ARCC@UWM: Searching and Solving Pulsar Puzzles
Mentor 1
Xavier Siemens
Mentor 2
David Kaplan
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
Pulsars are a type of evolved star that are extremely dense, rotate at an extremely reliable rate, and produce an intense beam of radiation similar to a lighthouse pulse. This unique pulse allows for novel ways to study the exotic physics of neutron star matter and general relativity. Particularly fast-spinning pulsars known as Millisecond Pulsars (MSPs) can be used to form Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs), which have the potential to detect gravitational waves produced by merging supermassive black holes in other galaxies. The sensitivity of a PTA depends on the number of MSPs included in the array, so the Arecibo Remote Command Center (ARCC) was formed as a way for undergraduate students to be involved in the search for new pulsars. Students remotely observe from UWM with the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, two of the world's largest radio telescopes. Students then analyze the resulting data to discover and study these fascinating astrophysical objects. In this effort, students at UWM collaborate with students at a number of other US institutions and with researchers across the globe.
ARCC@UWM: Searching and Solving Pulsar Puzzles
Union Wisconsin Room
Pulsars are a type of evolved star that are extremely dense, rotate at an extremely reliable rate, and produce an intense beam of radiation similar to a lighthouse pulse. This unique pulse allows for novel ways to study the exotic physics of neutron star matter and general relativity. Particularly fast-spinning pulsars known as Millisecond Pulsars (MSPs) can be used to form Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs), which have the potential to detect gravitational waves produced by merging supermassive black holes in other galaxies. The sensitivity of a PTA depends on the number of MSPs included in the array, so the Arecibo Remote Command Center (ARCC) was formed as a way for undergraduate students to be involved in the search for new pulsars. Students remotely observe from UWM with the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, two of the world's largest radio telescopes. Students then analyze the resulting data to discover and study these fascinating astrophysical objects. In this effort, students at UWM collaborate with students at a number of other US institutions and with researchers across the globe.
