The Impact of Massive Stars and Clusters on the Interstellar Medium in the Galactic Center

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。爱荷华大学的Cornelia Lang博士将开展一项观测计划，研究年轻的大量恒星群体对银河系中心区域星际介质的影响。与我们银河系的圆盘相比，这个区域的物理性质是极端的。在过去的十年里，近红外和X射线观测表明，大质量恒星对该地区的星际介质有显著影响，磁场也可能起主导作用。然而，对这些恒星和星际成分之间相互作用的详细研究还没有从对银河系中心(GC)不断增长的高分辨率观测中得到综合。最近由哈勃太空望远镜的近红外相机和多目标光谱仪进行的帕森-阿尔法GC测量，以及第一次使用4.9 GHz甚大阵列对GC区域进行的宽视场镶嵌，以及来自斯皮策空间望远镜和钱德拉X射线天文台对GC区域的调查数据，将被用来(1)通过识别帕兴-阿尔法和射电连续体中的发射线恒星，提供对GC中央75个部分内的大质量恒星的彻底特征，同时，射电观测可以提供恒星质量损失率的测量，还可以跟踪这些天体的可变性，以及(2)结合高分辨率Paschen-Alpha、射电连续谱和中红外数据来检查大质量恒星对星际介质的影响，并量化该区域的“能量收支”。此外，朗博士还将调查在电离气体中出现的细小尺度上的惊人细丝的性质。这项研究计划的长期目标是更清楚地了解星系不寻常的核区的物理过程，包括我们的星系和附近星系的核区。该计划的一个关键方面将是与传统上代表性不足的女性物理和天文学学生合作。朗博士计划在爱荷华大学的女性科学与工程(WISE)组织和物理与天文学系之间建立更坚实的合作伙伴关系。在与WISE的合作中，她计划组织一系列定期活动，以促进校园内女性理科学生的导师和专业发展，包括：每年一次的本科生担任评委的本科生海报会议，为研究生举办的专业发展研讨会，以及为共同生活在学习社区宿舍的WISH本科生普通民众举办的观察会和望远镜之旅。除了学生通过研究项目获得基本技能外，这些指导活动还可以在将这些年轻女性培养成下一代成功的科学研究人员和教师方面发挥很大作用。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Dr. Cornelia Lang (University of Iowa) will carry out an observational program to study the impact of the young massive stellar population on the interstellar medium in the central regions of the Milky Way galaxy. The physical properties of this region are extreme compared to the disk of our Galaxy. Over the last decade, near-infrared and X-ray observations have revealed that massive stars have a significant effect on the interstellar medium in this region, and that the magnetic field may also play a dominant role. However, a detailed study of the interplay between these stellar and interstellar components has not yet been synthesized from the growing canon of high-resolution observations of the Galactic center (GC). A recent Paschen-alpha GC survey carried out by the Hubble Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer and the first wide-field mosaic of the GC region with the Very Large Array at 4.9 GHz, as well as data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory surveys of the GC region, will be used to (1) provide a thorough characterization of the massive stars within the central 75 parsecs of the GC by identifying emission-line stars in the Paschen-alpha and radio continuum, while in addition, radio observations can provide a measurement of the stellar mass-loss rates and also track variability of these objects and (2) combine high resolution Paschen-alpha, radio continuum, and mid-infrared data to examine the impact of the massive stars on the interstellar medium and quantify the "energy budget" for this region. In addition, Dr. Lang will investigate the nature of the striking filamentation present on fine scales in the ionized gas. The long term goal of this research program is to obtain a clearer understanding of the physical processes in the unusual nuclear region of galaxies, both ours and that of nearby systems.A key aspect of this program will be collaborating with traditionally under-represented female physics and astronomy students. Dr. Lang plans to develop a more substantial partnership between the University of Iowa's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) organization and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In collaborating with WISE, she plans to organize a series of regular activities to foster mentorship and professional development of female students in science across campus, including: an annual undergraduate poster session where graduate students serve as judges, professional development workshops for graduate students, and observing sessions and telescope tours for the general population of WISE undergraduates who live together in a "Learning Community" dorm. In addition to the students' acquiring fundamental skills through research projects, these mentoring activities can play a large part in the development of these young women into the next generation of successful scientific researchers and teachers.