Completing the Massive Star Population in Galaxies: The Field Stars

Oey博士将通过研究一般领域的恒星，而不是更常见的研究星星团，来研究小麦哲伦星云（SMC）中大质量恒星的数量。 她将使用6.5米麦哲伦望远镜上的多目标光谱仪来拍摄OB类中大约400颗已知恒星的光谱，其中包含最热和最大质量的恒星。 恒星朝向或远离观测者的运动可以直接从光谱中测量;它们的温度和质量可以通过与模型的比较来估计。 然后，她将估计有多少恒星形成在每个质量（场星星初始质量函数）。 她将研究大质量恒星是否可能诞生于星星团，探索径向速度的分布以限制逃逸恒星和双星的数量，并估计星星团溶解到大质量恒星中所需的时间。本科生和研究生将通过参与研究来培训。 Oey博士将在密歇根大学领导一些推广项目，包括2009年国际天文年的主题学期。 她将与校园内历史悠久的底特律天文台合作，更新展品，为讲解员提供科学培训，并与科学历史学家合作，记录天文台的历史作用。

Dr. Oey will investigate the population of massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by examining stars in the general field, rather than the more commonly studied star clusters. She will use the multi-object spectrograph at the 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes to take spectra of the 400 or so known stars in the OB class, which contains the hottest and most massive stars. The motion of the stars towards or away from the observer can be measured directly from the spectra; their temperature and mass can be estimated by comparison with models. She will then estimate how many stars were formed at each mass (the field star initial mass function). She will examine whether the high-mass stars now in the general field might have been born in star clusters, exploring the distribution of radial velocities to constrain the numbers of both runaway stars and binary stars, and estimating the time required for a star cluster to dissolve into the field.Both undergraduate and graduate students will be trained through their involvement in the research. Dr Oey will lead a number of outreach programs at the University of Michigan, including a Theme Semester for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. She will partner with the historic Detroit Observatory on campus, to update exhibits, provide scientific training for the docents, and collaborate with a science historian to document the Observatory's historic role.