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Astrophysics and Astronomy

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Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

2010

Articles 1 - 20 of 20

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Kepler Light Curve Of V344 Lyrae: Constraining The Thermal-Viscous Limit Cycle Instability, John K. Cannizzo, Martin D. Still, Steve B. Howell, Matt A. Wood, Alan P. Smale Dec 2010

The Kepler Light Curve Of V344 Lyrae: Constraining The Thermal-Viscous Limit Cycle Instability, John K. Cannizzo, Martin D. Still, Steve B. Howell, Matt A. Wood, Alan P. Smale

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present time-dependent modeling based on the accretion disk limit cycle model for a 270 d light curve of the short-period SU UMa-type dwarf nova V344 Lyr taken by Kepler. The unprecedented precision and cadence (1 minute) far surpass that generally available for long-term light curves. The data encompass two superoutbursts and 17 normal (i.e., short) outbursts. The main decay of the superoutbursts is nearly perfectly exponential, decaying at a rate ~12 d mag−1, while the much more rapid decays of the normal outbursts exhibit a faster-than-exponential shape. Our modeling using the basic accretion disk limit cycle can produce the …

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Pitch Angle Scattering In The Outer Heliosheath And Formation Of The Interstellar Boundary Explorer Ribbon, Konstantin V. Gamayunov, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul Dec 2010

Pitch Angle Scattering In The Outer Heliosheath And Formation Of The Interstellar Boundary Explorer Ribbon, Konstantin V. Gamayunov, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The dominant and unexpected feature in the first Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) maps is a ribbon of the enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions. Presenting the first results from IBEX,McComas et al. identified six possible mechanisms of ribbon formation. One of the mechanisms, the so-called secondary ENA mechanism, was already quantitatively elaborated by Heerikhuisen et al., and they successfully reproduced the main features of the ribbon. We further study the "secondary ENA" mechanism by quantifying a previously omitted stage of the proton evolution between two consecutive acts of the charge-exchange in the outer heliosheath (OHS). The main findings can be …

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Pitch Aangle Scattering In The Outer Heliosheath And Formation Of The Interstellar Boundary Explorer Ribbon, Konstantin V. Gamayunov, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul Dec 2010

Pitch Aangle Scattering In The Outer Heliosheath And Formation Of The Interstellar Boundary Explorer Ribbon, Konstantin V. Gamayunov, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The dominant and unexpected feature in the first Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) maps is a ribbon of the enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions. Presenting the first results from IBEX,McComas et al. identified six possible mechanisms of ribbon formation. One of the mechanisms, the so-called secondary ENA mechanism, was already quantitatively elaborated by Heerikhuisen et al., and they successfully reproduced the main features of the ribbon. We further study the "secondary ENA" mechanism by quantifying a previously omitted stage of the proton evolution between two consecutive acts of the charge-exchange in the outer heliosheath (OHS). The main findings can be …

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Δ Sct-Type Pulsations In Eclipsing Binary Systems: Y Cam, E. Rodriguez, J. M. Garcia, V. Costa, P. Lampens, P. J. Amado, J. Daszynska-Daszkiewicz, V. Turcu, S.-L. Kim, A. Y. Zhou, M. J. Lopez-Gonzalez, A. Rolland, D. Diaz-Fraile, M. A. Wood Nov 2010

Δ Sct-Type Pulsations In Eclipsing Binary Systems: Y Cam, E. Rodriguez, J. M. Garcia, V. Costa, P. Lampens, P. J. Amado, J. Daszynska-Daszkiewicz, V. Turcu, S.-L. Kim, A. Y. Zhou, M. J. Lopez-Gonzalez, A. Rolland, D. Diaz-Fraile, M. A. Wood

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present the results of a three-continent multisite photometric campaign carried out on the Algol-type eclipsing binary system Y Cam, in which the primary component is a multiperiodic δ Sct-type pulsator. The observations consist of 86 nights and more than 450 h of useful data collected mainly during the Northern winter 2002–2003. This means that this is the most extensive time series for such kind of systems obtained so far. These observations were collected mostly in the Johnson V filter, but they also include, for the first time, nearly complete binary light curves in simultaneous Strömgren uvby filters together with …

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Quiescent Superhumps Detected In The Dwarf Nova V344 Lyrae By Kepler, Martin D. Still, Steve B. Howell, Matt A. Wood, John K. Cannizzo, Alan P. Smale Jul 2010

Quiescent Superhumps Detected In The Dwarf Nova V344 Lyrae By Kepler, Martin D. Still, Steve B. Howell, Matt A. Wood, John K. Cannizzo, Alan P. Smale

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The timing capabilities and sensitivity of Kepler, NASA's observatory to find Earth-sized planets within the habitable zone of stars, are well matched to the timescales and amplitudes of accretion disk variability in cataclysmic variables. This instrumental combination provides an unprecedented opportunity to test and refine stellar accretion paradigms with high-precision, uniform data, and containing none of the diurnal or season gaps that limit ground-based observations. We present a 3 month, 1 minute cadence Kepler light curve of V344 Lyr, a faint, little-studied dwarf nova within the Kepler field. The light curve samples V344 Lyr during five full normal outbursts and …

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A Displaced Supermassive Black Hole In M87, Daniel P. Batcheldor, A. Robinson, D. J. Axon, Eric S. Perlman, D. Merritt Jul 2010

A Displaced Supermassive Black Hole In M87, Daniel P. Batcheldor, A. Robinson, D. J. Axon, Eric S. Perlman, D. Merritt

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Isophotal analysis of M87, using data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys, reveals a projected displacement of 6.8 ± 0.8 pc (~0farcs1) between the nuclear point source (presumed to be the location of the supermassive black hole, SMBH) and the photo-center of the galaxy. The displacement is along a position angle of 307° ± 17° and is consistent with the jet axis. This suggests the active SMBH in M87 does not currently reside at the galaxy center of mass, but is displaced in the counter-jet direction. Possible explanations for the displacement include orbital motion of an SMBH binary, gravitational perturbations …

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A Flare In The Jet Of Pictor A, Herman L. Marshall, Eric S. Perlman May 2010

A Flare In The Jet Of Pictor A, Herman L. Marshall, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A Chandra X-ray imaging observation of the jet in Pictor A showed a feature that appears to be a flare that faded between 2000 and 2002. The feature was not detected in a follow-up observation in 2009. The jet itself is over 150kpc long and about 1 kpc wide, so finding year-long variability is surprising. Assuming a synchrotron origin of the observed high-energy photons and a minimum energy condition for the outflow, the synchrotron loss time of the X-ray emitting electrons is of order 1200 years, which is much longer than the observed variability timescale. This leads to the possibility …

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Spitzer Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy Of Compact Symmetric Objects: What Powers Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei?, Kyle W. Willett, John T. Stocke, Jeremy K. Darling, Eric S. Perlman Apr 2010

Spitzer Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy Of Compact Symmetric Objects: What Powers Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei?, Kyle W. Willett, John T. Stocke, Jeremy K. Darling, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present low- and high-resolution mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra and photometry for eight compact symmetric objects (CSOs) taken with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The hosts of these young, powerful radio galaxies show significant diversity in their mid-IR spectra. This includes multiple atomic fine-structure lines, H2 gas, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, warm dust from T = 50 to150 K, and silicate features in both emission and absorption. There is no evidence in the mid-IR of a single template for CSO hosts, but 5/8 galaxies show similar moderate levels of star formation (<10 M ⊙ yr-1 from PAH emission) and silicate dust in a clumpy torus. The total amount of extinction ranges from AV ∼ 10 to 30, and the high-ionization [Ne V] 14.3 and 24.3 μm transitions are not detected for any galaxy in the sample. Almost all CSOs show contributions both from star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), suggesting that they occupy a continuum between pure starbursts and AGNs. This is consistent with the hypothesis that radio galaxies are created following a galactic merger; the timing of the radio activity onset means that contributions to the IR luminosity from both merger-induced star formation and the central AGN are likely. Bondi accretion is capable of powering the radio jets for almost all CSOs in the sample; the lack of [Ne V] emission suggests an advection-dominated accretion flow mode as a possible candidate. Merging black holes (BHs) with M BH > 108 M ⊙ likely exist …

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Hubble Space Telescope Near-Infrared Snapshot Survey Of 3cr Radio Source Counterparts. Iii. Radio Galaxies And Quasars In Context, David J.E. Floyd, David Axon, Stefi Baum, Alessandro Capetti, Marco Chiaberge, Juan P. Madrid, Christopher P. O'Dea, Eric S. Perlman, William B. Sparks Apr 2010

Hubble Space Telescope Near-Infrared Snapshot Survey Of 3cr Radio Source Counterparts. Iii. Radio Galaxies And Quasars In Context, David J.E. Floyd, David Axon, Stefi Baum, Alessandro Capetti, Marco Chiaberge, Juan P. Madrid, Christopher P. O'Dea, Eric S. Perlman, William B. Sparks

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We compare the near-infrared (NIR) H-band photometric and morphological properties of low-z (z < 0.3) 3CR radio galaxies with samples of BL Lac objects and quasar host galaxies, merger remnants, quiescent elliptical galaxies, and brightest cluster galaxies drawn from the literature. In general, the 3CR host galaxies are consistent with luminous (~Lsstarf) elliptical galaxies. The vast majority of FR II's (~80%) occupy the most massive ellipticals and form a homogeneous population that is comparable to the population of radio-loud quasar (RLQ) host galaxies in the literature. However, a significant minority (~20%) of the 3CR FR II's appears under-luminous with respect to quasar host galaxies. All FR II objects in this faint tail are either unusually red, or appear to be the brightest objects within a group. We discuss the apparent differences between the radio galaxy and RLQ host galaxy populations. RLQs appear to require gsim1011 M☉ host galaxies (and ~109 M☉ black holes), whereas radio galaxies and radio-quiet quasars can exist in galaxies down to ~3 × 1010 M☉. This may be due to biases in the measured quasar host galaxy luminosities or populations studied, or due to a genuine difference in host galaxy. If due to a genuine difference, it would support the idea that radio and optical active galactic nuclei are two separate populations with a significant overlap.

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The M•–Σ* Relation Derived From Sphere Of Influence Arguments, Daniel P. Batcheldor Mar 2010

The M•–Σ* Relation Derived From Sphere Of Influence Arguments, Daniel P. Batcheldor

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The observed relation between supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass (M•) and bulge stellar velocity dispersion (σ*) is described by log M• = α + βlog(σ*/200 km s-1). As this relation has important implications for models of galaxy and SMBH formation and evolution, there continues to be great interest in adding to the M• catalog. The "sphere of influence" (ri) argument uses spatial resolution to exclude some M• estimates and pre-select additional galaxies for further SMBH studies. This Letter quantifies the effects of applying the ri argument to a population of galaxies and SMBHs that do not follow the M•–σ* relation. …

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Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes, Michael E. Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, Diana H. Barnes, Joseph R. Dwyer, Hamid K. Rassoul, David M. Smith, Bryna J. Hazelton, Brian W. Grefenstette Jan 2010

Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes, Michael E. Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, Diana H. Barnes, Joseph R. Dwyer, Hamid K. Rassoul, David M. Smith, Bryna J. Hazelton, Brian W. Grefenstette

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The characteristics of thunderstorms that produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) are determined using climatological and meteorological data. RHESSI observed TGFs follow diurnal, seasonal, and geographic patterns that are very similar to those of thunderstorms confirming, in part, that these events are directly connected to thunderstorm activity. The TGF producing thunderstorms are shown to be closely associated with tall (ranging from 13.6 km to 17.3 km) tropical thunderstorm systems, a finding that is consistent with theoretical expectations from models of relativistic breakdown that relate the source region to the spectral …

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Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism, Eric S. Perlman, Markos Georganopoulos, Emily M. May, Deosthenes Kazanas Jan 2010

Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism, Eric S. Perlman, Markos Georganopoulos, Emily M. May, Deosthenes Kazanas

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present new Chandra observations of the radio galaxy 3C 445, centered on its southern radio hot spot. Our observations detect X-ray emission displaced upstream and to the west of the radio-optical hot spot. Attempting to reproduce both the observed spectral energy distribution and the displacement excludes all one-zone models. Modeling of the radio-optical hot spot spectrum suggests that the electron distribution has a low-energy cutoff or break approximately at the proton rest mass energy. The X-rays could be due to external Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background coming from the fast (Lorentz factor Γ ≈ 4) part of …

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Associations Between Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes And Sferics From The World Wide Lightning Location Network, Valerie Connaughton, Eric S. Cramer, Joseph R. Dwyer Jan 2010

Associations Between Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes And Sferics From The World Wide Lightning Location Network, Valerie Connaughton, Eric S. Cramer, Joseph R. Dwyer

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We report on a search for correlations between terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and lightning strokes measured using the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). We associate 15 of a total 50 GBM-detected TGFs with individual discharges. We establish the relative timing between the TGF and the lightning stroke to an accuracy of <50 s, and find that in 13 of these 15 lightning-TGF associations, the lightning stroke and the peak of the TGF are simultaneous to ∼40 μs. This suggests that a large fraction of TGFs are coincident with lightning discharges. The two nonsimultaneous associations do not show a consistent TGF-lightning stroke temporal sequence. All 15 associations are with sferics within 300 km of the subspacecraft position. For those TGFs not correlated with a particular lightning stroke, we find storm activity within 300 km of the subspacecraft position in all but four of the TGFs. For three of these four TGFs, we find storm activity very close to one of the magnetic footprints of the spacecraft position. We associate the subspacecraft TGFs with gamma ray events and the footprint events with electrons traveling along magnetic field lines before hitting the Fermi spacecraft.

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The Heavily Polluted Atmosphere Of The Daz White Dwarf Galex J193156.8+011745, Stephane Vennes, Adéla Kawka, Péter Németh Jan 2010

The Heavily Polluted Atmosphere Of The Daz White Dwarf Galex J193156.8+011745, Stephane Vennes, Adéla Kawka, Péter Németh

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We report on the discovery of a new heavily polluted white dwarf. The DAZ white dwarf GALEX J193156.8+011745 was identified in a joint Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)/GSC survey of ultraviolet-excess objects. Optical spectra obtained at ESO New Technology Telescope show strong absorption lines of magnesium and silicon, and a detailed abundance analysis based on Very Large Telescope-Kueyen UVES spectra reveal super-solar abundances of silicon and magnesium and near-solar abundances of oxygen, calcium and iron. The overall abundance pattern bears the signature of on-going accretion on to the white dwarf atmosphere. The infrared spectral energy distribution shows an excess in the …

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Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism, Eric S. Perlman, Markos Georganopoulos, Emily M. May, Demosthenes Kazanas Jan 2010

Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism, Eric S. Perlman, Markos Georganopoulos, Emily M. May, Demosthenes Kazanas

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present new Chandra observations of the radio galaxy 3C 445, centered on its southern radio hot spot. Our observations detect X-ray emission displaced upstream and to the west of the radio-optical hot spot. Attempting to reproduce both the observed spectral energy distribution and the displacement excludes all one-zone models. Modeling of the radio-optical hot spot spectrum suggests that the electron distribution has a low-energy cutoff or break approximately at the proton rest mass energy. The X-rays could be due to external Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background coming from the fast (Lorentz factor Γ ≈ 4) part of …

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Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind, Ming Zhang Jan 2010

Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind, Ming Zhang

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

This paper presents a calculation of particle acceleration by an idealized compressional plasma wave train. In this model, suprathermal particles, such as pickup ions, are continuously injected into a wave train consisting of a series of compression or rarefaction regions. The momentum distribution of particles will become broader and broader as they go through the wave train, which is very similar to diffusion in momentum space. The acceleration process is very fast: it does not take too many wave cycles even with a small compression amplitude to reach an asymptotic steady state momentum distribution. In the absence of large-scale adiabatic …

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Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation, Joseph R. Dwyer Jan 2010

Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation, Joseph R. Dwyer

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Using detailed Monte Carlo simulations, the diffusion coefficients for relativistic runaway electron avalanches in air are found for the range of electric field strengths applicable to thunderclouds. Diffusion causes runaway electron avalanches to spread perpendicular to and parallel to the avalanche direction, resulting in much smaller peak conductivities than would be inferred otherwise. The idea that runaway electron avalanches seeded by extensive cosmic ray air showers may initiate lightning has gained considerable popularity in recent years. However, using the diffusion coefficients calculated in this paper along with the avalanche multiplication limit from X-ray and positron feedback, it is found that …

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First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, Michael S. Briggs, Joseph R. Dwyer Jan 2010

First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, Michael S. Briggs, Joseph R. Dwyer

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected 12 intense terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) during its first year of observation. Typical maximum energies for most of the TGFs are ∼30 MeV, with one TGF having a 38 MeV photon; two of the TGFs are softer and longer than the others. After correcting for instrumental effects, a representative bright TGF is found to have a fluence of ∼0.7 photons cm-2. Pulses are either symmetrical or have faster risetimes than fall times; they are well fit with Gaussian or lognormal functions. The fastest risetime observed was 7 …

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Magnetic Cloud Boundary Layer Of 9 November 2004 And Its Associated Space Weather Effects, Pingbing Zuo, Fengsi Wei, Xueshang Feng, Xiaojun Xu, Wenbin Song Jan 2010

Magnetic Cloud Boundary Layer Of 9 November 2004 And Its Associated Space Weather Effects, Pingbing Zuo, Fengsi Wei, Xueshang Feng, Xiaojun Xu, Wenbin Song

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

On 9 November 2004, the WIND spacecraft detected a magnetic cloud boundary layer (MCBL) during the interval from 19:07 UT to 20:30 UT. Within the MCBL, there is intense southward magnetic field and the dynamic pressure is rather high, which makes it much geoeffective. Twenty-three minutes later, the MCBL arrived on the magnetopause. An intense geomagnetic storm main phase was driven by the sustaining strong southward magnetic field within the MCBL. During the passage of the MCBL, a typical magnetospheric substorm was triggered. The substorm onset was synthetically identified by the aurora breakup, magnetic dipolarization, dispersionless particle injection, Pi2 pulsation, …

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A Multi-Wavelength Spectral And Polarimetric Study Of The Jet Of 3c 264, Eric S. Perlman Jan 2010

A Multi-Wavelength Spectral And Polarimetric Study Of The Jet Of 3c 264, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present a comprehensive multi-band spectral and polarimetric study of the jet of 3C 264 (NGC 3862). Included in this study are three Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical and ultraviolet polarimetry data sets, along with new and archival Very Large Array radio imaging and polarimetry, a re-analysis of numerous HST broadband data sets from the near infrared to the far ultraviolet, and a Chandra ACIS-S observation. We investigate similarities and differences between optical and radio polarimetry, in both degree of polarization and projected magnetic field direction. We also examine the broadband spectral energy distribution of both the nucleus and jet …

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