Experimental Astrophysics at Caltech Sunil Golwala.

Experimental Astrophysics at CaltechSunil Golwala

Experimental Astrophysics at Caltech Sunil Golwala2

Scientific Areas• Cosmological parameters and studying dark energy

via the CMB, supernovae, large-scale structure, etc.• Extreme astrophysical environments: gamma-ray

bursts, black holes, neutron stars, accreting binaries, etc.

• The formation and evolution of stars, the ISM, galaxies, clusters, and the IGM

• Planetary science -- extra-solar planets, Kuiper Belt objects, comets, etc.

• Space science -- cosmic rays, solar and galactic• Particle Astrophysics -- dark matter, solar neutrinos

• Too much to cover in any detail -- please talk to Sunil Golwala tomorrow (9 am - 11 pm, 311 Downs) or visit the labs (Friday)


Physics, Astronomy, and Beyond

• “Experimental” astrophysics usually refers to research groups that both build instrumentation and carry out observations

• Experimentalists are for the most part in the Physics department

• More than just the Physics department -- huge community includes Astronomy, IPAC, JPL• 8 experimental faculty in physics• 11 observational faculty in astronomy• O(200-400) scientists between IPAC and JPL working in

astrophysics instrumentation and science• Arguably the best place to do astrophysics!


Physics, Astronomy, and Beyond

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)• Instrumentation and satellite mission development for

almost all wavelengths• Data analysis and archiving for a wide range of projects

• Spitzer Science Center -- data archiving and analysis for Spitzer infrared space satellite

• GALEX -- UV galaxy formation exploration satellite• Michelson Science Center -- ground-based and space optical/IR

interferometry) -- Keck Interferometer, space interferometry missions (SIM, TPF)

• Planck -- CMB satellite• Herschel -- submm astronomical satellite• WISE -- IR survey satellite

• Large number of staff scientists housed on campus and at JPL with very tight coupling to campus faculty


Cosmological Parameters and Dark Energy

• temperature anisotropyalready used to measure geometry of universe, baryon and cold dark matter content

• polarization anisotropy:• recent WMAP results: detection of reionization• gravitational wave signature in CMB (early universe inflation)• weak lensing of CMB by large-scale structure

• galaxy cluster searches using Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect• heavy instrumentation component to build mm- and cm-wave

instruments

• Close collaboration with JPL, IPAC, theorists

Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy:Andrew Lange,Tony Readhead (Ay),Sunil Golwala



• Nearby SN Factory

• SNAP/Joint Dark Energy Mission

• primarily observational, but SNAP hardware development may be a possibility (ask Alan Weinstein)

Type Ia Supernova:Richard Ellis (Ay),Alan Weinstein (Ph)



• Science: measuring the dark matter distribution directly, both in isolated objects and in the universe as a whole

• primarily observational, but again SNAP detector/instrument development may be a possibility

Gravitational Lensing:Richard Ellis (Ay),Alan Weinstein (Ph)


Extreme Astrophysical Environments

• extremely energetic (1051 ergs) explosions with highly relativistic, collimated ejecta (Γ~ 100)

• why interesting?• for astronomers: most extreme form of star death• for physicists: extreme gravity, extreme particle acceleration

• optical, etc. followup to measure redshifts, understand explosion dynamics (Palomar 60” on line for automated followup of Swift satellite alerts)

Gamma Ray Bursts:

Fiona Harrison, Shri Kulkarni (Ay),

etc.


Extreme Astrophysical Environments

Hard X-ray (5-500 keV) astrophysics and instrumentation: Fiona Harrison

• science• gamma-ray lines from

nucleosynthesis in supernovae(SN drive gas dynamics in galaxies)

• x-rays from accreting gas in extreme environments -- pulsars, black holes, active galactic nuclei

• instrumentation• hard x-ray detector development --

CdZnTe• development of grazing incidence

focussing optics for hard x-rays• balloon and satellite payloads: HEFT,

NuSTAR(?), Constellation-X• Harrison looking for student(s) for

HEFT


Formation and Evolution of ...

...planetary systems, stars, the interstellar medium, galaxies, the intergalactic medium, galaxy clusters, etc.

• planetary systems: ours and others, extra-solar planets, terrestrial planet formation, Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud, comets, etc.

• star formation and the ISM: the characteristics and dynamics of star-forming regions and the ISM in our and nearby galaxies, relation between star formation and the surrounding ISM

• galaxies: star formation rates, metal enrichment, winds, active galactic nuclei, dark matter halos, etc.

• clusters: formation, hydrodynamics of hot intracluster plasma, effects of cluster environment on galaxies, etc.

• characteristics of unusual or interesting astrophysical objects


Formation and Evolution of ...

...planetary systems, stars, the interstellar medium, galaxies, the intergalactic medium, galaxy clusters, etc.

• in Physics:• Tom Phillips and Jonas Zmuidzinas: submm (300 µm - 2 mm)

instrumentation and observation, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory‣ New submm camera for CSO and follow-on with CCAT‣ Wide-bandwidth spectrometers for spectral line studies

• Tom Soifer: IR (1 µm - 10 µm) observation, head of Spitzer Science Center

• Chris Martin: primarily UV (100 - 300 nm) observation and instrumentation, PI of GALEX UV survey mission, associated observational project, Cosmic Web Imager

• Fiona Harrison: x-ray


Formation and Evolution of ......planetary systems, stars, the interstellar medium, galaxies, the intergalactic medium, galaxy clusters, etc.

• in Astronomy -- everyone! But instrumentation is primarily done by engineers (except for Readhead):

• Combined Array for Millimeter Astronomy (CARMA) interferometric array(1-few mm) has plans for wideband correlators and multi-beam focal planes(Anneila Sargent, Nick Scoville, Tony Readhead could be advisors)

• Adaptive optics and optical/IR interferometry for extra-solar planets, star formation and evolution (staff, JPL, Kulkarni, Hillenbrand)

• in Div’n of Geological and Planetary Sciences• Mike Brown: planetary astronomy -- planets, satellites, asteroids,

Oort cloud, Kuiper Belt, etc. Primarily observation, instrumentation projects with adaptive optics or O/IR interferometry possible

• Geoff Blake: spectroscopy (astronomical and in the lab) to study the “evolution of molecular diversity” in space and on the earth; spectroscopic instrumentation

• + IPAC and JPL scientists


Space Science

• acceleration and transport of electrons and ions in our solar system and galaxy: Ed Stone

• science:• electrons and ions from the

Sun -- the solar wind -- and its interaction w/ the earth and ISM

• nuclear composition of solar and galactic cosmic rays

• instrumentation• particle detectors for

balloons and satellites


Particle Astrophysics• Addressing questions in particle physics

and astrophysics using “astrophysical beams”

• Direct detection of particle dark matter:Sunil Golwala• Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS)

experiment -- particle dark matter• development of new detectors

• Solar, supernova, and geo- neutrinos with KamLAND: Bob McKeown


Friday Schedule

• Sunil Golwalageneral expt astro, CMB/mm-wave cosmology, dark matter9 am - 11 am, 311 Downs

• Lange group CMB anisotropy8:30-10 am and 2-5 pm, W. Bridge

• Zmuidzinas group -- submm astronomy/instrumentation11 am - 1 pm Downs and 2-5 pm W. Bridge


New Astro Building

• http://cahill.caltech.edu

Experimental Astrophysics at Caltech Sunil Golwala.

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