Effects of grain dust on lungs prior to and following dust remediation.

PubMed

Pahwa, Punam; Dosman, James A; McDuffie, Helen H

2008-12-01

To determine longitudinal estimates of pulmonary function decline in Canadian grain elevator workers before and after dust control by analyzing data collected from five regions of Canada over 15 years. Declines in forced expired volume in one second and forced vital capacity before and after dust control were estimated by using a generalized estimating equations approach. For grain workers who were in the grain industry for 20 or more years both before and after dust control: the mean annual loss of forced expired volume in one second was greatest among current smoking grain workers followed by ex-smokers and nonsmokers, respectively. Similar results were obtained for forced vital capacity. Grain dust control was effective in reducing decline in the lung function measurements among grain workers in all smoking and exposure categories.

Experimental Study of Dust Grain Charging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, James F; Venturini, Catherine C.; Comfort, Richard H.; Mian, Abbas M.

1999-01-01

The results of an experimental study of the charging mechanisms of micron size dust grains are presented. Individual dust grains are electrodynamically suspended and exposed to an electron beam of known energy and flux, and to far ultraviolet radiation of known wavelength and intensity. Changes in the charge-to-mass ratio of the grain are directly measured as a function of incident beam (electron and/or photon), grain size and composition. Comparisons of our results to theoretical models that predict the grain response are presented.

Role of electron temperature on charging of dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausik, S. S.; Chakraborty, M.; Saikia, B. K.

2007-02-01

Dust grains are produced by evaporation of silver in an experimental setup consisting of a dust chamber, a plasma chamber, and a deflection chamber. Due to differential pressure between the dust and plasma chambers, the dust grains move upward and after passing through plasma they become negatively charged. These charged dust grains are then deflected by a dc field applied across a pair of deflector plates in the deflection chamber. Both from the amount of deflection and also from the floating potential, the number of charges collected on the dust grains is calculated. As the gas pressure is changed, the plasma density and the electron temperature changes. Dust charge is then calculated at each value of pressure from the deflection and floating potential. It is found that the electron temperature has a profound effect in the accumulation of charge on dust grains.

THE EFFECTS OF CRACKING ON THE SURFACE POTENTIAL OF ICY GRAINS IN SATURN’S E-RING: LABORATORY STUDIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bu, Caixia; Bahr, David A.; Dukes, Catherine A.

2016-07-10

Within Saturn's E-ring, dust grains are coated by water vapor co-released with ice grains from the geyser-like eruptions of Enceladus. These ice-coated grains have intrinsic surface potential and interact synergistically with the ions and electrons of Saturn's magnetospheric plasmas. We perform laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of water-ice growth on the surface potential, using amorphous solid water (ASW) films. We estimate the growth of the surface potential to be ∼ 2.5 mV (Earth) yr{sup 1} and 112 mV yr{sup 1} for E-ring grains at ∼4.5 R {sub s} and 3.95 R {sub s} outside Enceladus’s plume, respectively. In addition,more » our measurements show that the linear relationship between the surface potential and the film thickness, as described in previous studies, has an upper limit, where the film spontaneously cracks above a porosity-dependent critical thickness. Heating of the cracked films with (and without) deposited charge shows that significant positive (and negative) surface potentials are retained at temperatures above 110 K, contrary to the minimal values (roughly zero) for thin, transparent ASW films. The significant surface potentials observed on micron-scale cracked ice films after thermal cycling, (5–20) V, are consistent with Cassini measurements, which indicate a negative charge of up to 5 V for E-ring dust particles at ∼5 R {sub s}. Therefore, the native grain surface potential resulting from water-vapor coating must be included in modeling studies of interactions between E-ring icy surfaces and Saturn's magnetospheric plasma.« less

[Asthma due to grain dust].

PubMed

Baur, X; Preisser, A; Wegner, R

2003-06-01

The actual literature as well as two case reports described in detail show that grain dust induces asthmatic reactions and ODTS which are obviously not of allergic origin. For diagnosis occupational-type exposure tests are decisive whereas allergological testing usually is not. Endotoxins which are present in the grain dust samples in high concentrations have to be regarded as the major causative components. To avoid irreversible lung function impairment a comprehensive early diagnosis is necessary. Generally, a remarkable reduction of exposure to dust with high levels of airborne endotoxin in agriculture has to be achieved since in many workplaces corresponding exposures are still rather high.

Simulation study of spheroidal dust gains charging: Applicable to dust grain alignment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zahed, H.; Sobhanian, S.; Mahmoodi, J.

2006-09-15

The charging process of nonspherical dust grains in an unmagnetized plasma as well as in the presence of a magnetic field is studied. It is shown that unlike the spherical dust grain, due to nonhomogeneity of charge distribution on the spheroidal dust surface, the resultant electric forces on electrons and ions are different. This process produces some surface charge density gradient on the nonspherical grain surface. Effects of a magnetic field and other plasma parameters on the properties of the dust particulate are studied. It has been shown that the alignment direction could be changed or even reversed with themore » magnetic field and plasma parameters. Finally, the charge distribution on the spheroidal grain surface is studied for different ambient parameters including plasma temperature, neutral collision frequency, and the magnitude of the magnetic field.« less

Complex Role of Secondary Electron Emissions in Dust Grain Charging in Space Environments: Measurements on Apollo 11 and 17 Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A. C.

2010-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding of a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium (ISM), and heliospheric, interplanetary, planetary, and lunar environments. The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron/submicron size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials and theoretical models. In this paper we present experimental results on charging of individual dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 dust samples by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10- 400 eV energy range. The charging rates of positively and negatively charged particles of approximately 0.2 to 13 microns diameters are discussed in terms of the secondary electron emission (SEE) process, which is found to be a complex charging process at electron energies as low as 10-25 eV, with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between dust charging properties of individual small size dust grains and of bulk materials.

Simulating galactic dust grain evolution on a moving mesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, Ryan; Vogelsberger, Mark; Torrey, Paul; Marinacci, Federico; Kannan, Rahul

2018-05-01

Interstellar dust is an important component of the galactic ecosystem, playing a key role in multiple galaxy formation processes. We present a novel numerical framework for the dynamics and size evolution of dust grains implemented in the moving-mesh hydrodynamics code AREPO suited for cosmological galaxy formation simulations. We employ a particle-based method for dust subject to dynamical forces including drag and gravity. The drag force is implemented using a second-order semi-implicit integrator and validated using several dust-hydrodynamical test problems. Each dust particle has a grain size distribution, describing the local abundance of grains of different sizes. The grain size distribution is discretised with a second-order piecewise linear method and evolves in time according to various dust physical processes, including accretion, sputtering, shattering, and coagulation. We present a novel scheme for stochastically forming dust during stellar evolution and new methods for sub-cycling of dust physics time-steps. Using this model, we simulate an isolated disc galaxy to study the impact of dust physical processes that shape the interstellar grain size distribution. We demonstrate, for example, how dust shattering shifts the grain size distribution to smaller sizes resulting in a significant rise of radiation extinction from optical to near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Our framework for simulating dust and gas mixtures can readily be extended to account for other dynamical processes relevant in galaxy formation, like magnetohydrodynamics, radiation pressure, and thermo-chemical processes.

Laboratory Investigation of Space and Planetary Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, James

2005-01-01

Dust in space is ubiquitous and impacts diverse observed phenomena in various ways. Understanding the dominant mechanisms that control dust grain properties and its impact on surrounding environments is basic to improving our understanding observed processes at work in space. There is a substantial body of work on the theory and modeling of dust in space and dusty plasmas. To substantiate and validate theory and models, laboratory investigations and space borne observations have been conducted. Laboratory investigations are largely confined to an assembly of dust grains immersed in a plasma environment. Frequently the behaviors of these complex dusty plasmas in the laboratory have raised more questions than verified theories. Space borne observations have helped us characterize planetary environments. The complex behavior of dust grains in space indicates the need to understand the microphysics of individual grains immersed in a plasma or space environment.

Acute symptoms following exposure to grain dust in farming.

PubMed Central

Manfreda, J; Holford-Strevens, V; Cheang, M; Warren, C P

1986-01-01

History of acute symptoms (cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, fever, stuffy nose, and skin itching/rash) following exposure to grain dust was obtained from 661 male and 535 female current and former farmers. These symptoms were relatively common: 60% of male and 25% of female farmers reported at least one such symptom on exposure to grain dust. Association of cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and stuffy nose with skin reactivity and capacity to form IgE is consistent with an allergic nature of these symptoms. Barley and oats dust were perceived as dust most often producing symptoms. On the other hand, grain fever showed a different pattern, i.e., it was not associated with either skin reactivity or total IgE. Smoking might modify the susceptibility to react to grain dust with symptoms. Only those who reported wheezing on exposure to grain dust may have an increased risk to develop chronic airflow obstruction. PMID:3709486

Common Warm Dust Temperatures Around Main Sequence Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morales, Farisa; Rieke, George; Werner, Michael; Stapelfeldt, Karl; Bryden, Geoffrey; Su, Kate

2011-01-01

We compare the properties of warm dust emission from a sample of main-sequence A-type stars (B8-A7) to those of dust around solar-type stars (F5-KO) with similar Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph/MIPS data and similar ages. Both samples include stars with sources with infrared spectral energy distributions that show evidence of multiple components. Over the range of stellar types considered, we obtain nearly the same characteristic dust temperatures (∼ 190 K and ∼60 K for the inner and outer dust components, respectively)-slightly above the ice evaporation temperature for the inner belts. The warm inner dust temperature is readily explained if populations of small grains are being released by sublimation of ice from icy planetesimals. Evaporation of low-eccentricity icy bodies at ∼ 150 K can deposit particles into an inner/warm belt, where the small grains are heated to dust Temperatures of -190 K. Alternatively, enhanced collisional processing of an asteroid belt-like system of parent planetesimals just interior to the snow line may account for the observed uniformity in dust temperature. The similarity in temperature of the warmer dust across our B8-KO stellar sample strongly suggests that dust-producing planetesimals are not found at similar radial locations around all stars, but that dust production is favored at a characteristic temperature horizon.

Constraints on the nanoscale minerals on the surface of Saturnian icy moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srama, R.; Hsu, H.; Kempf, S.; Horanyi, M.

2011-12-01

Nano-phase iron particles embedded into the surfaces of Saturn's icy moons as well as in the ring material have been proposed to explain the infrared spectra obtained by Cassini VIMS. Because the continuous influx of interplanetary fast impactors into the Saturnian system erodes any exposed surface, a certain amount of the embedded nano-particles will be ejected into the Saturnian magnetosphere and speed up to velocities high enough to be detected by the Cassini dust detector CDA. Thus, the analysis of the so-called stream particles provides constraints on the amount and the composition of any nano-phase material within the surfaces of the icy moons. Nanoparticles registered by the Cassini dust detector are most likely composed of silica (SiO2). Their dynamical properties indicate that they are relics of E ring dust grains. In this talk we will show that the Cassini stream particle measurements provide strong constraints for the composition and size distribution of any embedded nano-material.

Dust Grain Charge above the Lunar terminator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaverka, Jakub; Richterova, Ivana; Nemecek, Zdenek; Safrankova, Jana; Pavlu, Jiri; Vysinka, Marek

Interaction of a lunar surface with the solar wind and magnetosphere leads to its charging by several processes as photoemission, a collection of primary particles, and secondary electron emission. Nevertheless, charging of the lunar surface is complicated by a shielding of solar light and solar wind ions by hills, craters, and boulders that can locally influence the surface potential. Moreover, a presence of a plasma wake can strongly affect this potential at the night side of the Moon. A typical surface potential varies from slightly positive (dayside) to negative values of the order of several hundred volts (night side). An electric field above the charged surface can lead to a levitation of dust grains as it has been observed by several spacecraft and by astronauts during Apollo missions. Although charging and transport of dust grains above the lunar surface are in the center of interest for many years, these phenomena are not still completely understood. We present calculation of an equilibrium potential of dust grains above the lunar surface. We focus on a terminator area during the Earth’s plasma sheet crossing. We use the secondary electron emission model for dust grains which takes into account an influence of the grain size, material, and surface roughness and findings from laboratory experiments with charging of lunar dust simulants by an electron beam.

Exposure to grain dust and microbial components in the Norwegian grain and compound feed industry.

PubMed

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Heldal, Kari Kulvik; Wouters, Inge M; Skogstad, Marit; Ellingsen, Dag G; Eduard, Wijnand

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to extensively characterize grain workers' personal exposure during work in Norwegian grain elevators and compound feed mills, to identify differences in exposures between the workplaces and seasons, and to study the correlations between different microbial components. Samples of airborne dust (n = 166) were collected by full-shift personal sampling during work in 20 grain elevators and compound feed mills during one autumn season and two winter seasons. The personal exposure to grain dust, endotoxins, β-1→3-glucans, bacteria, and fungal spores was quantified. Correlations between dust and microbial components and differences between workplaces and seasons were investigated. Determinants of endotoxin and β-1→3-glucan exposure were evaluated by linear mixed-effect regression modeling. The workers were exposed to an overall geometric mean of 1.0mg m(-3) inhalable grain dust [geometric standard deviation (GSD) = 3.7], 628 endotoxin units m(-3) (GSD = 5.9), 7.4 µg m(-3) of β-1→3-glucan (GSD = 5.6), 21 × 10(4) bacteria m(-3) (GSD = 7.9) and 3.6 × 10(4) fungal spores m(-3) (GSD = 3.4). The grain dust exposure levels were similar across workplaces and seasons, but the microbial content of the grain dust varied substantially between workplaces. Exposure levels of all microbial components were significantly higher in grain elevators compared with all other workplaces. The grain dust exposure was significantly correlated (Pearson's r) with endotoxin (rp = 0.65), β-1→3-glucan (rp = 0.72), bacteria (rp = 0.44) and fungal spore (rp = 0.48) exposure, whereas the explained variances were strongly dependent on the workplace. Bacteria, grain dust, and workplace were important determinants for endotoxin exposure, whereas fungal spores, grain dust, and workplace were important determinants for β-1→3-glucan exposure. Although the workers were exposed to a relatively low mean dust level, the microbial exposure was high. Furthermore, the

Ochratoxin A in grain dust--estimated exposure and relations to agricultural practices in grain production.

PubMed

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Elen, Oleif; Eduard, Wijnand

2004-01-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin frequently contaminating grains. OTA inhalation during grain handling may therefore represent a health risk to farmers, and was the subject of this study. Airborne and settled grain dust was collected during grain work on 84 Norwegian farms. Climate and agricultural practices on each farm were registered. Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and OTA in settled dust were measured. Settled dust contained median 4 microg OTA/kg dust (range 2-128), correlating with Penicillium spp. (median 40 cfu/mg; range 0-32000, rs =0.33; p < 0.01). Similar levels were found across grain species, districts and agricultural practices. Penicillium levels, but not OTA levels, were higher in storage than in threshing dust (p=0.003), and increased with storage time (rs =0.51, p < 0.001). Farmers were exposed to median 1 mg/m3 (range 0.2-15) dust during threshing and median 7 mg/m3 (range 1-110) dust during storage work, equalling median 3.7 pg/m3 (range 0.6-200) and median 40 pg/m3 (range 2-14000) OTA, respectively (p < 0.001). Agricultural practices could not predict OTA, Penicillium or Aspergillus contamination. Compared to oral intake of OTA, the inhalant exposure during grain work was low, although varying by more than 1,000-fold. However, the farmers may occasionally be highly exposed, particularly during handling of stored grain.

Dust Spectroscopy and the Nature of Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2006-01-01

Ground-based, air-borne and space-based, infrared spectra of a wide variety of objects have revealed prominent absorption and emission features due to large molecules and small dust grains. Analysis of this data reveals a highly diverse interstellar and circumstellar grain inventory, including both amorphous materials and highly crystalline compounds (silicates and carbon). This diversity points towards a wide range of physical and chemical birthsites as well as a complex processing of these grains in the interstellar medium. In this talk, I will review the dust inventory contrasting and comparing both the interstellar and circumstellar reservoirs. The focus will be on the processes that play a role in the lifecycle of dust in the interstellar medium.

On the theory of dynamics of dust grain in plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanenko, A. A.; Krasheninnikov, S. I.

2013-03-01

The dynamics of rotationally symmetric dust grains in plasma embedded in a magnetic field are of concern. The general expressions for forces and torques acting on dust are found. It is shown that dust spinning is determined by torques related to both the Lorentz force (dominant for relatively small grains) and the gyro-motion of plasma particles impinging the grain (which prevails for large grains). The stability of grain spinning is analyzed and it is shown that, for some cases (e.g., oblate spheroid), there is no stable dynamic equilibrium of grain spinning.

Laboratory Studies of Charging Properties of Dust Grains in Astrophysical/Planetary Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with UV/X-ray radiation, as well as by electron/ion impact. Knowledge of physical and optical properties of individual dust grains is required for understanding of the physical and dynamical processes in space environments and the role of dust in formation of stellar and planetary systems. In this paper we focus on charging of individual micron/submicron dust grains by processes that include: (a) UV photoelectric emissions involving incident photon energies higher than the work function of the material and b) electron impact, where low energy electrons are scattered or stick to the dust grains, thereby charging the dust grains negatively, and at sufficiently high energies the incident electrons penetrate the grain leading to excitation and emission of electrons referred to as secondary electron emission (SEE). It is well accepted that the charging properties of individual micron/submicron size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the bulk materials. However, no viable models for calculation of the charging properties of individual micron size dust grains are available at the present time. Therefore, the photoelectric yields, and secondary electron emission yields of micron-size dust grains have to be obtained by experimental methods. Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size dust grains. Our experimental results, obtained on individual, micron-size dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance facility (at NASA-MSFC), show that: (1) The measured photoelectric yields are substantially higher than the bulk values given in the literature and indicate a particle size dependence with larger particles having order-of-magnitude higher values than for submicron-size grains; (2) dust charging by low energy electron impact is a complex process. Also, our measurements indicate that

Astrophysical dust grains in stars, the interstellar medium, and the solar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gehrz, Robert D.

1991-01-01

Studies of astrophysical dust grains in circumstellar shells, the interstellar medium, and the solar system may provide information about stellar evolution and about physical conditions in the primitive solar nebula. The following subject areas are covered: (1) the cycling of dust in stellar evolution and the formation of planetary systems; (2) astrophysical dust grains in circumstellar environments; (3) circumstellar grain formation and mass loss; (4) interstellar dust grains; (5) comet dust and the zodiacal cloud; (6) the survival of dust grains during stellar evolution; and (7) establishing connections between stardust and dust in the solar system.

Comet Dust: The Story of Planet Formation as Told by the Tiniest of Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooden, D. H.

2005-01-01

Our planetary system formed out of a gas-rich disk-shaped nebula with the early Sun at its center. Many small icy bodies were consumed by the formation of the giant planets. However, many km-size icy bodies were tossed out of the giant-planet region to the cold, distant reaches of our solar system. Comets remained in their places of cold storage until perturbed into orbits that carry them into the inner solar system where they pass relatively close to the Sun. Comets are warmed by the Sun and shed material from their outer layers. The ices and gases shed by comets reveal simple and complex organic molecules were present at the time and in the region of the formation of the giant planets. Where the Earth was forming was too hot and had too intense sunlight for many of these ices and molecules to survive. The dust shed by comets tells us that some stardust survived unaltered but much of the dust was heated and crystallized before becoming part of the comet. Therefore, comet dust grains tell of large radial migrations from the cold outer reaches near Neptune into the hot regions near the forming Sun, and then back out to the cold regions where icy comets were accreting and forming. On 2005 July 4, the NASA Deep Impact Mission hit a comet and ejected primitive materials fiom its interior. These materials were not released into the comet s coma during normal activity. Despite the many passages of this comet close to the Sun, these primitive volatile gases and dust grains survived in its interior. Comet dust grains show that cold and hot materials were mixed into the same tiny particle very early in the formation of the solar system, and these aggregate dust grains never saw high temperatures again. The survival of primitive materials in comet nuclei suggests comets could have delivered organic molecules and primitive dust grains to early Earth.

The role of endotoxin in grain dust exposure and airway obstruction.

PubMed

Von Essen, S

1997-05-01

Grain dust exposure is a common cause of respiratory symptoms in grain workers, feed mill employees, and farmers. Many of these workers develop wheezing and acute and chronic bronchitis symptoms, which can be associated with obstructive changes on pulmonary function testing. It has recently been demonstrated that grain dust exposure causes neutrophilic airways inflammation and systemic symptoms related to release of interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and other mediators of inflammation. Although grain dust is a heterogenous substance, endotoxin has received the greatest amount of attention as a possible cause of the airway inflammation that occurs after grain dust exposure. Although endotoxin undoubtedly causes a portion of the changes seen after grain dust exposure, it is becoming clear that other substances play a role as well.

Formation of dust grains with impurities in red giant winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominik, Carsten

1994-01-01

Among the several proposed carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIB's) are impurities in small dust grains, especially in iron oxide grains (Huffman 1977) and silicate grains (Huffman 1970). Most promising are single ion impurities since they can reproduce the observed band widths (Whittet 1992). These oxygen-rich grains are believed to originate mostly in the mass flows from red giants and in supernovae ejecta (e.g. Gehrz 1989). A question of considerable impact for the origin of DIB's is therefore, whether these grains are produced as mainly clean crystals or as some dirty materials. A formalism has been developed that allows tracking of the heterogeneous growth of a dust grain and its internal structure during the dust formation process. This formalism has been applied to the dust formation in the outflow from a red giant star.

Composition, structure, and chemistry of interstellar dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Allamandola, L. J.

1987-01-01

Different dust components present in the interstellar medium (IM) such as amorphous carbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and those IM components which are organic refractory grains and icy grain mantles are discussed as well as their relative importance. The physical properties of grain surface chemistry are discussed with attention given to the surface structure of materials, the adsorption energy and residence time of species on a grain surface, and the sticking probability. Consideration is also given to the contribution of grains to the gas-phase composition of molecular clouds.

Observations of dusty plasmas with magnetized dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Q.-Z.; D'Angelo, N.

2000-11-01

We report a newly observed phenomenon in a dusty plasma device of the \\mbox{Q-machine} type. At low plasma densities the time required by the plasma to return to its no-dust conditions, after the dust dispenser is turned off, can be as long as many tens of seconds or longer. A tentative interpretation of this observation in terms of magnetized dust grains is advanced. It appears that an important loss mechanism of fine dust grains is by ion drag along the magnetic field lines. The effect of ion drag is somewhat counteracted by the -µ∇B force present when the magnetic field has a mirror geometry.

SEP events and wake region lunar dust charging with grain radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, S. B. Rakesh; Rajesh, S. R.; Abraham, A.; Renuka, G.; Venugopal, Chandu

2017-01-01

Our lunar surface is exposed to all kinds of radiations from the Sun, since it lacks a global magnetic field. Like lunar surface, dust particles are also exposed to plasmas and UV radiation and, consequently they carry electrostatic charges. During Solar Energetic Particle events (SEPs) secondary electron emission plays a vital role in charging of lunar dusts. To study the lunar dust charging during SEPs on lunar wake region, we derived an expression for lunar dust potential and analysed how it varies with different electron temperatures and grain radii. Because of high energetic solar fluxes, secondary yield (δ) values reach up to 2.3 for 0.5 μm dust grain. We got maximum yield at an energy of 550 eV which is in well agreement with lunar sample experimental observation (Anderegg et al., 1972). It is observed that yield value increases with electron energy, reaches to a maximum value and then decreases. During SEPs heavier dust grains show larger yield values because of the geometry of the grains. On the wake region, the dust potential reaches up to -497 V for 0.5 μm dust grain. The electric field of these grains could present a significant threat to manned and unmanned missions to the Moon.

Charging of Individual Micron-Size Interstellar/Planetary Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with UV/X-ray radiation, as well as by electron/ion impact. Knowledge of physical and optical properties of individual dust grains is required for understanding of the physical and dynamical processes in space environments and the role of dust in formation of stellar and planetary systems. In this paper, we discuss experimental results on dust charging by electron impact, where low energy electrons are scattered or stick to the dust grains, thereby charging the dust grains negatively, and at sufficiently high energies the incident electrons penetrate the grain leading to excitation and emission of electrons referred to as secondary electron emission (SEE). Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size dust grains, particularly by low energy electron impact. Available theoretical models based on the Sternglass equation (Sternglass, 1954) are applicable for neutral, planar, and bulk surfaces only. However, charging properties of individual micron-size dust grains are expected to be different from the values measured on bulk materials. Our recent experimental results on individual, positively charged, micron-size lunar dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance facility (at NASA-MSFC) indicate that the SEE by electron impact is a complex process. The electron impact may lead to charging or discharging of dust grains depending upon the grain size, surface potential, electron energy, electron flux, grain composition, and configuration (e.g. Abbas et al, 2010). Here we discuss the complex nature of SEE charging properties of individual micron-size lunar dust grains and silica microspheres.

Positive column of a glow discharge in neon with charged dust grains (a review)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Polyakov, D. N., E-mail: cryolab@ihed.ras.ru; Shumova, V. V.; Vasilyak, L. M.

The effect of charged micron-size dust grains (microparticles) on the electric parameters of the positive column of a low-pressure dc glow discharge in neon has been studied experimentally and numerically. Numerical analysis is carried out in the diffusion-drift approximation with allowance for the interaction of dust grains with metastable neon atoms. In a discharge with a dust grain cloud, the longitudinal electric field increases. As the number density of dust grains in an axisymmetric cylindrical dust cloud rises, the growth of the electric field saturates. It is shown that the contribution of metastable atoms to ionization is higher in amore » discharge with dust grains, in spite of the quenching of metastable atoms on dust grains. The processes of charging of dust grains and the dust cloud are considered. As the number density of dust grains rises, their charge decreases, while the space charge of the dust cloud increases. The results obtained can be used in plasma technologies involving microparticles.« less

Laboratory Measurements of Optical and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Hoover, R. B.

2006-01-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, and transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17, and Luna 24 missions, as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The experimental results were obtained on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with the yield

Attraction of likely charged nano-sized grains in dust-electron plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vishnyakov, Vladimir I., E-mail: eksvar@ukr.net

2016-01-15

Dust-electron plasma, which contains only the dust grains and electrons, emitted by them, is studied. Assumption of almost uniform spatial electrons distribution, which deviates from the uniformity only near the dust grains, leads to the grain charge division into two parts: first part is the individual for each grain “visible” charge and the second part is the common charge of the neutralized background. The visible grain charge can be both negative and positive, while the total grain charge is only positive. The attraction of likely charged grains is possible, because the grain interaction is determined by the visible charges. Themore » equilibrium state between attraction and repulsion of grains is demonstrated.« less

Dust grains from the heart of supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocchio, M.; Marassi, S.; Schneider, R.; Bianchi, S.; Limongi, M.; Chieffi, A.

2016-03-01

Dust grains are classically thought to form in the winds of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, there is increasing evidence today for dust formation in supernovae (SNe). To establish the relative importance of these two classes of stellar sources of dust, it is important to know the fraction of freshly formed dust in SN ejecta that is able to survive the passage of the reverse shock and be injected in the interstellar medium. With this aim, we have developed a new code, GRASH_Rev, that allows following the dynamics of dust grains in the shocked SN ejecta and computing the time evolution of the mass, composition, and size distribution of the grains. We considered four well-studied SNe in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud: SN 1987A, CasA, the Crab nebula, and N49. These sources have been observed with both Spitzer and Herschel, and the multiwavelength data allow a better assessment the mass of warm and cold dust associated with the ejecta. For each SN, we first identified the best explosion model, using the mass and metallicity of the progenitor star, the mass of 56Ni, the explosion energy, and the circumstellar medium density inferred from the data. We then ran a recently developed dust formation model to compute the properties of freshly formed dust. Starting from these input models, GRASH_Rev self-consistently follows the dynamics of the grains, considering the effects of the forward and reverse shock, and allows predicting the time evolution of the dust mass, composition, and size distribution in the shocked and unshocked regions of the ejecta. All the simulated models aagree well with observations. Our study suggests that SN 1987A is too young for the reverse shock to have affected the dust mass. Hence the observed dust mass of 0.7-0.9 M⊙ in this source can be safely considered as indicative of the mass of freshly formed dust in SN ejecta. Conversely, in the other three SNe, the reverse shock has already destroyed between 10-40% of the

Image charge effects on electron capture by dust grains in dusty plasmas.

PubMed

Jung, Y D; Tawara, H

2001-07-01

Electron-capture processes by negatively charged dust grains from hydrogenic ions in dusty plasmas are investigated in accordance with the classical Bohr-Lindhard model. The attractive interaction between the electron in a hydrogenic ion and its own image charge inside the dust grain is included to obtain the total interaction energy between the electron and the dust grain. The electron-capture radius is determined by the total interaction energy and the kinetic energy of the released electron in the frame of the projectile dust grain. The classical straight-line trajectory approximation is applied to the motion of the ion in order to visualize the electron-capture cross section as a function of the impact parameter, kinetic energy of the projectile ion, and dust charge. It is found that the image charge inside the dust grain plays a significant role in the electron-capture process near the surface of the dust grain. The electron-capture cross section is found to be quite sensitive to the collision energy and dust charge.

The shadow of Saturn's icy satellites in the E ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, J.; Sremcevic, M.

2008-09-01

We analyze shadows that Saturnian satellites cast in the E ring, a faint, broad dust ring composed of icy grains. The brightness contrast of a moon's shadow relative to the surrounding ring allows to infer local properties of the size distribution of ring particles. We derive the shadow contrast from a large number of Cassini images of Enceladus taken in various filters in a range of phase angles 144 to 164 degrees. For Tethys and Dione we identify a clear shadow in images with phase angles larger than 160 degrees. From the data we obtain the number density of E ring grains at the orbits of Tethys and Dione relative to the one near Enceladus. The latter we constrain from the variation of the shadow contrast with color and phase angle. From the Enceladus data we construct the phase curve of the E ring dust between 144 and 164 degrees. We compare to data obtained from Earth-bound observations by de Pater et al 2004 and in situ measurements by the Cosmic Dust Analyzer onboard Cassini.

Infrared emission from isolated dust clouds in the presence of very small dust grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun M.

1991-01-01

Models of the effects of small grain-generated temperature fluctuations on the IR spectrum and surface brightness of externally heated interstellar dust clouds are presently constructed on the basis of a continuum radiation transport computer code which encompasses the transient heating of small dust grains. The models assume a constant fractional abundance of large and small grains throughout the given cloud. A comparison of model results with IRAS observations indicates that the observed 12-25 micron band emissions are associated with about 10-A radius grains, while the 60-100 micron emission is primarily due to large grains which are heated under the equilibrium conditions.

Composition of extracts of airborne grain dusts: lectins and lymphocyte mitogens.

PubMed Central

Olenchock, S A; Lewis, D M; Mull, J C

1986-01-01

Airborne grain dusts are heterogeneous materials that can elicit acute and chronic respiratory pathophysiology in exposed workers. Previous characterizations of the dusts include the identification of viable microbial contaminants, mycotoxins, and endotoxins. We provide information on the lectin-like activity of grain dust extracts and its possible biological relationship. Hemagglutination of erythrocytes and immunochemical modulation by antibody to specific lectins showed the presence of these substances in extracts of airborne dusts from barley, corn, and rye. Proliferation of normal rat splenic lymphocytes in vitro provided evidence for direct biological effects on the cells of the immune system. These data expand the knowledge of the composition of grain dusts (extracts), and suggest possible mechanisms that may contribute to respiratory disease in grain workers. PMID:3709474

Random dust charge fluctuations in the near-Enceladus plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaroshenko, V. V.; Lühr, H.

2014-08-01

Stochastic dust charge fluctuations have been studied in the light of Cassini data on the near-Enceladus plasma environment. Estimates of fluctuation time scales showed that this process can be of importance for the grains emanating from the icy moon. The analytical modeling predicts that in the dust-loaded Enceladus plasma a majority of the grains acquires fluctuating negative charges, but there might appear a minority of positively charged particles. The probability of this effect mostly depends on the ratio of the dust/plasma number densities. Our findings appear to be supported by the available Cassini Plasma Spectrometer measurements of the charged grain distributions during E3 and E5 plume flybys. The theoretical results can also provide new insights into the intricate process of particle dynamics in the inner magnetosphere.

Experimental Phase Functions of Millimeter-sized Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz, O.; Moreno, F.; Vargas-Martín, F.; Guirado, D.; Escobar-Cerezo, J.; Min, M.; Hovenier, J. W.

2017-09-01

We present the experimental phase functions of three types of millimeter-sized dust grains consisting of enstatite, quartz, and volcanic material from Mount Etna, respectively. The three grains present similar sizes but different absorbing properties. The measurements are performed at 527 nm covering the scattering angle range from 3° to 170°. The measured phase functions show two well-defined regions: (I) soft forward peaks and (II) a continuous increase with the scattering angle at side- and back-scattering regions. This behavior at side- and back-scattering regions is in agreement with the observed phase functions of the Fomalhaut and HR 4796A dust rings. Further computations and measurements (including polarization) for millimeter-sized grains are needed to draw some conclusions about the fluffy or compact structure of the dust grains.

PROPERTIES OF DUST GRAINS PROBED WITH EXTINCTION CURVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nozawa, Takaya; Fukugita, Masataka

Modern data of the extinction curve from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared are revisited to study properties of dust grains in the Milky Way (MW) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We confirm that the graphite-silicate mixture of grains yields the observed extinction curve with the simple power-law distribution of the grain size but with a cutoff at some maximal size: the parameters are tightly constrained to be q = 3.5 {+-} 0.2 for the size distribution a {sup -q} and the maximum radius a{sub max} = 0.24 {+-} 0.05 {mu}m, for both MW and SMC. The abundance of grains,more » and hence the elemental abundance, is constrained from the reddening versus hydrogen column density, E(B - V)/N{sub H}. If we take the solar elemental abundance as the standard for the MW, >56% of carbon should be in graphite dust, while it is <40% in the SMC using its available abundance estimate. This disparity and the relative abundance of C to Si explain the difference of the two curves. We find that 50%-60% of carbon may not necessarily be in graphite but in the amorphous or glassy phase. Iron may also be in the metallic phase or up to {approx}80% in magnetite rather than in silicates, so that the Mg/Fe ratio in astronomical olivine is arbitrary. With these substitutions, the parameters of the grain size remain unchanged. The mass density of dust grains relative to hydrogen is {rho}{sub dust}/{rho}{sub H}= 1 / (120{sup +10}{sub -16}) for the MW and 1 / (760{sup +70}{sub -90}) for the SMC under the elemental abundance constraints. We underline the importance of the wavelength dependence of the extinction curve in the near-infrared in constructing the dust model: if A{sub {lambda}}{proportional_to}{lambda}{sup -{gamma}} with {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.6, the power-law grain-size model fails, whereas it works if {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.8-2.0.« less

High energy electron sintering of icy regoliths: Formation of the PacMan thermal anomalies on the icy Saturnian moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaible, M. J.; Johnson, R. E.; Zhigilei, L. V.; Piqueux, S.

2017-03-01

The so-called 'PacMan' features on the leading hemispheres of the icy Saturnian moons of Mimas, Tethys and Dione were initially identified as anomalous optical discolorations and subsequently shown to have greater thermal inertia than the surrounding regions. The shape of these regions matches calculated deposition contours of high energy plasma electrons moving opposite to the moon's orbital direction, thus suggesting that electron interactions with the grains produce the observed anomalies. Here, descriptions of radiation-induced diffusion processes are given, and various sintering models are considered to calculate the rate of increase in the contact volume between grains in an icy regolith. Estimates of the characteristic sintering timescale, i.e. the time necessary for the thermal inertia to increase from that measured outside the anomalous regions to that within, are given for each of the moons. Since interplanetary dust particle (IDP) impact gardening and E-ring grain infall would be expected to mix the regolith and obscure the effects of high energy electrons, sintering rates are compared to rough estimates of the impact-induced resurfacing rates. Estimates of the sintering timescale determined by extrapolating laboratory measurements are below ∼0.03 Myr, while the regolith renewal timescales are larger than ∼0.1 Myr, thus indicating that irradiation by the high energy electrons should be sufficient to form stable thermal anomalies. More detailed models developed for sintering of spherical grains are able to account for the radiation-induced anomalies on Mimas and Tethys only if the regoliths on those bodies are relatively compact and composed of small (≲ 5 μm) grains or grain aggregates, and/or the grains are highly non-spherical with surface defect densities in the inter-grain contact regions that are much higher than expected for crystalline water ice grains at thermal equilibrium. These results are consistent with regolith thermal conductivity

Water, hydrogen cyanide, and dust production from the distant comet 29P/Scwassmann-Wachmann 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bockelee-Morvan, D.; Biver, N.; Opitom, C.; Hutsemekers, D.; Crovisier, J.; Jehin, E.; Hartogh, P.; Szutowizc, S.; Lellouch, E.; Kidger, M.; Vandenbussche, B.; Zakharov, V.; HSSO Team

2014-07-01

Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is a periodic comet, also classified as a Centaur, orbiting on a nearly circular orbit at 6 au from the Sun. It is well known for its permanent activity driven by CO outgassing, and its episodic outbursts. Comet 29P was observed in 2010--2011 with the Herschel space observatory. Observations of water and ammonia were performed with the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI). One set of measurements was obtained two days after a major outburst (16 Apr. 2010). Images of the dust coma at 70 and 160 μ m were obtained using the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS). To support these observations, observations of CO and HCN were undertaken at the 30-m telescope of the Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique (IRAM). We present an overview of this set of observations. H_2O and CO are detected. We also obtain the first detection of HCN in this distant comet. Relative abundances are similar to those measured in the coma of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) when at r_h = 6 au from the Sun, but strongly differ from coma compositions at r_h = 1 au. The line profiles show evidence that both H_2O, HCN are released from long-lived icy grains. Detailed modeling of water production from icy-grain suggests continuous release of icy grains from the nucleus. The thermal emission from the nucleus is detected in the PACS 70 μ m images. The thermal emission from dust grains is analyzed with a thermal model of dust emission, which takes into account the dust size distribution. Both the size index and the dust production rate are measured.

Dust Coagulation in Infalling Protostellar Envelopes I. Compact Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yorke, H.; Suttner, G.; Lin, D.

1999-01-01

Dust plays a key role in the optical, thermodynamic and gas dynamical behavior of collapsing molecular cores. Because of relative velocities of the individual dust grains, coagulation and shattering can modify the grain size distribution and due to corresponding changes in the medium's opacity significantly influence the evolution during early phase of star formation.

Dust Coagulation in Infalling Protostellar Envelopes I. Compact Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yorke, H.; Lin, D.; Suttner, G.

1999-01-01

Dust plays a key role in the optical, thermodynamic and gas dynamical behavior of collapsing molecular cores. Because of relative velocities of the individual dust grains, coagulation and shattering can modify the grain size distribution and -- due to corresponding changes in the medium's opacity significantly -- influence the evolution during early phases of star formation.

A note on dust grain charging in space plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D. A.

1992-01-01

Central to the study of dust-plasma interactions in the solar system is the electrostatic charging of dust grains. While previous calculations have generally assumed that the distributions of electrons and ions in the plasma are Maxwellian, most space plasmas are observed to have non-Maxwellian tails and can often be fit by a generalized Lorentzian (kappa) distribution. Here we use such a distribution to reevaluate the grain potential, under the condition that the dominant currents to the grain are due to electron and ion collection, as is the case in certain regions of space. The magnitude of the grain potential is found to be larger than that in a Maxwellian plasma as long as the electrons are described by a kappa distribution: this enhancement increased with ion mass and decreasing electron kappa. The modification of the grain potential in generalized Lorentzian plasmas has implications for both the physics (e.g., grain growth and disruption) and the dynamics of dust in space plasmas. These are also briefly discussed.

Measurements of Photoelectric Yield and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, F. A.; Taylor, L.; Hoover, R.

2005-01-01

Micron size dust grains levitated and transported on the lunar surface constitute a major problem for the robotic and human habitat missions for the Moon. It is well known since the Apollo missions that the lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of micron/sub-micron size dust grains. Transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and the levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics is believed to have a severe impact on the human habitat and the lifetime and operations of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the phenomena and the charging properties of the lunar dust in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. We will present results of some recent laboratory experiments on individual micro/sub-micron size dust grains levitated in electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. The experiments involve photoelectric emission measurements of individual micron size lunar dust grains illuminated with UV radiation in the 120-160 nm wavelength range. The photoelectric yields are required to determine the charging properties of lunar dust illuminated by solar UV radiation. We will present some recent results of laboratory measurement of the photoelectric yields and the physical properties of individual micron size dust grains from the Apollo and Luna-24 sample returns as well as the JSC-1 lunar simulants.

Experimental Phase Functions of Millimeter-sized Cosmic Dust Grains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muñoz, O.; Moreno, F.; Guirado, D.

We present the experimental phase functions of three types of millimeter-sized dust grains consisting of enstatite, quartz, and volcanic material from Mount Etna, respectively. The three grains present similar sizes but different absorbing properties. The measurements are performed at 527 nm covering the scattering angle range from 3° to 170°. The measured phase functions show two well-defined regions: (i) soft forward peaks and (ii) a continuous increase with the scattering angle at side- and back-scattering regions. This behavior at side- and back-scattering regions is in agreement with the observed phase functions of the Fomalhaut and HR 4796A dust rings. Furthermore » computations and measurements (including polarization) for millimeter-sized grains are needed to draw some conclusions about the fluffy or compact structure of the dust grains.« less

Measurements of Charging of Apollo 17 Lunar Dust Grains by Electron Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, Dragana; Spann, James F.; Dube, Michael J.

2008-01-01

It is well known since the Apollo missions that the lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of micron size dust grains with unusually high adhesive characteristics. The dust grains observed to be levitated and transported on the lunar surface are believed to have a hazardous impact on the robotic and human missions to the Moon. The observed dust phenomena are attributed to the lunar dust being charged positively during the day by UV photoelectric emissions, and negatively during the night by the solar wind electrons. The current dust charging and the levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena, with the uncertainty of dust charging processes and the equilibrium potentials of the individual dust grains. It is well recognized that the charging properties of individual dust grains are substantially different from those determined from measurements made on bulk materials that are currently available. An experimental facility has been developed in the Dusty Plasma Laboratory at MSFC for investigating the charging and optical properties of individual micron/sub-micron size positively or negatively charged dust grains by levitating them in an electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. In this paper, we present the laboratory measurements on charging of Apollo 17 individual lunar dust grains by a low energy electron beam. The charging rates and the equilibrium potentials produced by direct electron impact and by secondary electron emission process are discussed.

Exposure to grain dust in Great Britain.

PubMed

Spankie, Sally; Cherrie, John W

2012-01-01

Airborne grain dust is a complex mixture of fragments of organic material from grain, plus mineral matter from soil, and possible insect, fungal, or bacterial contamination or their toxic products, such as endotoxin. In the 1990s, grain workers in Britain were frequently exposed to inhalable dust >10 mg.m(-3) (8 h), with particularly high exposures being found at terminals where grain was imported or exported and in drying operations (personal exposure typically approximately 20 mg.m(-3)). Since then, the industry has made substantial progress in improving the control of airborne dust through better-designed processes, increased automation, and an improved focus on product quality. We have used information from the published scientific literature and a small survey of industry representatives to estimate current exposure levels. These data suggest that current long-term exposure to inhalable dust for most workers is on average less than approximately 3 mg.m(-3), with perhaps 15-20% of individual personal exposures being >10 mg.m(-3). There are no published data from Britain on short-term exposure during cleaning and other tasks. We have estimated average levels for a range of tasks and judge that the highest levels, for example during some cleaning activities and certain process tasks such as loading and packing, are probably approximately10 mg.m(-3). Endotoxin levels were judged likely to be <10⁴ EU m(-3) throughout the industry provided inhalable dust levels are <10 mg.m(-3). There are no published exposure data on mycotoxin, respirable crystalline silica, and mite contamination but these are not considered to present widespread problems in the British industry. Further research should be carried out to confirm these findings.

The role of endotoxin in grain dust-induced lung disease.

PubMed

Schwartz, D A; Thorne, P S; Yagla, S J; Burmeister, L F; Olenchock, S A; Watt, J L; Quinn, T J

1995-08-01

To identify the role of endotoxin in grain dust-induced lung disease, we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional investigation among grain handlers and postal workers. The study subjects were selected by randomly sampling all grain facilities and post offices within 100 miles of Iowa City. Our study population consisted of 410 grain workers and 201 postal workers. Grain workers were found to be exposed to higher concentrations of airborne dust (p = 0.0001) and endotoxin (p = 0.0001) when compared with postal workers. Grain workers had a significantly higher prevalence of work-related (cough, phlegm, wheezing, chest tightness, and dyspnea) and chronic (usual cough or phlegm production) respiratory symptoms than postal workers. Moreover, after controlling for age, gender, and cigarette smoking status, work-related respiratory symptoms were strongly associated with the concentration of endotoxin in the bioaerosol in the work setting. The concentration of total dust in the bioaerosol was marginally related to these respiratory problems. After controlling for age, gender, and cigarette smoking status, grain workers were found to have reduced spirometric measures of airflow (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75) and enhanced airway reactivity to inhaled histamine when compared with postal workers. Although the total dust concentration in the work environment appeared to have little effect on these measures of airflow obstruction, higher concentrations of endotoxin in the bioaerosol were associated with diminished measures of airflow and enhanced bronchial reactivity. Our results indicate that the concentration of endotoxin in the bioaerosol may be particularly important in the development of grain dust-induced lung disease.

Chemical Evolution of Interstellar Dust into Planetary Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fomenkova, M. N.; Chang, S.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Comets are believed to retain some interstellar materials, stored in fairly pristine conditions since-their formation. The composition and properties of cometary dust grains should reflect those of grains in the outer part of the protosolar nebula which, at least in part, were inherited from the presolar molecular cloud. However, infrared emission features in comets differ from their interstellar counterparts. These differences imply processing of interstellar material on its way to incorporation in comets, but C and N appear to be retained. Overall dust evolution from the interstellar medium (ISM) to planetary materials is accompanied by an increase in proportion of complex organics and a decrease in pure carbon phases. The composition of cometary dust grains was measured in situ during fly-by missions to comet Halley in 1986. The mass spectra of about 5000 cometary dust grains with masses of 5 x 10(exp -17) - 5 x 10(exp -12) g provide data about the presence and relative abundances of the major elements H, C, N, O,Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni. The bulk abundances of major rock-forming elements integrated over all spectra were found to be solar within a factor of 2, while the volatile elements H, C, N, O in dust are depleted in respect to their total cosmic abundances. The abundances of C and N in comet dust are much closer to interstellar than to meteoritic and are higher than those of dust in the diffuse ISM. In dense molecular clouds dust grains are covered by icy mantles, the average composition of which is estimated to be H:C:N:O = 96:14:1:34. Up to 40% of elemental C and O may be sequestered in mantles. If we use this upper limit to add H, C, N and O as icy mantle material to the abundances residing in dust in the diffuse ISM, then the resulting values for H. C, and N match cometary abundances. Thus, ice mantles undergoing chemical evolution on grains in the dense ISM appear to have been transformed into less volatile and more complex organic

Interstellar and Cometary Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathis, John S.

1997-01-01

'Interstellar dust' forms a continuum of materials with differing properties which I divide into three classes on the basis of observations: (a) diffuse dust, in the low-density interstellar medium; (b) outer-cloud dust, observed in stars close enough to the outer edges of molecular clouds to be observed in the optical and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum, and (c) inner-cloud dust, deep within the cores of molecular clouds, and observed only in the infrared by means of absorption bands of C-H, C=O, 0-H, C(triple bond)N, etc. There is a surprising regularity of the extinction laws between diffuse- and outer-cloud dust. The entire mean extinction law from infrared through the observable ultraviolet spectrum can be characterized by a single parameter. There are real deviations from this mean law, larger than observational uncertainties, but they are much smaller than differences of the mean laws in diffuse- and outer-cloud dust. This fact shows that there are processes which operate over the entire distribution of grain sizes, and which change size distributions extremely efficiently. There is no evidence for mantles on grains in local diffuse and outer-cloud dust. The only published spectra of the star VI Cyg 12, the best candidate for showing mantles, does not show the 3.4 micro-m band which appreciable mantles would produce. Grains are larger in outer-cloud dust than diffuse dust because of coagulation, not accretion of extensive mantles. Core-mantle grains favored by J. M. Greenberg and collaborators, and composite grains of Mathis and Whiffen (1989), are discussed more extensively (naturally, I prefer the latter). The composite grains are fluffy and consist of silicates, amorphous carbon, and some graphite in the same grain. Grains deep within molecular clouds but before any processing within the solar system are presumably formed from the accretion of icy mantles on and within the coagulated outer-cloud grains. They should contain a mineral

Trajectories and distribution of interstellar dust grains in the heliosphere

DOE PAGES

Slavin, Jonathan D.; Frisch, Priscilla C.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; ...

2012-11-01

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. Here, we present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculationsmore » done separately for each polarity. Small grains a gr ≲ 0.01 μm are completely excluded from the inner heliosphere. Large grains, a gr ≳ 1.0 μm, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. Our result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. This provides valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.« less

Levels of fungi and mycotoxins in the samples of grain and grain dust collected from five various cereal crops in eastern Poland.

PubMed

Krysińska-Traczyk, Ewa; Perkowski, Juliusz; Dutkiewicz, Jacek

2007-01-01

During combine harvesting of 5 various cereal crops (rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, corn) 24 samples of grain and 24 samples of settled grain dust were collected on farms located in the Lublin province of eastern Poland. The samples were examined for the concentration of total microfungi, Fusarium species, deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and ochratoxin A (OTA). Microfungi able to grow on malt agar were present in 79.2% of grain samples and in 91.7% of grain dust samples in the concentrations of 1.0-801.3x10(3) cfu/g and 1.5-12440.0x10(3) cfu/g, respectively. The concentration of microfungi in grain dust samples was significantly greater than in grain samples (p<0.01). Fusarium strains were isolated from 54.2% of grain samples and from 58.3% of grain dust samples in the concentrations of 0.1-375.0x10(3) cfu/g and 4.0-7,700.0x10(3) cfu/g, respectively. They were found in all samples of grain and grain dust from rye, barley and corn, but only in 0-16.7% of samples of grain and grain dust from oats and buckwheat. DON was found in 79.2% of grain samples and in 100% of grain dust samples in the concentrations of 0.001-0.18 microg/g and 0.006-0.283 microg/g, respectively. NIV was detected in 62.5% of grain samples and in 94.4% of grain dust samples in the concentrations of 0.004-0.502 microg/g and 0.005-0.339 microg/g, respectively. OTA was detected in 58.3% of grain samples and in 91.7% of grain dust samples in the concentrations of 0.00039- 0.00195 microg/g and 0.00036-0.00285 microg/g, respectively. The concentrations of DON, total fusariotoxins (DON+NIV) and OTA were significantly greater in grain dust samples than in grain samples (p<0.05, p<0.05, and p<0.001, respectively). The concentration of Fusarium poae in the samples of rye grain and dust was significantly correlated with the concentrations of DON (p<0.05), NIV (p<0.01), and total fusariotoxins (p<0.05). Similarly, the concentration of Fusarium culmorum in the samples of barley grain and dust was

Aspergillus candidus: a respiratory hazard associated with grain dust.

PubMed

Krysinska-Traczyk, E; Dutkiewicz, J

2000-01-01

The concentration of Aspergillus candidus in samples of grain dust and of air polluted with grain dust was found to be large (respectively 3.0 x 10(5) - 3.0 x 10(9) cfu/g and 5.0 x 10(3) - 6.47 x 10(5) cfu/m(3)) and proved to be significantly greater compared to samples of other organic dusts (p<0.001). Rabbits exposed to long-term inhalation of the cell extract of A. candidus revealed a positive cellular and humoral response, demonstrated by the significant (p<0.01) inhibition of leukocyte migration in the presence of specific antigen and by production of precipitins against antigen of the fungus. The inhibition of leukocyte migration was even stronger in another group of rabbits exposed twice to the inhalation of live A. candidus spores. A group of grain workers reacted significantly more frequently to extract of A. candidus in the leukocyte migration inhibition test (p<0.01) and precipitation test (p<0.05), compared to the control group not exposed to organic dusts. It was concluded that Aspergillus candidus, because of its common occurrence and strong immunomodulating properties, poses an important occupational hazard for grain handling workers

DUST DYNAMICS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISK WINDS DRIVEN BY MAGNETOROTATIONAL TURBULENCE: A MECHANISM FOR FLOATING DUST GRAINS WITH CHARACTERISTIC SIZES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miyake, Tomoya; Suzuki, Takeru K.; Inutsuka, Shu-ichiro, E-mail: miyake.tomoya@e.mbox.nagoya-u.ac.jp, E-mail: stakeru@nagoya-u.jp

We investigate the dynamics of dust grains of various sizes in protoplanetary disk winds driven by magnetorotational turbulence, by simulating the time evolution of the dust grain distribution in the vertical direction. Small dust grains, which are well-coupled to the gas, are dragged upward with the upflowing gas, while large grains remain near the midplane of a disk. Intermediate-size grains float near the sonic point of the disk wind located at several scale heights from the midplane, where the grains are loosely coupled to the background gas. For the minimum mass solar nebula at 1 au, dust grains with sizemore » of 25–45 μm float around 4 scale heights from the midplane. Considering the dependence on the distance from the central star, smaller-size grains remain only in an outer region of the disk, while larger-size grains are distributed in a broader region. We also discuss the implications of our result for observations of dusty material around young stellar objects.« less

Nonlinear screening of dust grains and structurization of dusty plasma: II. formation and stability of dust structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsytovich, V. N.; Gusein-zade, N. G.; Ignatov, A. M.

2017-10-01

The second part of the review on dust structures (the first part was published in Plasma Phys. Rep. 39, 515 (2013)) is devoted to experimental and theoretical studies on the stability of structures and their formation from the initially uniform dusty plasma components. The applicability limits of theoretical results and the role played by nonlinearity in the screening of dust grains are considered. The importance of nonlinearity is demonstrated by using numerous laboratory observations of planar clusters and volumetric dust structures. The simplest compact agglomerates of dust grains in the form of stable planar clusters are discussed. The universal character of instability resulting in the structurization of an initially uniform dusty plasma is shown. The fundamental correlations described in the first part of the review, supplemented with effects of dust inertia and dust friction by the neutral gas, are use to analyze structurization instability. The history of the development of theoretical ideas on the physics of the cluster formation for different types of interaction between dust grains is described.

Wool and grain dusts stimulate TNF secretion by alveolar macrophages in vitro.

PubMed Central

Brown, D M; Donaldson, K

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of two organic dusts, wool and grain, and their soluble leachates to stimulate secretion of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) by rat alveolar macrophages with special reference to the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: Rat alveolar macrophages were isolated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and treated in vitro with whole dust, dust leachates, and a standard LPS preparation. TNF production was measured in supernatants with the L929 cell line bioassay. RESULTS: Both wool and grain dust samples were capable of stimulating TNF release from rat alveolar macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. The standard LPS preparation caused a dose-dependent secretion of TNF. Leachates prepared from the dusts contained LPS and also caused TNF release but leachable LPS could not account for the TNF release and it was clear that non-LPS leachable activity was present in the grain dust and that wool dust particles themselves were capable of causing release of TNF. The role of LPS in wool dust leachates was further investigated by treating peritoneal macrophages from two strains of mice, LPS responders (C3H) and LPS non-responders (C3H/HEJ), with LPS. The non-responder mouse macrophages produced very low concentrations of TNF in response to the wool dust leachates compared with the responders. CONCLUSIONS: LPS and other unidentified leachable substances present on the surface of grain dust, and to a lesser extent on wool dust, are a trigger for TNF release by lung macrophages. Wool dust particles themselves stimulate TNF. TNF release from macrophages could contribute to enhancement of inflammatory responses and symptoms of bronchitis and breathlessness in workers exposed to organic dusts such as wool and grain. PMID:8758033

Wool and grain dusts stimulate TNF secretion by alveolar macrophages in vitro.

PubMed

Brown, D M; Donaldson, K

1996-06-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of two organic dusts, wool and grain, and their soluble leachates to stimulate secretion of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) by rat alveolar macrophages with special reference to the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Rat alveolar macrophages were isolated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and treated in vitro with whole dust, dust leachates, and a standard LPS preparation. TNF production was measured in supernatants with the L929 cell line bioassay. Both wool and grain dust samples were capable of stimulating TNF release from rat alveolar macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. The standard LPS preparation caused a dose-dependent secretion of TNF. Leachates prepared from the dusts contained LPS and also caused TNF release but leachable LPS could not account for the TNF release and it was clear that non-LPS leachable activity was present in the grain dust and that wool dust particles themselves were capable of causing release of TNF. The role of LPS in wool dust leachates was further investigated by treating peritoneal macrophages from two strains of mice, LPS responders (C3H) and LPS non-responders (C3H/HEJ), with LPS. The non-responder mouse macrophages produced very low concentrations of TNF in response to the wool dust leachates compared with the responders. LPS and other unidentified leachable substances present on the surface of grain dust, and to a lesser extent on wool dust, are a trigger for TNF release by lung macrophages. Wool dust particles themselves stimulate TNF. TNF release from macrophages could contribute to enhancement of inflammatory responses and symptoms of bronchitis and breathlessness in workers exposed to organic dusts such as wool and grain.

Nasal lavage cellularity, grain dust, and airflow obstruction.

PubMed

Blaski, C A; Watt, J L; Quinn, T J; Thorne, P S; Schwartz, D A

1996-04-01

To evaluate the clinical utility of nasal lavage (NL), we performed post-work shift NL on 172 grain workers and 78 postal worker control subjects. The grain worker group included a higher percentage of current smokers (25.7% vs 16.7%) and a lower percentage of former smokers (21.15% vs 35.9%) compared with the postal workers. The control subjects included more female workers and were slightly older than the grain workers. Compared with the postal workers, the grain workers were exposed to significantly greater concentrations of total dust (0.1 +/- 0.0 vs 6.8 +/- 1.4 mg/m3; mean +/- SEM) and total endotoxin (4.3 +/- 0.8 vs 2,372.4 +/- 653.8 endotoxin units/m3). NL from gain workers showed a higher concentration of total cells (55,000 +/- 14,000 vs 25,000 +/- 5,000 cells per milliliter; p=0.03), a higher concentration of squamous epithelial cells (17,029.0 +/- 4,177 .0 vs 7,103.7 +/- 1,479.8 cells per milliliter; p=0.03), and a higher concentration of neutrophils (40,058.0 +/- 12,803.2 vs 17,891.0 +/- 3,822.3 cells per milliliter; p=0.10) compared with postal workers. Importantly, these differences in NL cellularity between grain workers and postal workers were observed within the three strata of smokers. To further assess the importance of total cells, squamous epithelial cells, and neutrophils in the NL fluid of grain workers, we investigated the relationship between these cell concentrations and (1) measures of dust and endotoxin exposure during the work shift. (2) spirometric measures of airflow obtained immediately before the NL, and (3) work-related respiratory symptoms. The concentration of total cells, the concentration of squamous epithelial cells, or the concentration of neutrophils in the NL was not associated with ambient levels of dust or endotoxin, with baseline or cross-shift changes in lung function, or with work-related respiratory symptoms. These findings suggest that increased NL cellularity may be seen in workers exposed to high dust levels

Laboratory Studies on the Charging of Dust Grains in a Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wenjun

1993-01-01

The charging of dust grains by the surrounding plasma is studied in a dusty plasma device (DPD) (Xu, W., B. Song, R. L. Merlino, and N. D'Angelo, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 63, 5266, 1992). The dusty plasma device consists of a rotating-drum dust dispersal device used in conjunction with an existing Q-machine, to produce extended, steady state, magnetized plasma columns. The dust density in the dust chamber is controlled by the drum rotation speed. The device is capable of generating a dusty plasma in which as much as about 90% of the negative charge is attached to the dust grains of 1-10mu m size. Measurements of the dust parameter eta, the percentage of negative charge on free electrons in the dusty plasma, are presented. The dust parameter eta is found to depend on the rotational speed of the dust chamber, plasma density and the type and size of different dust. The dust parameter eta is calculated from a pair of Langmuir curves taken with and without dust under the same conditions. The operation of the dust chamber as described above has been confirmed by the agreement between the measurements of eta and the direct mechanical measurements consisting of weighing dust samples collected within the rotation dust chamber, at different rotation rates. By varying the ratio d/lambda_ {rm D} between the intergrain distance and the plasma Debye length, the effects predicted by Goertz and Ip (Goertz, C. K., and W-H. Ip, Geophys. Res. Lett., 11, 349, 1984), and subsequently reanalyzed in a more general fashion by Whipple et al. (Whipple, E. C., T. G. Northrop, and D. A. Mendis, J. Geophys. Rev., 90, 7405, 1985), as "isolated" dust grains become "closely packed" grains, have been demonstrated experimentally (Xu, W., N. D'Angelo, and R. L. Merlino, J. Geophys. Rev., 98, 7843, 1993). Similar results are presented and compared for two types of dust, kaolin and Al_2O _3, which have been studied in the experiment.

Photoelectric Emission Measurements on the Analogs of Individual Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.; Weingartner, J. C.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Nuth, J. a.; Camata, R. P.

2006-01-01

The photoelectric emission process is considered to be the dominant mechanism for charging of cosmic dust grains in many astrophysical environments. The grain charge and equilibrium potentials play an important role in the dynamical and physical processes that include heating of the neutral gas in the interstellar medium, coagulation processes in the dust clouds, and levitation and dynamical processes in the interplanetary medium and planetary surfaces and rings. An accurate evaluation of photoelectric emission processes requires knowledge of the photoelectric yields of individual dust grains of astrophysical composition as opposed to the values obtained from measurements on flat surfaces of bulk materials, as it is generally assumed on theoretical considerations that the yields for the small grains are much different from the bulk values. We present laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual dust grains of silica, olivine, and graphite of approx. 0.09-5 micrometer radii levitated in an electrodynamic balance and illuminated with ultraviolet radiation at 120-160 nm wavelengths. The measured yields are found to be substantially higher than the bulk values given in the literature and indicate a size dependence with larger particles having order-of-magnitude higher values than for submicron-size grains.

Work Tasks as Determinants of Grain Dust and Microbial Exposure in the Norwegian Grain and Compound Feed Industry.

PubMed

Straumfors, Anne; Heldal, Kari Kulvik; Wouters, Inge M; Eduard, Wijnand

2015-07-01

The grain and compound feed industry entails inevitable risks of exposure to grain dust and its microbial content. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate task-dependent exposure differences in order to create knowledge basis for awareness and exposure reducing measures in the Norwegian grain and compound feed industry. A total of 166 samples of airborne dust were collected by full-shift personal sampling during work in 20 grain elevators and compound feed mills during one autumn season and two winter seasons. The personal exposure to grain dust, endotoxins, β-1→3-glucans, bacteria, and fungal spores was quantified and used as individual outcomes in mixed models with worker nested in company as random effect and different departments and tasks as fixed effects. The exposure levels were highest in grain elevator departments. Exposure to endotoxins was particularly high. Tasks that represented the highest and lowest exposures varied depending on the bioaerosol component. The most important determinants for elevated dust exposure were cleaning and process controlling. Cleaning increased the dust exposure level by a factor of 2.44 of the reference, from 0.65 to 1.58mg m(-3), whereas process controlling increased the dust exposure level by a factor of 2.97, from 0.65 to 1.93mg m(-3). Process controlling was associated with significantly less grain dust exposure in compound feed mills and the combined grain elevators and compound feed mills, than in grain elevators. The exposure was reduced by a factor of 0.18 and 0.22, from 1.93 to 0.34mg m(-3) and to 0.42mg m(-3), respectively, compared with the grain elevators. Inspection/maintenance, cleaning, and grain rotation and emptying were determinants of higher exposure to both endotoxin and β-1→3-glucans. Seed winnowing was in addition a strong determinant for endotoxin, whereas mixing of animal feed implied higher β-1→3-glucan exposure. Cleaning was the only task that contributed significantly to

The Importance of Physical Models for Deriving Dust Masses and Grain Size Distributions in Supernova Ejecta. I. Radiatively Heated Dust in the Crab Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Temim, Tea; Dwek, Eli

2013-01-01

Recent far-infrared (IR) observations of supernova remnants (SNRs) have revealed significantly large amounts of newly condensed dust in their ejecta, comparable to the total mass of available refractory elements. The dust masses derived from these observations assume that all the grains of a given species radiate at the same temperature, regardless of the dust heating mechanism or grain radius. In this paper, we derive the dust mass in the ejecta of the Crab Nebula, using a physical model for the heating and radiation from the dust. We adopt a power-law distribution of grain sizes and two different dust compositions (silicates and amorphous carbon), and calculate the heating rate of each dust grain by the radiation from the pulsar wind nebula. We find that the grains attain a continuous range of temperatures, depending on their size and composition. The total mass derived from the best-fit models to the observed IR spectrum is 0.019-0.13 Solar Mass, depending on the assumed grain composition. We find that the power-law size distribution of dust grains is characterized by a power-law index of 3.5-4.0 and a maximum grain size larger than 0.1 micron. The grain sizes and composition are consistent with what is expected for dust grains formed in a Type IIP supernova (SN). Our derived dust mass is at least a factor of two less than the mass reported in previous studies of the Crab Nebula that assumed more simplified two-temperature models. These models also require a larger mass of refractory elements to be locked up in dust than was likely available in the ejecta. The results of this study show that a physical model resulting in a realistic distribution of dust temperatures can constrain the dust properties and affect the derived dust masses. Our study may also have important implications for deriving grain properties and mass estimates in other SNRs and for the ultimate question of whether SNe are major sources of dust in the Galactic interstellar medium and in

Highlights and discoveries of the Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) during its 15 years of exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srama, R.; Moragas-Klostermeyer, G.; Kempf, S.; Postberg, F.; Albin, T.; Auer, S.; Altobelli, N.; Beckmann, U.; Bugiel, S.; Burton, M.; Economou, T.; Fliege, K.; Grande, M.; Gruen, E.; Guglielmino, M.; Hillier, J. K.; Schilling, A.; Schmidt, J.; Seiss, M.; Spahn, F.; Sterken, V.; Trieloff, M.

2014-04-01

The interplanetary space probe Cassini/Huygens reached Saturn in July 2004 after seven years of cruise phase. Today, the German-lead Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) is operated continuously for 10 years in orbit around Saturn. During the cruise phase CDA measured the interstellar dust flux at one AU distance from the Sun, the charge and composition of interplanetary dust grains and the composition of the Jovian nanodust streams. The first discovery of CDA related to Saturn was the measurement of nanometer sized dust particles ejected by its magnetosphere to interplanetary space with speeds higher than 100 km/s. Their origin and composition was analysed and an their dynamical studies showed a strong link to the conditions of the solar wind plasma flow. A recent surprising result was, that stream particles stem from the interior of Enceladus. Since 2004 CDA measured millions of dust impacts characterizing the dust environment of Saturn. The instrument showed strong evidence for ice geysers located at the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus in 2005. Later, a detailed compositional analysis of the salt-rich water ice grains in Saturn's E ring system lead to the discovery of liquid water below the icy crust connected to an ocean at depth feeding the icy jets. CDA was even capable to derive a spatially resolved compositional profile of the plume during close Enceladus flybys. A determination of the dust-magnetosphere interaction and the discovery of the extended E ring allowed the definition of a dynamical dust model of Saturn's E ring describing the observed properties. The measured dust density profiles in the dense E ring revealed geometric asymmetries. Cassini performed shadow crossings in the ring plane and dust grain charges were measured in shadow regions delivering important data for dust-plasma interaction studies. In the last years, dedicated measurement campaigns were executed by CDA to monitor the flux of interplanetary and interstellar dust particles reaching

Laboratory Measurements of Charging of Apollo 17 Lunar Dust Grains by Low Energy Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, Dragana; Spann, James F.; Dube, Michael J.; Gaskin, Jessica

2007-01-01

It is well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron/sub-micron size dust grains by various processes are expected to be substantially different from the currently available measurements made on bulk materials. Solar UV radiation and the solar wind plasma charge micron size dust grains on the lunar surface with virtually no atmosphere. The electrostatically charged dust grains are believed to be levitated and transported long distances over the lunar terminator from the day to the night side. The current models do not fully explain the lunar dust phenomena and laboratory measurements are needed to experimentally determine the charging properties of lunar dust grains. An experimental facility has been developed in the Dusty Plasma Laboratory at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center MSFC for investigating the charging properties of individual micron/sub-micron size positively or negatively charged dust grains by levitating them in an electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. In this paper, we present laboratory measurements on charging of Apollo 17 individual lunar dust grains by low energy electron beams in the 5-100 eV energy range. The measurements are made by levitating Apollo 17 dust grains of 0.2 to 10 micrometer diameters, in an electrodynamic balance and exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams. The charging rates and the equilibrium potentials produced by direct electron impact and by secondary electron emission processes are discussed.

Trichothecene mycotoxins and their determinants in settled dust related to grain production.

PubMed

Nordby, Karl-Christian; Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Elen, Oleif; Clasen, Per-Erik; Langseth, Wenche; Kristensen, Petter; Eduard, Wijnand

2004-01-01

We hypothesise that inhalant exposure to mycotoxins causes developmental outcomes and certain hormone-related cancers that are associated with grain farming in an epidemiological study. The aim of the present study was to identify and validate determinants of measured trichothecene mycotoxins in grain dust as work environmental trichothecene exposure indicators. Settled grain dust was collected in 92 Norwegian farms during seasons of 1999 and 2000. Production characteristics and climatic data were studied as determinants of trichothecenes in settled dust samples obtained during the production of barley (N = 59), oats (N = 32), and spring wheat (N = 13). Median concentrations of trichothecenes in grain dust were <20, 54, and < 50 mg/kg (ranges < 20-340, < 30-2400, and < 50-1200) for deoxynivalenol (DON), HT-2 toxin (HT-2) and T-2 toxin (T-2) respectively. Late blight potato rot (fungal) forecasts have been broadcast in Norway to help prevent this potato disease. Fungal forecasts representing wet, temperate, and humid meteorological conditions were identified as strong determinants of trichothecene mycotoxins in settled grain dust in this study. Differences in cereal species, production properties and districts contributed less to explain mycotoxin concentrations. Fungal forecasts are validated as indicators of mycotoxin exposure of grain farmers and their use in epidemiological studies may be warranted.

Alignment of dust grains in ionized regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Nels; Watson, William D.

1993-01-01

The rate at which charged dust grains in a plasma are torqued by passing ions and electrons is calculated. When photo-emission of electrons is not important, attraction of ions by the grain monopole potential increases the rate at which the grains' spins are dealigned by nearly an order of magnitude. Consequently, the energy density of the magnetic field required to align grains in an H II region may be increased by about an order of magnitude. In contrast, electric dipole and quadrupole moments are unlikely to produce large dealignment rates for grains of modest length-to-width ratio. Nonetheless, for positively charged grains these higher-order moments likely prevent monopole repulsion of ions from reducing the dealignment rate far below that for neutral grains. The presence of positive grain charge therefore does not greatly facilitate grain alignment in an H II region.

A COMPACT CONCENTRATION OF LARGE GRAINS IN THE HD 142527 PROTOPLANETARY DUST TRAP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casassus, Simon; Marino, Sebastian; Pérez, Sebastian

2015-10-20

A pathway to the formation of planetesimals, and eventually giant planets, may occur in concentrations of dust grains trapped in pressure maxima. Dramatic crescent-shaped dust concentrations have been seen in recent radio images at submillimeter wavelengths. These disk asymmetries could represent the initial phases of planet formation in the dust trap scenario, provided that grain sizes are spatially segregated. A testable prediction of azimuthal dust trapping is that progressively larger grains should be more sharply confined and should follow a distribution that is markedly different from the gas. However, gas tracers such as {sup 12}CO and the infrared emission frommore » small grains are both very optically thick where the submillimeter continuum originates, so previous observations have been unable to test the trapping predictions or to identify compact concentrations of larger grains required for planet formation by core accretion. Here we report multifrequency observations of HD 142527, from 34 to 700 GHz, that reveal a compact concentration of grains approaching centimeter sizes, with a few Earth masses, embedded in a large-scale crescent of smaller, submillimeter-sized particles. The emission peaks at wavelengths shorter than ∼1 mm are optically thick and trace the temperature structure resulting from shadows cast by the inner regions. Given this temperature structure, we infer that the largest dust grains are concentrated in the 34 GHz clump. We conclude that dust trapping is efficient enough for grains observable at centimeter wavelengths to lead to compact concentrations.« less

Phototelectric Emission Measurements on the Analogs of Individual Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.; Weingartner, J. C.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Nuth, J. A.; Camata, R. P.;

Disintegration of Dust Aggregates in Interstellar Shocks and the Lifetime of Dust Grains in the ISM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominik, C.; Jones, A. P.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Cuzzi, Jeff (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Interstellar grains are destroyed by shock waves moving through the ISM. In fact, the destruction of grains may be so effective that it is difficult to explain the observed abundance of dust in the ISM as a steady state between input of grains from stellar sources and destruction of grains in shocks. This is especially a problem for the larger grains. Therefore, the dust grains must be protected in some way. Jones et al. have already considered coatings and the increased post-shock drag effects for low density grains. In molecular clouds and dense clouds, coagulation of grains is an important process, and the largest interstellar grains may indeed be aggregates of smaller grains rather than homogeneous particles. This may provide a means to protect the larger grains, in that, in moderate velocity grain-grain collisions in a shock the aggregates may disintegrate rather than be vaporized. The released small particles are more resilient to shock destruction (except in fast shocks) and may reform larger grains later, recovering the observed size distribution. We have developed a model for the binding forces in grain aggregates and apply this model to the collisions between an aggregate and fast small grains. We discuss the results in the light of statistical collision probabilities and grain life times.

Head-on collision of dust acoustic solitons in a nonextensive plasma with variable size dust grains of arbitrary charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behery, E. E.

2016-11-01

The head-on collision of two dust acoustic solitons (DASs) in a nonextensive plasma with positive or negative dust grains fluid including the effect of dust size distribution (DSD) is studied. The phase shifts for the two solitons due to the collision are derived by applying the extended Poincaré-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) method. The influences of the power law DSD and the nonextensivity of plasma particles on the characteristic properties of the head-on collision of DASs are analyzed. It is found that the phase shifts can vanish, only for the case of positive dust grains, for certain values and ranges of the dust grain radius and the entropic index of ions (qi) . Also, they undergo a cutoff in the range of qi>1 for the subextensive distribution. A brief discussion of possible applications in laboratory and space plasmas is included.

Scientists Detect Radio Emission from Rapidly Rotating Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-11-01

Astronomers have made the first tentative observations of a long-speculated, but never before detected, source of natural radio waves in interstellar space. Data from the National Science Foundation's 140 Foot Radio Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.Va., show the faint, tell-tale signals of what appear to be dust grains spinning billions of times each second. This discovery eventually could yield a powerful new tool for understanding the interstellar medium - the immense clouds of gas and dust that populate interstellar space. The NRAO 140 Foot Radio Telescope The NRAO 140-Foot Radio Telescope "What we believe we have found," said Douglas P. Finkbeiner of Princeton University's Department of Astrophysics, "is the first hard evidence for electric dipole emission from rapidly rotating dust grains. If our studies are confirmed, it will be the first new source of continuum emission to be conclusively identified in the interstellar medium in nearly the past 20 years." Finkbeiner believes that these emissions have the potential in the future of revealing new and exciting information about the interstellar medium; they also may help to refine future studies of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. The results from this study, which took place in spring 1999, were accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. Other contributors to this paper include David J. Schlegel, department of astrophysics, Princeton University; Curtis Frank, department of astronomy, University of Maryland; and Carl Heiles, department of astronomy, University of California at Berkeley. "The idea of dust grains emitting radiation by rotating is not new," comments Finkbeiner, "but to date it has been somewhat speculative." Scientists first proposed in 1957 that dust grains could emit radio signals, if they were caused to rotate rapidly enough. It was believed, however, that these radio emissions would be negligibly small - too weak to be of any impact to

Experimental Investigation of Charging Properties of Interstellar Type Silica Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2013-01-01

The dust charging by electron impact is an important dust charging processes in astrophysical and planetary environments. Incident low energy electrons are reflected or stick to the grains charging the dust grains negatively. At sufficiently high energies electrons penetrate the grains, leading to excitation and emission of electrons referred to as secondary electron emission (SEE). Available classical theoretical models for calculations of SEE yields are generally applicable for neutral, planar, or bulk surfaces. These models, however, are not valid for calculations of the electron impact charging properties of electrostatically charged micron/submicron-size dust grains in astrophysical environments. Rigorous quantum mechanical models are not yet available, and the SEE yields have to be determined experimentally for development of more accurate models for charging of individual dust grains. At the present time, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size dust grains, particularly for low energy electron impact. The experimental results on individual, positively charged, micron-size lunar dust grains levitated carried out by us in a unique facility at NASA-MSFC, based on an electrodynamic balance, indicate that the SEE by electron impact is a complex process. The electron impact may lead to charging or discharging of dust grains depending upon the grain size, surface potential, electron energy, electron flux, grain composition, and configuration (Abbas et al, 2010, 2012). In this paper, we discuss SEE charging properties of individual micron-size silica microspheres that are believed to be analogs of a class of interstellar dust grains. The measurements indicate charging of the 0.2m silica particles when exposed to 25 eV electron beams and discharging when exposed to higher energy electron beams. Relatively large size silica particles (5.2-6.82m) generally discharge to lower equilibrium potentials at both electron energies

Shotgun Pyrosequencing Metagenomic Analyses of Dusts from Swine Confinement and Grain Facilities

PubMed Central

Boissy, Robert J.; Romberger, Debra J.; Roughead, William A.; Weissenburger-Moser, Lisa; Poole, Jill A.; LeVan, Tricia D.

2014-01-01

Inhalation of agricultural dusts causes inflammatory reactions and symptoms such as headache, fever, and malaise, which can progress to chronic airway inflammation and associated diseases, e.g. asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Although in many agricultural environments feed particles are the major constituent of these dusts, the inflammatory responses that they provoke are likely attributable to particle-associated bacteria, archaebacteria, fungi, and viruses. In this study, we performed shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic analyses of DNA from dusts from swine confinement facilities or grain elevators, with comparisons to dusts from pet-free households. DNA sequence alignment showed that 19% or 62% of shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic DNA sequence reads from swine facility or household dusts, respectively, were of swine or human origin, respectively. In contrast only 2% of such reads from grain elevator dust were of mammalian origin. These metagenomic shotgun reads of mammalian origin were excluded from our analyses of agricultural dust microbiota. The ten most prevalent bacterial taxa identified in swine facility compared to grain elevator or household dust were comprised of 75%, 16%, and 42% gram-positive organisms, respectively. Four of the top five swine facility dust genera were assignable (Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Eubacterium, ranging from 4% to 19% relative abundance). The relative abundances of these four genera were lower in dust from grain elevators or pet-free households. These analyses also highlighted the predominance in swine facility dust of Firmicutes (70%) at the phylum level, Clostridia (44%) at the Class level, and Clostridiales at the Order level (41%). In summary, shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic analyses of agricultural dusts show that they differ qualitatively and quantitatively at the level of microbial taxa present, and that the bioinformatic analyses

Shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic analyses of dusts from swine confinement and grain facilities.

PubMed

Boissy, Robert J; Romberger, Debra J; Roughead, William A; Weissenburger-Moser, Lisa; Poole, Jill A; LeVan, Tricia D

2014-01-01

Inhalation of agricultural dusts causes inflammatory reactions and symptoms such as headache, fever, and malaise, which can progress to chronic airway inflammation and associated diseases, e.g. asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Although in many agricultural environments feed particles are the major constituent of these dusts, the inflammatory responses that they provoke are likely attributable to particle-associated bacteria, archaebacteria, fungi, and viruses. In this study, we performed shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic analyses of DNA from dusts from swine confinement facilities or grain elevators, with comparisons to dusts from pet-free households. DNA sequence alignment showed that 19% or 62% of shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic DNA sequence reads from swine facility or household dusts, respectively, were of swine or human origin, respectively. In contrast only 2% of such reads from grain elevator dust were of mammalian origin. These metagenomic shotgun reads of mammalian origin were excluded from our analyses of agricultural dust microbiota. The ten most prevalent bacterial taxa identified in swine facility compared to grain elevator or household dust were comprised of 75%, 16%, and 42% gram-positive organisms, respectively. Four of the top five swine facility dust genera were assignable (Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Eubacterium, ranging from 4% to 19% relative abundance). The relative abundances of these four genera were lower in dust from grain elevators or pet-free households. These analyses also highlighted the predominance in swine facility dust of Firmicutes (70%) at the phylum level, Clostridia (44%) at the Class level, and Clostridiales at the Order level (41%). In summary, shotgun pyrosequencing metagenomic analyses of agricultural dusts show that they differ qualitatively and quantitatively at the level of microbial taxa present, and that the bioinformatic analyses

The effect of the ambient plasma conditions on the variation of charge on dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, M.; Kausik, S. S.; Saikia, B. K.; Kakati, M.; Bujarbarua, S.

2003-02-01

An experimental study has been performed into the variation of charge on dust grains with change in the ambient plasma conditons. A dust beam containing submicron sized silver grains was passed through plasma. The dust grains were charged by the plasma particles as well as by primary electrons from the filament. An increase in the filament current increased both the plasma density and the number density of the primary electrons. The grain charge was found out both from the deflection of the dust grains and also from the floating potential. The experimental observations shows that the secondary emission caused by the primary electrons significantly influenced and played a prominent role in the establishment of charge on the grains.

Laboratory Measurements of Optical Properties of Micron Size Individual Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; Witherow, W. K.; Camata, R.; Gerakines, P.

2003-01-01

A laboratory program is being developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for experimental determination of the optical and physical properties individual dust grains in simulated astrophysical environments. The experimental setup is based on an electrodynamic balance that permits levitation of single 0.1 - 10 micron radii dust grains in a cavity evacuated to pressures of approx. 10(exp -6) torr. The experimental apparatus is equipped with observational ports for measurements in the UV, visible, and infrared spectral regions. A cryogenic facility for cooling the particles to temperature of approx. 10-50K is being installed. The current and the planned measurements include: dust charging processes, photoelectric emissions and yields with UV irradiation, radiation pressure measurements, infrared absorption and scattering properties, and condensation processes, involving the analogs of cosmic dust grains. Selected results based on photoemissions, radiation pressure, and other laboratory measurements will be presented.

Charging and shielding of a non-spherical dust grain in a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L.; Delzanno, G.

2013-12-01

The interaction of objects with a plasma is a classic problem of plasma physics. Originally, it was investigated in the framework of probe theory but more recently its interest has grown in connection with space and complex or dusty plasmas. It is customary to assume that the dust grains are spherical, and theories such as the Orbital Motion Limited (OML) theory are usually applied to calculate the dust charge. However, in nature dust grains have a variety of sizes and shapes. It is therefore natural to ask about the influence of the dust shape on the charging and shielding process. In order to answer this question, we study the charging and shielding of a non-spherical dust grain immersed in a Maxwellian plasma at rest. We consider prolate ellipsoids, varying parametrically the aspect ratio while keeping the surface area constant. The study is conducted with CPIC [1], a newly developed Particle-In-Cell code in curvilinear geometry that conforms to objects of arbitrary shape. For a plasma with temperature ratio equal to unity and for a dust grain with characteristic size of the order of the Debye length, it is shown that the floating potential has a very weak dependence on the geometry, while the charge on the grain increases by a factor of three when the aspect ratio changes from one (a sphere) to hundred (a needle-like ellipsoid). These results are consistent with the higher capacitance of ellipsoidal dust grains, but also indicate that the screening length depends on the geometry. Scaling studies of the dependence of the charging time and screening length on the aspect ratio and plasma conditions are presented, including theoretical considerations to support the numerical results. [1] G.L. Delzanno, et al, ';CPIC: a curvilinear Particle-In-Cell code for plasma-material interaction studies', under review.

Identifying new surface constituents of icy moons using mid-infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Cindy L.; Wray, James J.; Hand, Kevin P.; Poston, Michael J.; Carlson, Robert W.; Clark, Roger N.; Spencer, John R.; Jennings, Donald E.

2015-11-01

Spectroscopic compositional studies of the icy satellites can help us to better understand the formation and evolution of material in the outer solar system. The spectral complexity of the Saturnian satellite system as seen in reflected visible light suggests additional complexity may be present at mid-infrared wavelengths from which unique compositional information can be gleaned [1]. In addition, the mid-infrared is the region of the stronger fundamental diagnostic vibrational modes of many compounds. However, Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) surface compositional studies have received little attention to date.We are exploring the suitability of mid-infrared spectroscopy for discovering non-H2O compounds on icy moon surfaces. On the dark terrain of Iapetus, we find an emissivity feature at ~855 cm-1 and a potential doublet at 660 and 690 cm-1 that do not correspond to any known instrument artifacts [2]. We attribute the 855 cm-1 feature to fine-grained silicates, similar to those found in dust on Mars and in meteorites, which are nearly featureless at shorter wavelengths [3]. Although silicates on the dark terrains of Saturn’s icy moons have been suspected for decades, there have been no definitive prior detections. Serpentines measured at ambient conditions have features near 855 cm-1 and 660 cm-1 [4]. However, peaks can shift depending on temperature, pressure, and grain size, so measurements at Iapetus-like conditions are necessary for more positive identifications [e.g., 5].We measured the vacuum, low temperature (125 K) spectra of various fine-grained powdered silicates. We find that some of these materials do have emissivity features near 855 cm-1 and match the doublet. Identifying a specific silicate would provide clues into the sources and sinks of the dark material in the Saturnian system. We report on our ongoing exploration of the CIRS icy moon dataset and plans for future measurements in JPL’s Icy Worlds Simulation Lab.[1] Flasar, F

Mechanism for the acceleration and ejection of dust grains from Jupiter's magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horanyi, M.; Morfill, G.; Gruen, E.

1993-01-01

The Ulysses mission detected quasi-periodic streams of high-velocity submicron-sized dust particles during its encounter with Jupiter. It is shown here how the dust events could result from the acceleration and subsequent ejection of small grains by Jupiter's magnetosphere. Dust grains entering the plasma environment of the magnetosphere become charged, with the result that their motion is then determined by both electromagnetic and gravitational forces. This process is modeled, and it is found that only those particles in a certain size range gain sufficient energy to escape the Jovian system. Moreover, if Io is assumed to be the source of the dust grains, its location in geographic and geomagnetic coordinates determines the exit direction of the escaping particles, providing a possible explanation for the observed periodicities. The calculated mass and velocity range of the escaping dust gains are consistent with the Ulysses findings.

Magnetorotational instability in protoplanetary discs: the effect of dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmeron, Raquel; Wardle, Mark

2008-08-01

We investigate the linear growth and vertical structure of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in weakly ionized, stratified protoplanetary discs. The magnetic field is initially vertical and dust grains are assumed to be well mixed with the gas over the entire vertical dimension of the disc. For simplicity, all the grains are assumed to have the same radius (a = 0.1,1 or 3μm) and constitute a constant fraction (1 per cent) of the total mass of the gas. Solutions are obtained at representative radial locations (R = 5 and 10 au) from the central protostar for a minimum-mass solar nebula model and different choices of the initial magnetic field strength, configuration of the diffusivity tensor and grain sizes. We find that when no grain are present, or they are >~1μm in radius, the mid-plane of the disc remains magnetically coupled for field strengths up to a few gauss at both radii. In contrast, when a population of small grains (a = 0.1μm) is mixed with the gas, the section of the disc within two tidal scaleheights from the mid-plane is magnetically inactive and only magnetic fields weaker than ~50 mG can effectively couple to the fluid. At 5 au, Ohmic diffusion dominates for z/H <~ 1 when the field is relatively weak (B <~ a few milligauss), irrespective of the properties of the grain population. Conversely, at 10 au this diffusion term is unimportant in all the scenarios studied here. High above the mid-plane (z/H >~ 5), ambipolar diffusion is severe and prevents the field from coupling to the gas for all B. Hall diffusion is dominant for a wide range of field strengths at both radii when dust grains are present. The growth rate, wavenumber and range of magnetic field strengths for which MRI-unstable modes exist are all drastically diminished when dust grains are present, particularly when they are small (a ~ 0.1μm). In fact, MRI perturbations grow at 5 au (10 au) for B <~ 160 mG (130 mG) when 3μm grains are mixed with the gas. This upper limit on the

Effect of particles attachment to multi-sized dust grains present in electrostatic sheaths of discharge plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaham, B.; Faculté des Sciences et des Sciences Appliquées, Université de Bouira Rue Drissi Yahia 10000 Bouira; Tahraoui, A., E-mail: alatif-tahraoui@yahoo.fr

The loss of electrons and ions due to their attachment to a Gauss-distributed sizes of dust grains present in electrostatic sheaths of discharge plasmas is investigated. A uni-dimensional, unmagnetized, and stationary multi-fluid model is proposed. Forces acting on the dust grain along with its charge are self-consistently calculated, within the limits of the orbit motion limited model. The dynamic analysis of dust grains shows that the contribution of the neutral drag force in the net force acting on the dust grain is negligible, whereas the contribution of the gravity force is found considerable only for micrometer particles. The dust grainsmore » trapping is only possible when the electrostatic force is balanced by the ion drag and the gravity forces. This trapping occurs for a limited radius interval of micrometer dust grains, which is around the most probable dust grain radius. The effect of electron temperature and ion density at the sheath edge is also discussed. It is shown that the attachment of particles reduces considerably the sheath thickness and induces dust grain deceleration. The increase of the lower limit as well as the upper limit of the dust radius reduces also the sheath thickness.« less

GEMS Revealed: Spectrum Imaging of Aggregate Grains in Interplanetary Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, L. P.; Messenger, S.; Christoffersen, R.

2005-01-01

Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) of cometary origin contain abundant materials that formed in the early solar nebula. These materials were transported outward and subsequently mixed with molecular cloud materials and presolar grains in the region where comets accreted [1]. GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains are a major component of these primitive anhydrous IDPs, along with crystalline Mg-rich silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, carbonaceous material, and other trace phases. Some GEMS grains (5%) are demonstrably presolar based on their oxygen isotopic compositions [2]. However, most GEMS grains are isotopically solar and have bulk chemical compositions that are incompatible with inferred compositions of interstellar dust, suggesting a solar system origin [3]. An alternative hypothesis is that GEMS grains represent highly irradiated interstellar grains whose oxygen isotopic compositions were homogenized through processing in the interstellar medium (ISM) [4]. We have obtained the first quantitative X-ray maps (spectrum images) showing the distribution of major and minor elements in individual GEMS grains. Nanometer-scale chemical maps provide critical data required to evaluate the differing models regarding the origin of GEMS grains.

In Situ Sampling of Relative Dust Devil Particle Loads and Their Vertical Grain Size Distributions.

PubMed

Raack, Jan; Reiss, Dennis; Balme, Matthew R; Taj-Eddine, Kamal; Ori, Gian Gabriele

2017-04-19

During a field campaign in the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco, spring 2012, we sampled the vertical grain size distribution of two active dust devils that exhibited different dimensions and intensities. With these in situ samples of grains in the vortices, it was possible to derive detailed vertical grain size distributions and measurements of the lifted relative particle load. Measurements of the two dust devils show that the majority of all lifted particles were only lifted within the first meter (∼46.5% and ∼61% of all particles; ∼76.5 wt % and ∼89 wt % of the relative particle load). Furthermore, ∼69% and ∼82% of all lifted sand grains occurred in the first meter of the dust devils, indicating the occurrence of "sand skirts." Both sampled dust devils were relatively small (∼15 m and ∼4-5 m in diameter) compared to dust devils in surrounding regions; nevertheless, measurements show that ∼58.5% to 73.5% of all lifted particles were small enough to go into suspension (<31 μm, depending on the used grain size classification). This relatively high amount represents only ∼0.05 to 0.15 wt % of the lifted particle load. Larger dust devils probably entrain larger amounts of fine-grained material into the atmosphere, which can have an influence on the climate. Furthermore, our results indicate that the composition of the surface, on which the dust devils evolved, also had an influence on the particle load composition of the dust devil vortices. The internal particle load structure of both sampled dust devils was comparable related to their vertical grain size distribution and relative particle load, although both dust devils differed in their dimensions and intensities. A general trend of decreasing grain sizes with height was also detected. Key Words: Mars-Dust devils-Planetary science-Desert soils-Atmosphere-Grain sizes. Astrobiology 17, xxx-xxx.

Ochratoxin A and citrinin loads in stored wheat grains: impact of grain dust and possible prediction using ergosterol measurement.

PubMed

Tangni, E K; Pussemier, L

2006-02-01

Crop storage should be carried out under hygienic conditions to ensure safe products, but sometimes grain dust which has settled from previous storage may be left over and incorporated to the following stored grains. This paper describes the results obtained using a lab model developed in order to assess the impact of grain dust incorporation for its direct contribution as a contaminant but also as an inoculum in stored wheat. Settled grain dust (4 samples) released from Belgian grain storages were collected and analysed by HPLC for ergosterol, ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) content. For OTA and for ergosterol, there was a high degree of variability in concentrations found in the dust samples (from 17.3-318 ng g(-1) and from 39-823 microg g(-1), respectively) whilst for CIT, the range was less significant (from 137-344 ng g(-1)). Incorporation of grain dust into wheat storage contributed to an increase in the concentrations of mycotoxins in the stored grain. Dust acts as a contaminant and as an inoculum. According to these two ways, patterns of mycotoxin generation vary with the nature of the mycotoxin, the mycotoxigenic potential of dust and the water activity of the wheat. OTA and CIT showed a very versatile image when considering the amounts of toxins produced under the selected experimental conditions. The development of a robust tool to forecast the mycotoxigenicity of dust was based on the determination of ergosterol content as a general marker of fungal biomass. Present results suggest that this predictive tool would only be valid for predicting the contamination level of CIT and OTA at reasonable moisture content (14-20%). The potential risk of having highly contaminated batches from stock to stock may thus occur and this paper discusses possible pathways leading to OTA and CIT contamination either under wet or dry storage conditions. We therefore, recommend taking precautionary measures not only by controlling and maintaining moisture at a

Comets: Dirty snowballs or icy dirtballs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, H. U.

1989-12-01

The observations of comet Halley show that the non-volatile (dust) component of the cometary nucleus has become more dominant if compared to the perception based on the icy conglomerate nucleus. The in-situ observations on the Giotto spacecraft revealed an excess of large dust particles that dominate the mass distribution. Even larger particles were derived from the attitude changes of the spacecraft bridging the gap to the cloud of particles observed by radar techniques. A dust to gas ratio larger than one was derived for comet Halley. The importance of dust for the structure of the nucleus is corroborated by the amount of particles and their lifetime in meteor streams. Fireballs show that large (meter size) objects separate from the nucleus and are stable enough to survive hundreds of orbital periods. From the various lines of evidence it is concluded that the structure of cometary nuclei is determined by the non-volatile component rather than by ice or snow. Laboratory models based on icy agglomerations do not seem realistic as nucleus analogs.

LUNAR SURFACE AND DUST GRAIN POTENTIALS DURING THE EARTH’S MAGNETOSPHERE CROSSING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaverka, J.; Richterová, I.; Pavlu, J.

2016-07-10

Interaction between the lunar surface and the solar UV radiation and surrounding plasma environment leads to its charging by different processes like photoemission, collection of charged particles, or secondary electron emission (SEE). Whereas the photoemission depends only on the angle between the surface and direction to the Sun and varies only slowly, plasma parameters can change rapidly as the Moon orbits around the Earth. This paper presents numerical simulations of one Moon pass through the magnetospheric tail including the real plasma parameters measured by THEMIS as an input. The calculations are concentrated on different charges of the lunar surface itselfmore » and a dust grain lifted above this surface. Our estimations show that (1) the SEE leads to a positive charging of parts of the lunar surface even in the magnetosphere, where a high negative potential is expected; (2) the SEE is generally more important for isolated dust grains than for the lunar surface covered by these grains; and (3) the time constant of charging of dust grains depends on their diameter being of the order of hours for sub-micrometer grains. In view of these results, we discuss the conditions under which and the areas where a levitation of the lifted dust grains could be observed.« less

Dust grains from the heart of supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocchio, Marco; Marassi, Stefania; Schneider, Raffaella; Bianchi, Simone; Limongi, Marco; Chieffi, A.

2016-06-01

Dust grains are classically thought to form in the winds of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, there is increasing evidence today for dust formation in supernovae (SNe). To establish the relative importance of these two classes of stellar sources of dust, it is important to know the fraction of freshly formed dust in SN ejecta that is able to survive the passage of the reverse shock and be injected in the interstellar medium. We have developed a new code (GRASH_Rev) which follows the newly-formed dust evolution throughout the supernova explosion until the merging of the forward shock with the circumstellar ISM. We have considered four well studied SNe in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud: SN1987A, CasA, the Crab Nebula, and N49. For all the simulated models, we find good agreement with observations and estimate that between 1 and 8% of the observed mass will survive, leading to a SN dust production rate of (3.9± 3.7)×10^(-4) MM_{⊙})/yr in the Milky Way. This value is one order of magnitude larger than the dust production rate by AGB stars but insufficient to counterbalance the dust destruction by SNe, therefore requiring dust accretion in the gas phase.

A Wealth of Dust Grains in Quasar Winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on image for larger poster version

This plot of data captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals dust entrained in the winds rushing away from a quasar, or growing black hole. The quasar, called PG2112+059, is located deep inside a galaxy 8 billion light-years away. Astronomers believe the dust might have been forged in the winds, which would help explain where dust in the very early universe came from.

The data were captured by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, an instrument that splits apart light from the quasar into a spectrum that reveals telltale signs of different minerals. Each type of mineral, or dust grain, has a unique signature, as can be seen in the graph, or spectrum, above.

The strongest features are from the mineral amorphous olivine, or glass (purple); the mineral forsterite found in sand (blue); and the mineral corundum found in rubies (light blue). The detection of forsterite and corundum is highly unusual in galaxies without quasars. Therefore, their presence is a key clue that these grains might have been created in the quasar winds and not by dying stars as they are in our Milky Way galaxy. Forsterite is destroyed quickly in normal galaxies by radiation, so it must be continually produced to be detected by Spitzer.

Corundum is hard, and provides a seed that softer, more common minerals usually cover up. As a result, corundum is usually not seen in spectra of galaxies. Since Spitzer did detect the mineral, it is probably forming in a clumpy environment, which is expected in quasar winds. All together, the signatures of the unusual minerals in this spectrum point towards dust grains forming in the winds blowing away from quasars.

Grain Temperature and Infrared Emission from Carbon Dust of Mixed Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, S.; Duley, W. W.

1996-06-01

The equilibrium temperature of carbonaceous dust grains whose composition is consistent with IR spectra of diffuse cloud and dense cloud dust has been calculated using random covalent network (RCN) solutions for amorphous dust having a mixed graphite, diamond, and polymeric hydrocarbon composition. An effective medium approximation has been adopted to describe optical and thermal constants for dust compositions consistent with IR absorption spectra. A small amount of sp2 hybridized carbon in the form of aromatic rings is found to have a significant effect in reducing equilibrium temperature in dust with high diamond/polymer content. This formalism has also been used to calculate nonequilibrium emission spectra of very small grains (VSGs) subjected to stochastic heating in the interstellar radiation field. Such grains are found to emit strongly in sharp IR bands associated with C-H bonds at 3.4 μm and longer wavelengths. The effect of varying graphite/diamond/hydrocarbon composition on nonequilibrium emission by VSGs can also be described using this formalism. The ratio of emission at 12 and 25 μm is found to be high for VSGs with a large fraction of diamond or polymeric hydrocarbon but decreases dramatically for dust with a large sp2 aromatic component.

Coagulation of dust grains in the plasma of an RF discharge in argon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mankelevich, Yu. A.; Olevanov, M. A.; Pal', A. F.

2009-03-15

Results are presented from experimental studies of coagulation of dust grains of different sizes injected into a low-temperature plasma of an RF discharge in argon. A theoretical model describing the formation of dust clusters in a low-temperature plasma is developed and applied to interpret the results of experiments on the coagulation of dust grains having large negative charges. The grain size at which coagulation under the given plasma conditions is possible is estimated using the developed theory. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental data.

Dust grain characterization — Direct measurement of light scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

BartoÅ, P.; Pavlů, J.

2018-01-01

Dust grains play a key role in dusty plasma since they interact with the plasma we can use them to study plasma itself. The grains are illuminated by visible light (e.g., a laser sheet) and the situation is captured with camera. Despite of simplicity, light scattering on similar-to-wavelength sized grains is complex phenomenon. Interaction of the electromagnetic wave with material has to be computed with respect to Maxwell equations — analytic solution is nowadays available only for several selected shapes like sphere, coated sphere, or infinite cylinder. Moreover, material constants needed for computations are usually unknown. For computation result verification and material constant determination, we designed and developed a device directly measur­ing light scattering profiles. Single dust grains are trapped in the ultrasonic field (so called "acoustic levitation") and illuminated by the laser beam. Scattered light is then measured by a photodiode mounted on rotating platform. Synchronous detection is employed for a noise reduction. This setup brings several benefits against conventional methods: (1) it works in the free air, (2) the measured grain is captured for a long time, and (3) the grain could be of arbitrary shape.

Laboratory Measurements on Charging of Individual Micron-Size Apollo-11 Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Observations made during Apollo missions, as well as theoretical models indicate that the lunar surface and dust grains are electrostatically charged, levitated and transported. Lunar dust grains are charged by UV photoelectric emissions on the lunar dayside and by the impact of the solar wind electrons on the nightside. The knowledge of charging properties of individual lunar dust grains is important for developing appropriate theoretical models and mitigating strategies. Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size size lunar dust grains in particular by low energy electron impact. However, experimental results based on extensive laboratory measurements on the charging of individual 0.2-13 micron size lunar dust grains by the secondary electron emissions (SEE) have been presented in a recent publication. The SEE process of charging of micron-size dust grains, however, is found to be very complex phenomena with strong particle size dependence. In this paper we present some examples of the complex nature of the SEE properties of positively charged individual lunar dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB), and show that they remain unaffected by the variation of the AC field employed in the above mentioned measurements.

Ultrathin amorphous coatings on lunar dust grains.

PubMed

Bibring, J P; Duraud, J P; Durrieu, L; Jouret, C; Maurette, M; Meunier, R

1972-02-18

UItrathin amorphous coatings have been observed by high-voltage electron microscopy on micrometer-sized dust grains from the Apollo 11, Apollo 12, Apollo 14, and Luna 16 missions. Calibration experiments show that these coatings result from an "ancient" implantation of solar wind ions in the grains. This phenomenon has interdisciplinary applications concerning the past activity of the sun, the lunar albedo, the ancient lunar atmosphere and magnetic field, the carbon content of lunar soils, and lunar dynamic processes.

LUNAR DUST GRAIN CHARGING BY ELECTRON IMPACT: COMPLEX ROLE OF SECONDARY ELECTRON EMISSIONS IN SPACE ENVIRONMENTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; LeClair, A. C.

2010-08-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions (SEEs). The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium, and heliospheric, interplanetary/planetary, and lunar environments. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individualmore » micron-/submicron-size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials. In this paper, we present experimental results on the charging of individual 0.2-13 {mu}m size dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and 17 dust samples, and spherical silica particles by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10-200 eV energy range. The dust charging process by electron impact involving the SEEs discussed is found to be a complex charging phenomenon with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between the polarity and magnitude of the dust charging rates of individual small-size dust grains, and the measurements and model properties of corresponding bulk materials. A more comprehensive plan of measurements of the charging properties of individual dust grains for developing a database for realistic models of dust charging in astrophysical and lunar environments is in progress.« less

Lunary Dust Grain Charging by Electron Impact: Complex Role of Secondary Electron Emissions in Space Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Crave, P. D.; LeClair, A.; Spann, J. F.

2010-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions (SEES). The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium, and heliospheric, interplanetary/ planetary, and lunar environments. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron-/submicron-size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials. In this paper, we present experimental results on the charging of individual 0.2-13 m size dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and 17 dust samples, and spherical silica particles by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10-200 eV energy range. The dust charging process by electron impact involving the SEES discussed is found to be a complex charging phenomenon with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between the polarity and magnitude of the dust charging rates of individual small-size dust grains, and the measurements and model properties of corresponding bulk materials. A more comprehensive plan of measurements of the charging properties of individual dust grains for developing a database for realistic models of dust charging in astrophysical and lunar environments is in progress.

The Lunar Dust Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szalay, Jamey Robert

Planetary bodies throughout the solar system are continually bombarded by dust particles, largely originating from cometary activities and asteroidal collisions. Surfaces of bodies with thick atmospheres, such as Venus, Earth, Mars and Titan are mostly protected from incoming dust impacts as these particles ablate in their atmospheres as 'shooting stars'. However, the majority of bodies in the solar system have no appreciable atmosphere and their surfaces are directly exposed to the flux of high speed dust grains. Impacts onto solid surfaces in space generate charged and neutral gas clouds, as well as solid secondary ejecta dust particles. Gravitationally bound ejecta clouds forming dust exospheres were recognized by in situ dust instruments around the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and had not yet been observed near bodies with refractory regolith surfaces before NASA's Lunar Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. In this thesis, we first present the measurements taken by the Lunar Dust Explorer (LDEX), aboard LADEE, which discovered a permanently present, asymmetric dust cloud surrounding the Moon. The global characteristics of the lunar dust cloud are discussed as a function of a variety of variables such as altitude, solar longitude, local time, and lunar phase. These results are compared with models for lunar dust cloud generation. Second, we present an analysis of the groupings of impacts measured by LDEX, which represent detections of dense ejecta plumes above the lunar surface. These measurements are put in the context of understanding the response of the lunar surface to meteoroid bombardment and how to use other airless bodies in the solar system as detectors for their local meteoroid environment. Third, we present the first in-situ dust measurements taken over the lunar sunrise terminator. Having found no excess of small grains in this region, we discuss its implications for the putative population of electrostatically lofted dust.

[The epidemiological validation of the MPEL for grain dust in the atmosphere].

PubMed

Pinigin, M A; Cherepov, E M; Safiulin, A A; Petrova, I V; Mukhambetova, L Kh; Osipova, E M; Veselov, A P

1998-01-01

The use of calculating and gravimetric methods for examining the grain dust pollution of the ambient air at the site of an elevator determined the maximum single, mean daily, and mean annual concentrations at different distances from the source of dust emission. The mean ratio of these concentrations was 12.1:4.3:1, respectively. The calculated concentration-effect and concentration-time relationships provided evidence for the maximum single, mean daily, and mean annual allowable concentrations for grain dust in the ambient air.

Rapid formation of large dust grains in the luminous supernova 2010jl.

PubMed

Gall, Christa; Hjorth, Jens; Watson, Darach; Dwek, Eli; Maund, Justyn R; Fox, Ori; Leloudas, Giorgos; Malesani, Daniele; Day-Jones, Avril C

2014-07-17

The origin of dust in galaxies is still a mystery. The majority of the refractory elements are produced in supernova explosions, but it is unclear how and where dust grains condense and grow, and how they avoid destruction in the harsh environments of star-forming galaxies. The recent detection of 0.1 to 0.5 solar masses of dust in nearby supernova remnants suggests in situ dust formation, while other observations reveal very little dust in supernovae in the first few years after explosion. Observations of the spectral evolution of the bright SN 2010jl have been interpreted as pre-existing dust, dust formation or no dust at all. Here we report the rapid (40 to 240 days) formation of dust in its dense circumstellar medium. The wavelength-dependent extinction of this dust reveals the presence of very large (exceeding one micrometre) grains, which resist destruction. At later times (500 to 900 days), the near-infrared thermal emission shows an accelerated growth in dust mass, marking the transition of the dust source from the circumstellar medium to the ejecta. This provides the link between the early and late dust mass evolution in supernovae with dense circumstellar media.

Effect of dust size distribution on ion-acoustic solitons in dusty plasmas with different dust grains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Dong-Ning; Yang, Yang; Yan, Qiang

Theoretical studies are carried out for ion acoustic solitons in multicomponent nonuniform plasma considering the dust size distribution. The Korteweg−de Vries equation for ion acoustic solitons is given by using the reductive perturbation technique. Two special dust size distributions are considered. The dependences of the width and amplitude of solitons on dust size parameters are shown. It is found that the properties of a solitary wave depend on the shape of the size distribution function of dust grains.

Experimental Investigations of the Physical and Optical Properties of Individual Micron/Submicron-Size Dust Grains in Astrophysical Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.

2014-01-01

Dust grains constitute a significant component of matter in the universe, and play an important and crucial role in the formation and evolution of the stellar/planetary systems in interstellar dust clouds. Knowledge of physical and optical properties of dust grains is required for understanding of a variety of processes in astrophysical and planetary environments. The currently available and generally employed data on the properties of dust grains is based on bulk materials, with analytical models employed to deduce the corresponding values for individual small micron/submicron-size dust grains. However, it has been well-recognized over a long period, that the properties of individual smallsize dust grains may be very different from those deduced from bulk materials. This has been validated by a series of experimental investigations carried out over the last few years, on a laboratory facility based on an Electrodynamic Balance at NASA, which permits levitation of single small-size dust grains of desired composition and size, in vacuum, in simulated space environments. In this paper, we present a brief review of the results of a series of selected investigations carried out on the analogs of interstellar and planetary dust grains, as well as dust grains obtained by Apollo-l1-17 lunar missions. The selected investigations, with analytical results and discussions, include: (a) Direct measurements of radiation on individual dust grains (b) Rotation and alignments of dust grains by radiative torque (c) Charging properties of dust grains by: (i) UV Photo-electric emissions (ii) Electron Impact. The results from these experiments are examined in the light of the current theories of the processes involved.

GIADA On-Board Rosetta: Early Dust Grain Detections and Dust Coma Characterization of Comet 67P/C-G

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rotundi, A.; Della Corte, V.; Accolla, M.; Ferrari, M.; Ivanovski, S.; Lucarelli, F.; Mazzotta Epifani, E.; Sordini, R.; Palumbo, P.; Colangeli, L.; Lopez-Moreno, J. J.; Rodriguez, J.; Fulle, M.; Bussoletti, E.; Crifo, J. F.; Esposito, F.; Green, S.; Grün, E.; Lamy, P. L.; McDonnell, T.; Mennella, V.; Molina, A.; Moreno, F.; Ortiz, J. L.; Palomba, E.; Perrin, J. M.; Rodrigo, R.; Weissman, P. R.; Zakharov, V.; Zarnecki, J.

2014-12-01

GIADA (Grain Impact Analyzer and Dust Accumulator) flying on-board Rosetta is devoted to study the cometary dust environment of 67P/Churiumov-Gerasimenko. GIADA is composed of 3 sub-systems: the GDS (Grain Detection System), based on grain detection through light scattering; an IS (Impact Sensor), giving momentum measurement detecting the impact on a sensed plate connected with 5 piezoelectric sensors; the MBS (MicroBalances System), constituted of 5 Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs), giving cumulative deposited dust mass by measuring the variations of the sensors' frequency. The combination of the measurements performed by these 3 subsystems provides: the number, the mass, the momentum and the velocity distribution of dust grains emitted from the cometary nucleus.No prior in situ dust dynamical measurements at these close distances from the nucleus and starting from such large heliocentric distances are available up to date. We present here the first results obtained from the beginning of the Rosetta scientific phase. We will report dust grains early detection at about 800 km from the nucleus in August 2014 and the following measurements that allowed us characterizing the 67P/C-G dust environment at distances less than 100 km from the nucleus and single grains dynamical properties. Acknowledgements. GIADA was built by a consortium led by the Univ. Napoli "Parthenope" & INAF-Oss. Astr. Capodimonte, IT, in collaboration with the Inst. de Astrofisica de Andalucia, ES, Selex-ES s.p.a. and SENER. GIADA is presently managed & operated by Ist. di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali-INAF, IT. GIADA was funded and managed by the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, IT, with a support of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science MEC, ES. GIADA was developped from a PI proposal supported by the University of Kent; sci. & tech. contribution given by CISAS, IT, Lab. d'Astr. Spat., FR, and Institutions from UK, IT, FR, DE and USA. We thank the RSGS/ESAC, RMOC/ESOC & Rosetta Project

A bimodal dust grain distribution in the IC 434 H ii region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochsendorf, B. B.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2015-04-01

Context. Studies of dust evolution and processing in different phases of the interstellar medium (ISM) is essential to understanding the lifecycle of dust in space. Recent results have challenged the capabilities and validity of current dust models, indicating that the properties of interstellar dust evolve as it transits between different phases of the ISM. Aims: We characterize the dust content from the IC 434 H ii region, and present a scenario that results in the large-scale structure of the region seen to date. Methods: We conduct a multi-wavelength study of the dust emission from the ionized gas, and combine this with modeling, from large scales that provide insight into the history of the IC 434/L1630 region, to small scales that allow us to infer quantitative properties of the dust content inside the H ii region. Results: The dust enters the H ii region through momentum transfer with a champagne flow of ionized gas, set up by a chance encounter between the L1630 molecular cloud and the star cluster of σ Ori. We observe two clearly separated dust populations inside the ionized gas, that show different observational properties, as well as contrasting optical properties. Population A is colder (~25 K) than predicted by widely-used dust models, its temperature is insensitive to an increase of the impinging radiation field, it is momentum-coupled to the gas, and efficiently absorbs radiation pressure to form a dust wave at 1.0 pc ahead of σ Ori AB. Population B is characterized by a constant [20/30] flux ratio throughout the H ii region, heats up to ~75 K close to the star, and is less efficient in absorbing radiation pressure, forming a dust wave at 0.1 pc from the star. Conclusions: The dust inside IC 434 is bimodal. The characteristics of population A are remarkable and cannot be explained by current dust models. We argue that large porous grains or fluffy aggregates are potential candidates to explain much of the observational characteristics. Population B

Dust exposure in workers from grain storage facilities in Costa Rica.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Zamora, María G; Medina-Escobar, Lourdes; Mora, Glend; Zock, Jan-Paul; van Wendel de Joode, Berna; Mora, Ana M

2017-08-01

About 12 million workers are involved in the production of basic grains in Central America. However, few studies in the region have examined the occupational factors associated with inhalable dust exposure. (i) To assess the exposure to inhalable dust in workers from rice, maize, and wheat storage facilities in Costa Rica; (ii) to examine the occupational factors associated with this exposure; and (iii) to measure concentrations of respirable and thoracic particles in different areas of the storage facilities. We measured inhalable (<100μm) dust concentrations in 176 personal samples collected from 136 workers of eight grain storage facilities in Costa Rica. We also measured respirable (<4μm) and thoracic (<10μm) dust particles in several areas of the storage facilities. Geometric mean (GM) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) inhalable dust concentrations were 2.0mg/m 3 and 7.8 (range=<0.2-275.4mg/m 3 ). Personal inhalable dust concentrations were associated with job category [GM for category/GM for administrative staff and other workers (95% CI)=4.4 (2.6, 7.2) for packing; 20.4 (12.3, 34.7) for dehulling; 109.6 (50.1, 234.4) for unloading in flat bed sheds; 24.0 (14.5, 39.8) for unloading in pits; and 31.6 (18.6, 52.5) for drying], and cleaning task [15.8 (95% CI: 10.0, 26.3) in workers who cleaned in addition to their regular tasks]. Higher area concentrations of thoracic dust particles were found in wheat (GM and GSD=4.3mg/m 3 and 4.5) and maize (3.0mg/m 3 and 3.9) storage facilities, and in grain drying (2.3mg/m 3 and 3.1) and unloading (1.5mg/m 3 and 4.8) areas. Operators of grain storage facilities showed elevated inhalable dust concentrations, mostly above international exposure limits. Better engineering and administrative controls are needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Constraining dust properties in circumstellar envelopes of C-stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud: optical constants and grain size of carbon dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanni, Ambra; Marigo, Paola; Groenewegen, Martin A. T.; Aringer, Bernhard; Girardi, Léo; Pastorelli, Giada; Bressan, Alessandro; Bladh, Sara

2016-10-01

We present a new approach aimed at constraining the typical size and optical properties of carbon dust grains in circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of carbon-rich stars (C-stars) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). To achieve this goal, we apply our recent dust growth description, coupled with a radiative transfer code to the CSEs of C-stars evolving along the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch, for which we compute spectra and colours. Then, we compare our modelled colours in the near- and mid-infrared (NIR and MIR) bands with the observed ones, testing different assumptions in our dust scheme and employing several data sets of optical constants for carbon dust available in the literature. Different assumptions adopted in our dust scheme change the typical size of the carbon grains produced. We constrain carbon dust properties by selecting the combination of grain size and optical constants which best reproduce several colours in the NIR and MIR at the same time. The different choices of optical properties and grain size lead to differences in the NIR and MIR colours greater than 2 mag in some cases. We conclude that the complete set of observed NIR and MIR colours are best reproduced by small grains, with sizes between ˜0.035 and ˜0.12 μm, rather than by large grains between ˜0.2 and 0.7 μm. The inability of large grains to reproduce NIR and MIR colours seems independent of the adopted optical data set. We also find a possible trend of the grain size with mass-loss and/or carbon excess in the CSEs of these stars.

Methanol extract of grain dust shows complement fixing activity and other characteristics similar to tannic acid.

PubMed Central

Skea, D; Broder, I

1986-01-01

We have found several similarities between tannic acid and grain dust extract prepared with methanol. Both formed a precipitate with IgG, and these interactions were inhibited by albumin. In addition, both preparations fixed complement; this activity was heat stable and was removed by prior adsorption of the preparations with hide powder. Adsorption with polyvinyl polypyrrolidone reduced the complement-fixing activity of tannic acid but not that of the methanol grain dust extract. The similarities between tannic acid and the methanol grain dust extract are consistent with the presence of a tannin or tanninlike material in grain dust. Images FIGURE 1. PMID:3709479

The temperature of large dust grains in molecular clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, F. O.; Laureijs, R. J.; Prusti, T.

1991-01-01

The temperature of the large dust grains is calculated from three molecular clouds ranging in visual extinction from 2.5 to 8 mag, by comparing maps of either extinction derived from star counts or gas column density derived from molecular observations to I(100). Both techniques show the dust temperature declining into clouds. The two techniques do not agree in absolute scale.

Trajectories of charged dust grains in the cometary environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horanyi, M.; Mendis, D. A.

1985-07-01

Using a simple model of the particles and fields environment of a comet, the trajectories of the smallest (micron- and submicron-sized) dust grains that are expected to be released from a cometary nucleus are calculated. It is shown that electromagnetic forces play a crucial role in the dynamics of these particles. The present calculations indicate not only the asymmetry of the sunward dust envelopes that have been suggested earlier by other authors, but they also indicate the possible existence of wavy dust features far down the tail, reminiscent of the peculiar wavy dust feature observed in the dust tail of Comet Ikeya-Seki 1965f. The importance of these findings in studying the lower end of the cometary dust mass spectrum during the forthcoming fly-by missions to Comet Halley is underscored.

Enhanced neutrophil chemotactic activity after bronchial challenge in subjects with grain dust-induced asthma.

PubMed

Park, H S; Jung, K S

1998-03-01

There have been few reports suggesting involvement of neutrophils in induction of bronchoconstriction after inhalation of grain dust. To understand the role of neutrophils in pathogenesis of grain dust-induced asthma. We observed serum neutrophil chemotactic activity during grain dust-bronchoprovocation tests in six asthmatic subjects with positive bronchial challenges (group I). They were compared with those of six symptomatic subjects from the same workplace with negative bronchial challenges (group II). After grain dust inhalation, serum neutrophil chemotactic activity significantly increased at 30 minutes (P = .028), and then decreased to baseline level at 240 minutes (P = .028) in five subjects of group I having isolated early asthmatic responses. Enhanced neutrophil chemotactic activity was persistent for up to 240 minutes in one asthmatic subject having both early and late asthmatic responses. There was, however, no significant change in serum neutrophil chemotactic activity during bronchial challenges in subjects of group II. Pre-incubation of sera with anti-interleukin-8 (IL-8) antibody did not affect the neutrophil chemotactic activity results of group I subjects. These results suggest that enhanced neutrophil chemotactic activity distinct from IL-8 may contribute to significant bronchoconstriction induced by grain dust.

Effect of Ion Streaming on Diffusion of Dust Grains in Dissipative System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begum, M.; Das, N.

2018-01-01

The presence of strong electric fields in the sheath region of laboratory complex plasma induces an ion drift and perturbs the field around dust grains. The downstream focusing of ions leads to the formation of oscillatory kind of attractive wake potential which superimpose with the normal Debye-Hückel (DH) potential. The structural properties of complex plasma and diffusion coefficient of dust grains in the presence of such a wake potential have been investigated using Langevin dynamics simulation in the subsonic regime of ion flow. The study reveals that the diffusion of dust grains is strongly affected by the ion flow, so that the diffusion changes its character in the wake potential to the DH potential dominant regimes. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient on the parameters, such as the neutral pressure, dust grain size, ion flow velocity, and Coulomb coupling parameter, have been calculated for the subsonic regime by using the Green-Kubo expression, which is based on the integrated velocity autocorrelation function. It is found that the diffusion and the structural property of the system is intimately connected with the interaction potential and significantly get affected in the presence of ion flow in the subsonic regime.

Dust Grain Charge in the Lunar Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaverka, Jakub; Richterova, Ivana; Vysinka, Marek; Pavlu, Jiri; Safrankova, Jana; Nemecek, Zdenek

2014-05-01

Interaction of a lunar surface with solar wind and magnetosphere plasmas leads to it charging by several processes as photoemission, a collection of primary particles and secondary electron emission. Nevertheless, charging of the lunar surface is complicated by a presence of crustal magnetic anomalies with can generate a "mini-magnetosphere" capable for more or less complete shielding the surface. On the other hand, shielding of solar light and plasma particles by rocks and craters can also locally influence the surface potential as well as a presence of a plasma wake strongly changes this potential at the night side of the Moon. A typical surface potential varies from slightly positive (dayside) to negative values of the order of several hundred of volts (night side). At the night side, negative potentials can reach -4 kV during solar energetic particle (SEP) events. Recent measurements of the surface potential by Lunar Prospector and Artemis spacecraft have shown surprisingly high negative dayside surface potentials (-500 V) during the magnetotail crossings as well as the positive surface potential higher than 100 V. One possible explanation is its non-monotonic profile above a surface where the potential minimum is formed by the space charge. Dust grains presented in this complicated environment are also charged by similar processes as the lunar surface. A strong dependence of the secondary electron yield on the grain size can significantly influence dust charging mainly in the Earth's plasma sheet where an equilibrium grain potential can by different than the surface potential and can reach even the opposite sign. This process can lead to levitation of dust above a surface observed by the Surveyor spacecraft.

Mechanisms of dust grain charging in plasma with allowance for electron emission processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mol’kov, S. I.; Savin, V. N., E-mail: moped@onego.ru

2017-02-15

The process of dust grain charging is described with allowance for secondary, ion-induced, photoelectric, and thermal electron emission from the grain surface. The roughness of the grain surface is taken into account. An intermediate charging regime involving ion–atom collisions and electron ionization in the perturbed plasma region is analyzed using the moment equations and Poisson’s equation. A calculation method is proposed that allows one to take into account the influence of all the above effects and determine the radius of the plasma region perturbed by the dust grain.

The Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyser CDA - A 10 year exploration of Saturn's dust environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srama, Ralf

2014-05-01

The interplanetary space probe Cassini/Huygens reached Saturn in July 2004 after seven years of cruise phase. Since then, the German-lead Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) was operated continuously for 10 years in orbit around Saturn. The first discovery of CDA related to Saturn was the measurement of nanometer sized dust particles ejected by its magnetosphere to interplanetary space with speeds higher than 100 km/s. Their origin and composition was analysed and an their dynamical studies showed a strong link to the conditions of the solar wind plasma flow. A recent surprising result was, that stream particles stem from the interior of Enceladus. Since 2004 CDA measured millions of dust impacts characterizing the dust environment of Saturn. The instrument showed strong evidence for ice geysers located at the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus in 2005. Later, a detailed compositional analysis of the salt-rich water ice grains in Saturn's E ring system lead to the discovery of liquid water below the crust connected to an ocean at depth feeding the icy jets. CDA was even capable to derive a spatially resolved compositional profile of the plume during close Enceladus flybys. A determination of the dust-magnetosphere interaction and the discovery of the extended E ring (at least twice as large as previously known) allowed the definition of a dynamical dust model of Saturns E ring describing the observed properties. Cassini performed shadow crossings in the ring plane and dust grain charges were measured in shadow regions delivering important data for dust-plasma interaction studies. In the last years, dedicated measurement campaigns were executed by CDA to monitor the flux of interplanetary and interstellar dust particles reaching Saturn.

Laboratory Studies of the Optical Properties and Condensation Processes of Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; West, E.; Sheldon, R.; Witherow, W. K.; Gallagher, D. L.; Adrian, M. L.

2002-01-01

A laboratory facility for conducting a variety of experiments on single isolated dust particles of astrophysical interest levitated in an electrodynamics balance has been developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The objective of the research is to employ this experimental technique for studies of the physical and optical properties of individual cosmic dust grains of 0.1-100 micron size in controlled pressure/temperatures environments simulating astrophysical conditions. The physical and optical properties of the analogs of interstellar and interplanetary dust grains of known composition and size distribution will be investigated by this facility. In particular, we will carry out three classes of experiments to study the micro-physics of cosmic dust grains. (1) Charge characteristics of micron size single dust grains to determine the photoelectric efficiencies, yields, and equilibrium potentials when exposed to UV radiation. (2) Infrared optical properties of dust particles (extinction coefficients and scattering phase functions) in the 1-30 micron region using infrared diode lasers and measuring the scattered radiation. (3) Condensation experiments to investigate the condensation of volatile gases on colder nucleated particles in dense interstellar clouds and lower planetary atmospheres. The condensation experiments will involve levitated nucleus dust grains of known composition and initial mass (or m/q ratio), cooled to a temperature and pressure (or scaled pressure) simulating the astrophysical conditions, and injection of a volatile gas at a higher temperature from a controlled port. The increase in the mass due to condensation on the particle will be monitored as a function of the dust particle temperature and the partial pressure of the injected volatile gas. The measured data will permit determination of the sticking coefficients of volatile gases and growth rates of dust particles of astrophysical interest. Some preliminary results based on

Analysis of the Effect of Prevailing Weather Conditions on the Occurrence of Grain Dust Explosions.

PubMed

Sanghi, Achint; Ambrose, R P Kingsly

2016-07-27

Grain dust explosions have been occurring in the U.S. for the past twenty years. In the past ten years, there have been an average of ten explosions a year, resulting in nine fatalities and 93 injuries. In more than half of these cases, the ignition source remains unidentified. The effect of ambient humidity on the likelihood of a dust explosion has been discussed for many years. However, no investigation into a possible link between the two has been carried out. In this study, we analyzed local weather data and grain dust explosions during the period 2006 to 2014 to measure potential relationships between the two events. The 84 analyzed explosions do not show any trend with regard to prevailing temperatures, or relative or absolute humidity. In addition, the ignition source could not be identified in 54 of the incidents. The majority of grain dust explosion incidents occurred at grain elevator facilities, where the dust generation potential was high compared with grain processing industries. Copyright© by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Artist rendering of dust grains colliding at low speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Clues to the formation of planets and planetary rings -- like Saturn's dazzling ring system -- may be found by studying how dust grains interact as they collide at low speeds. To study the question of low-speed dust collisions, NASA sponsored the COLLisions Into Dust Experiment (COLLIDE) at the University of Colorado. It was designed to spring-launch marble-size projectiles into trays of powder similar to space or lunar dust. COLLIDE-1 (1998) discovered that collisions below a certain energy threshold eject no material. COLLIDE-2 was designed to identify where the threshold is. In COLLIDE-2, scientists nudged small projectiles into dust beds and recorded how the dust splashed outward (video frame at top; artist's rendering at bottom). The slowest impactor ejected no material and stuck in the target. The faster impactors produced ejecta; some rebounded while others stuck in the target.

Ion implantation effects in 'cosmic' dust grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bibring, J. P.; Langevin, Y.; Maurette, M.; Meunier, R.; Jouffrey, B.; Jouret, C.

1974-01-01

Cosmic dust grains, whatever their origin may be, have probably suffered a complex sequence of events including exposure to high doses of low-energy nuclear particles and cycles of turbulent motions. High-voltage electron microscope observations of micron-sized grains either naturally exposed to space environmental parameters on the lunar surface or artificially subjected to space simulated conditions strongly suggest that such events could drastically modify the mineralogical composition of the grains and considerably ease their aggregation during collisions at low speeds. Furthermore, combined mass spectrometer and ionic analyzer studies show that small carbon compounds can be both synthesized during the implantation of a mixture of low-energy D, C, N ions in various solids and released in space by ion sputtering.

An Icy Kuiper Belt Around the Young Solar-type Star HD 181327

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebreton, J.; Augereau, J.-C.; Thi, W.-F.; Roberge, A.; Donaldson, J; Schneider, G.; Maddison, S. T.; Menard, F.; Riviere-Marichalar, P.; Matthews, G. S.;

Recommendations for reducing the effect of grain dust on the lungs. Canadian Thoracic Society Standards Committee.

PubMed

Becklake, M; Broder, I; Chan-Yeung, M; Dosman, J A; Ernst, P; Herbert, F A; Kennedy, S M; Warren, P W

1996-11-15

To assess the appropriateness of the current Canadian standards for exposure to grain dust in the workplace. The current permissible exposure limit of 10 mg of total grain dust per cubic metre of air (expressed as mg/m3) as an 8-hour time-weighted average exposure, or a lower permissible exposure limit. Acute symptoms of grain-dust exposure, such as cough, phlegm production, wheezing and dyspnea, similar chronic symptoms, and spirometric deficits revealing obstructive or restrictive disease. Articles published from 1924 to December 1993 were identified from Index Medicus and the bibliographies of pertinent articles. Subsequent articles published from 1994 (when the recommendations were approved by the Canadian Thoracic Society Standards Committee) to June 1996 were retrieved through a search of MEDLINE, and modification of the recommendations was not found to be necessary. Studies of interest were those that linked measurements of total grain dust levels to the development of acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and changes in lung function in exposed workers. Papers on the effects of grain dust on workers in feed mills were not included because other nutrients such as animal products may have been added to the grain. Unpublished reports (e.g., to Labour Canada) were included as sources of information. A high value was placed on minimizing the biological harm that grain dust has on the lungs of grain workers. A permissible exposure limit of 5 mg/m3 would control the short-term effects of exposure to grain dust on workers. Evidence is insufficient to determine what level is needed to prevent long-term effects. The economic implications of implementing a lower permissible exposure limit have not been evaluated. The current Canadian standards for grain-dust exposure should be reviewed by Labour Canada and the grain industry. A permissible exposure level of 5 mg/m3 is recommended to control short-term effects. Further measurements that link the levels of exposure to

Recommendations for reducing the effect of grain dust on the lungs. Canadian Thoracic Society Standards Committee.

PubMed Central

Becklake, M; Broder, I; Chan-Yeung, M; Dosman, J A; Ernst, P; Herbert, F A; Kennedy, S M; Warren, P W

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the appropriateness of the current Canadian standards for exposure to grain dust in the workplace. OPTIONS: The current permissible exposure limit of 10 mg of total grain dust per cubic metre of air (expressed as mg/m3) as an 8-hour time-weighted average exposure, or a lower permissible exposure limit. OUTCOMES: Acute symptoms of grain-dust exposure, such as cough, phlegm production, wheezing and dyspnea, similar chronic symptoms, and spirometric deficits revealing obstructive or restrictive disease. EVIDENCE: Articles published from 1924 to December 1993 were identified from Index Medicus and the bibliographies of pertinent articles. Subsequent articles published from 1994 (when the recommendations were approved by the Canadian Thoracic Society Standards Committee) to June 1996 were retrieved through a search of MEDLINE, and modification of the recommendations was not found to be necessary. Studies of interest were those that linked measurements of total grain dust levels to the development of acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and changes in lung function in exposed workers. Papers on the effects of grain dust on workers in feed mills were not included because other nutrients such as animal products may have been added to the grain. Unpublished reports (e.g., to Labour Canada) were included as sources of information. VALUES: A high value was placed on minimizing the biological harm that grain dust has on the lungs of grain workers. BENEFITS, HARMS AND COSTS: A permissible exposure limit of 5 mg/m3 would control the short-term effects of exposure to grain dust on workers. Evidence is insufficient to determine what level is needed to prevent long-term effects. The economic implications of implementing a lower permissible exposure limit have not been evaluated. RECOMMENDATIONS: The current Canadian standards for grain-dust exposure should be reviewed by Labour Canada and the grain industry. A permissible exposure level of 5 mg/m3 is

Large dust grains in the wind of VY Canis Majoris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scicluna, P.; Siebenmorgen, R.; Wesson, R.; Blommaert, J. A. D. L.; Kasper, M.; Voshchinnikov, N. V.; Wolf, S.

2015-12-01

Massive stars live short lives, losing large amounts of mass through their stellar wind. Their mass is a key factor determining how and when they explode as supernovae, enriching the interstellar medium with heavy elements and dust. During the red supergiant phase, mass-loss rates increase prodigiously, but the driving mechanism has proven elusive. Here we present high-contrast optical polarimetric-imaging observations of the extreme red supergiant VY Canis Majoris and its clumpy, dusty, mass-loss envelope, using the new extreme-adaptive-optics instrument SPHERE at the VLT. These observations allow us to make the first direct and unambiguous detection of submicron dust grains in the ejecta; we derive an average grain radius ~0.5 μm, 50 times larger than in the diffuse ISM, large enough to receive significant radiation pressure by photon scattering. We find evidence for varying grain sizes throughout the ejecta, highlighting the dynamical nature of the envelope. Grains with 0.5 μm sizes are likely to reach a safe distance from the eventual explosion of VY Canis Majoris; hence it may inject upwards of 10-2 M⊙ of dust into the ISM. Based on observations made with European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under program 60.A-9368(A).Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Size and density sorting of dust grains in SPH simulations of protoplanetary discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pignatale, F. C.; Gonzalez, J.-F.; Cuello, Nicolas; Bourdon, Bernard; Fitoussi, Caroline

2017-07-01

The size and density of dust grains determine their response to gas drag in protoplanetary discs. Aerodynamical (size × density) sorting is one of the proposed mechanisms to explain the grain properties and chemical fractionation of chondrites. However, the efficiency of aerodynamical sorting and the location in the disc in which it could occur are still unknown. Although the effects of grain sizes and growth in discs have been widely studied, a simultaneous analysis including dust composition is missing. In this work, we present the dynamical evolution and growth of multicomponent dust in a protoplanetary disc using a 3D, two-fluid (gas+dust) smoothed particle hydrodynamics code. We find that the dust vertical settling is characterized by two phases: a density-driven phase that leads to a vertical chemical sorting of dust and a size-driven phase that enhances the amount of lighter material in the mid-plane. We also see an efficient radial chemical sorting of the dust at large scales. We find that dust particles are aerodynamically sorted in the inner disc. The disc becomes sub-solar in its Fe/Si ratio on the surface since the early stage of evolution but sub-solar Fe/Si can be also found in the outer disc-mid-plane at late stages. Aggregates in the disc mimic the physical and chemical properties of chondrites, suggesting that aerodynamical sorting played an important role in determining their final structure.

Constraining Dust Properties in Circumstellar Envelopes of C-Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Optical Constants And Grain Size Of Carbon Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanni, Ambra; Marigo, Paola; Groenewegen, Martin A. T.; Aringer, Berhard; Girardi, Léo; Pastorelli, Giada; Bressan, Alessandro; Bladh, Sara

2016-07-01

We present our recent investigation aimed at constraining the typical size and optical properties of carbon dust grains in Circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of carbon-rich stars (C-stars) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).We applied our recent dust growth model, coupled with a radiative transfer code, to the dusty CSEs of C-stars along the TP-AGB phase, for which we computed spectra and colors. We then compared our modeled colors in the Near and Mid Infrared (NIR and MIR) bands with the observed ones, testing different assumptions in our dust scheme and employing different optical constants data sets for carbon dust. We constrained the optical properties of carbon dust by identifying the combinations of typical grain size and optical constants data set which simultaneously reproduce several colors in the NIR and MIR wavelengths. In particular, the different choices of optical properties and grain size lead to differences in the NIR and MIR colors greater than two magnitudes in some cases. We concluded that the complete set of selected NIR and MIR colors are best reproduced by small grains, with sizes between 0.06 and 0.1 mum, rather than by large grains of 0.2-0.4 mum. The inability of large grains to reproduce NIR and MIR colors is found to be independent of the adopted optical data set and the deviations between models and observations tend to increase for increasing grain sizes. We also find a possible trend of the typical grain size with mss-loss and/or carbon-excess in the CSEs of these stars.The work presented is preparatory to future studies aimed at calibrating the TP-AGB phase through resolved stellar populations in the framework of the STARKEY project.

Pantoea agglomerans: a mysterious bacterium of evil and good. Part II--Deleterious effects: Dust-borne endotoxins and allergens--focus on grain dust, other agricultural dusts and wood dust.

PubMed

Dutkiewicz, Jacek; Mackiewicz, Barbara; Lemieszek, Marta Kinga; Golec, Marcin; Skórska, Czesława; Góra-Florek, Anna; Milanowski, Janusz

2016-01-01

Pantoea agglomerans, a Gram-negative bacterium developing in a variety of plants as epiphyte or endophyte is particularly common in grain and grain dust, and has been identified by an interdisciplinary group from Lublin, eastern Poland, as a causative agent of work-related diseases associated with exposure to grain dust and other agricultural dusts. The concentration of P. agglomerans in grain as well as in the settled grain and flour dust was found to be high, ranging from 10(4)-10(8) CFU/g, while in the air polluted with grain or flour dust it ranged from 10(3)-10(5) CFU/m(3) and formed 73.2-96% of the total airborne Gram-negative bacteria. The concentration of P. agglomerans was also relatively high in the air of the facilities processing herbs and other plant materials, while it was lower in animal farms and in wood processing facilities. Pantoea agglomerans produces a biologically-potent endotoxin (cell wall lipopolysaccharide, LPS). The significant part of this endotoxin occurs in dusts in the form of virus-sized globular nanoparticles measuring 10-50 nm that could be described as the 'endotoxin super-macromolecules'. A highly significant relationship was found (R=0.804, P=0.000927) between the concentration of the viable P. agglomerans in the air of various agricultural and wood industry settings and the concentration of bacterial endotoxin in the air, as assessed by the Limulus test. Although this result may be interfered by the presence of endotoxin produced by other Gram-negative species, it unequivocally suggests the primary role of the P. agglomerans endotoxin as an adverse agent in the agricultural working environment, causing toxic pneumonitis (ODTS). Numerous experiments by the inhalation exposure of animals to various extracts of P. agglomerans strains isolated from grain dust, including endotoxin isolated with trichloroacetic acid (LPS-TCA), endotoxin nanoparticles isolated in sucrose gradient (VECN), and mixture of proteins and endotoxin obtained

Evidence of Icy Grains in Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) at 3.52 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawakita, Hideyo; Watanabe, Jun-ichi; Ootsubo, Takafumi; Nakamura, Ryosuke; Fuse, Tetsuharu; Takato, Naruhisa; Sasaki, Sho; Sasaki, Takanori

2004-02-01

We present evidence of icy grains in the coma of comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) at 3.52 AU from the Sun. This comet will approach the Sun in the spring of 2004, and it is expected to be very bright near its perihelion passage. The comet was observed using the Subaru Telescope with the Cooled Infrared Spectrograph and Camera for OHS (CISCO) on 2003 September 14.6 (UT). The near-infrared (J, H, K) spectrum was extracted from the near-nucleus region (1250 km × 1250 km at the comet), and it showed clear absorption features at 1.5 and 2.05 μm that originated from water ice grains. The calculated reflectance spectrum, based on the intimate mixture model for water ice grains and astronomical silicate grains (the diameters are 5 and 0.5 μm, respectively), can reproduce the observed reflectance spectrum of the comet up to 2.1 μm. The poor fit for the wavelength region longer than 2.1 μm is probably indicative of other grain species to be included in the model. Furthermore, the absence of the 1.65 μm feature of crystalline water ice may indicate that the water ice was in an amorphous state during the observation.

Laboratory Experiments on Rotation of Micron Size Cosmic Dust Grains with Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; Gallagher, D. L.; West, E.; Weingartner, J.; Witherow, W. K.

2004-01-01

The processes and mechanisms involved in the rotation and alignment of interstellar dust grains have been of great interest in astrophysics ever since the surprising discovery of the polarization of starlight more than half a century ago. Numerous theories, detailed mathematical models and numerical studies of grain rotation and alignment along the Galactic magnetic field have been presented in the literature. In particular, the subject of grain rotation and alignment by radiative torques has been shown to be of particular interest in recent years. However, despite many investigations, a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the processes involved in grain rotation and alignment has not been achieved. As there appears to be no experimental data available on this subject, we have carried out some unique experiments to illuminate the processes involved in rotation of dust grains in the interstellar medium. In this paper we present the results of some preliminary laboratory experiments on the rotation of individual micron/submicron size nonspherical dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance evacuated to pressures of approx. 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) torr. The particles are illuminated by laser light at 5320 A, and the grain rotation rates are obtained by analyzing the low frequency (approx. 0-100 kHz) signal of the scattered light detected by a photodiode detector. The rotation rates are compared with simple theoretical models to retrieve some basic rotational parameters. The results are examined in the light of the current theories of alignment.

Molecular Hydrogen Formation : Effect of Dust Grain Temperature Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bron, Emeric; Le Bourlot, Jacques; Le Petit, Franck

2013-06-01

H_{2} formation is a hot topic in astrochemistry. Thanks to Copernicus and FUSE satellites, its formation rate on dust grains in diffuse interstellar gas has been inferred (Jura 1974, Gry et al. 2002). Nevertheless, detection of H_2 emission in PDRs by ISO and Spitzer (Habart et al., 2004, 2005, 2011 ) showed that its formation mechanism can be efficient on warm grains (warmer than 30K), whereas experimental studies showed that Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism is only efficient in a narrow window of grain temperatures (typically between 10-20 K). The Eley-Rideal mechanism, in which H atoms are chemically bound to grains surfaces could explain such a formation rate in PDRs (Le Bourlot et al. 2012 ). Usual dust size distributions (e.g. Mathis et al. 1977 ) favor smaller grains in a way that makes most of the available grain surface belong to small grains. As small grains are subject to large temperature fluctuations due to UV-photons absorption, calculations at a fixed temperature give incorrect results under strong UV-fields. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the influence of this stochastic effect on H_2 formation by Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Eley-Rideal mechanisms. We use a master equation approach to calculate the statistics of coupled fluctuations of the temperature and adsorbed H population of a grain. Doing so, we are able to calculate the formation rate on a grain under a given radiation field and given gas conditions. We find that the Eley-Rideal mechanism remains an efficient mechanism in PDRs, and that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism is more efficient than expected on warm grains. This procedure is then coupled to full cloud simulations with the Meudon PDR code. We compare the new results with more classical evaluations of the formation rate, and present the differences in terms of chemical structure of the cloud and observable line intensities. We will also highlight the influence of some microphysical parameters on the results.

Diffusion coefficients of Fokker-Planck equation for rotating dust grains in a fusion plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bakhtiyari-Ramezani, M., E-mail: mahdiyeh.bakhtiyari@gmail.com; Alinejad, N., E-mail: nalinezhad@aeoi.org.ir; Mahmoodi, J., E-mail: mahmoodi@qom.ac.ir

2015-11-15

In the fusion devices, ions, H atoms, and H{sub 2} molecules collide with dust grains and exert stochastic torques which lead to small variations in angular momentum of the grain. By considering adsorption of the colliding particles, thermal desorption of H atoms and normal H{sub 2} molecules, and desorption of the recombined H{sub 2} molecules from the surface of an oblate spheroidal grain, we obtain diffusion coefficients of the Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution function of fluctuating angular momentum. Torque coefficients corresponding to the recombination mechanism show that the nonspherical dust grains may rotate with a suprathermal angular velocity.

Diffusion coefficients of Fokker-Planck equation for rotating dust grains in a fusion plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhtiyari-Ramezani, M.; Mahmoodi, J.; Alinejad, N.

2015-11-01

In the fusion devices, ions, H atoms, and H2 molecules collide with dust grains and exert stochastic torques which lead to small variations in angular momentum of the grain. By considering adsorption of the colliding particles, thermal desorption of H atoms and normal H2 molecules, and desorption of the recombined H2 molecules from the surface of an oblate spheroidal grain, we obtain diffusion coefficients of the Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution function of fluctuating angular momentum. Torque coefficients corresponding to the recombination mechanism show that the nonspherical dust grains may rotate with a suprathermal angular velocity.

Dust grain resonant capture: A statistical study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marzari, F.; Vanzani, V.; Weidenschilling, S. J.

1993-01-01

A statistical approach, based on a large number of simultaneous numerical integrations, is adopted to study the capture in external mean motion resonances with the Earth of micron size dust grains perturbed by solar radiation and wind forces. We explore the dependence of the resonant capture phenomenon on the initial eccentricity e(sub 0) and perihelion argument w(sub 0) of the dust particle orbit. The intensity of both the resonant and dissipative (Poynting-Robertson and wind drag) perturbations strongly depends on the eccentricity of the particle while the perihelion argument determines, for low inclination, the mutual geometrical configuration of the particle's orbit with respect to the Earth's orbit. We present results for three j:j+1 commensurabilities (2:3, 4:5 and 6:7) and also for particle sizes s = 15, 30 microns. This study extends our previous work on the long term orbital evolution of single dust particles trapped into resonances with the Earth.

Injurious effects of wool and grain dusts on alveolar epithelial cells and macrophages in vitro.

PubMed Central

Brown, D M; Donaldson, K

1991-01-01

Epidemiological studies of workers in wool textile mills have shown a direct relation between the concentration of wool dust in the air and respiratory symptoms. Injurious effects of wool dust on the bronchial epithelium could be important in causing inflammation and irritation. A pulmonary epithelial cell line in vitro was therefore used to study the toxic effects of wool dust. Cells of the A549 epithelial cell line were labelled with 51Cr and treated with whole wool dusts and extracts of wool, after which injury was assessed. Also, the effects of grain dust, which also causes a form of airway obstruction, were studied. The epithelial injury was assessed by measuring 51Cr release from cells as an indication of lysis, and by monitoring cells which had detached from the substratum. No significant injury to A549 cells was caused by culture with any of the dusts collected from the air but surface "ledge" dust caused significant lysis at some doses. Quartz, used as a toxic control dust, caused significant lysis at the highest concentration of 100 micrograms/well. To determine whether any injurious material was soluble the dusts were incubated in saline and extracts collected. No extracts caused significant injury to epithelial cells. A similar lack of toxicity was found when 51Cr labelled control alveolar macrophages were targets for injury. Significant release of radiolabel was evident when macrophages were exposed to quartz at concentrations of 10 and 20 micrograms/well, there being no significant injury with either wool or grain dusts. These data suggest that neither wool nor grain dust produce direct injury to epithelial cells, and further studies are necessary to explain inflammation leading to respiratory symptoms in wool and grain workers. PMID:2015211

Thermal evolution of trans-Neptunian objects, icy satellites, and minor icy planets in the early solar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatia, Gurpreet Kaur; Sahijpal, Sandeep

2017-12-01

Numerical simulations are performed to understand the early thermal evolution and planetary scale differentiation of icy bodies with the radii in the range of 100-2500 km. These icy bodies include trans-Neptunian objects, minor icy planets (e.g., Ceres, Pluto); the icy satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; and probably the icy-rocky cores of these planets. The decay energy of the radionuclides, 26Al, 60Fe, 40K, 235U, 238U, and 232Th, along with the impact-induced heating during the accretion of icy bodies were taken into account to thermally evolve these planetary bodies. The simulations were performed for a wide range of initial ice and rock (dust) mass fractions of the icy bodies. Three distinct accretion scenarios were used. The sinking of the rock mass fraction in primitive water oceans produced by the substantial melting of ice could lead to planetary scale differentiation with the formation of a rocky core that is surrounded by a water ocean and an icy crust within the initial tens of millions of years of the solar system in case the planetary bodies accreted prior to the substantial decay of 26Al. However, over the course of billions of years, the heat produced due to 40K, 235U, 238U, and 232Th could have raised the temperature of the interiors of the icy bodies to the melting point of iron and silicates, thereby leading to the formation of an iron core. Our simulations indicate the presence of an iron core even at the center of icy bodies with radii ≥500 km for different ice mass fractions.

Pentoxifylline does not alter the response to inhaled grain dust.

PubMed

Jagielo, P J; Watt, J L; Quinn, T J; Knapp, H R; Schwartz, D A

1997-05-01

Pentoxifylline (PTX) has been shown to reduce sepsis-induced neutrophil sequestration in the lung and inhibit endotoxin-mediated release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Previously, we have shown that endotoxin appears to be the principal agent in grain dust causing airway inflammation and airflow obstruction following grain dust inhalation. To determine whether PTX affects the physiologic and inflammatory events following acute grain dust inhalation, 10 healthy, nonsmoking subjects with normal airway reactivity were treated with PTX or placebo (PL) followed by corn dust extract (CDE) inhalation (0.08 mL/kg), using a single-blinded, crossover design. Subjects received PTX (1,200 mg/d) or PL for 4 days prior to CDE inhalation and 400 mg PTX or PL on the exposure day. Both respiratory symptoms and declines in FEV1 and FVC occurred following CDE exposure in both groups, but there were no significant differences in the frequency of symptoms or percent declines from baseline in the FEV1 and FVC at any of the time points measured in the study. Elevations in peripheral blood leukocyte and neutrophil concentrations and BAL total cell, neutrophil, TNF-alpha, and interleukin-8 concentrations were measured 4 h following exposure to CDE in both the PTX- and PL-treated subjects, but no significant differences were found between treatment groups. These results suggest that pretreatment with PTX prior to inhalation of CDE, in the doses used in this study, does not alter the acute physiologic or inflammatory events following exposure to inhaled CDE.

An Icy Kuiper-Belt Around the Young Solar-Type Star HD 181327

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebreton, J.; Augereau, J.-C.; Thi, W.-F.; Roberge, A.; Donaldson, J.; Schneider, G.; Maddison, S. T.; Menard, F.; Riviere-Marichalar, P.; Mathews, G. S.;

Will Organic Synthesis Within Icy Grains or on Dust Surfaces in the Primitive Solar Nebula Completely Erase the Effects of Photochemical Self Shielding?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nuth, Joseph A., III; Johnson, Natasha M.

2012-01-01

There are at least 3 separate photochemical self-shielding models with different degrees of commonality. All of these models rely on the selective absorption of (12))C(16)O dissociative photons as the radiation source penetrates through the gas allowing the production of reactive O-17 and O-18 atoms within a specific volume. Each model also assumes that the undissociated C(16)O is stable and does not participate in the chemistry of nebular dust grains. In what follows we will argue that this last, very important assumption is simply not true despite the very high energy of the CO molecular bond.

Laboratory study of hyper-elocity impact-driven chemical reactions and surface evolution in icy targets.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulibarri, Z.; Munsat, T.; Dee, R.; Horanyi, M.; James, D.; Kempf, S.; Nagle, M.; Sternovsky, Z.

2017-12-01

Although ice is prevalent in the solar system and the long-term evolution of many airless icy bodies is affected by hypervelocity micrometeoroid bombardment, there has been little experimental investigation into these impact phenomena, especially at the impact speeds encountered in space. For example, there is little direct information about how dust impacts alter the local chemistry, and dust impacts may be an important mechanism for creating complex organic molecules necessary for life. Laser ablation and light-gas gun experiments simulating dust impacts have successfully created amino acid precursors from base components in ice surfaces. Additionally, the Cassini mission revealed CO2 deposits in icy satellites of Saturn, which may have been created by dust impacts. With the creation of a cryogenically cooled ice target for the dust accelerator facility at the NASA SSERVI-funded Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT), it is now possible to study the effects of micrometeoroid impacts in a controlled environment under conditions and at energies typically encountered in nature. Complex ice-target mixtures are created with a flash-freezing target which allows for homogeneous mixtures to be frozen in place even with salt mixtures that otherwise would form inhomogeneous ice surfaces. Coupled with the distinctive capabilities of the IMPACT dust facility, highly valuable data concerning the evolution of icy bodies under hypervelocity bombardment and the genesis of complex organic chemistry on these icy bodies can be gathered in unique and tightly controlled experiments. Results from recent and ongoing investigations will be presented.

Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory performance in workers exposed to grain and grain based food dusts.

PubMed

Deacon, S P; Paddle, G M

1998-05-01

A health surveillance study of male grain food manufacturing workers used a respiratory health questionnaire and spirometry to assess the prevalence of work-related respiratory symptoms and impaired ventilatory performance. The prevalence of cough, breathlessness, wheeze and chest tightness was between 8-13% but was 20% for rhinitis. Rhinitis was the most common symptom with 37% of those reporting rhinitis describing this as work-related. A case-control analysis of workers reporting rhinitis did not identify any specific occupational activities associated with increased risk of rhinitis. Smoking habit and all respiratory symptoms apart from rhinitis had a significant effect upon ventilatory performance. Occupational exposure to raw grains, flour, ingredients and finished food was categorized as high, medium or low in either continuous or intermediate patterns. Multiple regression analysis confirmed the effects of height, age and smoking upon ventilatory performance. However, occupational exposure to grain, flour, food ingredients and cooked food dusts had no effect upon ventilatory performance. It is concluded that smoking habit is the major determinant of respiratory symptoms and impaired ventilatory function. The excess complaints of rhinitis warrant further study but it would appear that the current occupational exposure limits for grain, flour, food ingredients and cooked food dusts are adequate to protect workers against impairment of ventilatory performance.

THE JCMT GOULD BELT SURVEY: EVIDENCE FOR DUST GRAIN EVOLUTION IN PERSEUS STAR-FORMING CLUMPS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Michael Chun-Yuan; Francesco, J. Di; Johnstone, D.

2016-07-20

The dust emissivity spectral index, β , is a critical parameter for deriving the mass and temperature of star-forming structures and, consequently, their gravitational stability. The β value is dependent on various dust grain properties, such as size, porosity, and surface composition, and is expected to vary as dust grains evolve. Here we present β , dust temperature, and optical depth maps of the star-forming clumps in the Perseus Molecular Cloud determined from fitting spectral energy distributions to combined Herschel and JCMT observations in the 160, 250, 350, 500, and 850 μ m bands. Most of the derived β andmore » dust temperature values fall within the ranges of 1.0–2.7 and 8–20 K, respectively. In Perseus, we find the β distribution differs significantly from clump to clump, indicative of grain growth. Furthermore, we also see significant localized β variations within individual clumps and find low- β regions correlate with local temperature peaks, hinting at the possible origins of low- β grains. Throughout Perseus, we also see indications of heating from B stars and embedded protostars, as well evidence of outflows shaping the local landscape.« less

Cometary and interstellar dust grains - Analysis by ion microprobe mass spectrometry and other techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinner, Ernst

1991-01-01

A survey of microanalytical measurements on interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and interstellar dust grains from primitive meteorites is presented. Ion-microprobe mass spectrometry with its capability to determine isotopic compositions of many elements on a micron spatial scale has played a special role. Examples are measurements of H, N, and O isotopes and refractory trace elements in IDPs; C, N, Mg, and Si isotopes in interstellar SiC grains; and C and N isotopes and H, N, Al, and Si concentrations in interstellar graphite grains.

Ultraviolet interstellar linear polarization. I - Applicability of current dust grain models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolff, Michael J.; Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Meade, Marilyn R.

1993-01-01

UV spectropolarimetric observations yielding data on the wavelength-dependence of interstellar polarization along eight lines of sight facilitate the evaluation of dust grain models previously used to fit the extinction and polarization in the visible and IR. These models pertain to bare silicate/graphite grains, silicate cores with organic refractory mantles, silicate cores with amorphous carbon mantles, and composite grains. The eight lines-of-sight show three different interstellar polarization dependences.

Tracing Water Vapor and Ice During Dust Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krijt, Sebastiaan; Ciesla, Fred J.; Bergin, Edwin A.

2016-12-01

The processes that govern the evolution of dust and water (in the form of vapor or ice) in protoplanetary disks are intimately connected. We have developed a model that simulates dust coagulation, dust dynamics (settling, turbulent mixing), vapor diffusion, and condensation/sublimation of volatiles onto grains in a vertical column of a protoplanetary disk. We employ the model to study how dust growth and dynamics influence the vertical distribution of water vapor and water ice in the region just outside the radial snowline. Our main finding is that coagulation (boosted by the enhanced stickiness of icy grains) and the ensuing vertical settling of solids results in water vapor being depleted, but not totally removed, from the region above the snowline on a timescale commensurate with the vertical turbulent mixing timescale. Depending on the strength of the turbulence and the temperature, the depletion can reach factors of up to ˜50 in the disk atmosphere. In our isothermal column, this vapor depletion results in the vertical snowline moving closer to the midplane (by up to 2 gas scale heights) and the gas-phase {{C}}/{{O}} ratio above the vertical snowline increasing. Our findings illustrate the importance of dynamical effects and the need for understanding coevolutionary dynamics of gas and solids in planet-forming environments.

Supernova Remnants As Laboratories For Determining The Properties Of Ejecta Dust And The Processing Of Dust Grains In Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwek, Eli; Temim, Tea

Recent infrared satellites, such as the Spitzer, Herschel, and WISE, have obtained a wealth of spectral and broadband data on the infrared (IR) emission from dust in supernova remnants (SNRs). Supernovae (SNe) are important producers of newly condensed dust during the early free-expansion phase of their evolution, and the dominant destroyers of dust during the subsequent remnant phase of their evolution. The infrared observations hold the key for determining their role in the origin and evolution of dust in the universe. We propose to model the composition, abundance, and size distribution of the dust in select Galactic and Magellanic Cloud remnants. As explained in detail below, the remnants were selected for the availability of IR and X-ray observations. All selected remnants have Spitzer IRS spectral data in the 5-35 μm regions which allow us to determine the effect of grain processing in the shock. Some have spectral maps that allow the distinction between the IR emission from SN-condensed and swept up circumstellar and interstellar dust. All remnants have also been covered by Spitzer, Herschel, and WISE imaging, and have existing X-ray Chandra and/or XMM observations. The dust in some remnants is radiatively-heated by a pulsar wind nebula, and in others collisionally- heated by shocked X-ray or line emitting gas. We will use physical models to calculate the radiative and collisional heating of SNR dust, the equilibrium or fluctuating dust temperatures, and the resulting IR emission for various dust compositions and size distributions. Specific examples of Cas A, SN1987A, the Crab Nebula, and Puppis A, are discussed in detail to illustrate our modeling approach. Our study will be the first comprehensive and physical analysis of a large sample of SNRs in different evolutionary states and different astrophysical environments. They will cover a wide range of interactions between the dust grains and their surroundings, including the radioactively- powered and

Interactions of Dust Grains with Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Cycle Variations of the F-Coronal Brightness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragot, B. R.; Kahler, S. W.

2003-01-01

The density of interplanetary dust increases sunward to reach its maximum in the F corona, where its scattered white-light emission dominates that of the electron K corona above about 3 Solar Radius. The dust will interact with both the particles and fields of antisunward propagating coronal mass ejections (CMEs). To understand the effects of the CME/dust interactions we consider the dominant forces, with and without CMEs. acting on the dust in the 3-5 Solar Radius region. Dust grain orbits are then computed to compare the drift rates from 5 to 3 Solar Radius. for periods of minimum and maximum solar activity, where a simple CME model is adopted to distinguish between the two periods. The ion-drag force, even in the quiet solar wind, reduces the drift time by a significant factor from its value estimated with the Poynting-Robertson drag force alone. The ion-drag effects of CMEs result in even shorter drift times of the large (greater than or approx. 3 microns) dust grains. hence faster depletion rates and lower dust-pain densities, at solar maxima. If dominated by thermal emission, the near-infrared brightness will thus display solar cycle variations close to the dust plane of symmetry. While trapping the smallest of the grains, the CME magnetic fields also scatter the grains of intermediate size (0.1-3 microns) in latitude. If light scattering by small grains close to the Sun dominates the optical brightness. the scattering by the CME magnetic fields will result in a solar cycle variation of the optical brightness distribution not exceeding 100% at high latitudes, with a higher isotropy reached at solar maxima. A good degree of latitudinal isotropy is already reached at low solar activity since the magnetic fields of the quiet solar wind so close to the Sun are able to scatter the small (less than or approx. 3 microns) grains up to the polar regions in only a few days or less, producing strong perturbations of their trajectories in less than half their orbital

Toxigenic Fusarium spp. as determinants of trichothecene mycotoxins in settled grain dust.

PubMed

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Klemsdal, Sonja Sletner; Elen, Oleif; Clasen, Per-Erik; Eduard, Wijnand

2006-12-01

Trichothecenes are immunosuppressive mycotoxins produced mainly by Fusarium spp. and often are detected as natural contaminants of grain and other agricultural products. Exposure to trichothecenes through inhalation during grain work may represent possible health risks for grain farmers. We aimed, therefore, to investigate the level of Fusarium spp. and trichothecenes in settled grain dust collected during work on 92 Norwegian farms. Mycotoxins were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, whereas the Fusarium spp. were identified and quantified both by species-specific semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by cultivation. All potential trichothecene-producing molds in the grain dust were quantified using a PCR assay specific for tri5, the gene coding for trichodiene synthase that catalyzes the first step in the trichothecene biosynthesis. We performed correlation analysis between mold-DNA and mycotoxins to assess whether the PCR-detected DNA could be used as indicators of the mycotoxins. The methodological problem of detecting small amounts of airborne mycotoxins during grain work may then be avoided. Whereas the trichothecene-producing Fusarium species in grain dust could not be identified or quantified to a sufficient extent by cultivation, all investigated Fusarium spp. could be specifically detected by PCR and quantified from the DNA agarose gel band intensities. Furthermore, we observed a strong correlation between the trichothecenes HT-2 toxin (HT-2) or T-2 toxin (T-2) and DNA specific for tri5 (r = 0.68 for HT-2 and r = 0.50 for T-2; p < 0.001), F. langsethiae (r = 0.77 for HT-2 and r = 0.59 for T-2; p < 0.001), or F. poae (r = 0.41 for HT-2 and r = 0.35 for T-2; p < 0.001). However, only a moderate correlation was observed between the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON) and the combination of its producers, F. culmorum and F. graminearum (r = 0.24, p = 0.02), and no significant correlation was observed between DON and tri5. PCR

Mid-infrared spectroscopy to better characterize icy moon surface compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Cindy L.; Wray, James J.; Hand, Kevin P.; Poston, Michael; Carlson, Robert W.; Clark, Roger Nelson; Spencer, John R.; Jennings, Donald

2016-10-01

Previous spectroscopy work on icy moons has focused primarily on the visible and near-IR portion of the spectrum due to challenges presented by a low signal to noise ratio at the longer wavelengths. However, the mid-IR is the region of the strongest fundamental vibrations of many important types of molecules (e.g., organics) and has the potential to reveal unique compositional information [1]. We use the wealth of data that is now available from Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) to average spectra over similar regions to improve the signal to noise, helping to reveal spectral features never before observed.Our initial work has already led to the detection and tentative laboratory identification of the first spectral features observed for any icy moon in the mid-IR [2]. On Iapetus' dark terrain, we found an emissivity feature at ~855 cm-1 and a possible doublet at 660 and 690 cm-1 that does not correspond to any known instrument artifacts. We attributed the 855 cm-1 feature to fine-grained silicates, similar to those found in dust on Mars and in meteorites, which are nearly featureless at shorter wavelengths [e.g., 3, 4]. Silicates on the dark terrains of Saturn's icy moons have been suspected for decades, but there have been no definitive detections until this work.We measured the vacuum, low temperature mid-IR spectra of various fine-grained powdered silicates, including Mg-rich serpentines, often present in meteorites. Some of these materials do have emissivity features near 855 cm-1 and exhibit a doublet. Presently, we are continuing to comb the CIRS icy moon database for spectral features (particularly focusing on the warmer surfaces in the Saturn system) and are performing further vacuum chamber measurements to experiment with more sample types and ice/sample mixtures to determine the impacts of changing conditions in the chamber on features. We are also working to understand how surface porosity and mixing with various darkening agents may

Grain sorghum dust increases macromolecular efflux from the in situ nasal mucosa.

PubMed

Gao, X P

1998-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an aqueous extract of grain sorghum dust increases macromolecular efflux from the nasal mucosa in vivo and, if so, whether this response is mediated, in part, by substance P. Suffusion of grain sorghum dust extract on the in situ nasal mucosa of anesthetized hamsters elicits a significant increase in clearance of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran (FITC-dextran; mol mass, 70 kDa; P < 0.05). This response is significantly attenuated by CP-96345 and RP-67580, two selective, but structurally distinct, nonpeptide neurokinin 1 (substance P)-receptor antagonists, but not by CP-96344, the 2R,3R enantiomer of CP-96345 (P < 0.05). CP-96345 has no significant effects on adenosine-induced increase in clearance of FITC-dextran from the in situ nasal mucosa. CP-96345 and RP-67580, but not CP-96344, significantly attenuate substance P-induced increases in clearance of FITC-dextran from the in situ nasal mucosa (P < 0.05). Collectively, these data suggest that grain sorghum dust elicits neurogenic plasma exudation from the in situ nasal mucosa.

Flow and fracture of ices, with application to icy satellites (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durham, W. B.; Stern, L. A.; Pathare, A.; Golding, N.

2013-12-01

Exploration of the outer planets and their satellites by spacecraft over the past 4 decades has revealed that the prevailing low temperatures in the outer solar system have not produced "dead" cryoworlds of generic appearance. Rather, there is an extraordinary diversity in average densities, presence/absence and compositions of atmospheres and planetary rings, average albedos and their seasonal changes, near-surface compositions, and surface records of impact cratering and endogenic tectonic and igneous processes. One reason for this diversity is that the icy minerals present in abundance on many of these worlds are now or once were at significant fractions of their melting temperatures. Hence, a host of thermally activated processes related to endogenic activity (such as crystal defect migration, mass diffusion, surface transport, solid-solid changes of state, and partial melting) may occur that can enable inelastic flow on the surfaces and in the interiors of these bodies. Planetary manifestations include viscous crater relaxation in ice-rich terrain, cryovolcanism, the presence of a stable subsurface ocean, and the effects of solid-ice convection in deep interiors. We make the connection between theoretical mechanisms of deformation and planetary geology through laboratory experiment. Specifically, we develop quantitative constitutive flow laws (strain rate vs. stress) that describe the effects of relevant environmental variables (hydrostatic pressure, temperature, phase composition, chemical impurities). Our findings speak to topics including (1) the behavior of an outer ice I layer, its thickness, the depth to which a stagnant lid might extend, and possibility of wholesale overturn; (2) softening effects of dissolved species such as ammonia and perchlorate; (3) hardening effects of enclathration and of rock dust; and (4) effects of grain size on strength and factors affecting grain size. Other applications of lab data include dynamics of the deep interiors of

Dust grains and gas in the circumstellar envelopes around luminous red giant stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuckerman, B.; Dyck, H. M.

1986-01-01

Far-infrared color-color diagrams have been constructed for over 100 of the brightest evolved stars in the IRAS Point Source Catalog. The diagrams are used to deduce average values of the dust grain emissivity index (p) between 12 and 100 microns. Grains in C-rich and O-rich environments have similar values of p between 12 and 25 microns and between 60 and 100 microns, but between 25 and 60 microns p is larger by approximately 0.4 for the O-rich stars. Dust grains in envelopes around S-type stars seem to have 25 to 60 micron emissivities more nearly like grains in O-rich rather than C-rich environments. CO and HCN emissions from various stars are used to reclassify several stars as oxygen or carbon rich.

Dexamethasone attenuates grain sorghum dust extract-induced increase in macromolecular efflux in vivo.

PubMed

Akhter, S R; Ikezaki, H; Gao, X P; Rubinstein, I

1999-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether dexamethasone attenuates grain sorghum dust extract-induced increase in macromolecular efflux from the in situ hamster cheek pouch and, if so, whether this response is specific. By using intravital microscopy, we found that an aqueous extract of grain sorghum dust elicited significant, concentration-dependent leaky site formation and increase in clearance of FITC-labeled dextran (FITC-dextran; mol mass, 70 kDa) from the in situ hamster cheek pouch (P < 0.05). This response was significantly attenuated by dexamethasone (10 mg/kg iv). Dexamethasone also attenuated substance P-induced leaky site formation and increase in clearance of FITC-dextran from the cheek pouch but had no significant effects on adenosine-induced responses. Dexamethasone had no significant effects on arteriolar diameter in the cheek pouch. On balance, these data indicate that dexamethasone attenuates grain sorghum dust extract- and substance P-induced increases in macromolecular efflux from the in situ hamster cheek pouch in a specific fashion.

Physico-chemical characterization of grain dust in storage air of Bangalore.

PubMed

Mukherjee, A K; Nag, D P; Kakde, Y; Babu, K R; Prdkash, M N; Rao, S R

1998-06-01

An Anderson personal cascade impactor was used to study the particle mass size distribution in the storage air of two major grain storage centers in Bangalore. Dust levels in storage air as well as the personal exposures of workers were determined along with a detailed study on the particle size distribution. Protein and carbohydrate content of the dust were also determined respectively in the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and water extracts by using the standard analytical techniques. Personal exposures in both of the grain storage centers have been found to be much above the limit prescribed by ACGIH (1995-96). But the results of particle size analysis showed a higher particle mass distribution in the non-respirable size range. The mass median diameters (MMD) of the storage air particulate of both the centers were found to be beyond the respirable range. Presence of protein and carbohydrate in the storage air dust is indicative of the existence of glyco-proteins, mostly of membrane origin.

Secondary emission from dust grains: Comparison of experimental and model results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richterova, I.; Pavlu, J.; Nemecek, Z.; Safrankova, J.; Zilavy, P.

The motion, coalescence, and other processes in dust clouds are determined by the dust charge. Since dust grains in the space are bombarded by energetic electrons, the secondary emission is an important process contributing to their charge. It is generally expected that the secondary emission yield is related to surface properties of the bombarded body. However, it is well known that secondary emission from small bodies is determined not only by their composition but an effect of dimension can be very important when the penetration depth of primary electrons is comparable with the grain size. It implies that the secondary emission yield can be influenced by the substrate material if the surface layer is thin enough. We have developed a simple Monte Carlo model of secondary emission that was successfully applied on the dust simulants from glass and melanine formaldehyd (MF) resin and matched very well experimental results. In order to check the influence of surface layers, we have modified the model for spheres covered by a layer with different material properties. The results of model simulations are compared with measurements on MF spheres covered by different metals.

Size distribution of dust grains: A problem of self-similarity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henning, TH.; Dorschner, J.; Guertler, J.

1989-01-01

Distribution functions describing the results of natural processes frequently show the shape of power laws, e.g., mass functions of stars and molecular clouds, velocity spectrum of turbulence, size distributions of asteroids, micrometeorites and also interstellar dust grains. It is an open question whether this behavior is a result simply coming about by the chosen mathematical representation of the observational data or reflects a deep-seated principle of nature. The authors suppose the latter being the case. Using a dust model consisting of silicate and graphite grains Mathis et al. (1977) showed that the interstellar extinction curve can be represented by taking a grain radii distribution of power law type n(a) varies as a(exp -p) with 3.3 less than or equal to p less than or equal to 3.6 (example 1) as a basis. A different approach to understanding power laws like that in example 1 becomes possible by the theory of self-similar processes (scale invariance). The beta model of turbulence (Frisch et al., 1978) leads in an elementary way to the concept of the self-similarity dimension D, a special case of Mandelbrot's (1977) fractal dimension. In the frame of this beta model, it is supposed that on each stage of a cascade the system decays to N clumps and that only the portion beta N remains active further on. An important feature of this model is that the active eddies become less and less space-filling. In the following, the authors assume that grain-grain collisions are such a scale-invarient process and that the remaining grains are the inactive (frozen) clumps of the cascade. In this way, a size distribution n(a) da varies as a(exp -(D+1))da (example 2) results. It seems to be highly probable that the power law character of the size distribution of interstellar dust grains is the result of a self-similarity process. We can, however, not exclude that the process leading to the interstellar grain size distribution is not fragmentation at all. It could be, e

COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE TO INHALED GRAIN DUST

EPA Science Inventory

Interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and the secreted form of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1RA) are involved in the inflammatory response to inhaled grain dust. Previously, we found considerable production of these cytokines in the lower...

The nondetection of continuum radiation from Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d) at 2- to 6-cm wavelengths and its implication on the icy-grain halo theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Pater, I.; Wade, C. M.; Houpis, H. L. F.; Palmer, P.

1985-01-01

The Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock was observed with the VLA at 6 and 2 cm, when the comet was at geocentric distances of 0.08 and 0.035 AU, respectively, and the results are discussed. The three sigma upper limits to the flux density are 90 and 750 micro-Jy at the two wavelengths, respectively, values fully two orders of magnitude below the flux densities predicted by the icy-grain halo theory as initially developed. The corrected theory also indicates that the icy grain halo theory does not give an adequate description of the cometary environment. It is shown that the halo is either very optically thin, with a filling factor of the order of 10 to the -5th, or that the maximum size of the grain that can be lifted off the nuclear surface is only of the order of 10-100 microns.

Terrestrial in situ sampling of dust devils (relative particle loads and vertical grain size distributions) as an equivalent for martian dust devils.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raack, J.; Dennis, R.; Balme, M. R.; Taj-Eddine, K.; Ori, G. G.

2017-12-01

Dust devils are small vertical convective vortices which occur on Earth and Mars [1] but their internal structure is almost unknown. Here we report on in situ samples of two active dust devils in the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco [2]. For the sampling we used a 4 m high aluminium pipe with sampling areas made of removable adhesive tape. We took samples between 0.1-4 m with a sampling interval of 0.5 m and between 0.5-2 m with an interval of 0.25 m, respectively. The maximum diameter of all particles of the different sampling heights were then measured using an optical microscope to gain vertical grain size distributions and relative particle loads. Our measurements imply that both dust devils have a general comparable internal structure despite their different strengths and dimensions which indicates that the dust devils probably represents the surficial grain size distribution they move over. The particle sizes within the dust devils decrease nearly exponential with height which is comparable to results by [3]. Furthermore, our results show that about 80-90 % of the total particle load were lifted only within the first meter, which is a direct evidence for the existence of a sand skirt. If we assume that grains with a diameter <31 μm can go into suspension [4], our results show that only less than 0.1 wt% can be entrained into the atmosphere. Although this amount seems very low, these values represent between 60 and 70 % of all lifted particles due to the small grain sizes and their low weight. On Mars, the amount of lifted particles will be general higher as the dust coverage is larger [5], although the atmosphere can only suspend smaller grain sizes ( <20 μm) [6] compared to Earth. During our field campaign we observed numerous larger dust devils each day which were up to several hundred meters tall and had diameters of several tens of meters. This implies a much higher input of fine grained material into the atmosphere (which will have an influence on the

Laboratory Investigations of the Physical and Optical Properties of the Analogs of Individual Cosmic Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.

2005-01-01

Microdsub-micron size cosmic dust grains play an important role in the physical and dynamical process in the galaxy, the interstellar medium, and the interplanetary and planetary environments. The dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged by a variety of mechanisms that include collisional process with electrons and ions, and photoelectric emissions with UV radiation. The photoelectric emission process is believed to be the dominant process in many astrophysical environments with nearby UV sources, such as the interstellar medium, diffuse clouds, the outer regions of the dense molecular clouds, interplanetary medium, dust in planetary environments and rings, cometary tails, etc. Also, the processes and mechanisms involved in the rotation and alignment of interstellar dust grains are of great interest in view of the polarization of observed starlight as a probe for evaluation of the galactic magnetic field.

Spectro-Polarimetry of Fine-Grained Ice and Dust Surfaces Measured in the Laboratory to Study Solar System Objects and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poch, O.; Cerubini, R.; Pommerol, A.; Thomas, N.; Schmid, H. M.; Potin, S.; Beck, P.; Schmitt, B.; Brissaud, O.; Carrasco, N.; Szopa, C.; Buch, A.

2017-12-01

The polarization of the light is very sensitive to the size, morphology, porosity and composition of the scattering particles. As a consequence, polarimetric observations could significantly complement observations performed in total light intensity, providing additional constraints to interpret remote sensing observations of Solar System and extra-solar objects. This presentation will focus on measurements performed in the laboratory on carefully characterized surface samples, providing reference data that can be used to test theoretical models and predict or interpret spectro-polarimetric observations. Using methods developed in the Laboratory for Outflow Studies of Sublimating Materials (LOSSy) at the University of Bern, we produce well-characterized and reproducible surfaces made of water ice particles having different grain sizes and porosities, as well as mineral/organic dusts, pure or mixed together, as analogues of planetary or small bodies surfaces. These surface samples are illuminated with a randomly polarized light source simulating the Sun. The polarization of their scattered light is measured at multiple phase angles and wavelengths, allowing to study the shape of the polarimetric phase curves and their spectral dependence, with two recently developed setups: The POLarimeter for Icy Samples (POLICES), at the University of Bern, allows the measurement of the weak polarization of ice surfaces from 400 to 800 nm, with direct application to icy satellites. Using a precision Stokes polarimeter, this setup is also used to study the spectral variations of circular polarization in the light scattered by biotic versus abiotic surfaces. The Spectrogonio radiometer with cHanging Angles for Detection Of Weak Signals (SHADOWS), at IPAG (University of Grenoble Alpes), measures linear polarization spectra from 0.35 to 5 μm in the light scattered by dark meteorite powders or icy samples, with application to primitive objects of the Solar System (asteroids, comets).

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SUB-MICRON-SIZED DUST GRAINS IN THE ATMOSPHERES OF RED L0–L6 DWARFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hiranaka, Kay; Cruz, Kelle L.; Baldassare, Vivienne F.

We examine the hypothesis that the red near-infrared colors of some L dwarfs could be explained by a “dust haze” of small particles in their upper atmospheres. This dust haze would exist in conjunction with the clouds found in dwarfs with more typical colors. We developed a model that uses Mie theory and the Hansen particle size distributions to reproduce the extinction due to the proposed dust haze. We apply our method to 23 young L dwarfs and 23 red field L dwarfs. We constrain the properties of the dust haze including particle size distribution and column density using Markovmore » Chain Monte Carlo methods. We find that sub-micron-range silicate grains reproduce the observed reddening. Current brown dwarf atmosphere models include large-grain (1–100 μ m) dust clouds but not sub-micron dust grains. Our results provide a strong proof of concept and motivate a combination of large and small dust grains in brown dwarf atmosphere models.« less

Experimental human exposure to inhaled grain dust and ammonia: towards a model of concentrated animal feeding operations.

PubMed

Sigurdarson, Sigurdur T; O'Shaughnessy, Patrick T; Watt, Janet A; Kline, Joel N

2004-10-01

Ammonia and endotoxin-rich dust are present in high concentrations in swine confinement facilities; exposure to this environment is linked to workers' respiratory problems. We hypothesized that experimental exposure to ammonia and dust would impair pulmonary function, and that these exposures would be synergistic. We exposed six normal subjects and eight subjects with mild asthma to ammonia (16-25 ppm) and/or endotoxin-rich grain dust (4 mg/m3). Pulmonary function and exhaled NOx were measured before and after exposure. There was no significant change in pulmonary function in the normal subjects following any of the exposure conditions. Among asthmatics, a significant transient decrease in FEV1 was induced by grain dust, but was not altered by ammonia; increased bronchial hyperreactivity was also noted in this group. In a vulnerable population, exposure to grain dust results in transient airflow obstruction. Short-term exposure to ammonia does not increase this response.

Ultrafine-grained mineralogy and matrix chemistry of olivine-rich chondritic interplanetary dust particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rietmeijer, F. J. M.

1989-01-01

Olivine-rich chondritic interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are an important subset of fluffy chondritic IDPs collected in the earth's stratosphere. Particles in this subset are characterized by a matrix of nonporous, ultrafine-grained granular units. Euhedral single crystals, crystals fragments, and platey single crystals occur dispersed in the matrix. Analytical electron microscopy of granular units reveals predominant magnesium-rich olivines and FeNi-sulfides embedded in amorphous carbonaceous matrix material. The variable ratio of ultrafine-grained minerals vs. carbonaceous matrix material in granular units support variable C/Si ratios, and some fraction of sulfur is associated with carbonaceous matrix material. The high Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratios in granular units is similar to this distribution in P/Comet Halley dust. The chondritic composition of fine-grained, polycrystalline IDPs gradually breaks down into nonchondritic, and ultimately, single mineral compositions as a function of decreased particle mass. The relationship between particle mass and composition in the matrix of olivine-rich chondritic IDPs is comparable with the relationship inferred for P/Comet Halley dust.

Size and density distribution of very small dust grains in the Barnard 5 cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun Ming

1991-01-01

The effects of the temperature fluctuations in small graphite grains on the energy spectrum and the IR surface brightness of an isolated dust cloud heated externally by the interstellar radiation field were investigated using a series of models based on a radiation transport computer code. This code treats self-consistently the thermal coupling between the transient heating of very small dust grains and the equilibrium heating of conventional large grains. The model results were compared with the IRAS observations of the Barnard 5 (B5) cloud, showing that the 25-micron emission of the cloud must be produced by small grains with a 6-10 A radius, which also contribute about 50 percent to the observed 12-micron emission. The remaining 12 micron flux may be produced by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The 60-and 100-micron radiation is dominated by emission from large grains heated under equilibrium conditions.

The Charging of Dust Grains in the Inner Heliosheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avinash, K.; Slavin, J.; Zank, G. P.; Frisch, P.

2008-12-01

Equilibrium electric charge and surface potential on a dust grain in the heliosheath are calculated. The grain is charged due to heliosheath plasma flux, photo electrons flux, secondary electron emission flux and transmission flux. Realistically, the heliosheath plasma consists of solar electrons, solar wind ions [SWI] and pick up ions [PUI]. These species interact differently with TS and thus have different characteristics down stream in the heliosheath. The PUI suffer multiple reflections at TS and are accelerated to high energies in the range of ~ 106 K. The solar electrons, on the other hand, are heated adiabatically through the TS and have temperature in the range ~ 5x105 K. The SWI may have a smaller temperature typically in the range 1-5x104 K The density of electrons could be in the range ~5 x 10-4 cm-3, while the ratio of PUI to SWI density could range from 0.1 to 0.5. Taking into account these parameters, grain charging due to different plasma species and other fluxes mentioned earlier, is calculated. Our results show that (a) surface potential is very sensitive to electron temp. It goes through a maxima and for realistic values close to or less than 5x105 K it can be as big as 26V which is twice the value calculated by Kimura and Mann1. This may have implications for electrostatic disruption and the size distribution of dust particles in the heliosheath. With PUI density the surface potential increases about 10 to 20 %. Though temperature of PUI is significantly larger than that of electrons, it is not large enough to make up for the mass ratio of electrons to protons. On account small temperature and electron/proton mass ratio, the effect of SWI on dust charge is very weak. (1) H. Kimura and I. Mann, Ap.J. 499, 454 (1998).

Real-time PCR detection of toxigenic Fusarium in airborne and settled grain dust and associations with trichothecene mycotoxins.

PubMed

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Eduard, Wijnand; Klemsdal, Sonja Sletner

2006-12-01

Inhalation of immunomodulating mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. that are commonly found in grain dust may imply health risks for grain farmers. Airborne Fusarium and mycotoxin exposure levels are mainly unknown due to difficulties in identifying Fusarium and mycotoxins in personal aerosol samples. We used a novel real-time PCR method to quantify the fungal trichodiene synthase gene (tri5) and DNA specific to F. langsethiae and F. avenaceum in airborne and settled grain dust, determined the personal inhalant exposure level to toxigenic Fusarium during various activities, and evaluated whether quantitative measurements of Fusarium-DNA could predict trichothecene levels in grain dust. Airborne Fusarium-DNA was detected in personal samples even from short tasks (10-60 min). The median Fusarium-DNA level was significantly higher in settled than in airborne grain dust (p < 0.001), and only the F. langsethiae-DNA levels correlated significantly in settled and airborne dust (r(s) = 0.20, p = 0.003). Both F. langsethiae-DNA and tri5-DNA were associated with HT-2 and T-2 toxins (r(s) = 0.24-0.71, p < 0.05 to p < 00.01) in settled dust, and could thus be suitable as indicators for HT-2 and T-2. The median personal inhalant exposure to specific toxigenic Fusarium spp. was less than 1 genome m(-3), but the exposure ranged from 0-10(5) genomes m(-3). This study is the first to apply real-time PCR on personal samples of inhalable grain dust for the quantification of tri5 and species-specific Fusarium-DNA, which may have potential for risk assessments of inhaled trichothecenes.

Study of the Effects of the Electric Field on Charging Measurements on Individual Micron-size Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2013-01-01

The dust charging by electron impact is an important dust charging process in Astrophysical, Planetary, and the Lunar environments. Low energy electrons are reflected or stick to the grains charging the dust grains negatively. At sufficiently high energies electrons penetrate the grain leading to excitation and emission of electrons referred to as secondary electron emission (SEE). Available theoretical models for the calculation of SEE yield applicable for neutral, planar or bulk surfaces are generally based on Sternglass Equation. However, viable models for charging of individual dust grains do not exist at the present time. Therefore, the SEE yields have to be obtained by some experimental methods at the present time. We have conducted experimental studies on charging of individual micron size dust grains in simulated space environments using an electrodynamic balance (EDB) facility at NASA-MSFC. The results of our extensive laboratory study of charging of individual micron-size dust grains by low energy electron impact indicate that the SEE by electron impact is a very complex process expected to be substantially different from the bulk materials. It was found that the incident electrons may lead to positive or negative charging of dust grains depending upon the grain size, surface potential, electron energy, electron flux, grain composition, and configuration. In this paper we give a more elaborate discussion about the possible effects of the AC field in the EDB on dust charging measurements by comparing the secondary electron emission time-period (tau (sub em) (s/e)) with the time-period (tau (sub ac) (ms)) of the AC field cycle in the EDB that we have briefly addressed in our previous publication.

MULTIGRAIN: a smoothed particle hydrodynamic algorithm for multiple small dust grains and gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchison, Mark; Price, Daniel J.; Laibe, Guillaume

2018-05-01

We present a new algorithm, MULTIGRAIN, for modelling the dynamics of an entire population of small dust grains immersed in gas, typical of conditions that are found in molecular clouds and protoplanetary discs. The MULTIGRAIN method is more accurate than single-phase simulations because the gas experiences a backreaction from each dust phase and communicates this change to the other phases, thereby indirectly coupling the dust phases together. The MULTIGRAIN method is fast, explicit and low storage, requiring only an array of dust fractions and their derivatives defined for each resolution element.

Evidence for dust grain growth in young circumstellar disks.

PubMed

Throop, H B; Bally, J; Esposito, L W; McCaughrean, M J

2001-06-01

Hundreds of circumstellar disks in the Orion nebula are being rapidly destroyed by the intense ultraviolet radiation produced by nearby bright stars. These young, million-year-old disks may not survive long enough to form planetary systems. Nevertheless, the first stage of planet formation-the growth of dust grains into larger particles-may have begun in these systems. Observational evidence for these large particles in Orion's disks is presented. A model of grain evolution in externally irradiated protoplanetary disks is developed and predicts rapid particle size evolution and sharp outer disk boundaries. We discuss implications for the formation rates of planetary systems.

Grain dust and respiratory health in South African milling workers.

PubMed Central

Bachmann, M; Myers, J E

1991-01-01

Respiratory health was investigated in 224 grain milling workers. The likelihood of respiratory symptoms and chronic airflow limitation was raised for workers exposed to dust independent of the effects of smoking. Smokers were more likely than non-smokers to respond to a bronchodilator at the end of the working week. Dust was more strongly associated with most abnormal outcomes than was smoking. Subjective categories of exposure to dust were more strongly associated with most abnormal outcomes than were objective categories. The prevalence of all symptoms at the time of a survey conducted at the mill six years before was higher in workers who subsequently left the mill than in those who remained employed although the differences were not significant. PMID:1931723

Quantum chemical protocols for modeling reactions and spectra in astrophysical ice analogs: the challenging case of the C⁺ + H₂O reaction in icy grain mantles.

PubMed

Woon, David E

2015-11-21

Icy grain mantles that accrete on refractory dust particles in the very cold interstellar medium or beyond the snow line in protoplanetary disks serve as minute incubators for heterogeneous chemistry. Ice mantle chemistry can differ significantly from the gas phase chemistry that occurs in these environments and is often richer. Modeling ices and their chemistry is a challenging task for quantum theoretical methods, but theory promises insight into these systems that is difficult to attain with experiments. Density functional theory (DFT) is predominately employed for modeling reactions in icy grain mantles due to its favorable scalability, but DFT has limitations that risk undercutting its reliability for this task. In this work, basic protocols are proposed for identifying the degree to which DFT methods are able to reproduce experimental or higher level theoretical results for the fundamental interactions upon which ice mantle chemistry depends, including both reactive interactions and non-reactive scaffolding interactions. The exemplar of this study is the reaction of C(+) with H2O, where substantial methodological differences are found in the prediction of gas phase relative energetics for stationary points (about 10 kcal mol(-1) for the C-O bond energy of the H2OC(+) intermediate), which in turn casts doubt about employing it to treat the C(+) + H2O reaction on an ice surface. However, careful explorations demonstrate that B3LYP with small correlation consistent basis sets performs in a sufficiently reliable manner to justify using it to identify plausible chemical pathways, where the dominant products were found to be neutral HOC and the CO(-) anion plus one and two H3O(+) cations, respectively. Predicted vibrational and electronic spectra are presented that would serve to verify or disconfirm the pathways; the latter were computed with time-dependent DFT. Conclusions are compared with those of a recent similar study by McBride and coworkers (J. Phys. Chem

Discovery of Jovian dust streams and interstellar grains by the Ulysses spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gruen, E.; Zook, H. A.; Baguhl, M.; Balogh, A.; Bame, S. J.; Fechtig, H.; Forsyth, R.; Hanner, M. S.; Horanyi, M.; Kissel, J.

1993-01-01

Within 1 AU from Jupiter, the dust detector aboard the Ulysses spacecraft during the flyby on February 8, 1992 recorded periodic bursts of submicron dust particles with durations ranging from several hours to two days and occurring at about monthly intervals. These particles arrived at Ulysses in collimate streams radiating from close to the line-of-sight direction to Jupiter, suggesting a Jovian origin for the periodic bursts. Ulysses also detected a flux of micron-sized dust particles moving in high-velocity retrograde orbits. These grains are identified here as being of interstellar origin.

Constraints on Circumstellar Dust Grain Sizes from High Spatial Resolution Observations in the Thermal Infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloemhof, E. E.; Danen, R. M.; Gwinn, C. R.

1996-01-01

We describe how high spatial resolution imaging of circumstellar dust at a wavelength of about 10 micron, combined with knowledge of the source spectral energy distribution, can yield useful information about the sizes of the individual dust grains responsible for the infrared emission. Much can be learned even when only upper limits to source size are available. In parallel with high-resolution single-telescope imaging that may resolve the more extended mid-infrared sources, we plan to apply these less direct techniques to interpretation of future observations from two-element optical interferometers, where quite general arguments may be made despite only crude imaging capability. Results to date indicate a tendency for circumstellar grain sizes to be rather large compared to the Mathis-Rumpl-Nordsieck size distribution traditionally thought to characterize dust in the general interstellar medium. This may mean that processing of grains after their initial formation and ejection from circumstellar atmospheres adjusts their size distribution to the ISM curve; further mid-infrared observations of grains in various environments would help to confirm this conjecture.

Neutrophilic respiratory tract inflammation and peripheral blood neutrophilia after grain sorghum dust extract challenge.

PubMed

Von Essen, S G; O'Neill, D P; McGranaghan, S; Olenchock, S A; Rennard, S I

1995-11-01

To determine if inhalation of grain sorghum dust in the laboratory would cause neutrophilic upper and lower respiratory tract inflammation in human volunteers, as well as systemic signs of illness. Prospective. University of Nebraska Medical Center. Thirty normal volunteers. Inhalation challenge with 20 mL of a nebulized solution of filter-sterilized grain sorghum dust extract (GSDE). One group received prednisone, 20 mg for 2 days, prior to the challenge. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed 24 h after challenge, with samples collected as bronchial and alveolar fractions. Findings included visible signs of airways inflammation, quantified as the bronchitis index. The percentage of bronchial neutrophils was significantly increased in those challenged with GSDE vs the control solution, Hanks' balanced salt solution (40.3 +/- 4.5% vs 14.3 +/- 5.1%, p < or = .01). Similar findings were seen in the alveolar fraction. Pretreatment with corticosteroids did not prevent the rise in neutrophils recovered by BAL. Peripheral blood neutrophils were also increased in volunteers challenged with the grain dust extract. To explain the increase in peripheral blood neutrophil counts, the capacity of the peripheral blood neutrophils to migrate in chemotaxis experiments was examined. The results demonstrate an increase in peripheral blood neutrophils and an increase in chemotactic responsiveness. Inhalation challenge with a grain dust extract causes respiratory tract inflammation and a peripheral blood neutrophilia. One reason for this may be an increase in activated peripheral blood neutrophils.

Properties and Alignment of Interstellar Dust Grains toward Type Ia Supernovae with Anomalous Polarization Curves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoang, Thiem, E-mail: thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr; Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8; Institute of Theoretical Physics, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main

Recent photometric and polarimetric observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) show unusually low total-to-selective extinction ratios ( R {sub V} < 2) and wavelengths of maximum polarization ( λ{sub max} < 0.4 μ m) for several SNe Ia, which indicates peculiar properties of interstellar (IS) dust in the SN-hosted galaxies and/or the presence of circumstellar (CS) dust. In this paper, we use an inversion technique to infer the best-fit grain size distribution and the alignment function of interstellar grains along the lines of sight toward four SNe Ia with anomalous extinction and polarization data (SN 1986G, SN 2006X, SNmore » 2008fp, and SN 2014J). We find that to reproduce low values of R{sub V}, a significant enhancement in the mass of small grains of radius a < 0.1 μ m is required. For SN 2014J, a simultaneous fit to its observed extinction and polarization is unsuccessful if all the data are attributed to IS dust (model 1), but a good fit is obtained when accounting for the contribution of CS dust (model 2). For SN 2008fp, our best-fit results for model 1 show that in order to reproduce an extreme value of λ{sub max} ∼ 0.15 μ m, small silicate grains must be aligned as efficiently as big grains. For this case, we suggest that strong radiation from the SN can induce efficient alignment of small grains in a nearby intervening molecular cloud via the radiative torque (RAT) mechanism. The resulting time dependence polarization from this RAT alignment model can be tested by observing at ultraviolet wavelengths.« less

Catalysis by Dust Grains in the Solar Nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kress, Monika E.; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.

1996-01-01

In order to determine whether grain-catalyzed reactions played an important role in the chemistry of the solar nebula, we have applied our time-dependent model of methane formation via Fischer-Tropsch catalysis to pressures from 10(exp -5) to 1 bar and temperatures from 450 to 650 K. Under these physical conditions, the reaction 3H2 + CO yields CH4 + H2O is readily catalyzed by an iron or nickel surface, whereas the same reaction is kinetically inhibited in the gas phase. Our model results indicate that under certain nebular conditions, conversion of CO to methane could be extremely efficient in the presence of iron-nickel dust grains over timescales very short compared to the lifetime of the solar nebula.

Laboratory Experiments on Rotation and Alignment of the Analogs of Interstellar Dust Grains by Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; Gallagher, D. L.; West, E. A.; Weingartner, J. C.; Witherow, W. K.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2004-01-01

The processes and mechanisms involved in the rotation and alignment of interstellar dust grains have been of great interest in astrophysics ever since the surprising discovery of the polarization of starlight more than half a century ago. Numerous theories, detailed mathematical models and numerical studies of grain rotation and alignment with respect to the Galactic magnetic field have been presented in the literature. In particular, the subject of grain rotation and alignment by radiative torques has been shown to be of particular interest in recent years. However, despite many investigations, a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the processes involved in grain rotation and alignment has not been achieved. As there appears to be no experimental data available on this subject, we have carried out some unique experiments to illuminate the processes involved in rotation of dust grains in the interstellar medium. In this paper we present the results of some preliminary laboratory experiments on the rotation of individual micron/submicron size nonspherical dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance evacuated to pressures of approximately 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) torr. The particles are illuminated by laser light at 5320 Angstroms, and the grain rotation rates are obtained by analyzing the low frequency (approximately 0-100 kHz) signal of the scattered light detected by a photodiode detector. The rotation rates are compared with simple theoretical models to retrieve some basic rotational parameters. The results are examined in the light of the current theories of alignment.

Laboratory Experiments on Rotation and Alignment of the Analogs of Interstellar Dust Grains by Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; Gallagher, D. L.; West, E. A.; Weingartner, J. C.; Witherow, W. K.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2004-01-01

The processes and mechanisms involved in the rotation and alignment of interstellar dust grains have been of great interest in astrophysics ever since the surprising discovery of the polarization of starlight more than half a century ago. Numerous theories, detailed mathematical models, and numerical studies of grain rotation and alignment with respect to the Galactic magnetic field have been presented in the literature. In particular, the subject of grain rotation and alignment by radiative torques has been shown to be of particular interest in recent years. However, despite many investigations, a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the processes involved in subject, we have carried out some unique experiments to illuminate the processes involved in the rotation of dust grains in the interstellar medium. In this paper we present the results of some preliminary laboratory experiments on the rotation of individual micron/submicron-sized, nonspherical dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance evacuated to pressures of approximately 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) torr. The particles are illuminated by laser light at 5320 A, and the grain rotation rates are obtained by analyzing the low-frequency (approximately 0 - 100 kHz) signal of the scattered light detected by a photodiode detector. The rotation rates are compared with simple theoretical models to retrieve some basic rotational parameters. The results are examined in light of the current theories of alignment.

Presence of specific IgG antibody to grain dust does not go with respiratory symptoms.

PubMed Central

Park, H. S.; Suh, C. H.; Nahm, D. H.; Kim, H. Y.

1999-01-01

A high prevalence of work-related symptoms in relation to grain dust exposure has been reported in grain dust workers, but the role of the specific IgG antibody is unknown. To study the possible role of specific IgG (sIgG) and specific IgG4 (sIgG4) in the development of work-related symptoms, sIgG and sIgG4 subclass antibodies against grain dust antigens were determined by ELISA in sera from 43 workers and 27 non-exposed controls. They were compared with results of specific IgE antibodies, exposure intensity and the presence of respiratory symptoms. SIgG and sIgG4 antibodies were detectable in almost all sera of exposed workers, and the prevalence were significantly higher than those of controls (p<0.05). Higher sIgG4 was noted in workers with specific IgE (p<0.05). The correlation between sIgG and exposure duration was significant (p<0.05). There was no association between the prevalence of sIgG and sIgG4 and the presence of respiratory symptoms, or work stations. In conclusion, these results suggest that the existence of sIgG and sIgG4 might represent a response to grain dust exposure and may unlikely play a role in the etiology of respiratory symptoms. PMID:10102522

Presence of specific IgG antibody to grain dust does not go with respiratory symptoms.

PubMed

Park, H S; Suh, C H; Nahm, D H; Kim, H Y

1999-02-01

A high prevalence of work-related symptoms in relation to grain dust exposure has been reported in grain dust workers, but the role of the specific IgG antibody is unknown. To study the possible role of specific IgG (sIgG) and specific IgG4 (sIgG4) in the development of work-related symptoms, sIgG and sIgG4 subclass antibodies against grain dust antigens were determined by ELISA in sera from 43 workers and 27 non-exposed controls. They were compared with results of specific IgE antibodies, exposure intensity and the presence of respiratory symptoms. SIgG and sIgG4 antibodies were detectable in almost all sera of exposed workers, and the prevalence were significantly higher than those of controls (p<0.05). Higher sIgG4 was noted in workers with specific IgE (p<0.05). The correlation between sIgG and exposure duration was significant (p<0.05). There was no association between the prevalence of sIgG and sIgG4 and the presence of respiratory symptoms, or work stations. In conclusion, these results suggest that the existence of sIgG and sIgG4 might represent a response to grain dust exposure and may unlikely play a role in the etiology of respiratory symptoms.

Atomistic and infrared study of CO-water amorphous ice onto olivine dust grain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escamilla-Roa, Elizabeth; Moreno, Fernando; López-Moreno, J. Juan; Sainz-Díaz, C. Ignacio

2017-01-01

This work is a study of CO and H2O molecules as adsorbates that interact on the surface of olivine dust grains. Olivine (forsterite) is present on the Earth, planetary dust, in the interstellar medium (ISM) and in particular in comets. The composition of amorphous ice is very important for the interpretation of processes that occur in the solar system and the ISM. Dust particles in ISM are composed of a heterogeneous mixture of amorphous or crystalline silicates (e.g. olivine) organic material, carbon, and other minor constituents. These dust grains are embedded in a matrix of ices, such as H2O, CO, CO2, NH3, and CH4. We consider that any amorphous ice will interact and grow faster on dust grain surfaces. In this work we explore the adsorption of CO-H2O amorphous ice onto several (100) forsterite surfaces (dipolar and non-dipolar), by using first principle calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). These models are applied to two possible situations: i) adsorption of CO molecules mixed into an amorphous ice matrix (gas mixture) and adsorbed directly onto the forsterite surface. This interaction has lower adsorption energy than polar molecules (H2O and NH3) adsorbed on this surface; ii) adsorption of CO when the surface has previously been covered by amorphous water ice (onion model). In this case the calculations show that adsorption energy is low, indicating that this interaction is weak and therefore the CO can be desorbed with a small increase of temperature. Vibration spectroscopy for the most stable complex was also studied and the frequencies were in good agreement with experimental frequency values.

Effects of exposure to grain dust in Polish farmers: work-related symptoms and immunologic response to microbial antigens associated with dust.

PubMed

Skórska, C; Mackiewicz, B; Dutkiewicz, J; Krysińska-Traczyk, E; Milanowski, J; Feltovich, H; Lange, J; Thorne, P

1998-01-01

Medical examinations were performed in a group of 76 Polish farmers heavily exposed to grain dust during harvesting and threshing, and in a group of 63 healthy urban dwellers not exposed to organic dusts (controls). The examinations included: interview concerning the occurrence of respiratory disorders and work-related symptoms, physical examination, lung function tests, and allergological tests comprising skin prick test with 4 microbial antigens associated with grain dust and agar-gel precipitation test with 12 microbial antigens. As many as 34 farmers (44.7%) reported the occurrence of work-related symptoms during harvesting and threshing. The most common was dry cough reported by 20 individuals (26.3%). Dyspnoea was reported by 15 farmers (19.7%), tiredness by 12 (15.7%), chest tightness by 8 (10.5%), plugging of nose and hoarseness by 5 each (6. 5%). No control subjects reported these work-related symptoms. The mean spirometric values in the examined group of farmers were within the normal range, but a significant post-shift decrease of these values was observed after work with grain. The farmers showed a frequency of the positive early skin reactions to environmental allergens in the range of 10.8 - 45.5%, and a frequency of positive precipitin reactions in range of 3.9 - 40.8%. The control group responded to the majority of allergens with a significantly lower frequency of positive results compared to the farmers. The obtained results showed a high response of grain farmers to inhalant microbial allergens and indicate a potential risk of occupational respiratory diseases (such as allergic alveolitis, asthma, Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome) among this population

Heliosheath Space Environment Interactions with Icy Bodies in the Outermost Solar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, John F.; Hill, Matthew E.; Richardson, John D.; Sturner, Steven J.

2006-01-01

The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are exploring the space environment of the outermost solar system at the same time that earth-based astronomy continues to discover new icy bodies, one larger than Pluto, in the transitional region outward from the Classical Kuiper Belt to the Inner Oort Cloud. Some of the Scattered Disk Objects in this region periodically pass through the heliosheath, entered by Voyager 1 in Dec. 2004 and later expected to be reached by Voyager 2, and out even beyond the heliopause into the Very Local Interstellar Medium. The less energetic heliosheath ions, important for implantation and sputtering processes, are abundant near and beyond the termination shock inner boundary, but the source region of the more penetrating anomalous cosmic ray component has not yet been found. Advantageous for modeling of icy body interactions, the measured heliosheath flux spectra are relatively more stable within this new regime of isotropic compressional magnetic turbulence than in the upstream heliospheric environment. The deepest interactions and resultant radiation-induced chemistry arise from the inwardly diffusing component of the galactic cosmic ray ions with significant intensity modulation also arising in the heliosheath beyond Voyager 1. Surface gardening by high-velocity impacts of smaller bodies (e.g., fragments of previous KBO collisions) and dust is a further space weathering process setting the time scales for long term exposure of different regolith layers to the ion irradiation. Sputtering and ionization of impact ejecta grains may provide a substantial feedback of pickup ions for multiple cycles of heliosheath acceleration and icy body interaction. Thus the space weathering interactions are potentially of interest not only for effects on sensible surface composition of the icy bodies but also for evolution of the heliosheath plasma energetic ion, and neutral emission environment.

First-principles simulations of electrostatic interactions between dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itou, H.; Amano, T.; Hoshino, M.

2014-12-01

We investigated the electrostatic interaction between two identical dust grains of an infinite mass immersed in homogeneous plasma by employing first-principles N-body simulations combined with the Ewald method. We specifically tested the possibility of an attractive force due to overlapping Debye spheres (ODSs), as was suggested by Resendes et al. [Phys. Lett. A 239, 181-186 (1998)]. Our simulation results demonstrate that the electrostatic interaction is repulsive and even stronger than the standard Yukawa potential. We showed that the measured electric field acting on the grain is highly consistent with a model electrostatic potential around a single isolated grain that takes into account a correction due to the orbital motion limited theory. Our result is qualitatively consistent with the counterargument suggested by Markes and Williams [Phys. Lett. A 278, 152-158 (2000)], indicating the absence of the ODS attractive force.

Charging of dust grains in a plasma with negative ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Su-Hyun; Merlino, Robert L.

2006-05-01

The effect of negative ions on the charging of dust particles in a plasma is investigated experimentally. A plasma containing a very low percentage of electrons is formed in a single-ended SF6 is admitted into the vacuum system. The relatively cold (Te≈0.2eV ) readily attach to SF6 molecules to form SF6- negative ions. Calculations of the dust charge indicate that for electrons, negative ions, and positive ions of comparable temperatures, the charge (or surface potential) of the dust can be positive if the positive ion mass is smaller than the negative ion mass and if ɛ, the ratio of the electron to positive ion density, is sufficiently small. The K+ positive ions (mass 39amu) and SF6- negative ions (mass 146amu), and also utilizes a rotating cylinder to dispense dust into the plasma column. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the dusty plasma shows evidence for the reduction in the (magnitude) of the negative dust charge and the transition to positively charged dust as the relative concentration of the residual electrons is reduced. Some remarks are offered concerning experiments that could become possible in a dusty plasma with positive grains.

Evolution of Interstellar Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allamandola, Lou J.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

During the past two decades observations combined with laboratory simulations, have revolutionized our understanding of interstellar ice and dust, the raw materials from which planets, comets and stars form. Most interstellar material is concentrated in large molecular clouds where simple molecules are formed by dust-grain and gas-phase reactions. Gaseous species striking the cold (10K) dust stick, forming an icy grain mantle. This accretion, coupled with UV photolysis, produces a complex chemical mixture containing volatile, non-volatile, and isotopically fractionated species. Ices in molecular clouds contain the very simple molecules H2O, CH3OH, CO, CO2, H2, and perhaps some NH3 and H2CO, as well as more complex species. The evidence for these compounds, as well as carbon-rich materials, will be reviewed and the possible connections with comets and meteorites will be presented in the first part of the talk . The second part of the presentation will focus on interstellar/precometary ice photochemical evolution and the species likely to be found in comets. The chemical composition and photochemical evolution of realistic interstellar/pre-cometary ice analogs will be discussed. Ultraviolet photolysis of these ices produces H2, H2CO, CO2, CO, CH4, HCO, and more complex molecules. When ices representative of interstellar grains and comets are exposed to UV radiation at low temperature a series of moderately complex organic molecules are formed in the ice including: CH3CH2OH (ethanol), HC(=O)NH2 (formamide), CH3C(=O)NH2 (acetamide), and R-C=N (nitriles). Several of these are already known to be in the interstellar medium, and their presence indicates the importance of grain processing. After warming to room temperature an organic residue remains. This is composed primarily of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT, C6H12N4), with lesser amounts of polyoxymethylene-related species (POMs), amides, and ketones. This is in sharp contrast to the organic residues produced by

Dynamics of aspherical dust grains in a cometary atmosphere: I. axially symmetric grains in a spherically symmetric atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanovski, S. L.; Zakharov, V. V.; Della Corte, V.; Crifo, J.-F.; Rotundi, A.; Fulle, M.

2017-01-01

In-situ measurements of individual dust grain parameters in the immediate vicinity of a cometary nucleus are being carried by the Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. For the interpretations of these observational data, a model of dust grain motion as realistic as possible is requested. In particular, the results of the Stardust mission and analysis of samples of interplanetary dust have shown that these particles are highly aspherical, which should be taken into account in any credible model. The aim of the present work is to study the dynamics of ellipsoidal shape particles with various aspect ratios introduced in a spherically symmetric expanding gas flow and to reveal the possible differences in dynamics between spherical and aspherical particles. Their translational and rotational motion under influence of the gravity and of the aerodynamic force and torque is numerically integrated in a wide range of physical parameters values including those of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The main distinctions of the dynamics of spherical and ellipsoidal particles are discussed. The aerodynamic characteristics of the ellipsoidal particles, and examples of their translational and rotational motion in the postulated gas flow are presented.

Chemical desorption and diffusive dust chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dulieu, Francois; Pirronello, Valerio; Minissale, Marco; Congiu, Emanuele; Baouche, Saoud; Chaabouni, Henda; Moudens, Audrey; Accolla, Mario; Cazaux, Stephanie; Manicò, Giulio

In molecular clouds, gaseous species can accrete efficiently on the cold surfaces of dust grains. As for radical-radical reactions, the surface of the grains acts as a third body, and changes dramatically the efficiency of the reactions (i.e., H2 formation), or lowers considerably the barrier to formation (i.e., H2O synthesis) in comparison with gas phase reaction processes. These properties make dust grains efficient catalytic templates. However, the chemical role of dust grains depends on the diffusive properties of the reactive partners. Over the last years, we have developed experimental tools and methods to explore the chemistry occurring on cold (6-50K) surfaces. We have obtained some hints about the diffusivity of H on amorphous ice, and studied in detail the diffusion of O atoms. The latter species appears to have a hopping rate in the range 0.01-100 hops/sec. The diffusion rate of O atoms is dependent on the surface morphology and on the surface temperature. The diffusion law is compatible with a diffusion dominated by quantum tunnelling rather than classical thermal hopping. Using H, O, N atoms and, indirectly, OH and HCO radicals, we have begun to explore many chemical reactive networks. In this presentation, I will focus on the formation of H2O and CO2, and will propose many possible formation routes to obtain these chemical traps. The molecules formed on surfaces have a certain probability of desorbing upon their formation. This non-thermal desorption mechanism, or chemical desorption, has been proposed to explain why some molecules can be detected in the gas phase of those region where they were believed to be part of the icy mantles covering dust grains. We have shown that this process can be very efficient, but is very sensitive to the substrate and the surroundings of the reaction site, is dependent on the kind of molecule formed and its chemical pathway. In my presentation I will present how the surface coverage and the type of reaction can play a

Induction of histamine release in vitro from rat peritoneal mast cells by extracts of grain dust.

PubMed Central

Warren, C P; Holford-Strevens, V

1986-01-01

The ability of extracts of grain dust and wheat to induce histamine release from rat peritoneal cells was investigated. Some grain dusts, with a high endotoxin content, were found to produce cytotoxic histamine release. Extract of wheat dust, with a low endotoxin release, produced noncytotoxic histamine release from peritoneal cells but not from purified mast cells. This reaction was dependent on the presence of phosphatidyl serine. The agent did not appear to be a lectin because histamine release was not enhanced by passive sensitization of mast cells with IgE. The activity occurred only over a narrow range of concentrations of the extract of wheat. The cause was unclear. PMID:2423321

Diamond, aromatic, aliphatic components of interstellar dust grains: Random covalent networks in carbonaceous grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duley, W. W.

1995-05-01

A formalism based on the theory of random covalent networks (RCNs) in amorphous solids is developed for carbonaceous dust grains. RCN solutions provide optimized structures and relative compositions for amorphous materials. By inclusion of aliphatic, aromatic, and diamond clusters, solutions specific to interstellar materials can be obtained and compared with infrared spectral data. It is found that distinct RCN solutions corresponding to diffuse cloud and molecular cloud materials are possible. Specific solutions are derived for three representative objects: VI Cyg No. 12, NGC 7538 (IRS 9), and GC IRS 7. While diffuse cloud conditions with a preponderance of sp2 and sp3 bonded aliphatic CH species can be reproduced under a variety of RCN conditions, the presence of an abundant tertiary CH or diamond component is highly constrained. These solutions are related quantitatively to carbon depletions and can be used to provide a quantitative estimate of carbon in these various dust components. Despite the abundance of C6 aromatic rings in many RCN solutions, the infrared absorption due to the aromatic stretch at approximately 3.3 micrometers is weak under all conditions. The RCN formalism is shown to provide a useful method for tracing the evolutionary properties of interstellar carbonaceous grains.

The Diversity of Carbon in Cometary Refractory Dust Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooden, D. H.

2018-01-01

When comparing the dark icy surfaces of outer solar system small bodies and the composition of carbonaceous chondrites derived from dark asteroids we find a significant discrepancy in the assessed amounts of elemental carbon: up to 80% amorphous carbon is used to model the dark surfaces of Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs whereas at most 5% of elemental carbon is found in carbonaceous chondrites. If we presume that regimes of comet nuclei formation are analogous to disk regimes where other outer solar system ice-rich bodies formed then we can turn to comet dust to gain insights into the diversity in the concentration and forms of carbon available in the outer disk. Comet dust offers important insights into the diversity in the amounts and forms of carbon that were incorporated into aggregate dust particles in the colder parts of the protoplanetary disk out of which comet nuclei accreted. Comet nuclei are amongst the most primitive bodies because they have remained cold and unequilibrated. Comet dust particles reveal the presence of forms of elemental carbon and of soluble and insoluble organic matter, and in a great diversity of concentrations from very little, e.g., Stardust samples of comet 81P/Wild 2, to 80% by volume for Ultra Carbonaceous Antarctic Micro Meteorites (UCAMMs). Cometary outbursts and/or jet activity also demonstrate variations in the concentration of carbon in the grains at different grain sizes within a single comet. We review the diversity of carbon-bearing dust grains in cometary samples, flyby measurements and deduced from remote-sensing to enrich the discussion about the diversity of carbonaceous matter available in the outer ice-rich disk at the time of comet nuclei formation.

Modified dust ion-acoustic surface waves in a semi-bounded magnetized plasma containing the rotating dust grains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Applied Physics and Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyunggi-Do 15588

2016-05-15

The dispersion relation for modified dust ion-acoustic surface waves in the magnetized dusty plasma containing the rotating dust grains is derived, and the effects of magnetic field configuration on the resonant growth rate are investigated. We present the results that the resonant growth rates of the wave would increase with the ratio of ion plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency as well as with the increase of wave number for the case of perpendicular magnetic field configuration when the ion plasma frequency is greater than the dust rotation frequency. For the parallel magnetic field configuration, we find that the instability occursmore » only for some limited ranges of the wave number and the ratio of ion plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency. The resonant growth rate is found to decrease with the increase of the wave number. The influence of dust rotational frequency on the instability is also discussed.« less

Dust grains in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko - link with surface properties and cometary activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capria, M. T.; Ivanovski, S.; Zakharov, W.; Capaccioni, F.; Filacchione, G.; De Sanctis, M. C.; Rotundi, A.; Della Corte, V.; Longobardo, A.; Palomba, E.; Colangeli, L.; Bockelee-Morvan, D.; Erard, S.; Leyrat, C.

2016-11-01

The imaging spectrometer VIRTIS and the dust analyzer GIADA, onboard Rosetta, made an extensive observation of the dust particles in the coma of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. From the analysis of GIADA data, two different kind of particles have been revealed, compact and fluffy with different compositions and dynamical properties. Compact particles are characterized by densities of about 10E3 kg/m3, while fluffy particles have an almost fractal nature, with densities less than 1 kg/m3. In this work we present the initial results of a model linking the dust flux distribution, as obtained from a theoretical thermal nucleus model, with a model describing the dynamics of aspherical grains in the coma. The results are discussed in the context of the latest observations from VIRTIS and GIADA instruments. The 2D nucleus thermal model, when applied to the real shape of the comet, provides the size distribution and physical properties of the emitted grains at different times and location on the surface. The thermal model can simulate grains of various size distribution, composition and physical properties. This information is used as an input for the dust dynamical model that follows the emitted particles in the coma. The main source of heating is the solar illumination. In the dust dynamical model, the grain trajectory of emitted particles remains in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and the direction of illumination is taken to be in the same plane (i.e. does not cause transversal forces). The dust particles are assumed to be isothermal convex bodies and temperature changes only induce modest changes in the aerodynamic force (twice higher temperature changes aerodynamic force less than 30%). This study reviews the theoretical values at which temperature difference starts to play a role on the dynamics. We discuss to what extent the particle's temperature affects the terminal velocities of the dust grains in the 67P coma in dependence on their mass and

Dust grains in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko - link with surface properties and cometary activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capria, Maria Teresa; Ivanovski, Stavro; Zakharov, Vladimir; Capaccioni, Fabrizio; Filacchione, Gianrico; De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; rotundi, alessandra; della corte, vincenzo; Longobardo, Andrea; Palomba, Ernesto; colangeli, luigi; Bockelee-Morvan, Dominique; Érard, Stéphane; Leyrat, Cedric; VIRTIS, GIADA

2016-10-01

The imaging spectrometer VIRTIS and the dust analyzer GIADA, onboard Rosetta, made an extensive observation of the dust particles in the coma of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. From the analysis of GIADA data, two different kind of particles have been revealed, compact and fluffy with different compositions and dynamical properties. Compact particles are characterized by densities of about 103 kg/m3, while fluffy particles have an almost fractal nature, with densities less than 1 kg/m3.In this work we present the initial results of a model linking the dust flux distribution, as obtained from a theoretical thermal nucleus model, with a model describing the dynamics of aspherical grains in the coma. The results are discussed in the context of the latest observations from VIRTIS and GIADA instruments.The 2D nucleus thermal model, when applied to the real shape of the comet, provides the size distribution and physical properties of the emitted grains at different times and location on the surface. The thermal model can simulate grains of various size distribution, composition and physical properties. This information is used as an input for the dust dynamical model that follows the emitted particles in the coma. The main source of heating is the solar illumination. In the dust dynamical model, the grain trajectory of emitted particles remains in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and the direction of illumination is taken to be in the same plane (i.e. does not cause transversal forces). The dust particles are assumed to be isothermal convex bodies and temperature changes only induce modest changes in the aerodynamic force (twice higher temperature changes aerodynamic force less than ~30%). This study reviews the theoretical values at which temperature difference starts to play a role on the dynamics. We discuss to what extent the particle's temperature affects the terminal velocities of the dust grains in the 67P coma in dependence on their mass and

Relativistic Gas Drag on Dust Grains and Implications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoang, Thiem, E-mail: thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr; Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113

We study the drag force on grains moving at relativistic velocities through interstellar gas and explore its application. First, we derive a new analytical formula of the drag force at high energies and find that it is significantly reduced compared to the classical model. Second, we apply the obtained drag force to calculate the terminal velocities of interstellar grains by strong radiation sources such as supernovae and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We find that grains can be accelerated to relativistic velocities by very luminous AGNs. We then quantify the deceleration of relativistic spacecraft proposed by the Breakthrough Starshot initiative duemore » to gas drag on a relativistic lightsail. We find that the spacecraft’s decrease in speed is negligible because of the suppression of gas drag at relativistic velocities, suggesting that the lightsail may be open for communication during its journey to α Centauri without causing a considerable delay. Finally, we show that the damage to relativistic thin lightsails by interstellar dust is a minor effect.« less

Comparison of dust related respiratory effects in Dutch and Canadian grain handling industries: a pooled analysis.

PubMed Central

Peelen, S J; Heederik, D; Dimich-Ward, H D; Chan-Yeung, M; Kennedy, S M

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Four previously conducted epidemiological studies in more than 1200 grain workers were used to compare exposure-response relations between exposure to grain dust and respiratory health. METHODS: The studies included Dutch workers from an animal feed mill and a transfer grain elevator and Canadian workers from a terminal grain elevator and the docks. Relations between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and exposure were analysed with multiple regression analysis corrected for smoking, age, and height. Exposure variables examined included cumulative and current dust exposure and the numbers of years a subject was employed in the industry. Sampling efficiencies of the Dutch and Canadian measurement techniques were compared in a pilot study. Results of this study were used to correct slopes of exposure-response relations for differences in dust fractions sampled by Dutch and Canadian personal dust samplers. RESULTS: Negative exposure-response relations were shown for regressions of FEV1 on cumulative and current exposure and years employed. Slopes of the exposure-response relations differed by a factor of three to five between industries, apart from results for cumulative exposure. Here the variation in slopes differed by a factor of 100, from -1 to -0.009 ml/mg.y/m3. The variation in slopes between industries reduced to between twofold to fivefold when the Dutch transfer elevator workers were not considered. There was evidence that the small exposure-response slope found for this group is caused by misclassification of exposure and a strong healthy worker effect. Alternative, but less likely explanations for the variation in slopes were differences in exposure concentrations, composition of grain dust, exposure characteristics, and measurement techniques. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study showed moderately similar negative exposure-response relations for four different populations from different countries, despite differences in methods of

Comparison of dust related respiratory effects in Dutch and Canadian grain handling industries: a pooled analysis.

PubMed

Peelen, S J; Heederik, D; Dimich-Ward, H D; Chan-Yeung, M; Kennedy, S M

1996-08-01

Four previously conducted epidemiological studies in more than 1200 grain workers were used to compare exposure-response relations between exposure to grain dust and respiratory health. The studies included Dutch workers from an animal feed mill and a transfer grain elevator and Canadian workers from a terminal grain elevator and the docks. Relations between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and exposure were analysed with multiple regression analysis corrected for smoking, age, and height. Exposure variables examined included cumulative and current dust exposure and the numbers of years a subject was employed in the industry. Sampling efficiencies of the Dutch and Canadian measurement techniques were compared in a pilot study. Results of this study were used to correct slopes of exposure-response relations for differences in dust fractions sampled by Dutch and Canadian personal dust samplers. Negative exposure-response relations were shown for regressions of FEV1 on cumulative and current exposure and years employed. Slopes of the exposure-response relations differed by a factor of three to five between industries, apart from results for cumulative exposure. Here the variation in slopes differed by a factor of 100, from -1 to -0.009 ml/mg.y/m3. The variation in slopes between industries reduced to between twofold to fivefold when the Dutch transfer elevator workers were not considered. There was evidence that the small exposure-response slope found for this group is caused by misclassification of exposure and a strong healthy worker effect. Alternative, but less likely explanations for the variation in slopes were differences in exposure concentrations, composition of grain dust, exposure characteristics, and measurement techniques. In conclusion, this study showed moderately similar negative exposure-response relations for four different populations from different countries, despite differences in methods of exposure assessment and exposure estimation.

From Nuclei to Dust Grains: How the AGB Machinery Works

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobrecht, D.; Cristallo, S.; Piersanti, L.

2015-12-01

With their circumstellar envelopes AGB stars are marvelous laboratories to test our knowledge of microphysics (opacities, equation of state), macrophysics (convection, rotation, stellar pulsations, magnetic fields) and nucleosynthesis (nuclear burnings, slow neutron capture processes, molecules and dust formation). Due to the completely different environments those processes occur, the interplay between stellar interiors (dominated by mixing events like convection and dredge-up episodes) and stellar winds (characterized by dust formation and wind acceleration) is often ignored. We intend to develop a new approach involving a transition region, taking into consideration hydrodynamic processes which may drive AGB mass-loss. Our aim is to describe the process triggering the mass-loss in AGB stars with different masses, metallicities and chemical enrichments, possibly deriving a velocity field of the outflowing matter. Moreover, we intend to construct an homogeneous theoretical database containing detailed abundances of atomic and molecular species produced by these objects. As a long term goal, we will derive dust production rates for silicates, alumina and silicon carbides, in order to explain laboratory measurements of isotopic ratios in AGB dust grains.

Atomic-scale simulation of dust grain collisions: Surface chemistry and dissipation beyond existing theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quadery, Abrar H.; Doan, Baochi D.; Tucker, William C.; Dove, Adrienne R.; Schelling, Patrick K.

2017-10-01

The early stages of planet formation involve steps where submicron-sized dust particles collide to form aggregates. However, the mechanism through which millimeter-sized particles aggregate to kilometer-sized planetesimals is still not understood. Dust grain collision experiments carried out in the environment of the Earth lead to the prediction of a 'bouncing barrier' at millimeter-sizes. Theoretical models, e.g., Johnson-Kendall-Roberts and Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov theories, lack two key features, namely the chemistry of dust grain surfaces, and a mechanism for atomic-scale dissipation of energy. Moreover, interaction strengths in these models are parameterized based on experiments done in the Earth's environment. To address these issues, we performed atomic-scale simulations of collisions between nonhydroxylated and hydroxylated amorphous silica nanoparticles. We used the ReaxFF approach which enables modeling chemical reactions using an empirical potential. We found that nonhydroxylated nanograins tend to adhere with much higher probability than suggested by existing theories. By contrast, hydroxylated nanograins exhibit a strong tendency to bounce. Also, the interaction between dust grains has the characteristics of a strong chemical force instead of weak van der Waals forces. This suggests that the formation of strong chemical bonds and dissipation via internal atomic vibration may result in aggregation beyond what is expected based on our current understanding. Our results also indicate that experiments should more carefully consider surface conditions to mimic the space environment. We also report results of simulations with molten silica nanoparticles. It is found that molten particles are more likely to adhere due to viscous dissipation, which supports theories that suggest aggregation to kilometer scales might require grains to be in a molten state.

Dust Evolution in Protoplanetary Discs and the Formation of Planetesimals. What Have We Learned from Laboratory Experiments?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blum, Jürgen

2018-03-01

After 25 years of laboratory research on protoplanetary dust agglomeration, a consistent picture of the various processes that involve colliding dust aggregates has emerged. Besides sticking, bouncing and fragmentation, other effects, like, e.g., erosion or mass transfer, have now been extensively studied. Coagulation simulations consistently show that μm-sized dust grains can grow to mm- to cm-sized aggregates before they encounter the bouncing barrier, whereas sub-μm-sized water-ice particles can directly grow to planetesimal sizes. For siliceous materials, other processes have to be responsible for turning the dust aggregates into planetesimals. In this article, these processes are discussed, the physical properties of the emerging dusty or icy planetesimals are presented and compared to empirical evidence from within and without the Solar System. In conclusion, the formation of planetesimals by a gravitational collapse of dust "pebbles" seems the most likely.

IMPULSIVE SPOT HEATING AND THERMAL EXPLOSION OF INTERSTELLAR GRAINS REVISITED

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ivlev, A. V.; Röcker, T. B.; Vasyunin, A.

The problem of the impulsive heating of dust grains in cold, dense interstellar clouds is revisited theoretically with the aim of better understanding the leading mechanisms of the explosive desorption of icy mantles. We rigorously show that if the heating of a reactive medium occurs within a sufficiently localized spot (e.g., the heating of mantles by cosmic rays (CRs)), then the subsequent thermal evolution is characterized by a single dimensionless number λ. This number identifies a bifurcation between two distinct regimes: when λ exceeds a critical value (threshold), the heat equation exhibits the explosive solution, i.e., the thermal (chemical) explosionmore » is triggered. Otherwise, thermal diffusion causes the deposited heat to spread over the entire grain—this regime is commonly known as whole-grain heating. The theory allows us to find a critical combination of physical parameters that govern the explosion of icy mantles due to impulsive spot heating. In particular, our calculations suggest that heavy CR species (e.g., iron ions) colliding with dust are able to trigger the explosion. Based on recently calculated local CR spectra, we estimate the expected rate of explosive desorption. The efficiency of the desorption, which in principle affects all solid species independent of their binding energy, is shown to be comparable to other CR desorption mechanisms typically considered in the literature. Also, the theory allows us to estimate the maximum abundances of reactive species that may be stored in the mantles, which provides important constraints on the available astrochemical models.« less

Excitation of Kelvin Helmholtz instability by an ion beam in a plasma with negatively charged dust grains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rani, Kavita; Sharma, Suresh C.

2015-02-15

An ion beam propagating through a magnetized dusty plasma drives Kelvin Helmholtz Instability (KHI) via Cerenkov interaction. The frequency of the unstable wave increases with the relative density of negatively charged dust grains. It is observed that the beam has stabilizing effect on the growth rate of KHI for low shear parameter, but for high shear parameter, the instability is destabilized with relative density of negatively charged dust grains.

Stochastic parameterization for light absorption by internally mixed BC/dust in snow grains for application to climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, K. N.; Takano, Y.; He, C.; Yang, P.; Leung, L. R.; Gu, Y.; Lee, W. L.

2014-06-01

A stochastic approach has been developed to model the positions of BC (black carbon)/dust internally mixed with two snow grain types: hexagonal plate/column (convex) and Koch snowflake (concave). Subsequently, light absorption and scattering analysis can be followed by means of an improved geometric-optics approach coupled with Monte Carlo photon tracing to determine BC/dust single-scattering properties. For a given shape (plate, Koch snowflake, spheroid, or sphere), the action of internal mixing absorbs substantially more light than external mixing. The snow grain shape effect on absorption is relatively small, but its effect on asymmetry factor is substantial. Due to a greater probability of intercepting photons, multiple inclusions of BC/dust exhibit a larger absorption than an equal-volume single inclusion. The spectral absorption (0.2-5 µm) for snow grains internally mixed with BC/dust is confined to wavelengths shorter than about 1.4 µm, beyond which ice absorption predominates. Based on the single-scattering properties determined from stochastic and light absorption parameterizations and using the adding/doubling method for spectral radiative transfer, we find that internal mixing reduces snow albedo substantially more than external mixing and that the snow grain shape plays a critical role in snow albedo calculations through its forward scattering strength. Also, multiple inclusion of BC/dust significantly reduces snow albedo as compared to an equal-volume single sphere. For application to land/snow models, we propose a two-layer spectral snow parameterization involving contaminated fresh snow on top of old snow for investigating and understanding the climatic impact of multiple BC/dust internal mixing associated with snow grain metamorphism, particularly over mountain/snow topography.

Dust evolution, a global view: III. Core/mantle grains, organic nano-globules, comets and surface chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, A. P.

2016-12-01

Within the framework of The Heterogeneous dust Evolution Model for Interstellar Solids (THEMIS), this work explores the surface processes and chemistry relating to core/mantle interstellar and cometary grain structures and their influence on the nature of these fascinating particles. It appears that a realistic consideration of the nature and chemical reactivity of interstellar grain surfaces could self-consistently and within a coherent framework explain: the anomalous oxygen depletion, the nature of the CO dark gas, the formation of `polar ice' mantles, the red wing on the 3 μm water ice band, the basis for the O-rich chemistry observed in hot cores, the origin of organic nano-globules and the 3.2 μm `carbonyl' absorption band observed in comet reflectance spectra. It is proposed that the reaction of gas phase species with carbonaceous a-C(:H) grain surfaces in the interstellar medium, in particular the incorporation of atomic oxygen into grain surfaces in epoxide functional groups, is the key to explaining these observations. Thus, the chemistry of cosmic dust is much more intimately related with that of the interstellar gas than has previously been considered. The current models for interstellar gas and dust chemistry will therefore most likely need to be fundamentally modified to include these new grain surface processes.

Radical formation in the coma from photodissociation of ice grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, William M.; Gerth, Christopher

1990-01-01

Long ago visual observations of comets suggested that there are jets in comets but it has only been recently that A'Hearn et al. have proven that some of these jets are due to emission from the CN radical. Recent studies in the lab have shown that CN radicals can be ejected directly into the gas phase from the photolysis of frozen vapors if the parent molecular has been excited to repulsive excited state. This later observation suggests that the jets that have been observed may be due to photodissociation of icy grains in the coma. A theory of radical formation from icy grains is presented. It is shown that direct formation of free radicals in the coma is an effective way to produce radicals from icy grains in the coma. The model predicts that icy grains could produce from 6 to 800,000 OH radicals/s per grain depending upon whether the radius of the grain is 0.3 to 100 micron.

[Effects of the grain size and thickness of dust deposits on soil water and salt movement in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert].

PubMed

Sun, Yan-Wei; Li, Sheng-Yu; Xu, Xin-Wen; Zhang, Jian-Guo; Li, Ying

2009-08-01

By using mcirolysimeter, a laboratory simulation experiment was conducted to study the effects of the grain size and thickness of dust deposits on the soil water evaporation and salt movement in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. Under the same initial soil water content and deposition thickness condition, finer-textured (<0.063 mm) deposits promoted soil water evaporation, deeper soil desiccation, and surface soil salt accumulation, while coarse-textured (0.063-2 mm) deposits inhibited soil water evaporation and decreased deeper soil water loss and surface soil salt accumulation. The inhibition effect of the grain size of dust deposits on soil water evaporation had an inflection point at the grain size 0.20 mm, i. e., increased with increasing grain size when the grain size was 0.063-0.20 mm but decreased with increasing grain size when the grain size was > 0.20 mm. With the increasing thickness of dust deposits, its inhibition effect on soil water evaporation increased, and there existed a logarithmic relationship between the dust deposits thickness and water evaporation. Surface soil salt accumulation had a negative correlation with dust deposits thickness. In sum, the dust deposits in study area could affect the stability of arid desert ecosystem.

Grain dust-induced lung inflammation is reduced by Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A.

PubMed

Jagielo, P J; Quinn, T J; Qureshi, N; Schwartz, D A

1998-01-01

To further determine the importance of endotoxin in grain dust-induced inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, we evaluated the efficacy of pentaacylated diphosphoryl lipid A derived from the lipopolysaccharide of Rhodobacter sphaeroides (RsDPLA) as a partial agonist of grain dust-induced airway inflammation. RsDPLA is a relatively inactive compound compared with lipid A derived from Escherichia coli (LPS) and has been demonstrated to act as a partial agonist of LPS-induced inflammation. To assess the potential stimulatory effect of RsDPLA in relation to LPS, we incubated THP-1 cells with RsDPLA (0.001-100 micrograms/ml), LPS (0.02 microgram endotoxin activity/ml), or corn dust extract (CDE; 0.02 microgram endotoxin activity/ml). Incubation with RsDPLA revealed a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha stimulatory effect at 100 micrograms/ml. In contrast, incubation with LPS or CDE resulted in TNF-alpha release at 0.02 microgram/ml. Pretreatment of THP-1 cells with varying concentrations of RsDPLA before incubation with LPS or CDE (0.02 microgram endotoxin activity/ml) resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the LPS- or CDE-induced release of TNF-alpha with concentrations of RsDPLA of up to 10 micrograms/ml but not at 100 micrograms/ml. To further understand the role of endotoxin in grain dust-induced airway inflammation, we utilized the unique LPS inhibitory property of RsDPLA to determine the inflammatory response to inhaled CDE in mice in the presence of RsDPLA. Ten micrograms of RsDPLA intratracheally did not cause a significant inflammatory response compared with intratracheal saline. However, pretreatment of mice with 10 micrograms of RsDPLA intratracheally before exposure to CDE (5.4 and 0.2 micrograms/m3) or LPS (7.2 and 0.28 micrograms/m3) resulted in significant reductions in the lung lavage concentrations of total cells, neutrophils, and specific proinflammatory cytokines compared with mice pretreated with sterile saline. These results confirm the LPS

Photoemission Experiments for Charge Characteristics of Individual Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; West, E.; Pratico, J.; Tankosic, D.; Venturini, C. C.; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Photoemission experiments with UV radiation have been performed to investigate the microphysics and charge characteristics of individual isolated dust grains of various compositions and sizes by using the electrodynamic balance facility at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Dust particles of 2-10 gm diameter are levitated in a vacuum chamber at pressures approximately 10(exp-5) torr and exposed to a collimated beam of UV radiation in the 120-200 nm spectral range from a deuterium lamp source with a MgF2 window. A monochromator is used to select the UV wavelength with a spectral resolution of 8 nm. The electrodynamic facility permits measurements of the charge and diameters of particles of known composition, and monitoring of photoemission rates with the incident UV radiation. Experiments have been conducted on test particles of silica and polystyrene to determine the photoelectric yields and surface equilibrium potentials when exposed to UV radiation. A brief description of an experimental procedure for photoemission studies is given and some preliminary laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual dust particles are presented.

Grain elevator workers show work-related pulmonary function changes and dose-effect relationships with dust exposure.

PubMed Central

Corey, P; Hutcheon, M; Broder, I; Mintz, S

1982-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether grain handlers underwent work-related changes in their pulmonary function and, if so, to examine the dose-effect relationships with dust exposure. The pulmonary function of grain handlers was measured at the beginning and end of work shifts over a period of one week, during which their exposure to dust was measured daily. The results showed changes indicative of a within-day obstructive change, in addition to a small restrictive defect occurring over the course of a week. Civic outside labourers who were examined as a control group showed a similar within-week obstructive change without any associated restriction of lung volume. The data on the grain handlers were also used to examine the dose-effect relationships of dust exposure, both on baseline pulmonary function and on within-day changes in these measurements. The baseline flow rates of workers who did not wear a mask were found to vary inversely with their average exposure to respirable dust. In addition, the flow rates underwent a within-day decrease that varied directly with their corresponding exposure to respirable dust and was unrelated to mask wearing. The median of the slopes for this relationship indicated that 50% of the subjects had a decrease of at least 923 ml/s in the value of their Vmax50%VC for each 1 mg/m3 increase in the concentration of respirable dust. Non-respirable dust did not have a measurable effect either on the baseline or the within-day changes in pulmonary function. The acute changes were unaffected by age, duration of employment, or extent of smoking. PMID:7138793

Laboratory Studies of Optical Characteristics and Condensation Processes of Cosmic Dust Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, J. F., Jr.; Abbas, M. M.; Venturini, C. C.

2000-01-01

Information about the optical characteristics and physical processes involving cosmic dust particles is vital for interpretation of astronomical observations and an understanding of the formation and processing of dust in the evolutionary cycle of matter in the interstellar medium. Cosmic dust particles are formed in a variety of astrophysical environments such as in cool stellar outflows and circumstellar envelopes. Definitive knowledge of the nature, composition, and physical processes of cosmic dust grains, however, can only be inferred from astronomical observations through laboratory experiments on the analogs of hypothesized dust particles and with modeling calculations. Laboratory investigations of the nature, composition, and optical characteristics of cosmic dust particles are being, carried out at many institutions with a variety of experimental techniques. Despite a wealth of available data, however, many basic issues remain unresolved. An experimental facility based on suspension of dust particles in electrodynamic balance in a pressure/temperature controlled environment in a cavity has been operational at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and is currently being employed for studies of dust particle charging mechanisms using electron beams and with UV radiation. In this paper, we discuss two general classes of experiments under planning stages that may be simultaneously carried out on this facility for cosmic dust investigations (i) Infrared optical characteristics (extinction coefficients and scattering phase functions) of the analogs of hypothesized of cosmic dust particles, such as natural and synthetic amorphous silicates with varying compositions, amorphous carbon grains, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and icy core-mantle particles etc. The initial spectral range under consideration is 1-25 micrometers, to be extended to the far infrared region in the future (ii) Condensation of volatile gases on nucleus dust particles to be

Near-infrared morphology of protoplanetary nebulae - The icy dust torus of Minkowski's Footprint (M1-92)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eiroa, C.; Hodapp, K.-W.

1989-01-01

High-resolution near-infrared images and ice-band spectra of the protoplanetary nebula M1-92 (Minkowski's Footprint) are presented. The direct images of the object display a typical bipolar morphology with the star located in the center of the nebula illuminating two lobes. The overall dimensions are the same in the J, H, and K infrared bands, and they are similar to those in the optical range. The near-infrared color images clearly reveal a dust torus around the central star. The orientation of the object in the plane of the sky allows the simultaneous view of the illuminating star, the nebular lobes, and the dust torus in a highly favorable perspective, only rarely found in other bipolar nebulae. The ice-band spectra make it possible to locate the H2O-ice grains within the dust torus; in addition, the narrow ice feature indicates that the ices are primarily pure crystalline water.

Airborne and Grain Dust Fungal Community Compositions Are Shaped Regionally by Plant Genotypes and Farming Practices

PubMed Central

Pellissier, Loïc; Oppliger, Anne; Hirzel, Alexandre H.; Savova-Bianchi, Dessislava; Mbayo, Guilain; Mascher, Fabio; Kellenberger, Stefan

2016-01-01

Chronic exposure to airborne fungi has been associated with different respiratory symptoms and pathologies in occupational populations, such as grain workers. However, the homogeneity in the fungal species composition of these bioaerosols on a large geographical scale and the different drivers that shape these fungal communities remain unclear. In this study, the diversity of fungi in grain dust and in the aerosols released during harvesting was determined across 96 sites at a geographical scale of 560 km2 along an elevation gradient of 500 m by tag-encoded 454 pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Associations between the structure of fungal communities in the grain dust and different abiotic (farming system, soil characteristics, and geographic and climatic parameters) and biotic (wheat cultivar and previous crop culture) factors were explored. These analyses revealed a strong relationship between the airborne and grain dust fungal communities and showed the presence of allergenic and mycotoxigenic species in most samples, which highlights the potential contribution of these fungal species to work-related respiratory symptoms of grain workers. The farming system was the major driver of the alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity values of fungal communities. In addition, elevation and soil CaCO3 concentrations shaped the alpha diversity, whereas wheat cultivar, cropping history, and the number of freezing days per year shaped the taxonomic beta diversity of these communities. PMID:26826229

Dust evolution, a global view: III. Core/mantle grains, organic nano-globules, comets and surface chemistry

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Within the framework of The Heterogeneous dust Evolution Model for Interstellar Solids (THEMIS), this work explores the surface processes and chemistry relating to core/mantle interstellar and cometary grain structures and their influence on the nature of these fascinating particles. It appears that a realistic consideration of the nature and chemical reactivity of interstellar grain surfaces could self-consistently and within a coherent framework explain: the anomalous oxygen depletion, the nature of the CO dark gas, the formation of ‘polar ice’ mantles, the red wing on the 3 μm water ice band, the basis for the O-rich chemistry observed in hot cores, the origin of organic nano-globules and the 3.2 μm ‘carbonyl’ absorption band observed in comet reflectance spectra. It is proposed that the reaction of gas phase species with carbonaceous a-C(:H) grain surfaces in the interstellar medium, in particular the incorporation of atomic oxygen into grain surfaces in epoxide functional groups, is the key to explaining these observations. Thus, the chemistry of cosmic dust is much more intimately related with that of the interstellar gas than has previously been considered. The current models for interstellar gas and dust chemistry will therefore most likely need to be fundamentally modified to include these new grain surface processes. PMID:28083090

SIZE AND SURFACE AREA OF ICY DUST AGGREGATES AFTER A HEATING EVENT AT A PROTOPLANETARY NEBULA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sirono, Sin-iti

2013-03-01

The activity of a young star rises abruptly during an FU Orionis outburst. This event causes a temporary temperature increase in the protoplanetary nebula. H{sub 2}O icy grains are sublimated by this event, and silicate cores embedded inside the ice are ejected. During the high-temperature phase, the silicate grains coagulate to form silicate core aggregates. After the heating event, the temperature drops, and the ice recondenses onto the aggregates. I determined numerically the size distribution of the ice-covered aggregates. The size of the aggregates exceeds 10 {mu}m around the snow line. Because of the migration of the ice to largemore » aggregates, only a small fraction of the silicate core aggregate is covered with H{sub 2}O ice. After the heating event, the surface of an ice-covered aggregate is totally covered by silicate core aggregates. This might reduce the fragmentation velocity of aggregates when they collide. It is possible that the covering silicate cores shield the UV radiation field which induces photodissociation of H{sub 2}O ice. This effect may cause the shortage of cold H{sub 2}O vapor observed by Herschel.« less

Enforcing dust mass conservation in 3D simulations of tightly coupled grains with the PHANTOM SPH code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballabio, G.; Dipierro, G.; Veronesi, B.; Lodato, G.; Hutchison, M.; Laibe, G.; Price, D. J.

2018-06-01

We describe a new implementation of the one-fluid method in the SPH code PHANTOM to simulate the dynamics of dust grains in gas protoplanetary discs. We revise and extend previously developed algorithms by computing the evolution of a new fluid quantity that produces a more accurate and numerically controlled evolution of the dust dynamics. Moreover, by limiting the stopping time of uncoupled grains that violate the assumptions of the terminal velocity approximation, we avoid fatal numerical errors in mass conservation. We test and validate our new algorithm by running 3D SPH simulations of a large range of disc models with tightly and marginally coupled grains.

Formation and Destruction Processes of Interstellar Dust: From Organic Molecules to carbonaceous Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salama, F.; Biennier, L.

2004-01-01

The study of the formation and destruction processes of cosmic dust is essential to understand and to quantify the budget of extraterrestrial organic molecules. interstellar dust presents a continuous size distribution from large molecules, radicals and ions to nanometer-sized particles to micron-sized grains. The lower end of the dust size distribution is thought to be responsible for the ubiquitous spectral features that are seen in emission in the IR (UIBs) and in absorption in the visible (DIBs). The higher end of the dust-size distribution is thought to be responsible for the continuum emission plateau that is seen in the IR and for the strong absorption seen in the interstellar UV extinction curve. All these spectral signatures are characteristic of cosmic organic materials that are ubiquitous and present in various forms from gas-phase molecules to solid-state grains. Although dust with all its components plays an important role in the evolution of interstellar chemistry and in the formation of organic molecules, little is known on the formation and destruction processes of dust. Recent space observations in the UV (HST) and in the IR (ISO) help place size constraints on the molecular component of carbonaceous IS dust and indicate that small (ie., subnanometer) PAHs cannot contribute significantly to the IS features in the UV and in the IR. Studies of large molecular and nano-sized IS dust analogs formed from PAH precursors have been performed in our laboratory under conditions that simulate diffuse ISM environments (the particles are cold -100 K vibrational energy, isolated in the gas phase and exposed to a high-energy discharge environment in a cold plasma). The species (molecules, molecular fragments, ions, nanoparticles, etc) formed in the pulsed discharge nozzle (PDN) plasma source are detected with a high-sensitivity cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS). We will present new experimental results that indicate that nanoparticles are generated in the

Neurogenic plasma exudation mediates grain dust-induced tissue injury in vivo.

PubMed

Gao, X P; Von Essen, S; Rubinstein, I

1997-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an aqueous extract of grain sorghum dust (GDE) elicits neurogenic plasma exudation in the oral mucosa in vivo. Using intravital microscopy, we found that GDE elicited significant, concentration-dependent leaky site formation and an increase in clearance of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran (FITC-dextran; mol mass 70 kDa) from the hamster cheek pouch (P < 0.05). The selective, nonpeptide neurokinin(1) (substance P) receptor antagonists, CP-96,345 and RP-67580, but not the 2R,3R enantiomer CP-96,344, significantly attenuated GDE-induced leaky site formation and increase in clearance of FITC-dextran (P < 0.05). Indomethacin had no significant effects on GDE-induced responses. CP-96,345 had no significant effects of adenosine-induced leaky site formation and increase in clearance of FITC-dextran from the cheek pouch. We conclude that GDE elicits neurogenic plasma exudation from the oral mucosa in vivo. We suggest that this process is one mechanism whereby grain sorghum dust elicits immediate oral mucosa inflammation in vivo.

Stochastic Parameterization for Light Absorption by Internally Mixed BC/dust in Snow Grains for Application to Climate Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liou, K. N.; Takano, Y.; He, Cenlin

2014-06-27

A stochastic approach to model the positions of BC/dust internally mixed with two snow-grain types has been developed, including hexagonal plate/column (convex) and Koch snowflake (concave). Subsequently, light absorption and scattering analysis can be followed by means of an improved geometric-optics approach coupled with Monte Carlo photon tracing to determine their single-scattering properties. For a given shape (plate, Koch snowflake, spheroid, or sphere), internal mixing absorbs more light than external mixing. The snow-grain shape effect on absorption is relatively small, but its effect on the asymmetry factor is substantial. Due to a greater probability of intercepting photons, multiple inclusions ofmore » BC/dust exhibit a larger absorption than an equal-volume single inclusion. The spectral absorption (0.2 – 5 um) for snow grains internally mixed with BC/dust is confined to wavelengths shorter than about 1.4 um, beyond which ice absorption predominates. Based on the single-scattering properties determined from stochastic and light absorption parameterizations and using the adding/doubling method for spectral radiative transfer, we find that internal mixing reduces snow albedo more than external mixing and that the snow-grain shape plays a critical role in snow albedo calculations through the asymmetry factor. Also, snow albedo reduces more in the case of multiple inclusion of BC/dust compared to that of an equal-volume single sphere. For application to land/snow models, we propose a two-layer spectral snow parameterization containing contaminated fresh snow on top of old snow for investigating and understanding the climatic impact of multiple BC/dust internal mixing associated with snow grain metamorphism, particularly over mountains/snow topography.« less

Bonanza: An extremely large dust grain from a supernova

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyngard, Frank; Jadhav, Manavi; Nittler, Larry R.; Stroud, Rhonda M.; Zinner, Ernst

2018-01-01

We report the morphology, microstructure, and isotopic composition of the largest SiC stardust grain known to have condensed from a supernova. The 25-μm diameter grain, termed Bonanza, was found in an acid-resistant residue of the Murchison meteorite. Grains of such large size have neither been observed around supernovae nor predicted to form in stellar environments. The large size of Bonanza has allowed the measurement of the isotopic composition of more elements in it than any other previous presolar grain, including: Li, B, C, N, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni. Bonanza exhibits large isotopic anomalies in the elements C, N, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni typical of an astrophysical origin in ejecta of a Type II core-collapse supernova and comparable to those previously observed for other presolar SiC grains of type X. Additionally, we extracted multiple focused ion beam lift-out sections from different regions of the grain. Our transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that the crystalline order varies at the micrometer scale, and includes rare, higher order polytype domains (e.g., 15 R). Analyses with STEM-EDS show Bonanza contains a heterogeneous distribution of subgrains with sizes ranging from <10 nm to >100 nm of Ti(N, C); Fe, Ni-rich grains with variable Fe:Ni; and (Al, Mg)N. Bonanza also has the highest ever inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratio, consistent with its supernova origin. This unique grain affords us the largest expanse of data, both microstructurally and isotopically, to compare with detailed calculations of nucleosynthesis and dust condensation in supernovae.

Photoemission Experiments for Charge Characteristics of Individual Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Spann, James F., Jr.; Craven, Paul D.; West, E.; Pratico, Jared; Scheianu, D.; Tankosic, D.; Venturini, C. C.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Photoemission experiments with UV radiation have been performed to investigate the microphysics and charge characteristics of individual isolated dust grains of various compositions and sizes by using the electrodynamic balance facility at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Dust particles of 1 - 100 micrometer diameter are levitated in a vacuum chamber at pressures approx. 10(exp -5) torr and exposed to a collimated beam of UV radiation in the 120-300 nanometers spectral range from a deuterium lamp source with a MgF2 window. A monochromator is used to select the UV radiation wavelength with a spectral resolution of 8 nanometers. The electrodynamic facility permits measurements of the charge and diameters of particles of known composition, and monitoring of photoemission rates with the incident UV radiation. Experiments have been conducted on Al2O3 and silicate particles, and in particular on JSC-1 Mars regolith simulants, to determine the photoelectron yields and surface equilibrium potentials of dust particles when exposed to UV radiation in the 120-250 micrometers spectral range. A brief discussion of the experimental procedure, the results of photoemission experiments, and comparisons with theoretical models will be presented.

DustEM: Dust extinction and emission modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Compiègne, M.; Verstraete, L.; Jones, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Boulanger, F.; Flagey, N.; Le Bourlot, J.; Paradis, D.; Ysard, N.

2013-07-01

DustEM computes the extinction and the emission of interstellar dust grains heated by photons. It is written in Fortran 95 and is jointly developed by IAS and CESR. The dust emission is calculated in the optically thin limit (no radiative transfer) and the default spectral range is 40 to 108 nm. The code is designed so dust properties can easily be changed and mixed and to allow for the inclusion of new grain physics.

Grain Surface Chemistry and the Composition of Interstellar Ices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2006-01-01

Submicron sized dust grains are an important component of the interstellar medium. In particular they provide surface where active chemistry can take place. At the low temperatures (-10 K) of the interstellar medium, colliding gas phase species will stick, diffuse, react, and form an icy mantle on these dust grains. This talk will review the principles of grain surface chemistry and delineate important grain surface routes, focusing on reactions involving H, D, and O among each other and with molecules such as CO. Interstellar ice mantles can be studied through the fundamental vibrations of molecular species in the mid-infrared spectra of sources embedded in or located behind dense molecular clouds. Analysis of this type of data has provided a complex view of the composition of these ices and the processes involved. Specifically, besides grain surface chemistry, the composition of interstellar ices is also affected by thermal processing due to nearby newly formed stars. This leads to segregation between different ice components as well as outgassing. The latter results in the formation of a so-called Hot Core region with a gas phase composition dominated by evaporated mantle species. Studies of such regions provide thus a different view on the ice composition and the chemical processes involved. Interstellar ices can also be processed by FUV photons and high energy cosmic ray ions. Cosmic ray processing likely dominates the return of accreted species to the gas phase where further gas phase reactions can take place. These different chemical routes towards molecular complexity in molecular clouds and particularly regions of star formation will be discussed.

Measuring the Dust Grains and Distance to X Persei Via Its X-ray Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Randall

2006-09-01

We propose to observe the X-ray halo of the high mass X-ray binary pulsar X Per to measure interstellar dust grains along the line of sight (LOS) and to determine the distance to X Per. The X-ray halo is formed by scattering from grains along the LOS, which for X Per appear to be concentrated in one molecular cloud. Unlike many other X-ray halo observations, this low-absorption high-latitude sightline is well-characterized from absorption spectroscopy done with HST, Copernicus, and FUSE. This halo observation will measure the distance to the cloud and the dust size distribution in it. We will also be able to determine the distance to X Per by measuring the time delayed pulses in the X-ray halo.

Airway responsiveness to methacholine, respiratory symptoms, and dust exposure levels in grain and flour mill workers in eastern France.

PubMed

Massin, N; Bohadana, A B; Wild, P; Kolopp-Sarda, M N; Toamain, J P

1995-06-01

Our goal was to assess the relation between dust exposure levels and the respiratory health status of workers in grain and flour mills in eastern France. We studied 118 male workers from 11 mills and 164 unexposed male controls. Dust concentration was measured by personal sampling methods. Outcome variables included respiratory symptoms, routine pulmonary function tests, and indices of airway responsiveness to methacholine. A great within- and between-area variability of inhalable dust concentration was found in all mills. A dose-response relationship was observed between dust exposure levels and chronic respiratory symptoms, suggesting that exposure to grain and flour dust may lead to chronic bronchitis. A significant relation was found between dust exposure and airway hyper-responsiveness; this finding is important since it has been hypothesized that the latter abnormality may lead to or be a predisposing factor in subsequent chronic, irreversible airflow obstruction.

Airborne and Grain Dust Fungal Community Compositions Are Shaped Regionally by Plant Genotypes and Farming Practices.

PubMed

Pellissier, Loïc; Oppliger, Anne; Hirzel, Alexandre H; Savova-Bianchi, Dessislava; Mbayo, Guilain; Mascher, Fabio; Kellenberger, Stefan; Niculita-Hirzel, Hélène

2016-01-29

Chronic exposure to airborne fungi has been associated with different respiratory symptoms and pathologies in occupational populations, such as grain workers. However, the homogeneity in the fungal species composition of these bioaerosols on a large geographical scale and the different drivers that shape these fungal communities remain unclear. In this study, the diversity of fungi in grain dust and in the aerosols released during harvesting was determined across 96 sites at a geographical scale of 560 km(2) along an elevation gradient of 500 m by tag-encoded 454 pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Associations between the structure of fungal communities in the grain dust and different abiotic (farming system, soil characteristics, and geographic and climatic parameters) and biotic (wheat cultivar and previous crop culture) factors were explored. These analyses revealed a strong relationship between the airborne and grain dust fungal communities and showed the presence of allergenic and mycotoxigenic species in most samples, which highlights the potential contribution of these fungal species to work-related respiratory symptoms of grain workers. The farming system was the major driver of the alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity values of fungal communities. In addition, elevation and soil CaCO3 concentrations shaped the alpha diversity, whereas wheat cultivar, cropping history, and the number of freezing days per year shaped the taxonomic beta diversity of these communities. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Scattering properties of natural snow and frost - Comparison with icy satellite photometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verbiscer, Anne J.; Veverka, Joseph

1990-01-01

The Hapke (1986) equation is presently fit to ascertain the single-scattering albedo of the icy satellites of Uranus and Neptune and the one-term Henyey-Greenstein particle-phase function g for each of the Middleton and Mungall (1952) goniophotometric data samples. There emerge both very high single-scattering albedos and strongly forward-scattering particle phase functions; while these are in keeping with Mie theory-based theoretical considerations, they contrast with the observed backscattering behavior of icy satellites. It is suggested the icy satellite frost grains are aggregated into particles of complex texture, which produce the unusual backscattering behavior.

The Structure of Pre-Transitional Protoplanetary Disks. II Azimuthal Asymmetries, Different Radial Distributions of Large and Small Dust Grains in PDS 70

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashimoto, J.; Tsukagoshi, T.; Brown, J. M.; Dong, R.; Muto, T.; Zhu, Z.; Wisniewski, J.; Ohashi, N.; Kudo, T.; Kusakabe, N.;

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of the Surfaces of the Inner Icy Saturnian Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrix, A. R.; Hansen, C. J.

2008-12-01

The Cassini mission has provided a unique opportunity to make high-resolution, multi-spectral measurements of Saturn's icy moons, to investigate their surface compositions, processes and evolution. Here we present results from the Ultraviolet Imaing Spectrograph (UVIS). This instrument allows for the first measurements of the icy satellites in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to far-ultraviolet (FUV) wavelength range. The icy satellites of the Saturn system exhibit a remarkable amount of variability: Dark, battered Phoebe orbiting at a distant 200 RS, black-and-white Iapetus, the wispy streaks of Dione, cratered Rhea and Mimas, bright Tethys and geologically active Enceladus. Phoebe, Iapetus and Hyperion all orbit largely outside Saturn's magnetosphere, while the inner icy satellites Mimas, Enceladus, Dione Tethys and Rhea all orbit within the magnetosphere. Furthermore, the inner icy satellites all orbit within the E-ring - so the extent of exogenic effects on these icy satellites is wide-ranging. We present an overview of UVIS results from Tethys, Dione, Mimas, Enceladus and Rhea, focusing on surface investigations. We expect that the UV signatures of these icy satellites are strongly influenced not only by their water ice composition, but by external effects and magnetospheric environments. We study the FUV reflectance spectra to learn about the surface composition, map out water ice grain size variations, investigate effects of coating by E-ring grains, examine disk-resolved and hemispheric compositional and brightness variations, and investigate the presence of radiation products. This is new work: FUV spectra of surfaces have not been well-studied in the past. Spectra of the inner icy moons have been used to better develop spectral models, to further understand existing lab data of water ice and to help with understanding instrument performance. Analysis is challenged by a lack of laboratory data in this wavelength region, but intriguing results are being found

Interstellar grain chemistry and organic molecules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allamandola, L. J.; Sandford, S. A.

1990-01-01

The detection of prominant infrared absorption bands at 3250, 2170, 2138, 1670 and 1470 cm(-1) (3.08, 4.61, 4.677, 5.99 and 6.80 micron m) associated with molecular clouds show that mixed molecular (icy) grain mantles are an important component of the interstellar dust in the dense interstellar medium. These ices, which contain many organic molecules, may also be the production site of the more complex organic grain mantles detected in the diffuse interstellar medium. Theoretical calculations employing gas phase as well as grain surface reactions predict that the ices should be dominated only by the simple molecules H2O, H2CO, N2, CO, O2, NH3, CH4, possibly CH3OH, and their deuterated counterparts. However, spectroscopic observations in the 2500 to 1250 cm(-1)(4 to 8 micron m) range show substantial variation from source reactions alone. By comparing these astronomical spectra with the spectra of laboratory-produced analogs of interstellar ices, one can determine the composition and abundance of the materials frozen on the grains in dense clouds. Experiments are described in which the chemical evolution of an interstellar ice analog is determined during irradiation and subsequent warm-up. Particular attention is paid to the types of moderately complex organic materials produced during these experiments which are likely to be present in interstellar grains and cometary ices.

Occupational asthma and IgE sensitization to grain dust.

PubMed Central

Park, H. S.; Nahm, D. H.; Suh, C. H.; Kwon, O. Y.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, S. W.; Chung, H. K.

1998-01-01

To evaluate type I hypersensitivity to grain dust (GD), its prevalence and relationship to respiratory dysfunction, we studied clinical and immunologic features, including skin prick tests (SPT), serum specific IgE, and bronchoprovocation tests of 43 employees working in the animal feed industry. To further characterize IgE-mediated reaction, SDS-PAGE and electroblot studies were performed. Our survey revealed that 15 (34.9%) subjects had work-related skin response (> or =2+ of A/H ratio) to GD, thirteen (30.2%) had high specific IgE antibody against GD. The specific IgE antibody was detected more frequently in symptomatic workers (40%) than in asymptomatic workers (11%). Significant association was found between specific IgE antibody and atopy or smoking (p<0.05). The ELISA inhibition test of GD revealed significant inhibitions by GD extract and minimal inhibitions by the house dust mite, storage mite and corn dust. Immunoblot analysis showed 8 IgE binding components within GD ranging from 13.5 to 142.5 kDa. Two bands (13.5, 33 kDa) were bound to the IgE from more than 50% of the 14 sera tested. In conclusion, these findings suggest that GD inhalation could induce IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in exposed workers. PMID:9681805

Occupational asthma and IgE sensitization to grain dust.

PubMed

Park, H S; Nahm, D H; Suh, C H; Kwon, O Y; Kim, K S; Lee, S W; Chung, H K

1998-06-01

To evaluate type I hypersensitivity to grain dust (GD), its prevalence and relationship to respiratory dysfunction, we studied clinical and immunologic features, including skin prick tests (SPT), serum specific IgE, and bronchoprovocation tests of 43 employees working in the animal feed industry. To further characterize IgE-mediated reaction, SDS-PAGE and electroblot studies were performed. Our survey revealed that 15 (34.9%) subjects had work-related skin response (> or =2+ of A/H ratio) to GD, thirteen (30.2%) had high specific IgE antibody against GD. The specific IgE antibody was detected more frequently in symptomatic workers (40%) than in asymptomatic workers (11%). Significant association was found between specific IgE antibody and atopy or smoking (p<0.05). The ELISA inhibition test of GD revealed significant inhibitions by GD extract and minimal inhibitions by the house dust mite, storage mite and corn dust. Immunoblot analysis showed 8 IgE binding components within GD ranging from 13.5 to 142.5 kDa. Two bands (13.5, 33 kDa) were bound to the IgE from more than 50% of the 14 sera tested. In conclusion, these findings suggest that GD inhalation could induce IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in exposed workers.

The Scattering Properties of Natural Terrestrial Snows versus Icy Satellite Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domingue, Deborah; Hartman, Beth; Verbiscer, Anne

1997-01-01

Our comparisons of the single particle scattering behavior of terrestrial snows and icy satellite regoliths to the laboratory particle scattering measurements of McGuire and Hapke demonstrate that the differences between icy satellite regoliths and their terrestrial counterparts are due to particle structures and textures. Terrestrial snow particle structures define a region in the single particle scattering function parameter space separate from the regions defined by the McGuire and Hapke artificial laboratory particles. The particle structures and textures of the grains composing icy satellites regoliths are not simple or uniform but consist of a variety of particle structure and texture types, some of which may be a combination of the particle types investigated by McGuire and Hapke.

Chemically anomalous, pre-accretionally irradiated grains in interplanetary dust -- interstellar grains?. [Abstract only

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bradley, J. P.

1994-01-01

Ultrafine-grained matrix is a unique and fundamental building block of chondritic porous (CP) interplanetary dust particles. Most IDPs so far determined to be of cometary origin belong to the CP class. The matrix in CP IDPs is not homogeneous but rather a loose mixture of discrete single crystals (e.g., olivine, pyroxene, Fe sulfides) and polyphase grains. The petrographic diversity observed among the polyphase grains suggest that they were formed under variable physiochemical conditions. One particular class of polyphase grains are a dominant component in cometary IDPs. Although their occurrence is well documented, the terminology used to describe them is confused. They have been called many names. Here they are simply called GEMS (Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides). The bulk compositions of GEMS are within a factor of 3 chondritic (solar) for all major elements except C. Quantitative thin-film X-ray (EDS) analyses have shown that GEMS are systematically depleted in Mg and Si, enriched in S, Fe, and Ni, and stoichiometrically enriched in O. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) suggests that the excess O is present as hydroxyl (-OH) groups. These same chemical 'anomalies' were observed in solar-wind-irradiated amorphous rims on the surfaces of IDPs, suggesting that the compositions of GEMS reflect prior exposure to ionizing radiation. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of Allende (CV3) matrix was exposed to proton flux. Radiation-damaged amorphous rims on olivine and pyroxene crystals in the Allende sample were found to be depleted in Mg and Ca, enriched in S, Fe, and Ni, and stoichiometrically enriched in O. Thus, the compositions of GEMS are indeed consistent with exposure to ionizing radiation. This study suggests that chemical as well as isotopic anomalies may be used to identify presolar interstellar grains in primitive meteoritic materials.

Transformation of Graphitic and Amorphous Carbon Dust to Complex Organic Molecules in a Massive Carbon Cycle in Protostellar Nebulae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nuth, Joseph A., III; Johnson, Natasha M.

2012-01-01

More than 95% of silicate minerals and other oxides found in meteorites were melted, or vaporized and recondensed in the Solar Nebula prior to their incorporation into meteorite parent bodies. Gravitational accretion energy and heating via radioactive decay further transformed oxide minerals accreted into planetesimals. In such an oxygen-rich environment the carbonaceous dust that fell into the nebula as an intimate mixture with oxide grains should have been almost completely converted to CO. While some pre-collapse, molecular-cloud carbonaceous dust does survive, much in the same manner as do pre-solar oxide grains, such materials constitute only a few percent of meteoritic carbon and are clearly distinguished by elevated D/H, N-15/N-16, C-13/C-12 ratios or noble gas patterns. Carbonaceous Dust in Meteorites: We argue that nearly all of the carbon in meteorites was synthesized in the Solar Nebula from CO and that this CO was generated by the reaction of carbonaceous dust with solid oxides, water or OH. It is probable that some fraction of carbonaceous dust that is newly synthesized in the Solar Nebula is also converted back into CO by additional thermal processing. CO processing might occur on grains in the outer nebula through irradiation of CO-containing ice coatings or in the inner nebula via Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) reactions on grain surfaces. Large-scale transport of both gaseous reaction products and dust from the inner nebula out to regions where comets formed would spread newly formed carbonaceous materials throughout the solar nebula. Formation of Organic Carbon: Carbon dust in the ISM might easily be described as inorganic graphite or amorphous carbon, with relatively low structural abundances of H, N, O and S . Products of FTT reactions or organics produced via irradiation of icy grains contain abundant aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. aldehydes, keytones, acids, amines and amides.. The net result of the massive nebular carbon cycle is to convert

Grain growth in Class I protostar Per-emb-50: a dust continuum analysis with NOEMA & SMA .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agurto-Gangas, C.; Pineda, J. E.; Testi, L.; Caselli, P.; Szucs, L.; Tazzari, M.; Dunham, M.; Stephens, I. W.; Miotello, A.

A good understanding of when dust grains grow from sub-micrometer to millimeter sizes occurs is crucial for models of planet formation. This provides the first step towards the production of pebbles and planetesimals in protoplanetary disks. Thanks to detailed studies of the spectral index in Class II disks, it is well established that Class II objects have already dust grains of millimetres sizes, however, it is not clear when in the star formation process this grain growth occurs. Here, we present interferometric data from NOEMA at 3 mm and SMA at 1.3 mm of the Class I protostar, Per-emb-50, to determine the flux density spectral index at mm-wavelengths of the unresolved disk and the surrounding envelope. We find a spectral index in the unresolved disk 30% smaller than the envelope, alpha env=2.18, comparable to values obtained toward Class 0 sources.

Light Scattering by Wavelength-Sized Particles "Dusted" with Subwavelength-Sized Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Janna M.; Mackowski, Daniel W.

2011-01-01

The numerically exact superposition T-matrix method is used to compute the scattering cross sections and the Stokes scattering matrix for polydisperse spherical particles covered with a large number of much smaller grains. We show that the optical effect of the presence of microscopic dust on the surfaces of wavelength-sized, weakly absorbing particles is much less significant than that of a major overall asphericity of the particle shape.

COHESION OF AMORPHOUS SILICA SPHERES: TOWARD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE COAGULATION GROWTH OF SILICATE DUST AGGREGATES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimura, Hiroshi; Wada, Koji; Senshu, Hiroki

2015-10-10

Adhesion forces between submicrometer-sized silicate grains play a crucial role in the formation of silicate dust agglomerates, rocky planetesimals, and terrestrial planets. The surface energy of silicate dust particles is the key to their adhesion and rolling forces in a theoretical model based on contact mechanics. Here we revisit the cohesion of amorphous silica spheres by compiling available data on the surface energy for hydrophilic amorphous silica in various circumstances. It turned out that the surface energy for hydrophilic amorphous silica in a vacuum is a factor of 10 higher than previously assumed. Therefore, the previous theoretical models underestimated themore » critical velocity for the sticking of amorphous silica spheres, as well as the rolling friction forces between them. With the most plausible value of the surface energy for amorphous silica spheres, theoretical models based on the contact mechanics are in harmony with laboratory experiments. Consequently, we conclude that silicate grains with a radius of 0.1 μm could grow to planetesimals via coagulation in a protoplanetary disk. We argue that the coagulation growth of silicate grains in a molecular cloud is advanced either by organic mantles rather than icy mantles or, if there are no mantles, by nanometer-sized grain radius.« less

Grain Size Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Metals in Outdoor Dust in Chengdu, Southwestern China.

PubMed

Chen, Mengqin; Pi, Lu; Luo, Yan; Geng, Meng; Hu, Wenli; Li, Zhi; Su, Shijun; Gan, Zhiwei; Ding, Sanglan

2016-04-01

A total of 27 outdoor dust samples from roads, parks, and high spots were collected and analyzed to investigate the contamination of 11 metals (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, Sb, and Pb) in Chengdu, China. The results showed that the samples from the high spots exhibited the highest heavy metal level compared with those from the roads and the parks, except for Ni, Cu, and Pb. The dust was classified into five grain size fractions. The mean loads of each grain size fraction of 11 determined metals displayed similar distribution, and the contribution of median size (63-125, 125-250, 250-500 μm) fractions accounted for more than 70% of overall heavy metal loads. The health risk posed by the determined metals to human via dust ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation was investigated. Oral and respiratory bioaccessible parts of the metals in dust were extracted using simulated stomach solution and composite lung serum. The mean bioaccessibilities of 11 investigated metals in the gastric solution were much higher than those in the composite lung serum, especially Zn, Cd, and Pb. Ingestion was the most important exposure pathway with percentage greater than 70% for both children and adults. Risk evaluation results illustrated that children in Chengdu might suffer noncarcinogenic risk when exposed to outdoor dust. Given that the cancer risk values of Pb and Cr larger than 1 × 10(-4), potential carcinogenic risk might occur for Chengdu residents through outdoor dust intake.

Variable extinction in HD 45677 and the evolution of dust grains in pre-main-sequence disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sitko, Michael L.; Halbedel, Elaine M.; Lawrence, Geoffrey F.; Smith, J. Allyn; Yanow, Ken

1994-01-01

Changes in the UV extinction and IR emission were sought in the Herbig Ae/Be star candidate HD 45677 (= FS CMa) by comparing UV, optical, and IR observations made approximately 10 yr apart. HD 45677 varied significantly, becoming more than 50% brighter in the UV and optical than it was a decade ago. A comparison of the observations between epochs indicates that if the variations are due to changes in dust obscuration, the dust acts as a gray absorber into the near-IR and must be depleted in grains smaller than 1 micron. This is similar to the results obtained on the circumstellar disks of stars like Vega and Beta Pic, and suggests that radiation pressure may be responsible for the small-grain depletion. In addition, the total IR flux seems to have declined, indicating a decrease in the total mass of the dust envelope that contributes to the IR emission in this part of the spectrum. Due to the anomalous nature of the extinction, the use of normal extinction curves to deredden the spectral energy distributions of stars with circumstellar dust may lead to significant errors and should be used with great caution.

THE STRUCTURE OF PRE-TRANSITIONAL PROTOPLANETARY DISKS. II. AZIMUTHAL ASYMMETRIES, DIFFERENT RADIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF LARGE AND SMALL DUST GRAINS IN PDS 70 {sup ,}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hashimoto, J.; Wisniewski, J.; Tsukagoshi, T.

The formation scenario of a gapped disk, i.e., transitional disk, and its asymmetry is still under debate. Proposed scenarios such as disk-planet interaction, photoevaporation, grain growth, anticyclonic vortex, eccentricity, and their combinations would result in different radial distributions of the gas and the small (sub-μm size) and large (millimeter size) dust grains as well as asymmetric structures in a disk. Optical/near-infrared (NIR) imaging observations and (sub-)millimeter interferometry can trace small and large dust grains, respectively; therefore multi-wavelength observations could help elucidate the origin of complicated structures of a disk. Here we report Submillimeter Array observations of the dust continuum atmore » 1.3 mm and {sup 12}CO J = 2 → 1 line emission of the pre-transitional protoplanetary disk around the solar-mass star PDS 70. PDS 70, a weak-lined T Tauri star, exhibits a gap in the scattered light from its disk with a radius of ∼65 AU at NIR wavelengths. However, we found a larger gap in the disk with a radius of ∼80 AU at 1.3 mm. Emission from all three disk components (the gas and the small and large dust grains) in images exhibits a deficit in brightness in the central region of the disk, in particular, the dust disk in small and large dust grains has asymmetric brightness. The contrast ratio of the flux density in the dust continuum between the peak position to the opposite side of the disk reaches 1.4. We suggest the asymmetries and different gap radii of the disk around PDS 70 are potentially formed by several (unseen) accreting planets inducing dust filtration.« less

Coarse-grained Mineral Dust Deposition in Alpine Lake Sediments: Implications for Regional Drought Patterns and Land-use Changes in the Southwest USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedraza, A.; Kingsley, C.; Marchitto, T. M., Jr.; Lora, J. M.; Pollen, A.; Vollmer, T.; Leithold, E. L.; Mitchell, J.; Tripati, A. K.; Bhattacharya, A.

2017-12-01

Mineral dust accumulation is often causally associated with aridity. However, the relation might not be as straightforward. Consideration of grain sizes and geochemical fingerprinting of the coarse grain fraction will clearly have an impact on how we interpret the sedimentary record of mineral dust in depositional environments e.g. coarse grain fractions of mineral dust would most certainly be transported over relatively short distances and as such in depositional environments, the depositional rate of coarse grains must be determined in order to reliably understand erosional patterns associated with meteorological events (such as frequency of intense wind events such as tornadoes), climatological phenomenon (such as regional droughts) as well as more recently land-use changes. In this study we separate the two size fractions of mineral dust accumulation- fine fraction (typically <4 microns) and coarse fraction (typically >25 microns using grain size analysis from well-studied cores collected from several lake sites distributed across the western southwestern and the Great Plain regions; furthermore we use trace element analysis in each size fraction to identify contributing source regions. We find evidence that the coarser-grain size fraction in the studied lake cores could be of regional origin (and not just local in orgin);. the coarser fraction also appears to be related to intense meteorological events (i.e., the occurrence of cyclones). Analysis is underway to understand the impact of land-use changes on coarse grain fraction

Plasma drag on a dust grain due to Coulomb collisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Northrop, T. G.; Birmingham, T. J.

1990-01-01

Expressions are given for the drag due to Coulomb collisions on a charged dust grain moving through a plasma. The commonly used Chandrasekhar (1943) result does not include large scattering angles or plasma collective effects. An equation given by Morfill et al. (1980) which does include large scattering angles, is limited to one-dimensional plasma particle motion and can give at least an order of magnitude too much drag. This paper also makes use of an analogy between the drag problem and problems in electrostatics. This analogy permits generalization to any isotropic plasma of an observation made by Chandrasekhar for a Maxwellian, namely, that the drag is independent of the presence or absence of plasma particles moving faster than the grain. Finally, the contribution of plasma collective effects to the drag is studied with the inclusion of large scattering angles.

Radiation Synthesis of Carbon Dioxide in Ice-coated Carbon: Implications for Interstellar Grains and Icy Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raut, U.; Fulvio, D.; Loeffler, M. J.; Baragiola, R. A.

2012-06-01

We report the synthesis of carbon dioxide on an amorphous carbon-13 substrate coated with amorphous water ice from irradiation with 100 keV protons at 20 K and 120 K. The quantitative studies show that the CO2 is dispersed in the ice; its column density increases with ion fluence to a maximum value (in 1015 molecules cm-2) of ~1 at 20 K and ~3 at 120 K. The initial yield is 0.05 (0.1) CO2 per incident H+ at 20 (120) K. The CO2 destruction process, which limits the maximum column density, occurs with an effective cross section of ~2.5 (4.1) × 10-17 cm2 at 20 (120) K. We discuss radiation-induced oxidation by reactions of radicals in water with the carbon surface and demonstrate that these reactions can be a significant source of condensed carbon dioxide in interstellar grains and in icy satellites in the outer solar system.

Effects of polymorphic variations in tumor necrosis factor alpha and occupational exposure to grain dust on longitudinal decline in pulmonary function.

PubMed

Pahwa, Punam; Nakagawa, Kazuko; Koehncke, Niels; McDuffie, Helen H

2009-01-01

Longitudinal declines in pulmonary function are associated with individuals experiencing occupational exposure to organic dusts in combination with lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking and with genetic factors, and interactions between these factors. To investigate the relationship between polymorphism of genes encoding Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha) and longitudinal lung function decline in grain workers exposed to grain dust. Male grain handlers who participated in the Saskatchewan Grain Workers Surveillance Program from 2002 through 2005 provided demographic, occupational, lifestyle, and respiratory symptoms information as well as pulmonary function measurements and DNA for genotyping. Marginal models using the generalized estimating equations approach were fitted by using a SAS PROC GENMOD to predict the annual decline in Forced Expired Volume in one second (FEV(1)) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). Smoking intensity contributed to the decline in FEV(1.)Among *1/*1 homozygotes and *1/*2 heterozygotes, grain workers with <10 years in the grain industry had significantly lower FEV(1)declines compared to those of the other two exposure groups (>10 and < or =20 years, and >20 years in the grain industry). The annual declines in FEV(1)for grain workers who were either *1/*1 homozygote or *1/*2 heterozygote and had been in the grain industry for <10 years were lower by comparison to those of grain workers who were *2/*2 genotype and had been in the industry for <10 years. This research demonstrates that years in the grain industry is an effect modifier between TNF-alpha 308 genotype and longitudinal decline in FEV(1)in male subjects exposed to grain dust.

Lunar dust charging by photoelectric emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.

2007-05-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, as indicated by the transient dust clouds observed over the lunar horizon during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function (WF) of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric efficiencies and yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17 and Luna-24 missions as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The measurements were made on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with

Lunar Dust Charging by Photoelectric Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.

2007-01-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, as indicated by the transient dust clouds observed over the lunar horizon during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function (WF) of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric efficiencies and yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17 and Luna-24 missions as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The measurements were made on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with

Lunar Dust Charging by Photoelectric Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, E. A.

2007-01-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, as indicated by the transient dust clouds observed over the lunar horizon during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon s surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric efficiencies and yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17, and Luna 24 missions, as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The measurements were made on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with the yield

COSMIC DUST AGGREGATION WITH STOCHASTIC CHARGING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matthews, Lorin S.; Hyde, Truell W.; Shotorban, Babak, E-mail: Lorin_Matthews@baylor.edu

2013-10-20

The coagulation of cosmic dust grains is a fundamental process which takes place in astrophysical environments, such as presolar nebulae and circumstellar and protoplanetary disks. Cosmic dust grains can become charged through interaction with their plasma environment or other processes, and the resultant electrostatic force between dust grains can strongly affect their coagulation rate. Since ions and electrons are collected on the surface of the dust grain at random time intervals, the electrical charge of a dust grain experiences stochastic fluctuations. In this study, a set of stochastic differential equations is developed to model these fluctuations over the surface ofmore » an irregularly shaped aggregate. Then, employing the data produced, the influence of the charge fluctuations on the coagulation process and the physical characteristics of the aggregates formed is examined. It is shown that dust with small charges (due to the small size of the dust grains or a tenuous plasma environment) is affected most strongly.« less

Analysis of organic grain coatings in primitive interplanetary dust particles: Implications for the origin of Solar System organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flynn, George

Analysis of organic grain coatings in primitive interplanetary dust particles: Implications for the origin of Solar System organic matter Chondritic, porous interplanetary dust particles (CP IDPs), the most primitive samples of extraterrestrial material available for laboratory analysis [1], are unequilibrated aggregates of mostly submicron, anhydrous grains of a diverse mineralogy. They contain organic matter not produced by parent body aqueous processing [2], some carrying H and N isotopic anomalies consistent with molecular cloud or outer Solar System material [3]. Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscope (STXM) imaging at the C K-edge shows the individual grains in 10 micron aggregate CP IDPs are coated by a layer of carbonaceous material 100 nm thick. This structure implies a three-step formation sequence. First, individual grains condensed from the cooling nebular gas. Then complex, refractory organic molecules covered the surfaces of the grains either by deposition, formation in-situ, or a combination of both processes. Finally, the grains collided and stuck together forming the first dust-size material in the Solar System. Ultramicrotome sections, 70 to 100 nm thick were cut from several CP IDPs, embedded in elemental S to avoid exposure to C-based embedding media. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectra were derived from image stacks obtained using a STXM. "Cluster analysis" was used to compare the C-XANES spectra from each of the pixels in an image stack and identify pixels exhibiting similar spectra. When applied to a CP IDP, cluster analysis identifies most carbonaceous grain coatings in a particle as having similar C-XANES spectra. Two processes are commonly suggested in the literature for production of organic grain coatings. The similarity in thickness and C-XANES spectra of the coatings on different minerals in the same IDP indicates the first, mineral specific catalysis, was not the process that produced these organic rims. Our results

CHARGED DUST GRAIN DYNAMICS SUBJECT TO SOLAR WIND, POYNTING–ROBERTSON DRAG, AND THE INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lhotka, Christoph; Bourdin, Philippe; Narita, Yasuhito, E-mail: christoph.lhotka@oeaw.ac.at, E-mail: philippe.bourdin@oeaw.ac.at, E-mail: yasuhito.narita@oeaw.ac.at

We investigate the combined effect of solar wind, Poynting–Robertson drag, and the frozen-in interplanetary magnetic field on the motion of charged dust grains in our solar system. For this reason, we derive a secular theory of motion by the means of an averaging method and validate it with numerical simulations of the unaveraged equations of motions. The theory predicts that the secular motion of charged particles is mainly affected by the z -component of the solar magnetic axis, or the normal component of the interplanetary magnetic field. The normal component of the interplanetary magnetic field leads to an increase ormore » decrease of semimajor axis depending on its functional form and sign of charge of the dust grain. It is generally accepted that the combined effects of solar wind and photon absorption and re-emmision (Poynting–Robertson drag) lead to a decrease in semimajor axis on secular timescales. On the contrary, we demonstrate that the interplanetary magnetic field may counteract these drag forces under certain circumstances. We derive a simple relation between the parameters of the magnetic field, the physical properties of the dust grain, as well as the shape and orientation of the orbital ellipse of the particle, which is a necessary conditions for the stabilization in semimajor axis.« less

Developing ISM Dust Grain Models with Precision Elemental Abundances from IXO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valencic, L. A.; Smith, R. K.; Juet, A.

2009-01-01

The exact nature of interstellar dust grains in the Galaxy remains mysterious, despite their ubiquity. Many viable models exist, based on available IR-UV data and assumed elemental abundances. However, the abundances, which are perhaps the most stringent constraint, are not well known: modelers must use proxies in the absence of direct measurements for the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). Recent revisions of these proxy values have only added to confusion over which is the best representative for the diffuse ISM, and highlighted the need for direct, high signal-to-noise measurements from the ISM itself. The International X-ray Observatory's superior facilities will enable high-precision elemental abundance measurements. We ill show how these results will measure both the overall ISM abundances and challenge dust models, allowing us to construct a more realistic picture of the ISM.

Radial decoupling of small and large dust grains in the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooistra, Robin; Kamp, Inga; Fukagawa, Misato; Ménard, François; Momose, Munetake; Tsukagoshi, Takashi; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Hashimoto, Jun; Abe, Lyu; Brandner, Wolfgang; Brandt, Timothy D.; Carson, Joseph C.; Egner, Sebastian E.; Feldt, Markus; Goto, Miwa; Grady, Carol A.; Guyon, Olivier; Hayano, Yutaka; Hayashi, Masahiko; Hayashi, Saeko S.; Henning, Thomas; Hodapp, Klaus W.; Ishii, Miki; Iye, Masanori; Janson, Markus; Kandori, Ryo; Knapp, Gillian R.; Kuzuhara, Masayuki; Kwon, Jungmi; Matsuo, Taro; McElwain, Michael W.; Miyama, Shoken; Morino, Jun-Ichi; Moro-Martin, Amaya; Nishimura, Tetsuo; Pyo, Tae-Soo; Serabyn, Eugene; Suenaga, Takuya; Suto, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Ryuji; Takahashi, Yasuhiro H.; Takami, Michihiro; Takato, Naruhisa; Terada, Hiroshi; Thalmann, Christian; Tomono, Daigo; Turner, Edwin L.; Watanabe, Makoto; Wisniewski, John; Yamada, Toru; Takami, Hideki; Usuda, Tomonori; Tamura, Motohide; Currie, Thayne; Akiyama, Eiji; Mayama, Satoshi; Follette, Katherine B.; Nakagawa, Takao

2017-01-01

We present H-band (1.6 μm) scattered light observations of the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255, located in the 1 Myr old Lupus association. From a polarized intensity image, taken with the HiCIAO instrument of the Subaru Telescope, we deduce the position angle and the inclination angle of the disk. The disk is found to extend out to 68 ± 12 AU in scattered light and no clear structure is observed. Our inner working angle of 24 AU does not allow us to detect a central decrease in intensity similar to that seen at 30 AU in the 880 μm continuum observations. We compare the observations with multiple disk models based on the spectral energy distribution (SED) and submm interferometry and find that an inner rim of the outer disk at 30 AU containing small silicate grains produces a polarized intensity signal which is an order of magnitude larger than observed. We show that a model in which the small dust grains extend smoothly into the cavity found for large grains is closer to the actual H-band observations. A comparison of models with different dust size distributions suggests that the dust in the disk might have undergone significant processing compared to the interstellar medium.

Radial decoupling of small and large dust grains in the transitional disk RX J1615.3-3255

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kooistra, Robin; Kamp, Inga; Fukagawa, Misato; Menard, Francois; Momose, Munetake; Tsukagoshi, Takashi; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Hashimoto, Jun; Abe, Lyu;

A New 3D Multi-fluid Dust Model: A Study of the Effects of Activity and Nucleus Rotation on Dust Grain Behavior at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Y.; Combi, M.; Toth, G.; Tenishev, V.; Fougere, N.; Jia, X.; Rubin, M.; Huang, Z.; Hansen, K.; Gombosi, T.

2017-11-01

Improving our capability to interpret observations of cometary dust is necessary to deepen our understanding of the role of dust in the formation of comets and in altering the cometary environments. Models including dust grains are in demand to interpret observations and test hypotheses. Several existing models have taken into account the gas-dust interaction, varying sizes of dust grains and the cometary gravitational force. In this work, we develop a multi-fluid dust model based on the BATS-R-US code. This model not only incorporates key features of previous dust models, but also has the capability of simulating time-dependent phenomena. Since the model is run in the rotating comet reference frame, the centrifugal and Coriolis forces are included. The boundary conditions on the nucleus surface can be set according to the distribution of activity and the solar illumination. The Sun revolves around the comet in this frame. A newly developed numerical mesh is also used to resolve the real-shaped nucleus in the center and to facilitate prescription of the outer boundary conditions that accommodate the rotating frame. The inner part of the mesh is a box composed of Cartesian cells and the outer surface is a smooth sphere, with stretched cells filled in between the box and the sphere. Our model achieved comparable results to the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method and the Rosetta/OSIRIS observations. It is also applied to study the effects of the rotating nucleus and the cometary activity and offers interpretations of some dust observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Downwind changes in grain size of aeolian dust; examples from marine and terrestrial archives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuut, Jan-Berend; Prins, Maarten

2013-04-01

Aeolian dust in the atmosphere may have a cooling effect when small particles in the high atmosphere block incoming solar energy (e.g., Claquin et al., 2003) but it may also act as a 'greenhouse gas' when larger particles in the lower atmosphere trap energy that was reflected from the Earth's surface (e.g., Otto et al., 2007). Therefore, it is of vital importance to have a good understanding of the particle-size distribution of aeolian dust in space and time. As wind is a very size-selective transport mechanism, the sediments it carries typically have a very-well sorted grain-size distribution, which gradually fines from proximal to distal deposition sites. This fact has been used in numerous paleo-environmental studies to both determine source-to-sink changes in the particle size of aeolian dust (e.g., Weltje and Prins, 2003; Holz et al., 2004; Prins and Vriend, 2007) and to quantify mass-accumulation rates of aeolian dust (e.g., Prins and Weltje 1999; Stuut et al., 2002; Prins et al., 2007; Prins and Vriend, 2007; Stuut et al., 2007; Tjallingii et al., 2008; Prins et al., 2009). Studies on modern wind-blown particles have demonstrated that particle size of dust not only is a function of lateral but also vertical transport distance (e.g., Torres-Padron et al., 2002; Stuut et al., 2005). Nonetheless, there are still many unresolved questions related to the physical properties of wind-blown particles like e.g., the case of "giant" quartz particles found on Hawaii (Betzer et al., 1988) that can only originate from Asia but have a too large size for the distance they travelled through the atmosphere. Here, we present examples of dust particle-size distributions from terrestrial (loess) as well as marine (deep-sea sediments) sedimentary archives and their spatial and temporal changes. With this contribution we hope to provide quantitative data for the modelling community in order to get a better grip on the role of wind-blown particles in the climate system. Cited

On Organic Material in E Ring Ice Grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postberg, F.; Khawaja, N.; Reviol, R.; Nölle, L.; Klenner, F.; Hsu, H. W.; Horanyi, M.

2015-12-01

Pure water ice dominates the composition of the micron and sub-micron sized dust particles in Saturn's E-ring, a ring constantly replenished by active ice jets of the moon Enceladus [1]. Details about the composition of this tenuous, optically thin ring can only be constrained by in situ measurements. The Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) onboard Cassini investigates the composition of these grains by cationic time-of-flight mass spectra of individual ice grains hitting the instruments target surface. From these spectra three compositional types of E ring ice grains have been identified previously [2,3]: Type-1: Almost pure water, Type-2: Enriched in organics, and Type-3: Enriched in salt. Unlike Type-1 and 3, organic-enriched Type-2 spectra have not yet been investigated in depth. Here we report the first detailed compositional analysis of this type. The spectra analysis is supported by a large-scale laboratory ground campaign yielding a library of analogue spectra for organic material embedded in a water ice matrix. In contrast to Type 1 and 3, Type-2 spectra display a great compositional diversity, which indicates varying contributions of several organic species. So far we have identified characteristic fragment patterns of at least three classes of organic compounds: aromatic species, amines, and carbonyl group species. Work is in progress to quantify concentrations of the identified species and to assign yet un-specified organic mass lines in Type 2 spectra. Due to the dynamical evolution of the orbital elements of E ring grains a large fraction collides with the icy moons embedded in the E ring. Therefore, the organic components identified by CDA can accumulate on the surfaces of these bodies over time. Ref: :[1]Kempf et al., Icarus-206, 2010. [2]Postberg et al., Nature-459, 2009. [3]Postberg et al., Icarus-193, 2008.

Assessment of Workers' Exposure to Grain Dust and Bioaerosols During the Loading of Vessels' Hold: An Example at a Port in the Province of Québec.

PubMed

Marchand, Geneviève; Gardette, Marie; Nguyen, Kiet; Amano, Valérie; Neesham-Grenon, Eve; Debia, Maximilien

2017-08-01

Longshoremen are exposed to large amounts of grain dust while loading of grain into the holds of vessels. Grain dust inhalation has been linked to respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, hypersensitivity, pneumonitis, and toxic pneumonitis. Our objective was to characterize the exposure of longshoremen to inhalable and total dust, endotoxins, and cultivable bacteria and fungi during the loading of grain in a vessel's hold at the Port of Montreal in order to assess the potential health risks. Sampling campaigns were conducted during the loading of two different types of grain (wheat and corn). Environmental samples of microorganisms (bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes) were taken near the top opening of the ship's holds while personal breathing zone measurements of dust and endotoxins were sampled during the worker's 5-hour shifts. Our study show that all measurements are above the recommendations with concentration going up to 390 mg m-3 of total dust, 89 mg m-3 of inhalable fraction, 550 000 EU m-3 of endotoxins, 20 000 CFU m-3 of bacteria, 61 000 CFU m-3 of fungus and 2500 CFU m-3 of actinomycetes. In conclusion, longshoremen are exposed to very high levels of dust and of microorganisms and their components during grain loading work. Protective equipment needs to be enforced for all workers during such tasks in order to reduce their exposure. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Properties of grains derived from IRAS observations of dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wesselius, P. R.; Chlewicki, Grzegorz; Laureijs, Rene J.

1989-01-01

The authors used the results of Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) observations of diffuse medium dust to develop a theoretical model of the infrared properties of grains. Recent models based entirely on traditional observations of extinction and polarization include only particles whose equilibrium temperatures do not exceed 20 K in the diffuse interstellar medium. These classical grains, for which the authors have adopted the multipopulation model developed by Hong and Greenberg (1980), can explain only the emission in the IRAS 100 micron band. The measurements at shorter wavelengths (12, 25 and 60 microns) require two new particle populations. Vibrational fluorescence from aromatic molecules provides the most likely explanation for the emission observed at 12 microns, with polycyclic aeromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing about 10 percent of cosmic carbon. A simplified model of the emission process shows that PAH molecules can also explain most of the emission measured by IRAS at 25 microns. The authors identified the warm particles responsible for the excess 60 microns emission with small (a approx. equals 0.01 microns) iron grains. A compilation of the available data on the optical properties of iron indicates that the diffuse medium temperature of small iron particles should be close to 50 K and implies that a large, possibly dominant, fraction of cosmic iron must be locked up in metallic particles in order to match the observed 60 microns intensities. The model matches the infrared fluxes typically observed by IRAS in the diffuse medium and can also reproduce the infrared surface brightness distribution in individual clouds. In particular, the combination of iron and classical cool grains can explain the surprising observations of the 60/100 microns flux ratio in clouds, which is either constant or increases slightly towards higher opacities. The presence of metallic grains has significant implications for the physics of the interstellar medium, including

A solid state physics approach to the interaction between organic molecules and interstellar dust grains: (C60) on SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merino, P.; Martin-Gago, J. A.; Cernicharo, J.

2011-05-01

We have modeled the interaction of large organic molecules and dust grains in the interstellar medium by means of conventional surface science techniques such as scanning probe microscopes (SPM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) among others. With these surface analysis techniques, no frequently used in astrochemistry, we can recreate model systems where the interstellar environment, in a wide range of conditions of pressure and temperature, can be studied. The accurate control of the species that can be studied enables us to simulate in our laboratory the reactions of important molecules on the surface of dust grains. These new kind of experiments provide new information about the chemical mechanisms of the interaction between dust grains and organic molecules which can be compared with the models and the observations. We use a state of the art ultra high vacuum chamber (UHV) with base pressure of 1× 10-10 mbar (2× 106 ppcm^3) where we can prepare macroscopic single-crystal samples simulating a particular dust grain surface. The clean surfaces are exposed to different molecules. The complete system molecule-substrate can be characterized down to the Armstrong scale with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and even single molecule orbitals can be resolved. The combination of this technique with diffraction and spectroscopic tools allows us to fully understand the adsorption configuration and chemistry of a particular molecular species on a modeled dust grain surface. Here we present, as a proof-of-concept, the study of a broadly studied molecule, fullerene, (C60) on a silicon carbide (SiC) surface. The stellar winds of carbon-rich red-giants are rich in SiC grains in the inner hot (1500K) shell. These grains can then be covered with C_2 H_2, C H_4 and other hydrocarbons that could lead to complex organic molecules, even PAHs, when they move apart from the star. In the present study we simulate the reaction of C60 molecules with the Si rich (3x3) 6H �

The effects of nedocromil sodium on the response to grain dust in West Australian grain workers.

PubMed Central

Blainey, A D; Musk, A W; Ryan, G; Phillips, M J; Buccilli, C; Troon, S; Kidd, G

1990-01-01

Seasonal grain workers in Western Australia who develop respiratory symptoms after exposure to grain dust develop concomitant changes in lung function and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine. The mechanisms underlying these changes are not known. A detailed study was undertaken of seasonal grain workers in Western Australia to evaluate the effect of nedocromil sodium (Fisons, United Kingdom) on these changes to see if they could be prevented by this drug. Forty seven subjects participated. Symptoms and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were recorded before the study and before, during, and after each working shift, and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine was measured at the beginning and end of the study. Twenty three subjects received nedocromil and 22 received a placebo in a double blind design; there was no difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups. At the end of the study, no differences were found between the nedocromil and placebo groups in the prevalence of symptoms or development of new symptoms during the study. The drug had no effect on changes in methacholine PD20 or FEV1. As in previous studies, new symptoms developing during the season were more common in atopic subjects and were associated with a fall in methacholine PD20. It is concluded that nedocromil has no effect on the development of new symptoms in grain workers. The mechanisms underlying these symptoms require further study. PMID:2171630

The surface reactivity of acrylonitrile with oxygen atoms on an analogue of interstellar dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimber, Helen J.; Toscano, Jutta; Price, Stephen D.

2018-06-01

Experiments designed to reveal the low-temperature reactivity on the surfaces of interstellar dust grains are used to probe the heterogeneous reaction between oxygen atoms and acrylonitrile (C2H3CN, H2C=CH-CN). The reaction is studied at a series of fixed surface temperatures between 14 and 100 K. After dosing the reactants on to the surface, temperature-programmed desorption, coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, reveals the formation of a product with the molecular formula C3H3NO. This product results from the addition of a single oxygen atom to the acrylonitrile reactant. The oxygen atom attack appears to occur exclusively at the C=C double bond, rather than involving the cyano(-CN) group. The absence of reactivity at the cyano site hints that full saturation of organic molecules on dust grains may not always occur in the interstellar medium. Modelling the experimental data provides a reaction probability of 0.007 ± 0.003 for a Langmuir-Hinshelwood style (diffusive) reaction mechanism. Desorption energies for acrylonitrile, oxygen atoms, and molecular oxygen, from the multilayer mixed ice their deposition forms, are also extracted from the kinetic model and are 22.7 ± 1.0 kJ mol-1 (2730 ± 120 K), 14.2 ± 1.0 kJ mol-1 (1710 ± 120 K), and 8.5 ± 0.8 kJ mol-1 (1020 ± 100 K), respectively. The kinetic parameters we extract from our experiments indicate that the reaction between atomic oxygen and acrylonitrile could occur on interstellar dust grains on an astrophysical time-scale.

Matrix and fine-grained rims in the unequilibrated CO3 chondrite, ALHA77307 - Origins and evidence for diverse, primitive nebular dust components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brearley, Adrian J.

1993-01-01

SEM, TEM, and electron microprobe analysis were used to investigate in detail the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of dark matrix and fine-grained rims in the unequilibrated CO3 chondrite ALHA77307. Data obtained revealed that there was a remarkable diversity of distinct mineralogical components, which can be identified using their chemical and textural characteristics. The matrix and rim components in ALHA77307 formed by disequilibrium condensation process as fine-grained amorphous dust that is represented by the abundant amorphous component in the matrix. Subsequent thermal processing of this condensate material, in a variety of environments in the nebula, caused partial or complete recrystallization of the fine-grained dust.

Dust escape from Io

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flandes, Alberto

2004-08-01

The Dust ballerina skirt is a set of well defined streams composed of nanometric sized dust particles that escape from the Jovian system and may be accelerated up to >=200 km/s. The source of this dust is Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body in the Solar system. The escape of dust grains from Jupiter requires first the escape of these grains from Io. This work is basically devoted to explain this escape given that the driving of dust particles to great heights and later injection into the ionosphere of Io may give the particles an equilibrium potential that allow the magnetic field to accelerate them away from Io. The grain sizes obtained through this study match very well to the values required for the particles to escape from the Jovian system.

The Evolution of Dust in the Multiphase ISM: Grain Destruction Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfire, Mark

1999-01-01

This proposal covered year one of a long term project in which we acquired the necessary hardware and softwaxe needed to calculate grain destruction processes in the interstellar medium (ISM). The long term goal of this research is to develop a model for the dust evolution in the ISM capable of explaining observations of elemental depletions, the grain size distribution, and the emission characteristics of the ISM from the X-ray through the FIR. We purchased a SUN Ultra 10 workstation and peripheral devices including an Exabyte Tape drive, HP Laser Printer, and Seagate External Hard Disk. The PI installed the hardware and Solaris operating system on the workstation and integrated the hardware into the network. Software was also purchased to enable connections to the workstation from a PC (Hummingbird Exceed). Additional freeware required to carry out the proposed program was installed on the system including compilers (g77, gcc, g++), editors (emacs), a markup language (LaTeX), and display programs (WIP, XV, SAOtng). We have also successfully modified the required plot files to work with our system which display the results of grain processing.

TEMPERATURE SPECTRA OF INTERSTELLAR DUST GRAINS HEATED BY COSMIC RAYS. I. TRANSLUCENT CLOUDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalvāns, Juris, E-mail: juris.kalvans@venta.lv

Heating of whole interstellar dust grains by cosmic-ray (CR) particles affects the gas–grain chemistry in molecular clouds by promoting molecule desorption, diffusion, and chemical reactions on grain surfaces. The frequency of such heating, f{sub T}, s{sup −1}, determines how often a certain temperature T{sub CR}, K, is reached for grains hit by CR particles. This study aims to provide astrochemists with a comprehensive and updated data set on CR-induced whole-grain heating. We present calculations of f{sub T} and T{sub CR} spectra for bare olivine grains with radius a of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 μ m and such grains covered withmore » ice mantles of thickness 0.1 a and 0.3 a . Grain shape and structure effects are considered, as well as 30 CR elemental constituents with an updated energy spectrum corresponding to a translucent cloud with A{sub V} = 2 mag. Energy deposition by CRs in grain material was calculated with the srim program. We report full T{sub CR} spectra for all nine grain types and consider initial grain temperatures of 10 K and 20 K. We also provide frequencies for a range of minimum T{sub CR} values. The calculated data set can be simply and flexibly implemented in astrochemical models. The results show that, in the case of translucent clouds, the currently adopted rate for heating of whole grains to temperatures in excess of 70 K is underestimated by approximately two orders of magnitude in astrochemical numerical simulations. Additionally, grains are heated by CRs to modest temperatures (20–30 K) with intervals of a few years, which reduces the possibility of ice chemical explosions.« less

A new 3D multi-fluid dust model: a study of the effects of activity and nucleus rotation on the dust grains' behavior in the cometary environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Y.; Combi, M. R.; Toth, G.; Fougere, N.; Tenishev, V.; Huang, Z.; Jia, X.; Hansen, K. C.; Gombosi, T. I.; Bieler, A. M.; Rubin, M.

2016-12-01

Cometary dust observations may deepen our understanding of the role of dust in the formation of comets and in altering the cometary environment. Models including dust grains are in demand to interpret observations and test hypotheses. Several existing models have taken into account the gas-dust interaction, varying sizes of dust grains and the cometary gravitational force. In this work, we develop a multi-fluid dust model based on BATS-R-US in the University of Michigan's Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). This model not only incorporates key features of previous dust models, but also has the capability of simulating time-dependent phenomena. Since the model is running in the rotating comet reference frame with a real shaped nucleus in the computational domain, the fictitious centrifugal and Coriolis forces are included. The boundary condition on the nucleus surface can be set according to the distribution of activity and the solar illumination. The Sun, which drives sublimation and the radiation pressure force, revolves around the comet in this frame. A newly developed numerical mesh is also used to resolve the real shaped nucleus in the center and to facilitate prescription of the outer boundary conditions that accommodate the rotating frame. The inner part of the grid is a box composed of Cartesian cells and the outer surface is a smooth sphere, with stretched cells filled in between the box and the sphere. The effects of the rotating nucleus and the activity region on the surface are discussed and preliminary results are presented. This work has been partially supported by grant NNX14AG84G from the NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program, and US Rosetta contracts JPL #1266313, JPL #1266314 and JPL #1286489.

Dust coagulation. [in interstellar medium observed in stellar envelopes and planetary disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chokshi, Arati; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Hollenbach, D.

1993-01-01

The microphysics of coagulation between two, colliding, smooth, spherical grains in the elastic limit is investigated, and the criteria for sticking as a function of particle sizes, collision velocities, elastic properties, and binding energy are calculated. Critical relative velocities for coagulation were evaluated as a function of grain sizes for solicate, icy, and carbonaceous grains. It is concluded that efficient coagulation requires coverage of grain cores by an icy grain mantle. In this case, coagulation leads to only a doubling of the mass of a large grain within a dense core lifetime. It is concluded that coagulation can have a dramatic effect on the visible and, particularly, the UV portion of the extinction curve in dense clouds and on their IR spectrum.

On the AU Microscopii debris disk. Density profiles, grain properties, and dust dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augereau, J.-C.; Beust, H.

2006-09-01

Context: . AU Mic is a young M-type star surrounded by an edge-on optically thin debris disk that shares many common observational properties with the disk around β Pictoris. In particular, the scattered light surface brightness profile falls off as ˜ r-5 outside 120 AU for β Pictoris and 35 AU for AU Mic. In both cases, the disk color rises as the distance increases beyond these reference radii. Aims: . In this paper, we present the first comprehensive analysis of the AU Mic disk properties since the system was resolved by Kalas et al. (2004, Science, 303, 1990). We explore whether the dynamical model, which successfully reproduces the β Pictoris brightness profile (e.g., Augereau et al. 2001, A&A, 370, 447), could apply to AU Mic. Methods: . We calculate the surface density profile of the AU Mic disk by performing the inversion of the near-IR and visible scattered light brightness profiles measured by Liu (2004, Science, 305, 1442) and Krist et al. (2005, AJ, 129, 1008), respectively. We discuss the grain properties by analysing the blue color of the disk in the visible (Krist et al. 2005) and by fitting the disk spectral energy distribution. Finally, we evaluate the radiation and wind forces on the grains. The impact of the recurrent X-ray and UV-flares on the dust dynamics is also discussed. Results: . We show that irrespective of the mean scattering asymmetry factor of the grains, most of the emission arises from an asymmetric, collisionally-dominated region that peaks close to the surface brightness break around 35 AU. The elementary scatterers at visible wavelengths are found to be sub-micronic, but the inferred size distribution underestimates the number of large grains, resulting in sub-millimeter emissions that are too low compared to the observations. From our inversion procedure, we find that the V- to H-band scattering cross sections ratio increases outside 40 AU, in line with the observed color gradient of the disk. This behavior is expected if

2.7- to 4.1-micron spectrophotometry of icy satellites of Saturn and Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebofsky, L. A.; Feierberg, M. A.

1985-01-01

Spectrophotometry is presented in the 2.7-4.1 micrometer spectral region for icy satellites of Saturn (Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Iapetus and Hyperion) and Jupiter (Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). The 3.6-micrometer reflectance peak characteristic of fine-grained water ice is observed prominently on the satellites of Saturn, faintly on the leading side of Europa, and not at all on Ganymede, Callisto or the dark side of Iapetus. The spectral reflectances of these icy satellites may be affected by their equilibrium surface temperatures and magnetospheric effects.

Measurement of photoemission and secondary emission from laboratory dust grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hazelton, Robert C.; Yadlowsky, Edward J.; Settersten, Thomas B.; Spanjers, Gregory G.; Moschella, John J.

1995-01-01

The overall goal of this project is experimentally determine the emission properties of dust grains in order to provide theorists and modelers with an accurate data base to use in codes that predict the charging of grains in various plasma environments encountered in the magnetospheres of the planets. In general these modelers use values which have been measured on planar, bulk samples of the materials in question. The large enhancements expected due to the small size of grains can have a dramatic impact upon the predictions and the ultimate utility of these predictions. The first experimental measurement of energy resolved profiles of the secondary electron emission coefficient, 6, of sub-micron diameter particles has been accomplished. Bismuth particles in the size range of .022 to .165 micrometers were generated in a moderate pressure vacuum oven (average size is a function of oven temperature and pressure) and introduced into a high vacuum chamber where they interacted with a high energy electron beam (0.4 to 20 keV). Large enhancements in emission were observed with a peak value, delta(sub max) = 4. 5 measured for the ensemble of particles with a mean size of .022 micrometers. This is in contrast to the published value, delta(sub max) = 1.2, for bulk bismuth. The observed profiles are in general agreement with recent theoretical predictions made by Chow et al. at UCSD.

DELIVERY OF DUST GRAINS FROM COMET C/2013 A1 (SIDING SPRING) TO MARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tricarico, Pasquale; Samarasinha, Nalin H.; Sykes, Mark V.

Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) will have a close encounter with Mars on 2014 October 19. We model the dynamical evolution of dust grains from the time of their ejection from the comet nucleus to the close encounter with Mars, and determine the flux at Mars. Constraints on the ejection velocity from Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate that the bulk of the grains will likely miss Mars, although it is possible that a few percent of the grains with higher velocities will reach Mars, peaking approximately 90-100 minutes after the close approach of the nucleus, and consisting mostly of millimeter-radiusmore » grains ejected from the comet nucleus at a heliocentric distance of approximately 9 AU or larger. At higher velocities, younger grains from submillimeter to several millimeters can also reach Mars, although an even smaller fraction of grains is expected have these velocities, with negligible effect on the peak timing. Using NEOWISE observations of the comet, we can estimate that the maximum fluence will be of the order of 10{sup –7} grains m{sup –2}. We include a detailed analysis of how the expected fluence depends on the grain density, ejection velocity, and size-frequency distribution, to account for current model uncertainties and in preparation of possible refined model values in the near future.« less

Desiccant dusts synergize the effect of Beauveria bassiana (Hyphomycetes: Moniliales) on stored-grain beetles.

PubMed

Lord, J C

2001-04-01

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a desiccant insecticide and most efficacious in low humidity. It acts on insect cuticle by absorbing lipids, and perhaps by cuticular abrasion. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, an entomopathogenic fungus, is most efficacious in high humidity and has a complex interaction with cuticular lipids. Interaction between these materials may enhance insect control performance. Assays with stored-grain beetles were conducted with B. bassiana at rates of 11, 33, 100, and 300 mg of conidia per kilogram of grain with and without single rates of DE that killed 10% or less of the target beetles. The assays revealed synergism in effects on adult Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) at all doses. There was statistically significant synergism for adult Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) and larval R. dominica but at only one B. bassiana rate for each target. Both amorphous silicon dioxide, a sorptive dust, and diamond dust, an abrasive, showed synergistic interaction with B. bassiana on adult R. dominica. These results may provide a basis for a least-toxic approach to control of stored-product beetles and for efficacy-enhancing formulation of entomopathogenic fungi.

Cosmological simulation with dust formation and destruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoyama, Shohei; Hou, Kuan-Chou; Hirashita, Hiroyuki; Nagamine, Kentaro; Shimizu, Ikkoh

2018-06-01

To investigate the evolution of dust in a cosmological volume, we perform hydrodynamic simulations, in which the enrichment of metals and dust is treated self-consistently with star formation and stellar feedback. We consider dust evolution driven by dust production in stellar ejecta, dust destruction by sputtering, grain growth by accretion and coagulation, and grain disruption by shattering, and treat small and large grains separately to trace the grain size distribution. After confirming that our model nicely reproduces the observed relation between dust-to-gas ratio and metallicity for nearby galaxies, we concentrate on the dust abundance over the cosmological volume in this paper. The comoving dust mass density has a peak at redshift z ˜ 1-2, coincident with the observationally suggested dustiest epoch in the Universe. In the local Universe, roughly 10 per cent of the dust is contained in the intergalactic medium (IGM), where only 1/3-1/4 of the dust survives against dust destruction by sputtering. We also show that the dust mass function is roughly reproduced at ≲ 108 M⊙, while the massive end still has a discrepancy, which indicates the necessity of stronger feedback in massive galaxies. In addition, our model broadly reproduces the observed radial profile of dust surface density in the circum-galactic medium (CGM). While our model satisfies the observational constraints for the dust extinction on cosmological scales, it predicts that the dust in the CGM and IGM is dominated by large (>0.03 μm) grains, which is in tension with the steep reddening curves observed in the CGM.

Dynamics of dust in astrophysical plasma and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoang, Thiem

2012-06-01

Dust is a ubiquitous constituent of the interstellar medium, molecular clouds, and circumstellar and protoplanetary disks. Dust emission interferes with observations of cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy and its polarized emission dominates the CMB B-mode polarization that prevents us from getting insight into the inflation epoch of the early universe. In my PhD thesis, I have studied fundamental physical processes of dust dynamics in astrophysical plasma and explored their implications for observations of the CMB, studies of magnetic fields, and formation of planets. I have investigated the spinning dust emission from very small grains (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of non-spherical shapes (including spheroid and triaxial ellipsoid shapes) that have grain axes fluctuating around grain angular momentum due to internal thermal fluctuations within the grain. I have proposed an approach based on Fourier transform to find power spectrum of spinning dust emission from grains of arbitrary grain shape. In particular, I have devised a method to find exact grain angular momentum distribution using the Langevin equation. I have explored the effects of transient spin-up by single-ion collisions, transient heating by single UV photons, and compressible turbulence on spinning dust emission. This improved model of spinning dust emission well reproduces observation data by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and allows a reliable separation of Galactic contamination from the CMB. I have identified grain helicity as the major driver for grain alignment via radiative torques (RATs) and suggested an analytical model of RATs based on this concept. Dust polarization predicted by the model has been confirmed by numerous observations, and can be used as a frequency template for the CMB B-mode searches. I have proposed a new type of dust acceleration due to magnetohydrodynamic turbulence through transit time damping for large grains, and quantified a

Correlated nanoscale characterization of a unique complex oxygen-rich stardust grain: Implications for circumstellar dust formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitner, J.; Hoppe, P.; Floss, C.; Hillion, F.; Henkel, T.

2018-01-01

We report the light to intermediate-mass element abundances as well as the oxygen, magnesium, silicon, and titanium isotope compositions of a unique and unusually large (0.8 μm × 3.75 μm) presolar O-rich grain from the Krymka LL3.2 chondrite. The O-, Al-, and Ti-isotopic compositions are largely compatible with an origin from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star of 1.5 solar masses with a metallicity that is 15% higher than the solar metallicity. The grain has an elevated 17O/16O ratio (8.40 ± 0.16 × 10-4) compared to solar, and slightly sub-solar 18O/16O ratio (1.83 ± 0.03 × 10-3). It shows evidence for the presence of initial 26Al, suggesting formation after the first dredge-up, during one of the early third dredge-up (TDU) episodes. Titanium isotopic data indicate condensation of the grain before significant amounts of material from the He-burning shell were admixed to the stellar surface with progressive TDUs. We observed a small excess in 30Si (δ30Si = 41 ± 5‰), which most likely is inherited from the parent star's initial Si-isotopic composition. For such stars stellar models predict a C/O-ratio < 1 even after the onset of TDU, thus allowing the condensation of O-rich dust. The grain is an unusual complex presolar grain, consisting of an Al-Ca-Ti-oxide core, surrounded by an Mg-Ca-silicate mantle, and resembles the condensation sequence for a cooling gas of solar composition at pressures and dust/gas ratios typically observed for circumstellar envelopes around evolved stars. We also report the first observation of phosphorus in a presolar grain, although the origin of the P-bearing phase remains ambiguous.

PLANETESIMAL FORMATION BY GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY OF A POROUS DUST DISK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michikoshi, Shugo; Kokubo, Eiichiro, E-mail: michikos@ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp, E-mail: kokubo@th.nao.ac.jp

2016-07-10

It has recently been proposed that porous icy dust aggregates are formed by the pairwise accretion of dust aggregates beyond the snowline. We calculate the equilibrium random velocity of porous dust aggregates, taking into account mutual gravitational scattering, collisions, gas drag, and turbulent stirring and scattering. We find that the disk of porous dust aggregates becomes gravitationally unstable as the aggregates evolve through gravitational compression in the minimum-mass solar nebula model for a reasonable range of turbulence strength, which leads to rapid formation of planetesimals.

Variations between Dust and Gas in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium. III. Changes in Dust Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reach, William T.; Bernard, Jean-Philippe; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Heiles, Carl

2017-12-01

We study infrared emission of 17 isolated, diffuse clouds with masses of order {10}2 {M}ȯ to test the hypothesis that grain property variations cause the apparently low gas-to-dust ratios that have been measured in those clouds. Maps of the clouds were constructed from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data and directly compared with the maps of dust optical depth from Planck. The mid-infrared emission per unit dust optical depth has a significant trend toward lower values at higher optical depths. The trend can be quantitatively explained by the extinction of starlight within the clouds. The relative amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and very small grains traced by WISE, compared with large grains tracked by Planck, are consistent with being constant. The temperature of the large grains significantly decreases for clouds with larger dust optical depth; this trend is partially due to dust property variations, but is primarily due to extinction of starlight. We updated the prediction for molecular hydrogen column density, taking into account variations in dust properties, and find it can explain the observed dust optical depth per unit gas column density. Thus, the low gas-to-dust ratios in the clouds are most likely due to “dark gas” that is molecular hydrogen.

Heavy metal speciation in various grain sizes of industrially contaminated street dust using multivariate statistical analysis.

PubMed

Yıldırım, Gülşen; Tokalıoğlu, Şerife

2016-02-01

A total of 36 street dust samples were collected from the streets of the Organised Industrial District in Kayseri, Turkey. This region includes a total of 818 work places in various industrial areas. The modified BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure was applied to evaluate the mobility and bioavailability of trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in street dusts of the study area. The BCR was classified into three steps: water/acid soluble fraction, reducible and oxidisable fraction. The remaining residue was dissolved by using aqua regia. The concentrations of the metals in street dust samples were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Also the effect of the different grain sizes (<38µm, 38-53µm and 53-74µm) of the 36 street dust samples on the mobility of the metals was investigated using the modified BCR procedure. The mobility sequence based on the sum of the first three phases (for <74µm grain size) was: Cd (71.3)>Cu (48.9)>Pb (42.8)=Cr (42.1)>Ni (41.4)>Zn (40.9)>Co (36.6)=Mn (36.3)>Fe (3.1). No significant difference was observed among metal partitioning for the three particle sizes. Correlation, principal component and cluster analysis were applied to identify probable natural and anthropogenic sources in the region. The principal component analysis results showed that this industrial district was influenced by traffic, industrial activities, air-borne emissions and natural sources. The accuracy of the results was checked by analysis of both the BCR-701 certified reference material and by recovery studies in street dust samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Histamine in cereal dusts

PubMed Central

Nicholls, P. J.

1970-01-01

Nicholls, P. J. (1970).Brit. J. industr. Med.,27, 179-180. Histamine in cereal dusts. It has been found that workers exposed to cereal grain dusts may experience acute mild respiratory distress. An attempt has been made to explain this observation by examining the pharmacological activity of aqueous extracts of several cereal dusts from the holds of cargo ships. Histamine, but no other active agent, was found in the samples. It is unlikely that the concentration of histamine in these dusts is sufficient to cause respiratory distress in dockers unloading cereal grain cargoes. PMID:5428638

Formation and dissociation of dust molecules in dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jia; Feng, Fan; Liu, Fucheng; Dong, Lifang; He, Yafeng

2016-09-01

Dust molecules are observed in a dusty plasma experiment. By using measurements with high spatial resolution, the formation and dissociation of the dust molecules are studied. The ion cloud in the wake of an upper dust grain attracts the lower dust grain nearby. When the interparticle distance between the upper dust grain and the lower one is less than a critical value, the two dust grains would form a dust molecule. The upper dust grain always leads the lower one as they travel. When the interparticle distance between them is larger than the critical value, the dust molecule would dissociate. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11205044 and 11405042), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (Grant Nos. A2011201006 and A2012201015), the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hebei Province, China (Grant No. Y2012009), the Program for Young Principal Investigators of Hebei Province, China, and the Midwest Universities Comprehensive Strength Promotion Project, China.

Stochastic charging of dust grains in planetary rings: Diffusion rates and their effects on Lorentz resonances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaffer, L.; Burns, J. A.

1995-01-01

Dust grains in planetary rings acquire stochastically fluctuating electric charges as they orbit through any corotating magnetospheric plasma. Here we investigate the nature of this stochastic charging and calculate its effect on the Lorentz resonance (LR). First we model grain charging as a Markov process, where the transition probabilities are identified as the ensemble-averaged charging fluxes due to plasma pickup and photoemission. We determine the distribution function P(t;N), giving the probability that a grain has N excess charges at time t. The autocorrelation function tau(sub q) for the strochastic charge process can be approximated by a Fokker-Planck treatment of the evolution equations for P(t; N). We calculate the mean square response to the stochastic fluctuations in the Lorentz force. We find that transport in phase space is very small compared to the resonant increase in amplitudes due to the mean charge, over the timescale that the oscillator is resonantly pumped up. Therefore the stochastic charge variations cannot break the resonant interaction; locally, the Lorentz resonance is a robust mechanism for the shaping of etheral dust ring systems. Slightly stronger bounds on plasma parameters are required when we consider the longer transit times between Lorentz resonances.

Hypervelocity Dust Injection for Plasma Diagnostic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ticos, Catalin

2005-10-01

Hypervelocity micron-size dust grain injection was proposed for high-temperature magnetized plasma diagnosis. Multiple dust grains are launched simultaneously into high temperature plasmas at several km/s or more. The hypervelocity dust grains are ablated by the electron and ion fluxes. Fast imaging of the resulting luminous plumes attached to each grain is expected to yield local magnetic field vectors. Combination of multiple local magnetic field vectors reproduces 2D or even 3D maps of the internal magnetic field topology. Key features of HDI are: (1) a high spatial resolution, due to a relatively small transverse size of the elongated tail, and (2) a small perturbation level, as the dust grains introduce negligible number of particles compared to the plasma particle inventory. The latter advantage, however, could be seriously compromised if the gas load from the accelerator has an unobstructed access to the diagnosed plasma. Construction of a HDI diagnostic for National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), which includes a coaxial plasma gun for dust grain acceleration, is underway. Hydrogen and deuterium gas discharges inside accelerator are created by a ˜ 1 mF capacitor bank pre-charged up to 10 kV. The diagnostic apparatus also comprises a dust dispenser for pre-loading the accelerator with dust grains, and an imaging system that has a high spatial and temporal resolution.

Identification of Organics in Ice Grains from Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khawaja, N.; Postberg, F.; Reviol, R.; Nölle, L.; Klenner, F.; Srama, R.

2015-12-01

The Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) aboard the Cassini spacecraft performs in-situ measurements of the chemical composition of icy dust grains impinging onto the target surface. The instrument recorded cationic Time-of-Flight (ToF) mass spectra of organic-bearing ice grains emitted from Enceladus at different impact velocities causing different molecular fragmentation patterns [1,2]. Here we present a detailed analysis of these spectra (Type-2) to identify the composition of organic material embedded in Enceladus ice grains. The organic compounds display a great compositional diversity, which indicates varying contributions of several organic species. The spectra analysis is supported by a large-scale laboratory ground campaign yielding a library of analogue spectra for organic material embedded in a water ice matrix. To mimic the identified pattern of cationic fragments in organic enriched spectra we use a laboratory setup: Infrared Free Liquid MALDI ToF Mass Spectrometer (IR-FL-MALDI-ToF-MS). An infrared laser is used to disperse a liquid micro-beam of a water-solution to get cationic fragments. The laser energy is adjusted to simulate different impact velocities of ice particles on CDA [3]. So far we have identified characteristic fragment patterns of at least three classes of organic molecules: (i) aromatic species, (ii) amines, and (iii) carbonyl group species. (i) ice grains containing aromatic species are identified by a series of characteristic aromatic fragment cations (ii) ice grains containing amines are identified by a pronounced ammonium cation and (iii) ice grains containing carbonyl compounds are specified by a characteristic acylium cation in conjunction with certain others mass lines. Besides aromatic, amine and carbonyl species, Type-2 spectra also show contributions from other, yet un-specified, organic species. Typically, fragment cations of aromatic compounds are stable at impact velocities up-to 15km/s whereas cations of amines and carbonyl species

Combustibility determination for cotton gin dust and almond huller dust

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It has been documented that some dusts generated while processing agricultural products, such as grain and sugar (OSHA, 2009), can constitute combustible dust hazards. After a catastrophic dust explosion in a sugar refinery in 2008, OSHA initiated action to develop a mandatory standard to comprehen...

Effect of Charged-Magnetic Grains in Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Jonathan; Matthews, Lorin; Hyde, Truell

Effects of Charged-Magnetic Grains in Protoplanetary Disks Jonathan, Perry, Lorin Swint Matthews, and Truell W. Hyde Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics, and Engi-neering Research, addressPlaceNamePlaceNameplaceBaylor StreetPlaceTypeUniversity, Stree-taddressOne Bear Place 97316 Waco, TX 76798 USA The interaction and growth of dust grains is an important process in early planetesimal formation. The structure of aggregates formed from dust depend largely on the initial properties within the dust population, whether the grains are charged or uncharged, magnetic or non-magnetic. Theoretical simulations exam-ining pair-wise interactions between aggregates indicate that charged magnetic grains exhibit different growth behavior than populations consisting of exclusively charged or exclusively mag-netic grains. This study extends that work to predict how charged-magnetic grains influence grain growth within a protoplanetary disk. An N-body simulation containing various mixtures of dust materials is used to examine the differences in dust coagulation in the presence of charged magnetic aggregates. The growth of the dust aggregates is analyzed to determine the effects that charged magnetic grains contribute to the evolution of the dust cloud. Comparison of the rate of aggregation as well as the dynamic exponent relating mass of a cluster to the elapsed time will both be discussed.

Probing the interstellar dust towards the Galactic Centre: dust-scattering halo around AX J1745.6-2901

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Chichuan; Ponti, Gabriele; Haberl, Frank; Smith, Randall

2017-07-01

AX J1745.6-2901 is an X-ray binary located at only 1.45 arcmin from Sgr A⋆, showcasing a strong X-ray dust-scattering halo. We combine Chandra and XMM-Newton observations to study the halo around this X-ray binary. Our study shows two major thick dust layers along the line of sight (LOS) towards AX J1745.6-2901. The LOS position and NH of these two layers depend on the dust grain models with different grain size distributions and abundances. But for all the 19 dust grain models considered, dust layer-1 is consistently found to be within a fractional distance of 0.11 (mean value: 0.05) to AX J1745.6-2901 and contains only (19-34) per cent (mean value: 26 per cent) of the total LOS dust. The remaining dust is contained in layer-2, which is distributed from the Earth up to a mean fractional distance of 0.64. A significant separation between the two layers is found for all the dust grain models, with a mean fractional distance of 0.31. Besides, an extended wing component is discovered in the halo, which implies a higher fraction of dust grains with typical sizes ≲590 Å than considered in current dust grain models. Assuming AX J1745.6-2901 is 8 kpc away, dust layer-2 would be located in the Galactic disc several kpc away from the Galactic Centre (GC). The dust scattering halo biases the observed spectrum of AX J1745.6-2901 severely in both spectral shape and flux, and also introduces a strong dependence on the size of the instrumental point spread function and the source extraction region. We build xspec models to account for this spectral bias, which allow us to recover the intrinsic spectrum of AX J1745.6-2901 free from dust-scattering opacity. If dust layer-2 also intervenes along the LOS to Sgr A⋆ and other nearby GC sources, a significant spectral correction for the dust-scattering opacity would be necessary for all these GC sources.

Modeling of light scattering by icy bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolokolova, L.; Mackowski, D.; Pitman, K.; Verbiscer, A.; Buratti, B.; Momary, T.

2014-07-01

As a result of ground-based, space-based, and in-situ spacecraft mission observations, a great amount of photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic data of icy bodies (satellites of giant planets, Kuiper Belt objects, comet nuclei, and icy particles in cometary comae and rings) has been accumulated. These data have revealed fascinating light-scattering phenomena, such as the opposition surge resulting from coherent backscattering and shadow hiding and the negative polarization associated with them. Near-infrared (NIR) spectra of these bodies are especially informative as the depth, width, and shape of the absorption bands of ice are sensitive not only to the ice abundance but also to the size of icy grains. Numerous NIR spectra obtained by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) have been used to map the microcharacteristics of the icy satellites [1] and rings of Saturn [2]. VIMS data have also permitted a study of the opposition surge for icy satellites of Saturn [3], showing that coherent backscattering affects not only brightness and polarization of icy bodies but also their spectra [4]. To study all of the light-scattering phenomena that affect the photopolarimetric and spectroscopic characteristics of icy bodies, including coherent backscattering, requires computer modeling that rigorously considers light scattering by a large number of densely packed small particles that form either layers (in the case of regolith) or big clusters (ring and comet particles) . Such opportunity has appeared recently with a development of a new version MSTM4 of the Multi-Sphere T-Matrix code [5]. Simulations of reflectance and absorbance spectra of a ''target'' (particle layer or cluster) require that the dimensions of the target be significantly larger than the wavelength, sphere radius, and layer thickness. For wavelength-sized spheres and packing fractions typical of regolith, targets can contain dozens of thousands of spheres that, with the original MSTM

[The status of the body protective systems in children in atmospheric pollution by grain dust].

PubMed

Mukhambetova, L Kh; Petrova, I V; Pinigin, M A; Leshchenko, G M; Shekhter, O V; Safiulin, A A; Astakhova, L F

1998-01-01

The use of noninvasive methods has revealed changes in the detoxification and immune systems in children exposed to grain dust-polluted ambient air. Impaired detoxification and immunity may be considered to be a manifestation of the common pathological mechanism responsible for reduced resistance to adverse factors and they lead to the increased risk of nonspecific infectious processes and allergy in the population.

A Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer for Remote Surface Composition Analysis of the Galilean Moons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, H.; Srama, R.; Johnson, T. V.; Henkel, H.; vonHoerner, H.; Koch, A.; Horanyi, M.; Gruen, E.; Kissel, J.; Krueger, F.

2003-01-01

Galileo in-situ dust measurements have shown that the Galilean moons are surrounded by tenuous dust clouds formed by collisional ejecta from their icy surfaces, kicked up by impacts of interplanetary micrometeoroids. The majority of the ejecta dust particles have been sensed at altitudes below five between 0.5 and 1 micron, just above the detector threshold, indicating a size distribution decreasing towards bigger particles. their parent bodies. They carry information about the properties of the surface from which they have been kicked up. In particular, these grains may carry organic compounds and other chemicals of biological relevance if they exist on the icy Galilean moons. In-situ analysis of the grain composition with a sophisticated dust analyzer instrument flying on a Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter can provide important information about geochemical and geophysical processes during the evolutionary histories of these moons which are not accessible with other techniques from an orbiter spacecraft. Thus, spacecraft-based in-situ dust measurements can be used as a diagnostic tool for the analysis of the surface composition of the moons. This way, the in-situ measurements turn into a remote sensing technique by using the dust instrument like a telescope for surface investigation. An instrument capable of very high resolution composition analysis of dust particles is the Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer (COSIMA). The instrument was originally developed for the Comet Rendezvous and Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) mission and has now been built for ESA'S comet orbiter Rosetta. Dust particles are collected on a target and are later located by an optical microscope camera. A pulsed primary indium ion gun partially ionizes the dust grains. The generated secondary ions are accelerated in an electric field and travel through a reflectron-type time-of-flight ion mass spectrometer.

Interstellar Ice and Dust: The Feedstock of the Solar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allamandola, L. J.; Morrison, David (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Studying the chemical and isotopic composition of interstellar ice and dust provides insight into the composition and chemical history of the solid bodies in the solar nebula and the nature of the material subsequently brought into the inner part of the solar system by comets and meteorites. It is now possible to probe the composition of these microscopic interstellar particles (some hundreds of light years away), thanks to substantial progress in two areas: astronomical spectroscopic techniques in the middle-infrared, the spectral region most diagnostic of composition; and laboratory simulations which realistically reproduce the critical conditions in various interstellar environments. High quality infrared spectra of many different astronomical sources, some associated with dark molecular clouds, and others in the diffuse interstellar medium (DISM) are now available. What comparisons of these spectra with laboratory spectra tell us about the complex organic components of these materials is the subject of this talk. Most interstellar material is concentrated in large molecular clouds where simple molecules are formed by gas phase and dust grain surface reactions. Gaseous species (except H2) striking the cold (10K) dust will stick, forming an icy grain mantle. This accretion, coupled with energetic particle bombardment and UV photolysis, will produce a complex chemical mixture containing volatile, non-volatile, and isotopically fractionated species. One can compare spectra of the diffuse and dense interstellar medium with the spectra of analogs produced in the laboratory under conditions which mimic those in these different environments. In this way one can determine the composition and abundances of the major constituents present and place general constraints on the types and relative abundances of organics coating the grains. Ices in dense clouds contain H2O, CH3OH, CO, perhaps some NH3 and H2CO, as well as nitriles and ketones or esters. There is some evidence

New Dust Features Observed with ISO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.; Young, Richard E. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

This paper will review our current knowledge of circumstellar and interstellar dust with the emphasis on infrared spectroscopy with ISO. Objects embedded in or located behind molecular clouds show a wealth of absorption features due to simple molecules in an icy mantle. The SWS on ISO has provided us, for the first time, with complete 3-45 um spectra which allow an inventory of interstellar ice. Among the species identified are H2O, CH3OH, CH4, CO2, CO, and OCS. These species are formed through simple reactions among gas phase species accreted on grain surfaces, possibly modified by FUV photolysis and warm-up (ie., outgassing). The implications of the observations for our understanding of these processes will be reviewed. The IR spectra of many UV bright objects are dominated by strong emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 micrometers. These are generally attributed to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) molecules. The observational evidence will be reviewed. The emphasis will be on recent data which show widespread spectral variations, particularly among protoplanetary and planetary nebulae, and their implications. One of the most exciting, recent discoveries on interstellar and circumstellar dust has been the detection of spectral structure due to crystalline olivine and enstatite in a variety of objects surrounded by circumstellar silicates. These spectra will be reviewed and circumstellar silicate mineralogy will be discussed.

Airborne microorganisms associated with grain handling.

PubMed

Swan, J R; Crook, B

1998-01-01

There is substantial evidence that workers handling grain develop allergic respiratory symptoms. Microbiological contaminants are likely to be a significant contributing factor. Worker's exposure to microorganisms contaminating grain dust in the UK was therefore examined. Aerobiological studies were made when grain was being handled on farms and also during bulk handling of grain in dockside terminals. A quantitative and qualitative microbiological examination of the airborne grain dust was carried out. Samples of airborne grain dust were collected and viable bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were grown, isolated and identified. It was found that workers handling grain or working close to grain at farms and docks were frequently exposed to more than 1 million bacteria and fungi per m3 air, and that airborne bacteria and fungi exceeded 10(4) per m3 air in all areas sampled. The qualitative examination of the samples showed that the predominant microorganisms present differed between freshly harvested grain and stored grain, but not between different types of grain.

Cross-shift changes in blood inflammatory markers occur in the absence of airway obstruction in workers exposed to grain dust.

PubMed

Borm, P J; Schins, R P; Derhaag, T J; Kant, I; Jorna, T H

1996-04-01

Grain dust is well known to cause both acute and chronic respiratory disorders, and endotoxins are considered key components in this. Since endotoxins are known to elicit proinflammatory mediators, we investigated cytokine (tumor necrosis factor [TNF], interleukin-6, interleukin-8) release and a number of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins (soluble TNF receptors, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein, bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI), C-reactive protein) in plasma of workers exposed to grain dust. In two surveys during 1 week, lung function was measured daily before and after the shift, using flow-volume curves and/or forced oscillation measurements. On Monday and Friday, blood samples (30 mL) were drawn and cytokine release was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in supernatant of isolated monocytes or whole blood culture, either unstimulated or on the ex vivo stimulation with 3 ng/mL or 1,000 ng/mL endotoxin. Individual exposures were determined from stationary dust measurements at every workplace combined with personal task analysis during all shifts. In both surveys, no cross-week change in lung function parameters was observed. In the first survey (average exposure: 20.2 mg/m3), monocyte spontaneous TNF release was increased sevenfold cross week (p<0.001) and was significantly related both to individual dust exposure (r=0.62) of that week and the increase in soluble TNF receptor 75 kD (r=0.85). In the second survey, where average exposure was much lower (3.67 mg/m3), impedance parameters indicated a significant improvement of airway function, and cross-week changes in inflammatory markers were minimal. Therefore, we conclude that inflammatory events can be used to monitor adverse respiratory effects of moderate grain dust exposure.

Physical characteristics of cometary dust from optical studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanner, M. S.

1980-01-01

Observations of the sunlight scattered and thermal emission from cometary dust, which may be used to infer the physical properties of the dust grains, are reviewed. Consideration is given to the observed wavelength dependence of the scattered light from cometary coma and tails, the average scattering function of the dust grains, the average grain Bond albedo, the polarization of the scattered light, and grain temperatures deduced from thermal infrared emission. The thermal properties of dust grains are illustrated for models based on magnetite or olivine grain materials, with consideration given to the variation of thermal properties with particle radius and heliocentric distance. Comparison of the models with observations indicates that a disordered or amorphous olivine composition can give a reasonable fit to the data for appropriate grain sizes and temperatures. The observations acquired are noted to indicate an optically important particle size of 1 micron, with silicate particles not larger than a few microns usually present although pure silicate grains can not be responsible for the thermal emission, and the cometary dust grains are most likely not spherical. Further observations needed in the infrared are indicated.

Work-related asthma in a population exposed to grain, flour and other ingredient dusts.

PubMed

Smith, T A; Lumley, K P

1996-02-01

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and causation of work-related asthmatic symptoms in a population exposed to grain, flour and other ingredient dusts. Where workers complained of asthmatic symptoms which were the result of dust exposure, follow-up aimed to identify whether the symptoms were the result of sensitisation or of non-specific irritation. A questionnaire was presented to 3,450 workers who had exposure to dust during the course of flour milling (528), bread baking (1,756), cake baking (209) and other activities in food preparation (957). Those with positive responses were followed-up by taking a formal history, examination, skin prick testing and serial peak flow measurement. The overall prevalence of work-related asthmatic symptoms was 4.4% (153 out of 3,450). In the group who were followed-up (128 out of 153), non-specific respiratory irritation was thought to be the cause in 90 (2.6%), whilst sensitisation was responsible for symptoms in 12 (0.3%). Of the 12 cases due to sensitisation, the agents responsible were: fungal amylase (10 cases, all associated with bread baking), flour (one case, associated with flour packing), and grain (one case, associated with flour milling). Non-specific irritation is considerably more common than sensitisation as the cause of work-related asthmatic symptoms in flour milling, baking and other flour-based industries. The prevalence of sensitisation to flour is very low (less than 1 in 1,000) in all these industries. The principal sensitiser encountered in modern plant bakeries appears to be fungal amylase. The most important source of exposure to fungal amylase is probably the debagging, sieving, weighing and mixing of bread improvers.

DUST AND GAS IN THE DISK OF HL TAURI: SURFACE DENSITY, DUST SETTLING, AND DUST-TO-GAS RATIO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinte, C.; Ménard, F.; Dent, W. R. F.

The recent ALMA observations of the disk surrounding HL Tau reveal a very complex dust spatial distribution. We present a radiative transfer model accounting for the observed gaps and bright rings as well as radial changes of the emissivity index. We find that the dust density is depleted by at least a factor of 10 in the main gaps compared to the surrounding rings. Ring masses range from 10–100 M{sub ⊕} in dust, and we find that each of the deepest gaps is consistent with the removal of up to 40 M{sub ⊕} of dust. If this material has accumulatedmore » into rocky bodies, these would be close to the point of runaway gas accretion. Our model indicates that the outermost ring is depleted in millimeter grains compared to the central rings. This suggests faster grain growth in the central regions and/or radial migration of the larger grains. The morphology of the gaps observed by ALMA—well separated and showing a high degree of contrast with the bright rings over all azimuths—indicates that the millimeter dust disk is geometrically thin (scale height ≈1 AU at 100 AU) and that a large amount of settling of large grains has already occurred. Assuming a standard dust settling model, we find that the observations are consistent with a turbulent viscosity coefficient of a few 10{sup −4}. We estimate the gas/dust ratio in this thin layer to be of the order of 5 if the initial ratio is 100. The HCO{sup +} and CO emission is consistent with gas in Keplerian motion around a 1.7 M{sub ⊙} star at radii from ≤10–120 AU.« less

Carbonaceous Components in the Comet Halley Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fomenkova, M. N.; Chang, S.; Mukhin, L. M.

1994-01-01

Cometary grains containing large amounts of carbon and/or organic matter (CHON) were discovered by in situ measurements of comet Halley dust composition during VEGA and GIOTTO flyby missions. In this paper, we report the classification of these cometary, grains by means of cluster analysis, discuss the resulting compositional groups, and compare them with substances observed or hypothesized in meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, and the interstellar medium. Grains dominated by carbon and/or organic matter (CHON grains) represent approx. 22% of the total population of measured cometary dust particles. They, usually contain a minor abundance of rock-forming elements as well. Grains having organic material are relatively more abundant in the vicinity of the nucleus than in the outer regions of the coma, which suggests decomposition of the organics in the coma environment. The majority of comet Halley organic particles are multicomponent mixtures of carbon phases and organic compounds. Possibly, the cometary CHON grains may be related to kerogen material of an interstellar origin in carbonaceous meteorites. Pure carbon grains, hydrocarbons and polymers of cyanopolyynes, and multi-carbon monoxides are present in cometary dust as compositionally simple and distinctive components among a variety of others. There is no clear evidence of significant presence of pure formaldehyde or HCN polymers in Halley dust particles. The diversity of types of cometary organic compounds is consistent with the inter-stellar dust model of comets and probably reflects differences in composition of precursor dust. Preservation of this heterogeneity among submicron particles suggest the gentle formation of cometary, nucleus by aggregation of interstellar dust in the protosolar nebula without complete mixing or chemical homogenization at the submicron level.

Featured Image: Making Dust in the Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

This remarkable photograph (which spans only 10 m across; click for a full view) reveals what happens when you form dust grains in a laboratory under conditions similar to those of interstellar space. The cosmic life cycle of dust grains is not well understood we know that in the interstellar medium (ISM), dust is destroyed at a higher rate than it is produced by stellar sources. Since the amount of dust in the ISM stays constant, however, there must be additional sources of dust production besides stars. A team of scientists led by Daniele Fulvio (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena) have now studied formation mechanisms of dust grains in the lab by mimicking low-temperature ISM conditions and exploring how, under these conditions, carbonaceous materials condense from gas phase to form dust grains. To read more about their results and see additional images, check out the paper below.CitationDaniele Fulvio et al 2017 ApJS 233 14. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aa9224

Determination of parameters for hypervelocity dust grains encountered in near-Earth space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, William G.; Maag, Carl R.; Alexander, W. Merle; Sappenfield, Patricia

1993-01-01

Primarily interest was in the determination of the population of micrometeoroids and space debris and interpretation of the hole size in a thin film or in a micropore foam returned from space with theoretical calculations describing the event. In order to augment the significance of the theoretical calculations of the impact event, an experiment designed to analyze the charge production due to hypervelocity impacts on thin films also produced data which described the penetration properties of micron and sub-micron sized projectiles. The thin film penetration sites in the 500 A and 1000 A aluminum films were counted and a size distribution function was derived. In the case of the very smallest dust grains, there were no independent measurements of velocities like that which existed for the larger dust grains (d(sub p) is less than or equal to 1 micron). The primary task then became to assess the relationship between the penetration hole and the particle diameter of the projectile which made the hole. The most promising means to assess the measure of the diameters of impacting grains came in the form of comparing cratering mechanics to penetration mechanics. Future experimentation will produce measurements of the cratering as opposed to the penetrating event. Particles encountered by surfaces while being flown in space will degrade that surface in a systematic manner even when the impact is with small hypervelocity particles, d(sub p) is less than or equal to 10 microns. Though not to a degree which would precipitate a catastrophic failure of a system, the degradation of the materials comprising the interconnected system will occur. It is the degradation of the optical system and the subsequent embrittlement of other materials that can lead to degradation if not to failure. It is to this end that research was conducted to compare the primary consequences for experiments which will be flown to those which have been returned.

Dust Grains and the Luminosity of Circumnuclear Water Masers in Active Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collison, Alan J.; Watson, William D.

1995-01-01

In previous calculations for the luminosities of 22 GHz water masers, the pumping is reduced and ultimately quenched with increasing depth into the gas because of trapping of the infrared (approximately equals 30-150 micrometers), spectral line radiation of the water molecule. When the absorption (and reemission) of infrared radiation by dust grains is included, we demonstrate that the pumping is no longer quenched but remains constant with increasing optical depth. A temperature difference between the grains and the gas is required. Such conditions are expected to occur, for example, in the circumnuclear masing environments created by X-rays in active galaxies. Here, the calculated 22 GHz maser luminosities are increased by more than an order of magnitude. Application to the well-studied, circumnuclear masing disk in the galaxy NGC 4258 yields a maser luminosity near that inferred from observations if the observed X-ray flux is assumed to be incident onto only the inner surface of the disk.

Evolution of Photometric and Polarimetric Phase Curves of Fine-Grained Water Ice Particles due to Grain Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jost, B.; Cerubini, R.; Poch, O.; Pommerol, A.; Thomas, N.

2018-06-01

Laboratory photometric and polarimetric phase curves of micrometer-sized water ice particles to elucidate the effect of grain sintering on scattering properties relevant for the analysis of potential plume deposition sites on icy satellites.

Origins of GEMS Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messenger, S.; Walker, R. M.

2012-01-01

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the Earth s stratosphere contain high abundances of submicrometer amorphous silicates known as GEMS grains. From their birth as condensates in the outflows of oxygen-rich evolved stars, processing in interstellar space, and incorporation into disks around new stars, amorphous silicates predominate in most astrophysical environments. Amorphous silicates were a major building block of our Solar System and are prominent in infrared spectra of comets. Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) thought to derive from comets contain abundant amorphous silicates known as GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains. GEMS grains have been proposed to be isotopically and chemically homogenized interstellar amorphous silicate dust. We evaluated this hypothesis through coordinated chemical and isotopic analyses of GEMS grains in a suite of IDPs to constrain their origins. GEMS grains show order of magnitude variations in Mg, Fe, Ca, and S abundances. GEMS grains do not match the average element abundances inferred for ISM dust containing on average, too little Mg, Fe, and Ca, and too much S. GEMS grains have complementary compositions to the crystalline components in IDPs suggesting that they formed from the same reservoir. We did not observe any unequivocal microstructural or chemical evidence that GEMS grains experienced prolonged exposure to radiation. We identified four GEMS grains having O isotopic compositions that point to origins in red giant branch or asymptotic giant branch stars and supernovae. Based on their O isotopic compositions, we estimate that 1-6% of GEMS grains are surviving circumstellar grains. The remaining 94-99% of GEMS grains have O isotopic compositions that are indistinguishable from terrestrial materials and carbonaceous chondrites. These isotopically solar GEMS grains either formed in the Solar System or were completely homogenized in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, the

The effects of variable dust size and charge on dust acoustic waves propagating in a hybrid Cairns–Tsallis complex plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Taibany, W. F.; El-Siragy, N. M.; Behery, E. E.; Elbendary, A. A.; Taha, R. M.

2018-05-01

The propagation characteristics of dust acoustic waves (DAWs) in a dusty plasma consisting of variable size dust grains, hybrid Cairns-Tsallis-distributed electrons, and nonthermal ions are studied. The charging of the dust grains is described by the orbital-motion-limited theory and the size of the dust grains obeys the power law dust size distribution. To describe the nonlinear propagation of the DAWs, a Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation is derived using a reductive perturbation method. It is found that the nonthermal and nonextensive parameters influence the main properties of DAWs. Moreover, our results reveal that the rarefactive waves can propagate mainly in the proposed plasma model while compressive waves can be detected for a very small range of the distribution parameters of plasma species, and the DAWs are faster and wider for smaller size dust grains. Applications of the present results to dusty plasma observations are briefly discussed.

Dust Coagulation in Protoplanetary Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmitt, W.; Henning, Th.; Mucha, R.

1996-01-01

The time evolution of dust particles in circumstellar disk-like structures around protostars and young stellar objects is discussed. In particular, we consider the coagulation of grains due to collisional aggregation. The coagulation of the particles is calculated by solving numerically the non-linear Smoluchowski equation. The different physical processes leading to relative velocities between the grains are investigated. The relative velocities may be induced by Brownian motion, turbulence and drift motion. Starting from different regimes which can be identified during the grain growth we also discuss the evolution of dust opacities. These opacities are important for both the derivation of the circumstellar dust mass from submillimeter/millimeter continuum observations and the dynamical behavior of the disks. We present results of our numerical studies of the coagulation of dust grains in a turbulent protoplanetary accretion disk described by a time-dependent one-dimensional (radial) alpha-model. For several periods and disk radii, mass distributions of coagulated grains have been calculated. From these mass spectra, we determined the corresponding Rosseland mean dust opacities. The influence of grain opacity changes due to dust coagulation on the dynamical evolution of a protostellar disk is considered. Significant changes in the thermal structure of the protoplanetary nebula are observed. A 'gap' in the accretion disk forms at the very frontier of the coagulation, i.e., behind the sublimation boundary in the region between 1 and 5 AU.

Self-confinement of finite dust clusters in isotropic plasmas.

PubMed

Miloshevsky, G V; Hassanein, A

2012-05-01

Finite two-dimensional dust clusters are systems of a small number of charged grains. The self-confinement of dust clusters in isotropic plasmas is studied using the particle-in-cell method. The energetically favorable configurations of grains in plasma are found that are due to the kinetic effects of plasma ions and electrons. The self-confinement phenomenon is attributed to the change in the plasma composition within a dust cluster resulting in grain attraction mediated by plasma ions. This is a self-consistent state of a dust cluster in which grain's repulsion is compensated by the reduced charge and floating potential on grains, overlapped ion clouds, and depleted electrons within a cluster. The common potential well is formed trapping dust clusters in the confined state. These results provide both valuable insights and a different perspective to the classical view on the formation of boundary-free dust clusters in isotropic plasmas.

FORMATION OF SiC GRAINS IN PULSATION-ENHANCED DUST-DRIVEN WIND AROUND CARBON-RICH ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yasuda, Yuki; Kozasa, Takashi, E-mail: yuki@antares-a.sci.hokudai.ac.jp

2012-02-01

We investigate the formation of silicon carbide (SiC) grains in the framework of dust-driven wind around pulsating carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (C-rich AGB) stars to reveal not only the amount but also the size distribution. Two cases are considered for the nucleation process: one is the local thermal equilibrium (LTE) case where the vibration temperature of SiC clusters T{sub v} is equal to the gas temperature as usual, and another is the non-LTE case in which T{sub v} is assumed to be the same as the temperature of small SiC grains. The results of the hydrodynamical calculations for a modelmore » with stellar parameters of mass M{sub *} = 1.0 M{sub Sun }, luminosity L{sub *} = 10{sup 4} L{sub Sun }, effective temperature T{sub eff} = 2600 K, C/O ratio = 1.4, and pulsation period P = 650 days show the following: in the LTE case, SiC grains condense in accelerated outflowing gas after the formation of carbon grains, and the resulting averaged mass ratio of SiC to carbon grains of {approx}10{sup -8} is too small to reproduce the value of 0.01-0.3, which is inferred from the radiative transfer models. On the other hand, in the non-LTE case, the formation region of the SiC grains is more internal and/or almost identical to that of the carbon grains due to the so-called inverse greenhouse effect. The mass ratio of SiC to carbon grains averaged at the outer boundary ranges from 0.098 to 0.23 for the sticking probability {alpha}{sub s} = 0.1-1.0. The size distributions with the peak at {approx}0.2-0.3 {mu}m in radius cover the range of size derived from the analysis of the presolar SiC grains. Thus, the difference between the temperatures of the small cluster and gas plays a crucial role in the formation process of SiC grains around C-rich AGB stars, and this aspect should be explored for the formation process of dust grains in astrophysical environments.« less

Grain optical properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanner, Martha

1988-01-01

The optical properties of small grains provide the link between the infrared observations presented in Chapter 1 and the dust composition described in Chapter 3. In this session, the optical properties were discussed from the viewpoint of modeling the emission from the dust coma and the scattering in order to draw inference about the dust size distribution and composition. The optical properties are applied to the analysis of the infrared data in several ways, and these different uses should be kept in mind when judging the validity of the methods for applying optical constants to real grains.

The Electric Environment of Martian Dust Devils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, E. L.; Farrell, W. M.; Rafkin, S. C.

2017-12-01

While Martian dust devils have been monitored through decades of observations, we have yet to study their possible electrical effects from in situ instrumentation. However, evidence for the existence of active electrodynamic processes on Mars is provided by laboratory studies of analog material and field campaigns of dust devils on Earth. We have enabled our Mars regional scale atmospheric model (MRAMS) to estimate an upper limit on electric fields generated through dust devil circulations by including charged particles as defined from the Macroscopic Triboelectric Simulation (MTS) code. MRAMS is used to investigate the complex physics of regional, mesoscale, and microscale atmospheric phenomena on Mars; it is a 3-D, nonhydrostatic model, which permits the simulation of atmospheric flows with large vertical accelerations, such as dust devils. MTS is a 3-D particle code which quantifies charging associated with swirling, mixing dust grains; grains of pre-defined sizes and compositions are placed in a simulation box and allowed to move under the influence of winds and gravity. Our MRAMS grid cell size makes our results most applicable to dust devils of a few hundred meters in diameter. We have run a number of simulations to understand the sensitivity of the electric field strength to the particle size and abundance and the amount of charge on each dust grain. We find that Efields can indeed develop in Martian dust convective features via dust grain filtration effects. The overall value of these E-fields is strongly dependent upon dust grain size, dust load, and lifting efficiency, and field strengths can range from 100s of mV/m to 10s of kV/m.

Extracting lunar dust parameters from image charge signals produced by the Lunar Dust Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, J.; Kempf, S.; Horanyi, M.; Szalay, J.

2015-12-01

The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is an impact ionization dust detector used to characterize the lunar dust exosphere generated by the impacts of large interplanetary particles and meteor streams (Horanyi et al., 2015). In addition to the mass and speed of these lofted particles, LDEX is sensitive to their charge. The resulting signatures of impact events therefore provide valuable information about not only the ambient plasma environment, but also the speed vectors of these dust grains. Here, impact events produced from LDEX's calibration at the Dust Accelerator Laboratory are analyzed using an image charge model derived from the electrostatic simulation program, Coulomb. We show that parameters such as dust grain speed, size, charge, and position of entry into LDEX can be recovered and applied to data collected during LADEE's seven-month mission.

Infrared observations of an outburst of small dust grains from the nucleus of Comet P/Halley 1986 III at perihelion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gehrz, R. D.; Johnson, C. H.; Magnuson, S. D.; Ney, E. P.; Hayward, T. L.

1995-01-01

A close examination of the 0.7- to 23-micron infrared data base acquired by Gehrz and Ney (1992), suggests that the nucleus of Comet P/Halley 1986 III emitted a burst of small dust grains during a 3-day period commencing within hours of perihelion passage on 1986 February 9.46 UT. The outburst was characterized by significant increases in the coma's grain color temperature T(sub obs), temperature excess (superheat: S = T(sub obs)/T(sub BB)), infrared luminosity, albedo, and 10-micron silicate emission feature strength. These changes are all consistent with the sudden ejection from the nucleus of a cloud of grains with radii of approximately 0.5 micron. This outburst may have produced the dust that was responsible for some of the tail streamers photographed on 1986 February 22 UT. The peak of the dust outburst occurred about 3 days before a pronounced increase in the water production rate measured by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer. We suggest that jets that release large quantities of small particles may be largely responsible for some of the variable infrared behavior that has been reported for P/Halley and other comets during the past two decades. Such jets may also account for some of the differences IR Type I and IR Type II comets.

Stardust@home: A Massively Distributed Public Search for Interstellar Dust in the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westphal, Andrew J.; Butterworth, Anna L.; Snead, Christopher J.; Craig, Nahide; Anderson, David; Jones, Steven M.; Brownlee, Donald E.; Farnsworth, Richard; Zolensky, Michael E.

2005-01-01

In January 2006, the Stardust mission will return the first samples from a solid solar system body beyond the Moon. Stardust was in the news in January 2004, when it encountered comet Wild2 and captured a sample of cometary dust. But Stardust carries an equally important payload: the first samples of contemporary interstellar dust ever collected. Although it is known that interstellar (IS) dust penetrates into the inner solar system [2, 3], to date not even a single contemporary interstellar dust particle has been captured and analyzed in the laboratory. Stardust uses aerogel collectors to capture dust samples. Identification of interstellar dust impacts in the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector probably cannot be automated, but will require the expertise of the human eye. However, the labor required for visual scanning of the entire collector would exceed the resources of any reasonably-sized research group. We are developing a project to recruit the public in the search for interstellar dust, based in part on the wildly popular SETI@home project, which has five million subscribers. We call the project Stardust@home. Using sophisticated chemical separation techniques, certain types of refractory ancient IS particles (so-called presolar grains) have been isolated from primitive meteorites (e.g., [4] ). Recently, presolar grains have been identified in Interplanetary Dust Particles[6]. Because these grains are not isolated chemically, but are recognized only by their unusual isotopic compositions, they are probably less biased than presolar grains isolated from meteorites. However, it is entirely possible that the typical interstellar dust particle is isotopically solar in composition. The Stardust collection of interstellar dust will be the first truly unbiased one.

A new method to generate dust with astrophysical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, J. F.; van Breugel, W.; Bringa, E. M.; Eberly, B.; Graham, G. A.; Remington, B. A.; Taylor, E. A.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2011-05-01

To model the size distribution and composition of interstellar and interplanetary dust grains, and their effect on a wide range of phenomena, it is vital to understand the mechanism of dust-shock interaction. We demonstrate a new laser experiment that subjects dust grains to pressure spikes similar to those of colliding astrophysical dust, and that accelerates the grains to astrophysical velocities. This new method generates much larger data sets than earlier methods; we show how large quantities (thousands) of grains are accelerated at once, rather than accelerating individual grains, as is the case of earlier methods using electric fields. We also measure the in-flight velocity ( ~ 4.5km/s) of hundreds of grains simultaneously by use of a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique.

Effect of stochastic grain heating on cold dense clouds chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Long-Fei; Chang, Qiang; Xi, Hong-Wei

2018-06-01

The temperatures of dust grains play important roles in the chemical evolution of molecular clouds. Unlike large grains, the temperature fluctuations of small grains induced by photons may be significant. Therefore, if the grain size distribution is included in astrochemical models, the temperatures of small dust grains may not be assumed to be constant. We simulate a full gas-grain reaction network with a set of dust grain radii using the classical MRN grain size distribution and include the temperature fluctuations of small dust grains. Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the real-time dust grain's temperature fluctuations which is caused by the external low energy photons and the internal cosmic ray induced secondary photons. The increase of dust grains radii as ice mantles accumulate on grain surfaces is also included in our models. We found that surface CO2 abundances in models with grain size distribution and temperature fluctuations are more than one order of magnitude larger than those with single grain size. Small amounts of terrestrial complex organic molecules (COMs) can also be formed on small grains due to the temperature spikes induced by external low energy photons. However, cosmic ray induced secondary photons overheat small grains so that surface CO sublime and less radicals are formed on grains surfaces, thus the production of surface CO2 and COMs decreases by about one order of magnitude. The overheating of small grains can be offset by grain growth so that the formation of surface CO2 and COMs becomes more efficient.

In situ 3-D mapping of pore structures and hollow grains of interplanetary dust particles with phase contrast X-ray nanotomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Z. W.; Winarski, R. P.

2016-09-01

Unlocking the 3-D structure and properties of intact chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) in nanoscale detail is challenging, which is also complicated by atmospheric entry heating, but is important for advancing our understanding of the formation and origins of IDPs and planetary bodies as well as dust and ice agglomeration in the outer protoplanetary disk. Here, we show that indigenous pores, pristine grains, and thermal alteration products throughout intact particles can be noninvasively visualized and distinguished morphologically and microstructurally in 3-D detail down to ~10 nm by exploiting phase contrast X-ray nanotomography. We have uncovered the surprisingly intricate, submicron, and nanoscale pore structures of a ~10-μm-long porous IDP, consisting of two types of voids that are interconnected in 3-D space. One is morphologically primitive and mostly submicron-sized intergranular voids that are ubiquitous; the other is morphologically advanced and well-defined intragranular nanoholes that run through the approximate centers of ~0.3 μm or lower submicron hollow grains. The distinct hollow grains exhibit complex 3-D morphologies but in 2-D projections resemble typical organic hollow globules observed by transmission electron microscopy. The particle, with its outer region characterized by rough vesicular structures due to thermal alteration, has turned out to be an inherently fragile and intricately submicron- and nanoporous aggregate of the sub-μm grains or grain clumps that are delicately bound together frequently with little grain-to-grain contact in 3-D space.

Silicate dust in a Vega-excess system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, C. J.; Barlow, M. J.; Justtanont, K.

1992-01-01

The 10-micron spectrum of the K5V star SAO 179815 (= HD 98800) is presented, and conclusively demonstrates the presence of small silicate dust grains around this star. The 9.7-micron silicate dust feature is unusually broad and shallow in this system. This, together with the slow fall-off of flux at longer wavelengths, constrains the size and density distributions of dust grains in models of the disk. It is found that there must be a significant population of small grains, as well as a population of large grains in order to explain all the observed properties of the disk.

The Lunar Dust Pendulum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuntz, Kip; Collier, Michael R.; Stubbs, Timothy J.; Farrell, William M.

2011-01-01

Shadowed regions on the lunar surface acquire a negative potential. In particular, shadowed craters can have a negative potential with respect to the surrounding lunar regolith in sunlight, especially near the terminator regions. Here we analyze the motion of a positively charged lnnar dust grain in the presence of a shadowed crater at a negative potential in vacuum. Previous models describing the transport of charged lunar dust close to the surface have typically been limited to one-dimensional motion in the vertical direction, e.g. electrostatic levitation; however. the electric fields in the vicinity of shadowed craters will also have significant components in the horizontal directions. We propose a model that includes both the horizontal and vertical motion of charged dust grains near shadowed craters. We show that the dust grains execute oscillatory trajectories and present an expression for the period of oscillation drawing an analogy to the motion of a pendulum.

The Lunar Dust Pendulum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Michael R.; Stubbs, Timothy J.; Farrell, William M.

2011-01-01

Shadowed regions on the lunar surface acquire a negative potential. In particular, shadowed craters can have a negative potential with respect to the surrounding lunar regolith in sunlight, especially near the terminator regions. Here we analyze the motion of a positively charged lunar dust grain in the presence of a shadowed crater at a negative potential in vacuum. Previous models describing the transport of charged lunar dust close to the surface have typically been limited to one-dimensional motion in the vertical direction, e.g. electrostatic levitation; however, the electric fields in the vicinity of shadowed craters will also have significant components in the horizontal directions. We propose a model that includes both the horizontal and vertical motion of charged dust grains near shadowed craters. We show that the dust grains execute oscillatory trajectories and present an expression for the period of oscillation drawing an analogy to the motion of a pendulum.

Why Europa's icy shell may convect, but ice sheets do not: a glaciological perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassis, J. N.

2016-12-01

Jupiter's moon Europa is covered in an icy shell that lies over a liquid ocean. Geological evidence and numerical models suggest that Europa's icy shell convects, providing the possibility that Europa may experience a form of plate tectonics and could even harbor life in its subsurface ocean. The hypothesis that Europa convects is supported by both models and geological evidence. Surprisingly, when we apply similar calculations and (assumptions) used by planetary scientists to infer convection in icy moons like Europa we find that these models also predict that vigorous convection should also occur in portions of our own terrestrial ice sheets and ice shelves where we have firm evidence to the contrary. We can explain the lack of convection within our own ice sheets by recognizing that instead of the diffusion creep limited rheology frequently invoked by planetary scientists, terrestrial ice undergoes power-law creep down to very low strain rates. Glaciological studies find that power-law creep is required to explain the structure of vertical strain rate near ice sheet divides and shape of the ice sheets near an ice divide. However, when we now apply a rheology that is consistent with terrestrial ice sheet dynamics to icy moon conditions, we find conditions are far less favorable for convection in icy moons, with only a very limited parameter regime where convection can occur. Given the many unknowns (grain size, impurities etc.) it is challenging to draw strong conclusions about the behavior of icy moons . Nonetheless, the lack of convection in terrestrial ice sheets provides an important constraint on the dynamics of icy moons and models that explain convection of icy moons should also explain the lack of convection on terrestrial ice sheets.

Theoretical Studies of Dust in the Galactic Environment: Some Recent Advances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leung, Chun Ming

1995-01-01

Dust grains, although a minor constituent, play a very important role in the thermodynamics and evolution of many astronomical objects, e.g., young and evolved stars, nebulae, interstellar clouds, and nuclei of some galaxies. Since the birth of infrared astronomy over two decades ago, significant progress has been made not only in the observations of galactic dust, but also in the theoretical studies of phenomena involving dust grains. Models with increasing degree of sophistication and physical realism (in terms of grain properties, dust formation, emission processes, and grain alignment mechanisms) have become available. Here I review recent progress made in the following areas: (1) Extinction and emission of fractal grains. (2) Dust formation in radiation-driven outflows of evolved stars. (3) Transient heating and emission of very small dust grains. Where appropriate, relevant modeling results are presented and observational implications emphasized.

Annealing of Silicate Dust by Nebular Shocks at 10 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harker, David E.; Desch, Steven J.; DeVincenzi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Silicate dust grains in the interstellar medium are known to be mostly amorphous, yet crystalline silicate grains have been observed in many long-period comets and in protoplanetary disks. Annealing of amorphous silicate grains into crystalline grains requires temperatures greater than or approximately equal to 1000 K, but exposure of dust grains in comets to such high temperatures is apparently incompatible with the generally low temperatures experienced by comets. This has led to the proposal of models in which dust grains were thermally processed near the protoSun, then underwent considerable radial transport until they reached the gas giant planet region where the long-period comets originated. We hypothesize instead that silicate dust grains were annealed in situ, by shock waves triggered by gravitational instabilities. We assume a shock speed of 5 km/s, a plausible value for shocks driven by gravitational instabilities. We calculate the peak temperatures of pyroxene grains under conditions typical in protoplanetary disks at 5-10 AU. We show that in situ annealing of micron-sized dust grains can occur, obviating the need for large-scale radial transport.

Dust trap formation in a non-self-sustained discharge with external gas ionization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Filippov, A. V., E-mail: fav@triniti.ru; Babichev, V. N.; Pal’, A. F.

2015-11-15

Results from numerical studies of a non-self-sustained gas discharge containing micrometer dust grains are presented. The non-self-sustained discharge (NSSD) was controlled by a stationary fast electron beam. The numerical model of an NSSD is based on the diffusion drift approximation for electrons and ions and self-consistently takes into account the influence of the dust component on the electron and ion densities. The dust component is described by the balance equation for the number of dust grains and the equation of motion for dust grains with allowance for the Stokes force, gravity force, and electric force in the cathode sheath. Themore » interaction between dust grains is described in the self-consistent field approximation. The height of dust grain levitation over the cathode is determined and compared with experimental results. It is established that, at a given gas ionization rate and given applied voltage, there is a critical dust grain size above which the levitation condition in the cathode sheath cannot be satisfied. Simulations performed for the dust component consisting of dust grains of two different sizes shows that such grains levitate at different heights, i.e., size separation of dust drains levitating in the cathode sheath of an NSSD takes place.« less

Compositional mapping of planetary moons by mass spectrometry of dust ejecta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postberg, Frank; Grün, Eberhard; Horanyi, Mihaly; Kempf, Sascha; Krüger, Harald; Schmidt, Jürgen; Spahn, Frank; Srama, Ralf; Sternovsky, Zoltan; Trieloff, Mario

2011-11-01

Classical methods to analyze the surface composition of atmosphereless planetary objects from an orbiter are IR and gamma ray spectroscopy and neutron backscatter measurements. The idea to analyze surface properties with an in-situ instrument has been proposed by Johnson et al. (1998). There, it was suggested to analyze Europa's thin atmosphere with an ion and neutral gas spectrometer. Since the atmospheric components are released by sputtering of the moon's surface, they provide a link to surface composition. Here we present an improved, complementary method to analyze rocky or icy dust particles as samples of planetary objects from which they were ejected. Such particles, generated by the ambient meteoroid bombardment that erodes the surface, are naturally present on all atmosphereless moons and planets. The planetary bodies are enshrouded in clouds of ballistic dust particles, which are characteristic samples of their surfaces. In situ mass spectroscopic analysis of these dust particles impacting onto a detector of an orbiting spacecraft reveals their composition. Recent instrumental developments and tests allow the chemical characterization of ice and dust particles encountered at speeds as low as 1 km/s and an accurate reconstruction of their trajectories. Depending on the sampling altitude, a dust trajectory sensor can trace back the origin of each analyzed grain with about 10 km accuracy at the surface. Since the detection rates are of the order of thousand per orbit, a spatially resolved mapping of the surface composition can be achieved. Certain bodies (e.g., Europa) with particularly dense dust clouds, could provide impact statistics that allow for compositional mapping even on single flybys. Dust impact velocities are in general sufficiently high at orbiters about planetary objects with a radius >1000 km and with only a thin or no atmosphere. In this work we focus on the scientific benefit of a dust spectrometer on a spacecraft orbiting Earth's Moon as

Anomalous transport of charged dust grains in a magnetized collisional plasma: A molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezbaruah, Pratikshya; Das, Nilakshi

2018-05-01

Anomalous diffusion of charged dust grains immersed in a plasma in the presence of strong ion-neutral collision, flowing ions, and a magnetic field has been observed. Molecular Dynamics simulation confirms the deviation from normal diffusion in an ensemble of dust grains probed in laboratory plasma chambers. Collisional effects are significant in governing the nature of diffusion. In order to have a clear idea on the transport of particles in a real experimental situation, the contribution of streaming ions and the magnetic field along with collision is considered through the relevant interaction potential. The nonlinear evolution of Mean Square Displacement is an indication of the modification in particle trajectories due to several effects as mentioned above. It is found that strong collision and ion flow significantly affect the interparticle interaction potential in the presence of the magnetic field and lead to the appearance of the asymmetric type of Debye Hückel (D H) potential. Due to the combined effect of the magnetic field, ion flow, and collision, dusty plasma exhibits a completely novel behavior. The coupling parameter Γ enhances the asymmetric D H type potential arising due to ion flow, and this may drive the system to a disordered state.

Photophoretic Levitation and Trapping of Dust in the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNally, Colin P.; McClure, Melissa K.

2017-01-01

In protoplanetary disks, the differential gravity-driven settling of dust grains with respect to gas and with respect to grains of varying sizes determines the observability of grains, and sets the conditions for grain growth and eventually planet formation. In this work, we explore the effect of photophoresis on the settling of large dust grains in the inner regions of actively accreting protoplanetary disks. Photophoretic forces on dust grains result from the collision of gas molecules with differentially heated grains. We undertake one-dimensional dust settling calculations to determine the equilibrium vertical distribution of dust grains in each column of the disk. In the process we introduce a new treatment of the photophoresis force which is consistent at all optical depths with the representation of the radiative intensity field in a two-stream radiative transfer approximation. The levitation of large dust grains creates a photophoretic dust trap several scale heights above the mid-plane in the inner regions of the disk where the dissipation of accretion energy is significant. We find that differential settling of dust grains is radically altered in these regions of the disk, with large dust grains trapped in a layer below the stellar irradiation surface, where the dust to gas mass ratio can be enhanced by a factor of a hundred for the relevant particles. The photophoretic trapping effect has a strong dependence on particle size and porosity.

PHOTOPHORETIC LEVITATION AND TRAPPING OF DUST IN THE INNER REGIONS OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNally, Colin P.; McClure, Melissa K., E-mail: cmcnally@nbi.dk, E-mail: mmcclure@eso.org

In protoplanetary disks, the differential gravity-driven settling of dust grains with respect to gas and with respect to grains of varying sizes determines the observability of grains, and sets the conditions for grain growth and eventually planet formation. In this work, we explore the effect of photophoresis on the settling of large dust grains in the inner regions of actively accreting protoplanetary disks. Photophoretic forces on dust grains result from the collision of gas molecules with differentially heated grains. We undertake one-dimensional dust settling calculations to determine the equilibrium vertical distribution of dust grains in each column of the disk.more » In the process we introduce a new treatment of the photophoresis force which is consistent at all optical depths with the representation of the radiative intensity field in a two-stream radiative transfer approximation. The levitation of large dust grains creates a photophoretic dust trap several scale heights above the mid-plane in the inner regions of the disk where the dissipation of accretion energy is significant. We find that differential settling of dust grains is radically altered in these regions of the disk, with large dust grains trapped in a layer below the stellar irradiation surface, where the dust to gas mass ratio can be enhanced by a factor of a hundred for the relevant particles. The photophoretic trapping effect has a strong dependence on particle size and porosity.« less

A comparative study of the grain-size distribution of surface dust and stormwater runoff quality on typical urban roads and roofs in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Shen, Zhenyao; Liu, Jin; Aini, Guzhanuer; Gong, Yongwei

2016-02-01

The deposition of pollutants on impervious surfaces is a serious problem associated with rapid urbanization, which results in non-point-source pollution. Characterizing the build-up and wash-off processes of pollutants in urban catchments is essential for urban planners. In this paper, the spatial variation and particle-size distributions of five heavy metals and two nutrients in surface dust were analyzed, and the runoff water first-flush effect (FF30) and event-mean concentrations (EMCs) of 10 common constituents were characterized. The relationships between runoff variables and stormwater characteristics were examined from three typical urban impervious surfaces in Beijing, China. Dust on road surfaces with smaller grain sizes had higher pollutant concentrations, whereas concentrations of Mn, Zn, Fe, and TP in roof surface dust increased with grain size. Particles with grain sizes of 38-74 and 125-300 μm contributed most to the total pollutant load in roads, while particles with the smallest grain sizes (<38 μm) contributed most on roofs (23.46-41.71 %). Event-mean concentrations (EMCs) and FF30 values for most runoff pollutants tended to be higher on roofs than on roads. The maximum intensity (I max) and the antecedent dry days (ADD) were critical parameters for EMCs in roads, while ADD was the only dominant parameter for EMCs on our studied roof. The rainfall intensity (RI) and maximum intensity (I max) were found to be the parameters with the strongest correlation to the first-flush effect on both roads and roofs. Significant correlations of total suspended solids (TSS) concentration in runoff with grain-size fractions of surface dust indicated that coarser particles (74-300 μm) are most likely to contribute to the solid-phase pollutants, and finer particles (<38 μm) are likely the main source of dissolved pollutants.

Interplay of dust alignment, grain growth, and magnetic fields in polarization: lessons from the emission-to-extinction ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanciullo, L.; Guillet, V.; Boulanger, F.; Jones, A. P.

2017-06-01

Context. Polarized extinction and emission from dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) are hard to interpret, as their dependence on dust optical properties, grain alignment, and magnetic field orientation is complex. This is particularly true in molecular clouds. The aforementioned phenomena are usually considered independently in polarization studies, while it is likely that they all contribute and their effects have yet to be disentangled. Aims: The data available today are not yet used to their full potential. The combination of emission and extinction, in particular, provides information not available from either of them alone. We combine data from the scientific literature on polarized dust extinction with Planck data on polarized emission, and we use them to constrain the possible variations in dust and environmental conditions inside molecular clouds, and especially translucent lines of sight, taking the magnetic field orientation into account. Methods: We focused on the dependence between λmax (the wavelength of maximum polarization in extinction) and other observables such as the extinction polarization, the emission polarization, and the ratio between the two. We set out to reproduce these correlations using Monte Carlo simulations in which we varied the relevant quantities in a dust model, which are grain alignment, size distribution, and magnetic field orientation, to mimic the diverse conditions that are expected inside molecular clouds. Results: None of the quantities we chose can explain the observational data on their own: the best results are obtained when all quantities vary significantly across and within clouds. However, some of the data, most notably the stars with a low ratio of polarization in emission to polarization in extinction, are not reproduced by our simulation. Conclusions: Our results suggest not only that dust evolution is necessary to explain polarization in molecular clouds, but that a simple change in size distribution is not

Interstellar Dust: Contributed Papers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tielens, Alexander G. G. M. (Editor); Allamandola, Louis J. (Editor)

1989-01-01

A coherent picture of the dust composition and its physical characteristics in the various phases of the interstellar medium was the central theme. Topics addressed included: dust in diffuse interstellar medium; overidentified infrared emission features; dust in dense clouds; dust in galaxies; optical properties of dust grains; interstellar dust models; interstellar dust and the solar system; dust formation and destruction; UV, visible, and IR observations of interstellar extinction; and quantum-statistical calculations of IR emission from highly vibrationally excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules.

The dust scattering halo of Cygnus X-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corrales, L. R.; Paerels, F.

2015-10-01

Dust grains scatter X-ray light through small angles, producing a diffuse halo image around bright X-ray point sources situated behind a large amount of interstellar material. We present analytic solutions to the integral for the dust scattering intensity, which allow for a Bayesian analysis of the scattering halo around Cygnus X-3. Fitting the optically thin 4-6 keV halo surface brightness profile yields the dust grain size and spatial distribution. We assume a power-law distribution of grain sizes (n ∝ a-p) and fit for p, the grain radius cut-off amax, and dust mass column. We find that a p ≈ 3.5 dust grain size distribution with amax ≈ 0.2 μm fits the halo profile relatively well, whether the dust is distributed uniformly along the line of sight or in clumps. We find that a model consisting of two dust screens, representative of foreground spiral arms, requires the foreground Perseus arm to contain 80 per cent of the total dust mass. The remaining 20 per cent of the dust, which may be associated with the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way, is located within 1 kpc of Cyg X-3. Regardless of which model was used, we found τ_sca ˜ 2 E_keV^{-2}. We examine the energy resolved haloes of Cyg X-3 from 1 to 6 keV and find that there is a sharp drop in scattering halo intensity when E < 2-3 keV, which cannot be explained with multiple scattering effects. We hypothesize that this may be caused by large dust grains or material with unique dielectric properties, causing the scattering cross-section to depart from the Rayleigh-Gans approximation that is used most often in X-ray scattering studies. The foreground Cyg OB2 association, which contains several evolved stars with large extinction values, is a likely culprit for grains of unique size or composition.

The fundamentally different dynamics of dust and gas in molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Lee, Hyunseok

2016-03-01

We study the behaviour of large dust grains in turbulent molecular clouds (MCs). In primarily neutral regions, dust grains move as aerodynamic particles, not necessarily with the gas. We therefore directly simulate, for the first time, the behaviour of aerodynamic grains in highly supersonic, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence typical of MCs. We show that, under these conditions, grains with sizes a ≳ 0.01 micron exhibit dramatic (exceeding factor ˜1000) fluctuations in the local dust-to-gas ratio (implying large small-scale variations in abundances, dust cooling rates, and dynamics). The dust can form highly filamentary structures (which would be observed in both dust emission and extinction), which can be much thinner than the characteristic width of gas filaments. Sometimes, the dust and gas filaments are not even in the same location. The `clumping factor' < n_dust2 > / < n_dust > 2 of the dust (critical for dust growth/coagulation/shattering) can reach ˜100, for grains in the ideal size range. The dust clustering is maximized around scales ˜ 0.2 pc (a/μm) (ngas/100 cm- 3)- 1, and is `averaged out' on larger scales. However, because the density varies widely in supersonic turbulence, the dynamic range of scales (and interesting grain sizes) for these fluctuations is much broader than in the subsonic case. Our results are applicable to MCs of essentially all sizes and densities, but we note how Lorentz forces and other physics (neglected here) may change them in some regimes. We discuss the potentially dramatic consequences for star formation, dust growth and destruction, and dust-based observations of MCs.

Analyzing surface features on icy satellites using a new two-layer analogue model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, K. M.; Leonard, E. J.; Pappalardo, R. T.; Yin, A.

2017-12-01

The appearance of similar surface morphologies across many icy satellites suggests potentially unified formation mechanisms. Constraining the processes that shape the surfaces of these icy worlds is fundamental to understanding their rheology and thermal evolution—factors that have implications for potential habitability. Analogue models have proven useful for investigating and quantifying surface structure formation on Earth, but have only been sparsely applied to icy bodies. In this study, we employ an innovative two-layer analogue model that simulates a warm, ductile ice layer overlain by brittle surface ice on satellites such as Europa and Enceladus. The top, brittle layer is composed of fine-grained sand while the ductile, lower viscosity layer is made of putty. These materials were chosen because they scale up reasonably to the conditions on Europa and Enceladus. Using this analogue model, we investigate the role of the ductile layer in forming contractional structures (e.g. folds) that would compensate for the over-abundance of extensional features observed on icy satellites. We do this by simulating different compressional scenarios in the analogue model and analyzing whether the resulting features resemble those on icy bodies. If the resulting structures are similar, then the model can be used to quantify the deformation by calculating strain. These values can then be scaled up to Europa or Enceladus and used to quantity the observed surface morphologies and the amount of extensional strain accommodated by certain features. This presentation will focus on the resulting surface morphologies and the calculated strain values from several analogue experiments. The methods and findings from this work can then be expanded and used to study other icy bodies, such as Triton, Miranda, Ariel, and Pluto.

COLLISIONAL GROOMING MODELS OF THE KUIPER BELT DUST CLOUD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Stark, Christopher C., E-mail: Marc.Kuchner@nasa.go, E-mail: starkc@umd.ed

2010-10-15

We modeled the three-dimensional structure of the Kuiper Belt (KB) dust cloud at four different dust production rates, incorporating both planet-dust interactions and grain-grain collisions using the collisional grooming algorithm. Simulated images of a model with a face-on optical depth of {approx}10{sup -4} primarily show an azimuthally symmetric ring at 40-47 AU in submillimeter and infrared wavelengths; this ring is associated with the cold classical KB. For models with lower optical depths (10{sup -6} and 10{sup -7}), synthetic infrared images show that the ring widens and a gap opens in the ring at the location of Neptune; this feature ismore » caused by trapping of dust grains in Neptune's mean motion resonances. At low optical depths, a secondary ring also appears associated with the hole cleared in the center of the disk by Saturn. Our simulations, which incorporate 25 different grain sizes, illustrate that grain-grain collisions are important in sculpting today's KB dust, and probably other aspects of the solar system dust complex; collisions erase all signs of azimuthal asymmetry from the submillimeter image of the disk at every dust level we considered. The model images switch from being dominated by resonantly trapped small grains ('transport dominated') to being dominated by the birth ring ('collision dominated') when the optical depth reaches a critical value of {tau} {approx} v/c, where v is the local Keplerian speed.« less

Charging of Interstellar Dust Grains in the out-of-equilibrium Heliosheath Plasma traced by IBEX ENAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frisch, P. C.; Ogasawara, K.; Livadiotis, G.; Slavin, J. D.; McComas, D. J.; Funsten, H. O.; Schwadron, N.; Heerikhuisen, J.

2017-12-01

Dusty bow waves are common around stars and anticipated around the heliosphere due to the deficit of low-mass interstellar dust grains in the inner heliosphere. Interstellar grains entering the heliosphere must first cross barriers of non-Maxwellian plasma in the heliosheath regions where collisional charging of grains is highly effective. IBEX measures 0.1-6 keV ENAs in the heliosheath plasma, providing an in situ sample of the heliosheath plasma thermodynamics that can be used for grain-charging calculations. Plasma in three-quarters of the sky can be described with a stationary state kappa-distribution, giving predictions for kappa, kappa-distribution temperature, and plasma density [1]. This thermodynamic description allows a more realistic evaluation of the dominant heliosheath electron and ion currents, and hence also grain gyroradii and exclusion from the heliosphere. At the highest temperatures ion collisional currents dominate grain charging; at lower temperatures collisional electron currents are more important together with the photoelectric ejection of electrons. An absence of data on the thermodynamical state of heliosheath electrons has led to the assumption of similar thermodynamic parameters for the electron and ion populations. The balance between electron, proton and photoionization currents on the grains then yield the equilibrium grain charges. Grain gyroradii calculated based on these charging currents differentiate between interstellar grains able to penetrate the heliosphere, versus those that are excluded, and allow predictions of properties of the dusty bow wave likely to be present around the heliosphere. The smallest grains are excluded and grains at the high latitude edges of the described regions tend to have systematically lower grain potentials. Grain charging calculations utilize the modeling of [2]. [1] Livadiotis et al., ApJ 734, 1 (2011). [2] Weingartner Draine, ApJSS 263 (2001)

GEMS and New Pre-Accretionally Irradiated RELICT Grains in Interplanetary Dust - The Plot Thickens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, J.

1995-09-01

The hypothesis that GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) might be the long-sought interstellar silicate grains is undergoing close scrutiny [1-3]. GEMS are proposed to be interstellar because: (a) they are abundant in cometary IDPs; (b) they were irradiated prior to incorporation into IDPs; (c) both their size distribution and Oamorphous silicate" microstructures are consistent with those of interstellar silicates; (d) they contain nanometer-sized (superparamagnetic) alpha-iron inclusions, which provides a simple explanation for the observed interstellar grain alignment and polarization [4,5]. Challenges to the GEMS hypothesis include the following: (a) GEMS may have formed and been irradiated in the solar nebula rather than a presolar interstellar environment; (b) non-solar isotope abundances have yet to be measured in GEMS; (c) the irradiation regime required to produce the observed effects in GEMS might be incompatible with the interstellar medium; (b) relationships between GEMS and carbon (e.g. core/mantle) need clarification; (c) major element abundances in GEMS should be consistent with observed interstellar gas phase depletions [2,3]. GEMS may indeed have formed in the solar nebula, in which case they would be the oldest known solar nebula solids [2]. An interstellar origin for GEMS does not require detection of non-solar isotope abundances [6]. Irradiation experiments are in progress to simulate the properties of GEMS. The petrographic relationship between GEMS and carbon in IDPs is being investigated (by examining IDPs embedded and thin-sectioned in carbon-free media). Major element abundances in GEMS are being evaluated in terms on interstellar gas phase abundances. For example, sulfur is not highly depleted in the interstellar gas, implying that it must be significantly depleted in interstellar grains [3]. GEMS are significantly depleted in sulfur relative to solar abundances. Analytical electron

How the Enceladus dust plume feeds Saturn’s E ring