Observations of Magnetic Fields in Molecular Clouds - Exploring Two Key Issues

该奖项由 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）资助。肯塔基大学的托马斯·特罗兰将进行广泛的无线电勘测，以测量恒星形成区域的磁场强度。 他将探索磁场在分子云演化中的作用，分子云是星际介质中凉爽、相对致密的部分，含有尘埃和氢、碳等分子。他还将研究磁场如何与非常致密的气体团块相互作用，看看在形成高质量和低质量恒星时这些场是否会有所不同。 这项工作将使用西弗吉尼亚州、波多黎各和西班牙的射电天文学设施进行。该项目将对恒星形成理论产生许多影响。 Troland 博士将让学生参与该项目的各个方面，包括获取、分析和传播数据。 他还将借鉴之前在 K-12 推广工作中的经验，制定一项计划来解决肯塔基州科学课程中的核心概念。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Thomas Troland of the University of Kentucky will undertake an extensive radio survey to measure the strengths of magnetic fields in regions of star formation. He will explore the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of molecular clouds, which are cool, relatively dense portions of the interstellar medium containing dust and molecules of hydrogen, carbon, etc. He will also investigate how magnetic fields may interact with very dense gaseous clumps, to see whether these fields may differ when high-mass and low-mass stars are formed. This work will be performed using radio astronomy facilities in West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and Spain.The project will have many implications for the theory of star formation. Dr. Troland will involve students in all aspects of this program, including obtaining, analyzing, and disseminating the data. He will also build on his previous experience in K-12 outreach efforts, and will develop a program to address core concepts in the science curricula for the state of Kentucky.