arXiv subjects

Marisol Catalan Olais

Publications and source records attributed to Marisol Catalan Olais.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Student Sounding Rocket Experiment to Probe Electron Density in the Lower Ionosphere

Earth's ionosphere is primarily generated by the Sun's ionization of atoms in the upper atmosphere. This plasma environment is highly dynamic, exhibits strong spatial and temporal, variations and significantly impacts power systems, navigation, and satellite and ground communications. The University of Delaware Ionospheric Probe (UDIP) was developed as a hands-on learning experience for University of Delaware students on the ionosphere itself and on the development of space technology. Students (mostly undergraduates) have led all aspects of the experiment including mission planning, electronics development, mechanical development, software development, and scientific data analysis. The present study is intended as a guide to readers on how the development of space and near-space flight missions can be successfully incorporated into an undergraduate physics curriculum. The fourth version of the experiment (UDIP-4) flew along with student experiments from across the USA on the 2024 RockSat-C sounding rocket, which was launched from NASA Wallops Flight Facility. During the flight, UDIP-4's Langmuir probe successfully measured the ionosphere's density profile -- electron density as a function of altitude -- up to an apogee of 114 km. Though the measured density profile agrees well overall with the predictions of theoretical models, UDIP-4 identified a thin layer of enhanced electron density at an altitude of approximately 110 km that is consistent with a sporadic E layer.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2025

Sensitivity of seasonal variations of the muon energy spectrum in air showers to hadronic interaction models and the cosmic-ray mass composition

The energy spectrum of muons produced in air showers depends not only on the properties of the primary particle, but also on the atmosphere. This is because of the competition between decay and interaction of the parent mesons, which depends on the atmospheric density. As a result, the number of muons at ground shows a seasonal variation, with the strength of the variation depending on the primary cosmic-ray energy, mass, as well as the energy of the detected muons. In this contribution, we study the variations of the muon energy spectrum in air showers using MCEq, a numerical solver of the cascade equations. In particular, we show how the amplitude of the seasonal variations of the number of high-energy (O(TeV)) muons in the shower depends on the primary energy, mass, as well as the assumed hadronic interaction model. A measurement of these variations is possible with the combination of a surface air-shower array and a deep underground detector, which provide a simultaneous measurement of the primary energy and the high-energy muon multiplicity, and may provide a new way to probe the cosmic-ray mass composition and hadronic interactions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

SpecpolFlow: a new software package for spectropolarimetry using Python

Spectropolarimetry, the observation of polarization and intensity as a function of wavelength, is a powerful tool in stellar astrophysics. It is particularly useful for characterizing stars and circumstellar material, and for tracing the influence of magnetic fields on a host star and its environment. Maintaining modern, flexible, and accessible computational tools that enable spectropolarimetric studies is thus essential. The SpecpolFlow package is a new, completely Pythonic workflow for analyzing stellar spectropolarimetric observations. Its suite of tools provides a user-friendly interface for working with data from an assortment of instruments and telescopes. SpecpolFlow contains tools for spectral normalization and visualization, the extraction of Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD) profiles, the generation and optimization of line masks for LSD analyses, and the calculation of longitudinal magnetic field measurements from the LSD profiles. It also provides Python classes for the manipulation of spectropolarimetric products. The SpecpolFlow website includes an array of tutorials that guide users through common analysis cases using the software. SpecpolFlow is distributed as a free, open-source package, with fully documented tools (via an API and command line interface) which are actively maintained by a team of contributors.

astro-ph.IM↗