These are just a few of the research projects available for Pre-MAP students:

1. X-Ray Variation from Supermassive Black Hole Accretion in Quasars

Faculty advisor: Rob Gibson

Supermassive black holes reside in the hearts of distant galaxies; they feed by accreting material. A colleague has compared the accretion process to "Cookie Monster" feeding: a lot of stuff shoots out before it can get trapped by the black hole. A quasar is a feeding black hole that gives off enough energy from its accretion disk to outshine its entire host galaxy. Since the 1960's, the number of identified quasars has expanded rapidly to about 100,000 in SDSS DR7. Chandra X-ray view of Centaurus A; NASA/SAO/R.Kraft et al.

Together with colleagues at other institutions, we are conducting a funded study of quasar variability in X-rays. This means we're studying changes in emission and absorption processes very close to the black hole, where the X-rays are generated. We have already reduced X-ray observations in the Chandra data archive; now it's time to start looking for interesting science results

Our primary goal for this project will be to see whether we can determine why some quasars are more variable than others in X-rays. We will look for clues in the optical/UV SDSS spectra to see whether greater variability is associated with certain types of quasars, black hole masses, or feeding rates. We'll also see if there are any trends that imply a physical relation between variability and luminosity or redshift; for example, some previous studies have suggested that quasars varied more in the distant past when they were feeding faster. There's much more to look at in this project and other related studies we're conducting at UW.

2. Stability and Packing of Exoplanetary Systems

Faculty advisor: Rory Barnes

Many known exoplanetary systems with two or more planets appear to lie very close to instability - if the orbits were slightly different, gravity would throw planets from the system. Such systems are "packed", no additional planet could survive in between those that are already known. Although many systems appear packed, a few do not, leading to speculation that yet-to-be-discovered planets exist in between the known planets (to make them packed). This line of reasoning led to the discovery of a planet in one such system (HD 74156, see figure), making the new planet the first to be successfully predicted since Neptune. Previous research has generally assumed that planetary systems all lie in the same plane, as motion out of the plane cannot currently be measured. However, theoretical research predicts the angles between orbital planes could be quite large, a factor of 10 or more than in our Solar System. It may be that planetary systems that appear "unpacked" actually are packed, but the assumption of coplanarity tricked us into thinking there is room for another planet. Furthermore, upcoming space missions may discover systems with large inclincations, and we would like to know if they are packed. Planet HD 74156 d was predicted to lie in the grey region; its actual orbit is the middle black oval. The Solar System is also shown at the same scale.

In this project you will investigate the stability and packing of planetary systems on inclined orbits. You will analyze simulations of planetary motion, determine if some systems which appear unpacked may actually be packed, and predict the presence of undetected planets.

3. Merging Supermassive Black Holes

Advisors: Tom Quinn

It is presumed that most galaxies have a large Black Hole at their center. As galaxies merge in the standard hierarchical scenario of galaxy formation, these Black Holes also can merge and grow. Furthermore, the violent dynamics of the merger will deliver a significant amount of gas and stars to the central regions of the merging galaxy, further growing the central Black Hole and fueling an Active Galactic Nucleus. Simulation of merging galaxies.

Several NASA missions will be attempting understand the physics of central Black Holes in galaxies. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) hopes to detect the gravitational radiation as these Black Holes merge, and therefore will need estimates of merger rates. Constellation-X will be observing the X-ray emission from these objects, and these observations will need to be put into a framework that includes the very dynamic nature of the galactic merging process in order to be fully understood.

In this project you will be investigating the link between the merger of the black holes and any electromagnetic signatures from the host galaxies. You will be examining the results of high resolution computer simulations of the merger event as shown in the figure, and creating simulated optical and X-ray images. By correlating these images with the time that the black holes actually merge in the simulation, you will be able to to distinguish the observational properties of the host galaxies at the time of the supermassive black hole merger from other events in the galaxy merger scenario.

4. Solar System Cinema

Advisor: Toby Smith

In 1987 Bruce McCormick characterized scientific visualization as "the use of computer graphics to create visual images which aid in understanding of complex, often massive numerical representation of scientific concepts or results." Nowadays, pretty sophisticated scientific visualization can be done with a modest desktop computer. We live in a busy place. This image is a frame from an animation of a camera following the Earth (blue sphere) in one orbit around the Sun. The other objects are Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) color-coded by distance from the Earth. The relative sizes are not to scale.

Utilizing simple computer tools, and a bunch of CPU cycles, Pre-MAP students will create animations of solar system phenomena. We will will use data sets that we will create through computer simulation as well as empirical data from spacecraft missions. By the end of the project we will have pretty movies and increased generalized computer skills.

5. Building a High Redshift Universe

Faculty advisor: Andy Connolly

A new generation of wide-field astronomical surveys, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, will soon address many fundamental questions about nature of our universe; the properties of dark matter, the nature of dark energy, and the evolution of large scale structure. To solve these questions we will need to understand many aspects of the: what does the universe look like at high redshift, how well can we measure the shapes of galaxies if they are only barely resolved, how do changes in surface brightness or evolutionary history influence the galaxies we observe.

To address these questions we will create a view of the high redshift universe by building galaxies from local surveys such as the SDSS and shifting them to higher redshift. In this project you will learn about different types of galaxy, how star formation influences their colors and shapes, how dust changes our perspective and how the same galaxy at low and high redshift can look completely different depending on the assumed cosmology and the type of telescope we observe it with.

6. Using Hubble Space Telescope Images to Understand Supernova Explosions

Faculty advisor: Jeremiah Murphy

Massive stars end their lives in catastrophic explosions, called core-collapse supernovae. Because these explosions are one of the most energetic events in the Universe, they herald the birth of neutron stars and black holes, stir the gas and dust through out the entire galaxy, trigger further star formation, and produce most of the elements of the universe, including those that make up our bodies and the Earth. To understand our origins, we must understand these explosions. The Crab Nebula is a nearby example of a supernova remnant. The supernova remnants of this project are located in M33, the Triangulum Galaxy.

Current models for these explosions tell us that the characteristics of the explosion are determined by the mass of the star that exploded, but this must be verified with observations. In M33, a relatively nearby galaxy, there are roughly 100 remnants of these explosions that have been cataloged. If you choose this project, you will use Hubble Space Telescope images to characterize the enivronments around these explosion remnants, which will enable us to determine the mass of the star that exploded.

7. Simulating Observations of Star Formation

Faculty advisor: Charlotte Christensen

All galaxies form stars from the cold gas within them. The Milky Way galaxy, for instance, makes about half a dozen stars a year. Starbursting galaxies like the Cigar Galaxy, however, can produce ten times as many stars in one year whereas in dwarf galaxies like the Large Magellanic Cloud only one star may be born every five years or so. Astronomers are seeking to understand the rate of star formation in galaxies of many different shapes, sizes, and histories. A mock-observation of a simulated dwarf galaxy. The bright blue points represent light from massive stars and mark areas of recent star formation.

As researchers in this field, you will attempt to connect two different ways of studying star formation in dwarf galaxies: observations of light produced by newly formed stars and computer simulations of dwarf galaxies. To do this, you will create mock-observations of simulated dwarf galaxies. Using the same techniques observers use, you will be able to find the rate of star formation in these galaxies. This data can then be compared to both the actual number of stars formed in the simulations and to real observations of similar galaxies.

Archived projects: go here to see descriptions of past projects.