Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy Commons^™

A Variability Study Of The Typical Red Supergiant Antares A, Teznie J D Pugh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Red giants and red supergiants have long been known to be variable. In the last 40 years many of the features of this variability have been associated with large convective cells. Unfortunately, due to the long timescales of these variations they are not well studied, with the exception of the bright M-class supergiant Betelgeuse (α Orionis, M2 Iab). Betelgeuse has been well studied both observationally and theoretically, and has many features that are well described by models of convection. It was these studies of Betelgeuse that provided the main motivation for this thesis. We ask if the dramatic motions seen …

Using Photometry To Probe The Circumstellar Environment Of Δ Scorpii, Carol E. Jones, Paul A. Wiegert, Christopher Tycner, Gregory W. Henry, Richard P. Cyr, Robbie J. Halonen, Matthew W. Muterspaugh

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We acquired Johnson BV photometry of the binary Be disk system δ Scorpii during its 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 observing seasons and used it to probe the innermost regions of the disk. We found that several disk building events have occurred during this time, resulting in an overall brightening in the V band and reddening of the system. In addition to these long-term trends, we found cyclical variability in each observing season on timescales between 60 and 100 days. We were able to reproduce the changes in the magnitude and color of δ Sco using our theoretical models and …

Tracers Of Chromospheric Structure. I. Ca Ii H&K Emission Distribution Of 13,000 F, G, And K Stars In Sdss Dr7 Spectroscopic Sample, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, G. Zhao, Q. H. Lu, A. L. Luo, L. Y. Zhang

Publications

We present chromospheric activity index S_HK measurements for over 13,000 F, G, and K disk stars with high signal-to-noise ratio (>60) spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 (DR7) spectroscopic sample. A parameter δS is defined as the difference between S_HK and a “zero” emission line fitted by several of the most inactive stars. The S_HK indices of subgiant stars tend to be much lower than dwarfs, which provide a way to distinguish dwarfs and giants with relatively low-resolution spectra. Cooler stars are generally more active and display a larger scatter than …

Tracers Of Chromospheric Structure. I. Caii H&K Emission Distribution Of 13000 F, G And K Stars In Sdss Dr7 Spectroscopic Sample, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, G. Zhao, Q. H. Lu, L. Y. Zhang

Publications

We present chromospheric activity index SHK measurements for over 13,000 F, G and K disk stars with high signal-to-noise ratio (> 60) spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 (DR7) spectroscopic sample. A parameter S is defined as the difference between SHK and a ‘zero’ emission line fitted by several of the most inactive stars. The SHK indices of subgiant stars tend to be much lower than dwarfs, which provide a way to distinguish dwarfs and giants with relatively low resolution spectra. Cooler stars are generally more active and display a larger scatter than hotter stars. …

Multi-Wavelength Observations Of Supernova 2011ei: Time-Dependent Classification Of Type Iib And Ib Supernovae And Implications For Their Progenitors, Dan Milisavljevic, Raffaella Margutti, Alicia M. Soderberg, Giuliano Pignata, Laura Chomiuk, Robert A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present X-ray, UV/optical, and radio observations of the stripped-envelope, core-collapse supernova (SN) 2011ei, one of the least luminous SNe IIb or Ib observed to date. Our observations begin with a discovery within 1 day of explosion and span several months afterward. Early optical spectra exhibit broad, Type II-like hydrogen Balmer profiles that subside rapidly and are replaced by Type Ib-like He-rich features on the timescale of one week. High-cadence monitoring of this transition suggests that absorption attributable to a high velocity (> 12,000 km/s) H-rich shell is not rare in Type Ib events. Radio observations imply a shock velocity …

Superfluidity In Neutron Stars, Samuel J. Witte

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Nucleon pairing is studied with specific considerations directed toward the possible influence on neutron star cooling. We present an in-depth analysis of BCS theory using realistic nuclear potentials and consider the impact short-range correlations can have on the gap. Gap calculations are incorporated into neutron star cooling simulations and the significance of the 3P2 −3F2 channel in various hadronic cooling models is closely examined. An analysis of the 1S0 gap in neutron matter suggests short-range correlations can drastically alter the magnitude, density range, and temperature dependence of the gap. While the newly constructed 1S0 gap does not significantly alter the …

An X-Rays Survey Of The Young Stellar Population Of The Lynds 1641 And Iota Orionis Regions, I. Pillitteri, S. J. Wolk, S. T. Megeath, L. Allen, J. Bally, Marc Gagné, R. A. Gutermuth, L. Hartman, G. Micela, P. Myers, J. M. Oliveira, S. Sciortino, F. Walter, L. Rebull, J. Stauffer

Earth & Space Sciences Faculty Publications

We present an XMM-Newton survey of the part of Orion A cloud south of the Orion Nebula. This survey includes the Lynds 1641 (L1641) dark cloud, a region of the Orion A cloud with very few massive stars and hence a relatively low ambient UV flux, and the region around the O9 III star Orionis. In addition to proprietary data, we used archival XMM data of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) to extend our analysis to a major fraction of the Orion A cloud. We have detected 1060 X-ray sources in L1641 and Ori region. About 94% of the sources …

The Spectroscopic Orbits Of Five Solar-Type, Single-Lined Binaries, Francis C. Fekel, Samira Rajabi, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, Michael H. Williamson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have determined spectroscopic orbits for five single-lined spectroscopic binaries, HD 100167, HD 135991, HD 140667, HD 158222, HD 217924. Their periods range from 60.6 to 2403 days and the eccentricities from 0.20 to 0.84. Our spectral classes for the stars confirm that they are of solar type, F9–G5, and all are dwarfs. Their [Fe/H] abundances, determined spectroscopically, are close to the solar value and on average are 0.12 greater than abundances from a photometric calibration. Four of the five stars are rotating faster than their predicted pseudosynchronous rotational velocities.

The Spectroscopic Orbit Of The K-Giant Binary Γ Canis Minoris, Francis C. Fekel, Michael H. Williamson, Michael Weber, Klaus G. Strassmeier, Dimitri Pourbaix

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

We have determined an improved orbit for the bright, evolved, double lined binary γ Canis Minoris. The system has an orbital period of 389.31 days and an eccentricity of 0.2586. We have revised the secondary to primary mass ratio to 0.987. The spectral types of the primary and secondary are K4 III and K1: III, respectively, and the components have a V magnitude difference of 2.2. Orbital fits to the Hipparcos astrometry are not definitive, but they suggest an orbital inclination of ∼ 66°, which produces masses of 1.88 and 1.85 M⊙ for the components. A comparison with evolutionary tracks …

Faraday Rotation Distributions From Stellar Magnetism In Wind-Blown Bubbles., Richard Ignace, N. Pingel

ETSU Faculty Works

Faraday rotation is a valuable tool for detecting magnetic fields. Here, the technique is considered in relation to wind-blown bubbles. In the context of spherical winds with azimuthal or split monopole stellar magnetic field geometries, we derive maps of the distribution of position angle (P.A.) rotation of linearly polarized radiation across projected bubbles. We show that the morphology of maps for split monopole fields are distinct from those produced by the toroidal field topology; however, the toroidal case is the one most likely to be detectable because of its slower decline in field strength with distance from the star. We …

Faraday Rotation Distributions From Stellar Magnetism In Wind-Blown Bubbles., R. Ignace, N. M. Pingel

Richard Ignace

Faraday rotation is a valuable tool for detecting magnetic fields. Here, the technique is considered in relation to wind-blown bubbles. In the context of spherical winds with azimuthal or split monopole stellar magnetic field geometries, we derive maps of the distribution of position angle (P.A.) rotation of linearly polarized radiation across projected bubbles. We show that the morphology of maps for split monopole fields are distinct from those produced by the toroidal field topology; however, the toroidal case is the one most likely to be detectable because of its slower decline in field strength with distance from the star. We …

The Interior Structure Constants As An Age Diagnostic For Low-Mass, Pre-Main-Sequence Detached Eclipsing Binary Stars, Gregory A. Feiden, Aaron Dotter

Dartmouth Scholarship

We propose a novel method for determining the ages of low-mass, pre-main-sequence stellar systems using the apsidal motion of low-mass detached eclipsing binaries. The apsidal motion of a binary system with an eccentric orbit provides information regarding the interior structure constants of the individual stars. These constants are related to the normalized stellar interior density distribution and can be extracted from the predictions of stellar evolution models. We demonstrate that low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars undergoing radiative core contraction display rapidly changing interior structure constants (greater than 5% per 10 Myr) that, when combined with observational determinations of the interior structure constants …

A Report On The X-Ray Properties Of The Τ Sco Class Of Stars., Richard Ignace, L. Oskinova, D. Massa

ETSU Faculty Works

An increasing number of OB stars have been shown to possess magnetic fields. Although the sample remains small, it is surprising that the magnetic and X-ray properties of these stars appear to be far less correlated than expected. This contradicts model predictions, which generally indicate that the X-rays from magnetic stars are harder and more luminous than their non-magnetic counterparts. Instead, the X-ray properties of magnetic OB stars are quite diverse. τ Sco is one example where the expectations are better met. This bright main-sequence, early B star has been studied extensively in a variety of wavebands. It has a …

A Report On The X-Ray Properties Of The Τ Sco Class Of Stars., R. Ignace, L. M. Oskinova, D. Massa

Richard Ignace

An increasing number of OB stars have been shown to possess magnetic fields. Although the sample remains small, it is surprising that the magnetic and X-ray properties of these stars appear to be far less correlated than expected. This contradicts model predictions, which generally indicate that the X-rays from magnetic stars are harder and more luminous than their non-magnetic counterparts. Instead, the X-ray properties of magnetic OB stars are quite diverse.

τ Sco is one example where the expectations are better met. This bright main-sequence, early B star has been studied extensively in a variety of wavebands. It has a …

The Stellar Activity-Rotation Relationship, Nick J. Wright, Jeremy J. Drake, Eric E. Mamajek, Gregory W. Henry

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Using a new catalog of 824 solar and late-type stars with measured X-ray luminosities and rotation periods we have studied the relationship between rotation and stellar activity that is believed to be a probe of the underlying stellar dynamo. Using an unbiased subset of the sample we calculate the power law slope of the unsaturated regime of the activity-rotation relationship as LX/Lbol α Roβ, where β = –2.70 ± 0.13. Notably this is inconsistent with the canonical β = –2 slope to a confidence of 5σ are argues for an interface-type dynamo. Super-saturation is observed for the fastest rotators in …

Retrograde Versus Prograde Models Of Accreting Black Holes, David Garofalo

Faculty Articles

There is a general consensus that magnetic fields, accretion disks, and rotating black holes are instrumental in the generation of the most powerful sources of energy in the known universe. Nonetheless, because magnetized accretion onto rotating black holes involves both the complications of nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics that currently cannot fully be treated numerically, and uncertainties about the origin of magnetic fields that at present are part of the input, the space of possible solutions remains less constrained. Consequently, the literature still bears witness to the proliferation of rather different black hole engine models. But the accumulated wealth of observational data is …

The Very Short Period M Dwarf Binary Sdss J001641–000925, James R. A. Davenport, Andrew C. Becker, Andrew A. West, John J. Bochanski, Suzanne L. Hawley, Jon Holtzman, Heather C. Gunning, Eric J. Hilton, Ferah A. Munshi, Meagan Albright

Physics & Astronomy

We present follow-up observations and analysis of the recently discovered short period low-mass eclipsing binary, SDSS J001641–000925. With an orbital period of 0.19856 days, this system has one of the shortest known periods for an M dwarf binary system. Medium-resolution spectroscopy and multi-band photometry for the system are presented. Markov Chain Monte Carlo modeling of the light curves and radial velocities yields estimated masses for the stars of M ₁ = 0.54 ± 0.07 M _☉ and M ₂ = 0.34 ± 0.04 M _☉, and radii of R ₁ = 0.68 ± 0.03 R _☉ and R _{2 …}

Investigating The Spectroscopic, Magnetic And Circumstellar Variability Of The O9 Subgiant Star Hd 57682., J. Grunhut, G. Wade, J. Sundqvist, A. Ud-Doula, C. Neiner, Richard Ignace, W. Marcolino, Th. Rivinius, A. Fullerton, L. Kaper, B. Mauclaire, C. Buil, T. Garrel, J. Ribeiro, S. Ubaud

ETSU Faculty Works

The O9IV star HD 57682, discovered to be magnetic within the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) survey in 2009, is one of only eight convincingly detected magnetic O-type stars. Among this select group, it stands out due to its sharp-lined photospheric spectrum. Since its discovery, the MiMeS Collaboration has continued to obtain spectroscopic and magnetic observations in order to refine our knowledge of its magnetic field strength and geometry, rotational period and spectral properties and variability. In this paper we report new Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars (ESPaDOnS) spectropolarimetric observations of HD 57682, which …

Investigating The Spectroscopic, Magnetic And Circumstellar Variability Of The O9 Subgiant Star Hd 57682., J. H. Grunhut, G. A. Wade, J. O. Sundqvist, A. Ud-Doula, C. Neiner, R. Ignace, W. L. F. Marcolino, Th. Rivinius, A. Fullerton, L. Kaper, B. Mauclaire, C. Buil, T. Garrel, J. Ribeiro, S. Ubaud

Richard Ignace

The O9IV star HD 57682, discovered to be magnetic within the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) survey in 2009, is one of only eight convincingly detected magnetic O-type stars. Among this select group, it stands out due to its sharp-lined photospheric spectrum. Since its discovery, the MiMeS Collaboration has continued to obtain spectroscopic and magnetic observations in order to refine our knowledge of its magnetic field strength and geometry, rotational period and spectral properties and variability. In this paper we report new Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars (ESPaDOnS) spectropolarimetric observations of HD 57682, which …

Discovery Of A Magnetic Field In The Rapidly-Rotating O-Type Secondary Of The Colliding-Wind Binary Hd 47129 (Plaskett’S Star)., J. Grunhut, G. Wade, M. Leutenegger, V. Petit, G. Rauw, C. Neiner, F. Martins, D. Cohen, M. Gagné, Richard Ignace, S. Mathis, S. De Mink, A. Moffat, S. Owocki, M. Shultz, J. Sundqvist, Mimes Collaboration

ETSU Faculty Works

We report the detection of a strong, organized magnetic field in the secondary component of the massive O8III/I+O7.5V/III double-lined spectroscopic binary system HD 47129 (Plaskett's star) in the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars survey. Eight independent Stokes V observations were acquired using the Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observations of Stars (ESPaDOnS) spectropolarimeter at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and the Narval spectropolarimeter at the Télescope Bernard Lyot. Using least-squares deconvolution we obtain definite detections of signal in Stokes V in three observations. No significant signal is detected in the diagnostic null (N) spectra. The Zeeman signatures are broad and …