Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Using Photometry To Probe The Circumstellar Environment Of Δ Scorpii, Carol E. Jones, Paul A. Wiegert, Christopher Tycner, Gregory W. Henry, Richard P. Cyr, Robbie J. Halonen, Matthew W. Muterspaugh

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We acquired Johnson BV photometry of the binary Be disk system δ Scorpii during its 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 observing seasons and used it to probe the innermost regions of the disk. We found that several disk building events have occurred during this time, resulting in an overall brightening in the V band and reddening of the system. In addition to these long-term trends, we found cyclical variability in each observing season on timescales between 60 and 100 days. We were able to reproduce the changes in the magnitude and color of δ Sco using our theoretical models and …

Rotational And Cyclical Variability In Γ Cassiopeiae. Ii. Fifteen Seasons, Gregory W. Henry, Myron A. Smith

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

The B0.5 IVe star γ Cas is of great interest because it is the prototype of a small group of classical Be stars having hard X-ray emission of unknown origin. We discuss results from ongoing B and V observations of the γ Cas star–disk system acquired with an Automated Photometric Telescope during the observing seasons 1997–2011. In an earlier study, Smith, Henry, & Vishniac showed that light variations in γ Cas are dominated by a series of comparatively prominent cycles with amplitudes of 0.02–0.03 mag and lengths of 2–3 months, superimposed on a 1.21 day periodic signal some five times …

The Relationship Between Γ Cassiopeiae’S X-Ray Emission And Its Circumstellar Environment Ii. Geometry And Kinematics Of The Disk From Mirc And Vega Instruments On The Chara Array, Philippe Stee, O. Delaa, John D. Monnier, Anthony Meilland, Karine Perraut, Denis Mourard, Xiao Che, Gail H. Schaefer, Ettore Pedretti, Myron A. Smith, Raimundo Lopes De Oliveira, Christian Motch, Gregory W. Henry, Noel D. Richardson, Karen S. Bjorkman, R. Bücke, E. Pollmann, Juan Zorec, Douglas R. Gies, Theo A. Ten Brummelaar, Harold A. Mcalister, Nils H. Turner, Judit Sturmann, Laszlo Sturmann, Stephen T. Ridgway

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Context.γ Cas is thought to be the prototype of classical Be stars and is the most studied object among this group. However, as for all Be stars, the origin and the physics of its circumstellar disk responsible for the observed near IR-excess, emission lines, and peculiar X-ray emission is still being debated.

Aims. We constrain the geometry and kinematics of its circumstellar disk from the highest spatial resolution ever achieved on this star. This investigation is a part of a large multi-technique observing campaign to obtain the most complete picture of γ Cas which emphasizes the relation of the …

The Relationship Between Γ Cassiopeiae’S X-Ray Emission And Its Circumstellar Environment, Myron A. Smith, Raimundo Lopes De Oliveira, Christian Motch, Gregory W. Henry, Noel D. Richardson, Karen S. Bjorkman, Philippe Stee, Denis Mourard, John D. Monnier, Xiao Che, R. Bücke, E. Pollmann, Douglas R. Gies, Gail Schaefer, Theo A. Ten Brummelaar, Harold Mcalister, Nils H. Turner, Judit Sturmann, Laszlo Sturmann, Stephen T. Ridgway

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

γ Cas is the prototypical classical Be star and is recently best known for its variable hard X-ray emission. To elucidate the reasons for this emission, we mounted a multiwavelength campaign in 2010 centered around four XMM-Newton observations. The observational techniques included long baseline optical interferometry (LBOI) from two instruments at CHARA, photometry carried out by an automated photometric telescope and Hα observations. Because γ Cas is also known to be in a binary, we measured radial velocities from the Hα line and redetermined its period as 203.55 ± 0.20 days and its eccentricity as near zero. The LBOI observations …

An Ab Initio Study Of The Structures, Vibrational Spectra, And Energetics Of Alshx (X = –1, 0, +1), Sujata Guha, Joseph S. Francisco

Chemistry Faculty Research

The ground state of aluminum hydrosulfide, AlSHX (where X = − 1,0, + 1), has been examined using high-level ab initio electronic structure calculations at the CCSD(T) level with an augmented correlation-consistent basis set. The geometries have been optimized up through the aug-cc-pV5Z level and vibrational frequencies calculated using the aug-cc-pV5Z basis set. The energetic properties of AlSH are also examined. The adiabatic ionization potential and electron affinity of AlSH are calculated to be 198.5 and 7.7 kcal mol−1, respectively. Dissociation of AlSH into AlS + H will require 78.2 kcal mol−1 of energy, and the Al-S bond energy is …

Spectroscopy Of Early F Stars: Γ Doradus Candidates And Possible Metallic Shell Stars, Francis C. Fekel, Phillip B. Warner, Anthony B. Kaye

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We obtained high-resolution spectroscopic observations of 34 γ Doradus candidates. From the red-wavelength spectra, we determined spectral classes, radial velocities, and projected rotational velocities. The spectra of seven late A or early F stars show metallic lines that have composite profiles consisting of a narrow component near the center of a broad line, indicating that they may be shell stars or binaries. Several stars, including HD 152896, HD 173977, HD 175337, and HD 195068/9, show large line profile asymmetries. Two stars, HD 11443 (=α Trianguli) and HD 149420, are ellipsoidal variables and not γ Doradus stars. The percentage of binary …

X-Ray And Optical Variations In The Classical Be Star Γ Cassiopeia: The Discovery Of A Possible Magnetic Dynamo, Richard D. Robinson, Myron A. Smith, Gregory W. Henry

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

The classical B0.5e star γ Cassiopeia is known to be a unique X-ray source by virtue of its moderate LX (1033 ergs s-1), hard X-ray spectrum, and light curve punctuated by ubiquitous flares and slow undulations. The peculiarities of this star have led to a controversy concerning the origin of these emissions: whether they are from wind infall onto a putative degenerate companion, as in the case of normal Be/X-ray binaries, or from the Be star itself. Recently, much progress has been made to resolve this question: (1) the discovery that γ Cas is a moderately eccentric binary system (P …

Optical Variability In The Unusual K5 V Infrared-Excess Star Hd 98800, Gregory W. Henry, Douglas S. Hall

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

The dusty infrared-excess star HD 98800 (K5 V) was observed for several weeks in the spring of 1993 by the Vanderbilt/Tennessee State 0.4 m automatic photoelectric telescope. It was found to be a variable star with an amplitude of 0.07 mag in V and a period of 14.7 days. We show, by comparison with other chromospherically active variable stars and constant stars with good observational histories, that the Rossby number for HD 98800, determined to be 0.30, places it well within the regime of stars whose convective envelopes and rotation rates combine to drive a magnetic dynamo strong enough to …

Optical Spectroscopy Of The Dusty K5 V Star Hd 98800, Francis C. Fekel, Bernard W. Bopp

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

High-resolution CCD spectra of the red region of the dusty K5 V star HD 98800, which may contain a protoplanetary disk, have been obtained at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The spectra verify the dwarf spectral type and show rotationally broadened photospheric lines, Hα emission, and a very strong Li _Ι λ6707 absorption line, all of which confirm the star as a very young object. The overall spectrum of HD 98800 closely resembles that of the young, chromospherically active, single BY Dra star HD 82558 (=LQ Hya). The measured Li _Ι equivalent width of 0.39 Å implies an abundance log N …