We conducted a series of lectures for the undergraduates performing research with us. Some of it was based off of summer schools and workshops that we’ve previously participated in, other lectures were based on current interesting science topics.
High Energy Astrophysics Detectors
Michael Nowak
High Energy Astrophysics Software: Detectors to Images, Spectra, & Lightcurves
Michael Nowak
Data Analysis with the Interactive Spectral Interpretation System
Michael Nowak
Practical Cryogenics for Astro Instrumentation
Johanna Nagy
This talk provided an introduction to some of the ‘cool’ techniques used by astrophysics experiments. We discussed several different methods of cooling, how cryogenic systems are optimized for different operating environments (balloon vs. ground), and some basic design considerations.
Active Galactic Nuclei, with an Introduction to Analyzing Astrophysical Catalogs using Python
Manel Errando
This talk provided an introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): the main source of cosmic X and gamma-rays outside of our galaxy. We talked about the discovery of AGN using radio and optical observations, we learned about accretion power and how it fuels AGN, and we discussed how AGN for relativistic jets of particles and radiation are among the most powerful particle accelerators in the Universe. Finally, we used the recent Fermi-LAT AGN catalog as an example of how useful (but also deceptive!) astrophysical catalogs can be, and we learned tricks and tools on how to analyze them using Python.
Astrophysical Catalogs using Python & Nucleosynthesis: What We are Made of and Where it Comes From
Manel Errando
In the first half of this talk we learned how to explore astrophysical catalogs, going through an example that uses python libraries. We searched for BL Lacs in The Fermi-LAT source catalog and tried to properly “count” them. The code is available here. In the second half of this talk we discussed some key concepts about nucleosynthesis, nuclear fusion, and how the first atomic nuclei formed.
Dark Matter and How Not to Find It
Jim Buckley
A full quarter of the universe is made up of dark matter. It is the stuff that holds galaxies together, and caused structure to form in the universe. While its gravitational influence is incontrovertible, the nature of the dark matter is still completely unknown. So I can’t tell you what dark matter is, or how to find it. Instead, I’ll tell you what it might be, and how we have, so far, not found it! I’ll give some of the basic ideas behind WIMP and Axion dark matter, explaining a bit about the candidate particles, and thermal decoupling in the early universe. I’ll then describe a few different strategies to try to detect the dark matter. Hopefully this will give you, the student, a bit of background on the ongoing research aimed at resolving one of the bigger mysteries in astrophysics, and a great way to have a lot of fun not seeing anything!
Galactic Black Hole Systems: Turtlehead Revisited
Michael Nowak
A look at black hole systems in our own Galactic neighborhood, from the perspective of high energy astrophysical observations (as well as some radio observations, too). We discussed some of the phenomenology we see along the so-called “turtlehead diagram,” that (highly variable) black hole systems in our Galaxy seem to follow. And we also talked about our attempts to use these systems to observe some of the interesting effects predicted by General Relativity, but also highlighted some of the “astrophysical complications” that are interesting in their own right.