Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Kibble-Zurek Scaling In Holographic Quantum Quench: Backreaction, Sumit R. Das, Takeshi Morita

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We study gauge and gravity backreaction in a holographic model of quantum quench across a superfluid critical transition. The model involves a complex scalar field coupled to a gauge and gravity field in the bulk. In earlier work (arXiv:1211.7076) the scalar field had a strong self-coupling, in which case the backreaction on both the metric and the gauge field can be ignored. In this approximation, it was shown that when a time dependent source for the order parameter drives the system across the critical point at a rate slow compared to the initial gap, the dynamics in the critical region …

Note: Improved Line Strengths Of Rovibrational And Rotational Transitions Within The X3Σ⁻ Ground State Of Nh, James S.A. Brooke, Peter F. Bernath, Colin M. Western

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Recently, a line list including positions and transition strengths was published for the NH X³Σ⁻ rovibrational and rotational transitions. The calculation of the transition strengths requires a conversion of transition matrix elements from Hund’s case (b) to (a). The method of this conversion has recently been improved during other work on the OH X²Π rovibrational transitions, by removing an approximation that was present previously. The adjusted method has been applied to the NH line list, resulting in more accurate transition strengths. An updated line list is presented that contains all possible transitions with v′ and …

Unmatter Plasma, Relativistic Oblique-Length Contraction Factor, Neutrosophic Diagram And Neutrosophic Degree Of Paradoxicity: Articles And Notes, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This book has four parts. In the first part, we collected five recent papers, published before in Progress in Physics, but reviewed. In the first paper, we approach a novel form of plasma, Unmatter Plasma. The electron-positron beam plasma was generated in the laboratory in the beginning of 2015. This experimental fact shows that unmatter, a new form of matter that is formed by matter and antimatter bind together (mathematically predicted a decade ago) really exists. That is the electron-positron plasma experiment of 2015 is the experimentum crucis verifying the mathematically predicted unmatter. In the second paper, we generalize the …

Astronomy 102 Stars, Galaxies, The Universe Fall 2015, Erik Johnson

Astronomy Courses

No abstract provided.

Astronomy 102 Stars, Galaxies, The Universe Spring 2015, Erik Johnson

Astronomy Courses

No abstract provided.

Astronomy 101 Online The Solar System Summer 2015, Pam Friese, Katrina Wefel

Astronomy Courses

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Magnetite In Lunar Regolith Breccia 60016: Evidence For Oxidized Conditions At The Lunar Surface, Katherine H. Joy, Channon Visscher, Michael E. Zolensky, Takashi Mikouchi, Kenji Hagiya, Kazumasa Ohsumi, David A. Kring

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Lunar regolith breccias are temporal archives of magmatic and impact bombardment processes on the Moon. Apollo 16 sample 60016 is an ‘ancient’ feldspathic regolith breccia that was converted from a soil to a rock at ~3.8 Ga. The breccia contains a small (70 × 50 μm) rock fragment composed dominantly of an Fe-oxide phase with disseminated domains of troilite. Fragments of plagioclase (An95-97), pyroxene (En74-75, Fs21-22,Wo3-4) and olivine (Fo66-67) are distributed in and adjacent to the Fe-oxide. The silicate minerals have lunar compositions that are similar to anorthosites. Mineral chemistry, synchrotron X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray Diffraction …

Instrument For Precision Long-Term Ss-Decay Rate Measurements, M. J. Ware, Scott D. Bergeson, J. E. Ellsworth, M. Groesbeck, J. E. Hansen, D. Pace, J. Peatross

Faculty Publications

We describe an experimental setup for making precision measurements of relative ß-decay rates of ²²Na, ³⁶Cl, ⁵⁴Mn, ⁶⁰Co, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³³Ba, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁵²Eu, and ¹⁵⁴Eu. The radioactive samples are mounted in two automated sample changers that sequentially position the samples with high spatial precision in front of sets of detectors. The set of detectors for one sample changer consists of four Geiger-Müller (GM) tubes and the other set of detectors consists of two NaI scintillators. The statistical uncertainty in the count rate is few times 0.01% per day for the GM …

An Economic Analysis Of Mars Exploration And Colonization, Clayton Knappenberger 15

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

On X-Ray Pulsations In Beta Cephei-Type Variables, L. Oskinova, H. Todt, D. Huenemoerder, S. Hubrig, Richard Ignace, W.-R. Hamann, L. Balona

ETSU Faculty Works

Beta Cephei-type variables are early B-type stars that are characterized by oscillations observable in their optical light curves. At least one Beta Cep-variable also shows periodic variability in X-rays. Here we study the X-ray light curves in a sample of beta Cep-variables to investigate how common X-ray pulsations are for this type of stars. We searched the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray archives and selected stars that were observed by these telescopes for at least three optical pulsational periods. We retrieved and analyzed the X-ray data for kappa Sco, beta Cru, and alpha Vir. The X-ray light curves of these objects …

Question 1: Star Speeds; Question 2: Slurping Gasoline, Larry Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

One piece of evidence that the center of our galaxy contains a super-massive black hole came from measuring the speed of a star orbiting that black hole. What is the maximum speed of that star?

If instead of carrying their gas in fuel tanks, cars “slurped up” a stream of gas as they drove, how thick a stream of gas would each car need?

Human Behavior During Spaceflight - Evidence From An Analog Environment, Kenny M. Arnaldi, Guy Smith, Jennifer E. Thropp

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Spaceflight offers a multitude of stressors to humans living and working in space, originating from the external space environment and the life-support system. Future space participants may be ordinary people with different medical and psychosocial backgrounds who may not receive the intense spaceflight preparation of astronauts. Consequently, during a mission, a space participant’s mood and behavior could differ from a trained astronaut. This study was an exploratory research project that used an artificial habitat to replicate an orbital environment and the activities performed by humans in space. The study evaluated whether the type of environment affects mood and temperament. Two …

Interdisciplinary Connections Between Science & Theatre, Jessica N. Dotson

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE & THEATRE

Jessica Nicole Dotson

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015.

Major Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor of Theatre

In the 1990s, astronomer Peter Usher was searching for new ways to teach his introductory astronomy class at Pennsylvania State University. He began to engage his students by searching for astronomical connections from other disciplines. His focus was turned to the arts, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Usher found, while …

An Ion Detector For The Array For Nuclear Astrophysics And Structure With Exotic Nuclei (Anasen), Cedric Williams, K Macon, C M. Deibel, J C. Blackmon

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Mass Profile And Shape Of Bars In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g) : Search For An Age Indicator For Bars., Taehyun Kim, Kartik Sheth, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Myung Gyoon Lee, Dennis Zaritsky, Bruce G. Elmegreen, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Benne W. Holwerda, Luis C. Ho, Sebastien Comeron, Johan H. Knapen, Joannah Hinz, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Ronald J. Buta, Minjin Kim, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Barry F. Madore, Jarkko Laine, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Michael Regan, Bonita De Swardt, Armando Gil De Paz, Mark Seibert, Trisha Mizusawa

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We have measured the radial light profiles and global shapes of bars using two-dimensional 3.6μm image decompositions for 144 face-on barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. The bar surface brightness profile is correlated with the stellar mass and bulge-to-total (B/T) ratio of their host galaxies. Bars in massive and bulge-dominated galaxies (B/T > 0.2) show a flat profile, while bars in less massive, disk-dominated galaxies (B/T ∼ 0) show an exponential, disk-like profile with a wider spread in the radial profile than in the bulge-dominated galaxies. The global two-dimensional shapes of bars, however, are rectangular/boxy, independent …

Spectral Study Of Asteroids And Laboratory Simulation Of Asteroid Organics, Kelsey Hargrove

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the spectra of asteroids at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. In 2010 and 2011 we reported the detection of 3 ?m and 3.2-3.6 ?m signatures on (24) Themis and (65) Cybele indicative of water-ice and complex organics [1] [2] [3]. We further probed other primitive asteroids in the Cybele dynamical group and Themis family, finding diversity in the shape of their 3 ?m [4] [5] [6] and 10 ?m spectral features [4]. These differences indicated mineralogical and compositional variations within these asteroid populations. Also in the mid-infrared region we studied a larger population of asteroids belonging to the Bus …

A Method For Determining The Mass Composition Of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays By Predicting The Depth Of First Interaction Of Individual Extensive Air Showers, Tolga Yapici

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Particle accelerators have been used to characterize the properties of particle and subatomic particles. The most advanced particle accelerators built, LHC, can run at 1017 eV. It is not possible with current technology to accelerate particle to the energies that can be detected by cosmic ray observatories.

In the past, by the direct measurements of cosmic rays, scientists discovered sub-atomic particles. Being accelerated to energies higher than 1018 eV, cosmic rays carry important information for particle physics. We have developed a method, which is a combination of Artificial Neural Networks and simple algebraic method that uses parameters from the extensive …

Spectroscopic Confirmation Of The Existence Of Large, Diffuse Galaxies In The Coma Cluster, Pieter Van Dokkum, Aaron Romanowsky, Roberto Abraham, Jean Brodie, Charlie Conroy, Marla Geha, Allison Merritt, Alexa Villaume, Jielai Zhang

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Quantum Tests Of The Einstein Equivalence Principle With The Ste-Quest Space Mission, Brett Altschul, Quentin G. Bailey, Luc Blanchet, Kai Bongs, Philippe Bouyer, Luigi Cacciapuoti, Et Al.

Publications

We present in detail the scientific objectives in fundamental physics of the Space–Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence Space Test (STE–QUEST) space mission. STE–QUEST was pre-selected by the European Space Agency together with four other missions for the cosmic vision M3 launch opportunity planned around 2024. It carries out tests of different aspects of the Einstein Equivalence Principle using atomic clocks, matter wave interferometry and long distance time/frequency links, providing fascinating science at the interface between quantum mechanics and gravitation that cannot be achieved, at that level of precision, in ground experiments. We especially emphasize the specific strong interest of performing …

Spectral Results For The Blue Plume Stars In Canis Major Overdensity, Mirza Sharoz Rafiul Islam

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

We present distances and kinematics and look at the possible populations for the blue plume (BP) stars in the Canis Major Overdensity (CMa). We conducted a medium resolution spectral survey on the BP stars (N=303) in CMa (centered at l = 238° ; b = -8°) using the data from AAOmega Spectrograph. We used a modified version of the Statistics-sensitive Non-linear Iterative Peak-clipping (SNIP) algorithm to normalize our fluxed absorption spectra. After determining the radial velocities from measurements of strong absorption features for the stars we use a Bayesian analysis of spectral feature strengths and photometric colors to determine Teff, …

Characterizing The Nearest Young Moving Groups, Kyle Mccarthy

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Moving groups are associations of stars which originated from the same star forming region. These groups are typically young (< 200 Myr) since they have not dissipated into the galactic field population. Over the last 15 years, roughly 10 such moving groups have been found with distances < 150 pc (7 with distances < 100 pc), each with a unique velocity and position.

This work first investigates the likelihood to resolve star from two moving groups (AB Doradus and Beta Pictoris) using high spacial resolution optical interferrometry and found 5 AB Doradus stars and 1 Beta Pictoris star with declinations > -30 could be spacially resolved.

To more deeply characterize individual groups, we used the 2.7m telescope at the McDonald Observatory to observe 10 proposed AB Doradus stars and 5 proposed Octans-Near stars (3 probable members, 2 possible) with high resolution (R ~60,000) optical …

Exploring How Social Media Can Be Used To Promote Space Awareness: A Case Study Of The Yuri's Night Web 2.0, Alan Steinberg, Jeffrey Alles, Ryan L. Kobrick

Publications

Despite the importance of social media as an inexpensive and efficient means of communication, it is not clear to what degree space advocacy groups are making a strong organized effort to use the resources available to them. Moreover, there is no previous literature that specifically examines the use of social media tools by space organizations. This study seeks to start a larger dialog regarding how the space advocacy community can make use of these tools to promote their mission. Using a case study approach, this article focuses specifically on the organization of Yuri’s Night to explore how this group is …

First Measurement Of The Polarization Observable E In The P→ (Ɣ→, Π+) In Reaction Up To 2.25 Gev, S. Strauch, W. J. Briscoe, M. Döring, E. Klempt, V. A. Nikonov, E. Pasyuk, D. Rönchen, A.V. Sarantsev, I. Strakovsky, R. Workman, K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, L. El Fassi

Physics Faculty Publications

First results from the longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target (FROST) program are reported. The double-polarization observable E, for the reaction ɣ^→p^→→π+n, has been measured using a circularly polarized tagged-photon beam, with energies from 0.35 to 2.37 GeV. The final-state pions were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer in Hall B at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These polarization data agree fairly well with previous partial-wave analyses at low photon energies. Over much of the covered energy range, however, significant deviations are observed, particularly in the high-energy region where high-L multipoles contribute. The data have been …

Understanding The Gravitational-Wave Hellings And Downs Curve For Pulsar Timing Arrays In Terms Of Sound And Electromagnetic Waves, Fredrick A. Jenet, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Searches for stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds using pulsar timing arrays look for correlations in the timing residuals induced by the background across the pulsars in the array. The correlation signature of an isotropic, unpolarized gravitational-wave background predicted by general relativity follows the so-called Hellings and Downs curve, which is a relatively simple function of the angle between a pair of Earth-pulsar baselines. In this paper, we give a pedagogical discussion of the Hellings and Downs curve for pulsar timing arrays, considering simpler analogous scenarios involving sound and electromagnetic waves. We calculate Hellings-and-Downs-type functions for these two scenarios and develop a framework …

Prospects For Detection Of Extragalactic Stellar Black Hole Binaries In The Nearby Universe, Matthew Benacquista, Jesus Hinojosa, Alberto Mata, Krzysztof Belczynski

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Stellar mass black hole binaries have individual masses between 10-80 solar masses. These systems may emit gravitational waves at frequencies detectable at Megaparsec distances by space-based gravitational wave observatories. In a previous study, we determined the selection effects of observing these systems with detectors similar to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna by using a generated population of binary black holes that covered a reasonable parameter space and calculating their signal-to-noise ratio. We further our study by populating the galaxies in our nearby (less than 30 Mpc) universe with binary black hole systems drawn from a distribution found in the Synthetic …

Precision Measurements Of Aⁿ1 In The Deep Inelastic Regime, D. S. Parno, D. Flay, M. Posik, M. Canan, C. Hyde, The Jefferson Lab Hall A Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We have performed precision measurements of the double-spin virtual-photon asymmetry A₁ on the neutron in the deep inelastic scattering regime, using an open-geometry, large-acceptance spectrometer and a longitudinally and transversely polarized ³He target. Our data cover a wide kinematic range 0.277 <= x <= 0.548 at an average Q² value of 3.078(GeV/c)², doubling the available high-precision neutron data in this xrange. We have combined our results with world data on proton targets to make a leading-order extraction of the ratio of polarized-to-unpolarized parton distribution functions for up quarks and for down quarks in the same kinematic range. Our data are consistent with …

Advanced Ligo, Tiffany Summerscales, Ligo Scientific Collaboration

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Ligo Detectors During Their Sixth Science Run, Tiffany Summerscales, Ligo Collaboration

Faculty Publications

In 2009–2010, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) operated together with international partners Virgo and GEO600 as a network to search for gravitational waves (GWs) of astrophysical origin. The sensitivity of these detectors was limited by a combination of noise sources inherent to the instrumental design and its environment, often localized in time or frequency, that couple into the GW readout. Here we review the performance of the LIGO instruments during this epoch, the work done to characterize the detectors and their data, and the effect that transient and continuous noise artefacts have on the sensitivity of LIGO to a …

Measurement Of Compton Scattering From The Deuteron And An Improved Extraction Of The Neutron Electromagnetic Polarizabilities, L. S. Myers, J. R. M. Annand, J. Brudvik, G. Feldman, H. W. Grießhammer, K. Hansen, S. S. Henshaw, L. Isaksson, R. Jebali, Michael A. Kovash, M. Lundin, J. A. Mcgovern, D. G. Middleton, A. M. Nathan, D. R. Phillips, B. Schröder, S. C. Stave

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The electromagnetic polarizabilities of the nucleon are fundamental properties that describe its response to external electric and magnetic fields. They can be extracted from Compton-scattering data—and have been, with good accuracy, in the case of the proton. In contradistinction, information for the neutron requires the use of Compton scattering from nuclear targets. Here, we report a new measurement of elastic photon scattering from deuterium using quasimonoenergetic tagged photons at the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden. These first new data in more than a decade effectively double the world data set. Their energy range overlaps with previous experiments and extends …

Unidirectional Spectral Singularities, Hamidreza Ramezani, Hao Kun Li, Yuan Wang, Xiang Zhang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We propose a class of spectral singularities emerging from the coincidence of two independent singularities with highly directional responses. These spectral singularities result from resonance trapping induced by the interplay between parity-time symmetry and Fano resonances. At these singularities, while the system is reciprocal in terms of a finite transmission, a simultaneous infinite reflection from one side and zero reflection from the opposite side can be realized.