CAREER: Astrophysics and Radio Pulsars: From the Forefront to the Classroom

摘要-维多利亚·M·卡斯皮AST9875897在公元1054年，亚洲天文学家目睹了一场壮观的宇宙爆炸，其余辉可用肉眼观察数月。这颗“客星”被认为是一颗大质量恒星的超新星爆炸。在它的位置上留下了一个发光的云，一个通常被称为蟹状星云的超新星残骸。它的核心是其前身中子星的致密、快速旋转和简并的恒星残骸。蟹状星云中的中子星是一颗射电脉冲星。它之所以被称为中子星，是因为它在射电系统中发出明亮的束状辐射，每个自转周期可以观测到一次，就像灯塔灯塔一样。年轻中子星群体的基本性质尚未确定。目前尚不清楚像蟹状脉冲星这样的天体的形成是常见的还是不寻常的，所有年轻的中子星中有多少是可以观察到的脉冲星，以及有多少脉冲星是在超新星爆炸中诞生的。目前尚不清楚中子星的诞生属性是什么，即它们通常的自转速度、它们的磁场大小以及它们的风的强度和组成。这些问题对于理解大质量恒星的命运和物理、超新星机制以及银河系中子星和超新星遗迹的数量是基本的。据观察，脉冲星是银河系中运动最快的星体，其中一些物体以超过1000公里/秒的速度穿过星际介质。这些速度的起源很可能与它们的诞生事件有关，尽管确切的原因尚不清楚。这些问题和其他问题将通过使用世界上领先的射电和光学望远镜来观察脉冲星来进行调查。在将开展的具体观测项目中，我们将主要搜索新的脉冲星，并利用无线电和光学计时和成像对新发现的源进行详细的跟踪。这项研究非常适合研究生和本科生的培养，而且将有主要的学生参与研究项目。传统的大学讲课方法有着悠久的历史；它们在今天的许多现代技术进步出现之前很久就已经发展起来了。如果创新的教学技术，特别是将计算机图形学融入课堂，提高物理教育质量，应该不会令人惊讶。需要这种改进来改变主流文化，即物理学不是所有人都能理解的，只有最优秀的人才能理解。脉冲星是研究的主题，也非常适合用来说明麻省理工学院物理课程三《波与振动》中的许多要点。计算机和科学插图的增强，以及一种明确的交互式讲授技术，将被纳入物理III课程。总体而言，天文学的优点是，包括儿童在内的普通公众很容易接触到它。这是一个有价值的“钩子”，可以用来在生命的早期培养对科学的欣赏。因此，针对小学生的外展计划为以后的科学素养奠定了基础。此外，本科生和研究生参与这样的项目，培养了未来科学家之间的外展传统，同时发展了他们的陈述技能和信心。作为该项目的一部分，将实施的具体外展想法将包括一个虚拟笔友计划，在该计划中，物理学研究生通过个性化的万维网网页回复，当地小学的幻灯片放映，以及当地夏令营的天文之夜，回答小学儿童的科学问题。

Abstract - Victoria M. Kaspi AST 9875897In 1054 AD, Asian astronomers witnessed a spectacular cosmic explosion whose afterglow was visible to the naked eye for months. This "Guest Star" is known to have been the supernova explosion of a massive star. Left in its place is a glowing cloud, a supernova remnant commonly known as the Crab Nebula. At its heart is the compact, rapidly rotating, and degenerate stellar remnant of its progenitor core, a neutron star. The neutron star in the Crab Nebula is a radio pulsar. It is so called because of its bright beamed bursts of radiation in the radio regime, observable once per rotation period, like a lighthouse beacon.The fundamental properties of the young neutron star population are yet to be determined. It is not known whether the formation of objects like the Crab pulsar is common or unusual, what fraction of all young neutron stars is observable as pulsars, and what fraction of pulsars are born in supernova explosions. It is not known what are the birth properties of neutron stars, namely how fast they typically rotate, the magnitude of their magnetic fields and the strength and composition of their winds. These issues are basic to an understanding of the fate and physics of massive stars, the supernova mechanism, and the Galactic population of neutron stars and supernova remnants. Pulsars are observed to be the fastest-moving stellar objects in the Milky Way, with some objects plowing through the interstellar medium at upwards of 1000 km/sec. The origin of these speeds is very likely tied to the physics of their birth events, although exactly how is not known.These questions and others will investigated by using leading radio and optical telescopes worldwide to make observations of the pulsars. Among specific observational projects to be carried our are major searches for new pulsars and detailed follow-up of newly discovered sources, using radio and optical timing and imaging. This research is well suited to the training of students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and there will be major student involvement in the research projects.Traditional university lecture techniques have a venerable history; they evolved long before many of today's modern technological advances became available. It should surprise no one if innovative teaching techniques, especially incorporating computer graphics in the classroom, improve the quality of physics education. This improvement is needed to alter the prevailing culture that physics is out of the grasp of all but the cream of the crop. Pulsars, the topic of research, are also ideally suited for illustrating many of the salient points in the MIT course Physics III, "Waves and Vibrations." Computer and scientific illustration enhancements, as well as a decidedly interactive lecturing technique, will be incorporated into Physics III lectures. Overall, astronomy has the virtue that it is easily accessible to the general public, including children. It is a valuable "hook" with which to foster an appreciation for science early in life. An outreach program targeting elementary school children thus lays the foundation for science literacy later in life. Furthermore, the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in such programs fosters a tradition of outreach among tomorrow's scientists, while simultaneously developing their presentation skills and confidence. Specific outreach ideas that will be implemented as part of this project will include a Virtual Pen Pal program in which Physics graduate students respond to elementary school children's science queries using personalized World Wide Web page responses, slide shows at local elementary schools, and Astronomy Night at local summer camps.