Collaborative Research: A Multi-Dimensional View of the Milky Way

星系是宇宙的主要组成部分。我们的家星系——银河系，提供了一个特殊的机会来了解星系是如何形成和随时间变化的。新的天文调查，如斯隆数字巡天（SDSS），现在正在测量银河系中数十万颗恒星的化学元素“指纹”。研究人员将分析这些化学指纹以及恒星的年龄和位置，以了解银河系的历史，以及产生这些元素的恒星的核炉。他们还将开发新的方法来改进SDSS对恒星温度和化学成分的测量。研究人员将使用多元素丰度比图来经验地推断超新星的元素产量，并确定化学富集的其他主要渠道。研究人员将通过为SDSS航行门户网站开发一项新的恒星光谱“探险”来增强SDSS的教育成分，该门户网站的目标是高中生。他们将开发新的天文馆，展示元素的起源和银河系的历史。他们计划广泛的公众参与活动，包括公开讲座和俄亥俄州立天文馆的项目。这些活动与他们的研究活动密切相关。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Galaxies are the main building blocks of the Universe. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, provides a special opportunity to learn about how galaxies form and change with time. New astronomical surveys, such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), are now measuring the chemical element "fingerprints" of hundreds of thousands of stars across the Milky Way. The investigators will analyze these chemical fingerprints along with ages and positions of stars, to learn the history of the Milky Way and about the nuclear furnaces of stars that produce these elements. They will also develop new methods to improve the SDSS measurements of stellar temperatures and chemical compositions. The investigators will use maps of multi-element abundance ratios to empirically infer the element yields of supernovae and to identify other major channels of chemical enrichment.The investigators will enhance the educational component of the SDSS by developing a new "expedition" on stellar spectroscopy for the SDSS Voyages portal, which is aimed at high school students. They will develop new planetarium shows about the origin of the elements and the history of the Milky Way. They plan extensive public engagement activities, including public lectures and programs for the Ohio State Planetarium. These activities are tied specifically to their research activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.