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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Broad-Lined Type Ic Sn 2012ap And The Nature Of Relativistic Supernovae Lacking A Gamma-Ray Burst Detection, D. Milisavljevic, R. Margutti, J. T. Parrent, A. M. Soderberg, R. A. Fesen Jan 2015

The Broad-Lined Type Ic Sn 2012ap And The Nature Of Relativistic Supernovae Lacking A Gamma-Ray Burst Detection, D. Milisavljevic, R. Margutti, J. T. Parrent, A. M. Soderberg, R. A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared observations of SN 2012ap, a broad-lined Type Ic supernova in the galaxy NGC 1729 that produced a relativistic and rapidly decelerating outflow without a gamma-ray burst signature. Photometry and spectroscopy follow the flux evolution from –13 to +272 days past the B-band maximum of –17.4 ± 0.5 mag. The spectra are dominated by Fe II, O I, and Ca II absorption lines at ejecta velocities of v ≈ 20,000 km s–1 that change slowly over time. Other spectral absorption lines are consistent with contributions from photospheric He I, and hydrogen may also …


Early-Type Galaxies In The Chandra Cosmos Survey, F. Civano, G. Fabbiano, S. Pellegrini, D.-W. Kim Jun 2014

Early-Type Galaxies In The Chandra Cosmos Survey, F. Civano, G. Fabbiano, S. Pellegrini, D.-W. Kim

Dartmouth Scholarship

We study a sample of 69 X-ray detected early-type galaxies (ETGs), selected from the Chandra COSMOS survey, to explore the relation between the X-ray luminosity of hot gaseous halos (L X, gas) and the integrated stellar luminosity (LK ) of the galaxies, in a range of redshift extending out to z = 1.5. In the local universe, a tight, steep relationship has been established between these two quantities, suggesting the presence of largely virialized halos in X-ray luminous systems. We use well-established relations from the study of local universe ETGs, together with the expected evolution …


A Comparison Of X-Ray And Optical Emission In Cassiopeia A, Daniel J. Patnaude, Robert A. Fesen Mar 2014

A Comparison Of X-Ray And Optical Emission In Cassiopeia A, Daniel J. Patnaude, Robert A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Broadband optical and narrowband Si XIII X-ray images of the young Galactic supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) obtained over several decades are used to investigate spatial and temporal emission correlations on both large and small angular scales. The data examined consist of optical and near infrared ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope images taken between 1951 and 2011, and X-ray images from Einstein, ROSAT, and Chandra taken between 1979 and 2013. We find weak spatial correlations between the remnant’s X-ray and optical emission features on large scales, but several cases of good optical/X-ray correlations on small scales for features which …


A Bayesian Approach To Deriving Ages Of Individual Field White Dwarfs, Erin M. O'Malley, Ted Von Hippel, David A. Van Dyk Aug 2013

A Bayesian Approach To Deriving Ages Of Individual Field White Dwarfs, Erin M. O'Malley, Ted Von Hippel, David A. Van Dyk

Dartmouth Scholarship

We apply a self-consistent and robust Bayesian statistical approach to determine the ages, distances, and zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) masses of 28 field DA white dwarfs (WDs) with ages of approximately 4-8 Gyr. Our technique requires only quality optical and near-infrared photometry to derive ages with <15% uncertainties, generally with little sensitivity to our choice of modern initial-final mass relation. We find that age, distance, and ZAMS mass are correlated in a manner that is too complex to be captured by traditional error propagation techniques. We further find that the posterior distributions of age are often asymmetric, indicating that the standard approach to deriving WD ages can yield misleading results.


Distribution Of Plasmoids In Post-Coronal Mass Ejection Current Sheets, L.-J. Guo, A. Bhattacharjee, Y.-M. Huang Jul 2013

Distribution Of Plasmoids In Post-Coronal Mass Ejection Current Sheets, L.-J. Guo, A. Bhattacharjee, Y.-M. Huang

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recently, the fragmentation of a current sheet in the high-Lundquist-number regime caused by the plasmoid instability has been proposed as a possible mechanism for fast reconnection. In this work, we investigate this scenario by comparing the distribution of plasmoids obtained from Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) observational data of a coronal mass ejection event with a resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a similar event. The LASCO/C2 data are analyzed using visual inspection, whereas the numerical data are analyzed using both visual inspection and a more precise topological method. Contrasting the observational data with numerical data analyzed with both methods, we …


The Interior Structure Constants As An Age Diagnostic For Low-Mass, Pre-Main-Sequence Detached Eclipsing Binary Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Aaron Dotter Feb 2013

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 Nov 2012

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 …


Self-Consistent Magnetic Stellar Evolution Models Of The Detached, Solar-Type Eclipsing Binary Ef Aquarii, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer Oct 2012

Self-Consistent Magnetic Stellar Evolution Models Of The Detached, Solar-Type Eclipsing Binary Ef Aquarii, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We introduce a new one-dimensional stellar evolution code, based on the existing Dartmouth code, that self-consistently accounts for the presence of a globally pervasive magnetic field. The methods involved in perturbing the equations of stellar structure, the equation of state, and the mixing-length theory of convection are presented and discussed. As a first test of the code's viability, stellar evolution models are computed for the components of a solar-type, detached eclipsing binary (DEB) system, EF Aquarii, shown to exhibit large disagreements with stellar models. The addition of the magnetic perturbation corrects the radius and effective temperature discrepancies observed in EF …


Reevaluating The Mass-Radius Relation For Low-Mass, Main-Sequence Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer Sep 2012

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 …


The Hidden “Agn Main Sequence”: Evidence For A Universal Black Hole Accretion To Star Formation Rate Ratio Since Z ∼ 2 Producing An M Bh - M * Relation, J. R. Mullaney, E. Daddi, M. Béthermin, D. Elbaz, S. Juneau, M. Pannella, M. T. Sargent, D. M. Alexander, R. C. Hickox Jun 2012

The Hidden “Agn Main Sequence”: Evidence For A Universal Black Hole Accretion To Star Formation Rate Ratio Since Z ∼ 2 Producing An M Bh - M * Relation, J. R. Mullaney, E. Daddi, M. Béthermin, D. Elbaz, S. Juneau, M. Pannella, M. T. Sargent, D. M. Alexander, R. C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

Using X-ray stacking analyses we estimate the average amounts of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth taking place in star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1 and z ~ 2 as a function of galaxy stellar mass (M *). We find that the average SMBH growth rate follows remarkably similar trends with M * and redshift as the average star formation rates (SFRs) of their host galaxies (i.e., \dot{M}_BH vprop M * 0.86 ± 0.39 for the z ~ 1 sample and \dot{M}_BH vprop M * 1.05 ± 0.36 for the z ~ 2 sample). It follows that the ratio of …


A Reverberation Lag For The High-Ionization Component Of The Broad-Line Region In The Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Mrk 335, C. J. Grier, B. M. Peterson, R. W. Pogge, K. D. Denney, M. C. Bentz, Paul Martini, S. G. Sergeev, S. Kaspi, Y. Zu, C. S. Kochanek, B. J. Shappee, C. Araya Salvo, T G. Beatty, J. C. Bird, D. J. Bord, G. A. Borman, X. Che, C. Chen Jan 2012

A Reverberation Lag For The High-Ionization Component Of The Broad-Line Region In The Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Mrk 335, C. J. Grier, B. M. Peterson, R. W. Pogge, K. D. Denney, M. C. Bentz, Paul Martini, S. G. Sergeev, S. Kaspi, Y. Zu, C. S. Kochanek, B. J. Shappee, C. Araya Salvo, T G. Beatty, J. C. Bird, D. J. Bord, G. A. Borman, X. Che, C. Chen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the first results from a detailed analysis of photometric and spectrophotometric data on the narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy Mrk 335, collected over a 120 day span in the fall of 2010. From these data we measure the lag in the He ii λ 4686 broad emission line relative to the optical continuum to be 2.7 °æ 0.6 days and the lag in the Hβλ 4861 broad emission line to be 13.9 °æ 0.9 days. Combined with the line width, the He ii lag yields a black hole mass MBH = (2. 6 °æ 0. 8) °ø 107M …


Acurate Low-Mass Stellar Models Of Koi-126, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer, Aaron Dotter Oct 2011

Acurate Low-Mass Stellar Models Of Koi-126, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer, Aaron Dotter

Dartmouth Scholarship

The recent discovery of an eclipsing hierarchical triple system with two low-mass stars in a close orbit (KOI-126) by Carter et al. (2011) appeared to reinforce the evidence that theoretical stellar evolution models are not able to reproduce the observational mass-radius relation for low-mass stars. We present a set of stellar models for the three stars in the KOI-126 system that show excellent agreement with the observed radii. This agreement appears to be due to the equation of state implemented by our code. A significant dispersion in the observed mass-radius relation for fully convective stars is demonstrated; indicative of the …


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 Aug 2011

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 …


Ejecta Knot Flickering, Mass Ablation, And Fragmentation In Cassiopeia A, Robert A. Fesen, Jordan A. Zastrow, Molly C. Hammell, J. Michael Shull, Devin W. Silvia Jul 2011

Ejecta Knot Flickering, Mass Ablation, And Fragmentation In Cassiopeia A, Robert A. Fesen, Jordan A. Zastrow, Molly C. Hammell, J. Michael Shull, Devin W. Silvia

Dartmouth Scholarship

Ejecta knot flickering, ablation tails, and fragmentation are expected signatures associated with the gradual dissolution of high-velocity supernova (SN) ejecta caused by their passage through an inhomogeneous circumstellar medium or interstellar medium (ISM). Such phenomena mark the initial stages of the gradual merger of SN ejecta with and the enrichment of the surrounding ISM. Here we report on an investigation of this process through changes in the optical flux and morphology of several high-velocity ejecta knots located in the outskirts of the young core-collapse SN remnant Cassiopeia A using Hubble Space Telescope images. Examination of WFPC2 F675W and combined ACS …


Core Gas Sloshing In Abell 1644, Ryan E. Johnson, Maxim Markevitch, Gary A. Wegner, Christine Jones, William R. Forman Feb 2010

Core Gas Sloshing In Abell 1644, Ryan E. Johnson, Maxim Markevitch, Gary A. Wegner, Christine Jones, William R. Forman

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present an analysis of a 72 ks Chandra observation of the double cluster Abell 1644 (z = 0.047). The X-ray temperatures indicate that the masses are M 500 = (2.6 ± 0.4) × 1014 h –1 M for the northern sub-cluster and M 500 = (3.1 ± 0.4) × 1014 h –1 M for the southern, main cluster. We identify a sharp edge in the radial X-ray surface brightness of the main cluster, which we find to be a cold front, with a jump in temperature of a factor of ~3. This edge possesses …


Dust And The Type Ii-Plateau Supernova 2004et, R. Kotak, W. P. S. Meikle, D. Farrah, C. L. Gerardy, R. J. Foley, S. D. Van Dyk, C. Fransson, P. Lundqvist, J. Sollerman, R. Fesen Oct 2009

Dust And The Type Ii-Plateau Supernova 2004et, R. Kotak, W. P. S. Meikle, D. Farrah, C. L. Gerardy, R. J. Foley, S. D. Van Dyk, C. Fransson, P. Lundqvist, J. Sollerman, R. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present mid-infrared (MIR) observations of the Type II-plateau supernova (SN) 2004et, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope between 64 and 1406 days past explosion. Late-time optical spectra are also presented. For the period 300-795 days past explosion, we argue that the spectral energy distribution (SED) of SN 2004et comprises (1) a hot component due to emission from optically thick gas, as well as free-bound radiation; (2) a warm component due to newly formed, radioactively heated dust in the ejecta; and (3) a cold component due to an IR echo from the interstellar-medium dust of the host galaxy, NGC 6946. …


Sdss J102347.6+003841: A Millisecond Radio Pulsar Binary That Had A Hot Disk During 2000-2001, Zhongxiang Wang, Anne M. Archibald, John R. Thorstensen, Victoria M. Kaspi Oct 2009

Sdss J102347.6+003841: A Millisecond Radio Pulsar Binary That Had A Hot Disk During 2000-2001, Zhongxiang Wang, Anne M. Archibald, John R. Thorstensen, Victoria M. Kaspi

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) source J102347.6+003841 was recently revealed to be a binary 1.69 ms radio pulsar with a 4.75 hr orbital period and a ~0.2 M companion. Here, we analyze the SDSS spectrum of the source in detail. The spectrum was taken on 2001 February 1, when the source was in a bright state and showed broad, double-peaked hydrogen and helium lines—dramatically different from the G-type absorption spectrum seen from 2002 May onward. The lines are consistent with emission from a disk around the compact primary. We derive properties of the disk by fitting the SDSS …


Subaru High-Resolution Spectroscopy Of Star G In The Tycho Supernova Remnant, Wolfgang E. Kerzendorf, Brian P. Schmidt, M. Asplund, Ken'ichi Nomoto, Ph. Podsiadlowski, Anna Frebel, Robert A. Fesen, David Yong Aug 2009

Subaru High-Resolution Spectroscopy Of Star G In The Tycho Supernova Remnant, Wolfgang E. Kerzendorf, Brian P. Schmidt, M. Asplund, Ken'ichi Nomoto, Ph. Podsiadlowski, Anna Frebel, Robert A. Fesen, David Yong

Dartmouth Scholarship

It is widely believed that Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) originate in binary systems where a white dwarf accretes material from a companion star until its mass approaches the Chandrasekhar mass and carbon is ignited in the white dwarf's core. This scenario predicts that the donor star should survive the supernova (SNe) explosion, providing an opportunity to understand the progenitors of SNe Ia. In this paper, we argue that rotation is a generic signature expected of most nongiant donor stars that is easily measurable. Ruiz-Lapuente et al. examined stars in the center of the remnant of SN 1572 (Tycho SN) …


New Neighbors: Parallaxes Of 18 Nearby Stars Selected From The Lspm-North Catalog, Sébastien Lépine, John R. Thorstensen, Michael M. Shara, R. Michael Rich Mar 2009

New Neighbors: Parallaxes Of 18 Nearby Stars Selected From The Lspm-North Catalog, Sébastien Lépine, John R. Thorstensen, Michael M. Shara, R. Michael Rich

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present astrometric parallaxes for 18 suspected nearby stars selected from the LSPM-north proper motion catalog. 16 objects are confirmed to be main-sequence M dwarfs within 16 pc of the Sun, including three stars (LSPM J0011+5908, LSPM J0330+5413, and LSPM J0510+2714) which lie just within the 10 pc horizon. Two other targets (LSPM J1817+1328, LSPM J2325+1403) are confirmed to be nearby white dwarfs at distances of 14 and 22 pc, respectively. One of our targets, the common proper motion pair LSPM J0405+7116E + LSPM J0405+7116W, is revealed to be a triple system, with the western component resolved into a pair …


Uv Observations Of The Cool Dbqa5 White Dwarf Lds 678a - Limits On The Atmospheric Composition, Pressure Shift, And Gravitational Redshift Derived From C I 2479, Terry D. Oswalt, Edward M. Sion, Gordon Hammond, Gerard Vauclair, James W. Liebert, Gary Wegner Jan 1991

Uv Observations Of The Cool Dbqa5 White Dwarf Lds 678a - Limits On The Atmospheric Composition, Pressure Shift, And Gravitational Redshift Derived From C I 2479, Terry D. Oswalt, Edward M. Sion, Gordon Hammond, Gerard Vauclair, James W. Liebert, Gary Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

A high-resolution ultraviolet spectrum of the helium-rich degenerate LDS 678A, obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite, is presented. LDS 678A is the coolest metallic line degenerate (DQ or DZ) yet observed with the IUE echelle. These observations provide a detailed line profile of the strong C I 2479 absorption line and equivalent width W2479 = 2.35 + or - 0.06 A from which theoretical profile fits yield a carbon abundance of log C/He = (-6.7 + or- 0.2). The presence of carbon in a He-rich atmosphere lends credence to the notion that LDS 678A is a transitional case …