NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in Japan

这一行动资助哥伦比亚大学的刘佳于2012年夏天在神奈川市的日本宇宙航空研究开发机构(JAXA)相模原市开展了一个名为“中子星理论与观测相匹配”的研究项目。主持这项研究的科学家是肯·埃比萨瓦。该研究项目的智力价值在于产生了关于中子星的新知识。中子星是一种恒星残余物，被认为是大质量恒星引力坍塌的结果。中子星的中心含有宇宙中密度最大的物质。知道中心的质量和大小对物理学的许多领域都非常有用。这项研究的重点是吸积中子星的一个特性，即它们每隔几个小时到几天表现出X射线光度的突然增加，以将数学模型的模拟结果与太空望远镜的实际数据进行比较。EAPSI奖学金的更广泛影响包括为研究员提供美国以外的第一手研究经验；介绍各自所在地的科学、科学政策和科学基础设施；以及了解社会、文化和语言。这些活动符合NSF的目标，即在其科学家、工程师和教育工作者的职业生涯早期为国际合作进行教育，从而确保拥有一支具有全球意识的美国科学队伍。

This action funds Jia Liu of Columbia University to conduct a research project, entitled "Matching theory with observations for neutron stars," during the summer of 2012 at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Sagamihara, Kanagawa. The host scientist is Ken Ebisawa.The Intellectual Merit of the research project lies in generating new knowledge about neutron stars. A neutron star is a type of stellar remnant thought to result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star. The center of a neutron star contains the densest matter in the universe. Knowing the mass and size of the center would be very useful for many areas of physics. This research focuses on a property of accreting neutron stars, that they show a sudden increase in x-ray luminosity every few hours to days, to compare simulation results from a mathematical model with actual data from space telescopes. Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce.