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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

The gas-phase mass–metallicity relation of dwarf galaxies across large-scale environments using the CAVITY parent sample

Context. The gas-phase mass–metallicity relation (MZR) of galaxies shows a noticeable break in slope and an increased scatter at low stellar masses, suggesting that the physical processes governing chemical enrichment differ between dwarf and high-mass systems. Dwarf galaxies, in particular, are highly susceptible to both internal and environmental mechanisms due to their shallow potential wells. Aims. The primary aim of this work is to assess whether a single, universal MZR can describe dwarf galaxies across diverse large-scale environments, or whether systematic environmental variations emerge. To probe these, we examine the MZR and star formation rate (SFR) of dwarf galaxies with stellar masses in the range of 8.9 < log(M ★ /M ⊙ ) < 9.5. Methods. Using optical spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we measured the fluxes of key emission lines via the pyPipe3D full spectral fitting pipeline. Aperture-corrected fluxes, along with multiple metallicity indicators and calibrations, were used to derive the MZR and the SFR for 353, 311, and 22 dwarf galaxies located in voids, filaments, and clusters, respectively. Results. We find a systematic variation in the MZR slope, steeper in voids (0.28 ± 0.03) and progressively flatter in clusters (0.17 ± 0.08), indicating a dependence of the MZR on the large-scale environment in this mass regime. When galaxies are separated by local density, no significant differences are observed between isolated and non-isolated dwarfs in voids. Isolated dwarf galaxies in filaments also exhibit properties similar to those of their counterparts in voids. However, non-isolated filament galaxies exhibit similar MZR slopes comparable to those of cluster dwarfs and flatter slopes than their counterparts in voids. Conclusions. We report both large- and local-scale environmental dependencies in the gas-phase metallicity and in the slope of the MZR for dwarf galaxies. Consistent with the general consensus on the pre-processing of galaxies in filaments, our results indicate that the influence of the local environment becomes increasingly significant within the filamentary regions of the cosmic web, affecting the chemical enrichment and star formation activity of low-mass systems. These findings further suggest that a portion of the scatter commonly observed in the MZR of dwarf galaxies arises from environmental effects.

Bidaran, Bahar [Dpto. de Física Teórica y del Cosm↗

Effects of strain, disorder, and Coulomb screening on free-carrier mobility in doped cadmium oxide

Here, the interplay of stress, disorder, and Coulomb screening dictating the mobility of doped cadmium oxide (CdO) is examined using Raman spectroscopy to identify the mechanisms driving dopant incorporation and scattering within this emerging infrared optical material. Specifically, multi-wavelength Raman and UV-vis spectroscopies are combined with electrical Hall measurements on a series of yttrium (X = Y) and indium (X = In) doped X:CdO thin-films. Hall measurements confirm n-type doping and establish carrier concentrations and mobilities. Spectral fitting along the low-frequency Raman combination bands, especially the TA+TO(X) mode, reveals that the evolution of strain and disorder within the lattice as a function of dopant concentration is strongly correlated with mobility. Coupling between the electronic and lattice environments was examined through analysis of first- and second-order longitudinal–optical phonon–plasmon coupled modes that monotonically decrease in energy and asymmetrically broaden with increasing dopant concentration. By fitting these trends to an impurity-induced Fröhlich model for the Raman scattering intensity, exciton–phonon and exciton–impurity coupling factors are quantified. These coupling factors indicate a continual decrease in the amount of ionized impurity scattering with increasing dopant concentration and are not as well correlated with mobility. This shows that lattice strain and disorder are the primary determining factors for mobility in donor-doped CdO. In aggregate, the study confirms previously postulated defect equilibrium arguments for dopant incorporation in CdO while at the same time identifying paths for its further refinement.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Measurement of Stark-split beam and carbon charge exchange emissions for simultaneous B-field and temperature/rotation analysis at DIII-D

A set of two newly designed, single-channel Czerny–Turner spectrometers has been deployed at the DIII-D tokamak for measurements of the motional Stark effect (MSE) split beam emission and the C6+ (CVI) carbon charge exchange recombination (CER) emission at high spectral (δλ = 0.13 nm) and temporal (1–5 kHz) resolution. High throughput optics (f/# = 2.8) allow for good signal-to-noise at high time resolution using fast EMCCD detectors. The MSE emission allows for spectral fitting of the magnitude and direction of the local B-field, while the carbon emission yields local ion temperature and toroidal rotation information. To reduce so-called Doppler broadening of the MSE emission, a new channel-specific variable lens-masking approach has been developed. Experimental data collected from the 2023 DIII-D experimental campaign demonstrate the signal quality and instrument fidelity for both diagnostic measurements. Moreover, initial CER data analysis shows a clear evolution of the toroidal rotation during edge localized modes. Initial progress on the advanced MSE model, including a new validated ray-trace model of the DIII-D collection optics, is shown via sensitivity analysis.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Effect of a collapsing gas bubble on the shock-to-detonation transition in liquid nitromethane

We studied the shock-induced collapse of butane gas bubbles in the homogeneous explosive nitromethane (NM) to investigate the effects of hot spot formation on the detonation process. A butane bubble was injected into a sample of NM, and a shock wave from a flat plate impactor compressed the bubble, creating a localized hot spot. We measured shock and detonation wave speeds with optical velocimetry, and we used a high-speed camera to image the shock propagation and bubble collapse processes. A multiband optical fiber pyrometer measured the time-resolved thermal radiance, and we used the results and emissivity values extracted from spectral fits to estimate temperatures. We measured the characteristics of the shock-to-detonation transition in NM with and without a bubble. All experiments were performed at shock pressures near 8 GPa, where neat NM can detonate. A single bubble in this system was shown to sensitize NM, leading to a reduced run-to-detonation time. We used hydrodynamic modeling to predict shock wave propagation, the extent of chemical reaction, and subsequent temperature rise from the collapsing bubble. We used a temperature-dependent Arrhenius burn model for simulations, and it yielded much better results than reactive burn models that depend only on pressure and density.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Visible spectroscopy of highly charged tungsten ions with the JET charge exchange diagnostic

Since the installation of the ITER-like wall on the JET tokamak, visible emission from a broad range of tungsten charge states has complicated plasma ion temperature and toroidal rotation measurements. A plethora of charge exchange transitions, from ions up to W 56+ , and 21 suspected magnetic dipole transitions have been observed. In particular W 39+ and W 46+ charge exchange emission contaminates the long-established carbon measurement at 529 nm. Fortunately the wavelength and relative intensity of the tungsten charge exchange lines is predictable and their influence can be mitigated when they are included in the spectral fit. Neon based charge exchange measurements at 525 nm are now preferred on JET since the ITER-like wall, however in this case an unidentified tungsten magnetic dipole transition contaminates the spectrum when the electron temperature is low.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Measuring stellar populations, dust attenuation and ionized gas at kpc scales in 10010 nearby galaxies using the integral field spectroscopy from MaNGA

As one of the three major experiments of the fourth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV), the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apatch Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey has obtained high-quality integral field spectroscopy (IFS) with a resolution of 1–2 kpc for ∼ 10 4 galaxies in the local universe during its six-year operation from July 2014 through August 2020. It is crucial to reliably measure the physical properties of the different components in each spectrum before one can use the data for any scientific study. In the past years we have made lots of efforts to develop a novel technique of full spectral fitting, which estimates a model-independent dust attenuation curve from each spectrum, thus allowing us to break the degeneracy between dust attenuation and stellar population properties when fitting the spectrum with stellar population synthesis models. We have applied our technique to the final data release of MaNGA, and obtained measurements of stellar population properties and emission line parameters, as well as the kinematics and dust attenuation of both stellar and ionized gas components. In this paper we describe our technique and the content and format of our data products. The whole dataset is publicly available in Science Data Bank with the link https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00088 .

Physics↗

SDSS-IV MaNGA: The link between bars and the early cessation of star formation in spiral galaxies

ABSTRACT Bars are common in low-redshift disc galaxies, and hence quantifying their influence on their host is of importance to the field of galaxy evolution. We determine the stellar populations and star formation histories of 245 barred galaxies from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) galaxy survey, and compare them to a mass- and morphology-matched comparison sample of unbarred galaxies. At fixed stellar mass and morphology, barred galaxies are optically redder than their unbarred counterparts. From stellar population analysis using the full spectral fitting code starlight, we attribute this difference to both older and more metal-rich stellar populations. Dust attenuation however, is lower in the barred sample. The star formation histories of barred galaxies peak earlier than their non-barred counterparts, and the galaxies build up their mass at earlier times. We can detect no significant differences in the local environment of barred and unbarred galaxies in this sample, but find that the H i gas mass fraction is significantly lower in high-mass ($\rm {M}_{\star } \gt 10^{10}~\rm {M}_{\odot }$) barred galaxies than their non-barred counterparts. We speculate on the mechanisms that have allowed barred galaxies to be older, more metal-rich and more gas-poor today, including the efficient redistribution of galactic fountain byproducts, and a runaway bar formation scenario in gas-poor discs. While it is not possible to fully determine the effect of the bar on galaxy quenching, we conclude that the presence of a bar and the early cessation of star formation within a galaxy are intimately linked.

Fraser-McKelvie, Amelia↗

iMaNGA: mock MaNGA galaxies based on IllustrisTNG and MaStar SSPs – I. Construction and analysis of the mock data cubes

ABSTRACT Galaxy formation and evolution simulations are essential tools to probe poorly known astrophysics processes, but particular care is needed to compare simulations with galaxy observations, as observed data need to be modelled as well. We present a method to generate mock galaxies from the hydro-dynamical IllustrisTNG simulations which are suited to compare with integral field spectroscopic observation of galaxies from the SDSS-IV/Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. First, we include the same instrumental effects and procedures as adopted in the acquisition and analysis of real data. Furthermore, we generate the galaxy spectra from the simulations using new stellar population models based on the MaNGA stellar library (MaStar). In this way, our mock data cubes have the same spatial sampling, cover the same wavelength range (3600–10 300 Å), and share the same spectral resolution (R ≈ 1800) and flux calibration of real MaNGA galaxy spectra. In this first paper, we demonstrate the method over an early- and a late-type simulated galaxy from TNG50. We analyse the correspondent mock MaNGA-like data cubes with the same full spectral fitting code, firefly, which was used for the observed spectra. We find that the intrinsic and recovered age and metallicity gradients are consistent within 1σ, with residuals over all tassels consistent with 0 at the 68 ${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ confidence level. We also perform the challenging test at comparing intrinsic and recovered star formation histories, finding a close resemblance between input and output. In follow-up papers, we will present a full simulated MaNGA-like catalogue (≈10 000 galaxies) with a comprehensive comparison of TNG50 simulations to MaNGA observational results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

X-ray emission of the radio-loud quasar SDSS J121426.52+140258.9: independent variations between optical/UV and X-ray emission

To understand the X-ray emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we explored the optical-to-X-ray variation correlation of a radio-loud quasar (RLQ) SDSS J121426.52+140258.9 (hereafter J1214+1402) with multi-epoch observations by the Swift and XMM–Newton telescopes. With the historical multiband data, we found that the infrared-to-X-ray flux of RLQ J1214+1402 should not be dominated by the beamed-jet emission. The Swift optical/UV and X-ray light curves showed that J1214+1402 has two optical states, with low flux before 2014 April 8 and high flux after 2014 June 11, but has no significant X-ray variations during the time range between 2007 March 9 and 2014 August 4. This result was supported by the XMM–Newton observations in the time overlapping with Swift. Interestingly, the early XMM–Newton data prior to the Swift time present two unusual emission epochs when J1214+1402 has relatively low optical fluxes but has the brightest X-ray fluxes. The overall independence of optical-to-X-ray variation seems hard to describe by the disc–corona model. With the X-ray spectral fitting, we find that the soft X-ray excess in J1214+1402 appears only during the high optical state when the X-ray emission is at a low state. The soft X-ray excess in J1214+1402 is difficult to explain by an ionized accretion disc; instead, it may be related to the warm corona.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

IGR J18249−3243: a new GeV-emitting FR II and the emerging population of high-energy radio galaxies

ABSTRACT The advent of new all-sky radio surveys such as the VLA Sky Survey and the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey, performed with the latest generation radio telescopes, is opening new possibilities on the classification and study of extragalactic γ-ray sources, specially the underrepresented ones like radio galaxies. In particular, the enhanced sensitivity (sub-mJy level) and resolution (a few arcsec) provides a better morphological and spectral classification. In this work, we present the reclassification of a Fermi/Large Area Telescope (LAT) source as a new Fanaroff–Riley II radio galaxy from the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory sample found to emit at GeV energies. Through a broad-band spectral fitting from radio to γ-ray, we find that the commonly invoked jet contribution is not sufficient to account for the observed γ-ray flux. Our modelling suggests that the observed emission could mainly originate in the lobes (rather than in the radio core) by inverse Compton scattering of radio-emitting electrons off the ambient photon fields. In addition, we cross-correlated the latest generation radio surveys with a list of Fermi/LAT candidate misaligned AGN from the literature, finding four new radio galaxies with a double-lobed morphology. Additional four objects could be classified as such thanks to previous studies in the literature, for a total of nine new radio galaxies with GeV emission presented in this work. We foresee that further objects of this class might be found in the near future with the advent of the Square Kilometer Array, populating the GeV sky.

Bruni, G. (ORCID:0000000251826289)↗

Are Milky-Way-like galaxies like the Milky Way? A view from SDSS-IV/MaNGA

ABSTRACT In this paper, we place the Milky Way (MW) in the context of similar-looking galaxies in terms of their star-formation and chemical evolution histories. We select a sample of 138 Milky Way analogues (MWAs) from the SDSS-IV/MaNGA survey based on their masses, Hubble types, and bulge-to-total ratios. To compare their chemical properties to the detailed spatially-resolved information available for the MW, we use a semi-analytic spectral fitting approach, which fits a self-consistent chemical-evolution and star-formation model directly to the MaNGA spectra. We model the galaxies’ inner and outer regions assuming that some of the material lost in stellar winds falls inwards. We also incorporate chemical enrichment from type II and Ia supernovae to follow the alpha-element abundance at different metallicities and locations. We find some MWAs where the stellar properties closely reproduce the distribution of age, metallicity, and alpha enhancement at both small and large radii in the MW. In these systems, the match is driven by the longer time-scale for star formation in the outer parts, and the inflow of enriched material to the central parts. However, other MWAs have very different histories. These divide into two categories: self-similar galaxies where the inner and outer parts evolve identically; and centrally-quenched galaxies where there is very little evidence of late-time central star formation driven by material accreted from the outer regions. We find that, although selected to be comparable, there are subtle morphological differences between galaxies in these different classes, and that the centrally-quenched galaxies formed their stars systematically earlier.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The separate effect of halo mass and stellar mass on the evolution of massive disc galaxies

ABSTRACT We analyse a sample of massive disc galaxies selected from the fourth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey to investigate how the evolution of these galaxies depends on their stellar and halo masses. We applied a semi-analytic spectral fitting approach to the data from different regions in the galaxies to derive several of their key physical properties. From the best-fitting model results, together with direct observables such as morphology, colour, and the Mgb/〈Fe〉 index ratio measured within 1Re, we find that for central galaxies both their stellar and halo masses have a significant influence in their evolution. For a given halo mass, galaxies with higher stellar mass accumulate their stellar mass and become chemically enriched earlier than those with smaller stellar mass. Furthermore, at a given stellar mass, galaxies living in more massive haloes have longer star formation time-scales and are delayed in becoming chemically enriched. In contrast, the evolution of massive satellite galaxies is mostly determined by their stellar mass. The results indicate that both the assembled halo mass and the halo assembly history impact the evolution of central galaxies. Our spatially resolved analysis indicates that only the galaxy properties in the central region (0.0–0.5Re) show the dependencies described above. This fact supports a halo-driven formation scenario since the galaxies’ central regions are more likely to contain old stars formed along with the halo itself, keeping a memory of the halo formation process.

Zhou, Shuang (ORCID:0000000289996814)↗

Outflowing photoionized plasma in Circinus X-1 using the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer Resolve onboard XRISM and the radiative transfer code cloudy

High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy is a key to understanding the mass inflow and outflow of compact objects. Spectral lines carry information about the ionization, density, and velocity structures through their intensity ratios and profiles. They are formed in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions under the intense radiation field from the compact objects; thus radiative transfer (RT) calculation is a requisite for proper interpretations. We present such a study for a low-mass X-ray binary, Circinus X-1, from which the P Cygni profile was discovered using the X-ray grating spectrometer onboard Chandra. We observed the source using the X-ray microcalorimeter onboard XRISM at an orbital phase of 0.93–0.97 and revealed many spectral features unidentified before: the higher series transitions ($n{\rightarrow }1$; $n>2$) of highly ionized (H- and He-like) S, Ca, Ar, and Fe in emission and absorption, the Fe K$\alpha$ and K$\beta$ inner-shell excitation absorption of mildly ionized (O- to Li-like) Fe, and resolved fine-structure level transitions in the Fe Ly$\alpha$ and He$\alpha$ complexes. They blend with each other at different velocity shifts on top of apparently variable continuum emission that changed its flux by an order of magnitude within a 70 ks telescope time. Despite such complexity in the observed spectra, most of them can be explained by a simple model consisting of the photoionized plasma outflowing at $\sim$300 km s$^{-1}$ and the variable blocking material in the line of sight of the incident continuum emission from the accretion disk. We demonstrate this with the aid of the RT code cloudy for the line ratio diagnostics and spectral fitting. We further constrain the physical parameters of the outflow and argue that the outflow is launched close to the outer edge of the accretion disk and can be driven radiatively by being assisted by the line force calculated using the RT simulation.

X-rays: binaries↗

Characterization of the astrophysical diffuse neutrino flux using starting track events in IceCube

In this article, a measurement of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino spectrum is presented using IceCube data collected from 2011-2022 (10.3 years). We developed novel detection techniques to search for events with a contained vertex and exiting track induced by muon neutrinos undergoing a charged-current interaction. Searching for these starting track events allows us to not only more effectively reject atmospheric muons but also atmospheric neutrino backgrounds in the southern sky, opening a new window to the sub-100 TeV astrophysical neutrino sky. The event selection is constructed using a dynamic starting track veto and machine learning algorithms. We use this data to measure the astrophysical diffuse flux as a single power law flux (SPL) with a best-fit spectral index of γ=2.58$_{-0.09}^{+0.10}$ and per-flavor normalization of $\phi$$_{per-flavor}^{Astro}$=1.68$_{-0.22}^{+0.19}$×10 -18 ×GeV -1 cm -2 s -1 sr -1 (at 100 TeV). The sensitive energy range for this dataset is 3-550 TeV under the SPL assumption. This data was also used to measure the flux under a broken power law, however we did not find any evidence of a low energy cutoff.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Signal processing and spectral modeling for the BeEST experiment

The Beryllium Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (BeEST) experiment searches for evidence of heavy neutrino mass eigenstates in the nuclear electron capture decay of 7 Be by precisely measuring the recoil energy of the 7 Li daughter. In Phase III, the BeEST experiment has been scaled from a singl superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) sensor to a 36-pixel array to increase sensitivity and mitigate gamma-induced backgrounds. Phase III also uses a new continuous data acquisition system that greatly increases the flexibility for signal processing and data cleaning. Here, we have developed procedures for signal processing and spectral fitting that are sufficiently robust to be automated for large datasets. Furthermore, this article presents the optimized procedures before unblinding the majority of the Phase III dataset to search for physics beyond the standard model.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

Time-resolved absorption spectroscopic characterization of ultrafast laser-produced plasmas under varying background pressures

Time-resolved tunable laser absorption spectroscopy is used to characterize the physical properties of ultrafast laser-produced plasmas. The plasmas were produced from an Inconel target, with = 0.4 wt. % Al, using ~ 35 fs, ~800 nm laser pulses at varying Ar background pressures from 1-100 Torr. The absorption spectrum of atomic Al is measured with high spectral and temporal resolution when the probe laser is stepped across the selected Al transition at 394.4 nm. Spectral fitting is used to infer linewidths, kinetic temperature, Al column density, and pressure broadening coefficient. The late time physical properties of plasmas are compared for various pressure levels. Our studies highlight that a significant lower state population exists even at early times of ultrafast laser-produced plasma evolution and lower state population persistence decreases with increasing ambient pressure. We also show that the fundamental optical properties, such as pressure-broadening, can be measured using ultrafast laser-produced plasmas combined with laser absorption spectroscopy.

laser absorption spectroscopy, laser produced plas↗

Raman spectroscopy of thermally perturbed carbon fibers: Discriminating spectral responses of modulus classes and defect types

The mechanical strength properties of carbon fibers are generally thought to be correlated with the presence of underlying atomic-level defects. These defects serve to break the underlying translational symmetry of the graphitic or graphene subunits of the fiber construction, resulting in the emergence of new Raman-active spectral features. However, historical attempts to classify the precise origin of defect contributions to the Raman spectra have been challenging because of indistinct and overlapping features in the carbon fiber Raman spectra. Further, while substantial research exists on high-temperature exposure in inert atmospheres for carbon fiber composites, comparatively less addresses microscale behaviors and Raman spectral alterations to monofilament carbon fibers exposed to high-temperature atmospheric environments. Here, we report Raman spectral responses of nine commercially available high-performance, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers exposed to various atmospheric heat treatments. In this work, we introduce a model-independent characterization method, the integrated absolute difference, to quantify the spectral responses to heat treatment of different fiber modulus classes. We combine this new method with a newly reported strategy to standardize spectral fitting for carbon fibers. With this approach, we show that atomic-scale defects in the underlying fiber microstructure manifest in measurably distinct manners and have distinct responses to thermal perturbation. These combined approaches may lay the foundation for disentangling contributions from specific defects in the Raman spectra of carbon fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Combining Spectroscopic Techniques to Determine the Optical Constants of Powdered Lactose

A method for deriving the optical constants (n/k) of organic powdered materials using pressed pellets in the mid-infrared spectral range is introduced that combines variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmission spectroscopy. The approach is applied to lactose, in which three different forms of pellets were pressed and measured: A pure lactose pellet and a mixed lactose/KBr pellet with a large analyte percentage were used for ellipsometric measurements, and a KBr transmission pellet with only a small analyte percentage were used for transmission measurements. The transmission data provide an initial set of oscillators and improve the spectral fitting of weak absorption features (k<0.01). Ellipsometric data for the pure and mixed pellets are then fit simultaneously to derive the final n/k values for lactose from 6000-400 cm-1. An alternative method just using the ellipsometric data from the mixed pellet and the transmission data is also presented and shows good agreement with the multi-sample analysis, providing a simpler method for powders that do not press easily into pure pellets. Finally, the derived optical constants are used to model the reflectance data, demonstrating a good match with the measured reflectance spectra if non-idealities are included.

Yokosuk, Michael O.↗