ROBERT SIMCOE, Assistant
Professor of Physics
Research Interests
Rob Simcoe maintains strong interests in both the development of optical/infrared instrumentation for ground-based astronomical observatories, and the observation of galaxies and intergalactic matter at the epoch when the universe was ~10-20% of its present age.
In particular, he has worked to improve characterizations of the spatial distribution of elements heavier than Hydrogen and Helium at early times. In the wake of the Big Bang, the universe is thought to have been primarily composed of H and He, with nearly all large scale production of heavier elements taking place through nuclear fusion in the cores of the first stars. When these stars ended their lifetimes, they exploded as supernovae and polluted intergalactic space with newly formed chemicals.
By studying the strength and spatial variation of intergalactic oxygen and carbon at early epochs, Simcoe has been working toward an understanding of when and where the first stars in the universe were formed. Further work in correlating the locations of early galaxies with heavy elements in the nearby intergalactic medium is also leading to some of the the first direct physical characterizations of the cycle of galaxy formation, supernova feedback, and chemical enrichment during the peak era of star formation over cosmic time.
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Biographical Sketch
Robert A. Simcoe first came to MIT as a Pappalardo Fellow in Physics. He specializes in observational astrophysics, with particular emphasis on the
chemistry of galaxies and intergalactic matter in the early universe. An amateur
astronomer and telescope maker from his youth, Simcoe went on to earn his A.B. in
astrophysical sciences from Princeton in 1997, and his Ph.D. in astronomy from Caltech in
2003. He remains active in the application of new technologies toward instrumentation
for large ground-based telescopes—including the twin 6.5 meter Magellan telescopes in
the Chilean Andes, where he carries out most of his observations. Simcoe joined
the MIT Physics faculty as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 2006.
[top] Selected Publications
Popular Articles
"Cosmic Dawn: Hunting for the First Stars in the Universe," Robert Simcoe, physics@mit, Fall 2005.
"The Cosmic Web: Observations and simulations of the intergalactic medium reveal the largest structures in the universe," Robert A. Simcoe, Scientific American, January-February 2004.
Research Articles and White Papers
"Observations of Chemically Enriched QSO Absorbers near z ~ 2.3 Galaxies: Galaxy-Formation Feedback Signatures in the IGM," Robert A. Simcoe, Wallace L. W. Sargent, Michael Rauch, George D. Becker.
"The Distribution of Metallicity in the IGM at z~2.5: OVI and CIV Absorption in the Spectra of 7 QSOs," Robert A. Simcoe, Wallace L. W. Sargent, Michael Rauch.
"Characterizing the Warm-Hot IGM at High Redshift: A High Resolution Survey for O VI at z = 2.5," Robert A. Simcoe, Wallace L. W. Sargent, Michael Rauch.
"A Dedicated Infrared Echellette for Magellan:
Science and Design Concepts, " Robert A. Simcoe. [PDF]
"Sizes, Shapes, and Correlations of Lyman Alpha Clouds and Their Evolution in the CDM$+\Lambda$ Universe," Renyue Cen, Robert A. Simcoe.
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