Publications (13)
Impact of Electron Precipitation on Brown Dwarf Atmospheres and the Missing Auroral H Emission
J. Sebastian Pineda, Gregg Hallinan, Jean Michel Desert +1
Recent observations have demonstrated that very-low mass stars and brown dwarfs are capable of sustaining strong magnetic fields despite their cool and neutral atmospheres. These k…
CHIMERA Occultation Constraints on the Abundance of Kilometer-scale Kuiper Belt Objects
Qicheng Zhang, Gregg W. Hallinan, Navtej S. Saini +3
Occultations provide indirect sensitivity to the number density of small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) too faint to directly detect telescopically. We present results from the Caltech…
Design, Implementation, and Performance of the Primary Reflector for SALTUS
Jonathan W. Arenberg, Leon K. Harding, Bob Chang +8
The Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies (SALTUS) is a mission concept for a far-infrared observatory developed under the recent Astrophysics Probe Explorer opportu…
Spin-orbit alignment in the very low mass binary regime: The L dwarf tight binary 2MASSW J0746425+200032AB
Leon K. Harding, Gregg Hallinan, Quinn M. Konopacky +4
Studies of solar-type binaries have found coplanarity between the equatorial and orbital planes of systems with 40 AU separation. By comparison, the alignment of the equatorial…
Finding Very Small Near-Earth Asteroids using Synthetic Tracking
Michael Shao, Bijan Nemati, Chengxing Zhai +4
We present an approach that significantly increases the sensitivity for finding and tracking small and fast near Earth asteroids (NEA's). This approach relies on a combined use of…
CHIMERA: a wide-field, multi-color, high-speed photometer at the prime focus of the Hale telescope
Leon K. Harding, Gregg Hallinan, Jennifer Milburn +7
The Caltech HIgh-speed Multi-color camERA (CHIMERA) is a new instrument that has been developed for use at the prime focus of the Hale 200-inch telescope. Simultaneous optical imag…
SALTUS Probe Class Space Mission: Observatory Architecture and Mission Design
Leon K. Harding, Jonathan W. Arenberg, Benjamin Donovan +10
We describe the space observatory architecture and mission design of the SALTUS mission, a NASA Astrophysics Probe Explorer concept. SALTUS will address key far-infrared science us…
Detection of a faint fast-moving near-Earth asteroid using synthetic tracking technique
Chengxing Zhai, Michael Shao, Bijan Nemati +6
We report a detection of a faint near-Earth asteroid (NEA), which was done using our synthetic tracking technique and the CHIMERA instrument on the Palomar 200-inch telescope. This…
PTF1 J191905.19+481506.2 - A Partially Eclipsing AM CVn System Discovered in the Palomar Transient Factory
David Levitan, Thomas Kupfer, Paul J. Groot +11
We report on PTF1 J191905.19+481506.2, a newly discovered, partially eclipsing, outbursting AM CVn system found in the Palomar Transient Factory synoptic survey. This is only the s…
Periodic Optical Variability of Radio Detected Ultracool Dwarfs
Leon K. Harding, Gregg Hallinan, Richard P. Boyle +5
A fraction of very low mass stars and brown dwarfs are known to be radio active, in some cases producing periodic pulses. Extensive studies of two such objects have also revealed o…
Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies (SALTUS): Science Overview
Gordon Chin, Carrie M. Anderson, Jennifer Bergner +33
The SALTUS Probe mission will provide a powerful far-infrared (far-IR) pointed space observatory to explore our cosmic origins and the possibility of life elsewhere. The observator…
Smartphone scene generator for efficient characterization of visible imaging detectors
Michael Bottom, Leo S. Neat, Leon K. Harding +3
Full characterization of imaging detectors involves subjecting them to spatially and temporally varying illumination patterns over a large dynamic range. Here we present a scene ge…
Technology advancement of the CCD201-20 EMCCD for the WFIRST coronagraph instrument: sensor characterization and radiation damage
Leon K. Harding, Richard T. Demers, Michael Hoenk +15
The Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Asset (WFIRST-AFTA) mission is a 2.4-m class space telescope that will be used across a swath of astrophysic…