CAREER: The Evolution of Gas in Disks - Setting the Stage for Planet Formation

布里坦博士将领导和实施一个项目，通过研究恒星周盘内部的气体，增强我们对行星形成过程的理解。虽然行星系统是由新形成的恒星周围的气体和尘埃形成的，但关于这一过程仍然存在一些基本问题。该项目将利用高分辨率红外光谱技术研究恒星周盘的行星形成区域。这项研究将能够测量这些圆盘中存在的热气体的数量，并将有助于限制气体消散的时间尺度，这可能与像木星这样的气态巨行星形成的速度有关。这一提议的更广泛影响集中在吸引、发展和留住不同的学生群体上。国际天文学协会建议通过克莱姆森小学教育和物理专业的合作，为贫困学生举办与天文学有关的工作坊。这些学生来自“创造性探究计划”(Active At Clemson)项目(Active At Clemson)，该项目将学生团队与一名教师导师进行为期五个学期的项目匹配。此外，这里提出的研究将构成克莱姆森学生S博士论文的重要组成部分。

Dr. Brittain will lead and carry out a project that will enhance our understanding of the process of planet formation by studying gas in the inner region of circumstellar disks. While it is accepted that planetary systems form out of the gas and dust seen around newly formed stars, fundamental questions remain about this process. This project will study the planet-forming region of circumstellar disks using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. This study will be able to measure the amounts of warm gas present in these disks and will help constrain the timescales for gas dissipation which is likely related to how quickly gas giant planets like Jupiter can form.The Broader Impacts of this proposal are centered on attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse group of students to the sciences. The PI proposes to develop astronomy related workshops for disadvantaged students through the collaboration of elementary education and physics majors at Clemson. The students come from the 'Creative Inquiry Initiative' program (which is already established at active at Clemson) which matches teams of students with a faculty mentor for a five semester project. Additionally, the research proposed here will make up a significant portion of a Clemson student?s Ph.D. Dissertation.