The Open Cluster Chemical Abundance and Mapping (OCCAM) Survey

天文学家正在努力了解星系在整个宇宙历史中是如何变化的。我们的银河系为了解螺旋星系随时间变化的细节提供了最好的机会。为了测量随时间的变化，研究人员将识别被称为星团的恒星群，他们可以可靠地估计它们的年龄。一个关键的变化是恒星的化学组成。在这个项目中，研究人员将收集大量的星团来测量星系中随时间的化学变化。该项目将为探索银河系的历史提供独特的目录，从而促进天文学研究的进步，从而符合国家利益。调查人员将开展拓展活动，并在德克萨斯州沃斯堡的莫宁陨石画廊增加现有项目。他们还将培训研究生和本科生现代数据科学研究和分析技术。开放星团化学分析和测绘（OCCAM）调查是一个了解银河系化学和动态演化的项目，通过使用星团作为关键的年龄数据化学和动态示踪剂种群。OCCAM将测量动态和化学丰度趋势，作为年龄的函数和在银河系盘中的位置的函数。他们将测试化学标记是否能在银河系盘中起作用，以及疏散星团是否参与了径向迁移。该项目将使用SDSS-IV/APOGEE-2巡天的统一光度测量、尖端天体测量和化学技术。额外的高分辨率光学光谱将补充APOGEE数据，增加中子捕获元素，以创建多达400个疏散星团的独特目录，从而系统地测量年龄，距离，变红以及20多种元素的详细丰度。

Astronomers are working to understand how galaxies change throughout the history of the Universe. Our Milky Way galaxy allows the best opportunity to understand the details of a spiral galaxy's change over time. To measure changes over time the investigators will identify groups of stars, called star clusters, for which they can reliably estimate the ages. One key change is the chemical make-up of stars. For this project, the investigators will assemble a large set of star clusters to measure chemical changes with time across the galaxy. This project will serve the national interest as it promotes the progress of research in astronomy by providing a unique catalog to probe the history of the Milky Way. The investigators will run outreach activities and add to existing programs at the Monnig Meteorite Gallery in Fort Worth, TX. They will also train graduate and undergraduate students in modern data science research and analysis techniques.The Open Cluster Chemical Analysis and Mapping (OCCAM) survey is a program to understand the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Milky Way by using star clusters as a key age-datable chemical and dynamical tracer population. OCCAM will measure the dynamical and chemical abundance trends as a function of age and a function of position in the disk of the Milky Way galaxy. They will test whether chemical tagging can work in the Milky Way disk and if open clusters participate in radial migration. This project will use uniform photometry, cutting-edge astrometry, and chemistry from the SDSS-IV/APOGEE-2 survey. Additional optical high-resolution spectroscopy will supplement the APOGEE data, adding neutron capture elements, to create a unique catalog of up to 400 open star clusters leading to systematically measured ages, distances, reddening, and detailed abundances for more than 20 elements.