Other Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Investigation Of Waves In The Very Local Interstellar Medium, Parisa Mostafavi

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

Characterizing New Calibration Sources In Liquid Xenon Dark Matter Searches, Evan P. Bray, Rafael Lang, Sean Macmullin

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In order to use the XENON1T liquid xenon detector as a means for detecting dark matter, the response to nuclear and electronic recoils must be well calibrated. Electronic-recoil calibration of XENON1T will be done by using the noble gas radon-220 that emanates from a custom thorium-228 source to observe the electron recoils that its daughter elements induce in liquid xenon. A silicon PIN diode was constructed to ensure that the Th228 source does not contaminate the system with the long-lived isotopes Th228 (T1/2 of 1.9 y) or Radium-224 (T1/2 of 3.6 d). The PIN diode was fixed in a custom …

Measuring K-Shell Transitions In L-Shell Ions Of Aluminum Using Llnl Ebit, Grecia Ramos

STAR Program Research Presentations

We measured the transition energies of the 1s-2p Kα transitions in Al4+ through Al11+. The aluminum ions were created and trapped using the LLNL’s Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT). Once created and trapped, upper levels were collisionally excited by electrons in EBIT's electron beam. X-ray emission following radiative decay of excited levels was detected using the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS). We have measured the centroids of the strongest lines to an accuracy of less than 1 eV. These results will be used to properly identify line emission from celestial x-ray sources, such as elliptical galaxy NGC 4472 and black hole …

Phylogenetic Diversity Of Microbial Isolates From The Mars Pathfinder, Kyla Bradylong, Adriana Blachowicz, Parag Vaishampayan, James N. Benardini, Wayne Schubert

STAR Program Research Presentations

As spacecraft are sent to different planets, they take with them microscopic pieces of life from Earth. It is the task of the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group to keep as much of this life off other planets as possible as well as document any life that may have been sent. During the construction of the Mars Pathfinder, samples were collected from various locations on the spacecraft to test for contamination. These samples were then isolated, grown, documented, preserved and their 16S rRNA genes were sequenced for identification. The 16S rRNA gene sequence is utilized because it is a highly …

Cosmic Sound In The Lyman Alpha Forest, Spencer Everett, Matt Kwiecien, Cordell Newmiller

DePaul Discoveries

Using the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the authors attempt to detect the baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs) using the discrete wavelet transform. The wavelet transform is used to construct the power spectrum of intergalactic clouds of matter at large (Mpc) distance scales. It was found that the wavelet transform used here does not have high enough resolution to detect the BAOs. However, the techniques used in this study allow for future improvements in the transform that could potentially resolve the expected peak in the power spectrum and indicate the existence of BAOs.

The Energetic Particle Detector (Epd) Investigation And The Energetic Ion Spectrometer (Eis) For The Magnetospheric Multiscale (Mms) Mission, B. H. Mauk, J. B. Blake, D. N. Baker, J. H. Clemmons, Geoffrey Reeves, Harlan E. Spence, S. E. Jaskulek, C. E. Schlemm, L. E. Brown, Steve Cooper, J. V. Craft, J. F. Fennell, R. S. Gurnee, C. M. Hammock, J. R. Hayes, P. A. Hill, G. C. Ho, J. C. Hutcheson, A. D. Jacques, S. Kerem, D. G. Mitchell, K. S. Nelson, N. P. Paschalidis, E. Rossano, M. R. Stokes, J. H. Westlake

Space Science Center

Abstract

The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) Investigation is one of 5 fields-and-particles investigations on the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. MMS comprises 4 spacecraft flying in close formation in highly elliptical, near-Earth-equatorial orbits targeting understanding of the fundamental physics of the important physical process called magnetic reconnection using Earth’s magnetosphere as a plasma laboratory. EPD comprises two sensor types, the Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS) with one instrument on each of the 4 spacecraft, and the Fly’s Eye Energetic Particle Spectrometer (FEEPS) with 2 instruments on each of the 4 spacecraft. EIS measures energetic ion energy, angle and elemental compositional distributions from …

Dipole Bound Excited States Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Containing Nitrogen And Their Relation To The Interstellar Medium, Mallory L. Theis

Honors College Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most abundant type of molecule present in the interstellar medium (ISM). It has been hypothesized that nitrogen replacement within a ring is likely for PAHs present in the ISM. Additionally, electrons, protons, and hydrogen atoms are readily added to or removed from PAHs creating a truly diverse set of chemistries in various interstellar regions. The presence of a nitrogen within a PAH (called a PANH herein) that is additionally dehydrogenated leads to a neutral radical with a large dipole moment. It has recently been shown through the use of high-level quantum chemical computations for …

Towards A Sustainable Modular Robot System For Planetary Exploration, S. G. M. Hossain

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigates multiple perspectives of developing an unmanned robotic system suited for planetary terrains. In this case, the unmanned system consists of unit-modular robots. This type of robot has potential to be developed and maintained as a sustainable multi-robot system while located far from direct human intervention. Some characteristics that make this possible are: the cooperation, communication and connectivity among the robot modules, flexibility of individual robot modules, capability of self-healing in the case of a failed module and the ability to generate multiple gaits by means of reconfiguration. To demonstrate the effects of high flexibility of an individual …

Landsat-8: Science And Product Vision For Terrestrial Global Change Research, David P. Roy, M. A. Wulder, T. R. Loveland, C. E. Woodcock, R. G. Allen, M. C. Anderson, D. Helder, J. R. Irons, D. M. Johnson, R. Kennedy, T. A. Scambos, C. B. Schaaf, J. R. Schott, Y. Sheng, E. F. Vermote, A. S. Belward, R. Bindschadler, W. B. Cohen, F. Gao, J. D. Hipple, P. Hostert, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nv, C. O. Justice, Ayse Kilic, V. Kovalskyy, Z. P. Lee, L. Lymburner, J. G. Masek, J. Mccorkel, Y. Shuai, R. Trezza, J. Vogelmann, R. H. Wynne, Z. Zhu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Landsat 8, a NASA and USGS collaboration, acquires global moderate-resolution measurements of the Earth's terrestrial and polar regions in the visible, near-infrared, short wave, and thermal infrared. Landsat 8 extends the remarkable 40 year Landsat record and has enhanced capabilities including new spectral bands in the blue and cirrus cloud-detection portion of the spectrum, two thermal bands, improved sensor signal-to-noise performance and associated improvements in radiometric resolution, and an improved duty cycle that allows collection of a significantly greater number of images per day. This paper introduces the current (2012–2017) Landsat Science Team's efforts to establish an initial understanding of …

[Sabbatical Report], Louis-Gregory Strolger

Sabbatical Reports

I spent my AY2014 sabbatical year at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), with plans of completing the analyses of supernova rates for both thermonuclear and corecolliape events in high redshift galaxies from the Multi-cycle Treasury Projects with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Modeling Tidally Driven Coulomb Failure At Strike-Slip Linea On Europa, Marissa Elizabeth Cameron

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The surface of Europa is crosscut by a dense network of fractures and there are many candidate faults for studying past tectonic activity. To better understand the role of tidal stress sources and implications for faulting on Europa, we investigate the relationship between shear and normal stresses at four fault zones: Agenor Linea, Rhadamanthys Linea, Conamara Chaos (Agave/Asterius Linea), and Astypalaea Linea, offering a unique comparison of geological activity of fractures residing in geographically diverse locations of Europa. Assuming tidal diurnal and non-synchronous rotation (NSR) stresses are the primary mechanisms for strike-slip tectonism, here we investigate the mechanics of Coulomb …

Elvis: Exploring The Local Volume In Simulations, Shea Garrison-Kimmel, Michael Boylan-Kolchin, James S. Bullock, Kyle Lee

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We introduce a set of high-resolution dissipationless simulations that model the Local Group (LG) in a cosmological context: Exploring the Local Volume in Simulations (ELVIS). The suite contains 48 Galaxy-size haloes, each within high-resolution volumes that span 2-5 Mpc in size, and each resolving thousands of systems with masses below the atomic cooling limit. Half of the ELVIS galaxy haloes are in paired configurations similar to the Milky Way (MW) and M31; the other half are isolated, mass-matched analogues. We find no difference in the abundance or kinematics of substructure within the virial radii of isolated versus paired hosts. On …

Book Review: Robotic Exploration Of The Solar System: Pt. 4: The Modern Era, 2004-2013, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of Robotic Exploration of the Solar System : Pt. 4: the Modern Era, 2004-2013 by Paolo Ulivi with David Harland Springer, 2014 567p bibl index afp, 9781461448112 $44.99, 9781461448129 $29.99