No description available.

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) will map the power spectrum of 0.8 million blindly discovered Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies (LAE) using a revolutionary new array of massively replicated, fiber-fed spectrographs dubbed the Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS). In the era of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope wide-field upgrade, the current Low Resolution Spectrograph (LRS) must be replaced with a fiber instrument. In this thesis, I discuss the development of the second generation LRS (LRS2), which is an R>1200 multi-channel instrument based on the VIRUS design and fed by a 287 fiber, 7” x 12” microlens coupled integral field unit. I focus on the blue optimized version of the instrument (3720<[lamda] (Angstroms)<7000), specifically on the opto-mechanical design of the VPH grisms. With the purpose of making the instrument ideal for the follow-up of LAE in the HETDEX survey, I discuss the science drivers for selecting the spectral resolution of the instrument. To test the utility of such an instrument, I present R~2400 spectra of two LAE that were originally discovered in the HETDEX Pilot Survey (Adams et al. 2011). These data were taken with the VIRUS prototype spectrograph in a high-resolution mode at the McDonald Observatory Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m telescope. The Lyman-alpha line profiles are constrained by near-infrared observations of rest-frame optical emission lines from Finkelstein et al. (2011), which set the systemic redshift of the galaxies. I discuss the velocity offsets of the Lyman-alpha line from the systemic line center and the implications for the HETDEX survey. I compare the line profiles to theory, specifically to those describing dust attenuation, outflows or inflows of neutral gas on the galactic scale, and attenuation in the intergalactic medium. This study provides an example of how LRS2 can be used to probe Lyman-alpha emission in 2<z<3 star-forming galaxies. / text

Polarization has been detected at early times for all types of supernovae (SNe), indicating that all such systems result from or quickly develop some form of asymmetry. In addition, the detection of strong line polarization in SNe is suggestive of chemical inhomogeneities ("clumps") in the layers above the photosphere, which may reflect hydrodynamical instabilities during the explosion. We have developed a fast, flexible, approximate semi-analytic code for modeling polarized line radiative transfer within three-dimensional inhomogeneous rapidly expanding atmospheres. Given a range of model parameters, the code generates random sets of clumps in the expanding ejecta and calculates the emergent line profile and Stokes parameters for each configuration. The ensemble of these configurations represents the effects both of various host geometries and of different viewing angles. We present results for the first part of our survey of model geometries, specifically the effects of the number and size of clumps (and the related effect of filling factor) on the emergent spectrum and Stokes parameters. Our simulations show that random clumpiness can produce line polarization in the range observed in SNe Ia, as well as the Q-U loops that are frequently seen in all SNe. We have also developed a method to connect the results of our simulations to robust observational parameters such as maximum polarization and polarized equivalent width in the line. Our models, in connection with spectropolarimetric observations, can constrain the three-dimensional structure of SN ejecta and offer important insight into the SN explosion physics and the nature of their progenitor systems.

As the ultimate fate of nearly all stars, including our Sun, white dwarfs (WDs) hold rich and informative histories in their observable light. To determine a fundamental parameter of WDs, mass, we perform the first measurement of the average gravitational redshift of an ensemble of WDs. We find a larger mean mass than that determined from the primary and expansive technique known as the spectroscopic method. The potential inaccuracy of this method has broad astrophysical implications, including for our understanding of Type 1a supernova progenitors and for constraining the age of the Universe. This motivates us to investigate the WD atmosphere models used with the spectroscopic method, particularly the input theoretical line profiles, by developing a new experimental platform to create plasmas at WD photospheric conditions (T_e ~ 1 eV, n_e ~ 10^17 cm^-3). Instead of observing WD spectra to infer the plasma conditions at the surface of the star, we set the conditions and measure the emergent spectra in the laboratory. X-rays from a z-pinch dynamic hohlraum generated at the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories irradiate a gas cell to initiate formation of a large (120x20x10 mm or 24 cm^3) plasma. We observe multiple Balmer lines from our plasma in emission and in absorption simultaneously along relatively long (~120 mm) lines of sight perpendicular to the heating radiation. Using a large, radiation-driven plasma aides us to achieve homogeneity along our observed lines of sight. With time-resolved spectroscopy we measure lines at a range of electron densities that spans an order of magnitude, and we do this within one pulsed power shot experiment. Observing our plasma in absorption not only provides the signal-to-noise to measure relative line shapes, it allows us to measure relative line strengths because the lines share the same lower level population. This constrains the theoretical reduction factors used to describe ionization potential depression or the occupation probabilities associated with these Balmer lines. We compare our measured line shapes with the theoretical ones used in WD atmosphere models as part of the first fruits of this rich experimental platform. / text

We present infrared spectroscopy of the classical nova V339 Del, obtained over an similar to 2-yr period. The infrared emission lines were initially symmetrical, with half width half-maximum velocities of 525 km s(-1). In later (t greater than or similar to 77 d, where t is the time from outburst) spectra, however, the lines displayed a distinct asymmetry, with a much stronger blue wing, possibly due to obscuration of the receding component by dust. Dust formation commenced at approximately day 34.75 at a condensation temperature of 1480 +/- 20 K, consistent with graphitic carbon. Thereafter, the dust temperature declined with time as T-d alpha t(-0.346), also consistent with graphitic carbon. The mass of dust initially rose, as a result of an increase in grain size and/or number, peaked at approximately day 100, and then declined precipitously. This decline was most likely caused by grain shattering due to electrostatic stress after the dust was exposed to X-radiation. The appendix summarizes Planck means for carbon and the determination of grain mass and radius for a carbon dust shell.

Radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are one class of objects associated with accretion activity onto supermassive black holes in centers of massive galaxies. They are believed to be in a radiatively-inefficient accretion mode with low accretion rate. To understand this accretion mode, it is important to measure its radiative output at high energies (> 13.6eV), which can be traced through optical emission lines. However, little is known about their true radiative output. This is because no correlation between optical emission-line and radio luminosity has been found for the majority of low-luminosity radio AGN, which are often classified as low-excitation radio galaxies, or Fanaroff-Riley Class I (FR-I) radio galaxies. We demonstrate that most of the line emission found in these galaxies is not powered by the central AGN, but likely powered by some old stellar population. Only when this component is subtracted or otherwise taken into account can we estimate the true line emission associated with the AGN. These emissions may show interesting correlations with the radio luminosities in some cases.

In this work we present a grid of LTE and non-LTE synthetic spectra of hot DA white dwarfs (WDs). In addition to its usefulness for the determination of fundamental stellar parameters of isolated WDs and in binaries, this grid will be of interest for the construction of theoretical libraries for stellar studies from integrated light. The spectral grid covers both a wide temperature and gravity range, with 17,000 K <= T-eff <= 100,000 K and 7.0 <= log g <= 9.5. The stellar models are built for pure hydrogen and the spectra cover a wavelength range from 900 angstrom to 2.5 mu m. Additionally, we derive synthetic HST/ACS, HST/WFC3, Bessel UBVRI, and SDSS magnitudes. The grid was also used to model integrated spectral energy distributions of simple stellar populations and our modeling suggests that DAs might be detectable in ultraviolet bands for populations older than similar to 8 Gyr.

We present a. survey of high dispersion UV and optical spectra of Herbig Ae/Be (HAeBe) and related stars. We find accreting, circumstellar gas over the velocity range +100 to +400 km s-1, and absorption profiles similar to those seen toward β Pic, in 36% of the 33 HAeBe stars with IUE data as well as in 3 non-emission B stars. We also find evidence of accretion in 7 HAeBe stars with optical data only. Line profile variability appears ubiquitous. As a group, the stars with accreting gas signatures have higher ν sin i than the stars with outflowing material, and tend to exhibit large amplitude (≥ 1m) optical light variations. All of the program stars with polarimetric variations that are anti-correlated with the optical light, previously interpreted as the signature of a dust disk viewed close to equator-on, also show spectral signatures of accreting gas. These data imply that accretion activity in HAeBe stars is preferentially observed when the line of sight transits the circumstellar dust disk. Our data imply that the spectroscopic signatures of accreting circumstellar material seen in β Pic are not unique to that object, but instead are consistent with interpretation of β Pic as a comparatively young A star with its associated circumstellar disk.

Recombination line profile shapes are derived for ionized spherical stellar winds at radio wavelengths. It is assumed that the wind is optically thick owing to free-free opacity. Emission lines of arbitrary optical depth are obtained assuming that the free-free photosphere forms in the outer, constant expansion portion of the wind. Previous works have derived analytic results for isothermal winds when the line and continuum source functions are equal. Here, semi-analytic results are derived for unequal source functions to reveal that line shapes can be asymmetric about line center. A parameter study is presented and applications discussed.

The work presented in this thesis belongs to the domain of theoretical and experimental gas phase molecular spectroscopy. It consists of two parts dedicated to two relatively different aspects in this field. The first part presents a high resolution analysis of the ν5 fundamental band (NO2 in plane bending mode) positions and intensities of D14NO3 (deuterated nitric acid) in the 11 µm spectral region. For this study, we used an infrared spectrum of D14NO3 recorded in the 700−1400 cm−1 region on a Fourier transform spectrometer at Bergische Universität in Wuppertal (Germany). Our analysis demonstrates that the fundamental ν5 band centered at 887.657 cm−1 is strongly perturbed. Indeed, it proves that 5^1 and 7^1+9^1 energy levels of DNO3 are coupled through A and B type Coriolis resonances. The resonance scheme for the isotopologue D14NO3 therefore differs substantially from the schemes of H14NO3 and H15NO3 that feature dominantly Fermi type resonances. The second theme treated in this work is devoted to the lineshapes of pure rotational transitions of CH3F with the study of collisional broadening (collisions CH3F-CH3F and CH3F-He) of optical transitions and their Stark components. The microwave measurements were realised at ICT in Prague. Their analysis enabled to provide collisional parameters using various line profiles (Voigt, Rautian, Speed dependent) for the J, K → J + 1, K (K = 0, ..., J) transitions with J = 1 and J = 3 as well as for their various Stark components J, K, M → J + 1, K, M' (|M| = 0, ..., J ; |M − M'| = 0, 1). Moreover, a correct use of model based on Infinite Order Sudden approximation led to very satisfactory results of the observed line-mixing effects. The retrieved experimental results complete and extend the previous studies and provide the first successful demonstration of the ability of the IOS approximation to model line-mixing effects among Stark transitions