PULSE@ParkesPULsar Student Exploration online at Parkes

Robert HollowAustralia Telescope National Facility12 December 2007

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

What is PULSE@Parkes? - Background

• ASKAP Budget Announcement, 8 May 2007:

• ‘As part of the project, CSIRO will extend its annual in-service training for around 200 high school teachers through the provision of Year 11/12 maths and physics education material involving data and information from the ASKAP. This will expose the next generation to world-class science and technology in a unique way.’

• Where to start?

http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/bishop/budget07/bud34_07.htm

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Challenge

•Need to develop and implement stimulating, engaging, and worthwhile radio astronomy activities appropriate for high school students

•Develop educational pedagogy and technical systems for school use of ASKAP data

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Step 1

•PULSE@Parkes

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

The Project Team

• Coordinator & education leader: Robert Hollow• Science leader: George Hobbs

• Other ATNF staff: David Champion, Jessica Chapman, Mary Mulcahy, Shaun Amy

• Summer Vacation Program student: Matt Carr• CSIRO ICT Centre input: Leila Alem, Laurie Wilson, John Zic,

Alex Krum-Heller• Swinburne: Sarah Burke, Willem van Straten• Link with: Rick Jenet (UTB)

• Possible future link with David McKinnon & Lena Danaia (Charles Sturt University, Bathurst)

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

What are we trying to do?

• High school students observe pulsars using the Parkes radio telescope • Obtain observations with educational value for the students and scientific

value for the astronomical community• Demonstrate and develop remote observing capabilities at Parkes• Promote the ATNF telescopes and extend outreach with the ATNF facilities• Develop a sequence of educational programs for the ASKAP era

• Project inspired by Rick Jenet’s ARCC project at UTB

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Program Development

• Phase 1: Oct 07 – Feb 08• Develop concept• Apply for telescope time• Identify and work with two test schools• Write project materials• Trial & refine procedures

• Phase 2: Feb 08 - ?• Apply for more telescope time• Open up project to more schools• Build up data archive• Foster collaboration across schools• Develop more activities and modify existing material as required

• Phase 3: 2008 →• Develop new observing projects

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

School Selection

• Two schools for initial trial• NSW Government High Schools:

• Kingswood High School• Muswellbrook High School

• Selection through:• teacher interest from ATNF

Teacher Workshops• discussion with STANSW – early

mentoring program• Target group Year 11 (10-12)• Need to decide future criteria for

observing slots• Schools may be ‘non-observers’

and just use data and activities

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

First Stage

• Successful gaining telescope time: P595; 8 hours

• Trialled remote observation setup from Marsfield in October

• Selected 34 pulsars for project• Two schools selected• SVP selected to work on project

materials over summer• First school visit and trial

completed – observations on 4 December!

• Second school trial on 13 February 2008

• Project materials under development

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Why Pulsars?

• Existing model of student engagement (ARCC)

• Local expertise & interest• Single dish astronomy

conceptually easier for students• Possible to get time on Parkes• Short observations produce

useful data for concise activities• Data is useful for other projects• Can link in with existing

observational programs (PPTA, GLAST) & ARCC

Image Credit: Manchester, R.N. and Taylor, J.H., Pulsars, Freeman, 1977.

Image Credit: Imagine the Universe! at NASA/GSFC

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Selection of pulsars

Pulsars have been chosen so that:1. Each observation only lasts between 2 and 15 minutes2. Have enough pulsars to be observed at any sidereal time3. Are useful for long-term timing programs4. Provide interesting, small experiments for the students to carry out

Selected from:The GLAST timing project (i.e. young, pulsars that show timing irregularities)Millisecond pulsar timing (our sample includes J1713+0747, J2145-0750, J2317+1439)Pulsars with oscillatory timing noise on “long” time scales (e.g. B1828-11)

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Before an observing session

• Students work through online materials and background reading

• Visit the school to talk on the project• Explain about pulsars, radio telescopes and observing• Help the students determine which pulsars they will be able to

observe• Let the students do some basic processing using existing data

sets

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

A typical observing session

• The students will arrive at the ATNF lecture theatre (Marsfield)• Introductory talk and a short movie describing the project• Introduce the students to the Parkes astronomer Parkes ‘by

video conferencing• Students then work through checklist to check if observations

can proceed, eg check the weather via the winds monitor• Show movie of “unstowing the dish”• Once observing the students will

- view webcams of the telescope and control room- be able to control the telescope using VNC- monitor the data in real time (using a website)- chat with the controller at Parkes- monitor the weather displays- hear the “pulsar sounds” recorded by the telescope

• Start initial processing of the data

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Observations at Marsfield

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

TCS Display via VNC

Live webcam

Video conference link (Skype)

TCS

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Observations at Parkes

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

On-line monitoring

• Need to move towards more verbal interaction between students & astronomer

• Less text/typing

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Pulsar Profile

• Pulse profile automatically generated and printed out - immediate feedback

• Archived for later analysis

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Activity 1: Dispersion Measure & Pulsar Distance

Pulsar Name

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Time (s)

Inte

nsity

1497MHz

1465MHz

1433MHz

1401MHz

1369MHz

1337MHz

1305MHz

1273MHz

• Data output in .txt file• Analysed in Excel workbook – available in schools. Template from

website• Archived on website, easily downloaded.

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Dispersion Measure

Dispersion Measure

y = 365694x + 0.2409

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

0 0.0000001 0.0000002 0.0000003 0.0000004 0.0000005 0.0000006 0.0000007

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Galactic position based on DM

Kingswood High Pulsars

Galactic Centre

Test2 Test1

Death Star

EarthHalo

-16.316

-11.316

-6.316

-1.316

3.684

8.684

-13.15 -8.15 -3.15 1.85 6.85 11.85Galactic CentreEarthTest2Test1Death StarHalo

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Results

Pulsar Name Galactic Centre Earth Test2 Test1Death

Star Halo

Galactic Longitude 0 0 309.81 53.28442 25.46 47.78

Galactic Latitude 0 0 0.59 15.730467 4.73 -42.08

Distance (kpc) 8 0 4.97 5.2 2 0.5

x 0 0 -5.21104476 5.476757454 1.169579 0.375142

z 0 0 0.069857201 1.924357161 0.225117 -0.45739

y -10.92001092 0 -4.343219881 -4.084566326 -2.45649 -0.3404

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

After an observing session

The students will be able to access their data to:• Measure pulsar dispersion measures and hence distances• Determine how pulse shapes change with frequency• Look for glitches in the timing• Determine orbital parameters from measurements of the pulsar

periods• Determine spin-down parameters and hence estimates of age

and magnetic field strength.

• … any more suggestions for small projects?

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

First Trial

• Ten students from Years 10 and 11.

• Successful observations• Students analysed data,

calculated DMs and plotted positions and distance on workbook.

• Positive feedback• Useful ideas from ICT

Centre

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Educational component

• Establish formal evaluation of project with, eg CSU Bathurst• Publish papers and promote project in science education

research journals and science teacher publications & conferences• Aim to foster discussion between school groups as data archive

grows• Link with similar schemes using major facilities or engaging in

‘real-science’• Scientists in Schools scheme• Faulkes/Global Jetwatch/HOU• ARCC• NRAO GBT Pulsar scheme?

• Provide input into SKA outreach and education planning

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

The near future …

• Project materials published on ATNF Outreach site:• Work with ICT Centre re interface design and student

interactions• Extend project to search for pulsars (probably using the DFB in

search mode)• Sustainable with one school observation (~2 hrs) per month• Allow access from schools (or centres at different institutes

around Australia) to allow access from schools in Vic, WA, etc.• Firewall issues with state DETs need to be resolved if we want

‘mobile’ version running from schools• Strengthen collaborations with USA, Canadian and European

schools and similar projects (such as the ARCC)

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

Beyond…

• Develop other (non-pulsar) single dish projects. Ideas:

• HI projects such as GASS extension (Naomi McClure-Griffiths)• Dave DeBoer interested in developing SETI project• Other ideas?

• Develop interferometer projects (ATCA)?• Possible applications for ASKAP dishes situated in NSW• Develop educational pedagogy and technical backend for

school use of ASKAP (and SKA?) data.

CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes

We gain ….

• Large number of high school students will have heard of ATNF and used Parkes.

• Student interest in science/technology (hopefully)• More data for our existing pulsar timing projects• Robust testing of Parkes remote observing issues• High profile CSIRO project• Effective educational pedagogy and technical backend for

school use of ASKAP (and SKA?) data.

Contact UsPhone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176

Email: enquiries@csiro.au Web: www.csiro.au

Thank you

Australia Telescope National FacilityRobert HollowEducation Officer

Phone: 02 9372 4247Email: robert.hollow@csiro.auWeb: http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au