Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Residual Cooling And Persistent Star Formation Amid Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback In Abell 2597, G. R. Tremblay, C. P. O'Dea, S. A. Baum, T. E. Clarke, C. L. Sarazin, J. N. Bregman, F. Combes, M. Donahue, A. C. Edge, A. C. Fabian, Gary J. Ferland, B. R. Mcnamara, R. Mittal, J. B. R. Oonk, A. C. Quillen, H. R. Russell, J. S. Sanders, P. Salomé, G. M. Voit, R. J. Wilman, M. W. Wise

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

New Chandra X-ray and Herschel Far-Infrared (FIR) observations enable a multiwavelength study of active galactic nucleus (AGN) heating and intracluster medium (ICM) cooling in the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of Abell 2597 (z= 0.0821). The new Chandra observations reveal the central ≲30 kpc X-ray cavity network to be more extensive than previously thought, and associated with enough enthalpy to theoretically inhibit the inferred classical cooling flow. Nevertheless, we present new evidence, consistent with previous results, that a moderately strong residual cooling flow is persisting at 4–8 per cent of the classically predicted rates in a spatially structured manner …

The Power Of Thermonuclear Supernovae After One Year, Ginger Bryngelson

All Dissertations

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf, shape our understanding of the expansion of the universe with the use of their uniformity in distance determinations. Powered by radioactivity synthesized in the explosion, they fade slowly over hundreds of days. Sometime after 200 days, the continually expanding ejecta allows γ-rays from 56 Ni and 56 Co decays to escape, and soon any radioactive power contributing to lighting up the SN comes from positrons formed in 19% of 56 Co
decays.
While at first it seemed that positrons escaped through the thinning ejecta, it has become apparent …

Variability Studies Of Multi-Wavelength Data From Gamma-Ray Blazars Mrk 421 And Mrk 501, Brandon Becker

Physics

In this thesis we take astronomical multi-wavelength data from nearby blazars Markarian 421 and Markarian 501 and perform computational analysis and correlative studies to determine any possible time lag across different bands of our targets as well as to measure the statistical significance of this calculated result. The data was taken over the interval of December 2010 to May 2012 from multiple instruments spanning a broad range of wavelengths. We used the Discrete Correlation Function (DCF) to determine the time lag factor across data set pairs, focusing on X-ray and Very-High-Energy (VHE; >100 GeV) data. To establish the significance of …

Star-Disk Interaction In Herbig Ae/Be Stars, Christa Speights

All Theses

The question of the mechanism of certain types of stars is important. Classical T Tauri (CTTS) stars accrete magnetospherically, and Herbig Ae/Be stars (higher-mass analogs to CTTS) are thought to also accrete magnetospherically, but the source of a kG magnetic field is unknown, since these stars have radiative interiors. For magnetospheric accretion, an equation has been derived (Hartmann, 2001) which relates the truncation radius, stellar radius, stellar mass, mass accretion rate and magnetic field strength.
Currently the magnetic field of Herbig stars is known to be somewhere between 0.1 kG and 10 kG. One goal of this research is to …

Stability Of Phyllosilicates On Mars, Patricia Gavin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the stability of phyllosilicates on the surface of Mars through laboratory experiments and analysis of terrestrial analogs. Phyllosilicates are mostly found in the oldest Noachian terrains on Mars and hence hold clues to the planet's earliest aqueous and geologic history. Phyllosilicates relevant to Mars were heated up to ~1100°C for up to 24 hours and impacted with projectile velocities up to ~4.5 km/s. Heated samples were analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the near- (NIR, 1.0-2.5 µm) and mid-infrared (MIR, 5.0-15.0 µm) ranges. Impacted samples were also analyzed using Raman spectroscopy …

Orbital Periodicities Reflected In Ancient Surfaces Of Our Solar System And The Implications For A Record Of Early Life, Dixie Lee Androes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uniformitarian processes, governed by invariant physical laws, remain the most reliable source for reconstructing the past. Driving many of the repetitive, predictable processes are the orbital dynamics of the Sun-Planet-Moon systems. Astronomical periodicities range from a few hours (tides) to thousands of years (Milankovitch). These periodicities, combined with geomorphic observations of planetary surfaces, constrain the time-dependent processes and allow for reconstruction of events and conditions favorable for sedimentary accumulations. This research suggests that seasonal sedimentary processes are dominant on Titan and Mars, and have played a significant role in the formation of ancient banded-iron formations (BIF's) on Earth.

Earth, Mars, …

Information Content Of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, Marcelo Gleiser, Nikitas Stamatopoulos

Dartmouth Scholarship

We propose a measure of order in the context of nonequilibrium field theory and argue that this measure, which we call relative configurational entropy (RCE), may be used to quantify the emergence of coherent low-entropy configurations, such as time-dependent or time-independent topological and nontopological spatially extended structures. As an illustration, we investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics of spontaneous symmetry breaking in three spatial dimensions. In particular, we focus on a model where a real scalar field, prepared initially in a symmetric thermal state, is quenched to a broken-symmetric state. For a certain range of initial temperatures, spatially localized, long-lived structures known …

Subsurface Planetary Investigation Techniques And Their Role For Assessing Subsurface Planetary Composition, Ahmed Elshafie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Subsurface planetary investigation techniques are of high interest and importance for the scientific community. Not only they can enhance our knowledge of the history of planetary formation but also can lead to information about its future. Whether the investigation is being conducted remotely using imagers, radars or physically using penetrometers or drills, a pre-existed knowledge of the mechanical and electrical properties of the subsurface regolith should be acquired for better data interpretation and analysis. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to investigate the mechanical and electrical properties of planetary analogs, understand their role for assessing the subsurface structure …

New Approach To Time Domain Classification Of Broadband Noise In Gravitational Wave Data, Soma Mukherjee, P. Rizwan, R. Biswas

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Transient broadband noise in gravitational wave (GW) detectors-also known as noise triggers (referred to as triggers for brevity)-can often be a deterrant to the efficiency with which astrophysical search pipelines detect sources. It is important to understand their instrumental or environmental origin so that they could be eliminated or accounted for in the data. Since the number of triggers is large, data mining approaches such as clustering and classification are useful tools for this task. Classification of triggers based on a handful of discrete properties has been done in the past. A rich information content is available in the waveform …

The Gas/Dust Ratio Of Circumstellar Disks: Testing Models Of Planetesimal Formation, David Horne, Erika Gibb, Terrence W. Rettig, Sean D. Brittain, David Tilley, Dinshaw Balsara

Publications

We present high-resolution, near-infrared NIRSPEC observations of CO absorption toward six class II T Tauri stars: AA Tau, DG Tau, IQ Tau, RY Tau, CW Tau, and Haro 6–5b. 12CO overtone absorption lines originating from the circumstellar disk of each object were used to calculate line-of-sight gas column densities toward each source. We measured the gas/dust ratio as a function of disk inclination, utilizing measured visual extinctions and inclinations for each star. The majority of our sources show further evidence for a correlation between the gas/dust columndensity ratio and disk inclination similar to that found by Rettig et al.

The Hd 192263 System: Planetary Orbital Period And Stellar Variability Disentangled, D. Dragomir, S. R. Kane, G. W. Henry, D. R. Ciardi, D. A. Fischer, A. W. Howard, Eric L.N. Jensen, G. Laughlin, S. Mahadevan, J. M. Matthews, G. Pilyavsky, K. Von Braun, S. X. Wang, J. T. Wright

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

As part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey, we present new radial velocities and photometry of the HD 192263 system. Our analysis of the already available Keck-HIRES and CORALIE radial velocity measurements together with the five new Keck measurements we report in this paper results in improved orbital parameters for the system. We derive constraints on the size and phase location of the transit window for HD 192263b, a Jupiter-mass planet with a period of 24.3587 +/- 0.0022 days. We use 10 years of Automated Photoelectric Telescope photometry to analyze the stellar variability and search for planetary transits. …

Veritas Observations Of The Nova In V407 Cygni, P. T. Reynolds, Et. Al.

Physical Sciences Publications

We report on very high energy (E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray observations of V407 Cygni, a symbiotic binary that underwent a nova outburst producing 0.1-10 GeV gamma rays during 2010 March 10-26. Observations were made with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System during 2010 March 19-26 at relatively large zenith angles due to the position of V407 Cyg. An improved reconstruction technique for large zenith angle observations is presented and used to analyze the data. We do not detect V407 Cygni and place a differential upper limit on the flux at 1.6 TeV of 2.3 × 10–12 erg cm–2 …

Array-Based Characterization Of Military Jet Aircraft Noise, David William Krueger

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1950s the jet aeroacoustics community has been involved in predicting and measuring the noise distribution in jets. In this work, cylindrical and planar Fourier near-field acoustical holography are used to investigate radiation from a full-scale, installed jet engine. Practical problems involving measurement aperture and the highly directional nature of the source are addressed. Insights from numerical simulations reveal usable reconstruction regions. A comparison of cylindrical and planar NAH for the respective measurement apertures shows cylindrical NAH outperforms planar NAH on reconstructions both towards and away from the source.

Pt-Symmetric Talbot Effects, Hamidreza Ramezani, D. N. Christodoulides, V. Kovanis, I. Vitebskiy, Tsampikos Kottos

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We show that complex PT-symmetric photonic lattices can lead to a new class of self-imaging Talbot effects. For this to occur, we find that the input field pattern has to respect specific periodicities dictated by the symmetries of the system. While at the spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking point the image revivals occur at Talbot lengths governed by the characteristics of the passive lattice, at the exact phase it depends on the gain and loss parameter, thus allowing one to control the imaging process. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Deep Silicate Absorption Features In Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nuclei Predominantly Arise Due To Dust In The Host Galaxy, A. D. Goulding, D. M. Alexander, F. E. Bauer, W. R. Forman, R. C. Hickox

Dartmouth Scholarship

We explore the origin of mid-infrared (mid-IR) dust extinction in all 20 nearby (z < 0.05) bona fide Compton-thick (N _H > 1.5 × 10²⁴ cm^–2) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with hard energy (E > 10 keV) X-ray spectral measurements. We accurately measure the silicate absorption features at λ ~ 9.7 μm in archival low-resolution (R ~ 57-127) Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectroscopy, and show that only a minority (≈45%) of nearby Compton-thick AGNs have strong Si-absorption features (S _9.7 = ln (f _int/f _obs) 0.5) which would indicate significant dust attenuation. The majority (≈60%) are star …

Absolute Properties Of The Eclipsing Binary Star V335 Serpentis, Claud H. Sandberg Lacy, Francis C. Fekel, Antonio Claret

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

V335 Ser is now known to be an eccentric double-lined A1+A3 binary star with fairly deep (0.5 mag) partial eclipses. Previous studies of the system are improved with 7456 differential photometric observations from the URSA WebScope and 5666 from the NFO WebScope, and 67 high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the Tennessee State University 2 m automatic spectroscopic telescope. From dates of minima, the apsidal period is about 880 years. Accurate (better than 2%) masses and radii are determined from analysis of the two new light curves and the radial velocity curve. Theoretical models match the absolute properties of the stars at …

Analog Feedback Control Of Broadband Fan Noise, Cole Victor Duke

Theses and Dissertations

Active noise control (ANC) has been implemented using analog filters to reduce broadband noise from a small axial cooling fan. Previous work successfully attenuated narrow-band, tonal portions of the noise using a digital controller. The practical performance limits of this system were reached and it was desirable to attenuate the noise further. Additional research, therefore, sought to attenuate broadband noise from the fan using a digital controller, but performance was limited by the group delay inherent in the digital signal processor (DSP). Current research attempts to further attenuate broadband noise and improve performance of the system by combining the tonal …

A Proper Motion Study Of The Haro 6-10 Outflow: Evidence For A Subarcsecond Binary, Bruce Wilking, Kevin Marvel, Mark Claussen, Bradley Gerling, Alwyn Wootten, Erika Gibb

Physics Faculty Works

We present single-dish and very long baseline interferometry observations of an outburst of water maser emission from the young binary system Haro 6-10. Haro 6-10 lies in the Taurus molecular cloud and contains a visible T Tauri star with an infrared companion 1farcs3 north. Using the Very Long Baseline Array, we obtained five observations spanning three months and derived absolute positions for 20 distinct maser spots. Three of the masers can be traced over three or more epochs, enabling us to extract absolute proper motions and tangential velocities. We deduce that the masers represent one side of a bipolar outflow …

Practical Methods For Continuous Gravitational Wave Detection Using Pulsar Timing Data, J. A. Ellis, F. A. Jenet, M. A. Mclaughlin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Gravitational waves (GWs) are tiny ripples in the fabric of space time predicted by Einstein's general relativity. Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are well poised to detect low-frequency (10-9-10-7 Hz) GWs in the near future. There has been a significant amount of research into the detection of a stochastic background of GWs from supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs). Recent work has shown that single continuous sources standing out above the background may be detectable by PTAs operating at a sensitivity sufficient to detect the stochastic background. The most likely sources of continuous GWs in the pulsar timing frequency band are extremely …

Discovery Of The Optical/Ultraviolet/Gamma-Ray Counterpart To The Eclipsing Millisecond Pulsar J1816+4510, D. L. Kaplan, Kevin Stovall, S. M. Ransom, M. S. R. Robers, R. Kotulla, Anne M. Archibald, C. M. Biwer, Anthony J. Ford, Fredrick Jenet

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The energetic, eclipsing millisecond pulsar J1816+4510 was recently discovered in a low-frequency radio survey with the Green Bank Telescope. With an orbital period of 8.7 hr and a minimum companion mass of 0.16 M☉, it appears to belong to an increasingly important class of pulsars that are ablating their low-mass companions. We report the discovery of the γ-ray counterpart to this pulsar and present a likely optical/ultraviolet counterpart as well. Using the radio ephemeris, we detect pulsations in the unclassified γ-ray source 2FGL J1816.5+4511, implying an efficiency of ∼25% in converting the pulsar's spin-down luminosity into γ-rays and adding PSR …