My Masters thesis for Data Science at the College of Charleston. In a nutshell, it is a method of clustering GRB lightcurves. Check out the PDF! Title: A Search for Self-Similarities in BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Emissions Using Agglomerative Clustering Abstract: We present a new method for categorizing Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) emission episodes with similar light […]
Category: Physics and Astronomy
Smoke and Mirrors: Time-Reversed Structures in GRBs
Smoke and Mirrors: Signal-to-Noise and Time-Reversed Structures in Gamma-Ray Burst Pulse Light Curves We demonstrate that the `smoke’ of limited instrumental sensitivity smears out structure in gamma-ray burst (GRB) pulse light curves, giving each a triple-peaked appearance at moderate signal-to-noise and a simple monotonic appearance at low signal-to-noise. We minimize this effect by studying six […]
Astronomy: Eclipse 2017
We are fortunate enough to live within walking distance to the beach. Specifically, Sullivan’s Island, SC. So when an influx of people, two million strong, arrived from all over the globe to watch the 2017 total solar eclipse from our sandy backyard, our local knowledge would surely have come in handy. We thought it would be […]
GRB Lightcurve Clustering
Abstract: We present a new method for categorizing and finding Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB’s) with similar light curves from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), onboard NASA’s Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). Using χ2 values as ’similarity distances’ from any two respective GRBs’ 64ms light curves, we compare every GRB to every other GRB through a […]
Exoplanet Detection with Bayesian Blocks
Abstract: Discovery of exoplanets is important for understanding our place in the universe. One fruitful method for locating exoplanets is by the measurement of the drop in flux of the planet’s host star when the planet passes between the observer and the star – also known as transiting. The light-curves produced by planets transiting in […]
Star Cluster Photometry
Abstract: Photometric analysis is a method applied to nearly all celestial objects. It is executed by examining the electromagnetic flux of a given object, and using the results to determine characteristics about the object. One such characteristic of an object, such as in the case of a star, is the spectral type, which can be […]
GRB Pulse Analysis
Abstract: We present a preliminary analysis of previously unstudied gamma-ray burst pulses. Our sample consists of gamma-ray bursts observed between December 19, 1995 and February 2, 1997 by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on NASA’s Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. We found that the observable properties of these pulses are consistent with those of previously […]