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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 19 records

Determination of physically based pseudo-Voigt powder diffraction profile terms from the fundamental parameters approach

In this study, a methodology is developed where a fundamental parameters approach (FPA) description of a laboratory powder diffraction instrument (configured in divergent-beam Bragg–Brentano geometry) is used to determine GSAS-II profile parameters for peak asymmetry and instrumental peak widths. This allows the instrumental contribution to peak shapes to be robustly determined directly from a physical description of the instrument, even though GSAS-II does not directly implement FPA for peak shape computation. The FPA-derived parameters can be used as the starting point for instrument characterization, or to characterize sample broadening without the use of a standard to determine the instrument profile function. This new method can facilitate generation of training sets for machine learning. A plot is generated that shows the differences between the two approaches, demonstrating upper bounds for the accuracy of the GSAS-II profile model for a particular instrumental configuration.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Gamma-ray burst data strongly favour the three-parameter fundamental plane (Dainotti) correlation over the two-parameter one

ABSTRACT Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), observed to redshift z = 9.4, are potential probes of the largely unexplored z ∼ 2.7–9.4 part of the early Universe. Thus, finding relevant relations among GRB physical properties is crucial. We find that the Platinum GRB data compilation, with 50 long GRBs (with relatively flat plateaus and no flares) in the redshift range 0.553 ≤ z ≤ 5.0, and the LGRB95 data compilation, with 95 long GRBs in 0.297 ≤ z ≤ 9.4, as well as the 145 GRB combination of the two, strongly favour the 3D Fundamental Plane (Dainotti) correlation (between the peak prompt luminosity, the luminosity at the end of the plateau emission, and its rest-frame duration) over the 2D one (between the luminosity at the end of the plateau emission and its duration). The 3D Dainotti correlations in the three data sets are standardizable. We find that while LGRB95 data have ∼50 per cent larger intrinsic scatter parameter values than the better-quality Platinum data, they provide somewhat tighter constraints on cosmological-model and GRB-correlation parameters, perhaps solely due to the larger number of data points, 95 versus 50. This suggests that when compiling GRB data for the purpose of constraining cosmological parameters, given the quality of current GRB data, intrinsic scatter parameter reduction must be balanced against reduced sample size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Atmospheric and Fundamental Parameters of Stars in Hubble's Next Generation Spectral Library

Hubble's Next Generation Spectral Library (NGSL) consists of R approximately 1000 spectra of 374 stars of assorted temperature, gravity, and metallicity. We are presently working to determine the atmospheric and fundamental parameters of the stars from the NGSL spectra themselves via full-spectrum fitting of model spectra to the observed (extinction-corrected) spectrum over the full wavelength range, 0.2-1.0 micron. We use two grids of model spectra for this purpose: the very low-resolution spectral grid from Castelli-Kurucz (2004), and the grid from MARCS (2008). Both the observed spectrum and the MARCS spectra are first degraded in resolution to match the very low resolution of the Castelli-Kurucz models, so that our fitting technique is the same for both model grids. We will present our preliminary results with a comparison with those from the Sloan/Segue Stellar Parameter Pipeline, ELODIE, and MILES, etc.

Heap, Sally↗

Fundamental parameters of brightest cluster galaxies

Photometry and spectroscopy of a sample of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are presented, and the relationships between scale length, surface brightness, velocity dispersion, and line strength are determined and compared with the relations determined for lower luminosity ellipticals (LLEs). It is found that the relation between log r(e), log sigma, and mean surface brightness reported by Dressler et al. for LLEs also describes the relation for BCGs fairly well. Fundamental plane solutions for BCGs are derived which can be used as distance indicators with a predicted error of about 21 percent per galaxy. Only a weak correlation is found between the Na D 5893 line strength and velocity dispersion for BCGs, in contrast to the significant correlation between these quantities reported for LLEs. It is found that the mean mass-to-light ratio for BCGs is a factor of about two greater than for the LLEs in the Virgo and Coma sample of Dressler et al.

Oegerle, William R.↗

Fundamental Parameters of ∼30,000 M dwarfs in LAMOST DR1 Using Data-driven Spectral Modeling

M dwarfs are the most common type of star in the Galaxy, and because of their small size are favored targets for searches of Earth-sized transiting exoplanets. Current and upcoming all-sky spectroscopic surveys, such as the Large Sky Area Multi Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), offer an opportunity to systematically determine physical properties of many more M dwarfs than has been previously possible. Here, we present new effective temperatures, radii, masses, and luminosities for 29,678 M dwarfs with spectral types M0–M6 in the first data release (DR1) of LAMOST. We derived these parameters from the supervised machine-learning code, The Cannon, trained with 1388 M dwarfs in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Cool Dwarf Catalog that were also present in LAMOST with high signal-to-noise ratio (>250) spectra. Our validation tests show that the output parameter uncertainties are strongly correlated with the signal-to-noise of the LAMOST spectra, and we achieve typical uncertainties of 110 K in T{sub eff} (∼3%), 0.065 R{sub ⊙} (∼14%) in radius, 0.054 M{sub ⊙} (∼12%) in mass, and 0.012 L{sub ⊙} (∼20%) in luminosity. The model presented here can be rapidly applied to future LAMOST data releases, significantly extending the samples of well-characterized M dwarfs across the sky using new and exclusively data-based modeling methods.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Fundamental Parameters of the Eclipsing Binary DD CMa and Evidence for Mass Exchange

We present a detailed photometric and spectroscopic analysis of DD CMa, based on published survey photometry and new spectroscopic data. We find an improved orbital period of P {sub o} = 2.0084530(6) days. Our spectra reveal Hβ and Hα absorptions with weak emission shoulders, and we also find a color excess in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer multiband photometry, interpreted as signatures of circumstellar matter. We model the V-band orbital light curve derived from the ASAS and ASAS-SN surveys, assuming a semidetached configuration and using the mass ratio and temperature of the hotter star derived from our spectroscopic analysis. Our model indicates that the system consists of a B2.5 dwarf and a B9 giant of radii 3.2 and 3.7 R {sub ⊙}, respectively, orbiting in a circular orbit of radius 6.75 R {sub ⊙}. We also found M {sub c} = 1.7 ± 0.1 M {sub ⊙}, T {sub c} = 11,350 ± 100 K, and M {sub h} = 6.4 ± 0.1 M {sub ⊙}, T {sub h} = 20,000 ± 500 K, for the cooler and hotter star, respectively. We find broad single emission peaks in Hα and Hβ after subtracting the synthetic stellar spectra. Our results are consistent with mass exchange between the stars and suggest the existence of a stream of gas being accreted onto the early B-type star.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The fundamental parameters of the chromospherically active K2 dwarf Epsilon Eridani

A silicon array detector was used to record regions exhibiting calcium and iron lines in the spectrum of the chromospherically active K2 dwarf Epsilon Eri at a resolution of 120,000 and with an SNR of not less than 200. The effective temperature, surface gravity, logarithmic iron and calcium abundances, and microturbulence are determined. Three high-excitation lines of Fe I were found to yield anomalously low iron abundances; it is postulated that the origin of the anomaly lies in the nonthermal excitation of the upper photosphere caused by chromospheric emission. It is shown that Epsilon Eri is in an evolutionary stage consistent with an M/solar mass of 0.85 theoretical zero-age main-sequence model. It is suggested that Epsilon Eri is almost certainly a young star of slightly less than one solar mass.

Drake, Jeremy J.↗

The metallicity of M4: Accurate spectroscopic fundamental parameters for four giants

High-quality spectra, covering the wavelength range 5480 to 7080 A, have been obtained for four giant stars in the intermediate-metallicity CN-bimodal globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121). We have employed a model atmosphere analysis that is entirely independent from cluster parameters, such as distance, age, and reddening, in order to derive accurate values for the stellar parameters effective temperature, surface gravity, and microturbulence, and for the abundance of iron relative to the Sun, (Fe/H), and of calcium, Ca/H, for each of the four stars. Detailed radiative transfer and statistical equilibrium calculations carried out for iron and calcium suggest that departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium are not significant for the purposes of our analysis. The spectroscopically derived effective temperatures for our program stars are hotter by about 200 K than existing photometric calibrations suggest. We conclude that this is due partly to the uncertain reddening of M4 and to the existing photometric temperature calibration for red giants being too cool by about 100 K. Comparison of our spectroscopic and existing photometric temperatures supports the prognosis of a significant east-west gradient in the reddening across M4. Our derived iron abundances are slightly higher than previous high-resolution studies suggested; the differences are most probably due to the different temperature scale and choice of microturbulent velocities adopted by earlier workers. The resulting value for the metallicity of M4 is (Fe/H )(sub M4) = -1.05 + or - 0.15. Based on this result, we suggest that metallicities derived in previous high-dispersion globular cluster abundance analyses could be too low by 0.2 to 0.3 dex. Our calcium abundances suggest an enhancement of calcium, an alpha element, over iron, relative to the Sun, in M4 of (Ca/H) = 0.23.

Drake, J. J.↗

The Fundamental Stellar Parameters of FGK Stars in the SEEDS Survey Norman, OK 73071, USA

Large exoplanet surveys have successfully detected thousands of exoplanets to-date. Utilizing these detections and non-detections to constrain our understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems also requires a detailed understanding of the basic properties of their host stars. We have determined the basic stellar properties of F, K and G stars in the Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) survey from Echelle spectra taken at the Apache Point Observatory's 3.5m telescope. Using ROBOSPECT to extract line equivalent widths and Temperature Gravity microtrubulent Velocity ITerations to calculate the fundamental parameters, we have computed T(sub eff), log(g), v(sub t), [Fe/H], chromospheric activity and the age for our sample. Our methodology was calibrated against previously published results for a portion of our sample. The distribution of [Fe/H] in our sample is consistent with that typical of the Solar neighbourhood. Additionally, we find the ages of most of our sample are less than 500 Myr, but note that we cannot determine robust ages from significantly older stars via chromospheric activity age indicators. The future meta-analysis of the frequency of wide stellar and sub-stellar companions imaged via the SEEDS survey will utilize our results to constrain the occurrence of detected comoving companions with the properties of their host stars.

Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with↗

Three-dimensional measurements of fundamental plasma parameters in pulsed ICP operation

Radio frequency inductively coupled plasma sources are widely used in low temperature industrial processing. Recent computer simulations and experiments indicate significant improvement in processing results with the use of pulsed plasmas. We report three dimensional spatial and temporal measurements of fundamental plasma parameters in a pulsed Argon plasma in an industrial etch tool modified for diagnostic access. The pulse repetition rate is 1 kHz with 50% duty cycle. The density does not decay to zero at the end of the afterglow period, and this affects the initial conditions for the beginning of the next powered phase. At 5 mTorr, the plasma starts in the E-mode for each pulse and grows into a “ring” shape density profile. Subsequently, the profile evolves to peak in the middle of the chamber as it reaches a steady state toward the end of the active-glow. At 25 mTorr, the plasma density profile always peaks at the center of the chamber throughout the entire pulse.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Relation of the diffuse reflectance remission function to the fundamental optical parameters.

The Kubelka-Munk equations describing the diffuse reflectance of a powdered sample were compared to equations obtained using a uniformly-sized rough-surfaced spherical particle model. The comparison resulted in equations relating the remission function and the Kubelka-Munk constants to the index of refraction, the absorption coefficient, and the average particle diameter of a powdered sample. Published experimental results were used to test the equation relating to the remission function to the fundamental optical parameters.

Simmons, E. L.↗

Temporal characterization of fundamental plasma parameters in pulsed liquid electrode plasma (LEP) optical emission spectrometry

The fundamental characteristics of liquid electrode plasma (LEP), a pulsed plasma source for optical emission spectrometry, were investigated. Two distinct phases were observed during the process of pulsed plasma generation, namely bubble generation and active plasma discharge. Additionally the ionization efficiency of the LEP, with Mg as a representative analyte, was gauged from the ratio of Mg II 279.553 nm to Mg I 285.213 nm emission and was found to increase from about 5% to 20% in a close-to-linear fashion with the discharge voltage from 800 V to 1200 V. The Mg II/Mg I ratio of the LEP was 2.5 to 3 orders of magnitude less than that typically offered by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) but was comparable to other solution-based glow discharges. It was found that an off-time interval of more than 150 ms between successive discharge pulses was required to obtain a stable pulse-to-pulse discharge current. Temporally resolved emissions of Mg II 279.6 nm, Mg I 285.2 nm, Fe I 373.5 nm, OH band head at 306 nm, and Hα line at 656.3 nm showed that the background species (OH band and Hα line) reached their maximum emission intensities at around 0.5 ms to 0.7 ms with respect to the onset of the discharge pulse whereas the maximum emissions were observed between 0.7 ms to 0.9 ms for analyte species (Mg and Fe lines). The electron density observed in the present work was in the range from 5.7 × 10 15 cm -3 to 8.2 × 10 15 cm -3 , which was similar to those found in an analytical ICP. The temporal averaged OH rotational temperature was 3300 K, which was comparable to the values of an analytical ICP and solution-based glow discharges. By contrast, the temporally averaged Fe I excitation temperature was around 8900 K, which was even higher than that of an analytical ICP and roughly triple the values obtained by techniques based on glow discharge of liquid samples.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nondimensional parameters and equations for buckling of symmetrically laminated thin elastic shallow shells

A method of deriving nondimensional equations and identifying the fundamental parameters associated with bifurcation buckling of anisotropic shells subjected to combined loads is presented. The procedure and rationale used to obtain useful nondimensional forms of the transverse equilibrium and compatibility equations for buckling are presented. Fundamental parameters are identified that represent the importance of both membrane and bending orthotropy and anisotropy on the results.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

Studying electroweak few-body observables in chiral effective field theory

The use of nuclei to study electroweak probes is becoming increasingly relevant experimentally. The success of dark matter and neutrino experiments strongly depends on the ability to control nuclear effects in order to extract the fundamental parameters associated with external probes. Therefore, reliable theoretical calculations of nuclear structure and reactions, with well-controlled errors, are crucial for the success of experimental efforts. Currently, chiral effective field theory ($\chi$EFT) coupled with {\it ab-initio} methods represents one of the best approaches that fulfills these requirements. To use this approach as a tool for studying fundamental physics, it is essential to validate it against experimental data for which the calculations are well under control, such as the elastic scattering of electrons on nuclei. In this proceeding, I will present recent developments in the fitting of electromagnetic currents derived using $\chi$EFT and the calculation of electromagnetic form factors of light nuclei. The results of these calculations demonstrate the strength of the theory in describing the interaction of nuclei with electromagnetic probes over a broad range of momentum transfers and highlight the robustness of $\chi$EFT for analyzing future experimental data aimed at extracting fundamental parameters.

Gnech, Alex [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (Unit↗

SEGUE-2: Old Milky Way Stars Near and Far

The Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration 2 (SEGUE-2) obtained 128,288 low-resolution spectra (R ~ 1800) of 118,958 unique stars in the first year of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (2008–2009). SEGUE-2 targeted prioritized distant halo tracers (blue horizontal-branch stars, K giants, and M giants) and metal-poor or kinematically hot populations. The main goal of SEGUE-2 was to target stars in the distant halo and measure their kinematics and chemical abundances to learn about the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. We present the SEGUE-2 field placement and target selection strategies. We discuss the success rate of the targeting based on the SEGUE-2 spectra and other spectroscopic and astrometric surveys. We describe the final SEGUE-2/SDSS-III improvements to the stellar parameter determinations based on the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. We report a (g - i) color-effective temperature relation calibrated to the IRFM. We evaluate the accuracy and uncertainties associated with these stellar parameters by comparing with fundamental parameters, a sample of high-resolution spectra of SEGUE stars analyzed homogeneously, stars in well-studied clusters, and stars observed in common by the APOGEE survey. The final SEGUE spectra, calibration data, and derived parameters described here were released in SDSS-III Data Release 9 and continue to be included in all subsequent SDSS Data Releases. Because of its faint limiting magnitude and emphasis on the distant halo, the public SEGUE-2 data remain an important resource for the spectroscopy of stars in the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Measurements of the fundamental thermodynamic parameters of Li/BCX and Li/SOCl2 cells

Two experimental techniques - equilibrium or reversible cell discharge and measurement of open circuit potential as a function of temperature - are used to determine the thermodynamic data needed to estimate the heat generation characteristics of Li/BCX and Li/SOCl2 cells. The results obtained showed that the reversible cell potential, the temperature dependence of the reversible cell potential, and the thermoneutral potential of the BCX cell were 3.74 V, -0.857 +/- 0.198 mV/K, and 3.994 +/- 0.0603 V, respectively. The respective values obtained for the Li/SOCl2 cell were 3.67 V, -0.776 +/- 0.255 mV/K, and 3.893 +/- 0.0776 V. The difference between the thermoneutral potential of Li/BCX and Li/SCl2 cells is attributable to the difference in their electroactive components.

Kalu, E. E.↗

Fundamental Mvssbauer Parameters of Hydrous Iron Sulfates

Hydrous iron sulfates, which form as alteration products of sulfides, are rare on Earth. On Mars, the low temperature and pH found in the martian permafrost create ideal conditions for the formation of this group of minerals [1], which includes such phases as coquimbite (Fe2(SO4) 9H2O) and amarantite (FeSO4(OH) 3H2O). Viking, Mars Pathfinder, MER and OMEGA data [e.g., [2]] have all indicated the presence of high sulfur contents on the surface of Mars, but the mineralogy of the sulfur-rich phases has not been well constrained. Recent work by [3] suggests that hydrous iron sulfates might satisfy the Martian thermal emission, vis-near IR, and M ssbauer spectra. These data suggest that sulfide and sulfate minerals might be significant contributors to all types of spectra acquired on the Martian surface.

Rothstein, Y.↗