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Articles 4441 - 4470 of 8858

Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

The Brightest Cluster Galaxy In Abell 85: The Largest Core Known So Far, O. López-Cruz, C. Añorve, M. Birkinshaw, D. M. Worrall, H. J. Ibarra-Medel, Wayne A. Barkhouse, J. P. Torres-Papaqui, V. Motta Oct 2014

The Brightest Cluster Galaxy In Abell 85: The Largest Core Known So Far, O. López-Cruz, C. Añorve, M. Birkinshaw, D. M. Worrall, H. J. Ibarra-Medel, Wayne A. Barkhouse, J. P. Torres-Papaqui, V. Motta

Physics Faculty Publications

We have found that the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in A85, Holm 15A, displays the largest core known so far. Its cusp radius, r γ = 4.57 ± 0.06 kpc (426 ± 006), is more than 18 times larger than the mean for BCGs and 1 kpc larger than A2261-BCG, hitherto the largest-cored BCG. Holm 15A hosts the luminous amorphous radio source 0039-095B and has the optical signature of a LINER. Scaling laws indicate that this core could host a supermassive black hole (SMBH) of mass M • ~ (109-1011) M ☉. We suggest that cores this large represent a …

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A Spectroscopic Survey Of Wise -Selected Obscured Quasars With The Southern African Large Telescope, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Christopher M. Carroll, Adam D. Myers Oct 2014

A Spectroscopic Survey Of Wise -Selected Obscured Quasars With The Southern African Large Telescope, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Christopher M. Carroll, Adam D. Myers

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the results of an optical spectroscopic survey of a sample of 40 candidate obscured quasars identified on the basis of their mid-infrared emission detected by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Optical spectra for this survey were obtained using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph on the Southern African Large Telescope. Our sample was selected with WISE colors characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as well as red optical to mid-IR colors indicating that the optical/UV AGN continuum is obscured by dust. We obtain secure redshifts for the majority of the objects that comprise our sample (35/40), and …

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The Decomposed Bulge And Disc Size–Mass Relations Of Massive Galaxies At 1 < Z < 3 In Candels, V. A. Bruce, J. S. Dunlop, R. J. Mclure, M. Cirasuolo, F. Buitrago, R. A. A. Bowler, T. A. Targett, E. F. Bell, D. H. Mcintosh, A. Dekel, S. M. Faber, H. C. Ferguson, N. A. Grogin, W. Hartley, Dale D. Kocevski, A. M. Koekemoer, D. C. Koo, E. J. Mcgrath Oct 2014

The Decomposed Bulge And Disc Size–Mass Relations Of Massive Galaxies At 1 < Z < 3 In Candels, V. A. Bruce, J. S. Dunlop, R. J. Mclure, M. Cirasuolo, F. Buitrago, R. A. A. Bowler, T. A. Targett, E. F. Bell, D. H. Mcintosh, A. Dekel, S. M. Faber, H. C. Ferguson, N. A. Grogin, W. Hartley, Dale D. Kocevski, A. M. Koekemoer, D. C. Koo, E. J. Mcgrath

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have constructed a mass-selected sample of M* > 1011 M⊙ galaxies at 1 < z < 3 in the CANDELS UKIDSS UDS and COSMOS fields and have decomposed these systems into their separate bulge and disc components according to their H160-band morphologies. By extending this analysis to multiple bands, we have been able to conduct individual bulge and disc component SED fitting which has provided us with stellar-mass and star formation rate estimates for the separate bulge and disc components. Having utilized the new decomposed stellar-mass estimates, we confirm that the bulge components display a stronger size evolution than the discs. The median sizes of the bulge components is 3.09 ± 0.20 times smaller than similarly massive local galaxies over the …

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The Bulge–Disc Decomposed Evolution Of Massive Galaxies At 1 < Z < 3 In Candels, V. A. Bruce, J. S. Dunlop, R. J. Mclure, M. Cirasuolo, F. Buitrago, R. A. A. Bowler, T. A. Targett, E. F. Bell, D. H. Mcintosh, A. Dekel, S. M. Faber, H. C. Ferguson, N. A. Grogin, W. Hartley, Dale D. Kocevski, A. M. Koekemoer, D. C. Zoo, E. J. Mcgrath Oct 2014

The Bulge–Disc Decomposed Evolution Of Massive Galaxies At 1 < Z < 3 In Candels, V. A. Bruce, J. S. Dunlop, R. J. Mclure, M. Cirasuolo, F. Buitrago, R. A. A. Bowler, T. A. Targett, E. F. Bell, D. H. Mcintosh, A. Dekel, S. M. Faber, H. C. Ferguson, N. A. Grogin, W. Hartley, Dale D. Kocevski, A. M. Koekemoer, D. C. Zoo, E. J. Mcgrath

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the results of a new and improved study of the morphological and spectral evolution of massive galaxies over the redshift range 1 < z < 3. Our analysis is based on a bulge–disc decomposition of 396 galaxies with M* > 1011 M⊙ uncovered from the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)/IR imaging within the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS) and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) UDS survey fields. We find that, by modelling the H160 image of each galaxy with a combination of a de Vaucouleurs bulge (Sérsic index n = 4) and an exponential disc (n = 1), we can then …

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Optical Counterparts Of Two Fermi Millisecond Pulsars: Psr J1301+0833 And Psr J1628–3205, Miao Li, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen Oct 2014

Optical Counterparts Of Two Fermi Millisecond Pulsars: Psr J1301+0833 And Psr J1628–3205, Miao Li, Jules P. Halpern, John R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Using the 1.3 m and 2.4 m Telescopes of the MDM Observatory, we identified the close companions of two eclipsing millisecond radio pulsars that were discovered by the Green Bank Telescope in searches of Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope sources, and measured their light curves. PSR J1301+0833 is a black widow pulsar in a 6.5 hr orbit whose companion star is strongly heated on the side facing the pulsar. It varies from R = 21.8 to R > 24 around the orbit. PSR J1628–3205 is a "redback," a nearly Roche-lobe-filling system in a 5.0 hr orbit whose optical modulation in the range …

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Exonest: Bayesian Model Selection Applied To The Detection And Characterization Of Exoplanets Via Photometric Variations, Ben Placek, Kevin H. Knuth, Daniel Angerhausen Oct 2014

Exonest: Bayesian Model Selection Applied To The Detection And Characterization Of Exoplanets Via Photometric Variations, Ben Placek, Kevin H. Knuth, Daniel Angerhausen

Physics Faculty Scholarship

EXONEST is an algorithm dedicated to detecting and characterizing the photometric signatures of exoplanets, which include reflection and thermal emission, Doppler boosting, and ellipsoidal variations. Using Bayesian inference, we can test between competing models that describe the data as well as estimate model parameters. We demonstrate this approach by testing circular versus eccentric planetary orbital models, as well as testing for the presence or absence of four photometric effects. In addition to using Bayesian model selection, a unique aspect of EXONEST is the potential capability to distinguish between reflective and thermal contributions to the light curve. A case study is …

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Suppression Of Optical Damage At 532 Nm In Holmium Doped Congruent Lithium Niobate, Eftihia Barnes, Nathan H. O'Connell, Nicolas R. Balli, Madhab Pokhrel, Anush Movsesyan, Edvard Kokanyan, Dhiraj K. Sardar Oct 2014

Suppression Of Optical Damage At 532 Nm In Holmium Doped Congruent Lithium Niobate, Eftihia Barnes, Nathan H. O'Connell, Nicolas R. Balli, Madhab Pokhrel, Anush Movsesyan, Edvard Kokanyan, Dhiraj K. Sardar

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Optical damage experiments were carried out in a series of Holmium doped congruent lithium niobate (Ho:cLN) crystals as a function of dopant concentration and laser intensity. The light induced beam distortion was recorded with a camera and a detector under the pseudo-Zscan configuration. At 532 nm, strong suppression of the optical damage was observed for the 0.94 mol. % doped crystal. Increased resistance to optical damage was also observed at 488 nm. The suppression of the optical damage is predominantly attributed to the reduction of the Nb antisites due to the holmium doping.

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Optimization Of Nanograv's Time Allocation For Maximum Sensitivity To Single Sources, Brian Christy, Ryan Anella, Andrea N. Lommen, Lee Samuel Finn, Richard S. Camuccio, Emma Handzo Oct 2014

Optimization Of Nanograv's Time Allocation For Maximum Sensitivity To Single Sources, Brian Christy, Ryan Anella, Andrea N. Lommen, Lee Samuel Finn, Richard S. Camuccio, Emma Handzo

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are a collection of precisely timed millisecond pulsars (MSPs) that can search for gravitational waves (GWs) in the nanohertz frequency range by observing characteristic signatures in the timing residuals. The sensitivity of a PTA depends on the direction of the propagating GW source, the timing accuracy of the pulsars, and the allocation of the available observing time. The goal of this paper is to determine the optimal time allocation strategy among the MSPs in the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) for a single source of GW under a particular set of assumptions. We …

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Gravitational Waves From Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries In Circular Orbits: Limits From The North American Nanohertz Observatory For Gravitational Waves, Z. Arzoumanian, A. Brazier, S. Burke-Spolaor, S. J. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, J. M. Cordes, P. B. Demorest, X. Deng, Fredrick A. Jenet, Jing Luo Oct 2014

Gravitational Waves From Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries In Circular Orbits: Limits From The North American Nanohertz Observatory For Gravitational Waves, Z. Arzoumanian, A. Brazier, S. Burke-Spolaor, S. J. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, J. M. Cordes, P. B. Demorest, X. Deng, Fredrick A. Jenet, Jing Luo

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We perform a search for continuous gravitational waves from individual supermassive black hole binaries using robust frequentist and Bayesian techniques. We augment standard pulsar timing models with the addition of time-variable dispersion measure and frequency variable pulse shape terms. We apply our techniques to the Five Year Data Release from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. We find that there is no evidence for the presence of a detectable continuous gravitational wave; however, we can use these data to place the most constraining upper limits to date on the strength of such gravitational waves. Using the full 17 …

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Lattice-Tuned Magnetism Of Ru4+(4D4) Ions In Single Crystals Of The Layered Honeycomb Ruthenates Li2Ruo3 And Na2Ruo3, J. C. Wang, Jsaminka Terzic, T. F. Qi, Feng Ye, Shujuan Yuan, Saicharan Aswartham, S. V. Streltsov, D. I. Khomskii, Ribku K. Kaul, Gang Cao Oct 2014

Lattice-Tuned Magnetism Of Ru4+(4D4) Ions In Single Crystals Of The Layered Honeycomb Ruthenates Li2Ruo3 And Na2Ruo3, J. C. Wang, Jsaminka Terzic, T. F. Qi, Feng Ye, Shujuan Yuan, Saicharan Aswartham, S. V. Streltsov, D. I. Khomskii, Ribku K. Kaul, Gang Cao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We synthesize and study single crystals of the layered honeycomb lattice Mott insulators Na2RuO3 and Li2RuO3 with magnetic Ru4+(4d4) ions. The newly found Na2RuO3 features a nearly ideal honeycomb lattice and orders antiferromagnetically at 30 K. Single crystals of Li2RuO3 adopt a honeycomb lattice with either C2/m or more distorted P21/m below 300 K, depending on detailed synthesis conditions. We find that Li2RuO3 in both structures hosts a well-defined magnetic state, in contrast to …

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Accurate Determination Of The Free–Free Gaunt Factor – I. Non-Relativistic Gaunt Factors, P. A. M. Van Hoof, R. J. R. Williams, K. Vollk, Marios Chatzikos, Gary J. Ferland, M. Lykins, R. L. Porter, Ye Wang Oct 2014

Accurate Determination Of The Free–Free Gaunt Factor – I. Non-Relativistic Gaunt Factors, P. A. M. Van Hoof, R. J. R. Williams, K. Vollk, Marios Chatzikos, Gary J. Ferland, M. Lykins, R. L. Porter, Ye Wang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Modern spectral synthesis codes need the thermally averaged free–free Gaunt factor defined over a very wide range of parameter space in order to produce an accurate prediction for the spectrum emitted by an ionized plasma. Until now no set of data exists that would meet this need in a fully satisfactory way. We have therefore undertaken to produce a table of very accurate non-relativistic Gaunt factors over a much wider range of parameters than has ever been produced before. We first produced a table of non-averaged Gaunt factors, covering the parameter space 10log ϵi = −20 to +10 …

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Astrometry, Radial Velocity, And Photometry: The Hd 128311 System Remixed With Data From Hst, Het, And Apt, Barbara E. Mcarthur, George Fritz Benedict, Gregory W. Henry, Artie Hatzes, William D. Cochran, Tom E. Harrison, Chris Johns-Krull, Ed Nelan Oct 2014

Astrometry, Radial Velocity, And Photometry: The Hd 128311 System Remixed With Data From Hst, Het, And Apt, Barbara E. Mcarthur, George Fritz Benedict, Gregory W. Henry, Artie Hatzes, William D. Cochran, Tom E. Harrison, Chris Johns-Krull, Ed Nelan

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have used high-cadence radial velocity measurements from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope with published velocities from the Lick 3 m Shane Telescope, combined with astrometric data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Fine Guidance Sensors to refine the orbital parameters of the HD 128311 system, and determine an inclination of 55fdg95 ± 14fdg55 and true mass of 3.789 $^{+0.924}_{ -0.432}$ MJUP for HD 128311 c. The combined radial velocity data also reveal a short period signal which could indicate a third planet in the system with an Msin i of 0.133 ± 0.005 MJUP or stellar phenomena. Photometry from the T12 …

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Constraints On Very High Energy Emission From Grb 130427a, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al Oct 2014

Constraints On Very High Energy Emission From Grb 130427a, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

Prompt emission from the very fluent and nearby (z = 0.34) gamma-ray burst GRB 130427A was detected by several orbiting telescopes and by ground-based, wide-field-of-view optical transient monitors. Apart from the intensity and proximity of this GRB, it is exceptional due to the extremely long-lived high-energy (100 MeV to 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission, which was detected by the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope for ~70 ks after the initial burst. The persistent, hard-spectrum, high-energy emission suggests that the highest-energy gamma rays may have been produced via synchrotron self-Compton processes though there is also evidence that …

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A 24 Hr Global Campaign To Assess Precision Timing Of The Millisecond Pulsar J1713+0747, T. Dolch, M. T. Lam, J. Cordes, S. Chatterjee, C. Bassa, B. Bhattacharyya, D. J. Champion, I. Cognard, K. Crowter, Fredrick A. Jenet Oct 2014

A 24 Hr Global Campaign To Assess Precision Timing Of The Millisecond Pulsar J1713+0747, T. Dolch, M. T. Lam, J. Cordes, S. Chatterjee, C. Bassa, B. Bhattacharyya, D. J. Champion, I. Cognard, K. Crowter, Fredrick A. Jenet

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The radio millisecond pulsar J1713+0747 is regarded as one of the highest-precision clocks in the sky and is regularly timed for the purpose of detecting gravitational waves. The International Pulsar Timing Array Collaboration undertook a 24 hr global observation of PSR J1713+0747 in an effort to better quantify sources of timing noise in this pulsar, particularly on intermediate (1.24 hr) timescales. We observed the pulsar continuously over 24 hr with the Arecibo, Effelsberg, GMRT, Green Bank, LOFAR, Lovell, Nancay, Parkes, and WSRT radio telescopes. The combined pulse times-of-arrival presented here provide an estimate of what sources of timing noise, excluding …

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Information-Entropic Measure Of Energy-Degenerate Kinks In Two-Field Models, R.A.C. Correa, A. De Souza Dutra, M. Gleiser Oct 2014

Information-Entropic Measure Of Energy-Degenerate Kinks In Two-Field Models, R.A.C. Correa, A. De Souza Dutra, M. Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigate the existence and properties of kink-like solitons in a class of models with two interacting scalar fields. In particular, we focus on models that display both double and single-kink solutions, treatable analytically using the Bogomol'nyi–Prasad–Sommerfield bound (BPS). Such models are of interest in applications that include Skyrmions and various superstring-motivated theories. Exploring a region of parameter space where the energy for very different spatially-bound configurations is degenerate, we show that a newly-proposed momentum–space entropic measure called Configurational Entropy (CE) can distinguish between such energy-degenerate spatial profiles. This information-theoretic measure of spatial complexity provides a complementary perspective to situations …

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Observation Of D0 Meson Nuclear Modifications In Au+Au Collisions At √SNn=200  Gev, J. Kevin Adkins, Renee Fatemi, Suvarna Ramachandran, G. Webb, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Alekseev, J. Alford, C. D. Anson, A. Aparin, D. Arkhipkin, E. C. Aschenauer Oct 2014

Observation Of D0 Meson Nuclear Modifications In Au+Au Collisions At √SNn=200  Gev, J. Kevin Adkins, Renee Fatemi, Suvarna Ramachandran, G. Webb, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Alekseev, J. Alford, C. D. Anson, A. Aparin, D. Arkhipkin, E. C. Aschenauer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report the first measurement of charmed-hadron (D0) production via the hadronic decay channel (D0→K−+π+) in Au+Au collisions at √SNN=200  GeV with the STAR experiment. The charm production cross section per nucleon-nucleon collision at midrapidity scales with the number of binary collisions, Nbin, from p+p to central Au+Au collisions. The D0 meson yields in central Au+Au collisions are strongly suppressed compared to those in p+p scaled by Nbin, for transverse momenta pT>3  GeV/c …

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Efficient And Coherent Frequency Conversions And Nonlinear Interference In Optical Parametric And Atomic Raman Processes, Yu Ding Oct 2014

Efficient And Coherent Frequency Conversions And Nonlinear Interference In Optical Parametric And Atomic Raman Processes, Yu Ding

Open Access Dissertations

By implementing a parametric down-conversion process with a strong signal field injection, we demonstrate that frequency down-conversion from pump photons to idler photons can be a coherent process. Contrary to a common misconception, we show that the process can be free of quantum noise. With an interference experiment, we demonstrate that coherence is preserved in the conversion process. This technique could lead to a high-fidelity quantum state transfer from a high-frequency photon to a low-frequency photon and connect a missing link in quantum networks. ^ Coherent and efficient nonlinear interaction and frequency conversion are of great interest in many areas …

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Beam-Induced Radiation Heating On The Superconducting Undulator At The Advanced Photon Source, Laura Elizabeth Boon Oct 2014

Beam-Induced Radiation Heating On The Superconducting Undulator At The Advanced Photon Source, Laura Elizabeth Boon

Open Access Dissertations

In January 2013 the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a 7 GeV synchrotron X-ray source, commissioned a Superconducting Undulator (SCU). The superconducting magnet is thermally isolated from the beam vacuum chamber, which absorbs the beam-induced heating. Previous beam induced heat load studies at other laboratories had not included a robust calculation of radiation heating from the upstream dipole magnet. The mitigation of the radiation heating mechanism, and production of photoelectrons to seed an electron cloud was studied for this thesis. ^ An analytical model was developed to predict the radiation heat load on the SCU chamber. This model was benchmarked with …

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Transport Studies Of Reentrant Integer Quantum Hall States Forming In The Two-Dimensional Electron Gas, Nianpei Deng Oct 2014

Transport Studies Of Reentrant Integer Quantum Hall States Forming In The Two-Dimensional Electron Gas, Nianpei Deng

Open Access Dissertations

The two dimensional electron gas subjected to a magnetic field has been a model system in contemporary condensed matter physics which generated many beautiful experiments as well as novel fundamental concepts. These novel concepts are of broad interests and have benefited other fields of research. For example, the observations of conventional odd-denominator fractional quantum Hall states have enriched many-body physics with important concepts such as fractional statistics and composite fermions. The subsequent discovery of the enigmatic even-denominator ν=5/2 fractional quantum Hall state has led to more interesting concepts such as non-Abelian statistics and pairing of composite fermions which can be …

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Polarized Mid-Infrared Synchrotron Emission In The Core Of Cygnus A, Enrique López Rodríguez, Eric S. Perlman Oct 2014

Polarized Mid-Infrared Synchrotron Emission In The Core Of Cygnus A, Enrique López Rodríguez, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present high-angular (∼0". 4) resolution mid-infrared (MIR) polarimetric observations in the 8.7μm and 11.6μm filters of Cygnus A using CanariCam on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. A highly polarized nucleus is observed with a degree of polarization of 11% ±3% and 12% ±3% and a position angle of polarization of 27◦ ±8◦ and 35◦ ± 8◦ in a 0.".38 (∼380 pc) aperture for each filter. The observed rising of the polarized flux density with increasing wavelength is consistent with synchrotron radiation from the parsec-scale jet close to the core of Cygnus A. Based on our polarization model, the …

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Anisotropic Magnetoresistance In Antiferromagnetic Sr2Iro4, C. Wang, H. Seinige, Gang Cao, J.-S. Zhou, J. B. Goodenough, M. Tsoi Oct 2014

Anisotropic Magnetoresistance In Antiferromagnetic Sr2Iro4, C. Wang, H. Seinige, Gang Cao, J.-S. Zhou, J. B. Goodenough, M. Tsoi

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report point-contact measurements of anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in a single crystal of antiferromagnetic Mott insulator Sr2IrO4. The point-contact technique is used here as a local probe of magnetotransport properties on the nanoscale. The measurements at liquid nitrogen temperature reveal negative magnetoresistances (up to 28%) for modest magnetic fields (250 mT) applied within the IrO2 a−b plane and electric currents flowing perpendicular to the plane. The angular dependence of magnetoresistance shows a crossover from fourfold to twofold symmetry in response to an increasing magnetic field with angular variations in resistance from 1% to 14%. We …

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Line Lists For The A2Π-X 2Σ+ (Red) And B2Σ+-X 2Σ+ (Violet) Systems Of Cn, 13c14n, And 12c15n, And Application To Astronomicalspectra, Christopher Sneden, Sara Lucatello, Ram S. Ram, James S. A. Brooke, Peter Bernath Oct 2014

Line Lists For The A2Π-X 2Σ+ (Red) And B2Σ+-X 2Σ+ (Violet) Systems Of Cn, 13c14n, And 12c15n, And Application To Astronomicalspectra, Christopher Sneden, Sara Lucatello, Ram S. Ram, James S. A. Brooke, Peter Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

New red and violet system line lists for the CN isotopologues 13C14N and 12C15N have been generated. These new transition data are combined with those previously derived for 12C14N, and applied to the determination of CNO abundances in the solar photosphere and in four red giant stars: Arcturus, the bright, very low-metallicity star HD 122563, and the carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars HD 196944 and HD 201626. When both red and violet system lines are detectable in a star, their derived N abundances are in good agreement. The mean N abundances determined in …

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Mapping Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds Using Methods From Cmb Analysis: Application To Pulsar Timing Arrays, Jonathan Gair, Joseph D. Romano, Stephen Taylor, Chiara M. F. Mingarelli Oct 2014

Mapping Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds Using Methods From Cmb Analysis: Application To Pulsar Timing Arrays, Jonathan Gair, Joseph D. Romano, Stephen Taylor, Chiara M. F. Mingarelli

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We describe an alternative approach to the analysis of gravitational-wave backgrounds, based on the formalism used to characterize the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. In contrast to standard analyses, this approach makes no assumptions about the nature of the background and so has the potential to reveal much more about the physical processes that generated it. An arbitrary background can be decomposed into modes whose angular dependence on the sky is given by gradients and curls of spherical harmonics. We derive the pulsar timing overlap reduction functions for the individual modes, which are given by simple combinations of spherical …

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The Nasa-Uc-Uh Eta-Earth Program. Iv. A Low-Mass Planet Orbiting An M Dwarf 3.6 Pc From Earth, Andrew W. Howard, Geoffrey W. Marcy, Debra A. Fischer, Howard Isaacson, Philip S. Muirhead, Gregory W. Henry, Tabetha S. Boyajian, Kaspar Von Braun, Juliette C. Becker, Jason T. Wright, John Asher Johnson Sep 2014

The Nasa-Uc-Uh Eta-Earth Program. Iv. A Low-Mass Planet Orbiting An M Dwarf 3.6 Pc From Earth, Andrew W. Howard, Geoffrey W. Marcy, Debra A. Fischer, Howard Isaacson, Philip S. Muirhead, Gregory W. Henry, Tabetha S. Boyajian, Kaspar Von Braun, Juliette C. Becker, Jason T. Wright, John Asher Johnson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We report the discovery of a low-mass planet orbiting Gl 15 A based on radial velocities from the Eta-Earth Survey using HIRES at Keck Observatory. Gl 15 Ab is a planet with minimum mass Msin i = 5.35 ± 0.75 M⊕, orbital period P = 11.4433  ±  0.0016 days, and an orbit that is consistent with circular. We characterize the host star using a variety of techniques. Photometric observations at Fairborn Observatory show no evidence for rotational modulation of spots at the orbital period to a limit of ∼0.1 mmag, thus supporting the existence of the planet. We detect a …

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Color-Mass-To-Light-Ratio Relations For Disk Galaxies, Stacy S. Mcgaugh Sep 2014

Color-Mass-To-Light-Ratio Relations For Disk Galaxies, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

We combine Spitzer 3.6 μm observations of a sample of disk galaxies spanning over 10 mag in luminosity with optical luminosities and colors to test population synthesis prescriptions for computing stellar mass. Many commonly employed models fail to provide self-consistent results: the stellar mass estimated from the luminosity in one band can differ grossly from that of another band for the same galaxy. Independent models agree closely in the optical (V band), but diverge at longer wavelengths. This effect is particularly pronounced in recent models with substantial contributions from TP-AGB stars. We provide revised color-mass-to-light ratio relations that yield self-consistent …

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Revised Age For Cm Draconis And Wd 1633+ 572-Toward A Resolution Of Model-Observation Radius Discrepancies, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer Sep 2014

Revised Age For Cm Draconis And Wd 1633+ 572-Toward A Resolution Of Model-Observation Radius Discrepancies, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report an age revision for the low-mass detached eclipsing binary CM Draconis and its common proper motion companion, WD 1633+572. An age of 8.5 +/- 3.5 Gyr is found by combining an age estimate for the lifetime of WD 1633+572 and an estimate from galactic space motions. The revised age is greater than a factor of two older than previous estimates. Our results provide consistency between the white dwarf age and the system's galactic kinematics, which reveal the system is a highly probable mem

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Absolute Properties Of The Eclipsing Binary Star V501 Herculis, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel Sep 2014

Absolute Properties Of The Eclipsing Binary Star V501 Herculis, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

V501 Her is a well detached G3 eclipsing binary star with a period of 8.597687 days for which we have determined very accurate light and radial-velocity curves using robotic telescopes. Results of these data indicate that the component stars have masses of 1.269 ± 0.004 and 1.211 ± 0.003 solar masses, radii of 2.001 ± 0.003 and 1.511 ± 0.003 solar radii, and temperatures of 5683 ± 100 K and 5720 ± 100 K, respectively. Comparison with the Yonsei–Yale series of evolutionary models results in good agreement at an age of about 5.1 Gyr for a somewhat metal-rich composition. Those …

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Characterizing The Ab Doradus Moving Group Via High-Resolution Spectroscopy And Kinematic Traceback, Kyle Mccarthy, Ronald J. Wilhelm Sep 2014

Characterizing The Ab Doradus Moving Group Via High-Resolution Spectroscopy And Kinematic Traceback, Kyle Mccarthy, Ronald J. Wilhelm

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a detailed analysis of 10 proposed F and G members of the nearby, young moving group AB Doradus (ABD). Our sample was obtained using the 2.7 m telescope at the McDonald Observatory with the coude echelle spectrograph, achieving R ~ 60,000 and signal-to-noise ratio ~200. We derive spectroscopic T eff, log(g), [Fe/H], and microturbulance (vt ) using a bootstrap method of the TGVIT software resulting in typical errors of 33K in T eff, 0.08 dex in log(g), 0.03 dex in [Fe/H], and 0.13 km s–1 in vt . …

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First All-Sky Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Unknown Sources In Binary Systems, Tiffany Summerscales, Ligo Scientific Collaboration And Virgo Collaboration Sep 2014

First All-Sky Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Unknown Sources In Binary Systems, Tiffany Summerscales, Ligo Scientific Collaboration And Virgo Collaboration

Faculty Publications

We present the first results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from unknown spinning neutron stars in binary systems using LIGO and Virgo data. Using a specially developed analysis program, the TwoSpect algorithm, the search was carried out on data from the sixth LIGO science run and the second and third Virgo science runs. The search covers a range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 520 Hz, a range of orbital periods from 2 to ∼2,254  h and a frequency- and period-dependent range of frequency modulation depths from 0.277 to 100 mHz. This corresponds to a range of …

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A Precise Water Abundance Measurement For The Hot Jupiter Wasp-43b, Laura Kreidberg, Jacob L. Bean, Jean-Michel Désert, Michael R. Line, Jonathan J. Fortney, Nikku Madhusudhan, Kevin B. Stevenson, Adam P. Showman, David Charbonneau, Peter Mccullough, Sara Seager, Adam Burrows, Gregory W. Henry, Michael H. Williamson, Tiffany Kataria, Derek Homeier Sep 2014

A Precise Water Abundance Measurement For The Hot Jupiter Wasp-43b, Laura Kreidberg, Jacob L. Bean, Jean-Michel Désert, Michael R. Line, Jonathan J. Fortney, Nikku Madhusudhan, Kevin B. Stevenson, Adam P. Showman, David Charbonneau, Peter Mccullough, Sara Seager, Adam Burrows, Gregory W. Henry, Michael H. Williamson, Tiffany Kataria, Derek Homeier

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

The water abundance in a planetary atmosphere provides a key constraint on the planet's primordial origins because water ice is expected to play an important role in the core accretion model of planet formation. However, the water content of the solar system giant planets is not well known because water is sequestered in clouds deep in their atmospheres. By contrast, short-period exoplanets have such high temperatures that their atmospheres have water in the gas phase, making it possible to measure the water abundance for these objects. We present a precise determination of the water abundance in the atmosphere of the …

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