Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy Commons^™

Fragile Binary Candidates In The Sdss Dr8 Spectroscopic Archive, J. K. Zhao, Terry D. Oswalt, G. Zhao

Publications

We present a catalog of 80 very wide fragile binary candidates (projected separations >10,000 AU) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Eight spectral archive. The pairs were selected based on proper motion, radial velocity, metallicity, and photometric parallax criteria. The angular separations of these pairs range from 3'' to 250''. The peak in the metallicity distribution of these pairs is about −0.5 dex of solar metallicity. Space motions and reduced proper motion diagrams indicate that all these pairs are members of the disk. The chromospheric activity index S_HK of each component in 38 binary candidates having spectra …

The Sn 393-Snr Rx J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) Connection, Robert A. Fesen, Richard Kremer, Daniel Patnaude, Dan Milisavljevic

Dartmouth Scholarship

Although the connection of the Chinese "guest" star of 393 AD with the Galactic supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 (G347.3-0.5) made by Wang et al. in 1997 is consistent with the remnant's relatively young properties and the guest star's projected position within the "tail" of the constellation Scorpius, there are difficulties with such an association. The brief Chinese texts concerning the 393 AD guest star make no comment about its apparent brightness, stating only that it disappeared after eight months. However, at the remnant's current estimated 1-1.3 kpc distance and A _V 3, its supernova (SN) should have been a visually …

The Acs Survey Of Galactic Globular Clusters. Xi. The Three-Dimensional Orientation Of The Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy And Its Globular Clusters, Michael H. H. Siegel, Steven R. Majewski, David R. Law, Ata Sarajedini, Aaron Dotter, A Marín-Franch, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We use observations from the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS) study of Galactic globular clusters to investigate the spatial distribution of the inner regions of the disrupting Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr). We combine previously published analyses of four Sgr member clusters located near or in the Sgr core (M54, Arp 2, Terzan 7, and Terzan 8) with a new analysis of diffuse Sgr material identified in the background of five low-latitude Galactic bulge clusters (NGC 6624, 6637, 6652, 6681, and 6809) observed as part of the ACS survey. By comparing the bulge cluster color-magnitude …

Investigating Turbulence Transport In The Heliosphere, Lauren Kahre

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Absolute Properties Of The Highly Eccentric, Solar-Type Eclipsing Binary Hd 74057, James R. Sowell, Gregory W. Henry, Francis C. Fekel

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have obtained Strömgren b and y differential photometric observations of the solar-type eclipsing binary HD 74057 plus follow-up high-resolution, red wavelength spectroscopic observations. The system has an orbital period of 31.2198 days, a high eccentricity of 0.47, and is seen almost exactly edge on with an inclination of 89fdg8. The two main-sequence G0 stars are nearly identical in all physical characteristics. We used the Wilson–Devinney program to obtain a simultaneous solution of our photometric and spectroscopic observations. The resulting masses of the components are M1 = 1.138 ± 0.003 M☉ and M2 = 1.131 ± 0.003 M☉, and the …

Orbital Separation Amplification In Fragile Binaries With Evolved Components, K. B. Johnston, Terry D. Oswalt

Publications

The secular stellar mass-loss causes an amplification of the orbital separation in fragile, common proper motion, binary systems with separations of the order of 1000 A.U. In these systems, companions evolve as two independent coeval stars as they experience negligible mutual tidal interactions or mass transfer. We present models for how post-main sequence mass-loss statistically distorts the frequency distribution of separations in fragile binaries. These models demonstrate the expected increase in orbital seapration resulting from stellar mass-loss, as well as a perturbation of associated orbital parameters. Comparisons between our models and observations resulting from the Luyten survey of wide visual …

The Stellar-Activity–Rotation Relationship And The Evolution Of Stellar Dynamos, Nicholas J. Wright, Jeremy J. Drake, Eric E. Mamajek, Gregory W. Henry

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We present a sample of 824 solar and late-type stars with X-ray luminosities and rotation periods. This is used to study the relationship between rotation and stellar activity and derive a new estimate of the convective turnover time. From an unbiased subset of this sample the power-law slope of the unsaturated regime, LX/Lbol∝Roβ, is fit as β = −2.70 ± 0.13. This is inconsistent with the canonical β = −2 slope to a confidence of 5σ, and argues for an additional term in the dynamo number equation. From a simple scaling analysis this implies ΔΩ/Ω∝Ω0.7, i.e., the differential rotation of …

Time Evolution Of The Reverse Shock In Sn 1006, P. Frank Winkler, Andrew J. S. Hamilton, Knox S. Long, Robert A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Schweizer-Middleditch star, located behind the SN 1006 remnant and near its center in projection, provides the opportunity to study cold, expanding ejecta within the SN 1006 shell through UV absorption. Especially notable is an extremely sharp red edge to the Si II 1260 Å feature, which stems from the fastest moving ejecta on the far side of the SN 1006 shell—material that is just encountering the reverse shock. Comparing Hubble Space Telescope far-UV spectra obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph in 2010 and with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph in 1999, we have measured the change in this feature …

Distance Scale Zero Points From Galactic Rr Lyrae Star Parallaxes, G. Fritz Benedict, Barbara E. Mcarthur, Michael W. Feast, Thomas G. Barnes, Thomas E. Harrison, Jacob L. Bean, John W. Menzies, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present new absolute trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for seven Population II variable stars—five RR Lyr variables: RZ Cep, XZ Cyg, SU Dra, RR Lyr, and UV Oct; and two type 2 Cepheids: VY Pyx and κ Pav. We obtained these results with astrometric data from Fine Guidance Sensors, white-light interferometers on Hubble Space Telescope. We find absolute parallaxes in milliseconds of arc: RZ Cep, 2.12 ± 0.16 mas; XZ Cyg, 1.67 ± 0.17 mas; SU Dra, 1.42 ± 0.16 mas; RR Lyr, 3.77 ± 0.13 mas; UV Oct, 1.71 ± 0.10 mas; VY Pyx, 6.44 ± 0.23 …

Absolute Properties Of The Eclipsing Binary Star Hy Virginis, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

HY Vir is found to be a double-lined F0m+F5 binary star with relatively shallow (0.3 mag) partial eclipses. Previous studies of the system are improved with 7509 differential photometric observations from the URSA WebScope and 8862 from the NFO WebScope, and 68 high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the Tennessee State University 2 m automatic spectroscopic telescope, and the 1 m coudé-feed spectrometer at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Very accurate (better than 0.5%) masses and radii are determined from analysis of the new light curves and radial velocity curves. Theoretical models match the absolute properties of the stars at an age of …

Acurate Low-Mass Stellar Models Of Koi-126, Gregory A. Feiden, Brian Chaboyer, Aaron Dotter

Dartmouth Scholarship

The recent discovery of an eclipsing hierarchical triple system with two low-mass stars in a close orbit (KOI-126) by Carter et al. (2011) appeared to reinforce the evidence that theoretical stellar evolution models are not able to reproduce the observational mass-radius relation for low-mass stars. We present a set of stellar models for the three stars in the KOI-126 system that show excellent agreement with the observed radii. This agreement appears to be due to the equation of state implemented by our code. A significant dispersion in the observed mass-radius relation for fully convective stars is demonstrated; indicative of the …

Surprising Variations In The Rotation Of The Chemically Peculiar Stars Cu Virginis And V901 Orionis, Zdeněk Mikulášek, Jiří Krtička, Gregory W. Henry, Jan Janík, Juraj Zverko, Jozef Žižňovský, Miloslav Zejda, Jiri Liška, Pavel Zvěřina, D. O. Kudrjavtsev, Iosif I. Romanyuk, N. A. Sokolov, Theresa Lüftinger, Corrado Trigilio, Coralie Neiner, S. N. De Villiers

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Context. The majority of magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars exhibit periodic light, radio, spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric variations that can be adequately explained by the model of a rigidly rotating main-sequence star with persistent surface structures. CU Vir and V901 Ori belong among these few mCP stars whose rotation periods vary on timescales of decades.

Aims. We aim to study the stability of the periods in CU Vir and V901 Ori using all accessible observational data containing phase information.

Methods. We collected all available relevant archived observations supplemented with our new measurements of these stars and analysed the period variations of …

The Real Orbital Period Of The Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binary Hd 31738, Francis C. Fekel, Roger F. Griffin

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Magnetic B-Type Stars: X-Ray Emission And Wind Properties., L. Oskinova, H. Todt, Richard Ignace, J. Brown, J. Cassinelli, W.-R. Hamann

ETSU Faculty Works

We present a comprehensive study of X-ray emission by, and wind properties of, massive magnetic early B-type stars. Dedicated XMM–Newton observations were obtained for three early-type B-type stars, ξ1 CMa, V2052 Oph and ζ Cas, with recently discovered magnetic fields. We report the first detection of X-ray emission from V2052 Oph and ζ Cas. The latter is one the softest X-ray sources among the early-type stars, while the former is one of the X-ray faintest. The observations show that the X-ray spectra of our programme stars are quite soft with the bulk of X-ray emitting material having a temperature of …

The 25 Parsec Local White Dwarf Population, Jerry B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, Edward M. Sion, George P. Mccook

Publications

We have extended our detailed survey of the local white dwarf population from 20 pc to 25 pc, effectively doubling the sample volume, which now includes 232 stars. In the process new stars within 20 pc have been added, a more uniform set of distance estimates as well as improved spectral and binary classifications are available. The present 25 pc sample is estimated to be about 68% complete (the corresponding 20 pc sample is now 86% complete). The space density of white dwarfs is unchanged at 4.8 ± 0.5 x 10-3 pc-3. This new study includes a white dwarf mass …

Veritas Observations Of The Unusual Extragalactic Transient Swift J164449.3+573451, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We report on very high energy (>100 GeV) gamma-ray observations of Swift J164449.3+573451, an unusual transient object first detected by the Swift Observatory and later detected by multiple radio, optical, and X-ray observatories. A total exposure of 28 hr was obtained on Swift J164449.3+573451 with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) during 2011 March 28-April 15. We do not detect the source and place a differential upper limit on the emission at 500 GeV during these observations of 1.4 × 10–12 erg cm–2 s–1 (99% confidence level). We also present time-resolved upper limits and use a …

Discovery Of A Bright, Extremely Low Mass White Dwarf In A Close Double Degenerate System, S. Vennes, J. R. Thorstensen, A. Kawka, P. Németh, J. N. Skinner

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report the discovery of a bright (V ~ 13.7), extremely low-mass white dwarf in a close double degenerate system. We originally selected GALEX J171708.5+675712 for spectroscopic follow-up among a group of white dwarf candidates in an ultraviolet-optical reduced proper-motion diagram. The new white dwarf has a mass of 0.18 M_solar and is the primary component of a close double degenerate system (P=0.246137 d, K_1 = 288 km/s) comprising a fainter white dwarf secondary with M_2 ~ 0.9 M_solar. Light curves phased with the orbital ephemeris show evidence of relativistic beaming and weaker ellipsoidal variations. The light curves also reveal …

The Variable Quiescent X-Ray Emission Of The Neutron Star Transient Xte J1701-462, Joel K. Fridriksson, Jeroen Homan, Rudy Wijnands, Edward M. Cackett, Diego Altamirano, Nathalie Degenaar, Edward F. Brown, Mariano Méndez, Tomaso M. Belloni

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We present the results of continued monitoring of the quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 with Chandra and Swift. A new Chandra observation from 2010 October extends our tracking of the neutron star surface temperature from ≃ 800 days to ≃ 1160 days since the end of an exceptionally luminous 19 month outburst. This observation indicates that the neutron star crust may still be slowly cooling toward thermal equilibrium with the core; another observation further into quiescence is needed to verify this. The shape of the overall cooling curve is consistent with that of a broken power law, …

The Role Of Llnl's Fast Calibration Facility In Diagnosing Nif Fusion Plasmas, Joshua G. Thompson, Carey Scott, Greg V. Brown

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Fusion and Astrophysics (FAST) Calibration and Diagnostic Facility uses the original Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT-I) to profile x-ray filters that are used in the Dante Soft X-Ray Diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). FAST has an advantage over any other facility not only for its high accuracy, but also for its proximity to NIF in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This makes for highly accurate and near-instantaneous filter calibration turnover.

EBIT-I was first constructed to create, trap, and observe static highly charged ions (HCIs) and conduct experimental astrophysics (creating an x-ray spectroscopy catalogue of ions). To …

Laboratory Astrophysics: Using Ebit Measurements To Interpret High Resolution Spectra From Celestial Sources, Carey Scott, Joshua Thompson, N. Hell, Greg V. Brown

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astrophysicists use radiation to investigate the physics controlling a variety of celestial sources, including stellar atmospheres, black holes, and binary systems. By measuring the spectrum of the emitted radiation, astrophysicists can determine a source’s temperature and composition. Accurate atomic data are needed for reliably interpreting these spectra. Here we present an overview of how LLNL’s EBIT facility is used to put the atomic data on sound footing for use by the high energy astrophysics community.

New Precision Orbits Of Bright Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binaries. Vii. 47 Andromedae, 38 Cassiopeiae, And Hr 8467, Francis C. Fekel, Jocelyn Tomkin, Michael H. Williamson, Dimitri Pourbaix

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Improved orbital elements for three double-lined spectroscopic binaries, 47 And, 38 Cas, and HR 8467, have been determined with extensive new radial velocities. For 38 Cas lines of the secondary have been detected for the first time. Given the orbital periods for these systems of 35.3682, 134.130, and 42.3813 days, respectively, it is not surprising that all three have either moderate or relatively high eccentricities. The orbital dimensions (a1sin i and a2sin i) and minimum masses (m1sin 3i and m2sin 3i) have accuracies of 0.5% or better. An astrometric orbit for 38 Cas, which was recomputed with Hipparcos astrometry and …

Ejecta Knot Flickering, Mass Ablation, And Fragmentation In Cassiopeia A, Robert A. Fesen, Jordan A. Zastrow, Molly C. Hammell, J. Michael Shull, Devin W. Silvia

Dartmouth Scholarship

Ejecta knot flickering, ablation tails, and fragmentation are expected signatures associated with the gradual dissolution of high-velocity supernova (SN) ejecta caused by their passage through an inhomogeneous circumstellar medium or interstellar medium (ISM). Such phenomena mark the initial stages of the gradual merger of SN ejecta with and the enrichment of the surrounding ISM. Here we report on an investigation of this process through changes in the optical flux and morphology of several high-velocity ejecta knots located in the outskirts of the young core-collapse SN remnant Cassiopeia A using Hubble Space Telescope images. Examination of WFPC2 F675W and combined ACS …

Quiescent X-Ray Variability From The Neutron Star Transient Aql X-1, E. M. Cackett, J. K. Fridriksson, J. Homan, J. M. Miller, R. Wijnands

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

A number of studies have revealed variability from neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries during quiescence. Such variability is not well characterized, or understood, but may be a common property that has been missed due to lack of multiple observations. One such source where variability has been observed is Aql X-1. Here, we analyse 14 Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of Aql X-1 in quiescence, covering a period of approximately 2 yr. There is clear variability between the epochs, with the most striking feature being a flare-like increase in the flux by a factor of 5. Spectral fitting is inconclusive as to …

A Volume-Limited Photometric Survey Of 114 Γ Doradus Candidates, Gregory W. Henry, Francis C. Fekel, Stephen M. Henry

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have carried out a photometric survey of a complete, volume-limited sample of γ Doradus candidates. The sample was extracted from the Hipparcos catalog and consists of 114 stars with colors and absolute magnitudes within the range of known γ Doradus stars and that also lie within a specified volume of 266,600 pc3. We devoted one year of observing time with our T12 0.8 m automatic photometric telescope to acquire nightly observations of the complete sample of stars. From these survey observations, we identify 37 stars with intrinsic variability of 0.002 mag or more. Of these 37 variables, 8 have …

The Cataclysmic Variable Sdss J1507+52: An Eclipsing Period Bouncer In The Galactic Halo, Helena Uthas, Christian Knigge, Knox S. Long, Joseph Patterson, John Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

SDSS J1507+52 is an eclipsing cataclysmic variable (CV) consisting of a cool, non-radially pulsating white dwarf and an unusually small substellar secondary. The system has a high space velocity and a very short orbital period of about 67 min, well below the usual minimum period for CVs. To explain the existence of this peculiar system, two theories have been proposed. One suggests that SDSS J1507+52 was formed from a detached white dwarf-brown dwarf binary. The other theory proposes that the system is a member of the Galactic halo population.

Here, we present the ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy of SDSS J1507+52 obtained …

Arcade 2 Observations Of Galactic Radio Emission, A. Kogut, D. J. Fixsen, S. M. Levin, M. Limon, P. M. Lubin, P. Mirel, M. Seiffert, Jack Singal, T. Villela, E. Wollack, C. A. Wuensche

Physics Faculty Publications

We use absolutely calibrated data from the ARCADE 2 flight in 2006 July to model Galactic emission at frequencies 3, 8, and 10 GHz. The spatial structure in the data is consistent with a superposition of free–free and synchrotron emission. Emission with spatial morphology traced by the Haslam 408 MHz survey has spectral index βsynch = −2.5±0.1, with free–free emission contributing 0.10±0.01 of the total Galactic plane emission in the lowest ARCADE 2 band at 3.15 GHz. We estimate the total Galactic emission toward the polar caps using either a simple plane-parallel model with csc |b| dependence or a model …

Interpretation Of The Arcade 2 Absolute Sky Brightness Measurement, M. Seiffert, D. J. Fixsen, A. Kogut, S. M. Levin, M. Limon, P. M. Lubin, P. Mirel, Jack Singal, T. Villela, E. Wollack, C. A. Wuensche

Physics Faculty Publications

We use absolutely calibrated data between 3 and 90 GHz from the 2006 balloon flight of the ARCADE 2 instrument, along with previous measurements at other frequencies, to constrain models of extragalactic emission. Such emission is a combination of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) monopole, Galactic foreground emission, the integrated contribution of radio emission from external galaxies, any spectral distortions present in the CMB, and any other extragalactic source. After removal of estimates of foreground emission from our own Galaxy, and an estimated contribution of external galaxies, we present fits to a combination of the flat-spectrum CMB and potential spectral …

Time-Dependent Behavior Of Linear Polarization In Unresolved Photospheres, With Applications For The Hanle Effect., Richard Ignace, K. Hole, J. Cassinelli, G. Henson

ETSU Faculty Works

Aims: This paper extends previous studies in modeling time varying linear polarization due to axisymmetric magnetic fields in rotating stars. We use the Hanle effect to predict variations in net line polarization, and use geometric arguments to generalize these results to linear polarization due to other mechanisms. Methods: Building on the work of Lopez Ariste et al., we use simple analytic models of rotating stars that are symmetric except for an axisymmetric magnetic field to predict the polarization lightcurve due to the Hanle effect. We highlight the effects for the variable line polarization as a function of viewing inclination and …

Sdss J162520.29+120308.7 – A New Su Ursae Majoris Star In The Period Gap, A. Olech, E. De Miguel, M. Otulakowska, J. R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report results of an extensive world-wide observing campaign devoted to the recently discovered dwarf nova SDSS J162520.29+120308.7 (SDSS J1625). The data were obtained during the July 2010 eruption of the star and in August and September 2010 when the object was in quiescence.

Polarization Of The Charge-Exchange X-Rays Induced In The Heliosphere, M. Gacesa, H.-R. Müller, R. Côté, V. Kharchenko

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report results of a theoretical investigation of polarization of the X-ray emissions induced in charge-exchange collisions of fully stripped solar wind ions C6+and O8+ with the heliospheric hydrogen atoms. The polarization of X-ray emissions has been computed for line-of-sight observations within the ecliptic plane as a function of solar wind ion velocities, including a range of velocities corresponding to the slow and fast solar wind, and Coronal Mass Ejections. To determine the variability of polarization of heliospheric X-ray emissions, the polarization has been computed for solar minimum conditions with self-consistent parameters of the solar wind plasma and heliospheric gas …