Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2010
Volume 55, Number 1
Saturday–Tuesday, February 13–16, 2010; Washington, DC
Session B11: SPS Undergraduate Research I |
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Chair: Gary White, American Institute of Physics Room: Maryland C |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 10:45AM - 10:57AM |
B11.00001: Supersymmetric Dark Matter as the Source of the WMAP Haze Gabriel Caceres, Dan Hooper An excess microwave emission from the region around the Galactic Center has been observed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). It has been argued that this anomalous signal, known as the WMAP Haze, may be the synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons and positrons produced in dark matter annihilations. In particular, the angular distribution, spectrum, and intensity of the observed emission are consistent with the signal expected to result from a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) with an electroweak-scale mass and an annihilation cross section near the value predicted for a thermal relic. In this work we revisit this signal within the context of supersymmetry, and evaluate the parameter space of the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (CMSSM). We find that, over much of the supersymmetric parameter space, the lightest neutralino is predicted to possess the properties required to generate the WMAP Haze. If the WMAP Haze is in fact generated by annihilating neutralinos, then the prospects for direct and indirect dark matter detection experiments are quite promising. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 10:57AM - 11:09AM |
B11.00002: Effective approximations for computing neutrino-stimulated pair production Laura Johnson Astrophysical phenomena can create immense magnetic fields strengths and energies. These large magnetic fields permit the process $\nu \to \nu e\bar {e}$, which is otherwise forbidden. The total production rate of this process, which involves a summation over all possible Landau levels associated with the electron and positron, is unknown. And the number of possible Landau levels increases dramatically with neutrino energy, making the summation computationally challenging. In this talk I will present some of the approximations I have found that simplify the calculation and reduce computation time. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:09AM - 11:21AM |
B11.00003: Prompt Radio Emission from Gamma Ray Bursts Noelle Gotthardt Gamma-ray bursts have been observed, but these enigmatic objects are yet unexplained. These short duration events are undoubtedly due to high-energy events. Fading optical emission and even radio emission has been observed from such events, but prompt radio emission from these events would be very useful in pinning down the physics of the bursts, the nature of the progenitor object,and possibly the medium in which it occurs. If these phenomena occur at large redshifts, there is the possibility that the observations could probe the Epoch of Reionization, or the intergalactic medium. A number of models have been proposed to explain the gamma-ray bursts, ranging from compact object mergers, to maser-like coherent emission. These models are not well constrained by current observations. Prompt radio emission may be detected by a transient radio array. I will discuss a planned search for such signals by the Eight-meter-wavelength Transient Array (ETA). [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:21AM - 11:33AM |
B11.00004: Analysis of Mars Mid-Latitude Lobate Debris Aprons Ian Dougherty, Tim McClanahan In 2008, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiters Shallow Subsurface Radar Detector detected radar evidence of ice in mountainside formations known as lobate debris aprons (LDA) in the mid-latitude regions of Mars. Using the accumulation of 7 years of neutron maps from Mars Odyssey Orbiters high energy neutron detector (HEND), we search for evidence of an increase in epithermal neutrons in these same lobe-like structures. This pattern of neutron flux is indicative of the presence of water ice. Through t-means and f-variance testing, we compare the amount of epithermal neutrons in the LDAs with the amount of epithermal neutrons in the surrounding background regions which we assume to be dry.~Our preliminary results indicate that the presence of water ice is highly probable in the aforementioned LDAs. Our research will help validate the previous study which has been performed on the LDAs, as well as provide potential targets for future exploration of water on Mars. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:33AM - 11:45AM |
B11.00005: Noninvasive Lunar Exploration John Meredith To establish a permanent manned base on the moon it is almost essential that methods for extracting water from lunar minerals will need to be developed. One potential source of water is the mineral ilmenite. Mobile ground penetrating radar units can potentially locate sources of ilmenite on the moon. However, the method needs to be initially verified on earth. This project is designed to develop methods to verify that minerals located in a ground penetrating radar survey of Arkansas actually contain ilmenite. This presentation will cover the use of Scanning Electron Microscope - Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy to verify the presence of ilmenite. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:45AM - 11:57AM |
B11.00006: A Static Energy-Angle Analyzer Brian Tennyson Current techniques for measuring the energies of electrons and ions rely on using a variable voltage electric field and scanning voltage to observe the energy spectra of the electrons/ions. This has the disadvantage of tuning to a narrow energy band and thereby missing all particles outside this energy band. We overcome this disadvantage using a simple parallel plate analyzer that exploits the parabolic path of the particle through the field to simultaneously measure the energies of the complete spectrum of electrons/ions with a resolving power of less than 1 percent of the energy of the ions being observed. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:57AM - 12:09PM |
B11.00007: Astrophotography on a Budget: An Introduction to the Night Sky Robert Arn, Daniel Miller This talk will highlight materials being developed at Millikin University to serve as an inexpensive introduction to the night sky through astrophotography. The goal of the talk is to identity equipment and techniques that are available to the average amateur astronomer which can also be used in introductory undergraduate astronomy labs. In particular we will focus on what can be achieved with an equipment setup where the total cost is under {\$}1000 and how astrophotography can be used to learn about astronomy. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 12:09PM - 12:21PM |
B11.00008: Approximate Solar Temperatures from Color Indices Measured at the Winfree Observatory Cheridan Harris, Tom Michalik Astronomers define the color index of a star as a numerical expression of the light being emitted from the surface of a star, which is calculated using successive measurements of a star's magnitude through two different colored filters. These filter may be sensitive to either blue(B), red (R), or visible (V) light. Approximately, the higher the color index, the closer the visible light being emitted from the star is to the red end of the spectrum. Assuming the emitted light from the surface of the star can be approximated by the blackbody curve, we attempt to find the relationship between the indices, both B- V and V-R filters, and the surface temperature of the star. We apply this relationship to long term data collected at the Winfree Observatory. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, February 13, 2010 12:21PM - 12:33PM |
B11.00009: Research Concerning Detection of Cosmic Rays Maxwell Grady, John Cunningham, Steve Kuhlmann, Hal Spinka, Dave Underwood, Mark Hammergren Throughout my academic career at Loyola I have carried out research with the Loyola University Cosmic Event Detection System concerning the possibility of detection of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) based on radio meteor scattering methods. This research was furthered through summer internships and research fellowships at Adler Planetarium Chicago and Stony Brook University in New York. At Adler Planetarium we used a helium balloon carrying a Geiger counter and other equipment to record the cosmic ray flux at various points in the atmosphere. The results clearly show the flux depends on the atmospheric density. At Stony Brook University I studied their advanced system for detecting cosmic rays in similar manner to radio meteor scattering principles. Research there focused on detection algorithms and also on the possibility of utilizing Digital Tv (DTv) signals for further research. Through the research a solid understanding of cosmic rays was formed including topics such as origins and energy scales of cosmic rays, both of which pose unanswered questions. [Preview Abstract] |
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