Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes, Michael E. Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, Diana H. Barnes, Joseph R. Dwyer, Hamid K. Rassoul, David M. Smith, Bryna J. Hazelton, Brian W. Grefenstette
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The characteristics of thunderstorms that produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) are determined using climatological and meteorological data. RHESSI observed TGFs follow diurnal, seasonal, and geographic patterns that are very similar to those of thunderstorms confirming, in part, that these events are directly connected to thunderstorm activity. The TGF producing thunderstorms are shown to be closely associated with tall (ranging from 13.6 km to 17.3 km) tropical thunderstorm systems, a finding that is consistent with theoretical expectations from models of relativistic breakdown that relate the source region to the spectral …
Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind, Ming Zhang
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
This paper presents a calculation of particle acceleration by an idealized compressional plasma wave train. In this model, suprathermal particles, such as pickup ions, are continuously injected into a wave train consisting of a series of compression or rarefaction regions. The momentum distribution of particles will become broader and broader as they go through the wave train, which is very similar to diffusion in momentum space. The acceleration process is very fast: it does not take too many wave cycles even with a small compression amplitude to reach an asymptotic steady state momentum distribution. In the absence of large-scale adiabatic …
Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation, Joseph R. Dwyer
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
Using detailed Monte Carlo simulations, the diffusion coefficients for relativistic runaway electron avalanches in air are found for the range of electric field strengths applicable to thunderclouds. Diffusion causes runaway electron avalanches to spread perpendicular to and parallel to the avalanche direction, resulting in much smaller peak conductivities than would be inferred otherwise. The idea that runaway electron avalanches seeded by extensive cosmic ray air showers may initiate lightning has gained considerable popularity in recent years. However, using the diffusion coefficients calculated in this paper along with the avalanche multiplication limit from X-ray and positron feedback, it is found that …
Star Formation And Uv Colors Of The Brightest Cluster Galaxies In The Representative Xmm-Newton Cluster Structure Survey,
2010
Michigan State University
Star Formation And Uv Colors Of The Brightest Cluster Galaxies In The Representative Xmm-Newton Cluster Structure Survey, Megan Donahue, Seth Bruch, Emily Wang, G. Mark Voit
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
We present UV broadband photometry and optical emission-line measurements for a sample of 32 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in clusters of the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey (REXCESS) with z = 0.06-0.18. The REXCESS clusters, chosen to study scaling relations in clusters of galaxies, have X-ray measurements of high quality. The trends of star formation and BCG colors with BCG and host properties can be investigated with this sample. The UV photometry comes from the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor, supplemented by existing archival Galaxy Evolution Explorer photometry. We detected Hα and forbidden line emission in seven (22%) of these BCGs, in …
High-Resolution Cavity-Enhanced Spectroscopy Of Molecular Ion Beams,
2010
Illinois Wesleyan University
High-Resolution Cavity-Enhanced Spectroscopy Of Molecular Ion Beams, Manori Perera, Andrew Mills, Brian Siller, Michael Porambo, Kyle Crabtree, Carrie Kauffman, Holger Kreckel, Benjamin Mccall
Scholarship
Molecular ions play a pivotal role in the chemistry of the interstellar medium due to their high reactivity even at low temperature. To identify these ions in interstellar space, it is essential to obtain high resolution laboratory spectra of potential interstellar ions for comparison to observational data. At the University of Illinois, we are developing a Sensitive, Cooled, Resolved Ion BEam Spectrometer (SCRIBES) that will allow us to obtain high resolution infrared direct absorption spectra of rotationally cold molecular ions in the absence of neutral molecules. This instrument can overcome many of the problems that arise when using other spectroscopic …
Origins Of The Extragalactic Background At 1mm From A Combined Analysis Of The Aztec And Mambo Data In Goods-N,
2010
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Origins Of The Extragalactic Background At 1mm From A Combined Analysis Of The Aztec And Mambo Data In Goods-N, Kyle Penner, Alexandra Pope, Edward Chapin, Thomas Greve, Frank Bertoldi, Mark Brodwin, Ranga-Ram Chary, Christopher Conselice, Kristen Coppin, Mauro Giavalisco, David Hughes, Rob Ivison, Thushara Perera, Douglas Scott, Kimberly Scott, Grant Wilson
Scholarship
We present a study of the cosmic infrared background, which is a measure of the dust obscured activity in all galaxies in the Universe. We venture to isolate the galaxies responsible for the background at 1mm; with spectroscopic and photometric redshifts we constrain the redshift distribution of these galaxies. We create a deep 1.16mm map (sigma ~ 0.5mJy) by combining the AzTEC 1.1mm and MAMBO 1.2mm datasets in GOODS-N. This combined map contains 41 secure detections, 13 of which are new. By averaging the 1.16mm flux densities of individually undetected galaxies with 24um flux densities > 25uJy, we resolve 31--45 per …
Color-Magnitude Relation And Morphology Of Low-Redshift Ulirgs In Sloan Digital Sky Survey,
2010
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Color-Magnitude Relation And Morphology Of Low-Redshift Ulirgs In Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Yuxi Chen, James D. Lowenthal, Min S. Yun
Astronomy: Faculty Publications
We present color-magnitude and morphological analysis of 54 low-redshift ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; 0.018 < z < 0.265 with z = 0.151), a subset of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite 1Jy sample, in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The ULIRGs are both bright and blue: they are on average 1mag brighter in than the SDSS galaxies within the same redshift range, and 0.2mag bluer in g - r. They form a group in the color-magnitude diagram distinct from both the red sequence and the blue cloud formed by the SDSS galaxies: 24 out of the 52 unsaturated objects (46%) lie outside the 90% level number density contour of the SDSS galaxies. The majority (47, or 87%) have the colors typical of the blue cloud, and only four (7%) sources are located in the red sequence. While ULIRGs are popularly thought to be precursors to a QSO phase, we find few (three, or 6%) in the "green valley" where the majority of the X-ray- and IR-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are found. Moreover, none of the AGN-host ULIRGs are found in the green valley. For the 14 previously spectroscopic identified AGNs (28%), we perform point-spread function subtractions and find that on average the central point sources contribute less than one-third to the total luminosity, and that their high optical luminosities and overall blue colors are apparently the result of star formation activity of the host galaxies. Visual inspection of the SDSS images reveals a wide range of morphologies including many close pairs, tidal tails, and otherwise disturbed profiles, in strong support of previous studies and the general view of ULIRGs as major mergers of gas-rich disk galaxies. A detailed morphology analysis using Gini and M coefficients shows that slightly less than one-half (42% in g band) of the ULIRGs are located in the merger region defined by morphology studies of local galaxies, while the remaining sources are located in the region of late-type and irregular galaxies. The heterogeneous distribution of ULIRGs in the G-M space is qualitatively consistent with the results found by numerical simulations of disk-disk mergers, and our study also shows that the measured morphological parameters are systematically affected by the signal-to-noise ratio and thus the merging galaxies can appear in various regions of the G-M parameter space. We briefly discuss the origins of the uncertainties and note that the morphology measurements should be implemented with caution for low physical resolution images. In general, our results reinforce the view that ULIRGs contain young stellar populations and are mergers in progress, but we do not observe the concentration of ULIRGs/AGN in the green valley as found by other studies. Our study provides a uniform comparison sample for studying dusty starbursts at higher redshifts such as Spitzer MIPS 24 μm-selected ULIRGs at z = 1-2 or submillimeter galaxies.
Limit On Continuous Neutrino Emission From Neutron Stars,
2010
Afeka College of Engineering
Limit On Continuous Neutrino Emission From Neutron Stars, Itzhak Goldman, Shmuel Nussinov
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
The timing data of the binary pulsar PSR1913+16, are used to establish an upper limit on the rate of continuous neutrino emission from neutron stars. Neutrino emission from each of the neutron stars of the binary system, increases the star binding energy and thus translates to a decrease in their masses. This in turn implies an increase with time of the binary period. Using the pulsar data we obtain an upper limit on the allowed rate of mass reduction: vertical bar M vertical bar < 1.1 x 10(-12) yr(-1) M, where M is the total mass of the binary. This constrains exotic nuclear equations of state that predict continuous neutrino emissions. The limit applies also to other channels of energy loss, e. g. axion emission. Continued timing measurements of additional binary pulsars, should yield a stronger limit in the future.
Brightest Cluster Galaxies And Core Gas Density In Rexcess Clusters,
2010
Calvin University
Brightest Cluster Galaxies And Core Gas Density In Rexcess Clusters, Deborah B. Haarsma, Luke Leisman, Megan Donahue, Seth Bruch
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
We investigate the relationship between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their host clusters using a sample of nearby galaxy clusters from the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey. The sample was imaged with the Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research in R band to investigate the mass of the old stellar population. Using a metric radius of 12 h -1kpc, we found that the BCG luminosity depends weakly on overall cluster mass as L BCG M 0.180.07cl, consistent with previous work. We found that 90% of the BCGs are located within 0.035 r 500 of the peak of the X-ray emission, including …
The Magnetic Field Induced By A Lightning Strikes Indirect Effect Double Exponential Current Waveform,
2010
Trinity University
The Magnetic Field Induced By A Lightning Strikes Indirect Effect Double Exponential Current Waveform, S L. Meredith, S K. Earles, I N. Kostanic, Niescja E. Turner
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research
Problem statement: Develop a new formula which describes the magnetic field induced by a lightning strike's indirect effect double exponential current waveform. Approach: A novel approach for developing a closed-form solution for the magnetic field from the indirect effect double exponential current waveform will be presented. In the literature, models typically employ the pulse waveform to derive the corresponding electromagnetic fields. However, given the Department of Defense (DoD) has incorporated the double exponential current waveform as part of their "Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Requirements For Systems", we felt it important to develop a solution for the magnetic field which …
A New Method For Describing The Horizontal Electric Field Induced By A Lightning Strike Return Stroke,
2010
Trinity University
A New Method For Describing The Horizontal Electric Field Induced By A Lightning Strike Return Stroke, S L. Meredith, S K. Earles, Niescja E. Turner
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research
No abstract provided.
First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor,
2010
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, Michael S. Briggs, Joseph R. Dwyer
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected 12 intense terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) during its first year of observation. Typical maximum energies for most of the TGFs are ∼30 MeV, with one TGF having a 38 MeV photon; two of the TGFs are softer and longer than the others. After correcting for instrumental effects, a representative bright TGF is found to have a fluence of ∼0.7 photons cm-2. Pulses are either symmetrical or have faster risetimes than fall times; they are well fit with Gaussian or lognormal functions. The fastest risetime observed was 7 …
Associations Between Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes And Sferics From The World Wide Lightning Location Network,
2010
University of Alabama, Huntsville
Associations Between Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes And Sferics From The World Wide Lightning Location Network, Valerie Connaughton, Eric S. Cramer, Joseph R. Dwyer
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
We report on a search for correlations between terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and lightning strokes measured using the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). We associate 15 of a total 50 GBM-detected TGFs with individual discharges. We establish the relative timing between the TGF and the lightning stroke to an accuracy of <50 s, and find that in 13 of these 15 lightning-TGF associations, the lightning stroke and the peak of the TGF are simultaneous to ∼40 μs. This suggests that a large fraction of TGFs are coincident with lightning discharges. The two nonsimultaneous associations do not show a consistent TGF-lightning stroke temporal sequence. All 15 associations are with sferics within 300 km of the subspacecraft position. For those TGFs not correlated with a particular lightning stroke, we find storm activity within 300 km of the subspacecraft position in all but four of the TGFs. For three of these four TGFs, we find storm activity very close to one of the magnetic footprints of the spacecraft position. We associate the subspacecraft TGFs with gamma ray events and the footprint events with electrons traveling along magnetic field lines before hitting the Fermi spacecraft.
Brightest Cluster Galaxies And Core Gas Density In Rexcess Clusters,
2010
Calvin University
Brightest Cluster Galaxies And Core Gas Density In Rexcess Clusters, Deborah B. Haarsma, Luke Leisman, Megan Donahue, Seth Bruch
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
We investigate the relationship between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their host clusters using a sample of nearby galaxy clusters from the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey. The sample was imaged with the Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research in R band to investigate the mass of the old stellar population. Using a metric radius of 12 h -1kpc, we found that the BCG luminosity depends weakly on overall cluster mass as L BCG M 0.180.07cl, consistent with previous work. We found that 90% of the BCGs are located within 0.035 r 500 of the peak of the X-ray emission, including …
Off To A Good Start: Using Clustering To Select The Initial Training Set In Active Learning,
2010
Technological University Dublin
Off To A Good Start: Using Clustering To Select The Initial Training Set In Active Learning, Rong Hu, Brian Mac Namee, Sarah Jane Delany
Conference papers
Active learning (AL) is used in textual classification to alleviate the cost of labelling documents for training. An important issue in AL is the selection of a representative sample of documents to label for the initial training set that seeds the process, and clustering techniques have been successfully used in this regard. However, the clustering techniques used are nondeterministic which causes inconsistent behaviour in the AL process. In this paper we first illustrate the problems associated with using non-deterministic clustering for initial training set selection in AL. We then examine the performance of three deterministic clustering techniques for this task …
Star Formation And Uv Colors Of The Brightest Cluster Galaxies In The Representative Xmm-Newton Cluster Structure Survey,
2010
Michigan State University
Star Formation And Uv Colors Of The Brightest Cluster Galaxies In The Representative Xmm-Newton Cluster Structure Survey, Megan Donahue, Seth Bruch, Emily Wang, G. Mark Voit
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
We present UV broadband photometry and optical emission-line measurements for a sample of 32 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in clusters of the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey (REXCESS) with z = 0.06-0.18. The REXCESS clusters, chosen to study scaling relations in clusters of galaxies, have X-ray measurements of high quality. The trends of star formation and BCG colors with BCG and host properties can be investigated with this sample. The UV photometry comes from the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor, supplemented by existing archival Galaxy Evolution Explorer photometry. We detected Hα and forbidden line emission in seven (22%) of these BCGs, in …
Begin The Adventure : How To Break The Light Barrier By A.D. 2079 (3rd Ed.),
2010
University of New Mexico
Begin The Adventure : How To Break The Light Barrier By A.D. 2079 (3rd Ed.), Florentin Smarandache, Homer B. Tilton
Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications
This edition, the third, has undergone a subtle name change, going from "A.D. 2070" in the title to A.D. 2079 as the timeline is fine-tuned. Because of the almost universal failure to recognize the distinction between physical (reality-based, dynamical) and visual (appearance-based, kinematical) variables, a tremendous volume of mythology arose over the past 100 years centered around Einstein's reality view of the distortions of special relativity. To get a sense of it, we point the reader to Paul J. Nahin's heroic book, Time Machines, 2nd ed.,- to these Tech Notes in particular: TN#6. "A High-Speed Rocket Is a One-Way Time …
The Zeeman Effect In The Sobolev Approximation Ii. Radial Split Monopole Fields And The ‘Heartbeat’ Stokes V Profile.,
2010
University of Iowa
The Zeeman Effect In The Sobolev Approximation Ii. Radial Split Monopole Fields And The ‘Heartbeat’ Stokes V Profile., K. Gayley, Richard Ignace
ETSU Faculty Works
We calculate the circularly polarized Stokes V(λ) profile for emission lines, formed in hot-star winds threaded with a weak radial magnetic field. For simplicity, the field is treated as a split monopole under the assumptions that it has been radially combed by the wind, and rotation is not playing a central role. Invoking the weak-field approximation, we find that the V(λ) profile has a characteristic “heartbeat” shape exhibiting multiple sign inversions, which might be mistaken for noise in the absence of theoretical guidance. We also conclude that there is a tendency for the V(λ) profile to integrate to zero on …
Longitudinal Scaling Property Of The Charge Balance Function In Au + Au Collisions At √Snn= 200 Gev,
2010
Old Dominion University
Longitudinal Scaling Property Of The Charge Balance Function In Au + Au Collisions At √Snn= 200 Gev, B. I. Abelev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, A. V. Alakhverdyants, I. Alekseev, B. D. Anderson, D. Arkhipkin, G. S. Averichev, J. Balewski, L. S. Barnby, S. Bültmann, I. Koralt, D. Plyku
Physics Faculty Publications
We present measurements of the charge balance function, from the charged particles, for diverse pseudorapidity and transverse momentum ranges in Au + Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC. We observe that the balance function is boost-invariant within the pseudorapidity coverage [ − 1.3 , 1.3 ] . The balance function properly scaled by the width of the observed pseudorapidity window does not depend on the position or size of the pseudorapidity window. This scaling property also holds for particles in different transverse momentum ranges. In addition, we find that the width …
Deriving An X-Ray Luminosity Function Of Dwarf Novae Based On Parallax Measurements,
2010
University of Leicester
Deriving An X-Ray Luminosity Function Of Dwarf Novae Based On Parallax Measurements, K. Byckling, K. Mukai, J. R. Thorstensen, J. P. Osborne
Dartmouth Scholarship
We have derived an X-ray luminosity function using parallax-based distance measurements of a set of 12 dwarf novae, consisting of Suzaku, XMM-Newton and ASCA observations. The shape of the X-ray luminosity function obtained is the most accurate to date, and the luminosities of our sample are concentrated between ~10^{30}-10^{31} erg s^{-1}, lower than previous measurements of X-ray luminosity functions of dwarf novae. Based on the integrated X-ray luminosity function, the sample becomes more incomplete below ~3 x 10^{30} erg s^{-1} than it is above this luminosity limit, and the sample is dominated by X-ray bright dwarf novae. The total integrated …
