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Modeling The Evolution Of Magma Chambers Advisor: Alan Rice Volcanism is a manifestation of processes internal to the Earth which, over 4.5 billion years, have yielded atmospheres, oceans and minerals vital not only to the emergence of life but eventually to the evolution of technically adept creatures: man. Volcanism these days is an extremely powerful mediator of the environment but its ancient signatures still have a profound influence on how we live: most ore bodies, upon which we depend for economic health, were clearly formed from volcanic cauldrons long ago - but much of how they were formed remains a mystery, as do the mechanics of explosions, etc. Both computer codes and hardware have advanced to the point of being able to model the complex physics of these entities, opening at last a way to the complete understanding of phenomena that have such impact on our lives. The accepted student will undertake finite element computational fluid dynamic modeling of the evolution of magma chambers as they solidify to yield an understanding of the mechanisms of formation of the chemistry, minerals and ores within volcanic environments, e.g., the deposition of platinum, an element vital to chemical industries as well as to fuel cell technology. |
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Investigating Magmas of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, and their Role in Explosive Eruptive Activities Advisor: Jim Webster Augustine is one of the more than 40 historically active volcanoes of the Aleutian arc that pose a risk to the inhabitants and businesses of southern Alaska. It has undergone 7 violent eruptions in the past 200 years including the early 2006 eruptive event. As part of our ongoing research on volcanic rock samples representing explosive eruptions of Augustine during the past 2000 years, we are interested in working with a student on methods of determining the abundances of volatile components (e.g., H2O, CO2, SO2, and Cl) in magmas associated with past eruptions. It is the escape and expansion of the volatile components in magmas that provide the driving force for explosive volcanic eruptive behavior. The student will have the opportunity to gain experience in volcanology, petrography, analytical methodologies including electron microprobe and FTIR, and experimental petrology. |
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Stirred but not shaken: stellar collisions and mergers Advisor: Orsola DeMarco Many stars form as the result of a collision with another star, or an interaction with its own binary companion. These encounters may be responsible for stars such as blue stragglers in globular clusters, supernovae Type Ia, as well as scores of evolved short-period binaries, including black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. We have been studying different aspects of colliding/interacting stars both with observations from large telescopes and with computer simulations. In summer 2008 there will be datasets to discover whether planetary nebulae (gas spewed out from old stars) are the results of binary interactions. The successful applicant will have an opportunity to work with new Hubble Space Telescope data of the mysterious planetary nebulae in globuar clusters, which are possible merger candidates. There will also be the possibility of carrying out computer simulations of stellar encounters, for those interested in theoretical work. |
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Classification of Chondritic Meteorites Advisor: Harold C. Connolly Jr. Chondrites are the oldest rocks in the Solar System and some of them remain essentially unprocessed since their accretion 4.6 billion years ago. They are the most primitive of planetary materials. Five major groups of chondrites exist, which are classified base on their overall petrography, geochemistry and isotopic compositions. Meteorite classification is the backbone of meteorite research. It is the main tool by which scientist can communicate ideas on Solar System formation as recorded by primitive planetary materials. In particular, some chondrites have been tenuously classified, thus it is important to revised these and confirm the findings of other classifiers. The goals of the project are (1) to learn how to classify chondrites, (2) learn to use the tools of Geology and Meteoritics to classify chondrites including the petrographic microscope, scanning electron microscope and the electron microprobe and (3) learn how to perform and evaluate image analyses through x-ray and backscatter electron mapping and processing quantitative data on mineral compositions. The student working on this project will gain and understanding of chondrites from the literature and through hands-on experience with the rocks through collaborations with our team members that includes professors within CUNY, Fordham University and curators and scientists from the American Museum of Natural History. Most of the meteorites that will be used for this project come from the U. S. Antarctic collection, based at the Smithsonian and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Thus, the student will also gain exposure to how meteorites are collected in Antarctica through the ANSMET program. |
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The Search for Exoplanets and Circumstellar Disks Advisor: Douglas Brenner The image above is the circumstellar disk surrounding AB aurigae. It was taken by the Lyot Group using a coronagraph and a dual beam polarimetric imager. We are now assembling a coronagraph/multispectral imager scheduled to be installed on the 200" Hale Telescope at Mt. Palomar this spring. With this device we hope not only to detect and discover disks and exoplanets but also to study their chemistry as well. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work with this exciting group primarily in the areas of data processing and analysis. A strong math and programming background is preferred; a knowledge of astronomy is not necessary. |
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Did aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites experience high degrees of thermal metamorphism? Advisor: Jon Friedrich Carbonaceous chondrites are among the most primitive meteorite samples on Earth and clues about their chemical relationships and thermal histories can be elucidated by the examination of their trace element content. We will use Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) to analyze the trace element abundances of a suite of increasingly aqueously altered CM (carbonaceous) chondrites. We will use our results to verify their chemical group relationship and examine if there is chemical evidence for severely aqueously altered CM chondrites experiencing temperatures higher than their less altered relatives. |
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Mapping The Stars Closest To The Sun Advisor: Sebastien Lepine An estimated 500,000 stars are located within 100 parsecs of the Sun, a very short distance by astronomical standards. On the scale of our Galaxy (20,000 parsecs across), this 100-parsec bubble is considered to be the "vicinity" of the Sun. And yet, this relatively tiny volume remains a vast, unchartered territory. Up to recently, maps of the distribution of stars around the Sun were just barely complete to 20 parsecs, and largely incomplete beyond that. This is about to change, thanks to a new, massive survey of nearby objects now being conducted at the AMNH. We identify nearby stars using the "proper motion" method, which uses the fact that all stars move relative to one another, like bees in a swarm. The proper motion of a star is the apparent motion of that star on the sky, as seen from the Sun. The closer a star is, the larger its proper motion. Nearby stars can thus be found by searching for stars with large proper motions. We have recently completed a large proper motion survey of the *entire sky*, in which we have systematically located stars with the largest proper motions (over 1,500,000 of them). Our database is now being harvested for nearby stars, and other interesting objects. Should you be selected to assit us, you will help in the identification or classification of new nearby stars, using specialized computer software (or perhaps creating your own) in the LINUX environment. |
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Chondrules In Enstatite Chondrites Advisors: Michael Weisberg Chondrites are among the oldest and most primitive materials in the solar system. Many of them have changed little since they formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. Their chondrules, matrix, and refractory inclusions formed as free floating materials in space during the earliest history of our solar system. The enstatite (E) chondrites are particularly interesting, because their mineral assemblages are very different from other chondrites and they have important implications for the evolution of the solar system and formation of the inner planets (Mercury through Mars). The focus of this project is to study the petrologic features of chondrules in E chondrites. The project will involve researching the properties of chondrules, examination of thin sections of enstatite chondrites, electron microprobe - X-ray mapping of enstatite chondrites to study distributions of elements, and scanning electron microscopy to identify minerals and textural relationships. Comparisons will be made between chondrules in E chondrites and chondrules in other types of chondrites. |
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Studying Galaxies with COSMOS Advisors: Charles Liu COSMOS is a major Hubble Space Telescope survey with a massive international multiwavelength followup effort that is being applied to answer a wide variety of astronomical questions. One preliminary study to be conducted, using the first portions of the COSMOS data, will be to identify the strongly star-forming galaxies in the survey and measure their luminosities, positions, and spatial distributions. The eventual goal of such a study would be to measure and understand the changes that have occurred in the field galaxy population as a function of cosmic time. |
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Classification and Measurement of Inclusions in the Allende Meteorite Advisor: Denton S. Ebel The oldest rocks in the solar system are aggregates of mineral dust, chondrules, and Ca-, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). The CAIs and chondrules formed as free-floating aggregates of mineral dust. Some CAIs and chondrules were partially or fully melted to form droplets in the solar nebula, even before the oldest meteorites formed. We want to determine the relative abundances of CAIs, chondrules, and matrix in the specific meteorites. The project starts with mapping the distribution of elements (silicon, etc.) in cut and polished surfaces of meteorites. Image analysis of these maps will yield a quantitative answer, building on previous work. The student will learn about meteorites, hypotheses for their formation, and why this measurement is important in testing such hypotheses. Tools include the Scanning Electron Microscope, Electron Microprobe, sample preparation lab, and image analysis software (both 'off-the-shelf' and adapted for this project). |
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Gamma Rays From Starburst Galaxies Advisor: Tim Paglione Although quasars and other exotic sources are the dominant emitters of high energy radiation in the Universe, normal galaxies such as our own Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud also emit gamma-rays via cosmic ray interactions with interstellar clouds. Starburst galaxies, which are forming massive stars at a greatly enhanced rate, have all the ingredients for gamma-ray production: cosmic rays from the explosive deaths of massive stars (supernovae), dense clouds of gas, and radiation from hot young stars and the dusty clouds in which they form. Our goal is to model the expected gamma-ray emission from starburst galaxies given the spring 2008 launch of the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST). The student researcher will create and run IDL programs that produce the predicted gamma-ray spectra from galaxies with a broad array of characteristics such as magnetic field strength, radiation density, gas density, supernova rate, etc. |
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Infrared Sources In The Galactic Plane Advisors: Dave Zurek and Michael Shara A large narrowband infrared imaging survey of the Galactic plane has been completed. We will use this survey to identify known sources and determine the properties of those sources in our survey. Specifically we will identify X-Ray sources, Planetary Nebulae, Cataclysmic Variables, and Mira Variables in our survey. The identification and determination of the properties of these sources will assist us in identifying unknown sources. A complete catalog of the various sources in our survey will determine the production rate of the various populations from single and binary star evolution. |
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The MUSYC Of Starforming Field Galaxies Advisor: Charles Liu The Multiwavelength Survey By Yale-Chile (MUSYC) is a major international collaboration of data gathered in four deep fields accessible from telescopes in the southern hemisphere. For this REU project, the student researcher will analyze images and spectroscopic data for a small, well-defined sample of field galaxies actively engaging in star formation, to measure their stellar populations and star formation properties. The primary goal will be to learn more about the evolution of the field galaxy luminosity function and test competing models of galaxy evolution at recent cosmic epochs. |
Division of Physical Sciences
Hayden Planetarium