Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Molecular Processes In Astrophysics: Calculations Of H + H2 Excitation, De-Excitation, And Cooling, Matthew Kelley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The implications of H+H2 cooling in astrophysics is important to several applications. One of the most significant and pure applications is its role in cooling in the early universe. Other applications would include molecular dynamics in nebulae and their collapse into stars and astrophysical shocks. Shortly after the big bang, the universe was a hot primordial gas of photons, electrons, and nuclei among other ingredients. By far the most dominant nuclei in the early universe was hydrogen. In fact, in the early universe the matter density was 90 percent hydrogen and only 10 percent helium with small amounts of lithium …

Topics In Galaxy Formation: Pairwise Velocities Of Dark Matter Halos And Molecular Hydrogen Regulated Star Formation In Cosmological Simulations, Robert Jo Thompson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this dissertation we investigate two distinct challenges within the concordance LCDM model and an unrelated project.

The first is a discrepancy between theory and observation. A massive galaxy sub-cluster known as the `bullet' has fallen through a more massive parent galaxy cluster at a redshift of z=0.296.

Theory finds that in order to reproduce the observational quantities of this cluster, an unusually high relative velocity of v12=3000 km/s between the two cluster's parent halos is required.

We quantify the statistical probability of producing a `bullet-like' halo pair within large N-body simulations, and

conclude that either the LCDM model is …

Penetration Forces For Subsurface Regolith Probes, Ahmed Elshafie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating planetary bodies using penetrometers can provide detailed information about its history and evolution. An estimation of subsurface density and porosity can be made from the shape of the penetration curve. Using penetrometers mounted on planetary platforms could be challenging due to the uncertainty of the subsurface composition and since the maximum allowed force for penetration is the weight of the lander or rover on the surface. Estimation of penetration forces can provide a reliable constraint on the maximum reachable depth without endangering the whole mission. Therefore, knowledge of the required penetration force to specific depths can be helpful in …

Exploring The Surface Liquid And Lake Regions Of Titan With Laboratory Experimentation And Cassini Spacecraft Data, Felix Casimir Wasiak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The surface liquids and lake regions of Titan are studied utilizing three unique techniques, the results of which are reported in this dissertation. The development of a facility to simulate the surface conditions of Titan, and to conduct experiments on samples within that facility, brings an understanding of Titan's surface not possible through observation and modeling alone. The properties of this facility are presented, including conceptual methodology, design, implementation, performance, and experimental results. The facility, the main component of which is a simulation chamber, allows for Titan temperatures of 90 - 94 K and a 1.5 bar N2 atmosphere. The …

Search For A Correlation Between Very-High-Energy Gamma Rays And Giant Radio Pulses In The Crab Pulsar, E. Aliu, S. Archambault, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, A. Bouvier, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We present the results of a joint observational campaign between the Green Bank radio telescope and the VERITAS gamma-ray telescope, which searched for a correlation between the emission of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays (E γ > 150 GeV) and giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar at 8.9 GHz. A total of 15,366 GRPs were recorded during 11.6 hr of simultaneous observations, which were made across four nights in 2008 December and in 2009 November and December. We searched for an enhancement of the pulsed gamma-ray emission within time windows placed around the arrival time of the GRP events. …

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 …

The Disk-Wind-Jet Connection In The Black Hole H 1743-322, J. M. Miller, J. Raymond, A. C. Fabian, C. S. Reynolds, A. L. King, T. R. Kallman, E. M. Cackett, M. Van Der Klis, D. T. H. Steeghs

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

X-ray disk winds are detected in spectrally soft, disk-dominated phases of stellar-mass black hole outbursts. In contrast, compact, steady, relativistic jets are detected in spectrally hard states that are dominated by non-thermal X-ray emission. Although these distinctive outflows appear to be almost mutually exclusive, it is possible that a disk wind persists in hard states but cannot be detected via X-ray absorption lines owing to very high ionization. Here, we present an analysis of a deep, 60 ks Chandra/HETGS observation of the black hole candidate H 1743-322 in the low/hard state. The spectrum shows no evidence of a disk wind, …

Supernova Resonance-Scattering Line Profiles In The Absence Of A Photosphere, Brian Friesen, E. Baron, David Branch, Bin Chen, Jerod T. Parrent, R. C. Thomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

In supernova (SN) spectroscopy relatively little attention has been given to the properties of optically thick spectral lines in epochs following the photosphere's recession. Most treatments and analyses of post-photospheric optical spectra of SNe assume that forbidden-line emission comprises most if not all spectral features. However, evidence exists that suggests that some spectra exhibit line profiles formed via optically thick resonance-scattering even months or years after the SN explosion. To explore this possibility, we present a geometrical approach to SN spectrum formation based on the "Elementary Supernova" model, wherein we investigate the characteristics of resonance-scattering in optically thick lines while …

Rotational And Cyclical Variability In Γ Cassiopeiae. Ii. Fifteen Seasons, Gregory W. Henry, Myron A. Smith

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

The B0.5 IVe star γ Cas is of great interest because it is the prototype of a small group of classical Be stars having hard X-ray emission of unknown origin. We discuss results from ongoing B and V observations of the γ Cas star–disk system acquired with an Automated Photometric Telescope during the observing seasons 1997–2011. In an earlier study, Smith, Henry, & Vishniac showed that light variations in γ Cas are dominated by a series of comparatively prominent cycles with amplitudes of 0.02–0.03 mag and lengths of 2–3 months, superimposed on a 1.21 day periodic signal some five times …

Veritas Observations Of Six Bright, Hard-Spectrum Fermi-Lat Blazars, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We report on VERITAS very high energy (VHE; E ≥ 100 GeV) observations of six blazars selected from the Fermi Large Area Telescope First Source Catalog (1FGL). The gamma-ray emission from 1FGL sources was extrapolated up to the VHE band, taking gamma-ray absorption by the extragalactic background light into account. This allowed the selection of six bright, hard-spectrum blazars that were good candidate TeV emitters. Spectroscopic redshift measurements were attempted with the Keck Telescope for the targets without Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic data. No VHE emission is detected during the observations of the six sources described here. Corresponding TeV …

Energetic Galaxy-Wide Outflows In High-Redshift Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies Hosting Agn Activity, C. M. Harrison, D. M. Alexander, A. M. Swinbank, Ian Smail, S. Alaghband-Zadeh, F. E. Bauer, S. C. Chapman, A. Del Moro, R. C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present integral field spectroscopy observations, covering the [O III]4959,5007 emission-line doublet of eight high-redshift (z=1.4-3.4) ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) that host Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) activity, including known sub-millimetre luminous galaxies (SMGs). The targets have moderate radio luminosities that are typical of high-redshift ULIRGs (L(1.4GHz)=10^(24)-10^(25)W/Hz) and therefore are not radio-loud AGN. We de-couple kinematic components due to the galaxy dynamics and mergers from those due to outflows. We find evidence in the four most luminous systems (L([O III])>~10^(43)erg/s) for the signatures of large-scale energetic outflows: extremely broad [O III] emission (FWHM ~ 700-1400km/s) across ~4-15kpc, with high velocity …

Collisionless Reconnection: Magnetic Field Line Interaction, R A. Treumann, W Baumjohann, W. D. Gonzalez

Dartmouth Scholarship

Magneticfieldlinesarequantumobjectscarrying onequantum􏰃0=2πh ̄/eofmagneticfluxandhavefinite radius λm. Here we argue that they possess a very specific dynamicalinteraction.Parallelfieldlinesrejecteachother. When confined to a certain area they form two-dimensional lattices of hexagonal structure. We estimate the filling factor of such an area. Anti-parallel field lines, on the other hand, at- tract each other. We identify the physical mechanism as being due to the action of the gauge potential field, which we de- termine quantum mechanically for two parallel and two anti- parallel field lines. The distortion of the quantum electrody- namic vacuum causes a cloud of virtual pairs. We calculate the virtual pair production rate …

The Relationship Between Γ Cassiopeiae’S X-Ray Emission And Its Circumstellar Environment Ii. Geometry And Kinematics Of The Disk From Mirc And Vega Instruments On The Chara Array, Philippe Stee, O. Delaa, John D. Monnier, Anthony Meilland, Karine Perraut, Denis Mourard, Xiao Che, Gail H. Schaefer, Ettore Pedretti, Myron A. Smith, Raimundo Lopes De Oliveira, Christian Motch, Gregory W. Henry, Noel D. Richardson, Karen S. Bjorkman, R. Bücke, E. Pollmann, Juan Zorec, Douglas R. Gies, Theo A. Ten Brummelaar, Harold A. Mcalister, Nils H. Turner, Judit Sturmann, Laszlo Sturmann, Stephen T. Ridgway

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Context.γ Cas is thought to be the prototype of classical Be stars and is the most studied object among this group. However, as for all Be stars, the origin and the physics of its circumstellar disk responsible for the observed near IR-excess, emission lines, and peculiar X-ray emission is still being debated.

Aims. We constrain the geometry and kinematics of its circumstellar disk from the highest spatial resolution ever achieved on this star. This investigation is a part of a large multi-technique observing campaign to obtain the most complete picture of γ Cas which emphasizes the relation of the …

On The Weak-Wind Problem In Massive Stars: X-Ray Spectra Reveal A Massive Hot Wind In Mu Columbae., David Huenemoerder, Lidia Oskinova, Richard Ignace, Wayne Waldron, Helge Todt, Kenji Hamaguchi, Shunji Kitamoto

ETSU Faculty Works

Mu Columbae is a prototypical weak-wind O star for which we have obtained a high-resolution X-ray spectrum with the Chandra LETG/ACIS instrument and a low-resolution spectrum with Suzaku. This allows us, for the first time, to investigate the role of X-rays on the wind structure in a bona fide weak-wind system and to determine whether there actually is a massive hot wind. The X-ray emission measure indicates that the outflow is an order of magnitude greater than that derived from UV lines and is commensurate with the nominal wind-luminosity relationship for O stars. Therefore, the "weak-wind problem"--identified from cool wind …

On The Weak-Wind Problem In Massive Stars: X-Ray Spectra Reveal A Massive Hot Wind In Mu Columbae., David P. Huenemoerder, Lidia M. Oskinova, Richard Ignace, Wayne L. Waldron, Helge Todt, Kenji Hamaguchi, Shunji Kitamoto

Richard Ignace

Mu Columbae is a prototypical weak-wind O star for which we have obtained a high-resolution X-ray spectrum with the Chandra LETG/ACIS instrument and a low-resolution spectrum with Suzaku. This allows us, for the first time, to investigate the role of X-rays on the wind structure in a bona fide weak-wind system and to determine whether there actually is a massive hot wind. The X-ray emission measure indicates that the outflow is an order of magnitude greater than that derived from UV lines and is commensurate with the nominal wind-luminosity relationship for O stars. Therefore, the "weak-wind problem"--identified from cool wind …

A Four-Year Xmm-Newton/Chandra Monitoring Campaign Of The Galactic Centre: Analysing The X-Ray Transients, N. Degenaar, R. Wijnands, E. M. Cackett, J. Homan, J. J. M. In 'T Zand, E. Kuulkers, T. J. Maccarone, M. Van Der Klis

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We report on the results of a four-year long X-ray monitoring campaign of the central 1.2 square degrees of our Galaxy, performed with Chandra and XMM-Newton between 2005 and 2008. Our study focuses on the properties of transient X-ray sources that reach 2-10 keV luminosities of L_X ≳ 10³⁴ erg s^-1 for an assumed distance of 8 kpc. There are 17 known X-ray transients within the field of view of our campaign, eight of which were detected in outburst during our observations: the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries GRS 1741-2853, AX J1745.6-2901, SAX J1747.0-2853, KS 1741-293 …

On The Role Of The Accretion Disk In Black Hole Disk-Jet Connections, J. M. Miller, G. G. Pooley, A. C. Fabian, M. A. Nowak, R. C. Reis, E. M. Cackett, K. Pottschmidt, J. Wilms

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

Models of jet production in black hole systems suggest that the properties of the accretion disk—such as its mass accretion rate, inner radius, and emergent magnetic field—should drive and modulate the production of relativistic jets. Stellar-mass black holes in the "low/hard" state are an excellent laboratory in which to study disk-jet connections, but few coordinated observations are made using spectrometers that can incisively probe the inner disk. We report on a series of 20 Suzaku observations of Cygnus X-1 made in the jet-producing low/hard state. Contemporaneous radio monitoring was done using the Arcminute MicroKelvin Array radio telescope. Two important and …

The 1.17 Day Orbit Of The Double-Degenerate (Da+Dq) Nltt 16249, S. Vennes, A. Kawka, S. J. O'Toole, J. R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

New spectroscopic observations show that the double degenerate system NLTT 16249 is in a close orbit (a = 5.6+/-0.3 R_sun) with a period of 1.17 d. The total mass of the system is estimated between 1.47 and 2.04 M_sun but it is not expected to merge within a Hubble time-scale (t_merge ~ 10^11 yr). Vennes & Kawka (2012, ApJ, 745, L12) originally identified the system because of the peculiar composite hydrogen (DA class) and molecular (C_2--DQ class--and CN) spectra and the new observations establish this system as the first DA plus DQ close double degenerate. Also, the DQ component was …

High-Velocity Outflows Without Agn Feedback: Eddington-Limited Star Formation In Compact Massive Galaxies, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, John Moustakas, Christy A. Tremonti, Alison L. Coil, Ryan C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the discovery of compact, obscured star formation in galaxies at z ~ 0.6 that exhibit 1000 km s^–1 outflows. Using optical morphologies from the Hubble Space Telescope and infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we estimate star formation rate (SFR) surface densities that approach Σ_SFR ≈ 3000 M _☉ yr^–1 kpc^–2, comparable to the Eddington limit from radiation pressure on dust grains. We argue that feedback associated with a compact starburst in the form of radiation pressure from massive stars and ram pressure from supernovae and stellar winds is sufficient …

High-Mass, Four-Planet Configurations For Hr 8799: Constraining The Orbital Inclination And Age Of The System, Jeffrey J. Sudol, Nader Haghighipour

Physics & Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spectroscopy And Photometry Of Cataclysmic Variable Candidates From The Catalina Real Time Survey, John R. Thorstensen, Julie N. Skinner

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Catalina Real Time Survey (CRTS) has found over 500 cataclysmic variable (CV) candidates, most of which were previously unknown. We report here on follow-up spectroscopy of 36 of the brighter objects. Nearly all of the spectra are typical of CVs at minimum light. One object appears to be a flare star, while another has a spectrum consistent with a CV but lies, intriguingly, at the center of a small nebulosity. We measured orbital periods for eight of the CVs, and estimated distances for two based on the spectra of their secondary stars. In addition to the spectra, we obtained …

Spectro-Interferometric Observations Of Classical Nova V458 Vul 2007, Samira Rajabi, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Benjamin F. Lane, Martin M. Sirk, Stanley Browne, Askari Ghasempour, Samuel P. Halverson, John G. Kelly, Michael Williamson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We used the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) to resolve 2.2 μm emission from the classical nova V458 Vul 2007 over the course of several days following its discovery on 2007 August 8.54 UT. We also obtained K-band photometric data and spectra of the nova during the early days of the outburst. We also used photometric measurements from the AAVSO database. This is a unique data set offering a three-technique approach: high-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, and photometry. Our analysis shows that the nova ejecta can be modeled as an inclined disk at low inclination, i.e., low ellipticity which is consistent with the …

Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator Performance Optimization, Joshua G. Thompson, Brian Eney, Zaheer Ali, Bob Thompson

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator (TAAS) calibrates scientific instruments (SI’s) that are installed on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). An SI’s accuracy is directly dependent on the consistent performance of the TAAS, which has never been fully characterized. After designing various thermal and optical experiments to identify the current unknowns of TAAS, we now have a far better grasp on how the equipment behaves.

A Comparison Of Broad Iron Emission Lines In Archival Data Of Neutron Star Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries, Edward M. Cackett, Jon M. Miller, Rubens C. Reis, Andrew C. Fabian, Didier Barret

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

Relativistic X-ray disklines have been found in multiple neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries, in close analogy with black holes across the mass scale. These lines have tremendous diagnostic power and have been used to constrain stellar radii and magnetic fields, often finding values that are consistent with independent timing techniques. Here, we compare CCD-based data from Suzaku with Fe K line profiles from archival data taken with gas-based spectrometers. In general, we find good consistency between the gas-based line profiles from EXOSAT, BeppoSAX, and RXTE and the CCD data from Suzaku, demonstrating that the broad profiles seen are intrinsic to …

Infrared Eclipses Of The Strongly Irradiated Planet Wasp-33b, And Oscillations Of Its Host Star, Drake Deming, Jonathan D. Fraine, Pedro V. Sada, Nikku Madhusudhan, Heather A. Knutson, Joseph Harrington, Jasmina Blecic, Sarah Nymeyer, Alexis M.S. Smith, Brian Jackson

Brian Jackson

We observe two secondary eclipses of the strongly irradiated transiting planet WASP-33b, in the Ks band at 2.15 μm, and one secondary eclipse each at 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm using Warm Spitzer. This planet orbits an A5V δ-Scuti star that is known to exhibit low-amplitude non-radial p-mode oscillations at about 0.1% semi-amplitude. We detect stellar oscillations in all of our infrared eclipse data, and also in one night of observations at J band (1.25 μm) out of eclipse. The oscillation amplitude, in all infrared bands except Ks, is about the same as in the optical. However, the stellar oscillations …

Absolute Properties Of The Eclipsing Binary Star V335 Serpentis, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel, Antonio Claret

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

V335 Ser is now known to be an eccentric double-lined A1+A3 binary star with fairly deep (0.5 mag) partial eclipses. Previous studies of the system are improved with 7456 differential photometric observations from the URSA WebScope and 5666 from the NFO WebScope, and 67 high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the Tennessee State University 2 m automatic spectroscopic telescope. From dates of minima, the apsidal period is about 880 years. Accurate (better than 2%) masses and radii are determined from analysis of the two new light curves and the radial velocity curve. Theoretical models match the absolute properties of the stars at …

On The Determination Of The Spin Of The Black Hole In Cyg X-1 From X-Ray Reflection Spectra, A. C. Fabian, D. R. Wilkins, J. M. Miller, R. C. Reis, C. S. Reynolds, E. M. Cackett, M. A. Nowak, G. G. Pooley, K. Pottschmidt, J. S. Sanders, R. R. Ross, J. Wilms

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

The spin of Cygnus X-1 is measured by fitting reflection models to Suzaku data covering the energy band 0.9-400 keV. The inner radius of the accretion disc is found to lie within 2 gravitational radii (r_g=GM/c²), and a value of ? is obtained for the dimensionless black hole spin. This agrees with recent measurements using the continuum fitting method by Gou et al. and of the broad iron line by Duro et al. The disc inclination is measured at ?, which is consistent with the recent optical measurement of the binary system inclination by Orosz et …

Analysis Of The Early-Time Optical Spectra Of Sn 2011fe In M101, J. T. Parrent, D. A. Howell, B. Friesen, R. C. Thomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

The nearby Type Ia supernova SN 2011fe in M101 (cz=241 km s^-1) provides a unique opportunity to study the early evolution of a "normal" Type Ia supernova, its compositional structure, and its elusive progenitor system. We present 18 high signal-to-noise spectra of SN 2011fe during its first month beginning 1.2 days post-explosion and with an average cadence of 1.8 days. This gives a clear picture of how various line-forming species are distributed within the outer layers of the ejecta, including that of unburned material (C+O). We follow the evolution of C II absorption features until they diminish near maximum light, …

Flux And Photon Spectral Index Distributions Of Fermi-Lat Blazars And Contribution To The Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background, Jack Singal, V. Petrosian, M. Ajello

Physics Faculty Publications

We present a determination of the distributions of the photon spectral index and gamma-ray flux—the so-called log N–log S relation—for the 352 blazars detected with a greater than approximately 7σ detection threshold and located above ±20◦ Galactic latitude by the Large Area Telescope of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in its first year catalog. Because the flux detection threshold depends on the photon index, the observed raw distributions do not provide the true log N–log S counts or the true distribution of the photon index. We use the non-parametric methods developed by Efron and Petrosian to reconstruct the intrinsic distributions …

The Evil-Mc Model For Ellipsoidal Variations Of Planet-Hosting Stars And Applications To The Hat-P-7 System, Brian K. Jackson, Nikole K. Lewis, Jason W. Barnes, L. Drake Deming, Adam P. Showman, Jonathan J. Fortney

Brian Jackson

We present a new model for Ellipsoidal Variations Induced by a Low-Mass Companion, the EVIL-MC model. We employ several approximations appropriate for planetary systems to substantially increase the computational efficiency of our model relative to more general ellipsoidal variation models and improve upon the accuracy of simpler models. This new approach gives us a unique ability to rapidly and accurately determine planetary system parameters. We use the EVIL-MC model to analyze Kepler Quarter 0-2 (Q0-2) observations of the HAT-P-7 system, an F-type star orbited by a ~ Jupiter-mass companion. Our analysis corroborates previous estimates of the planet-star mass ratio q …