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Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

Fuor And Exor Variables: A Nir High-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey, Joseph Liskowsky Dec 2010

Fuor And Exor Variables: A Nir High-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey, Joseph Liskowsky

All Theses

To better understand the labyrinth of heating and cooling processes in YSOs (young stellar objects), we study systems where there exists a large variability in the heating of this gas due to accretion. This research project focuses on several classes of early young eruptable T-Tauri stars, namely the FUors, the EXors and the so-called FU Ori-like, which all have the property of large amplitude oscillations in accretion rate. Each of these categories may well represent specific stages in early low-mass stellar evolution. While these objects have specific spectroscopic and circumstellar diagnostics (as means of identification) our research suggests that there …


Modeling The Galactic 511 Kev Positron Annihilation Emission, Production, And Propagation, Bethany Johns Dec 2010

Modeling The Galactic 511 Kev Positron Annihilation Emission, Production, And Propagation, Bethany Johns

All Dissertations

The Galactic 511 keV positron annihilation emission has a strong bulge component to the emission and a weak disk component. The bulge emission is about 1.4 -- 6 times as the disk emission. The bulge emission is defined to be a diffuse emission centered at the Galactic center and extends to about a FWHM of 8 degrees in Galactic longitude and latitude. An asymmetry has also been observed in the disk emission, where the negative longitudes are brighter than the positive longitudes by a factor of 1.8.
This research examines the morphology of the Galactic 511 keV positron annihilation emission …


Gamma Ray Bursts As Probes Of Dust In The Evolving Universe, Adria Updike Dec 2010

Gamma Ray Bursts As Probes Of Dust In The Evolving Universe, Adria Updike

All Dissertations

Dust is ubiquitous in the universe. Understanding where it comes from and where we observe it can have major implications to all astronomical observations. In this study, we investigate how gamma ray bursts (GRBs) can be used as probes of dust in the evolving universe. Making the simplification that silicate dust comes from core collapse supernovae and that graphite dust is produced in the winds of low- to intermediate-mass stars, we present numerical simulations of the resulting dust evolution in GRB hosts and show how the SEDs evolve. Dust extinction laws are re-derived from scattering theory of small particles and …


Probing The Evolving Massive Star Population In Orion With Kinematic And Radioactive Tracers, R. Voss, R. Diehl, J. S. Vink, Dieter H. Hartmann Sep 2010

Probing The Evolving Massive Star Population In Orion With Kinematic And Radioactive Tracers, R. Voss, R. Diehl, J. S. Vink, Dieter H. Hartmann

Publications

Context. Orion is the nearest star-forming region to host a significant number of young and massive stars. The energy injected by these OB stars is thought to have created the Eridanus superbubble. Because of its proximity, Orion is a prime target for a detailed investigation of the interaction between massive stars and their environment. Aims. We study the massive star population of Orion and its feedback in terms of energy and mass, in order to compare the current knowledge of massive stars with kinematic and radioactive tracers in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). Methods. We assembled a census of the …


Monster In The Dark: The Ultraluminous Grb 080607 And Its Dusty Environment, Dieter H. Hartmann, D. A. Perley, A. N. Morgan, A. Updike, F. Yuan, C. W. Awkerlof, A. A. Miller, J. S. Bloom, S. B. Cenko, W. Li Aug 2010

Monster In The Dark: The Ultraluminous Grb 080607 And Its Dusty Environment, Dieter H. Hartmann, D. A. Perley, A. N. Morgan, A. Updike, F. Yuan, C. W. Awkerlof, A. A. Miller, J. S. Bloom, S. B. Cenko, W. Li

Publications

We present early-time optical through infrared photometry of the bright gamma-ray burst GRB 080607, starting only 6 s following the initial trigger in the rest frame. Complemented by our previously published spectroscopy, this high-quality photometric dataset allows us to solve for the extinction properties of the redshift 3.036 sightline, giving perhaps the most detailed information on the ultraviolet continuum absorption properties of any sightline outside our Local Group to date. The extinction properties are not adequately modeled by any ordinary extinction template (including the average Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, and Small Magellanic Cloud curves), partially because the 2175 A …


Spectroscopic Abundances And Membership In The Wolf 630 Moving Group, Eric J. Bubar, Jeremy R. King Aug 2010

Spectroscopic Abundances And Membership In The Wolf 630 Moving Group, Eric J. Bubar, Jeremy R. King

Publications

The concept of kinematic assemblages evolving from dispersed stellar clusters has remained contentious since Eggen’s initial formulation of moving groups in the 1960s. With high-quality parallaxes from the Hipparcos space astrometry mission, distance measurements for thousands of nearby, seemingly isolated stars are currently available. With these distances, a high-resolution spectroscopic abundance analysis can be brought to bear on the alleged members of these moving groups. If a structure is a relic of an open cluster, the members can be expected to be monolithic in age and abundance in as much as homogeneity is observed in young open clusters. In this …


Locating The Accretion Footprint On A Herbig Ae Star: Mwc 480, C A. Grady, K Hamaguchi, G Schneider, B Stecklum, B E. Woodgate, J E. Mccleary, G M. Williger, M L. Sitko, F Menard, Th. Henning, Sean D. Brittain Aug 2010

Locating The Accretion Footprint On A Herbig Ae Star: Mwc 480, C A. Grady, K Hamaguchi, G Schneider, B Stecklum, B E. Woodgate, J E. Mccleary, G M. Williger, M L. Sitko, F Menard, Th. Henning, Sean D. Brittain

Publications

Accretion is a fundamental process which establishes the dynamics of the protoplanetary disk and the final properties of the forming star. In solar-type stars, the star–disk coupling is determined by the magnetic field structure, which is responsible for funneling material from the disk midplane to higher latitudes on the star. Here, we use pan-chromatic data for the Herbig Ae star MWC 480 to address whether similar processes occur in intermediatemass stars. MWC 480 has X-ray emission typical of actively accreting Herbig Ae stars, but with ∼10× more photoelectric absorption than expected from optical and FUV data. We consider three sources …


Internal Transitions In Nuclei And Applications To Astrophysics And Cosmochemistry, Joseph Johnson Aug 2010

Internal Transitions In Nuclei And Applications To Astrophysics And Cosmochemistry, Joseph Johnson

All Dissertations

In this dissertation I analyze internal transitions in nuclei and their potential effects on s-process branching and on accelerated β-decay in cosmochemical samples. To accomplish my analysis, I have constructed a number of computational tools, which I have publicly released or make available through this thesis. I apply my analysis to the question of s-process branching at 186Re and study the implications for the osmium isotopes in mainstream presolar SiC grains. My essential conclusion is that the problem of the large neutron flux inferred from the SiC osmium isotopic abundances cannot be solved by branching through an out-of-equilibrium isomer of …


Observing Co In Circumstellar Disks, Matthew Troutman Aug 2010

Observing Co In Circumstellar Disks, Matthew Troutman

All Dissertations

This dissertation includes high-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy to study CO in circumstellar disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars. The velocity-resolved spectra was used to measure the distribution of gas in the circumstellar disk and thus determine the evolutionary state of the system. Near-infrared spectra were obtained on over 30 young circumstellar disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars to study the physical processes in the disk. The radial location of the CO emitting gas bears directly on the evolutionary state of the transition objects in the sample. This study included a detailed study of the debris disk star β Pictoris where the disk mass …


Evidence For The Supernova-Synthesized Dust From The Rising Afterglow Of Grb071025 At Z ∼ 5, Daniel A. Perley, J. S. Bloom, C. R. Klein, S. Covino, T. Minezaki, P. Wozniak, W. T. Vestrand, G. G. Williams, P. Milne, N R. Butler, A C. Updike, T Kruhler, P Afonso, A Antonelli, L Cowie, P Ferrero, J Greiner, Dieter H. Hartmann, Y Kakazu, A Küpcü Yoldaş, A N. Morgan, P A. Price, J X. Prochaska, Y Yoshii Jul 2010

Evidence For The Supernova-Synthesized Dust From The Rising Afterglow Of Grb071025 At Z ∼ 5, Daniel A. Perley, J. S. Bloom, C. R. Klein, S. Covino, T. Minezaki, P. Wozniak, W. T. Vestrand, G. G. Williams, P. Milne, N R. Butler, A C. Updike, T Kruhler, P Afonso, A Antonelli, L Cowie, P Ferrero, J Greiner, Dieter H. Hartmann, Y Kakazu, A Küpcü Yoldaş, A N. Morgan, P A. Price, J X. Prochaska, Y Yoshii

Publications

We present observations and analysis of the broad-band afterglow of Swift GRB 071025. Using optical and infrared (RIYJHK) photometry, we derive a photometric redshift of 4.4 < 5.2; at this redshift our simultaneous multicolour observations begin at ∼30 s after the gamma-ray burst trigger in the host frame, during the initial rising phase of the afterglow. We associate the light-curve peak at ∼580 s in the observer frame with the formation of the forward shock, giving an estimate of the initial Lorentz factor 0 ∼ 200. The red spectral energy distribution (even in regions not affected by the Lyman α break) provides secure evidence of a large dust column. However, the inferred extinction curve shows a prominent flat component between 2000 and 3000 Å in the rest frame, inconsistent with any locally observed template but well fitted by models of dust formed by supernovae. Time-dependent fits to the extinction profile reveal no evidence of dust destruction and limit the decrease in the extinction column to A3000 < 0.54 mag after t = 50 s in the rest frame. Together with studies of high-z quasars, our observations suggest a transition in dust properties in the early Universe, possibly associated with a transition between supernova-dominated and asymptotic giant branch-dominated modes of dust production.


Modeling Gas Distribution In Protoplanetary Accretion Disks, Martin Kronberg, Josiah Lewis, Sean D. Brittain Jul 2010

Modeling Gas Distribution In Protoplanetary Accretion Disks, Martin Kronberg, Josiah Lewis, Sean D. Brittain

Publications

Protoplanetary accretion disks are disks of dust and gas which surround and feed material onto a forming star in the earliest stages of its evolution. One of the most useful methods for studying these disks is near infrared spectroscopy of rovibrational CO emission. This paper presents the methods in which synthetically generated spectra are modeled and fit to spectral data gathered from protoplanetary disks. This paper also discussed the methods in which this code can be improved by modifying the code to run a Monte Carlo analysis of best fit across the CONDOR cluster at Clemson University, thereby allowing for …


Probing Protoplanetary Disk Upper Atmospheres For Heating And Dust Settling Using Synthetic Co Spectra, Josiah Lewis, Martin Kronberg, Sean D. Brittain Jul 2010

Probing Protoplanetary Disk Upper Atmospheres For Heating And Dust Settling Using Synthetic Co Spectra, Josiah Lewis, Martin Kronberg, Sean D. Brittain

Publications

CO emission is a useful probe of the warm gas distribution in the planet forming regions of disks around Herbig Ae/Be (HAeBe) stars. We model UV fluoresced and thermally excited CO in the circumstellar disks of several HAeBes. We find indications of dust settling in the upper atmospheres of HD 141569 and HD 97048 and a correlation between PAH luminosity and gas heating in these two systems.


Herschel-Pacs Observation Of The 10 Myr Old T Tauri Disk Tw Hya. Constraining The Disk Gas Mass, W F. Thi, G Mathews, F Menard, P Woitke, G Meeus, P Riviere-Marichalar, C Pinte, C D. Howard, A Roberge, G Sandell, I Pascucci, B Riaz, C A. Grady, W.R.F. Dent, I Kamp, G Duchene, J.-C. Augereau, E Pantin, B Vandenbussche, I Tilling, J P. Williams, C Eiroa, D Barrado, J M. Alacid, S Andrews, D R. Ardila, G Aresu, Sean D. Brittain, D R. Ciardi, W Danchi Jul 2010

Herschel-Pacs Observation Of The 10 Myr Old T Tauri Disk Tw Hya. Constraining The Disk Gas Mass, W F. Thi, G Mathews, F Menard, P Woitke, G Meeus, P Riviere-Marichalar, C Pinte, C D. Howard, A Roberge, G Sandell, I Pascucci, B Riaz, C A. Grady, W.R.F. Dent, I Kamp, G Duchene, J.-C. Augereau, E Pantin, B Vandenbussche, I Tilling, J P. Williams, C Eiroa, D Barrado, J M. Alacid, S Andrews, D R. Ardila, G Aresu, Sean D. Brittain, D R. Ciardi, W Danchi

Publications

Planets are formed in disks around young stars. With an age of ~10 Myr, TW Hya is one of the nearest T Tauri stars that is still surrounded by a relatively massive disk. In addition a large number of molecules has been found in the TW Hya disk, making TW Hya the perfect test case in a large survey of disks with Herschel–PACS to directly study their gaseous component. We aim to constrain the gas and dust mass of the circumstellar disk around TW Hya. We observed the fine-structure lines of [O i] and [C ii] as part of the …


Gas In The Protoplanetary Disc Of Hd 169142: Herschel's View, G Meeus, C Pinte, P Woitke, B Montesinos, I Mendigutia, P Riviere-Marichalar, C Eiroa, G S. Mathews, B Vandenbussche, C D. Howard, A Roberge, G Sandell, G Duchene, F Menard, C A. Grady, W.R.F. Dent, I Kamp, J C. Augereau, W F. Thi, I Tilling, J M. Alacid, S Andrews, D R. Ardila, G Aresu, D Barrado, Sean D. Brittain Jul 2010

Gas In The Protoplanetary Disc Of Hd 169142: Herschel's View, G Meeus, C Pinte, P Woitke, B Montesinos, I Mendigutia, P Riviere-Marichalar, C Eiroa, G S. Mathews, B Vandenbussche, C D. Howard, A Roberge, G Sandell, G Duchene, F Menard, C A. Grady, W.R.F. Dent, I Kamp, J C. Augereau, W F. Thi, I Tilling, J M. Alacid, S Andrews, D R. Ardila, G Aresu, D Barrado, Sean D. Brittain

Publications

In an effort to simultaneously study the gas and dust components of the disc surrounding the young Herbig Ae star HD 169142, we present far-IR observations obtained with the PACS instrument onboard the Herschel Space Observatory. This work is part of the open time key program GASPS, which is aimed at studying the evolution of protoplanetary discs. To constrain the gas properties in the outer disc, we observed the star at several key gas-lines, including [OI] 63.2 and 145.5 mum, [CII] 157.7 mum, CO 72.8 and 90.2 mum, and o-H2O 78.7 and 179.5 mum. We only detect the [OI] 63.2 …


Fe I And Fe Ii Abundances Of Solar-Type Dwarfs In The Pleiades Open Cluster, Simon C. Schuler, Adele L. Plunkett, Jeremy R. King, Marc H. Pinsonneault May 2010

Fe I And Fe Ii Abundances Of Solar-Type Dwarfs In The Pleiades Open Cluster, Simon C. Schuler, Adele L. Plunkett, Jeremy R. King, Marc H. Pinsonneault

Publications

We have derived Fe abundances of 16 solar-type Pleiades dwarfs by means of an equivalent width analysis of Fe I and Fe II lines in high-resolution spectra obtained with the Hobby - Eberly Telescope and High Resolution Spectrograph. Abundances derived from Fe II lines are larger than those derived from Fe I lines (herein referred to as over-ionization) for stars with Teff < 5400 K, and the dis-crepancy (∆Fe = [Fe II/H] - [Fe I/H]) increases dramatically with decreasing Teff, reaching over 0.8 dex for the coolest stars of our sample. The Pleiades joins the open clusters M34, the Hyades, IC2602, and IC2391, and the Ursa Major moving group, demonstrating ostensible over-ionization trends. The Pleiades ∆Fe abun-dances are correlated with Ca II infrared triplet and Hα chromospheric emission indicators and relative differences therein. Oxygen abundances of our Pleiades sample derived from the high-excitation O I triplet have been previously shown to increase with decreasing Teff, and a comparison with the ∆Fe abundances sug-gests that the over-excitation (larger abundances derived from high excitation lines relative to low excitation lines) and over-ionization effects that have been observed in cool open cluster and disk field main sequence (MS) dwarfs share a common origin. Curiously, a correlation between the Pleiades O I abundances and chromospheric emission indicators does not exist. Star-to-star Fe I abun-dances have low internal scatter (< 0.11 dex), but the abundances of stars with Teff< 5400 K are systematically higher compared to the warmer stars. The cool star [Fe I/H] abundances cannot be connected directly to over-excitation effects, but similarities with the ∆Fe and O I triplet trends suggest the abundances are dubious. Using the [Fe I/H] abundances of five stars with Teff > 5400 K, we derive a mean Pleiades cluster metallicity of [Fe/H] = +0.01 ± 0.02.


Co And H+3 Toward Mwc 1080, Mwc 349, And Lkhα 101, E L. Gibb, Sean D. Brittain, T W. Rettig, M Troutman, Theodore Simon, C Kulesa May 2010

Co And H+3 Toward Mwc 1080, Mwc 349, And Lkhα 101, E L. Gibb, Sean D. Brittain, T W. Rettig, M Troutman, Theodore Simon, C Kulesa

Publications

We present high-resolution, near-infrared NIRSPEC observations of the fundamental rovibrational CO and H+ 3 R(1,0), R(1,1) u , and Q(1,0) transitions toward three early-type young stars: MWC 1080, MWC 349, and LkHα 101. These observations were performed for the purpose of constraining the physical characteristics of the interstellar material along each line of sight. Toward MWC 1080, we detected strong CO absorption and determined a column density upper limit of 1.4 × 1014 cm–2 for H+ 3. We infer that there is very little diffuse material along the line of sight toward MWC 1080 and that the CO absorption is …


Recent Discoveries Of Supersoft X-Ray Sources In M 31, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, E. Haberl, G. Sala, M. Hernanz, D. Hartzidimitriou, A. Rau, Dieter H. Hartmann, J. Greiner, M. Orio, H Stiele, M.J. Freyberg Feb 2010

Recent Discoveries Of Supersoft X-Ray Sources In M 31, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, E. Haberl, G. Sala, M. Hernanz, D. Hartzidimitriou, A. Rau, Dieter H. Hartmann, J. Greiner, M. Orio, H Stiele, M.J. Freyberg

Publications

Classical novae (CNe) have recently been reported to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central area of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. This paper presents a review of results from recent X-ray observations of M 31 with XMM-Newton and Chandra. We carried out a dedicated optical and X-ray monitoring program of CNe and SSSs in the central area of M 31. We discovered the first SSSs in M 31 globular clusters (GCs) and their connection to the very first discovered CN in a M 31 GC. This result may have an impact on the CN …


Dual Gamma-Ray Mission, S. Boggs, C. Wunderer, P. Von Ballmoos, T. Takahashi, N. Gehrels, J. Tueller, M. Baring, J. Beacom, R. Diehl, J Greiner, E Grove, Dieter H. Hartmann Jan 2010

Dual Gamma-Ray Mission, S. Boggs, C. Wunderer, P. Von Ballmoos, T. Takahashi, N. Gehrels, J. Tueller, M. Baring, J. Beacom, R. Diehl, J Greiner, E Grove, Dieter H. Hartmann

Publications

Gamma-rays at MeV energies provide a unique window on the high energy Universe, especially so for nuclear astrophysics. The potential for significant contributions, e.g., to the understanding of SNe Ia as well as the large potential for new discoveries has long been recognized, but technical progress in this challenging energy band has been slow. The groundbreaking discoveries of CGRO’s COMPTEL, however, have inspired and driven the development of powerful new instrumentation over the past decade. Novel detector technologies developed in the US and Japan enable compact Compton telescopes, greatly improving the efficiency and field-of-view achievable with this technique successfully employed …


The Dynamic X-Ray Sky Of The Local Universe, S. Boggs, C. Wunderer, P. Von Ballmoos, T. Takahashi, N. Gehrels, J. Tueller, M. Baring, J. Beacom, R. Diehl, Dieter H. Hartmann Jan 2010

The Dynamic X-Ray Sky Of The Local Universe, S. Boggs, C. Wunderer, P. Von Ballmoos, T. Takahashi, N. Gehrels, J. Tueller, M. Baring, J. Beacom, R. Diehl, Dieter H. Hartmann

Publications

Over the next decade, we can expect time domain astronomy to flourish at optical and radio wavelengths. In parallel with these efforts, a dedicated transient "machine" operating at higher energies (X-ray band through soft gamma-rays) is required to reveal the unique subset of events with variable emission predominantly visible above 100 eV. Here we focus on the transient phase space never yet sampled due to the lack of a sensitive, wide-field and triggering facility dedicated exclusively to catching high energy transients and enabling rapid coordinated multi-wavelength follow-up. We first describe the advancements in our understanding of known X-ray transients that …


On The Origin Of The Highest Redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts, Krzysztof Belczynski, Daniel E. Holz, Chris L. Fryer, Edo Berger, Dieter H. Hartmann, Brain O'Shea Jan 2010

On The Origin Of The Highest Redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts, Krzysztof Belczynski, Daniel E. Holz, Chris L. Fryer, Edo Berger, Dieter H. Hartmann, Brain O'Shea

Publications

GRB 080913 and GRB 090423 are the most distant gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) known to date, with spectroscop-ically determined redshifts of z = 6.7 and z = 8.1, respectively. The detection of bursts at this early epoch of the universe significantly constrains the nature of GRBs and their progenitors. We perform population synthesis studies of the formation and evolution of early stars, and calculate the resulting formation rates of short- and long-duration GRBs at high redshift. The peak of the GRB rate from Population II stars occurs at z ∼ 7for a model with efficient/fast mixing of metals, while it is …


Observations Of Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission From Supernova Remnants With Veritas, Mark Theiling Dec 2009

Observations Of Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission From Supernova Remnants With Veritas, Mark Theiling

All Dissertations

The nature and source of cosmic rays has been at the core of particle astrophysics since their discovery almost a century ago. The cosmic ray spectrum is best described by a broken power law, and can be better understood as three distinct parts. Theory holds that cosmic rays up to ∼1015 eV – those below the “knee” or steepening in the spectrum – are produced in the shocks of supernova remnants. Direct detection of cosmic rays produced in supernova remnant shocks is impossible, however, as cosmic rays below ∼1018 eV are deflected by the Galactic magnetic field and cannot be …


Branchings And Time Evolution Of Reaction Networks, Changyuan Wang Dec 2009

Branchings And Time Evolution Of Reaction Networks, Changyuan Wang

All Dissertations

In this thesis I analyze flows in reaction networks in terms of branchings
in a digraph. If the coupled differential equations governing the rate
of change of probabilities X of a state or species are finite-differenced in time, a matrix equation (I + Adt)X(t+dt) = X(t) results, where X(t) is a vector giving the probabilities at time t and X(t+dt) is a vector giving the probabilities at time t + dt. I demonstrate that the matrix (I + Adt) may be written as the product of an incidence matrix and a weight matrix for a directed graph (digraph) representing the …


Using Population Synthesis Of Massive Stars To Study The Interstellar Medium Near Ob Associations, R. Voss, R. Diehl, Dieter H. Hartmann, M. Cerviño, J. S. Vink, G. Meynet, M. Limongi, A. Chieffi Sep 2009

Using Population Synthesis Of Massive Stars To Study The Interstellar Medium Near Ob Associations, R. Voss, R. Diehl, Dieter H. Hartmann, M. Cerviño, J. S. Vink, G. Meynet, M. Limongi, A. Chieffi

Publications

Aims. We study the massive stars in OB associations and their surrounding interstellar medium environment, using a population synthesis code. Methods. We developed a new population synthesis code for groups of massive stars, where we model the emission of different forms of energy and matter from the stars of the association. In particular, the ejection of the two radioactive isotopes 26Al and 60Fe is followed, as well as the emission of hydrogen ionizing photons, and the kinetic energy of the stellar winds and supernova explosions. We investigate various alternative astrophysical inputs and the resulting output sensitivities, especially effects due to …


Weibel Instability And Associated Strong Fields In A Fully 3d Simulation Of A Relativistic Shock, K.-I. Nishikawa, J. Niemiec, P. E. Hardee, M. Medvedev, H. Sol, Y. Mizuno, B. Zhang, M. Pohl, M. Oka, Dieter H. Hartmann Aug 2009

Weibel Instability And Associated Strong Fields In A Fully 3d Simulation Of A Relativistic Shock, K.-I. Nishikawa, J. Niemiec, P. E. Hardee, M. Medvedev, H. Sol, Y. Mizuno, B. Zhang, M. Pohl, M. Oka, Dieter H. Hartmann

Publications

Plasma instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) excited in collision-less shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a new 3-D relativistic particle-in-cell code, we have investigated the particle acceleration and shock structure associated with an unmagnetized relativistic electron-positron jet propagating into an unmagnetized electron-positron plasma. The simulation has been performed using a long simulation system in order to study the nonlinear stages of the Weibel instability, the particle acceleration mechanism, and the shock structure. Cold jet electrons are thermalized and slowed while the ambient electrons are swept up to create a partially developed hydrodynamic …


Tracing The Inner Edge Of The Disk Around Hd 100546 With Rovibrational Co Emission Lines, Sean D. Brittain, Joan R. Najita, John S. Carr Aug 2009

Tracing The Inner Edge Of The Disk Around Hd 100546 With Rovibrational Co Emission Lines, Sean D. Brittain, Joan R. Najita, John S. Carr

Publications

In this paper we present high-resolution 4.7 μm spectra of the isolated Herbig Be star HD 100546. HD 100546 has been the subject of intense scrutiny because it is a young nearby star with a transitional disk. We observe the Δv = 1 rovibrational CO transitions in order to clarify the distribution of warm gas in the inner disk. Modeling of the CO spectrum indicates that the gas is vibrationally excited by collisions and UV fluorescence. The observed emission extends from 13 to 100 AU. The inner edge of the molecular gas emission is consistent with the inner edge of …


A Spectroscopic Analysis Of V505 Persei And The Origin Of The Lithium Dip, Patrick Baugh Aug 2009

A Spectroscopic Analysis Of V505 Persei And The Origin Of The Lithium Dip, Patrick Baugh

All Theses

We study the observed Li Dip in stellar clusters and field stars, testing Rotationally Induced Mixing (RIM) by measuring Li abundances in a middle-aged (1.1±0.15 Gyr), metal poor ([Fe/H]=-0.15±0.03), short period binary, V505 Per, finding Li abundances of Log N(Li)=2.67±0.1 and 2.42±0.2 from the primary and secondary components, respectively. These abundances are significantly higher than observed abundances from single stars of similar metallicity and ZAMS Teff; as shown by comparison with NGC 752, and suggest that RIM may be a primary cause of the Li Dip.


The Reality Of The Wolf 630 Moving Group, Eric Bubar Aug 2009

The Reality Of The Wolf 630 Moving Group, Eric Bubar

All Dissertations

The concept of relic kinematic assemblages from dispersed stellar clusters has
remained contentious since Eggen's initial formulation of moving groups in the
1960's. However, the availability of high quality parallaxes from the Hipparcos
space astrometry mission has resulted in distance measurements for thousands of
nearby, seemingly isolated stars. With these newly determined distances, a
high resolution spectroscopic abundance analysis can be brought to bear on many of the
alleged members of these relic associations. If a structure is a relic of
an open cluster, the members can be expected to be monolithic in age and abundance
inasmuch as homogeneity is …


Revealing The Structure Of A Pre-Transitional Disk: The Case Of The Herbig F Star Sao 206462 (Hd 135344b), C A. Grady, G Schneider, M L. Sitko, G M. Williger, K Hamaguchi, Sean D. Brittain, K Ablordeppey, D Apai, L Beerman, W J. Carpenter Jul 2009

Revealing The Structure Of A Pre-Transitional Disk: The Case Of The Herbig F Star Sao 206462 (Hd 135344b), C A. Grady, G Schneider, M L. Sitko, G M. Williger, K Hamaguchi, Sean D. Brittain, K Ablordeppey, D Apai, L Beerman, W J. Carpenter

Publications

SAO 206462 (HD 135344B) has previously been identified as a Herbig F star with a circumstellar disk with a dip in its infrared excess near 10 mum. In combination with a low accretion rate estimated from Br gamma, it may represent a gapped, but otherwise primordial or "pre-transitional" disk. We test this hypothesis with Hubble Space Telescope coronagraphic imagery, FUV spectroscopy and imagery and archival X-ray data, and spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling constrained by the observed system inclination, disk outer radius, and outer disk radial surface brightness (SB) profile using the Whitney Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Code. The essentially …


The First Two Transient Supersoft X-Ray Sources In M31 Globular Clusters And The Connection To Classical Novae, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, F. Haberl, G. Sala, R. Quimby, M. Hernanz, M. Della Valle, P. Milne, G. G. Williams, V Burwitz, J Greiner, H Stiele, Dieter H. Hartmann, A.K.H. Dong, K Hornoch Jun 2009

The First Two Transient Supersoft X-Ray Sources In M31 Globular Clusters And The Connection To Classical Novae, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, F. Haberl, G. Sala, R. Quimby, M. Hernanz, M. Della Valle, P. Milne, G. G. Williams, V Burwitz, J Greiner, H Stiele, Dieter H. Hartmann, A.K.H. Dong, K Hornoch

Publications

Context. Classical novae (CNe) have been found to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in our neighbour galaxy M 31. Aims. We determine the properties and evolution of the two first SSSs ever discovered in the M 31 globular cluster (GC) system. Methods. We have used XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift observations of the centre region of M 31 to discover both SSSs and to determine their X-ray light curves and spectra. We performed detailed analysis of XMM-Newton EPIC PN spectra of the source in Bol 111 (SS1) using blackbody and NLTE white dwarf (WD) atmosphere models. For …


The Very Short Supersoft X-Ray State Of The Classical Nova M31n 2007-11a, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, G. Sala, M. Della Valle, M. Hernanz, J. Greiner, V. Burwitz, M. J. Freyberg, F. Haberl, Dieter H. Hartmann, P Milne, G G. Williams May 2009

The Very Short Supersoft X-Ray State Of The Classical Nova M31n 2007-11a, M. Henze, W. Pietsch, G. Sala, M. Della Valle, M. Hernanz, J. Greiner, V. Burwitz, M. J. Freyberg, F. Haberl, Dieter H. Hartmann, P Milne, G G. Williams

Publications

Context. Short supersoft X-ray source (SSS) states (durations ≤100 days) of classical novae (CNe) indicate massive white dwarfs that are candidate progenitors of supernovae type Ia. Aims. We carry out a dedicated optical and X-ray monitoring program of CNe in the bulge of M 31. Methods. We discovered M31N 2007-11a and determined its optical and X-ray light curve. We used the robotic Super-LOTIS tele-scope to obtain the optical data and XMM-Newton and Chandra observations to discover an X-ray counterpart to that nova. Results. Nova M31N 2007-11a is a very fast CN, exhibiting a very short SSS state with an appearance …