Tennessee State University
Center of Excellence in Information Systems
Nashville, Tennessee 37209

This report covers the interval July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.

The TSU Automated Astronomy Group within the TSU Center of Excellence in Information Systems concentrates on stellar astrophysics using photometric, spectroscopic, imaging, and interferometric techniques to study cool giants, chromospherically active stars, solar-type stars, planetary-candidate host stars, binary and multiple stars, and pulsating variables. Data for these programs have been acquired with robotic telescopes and instrumentation developed in coordination with Louis Boyd, the Director of Fairborn Observatory in southern Arizona. Astronomy staff at the Center during this interval were Geoffrey S. Burks, Francis C. Fekel, Gregory W. Henry, Matthew W. Muterspaugh, and Michael H. Williamson. Burks and Muterspaugh hold joint faculty appointments in the TSU Department of Mathematics & Physics. Edward J. (Ted) Maxwell (Indiana U.) continues as Post-Doctoral Research Scientist working with Muterspaugh. Aubrie Maxwell served as a teaching associate. Student Research Assistants during this period were Dan Fishler, E. Victor Garcia (Vanderbilt U.), Robert Turner, Forrest Hoff, Randall Seigler, Vamsi Subraveti (MLK High School), Sam Swihart (Vanderbilt REU student from U. Michigan), and Arin Whitehurst.

Muterspaugh was named Interim Center Director after Dr. Busby's retirement.

OBSERVING FACILITIES

Center of Excellence astronomers continue to develop and operate automated telescopes and instrumentation at Fairborn Observatory in the Patagonia mountains of southern Arizona. Fairborn Observatory is a non-profit Educational Corporation directed by Louis J. Boyd and dedicated to the design, construction, and operation of automated telescopes at a dark sky site. Operational TSU telescopes include the T3 0.40 m automated photometric telescope (APT) for Johnson BV photometry, the T4 0.75 m APT for Stromgren by photometry, the T8, T10, T11, and T12 0.80 m APTs, also for Stromgren by photometry with 2-channel photometers, the T13 2.0 m automatic spectroscopic telescope (AST) for high-resolution echelle spectroscopy, and the Celestron 14-inch (C14) automated imaging telescope (AIT). C14 completed its sixth year of automated imaging. The table below gives the number of years each telescope has been operational and their current observing program(s).

The AST's operation has been augmented with the addition of new instrumentation installed over the last year in the recently constructed instrument room. These include the new guest instrument EXPERT3 built by Jian Ge's group at the University of Florida (UF). A high-resolution (R=110,000), vacuum-enclosed, temperature-stabilized spectrograph covering visible wavelengths (0.38-0.9 microns simultaneous), it has already demonstrated performance levels equal to or better than any other system in the world. The UF group has also delivered a second guest instrument, FIRST, a spectrograph similar to EXPERT3 but operating at near-infrared wavelengths (0.8-1.8 microns) with R=70,000.

Development of the EDI-Testbed instrument by Maxwell and Muterspaugh continues. The EDI-Testbed instrument represents a new cutting-edge technology for precision spectroscopy with applications to the discovery of extrasolar planets. The interferometer section has been built and tested in the lab using preliminary software for remote computer control. Simulations in conjunction with development of the analysis pipeline are being used to finalize specifications for the spectrograph section, and parts are currently being ordered for assembly in the lab.

PUBLICATIONS 2014-2015

Armstrong, J. T., Schmitt, H. R., Mozurkewich, D., Jorgensen, A. M., Muterspaugh, M. W., Baines, E. K., Benson, J. A., Zavala, R. T., and Hutter, D. J., "Multi-Baseline Bootstrapping at the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer," in Optical and Infrared Interferometry IV., SPIE Vol. 9146, eds. J. K. Rajagopal, M. Creech-Eakman, and F. Malbet (SPIE: Bellingham, WA), 91460K, 2014. (paper)

Biddle, L. I., Pearson, K. A., Crossfield, I. J. M.,....., Henry, G. W., Howard, A. W., Williamson, M. H., et al., "Warm Ice Giant GJ 3470b -- II. Revised Planetary and Stellar Parameters from Optical to Near-Infrared Transit Photometry," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 443, 1810, 2014. (paper)

Burt, J., Vogt, S. S., Butler, R. P., Hanson, R., Meschiari, S., Rivera, E. J., Henry, G. W., and Laughlin, G., "The Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey: Gliese 687 b--A Neptune-Mass Planet Orbiting a Nearby Red Dwarf," Astrophysical Journal, 789, 114, 2014. (paper)

Fekel, F. C., "HD 207651: A Composite Spectrum Triple System," Astronomical Journal, 149, 83, 2015. (paper)

Fekel, F. C., Williamson, M. H., Muterspaugh, M. W., Pourbaix, D., Willmarth, D., and Tomkin, J., "New Precision Orbits of Bright Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binaries. IX. HD 54371, HR 2692, and 16 Ursa Majoris," Astronomical Journal, 149, 63, 2015. (paper)

Fekel, F. C., Williamson, M. H., Muterspaugh, M. W., and Tomkin, J., "Progress Report on New Spectroscopic Orbits of Potential Interferometric Binaries," in Proceedings of the 18th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, eds. G. van Belle and H. C. Harris, p. 1013, 2015. (paper)

Fulton, B. J., Weiss, L. M, Sinukoff, E., Isaacson, H., Howard, A. W., Marcy, G. W., Henry, G. W., Holden, B., & Kibrick, R. I., "Three Super-Earths Orbiting HD 7924," Astrophysical Journal, 805, 175, 2015. (paper) (press release)

Ge, J., Powell, S., Zhao, B., Schofield, S., Varosi, F., Warner, C., Liu, J., Sithajan, S., Avner, L., Jakeman, H., Gittelmacher, A., Yoder, W.A., Muterspaugh, M., Williamson, M., and Maxwell, J.E., "On-sky Performance of a High Resolution Silicon Immersion Grating Spectrometer," in Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V., SPIE Vol. 9147, eds. S.K. Ramsay, I.S. McLean, and H. Takami (SPIE: Bellingham, WA), 91471A, 2014. (paper)

Ge, J., Powell, S., Zhao, B., Varosi, F., Ma, B., Sithajan, S., Liu, J., Li, R., Grieves, N., Schofield, S., Avner, L., Jakeman, H., Yoder, W.A., Gittelmacher, J.A., Singer, M.A., Muterspaugh, M., Williamson, M., and Maxwell, J.E., "A Robotic, Compact and Extremely High Resolution Optical Spectrograph for a Close-in Super-Earth Survey," in Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V., SPIE Vol. 9147, eds. S.K. Ramsay, I.S., McLean, and H. Takami (SPIE: Bellingham, WA), 914786, 2014. (paper)

Hagen, C., Miller, B. P., Gallo, E., Wright, J., Isaacson, H. T., Henry, G. W., "Chromospheric and Coronal Variation Across Stellar Activity Cycles," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 225, #138.30, 2015. (abstract)

Hinkle, K. H., Fekel, F. C., Joyce, R. R., Lebzelter, T., Hartig, E., Sokoloski, J. L., "Kepler and the Eclipsing Symbiotic System CH Cyg," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 225, #345.18, 2015. (abstract)

Hinkel, N. R., Kane, S. R., Henry, G. W., Feng, Y. K., Boyajian, T., Wright, J., Fischer, D. A., and Howard, A. W., "Refined Properties of the HD 130322 Planetary System," Astrophysical Journal, 803, 8, 2015. (paper)

Howard, A. W., Marcy, G. W., Fischer, D. A.,...,Henry, G. W., et al., "The NASA-UC-UH Eta-Earth Program. IV. A Low-Mass Planet Orbiting an M Dwarf 3.6 pc from Earth," Astrophysical Journal, 794, 51, 2014. (paper)

Kajatkari, P., Jetsu, L., Cole, E., Hackman, T., Henry, G. W., Joutsiniemi, S.-L., Lehtinen, J., Makela, V., Proceddu, S., Ryynanen, K., and Solea, V., "Periodicity in Some Light Curves of the Solar Analogue V352 Canis Majoris," Astronomy & Astrophysics, 577, A84, 2015. (paper)

Kane, S. R., Boyajian, T. S., Henry, G. W., Feng, Y. K., Hinkle, N. R., Fischer, D. A., von Braun, K., Howard, A. W., and Wright, J. T., "A Comprehensive Characterization of the 70 Virginis Planetary System," Astrophysical Journal, 806, 60, 2015. (paper)

Kreidberg, L., Bean, J. L, Desert, J.-M.,...,Henry, G. W., Williamson, M., et al., "A Precise Water Abundance Measurement for the Hot Jupiter WASP-43b," Astrophysical Journal Letters, 793, L27, 2014. (paper)

Lacy, C. H. and Fekel, F. C., "Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary Star V501 Herculis," Astronomical Journal, 148, 71, 2014. (paper)

Lacy, C.H.S., Torres, G., Fekel, F.C., Muterspaugh, M. W., and Southworth, J., "Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary Star IM Persei," Astronomical Journal, 149, 34, 2015. (paper)

Ma, B., Ge, J., Muterspaugh, M. W., Sithajan, S., Thomas, N. B., Senan Seieroe Grieves, N., Li, R., Singer, M., Powell, S., Varosi, F., Zhao, B., Liu, J., Schofield, S., Jakeman, H., Yoder, W., Williamson, M. W., Maxwell, T., Avner, L., and Gittelmacher, J., "Early Science Results from Dharma Planet Survey (DPS), a Robotic, High Cadence and High Doppler Precision Survey of Close-in Super-Earths," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 225, #409.01, 2015. (abstract)

McArthur, B. E., Benedict, G. F., Henry, G. W., Hatzes, A., Cochran, W. H., Harrison, T. E., Johns-Krull, C., and Helan, E., "Astrometry, Radial Velocity, and Photometry: The HD 128311 System Remixed with Data from HST, HET, and APT," Astrophysical Journal, 795, 41, 2014. (paper)

Mikulásek, Z., Krticka, J., Janík, J., Zejda, M., Henry, G. W., Paunzen, E., Ziznovský, J., and Zverko, J., "Ap Stars with Variable Periods," in Proceedings of the International Conference Putting A Stars into Context: Evolution, Environment, and Related Stars, eds. G. Mathys, E. Griffin, O. Kochukhov, R. Monier, G. Wahlgren (Moscow: Publishing House "Pero"), p. 270, 2014. (paper)

Mkrtichian, D. E., Brunt, H., Lee, B.-C., Eaton, J., Williamson, M., Fekel, F., Evans, N., and Han, I., "The Pulsation Amplitude of the Cepheid Polaris Continues to Increase," in The Tenth Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics, ASP Conf. Ser. 482, eds. H.-W. Lee, K.-C. Leung, and Y. W. Kang (San Francisco: ASP), p. 83, 2014. (paper)

Muterspaugh, M. W., and Henry, G. W., "Predicting alpha Comae Berenices Time of Eclipse I: A 26 Year Binary Will Eclipse Within 2 Weeks of 25 January 2015," arXiv1412.1432, 2014. (paper)

Muterspaugh, M. W., Wijngaarden, M. J. P., Henrichs, H. F., Lane, B. F., Hartkopf, W. I., and Henry, G. W., "Predicting alpha Comae Berenices Time of Eclipse II: How 3 Faulty Measurements Out of 609 Caused a 26 Year Binary's Eclipse to be Missed," arXiv1501.05639, 2014. (paper)

Nikolov, N., Sing, D.K., Burrows, A.S., Fortney, J.J., Henry, G. W., Pont, F., Ballester, G.E., Aigrain, S., Wilson, P.A., Huitson, C.M., Gibson, N.P., Desert, J.-M., Lecavelier des Etangs, A., Showman, A.P., Vidal-Madjar, A., Wakeford, H.R., and Zahnle, K., "HST Hot-Jupiter Transmission Spectral Survey: Haze in the Atmosphere of WASP-6b," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 447, 463, 2015. (paper)

Nikolov, N., Sing, D.K., Pont, F., Burrows, A.S., Fortney, J.J., Ballester, G.E., Evans, T.M., Huitson, C.M., Wakeford, H.R., Wilson, P.A., Gibson, N.P., Henry, G.W., Knutson, H., Etangs, A.L.d., Showman, A.P., Vidal-Madjar, A., and Zahnle, K., "HST/STIS Transmission Spectral Survey: Probing the Atmospheres of HAT-P-1b and WASP-6b," in Proceedings of Search for Life Beyond the Solar System. Exoplanets, Biosignatures and Instruments (on line only), Tucson, Arizona, March 16-21, 2014. (abstract)

Olspert, N., Kapyla, M.J., Pelt, J., Cole, E., Hackman, T., Lehtinen, J., and Henry, G.W., "Multiplicity, Modulations, and Flip-Flops in Variable Star Light Curves III. A Carrier Fit Analysis of LQ Hydrae Photometry from 1982-2014," Astronomy & Astrophysics, 577, A120, 2015. (paper)

Parks, J.R., White, R.J., Schaefer, G.H., Monnier, J.D., Henry, G.W., McAlister, H.A., and ten Brummelaar, T.A., "Starspot Imaging with the CHARA Array," in Resolving the Future of Astronomy with Long-Baseline Interferometry," ASP Conf. Ser. 487, eds. M.J. Creech-Eakman, J.A. Guzik, and R. E. Stencel (San Francisco: ASP), p. 345, 2014. (paper)

Pollmann, E., Vollmann, W., and Henry, G. W., "Long-Term Monitoring of Halpha Emission Strength and Photometric V Magnitudes of gamma Cas," Information Bulletin on Variable Stars, No. 6109, 2014. (paper)

Robertson, P., Endl, M., Henry, G. W., Cochran, W. D., MacQueen, P. J., and Williamson, M. H., "Stellar Activity and its Implications for Exoplanet Detection on GJ 176," Astrophysical Journal, 801, 79, 2015. (paper)

Roettenbacher, R. M., Monnier, J. D., Che, X., Baron, F., Pedretti, E., Korhonen, H. H., Zsolt, K., Harmon, R. O., Henry, G. W., McAlister, H. A., and ten Brummelaar, T. A., "Pushing the (Convective) Envelope: Imaging Spotted Stellar Surfaces with Optical Interferometry," in Proceedings of the 18th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, eds. G. van Belle and H. C. Harris, p. 907, 2015. (paper)

Roettenbacher, R. M., Monnier, J. D., Henry, G. W., Fekel, F. C., Williamson, M. H., Pourbaix, D., Latham, D. W., Latham, C. A., Torres, G., Baron, F., Che, X., Kraus, S., Schaefer, G. H., Aarnio, A. N., Korhonen, H., Harmon, R. O., ten Brummelaar, T. A., Sturmann, J., Sturmann, L., and Turner, N. H., "Detecting the Companions and Ellipsoidal Variations of RS CVn Primaries. I. sigma Geminorum," Astrophysical Journal, 807, 23, 2015. (paper)

Roettenbacher, R. M., Monnier, J. D., Korhonen, H., Harmon, R. O., Henry, G. W., and the CHARA Collaboration, "Using RS CVn Binaries as a Novel Approach to Measuring Gravity Darkening," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 225, #343.21, 2015. (abstract)

Sing, D.K., Wakeford, H.R., Showman, A.P., Nikolov, N., Fortney, J.J., Burrows, A.S., Ballester, G.E., Deming, D., Aigrain, S., Desert, J.-M., Gibson, N.P., Henry, G.W., Knutson, H., Lecavelier des Etangs, A., Pont, F., Vidal-Madjar, A., Williamson, M.W., and Wilson, P.A., "HST Hot-Jupiter Transmission Spectral Survey: Detection of Potassium in WASP-31b along with a Cloud Deck and Rayleigh Scattering," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 446, 2428, 2015. (paper)

Stevenson, K.B., Désert, J.-M., Line, M.R., Bean, J.L., Fortney, J.J., Showman, A.P., Kataria, T., Kreidberg, L., McCullough, P.R., Henry, G.W., Charbonneau, D., Burrows, A., Seager, S., Madhusudhan, N., Williamson, M.H., and Homeier, D., "Thermal Structure of an Exoplanet Atmosphere From Phase-Resolved Emission Spectroscopy," Science, 346, 838, 2014. (paper) (Supplementary Materials)

Stevenson, K.B., Desert, J.-M., Line, M.R., Bean, J.L., Fortney, J.J., Showman, A.P., Kataria, T., Kreidberg, L., McCullough, P.R., Henry, G.W., Charbonneau, D., Burrows, A., Seager, S., Madhusudhan, N., Williamson, M.H., Homeier, D., "Composition and Thermal Structure of WASP-43b from Phase-Resolved Emission Spectroscopy," American Astronomical Society - Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting, 46, #104.02, 2014. (abstract)