Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs: Protoplanetary Disks and the Formation of Planetesimals

AST-0302146 Barranco，JosephDr. Barranco被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在圣巴巴拉的加州大学Kavli理论物理研究所开展研究和教育计划，然后在哈佛-史密森天体物理中心。 他将追求一个综合的理论，计算，观测和实验计划，研究原行星盘的动力学和行星形成的过程中。高分辨率射电（毫米和亚毫米）观测尘埃排放可用于绘制非轴对称特征的详细地图，如漩涡、团块、环弧和扭曲。Barranco博士将使用三维双流体模拟来模拟所观察到的非轴对称现象的气体和尘埃动力学。我们的目标是确定是否相干结构的气体流中可以产生相干结构的颗粒浓度，并阐明这在第一代星子的形成中起着什么作用。除了他的研究，巴兰科博士将与代数项目，国家数学扫盲计划合作。代数项目的重点是帮助低收入学生和有色人种学生（特别是非洲裔美国人和拉丁裔学生）在中学/初中掌握代数，远远早于大多数城市/农村学区的期望。他将开发一个基于代数的物理学和天文学课程，补充他们的计划，即数学素养的目标，但在同一时间发展的兴趣，直觉，欣赏，也许还有激情，为物理科学。***

AST-0302146Barranco, JosephDr. Barranco is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and then at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He will pursue an integrated theoretical, computational, observational, and experimental program to study the dynamics of protoplanetary disks and the process of planet formation within them. High-resolution radio (millimeter and submillimeter) observations of dust emission can be used to construct detailed maps of non-axisymmetric features such as vortices, clumps, ring arcs and warps. Dr. Barranco will use three-dimensional, two-fluid simulations to model the gas and dust dynamics of the observed non-axisymmetric phenomena. The goal is to determine whether coherent structures in the gas flow can generate coherent structures in the particle concentration, and to elucidate what role this plays in the formation of the first generation of planetesimals. In addition to his research, Dr. Barranco will collaborate with the Algebra Project, a national mathematics literacy program. The Algebra Project focuses on helping low-income students and students of color (particularly African-American and Latino students) master algebra in middle school/junior high school, far earlier than the expectations of most urban/rural school districts. He will develop an algebra-based physics and astronomy curriculum that complements the goals of their program, namely math literacy, yet at the same time develops interest, intuition, appreciation, and perhaps passion, for the physical sciences. ***