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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Totality In Carbondale, Grant Haynes
Totality In Carbondale, Grant Haynes
The Hilltop Review
August 21 was one of the high points of 2017. That day a total solar eclipse tracked over much of the continental U.S. An early morning train ride brought me to Carbondale Illinois, the location of the eclipses longest duration. As totality neared clouds obscured this amazing celestial wonder, but they soon parted, and I was able to get a few spectacular photos of the eclipse, this one with the clouds that almost ruined it, is my favorite.
Catching Shadow Bands, Laurence A. Marschall
Catching Shadow Bands, Laurence A. Marschall
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
Even though shadow bands are only visible for a few fleeting minutes, it is possible to catch them if you prepare in advance. Get a large piece of white cardboard or white-painted plywood to act as a screen--the bands are subtle and can be more easily seen against a clean, white surface. (excerpt)
Spectroscopic Orbital Periods For 29 Cataclysmic Variables From The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, John R. Thorstensen, Cynthia J. Taylor, Christopher S. Peters, Julie N. Skinner
Spectroscopic Orbital Periods For 29 Cataclysmic Variables From The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, John R. Thorstensen, Cynthia J. Taylor, Christopher S. Peters, Julie N. Skinner
Dartmouth Scholarship
We report follow-up spectroscopy of 29 cataclysmic variables from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), 22 of which were discovered by SDSS and seven of which are previously known systems that were recovered in SDSS. The periods for 16 of these objects were included in the tabulation by Gänsicke et al. While most of the systems have periods less than 2 hr, only one has a period in the 80–86 minutes "spike" found by Gänsicke et al., and 11 have periods longer than 3 hr, indicating that the present sample is skewed toward longer-period, higher-luminosity objects. Seven of the objects …
Optical Counterparts Of Two Fermi Millisecond Pulsars: Psr J1301+0833 And Psr J1628–3205, Miao Li, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen
Optical Counterparts Of Two Fermi Millisecond Pulsars: Psr J1301+0833 And Psr J1628–3205, Miao Li, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen
Dartmouth Scholarship
Using the 1.3 m and 2.4 m Telescopes of the MDM Observatory, we identified the close companions of two eclipsing millisecond radio pulsars that were discovered by the Green Bank Telescope in searches of Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope sources, and measured their light curves. PSR J1301+0833 is a black widow pulsar in a 6.5 hr orbit whose companion star is strongly heated on the side facing the pulsar. It varies from R = 21.8 to R > 24 around the orbit. PSR J1628–3205 is a "redback," a nearly Roche-lobe-filling system in a 5.0 hr orbit whose optical modulation in the range …
Magnetic Inhibition Of Convection And The Fundamental Properties Of Low-Mass Stars. Ii. Fully Convective Main-Sequence Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Magnetic Inhibition Of Convection And The Fundamental Properties Of Low-Mass Stars. Ii. Fully Convective Main-Sequence Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Dartmouth Scholarship
We examine the hypothesis that magnetic fields are inflating the radii of fully convective main-sequence stars in detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs). The magnetic Dartmouth stellar evolution code is used to analyze two systems in particular: Kepler-16 and CM Draconis. Magneto-convection is treated assuming stabilization of convection and also by assuming reductions in convective efficiency due to a turbulent dynamo. We find that magnetic stellar models are unable to reproduce the properties of inflated fully convective main-sequence stars, unless strong interior magnetic fields in excess of 10 MG are present. Validation of the magnetic field hypothesis given the current generation of …
Magnetic Inhibition Of Convection And The Fundamental Properties Of Low-Mass Stars. I. Stars With A Radiative Core, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Magnetic Inhibition Of Convection And The Fundamental Properties Of Low-Mass Stars. I. Stars With A Radiative Core, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Dartmouth Scholarship
Magnetic fields are hypothesized to inflate the radii of low-mass stars—defined as less massive than 0.8 M ☉—in detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs). We investigate this hypothesis using the recently introduced magnetic Dartmouth stellar evolution code. In particular, we focus on stars thought to have a radiative core and convective outer envelope by studying in detail three individual DEBs: UV Psc, YY Gem, and CU Cnc. Our results suggest that the stabilization of thermal convection by a magnetic field is a plausible explanation for the observed model-radius discrepancies. However, surface magnetic field strengths required by the models are significantly stronger …
The Interior Structure Constants As An Age Diagnostic For Low-Mass, Pre-Main-Sequence Detached Eclipsing Binary Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Aaron Dotter
The Interior Structure Constants As An Age Diagnostic For Low-Mass, Pre-Main-Sequence Detached Eclipsing Binary Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Aaron Dotter
Dartmouth Scholarship
We propose a novel method for determining the ages of low-mass, pre-main-sequence stellar systems using the apsidal motion of low-mass detached eclipsing binaries. The apsidal motion of a binary system with an eccentric orbit provides information regarding the interior structure constants of the individual stars. These constants are related to the normalized stellar interior density distribution and can be extracted from the predictions of stellar evolution models. We demonstrate that low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars undergoing radiative core contraction display rapidly changing interior structure constants (greater than 5% per 10 Myr) that, when combined with observational determinations of the interior structure constants …
The Metallicity Of The Cm Draconis System, Ryan C. Terrien, Scott W. Fleming, Suvrath Mahadevan, Rohit Deshpande, Gregory A. Feiden
The Metallicity Of The Cm Draconis System, Ryan C. Terrien, Scott W. Fleming, Suvrath Mahadevan, Rohit Deshpande, Gregory A. Feiden
Dartmouth Scholarship
The CM Draconis system comprises two eclipsing mid-M dwarfs of nearly equal mass in a 1.27-day orbit. This well-studied eclipsing binary has often been used for benchmark tests of stellar models, since its components are amongst the lowest mass stars with well-measured masses and radii (~ 1% relative precision). However, as with many other low-mass stars, non-magnetic models have been unable to match the observed radii and effective temperatures for CM Dra at the 5-10% level. To date, the uncertain metallicity of the system has complicated comparison of theoretical isochrones with observations. In this Letter, we use data from the …
Reevaluating The Mass-Radius Relation For Low-Mass, Main-Sequence Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Reevaluating The Mass-Radius Relation For Low-Mass, Main-Sequence Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer
Dartmouth Scholarship
We examine the agreement between the observed and theoretical low-mass (<0.8 M ☉) stellar main-sequence mass-radius relationship by comparing detached eclipsing binary (DEB) data with a new, large grid of stellar evolution models. The new grid allows for a realistic variation in the age and metallicity of the DEB population, characteristic of the local galactic neighborhood. Overall, our models do a reasonable job of reproducing the observational data. A large majority of the models match the observed stellar radii to within 4%, with a mean absolute error of 2.3%. These results represent a factor of two improvement compared to …
Detecting And Characterizing Exoplanets: The Gj 436 And Hd 149026 Systems, Kevin Stevenson
Detecting And Characterizing Exoplanets: The Gj 436 And Hd 149026 Systems, Kevin Stevenson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation investigates two stellar systems known to contain extrasolar planets. It is comprised of five chapters that are readily divided into three independent but related analyses. Chapter 1 reports on the analysis of low signal-to-noise secondary-eclipse observations of the Neptune-sized exoplanet GJ 436b using the Spitzer Space Telescope in multiple infrared channels. The measured wavelength-dependent eclipse depths provide constraints on the planet’s dayside atmospheric composition and thermal profile. The analysis indicates that GJ 436b’s atmosphere is abundant in carbon monoxide and deficient in methane relative to thermochemical equilibrium models for the predicted hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Chapter 2 discusses the techniques …
Discovery Of A Bright, Extremely Low Mass White Dwarf In A Close Double Degenerate System, S. Vennes, J. R. Thorstensen, A. Kawka, P. Németh, J. N. Skinner
Discovery Of A Bright, Extremely Low Mass White Dwarf In A Close Double Degenerate System, S. Vennes, J. R. Thorstensen, A. Kawka, P. Németh, J. N. Skinner
Dartmouth Scholarship
We report the discovery of a bright (V ~ 13.7), extremely low-mass white dwarf in a close double degenerate system. We originally selected GALEX J171708.5+675712 for spectroscopic follow-up among a group of white dwarf candidates in an ultraviolet-optical reduced proper-motion diagram. The new white dwarf has a mass of 0.18 M_solar and is the primary component of a close double degenerate system (P=0.246137 d, K_1 = 288 km/s) comprising a fainter white dwarf secondary with M_2 ~ 0.9 M_solar. Light curves phased with the orbital ephemeris show evidence of relativistic beaming and weaker ellipsoidal variations. The light curves also reveal …
Ci Cygni Since The 1980 Eclipse, R. E. Stencel, Andrew G. Michalitsianos, Menas Kafatos
Ci Cygni Since The 1980 Eclipse, R. E. Stencel, Andrew G. Michalitsianos, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Books and Book Chapters
Following the 1980 eclipse of the 855 day period symbiotic binary CI Cyg, we were confronted with a data set showing high excitation resonance lines which were largely uneclipsed but brightening on an orbital timescale, and intercombination lines exhibiting pronounced but nontotal eclipses and which were fading on an orbital timescale. Our model invoked a low density dissipating nebula surrounding the hot companion to explain the intercombination lines, and a shock between stellar winds to interpret the resonance lines. Subsequent synoptic observations have revealed continuing changes in the W emission line fluxes, consistent with those described above, except for the …
Ingress Observations Of The 1980 Eclipse Of The Symbiotic Star Ci Cygni, R. E. Stencel, Andrew G. Michalitsianos, Menas Kafatos, Alexander A. Boyarchuk
Ingress Observations Of The 1980 Eclipse Of The Symbiotic Star Ci Cygni, R. E. Stencel, Andrew G. Michalitsianos, Menas Kafatos, Alexander A. Boyarchuk
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Books and Book Chapters
One of the major results from the IUE may prove to be the new knowledge gained by studies of the ultraviolet spectra of symbiotic stars. Symbiotics combine spectral features of a cool M giant-like photosphere with strong high excitation emission lines of nebular origin, superposed. An excellent pre-UV review has been given by Swings (i). The UV spectra are dominated by intense permitted and semi-forbidden emission lines and weak continua indicative of hot compact objects and accretion disks. Two symbiotics, AR Pay and CI Cyg are thought to be eclipsing binaries, and we have begun IUE observations during the predicted …