An Astronomical Computing System at Columbia University

哥伦比亚大学的天文学和天体物理学研究活动 大学最近经历了一个重大的扩张与 向各部分配大量新资源， 物理学和天文学：聘请了9名新教师 在过去的五年里，已经花费了200多万美元， 已承诺用于建筑物翻新，另外40万美元已 新教员的启动资金 此外该 大学已同意以2：1的比例分配32万美元的配套资金 购买和安装一个现代化的计算设备 以支持其年轻教师的各种研究项目。 这 奖励提供完成所需资金的其余1/3 这套系统的收购。 重大科学项目， 需要CONVEX的设施已经在进行中;这些 包括对Hydra星团进行一次完整的体积有限的HI调查 星系和其他一些大口径合成光谱 PI进行的一系列项目，对银河系平面的调查 在327兆赫，这超过了所有以前的调查是一个因素， 在分辨率和灵敏度方面均超过30， K巨星中阶梯光谱和广布的拥挤场 作为更大计划的一部分， 旨在解开化学和动力学演变的 银河，分析其他广泛的数据集，包括 白色矮星发射线高分辨光谱 活动星系核区和类星体吸收线 系统，以及与时间相关的几个理论项目 恒星中的对流，形成和 星系的演化，以及对一种新方法的研究 星际介质中的热不稳定性。 研究 计算设施是进行大部分这类活动所必需的 研究计划。

Research activity in astronomy and astrophysics at Columbia University has recently undergone a major expansion with the allocation of substantial new resources to the Departments of Physics and Astronomy: Nine new faculty members have been hired during the past five years, over $2 million has been spent or committed for building renovation and another $0.4 M has been awarded in startup money for the new faculty. In addition, the University has agreed to allot $320,000 in 2:1 matching funds toward the purchase and installation of a modern computing facility to support the varied research programs of its young faculty. This award provides the remaining 1/3 of the funds required to complete the acquisition of this system. Major science projects which necessitate the CONVEX-based facility are already underway; these include a complete volume-limited HI survey fo the Hydra cluster of galaxies and a number of other large aperture synthesis spectral line projects conducted by the PI, a survey of the Galactic plane at 327 MHz which exceeds all previous surveys be a factor of more than 30 in both resolution and sensitivity, analysis of several hundred echelle spectra of K giants and extensive crowded-field photometry in the Galactic bulge as part of a larger program directed at unravelling the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy, analysis of other extensive data sets including high-resolution optical spectra of white dwarfs, emission line regions of active galactic nuclei, and quasar absorption line systems, and several theoretical projects related to time-dependent convection in stars, numerical studies in the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the investigation of a novel approach to thermal instabilities in the interstellar medium. The research computing facility is essential for the conduct of much of this research program.