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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Observed Seasonal Variations In Exospheric Effective Temperatures, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler, S. M. Nossal Jun 2012

Observed Seasonal Variations In Exospheric Effective Temperatures, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler, S. M. Nossal

Publications

High spectral resolution line profile observations indicate a reproducible semi-annual variation in the geocoronal hydrogen Balmer α effective temperature. These observations were made between 08 January 2000 and 21 November 2001 from Pine Bluff Observatory (WI) with a second generation double etalon Fabry-Perot annular summing spectrometer operating at a resolving power of 80,000. This data set spans sixty-four nights of observations (1404 spectra in total) over 20 dark-moon periods. A two cluster Gaussian model fitting procedure is used to determine Doppler line widths, accounting for fine structure contributions to the line, including those due to cascade; cascade contributions at Balmer …


Sodium Atoms In The Lunar Exotail: Observed Velocity And Spatial Distributions, Michael R. Line, E. J. Mierkiewicz, R. J. Oliversen, J. K. Wilson, L. M. Haffner, F. L. Roesler Jun 2012

Sodium Atoms In The Lunar Exotail: Observed Velocity And Spatial Distributions, Michael R. Line, E. J. Mierkiewicz, R. J. Oliversen, J. K. Wilson, L. M. Haffner, F. L. Roesler

Physical Sciences - Daytona Beach

The lunar sodium tail extends long distances due to radiation pressure on sodium atoms in the lunar exosphere. Our earlier observations measured the average radial velocity of sodium atoms moving down the lunar tail beyond Earth (i.e., near the anti-lunar point) to be ∼12.5. km/s. Here we use the Wisconsin H-alpha Mapper to obtain the first kinematically resolved maps of the intensity and velocity distribution of this emission over a 15° × 15 ° region on the sky near the anti-lunar point. We present both spatially and spectrally resolved observations obtained over four nights bracketing new Moon in October 2007. …


Book Review: Astronomy At The Frontiers Of Science, T. D. Oswalt May 2012

Book Review: Astronomy At The Frontiers Of Science, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of Astronomy at the Frontiers of Science, edited by Jean-Pierre Lasota, Springer, 2011. 357p, 9789400716575 $179.00.


Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study, John Brophy, Fred Culick, Louis Friedman, Pedro Llanos, Et Al. Apr 2012

Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study, John Brophy, Fred Culick, Louis Friedman, Pedro Llanos, Et Al.

Publications

This report describes the results of a study sponsored by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) to investigate the feasibility of identifying, robotically capturing, and returning an entire Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) to the vicinity of the Earth by the middle of the next decade. The KISS study was performed by people from Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, the California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard University, the Naval Postgraduate School, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Southern …


Observed And Modeled Solar Cycle Variation In Geocoronal Hydrogen Using Nrlmsise-00 Thermosphere Conditions And The Bishop Analytic Exosphere Model, S. M. Nossal, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler Mar 2012

Observed And Modeled Solar Cycle Variation In Geocoronal Hydrogen Using Nrlmsise-00 Thermosphere Conditions And The Bishop Analytic Exosphere Model, S. M. Nossal, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler

Publications

High precision observations during Solar Cycle 23 using the Wisconsin H‐alpha Mapper (WHAM) Fabry‐Perot quantify a factor of 1.5 ± 0.15 higher Balmer α column emission intensity during near‐solar‐maximum than during solar minimum conditions. An unresolved question is how does the observed solar cycle variation in the hydrogen column emission compare with that calculated from the hydrogen distribution in atmospheric models? We have compared WHAM solar minimum and near‐solar‐maximum column intensity observations with calculations using the thermospheric hydrogen density profile and background thermospheric conditions from the Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter (NRLMSISE‐00) empirical model extended to exospheric altitudes using the analytic …


Observational Constraints On The Degenerate Mass-Radius Relation, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, M. A. Barstow Feb 2012

Observational Constraints On The Degenerate Mass-Radius Relation, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, M. A. Barstow

Publications

The white dwarf mass–radius relationship is fundamental to modern astrophysics. It is central to routine estimation of DA white dwarf masses derived from spectroscopic temperatures and gravities. It is also the basis for observational determinations of the white dwarf initial–final-mass relation. Nevertheless, definitive and detailed observational confirmations of the mass–radius relation (MRR) remain elusive owing to a lack of sufficiently accurate white dwarf masses and radii. Current best estimates of masses and radii allow only broad conclusions about the expected inverse relation between masses and radii in degenerate stars. In this paper, we examine a restricted set of 12 DA …


3-D Mesoscale Mhd Simulations Of Magnetospheric Cusp-Like Configurations: Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities And Boundary Structure, E. Adamson, A. Otto, K. Nykyri Feb 2012

3-D Mesoscale Mhd Simulations Of Magnetospheric Cusp-Like Configurations: Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities And Boundary Structure, E. Adamson, A. Otto, K. Nykyri

Publications

We present results from mesoscale simulations of the magnetospheric cusp region for both strongly northward and strongly southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Simulation results indicate an extended region of depressed magnetic field and strongly enhanced plasma B which exhibits a strong dependence on IMF orientation. These structures correspond to the Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities (CDC’s). The typical features of these CDC’s are generally well reproduced by the simulation. The inner boundaries between the CDC and the magnetosphere are gradual transitions which form a clear funnel shape, regardless of IMF orientation. The outer CDC/magnetosheath boundary exhibits a clear indentation in both the …


The Initial–Final Mass Relation Among White Dwarfs In Wide Binaries, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, L. A. Willson, Q. Wang, G. Zhao Feb 2012

The Initial–Final Mass Relation Among White Dwarfs In Wide Binaries, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, L. A. Willson, Q. Wang, G. Zhao

Publications

We present the initial–final mass relation derived from 10 white dwarfs in wide binaries that consist of a main-sequence star and a white dwarf. The temperature and gravity of each white dwarf were measured by fitting theoretical model atmospheres to the observed spectrum using a χ2 fitting algorithm. The cooling time and mass were obtained using theoretical cooling tracks. The total age of each binary was estimated from the chromospheric activity of its main-sequence component to an uncertainty of about 0.17 dex in log t. The difference between the total age and white dwarf cooling time is taken …


The Allen Telescope Array Search For Electrostatic Discharges On Mars, Marin M. Anderson, Andrew P.V. Siemion, William C. Barott, Geoffery C. Bower, Gregory T. Delory, Imke De Pater, Dan Werthimer Jan 2012

The Allen Telescope Array Search For Electrostatic Discharges On Mars, Marin M. Anderson, Andrew P.V. Siemion, William C. Barott, Geoffery C. Bower, Gregory T. Delory, Imke De Pater, Dan Werthimer

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Daytona Beach

The Allen Telescope Array was used to monitor Mars between 2010 March 9 and June 2, over a total of approximately 30 hr, for radio emission indicative of electrostatic discharge. The search was motivated by the report from Ruf et al. of the detection of non-thermal microwave radiation from Mars characterized by peaks in the power spectrum of the kurtosis, or kurtstrum, at 10 Hz, coinciding with a large dust storm event on 2006 June 8. For these observations, we developed a wideband signal processor at the Center for Astronomy Signal Processing and Electronics Research. This 1024 channel spectrometer calculates …


Book Review: New Eyes On The Universe: Twelve Cosmic Mysteries And The Tools We Need To Solve Them, T. D. Oswalt Jan 2012

Book Review: New Eyes On The Universe: Twelve Cosmic Mysteries And The Tools We Need To Solve Them, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of New Eyes on the Universe : Twelve Cosmic Mysteries and the Tools We Need to Solve Them by Stephen Webb. Springer/Praxis, 2012 371p, 9781461421931 $44.95, 9781461421948


Book Review: The International Atlas Of Mars Exploration: The First Five Decades: V.1: 1953 To 2003, T. D. Oswalt Jan 2012

Book Review: The International Atlas Of Mars Exploration: The First Five Decades: V.1: 1953 To 2003, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of The International Atlas of Mars Exploration: the First Five Decades : V.1: 1953 to 2003 by Philip J. Stooke. Cambridge, 2012 359p, 0521765536 $140.00, 9780521765534 $140.00.