Just a few meters below the Earth's surface lie features of great importance, from geological faults which can produce devastating earthquakes, to lost archaeological treasures! This refreshing, ...up-to-date book explores the foundations of interpretation theory and the latest developments in near-surface techniques, used to complement traditional geophysical methods for deep-exploration targets. Clear but rigorous, the book explains theory and practice in simple physical terms, supported by intermediate-level mathematics. Techniques covered include magnetics, resistivity, seismic reflection and refraction, surface waves, induced polarization, self-potential, electromagnetic induction, ground-penetrating radar, magnetic resonance, interferometry, seismoelectric and more. Sections on data analysis and inverse theory are provided and chapters are illustrated by case studies, giving students and professionals the tools to plan, conduct and analyze a near-surface geophysical survey. This is an important textbook for advanced-undergraduate and graduate students in geophysics and a valuable reference for practising geophysicists, geologists, hydrologists, archaeologists, and civil and geotechnical engineers.
It is well established that roughly half of all nearby solar-type stars have at least one companion. Stellar companions can have significant implications for the detection and characterization of ...exoplanets, including triggering false positives and masking the true radii of planets. Determining the fraction of exoplanet host stars that are also binaries allows us to better determine planetary characteristics as well as establish the relationship between binarity and planet formation. Using high angular resolution speckle imaging, we detect stellar companions within ∼1 arcsec of K2 planet-candidate host stars. Comparing our detected companion rate to TRILEGAL star count simulations and known detection limits of speckle imaging, we estimate the binary fraction of K2 planet host stars to be 40%-50%, similar to that of Kepler exoplanet hosts and field stars.
We describe the photometric calibration and stellar classification methods used by the Stellar Classification Project to produce the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC). The KIC is a catalog containing ...photometric and physical data for sources in the Kepler mission field of view; it is used by the mission to select optimal targets. Four of the visible-light (g, r, i, z) magnitudes used in the KIC are tied to Sloan Digital Sky Survey magnitudes; the fifth (D51) is an AB magnitude calibrated to be consistent with Castelli & Kurucz (CK) model atmosphere fluxes. We derived atmospheric extinction corrections from hourly observations of secondary standard fields within the Kepler field of view. For these filters and extinction estimates, repeatability of absolute photometry for stars brighter than magnitude 15 is typically 2%. We estimated stellar parameters {T eff, log (g), log (Z), E B -- V } using Bayesian posterior probability maximization to match observed colors to CK stellar atmosphere models. We applied Bayesian priors describing the distribution of solar-neighborhood stars in the color-magnitude diagram, in log (Z), and in height above the galactic plane. Several comparisons with samples of stars classified by other means indicate that for 4500 K <=T eff <= 6500 K, our classifications are reliable within about ?200 K and 0.4 dex in log (g) for dwarfs, with somewhat larger log (g) uncertainties for giants. It is difficult to assess the reliability of our log (Z) estimates, but there is reason to suspect that it is poor, particularly at extreme T eff. Comparisons between the CK models and observed colors are generally satisfactory with some exceptions, notably for stars cooler than 4500 K. Of great importance for the Kepler mission, for T eff <= 5400 K, comparison with asteroseismic results shows that the distinction between main-sequence stars and giants is reliable with about 98% confidence. Larger errors in log (g) occur for warmer stars, for which our filter set provides inadequate gravity diagnostics. The KIC is available through the MAST data archive.
A new speckle and wide-field imaging instrument for the WIYN telescope called NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI) is described. NESSI offers simultaneous two-color diffraction-limited ...imaging and wide-field traditional imaging for validation and characterization of transit and precision RV exoplanet studies. Many exoplanet targets will come from the NASA K2 and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) missions. NESSI is capable of resolving close binaries at sub-arcsecond separations down to the diffraction limit and >6 mag contrast difference in the visible band on targets as faint as 14th mag. Preliminary results from the instrument commissioning at WIYN and demonstrations of the instrument's capabilities are presented.
Near-surface applied electromagnetic geophysics is experiencing an explosive period of growth with many innovative techniques and applications presently emergent and others certain to be forthcoming. ...An attempt is made here to bring together and describe some of the most notable advances. This is a difficult task since papers describing electromagnetic induction methods are widely dispersed throughout the scientific literature. The traditional topics discussed herein include modeling, inversion, heterogeneity, anisotropy, target recognition, logging, and airborne electromagnetics (EM). Several new or emerging techniques are introduced including landmine detection, biogeophysics, interferometry, shallow-water electromagnetics, radiomagnetotellurics, and airborne unexploded ordnance (UXO) discrimination. Representative case histories that illustrate the range of exciting new geoscience that has been enabled by the developing techniques are presented from important application areas such as hydrogeology, contamination, UXO and landmines, soils and agriculture, archeology, and hazards and climate.
We present the first results from a speckle imaging survey of stars classified as candidate exoplanet host stars discovered by the Kepler mission. We use speckle imaging to search for faint ...companions or closely aligned background stars that could contribute flux to the Kepler light curves of their brighter neighbors. Background stars are expected to contribute significantly to the pool of false positive candidate transiting exoplanets discovered by the Kepler mission, especially in the case that the faint neighbors are eclipsing binary stars. Here, we describe our Kepler follow-up observing program, the speckle imaging camera used, our data reduction, and astrometric and photometric performance. Kepler stars range from R = 8 to 16 and our observations attempt to provide background non-detection limits 5-6 mag fainter and binary separations of ~0.05-2.0 arcsec. We present data describing the relative brightness, separation, and position angles for secondary sources, as well as relative plate limits for non-detection of faint nearby stars around each of 156 target stars. Faint neighbors were found near 10 of the stars.
Abstract
We present high-resolution speckle interferometric imaging observations of TESS exoplanet host stars using the NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet and Stellar Speckle Imager instrument at the 3.5 m WIYN ...telescope. Eight TESS objects of interest that were originally discovered by Kepler were previously observed using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. Speckle observations of 186 TESS stars were carried out, and 45 (24%) likely bound companions were detected. This is approximately the number of companions we would expect to observe given the established 46% binarity rate in exoplanet host stars. For the detected binaries, the distribution of stellar mass ratio is consistent with that of the standard Raghavan distribution and may show a decrease in high-
q
systems as the binary separation increases. The distribution of binary orbital periods, however, is not consistent with the standard Ragahavan model, and our observations support the premise that exoplanet-hosting stars with binary companions have, in general, wider orbital separations than field binaries. We find that exoplanet-hosting binary star systems show a distribution peaking near 100 au, higher than the 40–50 au peak that is observed for field binaries. This fact led to earlier suggestions that planet formation is suppressed in close binaries.
We present 29 likely members of the young Oph or Upper Sco regions of recent star formation that exhibit "accretion burst" type light curves in K2 time series photometry. The bursters were identified ...by visual examination of their ∼80-day light curves, though all satisfy the flux asymmetry criterion for burst behavior defined by Cody et al. The burst sources represent 9% of cluster members with strong infrared excess indicative of circumstellar material. Higher amplitude burster behavior is correlated with larger inner disk infrared excesses, as inferred from WISE color. The burst sources are also outliers in their large H emission equivalent widths. No distinction between bursters and non-bursters is seen in stellar properties such as multiplicity or spectral type. The frequency of bursters is similar between the younger, more compact Oph region, and the older, more dispersed Upper Sco region. The bursts exhibit a range of shapes, amplitudes (∼10%-700%), durations (∼1-10 days), repeat timescales (∼3-80 days), and duty cycles (∼10%-100%). Our results provide important input to models of magnetospheric accretion, in particular, by elucidating the properties of accretion-related variability in the low state between major longer duration events such as EX Lup and FU Ori type accretion outbursts. We demonstrate the broad continuum of accretion burst behavior in young stars-extending the phenomenon to lower amplitudes and shorter timescales than traditionally considered in the theory of pre-main sequence accretion history.
Abstract
We present high-angular-resolution imaging observations of 517 host stars of TESS exoplanet candidates using the ‘Alopeke and Zorro speckle cameras at Gemini North and South. The sample ...consists mainly of bright F, G, K stars at distances of less than 500 pc. Our speckle observations span angular resolutions of ∼20 mas out to 1.″2, yielding spatial resolutions of <10–500 au for most stars, and our contrast limits can detect companion stars 5–9 mag fainter than the primary at optical wavelengths. We detect 102 close stellar companions and determine the separation, magnitude difference, mass ratio, and estimated orbital period for each system. Our observations of exoplanet host star binaries reveal that they have wider separations than field binaries, with a mean orbital semimajor axis near 100 au. Other imaging studies have suggested this dearth of very closely separated binaries in systems which host exoplanets, but incompleteness at small separations makes it difficult to disentangle unobserved companions from a true lack of companions. With our improved angular resolution and sensitivity, we confirm that this lack of close exoplanet host binaries is indeed real. We also search for a correlation between planetary orbital radii versus binary star separation; but, given the very short orbital periods of the TESS planets, we do not find any clear trend. We do note that in exoplanet systems containing binary host stars, there is an observational bias against detecting Earth-size planet transits due to transit depth dilution caused by the companion star.
Using the known detection limits for high-resolution imaging observations and the statistical properties of true binary and line-of-sight companions, we estimate the binary fraction of Kepler ...exoplanet host stars. Our speckle imaging programs at the WIYN 3.5 m and Gemini North 8.1 m telescopes have observed over 600 Kepler objects of interest and detected 49 stellar companions within ~1 arcsec. Assuming binary stars follow a log-normal period distribution for an effective temperature range of 3000-10,000 K, then the model predicts that the vast majority of detected sub-arc second companions are long period (P > 50 yr), gravitationally bound companions. In comparing the model predictions to the number of real detections in both observational programs, we conclude that the overall binary fraction of host stars is similar to the 40%-50% rate observed for field stars.