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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 the Charon/Pluto Mass Ratio from Center-of-Light Astrometry

The Charon/Pluto mass ratio is a fundamental but poorly known parameter of the two-body system. Previous values for the mass ratio have ranged from 0.0837 plus or minus 0.0147 (Null et al., 1993, Astron. J. 105, 2319-2335) to 0.1566 plus or minus 0.0035 (Young et al., 1994, Icarus 108,186-199). We report here a new determination of the Charon/Pluto mass ratio, using five sets of groundbased images taken at four sites in support of Pluto occultation predictions. Unlike the Null et al. and Young et A determinations, where the centers of light for Pluto and Charon could be determined separately, this technique examines the motion of the center of light of the blended Pluto-Charon image. We compute the offsets of the observed center-of-light position of Pluto-Charon from the ephemeris position of the system and fit these offsets to a model of the Pluto-Charon system. The least-squares fits to the five data sets agree within their errors, and the weighted mean mass ratio is 0.117 plus or minus 0.006. The effects of errors in the Charon light fraction, semimajor axis, and ephemeris have been examined and are equal to only a small fraction of the formal error from the fit. This result is intermediate between those of Null et al., and Young et al. and matches a new value of 0.124 plus or minus 0.008 by Null and Owen (1996, Astron. J. 111, 1368-1381). The mass ratio and resulting individual masses and densities of Pluto and Charon are consistent with a collisional origin for the Pluto-Charon system.

Foust, Jeffrey A.↗

The minimum mass ratio of W Ursae Majoris binaries

The minimum mass ratio for tidal stability of a contact binary containing two unevolved main-sequence stars is calculated to be q(sub min) approximately =0.09 in the case of a mostly radiative primary, and it is higher if an appreciable fraction of the mass lies in a convective envelope. At least one observed system, AW UMa, has a mass ratio just below this value (q = 0.075), implying that, if the system is stable, the primary must be slightly evolved and must have a very shallow convective envelope. Contact binaries with mass ratios significantly below that of AW UMa should not be observed, since they are tidally unstable and quickly merge into a single, rapidly rotating object, on a timescale approximately 10(exp 3)-10(exp 4) yr.

Rasio, Frederic A.↗

Dust release rates and dust-to-gas mass ratios of eight comets

Mass release rates of dust and mass ratios of dust-to-gas release rates of Comets Thiele (1985m), Wilson (1986l), P/Borrelly (1987p), Liller (1988a), Bradfield (1987s), Hartley-Good (1985l), P/Giacobini-Zinner (1984e), and P/Halley (1982i) are estimated from the analysis of continuum flux measurements at optical wavelengths. An attempt is made to estimate the size of each comet nucleus on the basis of water-ice sublimation (vaporization), assuming that the nucleus is spherical and only a fraction of its surface area is active. Where possible, the dust mass release rates are compared with those obtained by other investigators in the optical and IR wavelength regions. Good agreement with results based on IR observations is found.

Singh, P. D.↗

The Exoplanet Mass-Ratio Function From the MOA-II Survey: Discovery of a Break and Likely Peak at a Neptune Mass

We report the results of the statistical analysis of planetary signals discovered in MOA-II microlensing survey alert system events from 2007 to 2012. We determine the survey sensitivity as a function of planet star mass ratio, q, and projected planet star separation, s, in Einstein radius units. We find that the mass-ratio function is not a single power law, but has a change in slope at q approx.10(exp -4), corresponding to approx. 20 Stellar Mass for the median host-star mass of approx. 0.6 M. We find significant planetary signals in 23 of the 1474 alert events that are well-characterized by the MOA-II survey data alone. Data from other groups are used only to characterize planetary signals that have been identified in the MOA data alone. The distribution of mass ratios and separations of the planets found in our sample are well fit by a broken power-law model. We also combine this analysis with the previous analyses of Gould et al. and Cassan et al., bringing the total sample to 30 planets. The unbroken power-law model is disfavored with a p-value of 0.0022, which corresponds to a Bayes factor of 27 favoring the broken power-law model. These results imply that cold Neptunes are likely to be the most common type of planets beyond the snow line.

MOA-II microlensing survey alert↗

Automated tuning for HMC mass ratios

We extended previous work on tuning HMC parameters using gradient information to include Hasenbusch mass ratios. The inclusion of mass ratios adds many more parameters that need to be tuned, and also allows for lots of variations in the choice of integrator pattern. We investigate the effectiveness of automatically tuning a large number of HMC parameters and compare the optimally tuned versions over a range of integrator variants.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Spectroscopy and photometry of the dwarf nova BZ Ursae Majoris and the CV linewidth/K, mass-ratio relation

Time-resolved spectroscopy of the dwarf nova BZ Ursae Majoris (BZ UMa) reveals periodic velocity variations in the hydrogen emission lines with P = 97.9 +/- 0.1 min and K = 73 +/- 6 km/s. CCD photometry over a 16-month interval shows three outbursts of about 4 mag with a mean separation of 181 days. The mean full width at half maximum (FWHM) for the hydrogen beta emission is large, prompting a recalibration of the FWHM/K vs. mass ratio relation, giving a mass ratio (M(sub RD)/M(sub WD)) of 0.20 for BZ UMa. The short period, long outburst interval, and small mass ratio support the suggestion of BZ UMa being in the SU Ursae Majoris subclass of dwarf novae.

Jurcevic, J. S.↗

Redshift evolution of the H2/H i mass ratio in galaxies

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present an attempt to estimate the redshift evolution of the molecular to neutral gas mass ratio within galaxies (at fixed stellar mass). For a sample of five nearby grand design spirals located on the main-sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies, we exploit maps at 500 pc resolution of stellar mass and star formation rate (M⋆ and SFR). For the same cells, we also have estimates of the neutral (MH i) and molecular ($M_{\rm H_2}$) gas masses. To compute the redshift evolution, we exploit two relations: (i) one between the molecular-to-neutral mass ratio and the total gas mass (Mgas), whose scatter shows a strong dependence with the distance from the spatially resolved MS, and (ii) the one between $\log (M_{\rm {H_2}}/M_{\star })$ and log (MH i/M⋆). For both methods, we and that $M_{\rm H_2}$/MH i within the optical radius slightly decreases with redshift, contrary to common expectations of galaxies becoming progressively more dominated by molecular hydrogen at high redshifts. We discuss possible implications of this trend on our understanding of the internal working of high-redshift galaxies.

Morselli, Laura (ORCID:0000000307532571)↗

KMT-2019-BLG-0842Lb: A Cold Planet below the Uranus/Sun Mass Ratio

We report the discovery of a cold planet with a very low planet/host mass ratio of q = (4.09 ± 0.27) × 10 -5 , which is similar to the ratio of Uranus/Sun (q = 4.37 × 10 -5 ) in the solar system. The Bayesian estimates for the host mass, planet mass, system distance, and planet–host projected separation are M {sub host} = 0.76 ± 0.40M ⊙ , M planet = 10.3 ± 5.5M ⊕ , D L = 3.3 ± 1.3 kpc, and a ⊥ = 3.3 ± 1.4 au, respectively. The consistency of the color and brightness expected from the estimated lens mass and distance with those of the blend suggests the possibility that the most blended light comes from the planet host, and this hypothesis can be established if high-resolution images are taken during the next (2020) bulge season. We discuss the importance of conducting optimized photometry and aggressive follow-up observations for moderately or very high magnification events to maximize the detection rate of planets with very low mass ratios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

KMT-2019-BLG-0842Lb: A Cold Planet below the Uranus/Sun Mass Ratio

We report the discovery of a cold planet with a very low planet/host mass ratio of q = (4.09 ± 0.27) × 10^−5, which is similar to the ratio of Uranus/Sun (q = 4.37 × 10^−5) in the solar system. The Bayesian estimates for the host mass, planet mass, system distance, and planet–host projected separation are M(host) = 0.76 ± 0.40Mꙩ, M(planet) = 10.3 ± 5.5Mꚛ, D(L) = 3.3 ± 1.3 kpc, and a(⊥) = 3.3 ± 1.4 au, respectively. The consistency of the color and brightness expected from the estimated lens mass and distance with those of the blend suggests the possibility that the most blended light comes from the planet host, and this hypothesis can be established if high-resolution images are taken during the next (2020) bulge season. We discuss the importance of conducting optimized photometry and aggressive follow-up observations for moderately or very high magnification events to maximize the detection rate of planets with very low mass ratios.

Youn Kil Jung↗

Orientation of X Lines in Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection-Mass Ratio Dependency

Using fully kinetic simulations, we study the X line orientation of magnetic reconnection in an asymmetric configuration. A spatially localized perturbation is employed to induce a single X line, which has sufficient freedom to choose its orientation in three-dimensional systems. The effect of ion to electron mass ratio is investigated, and the X line appears to bisect the magnetic shear angle across the current sheet in the large mass ratio limit. The orientation can generally be deduced by scanning through the corresponding 2-D simulations to find the reconnection plane that maximizes the peak reconnection electric field. The deviation from the bisection angle in the lower mass ratio limit is consistent with the orientation shift of the most unstable linear tearing mode in an electron-scale current sheet.

Reconnection↗

Dust particle injector for hypervelocity accelerators provides high charge-to-mass ratio

Injector imparts a high charge-to-mass ratio to microparticles and injects them into an electrostatic accelerator so that the particles are accelerated to meteoric speeds. It employs relatively large masses in the anode and cathode structures with a relatively wide separation, thus permitting a large increase in the allowable injection voltages.

Berg, O. E.↗

Probing boson stars with extreme mass ratio inspirals

We propose to use gravitational waves from extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRI), composed of a boson star and a supermassive black hole in the center of galaxies, as a new method to search for boson stars. Gravitational waves from EMRI have the advantage of being long-lasting within the frequency band of future space-based interferometer gravitational wave detectors and can accumulate large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for very sub-solar mass boson stars. Compared to gravitational waves from boson star binaries, which fall within the LIGO band, we find that much larger ranges of the mass and compactness of boson stars, as well as the underlying particle physics parameter space, can be probed by EMRI. We take tidal disruption of the boson stars into account and distinguish those which dissolve before the inner-most-stable-circular-orbit (ISCO) and those which dissolve after it. Due to the large number of cycles recorded, EMRIs can lead to a very precise mass determination of the boson star and distinguish it from standard astrophysical compact objects in the event of a signal. Tidal effects in inspiralling binary systems, as well as possible correlated electromagnetic signals, can also serve as potential discriminants.

Huai-Ke Guo↗

Earth-moon mass ratio from Mariner 9 radio tracking data.

The phase-coherent range and Doppler tracking data obtained as a basis for the navigation of the Mariner 9 spacecraft from earth to Mars determine also the earth-moon mass ratio. As the earth revolves about the center of mass of the earth-moon system, a sinusoidal curve is impressed on the range and Doppler tracking data with a frequency equal to the sidereal mean motion of the moon. The mass ratio was determined from range and Doppler data obtained over a period of 15 weeks. The results from the Mariner Mars 1971 data are presented in a table together with previous results obtained in connection with other spacecraft.

Wong, S. K.↗

The Lowest Mass Ratio Planetary Microlens: OGLE 2016–BLG–1195Lb

We report discovery of the lowest mass ratio exoplanet to be found by the microlensing method in the light curve of the event OGLE 2016 –BLG–1195. This planet revealed itself as a smalldeviation from a microlensing single lens profile from an examination of the survey data. Theduration of the planetary signal is ~ 2.5 h. The measured ratio of the planet mass to its hos tstar is q = 4.2 ± 0.7 x 10 -5(exp). We further estimate that the lens system is likely to comprise a cold ~3 Earth mass planet in an ~2 au wide orbit around a 0.2 Solar mass star at an overall distance of 7.1 kpc.

Bond, I. A.↗

HD 53975: An O-type spectroscopic binary with a large mass ratio

We present radial velocities and line profiles of the O-type star HD 53975, which we find to be a spectroscopic binary with a period of 6.0173 days. Although there are no obvious signatures of the secondary in the line profiles, we have used the merit function of Shafter et al. (1980) to show that a secondary component is present in lines found in B-type spectra. We have compared the observed merit functions with merit functions for model profiles constructed assuming a main-sequence secondary, and this comparison consistently indicates a companion with a mass ratio of q = M(sub 2)/M(sub 1) = 0.23 +/- 0.04 and a magnitude difference Delta m = 3.3 +/- 0.4. We present a tomographic reconstruction of the spectrum of the secondary for these parameters. We suggest that other large mass ratio binaries may be found among the O stars when observed with high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy.

Gies, D. R.↗

Using Separation-Enhanced Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry

Stable isotope ratio measurements using IRMS have been shown by LANL to be effective for tracking co-processed biogenic carbon, with results approaching that of AMS. The lower cost of an IRMS may enable deployment to refineries improving access and analysis turnaround times (≤ 2-hours), and by extension data that can allow process optimization to maximize renewable carbon in desired refinery products. This work will apply chemical separation approaches as part of the IRMS analyses, enabling biogenic carbon tracking in fuel product streams by boiling point range, by chemical class, or even by compound. This work will show IRMS to be at a minimum as reliable and comparable to AMS, by using separations to improve sensitivity at low blend ratios and enable refinery process optimization through onsite analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗