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1998

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Articles 61 - 78 of 78

Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

New Rotation Periods In The Pleiades: Interpreting Activity Indicators, Anita Krishnamurthi, D. M. Terndrup, M. H. Pinsonneault, K. Sellgren, John R. Stauffer, Rudolph Schild, D. E. Backman, K. B. Beisser, D. B. Dahari, Amil Dasgupta, J. T. Hagelgans, M. A. Seeds, Rajan Anand '98, Bentley D. Laaksonen '95, Laurence A. Marschall, T. Ramseyer Jan 1998

New Rotation Periods In The Pleiades: Interpreting Activity Indicators, Anita Krishnamurthi, D. M. Terndrup, M. H. Pinsonneault, K. Sellgren, John R. Stauffer, Rudolph Schild, D. E. Backman, K. B. Beisser, D. B. Dahari, Amil Dasgupta, J. T. Hagelgans, M. A. Seeds, Rajan Anand '98, Bentley D. Laaksonen '95, Laurence A. Marschall, T. Ramseyer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present results of photometric monitoring campaigns of G, K and M dwarfs in the Pleiades carried out in 1994, 1995 and 1996. We have determined rotation periods for 18 stars in this cluster. In this paper, we examine the validity of using observables such as X-ray activity and amplitude of photometric variations as indicators of angular momentum loss. We report the discovery of cool, slow rotators with high amplitudes of variation. This contradicts previous conclusions about the use of amplitudes as an alternate diagnostic of the saturation of angular momentum loss. We show that the X-ray data can be …

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Sontrac—A Low Background, Large Area Solar Neutron Spectrometer, James M. Ryan, D Holslin, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, Cornelia B. Wunderer Jan 1998

Sontrac—A Low Background, Large Area Solar Neutron Spectrometer, James M. Ryan, D Holslin, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, Cornelia B. Wunderer

Space Science Center

SONTRAC is a scintillating fiber neutron detector designed to measure solar flare neutrons from a balloon or spacecraft platform. The instrument is comprised of alternating orthogonal planes of scintillator fibers viewed by photomultiplier tubes and image intensifier/CCD camera optics. It operates by tracking the paths of recoil protons from the double scatter of 20 to 200 MeV neutrons off hydrogen in the plastic scintillator, thereby providing the necessary information to determine the incident neutron direction and energy. SONTRAC is also capable of detecting and measuring high-energy gamma rays >20 MeV as a “solid-state spark chamber.” The self-triggering and track imaging …

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Mev Measurements Of Gamma-Ray Bursts By Cgro-Comptel, A Connors, W Collmar, W Hermsen, S C. Kappadath, R M. Kippen, L Kuiper, Mark L. Mcconnell, F Pelaez, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, O R. Williams, C Winkler, C A. Young Jan 1998

Mev Measurements Of Gamma-Ray Bursts By Cgro-Comptel, A Connors, W Collmar, W Hermsen, S C. Kappadath, R M. Kippen, L Kuiper, Mark L. Mcconnell, F Pelaez, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, O R. Williams, C Winkler, C A. Young

Space Science Center

Since the launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory in April 1991, the imaging COMPTEL telescope has accumulated positions and 0.75–30 MeV spectra of more than thirty gamma-ray bursts within its ∼π sr field of view. In an ongoing collaboration with BACODINE/GCN, COMPTEL positions are relayed to a global network of multiwavelength observers in near real time (∼10 minutes). Here we summarize the MeV properties, and present spatial, spectral, and temporal data for the latest of these events, GRB 970807. In concurrence with earlier SMM and current BATSE, OSSE, and EGRET measurements, COMPTEL data add to the accumulating evidence that GRB …

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A Hard X-Ray Solar Flare Polarimeter Design Based On Scintillating Fibers, James M. Ryan, Mark L. Mcconnell, D J. Forrest, John R. Macri, M Mcclish, W T. Vestrand Jan 1998

A Hard X-Ray Solar Flare Polarimeter Design Based On Scintillating Fibers, James M. Ryan, Mark L. Mcconnell, D J. Forrest, John R. Macri, M Mcclish, W T. Vestrand

Space Science Center

We have developed a design for a Compton scatter polarimeter to measure the polarization of hard X-rays (50–300 keV) from solar flares. The modular design is based on an annular array of scintillating fibers coupled to a 5-inch position-sensitive PMT. Incident photons scatter from the fiber array into a small array of NaI detectors located at the center of the annulus. The location of the interactions in both the fiber array and in the NaI array can be used to measure the linear polarization of the incident flux. This compact design may be well-suited to a variety of astrophysical applications. …

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Cell Size Dependence Of Transport Coefficients In Stochastic Particle Algorithms, Alejandro Garcia, F. Alexander, B. Alder Jan 1998

Cell Size Dependence Of Transport Coefficients In Stochastic Particle Algorithms, Alejandro Garcia, F. Alexander, B. Alder

Faculty Publications

Using the Green–Kubo theory, the dependence of the viscosity and thermal conductivity on cell size is obtained explicitly for stochastic particle methods such as direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) and its generalization, the consistent Boltzmann algorithm (CBA). These analytical results confirm empirical observations that significant errors occur when the cell dimensions are larger than a mean free path.

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Far-Ultraviolet Spectra Of Starburst Galaxies: Stellar Population And The Kinematics Of The Interstellar Medium, Rosa M. Gonzalez Delgado, Claus Leitherer, Timothy Heckman, James D. Lowenthal, Henry C. Ferguson, Carmelle Robert Jan 1998

Far-Ultraviolet Spectra Of Starburst Galaxies: Stellar Population And The Kinematics Of The Interstellar Medium, Rosa M. Gonzalez Delgado, Claus Leitherer, Timothy Heckman, James D. Lowenthal, Henry C. Ferguson, Carmelle Robert

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

The far-ultraviolet spectra of the four starburst galaxies NGC 6090, Mrk 66, Mrk 1267, and IRAS 0833 + 6517 were observed with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope during the Astro-2 mission. Additional data were obtained for IRAS 0833 + 6517 with the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. We analyze the observations in terms of the stellar content and the kinematics of the interstellar medium, and we discuss the implications of these results for the interpretation of the ultraviolet spectra of high-redshift galaxies. Evolutionary synthesis models are used to constrain the star formation history from the absolute ultraviolet …

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Solar Cycle Variability Of Hot Oxygen Atoms At Mars, Jhoon Kim, Andrew F. Nagy, Jane L. Fox, Thomas E. Cravens Jan 1998

Solar Cycle Variability Of Hot Oxygen Atoms At Mars, Jhoon Kim, Andrew F. Nagy, Jane L. Fox, Thomas E. Cravens

Physics Faculty Publications

The population of hot oxygen atoms in the Martian exosphere is reexamined using newly calculated hot O production rates for both low and high solar cycle conditions. The hot oxygen production rates are assumed to result from the dissociative recombination of O2+ ions. These calculations take into account the calculated vibrational distribution of O2+ and the new measured branching ratios. Furthermore, these calculations also consider the variation of the dissociative recombination cross section with the relative speed of the participating ions and electrons, the rotational energy of the O2+ ions, and the spread of …

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Steps Toward Determination Of The Size And Structure Of The Broad-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei. Xii. Ground-Based Monitoring Of 3c 390.3, Matthias Dietrich, T. D. Oswalt, Jun Tao Jan 1998

Steps Toward Determination Of The Size And Structure Of The Broad-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei. Xii. Ground-Based Monitoring Of 3c 390.3, Matthias Dietrich, T. D. Oswalt, Jun Tao

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Results of a ground-based optical monitoring campaign on 3C 390.3 in 1994-1995 are presented. The broadband fluxes (B, V, R, and I), the spectrophotometric optical continuum flux Fλ(5177 Å), and the integrated emission-line fluxes of Hα, Hβ, Hγ, He II λ15876, and He II A4686 all show a nearly monotonic increase with episodes of milder short-term variations superposed. The amplitude of the continuum variations increases with decreasing wavelength (4400-9000 Å). The optical continuum variations follow the variations in the ultraviolet and X-ray with time delays, measured from the centroids of the cross-correlation functions, typically around 5 days, but with uncertainties …

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Magnetospheric Response Times Following Southward Imf Turnings, Niescja E. Turner, D N. Baker, T I. Pulkkinen, H J. Singer, F Mozer Jan 1998

Magnetospheric Response Times Following Southward Imf Turnings, Niescja E. Turner, D N. Baker, T I. Pulkkinen, H J. Singer, F Mozer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research

We analyze the response times of various regions of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system to sudden southward turnings of the IMF. Our data set consists of 26 events during which the IMP BZ component was observed by WIND to change from a stea northward field to a southward field, which subsequently led to a substorm. The magnetospheric response to such IMF southward turnings is examined using data from the POLAR EFI experiment, the GOES 9 magnetometer, and ground magnetometers. The POLAR/EFI was used to investigate changes in the polar cap electric field which occurred in response to the changing interplanetary electric …

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Testing The Dark Matter Hypothesis With Low Surface Brightness Galaxies And Other Evidence, Stacy S. Mcgaugh Jan 1998

Testing The Dark Matter Hypothesis With Low Surface Brightness Galaxies And Other Evidence, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

The severity of the mass discrepancy in spiral galaxies is strongly correlated with the central surface brightness of their disks. Progressively lower surface brightness galaxies have ever larger mass discrepancies. No other parameter (luminosity, size, velocity, morphology) is so well correlated with the magnitude of the mass deficit. The rotation curves of low surface brightness disks thus provide a unique data set with which to probe the dark matter distribution in galaxies. The mass discrepancy is apparent from R = 0, giving a nearly direct map of the halo mass distribution. The luminous mass is insignificant. Interpreting the data in …

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Three Types Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Soma Mukherjee, Eric D. Feigelson, Gutti Jogesh Babu, Flonn Murtagh, Chris Fralev, Adrian Raftery Jan 1998

Three Types Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Soma Mukherjee, Eric D. Feigelson, Gutti Jogesh Babu, Flonn Murtagh, Chris Fralev, Adrian Raftery

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A multivariate analysis of gamma-ray burst (GRB) bulk properties is presented to discriminate between distinct classes of GRBs. Several variables representing burst duration, fluence, and spectral hardness are considered. Two multivariate clustering procedures are used on a sample of 797 bursts from the Third BATSE Catalog, a nonparametric average linkage hierarchical agglomerative clustering procedure validated with Wilks' Λ* and other multivariate analysis of variance tests and a parametric maximum likelihood model-based clustering procedure assuming multinormal populations calculated with the Expectation-Maximization algorithm and validated with the Bayesian Information Criterion. The two methods yield very similar results. The BATSE GRB population consists …

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Searching For Periodic Sources With Ligo, Patrick R. Brady, Teviet Creighton, Curt Cutler, Bernard F. Schutz Jan 1998

Searching For Periodic Sources With Ligo, Patrick R. Brady, Teviet Creighton, Curt Cutler, Bernard F. Schutz

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We investigate the computational requirements for all-sky, all-frequency searches for gravitational waves from spinning neutron stars, using archived data from interferometric gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO. These sources are expected to be weak, so the optimal strategy involves coherent accumulaton of signal-to-noise using Fourier transforms of long stretches of data (months to years). Earth-motion-induced Doppler shifts, and intrinsic pulsar spindown, will reduce the narrow-band signal-to-noise by spreading power across many frequency bins; therefore, it is necessary to correct for these effects before performing the Fourier transform. The corrections can be implemented by a parametrized model, in which one does …

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Critical Casimir Forces Between Spherical Particles In Fluids, Andreas Hanke, F. Schlesener, E. Eisenriegler, S. Dietrich Jan 1998

Critical Casimir Forces Between Spherical Particles In Fluids, Andreas Hanke, F. Schlesener, E. Eisenriegler, S. Dietrich

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Long-ranged correlations in a fluid close to its critical point Tc cause distinct forces between immersed colloidal particles and the container walls. We calculate such a force and its temperature dependence for the generic case of a spherical particle located at a distance D from a planar wall and find that the force attains a maximum at a temperature Tmax(D) above Tc, which facilitates quantitative experimental tests. The corresponding effective pair interaction between the colloidal particles themselves, potentially leading to aggregation, is also discussed.

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Time-Resolved Studies Of Ultracold Ionizing Collisions, Scott D. Bergeson, C. Orzel, S. Kulin, S. L. Rolston Jan 1998

Time-Resolved Studies Of Ultracold Ionizing Collisions, Scott D. Bergeson, C. Orzel, S. Kulin, S. L. Rolston

Faculty Publications

Using 40 ns laser pulses, we probe the real-time dynamics of ultracold ionizing collisions in metastable xenon. We time resolve both shielding and enhancement effects, and observe the production of Xe2^+ molecular ions through associative ionization. We estimate the rate of molecule formation in excited-state collisions, and directly measure the role of both flux enhancement and excited state survival in the collisional enhancement process. Conceptually simple theoretical models are used to predict the dynamics of the collisional shielding.

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Hierarchical Search Strategy For The Detection Of Gravitational Waves From Coalescing Binaries: Extension To Post-Newtonian Waveforms, Soumya Mohanty Jan 1998

Hierarchical Search Strategy For The Detection Of Gravitational Waves From Coalescing Binaries: Extension To Post-Newtonian Waveforms, Soumya Mohanty

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The detection of gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries would be a computationally intensive process if a single bank of template wave forms (one step search) is used. In an earlier paper we presented a detection strategy, called a two step search, that utilizes a hierarchy of template banks. It was shown that in the simple case of a family of Newtonian signals, an on-line two step search was ≃8 times faster than an on-line one step search (for the initial LIGO). In this paper we extend the two step search to the more realistic case of …

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Ab Initio Single- And Multiple-Scattering Exafs Debye-Waller Factors: Raman And Infrared Data, Nicholas Dimakis, Grant Bunker Jan 1998

Ab Initio Single- And Multiple-Scattering Exafs Debye-Waller Factors: Raman And Infrared Data, Nicholas Dimakis, Grant Bunker

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The extended x-ray-absorption fine structure (EXAFS) Debye-Waller factor is an essential term appearing in the EXAFS equation that accounts for the molecular structural and thermal disorder of a sample. Single- and multiple-scattering Debye-Waller factors must be known accurately to obtain quantitative agreement between theory and experiment. Since the total number of fitting parameters that can be varied is limited in general, data cannot support fitting of all relevant multiple-scattering Debye-Waller factors. Calculation of the Debye-Waller factors is typically done using the correlated Debye approximation, where a single parameter (Debye temperature) is varied. However, this procedure cannot account in general for …

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A Data Analysis Approach For Detecting Gravitational Waves From Psr 0437-4715, Soumya Mohanty, I. S. Heng, David Blair, S. Dhurandhar, M. Tovar, E. Ivanov Jan 1998

A Data Analysis Approach For Detecting Gravitational Waves From Psr 0437-4715, Soumya Mohanty, I. S. Heng, David Blair, S. Dhurandhar, M. Tovar, E. Ivanov

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A search for gravitational waves from the millisecond pulsar PSR 0437-4715 has been initiated using the bar detector NIOBE which is located at the University of Western Australia. We present a detailed report on the data analysis algorithm, called phase plane rotation, which will be used in this search. A discussion of the actual implementation of the algorithm is presented. The data analysis algorithm mentioned above has the advantage that it requires minimal changes to the already-existing data acquisition facility of NIOBE but, at the same time, it is as efficient as optimal filtering in detecting a signal. This …

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Inversion Of Plasmaspheric Euv Remote Sensing Data From The Stp 72-1 Satellite, R.R. Meier, A.C. Nicholas, J.M. Picone, D.J. Melendez-Alvira, G. Ganguli, Mark Anthony Reynolds, E.C. Roelof Jan 1998

Inversion Of Plasmaspheric Euv Remote Sensing Data From The Stp 72-1 Satellite, R.R. Meier, A.C. Nicholas, J.M. Picone, D.J. Melendez-Alvira, G. Ganguli, Mark Anthony Reynolds, E.C. Roelof

Publications

Observations of the extreme ultraviolet emission of helium ions at 30.4 nm can be used to study the global shape of the plasmasphere and its dynamical response to geomagnetic forcing. In order to retrieve number densities of plasmaspheric He+ from such observations, we have developed a new inversion technique based on discrete inverse theory, which uses the optical data to optimize a parameterized model of the He+ distribution. We apply this inversion technique to several orbits of data obtained from the Naval Research Laboratory extreme ultraviolet photometric experiment launched on the STP 72-1 satellite in October 1972. The inversion is …

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