Welcome to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) – West!

1. Welcome to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) – West! NRAO University Wisconsin – Milwaukee West Virginia University Yerkes Observatory University of Chicago

2. Let’s introduce ourselves to each other. . . (checks lab)

3. Pretests/Post-tests • The grant needs to have data! • MosartAstro test was taken before arriving (If not, please take it now!) • 7 multiple choice questions on pulsars • Take now • Take at end of today’s session • There will also be the always needed evaluations

4. Intro to project . . . Let’s start!

5. Citizen Scientists • So much of scientific research today relies on the analysis of incredible amounts of data. • Scientists cannot possibly look at it all • Computers do most, but human element is an essential ingredient, as it always will be • We already see some “citizen scientists” at work • Galaxy Zoo • Einstein at Home • Other “Zoo” type things

6. Educational outreach is important to scientists, and NSF is willing to bridge the gap! • Involving high school, and even middle school students is highly desirable • Can undo stereotypes • Can ignite the interest in science • Can make science accessible to underserved students (and to under achievers) • Involving science teachers is also a plus! • An opportunity is also available at UWM

7. Astronomy! • It can really grab the interest of kids, • They like to ask the big questions: • What’s out there? • How do we know? • Are there Aliens? • Here is a way you can involve a student of any ability.

8. This opportunity . . . • National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia (NRAO) • University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) • West Virginia University (Morgantown) NRAO, WVU, Funded by the NSF ARCC@UWM

9. Some of the people involved . . Sue Ann Heatherly Education Director, NRAO Rachel Rosen Astronomer, Program Director of PSC Maura McLaughlin, Astronomer, WVU Duncan Lorimer Astronomer, WVU

10. From UWM Xavier Siemens , Physicist, UWM Larry Price, postdoc, UWM Jean Creighton, Planetarium Director Dawn Erb, Astronomer, UWM David Kaplan, Astronomer, UWM

11. (Sherry and my involvement – more pictures?)

12. The group of teachers Sherry and I worked with summer 2009

13. Students at last May’s Capstone at WVU

14. For this project . . • Data is collected by Radio telescopes • The data is screened by a computer to a certain point • Then a human must look at it to see if it is worth a follow up • This is where students come in!

16. A light wave is a light wave, no matter how long... NRAO/AUI/NSF

17. Electromagnetic radiation • A traveling, massless packet of energy --OR an oscillating electric and magnetic field • Also known as: radiation, light wave, photon Travels at the speed of light (by definition). Remarkably, all radiation travels at this speed, regardless of whether is carries a lot of energy or only a little Animation from Nick Strobel’s Astronomy Notes (www.astronomynotes.com) NRAO/AUI/NSF

18. All EM waves follow the equation: • Let’s try a problem: • What do the above variables stand for? • (one or two problems will be added – simple,

19. What is the difference between radio waves and sound waves? • This is a confusing point to a lot of students and non-science people

20. Radio Waves are NOT sound! NRAO/AUI/NSF

21. The spectrum allows us to “see” the sky differently! NRAO/AUI/NSF

22. The Visible Sky, Sagittarius Region NRAO/AUI/NSF

23. The Radio Sky NRAO/AUI/NSF

24. Activity Time! • Detecting Invisible Waves

25. Let’s look at radio telescopes . . .

26. Radio waves can be detected night or day • They also can travel through dust and gas • So we can see further into our galaxy with radio waves than with light waves.

27. Optical and Radio can be done from the ground! NRAO/AUI/NSF

28. Radio Telescope Optical Telescope Nowadays, there are more similarities between optical and radio telescopes than ever before. NRAO/AUI/NSF

32. Itty Bitty telescope • Radio Jove • Let’s go outside . . . .

33. Radio Astronomy is a relatively young science

34. Pioneer of Radio Astronomy Karl Jansky 1928: Karl Jansky, working for Bell Laboratories discovers radio waves coming from space.

35. Pioneer of Radio Astronomy Grote Reber First Surveys of the Radio Sky Chart recordings from Reber's telescope made in 1943.

36. 0 In 1967, Cambridge graduate student Jocelyn Bell was using a radio array to study interplanetary scintillation – SURPRISE!

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38. How Radio Waves are produced Accelerating charged particles emit radio waves. One Way: high speed electrons and magnetic fields NRAO/AUI/NSF

39. Electrons accelerate around magnetic field lines NRAO/AUI/NSF

40. NRAO/AUI/NSF

41. NRAO/AUI/NSF

42. NRAO/AUI/NSF

43. NRAO/AUI/NSF

46. What we’re looking for! pulsars –spinning, neutron stars

47. Pulsars signals are used to find gravitational waves. • Pulsars are used to study interstellar space. • Pulsars are inherently interesting in themselves!

48. A pulsar is the collapsed core of a massive star • It is like taking the mass of the sun and making it into a ball the size of Milwaukee. • It spins very fast, like an ice skater who has brought their arms in.

49. Pulsars are neutron stars Pressure becomes so high that electrons and protons combine to form stable neutrons throughout the object. Typical size: R ~ 10 km Mass: M ~ 1.4 – 3 Msun

50. 0 What kinds of properties might we expect?