Northern Dene astronomical and sky-related knowledge: a comparative anthropological study

Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021The sky and its contents are routinely overlooked in Northern Dene ethnology as a meaningful part of linguistic and cultural knowledge. However, more than 11 years of primary fieldwork learning with and from elders, speakers, and culture bearers from 12 Northern Dene groups across 32 communities in Alaska and Canada has shown that astronomical knowledge is deeply rooted in both practical and sacred ways of knowing. With a focus on detail and breadth, this comparative ethnological study utilized an experience-based approach to investigate the ways in which Northern Dene Peoples perceive, conceptualize, and integrate the sky and its contents into systems of knowledge, practices, worldview, cosmology, and spirituality. At the center of these knowledge systems is a principal constellation often identified as the incarnated spirit of a Traveler-Transformer figure who circled the world in Distant Time. Although this Traveler is widely known in Dene mythology as the one who instilled balance and order in the world, his enigmatic transformation to the sky was traditionally known by spiritually gifted people. The "Traveler" constellation is not only a world custodian and archetype of an idealized medicine person, but it is also a teacher, ally, game keeper, and the embodiment of the world. Taken together, the Traveler on earth and in the sky provides a powerful conceptual model for behaviors and actions as a central organizing principle and locus of indigenous Northern Dene worldview, cosmology, and spirituality. Two other subsequent chapters focus on general concepts of stars, minor constellations, and the use of stars in time-reckoning, weather forecasting, and wayfinding. These are followed by a chapter pertaining to the sun and moon as animate and personified beings that also embody fundamental models for proper behaviors and actions. The final chapter, prior to the conclusion, centers on socio-cosmic relationships between the Dene and a host of highly sentient atmospheric phenomena that bridge the divide between the upper cosmos and the lived world of humans. Collectively, this work underscores that the earth and sky are not exclusive of one another but are part and parcel to a unified Northern Dene cosmology and worldview that are deeply grounded in relational significances. This is among relatively few book-length studies in anthropology on the indigenous astronomical knowledge, perceptions, and practices of any extant culture in the world.National Science Foundation Grant No. OPP-1317245 and Grant No. OPP-1753650Chapter 1: Introduction -- The Northern Dene -- A review of the literature -- Methods and approach -- A note on Northern Dene orthographies -- Dissertation organization. Chapter 2: Northern Dene traveler constellations -- The Gwitchin constellation, Yahdii -- The Ahtna constellation, Nek'eltaeni -- The Sahtúot'ı̨nę constellation, Yı́hda or Yámǫréya -- Other examples from this study -- The Lower Tanana constellation, Nogheyoli -- The Tanacross constellation, Neek'e'elteen -- The Upper Tanana constellation, Yihdaa, Neek'e'eltiin, or Che' t'iin -- The Yellowknives Dene constellation, Yèhdaa, Yı̀hda, or Yehdaa -- The Koyukon constellation, Ghededzuyhdle or Naagheltaale -- The Upper Kuskokwim constellation, Noghiltale -- The Dëne Sųłıné constellation, Yéhda or Yeda -- The Dena'ina constellation, Yuq'eltani or Naq'eltaeni -- Supporting evidence from the literature -- Chapter Two: Conclusion. Chapter 3: Interpretation of Northern Dene traveler constellations -- Distribution of the Northern Dene mythic traveler cycle -- An archetype of the Northern Dene medicine person and vision quest -- A note on religious change and stellar knowledge -- Chapter Three: Conclusion. Chapter 4: General concepts of stars and other constellations -- General concepts of stars and the "Star Husband" story -- A constellation of hunters or dogs pursuing an animal -- Chapter Four: Conclusion. Chapter 5: Stellar time-reckoning, wayfinding, and weather forecasting -- Northern Dene divisions of time -- Northern Dene stellar time-reckoning -- Introduction to Northern Dene stellar wayfinding -- Yellowknives Dene stellar wayfinding -- Gwich'in stellar wayfinding -- Discussion on Northern Dene stellar wayfinding -- Stars and planets in weather forecasting -- Chapter Five: Conclusion. Chapter 6: The sun, moon, and eclipses -- The Sun -- The Moon -- Eclipses -- Chapter Six: Conclusion. Chapter 7: Atmospheric phenomena -- Northern lights -- Meteors -- Atmospheric halos, sundogs, and sun pillars -- Rainbows -- Thunderbird -- Deterring unfavorable weather -- Colors of the sky -- Chapter Seven: Conclusion. Chapter 8: Conclusion -- References -- Appendices

Salem numbers and Pisot numbers via interlacing

We present a general construction of Salem numbers via rational functions whose zeros and poles mostly lie on the unit circle and satisfy an interlacing condition. This extends and unifies earlier work. We then consider the "obvious" limit points of the set of Salem numbers produced by our theorems, and show that these are all Pisot numbers, in support of a conjecture of Boyd. We then show that all Pisot numbers arise in this way. Combining this with a theorem of Boyd, we show that all Salem numbers are produced via an interlacing construction.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, updated in response to reviewer comment

Detecting transient gravitational waves in non-Gaussian noise with partially redundant analysis methods

There is a broad class of astrophysical sources that produce detectable, transient, gravitational waves. Some searches for transient gravitational waves are tailored to known features of these sources. Other searches make few assumptions about the sources. Typically events are observable with multiple search techniques. This work describes how to combine the results of searches that are not independent, treating each search as a classifier for a given event. This will be shown to improve the overall sensitivity to gravitational-wave events while directly addressing the problem of consistent interpretation of multiple trials.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area Case Study

34, A-5, B-2 p. : ill., maphttps://scholar.law.colorado.edu/books_reports_studies/1023/thumbnail.jp

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area Case Study

34, A-5, B-2 p. : ill., maphttps://scholar.law.colorado.edu/books_reports_studies/1023/thumbnail.jp

Likelihood-ratio ranking of gravitational-wave candidates in a non-Gaussian background

We describe a general approach to detection of transient gravitational-wave signals in the presence of non-Gaussian background noise. We prove that under quite general conditions, the ratio of the likelihood of observed data to contain a signal to the likelihood of it being a noise fluctuation provides optimal ranking for the candidate events found in an experiment. The likelihood-ratio ranking allows us to combine different kinds of data into a single analysis. We apply the general framework to the problem of unifying the results of independent experiments and the problem of accounting for non-Gaussian artifacts in the searches for gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence in LIGO data. We show analytically and confirm through simulations that in both cases the likelihood ratio statistic results in an improved analysis.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

The First Two Years of Electromagnetic Follow-Up with Advanced LIGO and Virgo

We anticipate the first direct detections of gravitational waves (GWs) with Advanced LIGO and Virgo later this decade. Though this groundbreaking technical achievement will be its own reward, a still greater prize could be observations of compact binary mergers in both gravitational and electromagnetic channels simultaneously. During Advanced LIGO and Virgo's first two years of operation, 2015 through 2016, we expect the global GW detector array to improve in sensitivity and livetime and expand from two to three detectors. We model the detection rate and the sky localization accuracy for binary neutron star (BNS) mergers across this transition. We have analyzed a large, astrophysically motivated source population using real-time detection and sky localization codes and higher-latency parameter estimation codes that have been expressly built for operation in the Advanced LIGO/Virgo era. We show that for most BNS events the rapid sky localization, available about a minute after a detection, is as accurate as the full parameter estimation. We demonstrate that Advanced Virgo will play an important role in sky localization, even though it is anticipated to come online with only one-third as much sensitivity as the Advanced LIGO detectors. We find that the median 90% confidence region shrinks from ~500 square degrees in 2015 to ~200 square degrees in 2016. A few distinct scenarios for the first LIGO/Virgo detections emerge from our simulations.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables. For accompanying data, see http://www.ligo.org/scientists/first2year