arXiv subjects

Audrey Dunn

Publications and source records attributed to Audrey Dunn.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

TIME Commissioning Observations: II. On-sky Characterization and the 2D Map Data Processing Pipeline

The Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME) is a line intensity mapping (LIM) instrument that is designed to observe the power spectrum of the [CII] $158$~$\mu$m emission line during the Epoch of Reionization. TIME completed a commissioning run in 2022 at the Arizona Radio Observatory onboard the 12-M Radio Telescope at Kitt Peak, where it observed galactic sources for the first time. In this paper we report on an analysis of observations of the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC) and G49.5 (a local HII region). The OMC observations were taken at least once a day to assess the stability of the instrument and demonstrate its on-sky performance. We describe a spectral image processing pipeline to make calibrated maps of raster scans of these sources, incorporating planet observations for gain calibration. We show with G49.5 that, when compared to the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey, we are able to achieve a $< 3\%$ calibration difference. Based on the outcomes from this commissioning phase of TIME, we have demonstrated preliminary performance, and identified sources of improvement necessary for pursuing a LIM measurement.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

TIME Commissioning Observations: I. Mapping Dust and Molecular Gas in the Sgr A Molecular Cloud Complex at the Galactic Center

We present the processing of an observation of Sagittarius A (Sgr A) with the Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME), part of the 2021-2022 commissioning run to verify TIME's hyperspectral imaging capabilities for future line-intensity mapping. Using an observation of Jupiter to calibrate detector gains and pointing offsets, we process the Sgr A observation in a purpose-built pipeline that removes correlated noise through common-mode subtraction with correlation-weighted scaling, and uses map-domain principal component analysis to identify further systematic errors. The resulting frequency-resolved maps recover strong 12CO(2-1) and 13CO(2-1) emission, and a continuum component whose spectral index discriminates free-free emission in the circumnuclear disk (CND) versus thermal dust emission in the 20 km s$^{-1}$ and 50 km s$^{-1}$ molecular clouds. Broadband continuum flux comparisons with the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) show agreement to within $\sim$5% in high-SNR molecular clouds in the Sgr A region. From the CO line detections, we estimate a molecular hydrogen mass of between $5.4 \times 10^5 M_\odot$ and $5.7 \times 10^5 M_\odot$, consistent with prior studies. These results demonstrate TIME's ability to recover both continuum and spectral-line signals in complex Galactic fields, validating its readiness for upcoming extragalactic CO and [C II] surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Development of a planar cable-driven parallel robot for submillimeter and terahertz beam mapping measurements

The spatial sensitivity pattern of millimeter-wavelength receivers is an important diagnostic of performance and is affected by the alignment of coupling optics. Characterization can be challenging in the field, particularly in the decentered and tightly packed optical configurations that are employed for many astronomical millimeter-wave cameras. In this paper, we present the design and performance of a lightweight and reconfigurable beam mapper, consisting of a bank of thermal sources positioned by a planar cable-driven robot. We describe how the measurement requirements and mechanical constraints of the Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME) optical relay drive the design of the mapper. To quantify the positioning performance, we predict the beam patterns at each surface to derive requirements and use a non-contact computer-vision based method built on OpenCV to track the payload position with an accuracy better than 1.0 mm. We achieve an in-plane absolute payload position error of 2.7 mm (RMSE) over a $\sim$400 mm $\times$ 400 mm workspace and an in-plane repeatability of 0.81 mm, offering substantial improvements in accuracy and speed over traditional handheld techniques.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Correlating Intrinsic Stellar Parameters with Mg II Self-Reversal Depths

The Mg II h&k emission lines (2803, 2796 A) are a useful tool for understanding stellar chromospheres and transition regions due to their intrinsic brightness, relatively low interstellar medium (ISM) absorption interference, and abundance of archival spectra available. Similar to other optically thick chromospheric emission lines such as H I Lya, Mg II emissions commonly present with a self-reversed line core, the depth and shape of which vary from star to star. We explore the relationship between self-reversal and the stellar atmosphere by investigating the extent that fundamental stellar parameters affect self-reversal. We present a search for correlations between photospheric parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity with the Mg II k self-reversal depth for a group of 135 FGKM main sequence stars with high-resolution near-ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope. We modeled the observed MgII k line profiles to correct for ISM attenuation and recover the depth of emission line's self-reversal in relation to the intensity of the line. We used the PHOENIX atmosphere code to homogeneously determine the stellar parameters by computing a suite of stellar atmosphere models that include a chromosphere and transition region, and using archival photometry to guide the models of each star. We quantify the sensitivity of the visible and near-infrared photometry to chromospheric and photospheric parameters. We find weak trends between Mg II k self-reversal depth and age, rotation period, Mg II luminosity, temperature, and mass. All stars in our sample older than ~2 Gyr or rotating slower than ~10 days exhibit self-reversal.

astro-ph.SR↗