Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Connecting The Optical Regime To The X-Ray In Neutron Star Low Mass X-Ray Binaries, Alexander B. Igl

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer and Otto Struve Telescope data of low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) Cyg X-2 and Sco X-1, the optical regime’s relationship to the X-ray was investigated through several angles. Discrete cross correlations using the optical and X-ray data revealed evidence of reprocessing in both datasets. These were more consistently present in Sco X-1, where both small and obvious features were seen at less than 4 s of optical lag. The size of these lags makes it likely that most of the reprocessing is taking place on the accretion disk. Parameterization of the Z tracks led to …

Stellar Binaries And Post-Merger Evolution: A Framework For Stellar Evolution And Nucleosynthesis In R Coronae Borealis Stars, Bradley Munson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We have developed a framework for simulating binary stars through all three relevant
timescales: the dynamical merger, thermal, and nuclear evolution. The framework begins by simulating a dynamical merger in a 3-dimensional hydrodynamics adaptive mesh refinement code, Octo-Tiger, and performing a spherical averaging calculation to map the post-merger remnant into the 1-dimensional stellar evolution code, MESA. In this work, we primarily utilize this framework for simulating double white dwarf mergers, which are believed to be the progenitor to R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. We evolve the post-merger in MESA and compare the computed surface abundances to those observed …

Measurement Of Near-Threshold Proton Branching Ratios In 31s Important For Novae, Sudarsan Balakrishnan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Classical novae are stellar explosions that contribute to the nucleosynthesis of isotopes on the proton-rich side of the valley of stability up to ⁴⁰Ca. In ONe novae, the incompletely understood reaction rate of ³⁰P(p,γ)³¹S is known to strongly influence the production rate of several stable isotopes such as ³⁰Si, ³¹P, and ^32,33,34S. A precise measurement of this reaction rate has several potential implications towards matching astrophysical observables to the physical composition of the nova site -- the observed elemental abundance ratios of O/S and S/Al have been suggested as useful `thermometers' to gauge …

Surpassing The Standard Quantum Limit Using An Optical Spring, Torrey Cullen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In 1916, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves based on his new theory of general relativity. He predicted an accelerating mass with a non-zero quadrupole moment would emit energy in the form of gravitational waves. Often referred to as ripples in space-time, gravitational waves are extremely small by the time reach Earth, potentially having traveled hundreds of megaparsecs. It is common for these ripples in space-time to stretch and squeeze matter 1000 times smaller than the width of a proton.
Laser interferometer observatories were first built in the 1990s in the US and Europe, and as sensitivity improvements …

From Equal-Mass To Extreme-Mass-Ratio Binary Inspirals: Simulation Tools For Next Generation Gravitational Wave Detectors, Samuel Douglas Cupp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Current numerical codes can successfully evolve similar-mass binary black holes systems, and these numerical waveforms contributed to the success of the LIGO Collaboration's detection of gravitational waves. LIGO requires high resolution numerical waveforms for detection and parameter estimation of the source. Great effort was expended over several decades to produce the numerical methods used today. However, future detectors will require further improvements to numerical techniques to take full advantage of their detection capabilities. For example, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will require higher resolution simulations of similar-mass-ratio systems than LIGO. LISA will also be able to detect extreme-mass-ratio inspiral …

Ligers Interferometric Survey Of M Dwarf Diameters, Tyler Gregory Ellis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present the largest single collection of M dwarf stellar radii in over a decade and contextualize these measurements with the systematic model discrepancies. The measurements of stellar angular diameters are also important in the quantification of the properties of exoplanets. In order to estimate the property of the exoplanet, it is first necessary to quantify the properties of the planet's host star. Using the survey results complemented with previous direct observations of the angular diameters of low mass stars, I develop updated updated surface brightness relationships. These relationships allow predictions of angular diameters using easy to …

Reinforcement Learning In A Quantum Network, Roy Pace

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Observing And Exploring Intrinsic Characteristics Of Type Ia Supernova, Connor Langevin

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Are Long-Period Exoplants Around Cool Stars More Common Than We Thought?, Emily Jane Safron

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Kepler mission has been the catalyst for discovery of nearly 5,000 confirmed and candidate exoplanets. The majority of these candidates orbit Sun-like stars, and have orbital periods comparable to or shorter than that of the Earth, due to the selection bias inherent in the transit method and the limitations of automated transit search algorithms. We aim to develop a richer understanding of the population of exoplanets around the lowest-mass stars, the M spectral type. We are particularly interested in exoplanets with long orbital periods, which are difficult or impossible to find using standard transit search algorithms. In our study, …

The Spectra Of Hydrogen-Deficient Carbon Stars: The Effects Of Evolution And Nucleosynthesis, Courtney Lauren Crawford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The rare class of stars known as the Hydrogen-deficient Carbon (HdC) stars includes the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) variables and the non-variable Dustless HdC (dLHdC) stars. These stars are believed to be formed via the merger of two white dwarf (WD) stars. They are known to exhibit many spectral peculiarities, such as partial helium burning products, enhancement of s-processed material and severe hydrogen-deficiency. In this work I explore many facets of HdC evolution. I begin by creating 18 HdC models in the stellar evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) by merging two WD progenitors and evolving the …

A Multiparameter Degeneracy In Microlensing Events With Extreme Finite Source Effects, Samson A. Johnson, Matthew T. Penny, B. Scott Gaudi

Faculty Publications

For microlenses with sufficiently low mass, the angular radius of the source star can be much larger than the angular Einstein ring radius of the lens. For such extreme finite source effect (EFSE) events, finite source effects dominate throughout the duration of the event. Here, we demonstrate and explore a continuous degeneracy between multiple parameters of such EFSE events. The first component in the degeneracy arises from the fact that the directly observable peak change of the flux depends on both the ratio of the angular source radius to the angular Einstein ring radius and the fraction of the baseline …

Gaia Gral: Gaia Dr2 Gravitational Lens Systems. Vii. Xmm-Newton Observations Of Lensed Quasars, Thomas Connor, Daniel Stern, Alberto Krone-Martins, S. G. Djorgovski, Matthew J. Graham

Faculty Publications

We present XMM-Newton X-ray observations of nine confirmed lensed quasars at 1 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 3 identified by the Gaia Gravitational Lens program. Eight systems are strongly detected, with 0.3-8.0 keV fluxes F (0.3-8.0) greater than or similar to 5 x10(-14) erg cm(-2) s(-1). Modeling the X-ray spectra with an absorbed power law, we derive power-law photon indices and 2-10 keV luminosities for the eight detected quasars. In addition to presenting sample properties for larger quasar population studies and for use in planning for future caustic-crossing events, we also identify three quasars …

Search Full Text Options Here 2 Of 4 Kmt-2021-Blg-0912lb: A Microlensing Super Earth Around A K-Type Star, Cheongho Han, Ian A. Bond, Jennifer C. Yee, Weicheng Zang, Michael D. Albrow

Faculty Publications

Aims. The light curve of the microlensing event KMT-2021-BLG-0912 exhibits a very short anomaly relative to a single-lens single-source form. We investigate the light curve for the purpose of identifying the origin of the anomaly.

Methods. We model the light curve under various interpretations. From this, we find four solutions, in which three solutions are found under the assumption that the lens is composed of two masses (2L1S models), and the other solution is found under the assumption that the source is comprised of binary stars (1L2S model). The 1L2S model is ruled out based on the contradiction that the …

Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From 20 Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars In O3 Ligo Data, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams

Faculty Publications

Results are presented of searches for continuous gravitational waves from 20 accreting millisecond x-ray pulsars with accurately measured spin frequencies and orbital parameters, using data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The search algorithm uses a hidden Markov model, where the transition probabilities allow the frequency to wander according to an unbiased random walk, while the J-statistic maximum-likelihood matched filter tracks the binary orbital phase. Three narrow subbands are searched for each target, centered on harmonics of the measured spin frequency. The search yields 16 candidates, consistent with a false alarm probability of …

Towards A Quantum Notion Of Covariance In Spherically Symmetric Loop Quantum Gravity, Rodolfo Gambini, Javier Olmedo, Jorge Pullin

Faculty Publications

The covariance of loop quantum gravity studies of spherically symmetric space-times has recently been questioned. This is a reasonable worry, given that they are formulated in terms of slicing-dependent variables. We show explicitly that the resulting space-times, obtained from Dirac observables of the quantum theory, are covariant in the usual sense of the way-they preserve the quantum line element-for any gauge that is stationary (in the exterior, if there is a horizon). The construction depends crucially on the details of the Abelianized quantization considered, the satisfaction of the quantum constraints, and the recovery of standard general relativity in the classical …

Towards A Quantum Notion Of Covariance In Spherically Symmetric Loop Quantum Gravity, Rodolfo Gambini, Javier Olmedo, Jorge Pullin

Faculty Publications

The covariance of loop quantum gravity studies of spherically symmetric space-times has recently been questioned. This is a reasonable worry, given that they are formulated in terms of slicing-dependent variables. We show explicitly that the resulting space-times, obtained from Dirac observables of the quantum theory, are covariant in the usual sense of the way-they preserve the quantum line element-for any gauge that is stationary (in the exterior, if there is a horizon). The construction depends crucially on the details of the Abelianized quantization considered, the satisfaction of the quantum constraints, and the recovery of standard general relativity in the classical …

Testing Effects Of Lorentz Invariance Violation In The Propagation Of Astroparticles With The Pierre Auger Observatory, P. Abreu, M. Aglietta, J. M. Albury, I. Allekotte, K. Almeida Cheminant

Faculty Publications

Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) is often described by dispersion relations of the form E-i(2) = m(i)(2) + p(i)(2) + delta E-i,n(2+ n) with delta different based on particle type i, with energy E, momentum p and rest mass m. Kinematics and energy thresholds of interactions are modified once the LIV terms become comparable to the squared masses of the particles involved. Thus, the strongest constraints on the LIV coefficients delta(i,n) tend to come from the highest energies. At sufficiently high energies, photons produced by cosmic ray interactions as they propagate through the Universe could be subluminal and unattenuated over cosmological …

Search For Lensing Signatures In The Gravitational-Wave Observations From The First Half Of Ligo-Virgo's Third Observing Run, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott

Faculty Publications

We search for signatures of gravitational lensing in the gravitational-wave signals from compact binary coalescences detected by Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and Advanced Virgo during O3a, the first half of their third observing run. We study: (1) the expected rate of lensing at current detector sensitivity and the implications of a non-observation of strong lensing or a stochastic gravitational-wave background on the merger-rate density at high redshift; (2) how the interpretation of individual high-mass events would change if they were found to be lensed; (3) the possibility of multiple images due to strong lensing by galaxies or galaxy …

A Gravitational-Wave Measurement Of The Hubble Constant Following The Second Observing Run Of Advanced Ligo And Virgo (Vol 908, 218, 2021), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multi-Scale Feedback And Feeding In The Closest Radio Galaxy Centaurus A, B. Mckinley, S. J. Tingay, M. Gaspari, R. P. Kraft, C. Matherne, A. R. Offringa, M. Mcdonald, M. S. Calzadilla, S Veilleux, S. S. Shabala, S. D. J. Gwyn, J. Bland-Hawthorn, D. Crnojevic, B. M. Gaensler, M. Johnston-Hollitt

Faculty Publications

Supermassive black holes and supernova explosions at the centres of active galaxies power cycles of outflowing and inflowing gas that affect galactic evolution and the overall structure of the Universe(1,2). While simulations and observations show that this must be the case, the range of physical scales (over ten orders of magnitude) and paucity of available tracers make both the simulation and observation of these effects difficult(3,4). By serendipity, there lies an active galaxy, Centaurus A (NGC 5128)(5,6), at such a close proximity as to allow its observation over this entire range of scales and across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In …

Diving Beneath The Sea Of Stellar Activity: Chromatic Radial Velocities Of The Young Au Mic Planetary System, Bryson Cale, Michael Reefe, Peter Plavchan, Angelle Tanner, Eric Gaidos, Jonathan Gagne, Peter Gao, Stephen R. Kane, Victor J. S. Bejar, Nicolas Lodieu, Guillem Anglada-Escude, Ignasi Ribas, Enric Palle, Andreas Quirrenbach, Pedro Amado, Ansgar Reiners, Jose A. Caballero, Maria Rosa Zapatero Osorio, Stefan Dreizler, Andrew W. Howard, Benjamin J. Fulton, Sharon Xuesong Wang, Kevin I. Collins, Mohammed El Mufti, Justin Wittrock, Emily A. Gilbert, Thomas Barclay, Baptiste Klein, Eder Martioli, Robert Wittenmyer, Duncan Wright, Brett Addison, Teruyuki Hirano, Motohide Tamura, Takayuki Kotani, Norio Narita, David Vermilion, Rena A. Lee, Claire Geneser, Johanna Teske, Samuel N. Quinn, David W. Latham, Gilbert A. Esquerdo, Michael L. Calkins, Perry Berlind, Farzaneh Zohrabi, Caitlin Stibbards, Srihan Kotnana, Jon Jenkins, Joseph D. Twicken, Christopher Henze, Richard Kidwell, Jr., Christopher Burke, Joel Villasenor, Patricia Boyd

Faculty Publications

We present updated radial-velocity (RV) analyses of the AU Mic system. AU Mic is a young (22 Myr) early-M dwarf known to host two transiting planets-P-b similar to 8.46 days, R-b = 4.381(-0.18)(+0.18) R-circle plus, P-c similar to 18.86 days, R-c = 3.5(-0.16)(+0.16) R-circle plus. With visible RVs from Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical echelle Spectrographs (CARMENES)-VIS, CHIRON, HARPS, HIRES, MINERVA-Australis, and Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph, as well as near-infrared (NIR) RVs from CARMENES-NIR, CSHELL, IRD, iSHELL, NIRSPEC, and SPIRou, we provide a 5 sigma upper limit to the mass of AU …

An Argument For The Second Nuclear Era: Salvaging The Atomic Age In Response To Climate Change, Ian Sager

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Nonsingular Quantum Gravitational Dynamics Of An Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi Dust Shell Model: The Role Of Quantization Prescriptions, Kristina Giesel, Bao-Fei Li, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

We study some consequences of the loop quantization of the outermost dust shell in the LemaitreTolman-Bondi spacetime with a homogeneous dust density using different quantization strategies motivated by loop quantum gravity. Prior work has dealt with loop quantizing this model by employing holonomies and the triads, following the procedure in standard loop quantum cosmology. In this work we compare this quantization with the one in which holonomies and gauge-covariant fluxes are used. While both of the quantization schemes resolve the central singularity, they lead to different mass gaps at which a trapped surface forms. This trapped surface which is matched …

Search Full Text Options Here 1 Of 1 Constraints From Ligo O3 Data On Gravitational-Wave Emission Due To R-Modes In The Glitching Pulsar Psr J0537-6910, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott

Faculty Publications

We present a search for continuous gravitational-wave emission due to r-modes in the pulsar PSR J0537-6910 using data from the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration observing run O3. PSR J0537-6910 is a young energetic X-ray pulsar and is the most frequent glitcher known. The inter-glitch braking index of the pulsar suggests that gravitational-wave emission due to r-mode oscillations may play an important role in the spin evolution of this pulsar. Theoretical models confirm this possibility and predict emission at a level that can be probed by ground-based detectors. In order to explore this scenario, we search for r-mode emission in the epochs between …

Classifying Soft X-Ray Objects In The Galactic Bulge, Joshua D. Wetuski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Galactic Bulge Survey (GBS) is a broad and shallow X-ray survey designed to detect quiescent X-ray binary systems in the direction of the Milky Way bulge, which include objects such as low-mass X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and symbiotic binaries. LMXBs can provide constraints to the neutron star equation of state and symbiotic systems and are likely progenitors of double white dwarf systems which are themselves candidate progenitors to type Ia supernova. We seek to improve identification and classification of optical counterparts to GBS in several ways. By improving upon the original GBS, an updated catalog was created to help …

Directly Determined Properties Of Hd 97658 From Interferometric Observations, Tyler G. Ellis, Tabetha Boyajian, Kaspar Von Braun, Roxanne Ligi, Denis Mourard, Diana Dragomir, Gail H. Schaefer, Christopher D. Farrington

Faculty Publications

We conducted interferometric observations with the CHARA Array of transiting super-Earth host HD 97658 and measured its limb-darkened angular diameter to be theta(LD) = 0.314 +/- 0.004 mas. The combination of the angular diameter with the Gaia EDR3 parallax value with zero-point correction (pi = 46.412 +/- 0.022 mas, d =21.546 +/- 0.011 pc) yields a physical radius of R-star = 0.728 +/- 0.008 R-circle dot. We also measured the bolometric flux of the star to be F-bol = 2.42 +/- 0.05 x 10(-8) erg s(-1) cm(-2), which, together with angular size, allows a measurement of the effective temperature T-eff …

Dirac-Born-Infeld Warm Inflation Realization In The Strong Dissipation Regime, Meysam Motaharfar, Rudnei O. Ramos

Faculty Publications

We consider warm inflation with a Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) kinetic term in which both the non-equilibrium dissipative particle production and the sound speed parameter slow the motion of the inflaton field. We find that a low sound speed parameter removes, or at least strongly suppresses, the growing function appearing in the scalar of curvature power spectrum of warm inflation, which appears due to the temperature dependence in the dissipation coefficient. As a consequence of that, a low sound speed helps to push warm inflation into the strong dissipation regime, which is an attractive regime from a model building and phenomenological perspective. …

Spatiotemporal Trends And Variability In The Centroid Of The Northern Hemisphere's Circumpolar Vortex, Nazla Bushra, Robert V. Rohli

Faculty Publications

Recent previous research has established the "sharpest gradient" approach to defining the circumpolar vortex and has identified correlations of the area and circularity of the Northern Hemisphere's circumpolar vortex (NHCPV) to important atmospheric-oceanic teleconnections. However, because geographical shifts in the NHCPV, independent of area or circularity changes, could affect surface environmental conditions, this research addresses the question of the extent to which the NHCPV centroid undergoes such shifts, both intra- and inter-annually. Results show that during the 1979-2017 period, the centroid has moved less on a daily basis in more recent years, perhaps indicative of a stabilization in circulation, with …

"Super Gzk" Particles In A Classic Kramers' Diffusion-Over-A-Barrier Model. I. The Case Of Protons, S. T. Alnussirat, A. F. Barghouty, G. M. Webb, P. L. Biermann

Faculty Publications

In interactions of ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) protons with cosmic microwave background photons, we focus in this work on photopion production reactions and the effects of the measured, broad, energy-loss distributions in these reactions on the evolution of the protons' density functions in energy space. We rely on a Fokker-Planck transport equation in energy space whose transport coefficients are calculated using laboratory measurements. We also derive a Fokker-Planck potential that accounts for both systematic (drift) and stochastic (dispersive) energy losses due to photopion production reactions. Our results show that dispersive energy losses have significant effects on estimating the protons' horizon …

Relating Dust Reference Models To Conventional Systems In Manifestly Gauge Invariant Perturbation Theory, Kristina Giesel, Bao-Fei Li, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

Models with dust reference fields in relational formalism have proved useful in understanding the construction of gauge invariant perturbation theory to arbitrary orders in the canonical framework. These reference fields modify the dynamical equations for perturbation equations. However, important questions remain open on the relation with conventional perturbation theories of inflaton coupled to gravity and of multifluid systems, and on understanding modifications in terms of physical degrees of freedom. These gaps are filled in this manuscript for Brown-Kuchar and Gaussian dust models, both of which involve three scalar physical degrees of freedom. We establish a relationship of these models with …