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Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy

2017

Articles 1 - 17 of 17

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

An Additional Pulsating Mode (7.35 Mhz) And Pulsations Timing Variations Of Pg 1613+426, Tomomi Otani, Terry D. Oswalt, Patrice Majewski, Riley Jordan, Marc Amaral, Adam Moss Dec 2017

An Additional Pulsating Mode (7.35 Mhz) And Pulsations Timing Variations Of Pg 1613+426, Tomomi Otani, Terry D. Oswalt, Patrice Majewski, Riley Jordan, Marc Amaral, Adam Moss

Publications

We present the detection of an additional pulsation mode (7.35 mHz) of a subdwarf B star, PG 1613+426, and periodic Observed minus Calculated (O-C) variations for two existing pulsations. PG 1613+426 is near the hot end of the sdB instability strip. One pulsation mode (6.94 mHz) was detected so far by Bonanno et al. (2002) and another pulsation mode candidate (7.05 mHz) was proposed with a confidence level above 90% by Kuassivi and Ferlet (2005). To constrain sdB star evolutional scenarios, this star was monitored in 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2017 as a part of a project for finding companions …

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Nonlinear Gravity Wave Forcing As A Source Of Acoustic Waves In The Mesosphere, Thermosphere, And Ionosphere, J. B. Snively Dec 2017

Nonlinear Gravity Wave Forcing As A Source Of Acoustic Waves In The Mesosphere, Thermosphere, And Ionosphere, J. B. Snively

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Numerical simulations demonstrate theoretical predictions that gravity waves with short periods (∼4–8 min) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere may force secondary acoustic waves, with harmonic periods (∼2-4 minutes), that can reach detectable amplitudes in the thermosphere and ionosphere. The mechanism is through their vertical fluxes of vertical momentum, which lead to forcing as they are disrupted by varying stratification or instability. This is shown likely to occur where horizontally or radially opposing gravity waves interact at large amplitudes, such as above large convective sources, and after overturning. Evanescence and reflection of the waves can lead to further enhancements of …

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Book Review: Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, And Other Wonders Revealed By Nasa's Premier X-Ray Observatory, T. D. Oswalt Nov 2017

Book Review: Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, And Other Wonders Revealed By Nasa's Premier X-Ray Observatory, T. D. Oswalt

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This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of Chandra's cosmos: dark matter, black holes, and other wonders revealed by NASA's premier X-ray observatory by Wallace H. Tucker. Smithsonian Books, 2017. 266p bibl index ISBN 9781588345875, $29.95; ISBN 9781588345882 ebook, contact publiser for price.

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Stellar Stream Candidates In The Solar Neighborhood Found In The Lamost Dr3 And Tgas, X. L. Liang, Terry Oswalt, J. K. Zhao, Y. Q. Chen, G. Zhao Aug 2017

Stellar Stream Candidates In The Solar Neighborhood Found In The Lamost Dr3 And Tgas, X. L. Liang, Terry Oswalt, J. K. Zhao, Y. Q. Chen, G. Zhao

Publications

We have cross-matched the LAMOST DR3 with the Gaia DR1 TGAS cata- logs and obtained a sample of 166,827 stars with reliable kinematics. A technique based on the wavelet transform was applied to detect significant overdensities in velocity space among five subsamples divided by spatial position. In total, 16 sig- nificant overdensities of stars with very similar kinematics were identified. Among these, four are new stream candidates and the rest are previously known groups. Both the U-V velocity and metallicity distributions of the local sample show a clear gap between the Hercules structure and the Hyades-Pleiades structure. The U-V positions …

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Magnetospherically-Trapped Dust And A Possible Model For The Unusual Transits At Wd1145+017, J. Farihi, Ted Von Hippel, J. E. Pringle Aug 2017

Magnetospherically-Trapped Dust And A Possible Model For The Unusual Transits At Wd1145+017, J. Farihi, Ted Von Hippel, J. E. Pringle

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The rapidly evolving dust and gas extinction observed towardsWD1145+017 has opened a real-time window onto the mechanisms for destruction-accretion of planetary bodies onto white dwarf stars, and has served to underline the importance of considering the dynamics of dust particles around such objects. Here it is argued that the interaction between (charged) dust grains and the stellar magnetic field is an important ingredient in understanding the physical distribution of infrared emitting particles in the vicinity of such white dwarfs. These ideas are used to suggest a possible model for WD 1145+017 in which the unusual transit shapes are caused by …

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Stellar Stream Candidates In The Solar Neighborhood Found In The Lamost Dr3 And Tgas, X. L. Liang, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, Y. Q. Chen, L. Zhang, G. Zhao Aug 2017

Stellar Stream Candidates In The Solar Neighborhood Found In The Lamost Dr3 And Tgas, X. L. Liang, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, Y. Q. Chen, L. Zhang, G. Zhao

Publications

We have cross-matched the LAMOST DR3 with the Gaia DR1 TGAS catalogs and obtained a sample of 166,827 stars with reliable kinematics. A technique based on the wavelet transform was applied to detect significant overdensities in velocity space among five subsamples divided by spatial position. In total, 16 significant overdensities of stars with very similar kinematics were identified. Among these, four are new stream candidates and the rest are previously known groups. Both the U–V velocity and metallicity distributions of the local sample show a clear gap between the Hercules structure and the Hyades–Pleiades structure. The U– …

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Book Review: From The Realm Of The Nebulae To Populations Of Galaxies: Dialogues On A Century Of Research, Astrophysics And Space Science Library, 435, T. D. Oswalt Apr 2017

Book Review: From The Realm Of The Nebulae To Populations Of Galaxies: Dialogues On A Century Of Research, Astrophysics And Space Science Library, 435, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of From the Realm of the Nebulae to Populations of Galaxies : Dialogues on a Century of Research, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 435. by Mauro D'Onofrio, Roberto Rampazzo, and Simone Zaggia Springer, 2016 785p bibl index afp, 9783319310046 $279.00, 9783319310060 $219.00

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A Hierarchical Model For The Ages Of Galactic Halo White Dwarfs, Shijing Si, Ted Von Hippel, David A. Van Dyk, Elliot Robinson, Aaron Webster, Et Al. Mar 2017

A Hierarchical Model For The Ages Of Galactic Halo White Dwarfs, Shijing Si, Ted Von Hippel, David A. Van Dyk, Elliot Robinson, Aaron Webster, Et Al.

Publications

In astrophysics, we often aim to estimate one or more parameters for each member object in a population and study the distribution of the fitted parameters across the population. In this paper, we develop novel methods that allow us to take advantage of existing software designed for such case-by-case analyses to simultaneously fit parameters of both the individual objects and the parameters that quantify their distribution across the population. Our methods are based on Bayesian hierarchical modelling which is known to produce parameter estimators for the individual objects that are on average closer to their true values than estimators based …

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The Acs Survey Of Galactic Globular Clusters Xiv: Bayesian Single-Population Analysis Of 69 Globular Clusters, R. Wagner-Kaiser, Ted Von Hippel, A. Sarajedini, D. C. Stenning, D. A. Van Dyck, Et Al. Mar 2017

The Acs Survey Of Galactic Globular Clusters Xiv: Bayesian Single-Population Analysis Of 69 Globular Clusters, R. Wagner-Kaiser, Ted Von Hippel, A. Sarajedini, D. C. Stenning, D. A. Van Dyck, Et Al.

Publications

We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging from the ACS Treasury Survey to determine fits for single population isochrones of 69 Galactic globular clusters. Using robust Bayesian analysis techniques, we simultaneously determine ages, distances, absorptions, and helium values for each cluster under the scenario of a \single" stellar population on model grids with solar ratio heavy element abundances. The set of cluster parameters is determined in a consistent and reproducible manner for all clusters using the Bayesian analysis suite BASE-9. Our results are used to re-visit the age-metallicity relation. We find correlations with helium and several other parameters such as …

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The Ages Of The Thin Disk, Thick Disk, And The Halo From Nearby White Dwarfs, Mukremin Kilic, Ted Von Hippel, Jeffrey A. Munn, Hugh C. Harris, James W. Liebert, Et Al. Feb 2017

The Ages Of The Thin Disk, Thick Disk, And The Halo From Nearby White Dwarfs, Mukremin Kilic, Ted Von Hippel, Jeffrey A. Munn, Hugh C. Harris, James W. Liebert, Et Al.

Publications

We present a detailed analysis of the white dwarf luminosity functions derived from the local 40 pc sample and the deep proper motion catalog of Munn et al. (2014, 2017). Many of the previous studies ignored the contribution of thick disk white dwarfs to the Galactic disk luminosity function, which results in an erronous age measurement. We demonstrate that the ratio of thick/thin disk white dwarfs is roughly 20% in the local sample. Simultaneously fitting for both disk components, we derive ages of 6.8-7.0 Gyr for the thin disk and 8.7 ± 0.1 Gyr for the thick disk from the …

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First Performance Results Of A New Field-Widened Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer For Geocoronal Hα Research, D. D. Gardner, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler, J. M. Harlander, K. P. Jaehnig, S. M. Nossal, L. M. Haffner Jan 2017

First Performance Results Of A New Field-Widened Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer For Geocoronal Hα Research, D. D. Gardner, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler, J. M. Harlander, K. P. Jaehnig, S. M. Nossal, L. M. Haffner

Publications

A new, high-resolution field-widened spatial heterodyne spectrometer (FW-SHS) designed to observe geocoronal Balmer α (Hα, 6563 Å) emission was installed at Pine Bluff Observatory (PBO) near Madison, Wisconsin. FW-SHS observations were compared with an already well-characterized dual-etalon Fabry-Perot Interferometer (PBO FPI) optimized for Hα, also at PBO. The FW-SHS is a robust Fourier transform instrument that combines a large throughput advantage with high spectral resolution and a relatively long spectral baseline (~10 times that of the PBO FPI) in a compact, versatile instrument with no moving parts.Coincident Hα observations by FW-SHS and PBO FPI were obtained over similar integration times, …

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Utilizing The O-C Method To Determine Third-Body Existence In Eclipsing Binary Systems, Patrice Majewski, Tomomi Otani, Terry D. Oswalt Jan 2017

Utilizing The O-C Method To Determine Third-Body Existence In Eclipsing Binary Systems, Patrice Majewski, Tomomi Otani, Terry D. Oswalt

Publications

Previous studies on the subject of eclipsing binaries (EBs) within the Kepler field have been adequately determined the period, distance, and other stellar parameters of these systems (Borkovits, et al. 2015). Additionally, with the use of Observed-minus-Calculated (O-C) plots, variation in the timing of timing of eclipses can be easily detected. The eclipse timing shifts may be caused by dynamical effects or by light-travel time effects (LTTE) caused by the existence of a third body. The following research was conducted on ten binaries within the Kepler “K2” Campaign 5 field whose light curves (LCs) showed evidence of eclipses with periods …

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Gyrochronology Of Wide Binaries In The Kepler K2 Fields, Alexander Stone-Martinez, Gustavo Villarroel, Patrice Majewski, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt, Andrew Mcnaughton Jan 2017

Gyrochronology Of Wide Binaries In The Kepler K2 Fields, Alexander Stone-Martinez, Gustavo Villarroel, Patrice Majewski, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt, Andrew Mcnaughton

Publications

Gyrochronology is the method of determining a stars age based on its rotation period and mass. A cool main sequence star loses it's angular momentum as it ages, so the rotation rate slows down. Gyrochronology has been tested on star clusters in previous studies and now we are applying the theory to binary stars. Components of a binary should be the same age, so Gyrochronology should return the same age for both stars in binary systems. We examined the rotation periods for 290 wide binary main sequence stars in the Kepler K2 fields. These observations are part of a continuing …

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O-C Analysis Of The Pulsating Subdwarf B Star Pg 1219 + 534, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt, Alexander Stone-Martinez, Dana Singh, Kenneth Sampson, Aliyah Khan, Austin Seepersad, Caila Deabreu, Adam Moss, Claudia Morello Jan 2017

O-C Analysis Of The Pulsating Subdwarf B Star Pg 1219 + 534, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt, Alexander Stone-Martinez, Dana Singh, Kenneth Sampson, Aliyah Khan, Austin Seepersad, Caila Deabreu, Adam Moss, Claudia Morello

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PG 1219 + 534 (KY Uma) is a subdwarf B pulsating star with multiple periodicities between 120 – 175 s. PG 1219 + 534 was monitored for 90 hours during 2010-1 and 2016 using the 0.9 m SARA-KP telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona and the 0.8m Ortega telescope at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. So far, the most promising theory for the origin of subdwarf B (sdB) stars is that they result from binary mass transfer near the Helium Flash stage of evolution. The observations of PG 1219 + 534 reported here are part …

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Testing The Stellar Rotation Vs. Age Paradigm Using Wide Binaries In The Kepler & K2 Fields, T. D. Oswalt, T. Otani, A. Stone-Martinez, P. Majewski, D. Buzasi Jan 2017

Testing The Stellar Rotation Vs. Age Paradigm Using Wide Binaries In The Kepler & K2 Fields, T. D. Oswalt, T. Otani, A. Stone-Martinez, P. Majewski, D. Buzasi

Publications

Essential to understanding the history of the Galaxy’s stellar populations, ages are among the most difficult to measure properties of stars. Accurate stellar ages would provide key leverage on problems ranging from the habitability of exoplanets to the Galaxy’s chemical evolution and age. Gyrochronology, the empirical relation between rotation and age, is believed to be among the best current methods of stellar age determination. Using several hundred wide non-interacting binaries identified in the Kepler mission “K2” extended mission fields we are testing this paradigm. Such wide pairs afford a unique opportunity to unravel and calibrate the effects of mass, rotation, …

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Gyrochronology Of Wide Binaries In The Kepler K2 Campaign 5 Field, Terry D. Oswalt, Derek Buzasi, Tomomi Otani Jan 2017

Gyrochronology Of Wide Binaries In The Kepler K2 Campaign 5 Field, Terry D. Oswalt, Derek Buzasi, Tomomi Otani

Publications

We are determining rotation periods for an ensemble of over 100 wide non-interacting binary stars in the K2 Campaign 5 field that contain two main sequence dwarfs, as well as a smaller sample containing at least one white dwarf component. Observations of such coeval pairs provide the basis for our new investigation of rotation-based age determinations. Such “gyrochronology” ages can achieve a precision that exceeds most other current method of stellar age determination. Here we present a status report on our analysis of the light curves extracted from the K2 Campaign 5 field.

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Search For Binaries In The Kepler K2 Fields Using Pulsation Timing Method, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt Jan 2017

Search For Binaries In The Kepler K2 Fields Using Pulsation Timing Method, Tomomi Otani, Terry Oswalt

Publications

Finding orbital solutions of binaries which have small mass ratios (50 days) is challenging using traditional techniques. The radial velocity method is a good way to detect such binary stars, however it requires large telescopes. Therefore, the search for binaries in those regions is still incomplete. For binaries in this regime with at least one component that pulsates, pulsation timing is a better approach. Orbital solutions for such systems can be obtained from the periodic change in pulse arrival times as the star’s reflex motion is manifested by the changing distance along the line of sight. We present a search …

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