N. C. Sterling
University of West Georgia
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Featured researches published by N. C. Sterling.
The Astrophysical Journal | 2016
N. C. Sterling; Harriet L. Dinerstein; Kyle Kaplan; Manuel A. Bautista
We identify [Rb IV] 1.5973 and [Cd IV] 1.7204 micron emission lines in high-resolution (R=40,000) near-infrared spectra of the planetary nebulae (PNe) NGC 7027 and IC 5117, obtained with the IGRINS spectrometer on the 2.7-m telescope at McDonald Observatory. We also identify [Ge VI] 2.1930
Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series | 2015
N. C. Sterling; R. L. Porter; Harriet L. Dinerstein
\mu
The Astrophysical Journal | 2016
A. L. Mashburn; N. C. Sterling; S. Madonna; Harriet L. Dinerstein; Ian U. Roederer; Th. R. Geballe
m in NGC 7027. Alternate identifications for these features are ruled out based on the absence of other multiplet members and/or transitions with the same upper levels. Ge, Rb, and Cd can be enriched in PNe by s-process nucleosynthesis during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stage of evolution. To determine ionic abundances, we calculate [Rb IV] collision strengths and use approximations for those of [Cd IV] and [Ge VI]. Our identification of [Rb IV] 1.5973
The Astrophysical Journal | 2017
N. C. Sterling; S. Madonna; K. Butler; J. García-Rojas; A. L. Mashburn; C. Morisset; V. Luridiana; Ian U. Roederer
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The Astrophysical Journal | 2018
Simone Madonna; Manuel A. Bautista; Harriet L. Dinerstein; N. C. Sterling; J. García-Rojas; Kyle Kaplan; Maria Del Mar Rubio-Díez; Nieves Castro-Rodríguez; Francisco Garzón
m is supported by the agreement between Rb3+/H+ abundances found from this line and the 5759.55 A feature in NGC 7027. Elemental Rb, Cd, and Ge abundances are derived with ionization corrections based on similarities in ionization potential ranges between the detected ions and O and Ne ionization states. Our analysis indicates abundances 2-4 times solar for Rb and Cd in both nebulae. Ge is subsolar in NGC 7027, but its abundance is uncertain due to the large and uncertain ionization correction. The general consistency of the measured relative s-process enrichments with predictions from models appropriate for these PNe (2.0-2.5 M_sun, [Fe/H]= -0.37) demonstrates the potential of using PN compositions to test s-process nucleosynthesis models.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union | 2016
Harriet L. Dinerstein; Th. R. Geballe; N. C. Sterling
The detection of neutron(n)-capture elements in several planetary nebulae (PNe) has provided a new means of investigating s-process nucleosynthesis in low-mass stars. However, a lack of atomic data has inhibited accurate trans-iron element abundance determinations in astrophysical nebulae. Recently, photoionization and recombination data were determined for Se and Kr, the two most widely detected n-capture elements in nebular spectra. We have incorporated these new data into the photoionization code Cloudy. To test the atomic data, numerical models were computed for 15 PNe that exhibit emission lines from multiple Kr ions. We found systematic discrepancies between the predicted and observed emission lines that are most likely caused by inaccurate photoionization and recombination data. These discrepancies were removed by adjusting the Kr
Archive | 2006
Harriet L. Dinerstein; John H. Lacy; K. Sellgren; N. C. Sterling
^+
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | 2017
S. Madonna; J. García-Rojas; N. C. Sterling; Gloria Delgado-Inglada; A. Mesa-Delgado; V. Luridiana; Ian U. Roederer; A. L. Mashburn
--Kr
Georgia journal of science | 2017
Cameroun G. Sherrard; N. C. Sterling; Simone Madonna; Courtney L. Spencer; A. L. Mashburn
^{3+}
Georgia journal of science | 2017
John E. Harrison; N. C. Sterling; Manuel A. Bautista; Austin B. Kerlin; A. L. Mashburn
photoionization cross sections within their cited uncertainties and the dielectronic recombination rate coefficients by slightly larger amounts. From grids of models spanning the physical conditions encountered in PNe, we derive new, broadly applicable ionization correction factor (ICF) formulae for calculating Se and Kr elemental abundances. The ICFs were applied to our previous survey of near-infrared [Kr III] and [Se IV] emission lines in 120 PNe. The revised Se and Kr abundances are 0.1-0.3 dex lower than former estimates, with average values of [Se/(O, Ar)]=0.12