Collaborative Research: SEPPCoN, a Survey of the Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei

AST-0808004/0807521/0808139 Fernandez/Meech/Lowry这些合作奖项支持了为进行SEPPCoN而成立的小组，SEPPCoN是一项彗星核物理性质的调查。 这是一个大型的多波长项目，旨在了解太阳系中当前彗星群的大小，颜色，形状和旋转的分布，以研究彗星自形成以来的46亿年中如何变化。 这一点很重要，因为彗星被用来探测导致太阳系形成的原行星盘的热物理条件。 虽然这是一个比本调查可以回答的更大的问题，但SEPPCoN将解决与原子核本身组成相关的方面，包括体积强度，质量损失，碎裂，散射，颜色和轴比。 良好的理解需要观察彗星种群的重要样本，该项目首先关注彗星族彗星（JFC），其初始样本为100个JFC核。 这大约是已知样本总数的30%，对于统计学的严谨性来说是足够大的。 这项研究使用了斯皮策太空望远镜和莫纳克亚山、拉西拉、拉帕尔马和帕洛玛的地面设施的数据。该项目雇用了本科生来获取、简化和展示一些数据集，为他们提供真正的研究经验。 这个项目的数据提供了有用的背景下，高层次的本科课程天文技术。 SEPPCoN是法国，西班牙，英国和美国四个州的研究人员之间的国际合作。

AST-0808004/0807521/0808139Fernandez/Meech/LowryThese collaborative awards support the group formed to carry out SEPPCoN, a Survey of the Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei. This is a large multi-wavelength project to understand the distribution of sizes, albedos, colors, shapes, and rotations of the current comet population in the Solar System, to investigate how comets have changed in the 4.6 billion years since their formation. This is important, because comets are used to probe the thermo-physical conditions of the proto-planetary disk that led to the formation of the solar system. Although this is a larger question than this survey can answer, SEPPCoN will address aspects related to the make-up of the nuclei themselves, including bulk strength, mass loss, fragmentation, albedos, colors, and axial ratios. Good understanding requires observing a significant sample of the comet population, and this project starts by focusing on Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) with an initial sample of 100 JFC nuclei. This is about 30% of the total known sample and is large enough for statistical rigor. The study uses data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and from ground-based facilities on Mauna Kea, La Silla, La Palma, and Palomar.The project employs undergraduates for the acquisition, reduction, and presentation of some of the datasets, providing them with a true research experience. Data from this project provide useful context for upper-level undergraduate courses on astronomical techniques. SEPPCoN is an international collaboration among researchers in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and four U.S. states.