PSM2018 Program

Launched in 2009, Kepler has spawned a revolution in our understanding of exoplanet demographics, but this has only been possible because of an extensive ground-based observation program. From spectroscopy to high resolution imaging, Palomar Observatory has been a key linchpin in that revolution, providing vital information for the both the confirmation and characterization of planets.

We present the results of a deep high-contrast imaging search for planets around Vega. Vega is a bright, nearby, young, and it has a face-on, two-belt debris disk which may be shaped by unseen planets. We obtained 5.5 hours of J+H band data on Vega with P1640. Our data present the most sensitive contrast limits around Vega at 2-15 au, allowing us to place new constraints on the companions which may be sculpting the system.

I will talk about the intra-system similarity for Exoplanets based on the improved planetary masses from photometric follow-ups.

I will present recent observation of asteroids that I have taken at Palomar using DBSP. These near-Earth objects appear to have been formed in a catastrophic collision in the Main Belt, and escaped through gravitational resonances into near-Earth space. Our goal is to spectrally confirm the dynamical links between these objects, and thereby constrain the the last ~1 Gyr of their evolution.

The detection of the binary neutron star GW170817 together with the observation of electromagnetic counterparts across the entire spectrum inaugurated a new era of multi-messenger astronomy. The groundwork for this detection was laid by the numerous binary black hole detections up to this point. In this talk, I will highlight what we have learned from these events, how we are improving detector sensitivities, and how we are extracting astrophysics from the combination of gravitational wave and electromagnetic data.

On August 17 2017, for the first time, an electromagnetic counterpart to gravitational waves was detected. Two neutron stars merged and lit up the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma-rays to the radio. The infrared signature vividly demonstrates that neutron star mergers are indeed the long-sought production sites that forge heavy elements by r-process nucleosynthesis. The weak gamma-rays are dissimilar to classical short gamma-ray bursts with ultra-relativistic jets.Instead, by synthesizing a panchromatic dataset, we suggest that break-out of a wide-angle, mildly-relativistic cocoon engulfing the jet elegantly explains the low-luminosity gamma-rays, the high-luminosity ultraviolet-optical-infrared and the delayed radio/X-ray emission. I conclude with the promise of a literally bright and loud future, thanks to even more sensitive survey telescopes and gravitational wave interferometers.

Infrared Surveys, now exploring the dynamic infrared sky, offer an ideal platform to discover dust obscured supernovae. Recent results from the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) include detailed characterizations of several obscured supernovae enabled with dedicated follow-up from the Hale Telescope. I will also discuss prospects for optical/near-infrared surveys from Palomar with the Zwicky Transient Facility and Palomar Gattini-IR to build spectroscopically complete samples of dust obscured supernovae for the first time.

I will present the spectroscopic observations with DBSP and Triplespec at P200 on high redshift quasars through the Telescope Access Program at NAOC. We discovered more than 20 new quasars at redshifts from 5.3 to 6.5 with DBSP and successfully filled in the redshift gap around 5.5. Triplespec observations on 30 quasars at redshift ~3.5 and 9 BAL quasars at redshift ~1.5 enabled us to derive the black hole masses and study the quasar properties at different redshifts.

The Swift-BAT AGN spectroscopic survey (BASS) provides one of the largest and least-biased samples of local AGN to date. The hard X-ray sensitivity of Swift (14-195 keV) allows for the detection of some of the most obscured AGN, as the energetic photons are able to easily pass through large columns of gas and dust. Here I review the black hole mass estimates obtained for both unobscured and obscured AGN from our spectroscopic follow-up campaign with DoubleSpec, which is crucial to obtain a complete census of supermassive black hole masses and accretion rates in the local universe. The resulting SMBH mass function, distribution of accretion rates, and clustering properties provide important constraints on the boundary condition of models of SMBH growth and regulation.

We present Palomar 5-m Triplespec observations of a sample (0.1 < z < 0.15) of rare SDSS-selected galaxies that exhibit unusual values of the [OI]6300/Hα and low [OIII]/Hβ line ratios-placing them in an extreme LINER position on the traditional excitation diagrams. These galaxies have similar optical line properties to galaxy spectra in nearby systems containing evidence of shocks and turbulence, like Stephan's Quintet, NGC 4258 (recently observed by our team a Palomar with CWI) and NGC 1266. The results show the detection of molecular hydrogen ro-vibrational lines and {FeII] lines. This supports the idea that these galaxies are excited by shocks. We discuss possible mechanisms for driving mechanical energy into the ISM of such galaxies, and the possibility of studying many more examples of such systems in future large spectra line surveys possible with Euclid, WFIRST and with large ground-based telescopes.

Quasar intrinsic absorption lines are crucial way to understand the properties of interstellar media in quasar host, especially at high redshift. Hydrogen Balmer and Helium metastable triplet lines are long been neglected but they can supply unique information on the absorbing gas. Balmer absorption is specially intriguing because it only occurs when the density is high. I will briefly introduce our works on Hydrogen Balmer and Helium metastable absorption lines.

A tribute to the visionary people who built and used Palomar facilities since the dedication of the Hale Telescope in1948, with its first scheduled observing night (Nov 12, 1949), and a romp through my personal take on the great science that was accomplished from 1949 up to about 1995.

Infrared astronomy using the 200 inch telescope began with the creation of an infrared astronomy group at Caltech. I will describe the development of infrared observations using the 200 inch telescope from the early 1960s through the present era, focusing on the development of instrumentation, techniques and the science that emerged from this rapidly developing and evolving technology.

For about a decade starting in 1972 a hardy band traveled to Palomar almost monthly to use the prime focus of 200-inch during twilight hours for a program of millimeter wavelength astronomy. This talk will review the scientific, technical, and sociological highlights of this now largely forgotten chapter in the history of the Palomar Observatory, which exemplifies the benefits we derive from ready access to this amazing telescope.

Following the Big Bang the Universe was homogeneous in matter, energy and barren of chemistry. It is the stars which built up the periodic table. Astronomers have now identified several classes of cosmic explosions of which supernovae constitute the largest group. The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) consisting of the 48-inch Oschin Schmidt-optics telescope (hosting a large field-of-view mosaic detector) and the Palomar 60-inch robotic telescope (initially equipped with an imaging CCD photometer) was designed to explicitly undertake an ambitious survey for supernovae and as a pilot project to systematically survey the dynamics optical night sky. The success of PTF lead to the Zwicky Transient Facility. The wide field of view (47 square degree camera) allows for a high rate of discovery. Robotic spectroscopy on the 60-inch (with a novel spectrograph) has enabled astronomers to routinely study infant supernovae and young transients. The scope of investigations has now widened to include binary and variable stars and small bodies in our Solar system. The speaker will talk about the returns and surprises from this project: super-luminous supernovae, new classes of transients, new light on progenitors of supernovae, detection of gamma-ray bursts by purely optical techniques, troves of pulsating stars and binary stars and near earth asteroids. ZTF is poised to become the stepping stone for the national flagship project, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

I introduce the Census of the Local Universe (CLU) galaxy survey. The survey uses 4 wavelength-adjacent, narrowband filters to search for emission-line (Hα) sources across ~3π (26,470 deg²) of the sky and out to distance of 200 Mpc. I will present an analysis of galaxy candidates in 14 preliminary fields (out of 3626) to assess the limits of the survey and the potential for finding new galaxies in the local Universe. We anticipate finding tens-of-thousands of new galaxies in the full ~3π survey. In addition, I present some interesting galaxies found in these fields, which include: newly discovered blue compact dwarfs (e.g., blueberries), 1 new green pea, 1 new QSO, and a known planetary nebula. The majority of the CLU galaxies show properties similar to normal star-forming galaxies; however, the newly discovered blueberries tend to have high star formation rates for their given stellar mass.

I will give a short review of various science projects which are currently being carried out using the survey data from Zwicky Transient Facility.

ZTF is a 4x4 mosaic of conventional CCDs in an existing Schmidt Telescope. How hard could that be? I will describe the design challenges, some of the more interesting problems encountered and solved during construction, and then review key performance characteristics.

For the last half-century, engine-driven explosions have primarily been selected via their high-energy emission (the exemplar being gamma-ray bursts, or GRBs). This is beginning to change, with the advent of wide-field high-cadence optical time-domain facilities. With ZTF, we are conducting the first systematic survey tailored to the optical signatures of engine-driven explosions: (1) the afterglows to on- and off-axis GRBs, (2) shock breakout from Ic-BL supernovae, and (3) rapidly rising and luminous Ic-BL supernovae. Together with a comprehensive multi-wavelength follow-up effort, we will learn to what extent the GRBs discovered so far have simply been one small part of a much broader landscape of engine-driven stellar death.

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) bright supernova survey (BTS) will classify all transients brighter than 18 mag found by the public ZTF northern sky survey. These classifications will also be made public through ATels. Based on the supernovae found in the BTS we will compute the redshift completeness fraction (RCF) for galaxies at z < 0.05. The RCF measures how many galaxies in the local universe have unknown redshifts. This can be used to e.g., determine the bias in volume limited surveys, and to optimize the search of electromagnetic wave counterparts using local galaxy catalogs.

ZTF has optimized the field of view of the P48. The data volume is unprecedented, and so are the transient events that flow thereof. We describe status and plans related to machine learning to make the most of the data while trying to minimize follow-up observations.

The Next Generation Palomar Spectrograph (NGPS) will be a high-efficiency, workhorse spectrograph that will replace DBSP. It is a collaboration of the Palomar partnership, primarily Caltech and NAOC. I will discuss the instrument concept and the management structure, and I will seek feedback from the audience.

I have been engaged with discovery at Palomar from early days using Zwicky's 18-inch Schmidt (where SN 1972E was discovered by Charlie Kowal), searching for supernovae with photographic plates, and inaugurating the scientific use of the Palomar 60-inch telescope to follow up SN 1972E, a prototype of an exploding white dwarf. This accelerated me from Caltech out into the astronomical world. The supernovae that result from collapsing red giants have proved useful in measuring cosmic expansion and the exploding white dwarfs provided the evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Now I am engaged in accelerating scientific discovery through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, where I head the science program. I'll say a little about each of these forms of acceleration.

I will give a brief review of Palomar's contribution to the Telescope Access Program (TAP) in China.

How a very simple mid-infrared camera that started life at Palomar helped lead to the MIRI instrument on JWST.

I will discuss the design and some of the science results from the Cosmic Web Imager, a seeing limited integral field unit on the Hale telescope and the Keck Cosmic Web Imager.

WIRC+Pol is a new low-resolution (R~100), near-infrared spectropolarimetry mode of WIRC on the Hale Telescope at Palomar. The instrument utilizes a novel thin film-based polarization grating, which provides efficient and sensitive linear spectropolarimetric measurements. The Hale telescope is the largest equatorially mounted telescope in the world and its prime focus is the best place for polarimetry due to low and stable telescope polarization. We will discuss the WIRC+Pol's development and first year commissioning results.

WASP (Wafer-Scale camera for Prime) is a wide-field imaging camera equipped with an E2V 231C 6144x6160 pixel science detector operated at LN2 temperature (~165K) with low noise (5 e) and dark current of (3 e/pixel/hour). The WASP camera offers an 18.4 x 18.5 arc minute field of view with a plate scale of 0.18 arc seconds per pixel. The instrument includes two integrated 2064x2064 pixel STA 3600A delta-doped CCDs operated as frame-transfer devices for guide and focus.

Robo-AO is the first (and still only) robotic adaptive optics system, and includes a laser guide star as well as visible and IR science cameras. Robo-AO started robotic science operations in 2012 at the Palomar Observatory 60-inch telescope, and then at the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m telescope. Robo-AO has unparalleled efficiency for high resolution, high cadence observations, and has been used for many science projects, including observing essentially every Kepler Object of Interest for nearby companions. This talk will discuss Robo-AO instrumentation, operations, and the future of the system as it starts deployment on Maunakea.

The Spectral Energy Distribution Machine (SEDM) is an instrument optimized for the spectroscopic identification of transient astronomical events for the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey. Commissioned during the operation of the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), SEDM operates on the Palomar 60-inch telescope. It combines a low-resolution (R ∼ 100) integral field unit spectrograph with “Rainbow Camera”, a multi-band field acquisition camera which also serves as multi-band (ugri) photometer. I will describe the instrument and its first science results.

I will conduct an informal Palomar feedback and discussion session in the Cahill library, giving PSM attendees an opportunity to share feedback on their experience observing at and reducing data from Palomar.