Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Spitzer Space Telescope Measurements Of Dust Reverberation Lags In The Seyfert 1 Galaxy Ngc 6418, Billy Vazquez, Pasquale Galianni, Michael Richmond, Andrew Robinson, David J. Axon, Keith Horne, Triana Almeyda, Michael Fausnaugh, Bradley M. Peterson, Mark Bottorff, Jack Gallimore, Moshe Elitzur, Hagai Netzer, Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann, Alessandro Marconi, Alessandro Capetti, Dan Batcheldor, Catherine Buchanan, Giovanna Stirpe, Makoto Kishimoto, Christopher Packham, Enrique Perez, Clive Tadhunter, John Upton, Vincente Estrada-Carpenter

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present results from a 15 month campaign of high-cadence (~3 days) mid-infrared Spitzer and optical (B and V) monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6418, with the objective of determining the characteristic size of the dusty torus in this active galactic nucleus (AGN). . . .

For the remainder of the abstract, please visit:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/801/2/127

Spectroscopic Orbital Periods For 29 Cataclysmic Variables From The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, John R. Thorstensen, Cynthia J. Taylor, Christopher S. Peters, Julie N. Skinner

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report follow-up spectroscopy of 29 cataclysmic variables from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), 22 of which were discovered by SDSS and seven of which are previously known systems that were recovered in SDSS. The periods for 16 of these objects were included in the tabulation by Gänsicke et al. While most of the systems have periods less than 2 hr, only one has a period in the 80–86 minutes "spike" found by Gänsicke et al., and 11 have periods longer than 3 hr, indicating that the present sample is skewed toward longer-period, higher-luminosity objects. Seven of the objects …

Spectroscopic Confirmation Of An Ultramassive And Compact Galaxy At Z = 3.35: A Detailed Look At An Early Progenitor Of Local Giant Ellipticals, Z. Cemile Marsan, Danilo Marchesini, Gabriel B. Brammer, Mauro Stefanon, Adam Muzzin, Alberto Fernández-Soto, Stefan Geier, Kevin N. Hainline

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the first spectroscopic confirmation of an ultra-massive galaxy at redshift z>3 using data from Keck-NIRSPEC, VLT-Xshooter, and GTC-Osiris. We detect strong [OIII] and Lyα emission, and weak [OII], CIV, and HeII, placing C1-23152 at a spectroscopic redshift of zspec=3.351. The modeling of the emission-line corrected spectral energy distribution results in a best-fit stellar mass of M∗=3.1+0.6−0.7×1011M⊙, a star-formation rate of <7 M⊙yr−1, and negligible dust extinction. The stars appear to have formed in a short intense burst ~300-500 Myr prior to the observation epoch, setting the formation redshift of this galaxy at z~4.1. From the analysis of the line ratios and widths, and the observed flux at 24μm, we confirm the presence of a luminous hidden active galactic nucleus (AGN), with bolometric luminosity of ~1046ergs−1. Potential contamination to the observed SED from the AGN continuum is constrained, placing a lower limit on the stellar mass of 2×1011M⊙. HST/WFC3 H160 and ACS I814 images are modeled, resulting in an effective radius of re~1 kpc in the H160 band and a Sersic index n~4.4. This object may be a prototype of the progenitors of local most massive elliptical galaxies in the first 2 Gyr of cosmic history, having formed most of its stars at z>4 in a highly dissipative, intense, and short burst of star formation. C1-23152 is completing its transition to a post-starburst phase while hosting a powerful AGN, potentially responsible for the quenching of the star formation activity.

Stellar Masses From The Candels Survey: The Goods-South And Uds Fields, P. Santini, H. C. Ferguson, A. Fontana, B. Mobasher, G. Barro, M. Castellano, S. L. Finkelstein, A. Grazian, L. T. Hsu, B. Lee, S.-K. Lee, J. Pforr, M. Salvato, T. Wiklind, S. Wuyts, O. Almaini, M. C. Cooper, A. Galametz, B. Weiner, R. Amorin, K. Boutsia, C. J. Conselice, T. Dahlen, M. E. Dickinson, M. Giavalisco, N. A. Grogin, Y. Guo, N. P. Hathi, Dale D. Kocevski, A. M. Koekemoer, P. Kurczynski, E. Merlin, A. Mortlock, J. A. Newman, D. Paris, L. Pentericci, R. Simons, S. P. Willner

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the public release of the stellar mass catalogs for the GOODS-S and UDS fields obtained using some of the deepest near-IR images available, achieved as part of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey project. We combine the effort from 10 different teams, who computed the stellar masses using the same photometry and the same redshifts. Each team adopted their preferred fitting code, assumptions, priors, and parameter grid. The combination of results using the same underlying stellar isochrones reduces the systematics associated with the fitting code and other choices. Thanks to the availability of different estimates, we …

Spitzer Space Telescope Measurements Of Dust Reverberation Lags In The Seyfert 1 Galaxy Ngc 6418, Billy Vazquez, Dan Batcheldor

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present results from a 15 month campaign of high-cadence (∼3 days) mid-infrared Spitzer and optical (B and V) monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6418, with the objective of determining the characteristic size of the dusty torus in this active galactic nucleus (AGN). We find that the 3.6 and 4.5 μm flux variations lag behind those of the optical continuum by 37.2 ^+2.4 _-2.2 days and -47.1 ^+3.1 _-3.1 days, respectively. We report a cross-correlation time lag between the 4.5 and 3.6 μm flux of 13.9 ^+0.5 _-0.1 days. The lags indicate that the dust emitting at 3.6 …

Structural Distortion-Induced Magnetoelastic Locking In Sr2Iro4 Revealed Through Nonlinear Optical Harmonic Generation, D. H. Torchinsky, H. Chu, L. Zhao, N. B. Perkins, Y. Sizyuk, T. Qi, Gang Cao, D. Hsieh

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report a global structural distortion in Sr₂IrO₄ using spatially resolved optical second and third harmonic generation rotational anisotropy measurements. A symmetry lowering from an I4₁/acd to I4₁/a space group is observed both above and below the Néel temperature that arises from a staggered tetragonal distortion of the oxygen octahedra. By studying an effective superexchange Hamiltonian that accounts for this lowered symmetry, we find that perfect locking between the octahedral rotation and magnetic moment canting angles can persist even in the presence of large noncubic local distortions. Our results …

Stellar Activity And Its Implications For Exoplanet Detection On Gj 176, Paul Robertson, Michael Endl, Gregory W. Henry, William D. Cochran, Phillip J. Macqueen, Michael H. Williamson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We present an in-depth analysis of stellar activity and its effects on radial velocity (RV) for the M2 dwarf GJ 176 based on spectra taken over 10 yr from the High Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby–Eberly Telescope. These data are supplemented with spectra from previous observations with the HIRES and HARPS spectrographs, and V- and R-band photometry taken over six years at the Dyer and Fairborn observatories. Previous studies of GJ 176 revealed a super-Earth exoplanet in an 8.8-day orbit. However, the velocities of this star are also known to be contaminated by activity, particularly at the 39-day stellar rotation …

Magnetic Response Of Aperiodic Wire Networks Based On Fibonacci Distortions Of Square Antidot Lattices, Barry Farmer, Vinayak Bhat, J. Sklenar, Eric Teipel, Justin Woods, J. B. Ketterson, J. Todd Hastings, Lance Delong

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The static and dynamic magnetic responses of patterned ferromagnetic thin films are uniquely altered in the case of aperiodic patterns that retain long-range order (e.g., quasicrystals). We have fabricated permalloy wire networks based on periodic square antidot lattices (ADLs) distorted according to an aperiodic Fibonacci sequence applied to two lattice translations, d₁  = 1618 nm and d₂  = 1000 nm. The wire segment thickness is fixed at t = 25 nm, and the width W varies from 80 to 510 nm. We measured the DC magnetization between room temperature and 5 K. Room-temperature, narrow-band (9.7 GHz) ferromagnetic resonance …

Room Temperature Optical Anisotropy Of A Lamno3 Thin-Film Induced By Ultra-Short Pulse Laser, Purevdorj Munkhbaatar, Zsolt Marton, Baatarchuluun Tsermaa, Woo Seok Choi, Sung S. Ambrose Seo, Jin Seung Kim, Naoyuki Nakagawa, Harold Y. Hwang, Ho Nyung Lee, Kim Myung-Whun

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We observed ultra-short laser pulse-induced transient optical anisotropy in a LaMnO₃ thin film. The anisotropy was induced by laser pulse irradiation with a fluence of less than 0.1 mJ/cm² at room temperature. The transmittance and reflectance showed strong dependence on the polarization states of the pulses. For parallel and perpendicular polarization states, there exists a difference of approximately 0.2% for transmittance and 0.05% for reflectance at 0.3 ps after the irradiation with a pump pulse, respectively. The theoretical values for optical transmittance and reflectance with an assumption of an orbital ordering of 3d e_g electrons in …

Revisiting Ulysses Observations Of Interstellar Helium, Brian E. Wood, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Manfred Witte

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report the results of a comprehensive reanalysis of Ulysses observations of interstellar He atoms flowing through the solar system, the goal being to reassess the interstellar He flow vector and to search for evidence of variability in this vector. We find no evidence that the He beam seen by Ulysses changes at all from 1994-2007. The direction of flow changes by no more than ~03 and the speed by no more than ~0.3 km s^–1. A global fit to all acceptable He beam maps from 1994-2007 yields the following He flow parameters: V _ISM = 26.08 ± …

To Apply Or Not To Apply: A Survey Analysis Of Grant Writing Costs And Benefits, Ted Von Hippel, Courtney Von Hippel

Publications

We surveyed 113 astronomers and 82 psychologists active in applying for federally funded research on their grant-­‐writing history between January, 2009 and November, 2012. We collected demographic data, effort levels, success rates, and perceived non-­‐financial benefits from writing grant proposals. We find that the average proposal takes 116 PI hours and 55 CI hours to write; although time spent writing was not related to whether the grant was funded. Effort did translate into success, however, as academics who wrote more grants received more funding. Participants indicated modest non-­‐monetary benefits from grant writing, with psychologists reporting a somewhat greater benefit overall …

Advanced Ligo, J. Aasi, B. P. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Matthew Benacquista, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Advanced LIGO gravitational wave detectors are second-generation instruments designed and built for the two LIGO observatories in Hanford, WA and Livingston, LA, USA. The two instruments are identical in design, and are specialized versions of a Michelson interferometer with 4 km long arms. As in Initial LIGO, Fabry–Perot cavities are used in the arms to increase the interaction time with a gravitational wave, and power recycling is used to increase the effective laser power. Signal recycling has been added in Advanced LIGO to improve the frequency response. In the most sensitive frequency region around 100 Hz, the design strain …

Van Allen Probes Show That The Inner Radiation Zone Contains No Mev Electrons: Ect/Mageis Data, J. F. Fennell, S. Claudepierre, J. B. Blake, T. P. O'Brien, J. H. Clemmons, D. N. Baker, Harlan E. Spence, Geoffrey Reeves

Physics & Astronomy

Abstract

We present Van Allen Probe observations of electrons in the inner radiation zone. The measurements were made by the Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma/Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) sensors that were designed to measure electrons with the ability to remove unwanted signals from penetrating protons, providing clean measurements. No electrons >900 keV were observed with equatorial fluxes above background (i.e., >0.1 el/(cm² s sr keV)) in the inner zone. The observed fluxes are compared to the AE9 model and CRRES observations. Electron fluxes <200 keV exceeded the AE9 model 50% fluxes and were lower than the higher-energy model fluxes. Phase space density radial profiles for 1.3 ≤ L* < 2.5 had mostly positive gradients except near L*~2.1, where the profiles for μ = 20–30 MeV/G were flat …

On The Use Of Drift Echoes To Characterize On-Orbit Sensor Discrepancies, T. P. O'Brien, S. Claudepierre, M. Looper, J. B. Blake, J. F. Fennell, J. H. Clemmons, J. Roeder, S. G. Kanekal, J. W. Manweiler, D. G. Mitchell, M. Gkioulidou, L. J. Lanzerotti, Harlan E. Spence, Geoffrey Reeves, D. N. Baker

Physics & Astronomy

No abstract provided.

Shock-Induced Prompt Relativistic Electron Acceleration In The Inner Magnetosphere, J. C. Foster, J. R. Wygant, M. K. Hudson, A. J. Boyd, D. N. Baker, P. J. Erickson, Harlan E. Spence

Physics & Astronomy

Abstract

We present twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft observations of the effects of a solar wind shock impacting the magnetosphere on 8 October 2013. The event provides details both of the accelerating electric fields associated with the shock and the response of inner magnetosphere electron populations across a broad range of energies. During this period, the two Van Allen Probes observed shock effects from the vantage point of the dayside magnetosphere at radial positions of L = 3 and L = 5, at the location where shock-induced acceleration of relativistic electrons occurs. The extended (~1 min) duration of the accelerating …

Geometrization Conditions For Perfect Fluids, Scalar Fields, And Electromagnetic Fields, Charles G. Torre, Dionisios Krongos

Presentations and Publications

Rainich-type conditions giving a spacetime “geometrization” of matter fields in general relativity are reviewed and extended. Three types of matter are considered: perfect fluids, scalar fields, and elec- tromagnetic fields. Necessary and sufficient conditions on a spacetime metric for it to be part of a perfect fluid solution of the Einstein equa- tions are given. Formulas for constructing the fluid from the metric are obtained. All fluid results hold for any spacetime dimension. Ge- ometric conditions on a metric which are necessary and sufficient for it to define a solution of the Einstein-scalar field equations and for- mulas for constructing …

Re-Calibration Of The Periods Of Selected Cepheids From The Hubble Space Telescope Key Project Using Time Correction, Muxue Liu

Theses and Dissertations

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was originally proposed and funded in the 1970's with a launch planned for the early 1980's. However, the launch finally occurred on April 24, 1990, largely due to the Challenger accident. Once launched in 1990, one of HST's earliest projects was the Key Project. One of the main purposes of the Key Project was to calibrate the distances to nearby galaxies and determine a definitive value of the Hubble constant H0. All secondary distance determination methods were based on the period-luminosity relation of Cepheid variable stars. This thesis examines the Cepheid data from the Key …

The Small Binary Asteroid (939) Isberga, B. Carry, A. Matter, P. Scheirich, P. Pravec

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In understanding the composition and internal structure of asteroids, their density is perhaps the most diagnostic quantity. We aim here at characterizing the surface composition, mutual orbit, size, mass, and density of the small main-belt binary asteroid (939) Isberga. For that, we conduct a suite of multi-technique observations, including optical lightcurves over many epochs, near-infrared spectroscopy, and interferometry in the thermal infrared. We develop a simple geometric model of binary systems to analyze the interferometric data in combination with the results of the lightcurve modeling. From spectroscopy, we classify Ibserga as a Sq-type asteroid, consistent with the albedo of 0.14-0.06+0.09 …

Transitions To Valence-Bond Solid Order In A Honeycomb Lattice Antiferromagnet, Sumiran Pujari, Fabien Alet, Kedar Damle

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use quantum Monte Carlo methods to study the ground-state phase diagram of a S=1/2 honeycomb lattice magnet in which a nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange J (favoring Néel order) competes with two different multispin interaction terms: a six-spin interaction Q₃ that favors columnar valence-bond solid (VBS) order, and a four-spin interaction Q₂ that favors staggered VBS order. For Q₃∼Q₂≫J, we establish that the competition between the two different VBS orders stabilizes Néel order in a large swath of the phase diagram even when J is the smallest energy scale in the …

Ward Identities For Transport In 2+1 Dimensions, Carlos Hoyos, Bom Soo Kim, Yaron Oz

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use the Ward identities corresponding to general linear transformations, and derive relations between transport coefficients of (2 + 1)-dimensional systems. Our analysis includes relativistic and Galilean invariant systems, as well as systems without boost invariance such as Lifshitz theories. We consider translation invariant, as well as broken translation invariant cases, and include an external magnetic field. Our results agree with effective theory relations of incompressible Hall fluid, and with holographic calculations in a magnetically charged black hole background.