Reconstructing the Formation of the Milky Way with Metal-Poor Stars

研究人员试图了解我们银河系的早期形成历史。她将用大型光学望远镜观测已知最古老的恒星。由于在这些恒星的光谱中可以探测到元素的特征，这些恒星显示了大约120亿年前的诞生环境。研究者将研究这些老恒星的化学成分。通过详细的建模，天文学家重建了第一批恒星和第一批星系是如何形成的。这些信息让我们深入了解银河系是如何在很久以前由许多小星系形成的。她的研究表明，某些元素是在特定类型的大规模超新星爆炸和其他爆炸事件中形成的。绘制银河系中老恒星的位置也有助于建立银河系成分随时间变化的模型。为了与公众分享她的研究经验，这位研究人员开发了一个戏剧作品，突出了核物理学家莉斯·迈特纳（Lise Meitner）的重要贡献。迈特纳克服了许多挑战，取得了她的研究发现，尽管在第一次和第二次世界大战期间受到了压力和迫害。研究者将使用高分辨率光谱学。她将详细测量不同类型老恒星的元素特征。它提供了关于它们宇宙历史的知识。这将使她能够描绘出宇宙中最重元素形成的地点。她还将绘制第一批恒星爆炸死亡的地图。小型卫星矮星系的性质将被确立。这将使我们深入了解银河系的形成历史。结果将与理论模型和模拟结果进行比较。这项研究的结果将限制核合成模型，并部分解释地球上发现的元素的相对丰度。研究者对过去元素创造与当前爆炸性多信使观测之间关系的研究，将新的观测置于历史背景中。该奖项部分由美国国家科学基金会宇宙之窗（WoU）大创意拨款资助。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。

The investigator seeks to understand the early formation history of our Milky Way galaxy. She will do so by observing the oldest known stars with large optical telescopes. Due to detectable signatures of elements in the optical spectra of these stars, the stars show the birth environments, some 12 billion years ago. The investigator will study the chemical composition of these old stars. By detailed modeling, astronomers to reconstruct how the first stars and the first galaxies formed. Such information provides insight into how our Galaxy formed from many small galaxies long ago. Her research has shown that certain elements were formed in specific types of massive supernova explosions and other explosive events. Mapping the locations of old stars in the Galaxy also assists with the modeling of the change in time of the composition of the Milky Way. To share her research experience with the public, the investigator has developed a theatrical production highlighting fundamental contributions by nuclear physicist Lise Meitner. Ms. Meitner overcame many challenges to make her research discoveries, despite stress and persecution during World Wars I and II. The investigator will use high-resolution spectroscopy. She will measure detailed the element signatures of different types of old stars. It provides knowledge on their cosmic histories. This will allow her to characterize the sites in the cosmos where the heaviest elements are made. She will also map the explosive deaths of the first stars. The properties of small satellite dwarf galaxies will be established. This will provide insight into the formation history of the Milky Way. Results will be compared to theoretical models and simulations. The results of this study will constrain nucleosynthesis models, and partially explain the relative abundances of elements found on Earth. The investigator’s study of the relationship between past element creation and current, explosive, multi-messenger observations, place the new observations in a historical context. This award is partially funded through the NSF Windows on the Universe (WoU) Big Idea allocation.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.