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Five New Outbursting AM CVn Systems Discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory
David Levitan, Thomas Kupfer, Paul J. Groot +10
We present five new outbursting AM CVn systems and one candidate discovered as part of an ongoing search for such systems using the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). This is the fir…
Robo-AO: An Autonomous Laser Adaptive Optics and Science System
Christoph Baranec, Reed Riddle, A. N. Ramaprakash +15
Robo-AO, a fully autonomous, laser guide star adaptive optics and science system, is being commissioned at Palomar Observatory's 60-inch telescope. Here we discuss the instrument,…
Measuring the Abundance of sub-kilometer sized Kuiper Belt Objects using Stellar Occultations
Hilke E. Schlichting, Eran O. Ofek, Re'em Sari +6
We present here the analysis of about 19,500 new star hours of low ecliptic latitude observations (|b| < 20 deg) obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope's FGS over a time span of mo…
Millions of Multiples: Detecting and Characterizing Close-Separation Binary Systems in Synoptic Sky Surveys
Emil Terziev, Nicholas M. Law, Iair Arcavi +15
The direct detection of binary systems in wide-field surveys is limited by the size of the stars' point-spread-functions (PSFs). A search for elongated objects can find closer comp…
An Early & Comprehensive Millimeter and Centimeter Wave and X-ray Study of Supernova 2011dh: A Non-Equipartition Blastwave Expanding into A Massive Stellar Wind
Assaf Horesh, Christopher Stockdale, Derek B. Fox +24
Only a handful of supernovae (SNe) have been studied in multi-wavelength from radio to X-rays, starting a few days after explosion. The early detection and classification of the ne…
The Hidden Fortress: Structure and substructure of the complex strong lensing cluster SDSS J1029+2623
Masamune Oguri, Tim Schrabback, Eric Jullo +8
We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ACS and WFC3 observations of SDSS J1029+2623, a three-image quasar lens system produced by a foreground cluster at z=0.584. Our strong lensi…
Discovery and Early Multi-Wavelength Measurements of the Energetic Type Ic Supernova PTF12gzk: A Massive-Star Explosion in a Dwarf Host Galaxy
Sagi Ben-Ami, Avishay Gal-Yam, Alexei V. Filippenko +45
We present the discovery and extensive early-time observations of the Type Ic supernova (SN) PTF12gzk. Our finely sampled light curves show a rise of 0.8mag within 2.5hr. Power-law…
The UV/optical spectra of the Type Ia supernova SN 2010jn: a bright supernova with outer layers rich in iron-group elements
S. Hachinger, P. A. Mazzali, M. Sullivan +19
Radiative transfer studies of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) hold the promise of constraining both the time-dependent density profile of the SN ejecta and its stratification by elemen…
PTF11kx: A Type-Ia Supernova with a Symbiotic Nova Progenitor
B. Dilday, D. A. Howell, S. B. Cenko +32
There is a consensus that Type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosion of white dwarf stars that accrete matter from a binary companion. However, direct obser…
Two Distant Halo Velocity Groups Discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory
B. Sesar, J. G. Cohen, D. Levitan +8
We report the discovery of two new halo velocity groups (Cancer groups A and B) traced by 8 distant RR Lyrae stars and observed by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) survey at R.A…
The Palomar Transient Factory photometric catalog 1.0
E. O. Ofek, R. Laher, J. Surace +22
We construct a photometrically calibrated catalog of non-variable sources from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) observations. The first version of this catalog presented here, t…
X-ray emission from supernovae in dense circumstellar matter environments: A search for collisionless shocks
E. O. Ofek, D. Fox, S. B. Cenko +21
(Abridged). The optical light curve of some SNe may be powered by the outward diffusion of the energy deposited by the explosion shock in optically thick circumstellar matter (CSM)…
The PTF Orion Project: a Possible Planet Transiting a T-Tauri Star
Julian C. van Eyken, David R. Ciardi, Kaspar von Braun +35
We report observations of a possible young transiting planet orbiting a previously known weak-lined T-Tauri star in the 7-10 Myr old Orion-OB1a/25-Ori region. The candidate was fou…
Analysis of the Early-Time Optical Spectra of SN 2011fe in M101
J. T. Parrent, D. A. Howell, B. Friesen +35
The nearby Type Ia supernova SN 2011fe in M101 (cz=241 km s^-1) provides a unique opportunity to study the early evolution of a "normal" Type Ia supernova, its compositional struct…
Hubble Space Telescope studies of low-redshift Type Ia supernovae: Evolution with redshift and ultraviolet spectral trends
K. Maguire, M. Sullivan, R. S. Ellis +26
We present an analysis of the maximum light, near ultraviolet (NUV; 2900-5500 A) spectra of 32 low redshift (0.001<z<0.08) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), obtained with the Hubble Spa…
Near-infrared observations of type Ia supernovae: The best known standard candle for cosmology
R. L. Barone-Nugent, C. Lidman, J. S. B. Wyithe +15
We present an analysis of the Hubble diagram for 12 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed in the near-infrared J and H bands. We select SNe exclusively from the redshift range 0.03…
SDSS Observations of Kuiper Belt Objects: Colors and Variability
Eran O. Ofek
Colors of Trans Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are used to study the evolutionary processes of bodies in the outskirts of the Solar System, and to test theories regarding their origin. H…
The Chandra view of the Largest Quasar Lens SDSS J1029+2623
Naomi Ota, Masamune Oguri, Xinyu Dai +6
We present results from Chandra observations of the cluster lens SDSS J1029+2623 at z_l=0.58, which is a gravitationally lensed quasar with the largest known image separation. We c…
Classical Novae in Andromeda: Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory and GALEX
Yi Cao, Mansi M. Kasliwal, James D. Neill +10
We present optical light curves of twenty-nine novae in M31 during the 2009 and 2010 observing seasons of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). The dynamic and rapid cadences in PTF…
Asteroid rotation periods from the Palomar Transient Factory survey
D. Polishook, E. O. Ofek, A. Waszczak +17
The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a synoptic survey designed to explore the transient and variable sky in a wide variety of cadences. We use PTF observations of fields that we…
MOA-2011-BLG-293Lb: A test of pure survey microlensing planet detections
J. C. Yee, Y. Shvartzvald, A. Gal-Yam +10
Because of the development of large-format, wide-field cameras, microlensing surveys are now able to monitor millions of stars with sufficient cadence to detect planets. These new…