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2016

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Articles 151 - 180 of 401

Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

Characterizing Exoplanet Host Star Atmospheres Using Spectroscopy, Kristen Fahy Aug 2016

Characterizing Exoplanet Host Star Atmospheres Using Spectroscopy, Kristen Fahy

STAR Program Research Presentations

Exoplanet discovery is an exponentially growing field which is allowing scientists to discover new worlds beyond our own solar system. The aim for this research project was to specifically look at the stellar activity of host stars to determine if it is affecting the output data of target exoplanets. Previously, astronomers understood that stellar activity could influence the detection of new planets, but until now nobody has studied how it may specifically affect the planetary transit spectrum. By analyzing transit spectroscopy plots, I was able to match specific wavelengths corresponding to chemical signatures of the host star to determine if …

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Development And Curation Of The Sample Data Library For The Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory, Meika R. Nwaomah, Lorenia Jimenez, Michael Tuite Aug 2016

Development And Curation Of The Sample Data Library For The Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory, Meika R. Nwaomah, Lorenia Jimenez, Michael Tuite

STAR Program Research Presentations

In 2011, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated EarthCube, an integrated cyber infrastructure initiative, to tackle challenges within geoscience research. EarthCube’s goal is to improve public access and collaboration within the geoscience community. During the summer of 2015, the Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory (abcLab) joined the collective efforts of EarthCube by developing the Sample Data Library (SDL) for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The main focus of the SDL concentrates on effectively curating the samples collected by researchers within the Planetary Chemistry and Astrobiology section at JPL. The goal of this summer internship was to assimilate field notes, images, and from data …

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Flickering Analysis Of Ch Cygni Using Kepler Data, Thomas Holden Dingus Aug 2016

Flickering Analysis Of Ch Cygni Using Kepler Data, Thomas Holden Dingus

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Utilizing data from the Kepler Mission, we analyze a flickering phenomenon in the symbiotic variable star CH Cygni. We perform a spline interpolation of an averaged lightcurve and subtract the spline to acquire residual data. This allows us to analyze the deviations that are not caused by the Red Giant’s semi-regular periodic variations. We then histogram the residuals and perform moment calculations for variance, skewness, and kurtosis for the purpose of determining the nature of the flickering. Our analysis has shown that we see a much smaller scale flickering than observed in the previous literature. Our flickering scale is on …

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Cytoplasmic Dynein Binding, Run Length, And Velocity Are Guided By Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions, Lin Li, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov Aug 2016

Cytoplasmic Dynein Binding, Run Length, And Velocity Are Guided By Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions, Lin Li, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov

Publications

Dyneins are important molecular motors involved in many essential biological processes, including cargo transport along microtubules, mitosis, and in cilia. Dynein motility involves the coupling of microtubule binding and unbinding to a change in the configuration of the linker domain induced by ATP hydrolysis, which occur some 25 nm apart. This leaves the accuracy of dynein stepping relatively inaccurate and susceptible to thermal noise. Using multi-scale modeling with a computational focusing technique, we demonstrate that the microtubule forms an electrostatic funnel that guides the dynein’s microtubule binding domain (MTBD) as it finally docks to the precise, keyed binding location on …

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Experimental Simulations Of Recurring Slope Lineae And Other Flow Formation Features On Mars, Julia Ann Heydenreich Aug 2016

Experimental Simulations Of Recurring Slope Lineae And Other Flow Formation Features On Mars, Julia Ann Heydenreich

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various flow formation features from gullies to recurring slope lineae (RSL) have been identified across the martian surface. The formation of these geologic features are still being determined. Recently, several aspects of these flow features indicate that salt water flows in the subsurface during the warmer months when the ice melts. This paper explores the formation of these processes using laboratory experimental simulations. Experiments were conducted in a wooden flume under varying martian conditions of temperature, slope angle, regolith simulant and a liquid subsurface flow. By adjusting the flume at specific heights, several slopes were obtained to mimic the slopes …

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The Sluggs Survey: The Mass Distribution In Early-Type Galaxies Within Five Effective Radii And Beyond, Adebusola Alabi, Duncan Forbes, Aaron Romanowsky, Jean Brodie, Jay Strader, Joachim Janz, Vincenzo Pota, Nicola Pastorello, Christopher Usher, Lee Spitler, Caroline Foster, Zachary Jennings, Alexa Villaume, Sreeja Kartha Aug 2016

The Sluggs Survey: The Mass Distribution In Early-Type Galaxies Within Five Effective Radii And Beyond, Adebusola Alabi, Duncan Forbes, Aaron Romanowsky, Jean Brodie, Jay Strader, Joachim Janz, Vincenzo Pota, Nicola Pastorello, Christopher Usher, Lee Spitler, Caroline Foster, Zachary Jennings, Alexa Villaume, Sreeja Kartha

Faculty Publications

We study mass distributions within and beyond 5 effective radii (Re) in 23 early-type galaxies from the SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and Galaxies Survey, using their globular cluster (GC) kinematic data. The data are obtained with Keck/DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph, and consist of line-of-sight velocities for ∼3500 GCs, measured with a high precision of ∼15 km s−1 per GC and extending out to ∼13 Re. We obtain the mass distribution in each galaxy using the tracer mass estimator of Watkins et al. and account for kinematic substructures, rotation of the GC systems and galaxy flattening in our mass estimates. The …

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Current Sheet Flapping Motions In The Tailwind Flow Of Magnetic Reconnection, Mingyu Wu, Quanming Lu, Martin Volwerk, Zoltán Vörös, Xuanye Ma, Shui Wang Aug 2016

Current Sheet Flapping Motions In The Tailwind Flow Of Magnetic Reconnection, Mingyu Wu, Quanming Lu, Martin Volwerk, Zoltán Vörös, Xuanye Ma, Shui Wang

Publications

The feature and origin of current sheet flapping motions are one of most interesting issues of magnetospheric dynamics. In this paper we report the flapping motion of the current sheet detected in the tailward flow of a magnetic reconnection event on 7 February 2009. This flapping motion with frequency about 12 mHz was accompanied by magnetic turbulence. The observations by the tail‐elongated fleet of five Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms probes indicate that these flapping oscillations were rather confined within the tailward flow than were due to a global process. This flapping motion could be due …

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Galaxy And Mass Assembly (Gama) : Understanding The Wavelength Dependence Of Galaxy Structure With Bulge-Disc Decompositions., Rebecca Kennedy, Steven P. Bamford, Boris Haußler, Ivan K. Baldry, Malcolm Bremer, Sarah Brough, Michael J. I. Brown, Simon P. Driver, Kenneth Duncan, Alister W. Graham, Benne W. Holwerda, Andrew M. Hopkins, Lee S. Kelvin, Rebecca Lange, Steven Phillipps, Marina Vika, Benedetta Vulcani Aug 2016

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (Gama) : Understanding The Wavelength Dependence Of Galaxy Structure With Bulge-Disc Decompositions., Rebecca Kennedy, Steven P. Bamford, Boris Haußler, Ivan K. Baldry, Malcolm Bremer, Sarah Brough, Michael J. I. Brown, Simon P. Driver, Kenneth Duncan, Alister W. Graham, Benne W. Holwerda, Andrew M. Hopkins, Lee S. Kelvin, Rebecca Lange, Steven Phillipps, Marina Vika, Benedetta Vulcani

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

With a large sample of bright, low-redshift galaxies with optical–near-IR imaging from the GAMA survey we use bulge-disc decompositions to understand the wavelength-dependent behaviour of single-Sérsic structural measurements. We denote the variation in single-Sérsic index with wavelength as N N , likewise for effective radius we use R R . We find that most galaxies with a substantial disc, even those with no discernable bulge, display a high value of N N . The increase in Sérsic index to longer wavelengths is therefore intrinsic to discs, apparently resulting from radial variations in stellar population and/or dust reddening. Similarly, low values …

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Variability Of Mars' Seasonal North Polar Cap, Richard W. Schmude Jr. Jul 2016

Variability Of Mars' Seasonal North Polar Cap, Richard W. Schmude Jr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Mars’ seasonal north polar cap (hereafter sNPC) underwent year-to-year changes between 2008 and 2015 or Mars years 29–33. The writer monitored changes in the sNPC using images made with the MARCI camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Nine isolated bright spots corresponding to Korolev, Lomonosov, and Louth Craters, the albedo features Ierne, Olympia (or Lemuria), and Cecropia, and three unnamed features were examined. The following was concluded: 1) the sNPC underwent small year-to-year changes between 2008 and 2015 [MY = 29–33], 2) there are no years where all temporary frost features lasted longer than their mean lifespan, and 3) …

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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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Vanadium Pentoxide Nanobelt-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Composites As High-Performance Pseudocapacitive Electrodes: Ac Impedanc Spectroscopy Data Modeling And Theoretical Calculations, Sanju Gupta, Bryce Aberg, Sara B. Carrizosa, Nicholas Dimakis Jul 2016

Vanadium Pentoxide Nanobelt-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Composites As High-Performance Pseudocapacitive Electrodes: Ac Impedanc Spectroscopy Data Modeling And Theoretical Calculations, Sanju Gupta, Bryce Aberg, Sara B. Carrizosa, Nicholas Dimakis

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Graphene nanosheets and graphene nanoribbons, G combined with vanadium pentoxide (VO) nanobelts (VNBs) and VNBs forming GVNB composites with varying compositions were synthesized via a one-step low temperature facile hydrothermal decomposition method as high-performance electrochemical pseudocapacitive electrodes. VNBs from vanadium pentoxides (VO) are formed in the presence of graphene oxide (GO), a mild oxidant, which transforms into reduced GO (rGOHT), assisting in enhancing the electronic conductivity coupled with the mechanical robustness of VNBs. From electron microscopy, surface sensitive spectroscopy and other complementary structural characterization, hydrothermally-produced rGO nanosheets/nanoribbons are decorated with and inserted within the VNBs' layered crystal structure, which further …

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Completeness Of The Nearby White Dwarf Sample: Let Us Count The Ways, Terry D. Oswalt, Jay Holberg, Edward M. Sion Jul 2016

Completeness Of The Nearby White Dwarf Sample: Let Us Count The Ways, Terry D. Oswalt, Jay Holberg, Edward M. Sion

Publications

We have recently extended our ongoing survey of the local white dwarf population, effectively doubling the sample volume. Based upon the latest distance determinations, Holberg et al. (2016) estimated the present 20 pc and 25 pc samples were about 86 and 68 percent complete, respectively. Here we examine how the completeness of the 25 pc sample depends upon other observables such as apparent magnitude, proper motion, photometric color index, etc. The results may provide additional clues to why “Sirius-Like systems” are underrepresented in the extended 25 pc sample and how additional nearby single white dwarf stars may be found.

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Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov Jul 2016

Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A gravitational-wave (GW) transient was identified in data recorded by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors on 2015 September 14. The event, initially designated G184098 and later given the name GW150914, is described in detail elsewhere. By prior arrangement, preliminary estimates of the time, significance, and sky location of the event were shared with 63 teams of observers covering radio, optical, near-infrared, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths with ground- and space-based facilities. In this Letter we describe the low-latency analysis of the GW data and present the sky localization of the first observed compact binary merger. We summarize the …

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Back Half Of The Year, Ian R. Clarke Jul 2016

Back Half Of The Year, Ian R. Clarke

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Here we are in the back half of 2016, and the days are getting shorter. We have, as of today, lost 18 minutes since the solstice on June 20, and the speed of that change is quickening. You may wonder why it is that we have our hottest weather after our longest day is behind us. The simple answer is that it takes time for land and water masses to warm up. That’s the reason that Sept. 21 is likely to be a lot warmer than March 21, even though they have the same amount of daylight. [excerpt]

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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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Binary Central Stars Of Planetary Nebulae Discovered Through Photometric Variability. Iv. The Central Stars Of Hatr 4 And Hf 2-2, Todd C. Hillwig, Howard E. Bond, David J. Frew, S C. Schaub, Eva Hl Bodman Jul 2016

Binary Central Stars Of Planetary Nebulae Discovered Through Photometric Variability. Iv. The Central Stars Of Hatr 4 And Hf 2-2, Todd C. Hillwig, Howard E. Bond, David J. Frew, S C. Schaub, Eva Hl Bodman

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We explore the photometrically variable central stars of the planetary nebulae HaTr 4 and Hf 2-2. Both have been classified as close binary star systems previously based on their light curves alone. Here, we present additional arguments and data confirming the identification of both as close binaries with an irradiated cool companion to the hot central star. We include updated light curves, orbital periods, and preliminary binary modeling for both systems. We also identify for the first time the central star of HaTr 4 as an eclipsing binary. Neither system has been well studied in the past, but we utilize …

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Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, David P. Hunley, Douglas R. Strachan Jul 2016

Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, David P. Hunley, Douglas R. Strachan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Patents

A thermal and electrical conducting apparatus includes a few-layer graphene film having a thickness D where D≦1.5 nm and a plurality of carbon nanotubes crystallographically aligned with the few-layer graphene film.

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Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, Douglas R. Strachan, David P. Hunley Jul 2016

Crystallographically-Oriented Carbon Nanotubes Grown On Few-Layer Graphene Films, Douglas R. Strachan, David P. Hunley

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Patents

A thermal and electrical conducting apparatus includes a few-layer graphene film having a thickness D where D≦1.5 nm and a plurality of carbon nanotubes crystallographically aligned with the few-layer graphene film.

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Kelt-10b: The First Transiting Exoplanet From The Kelt-South Survey - A Hot Sub-Jupiter Transiting A V=10.7 Early G-Star, R. B. Kuhn, J. E. Rodriguez, K. A. Collins, M. B. Lund, R. J. Siverd, K. D. Colón, J. Pepper, K. G. Stassun, P. A. Cargile, D. J. James, K. Penev, G. Zhou, D. Bayliss, T. G. Tan, I. A. Curtis, S. Udry, D. Segransan, D. Mawet, S. Dhital, J. Soutter, R. Hart, B. Carter, B. S. Gaudi, G. Myers, T. G. Beatty, J. D. Eastman, D. E. Reichart, J. B. Haislip, J. F. Kielkopf, A. Bieryla, D. W. Latham, Eric L.N. Jensen, T. E. Oberst, D. J. Stevens Jul 2016

Kelt-10b: The First Transiting Exoplanet From The Kelt-South Survey - A Hot Sub-Jupiter Transiting A V=10.7 Early G-Star, R. B. Kuhn, J. E. Rodriguez, K. A. Collins, M. B. Lund, R. J. Siverd, K. D. Colón, J. Pepper, K. G. Stassun, P. A. Cargile, D. J. James, K. Penev, G. Zhou, D. Bayliss, T. G. Tan, I. A. Curtis, S. Udry, D. Segransan, D. Mawet, S. Dhital, J. Soutter, R. Hart, B. Carter, B. S. Gaudi, G. Myers, T. G. Beatty, J. D. Eastman, D. E. Reichart, J. B. Haislip, J. F. Kielkopf, A. Bieryla, D. W. Latham, Eric L.N. Jensen, T. E. Oberst, D. J. Stevens

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We report the discovery of KELT-10b, the first transiting exoplanet discovered using the KELT-South telescope. KELT-10b is a highly inflated sub-Jupiter mass planet transiting a relatively bright V = 10.7 star (TYC 8378-64-1), with Teff = 5948 ± 74 K, log g = 4.319_{-0.030}^{+0.020} and [Fe/H] = 0.09_{-0.10}^{+0.11}, an inferred mass M★ = 1.112_{-0.061}^{+0.055} M☉ and radius R★ = 1.209_{-0.035}^{+0.047} R☉. The planet has a radius Rp = 1.399_{-0.049}^{+0.069} RJ and mass Mp = 0.679_{-0.038}^{+0.039} MJ. The planet has an eccentricity consistent with zero and a semi-major axis a …

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Galaxy Zoo: Comparing The Demographics Of Spiral Arm Number And A New Method For Correcting Redshift Bias, Ross E. Hart, Steven P. Bamford, Kyle W. Willett, Karen L. Masters, Carolin Cardamone, Chris J. Lintott, Robert J. Mackay, Robert C. Nichol, Christopher K. Rosslowe, Brooke D. Simmons, Rebecca J. Smethurst Jul 2016

Galaxy Zoo: Comparing The Demographics Of Spiral Arm Number And A New Method For Correcting Redshift Bias, Ross E. Hart, Steven P. Bamford, Kyle W. Willett, Karen L. Masters, Carolin Cardamone, Chris J. Lintott, Robert J. Mackay, Robert C. Nichol, Christopher K. Rosslowe, Brooke D. Simmons, Rebecca J. Smethurst

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The majority of galaxies in the local Universe exhibit spiral structure with a variety of forms. Many galaxies possess two prominent spiral arms, some have more, while others display a many-armed flocculent appearance. Spiral arms are associated with enhanced gas content and star formation in the discs of low-redshift galaxies, so are important in the understanding of star formation in the local universe. As both the visual appearance of spiral structure, and the mechanisms responsible for it vary from galaxy to galaxy, a reliable method for defining spiral samples with different visual morphologies is required. In this paper, we develop …

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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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Supplement:“Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914”(2016, Apjl, 826, L13), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Martin Beroiz, T. Peñuela, Nicolas A. Pereyra, Matthew Benacquista Jul 2016

Supplement:“Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914”(2016, Apjl, 826, L13), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Martin Beroiz, T. Peñuela, Nicolas A. Pereyra, Matthew Benacquista

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

This Supplement provides supporting material for Abbott et al. (2016a). We briefly summarize past electromagnetic (EM) follow-up efforts as well as the organization and policy of the current EM follow-up program. We compare the four probability sky maps produced for the gravitational-wave transient GW150914, and provide additional details of the EM follow-up observations that were performed in the different bands.

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Emission From Black Holes And Supernovae In The Early Universe, Brandon Kerry Wiggins Jul 2016

Emission From Black Holes And Supernovae In The Early Universe, Brandon Kerry Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

To constrain the era when the first galaxies and stars appeared upcoming instruments will rely on the brightest events in the universe: supernovae and brilliant emission from massive black holes. In this dissertation, we investigate the observability of certain types of supernovae of the very first stars (Population III stars) and find that while these events are sufficiently luminous to be observed with deep-sky instruments such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), they may not observe these particular types of events in their lifetimes. We next explore the origins of massive black holes and introduce the direct collapse hypothesis …

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Galaxy And Mass Assembly : Accurate Panchromatic Photometry From Optical Priors Using Lambdar., A. H. Wright, A. S. G. Robotham, N. Bourne, S. P. Driver, L. Dunne, S. J. Maddox, M. Alpaslan, S. K. Andrews, A. E. Bauer, J. Bland-Hawthorn, Sarah Brough, M. J. I. Brown, C. Clarke, Michelle Cluver, L. J. M. Davies, M. W. Grootes, Benne W. Holwerda, A. M. Hopkins, T. H. Jarrett, Prajwal R. Kafle, Rebecca Lange, J. Liske, J. Loveday, A. J. Moffett, P. Norberg, C. C. Popescu, M. Smith, E. N. Taylor, R. J. Tuffs, L. Wang, S. M. Wilkins Jul 2016

Galaxy And Mass Assembly : Accurate Panchromatic Photometry From Optical Priors Using Lambdar., A. H. Wright, A. S. G. Robotham, N. Bourne, S. P. Driver, L. Dunne, S. J. Maddox, M. Alpaslan, S. K. Andrews, A. E. Bauer, J. Bland-Hawthorn, Sarah Brough, M. J. I. Brown, C. Clarke, Michelle Cluver, L. J. M. Davies, M. W. Grootes, Benne W. Holwerda, A. M. Hopkins, T. H. Jarrett, Prajwal R. Kafle, Rebecca Lange, J. Liske, J. Loveday, A. J. Moffett, P. Norberg, C. C. Popescu, M. Smith, E. N. Taylor, R. J. Tuffs, L. Wang, S. M. Wilkins

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We present the Lambda Adaptive Multi-Band Deblending Algorithm in R (LAMBDAR), a novel code for calculating matched aperture photometry across images that are neither pixel- nor PSF-matched, using prior aperture definitions derived from high-resolution optical imaging. The development of this program is motivated by the desire for consistent photometry and uncertainties across large ranges of photometric imaging, for use in calculating spectral energy distributions. We describe the program, specifically key features required for robust determination of panchromatic photometry: propagation of apertures to images with arbitrary resolution, local background estimation, aperture normalization, uncertainty determination and propagation, and object deblending. Using simulated …

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Wise X Supercosmos Photometric Redshift Catalog : 20 Million Galaxies Over 3pi Steradians., Maciej Bilicki, John A. Peacock, T. H. Jarrett, Michelle Cluver, Natasha Maddox, Michael J. I. Brown, Edward N. Taylor, Nigel C. Hambly, Aleksandra Solarz, Benne W. Holwerda, Ivan K. Baldry, Jon Loveday, Amanda J. Moffett, Andrew M. Hopkins, Simon P. Driver, Mehmet Alpaslan, Joss Bland-Hawthorn Jul 2016

Wise X Supercosmos Photometric Redshift Catalog : 20 Million Galaxies Over 3pi Steradians., Maciej Bilicki, John A. Peacock, T. H. Jarrett, Michelle Cluver, Natasha Maddox, Michael J. I. Brown, Edward N. Taylor, Nigel C. Hambly, Aleksandra Solarz, Benne W. Holwerda, Ivan K. Baldry, Jon Loveday, Amanda J. Moffett, Andrew M. Hopkins, Simon P. Driver, Mehmet Alpaslan, Joss Bland-Hawthorn

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We cross-match the two currently largest all-sky photometric catalogs—mid-infrared Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and SuperCOSMOS scans of UKST/POSS-II photographic plates—to obtain a new galaxy sample that covers 3π steradians. In order to characterize and purify the extragalactic data set, we use external GAMA and Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic information to define quasar and star loci in multicolor space, aiding the removal of contamination from our extended source catalog. After appropriate data cleaning, we obtain a deep wide-angle galaxy sample that is approximately 95% pure and 90% complete at high Galactic latitudes. The catalog contains close to 20 million galaxies …

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Discipline-Based Planetary Education Research And Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Mars, Filis Coba Jul 2016

Discipline-Based Planetary Education Research And Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Mars, Filis Coba

Physics Theses & Dissertations

This thesis originates from the testing and implementation of an IRB-approved interactive animation designed to help students understand what causes The Reasons For The Seasons (RFTS) on Earth. Results from the testing indicated a small improvement in student understanding after exposure to the animation. Next, using the 3-D mapping tool Google Earth, students explored seasons and other planetary features on Mercury, Venus, the Moon and Mars through IRB-approved interactive tours which were developed and tested for astronomy education. Results from the tests indicated that there were statistically significant learning gains (p-value < 0.05) after students interacted with the tours compared to those who did not. The development of the tours inspired a geophysics study of the possibility of former plate motion (or plate tectonics) on Mars. A 2-D finite element convection model for the mantle of Mars was designed and solved using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1, to investigate whether or not thermal gradients in a Mars-sized planet could cause vigorous upper mantle convection, consistent with plate tectonic processes. Results from this project indicated that stable convection could occur in the interior of a Mars-like planet assuming the presence of sufficiently high thermal gradients at about 0.8 times the mantle temperature of Earth. The convective patterns resembled hot upwelling and cool downwelling which may be similar to subduction-like features. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of the hot boundaries resulted in faster, more rigorous convective motions and a hotter average temperature.

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Erratum: “Milky Way Red Dwarfs In The Borg Survey; Galactic Scale-Height And The Distribution Of Dwarfs Stars In Wfc3 Imaging"., Benne W. Holwerda, M. Trenti, W. Clarkson, K. Sahu, L. Bradley, M. Stiavelli, N. Pirzkal, G. De Marchi, M. Andersen, R. J. Bouwens, R. Ryan, I. Van Vledder, D. Van Der Vlugt Jul 2016

Erratum: “Milky Way Red Dwarfs In The Borg Survey; Galactic Scale-Height And The Distribution Of Dwarfs Stars In Wfc3 Imaging"., Benne W. Holwerda, M. Trenti, W. Clarkson, K. Sahu, L. Bradley, M. Stiavelli, N. Pirzkal, G. De Marchi, M. Andersen, R. J. Bouwens, R. Ryan, I. Van Vledder, D. Van Der Vlugt

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In the catalog of M-dwarfs presented in Holwerda et al. (2014, H14 hereafter), there is an issue with the conversion from celestial coordinates to Galactic ones, done with PYEPHEM a wrapper around a trusted and vetted library ephermis. Here we present the corrected coordinates (using ASTROPY) and distances based on AB magnitudes. We have amended the tables and figures accordingly. The relation between vertical scale-height (z0) and M- dwarf subtype found in H14 is no longer present. We find a scale-height of 600 pc for all types, in part due to the presence of a second Galactic structural component.

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Supplement: "Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914" (2016, Apjl, 826, L13), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, T. Adams, P. Addesso, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, B. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, C. C. Arceneaux, J. S. Areeda, N. Arnaud, K. G. Arun, S. Ascenzi, Tiffany Z. Summerscales Jul 2016

Supplement: "Localization And Broadband Follow-Up Of The Gravitational-Wave Transient Gw150914" (2016, Apjl, 826, L13), B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, C. Adams, T. Adams, P. Addesso, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, B. Allen, A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, C. C. Arceneaux, J. S. Areeda, N. Arnaud, K. G. Arun, S. Ascenzi, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. This Supplement provides supporting material for Abbott et al. (2016a). We briefly summarize past electromagnetic (EM) follow-up efforts as well as the organization and policy of the current EM follow-up program. We compare the four probability sky maps produced for the gravitational-wave transient GW150914, and provide additional details of the EM follow-up observations that were performed in the different bands.

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