Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Time Variation Of The Broad Hβ And Hα Emission Lines In Active Galactic Nuclei, Bryan R. Scott

Physics

High-quality Keck/LRIS long-slit spectra for a sample of 97 active galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (redshift between 0.02 & 0.1; Black Hole Mass approximately 10⁷ Solar Masses) were obtained between January 2009 and March 2010 in order to study the black hole (BH) mass scaling relation in the local universe. Typically, the width of the broad Hβ emission line is used to measure the mass of the black hole (MBH). However, signs of variability in the emission line profile are seen for eight objects: While broad Hβ emission lines had previously been observed in spectra from …

Validation Of Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline For Forcast On Sofia, Brent C. Nicklas, William T. Reach, Sachindev S. Shenoy

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a heavily modified Boeing 747SP aircraft equipped with 2.5 meter reflecting telescope. Among the suite of instruments onboard is the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). FORCAST features two cameras for short (5-25 microns) and long (25-40 microns) wavelength detection. Making infrared observations in these wavelengths presents a challenge because the telescope and sky emit background radiation magnitudes brighter than the object of interest. Because of this, the raw FORCAST data must be corrected and reduced. The Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline (DRIP) was developed to process all FORCAST data …

Characterization Of Samples For Optimization Of Infrared Stray Light Coatings, Carey L. Baxter, Rebecca Salvemini, Zaheer A. Ali, Patrick Waddell, Greg Perryman, Bob Thompson

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a converted 747SP that houses a 2.5 m telescope that observes the sky through an opening in the side of the aircraft. Because it flies at altitudes up to 45,000 feet, SOFIA gets 99.99% transmission in the infrared. Multiple science instruments mount one at a time on the telescope to interpret infrared and visible light from target sources. Ball Infrared Black (BIRB) currently coats everything that the optics sees inside the telescope assembly (TA) cavity in order to eliminate noise from the glow of background sky, aircraft exhaust, and other sources. A …

Analyzing The Performance Of The Sofia Infrared Telescope, Sarah M. Bass, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Zaheer Ali

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an airborne near-space observatory onboard a modified Boeing 747-SP aircraft, which flies at altitudes of 45,000 ft., above 99% of the Earth’s water vapor. SOFIA contains an effective 2.5 m infrared (IR) telescope that has a dichroic tertiary mirror, reflecting IR and visible wavelengths to the science instrument (SI) and focal plane imager (FPI), respectively. To date, seven different SIs have been designed to cover a wide range of wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Since the telescope operates in the infrared, different techniques, including chopping, nodding, and dithering, are used to reduce the …

Tools And Methods To Optimize The Analysis Of Telescopic Performance Metrics On Sofia, Steven R. Wilson, Holger Jakob, Stefan Teufel, Zaheer Ali, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Brian Eney, Greg Perryman

STAR Program Research Presentations

SOFIA is an infrared observatory mounted on a modified 747 engineered to do infrared astronomy at 45000 feet. The telescope equipment contains a number of sensors and stabilizers that allow the telescope to capture images while mounted in a moving plane. We have developed methods to analyze the performance of the telescope assembly that will help improve the stabilization and image capturing performance of the observatory. Here we present reusable methods to analyze telescope performance data that will enable improvements in the quality of the scientific data that is produced by the SOFIA. This poster focuses on the multi-flight performance …

Flitecam Data Process Validation, Jesse K. Tsai, Sachindev S. Shenoy, Brent Cedric Nicklas, Zaheer Ali, William T. Reach

STAR Program Research Presentations

FLITECAM Data Processing Validation

Many of the challenges that come from working with astronomical imaging arise from the reduction of raw data into scientifically meaningful data. First Light Infrared Test CAMera (FLITECAM) is an infrared camera operating in the 1.0–5.5 μm waveband on board SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy). Due to the significant noise from the atmosphere and the camera itself, astronomers have developed many methods to reduce the effects of atmospheric and instrumental emission. The FLITECAM Data Reduction Program (FDRP) is a program, developed at SOFIA Science Center, subtracts darks, removes flats, and dithers images.

This project contains …

Designing A Cold Source To Be Integrated With The Existing Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator, Rebecca L. Salvemini, Carey Baxter, Zaheer Ali, Greg Perryman, Robert Thompson, Daniel Nolan

STAR Program Research Presentations

The stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy (SOFIA), is a modified Boeing 747-SP with a 2.5m telescope mounted inside. SOFIA flies at an altitude of 45,000 feet, above 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere, allowing transmission of most infrared radiation. SOFIA has seven different science instruments (SI) that can be used to collect astronomical data, enabling scientists to look at many different wavelengths of infrared and visible radiation.

Counting Photons To Calibrate A Photometer For Stellar Intensity Interferometry, Jason Chew

Physics

We use a telescope and photometer to observe stellar photons and measure the rate of observed photons. Based on intensity spectra from the Spectrophotometric Catalogue of Stars, we also predict expected values for the photon rates, which we compare to our measurements. From this comparison, we measure the local optical depth to be τ = 0.60±0.25, a reasonable value. We find that our predictions are directly proportional to our measurements by a factor of 0.98 (+0.02, -0.27) . The similarity between our measurements and expectations shows that we are able to both predict and measure photon rates with accuracy.

Determining The Location Of The Coronal Line Region Within Local Active Galactic Nuclei Using [Fe Vii] Emission Line Properties, Charles Grant Showley

Physics

Given a sample of 99 local AGNs, we study the characteristics of the forbidden [Fe VII] coronal line for the purpose of determining the location of the coronal line region (CLR) within the AGN. We calculate the velocity of the clouds emitting [Fe VII] using the width of the [Fe VII] emission lines compared to [O II] emission lines to establish whether the clouds are inflowing or outflowing. We plot the [Fe VII] and [O II] flux ratios against the AGNs' known black hole masses and stellar velocity dispersions in order to see if there are any correlations between them. …

Selecting Island Pixels With A Likelihood Ratio, Jordan Tweddale

Physics

A new method, called the Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR), was employed in place of a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) to pick out signal pixels on the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System ) telescopes. The LLR test was performed on both photoelectrons and timing for VERITAS to select island pixels in Stage 2 cleaning, which is where the camera image is processed to determine which pixels on the camera are signal, and which are background. The two LLRs were combined to form a final LLR, which has a numerical cut, LLR = 11.5, between signal and background pixels. The …

Modeling The Spectral Energy Distribution Of Mrk 421, Randall L. Oglesby

Physics

Blazars are astronomical objects thought to be powered by the release of gravitational energy by accretion of material into a supermassive black hole located in the central region of the host galaxy. Some AGN present strong relativistic outflows in the form of jets, with blazars being the particular subset whose jets are aligned with our line of sight. Even though blazars account for only a small fraction of all AGN, they are the dominant class source in the high-energy sky. In this thesis we study the spectral energy distribution of Mrk 421, a prototypical blazar. Using publicly available numerical code …

Abundance Patterns In The Spiral Galaxy Messier 33, Melissa A. Siemer, Ravi Sankrit

STAR Program Research Presentations

Messier 33 (M33) is a spiral disk galaxy, similar to our galaxy, approximately 3 million light-years from Earth. Because of its proximity to Earth and face-on viewing angle, it is easy to see individual objects. Consequently, M33 is in an ideal position for obtaining data on elemental abundances. By studying M33, we learn how galaxies like our own form and change over time.

We use published optical spectroscopic data, obtained and assembled from online sources, to map the abundances of various elements (Helium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon, Argon, Sulfur) in the planetary nebula and HII region populations of M33. We classify …

Seeing Through A Cloudy Glass: Putting Limits On Planetary Nebulae Abundances Using Photoionization Modeling., Peter R. Sullivan, Ravi Sankrit

STAR Program Research Presentations

Planetary nebulae (PNe) form around low to intermediate mass stars transitioning from the giant branch to white dwarf phase. The outer layer of the star is ejected during the transition and this gas, ionized by the central star, emits a line-spectrum. This spectrum traces the chemical abundances that were characteristic of the interstellar medium in which the star formed (e.g. oxygen) as well as of the elements created by these progenitor stars (e.g. nitrogen) aiding our understanding of chemical evolution of galaxies. In this project, we use modeling of the emission lines of PNe to determine the accuracy of direct …

Chemical Compatibility Study Of Anti-Corrosive Materials For Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (Sofia), Belyn Nicole Grant, Zaheer Ali, Greg Perryman, Stefan Teufel, Brian Eney

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a telescope designed to capture infrared light from deep space, mounted in a highly modified Boeing 747 SP. Portions of the aircraft interior are showing signs of corrosion, and need to be coated with a material that will prevent further corrosion. Up to date, current anti-corrosive materials commonly used on aircrafts are incompatible with the very thin aluminum surface of the telescope mirrors. The purpose of our study is to find an effective corrosion preventive material with low outgassing properties.

Determining Stellar Velocity Dispersion In Active Galaxies: Is The [Oiii] Width A Valid Surrogate?, Kelsi Flatland

Physics

The tight empirical relation between the stellar velocity dispersion (sigma) of the bulge and the mass of the supermassive black hole (BH) at its center indicates a close connection between galactic evolution and BH growth. The evolution of this relation with cosmic time provides valuable clues to its origin. While the mass of the BH can be easily estimated using the Doppler broadening of the Hbeta emission line in type I active galactic nuclei (AGNs), measuring sigma simultaneously is challenging, since the nuclear emission outshines the host galaxy. Thus, it is highly desirable to find an alternative way to estimate …

The Implementation Of The Shear Correlation Function And The Matter Power Spectrum In R, Allison A. Scheppelmann, Deborah J. Bard

STAR Program Research Presentations

Weak gravitational lensing is an important tool in understanding the large-scale structure of the universe. One component in understanding the effect of weak gravitational lensing is the shear correlation function and matter power spectrum. The calculation of these values is often complicated and time consuming. In order to decrease the cost of these calculations they were implemented in R using parallelization. This resulted in the calculations completing faster and the process to be easily changed in order to fit the need of each researcher using the algorithms created in R.

Electric Currents Due To Stress-Activated Positive Hole Charge Carriers In Ice, Cary T. Keller P.E., Friedemann T. Freund, Dale P. Cruikshank

STAR Program Research Presentations

Jupiter’s satellite Europa, whose surface is composed of ice with a possible water ocean beneath, could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. This and other icy celestial bodies may contain organic macromolecular solid material that is produced when surface ices are exposed to ultraviolet radiation and/or electrical energy. Tidal and tectonic stresses or meteorite impacts in icy crusts may produce electrical discharges, which would provide the energy for in-situ synthesis of the organic solids. This electrical energy can be provided by positive hole charge carrier activation. Positive holes exhibit properties such as the ability to flow out of …

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.

Nasa Flight Opportunities Program (Fop) Platform Tradeoffs Analysis, Stephanie Kugler, Dougal Maclise

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Flight Opportunities Program (FOP) exemplifies NASA’s shift in policy from a public driven space industry towards an emphasis on public-private partnerships. The Payloads team, as part of FOP, is responsible for soliciting, selecting and shepherding payloads that require flight testing in order to mature technologies, not only to reduce risk in a deep space or manned space missions, but also to develop critical technologies with multiple applications in space. Several companies have been awarded contracts to provide these flight opportunities and each have unique capabilities to fly payloads in environments that closely imitate the environment of space missions. As …

Leds And Astronomy, Britny N. Delp, Stephen M. Pompea

STAR Program Research Presentations

Using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer, 45 different types of outdoor lights were categorized. These spectra were used to determine how useful the light is to human eyes and how dark skies friendly these lights are. Dark skies friendly lighting means that little to no light shines above a right angle to the light, and should emit as little as possible below 500nm (green) wavelengths. The short wavelengths present a problem to astronomers in the form of Rayleigh scattering. The following criterion were used in selecting the best source for urban and rural lighting: color rendition measured by color rendering index (CRI), …

Variability Studies Of Multi-Wavelength Data From Gamma-Ray Blazars Mrk 421 And Mrk 501, Brandon Becker

Physics

In this thesis we take astronomical multi-wavelength data from nearby blazars Markarian 421 and Markarian 501 and perform computational analysis and correlative studies to determine any possible time lag across different bands of our targets as well as to measure the statistical significance of this calculated result. The data was taken over the interval of December 2010 to May 2012 from multiple instruments spanning a broad range of wavelengths. We used the Discrete Correlation Function (DCF) to determine the time lag factor across data set pairs, focusing on X-ray and Very-High-Energy (VHE; >100 GeV) data. To establish the significance of …

Orbital Velocities In The Broad Line Region Of Seyfert 1 Galaxies, Rebecca Renee Rosen

Physics

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are among the most energetic objects in the Universe and are believed to be powered by supermassive black holes. By studying optical spectra of these AGNs, information can be acquired about the central black hole and its surroundings. Specifically the broad component of the Hβ emission line can be used to find the velocity of gas in the broad line region, a necessary step in determining the mass of the central black hole. In this thesis, I present the results of using a python code to measure the broad component of Hβ in the spectra of …

Optimization Of The Veritas Orbit-Mode Tracking Pattern, Joshua Allen

Physics

Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) have not been detected at TeV energies. Detection with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) would open a new window into GRB science. In this paper, we optimize an orbit mode tracking method to search for a GRB at a location provided by the FERMI Gamma-ray satellite. Using Matlab we modeled the orbit tracking pattern. Then we found the optimal offset radii and tracking speed for the telescope to form a uniform image exposure. To optimize the pattern, the model accounts for the maximum 1°/s speed of the telescope’s tracking motors and the camera’s …

Astronomical Spectroscopy At The Cal Poly Observatory, Christopher James Almich

Physics

Embarking on the first ever astronomical spectroscopy project at the Cal Poly Observatory, I have tested the capabilities of our equipment. Our spectrograph, in conjunction with a telescope and CCD camera, is capable of making fairly precise measurements of absorption and emission lines with sub-nanometer precision. In my research I obtained a spectrum of Jupiter and was able to confidently identify a number of Fraunhofer solar absorption lines.

Supernova Remnants And Cosmic Ray Acceleration Mechanisms, Ariel L. Simons, Yasunobu Uchiyama

STAR Program Research Presentations

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are considered to be the primary energy source of galactic-origin cosmic rays. Within this prediction exist two models, leptonic and hadronic, to explain the acceleration of charged particles up to a PeV in energy. Using data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST) each model is expected to produce a distinct spectral energy distribution (SED) over a photon energy range of 100MeV to 100GeV. This analysis is focused on the methods for generating SEDs for the SNR Cassiopeia A and how they can be used to constrain the likelihood of either acceleration model.

The Role Of Llnl's Fast Calibration Facility In Diagnosing Nif Fusion Plasmas, Joshua G. Thompson, Carey Scott, Greg V. Brown

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Fusion and Astrophysics (FAST) Calibration and Diagnostic Facility uses the original Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT-I) to profile x-ray filters that are used in the Dante Soft X-Ray Diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). FAST has an advantage over any other facility not only for its high accuracy, but also for its proximity to NIF in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This makes for highly accurate and near-instantaneous filter calibration turnover.

EBIT-I was first constructed to create, trap, and observe static highly charged ions (HCIs) and conduct experimental astrophysics (creating an x-ray spectroscopy catalogue of ions). To …

Laboratory Astrophysics: Using Ebit Measurements To Interpret High Resolution Spectra From Celestial Sources, Carey Scott, Joshua Thompson, N. Hell, Greg V. Brown

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astrophysicists use radiation to investigate the physics controlling a variety of celestial sources, including stellar atmospheres, black holes, and binary systems. By measuring the spectrum of the emitted radiation, astrophysicists can determine a source’s temperature and composition. Accurate atomic data are needed for reliably interpreting these spectra. Here we present an overview of how LLNL’s EBIT facility is used to put the atomic data on sound footing for use by the high energy astrophysics community.

Analysis Of The 2008 Flare Of Markarian 421 Flare With Veritas, Casey Allard

Physics

A theoretical light curve model is fit to an observed short term flare of Markarian (Mrk) 421 in the very high energy spectrum. The flare is characterized by its measured light curve from the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging telescope Array System (VERITAS). The flare we analyzed occurred in May 2008. We successfully fit a theoretical model to the Mrk 421 data light curve. The data appears to agree with the Wagner [1] and Salvati [2] models. These models appear to fit both broad and sharp flaring regions found in the measured light curve. Furthermore the Wagner model is used to …

A Brief History And Research Of The Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A, Michelle Wilbur

Physics

No abstract provided.

Exoplanet Transit Detection With Terrestrial Amateur Equipment: Using The Cal Poly Observatory, San Luis Obispo, Joshua Thompson

Physics

Using amateur level equipment and freeware analysis tools, the Cal Poly Observatory (CPO) wished to test whether or not it could actually observe the astronomical phenomena called exoplanetary transits. Using a variety of equipment and tests, the CPO was able to confirm it could clearly observe the transits of several well-known transiting planets, including HD189733b and HAT-P-6. With these tests and observations completed, future student researchers can continue Cal Poly’s transit search and contribute to the global pursuit for exoplanets.