The Violent Interstellar Medium at the Galactic Center

AST0307052Lang DR.科妮莉亚·朗将执行一项广泛的观测计划，以调查银河系中心区域剧烈星际介质的天体物理。该计划的目标是利用最近和计划中的对银河系中央200PC的多波长观测，对这一物理极端区域的星际过程进行更完整的描述。特别是，她将(1)利用来自超大型阵列的高分辨率原子氢吸收数据和现有的多波长数据集的组合，阐明银河中心恒星和星际组件的复杂物理安排和联系。(2)其次，她将利用现有和未来的射电偏振和X射线数据集，研究银河系中心磁场与星际扩散成分(例如，电离、分子和非常热的气体)的关系，以及它在将能量传输到原子核之外的作用。磁化和其他星际成分之间的比较对于确定在这种环境下工作的物理过程至关重要。在银河系中心几百秒内可以观察到的细节水平，远远超出了人们探测其他星系核区的分辨率。最终，对我们银河系中心发生的暴力过程的这种类型的调查将提供对发生在其他星系核区的暴力过程的本质的洞察。作为研究计划的一个关键方面，朗博士将与爱荷华大学的女性科学与工程(WISE)项目合作，让传统上代表性不足的女性物理和天文学学生(包括本科生和研究生)参与积极的研究合作。除了对银河中心数据进行拟议的观测和分析外，朗博士和她的学生还将为科学界成员、各级教师和普通公众创建一个基于网络的、多波长的银河中心资源。*

AST 0307052LangDr. Cornelia Lang will carry out an extensive observational program to investigate the astrophysics of the violent interstellar medium in the central regions of the Milky Way galaxy. The goalof this program is to use both recent and proposed multi-wavelength observations of the central200 pc of the Galaxy to put together a more complete picture of the interstellar processes in thisphysically-extreme region. In particular, she will (1) elucidate the complex physical arrangementand associations of stellar and interstellar components in the Galactic Center using a combinationof high-resolution, atomic hydrogen absorption data from the Very Large Array and existing multi-wavelength datasets. (2) Secondly, she will investigate the relationship of the magnetic field inthe Galactic Center to the diffuse interstellar components (e.g. ionized, molecular and very hotgas) and the role it plays in the transport of energy out of the nucleus using existing and futureradio polarimetric and X-ray datasets. Comparisons between the magnetized and other interstellarcomponents are crucial to determining the physical processes at work in this environment. Thelevel of detail that can be observed in the central few hundred parsecs of the Galaxy vastlyexceeds the resolution with which one can probe the nuclear regions of other galaxies. Ultimately,this type of investigation of the violent processes occurring in our own Galactic Center will provideinsight as to the nature of violent processes occurring in the nuclear regions of other galaxies.As a key aspect of the research program, Dr. Lang will be working with the Womenin Science and Engineering (WISE) program at the University of Iowa to involve traditionallyunder-represented female physics and astronomy students (both undergraduate and graduate) inan active research collaboration. In addition to carrying out the proposed observations and analysisof Galactic Center data, Dr. Lang and her students will create a web-based, multi-wavelengthGalactic Center resource for members of the scientific community, teachers of all levels, and thegeneral public.***