Instrumentation Commons^™

Cosmic Duets: A Search For Binary Supermassive Black Holes In Merging Galaxies, Sagar Adhikari

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Galaxies are vast cosmic islands of stars, dust, and gas. They come in various shapes and sizes. They might look static for the timescales we are used to, but they are dynamic and collisional systems that can merge with other galaxies to make bigger galaxies. Most galaxies, including the Milky Way, host a central supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass greater than a million (sometimes a billion) times the mass of the Sun. When galaxies merge, their SMBHs form a binary system before ultimately merging. These cosmic duets are of great interest to astronomers and astrophysicists as they are …

12co Ro-Vibrational Spectroscopy Of Protoplanetary Disks: Inferring Planet-Disk Interactions, Janus Kozdon

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Observing and studying planets around young stars during their initial formation stages is essential for understanding the physics of their formation. Protoplanetary disks are the host sites of planets, and they exhibit substructures that hint towards the planets' presence, but the planet itself has rarely been detected. Analysis of the substructures in protoplanetary disks, especially towards the inner regions where most planets seem to lie, will provide information that can be used to refine theories about planet-disk interactions and, ultimately, planet formation. To probe the high-velocity inner regions, this study utilizes high-resolution spectroscopy, which has increased sensitivity with increasing velocities. …

Spectroscopy Of Highly Charged Ions For Astrophysical And Laboratory Plasma Diagnostics, Yang Yang

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Electron beam ion traps (EBITs) are small-scale laboratory devices that create and trap highly charged ions (HCI) for spectroscopic studies. These devices create plasma conditions resembling astrophysical environments like stellar winds and supernova remnants, providing valuable insights into astrophysical plasma. Theoretical models for such systems require incorporating relativistic and quantum electrodynamics effects, making experimental studies of HCIs essential for benchmarking these theories.

Spectral analysis of astrophysical and laboratory plasma requires understanding the ionization balance. Accurate atomic data, including excitation, ionization, and recombination cross sections, along with precise knowledge of operating conditions such as electron beam density, electron beam energy, and …