Undergraduate Poster Abstracts 2017 AAS Meeting, Grapevine, TX

2017
Dietrich J, Weiner A, Ashby M, Martinez-Galarza J R, Smith H A. The AGN Luminosity Fraction in Galaxy Mergers, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :347.33.
McIntosh M, More S, Silverman J D. AGN-halo Mass Assembly Connection in Galaxy Clusters: Investigation Using the Splashback Radius. American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. 2017;229 :250.59.Abstract
The splashback radius (also known as the last density caustic or the second turnaround radius) is a sharp dark matter halo edge that corresponds to the location of the first orbital apocenter of satellite galaxies after their infall. This definition of a halo boundary is more physical compared to the traditional definitions of halo boundaries which tend to be quite arbitrary. The splashback radius responds to the mass assembly history of clusters. For dark matter halos of the same mass, a large mass accretion rate results in a smaller splashback radius, since its deeper halo potential well has a closer apocenter. Using two cluster samples which had the same mass, but different splashback radii, we set out to check if the incidences of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the member galaxies of these clusters are affected by their mass assembly history. Using SDSS spectroscopic data, we determined metallicity of galaxies and constructed a BPT diagram to classify each galaxy member in each cluster (Seyfert, Liner, Composite, etc.) and determined if an AGN was likely to be present. We compared the samples and determined that the rapidly assembling sample did have a larger AGN presence.
Garcia-Mejia J. Design Considerations for the Installation of an Iodine (I₂) Cell onto TRES, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :155.19.
Frostig D, McLeod B A, Kopon D. A dispersed fringe sensor prototype for the Giant Magellan Telescope, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :155.20.
Schumer C F, Vanderburg A, Bieryla A, Carmichael T, Garrison L H, Huang J, Lewis J, Mayo A, Alam M, Gomez S, et al. Harvard Observing Project monitoring of Boyajian's Star (KIC 8462852), in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :240.32.
Girma E, Guillochon J, Institute B. Modeling the spatial distribution of fragments formed from tidally disrupted stars, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :154.13.
Mayo A, Deck K, Knutson H, Batygin K, Christiansen J. A Possible 5th Planet in the Kepler-89 System, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :146.32.
Espinel J L, Lewis J, Budreviciute R, Bieryla A, Denham Alexander K, Blanchard P, Carmichael T, Garrison L H, Huang J, Mayo A, et al. Recent Observations of AG Pegasi's Latest Outburst Phase by Harvard Observing Project, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :243.07.
Childs F, Strelnitski V, Jorgenson R, Walker G E. On the Time Scales of Optical Variability in Radio-Quiet Quasar PDS 456, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :250.31.
Law C, Milisavljevic D, Crabtree K, Johansen S, Patnaude D. TRES Survey of Variable Diffuse Interstellar Bands, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. Vol 229. ; 2017 :151.15.