CAREER: Astrophysics and Radio Pulsars: From the Forefront to the Classroom

公元1054年，亚洲天文学家目睹了一次壮观的宇宙大爆炸，其余辉可以用肉眼看到数月之久。这颗“客星”被认为是一颗大质量恒星的超新星爆炸。在它的位置留下了一片发光的云，这是超新星的遗迹，通常被称为蟹状星云。在它的中心是紧凑的、快速旋转的、并简并的恒星残骸，它的前身是一颗中子星。蟹状星云中的中子星是一颗射电脉冲星。它之所以这样叫，是因为它在无线电系统中有明亮的辐射爆发，每旋转周期可以观测到一次，就像灯塔的信标一样。年轻中子星群的基本特性还有待确定。像蟹状脉冲星这样的天体的形成是常见的还是不寻常的尚不清楚，所有年轻的中子星中有多少是可观测到的脉冲星，以及脉冲星中有多少是在超新星爆炸中诞生的。目前还不知道中子星的诞生特性是什么，即它们通常旋转的速度有多快，磁场的大小以及风的强度和组成。这些问题是理解大质量恒星的命运和物理、超新星机制以及银河系中子星和超新星遗迹的基本问题。脉冲星被认为是银河系中移动最快的恒星物体，一些物体以每秒1000公里的速度穿过星际介质。这些速度的起源很可能与它们诞生的物理事件有关，尽管确切的原因尚不清楚。这些问题和其他问题将通过使用世界上领先的射电和光学望远镜对脉冲星进行观测来研究。在具体的观测项目中，我们将主要搜寻新的脉冲星，并利用无线电、光学定时和成像技术对新发现的脉冲星进行详细跟踪。这项研究非常适合研究生和本科生的培训，并且将有主要的学生参与研究项目。传统的大学演讲方式有着悠久的历史；早在今天的许多现代技术进步出现之前，它们就已经进化了。如果创新的教学技术，特别是在课堂上结合计算机图形学，提高了物理教育的质量，这应该不会让人感到惊讶。这种改进需要改变一种流行的文化，即只有精英才能掌握物理学。脉冲星作为研究的主题，也非常适合用来说明麻省理工学院物理课程III“波与振动”中的许多重点。计算机和科学插图的增强，以及一个决定性的互动教学技术，将纳入物理III的讲座。总的来说，天文学的优点是它很容易被包括儿童在内的普通公众所接受。这是一个有价值的“钩子”，可以在生命早期培养对科学的欣赏。因此，针对小学生的外展计划为以后的生活奠定了科学素养的基础。此外，本科生和研究生在这些项目中的参与培养了未来科学家拓展的传统，同时也培养了他们的演讲技巧和信心。作为这个项目的一部分，具体的推广想法将包括一个虚拟笔友项目，在这个项目中，物理学研究生使用个性化的万维网页面回答小学生的科学问题，在当地小学播放幻灯片，并在当地夏令营举办天文之夜。

Abstract - Victoria M. Kaspi AST 9875897In 1054 AD, Asian astronomers witnessed a spectacular cosmic explosion whose afterglow was visible to the naked eye for months. This "Guest Star" is known to have been the supernova explosion of a massive star. Left in its place is a glowing cloud, a supernova remnant commonly known as the Crab Nebula. At its heart is the compact, rapidly rotating, and degenerate stellar remnant of its progenitor core, a neutron star. The neutron star in the Crab Nebula is a radio pulsar. It is so called because of its bright beamed bursts of radiation in the radio regime, observable once per rotation period, like a lighthouse beacon.The fundamental properties of the young neutron star population are yet to be determined. It is not known whether the formation of objects like the Crab pulsar is common or unusual, what fraction of all young neutron stars is observable as pulsars, and what fraction of pulsars are born in supernova explosions. It is not known what are the birth properties of neutron stars, namely how fast they typically rotate, the magnitude of their magnetic fields and the strength and composition of their winds. These issues are basic to an understanding of the fate and physics of massive stars, the supernova mechanism, and the Galactic population of neutron stars and supernova remnants. Pulsars are observed to be the fastest-moving stellar objects in the Milky Way, with some objects plowing through the interstellar medium at upwards of 1000 km/sec. The origin of these speeds is very likely tied to the physics of their birth events, although exactly how is not known.These questions and others will investigated by using leading radio and optical telescopes worldwide to make observations of the pulsars. Among specific observational projects to be carried our are major searches for new pulsars and detailed follow-up of newly discovered sources, using radio and optical timing and imaging. This research is well suited to the training of students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and there will be major student involvement in the research projects.Traditional university lecture techniques have a venerable history; they evolved long before many of today's modern technological advances became available. It should surprise no one if innovative teaching techniques, especially incorporating computer graphics in the classroom, improve the quality of physics education. This improvement is needed to alter the prevailing culture that physics is out of the grasp of all but the cream of the crop. Pulsars, the topic of research, are also ideally suited for illustrating many of the salient points in the MIT course Physics III, "Waves and Vibrations." Computer and scientific illustration enhancements, as well as a decidedly interactive lecturing technique, will be incorporated into Physics III lectures. Overall, astronomy has the virtue that it is easily accessible to the general public, including children. It is a valuable "hook" with which to foster an appreciation for science early in life. An outreach program targeting elementary school children thus lays the foundation for science literacy later in life. Furthermore, the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in such programs fosters a tradition of outreach among tomorrow's scientists, while simultaneously developing their presentation skills and confidence. Specific outreach ideas that will be implemented as part of this project will include a Virtual Pen Pal program in which Physics graduate students respond to elementary school children's science queries using personalized World Wide Web page responses, slide shows at local elementary schools, and Astronomy Night at local summer camps.