Research opportunities: http://kipac.stanford.edu/collab/student_resources Events / seminars: http://kipac.stanford.

1. Research opportunities: http://kipac.stanford.edu/collab/student_resourcesEvents / seminars: http://kipac.stanford.edu/collab/seminars * 40+ full members (faculty and staff) * Physics Dept. faculty: Burchat, Cabrera, Church, Gratta, Linde, Michelson, Petrosian, Romani, Scherrer, Wagoner * SLAC PPA Faculty / staff: Bloom, Burke, Digel, Madejski, Roodman, Schindler, Tajima * Joint SLAC + Physics: Abel, Allen, Blandford (director), Funk, Kahn, Kuo, Senatore, Wechsler * ~30 postdocs; ~25 students * General Group Meetings: -Tuesday 11 AM - Varian 3rd floor conf room - Friday 10:30 AM – Kavli 3d floor conf room

2. Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford • Two active centers • Kavli Bldg @SLAC • Physics/Astrophysics (P/AP) & Varian buildings on campus • General Group Meetings • Tuesday 11:00 AM Varian 3rd floor conf room • Friday 10:30 AM – Kavli 3d floor conf room. • many other weekly meetings of individual groups • Astrophysics colloquia – Thursdays 4:00PM • Rotates between P/AP 101/102 on campus and Kavli Bldg at SLAC • Do check out http://kipac-prod.stanford.edu/collab

3. Fermi LAT  e– e+ • Large Area Telescope assembled at SLAC • Launched in June 2008 • Blandford, Bloom, Digel, Funk, Michelson (PI), Petrosian, Romani, Madejski, Tajima, + many other SLAC staff and post-docs

4. Gamma-Ray Sky • Lots of New Source Discoveries • Lots of Thesis Opportunities

5. GS Orient 09-5

6. Romani Group: High energy Astrophysics • Current focus: Fermi/LAT study of Pulsars and Blazars: Astrophysical Populations and Accelerator Physics • LAT data – new discoveries piling up • Supporting observations across the E-M spectrum, Modeling, Physics • taking on rotators this year • talk with any of the characters pictured at http://fsrq.stanford.edu/gamma/ : gGroup (w/ Michelson & Funk) • visit P/AP 233, 235; rwr@astro.stanford.edu g-rays  BHs & spin (Rel. Jets) Pulsars & Wind Nebuale

7. Fermi Gamma-ray Space telescope and the extreme particle accelerators • Fermi is studying lots of new sources – extreme particle accelerators • Broad-band picture needed - radio to optical, IR, UV, X-rays, … • Greg Madejski’s main area of interest: black holes and astrophysical jets • Future: Stanford is involved in development and planning for the next Caltech-led satellite mission NuSTAR, sensitive in the hard X-ray band – will be launched in 2012 • Definitely looking for students / rotators! madejski@stanford.edu; (650) 926-5184 Fermi installed in the rocket fairing Radio, optical, and X-ray image of a jet in the active galaxy Virgo-A

8. Stefan Funk: the Crab Nebula flares and the Fermi Bubbles Back to the Galaxy with Fermi • Fermi “Bubbles” • - diffuse, large-scale gamma-ray • emission in our Galaxy • No publication by the LAT team yet • Exact properties will yield important • information about their origin Crab Nebula: mechanisms for particle acceleration? Extend energy spectrum to lower energies, understand time structure

9. After Fermi: CTA – The Cherenkov Telescope array • We plan to build a next-generation camera • Interested? Contact Stefan Funk, funk@slac.stanford.edu

10. X-ray astrophysics • Greg Madejski, Steve Allen, Roger Romani, Roger Blandford, Stefan Funk, Hiro Tajima, Vahe’ Petrosian • X-ray data for celestial objects reveal extreme physics, but also allow us to use those objects to study cosmology • We use data from orbiting X-ray satellites: Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku • Future: NuSTAR with Caltech in 2012, Astro-H with Japanese colleagues, 2015 • Specific projects: how clusters of galaxies form and evolve? • How is energy released by matter falling into black holes? NASA’s, European and Japanese facilities

11. Solar Flares Clusters of Galaxies AGN

12. Roger Blandford - Fermi Topics Talk to Paul Simeon Mainly astrophysical theory: • Gamma ray emission by relativistic jets made by massive spinning black holes in galactic nuclei? • Comparing 3D relativistic MHD simulations with observations • Particle acceleration and magnetic amplification at supernova remnants • Making a self-consistent model of strong shock • Explaining flares in the Crab Nebula • New approaches are needed to explain rapid variation • Classical radiation reaction • Astrophysical challenges are shedding new light on this old problem

13. Sarah Church’s Group Opportunities (1-2 rotators F, Sp) • Development of radio amplifiers for investigating: • Inflation through polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (QUIET II, CHIP) • Epoch of reionization through measurements of highly redshifted CO lines (large-format radio interferometer) • Star formation history through molecular gas studies (Octopus at the Green Bank Telescope) • Rotators participate in design tasks, prototype fabrication and testing • In the longer term, thesis projects will include deployment, data taking and analysis • Visit our lab – Varian 203/204 or • stop by my office – Varian 344 • Note: I am away winter 2012 Inflation???

14. Sarah Church’s group (schurch@stanford.edu): The Chajnantor Inflation Probe (CHIP) • CHIP • Large format interferometer for CMB measurements • Prototyping underway with deployment expected 2011 • Possible rotation opportunities in instrument development leading to deployed experiment

15. Kuo Group: Superconducting Detectors for Cosmology and Astrophysics radiation Transition Edge Sensor Thermometer thermometer R(T) absorber Operating point Cold bath (<0.5 K) temperature We use superconductivity to detect tiny radiation from the Big Bang & compact astronomical objects Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Optical (visible) spectroscopy/polarimetry of compact objects, one photon at a time Several experiments in different phases, Some observing, some under construction

16. Direct dark matter detection: SuperCDMS Discovery Potential CDMS: Cold Dark Matter Search Improvements in sensitivity by three decades (few 10-44 to 2.10-47) in the next 10 years The origin of Dark Matter is a central question to particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology Ge Recoil Energy (tens of keV) 0 Dark Matter (mass ~GeV – TeV) CDMS is now a joint SLAC – Stanford Physics project Contact: Prof. Blas Cabrera, Dr. Rich Partridge Mass of a Dark Matter Candidate (GeV)

17. Who, Where, Rotation Slots? Where most likely found When rot slot likely avail. High energy astrophysics: • Roger Blandford (SLAC,SU) – R FWSp? • Elliott Bloom (SLAC) – R FWSp • Stefan Funk (SLAC) • Andrei Linde (SU) • Greg Madejski (SLAC) -- R FWSp • Peter Michelson (SU) – R FW • Vahe Petrosian (SU) -- R • Roger Romani (SU) -- R WSp • Robert Wagoner (SU) – R? CMB: • Sarah Church (SU) -- R • Chao-Lin Kuo (SU) – R F,Win Solar: • Philip Scherrer (SU) – R FWSp • Peter Sturrock (SU)  Rotation positions noted from responses received. Others likely have Rotation Positions as well! Please check