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NASA/TM-2011-215870

Goddard’s Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Joan Centrella

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Francis Reddy

Syneren Technologies, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland

Pat Tyler, Graphical Editor

Syneren Technologies, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland

March 2011

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
Available from:

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information National Technical Information Service

7115 Standard Drive 5285 Port Royal Road

+DQRYHU0' 6SULQJ¿HOG9$
Table of Contents i

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Table of Contents

2010: Year in Review .....................................................................................................................................1

New Faces in ASD .........................................................................................................................................3

Awards ...........................................................................................................................................................9

Research Highlights .................................................................................................................................11

Exploring I Zw 18, a Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy .........................................................................11

The Discovery of Lyman-alpha-emitting Galaxies ...........................................................................11

Fermi: Gamma-ray Flares from Surprising Places ............................................................................12

Understanding the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background ..........................................................14

The Evolution of Planet-Forming Disks with the Herschel Space Observatory ........................15

Charge Exchange X-ray Emission in the Heliosphere and Beyond ..............................................17

Trojan Analogs in Binary Black Hole Systems ................................................................................19

Millisecond Pulsar Eclipses: Weighing a Neutron Star ................................................................21

Supernova Shock Interactions...........................................................................................................24

The Inner Workings of Star-forming Galaxies at the Epoch of Star Formation ........................25

Research and Development ......................................................................................................................27

Suborbital ............................................................................................................................................27

Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (Super-TIGER) ...............................................27

Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) ...............................................................................27

X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) and Micro-X ....................................................................29

X-ray Advanced Concepts Testbed (XACT) ................................................................................30

Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer ...........................................................................32

Balloon-borne Experiment with a Superconducting Spectrometer (BESS) ..........................33

Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter ....................................................................................................35

Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) ...............................................................................36

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) .............38

Technology Development ..................................................................................................................40

Laboratory Astrophysics Using an X-ray Microcalorimeter with an

Electron Beam Ion Trap ...............................................................................................................40

X-ray Calorimeter Development .................................................................................................41

X-ray Mirror Development: NuStar and IXO ...........................................................................43

Far-Infrared Detectors ...............................................................................................................44

MKID Detectors for Submillimeter Astronomy ......................................................................46

Technology Development for Space-based Imaging Interferometers ....................................47

Technology Development for LISA ............................................................................................48

Three-Dimensional Track Imager Detector for Gamma-ray and Neutron Imaging .............51

UV and Visible Zero-Read-Noise Imaging Detector Development ........................................52

CdZnTe Detector Development for Hard X-ray Coded-Mask Detectors ............................53

Projects .......................................................................................................................................................55

In Operation ........................................................................................................................................56

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope ...............................................................................................56

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) ...................................................................................59

XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility .....................................................................................61

Suzaku (Astro-E2) .........................................................................................................................62

Hubble Space Telescope ................................................................................................................63

Swift ...............................................................................................................................................66

Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) .........................................................................................67

High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) ...........................69
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ii Table of Contents

WMAP Seven-Year Results ...........................................................................................................72

In Development ...................................................................................................................................75

James Webb Space Telescope ..........................................................................................................75

Astro-H ..........................................................................................................................................77

Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS) ......................................................................78

Mission and Instrument Concepts ..........................................................................................................81

Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE) .............................................................................................81

International X-ray Observatory (IXO) ...........................................................................................82

Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) ...........................................................................84

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) ....................................................................................85

Visible Nulling Coronagraph for Exoplanets .................................................................................87

Stellar Imager (SI) ...............................................................................................................................89

Microspec: Integrated Instruments for Submillimeter Spectroscopy ..........................................90

The Reionization and Transients InfraRed (RATIR) Camera .........................................................91

Human Operations Beyond Low-Earth Orbit to Assemble and Upgrade

Large Optical Systems ........................................................................................................................92

ISS as a Testbed for Future Complex Optical Systems ....................................................................94

Education and Public Outreach in NASA’s Astrophysics Science Division ........................................95

Publications ................................................................................................................................................99
2010: Year in Review 1

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

2010: Year in Review

+is was the year of the “big wait.” After several years 

of work on mission concept studies and white papers 

that were submitted to the National Academy of Sciences’ Decadal Survey of Astrophysics (Astro2010), 

the community ,nally received the report in August 

2010. + e priorities in the large mission category 

were: (1) the Wide Field Infrared Space Telescope 

(WFIRST), a combined dark energy, exoplanet microlensing and Near-IR survey; (2) an enhanced Explorer 

program; (3) the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna 

(LISA) and (4) the International X-ray Observatory 

(IXO). +e Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at 

Goddard had heavily invested in all of these missions, 

so this was certainly good news. However, budget realities plus the cost of the James Webb Space Telescope 

(JWST) implied that none of these big missions were 

going to start in earnest anytime soon. Complicating 

the picture was the fact that LISA and IXO relied on 

partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), 

and there is wide-spread opinion that NASA and ESA 

will eventually collaborate on a dark energy mission. 

ESA was in the middle of their own Decadal process (Cosmic Visions, 2015–2025), and the results of 

those deliberations won’t be known until late Spring 

2011. As we enter 2011, we still seem to be in a “wait” 

mode—to learn the Fiscal 2012 budget, and the outcome of the Cosmic Visions process. So, check back 

next year!

+e Fermi, Swift, RXTE and Hubble missions 

all continue to operate well and return spectacular 

data. A recent highlight from Fermi was the discovery of enormous (~ 8 kpc) lobes of gamma ray emission extending on either side of our Galaxy centered 

on the Galactic center. Although the exact nature of 

the emission is not known, it appears to be due to 

some energetic event in the Galactic center (highenergy electrons scatter lower energy photons up into 

the gamma-ray regime). Swift has now recorded more 

than 500 Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). +e new instruments installed on HST during Servicing Mission 4 

are operating wonderfully, although COS has su-ered 

a small loss in sensitivity. 

WMAP completed its mission and has been 

placed in a parking orbit around the sun. +e team is 

completing the data reduction for the last two years of 

data, and we look forward to the set of papers based 

on the full nine-year mission. WMAP was a fabulous 

Explorer mission that has de,ned our view of the cosmological evolution of the universe. Long time member of ASD, Gary Hinshaw, the Project Scientist for 

WMAP, has moved to University of British Columbia. 

We will miss him but of course wish him well in his 

new pursuits. He will continue to collaborate with our 

CMB group.

Tremendous technical progress has been made 

this year in the development of JWST. +e microshutters and the NIR focal plane array for ESA’s NIRSpec 

instrument were delivered from GSFC to ESA. Harvey Moseley is the PI for the microshutters and Bernie 

Rauscher led the development of the focal plane array. 

+e other instruments and the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), are coming along well, and 

the mirrors are on schedule and are meeting speci,-

cations. Matt Greenhouse is the lead scientist for the 

ISIM. On the recommendation of an Independent 

Comprehensive Review Panel, the JWST Project was 

restructured at NASA HQ and at GSFC, and Mal 

Neidner was appointed to the project science team as 

a new Deputy Senior Project Scientist/Technical.

New instruments and missions are under development in the Division for the Explorer program. Development of the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS; Richard 

Kelley, PI) for the Astro-H mission is proceeding quite 

well. +e ,rst engineering model will be delivered to 

JAXA in 2011, and preliminary tests show that the 

instrument exceeds its spectral resolution requirement 

by healthy margins. SXS employs a microcalorimeter 

for obtaining spectral information about every X-ray 

photon received in the ,eld of view (i.e., non-dispersive). Development of the X-ray polarimeter for the 

Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS; Jean 

Swank, PI) is proceeding toward a Technology Readiness Level 6 status in Spring 2011. +ousands of glass 

mirror substrates have been produced in the X-ray 

mirror oven facility at GSFC, led by Will Zhang. 

+ese mirrors were delivered to the NuStar Explorer 

Project (Fiona Harrison, PI). + e mirror substrates 

exceeded the spatial resolution requirement of 40 arcsec. After the mirrors receive a multilayer coating for 

use in the hard X-ray band, the mirror module will 

be constructed at Columbia University. Finally, during 2010, much e-ort was spent on developing several 

new Explorer and Mission of Opportunity proposals, 

with both internal and external PIs, that are due in 

February 2011. 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

2 2010: Year in Review

In the Research and Analysis area, Stephen Rinehart was the PI for a newly selected suborbital program—to build the Balloon Experimental Twin 

Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII). +e 

BETTII project is a collaboration between NASA’s 

Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of 

Maryland, with assistance from the Far-Infrared Telescope Experiment team in Japan. It has an 8m boom 

and operates in the FIR (30–90Pm) on a high-altitude 

balloon. Further information on BETTII is provided 

in the Suborbital Projects part of this document. 

We also partnered with Chuck Bennett (JHU) on 

a successful proposal to NSF to build the Cosmology 

Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) telescope in 

Chile. +is ground-based telescope will search for the 

imprint of gravitational waves on the CMB polarization (B-mode). GSFC co-Is includes Dave Chuss and 

Ed Wollack, and collaborators Kogut, Moseley, and 

Benford. GSFC will provide the 40 and 90 GHz detectors. +e modulator is based on the design being 

used by the PIPER suborbital program (Kogut, PI). 

Moseley was selected to carry out a concept study 

for a potential instrument contribution to JAXA’s SPICA mission. SPICA is a ~3m cold (4 K) telescope that 

is the next generation of far-IR telescopes by JAXA. 

Moseley’s concept is a compact submillimeter spectrometer called Microspec, which operates at wavelengths beyond 250 microns with moderate spectral 

resolution. In addition, we are signi,cant partners 

on another successful concept chosen for study. +e 

Wide-,eld Imaging Spectrograph for the Infrared 

(WISPIR; Lee Mundy/University of Maryland, PI) 

has a spectral range from 34–210 microns and a spectral resolving power of R = 1,000 to 6,000, depending 

on wavelength. WISPIR provides a choice of full-,eld 

spectral imaging over a 2' × 2' ,eld or longslit spectral imaging along a 2' slit for studies of astrophysical 

structures in the local and high-redshift universe. 

Rick Lyon and Mark Clampin have made good 

progress during the year on their Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) testbed. +e VNC is one of several 

promising coronagraph concepts for obtaining highcontrast imaging of exoplanets. Lyon and Clampin 

were selected for a Technology Demonstration for 

Exoplanet Missions (TDEM) award to advance the 

technology readiness of the VNC for use in a potential 

space 0ight mission.

In 2010, several ASD scientists were selected to 

serve on important NASA advisory committees or 

working groups: Jon Gardner was appointed to serve 

on the Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group (COPAG), and Liz Hays was selected to serve on the Physics of the Cosmos PAG (PhysPAG), joining Aki Roberge who was selected to serve on the Exoplanetary 

PAG (ExoPAG) last year. Bernie Rauscher was selected 

to serve on the Science De,nition Team (SDT) for the 

WFIRST mission. Sally Heap continues to serve on 

the NASA Advisory Committee (NAC) astrophysics 

subcommittee (APS). Jennifer Wiseman serves on the 

AAS Council. Stephen Merkowitz returned to GSFC 

from a detail to the President’s O1ce of Science and 

Technology Policy (OSTP), only to then leave on a 

short detail to NASA Headquarters to work on Policy 

in the Astrophysics Division. Bill Danchi is also on 

detail to NASA HQ in the Astrophysics Division, and 

Padi Boyd just returned from a two-year stint at HQ 

during which time she served as the Kepler program 

scientist.

Dr. Jennifer Wiseman was selected as the new Senior Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, 

,lling the position vacated by Dave Leckrone, who 

retired from NASA in late 2009. She was previously 

the Chief of the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics 

Lab at GSFC. Dr. Joan Centrella was selected as the 

new Deputy Director of the Astrophysics Science Division. Joan, previously the Chief of the Gravitational 

Astrophysics Lab, will provide a strong voice for science throughout ASD and the Center. 

William Oegerle, Director
New Faces in ASD 3

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

New Faces in ASD

In 2010, the Division hired many talented new postdocs and civil servants to support its research. )eir 

photos and brief scienti*c biographies are provided 

below.

Nicholas Bond

Nicholas arrived in November 2010, after working as a postdoctoral 

associate at Rutgers University for the previous 

three years. His research 

interests include selection 

and morphology of highredshift galaxies, *laments 

in large-scale structure, 

quasar absorption lines 

and the structure of our 

galaxy. Nicholas works closely with the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large-Area Survey (H-ATLAS) 

team, which is producing the world’s *rst large submillimeter survey, as well as NASA’s WISE collaboration. He is excited to be taking part in cutting-edge 

research. 

Lindy Blackburn

Lindy Blackburn came 

to ASD in July 2010 as a 

NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow. His doctorate 

work at MIT was on the 

detection of gravitationalwave bursts with LIGO. 

He joins the Gravitational 

Astrophysics Lab here at 

ASD to begin a joint dataanalysis e,ort on astrophysical transients between NASA’s high-energy satellites and the LIGO-Virgo network of interferometric 

gravitational-wave detectors. He looks forward to 

drawing heavily on the wide range of X- and gammaray expertise in ASD and helping to facilitate communication between the gravitational-wave and broader 

astrophysics community.

Ori Fox

Ori Fox started his NASA Postdoc Program fellowship with Harvey Moseley and ASD’s Observational 

Cosmology Lab in July 

2010. Ori hails from the 

University of Virginia, 

where he completed his 

dissertation work on “An 

Infrared Study of Dust 

in Type IIn Supernovae” 

with advisors Michael Skrutskie and Roger Chevalier. Ori is no stranger to 

ASD, as some of his dissertation research was spent 

characterizing detectors for the JWST Near-Infrared 

Spectrograph with Bernie Rauscher as part of the 

NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP).

His research interests span a wide range, including supernovae and supernova dust, gamma-ray bursts, stellar evolution, infrared instrumentation, and detector 

development. Ori looks forward to combining all of 

these interests at Goddard by supporting the construction, observations and science of RATIR, an infrared 

imager designed to rapidly identify high-redshift gamma-ray bursts.

Asami Hayato

Last year, Asami completed her doctorate in physics in Japan with a study 

about X-ray observations 

of supernova remnants 

using Suzaku. She has 

worked on the satellite’s 

X-ray detector, especially 

the gas counters, since she 

was a master’s student. She 

joined the NASA team as 

a JSPS postdoctoral fellow in June 2010 and is now 

working on the polarimeter for the GEMS mission. 

Her goal is to carry out the * rst X-ray polarimetry 

observation since the 1970s and discover new science 

with the detector being 

developed by the GEMS 

team.

Joanne Hill

Joanne (Joe) Hill joined 

the X-ray Astrophysics 

Laboratory in July 2005 

through USRA and became a NASA civil servant 

in September 2010. She 

All photos by David Friedlander
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

4 New Faces in ASD

has worked on the development of detectors for astrophysical applications for more than 15 years. She 

graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Leicester in 1998 following her research into measuring polarization with small pixel CCDs. She moved to Penn 

State University, where she became the instrument scientist for Swift’s X-ray Telescope. Joe now leads the development of X-ray polarimeters for GEMS, which is 

scheduled for launch in 2014. Her other interests are 

in the development of a Gamma-ray Burst Polarimeter 

and the use of small satellites and human-tended suborbital vehicles as instrument test beds.

Michael Hosack

Michael is a Support Scientist under contract with 

ADNET Systems, Inc. He 

arrived at ASD in September 2009 and has been developing an X-ray polarimeter for studying solar 

.ares. For the past 5 years, 

he has specialized in gasionizing X-ray detectors, 

*rst at Temple University, 

then Bruker AXS, Inc., and now Goddard. His graduate and initial postdoctoral work involved high-energy 

experimental measurements of mixing and chargeparity violation in charm and beauty mesons. Michael 

enjoys applying knowledge gleaned from one *eld to 

other areas. He collaborates closely with members of 

the X-ray Astrophysics Lab and the Solar Physics Lab 

to adapt detector technology developed for the GEMS 

mission—which intends to explore distant objects like 

black holes and neutron stars—to study the Sun.

Susan Kassin

Susan is a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow working with Jonathan Gardner on the 

James Webb Space Telescope. She studies galaxy 

evolution primarily from 

the standpoint of galaxy kinematics at low 

and high redshift. Susan 

mainly works with data 

from multi-object and integral *eld spectrographs in 

the optical and the near-infrared, in addition to Hubble images. She also collaborates with theorists and 

numerical simulators to help understand her observations. Most recently she was at Oxford but still has 

roots in Santa Cruz.

Jeffrey Kruk

Je,rey came to ASD in 

June 2010 as the Instrument Scientist for NASA’s 

planned Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope 

(WFIRST). Previously, 

he spent 20 years at 

Johns Hopkins University, where he worked on 

instrumentation, systems 

engineering and far-ultraviolet spectroscopy associated with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) and FUSE. His research interests on those programs included chemical abundances 

in the interstellar medium and hot hydrogen-de*cient 

pre-white dwarf stars. With additional interests in instrument calibration, Je,rey has been involved with 

this aspect of both the HUT and FUSE projects and as 

a co-investigator with the Absolute Color Calibration 

Experiment for Standard Stars (ACCESS) sounding 

rocket program now underway at Johns Hopkins. In 

an earlier life, he was an experimental medium- and 

high-energy physicist working on numerous experiments at Brookhaven, Los Alamos, and Fermilab. In 

recent years, his interests have shifted to dark energy, 

beginning with a MIDEX concept to measure baryon 

acoustic oscillations and the Advanced Dark Energy 

Physics Telescope concept study.

Craig Markwardt

Craig joined the ASD 

X-ray Astrophysics Lab in 

2010 as a civil servant. He 

began his tenure there as 

a cooperative scientist in 

1997 after receiving his 

Ph.D. from the University 

of Wisconsin at Madison. 

As a member of the instrument team for RXTE’s 

Proportional Counter Array (PCA), he studies the timing and spectral properties of stellar-mass black hole and neutron star binary 

systems in our galaxy. Moving outward, Craig uses the 
New Faces in ASD 5

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) to examine powerful bursts of gamma rays from distant galaxies and is 

tabulating a census of X-ray-emitting galactic nuclei 

in the local universe. Most recently, Craig has joined 

the GEMS project, which will perform the *rst systematic survey of X-ray polarization, a new dimension 

of X-ray astronomy. His primary programmatic role 

as manager of the GEMS Science Operations Center 

is to develop science data processing software and science ground systems.

Elisabetta Micelotta

Elisabetta works in the 

Observational Cosmology Lab and joined the 

ASD team in June 2010. 

She received her Ph.D. 

from Leiden University, 

)e Netherlands, with 

Prof. A. Tielens, and spent 

half of those four years 

collaborating with Prof. 

A. Jones at the Institut 

d’Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay, France. Elisabetta 

is interested in all stages of scienti*c research, from 

the development of models to the testing of models through observations and experiments—and she 

thinks ASD o,ers the best opportunity to pursue these 

interests. Her research focuses on infrared astronomy, 

with particular interest in the physics of interstellar 

dust and molecules in various astrophysical environments, including supernova remnants, starburst galaxies and active galaxies.

Rodrigo Nemmen

Rodrigo arrived at ASD 

in August 2010 as a new 

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow and is collaborating with Fermi and 

Swift researchers in the 

Astroparticle Physics and 

X-ray Astrophysics Labs. 

He came from the city 

of Porto Alegre (“Happy 

Harbor”), located in the 

“deep south” of Brazil. He received his Ph.D. from 

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in 2009, 

under the supervision of Prof. )aisa Storchi Bergmann. Rodrigo works at the interface between theory 

and observations. His research interests include the 

nature of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and the connection between the physics of gamma-ray bursts and 

the central engines of active galactic nuclei (AGN). He 

is constraining the physics of black hole accretion, out-

.ows and spins in AGN (LINERs, radio galaxies and 

quasars) using multiwavelength observations (including X-rays and gamma-rays) in order to understand 

the “astrophysical diet” of supermassive black holes. 

He’s excited to be interacting with so many bright scientists at Goddard and to learn *rst-hand about updates on NASA missions.

Jeremy Perkins 

Jeremy joined the Fermi 

Science Support Center 

at NASA in May 2010 

after spending four years 

at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 

Tucson, Ariz., working on 

VERITAS; he did everything from project management to research on 

extragalactic TeV emitters 

such as starburst and active galactic nuclei. Jeremy’s 

research interests are focused on the interplay between 

GeV (with Fermi) and TeV (with VERITAS) sources, 

with an emphasis on extragalactic objects, especially 

AGN. He serves as a member of both the Fermi Large 

Area Telescope and VERITAS teams, which helps facilitate joint studies. After the recent ice storm, he’s 

really wishing he was enjoying an 80° winter day in 

Tucson right now.

Andy Ptak

Andy joined the X-ray Astrophysics Lab as a civil 

servant in July after eight 

years as a research scientist 

at Johns Hopkins University. He is interested observational extragalactic 

X-ray astrophysics, with 

emphasis on active galactic nuclei and starburst 

galaxies. A key aspect of 

the future research for both of these source classes is 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

6 New Faces in ASD

high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and imaging observations above 10 keV. ASD is at the forefront of those 

developments thanks to Goddard’s involvement in the 

upcoming NuStar, Astro-H and IXO missions. Andy 

is also actively involved in wide-area-survey astronomy and astrostatistics—the use of advanced statistical 

techniques in astrophysics research. He is a member 

of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope project’s galaxies and astroinformatics science collaborations. He is 

also a member of the leadership for a wide-*eld X-ray 

telescope mission that may be proposed in the future.

Judith Racusin

Judith came to ASD in 

August 2009 after *nish -

ing her Ph.D. at Penn 

State University, initially 

as part of the NASA Postdoctoral Program and 

later as a civil servant. 

She directly uses a variety of X- and gamma-ray 

telescopes and works on 

multi-wavelength studies 

to understand the origin and nature of gamma-ray 

bursts, supernova remnants and other energetic objects. Her research interests also include instrumentation for high-energy astrophysics, and she is an active 

member of both the Swift and Fermi Gamma-ray 

Space Telescope teams.

Jane Rigby

Jane came to ASD as a 

civil servant in 2010 from 

the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, Calif., where she was both 

a Carnegie and Spitzer 

Fellow. She works in the 

Observational Cosmology Lab and serves as the 

Deputy Project Scientist 

for Operations for the 

James Webb Space Telescope. She earned her Ph.D. at 

the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on galaxies that are rapidly forming stars, as well as galaxies 

whose central black holes are growing. She uses telescopes spanning a large range of the electromagnetic 

spectrum, including the Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra space observatories and the Magellan and Keck 

ground-based observatories. She uses galaxy clusters as 

“gravitational telescopes” to push even farther into the 

era of galaxy growth.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Chanda arrived at ASD 

in November 2010 as a 

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow. She comes to 

NASA as the *rst theoretical cosmology doctorate 

from Canada’s Perimeter 

Institute for ) eoretical 

Physics and University 

of Waterloo in Ontario. 

Chanda is interested in all 

aspects of cosmic acceleration, from understanding it 

as a potential quantum gravity phenomenology to using large-scale structure as a test for models of modi-

*ed gravity and dark energy. Chanda is working with 

the WFIRST team in the Observational Cosmology 

Lab with an eye toward identifying the best ways to 

use weak lensing for precision cosmology. After four 

years in an extremely theory-oriented environment, 

Chanda is excited to be home and in a place where 

data reigns supreme.

Jeremy Schnittman

Jeremy joined the ASD 

team as a civil servant in 

July 2010, coming all the 

way from Baltimore, Md., 

where he spent the last 

three years as a Chandra 

Postdoctoral Fellow at 

Johns Hopkins University. His research interests 

include theoretical and 

computational modeling of black hole accretion .ows, X-ray polarimetry, 

black hole binaries, gravitational wave sources, as well 

as planetary dynamics and resonant behavior. He has 

been described as a “general-purpose astrophysics theorist,” which he regards as quite a compliment. Jeremy 

works closely with members of the X-ray Astrophyiscs 

and Gravitational Astrophysics Labs on the GEMS 

and LISA missions, and his o1ce is conveniently located between them.
New Faces in ASD 7

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Tea Temim

Tea joined ASD in November 2010 as a NASA 

Postdoctoral Fellow. She 

graduated from the University of Minnesota in 

2009, but spent the past 

three years as a predoctoral (and then postdoctoral) fellow at the 

Harvard-Smithsonian 

Center for Astrophysics in 

Cambridge, Mass., where she worked with Dr. Patrick 

Slane on the evolution of composite supernova remnants. She is now a part of the James Webb Space Telescope group and works with George Sonneborn. Her 

research interests include infrared and X-ray studies of 

supernova remnants, evolution of composite remnants 

and pulsar wind nebulae, and the production and processing of dust by supernovae.

Francesco Tombesi 

Francesco is not completely new to ASD, having visited several times 

over the past few years. 

In April 2010, he received 

his doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Bologna, Italy. Since 

August he has worked as a 

postdoc in ASD and at the 

University of Maryland. 

Francesco’s main research interests are X-ray spectroscopy of active galactic nuclei and the study of accretion/ejection processes close to their super-massive 

black holes. He is also interested in developing new 

X-ray missions and is a member of the Astro-H science team. 

Eleonora Troja

Eleonora arrived at ASD 

in July 2009 as a fellow 

of the NASA Postdoctoral 

Program. She received her 

doctorate in astrophysics at the University of 

Palermo in Italy with a 

thesis focused on gammaray bursts (GRBs) and 

their afterglows. Before joining the Swift and Fermi 

teams at Goddard, she enjoyed working with the GRB 

groups at the University of Leicester and the Tokyo 

Institute of Technology.

Adria Updike

Adria joined the Observational Cosmology Lab 

as a postdoc in November 

2010 after completing her 

doctorate work at Clemson University, where she 

studied the dust composition of gamma-ray burst 

host galaxies with Dieter 

Hartmann. Her research 

interests include optical 

and near-infrared observations of gamma-ray burst 

afterglows, modeling of spectral energy distributions, 

dust formation and destruction, and galactic evolution. She will be working with Eli Dwek on problems 

relating to dust and star formation.

Dan Wik

Dan joined the ASD team 

as a NASA Postdoctoral 

Position Fellow in September 2010, fresh from 

completing his Ph.D. at 

the University of Virginia 

under the supervision of 

Craig Sarazin. His dissertation focused on the consequences of galaxy cluster 

mergers with a particular 

emphasis on searching for di,use, non-thermal emission at X-ray energies with XMM-Newton, Suzaku, 

and Swift. To his great disappointment, Dan failed 

to detect anything worth admitting to. At Goddard, 

Dan is particularly excited about having access to a 

computer directly connected to the HEASARC data 

archive—allowing him to expand his interest in galaxy 

clusters—and being a part of the NuSTAR hard X-ray 

mission, which may one day allow him to detect nonthermal emission from clusters after all. 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

8 New Faces in ASD
Awards 9

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Awards

In the past year, a number of awards were received by 

individuals or teams within the Astrophysics Science 

Division (ASD) for extraordinary contributions to 

their respective 'elds.

In April 2010, Neil 

Gehrels, currently the 

Chief of the Astroparticle 

Physics Lab and Principal 

Investigator of the Swift 

mission, was elected to 

the National Academy of 

Sciences. ( e award was 

given for Neil’s pioneering 

contributions to gamma 

ray astronomy and leadership of the Compton 

Gamma Ray Observatory and Swift missions to study 

AGN and gamma-ray bursts (GRB). (e results from 

the Swift mission have been instrumental in advancing 

our understanding of the nature of GRBs. Neil joins 

John Mather as the second NASA astronomer in the 

National Academy. For Neil, election into the National Academy comes on the heels of his being awarded 

the 2009 Henry Draper Medal by the NAS.

Julie McEnery and 

Dave ( ompson shared 

the 2010 John C. Lindsay Memorial Award for 

Space Science. ( is annual award is presented to 

a Goddard employee for 

an outstanding contribution to space science or 

technology and is one of 

the Center’s highest forms 

of recognition for a scienti'c contribution. Julie and Dave are the Project Scientist and Deputy Project Scientist, respectively, for 

the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and the award 

was presented to them for the key roles they played in 

signi'cant discoveries made with Fermi. Julie served as 

the Analysis Coordinator of the Large Area Telescope 

(LAT) during the 'rst year of )ight and was co-lead 

of the Gamma Ray Burst science group. Dave was the 

lead for the anti-coincidence detector on LAT, serves 

as the Multiwavelength Coordinator, and was co-lead 

of the Catalog science group. Fermi had ' ve of the 

top-cited papers in all of 

space science in 2009, and 

Julie was a leader on one 

of these papers (announcing extended high-energy 

gamma-ray emission from 

GRB 080916C with a Lorentz factor > 600), and 

Dave was a leader of another (the publication of 

the LAT Bright Source 

Catalog). Fermi is revolutionizing our view of the gamma-ray sky, and Julie and 

Dave contributed signi'cantly to the mission’s scienti'c productivity.

Mark Clampin was a 

member of a team receiving the 2009 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, 

awarded annually for the 

most outstanding article 

published in the journal 

Science. (e paper, “Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light-Years 

from Earth,” by Kalas et 

al., announced the direct detection of an exoplanet in the Fomalhaut system with HST. (e award was presented at the 2010 

AAAS meeting in San Diego. (e Prize was shared 

between the Kalas/Clampin team and another team 

led by Christian Marois that reported direct detection 

with Keck of three exoplanets in the HR 8799 system. 

Both papers were published in the same issue of Science. (e Prize was presented to the team at the 2010 

AAAS meeting in San Diego. In addition, Clampin 

received a 2010 NASA Exceptional Scienti'c Achievement Medal for this work.

Numerous members of ASD were on teams that 

received 2010 NASA Group Achievement Awards for 

their contributions to the success of operating or future space missions. (e awardees include the Fermi 

Science Team, the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism 

(GEMS) Explorer Team, and the HST Servicing Mission 4 teams.

(ree members of ASD received Robert H. Goddard awards for Science in 2010. Matt Greenhouse was 

recognized for his excellent leadership of the JWST instrument teams. Matt provides scienti'c oversight for 

Neil Gehrels

Julie McEnery

Dave Thompson

Mark Clampin
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

10 Awards

Goddard’s contributions 

to JWST in the area of 

analysis and testing of detectors and microshutters. 

He also provides leadership to JWST instrument 

teams from around the 

world (U of Arizona, Canada, ESA, Scotland, JPL) 

to ensure that instrument 

problems are solved and 

scienti'c requirements are met. 

Randy Kimble was recognized for exceptional 

achievement in the development of the Wide Field 

Camera 3 (WFC3) for 

HST. ( e performance 

of the camera in-orbit is 

remarkable, fully meeting 

or exceeding expectations. 

Randy played a leading 

role in making sure that 

high QE NIR detectors 

were included in WFC3, 

as well as providing overall 

leadership of the instrument development. 

Alexander Moiseev was recognized for his development of analysis methods for measuring highenergy electrons with the 

Fermi LAT instrument. 

(is led to the unexpected 

observations that the spectrum of very high-energy 

electrons is much )atter 

than expected by conventional models of electron 

production and di,usion 

in the Galaxy. (e resulting paper in Physical Review Letters is the most 

widely cited Fermi paper to date. 

Finally, Richard Mushotzky received the 2010 

Goddard Award of Merit, the highest award given out 

by Goddard, and is usually reserved for sustained and 

signi'cant achievement over the span of a career. Richard has been at the forefront of work interpreting observations of AGN and clusters of galaxies for the last 

30 years. His research has used data from numerous 

NASA and international missions including OSO8, HEAO-1, HEAO-2, 

BBXRT, ASCA, ROSAT, 

Einstein, Chandra, XMM 

and Suzaku missions. 

Over his career, Richard has authored or coauthored an astounding 

343 refereed papers with 

over 21,000 citations. In 

the past year, Richard left 

government service and is 

now a professor at the University of Maryland in College Park. Luckily for us, he continues to work with 

scientists in ASD through the Joint Science Institute, a 

collaboration between GSFC and University of Maryland. 

Matt Greenhouse

Randy Kimble

Alexander Moiseev

Richard Mushotzky
Research Highlights 11

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Research Highlights

Exploring I Zw 18, a Blue Compact Dwarf 

Galaxy 

,e blue compact dwarf galaxy I Zw 18 is one of the 

most metal-poor star-forming galaxies known. In fact, 

it is a probably a more primitive galaxy than the highredshift (z=7–8) galaxies now being explored with 

Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Because of 

its low stellar mass and low nebular metallicity, I Zw 

18 o-ers an excellent laboratory for studying star formation, metal enrichment and galaxy evolution in the 

early universe (z ≥ 9). 

Recently, Sally Heap and colleagues obtained farUV spectra of I Zw 18-NW using Hubble’s Cosmic 

Origins Spectrograph (COS) in order to learn about 

evolutionary processes operating in primitive galaxies. 

,ey found that the observed properties of stars in I 

Zw 18 are consistent with models of stellar evolution 

at very low metallicity, which can be qualitatively different from those at higher metallicity due to the effects of rapid rotation, and/or the evolutionary paths 

of close binary systems containing massive stars, as 

shown in the table below.

,ey also /nd that the stage of star formation as 

measured by the ratio M*

/(Mgas + M*) is important, 

a-ecting the UV slope parameter (E), the dynamical 

evolution of the galaxy, and the dispersal of newly synthesized elements into the interstellar and intergalactic 

medium.

The Discovery of Lyman-alpha-emitting 

Galaxies

Bruce Woodgate, Carol Grady, Don Lindler, and collaborators at Goddard, the University of Indiana, University of Chicago, and the University of Hertfordshire 

in the UK have discovered 50 galaxies with strong 

Lyman-alpha emission between redshifts 2.3 and 3.4 

in the last two years. ,eir new method is to exploit 

the huge cosmic volume covered by recent deep, wide 

photometric surveys, such as the CFHT Legacy Survey, and select those objects with excess 1ux in a single 

band, such as the green band, in the expectation that it 

is due to the strong Lyman alpha line shifted into that 

wavelength range. ,en these candidate excess-green 

objects are observed spectroscopically to con/rm or 

deny that they are line emitters. 

Most of those found (44 of 50) have been in two 

deep / elds of the Legacy Survey, using the WIYN 

telescope on Kitt Peak with the multi-/ber Hydra 

spectrograph, by graduate student Brian Baptista of 

the University of Indiana, and the remaining six have 

been found using the Dual Imaging Spectrograph at 

the Apache Point Observatory, N.M. ,ey plan to follow up investigating the spatial and spectral structure 

of these objects using the new Integral Field Spectrograph currently being installed at the Apache Point 

Observatory.

,e use of the strong Lyman alpha emission line 

enables the galaxies to be picked out of millions of 

other galaxies in the / eld and their redshifts deterObserved 

Feature

Fast-Rotating 

Single Stars

Interacting 

Binary Stars

Presence of 

Wolf-Rayet 

(H-rich 

envelope 

removed)

Mixing from 

core to surface 

Rotation-enhanced 

mass-loss

Roche-Lobe 

over1ow 

Low velocity 

of wind lines

Rotation-induced 

“mechanical” 

mass-loss

Radiative 

inhibition

Broad stellar 

spectral lines 

High rotational 

velocity

Spin-up of massgainer star 

Strange, 

emission-line 

stars; CNO 

abundance 

anomalies

Rotation-induced 

mixing of newly 

synthesized CNO 

to the surface

Transfer of newly 

synthesized CNO 

from original 

primary star 

in Roche-Lobe 

over1ow

I Zw 18 as seen in the far-ultraviolet by Hubble’s STIS. !e 

broken circle indicates the region studied using the Cosmic 

Origins Spectrograph. 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

12 Research Highlights

mined, so that they can be placed within the cosmic 

web as indicators of large scale structure, and the 

shapes and spectra used to determine the mechanisms 

of their interactions with the intergalactic medium as 

they emerged from their dark matter haloes 11 to 12 

Gyrs ago. ,is is a pilot program for use of deeper 

and wider surveys associated with Dark energy missions, and for studies even earlier in cosmic time using 

JWST.

Fermi: Gamma-ray Flares from Surprising 

Places

,e Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope carries the 

Large Area Telescope (LAT), an instrument o-ering 

unmatched sensitivity in the MeV- GeV band, a very 

wide /eld of view (~2.4 sr), and a three-hour cadence 

of all-sky coverage. After more than two years of observations, the LAT is revolutionizing gamma-ray variability studies and revealing some surprising results. 

Although some gamma-ray populations, such as 

pulsars, appear steady over time, much of the gammaray sky changes on timescales from minutes to hours, 

days, weeks, and beyond. ,e /rst Fermi LAT catalog 

found signi/cant monthly variability in about 30 percent of 1,451 sources. ,e vast majority of those are 

con/rmed or suspected to be associated with blazars, 

active galactic nuclei with the particle jet close to our 

line of sight. However, the conditions that generate 

1aring and transient gamma-ray emission are not exclusive to extragalactic objects. LAT 1 are advocates, 

who monitor the sky for new and interesting outbursts, keep daily watch for activity that could be associated with phenomena occurring in our Galaxy.

V407 Cyg is the /rst con/rmed Galactic gammaray transient discovered by the LAT. ,is symbiotic 

binary system contains a white dwarf with a red giant companion. On March 10, 2010, the white dwarf 

shed the outer layers of material accumulated over the 

past decades in a thermonuclear explosion, a nova. 

V407 Cyg appeared suddenly and for the / rst time 

as a gamma-ray source on the same day as the optical 

detection. ,e gamma-ray emission peaked within a 

few days, and then faded away completely by March 

25. Davide Donato played a key role as the LAT 1are 

Blue camera extracted spectrum of target CFHT Legacy Survey Wide3-73617, showing the possible detection of oxygen VI 

emission at 1032 Angstroms.
Research Highlights 13

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

advocate during the event. While monitoring the automated data processing, he noted the presence of a 

new, unidenti/ed source and alerted other team members, including former Goddard NPP Fellow Teddy 

Cheung, Elizabeth Hays, and Robin Corbet. ,e following hunt included examining Swift XRT data of 

the region and led to identifying the nova as the most 

likely counterpart. ,is brought in another Goddard 

scientist, Glenn Wahlgren, who contributed to the 

LAT publication and has also conducted high-resolution studies of the optical spectra of the system. 

Although surprising, the association is not unreasonable. ,e V407 Cyg system is a great candidate for 

high-energy emission because it is a symbiotic binary. 

,is means that the white dwarf accumulates material 

from the wind of the red giant. ,e resulting density 

and radiation gradients around the star set the stage 

for an asymmetric expansion of the nova shockwave 

and e4cient conversion of the shock energy into 

gamma radiation. A previous nova, 2006 RS Oph, 

demonstrated that the expanding shock of a nova in a 

symbiotic binary system generates non-thermal X-ray 

emission. However, the presence of gamma rays above 

100 MeV in V407 Cyg came as an exciting surprise 

and established novae as a new type of gamma-ray 

emitter. 

,e X-ray development follows an entirely di-erent timeline from the gamma-ray emission. ,e initial X-ray signal was weak and then increased rapidly 

around 20 days after the nova. ,e X-ray emission 

not only started much later, but also continued for a 

longer duration than the gamma ray outburst. ,is is 

consistent with the scenario of an asymmetric shock 

expansion into the complex environment of the white 

dwarf-red giant system. ,e origin of the X-rays and 

the gamma rays are both instigated by the energy release of the nova, but are separate mechanisms

,e shock created by the nova explosion may initially be symmetric, but it will not remain that way 

as it encounters mass at di-erent rates in di-erent directions as it expands outward from the white dwarf. 

,is means that the time evolution of the expansion 

will have a directional dependence. ,e environment 

in the direction of the red giant favors gamma-ray 

production most strongly. ,e increasing density of 

the stellar wind and atmosphere allows the Sedov condition, where the swept-up mass exceeds the ejected 

mass, to be reached relatively quickly. ,e gamma-ray 

production should peak within a few days and then 

decline as the shock loses energy.

Protons and electrons undergo Fermi acceleration 

in the shockwave. Accelerated protons collide with 

!e gamma-ray images (E > 100 MeV) show a large section of the Cygnus region of the Galaxy for 19 days before (left) 2010 

V407 Cyg, and for 19 days after the onset of the nova (right). !e color scale indicates higher gamma-ray intensity. !e di"use 

gamma-ray emission along the Galactic Plane is visible as the blue diagonal stripe. Other bright sources are gamma-ray pulsars.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

14 Research Highlights

other protons to produce pions that decay to gamma 

rays. Accelerated electrons inverse-Compton scatter 

infrared radiation into the gamma-ray band. Both 

processes can become e4cient during the adiabatic 

expansion and the early deceleration of the shock. 

,e total energy released in gamma rays above 100 

MeV during the outburst, 3.6 x 1041 erg, implies that 

about 9 percent of the kinetic energy of the explosion 

(estimated at about 1044 ergs) could be in accelerated 

protons (assuming 20 percent average e4ciency for 

gamma rays via pion decay). ,is is similar to the percentage of energy transferred in supernova explosions. 

Although supernovae are much more energetic (~1051

erg) and produce a shell expansion that lasts for much 

longer (thousands of years), the physical conditions in 

the expanding shockwave of the V407 Cyg nova are 

similar but evolve far more rapidly. 

If we assume that electrons are the primary means 

for producing gamma rays, then the total energy in the 

electrons only needs to be 0.4 percent of the kinetic 

energy of the explosion. Both the proton and electron 

mechanisms are viable options to generate the observed gamma-ray lightcurve and spectrum. Despite 

debates about /ne details of the gamma-ray production, the event clearly demonstrates the potential for 

signi/cant acceleration to high energies in this class of 

novae. Although these events are rare, the vigilance of 

the LAT 1are advocates guarantees discovery of future 

nova candidates and other exotic gamma-ray transients.

Understanding the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray 

Background

Floyd Stecker and Tonia Venters have made new theoretical calculations of the contributions of unresolved 

blazars and star-forming galaxies to the extragalactic 

gamma-ray background (EGB) observed by Fermi 

Large Area Space Telescope (LAT). Previously, the 

Fermi results appeared to indicate an unknown origin for the bulk of the EGB. Stecker and Venters have 

now shown that most of this background is consistent 

with being from faint unresolved sources. Of these 

unresolved sources, the class of active galactic nuclei 

known as blazars appears to supply the dominant contribution to the EGB. Blazars are by far the most numerous extragalactic sources that have been detected 

by gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi LAT and 

EGRET. , ere is also a contribution to the EGB 

from unresolved galaxies. ,is is an expected result 

since galaxies such as our Milky Way produce gammaradiation through the interaction of cosmic rays with 

interstellar gas and radiation. 

Any analysis of the contribution of extragalactic sources to the background requires some way of 

modeling the source count distribution to account 

for the number of sources below the e-ective sensitivity of the telescope. Determining the contribution 

of faint, unresolved extragalactic sources from observations relies on the ability to associate such sources 

with their astronomical counterparts for which redshifts can be measured. In the case of blazars, Fermi 

data have shown a correlation between gamma-ray 

brightness and radio brightness. Since source counts 

of radio blazars are complete to relatively much fainter 

luminosities, Stecker and Venters have used the radio/

gamma-ray correlation to construct theoretical extensions of gamma-ray source counts to 1uxes below the 

sensitivity for individual detection by Fermi. 

,e angular resolution of the telescope must also 

be taken into account in the analysis of the EGB. In an 

optical telescope, the theoretical limit to the angular 

resolution is determined by the wave nature of a pho-

!e gamma-ray (top), optical (middle), and X-ray (bottom) 

lightcurves show the wavelength dependence of the nova development. !e blue line marks the nova appearance. !e 

optical peak leads and fades slowly with the gamma-ray 

#ux, binned per day, peaking a few days later. Gray arrows 

indicate 2 sigma upper limits. !e X-ray emission brightened weeks later. !e timeline re#ects the progression of the 

shockwave into the asymmetric environment surrounding 

the white dwarf.
Research Highlights 15

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ton, i.e., the di-raction limit. For the Keck telescope 

this limit is 1.4 × 10–2 seconds of arc . However, in a 

gamma-ray telescope such as Fermi and EGRET, the 

angular resolution is determined by the particle (photon) nature of the gamma-ray. Each photon interacts 

in the detector and is converted to an electron-positron 

(e+e-) pair. ,e e+ and e- tracks have the rough shape 

of an upside-down V. Because the Coulomb scattering of the e+ or e-

 that a-ects its track depends on its 

energy, the angular resolution of a gamma-ray detector 

is strongly dependent on energy; it goes from ~5 deg 

at 100 MeV to ~0.2 deg at 10 GeV. Owing to this effect, Fermi would not resolve out as many faint steeper 

spectrum sources at 100 MeV than at 1 GeV; below 

about 1 GeV source confusion would limit the reduction of the EGB, provided that the dominant EGB is 

from as many unresolved point sources as estimated by 

Stecker and Venters. ,is e-ect, appears to be roughly 

manifested in Fermi and EGRET spectra, supporting 

the point source origin hypothesis. 

,e / gure shows the calculated contribution of 

unresolved blazars to the EGB. Stecker and Venters 

have also calculated the component of the EGB from 

unresolved star-forming galaxies. ,ere is a large uncertainty in the galaxy calculation (results not shown) 

owing to uncertainties in modeling cosmic ray intensities and gas densities in other galaxies. However, all 

such models result in a galaxy component that is lower 

than the blazar component. Also, the spectrum of the 

EGB component, which is dominated by secondary 

pion production and decay, falls o- below 200 MeV 

and therefore cannot account for the EGB found by 

EGRET at energies between 50 and 200 MeV. In 

contrast, the spectrum of unresolved blazars, when 

accounting for the energy-dependent e-ects of source 

confusion, is consistent with the combined spectrum 

of both the low-energy EGRET measurements and 

the Fermi-LAT measurements. Interestingly, the 

model spectrum may account for only ~50 percent of 

the EGB at energies above 10 GeV. ,is is the energy range where gamma-rays from the annihilation 

of dark matter particles may contribute signi/cantly 

to the EGB.

,e results of this study support the hypothesis 

that most of the extragalactic gamma-ray background 

is made up of thousands of unresolved blazars, many 

more than have been individually observed by astronomers at other wavelengths. ,is result also has implications for star formation and cosmic ray production 

in young galaxies and for estimating the number of 

active galaxies in the universe. Such galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centers.

The Evolution of Planet-Forming Disks with 

the Herschel Space Observatory

,e Herschel Space Observatory, a far-infrared/submillimeter telescope launched in May 2009 by the 

European Space Agency, is eminently well suited to 

spearhead the next big advances in our knowledge of 

planet formation, protoplanetary disk evolution and 

debris disks. Drs. Aki Roberge, William Danchi, and 

Carol Grady are participating in two Herschel Open 

Time Key Programs aimed at these topics. One project, GASPS, will study gas abundances and chemistry 

in protoplanetary disks over the planet-forming phase. 

,e other, DUNES, will sensitively probe the Sun’s 

nearest neighbors for signs of cold debris disks associated with extrasolar Kuiper Belts. 

Gas in Protoplantary Systems (GASPS)

Herschel provides the /rst opportunity to sensitively 

measure gas abundances in a large number of disk systems. To this end, the GASPS project is executing a 

survey of young stars for far-IR gas emission lines using the PACS spectrograph on Herschel. GASPS will 

10-1 100 101 102

Energy [GeV]

10-8

10-7

10-6

10-5

E2

I

E(E) [GeV cm-2 s-1 sr-1

] !e collective spectrum of the EGB from blazars compared 

with the data (solid line). !e dashed line shows the spectrum derived without accounting for source confusion. !e 

black data points are derived the new Fermi measurements; 

the red and blue points are based on EGRET data.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

16 Research Highlights

observe roughly 200 targets, which were carefully chosen to span a wide range of spectral types. ,e stellar 

ages are between 1 million and a few tens of millions 

of years, covering the critical gas dissipation phase into 

the young debris disk phase. It’s during this phase that 

protoplanetary disks transform from disks of interstellar material left over from star formation to young 

planetary systems in the late stages of terrestrial planet 

formation. 

,e GASPS spectra will focus on detecting one 

ionized carbon emission line and two neutral oxygen 

lines, as well as several water vapor lines. ,e /rst result will be direct measurement of relative gas abundances as functions of age and stellar mass. ,e team 

plans to use sophisticated new thermochemical disk 

models to convert relative abundances into actual gas 

masses. A detailed description of the team’s disk modeling code, called ProDiMo, may be found in Woitke 

et al. (2009). 

To date, the GASPS project has been detecting 

neutral oxygen emission from disk systems spanning a 

wide range of parameters, including spectral type, disk 

mass, and accretion rate. ,e emission tentatively appears correlated with the strength of the dust continuum emission, but no other parameters so far. Ionized 

carbon emission, on the other hand, is weaker than 

expected based on pre-launch modeling, providing a 

challenge to the disk thermochemical model described 

above. ,e GASPS team has published four refereed 

journal articles during the last year (Mathews et al. 

2010, ,i et al. 2010, Meeus et al. 2010, Pinte et al. 

2010) and several others are close to submission.

Dust Around Nearby Stars (DUNES)

,e DUNES project is using the PACS instrument to 

obtain far-IR photometry of nearby solar-type stars, 

sensitively probing them for circumstellar dust coming from planetesimal collisions within extrasolar Kuiper Belts. ,is survey will push to unprecedentedly 

low dust levels and provide the most sensitive census 

to date of planetary material around the Sun’s nearest 

neighbors. ,ese stars will be the primary targets of 

future e-orts to directly detect and characterize potentially habitable terrestrial planets (i.e., exoEarths). 

Already, the DUNES project has been highly successful. As of the end of 2010, about 65 percent of 

the data have been obtained and every target has been 

detected at the expected level. Many targets show excess emission coming from cold circumstellar dust, at 

a higher rate than seen in earlier surveys of F, G, and 

Schematic illustrating the stages in formation of a mature planetary system (top) and the evolution of young circumstellar disks 

in which planets form (bottom). Credit: A. Roberge
Research Highlights 17

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

K stars with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Furthermore, 

about half of detected disks are spatially resolved at 

one or more wavelengths; in most cases, these are the 

/rst images of these disks in thermal emission. Most 

notably, DUNES appears to have discovered a new 

class of ultra-cold debris disks that present a severe 

challenge to both debris disk modeling codes and to 

theories of debris disk evolution. 

Charge Exchange X-ray Emission in the 

Heliosphere and Beyond 

,e importance of charge-exchange (CX) emission in 

X-ray astrophysics emerged about 15 years ago with 

the discovery of bright X-ray emission from comet 

Hyakutake, which arose as a result of processes between neutral atoms in the comet’s atmosphere and 

highly charged ions in the solar wind; a number of 

comets are now known to exhibit X-ray emission via 

CX processes. 

Charge exchange (CX) is a basic physical process 

involving the transfer of bound electrons between colliding particles. CX X-ray emission through decay 

of excited states of highly-charged recipient ions occurs in many astrophysical circumstances. Di-use CX 

emission from the heliosphere and geocorona (solar 

wind charge exchange, SWCX) adds a variable background to essentially all X-ray observations at energies 

below 1.5 keV. It is a signi/cant contributor to the 

di-use soft X-ray background (SXRB) in competition 

with the Local Hot Bubble (LHB) thought to be a hot 

plasma cavity of about 100 pc around the Sun. ,e 

LHB, galactic halo emission and unresolved extragaDUNES imaging of q1

 Eri, a planet-hosting star (HD10647, type F9V). For the $rst time, this debris disk is resolved at far-IR 

wavelengths. Each panel shows a basic calibrated PACS image, with the point-spread function in the inset panel at the upper 

right. !e disk is resolved at all three wavelengths and appears to be a roughly 40 AU-wide ring located ~ 85 AU from the star 

(Liseau et al. 2010).

lactic sources constitute the invariable cosmic SXRB, 

while the SWCX varies because of geometric e-ects 

and changing solar activity.

Dimitra Koutroumpa, Steve Snowden, and collaborators have been studying the heliospheric SWCX 

contribution to the SXRB through several observational campaigns. Most recently, they analysed XMMNewton observations toward the nearby molecular 

cloud MBM 12, which absorbs distant galactic diffuse emission. ,is allows a direct comparison of the 

local SWCX and LHB emission (Koutroumpa et al. 

2011). Repeated observations toward the same /eld of 

view allow detection of both temporal and geometric 

SWCX variations, and Koutroumpa et al. have compiled a summary of seven observations toward three 

di-erent shadowing /elds observed with XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Suzaku from 2000 to 2008.

10

8

6

4

2

0

Data X-ray flux (Line Units)

0 1 2 3 4

Model SWCX flux (Line Units)

All shadows

 OVII

 OVIII

Data vs. SWCX model correlation for shadowing observations with Chandra, Suzaku, and XMM-Newton. !e $lled 

circles and plain line represent OVII while the open circles 

and dashed line stand for OVIII. !e gray dotted line traces 

the y=x line.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

18 Research Highlights

In the soft X-ray energy range of XMM-Newton 

(as well as Chandra and Suzaku), SWCX emission 

mainly contributes to the two oxygen lines at 0.57 

keV (OVII triplet) and 0.65 keV (OVIII Lymanalpha). Koutroumpa modeled the SWCX oxygen 

emission variations with a heliospheric SWCX code 

(taking into account solar activity and observation geometry) and compared the observed 1ux values. ,e 

heliospheric SWCX emission may account for the 

entire observed local OVIII background, and there is 

no need for emission from the LHB in this line. For 

OVII, in general, the model predictions suggest that 

at least half of the observed values are due to SWCX 

emission from the heliosphere. A new series of XMMNewton observations toward MBM 12 (in collaboration with the University of Miami) will improve the 

statistical signi/cance of this comparison.

In a di-erent context, Koutroumpa, Snowden, 

and collaborators have been investigating the CX 

X-ray emission from interstellar interfaces between 

hot and cool gas. ,e team has been using the characteristic spectral signature of the OVII triplet to 

identify the emission mechanism. Indeed, although 

both CX and thermal plasma emission produce the 

same spectral lines in the soft X-ray band (because 

both mechanisms involve de-excitation of the same 

highly charged ions), line intensity ratios in triplets of 

the He-like ion OVII (and NeIX) are very di-erent. 

While thermal emission has a very strong resonance 

OVII line (574 eV) SWCX emission favours the forbidden transition (560.9 eV). For di-use sources, with 

the spectral resolution of current missions, it is very 

di4cult to measure the individual line ratios, but it is 

possible to detect an apparent displacement in energy 

of the unresolved centroid.

In principle, CX-induced X-ray emission could be 

produced at any astrophysical site where hot plasma 

interacts with (partially) neutral gas. One very promising site is the thin post-shock layer in supernova remnants (SNRs). SNR shocks are collisionless and both 

unshocked cold neutrals and shocked hot ions can be 

present just behind the shock front. In fact, observational evidence of CX emission has been obtained as 

the broad component of Ha emission in many SNRs 

Top: ROSAT 3/4 keV emission map displaying the central 

region of the NPS/Loop I feature. Superimposed are sodium 

isocolumn density contours at two levels that correspond to 

30- percent and 70-percent absorption of 3/4 keV photons, 

respectively. !e three crosses show the directions of the observations analyzed. Bottom: Inverted Na I volume density in 

vertical half-planes containing the Sun (on the right) and 

directed approximately towards the galactic longitude of the 

observations. White is low density, and black represents dense 

neutral gas.

0.55 0.6 0.65

Flux (counts s

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

 1 keV 1)

Energy (keV)

Model thermal (red) and model charge exchange (black) 

spectra of the O VII and O VIII lines folded through the 

Spectrum Röntgen Gamma calorimeter response.
Research Highlights 19

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

for more than 30 years. On the other hand, CX-induced X-ray emission has not yet been detected /rmly. 

Taking account of the CX emission could be extremely 

important for understanding the true properties of the 

shocked plasma, since the undetected presence of CX 

emission leads to incorrect plasma parameters (e.g., 

the metal abundance and the electron temperature) if 

we interpret the CX-contaminated X-ray spectra with 

pure thermal emission models. 

X-ray spectroscopic measurements of the Cygnus 

Loop SNR indicate that metal abundances throughout most of the remnant's rim are depleted to ~0.2 

times the solar value. However, recent X-ray studies 

have revealed in some narrow regions along the outermost rim anomalously “enhanced” abundances (up to 

~1 solar). ,e reason for these anomalous abundances 

had been puzzling. Satoru Katsuda and a team of scientists (Katsuda et al. 2011) examined X-ray spectra 

in annular sectors covering nearly the entire rim of 

the Cygnus Loop using Suzaku (21 pointings) and 

XMM-Newton (1 pointing). ,ey found that spectra in the "enhanced" abundance regions commonly 

show a strong emission feature at ~0.7 keV, which is 

most likely a complex of He-like Oxygen K(D+E+J) 

lines. ,e intensity of this emission relative to the Helike Oxygen KDcomplex appears to be too high to be 

explained as thermal emission.

,is fact, as well as the spatial concentration of 

the anomalous abundances in the outermost rim, led 

the team to propose an origin from CX processes between neutrals and H-like Oxygen. , e team then 

interpreted that the ~0.7 keV emission and possible 

other CX line emission could lead to the inference of 

apparently “enhanced” metal abundances using pure 

thermal emission models. In fact, this model can represent the data much better than the pure thermal 

emission model. ,e Astro-H soft X-ray spectrometer 

with superior spectral resolution is eagerly awaited for 

further studies of the Cygnus Loop and other SNRs.

Trojan Analogs in Binary Black Hole Systems

Astrophysics research at Goddard spans an enormous 

variety of objects, from extrasolar planets to supermassive black holes—celestial bodies that are separated by 

more than ten orders of magnitude in mass and distance from the Earth. ,ough vastly di-erent in size, 

both exoplanets and black holes have the ability to 

capture the public’s imagination and fascination with 

astronomy, a point not lost on the authors of the recent decadal report, New Worlds, New Horizons. ,ey 

may be at opposite extremes of the cosmic growth 

chart, yet it turns out that these systems may not be 

so di-erent in their underlying dynamics, according 

to new work by Jeremy Schnittman, a researcher in 

ASD’s Gravitational Astrophysics Lab.

Top: Direct ROSAT image of the Cygnus Loop, a middleaged (~10,000-year-old) Galactic supernova remnant. 

Spectral data from the region within the white box is shown 

below. Bottom left: Suzaku/XIS spectrum, along with the 

best-$t model consisting of a pure thermal emission model. 

!e lower panel shows the residuals. Bottom right: !e same 

data, but with the best-$t model consisting of a pure thermal 

emission model (a solid curve in black) plus a number of 

Gaussian components (in red) for CX line emission.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

20 Research Highlights

Just as exoplanets are most often discovered by observing their host stars, black holes must also be seen 

indirectly, by measuring the light from the surrounding stars and gas. Taking the analogy one step farther, 

we know from our own solar system that, in addition 

to the planets, a considerable amount “junk”—asteroids and comets—also orbits the sun. ,e orbits of 

these asteroids are strongly in1uenced by resonant 

interactions with Jupiter, the dominant player in solar system dynamics, second only to the Sun. One 

particularly interesting family of asteroids, called the 

Trojans, move in near-perfect synchronicity with Jupiter, always just one step ahead or behind in their orbit 

around the Sun. 

Schnittman showed that in many binary black 

hole systems, where two supermassive black holes orbit each other like Jupiter and the Sun, similar resonant orbits may be populated by Trojan analogs. Yet 

instead of small, irregular asteroids a few kilometers 

across, the black hole system is be able to capture and 

shepherd entire stellar systems locked into stable orbits 

around the L4 and L5 Lagrange equilibrium points. 

While there is an undeniable beauty underlying the 

self-similar behavior and symmetry of these vastly different systems, there are also important astrophysical 

implications of the Trojan analogs. Foremost among 

these is the promise of using the trapped stars and gas 

as sources for electromagnetic counterparts to the underlying (and otherwise invisible) black holes. During 

their / nal inspiral and merger, the black holes emit 

copious amounts of energy in the form of gravitational 

radiation—but these waves are almost as di4cult to 

see as the black holes themselves. LISA will be able to 

detect just such gravitational waves with great sensitivity, but will be able to identify the location of the 

waves’ origin with only moderate accuracy. To more 

precisely determine the host galaxy—which may likely 

be billions of light-years away—we ideally need a 1ash 

of light that can be seen by more conventional telescopes with high spatial resolution. 

One of the most promising sources that could actually produce such a bright signal at cosmological distances is the tidal disruption of a main sequence star 

by a supermassive black hole. In such an event, any 

Artist’s concept of a star being tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole. Some of the gaseous debris is ejected while the rest 

forms a hot, dense accretion disk around the black hole. Credit: M. Weiss/Chandra X-ray Center/NASA
Research Highlights 21

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

!e distribution of Trojan asteroids in the Sun-Jupiter binary system. More than 5,000 objects are now known to occupy 

stable orbits around the L4 and L5 Lagrange points. Credit: 

Scott S. Sheppard/Carnegie Institution of Washington

star that approaches too close is torn apart by the enormous gravitational forces near the black hole. Some of 

the resulting gas is ejected, and some gets swallowed 

promptly by the black hole. ,e rest forms a massive 

accretion disk that can easily outshine the entire galaxy 

for weeks afterwards, brie1y surpassing the black hole’s 

Eddington luminosity by factors of 10–100, primarily 

in the soft X-ray band. 

While these extraordinary events occur in ordinary galaxies hosting single black holes, they are rare 

and unpredictable (roughly one per galaxy per 10,000 

years). However, in a black hole binary system, they 

may well be unavoidable consequences of the merger 

process. Following the merger of two galaxies, each of 

their black holes will sink towards the center of the 

new galaxy via dynamical interactions with the surrounding stars and gas, eventually forming a tight binary system with orbital separation of ~10 milliparsec. 

As we know from our own galactic center, there are 

dozens of stars present on such scales, not to mention 

a great deal of gas and dust as well. Any material that 

gets captured into the Lagrange points at this relatively 

large binary separation will remain trapped there over 

the subsequent billion years or so that it takes for the 

black holes to spiral together via gravitational radiation, shepherding the stars and gas along with them, 

and ultimately resulting in a bright accretion 1are days 

to weeks before the /nal merger. 

Furthermore, with advance warning from LISA, 

we will know roughly where to look and exactly when 

to look for the corresponding X-ray burst, catching 

the merger in the act with a smoking gun. Combining the electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals 

opens up a myriad of scienti/c opportunities, allowing us to study cosmic acceleration, galaxy formation 

and evolution, and peer deep into the maelstrom surrounding active galactic nuclei.

Millisecond Pulsar Eclipses: Weighing a 

Neutron Star

Neutron stars are compact remnants that are formed 

in the death of a massive star, a supernova explosion. 

,ese stars are only about 15 miles across yet contain 

up to twice the mass of the Sun. ,is makes them by 

far the densest objects we know of in the universe. Scientists would very much like to get their hands on that 

dense matter in the core of neutron stars because it 

would enable them to test physical theories of matter 

under the most extreme gravity conditions. But that’s 

not likely to happen into the foreseeable future, if ever, 

since earthly laboratories simply cannot produce the 

same conditions. One way to overcome this problem 

is to look to the skies for extreme objects like neutron 

stars. Measurements of two basic properties of a single 

neutron star—its mass and radius—reveal a lot about 

the structure of the dense matter inside the star and 

constrains the so-called equation of state of nuclear 

matter.

It’s not easy to measure neutron stars when the target is half a galaxy away, but nature has provided some 

circumstances that make it possible, though challenging. Neutron stars in close binary systems can occasionally capture some matter from their binary companion star. When this happens—a process known 

as accretion—they become bright X-ray sources that 

can be studied with X-ray observatories in space. One 

such observatory is the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer 

(RXTE), which was launched in 1995 as a partnership 

of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of 

California at San Diego. RXTE mission and science 

operations are performed at NASA’s GSFC. At the end 

of 2010, RXTE celebrated its /fteenth anniversary on 

orbit and continues to provide new discoveries.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

22 Research Highlights

RXTE has found that about a dozen accreting 

neutron stars are fast-spinning pulsars (called Accreting Millisecond Pulsars, AMPs). X-ray pulses tracked 

by RXTE measure the rotation of the neutron star, 

some of which are spinning faster than the blades of a 

high-speed kitchen blender. 

Drs. Craig Markwardt and Tod Strohmayer, X-ray 

Astrophysics Branch, have been using RXTE observations to study AMPs in an e-ort to try and understand 

super-dense neutron star interiors. A recently discovered AMP, known as Swift J1749.4–2807 (hereafter 

J1749), was discovered as an X-ray source in June 

2006, when a brief accretion outburst brought it to 

the attention of NASA’s Swift satellite. During a new 

outburst in April 2010, RXTE found that the previously discovered source is in fact a 518-Hz spinning 

pulsar. Careful timing of its X-ray pulses with RXTE 

revealed that the neutron star is in an 8.82-hour circular orbit with a low mass companion star that possesses about two-thirds the mass of our own sun. Just 

as a radar gun uses the Doppler e-ect to measure the 

speed of a baseball pitch, RXTE’s tracking of the X-ray 

pulses from the spinning neutron star lets astronomers 

measure the speed of the star in its orbit. ,is information is enough to measure the size of the neutron star’s 

orbit and its velocity, but it is not quite enough to accurately measure the neutron star’s mass.

However, RXTE also found another remarkable property of this AMP: J1749’s neutron star is 

eclipsed every orbit by its companion star. During the 

week-long April outburst of J1749, Markwardt and 

Strohmayer found three periods when its X-ray emission brie1y disappeared. Each eclipse, which lasts 36 

minutes, occurs whenever the neutron star passes behind its binary companion star. ,is is the /rst time 

X-ray eclipses have been seen from a fast-spinning, 

accreting neutron star. , e duration of the eclipse 

gives important additional information about the size 

of the companion star and the angle at which the orbital plane is tilted with respect to the observer’s line 

of sight. When this information is combined with the 

X-ray-pulse timing, it provides an intimate portrait of 

the binary system and its stellar members but doesn’t 

quite allow for a precision neutron star mass measurement—yet. 

Swift J1749.4–2807 is the $rst accreting millisecond pulsar to undergo eclipses. !e pulsar and its companion star are separated 

by 1.22 million miles, or about $ve times the distance between Earth and the Moon. Irradiated by the pulsar’s intense X-rays, 

the star’s outer layers pu" up to make it about 20 percent larger than a star of its mass and age should be. !is artist’s rendering 

includes additional data about the system. Credit: NASA/GSFC
Research Highlights 23

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

One additional measurement is required to 

uniquely solve for the masses of both stars in the binary: the mass or velocity of the companion star. If it can 

be independently determined, then the combination 

of pulsar timing, eclipse data and primary mass/velocity would give precise mass measurements for each star 

in the binary. One way to do this is to search for optical or infrared absorption lines from the companion 

star. Doppler shifts in the lines produced by its orbital 

motion would constrain the companion star’s velocity. 

At present, such observations have not been attempted 

because J1749 disappeared from view before its exact 

location in the sky could be determined accurately 

enough for the largest ground-based telescopes to /nd. 

However, a pioneering X-ray measurement well 

within the capability of RXTE may make a hunt for the 

star irrelevant. One consequence of relativity is that a 

signal—such as a radio wave or an X-ray pulse—experiences a slight timing delay when it passes very close 

to a massive object. First proposed by Irwin Shapiro at 

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 

Cambridge, Mass., in 1964 as a new test for predictions of Einstein’s relativity, the delay has been demonstrated repeatedly using radio signals bounced o- of 

Mercury and Venus and experiments involving spacecraft communications. ,us, high-precision measurements of J1749’s X-ray pulses just before and after an 

eclipse could reveal a Shapiro delay. For J1749, the 

predicted delay is 21 microseconds, or 10,000 times 

faster than the blink of an eye. But RXTE’s superior 

timing resolution allows it to record changes 7 times 

more rapid. With only three eclipses observed during 

the 2010 outburst, RXTE hasn’t yet captured enough 

data to reveal a large delay. However, the measurements set a limit on how massive the normal star can 

be. Markwardt and Strohmayer’s study shows that if 

the star’s mass was greater than 2.2 times the Sun’s, 

RXTE would have detected the Shapiro delay.

X-ray light-curve segments of Swift J1749.4–2807, showing eclipse features. !e RXTE observations captured three 

eclipse transitions, known as ingresses and egresses. Due to 

RXTE observing coverage, it was not possible to observe a 

single complete eclipse. Each panel is centered on the nearest epoch of T90 based on pulse-timing data, which is the 

expected epoch of mid-eclipse. !e best-$t individual eclipse 

models are also shown (thick black line). 

Joint eclipse and pulse-timing solution for J1749, assuming 

a Roche-lobe-$lling companion star, for both the binary inclination (top) and companion radius (bottom). !e solid 

black lines show the allowed solutions for the measured parameters of Swift J1749.4–2807 for a range of neutron star 

masses, Mx

, and binary mass ratios, q = Mc/Mx, as indicated. 

!e curve for main-sequence stars from Zombeck (1982) is 

also shown (green). !e bottom panel shows an example of 

how the constraints from pulse timing and the Roche-lobe 

constraint (P) and eclipse duration (E) intersect at a single 

point for a 1.4 Msun neutron star. !e actual uncertainties 

are thinner than the plotted lines.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

24 Research Highlights

Supernova Shock Interactions

Core-collapse supernovae are the / nal stages in the 

evolution of stars with zero-age main sequence masses 

greater than 8 solar masses. ,ey are among the most 

energetic phenomena in the universe, releasing more 

than 1051 erg in a few seconds. ,e explosion of a core 

collapse supernova in a dense environment produces 

a fast shock wave in the circumstellar material (CSM) 

and a reverse shock wave into the outer supernova 

ejecta. Two characteristic regions of X-ray emission are 

formed by the interaction: the forward shock wave in 

the CSM at 10,000 km s−1 produces gas with a temperature a 109

 K, and the reverse shock wave in the 

supernova ejecta, traveling at a speed 1,000 km s−1 less 

than the forward shock, produces gas with 107 K. ,e 

reverse shock is formed where the freely expanding supernova ejecta catches up with the CSM shocked by 

the blast wave. Gas heated to such high temperatures 

produces radiation predominantly in the X-ray range. 

X-ray emission from this interaction is expected for all 

core collapse (Type Ib/c and II)supernovae with substantial CSM established by the massive progenitors.

Over the past three decades, searches for X-ray 

emitting supernovae have been successful for only a 

relatively small number of events in the near aftermath (days to months) of the explosion. While the 

primary goal of the Swift mission is to study GRBs, 

it has proven to be an invaluable tool to the study of 

transient phenomena. During the last /ve years, Swift 

has detected and monitored 20 new X-ray supernovae, doubling the number known (now 46). ,e large 

sample of X-ray supernovae allows, for the /rst time, 

a comparative study of the circumstellar environments 

and wind properties of the progenitors. 

!e image shows the $eld of Supernova 2010da in the nearby galaxy NGC 300 as observed by Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical 

Telescope in the optical (left), UV (middle), and with the X-Ray Telescope in X-rays (right).

,e detection of SN 2006bp with Swift in X-rays 

for up to 12 days after the explosion indicated that 

the outgoing shock and ejecta interact strongly 

with the CSM. A study led by Luc Dessart and his 

colleagues however, showed that the interaction had 

no measurable e-ect on the UV and the optical 1ux 

evolution.

While the vast majority of all supernovae fade 

rapidly in X-rays over the days and weeks following 

the explosion, Swift detected a notable exceptions: ,e 

peculiar Type Ib SN 2006jc showed a unique rise of 

the X-ray emission by a factor of ~5 over a period of 

four months, followed by a rapid decline. Stefan Immler and his colleagues interpreted the unique X-ray 

and UV properties as a result of the supernova shock 

interacting with a shell of material that was deposited 

by an outburst of the supernova progenitor two years 

prior to the explosion. ,e results are consistent with 

the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star that underwent an 

episodic mass ejection qualitatively similar to those of 

luminous blue variable stars. ,is led to the formation 

of a dense (~107

 cm−3) shell at a distance of ~1016 cm 

from the site of the explosion, which expanded with 

the Wolf-Rayet wind at a velocity of (1300 ± 300) 

km s

−1

.

A dramatic upturn in the u and uvw1 (Oc = 2600 

Å) light curves occurred for SN 2008ax on day 4 after 

an initial rapid decline, which is attributed to adiabatic 

cooling after the initial shock breakout by Pete Roming and his colleagues. ,is rapid decline and upturn 

is reminiscent of the Type IIb SN 1993J on day 6 after 

the explosion. A fading X-ray source is also located at 

the position of SN 2008ax, implying an interaction 

of the SN shock with the surrounding circumstellar 
Research Highlights 25

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

material and a mass-loss rate of the progenitor of a 

few 10−6 Msun yr−1. Combining the Swift UV, optical, 

and X-ray data with data taken at radio wavelengths 

and comparison to models of helium exploding stars 

implies that the progenitor of SN 2008ax was an unmixed star in an interacting binary system with an 

ejecta mass of 2.9 Msun, and a nickel mass of 0.06 Msun. 

While X-ray emission is expected for core collapse 

supernovae situated in a dense, wind-blown environment, no X-ray emission is expected from Type Ia 

supernovae if they are in a double-degenerate binary 

system. However, if supernovae Ia are in single degenerate systems where the white dwarf has a stellar 

binary companion, X-rays would be produced if the 

supernova’s outgoing shock interacted with the mass 

lost by the companion star. To probe these scenarios, 

Brock Russell and Stefan Immler used all available 

Swift X-ray data from a sample of 48 nearby Type Ia 

supernovae and applied stacking analysis to obtain an 

ultra-deep exposure time of 2.6 Ms. No X-ray emission was found at the position of the stacked supernovae, placing low upper limits on the mass lost in stellar 

winds of possible companion stars (~10−7 Msun yr−1

), 

challenging single-degenerate models for the origins 

of Type Ia supernovae.

The Inner Workings of Star-forming 

Galaxies at the Epoch of Star Formation

In the past two decades, astronomers have found the 

galaxies that formed most of the universe’s stars, and 

have determined that most star formation occurred 2 

to 6 billion years after the Big Bang (redshifts of 1 to 

3).

Unfortunately, these galaxies are too faint to study 

in detail with current telescopes. As a result, we have 

many unanswered questions about how these galaxies 

formed their stars, and how they compare to galaxies 

still forming stars today. Answering these questions is 

one of the goals of the James Webb Space Telescope. 

Jane Rigby (Observational Cosmology Laboratory) and collaborators at the University of Chicago 

are overcoming the limits of current telescopes by using gravitational lensing. Massive clusters of galaxies 

act as natural telescopes that bend and magnify the 

light of background galaxies. In rare cases, gravitational lensing can make galaxies appear 20 to 100 times 

brighter than they actually are. ,is is approximately 

the jump in sensitivity between current telescopes and 

next generation facilities, and thus enables extremelylarge-telescope science today, albeit for small samples.

Using this trick of nature, Rigby and collaborators 

are studying the inner workings of a small number of 

!e relationship between stellar mass and metalicity at z=0 

and z=2. SDSS galaxies de$ne the z=0 relation (grey cloud). 

!e z=2 relation is shown by stacked spectra of the unlensed 

z=2 LBGs from Erb et al. (2006) (hollow squares), as well 

as four lensed galaxies at z 2($lled points): J0900+2234 

from Bian et al. (2010); cB58 from Teplitz et al. (2000) 

and Siana et al. (2008); the 8 o’clock arc from Finkelstein 

et al. (2009); and RCS0327 (Rigby et al. 2011). Lensed 

galaxies are allowing Rigby and collaborators to explore the 

shape and the evolution of the mass-metallicity relation.

RCS0327, a spectacular lensed galaxy at z=1.70, as imaged 

from Wuyts et al. 2010. !is is the brightest lensed galaxy 

yet discovered. Multiband Hubble images are scheduled for 

March 2011.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

26 Research Highlights

galaxies, which are representative of the population of 

galaxies that formed the universe’s stars.

In the past year, the team has focused on the most 

spectacular example known, a galaxy named RCS 

0327–1326. Discovered by the Chicago group (Wuyts 

et al. 2010, ApJ, 724, 1182), this galaxy has been magni/ed by a factor of 17, and appears so bright that it 

can be studied more thoroughly than any other galaxy 

at its epoch.

,e team has mapped RCS0327 with the Spitzer 

Space Telescope (led by U. Chicago graduate student 

Eva Wuyts) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (led 

by GSFC’s Rigby). In 2011 they will map it with the 

Hubble and Herschel space telescopes. ,ese multiwavelength observations are mapping out the new star 

formation, older stellar populations, and extinction, 

and will determine whether an active galactic nucleus 

is present.

Rigby is leading a spectroscopic survey of this galaxy, using the Magellan telescope in Chile and NASA 

time on the Keck telescope in Hawaii (Rigby et al. 

submitted to ApJ.) ,ese spectra reveal the physical 

properties inside this galaxy: the gas density, intensity 

and shape of the radiation /eld, abundance of the elements O, N, Ne, and Ar, and the number of massive 

stars. ,ey also show that the galaxy is driving out its 

own gas in a massive wind, which might prevent future star formation.

In parallel with this detailed dissection of the 

brightest few lensed galaxies, the team is surveying 

100 lensed galaxies with Spitzer imaging and Magellan 

and Keck spectra. ,e goal is to measure the buildup 

of oxygen and nitrogen in star-forming galaxies at the 

epoch when most of the stars formed.

1.20104 1.25104 1.30104 1.35104

Wavelength

0

110−16

210−16

310−16

410−16

510−16

Flux

HgammaO[III]Ar[IV]HbO[III]O[III]

Nirspec spectrum of RCS0327, obtained with NASA Keck 

time, from Rigby et al. 2011. !e nebular emission lines 

are detected at extremely high signal-to-noise ratio, allowing 

precise measurements of the physical conditions inside this 

star-forming galaxy.
Research and Development 27

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Research and Development

Suborbital

Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder 

(Super-TIGER)

Super-TIGER is a new large-area balloon-borne instrument under development by Washington University in St. Louis (PI, W. Robert Binns), GSFC, 

Caltech, and JPL. 1 e GSFC team includes John 

Mitchell, Eric Christian, Georgia De Nolfo, 1omas 

Hams, Jason Link, and Makoto Sasaki.

Super-TIGER will measure the individual abundances of elements over the range 30 ≤ Z ≤ 42 with 

high statistical accuracy to test and clarify the emerging model of cosmic-ray origin in OB associations and 

models for atomic processes by which nuclei are selected for acceleration. Exploratory measurements with 

lower statistics will extend to Z = 60. Super-TIGER 

will also measure, with excellent statistical precision, 

the energy spectra of the more abundant elements 14 

≤ Z ≤ 28 at energies 0.8 ≤ E ≤ 10 GeV/nucleon. 1ese 

measurements will provide a sensitive test of the hypothesis that microquasars or other phenomena could 

superpose features on the otherwise smooth energy 

spectra.

Super-TIGER is based on experience with the 

smaller TIGER instrument that was 3 own from 

Antarctica in 2001 and 2003 for a total of 50 days 

and produced the 4 rst measurements of individual 

element abundances for 31Ga, 32Ge, and 34Se. SuperTIGER measures the charge and energy of incident 

nuclei using three layers of plastic scintillator and two 

Cherenkov detectors, one with an acrylic radiator and 

one with a silica aerogel radiator. A scintillating optical 4ber hodoscope gives particle trajectories to enable corrections for path length through the detectors, 

detector response maps and interactions in the atmosphere and in the instrument.

Super-TIGER uses two independent detector 

modules, each with a 1.15 m × 2.3 m active area, giving a total detection area of 5.3 m2

. Each module is 

only 60 cm thick to maximize its geometric acceptance. 1e detector layout and minimal column density give an e5ective geometry factor of 2.5 m2

sr at Z = 

34 — seven times larger than TIGER. Super-TIGER 

can accomplish its goals in two typical long-duration 

Antarctic 3ights, with the 4rst planned for 2012.

GSFC is responsible for both the acrylic and aerogel Cherenkov detectors, the scintillators and the mechanical structure of the instrument and payload. In 

addition, instrument and payload integration will be 

carried out at GSFC. Detector and payload systems 

are currently in construction and instrument integration is scheduled to begin in November 2011.

Super-TIGER is a forerunner of the ENTICE 

(Energetic Trans-Iron Composition Experiment) 

instrument proposed for the OASIS (Orbiting Astrophysical Spectrometer in Space) mission. In a 

three-year mission, ENTICE would provide the 4rst 

statistically signi4cant elemental-abundance measurements in the actinide range.

Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM)

1e balloon-borne CREAM instrument was developed for direct measurements of cosmic-ray spectra 

1 ≤ Z ≤ 26 at total energies greater than 1011 eV to 

test models of cosmic-ray acceleration. In addition, 

CREAM measurements of the energy-dependent 

abundance ratios of secondary cosmic-ray species to 

their primary progenitors test models of cosmic-ray 

transport and storage in the Galaxy. 1e CREAM collaboration includes the University of Maryland (PI, 

Eun-Suk Seo), GSFC, Pennsylvania State University, 

Northern Kentucky University, and Ohio State University as well as collaborators in Korea, France, and 

Mexico. ASD team members are John Mitchell and 

Jason Link.

CREAM has made a series of long-duration balloon 3ights to accumulate the large exposure needed 

to measure the energy spectra of the most common 

!e Super-TIGER instrument in construction for a 2012 

Antarctic long-duration balloon "ight. Two independent detector modules are used to optimize performance.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

28 Research and Development

elements up to about 1015 eV. At these energies, most 

measurements have been based on the detection by 

ground-based instruments of the showers of particles 

produced by interactions of primary cosmic rays in the 

atmosphere. 1ese indirect measurements can only infer the identity of the incident particle. Direct measurements by CREAM provide invaluable information on 

cosmic-ray composition, as well as the calibration data 

required to interpret airshower results. CREAM has 

3own six times over Antarctica, accumulating about 

161 days of exposure. 1e 3 ight of CREAM-VII is 

planned for the 2011–2012 austral summer.

1e combined CREAM and airshower data test 

models of Fermi shock acceleration of cosmic rays in 

supernova remnants. Standard models for this mechanism predict single-power-law spectra until a rigiditydependent acceleration limit is reached. Above this 

“knee” the all-particle spectrum steepens accompanying a progressive composition change with increasing 

energy from dominance by light elements to dominance by heavier elements. CREAM has recently reported spectra that depart from single power laws, 

hardening above 200 GeV/nucleon, with the proton 

spectrum slightly steeper than those of helium and 

heavier nuclei. Among proposed explanations for these 

results are the e5ects of a nearby supernova remnant or 

distributed reacceleration within an OB association.

CREAM measures the charge of incident nuclei 

using a plastic scintillator timing detector and a silicon 

pixel detector. Depending on the energy and species 

of the incident particle, its energy is measured by a 

silica-aerogel Cherenkov camera (CREAM-III, IV, V, 

VI), a transition radiation detector (CREAM-I), and a 

tungsten-scintillating optical-4ber calorimeter (all versions). 1e geometric acceptance of the TRD is ~ 1.3 

m2

sr and the e5ective geometric acceptance (including 

interactions) for the calorimeter is about ~0.3 m2sr for 

protons and greater for higher Z nuclei. A new TRD 

has been developed for CREAM-VII by CERN (Switzerland) and JINR (Russia) to enable improved measurements of secondary-to-primary ratios.

GSFC responsibilities are an acrylic Cherenkov 

detector for rapid particle identi4cation to trigger the 

instrument on nuclei heavier than He and a scintillating optical-4ber penetration detector that aids triggering on high-energy events and gives a reference time 

!e CREAM instrument just prior to launch from Williams Field, McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Research and Development 29

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

for the timing scintillators. GSFC supports integration and test of CREAM as well as launch and 3ight 

operations.

X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) and 

Micro-X

1e X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) is a broadband, non-dispersive X-ray spectrometer built to study 

the soft X-ray background in the band from 0.05 to 2 

keV. 1e ASD research team members include Porter, 

Kelley, Kilbourne, and Eckart. Collaborating institutions include the University of Wisconsin (Madison), 

the University of Miami, and Yale University.

1e spectrometer was built to di5erentiate the 

spectral components that are thought to make up the 

ubiquitous soft X-ray background, including emission 

from the Local Bubble, the Galactic halo, and solarwind charge exchange in the exo-atmosphere and the 

heliosphere. 1 e superposition of these temporally 

and spatially variable sources can create a complicated 

spectral picture that requires high-resolution spectroscopy to unwind. Detailed spatial maps 4rst were 

made with sounding rockets, then with ROSAT, and 

the 4rst high-resolution spectra in the 0.25 keV band 

were made with the DXS shuttle-attached payload 

that used a scanning dispersive spectrometer. 

1e XQC, however, is the 4rst broadband nondispersive, high-resolution spectrometer to probe the 

entire X-ray-emitting range, from M-shell Fe emission 

at 70 eV up to 2 keV where the di5use emission becomes dominated by unresolved extragalactic sources. 

In addition, the XQC payload is the 4rst—and currently, the only—X-ray calorimeter array that has 

3own in space.

1e XQC spectrometer is based on a 36 pixel Xray calorimeter array that was designed and produced 

at GSFC. Each pixel in the calorimeter array is relatively large at 2mm × 2mm, and has an energy resolution at O VII Ka of better than 8 eV FWHM. 1e 

detector array is operated at 50 mK using a small adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator built at the University of Wisconsin. 1e payload does not use an X-ray 

optic since this would signi4cantly reduce the grasp 

of the experiment, but is instead collimated to a onesteradian 4eld of view. 

1e XQC has 3own four times since 1995, with 

the most recent 3 ight in March 2008. 1 e fourth 

Preliminary spectrum of the soft X-ray background centered at galactic coordinates 30°, +60° as observed with the XQC during 

its fourth "ight in March 2008. !e spectrum shows line emission from several highly charged ions and is likely a superposition 

of several emission mechanisms.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

30 Research and Development

!e XQC payload uses a 6 × 6 pixel X-ray calorimeter array develop and produced at GSFC. Each pixel in the array 

is 2 mm × 2 mm, and utilizes a 0.8-Pm-thick HgTe X-ray 

absorber. !e detector array has an energy resolution better 

than 8 eV FWHM at 600 eV and has a nominal operating 

band from 0.05 to 2 keV. 

3ight used a detector array with four times the collecting area of previous 3ights and is based on technology 

developed for the Astro-E2 program. 1e data from 

the fourth 3ight is currently being processed, but preliminary results show signi4cant contributions from 

C IV, O VII, OVIII, Fe XVII, and Fe XVIII. Previous 3ight have placed constraints on certain types of 

dark matter, and have detected and placed limits on 

Local Bubble emission from M-shell transitions in Fe 

IX, X, and XI. Flight 4ve of the XQC is planned for 

mid-2011 and will use a new, re4ned version of the 

large-area detector design for 3ight 4. 1e XQC detectors for 3ight 5 were fabricated in late 2009, and have 

been installed in the 3 ight instrument. We are currently waiting on sounding rocket infrastructure from 

NASA’s sounding rocket program.

1e Micro-X payload is designed to be the 4rst 

X-ray calorimeter payload using focusing X-ray optics. 

It uses signi4cant design heritage from the XQC program, including a very similar adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. However, the detector and readout 

technology are derived from the IXO program. 1e 

ASD research team members include Porter, Kelley, 

Kilbourne, Bandler, Adams, Eckart, Smith, Serlemitsos, and Soong. Collaborating institutions include the 

University of Wisconsin (Madison), MIT, University 

of Miami, University of Florida, and the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology. 1e Micro-X 

payload will use a 121 pixel (11 × 11) X-ray calorimeter array with superconducting transition edge (TES) 

thermistors operating at 50 mK. It is designed to have 

an energy resolution of 2 eV (FWHM) across the energy band from 0.05 to 2 keV. 1e Micro-X payload 

will use a focusing optic designed and produced at 

GSFC for the SXS sounding rocket that 3ew in 1989 

and is the predecessor of the optics used for BBXRT, 

ASCA, Astro-E2, and Astro-H.

1e Micro-X payload is scheduled to 3y in late 

2011 to observe the bright eastern knot of the PuppisA supernova remnant. 1e detector array is designed 

and produced by GSFC and will be read out using a 

cryogenic SQUID multiplexer and room-temperature 

electronics jointly developed by GSFC and NIST. 

GSFC will also provide the refurbished SXS X-ray optic with 200 cm2

 collecting area at 1 keV and a 2.5 

arcmin PSF. 

Micro-X will provide some of the 4 rst detailed 

high-resolution spectra of a supernova remnant, with 

about 40,000 counts expected during the 3ight. 1e 

payload will be the 4rst opportunity to utilize highspectral-resolution, broadband, spatial-spectral imaging, and will provide a glimpse of what we can expect 

from Astro-H and then IXO in the future.

X-ray Advanced Concepts Testbed (XACT)

XACT is a new suborbital X-ray payload being developed at GSFC to test and advance Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of several technologies that could 

First integration test of the XACT optics with the spider assembly.
Research and Development 31

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

enable future missions (Gendreau, PI). 1e scienti4c 

objective of XACT is to measure the X-ray polarization properties of the Crab Nebula and pulsar and of 

the accreting binary Her X-1. Polarimetry is a powerful tool for astrophysical investigation that has yet to 

be exploited in the X-ray band, where it could provide 

unique insights into neutron stars, black holes, and 

other extreme-physics environments. 

With powerful new enabling technologies, XACT 

will demonstrate X-ray polarimetry as a practical and 

3ight-ready astronomical technique. 1e technologies 

XACT will bring to 3ight readiness will also provide 

important new capabilities for NASA missions in 

space-based X-ray spectroscopy, timing, and photometry. XACT combines new ultra-lightweight optics, 

advanced photoelectric X-ray polarimeters, and novel 

calibration sources in a standard sounding-rocket payload.

1e XACT optics—lightweight concentrators 

optimized for unresolved sources—will provide the 

largest focused X-ray-collecting area ever achieved on 

a sounding rocket. Currently under development at 

GSFC, they will have the largest focused collectingarea-to-mass ratio ever 3own, enabling future spacebased missions that require truly enormous throughput and low background. Scientists Lalit Jalota and 

Yang Soong are leading this e5ort with assistance from 

technicians David Ficau, Grant Olsen, and Nick Spartana. 1e 4rst full shells have been replicated, and the 

4rst spider assembly to hold the shells has been made. 

1e XACT polarimeters are the latest innovation 

in photoelectron tracking devices that combine a large 

polarization response with high quantum e;ciency 

to achieve unprecedented sensitivity. ASD scientists 

recently originated this polarimetry technique, based 

on the negative-ion Time Projection Chamber (TPC), 

and are currently developing it for astrophysical and 

heliospheric missions in the 1–100 keV band. 1e 

TPC polarimeter is the basis for the SMEX GEMS 

mission. XACT will leverage these e5orts to deliver 

the polarimeters at a low incremental cost. Scientists 

Kevin Black, Keith Jahoda, and Joe Hill lead this effort.

1e 4nal drawings are done of the optical bench 

assembly that holds the optics relative to the polarimeters. 1e major structures for this bench have been 

ordered. Integration of the optical bench will be complete before April 2011.

XACT will demonstrate in-3ight calibration using a modulated electronic X-ray source that can be 

pulsed for arbitrary and commandable intervals. 

Such a source can be used to provide calibration information on demand. 1is minimizes the associated 

background and results both in higher sensitivity and 

observatory-scheduling freedom for future missions. 

Mechanical Engineer Steve Kenyon has been leading 

Stress analysis of 3-D printed modulated X-ray source for XACT. 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

32 Research and Development

the e5ort to miniaturize the source and has successfully made sources weighing 150 grams—a factor of 3 

improvement from the beginning of the year. We are 

now making the sources even lighter with 3-D printing technology. We have begun the fabrication of the 

4rst two 3-D printed X-ray sources in steel. 1e second design will be used for the XACT 3ight and will 

serve as an ETU for a similar source on the GEMS 

SMEX. 1e modulated X-ray source has been successfully used to calibrate drift velocities on several laboratory polarimeters.

1e XACT program has also included students 

from several schools. 1 ree high school students 

have participated in the design of the X-ray source. 

Eight undergraduate students from Olin College have 

worked on in 3ight alignment monitoring system designs. One undergraduate from the U.S. Naval Academy has further re4ned this alignment system. One 

undergraduate from the University of Kentucky has 

helped with automation of the X-ray mirror measuring. A graduate student (Erin Balsamo) has assisted in 

the design of the collimator that will be used to align 

the instrument. 

1e XACT goals are accomplished with a simple 

3ight plan that is well within the launch and recovery 

envelopes of a standard Black Brant IX at the White 

Sands Missile Range. 1e 4rst launch will be in December 2011 to observe the Crab. 1is will be followed by a second launch in June 2012 to look at Her 

X1.

Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer 

1e Primordial In3ation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne mission to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in search 

of the signature of primordial gravity waves excited 

by an in3ationary epoch in the early universe. Alan 

Kogut is the PI, and ASD team members include Benford, Chuss, Fixsen, Jethava, Johnson, Mirel, Moseley, 

Sharp, Staguhn, and Wollack. 

PIPER addresses fundamental questions at the 

intersection of physics and cosmology. Cosmology 

posits a period called in3ation, shortly after the Big 

Bang, when the expansion of space-time accelerated 

dramatically to “in3ate” the universe from subatomic 

to macroscopic scales. In3ation neatly explains the 

initial conditions of Big Bang cosmology (a spatially 

3at, homogeneous universe with scale-invariant density perturbations), but it relies on the extrapolation 

of physics to energies a trillion times above those accessible to direct experimentation in particle accelerators. PIPER will test in3ation by measuring the polarization pattern in the cosmic microwave background 

caused by a background of gravity waves created during an in3ationary epoch. Such a signal is expected to 

exist, with observable amplitude and a unique spatial 

signature. Detection of the gravity-wave signature of 

in3ation would have profound consequences for both 

cosmology and high-energy physics. It would establish 

in3ation as a physical reality, determine the relevant 

energy scale, and probe physics at energies near Grand 

Uni4cation to provide direct observational input for a 

“4nal theory” of quantum mechanics and gravity.

PIPER achieves unprecedented sensitivity by 

combining several technologies pioneered by Goddard 

researchers.

t Large-format bolometric detectors. PIPER will 

3y 5,120 transition-edge superconducting bolometers 

in a Backshort-Under-Grid (BUG) architecture. By 

moving all wiring beneath the array, the BUG architecture allows e;cient two-dimensional tiling of the 

focal plane without any re3ective elements that would 

reduce the optical e;ciency. PIPER has produced its 

4rst 32 × 40 bolometer arrays for characterization. 

t A Variable-Delay Polarization Modulator 

(VPM) injects a time-dependent phase delay between 

orthogonal linear polarizations to cleanly separate polarized from unpolarized radiation. 1e fast (3 Hz) 

!e PIPER prototype 32 x 40 array of transition-edge superconductor bolometers uses the Backshort-Under-Grid (BUG) 

architecture to tile the front surface with the absorbing elements. Wiring is on the back side to minimize unwanted re-

"ections. PIPER will "y four such arrays for a total of 5,120 

detectors.
Research and Development 33

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

modulation allows full characterization of the incident 

radiation into Stokes I, Q, U, and V parameters on 

time scales fast compared to instrument drifts or beam 

motion on the sky. VPM development for PIPER 

complements technology development for a future 

large mission (the In3ation Probe). 

t Open-aperture cold optics. PIPER’s twin telescopes 4t within the old ARCADE dewar and will operate at 1.5 K to provide background-limited sensitivity. Maintaining all optical elements at 1.5 K or colder 

improves sensitivity by a factor of 10 compared to 

ambient optics, allowing PIPER to use conventional 

(overnight) balloon 3ights instead of more challenging 

Antarctic operations,

t PIPER will map the sky in both linear and circular polarization, at wavelengths 1500, 1100, 850, 

and 500 Pm (frequencies 200, 270, 350, and 600 

GHz). It will detect the signature of in3ationary gravity waves to a factor of three fainter than the lowest 

value predicted by in3ationary models. 1e unbiased 

survey of submillimeter polarization will also provide 

an important probe of the interstellar dust cirrus and 

the large-scale structure of the Galactic magnetic 4eld, 

and will be the 4rst sky survey in circular polarization 

at these wavelengths. PIPER has begun integration 

and test activities and is scheduled for 3 ight in late 

2012 or early 2013.

Balloon-borne Experiment with a 

Superconducting Spectrometer (BESS)

BESS is a highly successful U.S.-Japan program that 

uses elementary particle measurements to study the 

early universe by providing fundamental data on the 

spectra of light cosmic-ray elements and isotopes. 

BESS measures the energy spectra of cosmic-ray antiprotons to investigate signatures of possible exotic 

sources, and searches for heavier antinuclei that might 

reach Earth from antimatter domains formed during 

symmetry-breaking processes in the early universe.

BESS is led jointly by GSFC (PI, John Mitchell) 

and KEK, the Japanese High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (PI, Akira Yamamoto). 1e ASD 

team includes 1omas Hams and Makoto Sasaki. Collaborating institutions in the U.S. are the University of 

Denver and the University of Maryland, and in Japan, 

the University of Tokyo, Kobe University, and ISAS/

JAXA. 

Loading the recovered BESS-Polar II magnet into the Basler aircraft at the recovery site.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

34 Research and Development

1e BESS collaboration carried out nine conventional northern-latitude 3ights between 1993 and 

2002, recording 2,237 mass-resolved cosmic-ray antiprotons and con4rming that the majority are secondary products of the interactions of primary cosmic-ray 

nuclei with interstellar gas. Flights near solar minimum 

in 1995 and 1997, however, observed low-energy antiproton 3ux slightly in excess of purely secondary expectations, suggesting a possible contribution from an 

exotic primary source, such as the evaporation of small 

primordial black holes (PBH) or the annihilation of 

candidate dark matter particles. 

BESS-Polar was developed to extend measurements to lower energies and to greatly increase sensitivity using long-duration balloon 3ights over Antarctica. 1e BESS-Polar magnetic-rigidity spectrometer 

uses a unique solenoidal superconducting magnet 

with a thin coil and cryostat and a precision trajectory-tracking system. A plastic scintillator time-of-3ight 

system, with two layers at the top and bottom of the 

instrument and one layer inside the magnet bore, below the tracker, measures the charge and velocity of 

incident particles. A silica aerogel Cherenkov detector 

rejects light background particles. With geometric acceptances of ~ 0.3 m2

sr, BESS and BESS-Polar are the 

largest balloon-borne magnet instruments.

GSFC is responsible for the outer scintillators, the 

instrument electronics, and the Cherenkov detector 

PMTs. BESS-Polar integration and testing took place 

at Goddard, which also co-led launch and 3ight operations. GSFC has principal responsibility for instrument calibration and performance analysis.

BESS-Polar I 3ew for 8.5 days in 2004—at a transient period prior to solar minimum—and reported 

1,512 antiprotons. BESS-Polar II recorded data with 

the magnet energized for 24.5 days in 2007–2008, 3ying near solar minimum, when the sensitivity of the 

antiproton measurements to a low-energy primary 

component is greatest, and has detected ~8,000 antiprotons. Depending on the antiproton energy, this 

is 10–20 times the combined BESS 1995/97 statistics. 1e instrument performed very well, and initial 

analysis of 13.5 terabytes of data obtained on 4.7 billion cosmic-ray events has been completed. GSFC 

led the instrument calibration of BESS-Polar II and 

preparation of the physics data 4les. 1e preliminary 

BESS-Polar II antiproton spectrum has been reported 

at conferences and the 4nal antiproton results are being prepared for publication.

No antinucleus heavier than an antiproton has 

been detected in any BESS 3ight through BESS-Polar 

II. 1ese data have provided the most stringent test 

of the presence of heavier antinuclei in the current 

universe. Analysis of BESS-Polar II data at GSFC in 

the rigidity range from 1–14 GV, gives a 95-percent 

con4dence upper limit of 9.4 × 10–8 for antihelium/

helium. Combining all results from 1993 through 

2007, the upper limit on antihelium/helium is 6.9 x 

10–8, more than two orders of magnitude lower than 

the 4rst BESS limit.

BESS has also carried out the only search to date 

for antideuterons, which may be produced in local 

processes, including the evaporation of PBH and super-symmetric particle annihilation. It has reported an 

upper 3ux limit of 3 × 10–4 (m2

 s sr GeV/nucleon)–1. 

1e sensitivity of this search will be greatly increased 

with data from the two BESS-Polar 3ights.

BESS-Polar II could not be recovered in 2008 because its 3ight was terminated late in the season and in 

a remote location approximately 1,000 miles from the 

U.S. McMurdo Station. Mitchell led its successful recovery in 2009/10 by a team that included Hams and 

KEK scientists Koji Yoshimura and Yasuhiro Makida. 

During a 13-day deep-4eld camp, the team carefully 

disassembled the instrument for air transport, including partial disassembly of the superconducting magnet. 1 e instrument was subsequently returned to 

!e BESS antihelium/helium ratio 95-percent con%dence 

limit has improved by over two orders of magnitude.
Research and Development 35

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

GSFC for evaluation, and all detector systems were 

determined to be operational. 1e magnet was sent 

to Japan for refurbishment by Toshiba and has been 

successfully reassembled. Following cryogenic testing, 

the magnet will be sent to GSFC for instrument integration.

Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter

1e Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter (GRBP) is an instrument originally designed for a small U.S. Naval 

Academy (USNA) satellite called MidSTAR-2 (Joe 

Hill, PI, and K. Jahoda, co-I). USNA funding for 

MidSTAR-2 has diminished, but the design and fabrication of GRBP continued through 2010, focused 

for a mission of opportunity (MoO) on another small 

satellite or for a sounding rocket.

Similar to GEMS, the GRBP utilizes Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) technology to make polarization measurements of X-rays in the 2–10 keV energy 

band. A TPC provides a complete 3-D picture of the 

ionization deposited in a gas volume, which makes 

it extremely useful in tracking charged particles in a 

high-track-density environment, and for identifying 

particles through their ionization energy loss. GRBP 

employs a negative-ion gas to reach a higher sensitivity 

and wider 4eld-of-view instrument with lower power.

GRBP is designed to satisfy three requirements:

t To demonstrate a new technology (negative-ion 

TPC) in a space environment for the 4rst time;

t To measure the polarization of the Crab Nebula, the only source for which the polarization has been 

conclusively measured in the X-ray band;

t To measure the polarization of 5 to 10 gammaray bursts (GRBs) in a two-year mission.

Polarization measurements of even a handful of 

GRBs will allow us to discriminate between di5erent 

theories about the mechanisms behind these hugely 

powerful and enigmatic events. A demonstration of 

Top (left) view and isometric (right) views of the GRBP detector unit.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

36 Research and Development

the GRBP instrument will increase the technology 

readiness level for future missions.

1e design of the 3ight detectors and polarimeter 

enclosure are complete. 1ey will not be fabricated 

until a launch platform is identi4ed and the interface 

4nalized. 1is year a single 3ight-like detector unit and 

enclosure have been assembled (see attached 4gure), 

optimized and the unit is now being characterized as 

part of a University of Iowa students PhD thesis.

1e GRBP detector unit was tested in the lab 

with a 4.5 keV polarized X-rays, and then over a 4veday period at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s 

(BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). 

1e NSLS beamline X-19A has a well-collimated, 

highly polarized beam with an energy range of 2.1–17 

keV, a maximum rate of 1x1011 counts/sec. 

Polarisation phase measurements were made for 

di5erent beam positions in the detector active area 

using a gas mixture of CO2+Nitro (197.5:15) Torr. 

We demonstrated that the drift 4eld strength matches 

clocking of the strip readout by demonstrating that 

there is no change in the measure phase of the polarization with detector position. 1e detector modulation factor has been measured over the 3.5 keV–8 keV 

energy range and the results are shown in the attached 

4gure. 1e modulation is ~37 percent and 3at from 

3.5 to 6.4 keV. 1e modulation decreases at 7 and 8 

keV. 1is is likely related to the moments based reconstruction of the photoelectron direction having 

reduced accuracy for long tracks and will be investigated.

1e GRBP drift velocity was measured with a 

modulated X-ray source. 1e test demonstrated that 

the uniformity of the 4eld-cage design and that the 

drift velocity remains uniform over time indicating a 

low level of self-contamination.

In addition to the detector testing, an end-to-end 

test of the SIDECAR readout electronics with the 

GRBP detector unit was successfully completed, and 

generated photoelectron tracks analogous to the GSE 

readout. 1 e Electronics box that provides the low 

voltages, high voltages, and house-keeping telemetry 

is complete and ready for the de4nition of the 3ight 

interface to be implemented in the FPGA card. 

1e team is investigating alternative launch opportunities. 1e most likely scenario that is compatible with the instrument delivery schedule is that 

GRBP will be tested on a sounding rocket. 1is will 

accomplish the 4 rst two goals and prove the design 

such that a satellite version could be built to measure 

the polarization of GRBs.

Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET)

CALET is a new mission selected by JAXA for a 

launch in 2013 to the Japanese Experiment ModuleExposed Facility (JEM-EF) on the International Space 

Station. CALET will measure the high-energy spectra 

of electrons, nuclei, and gamma-rays to address outstanding questions including signatures of dark matter, the sources of high-energy particles and photons, 

and the details of particle acceleration and transport in 

the galaxy. 1e CALET project (PI Shoji Torii, Waseda 

University) includes researchers from Japan, the U.S., 

Italy, and China. 1e U.S. CALET team of Louisiana 

State University, GSFC, Washington University in St. 

Louis, and the University of Denver will participate in 

CALET development, testing, instrument modeling, 

3ight operations, 3 ight data processing, and science 

analysis. 1 e ASD team of John Mitchell, 1omas 

Hams, John Krizmanic, Alexander Moiseev, and Makoto Sasaki are responsible for the instrument simulation and performance model, technical support for 

instrument development, and leadership of U.S. support for accelerator testing and calibration.

CALET is a calorimeter-based instrument with 

superior energy resolution and excellent separation 

between hadrons and electrons and between charged 

particles and gamma rays. 1e main telescope has a 

4eld-of-view of ~45° from the zenith and a geometric 

Modulation as a function of energy with a gas mixture is 

CO2+Nitro (197.5:15 Torr) and the %eld strength was 1086 

V/cm. !e modulation decreases above 6.4 keV, likely due 

to incorrect track reconstruction due to the length of higher 

energy tracks.
Research and Development 37

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

acceptance of 0.12 m2-sr. 1e calorimeter is divided 

into an imaging calorimeter (IMC) section that provides tracking and accurately determines the starting 

point of showers, and a total absorption calorimeter 

(TASC) section that measures total particle energy. 

1e IMC contains ~3 radiation lengths (Xo) of tungsten interspersed between eight x-y layers of scintillating optical 4bers read out by multi-anode photomultipliers. Most electrons and photons will initiate 

showers in the IMC, which measures the starting 

point of the shower and its development until it enters the TASC. 1e TASC is a stack of lead tungstate 

(PWO) crystals arranged in x-y layers to track the axis 

of the shower. Each log is read out by two photodiodes 

plus an avalanche photodiode. 1e TASC has a total 

thickness of 27 Xo

 and collects the total energy in the 

shower with a leakage of only a few percent for electrons. A charge detector subsystem at the top of the 

telescope measures the charge of incident particles and 

functions as an anti-coincidence detector for gammaray measurements.

CALET is focused on investigating the high-energy total electron spectrum into the trans-TeV energy range. 1ese measurements have the potential to 

identify, for the 4rst time, the signature of high-energy 

particles accelerated in a local astrophysical engine and 

subsequently released into the Galaxy. Electrons lose 

energy rapidly by synchrotron and inverse Compton 

processes. 1e distant-source spectrum is expected to 

be relatively featureless, falling approximately as E-3

and softening rapidly above 1 TeV. Electrons with TeV 

energy must have been accelerated within about 105

years and can have di5used at most a few hundred pc. 

1e electron lifetime and the di5usion distance decrease rapidly with energy. Detection of electrons with 

energy signi4cantly above 1 TeV would indicate the 

presence of a nearby source and the arrival directions 

of these electrons should also show detectable anisotropy. Individual sources might also produce features 

in the spectrum at lower energies. CALET will resolve 

discrepancies among recent results from balloon experiments (BETS, ATIC, PPB-BETS), space experiments (Fermi, PAMELA) and ground-based air Cherenkov telescope observations (HESS).

High-energy electrons and positrons may also be 

produced by dark-matter annihilation. CALET will 

search for signatures of dark-matter annihilation producing features in the electron or gamma-ray spectra. 

!e Japanese Experiment Module - Exposed Facility as it looks from inside the module on the International Space Station.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

38 Research and Development

Together with measurements at the Large Hadron 

Collider, details of the spectra of high-energy cosmicray electrons and positrons may hold the key to revealing the nature of dark matter.

1e spectra of primary cosmic-ray nuclei, and the 

important secondary elements such as Boron, hold the 

key to understanding galactic particle transport at very 

high energy. CALET will measure the B/C ratio with 

precision to about a decade in energy beyond current 

results, and thereby test many of the models currently 

proposed. CALET will also extend the measurements 

of the spectra of cosmic ray nuclei from hydrogen to 

iron, with high resolution, into the region of the spectral “knee” to investigate possible structure and energy-dependent composition changes. 

CALET will perform a gamma-ray all-sky survey, 

complementing Fermi and HESS observations, to 

detect intense high-energy sources, study the di5use 

component, and search for new regions of emission. 

CALET includes a low energy (7 keV – 20 MeV) 

gamma-ray burst monitor. GRB measurements are 

also extended to high energy using the main telescope. 

1e electron, nucleus, and gamma-ray measurements of CALET would be extended to higher energy 

and greater precision by the HEPCaT (High-Energy 

Particle Calorimeter Telescope) instrument studied by 

a team led by John Mitchell and proposed as part of 

the OASIS (Orbiting Astrophysical Spectrometer in 

Space) mission. HEPCaT would measure cosmic-ray 

electrons to energies well above 10 TeV and nuclei to 

energies of 1015 eV. 

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope 

for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII)

Astronomical studies at infrared wavelengths have revolutionized our understanding of galaxies, stars, and 

planets, as well as their origins. But further progress 

on major questions is stymied by the inescapable fact 

that the spatial resolution of single-aperture telescopes 

degrades at long wavelengths. Exciting physical processes lurk below our current far-infrared (FIR) resolution, including clustered star formation, powerful 

interactions between normal matter and monstrous 

black holes at the cores of galaxies, and the formation 

of planetary systems. Interferometry is a path to high 

angular resolution in the FIR, making it a potent tool 

for scienti4c discovery. 

1e Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) is an 8-meter boom 

interferometer to operate in the FIR (30–90 Pm) on 

a high-altitude balloon that was selected for funding 

under the ROSES/APRA program in 2010. 1e long 

baseline will provide unprecedented angular resolution (~0.5") in this band. 1ese wavelengths are inaccessible from the ground; the high atmospheric 

transmission at balloon altitudes, in combination with 

BETTII’s unique double-Fourier instrument will allow spectral resolution of up to R { O'O ~ 200. By 

combining these capabilities, BETTII will provide 

spatially-resolved spectroscopy on astrophysically important sources. BETTII’s 4rst 3ight will isolate the 

far-infrared emission from forming stars in cluster en-

!e Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) mission con-

%guration for the JEM-EF.

!e Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) mission for 

the JEM-EF.
Research and Development 39

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

vironments, allowing us to tightly constrain models of 

cluster formation. 

1e scienti4c goals of BETTII drive key technical 

requirements for the design. BETTII is a Michelson 

interferometer, combining the light from two separated collector mirrors (siderostats) at a 50/50 beamsplitter in the pupil plane. A scanning optical delay 

line is used to vary the optical path di5erence between 

the two arms of the interferometer; the interferometric 

fringe pattern is recorded on the detector. Relative astrometric information is derived from the optical path 

di5erence between the fringe packets corresponding 

to discrete sources. 1e angular size of a source can be 

derived from the ratio of the fringe amplitude to the 

amplitude from an unresolved calibration source. 1e 

fringe envelope contains spectral information. 1us, 

an interferometer like BETTII, when used to observe 

a source with a large number of interferometric baselines, yields integral 4eld spectroscopic data, or a spatial-spectral data cube.

A successful 3ight of BETTII will pave the way 

for future space interferometry by demonstrating key 

technologies, including wide-4eld phase referencing 

for image reconstruction and the technique of doubleFourier interferometry. A traditional Michelson interferometer uses a single detector and has a 4eld of view 

determined by the size of the individual light collecting apertures. By using a detector array, one observes 

interferograms corresponding to multiple contiguous 

primary beams simultaneously on di5erent pixels. 

1is technique—wide-4eld double-Fourier interferometry—has been demonstrated on a laboratory testbed, but never in a 3ight-like environment.

1e 4rst 3ight of BETTII is planned for Spring 

2015. Data acquired with BETTII will be complementary to observations with space observatories such 

as Herschel and the James Webb Space Telescope, exploring the FIR wavelength range with unprecedented 

high angular resolution. 1ese data will be powerful 

tools for understanding star formation in clusters. Further, BETTII will validate technologies and retire risks 

for future space interferometers, such as the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope. 

1e BETTII project is a collaboration between 

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland, with assistance from the Far-Infrared 

Telescope Experiment team in Japan. 1 e BETTII 

team includes ASD scientists Stephen Rinehart, Rich 

Barry, Dominic Benford, Dale Fixsen, Bill Danchi, Johannes Staguhn, Robert Silverberg (Emeritus), as well 

as David Leisawitz (Science Proposal Support O;ce), 

Christine Jhabvala (Instrument Systems & Technology Division) and Lee Mundy (UMCP).

BETTII’s 8-meter boom will provide angular resolution of ~0.5" at 40 mm. Carbon-%ber construction leads to a sti& boom 

structure, while keeping the overall payload weight low.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

40 Research and Development

Technology Development

Laboratory Astrophysics Using an X-ray 

Microcalorimeter with an Electron Beam 

Ion Trap

Our laboratory astrophysics program is designed to 

simulate astrophysical plasmas in the laboratory in order to benchmark and provide guidance to the atomic 

codes that form the basis of the spectral synthesis models used in X-ray astrophysics. 1ese models are used 

to relate spectra observed from an astrophysical object 

to conditions in the source, including temperature, 

ionization-equilibrium, composition, density, turbulence and bulk motion. 1is work is fundamentally 

important as high-resolution spectroscopy becomes 

the dominant tool in exploring the physics of X-rayemitting objects. 

1is has already started with the observation of 

bright point sources with the high-resolution dispersive spectrometers on Chandra and XMM/Newton. It 

will become critically important with the upcoming 

Astro-H and International X-ray Observatory, which 

will produce a detailed, high-spectral-resolution image with every observation. Our program is designed 

to validate and correct the accuracy of the spectral 

synthesis models in controlled ground-based experiments, giving us con4dence that we have correctly ascribed observed spectral features to known conditions 

in the astrophysical source.

1e basis of our program is a high-resolution, 

non-dispersive, X-ray calorimeter spectrometer, a suite 

of very-high-resolution dispersive spectrometers, and 

the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) plasma generator at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

(LLNL). ASD scientists include Porter, Kelley, Kilbourne, Adams, Smith, Koutroumpa, and Leutenegger. Other collaborating institutions include Stanford 

University and the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology. 1e LLNL EBIT can produce nearly any 

plasma conditions, from low-charge states in light elements to bare uranium with electron beam energies of 

up to 200 keV. Nearly any charge state of any astrophysically interesting element can be produced, either 

as a pure charge state or in a Maxwellian distribution 

at known temperature. 

Non-equilibrium ionization conditions can also 

be produced with almost any astrophysically interesting ionization parameter. Typical measurements in our 

program include spectral-line identi4cation, absolute 

cross sections, recombination, charge-exchange recombination, and cross sections in thermal and non-

!e GSFC developed EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS) 

attached to the EBIT plasma instrument at the Lawrence 

Livermore National Laboratory.

X-ray emission due to Charge Exchange recombination from L-shell S produced in the EBIT instrument and measured by the 

ECS spectrometer.
Research and Development 41

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

thermal distributions. Measurements are related back 

to theory, the results of atomic calculations, and to the 

standard X-ray spectral synthesis models used in X-ray 

astrophysics. 

A key instrument in these measurements is a 

broadband, high-resolution X-ray calorimeter instrument provided by GSFC beginning in 2000 and now 

on its third revision. 1is system has been operated 

almost continuously for the past 9.5 years. It has produced well over two dozen peer-reviewed articles, 

and it has made critical measurements of absolute 

cross sections in L-shell Fe and Ni, as well as chargeexchange measurements in S, C, O, and Fe. Many 

investigations are on going. 1 e emphasis in 2010 

has been a detailed look at L-shell charge exchange, 

mostly with sulfur and iron, as a function of ionization state, a key component of magnetospheric charge 

exchange for which there exists no predictive theory. 

Magnetospheric and heliospheric charge exchange are 

key components of spatially, spectrally, and temporally 

variable foreground emission which complicate observations of, for example, the soft X-ray background, 

warm-hot intergalactic medium, and clusters of galaxies. Charge exchange emission is also very diagnostic and if observed in a celestial source can provide 

key information on the composition, ionization state, 

and relative velocity of both the donor and acceptor 

species. Our laboratory investigation is unique in the 

world at providing the 4rst controlled high-resolution 

spectra of charge exchange in astrophysical elements 

and is geared to provide information to guide the development of a predictive atomic theory, especially for 

the key L-shell emission which dominates local charge 

exchange.

GSFC 4rst installed an X-ray calorimeter instrument at the LLNL EBIT facility in the summer of 2000, 

based on the engineering-model detector system for 

the Astro-E observatory. 1e system was signi4cantly 

upgraded using technology developed for Astro-E2 in 

2003. A dedicated facility-class instrument designed 

from the ground up for laboratory astrophysics was 

installed in 2007. 1 e current instrument, dubbed 

the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), utilizes a 

32-channel X-ray calorimeter array from the Astro-E2 

program installed in a long-lifetime, automated laboratory cryostat that enables continuous experiments 

for up to 70 hours with a two-hour recharge. 1e detector array is populated with 16 mid-band (0.05–12 

keV) X-ray absorbers with 4.5 eV FWHM resolution 

at 6 keV, and 16 high-band (0.1–100 keV) X-ray absorbers with 30 eV FWHM at 60 keV. 

We are currently designing and constructing the 

fourth-generation instrument that will be based on 

detector technology from the IXO development program. It will be installed in a completely automated 

cryogen-free cryostat. 1 e fourth-generation instrument is dubbed the Transition-Edge Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (TEMS) and will be composed of 

a checkerboard hybrid of 128 low-band (0.05-1 keV) 

pixels with 0.8 eV resolution at 1 keV, and 128 midband (0.05-10 keV) pixels with 2.0 eV resolution at 6 

keV. In addition, there will be a 64 channel high-band 

array (0.1–200 keV) with 30 eV resolution at 60 keV. 

1e TEMS instrument will become the workhorse 

instrument in our laboratory astrophysics program to 

make sure that our measurements and understanding 

of atomic processes are ready to interpret the spectra 

we will obtain with the Astro-H and IXO observatories. TEMS will be installed at the EBIT facility in 

2012.

X-ray Calorimeter Development

An X-ray calorimeter determines the energy of an 

incident X-ray photon by measuring a small change 

in temperature. 1 ree types of X-ray calorimeters 

presently dominate the 4 eld, each characterized by 

the thermometer technology. 1e 4rst two types use 

temperature-sensitive resistors: semiconductors in the 

Mn Ka spectra measured with the SXS/Astro-H engineering 

model detector system. !e resolution across the pixels ranges 

from 3.6 – 4.6 eV.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

42 Research and Development

metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. 1e 

third type uses a magnetic thermometer. 1ese can be 

considered the three generations of X-ray calorimeters, 

although further development of each is proceeding.

1e Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on Astro-H, 

expected to launch in 2014, will use an array of silicon thermistors with HgTe X-ray absorbers that will 

operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in 

small arrays. Kilopixel arrays of the superconducting 

calorimeters are being produced, and it is anticipated 

that much larger arrays will require the non-dissipative 

advantage of magnetic thermometers. Goddard Space 

Flight Center is the only institution playing a leading 

role in the development of each of the three dominant 

X-ray calorimeter technologies. 1e scientists of the 

ASD microcalorimeter team include Joe Adams, Simon Bandler, Meng Chiao, Fred Finkbeiner, Richard 

Kelley, Caroline Kilbourne, Scott Porter, and Steve 

Smith, postdocs Catherine Bailey and Megan Eckart, 

and co-op student Jack Sadleir. Progress is made possible through a strong collaboration with Goddard’s 

Detector Systems Branch.

1e main developments in the silicon-thermistor 

calorimeters since XRS/Suzaku have been in their Xray absorbers and heat sinking. GSFC worked closely 

with the small business EPIR to develop HgTe absorbers with substantially lower heat capacity than the material used for XRS that yet thermalizes the energy of 

X-ray photons reproducibly and uniformly. 1e SXS 

thermistor array itself is based heavily on the XRS design, but includes better heat sinking to reduce the 

impact of cosmic-ray heating. 1e SXS engineeringmodel calorimeter array has been completed, and the 

resolution at 6 keV ranges from 3.6–4.6 eV across the 

array, with the composite performance from summing 

all the pixels resulting in 3.97 eV resolution. 1e 

magnitude of thermal crosstalk has been reduced by 

more than a factor of ten relative to XRS.

Over the past few years, Goddard has developed a 

microcalorimeter design that incorporates a micronsthick Au or Au/Bi absorber, designed to thermalize the 

absorbed energy quickly, with a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) made from a Mo/Au proximity-e5ect bilayer. In this novel design, the absorber 

makes direct contact with the TES only in normalmetal regions that are used to reduce noise in these 

sensors, which allows the use of a high-quality electroplated gold layer as the foundation for the absorber. A 

further constraint, that the high-conductance absorber does not electrically short out the sensor, results in 

an unusual T-shaped geometry for the contact. Arrays 

of such pixels optimized for the International X-ray 

Observatory (IXO) have demonstrated energy resolutions of 2–3 eV FWHM at 6 keV. 

Recent Goddard TES calorimeter development 

has been enhanced by new understanding that many 

TES properties can be explained by considering these 

devices to be superconducting weak links, like JosephEnergy resolution of a small TES calorimeter measured at three di&erent energies using X-ray "uorescence. !e pixel dimensions 

are 57 μm x 57 μm x 4.5 μm, with an underlying 35 μm TES. In each spectrum, the light blue dotted line shows the intrinsic 

line shape of the K transition. !e red lines represent the data, and the darker blue line is the intrinsic line shape convolved with 

the best %t instrumental broadening (assumed to be Gaussian).
Research and Development 43

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

son junctions, even though the length scales in a TES 

are considerably more macroscopic than in a tunnel 

junction. In small TES devices, the e5ective superconducting transition temperature depends sensitively 

on current, one e5ect of which is to extend the linear 

operating range of such pixels. Pixels with a 0.035 

mm TES and 0.057 mm absorber have demonstrated 

better than 2 eV resolution over a wide energy range. 

Such small pixels operate well without membrane isolation, allowing fabrication on a robust substrate with 

built-in heat sinking. 1ese pixels are also about a factor of ten faster than the ones optimized for IXO; with 

the appropriate 4lter in the TES bias circuit, the rise 

and fall times will both be approximately 30 Ps.

Goddard is part of an international collaboration 

(including Brown University, Heidelberg University, 

NIST/Boulder and PTB/Berlin) to develop magnetic calorimeters. 1e Goddard emphasis has been on 

designs that can be implemented in closely packed 

arrays. Goddard has been fabricating arrays of superconducting niobium meander inductors onto which a 

layer of magnetic material (Au:Er) is deposited. When 

a current is passed through the meander, a magnetic 

4eld is produced in the magnetic material. When an 

X-ray is absorbed, the heating changes the magnetic 

permeability, and therefore the inductance of the meander, which produces the signal. GSFC magnetic 

calorimeter arrays with absorbers have achieved 3.3 

eV resolution at 6 keV, and there remains potential 

to substantially improve on this in the near future, 

perhaps even to under 1 eV. An outgrowth of this development is yet another type of calorimeter, the magnetic penetration thermometer (MPT), which uses 

the same geometry but replaces the magnetic material 

with a superconductor in its transition. 1e MPT potentially combines the best of the magnetic calorimeter and TES technologies.

X-ray Mirror Development: NuStar and IXO

Mirror technology development for the International 

X-ray Observatory (IXO), formerly known as Constellation-X, continues at GSFC and is led by Will Zhang. 

1e IXO requirement is 5" angular resolution after all 

optics, detectors and other hardware have been assembled into the completed observatory, and Zhang 

and his team are well on their way toward meeting 

this goal. 

As of this writing, the team has been able to consistently make individual mirror segments that, when 

properly aligned and integrated, will produce 4.5"

X-ray images—close to meeting the corresponding 

IXO requirement on individual mirror segments of 

3.3"—by using a glass-forming technique. 1e researchers continued a collaborative e5ort with Goddard’s Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD). 1ey have completed three pairs of 

mandrels—the forms used to shape the mirrors—that 

meet the IXO forming-mandrel 4gure requirements 

of 2.2". 1ese mandrels are being used to re4ne 

techniques to fabricate mirror segments and to demonstrate that several mandrels can be utilized simultaneously to produce mirror segments meeting both 

quality and schedule requirements.

An aligned and bonded IXO mirror pair that has been X-ray 

tested.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

44 Research and Development

Meanwhile, they are also continuing another collaborative e5ort between ASD and AETD: developing 

the process of integrating these mirror segments into 

modules that, in turn, can be integrated into a 3ight 

mirror assembly. Using 4 nite-element analysis tools, 

they have simulated the entire process of starting with 

individual mirror segments and 4nishing with them 

aligned and bonded into a module. 1ey are engineering and implementing the process in the laboratory. 

As of December 2010, they have been able to align 

and bond a single pair of parabolic and hyperbolic 

mirrors to produce X-ray images at 9.7", crossing the 

10" barrier. 1ey expect to complete a mini-module 

with at least two pairs of mirrors by 2011. 1ey will 

subject the mini-module to both X-ray performance 

and environmental tests to a TRL-5 for a pre-Phase-A 

mission.

1e Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a Small Explorer under development (Harrison/Caltech, PI). ASD/GSFC is a member of the 

team, with the responsibility of providing glass mirror 

substrates using the glass-forming technology that has 

been developed for IXO. 1ese substrates are shipped 

to the Danish Space Research Institute to be coated 

with multi-layers to enhance their re3ectivity of highenergy (10–80 keV) X-rays. 1ey are then shipped to 

Columbia University for alignment and assembly into 

two mirror modules.

Work began in February 2008 with facility modi4cation and procurement of ovens and other necessary 

equipment. 1e work was completed on schedule and 

within budget. 1e entire mirror substrate production 

facility, located in Building 22 at Goddard, became 

fully operational on September 1, 2008. After a period of equipment checkout and personnel training, 

the production of 3ight substrates started in February 

2009 and has been on schedule and on budget. 1e 

last batch of 3ight substrates will be delivered by January 31, 2011, helping the NuSTAR project to make its 

February 2012 launch.

Far-Infrared Detectors

1e past decade has seen dramatic advances in many 

areas of long-wavelength astrophysics. WMAP, following the great successes of Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), has con4rmed our general understanding 

of the early universe and allowed us to quantify critical parameters—its age, composition and early evolution. Spitzer has provided an extraordinary imaging 

and mid-infrared spectroscopic capability, which has 

resulted in an increasingly improving picture of the 

evolution of galaxies over the life of the universe. Herschel launched on May 14, 2009, and is providing our 

4rst large-scale look at the high-redshift universe in 

the submillimeter. WISE launched on December 14, 

2009, producing an all-sky map of hundreds of millions of sources in the mid-infrared. JWST, scheduled 

to be launched later in this decade, will provide a window into the epoch of galaxy formation to clarify the 

processes that produced the present universe. 

Future far-infrared and millimeter facilities will 

play an important role in clarifying and extending this 

work. More than half the power of high-luminosity 

galaxies is emitted in the rest-frame far-infrared, so farinfrared and submillimeter imaging and spectroscopy 

are required for a full understanding of the physics of 

A completed NuSTAR mirror module.

!e GISMO detector array consists of 128 bolometers using 

superconducting transition-edge sensors read out by SQUID 

multiplexers. Operated at a temperature of 0.45K, this array 

is one of the most sensitive ever constructed for its wavelength 

range of 2 mm (150 GHz).
Research and Development 45

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

these systems. 1e next steps in NASA’s profoundly 

successful science program are currently being developed and the priorities for the space missions, supplemented by suborbital missions, being established. 

SOFIA, having just recently completed its 4rst 

science 3ights, will be a key facility for imaging and 

spectroscopic follow-up of Spitzer, Herschel, and 

WISE discoveries. Measurements of the polarization 

of the CMB promise to allow us to distinguish among 

models of the 4rst instants of our universe. Further in 

the future, great advances in sensitivity, angular resolution and overall instrument capability will be realized 

by large cryogenic telescopes in space, such as SPICA, 

CALISTO or SAFIR, SPIRIT, and SPECS. Highperformance far-infrared detector arrays are required 

for all this high priority work. Novel experiments in 

the far-infrared on balloon-borne platforms will push 

the boundaries of our technological capability while 

providing important scienti4c advances.

1e far-IR instrument development group in 

ASD (Benford, Chuss, Fixsen, Kogut, Moseley, Rinehart, Staguhn, Voellmer, Wollack) has ongoing research projects to develop, implement, and 4eld these 

detector arrays. Our large-format 4lled arrays will 

enable major advances in space-borne, sub-orbital 

and ground-based infrared, far-infrared and sub-millimeter instrumentation. Precision on-chip polarimeter detectors will enable sensitive measurement of 

the very slightly polarized signal from the CMB, in 

concert with a capable polarization modulator also 

developed in ASD. A balloon-borne experiment to 

measure the CMB polarization signal, PIPER (PI: Al 

Kogut), is well underway and will use both the modulator (Chuss and Voellmer) and the large-format arrays 

(Benford, Staguhn, Moseley, Wollack). Four of these 

arrays, totaling 5,120 pixels, will produce the richest 

polarimetric imaging of the CMB sky on its 3ights in 

2013. Using superconducting transition-edge-sensor 

bolometers read out by SQUID multiplexers, the arrays 3own in PIPER will provide the greatest sensitivity and pixel count of any yet 4elded at submillimeter 

wavelengths.

1is year, we began work on the world’s 4rst suborbital far-infrared interferometer experiment. 1e 

Balloon-Borne Experimental Twin Telescope Infrared 

Interferometer (BETTII; PI: Stephen Rinehart) will 

enable the highest angular resolution ever obtained at 

its 30–90 micron wavelengths: resolving structures at 

a scale as 4ne as 0.5 arcseconds. BETTII has a double 

Fourier interferometer that provides spatially-resolved 

spectroscopy with resolution of O/'O=200 to trace important transitions in the heart of star forming regions 

in our galaxy and in the region close to active galactic 

nuclei. In addition to its cutting-edge scienti4c capabilities, BETTII will also demonstrate interferometry 

from a “near-space” platform, paving the way to spacebased interferometry with even larger structures for 

improved sensitivity and angular resolutions. Benford, 

Fixsen, and Staguhn are Co-Is.

Our ground-based instruments continue to provide cutting-edge scienti4c results. 1e ZEUS spectrometer at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, 

led by Cornell using GSFC detectors (Benford, Moseley, and Staguhn), has produced the 4rst de4nitive 

survey of far-infrared atomic line emission from high 

redshift galaxies. 1ese lines trace important physical 

parameters of galaxies at their epoch of peak star formation. 1e SHARC-II camera, also at the CSO and 

using a 384-pixel GSFC bolometer array (Benford, 

Moseley, Staguhn, and Voellmer), continues to be the 

most productive submillimeter (350 micron) imager 

in the world. Our recent long wavelength (2 mm) 

camera based on a 128-element close-packed planar bolometer array that uses novel superconducting 

thermistors read out by SQUID multiplexers, named 

GISMO (PI: Staguhn; Benford, Moseley, Fixsen are 

Co-Is), has had another successful observing run in 

April 2010. Among its scienti4c results is the detection of emission from the most distant protocluster. 

GISMO is installed at the IRAM 30m radio telescope 

!e GISMO 2-mm bolometer camera was used to help 

characterize COSMOS-AzTEC-3, a massive protocluster at 

about redshift 5.3.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

46 Research and Development

in Pico Veleta, Spain, where it is already available to 

the broader GSFC and IRAM astronomical community.

Recently, work has begun on a new generation of 

detector technology and instrument concepts (PIs include Benford, Moseley, Wollack). Based on superconducting resonators and kinetic inductance detection, 

this technology may enable entire instruments to be 

built on a single silicon wafer. A compact (4-inch wafer) microstrip spectrometer for the millimeter band 

that will provide nearly octave-wide coverage with a 

spectral resolution su;cient to detect multiple emission lines from galaxies is in production (PI: Moseley; 

Benford & Wollack are Co-Is).

MKID Detectors for Submillimeter 

Astronomy

Ed Wollack and collaborators are actively pursuing the 

extension of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors 

(MKIDs) technology to the 38–400 μm spectral regions via a novel detector concept. Of the high-performance detector-array technologies currently being 

developed, the MKIDs may have the greatest promise 

for scaling to very large arrays (~105 detectors). Such 

arrays can provide high quantum e;ciency and can be 

designed to provide background-limited performance 

over a wide range of incident powers, making them 

candidates for a wide range of instruments, ranging 

from suborbital imagers to spaceborne spectrometers. 

Such large-format detector technologies are much 

needed in this important spectral region. Many of the 

primary diagnostics of a large range of galactic processes require observations in this spectral range. 1e 

far-infrared dust emission from normal and ultra-luminous galaxies peaks in this spectral range, and its 

measurements are essential for understanding the energy production mechanisms and processes in the galaxies. Fine-structure lines of O III, NIII, O I, C I, and 

N II fall in this spectral range. 1ese lines can provide 

high-quality measurements of elemental abundances 

and physical conditions in the emitting regions. Many 

excited states of molecules, such as CO, are seen in 

this spectral range, and provide the capability to probe 

physical conditions in hot molecular clouds. Low-lying transitions of hydrides in this spectral region can 

probe cores of cooling clouds, providing information 

on star-formation processes. 1e goal is to produce 

detectors that will permit the use of these powerful 

diagnostic tools in future missions.

Presently, MKID detectors employ a resonant 

tank circuit made from a superconducting transmission line. Its quality factor, Q, and central frequency 

are read out using a microwave re3ectometer. Millimeter-wave radiation is coupled into the device from 

an antenna, where it breaks Cooper pairs in the superconductor. 1is results in a change in the kinetic 

inductance of the microwave circuit, causing a change 

in the frequency and Q of the circuit. 1is technique 

A linear-array MKID test structure fabricated by the GSFC 

Device Development Laboratory.

!is sketch shows the sensor topology under study. Photons 

with energy greater than the gap energy are absorbed in the 

meander. !e quasiparticle excitations change the center frequency and Q of the microwave resonator.
Research and Development 47

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

works well at frequencies where the radiation can be 

coupled into the device using antennas and superconducting transmission lines. At frequencies above the 

superconducting gap of Nb, quality transmission lines 

are di;cult to produce, so a di5erent approach must 

be adopted. To achieve the desired sensor performance 

in the desired band, we modify this scheme by choosing the resonator metallization geometry and material 

properties consistent with its necessary roles in absorption of the incident wave and readout of the detector 

signal. 1e incoming light, with photon energy much 

greater than the superconducting gap, interacts with 

the spiral microwave transmission line. 

In the approach under development, the meander 

is chosen to have a surface-impedance and 4lling factor such that it presents the optimal matching impedance to the incoming wave, about 157 : per square. 

When the optical power is absorbed, it excites quasiparticles in the superconducting spiral, modifying the 

kinetic inductance of the line. 1e transmission line is 

con4gured as a O/2 stepped impedance resonator, designed to have a resonant frequency of ~1 GHz. 1e Q 

of the un-illuminated resonator can be controlled by 

appropriate selection of the coupling Q to the transmission line. 1e device is optimized for a particular 

application by choosing the unloaded Q to be equal to 

the Q caused by quasiparticle dissipation at maximum 

power. 1e density of quasiparticles is a measure of 

our signal, and is sensed by the change in frequency 

and Q of the readout resonator.

Pending successful laboratory demonstration of 

the devices, a test of an array will be conducted in a 

350Pm imager at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). 1is collaborative e5ort is led by Edward 

Wollack and includes S. Harvey Moseley (ASD), and 

Ari Brown, Wen-Ting Hsieh, 1omas Stevenson and 

Kongpop U-yen of Goddard’s Engineering Directorate, and Professor Jonas Zmudizian of Caltech.

Technology Development for Space-based 

Imaging Interferometers

1e advancement of astronomical observing facilities is always motivated by the quest for more lightgathering power (total aperture area) and for higher 

angular resolution (maximum diameter of the aperture). Monolithlic or segmented mirrors can only be 

used up to a point because engineering limitations restrict their sizes to perhaps 50 meters across. To obtain 

higher resolutions, it’s necessary to go to sparse-aperture designs where multiple smaller mirrors are used 

in precisely arranged arrays to sample a larger “virtual 

aperture” some hundreds of meters—and possibly 

even a kilometer or more—in diameter. 1is enables 

the design of imaging interferometers capable of submilliarcsecond angular resolutions. Such observatories 

are feasible, but they require technology development 

before they are ready to 3y. Some of that work is described below.

Dr. Kenneth Carpenter of the Exoplanets and 

Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory is coordinating the 

development of various technologies needed to enable large baseline, space-based imaging interferometers. 1ese include the GSFC Fizeau Interferometer 

Testbed (FIT), a ground-based experiment located 

in a new lab in Building 34 to develop closed-loop, 

nanometer-level optical control of a multiple-element 

sparse array, and various e5orts at MIT (led by Dave 

Miller) using the Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES), 

which uses hardware on ground-based 3at 3oor facilities (2-D) and inside the International Space Station 

(3-D) to test centimeter-level Precision Formation Flying (PFF) and synthetic imaging algorithms; the latter 

MIT-led research is currently supported by a GSFC 

SBIR Program. 1e primary goals of these programs 

are to mature the command and control algorithms 

required to enable formation-3ying of sparse aperture/

interferometric imaging missions and to optimize maneuvers for synthetic imaging with such arrays. 

Carpenter is the PI of the FIT e5ort and key Co-I’s 

include R. G. Lyon and D. Mozurkewich (Seabrook 

Engineering). 1e FIT is developing and demonstrating closed-loop control, utilizing feedback from the 

science data, of the tip, tilt, piston, and translation of 

mirrors in a sparse array and of the overall system to 

keep beams in phase and to optimize imaging. Dave 

Miller (MIT) leads the experiments with SPHERES 

to address constellation-wide sensing and control of 

the formation-3ying spacecraft. 1is program is developing and demonstrating speci4c algorithms for 

autonomous precision formation 3ying and e;cient 

synthetic-imaging maneuvers of an array of spacecraft. 

1e end goal of this research and development is the 

production of a single system that will provide stagedcontrol over the full dynamic range needed to enable 

these missions. While the detailed design of these experiments are based on the Stellar Imager (SI) mission, the technologies being advanced will help enable 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

48 Research and Development

numerous additional missions being considered by 

NASA for 3ight, including the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), Submillimeter Probe 

of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), Life 

Finder (LF), Black Hole Imager (BHI/MAXIM), and 

Planet Imager (PI), as well as smaller precursor missions, such as the Fourier Kelvin Stellar Interferometer 

(FKSI), SI Path4nder, selected Exoplanet Probes, and 

ESA’s Pegase. Please see http:/hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/ 

for additional information.

Technology Development for LISA

ASD’s Gravitational Wave Astrophysics branch continued to provide demonstrations of technology readiness for the LISA mission in 2010. 1ese e5orts were 

lead by scientists Camp, Guzmán, Livas, Numata, 

Stebbins and 1orpe with help from both civil servant and contract engineers. LISA technology development activities also provided an opportunity for 

students from high school through graduate school to 

gain valuable laboratory experience. Students active 

in 2010 included Jenny Harding (Key HS), Elizabeth 

Hyde (Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart), Lilian Sun (River Hill HS), Jeremiah Noordhoek (MIT), 

Scott Smedile (VA Tech.), Darbin Reyes (Cornell), 

and Heather Audley (U. Hanover, Germany). Results 

from these activities were presented at a number of 

conferences including the 8th annual LISA Sympo-

!e Fizeau Interferometer Testbed at Goddard. Top left: FIT Phase 1, with ba'es removed for clarity. Top right: FIT Phase 2 

array plate in assembly, with 11 of 18 mirrors/actuators installed. Bottom left: MIT SPHERES on the MSFC "at "oor. Bottom 

right: MIT SPHERES being operated inside ISS.
Research and Development 49

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

sium (Stanford, CA), the 38th COSPAR Assembly 

(Bremen, Germany), and the 2010 APS April Meeting (Washington, DC).

Optical Assembly Tracking Mechanism 

(OATM) testing. LISA detects gravitational waves 

by monitoring the distance between each of its three 

spacecraft using laser interferometry. 1 is requires 

that the two telescopes aboard each spacecraft be precisely pointed (approximately 8 nanoradians) toward 

the other two spacecraft, maximizing the exchange of 

light between them. 1e OATM enables this by allowing the spacecraft to account for the small variations (approximately one degree with a one year period) in the angle between the two LISA arms over 

the course of the mission. GSFC has identi4ed an 

actuator known as a piezo-electric inchworm that can 

provide the required dynamic range and precision to 

drive the OATM. 1orpe, together with contract engineering support and metrology support from J. Hagopian (Optics Branch), completed development of an 

OATM actuator test bed and veri4ed that the piezoelectric inchworm does indeed meet all the LISA requirements. As part of this e5ort, they designed, built, 

and characterized a thermal isolation chamber with 

temperature stability of better than 0.1 mK/Hz1/2 in 

the LISA band, a technique that can be applied to future LISA technology development activities. 

Fiber laser/ampli!er development. 1 e LISA 

laser must have a single-longitudinal-mode output 

with high intensity and frequency stability. Fiber laser/ampli4er technologies have made great advances 

over the last decades and are overcoming limitations of 

traditional bulk-optics based lasers (e.g., NPRO) and 

ampli4ers. Numata and Camp, together with technical support from the GSFC Laser and Electro-optics 

Branch and Lucent Government Solutions (LGS), 

have developed an Ytterbium 4ber ring laser and an 

Ytterbium 4ber ampli4er. Space quali4cation testing 

of the 4 ber components was performed in 2010. It 

included gamma/proton radiation hardness test of 4-

ber components and thermal vacuum cycling tests of 

the 4ber ampli4er system. No showstoppers for irradiation and thermal cycling were discovered. Detailed 

noise measurements of these laser systems will be performed in 2011 at GSFC.

Numata and Camp have also looked into the latest telecommunications laser technology represented 

by the planar-waveguide external cavity diode laser 

(PW-ECL) as a possible alternative to traditional 

NPROs and 4ber lasers. PW-ECL has smaller package 

size, smaller parts count, and much lower cost than 

NPRO. In addition, the PW-ECL showed smaller 

intensity and frequency noise in LISA’s observation 

band. An engineering test unit for space application 

will be built in 2011, in collaboration with Redfern 

Integrated Optics and LGS. 

Telescope structure stability. 1 e LISA telescope is used to increase the light-transfer e;ciency 

between distant spacecraft. Since the telescope lies in 

the interferometric path, it is critical that the optical 

pathlength through the telescope remain stable at the 

picometer level.

!e OATM actuator test bed was used to verify that the 

piezo-electric inchworm actuator was capable of movement 

over 2 cm while maintaining position stability of better than 

1nm/Hz1/2 in the LISA measurement band.

A Ytterbium %ber ampli%er suitable for LISA was developed 

at GSFC by Numata and Camp.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

50 Research and Development

Livas, together with engineering support from 

GSFC and construction and testing support from 

the University of Florida, has developed a prototype 

metering structure of silicon carbide that will be used 

to evaluate the material for potential use in the LISA 

telescope. While not a true telescope in the sense that 

it does not focus light, the prototype is structurally 

similar to a telescope: four long legs attached to a large 

disk (the primary) support a smaller disk (the secondary). 1e six components of the telescope were manufactured individually and were then bonded together 

using hydroxide-catalysis bonding.

1e structure is undergoing testing at the University of Florida to determine how much the structure 

changes dimensionally as it is cooled to the operating temperature and gradient, and then monitored to 

check the long-term stability with femtometer-level 

accuracy. Preliminary results con4rm published data 

and show that the stability is limited by thermal e5ects 

in the environment, as expected. Next steps include 

adding vibration isolation and applying thermal gradients to check stability.

Optical bench construction. At the heart of 

the LISA interferometry system is a structure known 

as the optical bench that interferes beams from the 

various spacecraft to provide measurements of interspacecraft distance 3uctuations at the ten picometer 

level. 1 e optical pathlengths on the optical bench 

must be su;ciently stable so that they do not obscure 

the gravitational wave signal. 1e LISA optical bench 

will be built using an innovative technique known as 

hydroxy-catalysis bonding that has been applied in 

Europe to produce the optical benches for the technology demonstrator mission LISA Path4nder. 1orpe is 

leading an e5ort funded by the GSFC IRAD program 

to build a small optical bench containing a frequency stabilization reference using the hydroxy-catalysis 

technique. Assisted by A. Preston (Laser Remote 

Sensing Laboratory), L. Miner and L. Kolos (Optics 

Branch), and K. Norman (SGT), the bench construction began in late 2010 and is expected to be complete 

in early 2011. Preston is also exploring the application 

of the hydroxide-catalysis technique to the building 

of retrore3ectors for precision lunar and satellite laser 

ranging experiments. 

Laser stabilization through arm-locking. To 

achieve the required displacement sensitivity of roughly ten picometers, the LISA lasers must be frequency 

stabilized. In the laboratory this is typically accomplished by locking the laser frequency to a frequency 

reference such as an optical cavity or molecular absorption line. LISA provides another alternative, using 

!e PW-ECL (right) has a smaller package size and fewer 

parts than the NPRO (left), potentially providing savings 

for LISA.

G. Mueller’s group at the University Florida has prepared 

a vacuum chamber for testing the dimensional stability of 

GSFC’s prototype telescope spacer.
Research and Development 51

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

the long arms of the LISA constellation as a frequency 

reference. 1is technique, known as arm-locking has 

been extensively studied using analytic models of the 

LISA interferometry system. 1orpe, together with Livas and controls engineer P. Maghami (Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch), have developed a 

time-domain simulation of arm-locking that allows 

the investigation of a number of e5ects that are not 

easily modeled analytically. 1e simulation indicates 

that arm-locking is indeed a viable option for LISA 

laser frequency stabilization and can also be used in 

conjunction with traditional techniques to further improve performance. 

Photoreceiver development. LISA will use quadrant photoreceivers as front-end devices for the phasemeter measuring the motion of drag-free test masses 

in both angular orientation and separation. Guzmán, 

Livas and Silverberg (Observational Cosmology Laboratory Emeritus) have set up a laboratory testbed for 

the characterization of photoreceivers. Some of the 

limiting noise sources have been identi4ed and their 

contribution has been either measured or derived 

from the measured data. A test photoreceiver with a 

0.5-mm-diameter quadrant photodiode has been built 

with an equivalent input current noise of better than 

1.8pA/√Hz below 20MHz and a 3 dB-bandwidth of 

34 MHz. Following steps include spatial scanning of 

the photodiode surfaces, measurement of inter-quadrant cross-talk, di5erential wavefront sensing angle 

measurements, and design and testing of alternative 

topologies for photoreceiver electronics with lower 

noise and higher bandwidth performance.

Three-Dimensional Track Imager Detector 

for Gamma-ray and Neutron Imaging

1e development of the 1ree-Dimensional Track Imager (3-DTI) is motivated by the technology requirements for a future gamma-ray telescope and neutron 

imager that will provide optimum angular resolution 

over the energy range from ~5–500 MeV, and for imaging of fast neutrons, En

 > 0.1 MeV, from passive 

and active interrogation of special nuclear materials 

(SNM). In these applications, the direction and energy 

(and polarization of gammas) of the incident neutral 

particles is determined from the three-dimensional 

momenta of the charged interaction byproducts. 

Drs. Stanley Hunter, with Georgia DeNolfo, 

Seunghee Son, Jason Link, and Michael Dion, are developing the 3-DTI for high-angular-resolution gamma-ray astronomy and neutron imaging. 1e 3-DTI is 

a large-volume time-projection chamber (TPC) with 

two-dimensional micro-well detector (MWD) readout. Relative time of arrival of the ionization charge 

provides the third spatial coordinate. Each well of the 

MWD (200 Pm diameter on 400 Pm centers) is a gas 

proportional counter that allows gas gain in excess of 

L. Miner inspects a hydroxy-catalysis bond made during construction of a prototype LISA frequency reference bench. 

Simulated energy spectrum, normalized counts vs. energy, 

(black) of protons resulting from single (n, p) interactions 

in CH4+CS2 gas mixtures, with the Watt % ssion spectrum 

(red) shown for comparison. !e blue points come from preliminary analysis of 10/10 NIC prototype data for the scattered protons. Despite the data’s limited statistics, the spectral 

agreement is very good.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

52 Research and Development

104. Negative ion drift is utilized to reduce the drift 

velocity and di5usion, which allows for the large TPC 

volume. Development of the 3-DTI technology for 

gamma-ray imaging is funded by NASA/APRA and 

for neutron imaging by the O;ce of Naval Research. 

1e team’s accomplishments this year include:

t Son and Dion made major improvements in 

our UV laser micro-machining facility. 1ese improvements have resulted in fabrication of 10 × 10 cm 2 

MWDs with gas gain in excess of 104, a requirement 

for minimum ionizing electron tracking. Improvements in our micro-machining techniques have enable 

production of 30 × 30 cm2 MWDs. 

t Son, Dion, DeNolfo, and Hunter demonstrated neutron imaging via n,p elastic scattering with the 

10 × 10 × 15 cm3

 3-DTI/NIC prototype eliminating the NIC dependence on 3

He for neutron imaging. 

1e spectrum of recoil proton energy agrees with GEANT-4 calculations done by DeNolfo con4rming the 

energy sensitivity of the NIC. 

t Dion assembled a 10 cm TPC optimized for 

drift velocity and di5usion measurements of negative ion gas mixtures. 1e gas gain, drift velocity, and 

longitudinal di5usion were measured as a function 

of electric 4eld for several CH4 + CS2 mixtures. 1e 

negative ion di5usion is proportional to 1/E, clearly in 

thermal equilibrium with the gas. 

t Son and Dion completed the assembly of the 

30×30×7 cm3 3-DTI/NIC prototype and imaged neutrons from a 252Cf source. 1is NIC prototype was 

extensively tested over-water at Ft. Monroe, Va., using 252Cf and SNM sources. Son, Dion, DeNolfo, 

and Hunter contributed to the analysis of the 4eld 

test data. 1ese results con4rm the omni-directional, 

multi-source, and spectral sensitivity of the NIC and 

advance the 3-DTI technology to TRL-6. 

t Several papers describing the 3-DTI development were presented at international conferences. 

UV and Visible Zero-Read-Noise Imaging 

Detector Development

A higher quantum e;ciency (QE) in a detector is 

equivalent to improving the sensitivity of a telescope 

system by increasing the area of the telescope. For exDuring the static over-water tests of the 30 cm NIC conducted at Fort Monroe, Va., the NIC was placed on a "oating 

dock and the source was located in the bow of a boat, shown 

here moored to the dock.

Left: In-house laser micro-machining of a 30×30 cm2 MWD. Right: !e 30×30×7 cm3 3-DTI detector con%gured for the Ft. 

Monroe %eld tests.
Research and Development 53

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ample, doubling the QE is equivalent to doubling the 

telescope mirror area, at vastly less cost. Photon-counter detectors can remove the detector’s readout noise, 

which can be the dominant noise source for measuring 

the spectra of faint objects and can hide the signal.

For the UV, a new class of photocathodes are under development with higher QEs than were available 

in the Hubble, FUSE, and GALEX era, based on new 

ternary materials becoming available such as p-doped 

AlGaN and MgZnO, in both planar and nanowire 

forms. By cesiating p-doped GaN, QEs of 50–60 

percent at 180 nm, a factor ~6 higher than 3own on 

HST/STIS, and 65–68 percent at 122nm, have been 

obtained. A GaN photocathode has been transferred 

into a diode tube with the QE stable for four years, 

and into an EBCCD imaging tube in collaboration 

with Rutgers University, and larger format EBCMOS 

tubes are being designed. 

Work continues via ROSES/APRA funding to extend the wavelength range and to obtain higher QEs 

and compatibility with microchannel plates (MCPs). 

SBIR programs funded by NASA are also developing 

silicon MCPs with AlGaN photocathodes. Woodgate, 

Kimble, Kruk, Norton, Hilton and Stock, along with 

GSFC engineering, university, NIST, and commercial 

partners, plan to build these photocathodes into EBCMOS and MCP detectors.

In the visible, photon-counting EMCCDs are 

being tested for use in future space spectrographs for 

faint objects such as exoplanet atmospheres, and are 

using fast controllers to reduce Clock Induced Charge 

to extend the useful dynamic range of the photoncounting regime. A 1k ×1k EMCCD will be used in a 

ground-based integral 4eld spectrograph.

CdZnTe Detector Development for Hard 

X-ray Coded-Mask Detectors

It is not possible to focus gamma rays with current 

technology, so the wide-4eld Burst Alert Telescope 

(BAT) on Swift—in orbit for more than six years—

uses a technique called coded-aperture imaging to 

image and localize incoming gamma rays. Gamma 

rays (15–150 keV) are detected at the focal plane by 

32,768 pieces of CZT. 1is coded aperture technique 

is being extended to a higher energy range (5–500 

keV) by Scott Barthelmy and Neil Gehrels.

1is e5ort is developing the packaging and frontend electronics for the thicker CZT needed to go to 

the higher energies and to improve the energy resolution. Originally conceived for the EXIST mission, we 

are now focusing on smaller instruments and missions 

(e.g., the Hard X-ray Imager on the Brazilian LattesMIRAX mission). 

Proto-EXIST1 was the 4 rst of a two-phase, 

balloon-based instrument to develop and prove the 

technology for the EXIST mission. Proto-EXIST1 

successfully 3ew in October 2009 from Fort Sumner, 

N.M., with 6.5 hours at 3oat altitude and a landing in 

western Kansas. It is lead by Josh Grindlay (CfA), with 

NWU BH072, 1 μm; ref. p13s1

SVT 0.2 μm; ref. p14s3

STIS CsTe DQE

ATMI #1 3 μm; ref. p18s1

SVT 0.15 μm; ref. p23s11

NWU BH087, 1 μm; ref. p19s1

SVT 0.15 μm; ref. p24s8

Diode tube DQE (includes NUV window)

EB Phostphor tube DQE (includes FUV window)

Wavelength (nm)

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

Quantum E

!ciency

QE results as a function of wavelength. 

Demagnifying electrostatic focused EBCMOS detector. 

Focusing electrodes are a ceramic/wire very dilute cage, 

allowing the optical beam in around the relatively small 

CMOS receiver.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

54 Research and Development

signi4cant contributions from Goddard. 1 e 3ight 

also tested the stacked-sheet design of the tungsten 

coded-aperture mask. During the 3ight, Cygnus X-1 

was successfully imaged and a spectrum was obtained.

Goddard continues the development of the Command and Data Handling electronics in the frontend detector-array electronics (i.e., everything after 

the detector ASIC). 1e next step (still called protoEXIST2) is replacing the front-end analog ASIC with 

one that has 16 times more channels, enabling more 

pixels to be handled in the same amount of space with 

much less power. 1e pixel pitch is dropping from 

2mm to 0.6 mm. 1e second balloon 3ight, in Fall of 

2011, will raise the TRL from 5 to 6 for the entire new 

ASIC-based detector array system.

Proto-EXIST1 payload carried by the Columbia Scienti%c Balloon Facility launch vehicle at Ft. Sumner, N.M. prior to launch 

on Oct. 9, 2009. !e detector array lies within the pressure vessel at the bottom of the gondola. !e coded aperture mask is 

on the top end of the pressure vessel. !e long vertical tube is the star camera. !e gondola, provided by Marshall Space Flight 

Center, is an azimuth-over-elevation design.
Projects 55

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Projects

Scientists assigned to NASA )ight projects play vitally 

important roles during all phases of a mission’s life cycle—from the development of science requirements, 

to concept and technology development, formulation 

and eventually operations. *e Project Scientist works 

with project managers, engineers, NASA Headquarters, the mission science team (or science working 

group) and the wider astronomical community to assure a successful outcome. Nearly half of the scientists 

in ASD serve NASA either as a Project Scientist (PS) 

or as a Deputy Project Scientist (DPS), Mission Scientist (MS), Instrument Scientist (IS), Principal Investigator (PI), Deputy PI, and more. *e top-notch 

science that )ows from ASD missions is a testament 

to the knowledge, hard work and dedication that the 

division’s technical sta+ brings to these roles.

Project Scientists

ACE Tycho von Rosenvinge

Astro-H Robert Petre (PS)

SXS Instrument Rich Kelley (PI)

Balloon Program Jack Tueller (PS), John Mitchell (DPS)

Cosmic Origins Mal Niedner (Chief Scientist)

International X-ray 

Observatory (IXO)

Nick White (PS), Ann Hornschemeier (DPS), Robert Petre (Deputy for 

Observatory) 

Explorer Program Neil Gehrels (PS)

GALEX Susan Ne+ (MS)

GEMS Tim Kallman (PS), Jean Swank (PI), Keith Jahoda (DPI), Joe Hill (IS) 

Fermi Julie McEnery (PS), Liz Hays (DPS), Neil Gehrels (DPS), Dave *ompson 

(DPS)

HEASARC Alan Smale (Director), Lorella Angelini (DPS)

HST Jennifer Wiseman (PS), Observatory PS (Open), Ken Carpenter (Operations 

DPS) 

LISA Robin Stebbins (PS), Jordan Camp (DPS), Je+ Livas (DPS), Stephen Merkowitz 

(DPS)

JWST John Mather (PS), Jon Gardner (DPS), Mal Niedner (DPS for Technical), 

Matthew Greenhouse (ISIM PS), Bernard Rauscher (DPS for ISIM), Mark 

Clampin (Observatory PS), Charles Bowers (DPS for Observatory), George 

Sonneborn (Operations PS), Jane Rigby (DPS for Operations), Randy Kimble 

(DPS for I&T)

JWST microshutters Harvey Moseley (PI)

NASA Engineering 

Safety Center

Ed Wollack

Physics of the Cosmos Jean Allen (Chief Scientist)

WFIRST Neil Gehrels (PS), Je+ Kruk (IS)

RXTE Tod Strohmayer (PS)

Sounding Rockets Scott Porter (DPS)

Suzaku Rob Petre (PS), Lorella Angelini (DPS)

Swift Neil Gehrels (PI), Scott Barthelmy (DPI)

WISE Dave Leisawitz (MS), Dominic Benford (DMS)

WMAP Gary Hinshaw (PS)

XMM Steve Snowden (PS)
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

56 Projects

In Operation

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

Science

Fermi started the year with a splash! *e -rst Fermi 

Large Area Telescope (LAT) source catalog was released 

in January 2010. Dave *ompson and Elizabeth Ferrara played signi-cant roles in the development of the 

catalog and writing of the associated papers, including 

the -rst LAT pulsar catalog. *e main catalog paper 

is the most cited Fermi paper of 2010 (with 130 citations) and the pulsar catalog paper is the third most 

cited. With 1,451 sources, the 1FGL catalog is by far 

the largest catalog of high-energy gamma-ray sources 

yet produced. About half the sources are associated 

with blazars (~600) or pulsars (~60). Many additional 

classes of high energy gamma-ray emitters are emerging—globular clusters, pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants, starburst galaxies, narrow line Seyferts, 

and X-ray binaries. Several of these source classes are 

new to high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics. Intriguingly, the second-largest source population consists of 

those having no obvious associations with members of 

known gamma-ray source classes, showing the potential for future discoveries. *e Fermi Science Support 

Center (FSSC) team has made the catalog available in 

convenient electronic tables (Dave Davis, Don Horner, and John Vernaleo).

Megan DeCesar, Alice Harding, Tyrel Johnson 

and Christo Venter have focused their attention on 

various studies of the high energy gamma-ray emission 

from millisecond pulsars (MSPs) and implications on 

emission models. * e discovery of so many MSPs 

in the Fermi data came as something of a surprise. 

PSR J0034–0534 was of particular interest, because 

the radio and gamma-ray emission sites appear to be 

co-located in this MSP, unlike the situation for most 

gamma-ray pulsars that also have radio emission.

Goddard scientists have also been heavily involved 

in studies of the more familiar young radio pulsars. 

Johnson, Harding, and Ozlem Celik published a paper describing detailed phase resolved spectra of the 

Vela pulsar—the brightest steady object in the gamWith 1,451 sources, the Fermi 1FGL catalog is by far the largest catalog of high-energy gamma-ray sources yet produced.
Projects 57

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ma-ray sky, while Celik and *ompson helped show 

that LAT observations of three pulsars previously seen 

by EGRET con-rmed some, but not all, features seen 

with the earlier mission. Elizabeth Ferrara was the 

lynch pin behind the - rst Fermi pulsar catalog—an 

especially important paper given the large number and 

variety of pulsar detections with Fermi-LAT.

2010 brought several surprises from objects in our 

Galaxy. In March 2010, Davide Donato performed a 

Swift follow-up analysis on a new )aring object seen by 

the LAT in the Cygnus region of the sky. *e gammaray transient turned out to be a nova, long thought to 

be improbably weak to produce high-energy gamma 

rays. *e paper was coordinated by Teddy Cheung, 

with signi-cant contributions from Elizabeth Hays, 

Robin Corbet, Koji Mukai, Tommy Nelson, Gerry 

Skinner, and Glen Wahlgren.

A much more familiar source, the Crab Nebula, 

provided a second gamma-ray surprise. Often considered so stable that it is referred to as a “standard 

candle” in high-energy astrophysics, the Crab Nebula 

has produced several )ares in the Fermi LAT energy 

range, with the largest occurring in September. Elizabeth Hays and Jamie Cohen were active in studying 

this remarkable GeV )are, attributed to synchrotron 

emitting electrons in inner regions of the nebula. In 

response to a request from Liz Hays, Fermi executed 

only its second Target of Opportunity (TOO) in response to this )are. She announced these results in the 

second of two Astronomers telegrams on Fermi-LAT 

observations of gamma-ray emission from the Crab 

Nebula. *is transient was of su/cient interest to provoke TOOs by Chandra and Hubble to examine the 

post-)are structure of the nebula.

Another Galactic surprise from Fermi involves a 

much larger scale. Harvard astrophysicist Doug Finkbeiner and his colleagues recognized huge “bubbles” of 

gamma radiation above and below the direction of the 

Galactic Center. Fermi Project Scientist Julie McEnery 

contributed to the press telecom about this discovery. 

*e story was listed in the top 10 American Physical Society stories of the year, and the animation short 

about the bubbles is one of the year’s most watched on 

NASA.gov.

Top row: LAT maps of the Crab Nebula region, selecting the o!-pulse nebular component, during normal (left) observations 

and during two "aring episodes (center and right). Bottom row: LAT maps of the region of the Crab Nebula plus the pulsar for 

the same time intervals.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

58 Projects

Alex Moiseev continued his work on cosmic-ray 

electrons measured with the LAT, helping con-rm in a 

paper in Physical Review Letters that the electron spectrum does not conform to expectations from traditional models of production and propagation. Vlasios 

Vasileiou is involved in a related study searching for 

anisotropy in the electron arrival directions that might 

be related to local cosmic-ray sources. 

Looking outside our Galaxy, Donato, *ompson, 

McEnery, Jeremy Perkins, and Bill McConville and 

have been pursuing studies of Active Galactic Nuclei 

(AGN). LAT emission has been seen from both the 

core and lobes of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus 

A (McConville, McEnery). Numerous Astronomer’s 

Telegrams have resulted from AGN )ares spotted by 

Donato while working as a LAT Flare Advocate, and 

he has also done a number of Swift follow-up observations of ) aring AGN. McConville, Perkins, and 

*ompson have been involved in correlated multiwavelength studies of individual )aring AGN.

Gamma-ray burst studies continue (Vlasios, 

McEnery), with bursts seen by the LAT regularly (but 

not always) showing delayed onset compared to lowerenergy gamma rays, GeV afterglows with a power-law 

decay, and an extra power-law spectral component 

that extends across the energy range of both Fermi instruments. 

Outreach to the Scientific Community

Fermi data analysis workshops were organized by the 

FSSC and Fermi project in January 2010 at the AAS 

meeting in Washington, D.C., and at Boston University (Chris Shrader, Elizabeth Ferrara, Elizabeth Hays, 

Dave Davis, Julie McEnery, Robin Corbet, Dave 

*ompson, Neil Gehrels, and Alice Harding). *ese 

provided Fermi users with an opportunity to learn 

about high energy gamma-ray analysis and to get tips 

on how to apply to the Fermi Cycle 3 GI program. 

*e FSSC arranged analysis and proposal workshops 

in support of GI cycle 4 at Goddard, NYU, U. Mich., 

and UC Santa Cruz, adding Jeremy Perkins to the 

group who had supported the Cycle 3 workshops.

Part of the Fermi team (Robin Corbet, Julie 

McEnery, Neil Gehrels, and Dave *ompson) skipped 

town during the large February snowstorms and headed to Bangalore, India, for a two-week COSPAR Capacity Building workshop on high-energy gamma-ray 

science and Fermi data analysis. One of the students 

from that workshop won a COSPAR fellowship to 

support a visit to Goddard in April 2011 to continue 

working with the Fermi team.

Jerry Bonnell, Robin Corbet, and Elizabeth Ferrara developed a list of Fermi-related papers sorted 

form journal and arXiv submissions that is made available from the FSSC.

Artist’s rendition of the giant gamma-ray “bubbles” showing the scale relative to the Milky Way Galaxy.
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Neil Gehrels, Judy Racusin, Nora Troja, Vlasios 

Vasileiou, Taka Sakamoto, and Julie McEnery were 

organizers for a Gamma-ray Burst scienti-c meeting 

in Annapolis, Maryland. After the Annapolis meeting, 

Judy, Vlasios, Nora, and Taka organized a joint SwiftFermi GRB analysis workshop—taking advantage of 

the co-location of the Swift and Fermi science support 

center to guide people through the analysis of all 5 

instruments across both missions

Instrument and Mission Operations and Analysis

Alex Moiseev, David Green, and Elizabeth Hays have 

continued studies of the performance of the Large 

Area Telescope Anticoincidence Detector, a subsystem 

built at Goddard.

Sylvia Zhu and Julie McEnery performed a study 

to optimize the con-guration of the algorithms to 

search for gamma-ray bursts on board the Large Area 

Telescope. * e new con-guration was uploaded in 

May 2010 and announced via a GCN circular.

Fermi performed its -rst Target of Opportunity 

observation to observe an extraordinary ) are from 

3C454.3 in April 2010—little did we know that we 

would observe an even more intense )are in November 2010. At the end of 2010, the scanning mode was 

modi-ed to add additional exposure to PSR B1259–

63, a binary system that was producing high-energy 

gamma radiation as the neutron star passed through 

the disk of the Be star.

Julie McEnery and Elizabeth Hays continue to 

work closely with the spacecraft operations team and 

system experts at Goddard to guarantee that Fermi 

continues to achieve peak performance throughout 

the con-rmed 10-year mission.

*e FSSC released an updated science tools package expanding platform support and including new 

tools. An update to user-contributed tools includes a 

handy LAT plotting tool developed by Tyrel Johnson. 

*e FSSC and the LAT team released a new reconstruction of the LAT data, which includes a new lower 

background sample of photons for studying large regions of sky.

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE)

*e Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer is designed to facilitate the study of time-variable emission of X-ray 

sources with moderate spectral resolution. RXTE covers time scales ranging from microseconds to months 

in a broad spectral range from 2 to 250 keV, boasts 

a large collecting area, and is able to monitor bright 

sources over the entire sky. RXTE was designed for a 

required lifetime of two years and a goal of -ve, but on 

December 30, 2010, the spacecraft celebrated 15 years 

in orbit and began its 15th cycle of observations. Of 

currently operating NASA missions, only Hubble has 

been in orbit longer. 

Tod Strohmayer is the Project Scientist. In its long 

and productive history, RXTE is responsible for nuCen A lobes: Fermi LAT gamma-ray map (left) compared to WMAP (right).
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

60 Projects

merous discoveries resulting in four Rossi Prizes—to 

Bailyn, McClintock, and Remillard (2009); Strohmayer and Chakrabarty (2006); Kouveliotou and 

*ompson (2003); and Bradt and Swank (1999)—as 

well as more than 90 doctoral theses and over 2,100 

refereed publications. 

*e observation planning, instrument monitoring, and calibration updates are carried out with the 

part-time contributions of an experienced team that 

includes Keith Jahoda, Craig Markwardt, Nikolai 

Shaposhnikov, and Evan Smith at Goddard. Improvements in background determination and response matrices continue to be made. RXTE observations have 

been mining the X-ray sky for more than a decade. 

*e Science Operations Center (SOC), with 

Frank Marshall as director, assisted by Robin Corbet 

as Science Operations Facility manager, and the GSFC 

Mission Operations group have worked together to 

continue to automate operations and reduce manpower and expenditures, while preserving RXTE’s ability 

to accommodate new information about targets of 

opportunity (TOOs, implemented by SOF scheduler 

Evan Smith). RXTE’s most used follow-up capability 

is currently for timescales of 1–2 days. It is possible to 

have follow-up observations within hours for a select 

subset of requests, but transients that harbor millisecond pulsars, active periods of magnetars, the lifecycles 

of galactic black hole transients, and, of course, the active periods of blazars require a response on the order 

of days that can be sustained for days to weeks. RXTE 

remains the mission that is requested to carry out these 

observations. 

*e RXTE project has submitted proposals to 

each of NASA’s Senior Reviews of the Astrophysics 

Operating Missions since 1994. *e 2006 review con-

-rmed RXTE’s operations through the 2008 review, 

by which time the project had developed a program to 

extend operations through February 2009. *e 2008 

review concluded that funds were not available for further funding of the longest operating of the competed 

astrophysics missions. However, continued reductions 

in operating costs, combined with additional funds 

and guidance from NASA HQ enabled the mission 

to operate through September 2010. Operations beyond that were addressed by the 2010 Senior Review, 

to which RXTE was invited to submit a proposal. 

*e panel did not recommend additional funding 

for RXTE operations but recognized the continued 

value and productivity of the mission to NASA and 

supported continuation if operating funds could be 

#is image shows RXTE’s observation history in galactic coordinates for one decade (Jan. 2001–Dec. 2010), including pointed 

observations, scanning observations, and maneuvers between pointings. Points are color coded between black (<100 sec per 

square degree) and white (>30,000 sec per square degree). #e RXTE spacecraft bus and the primary scienti$c instrument, the 

Proportional Counter Array, were built at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and launched in December, 1995. Credit: 

NASA/RXTE/Craig Markwardt, Jean Swank, Tod Strohmayer, Evan Smith and Divya Pereira.
Projects 61

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

found. Some additional cost reductions were implemented, and funding to continue the mission in FY11 

was approved by NASA, along with a Cycle 15 call for 

proposals. Indeed, the number of proposals received 

in Cycle 15 grew by ~18 percent, further con-rming 

that researchers still highly value RXTE observations. 

At present, operation of RXTE beyond FY11 remains 

uncertain.

RXTE remains the only current X-ray observatory 

with the capability to routinely measure the millisecond spin periods of accreting neutron stars. Recent 

observations have led to the discovery of two more of 

these objects, IGR J17511–305 with a 245 Hz spin 

rate, and Swift J1749.4–2807 which rotates even faster at 518 Hz. Indeed, Swift J1749.4–2807 is the -rst 

accreting millisecond pulsar to show X-ray eclipses. 

*e combination of millisecond pulse and eclipse timing holds great promise for precise measurement of the 

neutron star mass in this system. Multi-year RXTE 

measurements of the Crab Nebula and pulsar—long 

considered an X-ray standard candle—have recently 

been instrumental in decisively con-rming that the 

Crab is not a constant X-ray source, but shows brightness variations of 5–7 percent. *e RXTE data, which 

has the longest temporal baseline, con-rms indications from other observatories, including Swift and 

Fermi, that the Crab Nebula can vary over months to 

year time-scales.

RXTE has found several examples of young, energetic pulsars associated with ultra-high energy TeV 

sources. *ese objects may be powered by the relativistic pulsar wind in these systems. Ground-based 

observatories such as HESS, MAGIC, and VERITAS 

can -nd the TeV emission, but RXTE is one of the 

few X-ray observatories with the sensitivity to detect 

the pulsar counterparts and measure their spin-down 

properties. *e most recent example is RXTE’s detection of a 38.5 millisecond pulsar associated with the 

TeV source HESS J1849-000.

XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility

ASD operates the U.S. XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility (XMM GOF). XMM is a European Space 

Agency (ESA) X-ray astrophysics mission, and ESA 

allocates resources to support European XMM users 

but looks to the GOF to provide support to the large 

U.S. astrophysics community. GOF activities include 

facilitating the submission of GO proposals to ESA, 

distributing proprietary data to U.S. PIs, maintaining 

the full public science archive, and supplying expertise, analysis software and documentation to U.S. scientists.

*e GOF works in conjunction with the ASD 

GOFs of other high-energy astrophysics missions (e.g., 

RXTE, Integral, Fermi, Swift, and Suzaku) to lower 

costs and to ensure consistency in the areas of the budget proposal process, FITS tools, database structure, 

web pages and archival data access. Cost savings are 

leveraged by sharing resources, techniques, expertise 

and reusing software. GOF activities cover a very 

wide range of endeavors in support of XMM. A U.S. 

XMM-Newton Users Group under the chairmanship 

of Prof. Craig Sarazin (U. Virginia) provides community oversight of GOF activities. Dr. Steve Snowden 

is the NASA Project Scientist, and with Drs. Lynne 

Valencic and Kip Kuntz provides science support to 

the U.S. astrophysics community. Brendan Perry and 

James Peachy provide software support and Michael 

Arida maintains the U.S. XMM archive. 

Kuntz and Snowden are involved in the particle 

background calibration of the XMM X-ray imagers 

and the cross-calibration between the XMM instruments and other X-ray observatories (e.g., Chandra, 

Suzaku, ASCA, and ROSAT), which enhances the utility of multi-observatory data analysis. *is has been a 

major activity over the last several years with XMM 

GOF participation in the International Astronomical 

XMM-Newton EPIC mosaic of the Coma Cluster of galaxies 

created using the XMM-ESAS software package developed by 

the XMM GOF.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

62 Projects

Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC). 

Snowden and Kuntz have developed the XMM-Newton Extended Source Analysis Software (XMM-ESAS) 

package which is now fully implemented within the 

mission software suite. *is package signi-cantly simpli-es and improves the accuracy of data reduction for 

extended objects and the di+use X-ray background.

Kuntz produced and maintains (by periodic updates to include recent observations) the Optical 

Monitor (OM) source catalog (Kuntz et al. 2008, 

PASP, 120, 740) to compliment the X-ray source catalog produced by the XMM-Newton Survey Science 

Centre (SSC). *e database contains entries for every 

source detected in OM observations. Kuntz and Arida 

work with STScI to make the OM catalog and data 

available through the Multimission Archive at Space 

Telescope (MAST), considerably increasing the data 

availability to optical astronomers.

Arida maintains the XMM-Newton archive at the 

GSFC GOF, which mirrors all public data in the ESA 

XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA) at the SOC, 

as well as proprietary data for U.S. PIs. *is mirroring of the data reduces the high data load at the European Space Operations Center site, and provides a 

much faster data-transfer rate within North America, 

as well as allowing use of the unique capabilities of 

the BROWSE database and providing a direct link for 

the use of XMM-Newton data within the HERA data 

analysis system.

Valencic maintains the ABC and D Guides which 

provide an introduction to the scienti-c analysis of 

XMM-Newton data, updates the XMM publication 

list on a quarterly basis—there are now ~1.3 refereed 

XMM publications per day—and supports the implementation of XMM-Newton analysis software within 

the HERA data analysis system. *e latter includes 

developing extensive data analysis scripts for the user 

community.

Perry is an integral part of the ESA XMM mission 

software (Standard Analysis Software, SAS) development team and also contributes original software to 

SAS (e.g., XMM-ESAS). Peachy supports the image 

modeling software Sim-X (used for preparing science 

proposals), as well as the high-resolution spectral analysis tool Pro-t.

*e XMM GOF was successful in the 2010 Senior Review process and will receive continued funding through FY12 for both GOF operations and GO 

support. Further funding through FY2014 was also 

recommended by the review.

Suzaku (Astro-E2)

Suzaku is the - fth in a series of Japanese X-ray astronomy satellites, launched by the Japan Aerospace 

Exploration Agency (JAXA) on July 10, 2005. Like 

ASCA before it, Suzaku is a joint Japanese-U.S. mission, developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of JAXA (ISAS/JAXA) in collaboration with GSFC and many other institutions. 

Suzaku’s scienti-c payload includes three coaligned instruments, of which two are functional. *e 

X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) consists of four 

imaging CCD cameras, three of which are front illuminated (FI: energy range 0.4–12 keV) and one back 

illuminated (BI: energy range 0.2–12 keV). Each XIS 

is located at the focal plane of a dedicated X-ray telescope (XRT). One of the three FI chips was rendered 

inoperable by a micrometeorite impact in December 

2006; a micrometeorite impact in June 2009 made a 

small portion of a second FI detector unusable. *e 

second functional instrument is a non-imaging, collimated Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) sensitive in the 

10–600 keV band. *e third instrument, the X-Ray 

Spectrometer (XRS), ceased operation shortly after 

launch due to a spacecraft design error. 

GSFC’s role includes supplying the XRTs and 

the XRS “insert” (detector, blocking -lters, adiabatic 

demagnetization refrigerator, and LHe cooler), development of data-processing software, operation of the 

U.S. Guest Observer Facility (GOF), and administration of the U.S. Guest Observer (GO) Program. 
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Rob Petre is the NASA Project Scientist, and Lorella 

Angelini is the Deputy Project Scientist. Suzaku has 

produced an abundance of data from a wide variety 

of cosmic X-ray sources. Key unique Suzaku observations include: measurement of cluster properties beyond their virial radius; broadband measurements of 

AGN revealing simultaneously complex absorption, a 

relativistically broadened Fe K line, and a re)ection 

continuum to 20–40 keV; determination of the spin 

of Galactic black holes and the radius of accreting 

neutron stars using their relativistically broadened Fe 

line; and measurement of the spectrum of a substantial 

fraction of the AGN detected by Swift. 

U.S. observers have access to 50 percent of the 

observing time (including 12 percent through joint 

Japan/U.S. observations), as well as access to all archival data. *e due date for proposals for the sixth 

observing cycle (April 2010–March 2011) was late 

November 2010. Over the most recent three cycles 

an average of 90 proposals have been submitted, with 

a time oversubscription of 3.5–4. Included in the 

submissions are proposals for long programs (observing time > 300 ks) and key projects (observing time 

> 1Ms). *e goal of the key projects is to carry out 

major, multiyear observing programs that utilize Suzaku’s unique capabilities. To date, - ve key projects 

have been initiated, three of which have been completed. *e completed ones are an extensive mapping 

of the Galactic center region; a comprehensive study 

of anomalous X-ray pulsars; and a deep observation of 

Kepler’s SNR to characterize the explosion mechanism 

through measurements of modest-abundance metals. 

*e two key projects still underway are a census of 

broad Fe lines in AGN and an extensive mapping of 

the Perseus cluster of galaxies (the brightest cluster in 

X-rays) to beyond its virial radius. It is anticipated that 

additional key projects will be started during the sixth 

observing cycle.

Suzaku has also developed relationships with other missions. Joint Suzaku-Chandra observations are 

now available through the Chandra GO program. It 

is possible through the Fermi GO program to obtain 

Suzaku observing time to support coordinated observations. *e Suzaku team is also collaborating with the 

MAXI team, following up )aring sources identi-ed by 

MAXI.

In the 2010 NASA Senior Review of operating 

missions, Suzaku was ranked seventh out of the nine 

missions considered. Nevertheless, the review panel 

recommended continued funding of both the U.S. 

data center and the GO program through 2014. *e 

Suzaku data center is responsible for processing and 

archiving the full mission data set and distribution of 

data to U.S. GOs; development and maintenance of 

proposal and observation planning tools and documentation; maintaining the calibration database; supporting proposal reviews; assisting GOs in analyzing 

data; and ensuring grant funds are distributed in a 

timely way. *e data center sta+ consists of three fulltime scientists (Koji Mukai, Kenji Hamaguchi, Katja 

Pottschmidt) and one programmer, plus part-time 

support from HEASARC sta+. 

Hubble Space Telescope

*is was the -rst full year of Hubble science following 

the amazing success of Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) in 

May 2009. With a working complement of two spectrographs—the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) 

and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), 

and two imaging cameras—the Wide Field Camera 

3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), 

HST is now more powerful and scienti-cally well-balanced than at any previous time in its 21 years in orbit. 

COS and WFC3 are new instruments—installed during SM4—whereas STIS and ACS were both repaired 

during that mission and returned to service. With science operations anticipated to run at least through the 

end of calendar 2014, it is di/cult indeed to overstate 

HST’s future promise.

*e HST Project Science O/ce is sta+ed by 

ASD personnel. In early 2010, Jennifer Wiseman was 

named to succeed Dave Leckrone in the position of 

HST Senior Project Scientist. George Sonneborn ably 

served as acting Senior Project Scientist for nearly ten 

months between Leckrone’s retirement and Wiseman’s 

start date, Ken Carpenter is HST’s Project Scientist 

for Operations, and Mal Niedner served throughout 

2010 as the HST Observatory Project Scientist. As 

the year ended, Niedner was beginning a transition 

over to the James Webb Space Telescope, to serve as 

Deputy Senior Project Scientist - Technical. Niedner’s 

long-time outstanding service to the Hubble Program, 

through multiple servicing missions, the development 

of new instruments, and the promotion of its countless outstanding scienti-c achievements, is a major 

force behind the success of this great observatory. 

ASD’s connections to HST are strong and extend 

beyond its Project Scientists and the scientists who 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

64 Projects

use Hubble (mentioned elsewhere in this 2010 ASD 

Report). STIS was proposed, developed, and )own in 

1997 (SM2) by PI Bruce Woodgate, whereas WFC3 

is an SM4-installed, non-PI instrument built under 

GSFC/ASD’s leadership (Randy Kimble, Instrument 

Scientist). WFC3 is the bedrock of HST’s scienti-c 

arsenal, and STIS continues—despite its age—to possess unique capabilities that astronomers are delighted 

to have access to once more. 

No orbiting telescope is free of issues, and 

throughout 2010 the HST Project Scientists worked 

with the HST Project, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and industry/academia colleagues on several: 

Neon purge/re-ll techniques to potentially restart the 

Near Infrared Camera and Multiobject Spectrometer 

(NICMOS) cryocooler and restore NICMOS to operational status if scienti-cally compelling (NICMOS 

accounted for 1.4 percent of the total HST observWFC3 view of the core of globular cluster Omega Centauri. Comparison of ACS imagery of the same cluster taken in 2002 and 

2006 resulted in the secure detection and measurement of proper motions of more than 100,000 cluster stars.

WFC3 image of the famous “comet-like asteroid” of 2010. #e combination of a point object, an X-shaped pattern, and a 

long, cometary-like dust tail has never been seen before. Astronomers think this slowly evolving ensemble of structures represents 

the collision—in February or March of 2009—of a 400–500-foot-diameter asteroid with a much smaller one (~ 10–15 feet 

wide).
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ing time when it last did operate, and it retains some 

unique capabilities, though its IR imaging/grism capabilities have been almost completely subsumed by 

WFC3); the slowly degrading (but still faster than 

expected, pre-launch) quantum e/ciency in COS’s 

FUV detector; mitigation techniques for ACS’s increasing CCD charge transfer ine/ciency; and various instrument protection issues stemming from the 

Science Instrument Command and Data Handling 

(SI C&DH) Unit lock-ups that occur occasionally 

and brie)y interrupt observations with the telescope. 

All the above issues are either solved or are minor and 

manageable, and it is no overstatement to say that 

HST is functioning superbly. In addition, the staged 

implementation of Automated HST Operations is going extremely well.

HST addresses, as always, the wide range of astrophysical disciplines expected of an orbiting Great 

Observatory, and it continues to serve a substantial 

fraction of the astronomical research community. *e 

response to the Cycle 18 Call for Proposals was extremely gratifying: a near-record 1,049 proposals were 

received, resulting in the highest-ever oversubscription 

factor in terms of awarded observing time (9:1). Year 

A portion of the well-known Carina Nebula is well captured in this HST 20th- anniversary image, taken by WFC3. Pillars 

of gas and dust, newly born stars emerging from dusty cocoons, stellar jets, bowshocks and numerous other features, are shown 

in this extremely dynamic region of space.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

66 Projects

lengths, from gamma-rays to optical light. It was 

launched in 2004 and is in its extended mission phase 

with re-entry no earlier than 2020. 

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous 

explosions in the universe since the Big Bang. *ey 

come randomly from all directions in the sky and last 

from a few milliseconds to a few hundred seconds. 

GRBs are believed to occur in the collapse of some 

massive stars into supernovae or when two neutron 

stars merge. *e details of how such intense bursts of 

radiation are produced are still not well understood.

*ere are three telescopes onboard Swift: the 

Burst Alert Telescope is a coded-aperture gamma-ray 

detector that operates between 15 and 150 keV. It detects GRBs and rapidly localizes them to approximately two arcminutes. Immediately afterwards (usually 

within one minute), the spacecraft slews to point its 

two narrow--eld instruments at the burst. *e X-Ray 

Telescope measures the 0.2–10 keV X-ray )ux from 

the GRB’s afterglow and localizes the source to within 

two arcseconds. *e Ultraviolet/Optical telescope collects data between 1,600 and 6,000 Angstroms and 

provides a sub-arcsecond position for the burst. Swift 

distributes these positions for each GRB to other observatories within seconds of obtaining them.

2010 also saw the inception of Multi-Cycle Treasury 

(MCT) science, comprised—in this - rst round—of 

three programs, each extending across three annual 

observing cycles and utilizing many hundreds of orbits 

(the range is 525–828 orbits per program). *e three 

selected MCT programs target a range of interesting 

sources: 25 gravitationally relaxed galaxy clusters, addressing a wide variety of astrophysical questions; the 

Andromeda Galaxy, featuring a detailed survey of stellar populations over a wide area; and a deep, multitiered IR survey to probe galaxy assembly and detect 

distant supernovae. * e purpose of the MCT programs are to push HST science well beyond what was 

possible with the limited orbit allocations of the past, 

and to render unnecessary future statements of lament 

such as: “We wish we had tried some truly Big Science 

Programs when HST was still operating.” *e inaugural MCT competition was extraordinarily intense, 

with an oversubscription ratio of 17:1.

Hubble science was frequently in the news in 

2010 with many press releases that covered the gamut 

of astrophysics. A very partial list includes the bizarre 

“comet-like” object that resulted from an asteroid collision in our solar system; simultaneous coverage of 

Saturn’s northern and southern aurorae; several high 

velocity, “runaway stars” in our galaxy; modeling of 

position-dependent stellar formation histories in a 

nearby dwarf galaxy; a determination of individual 

stellar proper motions and projected velocities in the 

globular cluster Omega Centauri using HST imaging data spanning only a four-year (!) baseline; galaxy 

cluster studies that probed the growth of clusters and 

the in)uence of Dark Energy; the importance of the 

hard-UV radiation -eld produced by early quasars in 

completing cosmic reionization (i.e., of Helium) 11 

billion years ago; the comet-like gas tail of an evaporating exoplanetary atmosphere; and the discovery of 

young blue stars in elliptical galaxies once thought 

“red and dead.” A photo release many will long remember was the HST 20th-anniversary image of the 

Carina Nebula, taken by WFC3.

Without a doubt, the year 2010 was an extremely 

rewarding and productive one for HST. *e dream of 

SM4 continues to be realized.

Swift

Swift is a NASA Explorer mission, with international participation, that is designed to - nd gamma-ray 

bursts and study them over a wide range of wave-

#e brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen in X-rays temporarily blinded Swift’s X-ray Telescope on 21 June 2010. #e 

image merges the X-rays (red to yellow) with the same view 

from Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope and shows a $eld 

of 5 arcmin × 5 arcmin.
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

results. *ese Swift papers have a very high citation 

rate of around 20 per paper on average (> 20,000 total). About half of all Swift papers are from non-GRB 

-elds with an increasing fraction. A few examples include: performing multiwavelength observations of 

comets; stellar ) ares, CVs, and novae; obtaining ultraviolet light curves for more than 130 supernovae 

of all types; observing galactic transients and AGNs; 

performing a survey of nearby galaxies in the optical, 

UV, and X-rays; and undertaking the most sensitive 

all-sky hard X-ray survey yet performed.

Swift has been widely recognized as a groundbreaking mission. It was ranked four in the 2010 

Senior Review. * e PI Neil Gehrels and the Swift 

Team won the 2007 Rossi Prize, the 2009 Muhlmann 

award of the Astronomical Society of the Paci-c, and 

GRB 080319B (the naked-eye gamma-ray burst) was 

named one of the top ten science news stories of 2008 

by the American Institute of Physics.

*e Swift Guest Investigator Program adds an 

important component to the Swift research and includes both GRBs and non-GRBs science. During the 

2010 Cycle 7, 182 proposals were received, requesting 

$4.9M in funds and 17.3 Ms total exposure time for 

1,111 targets. *e oversubscription rate has grown to 

a factor of 4.1 for non-TOO proposals and the TOO 

category had an oversubscription factor of 5.0.

Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)

*e GALEX observatory is a Small Explorer (SMEX) 

that consists of a telescope, two detectors, and a spacecraft. It collects wide--eld (1.2 degree) images of the 

night sky in two ultraviolet broad bands and is now 

in its eighth year of science operations. All )ight and 

ground systems are currently healthy with the exception of the Far-UV detector. 

GALEX is primarily a survey instrument, designed 

to obtain large, homogeneous imaging samples in two 

bandpasses (Far-UV, 1350–1800Å, and Near-UV, 

1800–2800Å) that are sensitive tracers of recent star 

formation. * e resulting samples are cross-matched 

with wide and deep surveys at other wavelengths, with 

the Sloan Digital Sky Survey providing a particularly 

rich match. GALEX also can provide wide--eld lowresolution spectroscopy that is useful, for example, in 

identifying HST/COS targets or for variable objects in 

the Kepler -eld. Time-tag capabilities allow observers 

to determine a sampling time after the fact, which is 

In the six years since launch, Swift has detected 

and localized approximately 600 GRBs. Some of the 

mission’s key scienti-c accomplishments have been:

t Detecting the most distant known object in the 

universe, GRB 090423, with a redshift of 8.2. *is 

burst occurred more than 13 billion years ago when 

the universe was only about 630 million years old.

t Observing GRB 080319B, a GRB with an afterglow that was bright enough to see with the naked 

eye from a dark site.

t Discovering more than 55 short and hard 

GRBs, about half with likely host identi-cations and/

or redshift estimates. *ese observations provided support for the theory that these bursts are due to the 

merging of binary neutron stars.

t Making metallicity measurements of star-forming regions at high redshift (z > 5) using GRBs.

t Discovering the X-ray )ash of the shock breakout from a star’s surface during a supernova.

Swift is a powerful and versatile observatory 

to study transient sources and is increasingly being 

used for non-GRB science. To date, more than 2,200 

targets-of opportunity (TOOs) were performed as a 

result of requests from the community. Many of the 

TOOs are often made within a few hours of being requested. 

By the end of 2010, more than 1,000 refereed 

papers have been published that are based on Swift 

#is view of Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3) merges data from 

Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (blue and green), the 

X-Ray Telescope (red) and a Digital Sky Survey image of the 

star $eld. 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

68 Projects

useful for identifying )are timing or stellar pulsation 

modes. 

Most of the GALEX science operations are at 

Caltech, and the core of the science team is also there, 

with smaller groups at Columbia, JHU, UCLA, Carnegie, and Goddard. Before 2011, approximately onethird of GALEX observing time was dedicated to a 

robust Guest Investigator program, operated by Goddard (30 to 35 GI programs annually). *e GI program was discontinued at the end of 2010; researchers 

may now request funding for GALEX-based research 

through the ADP. Susan Ne+ (ASD) is the GALEX 

Mission Scientist. 

In 2010, GALEX delivered its sixth (annual) 

GALEX Data Release (GR6) to MAST (Multi-Mission 

Archive at Space Telescope), which serves all GALEX 

data to the scienti-c community. *e -rst release of 

two de-nitive catalogs of GALEX-detected point and 

extended sources (up to 1 arcmin) will be delivered 

to MAST in spring 2011. *ese catalogs are expected to become the go-to reference for UV detections, 

similar to the SDSS and 2MASS catalogs: *ey will 

contain 10 million sources with exposure time greater 

than 800 sec and more than 100 million sources with 

exposure time less than 800 sec. *e catalogs will be 

updated with each future major GALEX data release.

*e primary GALEX mission, which was completed in late 2007, had the goals of calibrating UV 

observables to the star-formation rate (SFR), measuring star-formation history (0 < z < 1.5), and exploring the ultraviolet universe. * e GALEX Extended 

Mission (EM), endorsed by the 2006, 2008 and 2010 

Senior Reviews, is carrying out two Legacy Surveys 

designed to: 

t Extend the UV/SFR calibration to low-mass, 

low-metallicity, transitional, or rare galaxies

t Relate star-formation history to other variables, 

such as environment, mass, halo mass, assembly 

history and star-formation regime

t Determine the relative importance of the primary drivers of star formation, such as galaxy 

assembly history, feedback from AGN, contributions from dust, or fractions of di+erent gas 

phases. 

In the 2010 Astrophysics Senior Review, the 

GALEX project was directed to discontinue the GI 

program and to focus on extending the GALEX Legacy Survey (GLS) to cover as much sky area as possible. 

About 5,000 deg2

 had been imaged to GLS depth by 

the end of 2010; another 16,000 deg2 could be safely 

observed by GALEX. * e community is providing 

A GALEX image of IC 3418, a galaxy falling into the Virgo 

cluster. Active star formation is occurring in a 17-kpc turbulent wake of gas that has been stripped from it the galaxy 

by ram pressure. #e center of the cluster is toward the upper 

right. Blue indicated Far-UV emission (135–175 nm) and 

yellow indicates Near-UV emission (175–275 nm). 

True-color SDSS image from Hester et al. 2010. GALEX is 

extremely e!ective at identifying recent star formation in the 

low-surface-brightness regime.
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

recommendations on survey prioritization, with a focus on optimizing the long-term value of the GALEX 

archive. 

GALEX observations have been used to determine 

the star-formation (SF) history in the nearby universe, 

and to show that while SF occurred mostly in massive 

galaxies over the period 1 < z < 4, after that it moved to 

less and less massive hosts (Martin et al. 2007; Schiminovich et al. 2005; Arnouts et al. 2010, in prep). 

*e UV-optical color-magnitude diagram 

(UVOCMD) is a powerful tool for separating and relating galaxy types, properties, and evolutionary histories, largely because of the great leverage obtained with 

the UV (SFR)—optical/NIR (stellar mass) color. *e 

UVOCMD can be measured accurately in very distant samples, and may be considered an HertzsprungRussell diagram for galaxies in which stellar mass is the 

major predictor of galaxy properties. GALEX UVOCMDs -rst identi-ed the tendency of AGN to occur 

preferentially in the “green valley” and demonstrated 

that galaxies migrate both directions across the valley 

(Wyder et al., 2007; Schiminovich et al., 2007; Martin et al., 2007). More recent GALEX work has shown 

that low-mass galaxies in the green valley are mostly 

moving from blue to red (“quenching”), while highermass galaxies are more evenly split between “quenching” and “bursting.” *is is consistent with small galaxies losing their gas and massive galaxies undergoing 

microbursts of star formation as they accrete new material (Martin et al. 2010).

Using GALEX data, Heckman et al. (2005) discovered a rare population UV-luminous Lyman-Break 

Analogs (LBAs), which are the fastest-evolving component of the UV galaxy population (Schiminovich 

et al., 2005). *eir lack of dust (relative to other local 

starbursts, such as ULIRGs) suggests an early stage of 

chemical evolution (Basu-Zych et al. 2007; Hoopes 

et al. 2007). HST images show that they represent 

a complex merger of multiple, lower-mass, gas-rich 

subunits that echo the morphology and physical properties of high-z LBGs, but seen in much more detail 

(Overzier et al. 2008; Basu-Zych et al. 2009). Recently, a new color-selected approach has identi-ed a 

few hundred more UV-luminous galaxies that may be 

LBAs or may be a new type of object (Hutchings and 

Bianchi 2010); follow-up observations are in progress 

to determine the nature of these new objects (BasuZych, Ne+, Hutchings).

GALEX has opened several new lines of investigation in the low-density regime. GALEX observations of Extended UV (XUV) disks have shown that 

these are frequent, occurring in ~30 percent of latetype galaxies (Gil de Paz et al. 2007, *ilker et al., 

2007, Zaritsky and Christlein, 2008). In these XUV 

disks, GALEX detects star formation occurring at gas 

densities lower than those previously suggested as a 

“threshold” level. *ilker et al. (2010) have found a 

new type of dwarf galaxy forming out of a possibly 

primordial cloud of HI. Recent work by Madore et al 

(2010) has found that XUV disks also occur in earlytype galaxies. Bigiel et al. (2010, in prep) and Wyder 

et al. (2009) have found that the outer low-density 

regions of spirals and low-surface brightness galaxies as 

a group fall below the extrapolation of the “standard” 

star-formation relationship to gas density. Meurer et 

al. (2009) and Lee et al. (2009) have used GALEX 

data to show that, in low-surface-brightness regions/

low-mass galaxies, the IMF may be top-light relative 

to assumptions about a universal mass function. *e 

GALEX project sponsored a conference on variable 

IMF’s in June 2010 which was well attended. 

GALEX is currently planning for closeout in 

2013. However, if all systems remain healthy, the project will return to the 2012 Astrophysics Senior Review 

to request continuing operations until the GLS has 

been completed (~2014).

High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive 

Research Center (HEASARC)

*e HEASARC is the primary archive for NASA missions dealing with extremely energetic phenomena, 

from black holes to the Big Bang. Having recently 

merged with the Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data Analysis (LAMBDA), HEASARC includes data obtained by NASA’s high-energy astronomy missions from the extreme ultraviolet through 

gamma-ray bands, along with missions that study the 

relic cosmic microwave background.

Since 1990, the HEASARC has been an essential 

element of NASA’s astrophysics missions. *e archive 

services allow scientists to identify, display, cross-correlate, download and analyze data from a variety of 

past and current missions—including ASCA, BeppoSAX, Chandra, CGRO, Einstein, Fermi, INTEGRAL, ROSAT, RXTE, Suzaku, Swift, WMAP, and 

XMM-Newton—and provide access to a wide range 

of multiwavelength sky surveys, astronomical cata-
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

70 Projects

logs, and other resources. *e HEASARC’s scienti-c 

and technical sta+ produces a variety of widely used 

software packages, provides expertise in the analysis of 

archived data, and helps to evolve archive interfaces to 

better serve the science community. *e data and software standards developed by the HEASARC provide 

the underlying infrastructure for the interpretation of 

data from a wide variety of missions, substantially reducing mission costs while increasing science return. 

*e HEASARC archive is now in excess of 30 

Terabytes (TB), having grown by 5 TB in 2010, and 

contains data from eight active missions as well as 

about 30 space-based missions and sub-orbital experiments that are no longer operational. Papers using 

HEASARC data comprise around 10 percent of the 

total astronomical literature and include some of the 

most highly cited papers in the -eld. *e HEASARC 

O/ce is led by Dr. Alan Smale, with Project Scientists Dr. Lorella Angelini (HEASARC) and Dr. Gary 

Hinshaw (LAMBDA). Dr. David Chuss takes over as 

LAMBDA Project Scientist, e+ective January 2011.

In 2010 the HEASARC was in the vanguard of 

the ASD transition to a virtualized computing system. 

All HEASARC web and database servers were transitioned to a virtualized environment signi-cantly 

reducing the physical and environmental footprint 

for the HEASARC. At the same time the HEASARC 

servers were transitioned into a new security con-guration. Dr. *omas McGlynn led the e+ort to validate 

HEASARC services in the new environment, ensuring 

minimal impact on HEASARC users.

McGlynn is also leading the e+ort to update the 

HEASARC’s central data archive access services. *e 

new Xamin tool is now available to the community 

in a limited release. From the HEASARC’s perspective, the Xamin interface allows for the development 

of thematic interfaces to data, integrates access that 

had previously been spread in nearly a dozen distinct 

interfaces into a single system, and is engineered to 

much higher standards. For users, Xamin allows uploads of persistent user tables, integrated access to 

both HEASARC and Virtual Observatory data sets, 

easy correlations of two or more tables, clean integration of plotting, user-de-ned columns, the ability to 

save and return to queries, and a host of other capabilities. *e primary user interface is a Rich Internet 

Application, emulating a desktop application through 

the Web. A keyword oriented interface is also available 

and other interfaces may be developed. 

*e HEASARC is a core partner in a joint NSF/

NASA program to manage and operate the U.S. Virtual Astronomical Observatory. McGlynn leads the 

HEASARC’s involvement in the VAO, and serves as 

the VAO Lead for Operations. He and his sta+ have 

developed applications which monitor the health of 

VAO and other VO services and inform responsible 

parties of issues as they arise. *e HEASARC is also 

responsible for a number of tools for browsing and 

displaying data from the virtual observatory, notably 

DataScope and SimpleQuery. In addition to supporting access by local users, the Xamin system also supports access to HEASARC catalogs and data through 

Virtual Observatory protocols including Cone Search, 

the generic Table Access Protocol (TAP) and a test implementation of the Observatory Core data model under development within the VO. *is ObsCore model 

should eventually allow users to query for data from 

the HEASARC according to instrumental characteristics like resolution and sensitivity over all missions 

(and using VO protocols for non-HEASARC data as 

well).

In addition, McGlynn continues to manage the 

SkyView virtual observatory. SkyView servers followed 

the HEASARC’s into the ASD’s virtual environment. 

*e number of images generated by SkyView in 2010 

more than doubled over the previous year to over 5 

million dynamically generated images. In addition 

to surveys hosted locally, SkyView provides access 

to SDSS, FIRST, and 2MASS data hosted at other 

NASA archives. 

During 2010, HEASARC programmers under 

the direction of Dr. William Pence coordinated three 

online public releases of the HEASOFT data analysis 

software package, which is essential for deriving new 

scienti-c results from the HEASARC’s large data archive. *e HEASOFT package contains about 2.5 million lines of code contained in 550 individual analysis 

tasks for data from 11 high-energy missions supported 

by the HEASARC as well as general analysis of astronomical data from other missions. More than 2,000 

registered individual or institutional users downloaded 

the HEASOFT package in 2010 for installation on 

their local computers. *e HEASARC also introduced 

a new web-based analysis service in 2010 which enables users to run most of the HEASOFT tasks using 

only a Web browser. *is service utilizes the compute 

servers in the Hera computer system at the HEASARC 
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

to provide the disk space and CPU resources needed 

to analyze the data.

Dr. Steve Drake worked on the creation and/or 

updating of 70 Browse tables in 2010, of which about 

two thirds were brand new, bringing the total number 

of tables in Browse to just under 600 unique tables 

by the end of 2010. Among the newly created tables, 

10 were Chandra source lists and the others included 

a broad range of missions including XMM-Newton, 

ROSAT, WMAP, AKARI, and INTEGRAL, as well as 

tables of stars, galaxies and quasars, and radio sources. 

Drake has also continued to support a variety of the 

HEASARC’s web pages, perhaps most importantly 

the HEASARC’s RSS feed, which also populates the 

HEASARC’s Latest News page. *is RSS feed combines feeds from a number of our projects ranging 

from XMM-Newton through WMAP, and also contains a number of wider interest items such as upcoming proposal and meeting deadlines. A new feature 

in 2010 was the addition into the RSS feed of links 

to selected press releases on topics of interest to the 

HEASARC community, coordinating with the ASD 

Senior Science Writer, Francis Reddy. In 2010, about 

four new items per week appeared in the HEASARC 

RSS/Latest News, providing an important and timely 

resource to the astronomical community.

Dr. Mike Corcoran continued to serve as Fermi Archive Scientist for the HEASARC. *ere are currently 

10 Fermi tables incorporated into the HEASARC 

Browse tables, and the HEASARC FTP archive contains all Fermi GBM data, along with LAT weekly 

data -les (which can now be searched and downloaded 

via Browse). An update to the Fermi calibration data 

for the GBM and LAT instruments was released by 

the Fermi project and included in the HEASARC 

calibration database (CalDB) by Corcoran. In 2010, 

there were a total of 35 updates of the Swift, Suzaku, 

Chandra, RXTE, and Fermi CalDB areas. As CalDB 

manager, Corcoran implements these updates and 

maintains the HEASARC CalDB website. Corcoran 

also writes the HEASARC Picture of the Week website, and administers a HEAPOW Facebook group 

which currently has over 100 members from around 

the world. Corcoran also maintains the Astro-Update 

website, used by scientists to keep track of updates to 

important high-energy astrophysics software packages. 

In 2010, Corcoran was PI of a successful Chandra and 

RXTE proposal, and gave two invited talks, one at 

the 39th Liege Astrophysics Colloquium, and one at 

George Washington University in D.C., and was -rst 

author on a published ApJ. paper.

In 2010, Dr. Keith Arnaud participated in the 

releases of versions 6.8, 6.9, and 6.10 of HEASOFT. 

*is included a new release of XSPEC (v12.6) that 

featured a substantial improvement in plotting capabilities, particularly for data outside the traditional 

X-ray energy ranges. New models were added and 

the Compton re)ection code overhauled to improve 

control over numerical accuracy. Working with programmer Craig Gordon, Arnaud is building a Python 

interface for XSPEC. When -nished, this will allow 

XSPEC to be loaded into Python as an external package. Working with colleagues at CfA, MIT, and JHU, 

Arnaud has led the creation of a new handbook for 

X-ray astronomy, to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2011. *is book is intended to provide 

a basic background to X-ray data analysis for young researchers as well as providing a reference for the more 

experienced.

*roughout 2010, Dr. Steve Sturner maintained 

the INTEGRAL public data archive at the HEASARC. 

*is archive is a mirror to the public data archive 

maintained at the ISDC. He performed this task -rst 

as the lead of the INTEGRAL Guest Observer Facility and subsequently as a member of the HEASARC. 

*e ISDC has public data releases approximately once 

per month which are downloaded and installed in the 

HEASARC archive. Additionally, the ISDC reprocessed the entire public archive to Revision 3 status in 

2010, and Dr. Sturner oversaw the complete replacement of the Revision 2 HEASARC INTEGRAL archive (6.9 TB) with these Revision 3 data. 

Within the HEASARC, the Legacy Archive for 

Microwave Background Data Analysis (LAMBDA) 

is NASA’s thematic archive devoted to serving Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and related data 

sets to the research community. *e major holdings 

of LAMBDA include data from NASA’s two CMB 

missions: the COsmic Background Explorer (COBE) 

and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 

(WMAP). Other holdings include data from the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS); the 

InfraRed Astronomical Satellite (IRAS); numerous 

ground and balloon-based CMB experiments; and a 

collection of di+use Galactic emission maps that are 

needed to enable foreground subtraction from CMB 

data.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

72 Projects

In 2010 LAMBDA hosted the fourth data release 

from the WMAP mission, incorporating 7 years of 

observations. * e WMAP team submitted 6 scienti-c papers to the Astrophysical Journal summariz -

ing the seven-year data. *ese papers are appearing 

in the February 2011 issue of the Supplement Series, 

but since appearing as preprints on LAMBDA and 

astro-ph, they have already accumulated a total of 

1,052 citations. *e most important WMAP product 

downloaded by cosmologists is the WMAP likelihood 

function, which gives the likelihood of a cosmological 

model (as measured by the angular power spectrum) 

given the WMAP seven-year data. *is code has been 

downloaded nearly 2,000 times. Additionally, the seven-year sky maps have been downloaded over 400,000 

times. WMAP data continue to provide the most 

stringent constraints on cosmological models, and are 

still in very active use in the research community.

2010 saw the -rst release of CMB data from the 

recently commissioned Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), a six-meter CMB telescope operating 

on the Atacama Plateau in Chile. ACT complements 

WMAP by observing the CMB at much -ner angular 

resolution than WMAP. Together, these experiments 

can measure the angular power spectrum of the CMB 

over the multipole range l=1–10,000 (from the full sky 

down to angular scales of ~1 arcmin). *e -rst products released by ACT, now being served by LAMBDA, 

are the ACT likelihood function, the angular power 

spectrum, and several ancillary data sets, including a 

preliminary catalogue of galaxy clusters detected via 

the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) e+ect. Since its release in 

late 2010, the ACT likelihood has been downloaded 

over 100 times. Another important CMB experiment 

that is currently taking data is the South Pole Telescope (SPT), which has similar attributes to ACT but 

covers a di+erent portion of the sky. SPT has released 

a few small data sets to date and LAMBDA is preparing to serve those and is in discussions with the SPT 

group to formally serve future, more complete, SPT 

data releases. *e combination of WMAP, ACT, and 

SPT o+er the most scienti-cally productive collection 

of CMB data to date.

Within the next - ve years, the HEASARC will 

ingest observations from eight currently operating 

missions and several upcoming missions, simultaneously serving data from these and more than 30 archival missions to the community. Priorities within 

the 2011–2015 timeframe include the development 

and implementation of archival support for NuSTAR, 

Astro-H, and GEMS data under the direction of Angelini, continuing support for the HEASARC’s exponentially growing data holdings and retrievals, a closer 

integration of archive access and analysis tools, and increased interoperability with other archive centers and 

the Virtual Observatory.

WMAP Seven-Year Results

WMAP helped establish a simple and comprehensive 

cosmological model that connects the physics of the 

very early universe to the properties of the universe 

today. In this standard model, the universe is )at, homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. *e universe 

is composed of radiation and atoms, but it is currently 

dominated by dark matter and dark energy. It is believed to have undergone a period of rapid in)ation at 

its beginning, expanding by more than 50 e-foldings 

in a fraction of a second.

*e -rst results from WMAP, based on one year 

of data, were released in 2003 and were followed up 

by three-year results in 2006, and -ve-year results in 

2008. In 2010, the WMAP team released six papers 

with results based on seven years of data. *ese papers are being published in a dedicated issue of the 

Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (February 

2011). As of this writing, the six seven-year papers 

have already accumulated more than 1,100 citations. 

*e WMAP team at GSFC includes ASD scientists 

Best-!t /CDM parameters with seven-year WMAP data

/CDM Parameter WMAP data only WMAP+BAO+H0

Matter density, Ωmh2 0.1334 ± 0.0055 0.1349 ± 0.0036

Baryon density, Ωb

h2 0.02258 ± 0.00057 0.02260 ± 0.00053

Cosmological constant, / 0.734 ± 0.029 0.728 ± 0.015

Scalar index, ns 0.963 ± 0.014 0.963 ± 0.012

Optical depth, W 0.088 ± 0.015 0.087 ± 0.014

Amplitude @ 8h-1 Mpc, V8 0.801 ± 0.030 0.809 ± 0.024
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Hinshaw (now at UBC), Wollack, Kogut, and Bennett 

(now at JHU).

For Gaussian random-phase ) uctuations, the 

angular power spectrum encodes the full statistical 

information in the map. Classic papers (Peebles and 

Yu, 1970; Sunyaev and Zeldovich, 1970) relate the 

parameters of the universe to the structure in the angular power spectrum. *e standard /CDM model, 

de-ned by the six parameters given in the table below, 

is a good -t to the seven-year WMAP spectrum, with 

a reduced chi-square of 1.047 for 1170 degrees of freedom. WMAP has improved its measurements of subdegree scale )uctuations, especially the third acoustic 

peak. As a result, the seven-year data shrinks the allowable volume of the six-dimensional /CDM parameter 

space by 50 percent over the -ve-year results. *e age 

of the universe as measured by WMAP is 13.75 ± 0.11 

Gyr—a better-than-1-percent measurement.

*e new WMAP data are now su/ciently sensitive to test dark energy, providing important new 

information with no reliance on previous supernovae results. * e combination of WMAP data with 

measurements of the Hubble constant and of baryon 

acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the galaxy distribution, 

limits the extent to which dark energy deviates from 

Einstein’s cosmological constant. *e simplest model 

(a )at universe with a cosmological constant) -ts the 

data remarkably well. *e new data constrain the dark 

energy to be within 14 percent of the expected value 

for a cosmological constant (w= -1.1 ± 0.14), while 

the geometry must be ) at to better than 1 percent 

(0.99 < :tot < 1.01, 95% CL) if the dark energy is a 

cosmological constant.

 Stacked temperature and polarization maps produced from 

the seven-year WMAP data. #e left column shows the average of all the hot and cold spots in the map over a ~5 degree 

square. #ese maps clearly exhibit the concentric pattern of 

acoustic oscillations in the data. # e right column shows 

the polarization maps stacked over the same positions as the 

left column. #is exhibits the concentric rings of alternating 

radial and tangential polarization around the temperature 

extrema.

#e angular power spectrum measured with the seven-year 

WMAP data. #e top panel shows the temperature spectrum 

with an improved measurement of the third acoustic peak 

and data up to multipole moment l=1200. #e bottom panel shows the correlated temperature-polarization spectrum 

with a clear indication of a second dip near l~500.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

74 Projects

One of the key predictions of the hot big bang 

model is that most of the helium in the universe was 

synthesized in the hot early universe only a few minutes 

after the big bang. Previously, cosmologists studied old 

stars to infer the helium abundance before there were 

stars. WMAP data, in combination with smaller-scale 

data from the ACBAR and QUaD experiments, show 

the e+ects of helium in the microwave patterns on the 

sky indicating the presence of helium long before the 

-rst stars formed. *is is a fundamental test of Big 

Bang cosmology.

*e seven-year WMAP data places new constraints on the number of relativistic neutrino species 

in the early universe. Neutrinos are nearly massless elementary particles that permeate the universe in large 

quantity but they interact very weakly with atomic 

matter. Nonetheless they leave an imprint on the microwave ) uctuations and the new WMAP data, together with BAO and H0

 data, show that the e+ective 

number of neutrino-like species is 4.34 ± 0.87. *e 

standard model of particle physics has 3.04 e+ective 

species of neutrinos.

*e improved sensitivity in the noise-limited 

polarization measurement has made possible a visual 

detection of the CMB polarization signal in the seven-years sky maps. When the polarization maps are 

dissected into regions centered on hot and cold spots 

in the temperature map, and then stacked, the telltale 

pattern of polarized rings around the spots are exhibited for the -rst time. 

*e CMB temperature in the direction of known 

galaxy clusters is expected to be slightly cooler than 

the average CMB temperature, due to interactions between CMB photons and the gas in the clusters. *is 

e+ect has been observed in aggregate by WMAP and 

is consistent with analogous observations by the South 

Pole Telescope. Both observations are in con)ict with 

extrapolated X-ray observations of clusters (X-rays 

probe a smaller volume of cluster gas than the CMB 

observations) and with numerical simulations, which 

must be missing some of the complex gas physics in 

the outer regions of the clusters.

For all of these cosmological results to be meaningful, the systematic measurement errors must be 

#e ISIM in the Helium Shroud, where it underwent cryogenic test. #e NIRSpec Mass Simulator is attached to its left side. 

Credit: NASA/GSFC/Chris Gunn
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

extremely well understood. Enormous e+ort has been 

expended to characterize the WMAP experiment: its 

calibration, systematic errors, noise properties, and 

foreground signals. *ese activities, which are intricate, challenging, and time-consuming, are the focus 

of the WMAP Team’s e+ort.

In Development

James Webb Space Telescope

*e James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large 

(6.5m), cold (50K), facility-class, general-purpose observatory that will be launched into orbit around the 

Sun-Earth L2 point. It is the successor to the Hubble 

and Spitzer space telescopes. Its science goals range 

from detecting the -rst galaxies to form in the early 

universe to exoplanets and objects in our solar system. Time on the telescope will be allocated to the 

community through annual peer-reviewed proposals 

in a manner similar to Hubble. *e prime contractor 

is Northrop Grumman; the Science and Operations 

Center is located at the Space Telescope Science Institute. JWST is a partnership between NASA and the 

European and Canadian Space Agencies.

*e ASD provides scienti-c direction for JWST 

through 10 project scientists. *e Senior Project Scientist is John Mather, his deputy is Jonathan Gardner and his technical deputy is Malcolm Niedner. *e 

other members of the team: Matthew Greenhouse 

(Instrumentation), Bernard Rauscher (deputy); Mark 

Clampin (Observatory), Charles Bowers (deputy); 

Randy Kimble (Integration and Test); George Sonneborn (Operations) and Jane Rigby (deputy).

Mather chairs the JWST Science Working Group 

(SWG), and the Project Scientists are thoroughly integrated with the management and engineering teams, 

participating in reviews, project meetings, serving 

on change-con-guration boards, and participating 

in decisions. *e JWST SWG published a thorough 

description of the JWST science goals and technical 

implementation as a special issue of the refereed journal, Space Science Reviews (Gardner et al. 2006). It 

has since also updated and extended the science case 

in a series of white papers that include astrobiology, 

dark energy, exoplanet coronagraphy, exoplanet tran-

#e coated "ight tertiary mirror for Webb. Credit: Ben Gallagher (Ball Aerospace) and Quantum Coating Incorporated.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

76 Projects

sits, - rst-light galaxies, resolved stellar population, 

solar system observations and the role of JWST in 

the decadal survey, New Worlds, New Horizons. *e 

white paper on exoplanet transits is being revised and 

prepared for refereed publication. *e Space Science 

Reviews paper and the white papers are available from 

jwst.gsfc.nasa.gov/scientists.html.

*e JWST Project is now in phase C/D, and the 

project successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) in mid-2010. All four )ight instruments 

have passed their CDRs and are in the integration and 

testing phase. Engineering units of the instruments 

were delivered to Goddard in 2010 and three of the 

)ight instruments will arrive in 2011. *e Integrated 

Science Instrument Module (ISIM) ) ight structure 

began testing at Goddard in 2010, and the facilities 

for testing the ISIM with its instruments are in development. *e GSFC Space Environment Simulator 

(SES) cryogenic vacuum chamber was modi-ed by 

the JWST project with a liquid helium shroud. *e 

project is currently integrating the cryogenic telescope 

simulator that will be used in the SES chamber to test 

the ISIM. 

*e 18 primary mirror segments, three spare segments, and the secondary, tertiary, and -ne steering 

mirrors have been constructed out of lightweight beryllium, and have completed -ne polishing and initial 

cryogenic testing. Five of the primary mirror segments 

have completed polishing and testing and have been 

coated with gold; the others are in the - nal stage, 

known as cryo-polishing.

Development of the ground system at Space Telescope Science Institute is progressing. *ey recently 

formed the JWST Space Telescope Advisory Committee to give advice on the readiness for science operations, and to represent the General Observer community.

*e ASD is directly responsible for two hardware 

items, both within the Near-Infrared Spectrograph 

(NIRSpec), an instrument that is part of the ESA contribution to the mission. *e Microshutter Assembly 

(MSA) is led by PI Harvey Moseley with contributions from a number of contractor scientists. *e 

MSA will enable simultaneous spectra of more than 

100 objects—the - rst time that a true multi-object 

spectrograph has )own in space. *e detectors in the 

A Ball Aerospace optical technician inspects six Webb primary mirror segments—one with its gold coating —prior to cryogenic 

testing in the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham
Projects 77

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

NIRSpec are also being built at Goddard, under the 

leadership of Bernard Rauscher. *e )ight MSA and 

)ight detectors were both delivered to ESA in 2010. 

Rauscher and Moseley are members of the NIRSpec 

Science Team and will participate in their Guaranteed 

Time Observations.

Astro-H

*e X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory is collaborating 

with ISAS/JAXA to implement an X-ray calorimeter 

spectrometer for the Astro-H mission. * e project, 

headed by Richard Kelley of the X-ray Astrophysics 

Laboratory, is implemented as an Explorer Program 

Mission of Opportunity to provide key components 

of a high-resolution X-ray calorimeter spectrometer 

that will constitute one of the observatory’s primary 

science instruments. Among laboratory scientists, 

Caroline Kilbourne and Scott Porter are responsible 

for the detector subsystem, and Peter Serlemitsos and 

his team of Takashi Okajima and Yang Soong are responsible for the X-ray mirror. Rob Petre is the Project 

Scientist. Megan Eckart and Maurice Leutenegger are 

developing the calibration system for the detector system with assistance from Jean Cottam. Prof. Dan McCammon of the University of Wisconsin, a long-term 

collaborator with the X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory 

and a pioneer in X-ray calorimeters, is developing new 

generation blocking -lters for the instrument.

*e Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) will consist 

of a 36-pixel X-ray calorimeter array with better than 

7-eV resolution to provide high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy over the 0.3–12 keV band with moderate 

imaging capability. *e Goddard team is to provide 

the detector system, adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (50 mK operational temperature), electronics, 

blocking -lters, and X-ray mirror, while ISAS/JAXA 

is responsible for the dewar system and the rest of the 

science instruments, the spacecraft, launcher, and mission operations.

*e dewar will be a hybrid cryogen/mechanical 

cooler system for redundancy, and the X-ray mirror 

will build on the Goddard legacy of providing lightweight, high-throughput mirrors.

Astro-H is a facility-class mission to be launched 

on a JAXA H-IIA into low Earth orbit in 2014. *e 

Astro-H mission objectives:

t Trace the growth history of the largest structures in the universe

t Provide insights into the behavior of material in 

extreme gravitational -elds

t Determine the spin of black holes and the equation of state of neutron stars

t Trace shock-acceleration structures in clusters 

of galaxies and supernova remnants

t Investigate the detailed physics of jets

Achieving these objectives requires the SXS and 

three additional scienti-c instruments to provide a 

very broad, simultaneous energy bandpass. *e Hard 

X-ray Imager (HXI) will perform sensitive imaging 

spectroscopy in the 5–80 keV band; the non-imaging 

Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) extends the Astro-H 

energy band to 300 keV, and the Soft X-ray Imager 

(SXI) expands the -eld of view with a new-generation 

CCD camera.

*e SXS science investigation comprises building 

and delivering the SXS instrumentation and carrying 

out a six-month observing program in collaboration 

with ISAS/JAXA. *e baseline mission includes two 

#e engineering model detector assembly of the Astro-H Soft 

X- Ray spectrometer is being readied for testing in Building 

34. #e unit contains a 6x6 array of microcalorimeters and 

the $ rst stage of read out, and was assembled in the new 

clean room facilities. #e device will be integrated with the 

adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator and shipped to Japan 

in summer 2011.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

78 Projects

years of funding for the SXS science team and support for processing and archiving the SXS data for a 

total of three years. A Science Enhancement Option 

(SEO) was approved to provide the U.S. community 

with access to Astro-H beyond the baseline program. 

Under the SEO, U.S. scientists will be able to propose 

for Astro-H observing time and obtain grant support.

Working collaboratively with JAXA, a U.S. Guest 

Observer Facility will process, distribute, and archive 

data from all four Astro-H instruments, and provide 

observers with analysis tools and support. Lorella Angelini is responsible for developing this component of 

the project.

*ere were several major accomplishments this 

year. *ese include successful conclusion of the preliminary design review and subsequent project con-

-rmation by NASA Headquarters in June 2010. *e 

team is now producing engineering model components to be integrated here at Goddard and then delivered to Japan in late summer 2011. *e detector system has been completed and performs superbly, with 

an energy resolution of 4 eV and very high uniformity 

across the array. Meng Chiao supervised much of the 

daily assembly work, and is gearing up for the )ight 

development.

*e engineering model X-ray mirror system is 

under construction now. X-ray re)ector production is 

complete and the next step is to begin assembly and 

deliver to Japan in May 2011. Further, it has been 

agreed to by NASA that the X-ray mirror team will 

also provide an identical mirror for the ISAS/JAXA 

Soft X-ray Imager. All of this work has been done during the move from Building 2 to 34, which presented, 

and continues to present, logistical challenges for the 

team. * ese include moving the contents of clean 

rooms with delicate instruments and )ight hardware, 

setting up new low-temperature labs, the establishment of a new X-ray re)ector production facility in 

Building 22, and setting up a new X-ray beam facility 

out at Area 200.

Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX 

(GEMS) 

GEMS was selected in June 2009 as a Small Explorer (SMEX) to be launched between April 2014 

and October 2015. A plan was developed to launch in 

April 2014, with a slow ramp up during an extended 

formulation phase. Between October 2009 and October 2010, the core team focused on developing, understanding and documenting the requirements and 

on building engineering test units for the elements of 

the instrument payload, which depends on new technology (the polarimeter and the telescope boom).

While polarization of radio, optical and ultraviolet )uxes often has been utilized to constrain the 

emission mechanisms and the geometry of astrophysical sources, this information has only been accessed in 

the X-ray band for the Crab Nebula and pulsar (for 

the latter, above 100 keV). In 2008, Jean Swank (PI), 

Keith Jahoda (Deputy PI), Timothy Kallman (chair of 

the science working group and now the Project Scientist), and other scientists in the X-Ray Astrophys-

#is laboratory X-ray spectrum obtained with the Astro-H Soft X-Ray Spectrometer engineering model detector assembly illustrates the enormous spectral dynamic range obtainable. #e spectral resolution is 4.2 eV over the entire array and is achieved 

over the full energy range where astrophysically abundant atomic transitions will be detected (less than about 8 keV), providing 

a resolving power of about 1400 at 6 keV. #e required resolution is 7 eV.
Projects 79

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

ics Laboratory proposed GEMS to carry out a survey 

of X-ray sources sensitive enough to make signi-cant 

constraints on our physical models. GEMS was among 

those selected for a Phase A study, completed in 2009, 

and was selected to proceed to )ight. 

X-rays are the electromagnetic probe of black 

holes from closest to the event horizon and are thus 

the best probe of black-hole e+ects on spacetime. Current models for the X-ray production and propagation 

predict X-ray polarization behavior. GEMS can test 

these predictions and provide determinations of spin 

complementary to determinations from spectra or 

timing. *e X-rays from supermassive black holes may 

come from coronae at signi-cant distances from the 

black hole, and the geometry of this corona has been 

a question for over 30 years. X-ray polarization has 

the potential to determine it. Black hole sources range 

from the brightest transient X-ray binaries to quasars 

and Seyfert Galaxies, the brightest of which have X-ray 

)uxes a few thousandths of the Crab Nebula. 

Neutron star X-ray sources also range nearly a factor of a thousand in X-ray brightness, from the classical accreting pulsars to pulsed non-burst )ux of magnetars. *e determination of the orientation of the 

magnetic poles of classical X-ray sources will give answers of long-standing questions; for example, X-ray 

production mechanisms from magnetars has been a 

subject of speculation since the discovery of these objects some 15 years ago. 

Polarization will test models of the structures of 

emission regions around compact objects, which will 

not be resolved spatially before the advent of X-ray 

interferometry. X-ray polarization also can be used 

to study di+use sources, such as supernova remnants. 

GEMS will use telescopes with grazing-incidence mirrors that focus X-rays onto polarimeters designed to 

maximize sensitivity. One consequence of this is that 

the polarimeters do not form images of the sky, but 

the -eld of view of the telescope is about 12 arc minutes, which allows coarse spatial mapping of large supernova remnants. 

It has been shown from spectra that the shocks 

in outer shells accelerate cosmic ray electrons in magnetic - elds ampli-ed from the swept-up interstellar 

-elds, but the order and orientations of the -elds responsible for synchrotron X-rays is not known and can 

be addressed with polarization information. In pulsar 

wind nebula, there are jet )ows from the pulsars. INTEGRAL measurements of the gamma rays from the 

Crab pulsar indicate synchrotron radiation from electrons in -elds perpendicular to the jet. Other (much 

fainter) pulsar wind nebulae have jets which probably 

also determine the -elds and the polarization in the 

nebulae. GEMS observations will measure the coherence of their -elds. 

*e polarimeter design was developed by Kevin 

Black, Phil Deines-Jones, Keith Jahoda, and Joanne 

Hill. * e polarimeter is a time projection chamber 

that images the track of an electron ejected by an 

incoming X-ray in the photoelectric e+ect. *e distribution of tracks produced by the incoming )ux 

shows the polarization of the source. Joanne Hill has 

led the polarimeter team in developing engineering 

test models which will be subjected to testing in the 

spring of 2011 to assure that they meet the technical 

readiness required to proceed to )ight development. 

Asami Hayato has been measuring the drift velocities 

in a laboratory con-guration using a modulated X-ray 

source designed by Keith Gendreau. *e drift velocity 

GEMS deployed (left) and stowed for launch.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

80 Projects

is needed to convert the time dimension to the second 

projected spatial dimension of the track. Tod Strohmayer has shown that the data read-out from typical detector events can be accurately deconvolved. 

*e mirrors will have the focal length of one of 

the Suzaku mirrors, but with a smaller diameter. Yang 

Soong, Takashi Okajima, and Rob Petre have been developing the design for GEMS that is evolved from the 

foil mirrors -rst )own by Peter Serlemitsos on the the 

Broad-Band X-Ray Telescope, a shuttle payload, and 

subsequently on ASCA and Suzaku. 

Science Operations of GEMS will be from Goddard, while the spacecraft developer, Orbital, will operate the mission. Craig Markwardt has shown that 

the observations required to reach the required sensitivities can be scheduled within the constraints on the 

spacecraft. 

A review of the systems requirements on the instrument, the spacecraft, and the operations was completed, a gate to proceeding toward the preliminary 

design review in fall 2011. Tim Kallman has led the 

larger science team discussions of the science requirements, from which the GEMS team has derived the 

engineering requirements.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 81

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Mission and Instrument Concepts

Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE)

How did the universe begin? Humans have asked this 

question since our species 0rst looked skyward. Recent 

progress in cosmology suggests that we may have begun to answer this question. We live in an expanding 

universe 0lled with microwave background radiation, 

the leftover heat from the Big Bang. In this “concordance” model, the universe is 1at, largely composed of 

dark energy and dark matter, and seeded with density 

1uctuations from the early universe. 

2e concordance model postulates that early in 

its history, the universe underwent a rapid period of 

superluminal expansion called in1ation. 2 e exponential growth of the scale size during in1ation neatly 

produces the observed conditions of our universe, but 

relies on extrapolation of physics to energies a trillion 

times beyond those accessible to direct experimentation in particle accelerators.

2e Primordial In1ation Explorer (PIXIE) will 

test the in1ationary paradigm by searching for the 

“smoking gun” signature of primordial in1ation 

in the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave 

background (CMB). Quantum 1 uctuations in the 

space-time metric during in1ation create a stochastic 

background of gravity waves, which in turn imprint a 

distinctive spatial signature in the CMB. 2e amplitude of the gravity waves depends on the energy scale 

at in1ation. Detection of the gravity-wave signature 

would establish in1ation as a physical reality, provide 

a model-independent determination of the relevant 

energy, and probe physics at energies near the Grand 

Uni0ed 2eory scale (1016 GeV). 2e search for the 

in1ationary signal is widely recognized as one of the 

most compelling questions in cosmology, endorsed as 

a priority for the coming decade in the 2010 Decadal 

Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, New Worlds, 

New Horizons. 

PIXIE is an Explorer mission intended for launch 

in 2017. Principal Investigator Alan Kogut (ObservaArtist’s conception of the PIXIE observatory.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

82 Mission and Instrument Concepts

IXO WFI Simulation of the Chandra Deep Field South with the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) inset. Simulated spectra 

of various sources are shown, illustrating IXO’s ability to (a) determine redshift autonomously in the X-ray band; (b) determine 

temperatures and abundances, even for low luminosity groups to z < 1; (c) make spin measurements of AGN to z >~ 1; and (d) 

uncover the most heavily obscured, Compton-thick AGN.

tional Cosmology Laboratory) leads a team including 

GSFC Co-Investigators D. Chuss, E. Dwek, D. Fixsen, S.H. Moseley, and E. Wollack. PIXIE’s innovative 

design uses a multi-moded “light bucket” and a polarizing Fourier Transform Spectrometer to measure the 

di4erential spectrum between two co-aligned beams 

in orthogonal linear polarizations. PIXIE will measure the frequency spectra in 400 spectral bands from 

30 GHz to 6 THz for each of the Stokes I, Q, and 

U parameters in each of 49,152 independent pixels 

covering the full sky. 2e combination of sensitivity 

and broad spectral coverage answer exciting questions 

across cosmic history. PIXIE will measure both the 

temperature and ionization fraction of the intergalactic medium at redshifts 5–30 to determine the nature 

of the 0rst luminous objects in the universe. Measurements of the spectrum and anisotropy of the far-IR 

background test models of star formation at redshift 

2–4. PIXIE determines the properties of the di4use 

dust cirrus and maps the far-IR line emission from the 

molecules and ions that cool the interstellar medium 

within the Galaxy.

International X-ray Observatory (IXO) 

IXO is an international 1 agship X-ray observatory 

with joint participation from NASA, the European 

Space Agency (ESA), and Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). 2e mission was created in 2007 

by the merger of NASA’s Constellation-X and ESA’s 

XEUS. IXO is a facility-class mission for launch in the 

2020’s that will address the leading astrophysical questions in the “hot universe” by providing breakthrough 

capabilities in X-ray spectroscopy, imaging, timing 

and polarimetry. 

IXO will measure the spin of black holes, a fundamental property that, for supermassive black holes, 

reveals whether black holes grow mainly by accretion 

or by mergers. IXO will reveal the physics of accretion 

near the last stable orbit, measuring general-relativistic 

e4ects in the strong-0eld limit. For neutron stars, IXO 

will determine the mass-radius relationship, thereby 

constraining the equation of state and QCD models 

of matter at these densities. In galaxy clusters, IXO 

will measure the velocity structure, mass and metallicity distribution of the dominant baryon component, 

the hot intracluster gas. Not only will this provide a 

deep understanding of evolution of large-scale structure, but samples of clusters at various redshifts provide important and independent constraints on the 

cosmological model and dark energy. 

Extending away from clusters and groups is the 

cosmic web, where half of the baryons in the local 

universe are expected to reside; they have not been 

detected because much of the expected emission has 

very low surface brightness in the UV and soft X-ray, 

where the universe is opaque. IXO will detect these 
Mission and Instrument Concepts 83

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

missing baryons with its very high e4ective area and 

spectral resolution, allowing WHIM features to be 

detected along lines of sight to bright quasars. It can 

test predictions for the formation and topology of the 

cosmic web. Furthermore, IXO will yield insight into 

feedback mechanisms in the universe on many scales 

through studies of supernova remnants, out1ows 

in starburst galaxies, and AGNs across cosmic time. 

Feedback due to both AGN and starburst activity is a 

critical component of galaxy evolution that is not easily directly observed, and IXO will provide a unique 

window into these processes. Both processes are also 

critical to the enrichment and energetics of the intracluster medium.

Much of this science requires a panchromatic 

approach. IXO covers the 0.1–40 keV energy range, 

complementing the capabilities of the next-generation observatories such as ALMA, LSST, JWST and 

30m ground-based telescopes. IXO builds on three 

decades of successful X-ray mirror development, including the currently operating Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA) and XMM-Newton mission (ESA). 

2e spacecraft con0guration for IXO features a single, 

large X-ray mirror assembly, an extendible optical 

bench with a focal length of 20 meters, and a suite of 

focal plane instruments. Areas of technology development include X-ray optics, detector and cooling systems. 

2e NASA portion of this project is led by GSFC. 

2e Project Scientist is Nicholas White, Deputy Project Scientist is Ann Hornschemeier, and the Observatory Project Scientist is Rob Petre. Project science 

support is provided by Andy Ptak, Steve Snowden, 

Tim Kallman, and Tod Strohmayer. Will Zhang leads 

the mirror technology development; Richard Kelley, 

Caroline Kilbourne, and Scott Porter lead the calorimeter development. 

IXO was ranked as the fourth priority in for 

NASA in New Worlds, New Horizons, the report of 

the 2010 decadal survey. 2e scienti0c topics central 

to IXO were ranked highly in several panels, as was 

the need for the measurements IXO will provide. 2e 

panel recommended that NASA support a substantial 

technology development program over the next decade, primarily to mature the X-ray mirror technology. 

It is expected that this technology program will be led 

by GSFC scientists and it will likely result in decreased 

cost estimates as risks are lowered.

Much e4ort over the past year has gone into 

supporting the ESA Cosmic Visions study of L-class 

missions, of which IXO is one of three 0nalists. ESA 

conducted mission feasibility studies, followed by 

an internal technology assessment. Supporting these 

studies required the development of a substantial 

amount of documentation by the U.S. groups responsible for the mirror, calorimeter and grating spectrometer technology development. 2e IXO project team 

supported the internal technology assessment by responding to questions from review panel members. 

IXO view showing the Flight Mirror Assembly.

Upper left: M82 provides an example of a starburst-driven 

superwind. Di!use thermal X-ray emission seen by Chandra 

is shown in blue. Hydrocarbon emission at 8 Pm from Spitzer 

is shown in red. Optical starlight (cyan) and HD+[NII] (yellow) are from HST-ACS observations. Right: IXO high-resolution X-ray spectra (blue) showing the metal-enriched hot 

gas out"owing from the galaxy, a part of the feedback process 

unresolvable with current X-ray CCD data (magenta). Inset: 

#e He-like emission line triplet of NeIX can be resolved, 

which means that velocities can be measured and plasma 

temperatures and ionization states can be diagnosed.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

84 Mission and Instrument Concepts

An illustration of how the universe’s expansion rate is increasing in the current epoch due to dark energy.

Over the course of the CV process, many of the major 

concerns raised by the decadal survey have been addressed, such as a better de0nition of the international 

partners’ roles. 2 e ranking of the L-class missions 

should be announced in June 2011.

Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope 

(WFIRST)

2e 1998 discovery that the expansion of space is accelerating was described in the journal Science as the 

breakthrough of the year and one of the most important scienti0c problems of our time. 2e implication 

that three-quarters of the energy in the universe is due 

to an unknown entity called dark energy may one day 

revolutionize our understanding of cosmology and 

physics. Observations with ground-based and spacebased assets such as HST and WMAP con0rmed the 

acceleration. However, a new space-based experiment 

is required in order to extend these measurements of 

dark energy to the early universe with high precision. 

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE) joined forces to develop concepts for a Joint 

Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) that would characterize 

cosmic acceleration. GSFC was the lead NASA center 

for managing the Project; the DOE team was based at 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Two 

mission concepts that employed three measurement 

techniques—Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), 

Microlensing gives statistics of habitable- and ice-zone planets around stars.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 85

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

type Ia supernovae, and weak lensing — were developed and submitted to the Astro-2010 Decadal Survey 

Program Prioritization Panels. While the Astro 2010 

panels were deliberating, GSFC and DOE worked 

with the JDEM Interim Science Working Group at 

the direction of NASA HQ to develop two additional 

mission concepts that would measure cosmic acceleration at lower cost by employing two techniques rather 

than three. 

2e Astro 2010 report, released August 13, 2010, 

selected the JDEM Omega design as the top priority 

for large space missions in the coming decade. 2is 

selection was based in part on the Omega design capability for performing measurements of cosmic acceleration, and in part on its capability for performing 

a wide range of near infrared surveys and for obtaining a census of exoplanets by means of microlensing. 

In recognition of the increased scope of the science 

program, the mission was renamed the Wide-Field 

Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). NASA HQ 

has designated GSFC as the lead center for managing 

the WFIRST project, with signi0cant portions of the 

mission assigned to JPL. A Science De0nition Team 

(SDT) representing the full spectrum of WFIRST science objectives has been appointed to provide scienti0c advice on optimizing mission performance.

2e WFIRST Project science team at GSFC includes Neil Gehrels (Project Scientist), Je4 Kruk (Instrument Scientist), Ken Carpenter, Ed Cheng, Gary 

Hinshaw, Harvey Moseley, Bernie Rauscher and Ed 

Wollack. 2e team plus project engineers and managers developed the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) 

inputs to the Astro2010 Decadal Survey, working with 

the Department of Energy scientists and with members of the community appointed by NASA Headquarters (the Science Coordination Group). 2ey 

subsequently worked with the JDEM Interim Science 

Working Group (ISWG) to 0nd a lower cost, yet scienti0cally worthwhile, “Probe” concept. 2e scientists 

from ASD are now supporting the WFIRST Science 

De0nition Team (SDT) to study the implementation 

of WFIRST. Rauscher and Gehrels are members of the 

SDT.

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)

2e Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a 

joint ESA-NASA project to design, build and operate 

a space-based gravitational wave detector. Space-time 

strains induced by gravitational waves are detected by 

measuring changes in the separation of free-falling 

masses with laser interferometry. 2 ree spacecraft 

form an equilateral triangle with 0ve-million-kilometer-long sides de0ned by six masses, located in pairs at 

Artist’s view of the WFIRST observatory as recommended by 

the Astro2010 Decadal Survey.

#e LISA Path$nder spacecraft (in gold foil) sits atop its propulsion module (silver foil) prior to the thermal balance test 

campaign.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

86 Mission and Instrument Concepts

the vertices. Changes in the separations are monitored 

interferometrically to achieve a usable sensitivity in 

the frequency band between 1 × 10–4 and 1 Hz.

2e science objectives of the mission is:

t Understand the formation and growth of massive black holes and their host galaxies

t Make precision tests of general relativity and 

dynamical strong-0eld gravity

t Explore stellar populations and dynamics in galactic nuclei

t Survey ultra-compact binaries and study the 

morphology of the Galaxy

t Probe new physics and cosmology

Although the gravitational wave spectrum has not 

yet been explored, LISA is expected to make precision 

measurements of the following sources:

t Merging massive black holes resulting from galaxy and proto-galaxy mergers (103

–107 solar masses, z 

< 20, tens to 100 per year)

t Stellar mass black hole inspirals (~10/106

 solar 

masses, z < 1, tens to 100 per year)

t Galactic and extra-galactic ultra-compact binaries (tens of thousands, confusion foreground)

t Cosmological backgrounds, bursts, and unforeseen sources

2e LISA Project O:ce is at GSFC. 2e Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory provides the Project 

Scientist (Robin Stebbins), three Deputy Project Scientists (Stephen Merkowitz, Je4 Livas, Jordan Camp) 

and about 10 other scientists who support project 

formulation, mission system engineering, technology 

development, risk-reduction activities, astrophysical 

source studies, numerical relativity calculations of 

source waveforms, LISA data analysis research, and 

LISA Path0nder, the LISA technology 1ight demonstration.

Goddard scientists support all aspects of project 

formulation, such as requirements development and 

1owdown, system analysis, system modeling, design 

of all mission elements and technical trade studies. 

Goddard risk-reduction activities include lasers, laser 

frequency stabilization (including pre-stabilization 

and arm-locking), the telescope pointing mechanism, 

photoreceiver optimization, telescope construction, 

control system modeling, and I&T technologies. 2e 

numerical relativity group in the Gravitational AsArtist’s concept of the LISA constellation.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 87

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

trophysics Lab has led the way in producing merger 

phase waveforms for inspiraling black holes, a crucial 

ingredient in LISA data analysis, and predicting LISA’s 

e4ectiveness in the estimation of astrophysical parameters of merging sources. Improved parameter estimation has shown how the instrument performance can 

be made an order of magnitude better than previously 

anticipated.

LISA will be preceded by LISA Path0nder, an 

ESA-led mission to demonstrate critical LISA technology on orbit. LISA Path0nder carries both ESA and 

NASA instrument packages to demonstrate the Gravitational Reference Sensor (proof mass, reference housing with electrodes, charge control subsystem, caging 

subsystem, front-end electronics, and vacuum subsystem), drag-free control laws, two types of micronewton thrusters, a master oscillator laser, various aspects 

of interferometer construction, and, most importantly, 

the acceleration noise model. LISA Path0nder is currently scheduled for launch in 2013. 2e project has 

passed its mission CDR, the spacecraft is completely 

integrated and the propulsion module is complete. 

Two lab scientists are working on the analysis of data 

from the NASA instrument package, called ST-7 Disturbance Reduction System, and the ESA instrument 

package, called the LISA Technology Package.

Visible Nulling Coronagraph for Exoplanets

2ree of the completed NASA Astrophysics Strategic 

Mission Concept (ASMC) studies addressed the feasibility of employing a Visible Nulling Coronagraph 

(VNC) as the prime instrument for exoplanet science. 

2e VNC approach is capable of exoplanet science 

with 0 lled-, segmented- and sparse-aperture telescopes, spanning all realizable future mission architectures. A hybrid of a classical coronagraph and nulling 

interferometer, it uses destructive interference to null 

starlight and has an inherent advantage due to its ability to control amplitude and wavefront errors in near 

real time. 2is is because it is its own interferometer and 

as such gives both bright (stellar) and dark (planetary) 

output channels that enables a direct approach to extreme wavefront control.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has 

an established e4ort to advance VNC technologies 

an incremental sequence of testbeds and technology 

development e4orts. 2e VNC, funded with GSFC 

IRAD for FY08, 09, and FY10, was recently awarded 

Astrophysics Strategic Mission Concepts where a visible nulling coronagraph would enable exoplanet science. EPIC is the Extrasolar Planetary Imaging Coronagraph (PI: M. Clampin/GSFC) and is a 1.5-meter $lled-aperture telescope studied for a 

probe-class mission dedicated to exoplanet science. ATLAST is the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (PI: 

M. Postman/STScI) and would consist of a 9.2-meter segmented-aperture telescope for a large- scale general astrophysics mission encompassing exoplanet science. DAViNCI is the Dilute Aperture Visible Nulling Coronagraph Imager (PI: M. Shao/JPL) 

and consists of four 1.2-meter aperture telescopes that are optically phased within a visible nulling coronagraph and would be 

dedicated to exoplanet science.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

88 Mission and Instrument Concepts

a ROSES Technology Development for Exoplanet 

Missions (TDEM) for FY10/11. 2e TDEM, led by 

M. Clampin and R. Lyon, is to achieve contrast milestones on the GSFC Vacuum Nuller Testbed (VNT). 

2e VNT was developed to lower risk, advance technological readiness, quantify performance, develop 

and assess control algorithms, and assess internal VNC 

technologies. It is an ultra-stable vibration-isolated 

testbed operating under high- bandwidth closed-loop 

control within a vacuum chamber. It is being used to 

achieve an incremental sequence of three visible-light 

nulling milestones of sequentially higher contrasts of 

108

, 109 (both in 2011) and ultimately 1010 at inner 

working angles required to characterize exoplanets. 

Each of the milestones, one per year, is traceable to 

one or more of the ASMC studies. 

2e critical technologies needed to realize the 

VNC are the (i) MEMS based segmented MMA, (ii) 

spatial 0 lter array (SFA) or a coherent 0 ber bundle, 

(iii) achromatic phase shifter, (iv) precision wavefront 

and amplitude control (WFC), and (v) photon-counting camera. 

2e MEMS DM has been developed by IRISAO (Berkeley, Calif.) under multiple SBIRs with the 

next DM to be delivered to GSFC March 25, 2011. 

It consists of 169 segments ~606 microns across (1atto-1at) and each segment is articulated in 3 degreesof-freedom (DOF) over the range of 1 micron in steps 

of 0.015 nm (1-bit) and has stable 16-bit electronics 

control. Signi0cant advances were made under these 

SBIRs, including thicker segments, from 10, to 20 

and 0nally 50 microns, to remove print-through and 

segment 1exing. Electronics were advanced from 12, 

to 14 to 16 bits and segment 1atness started at ~20 

nm rms/segment and is now at ~4 nm rms/segment; 

1ight requirements are 2 nm rms/segment. Additionally, IRIS-AO won a FY11 phase-I SBIR to begin the 

design of scaling up the number of DM segments to 

towards that needed for 1ight. 

2e SFA has been developed by Fiberguide, Inc. 

(Caldwell, Idaho) under GSFC-funded IRAD and will 

be shortly tested on the VNT. Additionally, a phase-II 

SBIR was awarded to Luminit Corp (Torrence, Calif.) 

to develop a separate waveguide-based approach to the 

SFA and delivery of the 0rst 1,000-element SFA from 

Luminit is expected in November 2011.

Multiple approaches are possible for achromatic 

phase shifters, and two approaches have been developed at GSFC with additional approaches under assessment. 2e 0rst approach was using two dispersive 

glass plates and developed by G. Vasudevan (LMCO); 

the second uses 0ve dispersive glass plates and was developed by (M. Bolcar, Optics Branch, and R. Lyon, 

Potential " ight design for a Visible Nulling Coronagraph, 

together with a science imaging camera and a spectrometer. 

#e critical subsystems are the two nulling coronagraphs (orange), both modi$ed Mach-Zehnder interferometers. #e 

nullers e!ectively perform suppression of starlight and the 

critical VNC technologies are all associated with them.

Top left: Photo of MEMS hexagon-packed deformable mirror, each of the 169 segments move in piston, tip and tilt 

(3 DOF) is ~700 microns tip to tip with 3–5 micron gaps. 

Top right: Photo of Spatial Filter Array. Bottom left: Brightand dark-channel VNT pupil plane images. #e inset shows 

the focal plane region of the central dark hole showing an 

increase in contrast. Bottom right: Image of beam through 

Spatial Filter Array.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 89

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory). 2e 

third approach is to use a double-rhomb, a technique 

developed in France for IR achromatic nulling that 

may be amenable to visible light. However, the fourth 

approach appears to be the most promising: It is to 

use customized coatings on the interferometer arms, 

and a design e4ort for this is underway. 2e achromatic phase shifters are not initially needed to achieve 

and hold narrowband contrast on the VNT but will be 

needed to broaden the spectral bandpass toward what 

is required for 1ight.

2e current photon-counting cameras are COTS 

from Princeton Instruments and utilize E2V’s L3 chip. 

Additional advancement of photon-counting cameras 

are needed for all coronagraph missions.

2e precision wavefront control is under development at GSFC and lies at the heart of this e4ort. It is 

critical to be able to optimally sense and control the 

wavefront and amplitude errors, both broad and narrowband, at high enough bandwidth to achieve and 

hold the contrast by feeding back to the MMA. 2e 

stroke of the MMAs, bit depth of the cameras, vibration, thermal drift, coating imperfections, temporal 

and spatial sampling, quantization, 1at 0elding, dark 

current, noise, straylight, approximations and errors 

in the algorithms, along with other potential e4ects, 

all work to corrupt this process. 2e wavefront control 

is really a multi-step process that consists of a set of 

camera calibration algorithms, wavefront sensing algorithms and MMA control algorithms. Wavefront sensing, though, is somewhat of a misnomer because what 

is important to the science is the contrast. 2us the 

0nal control metric is contrast based, and wavefront 

error is actually an intermediary step, as opposed to 

converting images to wavefront errors.

2e milestones to be achieved under the TDEM 

are 108

 narrowband contrast at 2 O/D inner working 

angle by April 2011, and 109 contrast at 2 O/D inner working angle by November 2011. 2e 0rst milestone requires the MMA, precision WFC, and photon 

counting, and this milestone is designed to assess the 

performance of the MMA in closed-loop as driven by 

the WFC. 2e second milestone additionally requires 

the use of the SFA to give greater than a factor of 10 

in contrast since it e4ectively and passively 0lters the 

higher spatial frequencies from the wavefront, working in concert with the MMA with one MMA mirrorlet mapped to one optical 0ber of the SFA.

Stellar Imager (SI)

2e Stellar Imager (SI) Vision Mission (see http://

hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/~si/ and Carpenter et al. 2005, 

2007) is a UV/optical deep-space telescope to image 

stars like the Sun with 0.1 milli-arcsec resolution, to 

help understand the solar dynamo, the internal structure and dynamics (via spatially-resolved asteroseismology) of magnetically active stars, how magnetic 

activity drives space weather on time scales of years 

to billions of years, and how that a4ects planetary climates and habitability. 

SI is a UV-optical aperture-synthesis spectral imager with ~30 apertures, each at least one meter in diameter, spread over baselines up to a kilometer across, 

and a central beam-combing hub with focal-plane instrumentation that provides an angular resolution more 

than 200 times that of Hubble Space Telescope (HST). In 

addition to providing heretofore unattainable views of 

the surfaces and interiors of other solar-type stars, it 

will also reveal the inner regions and winds of Active 

Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and of the dynamics of many 

systems and processes throughout the universe.

SI is a cross-theme mission addressing science 

goals relevant both to the Heliophysics and Astrophysics Divisions. It is a “Flagship/Landmark Discovery 

Mission” in the 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap. SI’s goal 

is to revolutionize our understanding of: 

t Solar and stellar magnetic activity and their impact on space weather, planetary climates, and life

t Magnetic and accretion processes and their roles 

in the origin and evolution of structure and in the 

transport of matter throughout the universe

t 2e close-in structure of AGN and their winds 

t Exo-solar planet transits and disks

2e PI of the Stellar Imager concept development 

is Dr Kenneth Carpenter (Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory). He leads a large collaborative team of about a dozen GSFC personnel plus coinvestigators at ~18 external institutions (academic, 

aerospace and international) established for the Vision 

Mission Study and expanded, at low level of e4orts, 

in the following years. GSFC’s role is to continue to 

foster and coordinate the further development of the 

science program goals and the mission architecture to 

satisfy those goals and to pursue and encourage the 

development of the technologies needed to enable 

the mission in the late 2020s. Carpenter is also the PI 

of the GSFC Fizeau Interferometer Testbed (FIT), a 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

90 Mission and Instrument Concepts

ground-based experiment to develop closed-loop, nmlevel optical control of a many-element sparse array. 

Major activities in FY10 included the preparation of whitepapers and other input for the Solar and 

Space Physics Decadal Survey and the continuation of 

related technology development work. Concept development will continue on a resources-available basis.

Microspec: Integrated Instruments for 

Submillimeter Spectroscopy

Harvey Moseley and collaborators Dominic Benford, 

Matt Bradford (JPL), Edward Wollack, Wen-Ting 

Hsieh, Jack Sadleir, 2omas Stevenson, Negar Ehsan, 

Kongpop U-Yen, and Jonas Zmuidzinas (Caltech/

JPL) are developing fully integrated submillimeter 

spectrometers based on superconducting transmission lines. 2e approach will allow the production of 

spectrometers with resolving powers R~1500, which 

are characteristically of order 1.5 meters in scale, on a 

single 4" wafer. 2e optical system is fully integrated 

with its detectors, and thus the entire instrument is 

mass producible through photolithographic processes. 

2is approach will bring high performance submillimeter spectroscopy within the reach of explorer-class 

space missions, by reducing the mass and volume of 

the optical system and detectors by more than 0ve orders of magnitude.

A key enabling element for submillimeter spectroscopy in space is the development of detectors with 

su:cient sensitivity to reach the sensitivity limits set 

by background photon statistics. For a single mode input and R~1500, we will receive only ~ 100 photons 

per second, so detectors with noise equivalent powers 

(NEP) ~ 10–20 W/√Hz are required, about a factor of 

20 better than has been achieved to date. Development is underway to produce detectors that will reach 

the single photon sensitivity level in the submillimeter. 

Photon counting o4ers signi0cant bene0ts for implementing a practical experiment: Since we are detecting pulses, most of the signal is at high frequencies, 

making us much less sensitive to low frequency noise. 

2e system can thus be DC stable without the requirement of reference measurements, resulting in increases 

An array of 30 one-meter mirrors "y in precision formation to form a virtual parabola 500-meters in diameter to enable submilliarcsecond spectral imaging of a wide variety of astronomical objects, such as the solar-type star shown above in the light of 

CIV emission lines.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 91

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

in observing speed of as much as a factor of four compared to power detectors.

2ese advances, combined with rapid progress 

in cryocoolers, promise to open the submillimeter 

to spectroscopic investigation. Fine structure lines of 

abundant elements (C,N, S, Si, Fe, and O) and the 

rotational transitions of hydrides are in the mid- and 

far-infrared spectral bands. 2e opening of the submillimeter to high sensitivity spectroscopy allows us 

to follow the investigation of these lines into the highredshift universe, much as JWST can follow the discoveries of HST into the higher redshift universe, and 

allow us to explore initial growth of galaxies and the 

history of element formation. 

The Reionization and Transients InfraRed 

(RATIR) Camera

RATIR is a new optical/infrared imaging camera that 

will identify high-redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) 

to probe the early universe, thus shedding light on the 

0rst stars and galaxies. 2e project is a collaboration 

between UC Berkeley (PI, N. Butler), NASA GSFC, 

and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 

(UNAM). 2e Goddard team, led by Alexander Kutyrev and supported by Co-I’s O. Fox, G. Lotkin, D. 

Rapchun, D. Robinson, and S. Mathew, leads the design, fabrication, and construction of the infrared portion of this camera.

RATIR will provide rapid (on a few minutes timescale) photometric redshifts for all observable GRBs 

detected by Swift, which is not capable of measuring 

the redshifts for extremely distant GRBs. 2e primary 

result will be the prompt identi0cation of very-highredshift (VHR) bursts and potentially “dark GRBs” 

that are commonly believed to be at cosmological distances. 2ese GRBs, as well as their afterglows, serve 

to probe the epoch of reionization and locate the 0rst 

stars and galaxies. Because GRBs fade quickly, the rapid photometric redshifts are very important for selecting targets for high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up 

observations with large aperture telescopes.

While not all GRBs will be at high redshifts, the 

resulting low-redshift light curves, combined with 

X-ray/UV observations, will address several open 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

92 Mission and Instrument Concepts

questions, including the nature of ``dark GRBs’’, the 

global evolution of dust in host galaxies, the cosmic 

star-formation rate, and the GRB emission mechanism. In between GRB interrupts, RATIR will support ancillary science that requires systematic longterm monitoring. Ultimately, this work will set the 

groundwork for future space-based missions.

RATIR is a relatively straightforward instrument 

that has several unique advantages that will make it an 

ideal instrument for high-redshift transient photometry. First, the design includes 4 detector arms (2 optical, 2 near-infrared) capable of making simultaneous 

measurements. Each arm has two 0lters, for a total of 

8 photometric bands. 2ese simultaneous optical and 

infrared observations allow for the determination of 

the GRB’s photometric redshift from the short wavelength ``dropout’’ caused by the opacity of line-ofsight hydrogen in the intergalactic medium. Second, 

the camera will be mounted on a dedicated, fully-automated telescope with quick response capabilities. 2ird, 

the hosting Observatorio Astronomico Nacional of 

UNAM, located on the Sierra de San Pedro Martir 

in Baja California, Mexico, is a premiere astronomical 

site with exceptional seeing quality (≤ 0.8 arcsec), dark 

skies, and a large number of dark nights, thus increasing the number of detectable Swift afterglows.

RATIR makes use of existing technology and 

experience at GSFC, speci0cally near-infrared camera heritage from projects including Spitzer, HST/

WFC3 and JWST. Like JWST, the two near-infrared 

detectors being used are Teledyne’s 2048 × 2048 pixel 

H2RG arrays and readout will be performed using the 

SIDECAR (System Image, Digitizing, Enhancing, 

Controlling, and Retrieving) ASICs (Application-Speci0c Integrated Circuits). 

Currently, the detector part of GSFC’s infrared 

camera design and fabrication is nearly complete. 2e 

detector assembly mount has completed several cooldowns to its operating temperature at 80 Kelvin. 2e 

detectors and readout electronics have been fully integrated and tested at room temperature. In the coming weeks, GSFC plans to perform a 0nal integration 

and testing of the detector part of the camera at cryogenic temperatures, followed by an alignment of the 

infrared optics. Simultaneously, the visible cameras are 

being assembled at Berkeley and are being integrated 

with software designed to run both the visible and IR 

cameras. A 0nal integration of the optical and infrared cameras is expected to take place in Spring 2011, 

followed by commissioning of the instrument in the 

early Summer.

Human Operations Beyond Low-Earth Orbit 

to Assemble and Upgrade Large Optical 

Systems 

NASA’s human space 1 ight program, although with 

continuing signi0cant uncertainty in its goals and priorities, consistently identi0es operations in free space 

Long-duration “Gateway” habitat concept at the Earth-Moon L1 location and the repair and upgrade of a pair of large optical 

systems in the mid-2020s.
Mission and Instrument Concepts 93

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) as a priority. Whether 

as a staging site for long-duration voyages beyond the 

Earth-Moon system, supporting human and robotic 

exploration of the lunar surface, or advancing technologies developed on the International Space Station 

(ISS), continued human operations in free space have 

been recommended to NASA for decades as a major 

enabling capability.

Dr. Harley 2ronson continues to lead a small 

working group of scientists and engineers at Goddard, 

other NASA Centers, and in industry, which has for 

several years been developing concepts for how equipment and facilities developed for human space 1ight 

might be used to achieve other goals. Such work has 

a long history at Goddard: In the early 1970s, Frank 

Cepollina and colleagues persisted in advocating that 

the space shuttle be adapted to service and upgrade 

satellites in LEO. 2is was almost two decades before 

Cepollina’s team used the shuttle to rescue NASA’s 

premier astronomical observatory. Vision and perseverance eventually pays o4!

A few years ago, 2ronson and his team assessed a 

concept that used a pair of launch vehicles then under 

development by the erstwhile Constellation Program. 

2e goal was a mission to take astronauts to the EarthMoon L1 venue for a two-week upgrade or rescue of a 

post-JWST observatory in the mid-2020s.

2is past year, 2ronson’s team took on the more 

ambitious task of designing a long-duration human 

habitation system for either the L1 or L2 Earth-Moon 

location. Its primary purpose would be to develop capabilities necessary for safe and comfortable human 

operations beyond LEO in the 2020s. A major goal 

for this habitat—dubbed a “Gateway” by its designers—is to support lunar surface operations, either with 

astronauts or with robots. However, in addition, the 

capability to repair, assemble and upgrade complex 

science facilities, including large optical systems, is 

also under consideration.

Concept developed in 2009 for an Orion-like crew vehicle, sent to the Earth-Moon L1 venue via a pair of Delta IV Heavy-class 

vehicles, to repair and upgrade a post-JWST observatory.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

94 Mission and Instrument Concepts

ISS as a Testbed for Future Complex Optical 

Systems

Large and complex space optical systems that may be 

launched in the 2020s and 2030s will be necessarily much larger than this decade’s James Webb Space 

Telescope. It is likely, therefore, that such missions will 

require assembly on orbit and may, in addition, be enhanced by subsequent upgrade and servicing. However, whether such challenging tasks are carried out via 

robots or astronauts—or a combination of both—the 

required capabilities do not now exist.

Dr. Harley 2ronson is leading a small group of 

GSFC scientists and engineers that is working with 

colleagues at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA 

Johnson Space Center to assess the International 

Space Station (ISS) as a long-term testbed to develop 

the capabilities to use astronauts and robots to enable 

future very large optics. 2e team has proposed to 

spend several months this coming year carrying out 

trade studies, designing basic optical con0gurations, 

and exploring simple concepts of operations using the 

ISS. 2is activity is intended to evaluate in some depth 

the opportunities and challenges of using ISS as a site 

where complex astronaut and robot assembly operations can be evaluated.

Although signi0cant design work still needs to be 

carried out, the basic notion is to launch to ISS over 

the course of a few years the components of a modular 

Concept for a few-meter modular optical system facility, after 

assembly on the International Space Station.

optical system, including a basic control system and 

instrument. Astronauts and/or robots would then be 

used to assemble, test and upgrade the system over a 

few years. 2e team intends also to explore whether 

purely autonomous deployment/assembly would be 

more cost-e4ective than using external human or robotic agents.

2e resulting optical system on ISS would be capable at best of very limited observations and a very 

preliminary schedule indicates that it will not be completed until about 2020. Even so, the knowledge and 

experience gained by attempting the construction and 

servicing of large, precise structures will be essential 

in enabling very ambitious optical systems in space in 

future decades.
Education and Public Outreach 95

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Education and Public Outreach in 

NASA’s Astrophysics Science Division

0e Astrophysics Science Division supports a strong 

and vibrant Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) 

program, encompassing activities in formal education, informal education and outreach. 0 e E/PO 

team supports various NASA astrophysics missions 

and programs, including HEASARC, Webb, Suzaku, 

GEMS and Astro-H. 0e team also supports broader 

E/PO e1orts that are not mission speci2c and that 

cover ASD science and technology. Dr. James Lochner 

(CRESST/USRA) leads the team. 

Afterschool Universe (AU) continues to expand its 

network of trained providers who run this 12-unit afterschool program in local communities, as well as its 

network of certi2ed trainers from around the country. 

Sarah Eyermann (SP Systems, Inc.), Sara Mitchell (SP 

Systems, Inc.), and Anita Krishnamurthi (Afterschool 

Alliance) ran three regular local trainings through the 

year and a “train the trainer” workshop in December. 

0is training was run as part of an Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Sciences (EPOESS) 

grant which the team was awarded last year. In attendance were 30 members of the nationwide afterschool 

community from a total of 13 di1erent states. 0ey 

will provide training on Afterschool Universe in their 

communities and work with the AU team and professional evaluator Dr. Allyson Walker (Cornerstone 

Evaluation Assoc.) to collect data on the e1ectiveness 

of the “train the trainer” model over the next two years.

0e Big Explosions and Strong Gravity (BESG) 

program, directed by Ann Hornschemeier (GSFC) 

and Sarah Eyermann (SP Systems Inc.), was broadly 

expanded this year. 0is is a one-day event where Girl 

Scouts aged 11 to 13 meet real scientists and join them 

for a day of hands-on exploration into supernovae and 

black holes. April marked the 2fth time the program 

had been run locally with the Girl Scouts of Central 

Maryland. In July, Sarah Eyermann, along with Sara 

Mitchell (SP Systems Inc.) and intern Faith Tucker, 

ran an intensive training for 19 participants from 17 

Girl Scout councils around the country. 0ese trainees 

will share the program with neighboring councils, as 

well as bring it to their own.

In 2010, Blueshift grew from a podcast to a 

broader new media and social media e1ort for ASD 

outreach, led by Sara Mitchell (SP Systems, Inc.). 

0roughout the year, the Blueshift team and guest 

bloggers provided a “behind the scenes” look at ASD 

science, missions, discoveries, and people, as well as 

coverage of other relevant content. Besides blogging, 

Blueshift also grew a large audience through Twitter 

and Facebook, and interacted directly with followers 

through social media. In September 2010, members of 

the Blueshift team visited Warner Brothers Studios in 

Burbank, Calif., to photograph the WMAP beach ball 

on the set of the popular CBS comedy, “0e Big Bang 

0eory.” 0eir visit generated a great deal of publicity 

for Blueshift and ASD EPO, culminating in a NASA 

web feature that was picked up by news outlets worldwide.

0e ASD E/PO team supported the GSFC Of2ce of Education’s “Middle School Week” in October. Jim Lochner, Sarah Eyermann (SP Systems), and 

Sara Mitchell (SP Systems) led hands-on activities for 

approximately 200 area middle-schoolers two of the 

days. In the 20-minute Astrophysics activity, these 

middle-school students learned about the elemental 

composition of the universe, and how we learn what 

stu1 in space is made of. In addition, a number of 

ASD scientists had lunch with the students during the 

week, sharing their experiences as scientists. 

0e Family Science Night, co-run by Sara Mitchell (SP Systems, Inc.) of the Astrophysics Science 

Division and Emilie Drobnes (ADNET) of the Heliophysics Science Division, wrapped up its four-year 

pilot e1ort in June 2010. 0e project then moved into 

its dissemination phase for the 2nal year of ROSES 

EPO grant funding, recruiting several sites around the 

country to run the program locally and re2ning the 

facilitator’s guide for nationwide release.

0e James Webb Space Telescope E/PO team has 

participated in several high-pro2le and high-impact 

activities and events in 2010. 0is year’s RealWorld/

InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge (partnering with the National Institute of Aerospace, USA 

Today, and LearnIt TeachIt) is focused on Webb. 0is 

project targets students in grades 9–12 and encourages 

them to explore and build skills essential for successful science, technology, engineering and mathematics 

(STEM) careers through two phases of project-based 

learning and team competition. 0is challenge invites 

high school students to work cooperatively as engineers and scientists to solve real-world problems related to the Webb telescope. 0ere is a classroom part 

to the challenge, as well as a virtual portion; Todd Toth 

(GSFC Educ. O3ce/IPA), Maggie Masetti (ADNET), 
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

96 Education and Public Outreach

and Amber Straughn (Oak Ridge Assoc. Univ.) were 

involved in this project. In June, the Webb full-scale 

model was on display for a week at the World Science Festival in New York City, with Lynn Chandler 

(GSFC/PAO), Amber Straughn, and Todd Toth helping to run activities for the public, and scientists and 

engineers sta3ng an “Ask A Scientist” booth. Webb 

received signi2cant pop-culture exposure in 2010, 

with an 8-minute “Hubble Gotchu” clip on Late 

Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as Webb products 

appearing on the set of the popular CBS sitcom “0e 

Big Bang 0eory.” Maggie Masetti (ADNET) maintains the Webb team’s active web site and high-pro2le 

social media presence.

George Gliba (Syneren Technologies) and Todd 

Toth supported the installation of a 12-inch Meade 

Go To SCT telescope to the Maritime Industries 

Academy High School in Baltimore City. Gliba and 

Toth helped the academy start an astronomy club, and 

gave suggestions on how to use their newly donated 

telescope with students to observe the heavens. 0e 

telescope was dedicated at the school in May 2010, 

during which several dignitaries spoke, including the 

GSFC Center Director, Mr. Rob Strain, the GSFC 

Director of Education, Dr. Robert Gabrys, Dr. Frederick Tarantino (Pres./CEO USRA), U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, and Mr. Robert Taylor and 

Mrs. Vicki Taylor, who donated the telescope. 

0e ASD E/PO group continues to utilize its 

Facebook and Twitter accounts to publicize its activities. Barbara Mattson (ADNET) features the High 

Energy Astrophysics Picture of the Week, division 

press releases, mission news, and teacher workshops. 

Our Facebook page has 2500 “likes,” a growth of more 

than 2,000 over the year. Our Twitter account has 310 

followers, which doubled over the year.

Barb Mattson uploaded video segments from the 

award-winning Suzaku educational DVD, “Building 

the Coolest X-ray Satellite” to YouTube. 0 e available videos include full chapters from the DVD as 

well as shorter clips that can be embedded into web 

pages or used in classrooms. 0e videos are currently 

available on the Collaboration Across the Globe YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/nasaglobalastro) and 

TeacherTube channels. 0 e videos have more than 

2,500 views on YouTube and over 600 on TeacherTube.

HEASARC E/PO

0e HEASARC E/PO program continues to ful2ll its 

mission to bring the science of high-energy astrophysics and cosmology to teachers and their students. In 

2010 Drs. James Lochner (CRESST/USRA) and Barbara Mattson (ADNET) concluded their “New Media 

for Cosmic Times” project, working with a local high 

school media production club. 0 e students wrote 

and produced their own videos about Einstein and recorded audio segments on topics related to the 1955 

Cosmic Times. Evaluation of the materials revealed 

that the learning opportunities occur for students producing the videos rather than for students watching 

the videos. 0e HEASARC has also continued to distribute the Cosmic Times materials and to do workshops on Cosmic Times at local, regional and national 

teacher conferences. Most signi2cantly, Lochner and 

Mattson presented a short course on Cosmic Times 

to the 2fteen Astrophysics Educator Ambassadors at 

Sonoma State University. 0 ese EAs do their own 

workshops around the country on NASA astrophysics 

education materials. 

As part of his Education and Public Outreach 

for Earth and Space Sciences (EPOESS) grant, Dr. 

Lochner produced the 14th edition of the Imagine the 

Universe! DVD-ROM in 2010, featuring the websites 

Students examine spectral lamps during Middle School Week.
Education and Public Outreach 97

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

for Imagine, StarChild and Cosmic Times, as well as 

the 2009 collection of Astronomy Picture of the Day. 

In addition, working with our evaluator, Dr. Allyson 

Walker (Cornerstone Evaluation Assoc.), Dr. Lochner 

conducted a survey of users and found that the predominant respondents are teachers who use it as a resource for student enrichment and to supplement their 

curriculum. More than half of the users utilize three 

or more of the sites on the DVD. Seventy percent of 

the users own more than one of the annual editions 

(most likely for the APODs). Despite the availability 

of the sites on the web, users of the Imagine! DVDROM value it because they do not need an Internet 

connection to share/view the sites with others. 0e 

report also gave suggestions for additional audiences 

we might further expand into (such as homeschoolers 

and museums).

LAMBDA is also serving WMAP data in a variety 

of formats of interest to the education and outreach 

communities. For example, the seven-year sky maps 

are available in Google Sky and have been ported to 

Science on the Sphere displays in many science museums around the world.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

98 Education and Public Outreach
Publications 99

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Publications

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). Search for gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence in LIGO 

and Virgo data from S5 and VSR1. Physical Review D 82(10).

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). Predictions for the rates of compact binary coalescences observable by 

ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Classical and Quantum Gravity 27(17).

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). First search for gravitational waves from the youngest known neutron star. 

Astrophysical Journal 722(2): 1504–1513.

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). Calibration of the LIGO gravitational wave detectors in the ,fth science 

run. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors 

and Associated Equipment 624(1): 223–240.

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). Search for gravitational-wave inspiral signals associated with short gammaray bursts during LIGO’S ,fth and VIRGO’S ,rst science run. Astrophysical Journal 715(2): 1453–1461.

Abadie, J., B. P. Abbott, et al. (2010). All-sky search for gravitational-wave bursts in the ,rst joint LIGO-GEOVIRGO run. Physical Review D 81(10).

Abbott, B. P., R. Abbott, et al. (2010). Search for gravitational-wave bursts associated with gamma-ray bursts 

using data from LIGO science run 5 and VIRGO science run 1. Astrophysical Journal 715(2): 1438–1452.

Abbott, B. P., R. Abbott, et al. (2010). Searches for gravitational waves from known pulsars with science run 5 

LIGO data. Astrophysical Journal 713(1): 671–685.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope and multi-wavelength observations 

of the -aring activity of PKS 1510–089 between 2008 September and 2009 June. Astrophysical Journal 

721(2): 1425–1447.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). .e spectral energy distribution of fermi bright blazars. Astrophysical 

Journal 716(1): 30–70.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope ,rst source catalog. Astrophysical Journal 

Supplement Series 188(2): 405–436.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). .e ,rst catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi Large 

Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 715(1): 429–457.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Detection of the energetic pulsar PSR B1509–58 and its pulsar wind 

nebula in Msh 15–52 using the Fermi-Large Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 714(1): 927–936.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope constraints on the gamma-ray opacity 

of the universe. Astrophysical Journal 723(2): 1082–1096.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). .e Vela pulsar: Results from the ,rst year of Fermi LAT observations. 

Astrophysical Journal 713(1): 154–165.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi-LAT discovery of GeV gamma-ray emission from the young 

supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. Astrophysical Journal Letters 710(1): L92–L97.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Search for gamma-ray emission from magnetars with the Fermi 

Large Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal Letters 725(1): L73–L78.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the supernova remnant 

W28 (G6.4-0.1). Astrophysical Journal 718(1): 348–356.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Discovery of pulsed gamma-rays from PSR J0034–0534 with the 

Fermi Large Area Telescope: A case for co-located radio and gamma-ray emission regions. Astrophysical 

Journal 712(2): 957–963.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

100 Publications

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the Vela-X pulsar wind 

nebula. Astrophysical Journal 713(1): 146–153.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observation of a gamma-ray source at 

the position of Eta Carinae. Astrophysical Journal 723(1): 649–657.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2009). Fermi Large Area Telescope Measurements of the Di1use GammaRay Emission at Intermediate Galactic Latitudes. Physical Review Letters 103(25).

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Suzaku observations of luminous quasars: Revealing the nature of 

high-energy blazar emission in low-level activity states. Astrophysical Journal 716(1): 835–849.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). .e Fermi-Lat High-Latitude Survey: Source count distributions 

and the origin of the extragalactic di1use background. Astrophysical Journal 720(1): 435–453.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Gamma-ray light curves and variability of bright Fermi-detected 

blazars. Astrophysical Journal 722(1): 520–542.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi detection delayed GeV emission from the short gamma-ray 

burst 081024B. Astrophysical Journal 712(1): 558–564.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of PSR J1836+5925. 

Astrophysical Journal 712(2): 1209–1218.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). .e First Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog of gamma-ray pulsars. 

Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 187(2): 460–494.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the Crab pulsar and 

nebula. Astrophysical Journal 708(2): 1254–1267.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). PKS 1502+106: A new and distant gamma-ray blazar in outburst 

discovered by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 710(1): 810–827.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Spectral properties of bright Fermi-detected blazars in the gammaray band. Astrophysical Journal 710(2): 1271–1285.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi observations of the very hard gamma-ray blazar PG 1553+113. 

Astrophysical Journal 708(2): 1310–1320.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Detection of gamma-ray emission from the starburst galaxies M82 

AND NGC 253 with the large area telescope on Fermi. Astrophysical Journal Letters 709(2): L152–L157.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope view of the core of the radio galaxy 

Centaurus A. Astrophysical Journal 719(2): 1433–1444.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Spectrum of the isotropic di1use gamma-ray emission derived from 

,rst-year Fermi Large Area Telescope Data. Physical Review Letters 104(10).

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi gamma-ray imaging of a radio galaxy. Science 328(5979): 

725–729.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud with Fermi. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 512.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2009). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the cosmic-ray induced 

gamma-ray emission of the Earth’s atmosphere. Physical Review D 80(12).

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope search for photon lines from 30 to 200 

GeV and dark matter implications. Physical Review Letters 104(9).
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). observations of milky way dwarf spheroidal galaxies with the FermiLarge Area Telescope detector and constraints on dark matter models. Astrophysical Journal 712(1): 147–

158.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). A change in the optical polarization associated with a gamma-ray 

-are in the blazar 3C 279. Nature 463(7283): 919–923.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Gamma-ray emission from the shell of supernova remnant W44 

revealed by the Fermi LAT. Science 327(5969): 1103–1106.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi-LAT observations of the GEMINGA pulsar. Astrophysical 

Journal 720(1): 272–283.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). PSR J1907+0602: A radio-faint gamma-ray pulsar powering a bright 

TeV pulsar wind nebula. Astrophysical Journal 711(1): 64–74.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Observation of supernova remnant IC 443 with the Fermi Large 

Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 712(1): 459–468.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). fermi observations of Cassiopeia and Cepheus: di1use gamma-ray 

emission in the outer galaxy. Astrophysical Journal 710(1): 133–149.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of misaligned active galactic 

nuclei. Astrophysical Journal 720(1): 912–922.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi-Large Area Telescope observations of the exceptional gammaray outbursts of 3C 273 in 2009 September. Astrophysical Journal Letters 714(1): L73–L78.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Constraints on cosmological dark matter annihilation from the 

Fermi-LAT isotropic di1use gamma-ray measurement. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics(4).

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). Fermi-LAT study of gamma-ray emission in the direction of 

supernova remnant W49B. Astrophysical Journal 722(2): 1303–1311.

Abdo, A. A., M. Ackermann, et al. (2010). A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the 

Fermi Large Area Telescope. Astronomy & Astrophysics 524.

Acciari, V. A., E. Aliu, et al. (2009). VERITAS upper limit on the very high energy emission from the radio 

galaxy NGC 1275. Astrophysical Journal Letters 706(2): L275–L280.

Acciari, V. A., E. Aliu, et al. (2010). Discovery of very high energy gamma rays from PKS 1424+240 and 

multiwavelength constraints on its redshift. Astrophysical Journal Letters 708(2): L100–L106.

Acciari, V. A., E. Aliu, et al. (2010). .e discovery of gamma-ray emission from the blazar RGB J0710+591. 

Astrophysical Journal Letters 715(1): L49–L55.

Acciari, V. A., E. Aliu, et al. (2010). VERITAS observations of a very high energy gamma-ray -are from the 

blazar 3C 66A (vol 693, pg L104, 2009). Astrophysical Journal Letters 721(2): L203–L204.

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). GeV gamma-ray -ux upper limits from clusters of galaxies. Astrophysical 

Journal Letters 717(1): L71–L78.

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Constraints on dark matter annihilation in clusters of galaxies with the 

Fermi Large Area Telescope. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics(5).

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Fermi LAT observations of cosmic-ray electrons from 7 GeV to 1 TeV. 

Physical Review D 82(9).

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Searches for cosmic-ray electron anisotropies with the Fermi Large 

Area Telescope. Physical Review D 82(9).
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

102 Publications

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Fermi observations of high-energy gamma-ray emission from GRB 

090217A. Astrophysical Journal Letters 717(2): L127–L132.

Ackermann, M., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope observations of gamma-ray 

outbursts from 3C 454.3 IN 2009 December and 2010 April. Astrophysical Journal 721(2): 1383–1396.

Ackermann, M., K. Asano, et al. (2010). Fermi observations of GRB 090510: A short-hard gamma-ray burst 

with an additional, hard power-law component from 10 keV to GeV energies. Astrophysical Journal 716(2): 

1178–1190.

Airapetian, V., K. G. Carpenter, et al. (2010). Winds from luminous late-type stars. II. Broadband frequency 

distribution of Alfven waves. Astrophysical Journal 723(2): 1210–1218.

Alibert, Y., C. Broeg, et al. (2010). Origin and formation of planetary systems. Astrobiology 10(1): 19–32.

Altamirano, D., M. Linares, et al. (2010). Type I X-ray bursts, burst oscillations and kHz quasi-periodic 

oscillations in the neutron star system IGR J17191–2821. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical 

Society 401(1): 223–230.

Altamirano, D., A. Patruno, et al. (2010). Discovery of a 205.89 Hz accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar in the 

globular cluster NGC 6440. Astrophysical Journal Letters 712(1): L58–L62.

Altamirano, D., A. Watts, et al. (2010). Type I X-ray bursts and burst oscillations in the accreting millisecond 

X-ray pulsar IGR J17511–3057. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 409(3): 1136–1145.

Amblard, A., A. Cooray, et al. (2010). Herschel-ATLAS: Dust temperature and redshift distribution of SPIRE 

and PACS detected sources using submillimetre colours. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Anderson, L. D., S. L. Snowden, et al. (2010). X-ray shadowing experiments toward infrared dark clouds. 

Astrophysical Journal 721(2): 1319–1328.

Ardo, A. A., M. Ajello, et al. (2010). Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of gamma-ray pulsars PSR 

J1057–5226, J1709–4429, and J1952+3252. Astrophysical Journal 720(1): 26–40.

Arendt, R. G., E. Dwek, et al. (2010). Spitzer observations of dust destruction in the Puppis A supernova 

remnant. Astrophysical Journal 725(1): 585–597.

Arendt, R. G., A. Kashlinsky, et al. (2010). Cosmic infrared background -uctuations in deep Spitzer infrared 

array camera images: data processing and analysis. Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 186(1): 10–47.

Babak, S., J. G. Baker, et al. (2010). .e Mock Lisa Data Challenges: From Challenge 3 to Challenge 4. 

Classical and Quantum Gravity 27(8).

Ballard, S., J. L. Christiansen, et al. (2010). A search for additional planets in the NASA EPOXI observations 

of the exoplanet system GJ 436. Astrophysical Journal 716(2): 1047–1059.

Beccari, G., L. Spezzi, et al. (2010). Progressive star formation in the young galactic super star cluster NGC 

3603. Astrophysical Journal 720(2): 1108–1117.

Beiersdorfer, P., G. V. Brown, et al. (2010). .e ITER core imaging X-ray spectrometer: X-ray calorimeter 

performance. Review of Scienti,c Instruments 81(10).

Bendo, G. J., C. D. Wilson, et al. (2010). .e Herschel Space Observatory view of dust in M81. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 518.

Benford, D. J. (2009). .e SOFIA/SAFIRE far-infrared spectrometer: Highlighting submillimeter astrophysics 

and technology. Submillimeter Astrophysics and Technology: a Symposium Honoring .omas G. Phillips. 

D. C. Lis, J. E. Vaillancourt, P. F. Goldsmithet al. 417: 137–142.

Benford, D. J., J. G. Staguhn, et al. (2009). Design of the millimeter-wavelength superconducting bolometer 

camera GISMO. Low Temperature Detectors Ltd 13. B. Cabrera, A. Miller and B. Young. 1185: 546–550.
Publications 103

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Benford, G., J. Benford, et al. (2010). Searching for cost-optimized interstellar beacons. Astrobiology 10(5): 

491–498.

Benford, J., G. Benford, et al. (2010). Messaging with cost-optimized interstellar beacons. Astrobiology 10(5): 

475–490.

Biller, B. A., M. C. Liu, et al. (2010). .e Gemini NICI planet-,nding campaign: Discovery of a close substellar 

companion to the young debris disk star PZ Tel. Astrophysical Journal Letters 720(1): L82–L87.

Borkowski, K. J., S. P. Reynolds, et al. (2010). Radioactive scandium in the youngest galactic supernova remnant 

G1.9+0.3. Astrophysical Journal Letters 724(2): L161–L165.

Boselli, A., L. Ciesla, et al. (2010). FIR colours and SEDs of nearby galaxies observed with Herschel. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 518.

Boselli, A., S. Eales, et al. (2010). .e Herschel Reference Survey. Publications of the Astronomical Society of 

the Paci,c 122(889): 261–287.

Brack, A., G. Horneck, et al. (2010). Origin and evolution of life on terrestrial planets. Astrobiology 10(1): 

69–76.

Breeveld, A. A., P. A. Curran, et al. (2010). Further calibration of the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. 

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 406(3): 1687–1700.

Bridge, C. R., H. I. Teplitz, et al. (2010). A spectroscopic search for leaking Lyman continuum at z ~ 0.7. 

Astrophysical Journal 720(1): 465–479.

Brisbin, D., M. Harwit, et al. (2010). .e Deep SPIRE HerMES Survey: Spectral energy distributions and 

their astrophysical indications at high redshift. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 409(1): 

66–74.

Brown, P. J., P. W. A. Roming, et al. (2010). .e absolute magnitudes of type Ia supernovae in the ultraviolet. 

Astrophysical Journal 721(2): 1608–1626.

Brown, T. M., A. V. Sweigart, et al. (2010). .e blue hook populations of massive globular clusters. Astrophysical 

Journal 718(2): 1332–1344.

Bruhweiler, F. C., R. F. Ferrero, et al. (2010). . e young interstellar bubble within the Rosette Nebula. 

Astrophysical Journal 719(2): 1872–1883.

Cacketti, E. M., J. M. Miller, et al. (2010). Relativistic lines and re-ection from the inner accretion disks around 

neutron stars. Astrophysical Journal 720(1): 205–225.

Cassata, P., M. Giavalisco, et al. (2010). .e morphology of passively evolving galaxies at z ~ 2 from Hubble 

Space Telescope/WFC3 deep imaging in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Astrophysical Journal Letters 714(1): 

L79–L83.

Centrella, J., J. G. Baker, et al. (2010). Black-hole binaries, gravitational waves, and numerical relativity. Reviews 

of Modern Physics 82(4): 3069–3119.

Chandar, R., B. C. Whitmore, et al. (2010). .e luminosity, mass, and age distributions of compact star clusters 

in M83 based on Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 observations. Astrophysical Journal 719(1): 

966–978.

Cherchne1, I. and E. Dwek (2010). .e chemistry of population III supernova ejecta. II. .e nucleation of 

molecular clusters as a diagnostic for dust in the early universe. Astrophysical Journal 713(1): 1–24.

Clements, D. L., E. Rigby, et al. (2010). Herschel-ATLAS: Extragalactic number counts from 250 to 500 

microns. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Cooray, A., A. Amblard, et al. (2010). HerMES: Halo occupation number and bias properties of dusty galaxies 

from angular clustering measurements. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

104 Publications

Cortese, L., G. J. Bendo, et al. (2010). Herschel-SPIRE observations of the disturbed galaxy NGC 4438. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Cotton, W. D., S. Ragland, et al. (2010). SiO masers in asymmetric Miras. III. IK Tauri. Astrophysical Journal 

Supplement Series 187(1): 107–118.

Cotton, W. D., S. Ragland, et al. (2010). SiO masers in asymmetric Miras. IV. Chi Cygni, R Aquilae, R 

Leo Minoris, RU Herculis, U Herculis, and U Orionis. Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 188(2): 

506–525.

Currie, T., J. Hernandez, et al. (2010). . e stellar population of h and Chi Persei: Cluster properties, 

membership, and the intrinsic colors and temperatures of stars. Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 

186(2): 191–221.

D’Avanzo, P., M. Perri, et al. (2010). .e afterglow and host galaxy of GRB 090205: Evidence of a Ly-alpha 

emitter at z=4.65. Astronomy & Astrophysics 522.

Davies, J. I., C. D. Wilson, et al. (2010). On the origin of M81 group extended dust emission. Monthly Notices 

of the Royal Astronomical Society 409(1): 102–108.

de Nolfo, G. A., S. D. Hunter, et al. (2009). Neutron Imaging Camera.

De Pasquale, M., P. Schady, et al. (2010). Swift and Fermi observations of the early afterglow of the short 

gamma-ray burst 090510. Astrophysical Journal Letters 709(2): L146–L151.

Dopita, M. A., W. P. Blair, et al. (2010). Supernova remnants and the interstellar medium of M83: Imaging and 

photometry with the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 710(2): 

964–978.

Dopita, M. A., D. Calzetti, et al. (2010). Supernova remnants, planetary nebulae and the distance to NGC 

4214. Astrophysics and Space Science 330(1): 123–131.

Dorodnitsyn, A. and T. Kallman (2010). Active galaxy uni,cation in the era of X-ray polarimetry. Astrophysical 

Journal Letters 711(2): L112–L116.

Dreiske, P., M. Carmody, et al. (2010). Molecular beam epitaxially grown HgTe and HgCdTe-on-silicon for 

space-based X-ray calorimetry Applications. Journal of Electronic Materials 39(7): 1087–1096.

Dvorak, R., E. Pilat-Lohinger, et al. (2010). Dynamical habitability of planetary systems. Astrobiology 10(1): 

33–43.

Dwek, E., R. G. Arendt, et al. (2010). Five years of mid-infrared evolution of the remnant of SN 1987A: .e 

encounter between the blast wave and the dusty equatorial ring. Astrophysical Journal 722(1): 425–434.

Dye, S., L. Dunne, et al. (2010). Herschel-ATLAS: Evolution of the 250 mu m luminosity function out to z = 

0.5. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Eales, S., L. Dunne, et al. (2010). .e Herschel ATLAS. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Paci,c 

122(891): 499–515.

Eales, S. A., G. Raymond, et al. (2010). First results from HerMES on the evolution of the submillimetre 

luminosity function. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Eales, S. A., M. W. L. Smith, et al. (2010). Mapping the interstellar medium in galaxies with Herschel. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Eiroa, C., D. Fedele, et al. (2010). Cold DUst around NEarby Stars (DUNES). First results A resolved exoKuiper belt around the solar-like star ]2

 Ret. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Elbaz, D., H. S. Hwang, et al. (2010). Herschel unveils a puzzling uniformity of distant dusty galaxies. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.
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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Evans, P. A., R. Willingale, et al. (2010). .e Swift Burst Analyser I. BAT and XRT spectral and -ux evolution 

of gamma ray bursts. Astronomy & Astrophysics 519.

Ferkinho1, C., S. Hailey-Dunsheath, et al. (2010). First detection of the O III 88 mu m line at high redshifts: 

Characterizing the starburst and narrow-line regions in extreme luminosity systems. Astrophysical Journal 

Letters 714(1): L147–L151.

Fowler, J. W., V. Acquaviva, et al. (2010). .e Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A measurement of the 600 

< l < 8000 cosmic microwave background power spectrum at 148 GHz. Astrophysical Journal 722(2): 

1148–1161.

France, K., R. McCray, et al. (2010). Observing Supernova 1987A with the refurbished Hubble space telescope. 

Science 329(5999): 1624–1627.

Fridlund, M., C. Eiroa, et al. (2010). A Roadmap for the detection and characterization of other Earths. 

Astrobiology 10(1): 113–119.

Fridlund, M., C. Eiroa, et al. (2010). .e search for worlds like our own. Astrobiology 10(1): 5–17.

Fujimoto, R., K. Mitsuda, et al. (2010). Cooling system for the soft X-ray spectrometer onboard Astro-H. 

Cryogenics 50(9): 488–493.

Fukumura, K., D. Kazanas, et al. (2010). Magnetohydrodynamic accretion disk winds as X-ray absorbers in 

active galactic nuclei. Astrophysical Journal 715(1): 636–650.

Fukumura, K., D. Kazanas, et al. (2010). Modeling high-velocity QSO absorbers with photoionized 

magnetohydrodynamic disk winds. Astrophysical Journal Letters 723(2): L228–L232.

Fukumura, K., C. R. Shrader, et al. (2010). QPOs in the time domain: An autocorrelation analysis. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 524.

Galametz, M., S. C. Madden, et al. (2010). Herschel photometric observations of the nearby low metallicity 

irregular galaxy NGC 6822. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Garcia, J. and T. R. Kallman (2010). X-ray re-ected spectra from accretion disk models. I. Constant density 

atmospheres. Astrophysical Journal 718(2): 695–706.

Gehrels, N. and J. K. Cannizzo (2010). Gamma-ray bursts: Observations. International Journal of Modern 

Physics D 19(6): 977–984.

Gehrels, N., E. Ramirez-Ruiz, et al. (2009). Gamma-ray bursts in the Swift era. Annual Review of Astronomy 

and Astrophysics, Vol 47. 47: 567–617.

Glenn, J., A. Conley, et al. (2010). HerMES: deep galaxy number counts from a P(D) -uctuation analysis of 

SPIRE Science Demonstration Phase observations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 

409(1): 109–121.

Gogus, E., G. Cusumano, et al. (2010). Discovery of a new soft gamma repeater, SGR J1833–0832. Astrophysical 

Journal 718(1): 331–339.

Gomez, H. L., M. Baes, et al. (2010). .e dust morphology of the elliptical galaxy M 86 with SPIRE. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 518.

Grady, C. A., K. Hamaguchi, et al. (2010). Locating the accretion footprint on a herbig Ae Star: MWC 480. 

Astrophysical Journal 719(2): 1565–1581.

Grenfell, J. L., H. Rauer, et al. (2010). Co-evolution of atmospheres, life, and climate. Astrobiology 10(1): 

77–88.

Gri6n, M. J., A. Abergel, et al. (2010). . e Herschel-SPIRE instrument and its in--ight performance. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

106 Publications

Groh, J. H., K. E. Nielsen, et al. (2010). Detection of high-velocity material from the wind-wind collision zone 

of Eta Carinae across the 2009.0 periastron passage. Astronomy & Astrophysics 517.

Grupe, D., D. N. Burrows, et al. (2010). Late-time detections of the X-ray afterglow of GRB 060729 with 

Chandra: .e latest detections ever of an X-ray afterglow. Astrophysical Journal 711(2): 1008–1016.

Hailey-Dunsheath, S., T. Nikola, et al. (2010). Detection of the 158 mu m C II transition at z=1.3: evidence 

for a galaxy-wide starburst. Astrophysical Journal Letters 714(1): L162–L166.

Hathi, N. P., R. E. Ryan, et al. (2010). UV-dropout galaxies in the GOODS-South ,eld from WFC3 early 

release science observations. Astrophysical Journal 720(2): 1708–1716.

Hatziminaoglou, E., A. Omont, et al. (2010). HerMES: Far infrared properties of known AGN in the HerMES 

,elds. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Heap, S. R. (2010). Detecting biomarkers in exoplanetary atmospheres with terrestrial planet ,nder. Physics 

and Astrophysics of Planetary Systems. T. Montmerle, D. Ehrenreich and A. M. Lagrange. 41: 517–520.

Heinke, C. O., D. Altamirano, et al. (2010). Discovery of a second transient low-mass X-ray binary in the 

globular cluster NGC 6440. Astrophysical Journal 714(1): 894–903.

Helton, L. A., C. E. Woodward, et al. (2010). .e dusty nova V1065 Centauri (Nova Cen 2007): A spectroscopic 

analysis of abundances and dust properties. Astronomical Journal 140(5): 1347–1369.

Hurley, K., C. Guidorzi, et al. (2010). .e interplanetary network supplement to the BeppoSAX gamma-ray 

burst catalogs. Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 191(1): 179–184.

Hurley, K., A. Rowlinson, et al. (2010). A new analysis of the short-duration, hard-spectrum GRB 051103, a 

possible extragalactic soft gamma repeater giant -are. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 

403(1): 342–352.

Hwang, H. S., D. Elbaz, et al. (2010). Evolution of dust temperature of galaxies through cosmic time as seen 

by Herschel. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 409(1): 75–82.

Israel, G. L., P. Esposito, et al. (2010). .e 2008 October Swift detection of X-ray bursts/outburst from the 

transient SGR-like AXP 1E 1547.0-5408. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 408(3): 

1387–1395.

Ivison, R. J., B. Magnelli, et al. (2010). .e far-infrared/radio correlation as probed by Herschel. Astronomy & 

Astrophysics 518.

Ivison, R. J., A. M. Swinbank, et al. (2010). Herschel and SCUBA-2 imaging and spectroscopy of a bright, 

lensed submillimetre galaxy at z=2.3. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Jang-Condell, H. and M. J. Kuchner (2010). Radiative transfer models of a possible planet in the AB Aurigae 

disk. Astrophysical Journal Letters 714(1): L142–L146.

Jensen, A. G., T. P. Snow, et al. (2010). Observational properties of rotationally excited molecular hydrogen in 

translucent lines of sight. Astrophysical Journal 711(2): 1236–1256.

Kaltenegger, L., C. Eiroa, et al. (2010). Stellar aspects of habitability-characterizing target stars for terrestrial 

planet-,nding missions. Astrobiology 10(1): 103–112.

Kaltenegger, L., F. Selsis, et al. (2010). Deciphering spectral ,ngerprints of habitable exoplanets. Astrobiology 

10(1): 89–102.

Kaneko, Y., E. Gogus, et al. (2010). Magnetar twists: Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor detection of SGR 

J1550–5418. Astrophysical Journal 710(2): 1335–1342.

Kaneko, Y., E. Gogus, et al. (2010). Erratum: Magnetar twists: Fermi/Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor detection of 

SGR J1550–5418 (2010, ApJ, 710, 1335). Astrophysical Journal 712(1): 761–761.
Publications 107

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Kasliwal, M. M., S. R. Kulkarni, et al. (2010). Rapidly decaying Supernova 2010X: A candidate Ia explosion. 

Astrophysical Journal Letters 723(1): L98–L102.

Kataoka, J., L. Stawarz, et al. (2010). Gamma-ray spectral evolution of NGC 1275 observed with Fermi Large 

Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 715(1): 554–560.

Katsuda, S., U. Hwang, et al. (2010). Discovery of X-ray-emitting O-Ne-Mg-Rich ejecta in the galactic 

supernova remnant Puppis A. Astrophysical Journal 714(2): 1725–1732.

Katsuda, S., R. Petre, et al. (2010). X-ray measured dynamics of Tycho’s supernova remnant. Astrophysical 

Journal 709(2): 1387–1395.

Katsuda, S., R. Petre, et al. (2010). Steady X-ray synchrotron emission in the northeastern limb of SN 1006. 

Astrophysical Journal 723(1): 383–392.

Kokuyama, W., K. Numata, et al. (2010). Simple iodine reference at 1064 nm for absolute laser frequency 

determination in space applications. Applied Optics 49(32): 6264–6267.

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Astronomical Journal 140(4): 1051–1061.

Kuntz, K. D. and S. L. Snowden (2010). .e Chandra M101 megasecond: Di1use emission. Astrophysical 

Journal Supplement Series 188(1): 46–74.

Kuulkers, E., J. Zand, et al. (2010). What ignites on the neutron star of 4U 0614+091? Astronomy & 

Astrophysics 514.

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Lehmer, B. D., D. M. Alexander, et al. (2010). A Chandra perspective on galaxy-wide X-ray binary emission 

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Astrophysical Journal 724(1): 559–571.

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Levesque, E. M., A. M. Soderberg, et al. (2010). .e high-metallicity explosion environment of the relativistic 

Supernova 2009bb. Astrophysical Journal Letters 709(1): L26–L31.

Lindblom, L., J. G. Baker, et al. (2010). Improved time-domain accuracy standards for model gravitational 

waveforms. Physical Review D 82(8).

Liseau, R., C. Eiroa, et al. (2010). Resolving the cold debris disc around a planet-hosting star. PACS photometric 

imaging observations of q1 Eridani (HD 10647, HR 506). Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Loh, Y. S., R. M. Rich, et al. (2010). .e UV-optical colour dependence of galaxy clustering in the local 

universe. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 407(1): 55–70.

Luketic, S., D. Proga, et al. (2010). On the properties of thermal disk winds in X-ray transient sources: A case 

study of GRO J1655–40. Astrophysical Journal 719(1): 515–522.

Maeda, Y., Y. Uchiyama, et al. (2009). Suzaku X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of Cassiopeia A. Publications of 

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Magdis, G. E., D. Elbaz, et al. (2010). Herschel reveals a Tdust-unbiased selection of z ~2 ultraluminous infrared 

galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 409(1): 22–28.

Margutti, R., F. Genet, et al. (2010). GRB 081028 and its late-time afterglow re-brightening. Monthly Notices 

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Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

108 Publications

Markwardt, C. B. and T. E. Strohmayer (2010). Discovery of eclipses from the accreting millisecond X-ray 

pulsar Swift J1749.4–2807. Astrophysical Journal Letters 717(2): L149–L153.

Mason, B. S., S. R. Dicker, et al. (2010). Implications of a high angular resolution image of the SunyaevZel’dovich e1ect in RXJ1347–1145. Astrophysical Journal 716(1): 739–745.

Mathews, G. S., W. R. F. Dent, et al. (2010). GAS in protoplanetary Systems (GASPS). I. First results. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 518.

Matranga, M., J. J. Drake, et al. (2010). Close binaries with infrared excess: Destroyers of worlds? Astrophysical 

Journal Letters 720(2): L164–L168.

McWilliams, S. T., B. J. Kelly, et al. (2010). Observing mergers of nonspinning black-hole binaries. Physical 

Review D 82(2).

McWilliams, S. T., J. I. .orpe, et al. (2010). Impact of mergers on LISA parameter estimation for nonspinning 

black hole binaries. Physical Review D 81(6).

Meeus, G., C. Pinte, et al. (2010). Gas in the protoplanetary disc of HD 169142: Herschel’s view. Astronomy 

& Astrophysics 518.

Menanteau, F., J. Gonzalez, et al. (2010). .e Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Physical properties and purity of a 

galaxy cluster sample selected via the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich e1ect. Astrophysical Journal 723(2): 1523–1541.

Miller, J. M., A. D’Ai, et al. (2010). On relativistic disk spectroscopy in compact objects with X-ray CCD 

cameras. Astrophysical Journal 724(2): 1441–1455.

Milne, P. A., P. J. Brown, et al. (2010). Near-ultraviolet properties of a large sample of Type Ia supernovae as 

observed with the Swift UVOT. Astrophysical Journal 721(2): 1627–1655.

Negrello, M., R. Hopwood, et al. (2010). .e detection of a population of submillimeter-bright, strongly lensed 

galaxies. Science 330(6005): 800–804.

Nguyen, H. T., B. Schulz, et al. (2010). HerMES: .e SPIRE confusion limit. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Norris, J. P., N. Gehrels, et al. (2010). .reshold for extended emission in short gamma-ray bursts. Astrophysical 

Journal 717(1): 411–419.

Nucciotti, A., C. Arnaboldi, et al. (2010). .e ,rst phase of the MARE project in Milano. Nuclear Instruments & 

Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 

617(1-3): 509–510.

Numata, K., J. Camp, et al. (2010). Performance of planar-waveguide external cavity laser for precision 

measurements. Optics Express 18(22): 22781–22788.

O’Halloran, B., M. Galametz, et al. (2010). Herschel photometric observations of the low metallicity dwarf 

galaxy NGC 1705. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Ojha, R., M. Kadler, et al. (2010). TANAMI: Tracking active galactic nuclei with austral milliarcsecond 

interferometry I. First-epoch 8.4GHz images. Astronomy & Astrophysics 519.

Oliver, S. J., L. Wang, et al. (2010). HerMES: SPIRE galaxy number counts at 250, 350, and 500 mu m. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Osten, R. A., O. Godet, et al. (2010). .e mouse that roared: A super-are from the dMe -are star EV Lac 

detected by Swift and Konus-Wind. Astrophysical Journal 721(1): 785–801.

Panuzzo, P., N. Rangwala, et al. (2010). Probing the molecular interstellar medium of M82 with HerschelSPIRE spectroscopy. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Parkinson, P. M. S., M. Dormody, et al. (2010). Eight gamma-ray pulsars discovered in blind frequency searches 

of Fermi LAT data. Astrophysical Journal 725(1): 571–584.
Publications 109

Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

Pinte, C., P. Woitke, et al. (2010). . e Herschel view of GAS in Protoplanetary Systems (GASPS) First 

comparisons with a large grid of models. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Pohlen, M., L. Cortese, et al. (2010). Radial distribution of gas and dust in spiral galaxies. .e case of M99 

(NGC4254) and M100 (NGC 4321). Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Rauch, B. F., J. T. Link, et al. (2010). Erratum: Cosmic-ray origin in OB associations and preferential acceleration 

of refractory elements: Evidence from abundances of elements Fe-26 through Se-34 (2009, ApJ, 697, 2083). 

Astrophysical Journal 722(1): 970–970.

Reames, D. V. (2001). SEPs: Space weather hazard in interplanetary space. Space weather. P. Song, H. J. Singer 

and G. L. Siscoe. 125: 101–107.

Reames, D. V. and N. Lal (2010). A multi-spacecraft view of solar-energetic-particle onsets in the 1977 

November 22 event. Astrophysical Journal 723(1): 550–554.

Romano, P., L. Sidoli, et al. (2010). Swift/XRT monitoring of the supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J18483-

0311 for an entire orbital period. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 401(3): 1564–1569.

Roseboom, I. G., S. J. Oliver, et al. (2010). .e Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey: Source extraction and 

cross-identi,cations in confusion-dominated SPIRE images. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical 

Society 409(1): 48–65.

Roussel, H., C. D. Wilson, et al. (2010). SPIRE imaging of M82: Cool dust in the wind and tidal streams. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Rowan-Robinson, M., I. G. Roseboom, et al. (2010). Cold dust and young starbursts: Spectral energy distributions 

of Herschel SPIRE sources from the HerMES survey. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 

409(1): 2–11.

Sambruna, R. M., D. Donato, et al. (2010). Swift Burst Alert Telescope, Fermi Large Area Telescope, and the 

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Sauvage, M., N. Sacchi, et al. (2010). .e central region of spiral galaxies as seen by Herschel. Astronomy & 

Astrophysics 518.

Schady, P., M. J. Page, et al. (2010). Dust and metal column densities in gamma-ray burst host galaxies. Monthly 

Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 401(4): 2773–2792.

Schneider, J., A. Leger, et al. (2010). .e far future of exoplanet direct characterization. Astrobiology 10(1): 

121–126.

Schnittman, J. D. (2010). . e Lagrange equilibrium points L-4 and L-5 in black hole binary system. 

Astrophysical Journal 724(1): 39–48.

Schulz, B., C. P. Pearson, et al. (2010). HerMES: .e submillimeter spectral energy distributions of Herschel/

SPIRE-detected galaxies. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

Shaposhnikov, N., C. Markwardt, et al. (2010). Discovery and monitoring of a new black hole candidate XTE 

j1752–223 with RXTE: RMS spectrum evolution, black hole mass, and the source distance. Astrophysical 

Journal 723(2): 1817–1824.

Shim, J. S., L. Scherliess, et al. (2010). Neutral wind and plasma drift e1ects on low and middle latitude total 

electron content. Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics 115.

Siana, B., H. I. Teplitz, et al. (2010). A deep Hubble Space Telescope search for escaping Lyman continuum -ux 

at z ~ 1.3: Evidence for an evolving ionizing emissivity. Astrophysical Journal 723(1): 241–250.

Soderberg, A. M., S. Chakraborti, et al. (2010). A relativistic Type Ibc supernova without a detected gamma-ray 

burst. Nature 463(7280): 513–515.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

110 Publications

Stacey, G. J., S. Hailey-Dunsheath, et al. (2010). A 158 mu m C II line survey of galaxies at z ~1-2: An indicator 

of star formation in the early universe. Astrophysical Journal 724(2): 957–974.

Stecker, F. W. and S. T. Scully (2010). Derivation of a relation for the steepening of TeV-selected blazar gammaray spectra with energy and redshift. Astrophysical Journal Letters 709(2): L124–L126.

Still, M., S. B. Howell, et al. (2010). Quiescent superhumps detected in the dwarf nova v344 Lyrae by Kepler. 

Astrophysical Journal Letters 717(2): L113–L117.

Straka, L. A., V. P. Kulkarni, et al. (2010). A search for galaxies producing metal-rich quasar absorbers. 

Astronomical Journal 139(3): 1144–1153.

Strohmayer, T. E. (2009). Discovery of a 115 day orbital period in the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5408 

X-1. Astrophysical Journal Letters 706(2): L210–L214.

Sultana, J. and D. Kazanas (2010). Bending of light in conformal Weyl gravity. Physical Review D 81(12).

Tanvir, N. R., E. Rol, et al. (2010). Late-time observations of GRB 080319B: Jet break, host galaxy, and 

accompanying supernova. Astrophysical Journal 725(1): 625–632.

.i, W. F., G. Mathews, et al. (2010). Herschel-PACS observation of the 10 Myr old T Tauri disk TW Hya 

constraining the disk gas mass. Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

.ilker, D. A., L. Bianchi, et al. (2010). NGC 404: A rejuvenated lenticular galaxy on a merger-induced, 

blueward excursion into the green valley. Astrophysical Journal Letters 714(1): L171–L175.

.omas, C. N., S. Withington, et al. (2010). Modeling the intensity and polarization response of planar 

bolometric detectors. Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics, Image Science and Vision 27(5): 

1219–1231.

.orpe, J. I. (2010). LISA long-arm interferometry. Classical and Quantum Gravity 27(8).

Tiengo, A., G. Vianello, et al. (2010). .e dust-scattering X-ray rings of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1547.0 

–5408. Astrophysical Journal 710(1): 227–235.

Torrejon, J. M., N. S. Schulz, et al. (2010). A Chandra survey of -uorescence Fe lines in X-ray binaries at high 

resolution. Astrophysical Journal 715(2): 947–958.

Troja, E., S. Rosswog, et al. (2010). Precursors of short gamma-ray bursts. Astrophysical Journal 723(2): 1711–

1717.

Tueller, J., W. H. Baumgartner, et al. (2010). .e 22 month Swift-BAT All-Sky Hard X-Ray Survey. Astrophysical 

Journal Supplement Series 186(2): 378–405.

Ukwatta, T. N., M. Stamatikos, et al. (2010). Spectral lags and the lag-luminosity relation: An investigation 

with Swift BAT gamma-ray bursts. Astrophysical Journal 711(2): 1073–1086.

Vaccari, M., L. Marchetti, et al. (2010). . e HerMES SPIRE submillimeter local luminosity function. 

Astronomy & Astrophysics 518.

van der Horst, A. J., V. Connaughton, et al. (2010). Discovery of a new soft gamma repeater: SGR J0418+5729. 

Astrophysical Journal Letters 711(1): L1–L6.

van Meter, J. R., M. C. Miller, et al. (2010). Test of a general formula for black hole gravitational wave kicks. 

Astrophysical Journal 719(2): 1427–1432.

Watts, A. L., C. Kouveliotou, et al. (2010). Photospheric radius expansion during magnetar bursts. Astrophysical 

Journal 719(1): 190–200.

Weaver, K. A., M. Melendez, et al. (2010). Mid-infrared properties of the Swift Burst Alert Telescope active 

galactic nuclei sample of the local universe. I. Emission-line diagnostics. Astrophysical Journal 716(2): 

1151–1165.
Publications 111

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Weisskopf, M. C., M. Guainazzi, et al. (2010). On calibrations using the Crab Nebula and models of the 

nebular X-ray emission. Astrophysical Journal 713(2): 912–919.

Weltevrede, P., A. A. Abdo, et al. (2010). Gamma-ray and radio properties of six pulsars detected by the Fermi 

Large Area Telescope. Astrophysical Journal 708(2): 1426–1441.

Whiteman, D. N., K. Rush, et al. (2010). Airborne and ground-based measurements using a high-performance 

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Williger, G. M., R. F. Carswell, et al. (2010). .e low-redshift Ly alpha forest towards 3C 273. Monthly Notices 

of the Royal Astronomical Society 405(3): 1736–1758.

Wright, E. L., P. R. M. Eisenhardt, et al. (2010). .e Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE): Mission 

description and initial on-orbit performance. Astronomical Journal 140(6): 1868–1881.

Yuan, F., P. Schady, et al. (2010). GRB 081008: From burst to afterglow and the transition phase in between. 

Astrophysical Journal 711(2): 870–880.

Zeng, L. Z., C. L. Bennett, et al. (2010). A low cross-polarization smooth-walled horn with improved bandwidth. 

IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 58(4): 1383–1387.

Zhekov, S. A., S. Park, et al. (2010). Evolution of the Chandra CCD spectra of SNR 1987A: Probing the 

re-ected-shock picture. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 407(2): 1157–1169.
Astrophysics Science Division Annual Report 2010

112 Publications

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