Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Toward The Study Of Photon Dynamics In Non-Separable Spacetimes, Kara Nelson

Graduate Masters Theses

Black holes provide a unique laboratory for testing general relativity in the strong-field regime through observations such as black hole images and gravitational wave signals. Comparing theoretical predictions with these observations requires accurate numerical models of photon trajectories. This thesis develops and validates a generalized ray-tracing framework for computing null geodesics in stationary, axisymmetric spacetimes. Unlike many existing ray-tracing methods, the framework does not rely on metric separability or analytic solutions, allowing it to be applied to both separable and non-separable spacetimes. The framework is validated by reproducing known Schwarzschild and Kerr results and is applied to a quasi-Kerr spacetime …

Temperature Predictions With Zncuins/Zns Quantum Dots, Reu/Fri Program Physics And Astronomy, Amber Banks

Student Works

For hundreds of years, humans have built thermometers based on the principles of thermal expansion and contraction. In the modern world, there is a need to scale down our thermometers to monitor cellular reactions, both within the human body and within artificial organ chips. Lewis et al. (2020) introduces a nanoscale thermometer based on the thermal expansion of CdTe quantum dots. When ex panded, these dots exhibit systematic changes in photoluminescence (PL) which are recognized by a neural network as an increase in temperature. Our research builds upon the framework of Lewis et al. (2020), testing its feasibility with ZnCuInS/ZnS …

Numerical Modeling Of A Secondary Breakup In The Veritas Asteroid Family, Jarrett Dieterle

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Veritas asteroid family, located in the outer main belt, is believed to have formed from the catastrophic breakup of a parent body approximately 8.3 million years ago (e.g., Nesvorný et al., 2003). Larger fragments remained in the main belt, while smaller particles evolved inward under radiation forces, forming a toroidal dust structure observable in infrared data as paired bands. Previous studies (e.g., Dermott et al., 2001) have shown that these bands can be linked to their parent families and modeled from their initial disruptions. We propose that the 10° dust bands associated with Veritas may record evidence of a …

Low-Rank Spectral Analysis For The Reddening Of The Seven Sisters Star Cluster, Eric Rodarte, Angelina Scalice, Madison Warner, Kevin Numbe

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is a stunning star cluster located approximately 440 light-years from Earth. This vibrant assemblage of hot blue stars in the Taurus constellation can be admired with the naked eye or through binoculars during early autumn. In this presentation, we utilize spectral theory to measure the reddening in the Pleiades star cluster. To evaluate the impact of interstellar dust on reddening, we employ principal component analysis (PCA) on a matrix representing color indices from various photometric bands linked to the cluster’s photometric data. This dataset was obtained from VIZIER. Our PCA analysis of …

Vibration And Thermal-Vacuum Feasibility For Micro Carbon Fiber Filled Nylon Filament Lunar Applications, Andrew Murphy, Shannon O'Sullivan, Daniel Lopez

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The proposed work seeks to improve the fundamental understanding of the properties concerning 3-D printing filaments that have potential to be used for lunar applications. The associated properties in focus for the proposed study, vibration and thermal-vacuum-resistance, are fundamental aspects of spaceflight and are critical to mission success for objectives associated with the environmental factors in space. The successful outcome of the proposed work will answer questions relating to the feasibility of micro carbon fiber filled nylon 3-D printing filaments such as Markforged’s Onyx® for application for projects in the Space Technologies Laboratory, including for the development of structures relating …

Results And Implications For Space Weather Forecasting Of Periodic Mesoscale Solar Wind Structures Responsible For Radiation Belt Particle Loss, Grace Gratton

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Highly dynamic and structured mesoscale solar wind continually buffets Earth's magnetosphere, the moon, and Mars. These mesoscale structures cause several significant risks to spacecraft and astronauts, including driving radiation belt depletion and amplifying the hazards of CMEs and SIRs through upstream solar wind preconditioning. Characterizing the solar origins and solar wind properties of geoeffective mesoscale structures is essential for eventually forecasting their arrival and space weather impact at various satellites. In this interdisciplinary work, we leverage modeling and data analysis to characterize a series of events observed by the Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) instrument – in …

Characterization Of An Ambe Tagged Neutron Source For A 30-Ton Wbls Detector, Rylee Grover

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Understanding the detection capabilities of water-based liquid scintillator (WbLS) is critical for its deployment in next-generation neutrino detectors such as THEIA and Phase II of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). This study focuses on the characterization and alignment testing of an Americium-Beryllium (AmBe) radioactive neutron source. We plan to dope the 30-ton WbLS detector at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with Gadolinium (Gd) to improve neutron detection capabilities. This will be tested by the implementation of an AmBe source as a calibration metric. The AmBe source emits neutrons coincident with a 4.4 MeV gamma ray, making it possible to perform …

Modeling Stellar Structure: Comparing Numerical Solutions Of The Lane-Emden Equation, Jasman Jasmanjot, Bailey Dale, Ryan Dickey

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Lane-Emden equation is a differential equation that is often used in astrophysics to describe the distribution of the density inside a star, and by extension, its pressure distribution. Analytic solutions of the Lane-Emden equation can only be found at polytropic indices n = 0,1,5, matching certain physical conditions. For all other polytropic values, a numerical solution is needed. In this work, a comparison between two numerical schemes for solving the Lane-Emden equation is presented, namely the Euler method and the classical 4th order Runge-Kutta method. The accuracy of these models is first compared to the cases with known analytical …

Eliminating Range Constraints For Optical Tracking Of Sub-10 Cm Orbital Debris, James Kirk

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The growing population of orbital debris, including a significant amount of debris ranging from 1 to 10 cm, has substantially increased the risk to satellites. Due to the sheer number and high velocities, debris ranging from 1 to 10 cm still has the ability to cause mission-ending damage while remaining undetectable by ground-based detection facilities. This study utilizes the NASA Standard Satellite Breakup Model (NASA SSBM), combined with MATLAB, to propagate debris clouds over extended durations, enabling the identification of high-detection zones and debris rings. Using the modeled spacecraft environment, a satellite was positioned below the debris ring altitudes. Lowering …

Estimating The Effects Of Dark Matter Capture On The Sun Using Asteria And Analytic Stellar Scaling, Skylar G. Butler

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

We investigate how the internal structure of the Sun would change if dark matter particles were present at densities predicted by Galactic halo models. Dark matter capture rates were computed using the Python code Asteria, which implements the multi-element capture formalism of Gould (1987) to determine the rate at which dark matter particles scatter and become gravitationally bound inside the Sun. Because Asteria calculates only the capture rate, we developed a post-processing Python-based analysis to estimate the resulting physical effects using analytic scaling relations from previous solar dark matter studies. These relations were used to compute the effective dark matter …

Measuring Lyman Continuum Photon Luminosity In H Ii Regions, Brianna Johnshon

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project focuses on measuring the Lyman continuum photon luminosity (Lc) of diffuse H II regions using multi-line observations from the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM). Previous work by Sahan & Haffner (2016) analyzed the λ Ori region in Hα, [S II], and [N II], which I build on by refining assumptions about distance, extinction, and background emission, as well as extending the analysis to additional regions such as Perseus. To define the extent of each H II region, I identify the brightest Hα beam and select surrounding beams within 0.25σ of that peak. I then applied two different approaches to …

M.O.D.U.S. Modular Optical Design Using Specular Film, Mario Gutierrez, Robert Thibodeau, Emma Show, Desiree Robinson, Lingyuan Meng, Sean Martin, Conner Beeson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

High-quality parabolic mirrors, which are vital components in reflecting telescopes, are typically bulky, costly, and highly fragile. This experiment explores the feasibility of using specular Class B Mylar as an unconventional, lightweight, and cost-effective alternative. This approach could enable new telescope designs by greatly reducing weight and manufacturing expenses, while also opening options for potential adaptability.   This approach involves using Mylar, a flexible, reflective style of plastic. The mylar is formed into a concave mirror by stretching a sheet over a chamber and depressurizing one side to force the sheet into the necessary curved shape. Multiple designs are being created …

The Mystery Of Ngc2264-196'S Pulsation, Matthew Hernandez, Jadia Renee Ewing, Leila Alamos, Jacob R. Romeo, Kaelyn Weddle, Divyeshwari Vansadia, Thomas Matney, Marcus Flesher, Desiree Robinson, Alexandra Beianu

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Matthew Hernandez, Jadia R. Ewing, Leila Alamos, Jacob Romeo, Kaelyn Weddle, Vansadia, TJ Matney, Maybelline A. Flesher, Desiree Robinson, Alexandra Beianu Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen D. Gillam Department of Physical Sciences Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL USA.   March 2026 This study investigates the pulsation characteristics of NGC 2264-196, a chemically peculiar star within the young open cluster NGC 2264. Classification as a suspected Rapidly Oscillating Ap (roAp) star is supported by its spectral type (F5/7) and the recurring detection of a pulsation frequency near 3.01~ mHz. Photometric data was obtained over eight recorded oscillations: 121520UT, 111923UT, 070124UT, 080124UT, 012525UT, …

Construction Of A Radio Jove Telescope For Low-Frequency Radio Astronomy Observations, Lola G. Torres, Elizabeth Loughry, Raaid Baloch, Benjamin Fisher, Gannon English, Poorvaja Panneerselvan, Andrew Wright, Braedyn Hodges

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Radio JOVE, a NASA-supported citizen science project, provides a framework for studying planetary magnetospheres and solar activity through radio observations. The primary goal of this project is to construct a Radio JOVE telescope system to enable undergraduate observation and analysis of low-frequency radio emissions from Jupiter and the Sun. The antenna system will be constructed considering real-world effects to ensure accurate signal detection. The resulting system will generate radio spectrograms that capture time-dependent signal intensity, identifying any Jovian radio bursts and solar radio emissions. These observations will be used to investigate plasma interactions, and space weather relations associated with both …

Quantifying The Effect Of Metallicity On Stellar Properties And Evolutionary Timescales, Jacob Becker

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Stellar age estimations derived from asteroseismology depend on stellar models that are sensitive to metallicity (Z). Variations in this parameter could alter the agreement between gyrochronological and asteroseismic ages, as well as main sequence lifetimes and observational properties such as effective temperature and luminosity. We test how much typical metallicity differences (±0.2 dex) affect main-sequence models of solar-type stars. Using MESA, evolutionary tracks are created for 1 M☉ stars at three metallicities (Z = 0.009, 0.014, 0.022), and it is measured how these changes shift the positions of the zero-age main sequence and the corresponding main sequence lifetimes. This work …

Broad Emission-Line Limits On Stellar Winds From Small-Aperture Dslr Spectroscopy, Benjamin Katz, David Cardona

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Broad Emission-Line Limits on Stellar Winds from Small-Aperture DSLR Spectroscopy   Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars have very strong stellar winds, with speeds of thousands of km/s, usually measured using high-resolution spectroscopy on large telescopes. Here, we test how well those speeds can be recovered using small-aperture, low-resolution DSLR spectroscopy. We used an 8-inch Celestron 8SE with an SA-100 grating and a Nikon D750 DSLR, giving a dispersion of about 4.1 Å per pixel. A key limitation is the instrumental resolution of the system, with an FWHM of about 30 Å, which is not small compared to the emission line widths being measured. …

Project G.L.E.N., Alexis Peshehonoff, Makaylei Huggins, Bernard Muich, William John, Nicholas Fazzolari, Kai Hong, Nicholas Krasznavolgyi, Caitlyn A. Gabrinowitz, Grace Forbes, Harris Meyer, Jakob Graudons, Georgii Dubrov, Aditya Bhattacharya, Augustine Balish, Zachary Ort, Stephen Syvertson, Sajid Berhane

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Project G.L.E.N., formally known as “Refining Enhanced Fujita Wind Estimates via Unmanned Collection of In-Situ Tornadic Data Measurements,” is an ongoing initiative aimed at advancing tornado research through the development and deployment of an unmanned tornado probe. Through the Gale Level Environmental Navigator (G.L.E.N.) probe, a remote-controlled unit equipped with specialized meteorological sensors and innovative design features, we aim to collect real-time, onsite data from within tornadoes. This approach allows for direct measurement of internal atmospheric conditions such as wind speeds, pressure fluctuations, temperature, humidity, and other storm dynamics while removing human risk from tornado interception, significantly enhancing the safety …

String-Of-Pearls Measurements Of Supersonic Plasma Jets Using Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites, Amelia Koth

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

High-energy supersonic plasma jets form when the solar wind, which is a flow of charged particles from the Sun, slows down as it encounters Earth’s magnetic shield. Occasionally, the solar wind remains at supersonic speeds as it enters this region. This forms plasma jets that propagate toward Earth; these jets can carry strong magnetic fields, drive magnetic reconnection, and potentially initiate substorms that lead to auroral activity.   Previously studied plasma jets occurred when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) points southward. In contrast, this study focuses on northward IMF conditions, which are less understood, yet still capable of producing supersonic jets. …

Helio: Heliophysics Enhanced Learning For Intelligent Orbits, Kylie Nager, James Kirk

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

HELIO: Heliophysics Enhanced Learning for Intelligent Orbits   Satellite constellations operating in near-Earth space are increasingly vulnerable to space weather disturbances, such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and high-speed solar wind streams, which degrade communications, destabilize attitude control, and accelerate orbital decay. These disturbances directly threaten mission continuity, constellation availability, and space asset survivability. Current protective approaches rely primarily on ground-based alerts and lack integration with broader space domain awareness, which results in programmed reactive protocols that are often initiated too late to prevent performance degradation and asset loss. The HELIO project addresses this gap by turning space-weather forecasts …

Precise Stellar Age Constraints And Habitable Zone Evolution In Exoplanet Systems, Grace Henry

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Accurate stellar ages are fundamental to interpreting the evolutionary histories of habitable zone (HZ) planets. Because stellar luminosity evolves over time, HZ boundaries migrate outward, meaning that present-day HZ planets may have experienced very different irradiation environments earlier in their evolution. Accurate ages are therefore required to estimate HZ residence times and place planetary habitability in an evolutionary context. We use the Bayesian Analysis of Stellar Evolution with nine parameters (BASE-9) code to constrain ages and masses for exoplanet host stars with planets located in the HZ. Our sample includes single stars with effective temperatures of 4475–7200 K that host …

Tess Study Of Wolf-Rayet Stars In The Large Magellanic Cloud, Benjamin Katz, Kassidy Myers, Bailey Wolf, Anthony Fabrega, William Punches

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

TESS Study of Wolf-Rayet Stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud   Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are massive and rare stars whose evolution is mainly changed by stellar winds or binary interactions. In a lot of cases, WR stars are found in binary systems with a companion star, often an O-type star, which can help astronomers find the mass and other properties of the WR star. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), located about 50 kpc from the Milky Way, has a lower metallicity than the Milky Way which makes it a useful place to study Wolf-Rayet stars. For this project, we will study …

Unveiling Stellar Core Depletion In Ngc 4649 With Jwst Nircam, Sydney Krause

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Galaxies are considered to have depleted cores when the central region’s concentration of stars is lower than typical, a feature linked to supermassive black hole formation and vital in galaxy evolution studies. In this project, “Unveiling Stellar Core Depletion in NGC 4649 with JWST NIRCam”, Space-based archival data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) was utilized for several forms of analysis. Initial analysis involved accessing these images via SAO DS9, an astrophysics software for viewing and manipulating files. These images were analyzed using Photoutils, a Python based coding package, part of the Astropy extension. To …

Modeling Doppler-Shifted Solar Spectra From Simulated Asteroidal Dust Populations Using Orbital Evolution Codes, Skylar G. Butler, Jarrett Dieterle

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

We investigate how orbital properties of interplanetary dust particles produce Doppler-shifted solar absorption lines using synthetic spectra generated from particle outputs of a numerical orbital evolution code. The code is based on the Ipatov dynamical model, written in Fortran and using the SWIFT integration package to track the evolution of dust particles originating from asteroid and comet populations. The program reads input files containing particle orbital elements and heliocentric positions, along with planetary parameters and integration settings, and computes the time evolution of particle trajectories under gravitational perturbations. The resulting particle states are then used to generate synthetic spectra by …

Ngc 4374 With Jwst/Nircam: A Central Structural Analysis Revealing A Depleted Core And Agn, Elizabeth Crevinston

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

We use James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) F150W imaging to study the central regions of massive elliptical galaxies, focusing on their partially depleted cores. These cores are thought to form when a binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) ejects stars from the central regions through dynamical three-body interactions. After the binary coalesces, gas accretion onto the newly formed SMBH can trigger a compact active galactic nucleus (AGN), which plays a key role in regulating star formation and shaping galaxy structure. With JWST NIRCam, we extracted the surface brightness profile of NGC 4374, a giant elliptical galaxy in …

The Computed Microwave Spectrum Of The Protonated Fullerene C60H+, Laszlo Nemes, Jos Oomens, Vincent J. Esposito, Vincent Boudon, Alexander G. G. M. Tielens

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The largest known molecule in the interstellar medium of galaxies, C₆₀, has been detected in its neutral and cationic form through its vibrational, UV-driven fluorescence emission spectrum and its electronic absorption spectrum, respectively. The detection of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules through their pure rotation spectrum in cold, dense, molecular cloud cores suggests that C₆₀ might be present in these environments as well. The low flux of UV pumping photons in molecular cloud cores and the absence of suitably bright background stars, make detection of C₆₀ and its cation through the commonly used methods impractical. As …

Measuring Cosmic Expansion From Early To Late Times Using Quasars, Galaxies, & Local Supernovae, Rajeev Vaisakh

Physics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the evolution of cosmic expansion across a wide redshift ($z$) range by combining measurements from quasars \& galaxies in the distant universe $(z > 0.8)$ with those obtained from stripped-core collapse supernovae observations from the nearby universe $(z < 0.1)$. Using the DESI spectroscopic survey, we analyze large-scale clustering from quasars over $0.8 < z < 2.1$ and emission line galaxies over $0.8 < z < 1.6$, contributing to DESI DR2 BAO and full-shape measurements of cosmic expansion and structure growth. Combined with BBN in flat $\Lambda$CDM, DESI DR2 BAO gives $H_0 = 68.51 \pm 0.58$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, while combinations of DESI BAO with CMB and supernova data show a preference for evolving dark energy, with representative constraints such as $w_0 = -0.752 \pm 0.057$ and $w_a = -0.86^{+0.23}_{-0.20}$ for DESI+CMB+DESY5. Using the ROTSE-III Supernova Survey and the expanding photosphere method (EPM), we measure distances to a sample of six supernovae for which the thermal phase can be clearly identified. This analysis focuses on testing whether reliable EPM distances can be obtained for this population. The resulting distances will eventually be compared with independent estimates from the literature. Establishing consistency with these external measurements represents an important step toward applying this methodology to larger samples, with the eventual goal of using ROTSE supernova distances to provide an independent measurement of the local Hubble constant.

Ultraviolet Imaging Of Sr 12 C With Hst/Wfc3: Accretion And Variability Of A Giant Planet At The End Stages Of Growth, Claire O. Finley, Brendan P. Bowler, Ya-Lin Wu, Adam L. Kraus, Yifan Zhou, Yuhiko Aoyama, William Best, Ian Czekala, Catherine C. Espaillat, Katherine B. Follette, Gregory J. Herczeg, Raquel A. Martinez, Connor E. Robinson, Quang H. Tran, K. Ward-Duong

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Many details of the gas accretion phase during giant planet formation remain untested. We present new 0.2–0.7 μm UV-through-red optical imaging of the young, wide-orbit planetary-mass companion SR 12 c from the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope. SR 12 c exhibits strong accretion-related continuum excess blueward of∼5000 Å and clear signs of the Balmer jump at 3646 Å. We derive a total accretion luminosity of1.65 ±0.19× 10⁻⁵L_⊙and a mass accretion rate of 8 ±2 × 10⁻¹² M_⊙yr⁻¹. Based on its mass and age,SR12 c …

Mining Time Series Shapelets And Association Rules For Solar Flare Prediction, Drew Watson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Solar flares are the largest explosions in the solar system; they are caused by changes in the Sun’s magnetic field. Strong solar flares can disrupt power systems, damage satellites, and interfere with radio communication, so improving flare prediction is important. This thesis develops a way to predict severe solar flares while also helping researchers understand why those predictions are made. The approach looks for short patterns in solar magnetic field data that are linked to future flare activity. It then studies how these patterns appear together and in what order they happen over time. By doing this, the research not …

Quantifying Dust Structure In An Elliptical Galaxy Via Optical–Near-Infrared Color Mapping: A Detailed Study Of Ngc 6251, Luke Reed

Theses and Dissertations

The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 6251 is a well-studied active radio galaxy that hosts one of the largest known relativistic jet systems, with a projected size of approximately 3 Mpc. In addition to its large-scale radio structure, the galaxy hosts a prominent circumnuclear dust feature surrounding the active nucleus, previously interpreted as a warped dust disk. This thesis focuses on the inner morphology and dust structure of NGC 6251 using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations obtained with the WFPC2 and NICMOS instruments.

The central structure of the galaxy was investigated across multiple wavelengths through image calibration, PSF modeling and subtraction, …

Emergent De Sitter Expansion And Closed Topology From The Cosmic Fabric Model As An Open Thermodynamic System: Resolving The Negative Bulk Modulus Paradox, T G. Tenev, C B. Ward, T F. Tenev, M F. Horstemeyer

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Cosmic Fabric Model establishes a continuum-mechanics isomorphism to General Relativity by representing physical space as an elastic three-dimensional hyperplate embedded in a four-dimensional spatial bulk. Reproducing vacuum kinematics requires a vanishing P-wave modulus, which in turn implies a negative bulk modulus—an apparent thermodynamic instability in a closed system. This paradox is resolved by recasting the framework as an open system: the instability is not pathological but instead drives cosmic expansion. In this interpretation, the observable universe is a lower-energy solid formed through continuous solidification from a higher-dimensional precursor fluid. Using multiplicative kinematics from finite-growth mechanics, the model shows that …