Early Solar System Volatile Distribution

该奖项资助比较早期太阳系中挥发物的分布和丰度与其他恒星周围原行星盘中的挥发物，并测试行星形成模型。 PI和她的团队将专注于测量一氧化碳（CO）与二氧化碳（CO2）气体在各种小型冰体中的丰度比，包括彗星和柯伊伯带天体（KBO），它们在很大的距离上绕太阳运行。 CO和CO2都是关键的挥发物，是彗星活动的主要驱动因素之一，也是研究早期太阳系化学成分的重要示踪剂。研究人员将通过分析新的观测结果和现有的彗星和KBO数据库来实现这一目标。PI将培训和指导两名博士后研究人员，并与计算机科学和电气工程专业的研究生一起使用天文数据进行暑期学校项目。具体目标包括对新发现和以前已知的活动彗星进行光学跟踪，以估计CO/CO2气体通量，利用Finson-Probstein尘埃动力学模型，对WISE望远镜观测到的明亮彗星进行高分辨率近红外光谱和亚毫米观测，以探测CO，利用来自Pan STARRS 1巡天望远镜的数据，以及该团队现有的测光数据库来创建简单的升华模型，以了解在一定距离范围内的活动。他们还将开发在3D mini-CAVE环境中可视化部分数据集的方法，以实现新类型的科学探索。

This award funds work to compare the distribution and abundance of volatiles in the early solar system with those in protoplanetary disks around other stars, and test models of planetary formation. The PI and her team will focus on measuring the abundance ratio of carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide (CO2) gases in a diverse set of small icy bodies, including comets and Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), orbiting the Sun at large distances. CO and CO2 are both key volatiles that are among the primary drivers of comet activity and are important tracers for studying the chemical composition of the early solar system. The researchers will accomplish this with analysis of new observations and existing databases of comets and KBOs. The PI will train and mentor two postdoctoral researchers and work with computer science and electrical engineering students graduate students in a summer school program using astronomical data.Specific objectives include conducting optical follow up for newly discovered and previously known active comets in order to estimate CO/CO2 gas fluxes, obtaining high resolution near-IR spectra and sub-mm observations on bright comets seen by the WISE telescope in order to detect CO, employing Finson-Probstein dust dynamical models, utilize data from the Pan STARRS1 survey telescope, and the team's existing photometry database to create simple sublimation models to understand the activity over a range of distances. They will also develop ways to visualize portions of the data set in a 3D mini-CAVE environment to enable new types of science exploration.