Click-Ready Gold Nanoparticles From Aqueous Mechanochemistry: 2-Propynylamine As A Reducing Agent And Surface Ligand,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Click-Ready Gold Nanoparticles From Aqueous Mechanochemistry: 2-Propynylamine As A Reducing Agent And Surface Ligand, Amber L. Garcia, Brian S. Mitchell, Amanda Reusch, Mark J. Fink, Juan P. Hinestroza, Yelin Ko, Julie P. Vanegas
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications
We report a rapid aqueous method for synthesizing monodisperse gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), employing 2-propynylamine as both an intrinsic reducing agent and a surface-stabilizing ligand. This self-mediated process—achieved in a single step—yields spherical AuNPs with an average diameter of 4.0 ± 1.0 nm and a well-defined localized surface plasmon resonance band centered at 520 nm. Acting as a bifunctional molecule, 2-propynylamine simultaneously reduces HAuCl4·3H2O to elemental gold and passivates the nanoparticle surface through coordination via the amine group, while preserving a terminal alkyne (–C≡CH) functionality. This reactive moiety remains exposed and chemically accessible, enabling post-synthetic modification through Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition. Control …
Season Of The Lights,
2025
Parkland College
Season Of The Lights, Erik Johnson
Natural Science Faculty
"Aurora season" has just begun, but that doesn't guarantee everyone can see them.
The northern lights are the aurora borealis, and the southern hemisphere has the aurora australis. There is an auroral oval circling each pole of Earth, moving roughly over the Arctic and Antarctic Circles most of the time. Since most people live in the northern hemisphere, the northern lights are more well-known.
Born Dry Or Born Wet? A Palette Of Water Growth Histories In Trappist-1 Analogs And Compact Planetary Systems,
2025
Florida Institute of Technology
Born Dry Or Born Wet? A Palette Of Water Growth Histories In Trappist-1 Analogs And Compact Planetary Systems, Howard Chen, Matthew S. Clement, Le Chris Wang, Jesse T. Gu
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
It is still unclear whether exoplanets in compact multiplanet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 are able to accrete large quantities of volatiles, grow to sufficient mass, and maintain robust atmospheres and hydrospheres. Previous estimates of water content in M-dwarf systems have largely relied on population synthesis or atmosphere–interior evolution models, often treating impacts and atmospheric loss in isolation. In this work, we combined impact delivery, impact erosion, and mantle-atmosphere exchange within a unified framework that tracks volatile evolution through stochastic collision histories. By explicitly including both planetesimal accretion and the prolonged luminous pre-main-sequence phase of M dwarfs, we find systematically lower …
Life Goes On, But Better,
2025
"Staff"
Life Goes On, But Better, Editorial Board
The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)
" … During a solar flare* An exchange between two telegraph operators during the Carrington Event, the most intense solar flare recorded to date (September 2, 1859. Boston Evening Traveler)."
Efficient Parallel Processing Of Second-Generation Tdi Data For Galactic Binaries In Space-Based Gravitational Wave Missions,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Efficient Parallel Processing Of Second-Generation Tdi Data For Galactic Binaries In Space-Based Gravitational Wave Missions, Xue-Hao Zhang, Soumya D. Mohanty, S. R. Valluri, Shao-Dong Zhao, Qun-Ying Xie, Yu-Xiao Liu
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications
Space-based gravitational wave missions such as LISA, Taiji, and Tianqin rely on the time-delay interferometry (TDI) technique to observe low-frequency signals such as Galactic binaries (GBs), massive black-hole binaries, and extreme-mass-ratio inspirals. Among these sources, resolving the large population of GBs poses a central challenge for data analysis. In this work, we present GBSIEVER-C, a pipeline implemented in C and parallelized using OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing), along with a range of additional algorithmic optimizations, including a fast implementation of second-generation TDI response modeling. It builds upon the previous MATLAB-based pipeline that demonstrated competitive performance on LISA Data Challenge (LDC) data. To …
Gw250114: Testing Hawking’S Area Law And The Kerr Nature Of Black Holes,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Gw250114: Testing Hawking’S Area Law And The Kerr Nature Of Black Holes, A. G. Abac, I. Abouelfettouh, F. Acernese, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, R. Espinosa, J. Lawrence, Francisco Llamas Villarreal, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, M. Ramos Arevalo, Wenhui Wang
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications
The gravitational-wave signal GW250114 was observed by the two LIGO detectors with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 80. The signal was emitted by the coalescence of two black holes with near-equal masses m_{1}=33.6_{-0.8}^{+1.2}M_{⊙} and m_{2}=32.2_{-1.3}^{+0.8}M_{⊙}, and small spins χ_{1,2}≤0.26 (90% credibility) and negligible eccentricity e≤0.03. Postmerger data excluding the peak region are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (ℓ=|m|=2) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone. We constrain the modes' frequencies to ±30% of the Kerr spectrum, providing a test of the remnant's Kerr nature. We also examine Hawking's area law, also known as the second law …
Classifying Compact Radio Emission In Nearby Galaxies: A 10 Ghz Study Of Active Galactic Nuclei, Supernovae, Anomalous Microwave Emission, And Star-Forming Regions,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Classifying Compact Radio Emission In Nearby Galaxies: A 10 Ghz Study Of Active Galactic Nuclei, Supernovae, Anomalous Microwave Emission, And Star-Forming Regions, Kristen C. Dage, Eric W. Koch, Evangelia Tremou, Kwangmin Oh, Susmita Sett, Cosima Eibensteiner, Sean T. Linden, Angiraben D. Mahida, Eric J. Murphy, Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications
We present 115 compact radio point sources in three galaxies, NGC 5474, NGC 4631, and M51, taken in the most extended (A-)configuration of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at 10 GHz. Several of these compact radio point sources have diffuse counterparts identified in previous multiband studies of resolved radio continuum emission. We find compact counterparts to eight star forming regions, four anomalous microwave emission candidates, and one supernova remnant (SN 2011dh). Nine of the compact radio sources match X-ray counterparts, the majority of which are background galaxies. These AGN are all within the D25 (isophotal diameter) of the …
A Search For Subdwarf B Binaries Using Pulsation Timing From Tess,
2025
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
A Search For Subdwarf B Binaries Using Pulsation Timing From Tess, Tomomi Otani, Andrzej S. Baran, Lindsay C. Spence, Ted A. Von Hippel, Ellesse A. Lynum-Lozano, Julia M. Clark
Publications
Hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars are post-main-sequence stars of high temperature and gravity. Approximately 30% of sdBs exhibit stable pressure and/or gravity-mode pulsations, which can be used via the timing method to test for companion stars and determine their orbital solutions. We used short cadence data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to search for previously undiscovered companions to sdBs. In this paper, we focus on searching for companions with orbital periods shorter than 13.5 days which are detectable within one sector of TESS data (about 27 days). The timing method requires that we derive pulsation frequencies in subsets …
The Tess Grand Unified Hot Jupiter Survey. Iii. Thirty More Giant Planets,
2025
Swarthmore College
The Tess Grand Unified Hot Jupiter Survey. Iii. Thirty More Giant Planets, S. W. Yee, J. N. Winn, J. D. Hartman, J. E. Rodriguez, G. Zhou, D. W. Latham, S. N. Quinn, A. Bieryla, K. A. Collins, J. D. Eastman, K. I. Collins, D. M. Conti, Eric L.N. Jensen, D. Baker, K. Barkaoui, Ö. Baştürk, M. P. Battley, D. Bayliss, T. G. Beatty, Y. Beletsky, A. A. Belinski, Z. Benkhaldoun, P. Benni, P. Bosch-Cabot, C. Briceño, A. Brudny, M. R. Burleigh, R. P. Butler, S. Chairetas, A. Chontos, J. Christiansen, D. R. Ciardi, C. A. Clark, R. Cloutier, M. W. Craig, J. D. Crane, N. Dowling, C. D. Dressing, J. Emmanuel, P. Evans, M. E. Everett, G. Fernández-Rodríguez, J. F. Fernández, R. Forés-Toribio, C. D. Fortenbach, A. Fukui, E. Furlan, T. Gan, M. Ghachoui, S. Giacalone, S. Gill, M. Gillon, K. Hall, Y. Hayashi, C. Hedges, J. Higuera, E. G. Hintz, L. Hirsch, R. Holcomb, K. Horne, F. G. Horta, A. W. Howard, S. B. Howell, H. Isaacson, J. M. Jenkins, T. Kagetani, J. Kamler, A. Kendall, J. Korth, M. A. Kroft, G. Lacedelli, D. Laloum, N. Law, J. P. De Leon, A. M. Levine, P. Lewin, S. E. Logsdon, M. B. Lund, M. M. Madsen, A. W. Mann, C. R. Mann, N. A. Maslennikova, S. Matutano, M. Mccormack, K. K. Mcleod, E. J. Michaels, I. Mireles, M. Mori, J. A. Muñoz, F. Murgas, N. Narita, S. M. O’Brien, C. Odden, E. Palle, Y. G. Patel, P. Plavchan, A. S. Polanski, A. Popowicz, D. J. Radford, P. A. Reed, H. M. Relles, M. Rice, G. R. Ricker, B. S. Safonov, A. B. Savel, J. Schulte, R. P. Schwarz, H. Schweiker, S. Seager, R. Sefako, S. A. Shectman, A. Shporer, D. C. Stephens, C. Stockdale, S. Striegel, T.-G. Tan, J. K. Teske, M. Timmermans, S. Ulmer-Moll, G. Wang, P. J. Wheatley, S. Yalcinkaya, R. Zambelli, J. Van Zandt, C. Ziegler
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works
We present the discovery of 30 transiting giant planets that were initially detected using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. These new planets orbit relatively bright (G ≤ 12.5) FGK host stars with orbital periods between 1.6 and 8.2 days, and have radii between 0.9 and 1.7 Jupiter radii. We performed follow-up ground-based photometry, high angular resolution imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, and radial velocity monitoring for each of these objects to confirm that they are planets and determine their masses and other system parameters. The planets’ masses span more than an order of magnitude (0.17 MJ < M …
The Density Distribution Of The Material Around Betelgeuse,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
The Density Distribution Of The Material Around Betelgeuse, Iman Behbehani
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star visible in the constellation Orion. Its windy and highly convective surface results in a complicated mass loss pattern difficult to understand and replicate in simulations. The ejected mass can form a shell around the star we consider the circumstellar material (CSM). In this study, we use ALMA interferometric observations to find the structure of Betelgeuse's CSM, and connect to the mass loss mechanisms that could form it. We measure a bipolar circumstellar structure with a position angle of 42.3$\pm 7.0^\circ$. We observe asymmetries in the form of hot spots in the north east of …
Satellite-Host Galaxy Co-Evolution With Next-Generation Regulator Models,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Satellite-Host Galaxy Co-Evolution With Next-Generation Regulator Models, Austen Gabrielpillai
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The evolution of satellites galaxies is an unsolved problem in galaxy formation. Recent observations such as the SAGA and ELVES surveys find tension in HI contents and star formation of satellites around their central host galaxies when compared to our own local environment, the Milky Way. These processes are potentially highly influenced by the host's circumgalactic medium (CGM), and to constrain these cases requires accurate and fast modeling of satellites-host interactions. In this work, we present our methodology for evolving z = 0 surviving satellites alongside their central galaxy in sapphire, a CGM regulator co-evolution model of galaxy formation. …
Effect Of Equation Of State On The Formation Of Binary Black Holes In Active Galactic Nucleus Disks,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Effect Of Equation Of State On The Formation Of Binary Black Holes In Active Galactic Nucleus Disks, Theodore Edwards
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Active galactic nucleus disks have been proposed as a possibly dominant location of the mergers of binary black holes detected by gravitational wave observatories. The nonlinear interactions between stellar mass black holes and disk gas determine when binaries will form from single objects on nearby orbits. Prior work has used smoothed particle hydrodynamics models in an isothermal disk to study this problem. However, the local equation of state near the midplane of an optically thick accretion disk is adiabatic rather than isothermal, even if the radiative equilibrium temperature is azimuthally isothermal. Therefore, we investigate the use of an adiabatic equation …
Investigating The Behavior Of Dwarf-Hosting Cosmic Filaments In Regions Of Average Density Within The Universe,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Investigating The Behavior Of Dwarf-Hosting Cosmic Filaments In Regions Of Average Density Within The Universe, Manuel E. Ramirez Hernandez
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The cosmic web is the large-scale structure of the universe, composed of elongated, overdense areas held together by gravity known as cosmic filaments. Within these filaments, dwarf galaxies are ubiquitous and make for excellent laboratories due to their small size. to determine the effects of cosmic web structures on dwarf galaxies. In this thesis, I laid the groundwork to investigate whether dwarf galaxy populations vary across different types of filaments. Filaments were extracted from the gas density field in the New Horizon simulation at $z=0$ using the topological feature finder DisPerSE. I determined the distances of galaxies to their nearest …
Leveraging Stellar Chemistry For A Global View Into The Atmospheres Of Brown Dwarfs And Giant Exoplanets,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Leveraging Stellar Chemistry For A Global View Into The Atmospheres Of Brown Dwarfs And Giant Exoplanets, Emily Calamari
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
In the era of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), it is now possible to examine substellar mass atmospheres in unparalleled detail and precision. However, unraveling the complicated thermodynamics and chemistry in these atmospheres remains a challenge. Atmospheric retrievals are a leading data-driven technique capable of recovering an object’s fundamental parameters such as mass, radius, effective temperature, gravity, cloud structure and composition and chemical abundances. However, in directly imaged or isolated worlds, constraining and/or interpreting these fundamental parameters can be difficult, particularly as retrieval models try to parameterize the overall impact of clouds.
For my dissertation, I turned to main …
Novel Machine Learning Methods For Quasar Variability And Strong Gravitational Lensing,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Novel Machine Learning Methods For Quasar Variability And Strong Gravitational Lensing, Joshua Fagin
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Machine learning methods are well suited to handle the unprecedented data volume expected from upcoming wide-field surveys. The European Space Agency's Euclid telescope was launched in July 2023 and is expected to observe billions of galaxies at high resolution, including tens of thousands of strongly lensed galaxies. The Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will monitor tens of millions of quasars throughout its ten-year lifetime, thousands of which will be strongly lensed. This flood of data will enable measuring lens galaxy mass distributions and substructure, as well as probing quasar accretion disk structure and black hole properties …
How To Form A Gravitational-Wave Source: Quantifying Intermediate Evolutionary Stages In Isolated Binary Stellar Evolution,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
How To Form A Gravitational-Wave Source: Quantifying Intermediate Evolutionary Stages In Isolated Binary Stellar Evolution, Ana Lam
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Gravitational-wave (GW) detections from double compact object (DCO) mergers provide crucial observational constraints for understanding massive stars across cosmic time. Coupled with these observations, binary population synthesis simulations become powerful tools for probing the formation, evolution, and ultimate fates of their progenitors---massive binary stars. However, complex evolutionary pathways, shaped by key intermediate stages such as mass transfer phases and supernovae, present a significant challenge to assess their impact. To address this, we develop a framework to quantify the influence of intermediate evolutionary stages on GW sources. By combining Sankey diagrams with survival factors, we systematically investigate how intermediate stages influence …
Refining Orbits And Revealing Origins: A Study Of Giant Exoplanets Around Low-Mass Stars,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Refining Orbits And Revealing Origins: A Study Of Giant Exoplanets Around Low-Mass Stars, Angeli Sandoval
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The study of gas giants around low-mass stars offers important insight into planet formation. Core accretion models predict that these planets should have a low likelihood of forming due to the limited disk masses of their host low-mass stars. However, NASA space missions such as Kepler and TESS have revealed an emerging population of Saturn- and Jupiter-like planets around M-dwarfs (referred to as giant exoplanets orbiting M-dwarfs or GEMS) that challenge these expectations. This thesis investigates the detection, confirmation, and analysis of GEMS through pipeline development and a detailed analysis of two systems.
In Chapter 1, I provide background information …
Multi-Messenger Diagnostics Of The Origin And Transport Of Solar Energetic Particles,
2025
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Multi-Messenger Diagnostics Of The Origin And Transport Of Solar Energetic Particles, Meiqi Wang
Dissertations
Impulsive solar energetic electron events (SEEs) are a common phenomenon originating from the Sun. They are characterized by rapid onset and brief duration, and are commonly associated with solar flares. Solar radio bursts, which offer a rich variety of diagnostic tools for solar activities, exhibits a close relationship with impulsive solar energetic electron events. Such diagnostics are particularly powerful when combined with multi-wavelength remote sensing and in situ observations. The dissertation focuses on combining state-of-the-art microwave imaging spectroscopy data obtained by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) with other multi-messenger observations to investigate the origin of impulsive solar energetic …
Geol 64: Planetary Geology - Syllabus,
2025
CUNY Queens College
Geol 64: Planetary Geology - Syllabus, Dara Laczniak
Open Educational Resources
This Open Educational Resources (OER) syllabus is for an introductory planetary geology course that utilizes results from space missions to expose students to the surface features, composition, geological activity, and probable history of the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets of the solar system. It also places space exploration into the context of larger societal issues such as global warming and natural resource availability and addresses topics such as the ethics of space exploration and hazards of space travel. This OER syllabus aims to foster student-centered learning, critical thinking, data analysis and communication skills, and creativity. Assigned readings are compiled into …
The Core-Collapse Supernovae Particle Physics Interactions,
2025
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The Core-Collapse Supernovae Particle Physics Interactions, Skylar G. Butler
Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal
This study investigates the role of specific particle physics interactions in simulations of core collapse supernovae, with a focus on understanding how varying levels of inclusion impact the accuracy of gravitational wave predictions and results of simulations. Different research groups often approach these simulations with varying degrees of complexity, cutting corners by omitting certain reactions or simplifying others. This project systematically evaluates the implications of these choices, comparing the particle physics interactions included, the dimensionality of the simulations, and the governing equations used. Our goal is to identify how these factors influence the precision of numerical simulations. By providing a …
