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Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy Commons™

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2016

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Articles 1 - 30 of 50

Full-Text Articles in Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy

Sdss-Iv Manga: Spatially Resolved Star Formation Histories In Galaxies As A Function Of Galaxy Mass And Type, D. Goddard, D. Thomas, C. Maraston, K. Westfall, J. Etherington, R. Riffel, M. D. Mallmann, Z. Zheng, M. Argudo-Fernández, J. Lian, M. Bershady, K. Bundy, N. Drory, D. Law, Renbin Yan, D. Wake, A. Weijmans, D. Bizyaev, J. Brownstein, R. R. Lane, R. Maiolino, K. Masters, M. Merrifield, C. Nitschelm, K. Pan, A. Roman-Lopes, T. Storchi-Bergmann, D. P. Schneider Dec 2016

Sdss-Iv Manga: Spatially Resolved Star Formation Histories In Galaxies As A Function Of Galaxy Mass And Type, D. Goddard, D. Thomas, C. Maraston, K. Westfall, J. Etherington, R. Riffel, M. D. Mallmann, Z. Zheng, M. Argudo-Fernández, J. Lian, M. Bershady, K. Bundy, N. Drory, D. Law, Renbin Yan, D. Wake, A. Weijmans, D. Bizyaev, J. Brownstein, R. R. Lane, R. Maiolino, K. Masters, M. Merrifield, C. Nitschelm, K. Pan, A. Roman-Lopes, T. Storchi-Bergmann, D. P. Schneider

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We study the internal gradients of stellar population properties within 1.5 Re for a representative sample of 721 galaxies, with stellar masses ranging between 109 M⊙ and 1011.5 M⊙ from the SDSS-IV MaNGA Integral-Field-Unit survey. Through the use of our full spectral fitting code firefly, we derive light- and mass-weighted stellar population properties and their radial gradients, as well as full star formation and metal enrichment histories. We also quantify the impact that different stellar population models and full spectral fitting routines have on the derived stellar population properties and the radial gradient measurements. In …

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Infrared Spectroscopy Of Symbiotic Stars. Xi. Orbits For Southern S-Type Systems: Hen 3-461, Sy Mus, Hen 3-828, And Ar Pav, Francis C. Fekel, Kenneth H. Hinkle, Richard R. Joyce, Peter R. Wood Dec 2016

Infrared Spectroscopy Of Symbiotic Stars. Xi. Orbits For Southern S-Type Systems: Hen 3-461, Sy Mus, Hen 3-828, And Ar Pav, Francis C. Fekel, Kenneth H. Hinkle, Richard R. Joyce, Peter R. Wood

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Employing new infrared radial velocities, we have computed spectroscopic orbits of the cool giants in four southern S-type symbiotic systems. The orbits for two of the systems, Hen 3-461 and Hen 3-828, have been determined for the first time, while orbits of the other two, SY Mus and AR Pav, have previously been determined. For the latter two systems, we compare our results with those in the literature. The low mass of the secondary of SY Mus suggests that it has gone through a common envelope phase. Hen 3-461 has an orbital period of 2271 days, one of the longest …

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Sdss-Iv Manga: The Impact Of Diffuse Ionized Gas On Emission-Line Ratios, Interpretation Of Diagnostic Diagrams And Gas Metallicity Measurements, Kai Zhang, Renbin Yan, Kevin Bundy, Matthew Bershady, L. Matthew Haffner, René Walterbos, Roberto Maiolino, Christy Tremonti, Daniel Thomas, Niv Drory, Amy Jones, Francesco Belfiore, Sebastian F. Sánchez, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Dmitry Bizyaev, Christian Nitschelm, Brett Andrews, Jon Brinkmann, Joel R. Brownstein, Edmond Cheung, Cheng Li, David R. Law, Alexandre Roman Lopes, Daniel Oravetz, Kaike Pan, Thaisa Storchi Bergmann, Audrey Simmons Dec 2016

Sdss-Iv Manga: The Impact Of Diffuse Ionized Gas On Emission-Line Ratios, Interpretation Of Diagnostic Diagrams And Gas Metallicity Measurements, Kai Zhang, Renbin Yan, Kevin Bundy, Matthew Bershady, L. Matthew Haffner, René Walterbos, Roberto Maiolino, Christy Tremonti, Daniel Thomas, Niv Drory, Amy Jones, Francesco Belfiore, Sebastian F. Sánchez, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Dmitry Bizyaev, Christian Nitschelm, Brett Andrews, Jon Brinkmann, Joel R. Brownstein, Edmond Cheung, Cheng Li, David R. Law, Alexandre Roman Lopes, Daniel Oravetz, Kaike Pan, Thaisa Storchi Bergmann, Audrey Simmons

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Diffuse ionized gas (DIG) is prevalent in star-forming galaxies. Using a sample of 365 nearly face-on star-forming galaxies observed by Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO, we demonstrate how DIG in star-forming galaxies impacts the measurements of emission-line ratios, hence the interpretation of diagnostic diagrams and gas-phase metallicity measurements. At fixed metallicity, DIG-dominated low ΣHα regions display enhanced [S II]/Hα, [N II]/Hα, [O II]/Hβ and [O I]/Hα. The gradients in these line ratios are determined by metallicity gradients and ΣHα. In line ratio diagnostic diagrams, contamination by DIG moves H II …

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A Trip To The Cataclysmic Binary Zoo: Detailed Follow-Up Of 35 Recently Discovered Systems, John R. Thorstensen, Erek H. Alper, Kathryn E. Weil Dec 2016

A Trip To The Cataclysmic Binary Zoo: Detailed Follow-Up Of 35 Recently Discovered Systems, John R. Thorstensen, Erek H. Alper, Kathryn E. Weil

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report follow-up studies of 35 recently discovered cataclysmic variables (CVs), 32 of which were found in large, automated synoptic sky surveys. The objects were selected for observational tractability. For 34 of the objects, we present mean spectra and spectroscopic orbital periods, and for one more we give an eclipse-based period. Thirty-two of the period determinations are new, and three of these refine published estimates based on superhump periods. The remaining three of our determinations confirm previously published periods. Twenty of the stars are confirmed or suspected dwarf novae with periods shorter than 3 hr, but we also find three …

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Why Most Bright Stars Are Binary But Most Dim Stars Are Single: A Simple Qualitative Explanation, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich Dec 2016

Why Most Bright Stars Are Binary But Most Dim Stars Are Single: A Simple Qualitative Explanation, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

It is known that most visible stars are binary: they have a nearby companion star, and these two stars orbit around each other. Based on this fact, until recently, astronomers believed that, in general, most stars are binary. A few years ago, a surprising paper showed that while most bright stars are indeed binary, most dim stars are single. In this paper, we provide a simple qualitative explanation for this empirical fact.

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A Search For Very High-Energy Gamma Rays From The Missing Link Binary Pulsar J1023+0038 With Veritas, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al Nov 2016

A Search For Very High-Energy Gamma Rays From The Missing Link Binary Pulsar J1023+0038 With Veritas, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

The binary millisecond radio pulsar PSR J1023+0038 exhibits many characteristics similar to the gamma-ray binary system PSR B1259–63/LS 2883, making it an ideal candidate for the study of high-energy nonthermal emission. It has been the subject of multiwavelength campaigns following the disappearance of the pulsed radio emission in 2013 June, which revealed the appearance of an accretion disk around the neutron star. We present the results of very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations carried out by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System before and after this change of state. Searches for steady and pulsed emission of both data …

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Orbital Solutions And Absolute Elements Of The Massive Algol Binary Et Tauri, Richard M. Williamon, Horace Dale, Charles L. Evavold, Alexander Langoussis, Francis C. Fekel, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Stephen Williams, Kate Napier, James R. Sowell Nov 2016

Orbital Solutions And Absolute Elements Of The Massive Algol Binary Et Tauri, Richard M. Williamon, Horace Dale, Charles L. Evavold, Alexander Langoussis, Francis C. Fekel, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Stephen Williams, Kate Napier, James R. Sowell

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We acquired differential UBV photoelectric photometry and radial velocities of the relatively bright, understudied, massive Algol binary ET Tau and utilized the Wilson-Devinney (WD) analysis program to obtain a simultaneous solution of these observations. To improve the orbital ephemeris, the V measurements from the ASAS program were also analyzed. Because of the very rapid rotation of the significantly more massive and hotter component (B2/3 spectral class), only radial velocities of the secondary component, which has a ∼B7 spectral class, could be measured. We derive masses of ${M}_{1}=14.34\pm 0.28\,{M}_{\odot }$ and ${M}_{2}=6.339\pm 0.117\,{M}_{\odot }$ and equal-volume radii of ${R}_{1}=6.356\pm 0.056\,{R}_{\odot }$ …

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Very High Energy Observations Of The Binaries V 404 Cyg And 4u 0115+634 During Giant X-Ray Outbursts, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al Oct 2016

Very High Energy Observations Of The Binaries V 404 Cyg And 4u 0115+634 During Giant X-Ray Outbursts, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

Transient X-ray binaries produce major outbursts in which the X-ray flux can increase over the quiescent level by factors as large as 107. The low-mass X-ray binary V 404 Cyg and the high-mass system 4U 0115+634 underwent such major outbursts in 2015 June and October, respectively. We present here observations at energies above hundreds of GeV with the VERITAS observatory taken during some of the brightest X-ray activity ever observed from these systems. No gamma-ray emission has been detected by VERITAS in 2.5 hr of observations of the microquasar V 404 Cyg from 2015, June 20–21. The upper flux limits …

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Sdss-Iv Manga: Stellar Population Gradients As A Function Of Galaxy Environment, D. Goddard, D. Thomas, C. Maraston, K. Westfall, J. Etherington, R. Riffel, M. D. Mallmann, Z. Zheng, M. Argudo-Fernández, M. A. Bershady, K. Bundy, N. Drory, D. Law, Renbin Yan, D. Wake, A. Weijmans, D. Bizyaev, J. Brownstein, R. R. Lane, R. Maiolino, K. Masters, M. Merrifield, C. Nitschelm, K. Pan, A. Roman-Lopes, T. Storchi-Bergmann Oct 2016

Sdss-Iv Manga: Stellar Population Gradients As A Function Of Galaxy Environment, D. Goddard, D. Thomas, C. Maraston, K. Westfall, J. Etherington, R. Riffel, M. D. Mallmann, Z. Zheng, M. Argudo-Fernández, M. A. Bershady, K. Bundy, N. Drory, D. Law, Renbin Yan, D. Wake, A. Weijmans, D. Bizyaev, J. Brownstein, R. R. Lane, R. Maiolino, K. Masters, M. Merrifield, C. Nitschelm, K. Pan, A. Roman-Lopes, T. Storchi-Bergmann

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We study the internal radial gradients of stellar population properties within 1.5 Re and analyse the impact of galaxy environment. We use a representative sample of 721 galaxies with masses ranging between 109 M⊙ and 1011.5 M⊙ from the SDSS-IV survey MaNGA. We split this sample by morphology into early-type and late-type galaxies. Using the full spectral fitting code firefly, we derive the light and mass-weighted stellar population properties, age and metallicity, and calculate the gradients of these properties. We use three independent methods to quantify galaxy environment, namely the Nth nearest neighbour, the …

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The Growth Of The Central Region By Acquisition Of Counterrotating Gas In Star-Forming Galaxies, Yan-Mei Chen, Yong Shi, Christy A. Tremonti, Matt Bershady, Michael Merrifield, Eric Emsellem, Yi-Fei Jin, Song Huang, Hai Fu, David A. Wake, Kevin Bundy, David Stark, Lihwai Lin, Maria Argudo-Fernandez, Thaisa Storchi Bergmann, Dmitry Bizyaev, Joel Brownstein, Martin Bureau, John Chisholm, Niv Drory, Qi Guo, Lei Hao, Jian Hu, Cheng Li, Ran Li, Alexandre Roman Lopes, Kai-Ke Pan, Rogemar A Riffel, Daniel Thomas, Lan Wang, Renbin Yan Oct 2016

The Growth Of The Central Region By Acquisition Of Counterrotating Gas In Star-Forming Galaxies, Yan-Mei Chen, Yong Shi, Christy A. Tremonti, Matt Bershady, Michael Merrifield, Eric Emsellem, Yi-Fei Jin, Song Huang, Hai Fu, David A. Wake, Kevin Bundy, David Stark, Lihwai Lin, Maria Argudo-Fernandez, Thaisa Storchi Bergmann, Dmitry Bizyaev, Joel Brownstein, Martin Bureau, John Chisholm, Niv Drory, Qi Guo, Lei Hao, Jian Hu, Cheng Li, Ran Li, Alexandre Roman Lopes, Kai-Ke Pan, Rogemar A Riffel, Daniel Thomas, Lan Wang, Renbin Yan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Galaxies grow through both internal and external processes. In about 10% of nearby red galaxies with little star formation, gas and stars are counter-rotating, demonstrating the importance of external gas acquisition in these galaxies. However, systematic studies of such phenomena in blue, star-forming galaxies are rare, leaving uncertain the role of external gas acquisition in driving evolution of blue galaxies. Here, based on new measurements with integral field spectroscopy of a large representative galaxy sample, we find an appreciable fraction of counter-rotators among blue galaxies (9 out of 489 galaxies). The central regions of blue counter-rotators show younger stellar populations …

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Very Low-Mass Stellar And Substellar Companions To Solar-Like Stars From Marvels. Vi. A Giant Planet And A Brown Dwarf Candidate In A Close Binary System Hd 87646, Bo Ma, Jian Ge, Alex Wolszczan, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Brian Lee, Gregory W. Henry, Donald P. Schneider, Eduardo L. Martín, Andrzej Niedzielski, Jiwei Xie, Scott W. Fleming, Neil Thomas, Michael Williamson, Zhaohuan Zhu, Eric Agol, Dmitry Bizyaev, Luiz Nicolaci Da Costa, Peng Jiang, Aldo Fabricio Martinez Fiorenzano, Jonay I. González Hernández, Pengcheng Guo, Nolan Grieves, Rui Li, Jane Liu, Suvrath Mahadevan, Tsevi Mazeh, Duy Cuong Nguyen, Martin Paegert, Sirinrat Sithajan, Keivan Stassun, Sivarani Thirupathi, Julian C. Van Eyken, Xiaoke Wan, Ji Wang, John P. Wisniewski, Bo Zhao, Shay Zucker Oct 2016

Very Low-Mass Stellar And Substellar Companions To Solar-Like Stars From Marvels. Vi. A Giant Planet And A Brown Dwarf Candidate In A Close Binary System Hd 87646, Bo Ma, Jian Ge, Alex Wolszczan, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Brian Lee, Gregory W. Henry, Donald P. Schneider, Eduardo L. Martín, Andrzej Niedzielski, Jiwei Xie, Scott W. Fleming, Neil Thomas, Michael Williamson, Zhaohuan Zhu, Eric Agol, Dmitry Bizyaev, Luiz Nicolaci Da Costa, Peng Jiang, Aldo Fabricio Martinez Fiorenzano, Jonay I. González Hernández, Pengcheng Guo, Nolan Grieves, Rui Li, Jane Liu, Suvrath Mahadevan, Tsevi Mazeh, Duy Cuong Nguyen, Martin Paegert, Sirinrat Sithajan, Keivan Stassun, Sivarani Thirupathi, Julian C. Van Eyken, Xiaoke Wan, Ji Wang, John P. Wisniewski, Bo Zhao, Shay Zucker

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We report the detections of a giant planet (MARVELS-7b) and a brown dwarf (BD) candidate (MARVELS-7c) around the primary star in the close binary system, HD 87646. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first close binary system with more than one substellar circumprimary companion that has been discovered. The detection of this giant planet was accomplished using the first multi-object Doppler instrument (KeckET) at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) telescope. Subsequent radial velocity observations using the Exoplanet Tracker at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, the High Resolution Spectrograph at the Hobby Eberley telescope, the "Classic" spectrograph …

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Fundamental Parameters Of The Lowest Mass Stars To The Highest Mass Planets, Joseph C. Filippazzo Sep 2016

Fundamental Parameters Of The Lowest Mass Stars To The Highest Mass Planets, Joseph C. Filippazzo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The physical and atmospheric properties of ultracool dwarfs are deeply entangled due to the degenerate effects of mass, age, metallicity, clouds and dust, activity, rotation, and possibly formation mechanism on their observed properties. Accurate fundamental parameters for a wide range of substellar objects are crucial to testing stellar and planetary formation theories. To determine these quantities, we construct flux-calibrated spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 234 M, L, T, and Y dwarfs and calculate bolometric luminosity (Lbol), effective temperature (Teff), mass, surface gravity, radius, spectral indexes, synthetic photometry, and bolometric corrections (BCs) for each object. We use …

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"Blinded By The Lines: Mid-Ir Spectra Of Mira Variables Taken With Spitzer", Dana Baylis-Aguirre, Michelle J. Creech-Eakman, Donald G. Luttermoser, Tina Gueth Sep 2016

"Blinded By The Lines: Mid-Ir Spectra Of Mira Variables Taken With Spitzer", Dana Baylis-Aguirre, Michelle J. Creech-Eakman, Donald G. Luttermoser, Tina Gueth

ETSU Faculty Works

We present preliminary analysis of mid-infrared spectra of M-type and C-type Mira variables. Due to the brightness of this sample, it is straightforward to monitor changes with phase in the infrared spectral features of these regular pulsators. We have spectra of 25 Mira variables, taken with phase, using the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) high-resolution module. Each star has multiple spectra obtained over a one-year period from 2008-09. This is a rich, unique data set due to multiple observations of each star and the high signal-to-noise ratio from quick exposure times to prevent saturation of the IRS instrument. This paper focuses …

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Torsional Oscillations And Observed Rotational Period Variations In Early-Type Stars, Jiří Krtička, Zdeněk Mikulášek, Gregory W. Henry, Petr Kurfürst, Marian Karlický Sep 2016

Torsional Oscillations And Observed Rotational Period Variations In Early-Type Stars, Jiří Krtička, Zdeněk Mikulášek, Gregory W. Henry, Petr Kurfürst, Marian Karlický

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Some chemically peculiar stars in the upper main sequence show rotational period variations of unknown origin. We propose that these variations are a consequence of the propagation of internal waves in magnetic rotating stars that lead to the torsional oscillations of the star. We simulate the magnetohydrodynamic waves and calculate resonant frequencies for two stars that show rotational variations: CU Vir and HD 37776. We provide updated analyses of rotational period variations in these stars and compare our results with numerical models. For CU Vir, the length of the observed rotational period cycle, | $\mathit {\Pi }=67.6(5)$ | yr, can …

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Hubble Space Telescopeconstraints On The Winds And Astrospheres Of Red Giant Stars, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Graham M. Harper Sep 2016

Hubble Space Telescopeconstraints On The Winds And Astrospheres Of Red Giant Stars, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Graham M. Harper

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report on an ultraviolet spectroscopic survey of red giants observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, focusing on spectra of the Mg ii h and k lines near 2800 Å in order to study stellar chromospheric emission, winds, and astrospheric absorption. We focus on spectral types between K2 III and M5 III, a spectral type range with stars that are noncoronal, but possessing strong, chromospheric winds. We find a very tight relation between Mg ii surface flux and photospheric temperature, supporting the notion that all K2-M5 III stars are emitting at a basal flux level. Wind velocities (V …

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Gama/H-Atlas : Common Star Formation Rate Indicators And Their Dependence On Galaxy Physical Parameters., L. Wang, P. Norberg, M. L. P. Gunawardhana, S. Heinis, I. K. Baldry, J. Bland-Hawthorn, N. Bourne, S. Brough, M. J. I. Brown, M. E. Cluver, A. Cooray, E. Da Cunha, S. P. Driver, L. Dunne, S. Dye, S. Eales, M. W. Grootes, Benne W. Holwerda, A. M. Hopkins, E. Ibar, R. Ivison, C. Lacey, M. A. Lara-Lopez, J. Loveday, S. J. Maddox, M. J. Michalowski, I. Oteo, M. S. Owers, C. C. Popescu, D. J. B. Smith, E. N. Taylor, R. J. Tuffs, P. Van Der Werf Sep 2016

Gama/H-Atlas : Common Star Formation Rate Indicators And Their Dependence On Galaxy Physical Parameters., L. Wang, P. Norberg, M. L. P. Gunawardhana, S. Heinis, I. K. Baldry, J. Bland-Hawthorn, N. Bourne, S. Brough, M. J. I. Brown, M. E. Cluver, A. Cooray, E. Da Cunha, S. P. Driver, L. Dunne, S. Dye, S. Eales, M. W. Grootes, Benne W. Holwerda, A. M. Hopkins, E. Ibar, R. Ivison, C. Lacey, M. A. Lara-Lopez, J. Loveday, S. J. Maddox, M. J. Michalowski, I. Oteo, M. S. Owers, C. C. Popescu, D. J. B. Smith, E. N. Taylor, R. J. Tuffs, P. Van Der Werf

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We compare common star formation rate (SFR) indicators in the local Universe in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) equatorial fields (∼160 deg2), using ultraviolet (UV) photometry from GALEX, far-infrared and sub-millimetre (sub-mm) photometry from Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey, and Hα spectroscopy from the GAMA survey. With a high-quality sample of 745 galaxies (median redshift z = 0.08), we consider three SFR tracers: UV luminosity corrected for dust attenuation using the UV spectral slope β (SFRUV, corr), Hα line luminosity corrected for dust using the Balmer decrement (BD) (SFRH α, corr), and the combination of UV and infrared …

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A Multi-Wavelength Analysis Of Cold Evolving Interstellar Clouds, Mary Spraggs Sep 2016

A Multi-Wavelength Analysis Of Cold Evolving Interstellar Clouds, Mary Spraggs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The interstellar medium (ISM) is the dynamic system of gas and dust that fills the space between the stars within galaxies. Due to its integral role in star formation and ga-lactic structure, it is important to understand how the ISM itself evolves over time, in-cluding the process of cooling and condensing required to form new stars. This work aims to constrain and better understand the physical properties of the cold ISM with sev-eral different types of data, including large surveys of neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) 21cm spectral line emission and absorption, carbon monoxide (CO) 2.6mm line emission, and multi-band infrared …

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Modeling X-Ray Emission Line Profiles From Massive Star Winds - A Review, Richard Igance Sep 2016

Modeling X-Ray Emission Line Profiles From Massive Star Winds - A Review, Richard Igance

ETSU Faculty Works

The Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray telescopes have led to numerous advances in the study and understanding of astrophysical X-ray sources. Particularly important has been the much increased spectral resolution of modern X-ray instrumentation. Wind-broadened emission lines have been spectroscopically resolved for many massive stars. This contribution reviews approaches to the modeling of X-ray emission line profile shapes from single stars, including smooth winds, winds with clumping, optically thin versus thick lines, and the effect of a radius-dependent photoabsorption coefficient.

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Spectroscopic Orbits For 15 Late-Type Stars, Daryl W. Willmarth, Francis C. Fekel, Helmut A. Abt, Dimitri Pourbaix Aug 2016

Spectroscopic Orbits For 15 Late-Type Stars, Daryl W. Willmarth, Francis C. Fekel, Helmut A. Abt, Dimitri Pourbaix

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Spectroscopic orbital elements are determined for 15 stars with periods from 8 to 6528 days with six orbits computed for the first time. Improved astrometric orbits are computed for two stars and one new orbit is derived. Visual orbits were previously determined for four stars, four stars are members of multiple systems, and five stars have Hipparcos "G" designations or have been resolved by speckle interferometry. For the nine binaries with previous spectroscopic orbits, we determine improved or comparable elements. For HD 28271 and HD 200790, our spectroscopic results support the conclusions of previous authors that the large values of …

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The Turning-Off Of Supernova Remnants: The Transition Into The Radiative Phase, Ryan A. Lazur, Rodolfo Barniol Duran, Dimitrios Giannios Aug 2016

The Turning-Off Of Supernova Remnants: The Transition Into The Radiative Phase, Ryan A. Lazur, Rodolfo Barniol Duran, Dimitrios Giannios

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Supernovae are amongst the most energetic events in the Universe. Understanding the different stages of the life of a supernova is currently one of the main objectives in astrophysics. During a supernova explosion, material with mass several times that of the Sun is ejected with a speed about 1/10 that of light. In current models, the transition from the Sedov-Taylor to the radiative phase is assumed to be almost instantaneous, which is not entirely accurate. Here the physics of the transition to the radiative phase will be revisited. Observations indicate that the supernova ejecta remains bright in the radio band …

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Flickering Analysis Of Ch Cygni Using Kepler Data, Thomas Holden Dingus Aug 2016

Flickering Analysis Of Ch Cygni Using Kepler Data, Thomas Holden Dingus

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Utilizing data from the Kepler Mission, we analyze a flickering phenomenon in the symbiotic variable star CH Cygni. We perform a spline interpolation of an averaged lightcurve and subtract the spline to acquire residual data. This allows us to analyze the deviations that are not caused by the Red Giant’s semi-regular periodic variations. We then histogram the residuals and perform moment calculations for variance, skewness, and kurtosis for the purpose of determining the nature of the flickering. Our analysis has shown that we see a much smaller scale flickering than observed in the previous literature. Our flickering scale is on …

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Experimental Simulations Of Recurring Slope Lineae And Other Flow Formation Features On Mars, Julia Ann Heydenreich Aug 2016

Experimental Simulations Of Recurring Slope Lineae And Other Flow Formation Features On Mars, Julia Ann Heydenreich

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various flow formation features from gullies to recurring slope lineae (RSL) have been identified across the martian surface. The formation of these geologic features are still being determined. Recently, several aspects of these flow features indicate that salt water flows in the subsurface during the warmer months when the ice melts. This paper explores the formation of these processes using laboratory experimental simulations. Experiments were conducted in a wooden flume under varying martian conditions of temperature, slope angle, regolith simulant and a liquid subsurface flow. By adjusting the flume at specific heights, several slopes were obtained to mimic the slopes …

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Constraining The Age And Distance Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7 By H A Expansion Measurements, Satoru Katsuda, Masaomi Tanaka, Tomoki Morokuma, Robert Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic Jul 2016

Constraining The Age And Distance Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant G156.2+5.7 By H A Expansion Measurements, Satoru Katsuda, Masaomi Tanaka, Tomoki Morokuma, Robert Fesen, Dan Milisavljevic

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present deep Hα images of portions of the X-ray bright, but optically faint, Galactic supernova remnant G156.2+5.7, revealing numerous and delicately thin non-radiative filaments, which mark the location of the remnant's forward shock. These new images show that these filaments have a complex structure not visible on previous lower resolution optical images. By comparing Hα images taken in 2004 at the McDonald Observatory and in 2015–2016 at the Kiso Observatory, we set a stringent 1σ upper limit of expansion to be 0.06 arcsec/yr. This proper motion, combined with a shock speed of 500 km s−1 …

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Completeness Of The Nearby White Dwarf Sample: Let Us Count The Ways, Terry D. Oswalt, Jay Holberg, Edward M. Sion Jul 2016

Completeness Of The Nearby White Dwarf Sample: Let Us Count The Ways, Terry D. Oswalt, Jay Holberg, Edward M. Sion

Publications

We have recently extended our ongoing survey of the local white dwarf population, effectively doubling the sample volume. Based upon the latest distance determinations, Holberg et al. (2016) estimated the present 20 pc and 25 pc samples were about 86 and 68 percent complete, respectively. Here we examine how the completeness of the 25 pc sample depends upon other observables such as apparent magnitude, proper motion, photometric color index, etc. The results may provide additional clues to why “Sirius-Like systems” are underrepresented in the extended 25 pc sample and how additional nearby single white dwarf stars may be found.

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Back Half Of The Year, Ian R. Clarke Jul 2016

Back Half Of The Year, Ian R. Clarke

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Here we are in the back half of 2016, and the days are getting shorter. We have, as of today, lost 18 minutes since the solstice on June 20, and the speed of that change is quickening. You may wonder why it is that we have our hottest weather after our longest day is behind us. The simple answer is that it takes time for land and water masses to warm up. That’s the reason that Sept. 21 is likely to be a lot warmer than March 21, even though they have the same amount of daylight. [excerpt]

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Star Formation In Quasar Hosts And The Origin Of Radio Emission In Radio-Quiet Quasars, Nadia L. Zakamska, Kelly Lampayan, Andreea Petric, Daniel Dicken, Jenny E. Greene, Timothy M. Heckman, Ryan C. Hickox Jul 2016

Star Formation In Quasar Hosts And The Origin Of Radio Emission In Radio-Quiet Quasars, Nadia L. Zakamska, Kelly Lampayan, Andreea Petric, Daniel Dicken, Jenny E. Greene, Timothy M. Heckman, Ryan C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

Radio emission from radio-quiet quasars may be due to star formation in the quasar host galaxy, to a jet launched by the supermassive black hole, or to relativistic particles accelerated in a wide-angle radiatively-driven outflow. In this paper we examine whether radio emission from radio-quiet quasars is a byproduct of star formation in their hosts. To this end we use infrared spectroscopy and photometry from Spitzer and Herschel to estimate or place upper limits on star formation rates in hosts of ~300 obscured and unobscured quasars at z<1. We find that low-ionization forbidden emission lines such as [NeII] and [NeIII] are likely dominated by quasar ionization and do not provide reliable star formation diagnostics in quasar hosts, while PAH emission features may be suppressed due to the destruction of PAH molecules by the quasar radiation field. While the bolometric luminosities of our sources are dominated by the quasars, the 160 micron fluxes are likely dominated by star formation, but they too should be used with caution. We estimate median star formation rates to be 6-29 Msun/year, with obscured quasars at the high end of this range. This star formation rate is insufficient to explain the observed radio emission from quasars by an order of magnitude, with log(L_radio, observed/L_radio, SF)=0.6-1.3 depending on quasar type and star formation estimator. Although radio-quiet quasars in our sample lie close to the 8-1000 micron infrared / radio correlation characteristic of the star-forming galaxies, both their infrared emission and their radio emission are dominated by the quasar activity, not by the host galaxy.

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Population Properties Of Brown Dwarf Analogs To Exoplanets, Jacqueline K. Faherty, Adric R. Riedel, Kelle L. Cruz, Jonathan Gagne, Joseph C. Filippazzo, Erini Lambrides, Haley Fica, Alycia Weinberger, John R. Thorstensen Jul 2016

Population Properties Of Brown Dwarf Analogs To Exoplanets, Jacqueline K. Faherty, Adric R. Riedel, Kelle L. Cruz, Jonathan Gagne, Joseph C. Filippazzo, Erini Lambrides, Haley Fica, Alycia Weinberger, John R. Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present a kinematic analysis of 152 low surface gravity M7-L8 dwarfs by adding 18 new parallaxes (including 10 for comparative field objects), 38 new radial velocities, and 19 new proper motions. We also add low- or moderate-resolution near-infrared spectra for 43 sources confirming their low surface gravity features. Among the full sample, we find 39 objects to be high-likelihood or new bona fide members of nearby moving groups, 92 objects to be ambiguous members and 21 objects that are non-members. Using this age-calibrated sample, we investigate trends in gravity classification, photometric color, absolute magnitude, color–magnitude, luminosity, and effective temperature. …

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Living In The Milky Way, Ian R. Clarke Jun 2016

Living In The Milky Way, Ian R. Clarke

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

It’s finally here. Today, June 20 at 6:34 p.m., is the the summer solstice, also known as the first day of summer and, confusingly enough, midsummer’s eve. From a scientific perspective, it marks the moment the sun reaches its northernmost point in our sky. As a result of that position, it’s the shortest night and longest day if you live north of the equator. [excerpt]

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Absolute Properties Of The Pre-Main-Sequence Eclipsing Binary Star Np Persei, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel, Krešimir Pavlovski, Guillermo Torres, Matthew W. Muterspaugh Jun 2016

Absolute Properties Of The Pre-Main-Sequence Eclipsing Binary Star Np Persei, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel, Krešimir Pavlovski, Guillermo Torres, Matthew W. Muterspaugh

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

NP Per is a well-detached, 2.2 day eclipsing binary whose components are both pre-main-sequence stars that are still contracting toward the main-sequence phase of evolution. We report extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations with which we have determined their properties accurately. Their surface temperatures are quite different: 6420 ± 90 K for the larger F5 primary star and 4540 ± 160 K for the smaller K5e star. Their masses and radii are 1.3207 ± 0.0087 solar masses and 1.372 ± 0.013 solar radii for the primary, and 1.0456 ± 0.0046 solar masses and 1.229 ± 0.013 solar radii for the secondary. …

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Processing Of Simulated And Experimental Images Of Closely Spaced Binary Stars Using Speckle Interferometry, Niels Smidth Jun 2016

Processing Of Simulated And Experimental Images Of Closely Spaced Binary Stars Using Speckle Interferometry, Niels Smidth

Master's Theses

Theory and methods of processing speckle interferometry data from close visual binary stars are presented and implemented. The effects of the optical systems used for observing close visual binary stars are explained and simulated from both the geometrical and physical optical viewpoints. The atmospheric phase distortion and shot noise responsible for the observed speckle patterns are simulated. The deconvolution technique originally presented by Labeyrie is implemented to extract astrometric data from close visual binary stars. This method is applied to both simulated and experimental data from Kitt Peak National Observatory as validation. Parts of the deconvolution process are optimized to …

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