2,731 research outputs found
A refined analysis of the low-mass eclipsing binary system T-Cyg1-12664
The observational mass-radius relation of main sequence stars with masses
between ~0.3 and 1.0 Msun reveals deviations between the stellar radii
predicted by models and the observed radii of stars in detached binaries. We
generate an accurate physical model of the low-mass eclipsing binary
T-Cyg1-12664 in the Kepler mission field to measure the physical parameters of
its components and to compare them with the prediction of theoretical stellar
evolution models. We analyze the Kepler mission light curve of T-Cyg1-12664 to
accurately measure the times and phases of the primary and secondary eclipse.
In addition, we measure the rotational period of the primary component by
analyzing the out-of-eclipse oscillations that are due to spots. We accurately
constrain the effective temperature of the system using ground-based absolute
photometry in B, V, Rc, and Ic. We also obtain and analyze V, Rc, Ic
differential light curves to measure the eccentricity and the orbital
inclination of the system, and a precise Teff ratio. From the joint analysis of
new radial velocities and those in the literature we measure the individual
masses of the stars. Finally, we use the PHOEBE code to generate a physical
model of the system. T-Cyg1-12664 is a low eccentricity system, located
d=360+/-22 pc away from us, with an orbital period of P=4.1287955(4) days, and
an orbital inclination i=86.969+/-0.056 degrees. It is composed of two very
different stars with an active G6 primary with Teff1=5560+/-160 K,
M1=0.680+/-0.045 Msun, R1=0.799+/-0.017 Rsun, and a M3V secondary star with
Teff2=3460+/-210 K, M2=0.376+/-0.017 Msun, and R2=0.3475+/-0.0081 Rsun. The
primary star is an oversized and spotted active star, hotter than the stars in
its mass range. The secondary is a cool star near the mass boundary for fully
convective stars (M~0.35 Msun), whose parameters appear to be in agreement with
low-mass stellar model.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, 15 table
Modeling Multi-Wavelength Stellar Astrometry. III. Determination of the Absolute Masses of Exoplanets and Their Host Stars
Astrometric measurements of stellar systems are becoming significantly more
precise and common, with many ground and space-based instruments and missions
approaching 1 microarcsecond precision. We examine the multi-wavelength
astrometric orbits of exoplanetary systems via both analytical formulae and
numerical modeling. Exoplanets have a combination of reflected and thermally
emitted light that cause the photocenter of the system to shift increasingly
farther away from the host star with increasing wavelength. We find that, if
observed at long enough wavelengths, the planet can dominate the astrometric
motion of the system, and thus it is possible to directly measure the orbits of
both the planet and star, and thus directly determine the physical masses of
the star and planet, using multi-wavelength astrometry. In general, this
technique works best for, though is certainly not limited to, systems that have
large, high-mass stars and large, low-mass planets, which is a unique parameter
space not covered by other exoplanet characterization techniques. Exoplanets
that happen to transit their host star present unique cases where the physical
radii of the planet and star can be directly determined via astrometry alone.
Planetary albedos and day-night contrast ratios may also be probed via this
technique due to the unique signature they impart on the observed astrometric
orbits. We develop a tool to examine the prospects for near-term detection of
this effect, and give examples of some exoplanets that appear to be good
targets for detection in the K to N infrared observing bands, if the required
precision can be achieved.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal. 9 pages, 6 figures, 1 table in
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Composite Reflective/Absorptive IR-Blocking Filters Embedded in Metamaterial Antireflection Coated Silicon
Infrared (IR) blocking filters are crucial for controlling the radiative
loading on cryogenic systems and for optimizing the sensitivity of bolometric
detectors in the far-IR. We present a new IR filter approach based on a
combination of patterned frequency selective structures on silicon and a thin
(50 thick) absorptive composite based on powdered reststrahlen
absorbing materials. For a 300 K blackbody, this combination reflects
50\% of the incoming light and blocks \textgreater 99.8\% of the total
power with negligible thermal gradients and excellent low frequency
transmission. This allows for a reduction in the IR thermal loading to
negligible levels in a single cold filter. These composite filters are
fabricated on silicon substrates which provide excellent thermal transport
laterally through the filter and ensure that the entire area of the absorptive
filter stays near the bath temperature. A metamaterial antireflection coating
cut into these substrates reduces in-band reflections to below 1\%, and the
in-band absorption of the powder mix is below 1\% for signal bands below 750
GHz. This type of filter can be directly incorporated into silicon refractive
optical elements
Classifying the unknown: discovering novel gravitational-wave detector glitches using similarity learning
The observation of gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences by
LIGO and Virgo has begun a new era in astronomy. A critical challenge in making
detections is determining whether loud transient features in the data are
caused by gravitational waves or by instrumental or environmental sources. The
citizen-science project \emph{Gravity Spy} has been demonstrated as an
efficient infrastructure for classifying known types of noise transients
(glitches) through a combination of data analysis performed by both citizen
volunteers and machine learning. We present the next iteration of this project,
using similarity indices to empower citizen scientists to create large data
sets of unknown transients, which can then be used to facilitate supervised
machine-learning characterization. This new evolution aims to alleviate a
persistent challenge that plagues both citizen-science and instrumental
detector work: the ability to build large samples of relatively rare events.
Using two families of transient noise that appeared unexpectedly during LIGO's
second observing run (O2), we demonstrate the impact that the similarity
indices could have had on finding these new glitch types in the Gravity Spy
program
An Inner Centromere Protein that Stimulates the Microtubule Depolymerizing Activity of a KinI Kinesin
AbstractMitosis requires precise control of microtubule dynamics. The KinI kinesin MCAK, a microtubule depolymerase, is critical for this regulation. In a screen to discover previously uncharacterized microtubule-associated proteins, we identified ICIS, a protein that stimulates MCAK activity in vitro. Consistent with this biochemical property, blocking ICIS function in Xenopus extracts with antibodies caused excessive microtubule growth and inhibited spindle formation. Prior to anaphase, ICIS localized in an MCAK-dependent manner to inner centromeres, the chromosomal region located in between sister kinetochores. From Xenopus extracts, ICIS coimmunoprecipitated MCAK and the inner centromere proteins INCENP and Aurora B, which are thought to promote chromosome biorientation. By immunoelectron microscopy, we found that ICIS is present on the surface of inner centromeres, placing it in an ideal location to depolymerize microtubules associated laterally with inner centromeres. At inner centromeres, MCAK-ICIS may destabilize these microtubules and provide a mechanism that prevents kinetochore-microtubule attachment errors
Kepler Cycle 1 Observations of Low Mass Stars: New Eclipsing Binaries, Single Star Rotation Rates, and the Nature and Frequency of Starspots
We have analyzed Kepler light curves for 849 stars with T_eff < 5200 K from
our Cycle 1 Guest Observer program. We identify six new eclipsing binaries, one
of which has an orbital period of 29.91 d, and two of which are probably W UMa
variables. In addition, we identify a candidate "warm Jupiter" exoplanet. We
further examine a subset of 670 sources for variability. Of these objects, 265
stars clearly show periodic variability that we assign to rotation of the
low-mass star. At the photometric precision level provided by Kepler, 251 of
our objects showed no evidence for variability. We were unable to determine
periods for 154 variable objects. We find that 79% of stars with T_eff < 5200 K
are variable. The rotation periods we derive for the periodic variables span
the range 0.31 < P_rot < 126.5 d. A considerable number of stars with rotation
periods similar to the solar value show activity levels that are 100 times
higher than the Sun. This is consistent with results for solar-like field
stars. As has been found in previous studies, stars with shorter rotation
periods generally exhibit larger modulations. This trend flattens beyond P_rot
= 25 d, demonstrating that even long period binaries may still have components
with high levels of activity and investigating whether the masses and radii of
the stellar components in these systems are consistent with stellar models
could remain problematic. Surprisingly, our modeling of the light curves
suggests that the active regions on these cool stars are either preferentially
located near the rotational poles, or that there are two spot groups located at
lower latitudes, but in opposing hemispheres.Comment: 48 pages, 11 figure
Contributors to the Fall Issue/Notes
Notes by Wilmer L. McLaughlin, John F. Mendoza, Patrick F. Coughlin, William J. O\u27Connor, Arthur L. Beaudette, Henry M. Shine, Jr., William M. Dickson, and William B. Wombacher
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