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- Keyword
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- Binary asteroid systems; Impact simulations; Ejecta dynamics; Surface evolution; Resurfacing outcomes (1)
- Comet nuclei; Production rates; CO2 detection; Heliocentric dependence; Primitive solar system (1)
- Exoplanet characterization; Data analysis techniques; Elliptical photometry; Atmospheric properties; Light curve modeling (1)
- Planetary bodies; Thermal infrared spectra; Asteroid age determination; Lunar regolith modeling; Spectral analysis (1)
- Regolith simulants; Jupiter Trojan asteroids; Lunar exploration; Water ice content; Spectral analysis (1)
Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy
Physical Properties And Chemical Composition Of Comets, Olga Harrington
Physical Properties And Chemical Composition Of Comets, Olga Harrington
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023
Comets and Centaurs are icy remnants from the formation of the solar system. Analyzing the physical properties of their nuclei and their production rates can serve as powerful tools for tracing primitive solar system material. The four research projects in this dissertation examine these properties in comets and Centaurs. The first project focuses on observations of main belt comet 176P/LINEAR that were obtained with the Kepler space telescope. Optical lightcurves were used to constrain models of the nucleus's spin pole axis, shape and activity level. The second project used millimeter-wavelength spectra from the Arizona Radio Observatory Submillimeter Telescope and infrared …
Impact On Infinite Asteroids: Analysis Of Ejecta Outcomes In Small Body Binary Systems, Jennifer Larson
Impact On Infinite Asteroids: Analysis Of Ejecta Outcomes In Small Body Binary Systems, Jennifer Larson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023
Binary asteroid systems make up roughly 15% of objects occupying near-Earth space, the Main Belt, and trans-Neptunian space. The impact history of asteroids in binary systems represents an interesting aspect of the general problem pertaining to the nature and evolution of surfaces for such objects. Specifically, the post-impact dynamics of ejecta and its relation to surface modification is a challenging question owing, in part, to the unusual gravitational field in a binary system and the subsequent capture and emplacement of debris on either binary component. Observable differences or similarities between the two bodies in the color, reflectance, thermal properties, and …
Development Of Regolith Simulants Of Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions And Jupiter Trojan Asteroids, Karlis Slumba
Development Of Regolith Simulants Of Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions And Jupiter Trojan Asteroids, Karlis Slumba
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023
Every scientific experiment or innovation goes through a phase of testing equipment. This is not only true for experiments in the laboratory, but also very relevant for experiments on other planetary bodies. In order to test tools and robotic equipment that are destined for another planet, moon, asteroid or comet, it is necessary to simulate the regolith environment on that surface. In this thesis we have provided an overview of two methods for regolith simulant development. In one approach we made simulants in different compositions to find the best spectral fit to Jupiter Trojan asteroids. At visible to near-infrared (VNIR) …
Spectral Characterization And Age Of The Moon And Primitive Asteroids, Vanessa Lowry
Spectral Characterization And Age Of The Moon And Primitive Asteroids, Vanessa Lowry
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023
In this dissertation work we sought to answer questions about the age, composition, and origin of planetary bodies. We implemented multiple approaches to answer these questions. To determine the age of the Clarissa asteroid family we implemented a modified version of SWIFT: a Solar System integration software package by Levison & Duncan (1994) to account for gravitational as well as thermal perturbations. This work constrained the age of the Clarissa asteroid family to be 56 ± 6 My. Next, we used a sum to one constraint weighted least squares (STO WLS) modeling approach to model thermal infrared (TIR) spectra of …
Exoplanets: Correlated Noise And Cautionary Tales, Ryan Challener
Exoplanets: Correlated Noise And Cautionary Tales, Ryan Challener
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023
Transiting exoplanets provide the best opportunity for planetary characterization, and thus the search for life outside the Solar System. These planets orbit such that they pass in front ("transit'') and behind ("eclipse'') their host star, and a spectrum of the lost flux constrains the atmospheric properties of the planet. In transits, the flux modulation scales with the cross-sectional area of the planet, and the spectrum includes signatures of molecules in the upper atmosphere of the planet's terminator, which the host star's light passes through on the way to the observer. With eclipses, the lost flux is the direct emission of …