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NASA NTRS1989

CO formation in the metal-rich ejecta of SN 1987A

A model for the formation of CO in the expanding ejecta of SN 1987A suggests that the 4.6-micron and 2.3 micron emissions noted in the SN spectrum may originate from the inner metal-rich regions of the ejecta. Also reported are the assignment of a 2.26-micron excess feature in the high-resolution IR spectra to the v = 2 to 0 overtone of CO(+) and the possible identification of a 2.95-micron feature with the v = 2 to 0 transition of electronically excited CO. The results suggest that the regions in which CO formation takes place must be ionized to a substantially lower degree than regions which dominate the line emission of heavier metals.

Petuchowski, S. J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effects of Arcing Ejecta on Space Suit Materials from ISS RPCM Hot Mate/Demate During EVA

Onboard ISS, taking systems off-line when powering down to perform servicing on Remote Power Control Modules (RPCMs) introduces operational risk. An investigation lead by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) was performed by a multi-center team to assess the safety of performing on-orbit replacement of RPCMs without powering down. This investigation revealed the potential for molten metal particulate generation in the event of an arcing occurrence. As RPCM replacement can be performed outside ISS during an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), it is necessary to assess the effects of this molten metal ejecta contact with the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Space Suit Assembly (SSA) during an arcing event. A test was devised to mimic arcing ejecta contact with samples representing various SSA cross-sections. Four areas of the SSA were chosen for test to represent the majority of the SSA cross-sections. Testing was conducted by the University of California, Riverside that generated the molten metal particles, included varying composition, size and temperature, and dropped them onto the surface of the various SSA cross-sections. Exposed SSA materials were then evaluated for degree of damage, penetration, and thermal conductance through the cross-section by ILC Dover. Results showed that the SSA Glove is most susceptible to damage from arcing events. This data will be used to make risk management decisions for future RPCM servicing operations. This testing also demonstrated the durability of the SSA design and materials to exposure to extreme environments

Linda S Hewes↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effects of Arcing Ejecta on Space Suit Materials from ISS RPCM Hot Mate/Demate During EVA

Linda S. Hewes↗

NASA NTRS2012

A Suzaku Study of Ejecta Structure and Origin of Hard X-ray Emission in the Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7

We report an X-ray study of the evolved Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G1S6.2+S.7 based on six pointing observations with Suzaku. The remnant's large extent (100' in diameter) allows us to investigate its radial structure in the northwestern and eastern directions from the apparent center. The X-ray spectra. were well fit with a two-component non-equilibrium ionization model representing the swept-up interstellar medium (ISM) and the metal-rich ejecta. We found prominent central concentrations of Si, S and Fe from the ejecta component; the lighter elements of O, Ne and Mg were distributed more uniformly. The temperature of the ISM component suggests a slow shock (610-960 km/s), hence the remnant's age is estimated to be 7,000-15,000 yr, assuming its distance to be approx. 1.1 kpc. G1S6.2+5.7 has also been thought to emit hard, non-thermal X-rays, despite being considerably older than any other such remnant. In response to a recent discovery of a background cluster of galaxies (2XMM J045637.2+522411), we carefully excluded its contribution, and reexamined the origin of the hard X-ray emission. We found that the residual hard X-ray emission is consistent with the expected level of the cosmic X-ray background. Thus, no robust evidence for the non-thermal emission was obtained from G156.2+5.7. These results are consistent with the picture of an evolved SNR.

Uchida, Hiroyuki↗

NASA NTRS1982

The effects of ejecta on the X-ray luminosities of supernova remnants

Because X-ray luminosities of most SNRs are dominated by emission from heavy elements, estimates of the X-ray emitting mass based on cosmic abundances may be incorrect. Here we investigate the apparent density evolution of a SNR when substantial amounts of processed material are ejected by the supernova. If this material is shock heated, it will dominate X-ray emission from the remnant long after the SNR has swept up the equivalent amount of interstellar matter (ISM). Emission from metal-rich ejecta may explain why ISM densities of young remnants far from the galactic plane, deduced from standard analysis, are higher than expected, as well as why larger SNRs appear to be lying in regions of lower ISM density. It should be included in detailed calculations of SNR surface brightness distributions, along with effects due to departures from ionization equilibrium and cloudlet evaporation in a multiphase ISM which may also contribute to the apparent evolution of density with radius.

Long, K. S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Emission processes and dynamics of hot gases in astrophysics

A detailed model was developed for Kepler's supernova remnant (SNR). Observations of the SNR revealed a strong interaction with the surrounding circumstellar medium, which was studied through both analytical and numerical calculations. Effects were studied of electron thermal conduction on the structure of radiative interstellar shock waves. An explanation is sought for the observed line emission from metal rich ejecta in SNR, incorporating atomic data. Light echoes around SN 1987A was also studied. Analysis of infrared and scattered circumstellar light echoes was accomplished with early observations to set limits on the mass of circumstellar dust. Work was completed on the emission from heavy element gas ejected in the supernova explosion of massive stars. It was assumed that a radioactive energy source was present and calculated the detailed heating and ionization of the gas. The evolution was studied of SNR in the very high pressure environment of a starburst galaxy.

Chevalier, Roger A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The Acraman impact and its widespread ejecta, South Australia

Discovery of a widespread horizon of shock-deformed volcaniclastic ejecta preserved in Late Proterozoic (approx. 600 Ma) shales in South Australia and its probable link to the Acraman impact structure in the Middle Proterozoic Gawler Range. Volcanics provide a rare opportunity to study the effects of a major terrestrial impact, including the sedimentology and distribution of an ejecta blanket and its precious-metal signature. The ejecta horizon occurs in the Bunyeroo Formation at many localities within the Adelaide Geosyncline, including the Wearing Hills, which are approx. 350 km northeast of the Acraman impact site. Following a search at the same stratigraphic level in other basins in South Australia, the ejecta has been located within the Lower Rodda beds of the Officer Basin, extending the limits of the ejecta to approx. 470 km northwest of the Acraman impact structure. The ejecta is therefore widely dispersed, and provides an important chronostratigraphic marker enabling precise correlation of Late Proterozoic sequences in southern Australia. In summary, the Bunyeroo ejecta is unique as the only known example of a widely dispersed, coarse-grained ejecta blanket that is, moreover, strongly linked to a known major impact structure. The marked Ir-PGE anomalies in the ejecta horizon provide support for the hypothesis that meteorite impact events can produce Ir anomalies interrestrial sediments. The findings also indicate that Ir can be mobilized and concentrated in sediments by low-temperature diagenetic processes. The identification of ejecta horizons in sedimentary rocks therefore should be based on the coincidence of shock-metamorphic features in the detritus and clear Ir anomalies.

Gostin, V. A.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Suzaku Observations of Thermal and Non-Thermal X-Ray Emission from the Middle-Aged Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7

We present results from X-ray analysis of a Galactic middle-aged supernova remnant (SNR) G156.2+5.7 which is bright and largely extended in X-ray wavelengths, showing a clear circular shape (radius approx.50'). Using the Suzaku satellite, we observed this SNR in three pointings; partially covering the northwestern (NW) rim, the eastern (E) rim, and the central portion of this SNR. In the NW rim and the central portion, we confirm that the X-ray spectra consist of soft and hard-tail emission, while in the E rim we find no significant hard-tail emission. The soft emission is well fitted by either a one-component or two-component non-equilibrium ionization (NEI) model. In the NW and E rims, a one-component (the swept-up interstellar medium) NEI model well represents the soft emission. On the other hand, in the central portion, a two-component (the interstellar medium and the metal-rich ejecta) NEI model fits the soft emission better than the one-component NEI model from a statistical point of view. The relative abundances in the ejecta component suggest that G156.2+5.7 is a remnant from a core-collapse SN explosion whose progenitor mass is less than 15 Solar Mass. The origin of the hard-tail emission detected in the NW rim and the central portion of the SNR is highly likely non-thermal synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons. In the NW rim, the relativistic electrons seems to be accelerated by a forward shock with a slow velocity of APPROX.500 km/sec.

Katsuda, Satoru↗

NASA NTRS1988

Theoretical infrared spectra of SN 1987A

A simple model for the ejecta of SN 1987A is used to show that the expected fluxes in infared fine structure lines from nickel, cobalt, iron, argon, sulfur, silicon, and neon are likely to be detectable for several years following the supernova explosion. Energy sources due to radioactive decay and a central pulsar are considered separately. Most of the mass of heavy elements resides in the inner, pure metal shells of the ejecta, so that the infrared lines will probe the temperature, ejecta masses, and dynamics of this region and not the overlying, hydrogen-rich envelope.

Colgan, Sean W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1995

KAO observations of SN1987A

Explosion calculations of SN1987A generate pictures of Rayleigh-Taylor fingers of radioactive Ni-56 (Ni-56 yields Co-56 yields Fe-56) which are boosted to velocities of several thousand km/s. From the KAO observations of the mid-IR iron lines, a picture of the iron in the ejecta emerges which is consistent with the 'frothy iron fingers' having expanded to fill about 50% of the metal-rich volume of the ejecta (nu(sub m) less than or equal to 2500 km/s). The ratio of the nickel line intensities I(sub (Ni I)7.5 micron)/I(sub (Ni II)6.6 microns) yields a high ionization fraction of x(sub Ni) greater than or equal to 0.9 in the volume associated with the iron-group elements at day 415, before dust condenses in the ejecta. From the KAO observations of the dust's thermal emission (2 microns to 100 microns), it is deduced that when the grains condense, their infrared radiation is trapped, their apparent opacity is gray, and they have a surface area filling factor of about 50%. The dust emission from SN1987A is featureless: no 9.7 micron silicate feature, nor PAH features, nor dust emission features of any kind are seen at any time. The total dust opacity increases with time even though the surface area filling factor and the dust/gas ratio remain constant. This suggests that the dust forms along coherent structures which can maintain their radial line-of-sight opacities, i.e., along fat fingers. The coincidence of the filling factor of the dust and the filling factor of the iron strongly suggests that the dust condenses within the iron, and therefore the dust is iron-rich. It only takes approximately 10(exp -4) solar mass of dust for the ejecta to be optically thick out to approximately 100 microns; a lower limit of 4 x 10(exp -4) solar mass of condensed grains exists in the metal-rich volume, but much more dust could be present. The episode of dust formation started at about 539 days and proceeded rapidly, so that by 600 days 45% of the bolometric luminosity was being emitted in the IR; by 775 days, 86% of the bolometric luminosity was being reradiated by the dust. Measurements of the bolometric luminosity of SN1987A from 1000 to 2300 days are based on 10 micron and 20 micron photometry and rely on the suppositions that the IR emission is a graybody (proven to be true by the KAO observations at 615 and 775 days) and that the dust temperature drops to and remainsat 150 K. The late-time bolometric luminosity is stronger than that expected from the radioactive decay of Co-56, Co-57, Ti-44, and Na-22 and the late-time dust temperatures are consistent with the presence of a compact object.

Wooden, Diane H.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Explosion Calculations of SN1087

Explosion calculations of SNT1987A generate pictures of Rayleigh-Taylor fingers of radioactive Ni-56 which are boosted to velocities of several thousand km/s. From the KAO observations of the mid-IR iron lines, a picture of the iron in the ejecta emerges which is consistent with the "frothy iron fingers" having expanded to fill about 50% of the metal-rich volume of the ejecta. The ratio of the nickel line intensities yields a high ionization fraction of greater than or equal to 0.9 in the volume associated with the iron-group elements at day 415, before dust condenses in the ejecta. From the KAO observations of the dust's thermal emission, it is deduced that when the grains condense their infrared radiation is trapped, their apparent opacity is gray, and they have a surface area filling factor of about 50%. The dust emission from SN1987A is featureless: no 9.7 micrometer silicate feature, nor PAH features, nor dust emission features of any kind are seen at any time. The total dust opacity increases with time even though the surface area filling factor and the dust/gas ratio remain constant. This suggests that the dust forms along coherent structures which can maintain their radial line-of-sight opacities, i.e., along fat fingers. The coincidence of the filling factor of the dust and the filling factor of the iron strongly suggests that the dust condenses within the iron, and therefore the dust is iron-rich. It only takes approximately 4 x 10(exp -4) solar mass of dust for the ejecta to be optically thick out to approximately 100 micrometers; a lower limit of 4 x 10(exp -4) solar mass of condensed grains exists in the metal-rich volume, but much more dust could be present. The episode of dust formation started at about 530 days and proceeded rapidly, so that by 600 days 45% of the bolometric luminosity was being emitted in the IR; by 775 days, 86% of the bolometric luminosity was being reradiated by the dust. Measurements of the bolometric luminosity of SN1987A from 1000 - 1800 days are based on 10 micrometers and 20 micrometers photometry and rely on the suppositions that the IR emission is a greybody (proven to be true by the KAO observations at 615 and 775 days) and that the dust temperature drops to and remains at 150 K. The late time bolometric luminosity is stronger than that expected from the radioactive decay of Co-56, Co-57, Ti-44, and Na-22 and the possibility of an embedded compact object will be discussed.

Wooden, Diane H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Heavy metal toxicity as a kill mechanism in impact caused mass extinctions

Heavy metals that are known to be toxic exist in carbonaceous chrondrites at abundances considerably in excess to that of the terrestrial crust. An impactor of relatively undifferentiated cosmic matter would inject into the terrestrial environment large quantities of toxic elements. The abundances of toxic metals found in the Allende CV carbonaceous chondrite and the ratio of meteoritic abundance to crustal abundance are: Cr, 3630 PPM, 30X; Co, 662 PPM, 23X; ni, 13300 PPm, 134X; se, 8.2 PPM, 164X; Os, 0.828 PPM, 166X. The resulting areal density for global dispersal of impactor derived heavy metals and their dilution with terrestrial ejecta are important factors in the determination of the significance of impactor heavy metal toxicity as a kill mechanism in impact caused mass extinctions. A 10 km-diameter asteroid having a density of 3 gram per cu cm would yield a global areal density of impact dispersed chondritic material of 3 kg per square meter. The present areal density of living matter on the terrestrial land surface is 1 kg per square meter. Dilution of impactor material with terrestrial ejecta is determined by energetics, with the mass of ejecta estimated to be in the range of 10 to 100 times that of the mass of the impactor. Because a pelagic impact would be the most likely case, the result would be a heavy metal rainout.

Wdowiak, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Emission-Line Metallicities from the Faint Infrared Grism Survey and VLT/MUSE

We derive direct-measurement gas-phase metallicities of 7.4 < 12 + log(O/H) < 8.4 for 14 low-mass emission- line galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.8 identiﬁed in the Faint Infrared Grism Survey. We use deep slitless G102 grism spectroscopy of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, dispersing light from all objects in the ﬁeld at wavelengths between 0.85 and 1.15 μm. We run an automatic search routine on these spectra to robustly identify 71 emission-line sources, using archival data from Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) to measure additional lines and conﬁrm redshifts. We identify 14 objects with 0.3 < z < 0.8 with measurable [O III] λ4363 Å emission lines in matching VLT/MUSE spectra. For these galaxies, we derive direct electron-temperature gas-phase metallicities with a range of 7.4 < 12 + log(O/H) < 8.4. With matching stellar masses in the range of 10(exp 7.9) Solar Mass < M(sub *) < 10(exp 10.4) Solar Mass, we construct a mass–metallicity (MZ) relation and ﬁnd that the relation is offset to lower metallicities compared to metallicities derived from alternative methods (e.g., R(sub 23), O3N2, N2O2) and continuum selected samples. Using star formation rates derived from the Hα emission line, we calculate our galaxies’ position on the Fundamental Metallicity Relation, where we also ﬁnd an offset toward lower metallicities. This demonstrates that this emission-line-selected sample probes objects of low stellar masses but even lower metallicities than many comparable surveys. We detect a trend suggesting galaxies with higher Speciﬁc Star Formation (SSFR) are more likely to have lower metallicity. This could be due to cold accretion of metal-poor gas that drives star formation, or could be because outﬂows of metal-rich stellar winds and SNe ejecta are more common in galaxies with higher SSFR.

Pharo, John↗

NASA NTRS1991

Mineralogy of Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary clays in the Chicxulub structure in northern Yucatan

The Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary clay layer is thought to be derived from ejecta material from meteorite impact, based on the anomalous concentrations of noble metals in the layer. Because of recent findings of a half-meter thick ejecta deposit at the K/T boundary in Haiti, efforts have focused on locating a large impact feature in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. One of the leading candidates for the site of a large impact is the Chicxulub structure located on the northern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The Chicxulub structure is a subsurface zone of upper Cretaceous igneous rocks, carbonates, and breccias. The structure has been interpreted to be a 200 km diameter; however, there is some question to the size of the structure or to the fact that it even is an impact feature. Little is known about the mineralogy of this structure; the objective of this study was to determine the clay mineralogy of core samples from within the Chicxulub structure.

Ming, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Charge transfer in helium-rich supernova plasma

Charge transfer rate coefficients are estimated using Landau-Zener and modified Demkov approximations. The coefficients, augmented by those available from the literature, are used in statistical equilibrium equations describing the state of helium-rich supernova plasma. Such a plasma may describe both Type Ib and Type Ic supernova ejecta. The hypothesis that extensive mixing of metals with helium in Type Ic supernovae may provide a catalyst for rapid charge transfer that weakens the helium line emission by altering the excitation balance is tested. It is shown that charge transfer as a mechanism for suppressing helium line emission is ineffective unless the metal abundance is comparable to or larger than the helium abundance. This result supports an earlier conclusion that Type Ic supernovae must be helium poor relative to Type Ib events.

Swartz, Douglas A.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Homunculus: a Unique Astrophysical Laboratory

eta Car is surrounded by bipolar shells, the Homunculus and the internal Little Homunculus, that are observed in both emission and absorption. Thin disks, located between the bipolar lobes, include the very bright Weigelt blobs and the neutral emission structure called the Strontium filament. All are affected by changes in UV and X-Ray flux of the binary system. For example, the normally ionized Little Homunculus recombines during the few month long spectroscopic minimum and then reionizes. Spectral data, obtained with Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) and with Very Large Telescope/UltraViolet Echelle Spectrograph (VLT/UVES), provide a wealth of information on spectroscopic properties of neutral and singly-ionized metals and on chemistry of nitrogen rich, carbon, oxygen poor, dense, warm gas. This information is important to understand gamma ray bursters (GRB) that reveal red-shifted near-UV metallic absorptions from pre-GRB stellar ejecta.

Gull, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Far-infrared spectrophotometry of SN 1987A - Days 265 and 267

The paper presents 16-66-micron spectra of SN 1987A taken on days 266 and 268 after core collapse. The spectrum consists of a nearly flat continuum, strong emission lines of hydrogen, and fine-structure lines of Fe II, Fe III, Co II, S I, and possibly Fe I, Ni II, and S III. From the relative strength of three lines which arise from transitions within the ground and excited states of Fe II, the temperature and a lower limit on the density of the line-emitting region are derived. From the line strengths, the abundances of Fe and S I, the end products of explosive nucleosynthesis in the supernova are estimated. An upper limit is also set to the amount of Co II remaining in the mantle. The low measured mass of Fe suggests that the ejecta are clumpy. The flat continuum is most likely free-free emission from the expanding supernova ejecta. About 35 percent of this emission arises from the ionized metals in the mantle; the rest arises from ionized hydrogen. At the time of these observations, there is no evidence for any emission from dust that may have formed in the supernova ejecta or from preexisting dust in the surrounding medium.

Moseley, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Characteristics of metal particles in Apollo 16 rocks

It is pointed out that FeNi metal particles, composed predominantly of kamacite and ranging in size from less than 1 micron to more than 2 mm across, are ubiquitous in the lunar samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions. The metal particles seldom exceed 1% of the volume of a lunar sample. However, their study has proven to be of considerable potential value in a number of aspects of lunar petrogenesis related to thermal history, equilibration temperatures, reduction processes and oxygen fugacities during magmatic crystallization and subsolidus reduction and oxidation, and the meteoritic component of lunar rocks based on Ni-Co contents of individual metal particles. Detailed studies have been conducted of the textures and compositions of the metal particles in 19 Apollo 16 rock samples representing material from the North Ray and the South Ray ejecta and/or fall-back blankets. It was found that the textures and compositions of the metal particles in the Apollo 16 rocks can be correlated with their host petrology.

Misra, K. C.↗