111 research outputs found
Research in solar physics: Some techniques for analyzing data from the ultraviolet spectrometer and polarimeter
Useful information for certain aspects of the analysis of data obtained by the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) are contained. The meaning of the UVSPCO-ordinate system and the SMM roll, pitch, and yaw are described and the process for overlaying UVSP images is explained. The various computer programs that calculate the line of sight component of the SMM spacecraft velocity from the spacecraft to the Sun is described. The spacecraft velocity is used to correct or interpret the signal observed in USVP dopplergrams. A method of using the spacecraft velocity to calibrate UVSP dopplergrams and magnetograms, i.e., determine the width of the observed emission line is applied. The UVSP polarization analysis procedures are described and the expressions for the statistical uncertainties in various quantities obtained from UVSP measurements are given
Film calibration for the Skylab/ATM S-056 X-ray telescope
The sensitometry and film calibration effort for the Skylab/ATM S-056 X-ray telescope is summarized. The apparatus and procedures used are described together with the two types of flight film used, Kodak SO-212 and SO-242. The sensitometry and processing of the flight film are discussed, and the results are presented in the form of the characteristic curves and related data. The use of copy films is also discussed
Securing the legacy of TESS through the care and maintenance of TESS planet ephemerides
Much of the science from the exoplanets detected by the TESS mission relies
on precisely predicted transit times that are needed for many follow-up
characterization studies. We investigate ephemeris deterioration for simulated
TESS planets and find that the ephemerides of 81% of those will have expired
(i.e. 1 mid-transit time uncertainties greater than 30 minutes) one
year after their TESS observations. We verify these results using a sample of
TESS planet candidates as well. In particular, of the simulated planets that
would be recommended as JWST targets by Kempton et al. (2018), 80% will
have mid-transit time uncertainties 30 minutes by the earliest time JWST
would observe them. This rapid deterioration is driven primarily by the
relatively short time baseline of TESS observations. We describe strategies for
maintaining TESS ephemerides fresh through follow-up transit observations. We
find that the longer the baseline between the TESS and the follow-up
observations, the longer the ephemerides stay fresh, and that 51% of simulated
primary mission TESS planets will require space-based observations. The
recently-approved extension to the TESS mission will rescue the ephemerides of
most (though not all) primary mission planets, but the benefits of these new
observations can only be reaped two years after the primary mission
observations. Moreover, the ephemerides of most primary mission TESS planets
(as well as those newly discovered during the extended mission) will again have
expired by the time future facilities such as the ELTs, Ariel and the possible
LUVOIR/OST missions come online, unless maintenance follow-up observations are
obtained.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted to AJ; main changes are cross-checking
results against the sample of real TOIs, and addressing the impact of the
TESS extended missio
Magnetic field diagnostics and spatio-temporal variability of the solar transition region
Magnetic field diagnostics of the transition region from the chromosphere to
the corona faces us with the problem that one has to apply extreme UV
spectro-polarimetry. While for coronal diagnostic techniques already exist
through infrared coronagraphy above the limb and radio observations on the
disk, for the transition region one has to investigate extreme UV observations.
However, so far the success of such observations has been limited, but there
are various projects to get spectro-polarimetric data in the extreme UV in the
near future. Therefore it is timely to study the polarimetric signals we can
expect for such observations through realistic forward modeling.
We employ a 3D MHD forward model of the solar corona and synthesize the
Stokes I and Stokes V profiles of C IV 1548 A. A signal well above 0.001 in
Stokes V can be expected, even when integrating for several minutes in order to
reach the required signal-to-noise ratio, despite the fact that the intensity
in the model is rapidly changing (just as in observations). Often this
variability of the intensity is used as an argument against transition region
magnetic diagnostics which requires exposure times of minutes. However, the
magnetic field is evolving much slower than the intensity, and thus when
integrating in time the degree of (circular) polarization remains rather
constant. Our study shows the feasibility to measure the transition region
magnetic field, if a polarimetric accuracy on the order of 0.001 can be
reached, which we can expect from planned instrumentation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physics (4.Mar.2013), 19 pages, 9
figure
Securing the Legacy of TESS through the Care and Maintenance of TESS Planet Ephemerides
Much of the science from the exoplanets detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission relies on precisely predicted transit times that are needed for many follow-up characterization studies. We investigate ephemeris deterioration for simulated TESS planets and find that the ephemerides of 81% of those will have expired (i.e., 1σ mid-transit time uncertainties greater than 30 minutes) 1 yr after their TESS observations. We verify these results using a sample of TESS planet candidates as well. In particular, of the simulated planets that would be recommended as James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) targets by Kempton et al., ~80% will have mid-transit time uncertainties >30 minutes by the earliest time JWST would observe them. This rapid deterioration is driven primarily by the relatively short time baseline of TESS observations. We describe strategies for maintaining TESS ephemerides fresh through follow-up transit observations. We find that the longer the baseline between the TESS and the follow-up observations, the longer the ephemerides stay fresh, and that 51% of simulated primary mission TESS planets will require space-based observations. The recently approved extension to the TESS mission will rescue the ephemerides of most (though not all) primary mission planets, but the benefits of these new observations can only be reaped 2 yr after the primary mission observations. Moreover, the ephemerides of most primary mission TESS planets (as well as those newly discovered during the extended mission) will again have expired by the time future facilities such as the ELTs, Ariel, and the possible LUVOIR/Origins Space Telescope missions come online, unless maintenance follow-up observations are obtained
The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of
white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and
BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves
(GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact
binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered
by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current
understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are
discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar
remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common
envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary
NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of
binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given
to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by
another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are
thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure
A Threshold Equation for Action Potential Initiation
In central neurons, the threshold for spike initiation can depend on the stimulus and varies between cells and between recording sites in a given cell, but it is unclear what mechanisms underlie this variability. Properties of ionic channels are likely to play a role in threshold modulation. We examined in models the influence of Na channel activation, inactivation, slow voltage-gated channels and synaptic conductances on spike threshold. We propose a threshold equation which quantifies the contribution of all these mechanisms. It provides an instantaneous time-varying value of the threshold, which applies to neurons with fluctuating inputs. We deduce a differential equation for the threshold, similar to the equations of gating variables in the Hodgkin-Huxley formalism, which describes how the spike threshold varies with the membrane potential, depending on channel properties. We find that spike threshold depends logarithmically on Na channel density, and that Na channel inactivation and K channels can dynamically modulate it in an adaptive way: the threshold increases with membrane potential and after every action potential. Our equation was validated with simulations of a previously published multicompartemental model of spike initiation. Finally, we observed that threshold variability in models depends crucially on the shape of the Na activation function near spike initiation (about −55 mV), while its parameters are adjusted near half-activation voltage (about −30 mV), which might explain why many models exhibit little threshold variability, contrary to experimental observations. We conclude that ionic channels can account for large variations in spike threshold
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