggests that the large-scale jets remain relativistic all the way to the hotspots.

Kazanas, D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Dearth of UV-bright Stars in M32: Implications for Stellar Evolution Theory

Using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained deep far ultraviolet images of the compact elliptical galaxy M32. When combined with earlier near-ultraviolet images of the same field, these data enable the construction of an ultraviolet color-magnitude diagram of the hot horizontal branch (HB) population and other hot stars in late phases of stellar evolution. We find few post-asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) stars in the galaxy, implying that these stars either cross the HR diagram more rapidly than expected, and/or that they spend a significant fraction of their time enshrouded in circumstellar material. The predicted luminosity gap between the hot HB and its AGB-Manque (AGBM) progeny is less pronounced than expected, especially when compared to evolutionary tracks with enhanced helium abundances, implying that the presence of hot HB stars in this metal-rich population is not due to (Delta)Y/(Delta)Z greater than or approx. 4. Only a small fraction (approx. 2%) of the HB population is hot enough to produce significant UV emission, yet most of the W emission in this galaxy comes from the hot HB and AGBM stars, implying that PAGB stars are not a significant source of W emission even in those elliptical galaxies with a weak W excess. Subject headings: galaxies: evolution - galaxies: stellar content - galaxies: individual (M32) - stars: evolution - stars: horizontal branch

Sweigart, Allen V.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Hot, Massive Stars in I Zw 18

I Zw 18 is one of the most primitive blue, compact dwarf galaxies. The ionized gas in I Zw 18 has a low oxygen abundance (O approx.1/30 Osun) and nitrogen abundance (N-1/100 Nsun) (Pequignot 2008). We have obtained a far-UV spectrum of the northwest massive star cluster of I Zw 18 using Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). The spectrum is compatible with continuous star-formation over the past approx.10 Myr, and a very low metallicity, log Z/Zsun 1.7, although the stellar surface may be enhanced in carbon. Stellar wind lines are very weak, and the edge velocity of wind lines is very low (approx.250 km/s).

Heap, Sara R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

LISA: Opening New Horizons

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a space-borne observatory that will open the low frequency (approx.0.1-100 mHz) gravitational wave window on the universe. LISA will observe a rich variety of gravitational wave sources, including mergers of massive black holes, captures of stellar black holes by massive black holes in the centers of galaxies, and compact Galactic binaries. These sources are generally long-lived, providing unprecedented opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy in the transient sky. This talk will present an overview of these scientific arenas, highlighting how LISA will enable stunning discoveries in origins, understanding the cosmic order, and the frontiers of knowledge.

Centrella, Joan M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The central, compact source in the Cygnus A galaxy

Single, optically thin, component models as well as double, optically thick at low frequencies, component models have been examined in trying to explain the central source in the nucleus of Cygnus A. In the course of exploring those models, it is found that this compact radio source may be quite similar to other compact and variable sources in Seyfert galaxies and quasars. Double component models generally do better because they fit the X-rays, and there is a good chance that the X-rays arise in the central source; these models can naturally explain variability which may already have been detected in X-rays. The IR is most likely due to emission by cold dust in the nucleus of Cygnus A. Optical emission is, very likely, primarily thermal, except perhaps at UV wavelengths. A number of observations are suggested to check the predictions of this work.

Kafatos, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Compact radio sources in the starburst galaxy M82 and the Sigma-D relation for supernova remnants

We have obtained an 8.4 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) A-array map of the starburst galaxy M82 with a resolution Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) approximately 0.182 sec. About 50 compact radio sources in the central region of M82 were detected with a peak surface brightness approximately greater than 10(exp -17) W/Hz/sq m/sr. Comparison with previous observations shows that most sources are declining in flux. Three previously visible sources have faded into the background of our map (approximately less than 0.2 mJy/beam), while a few sources, including the second and third brightest radio sources in M82, may have increased slightly in flux over the last decade. No new radio supernova was found. The birth rate of the compact radio sources is estimated to be 0.11 + or - 0.05/yr. We attribute the population of such bright, small supernova remnants (SNRs) in M82 to the high pressure in the central region that can truncate the mass loss during a red supergiant phase or allow dense ionized clouds to be present. The compact radio sources obey a Sigma(radio surface brightness) - D(diameter) relation which is remarkably similar to that followed by supernova remnants in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds and by two of the strongest known extragalactic radio supernovae: SN 1986J and SN 1979C. A least-squares fit to the SNR data gives: Sigma(sub 8.4 GHz) (W/Hz/sq m/sr) = 4.4 x 10(exp -16) D(sub pc)(exp -3.5 +/- 0.1) covering seven orders of magnitude in Sigma. Possible selection effects are discussed and a theoretical discussion of the correlation is presented.

Huang, Z. P.↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Morphology of Passively Evolving Galaxies at Z-2 from HST/WFC3 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We discuss near-IR images of six passive galaxies (SSFR< 10(exp -2)/Gyr) at redshift 1.3 < z < 2.4 with stellar mass M approx 10(exp 11) solar mass, selected from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), obtained with WFC3/IR and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These WFC3 images provide the deepest and highest angular resolution view of the optical rest-frame morphology of such systems to date. We find that the light profile of these; galaxies is generally regular and well described by a Sersic model with index typical of today's spheroids. We confirm the existence of compact and massive early-type galaxies at z approx. 2: four out of six galaxies have T(sub e) approx. 1 kpc or less. The WFC3 images achieve limiting surface brightness mu approx. 26.5 mag/sq arcsec in the F160W bandpass; yet there is no evidence of a faint halo in the five compact galaxies of our sample, nor is a halo observed in their stacked image. We also find very weak "morphological k-correction" in the galaxies between the rest-frame UV (from the ACS z band), and the rest-frame optical (WFC3 H band): the visual classification, Sersic indices and physical sizes of these galaxies are independent or only mildly dependent on the wavelength, within the errors.

Cassata, P.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Explaining compact groups as change alignments

The physical nature of the apparently densest groups of galaxies, known as compact groups is a topic of some recent controversy, despite the detailed observations of a well-defined catalog of 100 isolated compact groups compiled by Hickson (1982). Whereas many authors have espoused the view that compact groups are bound systems, typically as dense as they appear in projection on the sky (e.g., Williams & Rood 1987; Sulentic 1987; Hickson & Rood 1988), others see them as the result of chance configurations within larger systems, either in 1D (chance alignments: Mamon 1986; Walke & Mamon 1989), or in 3D (transient cores: Rose 1979). As outlined in the companion review to this contribution (Mamon, in these proceedings), the implication of Hickson's compact groups (HCGs) being dense bound systems is that they would then constitute the densest isolated systems of galaxies in the Universe and the privileged site for galaxy interactions. In a previous paper (Mamon 1986), the author reviewed the arguments given for the different theories of compact groups. Since then, a dozen papers have been published on the subject, including a thorough and perceptive review by White (1990), thus more than doubling the amount written on the subject. Here, the author first enumerates the arguments that he brought up in 1986 substantiating the chance alignment hypothesis, then he reviews the current status of the numerous recent arguments arguing against chance alignments and/or for the bound dense group hypothesis (both for the majority of HCGs but not all of them), and finally he reconsiders each one of these anti-chance alignment arguments and shows that, rather than being discredited, the chance alignment hypothesis remains a fully consistent explanation for the nature of compact groups.

Mamon, Gary A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

1E 0104.2 + 3153 - A broad absorption-line QSO viewed through a giant elliptical galaxy

The optical identification of the X-ray source 1E 0104.2 + 3153 is complicated by the close projection of a broad absorption-line (BAL) QSO (z = 2.027) 10 arcsec from a giant elliptical galaxy (z = 0.111) at the center of a compact group of galaxies. At only 1.2 de Vaucouleur radii (16 kpc for H sub 0 = 100 km/s Mpc) this QSO-galaxy projection is the closest yet discovered. Based upon current observations, the source of the X-ray emission cannot be conclusively determined. Present in the BAL QSO spectrum are extremely strong Ca II H and K absorption lines due to the intervening galaxy, the first optical detection of the cold interstellar medium in an elliptical galaxy. The strength of these lines (EW = 2 and 1 A) requires observation through several interstellar clouds in the line of sight to the QSO. By its proximity to the central regions of the elliptical galaxy and the relative distances of the galaxy and QSO, this QSO is a particularly good candidate for observing dramatic transient gravitational lensing phenomena due to halo stars in the foreground galaxy.

Stocke, J. T.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quiescent Host Galaxies of Extended Quasars Revealed by Spectrophotometric Decomposition

Previous works of low-redshift quasar host galaxies have focused on compact quasars and found that their host galaxies are mainly star-forming galaxies. Here, we present a study of host galaxies for quasars with extended morphologies in ground-based optical images. We select a sample of more than 1000 type 1 quasars at redshift 0.1 < z < 1 that are classified as extended objects by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Combining high-resolution spectra from DESI and high-quality images from Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam, we develop a spectrophotometric decomposition technique to iteratively decompose each quasar into an active galactic nucleus (AGN) component and its host galaxy. The technique can effectively break the degeneracy between the AGN and host components and capture the host spectral features. Our results show that the host galaxies of most quasars have low star formation rates (SFRs) and low specific SFRs, indicating that they are quiescent galaxies. Many of them exhibit prominent post-starburst features with the existence of significant old stellar populations. These properties are quite different from the nature of compact quasars with star-forming host galaxies. In addition, the relation between the black hole mass and stellar mass for our sample is broadly consistent with the canonical local relations. This work is complementary to the previous studies and suggests that the host galaxies of low-redshift quasars are more diverse than was thought.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Everything you ever wanted to know about the ultraviolet spectra of star-forming galaxies but were afraid to ask

We present ultraviolet spectra of 143 star-forming galaxies of different morphological types and activity classes including S0, Sa, Sb, Sc, Sd, irregular, starburst, blue compact, blue compact dwarf, Liner, and Seyfert 2 galaxies. These IUE spectra cover the wavelength range from 1200 to 3200 A and are taken in a large aperture (10 x 20 inch). The ultraviolet spectral energy distributions are shown for a subset of the galaxies, ordered by spectral index, and separated by type for normal galaxies, Liners, starburst galaxies, blue compact (BCG) and blue compact dwarf (BCDG) galaxies, and Seyfert 2 galaxies. The ultraviolet spectra of Liners are, for the most part, indistinguishable from the spectra of normal galaxies. Starburst galaxies have a large range of ultraviolet slope, from blue to red. The star-forming galaxies which are the bluest in the optical (BCG and BCDG), also have the 'bluest' average ultraviolet slope of beta = -1.75 +/- 0.63. Seyfert 2 galaxies are the only galaxies in the sample that consistently have detectable UV emission lines.

Kinney, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Search for X-ray Emission in Isolated Compact Triplets

We describe preliminary results of an exploratory search for diffuse X-ray emission in a sample of the poorest galaxy groups, i.e., isolated compact triplets of galaxies. These systems represent the simplest forms of galaxy clustering while manifesting all the complexities inherent in other groups. We have selected 20 compact triplets for this initial study. The component galaxies are expected to interact with each other and with the group's intergalactic medium, if present, in complex ways that trigger high-energy processes.

Brown, Beth A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

SDSS-IV MaNGA: The MaNGA Dwarf Galaxy Sample Presentation

We present the MaNGA Dwarf galaxy (MaNDala) Value Added Catalog (VAC), from the final release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV program. MaNDala consists of 136 randomly selected bright dwarf galaxies with M * < 10 9.1 M ⊙ and M g > -18.5, making it the largest integral field spectroscopy homogeneous sample of dwarf galaxies. We release a photometric analysis of the g, r, and z broadband imaging based on the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, as well as a spectroscopic analysis based on the Pipe3D SDSS-IV VAC. Our release includes the surface brightness (SB), geometric parameters, and color profiles, Sérsic fits as well as stellar population properties (such as stellar ages, metallicities, and star formation histories), and emission lines' fluxes within the FOV and the effective radii of the galaxies. We find that the majority of the MaNDala galaxies are star-forming late-type galaxies with $\langle$n Sersic,r $\rangle$ ~ 1.6 that are centrals (central/satellite dichotomy). MaNDala covers a large range of SB values (we find 11 candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies and three compact ones), filling the gap between classical dwarfs and low-mass galaxies in the Kormendy Diagram and in the size–mass/luminosity relation, which seems to flatten at 10 8 < M * /M ⊙ < 10 9 with $\langle$R e,r $\rangle$ ~ 2.7 kpc. A large fraction of MaNDala galaxies formed from an early low-metallicity burst of SF, but also from late SF events from more metal-enriched gas: half of the MaNDala galaxies assembled 50% of their mass at $\langle$z$\rangle$ > 2, while the last 20% was at $\langle$z$\rangle$ < 0.3. Finally, a bending of the sSFR-M * relation at M * ~ 10 9 M ⊙ for the main-sequence galaxies seems to be supported by MaNDala.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Compact radio cores in three Seyfert galaxies - High resolution studies of Mkn 3, Mkn 231, and Mkn 463

The small-scale morphologies of Mkn 231 and Mkn 463 have been investigated using the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.6 GHz and the VLA at 15 and 22 GHz. Mkn 3 has been studied using the EVN at 1.4 and 1.6 GHz. All of the galaxies have a substantial fraction of their core radio flux in linear or elongated structures, typically tens of parsecs in extent. Agreement between the parsec- and kiloparsec-scale position angles of continuum radio emission suggests collimated outflow from the galaxy centers that continues over several orders of magnitude in scale. Supernova rates of order one hundred per year on scales of tens of parsecs are required to explain the nuclear radio emission as the result of bursts of star formation. The luminosities, small extents, and linear morphologies of the radio sources all support the idea that the nuclear radio sources are energized by active galactic nuclei and therefore support the more general picture of Seyfert galaxy nuclei being low-luminosity quasars. All of the galaxies appear to have undergone violent interactions in the recent past.

Neff, S. G.↗