Advances in River Bedload Tracking Technology: Self-righting Radio Frequency Identification Tracers and an In-stream Automated Station

Understanding of bedload transport rates in natural streams has been an area of focus for researchers for decades. Recently, researchers have begun to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to track individual particles. The application of RFID technology allows for the classification of movement of individual clasts while increasing recovery rate of tracers particles. Small glass cylinders hold a copper coil around a ferrite rod which allows the tag to communicate a unique identification code to an antenna. The unique identification code allows researchers to analyze individual particle movement in a manner which was not possible prior to RFID technology. Despite the popularity, there are still improvements to be made to the technology and methodology of tracking RFID-tagged tracers. Existing tracking methods include manually walking the streambed between flood events with an antenna, while flagging and marking tracers which have been detected. This method only provides inter-flood data while also being extremely time consuming. Additionally, the detection range of RFID tags can be highly variable depending on the orientation of the tag. Vertical tags produce a circular detection range while horizontal tags have a much smaller detection range, shaped like a peanut with two lobes. Inconsistency in detection range limits the ability to accurately locate a tracer’s position while decreasing recovery rates. The goal of this research is to advance RFID technology in two manners: develop a customized system of tracking RFID tracers during a flood event and develop a method for ensuring consistent detection range in RFID tags. The first goal is accomplished by designing a stationary antenna array system to be installed into the bed of the stream to detect tracers as they move over-top during a flood event. The system automatically records the tracer movement allowing for in-depth analysis of the timing of particle movement during a flood event. The second goal is accomplished through the design of the “Wobblestone”, a unique and innovative product to ensure a consistent detection range while increasing the viability of smaller RFID tags for field studies. A case study was performed at Schneider Creek in Kitchener, Ontario. Schneider Creek was previously a concrete channel which was recently restored to a natural channel. This case study includes seeding and inter-flood tracking of RFID-tagged particles and field testing of the customized stationary antenna array

Magnetic inflation and stellar mass. V. Intensification and saturation of M-dwarf absorption lines with Rossby number

In young Sun-like stars and field M-dwarf stars, chromospheric and coronal magnetic activity indicators such as Hα, X-ray, and radio emission are known to saturate with low Rossby number (Ro lesssim 0.1), defined as the ratio of rotation period to convective turnover time. The mechanism for the saturation is unclear. In this paper, we use photospheric Ti i and Ca i absorption lines in the Y band to investigate magnetic field strength in M dwarfs for Rossby numbers between 0.01 and 1.0. The equivalent widths of the lines are magnetically enhanced by photospheric spots, a global field, or a combination of the two. The equivalent widths behave qualitatively similar to the chromospheric and coronal indicators: we see increasing equivalent widths (increasing absorption) with decreasing Ro and saturation of the equivalent widths for Ro lesssim 0.1. The majority of M dwarfs in this study are fully convective. The results add to mounting evidence that the magnetic saturation mechanism occurs at or beneath the stellar photosphere.Published versio

Searching for Exosatellites Orbiting L and T Dwarfs: Connecting Planet Formation to Moon Formation and Finding New Temperate Worlds

L-type and T-type dwarfs span the boundaries between main-sequence stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary-mass objects. For these reasons, L and T dwarfs are the perfect laboratories for exploring the relationship between planet formation and moon formation, and evidence suggests they may be swarming with close-in rocky satellites, though none have been found to date. The discovery of satellites orbiting L or T dwarfs will have transformative implications for the nature of planets, moons and even life in the Universe. These transiting satellites will be prime targets for characterization with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. In this white paper, we discuss the scientific motivations behind searching for transiting satellites orbiting L and T dwarfs and argue that robotizing current 1-to-2-meter US optical/infrared (O/IR) facilities and equipping them with recently developed low-cost infrared imagers will enable these discoveries in the next decade. Furthermore, robotizing the 1-to-2-meter O/IR fleet is highly synergistic with rapid follow-up of transient and multi-messenger events.Comment: Science white paper submitted to the Astro 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysic

Failure of interpolation in the intuitionistic logic of constant domains

This paper shows that the interpolation theorem fails in the intuitionistic logic of constant domains. This result refutes two previously published claims that the interpolation property holds.Comment: 13 pages, 0 figures. Overlaps with arXiv 1202.1195 removed, the text thouroughly reworked in terms of notation and style, historical notes as well as some other minor details adde

Effective Temperatures of Low-Mass Stars from High-Resolution H-band Spectroscopy

High-resolution, near-infrared spectra will be the primary tool for finding and characterizing Earth-like planets around low-mass stars. Yet, the properties of exoplanets can not be precisely determined without accurate and precise measurements of the host star. Spectra obtained with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) simultaneously provide diagnostics for most stellar parameters, but the first step in any analysis is the determination of the effective temperature. Here we report the calibration of high-resolution H-band spectra to accurately determine effective temperature for stars between 4000-3000 K ($\sim$K8--M5) using absorption line depths of Fe I, OH, and Al I. The field star sample used here contains 254 K and M stars with temperatures derived using BT-Settl synthetic spectra. We use 106 stars with precise temperatures in the literature to calibrate our method with typical errors of about 140 K, and systematic uncertainties less than $\sim$120 K. For the broadest applicability, we present T$_{\rm eff}$--line-depth-ratio relationships, which we test on 12 members of the TW Hydrae Association and at spectral resolving powers between $\sim$10,000--120,000. These ratios offer a simple but accurate measure of effective temperature in cool stars that is distance and reddening independent.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and 3 tables. Accepted in Ap

Gap Probabilities for Edge Intervals in Finite Gaussian and Jacobi Unitary Matrix Ensembles

The probabilities for gaps in the eigenvalue spectrum of the finite dimension $N \times N$ random matrix Hermite and Jacobi unitary ensembles on some single and disconnected double intervals are found. These are cases where a reflection symmetry exists and the probability factors into two other related probabilities, defined on single intervals. Our investigation uses the system of partial differential equations arising from the Fredholm determinant expression for the gap probability and the differential-recurrence equations satisfied by Hermite and Jacobi orthogonal polynomials. In our study we find second and third order nonlinear ordinary differential equations defining the probabilities in the general $N$ case. For N=1 and N=2 the probabilities and thus the solution of the equations are given explicitly. An asymptotic expansion for large gap size is obtained from the equation in the Hermite case, and also studied is the scaling at the edge of the Hermite spectrum as $N \to \infty$, and the Jacobi to Hermite limit; these last two studies make correspondence to other cases reported here or known previously. Moreover, the differential equation arising in the Hermite ensemble is solved in terms of an explicit rational function of a {Painlev\'e-V} transcendent and its derivative, and an analogous solution is provided in the two Jacobi cases but this time involving a {Painlev\'e-VI} transcendent.Comment: 32 pages, Latex2

The Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES) II. Transit Candidates and Implications for Planet Occurrence around L and T Dwarfs

We describe a new transit detection algorithm designed to detect single transit events in discontinuous Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES) observations of L and T dwarfs. We use this algorithm to search for transits in 131 PINES light curves and identify two transit candidates: 2MASS J18212815+1414010 (2MASS J1821+1414) and 2MASS J08350622+1953050 (2MASS J0835+1953). We disfavor 2MASS J1821+1414 as a genuine transit candidate due to the known variability properties of the source. We cannot rule out the planetary nature of 2MASS J0835+1953's candidate event and perform follow-up observations in an attempt to recover a second transit. A repeat event has yet to be observed, but these observations suggest that target variability is an unlikely cause of the candidate transit. We perform a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation of the light curve and estimate a planet radius ranging from $4.2^{+3.5}_{-1.6}R_\oplus$ to $5.8^{+4.8}_{-2.1}R_\oplus$, depending on the host's age. Finally, we perform an injection and recovery simulation on our light curve sample. We inject planets into our data using measured M dwarf planet occurrence rates and attempt to recover them using our transit search algorithm. Our detection rates suggest that, assuming M dwarf planet occurrence rates, we should have roughly a 1$\%$ chance of detecting a candidate that could cause the transit depth we observe for 2MASS J0835+1953. If 2MASS J0835+1953 b is confirmed, it would suggest an enhancement in the occurrence of short-period planets around L and T dwarfs in comparison to M dwarfs, which would challenge predictions from planet formation models.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, accepted to A

ICDP workshop on the Deep Drilling in the Turkana Basin Project:Exploring the link between environmental factors and hominin evolution over the past 4 Myr

Scientific drill cores provide unique windows into the processes of the past and present. In the dynamic tectonic, environmental, climatic, and ecological setting that is eastern Africa, records recovered through scientific drilling enable us to look at change through time in unprecedented ways. Cores from the East African Rift System can provide valuable information about the context in which hominins evolved in one of the key regions of hominin evolution over the past 4 Myr. The Deep Drilling in the Turkana Basin (DDTB) project seeks to explore the impact of several types of evolution (tectonic, climatic, biological) on ecosystems and environments. This includes addressing questions regarding the region’s complex and interrelated rifting and magmatic history, as well as understanding processes of sedimentation and associated hydrothermal systems within the East African Rift System. We seek to determine the relative impacts of tectonic and climatic evolution on eastern African ecosystems. We ask, what role (if any) did climate change play in the evolution of hominins? How can our understanding of past environmental change guide our planning for a future shaped by anthropogenic climate change? To organize the scientific community’s goals for deep coring in the Turkana Basin, we hosted a 4-day ICDP supported workshop in Nairobi, Kenya in July 2022. The team focused on how a 4 Myr sedimentary core from the Turkana Basin will uniquely address key scientific research objectives related to basin evolution, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, and modern resources. Participants also discussed how DDTB could collaborate with community partners in the Turkana Basin, particularly around the themes of access to water and education. The team concluded that collecting the proposed Pliocene to modern record is best accomplished through a 2-phase drilling project with a land-based transect of four cores spanning the interval from 4 Ma to Middle/Late Pleistocene (<0.7 Ma) and a lake-based core targeting the interval from ~1 Ma to present. The second phase, while logistically more challenging due to the lack of drilling infrastructure currently on Lake Turkana, would revolutionize our understanding of a significant interval in the evolution and migration of Homo sapiens for a time period not currently accessible from the Kenyan part of the Turkana Basin. Collectively, the DDTB project will provide exceptional tectonic and climatic data directly associated with one of the world’s richest hominin fossil localities