RUI: Radio Wavelength Studies of Early and Large Structures in the Universe

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AST-0071192PARTRIDGEWhere and how do large structures in the Universe first form and begin to emit starlight? Observations at radio wavelengths, since they are unaffected by obscuration by dust, can be used answer such questions. A series of deep centimeter-wavelength surveys of a region of the sky will be made. These observations will complement excellent optical, IR and X-ray data available. These surveys will enable us to determine the nature and abundance of faint, high-redshift, radio sources and to determine the mechanism responsible for their radio emission. The star formation history of the Universe may thus be calculated without the need to correct for dust extinction as in observing at optical wavelengths. This will enable the improvement of the predictions of the fluctuations, which Extragalactic radio sources will introduce, in current and planned searches for small-scale anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background radiation. In addition, radio observations of the cores of X-ray bright galactic nuclei will be used to estimate the masses of the supermassive black holes that reside there. Included in the planned research are several closely related research projects that are designed to have the right scope for undergraduate students. These projects include improving the counts of radio sources at 8.4 GHz; archival searching of deep radio surveys for variable sources; improving statistics on GHz peaked spectrum sources; and archival searching for high resolution radio (and X-ray) observational data on galactic nuclei.An important part of the planned activities is to repeat a successful experiment funded by a previous NSF grant. There is support for a postdoctoral position, which combines both participation in some of the research activities above and a carefully mentored involvement in undergraduate teaching. The postdoctoral associate will design and teach one astronomy course each year under the close supervision of the principal investigator and the co-principal investigator. The postdoctoral associate will also review the pedagogical techniques. Haverford College will provide support for the teaching activities. This project is funded by the Division of Astronomical Sciences.***