Physics Commons^™

Infrared Properties Of Stars In The Bulge Asymmetries And Dynamical Evolution Survey, Eddie Hilburn

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The Bulge Asymmetries and Dynamical Evolution (BAaDE) survey is an SiO maser survey of 28,062 infrared-selected evolved stars primarily in the Galactic plane. By cross-matching the BAaDE target sources with nine different infrared catalogs, we have constructed a catalog with wavelength coverage from 0.71 to 80 m. Using this catalog, we fit the data for each source to a model spectral energy distribution (SED) generated with the radiation transport program DUSTY in order to obtain characteristics such as bolometric flux, source effective temperature, and the optical depth of the circumstellar envelope.

The overall goal of the BAaDE survey is to …

The Mid-Infrared Luminosity Evolution And Luminosity Function Of Quasars With Wise And Sdss, Jack Singal

Physics Faculty Publications

We determine the 22 μm luminosity evolution and luminosity function for quasars from a data set of over 20,000 objects obtained by combining flux-limited Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical and Wide field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-infrared data. We apply methods developed in previous works to access the intrinsic population distributions non-parametrically, taking into account the truncations and correlations inherent in the data. We find that the population of quasars exhibits positive luminosity evolution with redshift in the mid-infrared, but with considerably less mid-infrared evolution than in the optical or radio bands. With the luminosity evolutions accounted for, we determine …

A Deep Look At The Nuclear Region Of Ugc 5101 Through High Angular Resolution Mid-Ir Data With Gtc/Canaricam, M. Martínez-Paredes, Almudena Alonso-Herrero, Itziar Aretxaga, C. Ramos Almeida, A. Hernán-Caballero, O. González-Martín, M. Pereira-Santaella, Christopher Packham, A. Asensio Ramos, T. Díaz-Santos, Moshe Elitzur, P. Esquej, I. García-Bernete, Masatoshi Imanishi, Nancy A. Levenson, José Miguel Rodríguez Espinosa

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present an analysis of the nuclear infrared (IR, 1.6–18 μm) emission of the ultraluminous IR galaxy UGC 5101 to derive the properties of its active galactic nucleus (AGN) and its obscuring material. We use new mid-IR high angular resolution (0.3–0.5 arcsec) imaging using the Si-2 filter (λ_C = 8.7 μm) and 7.5–13 μm spectroscopy taken with CanariCam (CC) on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. We also use archival Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS and Subaru/COMICS imaging and Spitzer/IRS spectroscopy. We estimate the near- and mid-IR unresolved nuclear emission by modelling the imaging data with GALFIT. We decompose …

Herschel Dust Emission As A Probe Of Starless Cores Mass: Mcld 123.5+24.9 Of The Polaris Flare, Gururaj Anil Wagle, Thomas H. Troland, Gary J. Ferland, Nicholas P. Abel

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present newly processed archival Herschel images of molecular cloud MCLD 123.5+24.9 in the Polaris Flare. This cloud contains five starless cores. Using the spectral synthesis code Cloudy, we explore uncertainties in the derivation of column densities, and hence masses of molecular cores from Herschel data. We first consider several detailed grain models that predict far-infrared grain opacities. Opacities predicted by the models differ by more than a factor of two, leading to uncertainties in derived column densities by the same factor. Then we consider uncertainties associated with the modified blackbody fitting process used by observers to estimate column densities. …

Observational Properties Of Simulated Galaxies In Overdense And Average Regions At Redshifts Z ≃ 6–12, Hidenobu Yajima, Isaac Shlosman, Emilio Romano-Díaz, Kentaro Nagamine

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use high-resolution zoom-in cosmological simulations of galaxies of Romano-Díaz et al., post-processing them with a panchromatic three-dimensional radiation transfer code to obtain the galaxy UV luminosity function (LF) at z ≃ 6–12. The galaxies are followed in a rare, heavily overdense region within a ∼5σ density peak, which can host high-z quasars, and in an average density region, down to the stellar mass of M_star ∼ 4 × 10⁷ M_⊙. We find that the overdense regions evolve at a substantially accelerated pace – the most massive galaxy has grown to M_star ∼ 8.4 …

Variability Of The Coronal Line Region In Ngc 4151, Hermine Landt, Martin J. Ward, Katrien C. Steenbrugge, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the first extensive study of the coronal line variability in an active galaxy. Our data set for the nearby source NGC 4151 consists of six epochs of quasi-simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy spanning a period of about 8 yr and five epochs of X-ray spectroscopy overlapping in time with it. None of the coronal lines showed the variability behaviour observed for the broad emission lines and hot dust emission. In general, the coronal lines varied only weakly, if at all. Using the optical [Fe vii] and X-ray O vii emission lines we estimate that the coronal line gas …

Stellar Spectroscopy: New Methods And Insights, Sanaz S. Golriz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The study of the chemical evolution of stars is of crucial importance since they play a major role in the enrichment of the chemistry of the universe. Throughout their lifetime, stars undergo several processes that can alter their chemistry. Gradually, the nucleosynthesis products from the interior of the star are radiatively and convectively levitated and mixed with the upper layers of the atmosphere. In the later stages of their evolution, low to intermediate mass stars (0.8-8.0~M☉) eject a significant fraction of these nucleosynthesis products, resulting in a circumstellar envelope of gas and dust around the central star with a very …

Optical-Faint, Far-Infrared-Bright Herschel Sources In The Candels Fields: Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies At Z > 1 And The Effect Of Source Blending, Haojing Yan, Mauro Stefanon, Zhiyuan Ma, S. P. Willner, Rachel Somerville, Matthew L.N. Ashby, Romeel Davé, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Antonio Cava, Tommy Wiklind, Dale D. Kocevski, Marc Rafelski, Jeyhan Kartaltepe, Asantha Cooray, Anton M. Koekemoer, Norman A. Grogin

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Herschel very wide field surveys have charted hundreds of square degrees in multiple far-IR (FIR) bands. While the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is currently the best resource for optical counterpart identifications over such wide areas, it does not detect a large number of Herschel FIR sources and leaves their nature undetermined. As a test case, we studied seven "SDSS-invisible," very bright 250 μm sources (S ₂₅₀ > 55 mJy) in the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey fields where we have a rich multi-wavelength data set. We took a new approach to decompose the FIR sources, using …

Type Ia Supernova Rate Measurements To Redshift 2.5 From Candels: Searching For Prompt Explosions In The Early Universe, Steven A. Rodney, Adam G. Riess, Louis-Gregory Strolger, Tomas Dahlen, Or Graur, Stefano Casertano, Mark E. Dickinson, Henry C. Ferguson, Peter Garnavich, Brian Hayden, Saurabh W. Jha, David O. Jones, Robert P. Kirshner, Anton M. Koekemoer, Curtis Mccully, Bahram Mobasher, Brandon Patel, Benjamin J. Weiner, S. Bradley Cenko, Kelsey I. Clubb, Michael Cooper, Alexei V. Filippenko, Teddy F. Frederiksen, Jens Hjorth, Bruno Leibundgut, Thomas Matheson, Hooshang Nayyeri, Kyle Penner, Jonathan Trump, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Vivian U, K. Azalee Bostroem, Peter Challis, Abhijith Rajan, Schuyler Wolff, S. M. Faber, Norman A. Grogin, Dale D. Kocevski

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) was a multi-cycle treasury program on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that surveyed a total area of ~0.25 deg² with ~900 HST orbits spread across five fields over three years. . . .

For the remainder of the abstract, please visit:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/148/1/13

Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator Performance Optimization, Joshua G. Thompson, Brian Eney, Zaheer Ali, Bob Thompson

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator (TAAS) calibrates scientific instruments (SI’s) that are installed on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). An SI’s accuracy is directly dependent on the consistent performance of the TAAS, which has never been fully characterized. After designing various thermal and optical experiments to identify the current unknowns of TAAS, we now have a far better grasp on how the equipment behaves.

Herschel Images Of Ngc 6720: H2 Formation On Dust Grain, P. A. M. Van Hoof, G. C. Van De Steene, M. J. Barlow, K. M. Exter, B. Sibthorpe, T. Ueta, V. Peris, M. A. T. Groenewegen, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, M. Cohen, W. De Meester, Gary J. Ferland, W. K. Gear, H. L. Gomez, P. C. Hargrave, E. Huygen, R. J. Ivison, C. Jean, S. J. Leeks, T. L. Lim, G. Olofsson, E. T. Polehampton, S. Regibo, P. Royer, B. M. Swinyard, B. Vandenbussche, H. Van Winckel, C. Waelkens, H. J. Walker, R. Wesson

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Herschel PACS and SPIRE images have been obtained of NGC 6720 (the Ring nebula). This is an evolved planetary nebula with a central star that is currently on the cooling track, due to which the outer parts of the nebula are recombining. From the PACS and SPIRE images we conclude that there is a striking resemblance between the dust distribution and the H₂ emission, which appears to be observational evidence that H₂ forms on grain surfaces. We have developed a photoionization model of the nebula with the Cloudy code which we used to determine the physical conditions of …

Sizing Up The Stars, Tabetha Suzanne Boyajian

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

For the main part of this dissertation, I have executed a survey of nearby, main sequence A, F, and G-type stars with the CHARA Array, successfully measuring the angular diameters of forty-four stars to better than 4% accuracy. The results of these observations also yield empirical determinations of stellar linear radii and effective temperatures for the stars observed. In addition, these CHARA-determined temperatures, radii, and luminosities are fit to Yonsei-Yale isochrones to constrain the masses and ages of the stars. These quantities are compared to the results found in Allende Prieto & Lambert (1999), Holmberg et al. (2007), and Takeda …

Agn Dusty Tori. Ii. Observational Implications Of Clumpiness, Maia Nenkova, Matthew M. Sirocky, Robert Nikutta, Željko Ivezić, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Clumpy torus models with N₀ ~ 5–15 dusty clouds along radial equatorial rays successfully explain AGN infrared observations. The dust has standard Galactic composition, with individual cloud optical depth τ_V ~ 30–100 at visual. The models naturally explain the observed behavior of the 10 μm silicate feature, in particular the lack of deep absorption features in AGNs of any type, and can reproduce the weak emission feature tentatively detected in type 2 QSOs. The clouds' angular distribution must have a soft edge, e.g., Gaussian, and the radial distribution should decrease as 1/r or 1/r^{2 …}

Dust Within The Central Regions Of Seyfert Galaxies, Rajesh Deo

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

We present a detailed study of mid-infrared spectroscopy and optical imaging of Seyfert galaxies with the goal of understanding the properties of astronomical dust around the central supermassive black hole and the accretion disk. Specifically, we have studied Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared spectra of 12 Seyfert 1.8-1.9s and 58 Seyfert 1s and 2s available in the Spitzer public archive, and the nuclear dust morphology in the central 500 pc of 91 narrow and broad-line Seyfert 1s using optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope. We have also developed visualization software to aid the understanding of the geometry of the central …

Electrical And Optical Characterization Of Group Iii-V Heterostructures With Emphasis On Terahertz Devices, Aruna Bandara Weerasekara

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Electrical and optical characterizations of heterostructures and thin films based on group III-V compound semiconductors are presented. Optical properties of GaMnN thin films grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) on GaN/Sapphire templates were investigated using IR reflection spectroscopy. Experimental reflection spectra were fitted using a non - linear fitting algorithm, and the high frequency dielectric constant (ε∞), optical phonon frequencies of E1(TO) and E1(LO), and their oscillator strengths (S) and broadening constants (Γ) were obtained for GaMnN thin films with different Mn fraction. The high frequency dielectric constant (ε∞) of InN thin films grown by the high pressure chemical …

A Prototype Visible To Near-Infrared Spectrograph For The Chara Array, A Long-Baseline Stellar Interferometer, Chad Elliott Ogden

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

This work is a description of the Visible to near Infrared Spectrograph system for the CHARA array. The CHARA Array is a 6-telescope interferometer at the Mount Wilson Observatory in the mountains north of Pasadena, California. It combines the light from the 1-meter telescopes, and measures the visibility of the resulting interference fringes, which gives information about the source intensity distribution on the sky. The resolution of the instrument is proportional to the telescope separation, or baseline, divided by the wavelength. The VIS system operates in the 600-1000~nm wavelength range, a factor of 3 to 4 shorter than the standard …

Advanced Infrared Optically Black Baffle Materials, David D. Allred, Ronald D. Seals, C. M. Egert

Faculty Publications

Infrared optically black baffle surfaces are an essential component of many advanced optical systems. All internal surfaces in advanced infrared optical sensors that require stray light management to achieve resolution are of primary concern in baffle design. Current industrial materials need improvements to meet advanced optical sensor systems requirements for optical, survivability, and endurability. Baffles are required to survive and operate in potentially severe environments. Robust diffuse-absorptive black surfaces, which are (1) thermally and mechanically stable to threats of x-ray, launch, and in-flight maneuver conditions, with specific densities to allow an acceptable weight load, (2) handleable during assembly, (3) cleanable, …