Research
See my Google Scholar for an updated list of publications
Publications
2022. Holmes, A. & Rubin, H. ”Not so Fast with Fast Funding,” Accountability in Research.
Abstract: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have become increasingly dissatisfied with how science funding is distributed. Traditional grant funding processes are seen as stifling the creativity of researchers, in addition to being bureaucratic, slow, and inefficient. Consequently, there have been increasing popular calls to make “fast funding” – fast, unbureaucratic grant applications – a new standard for scientific funding. Though this approach to funding, implemented by Fast Grants, has been successful as a pandemic response strategy, we believe there are serious costs to its wide-scale adoption, particularly for transparency and equity, and that the purported benefits – increased creativity and efficiency – are unlikely to materialize. While traditional funding mechanisms are certainly not perfect, scientific communities should think twice before adopting fast funding as a new standard for funding.2019. Li, C., Kerzendorf, W. E., Chu, Y., Chen, T., Do, T., Gruendl, R. A., Holmes, A., et al. ”Search for Surviving Companions of Progenitors of Young LMC Type Ia Supernova Remnants,” The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 886, Number 2.
Abstract: We have used two methods to search for surviving companions of Type Ia supernova progenitors in three Balmer-dominated supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud: 0519-69.0, 0505-67.9 (DEM L71), and 0548-70.4. In the first method, we use the Hubble Space Telescope photometric measurements of stars to construct color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), and compare positions of stars in the CMDs with those expected from theoretical post-impact evolution of surviving main sequence or helium star companions. No obvious candidates of surviving companion are identified in this photometric search. Future models for surviving red giant companions or with different explosion mechanisms are needed for thorough comparisons with these observations in order to make more definitive conclusions. In the second method, we use Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of 0519-69.0 and DEM L71 to carry out spectroscopic analyses of stars in order to use large peculiar radial velocities as diagnostics of surviving companions. We find a star in 0519-69.0 and a star in DEM L71 moving at radial velocities of 182±0 km/s and 213±0 km/s, more than 2.5σ from the mean radial velocity of the underlying stellar population, 264 km/s and 270 km/s, respectively. These stars need higher-quality spectra to investigate their abundances and rotation velocities to determine whether they are indeed surviving companions of the SN progenitors.2017. Litke, K., Chu, Y., Holmes, A., et al. ”Nature of the Diffuse Source and Its Central Point-like Source in SNR 0509–67.5,” The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 837, Number 2.
Abstract: We examine a diffuse emission region near the center of SNR 0509-67.5 to determine its nature. Within this diffuse region we observe a point-like source that is bright in the near-IR, but is not visible in the B and V bands. We consider an emission line observed at 6766 Å and the possibilities that it is Lyα, Hα, and [O II] λ3727. We examine the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source, comprised of Hubble Space Telescope B, V, I, J, and H bands in addition to Spitzer/IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μm bands. The peak of the SED is consistent with a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.8 ± 0.2 and a possible Balmer jump places the galaxy at z ≈ 0.9 ± 0.3. These SED considerations support the emission line’s identification as [O II] λ3727. We conclude that the diffuse source in SNR 0509-67.5 is a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.82. Furthermore, we identify the point-like source superposed near the center of the galaxy as its central bulge. Finally, we find no evidence for a surviving companion star, indicating a double-degenerate origin for SNR 0509-67.5.Under Review: "The Discovery of the Expanding Universe" with Patrick Duerr.
Presentations
Talks
2024. What Makes A 'Good' Cosmic Distance Indicator? 243rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), New Orleans, LA
2023. Are there Independent Measurements of the Hubble Constant?, Cosmology and Quantum Gravity Beyond Spacetime, University of Western Ontario
2022, Metrics for Platform Science: Altmetrics, Expertise, and Public Trust, Society for Social Studies of Science Annual Meeting (4S), Cholula, Mexico
2021, Symmetry and Detectability as Physical Concepts, Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting, Baltimore, MD
2020, Intellectual and Moral Virtues of the Japanese Bacteriological Warfare Program, History of Science Society (HSS) Virtual Forum
2019, Type Ia Supernovae in Cosmology, James T. Cushing Memorial Prize in History and Philosophy of Physics Symposium, University of Notre Dame
Posters
2023. Tension Before the Hubble Tension, 242nd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Albuquerque, NM
2022, Not So Fast with Fast Funding, Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA