Research

My research interests include the development of Classical & Recurrent Nova systems, their abundances & dust production, and their influence on the local interstellar medium; potential Supernovae Type Ia progenitors; dust formation, evolution, and distribution in the ISM; and late stage stellar evolution. 

Classical & Recurrent Novae

The Peculiar Dust Shell of Nova DZ Cru (2003), A. Evans, R.D. Gehrz, C.E. Woodward, L.A. Helton, et al. 2010, MNRAS, 406, L85

The Dusty Nova V1065 Centauri (Nova Cen 2007): A Spectroscopic Analysis of Abundances and Dust Properties, L.A. Helton, et al. 2010, AJ, 140, 1347

Elemental Abundances in the Ejecta of Old Classical Novae from Late-Epoch Spitzer Spectra, L.A. Helton, et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 37

Infrared observations of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis: ancient dust basks in the warm glow of the 2011 outburst, A. Evans, R.D. Gehrz, L.A. Helton, et al. 2012, MNRAS, 424, 69

The Early Infrared Temporal Development of Nova Delphini 2013 (V339 Del) Observed with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and from the Ground, R.D. Gehrz, A. Evans, L.A. Helton, et al. 2015, ApJ, 812, 132

Modelling the spectral energy distribution of the red giant in RS Ophiuchi: evidence for irradiation, Ya.V. Pavlenko, L.A. Helton (author 6 of 9), et al. 2016, MNRAS, 456, 181

Rise and fall of the dust shell of the classical nova V339 Delphini, A. Evans, L.A. Helton (author 14 of 19), et al. 2017, MNRAS, 466, 4221

The Temporal Development of Dust Formation and Destruction in Nova Sagittarii 2015#2 (V5668 Sgr): A Panchromatic Study, R.D. Gehrz, A. Evans, C.E. Woodward, L.A. Helton, et al. 2018, ApJ, 858, 78

Evolved Stars

The Unexpected Spectrum of the Innermost Ejecta of the Red Hypergiant VY CMa, R.M. Humphreys, L.M. Ziurys, J.J. Bernal, L.A. Helton, et al. 2019, ApJL, submitted

The Three-Dimensional Morphology of VY CMa. II. Polarimetry and the Line-of Sight Distribution of the Ejecta, T.J. Jones, R.M. Humphreys L.A. Helton, C. Gui, & X. Huang.  2007, AJ, 133, 2730

Searching for Cool Dust in the Mid-to-far Infrared: The Mass-loss Histories of the Hypergiants µ Cep, VY CMa, IRC+10420, and ρ Cas, D. Shenoy, L.A. Helton (author 6 of 9), et al. 2016, AJ, 151, 51

A SOFIA FORCAST and FLITECAM Grism Study of the Mineralogy of Dust in the Winds of Proto-planetary Nebulae: RV Tauri Stars and SRd Variables, R.A. Arneson, R.D. Gehrz, C.E. Woodward, L.A. Helton, et al. 2017, ApJ, 843, 22

Searching for Cool Dust. II. Infrared Imaging of The OH/IR Supergiants, NML Cyg, VX Sgr, S Per, and the Normal Red Supergiants RS Per and T Per, M.S. Gordon, L.A. Helton (author 6 of 9), et al. 2018, AJ 155, 212