Ryan C. Hickox
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the High Energy Astrophysics Division at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. My interests include active galactic nuclei, large-scale structure of the Universe, the cosmic X-ray background, and X-ray binary pulsars.
office: Observatory B-243B
phone: (617) 496-1918
email: rhickox (at) cfa.harvard.edu
research and publications
surveys of active galactic nuclei
I have been studying large populations of infrared-selected
active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the wide-field multiwavelength
survey in Boötes. Using new mid-infrared selection techniques with the
IRAC camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope, and verified with data
from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we have identified over 600
distant, luminous, obscured AGN, the largest such sample to date.
- Hickox, R.C. et al. 2008, "Host galaxies,
clustering, X-ray spectra, and Eddington ratios of X-ray and radio AGNs at 0.25 <
z < 0.8 in AGES", in preparation
- Hickox, R.C. et al. 2007, "A large population of mid-infrared
selected, obscured active galaxies in the Boötes field", ApJ,
671, 1365-1387 (astro-ph/0708.3678)
cosmic X-ray background We have performed the absolute measurement of intensity of the cosmic X-ray background that has not been resolved into point sources by the extremely deep (1 and 2 million second exposure) Chandra Deep Fields. This can constrain a putative population of unresolved X-ray emitting galaxies, as well as put limits on diffuse emission such as the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) and decay of sterile neutrino dark matter.
- Hickox, R.C. & Markevitch, M. 2007, "Can
Chandra resolve the remaining cosmic X-ray background?", ApJ,
671, 1523-1531 (astro-ph/0706.3089)
- Hickox, R.C. & Markevitch, M. 2007, "Resolving the
unresolved cosmic X-ray background in the Chandra Deep Fields",
ApJ, 661, 117L-121L (astro-ph/0702556)
- Abazajian, K.N., Markevitch, M., Koushiappas, S.M., & Hickox, R.C. 2007, "Limits on the radiative decay of sterile neutrino dark
matter from the unresolved cosmic and soft X-ray backgrounds",
Phys. Rev. D, 75, 063511
(astro-ph/0611144)
- Hickox, R.C. & Markevitch, M. 2006, "Absolute measurement
of the unresolved X-ray background in the 0.5-8 keV band with
Chandra", ApJ, 645, 95-114
(astro-ph/0512542)
X-ray pulsars I am interested in the structure and emission properties of accretion onto X-ray pulsars, especially in systems such as Her X-1, SMC X-1, and LMC X-4 that show evidence for warped, precessing accretion disks. In these systems, reprocessing of the pulsed hard X-ray beam by the inner edge of the disk can allow us to explore the geometry of accretion near the magnetosphere. I have an upcoming (Cycle 2) Suzaku program that will observe the superorbital variation of LMC X-4.
-
Hickox, R.C. & Vrtilek, S.D. 2005, "Pulse-phase spectroscopy of SMC
X-1 with Chandra and XMM-Newton: reprocessing by a precessing disk?", ApJ, 633,
1064-1075
(astro-ph/0506438)
-
Hickox, R.C., Narayan, R., & Kallman, T., 2004, "Origin of the soft
excess in X-ray pulsars", ApJ, 614, 881-896
(astro-ph/0407115)
-
Neilsen, J., Hickox, R.C., and Vrtilek, S.D., 2004, "Phase
variation in the pulse profile of SMC X-1", ApJ Letters, 616,
L135-L138
(astro-ph/0410495)
Full list of publications on ADS
and astro-ph,
full CV here
teaching
I served as Resident Tutor in Physics at Dunster House at Harvard from 2003-2007.
I have been a
Teaching Fellow for four Harvard astronomy courses:
Science A-35 (Spring 2006), Astro 16 (Spring 2005), Science A-47
(Fall 2004) Astro 45 (Fall 2003), and received Cerificates of
Distinction in Teaching in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
I have also served as a Mentor for the SAO Summer Intern Program during
the summers of 2004-2006.
Before coming to Harvard, I taught high school physics for two years as the inaugural Peter
Ling Fellow at Oundle
School in Northamptonshire, England, the largest coed boarding
school in the UK.
personal
I enjoy playing music, skiing, and the New England Patriots, among other
things.
contact
Ryan C. Hickox
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden Street, MS-67
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
rhickox (at) cfa.harvard.edu
-
Hickox, R.C., Narayan, R., & Kallman, T., 2004, "Origin of the soft
excess in X-ray pulsars", ApJ, 614, 881-896
(astro-ph/0407115)
-
Neilsen, J., Hickox, R.C., and Vrtilek, S.D., 2004, "Phase
variation in the pulse profile of SMC X-1", ApJ Letters, 616,
L135-L138
(astro-ph/0410495)
Full list of publications on ADS
and astro-ph,
full CV here
teaching
I served as Resident Tutor in Physics at Dunster House at Harvard from 2003-2007.I have been a Teaching Fellow for four Harvard astronomy courses: Science A-35 (Spring 2006), Astro 16 (Spring 2005), Science A-47 (Fall 2004) Astro 45 (Fall 2003), and received Cerificates of Distinction in Teaching in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
I have also served as a Mentor for the SAO Summer Intern Program during the summers of 2004-2006.
Before coming to Harvard, I taught high school physics for two years as the inaugural Peter Ling Fellow at Oundle School in Northamptonshire, England, the largest coed boarding school in the UK.
personal
I enjoy playing music, skiing, and the New England Patriots, among other things.
contact
Ryan C. Hickox
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden Street, MS-67
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
rhickox (at) cfa.harvard.edu