Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

University Scholar Series: Michael Kaufman, Michael Kaufman

University Scholar Series

H2O in Interstellar Space: How the Universe Conspires to Make Water Everywhere

On October 28, 2015, Dr. Michael Kaufman spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Andy Feinstein at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. His talk was titled “H₂O in Interstellar Space: How the Universe Conspires to Make Water, Water Everywhere.” Dr. Kaufman's astrophysics research focuses on the interactions and feedback between newly formed stars and the interstellar medium—the raw material from which stars form. He constructs computational models of the radiative transfer, dynamics and chemistry that occur in regions of active star formation, …

Detecting Cosmic Rays Using Cemos Sensors In Consumer Devices, Matthew M. Plewa

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

Since the time of Victor Hess and his balloon flight that demonstrated that cosmic rays increased with altitude, new detection methods have become widely available to be used on current day flights. One such method is to utilize CCDs with long duration exposures. During the exposures the CCD is exposed to cosmic rays which then leave a track. This phenomenon is caused by the CCD's inability to distinguish between photons of light and charged particles. Such tracks can then be separated from the CCD's background noise and classified.

Directional Camera Control On High Altitude Balloons, Matthew M. Plewa, Brent Scharlau

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

The research reported in this paper examined the design and control of a gimbal for solar eclipse tracking and video recording. The gimbal design required 3 axes of rotation to allow for full range of motion. Utilizing individual brushless motors for each of the axes ensure minimum rotational requirements on each axes. In controlling the gimbal, both a mathematical and visual method were utilized. The mathematical method is a modified version of what is currently used for solar array pointing. The visual method looks at where the position of the sun is within the image and determines what angle changes …

Cosmic Ray Air Shower Lateral Coincidences, Gordon C. Mcintosh

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

At the University of Minnesota, Morris, my students and I have begun to investigate the time and altitude dependence of air showers. Air showers are cosmic ray secondaries that spread out laterally around the primary cosmic ray direction. To investigate the air showers we have been measuring the lateral coincidences among three Aware RM60 Geiger counters located at 0 cm, 15 cm, and 40 cm. Most of these measurements have been carried out at the surface. The rate of lateral, triple coincidences of Geiger counter with this configuration is 0.053 ±0.013 hr^-1 at the surface. On 4 April 2015 …

Investigating The Correlation Between Inclination Of Coronal Loops And Solar Flare Activity, John-Paul Mann

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The purpose of this research is to investigate changes in the coronal loop structures during the life cycle of a solar flare. Coronal loops are intricate and complicated magnetic features on the solar surface that are the source of large solar flares. Understanding the dynamics of these coronal loops provides better models for predicting solar flare activity. By obtaining the magnetogram, or magnetic field strength, along with the inclination of these coronal loops, the full structure of the coronal loop can be obtained. Therefore, we studied how the coronal loops inclination angle, as it emerges from the photosphere, changes in …

Predicting Solar Sigmoid Lifetimes Based On Shearing In The Photosphere, Austen Stone

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This project’s purpose was to study how the speed at which the plasma in the photosphere of the sun affects the lifetime and shape of a solar sigmoid. Solar sigmoids are S-shaped, twisted magnetic structures that are due to the shifting magnetic field lines emerging from the surface of the sun. The photosphere is the visible layer of the sun’s surface and is made up of cells of plasma that are highly conductive and influenced by the magnetic field of the sun. Sigmoids form when shearing (a lateral shift between two objects in directions opposite each other) occurs in the …

A Photometric Study Of The Eclipsing Binary Star Uv Lyncis, Edward J. Michaels

Bright Ideas Conference

UV Lyncis is a short period, over contact eclipsing binary star. These stars are physically in contact with each other, sharing a common atmosphere. Photometric observations were made on 10 nights in February and March 2014 using the 0.3 meter robotic telescope and a CCD science imager at the Waffelow Creek Observatory. 3051 images were acquired, calibrated and then reduced to record the changing brightness as the two stars orbited and eclipsed each other. Data collected resulted in complete light curves in 5 band passes and several times of minima. A period analysis confirmed previous studies that the orbital period …