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

This report covers the interval July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.

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 Mathematical Sciences. 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.), Forrest Hoff, Randall Seigler, and Arin Whitehurst.

Muterspaugh continued as Interim Center Director.

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). 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 from 0.38 to 0.9 microns simultaneous has already demonstrated performance levels equal to or better than any other system in the world. This has since been removed from Fairborn after commissioning was complete but before the science program began. The UF group 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 2015-2016

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)

Fekel, F. C., Hinkle, K. H., Joyce, R. R., and Wood, P. R., "Infrared Spectroscopy of Symbiotic Stars. X. Orbits for Three S-Type Systems: V1044 Centauri, HEN 3-1213, and SS 73-96," Astronomical Journal, 150, 48, 2015. (paper)

Roettenbacher, R. M., Monnier, J. D, Fekel, F. C., Henry, G. W., Korhonen, H., Latham, D. W., Muterspaugh, M. W., Williamson, M. H., Baron, F., ten Brummelaar, T. A., Che, X., Harmon, R. O., Schaefer, G. H., Scott, N. J., Sturmann, J., Sturmann, L., and Turner, N. H., "Detecting the Companions and Ellipsoidal Variations of RS CVn Primaries. II. omicron Draconis, A Candidate For Recent Low-Mass Companion Ingestion," Astrophysical Journal, 809, 159, 2015. (paper)

Fekel, F. C., Williamson, M., Muterspaugh, M., and Tomkin, J., "Update on New Spectroscopic Orbits of Potential Interferometric Binaries," International Astronomical Union General Assembly Abstracts, 29, #2233830, 2015. (abstract)

Egeland, R., Metcalfe, T., Hall, J. C., and Henry, G. W., "Sun-Like Magnetic Cycles in the Fast-Rotating Young Solar Analog HD 30495," International Astronomical Union General Assembly Abstracts, 29, #2254437, 2015. (abstract)

Roettenbacher, R., Monnier, J., Korkonen, H., Harmon, R., Henry, G. W., Fekel, F. C., Williamson, M., and Latham, D., "Imaging Spotted Stars with Simultaneous Interferometry, Spectroscopy, and Photometry," International Astronomical Union General Assembly Abstracts, 29, #2257063, 2015. (abstract)

Zellem, R. T., Griffith, C. A., Pearson, K. A., Turner, J. D., Henry, G. W., Williamson, M. H., Fitzpatrick, M. R., Teske, J. K., and Biddle, L. I., "XO-2b: A Hot Jupiter with a Variable Host Star That Potentially Affects Its Measured Transit Depth," Astrophysical Journal, 810, 11, 2015. (paper)

Muterspaugh, M. W., Wijngaarden, M. J. P., Henrichs, H. F., Lane, B. J., Hartkopf, W. I., Henry, G. W., Schaefer, G. H., Farrington, C., Hummel, C. A., and Zavala, R. T., "Predicting the alpha Comae Berenices Time of Eclipse: How 3 Ambiguous Measurements Out of 609 Caused a 26 Year Binary's Eclipse to be Missed," Astronomical Journal, 150, 140, 2015. (paper)

Egeland, R., Metcalfe, T. S., Hall, J. C., and Henry, G. W., "Sun-Like Magnetic Cycles in the Rapidly Rotating Young Solar Analog HD 30495," Astrophysical Journal, 812, 12, 2015. (paper)

Torres, G., Lacy, C. H. S., Pavlovski, K., Fekel, F. C., and Muterspaugh, M. W., "Absolute Dimensions of the Metallic-Line Eclipsing Binary V510 Monocerotis," Astronomical Journal, 150, 154, 2015. (paper)

Steven S. Vogt, Jennifer Burt, Stefano Meschiari, R. Paul Butler, Gregory W. Henry, Songhu Wang, Brad Holden, Cyril Gapp, Russell Hanson, Pamela Arriagada, Sandy Keiser, Johanna Teske, and Gregory Laughlin, "Six Planets Orbiting HD 219134," Astrophysical Journal, 814, 12, 2015. (paper)

Laura Kreidberg, Michael R. Line, Jacob L. Bean, Kevin B. Stevenson, Jean-Michel Désert, Nikku Madhusudhan, Jonathan J. Fortney, Joanna K. Barstow, Gregory W. Henry, Michael H. Williamson, and Adam P. Showman, "A Detection of Water in the Transmission Spectrum of the Hot Jupiter WASP-12b and Implications for its Atmospheric Composition," Astrophysical Journal, 814, 66, 2015. (paper)

Ma, B., Ge, J., Sirinrat, S., Powell, S., Varosi, F., Williamson, M., Muterspaugh, M., Barnes, R., Singer, M., "Early Results from the Dharma Planet Survey," American Astronomical Society, Extreme Solar Systems III., BAAS, Vol. 47, No. 6, November 2015. (abstract)

Sing, D. K, Fortney, J. J., Nikolov, N., Wakeford, H. R., Kataria, T., Evans, T. M., Aigrain, S., Ballester, G. E., Burrows, A. S., Deming, D., Désert, J.-M., Gibson, N. P., Henry, G. W., Huitson, C. M., Knutson, H. A., Lecavelier des Etangs, A., Pont, F., Showman, A. P., Vidal-Madjar, A., Williamson, M. H., and Wilson, P. A., "A Continuum from Clear to Cloudy Hot-Jupiter Exoplanets Without Primordial Water Depletion," Nature, 529, 59, 2016. (paper)

Ge, J., Ma, B., Muterspaugh, M. W., Singer, M., Varosi, F., Powell, S., Williamson, M. W., Sithajan, S., Grieves, N., Zhao, B., Schofield, S., Liu, J., Cassette, A., Carlson, K., Klanot, K., Jeram, S., and Barnes, R., "The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS), a Robotic, High Cadence and High Doppler Precision Survey of Habitable Rocky Planets around Nearby Stars," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 227, #220.06, 2016. (abstract)

Sing, D.K., Fortney, J.J., Nikolov, N., Wakeford, H., Kataria, T., Evans, T.M., Aigrain, S., Ballester, G.E., Burrows, A.S., Deming, D., Desert, J.-M., Gibson, N., Henry, G.W., Huitson, C., Knutson, H., Lecavelier des Etangs, A., Pont, F., Showman, A.P., Vidal-Madjar, A., Williamson, M.W., and Wilson, P.A., "HST Hot-Jupiter Transmission Spectral Survey: From Clear to Cloudy Exoplanets," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 227, #306.03, 2016. (abstract)

Garcia, E., Muterspaugh, M. W., van Belle, G., Monnier, J. D., Stassun, K., Ghasempour, A., and Swihart, S., "VISION: A Six-Telescope Fiber-Fed Visible Light Beam Combiner for the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer," American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 227, #345.13, 2016. (abstract)

Fekel, F. C., Henry, G. W., and Pourpaix, D., "The Spectroscopic Orbits of Five gamma Doradus Stars," Astronomical Journal, 151, 26, 2016. (paper)

Kane, S. R., Thirumalachari, B., Henry, G. W., Hinkel, N. R., Jensen, E. L. N., Boyajian, T. S., Fischer, D. A., Howard, A. W., Isaacson, H. T., and Wright, J. T., "Stellar Activity and Exclusion of the Outer Planet in the HD 99492 System," Astrophysical Journal Letters, 820, L5, 2016. (paper)

Lehtinen, J., Jetsu, L., Hackman, T., Kajatkari, P., and Henry, G. W., "Activity Trends in Young Solar-Type Stars," Astronomy & Astrophysics, 588, A38, 2016. (paper)

Kane, S. R., Wittenmyer, R. A., Hinkel, N. R., Roy, A., Mahadevan, S., Dragomir, D., Matthews, J. M., Henry, G. W., Chakraborty, A., Boyajian, T. S., Wright, J. T., Ciardi, D. R., Fischer, D. A., Butler, R. P., Tinney, C. G., Carter, B. D., Jones, H. R. A., Bailey, J., and O'Toole, S. J., "Evidence for Reflected Light From the MOST Eccentric Exoplanet Known," Astrophysical Journal, 821, 65, 2016. (paper)

Garcia, E. V., Muterspaugh, M. W., van Belle, G., Monnier, J. D., Stassun, K. G., Ghasempour, A., Clark, J. H., Zavala, R. T., Benson, J. A., Hutter, D. J., Schmitt, H. R., Baines, E. K., Jorgensen, A. M., Strosahl, S. G., Sanborn, J., Zawicki, S. J., Sakosky, M. F., and Swihart, S., "Vision: A Six-telescope Fiber-fed, Visible Light Beam Combiner for the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer," Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 128, 055004, 2016. (paper)

Egeland, R., Soon, W. H., Baliunas, S. L., Hall, J. C., Pevtsov, A. A., and Henry, G. W., "The Solar Dynamo Zoo," American Astronomical Society, Solar Physics Division Meeting Abstracts, 47, 11.03, 2016. (abstract)

Egeland, R., Soon, W. H., Baliunas, S. L., Hall, J. C., Pevtsov, A. A., and Henry, G. W., "Dynamo Sensitivity in Solar Analogs with 50 Years of Ca II H & K Activity," American Astronomical Society, Solar Physics Division Meeting Abstracts, 47, 203.07, 2016. (abstract)

Giguere, M. J., Fischer, D. A., Zhang, C. X. Y., Matthews, J. M., Cameron, C., and Henry, G. W., "A Combined Spectroscopic and Photometric Stellar Activity Study of Epsilon Eridani," Astrophysical Journal, 824, 150, 2016. (paper)

Erskine, D. J., Edelstein, J., Wishnow, E. H., Sirk, M., Muirhead, P. S., Muterspaugh, M. W., Lloyd, J. P., Ishikawa, Y., McDonald, E. A., Shourt, W. V., and Vanderburg, A. M., "High-Resolution Broadband Spectroscopy Using Externally Dispersed Interferometry at the Hale Telescope: Part 1, Data Analysis and Results," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, 2, 2, 2016. (paper)