MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2018 Activities by Sponsor - Kavli Institute for Astrophysics

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Broken Symmetries in the Cosmos

Tom Chang, Research Scientist

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 01:30PM-02:00PM 37-252 Marlar Lounge

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

If there is any running of the propagator (fundamental interaction) coupling constant at large spatial scales in renormalization-group (similarity) transformations of the gravitational effective action, cosmological observations may experience “apparent” antiscreening distortions with possible dark matter implications.  A narrative description of this novel idea of symmetry-breaking will be conveyed to the general scientific audience, along with some simple illustrative examples utilizing the fractional differintegral operators. 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Exoplanet Science in the era of TESS

Dr. Jenn Burt, Torres Postdoctoral Fellow

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 01:30PM-02:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

The beginning of the TESS spacecraft's science mission in mid 2018 promises the detection of thousands of exoplanets orbiting bright, nearby stars. These planets will provide astronomers with our best ever opportunity to mount extensive follow up observation efforts and try to understand the composition, distribution and evolution of planets in our galaxy. This talk will describe the anticipated TESS planet yield, its impact on the exoplanet field, and some of the follow up methods that astronomers will use to probe the composition of the planets' rocky cores and/or gaseous outer atmospheres.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory; Tour of the Chandra Operations Control Center

Dr. Michael Nowak, Research Scientist, Dr. Norbert Schulz

Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 01:00PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: attend 1:00pm talk to take Chandra OCC tour that follows

The Universe in X-ray Light (talk followed by tour of Chandra X-ray)

Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory

In the summer of 1999, NASA launched the third of its great observatories--the Chandra X-ray telescope. Like the Hubble Space telescope which preceded it, Chandra is designed to have an unprecedented ability to create images and spectra of astrophysical objects, except working with high energy X-rays instead of optical light. This means that Chandra views some of the universe's most exotic and energetic phenomena: supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, jets traveling at nearly the speed of light emanating from near the center of clusters of galaxies. In this talk, we'll take a tour of the discoveries made by the Chandra X-ray telescope, starting with studies of our own solar system, moving outward to nearby stars, to the center of our own Galaxy where a black hole 40 millions times the mass of our Sun lurks, to distant clusters of Galaxies where the most massive black holes, billions of times the mass of our Sun, reside.

Tour of Operations Control Center for Chandra X-ray Observatory

Tour departs 37-252 shortly after 1:30pm (following 1:00pm talk above). Tour signup deadline: Monday, Jan 22 @ noon.  Email meinbres@mit.edu your first & last name (as it appears on your ID) & the country of your citizenship. Your tour attendance will be confirmed by Jan 26.

The tour is limited to the first 20 people who sign up by Jan 22 @ noon. 



Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Finding New Worlds with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

Dr. Diana Dragomir, Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 01:00PM-01:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Abstract:
Just 25 years ago, humanity did not know whether planets were common in the Universe or whether the Solar System was an anomaly. Then, in 1995 a giant planet was discovered in a 4-day orbit around a main sequence star. Since then, the number of exoplanets discovered every year in our Galaxy has been increasing exponentially. In a few months, the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space mission will launch, with the goal of finding the nearest exoplanet systems to us. The TESS science instruments will be operated from the MIT campus, and the satellite is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket. TESS will focus on discovering Earth- and super-Earth-sized planets in the solar neighborhood, as well as exoplanets in the habitable zones of nearby stars, where conditions might be suitable for the existence life. Once discovered by TESS, these new exoplanets will be much more easily studied than those we already know of, thanks to their proximity.

 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star

Dr. Paul Hemphill, Dr. Norbert Schulz, Dr. Herman Marshall

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 01:00PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: no limit or advanced sign up for talk; tour signup at 12:55
Sign-up by 01/24
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: none

X-ray Spectroscopy: Talk and Tour. Learn about the development and application of x-ray spectroscopy.

Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star (1:00-1:30pm)

Dr. Paul Hemphill

Abstract:
Neutron stars are some of the most extreme objects in the knownUniverse. More massive than the Sun, but just a few miles across, theyhave some of the highest densities, strongest magnetic fields, and highest temperatures of any celestial objects. In this talk I will give an overview of the origins and properties of the various types of neutron stars that we observe, as well as how we can detect them and their usefulness for astrophysics as a whole.

Tour of the X-ray Polarimetry Lab -- please note tour limit and prerequisite below (2:00-3:00pm)

Drs. Norbert Schulz and Herman Marshall

Tour of MIT's X-ray Polarimetry Lab, where new X-ray instrumentation is currently being developed.

Please Note:
20 people max for tour. Advance sign-up required starting at 12:55pm in 37-252 immediately before Dr. Hemphill's talk. Attendance of talk is required for tour of the Lab. Tour will leave from 37-252 at 1:30pm, and last about an hour until about 3:00pm.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Learn about supermassive black holes, R process of neutron stars and star formation!

Dr. Shuo Zhang, Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Rana Ezzeddine, Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Hans Moritz Guenther, Research Scientist

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 01:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

The Glorious Past of Our Monster Black Hole (Speaker: Dr. Shuo Zhang)

The center of our Galaxy resides a monster black hole, called Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*), containing 4.5 million times the mass of our sun. While Sgr A* is quite inactive nowadays, there have been abundant observation evidence pointing to a glorious past of this supermassive black hole. (see full abstract)

Formation of Gold and other heavy elements via the r(apid neutron capture)-process (Speaker: Dr. Rana Ezzeddine)

Most chemical elements up to Iron are formed in the core of the stars via nucleosynthesis fusion processes of lighter elements into heavier ones. Elements heavier than iron, however, require neutron-capture processes to take place. I will talk about our current understanding of the formation of heavy elements, such as Gold and Uranium (see full abstract)

How Stars are Born (Dr. Moritz Guenther)

While our Sun is almost 5 billion years old, stars still form in the the dark clouds of our Milky Way. When we observe those regions we can learn how star and planet formation works, so that we also understand the formation of our own solar system and the Earth better. I will describe how we observe those regions that are hidden to the naked eye using infrared and X-ray telescopes to obtain stunning images of stellar nurseries. (see full abstract )

 

 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Modern Cyclopses - The Era of Giant Telescopes

Gabor Furesz, Research Scientist

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 01:30PM-02:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

While astronomical observations have been carried out for thousands of years it is only the past four centuries when our naked eyes have been aided by telescopes. With today's 'giant eyes' we can peer really deep into the night sky, literally reaching the edge of the (observable) Universe. But to get there we have to build larger and larger, ever more sensitive, better telescopes and instruments. It has been really just the past few decades when progress was exponential, just like in other fields: thanks to computers, highly sensitive digital detectors and other modern design and manufacturing technologies. But progress in astronomical instrumentation is also influenced by commercialization, the consumer market, as well as history and politics - as these extremely large and complex scientific machines require collaboration and unique technology developments that point beyond a single nation, even the U.S. One could rightfully ask: do we really need these even larger giant telescopes, if they are so expensive and we already can see to the edge of the Universe? I will argue for the "yes" answer... Read the full abstract for this activity

See space.mit.edu/events for a complete listing of MKI's IAP activities

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Night-time observing with MIT's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team

Dr. Duane Lee, MLK Postdoctoral Fellow

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Please join MIT's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team for night-time observing on January 23, 24, 25 from 7:00-9:00pm.  The group will have telescopes set up in North Court (behind Stata and Koch Buildings) -- weather permitting. Talk with astronomers and observe the night sky.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Night Sky Observing

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM North Court
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 07:00PM-09:00PM North Court
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 07:00PM-09:00PM North Court

Join MKI's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team for 3 evenings of night observing (weather permitting)


Roman warships in Experiment: Reconstruction and Sailing Tests

Hans Moritz Guenther

Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 01:30PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Roman warships in Experiment: Reconstruction and Sailing Tests

Warning: This talk is non-astronomical and contains actual videos and possibly sound. After the climax of its power internal struggle weakened the military position of the Roman Empire. A series of attacks in the 2nd and 3rd century AD forced an adjustment of the military strategy in central Europe. Instead of further expansion, the borders of the empire were increasingly fortified. In Germany this lead to the construction of an impressive naval fleet on the rivers Rhine and Danube. Several of the boats have been excavated. Our team has attempted a reconstruction of two types of vessel, the "navis lusoria" and the "Oberstimm" with a level of detail down to the hand-smithened nails with the correct metallurgy. A series of three working boats have been built in original size. I will show pictures of the reconstruction phase, but concentrate on the on-the-water tests we have performed with different teams to access the speed, maneuverability and sailing performance of these boats. Particularly in sailing the possibilities far exceeded the expectations. This result indicates a much larger operating radius of these vessels than previously estimated and thus a much higher flexibility of the river defense scheme which the empire relied on to keep the barbarians at bay. See, e.g.: this movie


Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics , History
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Searching for the First Stars

Ani Chiti

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Abstract:
Old, “metal-poor” stars have helped us peer into the conditions of the early universe, as the chemical composition of a star’s photosphere mirrors the composition of its natal gas cloud. Recent efforts have been successful in detecting a number of stars that formed in the first few generations after the first stars. But we are yet to discover a surviving first star, which leads to some natural questions— Is there even a possibility of detecting a surviving first star? And if so, what open questions would such a remarkable detection answer? Come to this talk to learn about the background and techniques on studying and identifying the oldest stars. 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Simulating the Universe on a Supercomputer

Ryan McKinnon

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Galaxies in the universe form and grow over time in a complicated nonlinear fashion. Recent advances in supercomputing ability make it possible to numerically model the essential physics and evolve a "mock" universe from shortly after the Big Bang to the present day, producing a fairly realistic population of galaxies. In this talk, I will highlight the key topics in physics that govern galaxy formation, display visualizations from state-of-the-art astrophysics simulations, and discuss the supercomputing resources needed to simulate the universe.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Solar Observing

Michael Person, Shuo Zhang, Postdoctoral Associate, Paul Hemphill, Postdoctoral Associate

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Join us for daytime stargazing! We will have solar telescopes set up so you can safely observe our closest star, the Sun. Swing on by for a quick look, and feel free to stay and chat with MIT astronomers over cups of cocoa.

Weather permitting on the following 3 dates:

Monday, January 22 
12noon-2pm
location: MIT North Court

Tuesday, January 23
12noon-2pm
location: Upper Plaza Area outside of MIT Student Center W20

Thursday, January 25
12noon-2pm
location: MIT North Court

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics , Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Wallace Astrophysical Observatory
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Solar Observing

Jan/22 Mon 12:00PM-02:00PM (CANCELED)
Jan/23 Tue 12:00PM-02:00PM (CANCELED)
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 12:00PM-02:00PM North Court

Join us for daytime stargazing! We will have solar telescopes set up so you can safely observe our closest star, the Sun. Swing on by for a quick look, and feel free to stay and chat with MIT astronomers over cups of cocoa.

Weather Permitting


Talk and Tour! An Explanation of the Science Behind LIGO

Dr. Evan Hall, Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Lee McCuller, Postdoctoral Associate

Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM NW22 InteractionArea

Enrollment: tour has a 15 person limit
Limited to 15 participants
Prereq: for tour, you must attend the 1:00 pm talk

Dr. Evan Hall
How can we build a machine that can detect dead stars colliding with each other a billion light-years away?
Come hear about the physics that goes into building the LIGO gravitational wave observatories, and the astrophysics behind recent detections. Black holes, neutron stars, high-power lasers, and quantum optics!


MIT LIGO Lab tour:

Dr. Lee McCuller
Following the talk will be a tour of the MIT LIGO lab. Come see how the quantum optics research here at MIT will improve detections of binary neutron stars and black holes in LIGO to be more often and more informative.


No limit for the talk, but tour is limited to 15 people.  You must attend the 1:00pm talk in order to take the lab tour.  Tour sign up will begin at 12:55pm just prior to the talk.

 

See a complete listing of MKI's IAP 2018 activities

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU