Beauty and Intrigue of the Overlooked: a photographic investigation of surfaces

Art/Architecture (The Ohio State University Spring Undergraduate Research Expo)I will compare and contrast living and inert surfaces at the macro level through a photographic investigation. Complexity of structure, intensity of color and presence of texture are among the merits for which these surfaces will be studied. The exploration of these planes at a magnified level of detail will reveal the visual similarities and differences between them. It is easier now, thanks to advancements in the biological sciences, to factually determine if something is living or nonliving. The visual distinctions between these two categories of existence, however, may not be as obvious, especially with an intensified view of their surfaces. For example, a macro photograph of rust, a nonliving surface, looks eerily similar to one of lichen, a living surface; the main difference between the two being color. The line between these categorical labels “living” and “nonliving” may not be as finite and obvious as the general public would assume. This research aims to show how quickly and blindly the average individual moves through the world. As the researcher, I urge individuals to become more aware of their surroundings and to dismiss a popular misconception that the nonliving is inherently ugly. This research will manifest as sets of photographic diptychs, their side-by-side presentation further emphasizing the similarities and differences between living and nonliving surfaces. By presenting these diptychs as artwork, I am asserting that it is worth your time to look at them; I am asserting that the nonliving is worth your curiosity. By viewing these diptychs, I hope that individuals will realize their involuntary blindness and begin to question the beauty of their surroundings, both living and inert.The Ohio State UniversityAcademic Major: Ar

The Nearest Isolated Member of the TW Hydrae Association is a Giant Planet Analog

In a recent search for unusually red L and T dwarfs, we identified 2MASS J11193254-1137466 as a likely young L7 dwarf and potential member of the TW Hydrae association. We present spectra that confirm the youth of this object. We also measure a radial velocity of 8.5 +/- 3.3 km/s that, together with the sky position, proper motion and photometric distance, results in a 92% probability of membership in the TW Hydrae association, with a calibrated field contamination probability of 0.0005% using the BANYAN II tool. Using the age of TW Hydrae and the luminosity of 2MASS J11193254-1137466, we estimate its mass to be 4.3--7.6 MJup. It is the lowest-mass and nearest isolated member of TW Hydrae at a kinematic distance of 28.9 +/- 3.6 pc, and the second-brightest isolated <10 MJup object discovered to date.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Young Brown Dwarfs as Giant Exoplanet Analogs

Young brown dwarfs and directly-imaged exoplanets have enticingly similar photometric and spectroscopic characteristics, indicating that their cool, low gravity atmospheres should be studied in concert. Similarities between the peculiar shaped H band, near and mid-IR photometry as well as location on color magnitude diagrams provide important clues about how to extract physical properties of planets from current brown dwarf observations. In this proceeding we discuss systems newly assigned to 10-150 Myr nearby moving groups, highlight the diversity of this uniform age-calibrated brown dwarf sample, and reflect on their implication for understanding current and future planetary data.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings for the conference "Brown dwarfs come of age", 2013 May 20-24, to be published in Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italian

Photometric brown-dwarf classification. II. A homogeneous sample of 1361 L and T dwarfs brighter than J = 17.5 with accurate spectral types

We present a homogeneous sample of 1361 L and T dwarfs brighter than J = 17.5 (of which 998 are new), from an effective area of 3070 deg2, classified by the photo-type method to an accuracy of one spectral sub-type using izYJHKW1W2 photometry from SDSS+UKIDSS+WISE. Other than a small bias in the early L types, the sample is shown to be effectively complete to the magnitude limit, for all spectral types L0 to T8. The nature of the bias is an incompleteness estimated at 3% because peculiar blue L dwarfs of type L4 and earlier are classified late M. There is a corresponding overcompleteness because peculiar red (likely young) late M dwarfs are classified early L. Contamination of the sample is confirmed to be small: so far spectroscopy has been obtained for 19 sources in the catalogue and all are confirmed to be ultracool dwarfs. We provide coordinates and izYJHKW1W2 photometry of all sources. We identify an apparent discontinuity, $\Delta$m $\sim$ 0.4 mag., in the Y-K colour between spectral types L7 and L8. We present near-infrared spectra of nine sources identified by photo-type as peculiar, including a new low-gravity source ULAS J005505.68+013436.0, with spectroscopic classification L2{$\gamma$}. We provide revised izYJHKW1W2 template colours for late M dwarfs, types M7 to M9.Comment: Accepted for publication in A & A, 17 pages, 14 figures, catalogue of L and T dwarfs supplied here in source files (anc/ directory), and available on CD