Related papers: A Useful Approximation for Computing the Continuum…
Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been studied for centuries but continue to be enigmatic. One unsolved mystery is the presence of polarization from these stars. In particular, we present 40 years of polarization measurements for…
The topic of wind-clumping has been the subject of much activity in recent years, due to the impact that it can have on derived mass-loss rates. Here we present an alternative method of investigating wind-clumping, that of polarimetry. We…
Linearly polarized emission is described, in general, in terms of the Stokes parameters $Q$ and $U$, from which the polarization intensity and polarization angle can be determined. Although the polarization intensity and polarization angle…
This paper will review the status of our observations and understanding of Be stars in X-ray binary systems. In virtually all cases the binary partner to the Be star is a neutron star. The circumstellar disk provides the accretion fuel and…
We present a novel analysis method for measurements of polarization transferred in $A(\vec{e},e'\vec{N})$ experiments, which can be applied to other kinds of polarization measurements as well. In this method the polarization transfer…
We investigated the properties of $80$ Be star disks, using the time dependent viscous decretion disk (VDD) model to interpret their mid-infrared continuum fluxes. Besides estimating the typical parameter ranges for such disks, this…
Stellar photometry obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope is used to study the distributions of the number densities of stars of various ages in 12 irregular and dwarf spiral galaxies viewed edge-on. Two subsystems can be distinguished…
The Be star $\pi$ Aquarii shows peculiar $\gamma$ Cas-type X-ray emission, likely caused by its outer disk interacting with a low-mass companion, probably a white dwarf. We study the long-term variability of its optical spectra to derive…
We analyze the intrinsic polarization of two classical Be stars in the process of losing their circumstellar disks via a Be to normal B star transition originally reported by Wisniewski et al. During each of five polarimetric outbursts…
Classical Be stars are fast rotating, near main sequence B-type stars. The rotation and the presence of circumstellar discs profoundly modify the observables of active Be stars. Our goal is to infer stellar and disc parameters, as well as…
The first results of radiative transfer calculations on decretion discs of binary Be stars are presented. A smoothed particle hydrodynamics code computes the structure of Be discs in coplanar circular binary systems for a range of orbital…
We measured mid-infrared polarization of protoplanetary discs to gain new insight into their magnetic fields. Using CanariCam at the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias, we detected linear polarization at 8.7, 10.3, and 12.5 $\mu$m from discs…
H\alpha\ equivalent widths and UBV magnitudes are calculated for Be star disk models that grow in size and/or density with time. We show that these simple models are consistent with the known Be star classes of positive and inverse…
Polarization is a basic property of light and is fundamentally linked to the internal geometry of a source of radiation. Polarimetry complements photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging analyses of sources of radiation and has made possible…
Stellar rotation has long been recognized as important to the evolution of stars, by virtue of the chemical mixing it can induce and how it interacts with binary mass transfer. Binary interaction and rapid rotation are both common in…
The properties of dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) nearest the Sun are poorly understood because the low column densities of dust toward nearby stars induce little photometric reddening, rendering the grains largely undetectable.…
One-armed oscillation modes in the circumstellar discs of Be stars may explain the cyclical variations in their emission lines. We show that a three-dimensional effect, involving vertical motion and neglected in previous treatments,…
Focusing on B-emission stars, we investigated a set of H$\alpha$ equivalent widths calculated from observed spectra acquired over a period of about 4 years from 2003 to 2007. During this time, changes in equivalent width for our program…
Interferometric observations of two well-known Be stars, gamma Cas and phi Per, were collected and analyzed to determine the spatial characteristics of their circumstellar regions. The observations were obtained using the Navy Prototype…
We calculate the degree of linear polarization of radiation from stars having planets that may not be resolved spatially. We assume single scattering by water and silicate particulates in the planetary atmosphere. The dilution of the…