Volatiles in Disks Around Young Stars: Disentangling Our Origins

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。Erika Gibb博士将研究水、一氧化碳和简单有机分子等挥发性分子是如何通过暗云坍塌形成原行星盘并最终并入原行星或彗星而进化的。这项提议将支持对环绕在非常年轻的恒星周围的大量圆盘和包层进行高分辨率、近红外光谱研究，以辨别这些天体的化学成分。该计划的一个主要目标将是探索形成环境和观测几何形状如何影响恒星形成区域的气体和尘埃的测量成分。结果将被用来测试云和圆盘的化学演化模型。该项目预计将对生命起源和年轻恒星演化的研究产生广泛影响，有助于更好地了解星际和盘化学，并将对盘的化学模拟产生重大影响。吉布博士和她的团队将通过教育圣路易斯地区的教师，将他们的研究整合到中学教育中。他们将与她所在机构的教育学院合作举办暑期讲习班，培训圣路易斯地区的教师有效地在课堂上利用天文活动。这些活动将增进对科学的概念性理解，并教导科学探究的根本重要性。研讨会将通过跨学科的科学方法解决密苏里州科学等级水平对中学生的期望的关键组成部分。一个类似的研讨会，重点是彗星科学，将由Gibb博士和华盛顿特区大都市区的一名合作者开发。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Dr. Erika Gibb will investigate how volatile molecules such as water, carbon monoxide, and simple organic molecules evolved through the collapse of a dark cloud into a protoplanetary disk and eventual incorporation into protoplanets or comets. This proposal will support a high-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopic study of numerous disks and envelopes surrounding very young stars to discern the chemical composition of these objects. A major goal of the program will be to explore how the formation environment and viewing geometry affect the measured composition of gas and dust in star forming regions. The results will be used to test models of chemical evolution of clouds and disks. This project is expected to have a broad impact on studies of origins of life and the evolution of young stars, and will contribute to a better understanding of interstellar and disk chemistry and will significantly impact chemical modeling of disks. Dr. Gibb and her team will integrate their research into secondary school education by educating teachers in the metropolitan St. Louis area. They will develop a summer workshop, in collaboration with the College of Education at her institution, to train teachers in the St. Louis area in the effective classroom use of astronomy-based activities. The activities will enhance conceptual understanding of science and teach the fundamental importance of scientific inquiry. The workshop will address key components of the Missouri Science Grade Level Expectations for secondary students through an interdisciplinary approach to science. A similar workshop, focusing on comet science, will be developed by Dr. Gibb and a collaborator for the Washington, DC metropolitan area.