An analysis on the photometric variability of V 1490 Cyg

Variability in Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) is one of their primary characteristics. Long-term, multi-filter, high-cadence monitoring of large samples aids understanding of such sources. Although data from the HOYS citizen science project allows for such monitoring, usage of different filters introduces colour-terms to the photometric data. This thesis outlines the development of a novel colour-term correction method, improving photometric error to within a couple of percent. The corrected light curve for the YSO, V 1490 Cyg, is then discussed in detail. The source is observed to be a quasi periodic dipper with a period of 31.447 ± 0.011 days. Long and short-term variability is observed for B, V, Rc and Ic data, with larger variability on short timescales for U and Hα. U amplitudes were observed to vary on timescales of hours, indicating the source is still accreting. No significant trends were observed in the structure function, with the amount of mass in the occulting structure seen to vary by up to a factor of 10 for both mass increase and decrease. The lower estimate of the typical accretion rate of V 1490 Cyg was found of the order 10^(−10) Mʘ/year, consistent with low levels of accretion as seen in other T-Tauri stars. Investigating the orbiting structure in V vs. V − Ic parameter space suggests low column density material with roughly ISM dust properties. Embedded in this envelope are denser, small-scale structures, most likely composed of larger dust grains. The scattering properties of this material are consistent and do not change over time. An accurate distance to both IC 5070 and V 1490 Cyg of 870 (+70, −55) pc has been determined using Gaia. Literature near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) data suggest that V 1490 Cyg is most likely a CTTS, with a currently low, but variable accretion rate. It is potentially at the start of the transition into a WTTS or transition disk object. This thesis finds the nature of the variability of the source is most likely attributed to a protoplanet-induced disk warp

PHOTOSYNTHETIC – FERMENTATIVE FUEL CELL USED IN A BIOFUEL PROCESSING FACILITY

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Stoichiometry deviation in amorphous zirconium dioxide

Amorphous zirconia (a-ZrO(2)) has been simulated using a synergistic combination of state-of-the-art methods: employing reverse Monte-Carlo, molecular dynamics and density functional theory together. This combination has enabled the complex chemistry of the amorphous system to be efficiently investigated. Notably, the a-ZrO(2) system was observed to accommodate excess oxygen readily – through the formation of neutral peroxide (O(2)(2−)) defects – a result that has implications not only in the a-ZrO(2) system, but also in other systems employing network formers, intermediates and modifiers. The structure of the a-ZrO(2) system was also determined to have edge-sharing characteristics similar to structures reported in the amorphous TeO(2) system and other chalcogenide-containing glasses

In-beam internal conversion electron spectroscopy with the SPICE detector

The SPectrometer for Internal Conversion Electrons (SPICE) has been commissioned for use in conjunction with the TIGRESS $\gamma$-ray spectrometer at TRIUMF's ISAC-II facility. SPICE features a permanent rare-earth magnetic lens to collect and direct internal conversion electrons emitted from nuclear reactions to a thick, highly segmented, lithium-drifted silicon detector. This arrangement, combined with TIGRESS, enables in-beam $\gamma$-ray and internal conversion electron spectroscopy to be performed with stable and radioactive ion beams. Technical aspects of the device, capabilities, and initial performance are presented