The First Post-Kepler Brightness Dips of KIC 8462852

We present a photometric detection of the first brightness dips of the unique variable star KIC 8462852 since the end of the Kepler space mission in 2013 May. Our regular photometric surveillance started in October 2015, and a sequence of dipping began in 2017 May continuing on through the end of 2017, when the star was no longer visible from Earth. We distinguish four main 1-2.5% dips, named "Elsie," "Celeste," "Skara Brae," and "Angkor", which persist on timescales from several days to weeks. Our main results so far are: (i) there are no apparent changes of the stellar spectrum or polarization during the dips; (ii) the multiband photometry of the dips shows differential reddening favoring non-grey extinction. Therefore, our data are inconsistent with dip models that invoke optically thick material, but rather they are in-line with predictions for an occulter consisting primarily of ordinary dust, where much of the material must be optically thin with a size scale <<1um, and may also be consistent with models invoking variations intrinsic to the stellar photosphere. Notably, our data do not place constraints on the color of the longer-term "secular" dimming, which may be caused by independent processes, or probe different regimes of a single process

Aerosol dynamics in ship tracks

Ship tracks are a natural laboratory to isolate the effect of anthropogenic aerosol emissions on cloud properties. The Monterey Area Ship Tracks (MAST) experiment in the Pacific Ocean west of Monterey, California, in June 1994, provides an unprecedented data set for evaluating our understanding of the formation and persistence of the anomalous cloud features that characterize ship tracks. The data set includes conditions in which the marine boundary layer is both clean and continentally influenced. Two case studies during the MAST experiment are examined with a detailed aerosol microphysical model that considers an external mixture of independent particle populations. The model allows tracking individual particles through condensational and coagulational growth to identify the source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). In addition, a cloud microphysics model was employed to study specific effects of precipitation. Predictions and observations reveal important differences between clean (particle concentrations below 150 cm -3) and continentally influenced (particle concentrations above 400 cm-3 ) background conditions: in the continentally influenced conditions there is a smaller change in the cloud effective radius, drop number and liquid water content in the ship track relative to the background than in the clean marine case. Predictions of changes in cloud droplet number concentrations and effective radii are consistent with observations although there is significant uncertainty in the absolute concentrations due to a lack of measurements of the plume dilution. Gas-to-particle conversion of sulfur species produced by the combustion of ship fuel is predicted to be important in supplying soluble aerosol mass to combustion-generated particles, so as to render them available as CCN. Studies of the impact of these changes on the cloud's potential to precipitate concluded that more complex dynamical processes must be represented to allow sufficiently long drop activations for drizzle droplets to form.This analysis was supported by NSF grant ATM-9732949 and ONR grant N00014-97-1- 0673. The aerosol measurements on which this work was based were supported by ONR grant N00014-93-1-0872

Comparison of risk of radiogenic second cancer following photon and proton craniospinal irradiation for a pediatric medulloblastoma patient

Pediatric patients who received radiation therapy are at risk of developing side effects like radiogenic second cancer. We compared proton and photon therapies in terms of the predicted risk of second cancers for a 4-year-old medulloblastoma patient receiving craniospinal irradiation (CSI). Two CSI treatment plans with 23.4 Gy or Gy (RBE) prescribed dose were computed: a three-field 6-MV photon therapy plan and a four-field proton therapy plan. The primary doses for both plans were determined using a commercial treatment planning system. Stray radiation doses for proton therapy were determined from Monte Carlo simulations, and stray radiation doses for photon therapy were determined from measured data. Dose-risk models based on the Biological Effects of Ionization Radiation VII report were used to estimate risk of second cancer in eight tissues/organs. Baseline predictions of the relative risk for each organ were always less for proton CSI than for photon CSI at all attained ages. The total lifetime attributable risks of the incidence of second cancer considered after proton CSI and photon CSI were 7.7% and 92%, respectively, and the ratio of lifetime risk was 0.083. Uncertainty analysis revealed that the qualitative findings of this study were insensitive to any plausible changes of dose-risk models and mean radiation weighting factor for neutrons. Proton therapy confers lower predicted risk of second cancer than photon therapy for the pediatric medulloblastoma patient