NSCL (Nuclear Physics) Astronomy

NSCL (Nuclear Physics) Astronomy
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Hendrik Schatz
Brad Sherrill
Alex Brown
Wolfgang Bauer
High Energy Physics
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James Linnemann
Wayne Repko
Abrams Planetarium
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David Batch
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Jack Baldwin (co-Director)
Timothy Beers
Edward Brown
Megan Donahue
Edwin Loh
Horace Smith
Robert Stein
Mark Voit
Stephen Zepf (co-Director)
We are
here
Cosmic Evolution
 Opaque
Transparent 
Cool, low density
(very logarithmic)
Relative Size 
Hot, dense
(13.7 billion yrs)
Time (very logarithmic) 
Pure H, He, (Li)
Nearly
uniform
Cosmic Evolution Questions:
1. How did structure grow?
2. Dark Matter = 85% of all matter. What is it?
3. Dark Energy = 2/3 of all mass-energy. What is it?
4. Chemical Enrichment. When? Where? How?
Highly structured
1% “heavy” elements
(C, N, O… Fe…)
NSCL
Nuclear Physics
Physics & Astronomy Dept.
Astronomy
High
Energy
Condensed
Matter
Center for the
Study of
Cosmic
Evolution
Cosmic Evolution Questions:
1. How did structure grow?
2. Dark Matter = 85% of all matter. What is it?
3. Dark Energy = 2/3 of all mass-energy. What is it?
4. Chemical Enrichment. When? Where? How?
Particle &
High-Energy
Physics
Nuclear Physics
Astronomy
NSCL
Nuclear Physics
Physics & Astronomy Dept.
Astronomy
Astronomy = CSCE core
High
Energy
Condensed
Matter
Center for the
Study of
Cosmic
Evolution
Does NOT count:
• JINA ($1M/yr).
• Brazilian
contributions to
Spartan Camera
($1M).
The Astronomy Group
• 8 permanent FTEs.
• 5 new hires in last 5 years.
• 300% increase in extramural funding.
• Increasing national/international
recognition.
Astronomy = CSCE core
• Over 2500 citations during FY05.
• Service on national committees.
• Able to recruit high-quality grad
students.
The SOAR
Telescope
The Major Factor:
CSCE providing critical funding
MSU’s Window on the Universe
30 Doradus
NGC 4622
M83
NGC 2440
NGC 3961
SOAR Progress
The SOAR
Telescope
• 1st Light: April 2004.
• Currently being commissioned.
• Being brought up to spec.
• Full science ops early next year.
• Some “early science” in meantime.
MSU’s Window on the Universe
SOAR
Early
Science
Dense Molecular Cloud
Cluster of
Recently Formed
Stars
In the queue:
Project #2: Hot gas in giant galaxy clusters
(Megan Donahue).
WhiteInfrared
= starlightspectra of the oldest
Project #3:
Green = O+
stars (Timothy Beers).
Red = H+
The SOAR
Telescope
S+
Project #1:
Giant Star-Forming Region
MSU’s Window on the Universe
Interdisciplinary:
National Academy
Roadmaps
Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos
The National Academies Press
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074061/html/
http://books.nap.edu/html/aanm/aanmov.pdf
Nuclear Physics: The
Core of Matter, The
Fuel of Stars
The National Academies Press
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309062764/html/
index.html
Interdisciplinary:
National Academy
Roadmaps
Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos
The National Academies Press
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074061/html/
http://books.nap.edu/html/aanm/aanmov.pdf
Nuclear Physics: The
Core of Matter, The
Fuel of Stars
• Breakthroughs in Cosmology
• Dark Matter
The National Academies Press
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309062764/html/
• Dark Energy
index.html
• Particle astrophysics
• Nuclear astrophysics
Interdisciplinary:
Astronomy
+ Physics
The Spartan
Infrared Camera
The SOAR
Telescope
Loh, Donahue, Voit will hunt distant supernovae
MSU’s Window on the Universe
Simulating supernova explosions
• Ed Brown:
• Structural model of exploding star.
• What elements are produced?
• NSCL/JINA group currently improving
input nuclear physics data.
• SOAR observations of Loh/Donahue/Voit will
• Test these models
• Use results for improved cosmological
measurements.
Temperature 
Interdisciplinary:
Astronomy
+ Physics
Other examples:
Astro+Nuclear: Properties of superdense matter from observations of neutron stars.
(Brown, Schatz + grad student M. Ouellette)
Astro+High Energy: Dark Energy Survey
(Donahue, Voit, Linnemann, Brock, Tollefson)
Astro+Nuclear: Chemical evolution in early universe, as measured from oldest stars.
(Beers+grad students, JINA, SEGUE collaboration)
Leveraging External Funding
Our Funding Environment
• Highly competitive
• Peer-reviewed
• NSF, NASA +aiming to bring in DOE
Strategies
• Strong science teams
• SOAR Telescope time
– Greatly strengthens observational proposals
• Interdisciplinary proposals
– New opportunities
– Funding agencies also see this as growth area
• Direct seed money
Astronomy Outreach at MSU
Outreach