A Nearly Polar Orbit for the Extrasolar Hot Jupiter WASP-79b

We report the measurement of a spin-orbit misalignment for WASP-79b, a recently discovered, bloated transiting hot Jupiter from the WASP survey. Data were obtained using the CYCLOPS2 optical-fiber bundle and its simultaneous calibration system feeding the UCLES spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We have used the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect to determine the sky-projected spin-orbit angle to be lambda = -106+19-13 degrees. This result indicates a significant misalignment between the spin axis of the host star and the orbital plane of the planet -- the planet being in a nearly polar orbit. WASP-79 is consistent with other stars that have Teff > 6250K and host hot Jupiters in spin-orbit misalignment.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, in press ApJL (accepted 2 August 2013

Extending Romanovski polynomials in quantum mechanics

Some extensions of the (third-class) Romanovski polynomials (also called Romanovski/pseudo-Jacobi polynomials), which appear in bound-state wavefunctions of rationally-extended Scarf II and Rosen-Morse I potentials, are considered. For the former potentials, the generalized polynomials satisfy a finite orthogonality relation, while for the latter an infinite set of relations among polynomials with degree-dependent parameters is obtained. Both types of relations are counterparts of those known for conventional polynomials. In the absence of any direct information on the zeros of the Romanovski polynomials present in denominators, the regularity of the constructed potentials is checked by taking advantage of the disconjugacy properties of second-order differential equations of Schr\"odinger type. It is also shown that on going from Scarf I to Scarf II or from Rosen-Morse II to Rosen-Morse I potentials, the variety of rational extensions is narrowed down from types I, II, and III to type III only.Comment: 25 pages, no figure, small changes, 3 additional references, published versio

Rational approximation and arithmetic progressions

A reasonably complete theory of the approximation of an irrational by rational fractions whose numerators and denominators lie in prescribed arithmetic progressions is developed in this paper. Results are both, on the one hand, from a metrical and a non-metrical point of view and, on the other hand, from an asymptotic and also a uniform point of view. The principal novelty is a Khintchine type theorem for uniform approximation in this context. Some applications of this theory are also discussed

Image Subtraction Reduction of Open Clusters M35 & NGC 2158 In The K2 Campaign-0 Super-Stamp

Observations were made of the open clusters M35 and NGC 2158 during the initial K2 campaign (C0). Reducing these data to high-precision photometric time-series is challenging due to the wide point spread function (PSF) and the blending of stellar light in such dense regions. We developed an image-subtraction-based K2 reduction pipeline that is applicable to both crowded and sparse stellar fields. We applied our pipeline to the data-rich C0 K2 super-stamp, containing the two open clusters, as well as to the neighboring postage stamps. In this paper, we present our image subtraction reduction pipeline and demonstrate that this technique achieves ultra-high photometric precision for sources in the C0 super-stamp. We extract the raw light curves of 3960 stars taken from the UCAC4 and EPIC catalogs and de-trend them for systematic effects. We compare our photometric results with the prior reductions published in the literature. For detrended, TFA-corrected sources in the 12--12.25 $\rm K_{p}$ magnitude range, we achieve a best 6.5 hour window running rms of 35 ppm falling to 100 ppm for fainter stars in the 14--14.25 $\rm K_{p}$ magnitude range. For stars with $\rm K_{p}> 14$, our detrended and 6.5 hour binned light curves achieve the highest photometric precision. Moreover, all our TFA-corrected sources have higher precision on all time scales investigated. This work represents the first published image subtraction analysis of a K2 super-stamp. This method will be particularly useful for analyzing the Galactic bulge observations carried out during K2 campaign 9. The raw light curves and the final results of our detrending processes are publicly available at \url{http://k2.hatsurveys.org/archive/}.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP. 14 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Light curves available from http://k2.hatsurveys.org/archive

Enceladus: Cassini observations and implications for the search for life

Aims. The recent Cassini discovery of water vapor plumes ejected from the south pole of the Saturnian satellite, Enceladus, presents a unique window of opportunity for the detection of extant life in our solar system. Methods. With its significant geothermal energy source propelling these plumes >80 km from the surface of the moon and the ensuing large temperature gradient with the surrounding environment, it is possible to have the weathering of rocks by liquid water at the rock/liquid interface. For the cases of the putatively detected salt-water oceans beneath the ice crusts of Europa and Callisto, an isolated subsurface ocean without photosynthesis or contact with an oxidizing atmosphere will approach chemical equilibrium and annihilate any ecosystems dependent on redox gradients unless there is a substantial alternative energy source. This thermodynamic tendency imposes severe constraints on any biota that is based on chemical energy. On Enceladus, the weathering of rocks by liquid water and any concomitant radioactive emissions are possible incipient conditions for life. If there is CO, CO2 and NH3 present in the spectra obtained from the plume, then this is possible evidence that amino acids could be formed at the rock/liquid interface of Enceladus. The combination of a hydrological cycle, chemical redox gradient and geochemical cycle give favorable conditions for life. Results. We discuss the search for signatures of these species and organics in the Cassini UVIS spectra of the plume and implications for the possible detection of life

Quantitative characterization of the x-ray imaging capability of rotating modulation collimators with laser light

We developed a method for making quantitative characterizations of bi-grid rotating modulation collimators (RMC ’s) that are used in a Fourier transform x-ray imager. With appropriate choices of the collimator spacings, this technique can be implemented with a beam-expanded He -Ne laser to simulate the plane wave produced by a point source at infinity even though the RMC ’s are diffraction limited at the He -Ne wavelength of 632.8 nm. The expanded beam passes through the grid pairs at a small angle with respect to their axis of rotation, and the modulated transmission through the grids as the RMC ’s rotate is detected with a photomultiplier tube. In addition to providing a quantitative characterization of the RMC ’s, the method also produces a measured point response function and provides an end-to-end check of the imaging system. We applied our method to the RMC ’s on the high-energy imaging device (HEIDI) balloon payload in its preflight configuration. We computed the harmonic ratios of the modulation time profile from the laser measurements and compared them with theoretical calculations, including the diffraction effects on irregular grids. Our results indicate the 25-in. (64-cm) x-ray imaging optics on HEIDI are capable of achieving images near the theoretical limit and are not seriously compromised by imperfections in the grids

Gamma radiation from the Crab nebula above 35 MeV

Electromagnetic radiation from the Crab nebula were observed, showing that the Crab is unique among strong X-ray sources in that major component in the low energy range (1 to 10 KeV) shows little or no temporal variation. Observations of the Crab above 35 MeV were made with the high energy gamma ray telescope flown on SAS-2. The detector and technique are described in detail

Conceptual mechanization studies for a horizon definition spacecraft attitude control subsystem, phase A, part II, 10 October 1966 - 29 May 1967

Attitude control subsystem for spin stabilized spacecraft for mapping earths infrared horizon radiance profiles in 15 micron carbon dioxide absorption ban

Effect of Virginiamycin on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Barrows and Gilts

Antibiotics have been used as additives to swine diets for approximately 30 years. Various antibiotics have been shown to improve growth performance and efficiency of feed utilization. In addition, antibiotics have reduced low order infection. Since different organisms are sensitive to different antibiotics, the antibiotic of choice may vary depending on the organisms present. The effect of antibiotics on carcass characteristics has been less conclusive. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the antibiotic, virginiamycin, on performance and carcass characteristics of barrows and gilts fed separately

Sunflower Seeds in Growing-Finishing Swine Diets

South Dakota has become a leader in the production of sunflowers during the past few years. Sunflowers are an excellent oil. crop as they may contain 40% oil that is highly unsaturated in nature. In swine diets, the addition of sunflower seeds would replace mainly the grain or carbohydrate source in the diet, This would increase the energy content of the diet and shift the energy source from carbohydrate to a mixture of carbohydrates and fat. A previous experiment reported in the 1982 South Dakota Swine Day proceedings indicated that 20% dietary sunflower seeds reduced rate of gain and produced softer carcasses but 4id not affect the eating quality of the pork. The study reported herein was designed to further evaluate different levels of sunflower seeds in swine diets on swine performence and carcass characteristics