Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Grains In Ionized Nebulae: Spectral Line Diagnostics, J. B. Kingdon, Gary J. Ferland, W. A. Feibelman

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The depletion of condensable elements onto grains in gaseous nebulae can provide evidence that dust is well mixed with the ionized gas. Al and CA are two of the most depleted elements in the general interstellar medium, and it is therefore important to measure their abundances within the ionized region of nebulae. We compute a large grid of photoionization models and identify sets of line ratios which are relatively insensitive to stellar and nebular parameters, and are thus excellent diagnostics for determining relative abundances. Based on the absence of the [Ca II] λλ7291, 7324 doublet and the detection of …

The Origin Of N Iii Λ990 And C Iii Λ977 Emission In Agn Narrow-Line Region Gas, Jason W. Ferguson, Gary J. Ferland, A. K. Pradham

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We discuss implications of Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) detections of C III λ977 and N III λ990 emission from the narrow-line region of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. In their discovery paper Kriss et al. showed that the unexpectedly great strength of these lines implies that the emitting gas must be shock-heated if the lines are collisionally excited. Here we investigate other processes which excite these lines in photoionization equilibrium. Recombination, mainly dielectronic, and continuum fluorescence are strong contributors to the line. The resulting intensities are sensitive to the velocity field of the emitting gas and require …

Comment On 'Simulation Of A Two-Dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard System Using The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method, Alejandro Garcia, F. Baras, M. Malek Mansour

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Consistent Boltzmann Algorithm, Alejandro Garcia, F. Alexander, B. Alder

Faculty Publications

The direct simulation Monte Carlo method for the Boltzmann equation is modified by an additional displacement in the advection process and an enhanced collision rate in order to obtain the exact hard sphere equation of state at all densities. This leads to consistent thermodynamic and transport properties in the low density (Boltzmann) regime. At higher densities transport properties are comparable to the predictions of the Enskog model. The algorithm is faster than molecular dynamics at low and moderate densities and readily run on a parallel architecture

A Theoretical Study Concerning The Solar Cycle Dependence Of The Nightside Ionosphere Of Venus, Zoltan Dobe, Andrew F. Nagy, Jane L. Fox

Physics Faculty Publications

We modeled the chemical and physical processes taking place in the nightside ionosphere of Venus by solving the one dimensional coupled continuity and momentum equations for 12 ion species [CO₂⁺, O₂⁺, O⁺, H⁺, NO⁺, CO⁺, N₂⁺, N⁺, He⁺, C⁺, O⁺ (²D) and O⁺ (²P)]. We investigated the relative importance of the two major processes responsible for maintaining the nightside plasma densities: atomic ion transport from the dayside and impact ionization due to energetic electron precipitation. …

Evidence For Virtual Compton Scattering From Proton, J.F.J. Van Den Brand, R. Ent, P. L. Anthony, R. G. Arnold, J. Arrington, E. J. Beise, J. E. Belz, P. E. Bosted, H. J. Bulten, M. S. Chapman, K. P. Coulter, F. S. Dietrich, M. Epstein, B. W. Filippone, H. Gao, R. A. Gearhart, D. F. Geesaman, J.-O. Hansen, R. J. Holt, H. E. Jackson, C. E. Jones, C. E. Keppel, E. R. Kinney, S. Kuhn, K. Lee, W. Lorenzon, A. Lung, N.C.R. Makins, D.J. Margaziotis, R.D. Mckeown, R.G. Milner, B. Mueller, J. Napolitano, J. Nelson, T. G. O'Neill, V. Pavavassiliou, G. G. Petratos, D. H. Potterveld, S. E. Rock, M. Spengos, Z. M. Szalata, L. H. Tao, K Van Bibber, D. A. Wasson, J.L. White, B. Zeidman

Physics Faculty Publications

In virtual Compton scattering an electron is scattered off a nucleon such that the nucleon emits a photon. We show that these events can be selected experimentally, and present the first evidence for virtual Compton scattering from the proton in data obtained at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The angular and energy dependence of the data is well described by a calculation that includes the coherent sum of electron and proton radiation.

Waterjet Cutting Of Cross-Linked Glass, Fang Yuan, John A. Johnson, David D. Allred, Robert H. Todd

Faculty Publications

The cutting of cross-linked glasses such as silica and Corning 7059 can be difficult. We conducted an experimental study to determine the feasibility of using a high-speed waterjet to cut thin Corning 7095 glass. Cutting using either pure de-ionized high pressure water at 380 MPa (55 000 psi) or de-ionized water with entrained garnet abrasive was studied. The roughness of the cut surfaces was measured and compared. Photomicrographs were taken of glass examples cut at different traversing rates with pure water and with the abrasive entrained waterjet. Comparative studies of cutting with and without the entrained abrasive material showed that …

Density Of States Of A Damped Quantum Oscillator, Andreas Hanke, W. Zwerger

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We calculate the density of states of a damped quantum-mechanical harmonic oscillator which is described by a Caldeira-Leggett type model with Ohmic dissipation and a Drude-like cutoff. From the exact expression for the associated partition function, we derive the asymptotic behavior of the density of states using Tauberian theorems. An effective algorithm to evaluate the density of states is presented and examples are given. It is pointed out that the calculated density of states is an experimentally accessible quantity.

Exclusive Electron Scattering From Deuterium At High Momentum Transfer, H. J. Bulten, P. L. Anthony, R. G. Arnold, J. Arrington, E. J. Beise, E. Belz, K. Van Bibber, P. E. Bosted, J.F.J. Van Den Brand, M. S. Chapman, K. P. Coulter, F. S. Dietrich, R. Ent, M. Epstein, B. W. Filippone, H. Gao, R.A. Gearhart, D. F. Geesaman, J.-O. Hansen, R. J. Holt, H. E. Jackson, C. E. Jones, C. E. Keppel, E. Kinney, S. E. Kuhn, K. Lee, W. Lorenzon, A. Lung, N.C.R. Makins, D. J. Margaziotis, R.D. Mckeown, R. G. Milner, B. Mueller, J. Napolitano, J. Nelson, T.G. O'Neill, V. Papavassiliou, G. G. Petratos, D. H. Potterveld, S. E. Rock, M. Spengos, Z. M. Szalata, L. H. Tao, J. L. White, B. Zeidman

Physics Faculty Publications

Cross sections are presented for the reaction ²H(e,e′p)n for momentum transfers in the range 1.2 ≤Q²≤ 6.8 (GeV/c)2 and for missing momenta from 0 to 250 MeV/c. The longitudinal-transverse interference structure function has been separated at Q²=1.2(GeV/c)². The observables are compared to calculations performed in nonrelativistic and relativistic frameworks. The data are best described by a fully relativistic calculation.

Precision Measurement Of Relative Dipole Matrix Elements In Atomic Sodium, Rodney P. Meyer

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Relative dipole matrix elements are measured by means of a new spectroscopic technique called polarization interference spectroscopy. It is a two-color two-photon nonresonant process that maps the matrix elements into the energy domain by means of quantum mechanical interference. The technique measures the relative magnitude of the reduced matrix elements, particularly those involving excited states, to accuracies that are an order of magnitude better than previously available. Also, for the first time the relative phase of the reduced matrix elements is measured. The ratio of reduced matrix elements for the transitions 3s ²S_1/2 →3P ²P_3/2 →5s …

The Optical-Ultraviolet-Γ-Ray Spectrum Of 3c 279, Hagai Netzer, D. Kazanas, Beverley J. Wills, D. Wills, Han Mingsheng, M. S. Brotherton, J A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, I. W. A. Browne

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have obtained spectrosocpy of the violently variable quasar 3C 279, simultaneous with γ-ray observations, in 1992 April. Our combined optical (McDonald Observatory and Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory (CTIO) and ultraviolet (HST) observations, made when the source was faint, show a very steep power-law continuum (F_ν∝ν^-1.95) and strong broad emission lines. This is the first time that the broad ultraviolet lines of this object have been measured, and we note several unusual properties of the spectrum. In particular, the profiles of C IV λ1549 and Mg II λ …

Strong Magnetic Field Effects And Molecular Processes With Applications To White Dwarfs, Phillip C. Stancil

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Radiative transitions of hydrogenlike atoms in external magnetic fields of strength applicable to magnetic white dwarfs, i.e. B < 10³ megagauss, have been investigated for field-free principal quantum numbers n < 6. Finite proton mass corrections are included. Relativistic corrections are also investigated. Transition probabilities are determined using the length, velocity, and acceleration forms of the electric dipole operator. Discrepancies between previous calculations and magnetic white dwarf observations of low-lying boundbound transitions have been studied. New results for high-lying transitions are also obtained.

The transition probability for the hydrogenlike 2s two-photon decay has been investigated and shown to increase substantially with field strength. The computed two-photon spectra show resonances and interference minima. Anomalous Zeeman depolarization features are found in computed two-photon polarization spectra of alkali atoms in laboratory strength magnetic fields. A previously observed fine structure depolarization feature is shown to decay with decreasing field strength.

Raman Spectroscopic Study Of The Formation Of T-Mosi2 From Mo/Si Multilayers, Ming Cai, David D. Allred, A. Reyes-Mena

Faculty Publications

We have used Raman spectroscopy, large- and small-angle x-ray diffraction spectroscopy of sputter-deposited, vacuum-annealed, soft x-ray Mo/Si thin-film multilayers to study the physics of silicide formation. Two sets of multilayer samples with d-spacing 8.4 and 2.0 nm have been studied. Annealing at temperatures above 800 °C causes a gradual formation of amorphous MoSi2 interfaces between the Si and Mo layers. The transition from amorphous to crystalline MoSi2 is abrupt. The experimental results indicate that nucleation is the dominant process for the early stage and crystallization is the dominant process after nucleation is well advanced. In the thicker multilayer, a portion …

Emitted Current Instability From Silicon Field Emission Emitters Due To Sputtering By Residual Gas Ions, W.I. Karain, Larry V. Knight, David D. Allred, A. Reyes-Mena

Faculty Publications

We have fabricated arrays of silicon field emitters using semiconductor lithography techniques. The density of the tips was 10^5/cm^2. The maximum current that can be extracted from each emitter is limited by resistive heating. We have investigated how the electron current emitted changes under constant applied voltage. We found that the current is very sensitive to the vacuum conditions. We attribute this to sputtering of the emitters due to ionized residual gas molecules. The poorer the vacuum, the higher the instability in the current. We studied this phenomenon at 10^6 and 10-x Torr. The model of two concentric spherical shells …

Mesostructure Of Photoluminescent Porous Silicon, David D. Allred, F. Ruiz, C. Vázquez-López, Jesus González-Hernández, G. Romero-Paredes, R. Peña-Sierra, G. Torres-Delgado

Faculty Publications

Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of photoluminescent porous silicon (PS) layers formed by the anodic etching (HF:H2O:ethanol), at various current densities, of p-type (100) silicon wafers possessing resitivity in the range 1-2 Ω cm. Existing models for the origin of luminescence in PS are not supported by our observations. Cross-sectional as well as surface atomic force micrographs show the material to be clumpy rather than columnar; rodlike structures are not observed down to a scale of 40 nm. A three-dimensional model of the mesostructure of porous silicon is discussed. Room-temperature …

Experimental Stark Shift Of Several Nii And Oii Spectral Lines, Mara Scepanovic, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Stevan Djenize, Mihajlo Platisa, Jaroslav Labat

Articles

Stark shift of four NII and seven OII spectral lines have been measured for the first time in the linear low pressure pulsed arc plasma and compared with existing theoretical values.

A Protostellar Jet Model For The Water Masers In W49n, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Moshe Elitzur, James M. Stone, Arieh Königl

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Observations by Gwinn, Moran, & Reid of the proper motions of water masers in W49N show that they have elongated distribution expanding from a common center. Features with high space velocity only occur far from the center, while low-velocity features occur at all distances. We propose that these observations can be interpreted in terms of a shell of shocked molecular gas that is driven by the expanding cocoon of a high-velocity protostellar jet. We present three-dimensional numerical simulations in support of this interpretation and argue that this source provides a unique oppurtunity for a detailed study of jet-driven cocoons.

Nebular Properties And The Ionizing Radiation Field In The Galactic Center, Joseph C. Shields, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Nebulosity in the central parsec of the Milky Way exhibits a low-ionization spectrum that has led previous analyses of this region to conclude that this material is photoionized by a relatively soft continuum. We have reanalyzed the infrared emission-line spectrum of te Galactic center in order to consider whether the data could actually be explained with photoionization by a relatively hard, yet dilute continuum, and additionally to constrain the properties of the reaiating plasma. We conclude that the composite infrared spectrum does not place strong restrictions on the nature of the ionizing continuum and that much of the ionized gas …

Hot Gas And The Origin Of The Nebular Continuum In Novae, Pedro Saizar, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A featureless blue continuum (with constant f_ν) is a defining feature of declining classical novae. The fact that f_ν is constant into the infrared, and the absence of a Balmer jump, suggests that this continuum originates in hot tenous gas. The electron temperature and density of the hot gas phase of classical nova QU Vul 1984 are estimated from ground-based optical and IUE ultraviolet observations. This region has a temperature of 10⁵ - 10⁶, and a density in the range of 2 x 10⁴ to 3 x 10⁵cm^-3. …

On The Theory Of Astronomical Masers In Three Dimensions, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

In the standard theory of three-dimensional astronomical masers, the radiation field is described as if the source were comprised of a collection of linear masers. To leading order, the standard theory is shown to provide the correct description of three-dimensional masers and its results remain intact, but only within a frequency core whose half-width is χ_sΔν_D, where Δν_D is the Doppler width and χ_s is a dimensionless parameter. For any given geometry, χ_s is ~1θ_sat, where θ_sat is the beaming angle of a maser with that geometry that has …

Gravity And Electromagnetism In Noncommutative Geometry, Giovanni Landi, Nguyen Ai Viet, Kameshwar C. Wali

Physics - All Scholarship

We present a unified description of gravity and electromagnetism in the framework of a Z 2 non-commutative differential calculus. It can be considered as a “discrete version” of Kaluza-Klein theory, where the fifth continuous dimension is replaced by two discrete points. We derive an action which coincides with the dimensionally reduced one of the ordinary Kaluza-Klein theory.

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo For Thin Film Bearings, Alejandro Garcia, B. Alder, F. J. Alexander

Faculty Publications

The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) scheme is used to study the gas flow under a read/write head positioned nanometers above a moving disk drive platter (the slider bearing problem). In most cases, impressive agreement is found between the particle-based simulation and numerical solutions of the continuum hydrodynamic Reynolds equation which has been corrected for slip. However, at very high platter speeds the gas is far from equilibrium, and the load capacity for the slider bearing cannot be accurately computed from the hydrodynamic pressure.

Rate Coefficient For The Reaction N + No, Jane L. Fox

Physics Faculty Publications

Evidence has been advanced that the rate coefficient for the reaction N + NO → N₂; + O has a small positive temperature dependence at the high temperatures (900-1500 K) that prevail in the terrestrial middle and upper thermosphere by Siskind and Rusch (1992), and at the low temperatures (100-200 K) of the Martian lower thermosphere by Fox (1993). Assuming that the rate coefficient recommended by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory evaluation (DeMore et al., 1992) is accurate at 300 K, we derive here the low temperature value of the activation energy for this reaction and thus the rate …

Interstellar Gas And Dust In The Young Cluster Ic 348, Theodore P. Snow, Margaret Murray Hanson, C Gregory Seab, Jon M. Saken

Physics Faculty Publications

We have completed a multiband absorption- and emission-line study of a star embedded in the young cluster IC 348, to determine the environmental effect of star formation on the interstellar medium (ISM) local to the region. The hottest and youngest star in IC 348 is BD+31°643, a B5 V star which samples the inner bright nebular region. The nearby star o Per, which lies only 8 to the north and is thought to lie beyond IC 348, samples the gas and dust which has not been processed by very recent star formation. We speculate that the ISM throughout the region …

Dilaton Black Holes With Electric Charge, Malik Rakhmanov

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

New static spherically symmetric solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell gravity with the dilaton field are found. The solutions correspond to black holes and naked singularities. In addition to mass and electric charge these solutions are labeled by a new parameter, the dilaton charge of the black hole. Depending on the values of electric and dilaton charges there are different types of solutions. The solutions exhibit a new type of a symmetry. Namely one solution transforms into another when the mass and the dilaton charge are interchanged. We also found that there is a finite interval of values of electric charge for …

Microscopic Simulation Of Dilute Gases With Adjustable Transport Coefficients, Alejandro Garcia, F. Baras, M. Malek Mansour

Faculty Publications

The Bird algorithm is a computationally efficient method for simulating dilute gas flows. However, due to the relatively large transport coefficients at low densities, high Rayleigh or Reynolds numbers are difficult to achieve by this technique. We present a modified version of the Bird algorithm in which the relaxation processes are enhanced and the transport coefficients reduced, while preserving the correct equilibrium and nonequilibrium fluid properties. The present algorithm is found to be two to three orders of magnitude faster than molecular dynamics for simulating complex hydrodynamical flows.

Evidence For Day-To-Night Ion Transport At Low Solar Activity In The Venus Pre-Dawn Ionosphere, J. F. Brannon, Jane L. Fox, H. S. Porter

Physics Faculty Publications

Periapsis of the Pioneer Venus spacecraft dropped below 180 km on August 28, 1992 near midnight, and 42 orbits of low altitude data at moderately low solar activity in the pre-dawn sector were obtained before contact was lost to the spacecraft in October, 1992. Through a combination of analysis of data from the PV orbiter ion mass spectrometer (OIMS) and modeling, we consider here what can be learned about the relative importance of plasma transport from the dayside and electron precipitation in maintaining the nightside ionosphere during the re-entry period. In particular, we examine here the atomic ion density profiles. …

The Chemical Evolution Of Qsos And The Implications For Cosmology And Galaxy Formation, Fred Hamann, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We examine the chemical evolution of QSO broad-line gas by applying spectral synthesis and chemical enrichment models to the N V/C IV and N V/He II emission-line ratios. The models indicate that BLR metallicities are typically ~1 to perhaps ≳10 times solar. The enrichment must occur in ≲1 Gyr for sources where the redshift is ≳3 (if q₀ = ½). The higher metallicity QSOs require star formation favoring massive stars (compared to the Galactic disk). These results imply that extensive evolution usually occurs before the QSOs become observable. Our models of the evolution are equivalent to models proposed for …

On The Escape Of Oxygen And Hydrogen From Mars, Jane L. Fox

Physics Faculty Publications

Escape rates of oxygen atoms from dissociative recombination of O₂⁺ above the Martian exobase are computed in light of new information from ab initio calculations of the dissociative recombination process, and our recently revised understanding of the Martian dayside ionosphere. Only about 60% of the dissociative recombinations occur in channels in which the O atoms are released with energies in excess of the escape velocity. Futhermore, we find that the computed escape fluxes for O depend greatly on the nature of the ion loss process that has been found necessary to reproduce the topside ion density profiles measured …

A Masing [Fe Xi] Line, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

I draw attention to a maser which occurs within the ground term of Fe¹⁰⁺. In many photoionized environments, infrared fine-structure lines and the [O I] λ6300 line become optically thick but maser amplification of ionic fine-structure lines is unusual. During the course of development of a code designed to simulate gas under radiative-collisional equilibrium, the radiative transfer of roughly 500 ionic/atomic emission lines was treated using escape probabilities. Nearly all forbidden lines can become optically thick under extreme conditions, but the ³Pj = 1, 0 [Fe XI] 6.08 μm transition is the only line …