Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Stellar Pollution And [Fe/H] In The Hyades, Aaron Dotter, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Hyades open cluster presents a unique laboratory for planet formation and stellar pollution studies because all of the stars have essentially the same age and were born from the same cloud of gas. Furthermore, with an age of ~650 Myr, most of the intermediate- and low-mass stars are on the main sequence. Given these assumptions, the accretion of metal-rich material onto the surface of a star during and shortly after the formation of planetary systems should be evident via the enhanced metallicity of the star. Building on previous work, stellar evolution models that include the effects of stellar pollution …

A Model Of Zebra Emission In Solar Type Iv Radio Bursts, J. Labelle, R. A. Treumann, P. H. Yoon, M. Karlicky

Dartmouth Scholarship

Solar type IV radio bursts present a theoretical challenge because they are composed of both continuum emission and fine structures. The latter include "zebra bursts," which appear as harmonically spaced multiplets that shift in frequency with time. Similarities between these features and terrestrial auroral emissions suggest a new model to explain zebra-structured type IV emissions. In this model, the basic generation mechanism is identical with that proposed by Winglee and Dulk: mode conversion of Z-mode waves generated by the cyclotron maser mechanism under the condition fuh = Nfce, with N an integer; however, we propose a twist …

Early Quintessence In Light Of Thewilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, Robert R. Caldwell, Michael Doran, Christian M. Mller, Gregor Schfer, Christof Wetterich

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examine the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy for signatures of early quintessence dark energy—a nonnegligible quintessence energy density during the recombination and structure formation eras. Only very recently does the quintessence overtake the dark matter and push the expansion into overdrive. Because the presence of early quintessence exerts an influence on the clustering of dark matter and the baryon-photon fluid, we may expect to find trace signals in the CMB and the mass fluctuation power spectrum. In detail, we demonstrate that suppressed clustering power on small length scales, as suggested by the combined Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe/CMB/large-scale structure …

Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy Of Coma Cluster Early-Type Galaxies - Iii. The Stellar Population Gradients, D. Mehlert, D. Thomas, R. P. Saglia, R. Bender, G Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Based on Paper I of this series (Mehlert et al. 2000), we derive central values and logarithmic gradients for the Hβ, Mg and Fe indices of 35 early-type galaxies in the Coma cluster. We find that pure elliptical galaxies have on average slightly higher velocity dispersions, lower Hβ, and higher metallic line-strengths than galaxies with disks (S0). The latter form two families, one comparable to the ellipticals and a second one with significantly higher Hβ, and weaker metallic lines. Our measured logarithmic gradients within the effective radius are ⟨△Mg b⟩ ≈ −0.037, ⟨△⟨Fe⟩⟩ ≈ −0.029, ⟨△Hβ⟩ ≈ +0.017 and ⟨△σ⟩ …

Redshift-Distance Survey Of Early-Type Galaxies: Circular-Aperture Photometry, M. V. Alonso, M. Bernardi, L. N. Da Costa, G. Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present R -band CCD photometry for 1332 early-type galaxies, observed as part of the ENEAR survey of peculiar motions using early-type galaxies in the nearby universe. Circular apertures are used to trace the surface brightness profiles, which are then fitted by a two-component bulge-disk model. From the fits, we obtain the structural parameters required to estimate galaxy distances using the Dn - and fundamental plane relations. We find that about 12% of the galaxies are well represented by a pure r1/4 law, while 87% are best fitted by a two-component model. There are 356 repeated observations of 257 galaxies …

Observational Constraints On General Relativistic Energy Conditions, Cosmic Matter Density And Dark Energy From X-Ray Clusters Of Galaxies And Type-La Supernovae, P. Schuecker, R. R. Caldwell, H. Böhringer, C. A. Collins

Dartmouth Scholarship

New observational constraints on the cosmic matter density Ωm and an effectively redshift-independent equation

of state parameter wx of the dark energy are obtained while simultaneously testing the strong and null energy conditions of

general relativity on macroscopic scales. The combination of REFLEX X-ray cluster and type-Ia supernova data shows that

for a flat Universe the strong energy condition might presently be violated whereas the null energy condition seems to be

fulfilled. This provides another observational argument for the present accelerated cosmic expansion and the absence of exotic

physical phenomena related to a broken null energy condition. The marginalization of …

An Isolated, Recently Shocked Ism Cloud In The Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant, D. J. Patnaude, R. A. Fesen, J. C. Raymond, N. A. Levenson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Spatially resolved ROSAT X-ray and ground-based optical data for the southwestern region of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant (SNR) reveal in unprecedented detail the very early stages of a blast-wave interaction with an isolated interstellar cloud. Numerous internal cloud shock fronts near the upstream flow and along the cloud edges are visible optically as sharp filaments of enhanced H emission. Faint X-ray emission is seen along a line of Balmer-dominated shock filaments north and south of the cloud with an estimated X-ray gas temperature of 1.2 106 K (0.11 keV), corresponding to a shock velocity of 290 km s1 . …

Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy Of Coma Cluster Early-Type Galaxies - Ii. The Minor Axis Dataset, G. Wegner, E. M. Corsini, R. P. Saglia, R. Bender

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present minor axis, offset major axis and one diagonal long slit spectra for 10 E and S0 galaxies of the Coma cluster drawn from a magnitude-limited sample studied before. We derive rotation curves, velocity dispersion profiles and the H3 and H4 coefficients of the Hermite decomposition of the line of sight velocity distribution. Moreover, we derive the line index profiles of Mg, Fe and Hβ line indices and assess their errors. The data will be used to construct dynamical models of the galaxies and study their stellar populations.

Extraordinary Late‐Time Infrared Emission Of Type Iin Supernovae, Christopher L. Gerardy, Robert A. Fesen, Ken-Ichi Nomoto, Peter M. Garnavich

Dartmouth Scholarship

Near-infrared observations are presented for five Type IIn supernovae (SN 1995N, SN 1997ab, SN 1998S, SN 1999Z, and SN 1999el) that exhibit strong infrared excesses at late times (t > 100 days). H- and K-band emission from these objects is dominated by a continuum that rises toward longer wavelengths. The data are interpreted as thermal emission from dust, probably situated in a preexisting circumstellar nebula. The IR luminosities implied by single-temperature blackbody fits are quite large, >1041-1042 ergs s-1, and the emission evolves slowly, lasting for years after maximum light. For SN 1995N, the integrated energy release via …

Redshift-Distance Survey Of Early-Type Galaxies. I. The Enearc Cluster Sample*, M. Bernardi, M. V. Alonso, L. N. Da Costa, C. N. A. Willmer, A. Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

This paper presents data on the ENEARc subsample of the larger ENEAR survey of nearby early-type galaxies. The ENEARc galaxies belong to clusters and were specifically chosen to be used for the construction of a D-n-sigma template. The ENEARc sample includes new measurements of spectroscopic and photometric parameters (redshift, velocity dispersion, line index Mg-2, and the angular diameter d(n)), as well as data from the literature. New spectroscopic data are given for 229 cluster early-type galaxies in 28 clusters. Objective criteria, based on catalogs of groups of galaxies derived from complete redshift surveys of the nearby universe, are used to …

Infrared Spectra Of The Subluminous Type Ia Supernova Sn 1999by, Peter Hoflich, Christopher L. Gerardy, Robert A. Fesen, Shoko Sakai

Dartmouth Scholarship

Near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the subluminous Type Ia supernova SN 1999by are presented that cover the time evolution from about 4 days before to 2 weeks after maximum light. Analysis of these data was accomplished through the construction of an extended set of delayed detonation (DD) models covering the entire range of normal to subluminous SNe Ia. The explosion, light curves, and time evolution of the synthetic spectra were calculated self-consistently for each model, with the only free parameters being the initial structure of the white dwarf and the description of the nuclear burning front during the explosion. From these, …

Theoretical Uncertainties In The Subgiant--Mass Age Relation And The Absolute Age Of Omega Cen, Brian Chaboyer, Lawrence M. Krauss

Dartmouth Scholarship

The theoretical uncertainties in the calibration of the relationship between the subgiant mass and age in metal-poor stars are investigated using a Monte Carlo approach. Assuming that the mass and iron abundance of a subgiant star are known exactly, uncertainties in the input physics used to construct stellar evolution models and isochrones lead to a Gaussian 1 σ uncertainty of ±2.9% in the derived ages. The theoretical error budget is dominated by the uncertainties in the calculated opacities. Observations by Kałużny et al. of detached double-lined eclipsing binary OGLEGC 17 in the globular cluster ω Centauri have found that the …

Are Stars With Planets Polluted?, N. Murray, B. Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We compare the metallicities of stars with radial velocity planets to the metallicity of a sample of field dwarfs. We confirm recent work indicating that the stars-with-planets sample as a whole is iron-rich. However, the lowest mass stars tend to be iron-poor, with several having [Fe/H] < -0.2, demonstrating that high metallicity is not required for the formation of short-period Jupiter-mass planets. We show that the average [Fe/H] increases with increasing stellar mass (for masses below 1.2 M☉) in both samples, but that the increase is much more rapid in the stars-with-planets sample. The variation of metallicity with stellar age also differs between the two samples. We examine possible selection effects related to variations in the sensitivity of radial velocity surveys with stellar mass, apparent magnitude, and stellar metallicity, and …

Ccd Photometry Of The Classic Second-Parameter Globular Clusters M3 And M13, Soo-Chang Rey, Suk-Jin Yoon, Young-Wook Lee, Brian Chaboyer, Ata Sarajedini

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present high-precision V, B-V color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) for the classic second-parameter globular clusters M3 and M13 from wide-field, deep CCD photometry. The data for the two clusters were obtained during the same photometric nights with the same instrument, allowing us to determine accurate relative ages. Based on a differential comparison of the CMDs using the Δ(B-V) method, an age difference of 1.7 ± 0.7 Gyr is obtained between these two clusters. We compare this result with our updated horizontal-branch (HB) population models, which confirm that the observed age difference can produce the …

Hubble Space Telescope Wfpc2 Imaging Of Cassiopeia A, R. A. Fesen, J. A. Morse, R. A. Chevalier, K. J. Borkowski, C. L. Gerardy

Dartmouth Scholarship

The young galactic supernova remnant Cassiopeia A was imaged with Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope through filters selected to capture the complete velocity range of the remnant's main shell in several emission lines. The primary lines detected, along with the specific WFPC2 filters used, were [O III] λλ4959, 5007 (F450W), [N II] λ6583 (F658N), [S II] λλ6716, 6731 + [O II] λλ7319, 7330 + [O I] λλ6300, 6364 (F675W), and [S III] λλ9069, 9532 (F850LP). About three-quarters of the remnant's 4' diameter main shell was imaged with all four filters in three WFPC2 pointings, …

The Cataclysmic Variable Cw 1045+525: A Secondary-Dominated Dwarf Nova?, C. Tappert, J. R. Thorstensen, W. H. Fenton, N. Bennert

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present spectroscopic and photometric observations of the cataclysmic variable CW 1045+525. Both the optical spectrum and the photometric lightcurve show a strong contribution of a K5V–M0V secondary. We derive an orbital period Porb = 0.271278(1) d by measuring the radial velocities of the absorption lines of the secondary. The period and spectral type of the secondary suggest a distance of 350–700 pc. There is evidence for additional sources of line- and continuum emission, but no direct evidence of an accretion disc. We discuss several scenarios for the nature of CW 1045+525 on the basis of our results, finding a …

Spectroscopy And Orbital Periods Of Four Cataclysmic Variable Stars, John R. Thorstensen, Cynthia J. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present spectroscopy and orbital periods P_orb of four relatively little-studied cataclysmic variable stars. The stars and their periods are: AF Cam, P_orb = 0.324(1) d (the daily cycle count is slightly ambiguous); V2069 Cyg (= RX J2123.7+4217), 0.311683(2) d; PG 0935+075, 0.1868(3) d; and KUV 03580+0614, 0.1495(6) d. V2069 Cyg and KUV 03580+0614 both show He iiλ4686 emission comparable in strength to Hβ. V2069 Cyg appears to be a luminous nova-like variable, and the strong He ii suggests it may be an intermediate polar. The period of KUV 03580+0614 is similar to members …

The Nature Of [Ar Iii]-Bright Knots In The Crab Nebula, Emily L. Schaller, Robert A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

The kinematic and morphological properties of a string of [Ar III] bright knots in the CrabNebula are examined using 1994 – 1999 HST WFPC-2 images of the remnant. We find that five southern [Ar III] bright knots exhibit ordinary radial motions away from the nebula’s center of expansion with magnitudes consistent with their projected radial displacements. This result does not support the suggestion by MacAlpine et al. (1994) that these knots might be moving rapidly away from the Crab pulsar due to a collimated wind. The HST images also do not show that the [Ar III] knots have unusual morphologies …

X‐Ray–Emitting Groups In The Infall Region Of Abell 2199, K. Rines, A. Mahdavi, M. J. Geller, A. Diaferio, J. J. Mohr, G. Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Using a large redshift survey covering 95 deg2, we demonstrate that the infall region of Abell 2199 contains Abell 2197, one or two X-ray-emitting groups, and up to five additional groups identified in redshift surveys. Our survey shows that the X-ray-emitting systems, located at projected radii of 14, 19, and 51 (2.2, 3.1, and 8.0 h-1 Mpc), are connected kinematically to A2199. A2197 is itself an optically rich cluster; its weak X-ray emission suggests that it is much less massive than A2199. The absence of a sharp peak in the infall pattern at the position of A2197 supports this …

Stellar Pollution In The Solar Neighborhood, N. Murray, B. Chaboyer, P. Arras, B. Hansen, R. W. Noyes

Dartmouth Scholarship

We study spectroscopically determined iron abundances of 640 solar-type stars to search for the signature of accreted iron-rich material. We find that the metallicity [Fe/H] of a subset of 466 main-sequence stars, when plotted as a function of stellar mass, mimics the pattern seen in lithium abundances in open clusters. Using Monte Carlo models, we find that, on average, these stars appear to have accreted ~0.5 M⊕ of iron while on the main-sequence. A consistency check is provided by a much smaller sample of 19 stars in the Hertzsprung gap, which are slightly evolved and the convection zones of …

The Expansion Center And Dynamical Age Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A, John R. Thorstensen, Robert A. Fesen, Sidney Van Den Bergh

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present proper motions for 21 bright main shell and 17 faint, higher velocity, outer ejecta knots in the Cas A supernova remnant and use them to derive new estimates for the remnant's expansion center and age. Our study included 1951–1976 Palomar 5 m prime focus plates, 1988–1999 CCD images from the KPNO 4 m and MDM 2.4 m telescopes, and 1999 HST WFPC2 images. Measurable positions covered a 23 to 41 yr time span for most knots, with a few outer knots followed for almost 48 yr. We derive an expansion center of α(J2000) = 23^h23^{m …}

A Search For Previously Unrecognized Metal-Poor Subdwarfs In The Hipparcos Astrometric Catalogue, I. N. Reid, F. Van Wyk, F. Marang, G. Roberts, D. Kilkenny, S. Mahoney

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have identified 317 stars included in the Hipparcos astrometric catalogue that have parallaxes measured to a precision of better than 15 per cent, and the location of which in the (M_V,(B−V)_T) diagram implies a metallicity comparable to or less than that of the intermediate‐abundance globular cluster M5. We have undertaken an extensive literature search to locate Strömgren, Johnson/Cousins and Walraven photometry for over 120 stars. In addition, we present new UBV(RI)_C photometry of 201 of these candidate halo stars, together with similar data for a further 14 known metal‐poor subdwarfs. These …

Hubble Space Telescope Images Of The Ultraluminous Supernova Remnant Complex In Ngc 6946, William P. Blair, Robert A. Fesen, Eric M. Schlegel

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) narrow-passband Hα and [S II] images and broadband continuum images of the region around an extremely luminous optical and X-ray supernova remnant complex in the spiral galaxy NGC 6946. These images, obtained with the PC1 CCD of the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, show a circular, limb-brightened shell of diameter 035 [9 d/(5.1 Mpc) pc] superposed on the edge of a larger, lower surface brightness elliptical shell (14 × 08, or 34 pc × 20 pc). The HST images allow us to see that the [S II] : Hα ratio remains …

Starbursts Versus Truncated Star Formation In Nearby Clusters Of Galaxies, James A. Rose, Alejandro E. E. Gaba, Nelson Caldwell, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present long-slit spectroscopy, B - and R -bandpass imaging, and 21 cm observations of a sample of early-type galaxies in nearby clusters, which are known to be either in a star-forming phase or to have had star formation that recently terminated. From the long-slit spectra, obtained with the Blanco 4 m telescope, we ‹nd that emission lines in the star-forming cluster galaxies are signi‹cantly more centrally concentrated than in a sample of ‹eld galaxies. The broadband imaging reveals that two currently starforming early-type galaxies in the Pegasus I cluster have blue nuclei, again indicating that recent star formation has …

The Long-Period Orbit Of The Dwarf Nova V630 Cassiopeiae, J. A. Orosz, J. R. Thorstensen, R. K. Honeycutt

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present extensive spectroscopy and photometry of the dwarf nova V630 Cassiopeiae. A late-type (K4-5) absorption spectrum is easily detectable, from which we derive the orbital parameters. We find a spectroscopic period of P=2.56387 +/- (4 times 10^{-5}) days and a semiamplitude of K_2=132.9 +/- 4.0 km/s. The resulting mass function, which is a firm lower limit on the mass of the white dwarf, is then f(M)=0.624 +/- 0.056 solar masses. The secondary star is a ``stripped giant'', and using relations between the core mass and the luminosity and the core mass and the radius we derive a lower limit …

The Relative Age Of The Thin And Thick Galactic Disks, Wilson M. Liu, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We determine the relative ages of the open cluster NGC 188 and selected Hipparcos field stars by isochrone fitting and compare them to the age of the thick-disk globular cluster 47 Tuc. The best-fit age for NGC 188 was determined to be 6.5 ± 1.0 Gyr. The solar-metallicity Hipparcos field stars yielded a slightly older thin-disk age, 7.5 ± 0.7 Gyr. Two slightly metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -0.22) field stars whose kinematic and orbital parameters indicate that they are members of the thin disk were found to have an age of 9.7 ± 0.6 Gyr. The age for 47 Tuc was …

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations Of The Hot White Dwarf In The Close Binary Feige 24, Stephane Vennes, Elisha F. Polomski, Thierry Lanz, John R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We obtained and analyzed two Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra of the white dwarf in the DA plus dMe binary Feige 24. The spectra, obtained at orbital quadratures, provide new estimates of the white dwarf motion and gravitational redshift resulting in revised white dwarf parameters. An analysis of interstellar absorption lines reveals the presence of two clouds (+3.1 km s-1, +17.6 km s-1) in the line of sight toward Feige 24; one of these clouds (+17.6 km s-1) is identified with the "local cloud." A study of the Lyα H I and D I interstellar medium lines shows that …

Low-Mass Spectroscopic Binaries In The Hyades: A Candidate Brown Dwarf Companion, I. Neill Reid, S. Mahoney

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have used the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the Keck I telescope to obtain high-resolution spectroscopy of 51 late-type M dwarfs in the Hyades cluster. Cross-correlating the calibrated data against spectra of white dwarfs allows us to determine heliocentric velocities with an accuracy of ±0.3 km s⁻¹. 27 stars were observed at two epochs in 1997; two stars, RHy 42 and RHy 403, are confirmed spectroscopic binaries. RHy 42 is a double-lined, equal-mass system; RHy 403 is a single-lined, short-period binary, P∼1.275 d. RHy 403A has an absolute magnitude of M_I=10.85, consistent with a mass …

Rosat Hri And Asca Observations Of The Spiral Galaxy Ngc 6946 And Its Northeast Complex Of Luminous Supernova Remnants, Eric M. Schlegel, William P. Blair, Robert A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Analysis of 80 ks ASCA and 60 ks ROSAT HRI observations of the face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946 are presented. The ASCA image is the first observation of this galaxy above ~2 keV. Diffuse emission may be present in the inner ~4' extending to energies above ~2–3 keV. In the HRI data, 14 pointlike sources are detected, the brightest two being a source very close to the nucleus and a source to the northeast that corresponds to a luminous complex of interacting supernova remnants (SNRs). We detect a point source that lies ~30'' west of the SNR complex but with …

Orbital Period Of The Low‐Inclination Sw Sextantis Star V442 Ophiuchi, D. W. Hoard, John R. Thorstensen, Paula Szkody

Dartmouth Scholarship

V442 Ophiuchi is a low-inclination (noneclipsing) nova-like cataclysmic variable. We have obtained medium resolution (1-3.5 Å), time-resolved optical spectroscopy of this interacting binary star spanning an interval of 4 yr, from 1995 August to 1999 June. Using an Hα radial velocity curve constructed from our combined spectroscopic data sets, we have determined that Porb = 0.1243 days for V442 Oph, breaking the long-standing 1 day alias ambiguity in its orbital period. V442 Oph shares many of the characteristics of the group of cataclysmic variables known as the SW Sextantis stars. Its Doppler tomograms and orbital phase-dependent emission-line behavior, including …