Publications (45)52.49 Total impact
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Dataset: Interstellar X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Oxygen, Neon, and Iron with the Chandra LETGS Spectrum of X0614+091
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Dataset: Interstellar X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Oxygen, Neon, and Iron with the Chandra LETGS Spectrum of X0614+091
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Article: LSST Science Book, Version 2.0
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ABSTRACT: A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.12/2009; -
Article: Interstellar X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Oxygen, Neon, and Iron with the Chandra LETGS Spectrum of X0614+091
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ABSTRACT: We find resolved interstellar O K, Ne K, and Fe L absorption spectra in the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Low-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS) spectrum of the low-mass X-ray binary X0614+091. We measure the column densities in O and Ne and find direct spectroscopic constraints on the chemical state of the interstellar O. These measurements probably probe a low-density line of sight through the Galaxy, and we discuss the results in the context of our knowledge of the properties of interstellar matter in regions between the spiral arms.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 546(1):338. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: On the Putative Detection of z > 0 X-Ray Absorption Features in the Spectrum of Mrk 421
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ABSTRACT: In a series of papers, Nicastro et al. have reported the detection of z > 0 O VII absorption features in the spectrum of Mrk 421 obtained with the Chandra Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS). We evaluate this result in the context of a high-quality spectrum of the same source obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on XMM-Newton. The data comprise over 955 ks of usable exposure time and more than 2.6 × 104 counts per 50 mÅ at 21.6 Å. We concentrate on the spectrally clean region (21.3 < λ < 22.5 ), where sharp features due to the astrophysically abundant O VII may reveal an intervening, warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). We do not confirm detection of any of the intervening systems claimed to date. Rather, we detect only three unsurprising, astrophysically expected features down to the log(Ni) ~ 14.6 (3 σ) sensitivity level. Each of the two purported WHIM features is rejected with a statistical confidence that exceeds that reported for its initial detection. While we cannot rule out the existence of fainter, WHIM related features in these spectra, we suggest that previous discovery claims were premature. A more recent paper by Williams et al. claims to have demonstrated that the RGS data we analyze here do not have the resolution or statistical quality required to confirm or deny the LETGS detections. We show that our analysis resolves the issues encountered by Williams et al. and recovers the full resolution and statistical quality of the RGS data. We highlight the differences between our analysis and those published by Williams et al. as this may explain our disparate conclusions.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 656(1):129. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: Resolving the Effects of Resonant X-Ray Line Scattering in Centaurus X-3 with Chandra
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ABSTRACT: The massive X-ray binary Cen X-3 was observed over approximately one-quarter of the system's 2.08 day orbit, beginning before eclipse and ending slightly after eclipse center with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory using its High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. The spectra show K-shell emission lines from hydrogen- and helium-like ions of magnesium, silicon, sulfur, and iron as well as a Kα fluorescence emission feature from near-neutral iron. The helium-like n = 2 → 1 triplet of silicon is fully resolved, and the analogous triplet of iron is partially resolved. We measure fluxes, shifts, and widths of the observed emission lines. The helium-like triplet component flux ratios outside of eclipse are consistent with emission from recombination and subsequent cascades (recombination radiation) from a photoionized plasma with a temperature of ~100 eV. In eclipse, however, the w (resonance) lines of silicon and iron are stronger than that expected for recombination radiation and are consistent with emission from a collisionally ionized plasma with a temperature of ~1 keV. The triplet line flux ratios at both phases can be explained more naturally, however, as emission from a photoionized plasma if the effects of resonant line scattering, a process that has generally been neglected in X-ray spectroscopy, are included in addition to recombination radiation. We show that resonant line scattering in photoionized plasmas may increase the emissivity of n = 2 → 1 line emission in hydrogen- and helium-like ions by a factor as large as 4 relative to that of pure recombination, and so previous studies, in which resonant scattering has been neglected, may contain significant errors in the derived plasma parameters. The emissivity due to resonance scattering depends sensitively on the line optical depth, and in the case of winds in X-ray binaries, this allows constraints on the wind velocity even when Doppler shifts cannot be resolved.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 582(2):959. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: X-Ray Spectral Study of the Photoionized Stellar Wind in Vela X-1
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ABSTRACT: We present results from quantitative modeling and spectral analysis of the high-mass X-ray binary system Vela X-1 obtained with the Chandra HETGS. The spectra exhibit emission lines from H- and He-like ions driven by photoionization, as well as fluorescent emission lines from several elements in lower charge states. The properties of these X-ray lines are measured with the highest accuracy to date. In order to interpret and make full use of the data, we have developed a simulator, which calculates the ionization structure of a stellar wind and performs Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray photons propagating through the wind. From comparisons of the observed spectra with results from the simulator, we are able to find the ionization structure and the geometrical distribution of material in the stellar wind that can reproduce the observed spectral line intensities and continuum shapes remarkably well. We find that the stellar wind profile can be represented by a CAK model with a star mass-loss rate of (1.5-2.0) × 10-6 M☉ yr-1, assuming a terminal velocity of 1100 km s-1. It is found that a large fraction of emission lines from highly ionized ions are formed in the region between the neutron star and the companion star. We also find that the fluorescent lines must be produced in at least three distinct regions: the extended stellar wind, reflection off the stellar photosphere, and in a distribution of dense material partially covering and possibly trailing the neutron star, which may be associated with an accretion wake. Finally, from detailed analysis of the emission-line profiles, we demonstrate that the stellar wind dynamics is affected by X-ray photoionization.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 651(1):421. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: Can a Dusty Warm Absorber Model Reproduce the Soft X-Ray Spectra of MCG –6-30-15 and Markarian 766?
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ABSTRACT: XMM-Newton RGS spectra of MCG -6-30-15 and Mrk 766 exhibit complex discrete structure, which was interpreted in a paper by Branduardi-Raymont and coworkers as evidence for the existence of relativistically broadened Lyα emission from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, produced in the innermost regions of an accretion disk around a Kerr black hole. This suggestion was subsequently criticized in a paper by Lee and coworkers, who argued that for MCG -6-30-15, the Chandra HETG spectrum, which is partially overlapping the RGS in spectral coverage, is adequately fitted by a dusty warm absorber model, with no relativistic line emission. We present a reanalysis of the original RGS data sets in terms of the model by Lee and coworkers. Specifically, we show that (1) the explicit model given by Lee and coworkers differs markedly from the RGS data, especially at longer wavelengths, beyond the region sampled by the HETG; (2) generalizations of the Lee and coworkers model, with all parameters left free, do provide qualitatively better fits to the RGS data, but are still incompatible with the detailed spectral structure; (3) the ionized oxygen absorption-line equivalent widths are well measured with the RGS for both sources, and place very tight constraints on both the column densities and turbulent velocity widths of O VII and O VIII. The derived column densities are well below those posited by Lee and coworkers and are insufficient to play any role in explaining the observed edge-like feature near 17.5 Å; (4) the lack of a significant neutral oxygen edge near 23 Å places very strong limits on any possible contribution of absorption to the observed structure by dust embedded in a warm medium; and (5) the original relativistic line model with warm absorption proposed by Branduardi-Raymont and coworkers provides a superior fit to the RGS data, both in the overall shape of the spectrum and in the discrete absorption lines. We also discuss a possible theoretical interpretation for the putative relativistic Lyα line emission in terms of the photoionized surface layers of the inner regions of an accretion disk. While there are still a number of outstanding theoretical questions about the viability of such a model, it is interesting to note that simple estimates of key parameters are roughly compatible with those derived from the observed spectra.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 596(1):114. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: A Long Look at NGC 3783 with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer
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ABSTRACT: A long 280 ks observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 with XMM-Newton is reported. We focus on the oxygen line complex between 17 and 24 Å as measured with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer. Accurate absorption column densities and emission-line fluxes are obtained. We explore several options for the geometry and physical form of the emitting and absorbing gas. The lack of change in ionization in the absorber despite an increase in continuum flux during the observation restricts the high-ionization (O-K) and the low-ionization (Fe-M) gas to distances of at least 0.5 and 2.8 pc, respectively, away from the central source. Given the P Cygni type profiles in the resonance spectral lines and the similar velocity widths, column densities, and ionization structure inferred separately from the emission and absorption lines, it is tempting to relate the X-ray narrow-line emitting plasma with the X-ray-absorbing gas. Under this assumption, the scenario of dense clumped clouds can be ruled out. Conversely, extended ionization cones (r 10 pc) are consistent with the observation independent of this assumption. These findings are in stark contrast to the picture of numerous clumpy (ne 109 cm-3) clouds drawn recently from UV spectra, but they are consistent with the extended X-ray emission cones observed directly in Seyfert 2 galaxies.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 598(1):232. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: Performance of the EBIT calorimeter spectrometer.
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ABSTRACT: The EBIT calorimeter spectrometer (ECS) is a new high-resolution, broadband x-ray spectrometer that has recently been installed at the Electron Beam Ion Trap Facility (EBIT) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The ECS is an entirely new production class spectrometer that replaces the XRS/EBIT spectrometer that has been operating at EBIT since 2000. The ECS utilizes a 32-pixel x-ray calorimeter array from the XRS instrument on the Suzaku x-ray observatory. Eighteen of the pixels are optimized for the 0.1-10 keV band and yield 4.5 eV full width at half maximum energy resolution and 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV. In addition, the ECS includes 14 detector pixels that are optimized for the high-energy band with a bandpass from 0.5 to over 100 keV with 34 eV resolution and 32% quantum efficiency at 60 keV. The ECS detector array is operated at 50 mK using a five stage cryogenic system that is entirely automated. The instrument takes data continuously for over 65 h with a 2.5 h recycle time. The ECS is a nondispersive, broadband, highly efficient spectrometer that is one of the prime instruments at the EBIT facility. The instrument is used for studies of absolute cross sections, charge exchange recombination, and x-ray emission from nonequilibrium plasmas, among other measurements in our laboratory astrophysics program.The Review of scientific instruments 11/2008; 79(10):10E307. · 1.52 Impact Factor -
Article: Evidence for the importance of resonance scattering in X-ray emission line profiles of the O star $\zeta$ Puppis
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ABSTRACT: We fit the Doppler profiles of the He-like triplet complexes of \ion{O}{7} and \ion{N}{6} in the X-ray spectrum of the O star $\zeta$ Puppis, using XMM-Newton RGS data collected over $\sim 400$ ks of exposure. We find that they cannot be well fit if the resonance and intercombination lines are constrained to have the same profile shape. However, a significantly better fit is achieved with a model incorporating the effects of resonance scattering, which causes the resonance line to become more symmetric than the intercombination line for a given characteristic continuum optical depth $\tau_*$. We discuss the plausibility of this hypothesis, as well as its significance for our understanding of Doppler profiles of X-ray emission lines in O stars.11/2006; -
Article: Measurements and analysis of helium-like triplet ratios in the X-ray spectra of O-type stars
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ABSTRACT: We discuss new methods of measuring and interpreting the forbidden-to-intercombination line ratios of helium-like triplets in the X-ray spectra of O-type stars, including accounting for the spatial distribution of the X-ray emitting plasma and using the detailed photospheric UV spectrum. Measurements are made for four O stars using archival Chandra HETGS data. We assume an X-ray emitting plasma spatially distributed in the wind above some minimum radius R_0. We find minimum radii of formation typically in the range of 1.25 < R_0 / R_* < 1.67, which is consistent with results obtained independently from line profile fits. We find no evidence for anomalously low f/i ratios and we do not require the existence of X-ray emitting plasmas at radii that are too small to generate sufficiently strong shocks.06/2006; -
Article: On the Putative Detection of z>0 X-ray Absorption Features in the Spectrum of Markarian 421
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ABSTRACT: In a series of papers, Nicastro et al. have reported the detection of z>0 OVII absorption features in the spectrum of Mrk421 obtained with the Chandra Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS). We evaluate this result in the context of a high quality spectrum of the same source obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on XMM-Newton. The data comprise over 955ks of usable exposure time and more than 26000 counts per 50 milliAngstrom at 21.6 Angstroms. We concentrate on the spectrally clean region (21.3 < lambda < 22.5 Angstroms) where sharp features due to the astrophysically abundant OVII may reveal an intervening, warm--hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). We do not confirm detection of any of the intervening systems claimed to date. Rather, we detect only three unsurprising, astrophysically expected features down to the Log(N_i)~14.6 (3 sigma) sensitivity level. Each of the two purported WHIM features is rejected with a statistical confidence that exceeds that reported for its initial detection. While we can not rule out the existence of fainter, WHIM related features in these spectra, we suggest that previous discovery claims were premature. A more recent paper by Williams et al. claims to have demonstrated that the RGS data we analyze here do not have the resolution or statistical quality required to confirm or deny the LETGS detections. We show that our careful analysis resolves the issues encountered by Williams et al. and recovers the full resolution and statistical quality of the RGS data. We highlight the differences between our analysis and those published by Williams et al. as this may explain our disparate conclusions.05/2006; -
Chapter: Iron L-shell line formation in diverse astrophysical environments
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ABSTRACT: Iron L-shell transitions, which lie in the energy range 0.7 – 1.5 keV, can provide a wealth of important information about physical conditions in diverse astronomical sources. Although few data sets of adequate statistical quality are currently available for analysis, the next series of X-ray satellite experiments will provide order-of-magnitude improvements in both resolution and sensitivity for this kind of work. We review the important physical processes that underlie the diagnostic potential of these features. We specifically consider corona) plasmas, X-ray photoionized nebulae, and the ionizing plasmas believed to be present in young supernova remnants.04/2006: pages 1-12; -
Article: Inner-shell Absorption Lines of Fe~VI-- Fe~XVI: A Many-body Perturbation Theory Approach
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ABSTRACT: We provide improved atomic calculation of wavelengths, oscillator strengths, and autoionization rates relevant to the $2\to 3$ inner-shell transitions of Fe~VI--XVI, the so-called Fe~M-shell unresolved transition array (UTA). A second order many-body perturbation theory is employed to obtain accurate transition wavelengths, which are systematically larger than previous theoretical results by 15--45~m{\AA}. For a few transitions of Fe~XVI and Fe~XV where laboratory measurements exist, our new wavelengths are accurate to within a few m{\AA}. Using these new calculations, the apparent discrepancy in the velocities between the Fe~M-shell UTA and other highly ionized absorption lines in the outflow of NGC 3783 disappears. The oscillator strengths in our new calculation agree well with the previous theoretical data, while the new autoionization rates are significantly larger, especially for lower charge states. We attribute this discrepancy to the missing autoionization channels in the previous calculation. The increased autoionization rates may slightly affect the column density analysis of the Fe~M-shell UTA for sources with high column density and very low turbulent broadening. The complete set of atomic data is provided as an electronic table. Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ12/2005; -
Article: Laboratory Measurement and Theoretical Modeling of K-shell X-ray Lines from Inner-shell Excited and Ionized Ions of Oxygen
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ABSTRACT: We present high resolution laboratory spectra of K-shell X-ray lines from inner-shell excited and ionized ions of oxygen, obtained with a reflection grating spectrometer on the electron beam ion trap (EBIT-I) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Only with a multi-ion model including all major atomic collisional and radiative processes, are we able to identify the observed K-shell transitions of oxygen ions from \ion{O}{3} to \ion{O}{6}. The wavelengths and associated errors for some of the strongest transitions are given, taking into account both the experimental and modeling uncertainties. The present data should be useful in identifying the absorption features present in astrophysical sources, such as active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries. They are also useful in providing benchmarks for the testing of theoretical atomic structure calculations. Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, to appear in ApJ03/2005; -
Article: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
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ABSTRACT: A very significant fraction of the baryonic matter in the local universe is predicted to form a Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) of very low density, moderately hot gas, tracing the cosmic web. Its X-ray emission is dominated by metal features, but is weak (< 0.01 photons/cm2/s/sr) and potentially hard to separate from the galactic component. However, a mission capable of directly mapping this component of the large scale structure of the universe, via a small number of well chosen emission lines, is now within reach due to recent improvements in cryogenic X-ray detector energy resolution. To map the WHIM, the energy resolution and grasp are optimized. A number of missions have been proposed to map the missing baryons including MBE (US/SMEX program) and DIOS (Japan). The design of the mirror and detector have still room for improvements which will be discussed. With these improvements it is feasible to map a 10 x 10 degree area of the sky in 2 years out to z = 0.2 with sufficient sensitivity to directly detect WHIM structure, such as filaments connecting clusters of galaxies. This structure is predicted by the current Cold Dark Matter paradigm which thus far appears to provide a good description of the distribution of matter as traced by galaxies.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.10/2004; -
Article: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
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ABSTRACT: The 8.4m Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a wide-field telescope facility that will add a qualitatively new capability in astronomy. For the first time, the LSST will provide time-lapse digital imaging of faint astronomical objects across the entire sky. The LSST has been identified as a national scientific priority by diverse national panels, including multiple National Academy of Sciences committees. This judgment is based upon the LSST's ability to address some of the most pressing open questions in astronomy and fundamental physics, while driving advances in data-intensive science and computing. The LSST will provide unprecedented 3-dimensional maps of the mass distribution in the Universe, in addition to the traditional images of luminous stars and galaxies. These mass maps can be used to better understand the nature of the newly discovered and utterly mysterious Dark Energy that is driving the accelerating expansion of the Universe. The LSST will also provide a comprehensive census of our solar system, including potentially hazardous asteroids as small as 100 meters in size. The LSST facility consists of three major subsystems: 1) the telescope, 2) the camera and 3) the data processing system. The baseline design for the LSST telescope is a 8.4m 3-mirror design with a 3.5 degree field of view resulting in an A-Omega product (etendue) of 302deg2m2. The camera consists of 3-element transmisive corrector producing a 64cm diameter flat focal plane. This focal plane will be populated with roughly 3 billion 10μm pixels. The data processing system will include pipelines to monitor and assess the data quality, detect and classify transient events, and establish a large searchable object database. We report on the status of the designs for these three major LSST subsystems along with the overall project structure and management.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.09/2004; -
Article: Resolving X-ray sources from B-stars spectroscopically: The example of mu Lep
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ABSTRACT: We present high-resolution X-ray observations of the chemically peculiar late-type B-star: mu Lep. However, we find spectroscopic and astrometric evidence, which show that the X-rays are not traced back to the B-star itself, but rather to a previously unresolved companion: mu Lep-B, whose X-ray spectrum resembles that of a coronally active source. We discuss the possibility that mu Lep-B is a pre-main-sequence companion, most likely of the non-accreting magnetically-active type. Comment: To be published in ApJ07/2004; -
Article: High Resolution X-ray Spectroscopic Constraints on Cooling-Flow Models
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ABSTRACT: We present XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer observations of X-ray clusters and groups of galaxies. We demonstrate the failure of the standard cooling-flow model to describe the soft X-ray spectrum of clusters of galaxies. We also emphasize several new developments in the study of the soft X-ray spectrum of cooling flows. Although there is some uncertainty in the expected mass deposition rate for any individual cluster, we show that high resolution RGS spectra robustly demonstrate that the expected line emission from the isobaric cooling-flow model is absent below 1/3 of the background temperature rather than below a fixed temperature in all clusters. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the best-resolved cluster spectra are inconsistent with the predicted shape of the differential luminosity distribution and the measured distribution is tilted to higher temperatures. These observations create several fine-tuning challenges for current theoretical explanations for the soft X-ray cooling-flow problem. Comparisons between these observations and other X-ray measurements are discussed.10/2003;
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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2004–2008
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Stanford University
- Kavli Institute for Particle Physics and Cosmology (KIPAC)
Stanford, CA, USA
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1996–2008
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Columbia University
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory
New York City, NY, USA
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1989–2006
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University of California, Berkeley
- Space Sciences Laboratory
Berkeley, CA, USA
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