RUI: Star Formation Rate and Extinction in Galaxies, Near and Far

RUI：近处和远处星系中的恒星形成率和灭绝

• 批准号: 0909240
• 负责人: Marianne Takamiya
• 金额: $ 13.91万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii at Hilo
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0909240&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Star; Formation; Rate; Extinction

Dr. Takamiya will use the University of Hawaii's 2.2-meter telescope, and the new 0.9-meter telescope dedicated to UH-Hilo, to take images of 30 nearby galaxies in the light of hydrogen gas that has been heated by nearby young stars. Young stars are generally surrounded by dusty gas, out of which they have formed. The dust absorbs some of the light from the hot gas, blocking blue light more strongly than red. Dr Takamiya will compare images of her galaxies in both the red line of H-alpha and the green line of H-beta, to estimate how strong the blocking effect is. A further check will come from maps in the mid-infrared made from space observations, and maps at radio wavelengths, since these are almost unaffected by dust. The results obtained in nearby galaxies will be extrapolated to distant disk galaxies, where in general only lines such as H-alpha at optical wavelengths can be measured easily for large samples. This extrapolation will yield better estimates of the rate at which galaxies have formed their stars throughout cosmic history.This project will provide research opportunities to undergraduate students at Dr. Takamiya's institution. Six undergraduate students will be hired to participate in writing observing proposals to gain access to telescopes on Mauna Kea, to carry out the observations, reduce and analyze them, and to present the results in professional meetings. The University of Hawaii at Hilo is located in the most ethnically diverse county in the USA, and members of under-represented groups will be encouraged to participate in this research. Dr Takamiya will also continue her outreach work to local elementary schools.

高宫博士将使用夏威夷大学2.2米的望远镜，以及专门为UH-HELO提供的0.9米的新望远镜，拍摄附近30个星系的图像，这些星系发出的氢气被附近的年轻恒星加热。年轻恒星通常被尘埃气体包围，它们是由尘埃气体形成的。尘埃吸收了热气体中的一些光，阻挡蓝光比阻挡红光更强烈。高宫博士将比较她的星系在H-α红线和H-β绿线上的图像，以估计阻挡效应的强度。进一步的检查将来自来自太空观测的中红外地图和无线电波长的地图，因为这些地图几乎不受尘埃的影响。在附近星系获得的结果将被外推到遥远的盘状星系，在那里，通常只有光学波长的H-α这样的线可以很容易地测量到大样本。这一外推将更好地估计星系在整个宇宙历史上形成恒星的速度。这个项目将为高宫博士所在机构的本科生提供研究机会。将雇用六名本科生参与撰写使用莫纳克亚望远镜的观测建议书，进行观测，减少和分析观测，并在专业会议上展示结果。夏威夷大学希洛分校位于美国种族最多元化的县，将鼓励代表人数不足的群体的成员参与这项研究。Takamiya博士还将继续她在当地小学的外展工作。