Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

The Effects Of Clumps In Explaining X-Ray Emission Lines From Hot Stars., J. Cassinelli, Richard Ignace, W. Waldron, J. Cho, N. Murphy, A. Lazarian

ETSU Faculty Works

It is now well established that stellar winds of hot stars are fragmentary and that the X-ray emission from stellar winds has a strong contribution from shocks in winds. Chandra high spectral resolution observations of line profiles of O and B stars have shown numerous properties that had not been expected. Here we suggest explanations by considering the X-rays as arising from bow shocks that occur where the stellar wind impacts on spherical clumps in the winds. We use an accurate and stable numerical hydrodynamic code to obtain steady state physical conditions for the temperature and density structure in a …

Veritas Discovery Of > 200 Gev Gamma-Ray Emission From The Intermediate-Frequency-Peaked Bl Lacertae Object W Comae, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We report the detection of very high energy γ-ray emission from the intermediate-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object W Comae (z = 0.102) by VERITAS. The source was observed between 2008 January and April. A strong outburst of γ-ray emission was measured in the middle of March, lasting for only 4 days. The energy spectrum measured during the two highest flare nights is fit by a power law and is found to be very steep, with a differential photon spectral index of Γ = 3.81 ± 0.35stat± 0.34syst. The integral photon flux above 200 GeV during those two nights corresponds to …

Constraining The Surface Inhomogeneity And Settling Times Of Metals On Accreting White Dwarfs, Michael H. Montgomery, S.E. Thompson, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

Due to the short settling times of metals in DA white dwarf atmospheres, any white dwarfs with photospheric metals must be actively accreting. It is therefore natural to expect that the metals may not be deposited uniformly on the surface of the star. We present calculations showing how the temperature variations associated with white dwarf pulsations lead to an observable diagnostic of the surface metal distribution, and we show what constraints current data sets are able to provide. We also investigate the effect that time-variable accretion has on the metal abundances of different species, and we show how this can …

Recombination Fluorescence In Ultracold Neutral Plasmas, Scott D. Bergeson, F. Robicheaux

Faculty Publications

We present the first measurements and simulations of recombination fluorescence from ultracold neutral calcium plasmas. This method probes three-body recombination at times less than 1 µs, shorter than previously published time scales. For the lowest initial electron temperatures, the recombination rate scales with the density as n22, significantly slower than the predicted n3. Recombination fluorescence opens a new diagnostic window in ultracold plasmas. In most cases it probes deeply bound level populations that depend critically on electron energetics. However, a perturbation in the calcium 4snd Rydberg series allows our fluorescence measurements to probe the population in weakly bound levels that …

A Spectroscopic Analysis Of Hd 134439 And Hd 134440, Yu Chen

All Theses

We analyze elemental abundances of the common proper motion pair HD 134439 and HD 134440 to understand their formation history. This pair of metal-poor ([Fe/H]$\sim -1.50$) halo dwarfs are known, from previous studies, to exhibit abnormally low [$\alpha$/Fe] ratios compared to typical Galactic halo stars. Some have attributed this to planetesimal accretion; others believe these stars formed in the dusty part of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy and were later captured by our Galaxy. To investigate this anomaly, we measure carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen abundances for HD 134439 and HD 134440 from near-UV molecular features using high-resolution spectra obtained with Keck …

Sph Simulations Of Direct Impact Accretion In The Ultracompact Am Cvn Binaries, Joshua Dolence, Matt A. Wood, Isaac Silver

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The ultracompact binary systems V407 Vul (RX J1914.4+2456) and HM Cnc (RX J0806.3+1527), a two-member subclass of the AM CVn stars, continue to generate interest because they defy unambiguous classification. Three proposed models remain viable at this time, but none of the three are significantly more compelling than the remaining two, and all three can satisfy the observational constraints if parameters in the models are tuned. One of the three proposed models is the direct impact model of Marsh & Steeghs, in which the accretion stream impacts the surface of a rapidly rotating primary white dwarf directly, but at a …

Milky Way Mass Models And Mond, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

Using the Tuorla-Heidelberg model for the mass distribution of the Milky Way, I determine the rotation curve predicted by MOND (modified Newtonian dynamics). The result is in good agreement with the observed terminal velocities interior to the solar radius and with estimates of the Galaxy's rotation curve exterior thereto. There are no fit parameters: given the mass distribution, MOND provides a good match to the rotation curve. The Tuorla-Heidelberg model does allow for a variety of exponential scale lengths; MOND prefers short scale lengths in the range 2.0 kpc ≲ Rd ≲ 2.5 kpc. The favored value of Rd depends …

Stereospecificity In Glucose Consumption: A New Approach To Martian Life Detection, Vienna R. Saccomanno, Henry J. Sun

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

In 1976, the Viking mission made a remarkable discovery: Martian soil was capable of decomposing an organic nutrient broth to carbon dioxide as if it contained live microorganisms. However, a biological interpretation of this finding is in apparent contradiction with the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer aboard the Viking landers, which showed Martian soil to be devoid of indigenous organics. To reconcile these findings, it has been hypothesized that unknown abiotic oxidants, such as peroxide and superoxide, are present on Mars and that they were responsible for its soil reactivity. The objective of this research is to develop a life detection method …

An Investigation Of The Origin The Bimodal Distribution Of Optical Afterglow Luminosities Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Tesla Birnbaum, Bing Zhang

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

The determination of which properties of gamma-ray bursts and the surrounding interstellar medium contribute to the observed bimodal distribution of optical afterglow luminosities will provide insight into the physical processes that give rise to the two families of optical afterglows. Making this determination will require a solid understanding of the standard afterglow model, as well as the use of a language such as C to create programs consisting of codes that perform calculations involving afterglow parameters and Monte Carlo simulations.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): the brightest sources of electromagnetic radiation since the Big Bang; also the most violent explosions in the …

Search Of S3 Ligo Data For Gravitational Wave Signals From Spinning Black Hole And Neutron Star Binary Inspirals, B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, J. Agresti, P. Ajith, B. Allen, R. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, M. Arain, M. Araya, H. Armandula, M. Ashley, S. Aston, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, S. Ballmer, H. Bantilan, B. C. Barish, C. Barker, D. Barker, B. Barr, P. Barriga, M. A. Barton, K. Bayer, J. Betzwieser, P. T. Beyersdorf, B. Bhawal, I. A. Bilenko, G. Billingsley, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We report on the methods and results of the first dedicated search for gravitational waves emitted during the inspiral of compact binaries with spinning component bodies. We analyze 788 hours of data collected during the third science run (S3) of the LIGO detectors. We searched for binary systems using a detection template family specially designed to capture the effects of the spin-induced precession of the orbital plane. We present details of the techniques developed to enable this search for spin-modulated gravitational waves, highlighting the differences between this and other recent searches for binaries with nonspinning components. The template bank we …

Starlight In The Night: Discovering The Secret Lives Of Stars, Shane L. Larson

Public Talks

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Long-Range Hopping On Tc In A Two-Dimensional Hubbard-Holstein Model Of The Cuprates, Ehsan Khatami, A. Macridin, M. Jarrell

Faculty Publications

We study the effect of long-range hoppings on Tc for the two-dimensional (2D) Hubbard model with and without Holstein phonons using parameters evaluated from band-structure calculations for cuprates. Employing the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA) with a quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) cluster solver for a 4-site cluster, we observe that without phonons, the long-range hoppings, t′ and t′′, generally suppress Tc. We argue that this trend remains valid for larger clusters. In the presence of the Holstein phonons, a finite t′ enhances Tc in the under-doped region for the hole-doped system, consistent with local-density approximation (LDA) calculations and experiment. This is …

Dark Side Of The Universe: Dark Matter In The Galaxy And Cosmos, Shane L. Larson

Public Talks

No abstract provided.

Composition-Tunable Properties Of Cdsxte1-X Alloy Nanocrystals, Nilanka P. Gurusinghe, Nishshanka N. Hewa-Kasakarage, Mikhail Zamkov

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Ternary CdSxTe1-x semiconductor quantum dots with both homogeneous and gradient composition have been fabricated via pyrolysis of organometallic precursors. The nanocrystal structure, size, and composition were characterized by UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis, and X-ray diffractrometry. It was found that the band gap of homogeneously alloyed CdSxTe1-x is highly nonlinear with the crystalline composition, which was evidenced by a significant red-shift in the fluorescence of these nanocrystals with respect to the emission wavelength of their CdS and CdTe binary compounds. This effect, also known as optical bowing, seems to be enhanced in CdSxTe1-x …

From Quarks To The Cosmos, Shane L. Larson

Colloquia and Seminars

No abstract provided.

Whispers From The Cosmos: Seeing The Universe In Gravitational Waves, Shane L. Larson

Colloquia and Seminars

No abstract provided.

The Late Stellar Assembly Of Massive Cluster Galaxies Via Major Merging, Kim-Vy H. Tran, John Moustakas, Anthony H. Gonzalez, Lei Bai, Dennis Zaritsky, Stefan Kautsch

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

We present multiwavelength observations of the brightest galaxies in four X-ray-luminous groups at z ~ 0.37 that will merge to form a cluster comparable in mass to Coma. Ordered by increasing stellar mass, the four brightest group galaxies (BGGs) present a time sequence where BGG-1, 2, and 3 are in merging systems and BGG-4 is a massive remnant (M_* = 6.7 × 10¹¹ M_☉). BGG-1 and 2 have bright, gravitationally bound companions and BGG-3 has two nuclei separated by only 2.5 kpc; thus, merging at z < 0.5 increases the BGG mass by ≳40% (t_MGR < 2 Gyr) and V-band luminosity by ~0.4 mag. The …

Theory And Estimation Of Acoustic Intensity And Energy Density, Derek C. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

In order to facilitate the acquisition and accurate interpretation of intensity and energy density data in high-amplitude pressure fields, the expressions for intensity and energy density are examined to ascertain the impact of nonlinear processes on the standard expressions. Measurement techniques for estimating acoustic particle velocity are presented. The finite-difference method is developed in an alternate manner and presented along with bias and confidence estimates. Additionally, two new methods for estimating the local particle velocity are presented. These methods appears to eliminate the errors and bias associated with the finite-difference technique for certain cases.

Was A Long-Lived, High Velocity Gas Jet Produced By The Comet Tempel 1 Deep Impact Event: Evidence From High Spectral Resolution [Oi] 630 Nm Interference Spectra, J. B. Corliss, F. L. Roesler, E. J. Mierkiewicz, R. J. Oliversen, W. M. Harris

Physical Sciences - Daytona Beach

Results from high impact spectral resolution observations of comet P/Tempel 1.

The poster information may be viewed here.

An Ultrahigh Stability, Low-Noise Laser Current Driver With Digital Control, Christopher J. Erickson, Marshall Van Zijll, Greg Doermann, Dallin S. Durfee

Faculty Publications

We present a low-noise, high modulation-bandwidth design for a laser current driver with excellent long-term stability. The driver improves upon the commonly used Hall–Libbrecht design. The current driver can be operated remotely by way of a microprocessing unit, which controls the current set point digitally. This allows precise repeatability and improved accuracy and stability. It also allows the driver to be placed near the laser for reduced noise and for lower phase lag when using the modulation input. We present the theory of operation for our driver in detail, and give a thorough characterization of its stability, noise, set-point accuracy …

Cosmic Ray Transport And Production In The Galaxy: A Stochastic Propagation Simulation Approach, Ashraf Farahat, Ming Zhang, Hamid Rassoul, James J. Connell

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Galactic cosmic-ray composition reflects the effects of nuclear interactions during propagation through the interstellar medium. In order to use measurements to determine the source of cosmic rays, one needs a model to deconvolute the propagation effect. This paper presents a new numerical method to solve cosmic-ray diffusive transport equations with a complete network of nuclear interactions. The new method uses the time backward Markov stochastic processes to solve the transport equation by tracing the particles’ trajectories starting from the solar system back to their sources in the Galaxy. To make the calculation efficient for large arrays of equations for many …

Implications For The Origin Of Grb 070201 From Ligo Observations, B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, J. Agresti, P. Ajith, B. Allen, R. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, M. Arain, M. Araya, H. Armandula, M. Ashley, S. Aston, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, S. Ballmer, H. Bantilan, B. C. Barish, C. Barker, D. Barker, B. Barr, P. Barriga, M. A. Barton, K. Bayer, J. Betzwieser, P. T. Beyersdorf, B. Bhawal, I. A. Bilenko, G. Billingsley, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

We analyzed the available LIGO data coincident with GRB 070201, a short-duration, hard-spectrum γ-ray burst (GRB) whose electromagnetically determined sky position is coincident with the spiral arms of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). Possible progenitors of such short, hard GRBs include mergers of neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, or soft γ-ray repeater (SGR) flares. These events can be accompanied by gravitational-wave emission. No plausible gravitational-wave candidates were found within a 180 s long window around the time of GRB 070201. This result implies that a compact binary progenitor of GRB 070201, with masses in the range …

Early Dynamics Of Ultracold Neutral Plasmas, Adam W. Denning

Theses and Dissertations

We report new studies on the early-time dynamics of ultracold neutral plasmas. We use fluorescence spectroscopy to probe plasma dynamics on the nanosecond time scale. We determine the rms ion velocity during the initial plasma period. The initial ion acceleration is found as the time derivative of the ion velocity. We compare to a theoretical model. The experimental results agree with the model at low plasma densities. However, the ion acceleration is a factor of ten lower than the model at higher densities. The cause of this discrepancy is currently unknown.

Implications For The Origin Of Grb 070201 From Ligo Observations, B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, J. Agresti, P. Ajith, Mario C. Diaz, Roberto Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We analyzed the available LIGO data coincident with GRB 070201, a short-duration, hard-spectrum γ-ray burst (GRB) whose electromagnetically determined sky position is coincident with the spiral arms of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). Possible progenitors of such short, hard GRBs include mergers of neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, or soft γ-ray repeater (SGR) flares. These events can be accompanied by gravitational-wave emission. No plausible gravitational-wave candidates were found within a 180 s long window around the time of GRB 070201. This result implies that a compact binary progenitor of GRB 070201, with masses in the range …

A High Resolution Neutrino Experiment In A Magnetic Field For Project-X At Fermilab, Sanjib R. Mishra, Roberto Petti, Carl Rosenfeld

Faculty Publications

We propose a new high-resolution neutrino experiment within a dipole magnetic field, HiResMν. This experiment will run along with long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments (LBLν) such as NOνA, a large-cavity detector at DUSEL, or a Liquid-Argon detector in the Medium-Energy (ME) configuration of the NuMI-beam. Assuming the 120 GeV Main Injector proton intensities we anticipate 140(50) million ν_μ (⊽μ) Charged-Current (CC) events in the fiducial volume, for 3(4)-year run with the ME (anti)neutrino beam. Alternatively, the same statistics could be collected in just 1(1.5) year with the High Energy (HE) beam configuration. …

Algorithm For Generating Derivative Structures, Gus L. W. Hart, Rodney W. Forcade

Faculty Publications

We present an algorithm for generating all derivative superstructures--for arbitrary parent structures and for any number of atom types. This algorithm enumerates superlattices and atomic configurations in a geometry-independent way. The key concept is to use the quotient group associated with each superlattice to determine all unique atomic configurations. The run time of the algorithm scales linearly with the number of unique structures found.

A Multiwavelength Analysis Of The Halo Planetary Nebula Dddm‐1, R. B. C. Henry, K. B. Kwitter, R. J. Dufour, J. N. Skinner

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present new HST optical imagery as well as new UV and IR spectroscopic data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively, of the halo planetary nebula DdDm-1. For the first time we present a resolved image of this object, which indicates that the morphology of DdDm-1 can be described as two orthogonal elliptical components in the central part surrounded by an extended halo. The extent of the emission is somewhat larger than was previously reported in the literature. We combine the spectral data with our own previously published optical measurements to derive nebular abundances …

The Peculiar Volatile Composition Of Comet 8p/Tuttle: A Contact Binary Of Chemically Distinct Cometesimals?, Boncho Bonev, Michael Mumma, Yana Radeva, Michael Disanti, Erika Gibb, Geronimo Villanueva

Physics Faculty Works

We report measurements of eight native (i.e., released directly from the comet nucleus) volatiles (H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H2, C2H6, CO, H2CO, and CH3OH) in comet 8P/Tuttle using NIRSPEC at Keck 2. Comet Tuttle reveals a truly unusual composition, distinct from that of any comet observed to date at infrared wavelengths. The prominent enrichment of methanol relative to water contrasts with the depletions of other molecules, especially C2H2, HCN, and H2CO. We suggest that the nucleus of 8P/Tuttle may contain two cometesimals characterized by distinct volatile composition. The relative abundances C2/CN, C2/OH, and CN/OH in 8P/Tuttle (measured at optical/near-UV wavelengths) differ …

Astrophysically Triggered Searches For Gravitational Waves: Status And Prospects, B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, B. Allen, G. Allen, R. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, M. A. Arain, M. Araya, H. Armandula, P. Armor, Y. Aso, S. Aston, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, S. Ballmer, H. Bantilan, B. C. Barish, C. Barker, D. Barker, B. Barr, P. Barriga, M. A. Barton, M. Bastarrika, K. Bayer, J. Betzwieser, P. T. Beyersdorf, I. A. Bilenko, Tiffany Z. Summerscales

Faculty Publications

In gravitational-wave detection, special emphasis is put onto searches that focus on cosmic events detected by other types of astrophysical observatories. The astrophysical triggers, e.g. from γ-ray and x-ray satellites, optical telescopes and neutrino observatories, provide a trigger time for analyzing gravitational-wave data coincident with the event. In certain cases the expected frequency range, source energetics, directional and progenitor information are also available. Beyond allowing the recognition of gravitational waveforms with amplitudes closer to the noise floor of the detector, these triggered searches should also lead to rich science results even before the onset of Advanced LIGO. In this paper …

Infrared Spectroscopy Of Symbiotic Stars. Vi. Combined Orbits For Two S-Type Systems: V455 Scorpii And Ss 73-90, Francis C. Fekel, Kenneth H. Hinkle, Richard R. Joyce, Peter R. Wood, Ian D. Howarth

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have combined new infrared radial velocities and previously obtained spectropolarimetric observations to compute orbits of the M6 giants in two southern S-type symbiotic systems. The spectropolarimetric data enable the orbital inclinations of the systems to be determined, placing greater constraints on the properties of the components. V455 Sco has a circular orbit with a period of 1398 ± 6 days and an inclination of 94° ± 1°. The orbit of SS 73-90 has a period of 898 ± 5 days, a modest eccentricity of 0.16, and an inclination of 97° ± 7°. The center of mass velocity of each …