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Dr. Kristen M. Luchsinger
About me
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Posts
Writing under the pen name Marina Ruhr
Published:
In addition to my academic writing, I also publish fiction under the pen name Marina Ruhr. I chose to use a pen name so that each type of writing would be easy to find with a single google search. You can find more about my fiction writing at www.marinaruhr.com.
portfolio
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publications
The Host Galaxies of Micro-Jansky Radio Sources
Published in The Astronomical Journal, 2022
We combine a deep 0.5 square degree, 1.4 GHz deep radio survey in the Lockman Hole with infrared and optical data in the same field, including the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS) and UKIDSS near-infrared surveys, to make the largest study to date of the host galaxies of radio sources with typical radio flux densities ∼ 50 μJy.
Recommended citation: Luchsinger, K. M. et al. (2015). "The Host Galaxies of Micro-Jansky Radio Sources." The Astronomical Journal. Volume 150, Issue 3, article id. 87, 11. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/87
Water within a permanently shadowed lunar crater: Further LCROSS modeling and analysis
Published in Icarus, 2022
The 2009 Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) impact mission detected water ice absorption using spectroscopic observations of the impact-generated debris plume taken by the Shepherding Spacecraft, confirming an existing hypothesis regarding the existence of water ice in permanently shadowed regions within Cabeus crater. Ground-based observations in support of the mission were able to further constrain the mass of the debris plume and the concentration of the water ice ejected during the impact. In this work, we explore additional constraints on the initial conditions of the pre-impact lunar sediment required in order to produce a plume model that is consistent with the ground-based observations.
Recommended citation: Luchsinger, Kristen M., Chanover, Nancy J., & Strycker, Paul D. (2021). "Water within a permanently shadowed lunar crater: Further LCROSS modeling and analysis " Icarus. Volume 354, article id. 114089. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103520304322?via%3Dihub
Seasons of Ice: Water Ice Migration and Seasonal Transient Shadow at the Lunar Poles
Published in JGR - Planets, 2022
Lunar water ice can be broadly categorized as belonging to one of two populations: deep, ancient, stable deposits, and shallow, transient, recent deposits. However, a third state for lunar ice is also possible. Temporary sequestration occurs when ice is deposited into a transiently shadowed region at the lunar poles. These temporarily sequestered ice deposits are unstable over geologic time scales, but in the short term, are capable of a wide range of migration, sublimation, and retention patterns due to their thermally dependent sublimation and migration rates. We developed a model to characterize the range of possible migration and retention behaviors for temporarily sequestered ice deposits within locations with dynamic illumination conditions.
Recommended citation: Luchsinger, Kristen M. & Chanover, Nancy J. (2022). "Seasons of Ice: Water Ice Migration and Seasonal Transient Shadow at the Lunar Poles." JGR - Planets.. 127, 10. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JE007336
Buried Ice Deposits in Lunar Polar Cold Traps were Disrupted by Ballistic Sedimentation
Published in JGR - Planets, 2023
A recent study modeling the rate of ice delivery, ejecta deposition and ice loss from cold traps predicted that gigatons of ice could be buried below 100s of meters of crater ejecta and regolith. However, crater ejecta vigorously mix the target on impact through ballistic sedimentation, which may disrupt buried ice deposits. Here, we developed a thermal model to predict ice stability during ballistic sedimentation events. We then modeled cold trap ice and ejecta stratigraphy over geologic time using Monte Carlo methods. We found that ballistic sedimentation disrupted large ice deposits in most cases, dispersing them into smaller layers. Ice retention decreased in most cases, but varied significantly with the sequence of ejecta delivery, particularly from basin-forming events. Over many model runs, we found that south polar craters Amundsen, Cabeus, and Cabeus B were most likely to retain large deposits of ice at depths up to 100m, shallow enough to be detectable with ground-penetrating radar.
Recommended citation: C. J. Tai Udovicic, K. R. Frizzell, G. R. L. Kodikara, M. Kopp, K. M. Luchsinger, A. Madera, M. L. Meier, T. G. Paladino, R. V. Patterson, F. B. Wroblewski, D. A. Kring (2023). "Buried Ice Deposits in Lunar Polar Cold Traps were Disrupted by Ballistic Sedimentation" JGR - Planets.. doi: 10.1029/2022JE007567 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JE007336
talks
Poster Presentations
Published:
Poster Presentations
- “Blue Skies Through a Blue Sky: An Attempt To Detect Rayleigh Scattering in the Atmospheres of Extrasolar Planets From a Ground-Based Telescope”, AAS, 2017
- “Submillimeter Radio Emmission in Distant Galaxies”, AAS, 2015
Poster and Oral Presentations
Published:
Oral Presentations
- “Characterizing Buried Lunar Ice Stratigraphy Using a Novel Integrated Collection of Datasets with Varying Detection Sensitivities”, LPSC 2024
- “Lunar Migration of Ice in Seasonal Transient Shadow.”, LPSC 2022
- “Using ground based observations of the LCROSS impact plume to investigate water ice stratification within permanently shadowed lunar sediment”, LPSC 2019
Poster Presentation
Published:
Poster Presentation
- “Investigating stratification of lunar regolith through modeling of the ground based detection of the LCROSS debris plume light curve”, DPS, 2018
Poster Presetations
Published:
Poster Presentations
- “Pushing the boundaries of lunar ice: the effects of vertical volatile transport in seasonally shadowed regions”, NESF, 2020
- “Using LCROSS as a Template for Future Impact Missions: Probing Sediment and Volatile Stratification”, NESF, 2019
Virtual Presentation
Published:
Virtual Presentation
- “Water within a permanently shadowed lunar crater: Further LCROSS modeling and analysis”, FOLV, 2021
- Watch recorded talk here.
teaching
St. John’s College
Astronomy Assistant, St. John's College, 2014
St. John’s College, Astronomy Assistant, 2014-2015
- I assisted in running Open Observatory Nights on a weekly basis, which involved manning the telescope, teaching students how to use the telescope, and provided facts about the objects being observed.
- I also ran planetarium shows during the astronomy units for freshmen and sophomore math classes, which involved working the planetarium system, lecturing, and answering questions about by eye observational astronomy.
Wesleyan University
Undergraduate Courses, Wesleyan University, Astronomy Department, 2015
Wesleyan University, Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2016-2017
- ASTR 155, Introduction to Astrophysics, Fall 2015
- Introductory course for prospective Astronomy majors. I assisted in classroom management during classes, assisted with proctoring exams, held weekly homework sessions, graded homework, and assisted in grading exams.
- ASTR 103, The Planets, Spring 2015 and 2016
- Introductory course with labs for non-majors, split between professors from the Astronomy and Earth and Environmental Sciences departments. I shared responsibility for teaching and grading the labs with a TA from the Earth and Environmental Sciences department.
- ASTR 105, Exploring the Cosmos, Fall 2016
- Introductory course with labs for non-majors. I taught and graded the labs, as well as assisted with grading exams.
New Mexico State University
Undergraduate courses, New Mexico State University, Astronomy Department, 2017
New Mexico State University, Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2017-present
- Head TA, fall 2021
- ASTR 1120G, The Planets, Fall 2019, Spring 2020 (hybrid), Spring 2021 (online)
- Lab course, either in person or online. As the TA, I was soley responsible for teaching and grading the labs, held office hours, and helped run Observatory Nights. I also assisted in grading exams.
- ASTR 1115G, Introduction to Astronomy, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2020 (online), Fall 2021
- Lab course, either in person or online. As the TA, I was soley responsible for teaching and grading the labs, held office hours, and helped run Observatory Nights. I also assisted in grading exams, homeworks, and quizzes.
- ASTR 308V, Into the Final Frontier, Spring 2022
- Viewing the Wider World course, hybrid format. As the TA, I graded homework and held office hours.
- ASTR 305V, Life in the Universe, Fall 2022
- Viewing the Wider World course, hybrid format. As the TA, I graded homework and held office hours.