Peter A. Strittmatter - US grants

The following research will be carried out: (1) A survey of radio wavelength emitting quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) will be carried out in an attempt to understand the statistics and characteristics of strong carbon line absorption in the spectra of radio-loud QSOs. (2) An extensive complete survey for QSOs will be conducted using computer generated selection criteria based upon digitized scans of the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope objective prism plates. (3) The Multiple Mirror Telescope Echelle Spectrograph will be used in an attempt to observe absorption in the fine-structure lines of the ultraviolet multiplets of the carbon line in moderate redshift QSOs in order to measure or set limits on the cosmic microwave background temperature at early epochs. These and other moderate- and high-resolution spectroscopic data will be used as diagnostic probes of the conditions in QSO absorption line regions. (4) The Echelle Spectrograph on the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4-m telescope will be used to observe line profiles in high redshift QSOs. (5) A search will be made for quasars near the line-of-sight of extremely low surface brightness galaxies. (6) A fraction of blazars in a complete radio sample will be studied to test unified models of radio sources involving relativistic beams. The energetics of individual beamed sources will be studied using the energy distributions in the fluxes observed in the X-ray to radio wavelength region of the spectra.

A 10M Submillimeter Wavelength Telescope (SMT) will be constructed on Mt. Graham, in southeastern Arizona. It is being constructed jointly by the University of Arizona and the Max- Planck-Institute fur Radioastronomie in Bonn, Germany. The telescope utilizes reflecting precision replicated Carbon-Fiber Reinforced-Plastic (CFRP) panels. The nature of the reflecting surfaces and the improved telescope enclosure will allow operations during daytime.

9503714 Strittmatter This Americas Program award will provide support for establishing collaboration between astronomers at the University of Arizona and the Carnegie Institution of Washington in the United States, and Mexican astronomers from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). The proposed work, headed by Prof. Peter Strittmatter of the University of Arizona and Prof. Gloria Koenigsberger, Director of the Institute of Astronomy of UNAM, has as long term goals the construction of a Magellan class 6.5m optical/infrared telescope which will facilitate astronomical research by Mexican and U.S. astronomers, the development of state-of-the-art instrumentation for this and other such telescopes, and the advancement of optical design and fabrication technology in both Mexico and the U.S. Researchers will visit Mexican sites at UNAM, the Mexican National Observatory at San Pedro Martir, the National Institute for Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics in Puebla, and the Institute for Optics in Leon in order to plan collaborative work, develop a site testing program at San Pedro Martir, carry out critical studies in engineering and optics, and develop active collaboration in astronomical sciences based on existing observational facilities. ***

AST-0130790

This award will enable continued operations of the Kitt Peak 12m (KP12m) millimeter-wave telescope for 18 months while the University of Arizona (UA) puts in place a plan to operate the facility using private funds. The KP12m was formerly operated as a national user facility by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The UA and the Research Corporation will also contribute funds toward operations during the privatization period. The privatization plan calls for integration of the operations of the KP12m and the Heinrich Hertz Telescope, a submillimeter telescope on Mount Graham in Arizona, under a single director to reduce total operating costs. The UA will seek other partners to form a consortium to operate both telescopes for the longer term. The KP12m, though over 30 years old, has continued to produce significant scientific results in recent years. The benefit to science of successful privatization will be that a still useful telescope will continue to enable research in millimeter astronomy, helping to maintain the community of millimeter astronomers in the US as a prelude to ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter Array). During the bridge period, telescope time will be allocated to the general astronomical community in proportion to NSF's share of the operations burden.
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AST-0607599
INSTITUTION: University of Arizona
PI: James Liebert
TITLE: Collaborative Research: White Dwarfs and the Age Distribution of the Disk, Thick Disk, and Halo

ABSTRACT

Dr. James Liebert, at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Ted von Hippel, at the University of Texas at Austin, will undertake a program to determine the luminosity functions and space densities of the white dwarfs in the disk, thick disk, and Galactic halo. The team will utilize the tens of thousands of new white dwarfs, made accessible in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Finding the lowest luminosity white dwarfs will allow for a refinement in the age of the disk to be made, and for the first time the ages of the thick disk and halo will be obtained using the method of white dwarf cooling times. Additionally, the shape of the luminosity functions should allow for the star formation history of the population to be reconstructed.

The broader impacts of the program include participation in the teacher professional development workshops held at McDonald Observatory. The workshops are a collaboration with a collaborator (Dr. Harry Shipman) and the education and outreach staff at McDonald Observatory and the University of Arizona. Curriculum content and workshop practices align with the National Standards for Science Education and Texas, Arizona, and Delaware science standards.