SEPTEMBER 3 - 7, 2007

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

12:30 pm: Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) Seminar. "Detection of Gravitational Lensing in the Microwave Background," Kendrick Smith, University of Chicago. Pratt Conference Room.

Abstract: Gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a long-standing prediction of the standard cosmolgical model, is ultimately expected to be an important source of cosmological information, but first detection has not been achieved to date. We report a 3.4 sigma detection, by applying quadratic estimator techniques to all sky maps from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite, and correlating the result with radio galaxy counts from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS). We present our methodology including a detailed discussion of potential contaminants. Our error estimates include systematic uncertainties from density gradients in NVSS, beam effects in WMAP, Galactic microwave foregrounds, resolved and unresolved CMB point sources, and the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

11:00 am: Science Education Seminar and Open Discussion. Weekly sessions focus on current department programs, literature reviews, and recent trends in science education and assessment. Some sessions feature outside speakers or guests. All members of the CfA community are welcome. Please contact Bruce Ward at bward@cfa, if you wish to attend any session. Phillips Auditorium.

1:00 pm: Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division Lunch Talk. "My GMT: Quasars and Supermassive Black Holes," Dr. Martin Elvis, CfA. Phillips Auditorium.

Abstract: GMT-class "20 meter" telescopes, especially when equipped with AO, will enable major advances in the study of the growth and feeding of supermassive black holes in galaxies, as the study of quasars and AGNs has now become. I will discuss several examples, in increasing order of technical trickiness: (1) Spectro-polarimetry giving nuclear structure on the BLR-scale; (2) Moderate AO Imaging and IFU (integral field unit) spectroscopy of the bi-conical outflows and ISM interactions on 10s-100s pc-scale (the NLR); (3) Moderate AO IFU spectroscopic monitoring of gravitational lenses to determing BLR structure; (4) Wide-field, high photometric accuracy, multi-object spectroscopy to measure black hole masses at high z in bulk via reverberation mapping; (5) Extreme AO narrow field IR imaging to determine the occupation fraction and merger tree of black holes at significant redshift; (6) Extreme AO 2-D IFU to extend the M_bh-sigma_v relation to large samples and a wide range of galaxy nuclei. No doubt there are more applications.

4:00 pm: Colloquium. "Radiation MHD Simulations of the Vertical Structure of Black Hole Accretion Disks," Prof. Omer Blaes, University of California, Santa Barbara. (Anyone wishing to meet with the speaker should contact the host, Dr. Jeff McClintock, ext. 5-7136.) Preceded by tea at 3:30 pm. Phillips Auditorium.

Abstract: Significant theoretical progress has been made in understanding the dynamics of accretion disks since the discovery that magnetorotational turbulence is likely to be responsible for the anomalous angular momentum transport in many astrophysical disks. Thanks to large scale numerical simulations, we now have a much better understanding of the properties of this turbulent transport, and also how this turbulence may affect the global structure of the disk and its associated outflows and jets. However, the coupling of the turbulence to the thermodynamics (heating and cooling) of the flow has been largely neglected, and this has stymied efforts to build observationally testable models. I will discuss our most recent radiation MHD simulations of small portions of black hole accretion disks that incorporate all this physics, and also discuss how this may impact the observed properties of these systems.

SAO HUMAN RESOURCES NOTES

Leave Donations Requested

Due to a medical emergency, Donna Coletti of the Library has been approved as a leave donor recipient in the Leave Transfer Program. Any SAO Trust Fund employee who wishes to donate annual leave to Donna should complete a Leave Donor Form and send it to MS17.

Under the Leave Transfer Program, Trust Fund employees may only donate annual leave to other Trust Fund employees and Federal employees may donate annual leave only to other Federal employees. If you should have any questions or are not able to access the form, please contact Anne LeBlanc, ext. 5-7371.

Job Vacancies

An online listing of all current SAO job openings is available. For more information, please call Human Resources, ext. 5-7371, or view your nearest bulletin board.

A list of scientists currently visiting the CfA is available here.