Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Gwtc-2: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed By Ligo And Virgo During The First Half Of The Third Observing Run, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, A. Adams, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, S. Akcay, G. Allen, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We report on gravitational-wave discoveries from compact binary coalescences detected by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo in the first half of the third observing run (O3a) between 1 April 2019 15:00 UTC and 1 October 2019 15:00 UTC. By imposing a false-alarm-rate threshold of two per year in each of the four search pipelines that constitute our search, we present 39 candidate gravitational-wave events. At this threshold, we expect a contamination fraction of less than 10%. Of these, 26 candidate events were reported previously in near-real time through gamma-ray coordinates network notices and circulars; 13 are reported here for the …

Diving Below The Spin-Down Limit: Constraints On Gravitational Waves From The Energetic Young Pulsar Psr J0537-6910, Ligo Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, Kagra Collaboration, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We present a search for quasi-monochromatic gravitational-wave signals from the young, energetic X-ray pulsar PSR J0537−6910 using data from the second and third observing runs of LIGO and Virgo. The search is enabled by a contemporaneous timing ephemeris obtained using Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) data. The NICER ephemeris has also been extended through 2020 October and includes three new glitches. PSR J0537−6910 has the largest spin-down luminosity of any pulsar and exhibits fRequent and strong glitches. Analyses of its long-term and interglitch braking indices provide intriguing evidence that its spin-down energy budget may include gravitational-wave emission from a …

Approaching The Motional Ground State Of A 10-Kg Object, Chris Whittle, E. D. Hall, S. E. Dwyer, N. Mavalvala, Vivishek Sudhir, R. Abbott, A. Ananyeva, C. Austin, L. Barsotti, Karla E. Ramirez

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The motion of a mechanical object— even a human-sized object— should be governed by the rules of quantum mechanics. Coaxing them into a quantum state is, however, difficult: the thermal environment effectively masks any quantum signature of the object’s motion. Indeed, it also masks effects of proposed modifications of quantum mechanics at large mass scales. We prepare the center-of-mass motion of a 10 kg mechanical oscillator in a state with an average phonon occupation of 10.8. The reduction in oscillator temperature, from room temperature to 77 nK, represents a 100-fold improvement in the reduction of temperature of a solid-state mechanical …

Radio Diagnostics Of Particles And Plasma In The Solar Corona, Sherry Chhabra

Dissertations

Radio diagnostics, in addition to their capabilities in exploring intense, impulsive bursts, also provide a high sensitivity to much weaker events, which may not show any substantial signature in other wavelengths.

The initial case study examines a complex event consisting of multiple radio sources/bursts associated with a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) and an M 2.1 class solar flare (SOL2015-09-20). ‘First-light’ data from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory–Long Wavelength Array is put in context with observations from Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, along with the WAVES radio spectrograph onboard WIND, the Expanded Owens Valley …

Global Mhd And Acoustic Solar Modeling And Helioseismic Analysis, Andrey M. Stejko

Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamic simulations have become one of the most prolific avenues of study in the fields of solar and stellar physics within the last several decades. With the advent of ever increasing computing power, high-definition global models of the Sun have become indispensable in understanding the complex and chaotic nature of flows in the solar interior, as well as their impact on the evolution of the global solar dynamo. The mechanisms that connect the generation of the toroidal magnetic field at the base of the convection zone to the emergence of a poloidal field onto the solar surface can …

A Consistent Model Of Terrestrial Planet Magnetospheres And Rotations In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu

Publications and Research

The Sun comprises 99.9% of the solar system mass so it is expected that Sun terrestrial planet interactions can influence the motion as well as the rotation of the terrestrial planets.Gravity affects the planet orbital motions while the changing magnetic fields of the Sun can influence the planet rotations. Planets that manifest a magnetic field dominate any weaker magnetic fields from the Sun, but the rotation of terrestrial planets without a magnetic field interacts with the changing Sun’s field dependent on the electrical conductivity of the core region. It is determined that the average planet density becomes a useful quantity …

Mass And Density Of The Transiting Hot And Rocky Super-Earth Lhs 1478 B (Toi-1640 B), M. G. Soto, G. Anglada-Escudé, S. Dreizler, K. Molaverdikhani, J. Kemmer, C. Rodríguez-López, J. Lillo-Box, E. Pallé, N. Espinoza, J. A. Caballero, A. Quirrenbach, I. Ribas, A. Reiners, N. Narita, T. Hirano, P. J. Amado, V. J. S. Béjar, P. Bluhm, C. J. Burke, D. A. Caldwell, D. Charbonneau, R. Cloutier, K. A. Collins, M. Cortés-Contreras, E. Girardin, P. Guerra, H. Harakawa, A. P. Hatzes, J. Irwin, J. M. Jenkins, Eric L.N. Jensen, K. Kawauchi, T. Kotani, T. Kudo, M. Kunimoto, M. Kuzuhara, D. W. Latham, D. Montes, J. C. Morales, M. Mori, R. P. Nelson, M. Omiya, S. Pedraz, V. M. Passegger, B. V. Rackham, A. Rudat, J. E. Schlieder, P. Schöfer, A. Schweitzer, A. Selezneva, C. Stockdale, M. Tamura, T. Trifonov, R. Vanderspek, D. Watanabe

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

One of the main objectives of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is the discovery of small rocky planets around relatively bright nearby stars. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of the transiting super-Earth planet orbiting LHS 1478 (TOI-1640). The star is an inactive red dwarf (J ~ 9.6 mag and spectral type m3 V) with mass and radius estimates of 0.20 ± 0.01M⊙ and 0.25 ± 0.01R⊙, respectively, and an effective temperature of 3381 ± 54 K. It was observed by TESS in four sectors. These data revealed a transit-like feature with a period of 1.949 days. …

Deep Extragalactic Visible Legacy Survey (Devils): Sed Fitting In The D10-Cosmos Field And The Evolution Of The Stellar Mass Function And Sfr–M⋆ Relation, Jessica E. Thorne, Aaron S G Robotham, Luke J M Davies, Sabine Bellstedt, Simon P. Driver, Matías Bravo, Malcolm N. Bremer, Benne Holwerda, Andrew M. Hopkins, Claudia Del P Lagos, Steven Phillipps, Malgorzata Siudek, Edward N. Taylor, Angus H. Wright

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We present catalogues of stellar masses, star formation rates (SFRs), and ancillary stellar population parameters for galaxies spanning 0 < z < 9 from the Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS). DEVILS is a deep spectroscopic redshift survey with very high completeness, covering several premier deep fields including COSMOS (D10). Our stellar mass and SFR estimates are self-consistently derived using the spectral energy distribution (SED) modelling code PROSPECT, using well-motivated parametrizations for dust attenuation, star formation histories, and metallicity evolution. We show how these improvements, and especially our physically motivated assumptions about metallicity evolution, have an appreciable systematic effect on the inferred stellar masses, at the level of ∼0.2 dex. To illustrate the scientific value of these data, we map the evolving galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) and the SFR–M_⋆ relation for 0 < z < 4.25. In agreement with past studies, we find that most of the evolution in the SMF is driven by the characteristic density parameter, with little evolution in the characteristic mass and low-mass slopes. Where the SFR–M_⋆ relation is indistinguishable from a power law at z > 2.6, we see evidence of a bend in the relation at low redshifts (z < 0.45). This suggests evolution in both the normalization and shape of the SFR–M_⋆ relation since cosmic noon. It is significant that we only clearly see this bend when combining our new DEVILS measurements with consistently derived values for lower redshift galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey: this shows the power of …

Interferometric Imaging Of Λ Andromedae: Evidence Of Starspots And Rotation, J. Robert Parks, Russel J. White, Frédérique Baron, John D. Monnier, Brian Kloppenborg, Gregory W. Henry, Gail Schaefer, Xiao Che, Ettore Pedretti, Nathalie Thureau, Ming Zhao, Theo Ten Brummelaar, Harold Mcalister, Stephen T. Ridgway, Nils Turner, Judit Sturmann, Laszlo Sturmann

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Presented are the first interferometric images of cool starspots on the chromospherically active giant λ Andromedae. Using the Michigan Infra-Red Combiner coupled to the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy Array, 26 interferometric observations were made between 2008 August 17 and 2011 September 24. The photometric time series acquired at Fairborn Observatory spanning 2008 September 20 to 2011 January 20 is also presented. The angular diameter and power-law limb-darkening coefficient of this star are 2.759 ± 0.050 mas and 0.229 ± 0.111, respectively. Starspot properties are obtained from both modeled and SQUEEZE reconstructed images. The images from 2010 through 2011 …

Keep Watch For Two Eclipses In Next Few Weeks, Erik Johnson

Natural Science Faculty

Skywatchers have a chance to see two eclipses over the next few weeks. A solar or a lunar eclipse can occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are lined up in space. During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching Earth. When Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the full Moon in a lunar eclipse, it looks much dimmer at night and may appear red.

Hot Planets Around Cool Stars – Two Short-Period Mini-Neptunes Transiting The Late K-Dwarf Toi-1260, I. Y. Georgieva, C. M. Persson, O. Barragán, G. Nowak, M. Fridlund, D. Locci, E. Palle, R. Luque, I. Carleo, D. Gandolfi, S. R. Kane, J. Korth, K. G. Stassun, J. Livingston, E. C. Matthews, K. A. Collins, S. B. Howell, L. M. Serrano, S. Albrecht, A. Bieryla, C. E. Brasseur, D. Ciardi, W. D. Cochran, K. D. Colon, I. J. M. Crossfield, S. Csizmadia, H. J. Deeg, M. Esposito, E. Furlan, T. Gan, E. Goffo, E. Gonzales, S. Grziwa, E. W. Guenther, P. Guerra, T. Hirano, J. M. Jenkins, Eric L.N. Jensen, P. Kabáth, E. Knudstrup, K. W. F. Lam, D. W. Latham, A. M. Levine, R. A. Matson, S. Mcdermott, H. L. M. Osborne, M. Paegert, S. N. Quinn, S. Redfield, G. R. Ricker, J. E. Schlieder, N. J. Scott, S. Seager, A. M. S. Smith, P. Tenenbaum, J. D. Twicken, R. Vanderspek, V. Van Eylen, J. N. Winn

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We present the discovery and characterization of two sub-Neptunes in close orbits, as well as a tentative outer planet of a similar size, orbiting TOI-1260 – a low metallicity K6 Vdwarf star. Photometry from TESS yields radii of Rb = 2.33 ± 0.10 R⊕ and Rc = 2.82 ± 0.15 R⊕, and periods of 3.13 and 7.49 days for TOI-1260 b and TOI-1260 c, respectively. We combined the TESS data with a series of ground-based follow-up observations to characterize the planetary system. From HARPS-N high-precision radial velocities we obtain Mb =8.6+1.4−1.5 M⊕ and Mc =11.8+3.4−3.2 M⊕. The star is moderately …

Energy Requirements For Abiotic Production Of Phosphorous Compounds At The Ice-Schreibersite Interface, Lindsay M. Hicks

Symposium of Student Scholars

Energy Requirements for Abiotic Production of Phosphorous Compounds at the

Ice-Schreibersite Interface

The Abbott-Lyon Lab is investigating the chemistry at the interface of simple ices and a meteoritic mineral analogue. Phosphorous is a key component of numerous biomolecules necessary for life. Lack of an abundance of biologically accessible mineral sources of phosphates on Earth, termed “The Phosphorous Problem,” has led some origin-of-life scientists to look to extraterrestrial sources like meteoritic metal phosphides as possible sources of available phosphates. Schreibersite (Fe₂NiP) is a common mineral in iron meteorites and a plausible source of biologically accessible phosphorous. This study will …

Population Properties Of Compact Objects From The Second Ligo-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, A. Adams, C. Adams, R. X. Adhikari, V. B. Adya, C. Affeldt, M. Agathos, K. Agatsuma, N. Aggarwal, O. D. D. Aguiar, L. Aiello, A. Ain, P. Ajith, G. Allen, A. Allocca, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We report on the population of 47 compact binary mergers detected with a false-alarm rate of (BBH) population not discernible until now. First, the primary mass spectrum contains structure beyond a power law with a sharp high-mass cutoff; it is more consistent with a broken power law with a break at 39.7-+9.120.3 M? or a power law with a Gaussian feature peaking at 33.1-+5.64.0 M? (90% credible interval). While the primary mass distribution must extend to ~65 M? or beyond, only 2.9-+1.73.5% of systems have primary masses greater than 45 M?. Second, we find that a fraction of BBH systems …

Photochemistry Of Nh2No2 And Implications For Chemistry In The Atmosphere, Vincent J. Esposito, Tarek Trabelsi, Joseph S. Francisco

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Recent studies have indicated that nitramide (NH₂NO₂) may be formed more plentifully in the atmosphere than previously thought, while also being a missing source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O) via catalyzed isomerization. To validate the importance of NH₂NO₂ in the Earth’s atmosphere, the ground and first electronic excited states of NH₂NO₂ were characterized and its photochemistry was investigated using multireference and coupled cluster methods. NH₂NO₂ is non-planar and of singlet multiplicity in the ground state while exhibiting large out-of-plane rotation in the triplet …

Population Properties Of Compact Objects From The Second Ligo–Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, S. Abraham, Ofek Birnholtz, F. Acernese, Teviet Creighton, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Karla E. Ramirez, W. H. Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on the population of 47 compact binary mergers detected with a false-alarm rate of < in the second LIGO–Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog. We observe several characteristics of the merging binary black hole (BBH) population not discernible until now. First, the primary mass spectrum contains structure beyond a power law with a sharp high-mass cutoff; it is more consistent with a broken power law with a break at or a power law with a Gaussian feature peaking at (90% credible interval). While the primary mass distribution must extend to or beyond, only of systems have primary masses greater than . Second, we find that a fraction of BBH systems have component spins misaligned with the orbital angular momentum, giving rise to precession of the orbital plane. Moreover, %–% of BBH systems have spins tilted by more than 90°, giving rise to a negative effective inspiral spin parameter, . Under the assumption that such systems can only be formed by dynamical interactions, we infer that between 25% and 93% of BBHs with nonvanishing are dynamically assembled. Third, we estimate merger rates, finding for BBHs and for binary neutron stars. We find that the BBH rate likely increases with redshift ( credibility) but not faster than the star formation rate ( credibility). Additionally, we examine recent exceptional events in the context of our population models, finding that the asymmetric masses of GW190412 and the high component masses of GW190521 are consistent with our models, but the low secondary mass of GW190814 makes it an outlier.

Cloud Busting: Enstatite And Quartz Clouds In The Atmosphere Of 2m2224-0158, Ben Burningham, Jacqueline K. Faherty, Eileen C. Gonzales, Mark S. Marley, Channon Visscher, Roxana Lupu, Josefine Gaarn, Michelle Fabienne Bieger, Richard Freedman, Didier Saumon

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

We present the most detailed data-driven exploration of cloud opacity in a substellar object to-date. We have tested over 60 combinations of cloud composition and structure, particle-size distribution, scattering model, and gas phase composition assumptions against archival 1–15μm spectroscopy for the unusually red L4.5 dwarf 2MASSW J2224438-015852 using the Brewster retrieval framework. We find that, within our framework, a model that includes enstatite and quartz cloud layers at shallow pressures, combined with a deep iron cloud deck fits the data best. This model assumes a Hansen distribution for particle sizes for each cloud, and Mie scattering. We retrieved particle effective …

Solvent Effect To The Uniformity Of Surfactant-Free Salmon-Dna Thin Films, Jake Richter, Moses Nnaji, Heungman Park

Faculty Publications

Fabrication of surfactant-modified DNA thin films with high uniformity, specifically DNA–CTMA, has been well considered via drop-casting and spin-coating techniques. However, the fabrication of thin films with pure DNA has not been sufficiently studied. We characterize the uniformity of thin films from aqueous salmon DNA solutions mixed with ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, and acetone. Measurements of thickness and macroscopic uniformity are made via a focused-beam ellipsometer. We discuss important parameters for optimum uniformity and note what the effects of solvent modifications are. We find that methanol- and ethanol-added solutions provide optimal fabrication methods, which more consistently produce high degrees of uniformity …

Generalized Bms Algebra At Timelike Infinity, A. H. Anupam, Aniket Khairnar, Arpan Kundu

Faculty and Student Publications

BMS (Bondi-Metzner-Sachs) group (and its various generalizations) at null infinity has been studied extensively in the literature as the symmetry group of asymptotically flat spacetimes. The intricate relationship between soft theorems and the BMS symmetries has also motivated the definition of such asymptotic symmetries to timelike infinity [M. Campiglia, Null to time-like infinity Green's functions for asymptotic symmetries in Minkowski spacetime, J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2015) 160.]. Although the vector fields that generate the (generalized) BMS algebra at timelike infinity were defined in the literature, the algebra has not been investigated. In this paper. we fill this gap. We …

Supernova Neutrino Burst Detection With The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, B. Abi, R. Acciarri, M. A. Acero, G. Adamov, D. Adams, M. Adinolfi, Z. Ahmad, J. Ahmed, T. Alion, S. Alonso Monslave, C. Alt, J. Anderson, C. Andreopoulos, M. P. Andrews, F. Andrianala, S. Andringa, A. Ankowski, M. Antonova, S. Antusch, A. Aranda-Fernadez, Roberto Petti

Faculty Publications

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a 40-kton underground liquid argon time projection chamber experiment, will be sensitive to the electronneutrino flavor component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova. Such an observation will bring unique insight into the astrophysics of core collapse as well as into the properties of neutrinos. The general capabilities of DUNE for neutrino detection in the relevant few- to few-tens-of-MeV neutrino energy range will be described. As an example, DUNE’s ability to constrain the ν_e spectral parameters of the neutrino burst will be considered.

Late Amazonian Wind Regimes And Landscape Evolution In Northern Meridiani Planum, Mars, Thomas Stritch

Geology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Aeolian process have dominated the lower latitudes of Mars for billions of years. Aeolian landforms can act as records of current and past climates and landscape evolution processes. The etched deposits of Meridiani Planum, a vast suite of layered bedrock extending from southwest Arabia Terra to Schiaparelli crater, have long been noted to have been eroded by aeolian processes. However, little detailed work on the aeolian landforms of Meridiani Planum beyond the Opportunity rover landing site has been done. In this study, I examine wind streaks, aeolian bedforms (including dunes and large ripples), and yardangs in a valley about 370 …

Sampling Candidate Reionization Galaxies Using Spectral Energy Distribution Fitting, Nicholas J. Velikonja, Michael Rutkowski

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

The process of reionization is one of the major pieces of galaxy evolution which remain to be un- derstood. With new observational tools like JWST on the horizon, imaging reionization-era galaxies will soon be possible. However, because the ionizing radiation is absorbed by the neutral hydrogen it ionizes, observers need some other parameter by which to identify those galaxies capable of reionizing. The search for ionizing emission via related parameters is well underway, and has come up with some tentative correlations, yet a consistent indicator or set of indicators remains to be discovered. New data in the Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum …

Carrier Lifetime And Carrier Mobility Of Gaasn With Changing Nitrogen Concentration, Sun Gyu Park

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

In this work, we conducted Ultrafast Conductivity Measurements, using THz Spectroscopy to characterize the carrier mobility and the carrier lifetime of gallium arsenide nitride (GaAsN) thin films with a range of Nitrogen concentrations. The photoexcitation of semiconductor samples excites free charges by promoting electrons from the valence band to the conduction band. We then measure the change in conductivity by measuring the transmission of a THz electromagnetic pulse after photoexcitation and comparing with the signal that was measured without photoexcitation. The values of transmission are then converted into conductivity, from which we derive the carrier concentration and scattering time of …

Renewing The Paradigm: Simulating The Miso Region Electrical Grid Using Renewable Energy Generation With Implementation Of Long-Term Hydrogen Storage, Jackson C. Henningfield

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

The current electrical grid regime is not optimized to include renewable sources of power generation such as wind and solar. Electrical storage, as of now, is primarily established through the short-term generation and demand-meeting consumption leaving much of the grid susceptible to inefficiencies and power loss during natural events that leave grids out of commission. Delineating a new type of long-term storage, a hydrogen fuel cell, would ensure a reliable source of power to the masses regardless of the physical and climatic geography. The MISO region provides a perfect case study to introduce the ideas of diverse energy generation and …

Electrical Grid Energy Storage Using Hydrogen: A Feasibility Study, Elizabeth M. Curtiss

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

In this project, we studied the possibility of implementing hydrogen as energy storage. With the focus being on decarbonizing the grid, we looked at studies that were powered by renewable sources. In addition to utilizing renewable sources, we decided to study electrolysis as a way to produce hydrogen. Electrolysis is the splitting of water to obtain hydrogen and oxygen, which is a carbon free technique. Pulling from two different papers, we were able to construct an equation that modeled the levelized cost of producing hydrogen. We also calculated the levelized cost of a fuel cell too, with hydrogen as fuel. …

Tidal Deformability Of Strange Stars And The Gw170817 Event, Odilon Lourenço, Cesar H. Lenzi, Mariana Dutra, Efrain J. Ferrer, Vivian De La Incera, Laura Paulucci, J. E. Horvath

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

In this work we consider strange stars formed by quark matter in the color-flavor-locked (CFL) phase of color superconductivity. The CFL phase is described by a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with four-fermion vector and diquark interaction channels. The effect of the color superconducting medium on the gluons are incorporated into the model by including the gluon self-energy in the thermodynamic potential. We construct parametrizations of the model by varying the vector coupling GV and comparing the results to the data on tidal deformability from the GW170817 event, the observational data on maximum masses from massive pulsars such as the MSP J0740+6620, and …

Hst Pancet Program: Non-Detection Of Atmospheric Escape In The Warm Saturn-Sized Planet Wasp-29 B, Leonardo A. Dos Santos, Vincent Bourrier, David Ehrenreich, Jorge Sanz-Forcada, Mercedes López-Morales, David K. Sing, Antonio García Muñoz, Gregory W. Henry, Panayotis Lavvas, Alain Lecavelier, Thomas Mikal-Evans, Alfred Vidal-Madjar, Hannah R. Wakeford

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Short-period gas giant exoplanets are susceptible to intense atmospheric escape due to their large scale heights and strong high-energy irradiation. This process is thought to occur ubiquitously, but to date we have only detected direct evidence of atmospheric escape in hot Jupiters and warm Neptunes. The latter planets are particularly more sensitive to escape-driven evolution as a result of their lower gravities with respect to Jupiter-sized planets. But the paucity of cases for intermediate, Saturn-sized exoplanets at varying levels of irradiation precludes a detailed understanding of the underlying physics in atmospheric escape of hot gas giants. Aiming to address this …

Laplace's Equation In Fractional-Dimension Spaces, Kyle Schoener, Gabriele Varieschi

Honors Thesis

The correct way to model gravity is a question in physics whose answer continues to elude our understanding. One major difficulty is the dark matter problem, which exists due to the mass discrepancy between predicted and measured values in our universe. One possible solution to this problem is Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). MOND is an alternative gravity model that modifies Newtonian Dynamics with the hope to avoid the necessity of dark matter.

Dr. Varieschi has done work connecting MOND to Newtonian Fractional-Dimension Gravity—the application of fractional calculus and fractional mechanics to classical gravitation laws. In this formulation, we can consider …

Standard Non-Uniform Noise Dataset, Andres Imperial, John M. Edwards

Browse all Datasets

Fixed Pattern Noise Non-Uniformity Correction through K-Means Clustering

Fixed pattern noise removal from imagery by software correction is a practical approach compared to a physical hardware correction because it allows for correction post-capture of the imagery. Fixed pattern noise presents a unique challenge for de-noising techniques as the noise does not present itself where large number statistics are effective. Traditional noise removal techniques such as blurring or despeckling produce poor correction results because of a lack of noise identification. Other correction methods developed for fixed pattern noise can often present another problem of misidentification of noise. This problem can result …

Study Of Efficient Methods Of Detection And Reconstruction Of Gravitational Waves From Nonrotating 3d General Relativistic Core Collapse Supernovae Explosion Using Multilayer Signal Estimation Method, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Oscar Valdez

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

In the post-detection era of gravitational wave (GW) astronomy, core collapse supernovae (CCSN) are one of the most interesting potential sources of signals arriving at the Advanced LIGO detectors. Mukherjee et al. have developed and implemented a new method to search for GW signals from the CCSN search based on a multistage, high accuracy spectral estimation to effectively achieve higher detection signal to noise ratio (SNR). The study has been further enhanced by incorporation of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to significantly reduce false alarm rates (FAR). The combined pipeline is termed multilayer signal estimation (MuLaSE) that works in an …

Aztlán Del Sol, Marcus Zúñiga

Chamisa: A Journal of Literary, Performance, and Visual Arts of New Mexico and the Greater Southwest

An artistic writing developed from the themes and concepts of an of art installation made by a visual artist of Mexican-American descent from New Mexico. The work references the relationship of Aztec mythology to the American Southwest, art theoretical discourse in object oriented ontology and aesthetics, and key ideas in astronomy. Additionally interwoven is an expanded sense for interpreting ancestry and history under the constructs of multicultural conceptions of time, specifically cultures with notable spiritual rituals of Sun worship and observation.