Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Mineral-Surface Chemistry Of Hydroxyapatite And Urea-Rich Solutions, Estefania Garcia

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

On this planet the development of life requires six essential elements: C, H, O, N, P, and S. These elements are present in gaseous form, with the exception of phosphorus, which is primarily found in solid mineral sources. Phosphorus in biological systems is significant through its involvement in metabolic functions (e.g., Coenzyme A), cell structure (i.e., phospholipid membranes), and genetic storage/transfer (i.e., phosphodiester bonds in DNA and RNA). However, an ambiguity remains with the assimilation of phosphorus in biological systems, caused by its habitual presence in insoluble phosphate mineral sources. Recent research has found that insoluble phosphate …

Dust Condensation In Evolving Discs And The Composition Of Planetary Building Blocks, Min Li, Shichun Huang, Michail I. Petaev, Zhaohuan Zhu, Jason H. Steffen

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Partial condensation of dust from the Solar nebula is likely responsible for the diverse chemical compositions of chondrites and rocky planets/planetesimals in the inner Solar system. We present a forward physical–chemical model of a protoplanetary disc to predict the chemical compositions of planetary building blocks that may form from such a disc. Our model includes the physical evolution of the disc and the condensation, partial advection, and decoupling of the dust within it. The chemical composition of the condensate changes with time and radius. We compare the results of two dust condensation models: one where an element condenses when the …

Discovering New Strong Gravitational Lenses In The Desi Legacy Imaging Surveys, Xiaosheng Huang, Christopher Storfer, A. Gu, V. Ravi, A. Pilon, W. Sheu, R. Venguswamy, S. Bankda, A. Dey, M. Landriau, D. Lang, A. Meisner, J. Moustakas, A. D. Myers, R. Sajith, E. F. Schlafly, D. J. Schlegel

Physics and Astronomy

We have conducted a search for new strong gravitational lensing systems in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys’ Data Release 8. We use deep residual neural networks, building on previous work presented in Huang et al. (2020). These surveys together cover approximately one third of the sky visible from the northern hemisphere, reaching a z-band AB magnitude of ∼ 22.5. We compile a training sample that consists of known lensing systems as well as non-lenses in the Legacy Surveys and the Dark Energy Survey. After applying our trained neural networks to the survey data, we visually inspect and …

Determining The Rotational And Orbital Velocities Of Objects In The Solar System, Mark Jones

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Astronomers have been observing the night sky for many centuries to establish a better understanding for our universe and solar system. As part of their observations, astronomers characterize celestial bodies by fundamental properties such as mass, motion, and composition in order to provide further insight about the objects in question. As technology and science have evolved, the methods for measuring these properties have become more precise and accurate. One such methodology is known as spectroscopy, and it is a significant tool for observational astronomy. In this paper, we shall describe how we used astronomical spectroscopy to determine orbital and rotational …

Formation Pathways In Brightest Cluster Galaxies: Measuring The Distribution Of Ages, Metallicities, And Hydrodynamics Of Stellar Populations, Priscilla E. Holguin West

Physics

Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) are the most massive galaxies in the local universe and have had the full age of the universe to build. This makes their formation and evolution history particularly interesting as they offer a glimpse at potential evolutionary pathways for younger systems. We present the radial profile of ages, metallicities, and preliminary classification of companions to 23 BCGs observed using the SparsePak instrument on WIYN by running the STARLIGHT stellar population synthesis models. This analysis of the BCGs’ stellar populations is done by separating each BCG into different regions, and preliminary results of the stellar populations for …

Applying The Optimal Estimation Method For Retrieving Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar Temperatures In The Mesosphere, Jonathan Price, Robert Sica, Ali Jalali

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Rayleigh-scatter lidar (RSL) system at the Atmospheric Lidar Observatory at Utah State University (ALO-USU) provided a rich database of absolute temperatures throughout the mesosphere from 45 km to above 90 km between 1993 and 2004. Recently, a new method for retrieving absolute temperatures from RSL observations has been developed by a group at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), Canada. The Optimal Estimation Method (OEM) uses machine learning to minimize a cost function by optimizing the temperature parameter in a forward model, in our case the lidar equation, to RSL data. This optimization provides some benefits over the existing …

Extreme Ultraviolet Application Of Carbon Nanotube Structures, Scott Olsen, Richard Vanfleet, David Allred, Steve Turley

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Windows for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sources are challenging because of the lack of transparent materials in these wavelengths. Thus, differential pumping apertures and slits are standard. Our group has developed a carbon nanotube (CNT) window consisting of a dense array of square holes. The open area allows a large range of wavelengths to be transmitted, and the high density of holes restricts gas flow, allowing a large pressure difference with differential pumping. The versatility of CNTs allows us to select the peak transmission and pressure ratio (low/high). We have observed pressure ratios of 0.000924, 0.000667, 0.000494, and 0.00118 for air …

Great Salt Lake Halophilic Archaea As A Model For Possible Extant Life On Mars, Alex J. Breda, Michael J. Regan Jr.

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Expansive evaporite mineral deposits and other geological features on Mars are evidence of ancient lacustrine systems before the planet experienced global climatic change (~3.5 Ga). On Mars, as the surface water dried up, hypersaline lakes would have filled the ancient lake basins. On Earth, the Bonneville Basin, in the western United States, tells a similar story in a more recent timeframe. Today, the bottom of this basin is the modern Great Salt Lake (GSL) and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Evaporation of this freshwater lake left large evaporitic mineral deposits that continually supply salt to modern GSL. Parts of the lake …

Towards Gross-Pitaevskiian Description Of Solar System & Galaxies, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto, Yunita Umniyati

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this paper, we argue that Gross-Pitaevskii model can be a more complete description of both solar system and spiral galaxies, especially taking into account the nature of chirality and vortices in galaxies. We also hope to bring out some correspondence among existing models, e.g., the topological vortex approach, Burgers equation in the light of KAM theory, and the Cantorian Navier-Stokes approach. We hope further investigation can be done around this line of approach.

Neusch Automated Filter System: A Custom-Designed Photo-Filter Switching Apparatus For Embry-Riddle’S 1 Meter Telescope, Tyler Neusch

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The one-meter telescope on the roof of Embry-Riddle’s College of Arts and Sciences building in Daytona Beach, FL is an advanced piece of technology supporting education and public outreach. One part of this telescopic system is a custom-made Cassegrain Instrument Mount. This one-of-a-kind mount allows for multiple scientific instruments to be simultaneously mounted to the telescope. However, its mechanical layout prevents the use of a traditional device known as a filter wheel.

Filter wheels store multiple photo-filters each capable of filtering out all but certain wavelengths of light for use with a CCD camera. Therefore, a filter wheel allows the …

Searching For Optical Counterparts To Gravitational Waves, Richard Camuccio

Theses and Dissertations

The era of multi-messenger astronomy has begun. The coordinated activities of multiple, distinct observatories play a critical role in both responding to astrophysical transients and building a more comprehensive interpretation otherwise inaccessible to individual observations. The Transient Robotic Observatory of the South (TOROS) Collaboration has a global network of instruments capable of responding to several transient targets of opportunity. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how optical observatories with small fields of view (degree) can follow up and observe astrophysical transients. TOROS facilities responded to three unique gravitational wave events during the second and third observational campaigns of …

Fingerprints Of Binary Black Hole Formation Channels Encoded In The Mass And Spin Of Merger Remnants, Manuel Arca Sedda, Michaela Mapelli, Mario Spera, Matthew Benacquista, Nicola Giacobbo

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Binary black holes (BBHs) are thought to form in different environments, including the galactic field and (globular, nuclear, young, and open) star clusters. Here, we propose a method to estimate the fingerprints of the main BBH formation channels associated with these different environments. We show that the metallicity distribution of galaxies in the local universe along with the relative amount of mergers forming in the field or in star clusters determine the main properties of the BBH population. Our fiducial model predicts that the heaviest merger to date, GW170729, originated from a progenitor that underwent 2–3 merger events in a …

Characterizing Plasma With Emission Tomography-Feasibility Study On Synthetic And Experimental Data, M. Nikolić, A. Samolov, A. Godunov, L. Vušković,, S. Popović

Physics Faculty Publications

We present a feasibility study on different tomographic algorithms to overcome the issues of finite sets of projection data, limited viewing angles, and noisy data, which cause the tomographic reconstruction to be an ill-posed inversion problem. We investigated three approaches: single angle Abel inversion, two angle approach, and multiple angle 2D plasma tomography. These methods were tested on symmetric and asymmetric sample functions and on experimental results from a supersonic flowing argon microwave plasma sustained in a cylindrical quartz cavity. The analysis focused on the afterglow region of the microwave flow where a plasmoid-like formation was observed. We investigated the …

Understanding Ice Mixtures Under Pluto Simulated Conditions And Their Implications For Geophysical Processes, Caitlin Joannah Ahrens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

New Horizons at Pluto has given the planetary science community the first images of Pluto’s surface, including geologic wonders and compositional variability. Methane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide make up the bulk of the volatile plutonian surface along with water ice. In this work, these three main volatiles are specifically investigated in the laboratory setting to understand the spectral properties and behavior of binary and ternary mixtures. The spectra are taken in the near-infrared wavelengths (1 – 2.5 µm) using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques utilizing the Pluto Simulation Chamber housed at the University of Arkansas, which can reach conditions …

Constraining Neutron Star Nuclear Equations Of State Based On Observational Data, Alexander Clevinger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

This project analyzes recent observational data of neutron stars. It uses this to data to constrain nuclear equations of state proposed by Oter. et al. based on the maximum masses proposed by these equations of state. I do this by using numerical integration of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equation to provide equilibrium states for each proposed EoS.

Analytic Exoplanet Transit Analysis, And Investigation Into Wasp, Kepler, And Qatar Systems, Colan Gulla

College Honors Program

In this paper we analyze exoplanet transit data. First, we discuss an analytical method of assessing the data similar to the one derived in Agol & Mandel, 2002¹. The time series photometric data for transits used in this paper was downloaded from the NASA Exoplanet Archive. Similar data was also extracted from the Exoplanet Transit Database for analysis. We use a formula for relative flux from Agol & Mandel, 2002¹ to study the specific transit systems of WASP 1b, WASP 12b, Kepler 1, Qatar 1b and TRES-1b. The formula for relative flux is fit to a set …

Near-Infrared Variability In Dusty White Dwarfs: Tracing The Accretion Of Planetary Material, Laura K. Rogers, Siyi Xu, Amy Bonsor, Simon Hodgkin, Kate Y.L. Su, Ted Von Hippel, Michael Jura

Publications

The inwards scattering of planetesimals towards white dwarfs is expected to be a stochastic process with variability on human time-scales. The planetesimals tidally disrupt at the Roche radius, producing dusty debris detectable as excess infrared emission. When sufficiently close to the white dwarf, this debris sublimates and accretes on to the white dwarf and pollutes its atmosphere. Studying this infrared emission around polluted white dwarfs can reveal how this planetary material arrives in their atmospheres. We report a near-infrared monitoring campaign of 34 white dwarfs with infrared excesses with the aim to search for variability in the dust emission. Time …

Tracing The Anemic Stellar Halo Of M 101, In Sung Jang, Roelof S. De Jong, Benne W. Holwerda, Antonela Monachesi, Eric F. Bell, Jeremy Bailin

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Models of galaxy formation in a cosmological context predict that massive disk galaxies should have structured extended stellar halos. Recent studies in integrated light, however, report that a few galaxies, including the nearby disk galaxy M 101, have no measurable stellar halos to the detection limit. We aim to quantify the stellar content and structure of M 101's outskirts by resolving its stars. We present the photometry of its stars based on deep F606W and F814W images taken with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as part of the GHOSTS survey. The HST fields are placed along the east and west sides …

Mergers Trigger Active Galactic Nuclei Out To Z ∼0.6, F. Gao, L. Wang, W. J. Pearson, Y. A. Gordon, Benne W. Holwerda, A. M. Hopkins, M. J.I. Brown, J. Bland-Hawthorn, M. S. Owers

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Aims. The fueling and feedback of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are important for understanding the co-evolution between black holes and host galaxies. Mergers are thought to have the capability to bring gas inward and ignite nuclear activity, especially for more powerful AGNs. However, there is still significant ongoing debate on whether mergers can trigger AGNs and, if they do, whether mergers are a significant triggering mechanism. Methods. We selected a low-redshift (0.005  <   z  <   0.1) sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and a high-redshift (0  <   z  <   0.6) sample from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey. We took advantage of the convolutional neural network technique to identify mergers. We used mid-infrared (MIR) color cut and optical emission line diagnostics to classify AGNs. We also included low excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) to investigate the connection between mergers and low accretion rate AGNs. Results. We find that AGNs are more likely to be found in mergers than non-mergers, with an AGN excess up to 1.81 ± 0.16, suggesting that mergers can trigger AGNs. We also find that the fraction of mergers in AGNs is higher than that in non-AGN controls, for both MIR and optically selected AGNs, as well as LERGs, with values between 16.40 ± 0.5% and 39.23 ± 2.10%, implying a non-negligible to potentially significant role of mergers in triggering AGNs. This merger fraction in AGNs increases as stellar mass increases, which supports the idea that mergers are more important for triggering AGNs in more massive galaxies. In terms of merger fraction as a function of AGN power we find a positive trend for MIR selected AGNs and a complex trend for optically selected AGNs, which we interpret under an evolutionary scenario proposed by previous studies. In addition, obscured MIR selected AGNs are more likely to be hosted in mergers than unobscured MIR selected AGNs.

Updated Parameters And A New Transmission Spectrum Of Hd 97658b, Xueying Guo, Ian J. M. Crossfield, Diana Dragomir, Molly Kosiarek, Joshua Lothringer, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Lee J. Rosenthal, Björn Benneke, Heather Knutson, Paul A. Dalba, Eliza M. R. Kempton, Gregory W. Henry, Peter R. Mccullough, Travis Barman, Sarah C. Blunt, Ashley Chontos, Jonathan J. Fortney, Benjamin Fulton, Lea A. Hirsch, Andrew W. Howard, Howard Isaacson, Jaymie Matthews, Teo Mocnik, Caroline Morley, Erik A. Petigura, Lauren M. Weiss

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Recent years have seen increasing interest in the characterization of sub-Neptune-sized planets because of their prevalence in the Galaxy, contrasted with their absence in our solar system. HD 97658 is one of the brightest stars hosting a planet of this kind, and we present the transmission spectrum of this planet by combining four Hubble Space Telescope transits, 12 Spitzer/IRAC transits, and eight MOST transits of this system. Our transmission spectrum has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than those from previous works, and the result suggests that the slight increase in transit depth from wavelength 1.1–1.7 μm reported in previous works on …

Swift Spectroscopy Of The Accretion Disk Wind In The Black Hole Gro J1655-40, M. Balakrishnan, J. M. Miller, N. Trueba, M. Reynolds, J. Raymond, Daniel Proga, A. C. Fabian, T. Kallman, J. Kaastra

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Chandra obtained two High Energy Transmission Grating spectra of the stellar-mass black hole GRO J1655−40 during its 2005 outburst, revealing a rich and complex disk wind. Soon after its launch, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory began monitoring the same outburst. Some X-ray Telescope (XRT) observations were obtained in a mode that makes it impossible to remove strong Mn calibration lines, so the Fe Kα line region in the spectra was previously neglected. However, these lines enable a precise calibration of the energy scale, facilitating studies of the absorption-dominated disk wind and its velocity shifts. Here we present fits to 15 …

Sensory-Friendly Show Set To Return At Staerkel Planetarium, Erik Johnson

Natural Science Faculty

When most people come to the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College for a show, they are greeted by a 50-foot dome and the impressive – but imposing – Zeiss star projector. As the programs begin, the lights get dimmer than they would in a movie theater, which may briefly create an environment that can be distressing for some guests, particularly if they are sensitive to significant sensory changes.

However, on February 29, the Staerkel Planetarium took a different approach and hosted its first ever sensory-friendly shows with the goal of providing a more welcoming experience for members of …

Predictions And Outcomes For The Dynamics Of Rotating Galaxies, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

A review is given of a priori predictions made for the dynamics of rotating galaxies. One theory-MOND-has had many predictions corroborated by subsequent observations. While it is sometimes possible to offer post hoc explanations for these observations in terms of dark matter, it is seldom possible to use dark matter to predict the same phenomena.

Optical To Near-Infrared Transmission Spectrum Of The Warm Sub-Saturn Hat-P-12b, Ian Wong, Björn Benneke, Peter Gao, Heather Knutson, Yayaati Chachan, Gregory W. Henry, Drake Deming, Tiffany Kataria, Elspeth K. H. Lee, Nikolay Nikolov, David K. Sing, Gilda E. Ballester, Nathaniel J. Baskin, Hannah R. Wakeford, Michael H. Williamson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We present the transmission spectrum of HAT-P-12b through a joint analysis of data obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Wide Field Camera 3 and Spitzer, covering the wavelength range 0.3–5.0 μm. We detect a muted water vapor absorption feature at 1.4 μm attenuated by clouds, as well as a Rayleigh scattering slope in the optical indicative of small particles. We interpret the transmission spectrum using both the state-of-the-art atmospheric retrieval code SCARLET and the aerosol microphysics model CARMA. These models indicate that the atmosphere of HAT-P-12b is consistent with a broad range of metallicities between …

Observations Of Binary Stars With The Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. Ix. Observations Of Known And Suspected Binaries, And A Partial Survey Of Be Stars, Elliott P. Horch, Gerard T. Van Belle, James W. Davidson Jr., Daryl W. Willmarth, Francis C. Fekel, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Dana I. Casetti-Dinescu, Frederick W. Hahne, Nicole M. Granucci, Catherine A. Clark, Jennifer G. Winters, Justin D. Rupert, Samuel A. Weiss, Nicole M. Colton, Daniel A. Nusdeo, Todd J. Henry

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We report 370 measures of 170 components of binary and multiple-star systems, obtained from speckle imaging observations made with the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel Telescope in 2015 through 2017. Of the systems studied, 147 are binary stars, 10 are seen as triple systems, and 1 quadruple system is measured. Seventy-six high-quality nondetections and 15 newly resolved components are presented in our observations. The uncertainty in relative astrometry appears to be similar to our previous work at Lowell, namely, linear measurement uncertainties of approximately 2 mas, and the relative photometry appears to be uncertain at the …

Alma 0.88 Mm Survey Of Disks Around Planetary-Mass Companions, Ya-Lin Wu, Brendan P. Bowler, Patrick D. Sheehan, Sean M. Andrews, Gregory J. Herczeg, Adam L. Kraus, Luca Ricci, David J. Wilner, Zhaohuan Zhu

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Characterizing the physical properties and compositions of circumplanetary disks can provide important insights into the formation of giant planets and satellites. We report Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 0.88 mm (Band 7) continuum observations of six planetary-mass (10–20 M Jup) companions: CT Cha b, 1RXS 1609 b, ROXs 12 b, ROXs 42B b, DH Tau b, and FU Tau b. No continuum sources are detected at the locations of the companions down to 3σ limits of 120–210 μJy. Given these nondetections, it is not clear whether disks around planetary-mass companions indeed follow the disk-flux–host-mass trend in the stellar regime. The faint …

Automated Spectroscopic Detection And Mapping Using Alma And Machine Learningtechniques, Steven Cocke, Andrew Wilkins, Josephine Mcdaniel, John Santerre, Conor Nixon

SMU Data Science Review

In this paper we present a methodology for automating theclassification of spectrally resolved observations of multiple emissionlines with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).Molecules in planetary atmospheres emit or absorb different wavelengthsof light thereby providing a unique signature for each species. ALMAdata were taken from interferometric observations of Titan made be-tween UT 2012 July 03 23:22:14 and 2012 July 04 01:06:18 as part ofALMA project 2011.0.00319.S. We first employed a greedy set cover algorithm to identify the most probable molecules that would reproducethe set of frequencies with respective flux greater than 3σaway from themean. We then selected a subset of …

Detection Of Na, K, And H2o In The Hazy Atmosphere Of Wasp-6b, Aarynn L. Carter, Nikolay Nikolov, David K. Sing, Munazza K. Alam, Jayesh M. Goyal, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Hannah R. Wakeford, Gregory W. Henry, Sam Morrell, Mercedes López-Morales, Barry Smalley, Panayotis Lavvas, Joanna K. Barstow, Antonio García Muñoz, Neale P. Gibson, Paul A. Wilson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We present new observations of the transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-6b both from the ground with the Very Large Telescope FOcal Reducer and Spectrograph (FORS2) from 0.45 to 0.83 μm, and space with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite from 0.6 to 1.0 μm and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 from 1.12 to 1.65 μm. Archival data from the HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Spitzer are also re-analysed on a common Gaussian process framework, of which the STIS data show a good overall agreement with the overlapping FORS2 data. We also explore the …

Collective Neutrino Flavor Oscillations In Multiple Dimensions And Scales, Joshua D. Martin

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Hot and dense astrophysical environments such as the early universe, core collapse novae and binary neutron star mergers generate dense neutrino gases which can sub- sequently have an important effect on processes which occur in these environments. In this thesis we will present the results from several numerical simulations of these gases particularly in cases which are relevant to core collapse supernovae. These simulations employ fewer imposed spatial symmetries than those used in earlier works, and provide insight into behavior which may be expected to occur in three key regions of the explosion. We observe that when the neutrino gas …

Optics Observatory Conversion From Solar To Stellar, Nicholas Schragal, Logan Curtis, Astronomy Club

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.