Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Search For Slow-Moving Magnetic Monopoles With An Improved High-Energy Event Removal Algorithm, Reeshi N. Gihosal

Honors Theses

Fermilab’s NOvA (NuMI Off-axis 𝑣𝑒 Appearance) experiment focuses on understanding the behavior of neutrinos and how they affect the cosmos. A sub-focus of the NOvA experiment is the search for magnetic monopoles. These elusive particles have not yet been observed in nature, leaving their behavior to be mysterious. The Far Detector, located in Ash River, MN, is integral in the search for these particles. This project is on simulated magnetic monopoles with speeds thousandths the speed of light, with focus on the role of slicing algorithms in event reconstruction using the NOvA experiment’s reconstruction algorithm. Using sample data, analysis occurred …

Can Methanogens Grow On Asteroids?, Isabella N. Reimer

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Because of asteroids’ chemical features, they may serve as potential environments for life and are of interest in astrobiology. Dr. Kral’s laboratory studies methanogens, microorganisms in the domain Archaea, as possible life forms on extraterrestrial bodies. Since some methanogens can withstand harsh environmental conditions and produce methane as a waste product, methane production can be used as an indicator of potential microbial activity.  In this study, three methanogen species, Methanothermobacter wolfeii, Methanobacterium formicicum, and Methanosarcina barkeri were tested for growth on asteroid simulants based on the Orgueil (CIE-1) and Murchison (CME-1) meteorites. First, methanogen growth was assessed in the …

Design And Verification Of The Multi-Slit Solar Explorer Camera Field Programmable Gate Arrays, Jordan M. Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Multi-Slit Solar Explorer, or MUSE, is a NASA mission that will take images of the Sun to study solar flares and the solar corona. The mission will provide insight into the mechanisms behind space weather. The mission consists of two cameras: the Spectrograph (SG), and the Context Imager (CI). The Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory is providing both cameras for the mission.

This report describes a part of the design and verification process for a central component on these cameras known as the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). These FPGAs are programmed to acquire, handle, and send images …

The Space In Between, Cailyn Dawson

Theses and Dissertations

This paper asks the question: is it possible for our bodies to hold contradicting identities at the same time?  Through monochromatic self- portraits, the artist creates a link between quantum mechanics and painting, using the principle of superposition to depict these multiple unformed states of being.

Optical Counterparts To X-Ray Sources In Lsst Dp1, Yuankun David Wang, Eric Bellm, Robert I. Hynes, Yue Zhao, Poshak Gandhi, Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval, Sandro Campos, Neven Caplar, Melissa Delucchi, Konstantin Malanchev

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a crossmatch between a combined catalog of X-ray sources and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Data Preview 1 (DP1) to identify optical counterparts. The six fields targeted as part of DP1 include the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDF-S), the Euclid Deep Field South, the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy (Fornax dSph), 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc), and science validation fields with low Galactic and ecliptic latitude (SV_95_-25 and SV_38_7, respectively). We find matches to 2314 of 3830 X-ray sources. We also compare our crossmatch to DP1 in the E-CDF-S field to previous efforts to identify optical counterparts. The probability …

The Trouble Of Energy: Theoretical Foundations Of Loop Quantum Gravity, Hallie Gift

Senior Honors Theses

While general relativity and quantum mechanics have proved to be successful theories with elegant explanations of special cases, an underlying theory is needed to harmonize their copious discrepancies. Popular theories to reconcile the two are broadly termed “quantum gravity,” which refers to theories that introduce a discretized component of gravity either by directly suggesting gravitational quanta or attempting to discretize spacetime geometry. Loop quantum gravity falls under the latter category; it respects the background independence intrinsic to general relativity while attempting to provide an explanation of underlying quantum behavior via Planck-scale-level geometrical discretization. This thesis aims to provide a primer …

X-Raying The Material Surrounding Active Supermassive Black Holes, Isaiah S. Cox

All Dissertations

It is important to understand the nature of the gas and dust immediately surrounding the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in active galactic nuclei (AGN), because this material feeds the accretion disk and couples the activities going on at the AGN scale to the host galaxy. However, there remain large uncertainties on basic properties about this material such as its location and distribution. This is primarily due to the difficulties in resolving spatial information on these scales at extragalactic distances.

AGN emit a tremendous amount of radiation all across the electromagnetic spectrum, including X-rays. The X-rays come from a very small …

Quantifying Noise In Monte Carlo Simulations Of Cosmic Rays In A Shock, Abhro Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Cosmic rays are a phenomenon known to humankind from the early 1900s, and yet today the details of their physical behavior are not fully settled. While the observed spectral fluxes of cosmic rays follow a power-law trend when plotted against particle energy, the exact mechanisms under which they get to such high energies are still under study. This thesis will undertake a subsection of that task, where the Monte Carlo simulation of particle accelerations is described in Warren (2015), and we aim to identify and quantify the noise inherent in such simulations. This document takes a long path through particle …

Of Dunes And Ice: A Surface-Atmosphere Investigation Of Mars Co2 Sublimation Features And Titan Aeolian Fields, Racine D. Cleveland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates a central question: How do planetary boundary layer processes manifest in observable surface geomorphology, and how can planetary imagery be used to quantify those effects? The planetary boundary layer (PBL) governs near-surface exchanges of momentum, heat, and volatiles, yet direct atmospheric measurements remain spatially and temporally limited on most planetary bodies. By analyzing geomorphic features preserved in high-resolution imagery, this work quantifies how boundary-layer processes leave measurable signatures on planetary surfaces. For Mars, high-resolution images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) HiRISE instrument were used to map CO2 sublimation features, or Swiss Cheese Features (SCFs), on the …

Manned Exploration Of Satellites Of The Outer Planets: An Analysis Of Current Technologies And A Discussion Of Advancements Required, Joshua Carson Meador

Theses and Dissertations

The Solar System’s outer planets have many satellites, some of which are known to be the most likely places to find extraterrestrial life in our celestial backyard. Multiple scientific missions have been sent to glean information from these satellites, yet the possibility of a manned expedition has long been exclusive to science fiction stories. This paper intends to collect and analyze the current state of space travel technology to explore the feasibility of such a mission with modern technology and to discuss which future advancements should be the focal point for making such missions a reality. To begin, data on …

What Do Black Holes Teach Us About Wigner’S Friend?, Emily Adlam

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Recently, Hausmann and Renner have pointed out that several famous paradoxes relating to black holes have a similar character to various Extended Wigner’s Friend paradoxes. In this paper I consider what the connection between these things could teach us about the Wigner’s Friend scenarios. I argue that if we take the analogy between these cases seriously, the black hole paradoxes appear to favour a certain class of response to the Wigner’s Friend scenario - specifically, those which posit intrinsic relationality, rather than effective and emergent relationality, and also those which posit some kind of retrocausality.

Domain Wall Gravitational Waves: Constraints Within Extensions Of The Standard Model, Sophia W. Jensen

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This work considers an extra-dimensional framework to explain the gravitational wave background (GWB), massive neutrinos, and baryon asymmetry. Through studying all three, restrictions on certain parameters arise and provide bounds on both theories. It is proposed that the GWB is caused by cosmic domain walls, sheet-like topological defects that were theoretically created in the early universe shortly after the Big Bang. A relationship be- tween the energy density of domain walls and the vacuum expectation value of the broken symmetry was defined. Constraints on the parameters, including the already observed fre- quencies of gravitational waves and the current energy content …

Intermediate-Scale Outflow Dynamics Of Eta Carinae, Edmund J. Garcia, Matthew C. Fleenor

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

η Carinae (η Car) is a binary system, with the larger star being an extremely massive, luminous blue variable (LBV) beyond the Eddington Limit. Surrounding the η Car system, numerous multi-wavelength imaging campaigns reveal axisymmetric structures with the expanding bipolar Homunculus Nebula (¡1 pc). In combination with the episodic eruptive history of the η Car system, our initial intermediate-scale imaging revealed further axisym- metric structures (1-5 pc). To gain a more expansive view of how the small scale structure connects to panoramic imaging of the η Car region, we constructed a deep, optical, narrowband mosaic of 189 images utilizing the …

All-Sky Search For Long-Duration Gravitational-Wave Transients In The First Part Of The Fourth Ligo-Virgo-Kagra Observing Run, A. G. Abac, I. Abouelfettouh, F. Acernese, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Raul A. Espinosa, J. Lawrence, Francisco Llamas Villarreal, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Miriam Ramos Arevalo, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present an all-sky search for long-duration gravitational waves (GWs) from the first part of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA fourth observing run (O4), called O4a and comprising data taken between May 24, 2023, and January 16, 2024. The GW signals targeted by this search are the so-called “long-duration” ( ≳1  s) transients expected from a variety of astrophysical processes, including nonaxisymmetric deformations in magnetars or eccentric binary coalescences. We make minimal assumptions on the emitted GW waveforms in terms of morphologies and durations. Overall, our search targets signals with durations of ∼1–1000  s and frequency content in the range 16–2048 Hz. In …

The Role Of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence In Crewed Mars Missions, Jordan Neuman

Student Publications and Presentations

The suggestion of implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in crewed missions to the Martian surface can revolutionize mission operations, psychological support, and ethical decision‑making under challenging conditions. This study is a structured, qualitative literature review of current AI research for the future of human space exploration. It uses publicly available peer‑reviewed journal articles and NASA/ESA technical reports on AI for Mars missions. Using Perplexity, the researcher first prompted the AI tool to identify recurring topics across these sources and generate themes. The researcher independently reviewed all sources to confirm and refine those themes. Three themes—mission autonomy, local resource utilization and life‑support, …

Tracing The Milky Way’S Evolution Through Its Star-Planet Systems, Rayna Rampalli

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

From individual planetary systems to the Milky Way's structure, stars are the linchpin connecting astrophysical scales. Through three complementary projects, my thesis leverages these connections and large stellar surveys to offer insight into the Galaxy's dynamical and chemical history and its role in shaping planet formation and evolution. (I) I developed Protify, an automated pipeline to measure stellar rotation periods in TESS light curves, enabling rotation-based ages for thousands of stars. Applying it to overdensities of stars in eccentric Galactic orbits, thought to be post-resonant signatures of spiral arm passages, revealed unexpectedly young rotators in dynamically old populations. Because such …

Measuring Cosmic Rays With Muon Detectors (Quarknet), Jack W. Maseberg

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

We report measurements of atmospheric muon particles originating from cosmic rays. Using four QuarkNet project scintillators in a stacked geometry, we recorded muons in coincidence with each other. We observed a change in the muon flux due to a solar Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) event on Jan 19, 2026.

Variability On M-Dwarf Stars And Its Effect On Exoplanet Detection, Aylin Garcia Soto

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Understanding stellar magnetic activity is crucial for exoplanet research: activity can mask signatures from exoplanet detection and characterization, and impact planetary habitability. This is particularly important for M dwarf stars, which are highly magnetically active, displaying spectroscopic and photometric signatures of flares and rotational variability. In this thesis, I will present two complementary perspectives on M dwarf magnetic activity. First, I will discuss a study of short-term variability. I made new ground-based observations of 77 M dwarfs and tested the connection between chromospheric emission and photometric variability. I find a weak positive correlation between H$\alpha$ luminosity (tracing magnetic heating) and …

Interacting Dark Energy Models And The Cosmic Coincidence Problem, Gunner W. Hodges

ATU Scholars Symposium

Cosmological models are a tool used to understand the mysterious nature of dark energy and dark matter by predicting how these dark sector components have shaped the expansion of the universe. The cosmic coincidence problem stems from the present day densities of dark energy and matter sharing very similar magnitudes when previously we expect a much larger difference in orders of magnitude. The current best-fit model, ΛCDM , assumes dark energy is non-interacting; however, assuming that dark energy instead does interact could serve to alleviate this cosmic tension. We define an interaction where we relate the density of dark energy …

Energy Scaling And Frequency Ratios Of Particles And Constants, Alison Christina Menzmer, Donald Chakeres, Vola Andrianarijaona

Campus Research Month

We are exploring quantum aspects of various physical quantities (including Bohr radius, Rydberg constant, Planck time, and Hubble constant) and mass energies of elementary particles (including electron, neutron, and quarks). We express all physical units in an energy equivalence in Hertz, normalized to 1 Hz. Furthermore, the logarithms of these normalized energies are scaled by the logarithm of a chosen particle, which allows the generation of an Arrhenius plot exhibiting numerical structures. Our results presented in this poster show that the proton is a good candidate for an Arrhenius plot with partial fractions (1 + 1/n) and (1 - 1/n).

Searching Within Galaxies For The Earliest Signs Of Quenching With Spatially Resolved Star Formation Histories In Uvcandels Galaxies At Z < 0.3, Charlotte Olsen, Eric Gawiser, Charlotte Welker, Harry Teplitz, Kartheik Iyer, Xin Wang, Marc Rafelski, Rogier A. Windhorst, Anton Koekemoer, Anahita Alavi, Ben Sunnquist, Norman Grogin, Yicheng Guo, Christopher J. Conselice, L. Y. Aaron Yung, Kalina Nedkova, Bahram Mobasher, Ray A. Lucas, Vihang Mehta, Y. Sophia Dai, Jonathan P. Gardner

Publications and Research

Understanding the complicated processes that regulate star formation and cause a galaxy to become quiescent is key to our comprehension of galaxy evolution. We used eight well-resolved star-forming z < 0.3 galaxies from the UVCANDELS survey, where a total of 10 Hubble Space Telescope bands, including UV follow-up in UVIS/F275W, allow us to reconstruct the star formation histories (SFHs) of regions across each galaxy. This approach provides a powerful tool to explore the spatiotemporal connection between star formation and galaxy evolution. The spatial and temporal profiles of stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) surface density were obtained from the SFHs of these regions. We measure scaling relations and projected radial profiles of regions within each galaxy at the time of observation and at 1 Gyr lookback time, noting possible trends in the evolution. By comparing the change in star formation over time, we can infer the timing and location of star formation and see early signs of star formation shutting off before quenching occurs. We compared the SFR density–stellar mass density scaling relations for individual galaxies as they evolve from 1 Gyr lookback time. The correlation lines pivot around a log-stellar mass surface density of 7.25 [M⊙ kpc−2], which may be evidence of a self-regulating process on these scales. Radial profiles of the galaxy logarithmic specific SFR (sSFR) show an overall decrease over 1 Gyr, but five galaxies show a greater change in log(sSFR) at the outskirts than the center, indicating a possible early onset of quenching in these galaxies.

Antimicrobial Performance Of Amorphous Vs. Crystalline La1-Xsrxcoo3 Perovskites, S. M. Au Shohag, Fahmida Akhter, Ahmed Touhami, Swati Mohan, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Perovskite materials, with their unique crystal structure and chemical properties, are emerging as promising antimicrobial agents for potential biomedical applications. In this research, different weight percentages of Sr2 + doped amorphous and crystalline Lanthanum Cobaltite (La1-xSrxCoO3 defined as LSCO) (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) perovskite was synthesized by using a simple combination of sol-gel and molten-salt processes and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ensures the uniform morphology of the materials. During antimicrobial study using the Kirby Bauer method, amorphous LSCO showed much better activity than crystalline LSCO against Escherichia coli, Vibrio …

Discovery Of A New Cataclysmic Variable, Galex J211240.9–422959, Via The Exoasteroids Citizen Science Project, Mei Lin, Aaron Meisner, Siyi Xu, Arttu Sainio, Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval, Paula Szkody, Christopher Tanner, Laura K. Rogers, Sarah Casewell, Austin Humphreys

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report the discovery and spectroscopic classification of a new cataclysmic variable (CV), GALEX J211240.9–422959 (Gaia DR3 source ID 6580244356829724928). This object was initially identified as a source exhibiting strong mid-infrared variability in Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) time-series data by a volunteer participating in the Exoasteroids citizen science project. Prompted by this strong variability at 3–5 μm, we obtained a follow-up optical spectrum using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Gemini South Observatory. The resulting spectrum displays a blue continuum dominated by strong, broad emission lines of the hydrogen Balmer series and neutral helium, spectral signatures characteristic of …

A Search For Magnetically Active Binary Counterparts To Chandra X-Ray Sources In 47 Tucanae With Hst Imaging, Haldan N. Cohn, Phyllis M. Lugger, Craig O. Heinke, Maureen Van Den Berg, Liliana Rivera Sandoval, Jay Anderson

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, we searched for candidate magnetically active binary (AB) counterparts to low-luminosity Chandra X-ray sources in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104). We consider the catalog of 300 Chandra sources within the half-light radius of 47 Tuc compiled by C. O. Heinke et al. (2005). The 10-band HST imaging used to identify these sources spans the range from 275–658 nm. We generated a cross-matched catalog of objects detected by photometric reductions. We used this catalog to search for counterparts within Chandra source error circles using color–magnitude diagrams and a color–color plot. We …

Inferring The Breakdown Scales Of The Chiral Expansions For GA And MN, Andreas Ekström, Daniel R. Phillips, Lucas Platter, Matthias Schindler

Faculty Publications

We apply Bayesian inference to the order-by-order chiral perturbation theory (χPT) expansions for the axial-vector coupling constant g_A and the nucleon mass m_N, and thereby infer the scales at which χPT breaks down for these two observables. Using a pointwise Bayesian analysis, we find that the inferred breakdown scales are notably different for the two observables. For the chiral expansion of g_A, we obtain 251⁺²⁰₋₅₀ MeV and 211⁺²⁰₋₃₀ MeV using two distinct sets of low-energy constants, while for the chiral expansion of m_N we infer a significantly …

Measuring The Flux Of Cosmic Ray Muons With A Coincidence Telescope, Carlos C. Sifuentes

Posters - 2026

❖ Cosmic Ray Muons are short-lived fundamental particles formed in the upper atmosphere, and have a half-life of 2.2 microseconds.[3] They travel down to surface level due to relativistic effects.

❖ Cosmic Watch Muon detectors were placed in coincidence. [1]

❖ Varied the angle from zenith using a 3D printed telescope designed in AutoCad.

❖ Varied the distance of the detectors and viewed changes in flux

Step By Step Progress Told On Florence State Building, Florence Times-Florence Astronomy Society

Documents

News article from the Florence Astronomy Society about the progress of the new Planetarium and Observatory for Florence State College.

10 Men Construct, Donate Florence State's Telescope, Florence Picture

Documents

News article focusing on the 10 men who built the telescope for the Florence State College Observatory. These men were a part of the Florence Astronomy Society and built this telescope to donate to the university.

Fsc Will Have A 'Big Eye', Bob Dixon

Documents

News article from The Florence Times about the new 14 1/2-inch reflector telescope built and donated to Florence State College.

Florence State University Planetarium-Observatory Information And Schedule, Florence Herald Offset

Documents

Florence State University Planetarium & Observatory Information and Schedule Brochure for Academic Year 1970-1971