Search Publications

H2 Fluorescence in M Dwarf Systems: A Stellar Origin
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa7b79 Bibcode: 2017ApJ...845....3K

Loyd, R. O. Parke; Roberge, Aki; Kruczek, Nicholas +7 more

Observations of molecular hydrogen (H2) fluorescence are a potentially useful tool for measuring the H2 abundance in exoplanet atmospheres. This emission was previously observed in {{M}} dwarfs with planetary systems. However, low signal-to-noise prevented a conclusive determination of its origin. Possible sources include exo…

2017 The Astrophysical Journal
eHST 11
Contribution of the first galaxies to the cosmic far-infrared/sub-millimeter background - I. Mean background level
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stw2971 Bibcode: 2017MNRAS.465.3668D

De Rossi, María Emilia; Bromm, Volker

We study the contribution of the first galaxies to the far-infrared/sub-millimeter (FIR/sub-mm) extragalactic background light (EBL) by implementing an analytical model for dust emission. We explore different dust models, assuming different grain-size distributions and chemical compositions. According to our findings, observed reradiated emission …

2017 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
AKARI 11
Current sheets in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's coma
DOI: 10.1002/2017JA023861 Bibcode: 2017JGRA..122.3308V

Coates, A. J.; Jones, G. H.; Glassmeier, K. -H. +16 more

The Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) data are used to investigate the presence of current sheets in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The interaction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) transported by the solar wind toward the outgassing comet consists amongst others of mass loading and field line draping near the nucleus. The dra…

2017 Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics)
Rosetta 11
The Faintest WISE Debris Disks: Enhanced Methods for Detection and Verification
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/153/2/54 Bibcode: 2017AJ....153...54P

Metchev, Stanimir A.; Heinze, Aren; Patel, Rahul I. +1 more

In an earlier study, we reported nearly 100 previously unknown dusty debris disks around Hipparcos main-sequence stars within 75 pc by selecting stars with excesses in individual WISE colors. Here, we further scrutinize the Hipparcos 75 pc sample to (1) gain sensitivity to previously undetected, fainter mid-IR excesses and (2) remove spurious exce…

2017 The Astronomical Journal
AKARI Hipparcos 11
Multivariate statistical analysis of OSIRIS/Rosetta spectrophotometric data of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201630015 Bibcode: 2017A&A...600A.115P

Jorda, L.; Lamy, P. L.; Lara, L. M. +42 more

Context. The ESA Rosetta mission explored comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014-2016, following its target before and after the perihelion passage on 13 August 2015. The NAC camera of the OSIRIS imaging system allowed to map the nucleus surface acquiring images with different filters in the visible wavelength range.
Aims: Here we study the …

2017 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 11
Hot prominence detected in the core of a coronal mass ejection. II. Analysis of the C III line detected by SOHO/UVCS
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731364 Bibcode: 2017A&A...607A..80J

Heinzel, P.; Anzer, U.; Jejčič, S. +3 more

Context. We study the physics of erupting prominences in the core of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and present a continuation of a previous analysis.
Aims: We determine the kinetic temperature and microturbulent velocity of an erupting prominence embedded in the core of a CME that occurred on August 2, 2000 using the Ultraviolet Coronagraph a…

2017 Astronomy and Astrophysics
SOHO 11
The cosmic microwave background Cold Spot anomaly: the impact of sky masking and the expected contribution from the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect
DOI: 10.1093/mnrasl/slx140 Bibcode: 2017MNRAS.472L..65N

Lahav, Ofer; Benoit-Lévy, Aurélien; Naidoo, Krishna

We re-analyse the cosmic microwave background (CMB) Cold Spot (CS) anomaly with particular focus on understanding the bias a mask (contaminated by Galactic and point sources) may introduce. We measure the coldest spot, found by applying the Spherical Mexican Hat Wavelet transform on 100 000 cut-sky (masked) and full-sky CMB simulated maps. The CS …

2017 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Planck 11
A mechanism for comet surface collapse as observed by Rosetta on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stx1577 Bibcode: 2017MNRAS.469S.217P

Sierks, H.; Prialnik, D.

We explore a possible mechanism that may explain sudden depressions of surface areas on a comet nucleus, as suggested by observations of the Rosetta mission on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter, 67P/C-G). Assuming the area is covered by a thin, compact dust layer of low permeability to gas flow compared to deeper, porous layers, gas can a…

2017 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rosetta 11
Energy-dependent variability of the bare Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 120
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stx1960 Bibcode: 2017MNRAS.472..174M

Dewangan, Gulab C.; McHardy, I. M.; Mallick, Labani +1 more

We present results from a detailed spectral-timing analysis of a long ∼486 ks XMM-Newton observation of the bare Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 120 which showed alternating diminution and increment in the 0.3-10 keV X-ray flux over four consecutive orbits in 2014. We study the energy-dependent variability of Ark 120 through broad-band X-ray spectroscopy, fr…

2017 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
XMM-Newton 11
SOFIA-EXES Mid-IR Observations of [Fe II] Emission from the Extended Atmosphere of Betelgeuse
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/836/1/22 Bibcode: 2017ApJ...836...22H

Ryde, N.; Greathouse, T. K.; Guinan, E. F. +5 more

We present a NASA-DLR SOFIA-Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (EXES) and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility-Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) mid-IR R≃ {{50,000}} spectral study of forbidden Fe II transitions in the early-type M supergiants, Betelgeuse (α Ori: M2 Iab) and Antares (α Sco: M1 Iab + B3 V). With EXES, we spectrally resol…

2017 The Astrophysical Journal
eHST 11