Rudolph E. Schild

BVRI Light Curves for 22 Type 1a Supernovae

We present 1210 Johnson/Cousins B, V, R, and I photometric observations of 22 recent Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia): SNe 1993ac, 1993ae, 1994M, 1994S, 1994T, 1994Q, 1994ae, 1995D, 1995E, 1995al, 1995ac, 1995ak, 1995bd, 1996C, 1996X, 1996Z, 1996ab, 1996ai, 1996bk, 1996bl, 1996bo, and 1996bv. Most of the photometry was obtained at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in a cooperative observing plan aimed at improving the database for SNe Ia. The redshifts of the sample range from cz = 1200 to 37,000 km s-1 with a mean of cz = 7000 km s-1.

Ubvri light curves of 44 type ia supernovae

We present UBVRI photometry of 44 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed from 1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed and reduced sample of SNe Ia to date, nearly doubling the number of well-observed, nearby SNe Ia with published multicolor CCD light curves. The large sample of U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important connections to SNe Ia observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN Ia U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as does the U - B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ~40% intrinsic scatter compared to the B band.

The origin of life from primordial planets

The origin of life and the origin of the Universe are among the most important problems of science and they might be inextricably linked. Hydro-gravitational-dynamics cosmology predicts hydrogen–helium gas planets in clumps as the dark matter of galaxies, with millions of planets per star. This unexpected prediction is supported by quasar microlensing of a galaxy and a flood of new data from space telescopes. Supernovae from stellar over-accretion of planets produce the chemicals (C, N, O, P, etc.) and abundant liquid-water domains required for first life and the means for wide scattering of life prototypes. Life originated following the plasma-to-gas transition between 2 and 20 Myr after the big bang, while planetary core oceans were between critical and freezing temperatures, and interchanges of material between planets constituted essentially a cosmological primordial soup. Images from optical, radio and infrared space telescopes suggest life on Earth was neither first nor inevitable.

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon grains in reflection nebulae

The paper presents spectroscopic data which identify the source of the photometrically detected extended red emission in the reflection nebulae NGC 2023 and NGC 7023 as emission in the form of a broad luminescence band, reaching its peak in the 6600-6800 A wavelength region. This feature is identified as luminescence from hydrogenated amorphous carbon, excited by short-wavelength photons from the central illuminating stars. In NGC 2023 the luminescence is found to be notably enhanced in a filamentary shell structure surrounding HD 39703, which is spatially coincident with a region exhibiting fluorescent molecular hydrogen emission as well as 3.3-micron emission. From BVRI surface photometry of NGC 2023 and NGC 7023 it is concluded that in regions of enhanced luminescence, presumably regions containing hot atomic hydrogen, the luminescence band shifts toward shorter wavelengths, while in more remote molecular regions more luminescent energy emerges in the long-wavelength tail of the band. This observed behavior is consistent with laboratory results concerning luminescence of hydrogenated amorphous carbon under varying conditions. 27 references.

Photometric and Spectroscopic Observations of SN 1990E in NGC 1035: Observational Constraints for Models of Type II Supernovae

We present 126 photometric and 30 spectral observations of SN 1990E spanning from 12 days before B maximum to 600 days past discovery. These observations show that SN 1990E was of type II-P, displaying hydrogen in its spectrum, and the characteristic plateau in its light curve. SN 1990E is one of the few SNe II which has been well observed before maximum light, and we present evidence that this SN was discovered very soon after its explosion. In the earliest spectra we identify, for the first time, several N II lines. We present a new technique for measuring extinction to SNe II based on the evolution of absorption lines, and use this method to estimate the extinction to SN 1990E, A(V) = 1.5 +/- 0.3 mag. From our photometric data we have constructed a bolometric light curve for SN 1990E and show that, even at the earliest times, the bolometric luminosity was failing rapidly. We use the late-time bolometric light curve to show that SN 1990E trapped a majority of the gamma rays produced by the radioactive decay of Co-56, and estimate that SN 1990E ejected an amount of Ni-56 virtually identical to that of SN 1987A.

Observations Supporting the Existence of an Intrinsic Magnetic Moment inside the Central Compact Object within the Quasar Q0957+561

Recent brightness fluctuation and autocorrelation analysis of time series data and microlensing size scales, seen in Q0957+561A and B, have produced important information about the existence and characteristic physical dimensions of a new nonstandard magnetically dominated internal structure contained within this quasar. This new internal quasar structure, which we call the Schild-Vakulik structure, can be consistently explained in terms of a new class of gravitationally collapsing solutions to the Einstein field equations that describe highly redshifted Eddington-limited magnetospheric eternally collapsing objects that contain intrinsic magnetic moments. Since observations of the Schild-Vakulik structure within Q0957+561 imply that this quasar contains an observable intrinsic magnetic moment, this represents strong evidence that the quasar does not have an event horizon.

Photometric light curves for ten rapidly rotating stars in alpha Persei, the Pleiades, and the field

We present the results from a photometric monitoring program of 10 rapidly rotating stars observed during 1991 using the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) 48-inch telescope. Brightness variations for an additional six cluster stars observed with the Lick 40-inch telescope are also given. The periods and light curves for seven alpha Persei members, two Pleiades members, and one nake T Tauri field star are report. The individual photometric measurements have been deposited with the NSSDC.

The time delay in the twin QSO Q0957 + 561

From 10 yr of brightness monitoring of the two gravitational mirage components of Q0957 + 561 A,B it is shown that the time delay is 1.11 yr. An intensive program of daily brightness monitoring suggests a further refinement of the time delay to 404 days. Careful superposition of the phased brightness records shows that small differences are seen. These differences are attributed to microlensing by a star or stars in the lens galaxy. 5 refs.

Very Isolated Early-Type Galaxies

We use the Karachentseva Catalogue of Very Isolated Galaxies to investigate a candidate list of more than 100 very isolated early-type galaxies. Broadband imaging and low-resolution spectroscopy are available for a large fraction of these candidates and result in a sample of 102 very isolated early-type galaxies, including 65 elliptical (E) and 37 S0 galaxies. Many of these systems are quite luminous, and the resulting optical luminosity functions of the E and early-type (E+S0) galaxies show no statistical differences when compared to luminosity functions dominated by group and cluster galaxies. However, whereas S0 galaxies outnumber E galaxies 4 : 1 in the CfA survey, isolated E outnumber S0 galaxies by nearly 2 : 1. We conclude that very isolated elliptical galaxies show no evidence of a different formation and/or evolution process compared to those formed in groups or clusters, but that most S0 galaxies are formed by a mechanism (e.g., gas stripping) that occurs only in groups and rich clusters. Our luminosity function results for elliptical galaxies are consistent with very isolated elliptical galaxies being formed by merger events, in which no companions remain. Chandra observations were proposed specifically to test the merger hypothesis for isolated elliptical galaxies. However, this program has resulted in the observation of only one isolated early-type galaxy, the S0 KIG 284, which was not detected at a limit well below that expected for a remnant group of galaxies. Therefore, the hypothesis remains untested that very isolated elliptical galaxies are the remains of a compact group of galaxies that have completely merged.

Observational determination of the time delays in gravitational lens system Q2237+0305

We present new brightness monitoring observations of the 4 components of gravitationally lensed system Q2237+0305, which show detection of an intrinsic quasar brightness fluctuation at a time of subdued microlensing activity, between June 27 and October 12, 2003. These data were used to determine the time delays between the arrivals of the four images. The measured delays are τ BA -6, τ CA 35, and τ DA 2 h, so they confirm that the long history of brightness monitoring has produced significant detection of microlensing. However the error bars associated with the delays, of order 2 days, are too large to discriminate between competing macro-imaging models. Moreover, our simulations show that for the amplitude of this intrinsic fluctuation and for photometric errors intrinsic to optical monitoring from our 1.5-m telescope or from the OGLE monitoring, a daily sampled brightness record cannot produce reliable lags for model discrimination. We use our simulations to devise a strategy for future delay determination with optical data. Nevertheless, we regard these first estimates to be significant, since they are the first direct measurements of time delays made for this system from ground-based observations in the visual wavelengths. The detected highly correlated fluctuations of the four quasar images provide an extra confirmation of the gravitational-lens nature of Q2237+0305, and give observational justification to the extensive literature which attributes the quasars previously observed brightness fluctuations to microlensing.