CAREER: Diffuse interstellar clouds as the key step in galaxy evolution

冷原子云是分子云和恒星形成的必经之路。为了研究这些云是如何在温暖的中性介质中形成的，斯塔米罗维奇博士将使用两个新一代无线电设备对银河系和麦哲伦云进行灵敏的HI吸收观测。这项名为“21海绵”的调查将首次定量描述银河系中温介质的基本物理性质。在南半球的设施中进行的第二次调查将提供麦哲伦云中冷气体的普查。对星际湍流的研究将补充这些调查，星际湍流是促成冷云形成的潜在关键因素。一旦获得数据，对从数值模型获得的合成HI光谱与观测的系统比较将测试模拟数据集的可靠性，并将揭示缺失的物理过程。对银河系星际云的探索继续在麦迪逊威斯康星大学的天文学课程中进行，通过发展天文观测实验室--一个致力于学生学习的“无线电天文台”。三名本科生将与斯塔米罗维奇博士合作，开发适合低级天文学课程的射电天文教程。有了三个小型射电望远镜，天文观测实验室还将允许以项目为基础的高层课程专注于解决问题和协作学习。来自其他校区的本科生将能够在他们的教室里远程使用天文观测实验室，并使用无线电教程。

Cold atomic clouds are a necessary step on the way to molecular cloud and star formation. To study how these clouds form out of the warm neutral medium, Dr. Stanimirovic will use two next-generation radio facilities for sensitive HI absorption observations of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. The so-named "21-SPONGE" survey will provide the first quantitative description of the basic physical properties of the warm neutral medium in the Milky Way. A second survey conducted at facilities in the southern hemisphere will provide the census of cold gas in the Magellanic Clouds. These surveys will be complemented by a study of interstellar turbulence as a potential key agent for seeding the cold cloud formation. Once the data is obtained, a systematic comparison of synthetic HI spectra derived from numerical models with observations will test the reliability of simulated data sets and will expose missing physical processes.The exploration of the interstellar clouds in the Milky Way continues to introductory astronomy classes at the University of Wisconsin, Madison through the development of the Astronomical Observation Laboratory -- a "radio observatory" dedicated to student learning. Three undergraduate students will work with Dr. Stanimirovic to develop radio astronomy tutorials suitable for lower-level astronomy classes. With its three small radio telescopes, the Astronomical Observation Laboratory will also allow upper-level, project-based courses to focus on problem-solving and collaborative learning. Undergraduate students from other campuses will be able to use Astronomical Observation Laboratory remotely from their classrooms and work with the radio tutorials.