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Astrophysics and Astronomy

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

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Articles 361 - 384 of 384

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Semi-Automated Extraction Of Digital Objective Prism Spectra, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Ted Von Hippel, Mike Irwin Aug 1998

Semi-Automated Extraction Of Digital Objective Prism Spectra, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Ted Von Hippel, Mike Irwin

Publications

We describe a method for the extraction of spectra from high dispersion objective prism plates. Our method is a catalogue driven plate solution approach, making use of the Right Ascension and Declination coordinates for the target objects. In contrast to existing methods of photographic plate reduction, we digitize the entire plate and extract spectra off-line. This approach has the advantages that it can be applied to CCD objective prism images, and spectra can be re-extracted (or additional spectra extracted) without having to re-scan the plate. After a brief initial interactive period, the subsequent reduction procedure is completely automatic, resulting in …

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White Dwarf Cosmochronometry. I. Monte Carlo Simulations Of Proper-Motion ̶ And Magnitude-Limited Samples Using Schmidt’S 1/Vmax Estimator, Matt A. Wood, Terry D. Oswalt Apr 1998

White Dwarf Cosmochronometry. I. Monte Carlo Simulations Of Proper-Motion ̶ And Magnitude-Limited Samples Using Schmidt’S 1/Vmax Estimator, Matt A. Wood, Terry D. Oswalt

Publications

Observationally, white dwarf stars are a remarkably homogeneous class with a minimum observed Teff ~4000 K. Theoretically, the physics that determines their cooling timescales is relatively more straightforward than that which determines main-sequence evolutionary timescales. As a result, the white dwarf luminosity function has for the last decade been used as a probe of the age and star formation rate of the Galactic disk, providing an estimated local disk age of ~10 Gyr with estimated total uncertainties of roughly 20%. A long-standing criticism of the technique is that the reality of the reported downturn in the luminosity function (LF) …

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Contribution Of White Dwarfs To Cluster Masses, Ted Von Hippel Apr 1998

Contribution Of White Dwarfs To Cluster Masses, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

I have undertaken a literature search through 1997 July 31 of white dwarfs (WDs) in open and globular clusters. I have tried to make a careful evaluation in each case of the likelihood that the object is a WD and that it is a cluster member. The results are presented for 13 open clusters and 11 globular clusters. Currently there are 36 single WDs and Ðve WDs in binaries known among the open clusters, and 340 single WDs and 11 WDs in binaries known among the globular clusters. From these data, I have calculated WD mass fractions for four open …

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Steps Toward Determination Of The Size And Structure Of The Broad-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei. Xii. Ground-Based Monitoring Of 3c 390.3, M. Dietrich, Terry D. Oswalt, B. M. Peterson, P. Albrecht, M. Altmann, Et Al. Apr 1998

Steps Toward Determination Of The Size And Structure Of The Broad-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei. Xii. Ground-Based Monitoring Of 3c 390.3, M. Dietrich, Terry D. Oswalt, B. M. Peterson, P. Albrecht, M. Altmann, Et Al.

Publications

Results of a ground-based optical monitoring campaign on 3C 390.3 in 1994-1995 are presented. The broadband fluxes (B, V, R, and I), the spectrophotometric optical continuum flux and the Fλ(5177 Å),integrated emission-line fluxes of Hᵪ Hβ, Hᵧ, He I λ5876 and He II λ4686 all show a nearly monotonic increase with episodes of milder short-term variations superposed. The amplitude of the continuum variations increases with decreasing wavelength (4400-9000 Å). The optical continuum variations follow the variations in the ultraviolet and X-ray with time delays, measured from the centroids of the cross-correlation functions, typically around …

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Contribution Of White Dwarfs To Cluster Masses, Ted Von Hippel Apr 1998

Contribution Of White Dwarfs To Cluster Masses, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

I have undertaken a literature search through 1997 July 31 of white dwarfs (WDs) in open and globular clusters. I have tried to make a careful evaluation in each case of the likelihood that the object is a WD and that it is a cluster member. The results are presented for 13 open clusters and 11 globular clusters. Currently there are 36 single WDs and Ðve WDs in binaries known among the open clusters, and 340 single WDs and 11 WDs in binaries known among the globular clusters. From these data, I have calculated WD mass fractions for four open …

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A Search For Optical Afterglow From Grb 970828, P. J. Groot, T. J. Galama, J. Van Paradijs, C. Kouveliotou, R. A. M. J. Wijers, J. Bloom, N. Tanvir, R. Vanderspek, J. Greiner, A. J. Castro-Tirado, J. Gorosabel, T. Von Hippel, M. Lehnert, K. Kuijken, H. Hoekstra, N. Metcalfe, C. Howk, C. Conselice, J. Telting, R. G. M. Rutten, J. Rhoads, A. Cole, D. J. Pisano, R. Naber, R. Schwarz Jan 1998

A Search For Optical Afterglow From Grb 970828, P. J. Groot, T. J. Galama, J. Van Paradijs, C. Kouveliotou, R. A. M. J. Wijers, J. Bloom, N. Tanvir, R. Vanderspek, J. Greiner, A. J. Castro-Tirado, J. Gorosabel, T. Von Hippel, M. Lehnert, K. Kuijken, H. Hoekstra, N. Metcalfe, C. Howk, C. Conselice, J. Telting, R. G. M. Rutten, J. Rhoads, A. Cole, D. J. Pisano, R. Naber, R. Schwarz

Publications

We report on the results of R-band observations of the error box of the g-ray burst of 1997 August 28 made between 4 hr and 8 days after this burst occurred. No counterpart was found varying by more than 0.2 mag down to R 5 23.8. We discuss the consequences of this nondetection for relativistic blast wave models of g-ray bursts and the possible effect of redshift on the relation between optical absorption and the low-energy cutoff in the X-ray afterglow spectrum.

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Inversion Of Plasmaspheric Euv Remote Sensing Data From The Stp 72-1 Satellite, R.R. Meier, A.C. Nicholas, J.M. Picone, D.J. Melendez-Alvira, G. Ganguli, Mark Anthony Reynolds, E.C. Roelof Jan 1998

Inversion Of Plasmaspheric Euv Remote Sensing Data From The Stp 72-1 Satellite, R.R. Meier, A.C. Nicholas, J.M. Picone, D.J. Melendez-Alvira, G. Ganguli, Mark Anthony Reynolds, E.C. Roelof

Publications

Observations of the extreme ultraviolet emission of helium ions at 30.4 nm can be used to study the global shape of the plasmasphere and its dynamical response to geomagnetic forcing. In order to retrieve number densities of plasmaspheric He+ from such observations, we have developed a new inversion technique based on discrete inverse theory, which uses the optical data to optimize a parameterized model of the He+ distribution. We apply this inversion technique to several orbits of data obtained from the Naval Research Laboratory extreme ultraviolet photometric experiment launched on the STP 72-1 satellite in October 1972. The inversion is …

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Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra. Ii: Two-Dimensional Classification With Neural Networks And Principal Components Analysis, Ted Von Hippel, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Mike Irwin Oct 1997

Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra. Ii: Two-Dimensional Classification With Neural Networks And Principal Components Analysis, Ted Von Hippel, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Mike Irwin

Publications

We investigate the application of neural networks to the automation of MK spec- tral classification. The data set for this project consists of a set of over 5000 optical (3800–5200°A) spectra obtained from objective prism plates from the Michigan Spec- tral Survey. These spectra, along with their two-dimensional MK classifications listed in the Michigan Henry Draper Catalogue, were used to develop supervised neural network classifiers. We show that neural networks can give accurate spectral type classifications (68 = 0.82 subtypes, rms= 1.09 subtypes) across the full range of spectral types present in the data set (B2–M7). We show also that …

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Stellar Populations And The White Dwarf Mass Function: Connections To Supernova Ia Luminosities, Ted Von Hippel, G. D. Bothum, R. A. Schommer Sep 1997

Stellar Populations And The White Dwarf Mass Function: Connections To Supernova Ia Luminosities, Ted Von Hippel, G. D. Bothum, R. A. Schommer

Publications

We discuss the luminosity function of SNe Ia under the assumption that recent evidence for dispersion in this standard candle is related to variations in the white dwarf mass function (WDMF) in the host galaxies. We develop a simple parameterization of the WDMF as a function of age of a stellar population and apply this to galaxies of different morphological types. We show that this simplified model is consistent with the observed WDMF of Bergeron et al. (1992) for the solar neighborhood. Our simple models predict that WDMF variations can produce a range of more than 1.8 mag in MB(SN …

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Physical Parameterization Of Stellar Spectra: The Neural Network Approach, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Ted Von Hippel, Mike Irwin, Gerard Gilmore Jul 1997

Physical Parameterization Of Stellar Spectra: The Neural Network Approach, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Ted Von Hippel, Mike Irwin, Gerard Gilmore

Publications

We present a technique which employs artificial neural networks to produce physical parameters for stellar spectra. A neural network is trained on a set of synthetic optical stellar spectra to give physical parameters (e.g. Teff, log g, [M/H]). The network is then used to produce physical parameters for real, observed spectra. Our neural networks are trained on a set of 155 synthetic spectra, generated using the spectrum program written by Gray (Gray & Corbally 1994, Gray & Arlt 1996). Once trained, the neural network is used to yield Teff for over 5000 B–K spectra extracted from a set of photographic …

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Wiyn Data Distribution And Archiving, Rob Seaman, Ted Von Hippel Jan 1997

Wiyn Data Distribution And Archiving, Rob Seaman, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

The NOAO/IRAF Save the Bits archive has been operating for over three years at Kitt Peak National Observatory and at the National Solar Observatory's nighttime program. Since that time, the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory have also adopted the software. These first generation Save the Bits installations rely on Exabyte tapes as the archival medium, typically using pairs of drives to produce duplicate copies of the data for heightened protection against data loss. The upgrade of Save the Bits that is currently in progress to support writable CD-R drives is discussed. In addition to another …

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Experimental Results Of Neutron Fluence Outside An Iron Shield In The Forward Direction, M. M.C. Torres, A. J. Elwyn, D. Fein, E. James, K. Johns, W. Davis, D. P. Ciampa, E. Mierkiewicz Sep 1996

Experimental Results Of Neutron Fluence Outside An Iron Shield In The Forward Direction, M. M.C. Torres, A. J. Elwyn, D. Fein, E. James, K. Johns, W. Davis, D. P. Ciampa, E. Mierkiewicz

Publications

This work represents the first systematic study at a high energy accelerator of the depth dependence of neutron fluence in longitudinal shielding.

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The Metallicity Dependence Of The Stellar Luminosity And Initial Mass Functions: Hst Observations Of Open And Globular Clusters, Ted Von Hippel, Gerard Gilmore, Nial R. Tanvir, David Robinson, Derek H.P. Jones Jul 1996

The Metallicity Dependence Of The Stellar Luminosity And Initial Mass Functions: Hst Observations Of Open And Globular Clusters, Ted Von Hippel, Gerard Gilmore, Nial R. Tanvir, David Robinson, Derek H.P. Jones

Publications

Using HST and the WFPC2 we have acquired very deep V- and I-band photometry of stars in NGC 2420 and NGC 2477 to study cluster luminosity functions at approximately solar metallicity. We have determined these cluster luminosity functions down to MI = 10.5 (0.2 M⊙) and find that the luminosity function of NGC 2420 turns over at MI ≈ 9.0, and possibly stops altogether by MI ≈ 9.5. The luminosity function of NGC 2477 may flatten at MI ≥ 9.5. We compare our open cluster luminosity functions to the solar neighborhood field star luminosity function of Kroupa, Tout \& Gilmore …

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Main Sequence Masses And Radii From Gravitational Redshifts, Ted Von Hippel Feb 1996

Main Sequence Masses And Radii From Gravitational Redshifts, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

Modern instrumentation makes it possible to measure the mass to radius ratio for main sequence stars in open clusters from gravitational redshifts. For stars where independent information is available for either the mass or the radius, this application of general relativity directly determines the other quantity. Applicable examples are: 1) measuring the radii of solar metallicity main sequence stars for which the mass - luminosity relation is well known, 2) measuring the radii for stars where model atmospheres can be used to determine the surface gravity (the mass to radius squared ratio), 3) refining the mass - radius relation for …

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The Application Of Artificial Neural Networks To Stellar Classification, Coryn A. L. Jones, Mike Irwin, Ted Von Hippel Jan 1996

The Application Of Artificial Neural Networks To Stellar Classification, Coryn A. L. Jones, Mike Irwin, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

We are working on a project to automate the multi-parameter classification of stellar spectra using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Artificial Neural Networks. We present here the usefulness of PCA as a form of spectral data compression, and our results to date of classification on the MK system.

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Experiences Of Wfpc-2 Photometry And Psf Modelling, Nial Tanvir, David Robinson, Ted Von Hippel Mar 1995

Experiences Of Wfpc-2 Photometry And Psf Modelling, Nial Tanvir, David Robinson, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

The wide-field chips in WFPC-2 have ~0.0996 arcsec pixels, which is larger than the FWHM of the point spread function (PSF). This poor sampling of WFPC-2 images, means that simple stellar aperture photometry is competitive with profile fitting for moderately crowded fields. One of the problems which must be addressed with profile fitting photometry is that of allowing for variations of the PSF as a function of position on the image. The equivalent problem for aperture photometry is obtaining aperture corrections as a function of position. The aperture correction must be added to each aperture magnitude in order to account …

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An Independent Calibration Of Stellar Ages: Hst Observations Of White Dwarfs At V=25, Ted Von Hippel, Gerard Gilmore, D.H.P. Jones Mar 1995

An Independent Calibration Of Stellar Ages: Hst Observations Of White Dwarfs At V=25, Ted Von Hippel, Gerard Gilmore, D.H.P. Jones

Publications

The white dwarf luminosity function of a stellar cluster will have a sharp trunca- tion at a luminosity which is determined by the time since formation of the first white dwarfs in that cluster. Calculation of the dependence of this limiting luminosity on age requires relatively well-understood physics and is independent of stellar evolutionary models. Thus, measurement of the termination of the white dwarf luminosity func- tion provides an independent method to determine the age of a cluster, and thereby to calibrate stellar evolutionary ages. We have obtained HST WFPC2 data in two open clusters, identified the white dwarf sequence, …

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Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra - I. Initial Results With Artificial Neural Networks, Ted Von Hippel, L.J. Storrie-Lombardi, M.C. Storrie-Lombardi, M.J. Irwin Jul 1994

Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra - I. Initial Results With Artificial Neural Networks, Ted Von Hippel, L.J. Storrie-Lombardi, M.C. Storrie-Lombardi, M.J. Irwin

Publications

We have initiated a project to classify stellar spectra automatically from high-dispersion objective prism plates. The automated technique presented here is a simple back propagation neural network and is based on the visual classification work of Houk. The plate material (Houk’s) is currently being digitized, and contains « 105 stars down to K æ 11 at æ 2-Â resolution from « 3850 to 5150 Â. For this first paper in the series, we report on the results of 575 stars digitized from 6 plates. We find that even with the limited data set now in hand we can determine the …

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Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra: Where Are We Now?, Ted Von Hippel, L.J. Storrie-Lombardi, M.C. Storrie-Lombardi, M.J. Irwin Jan 1994

Automated Classification Of Stellar Spectra: Where Are We Now?, Ted Von Hippel, L.J. Storrie-Lombardi, M.C. Storrie-Lombardi, M.J. Irwin

Publications

We briefly review the work of the past decade on automated classification of stellar spectra and discuss techniques which show par­ticular promise. Emphasis is placed on Artificial Neural Network and Principle Component Analysis based techniques, due both to our greater familiarity with these and to their rising popularity. As an example of the abilities of current techniques we report on our automated classification work based on the visual classifications of N. Houk (Michigan Spectral Catalogue, Vol. 1 - 4, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1988).

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Galactic Structure From Faint Stromgren Photometry: The Catalog Of Observations, Ted A. Von Hippel Nov 1992

Galactic Structure From Faint Stromgren Photometry: The Catalog Of Observations, Ted A. Von Hippel

Publications

We have initiated the faint photometric survey in the Stromgren system covering about 1 square degree and including 1238 objects in order to develop samples which best probe the thick disk population. The catalog of observations are presented here. They were acquired without kinematic or metallicity biases and are complete to V=17.3-18.5, depending on the field, for 810 early to relatively late type stars. Photometric metallicities were derived for 508 stars and indicate a metal-poor stellar population, consistent with a mixture of thick disk and halo stars. While the Stromgren u-band was not part of the survey, follow-up u-band observations …

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The Luminosities Of Bright H N Regions In Ngc 628 And Its O Star Formation Rate, Ted Von Hippel, Greg Bothun Aug 1990

The Luminosities Of Bright H N Regions In Ngc 628 And Its O Star Formation Rate, Ted Von Hippel, Greg Bothun

Publications

Using narrow band CCD imaging we have identified 183 bright H n regions in the Sc galaxy NGC 628. These H n regions have luminosities which indicate that they are powered by young star clusters which contain ^ 100 ionizing stars. We attempt to reproduce the H ii region LF with and without models including stellar evolution. We find stellar evolution an important parameter in understanding the H n region LF and find that it allows star-forming galaxies to be more robust to star bursting episodes. Ranking the H n regions by luminosity and assuming that luminosity evolution is due …

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A Working Catalogue Of Herbig Haro Objects, Ted Von Hippel, S.J. Bell Burnell, P.M. Williams Sep 1988

A Working Catalogue Of Herbig Haro Objects, Ted Von Hippel, S.J. Bell Burnell, P.M. Williams

Publications

We present a catalogue of 184 Herbig Haro objects from a literature search complete to 1987.5. It is intended to update the 1974 catalogue of Herbig. The catalogue contains accurate co-ordinates, proper motions, radial velocities and spectral information for these objects. A cross-reference to the two best finding charts is included. A grouping of Herbig Haro objects into is also listed.

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Periods Of Eo And Fv Comae Berenices And The Functional Forms Of Their O-C Diagrams, Mark Anthony Reynolds Jan 1986

Periods Of Eo And Fv Comae Berenices And The Functional Forms Of Their O-C Diagrams, Mark Anthony Reynolds

Publications

New elements are given for the RRab Lyrae variables EO Comae Berenices and FV Comae Berenices. The statistical significance of higher order terms in a polynomial least squares fit is discussed.

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Ca Ii H And K And Hydrogen-Line Variations In V471 Tauri (=Bd + 16°516), Terry D. Oswalt Apr 1979

Ca Ii H And K And Hydrogen-Line Variations In V471 Tauri (=Bd + 16°516), Terry D. Oswalt

Publications

Spectroscopic and narrow-band photoelectric observations of the white dwarf eclipsing binary V471 Tau (= BD + 16°516) are reported. Periodic fluctuations in Ca IIH and K emission and Ha absorption, and a wave-like distortion of the light curve mimic the characteristics of several well-observed RS CVn binaries. A probable correlation between maximum emission-line strength and wave minimum is shown to exist.

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