Frederick M. Walter

Professor of Astronomy
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Z=3800
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook NY 11794-3800
631-632-8232
fwalter at mail.astro.sunysb.edu

Contents
Hard at work.

Tycho and me

on the island of Ven, September 2005		 At Cerro Tololo, December 2006

ROSAT image of the R CrA Molecular Cloud

R CrA cloud (ROSAT PSPC band 1), with an isolated neutron star to the lower right. This is a mosaic of 6 images.

Public Presentations

  • public talks.

    TEACHING

  • AST 248: The Search for Life in the Universe (Spring 2002)

  • USB 101.29: Introduction to Stony Brook (Fall 2001)

  • AST 101: Introduction to Astronomy (Spring 2007)

  • AST 341: Astrophysics I (Fall 2000)

  • AST/EGL 389: Science Fiction (Spring 2007)

  • AST 443: Observational Techniques (Fall 2007)

  • HON 114: The Science in Science Fiction (Spring 2007)

  • Phy 445/515: The Astronomy Option (Fall 2006)
    Phy 445/515: backup astronomy page - may be out of date

  • PHY 666 (AST 510): Cool Stars Seminar (Spring 2006)

  • CEN 511: Recent Discoveries in Astronomy (Fall 1997)

    SMARTS INFORMATION

  • SUNY-specific information about SMARTS
  • The SMARTS Consortium website
  • How to access and measure ANDICAM images
  • How to access and measure 1.5m RC spectra
  • The 1.5m RC spectrograph service observing schedule
  • The Stony Brook / SMARTS 1.5m RC spectrograph spectral atlas

    SMARTS DATA

  • Nova LMC 2005
  • V1118 Ori
  • V1647 Ori
  • new nova in Oph
  • The massive Dwarf Nova HD 109962. Poster presented at the October 2006 AAS/HEAD meeting

    CURRENT PROJECTS

  • Time-resolved photometry and spectroscopy of things that go bump in the night, using the SMARTS facilities
  • Observations of the isolated neutron star RXJ185635-3754.

  • ROSAT X-ray observations of low mass stars in the R CrA and Orion associations.

  • The outer atmosphere of V471 Tau,
    as probed by absorption spectroscopy
  • Optical and near-IR spectroscopic followup observations of X-ray identified low mass stars in young associations.

  • HST and FUSE observations of molecular Hydrogen in the gaseous disks of low mass pre-main sequence stars,

  • Doppler imaging of AB Dor at all levels of the atmosphere (HST/GHRS, EUVE, ROSAT, and ground-based observations) -- happened on 14-17 November 1994. See also Andrew Collier-Cameron's MUSICOS page .

  • Photometric observations of low mass PMS stars to determine rotational modulation period ( S. Wolk , N. Adams, and undergraduate observers).

    SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  • Probing Small Scale Structure in the Atmosphere of V471 Tauri, 2004, Astron. Nach, 325, in press

  • Resolving Atmospheric Structure in V471 Tauri, 2004, Proceedings of IAU Symposium 219, in press

  • Mapping the Circumstellar Environment of T Tauri with Fluorescent H2 Emission, F.M. Walter, G. Herczeg, A. Brown, D.R. Ardila, G.F. Gahm, C.M. Johns-Krull, J.J. Lissauer, M. Simon, J.A. Valenti, 2003 Astronomical Journal, 126, 3076

  • Deconstructing HD 28867, F.M. Walter, T. Beck, J.A. Morse, & S.J. Wolk, 2003, Astronomical Journal, 125, 2123

  • Very low mass stars and brown dwarf candidates in Orion OB1a and OB1b, F.M. Walter, W.H. Sherry, & S.J. Wolk, 2002, in Brown Dwarfs, (IAU Symposium 211), ed. E. Martin.
    The Brown Dwarf Talking Blues

  • A Revised Parallax and its Implications for RX J185635-3754, F.M. Walter & James M. Lattimer, 2002, ApJL, 576, L145

  • The Sun: The First 4.6 Gyr, F.M. Walter, 2002, review presented at the Twelfth Cool Stars Workshop. Six GIF movies accompany section 2.2 of this presentation:
    1. The orbit of V471 Tau.
    2. The time-resolved GHRS spectrum from 2 Oct 1995.
    3. The time-resolved GHRS spectrum from 26 Aug 1996 .
    4. The time-resolved GHRS spectrum from 4 Jan 1997.
    5. Part 1 of the time-resolved STIS N V spectrum on 23 March 1998.
    6. Part 2 of the time-resolved STIS N V spectrum on 23 March 1998.

  • Global Properties of Low Mass Stars in the Orion OB1 Association, F.M. Walter, W.H. Sherry, & S.J. Wolk, 2002, presented at the Galactic Star Formation Workshop, La Serena Chile, March 2002.

  • Kim, J.S., Walter, F.M., & Wolk, S.J. 2001, in the proceedings of the 12th Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, ed. Brown, A., Ayres, T.R., & Harper, G.M., http://origins.colorado.edu/cs12/proceedings/proceedings.html

  • Kim, J.S., Walter, F.M., & Wolk, S.J. 2002, in press, in the proceedings of Galactic Star Formation Across the Stellar Mass Spectrum held in La Serena, Chile, March 2002, ed. De Buizer, J.M., (the ASP Conference Series).

  • Towards a Mass and Radius Determination of the Nearby Isolated Neutron Star RX J185635-3754, J.A. Pons, F.M. Walter, J.M. Lattimer, M. Prakash, R. Neuhaeuser, & P. An. ApJ, 564, 981.

  • AB Dor in '94: I. HST/GHRS Observations of the Quiescent Chromosphere of an Active Star, J.C. Brandt et al. 2001, AJ,121, 2173.

  • The Proper Motion, Parallax, and Origin of the Isolated Neutron Star RX J185635-3754, F.M. Walter, 2001, ApJ, 549, 433.

  • The Chromosphere of V471 Tauri Resolved, F.M. Walter & J.S. Kim, in ASP Conf. Ser #223, the Eleventh Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, p. CD-1073 (2000).

  • The Low Mass Stellar Population of the Orion OB1 Association and Implications for the Formation of Low Mass Stars, F.M. Walter, J.M. Alcala, R. Neuhaeuser, M. Sterzik, & S.J. Wolk, in Protostars and Planets IV, ed V. Mannings, A.P. Boss, and S.S. Russell (Tucson: University of Arizona), p 273 (2000). There are 5 figures: Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5.

  • Activity in pre-main sequence and very active stars in Solar and Stellar Activity: Similarities and Differences, eds. C.J. Butler and J.G. Doyle, ASP Conf. Ser #158, (ASP: San Francisco), p. 87 (1999).

  • The Large-Scale Distribution and Motions of Older Stars in Orion. A.G.A. Brown, F.M. Walter, & A. Blaauw, to appear in the proceedings of the 1997 Ringberg Conference on Orion, eds. A. Burkert and M. McCaughrean.

  • A New Non-Solar Paradigm for Active Stars. F.M. Walter & P.B. Byrne, in Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun 10, eds. R. Donahue and J. Bookbinder, (ASP: San Francisco), CD-1458 (1998).

  • The Sigma Orionis Cluster. F.M. Walter S.J. Wolk, & W. Sherry, in Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun 10, eds. R. Donahue and J. Bookbinder, (ASP: San Francisco), CD-1793 (1998).

  • Probing the Extended Atmosphere of V471 Tauri. J.S. Kim & F.M. Walter, in Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun 10, eds. R. Donahue and J. Bookbinder, (ASP: San Francisco), CD-1431 (1998).

  • The Optical Counterpart of the Isolated Neutron Star RX J185635-3754. F.M. Walter & L.D. Matthews. Nature, Sept. 25, 1997. You may download figure 1 as a GIF image, and figure 2 as a postscript file.

  • X-Ray Sources in Regions of Star Formation. VI. The R CrA Association as Viewed by EINSTEIN. F.M. Walter, F.J. Vrba, S.J. Wolk, R.D. Mathieu, & R. Neuhauser. AJ, 114, 1544.

  • GHRS Observations of Molecular Hydrogen in the Gas Disks of Pre-Main Sequence Stars. F.M. Walter & Y. Liu, in The Scientific Impact of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph, eds. J.C. Brandt, C.C. Petersen, & T.B. Ake, ASP Conference Series # 143 (San Francisco: ASP) p. 360.

  • A Search for Protoplanetary Disks Around Naked T Tauri Stars. S.J. Wolk & F.M. Walter. AJ 111, 2066 (1996).

  • Discovery of a Nearby Isolated Neutron Star. F.M. Walter, S.J. Wolk, & R. Neuhaeuser. Nature, 379, 233 (1996) with 2 figures: 1 , 2 .

  • New Insights into Non-Radiative Heating in Late-A Star Chromospheres. F.M. Walter, L.D. Matthews, & J.L. Linsky. ApJ, 447, 353 (1995).

  • The Long Period AM Her-like Cataclysmic Variable RXJ051541+0104.6. Frederick M. Walter, Scott J. Wolk, & and Nancy R. Adams, ApJ 440, 834 (1995).

  • X-ray Sources in Regions of Star Formation. V. The Low Mass Stars of the Sco OB2 Association. F.M. Walter, F.J. Vrba, R.D. Mathieu, A. Brown, & P.C. Myers. AJ, 107, 692 (1994).

    Click here to see a complete list of publications in postscript format.

    GRADUATE STUDENTS

  • Jacqueline Faherty. Brown Dwarfs. Astrometry. Neutron star parallaxes
  • Angeliki Field-Pollatou. Photometric Survey of Young Southern Clusters and Associations.

  • Serena Kim. Star Formation in the Gum Nebula. PhD 2002. Gone to Tucson to work on SIRTF.

  • Bill Sherry. Spatial distribution of PMS stars in the belt of Orion. PhD 2003. Gone to Tuscon to work at NSO.

  • Nancy R. Adams. (MA 1995. gone to AXAF.)

  • Scott J. Wolk. (PhD 1996. gone to AXAF.)

    UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

    SMARTS undergrads (2003-2004): Phil Grandin, Jesse Miner, Rustum Nyquist
    SMARTS undergrads (2004-2005): Jesse Miner, Rustum Nyquist, Kevin Lyons, Frank Modica
    SMARTS undergrads (2005-2006): Chris Arettines, Salman Ghani
    SMARTS undergrads (2006-2007): Kevin Lyons

    Initial results of the 1996/7 monitoring campaign were presented at the spring 1997 ASNY meeting in the paper "Rotation Periods of the Low Mass Pre-Main-Sequence Stars near Epsilon Orionis"", by G. Leussis, J. Faber, H. Altan, Z. Colon, A. Hervias, J. Janis, J. Mallozzi, J. Thomas, C. Wilson, & F.M. Walter.

    SUNY Senate

    At-large member of the College of Arts and Sciences Senate, and of the University Senate.
    President of the Arts and Sciences Senate, 2004-2006

    Chair, Intercollegiate Athletics Board (IAB), 2006-

    SPACE TELESCOPE USERS COMMITTEE

    (Chair, Space Telescope Users Committee, 1997-1998)

  • The Space Telescope Users Committee (STUC) charter.
  • STUC membership .
  • old STUC reports .
  • Report of the May 1997 meeting
  • Minutes of the November 1997 meeting
  • November 1997 STUC Report
  • Minutes of the May 1998 meeting
  • May 1998 STUC Report
  • May 1998 STUC Report to the Second Decade Committee
  • Minutes of the November 1998 meeting
  • November 1998 STUC Report

    SOFTWARE PACKAGES for IDL

  • The ICUR Spectral Analysis Software Package
  • The ROSAT RX Analysis Package
  • A package for the photometric reduction of JHK images taken with CIRIM or NSFCAM.

    Miscellaneous

  • Pictures from CTIO, March 2002.
  • Pictures from CTIO, November 2003.
  • Pictures from CTIO, December 2006.
  • Aviation Pictures.
  • Montpelier VT, 3 March 2007.
  • Baltimore MD, 21-22 April 2007.
  • St Andrews Scotland, July 15-22 2007.
  • the Old Course, St Andrews Scotland, July 15-22 2007.
  • Munich Germany, July 23-29 2007.
  • Mauna Kea Hawaii, Nov 27-Dec 1 2007.

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