Super Star Clusters and Galaxy Evolution

AST-0502649 McCrady，NathanDr. McCrady被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在洛杉矶的加州大学开展研究和教育计划。大质量星星团被认为是星系的基石，与银河系恒星群的形成密切相关，并为中等质量黑洞（IMBH）提供了潜在的位置，这些黑洞可能代表了银河系中心超大质量黑洞形成的种子。McCrady博士将进行一项研究计划，旨在回答两个问题：（1）在银河系恒星群形成过程中，子结构在大质量星星团的溶解中发挥什么作用？（2）中等质量黑洞是否形成于致密的星星团中？拟议的工作包括在8米和10米级地面望远镜上使用自适应光学系统进行衍射限制观测，以及从天基光学、红外和X射线望远镜进行观测，以确定附近星系中年轻、大质量超级星星团的结构和质量分离特征。额外的观测将用于识别与超亮X射线源相关的星星集群，这些X射线源被认为是IMBH。McCrady博士还将设计和教授一门名为“宇宙中的能量”的综合本科课程，该课程将以天文学为背景，以能量为主题，研究人类在宇宙中的科学理解。此外，McCrady博士将通过ASTRO项目利用天文学培养中学生对科学的兴趣。

AST-0502649McCrady, NathanDr. McCrady is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thought to be the building blocks of galaxies, massive star clusters are integrally linked to the formation of galactic stellar populations and provide potential sites for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) that may represent the seeds for formation of super-massive black holes in galactic centers. Dr. McCrady will conduct a research program that seeks to answer two questions: (1) what role does substructure play in the dissolution of massive star clusters in the formation of galactic stellar populations? and (2) do intermediate-mass black holes form in dense star clusters? The proposed work involves diffraction-limited observations using adaptive optics (AO) systems on 8- and 10-m class ground-based telescopes and observations from space-based optical, infrared and X-ray telescopes to characterize the substructure and mass segregation of young, massive super star clusters in nearby galaxies. Additional observations will be used to identify star clusters associated with ultraluminous X-ray sources, which are thought to be IMBHs. Dr. McCrady will also design and teach an integrative undergraduate course entitled "Energy in the Universe" that will use astronomy as the context and energy as a theme for investigating the scientific understanding of humans' place in the Universe. In addition, Dr. McCrady will use astronomy to foster interest in science among secondary school students through the Project ASTRO program.