Rutgers University Department of Physics
and Astronomy
2008-09 Handbook for Physics and Astronomy Graduate Students
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Research Programs
Astronomy
The astrophysics group at
- Imaging Fabry Perot
instruments designed and built at
- Rutgers, jointly with
- Cosmology research includes studies of the CMB, galaxy clusters, galaxy formation, dark matter and dark energy.
- High-redshift galaxies are observed with instruments such as SALT, HST, and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (when it comes on-line in 2010).
- Gravitational lensing is used to study dark matter halos and supermassive black holes in distant galaxies, and as a natural telescope to probe quasars with unprecedented resolution.
- The group is recognized as a global center for Astronomical Dynamics, undertaking forefront theoretical and observational studies of stellar systems, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies.
- Studies of supernova remnants cover a broad range of observational topics including neutron stars, pulsars and their wind nebulae, nucleosynthesis, supernova explosion mechanisms, cosmic ray acceleration, and the physics of high Mach number shock waves.
- The Ultraviolet Detector Lab
at
The observers and theorists in the group interact closely,
and many recent student theses have included both theoretical and observational
projects. Most theoretical research is heavily computational, and dynamics
often involves N-body simulations. There are also links to the particle-astrophysics
interests of the
Our observations are carried out in all regions of the spectrum, including
X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, (sub)millimeter and radio wavelengths.
Data are obtained using both ground-based telescopes and space observatories.
The imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer resides at the Cerro-Tololo
Inter-American Observatory in
Graduate students who intend to carry out thesis work in astrophysics are encouraged to follow the astronomy option, which allows them to replace several of their upper division course requirements with astrophysics courses.
Professor Andrew Baker
I study the evolution of galaxies, both as individuals and as populations, using observations of the nearby and distant universe. I make regular use of data acquired at multiple wavelengths from the ultraviolet through the radio, but I focus on the (sub)millimeter bands where we can observe continuum emission from dust grains and rotational line emission from small molecules. These tracers allow us to study the most optically obscured (and often the most interesting!) regions of galaxies. Some current questions of interest: How do extreme environmental conditions affect the process of star formation? What are the demographics, properties, and evolutionary states of dusty, high-redshift “submillimeter galaxies”? How can we use observations to test the assumptions and predictions of galaxy evolution models that are based on the cold dark matter paradigm for structure formation?
Professor (Emeritus) Thomas Devlin
I am working with students on projects directed at studying the large-scale
structure of the universe. We are
analyzing data we collected with the fully-steerable 100-meter radio telescope
in Greenbank, W.Va., to measure the polarization of 43 GHz radiation from
galaxies. This is a potential foreground source which must be understood to
correct future measurements of polarization in Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB). We have also built equipment for
the multi-university collaboration building ACT, a 6-meter microwave telescope
to be operated on the Atacama Plateau in
Professor Eric Gawiser
I study cosmological structure formation with
the dual purposes of understanding the role that physics plays in creating
galaxies, stars, and black holes and of using these astrophysical objects to
probe fundamental physics. I serve as PI
of the MUSYC collaboration www.astro.yale.edu/MUSYC,
which is determining the star formation rates, stellar masses, ages, dark
matter masses, and low-redshift descendants of high-redshift galaxies. As a member of the LSST collaboration www.lsst.org, I will use the baryon acoustic
oscillation scale revealed by the clustering of galaxies and dark matter to
determine the equation-of-state of the dark energy. Students are working with me on projects
analyzing observational data of high-redshift galaxies taken at several of the
world’s largest telescopes and peforming simulations to optimize future
surveys with the Dark Energy Camera and LSST.
Professor John P. Hughes
Supernova remnants and clusters of galaxies form the core of my research bailiwick. Although there is much that differs between these two classes of astronomical objects, the electromagnetic radiation they emit, which is largely dominated by high energy thermal emission from hot plasmas, provides a common element. Clusters of galaxies, the largest dynamically organized structures known, are composed mostly of dark matter, with roughly 10% of their mass contained in hot X-ray plasma and only a few percent in optically visible galaxies. I maintain active collaborations with the Deep Lens Survey and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) projects to utilize galaxy clusters for cosmology. From studies of the gaseous remnants of supernova explosions we learn about stellar and explosive nucleosynthesis, the structure and energy content of the interstellar medium, the physics of supersonic shock waves, and the origin of cosmic rays. In recent years my work in this area has grown to include the compact remnants, i.e., neutron stars or black holes, that are sometimes found near the centers of their associated gaseous remnants. My investigations utilize modern resources in the X-ray (Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku), optical (SALT, HST, NOAO), infrared (Spitzer), millimeter (ACT), and radio (VLA, ATCA) wavebands.
Professor Saurabh Jha
My
research focus is observational cosmology, using telescopes on the ground and
in space to study exploding stars in galaxies near and far. These "
Professor Charles Joseph
My research interests include the interstellar medium, studies of the origin and evolution of galaxies, and technology development for optical/ultraviolet space instrumentation. New technology initiatives include the development of ultraviolet detectors made of III-Nitrides, which offer significant performance improvements over existing UV image sensors. I and a team of internationally recognized astronomers will be proposing to NASA to build, fly, and operate a series of long-duration balloon flights. The balloon-borne telescope will have a floatation altitude of 35 km (19 miles) and will provide spatial resolutions comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope. Typical flights are expected to last 2-3 weeks and be flown once per year. We will use this series of balloon missions to perform detailed velocity maps over wide fields of view to determine the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Professor Charles Keeton
I use gravitational lensing to study galaxies and cosmology.
Strong lens systems provide the only direct probe of dark matter distributions
on subgalactic scales, and therefore provide crucial constraints on the
fundamental nature of dark matter. The connection between lenses and their
environments offers clues about the processes that drive galaxy evolution.
Lenses act as natural telescopes that help us to resolve the internal structure
of quasars. They are beginning to let us measure supermassive black holes in
distant galaxies. In the future, lensing will provide precise tests of general
relativity and alternative gravity theories. My work involves a broad array of
research methods, from observations (including HST and SALT) to data modeling
to numerical theory to formal mathematics.
Professor Terry Matilsky
Most recently, I have become interested in fundamental theories of gravitation. It appears that all of the standard "dark matter" scenarios are significantly flawed, and recent work in string theory has pointed us toward modification of our current ideas concerning gravitational dynamics. I have examined a new idea that postulates an additional interaction in four spatial dimensions that has the potential to solve the dark matter problem, as well as address some fundamental questions in both cosmology and high-energy physics. The most up-to-date paper concerning this can be found at: by clicking on "gravity".
Professor Carlton Pryor
My research interests are centered on observational and theoretical studies
of the structure and evolution of both star clusters and individual galaxies. I
am currently surveying the kinematics, mass distributions, and stellar contents
of the dense centers of globular star clusters, the oldest clusters in our
Galaxy. With the Rutgers Imaging Fabry-Perot Spectrometer in
Professor Jerry Sellwood
My main interest is in the formation and evolution of galaxies. In particular, I try to understand the dynamics of these large stellar systems and to determine the amount and distribution of Dark Matter within them. My findings is challenge predictions from the current Cold Dark Matter model of the universe. Other interests include such questions as: What causes the graceful spiral patterns seen in most disc galaxies? And why do many, but not all, have bars? Although analytical methods can be used to some extent, I find that the most fruitful line of attack on these questions is through large N-body simulations.
Professor Ted Williams
My interests include optical observations of extragalactic objects and instrument development. One current project involves the measurement of the kinematics of both stars and gas in barred spiral galaxies, in order to determine the structure and dynamics of these galaxies. Other active research involves measuring the velocities of stars in the dense cores of globular clusters, detecting and measuring the velocities of planetary nebula surrounding elliptical galaxies, and refining the Tully-Fisher technique for measuring the distances to galaxies.
Professor (Emeritus) Harry Zapolsky
I am currently studying the physics of gravitational collapse. My interest is specifically in astrophysical systems (young globular clusters and elliptical galaxies) in which the dynamics of the constituent stars is essentially collisionless, so that the system is not constrained to evolve towards the Boltzmann distribution. Questions of fundamental physical significance include the nature and uniqueness of the ultimate steady state distribution produced by "violent relaxation" during the collapse, and how such systems manage to acquire (approximate) constants of motion.
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Revised May, 2008