arXiv subjects

T. W. Murphy Jr.

Publications and source records attributed to T. W. Murphy Jr..

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

An absolute calibration system for millimeter-accuracy APOLLO measurements

Lunar laser ranging provides a number of leading experimental tests of gravitation -- important in our quest to unify General Relativity and the Standard Model of physics. The Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO) has for years achieved median range precision at the ~2 mm level. Yet residuals in model-measurement comparisons are an order-of-magnitude larger, raising the question of whether the ranging data are not nearly as accurate as they are precise, or if the models are incomplete or ill-conditioned. This paper describes a new absolute calibration system (ACS) intended both as a tool for exposing and eliminating sources of systematic error, and also as a means to directly calibrate ranging data in-situ. The system consists of a high-repetition-rate (80 MHz) laser emitting short (< 10 ps) pulses that are locked to a cesium clock. In essence, the ACS delivers photons to the APOLLO detector at exquisitely well-defined time intervals as a "truth" input against which APOLLO's timing performance may be judged and corrected. Preliminary analysis indicates no inaccuracies in APOLLO data beyond the ~3 mm level, suggesting that historical APOLLO data are of high quality and motivating continued work on model capabilities. The ACS provides the means to deliver APOLLO data both accurate and precise below the 2 mm level.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Lunar Eclipse Observations Reveal Anomalous Thermal Performance of Apollo Reflectors

Laser ranging measurements during the total lunar eclipse on 2010 December 21 verify previously suspected thermal lensing in the retroreflectors left on the lunar surface by the Apollo astronauts. Signal levels during the eclipse far exceeded those historically seen at full moon, and varied over an order of magnitude as the eclipse progressed. These variations can be understood via a straightforward thermal scenario involving solar absorption by a ~50% covering of dust that has accumulated on the front surfaces of the reflectors. The same mechanism can explain the long-term degradation of signal from the reflectors as well as the acute signal deficit observed near full moon.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

Polarization and far-field diffraction patterns of total internal reflection corner cubes

Many corner cube prisms, or retroreflectors, employ total internal reflection (TIR) via uncoated rear surfaces. The different elliptical polarization states emerging from the six unique paths through the corner cube complicate the far-field diffraction pattern by introducing various phase delays between the six paths. In this paper, we present a computational framework to evaluate polarization through TIR corner cubes for arbitrary incidence angles and input polarization states, presenting example output for key normal-incidence conditions. We also describe a method to produce far-field diffraction patterns resulting from the polarization analysis, presenting representative images---broken into orthogonal polarizations, and characterizing key cases. Laboratory confirmation is also presented for both polarization states and far-field diffraction patterns.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2009

A Radio System for Avoiding Illuminating Aircraft with a Laser Beam

When scientific experiments require transmission of powerful laser or radio beams through the atmosphere the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that precautions be taken to avoid inadvertent illumination of aircraft. Here we describe a highly reliable system for detecting aircraft entering the vicinity of a laser beam by making use of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) transponders required on most aircraft. This system uses two antennas, both aligned with the laser beam. One antenna has a broad beam and the other has a narrow beam. The ratio of the transponder power received in the narrow beam to that received in the broad beam gives a measure of the angular distance of the aircraft from the axis that is independent of the range or the transmitter power. This ratio is easily measured and can be used to shutter the laser when the aircraft is too close to the beam. Prototype systems operating on astronomical telescopes have produced good results.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2007

Murphy et al. Reply to the Comment by Kopeikin on "Gravitomagnetic Influence on Gyroscopes and on the Lunar Orbit"

Lunar laser ranging analysis, as regularly performed in the solar system barycentric frame, requires the presence of the gravitomagnetic term in the equation of motion at the strength predicted by general relativity. The same term is responsible for the Lense Thirring effect. Any attempt to modify the strength of the gravitomagnetic interaction would have to do so in a way that does not destroy the fit to lunar ranging data and other observations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

The Gravitomagnetic Influence on Gyroscopes and on the Lunar Orbit

Gravitomagnetism--a motional coupling of matter analogous to the Lorentz force in electromagnetism--has observable consequences for any scenario involving differing mass currents. Examples include gyroscopes located near a rotating massive body, and the interaction of two orbiting bodies. In the former case, the resulting precession of the gyroscope is often called ``frame dragging,'' and is the principal measurement sought by the Gravity Probe-B experiment. The latter case is realized in the earth-moon system, and the effect has in fact been confirmed via lunar laser ranging (LLR) to approximately 0.1% accuracy--better than the anticipated accuracy of the Gravity-Probe-B result. This paper shows the connnection between these seemingly disparate phenomena by employing the same gravitomagnetic term in the equation of motion to obtain both gyroscopic precession and modification of the lunar orbit. Since lunar ranging currently provides a part in a thousand fit to the gravitomagnetic contributions to the lunar orbit, this feature of post-Newtonian gravity is not adjustable to fit any anomalous result beyond the 0.1% level from Gravity Probe-B without disturbing the existing fit of theory to the 36 years of LLR data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2001

Age-Dating Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies Along the Merger Sequence

Imaging spectroscopy using the new Palomar Integral Field Spectrograph is presented for the Pa-alpha line in four ultraluminous infrared galaxies. In most cases, we are able to establish the geometry of the merger, and thus estimate the time in the merger process at which we are viewing the system. The resulting range in estimated ages, some of which are very young encounters (~5x10^7 yr), is not predicted by merger models, which produce high rates of star formation either 1-2x10^8 years after the first encounter or very late (~10^9 yr) in the merger process. Even in the very young mergers, the ultraluminous activity appears to be centrally concentrated on the nucleus of one of the progenitor galaxies---namely the galaxy with a prograde orbital geometry. Very high star formation rates (2-5 M_sun/yr) are also observed in structures believed to be newly formed tidal tails. The presence of a significant population of very young ultraluminous mergers, together with the majority of ultraluminous infrared galaxies existing in the final stages of merger activity, indicates that the ultraluminous galaxy phase is at least bimodal in time. An evolutionary scenario is proposed for ultraluminous infrared galaxies, wherein the far-infrared luminosity may undergo multiple ultraluminous bursts during the course of the encounter. A substantial fraction of the merger lifetime may be spent in a phase identified with the less powerful luminous infrared galaxy class.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

The Active Nucleus in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy IRAS 08311-2459

Near-infrared spectroscopy using the new Palomar Integral Field Spectrograph indicates the presence of an AGN (active galactic nucleus) in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy IRAS 08311-2459. The high-velocity wings of the Paschen-alpha hydrogen recombination line are seen to be spatially unresolved, and with no positional offset between red and blue high velocity emission. The [Si VI] coronal line, with a 167 eV excitation potential, is also spatially unresolved with a velocity width comparable to that of the broad component of the Pa-alpha emission. The low velocity component of the Pa-alpha emission is seen to be rotating, and is extended over about 2 kpc. Molecular hydrogen is also extended, and elongated along the maximum velocity gradient, sharing the same rotation profile as the narrow Pa-alpha emission. The simple picture in agreement with the observations is that of an AGN surrounded by a rotating disk of star formation. These observations lend strength to the usage of [Si VI] as a diagnostic of AGN activity in ultraluminous infrared galaxies, and also highlight the utility of integral field spectroscopy in elucidating subtle morphological differences in line emitting regions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

APM 08279+5255: Keck Near- and Mid-IR High-Resolution Imaging

We present Keck high-resolution near-IR (2.2 microns; FWHM~0.15") and mid-IR (12.5 microns; FWHM~0.4") images of APM08279+5255, a z=3.91 IR-luminous BALQSO with a prodigious apparent bolometric luminosity of 5x10^{15} Lsun, the largest known in the universe. The K-band image shows that this system consists of three components, all of which are likely to be the gravitationally lensed images of the same background object, and the 12.5 micron image shows a morphology consistent with such an image configuration. Our lens model suggests that the magnification factor is ~100 from the restframe UV to mid-IR, where most of the luminosity is released. The intrinsic bolometric luminosity and IR luminosity of APM08279+5255 are estimated to be 5x10^{13} Lsun and 1x10^{13} Lsun, respectively. This indicates that APM 08279+5255 is intriniscally luminous, but it is not the most luminous object known. As for its dust contents, little can be determined with the currently available data due to the uncertainties associated with the dust emissivity and the possible effects of differential magnification. We also suggest that the lensing galaxy is likely to be a massive galaxy at z~3.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

The Nature of the Compact/Symmetric Near-IR Continuum Source in 4C 40.36

Using NICMOS on HST, we have imaged the emission-line nebulae and the line-free continuum in 4C 40.36, a ultra-steep spectrum FR II radio galaxy at z=2.269. The line-free continuum was found to be extremely compact and symmetric while the emission-line nebulae seen in H-alpha+[N II] show very clumpy structures spreading almost linearly over 16 kpc. However, this linear structure is clearly misaligned from the radio axis. The SED of the line-free continuum is very flat, suggesting that if the continuum emission is produced by a single source, it is likely to be a young bursting stellar population or scattered AGN light. However, because of the lack of a line-free optical image with a comparable spatial resolution, we cannot exclude the possibility that the observed SED is a composite of a young blue population and an old red population.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

The [OIII] Emission-line Nebula of the z=3.594 Radio Galaxy 4C +19.71

We have imaged the z=3.594 radio galaxy 4C +19.71 in the light of the redshifted [OIII] 5007 angstrom emission line, using a narrow-band filter centered at 2.3 microns with the Near Infrared Camera on the Keck Telescope. The [OIII] nebula of 4C +19.71 has a size of 74 x 9 kpc, and a luminosity of 3 x 10^37 W. The rest frame equivalent width of the 5007 line, averaged over the entire nebula, is 560 angstroms. The length of the major axis of the [OIII] emission is nearly identical to the separation of the radio lobes seen at 1465 MHz (Rottgering, et al. 1994), and the position angle of the nebula is the same as that of the two radio lobes. In addition, 4C +19.71 follows the optical emission line vs. radio power correlation seen in other powerful radio galaxies. The [OIII] and Lyman alpha emission line luminosities suggest that the ionized gas mass lies in the range of 2 x 10^8 - 10^9 solar masses. The O/H ratio in the nebula is at least a few tenths solar, and may be as high as a factor of three above solar, indicating a previous phase of star formation in 4C +19.71. Thirty five percent of the total K-band flux is contributed by the 5007 angstrom emission line, and the continuum of 4C +19.71 has a K=19.6 mag. This places 4C +19.71 along the K-z relation found for other radio galaxies and radio loud quasars. If the continuum is dominated by starlight, the host galaxy has a rest frame visual luminosity of about 40L*. There are no candidate emission-line objects at the redshift of 4C +19.71 having [OIII] rest frame equivalent widths of more than about 2% that of the radio galaxy itself within a volume of 212 cubic Mpc.

astro-ph↗