Astronomy & Space Physics

Coherent Radio Emission as a Unique Probe for Hot Magnetic Stars

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Barnali Das, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Pune
Host
Shultz
Magnetic early-type stars are characterized by the presence of large-scale surface magnetic fields that lead to the formation of a magnetosphere around them. This magnetosphere is the site of several phenomena that generate radiation over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Among them, the most recently discovered (and hence least understood) phenomenon is the generation of coherent radio emission that is observed as periodic pulses over sub-GHz to GHz frequencies.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

The Blanco DECam Bulge Survey: A Panchromatic Window the Galactic Bulge

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
R. Michael Rich, UCLA
Host
The development of wide field imaging cameras on large optical telescopes has opened a new opportunity to examine stellar populations over the full optical/near-IR passband. We have used the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4m telescope to image 200 sq. deg of the Galactic bulge in the Rubin/LSST passbands of ugrizY. The use of the u band gives a new calibration of red clump star metallicities to a precision of ~0.2 dex, and the use of the u band to observe and study multiple populations in many of the globular clusters in the BDBS footprint. We show that some claims for extremely young stellar populations in the Galactic bulge cannot be supported. We also find that the bulge divides into two abundance distributions- one similar to the one-zone model of chemical evolution near the Galactic plane, and the other a more metal poor distribution, outside of 500 pc. We also find that the structure of the bulge as a function of metallicity is stratified parallel to the plane and previous claims for a spheroidal distribution for giants with [Fe/H]<0 are not sustained. We will discuss the future science being undertaken as our sample is integrated with Gaia astrometry. I will discuss the implications for the formation history of the bulge.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

Planetary Space Weather

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Caitriona Jackman, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
Host
Owocki

In this talk I will introduce magnetospheres and Space Weather, then focus primarily on reviewing in situ and remote sensing of Space Weather at Jupiter and Saturn. I will include discussion of measurements of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field by spacecraft such as Cassini, explaining how we use magnetic field, plasma and energetic particle data to characterise the environment upstream of the gas giant planets.

Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

Probing Signatures of Rings and Rapid Rotation in Transiting Exoplanets

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Babatunde Akinsanmi, University of Porto/ Institute of Astrophysics Portugal
Host
Gizis
There are a number of planetary features observed in the Solar System that are yet to be confirmed in exoplanets. Some of these features include rings and rotation-induced oblateness. In this presentation, I will talk about the importance of detecting these features, their signatures in transit signals and the current attempts at detecting them.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

Resolved Multi-element Stellar Chemical Abundances in Lensed Quiescent Galaxies at z ∼ 2

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Marziye Jafariyazani, Carnegie Observatories & University of California, Riverside
Host
GIZIS
Measuring the chemical composition of galaxies is crucial to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution models. However, such measurements are extremely challenging for quiescent galaxies at high redshifts, which have faint stellar continua and compact sizes, making it difficult to detect absorption lines and nearly impossible to spatially resolve them. Gravitational lensing offers the opportunity to study these galaxies with detailed spectroscopy that can be even spatially resolved.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

The VASCO Project: The Past, the Future, the Present

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Dr. Beatriz Villarroel, Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics
Host
Gizis

Traditionally, searches for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) have been conducted using large radio telescopes. In recent years, an alternative mode of doing SETI through searches for “technosignatures” in big data has emerged, as this type of search is much cheaper to conduct and may lead to other interesting discoveries. The Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project uses data with a 70-year temporal baseline to search for objects that have vanished from or appeared in the sky, as well as other exotic transients.

Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

LUNCH TALK ~ How to Use IRSA Tools in Your Research and Classes: a LIVE Demonstration

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Luisa Rebull, IPAC/Caltech
Host
Gizis
Have you seen some of the latest tools at IRSA? You can overlay catalogs on images and make interactive plots. You can look for periodic signals in time series data. You can search the SOFIA archive. You can access WISE and NEOWISE data, and data from ZTF. There are tools for Solar System observers as well as galactic and extragalactic astronomers. I will give an introduction to IRSA services and then attempt a LIVE demo, internet permitting. Come see how IRSA's tools can help you both in your research and in designing online activities for classes.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics

Stellar Rotation in Young Clusters using K2 and TESS

Location
ZOOM
Speaker
Luisa Rebull, IPAC/Caltech
Host
Gizis
K2 has provided a phenomenal opportunity to study properties of stars in clusters, particularly young low-mass stars, far beyond the expectations of the original Kepler mission. The high-precision photometry provided by K2 allows us to probe stellar variability to lower masses and lower amplitudes than has ever been done before. Younger stars are generally more rapidly rotating and have larger star spots than older stars of similar masses, so spots rotating into and out of view reveal the (surface) rotation rate of these stars.
Event Types
Astronomy & Space Physics
Link
Dr. Luisa Rebull