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Articles 31 - 60 of 447

Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

Coupling Of Coronal And Heliospheric Magnetohydrodynamic Models: Solution Comparisons And Verification, V. G. Merkin, R. Lionello, J. G. Lyon, J. Linker, T. Török, C. Downs Nov 2016

Coupling Of Coronal And Heliospheric Magnetohydrodynamic Models: Solution Comparisons And Verification, V. G. Merkin, R. Lionello, J. G. Lyon, J. Linker, T. Török, C. Downs

Dartmouth Scholarship

Two well-established magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) codes are coupled to model the solar corona and the inner heliosphere. The corona is simulated using the MHD algorithm outside a sphere (MAS) model. The Lyon–Fedder–Mobarry (LFM) model is used in the heliosphere. The interface between the models is placed in a spherical shell above the critical point and allows both models to work in either a rotating or an inertial frame. Numerical tests are presented examining the coupled model solutions from 20 to 50 solar radii. The heliospheric simulations are run with both LFM and the MAS extension into the heliosphere, and use the …

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Deep Chandra Observations Of The Compact Starburst Galaxy Henize 2–10: X-Rays From The Massive Black Hole, Amy E. Reines, Mark T. Reynolds, Jon M. Miller, Gregory R. Sivakoff, Jenny E. Greene, Ryan C. Hickox, Kelsey E. Johnson Oct 2016

Deep Chandra Observations Of The Compact Starburst Galaxy Henize 2–10: X-Rays From The Massive Black Hole, Amy E. Reines, Mark T. Reynolds, Jon M. Miller, Gregory R. Sivakoff, Jenny E. Greene, Ryan C. Hickox, Kelsey E. Johnson

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present follow-up X-ray observations of the candidate massive black hole (BH) in the nucleus of the low-mass, compact starburst galaxy Henize 2–10. Using new high-resolution observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory totaling 200 ks in duration, as well as archival Chandraobservations from 2001, we demonstrate the presence of a previously unidentified X-ray point source that is spatially coincident with the known nuclear radio source in Henize 2–10 (i.e., the massive BH). We show that the hard X-ray emission previously identified in the 2001 observation is dominated by a source that is distinct from the nucleus, with the properties …

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Hubble Space Telescopeconstraints On The Winds And Astrospheres Of Red Giant Stars, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Graham M. Harper Sep 2016

Hubble Space Telescopeconstraints On The Winds And Astrospheres Of Red Giant Stars, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Graham M. Harper

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report on an ultraviolet spectroscopic survey of red giants observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, focusing on spectra of the Mg ii h and k lines near 2800 Å in order to study stellar chromospheric emission, winds, and astrospheric absorption. We focus on spectral types between K2 III and M5 III, a spectral type range with stars that are noncoronal, but possessing strong, chromospheric winds. We find a very tight relation between Mg ii surface flux and photospheric temperature, supporting the notion that all K2-M5 III stars are emitting at a basal flux level. Wind velocities (V …

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Gravitational Wave–Gauge Field Oscillations, R. R. Caldwell, C. Devulder, N. A. Maksimova Sep 2016

Gravitational Wave–Gauge Field Oscillations, R. R. Caldwell, C. Devulder, N. A. Maksimova

Dartmouth Scholarship

Gravitational waves propagating through a stationary gauge field transform into gauge field waves and back again. When multiple families of flavor-space locked gauge fields are present, the gravitational and gauge field waves exhibit novel dynamics. At high frequencies, the system behaves like coupled oscillators in which the gravitational wave is the central pacemaker. Due to energy conservation and exchange among the oscillators, the wave amplitudes lie on a multidimensional sphere, reminiscent of neutrino flavor oscillations. This phenomenon has implications for cosmological scenarios based on flavor-space locked gauge fields.

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Determination Of Interstellar O Parameters Using The First Two Years Of Data From The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, N. A. Schwadron, E. Möbius, D. J. Mccomas, P. Bochsler, M. Bzowski, S. A. Fuselier, G. Livadiotis, P. Frisch, H. R. Müller, D. Heirtzler, H. Kucharek, M. A. Lee Sep 2016

Determination Of Interstellar O Parameters Using The First Two Years Of Data From The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, N. A. Schwadron, E. Möbius, D. J. Mccomas, P. Bochsler, M. Bzowski, S. A. Fuselier, G. Livadiotis, P. Frisch, H. R. Müller, D. Heirtzler, H. Kucharek, M. A. Lee

Dartmouth Scholarship

The direct measurements of interstellar matter by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer ( IBEX ) mission have opened a new and important chapter in our study of the interactions that control the boundaries of our heliosphere. Here we derive for the quantitative information about interstellar O flow parameters from IBEX low-energy neutral atom data for the first time. Specifically, we derive a relatively narrow four-dimensional parameter tube along which interstellar O flow parameters must lie. Along the parameter tube, we find a large uncertainty in interstellar O flow longitude, 76°.0 ± 3°.4 from χ 2 analysis and 76°.5 ± 6°.2 from …

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Progressive Redshifts In The Late-Time Spectra Of Type Ia Supernovae, C. S. Black, R. A. Fesen, J. T. Parrent Aug 2016

Progressive Redshifts In The Late-Time Spectra Of Type Ia Supernovae, C. S. Black, R. A. Fesen, J. T. Parrent

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examine the evolution of late-time, optical nebular features of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) using a sample consisting of 160 spectra of 27 normal SNe Ia taken from the literature as well as unpublished spectra of SN 2008Q and ASASSN-14lp. Particular attention was given to nebular features between 4000-6000 A in terms of temporal changes in width and central wavelength. Analysis of the prominent late-time 4700 A feature shows a progressive central wavelength shift from ~4600 A to longer wavelengths out to at least day +300 for our entire sample. We find no evidence for the feature's red-ward shift …

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Obscured Agns In Bulgeless Hosts Discovered By Wise : The Case Study Of Sdss J1224+5555, S. Satyapal, N. J. Secrest, B. Rothberg, J. A. O’Connor, S. L. Ellison, R. C. Hickox Aug 2016

Obscured Agns In Bulgeless Hosts Discovered By Wise : The Case Study Of Sdss J1224+5555, S. Satyapal, N. J. Secrest, B. Rothberg, J. A. O’Connor, S. L. Ellison, R. C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is mounting evidence that supermassive black holes form and grow in bulgeless galaxies. However, a robust determination of the fraction of AGNs in bulgeless galaxies, an important constraint to models of supermassive black hole seed formation and merger-free models of AGN fueling, is unknown, since optical studies have been shown to be incomplete for low mass AGNs. In a recent study using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we discovered hundreds of bulgeless galaxies that display mid-infrared signatures of extremely hot dust suggestive of powerful accreting massive black holes, despite having no signatures of black hole activity at optical wavelengths. …

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Constraining The Age And Distance Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7 By H A Expansion Measurements, Satoru Katsuda, Masaomi Tanaka, Tomoki Morokuma, Robert Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic Jul 2016

Constraining The Age And Distance Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7 By H A Expansion Measurements, Satoru Katsuda, Masaomi Tanaka, Tomoki Morokuma, Robert Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present deep Hα images of portions of the X-ray bright, but optically faint, Galactic supernova remnant G156.2+5.7, revealing numerous and delicately thin non-radiative filaments, which mark the location of the remnant's forward shock. These new images show that these filaments have a complex structure not visible on previous lower resolution optical images. By comparing Hα images taken in 2004 at the McDonald Observatory and in 2015–2016 at the Kiso Observatory, we set a stringent 1σ upper limit of expansion to be 0.06 arcsec/yr. This proper motion, combined with a shock speed of 500 km s−1 …

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The Supermassive Black Hole And Double Nucleus Of The Core Elliptical Ngc 5419, Ximena Mazzalay, Jens Thomas, Roberto P. Saglia, Gary A. Wegner Jul 2016

The Supermassive Black Hole And Double Nucleus Of The Core Elliptical Ngc 5419, Ximena Mazzalay, Jens Thomas, Roberto P. Saglia, Gary A. Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

We obtained adaptive-optics assisted SINFONI observations of the central regions of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC5419 with a spatial resolution of 0.2 arcsec (≈55 pc). NGC5419 has a large depleted stellar core with a radius of 1.58 arcsec (430 pc). HST and SINFONI images show a point source located at the galaxy's photocentre, which is likely associated with the low-luminosity AGN previously detected in NGC5419. Both the HST and SINFONI images also show a second nucleus, off-centred by 0.25 arcsec (≈70 pc). Outside of the central double nucleus, we measure an almost constant velocity dispersion of σ∼350 km/s. In the …

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The Intrinsic Eddington Ratio Distribution Of Active Galactic Nuclei In Star-Forming Galaxies From The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Mackenzie L. Jones, Ryan C. Hickox, Christine S. Black, Kevin N. Hainline, Michael A. Dipompeo, Andy D. Goulding Jul 2016

The Intrinsic Eddington Ratio Distribution Of Active Galactic Nuclei In Star-Forming Galaxies From The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Mackenzie L. Jones, Ryan C. Hickox, Christine S. Black, Kevin N. Hainline, Michael A. Dipompeo, Andy D. Goulding

Dartmouth Scholarship

An important question in extragalactic astronomy concerns the distribution of black hole accretion rates of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Based on observations at X-ray wavelengths, the observed Eddington ratio distribution appears as a power law, while optical studies have often yielded a lognormal distribution. There is increasing evidence that these observed discrepancies may be due to contamination by star formation and other selection effects. Using a sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we test whether or not an intrinsic Eddington ratio distribution that takes the form of a Schechter function is consistent with previous …

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Star Formation In Quasar Hosts And The Origin Of Radio Emission In Radio-Quiet Quasars, Nadia L. Zakamska, Kelly Lampayan, Andreea Petric, Daniel Dicken, Jenny E. Greene, Timothy M. Heckman, Ryan C. Hickox Jul 2016

Star Formation In Quasar Hosts And The Origin Of Radio Emission In Radio-Quiet Quasars, Nadia L. Zakamska, Kelly Lampayan, Andreea Petric, Daniel Dicken, Jenny E. Greene, Timothy M. Heckman, Ryan C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

Radio emission from radio-quiet quasars may be due to star formation in the quasar host galaxy, to a jet launched by the supermassive black hole, or to relativistic particles accelerated in a wide-angle radiatively-driven outflow. In this paper we examine whether radio emission from radio-quiet quasars is a byproduct of star formation in their hosts. To this end we use infrared spectroscopy and photometry from Spitzer and Herschel to estimate or place upper limits on star formation rates in hosts of ~300 obscured and unobscured quasars at z<1. We find that low-ionization forbidden emission lines such as [NeII] and [NeIII] are likely dominated by quasar ionization and do not provide reliable star formation diagnostics in quasar hosts, while PAH emission features may be suppressed due to the destruction of PAH molecules by the quasar radiation field. While the bolometric luminosities of our sources are dominated by the quasars, the 160 micron fluxes are likely dominated by star formation, but they too should be used with caution. We estimate median star formation rates to be 6-29 Msun/year, with obscured quasars at the high end of this range. This star formation rate is insufficient to explain the observed radio emission from quasars by an order of magnitude, with log(L_radio, observed/L_radio, SF)=0.6-1.3 depending on quasar type and star formation estimator. Although radio-quiet quasars in our sample lie close to the 8-1000 micron infrared / radio correlation characteristic of the star-forming galaxies, both their infrared emission and their radio emission are dominated by the quasar activity, not by the host galaxy.

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Population Properties Of Brown Dwarf Analogs To Exoplanets, Jacqueline K. Faherty, Adric R. Riedel, Kelle L. Cruz, Jonathan Gagne, Joseph C. Filippazzo, Erini Lambrides, Haley Fica, Alycia Weinberger, John R. Thorstensen Jul 2016

Population Properties Of Brown Dwarf Analogs To Exoplanets, Jacqueline K. Faherty, Adric R. Riedel, Kelle L. Cruz, Jonathan Gagne, Joseph C. Filippazzo, Erini Lambrides, Haley Fica, Alycia Weinberger, John R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present a kinematic analysis of 152 low surface gravity M7-L8 dwarfs by adding 18 new parallaxes (including 10 for comparative field objects), 38 new radial velocities, and 19 new proper motions. We also add low- or moderate-resolution near-infrared spectra for 43 sources confirming their low surface gravity features. Among the full sample, we find 39 objects to be high-likelihood or new bona fide members of nearby moving groups, 92 objects to be ambiguous members and 21 objects that are non-members. Using this age-calibrated sample, we investigate trends in gravity classification, photometric color, absolute magnitude, color–magnitude, luminosity, and effective temperature. …

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A Cyclic Universe Approach To Fine Tuning, Stephon Alexander, Sam Cormack, Marcelo Gleiser Jun 2016

A Cyclic Universe Approach To Fine Tuning, Stephon Alexander, Sam Cormack, Marcelo Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present a closed bouncing universe model where the value of coupling constants is set by the dynamics of a ghost-like dilatonic scalar field. We show that adding a periodic potential for the scalar field leads to a cyclic Friedmann universe where the values of the couplings vary randomly from one cycle to the next. While the shuffling of values for the couplings happens during the bounce, within each cycle their time-dependence remains safely within present observational bounds for physically-motivated values of the model parameters. Our model presents an alternative to solutions of the fine tuning problem based on string …

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Galaxies Probing Galaxies At High Resolution: Co-Rotating Gas Associated With A Milky Way Analog At Z = 0.4, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Alison L. Coil, John Moustakas, Christy A. Tremonti, Paul H. Sell, Alexander J. Mendez, Ryan C. Hickox, Greg H. Rudnick Jun 2016

Galaxies Probing Galaxies At High Resolution: Co-Rotating Gas Associated With A Milky Way Analog At Z = 0.4, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Alison L. Coil, John Moustakas, Christy A. Tremonti, Paul H. Sell, Alexander J. Mendez, Ryan C. Hickox, Greg H. Rudnick

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present results on gas flows in the halo of a Milky-Way-like galaxy at z = 0.413 based on high-resolution spectroscopy of a background galaxy. This is the first study of circumgalactic gas at high spectral resolution toward an extended background source (i.e., a galaxy rather than a quasar). Using long-slit spectroscopy of the foreground galaxy, we observe spatially extended Hα emission with a circular rotation velocity v circ ≈ 270 km s−1. Using echelle spectroscopy of the background galaxy, we detect and absorption lines at an impact parameter ρ= 27 kpc that are blueshifted from systemic …

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A Tale Of Two Narrow-Line Regions: Ionization, Kinematics, And Spectral Energy Distributions For A Local Pair Of Merging Obscured Active Galaxies, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Chien-Ting Chen, Christopher M. Carroll, Mackenzie L. Jones, Alexandros S. Zervos, Andrew D. Goulding May 2016

A Tale Of Two Narrow-Line Regions: Ionization, Kinematics, And Spectral Energy Distributions For A Local Pair Of Merging Obscured Active Galaxies, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Chien-Ting Chen, Christopher M. Carroll, Mackenzie L. Jones, Alexandros S. Zervos, Andrew D. Goulding

Dartmouth Scholarship

We explore the gas ionization and kinematics, as well as the optical-IR spectral energy distributions for UGC 11185, a nearby pair of merging galaxies hosting obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), also known as SDSS J181611.72+423941.6 and J181609.37+423923.0 (J1816NE and J1816SW, z ≈ 0.04). Due to the wide separation between these interacting galaxies (~23 kpc), observations of these objects provide a rare glimpse of the concurrent growth of supermassive black holes at an early merger stage. We use BPT line diagnostics to show that the full extent of the narrow-line emission in both galaxies is photoionized by an AGN, and confirm …

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Gravitational-Wave Cosmology Across 29 Decades In Frequency, Paul D. Lasky, Chiara `. Mingarelli, Tristan L. Smith, John T. Giblin, Eric Thrane, Daniel J. Reardon, Robert Caldwell Mar 2016

Gravitational-Wave Cosmology Across 29 Decades In Frequency, Paul D. Lasky, Chiara `. Mingarelli, Tristan L. Smith, John T. Giblin, Eric Thrane, Daniel J. Reardon, Robert Caldwell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field in the early Universe, amplified by inflation, produce a primordial gravitational-wave background across a broad frequency band. We derive constraints on the spectrum of this gravitational radiation, and hence on theories of the early Universe, by combining experiments that cover 29 orders of magnitude in frequency. These include Planck observations of cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization power spectra and lensing, together with baryon acoustic oscillations and big bang nucleosynthesis measurements, as well as new pulsar timing array and ground-based interferometer limits. While individual experiments constrain the gravitational-wave energy density in specific frequency bands, …

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Peering Through The Dust: Nustar Observations Of Two First-2mass Red Quasars, Stephanie M. Lamassa, Angelo Ricarte, Eilat Glikman, C. Megan Urry, Daniel Stern, Tahir Yaqoob, George B. Lansbury, Francesca Civano Mar 2016

Peering Through The Dust: Nustar Observations Of Two First-2mass Red Quasars, Stephanie M. Lamassa, Angelo Ricarte, Eilat Glikman, C. Megan Urry, Daniel Stern, Tahir Yaqoob, George B. Lansbury, Francesca Civano

Dartmouth Scholarship

Some reddened quasars appear to be transitional objects in the merger-induced black hole growth/galaxy evolution paradigm, where a heavily obscured nucleus starts to be unveiled by powerful quasar winds evacuating the surrounding cocoon of dust and gas. Hard X-ray observations are able to peer through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830+3759 is moderately obscured (NH,Z=2.1±0.2×1022 cm−2) and F2M 1227+3214 is mildly absorbed (NH,Z=3.4+0.8−0.7×1021 cm−2 …

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An Hst Survey Of The Highest-Velocity Ejecta In Cassiopeia A, Robert A. Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic Feb 2016

An Hst Survey Of The Highest-Velocity Ejecta In Cassiopeia A, Robert A. Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/IR images of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant that survey its high-velocity, S-rich debris in the NE jet and SW counterjet regions through [S iii] λλ9069, 9531 and [S ii] λλ10,287–10,370 line emissions. We identify nearly 3400 sulfur emitting knots concentrated in ~120° wide opposing streams, almost triple the number previously known. The vast majority of these ejecta knots lie at projected distances well out ahead of the remnant's forward blast wave and main shell ejecta, extending to angular distance of to the NE and to the SW from the center of expansion. …

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The Impact Of The Dusty Torus On Obscured Quasar Halo Mass Measurements, M. A. Dipompeo, J. C. Runnoe, R. C. Hickox, A. D. Myers, J. E. Geach Feb 2016

The Impact Of The Dusty Torus On Obscured Quasar Halo Mass Measurements, M. A. Dipompeo, J. C. Runnoe, R. C. Hickox, A. D. Myers, J. E. Geach

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent studies have found that obscured quasars cluster more strongly and are thus hosted by dark matter haloes of larger mass than their unobscured counterparts. These results pose a challenge for the simplest unification models, in which obscured objects are intrinsically the same as unobscured sources but seen through a dusty line of sight. There is general consensus that a structure like a "dusty torus" exists, meaning that this intrinsic similarity is likely the case for at least some subset of obscured quasars. However, the larger host halo masses of obscured quasars implies that there is a second obscured population …

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Comparative Analysis Of Sn 2012dn Optical Spectra:Days −14 To +114, J. T. Parrent, D. A. Howell, R. A. Fesen, S. Parker Jan 2016

Comparative Analysis Of Sn 2012dn Optical Spectra:Days −14 To +114, J. T. Parrent, D. A. Howell, R. A. Fesen, S. Parker

Dartmouth Scholarship

SN 2012dn is a super-Chandrasekhar mass candidate in a purportedly normal spiral (SAcd) galaxy, and poses a challenge for theories of type Ia supernova diversity. Here we utilize the fast and highly parametrized spectrum synthesis tool, SYNAPPS, to estimate relative expansion velocities of species inferred from optical spectra obtained with six facilities. As with previous studies of normal SN Ia, we find that both unburned carbon and intermediate-mass elements are spatially coincident within the ejecta near and below 14 000 km s−1. Although the upper limit on SN 2012dn's peak luminosity is comparable to some of the most …

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The Nustar Extragalactic Survey: First Direct Measurements Of The Greater Than Or Similar To 10 Kev X-Ray Luminosity Function For Active Galactic Nuclei At Z > 0.1, J. Aird, D. M. Alexander, D. R. Ballantyne, R. C. Hickox, A. Del-Moro, R. C. Hickox, G. B. Lansbury, J. R. Mullaney, F. E. Bauer, W. N. Brandt Dec 2015

The Nustar Extragalactic Survey: First Direct Measurements Of The Greater Than Or Similar To 10 Kev X-Ray Luminosity Function For Active Galactic Nuclei At Z > 0.1, J. Aird, D. M. Alexander, D. R. Ballantyne, R. C. Hickox, A. Del-Moro, R. C. Hickox, G. B. Lansbury, J. R. Mullaney, F. E. Bauer, W. N. Brandt

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the first direct measurements of the rest-frame 10–40 keV X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on a sample of 94 sources at 0.1 < z < 3, selected at 8–24 keV energies from sources in the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) extragalactic survey program. Our results are consistent with the strong evolution of the AGN population seen in prior, lower-energy studies of the XLF. However, different models of the intrinsic distribution of absorption, which are used to correct for selection biases, give significantly different predictions for the total number of sources in our sample, leading to small, systematic differences in our binned estimates of …

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Investigating The Consistency Of Stellar Evolution Models With Globular Cluster Observations Via The Red Giant Branch Bump, M. Joyce, B. Chaboyer Nov 2015

Investigating The Consistency Of Stellar Evolution Models With Globular Cluster Observations Via The Red Giant Branch Bump, M. Joyce, B. Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

Synthetic Red Giant Branch Bump (RGBB) magnitudes are generated with the most recent theoretical stellar evolution models computed with the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Program (DSEP) code. They are compared to the observational work of Nataf et al., who present RGBB magnitudes for 72 globular clusters. A DSEP model using a chemical composition with enhanced α capture [α/Fe] = +0.4 and an age of 13 Gyr shows agreement with observations over metallicities ranging from [Fe/H] = 0 to [Fe/H] ≈ −1.5, with discrepancy emerging at lower metallicities.

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Optical Studies Of 13 Hard X-Ray Selected Cataclysmic Binaries From The Swift-Bat Survey, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen Nov 2015

Optical Studies Of 13 Hard X-Ray Selected Cataclysmic Binaries From The Swift-Bat Survey, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

From a set of 13 cataclysmic binaries that were discovered in the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey, we conducted time-resolved optical spectroscopy and/or time-series photometry of 11, with the goal of measuring their orbital periods and searching for spin periods. Seven of the objects in this study are new optical identifications. Orbital periods are found for seven targets, ranging from 81 minutes to 20.4 hr. PBC J0706.7+0327 is an AM Herculis star (polar) based on its emission-line variations and large amplitude photometric modulation on the same period. Swift J2341.0+7645 may be a polar, although the evidence here is less …

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Discovery Of An Apparent High Latitude Galactic Supernova Remnant, Robert A. Fesen, Jack M. M. Neustadt, Christine S. Black, Ari H. D. Koeppel Oct 2015

Discovery Of An Apparent High Latitude Galactic Supernova Remnant, Robert A. Fesen, Jack M. M. Neustadt, Christine S. Black, Ari H. D. Koeppel

Dartmouth Scholarship

Deep Hα images of a faint emission complex 4.0 x 5.5 degrees in angular extent and located far off the Galactic plane at l = 70.0 degrees, b=-21.5 degrees reveal numerous thin filaments suggestive of a supernova remnant's shock emission. Low dispersion optical spectra covering the wavelength range 4500 - 7500 A show only Balmer line emissions for one filament while three others show a Balmer dominated spectrum along with weak [N I] 5198, 5200 A, [O I] 6300, 6364 A, [N II] 6583 A, [S II] 6716, 6731 A and in one case [O III] 5007 A line emission. …

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Exploring The Possibility Of O And Ne Contamination In Ulysses Observations Of Interstellar Helium, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Maciej Bzowski, Justyna M. Sokół Oct 2015

Exploring The Possibility Of O And Ne Contamination In Ulysses Observations Of Interstellar Helium, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Maciej Bzowski, Justyna M. Sokół

Dartmouth Scholarship

We explore the possibility that interstellar O and Ne may be contributing to the particle signal from the GAS instrument on Ulysses, which is generally assumed to be entirely He. Motivating this study is the recognition that an interstellar temperature higher than any previously estimated from Ulysses data could potentially resolve a discrepancy between Ulysses He measurements and those from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Contamination by O and Ne could lead to Ulysses temperature measurements that are too low. We estimate the degree of O and Ne contamination necessary to increase the inferred Ulysses temperature to …

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Stability Bounds On Compact Astrophysical Objects From Information-Entropic Measure, Marcelo Gleiser, Nan Jiang Aug 2015

Stability Bounds On Compact Astrophysical Objects From Information-Entropic Measure, Marcelo Gleiser, Nan Jiang

Dartmouth Scholarship

We obtain bounds on the stability of various self-gravitating astrophysical objects using a new measure of shape complexity known as configurational entropy. We apply the method to Newtonian polytropes, neutron stars with an Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation of state, and to self-gravitating configurations of complex scalar field (boson stars) with different self couplings, showing that the critical stability region of these stellar configurations obtained from traditional perturbation methods correlates well with critical points of the configurational entropy with accuracy of a few percent or better.

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Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling Of Three Van Allen Probes Storms In 2012 And 2013, J. Paral, M. K. Hudson, B. T. Kress, M. J. Wiltberger Aug 2015

Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling Of Three Van Allen Probes Storms In 2012 And 2013, J. Paral, M. K. Hudson, B. T. Kress, M. J. Wiltberger

Dartmouth Scholarship

Coronal mass ejection (CME)-shock compression of the dayside magnetopause has been observed to cause both prompt enhancement of radiation belt electron flux due to inward radial transport of electrons conserving their first adiabatic invariant and prompt losses which at times entirely eliminate the outer zone. Recent numerical studies suggest that enhanced ultra-low frequency (ULF) wave activity is necessary to explain electron losses deeper inside the magnetosphere than magnetopause incursion following CME-shock arrival. A combination of radial transport and magnetopause shadowing can account for losses observed at radial distances into L=4.5, well within the computed magnetopause location. We compare ULF wave …

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The Nustar Extragalactic Surveys: Overview And Catalog From The Cosmos Field, F. Civano, R. C. Hickox, S. Puccetti, A. Comastri Aug 2015

The Nustar Extragalactic Surveys: Overview And Catalog From The Cosmos Field, F. Civano, R. C. Hickox, S. Puccetti, A. Comastri

Dartmouth Scholarship

To provide the census of the sources contributing to the X-ray background peak above 10 keV, NuSTAR is performing extragalactic surveys using a three-tier "wedding cake" approach. We present the NuSTAR survey of the COSMOS field, the medium sensitivity and medium area tier, covering 1.7 deg2 and overlapping with both Chandra and XMM-Newton data. This survey consists of 121 observations for a total exposure of ~3 Ms. To fully exploit these data, we developed a new detection strategy, carefully tested through extensive simulations. The survey sensitivity at 20% completeness is 5.9, 2.9 and 6.4 x 10^-14 erg/cm2/s in the 3-24 …

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The Nustar Extragalactic Surveys: Initial Results And Catalog From The Extended Chandra Deep Field South, J. R. Mullaney, A. Del-Moro, J. Aird, D. M. Alexander, F. M. Civano, R. C. Hickox Aug 2015

The Nustar Extragalactic Surveys: Initial Results And Catalog From The Extended Chandra Deep Field South, J. R. Mullaney, A. Del-Moro, J. Aird, D. M. Alexander, F. M. Civano, R. C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present initial results and the source catalog from the NuSTAR survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (hereafter, ECDFS) - currently the deepest contiguous component of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey program. The survey covers the full ~30 arcmin x 30 arcmin area of this field to a maximum depth of ~360 ks (~220 ks when corrected for vignetting at 3-24 keV), reaching sensitivity limits of ~1.3 x 10^-14 erg/cm2/s (3-8 keV), ~3.4 x 10^-14 erg/cm2/s (8-24 keV) and ~3.0 x 10^-14 erg/cm2/s (3-24 keV). Fifty four (54) sources are detected over the full field, although five of these …

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A Remarkably Flat Relationship Between The Average Star Formation Rate And Agn Luminosity For Distant X-Ray Agn, F. Stanley, C. M. Harrison, D. M. Alexander, A. M. Swinbank, J. A. Aird, A. Del Moro, R. C. Hickox, J. R. Mullaney Jul 2015

A Remarkably Flat Relationship Between The Average Star Formation Rate And Agn Luminosity For Distant X-Ray Agn, F. Stanley, C. M. Harrison, D. M. Alexander, A. M. Swinbank, J. A. Aird, A. Del Moro, R. C. Hickox, J. R. Mullaney

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this study we investigate the relationship between the star formation rate, SFR, and AGN luminosity, L(AGN), for ~2000 X-ray detected AGN. The AGN span over three orders of magnitude in X-ray luminosity (10^(42) < L(2-8keV) < 10^(45.5) erg/s) and are in the redshift range z = 0.2 - 2.5. Using infrared (IR) photometry (8 - 500um), including deblended Spitzer and Herschel images and taking into account photometric upper limits, we decompose the IR spectral energy distributions into AGN and star formation components. Using the IR luminosities due to star formation, we investigate the average SFRs as a function of redshift and AGN luminosity. In agreement with previous studies, we find a strong evolution of the average SFR with redshift, tracking the observed evolution of the overall star forming galaxy population. However, we find that the relationship between the average SFR and AGN luminosity is flat at all redshifts and across all the AGN luminosities investigated; in comparison to previous studies, we find less scatter amongst the average SFRs across the wide range of AGN luminosities investigated. By comparing to empirical models, we argue that the observed flat relationship is due to short timescale variations in AGN luminosity, driven by changes in the mass accretion rate, which wash out any underlying correlations between SFR and L(AGN). Furthermore, we show that the exact form of the predicted relationship between SFR and AGN luminosity (and it's normalisation) is highly sensitive to the assumed intrinsic Eddington ratio distribution.

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