 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
|
|
|||
|
|||
Investigating Magmas of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, and their Role in Explosive Eruptive Activities Advisors: Jim Webster and Charles Mandeville 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 explosive volcanic eruptions of Augustine during the past 12,000 years, we are interested in working with a student on methods of determining the abundances of volatile components (e.g., H2O, CO2, S, 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 methods including electron microprobe, laser ICP-MS, infrared spectroscopy, and experimental petrology. |
|||
X-ray Sources In The Fornax Cluster Advisor: David Zurek A survey of the Fornax galaxy cluster was undertaken with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and an initial description of the survey has been published. Numerous other projects remain and the highest priority project left to be accomplished is the identification and characterizaion of the sources in the X-ray image. Each of the X-ray sources will need to be identified in optical images, if possible, and the optical properties will need to be determined. This will require us to examine Hubble Space Telescope images and ground based images of this cluster. |
|||
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. |
|||
Understanding AB Auriga Advisor: Douglas Brenner AB Aur is probably the most studied star with a circumstellar disk. Data includes images, spectra and polarization over many wavebands. The image above shows polarized light in H-Band as seen by the AMNH's Lyot Project. The student chosen for this project will be asked to help bring this data together along with relevant theoretical papers in an attempt to form a coherent picture of AB Aur's disk. Knowledge of circumstellar disks is not a requirement but data base experience would be helpful. |
|||
GalaxyStats.com: Understanding the properties of galaxies Advisor: Ari Maller Large galaxy surveys today take images of millions of galaxies. As there is no way to study each of these galaxies individually, their properties are instead studied statistically. The distribution of a property or relationships between properties are determined, which can then be compared to theoretical models or other surveys. However, the results of different surveys often do not agree with one another. The goal of this project is to examine the statistical distributions of different studies in order to discover the origin of these discrepancies. Students will become familiar with a number of large galaxy surveys and the methods used to extract information from them. |
|||
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. Using a coronagraph/multispectral imager on the 200" Hale Telescope at Mt. Palomar this spring, 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. |
|||
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. |
|||
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. |
|||
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). |
|||
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