experimental astrophysics at caltech sunil golwala
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Experimental Astrophysics at CaltechSunil Golwala
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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)
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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!
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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
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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
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Cosmological Parameters and Dark Energy
• 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)
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Cosmological Parameters and Dark Energy
• 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)
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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New Astro Building
• http://cahill.caltech.edu