16 research outputs found
Parallax and Luminosity Measurements of an L Subdwarf
We present the first parallax and luminosity measurements for an L subdwarf,
the sdL7 2MASS J05325346+8246465. Observations conducted over three years by
the USNO infrared astrometry program yield an astrometric distance of
26.7+/-1.2 pc and a proper motion of 2.6241+/-0.0018"/yr. Combined with
broadband spectral and photometric measurements, we determine a luminosity of
log(Lbol/Lsun) = -4.24+/-0.06 and Teff = 1730+/-90 K (the latter assuming an
age of 5-10 Gyr), comparable to mid-type L field dwarfs. Comparison of the
luminosity of 2MASS J05325346+8246465 to theoretical evolutionary models
indicates that its mass is just below the sustained hydrogen burning limit, and
is therefore a brown dwarf. Its kinematics indicate a ~110 Myr, retrograde
Galactic orbit which is both eccentric (3 <~ R <~ 8.5 kpc) and extends well
away from the plane (Delta_Z = +/-2 kpc), consistent with membership in the
inner halo population. The relatively bright J-band magnitude of 2MASS
J05325346+8246465 implies significantly reduced opacity in the 1.2 micron
region, consistent with inhibited condensate formation as previously proposed.
Its as yet unknown subsolar metallicity remains the primary limitation in
constraining its mass; determination of both parameters would provide a
powerful test of interior and evolutionary models for low-mass stars and brown
dwarfs.Comment: Accepted to ApJ 10 September 2007; 13 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables,
formatted in emulateapj styl
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, III: Analysis of the First 16 Months of Data
New transiting planet candidates are identified in sixteen months (May 2009 -
September 2010) of data from the Kepler spacecraft. Nearly five thousand
periodic transit-like signals are vetted against astrophysical and instrumental
false positives yielding 1,091 viable new planet candidates, bringing the total
count up to over 2,300. Improved vetting metrics are employed, contributing to
higher catalog reliability. Most notable is the noise-weighted robust averaging
of multi-quarter photo-center offsets derived from difference image analysis
which identifies likely background eclipsing binaries. Twenty-two months of
photometry are used for the purpose of characterizing each of the new
candidates. Ephemerides (transit epoch, T_0, and orbital period, P) are
tabulated as well as the products of light curve modeling: reduced radius
(Rp/R*), reduced semi-major axis (d/R*), and impact parameter (b). The largest
fractional increases are seen for the smallest planet candidates (197% for
candidates smaller than 2Re compared to 52% for candidates larger than 2Re) and
those at longer orbital periods (123% for candidates outside of 50-day orbits
versus 85% for candidates inside of 50-day orbits). The gains are larger than
expected from increasing the observing window from thirteen months (Quarter 1--
Quarter 5) to sixteen months (Quarter 1 -- Quarter 6). This demonstrates the
benefit of continued development of pipeline analysis software. The fraction of
all host stars with multiple candidates has grown from 17% to 20%, and the
paucity of short-period giant planets in multiple systems is still evident. The
progression toward smaller planets at longer orbital periods with each new
catalog release suggests that Earth-size planets in the Habitable Zone are
forthcoming if, indeed, such planets are abundant.Comment: Submitted to ApJS. Machine-readable tables are available at
http://kepler.nasa.gov, http://archive.stsci.edu/kepler/results.html, and the
NASA Exoplanet Archiv
LSST Science Book, Version 2.0
A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint
magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science
opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field
of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over
20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with
fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a
total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic
parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book
discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a
broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and
outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies,
the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local
Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the
properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then
turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to
z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and
baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to
constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at
http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo
Predicting voice behavior in work groups
This field study of 441 full-time employees in 95 work groups examined voice behavior (constructive challenge to the status quo with the intent of improving the situation rather than merely criticizing) as a function of person-centered (satisfaction with the work. group, global self-esteem) and situational factors (group size, self-managed vs. traditional style of management). Using a measure of voice with demonstrated construct validity, the study showed that these person and situation factors explained 10 % of the variance in peer-rated voice assessed 6 months later. Significant Person x Situation interactions suggested that individuals with low global self-esteem or high satisfaction with their group were more responsive to the situational factors than individuals with high global self-esteem or low satisfaction. The authors discuss the importance of including personcentered characteristics, situational factors, and their interactions as predictors of voice. For over 50 years, scholars have recognized the importance of behavior that goes beyond normal role expectations or job requirements and that benefits or is intended to benefit the organization (Barnard, 1938; George & Brief, 1992; Katz & Kahn, 1978). Over the last decade research interest in these discretionary or extra-role behaviors has increased; however, the primary focus has been on affiliative behaviors (e.g., helping) associated with "organizational citizenship " (e.g., Organ, 1988) and "contextual performance " (e.g., Motowidlo & Van Scotter, 1994). Although this research has led to a great deal of insight, other types of extra-role behavior have received far less attention (Graham, 1991; Van Dyne, Cummings, & McLean Parks, 1995). In this study we focused on voice behavior--speaking out and challenging the status quo with the intent of improving the situation. Although scholars have acknowledged the contributions that voice and change-oriented behavior can make to organizationa