Dwarf Planets of the Southern Hemisphere

Megan Schwamb博士被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在耶鲁大学开展研究和教育计划。在与耶鲁大学领导的南半球为期三年的调查合作中，Schwamb博士将在南半球的天空中寻找柯伊伯带中最大和最明亮的成员，并研究这些新发现的轨道和物理特征，以及它们揭示的早期太阳系的动力学历史和环境。Schwamb博士将利用光谱观测来研究新发现的矮行星的表面挥发物存量和形成表面和大气的过程;寻找卫星来探测这些大型柯伊伯带天体的内部结构，成分和质量，并调查柯伊伯带的碰撞历史;并检查所有新发现的轨道特性，包括寻找类似塞德娜和其他不寻常的轨道。Schwamb博士还将进行一个两-fold外展计划，重点是对追求科学事业感兴趣的学生和更广泛的公众。在奖学金期间，Schwamb博士将每年监督一名暑期本科生参与耶鲁大学调查相关的项目，指导有兴趣从事科学事业的年轻女性，并在莱特纳家庭天文台举办面向学童的太阳系相关主题的研讨会。为了接触到更广泛的公众，Schwamb博士将创建一个网站和博客来记录耶鲁大学调查的进展，并详细介绍有关发现的矮行星的新的、令人兴奋的信息。

Dr. Megan Schwamb is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Yale University. In collaboration with a three-year survey of the southern hemisphere led by Yale, Dr. Schwamb will search the southern skies for the largest and brightest members of the Kuiper belt and study the orbital and physical characteristics of these new discoveries and what they reveal about the dynamical history and environment of the early solar system. Dr. Schwamb will use spectroscopic observations to examine the surface volatile inventory and the processes shaping the surfaces and atmospheres of the newly discovered dwarf planets; search for satellites to probe the internal structure, composition, and mass of these large Kuiper belt objects and investigate the collisional history of the Kuiper belt; and examine the orbital properties of all new discoveries including looking for Sedna-like and other unusual orbits.Dr. Schwamb will also conduct a two-fold outreach program that focuses on students interested in pursing a career in science and the broader public. For the duration of the fellowship, Dr. Schwamb will supervise a summer undergraduate student each year on projects related to the Yale survey, mentor young women interested in pursuing a career in science, and develop workshops at the Leitner Family Observatory geared towards schoolchildren on topics related to the solar system. To reach the broader public, Dr. Schwamb will create a website and blog to chronicle the progress of the Yale survey and detail new, exciting information learned about the dwarf planets discovered.