AND ASTROPHYSICS |
Astrophysics is the scientific study of the structure and evolution of the universe, from the smallest scales measurable to the limits of detect-ability.
It encompasses such diverse areas as the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems, the chemical evolution of galaxies,
and the deep connections between the quantum nature of matter and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. As such, it necessarily overlaps or interfaces with a very large variety of related fields.
Among these are such areas as high energy physics (cosmic ray generation, stellar core neutrino production, gamma ray processes), condensed matter physics (the structure of collapsed stars such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, the formation of solid particles in stellar atmospheres and interstellar space), chemistry (gas-phase and surface reactions of atoms, ions, and molecules in stellar and interstellar environments, planetary atmospheres and surfaces), geology and geophysics (planetary surfaces and interiors), and even biology (the interaction of biological systems on planetary atmosphere development, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - SETI).
Astrophysics Research at UC
Here at the University of Cincinnati, research in astrophysics can be broadly characterized as the investigation of young stellar systems and their environment, primarily at infrared wavelengths. Stars are born deeply embedded inside massive clouds of gas and dust. The dust not only dims the light from these stars, but the energy the dust absorb causes it to glow. Because the dust is much less efficient at obscuring the intrinsic light from such stars at infrared wavelengths than in the visible or ultraviolet, and because most of the dust-glow also occurs in the infrared, this spectral region is a prime window through which the formation and evolution of young stellar systems can be investigated.
Professional Degrees
Many students come to the
University of Cincinnati to prepare themselves for professional careers
as astronomers or to simply learn more about this fascinating area of
science.
Our undergraduate program allows for an astrophysics
concentration while pursuing a B.S. in physics. For more information, see our brochure .
More advanced students
can obtain an Astrophysics Thesis for those pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D. in the department.
A list of current and recent students is given below.
Our most recent Annual Report of the departments astronomy activities can be found at
the following site Annual Reports of
Astronomical Observatories and Departments.
Almost all data obtained for professional research is done so off campus, using large, national and
international telescopes. However, the department does maintain telescopes on
campus for astronomy students to learn
about the sky and the sun. The department is currently constructing a solar telescope, called a
heloistat, which will bring light from the sun directly down into the introductory astronomy laboratory
room in Braunstein 339. An article about the solar telescope can be found here.
Also, a radio telescope is being constructed by two of our physics majors in the senior advanced lab course.
ASTROPHYSICS FACULTY and STAFF:
Dr. Margaret Hanson's research emphasizes the
use of near-infrared spectroscopy to study and analyze massive stars and massive star systems.
Her present interest is in using newly completed, sophisticated stellar atmosphere models,
developed with her collaborater, Joachim Puls (U. Munich) to work exclusively with near-infrared
spectra, to characterize the massive star population of the inner galaxy. She presently has
ongoing programs which aim to study the stellar content and cluster properties of the
Galactic Center Cluster, Cluster 11 (a newly identified galactic
center cluster), Westerlund 1, and W49a using the ESO Very Large Telescope and The Hubble Space
Telescope.
Dr. Michael Sitko's work deals primarily with the physical and chemical
evolution of the material in protostellar disks using infrared spectroscopy. These disks of gas and dust are the material from which planetary systems are believed to form. Using infrared spectroscopy, it is possible to investigate how the mineralogy of the material changes with age and mass of the protostellar systems. For example, mid-IR spectra of three stars in the TW Hydrae Association (TWA) are
quite different in character, even though the stars were born from the same
cloud of material at about the same time.
It is also becoming more and more apparent that the material in these systems is often nearly indistinguishable from that of cometary material in our own solar system, suggesting that the basic materials that went into forming the planets here are present around other stars. Spectra of the
pre-main sequence stars HD 163296 and HD 31648 exhibit features found in many
solar system comets. To investigate these relationships further, comparison
spectra of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) of cometary origin and dust
material condensed in the laboratory are being obtained by collaborators and are being used for comparison. If you are interested in finding out more about Mike's research, visit his Home Page
OUR ASTROPHYSICS STUDENTS (updated July 2004)
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
Willam "Joey" Carpenter joined the astronomy
group in the Fall of 2001. Joey comes from Miami University, where he has
just completed his master's degree in Physics. Joey recently passed his
PhD qualifying exams and is working with Prof. Sitko on his thesis.
Yara Beshara, arrived in Summer 2003 from Louisiana State
University where she was involved in a lot of astronomical research with
Prof. Geoffrey Clayton. She recently submitted a proposal to obtain new near-infrared
spectra of the recently identified galactic center cluster, Cluster 11.
Melodie Fickenscher began as a graduate student
in the Astronomy program in Summer 2004. Melodie's plan is to complete a master's
thesis using some very complex spectra taken with the European Southern Observatory's
Very Large Telescope of massive evolved stars near the galactic center.
PAST UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
Amanda Bauer investigated the characteristics of an SBIG ST-8 CCD camera that has been shipped to the Perth Observatory in Australia. The camera being used to obtain BRI photometry of selected Herbig Ae/Be stars and T Tauri stars observed simultaneously with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Telescope. Amanda graduated with her B.S. degree in Spring 2002, and is now a graduate student of astronomy at the University of Texas, Austin.
Lara Mercurio worked on near-infrared spectra of CI Cam, which has
recently become a very popular object. For years it was
known as nothing more than a common Be (perhaps B[e]) star (that's a B star with emission lines).
But CI Cam has recently been identified to be a source of very high energy photons (X-rays and
Gamma-rays). It is now thought to be in orbit around a compact object (neutron star or black
hole). Lara, working with Prof. Hanson, was looking at
how the emission lines in CI Cam have evolved since the high energy outburst occurred 2 years
ago, and investigate if in studying the changing conditions of CI Cam, she can discern the
nature of the compact object. Lara graduated in Spring 2001 and is now a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon.
In the summer of 2001, Carolyn Eglet and
Melodie Fickenscher joined Hanson's massive stars group. Melodie
was analyzing some recently obtained spectra of SS 433, while Carolyn worked on
a project studying the young star forming region M17 in red-optical
spectra. Carolyn will complete her B.S. degree in enginnering at UC in 2004.
Melodie graduated with her B.S. degree in applied physics in 2002 and now is
back working for Prof. Hanson full time as a graduate student (listed above).
RECENT GRADUATES, What are they doing now?
Ryan Culler completed his master's degree,
working with Prof. Hanson, in the summer of 2001. Ryan is now an adjunct
professor at The College
of Wooster
in the Department of Physics.
Ryan is very excited about his first teaching position and we wish him
the best of luck!!
Uswatte Hemamala has completed her master's
thesis in the Summer of 2000 and is now pursuing a PhD at the University of
Missouri, Kansas City. While at Cincinnati, she obtained data using the
Heinrich Hertz Sub-millimeter
Telescope and working
closely with Dr. Tom Wilson, Director of the SMT and Dirk Muders, both
collaborators on the program. This telescope, located at 10,600 ft elevation,
on Mt. Graham, 75 miles NE of Tucson, AZ, is part of the Mt.
Graham International Observatory.
She observed the M17 Giant Molecular Cloud region in CS (5-4)
and C18O (2-1)
to study very early processes of massive star formation. The first set of
maps are now completely reduced and trace out a highly concentrated region of
the molecular cloud, with spatial densities > 106 H2 per
cm3.
To learn a bit more about this program, which is sponsored through the National Science
Foundation, click
here.
Miriam Krauss left UC in August 2000 to start a job
at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, as part of the Chandra Mission.
In Fall 2002, Miriam began graduate work in the Physics Department at M.I.T.
However, she is still working with Prof. Hanson on the analysis of
near-infrared spectra of supposed Luminous Blue Variable stars.
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY:
Birthplace of American Astronomy
The Cincinnati Observatory was founded by Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, a Professor at Cincinnati
College (later to become The University of Cincinnati) in 1842. At that
time, there were a few small telescopes in the country, but no organized observatory with a powerful
instrument existed anywhere. Mitchel was able to interest a number of people in the possibility of
erecting the first such observatory in the U.S.
The site of the future observatory was a 4 acre lot at the top of Mt. Ida, some 400 feet above the city of
Cincinnati. On the 9th of
November, 1843, the cornerstone was laid by John Quincy Adams, former President of the United States.
Adams had a deep interest in astronomical science, and had tried unsuccessfully in 1825 to persuade
Congress to found a National Observatory. Although 77 years old, and not in the best of health, Adams
traveled to Cincinnati for the occasion because he felt that the founding of the Cincinnati Observatory
was such an important step to be taken if the US were to become internationally recognized for its
intellectual and scientific endeavors. It was at the dedication that Adams gave his last public speech. Mt
Ida was renamed Mt. Adams following this event.
The Cincinnati Observatory is the oldest running observatory in the country. It is located just
a few miles outside of downtown Cincinnati. In May, 1998, it was recognized as a National Historic
Landmark for being the first public and the longest running observatory
in the nation. For more information on tours, telescope
viewing, and other astronomy activities, see the Cincinnati
Observatory's web site HERE
Return to the UC Physics Research Page HERE
Return to the UC Home Page HERE
website maintained by mike sitko & margaret hanson.
last edited 10/15/2004
Among these are such areas as high energy physics (cosmic ray generation, stellar core neutrino production, gamma ray processes), condensed matter physics (the structure of collapsed stars such as white dwarfs and neutron stars, the formation of solid particles in stellar atmospheres and interstellar space), chemistry (gas-phase and surface reactions of atoms, ions, and molecules in stellar and interstellar environments, planetary atmospheres and surfaces), geology and geophysics (planetary surfaces and interiors), and even biology (the interaction of biological systems on planetary atmosphere development, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - SETI). Here at the University of Cincinnati, research in astrophysics can be broadly characterized as the investigation of young stellar systems and their environment, primarily at infrared wavelengths. Stars are born deeply embedded inside massive clouds of gas and dust. The dust not only dims the light from these stars, but the energy the dust absorb causes it to glow. Because the dust is much less efficient at obscuring the intrinsic light from such stars at infrared wavelengths than in the visible or ultraviolet, and because most of the dust-glow also occurs in the infrared, this spectral region is a prime window through which the formation and evolution of young stellar systems can be investigated.
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY:
Birthplace of American Astronomy
The Cincinnati Observatory was founded by Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, a Professor at Cincinnati
College (later to become The University of Cincinnati) in 1842. At that
time, there were a few small telescopes in the country, but no organized observatory with a powerful
instrument existed anywhere. Mitchel was able to interest a number of people in the possibility of
erecting the first such observatory in the U.S.